#Pretty much all Dragon Quest Woman are great

[lostplay]

Game 42: Dragon Quest Heroes II As much as I am a fan of warrior games and Dragon Quest, they have yet to make the games as good as the Hyrule Warrior games have been. Maybe it has something to do with the size of the locations, the JRPG nature of the franchise, or simply not rendering enough enemies, but the series just doesn't get close enough to the explosive action I felt when it comes to any of the other warrior games. Still compared to the first Dragon Quest Heroes, DQHII actually improvements itself immensely, and what was once an utter drag, is now just a novelty that feels like it's miss something. Like the first Dragon Quest Heroes was so stiff and slow paced that it never felt like you were given the time of day to actually get into any of the action. There was no chance to explore or make itself feel like a classic JRPG the way a Dragon Quest game ought to be. Heroes II fixes this oversight by giving the players a proper overworld to play around in and explore. While there isn't always a bundle of enemies to smack around, there is at least plenty of environments, treasures, and block passages to make it really feel like a traditional JRPG overworld. It honestly feels like I'm exploring the first map of Dragon Quest again, and every time I see an enemy it's like it draws near to me despite it remain quite stationary. There is just something to say about a big overworld, especially one as filled as Heroes II that gets any player really excited to explore it. Sadly though, the overworld of Heroes II isn't the main focus of the game, and that in lies the problem with it. It's not so much that the story is bad or the characters feel off, it's more so just how the maps used during story segments are rather hit or miss. Like there is plenty of dungeon type maps in this game, but there are also plenty of maps that feel like an empty arena in which you wait to be filled. Once more, the balancing of these types of maps are entirely lopsided with the early story maps having hardly any creatures, and the later game areas have plenty of enemies to deal with. This makes for a lot of the beginning of Heroes to be not only slower to get into, but boring too. The game really only picks up right after your fight with Terry, and that's roughly 15 hours in. Not to entirely slander Heroes II though, as I will say they did an excellent job of actually making proper boss characters, and challenge throughout the game. Once more, you can also select any current heroes you have in your party, and virtually play the whole game has just the characters you like. Even if you never touch the rest of the cast they still level along with you, albeit slowly. If you are looking for a warriors like Dragon Quest game in which you beat up a bunch of monsters, Heroes II is certainly the better showcase of the two games we currently have. On top of that, the first Heroes game doesn't need to be played through at all, and any extra fun to be had with the characters that do show up are at least characterized well enough that you don't have to know their original game counter parts to understand them. I don't think there is enough here to really engage anyone new to the franchise, and the lack of a proper couch / online co-op only hinders any possible friends/ lovers from exposing them either. That being said, there are better warrior games out there, and the only true enjoyment I can see this game getting is from fans of the series.

[gingersnaptaff]

Are there any characters from Welsh mythology that didn't get into popular Arthuriana, but you think would fit in really well there?

Okay, so this is a bit tricky because the whole of the Mabinogion can be interpreted as being just another facet of Arthuriana in a way. After all, a) Pryderi and Manawydan are two of King Arthur's attendants in Culhwch ac Olwen which, therefore, means that they must be there after their adventure in Branches 1, 2, 3 (thankfully not 4 in Pryderi's case) have already concluded. Bendigeidfran - Manawydan's brother and giant lad - has his head dug up by Arthur and so that also has to happen after branch 2 cuz that's what allows the Saxons to eventually gain a foothold in Britain after Arthur's death. Also, Gilfaethwy - Gwydion's bro, the main cause of chaos in branch 4 - is the inspo for Griflet.

HOWEVER, Because of that you can neatly slot them into wherever works best for u.

Who you can't slot in best - because where are u gonna put her? - is Blodeuwedd. She's not somebody who I'd consider as able to slot in because she's an owl. Her entire thing is tied to the Branch Four escapades. However, I WOULD LOVE TO SEE HER THERE. @wildbasil has some real great art where she in owl form hangs out with gwyn ap nudd and his brother edern and that works superbly well.

I also think that the entirety of what occurs with Cantre'r Gwaelod would be fascinating to explore through an Arthurian lens. Think about it. A whole kingdom - a whole island! - gets swallowed in the sea! And you can still hear the warning bells ringing out across the sea. You could tie them back to the fall of Camelot, to the failure to keep things in check, to people gradually getting complacent and perhaps a little corrupt. It would be SO FUN. And also you could perhaps have it be God's vengeance too.

Plus Lludd and Llefelys. It's BANGING. It could be another quest for the knights to undertake. You have three magical 'quests' that Lludd has to undertake (which are pretty easy to overcome but the possibilities? Endless.) There's a race of magical creatures called the Coraniaid, a demonic race of people who can hear EVERYTHING (which is also the same power Gwydion's uncle, Math, has who is another dude I think would be BRILLIANT in an Arthurian story!), a mysterious screaming that causes every woman to miscarry which is eventually found to be a red dragon (Y Draig Goch my beloved) and a white dragon (those peaky Saxons) fighting, and last but not least a wizard who he has to defeat by dunking himself in a bucket of water so doesn't fall asleep. (It makes sense in context, I promise.) Lludd - king of Londonium - undertakes the quests while his older brother, Llefelys, King of Gaul gives him invaluable advice. I have always thought that it should be made into a story because you could connect it to Merlin (the dragons are buried I'm Dinas Emrys which is literally 'Emrys'/Merlin's Hillfort' because he uncovers them and lets them FIGHT!!!! (Red dragon wins if ur wondering.)

(Also, you could slot Tŵm Sion Cati in there if u wanted. He's very much a Robin Hood archetype - and also his stories are set centuries after the Arthurian mythos (16th century during the time of Mary I /Bloody Mary) - but I mean that should not stop u.

(Doesn't stop me trying to combine all this shit together.)

Anyways!!! This ran away from me so I heartily apologise! Also, somebody will tell me, 'Sarah, you utter tit, somebody has already done these things' so I am prepped for that being the case.

[utilitycaster]

so I did The Soul of a City and Neve's final companion quest except for the capstone (frustratingly, I did them in that order initially, realized Neve couldn't make up her mind because I hadn't done The Returned Cultist Case, went BACK but because I am the No Saves We Die Like Varric woman the only available save was after Rook talks to the various Shadow Dragons but before picking Archon, so I will have to find someone who clipped the conversation with Neve because I couldn't go back) and I feel like I stand by the statement that it's good that the consequences are very different for saving Minrathous and Treviso, and I strongly disagree that I'd make the same choices in a Save Minrathous run as the ones I'm pushed into in a Save Treviso run (ie, I wouldn't work with the Threads if there were another option) but I think the issue is that, since Minrathous is ground zero in the end game regardless of what happens, it kind of makes Neve's choice feel a little...inconsequential, except in a very specific case:

If you save Treviso, Neve is forced into the choice of working with the Threads (organized crime) and you do not get to have any input into the next Archon, but ultimately both Dorian and Maevaris have good political positions; it's a difference in approach. However, because the city is so wrecked in this case I have to wonder if like, the Threads survive. Neve's story is much more of someone in impossible and horrible circumstances doing the best she can, which I find deeply compelling, and one wonders how much of the Venatori/Templars even make it through, so the story of Minrathous is also very much one of building back from the ground up.

If you save Minrathous and you take the heroic route (Aelia is arrested, Rana quits the Templars and joins Neve as a private investigator), then there's something very good to be said about not compromising, as Neve doesn't care for the Threads as is made clear earlier on - she'll work with them as informants, but she doesn't like their methods. You can pick either Dorian or Mae, but in this option Neve prefers Mae. This is pretty unambiguously noble and heroic!

If you save Minrathous and pick the "whatever it takes" option, that's where I think there's something interesting if uniquely tragic, because it's not fully "you have betrayed and destroyed yourself for nothing" but it doesn't feel great to urge Neve to be a protector at all costs, including her own early game instincts, only for the city to get slammed with the Blight Apocalypse soon after and cast into question if it even mattered.

And, because it's relevant because this is an either/or situation, whereas the vibe is "Minrathous is going to, at minimum, really go through it no matter what, the Venatori will be destroyed, and Neve will find a way forward", yeah, Lucanis really kind of doesn't get better until very, very late in the game. Or for lack of a better way to put it, Inner Demons, while it is about an individual guy and not, well, the capital of an empire, goes about a thousand times harder as a story. Blighted Treviso really drives home the personal elements in a way Blighted Minrathous doesn't, and of course there's a discussion to be had about social violence/murder vs. armed conflict and occupation and human interest vs. the larger political picture, and, cards on the table, once I got over the whole snakes and ladders of the layout I actually love Minrathous and Dock Town as a setting, more so than Treviso; but just. Neither story fails to achieve the basic goals I think any story should achieve in terms of narrative or whatever, but saving Treviso feels weightier and more interesting. If you save Minrathous, four named Crows, three with significant roles in the story, die, two in heroic sacrifice. If you save Treviso? The Shadow Dragon shopkeeper and one or two others with fairly minor roles die (though the Viper can die if you don't do the location quests). I also think the quest in which the Viper is kidnapped, and Desperate in Dock Town are, frankly, among the strongest (and most interesting, lore-wise) quests in Minrathous and those don't happen in a save Minrathous run. And finally, while the villains in Treviso are hilariously obvious (Illario and Ivenci, subtlety is not thy name), the writing is just. better. Like, I prefer Neve to Lucanis as a character, though Lucanis is a close second, but man some of the dialogue writing for Minrathous doesn't land, and ironically a lot of the weaknesses are specifically with Aelia (happens either way) or the Shadow Dragons (nonissue if you save Treviso as they're mostly gone). Treviso stuff is melodramatic in a fun way that feels true to the vibe, which is very soap opera; Neve's personal writing is pretty strong but Minrathous's plotline writers could have used a TCM noir marathon or a Dashiell Hammett reading binge and a couple rewrites.

Finally, I found it really frustrating that the dialogue among Shadow Dragon leadership until after The Soul of a City is highly limited and only really opens up after. This is a huge part of my complaint about Rivain and so it applies here because that's just...really late in the game, and it's even more egregious for the Shadow Dragons/Minrathous because I have like, three more quests there and one of them is the endgame trigger conversation with Morrigan. At least Rowan shows up in Rivain and then you have like 5 location quests and therefore plenty of reasons to go there, even if the pacing is a bit fucked. I just feel like I lose so much more by leaving Treviso to the dragon on pretty much every level. In terms of what is best in-world, especially at the time when Rook is making the decision, if you can separate yourself as the player from Rook as a character who does not, in fact, know the true consequences, it really is impossible to say! I don't think the writing of the decision itself is bad! But saving Minrathous just feels more pyrrhic and less narratively satisfying, in the end, even before the confirm that the blight in Minrathous is entirely dead due to the events of the endgame. I'm glad I did a save Minrathous run to see the difference, but yeah man I'm saving Treviso in all future replays unless I really want to play a Shadow Dragon again.

[ubtendo]

Top 10 childhood videogames?

Wait, that's such a fun question, but I'm blanking on games I played in my childhood because I played so many😭

This list could have been a lot more obscure, but I tried to keep it more basic

Uhh and if anyone wants the reasoning for any game, I'm talking a bit about them under the cut

1. Tomodachi Life

One of my first actual games that I got to choose for my self and I still love it to this day. I mean if you haven't been struggling with the question "who in this ship could be a woman" because you made your favourite ship into miis with the plan on them marrying , but they are both guys and there is no option for a gay relationship, than have you even lived. I remember I got this game on my 10th birthday and I keept running back inside our house to charge my nintendo because I wouldn't stop playing for one second. Even now I still boot it up on my birthday first thing in the morning to see the mii version of my friends, family and favourite characters sing happy birthday to me.

2. Dragon Quest Monsters Joker

Hands down, if tomodachi life didn't exist, then this would have been my all time favourite game. I'm so surprised that I never see people talk about this game. If you like pokemon, then you will also like this. I watched my mom play it when I was really little, then we lost the game and my brother re-bought it a few years back, but decided he doesn't want to play it anymore pretty early on, so he gave the game to me. I only beat the final boss this year and my main complaint about this game is that lvl. grinding is PAINFULLY SLOW but I'm nothing if not patient so I got through the fight eventually.

3. Pokemon Alpha Sapphire

My first pokemon game and the one I replayed the most. If they never made a new pokemon game you would still find me playing this. I made so many memories in this game, I can't even begin to tell you any because I wouldn't stop. This holds a very special place in my heart.

4. Miitopia

Well when I first heard that there was a sort of successor / spin of of tomodachi life, I was set. I got it as soon as our store had it, and after losing all my games (story for an other day, sort of embarrassing, don't ask) I bought it again and I got my friends to play it as well and I was so happy. I remember that I was sitting in our garden and fighting the final boss only fo find out that that wasn't the final boss, I was so devastated but also so happy that the game wasn't over yet. What can I say, I'm just a simple RPG lover.

5. Animal Crossing New Leaf

In my opinion, a way better game than new horizon. I mean yeah, horizon got a lot of great features but it doesn't hold the candle to new leaf. This game just has such a sommer night vibe to me, but that might be because I keep staying up late to catch beatles all night on the island. Also THE MUSIC DON'T EVEN LET ME GET STARTED

6. New Style Boutique

I'm pretty sure I didn't buy this game myself, and it would feel weird for my parents to have bought it for me because I was a sort of tomboy-ish girl back then, but I played this game so much, and honestly I sometimes so today as well. Ok, maybe I only ever wore the bunny handbag and got the space buns hairstyle but I lived for that. I have the other 2 3ds games and the original ds game as well, but I haven't played much of them.

7. Go Vacation

Ok now we get a bit more obscure. Specially the wii version. I mentioned this before, but I loved the diving minigame and I spent hours underwater just doing that. Mainly I just loved running around the resorts and doing whatever. Me and my brother also sometimes raced down from the peak of the mountain in the snow resort and we placed bets on who would win. Fun game even tho I don't remember any other minigame except diving.

8. Cooking Academy

So my mom gave me her old laptop when I was idk seven? And she still had this game so she gave that to me as well. And I might or might have not burnt every dish that went into the oven. Honestly my cooking skills haven't improved since then, so I guess I'm just very consistent.

9. GTA 2

Ok so I actually never really played that game myself and I only watched my brother play on our uncle's old windows 98 PC. The funny thing is tho is, we were really young, like REALLY YOUNG. I'm pretty sure we never played the story and we just drove with the cars and tried to steal the police cars everytime and hunt down the hot dog car. Real nostalgic to me even tho I wouldn't play it myself even nowadays.

10. Sims 2

Again, my mom gave it to me with her PC. Sims 3 was already long out and I played that as well, but I remember this one much more. Maybe because my version had some weird graphic glitches where all the walls and the whole overworld looked like a red and black checkers board that would make your eyes bleed. Sims in general I remember very fondly because of my mama

[garzzum]

A VERY DESCRIPTIVE PROFILE OF YOUR MUSE: Arisen & Pawn(s) Edition

Tagged By: @fisherkn1ght

Thank you so much!!!!! 😊❤️

I have no one to tag so if you see this and you'd like to do it, pretend I tagged you 💀

Prepare for the overuse of parenthesis. This is gonna be long so 👇

Arisen: Crom

(I had to take all the screenshots in this post literally today cuz Xbox deleted all my old screenshots and I never saved them to my phone 💔)

Nickname(s): Probably Crumb. 😭

Age: I think 22-25 maybe. She's childhood friends with Quina and Valmiro, and personally I can't see them being any older than 25-ish.

Race: Human.

Gender: I wanna say she identifies as a woman but tbh gender doesn't really matter much to her. Like she doesn't think about it. She'd have no problems if someone referred to her as anything other than a woman or used pronouns other than she/her.

Orientation: Asexual/Aromantic (like me😋). I can't imagine her (or really any of my OCs lol) in a romantic relationship or having sex or anything.

Moral Alignment: I think Neutral Good.

Class: She started as a Fighter and later became a Warrior. She just wants to swing a big sword around.

Background: Literally just the intro in DD1 💀 She's childhood friends with Quina and Valmiro, though her and Quina are practically sisters as Crom was raised by Adaro most of her life after her parents died in a brine-related accident. She doesn't remember them much. She took becoming the Arisen pretty well actually, if you ignore the fact that some of her neighbors died 💀 She was stoked to see a real life dragon until it sunk in (idk how she can see when her eyes are closed 24/7 but y'know... it's a fantasy game, pretend 😭).

Interests/Hobbies: Fishing (ofc, she's Cassardi), she's always liked sword fighting (I can imagine her and Valmiro as kids enthusiastically whacking eachother with wooden swords until they both were all bruised up and Quina had to heal them while lovingly chewing them out), and crafting things. Like whittling or making necklaces and crowns out of flowers that Quina found (to her annoyance, she collected those for a tonic).

Language(s): Common. Is that what it's called in Gransys? Grasian? Granslish?

Height: Probably around 5'10. The tallest in the village. 😭

Colors: Blue, Red, and Brown. Those would be her fave if you pretend that she can see...

Fruits: Idk.. I don't think she can choose either. She probably has a new favorite every other day.

Alchoholic Beverages: I don't think she drinks very often. She's definitely gotten wasted on Cloudwine with Mercedes once or twice though. (Also just a little headcanon, I like to think that Madeleine and Mountebank are friends, considering their shops are so close by, and now I'm imagining the three of them having a night on the town while Affie follows closely behind them to make sure they don't get into too much trouble. Fournival's probably there too but he'll deny it.)

Smokes: Again, not very often, but she has smoked greenwarish with Quina and Valmiro a couple times (you can't convince me they haven't smoke before, have you seen Quina's room? I get that she's a healer but...)

Drugs: I mean, if greenwarish counts.. But no, she doesn't do drugs. She needs to have a clear head for all that sword swinging. 🤣

Driver's (Oxcart) License: Definitely not. She falls asleep on the oxcarts way too fast.

