#all four ambition spoilers really

[thegreatyin]

FOUND IT! these are the ambition ending statistics from a few years back. they've probably changed by now but this is the nicest and clearest graph i can find for them. obvious major spoilers for all four fallen london ambitions under the cut

note that the nemesis resurrection endings are all listed separately even though functionally they're pretty much identical. and the absolutely miniscule amount of people that chose to spare veils the intriguer, apparently. cowards.

[inarjollyhound]

Fixed Points in time in BDFI's Timeline

TPOT 15/BFDIA 17 Spoilers

I think it's very interesting which events are either completely or mostly unaffected or resistant to any of changing timelines in TPOT 15 and BFDIA 17.

Voting Results

Even before One bestows everyone with the knowledge of the original timeline- none of the vote results are changed- Aside from the implication that Taco won the 1-vote difference in that Post-split BFB episode in the Pillory Ruins.

2. The Challenge for TPOT 15.

This could have been put at risk- if all of the active hosts hear that the OG timeline involved them not being the host (Especially Four and Announcer). Thank fully, it seems that only a couple of them heard the implication that someone else was supposed to be the host.

Thankfully, despite all the variation, most of them can agree that the stability of the timeline/saftey of the world is more important than their ambitions or personal interests.

Which in contrast- says a lot about how strongly pencil feels about getting eliminated

3. The Shift/The BFDIA/TPOT Yoyalite time travel catalysts.

Despite the collapsing time-periods, It seems that the universe is pree-desposed to avoiding a grandfather paradox at all costs- Which is to say, *None of the timeline shifts Prevent either Golf-Ball or Nickel from getting sent forward in time- nor do they change how the rejects in TPOT get sent back in time.* The Yoyalite time-travel events seem to be canon events in it of themselves. So fate seems to be weighted in favor of self-preservation.

In fact, this could probably be the explanation as to why Leafy being invited into Dream Island was so destructive- It's probably one of if not THE most destructive Grand-father Paradox-esque type cf change that could happen to the time-line.

(This also implies that Leafy's loss of Dream island and Firey/Tax Income Document's relationship is also a canon event)

4. Marker's Color/The Present Contestant's appearances

This seems like something that's really not all that stable or un-affected given the start of the episode- but I do think it's notable that Marker only changes Color *Once* in the wake of all the changing timelines hosts and artstyles in the very begining- and also remains the same after it's mostly stabilized.

And to a lesser degree- One giving all of the contestants knowledge of the prime timeline seemed to also prevent them from changing their art-style, like what happened at the intro.

This could imply that either External Knowledge inherently maintains a level of stability in the present- or Four did just a little more than keep everyone's memories.

5. The other Timeline Anomaly Events.

Akin to what I described on #3, it seems like almost none of the times that the Rejects teleport to are changed beyond recognition by any other timeline change from another contesting going even further back- that is, beyond Firey getting replaced by Tax Return Document.

CONCLUSIONS

From this- two possibilities come to mind-

The Timeline is Ultimately predisposed to avoiding any divergence to a change in canon or fate- keeping things from being as bad or incomprehensible is it *Could* be.

1a. It's not fate or the Universe, One has been keeping the timeline a bit more stable to drag things out- so to convince Gaty to sign the contract more efficiently.

1b. It could also be Black Hole- either locking in and keeping things together, or he's just unintentionally/instinctually keeping the fabric of the universe together- while being unaware of their portential.

2. Yoyalite can Access Alternate Universes, in addition to Time Travel.

The present timeline isn't especially Stable or resistant- Yoyalite is just capable of allowing it's users to *Leave it entirely*

The butterfly effects and grandfather paradoxes *ARE* happening, the Yoyalite is just capable of sending people to whatever specific parallel dimension or event is happening- even if not a part of the current timeline.

The Contestents having the knowledge of the Prime canon timeline, is the sole reason that none of the contants are lost to the infinite possibilities and time-line splits. The know which paralell universe splits to go to, therefore the Yoylelite can take them there.

The only major Anomaly here- Is the fact that the Changes in Total Firey Island are so substantial- That they can somehow over-ride the universes contants visit from that moment onwards.

Perhaps There's something Unique about Total Firey Island that gives it a higher level of influence of all the universe than what they Yoyalite can do.

(Perhaps this means Yoyalite is a canonically viable means access other realities- like Inanimate Insanity, or other object shows- if you don't consider the Meetup skits to be canon as is.)

-ANYWAYS.

I'm a huge dork about timetravel in media, and have a lot more fun coming with conclusions than conceding "oh welp, i guess that's just a plot hole"

So if anyone found any interesting implations from my theories- ENJOY i gues xD

[midnight1nk]

y̶͙̍o̶̳̚ṵ̶́r̵͓͗ ̵͚̔m̷͖̋o̴̳͆v̵̧̓e̴̦̒ ̴͕́S̵̭̎M̵͙̓G̶̖͘4̷̬̆

IGBP REFERENCES & CONNECTIONS IN "THE MARIO PC VIRUS" EPISODE

[spoilers ahead]

✧

✧

✧

✧

✧

Ambition

the project SMG4 is working on and motive

[The Mario PC Virus // timestamp 0:10]

[It's Gotta Be Perfect movie // timestamp 0:56]

"Say the line, SMG4!"

[The Mario PC Virus // timestamp 0:10]

[It's Gotta Be Perfect movie // timestamp 0:20]

Need Some Editing Help?

Computer buddy

[The Mario PC Virus // timestamp 2:04 to 2:25]

[It's Gotta Be Perfect movie // timestamp 4:02 to 4:19]

Leave A Note

oh hey, Windows Notepad

[The Mario PC Virus // timestamp 2:28 to 2:43]

[It's Gotta Be Perfect movie // timestamp 4:02 to 4:19]

(and the fact that SMG4 uses a Windows PC ~Ink)

Every Mario's Worried for SMG4

[The Mario PC Virus // timestamp 3:28]

[SMG4: Mario Steals The Constitution // timestamp 2:50]

A Loss of Work and Patience

An event cuts off Four from his progress and noise being what ultimately pushes him to take action

Plus, Mario Buddy plays "relaxing" music for SMG4, which 4 is not a fan

[The Mario PC Virus // timestamp 3:30 to 3:50]

SMG4: "SHUT UP!! CAN YOU ALL SHUT UP?!?! LOOK AT WHAT YOU'VE DONE!!!"

[It's Gotta Be Perfect movie // timestamp 3:25 to 3:55]

They're Always Watching

File Names (as much as I could decipher) from left to right, top to bottom:

[Default]

Blue Screen

Green Screen

Pure Red Screen

Pure Green Screen

Pure Blue Screen

Green 1

Green 2

purple 1

purple 1\puzzle

[The Mario PC Virus // timestamp 6:11]

Left to right, top to bottom:

[Default]

Blue Screen

Pure Red Screen

Pure Green Screen

Pure Blue Screen

green screen

purple screen

vn

vnooom(??)

name(??)

[It's Gotta Be Perfect movie // timestamp 1:07 to 1:09, 2:44]

(Gonna do a whole theory dedicated to Goop!4 and bring back my analysis of the eye designs ~Ink, again)

[It's Gotta Be Perfect movie]

PC Takeover Through Mother Board and Mind

Four's PC controlling its system vs the PC controlling Four

[The Mario PC Virus // timestamp 0:05 to 0:10, 8:03 to 8:16]

[It's Gotta Be Perfect Movie Countdown stream]

Did Somebody Call For (Military) Backup?

[The Mario PC Virus // timestamp 9:30 to 13:53]

[It's Gotta Be Perfect movie // timestamp 13:39 to 13:53]

A Sacrifice

Time, sweat, and tears went into his work but he was forced to left behind (the virus, to save 3)

[The Mario PC Virus // timestamp 11:58]

[It's Gotta Be Perfect movie // timestamp 1:07 to 1:09, 2:44]

Your End of the Deal

a deal offered through the computer buddy to aid Four's work but they demand something in return (star of Four's videos vs. control over Four)

[The Mario PC Virus // timestamp 12:06 to 12:40]

[It's Gotta Be Perfect movie // timestamp 30:58 to 31:11]

The Choice

knowing his self-worth :)

[The Mario PC Virus // timestamp 12:44 to 12:50]

[It's Gotta Be Perfect movie // timestamp 34:00 to 35:00]

.・-: ✧ :--: ✧ :-・.

Ink here! That's all the ones I could find, but if I missed one, let me know, and I'll add it to the list. Four has really come a long way, and, believe it or not, he learned his lesson from IGBP.

Of course, he accidentally installed Mario Buddy, not a suspicious keyboard offered by Mr Puzzles. But once he realized what he had done, he tried everything he could to get rid of the program (after some fun).

By the end, when Bonzi offered to give Four's files back while in turn allowing the PC buddy to be the star of his video, Four had a choice. Past Four wouldn't have hesitated because that literally was his work. I've been in a situation like this and golly, I would've done anything to get it all back. Instead, Four gave his PC up, similar to how Four gave up the USB with the perfect video (one he has worked on for WEEKS nonstop) to save SMG3.

(...should I even count all the scenes where SMG4 and SMG3 caring for one another?)

AND despite everything, he is still SMG4, a content creator with the wish to make people happy. Well, of course he wants his videos to be higher quality. It's his job as a YT creator and meme guardian, you can't just ask him to NOT make videos. The whole reason IGBP happened in the first place is because he felt that he wasn't good enough for his friends, driving himself to be perfect to prove that he deserves the Crew. But lesson learned, through Three's speech: he doesn't need to be perfect, his friends will always be there for him regardless. They care for him and it was worth risking their lives to save him from the possession.

He can always make another video but they can't have another SMG4.

Whatever his next big project is (the Castle, Meme Factory, videos in general), he'll do it with passion but never alone. Just as Four said at the end of IGBP: "...it may be different, but as long as we're all together, I'm sure it's gonna be perfect!"

So, he made his choice, giving up his PC because there is nothing to prove to anyone.

so.... SMG4 Team....

