#and imagining them getting wrapped up in those while on their quest

[maddisandy]

is astarion and soleil going to be what drives me into becoming a 100k fic writer. is that what it took

[cobrakaisb]

call me, beep me, if you want to reach me

summary: percy, annabeth, and grover have some great news about their quest, but something is off about their hypothesis  

word count: 2.8k

featuring: reader and annabeth’s relationship, slightly steamy reader and luke scene, more percabeth crumbs, fluff and angst  

author's note: IM BACKKKKK...this one took me forever, and i am so sorry about that! between finals, coming home from college, and just dealing with life in general it has been a real struggle BUT we are finally back on the luke train 🤩 and trust, these next few parts are about to get real...anyways, enjoy 💗

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you run to the top of the hill, calling out to the three kids before they can cross the protective barrier surrounding camp half-blood.

“i just wanted to wish you guys good luck before you leave, although i’m sure you won’t need it,” you explain, walking up to the trio. 

annabeth smiles at you. there’s an excited gleam in her eyes, and you remember how she’s been waiting for this for years -- her chance at glory.

“thanks,” percy mumbles, not really knowing what to say. 

“i just…be safe okay?” you whisper, hands gripping tightly at annabeth’s shoulders while you look directly at her. 

she nods, “i will. i promise.” 

you nod in agreement, lips pursed in a tight line as you struggle to keep your emotions at bay. over the course of your years at camp, the bond between you and annabeth has grown exponentially. you love her like a little sister, one you’d do anything to protect. it scares you to think about her, a twelve year old kid, in the real world with no one looking out for her this time. 

she senses your anguish, and pulls you into a tight hug. you freeze at first, not used to the affection from her, but ultimately wrap your arms around her small frame. the two of you stand there for a minute, embracing each other, but break apart when luke calls out to you from the bottom of the hill. 

“it’s time to go,” he yells, and you imagine his pointed look and crossed arms. luke was just as worried as you, but he found it necessary to hide those feelings, claiming it was best for annabeth’s sake. you disagreed. 

you nod, stepping away from the kids, back towards the chaos of camp, “i’ll see you at the solstice.”

you watch, with your stomach in knots from nerves and a mouth full of anxiety, as the kids step past thalia’s tree and into the world of monsters.      

that was almost four days ago, and still no word from the trio. percy, annabeth, and grover were on their quest to find and return zeus’s master bolt, but the radio silence worries you. while you didn’t expect them to call every day to say good night — they needed to save their dracmas — you at least expected some type of update by now. the lack thereof leaves a nervous feeling in your stomach; something isn’t right, you know it, but you can’t quite determine what. 

“those are called feelings sweetie,” katrina replies when you explain your current predicament to her.

you suck your teeth at her words, shoving her shoulder as you mumble, “shut up.”

“i’m being serious! since when do you care about three twelve year olds? no scratch that, since when do you care about anybody?” she shouts, throwing her hands up. 

you look down at your converse, arms crossing over your bent knees as you sit and look at the rippling water. i care about luke, you think, and all those kids who will never experience a true family thanks to our parents. i care about you, and our friendship. i care about grover, who’s too kind for his own good. the list goes on and on, but you don’t say any of those names out loud. 

instead you respond with, “i care about annabeth.”

katrina openly scoffs at your words, leaning back on her palms. “oh please, i’m talking about that little blonde.” 

you sigh, looking at her over your shoulder. her short hair rustles in the breeze, and the unruly curls from spending the day in the water makes her possess a childlike innocence. if you didn’t know katrina, you’d think she was a sweet girl who’d chew you out for swearing, but you do know her; she’s anything but, and the constant taunting and teasing proves that. 

“there’s something different about percy,” you explain with a shrug. 

“yeah, it’s called your need to play mommy,” she mumbles. 

“oh shut up,” you gripe, getting up from your spot on the dock. you make sure to kick her calf, not too hard, on your way back to hera’s cabin. 

“harder,” luke commands, despite the sweat dripping down both of their faces. 

percy groans, throwing his head back in frustration. they’ve been going at it for hours, practicing various techniques and maneuvers with wooden swords. while percy’s claiming was still new, and his slaying of the minotaur with no experience was still the talk of the camp, it was obvious to everyone that he needed to train. there’s an impending war coming, and the blonde boy has found himself right in the middle of it. 

but he doesn’t even know what it is, you think, stepping into the dirt of the practice arena. 

