#and i have to rely on my own lore dive

[adozentothedawn]

Prelimenary backstory draft for Faeryl (a Seldarine drow):

If I understood my lore dive correctly the seldarine drow are less a subspecies of drow and more a culture group. (Also made up for this game? I couldn't find anything from dnd itself at least) So the idea for now is that she didn't grow up as part of thtat group, but instead was a child of two Lloth-sworn nobles who agreed on a marriage of convenience, which, as is common among the Lloth drow, broke apart again fairly quickly, with Faeryl right in the middle. At some point one of her parents decided that she conspiring against them for the other and she was locked away in a room for multiple years, developing a fear of the dark very uncommon for drow and something she is very emberrassed about.

In an order of events I am not yet sure about she got out and ran away, eventually joining the seldarine with a burning desire for vengeance against Lloth, which eventually led her to the surface and into the service to Lathander. She is struggling with her own motivations between trying to focus on solving her culture's issues with violence and paranoia and also really, really wanting to do unspeakable things to Lloth who she blames for the situation.

[powdermelonkeg]

just saw ur gale/mystra analysis post. im new to the game and dnd lore and honestly… ur take on their relationship feels like the most natural/compelling one??? esp since its all too easy to simplify topics that have many facets and nuance….

thanks for sharing i love analysis and reading people’s takes on narratives : D

My pleasure! (Bee from the future here: congrats, you spawned another meta!)

I love complicated characters, WAY more than I like a clear cut-and-dry case. Flaws, to me, are what make a character compelling and lead to interesting stories about them with choices that can get them into situations. I'm both writing a fanfic and running a campaign where I'm playing as Gale, and in the interest of portraying him properly and in-character, I've gone into SUCH a deep dive into all the decisions and facts that make him him.

It helps to, y'know, also be in love with the fictional wizard, but I digress

The thing about Baldur's Gate 3 is that no character in there is perfect. I've seen a couple analyses about the theme of continuing cycles of abuse vs breaking out of them, but in my mind, in terms of the characters themselves, it goes like this:

The origin characters have just come out of the lowest situation of their lives (Lae'zel being the exception; being tadpoled is a gith's worst nightmare. You're seeing that lowest situation in real time).

Not the lowest point, mind. Gale's lowest was probably the day after he got the Orb. Wyll's was probably the day his father cast him out. Karlach's was the day she lost her heart. But the lowest, accepted normal for them is what they've just left.

They're then thrown out of their depth and forced to rely on you to live. That's #1 priority: living. We get the extremes of these characters before we get their nuances, because they're quite literally at their breaking points.

Then once we get to know them, we see their wants, their hopes, their fears, as they open up to us. Every companion's story is at their own pace, but they all have a moment where they ping-pong between despondency and desire. Sometimes that desire is what we know isn't good for them, like Shadowheart wanting to be a Dark Justiciar. Sometimes that despondency is only for a flicker, like Astarion's realization that he's condemned 7000 people to a half-life of tortured spawnhood for as long as he's been a vampire.

Romance lets us crack all that open more, because if you pursue a romantic partner, they see you as their closest confidant. They WANT to trust you, so they're more willing to explain how they see the world and what decisions they want to chase.

And then their endings. Those often get simplified as good/bad, continuing the cycle vs breaking away from it. But how is Duke Wyll on the same platform as Ascended Astarion? He's not evil, he's not even entirely unhappy. He might even have broken out of his abusive cycle with Mizora, if you played your cards right. And Ascended Astarion is overjoyed, even if he is remarkably more cold.

I think that the endings are less a dichotomy of "this is good for them" vs "this is bad for them," and more one of "bringing out their best traits" vs "bringing out their worst."

Wyll's worst trait is being willing to sacrifice his own wants for whatever people desire of him. His best is standing for what he believes in and ensuring people are safe. Duke Wyll leans into that necessity to turn the other cheek in the name of people who count on him, while the Blade of Avernus has seized that moral compass of his and forged it out of mithral.

Shadowheart's worst trait is blind obedience at the cost of her individuality, while her best is her desire to be kind to things that don't deserve to be hurt. Mother Superior Shadowheart's whole life is defined by Shar. Selûnite Shadowheart's life is defined by her hospitality, especially towards animals.

Karlach's worst trait is how willing she is to accept that things are (to quote her) fucked, letting despair override hope. Her best is her durability in the face of horror. Exploded Karlach would rather die than try to work out a solution in the Hells, because she's terrified of facing Zariel alone. Mindflayer Karlach has accepted her fate and decides to give up her heart and soul to go out a hero, losing who she is. Fury of Avernus Karlach is willing to keep fighting for a solution, and by the time the epilogue happens, she's got her sights set on one.

Astarion's worst trait is his desire for power over people. His best trait is using the tools he has to his advantage. Ascended Astarion has let his powerhungry nature and paranoia lead all of his decisions, with his sights set on dominating mankind. Spawn Astarion has embraced what he is, and carved out a life for himself where he can do as he pleases.

Lae'zel's worst trait is her blind fanaticism, while her best trait is her individual dedication, making her loyalty a marriage of the two. Ascended Lae'zel is a meal for the lich queen, turning a blind eye to all Vlaakith's tried to do to her and literally being consumed by her fervor. Champion of Orpheus Lae'zel has turned her loyalty into something productive for diplomacy. Faerûnian Lae'zel has seized her individuality by the throat and decided her own future.

And then Gale. Gale's worst traits are his hubris and, paradoxically, his low self worth. His best traits are his creativity and wonder for the world. God Gale is the embodiment of ambition, having burned away all but that in pursuit of perfection. Exploded Gale has let his remorse blot out all hope for a redemption in which he does not die, because he thinks he's earned it. Professor Gale leads his life by embracing the school of Illusion and letting his creativity thrive, teaching others to do the same. House Husband Gale has multiple creative projects he's working on, and Adventurer Gale is always finding new sights to see and wanting to share them with you.

There are arguments to be made on which ending the origins are happiest in, certainly, or which one benefits them the most, but each ending represents the extreme of a facet they possess.

So with all that, there's a sort of malleable method to figuring out the ins and outs of a character.

You take their endings—all of them, all variables they can have—and reverse-engineer the flaws and details they carry. Then you start to notice how those work into their approvals for minor things: Astarion approving of your taking of the Blood of Lathander, or Shadowheart approving of standing up for Arabella. Getting a list of approvals and disapprovals is helpful, but having those endings on hand tells you why they react like that to a majority of their decisions.

You take their romance-route explanations of how they act, and apply those to earlier decisions. Astarion's confession to manipulating you and Araj-prompted admittance to using himself as a tool brings to light how he reacts to your decisions, regardless of his actual opinions on them. Wyll's fairytale romance and love of poetic adages speaks to his idealistic nature, and why he takes a sometimes-blinded approach to decisions in which the "right" answer isn't always the smart one.

You take their beginning reactions to stress and use that to measure how future decisions impact them. Lae'zel locks down and gets snappy when she's scared, while Gale immediately turns to diplomacy. Shadowheart has gallows humor, while Wyll turns to quiet acceptance. If they break from these and seem even worse, you know the situation is more dire in their minds than having seven days to live.

And then you factor in all their fun facts and dialogue choices and backstories.

A wizard falls in love with a goddess and her magic, attempts to retrieve a piece of her power for her, is scorned for his attempt and is cursed to die.

Give that backstory to a Tav. Look at how it changes.

A chaotic good wizard fell in love with a goddess, thought retrieving a piece of power for her would be a showy bouquet of love, and was punished for not thinking things through.

A lawful evil wizard fell in love with a goddess's power, snatched the most precious thing she owned, tried to use it to barter his way through to the secrets she kept, and was given a swift retribution.

Same backstory. Same class, same act, same goddess. Wildly different connotations. Wildly different conclusions as to who is in the wrong.

If you take all there is to Gale, all that the game shows us makes up his character, and apply it to this backstory, you get what really happened:

A wizard, enamored with magic, fell in love with a goddess. His desires led him to want more than she was willing to give. In his well-buried fear of inadequacy, he concluded that the reason she wouldn't indulge his ambitions was because he just hadn't proven himself worthy enough. So he tried to prove himself, but he lacked the context for what he was proving himself with. And the goddess, seeing a weapon that had killed her predecessor, saw this ambitious wizard as losing his way and coming for her just like the weapon's creator had. She was angry, she withdrew his link to her, and he didn't know why. So he drew the conclusion that she took his powers to punish him, and let that encompass his fall from grace.

Was he wrong to reach for what was out there?

If you knew that the answers to everything you cared about were not only known, but kept by someone you loved—someone who adored you—what would you do to ask to see them? What if your curiosities were if there were other planets with life out there, or how dark matter worked, or whether or not we could one day travel in the stars? What if it was the potential cure to an illness that's little-understood, or the way to make a program you dreamt up, or the scope of the true limits of your artistic talents? Would your answer change?

Was she wrong to cut him off?

If you were once hurt, and the person you loved—the person who adored you—brought the thing that caused it to your door, believing you'd want it, how would you react to seeing it? What if that thing was someone you thought you'd broken contact with, like a friend or family member you'd been trying to avoid? Would your answer change?

That's the sort of scope that needs to be applied to this, on both sides. You have to take the perspectives of each party, and apply two analogies instead of one.

Gale saw the vastness of the universe, untold wonders, the solution to every question he could ever dream up, and saw Mystra as withholding this from him because she thought he just wasn't worthy enough. To claim Mystra knew his perspective does her a disservice.

Mystra saw a cruel weapon she thought long gone, in the hands of someone who could use it, brought right to her, and thought Gale was willingly following the path of Karsus. To claim Gale knew her perspective does him a disservice.

Should Gale have researched his prize more, so he knew just what he was obtaining? Should he have kept his hands off a cursed book that would devour him? Of course he should have.

Should he have given up on chasing his dreams?

Should Mystra have understood that Gale's pursuit of power was nothing like Karsus'? Should she have communicated when she was angry instead of giving the cold shoulder? Of course she should have.

Should she have given him the benefit of the doubt?

That's the root of their falling out. That's what leads to hurt being inflicted. Understandable, human reactions to the situations they perceive. Unhealthy, unwise choices made afterwards.

You work backwards from this to figure out their dynamic as Chosen and goddess. You work forward from this to understand more of where Gale and Mystra are during the events of Baldur's Gate 3. Gale reached too high, and understands this. His goddess hates him, and he regrets this. Mystra isolated Gale, and understands this. Her Chosen wants redemption, and she wants to make it happen.

Just like we took Gale's character into account, we also have to take Mystra's.

A goddess is faced with a problem. She uses someone who's desperate for approval to solve it, by telling him to kill himself.

An evil goddess is faced with a threat to her reign. She sees someone who's unfailingly loyal and hates himself, and elects to have him tear himself apart rather than do anything about it.

A good goddess is terrified of the future. She sees someone who tried to hurt her, who's going to die anyways, and tells him to use it to save the world.

Same story. Same act, same power, same pawn. Different character. Different perspective. Different outlook on whether or not this is the right thing to do.

Mystra has died, multiple times, to people trying to stake claim to her domain. Someone appears with the very thing that could do it again, right as she's regained her stability.