Ever Been Arrested: Besides the Aelinore quest, no. She can be kinda reckless but she's not a troublemaker.

~~~

Pawn: Affie

wow, great screenshots 💔

Nicknames: Affie is her nickname 😭 Her name is actually Afaenia but no one calls her that. (Affie and Crom's names are literally in-game monikers. For some reason I'm incapable of not using monikers as my characters actual names in DD.)

Age: About the same as Crom, 22-25. Physically. I guess if she was made by Crom she'd probably only be a couple months old. 👶

Race: Pawn. Lol. Crom has loved fantasy stories since she was a kid and has always wanted to see a real life elf, so she created Affie in the image of one (but now I'm wondering, do fantasy stories exist in fantasy worlds? What could possibly be fantasy to them? Modern day Earth? 😭)

Gender: Pawn. I'm kidding. I think like Crom she probably doesn't care much about gender. She's very fem presenting but if you referred to her in any other way she wouldn't really care.

Orientation: Asexual/Aromantic. I just can't see her in a romantic or sexual way lol. It makes me a bit uncomfortable personally.

Moral Alignment: Lawful Neutral? It was hard to pick. She really only answers to Crom. She doesn't think much for herself so you can be sure that she's not going be getting into any trouble (of her own free will lmao.) She is full of complaints though. 😭 I also kinda see her as a big sister figure to Crom despite being younger than her. Always looking out for her and having no problem chewing her out.

Class: She started as a Mage but later became a Sorcerer. Though I can see her switching back and forth depending on Crom's behavior. Like if Crom's been recently injured I can see Affie switching to Mage again to make sure she's ok in fights until she's got her full strength again.

Background: She doesn't really have one... She was made by Crom. If she had a life before Crom, she doesn't remember it.

Interests/Hobbies: I'm not quite sure honestly, but she's probably a throwblast dealer on the side. Something about explosives...

Language(s): Granslish (Common). If she were in DD2 I don't think she'd be able to speak elven. She's a fake. 😔

Height: I think about 5'7-ish. She's a bit shorter than Crom but not too short.

Colors: Purple and Orange.

Fruits: Grapes. I can't really see her enjoying a whole lot of fruits. Maybe? She likes bitter flavors.

Alchoholic Beverages: She has no time for drinks when she has a hard-headed Arisen to take care of.

Smokes: She may not drink, but she's definitely dabbled in little greenwarish before...

Drugs: Nope.

Driver's (Oxcart) License: Can she be trusted to drive a cart? Not sure, but I think she'd have a license regardless.

Ever Been Arrested: Can pawns be arrested? They're not allowed within castle walls... But no, she's a good pawn.

Some more pics lol

Sorry, they're honestly not that interesting 💀

[saltyluminaryvoid]

“Cold was the steel of my axe to grind.”

A story of a daughter’s newfound quest for her family. 

In which the daughter of Elijah Mikaelson and Princess Samira Parvati Agrawal is betrayed by her own and imprisoned for several centuries. When the hollow sacrifices Elijah it triggers unforeseen consequences onto humanity and the supernatural world. The escape of the dhampyre releases nearly a thousand years of blood thirst and unbridled rage onto vampire kind and anyone who stands in her way for revenge. 

CHAPTER ONE

In the cool air of the August night, a woman moved gracefully through Agrawal Palace, tiny bells upon her ankles announcing her every step as she carefully balanced two trays one ladled with cold lemonade and the other with fresh bread and cheese. 

Parvati! a voice calls in the distance, ‘you could have called for me and I would have come to assist you.’ Sister, Parvati calls softly nothing will fall and be ruined, the golden-skinned beauty teases as she removes her hold upon the trays only to leave them hovering mid-air, ‘that’s the beauty of magic’ she softly demonstrates. Her baby sister a fiery red-headed Indian woman tsked her, ‘Well at least it would have given me something to do, while our sister occupies herself with her warrior training.’ Orrrr, Parvati begins to tease you can practise your English and allow your elder sisters some much-needed peace. Aarushi only pouts as she descends the stairway, the length of her silken saree flowing with the gentle breeze, Parvati follows into the large courtyard trays trailing mid-air alongside as she joins Aarushi under the large Willow happy with the reprieve the nights brought from the hot Indian summers. Her younger sister Lokirina  dutifully practices her sword fighting, clothed in nothing but dragon hide armour, no doubt kept cool  from the many magical runes inscribed onto her armour. 

Parvati sips her lemonade, half-mindedly listening to her sister prattle on about how pretty the Patel twins are. She recalls the many nights Lokrinia and father stalked and hunted the dragon which terrorised neighbouring lands. In her foolish bravery she remembers almost being killed for her hubris, her father’s broken cries as he cradled her sister’s burnt body. She’ll never forget the way fear and panic racked her body when the healers announced Lokirina now fully healed from her burns many never awaken as her mind had retreated too far for magic to heal. 

Parvati had never felt so useless, as the eldest child of the greatest coven to exist in the Vijayanagar Empire Parvati was the problem solver. The one her siblings turned to when they were far out of their depths, the one her father groomed to take up the mantle of Thakurani, the ruler who fell under the great Maharaj of the Empire. In her passing hopelessness, Parvati had assembled the greatest witches and warlocks of the empire and together they slayed the dragon and affirmed her position as the most beloved Kumari in history. Her sister’s dragon hide armour was carefully cut and within its skins, all manner of protective and tracking runes were sown.

She recalls her once loving father who made it his priority to be involved in the education and rearing of his girls despite still mourning his beloved wife and heading his kingdom. She knew he once truly loved her in the way he’d  patiently explain complicated theoretical magic, in the way he lovingly feed her bites of food when she was too caught up with her newest magical project or the way he hid the pain his face whenever she looked far too much like her mother or even the way he never resented her as she was the admissible evidence her mother’s heart would always lie with Elijah. 

Bitterly she thought, he didn’t love me anymore why else would he have plotted with the spirit Esther to seal her away? 

Why else would he turn the coven against her once he discovered the truth of what her father really was?

Why else would he punish her sisters alongside her when they refuse to turn against her?

Why else would he have thought of such a brutal prison to seal her away so she could never fully transition?

Because of him they were forever trapped within a prison world, doomed to repeat this one day until the end of time, she was doomed to live in an unending loop of fiery torment clawing at her throat. A torment which could only be sated by the dhampyre natural prey, a vampire.

[satansapostle6]

The Man Who Sold The World | Luke Castellan

Spotify Playlist Link

Katherine. She was the one who started it all for Luke Castellan, the reason he did what he did.

Warnings: Mature themes/language. Violence. Sexual content.

Chapter Sixteen

Chapter Seventeen: Nights That Don’t End

In the past few days, Luke hadn’t slept much. Most of his nights were just spent watching Katherine as she slept, making sure she was sleeping peacefully, which didn’t happen often these days, or simply staring up at the cabin ceiling. Even when he slept, Luke either dreamt of things that tormented him in his sleep, or just simply didn’t remember what he dreamt about.

But that night, he actually had a good dream as he slept throughout the entire night, one that he wished would never end.

“Okay, really good, just try that one more time, but even harder,” Luke instructed as he held his sword still in his hand. “Think you can do it?”

“Yeah,” the nine year-old nodded, breathing hard.

“Alright! Show me what you got!” he encouraged him.

Luke made the first move, swinging his sword just in time for the small boy to slash his own at the blade in retaliation, this time hitting back with an improved intensity.

“Good! You’re doing great!” he exclaimed proudly.

“Luke?” the little boy in his dream asked him once they finished training.

“Yeah?”

“How did you get that scar on your face?” the child asked him, purely curious.

“Well,” Luke sighed, trying to put a more positive spin on the traumatic memory, “I went on a quest. To retrieve a Golden Apple from the Garden of Hesperides. It’s from the dragon; Ladon.”

“Did it hurt?” the ADHD-ridden child asked him.

“It didn’t tickle, kid,” Luke sighed.

“Do people think you’re ugly?” the boy blurted out as Luke tried not to laugh.

“Uh… I don’t know,” he admitted. “But my girlfriend doesn’t mind. That’s enough for me.”

“You have a girlfriend?” the boy asked, getting a nod in return. “What do you actually do with a girlfriend?” he asked, as Luke tried his best to maintain his composure.

“No one ever talked to you about this stuff, huh? Or, any stuff?” he quickly realized.

“I’m nine,” the child pointed out.

“Fair enough. Uh… I don’t know. Depends on the person, but for me… My girlfriend’s just like my best friend,” Luke remarked. “We tell each other everything before we tell anyone else, and we always wanna spend time together. And she’s just also really pretty,” he tried to explain.

“And she likes being your girlfriend, even if you have a giant scar on your face?”

Luke nearly snorted with laughter. “Yeah, I guess you could say that… But hopefully, after tonight, she won’t be my girlfriend anymore.”

“You’re breaking up with her?!” the boy cried.

“No, no,” Luke chuckled, “I’m gonna ask her to marry me.”

*****

“Katherine? Will you marry me?” Luke Castellan asked, on one knee with the most beautiful diamond ring in his hand that he could find.

“Yes,” she gasped, “Yes!”

He quickly jumped up to kiss her, ring box still in his hand as he forgot about it for a moment.

*****

The wedding was held in Rome, during the day on the shore of a beach that looked just like paradise. It was a beautiful wedding, with a small guest list of only the most important people in their lives.

The incredibly romantic wedding ceremony and reception was followed by a two-week long honeymoon in Italy, resulting in a new development that came with an ultrasound photo on the refrigerator in their new home.

“Oh, I can’t believe my little boy’s gonna be a father!” May Castellan gushed as she and Katherine sat at the table while Luke prepared dinner. “I just wish we could’ve met sooner! I would’ve wanted to get together before you became my daughter-in-law!”

“Oh, I’m sorry,” Katherine sighed, “Luke and I were just always so busy…”

“Oh, it’s okay, sweetheart, I get it,” the woman promised her. “You don’t have to feel bad.”

“So, May, do you have a guess as to whether it’s gonna be a girl or a boy?” Katherine asked.

“I don’t know, what do you think, honey?” Luke’s mother asked curiously.

“I think it’s gonna be a boy,” she explained, “Luke thinks it’s gonna be a girl.”

“I see, are you hoping for anything in particular?”

“I really don’t care, I’m just happy we’re having a baby,” Katherine responded truthfully, smiling at Luke as he cooked. “But, later down the line, we’re hoping to have both…”

“Oh, that would be wonderful! You know, I’ll have to look at you when you’re further along. You can tell by the shape of the bump, whether it’s gonna be a girl or a boy,” May Castellan remarked.

“Oh, wow,” Katherine nodded.

“So, Luke, you think it’s gonna be a girl?” his mother asked him.

“Yeah, that’s my guess,” he nodded, setting plates of food down on the table as he sat beside his new wife, squeezing her hand. “Obviously, I’d be happy with anything, but I really want to have at least one girl…”

“He’d make such a cute girl dad,” Katherine beamed.

“Oh, yes he would!” May agreed. “My Luke… so sweet and gentle. You know when he was little, and I used to try and kill the spiders in the kitchen, he used to pick them up on a newspaper, and stick them outside?”

“Aw, I believe it!” Katherine sighed, affectionately kissing Luke’s cheek as she nuzzled her head into him, listening to the stories.

“You two look so happy,” the older woman gushed, seeming emotional. “Look at you, Luke, so handsome, just like your dad.”

“He is handsome,” Katherine agreed, looking up at him like he was the coolest person in the world.

With Katherine, Luke felt like Brad Pitt.

“I’m so proud of my son. Camp counselor, beautiful wife, beautiful baby on the way.”

Luke smiled softly as he looked down at his wife, and then over at his mother, who was happy and healthy, fully content with everything. He took in their smiling faces, and the beautiful sounds of their gentle laughter, treasuring it forever.

“This isn’t how it happened,” a loud, nightmarish voice violently cut through his good dream.

“What?” Luke looked up.

His blue eyes widened as everything slowly disappeared him, his lovely home, his healthy mother, and his beloved wife. Everything in that idealistic fantasy was stripped away from him until he was left alone in an empty room of darkness.

“This isn’t how it happened, Luke Castellan,” Kronos’s voice shrieked in a pitch that was both far too low and far too high.

Luke began to panic as the invisible room he was in started to make him feel claustrophobic, suffocating and not existing simultaneously.

“You didn’t leave the camp. You didn’t marry the girl. You didn’t save your mother,” the Titan’s voice reminded him. “You didn’t even keep the baby alive.”

“No!”

Luke started to twitch, remembering his unborn child as he flailed about out of instinct.

“Remember who your allegiance is to,” the voice reminded him, returning him to a new, all too familiar memory.

It was one of the earlier dreams Luke had had about Kronos; it was the dream in which he decided he’d join the father of the gods in destroying the world they currently lived in. In the dream, Luke had been showed every single ounce of suffering caused and enabled by his father, Hermes, along with all of the other gods, which basically amounted to just about everything he’d ever witnessed.

In the dream, he’d walked into an empty, almost ceremonial sort room, which was dark and empty, except for Kronos’s golden sarcophagus. Luke had touched a hand to the ancient artifact, in complete awe of the raw power emanating from it as he dropped to his knees subserviently.

“I pledge my eternal allegiance to you, Lord Kronos,” Luke vowed as he was told to. “My mind, body, and soul belong to you. I am your servant.”

“Well done, my boy,” the voice said in a saccharine tone, trying to entice him, “You’ve done well.”

All of a sudden, he looked down at his clenched fist as a beautiful Celestial bronze weapon began to appear in his hand. It was a sword, a glorious weapon he could only describe as befitting a warrior. One side of the sword, it seemed, was made from Celestial bronze, only capable of killing monsters or other mythical beings, while the other edge was steel, capable of unspeakable destruction.

This was the sword Luke had named ‘Backbiter’, capable of killing just about any creature in existence. It was one thing for a demigod to brandish any weapon made up of Celestial bronze, as killing monsters was in the job description, but in the demigod world, even just giving oneself the opportunity to kill mortals was an absolute taboo.

The sword, Luke knew, was a true instrument of death. He had received a flawless instrument of death from Kronos in exchange for becoming one.

“Why do you hope to be happy?” Kronos’s voice echoed through his empty head. “Why do you believe that this is possible?”

Luke was completely broken by the question.

“Your loyalty isn’t to yourself. You don’t serve your own happiness, or hers; you serve me,” the Titan said. “Just as I can reward you with happiness for doing as I say, I can take it back. Remember that.”

His eyes opened with a start, and he all but jumped up in bed. Katherine was woken by the sudden movement, looking over at her boyfriend as she slowly sat up, trying to shake off her own exhaustion.

“Another dream, baby?” she asked worriedly.

Luke nodded slowly, not realizing that he had already been crying in his sleep. Overwhelmed by the nightmares, he buried his face in his hands, failing to collect himself.

“I’m sorry,” she murmured, rubbing his back as he held his knees up to his chest for comfort. “I’m right here, okay? Just let it out. You’re safe.”

Luke hadn’t felt safe at all in the past several days. Losing the unborn baby he’d only gotten the chance to grow to love in the past three days was the final straw for him, the very last chance he had to have hope for good in the world, or his world, at least. Ever since losing the baby, if it could even really be called that, Luke had clung desperately to Katherine even more so than before.

She was the last good thing he had, but even she had almost been taken from him by Kronos, on multiple occasions. Luke draped himself over her body, laying his head down on her chest as she held him. Her movements were slight but deliberate, as she slowly went from allowing him to sink down onto her lap to gently stroking his hair as he let out small, painful cries.

“You know how much I love you, right?” she asked him sadly.

Unable to stop his weeping or steady his breathing, Luke just nodded, hanging onto her every word as he prioritized her smooth voice over the relentless screaming in his head.

Later that day, once the both of them were feeling up to actually leaving the cabin, they decided to walk the strawberry fields, in a more quiet outing.

“I don’t know if this makes sense, but… I miss the baby,” Katherine said softly. “I know I never gave birth, but… I still had it with me, you know?”

“That makes absolute sense,” Luke promised her, a poignant look in his eyes as he felt exactly what she had meant. “I miss him or her too… I know there’s no point in saying ‘him or her’, but it just makes me feel more connected to it, actually imagining a ‘him’ or a ‘her’.”

“I wanna know what I would’ve had,” she thought after a pause. “Do you?”

“I, uh…” the question triggered a deep longing in Luke. “I wanna think so. But I don’t know if I could handle it,” he confessed guiltily.

Katherine nodded, considering his point of view.

“I wanna know… But, the thought of missing a little girl, or a little boy, as opposed to a little fetus with no identity… It makes it too real,” he forced out, a pained grimace on his face.

“Yeah,” she nodded, feeling the same pain.

“But, don’t we owe it? To what would’ve been our kid?” he asked her.

“Luke,” Katherine stopped, trying to speak as delicately as she could. “I feel the same guilt you do. I do. But, life is also for the living. I don’t want you to feel like you have to grieve a certain way, just because it would’ve been our baby.”

This caused a long, thoughtful pause as she started to wonder whether she’d said the right thing.

“Maybe you’re right. But, I don’t know… I was just really looking to having a kid, and getting to know it,” he stressed. “And I think I still wanna get to know it. Any way I can.”

“I just can’t believe this. I just can’t,” Katherine breathed, “I mean. So many things in my life, in our lives, have gone wrong. We’ve both been through so much fucking shit, it doesn’t even sound real. But, when we found out about this baby, I just…

“I don’t know. Maybe I was just dreaming, but I thought we might actually get the chance to do something right for once. I thought we’d actually get the chance to contribute something genuinely pure, and meaningful, to the world,” she expressed.

“I so wanted to have a baby with you,” Luke sighed, the look in his eyes a gut-wrenching mixture of love and trauma.

“I wanted to have a baby with you too,” Katherine agreed, tears in her eyes. “I didn’t even know that that’s what I wanted, but it happened, and then I wanted it! And then it all got taken away, so fast, and I don’t know what to do!”

He said nothing as he looked at her, the beauty of her features upstaged by sadness.

“I killed our baby, because I don’t have a soul!” she exclaimed, face contorted with disgust at herself. “I killed our baby, but I can’t even fully access however the fuck I feel about it, because I don’t have a soul!”

“Katherine, you didn’t kill the baby,” Luke promised her, taking her face into his hands, “Listen to me. It wasn’t your fault, you did not kill that baby. You loved the baby. So much. I saw it in your eyes every day,” he reminded her.

“I don’t see anything in my eyes!” Katherine sobbed, her voice almost pouty like a child’s. “I look in the mirror, and I don’t recognize the person I see! I look at the memories in my head that are supposedly mine, and they don’t feel like mine! I feel like a—like a decoy someone made! Like people are just meant to look at me and then wonder where the real one is, while the person who this life actually belongs to runs away!” she exclaimed.

Luke’s brows furrowed in sadness for her.

“I really wish you could see what I see every day,” he exhaled, “I wish you could see the way you love me, and the way you loved the baby.”

Katherine looked at Luke for a moment, noticing the way he seemed a thousand times more upset when she expressed her own feelings of sadness or pain, as if his hadn’t actually mattered. She noticed the focus with which he looked at her, as if he were only a camera recording everything she did as some amazing feat, and the sheer love that he had for her when he looked at her.

He loved her so much, more than anything, and without a soul, Katherine was afraid that she couldn’t dream up enough ways to show him that he was everything to her. After all, she was more than willing to have a child with him, despite the current state of the universe, or her own uncertainties toward the idea.

She knew that she’d opened herself up to the opportunity for something truly great, only to have it ripped away. Life, it seemed, was cruel even in comparison to death.

“God, why do we do this to ourselves?” Luke scoffed. “Why do we risk everything serving a Titan who doesn’t care about us anymore than he cares about his own children? Why are we so convinced that his new world order is gonna be so much better than what we have now?” he demanded.

Katherine paused for a moment, recognizing his fragility in that moment.

“I don’t understand why we do this to ourselves,” Luke admitted emptily, momentarily staring at nothing. “I don’t know why we put people above us who treat us like we’re disposable.”

“Because, honey, that’s just how things work,” she concluded. “You and me, we’re just people. We’re demigods, but we’re just people. We’re just not capable of implementing change ourselves; so, we hitch a ride with whoever’s gonna make the changes we want. And rarely will that be someone who doesn’t treat everyone like shit,” she pointed out.

“How is Kronos any better than any of the gods, then?” he demanded out of frustration.

“It’s not about being better,” she responded. “It’s about results. The gods won’t lift a finger for their kids, because Zeus says so. And the only one capable of bringing Zeus down is Kronos.”

Luke didn’t say anything for a moment, knowing she was right. About everything. Like she always was.

*****

“I know this has all been beyond hard on you. And I know I’ve been tired, and hurting, and spacey… But just know, I wanna make it all up to you,” Luke said softly, looking down at Katherine as they stood in one of the showers together.

It was the middle of the day, and no one was around.

“You don’t have anything to make up to me,” she said softly, an apologetic look on her face.

“Come here.”

Katherine turned as Luke gently ran his fingers through her long hair, lathering in the lightly fragrant soap for her. When Luke was tired and didn’t know how to communicate, he would often offer to wash or brush her hair, a very primitive form of affection.

Katherine never refused, always appreciating the way his hands slowly worked through her hair, as he was terrified of snagging it.

“You have the most beautiful hair,” Luke murmured, lightly planting a kiss on the base of her neck. “You’re so beautiful.”

She closed her eyes as she felt his hands still working, washing the last of the soap out of her hair as they traveled down to her shoulders, massaging them with care. She felt beyond safe with him, to the point of feeling like she was on some sort of floating cloud.

Katherine sighed internally as she felt his strong, taut chest pressing against her back. Luke, she had always thought, was built like a god. And she would’ve much rather worshipped him than Zeus, or Hermes, or whoever.

“You know,” Luke murmured as she turned back around to face him. “When I first sensed the baby, like how Chiron said Hermes is actually associated with fertility and stuff like that… I felf so happy,” he expressed.

She nodded silently, understanding the feeling.