“give him a break, luke. he needs some hydration,” you exclaim, holding up two refillable water bottles. 

they’re dripping in condensation, the ice from the pavilion already melting in the sweltering heat courtesy of long island summers. luke grumbles something under his breath, probably about how he doesn’t need a break, but takes the bottle from you with a squeeze of your hip. he stays close to your side as he drinks the water, and instead of giving him your attention, you’re busy looking over percy. 

“there’s a cut on your forehead,” you say, pushing back some of his curls to get a better look. 

“yeah, your boyfriend nicked me,” he replies, gesturing to luke with his chin. 

“it was an accident! how many times do i have to tell you?” luke defends.

“a lot more. i’m great at holding grudges,” percy announces, and you roll your eyes. 

“and that’s why you’re becoming friendly with annabeth?” you tease.

luke raises his eyebrows at your statement, looking over at the smaller boy, whose cheeks are suddenly a very dark shade of red. 

“that’s different,” he grumbles, pouring the remaining water on his head. 

“uh huh, right. whatever floats your boat i guess,” you reply, patting his cheek in a motherly fashion. percy swerves with an eye roll fit for a teenager. 

“anyways, i’ll let you guys get back to it,” you announce, turning to face luke. 

you kiss his cheek, and his palm splays across your waist. he gives it a gentle squeeze, a small sign of affection in a hasty moment. you smile at him, leaning into his chest to whisper, “go easy on him.” 

“he’s training with the best swordsman in camp, he knows what to expect,” luke replies, cocky as ever, as you pat his sweaty chest three times before walking away. 

the training arena is packed when you arrive, brimming with younger kids and blaring noisy chatter. they’re all clad in some sort of battle armor: shields, bronze chest plates, and celestial bronze swords. it takes a minute for them to notice your presence, but when they do they part like the red sea. most of them have the sense to keep quiet, watching you with nervous eyes and wary glances, fueled by the words of their older siblings no doubt. others, the more gutsy of the bunch, have the courage to whisper the exact words they heard from their siblings, warning their friends about you and your anger. you, however, are focused on finding the tallest head amongst the group; the one housing messy, onyx curls. 

“he’s up front, helping jimmy with his armor,” a young girl whispers shyly, drawing designs in the dirt with the tip of her sword.

you stop walking, turning to face her. she’s young, no older than eight, and you feel the edges of your hard exterior soften from the sight of her pigtails and pink twinkle toes. you smile softly at her, hoping that it doesn’t scare her off. 

“thank you,” you say, “i love your shoes.” she smiles at your words, giggling quietly to herself as a small blush coats her cheeks. 

just as she goes to answer, luke appears at your side with, who you can only assume, is jimmy. you smile softly at him, ready to explain why you’re here in the first place, but luke beats you to it:

“let me just give them some instructions, then we can talk, okay?” he whispers, his free hand taking its place on the small of your back.

you hum in agreement, watching fondly as he takes charge of the large group of young demigods. he instructs them to practice the methods he just demonstrated in pairs, explaining that he’ll be walking around to give feedback once he’s done talking to you. as the kids partner up, he leads you to the side of the arena, where he finally meets your gaze with a raised brow. 

“what?” you ask, crossing your arms at his confused stare. 

“you never come here while i’m teaching lessons,” he answers.

“well, maybe i’m starting to,” you reply. 

luke scoffs at your words, “no shot. what’s really going on?” 

“i could be!” 

“but you’re not. you hate their judgy, beady, little eyes. so, what’s going on in that pretty little head of yours to make you seek me out while i’m in the middle of lessons?” he continues, his fingers playing with the waistband of your shorts. 

you take a deep breath, meeting his chocolate brown eyes on the exhale, and state your concerns: “i’m worried. why haven’t we heard from them yet? it’s been days, and it’s not like annabeth to keep us completely in the dark.” 

luke sighs at your words, “i’m sure they’re fine.” 

you raise your eyebrows at his unexpected answer. this is luke, the same guy who refused to let you and annabeth out of his sight during capture the flag, talking? not a chance. 