She does not see mortals the way mortals do. She is timeless. She is eternal. She has a duty to protect billions of people, and one person lost to protect that number is more than worth the sacrifice.

People like to bring up the Seven Sisters as proof of Mystra's cruelty. For those unaware, Mystra asked permission to, then possessed, a woman, used her to court a man (with dubious consent from the woman), and bore seven children, all of whom were capable of bearing Mystra's power as Chosen without dying. The woman she possessed was killed in the process (reduced to no more than a husk, then slain by her now-husband, hoping to end her suffering), and the husband was horrified by the whole story.

Mystra needed Chosen in order to restore herself in the event that she was killed again, to prevent magic as a whole from collapsing and wreaking havoc on the mortal realm, like it had in the few seconds Mystryl had been dead. Elminster, Khelben Blackstaff, and the Seven Sisters contributed to this. The more Chosen she has, the better; what happens if Elminster dies? She can't afford to have all her eggs in one basket.

Mystra has Volo (yeah, that Volo) as a Weave Anchor, imparted with a portion of her power to prevent the Weave from shredding itself to pieces in her absence. All Chosen of Mystra are Weave Anchors by nature. The creation of Weave Anchors was mandated by Ao, the Overgod, and Chosen are the best way to make sure those anchors aren't drained by ambitious people hoping for godlike power. Chosen can, and will, defend themselves, unlike static locations (which Mystra also has). The anchors are why the Weave wasn't completely obliterated during Mystra's last death, when the Spellplague rose up, because they stabilized the Weave around them.

Everything Mystra does is in the name of the big picture, to prevent a catastrophe like the fall of Netheril from happening again. Her restriction of magic, her numerous Chosen, her creation of Weave Anchors, her destruction of those who would claim her power, it's all in the name of the stability she's been charged with. Dornal Silverhand's grief and Elué Silverhand's death, while regrettable, were worth it to bring seven more anchors into existence to save all of the Material.

So someone appears with the Crown of Karsus, potentially powerful enough to try to kill the other gods in the name of the Dead Three. She can't risk being a target of them. She can't risk the destruction of magic again.

Gale is going to die. He lives in fear. He begs for forgiveness.

In Mystra's eyes, she's offering him the best outcome. She'll let him die in service to her, to save Faerûn, and she'll forgive him. He's going to die anyways, and if he does this, she'll give him everything (she thinks) he could ever want in her realm. She's asking him to do what (she thinks) is the right thing.

"She would consider what she considers to be forgiveness."

Notably, she leaves the decision in his hands. She doesn't have Elminster lead him to the Nether Brain. She doesn't activate him as soon as he's there. When he lives yet, she doesn't revoke the charm that keeps him stable. And when he declines, when he lets it go and starts pursuing Karsus' path, she doesn't smite him on the spot.

She is (she thinks) being incredibly patient. If Gale is going to try to be Karsus II, she's ready for him. If he decides to walk off and keep the Orb, he's dug his own grave in the Fugue Plane (those who don't have a god to claim them roam endlessly as husks and form a wall of bodies around the City of Judgement).

From her perspective, she's not being unreasonable. But from the perspective of a mortal, she absolutely is.

"Now, I have a question for thee: what is the worth of a single mortal's life?"

This is a question she cannot answer properly.

I think a lot of characterization is lost whenever someone paints one of them as being totally in the right. But I also think you have to be invested in them as characters to want to see that characterization. If you want to write about Mystra, you have to try to get into her head, analyze the decisions she made, figure out why she thinks she was right, and follow the pattern.

Gale's sacrifice is a very predictable thing for her to ask for.

[ecargmura]

Tadaima, Okaeri Episode 2 Review - Yukku and Hi-kun

I feel like I am way too hyper fixated on this show to the point that I listened and watched the opening song throughout the entire last week. The first episode was cute and now, the second episode, is also cute. It’s mainly family slice-of-life in an omegaverse setting. The slice of life feels more notable in the first half of the episode where it feels like vignettes of Yuuki befriending Hikari and becoming the baby’s unofficial older brother and Masaki’s unofficial little brother in a way.

I’ve been snooping around Youtube reactions and social media and some people had been wary of Yuuki when he was introduced in the ending of the first episode. I was legit shaking my head at their comments because Yuuki is the opposite of his first impression and legitimately a fan-favorite character in the fanbase. Like, the readers really liked him to the point that he even got his own romance subplot with Matsuo. The subplot between them is even evident in the opening where they are shown together.

But yeah, Yuuki’s a great character. He’s gloomy and anti-social, but he’s proof that Hikari’s innocence can melt even the coldest of hearts. He never had friends growing up, but the Fujiyoshi family become his friends, which is sweet. Hiromu even pointed out that they sudden have a big kid in their atmosphere now. Masaki gets attached to Yuuki because he had reminded him of his old self where he was supposed a lot more self-deprecative and even rejected Hiromu’s confession when the latter had confessed to him in the past. Hikari’s attachment to Yuuki seems to be that he likes people with Masaki’s aura in a way? Like Masaki and Yuuki are similar in vibes, but Masaki’s a lot happier as he has a family. There’s a reason why Hikari doesn’t like Matsuo despite knowing him longer; the baby is almost two and he already has a preference. If you’re wondering, Yuuki is a Beta, so he’s not affected by an omega’s pheromones compared to Hiromu who’s an Alpha; Matsuo is also an Alpha. Also, notice how Yuuki isn’t really as shy or withdrawn as he was with Hikari or Masaki when Matsuo is around him.

The second half of the episode dives into more of the omegaverse lore as Masaki goes into heat and is out the whole day. This means Hiromu has to watch Hikari by himself, so he has to enlist the help of Matsuo and Yuuki who visited out of worry. As Yuuki and Hikari play around, the three discuss about heats and how it’s hard to deal with even for omegas themselves. It’s even harder for the Fujiyoshi family as they have no one else to rely upon during the heat cycle as Masaki’s parents passed away and Hiromu is estranged from his own. Yuuki does comment how there are a lot of difficulties when marrying those of different sexes as it’d be harder to find someone to rely on. Fortunately, the Fujiyoshi family has Yuuki and Matsuo to rely on during these times now, so that’s good.

It was heartbreaking to see what Masaki looks like while suffering through his heat. He legit looks haggard, complete with dark circles and such. While the grown-ups understand the gists of the heat cycle and what omegas go through, Hikari thinks Masaki is sick and in pain, which is why he cried a lot harder after seeing him in a rough state. Hikari’s still innocent to the world of omegaverse which is why his mind comprehends things a bit differently than adults. Also, it was interesting to see how Hiromu reacted to Masaki’s heat as it is the first time the heat cycle is shown in animated form. I think it’s animated well as an omega’s heat reacts to an alpha’s instincts, which was what happened with Hiromu. Also, I do like that while this story is an omegaverse one, the verse lore is present but only when it revolves around the adults. With kids, Hikari exists because of omegaverse logic, but he’s just a normal kid outside of the complexities of the world.

Also, fun fact of the day, Yuuki’s mother is voiced by Yuna Kamakura, who was in Gakuen Babysitters (the character design for Tadaima Okaeri is also the CD of Gakuen Babysitters) as Midori’s mom and she was also in Sasaki and Miyano (the director of TadaOka was the director of SasaMiya) as Sasaki’s sister. I always see her name in the most unexpected places but she seems rather talented because I didn’t recognize her voice at all until I saw her mention her role in a QRT of a post. I do hope she gets that big break because she’s talented!

Speaking of voice acting, I want to praise the voice actors in this episode. They did a really great job here. I did like how Masaki’s voice actor Atsushi Tamaru had a playful tone when he and Hikari were in the supermarket and Hikari wanted to buy milk with his favorite anime character on it. Hiromu’s voice actor, Toshiyuki Morikawa, changes from playful when around Hikari to serious when with others was nice to listen to! Atsumi Tanezaki always makes Hikari be so adorable that it’s crazy how she’s able to produce such a voice. Yuuki and Matsuo’s voice actors did a great job here.

Anyways, this was a cute episode in spite of the somber vibes of the second half due to Masaki’s heat. Hikari is always adorable as heck and I legit gushed during the scene where he was copying everyone by huddling and covering his eyes like them. Next episode will be a bit of conflict as someone seems to come into the picture. While I know who it is, wait and find out next week! What are your thoughts on this episode?

[autisticbokutoenthusiast]

do u have any bokuto timeskip headcanons friend? :>

yes! some of the ones i consider to be foundational to my timeskip bokuto lore since im sleepy:

to preface i am a bokuto lesbian moms believer and i think he is really close with them and continues to rely on them for help navigating his life forever. you will have to pry the way they baby him from me in a fight to the death

he and atsumu are like, the word isnt inverses but theres something about them to me that is the same but different idk, anyway i think theyre friendship is super important to both of them, like theres unspoken understanding between the two of them. soulmateism but for teammates turned friends. one of them has a problem or is experiancing overload the other one already knows and is on it kinda thing. is it realistic? no but i dont care. i think tho, from an outsiders perspective theyre just friendly, or just spend a lot of time together because theyre teammates almost the exact same age, but iykyk.

bokuto to me is someone who can be friends with anyone, but not anyone will be friends with him. i think if you can kick it with someone without prejudice you can kick it with him cause he has a very open heart but not everyone can handle its strength. he is however very genuine with his affection so most people at least get along with him over time if not at first

he is considered a bit of a risk when traveling because of his tendency to wander around paying attention to small details instead of important markers and gets lost

i also think bokuto and aran are best friends because bokuto is practical enough to ease aran's anxiety and aran doesn't hold strangeness against you

i think him and ushijima are work nemesis for a period. why? maybe bokuto retains some of his friendly competition for ushijima from high school and it rubs him the wrong way, maybe bokuto misinterperets ushijima's demeanor as dismissive of him in a way people who dont like him are, who knows, all i know is they one day both decide theyre over it and become ride or die acquaintences like they dont hang out but if you give one of them shit the other with triple homo spike pass you to an early grave

i think bokuto, if he gets upset on the court, is probably gonna get upset at himself, or the lights being a little brighter than he anticipated, or he didn't give the pose he wanted when people took pics on the way in or whatever- when his teammates start yelling at the other team/ref or kicking at the net, hes the one to calmly redirect them to focusing on the next play. all of this to say that if you see him pissed.... its a match for the history books.... im talking turkiye v brazil vnl 2023 vibes- fucking crazy

the little acrobatic tricks he does at the beginning of the jackadlers match is part of my personality. you (furudate) can force me to accept he graduated from university, but you (furudate) will never make me believe he didnt at least try to go to clown school.

he is one of those volleyball players that has your regularly scheduled match/ sponsorship/ travel/ occacional fancams posts but also whatever his current interest is is super obvious because his feed will be broken up by a million posts about cacti or a type of australian spider or a deep dive into every type of cloud or the color blue or something

hes the type of player who gets interviewed midmatch and after throroughly complimenting everyone on court he recounts every point like it has been the highlight of his life- the interviewer is always extremly confused and unsure of how to cut him off

hes also one of the life of the party players- gets a service ace and does a lil victory lap or does tiktok dances from the bench when the camera is on him

also this is slightly less related but bokuto's moms have taken akaashi as one of their own and bokuto gets really upset if they all hangout without him and dont send a selfie of their time together.

i think at somepoint aran explains to him kita's definition of confidence and after that he is better at not shutting down midmatch- he tries to anticipate things he cant anticipate and focus on the parts of the game that remain conistant- but it continues to be hard for him in day to day life- in fact id say that the older he gets the harder time he has

he and kuroo text everday- about everything and nothing- but they continue to be besties

i mean this seriously i think he can dabble in drag as a treat

i think he has to balance being himself and being loved for it and being aware of the ways people negatively perceive him...

everyone assumes he is a pr teams worst nightmare but actually that honor goes to sakusa, but bokuto will help him with it

im too sleepy now but thank you for asking!!