“Before I even knew what I was sensing,” he added, sighing wistfully. “I miss that feeling.”

“Me too,” she sighed, as Luke held his hand to her cheek, thumb lightly tracing back and forth as he tried to stop her budding frown from spreading.

-

Chapter Eighteen

[darkdevasofdestruction]

Chapter 10 - Dearly Departed

"Hao!" Lau smiled. "I haven't expected you could dance with such grace, little Fox Fairy." the man teased her as he played idly with the material of her silk sleeve.

"I've been pestered with dancing lessons since before I could even walk." Katrina joked lightly, continuing to play around to the melodious sound of the zither strings. 

"Western dances are much different than our own." he mused, taking out his fan and unfolding in elegantly. "In England, the focus is on the harmony between the two dancers. In the East, however, the focus is on the Beauty alone." he continued, barely hiding his vague smile. "I must say, Huxian, that you do attract the looks of every man in the room. Perhaps I might need to call you now Fenghuang, the Vermillion Bird herself. "

"Now, now, you're just flattering me, little dragon." she reached out her hand to his own, revealing the dragon tattoo going up from his palm, across his forearm and to his elbow. 

"It is not flattery, but the truth." he rose her chin up with the tip of his fan. "Now then, won't you thrill me with the sound of your voice? Ran Mao praised you a lot to me these days."

"Only if you accompany me, Lau, otherwise, I might be too bashful to perform, all alone." she played coy with with, skittering around in short and elegant steps, like a wild goose taking its flight.

"I will, if you agree to do me a favour." he turned around abruptly. "Of course, I will make sure to pay you back tenfold for your kindness."

"A few days ago, we discussed the possibility of being in mortal danger because of my supposed other-wordly beauty - And now, you are deliberately sending me on an errand?" Katrina grinned, silently stepping being the man, and standing on her tippy-toes, she reached out her arms around his neck, placing her chin on his shoulder. "If my golden dragon promises to watch over me with his protective Eye of Heaven, then I suppose I could indulge in fulfilling a quest for thee."

This lonesome cup of wine The beginning of spring poured at the top The gentleness in my drunken trance Accompanies me again

Lau's voice, softer and more tender than anything Katrina's heard before, felt like honey mean caressing her soul oh so gently as he sang a melody in his native tongue. Were it not for Ran Mao introducing her to this song prior, she would have had no idea of the tragically sorrowful undertone of it, for his voice was that soothing to the ear.

The piled worries blurred I watch the years come and go The reason of my pain each night Are worries that I had once forgotten

Though broken and with a heavy accent, lacking the smooth melodicity that Ran Mao previously displayed as she taught her this song, Katrina, in a tone much higher than ever she sung before, thrilled the tune of a tragic love story. She was never allowed to sing before, and with how she always kept her voice low and soft, she dearly doubted that she had any such affinity. She still doesn't think she's a great singer - Ran Mao is a fantastic Soprano. The first time she hear the woman sing, Katrina started crying, feeling her heart throbbing with emotion and impress for the first time in her life. It was a revelation.

This poem left behind I tear through the paper window Imagining your shadow Wrapped in my yearning

To think that Lau, also had such a tender voice... She wondered what it would be like, falling asleep to him humming a lovely tune. She'll have to try that out. Lau turned to gaze at her, an empty smile like that of a snake painting his features as though he was a nobleman at a banquet, courting the princess. Though the man attempted to reach out and hold her hand to dance, she playfully twirled around, looking like a beautiful peony. 

This once continuous string of love Cannot be locked away forever Now we have turned into Forgotten matters of the past

Katrina continued to dance like a pretty fairy, imitating every move that Ran Mao taught her, to Lau's tune. - Every joint had to move with precise accuracy and discipline, to counter every slow move with a faster one. And smile. Smile, for you are most beautiful when you smile, when you are filled with joy.

Look at the person in the mirror, bright red face turn thin Look at this love and hatred, old and new Look at the lamp bright as the day, with tears drenched Look at who arranged to meet after nightfall

Now standing in front of him, Katrina mimicked the Beauties painted on decorative scrolls, in those coquettish positions, and sang every word like a poem, just like those wonderful ladies at a Peking Opera. Though there was no such thing in England, the many ladies that Lau has in his underground business were so talented and kind with her, so understanding and patient teaching her.

"Fènghuáng, Fènghuáng, wǒ de Huánghòu." the man hummed, gently holding her delicate hands. "Is this how you became the Queen's Fox? One woman, brilliant and talented above all - Such can only be not a human, but a Fox Spirit."

"Oh, no, nothing of the sort! I'm just smart, you see?" she smiled softly. "I had no idea I could even sing. It's all thanks to Ran Mao and all the other ladies you sent to accompany me. Truly, thank you. These days have been the happiest I've ever been."

"Women are supposed to be happy and indulge in their passions." Lau leaned down, planting a soft kiss on her forehead.

"Alright, you flatterer. Tell me about that mission, and I'll tell you what my reward should be, for me to agree to it." though she couldn't see the blush on her face, she could feel the warmth rising.

"Wonderful negotiator, little fox." he hummed softly. "Are you familiar with the concept of a pleasure house? Not those filthy brothels that Englishmen frequent, those are filth." Katrina looked up at him, blinking in confusion and urging him to carry on. "My ladies only entertain the elite; First, with their high caliber art and intelligence, and only further, if they wish, with their bodies. As you already suspect, it's al a rouse for information gathering."

"And you want me to act as a courtesan?" she asked simply.

"Higher. The highest one can get in the hierarchy. The more unreachable and mysterious, the more wanted." he continued. "I have this... Rather pretentious and capricious client that has been upsetting my girls, you see. He comes into my home, though complains that my ladies aren't worth his money, because they are from the East. And I, my darling, want to put an end to my girls' sadness and extort every bit of information that a person of his status can have."

"A'ight, sound like a deal. I'm in. I just have to be pretty and wait for him in my room, yes?" she nodded, agreeing with the plan.

"Attract his attention first. Dance and sing on the stage, do what you like best - You will attract all eyes on you regardless." from his sleeve, he took out a veil, placing it over half of her face; A beautiful pink, sheer and delicate with fragile golden thread. "Nobody will recognise you."

"I see. Blessing the audience with the Phoenix's song. Very well, I will do that..." the woman looked up at him with a smirk; Her gorgeous green eyes only highlighted like gems with the soft red makeup and the gentle eyeliner. "I want you to sing me to sleep."

Lau's eyes opened wide in surprise for a few seconds, before he started chuckling. "Hao! I shall do as you wish... Wǒ měilì de mu lan."

Just as promised, the next evening, Ran Mao, acting as Katrina's maid, took care of her; She did her hair, her make up and dressed her up in the most beautiful outfit. Lau was patiently waiting in the corner of the main room, drinking a little wine, watching the graceful dance of the flower fairy, her lovely melody harmonising perfectly with the flute and the zither. As he expected, men were looking away from the girls serving them, their eyes lingering lecherously on the new lady so different than all the others; Red hair like the feathers of a Vermillion Bird, eyes of the most gleaming green. A foreigner, singing Chinese songs with such an adorable accent. Surely a maiden pure such as herself would be everyone's first target to taint. 

As she finished her enchanting performance, she did a pretty courtesy and followed his sister to the assigned room for her, where she would patiently wait and drink her tea, gossiping with the other woman until the victim would enter her room. It took a while for the said man to walk over to the matron and request the performer with the carmine hair - And oh, how much he had to pay for such privilege! After all, not just anyone can afford to even look the Empress in the eyes, let alone speak to her.

Finally, with an exorbitant amount of money given to the pleasure house, the matron guided the man up the stairs, to the luxury suite of the mysterious lady. As the door was opened, Ran Mao scurried away, just outside, clinging onto her brother's arm, ready to attack when given the signal.

With the veil off and a demure smile, Katrina looked up at the new-comer... Only for a terrified shock to wash over her. "Wh-What are you doing here?!" on the other end of the door, Lau rose a quizzical eyebrow - Did Katrina know this client?

"So this is what you've been doing since you left? Living off as a cheap whore?" Katrina felt her body and mind frozen with terror. "We invested so much money and time into an ungrateful child who ruined everything. What will Edgar say when I tell him his fiancee is a filthy slut who sells her body to the highest bidder? Have you forgotten that you were only worth your virginity? Redmond's family is rich." was it due to past trauma of her scolding, or the image of her being ritualistically sacrificed by her own parents, that she was unable to move even a single inch of her body, nor utter a single word? "Useless child. Why did you have to be born a woman? All you're good for is being traded as a pawn. Status and money."

Katrina almost felt her body trembling with guilt and remorse - What was going on? Why was she unable to react in anyway? This wasn't her - She was reactive, she was a fighter, she spoke up and defended herself. Why can't she do it now? Why isn't she shouting for Lau? Why is she doing anything at all?!

"You're going home right now." her father's strong and fearsome voice made her cringe fearfully. "You're old enough now. Edgar is finishing college in a few months, and when he's done, you're going to marry him." he ordered sternly. "You do know what will happen after that, don't you?" the man huffed, roughly grabbing his child by the arm and harshly dragging her up. "You are going to pop children until you have an heir, and the Viscount's wealth can be divided to us after your sudden and unexpected death."

"Edgar wouldn't do anything to hurt me! He's a gentleman! He's always been very nice to me!" the vibrato of her voice wasn't missed by her father. "Let me go, I'm not returning home! That's not my home, and it never was!"

"Stupid little whore." a small squeak of pain followed by a loud thud was heard, as Katrina's father towered above her, strangling her. "You just had to bring us trouble, didn't you? You're not even worth as a sacrifice. Your mother was wrong, they all were. You're not worth a thing. No demon would ever bother showing up for a filthy wench like you!" no matter how much Kat struggled to free herself of his grasp, how she clawed at his hands, feeling the blood drench her skin, it was to no avail. Was he trying to kill her now? Or was he trying to make her faint and kidnap her home?

Just as Katrina's vision was beginning to blur and darken in the already dimly lit room, the door was slid open and the barbarian was pried off of her. Despite vertigo having captured her senses, she could feel Lau's arms wrapping protectively around her, and Ran Mao's silhouette was standing protectively in front of them, shielding the two with her two chui maces. She was ready to strike. Hard. "Wait, don't kill him!" the red head cried out, grabbing the attention of her lady friend, who could only look in confusion at her. 

"He hurt you." Ran Mao spoke in a mellow voice. "A cat's job is to eliminate rats."

"He's my father." using Lau's shoulder for support, Katrina managed to stand up. "The disgusting client that you wanted to get rid of... Is Duke Raymond, the High Court Judge." she gingerly placed her hand over her neck, feeling great discomfort after being choked like that.

"Not only do you collude with these filthy chinks, but you let that bloody ching chong yellow bastard to fuck you. You couldn't get any lower than that, even if you wanted to." the duke spat on the ground, raising his sleeves up. "Home. Now."

"And people actually question why I ran away from home." Katrina scoffed, and in a rush of fury, she snatched one of Ran Mao's chui mace and hit her father in the head. His eyes rolled in the back of his head and his balance was thrown off. "I already am home." she hit him again, sending him toppling to the ground. "Now die and beg for forgiveness to my brother for killing him." and thus, Katrina maced her father's head until it looked like spilled porridge.

"That's enough." swiftly, her lady friend grabbed the weapon away and threw it away, pulling the red head into a strong embrace. "It's okay. You're safe now. Mou mantai. Don't worry." gradually, Katrina's heavy breathing began to even out in Ran Mao's considerate hug, her mind calming as her hair was being pet. "I'll take care of you. Let's go home." 

Ran Mao didn't give Lau any second to speak, as she dragged Katrina to the carriage and the three of them left for their home. She was taken to her room, where her friend brought over a pretty, thin long sleeping dress for her and shamelessly undressed her, only to stop upon seeing the faded wounds left on her body. She sat on the edge of her bed, her finger tips gently tracing down her skin, making Katrina shiver a little, great shame overwhelming her not from being fully exposed as God left Eve in Eden, but for anyone seeing the flaws of her skin, the discipline and threats inflicted on her by others. "Monsters." she heard Ran Mao grumble, her brows furrowing a little. "Anyone who hurts a woman is a monster." she said, hugging Kat's head to her chest, caressing her hair like a mother would comfort her child. "I will protect you. Jiějiě."

For once, Katrina actually knew what Ran Mao meant. Thought she couldn't quite understand Chinese, she did pick up on enough words in the week spent in the den, after all, and learning poems and songs did help a lot. Ran Mao, who was barely a year or so younger than her, was calling her big sis.  "Xièxiè, wǒ kě'ài de mèimei." somehow, hugging her supposed little sister from a completely different family reminded her of that warm feeling she always had when her older brother hugged her.

It was always such a comfort, seeing his tender smile and his warm words as she held her crying little form after a bunch of harsh scoldings and disciplinary physical tactics to forever damage her body. Didn't they know how important a woman's body was? Her husband could refuse her, if he saw her scars and thought she was ugly. Although... With the Baron having almost killed her in a ritual, and that sadistic Derek being unhinged... It only got worse. If she ever does live past the age written in the book and she has the opportunity to marry Edgar, she truly fears he might end up rejecting her, and she will end up like a discarded broken porcelain doll.

With Ran Mao having taken care of her wounds, fresh or old, she showed a small smile before leaving the girl alone to red in her bed. Incense sticks and fragrances were helming her relax, and the sweet peach wine, along with some sweets were enough to make her feel as if she belonged. She felt comfortable and welcomed, the likes that she hadn't even felt at the Phantomhive manor, where the only saving grace was Sebastian, with whom she played a constant tug of war game, though sometimes, even that became exhausting. It wasn't as though a human could keep a demon's attention for too long, and there was only so much one could play games, before they became predictable.

Whether she lives a long life, or a short one, Katrina wanted to experience all the things she could. It wasn't a smart idea, trying to do everything at once, knowing full well that she might end up screwing everything up anyway. A single girl, barely of age, left to fend for herself in a vast and cruel world. Left to learn everything to survive. A little girl, so terrified of death, that she wants to live ten lifetimes in a few months. How much more tragic can it get, she wondered. What a pitiful existence.

"I wonder if I should write a new iteration of the Ballad of Mulan, in which she actually ends up killing her father." Lau's familiar voice garnered a chuckle from the girl who lazily turned her head to look at him. He, too, was wearing only his sleeping clothes, much lighter and more comfortable.

"That would make for a most dishonorable and highly criticised piece of writing. You wouldn't make much profit out of it. Especially by Confucian ideology." the man, also, chuckled at her reply before unceremoniously letting himself fall on his back on the bed, stealing a few pastries from the tray and dragging from his pipe and letting out a puff of smoke, before offering it to the girl.

"What...? I don't smoke."

"But did you try?" of course, she shook her head. "Give it a try."

"You're a bad influence on me, Lau. You're trying to make me take up vices." she joked, gingerly taking the pipe from his hand.

"I don't see you opposing me too much." he grinned, pulling her into his side, her head resting back on his shoulder. "Careful not to drag too much, you'll end up choking." as if he predicted, she ended up doing just that. Lau chuckled, patting her back. 

"Well, that was a mess." when she stopped coughing, she tried again, but she felt a little confused. "What am I supposed to feel?"

"Nothing, from a single try. Just a few more and you'll feel brand new." he assured her playfully. "Mou mantai, I'm here, aren't I? I know when to stop you."

"Fine, fine." she huffed. "Sorry for overexaggerating today. I forgot that you wanted to interrogate him. I let my emotions dictate my actions."

"Now, now, what are you apologising for? Silly girl. The Phoenix doesn't bow down in front of anyone." he chuckled, watching the soft puffs of opium dissipate into the air. "Thought you might want a little distraction after I put you through all that trouble. Feeling any better?"

"I... I'm not sure. I think so?" she looked up at the ceiling, attentively following the swirl of smoke. "I think I... Feel nothing at all."

"Hao!" he exclaimed. "Now, to turn that blank slate into happiness!" perhaps she wasn't realising it herself, or her brain processed it as normal, but she was smiling, and the look in her eyes was glazed over, as if she was feeling a child-like euphoria, like a little one being gifted a toy for the first time. He brought her into a comforting half-embrace, her head resting on his chest, just under his chin. His hand was gently caressing her body, as if to sooth her into a deep sleep. Lau kissed the top of her head, smiling as he heard a cute little giggle, and as he promised, he would sing her to sleep.

She is lightsome as a startled Phoenix, And he, as graceful as a roaming dragon; Her lovely complexion outshines the autumn chrysanthemum, Whilst his radiance surpasses the springtime pine.

She is as nebulous as the moon concealed in light clouds, Gracefully gliding, as snow spun by a flowing wind. He is gazing at her from afar, She shines like the sun rising above the rosy mists of dawn; Observing her close by, She is as luminous as a lotus emerging from clear ripplets.

⋅•⋅⊰∙∘☽༓☾∘∙⊱⋅•⋅

When Katrina woke up, there was no sign of Lau ever being there, though she knew she hadn't hallucinated. Regardless, it was time to return home, and when she did, the Undertaker greeted her with a strong embrace, swinging her around until she got too dizzy to protest. "How come whenever you go somewhere, you return with new injuries, you pitiful girl?" he sighed as he poured her some tea.

"Ah, right, about that..." she lowered her collar, showing off the hand prints on her neck. "My father tried to kill me last night." Undertaker's jaw dropped in shock. "Let's just say... The Queen is going to need a new High Court Judge soon."

"You know you got yourself in huge trouble, didn't you?" Katrina sheepishly scratched the back of her neck. "Didn't I warn you that the Queen likes fox-hunting? With hounds?"

"I overreacted, I know, okay? I got angry, I was terrified!" she rose her tone without realising, only to quickly return back to her seat. "I'm sorry for shouting. I didn't mean to." she muttered, looking away in shame. "I was just... Scared, okay?"

"You are getting reckless, little fox. I hope, the next time I see you, you won't have become the Queen's door mat rug." the poor man must have gotten a century older just by having her to worry about.

"The book didn't say the Queen would kill me." she muttered. "Though, even if that did happen, it wouldn't surprise me. Frankly, I don't think anything would."

"You seem to be in a particularly tragic mood. What ever could have happened?" the man asked, munching on a dog biscuit.

"I just had the best week of my life. With Lau and Ran Mao." she admitted. "I... I was... Happy." she smiled a little. "I guess I just got scared of dying so much... I got scared of never being able to feel this good ever again." her bottom lip trembled a little as she shifted her gaze towards those glowing eyes of the mortician. "I just realised how terrified I am of dying in a few months, without having lived at all." a broken sob escaped her throat.

"If I didn't know I would die so soon, it would've been fine. I'd have just... Died! Like... Like falling asleep - It's fine! But the knowledge that I... That life can just be ripped away from you so unfairly... So cruelly... Not having the chance to live out your aspirations, get a job, fall in love, marry, see the world, have fun with friends, try out new things, learn new languages, cultivate yourself -- What is the meaning of life, if not, to be lived?" she quickly wiped away the tears drenching her cheeks. "I had no room to make mistakes of my own, no room to be wrong, to fail, to grow. Everything I did was dictated by others, as if I'm everyone's marionette on a string, and occasionally, I get a glimpse of the real world and what it's like to be proactive and live out the choice that you make, be them wrong or right, or even neutral -- Only to be strung up by the neck again, and forced in my birdcage."

"You have been living in a mortician's parlor shop for months, yet death petrifies you to the core. My sweet little thing." the Undertaker knelt in front of her, his hands cupping her face. He carefully wiped away the tears, urging her to look at him. "Don't worry. I won't let you die. I promise." he smiled playfully. "Besides, I've got a little surprise for you. A three week trip on a cruise, first class tickets. How's that for an adventure?"

"Are you implying there's anything, at all, that might make being stuck on a luxury boat for almost a month... Exciting?" the mortician smirked widely, cackling.

"Don't you know, dearie, that the most bizarre of things always happen in places seemingly ordinary."

With the Easter holiday in full glory, the Campania cruise began, and the two enjoyed themselves in lavish luxuries for three straight days - Though, who paid for all this, or how was it paid, was still a mystery to her. Regardless, she accidentally met up with Viscount Druitt around one of the dinners, and they had a light conversation, mostly about Edgar and his time at Weston.

With those three days passing, Undertaker taught her a most ridiculous slogan and quite the hilarious pose, that of The Phoenix, he says - If Lau were to see her pretending to be one, he would laugh at the coincidence. 

The complete flame in our chests shall not be extinguished by anyone. We are... The Phoenix!

Perhaps she should have chosen death, instead of this humiliation. "Wonderful as always, darling!" he mocked her, only to wrap his arms around her and twirl her around, fixing her jaw to look in a certain direction. Undoubtly, Ciel and Sebastian were going through the same humiliation she had gone through. Without any bit of shame, both the mortician and his apprentice laughed mockingly at them. "To think you'd ever do something like that!" Undertaker was crying of laughter by now. "Saying THE PHOENIX!!! with such a serious face - Ahahahaha!"

"I thought I was ridiculous, but you -- Both of you -- Hilarious!" Kat also giggled like a little brat, making the young Earl yell at them.

"While it's lovely seeing you - What exactly are you doing here?" Sebastian eyed the two of them with a fixed, empty gaze.

"We're working. Sort of. Mostly him. I'm here to have some fun and help out if needed." Kat shrugged her shoulders carelessly.

"Yes, yes, exactly, that's why my pretty fox is dressed so cutely." the two simultaneously did a cute pose, making the two cringe. "The hospital is a regular customer of mine."