“so you’re not worried, at all?” you ask, searching for the true reason behind his lack of worry. 

luke clenches his jaw at your words, looking away from you as he stares off into the distance. his eyebrows furrow, and you can see something flicker across his face. you don’t know what it is, but you know he’s battling something within himself. 

“luke?” you ask softly, resting your hand on his bicep. 

he shakes his head, a carefree smile taking over his face as he says, “it’s annabeth. she’s the smartest, most careful person i know. nothing’s wrong.” 

you eye him warily, and nod your head slowly, “right. i guess i’m just overthinking.” 

luke smiles, a teasing look in his eyes as he nudges your foot with his own. you look up at him, a breathy laugh escaping your lips as you meet his playful gaze. 

“you always are,” he mumbles, followed by a loud laugh as you shove his shoulder. 

he plants a quick kiss on your temple, hands rubbing up and down your sides before whispering, “i’ll stop by your cabin tonight. once they’re all tucked in.” 

you hum in agreement, watching as he departs from your side and heads to the closest duo to provide feedback.  

****

the door creaks open, and luke slips inside before the harpies register the noise. you’re already awake, patiently waiting for him on the singular cot in the cabin. the eternal flames of the fire pit burn brightly, leaving dangerous shadows on your face, illuminating the storm brewing inside. 

“you’re late,” you quip, not even bothering to look up from your book. 

you’re laying on your stomach, propped up on your forearms with a paperback book in your hands. you’re in your usual sleep attire, shorts and a tank top, and luke has to physically hold back a groan. he’s never wanted you so badly in his life, but instead of expressing that desire, he apologizes for his actions.

“some of the younger campers were arguing, you know i had to settle that,” he whispers, burying his face between your neck and left shoulder. 

luke kisses your bare skin, slightly warmed from all the sun you’ve been getting recently. your head tilts, giving him access to more skin, and he doesn’t deny that. his lips move to your neck, leaving more than a few marks. 

“careful. hera’s watching,” you tease, closing the cover of your book. 

“let her,” he mumbles, practically moaning when you thread your fingers through his hair. 

“oh you’d love that,” you taunt, tugging on his curls. 

luke’s right arm wraps around your waist, flipping you onto your back, while his left pushes your book to the floor. your mouth falls open in shock, and you gasp quietly. he smirks at your expression, feeling satisfied to have you speechless. before you can ruin the moment, he captures your mouth with his. 

the kiss is rough, all tongue and teeth. his left hand settles next to your head, while his right tugs your hips closer to his. your fingers are still lodged into his curls, and you use them to keep his face pressed against yours. he pulls back, gasping for air, but keeps his forehead planted against your skin. before he can reconnect your lips, you’re kissing all over his face.

“missed you,” you murmur in between kisses. 

luke sighs, relaxing into your arms as the tension from camp counselor duties and other activities leaves his body. he knows eventually he’s going to have to tell you. he thinks it will be something like ripping off a band aid. but, for now, when he has you so eagerly in his arms, and he’s content with baring the brunt of the burden. besides, the kids aren’t even close to figuring out the truth, he’s sure of it. 

****

“we know who stole the bolt,” percy announces, nothing but confidence in his voice. 

luke falters, but only for a second, before asking, “how do you know?”

immediately, annabeth starts rambling. she mentions an encounter with ares, how he knows who the thief is, but was clearly covering for them. as she talks, luke realize that their suspicions are anything but correct, in fact, they’re so far into leftfield it’d be considered a homerun. yet, he runs with it, not willing to give himself up.

“so who would ares cover for?” annabeth finishes, waiting for luke to answer. 

“his favorite daughter. clarisse is the lightning thief,” he answers, making sure to sound shocked by their groundbreaking discovery. 

“chrion’s got to arrest her, find out what she knows. there’s more to this than just the bolt, something bigger,” percy explains.

luke and annabeth share a look of uncertainty, one that percy picks up on because he quickly adds, “don't ask me how i know, you’ve just got to trust me.” 

as luke is about to assure the kids that he’ll get to it straight away, you walk into the office. 

“talking to yourself again, castellan? i knew you were crazy but not this off the rocker,” you tease, stepping closer to his side. 

as you approach, you see the faces of annabeth and percy in the mist. you smile at the sight of them. while they look tired, they seem pretty intact and much better off than you expected.