[kalmiaphlox]

OC Deep Dive

thank you for the tag @teamdilf!

I'm so excited for this because now I really get to flesh out my newest OC, Hircine Zau'viir!

tagging @pinkberrytea, @roguishcat, @khywren, @busy-baker and @preciouslittlebhaalbae if you would like to answer any of these :)

What common/uncommon fear do they have?

Hircine's more 'normal' fear is of losing her family. She relies on them heavily as they are all she really knows since outside of the mines they run and their estate, she's never been far from them. A more uncommon fear? While she is morbidly interested in eldritch lore and the far realms, she is deathly afraid of ever actually encountering anything from those realms.

Do they have any pet peeves?

She hates when others don't speak their mind. It irritates her that someone might hold back from what they want, but she would also never push someone to do more than they are comfortable with. Its a never-ending cycle.

What are 3 items you can find in their bedroom?

A folding fan, earrings in the shape of bastard swords and a few blankets to wear around her shoulders,

What do they notice first in a person?

Their posture. Do they stand tall and proud, or are they someone that shrinks in on themselves when being spoken too?

On a scale from 1-10, how high is their pain tolerance?

Like a 2 or 3. Hircine is a noble lady who hasn't experienced much 'hardship' in her life. She doesn't like to receive or give physical pain.

Do they go into fight or flight mode when under pressure?

Fight. She has small dog syndrome and has no issue telling someone what's what - up until the first blow is thrown of course. Hircine doesn't like to get hurt and will give up quickly if things get physical.

Do they come from a big family/are they a family person?

Hircine is one of five, and along with their parents, they are all very close. She has no interest in having a large family herself though, seems like a lot of work.

What animal represents them best?

An irritable, tired cat. She want's to do whatever she wants to do and not be interrupted by other people.

What is a smell they dislike?

The stagnant air of the mines. She scents all her fans so she has something to enjoy throughout the day.

Have they broken any bones?

Nope.

How would a stranger likely describe them?

Cold and disinterested.

Are they a night owl, or morning bird?

Night owl on account of being a sun-sensitive drow, but she is a very light sleeper and tends to rise early.

What’s a flavor they hate and a flavor they love?

Loves: Berries and chocolates Hates: Mushrooms

Do they have any hobbies?

Researching eldritch artifacts that are recovered in the mines her family owns. Also dancing/swords dancing. As eilistraeans, its a very common hobby for them but she's well versed in all kinds of dances.

Boom, surprise birthday party! How do they react to surprise?

She's always gracious, and very thankful to whoever went through the effort to throw her a party (normally her father or youngest brother). Hircine doesn't really care to be the center of attention though.

Do they like to wear jewellery?

Hircine wears earrings and occasionally when dancing will wear bangles. Hates necklaces.

Do they have neat or messy handwriting?

Neat script. Other people normally have to read her handwriting for business contracts so she is conscious of how she writes.

What are the two emotions they feel the most?

Primary emotion: Burnt out / exhausted Secondary: Excitement at learning more about the far realms when she has free time

Do they have a favourite fabric?

Silk, she's a lady of luxury after all.

What kind of accent do they have?

Whatever Mia Farrow and Voice 8 from BG3 sounds like mixed together. Vaguely british?

[slythereen]

apologies if you’ve answered this before or if there’s not really a specific gathered resource, but you seem knowledgeable about such things!— i am interested in learning more about f1 racing, do you have any recommendation for where to find a beginners guide/‘f1 for dummies’/place to begin learning more?

hello!!! i am also rather new to the sport and had to consume massive amounts of content from all over the place and frankly am still learning a lot all the time, so i'm not exactly an expert. what i can share are resources i relied on in my own ✨ descent into madness ✨ though !

so, my incomplete and questionable guide to selling your soul to f1:

it's all about how you like to learn and consume media tbh. i tried to watch a race initially, was confused, regrouped and started exploring. personally i watched all of dts up to the current season and then watched the first few races that i had missed while obsessively trawling twitter to learn more and waiting for my first live race (aka australia this year — massive rip). but it's up to you how you dive in!!

drive to survive

don’t get me wrong, dts has its issues — they invent drama, have some misleading portrayals, like to splice together clips from different race weekends together. it’s definitely more of a creative project than a straight up documentary. 

that being said, it also explains a lot of the lore and history behind the sport, teams, and drivers in an entertaining fashion. it’s newcomer friendly so it explains the rules. yes, will buxton gets a lot of heat for stating the obvious, but some of those obvious explanations are helpful for the clueless. 

there are also a lot of very cool shots and some good exclusive interviews that they get. sure, you can probably find them clipped on youtube, but may as well just watch dts. the first season is a little slow if you’re like me and want to see charles immediately (worth noting not all teams had agreed to participate s1), but that’s just me. 

(plus: it’s entertaining. i live for drama. just take said drama with a grain of salt and assume it’s probably invented or blown out of proportion.) 

the tiktok girlies 

again: tiktok can be a bit hit or miss. you’ll see a lot of bad takes and pure cringe if you linger too long on f1 tiktok. but i started watching content from a few f1 girlies who seems reliable and had friendly introductory content. they’re generally very nice and happy to answer questions. 

after a while i stopped watching them just because i no longer needed the intro information or explanations, but they did help fill in gaps and point out some of the inaccuracies of dts. 

some who helped me learn more:

@/lissiemackintosh (okay she's an f1 presenter but she's cool as shit i love her queen of the paddock etc etc)

@casxf1 (intro content is sort of her Thing)

@formula_dev (she was my go-to girlie for learning)

@f1toni

f1tv content 

i am pretty sure f1tv isn’t available in all countries, but i have always watched races through f1tv. there are a lot of ways to watch races live illicitly if that’s what you prefer, and other countries have sky or other channels they can watch on (USA also has espn), but i prefer f1tv because i’m too lazy to find streams and don’t want to worry about stream issues mid race. 

plus: f1tv comes with a whole archive of past seasons and a host of other media content during race weekends (ie, the fia press conferences on thursday, post-quali and post-race). they have a tech talk series that explains some of the technical aspects, do weekend warm-ups each race weekend that gives an update/context, and have been adding more intro content on the platform. there’s an app, which is convenient. 

the f1tv stream also allows you to use the channel switcher to choose between your commentary options (f1tv or sky’s commentators), or to see the live timing data, or to see any of the driver onboards. it’s quick and you can switch back and forth easily. (if your computer can handle it — my mac often can’t — you can use multiviewer with your f1tv subscription to set up a bunch of different screens and panels to watch, for example, the main stream and a driver’s onboard. or multiple onboards. or whatever you want basically. personally i usually put the race on my ipad and the onboard on my phone, because that streams perfectly and multiviewer likes to kill my laptop.) 

the downfall of f1tv is that they don’t have a smart tv app yet. idk why. it’s very irritating. it also might be a bit expensive to some, but i think it’s worth it. 

f1 twitter (hell)

it’s a minefield out there. truly. BUT my next big question, after starting to get into watching races live and watching some old seasons and learning how it works, is how people seemed to always be in the know about paddock gossip. i wanted to know about it as it was happening and see the ~drama~ unfold live and feel like i was part of the season actually occurring. 

so: twitter. follow your teams, follow your drivers, the for you tab is actually your friend here because it’ll bring new journalists and f1 commentators into your orbit as you learn who is who. some of the big driver fan pages operate as sources of information and updates with relative stealth if not immediate updating. 

at this point i follow enough people (and have infected my algorithm enough) that i tend to see gossip and updates across most of the teams. big news tends to get shared by everyone anyway. 

if you prefer tumblr, you can still get A Lot of updates on drama and gossip pretty quickly. there is a bit of a delay between information hitting twitter and information hitting tumblr (partially because none of the official teams or drivers have accounts on tumblr; partially because of the amount of people on f1twt versus f1blr). BUT, a lot of us tumblr girlies liveblog during the races and sessions and bring any crucial content over from twitter to share here, so the info will probably be here eventually/soonish. (following the race tags each weekend will prob give you a lot of the quick updates live.) 

some great charles specific update accounts

@leclercsletters

@leclercdata

@/charlsleclerc

@cleclercfansuk

others i follow for the 🍵 (not necessarily CL fans/i follow some ppl i disagree with for the intel) 

@fiadocsbot (😭) / @f1 / other official accounts press etc. 

@_allthatglitz

@maranellosaint

@scuderiafemboy (actually also has tumblr)

@fm1_3316

@/lecstappens

@candeleclerc16

@/elpredestinato

@formuleo_

@pikaclerc

@leclerqz

@fottitiferrari

@/f1tami

@/htrs4piastri

@estestroll

@fanaticsferrari

there are certainly more i see on my timeline all the time !!! this is just skimming through my following on the train 😭

tbh if i started trying to list tumblrs with hot takes that i follow we might be here all day. note to self: make my following list public lmfao

introductory posts & masterlists & others

full disclosure: these are resources i went hunting for out of curiosity and never actually used myself, but they looked fun and funky so yaknow. if there are iconic masterlists that i am missing, rip, someone please feel free to add or correct me. some of these are definitely seasons of old (aka like last year) but you get the point.

f1chronicle has this guide!

f1 put out their own beginner's guide to f1 video but it's like......5 minutes (and here is their longer intro video for 2023)

this much longer intro to the rules video by school of sports looks promising

apparent f1 also has a whole category of articles in their beginner's guide series

@babssionate's ppt guide to f1 and drivers intro

@shuntedmate's (sister's) ppt beginner's guide to f1

pitwall's beginner guide to f1 ppt

@race-week's guide to getting into the technical side of f1 (and whole blog appears to be some cool info on drivers and histories etc)

here is @lestappenforever's glorious guide to charles' driving style that i re-found while trying to figure out if i have a reference list tag (i dont)

[flowers-of-io]

This Love Is War [Osmium siblings fanmix]

Listen on Spotify

//song list and lore under the cut//

1. Your Bones – Of Monsters And Men (snatched from @cappurrccino​)

This year of wild voyaging, these lightning nights and golden days, these forays into ancient wrecks and windblown flights from monsters: these are the happiest times of my life.

In the spring we made a boat Out of feathers, out of bones We set fire to our homes Walking barefoot in the snow

“We have to dive,” Sathona said, following the whispers of her familiar. “In the world beneath us, in the metallic depths, I hope we may find what we need most...” More time. More life.