WHAT'S WITH THE IGBP CALLBACKS—

[neathyingenue]

OK so after a sleep here's what I think I might do re: Silvia's ambition fiasco

Warning: EVERY spoiler for Heart's Desire

So my original idea was for Silvia to win but then use her win to end the Marvellous. Like, she and Beechwood talked ahead of time about letting him win to end it, but in the moment, she didn't trust him to do it, and she wasn't strong enough to resist the pull of the game itself. So Silvia raised the stakes, she let Beechwood stake his mind, not realizing that's what it was, and she ended up doing something cruel and needless and avoidable in service of her ultimate goal. But she ended it. That's what matters, right? That's what Beechwood would have wanted. The theme is: ending the cycle but at what cost? (horrific guilt plagues her the rest of her life--that she did something so pointless. Broke an agreement, wasted someone else's life as well as her own.)

But uh. Yeah that's not possible within the constraints of gameplay! Silvia won the Marvellous, and now she has to pick one of the four things! Which really sucks for her specifically because the way the final chapters of Heart's Desire were written really drove home the point that none of the winners are happy. None of them really actually got what they wanted. The Masters are doing this for shits and giggles, and Silvia is a petty bitch who wants to take that from them.

Since this is the first ambition I've completed, I was really planning to make everything canon for Silvia's arc and follow it exactly as written! So I'm conflicted now

I'll either have to (1) email FBG support to see if they'll take pity on me and reset back so Silvia can throw the game; or (2) spend Fate and do the whole thing AGAIN; or (3) choose one of the other options (Time?) for gameplay and have my original idea be canon in my head; OR (4) roll with it and come up with a new thematic justification for why Silvia didn't decide to end it after all and instead chose her Heart's Desire. I'm sorta leaning toward 3 but it feels like such a cop out XD

Anyway I welcome any input, obviously not gonna ask y'all to make the decision for me but I'm interested to hear what you think of each option thematically

[artist-heart83]

First week of the smg4tober finished!

Decided to do every time the week is finished and show some concepts and the sketches from each day.

Day 1

You know I want to do something simple at first, but lol

This was the original sketch

But then I changed it for two reasons:

1. Struggling with the way Three would hold the remote and

2. I remember that Jub Jub got possessed by the remote, best solution ever

First time drawing some of these guys, but really love the ending result, it was worth it to stay up until 3 am

Day 2

This is like.. one of the first episodes that come to mind when I think in a favorite, I have a few more but this one have one of my favorite catch phrase: “Back by unpopular demand… ME!”

This day was meant to have an extra drawing, that was the reason why Four and Three got their hands stuck

It was this one (in the case culprit is bad written, shhhhh I was tired)

Due to time, I have to scrape it, but it help me a lot to make easy the next drawing

~~~

Fun fact: Day 3, 4 and 5 were draw in my phone, just made a quick sketch in a note app that come in my phone and do the lineart and coloring on MediBang

~~~

Day 3

Original idea was drawing all smgs, but due to me having to go to a little trip, I have to stop my ambition ass

I decided to draw SMG1 and SMG2 because of the fact that scrap the little doodle from the day before and because they’re my favorites and also to do my own designs

I have fun designing SMG1 clothes, it mostly inspired by @/nomono3 design (not tagging because haha I’m shy)

Day 4 and 5

Since I have to think on simple drawings due to my own limitations, maybe I would do this with the other characters or maybe not, let’s see

Mostly those drawing were the first time that my brain come with it, really fun the Mario one hahaha

Also like I said in tags, the “objection” was traced from the original because I couldn’t find one in good quality

Day 6

I was brainstorming on which au draw but then I realize how important Apprenticeship AU is for me that I didn’t think twice

Originally, the idea was drawing Exubus with Smg4 but then I couldn’t decide if I do that or just draw SMG5 and SMG6, so I make a quick poll on the server that I’m in and the guys win

Luckily, because I remember that I uploading these drawings on Twitter and then rethink the idea of making the drawing spoiler free hahaha

But hey, I like you, have the sketch of the initial idea

If you ask me how I felt doing all of these, it fun!

Still struggling drawing caps and I make my calculations and I have draw them like… 11 times or more

Boy next week have my favorite movie, favorite character and I have the opportunity to draw Niles hehehehe, I have the Revelations day sketch, I could show it but naaaah, see ya tomorrow

[suzuran777]

BLVN review: Paradise (PIL/SLASH)

Paradise is an 18+ BL visual novel developed by PIL/SLASH, who some might recognize for previous titles such as Shingakkou -noli me tangere-. The scenario writer is Kyuuyouzawa Lychee, who has previously worked on CAGE OPEN and CAGE CLOSE. The Japanese version of Paradise was originally released in 2017, but this month it's also getting an English release by JAST BLUE, which you can pre-order here! As usual the review will be mostly spoiler-free so I definitely recommend to buy the game yourself too!

Story Protagonist Azuma works at a local convenience store and his life is anything but eventful. He barely earns enough to pay his bills and also has no real ambitions. To his surprise, he suddenly receives a lottery ticket and wins a 6-day trip to Togajima Island. Hoping he would meet some cute girls during his trip, he's disappointed to find out the only other participants are also men. Soon Azuma realizes that this was not the luxurious trip he was hoping for...

Main characters

Azuma The protagonist of the game. His life is rather tedious and he doesn't really have any ambitions or dreams for the future, so he works at a convenience store and earns just enough money to survive. Voiced by Irakusa Netoru who's known for voicing Seiji in Room No.9 and of course Eiden in NU: carnival.

Mitsugi Architectural designer. Although he looks like the lone wolf type, he's a person with a lot of common sense. Despite that though, he gets angry surprisingly fast. Voiced by Ichijou Hikaru.

Matsuda Salesman. A responsible person who's good at taking care of others. If there's conflict, he takes a step back to analyze the situation and to choose the most logical solution. Looks older than he really is (he's 27). Voiced by Tetrapot Noboru.

Takara University student. He's very friendly and innocent looking. He's often teased by those around him because of his exaggerated reactions. Voiced by Yumachi Kakeru.

Hongo Tour guide. He's soft spoken and tries his best to be polite to everyone. Has a strong sense of responsibility. Voiced by Shinomori Hibiki.

Shimada Freelance photographer who joined the tour to take photos. Always carries his camera with him to take pictures whenever he feels like it. Voiced by Kishiri Tooru.

General info This game has three main routes (Mitsugi, Matsuda and Takara) but Hongo and Shimada do have their own endings as well and appear quite often in every route. There are also four other characters on the island (Kido, Uchimura and two unnamed guys). I actually wasn't sure if there was a recommended route order for this game, but I'd personally recommend Mitsugi > Matsuda > Takara. Though you can start with Matsuda's route too I don't think it affects the story much. I used a guide to get all the endings which you can find here, but you can also enable "easy mode" in the game which kind of guides you to the route you want to play. Usually, the bad ends were pretty easy to get too.

Just like some of PIL/SLASH's other games, this game does have horror themes and some of the CGs are a bit graphic, so be aware of that! If you're familiar with their other games I think you'll be fine, but I figured I'd give some kind of warning.

Let's start with a short summary of the common route! Azuma's dreams of travelling to a luxurious resort are already crushed when he's about to board the ship and realizes the island is uninhabited. Furthermore, he also learns that they will be staying in wooden cabins and have to cook their own food. Nevertheless, he tries to make the best out of the situation and actually ends up enjoying the first day together with his new friends. This positive mood doesn't last long however, as the ship that was supposed to deliver them fresh food every day stops showing up. Not only that, but they also lose communication with the outside world, as Hongo, who's the tour guide, is not able to contact anyone on the mainland.

At first the group tries to stay calm, hopeful that help might arrive soon. Aware that food shortages will be one of the first problems they will run into, they split up into different groups to look for ways to find food on the island. This proves to be quite difficult, as Matsuda comments that the currents around the island are unusual and the fish don't seem to be biting. The others don't have much luck either, as there aren't many edible plants or mushrooms on the island.

While exploring the island, they discover an abandoned village which most likely been abandoned since the Meiji period. Weirdly enough it doesn't seem like the former inhabitants took their belongings with them, almost as if they had to suddenly leave in a hurry. Another strange thing the group notices is that the storehouse has a jail cell in the basement, as if people had been imprisoned there in the past. Mitsugi mentions that this is not unusual for houses that were built during this time period, but it does make you wonder why people would need this on an island, and Azuma thinks the same.

Moving on to each route, I played Mitsugi's route first because I liked his character design. He's an architectural designer who came to the island for some work-related reasons, and at first he has no interest in talking to Azuma. This pisses Azuma off so he immediately tries to start a fight with Mitsugi. This kind of continues for at least a few days, but it was really funny to see their interactions. I was curious to see how their relationship would develop in this route. I think his route is a good one to start with because it doesn't really explain the full story about what's going on in the island, but I think it gives the player some interesting hints about what might happen in the other routes. I also recommend playing the bad ends, as you can also get Hongou's ending in Mitsugi's route.

The next route I played was Matsuda, who works as an salesman/office worker and traveled to the island for a well-deserved vacation. I wasn't sure what to think of him at first because he just seemed like a nice guy who liked fishing, so some parts of his route surprised me a little...! You can also get Shimada's ending in this route.

After finishing the first two routes, I played Takara's route. He's a student who similar to Azuma, also won the ticket for this trip. I think this route is locked (?) and for the right reasons because if you play it first it will spoil the entire game. In this route you finally learn more about the island. I can't really say more because it would spoil the ending, but definitely play the game until the very end so you can find out yourself!

Final impressions First of all, one thing I really liked is how the game really has no boring moments. I think my favorite character is still Mitsugi, but Azuma is such a funny protagonist and I always think it's fun how PIL/SLASH combines elements like horror and humor. I think I said something similar when I reviewed Dystopia no Ou, but these games always have such fun characters. I also liked the illustrations drawn by Kotomi Youji, the CGs are really nice and detailed.

