#ahhhhh i love aloy so much)

[shiredwarf]

[pikapeppa]

I just need to say that you’ve completely taken over my life lol

I wasn’t even in to Kotallo but then I got up to date with Even the Hardiest Desert Blooms and decided to dabble in your other works and ended up bingeing Becoming Whole and now he’s like my favourite character in the whole franchise!

And now you’ve started Here Come the Dreams and I don’t know which story I’m more excited for you to update!

You’re too talented. So bloody grateful I found you!

Ahhhhh this is SO NICE!!! Thank you so much!! It's always an honour to know that readers have checked out other fics of mine after enjoying one! and YES I'M THRILLED TO HAVE PULLED YOU INTO KOTALLO HEAVEN MUAHAHA 😂😈 Good news too, both Desert Blooms and Here Come the Dreams will be updating this week! 🥰

In the meantime, here are some HEART EYES MOTHERFUCKERS:

If anyone wants to check out these lovely boys' fics, they're here on AO3!

Aloy/Drakka: Even The Hardiest Desert Blooms Need To Get Wet Sometimes:

Aloy/Kotallo: there are two flavours now!

Becoming Whole: they get together during the events of the main game

Here Come The Dreams of You and Me: they do not get together until after the main game because they are, in many readers' words, Big Dumb Trees™

Thank you so much again for this wonderful ask!! 🥰

-- love from your friendly neighbourhood Pika xoxo

[dany36]

ok what i really wanted to yell about before witnessing that beach cutscene.......WAS ABOUT MY BOY GILDUN!!! OH MY GODDDD I LOVE HIM SO MUCH!!! 😭😭😭😭😭❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️ AHHHHH!!! he was my favorite character in the frozen wilds and was obviously my favorite sidequest in the previous DLC!! seeing aloy be so happy to see him and remind him that YES GILDUN, YOU *ARE* ALOY'S FRIEND!!!! was such a joy to see!!! my girl aloy even hooks him up with gaia so that he has someone to talk to as well and thus won't feel like he's all alone!!! AHHHH LOVE AND FRIENDSHIP WILL ALWAYS WIN!!! 🤧🤧🤧🤧🤧🤧

[fireemblems24]

Cindered Shadows Ch 4 & 5

Alright! Spoilers below for Cindered Shadows C4

BATTLE

For those of you wondering, yes, I'm still playing Warriors too, I just wanted to switch it up for the night.

Man, feels good playing some classic Fire Emblem.

So they're basically telling me, don't fight the thing. Which makes me want to fight the thing. But I only have 10 turns, so no messing around this time.

Not gonna lie, that was pretty fun. I feel like this was a pretty well-designed map. There was enough pressure to force me to get moving and enough enemy obstacles to make it challenging, but without making it impossible. Same with the turn count.

Dimitri MVP. Deserved. Him or Ashe or Yuri honestly. Though special mentions to Hapi and Constance for making short work of all the armored knights.

I just lost 30 smithing stones because my storehouse was full. I'm literally crying. Not really but ahhhhh. why.

STORY

More love for how goofy Byleth's answers can be here. I'm picking "I was pretty sure we were going to die." It's just hysterical picturing this "Ashen Demon," but in reality he's just constantly sure they're all about to die.

And no matter how many times I pick that no one believes me 😭

Aelfric's been kidnapped. That's the guy with the longish brown hair, right?

I like Yuri insisting they tell the church about it. Seems more sensible.

This letter lying around conveniently is a bit sus. Feels like a trap.

It would be super funny if Edelgard was the rat and she wanted the chalice for her conquest. I know that's not the case, but imagine.

CAMP

I'm still not used to Yuri's voice. It's so much deeper than he looks like it would be.

Ohhhhh, wait, wait, wait. Hapi says she was abducted once for someone's "twisted" experiments. Gotta be TWSITD, right? And she specifically says "her," so Cornelia likely over Kyrona. Because in Hopes she was nervous being in the Kingdom, worried she'd run into a "her." Must be Cornelia.

Mysterious Woman acting pretty sus.

Honestly, all this "Aelfric's sooooo perfect!" makes me a bit suspicious of him. The game is just pushing him as this totally pure dude a bit too hard, and there's got to be more to him then "saint."

Oh, hey, look, Claude and Dimitri hanging out again.

STORY

Alois is here now?? Finally someone found out what's going on? Because I'm sure by now Dedue and Hubert are getting ulcers.

Yuri we don't disrespect Alois in this house. You take that back.

Byleth can pick, "I don't know this man." 🤣😂

Overall, I feel like this game is doing a good job making Hilda and Linhardt feel relevant to the story, but everyone else feels tacked on.