All that’s left are your bones That will soon sink like stones

2. Against The Tide – Celldweller (snatched from @xivu-arath​)

When I’m paralyzed by fear, Xi Ro sits in the cabin with me and comforts me with soft, brave words. But more and more we have come to rely on Sathona’s wit.

I feel your grip firm on my shoulder But this fear in my head won't subside They patiently circle around us As we hold out

“We three will die here, in exile. Taox will outlive us. And Aurash, brilliant-eyed Aurash, you will die of old age long before you have proof of your God-Wave, or any way to stop it.”

We’re losing light And strength of will The darkened depths beckoning still And we hold on against the tide

They heard the collision of continents. They heard the patter and the crash of helium-neon rain. They heard the struggles of monsters. And they heard the distant groan of the ocean rising. Tugged by distant moons. “The syzygy is real...” Sathona hissed. “It’s already begun.”

The ending that we knew would come Has finally begun

We ask one thing in exchange, oh Princes. You must obey your nature forever. In your immortality, Aurash, you may never cease to explore and inquire, for the sake of your children. In your immortality, Xi Ro, you may never cease to test your strength. In your immortality, Sathona, you may never abandon cunning.

You’re reaping what you’ve sown You’re reaping what you’ve sown

3. This Is Love – The Hunts (snatched from @xivu-arath​)

Your ancestors endured the most hostile conditions. And now you must go on creating those conditions. Even unto your sisters. Even unto your offspring. Savathûn’s betrayal is the greatest gift she could offer you.

This is love, this is war This is not about revenge or what I felt before This is love, this is more

4. Sound of War – Tommee Profitt ft. Fleurie

At your back like a loaded gun And the night has just begun Steady now, breathe, breathe

You are dead, young Auryx. Betrayed and murdered by your own sister, for the crime of mercy.

Hold your breath Close your eyes Turn your ear to the sky You’re not safe here anymore This is the sound of war

5. Run Baby Run – The Rigs

I killed my sister today. […]

Savathûn and her broods have liberated the Qugu from jaw-beasts, and indeed from existence. But as they chased the Qugu ark-ships, I stopped in to vaporize my sister’s warship and a few of her underlings. I want to dwell on the ruins a while, and punish Savathûn for failing to guard her flank.

Love can’t protect you now The love that I can’t feel It’ll only break you down

So wait Keep your heart inside My hands won’t keep it safe I’ll just feed on dreams and Smile as hope slowly dies

6. This Is Love – Air Traffic Controller

Brother Auryx, said SAVATHÛN, do not forgive my betrayal. Instead, take vengeance upon me for what I did at the dry moon! And AURYX made war on her, in worship of the Deep. Between them stood XIVU ARATH saying, stop, or I will kill you, war is mine and I am strongest. [...]

Such was their love.

Yeah, I know wrong, I know right But I just love to pick a fight I can sleep with one eye open If there’s any sleep at night

I got my knife, got my gun Let’s see how fast you can run You might think that you can hurt me But the damage has been done

7. We Have It All – Pim Stones

Oryx looks at her and for a moment, just a moment, he is nostalgic, he is sentimental. He thinks, imagine the years behind us, the things we’ve done. And yet being old doesn’t feel like a scar, does it? It hasn’t left me dull. I feel alive, alive with you, and every time I step back into this world from my throne I feel like I’m two years old again, at the bottom of the universe, looking up.

Our hearts we have sold For diamonds and gold But hey, baby, take a look We have it all

Hear me Can you hear me? I am calling out to you for the last time

8. We Must Be Killers – Mikky Ekko

I’m walking down the road, I’m going to the orrery to talk to my dad, and I hear, well, I hear this noise, so I look back. And my sisters are behind me, and they’re ripping up the road. They’ve got these huge swords, execution swords, and they’re levering the stones out of the road. The stones are covered in writing. They’re like tablets. And there’s dirt underneath full of worms.

I woke up, I was stuck in a dream You were there, you were tearing up everything But we all know how to fake it, baby And we all know what we’ve done

“Where are my sisters?” Aurash shouts. “What have you done with my people? What have you done?”

We must be killers Children of the wild ones Killers Where we’ve got left to run?

9. Bottom of the River – Delta Rae

I love mighty Xivu more than a moon loves the tide. I’ll kill her for this. Over and over, forever and ever.

Hold my hand Oh, baby, it’s a long way down to the bottom of the river Hold my hand Oh, baby, it’s a long way down, a long way down

10. Krigsgaldr – Heilung (rec by @knightscendant​)

I think that Savathûn and Xivu Arath are trying to steal the tablets from me. They must have cut off my tribute while I was away communing with the Deep. I love them so dearly. No one else is clever or strong enough to try to break me. No one else can give me this gift.

I let the blade do the talking So my tongue shall become iron And my words the mighty roar of war

Oryx my Brother is the bravest thing I know. Upon Fundament he learned that we were the natural prey of the universe, the most frail and desperate of things. He thought about this carefully and he found a way to fix it. He made us strong. He will lead us into eternity. Oryx my Brother loves me and this love is war.

Beloved brother enemy I sing my sword song for you The lullaby of obliteration So I can wake up with a smile And bliss in my heart And bliss in my heart And bliss in my heart

11. I Love You… I’ll Kill You – Enigma (snatched from @knightscendant​)

I think joy and sorrow will be the same thing soon. Like love and death.

Look into the mirror of your soul Love and hate are one in all Sacrifice turns to revenge and believe me You’ll see the face who’ll say: I love you, I'll kill you But I’ll love you forever

So I start eating my dad. I bite huge pieces out of him and I claw him up. I eat his legs and I eat his arms and I eat his goggles and his eyes and he says, good, good, this is majestic and true. But my sisters are still tearing up the road so I don’t know how to get back.    

Loneliness, I feel loneliness in my room

12. Thanatos – Soap&Skin (snatched from @xivu-arath​)

“I have a gift for you,” says Oryx. Savathûn, Witch-Queen, looks at him with dry wariness.

Watch the bend of my wandering Of hunting with the lightning gun

She looks back at him with eyes like hot needles. “I like that,” she says. “That’s elegant.” Although of course she has had this thought before.

Torn open tomb I fell in your Cold fission bomb I fell in your war

13. Just Beneath the Flames – Digital Daggers (snatched from @cappurrccino​)

“I don’t have a strict proof yet, you know.” Savathûn strokes the void with one long claw and space-time groans beneath her touch. “This thing we believe — that we’re liberating the universe by devouring it, that we’re cutting out the rot, that we’re on course to join the final shape — I haven’t found a strict, eternal proof. We might yet be wrong.”

We were kings and queens of bedlam We were happy to exist In discomfort we’d created Though we dreamed of more than this

I am reminded of my home. I am reminded of the warmth of the sun and the embrace of my family. I am reminded of my father’s face. I am reminded of everyone I betrayed. All the blood spilled in the name of immortality. The warmth of the sun burns me with its memory.

We’re at a stalemate, Begging for the earth to shake Wondering if the winds will change And blow us all away We are in the dark age Tell me it was worth the pain

14. Love and War – Fleurie

(I have a fic about this!)

Do you know the last time I spoke with my brother? It was just before you killed him. I told him he would die. And he said, “I am always glad to die.”

In life, in love, this time I can’t afford to lose For one, for all, I'll do what I have to do You can’t understand, it’s all part of the plan

Broken pieces of the night Sing like hollow lullabies You and I, always in disguises

15. Lanterns Lit – Son Lux

Memory rushes in Then washes you away I am losing you to the sea

If you had a single flaw You just could not last forever, could you? You just could not last for me

16. King’s Descent – Destiny 2: The Witch Queen Original Soundtrack

And so I look upon her today, my Witness, absent a brother. Loss—true and consequential loss—is new to her palette, but she hides her distaste for the bitter well. […]

“Congratulations, then? I suppose after so many eons of killing one another to build your strength, his final end must feel like quite the accomplishment. No more must your wits dabble against his play-mortality. Now, only matters of consequence will occupy your precious time.”

17. I Am Stretched on Your Grave – Sinéad O’Connor

“Those two killed each other about a million times over, but she dedicated a temple to him. Eh, it’s funny how that works.”

And with you in your cold grave I cannot sleep warm

So I am stretched on your grave And I’ll lie here forever If your hands were in mine I’d be sure they would not sever

18. Wave Your Flags – PHILDEL

What do I do? What do I do? Here in the darkness with you With you?

Have you hid enough? Camouflaged yourself from love Hard to make it stop Hard to slow what’s speeding up

19. Cover Me – Black Math

Impress me with your silence I'm hanging on your eyelids As we softly stir the violence

[Xivu Arath, hear me.] [You are war, and I conjure you with war and blood.] [A gift for my favorite sister.]

And if I cover you Say you will cover me

20. Beautiful Crime – Tamer

I have to make an end so we begin To save my soul at any cost

We fight every night for something When the sun sets, we’re both the same Half in the shadows Half burned in flames

“It might surprise you to hear, but everything my siblings and I have done has been for each other. […] You’d do anything for your family, chosen or otherwise. Go to any lengths to avenge them.”

Take what you need, say your goodbyes I give you everything This darkness is the light This darkness is the light

21. Edge Of The World – Within Temptation (rec by @starlunakitsube​)

“Siblings, bonded by cosmic fate, forever orbiting one another like binary stars... Mara reminds me of my sister. She’s afraid. Holding on so tightly because she can’t bear to lose one more thing... But we all have to let go.”

Cannot carry you, carry you, carry you now The truth can’t bare the sunlight You’re afraid for the day it does

I’m gonna run to the edge of the world Run to the edge of the world Feel that I’m gonna get home if I try

22. Love in the Dark - Adele

Please, stay where you are Don’t come any closer Don't try to change my mind I'm being cruel to be kind

“When I am separated from my worm, I'll be separated from Xivu Arath too. And then my sister will be alone. The last of us.”

It is the world to me That you are in my life But I want to live and not just survive

That’s why I can’t love you in the dark It feels like we’re oceans apart There is so much space between us Maybe we’re already defeated

“But as much as I care for her... I cannot stay like this.”

Everything changed me And I don’t think you can save me

23. What Have You Done – Within Temptation feat. Mina Caputo

I know I’d better stop trying You know that there’s no denying I won’t show mercy on you now

“The attacks against the Blind Well have become stronger lately.” “Is Xivu Arath trying to rescue Savathûn?” “Xivu Arath has plans for her sister. They do not involve a rescue.”

Would you mind if I killed you? Would you mind if I tried to? ‘Cause you have turned into my worst enemy You carry hate that I don’t feel It's over now, what have you done?

24. Silent Running – Hidden Citizens

It leads into a recounting of Savathûn: banished, branded as heretic and set to burn. […] She is still hunted by the hounds of war. Her pursuer has no local story to recount here, for it is yet to be written in blood.

Can you hear me? Can you hear me running? Can you hear me running, can you hear me calling you?

[flurrin]

RE6 Deep Lore Analysis: Prologue

Welcome to my series where I pick apart a 10+ years old game frame by frame to analyze the storytelling, cinematography, characters and of course additional Lore to fill in the gaps that either don't exist or are poorly conveyed. I'm doing this because the game is often dismissed for being convoluted and too far removed from the Resident Evil series in terms of mechanics. These things are true and it's very much an imperfect game! But the story has a lot of brilliance that goes unrecognized and I want to dive in how the whole thing works, both to new players and to those already enmeshed in the universe. To read the series in order, go here!