Now I wouldn't say it's the most serious game ever, but honestly I think it doesn't need to be. This is one of these games in which I enjoyed the interactions between the characters the most. If you're a fan of BL games with dark themes I think it's definitely worth it to give this one a try! As usual, PIL/SLASH made sure to add some pretty dark and disturbing bad ends to this game, so I definitely recommend playing those too if you're into that. The dark themes are however also present in the routes that lead to the good endings, so if you're not comfortable with noncon scenes for example, this game might not be for you.

I played the trial version of the Japanese version years ago, but I had a good time playing the game in English this time and finishing all of the endings. Other than some minor typos and the game showing me hints when I wasn't using easy mode (I'm not sure if this also happens in the Japanese version) the English version was enjoyable to play. The game is also only 20 USD which is quite a good deal, since the Japanese versions tend to be more expensive.

Lastly, if you're looking for more content after finishing the game, Paradise actually also has two sequels, -MUSUBI- which is basically a fandisc that continues the story, and -KIWAME-, which is more of a re-telling of the first game's story. Apparently Takara's brother shows up in these games as a new character. Right now they are only available in Japanese though, so be aware of that!

[mooonjin]

HELLO MOON ITS JIABEE

can i ask for a tech x reader (gn, fem, idc) after he gets his leg injured? like hurt/comfort fluffy shit?

thank you, ily!

(you remind me of my friend ella, she's a major simp except her energy is directed towards bts and kdrama actors 😂)

Tech-nically, You're Not Fine

Notes: EEEE HEY JIABAE! i hope you like this and dont mind me puting in some hormons at parts,, also i LOVE bts too, shoutout to ella hehee much luv!!

Pairing: Tech x gn!reader

Summary: Tech's injury on Serenno left you in a fit of worry. As much as you wanted to change the outcome of the incident, the past already happened. He was here with you, in the present, injured and in need of somebody to take care of him.

Warnings/Tags: mentions of bruises, mentions of tending to injuries, sprinkles of hurt, teeny bit suggestive, teeny ss2 spoilers, fluff — tell me if I've missed anything!

You were upset, you were furious, you were every emotion that wasn't anything 'happy.' That mission was stupid and reckless and they shouldn't have gone whether they would've been rich or not.

Are you kidding me? Castle Serenno? The former home of Count Dooku? Was that really the price of freedom? Almost getting yourselves killed for money? All the money in the world wouldn't matter if they died!

Is what you wanted to say as you were carefully setting up some bandaging for Tech's fractured femur, who, insisted it be called his fractured left femur. On a separate wheely table, you had all of the bacta bandages and several other tools that Tech provided you with.

You weren't sure if he wanted you to do it because he didn't trust himself enough or if he just wanted you. You'd like to think it was the second option considering he was definitely intelligent enough to patch himself.

"Why would you agree to go on that mission, Tech? I know you, Wrecker and possibly Echo agreed but you? Agreeing to this? That's outrageous!" it was a more toned down version of what you initially wanted to confront Tech with but you didn't want to scare him off like that whilst he was injured.

"Outrageous is the correct term I would use but as soldiers of war, paying a price for freedom is certainly worth the effort," he bargained, maintaining a stern tone of voice, being careful not to directly yell at you.

He remembered what Romar told him, that there is life outside of war so his ambition to retrieve the war chest upped. Tech was definitely dispirited when his femur was crushed and the war chest was the last of their priorities.

You grumbled, your face feeling hot from the anger you've tried to contain. Lashing out at an injured man was inappropriate, "Y'didn't even gain anything from the mission besides an injury—which could've been life threatening!"

"Fortunately, it was not. My left femur was crushed so it is only my lower half would have been threatened. If I was situated four meters lower then yes, I would also be inclined to agree with the term 'life-threatening', otherwise, I am fine." Tech was too exhausted to continue speaking, hoping that was an enough of an answer for you.

He didn't speak anymore, wanting to discourage a potential argument.

You checked on him multiple times as you prepared the equipment, noticing how he always flickered his gaze to the cockpit and back to his datapad.

You audibly sighed, gaining his attention from time to time, lowering your voice so you weren't harshly talking to him.

"Tech, you know nothing bad will happen to your datapad and the cockpit, right? You're injured, can't even walk properly and need rest," you said, to avert his gaze — mainly to you.

He swallowed shyly after his actions had been brought up, "Once you're able to secure my fractured femur, I am more than capable to sustain my own mobility," you dropped your shoulders, sending Tech and not-so-approved stare.

Even if his statement was true, the constant movement wouldn't give his poor femur time to heal.

"That's not an excuse to throw away resting time," you mumbled, eyebrows furrowing, trying to suppress the dismay in your voice. You unbuckled his knee-piece to get his left leg bare so there wasn't any obstruction when applying the bandages.

Next was his long array of tools as well as his blaster holster that was held together like a belt. You reached around his hip to unclip it, letting the items fall limp.

"I can manage," was all he mumbled before letting you finish up with taking off his trinkets.

You were now face-to-face with Tech's bare denim-blacks and eye-level with his crot—

You coughed, gaining his attention again, "A-hem," to save him from unnecessary pain, you stopped, not progressing with his outfit.

Tech seemed to have reached over to his holopad as you were taking his belt off. You rolled your eyes, coughing again so he would actually look up from the screen. How are his eyes not sore?

"Yes?" his eyes peaking just over the screen. The unexpected eye contact sent you to a blushing fit after having to pry your eyes away from the... view.

Your mouth opened first but nothing came out immediately, your eyes darting quickly to look everywhere but directly into his gold chocolate orbs.

"I won't do it for you so I don't accidentally hurt you, but could you roll up your jeans?" you waved your hand around, shyly, averting your eyes to the oh so lovely floor of the Marauder.

"That wouldn't be smart. Compiling my wear on top of my fractured femur is most likely to cause pressure," when Tech speaks to you, you could listen to him continue for hours on end.

Your eyes made their way back to his eyes before they widened slightly. He was already looking straight at you, unaware of what he's doing.

Although, it didn't really answer your question, "So?"

"I suggest I rid of the jeans so it is easier for you to mend," he discarded his datapad, letting it rest against the panel of buttons.

"Do you need to stand up?" you shoved back every stutter from escaping your throat.

"I do."

You quickly stood up, scooping him gently as he put pressure on his right leg for support. For his privacy, you looked away as fast as you could before you could see him clip off his crotch piece and dip his gloved fingers into the hem of his jeans. He slowly pulled them far enough down his thighs.

"How uh, far do you need them down?" you practically crushed your eyes as you shut them, overthinking the intention of your question. Fortunately, Tech took it like every other question he'd been asked.

"Only beneath my thighs, you may put me back down and remove the rest."

You tensed at his words.

"You want me to—uh, remove them?" you carefully helped him back down into the chair, the tops of his thighs exposed and the slightest view of his exposed boxers.

He didn't answer your question immediately, taking the time to clip his crotch piece back. You were internally disappointed at the loss but you were snapped out of your thoughts when you heard Tech speak again.

"Considering my state, leaning parallel to my legs would not do my femur justice. You have the mobility effective enough to remove them without further injuring me."

Any response died at the back of your throat. He's right. Always is so, you didn't object. Tech watched you delicately take the jeans off his legs and once you passed the area of his fractured femur, he picked up his neglected datapad and tapped away.

Your angry thoughts about the Batch attending the war chest mission, dissipated. You were quick to wander along his bare skin. He was muscly and toned, slightly upset that he would be hiding all of this under his outfit.

With a quick, mental slap, you addressed the serious matter at hand.

The bruising around the skin was extreme, a cloud of purple and scattered layers of green-ish yellow taking up a large amount of the thigh. You admired Tech's level of toleration of the injury. 

Hoping you gave it enough time to soak, you reached over to the prepared bacta bandages.

Once they were ready, you gave Tech a heads-up, "Bandages are ready, it'll be cold," you carried the white fabric onto Tech's thigh, subconsciously lifting his knee up to wrap it around, forgetting to warn him about that too.

Tech hissed, gritting his teeth at the movement. You heard him, mumbling apologies after apologies, doing your best to get the wrapping secure and done with.

You slotted a tan fabric layer to keep the bandages from coming loose under his thigh, bringing it up to clip it down. Once it was secure enough, you sighed, sitting back on your heels.

"I should've been there to help earlier," guilt slowly inched towards you. You stood up, pushing the table into a compartment. Your words caught the attention of Tech who shockingly put away his datapad for the time being.

"It was not your fault, it was only a matter of gravity and my unfortunate placement when the crate fell," he peaked around the corner, watching you bring out Crosshair's old rifle case.

"I know but could've at least like, pushed you out of the way or maybe be in your position inste—"

"No. It would not be wise to be in my position and the thought of you taking 150 kilograms similar to I is excruciating."

A small grin crept up to your face, analysing his sentence and repeating the fact he thinks about you.

You took out any remaining blaster ammo out of the rifle, double-checking that it was empty. You clicked off the sniping lens and propped it back into the case.

You chuckled, closing the case, "You think about me?" Tech's eyes blinked rapidly, processing your bold choices of words.

"Yes... well, if I was not, communication would be quite difficult." You chuckled again. There was some truth Tech's excuse, you suspected he added the last bit to cover for his answer.

The rifle in your hand was now safe enough to act as a crutch to support Tech, who was still jeanless.

You scooped Tech under his arms to help him stand up on his now supported leg. You made sure the rifle sat comfortable under his shoulder and his bandages sat on his thigh properly.

Now for his jeans.

This time, you weren't as nervous about the whole jeans ordeal. However, Tech was the opposite. Because his datapad was on the panels, the distance to reach it for himself was impossible, having to distract himself some other way.

You brought the jeans up below Tech's thighs, allowing him to put them up himself. Tech gulped, trying his hardest erase the image of you in such a compromising position.

"Sorry I wasn't there," you mumbled, placing him back down onto the chair.

"Like I said, it was not your fault and in the midst of a mission, it wouldn't be very efficient to mend me inside of a vertical war chest on the extremity of a cliff." Tech's way of comforting you was unique but it certainly helped ease you up.