So if we're visiting Rhea now, does that mean everyone came back up? I'm gonna call BS if Hubert and Dedue just let Edelgard and Dimitri go to this dangerous area without them.

Byleth is so uber special he unlocked the Chalice by himself! It's this kinda stuff that I don't like about Byleth.

Rhea be like, "Here, take some experienced knights to help unkidnap your beloved Aelfric and protect all the heirs to the existing kingdoms in Fodlan, who will for some reason participate in this too." Everyone, "Nah, let's do this ourselves! Who needs experienced knights and extra manpower to save someone we care about! Let's put all of Fodlan's future leaders at risk too while we're at it!" Rhea "Sounds good!" Like I know this is DLC, but there's only so much disbelief I'm willing to suspend.

And now Balthus is like, "Oh, you may be our great friend and trusted leader and we're in the middle of a crisis, but btw, how did you end up here?" Like, I know they want to explain Yuri's backstory . . . but, like, why didn't a Deer, Eagle, or Lion ask that? The writers could've tried a bit harder.

See, this is what I mean. Linhardt cuts in because his crest knowledge is important to the storyline, and the three lords also trail in because . . . they're the lords. Like, don't get me wrong, I love some more Dimitri content, but I feel there's a ton of missed opportunity here with Dimitri having a chalice around that could bring back the dead, new lore for Claude to learn, and new dirt that could get dug up on the church for Edelgard, but like, there's nothing.

So all 4 of the crests needed to unlock the chalice are in the wolves, hummm, this isn't suspicious - at all. Nope.

Constance being like, "oh, mine's a secret even from the Empire." . . . right in front of Edelgard. Not a secret anymore. See, this scene makes more sense WITHOUT Edelgard, who added nothing of substance and makes it more awkward being there.

Yuri is like, "no, this isn't suspicious at all." Actually, yes, yes it is. Dimitri's spot on saying they could've just stolen the chalice if that's all they wanted. There's more going on and Yuri's either unintelligent (or writing forced unintelligence) or deflecting because he doesn't want them to guess.

MAP

I have to run around and talk to everyone again 😭😭 I thought I'd get a level to play 😭😭 But it makes sense because we had back-to-back levels, and honestly, not mad about it because that's more tiny dialogue bits for characters I mostly like.

OMG, all the Ashen Wolves are standing around together and Hilda's just chillin there because, lamo.

Ohhhhh, Constance, asking if he's an ally or enemy??? She's the smart one, y'all, realizing how sus this all is.

WTF Linhardt 🤣😂🤣😂🤣😂🤣😂 "It's like casting a line and thinking you've landed the Big One . . . but then you reel it in, and it's Seteth." 🤣😂🤣😂 Confirmed he gets the best lines. Has someone drawn fanart of Linhardt fishing Seteth out of the water?

Ashe asking good questions too, proud of my boy.

This rouge's like, "why hasn't the church done more to help?" Like, bitch, Rhea offered. Go ask the Ashen Wolves why they said no.

Both Claude and Dimitri are like, "there's something weird going on." Props to them. Don't blame Edelgard for being more hung up on Constance's reveals.

STORY

There's a connection between Byleth and Yuri? Did I totally miss that or did it come out of nowhere?

LAMO, I love Byleth's answers for this. Getting flustered about the "date," telling Yuri his smile doesn't reach his eyes (poor Claude isn't unique anymore), or just "not now." IDK which to pick, I think "not now" is funniest and lines up the most with what I've picked so far for Byleth.

Yuri's like, "meet me at midnight, alone." Either dude is thirsty or he should've added "unarmed and possibly drunk or drugged." I wouldn't trust Yuri father than I could throw him. And Yuri's not big, but I'm not even 5 foot so . . .

Rhea's letting it all play out in case Sothis wakes up?

Ashe's too precious, worried about Constance wanting to turn herself in to save Aelfric.

Edelgard, "you make Hubert look like a spring chicken." She just killed Balthus and Hubert in one sentence. I disagree, though, that whole "I've never even seen sunlight" look makes Hubert look older.

OMG METODY!!! Long time no see. I wonder what Edelgard thinks. Not gonna lie, he's not unattractive if you're into unhinged people.

Aelfric is so sus, "just flee! my flock!" Like, it's too much.

The sigh thing is so weird. Like, who wrote that?

The bird flew off with Balthus, but they're like, whateves, we got Aelfric 🤣😂 🤣😂

I'm going to lie, I think I just have to turn my brain off regarding the writing around some of this.

MAP

AELFRIC IS PLAYABLE??? That's a surprise.

GOD, I want to kill Yuri. Why the hell is he asking for more demonic beasts. Like, he literally spawned them in the middle of my units and nowhere near the enemy in some areas.

Man, I wish Edelgard was closer to Metodey and see if she had unique dialogue with him. But she's all the way over in the other corner.