"We're investigating the illegal human experimentation going on here. Do you know anything about the revival of the dead?" Ciel asked firmly. 

"Revive the dead? Ha! What a joke. Is it tied to that mass-buying of slaves from East End?" Ciel nodded at her. "Let's see, let's see... Ah, of course!" Katrina grinned mischievously. "Payment first."

"Yes, how about you do that pose once more?" as if on cue, someone else actually did said pose, with no shame at all. It was the Viscount.

"Sorry, I arranged to pose in my own style. Aren't I so gracious, little kitten? If I knew you'd be here, I'd have told them to let you choose your own posing style also!" Aleister went over to the lot of them, clinking his empty glass with the two new-comers.

In all that commotion, with Druitt getting uncomfortably close to Ciel and claiming that Doctor Ryan could fix the boy's eyes... Kat could only start suspecting that there was more to the Revival of the Dead rumour than she knew. "Huh? Where's Undertaker?" the red head panicked a little, realising that her companion had but disappeared.

"It's starting!" Aleister pointed to the respectable looking doctor on the stage. "That's the founder, Ryan Stoker." before he presented himself, he also did the Phoenix pose, before speaking of the Aurora Society's plan of complete salvation of mankind through medicine.

Respectable doctor, Katrina thought - No, not at all. With the way she was cringing, she felt like skinning herself alive. "We will now show you, ladies and gentlemen, the fruits of our complete salvations of mankind through medicine!" the helpers brought a coffin on stage. They took of the lid, revealing a beautiful young lady, just Katrina's age. Very much dead.

"No way..." Katrina's mind went into a state of panic and alarm, watching the girl that could as well have been her, laying so peacefully on that coffin. Unconsciously, she grabbed Sebastian's hand for comfort, unable to shift her gaze from the lady.

"Margaret Connor, 17. The young lady lost her life at an early age due to an unfortunate accident. It is truly pitiful. An accident that should not have happened. Her death did not only put her, but also, her family's hearts into bad health." Kat watched Margaret's parents weeping, heartbroken, griefing. She felt her own breathing going in disarray. Was this what Undertaker wanted to show her? That reviving the dead was possible, and that, should she die, he could just as easily bring her back to life? Impossible! It can't be! It really can't!

Though Sebastian didn't wish to speak, as to not draw attention to them or disturb the display and speech, he intertwined his fingers with her own, squeezing her hand lightly. "Is the body real?"

Ciel asked. Katrina nodded, knowing from experience, whilst Sebastian approved, from his smell. "The smell of death is so intense that it's causing my nose to twitch."

"Well, ladies and gentlemen! I will show you the power of medicine! Complete salvation!" they applied some electrodes around the skin of her chest area, which they powered with electricity. 

"Frankenstein's Monster and his Bride...?" Kat managed to mutter, looking in complete confusion. 

"Come! Rise from Death! LIKE THE PHOENIX!" Katrina's body almost felt like giving up, watching the body of Margaret slowly raise in a sitting position, her shoulders slumped and heavy. "Take a look! With our medicine, we can even overcome death!"

"She's not alive. She's not alive. She's not bloody alive!" the red head kept repeating, watching in horror as the cadaver of Margaret, being embraced by two happy parents, opened her mouth wide open and took a large bite of her mother's shoulder.

With the tragic event unfolding before their very eyes, everyone fled the scene in complete chaos and disarray. Revealing from their disguise, Sebastian threw his butter knives at the cadaver, hitting her heart - But she still got up. "What on Earth is she?!" Ciel gasped in disdain.

"I'm sure I stabbed her in the heart. It is a being that I do not understand." Sebastian confessed, watching the cadaver stand up.

"Idiots. Both of you." with lethargic steps, Katrina stood in front of a feral Margaret. "Oh, Margaret, Margaret, ever the unfortunate. I am sorry this happened to you - And can only hope that I won't end up like you. You really creeped me out, you know? Poor girl." she shook her head, and in one swift move, she cut off her head in the middle, destroying her brain. Her body slumped motionlessly on the ground. 

"So... The brain...?" Ciel guessed right.

"It is not the heart, but the brain that is the core of any living being. Common misconception, I know. The basic idea is that, if the heart doesn't pump blood to the brain, it dies - But her brain is already dead, you see? The brain works with electric impulses, and those electrodes were put on her heart and brain. The brain dictates the activity of every part of the body... So..." the woman used a drape to wipe the blood and filth off her sword, looking with worry at the two. "Mary Shelley's book became reality, and Doctor Frankenstein brought to life her creation... Though, the monster could speak eloquently, at least. That is, however, not possible, no matter how far medicine goes. I don't think even supernatural magic can reverse death."

Out of nowhere, a Shinigami using a lawn mower appeared to collect the souls of the deceased, complaining that Margaret was already long dead - Though he was surprised that someone guessed so shrewdly the means of defeating the undead. This Shinigami was called Ronald Knox, and he already knew Sebas-chan and Katrina thanks to the gossip of Grell. Awful way to be known.

Unfortunately, the Shinigami also don't know any details about this mess, though they had reports of corpses whose souls had surely been collected, moving around. As the trio were ready to move away and investigate for themselves, Sebastian found himself with his face almost mowed off by the Shinigami. "Are you crazy?! We've got dead people roaming the place, and you're trying to attack the living?! If my unfortunate premonition comes true, and there actually are a bunch of dead people brought on this accursed ship, then a demon is the only thing that could keep the living people safe!" Katrina yelled at the obnoxious brat, only to see the weapon being pushed further close to the demon's face.

"Nahh, can't do that. Shinigami can do the same thing, and better, missy." Ronald smirked wickedly. "If administration gets wind of there being a demon on the board, you betcha they'll be going - Aren't you just hiding the fact that you let the beast snatch all the souls away? - Dontcha think that those kinda false accusations will get me into a looooot of trouble? And I'll totally pass on overtime! So, won't you just vanish?"

"Are all Shinigami screwed in the head, or is it just the reason you and that Ophelia-wannabe get along?" Katrina looked at him weirdly, only to get tugged on the sleeve by the Earl.

"We'll go on ahead! After you're done playing, hurry up and follow me!" Ciel ordered his butler, dragging the Duchess away.

"Will he be alright? That weapon is really nasty." she asked, but Ciel didn't seem to care much. He knew Sebastian wouldn't let himself just die, especially to some lowlife Shinigami.

The Earl got her all the way towards the lowest levels of the ship, where they met not only Lizzy, but Snake also - Silly girl followed them with a piece of cake. He told her to go back to her mother, Aunt Frances, because it was dangerous, but it was too late, another undead already found them. With Ciel only having his pistol, he couldn't use it carelessly. As the undead tried to attack Lizzy, the Earl brought his fiancee away, as Katrina slashed his brains out. Perfect sync. 

Only for Snake, who became the Phantomhive's new servant, showed them that the sigil of the Aurora Society was printed on a shit ton of coffins, being hung everywhere, left, right and center. If those things escape, they are screwed. 

Never mind.

They managed to claw their way out of those coffins.

"We have to get the hell out of here. Now." Katrina and Snake were the first to react, grabbing and pushing at the two younger ones to escape - But they were flooding the exit also.

"Snake, take Lizzy to the top of the luggage, quick!" Ciel instructed his servant. 

"Go up, too. I don't want you to alert them with the gunshots." Kat pushed him away, getting in an offensive stance and slashing away at the approaching undead. "They stink so bad!" she whined comically.

"You work in a funeral parlor, why are you complaining about the stench?!" Ciel scolded her.

"Vixen, come quickly while we restrain them! ... says Oscar." Snake was bent down from the top luggage, offering his hand to her.

"I can't. I have to keep them away from the crates. If they managed to get out of the coffins, with how many they are, no doubt, they could end up destroying the luggage and ambush us." she pointed out. "Snake, don't let your snakes bite them, they might get sick. They only stop when you destroy their brains."

Katrina continued to step around, making sure to make some noise with her echoing heels to confuse the undead. Ciel quickly picked up on what she was trying to do, so he shot his gun in the opposite direction - Only to gasp, seeing that none had reacted at all, and their theory went down the drain. "Katrina, they can't hear either!" the boy shouted at her, seeing her alarmed expression. She was almost trapped.

"Then how are they following us?!" she yelled back, a little annoying that now, of all times, she had to wear a cupcake dress. She should have worn her work clothes - Maybe that way she would have been more agile and fast. Damn her stupid mind.

From the other end of the corridor, the undead there kept biting and scratching and their luggage, and nothing that Katrina did could hinder their obsessive attention from destroying that crate. She only got heavily surrounded. "I'll definitely protect you, no matter what happens!" she heard Ciel hugging Lizzy protectively, bracing for the impact of the crate falling down.

"How admirable, Young Master." Sebastian's amused baritone voice called smoothly through the chamber. "That's how an English gentleman is supposed to be." the butler's mock-praise earned a bratty comeback from the Earl as Sebastian quickly killed some of the undead closer to the red head. "And so I should be also, following my Master's suit." the demon picked her up in his arms, leaping away from the abominations as he placed her in a safe spot. "I, also, protect My Fair Lady." his eyes turned fuchsia, rejoicing in the way his kitten's face burned pink like a pretty flower - He could feel how entraced she was with him, even after spending days away with other men.

"Don't just stand about - Clean them up already!" Ciel yelled at his distracted butler, who simply smirked, unwilling to look away from that cute and innocent expression he managed to get out of the little Duchess.

"As you wish." 

Like a blood-thirsty beast, unhinged, lusting for blood, the demon unleashed the second death upon the abominations roaming the earth without a soul. Snake was shocked at what he was seeing, Lizzy was disallowed to look at the carnage being done in front of her, and Ciel was reliving past traumas still haunting him.

But Katrina was different. 

Splattering crimson, a dancing demon, with a wicked grin on his face and glowing eyes, ripping away at rotting flesh, drowning the place in darkness and sin.

For the first time in her short life, Katrina felt her whole body glowing aflame, and her heart was pounding shamelessly against her chest. Katrina felt arousal, watching the gleeful demon massacre and destroy away at the human husks of what once were living beings that threatened their own.  Why did she feel so attracted to that smiling face, so innocent and pure, painted carmine with the blood of the deceased, as though he did nothing wrong in the world? Why was she pulled towards him, unable to escape the magnetic force?

She could marry Edgar, who was treating her so tenderly. She could continue courting with Lau, who was understanding her like no other, and making her happy. Hell, she might even end up coercing Charles Grey into a most flirtatious teasing dance.

So why, oh, why was she so smitten with an immortal demon, a sinner, a being incapable of feeling the way the heart of a mortal human does? Why was she so taken with a man she could never have? Why was she so hopeless? Was it because she was young and inexperienced, that her heart still managed to dictate her feelings, and ration was often overwhelmed by the overflowing emotions?  No matter how many scientific or logical reasons she made up - The truth still remained - That no other man could make her heart beat the way he does.

After changing his gloves, Sebastian was allowed to help Ciel and Lizzy of the luggage, before returning to Katrina, who was still awkwardly sitting there, in a mesmerised trance. "My Lady, I wonder, what could have caused you such distress? Have I not promised to keep you safe?" he asked in a low voice, whispering in her ear.

"Oh, Sebastian, if only you knew. I fear that not even a demon can save me from this mess." she smiled, bittersweet, craving his touch some more after he helped her down, her heeled boots staining crimson with the pool of blood.

"Be as it may, you must be greatly underestimating my skills, My Dear Lady, and of that, I am greatly saddened." Sebastian lightly teased the woman, though he could see the half-hearted and empty replies and smiles were caused by deep worry.

"It is not your skills that I am underestimating, but my situation that I am overestimating." she chuckled softly, stepping back to the group.

"Katrina, you work with the Undertaker. Did you have any idea of this? Why are there so many of these things on the ship?" Ciel asked, only to receive a negative answer.

"Beats me. I wish I knew. Undertaker never really mentioned anything about reviving people - We just did autopsies and such, you see. But, uh..." how could she explain she was away, studying at an only-boy college, and had no idea what her own master was up to? "I knew that this hospital bought a lot of slaves - He and Lau both told me briefly about this - But, uhm... That's as far as my knowledge goes, unfortunately." how could she tell them that she feared Undertaker's obsession with the cycle of life and death got her worried?

"I propose that we ask him." Sebastian threw a few knives in the direction of the hiding, terrified doctor Ryan.

"I-It's not like that! That was an incomplete-complete salvation and -- I didn't plan on reviving them in this unhealthy state... Please listen to me, I'm in a hurry, and... Ouch!" the demon, with a smile on his face, immobilised the doctor, hindering his escape.

"No need to be hasty, there is plenty of time until we reach New York, so we'll listen to your story leisurely." the demon threatened so beautifully. "What is it? I already cleaned them all up, so..."

"It's not that!" Ryan snapped at him. "This ship has the latest gigantic voiler with a reciprocating steam engine installed at the center. This place is divided in two sections, the boiler separated them." he continued. "In other words, this ship is divided into a front and a stern - There are TWO freight storages!"

"Please, for the love of - Don't tell me you have more of these freaks stored up in the front freight storage. Please, I beg of you, don't say that." the red head pitifully whined.

"... Ten times as many samples as there were here." the somber answer earned different reactions.

"TEN TIMES AS MANY?!" Ciel was incredulous, Lizzy was depressed, Snake was stunned, and Katrina started laughing almost hysterically.

"I can't believe I'm going to be ripped apart by a bunch of zombies!" she cackled, almost as maniacally as the Undertaker. "Well then, time to get killing~!" she did a weak peace sign. "I need to find Undertaker and that stupid Aleister. I hope they're fine." she muttered to herself.

"Well, this turned into something unpleasant." Sebastian declared with amusement.

"Do you think 'unpleasant' covers it? Even one of those monsters is a hassle... Imagine tenfold!" Ciel grumbled. "Sebastian, go ahead and take my aunt and the others to a safe place."

"What are you going to do?" the butler asked.

"We'd just be a burden. I also have a gun, Katrina has her sword, so we'll be okay for a while. Come back as soon as you're sure they are safe." Ciel ordered the demon, who sprung away, out of sight. "Well then, how about telling me everything? And be brief, because I'm not very patient." with the doctor tied up with a snake, and Ciel's gun at his temple, he was forced to confess all he knew.

He spoke of some kind of machinery that exposes the undead to a special kind of supersonic waves, and it's supposed to inactivate them again. This machine is his his room, first class. "I don't believe that one bit." Katrina huffed.

"Wh-What do you mean?! We tested that, it works!" the doctor defended himself.

"It hardly has any logic to begin with - I get why it's the brain you have to destroy to stop them - But the truth is... No matter the electric voltage you shock the brain with, it won't create an undead capable of... Everything these freaks have been doing; So, naturally, I don't believe that machinery is going to work in stopping them." the red head cut him off harshly. "I would much rather want to know about Aurora Society and why the hell were you so obsessed with resurrection. Is it a religious thing, like Jesus, or what?"

"Regardless, take us there." Ciel ordered, and the doctor took them towards the stairs of the boiler room.

Ryan Stocker confirmed Katrina's theory with the electric current in the brain, and Ciel was left to believe whatever he wanted - Whether the electricity could truly have such an effect, it was up to him to believe whether it was true or not.  He said that a company called Osiris, rumoured to be working on a new drug, bought the technology behind the Complete salvation thing.

Once they reached the turbine engine room, Snake released the doctor as a human was approaching, and with the PHOENIX pose forth, they became friends, and he guided everyone towards the elevator.  In the Second boiler room, they were comforted with the company of more living people, only for a powerful shock to shake the whole ship horrifically, making some of them fall to the ground.

"What was that shock just now...?" as Ciel asked that question, the wall surped and waterfalls of water began flooding the place; the alarm was blaring loudly, announcing the water tight doors closing. "LIZZY, KAT, HURRY UP, WE'LL BE LOCKED IN!" Ciel cried out as the elevator man helped Ryan and Snake to the other side of the door before it continued closing.

"Worst time to wear a heavy dress!" the girls' heavy dresses weighted them down even more, being soaked to the bone, and no matter how much Kat kept dragging and pulling at Lizzy, they were still too far away from the door. "LIZZY!" Ciel cried out desperately, and in a fit of madness, he leapt to stay with his fiance

"You are one crazy little man." Kat found herself laughing weakly.

"CIEL, WHY?!" Lizzy wailed, crying desperately, unable to cope with the idea that the boy she loved so much was facing almost imminent death, just because of her.

"I promised I'd protect you at all costs!" the Earl declared sternly - What a beautiful love story, Kat thought, smiling at how sweet those two are. "Snake! You guys go on ahead!"

"I CAN'T LEAVE YOU BEHIND - SAYS EMILY!" Snake was pounding on the door.

"Don't worry, we'll escape via the duct! Your friends can't be soaked in cold water for too long, right? Go!" Ciel ordered his servant.

"Smile! Vixen! Keats will guide you through the duct! We'll meet up later - Says Emily." Snake yelled, before he, too, departed.

"Yeah, I'll definitely see you later!" Ciel thus grabbed his fiance's hand strongly - He looked at the duct, before frowning with worry at the two girls, soaked to the bone and barely keeping themselves standing up straight, all because of those heavy dresses that were hindering their chances of survival. They were already trapped there because of those garments - Like hell he would allow them to die because of a stupid thing like a clothing item.

"Take off those clothes, now!"

Was Ciel beginning to take over Sebastian's reverend persona?

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[possumkingluca]

dnd story time so.. the party I'm in was camping out on this island to avoid a giant fucking sea serpent swimming around while we figure out what we're gonna do about it, and while on final watch our druid saw a sahuagin peeking around the corner at us.. so they woke us up because gross fish person alert and also what the fuck are they supposed to about it. They might speak every language in the phb but the very specific ones??? They don't speak fish person. Also they only have a +1 in charisma and also are the bluntest mf alive they are NOT allowed to speak. now we are awake and very clearly see it trying to hide behind a rock and we start plotting how the hell we're gonna deal with it. I play an eloquence bard. I have universal speech. I wont be able to understand it because universal speech is a dumb feature BUT idk we can play charades or some shit. Draw in the sand maybe ???

fun little fact: i fucked up a conversation with someone really bad the prior session (i was eepy and couldn't think very well :((( ) and ended up buying a dried fish from them to escape. fighter: you could offer them that fish me: i could..... .....does that count as cannibalism??? DM: ...probably not So i walk up close enough to it so i can use universal speech and held out the dried fish me: would you like fish?

sahuagin: *very carefully walks up* and

ok. so the sahuagin goes back into the water for a minute and.. out comes, a lot of them. ten fish people. ten. me: ... *turns back to our druid* WE'RE GONNA NEED MORE FISH. druid: *starts frantically catching fish* so we start a like fish conveyor belt with our druid catching the fish, throwing it to our fighter, and our fighter tossing it to me to offer. eventually the fighter joins in fishing and luckily they both have a good survival skill so it goes pretty quickly. then out comes one that is a.. woman? maybe? i don't know fish person anatomy, why would i know fish person anatomy this is like the third/fourth time i've ever seen an ocean. and while she's fucking staring me down another one comes out who is much. much. bigger. we just mugged a young dragon (yeah this session started out with us mugging a dragon, happens all the time don't worry about it) and this fucker is the like same height as it. and he has four arms. (kackles is that you ???? (no it's not he's much shorter. and also a bug.)) me: ..do i need like two fish for each of his pair of arms????? priestess sahuagin: touches her finger to my head me: oh shit she gon blow my head off she did not. instead she cast tounges on me. great. because I WANT to have a conversation with these people. so they complement our fishing ability and big fuck asks us if we take commissions.

me: what the fuck do they mean commissions druid's player: say yes. me: ...yes. they want us to catch 50 pounds of fish.

They are offering payment though! Got a pearl necklace worth about 1000 gold.. some earrings worth i think about 500 gold idk i forgor and a big ass gold ship steering wheel worth who fucking knows what the hell ??? They claim they got these from 'the beast' which we assumed meant a ship Now back to the 50 pounds of fish issue. We do have a solution to this problem. Kill the sea serpent and take 50 pounds of meat from it. Solving two problems at once. We give these guys their fish, and we deal with the serpent. But because we are sometimes smart I ask about their opinion on the serpent so we don't like accidentally kill their friend or some shit cause that'd be certified not good

"We care not for the monster who protects the beast" ...sea serpents eat ships.... W A I T. TANAZIR?????

so. this campaign started as a Strixhaven campaign that we continued on after graduation. currently one of our many tasks on our quest to save the world (why are we here what are we doing none of us should be here besides the fighter) is to find where all the founder dragons are hiding. We've already found Shadrix Silverquill and we guessed that Tanazir Quandrix (women in S.T.E.M!!!!) was around here and during mine and the fighter's watches we saw her come out of this whirpool thing and talk to the sea serpent. these fuckers stole from one of the fucking founder dragons. how? how the hell do you accomplish that??