"Now, you need to rest." Tech was now in arms length to reach over to his datapad, finally continuing whatever beep bop boops he was up to.

"Thanks to you, I am capable of considerable mobility. I am fine."

You rolled your eyes, snatching his holopad from his grasp. You waved your thumb over the shut off button as a passive way to threaten him if he doesn't get rest, "You are not."

"Technically, I am."

"Technically, you're not."

-

Post-Notes: hope ya liked it, i didnt edit much so im might come back to it to edit oops,, also i hope i wrote tech accuratly!

wanna be a part of my taglist?

~ ~ ~

@elsastoes @nekotaetae @jiabeewrites @lokigirlszendaya @imalovernotahater @backyard-bear @namesmox

[quetzii]

Hello! Love your toh au!

Question is Luz the next baby that aldore is pregnant with or someone else/fankid?? How did aldore get with belos? Will be and the kids escape or try to kill belos??

Second question; how do you draw scars so well??

Hiii!! And thank you!! I plan to make more things!

Sure!

1. I still have some things to edit or write, but Luz is apart; I plain to make the same as the show; just with different hints. Luz entering to Boiling Isles, but the things I have in my mind

As the baby; yeah, Alador gets pregnant for the fifth time, but it was again from Belos (spoiler; the baby born after Belos stomp, being blonde and almost likely to Caleb ‐something that Belos wanted LOL)

2. I don't have it well written/planned yet But, in a certain way, Alador manages to enter the Emperor's coven (being 23 years old) mostly for his creativity in abomination and also later being good at abomatrons, something that caught Belos' attention and he wanted to know more. I need to develop their relationship more, but it's more about manipulation, abuse and fear. At first everything was nice, but because of Belos' ambition and more ideas, all that withered away.

Also that Belos saw in Alador that he was a good candidate for procreation; genes and magic.

3. The four of them know perfectly well that the relationship between Belos and Alador is horrible. They only have the support of Alador, but nothing from Belos, even though he is their father. Hunter is the one who questions himself the most and sometimes tries to rebel, but ends up failing. They have thought a lot about doing something, but at the moment; fear and the "what will happen next?" win in their minds and they slip away, not wanting a punishment or worse case: that Belos does something more serious to Alador.

Secretly, the four of them lived their lives or did things that Belos did not want and that But they really wanted to do that without hiding or fearing being seen.

4. About scars! Thank you!!!

The truth is I don't consider myself that good at that topic of scars because sometimes I make mistakes or they don't look like them hahaha The truth is that I am very inspired by other drawings; scars from cuts/sh, wounds and so on. I get almost everything from drawings. I look a lot at how scars are drawn and I try to imitate them; I mean, so that they look good and not just a line. but I will keep practicing so they look better!

[voidscreamintheories]

The (Not-so-)Big four

Spoilers for the first arc of Hunter the Parenting

Right so: Hunter the Parenting was started after the end of If the Emperor had a text-to-speech device, a parody of Warhammer 40K. There is DNA from that 40K lineage in the show, namely in the D family which I will talk about in another post. But as any fan of Warhammer, upon seeing a group of four antagonists I must immediately question if they are the four Chaos gods. Now before getting into this it is important to note that the gods of Chaos are already a lil flexible in their definitions, so it could be real easy to mold anything you want to fit them. They fit well with the four horsemen of the apocalypse, for example However, I am still going to fit these funni bois into funni molds, because it's fun.

SO

Shitbeard: He is violent, quick to anger, one of the two oldest, and he was embraced in association with the "Bikers for Blood" donation drive. It's Khorne, he's Khorne. Now of course, vampires also have a thing for blood, but I feel calling it out specifically with shitbeard COULD be a nod to the good ole "blood for the blood god". Getting into some deep lore here: Clan Brujah used to be known as Warrior Scholars, before their clan devolved into violent rabble rousers. This actually fits with some depictions of Khorne worship, where they are noble and strong warriors who eventually slip into being raving madmen. Of note as well is which member of the group he dislikes the most fits with Khorne, becaaaaaaaause

Ape: Ape and Shitbeard don't get along. Ape is the youngest of the group. Ape is constantly mentioning his hunger and it's called out that he has been "overfeeding" which Ape retorts that there's no such thing. Ape is Slaanesh. Now it's missing a few hallmarks of The Prince of Pleasure, but I think that's partly because of time constraints and partly because of the tone they were going for (I am happy that Ape wasn't humping the walls or snorting coke every other scene). Also, Ape's weapon of choice was his claws, and that's very in line with Tabletop Slaanesh.

Kevin: He's a wizard, it's Tzeentch. But more than that, we saw Kevin had schemes and ambitions to overthrow both the regent and Pyotr, very fitting for him as schemey old Tzeentch. Also, Kevin's tendency to still try fitting in with regular society does match up with the insidious infiltration of society of Tzeentch. Relatedly, while Big D seems to want Kevin as his Sigilite (Malcador best bro), this might end up backfiring. As we saw in the ad break of episode 4, D is feeding Kevin. If Kevin still has ambition and treachery as his domains, there's a non-zero chance that Big D may be betrayed.

Now, finally, which member of the sabbat did Kevin have the most beef with?

Pyotr: Process of elimination here, Pyotr is stinking old Nurgle. Now, nurgle is often depicted as big and round, obviously RIDDLED with disease, and jolly. How can Pyotr fit those themes? I think it has more to do with his clan association. The Nosferatu are a clan of UGLY vamps, who use vermin as spies, and are shockingly resilient and strong for their appearance, all very nurgly. As well, one of the most common reasons a Nosferatu will embrace someone is because the target is really pretty, the Nosferatu resenting beauty and wanting to curse them with the same ugliness. In much the same way Nurgle loves corrupting the beautiful for the sake of corruption (see the garden, his kidnapping of Isha). Based on the photo of Pyotr, we can see he was a handsome kine, I think it fits that he was turned for being too pretty. As a final note on the pretty thing, the fact that Nosferatu start seeing their own ugliness as being attractive (see "you're a goddamn tease loverboy"), that fits with Nurgle's embracing of decay and rot. Now one thing Pyotr MIGHT fit as Nurgle on his own is his stealthing ability. It's not always mentioned, but it's not uncommon for Nurgle worshippers to have a miasma around them which they use to conceal themselves. As a final point, Pyotr's speech about inevitability and futility is pretty fitting for Nurgle's embracing of entropy.

The group as a whole: Woah Chaos undivided, woooooo. But really, as a group they do work as the Pantheon. They all hate each other and scheme against one another, but will work together for their collective goal. When Markus let them fight, and Pyotr ate the other two, this would match with a long standing concept in Warhammer that once one of the gods got the upper hand, it would spell disaster for humanity (here represented by the hunters). As well Kevin seems depressed and almost listless without the other three around, could be because as much as they hate each other, the gods do need their opponents to enjoy the Great Game.

[void-botanist]

Sharran AU: The Party

In Sharran AU, there is no Tav. But all the companions are present, plus a few new ones. (I wanted to draw them all first but I'm impatient lol. They mostly look the same as in canon anyway.) Their exact classes might change as I tinker with the class structure but ultimately everyone has mostly the same abilities that they do in their default subclasses.

Note: elves have a construct called "season" that is similar to but distinct from gender. For elves in Faerûn it means changing their eye and hair colors to reflect an internal state of being that is represented with one of the four seasons, and sometimes also a time of day.

This post contains mild spoilers for later acts of BG3.

Lae'zel of K'liir

Species: githyanki

Age: 30, kind of—time doesn't really pass in the Astral Plane

Hails from: the Astral Plane

Class: psiblade slayer

Deity: Vlaakith

Summary: she always knew she would have to leave the Astral Plane in pursuit of mind flayers, but she never expected to be captured and tadpoled by one. Stuck in on an unfamiliar continent in the Material Plane, her most important goal is to be purified—but her most immediate is to manage to hold down her lunch, because in this plane she has to eat full meals. Once she is purified, she will decimate this mind flayer threat and become a knight of Vlaakith like she's always dreamed. Unfortunately, she's set herself up to succeed a reality check.

Note: githyanki are trained to be singularly focused on eliminating mind flayers, but that includes not allowing them to transform anyone into a new mind flayer. If it also involves temporary allyships, so be it.

Shadowheart Duskchild

Species: human werewolf

Age: 30

Hails from: Baldur's Gate

Class: shadow domain cleric

Deity: Shar

Summary: she has lived in the House of Grief for as long as she can remember, alongside several dozen other Sharrans. The older citizens of Baldur's Gate refer to her order as the New Sharrans, usually with a heavy dose of vitriol and wistfulness for the Old Sharrans. On the orders of Darkcloak DeVir, she was sent to retrieve the mysterious artefact, but her true mission, given to her by the Darkcloak herself in confidence, is to get the attention of the true Shar—not the deity who has been posing as Shar for the last hundred years—by becoming a Dark Justiciar. She has a few things to discover about herself along the way, including that being terrified of wolves doesn't mean she's not a werewolf???

Astarion Ancunín

Species: elf, in winter, and vampire spawn

Age: ~224

Hails from: Baldur's Gate

Class: thief rogue

Deity: none, screw them

Summary: 120 years ago, he was a magistrate in Baldur's Gate. After a particularly contentious ruling, he was beaten nearly to death by a mob of followers of Xymor, the god of justice, and "saved" by Cazador Szarr, who promised him eternal life. What he got instead was a life of servitude and a hunger for blood—literally for sustenance, and metaphorically to get back at Cazador for over a century of abuse. But even he doesn't know the full depth of Cazador's machinations and what they mean for his past and his future.

Note: elves grow body and facial hair slowly compared to humans. Starving vampire spawn don't grow it at all. So Astarion has patchwork body hair except when he's fed, though he shaves his face regardless.