“how’s your quest going?” you ask, hoping to hear some positive news. 

“not too bad. between ares, the chimera and medusa, i’d say we’re doing pretty good,” percy exclaims.

your eyes widen at his words, and you look to luke to see what his reaction is, but he’s not even looking at you. instead he’s watching the two demigods arguing about which monster occurred each day. he smirks at the sight of them, gently bumping his hip with yours before saying, “what is this?”

“what?” annabeth answers, confusion written all over her face. 

“since when did you guys turn into an old married couple?” luke continues to tease, and you smile at the kids’ shocked faces. percy blushes at luke’s comment, and annabeth makes a point to avoid your gaze.

“not to change the subject, but we need your advice luke. we’re going to vegas and…” before percy can say another word, the iris message cuts out, the connective screen dissipating along with the rainbow that brought it here.

“well that was entertaining,” you joke, turning to face your boyfriend. 

you expect him to laugh at your words, but his face is set into a hard line. his arms are crossed and jaw clenched as he stares at the spot where annabeth and percy’s faces were previously occupying. his thoughts are clearly running a mile a minute, and you step into his line of sight, calling out to him. 

“they think they know who the lightning thief is,” he grumbles, gaze still distant and cold. 

“what? who?” you ask, stepping closer to him. while it’s only the two of you in the room, you don’t want to risk anyone else hearing; this isn’t the sort of thing that should be spread around camp, even if you hate the majority of the people here. 

“clarisse,” he starts, “but they’re wrong.” 

“how do you know?” you ask, nothing but confusion plastered all over your face. 

“because it’s actually me,” luke replies, finally meeting your gaze.

taglist: @percabethlvr @iwantahockeyhimbo @hottiewifeyyyy @loveryoushouldcomeoverr @maraschinocherry3 @used2beee @harrysnovia @cami-is-reading @mxtokko @cxcilla @obxstiles @dracoslovergirl @vanessa-rafesgirl @l1a-pjosversion

[bonefall]

the cats of the park is just frostpaw finally getting some therapy

tbh tho I feel like them being separate from clan life would help her immensely. They’re not so wrapped up in this culture of battle so they have a new and refreshing perspective (and also frost doesn’t have to worry about ulterior motives because they are STAYING AWAY from THAT trainwreck that is the clans)

RE: Nothing in BB!ASC is set in stone until the arc is done BUT

One excellent thing ASC has done with the Park cats that is commendable, is that they're treated as legitimate. Not inferior or malicious. They're just another culture that Frostpaw is going to learn from. The bar is UNDERGROUND but we've finally hopped over it.

So I'd want to keep and acknowledge that.

I think I might have an interesting idea for Frostpaw's journey. Also, side note... I'm thinking BB!ASC will rename every book because these titles are actually awful, im sorry. So I'd call this one ASC: The Source of the River

Gonna jot these down;

So, to begin with, Frostpaw calls the human. While being heavily sedated, she has her first vision of Riverstar.

FROSTPAW DOES NOT HAVE A SPECIAL CONNECTION TO STARCLAN.

She NEVER would. Screw that. Instead-- learning to connect to this vision of Riverstar, to her ancestors and their wisdom, is a SKILL she would learn.

Frame the journey less as Riverstar's Side Quest and more as Frostpaw chasing the Revelation she had while anesthetized.

So when she wakes up, she's thinking about how incomprehensibly VAST Riverstar was. She can't even imagine how there's enough space in the world to contain such a being.

Even the Lake itself... the lake is just a droplet, being suckled like a kit on the teat of the Southern Inlet river

For a second, her troubles seemed like a small flea on the nose of a great, cosmic being. But as she reconnects with the mortal plane after her dream, the flea becomes an infestation. She doesn't know where to begin, or how she can save her Clan.

She thinks back to Riverstar. The river that feeds the Lake. Was that what he was trying to tell her? That she has to follow it to the source?

STOP 1: RIVER WARD

The BB!Tribe is massively overhauled. The Tribe of Rushing Water defines themselves as three Wards (Cave, Mountain, River), connected by living on the same stretch of river.