and also now we know that the serpent is friends with Tanazir so we can't kill it because that'd probably piss her off and uh let's not do that. (also we should probably return the treasure to her :((( our money :(((( don't you know robbing two young dragons of their entire hoard is simply not nearly enough money ??? (we are greedy and also lunatics)) anyway okay so not killing the serpent. and we are 100% gonna have to backstab our new fish friends :((( we end up deciding to send our fighter (who has a cloak of the manta ray) and our druid (can just.. become a fish) to go into deeper water to hopefully find some tuna, while me and our wizard (he's here too, just has been comatose cause his player wasn't here. gonna be a fun surprise for him next session.) stay here to make sure the sahuagin don't think we're scamming them or something. Also i can compensate for our wizard's zero in charisma, and while our fighter has a -1 in charisma he was a quandrix student so he'll probably be ok if they encounter the serpent maybe. the sahuagin asked how long it would take for us to get the fish (it would take maybe a week maybe longer) so with a not technically a lie (the DM let me use persuasion thank god because i can't get lower than a 21 in persuasion (silver tounge rizz)) i convinced them that'd it take about two weeks BUT if they provided us a harpoon (the fighter wanted one) it'd only take a week-ish Before our druid and fighter could escape the sahuagin start circling around them.. singing? some ritual's going on, mayhaps blessing their trip. maybe. and the fuckin priestess one comes up to me and starts having a conversation. Priestess Sahuagin: Are you of faith? Me: /i don't follow any gods i'm just an english major. welp the founder dragons are like almost gods so Shadrix can count sure why not/ ..yes Priestess Sahuagin: *asking me if i like the spell guiding bolt* (I forgot exactly what she said) Me: *considers the like 10 times i've ended a fight with a well timed crit using guiding bolt* yes. Priestess Sahuagin: *something about their shark god i don't remember i'm tired* druid's player: he's pretty neat Me: ...he's pretty neat. Priestess Sahuagin: He is pretty neat :) (help) anyway so I planned for our wizard and i to kinda hang out on the beach while we wait for the other two to return. the sahuagin had other plans. They ask if we have gills (no) They ask what we are

me: do they want an actual answer ??? DM: yeah me: ...im a lizardfolk ...*points at fighter* he's a dragonborn *points at druid* they're a tiefling (the sahuagin have no fucking clue what the hell (heh) a tiefling is and maybe that's for the best) and *points at wizard* he's a human. Sahuagin: *death staring our wizard* that explains why he's elf like. ??why does everyone have beef with elves?? let's just leave out the fact our druid has an elven husband. and be glad we didn't bring him with us on this trip. i mean he's not a sea elf but y'know anyway so the session ends with our wizard and i about to be kidnapped and dragged to the ocean where the sahuagin live (im pretty sure we were given potions of water breathing which is good cause i would prefer not drowning.) and the druid and fighter setting out to go get a shit ton of fish pray for our souls

@datfatnerd are you proud us

[multiversal-bridge]

My Journey Through Hyrule

So I wanted to write up something about my experience playing Tears of the Kingdom, because everyone's story in an open-world game is going to be inherently different, especially if you choose to lean into the idea of telling a story.

Spoilers for the big twist in the geoglyph memories cause I gotta talk about it.

0. Introduction

So what was my story?

Some backstory: It's useful to know that back when I played Breath of the Wild for the first time, I headcanoned Link as a trans woman because gestures broadly at BotW's entire thematic apparatus. In particular, I focused on the theme of rebuilding your identity from scratch, and the anxiety of reconnecting with someone who was incredibly important to you when you're not sure if you're the same person anymore.

So in the implied 5 or so years between Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom, I imagine Link would have begun transitioning, even if this isn't reflected onscreen (barring mods). I think she would have been very close with Zelda as someone who understood and accepted her. I suspect they would have been able to bond over the idea of breaking free from one's imposed identity.

My Link was also pretty cautious and a planner, wanting to be highly prepared with anti-Guardian armaments before facing Ganon to avoid another Calamity. (IRL, I definitely overprepared, but that's okay, it was fun). I also really enjoyed taking notes and making hand-drawn maps of different regions during my playthrough, so you may imagine that during TotK, my Link is doing that, too. Also speculating wildly about all the unnamed bits of ruins and trying to reconstruct the archaeology of ancient civilizations.

The Sky

So, starting off, it's pretty delightful that the first item of clothing you can put on in the sky is a skirt.

Okay, it's the lower half of a tunic, but you can actually wear it as a skirt if you choose the right top, one that doesn't hang down too much. These tops are: the climbing shirt, the sheikah top, the rubber armor (which looks very punk), the frog top, and, surprisingly, the flame-proof armor. So my fashion choices throughout the game were largely based around these tops and the skirt. My favorite outfit was pink Gerudo topnot + pink climbing shirt + skirt. I generally went for a pink and black aesthetic, with occasional reds. I wore pants only when I needed extra shin protection.

I'm sure I spent my time in the Great Sky Island the way everybody spends it, exploring and worrying about Zelda.

Among the mysteries of the sky: a gold-and-white dragon above the Sky Islands, filled with light. A photograph of the dragon, taken from the back of a Wing device, became one of my treasured possessions. I didn't understand what the dragon was or what it meant for my journey, but I could appreciate its majesty as I had the dragons of the world below.

Dropping down to the formerly bottomless swamp to go to Lookout Landing was a thrill, and it was delightful to catch up with everyone there. There was a real sense of comraderie as we made plans to fight back against a smarter, more tactical Ganon with an army of clever monsters.

Following the game's encouragement to do the Rito quest first, I began by exploring the western side of the map. I had the idea that I would explore everything in the west before heading east, but in practice, I found myself needing to go to Kakariko and Hateno pretty early on for their resources. Still, I was able to save some areas in the game, like Eldin and Zora's Domain, for later on. I chose to do the regional phenomena in the exact reverse order that I had done the Divine Beasts; therefore my TotK order was Rito -> Gerudo -> Goron -Zora, which turned out well.

2. Into Hyrule

Link's travels were a rush of exploration as she tried to find out what had happened in Hyrule. I would rush into new areas to find towers and geoglyphs and piece together my understanding of what was going on, starting with the west and moving to the east. All the while, I was exploring local sky islands and the Depths beneath each nearby chasm. I was also taking pictures for the Hyrule Compendium. I hadn't done this for Breath of the Wild, but in Tears of the Kingdom, it became a fun travelogue of my journey that I could reminisce on when I saw each entry. I think Link, for her part, was fascinated by the new plants and creatures in Hyrule and the ecological changes that had happened to the existing ones (durians were not in season). I'm sure she also tried to piece together the history and geography of the Depths.

My first encounter with a set of Gloom Hands took place at the old Exchange ruins near the road to Hebra. I'd been expecting to explore a familiar ruin, maybe with some monsters camping there, and was NOT prepared for what awaited me inside. I fled, but soon discovered the landscape was lousy with the damn things. Outside Hateno, I managed to catch a glimpse of one of Ganon's phantoms before having to run from his blade. Link developed a theory that these were the dark spirits who had been animating the Guardians during the Calamity. It would explain a great deal.

Heading north to the Great Forest, I found the last of the geoglyphs on the side of Death Mountain, and the terrible truth about what had happened to Zelda fell into place. I stood there stunned into silence in Akkala. The fact that these were her memories, and so Link was witnessing her own visuals and sensations during her transformation, had to be devastating on multiple levels. She flew above me, and I tried to reach her, but couldn't. She was already too far away.

The next time I saw her, passing by the Tabantha sky islands, I flew to her. I couldn't find a way to take the sword from her without hurting her, so instead I sat down on her shoulders and tried to give her some kind of comfort. I didn't know if it was possible, but I had to try. I had to try. I stayed with her for four days and four nights, tracking her progress around Hyrule, eating and sleeping atop her back. Only when she'd done a full loop and returned to the Tabantha sky did I finally return to my quest.

At least I was among dear friends for my next journey, catching up with Riju and Bularia in Gerudo Town to slay the Gibdo Queen.

3. A New Approach

Around this point, I became frustrated with my approach to the game. As with Breath of the Wild, teleporting wildly around the map and doing multiple quests at the same time was less satisfying than overcoming obstacles to move through the world. I craved a stronger narrative through a sense of place. I resolved to stay in one place as much as I could. I could go to areas above or below, just not outside of the area I was currently exploring. I could teleport when starting a new expedition or hop over to visit some useful resource (the dye shop, the stores, the Great Fairies), but not otherwise. I justified this by deciding that Link only had so much "juice" in the Purah Pad teleportation system, and so was conserving it unless there was some need.

This worked exactly as hoped. I found myself really enjoying and exploring each region. I still had a tendency to do an initial "foray" into each new area before running off to another, but when I came back to it, I was committed.

I caught up with the engineers of Tarrey Town and glided south to rescue the refugees of Lurelin village from the invading monster army. I spent a great deal of time in Necluda, mapping out the Necluda Depths in detail (including by hand) and pondering their geographic features. I was also fascinated by a strange factory, with a jeweled machine resting at the center, and outposts that seemed to refer to arms and legs, yet I couldn't yet make sense of it. Regardless, it intrigued me deeply.

Then, gathering as many bombs and as much courage as I could, I returned to the Deku Forest and slew my first phantom beneath the tree. I helped the Gorons deal with their drug crisis and ventured into Death Mountain with Yunobo, which took no small amount of lizard-based potions.

It was around this time, too, that I returned to flying with Zelda and finally retrieved the sword she'd been keeping for so long. I knew I couldn't rest until I did so - she'd given so much for me to have this opportunity, sacrificed all she had. It hurt that after so long spent fighting the Calamity, she'd fallen back into self-sacrifice. I had some hope that when I took the sword I might be able to bring her back. I saw her again, but in a vision, not as I'd hoped. I couldn't speak to her; I couldn't save her. I had to accept that she was really gone.

4. Great Expeditions and Mysteries

Meanwhile, the mystery of the massive stormcloud to the south had always intrigued me. I'd made some initial attempts to fly to it, but in the past it had exceeded my grasp. Then I finally landed on it, but found myself stopped by a mysterious door.

Now, after Death Mountain, I returned to the Thunderhead Isles with the vitality to open the great door. Revealed was a marvelous mystery beneath the floor, a mask leading me by flight to Tobio's Hollow, where not long ago I had explored the Zonai ruins trying to understand their secrets in vain. Now the door opened, and I found myself back at that mysterious factory, suddenly awake with purpose. I took counsel with the spirit sage Mineru, and learned her secret story. I fumbled around with trying to control a giant robot but found her a worthy ally in combat. We confronted another robot of her kind and secured a new alliance through the power of punches. I felt like I'd discovered a great treasure hidden by the ages.

Next came a massive expedition to explore the Gerudo desert. I ventured far and wide with sand seal and hovercar, gathered as many lizal tails as possible for upgrades, and solved the mystery of the Eighth Heroine. I also cruised around the Gerudo Desert Depths, confronting Yiga and visiting giant skeletons. I mapped Gerudo depths and Gerudo skies in great detail. I retrieved Vah Naboris's mask and made it my signature look while in the desert.

After that, I returned to Zora's Domain, to catch up with Sidon and help my old friend with benefits destroy the source of pollution in his kingdom. That took us high above the Zora skies, a fitting culmination of my quest for the temples.

The sages and I flew by triplane into Hyrule castle, pursuing a vision of Zelda. But I already had a dark suspicion that the Zelda we would find there was only an imposter. My blood boiled as Ganondorf, the monster of past and future, mocked our hopes. We overcame his phantoms, but not without great struggle. We returned to Lookout Landing to discuss and regroup with Purah. The group was surprised to hear me explain that I had already retrieved the Master Sword made contact with the sage Mineru.

It wasn't yet time for that, though. I had a lead to chase. In my confrontation with Master Kogha beneath Zora's Domain, he had mentioned that he was heading to Hebra, and he claimed he had a weapon to give to the Demon King that might end the world.

So began my great Hebra expedition, where I explored the province I had only glimpsed before. I convinced the last of the Great Fairies to return to the world and be consulted on fashion; I fought Frost Gleeoks and Frost Taluses and captured them on camera. I found the Great Skeleton of Hebra, and found more of Colgera's species nesting in the Hebra Depths, which I also thoroughly mapped.

Thankfully, Kogha's threat turned out to be more hot air in the form of another Zonai robot. Mineru and I made quick work of it. I also found the legendary garments of frost scattered about the land's caves, and with Mija's help, unlocked their hidden potential.

Ganon was gathering forces by the day, calling them to his lair each blood moon. I knew I had to act soon, but I also wanted to be ready. I decided to undertake one final expedition, where I would travel in a circle around the map, dealing with unfinished business and gathering resources.

I had a device in mind, a flying machine that would let me travel across the country with the swiftness of the breeze. I tinkered and tinkered with its design until I had it perfectly balanced, precisely right. Two fans. One steering stick. One beautiful machine.

The hoverbike.

5. Final Journey

This was my last tour:

In Tabantha, I gathered resources from Mt. Satori. At the edge of the Gerudo cliffs, I joined Farosh and rode with her through her entire flight path in and out of the Depths, taking claws and spikes when I could. I returned to the Thunderhead Isles to find resources to upgrade my charged robes and solve lingering questions, then offered a claw to the spring in Faron. I returned to Hyrule Field, where I gathered more vitality and fought a Thunder Gleeok in the old Coliseum. I sent in the last of my reports for my part-time newspaper job, then headed north. I helped unlock the secrets of the Typhlo Ruins and fought the King of Gleeoks lurking underneath.

Next, I went to Eldin, where Dinraal was flying. I rode with her, just as I had with Farosh, and touched down on the last of the sky islands I was yet to visit. I helped the monster-control squad clear out a cave, and retrieved the Ember robes, which I enhanced with fire fruit and fiery Lizal tails. I flew to Akkala to visit the Spring of Power and enhance my beloved horse Betsey, then reached out to the local racers to send them to help Lurelin's revitalization. Then, in Zora's domain, I retrieved the rest of the Zora armor and did a walking tour of Sidon's new inscriptions.

After that, it was time to return to Necluda. I caught Naydra heading out of Necluda, and did a couple of loops with her around the region. I touched base with Robbie, and made my pilgrimage (carefully - there were gloom hands about-) to the Spring of Wisdom atop Mt. Hylia, glowing with icy power.

Then I sailed in my tidy little boat down to Lurelin as the sun set beside me. The racers were already talking with the mayor, and we soon had set up a thriving racing scene to draw in new tourists. One last shrine up on the hill, and it was time to depart. I rode Betsey north, all the way back to the Forgotten Temple, to confer with the Mother Statue whose power I had restored.

Then it was time. I flew for Hyrule Castle and the Hyrule Castle Depths to confront the Demon King.

6. Ganon

I was armed with the Master Sword, the Lightscale Trident, the Boulder Breaker (plus Igneo Talus heart), Dawnbreaker (though not the Scimitar of the Seven), the Great Eagle Bow, the Fierce Deity's Sword, the Dusk Claymore, and the White Sword of the Sky, enhanced by a shard of Zelda's horn, plus anything else I could get my hands on. I had as much stamina as I could get, but only thirteen hearts (I had been overleveled last time, and wanted a difficult fight).

I spent a couple of hours exploring the castle, looking for any treasures and any secret assets that Ganondorf might have hidden away. Then I dove into the dark.

The fights ahead were tough, particularly when I was surrounded, but I had the aid of the Sages. I suprised myself by being able to slay a Silver Lynel, whose horn became the blade of a weapon I hoped to use against my final foe.

We fought our way past the army of monsters, into the secret root of evil. Gandondorf rose, taking his resurrected form. I squared off against the swordsman -

And got my ass thoroughly kicked. I had made one crucial mistake: always bring more sundelions than you think you need. I narrowly escaped being flattened while poisoned by gloom. Still, I managed to learn his patterns and find ways to dodge his blows. The thrill of battle filled me as I dueled my familiar foe. Master Sword and Lynel Blade struck against demonic blades.

The Demon King was fully awakened now, and I struggled to break through his stance. I thought I might be wearing him down, but he was draining my strength, too, and I struggled to drive the last blow home. He was too good at dodging, anticipating my every attack.

Then, I struck out without warning, randomly, almost blindly. He dodged--

But didn't dodge the next blow, where, faster than he could anticipate, I thrust my blade up into his neck.

And before I knew it, I was facing a dragon.

Zelda and I spiraled through the sky, locked in a deadly dance with the embodiement of evil. But as many times as I plummeted from the demon dragon's back, Zelda was always there in a heartbeat to catch me, and we were rising, rising together, back up to the top of the sky again.

In the end, I struck the Demon King's wounds with two blades. One was the Master Sword. The other, the White Sword of the Sky.

Both of them in honor of Zelda.

And then Ganondorf, the Calamity, the source of all our pain and suffering, disintegrated in an explosion that shook the sky.

I felt Rauru and Sonia's power flowing through me, and I let it pour into Zelda, and watched as she was reborn.

And then we were both falling, plummeting from the sky, and again I tried to get to her, to grasp her hand--

This time, this time I reached her.

*

7. Epilogue

What might the future hold for Link?

If what I've done since my playthrough is any indication, her future adventures might involve exploring and mapping the rest of the Depths, enhancing the magical robes of the ancient Zonai, and setting new records in human flight into the stratosphere. There will be rebuilding, and time spent cataloguing plants and animals, and conversations with Mineru about Zonai history.

But it won't be Link alone. Wherever she goes, she'll be with Zelda. Following her, exploring with her, researching all the mysteries of the world with her.

That, I think, would be the most important thing to her. Not anything that she herself has done.

But that this wonderful, remarkable person, this brilliant and open-hearted person this girl who loved her and accepted her even after so much had changed, this girl who sacrificed everything for her family and sacrificed even more for the world, that this girl gets to be happy, she gets to live, she gets to be safe.

She's safe. She's here, and she's safe.

That's what matters.

[vicatori16-blog]

(okay, as I want to be extra I'll now write the most Garry Sue character in the world)

Yes... They knew not to mess with me... I, Alexander Icaren the Third, Lord of Light and Conquerer of the soul was a dangerous guy. I once killed a man with a paper cut because of how powerful my essence is. But... Even though I was respected... Even feared I'll say... I felt so alone.

Despite my attractive face and trained body full of muscles that could bend even the toughest of stones... No woman was capable of keeping up with my erratic life. I didn't blame them... A life full of challenges, fights and celebrations of my victories was really too much for a normal person... I hope one day, my cursed self can find true--

"okay. My guy. You MUST know you just started monologuing out loud... Right?"

I was appalled... Next to me sat the most gorgeous woman I've had the pleasure to see... Her blue eyes and hair as dark as a crow's feathers shined in the warm light of the sunset... But no sunset was as beautiful as--

"No, dude, seriously. I'm flattered and all that but you keep talking to yourself. And it's pretty quiet in this bar so I think I'm not the only one weirded out." She smiled. "The 'most gorgeous woman you had the pleasure to see' is named Evelyn by the way".

She approached a hand, and I greeted her with a kiss.

"No sky can compare to the blue of your eyes, my lady. I apologize if my inner talk was too powerful."

She chuckled, what a beautiful sound.

"You talk really weird dude. I like that in a man. So... Tell me something about these 'great fights' you had."

We spent the evening exchanging stories... I told her about my great quest to defeat Asharaz, the great evil that plagued my city and killed my parents. She told me about that time she sneezed so hard she headbutted a guy and started a bar fight. I told her in great detail about my adventures in the Lost Island of Nevermore, a place full of mist that made you forget who you were... I got lost for months until my relentless spirit made me immune to the effects. She told me about how she won a costume contest by dressing as a drag queen, everybody was surprised that she was actually a woman all along.

"My lady, I would love to talk more but... I'm afraid that duty calls. I should go back on my search of the great priestess as she possesses the only blade capable of slaying--

"oh, I'm the priestess. You're searching my sacred blade?"

This damsel was capable of surprising me furthermore.

"Yes! What trials will you put my way to get the prestige of using Sephiroz the great demon slayer?" I stood up in deep bow.

"First of all... Its 'Seph'. One day I'll find the bastard that started telling such high tales about this artifact..." She grunted, "and second, here, take it." She unsheathed a little dagger and passed it towards me.

The hilt was of leather and the blade was iron... No inscriptions were seen anywhere.

"This... This is it?" She nodded at my question, "no... Special activation word or anything...?"

"It glows in the dark if you scream 'sausages'! Pretty cool!"

I nodded slowly in acknowledgement.

"Sausages!" I yelled. The blade did not light.

She laughed. "Oh my god I didn't think you'd actually do it!" Her voice cracked as she couldn't contain her blight. "You're so naive... I should accompany you just in case... I'm afraid you'll die."

"I can never die as my soul is cursed to revive until I find the true meaning of my life!" I tried not to seem bothered as I clunched my fist.

"Okay, okay... Whatever. I just need an excuse to abandon the temple and 'helping a hero' is a good enough way. Let's go."

And so, my adventures with Priestess Evelyn started. We fend off fiends, gargoyles, and dragons. Everything in our path couldn't even injure us because of the sheer power--

"Seriously. You need to learn to stop monologuing. It's getting annoying."

"Oh... Yes. Sorry."

"Why didn't you mug that guy? He seemed like an easy mark." "He was a young man with white hair with red eyes. That's a main character. I don't want to die."

[clevermird]

Review: Imaginary Lands (anthology, edited by Robin McKinley)