Great shot to open the story on, a regular chrysalis thriving in an abandoned car, transforming into something new. We don't get to see anything beautiful like a moth or butterfly unfurling its wings for the first time, we see the insect, and then we cut away as disaster strikes. This obviously foreshadows the use of cocoons as enemy mechanics, and for Leon's campaign in particular, the lack of signs of surviving human life (including over the preceding establishing shots of a fiery city block filmed through the windows of the car) really set the mood.

I don't know if this was the shot that spawned RE's love of 1st person intros later seen in RE3R (not counting 7 because the entire game is 1st person) but it's an impressive bit of camera work, paring down the controls of the game so the player doesn't even have a body per se to control yet, just eyes and interaction commands (the interaction commands + QTEs themselves are...a little bit of a mess gameplay-wise for sure). We don't know this is Ada or that she's actually shooting at the zombies around Leon and not at him and Helena, so there's an active threat without having to push the player into combat right away.

RE6 is excellent at transition shots, here the gun is highlighted by the helicopter and thrown into the foreground of the next shot so your brain has realigned to recognize this is the POV character seamlessly. This is like a really basic shot, I'm going to show you some CRAZY animated camera tricks later, but it's good to keep in mind that the director knows what he's doing and is doing it well. This shot, this sequence, is also a perfect encapsulation of Leon's character as described in the very first game file. Leon protects the innocent, no matter the risk. He frames Helena, big and square and determined.

Helena being injured in this sequence also aids the tutorial's method of paring down the controls into something simpler, carrying her encumbers Leon, multiplayer doesn't exist yet. It also gives the player immediate stakes to worry about--someone is relying on Leon, and he cares, so the player cares too. We also first learn Helena is self-sacrificial through these extra interactions that don't get a chance to show up in the final game.

The purpose of this kind of hair in character design is to make a character's eyes, and therefore emotions, harder to read (this will be significant again when we talk about Jake later btw). Leon has a lot of baggage from RC and he feels it a lot, but he plays things close to the chest and hides behind his hair. In this way, even though he's a familiar protagonist, he feels almost as mysterious as Helena at the start, giving them an instant reason to connect.

RE6's answer to fixed camera angles is to still frame things cinematically rather than just for the benefit of the player. It's not a great approach to gameplay but thankfully in this one, Leon course corrects on his own and you just have to hold the buttons.

The camera is alive and active through these shots as they fall onto the glass, Leon's body framing the zombies below until they're clear to see beyond the edge of the cracks, a moment of peace before they look up, and the eye follows the path that the ornate light fixture is about to follow and crush them. They're trapped in by the circle of glass and the edges of the lantern.

I will say I hate the last shot of this prologue because the one that opens the game proper is essentially the same exact shot and it always throws me off, the first time I played I was like "Wait, what happened to the giant spire thing we were just standing next to, how are we in a college now". But it was an intentional choice at least to make the transition into the first chapter a lot smoother, I get that.

That's all for the prologue, I didn't want to cover this entire post in "the cinematography is so good here", but as we go through the cutscenes, be sure to keep your eyes on how the lines of the scene (such as Leon's gun and the tiles in the background of that last screencap) line up with the character's eyes to bring your attention there. Everything in the prologue is meant to build up intrigue so there's very little story and I'll talk less about cinematography going forward, but if you want a really good breakdown on what makes a good shot, I can't recommend this case study on Brad Bird's Incredibles enough. See you next time!

[otome-mondays]

Olympia Soiree Review 🤍

Spoiler alert for the review: this is my favorite otome I have ever played. I had been looking forward to the release ever since it was announced and my poor friends had to deal with me making speculations and predictions about the game for months on top of all my kpop and other interests facts and news. Before we start, please note that this game goes over a lot of heavy topics. Trigger warnings for racism, SA, abuse, death, bigotry in general, and some Christianity talks for this game.

Spoilers Ahead

Olympia Soiree is centered around Byakuya, an orphan from an island where all her family and friends have died from an incident years ago. In this world, people are separated by what color they present with into different groups. So yeah welcome to learning about racism and classism. Byakuya, as the last one of the white group, must marry somebody now that she is 18. She has the privilege of choosing whoever she wants on Tenguu Island, whereas most people are limited to those within their class caste. For instance somebody from the red group could marry somebody from the blue group, but they couldn’t marry somebody that’s in a brown or gray group. Byakuya hates the fact that there’s just so much blatant discrimination and wants to focus on making changes while having the pressure of finding a husband in a year. Now, as much as I love this game I do want to point out the common route is extremely long. There is also a recommended route order, and I highly recommend playing in the order I played if you don’t want to have story spoilers or play a less lore focused route later on.

Riku 💙

Riku here is our introductory route! Riku is next in line for the leader of the Blue group and is currently a soldier patrolling Yomi. Yomi is where the “undesired” colors are contained. Riku is a huge stickler for the rules, meaning he does not get along with Byakuya. Riku goes through a lot of character growth throughout his route and I can understand a little bit why he was the way he was at the beginning. His route barely touches on the world of Tenguu Island and the problems they face, unlike the other routes. His route endings were great, I loved them all. I also like how Byakuya isn’t passive in their relationship; she feels less like a blank slate stand-in for the player and more of her own character. I’m honestly going to rate this as 9.5/10.

Amakusa Shirou Tokisada 💚

Time for the baby of the group. I’ll be honest, this route made me the most uncomfortable for a couple of reasons. I’m not the biggest fan of pulling real life people and making them dating sim characters, and Tokisada is an example of this. Tokisada’s route introduces us to the concept of outsiders. Tokisada specifically has been naturalized into the Green and is set to be their next leader. Because of who Tokisada is based off of, the real life Amakusa Shiro Tokisada, he does have Christianity brought up in his route. I do want to make note of this for those it can effect because it is brought up a significant amount of times and pretty in-depth from what I remember. I also am uncomfortable by the fact in-game, this character is 17. When I played his route and most the game, I was the same age as Byakuya so it didn’t bother me as much, but now that I’m older it does bother me a bit more than it did. The endings were pretty good too, but I definitely had to rely on a guide for all of them! The writing in this route was really good too. 8.5/10.

Yosuga 💜

Welcome to the start of the deep dive into Olympia Soiree’s world! Yosuga is this owner os Shikinjou, a bathhouse in Yomi. Unlike the other two routes so far, Yosuga is more of a dependable character. Yosuga’s route is where the game gets even darker and has a lot of angst. This is where the game really starts expanding on the lore we have been given and diving deeper into some of the mysterious of this world. I remember starting to truly fall in love with the writing of this game during this route. Yosuga also has some brutal endings, as well as a great good ending. 9/10.

Kuroba 🖤

Ok this one is really rough but is a great route. I’ll be honest, even though I was excited for this route I was also incredibly nervous because i wasn’t too sure how well the game could properly tackle racism. Thankfully my concerns were disproven as I played. The writers not only talked about racism in a fairly respectful way from what I remember, they also dive into talking about sexism too. They also weren’t brushed off as a “ok that happened but let’s pretend it didn’t,” rather they were treated with the proper response of yeah that’s not ok and traumatizing. Kuroba’s route focuses more on the fictional disease of Haku as well, so it’s definitely one of the heavier routes. If anything, the only thing I’d really complain about is how wild his bad endings were? This route also took me a bit longer because of tough topics mentioned previously. I still really enjoyed it though, 8.5/10.

Himuka 🩶

Welcome to oh my god the lore. This route is only unlocked until you finish the first four routes. Now, admittedly it has been a while since I looked to see people’s opinions on this game, but I remember when it first came out and for a while Himuka was not very well liked. I’m not sure about that now though. Himuka is the current undertaker of Tenguu Island, and his route is locked until you complete the first four above. Himuka’s route goes more in detail about Byakuya’s home, the people of her color group, and the religion the people of the island participate in. There’s huge lore reveals here in this route, so I’m kind of glad it’s locked until you get through those first four routes. I genuinely loved this route and it’s honestly my most enjoyed route in an otome game as of writing. 10/10.

Akaza ❤️

The final route…we made it everybody. So Akaza’s route was another I was worried for. I haven’t had the best track record with enjoying final routes at this point, and after my most anticipated route I was so worried his route would fall flat for me. Yet again, I have been proven wrong by this game. Akaza’s route is locked until you play through Himuka’s route, and for good reason. This is where we finally finish solving the last unanswered questions of Olympia Soiree. I’m a little disappointed by the lack of Akaza really being present for his route, but he is such a great character with an otherwise amazing route that I’ll let it slide. 9.5/10.

Overall Thoughts 🤍

The amount of love I have for this game cannot be put into words. I might be really biased in my rankings, but based off my enjoyment of this game I truly believe these rankings are deserved. Somethings I really appreciated while playing this game was the music and the art. I normally enjoy the art of the Otomate titles I play, but this art was stunning. I also enjoyed the touch of having a sprite for Byakuya, I wish more otome did this. At first I was wary about it, but I loved it while playing. The only major gripe I have that I haven’t stated yet is the ungodly amount of flashbacks to the same 3 or so scenes. I probably have the voice lines memorized for life now. I highly recommend following the Riku -> Tokisada -> Yosuga -> Kuroba -> Himuka -> Akaza route order for optimal experience. 9.5/10.

Now for rankings, this is another hard game to rank for me since I truly enjoyed it all.

Route: Himuka > Akaza > Riku > Yosuga > Kuroba > Tokisada

LI: Himuka > Yosuga > Riku > Akaza > Kuroba > Tokisada

Resources 📝

Once again, I used Otome Kitten’s walkthroughs to help me with this game. I also looked through Blerdy Otome’s review and the community on the otomegames subreddit.