Balthus MVP. Honestly, deserved. Dude was dropped in a corner by himself and never broke a sweat. I was worried at first, but he never even really got hit.

STORY

Wait, what just happened?

I knew it. I knew Yuri was sus. I'm sure he'll either redeem himself or is some kind of double-agent or something because he's playable, but yeah between diverting everyone from talking about everything and never telling his friends jack shit. . . like I said, wouldn't trust him for a second.

Which is funny, because they tried that with Claude, and I'd trust Claude a fair amount at least, but with Yuri they got that "smile doesn't reach his eyes" way more convincing.

And Aelfric was always suspicious as hell.

Byleth has this "I expected nothing and I'm still disappointed" face lamo.

Dimitri's worried about Byleth 😭😭, like y'all, Dimileth is a good ship and anyone who says otherwise can eat shit.

Edelgard is like, you must be wounded. Byleth's like, no. What was the point of that dialogue?

Oh, so Edelgard actually got a line. Dimitri had the worried line, Claude had the figuring out line, so Edelgard needed . . . something.

RHEA! She figured it out. #Girlboss

I still need a fanfic where Dimitri struggles with using the chalice to bring back all his dead . . . everything. Ohhh, make it post-TS too when he thinks Dedue is dead for max pain.

Dimitri's so pissed off that the wolves are in danger.

So what does Rhea mean it can "breathe a spirit into a body" but can't bring back the departed? Like a body swap sort of thing? I get how that works for her plans for Sothis to come back, but how would it work elsewhere? And no, not at all wanting to know because fanfic. /s

So who is Aelfric trying to bring back to life? Not Sothis.

Rhea's like, "it's a serene, peaceful area," and Byleth can be like "the kitchen" channeling his inner Raphael or Ingrid, I see. I'm soooo picking that one.

LAMO, Dimitri calling me out "I'd hardly call the dining hall peaceful. Are you sure you're not just hungry?" 🤣😂 🤣😂

Right so the knights have to attack the bandits so that way theres an actual excuse for why they're not around for the next battle other than the Ashen Wolves being like "leave it to us!"

Dimitri's like "I'm sure Yuri has his reasons." Boy knows he's a playable character in the main game and spinoffs so he must be a good guy.

XXX

[spiriteddreams]

Spirit Listens to Stellar Moments Vol. 2

be prepared. i've been waiting for this album to drop ever since the 2.4 livestream so anything under the cut is a product of my rambles as i'm also super super exhausted from all the work i've been doing lmao

but first let's just appreciate this gorgeous cover with the twins on it!!!

Path of Yaksha: you guys YOU GUYS I'VE BEEN WAITING FOR THIS EVER SINCE XIAO'S TRAILER ANYONE WHO KNOWS ME FROM DANDELION-DREAMS KNOWS HOW MUCH I'M IN LOVE WITH THIS MAN UGHHHHH YES

Broker Betwixt Life and Death: hu tao's theme never fails to make me smile and i love how this all flows, the melancholy and the violins!!!

Any Last Words?: remember when hu tao's trailer dropped? yea i remember because she made me smile so much with her playfully energy and all and when she pulled the ai ya

Shadow of Nemesis: IT JUST SLAPS SO HARD

Marching of Xiezhi: yanfei's themes have the beautiful mix of traditional and modern music ughhh yes please

The Frozen Emblem: it gives me shivers and royal au vibes. dancing through a hall with a blade strapped to your thigh knowing damn well you can stab the next mf you tries to disrespect you

Dance of Aphros: it's so beautifully calming but also gives that dangerous edge, like you KNOW eula can and will cut you down in a split second

Iridescent Summer Day: this made me smile so so much!! throws me right back to the golden apple archipelago event and albedo's mf knowing smirk. big klee energy

Drifter's Destiny: KAZUHA KAZUHA KAZUHA i get sitting under a maple tree and running fingers through his hair vibes from this! obviously before it picks up and then it's fighting alongside this beautiful man

Flow of Autumn Wind: i've been WAITING FOR THIS ONE TOO!! i watched his demo so many times just to hear the music because it's THAT good with the mix of beautiful sounds and instruments. i would like to hear more thank you mihoyo

Shirasagi Princess: this music radiates elegance and royalty and it's just a whole ass BOP! the mix of japanese instruments with violins is so mf powerful and then the ending with the piano??