From them, she learns about connections. They are simply able to call upon each other for all they need, there's no need to "appoint" someone to manage everything.

Families and friends hold each other accountable, networking and negotiating constantly. When the group must act as one, it casts stones.

Their Stoneteller is a religious leader, but all cats connect with their ancestors by personally interpreting omens, even without needing to go see him.

(Contrast to BB!Clans, whose Clerics are the KEEPERS of holy knowledge, and it is a sin to interpret StarClan's will on your own)

Yet, there are downsides. She can see ostracised cats who skirt at the edges of the Ward, especially the descendants of a particular group (called Flicks) that she learns once tried to invade the River Ward.

Though they welcome travellers and have a positive view of Clan cats as "family," she learns that they freeze out those who break taboo. Even for smaller offenses-- social faux pas and personal disputes have caused rifts within the Ward.

And the personal omen interpretation means that two cats can try and justify their feelings with religious commands, leveraging any "soothsayer" (particularly religious cats) connections they have like a social pissing match, unless they're both willing to get dragged to Stoneteller.

From all this, Frostpaw learns that she CAN connect to Riverstar and her ancestors, even if she can't speak to them... and that she must LISTEN. Not allow herself to twist her ancestor's words.

And all the Wards are connected, by the source of a river. Suddenly she answers her question.

"How could the world be big enough to contain a being like Riverstar?" Because water isn't all in one place. It's everywhere. It pools where it can and flows where it cannot.

And yet-- a single people is connected by its water. Three wards, one River. Five Clans, one Lake... three siblings, one belly.

Her heart aches thinking about Curlfeather.

She thinks of when quarreling Tribemates are brought to Stoneteller to arbitrate, and be taught the truth. Brought up the river, to its source at the waterfall.

That has to be it! The source, the BEGINNING.

Stop 2 would be WarriorClan as she heads south, but I'm not sure what they'd teach her yet lmao. Monkeystar says "Hi! Do you want to learn how to play a kazoo"

STOP 3... I'd want to rename the Park Cats. Maybe the New Park cats.

(evil brain: "Neopark. Make terrible petsite joke. Be reincarnated as a lotus flower)

There would also be a BIG recap of Ancient Park culture, and the River Kingdom. Frostpaw knows they had KINGS.

And a lot of aspects that modern Clan cats have-- ceremonial sparring, mentors and apprentices, the Law of the Deputy... those came out of the River Kingdom, before its collapse in the Code Era.

But these cats are NOTHING like the glorious tales of a Kingdom warrior. In fact... this is THE park!

THE park that was destroyed, which King Arc-of-Park lead his people away from. How could it have been ruined if it's still here?

(Reality: the Park was shrunk and landscaped. It was destroyed in that time to the perspective of cats. Maybe she'll have some visions of the past through meditation...)

But the survivors, and those who chose not to follow their King... they remained. And they continue to thrive.

Like canon, have them teach her the ability to meditate. Unlike Tribe cats, meditation is about SIGNS, not OMENS. Omens are physical. Signs are psychic.

(Also i like Bee so im probably gonna keep him as Frosty's yoga coach)

She sees Riverstar a few times, has details of Curlfeather's scheme revealed to her in enough chunks to piece together,

but is eventually bowled over when her best, most productive meditation yet... results in a black shadow.

He has a shining pearlstone adorning his head, and deep, wet pools for eyes. Very few other features can be made out, besides his paw, which is shockingly normal compared to his wraith-like body.

Somehow, Frostpaw understands she is looking at a Patron. But she doesn't know who he is until he tells her, he is King Arc-of-Park.

Though remembered, he is not invoked often. The details of his appearance are lost. All that remains of him is his paw-- carried on in a few expressions and the -paw suffix. The one which Frostpaw herself currently bears.

Since Riverstar, his beloved son, so rarely speaks in straightforward terms, he has come to give Frostpaw her answers.

But before she speaks, trembling with desire for finally FINALLY getting the truth, almost frozen by the sheer volume of things she needs to know, he stops and tells her,

"You have earned the truth, Frostpaw. Be not afraid to ask for what you are owed-- but we only have time for three questions, and I shall ask three in turn."

Question 1: "What did you need me to learn?"