[gffa]

hey there! i don’t know if you’ve already been asked this already, but i just saw your post about ‘what’s the niche sw lore that you know back and front, mine’s the in-universe calendars and such, since they don’t know about yavin’

…and, like, oh my gosh. for the last couple months i’ve wanted to write a sort of long, backstory fic about mon before andor, and i’m… struggling, as i have absolutely no idea what to use as a marker for years and dates and such, especially since it isn’t the easiest thing to search on google, and bby isn’t something she would know about at the time.

if it‘s not too much trouble, where could i find out more about these in-universe calendars/could you explain it/them? as a new ish fic writer, i’d honestly be forever in your debt lol

Hi!  So, this sent me on a bit of another deep dive down some rabbit holes as best as I could and while I’ve covered Coruscant Reckoning Calendar years in this post, there is still a bit more I can offer. So, the thing about Star Wars lore is that there are multiple continuities and we, as fans, absolutely should take what we want from each of them or none of them, carve out the juicy bits, and measure what’s canon in our hearts.  But there’s a difference between what a given continuity/canon has taken into account versus that fans aren’t beholden to the same rules, so!  I suggest you just do what’s right for your fic, whether that’s sticking to the Andor continuity, mixing and matching, or rejecting it all to substitute your own worldbuilding. That said, here’s what The Clone Wars shows us: In the episode “Deception”, when Rako Hardeen is going back to his room, there are posters on the walls along the way, including one for a Sy Snootles concert:

Cleaned up image is from the trivia gallery on starwars.com.  Bottom row’s translation of Aurebesh translation from Wookiepedia: “FRI–SAT 12–4“ (Supposedly, there’s also a mention of “Fri” on a poster in the background of “Missing in Action”, but I haven’t found it and I’ve been down this rabbit hole long enough.  It’s another poster, though, so consider it in the same vein as this one.) WHICH MEANS:  They apparently use Mon / Tues / Wen / Thurs / Fri / Sat / Sun in the GFFA.  Are these abbreviations for “Friday” and “Saturday”?  Or is the GFFA version just “I’m going to a concert this Fri”?  (Supplementary material says “Friday”, including Rebel Journal by Ezra Bridger using the full word.) Probably it makes more sense to use “Friday” (posters abbreviating for space’s sake makes perfect sense), but I kinda like the twee-ness of “Fri”, it feels sufficiently ridiculous enough to be Star Wars.  I love when SW is ridiculous, okay!! So why do you see “Taungsday” or “Centaxday” in fic a lot?  Because there’s another calendar called “Galactic Standard Calendar” that was used in Legends and has been mentioned in Star Wars: Build the Millennium Falcon for Disney/Lucasfilm canon, but I would be super hesitant to call that hard canon. (Wookieepedia includes it, which I think is fair!  Just that I personally would not rely on such a source to be consistent with other SW media in the Disney/Lucasfilm continuity.  But it can be very useful if you’d rather go with the five-day week that the Galactic Standard Calendar establishes, though, it doesn’t match up with the posters we see in TCW.) One thing that’s going to cause a snarl:  If that “12–4 “ on the poster means 12/4 as in December 4th, then the way the dates are written is different from how they are on the C.R.C. post, which was “7956.901.3“ (which works out to be November 25th or October 27th, if you follow the math on that first linked post), so maybe they use both “329th day of the year” and “11–25″, “November 25th”. For a Mon story in particular, she’s from Chandrila, which is a Core World, so I would expect that she probably uses the C.R.C., especially given that she’s spent so much of her life on Coruscant from such a young age.  You can just write the numbers or you can use the days/months, if you want, pick whichever feels more natural for your story!  Or mix in the Galactic Standard Calendar info if you want, too!

[xxdr3amsnatchrrxx]

Regarding Snaxter

i feel like making a somewhat important post. tbh this is sort of just me looking back on the entire au and remembering all story stuff with it that i feel like sharing and also wanting to answer question that nobody asked. sorry for any spelling issues, im pretty sleepy rn.

this is a long post so strap in.

so i think its best to start this post off with just detailing what the story of snaxter was going to be through four different remakes of the drafts.

funni divider here

Original Story

original snaxter story was going to be a murder mystery arg blog where it was the readers job to figure out who killed filbo fiddlepie. scrapped due to me not being able to keep up the drawings for the blog. also because i couldn't think of a way to implement it correctly. this version also was why i made Zylrr because he was meant to be an antagonist. really disliked him when i first made him to a point i made an alt version of him for just normal bugsnax.

hell here's his first designs because im feeling nice today.

Second version of the story

was going to make it centered around a cult, scrapped due to lack of creativity. also when looking back on both the original and this version of the story there was a lot of ablest story telling that i was unaware of (going off of old chats with an ex bc those are the only source of info i still have on old snaxter)

i think this was also when i started adding other people's oc's. i don't remember that much tho.

Third version of the story

a deep dive into the mental state of kerleb and his entire family. pretty much just a therapy session with body horror much like the original story of bugsnax. scrapped because of said similarity.

also when i chose to make Eggabell somewhat of a mysterious character in the story as she would be just a voice from kerlebs phone for the most part.

Fourth and last version of the story

???? i don't know what was happening at this point, i was so focused on character design and world building that i completely forgot about the story.

i do remember that the ending did involve kerleb's actual dad being the heart of the island. that was honestly the only coherent part of the story.

scrapped entire au due to mental issues getting worse.

another funni divider because im not going into my gallery rn

so i also wanted to give some more context to what will actually be happening to Snaxter as a whole.

Snaxter au isn't dead, i know the post i made before made it seem like that but i was having a severely bad episode at the time.

at best the au is being held off for a bit until i get a better grasp at the whole story telling thing.

knowing how messy it was before i'd DEFINITELY need to redo everything about the lore.

sadly i would have to cut a lot of other people's characters from the story. mostly due to respect of boundaries and also because i want the story to not rely on other people's characters.

i won't work on the au that much, mainly because i'm knee deep in cult of the lamb and my own personal project.

i'm not going to have anyone else work on snaxter for personal reasons as well.

TL;DR for the last bit, Snaxter AU isn't dead, its just the leg and im floofty.

i know nobody likely cares about snaxter anymore but if it pleases those who were interested thats alright with me.

anyways, goodnight gamers. going to either draw or sleep. depends on how i feel.

[devin27]

10/02/2024

Formalities

Customary practice when meeting someone new is introducing yourself and attempting to find common ground or shared interests in the hopes of establishing a bond. As I find my footing with these daily entries, I figured an easy starting point would be some informal introductions. Surface level interests, basic background lore, & a few of my favorite things. The deeper dive into my consciousness, my history, & my philosophies will naturally unfold in due time. For now, let’s start small.

Legally, my name is Edward. Lately I’d been going by Eddie, but I think that was because I was panicking about my youth slipping away & wanted to remind myself of my childhood nickname. Kind of a silly meltdown in retrospect, but I have made peace with aging. Nostalgia is a powerful, albeit deceptive, phenomenon. Clinging to the past only neglects your presence in the present, consequently hindering your future.

Devin is a slight variation of my middle name, simplified & transformed into an alter ego for the purpose of this blog, just in case you were wondering. Alter egos always seemed trivial in nature, but I’ve learned they can be a powerful tool for self discovery & connecting to your innermost self. Analyzing & observing yourself from a third person perspective is a handy skill to tap into.

I was born Monday, October 7, 1996. Being born at the start of the work week is pretty dull, but it does lend itself nicely to structure & order. It’s nice to consider that playing a part in some of the traits I adopted early on in life, like responsibility & punctuality. Predisposition to certain characteristics based on time & location of birth might sound familiar, if you’re into astrology. I was briefly obsessed with it in my early 20’s. The interest has weened quite a bit for me, but I’ll always know my birth chart & what that means to me. (Libra sun, Leo moon, Libra rising for anyone who cares to know.)

Libras are air signs, often associated with freedom, curiosity, & socialization. Even though astrology relies on generic or vague descriptors, I can’t deny the validity when applied to my own identity. I value independence greatly in myself & others, but I also integrate seamlessly into social settings or large group gatherings. Conversations nourish my soul, as I truly crave knowledge & connection to others. You could say I’m an extroverted introvert if you wanted to label me.

My father is latino, a Mexican-American born in September; my mother is black, an African-American born in November. How fitting that I’m sandwiched right between them in October. I never had “together” parents, as I call it. They did co-parent me very well, though. I spent a significant number of weekends with my dad’s side of the family, whether with him or my paternal grandparents. I’m grateful that I was raised between two loving households that exposed me to different cultures & values. It fostered my empathy & understanding of others that would benefit me later in life.

The bulk of my youth was spent at my mom’s, as she was my primary caregiver. Through her I was blessed with a younger sister born in 2000 & a younger brother born in 2003. Later on down the line, in 2012 & 2014, we welcomed two more of my brothers to the family. That’s a story for another day, though. As the oldest sibling, certain characteristics became instinct. Responsibility, compassion, protectiveness, & rationality all accelerated their development within me. Those traits were positively reinforced by my family, & eventually they became a core component of who I was. Reflecting on that is interesting, knowing that if I had been the second or third sibling my life choices might have inverted or altered entirely.

Most of my time growing up was spent reading, writing, & playing video games. It’s not that I was lonely, I just thrived in isolation. Consistently being around siblings led me to cherish the rare lonesome moment. I’ll never forget the time my family was hosting a birthday party for me but couldn’t find me because I was hidden under the dinner table, playing Pokémon on my Gameboy.

Those hobbies stuck with me throughout school. I wasn’t very athletic so outside of a few short lived stints — basketball in 5th grade and soccer in 8th grade — I never joined any sports teams. My hand eye coordination is still pretty lackluster to this day, but I do wish I’d found a physical activity I could have nurtured. Maybe track or cross country would’ve worked out for me. I’ll never really know.

In school, I was the type to make good grades, stay out of trouble, & make the teacher’s lives easier. Not in the -reminding them of the homework they forgot to collect- or -snitching on other classmates- teacher’s pet kind of way, but just the general qualities of respect, responsibility, maturity, intelligence, & consideration that some other kids may have lacked in, at the time. You would catch me in a spelling bee, or submitting poetry & essays to local contests. I guess the closest archetype I really aligned with was a nerd, if I’m being candid.

Socially, things never felt bleak for me, though. The media portrays geeks as social outcasts but that wasn’t my experience. I could (& still can) get along with anyone, from the stoners to the athletes to the preppy student council kids. High school was generally a positive experience for me. (You couldn’t pay me to go back ever again though, let’s be clear.)

As I mentioned previously, video games played a significant role in my upbringing. From PlayStation 1 & 2, to Gameboy & Nintendo DS, an XBox, a Wii, & most recently, a Switch, I had a pretty varied palette. Games like Spyro, Crash Bandicoot, Mario, Zelda, Sonic, Dragon Ball Z, & most significantly, the entire Pokémon franchise, effectively functioned as my first obstacles in life. Action/Adventure based RPGs cultivated a lot of philosophies I would adhere to later on in life. My senses of justice, morality, curiosity, adventure, & wonder in the world all stemmed from the protagonists of these franchises.

The Pokémon universe was my first immersive obsession. I watched the show, played the games, bought the cards, & owned the merchandise. My birthday parties were themed with Pikachu cake & Charmander piñatas. My mom used to recite the original Team Rocket motto with me every morning before school, when I’d watch an episode during breakfast. Those are blissful core memories for me that I cherish dearly. I kept up with the games for awhile, but there’s an ebb & flow that disengages my interest every so often whenever life demands a bit more of my attention. That’s an unfortunate aspect of growing up, but you roll with the punches.

Outside of video games, I loved to read. It started with Dr Seuss books that my mom read for me, then I’d read them to my younger siblings. Then, my Tia Priscilla would gift me books for my birthdays or on Christmas. The Magic Tree House series stands out in my memory, introducing me to a lot of historically intriguing tales, notably King Arthur & the sword in the stone — Excalibur. These books lead to an immense obsession with medieval legends, Greek/Roman mythology, & Egyptian history. From that point on, anything mythological or historical caught my eye.

Movies were foreign to me. The church my mother had us attending four times a week for the vast majority of my upbringing frowned upon movie theaters. As a result the only films I was familiar with were the VHS tapes we were gifted, most often Disney movies like Lion King, Mulan, & Aladdin. Every now & then I’d catch my uncle or my cousins watching something at my grandparents’ house if I was with my dad for the weekend, but that was the only additional exposure I had.