Gale Dekarios

Species: human

Age: 35

Hails from: Waterdeep

Class: evocation wizard

Deity: Mystra, goddess of the Weave

Summary: he's always had a way with the Weave and an unchecked ambition that led him to become the Chosen of Mystra. Despite their closeness, Gale couldn't manage to convince her to show him the deep secrets of the Weave, so he set out to prove he was as worthy of her trust as he knew himself to be. When he found a shard of Netherese magic against her wishes, it overwhelmed him, turning him into essentially a magical time bomb and losing him Mystra's trust and his title of Chosen. Now he has the powers of a normal mortal wizard and no way to get a response from Mystra, thanks to an unwelcome insertion in the ocular region—not that she would talk to him anyway, even though he only had the best of intentions and is currently facing a literal end-of-world threat. But one way or another, he will speak with her, and he will set things straight, and he will prove himself.

Wyll Ravengard

Species: human (does not become a devil)

Age: 25

Hails from: Baldur's Gate

Class: pact of the blade warlock

Deity: Helm, god of protection and guardians, but also to a lesser extent her comrades in the Just Balance, Ilmater and Xymor

Summary: when confronted by his father, Duke Ulder Ravengard, about why he'd pacted with the devil Mizora, he literally could not answer. So his dad banished him from Baldur's Gate, leaving him to find his way on his own. He chose to try and prove that he's the same old responsible, honorable, dutiful Wyll, even though he's sure he'll never escape from this pact and no one can find out about it, lest they hate him too. But he's exhausted trying to take everything on alone, and the situation with Karlach makes him realize he's just a pawn in Mizora's quest to be Zariel's favorite. The moment he lets his facade slip a little, he realizes his traveling companions actually want to help him, and they're not afraid of impossible odds.

Note: Ulder is an interplanar contact expert in this AU and thinks he knows just how unbreakable a devil's pact is. Wyll wants to prove him wrong about that too.

Minthara Baenre

Species: House of Lolth tiefling

Age: 37

Hails from: Menzoberranzan, on the edge of the Demonweb Pits in the Underdark

Class: Oath of the Watchers paladin

Deity: Lolth/the Absolute

Summary: born into one of the religious houses of Menzoberranzan and raised in the worship of the archdevil/goddess Lolth, she would never abandon her faith, which is why she has positioned herself as a ranking acolyte of the Absolute to spy on this new cult. Unfortunately, that also meant she got tadpoled and can no longer hear the voice of Lolth in her head. She's not even sure Lolth can hear her prayers, and it's started to make her wonder what it really means to follow a deity—if it means anything at all when a psionic worm can so easily make her feel unmoored from her beloved goddess.

Note: Lolth sent her on this mission, and she wasn't the only one. Also she has a well-trained spider living between her horns.

Halsin Silverblossom

Species: bugbear

Age: 350

Hails from: the Emerald Grove, most recently; before that, Reithwin

Class: cave wilder

Deity: Juncyppo, god of nature

Summary: has led the Emerald Grove since the previous Grovetender died in the battle with Ketheric Thorm a hundred years ago. Getting thrown in jail by the newly converted Sanctuary bugbears was kind of a surprise, since they'd always been on good terms, but the whole situation gives him an excuse to indulge his wanderlust, make new friends, and help his oldest friend, Thaniel. But the further away he gets from the comforts of the Grove, the more he realizes that he's let a lot of people down over the years, and he's ready to do whatever he can to make it right.

Note: Halsin has been to Menzoberranzan on his travels, with none of the nonconsensual baggage that exists in canon. They even let him feed a spider out of his hand🥺

Karlach Cliffgate

Species: House of Zariel tiefling

Age: 29

Hails from: Baldur's Gate

Class: polearm & unarmed fighter

Deity: on-again off-again follower of Ilmater, god of sufferers, resistance, and relief

Summary: she was Lord Enver Gortash's trusted bodyguard until he sold her to the archdevil Zariel for a pile of cash and infernal cyborg experimentation. After ten years in the Hells, fighting in the Blood War against her will, she escaped on a nautiloid—which was great except for the whole getting captured and tadpoled thing. Her infernal engine's malfunctions slowed her down and let Wyll catch up to her. Once she convinces the party she means no harm, she can get back to having her life dictated by a force outside her control (currently, the tadpole), but now that she has a second chance in Faerûn, she's not going to waste it waiting on fate.

Note: Zariel wanted her dead or alive, just not running free with her one functioning infernal engine heart prototype.

Quil Heliarik

Species: silver dragonborn

Age: 23

Hails from: Tymanther

Class: college of lore love bard

Deity: loosely affiliated with the Darkfire Twins, Eilistraee and Vhaeraun, deities of song and dance

Summary: as a result of mysterious heinous acts, her clan was struck from the register and they were all banished from Tymanther. While this has cut Quil off from the area's music knowledge, she can hardly be sad about adventuring and publishing her compositions in Baldur's Gate. So far, she's mostly been traveling with Volo and getting pulled into trouble, so it's nice to have normal friends who are only just trying to stop an existential threat to the Sword Coast. As long as she makes it to Baldur's Gate in one piece, that should be fine.

Volothamp Geddarm

Species: human

Age: unclear

Hails from: unknown

Class: order of scribes wizard

Deity: Riodda, deity of knowledge and learning

Summary: his business is knowing something about everything, and everything about some things. He couples this with a general lack of tact and frequent wandering away to something new, which tends to get him captured, tied up, maligned, et cetera. But he does know a lot and is always willing to lend an ear about something he doesn't. As a result, he became fast friends with the extremely talkative Quil.

Boo

Species: giant miniature space hamster

Age: unknown

Hails from: Rashemen

Class: cutie pie

Deity: unknown

Summary: he first shows up in the Emerald Grove, where Volo is attempting to talk with him like the other animals in the area. This is not going well. But when the party ventures into the mountain pass, Boo shows up in camp and stays there, hanging out with Withers, Gale, and Wyll most of the time. He accompanies them all the way through the shadow-cursed lands and into Baldur's Gate in search of someone Jaheira calls "an old friend".

Jaheira Elerrathin

Species: elf, in autumn night

Age: 500

Hails from: most recently, Baldur's Gate

Class: wildblade (wilder + fighter)

Deity: Tymora, deity of luck

Summary: nothing ever seems to go right for her. Power-hungry Ketheric Thorm, who she killed a hundred years ago, is back and more powerful than ever, she lost her friend Minsc trying to fight off Thorm's cult, and she has to face the very real possibility that she will not make it back to her children in Baldur's Gate alive. But when a bunch of tadpoled weirdos and a miniature giant space hamster show up on her doorstep, she finds genuine hope that the tides are finally turning. They can stop the world from ending—and maybe even follow Boo's clues to a still-living Minsc. Maybe she can still make up for the time she's lost trying to destroy Ketheric Thorm for good.

Minsc of Rashemen

Species: human

Age: 50-something. plus the 80 years he spent as a statue

Hails from: Rashemen

Class: melee fighter/tracker

Deity: none in particular

Summary: a warrior of such immense strength is a great boon to the Chosen Three—he's dealt a decent blow to the organized crime groups of Baldur's Gate already, spreading discord and disconnection among them. As long as no one but his tadpole and an Ievaalist shapeshifter in the form of Jaheira whisper in his ear, he's a perfect champion. Once freed by the real Jaheira and his dear Boo, he gets caught up on everything that happened since his capture and is ready to go all in against the elder brain—he'll even change his favored enemy to ghaik, just like Lae'zel! More than anything, he wants to be included, because he knows he can help, even when he can't.

Withers

Species: no one's really sure. Bone Man?

Age: unknown

Hails from: that Jergal crypt

Class: unknown

Deity: unknown ;)

Summary: he does not leave camp with the rest of the party, but he participates in some camp activities, such as playing poker (he usually wins) and pranking Gale at lanceboard. He can sometimes be convinced to revive people who aren't members of the party.

Party dynamics in a nutshell

Lae'zel takes charge pretty early on, because she's sure she knows the way to cure them, and honestly no one else has a better idea. She adheres to the githyanki code of A) not helping the mind flayers and B) never owing anybody by taking the rest of the tadpoled party along. Wyll starts out as her right hand man, the guy who's better at convincing other people of decisions mostly made by her, but over the course of early act 1 they become co-leaders of the party, complementing each other's strengths. This is also made possible by Wyll learning to trust the party more to look out for him and not throw him under the bus as "that one devil-pacted guy". Halsin also becomes a leader/advisor in late act 1/act 2 due to his knowledge of the area and Ketheric and his personal tendency toward leadership. Shadowheart has a poor attitude but understands the importance of teamwork and will fall in line with the group's decisions as long as they don't prevent her from reaching her goals. She won't give Lae'zel the artefact though, and this causes arguments, shenanigans, and suspicion. At the outset, Astarion actively acts like everyone is out to get him, even though he is literally starving. Lae'zel is good at putting things into practical terms to get him to mostly behave and not fuck everything up. Despite complaining about most things, Gale usually doesn't challenge the party leadership, though he struggles with having to rely on other people for knowledge, solutions, and magical sustenance. He prefers to be the one giving, which he usually does in the form of making food.

Minthara has her own agenda, but the party is taking her where she needs to go, and she sees the benefit of having allies, so she picks her battles carefully. Jaheira also has her own agenda, but this aligns pretty closely with the party's existing goals, so she organizes herself accordingly. Quil is mostly just happy to be included, but she's worried about the whole tadpole thing and really wants to make sure her new friends don't die, which makes her risk averse. Minsc is the opposite: the best defense is good offense! Volo lives in his own little world and does not really consider himself bound by the party's decisions. He just needs to know where they're going so he can find them again later. And Withers is present.

Sharran AU taglist: @multi-lefaiye @theskeletonprior @writernopal @daisywalletchains

[akatsuki-shin]

[REVIEW] スロウ・ダメージ Slow Damage

Just finished marathoning this game to get all the endings and that was a blast!

It's been a while since I last posted a review of anything, so here goes~ ^^

Note(s):

Long post ahead, may contain spoilers

This review is written by someone who is familiar with all of Nitro+Chiral's previously released BL Visual Novels (so I may make remarks on their comparison here and there)

This is my personal review; my opinion does not represent the entire audience and players of the game

SUMMARY:

In the Year 20XX, the nation of Japan has been rapidly declining to rock-bottom in the past decade, leading to a significant spike in poverty, unemployment, and crime rate.