Muji-Muji Chaos!: sayu's theme is so so cute!! it's so playful and fun and upbeat and the instruments mix perfectly

Eternity in a Moment: just the name eternity in a moment is beautiful, which matches yoimiya and her energy. this is watching fireworks with her as she puts her had on your shoulder and a smile graces her lips

Blossoms of Summer Night: this is running through a festival with sparklers and red and gold makeup on your face. taking one moment to stop and stare at your lover, who holds your hands gently before you both go back to running through the streets with the brightest grins on your face

Will of Thunder: the guitar ahhhhh it's a very powerful piece for this girlboss. this is kujou sara standing up in front of the army and commanding them

Good Hunting on a New Horizon: it reminds me of the travellers, like an outlander gracing this new land, which ig IS aloy lmaooo but just from the music you can tell she's crazy powerful

Tacticians Grit: the hints of watatsumi music woooo and it gives like war vibes or something. i think this piece gives a good view of who kokomi is: super hardworking but also so kind and sweet

A Glorious Awakening: this music is JUST AS GRACEFUL AS KOKOMI HERSELF

Devotion of the Keeper: THOMA!!!! i just got this wonderful man off the standard banner yesterday i was so happy!! i love the guitar ughhhhh it's so beautiful and strong but also gives off a little playful vibe

Awake from a Nightmare: this reminiscent piano and then the violin starts to come in and holy shit the way it progresses is perfect

Termination of Desires: i love how they mixed some of the music from the track inazuma into it and then it picks up like almost immediately and HOLY SHIT. this is the raiden shogun walking down the steps with her polearm, ready to strike down enemies in an instant

[welcometoaurorashell]

Ahhhhh I love Grell so much!. Of course after Sebastian Grell is my favorite!. But here continues my black Butler series!!!. I think I’m gonna do Alois next I kinda feel bad for him…

[dako-senpai]

Ahhhhh!!!!!!!! I’m writing about 3 hfw fic starters right now!!! One of them is about aloy and beta just getting to have room to breathe and bond as sisters. Beta having time to heal in her own way, get to know herself a bit more along with the help of others. I have so many theories about who she could become or what she might like, for example what if when aloy goes back to the Nora homelands to mourn a certain friend beta comes with her Becuase she too was close with that friend. Afterwards for a breather but also business aloy takes beta to see her friends ( ikrie, aratak, varga, etc ) in Banuk territory but beta gets distracted by sekuli painting murals on the big rock and is INSPIRED. She’s always loved art but not like What tilda showed her. Sekulis paintings have meaning, color, emotion, a whole world behind them and she wants to indulge in it too. Later ikrie tells beta how they mourn the loss of another and beta decides she wants to express her grief, devotion, etc to this friend who meant so much to her through a big painting on a cliff face back in the Nora homelands. This is the first time aloy tears up in front of friends…she’s just so happy to see her sister find one of her callings.

theres no good hfw fics yet so i am taking matters into my own hands

[herwitchinesss]

horizon zero dawn - spoiler free review by ruthi (herwitchiness44 on psn)

horizon zero dawn is so fucking beautiful and damn near perfect. and i’ve only had like two glitches and one was really nice and fun and i didn’t realize it was a glitch until i had looted the same four corpses 10 different times, each time giving me cool, “rare” items, hahah. the other one is like sometimes if i don’t go RIGHT to the corpse of wildlife, it will disappear completely. so if i kill two boars, unless they fall right on top of each other, i only get to loot one. so basically it’s kill, run, loot, pause to scope the area, repeat.

i bought it yesterday and am already level 14, and pretty into the storyline, so i decided to do my first game review ever since i do book ones all the time!

but fucking, ahhhhh, i love it. i haven’t gotten this invested in a game this fast since dragon age: origins or persona 3, one of the two. 

and the story line holy fuck, it’s gorgeous. and the side quests and errand type ones are so much fun that i’ve been purposely doing every single one of them. i used to hate ranged fighting for non-MMO games, but fuck, the bow & arrow is so satisfying in this one that i purposely do mainly range. partially, me enjoying that is because of playing overwatch & destiny my range game is better overall, not just awesome in MMORPG for healing only, hahah, but still it’s a first and a wonderful one for me.

the graphics are just breathtaking. sometimes, it feels like i’m moving an actual person around. Aloy is super lovable and relatable (total adopted kid feels in certain huge ways). The folklore and world are both deliciously rich.  If you're a folklore/mythology nerd, you'll definitely feel at home in this world and game. The idea behind machines being sentient (at least, from where I'm at in the story they seem sentient, but hackable to turn into servants for a time) is done in such a unique and enchanting way that I find myself wanting to just research every bit of the inspiration behind the story.

The mechanics are fun and simple, while being complex enough to feel strategic. Normal is pretty damn easy for me, and I usually go for “easy” on games just because I’m way more into following the story lines easy, but I definitely upped the difficulty on this game- which might also be just a personal gamer growth thing and not so much the game itself.

5/5 - would recommend to pretty much anyone, unless you hate story-heavy games. in which case, probably nah.