To this day I’m still playing catch up on a lot of classic films. I just saw Titanic, Lord of the Rings, & Star Wars between 2020 & 2023, if that puts it into perspective for you. I’ve still got so much left to see, & it’s the media format I’m least familiar with. You’ll find my knowledge is currently limited, but I’m excited to continue expanding the scope of my collection.

Similarly, we weren’t allowed to listen to secular music. If it wasn’t gospel, we were sheltered from it. The closest I’d get to popular music would be through watching American Idol while mom worked her evening job through the week. There was a budding intrigue within me that blossomed as I caught my cousins watching music videos on MTV & CMT network channels. There was an entire world out there I was closed off from, but I was dying to get closer to it. I’ll expand on this eventually.

These days, I don’t get to read as much as I did as a teenager. I’d love to get back into it. I don’t play video games much either, it feels like I outgrew them. Maybe it’s only temporary, & the desire will return. Music, television, & film continue to fascinate me, though. For a brief period during & shortly after high school, I even took filmmaking courses, with the intentions of pursuing a career in the industry. We’ll touch base on that as well, but just know that visual media truly captivates me.

This turned out to be much, much longer than I anticipated. I can tell it’s going to take restraint to rein in my stream of consciousness. I want to make sure this is easily digestible for myself & others as I continue this series. Hopefully you have a foundational understanding of who I am, it will be useful as I continue opening myself up to you.

Before we part, I’ll leave you with a few of my personal favorites from the aforementioned topics.

Books - The Hunger Games Franchise, The City of Ember, And Then There Were None, Fahrenheit 451, Eragon, The Magic Tree House Franchise, The Lord of the Flies

Video Games - The Pokémon Franchise (Generations 3 & 4 are the highlights), Dragon Ball Z Budokai Franchise, Spyro Franchise, Crash Bandicoot Franchise, The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild & Tears of the Kingdom, Mario Kart, Just Dance

Animated Shows - Naruto, Dragon Ball Z, Avatar the Last Airbender, FullMetal Alchemist Brotherhood, Danny Phantom, Ben 10, SpongeBob SquarePants, Bojack Horseman, Invincible, Harley Quinn, Phineas & Ferb, Midnight Gospel, Love Death + Robots, Star Wars Visions

TV Shows - The Office, How To Get Away With Murder, How I Met Your Mother, Gossip Girl, Big Bang Theory, The Boys, Umbrella Academy, Black Mirror, Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt, WandaVision

Animated Films - Spider Man: Spider-Verse Franchise, The Prince of Egypt, Aladdin, Mulan, The Lion King, Toy Story 2, Shrek 2, Spirited Away, The Incredibles

Films - The Lord of the Rings Trilogy, Everything Everywhere All At Once, Memento, Mulholland Drive, Blade Runner 2049, Ex Machina, Sex Drive

Music - Stay tuned for an entire research paper. Spoiler alert, this has become my favorite art form to consume.

If you stuck around this far, I’m indebted a mountain of gratitude to you. I can’t always promise the posts will be succinct, but I’ll do my best to keep the behemoths few & far in between.

Love, joy, peace, & prosperity to you & your loved ones — Devin27 💌

P.S. Enjoy “Everything You Want” by Vertical Horizon. This is one of the very first songs I remember falling in love with, accompanying a few photos of my birthday cakes over the years. Felt fitting as my 28th birthday draws near, only a few days away at this point.

[my-favourite-zhent]

Fic asks for New Tricks, which I ADORE!

12, 15, 17 and 20 please <3

Awww tysm <3

This is gonna be a little long-winded so forgive me!

I'll tuck it all under the cut.

12. Was there a scene you wished you could have included? Why didn't it fit in?

So in the original draft/plan of New Tricks later on in their relationship Rugan and Izzy were going to be at the same party. One that the Zhents were running security for (see how I cannibalized this for the opening?). One of the attendees basically derides Izzy's taste in men and in response she compares crows and peacocks. Crows are clever and loyal, peacocks are just loud assholes that can't leave the menagerie~

Basically, patriars need not apply.

As I got into writing though I realized I hadn't actually planned their meet cute and ended up reworking it to be their first meeting.

15. Was there anything you had to research for this fic? Do you usually do a lot of research?

I did a lot of listening to the audio files to try and get Rugan's dialect and tone right. It's really easy to go off memory alone and end up skewing the personality one way or another so sometimes I'll give it all a re-listen when writing dialogue. I did some googling of Lancanshire/Yorkshire accents and slang as well, for instances where I wouldn't know what word he would choose based on the audio files alone.

I also spent an inordinate amount of time on the forgotten realms wiki. I generally don't like anachronisms in fiction because I feel it takes away from the world building. In some cases where I wasn't able to find the Faerunian answer I would look up historical equivalents for medieval England (i.e. the use of a garderobe rather than a powder room). It helps that I've also read a bit of Salvatore's novels so I have some feel for Faerun (or at least 1370s Faerun).

Keeping to the lore has a secondary benefit of forcing me to work within given constraints and having to be more creative. For instance Rugan was originally just going to send Izzy till I looked up the price of a sending scroll, too rich for his blood!

On the topic of anachronisms I will also use etymonline if I suspect a word sounds *too* modern for the setting. Some words are surprisingly older than you would think. (i.e: the concept of a dive bar has been around since the 1500s!). I also try to do a pass on my idioms because some of those are surprisingly modern.

I don't generally write fanfiction, or at least not in years and years and years. However I do occasionally play tabletop and I like to approach my character research in the same way. Selecting a country/place of origin, what languages they would know, family background, should all colour the character's abilities and perceptions.

17. What was the hardest scene to write?

Ugh any scene that was not the boys banting or fighting was difficult for me. I can generally be happy with a banter scene after the first draft, fight scenes are alright, but smut I agonize over sounding repetitive and drama is by far the worst for me.

I think Rugan's general asshattery in Ch 14 and 15 and eventual softening, were the most difficult. I didn't want to stray from how he's characterized in his game lines (egoless, pragmatic, adaptable) but still wanted him to have some emotional vulnerability. First and foremost I wanted him to still feel like the same man as the game. I rely on @fistfuloftarenths a lot for feedback when it comes to his characterization, and she reminded me that sometimes he's allowed a little character development *as a treat*.

20. What is something you wish more people noticed about this fic?

Hmmm that's tough one! I don't know if notice is the right word but something I hope people enjoy is the appearance of the other Gates crew Zhents.

In the game we see a bit of Rugan being a mentor to Olly even when he has to be pragmatic ("those that don't value their own skins", "me and the boy are expendable", "you're still alive, that's lucky", "and so does his coin", "painfully, I don't want to talk about it."). Rugan cares about Olly but he compartmentalizes that to do the job.

The other Zhents seem to have similar attitudes. You tell Sal you're one of theirs? In you go. Zarys is grateful you saved them, even though she would've killed them if they stole the chest. Karad warns you about the explosives, and Brem and Garias have the usual sibling banter (despite Brem's kidnapping victim being right there). Bellar outright says what they're all thinking. They're pleasant to you if you're not in their way, but if you are they won't hesitate to cut you down.

For better or for worse the Gate's crew are his family and shape his attitude and world view. This is especially clear in the cut content: he sold them out to survive, but he's broken because of it and can be convinced to leave the Zhentarim altogether.

So for me it was important that even though Rugan is the main character, that the rest of the crew were present as an ensemble for him to play off of.

If you've read this far thank you, and sorry for the rambles!

[monstersinthecosmos]

I'm really curious how the show is going to handle mortal age.

In canon there's sort of a theme that someone's age when they're turned informs their temperament as a vampire and we get the impression that it has to do with your experience of being human. (I think the quality of your human life also informs this but don't let me get distracted LOL). I'm constantly trying to decide how much of it is neurological but there's a lot of conflicting answers in the text because they weren't written with that in mind. But there's something to be said about a person like Lestat, turned @ 20 when his brain is still cooking, who will maybe never be great at making decisions. But his mortal life is also full of being rebellious and relying on his own ego that maybe it's just an innate part of his personality. WHO CAN SAY.

I've been thinking a lot about this in regards to the show and how they've aged Louis & Lestat up. Because from what we can tell so far, Lestat is just as obnoxious in the show as he is in the books LOL and I have to wonder, why is he acting like that if he was turned in his 30s?

(This is of course based on Sam Reid's age and idk how old he'll be on the show, let me know if I missed it, but he's visibly older than 20. They've said Louis was turned at 33 in the show.)

Like what does a 30+ year old Lestat look like? Did he ever advance in his theatre career? Was he still living in a shitty little room with Nicki? WAS NICKI EVEN MORE OF AN OLD LOSER? How does this affect Gabrielle's age? Does Lestat spend extra time in Paris or does Gabrielle still have to help her loser 30 year old son move out? Why is Lestat still so attached to his mother? ((These are all rhetorical questions bc the show is not obligated to follow ANY of this and will probably make up a different backstory anyway but allow me this thought experiment.))

But I find it a little confusing that RJ keeps hand waving these decisions as like minor little things that will overall still be faithful to the character, when someone's age is no small thing! And then I think, well, the lore is so different, maybe age doesn't matter in this?

Except, it does, because they won't stop talking about how Claudia is stuck as a hormonal teenage mess?

If your puberty hormones affect you as a vampire, how could your brain development not?

I haven't taken time to dive into my Claudia feelings just yet because I know I don't have enough context and right now I'm just flying on red flags hahaha and I know that isn't fair. I think there's potential for a lot of really rich stories with this version of her character. But I'm concerned about the way the crew has talked about teenage girls and I'm going to be completely crushed if they changed Claudia's character from an excellent feminist symbol to a bunch of sexist tropes about teen girls.

Like why would it matter that Claudia is a hormonal teenager if it doesn't matter that Lestat is in his 30s?

If the answer is that Lestat is just more clearly/blatantly an obnoxious terrible person, I guess it's fine????????????? But hmm. Inch resting LOL.

Anyway these are some of my questions that I have and I'm going to be LOOKING for the answers when I watch. 👀

[glitterdragonthegreatprotector]

Humans have multiple types in fnaftale, and here are some of them. Some old lore that I have saved here, from before my lore doc got deleted.

Katóteroiánthropoi [kaw-TOE-terony-anthro-poi]/katóterosánthropos [kaw-TOE-dare-zen-throw-po](singular) 

Mésoiánthropoi [me-so-e-anthro-poi]/mésosánthropos [me-cis-anthro-po](singular) 

Ánthropoitiselít [anthro-po-it-is-lit]/elítánthropos [ill-a-tan-throw-po](singular) 

theoíánthropoi[te-o-E-anthro-poi]/theósánthropos [te-o-zen-throw-po](singular)

Katóteroiánthropoi are lesser humans. At first they look like normal, naked humans, that are basically wild animals. They stand up straight, and hunt in packs. They do not use tools, and are afraid of fire. Males can live for 25-45 years, while females can live for 35-50 years (but there are some exceptions to this). In captivity, their life span increases to be around the same as ours. In the trees they can go faster by 10 miles. They are much faster than the humans we know and love. They have sharp teeth and nails, larger ears that are very sensitive to sound, and no Sclera. They hunt through a mixture of methods, but they rely on sound, often using echolocation to find their prey. Their skin type varies depending on their environment, but no matter where, there is a chance that they can have similar skin tones to mésoiánthropoi. There are just more common colors in different environments.