"Many things. How to find your own answers. The perspective of the thousand eyes you've met. The wisdom that only a pilgrimage can bestow. I, too, was no leader before I brought my people up the river, and now you too must save RiverClan. Have you learned what we sought to teach?"

She feels unsure... "I don't think I can know if I have, until I go home."

Even though he has no mouth, she can hear his smile, "That is a yes, child."

Question 2: "What am I learning about RiverClan and its history, if these New Park cats are nothing like my Kingdom ancestors?"

He hums, "You have come to the source of the river, and are vexxed to not find the water that is already swirling downstream? No cat stands in the same river twice, for it is not the same river, and they are not the same cat. Are my people gone, Frostpaw, or do they live on?"

Stunned, her jaw hangs open ever so slightly. She thought she knew the answer right away, but his simple question becomes a riddle on her tongue.

He tells her not to worry. She does not need to answer his questions immediately, as they're running out of time. Ask your last.

Question 3: "...did my mom love me?"

IMMEDIATE, "she did. Child of my distant blood, she loved you like a king loves his prince. Ferociously, ambitiously... selfishly."

He cradles her face in his one, massive, silk-soft paw, like he's reaching out of the shadows, across time itself. His last question, "She put you in a terrible position, didn't she?"

A lifetime's worth of love and agony bubbles out of the kid, "SHE DID. She DID and I never did ANYTHING to deserve this, I did everything she told me, and I just wanted to make her happy, and... and i miss my mom."

When she returns from her trance, she's crying.

But her companions are here to help her unpack all of what she just learned.

Will probably end up letting her recruit a little DND party lmao... maybe one cat from each pit stop. Heartstar shouldn't be the only girlie who's allowed to get expansion packs.

Make a little found family here that Frostpaw returns home with.

RE: NOT. CONFIRMED YET. NONE of this is BB canon yet. Just thoughts I need to get down.

[corrodedcoughin]

Hello!!! How're you?? Hope you're well!! I'm currently having Munson family feelings lmao

Please imagine lil pre teen Eddie settling in with Wayne, finding his footing, becoming more open in a way that he wasn't with his father. And he's really getting into his dnd. Has the manuals Wayne got him for his birthday one year. A mini or two. And he wants to get better at DMing, but he can't practice with his group because that would ruin the surprise of it all. So one day, he shyly asks Wayne if he'll practice with him. Fidgeting with the hem of his shirt and shuffling his feet. Isn't 100% sure what Wayne will think just yet

And to his surprise, Wayne says yes. And Eddie just... lights up. Smiles a big megawatt grin and starts talking about how it'll be super fun uncle Wayne you won't regret it!!!

They spend an evening making Wayne a character - a human called Wayne, they're keeping it simple - while they eat Mac n cheese for dinner. Wayne loves how happy it makes Eddie. How carefree.

And on Wayne's next day off, when Eddie doesn't have school, they play together. A mini campaign, just for the two of them. Eddie practices his skills, gets to play dnd, and hang out with his uncle all in one go. It's kind of everything to them. It's a lighthearted adventure where Wayne goes on a quest to get the perfect bait so he can go fishing and catch his dream fish. Eddie tells him what dice to roll, helps him fight a goblin and a bear, and puts on all sorts of voices for the characters Wayne meets. Eddie gets so wrapped up in it all, so excited. But when it ends he's all nerves - bitten lips and wringing his hands.

Did Wayne like it?? Did he have fun?? Was Eddie good??

And Wayne honestly says it wasn't quite his thing but he had a lot of fun. Eddie is a damn fine storyteller, has a real knack for the dramatics. He'll impress his friends, for sure.

And idk!!! I love Eddie and Wayne exploring their dynamic and figuring out where they stand with each other those first few years. It would have been a bumpy ride but they love each other!!!

Wayne getting in from grocery shopping on a Saturday, he likes to go really early so he can avoid Sally Knowles town gossip extraordinaire who Kees letting Wayne know ‘people are gonna talk if you don’t give that nephew of yours a Mothering presence in his life’ Wayne’s heard enough of it. So while it means he has to get up early, he’ll do it to escape the song and dance of busy bodies.