After the insanity that was Draco, I needed a palate cleanser and more Robin McKinley seemed like the perfect place to find one.  However, as I started, it quickly became clear that there wasn’t a lot of Ms. McKinley in this book, as it’s an anthology by various authors, with her contributing only the final story and editing. Nonetheless, this book was a really enjoyable time and while, as is pretty much always the case, some of the stories resonated more than others, I feel like I’ve found a bit of hidden gem here.  The book has nine stories in it, the longest about 35 pages and the shortest around 12, all designed around the idea that the land itself would be a prominent feature of the story. The stories we get:  “Paper Dragons” – An unnamed narrator travels to San Francisco to help an eccentric neighbor with his quest to build a dragon “The Old Woman and the Storm” – At the dawn of all things, Arram meets a mysterious and capricious old woman.  “The Big Rock Candy Mountain” – Hiram, Sonja, and their parents’ vacation is derailed to a mysterious English town that is slowly sinking into the hillside “Flight” – A pseudo-history of the only tribe never conquered by the great Ob empire “Evian Steel” – On the island where no man is allowed to spend the night, a young noblewoman joins an order of sword forgers and meets a mysterious older girl with a secret “Stranger Blood” – A young man with a bad leg discovers that death is stalking a remote border fortress when a woman with a dark past arrives “The Curse of Igamor” – A corrupt noble controls his populace with threats of a cursed horse with a long back “Tam Lin” – Retells a classic Scottish ballad about a young woman who falls in love with a fairy knight “The Stone Fey” – In a remote village, a shepherdess falls under the spell of a hill spirit  The stories have a pleasing variety to them – “Big Rock Candy Mountain” and “Curse of Igamor” are lighthearted children’s tales while “Flight” and “Paper Dragons” have a sadness and longing to them. “Tam Lin” and “Evian Steel” reference well-known tales and “Stone Fey” and “Stranger Blood” are set in the worlds of other works by the authors. Settings range from classic high fantasy to pseudo-steampunk and everything in between.  Ironically, the story that led me to seek this book out in the first place ("Stone Fey") is one of the weaker entries with McKinley’s frequent sin of fumbled endings showing up again here and the Damarian setting seeming more window dressing than anything actually connecting it to The Blue Sword or The Hero and the Crown.  “Flight” was probably my favorite, fitting the brief to perfection and featuring both creative worldbuilding and an engaging writing style that kept me invested despite being one of the longest stories.  I definitely recommend this one as I found myself really enjoying uncovering all the unique directions the stories would take and waiting to see how they ended. It’s fast, fun reading and is a great way to break up longer or more instense reads with a few really creative ideas

Rating: 8/10

[spidine]

The State of Questlines

As a big quest liker one update I always like to see is a continuation of a classic unresolved questline. There are a few continuations that would be easy backports but i also think just as many backports would be big missed opportunities. TIME TO EXAMINE THESE QUESTLINES FOR THEIR VALUE AND WHERE TO TAKE THEM.

Cave Goblins/Chosen Commander

This one is pretty easy to accept backport, the cave goblin line is a fan favorite and Chosen Commander is pretty well liked. However I personally like cave goblins SO MUCH that I hope to see Chosen Commander expanded to see additions to Dorgesh-Kaan, nothing too crazy, maybe a slayer monster with a decent drop added to the caves. Chosen Commander also needs some rewrites, the plot point that Bandos makes Zanik murder a racist REALLY HARD and that's bad actually is dumb. Kill Sigmund's ass queen. God forbid a woman do anything.

It's just very 2000's Marvel movie ass writing, I'd put up with it but I think we could do better. Have Grubfoot get possessed instead, seeing him kill someone WOULD be out of character and alarming.

Glouphrie/Arposandra

Path of Glouphrie was literally 2 weeks from being in the 07 backup. But perhaps its a good thing it's not in osrs because it's honestly not very good which is a shame because the story surrounding it and Arposandra has intrigued me since I was a kid. A hostile gnome faction outside of just the rogue Glouph could be used as a launch platform for more quests, bosses, challenging content, and areas. As an added bonus it would be unique to osrs, since rs3 has also only eluded to the area with the last relevant quest being Prisoner of Glouphrie in 2011. I honestly think this would be a great thread to pick up with a continued questline.

Fremennik

Fremennik Exiles was a 10/10 quest and it's time we got a sequel and I know just where to go. I think we're close to finishing off the Fremennik storyline but it's not time for the Grandmaster quite yet, so what I'm suggesting is a two part finale; Ragnarok 1 and 2.

In part 1 we head to a new area; Acheron, the long teased frozen wasteland. This area would be ruled by an empire of Ice Trolls, patrolled by dangerous Penguins, populated with imposing mammoths, and covered with unique skilling opportunities. Plenty of people have already suggested adding this area and my ideas aren't unique from theirs but I think a new "hostile" region similar to morytania or the desert could be a cool.

Then in part 2 we get the Grandmaster conclusion to the story, I don't have anything specifically in mind for this.

Fairy Tale

Zanaris is a pretty iconic part of osrs to me but I aside from the great tools they unlock the fairy tale quests themselves have always been sort of minor. I think one last Master quest to tie up this storyline would be nice, but that's all I want. I do think it'd be cool if we got to see more Fairy Dragons though, maybe they can drop Dragon Battlestaves.

Dwarf Questline

We need the Hand Cannon in osrs now more than ever, a weapon that performs off of Firemaking would be such a good fun addition.

Forgiveness of a Chaos Dwarf would honestly probably work as a backport if any files of it exist in osrs but I just don't really think the dwarf questline needs 3 more quests like in rs3. I like seeing old questlines but I prefer to see them get wrapped up rather than stretched out, so few quests get added these days that I don't really wanna wait on more than 2. One thing I do wanna see get tied up though is Between a Rock, that quest is a favorite and the weird matter demon we meet is never really brought up again, I wanna know more about that so badly.

Cold War

Cold War is a very good, funny, 2000's internet ass quest and I wanna see a follow up so bad. I think Hunt for Red Raktober could receive a backport but after that I think it should receive a close out quest after you complete after Ragnarok part 1.

Desert/Menaphos

This one has just started up again recently and I'm pretty pleased with all the lore and character progression surrounding it. I don't think we'll see more of this questline for a bit though, the next quest in the questline is shaping up to be a "Sins of the Father" sized introduction to Menaphos and I really hope that Menaphos is a big rich city with lots of detail and stuff to do similar to Priffdinas.

Kourend

Obviously there's not much to reference here since it's completely osrs original and it's a questline I hope they carry on for a while. Kingdom Divided teased the introduction of Valimore so I think the next few quests in the questline will begin to introduce that kingdom. I hope we get to see Zeah populated with some more Twisted Tales before we go to the next big step in the story.

White Knights/Sea Slug

This is a questline we could probably leave running forever since It doesn't exactly have a defined end of any kind. One thing that I would like to see concluded in a sequel quest however would be the Sea Slug questline, even just an intermediate follow up would sate my curiosity. Something I would like to see brought back to the storyline would be more Black Knights, maybe after Slug Strikes Back Camelot and Temple Knights can team up for a big Black Knight Master Quest.

Myreque

This questline is basically just waiting around for its Grandmaster finale anyday. I don't think Morytania really needs any new content so I think the next quest should just be one last big face off with drakan.

Pirate

I really like the Pirate quests and hope to see a sequel to Great Brain Robbery. Rocking Out could be a pretty easy backport but I don't have much in mind here after that. The pirate story doesn't need a big Grandmaster quest but the south east sea could probably use a few more cool islands with puffins.

[jupitermelichios]

So I’ve been playing a lot of skyrim lately, because it’s video game comfort food, and I decided it was time for my Redguard Dovahkiin to settle down. (Actually I specifically just wanted to be able to adopt some of the random orphans you meet because I felt guilty about them, but you need to be married before you can do that so that there’s someone at home to take care of the kids while you’re off galivanting).

So I travelled around a bit, chatting up likely looking npcs until I found one I both liked and didn’t feel guilty about marrying (I feel bad if I marry one of the warrior adventurer types, making them be a stay at home mum) and settled on an obnoxiously cheerful argonian called Shavee because her life was frankly shit, and I thought she’d probably be good with kids.

So off I go to Riften to the Temple of Mara to arrange the wedding. I book it in for the next day, realise I didn’t bring anything nice to wear, and spend the night before the wedding robbing every house in the city in the search for something to wear. Eventually decide everyone in Riften has terrible fashion sense and break down everything I stole into raw materials and use them to craft myself an outfit and some jewellery that i’m pretty happy with. I even carefully pick out my fanciest looking sword to wear.

(don’t know why I bothered, frankly, shavee turned up wearing a shirt covered in suspicious stains and weilding a pickaxe, it’s like she doesn’t even care about this marriage)

(also for comedy purposes, bear in mind I play with survival mods that mean my character needs to eat and sleep to live, and I literally spent the entire ingame night on this and forgot to eat and drink anything either and then just downed four bowls of wolf stew right before entering the temple so I didn’t starve during the ceremony. also I discovered during the wedding that I am dying of rockjoint, which I contracted from sleeping in a pile of hay on the floor of a skeever infested cave, so even being six foot tall and jacked can’t make up for the fact that I am exhausted, running a fever, and probably covered in wolf which I spilled because my joints are slowly atrophying, and even the fanciest clothes in the world aren’t going to cover that up)

so I enter the temple, and my finance is there, and Lydia my housecarl, and some random NPCs the game thinks are my friends because I did fetch quests for them

One of the random NPCs is Lisbet. Atfter I did her fetch quest, I then did another quest in which I discovered Lisbet is secretly a cannibal and part of a demonic cult that worships the daedric prince of decay by kidnapping priests, sacrificing them, and then eating their corpses. Raw. I think the raw meat is the sticking point for me here honestly.

I ultimately decided not to sacrifice the random priest to a daedric prince in exchange for one magic ring and all the raw human I could eat, because frankly, that doesn’t sound like much of a deal to me. I was expecting there to be some kind of dialogue choice where I could nope out at the last minute, but it turns out there isn’t one, so after they drugged the priest and tied him to the altar, I just got out my sword and started swinging.

I killed most of the cult (including the town butcher, because I had brought meat from him before and was extremely pissed off that he might have been secretly feeding me humans) but a couple of them got away, which I figured was fine because they weren’t trying to kill me.

Except it turns out, if any of them escape, then every time you see them in the future there’s a random chance that they’ll fly into a violent rage and try and murder you.

Lisbet is at my wedding. Lisbet decides that clearly me marrying this random argonian woman with two lines of dialogue is the happiest day of my life, and she cannot allow me that happiness, when I’ve taken so much from her.

So she tries to kill me. Only she can’t, because I’m stuck in a pre-rendered wedding animation, and also she’s sitting next to Lydia, my faithful retainer and owner of a really big axe.

It also turns out that Lisbet is essential, meaning she can be knocked unconcious but not actually killed because she’s needed for some quest or other. And the minute she wakes up from unconciousness, she tries to kill me again, so Lydia knocks her unconcious again, and I’m stuck, I can’t move, because I’m supposed to be in the wedding animation.

Except Shavee has, not unreasonably, see all this and decided that she doesn’t like me enough to risk getting murdered, and has done a runner, leaving me at the altar, but more importantly, leaving me trapped in a broken pre-rendered animation, so all I can do is stand there at the altar, staring at the space where my fiance was supposed to be, listening to the sounds of Lydia trying and failing to beat a cannibal to death behind me.

Okay, I think, clearly this wedding isn’t going to happen, I’m going to go for the registry office option and complete the wedding using the dev commands. I do this. The priest gives me a wedding ring, and I can finally move again. I chase after Shavee, who has an impressive turn of speed on her, and eventually catch up right by the city gates. I try to talk to her.

Apparently using the console has completed the wedding for me, but not for her, because she still only has the same 2 lines of dialogue she usually has.

Clearly this is working, I can’t leave my kids with someone who can only say 2 things and doesn’t even know she’s their mum, that’s irresponsible.

I try loading from inside the temple. I get the same problem.

Eventually I figure out that I need to use the dev controls to disable Lisbet’s entire existence in the universe.

Shavee and me get married. As the priest reads the vows, I stare at Shavee and wonder why she couldn’t even be bothered to put on a clean shirt. I wonder what kind of mother she’ll be.

Once the ceremony is over, and I’m happily married to the dirty green lizard of my dreams, and we’ve agreed that until I can make her recognise my extremely nice modded house exists I will share her single bed in the unheated flophouse in Windhelm she calls home, I re-enable Lisbet, because I’m worried I’ll forget if I leave it too long.

Fun fact about skyrim, it loads in quite a lot of npcs and objects by dropping them from the sky. I have no idea why this is the case, but it’s objectively the funniest way to load in objects.

I re-enable Lisbet. She falls from the sky, clips through the roof of the temple, and lands in the pew beside Lydia, stands up, draws a knife, and is immedately beaten unconcious.

I no longer care, because Shavee now has all the exciting new spouse-only romantic dialogue options like “Could you cook something for me” and “have you made any money lately”, and I know she’ll be a great mother.

I limp to the door of the temple, while around me the guests not involved in the Lydia-Lisbet murder cycle scream and duck for cover.

I open the door to the temple, immediately collapse and ragdoll down the steps, which is how I discover I am dying of rockjoint.

I limp to the orphanage down the street, adopt two kids, and then finally remember that I’m carrying garlic bread, which as we all know, cures all known illnesses.

When I emerge back into the street, full of the joys of motherhood and garlic bread, I find the town in disaray. Lydia is chasing Lisbet through the streets with an axe and a dragon is circling overhead, burning npcs to death. People are running for shelter, screaming, while the guards try to take down an entire dragon using only the worst bows and arrows in the game.

I decide that as a parent, I have to think of my own safety first and leave them to it.

I head out of the city, intent on returning home and figuring out why Shavee refuses to move in with me. A man hanging around the stables challenges me to a boxing match. For want of anything better to do, I agree.

Halfway through the fight he dodges at the wrong moment and I punch one of his horses in the head.

Two guards attack me while I desperately try to surrender. My kids will miss me, but I’m prepared to go to jail for my horse crimes, I’m an honest citizen. Also my horse crimes seem somewhat less important than the dragon.

The guards refuse to accept my surrender. I am stabbed to death. As I collapse in front of the indifferent horse, Lisbet exits the city, followed by Lydia. The last thing I see before I die is Lydia swinging her axe at Lisbet’s face.

[crinosg]

I got this game recently as well (Am taking a break from it because it has a lot of grinding later on because the bosses do NOT fuck around in this game) and yeah, the scene that introduces Rose the Elf is really fucking jarring.

Like you're in this tournament fighting other monster wranglers and the atmosphere is light and fun and happy, and there is a brief intermission and they bring out the elf girl, and I am thinking "Oh they are introducing the other people in the tournament."

But no, its not that. at all. Fucking Master Blaster comes out with his crew and they have this ELF GIRL SLAVE who they intend to beat with a riding crop because her tears turn into rubies. Gonna repeat that BEAT HER WITH A RIDING CROP. and everyone is just fine with this. In fact when someone does it made its because the elf does cry rubies, but they are extremely fragile and disintegrate almost instantly. Leading to this exchange.

Random asshole: Hey what are you trying to pull.

Woman beating slave owner: I assure you were are totally on the level.

REALLY. ARE YOU NOW. ARE YOU ON THE LEVEL. FORGIVE ME FOR HAVING DOUBTS.

Then the elf just runs away because no one bothered to chain her up or anything, and one of the bad guys tracks her down, and our hero lights the bad guy on fire and runs him off, and the Elf actually feels sorry for him because she's one of those peace and love hippie types but hey new party member so whatever.

Honestly Dragon Quest Monster is really fun, if you are looking for an alternative to Pokemon this is a great pickup. If only because it has a lot of quality of life changes and improvements over Pokemon, just minor things but they really improve the gameplay and flow.

Among other things:

*You have fast travel unlocked pretty much from the get go. You can just teleport anywhere you want in the world with a button press, the only time its disabled is when you have to go to a specific place for a cutscene.

*You instantly heal when you enter your home base without the need to talk to anybody.

*You don't need a pokeball to catch monsters, you just scout them and if you get them then its fine. Also very rarely monsters will ask to join up after you beat them.

If you have a monster with a healing spell in party you can use them to fast heal your entire party with a single button press.

Fights are more or less automatic unless you choose to pick your mons moves (Which you really want to do in the boss fights), You can set your mons to do specific actions, but the default is just blasting opponents with your strongest attacks. This speeds up grinding immensely.

This game actually makes stuff like buffs and status effects feel impactful. Like I don't play Pokemon competetively, but I never felt like the stat buffs and debuffs were that significant. In this game when you fight a boss, you absolutely want to hit them with stuff that lowers their attack or accuracy or they will fucking CREAM you.

The Monsters are all designed by Akira Toriyama. So they look really cool.

Mons level up even if they aren't in your party. I didn't realize this until I checked my ranch back home and realized all my mons were level forty, even the ones I caught at the start of the game.

Also you get accessories you can equip on your mons, and if you put one in the ranch with one on, you can still remove it and move it around from the normal menu.

So yeah, in all a very fun game. Highly recommend.

MY DRAGON QUEST MONSTERS THREAD

Dragon Quest Monsters: The Dark Prince is the first DQM game I've ever gotten to play after admiring the series since childhood. The bad news is that it leaves out exactly the three DQ monsters I love most. The good news is that everything else about it is great. I've been taking regular screenshots as I play and I am going to start adding things about it to this post, so it is going to get long. First of all here are exactly my next three favorite monsters in the franchise, which they fortunately did include, and were all available to me by almost the first area:

"Mad Mollusk" or in other dq games "taileater" is great because it has a sad flabby slug face at one end and a fanged leech mouth at the other end. When it uses magic, it reveals giant eyeballs in its antennae somehow?! Love how big the "carnivorous" mouth gets in the attack animation. What a stretchy guy!

"Lunatick" is just called "meda" (eye) in Japanese, I'm glad they decided it was like a parasite thing in the localization.

Finally there's DROHL, a classic DQ enemy that looks like...well I'm not gonna say what it really looks like but I think it's a cool little freak unrelated to that and I think it talks exactly like Droopy dog. Oddly it's known as a "Drohl DRONE," and I believe there are other "castes" in other DQ games, but only the "drones" are in this one sadly. I've yet to find this in the wild; I got it through the breeding system!

....Which is by far the most addicting thing about this game. The actual gameplay is good solid turn based RPG stuff, if a bit basic, but every monster can be bred with another monster to unlock a slew of other species. This is one of the first games in which they actually call it a "fusion" system now, I guess dropping the word "breed" from the English localization, but all other in-game dialog still calls these the 'parents' and 'offspring' and even makes jokes that they're getting married, so yeah, it's still breeding. What happens when you breed a slime with someone's dead grandpa??

.....There are multiple monsters you can get from that, but one of them, and the one that makes the most sense, is Slimeshroom! This is a new DQ slime that's some fungus! What's also fun is that every monster has up to three skills, and each skill actually unlocks a ton of spells, attacks, boosts and effects as you spend skill points on them. Then when you breed two monsters, you can give the baby any three skills from the parents. Any at all! I used this to make my Slimeshroom both a healer and a fire mage in the early game. This catches you up with the same progress I talked about when I first got the game almost two months ago so here's some things that have happened since:

I bred a flying cat and a vampire chinchilla to get a.....sexy bat??

I helped a fat rat - that's the name of his species - rescue his son

I bred a people ghost with a lamp ghost to get a bag of dirt!

I fought this bastard giraffe man who called an elderly wizard a "naughty boy" and put him in candy jail.

"Duffer" from the Giraffe quest is also best friends with Eileen the eye demon, and when you rescue him, they become your loyal subjects! BAD NEWS: this entire game is actually a prequel to Dragon Quest 4, and the player character of this game is the villain of Dragon Quest 4. Duffer and Eileen are also in Dragon Quest 4. They die :( .......Maybe this game gives you a chance to fix that future??? I don't know.

[butterflydm]

wot reread: the path of daggers (chap 21 - end)

spoilers for the path of dagger; at the very end, marked out by spoiler space, are spoilers through a memory of light

Current book ranking (strongest to weakest): The Fires of Heaven; Lord of Chaos; The Shadow Rising; The Dragon Reborn; The Path of Daggers; A Crown of Swords; The Great Hunt; Eye of the World.

Overall, like this better than ACoS (even though there were fewer stand-out scenes); we’re currently in a section of story where we are focusing on politics and war rather than ‘romance’ and Jordan is considerably better at politics and war. But the pacing is definitely much slower now than when we were at the peak of tFoH.

1. The change in weather is really affecting Rand’s war plans. There’s torrential rain in some places and snow in others, which is quite a turnaround from the baking heat that they were having recently. From Andor, two more Asha’man, plus eight Dedicated and forty Soldiers, have arrived on Rand’s request from Taim. He’s still Sir Not Appearing On Page. LTT wants to kill the head Asha’man who arrived with them and had to fight not to do it when the man seized saidin abruptly while in front of him.