In a hell biome, they usually have thick red or orange skin. Males are larger than females. Deep black is prefered in both females and males, but is very rare. Both sexes will cover themselves in ashes and charcoal of the hell environment to make them look more attractive to potential mates. They are fireproof, but very sensitive to cold weather. They are also very venomous. They range in size from 4-7 feet (1.2192-2.1336 meters). They mate like weasels, the male unhinges his jaw, and bites the female’s neck. Locking her in a hold, this does not hurt her, but she can’t escape the male. They are immune to their venom, and their blood is used as an antidote. The way they attract their mates is by fighting other males, and bringing their potential mate a lot of food. This is to prove that they are able to provide what is needed for the young to survive. They mate for life. Adults can run up to 50 miles an hour, while children run 40 miles.

In a water biome, they have a few different types, and they all breathe air. Almost all sea katóteroiánthropoi can live up to 45 years, 100 in captivity.  There are a couple of exceptions. All sea katóteroiánthropoi attract mates through decorating themselves, bringing food, courtship fights in front of potential mates, and singing. But some have their own rituals on top of this.

Common open water katóteroiánthropoi have blue, gray, or tan skin color, white or translucent hair, and webbed hands and feet. They can dive down to over 900 feet (274.32 meters) underwater.  Males range from 4-7 feet  (1.2192-2.1336 meters), while females range from 8-12 feet (2.4384-3.6576 meters). To attract mates, open water katóteroiánthropoi cover themselves with shells and coral, making them more colorful. The females, being larger than the males, are the ones that participate in fights over mates. Open water katóteroiánthropoi have rather normal sex, and they have it with the whole pack. Sometimes males from a different pack will come to have sex with the females, and then leave the pod. Open water katóteroiánthropoi sometimes mate for life, but this isn’t always the case. They can have up to 8 babies at once. Males can swim up to 40 miles per hour, while females swim 55 miles per hour. 

Coral katóteroiánthropoi are more colorful, and live in reefs. Coral katóteroiánthropoi are smaller than their common family, but they are known to mate with them. Coral katóteroiánthropoi are very poisonous, so it is advised against eating them. Coral katóteroiánthropoi are both male and female. The way they mate is similar to flatworms. They have sword fights with their peinuses, stabbing each other with them, until one is pregnant. Coral occasionally eat their mates. They can have up to 4 babies at once, due to their small size of 2-4 feet (0.6096-1.2192 meters).

There are katóteroiánthropoi that live deeper in the ocean, that are bioluminescent, and they have clear bodies. They are the largest katóteroiánthropoi out of all of them, females growing up to, and even over 906 feet (276.149 meters). Males on the other hand are only a little under 302 feet (92.0496 meters). Deep sea katóteroiánthropoi physically can’t walk on land, only coming up for air when they need to, and diving back to the depths as quickly as their bodies allow. Needing the water presser for their survival. Deep sea katóteroiánthropoi prefer to use underwater air pockets to get air, or even steal air from large pods of whales during hunts. They migrate to the arctic circle to give birth, and to take a breath of fresh air after about 18 years. The migration takes place around November, and they return before January. They are also the longest living katóteroiánthropoi, being the most abnormal katóteroiánthropoi. They can live up to 810 years, 1620 years in captivity. Deep sea katóteroiánthropoi are a different story when it comes to mating.  Deep sea katóteroiánthropoi females will push out their womb, and the uterus will float outside of the body. From there, the male can impregnate the female. If the male is impatient, he will risk his life by climbing inside of his mate. They mate for life, and remain intimate after mating season. Their young are around 33 feet. (bonus facts! The female's hands are commonly 113.25 feet (34.5186 meters). That’s absolutely humongous!)

Fresh water katóteroiánthropoi are commonly green and brown, and they stay on the murky bottoms of lakes and swamps. They mate like river otters. Swimming and playing with each other as they mate. The males bite the jaw, nose, or neck of their mate, as they swim. They can have up to 8 babies at once.

River katóteroiánthropoi have gray skin, and are around the same size as their reef dwelling brethren. Their mating ritual is similar to salmon. Except they live in the more rapid parts of the river, until it’s time to return upstream, and return to their calmer birthplace. The change their body undergoes is that they gain a more human-like appearance, their gray skin turning colors ranging from white, yellow, red, and black. They come up on land to have sex, and they give birth on land. Their young soon learn to swim, and they make their journey back to the rapids. The parents mate for life, but shortly die after returning home. They can have up to 4 babies.

The more common forest katóteroiánthropoi look the most like the humans we know, except for the minor differences already mentioned. They have similar skin tones to mésoiánthropoi, but they also come in different shades of green. Katóteroiánthropoi of jungle environments can come in more floral-like colors, like bright pinks and purples. In more common forest katóteroiánthropoi, females prefer green skinned mates, while males prefer females with dark skin and spots. With jungle on the other hand, both sexes prefer brighter colors. Forest katóteroiánthropoi mate in a similar way to us. Jungle katóteroiánthropoi like to hang upside down from trees when they mate. The way forest katóteroiánthropoi attract mates is by making mating nests. The cleaner, the better. Jungle katóteroiánthropoi attract their mates by singing and dancing, having performance battles in front of a potential female. The winner becomes a father. Both mate for life. A common male katóterosánthropos can run up to 35 miles per hour, while females can run up to 50 miles per hour. Children ranging from 6-13 can run 15 miles per hour. 

Desert katóteroiánthropoi again, like forest katóteroiánthropoi, look most like mésoiánthropoi. They can go up to 3 months without water. They have dens in the sand, often near desert katóteroidaímones, who they have a symbiotic relationship with. Taking care of each other’s young, and sharing the spoils from hunts. Katóteroidaímones also protect the katóteroiánthropoi from their predators, and the katóteroiánthropoi protect the katóteroidaímones.

Air katóteroiánthropoi are the smallest, and second most common katóteroiánthropoi. They are covered with tiny hairs that catch the wind, and allow them to fly. Air mésoiánthropoi have little to no control over their movements in the air, and are basically the plankton of the air. They often get mistaken for fea, and fairies. The fairies find this offensive, while the fea uses the similarities to get closer to humans. Air katóteroiánthropoi are commonly snow white, black, green, sky blue, or brown. Some change colors in the fall, to blend in with the leaves. They eat bugs, plants, and are known to drink the blood of airborne animals. Airborne humans are only 1 inch tall. The way they mate sexually is they wait to hit a tree or anything that’s rooted to the ground, hold on to it, and wait for a mate. The female gets impregnated by the male, then they let go and go back to the wind. A female air katóterosánthropos can have millions of babies, that are 0.00787402 inches (0.0200000108 centimeters).

Heaven katóteroiánthropoi has two variants. The ones that are dead, and brought there by dead mésoiánthropoi, and the ones that found their way into heaven, and evolved to live there. Heaven katóteroiánthropoi commonly have white or gold skin. They have duller teeth, hunting smaller heavenly creatures, and having a main diet of trehalose, which is also known as manna. 

Domestic katóteroiánthropoi are very rare, because many people think that they are creepy. It’s like owning a slave, and a rather usless one at that. Katóteroiánthropoi are like monkeys, in a very human-like wrapping. But some people like them. Domestic katóteroiánthropoi can learn to do tricks like a monkey, they love puzzles and fetch, and they can repeat sentences like parrots. They are popular pets with people without earthly origins, angels, and demons.

Mésoiánthropoi are just humans that can be classified as a race instead of just a species. Mésoiánthropoi are something you are already familiar with, or at least you should be, assuming that the one reading this is one.

Ánthropoitiselít are more intelligent and powerful than mésoiánthropoi, and are considered human demigods. They either gain the power through extensive use of magic, are born one, or they are chosen by a god to ascend. An elítánthropos can become a theósánthropos Through self ascension.

Theósánthropos are just humanoid gods. The Greek gods are a good example of theósánthropos.

[betweenlands]

zedaph or martyn inthelittlewood!!

both again

zedaph:

First impression: oh yoooo it’s the other guy that was in minecraft toy box alongside simplysarc! i didn’t know he was a hermit, i wonder what he’s up to?

Impression now: SCIENCE GUY OF ALL TIME. severely underrated hermit. i love him a lot and he deserves to go apeshit. incredibly brilliant redstoner

Favorite moment: idk man like all of s8. The Chamber was brilliant

Unpopular opinion: whoooboy. okay. potential Hot Take: i really, really feel like people tend to infantilize him and/or heavily diminish the role he has in team ZIT, to the point where it feels like some people don’t even really care about him as a character compared to impulse and tango? like for some reason there’s been a big uptick in zedaph content that literally could not be further apart from the way zedaph actually works as a person and hm. don’t like that!

Favorite relationship: uh i’ll be honest i don’t have a favorite dynamic of his rn. they’re all roughly equal in my mind. would love to put him in the same room as grian for longer than just a base swap and shake them a little bit. also obviously the dynamic i have wholesale invented between him and sarc Owns, but that’s because i made it up for myself

Favorite headcanon: @autisticlalna‘s alpha-z au, baybee! i really love the added layer of depth that comes with the implications of “zed is a clone of The Original Original Lalna That Worked At Yoglabs” and i think it adds a fun addition to his sciencey thing. it’s just really unique and also it means he can be little a sinister. as a treat

Idea for a story: uhhhhhh idk what if zedaph invented a new weapon called a gun i’d like to write a sequel to stormwatching the sandbox someday! of course, that relies on simplysarc uploading enough for me to squeeze more lore out of him, but. yeah

martyn:

First impression: oh yooo there’s a yog in this grian series? i didn’t know grian knew any yogscast members! i don’t know much about martyn but i’m excited to see where this goes!

Impression now: i rattle him gently and his one mcc coin falls out of his pocket. every time i watch his teams in mcc they do absolutely awfully and the one time i didn’t watch his team, he won. i’m very sorry martyn. also his lore is alright i guess

Favorite moment: i honestly think his double life series through cleo is hilarious in every possible way and it kinda owns

Unpopular opinion: ...yeah i’m still not a fan of the watchers lol. i tend to justify it with “this is some kind of entity pretending to be the watchers” but i just do not vibe with watcher lore. i feel bad because i know his lore isn’t intentionally the exact same as the fanon watchers i have disliked for so long, but it’s way too close coincidentally for me to be comfortable with it

Favorite relationship: just like with 3rd life ren. its renchanting duo. how could it ever be anything else. however also like i’ve mentioned in previous asks i would go absolutely insane over the thematic implications of a true impulse-martyn day one alliance in a traffic game, you would never get me to shut up

Favorite headcanon: anything bridging third life and yogscast i am SUPER down for. i think @strifesolution is the person i’m thinking of who likes drawing explicit parallels between the sacrifice at black heart altar and whatever the hell parvis and strife are doing in blood and chaos? and i think that OWNS.

Idea for a story: ohhh i dunno this is a hard one. maybe something with hopperhawk martyn, like he gets trapped in the breaker world that is trafficseries and then when he busts out he promptly decides he wants to dimension dive into other dangerous realities? yeah. maybe that