He’s making his way up the trailer steps, bags of groceries in hand (he’s a one trip kind of man and won’t be changed) when he hears a voice behind the door. The muffled and rushed but excited voice of his nephew barely audible through the rustling of groceries and the clattering of god knows what in the trailer - ‘okay. Okay he’s here. Go time. Show time. Time to shine. Story telling powers on.’

Wayne can see Eddie in his minds eye, turning an invisible switch at his temple. A ritual he started for their very first session. The boy had been nervous then and now, four - games? Chapters? Wayne wasn’t sure - in the nerves were still there but the excitement far outweighed them.

Opening the door, Wayne flicked his eyes over to the couch were Eddie was propped up, books spread out on the coffee table and rudimentary map laid across the table top.

Eddie’s head shot up, ‘I’ll help!’, scrambling to his feet to take some of Wayne’s provisions off of him.

‘You in a rush, son? Normally I’m shouting you through to give me a hand with these?’ Wayne was teasing. Could see that Eddie was conflicted, had Wayne forgotten that he promised to finish the story today? That it was going to find the Pond Of Dreams? Wayne loved the kid but he wanted to have a little fun too.

Setting the bags down and putting the freezer items away, everything else could wait. Not even glancing down at Eddie, Wayne stretched tall and exaggerated ‘think I need a nap after that. Don’t mind me Ed, gonna get some shut eye.’ And the thing is he couldn’t look at Eddie, if he did he’d crumble and it would all be for naught. One glance of Eddie in his home sewn cape and it’s be over.

So he hot footed it to the bathroom, hoping Eddie wouldn’t question the pre-nap detour or the backpack he was taking with him.

He could hear Eddie mumbling, frustration and disappointment evident in his tone. Then the tv going on, cartoons on high volume as he tried to distract himself. Which is when Wayne decided to re-appear, clad in his full fishing gear and rod. Along side a toy lizard he velcroed to his shoulder.

‘Well boy, you ready to go fantasy fishing? Heard there’s a dream pond waiting to be found’ Wayne tipped his fishing hat like a cowboy as Eddie’s eyes grew wide, scanning the outfit. It wasn’t much but Wayne tried to add the little details as he could; the potion belt of healing (an ammo belt he borrowed from somebody at work), the spear character wayne earned in his first battle (a pvc tube Scott Clarke was happy to provide after their last dinner where Wayne recounted Eddie’s tales) and of course -

‘Is that Creedence?!’ Eddie finally speaking up and pointing at the lizard, the decided companion and helper to Wayne in his journey.

‘Sure is kid, think he’s ready to roll. The question is, are you?’ It’s not the easiest thing for Wayne to do, sometimes he feels silly with all the fantasy and character voices that Eddie insists upon but when it makes the boy this happy? This unguarded and free? Who is Wayne to say no? Maybe the sillyness is good for him, good for both of them.

[disco-elysium-via-polls]

🎵 Bookstore

Looks like Guillaume le Million... that hair poster.

PLAISANCE - "Hello again, esteemed officer," she keeps reciting like a robot. "And welcome to Crime, Romance, and Biographies of Famous People."

3. "Plaisance, I have something to tell you... I've found the actual source of doom."

PLAISANCE - "What do you mean the *actual* source?" She clutches her pendant anxiously. "Are you talking about the... *Third Presence*?"

INLAND EMPIRE [Medium: Success] - She remembers. Good.

"Yes, the Presence, the Entity, the malicious Energy -- however you may want to call it…"

"My investigation has led me to discover a two-millimetre entroponetic hole in reality. That's the source of doom -- both in the commercial area *and* in Martinaise."

PLAISANCE - "She Who Has Many Names..." she nods solemnly. "I imagine things must be rather bleak for you to return to me. Tell me, what have you found?"

"My investigation has led me to discover a two-millimetre entroponetic hole in reality. That's the source of doom -- both in the commercial area *and* in Martinaise."

PLAISANCE - "A... a what?"

"A tiny hole... in reality. It may be connected with pale, an origin point of sorts. It would explain why historically so many things have ended in failure here in Martinaise."

KIM KITSURAGI - "Ma'am -- what he's saying is true. We found an entroponetic anomaly in the Small Pinewood Church down the coast. I don't mean to be an alarmist -- and more research *is* needed -- but... it's not looking good."