2. He’s trying to sweep the Seanchan westward, out of the lands near Illian. Yeah, Ebou Dar, where the Seanchan hold (and where Mat is currently trapped!) is pretty close to Illian -- it’s literallly the next country over. Rand is closer to Mat right now than he’s been in ages. I am in AGONY. Also, looking at the map, the Seanchan actually do hold considerably less land than my brain kinda imagined that they did - the Mountains of Mist are a considerable barrier against their east-ward expansion. We know that, right now, the people in Murandy are working with the Andorans (per Egwene’s chapter) and to the south of them, Rand holds Illian. And then there are mountains covering the land north, with only a very narrow area between Arad Doman and Saldaea that isn’t mountainous. And Saldaea is right to the north of the Two Rivers region, so it’s easy to imagine how that map line will be redrawn in the future, once Tenobia is gone and Perrin and Faile’s potential kids might rule both areas. Andor and Cairhien are also roughly next door to each other, and we know Rand, at least, is hoping that Elayne will rule both of them. But right now Rand holds the largest chunk of the map tbh, then we have the Borderlands as their own thing. But as long as Rand can keep the Seanchan from Illian, then the rest of the Westlands is relatively protected from them at the moment.

3. Rand notes that he seems to be LTT in some of his dreams now and that LTT’s voice in his head seems “madder and angrier”. Rand thinks about how he can’t afford to go mad yet.

4. The Illian Companions and the Tairen Defenders are getting competitive over the right to be Rand’s honor guard (now that the Maidens have been ousted and kicked out of their place because Rand Can’t Kill A Woman or Let Her Get Killed, ugh, hate that for everyone). Rand has sent off some of his Lords & Ladies with large groups of soldiers to continue quelling the unrest in Illian. He also thinks about how this new war with the Seanchan really started back in Falme. LTT bemoans how many people have died for his pride and for his mistakes (honestly, this is one of the complaints about the show that baffles me -- that how dare they show that people think of LTT as prideful -- LTT himself admits that he was prideful and that it got people killed). Rand admits that people have died due to his mistakes that denies that any have died due to his pride.

5. Just as we’ve recently seen with Egwene, Rand worries about how much he can afford to tell the people around him. The main difference is that Egwene does still have a couple of people that she can trust around her at all times (Siuan and Leane have been firmly in her camp from the beginning) while the people that Rand trusts the most when it comes to this stuff (Mat and Perrin) are off on side-quests, plus Egwene has a way to contact additional people that she trusts in TAR (Elayne and Nynaeve) while Rand has to Travel and hope for the best.

6. Rand is trying to make plans; this is what he currently has on his list:

deal the Seanchan a blow to set them back on their heels

check on negotiations with the Atha’an Miere in Cairhien

figure out what Cadsuane is Up To

try to get Lord Darlin and Lady Caraline back into his hands so he can end the Tairen and Cairhienin rebellions

Start avoiding Caemlyn once Elayne shows up there with Mat (*sigh*)

Talk to Nynaeve about cleansing saidin

Wait for Narishma to get back from his Secret Mission

Let’s see how many of them get checked off by the end of the book! (and I’ll carry over any remaining items to Winter’s Heart). Note that Rand does NOT know that Min told Lord Darlin and Lady Caraline and Cadsuane about his abuse at the hands of Elaida’s embassy.

7. Narishma shows up from his Secret Mission! As far as the Asha’man go, I really only bother to care about the ones that stay close to Rand, which means Narishma, Flinn, & Hopwil. I don’t have room to add more into my heart, thanks. Narishma is in a bad mood -- he says that Rand didn’t tell him everything that he needed to know -- but he accomplished his mission and brings Rand An Item.

8. Rand gathers the nobles that he trusts the least - mostly men, as he is only willing to bring the ‘most dangerous’ of the women that he mistrusts and waits on the Silver Road (to Ebou Dar) for a week+ until Bashere shows up. We do get a note here that Bashere is “one of the very few men that Rand would trust with his life”. My guess at that list: Mat, Perrin, Bashere, Loial, maybe Lan now that Moiraine is dead (as Rand believes that Lan would have been willing to kill him if ordered by Moiraine), probably Thom (if he ever sees him again). If we add the women he trusts with his life, we would probably be adding only Nynaeve, Elayne, Aviendha, and Min. People that Rand SHOULD add, imo - Sulin, Amys, Berelain, Dobraine, Rhuarc -- those have gone above and beyond to prove their loyalty. I honestly might even add Merana here as well. She has shown considerable loyalty to Rand recently and seems sincere in it and, as an ambassador and negotiator, is an incredibly important person to have working for him with such dedication. He’s still missing a spymaster tho.

9. Anyway, Rand’s plan is basically to use these untrustworthy forces as the shield around the real force attacking the Seanchan -- himself and the asha’man. Weiramon tries to wiggle out of doing what Bashere has ordered him and his men to do and Rand sets him down. Then two of the High Ladies come and try to beg off being part of the war party, seeing as Rand has “a particular care for women”. Rand loses his grip on saidin and the Void in his shock that he’s been so obvious. He wonders how many people know that he tries to avoid hurting/killing women when he wouldn’t do so for a man in the same position against him.

10. Rand notes that LTT rants against almost any male channeler now, telling him to kill them. He’s also currently checking each of the asha’man with him and doubting their loyalty and sanity. He is in a bad way. We also have heard that he’s basically holding onto saidin as much as possible, in order to try to avoid the dizzy bouts that happen when he grabs hold of it, so that’s a lot of taint that is getting shoveled into his head. Rand worries that he’s developing what Nynaeve would call ‘the dreads’, a paranoid fear of everyone around him.

11. Now that the Maidens aren’t guarding him anymore, Rand is now the first one through the Gateway to their next Traveling point. Bashere attempts to talk Rand out of being reckless and getting himself killed before his time. “Everybody dies eventually, and everybody is forgotten, eventually, but there’s no bloody point in dying before your time comes”. There’s an assassination attempt on Rand by one of the men that he talked down earlier in the book (one of the men who had worked under ‘Lord Brend’).

12. Seanchan PoV. Okay, we are getting some solid information on The Return here. This PoV is worth it and can stay. So, we learn that the bulk of the last two generations (thirty years for this particular general) has been spent preparing for The Return -- building massive ships and training their armies. Which is longer than Rand’s been alive. We learn that they’ve had the same Empress for those thirty years. The Seanchan consider all those who are currently living in these lands “thieves” and that they are “rightfully” taken back what belongs to them. Manifest destiny, basically, is the ideal that the Seanchan are living by in this invasion. They’ve decided this land is theirs by right and that the actual inhabitants of the continent have no rights for ownership of it. Going back to the British-American Empire vibes with this part of the influence on the Seanchan culture. And they’ve been hyping themselves up for this invasion for longer than Rand’s been alive.

13. We learn that the damane have all been ‘sick’ since Ebou Dar was taken (aka they are suffering from the same One Power Weirdness that Elayne & Hopwil described, which honestly at this point I kinda feel like is another plot device to keep Mat trapped in Ebou Dar for the time being). Ugh, the way that this dude thinks of her. “He had a favorite wolfhound back home, and talked to him at times, but never expected Nip to carry on a conversation”. She is a person, not a dog!

14. We learn that the wars of the “Consolidation” on the Seanchan continent ended about two hundred years ago, so the current rule of the Seanchan Empire actually isn’t that long (though long enough that only damane would remember pre-Consolidation times). It’s much shorter than how long the Andoran Queens have been ruling, for example (Andor was one of the first countries formed after Artur Hawkwing’s empire collapsed). We also learn the details about some of the ‘rebellions’ that he mentions that have happened in the last thirty years, when he was alive in fight in them - one of them was a two-year long rebellion against the Empress that ended with thirty thousand dead and over 1.5 million people enslaved as punishment for their ‘crime’. And that is only from ONE rebellion. So, yeah, there is MASSIVE unrest in Seanchan in their RECENT history. And we know from Rand and Aviendha’s honeymoon a few months ago that there is current unrest in the countryside as well. I’m kinda getting Wag the Dog vibes from the Seanchan invasion, actually -- that it was being done partly to distract from the unrest at home and try to get people behind the Empress and on her side by ‘gifting’ them the land of their ancestors. So the Seanchan put up a good front of looking organized in front of outsiders but when we peek behind the curtain here, we can see exactly how bloody and messy their entire empire is.

15. Oh, Rand is in such a bad way. He’s worrying about literally everyone around him scheming and he’s certain that showing any sign of weakness in front of any of them will lead to instant betrayal and, of course, he’s getting sick and dizzy when he grabs saidin due to his new odd ‘doubling’ thing. And that’s even before we take into account the countless dead bodies around him that have been torn apart in horrible ways due to the Power. He is doing very poorly indeed, physically, emotionally, and mentally. This part of Jordan’s writing does feel very real and visceral.

16. Oh... does Rand not know that sul’dam are channeling learners? Has no one told him about this? He doesn’t appear to know it here. Wow. Anyway, Rand decides that they will be keeping any captured women prisoners and then sent off... to someone else who will sort them out (he thinks maybe the Aes Sedai that Mat is leading to Caemlyn, because he still believes that’s happening).

17. Karede the Seanchan has been introduced. Not to be confused with Kadere the Darkfriend. Yes, the names are very similar. Yes, they both serve women who use moon symbolism. Yes, they are both physically marked to show they are the property of said woman. But they are different people. Kadere the Darkfriend being very very dead and Karede the Seanchan being very much alive. Anyway, he’s been property as long as he’s alive; he’s heavily brainwashed; and his PoV is very depressing tbh. This is generational slavery -- one of his ancestors ‘screwed up’ hundreds of years ago, so now he’s born into being property. Ah, Karede ALSO notes having faced ‘rebels’ back in Seanchan who had sul’dam and damane of their own (so that’s two Seanchan PoVs that have noted unrest in the homeland). Yeah, Seanchan kinda sounds like it’s a wreck but with strong internal propaganda -- he notes that victories are always trumpeted while failures are quickly buried.

18. It’s now five days into this battle with the Seanchan, with Rand and his forces Traveling about from place to place to make quick strikes. One of the Asha’man notes that saidin has begun to feel strange (ah, they must be getting close to Ebou Dar then). They currently have 23 sul’dam prisoners and 2 damane. Ugh this is so heartbreaking -- when Rand tried to free one of the damane, she immediately lashed out with the Power, killed several people, and then offered her neck so that she could be re-collared. That is so incredibly heartbreaking.

19. Rand gets abruptly hit with an arrow and loses saidin. The Seanchan have come in from the north (which Weiramon was supposed to be guarding). The two High Ladies with him, who he does not trust an inch, send their men to defend him and worry about him dying under their watch, knowing that they will absolutely be held responsible (either by Bashere or by his asha’man). Briefly ponder the idea of fleeing, and the Bashere does show up with his men and beats back the Seanchan. He’s healed by one of his asha’man, Morr. And he hears from Bashere that the Seanchan are pulling back, pulling all the way back to Ebou Dar. Bashere tells Rand that this should be the end of the campaign for now. Rand decides to move forward to try to take Ebou Dar back instead, and LTT says to Rand, I would not mind you in my head, if you were not so clearly mad.

20. We get a third Seanchan PoV of the battle situation. I am... beginning to feel a bit burnt out from this battle. Which I guess matches what Rand is likely feeling but it is not super-enjoyable. Some of this PoV covers what we learned in the last one. We do get the note that all the sul’dam and damane are ~resting in their tents (aka the Power is Weird and they don’t want to admit it). Though there is an importance here that we see that while Rand sees “driving the Seanchan away entirely” as the only ‘success’ endgoal, the actual generals of the Seanchan forces are terrified (they don’t use that word but, yeah) of how they’ve been pushed and harried back towards Ebou Dar. The enemy forces are everywhere (yay, Traveling! I don’t remember if the Seanchan are given Traveling at some point but if they are, I am going to Greatly Frown on the person who does it)! Their outposts keep being overrun!

21. Suroth (known Darkfriend; yes, I will bring this up every time she shows up) has arrived to the planning tent. We get reminded that she has a Weird situation (because of the bribery) -- her Voice of the Blood (Alwhin) is also a sul’dam and the damane that Alwin is leading is dressed as da’covale (aka translucent robes that show off her body) instead of the shapeless gray dress that damane are supposed to wear. I believe that this is the damane that used to be a sul’dam but got collared by Egwene/Elayne/Nynaeve back in Falme and is The Evidence that sul’dam are channeling learners (a secret that we’ve been told could bring down the Empire, which is why the bribery for Alwin to be raised up to be a Voice of the Blood worked)? Or, hmm, he notes that their faces seem strange, so maybe they are captured Aes Sedai. I have forgotten some of Suroth’s story since the last time we saw her, I think.

22. Ah, yeah, this is technically still The Forerunners, so even after their failure at Falme, taking Tanchico and now Ebou Dar makes Suroth a success, because their main mission was just to scout out the land. We’re reminded again that being part of the Empire is actually shitty even for the highest ranking people -- the higher you rise, the harder your fall. A Low Blood might be expected to kill themselves after a failure but a High Blood who oversteps can find themselves turned into property. They continue to be The Actual Worst.

23. Wait, that’s Liandrin who is the da’covale? I thought Liandrin had been ‘given’ to... oh. To a random Darkfriend in Tanchico. Aka where the Seanchan invaded. Oh, I see. I had absolutely forgotten that Liandrin showed up again. She really was our first example of Jordan not being willing to kill a female villain and enslaving her instead, kinda our canary in the coalmine. I am... curious but also somewhat nervous about what it means for her to be coming back into the story, since I don’t remember this part at all. The damane dressed as da’covale might be one of the other Darkfriends from that group then?

24. Ah, Suroth tells the general here that the enemy is using “the ancient art of Traveling”, which all the soldiers consider a legend. Yeah, Suroth is using her Westlands Darkfriend connections... oh, hey, she actually is the one who worked with LIANDRIN when Liandrin betrayed the Wondergirls back in TGH, so this is kinda a weird full-circle thing. Liandrin wouldn’t have known about the asha’man, though -- she’s been prisoner for too long -- so Suroth must have other Westlands Darkfriend connections at work. She knows the exact numbers that are in Rand’s army, which means that he has a Darkfriend traitor in his current ranks who is working with the Seanchan. I have my suspicions about who it is, and I’m going to put my speculation at the very bottom of the post, marked off by spoiler text*.

25. We learn that the Seanchan prophecies are corrupted due to how this guy thinks of how the WESTLANDS prophecies are corrupted, lol. They believe that the Dragon Reborn must serve the Crystal Throne. One of their current plans is to capture Rand so that they can ship him off to the Empress across the sea and have him kneel to the Crystal Throne and then “win the Last Battle for the glory of the Empress”. The Crystal Throne makes you ‘thirst to obey’, he thinks, and the Dragon Reborn would be no trouble to deal with after that.

26. He’s fought in two dozen battles that had damane on both sides. Again, sounds like there is a LOT of unrest back in Seanchan. Suroth tells him to take the sul’dam and damane they still have and “wipe” the asha’man “from the face of this earth”. He wishes she would tell him whether or not the damane are still ‘sick’.

27. Lews Therin tries to warn Rand about the Power being strange and wrong, but Rand dismisses it as the ravings of the madman in his head. They are doing their last push to attack the main force of Seanchan that are guarding the way to Ebou Dar, I believe. Honestly, this whole thing where Rand has surrounded himself mostly by the people he trusts the least (with only a handful of people he even moderately trusts) seems like such a bad situation for his mental stability, even before saidin is brought into the picture.

28. Dashiva rides to Rand for a private conversation about how saidin feels weird and strange here. He points out that the threads weaving his ward against listeners is vibrating. It’s not supposed to do that but it is, now that they are within a hundred miles of Ebou Dar. Rand is relieved that him feeling that way isn’t just another symptom of the taint but dismisses the idea of taking their current win and then leaving for the moment.

29. Okay, yeah, not a fan of all these random PoVs of the battle. Too many random names makes it harder to actually keep track of what is going on. Pick two people on each side, at the most, and stick to it. Especially when it gets into things like the politics back home, etc. A certain amount of it was useful but it just starts to get to be too many random names after a certain level.

30. Sul’dam sometimes mutilate their damane when they misbehave, we learn from one of the Seanchan PoV. I think this might have been mentioned as a threat against Egwene back in TGH as well. The Power has also now started to become uncontrollable for both sides -- when the damane tried to bring lightning against the enemy, she hit her own side too. This happens with the asha’man too and then, when Rand tries to use Callandor to bring an end to the battle once and for all, it also happens to him, and he’s killing as many of his own men as he is the enemy. Deaths due to pride, as Lews Therin warned about. Pride and desperation.

31. Rand believes that he MUST drive the Seanchan into the sea because he can’t afford to fight both them and the Shadow at the same time. That’s why he doesn’t think he can turn back. And given what we know about the person leading the Forerunners (she’s a Darkfriend!), he’s actually absolutely correct that he would be fighting a war on two fronts if they remain here. Bashere tells him that they must leave now and Rand refuses.

32. Rand’s lightning is falling among his own men and Rand doesn’t stop on his own either -- Bashere tackles him and yells at him to stop. Bashere really is a very good right-hand man. Rand is broken and devastated by the realization that, for the first time since he realized he was the Dragon Reborn, he has resoundingly failed. I do like that we FINALLY get Rand reacting to a man dying with the same kind of devastation that he reacts to literally any woman including his enemies dying, when he realizes that he accidentally killed Adley, one of the first Asha’man, he is heartbroken over it. The last time we saw him get upset over a man dying was Mat (and actually it was Mat the previous two times as well lol).

33. “For the second time on these shores, the Ever Victorious Army had suffered a devastating defeat.” So both sides see this battle as a massive loss. Rand loses. But the Seanchan also lose. It’s a lose-lose battle. The Seanchan consider this failure to be just as bad as when they were ‘routed’ from Falme but Rand considers it a complete failure as well since he wasn’t able to re-take Ebou Dar and “drive the Seanchan into the sea”.

34. Back to Elaida’s PoV. She’s always so certain of herself, no matter how often the world proves her wrong. The Sitters in the White Tower doubt that the Seanchan could possibly possess ter’angreal such as the a’dam and, if they do, there could not possibly be more than “three or four” in total and, in general, they would just like to blame al’Thor for everything, thanks. It can be very interesting sometimes to go from someone in the thick of a situation over to people who have heard nothing but vague rumors. Everyone in the Tower does know about how forkroot can suppress channeling now tho.

35. Elaida has stripped two Sitters of their chairs now, and half a dozen have served penances. Elaida wields a heavy hand against the Sitters and Sisters, reveling in her power against them... and likely needing to feel her power against them all the more with Alviarin currently blackmailing her. Alviarin had been gone from the Tower for two weeks, during which time Elaida reasserted her control, but now she is back and immediately countermands Elaida’s recent decrees and asks that they be given over to her instead. She also gives Elaida a decree to sign that will make it clear to Rand, if he hears of it, that his abduction was sanctioned by the White Tower. 

36. Alviarin reports to Mesaana that Elaida has signed the decree and that it will go out with every merchant ship (to increase the likelyhood of Rand seeing it, I have to assume?). Mesaana instructs Alviarin to tell her why the heads of the Ajahs pretend to hate each other in public but whisper together in private.

37. Seaine PoV - she lets us know that things have gotten even worse between the Ajahs with Elaida’s new decrees -- “a Tower divided very nearly into armed camps”. She is on a mission and collects a fellow White Ajah sister, Zerah, and tells her to come along and follow her. She leads Zerah down to the lowest sub-basement of the Tower, where no one goes and where Pevara is waiting. Pevara shields Zerah as Seaine shuts the door behind them both.

38. Pevara asks her if she’s a Darkfriend and Zerah explodes back that the Red Ajah has been setting up false Dragons for years (so readers already know at this point that Zerah is one of the sisters that was sent back to the Tower by Salidar) and essentially accuses the entire Red Ajah of being Darkfriends. They bring out the Oath Rod, which they’ve snuck out of the storerooms and tell Zerah that she is going to swear an Oath on it and then tell them that she’s not a Darkfriend.

39. They discover that Zerah is not a Darkfriend... but she is from Salidar. Her reaction to being told she needs to denounce the rumor about Logain being set up by the Red Ajah teaches them that conflicting Oaths can exist and can cause immense pain and would have killed Zerah if Pevara hadn’t relented. So that makes them realize that it’s very possible that Black Ajah sisters are required to take new Oaths once they’ve been released from their original three Oaths.

40. And so now all the Salidar “ferrets” are being redirected from spreading the rumors of Logain and the Red Ajah and into the Black Ajah hunt. It’s interesting, also, to see the PoV of sisters who dislike the rebels so much, if incredibly harsh at times.

41. After Zerah leaves, Seaine and Pevara are startled by the appearance of four Sitters of different Ajahs who have tracked them down, because they are trying to figure out what Seaine and Pevara are up to together. Once one of them -- the inconveniently named Saerin -- discovers that they are hiding the Oath Rod, she realizes what they must be up to. She retakes the Oath against lying and declares she isn’t a Darkfriend. Two of the other new Sitters prove it as well. And one of them, Talene, insists that she doesn’t need to and they have discovered their first Black Ajah sister -- Talene, Sitter for the Green Ajah.

42. Ah, now we move to Toveine attacking the Black Tower with her fifty Sisters -- none of whom are Black Ajah, we know, because Alviarin made sure that none were sent. They lose big time. Toveine was one of the Red Sisters deeply involved in the Vileness twenty years ago, and was one of the true believers in it, not a Black Ajah sister. Her group had been split up into several so that they could travel without notice and were meant to converge near the Black Tower and then attack as one... but Toveine soon learns that many of her sisters have already been captured. She hears it called out that they are to be taken alive, by order of the Dragon Reborn, and that scares her more than just the men themselves.