Once known as a thriving Tokyo Waterfront City, the special administrative region of Shinkoumi fell into the hands of the yakuza Takasato Group, who ruled the city like a nation of their own.

Here lives Towa, an indolent, hedonistic young man with seemingly no goal or ambition in life. Day by day, he wastes himself away in smoke, alcohol, and — sometimes — violent sex with peers and strangers alike whenever he feels like it.

However, few knows of his true identity as "Euphoria," a genius artist known for his prominent paintings that perfectly captures a human's deepest, darkest desire.

STORY: 7/10

With 2 (two) default routes, 1 (one) locked route, and 1 (one) True Ending route, Slow Damage is different from the previous 4 (four) BL Visual Novels that has been released by Nitro+Chiral thus far, in which there is neither adventure or "greater plot" that needs to be resolved as the main body of the story.

In the previous games, we can say that the general plot overall does not change much regardless of which route we takes, save for a few in-depth details that can only be obtained in the True Ending route. For example, when playing DRAMAtical Murder, Toue will still be defeated and the Platinum Jail will still go down no matter which character's route you decide to take.

Slow Damage, however, is a game where you unravel a "puzzle" named Towa.

No route can stand on its own; you need to play all 4 (four) available routes in order to fully understand everything. There is no particular "grand goal." Maybe you'll solve someone's problem in one route, maybe you'll take down the yakuza in the other route.

The 2 (two) default routes will present you the Towa as "it is," according to your first impression on him, where he helps solve the respective Love Interest's problem by diving into their mind and unravel their inner "wounds." The locked route will dig halfway to Towa's past to show a little bit more about him prior to his current life.

But eventually, you will only be able to understand him, why he looks and acts like that, why he does the thing he does, after completing the True Ending route.

Depending on your expectation before playing the game, you may or may not be disappointed after discovering the full story. Personally speaking, I was a bit disappointed at first because I thought the plot is superficial and doesn't touch on any major subject regarding the universe where the story takes place. In the end, however, I think it's a quite solid and complete story, albeit taking a different spin from the previous games.

The plot is deep and detailed; it can really deliver some very heavy emotional issues, as well as presenting the fun and romantic sides. I personally feel the plot twists and revelations obtained in the True Ending is very cleverly wrapped. There are many small, miss-able things in the other routes that will only be explained in the True Ending.

Furthermore, if I have any complains about the previous games, it is that they tend to drop an "info dump" at some point in the story. Fortunately for me, Slow Damage is very good at distributing the information through dialogues, narration, and dividing them between scenes.

A few "minus" points from me, though...

There are some important things that do not have enough foreshadowing in the front, but suddenly becomes extremely significant in the latter part of the story. For example:

Towa and Fujieda's real names. There are no hint leading to this at all from the beginning and it doesn't really give any impact whatsoever to the whole story, either. But for some reason, the story-telling makes it look as if it is very important.

Although Fujieda himself as a character appear briefly in the other 3 (three) routes, there is next to no hints at all that connect him with Towa prior to the True Ending route. Sure, his little sister appeared in Towa's dream before, but the story-telling doesn't connect it with Fujieda before we unlock his route. Personally-speaking, while the True Ending route is overall very satisfying for me, I still feel some disconnection with Fujieda's background and motivation in the story.

Speaking of "disconnection," this is especially true for Madarame's route.

Before, when playing the default routes (Rei and Taku), we are already used to the indolent, lazy Towa and his occasional self-harming habits whenever he's craving stimulations. But in Madarame's route, you are suddenly being shoved in the face with stories about Towa's past with him out of the blue, forcing you to accept that Towa does not used to be like that.

While the latter part of Madarame's route until the ending is neatly put together, I cannot help but still feel that he is a stranger who suddenly barges into the main plot and forcefully diverts the direction of the story for no reason. It's like a skyscraper that looks majestic from the outside but actually has shallow foundation below.

I also feel that Taku's route has a massive plot hole because even though Taku is supposed to know Towa from when he was still a child, very little details are revealed in his route. Perhaps it's so that it won't clash with the secrets known only in the True Ending, but it makes Taku's route feel somewhat lackluster (especially since Towa isn't questioning about his past at all during this route).

And last but not least, I think this is the first time I'm playing a Visual Novel where you can't exactly call the endings as "Good" or "Bad."

Certainly, in the True Ending route, it's obvious to see whether the ending you get is "Good" or "Bad." But other than that, the term "Euphoria" and "Madness" ending just fit the theme so well because as f*cked up as the "Madness" ending is, Towa as the main character doesn't feel it's bad because he's simply that unhinged of a character.

CHARACTER: 10/10

Towa's character development until the very end is simply amazing. It is especially heartbreaking to see him crumble as he gradually draws closer and closer to the truth about his past. Likewise, it feels fulfilling to see him finally getting the true happy ending with a kindred soul who shares his pain.

Furthermore, as much as I'm glad that he finally finds the closure and salvation that he so deserves, I'm particularly happy that we are allowed to get a glimpse at how his sociopath mother truly felt back then. While it cannot, in any way, be used to condone what she had done to Towa and her other victims, it shows the ironic difference between her life and Towa:

Towa has friends that care about him, hence helping him to settle down and eventually come to terms with his issues. His mother, however, was a lonely soul with no one who could help her address her issues until the very end.

Putting aside my earlier "complains" about Madarame and Taku's routes, the dynamic between Towa and his Love Interests are interesting to follow because each has a unique and different approach to it. The way their romance blooms is like a refreshing breeze amidst the story full of heavy emotional and psychological traumas.

The side characters have very solid personalities and fit perfectly into the main plot with their respective roles. Truthfully, I can't really find anything to complain about regarding the characters.

GAMEPLAY: 10/10

Almost a decade after DRAMAtical Murder was released, Nitro+Chiral has really kicked up their game's quality by a whole notch.

The "Interrogation" and "Exploration" makes it super different from your traditional Visual Novel games where most of the time, the choices can be rather predictable.

Of course, I also love how the game's visual appearance change significantly before and after finishing the True Ending. The interface is pretty to look at and suits the story's theme perfectly.

ART/VISUAL: 9/10

This is probably the best-looking Visual Novel from Nitro+Chiral I've ever played.

Opinions on the art style may differ between each person, but I think we can all agree that they really pay attention to the details. Especially for major characters like Towa, even the location and degree of his injuries vary in his avatars following the situation currently taking place in the plot.

I also can't believe how detailed they draw the background, food, drinks, and objects that appear in the CGs.

That said, I feel like for a city that is described as "you can easily stumble on dead people on the street," the background art is way too pretty and clean, it doesn't really look like a declining city at all where people can die from cold and hunger.

MUSIC: 10/10

Likewise, I personally feel Slow Damage has the best music compared to the other 4 (four) games before.

The BGMs are not boring; it can really build up the atmosphere and makes you feel the tension presented on the screen.

I am especially fond of the music during romantic scene. If I have to put it into words, it gives the NSFW scenes a dash of fluff on top of the sexy that you can't help but melt with him.

SUMMARY: 9.2/10

As different as it is from the previous games released by Nitro+Chiral, Slow Damage certainly does not disappoint although there is quite a gap until this game was finally released. It's really worth the wait, and it can easily wrap you emotionally while you're playing through the story.

Furthermore, I think the current generation, especially the millennials, can really relate to the setting of which the game is taking place. Maybe not to that extreme, but the way the young generation in the game is described as overworked, exhausted, and depressed is truly a reflection of life nowadays for us. :')

I look forward to replaying this game again some other day, now that I already get all the secrets they have to offer. Perhaps it will give a different experience. <3

P.S. This isn't about the game but more about the translation/localization. I wish English publishers will pay more attention to the expressions and nuances in the original language when translating instead of just throwing whatever words that fit.

For example, in Rei's route, he says "抱きたい" which means "I want to embrace you," but they just translated it into "I want to f*ck you."

Sure, "embrace" and "f*ck" would lead to the same result, but that's not the way he was saying it. Those two words bear two completely different feelings, and this is just one among numerous other issues with the official translations.

[tigermousse]

Billionaire Lovers 亿万恋人

genre: otome, amare, romance, comedy, mystery

You think that you are playing this game, but in fact the game is playing you.

This is definitely not your usual otome, but to tell why this game is so great means to spoil the fun. But believe me, this is definitely an unusual experience, even if a little silly at times.

The premise is quite simple: you are a broke college graduate with no job and no perspectives. But suddenly your legal guardian Uncle Charles, who hasn't been contacting with you for five years, calls and invites you to visit him in another city, and then out of blue gives you $100 000 000.

So now you are filthy rich and alone in his mansion, and don't know what to do with your money. Maybe you should try this new Love Gacha game everyone is talking about? (Yes, there is a Gacha game with a 1% drop rate. But who cares about the money, you've got plenty!)

Or maybe go outside and just meet hot singles in your area?

Trigger warning: you will totally develop trust issues after finishing this game several times (you have to finish game at least three or four times, I guess, to reach the True ending), but in the end - it's totally worth it. I can't say that it is very romantic, but the true route is definitely cute.

Please don't lose hope, I promise, at the end it will be all right (probably)

CHARACTERS:

MC (You can chose the name and gender for MC, that doesn't affect the story.)

They are just a broke clueless college graduate, who doesn't know what to do with their life. I would say that they don't have much ambition or plans for the future, and pretty lazy, because the moment they get the money on bank account, they decide to forget about getting a job and do nothing.

Of course, they're also naїve and kind, because how else they could end up in a situation like this?

Love interests (MILD SPOILERS AHEAD):

I really don't want to spoil everything, but not all of them are really love interests, the best outcome is rather friendship then passionate love, but I liked it anyway.

Elias

A young and good-looking CEO. MC meets him at the airport, picking his lost wallet. When they try to return it, they're finding out that they went to the same school. Is it a coincidence? Elias is sophisticated and polite, not very talkative, and he always wears gloves. What secrets does he hide?

Klaus

A math professor, smart and cute, who loves flowers and believes everything in life can be counted as a statistics. MC is meeting him on a plane. He seems a bit absent-minded, but he cares about MC. Or does he?

Stephen

Stephen is a strikingly handsome well-groomed man. MC meets him in the neighborhood, when Stephen is giving them a flower and his business card, and telling them that he is providing "services". Is he really a male escort? But he seems to have so many talents: he's smart, funny and also agile. MC don't really need his escort services or do they? Can Stephen really be trusted?

Justin (JustiCute)

A live streamer, who is the closest neighbor of the MC. Justin is the friendliest of folks and seems so cute and innocent. He is feeling lonely when he can't really be himself with all his fans, and he considers MC his only friend, telling them truth and secrets about himself. Poor baby, he has no one to trust in this world, except MC...right?

Overall

Visual: 5/5

Story: 5/5

Characters: 4/5

Romance: 3,5/5

Originality: 5/5

My Rating: 5/5

You can get this game on Steam

[hahahax30]

Buckle up because this is super long, and I mean, way too long

Basically it starts with Roland Brisbane, aka Break Bones, the leader of the currently unnamed cult. He originally created the cult with his childhood sweetheart, Lorna McAllister, with whom he’d grown up with in the same Glasgow neighborhood. They’d had completely different upbringings. With Roland being the heir to the uber-rich and ancient (formerly noble) Brisbane family (and by rich, I mean old money, unlimited funds, almost billionaires) and Lorna the daughter of a local butcher, raised firmly in the lower middle class. But despite that, they’d had similar views on justice and magical politics, power, honesty, etc.

And so they began to create their cult with peaceful protests and activism, due process and going fully legal in every way they could in order to make the magical world a better place. This became extremely pertinent after the birth of their son, Barty, when they were 21

He became their guiding light, everything they did, they did for him and for the hope he would have a better life and grow up in a better world. They saw him as their hope for the future, he was going to come of age in their new nation, the one they created to keep magic safe

And everything was going well, until Barty turned four. The cult (not yet a cult) had gained a small following and the Brisbanes were happy. Then Lorna was murdered by humans who found out about her magic and killed her for it. All of the light went out from Roland’s heart the day she died in front of him. He lost Lorna and his following very quickly after, he’d lost nearly everything. He left Glasgow and moved himself and Barty to the Brisbane ancestral home in the Scottish Highlands

He became dedicated to raising his son and rising up his cult again. He became successful, eventually gaining a large following by the time Barty was a teenager. The cult was mainly young people, friends of Barty’s from school, clubs, everywhere really. Roland became drunk on the power, gaining more ambition as time went on

Barty, however, became more disillusioned with what his father did as he got older and started to pull away from the cult when he turned nineteen. He later died in an accident shortly after his nineteenth birthday, though despite many witnesses, nobody could say for sure what had happened to him

Barty’s death ruined Roland. It tore his heart from his chest. He was forever changed. He had lost his son and the love of his life, he had nothing left outside of his power. The only thing he had left of Barty was his four best friends-his band of brothers-, including Steel Grey and Ivan Saltykov; whom Barty had not told of his plans to leave the cult and Roland used his death to manipulate his friends into sticking with him after Barty’s death

He spends two years tracking down a key witness in Barty’s death, a young woman. After two years of stalking this woman, he finds out her biggest secret: she’s a selkie

Selkies are the key in a spell he had found, one that would bring back what once was lost. And so he captures her and steals her sealskin, forcing her to marry him under the guise that if she does what he wants, he’ll give her back her skin

Spoiler alert: he doesn’t

He gives her the name Cassandra and they eventually go on to have two of my MCs, the twins Oona and Viggo (temporary names), who are unaware of their selkie heritage, as well as many other children. All under the guise that eventually Roland would give Cassandra back her sealskin and allow her to go back to the sea

All four MCs: Oona and Viggo Brisbane, Rose Tully, and Zoya Amobi-Chapman (also known as Zoya Saltykova), were raised within the cult until they were preteens and the cult was forcibly disbanded with Roland’s death at the hands of the magical government after they found out that he planned to reveal magic to the humans

And basically after they did that, the MCs were sent to a magical detention center for years to determine if they were “evil” or not, before being sent to do house arrest at a Brisbane property in a small New England town called Romulus, where the WIP takes place

Omg that went on a lot longer than I planned for it to be, I’m sorry-

Okay, I finally managed to have time to get to this!

Is Barty's death going to be important for the plot???? What with it being mysterious

WAIT ROLAND DIES??? HE'S NOT THE BIG EVIL?????

[kylesvariouslistsandstuff]

SPIDER-VERSE On The Brain

Massive SPIDER-VERSE *spoilers* are ahead... Do not read on if you haven't seen the movie...

It's been four days since I checked out SPIDER-MAN: ACROSS THE SPIDER-VERSE in theaters... And I'm still processing such a rich layer cake of a movie with all this stuff going on, just the sheer ambition of it... And... This story isn't even over, that's the mind-blowing part...

This movie did have pretty strong arcs for Miles Morales, Gwen Stacy, and even Peter B. Parker to some extent, in addition to introducing a major conflict and a soon-to-be-primary antagonist in Miguel O'Hara/Spider-Man 2099... While a larger threat, The Spot, still looms, and there's even a closer to home threat for Miles himself as the picture wraps up...

There's so much more to go, assuming that BEYOND THE SPIDER-VERSE is also going to be a pretty long movie. That this movie was, in the planning stages, getting to be so big that they had to break it up into two parts? Who knows what we're in for...

I feel a lot of ACROSS THE SPIDER-VERSE's narrative brilliance is within its yet to be resolved conflict...

Canon...

Back in 2018, INTO THE SPIDER-VERSE came onto the scene with its dynamic new way of rendering CGI imagery in an animated feature, while throwing in eye-candy flourishes and other dynamic art styles to really make that movie pop amongst other mainstream animated movies *and* the entire comic book movie sphere. In a neat sense, this groundbreaking new way to make an animated feature strengthened the inclusive and quite simple overall message of the story: ANYONE can be Spider-Man.

Now, if INTO THE SPIDER-VERSE said "anyone can be Spider-Man", ACROSS THE SPIDER-VERSE asks what that "anyone" must go through to be Spider-Man.

Can Spider-Man truly be anyone?

What is "canon"?

Miguel is adamant that every Spider, from man to woman to animal to insect, must experience some major tragedy in order to truly be a Spider-Something. A loss of a family member, close friend, or any kind of loved one... That's that about that, that's the nature of the "Spider-Verse", it is set in stone, no other way! Seems to contradict "Anyone can be Spider-Man", right? Apparently Miles can't have a relatively normal non-costumed life, someone he loves HAS to be axed... And that's the case with... How many Spiders? Over 280?

... which quite frankly sounds very controlling and lacking in imagination. And kinda dumb on paper. Miles knows that, even... It all relates back to what his mother and father want for him vs. his ambitions and desires.

"Nah, imma do my own thing"...

Such a liberating line, during such a literally and figuratively heavy moment in the film...

Between Miles' arc and Gwen's story, this autistic queer right here felt something quite resonant from all of this... I needed to see and hear these classic story tropes pulled off in such a great new way at a crucial time in my life...

Now, this works even beyond one's personal journey and how a film relates to someone: ACROSS THE SPIDER-VERSE seems cleverly critical of contemporary superhero movie culture and most nerd-dom, from its most toxic swamps to its most boring offices. Adherence to "canon", shackling oneself to hard-set rules that mustn't be deviated from. It's especially potent coming from a movie series where the main Spider-Man is a black/Puerto Rican teenager, and his pals include a trans Spider-Woman, an older adult Peter Parker who has a child, and many more.

The insistence that Spider-Man has to be this one thing, i.e. Miguel running a Spider-Society that makes sure all Spider-People have that very "Uncle Ben" tragedy happen to them, with NO ANOMALIES... Miles' whole existence as Spider-Man, of course, is revealed to be said anomaly... In that a spider from another universe, Earth-42, got to his, Earth-1610, and bit him... Messing everything up... He's even blamed for Earth-1610 Peter Parker's death, to add insult to injury!

Or DID he mess things up?

Maybe "canon" is a bunch of bullshit.

The very kind of thing that shackles whole characters and franchises down, instead of letting those who come to the sandbox play with the toys THEIR way. INTO THE SPIDER-VERSE came to CG animation and didn't do the Pixar style, didn't do what most other mainstream animated movies were doing, didn't follow the accepted "standard" or "canon"... A friend of mine, in his review of ACROSS THE SPIDER-VERSE, noted something very interesting: This also ties into how a lot of very online animation fans insist that every new movie now must be like SPIDER-VERSE. And like PUSS IN BOOTS: THE LAST WISH. And like any other animated movie that they consider "top tier" or "based" or "cinema". Including a relatively-panned Mario movie. Screw off if you're Pixar making "mid" movies like TURNING RED and ELEMENTAL, or Disney Animation making equally "mid" movies like ENCANTO or RAYA AND THE LAST DRAGON... "Canon" in feature animation, apparently, is now movies that must be like SPIDER-VERSE or PUSS IN BOOTS or whatever. Animated movie "requirements". You have to have scary dark villains, you have to have the most amazing unseen animation style ever, you have to do it all THIS WAY...

This whole "canon" nonsense also ties into superhero movies in general, as well. Even comics, like a lot of runs of Spider-Man are apparently doing... especially in a time of the Marvel Cinematic Universe and the DC movie-verse being clamped down by such hard continuity... That has only morphed into a bigger cluster-cuss, post-SPIDER-VERSE.