43. The whole “the Dragon Reborn says we aren’t allowed to kill them, so we will Bond them instead” is... gross. It was awful when it happened to Rand and it’s awful when it’s happening to Toveine & co as well (I can’t imagine Rand ever approving of this if he found out about it??? If he does find out later and approves, then I call foul). We also learn that, unlike Alanna bonding Rand, when a male channeler bonds a female channeler, he IS able to compel her. Okay, okay. The rules of this are baffling me. Let me try to lay it out.

Female Channeler -> male non-channeler (Warders) = CAN compel

Female Channeler -> female non-channeler (Birgitte) = CANNOT compel

Female Channeler -> male channeler (Rand) = CANNOT compel

Male Channeler -> female channeler (Toveine) - CAN compel

We have four categories that currently have examples in them. In two, the target of the bond CAN be compelled and in the other two, they CANNOT, but there appears to be no rhyme or reason as to why. It’s not about the subject also being a channeler. It’s not about whether or not they’re the same sex. And, of course, Jordan gives us no info on any other categories, because he only takes ‘male’ and ‘female’ into account. I feel like this is based on story convenience (and his personal tastes in things) rather than Jordan working it out logically in his magic system. Also, rather bizarrely, being bonded is written rather like having an orgasm, but only in this one example. Anyway, if any other categories show up, I’ll track those too. But, yeah, this is Logain’s reintroduction back into the story, already at the Black Tower and... not a big fan of the way he was reintroduced.

44. Oh. It’s Min. We’re reminded that she’s changed her hair for Rand (dark ringlets that touch her shoulders), that she’s changed her clothes for Rand (embroidered breeches as snug as she could still possibly wriggle into). Ah, and she’s also being beaten by the Wise Ones for information about Rand (mostly by Sorilea). Wow, I don’t think I remembered that from my last read of this. So Rand thinks they’ve accepted her but it sounds like what they’ve actually done is turn her into a way more effective Rand-spy than they ever managed to turn Aviendha into (missing the Worst Spy In The World right now, she was so bad at it), especially since Rand has no reason to suspect that Min is giving information about him to the Wise Ones. Yikes! But Min merely thinks: “The things you had to put up with for a man! And she could not have him for herself alone, at that!” Okay. Two points:

did you try telling Rand that the Wise Ones are beating you and making you give them information about him? Because I can promise you that he would absolutely NOT approve. He would NOT say that you need to put up with this in order to be in a relationship with him. The extent to which Min is willing to debase herself for this relationship with Rand makes me so uncomfortable. Please find a tiny shred of self-respect under a couch cushion or something. And the weirdest part about it all is that Rand has never asked her to do ANY of this.

and she’s also still bringing the harem vibes. she is so unhappy that she doesn’t get to have Rand all to herself.

Additional point: Yes, I very much disapprove of this tactic by the Wise Ones.

45. So, the last time we saw Rand, he was emotionally devastated after his loss at Ebou Dar and accidentally killing a bunch of his own people, including Adley, one of the first Asha’man. Absolutely none of this shows when he greets Min, which means that it must be buried pretty deep. Anyway, she scolds him while he admires her beauty, etc. “Rand always tried to pretend that he was not jealous -- as if there were a man in the world who was not”. Why does this world where poly relationships explicitly exist and are accepted in at least one society also insist that everyone is incredibly jealous if anyone actually PRACTICES one of these relationships.

46. After a bit, he tells her that he killed Adley, one of his Asha’am and immediately Min thinks that, clearly, this is the perfect time to offer him sex! The first time they had sex was also comfort sex induced by a lot of grief but Min herself has a clear head this time and could try to offer Rand non-sexual comfort. But no, the second she hears that he’s grieving, she thinks “perhaps the bedroom was a very good idea” and starts blushing and preparing herself to rip off his clothes and jump on him. While his voice sounds “quiet as the grave” and he’s just told her that he killed one of his own people. She doesn’t even think about trying anything else first? She just immediately dismisses the idea that she could ever get Rand to talk about any of his trauma and just jumps right to distraction sex.

47. Anyway, they get interrupted by Lord Dobraine, here to tell us how Min’s fashion* has ~set the city on fire~ and everyone is calling her ~my lady ta’veren~. So this is where Min gets all the credit for the breeches trend in Cairhien that the Aiel started. I can’t quite forget that the only reason Lord Dobraine is currently in charge of Cairhien is because Rand found himself too distracted by Berelain’s beauty and felt like he had to send her away. Such an ugly little character note. Not Dobraine’s fault, of course.

* you know, the fashion that she personally hates and is only forcing herself to wear because she thinks that’s what landed her in Rand’s bed though, ironically, he was already attracted to her and probably could have fallen in love with Original!Min just fine

48. Uh, okay. Hint into Rand and Min’s sex life -- she enjoys making him feel jealous in the bedroom because it ~lights a flame in him~ but worries that if she does it in public, he might physically injure the man that she teases him over.

49. Min has “grown accustomed” to the heeled boots that she wears (for Rand) but they make her sway no matter what she does. She also ~fetches the boys drinks~. Literally hate everything that the Rand x Min romance has done to her character. Ugh, we get Straight Humor with Rand and Dobraine joking about How Women Are, AmIRight? with Min quietly fuming in the background that she wishes Sorilea would switch Rand for a change. This feels like such typical... typical sexist humor from OUR world. Feels like Jordan’s worldbuilding has slipped a lot in this regard in the last couple of books imo.

50. “Everyone knew about her viewings now” probably because you couldn’t shut up about them in the last book. Anyway, none of her viewings are useful at this time, I’m sure we’re all shocked. Rand just gloomily notes that her having viewings at all means that these people will live to be problems for him in the future.

51. Merana arrives with news of The Bargain with the Atha’an Miere:

Rand gets his ships.

Rand doesn’t get to change any of their laws

they will be given a square mile of land at every port city that he commands, inside that land, Atha’an Miere law holds sway

that he must keep an ambassador of the Atha’an Miere with him at all times

must go promptly to a summons by the Mistress of Ships, not more than twice in any three years

52. Rand is fine with the first three parts of the Bargain, but declares the last two unacceptable. He gets angry at Merana, who gets angry and yells at him right back, which makes him pause and note that the words a ta’veren inspires aren’t always ones he wants to hear and congratulates her on doing well with the negotiations. Genuine good interaction between Merana and Rand there! Rand learns that Cadsuane waylaid Merana (and Rafela) on the way to speak with him but they were able to keep any details of the Bargain from her. Min notes with surprise that Rand sounds sane.

53. It’s weird how the Cadsuane & Rand relationship feels so completely (though accidentally) engineered by Min? She’s the one telling Rand he needs Cadsuane but Cadsuane doesn’t need him; she’s also the one who bared Rand’s vulnerabilities to Cadsuane by telling her all about the trauma that the Aes Sedai forced him into (and then didn’t tell Rand that she did it). I just... every aspect of Cadsuane and Rand’s relationship is so completely influenced by Min that I’m honestly not sure what it would look like without Min around. Would Rand just kick Caddy out the first time he felt the urge? Would she have needed to change her approach without Min smoothing her way? Cadsuane knows all of these secret and hidden things about the ways that Rand has been damaged, while Rand knows almost nothing about her.

54. "You need her, Rand. You can’t afford to make her angry. You can’t afford to chase her away.” But then Min thinks to herself that she doesn’t believe that ANYTHING could chase Cadsuane away, so why is she lying to Rand here? This relationship seems so unhealthy. Min keeps so many secrets from Rand even while she’s literally telling all his secrets to other people either because she’s worried about him or because it’s literally being beaten out of her, but she never even considers, for example, the idea of asking Rand to protect her from the Wise Ones? She definitely never seems to consider being fully honest with Rand.

55. I feel like Jordan considered this immediate juxtaposition romantic:

“Let someone know you need them, Min, and they have a hold on you. A leash, to pull you where they want” and then almost immediately telling her “I need you, Min” but it just kinda gives me more ‘yikes’ vibes. But that’s a trend that we do get with these later romances, I think -- love is a leash, but one that you are meant to offer your neck for (thinking back to Egwene’s prophetic dream of a Seanchan woman leashing Mat). And just... with all of the previous leashing symbology in the series, and the existence of the damane... that argument in this specific story makes me wildly uncomfortable. That’s how it’s supposed to be with prophecy as well in this series -- a leash that you allow to be placed around your neck so that you can have at least a tiny bit of control in over how you get used by it.

56. They attempt to start sex again (even though Rand... literally just sent a message that Cadsuane is supposed to come see him right now? Did he want her to walk in on him having sex or something?) but this time are interrrupted by the Maidens coming in to beat Rand for breaking his promise to him, which he considers worth it because No Woman Shall Die Under My Watch. Yeah, it feels like the Aiel are only ever hurting Rand or the people around him these days, which makes me sad. The Found Family vibes were SO STRONG as far along LoC, but as soon as Rand and Min hopped into bed together, the Found Family has been turned into this toxic mess. I’m so sad! Like, when the Maidens confronted him at the end of TFoH, it was such a powerful moment of them claiming their agency but now they’re just beating on someone who lets them do it because he considers that the price he’s paying for stealing their agency. But maybe this is also part of why Sulin was sent away -- maybe Jordan couldn’t quite picture her spear-heading this moment.

57. After the beating, one of Cadsuane’s minions comes right in, so I can only assume that Rand DID want Cadsuane to walk in on him having sex with Min. Especially with the thing he does here of showily draping Min across his body. Honestly, I feel like it probably would have done Cadsuane some good if Rand really had just gone, “eh, who needs her?” and moved on with his life. She would have needed to come up with a new strategy. But Min won’t let him do that, lol.

58. Anyway, Rand goes to see Cadsuane. He’s trying to play the same act on her that he played on Selende at the start of TFoH -- oh no, look at the dangerous madman -- but it doesn’t work on her. She brags about how good she is at spanking people. Gritting his teeth against it, he offers to make her his advisor and she finally agrees after some more negging and him telling her she won’t need to swear any oaths. “He wishes Min could be wrong for once”. This is what I mean when I saw that when Min picks and chooses what she tells Rand, she’s manipulating him, whether she means to or not -- she has a viewing that SHE BELIEVES HAS FAILED. If Rand knew about that viewing, maybe he wouldn’t feel the need to obey all of Min’s viewings and would actually feel like he could make his own choices here. But he trusts (”needs”) Min and her viewings, so she has a leash around his neck and has yanked him to where she wants him to be led (Cadsuane), whether or not the leashing and the yanking is intentional. This relationship is bad for both of them, is kinda what I’m saying. Min sacrifices her personality and all the rest of her emotional connections, while Rand sacrifices his autonomy according to what Min’s viewings demand.

59. When Cadsuane mentions Alanna, Rand wonders whether or not she knows about the bond and how much his “faithful” Aes Sedai are actually keeping to their word. Yeah, I’m sorry, Rand, but no one in your life right now keeps any secrets on your behalf. Maybe Bashere. Mat would, if he were here. But. Alas.

60. Cadsuane now claims that she did research in the White Tower library twenty years ago about Callandor, when she first suspected that the Dragon Reborn had been born into the world. Yeah, okay. Not buying that one, lol. Anyway, she tells him that Callandor magnifies the taint and can only be used safely if he’s linked with two women and they are the ones controlling the flows. After that, he barely hears her talking about how she expects civility and apologies, because he’s realized that if he wants to do what he plans next, then he only has one sa’angreal left as an option to help him: the Choedan Kal. And the idea of using that terrifies him as he remembers Lanfear’s words: You could challenge the Creator.

61. Back to Elayne PoV and we are right in the middle of the Aes Sedai vs Kin tug of war. Adelas recognized that one of the Kin is actually a runaway from the Tower and wants her punished right now. She ran away seventy years ago. Before Elayne can... pronounce sentence? Another of the Kin, Kirstian, falls to her knees and admits that she ran away from the Tower three hundred years ago, after a year in novice white. So much for the White Tower catching all runaways! Ha! Anyway, things are finally coming to a boil, with the Kin going... um wait, why SHOULD we put ourselves back under White Tower control?

62. Nine days later on their journey, Adelas has been killed (throat cut) and the Darkfriend Ispan  (a wooden stake driven through her heart) have both been killed. Murder mystery! I mean, for Elayne this is pretty awful to deal with, but it’s interesting! Elayne PoV bringing the action! Anyway, Det. Nynaeve is able to deduce that they were given a tea that would paralyze them, enabling their killer to take as much time as needed. Vandane says that Adelas wouldn’t have accepted tea from someone she didn’t know, so the killer must be one of this current group (and I would guess most likely Aes Sedai tbh).

63. Two days later, Elayne arrives at Caemlyn. She’s not thrilled to see so many Aiel, though she loves Aviendha more than she loves herself, but she presents herself at the gate and declares that she is Elayne Trakand, “In the name of House Trakand, by the right of descent from Ishara, I have come to claim the Lion Throne of Andor, if Light wills it so.” She takes some time to walk the halls and look at the throne and drink it all in. The whole “throne sized for a woman” thing is just nonsense, though. Did Jordan never notice that men and women generally sit in the same size chairs as each other? Elayne pledges that she will bring honor to her mother’s memory.

64. Dyelin enters! Hi, Dyelin! Anyway, she’s prepared to stand behind Elayne for the throne but warns her that technically she’s also Elayne’s biggest competition. When she asks what Elayne plans to “do” about the Dragon Reborn, Elayne immediately says she wants to Bond and marry him... but that’s unrelated to the Lion Throne. I think Elayne trusting Dyelin here is supposed give the readers a sign that we too can trust Dyelin but, much as I love Elayne, she also trusted Tylin, so she's not the greatest judge of character.

65. “The Maidens now let anyone who was not an obvious threat walk in unannounced”. They have essentially renounced being Rand’s honor guard, due to his betrayal of his promise. I think this relationship might be permanently broken. All that seems to remain between Rand and the Maidens are violence and broken promises. I am gutted. I hope we see some healing of this relationship. I am so much more invested in Found Family Maidens than I am in Rand x Min.

66. Rand has heard that Elayne torn down his banners and is upset; Min tries to talk him down. We once again get the brain-breaking thing where Min argues that “Elayne tearing down Rand’s banners means none of Forsaken will go after her” contrasted against Min openly being Rand’s mistress in Cairhien to the extent that the entire city gossips about her. ???? Literally makes no sense.

67. But we do get Rand saying, “Mat’s alive! I’d know if he were dead!” Awww. tiny Cauthor crumb. And Rand hasn’t even connected the whole colors & images thing yet, so this is just him being stubbornly certain that Mat is alive because he would just know if Mat was dead.

68. Sorilea brings in five Aes Sedai that were declared da’tsang for abducting him and they are here to swear fealty to Rand. Elza, Nesune, Sarene, Beldeine, and Erian. Hmm, I wonder if Min is almost able to force a viewing here? Because Rand is questioning the Aes Sedai and she’s thinking that she has to do something, ANYTHING to make it so that he doesn’t try to get revenge on them and... like magic (lol), a viewing appears that tells her exactly what she wants to see from it (fuel for a “Min creates the future instead of viewing it” theory). Anyway, Rand has them swear fealty to him and then leave. Honestly, I would have been interested in seeing what the actual results of what was going on in Rand’s head would be, because he was fairly clearly locked in a pitched argument with himself about what to do about the Aes Sedai. Anyway, they get added to the other Aes Sedai ‘apprentices’.

69. Sorilea now pokes Rand about Cadsuane, which makes sense, since they have an alliance. So he heads off to go find out what she wants. On the way to see her, there’s an attack, so Rand leaves Min with his asha’man Morr and heads off alone to try to figure out what’s happening. Rand’s entire set of apartments in the Sun Palace were completely destroyed. After some hunting, he discovers that it was Dashiva, Rochaid, and Gedwyn who had attacked him. There’s a fight and he chases them but then he sense a Gateway and suspects they have fled. He almost kills some of his loyal asha’man by accident.

70. Morr has succumbed to the taint and has “the mind of a small boy”. Rand is alone with just him and Min for a bit until Taim shows up. Min notes that Rand salvaged the “dragon scepter” (still can’t take it seriously) and a large leather scrip which from context clues is a bag of some kind and his crown from Illian. Taim shows up and he and Rand talk about the traitors. When Taim calls Morr “this one”, Rand corrects him and says his name is Fedwin Morr. He then says that the Wisdom in his village could cure anything, as he gives Morr some tea that will (gently) kill him. The total list of traitors, between what Taim and Rand say is: Gedwyn, Rochaid, Torval, Kisman, and Dashiva (Taim is surprised about Dashiva). okay, imo, I think Taim's plot has been shifted at this point. Mostly due to vibes.

71. Perrin has been heading towards the Prophet for a month now. Elyas is now another voice of traditional sexism: “A man always pays sooner or later, with any woman, whether he owes her or not.” *sigh* We see that the Prophet’s followers live in shitty, shitty conditions. And the Prophet refuses to go back the quick way to see Rand, saying that the Power is filthy. I’m trying to remember if Masema ever guarded Fain, back in the day. Anyway, they are now planning to ride all the way to Cairhien with Masema, who smells “grim”.

72. Faile starts to get interesting information about how Masema has been seen meeting with the Seanchan... and then her entire group is kidnapped by the Shaido. I am going to refuse to acknowledge the majority of this plotline, fyi. It should not exist. It is a waste of time and pages. It’s a shame, honestly, because I was enjoying Faile’s political contributions to this whole story about the Prophet.

73. Egwene has popped her army to outside of Tar Valon, after a month of rest! Gosh, I hope they’re able to finish up this plotline next book, they seem to dedicated to it! We do also learn here that the Two Rivers girls have officially joined the rebel Aes Sedai and are very surprised at Egwene being Amrylin.

Rand to-do list:

deal the Seanchan a blow to set them back on their heels he doesn’t believe he did this, but he did!

check on negotiations with the Atha’an Miere in Cairhien

figure out what Cadsuane is Up To

try to get Lord Darlin and Lady Caraline back into his hands so he can end the Tairen and Cairhienin rebellions (they are currently being held by Cadsuane so I’ll mark this off until he puts it back)

Start avoiding Caemlyn once Elayne shows up there with Mat (*sigh*)

Talk to Nynaeve about cleansing saidin

Wait for Narishma to get back from his Secret Mission

He checked most things off and has added “hunt the traitor Asha’man” to his list!

Overall, this book is mostly pretty good, I’d say. The main issue is how long the plotlines take to get started. The “getting prepared” scenes in the earlier sections of the book could have been massively trimmed. Egwene’s arc ends at a natural point -- siege is about to start! Rand’s does too, if on a bigger downer note of his first big failure and betrayal among the ranks of asha’man. But in Perrin’s storyline, Faile should not have been kidnapped by the Shaido here, because the Shaido should not still be a threat. Instead, this should have ended with Perrin and Faile ‘dealing’ with Masema (whatever way they ended up doing it) and heading back in Rand’s direction with news about the Seanchan. And, if scenes had been trimmed down, we also could have done the first bit of Mat’s Winter’s Heart chapters here (thus not skipping a main character for a whole book), as well as Elayne’s Winter’s Heart prologue, though I guess maybe that’s a bit more positive than the rest of the endings, which are mostly gloom and doom. But hers is the most positive anyway, with her arriving in Caemlyn to make her claim.

Unnecessary scenes (this section):

Rand Can’t Hurt A Woman nonsense: 5 (10 pages)

Cadsuane negging Rand: 1 (1 page)

Shaido nonsense: 1 (5 pages)

Min romance nonsense (only non-plot-related stuff): 1 (7 pages)

Mat is mentioned by (in this section):

Rand x4

Min x1

Total times (entire book) Mat is mentioned by:

Aviendha x3

the gholam lol x2

Elayne x4

Nynaeve x 3

Rand x5

Egwene x10

Talmanes x6

Min x1

SLOG TRACKER

The plot-threads that were carried over to The Path of Daggers or started here:

Rand: Repel Seanchan invasion in Altara: FAILED? (Rand considers this a failure but the Seanchan also believe they’ve failed because he stopped their advance)

Elayne & Nynaeve: Locate the Bowl of Winds and use it to fix the weather (third book of task). COMPLETED? Sort of completed, since the new bad weather is also making people upset. As completed as it will ever be.

Egwene: Go to the White Tower with her army, confront Elaida, and heal the Tower (third book of tast). NOT completed.

Mat: NOT APPEARING

Perrin: Gather up Masema and his Dragonsworn and bring them to Rand (second book of task). NOT completed.

Plot-threads started here to be carried over into Winter’s Heart:

Rand: cleanse saidin (1/?)

Elayne: Become queen of Caemlyn (1/?)

Egwene: Go to the White Tower with her army, confront Elaida, and heal the Tower (4/?).

Mat: ???

Perrin: Gather up Masema and his Dragonsworn and bring them to Rand (3/?).

Nynaeve: Cleanse saidin with Rand if he finds her (1/?)

Unnecessary scenes (consolidating the Romance Drama):

Annoying Atha’an Miere scenes: 3 (13 pages)

Repetitive or side-character Romance Drama: 7 (24 pages)

Shaido nonsense: 3 (27 pages)

Can’t Hurt A Woman : 6 (12 pages) 

Young Sitters Mystery: 1 (2 pages)

Cadsuane negging Rand: 1 (1 page)

Total pages: 79

My copy of TPoD has 672 pages, which means 11.7%, which is lower than ACoS.

Though in addition to this, there were definitely quite a few scenes that could have been edited down to be shorter, especially earlier in the book. I understand that Egwene must endure an entire morning of reports but the reader shouldn’t feel like they’ve also been forced to endure an entire morning of reports lol.

*Westlands Darkfriend feeding Suroth info (spoilers through A Memory of Light maybe?):

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I’m going to guess that it’s Weiramon, since he also nearly got Rand killed in this battle by leaving the north open to a Seanchan attack. I’m not sure if the books ever reveal who this traitor was, though, since there is more than one Darkfriend traveling with Rand right now. And given how they talk to each other in one of the scenes, guessing that Gedwyn is a Darkfriend too.