I remember when watching the LOKI Disney+ series, thinking... This series is trying to explain in FIVE 40-MINUTE EPISODES something INTO THE SPIDER-VERSE effortlessly explained in less than 5 MINUTES... Then you bring in the Doctor Strange follow-ups, all this stuff about "incursions". Incursions this, Sacred Timelines that... Why is this so goddamn convoluted and wracked head-to-toe with all these RULES? Other multiverse stories don't do this, and Marvel's characters span DECADES... And a big criticism of the recent MCU output is that the continuity, the canon... Doesn't allow for the characters to have their own unique stories, told by filmmakers with individual unique visions working within reasonable guidelines. I feel these two movies, along with EVERYTHING EVERYWHERE ALL AT ONCE, show what a multiverse story can still be in this day and age.

And by using Miguel's rule, ACROSS THE SPIDER-VERSE goes right for the jugular bearing its spider-fangs.

Anyone can be Spider-Man, Spider-Man can have ANY life.

May I also add? The Spot... He's not in the movie much, but his arc... Tying this back to the worst of toxic nerd culture. The Spot is shook by being called some villain of the week and everything else that happened to him (like getting conked by the very bagel from the first movie), and instead of using his weird abilities for something good, he's going to go great lengths to prove that he is not some villain of the week. To become a larger scale threat... And for what? To fill a literal hole in himself? What validity and happiness will this bring him? I see something similar in some aspects of nerd culture, where they take being wronged (I'll humorously compare this to being shoved into lockers, circa 1988) at some point in their life, and turning it into their literal villain origin story... Growing up to be the jocks that bullied them, growing up to be the ones making life harder for other people in the community... The very people complaining about how "w0ke" this movie is for having "forced diversity", the very people who also lob that stolen word at harmless things like the LITTLE MERMAID remake and virtually anything "W0ke Disney" puts out these days, the very people who had literal shit-fits over MAD MAX: FURY ROAD, every new STAR WARS movie, GHOSTBUSTERS 2016, SHE-RA AND THE PRINCESSES OF POWER, new MUPPET BABIES, any new STAR TREK media, the list goes on and on... That's The Spot. Funny how some superhero movies, even animated superhero movies, have these villains who feel like they've been wronged and feel like they're entitled to something...

Just more texture to this ludicrously-textured layer cake movie... Yeah, CAKE itself is a big part of the movie, too. Look at that-

All this, amidst a backdrop of hundreds of Spider-People, a surrealistic smorgasbord of visual styles and animation techniques (Spider-Punk alone, YOWZA YOWZA YOWZA!), a multiverse-spanning story, and at the end... All of it tying back to who Miles Morales wants to be. How he wants to tell HIS story... When he defies Miguel on the train, it's a monumental moment...

And the story isn't even over yet... This movie is something special.

[greenhousethree]

Asked and Answered (Chasing chapters 2-3!)

These asks have been making my day since I posted chapter two, and life was unexpectedly a lot last month but we're back and ready to rumble, baby. Chapter four is getting a bunch of final edits, but in the meantime I've been getting a KICK out of your questions...

Spoilers, sneak peeks, and theories below!

I'm sorry it took me so long to get to this one, anon! But rest assured I have not forgotten about Kreacher, and we haven't heard the last about selling Grimmauld Place (more on that in chapter 5). From Harry's letters, though, we're learning that George and Ron think they could use a slave someone to do the washing up, which would be a level of such bougie dichotomy in a shitty London flat that I, for one, would love to see.

Dean In Paris is a little arc that I've been so excited to reveal, and starting with chapter 4 we'll definitely be hearing more about it. We still have a lot to learn about his year on the run, too, and what it was like to come out of the woods and reintegrate with both Muggles and wizards... our poor boy's really been through it.

As far as Luna goes, we'll be getting more of their interactions next chapter too (wouldn't be a party without a little inter-house mingling)! We know she's fresh out of a relationship with his old roommate, so we'll see if Dean will go two for two with DA girls 👀

Cheers, anon!

Thank you so much for this question, anon! I promise we'll get some Charlie moments that have to do with Quidditch, but at this point it would be giving away too much to reveal the role (if any) he might have at her first match. Instead here's something a little out of context:

"What the hell," she snorted, turning a stone over in her left hand before pitching it low over the waves. "You sound like Mum, asking me shit like that. Or Bill." Charlie shrugged, sending his throw so far he must've charmed the rock. "I dunno. Bloke seems moody is all. Not that I blame him... I just wanted to be sure everything was good, I guess." "It's sort of cute, you checking up on me." "Shut up. You think this is the first time?"

Anon I could kiss you for this question because I don't really write A/Ns for these chapters, but now I get to point out one of my favorite self-indulgent little details from chapter three:

“We’re just going to keep him still until someone gets here.” And she took Kirke’s head between both hands, sliding her fingers underneath to gingerly probe through the back of his hair. “Help’s coming, Andrew. You’re okay. We’re going to get you inside.”

I took that last line directly from the text with the intention of thrusting Ginny back into a moment at the end of DH that doesn't really get resolved or explained. More on that to come, but in this moment Ginny is really triggered by this burden of someone else's safety— of caring for the injured— and the helplessness that accompanies it. I'm really looking forward to tying this in with her ambition to be a Healer, which we learn she discussed with Professor McGonagall months after witnessing her father's hospitalization, her brother and friends' injuries, and Sirius's death. As the youngest Weasley she's been barred from so much of the action, so those moments of powerlessness were made more bitter by the fact that she was trying to do the only thing she felt she could. The panic comes from knowing the only thing she could do wasn't always enough...

Gushing over this question! A theory! About my fic!

I've gotten a few different versions of "where's Binns?", and I really don't want to give too much away because it'll come into play in later chapters, but I will say that the situation is a little more complicated than education reform. The only hint I can offer is that it's been really hard to convey everything that hasn't been around at Hogwarts without drawing too much attention to it, especially through Ginny's limited narration...

Priscus, though! Shame that Ginny would (imo) never canonically take a History of Magic N.E.W.T., so we'll have to settle for hearing more about him from Hermione.

🫡

thanks for this prompt, anon! without further ado, here's a peek at two character debuts for this fic:

Demelza grinned over the rim of her mug, eyes narrowed. "Could've told me sooner." "I know." "You know Romilda still doesn't believe you either, right?" "Doesn't matter," Ginny mumbled before tipping her head back to empty her cup, blood thudding sluggishly in her ears as she thought of his jumper and his letters— solace and evidence, tucked away in the same place. "She can't prove anything. Didn't believe me last year either, did they?" Demelza shrugged. "Just thought you'd want to know. She brought it up first thing on the train 'cause she knows we're friends. Can't imagine she's wasting too much brainpower on it right now, though..." At the table by Dean's bed, Dennis was refilling two cups with wine, cracking a grin as Romilda bumped a playful shoulder against his.

(Neither of today's sneak peeks passes the Harry Bechdel test, and for that I apologize.)

I also received a few more questions about Ginny's shoulder, especially after her conversation with Dean this chapter... I answered something similar in this post (if you scroll down a bit) and linked to postwar fics that occur before this story. Cheers! 🌱

[impossible-rat-babies]

3 & 6 for the Dawntrail meme!

ty!! below the cut for spoilers!

ask meme

3. what was their initial impression of the four claimants? how did this change over the course of the story?

wuk lamat: --excitable, curious, young and eager to prove herself. her passion and love for her country was clear, as was her desire to protect those people. eyrie liked her, even if her boundless energy and excitement was a bit much for them. --they care about her dearly; her struggles, the journey she has been on, the loss she has experienced. it's difficult, as it always is, to watch someone go through a struggle not unlike their own, but they are proud of how she has risen to the challenge and hasn't given up, despite how senseless and uncaring parts of this chapter of her life have been ie. the loss of her father and betrayal of her brother. they think of her more as a mentor/mentee, and not truly a father/daughter necessarily, but she is family. albeit rarely, they call her Lamaty'i with a great deal of affection. zoraal-ja --eyrie was tentative around him, curious but guarded. they didn't want to take wuk lamat's words about her brother at face value, but meeting him made it clear that she was correct. he was unsettling and clearly dangerous by their own judgement, and they were content just to watch and keep their distance from him, keeping what krile spoke of him at the front of their mind. --after everything, they don't hate him as much as they pity the man. (something far worse and far more petty of them to think of the dead). how ambition, greed and perceived inadequacy twisted him into a warmongering hateful person, and how he allowed himself to become that. to fester in what he believed to be the truth because his pride could accept nothing less. they know his path to peace would see him be the last man alive, his throne sitting atop the piles of the dead. if there's one person who deserves the peace of death, its him. they have some small hope that he is at rest. bakool ja ja --purposefully annoying in his bravado, boastfulness. far too cunning, however. uses others as a tools, and thinks of them as lesser due to his status as a blessed sibling. to a degree they thought of him and zoraal ja as similar, just bakool ja ja as more annoying. --now...it's more complicated for eyrie. (there's a lot of stuff in mamook that is tied up in eyrie's relationship with their children + the loss of their daughter). they understand why bakool ja ja did as he did, and they do....forgive him for the most part. it's a cycle he was born into--a helpless situation for his people and he was believed to be the end all solution. they aren't a stranger to being seen in such a way, and the burden of all those eyes and expectations upon a person. they sympathize with him a great deal, and they hope he finds purpose beyond what he was born to do, and will learn to let the dead rest. koana: --aloof, far more interested in his technology compared to his people since he believed the technology of sharlayan was superior to the traditions and reasons for his people's way of life. they wondered why he felt that way--what drove him to see this as the best path forward for his people. perhaps benefitting from an outside perspective, they could see early on how much him and wuk lamat complimented each other as siblings and possibly as rulers both (they never spoke up about it as it wasn't really their place). they had a sense there was more than meets the eye to Koana. --now, they hope he can grow alongside his sister into rulers that tural will need and will prosper under. they believe in him, even if he tends to be more realistic compared to his sister. they admire his dedication to those he cares for and the legacy of his father. it's a burden that weighs as it should. there's also....more in how there are vague romantic feelings there. prince and the guardian--red oni, blue oni (vaguely) vibes between them.

6. how did they feel about competing against thancred and urianger?

they didn't mind it + it was kinda fun to be on "opposing" sides for a bit. it was still nice to see them after they had been sparse while eyrie was sick + their stint in the 13th.