PLAISANCE - "But... but... *that's* not in any of the ancient texts! How am I supposed to protect my bookstore from *that*?!"

"You can't protect it -- not against *pale*. Close up the shop and try to get as far away from this thing as possible."

"You can protect it with hope, by refusing to give up. That's what people have done in the past -- by building a church, a place of worship around this thing."

"You'll have to find your own answer. I've spent too long on this quest as it is."

PLAISANCE - "You're *right*, officer. I mustn't lose faith -- especially now that Annette is finally settling in at school and making friends." She looks at her daughter, quietly studying in the corner of the shop. "No, we can't just leave!"

"Besides, didn't I have some Seolite hope catchers around here somewhere...? I must find them; everything will be alright if I can just find them."

"Thank you for your help, in any case. You're welcome back here anytime."

Task complete: Inform Plaisance about the Source of Doom

+10 XP

3. "Farewell for now, book peddler!" [Leave.]

You know, since we're here, and we already have more money than we can possibly spend...

MOUNTAIN OF BOARD GAMES - A small mountain of colourful board game boxes. There are numerous types of games for all ages. A lot of shelf space seems to be taken up by Wirrâl-related merchandise.

4. "I want to buy the *Suzerainty* game."

PLAISANCE - "Wonderful choice, sir." She smiles at you. "A wholesome *family* game."

4. "I want to buy the *Wirrâl* game."

PLAISANCE - "If you say so." She gives you a curious glance. "But you better stay away from those immoral occult rituals."

4. [Leave.]

BOARD GAME "SUZERAINTY"

A civilization-building board game where you get to choose a nation and set off to colonise and exploit other cultures. A star-shaped note on the box proclaims the game now includes a completely new "Genocide" option.

>INTERACT

SUZERAINTY: THE BOARD GAME - In your hands you hold a brand new copy of the game 'Suzerainty'. It's snugly wrapped in a skin of plastic...

The cover features a charming illustration depicting a mass of grinning labourers loading goods onto a ship while a richly dressed administrator oversees their work.

ENCYCLOPEDIA [Medium: Success] - The exact location and time period are left deliberately vague, but it's clearly meant to represent the economic relationship between the Revacholian Suzerainty and its many vassals.

Shake the box.

Remove the plastic wrap.

[Leave it perfect and undisturbed.]

SUZERAINTY: THE BOARD GAME - The box has a nice heft to it. You hear the rattle of individual wooden tokens and feel their weight shifting back and forth...

INLAND EMPIRE [Easy: Success] - What treasures wait in store for you?

SUZERAINTY: THE BOARD GAME - Even before you open it, you can tell that this will be a meaty game of grand strategy and complex player interactions.

2. Remove the plastic wrap.

SUZERAINTY: THE BOARD GAME - The plastic wrap rips off as easily as a bodice in a tawdry historical romance.

Open the box.

SUZERAINTY: THE BOARD GAME - There's a hiss as the lid slides off. Inside you find a thick, full-colour rulebook and more than a dozen pouches of various wooden components.

PERCEPTION (SMELL) [Medium: Success] - Ahhh! Savour that new board game smell! A mix of wood, paper, and ink, all wrapped in the sweet must of cardboard.

Read the rulebook.

Examine the components.

"Hey, Kim, wanna play?"

[Put the game away.]

SUZERAINTY: THE BOARD GAME - 'Welcome to Suzerainty: A game of economic strategy for the whole family!' The rulebook is sumptuously illustrated and thick as a Graadian novel.

'Economic strategy'? More like rapacious plunder and exploitation.

Keep reading.

+1 Communism

SUZERAINTY: THE BOARD GAME - The colourful illustrations depict cheerful workers picking apricots, hauling marble sculptures out of crumbling temples, and harvesting a strange, magenta-leafed plant. Everyone is smiling.

RHETORIC [Medium: Success] - You begin to suspect there may be a *political* agenda to this so-called 'family game'. Only one way to find out...

Keep reading.

SUZERAINTY: THE BOARD GAME - The instructions are opaque at first, and introduce many concepts you're not familiar with. Fortunately, there are many diagrams and examples throughout...

You soon figure out the basic conceit: Each player represents an administrator for the *Suzerain of Revachol*. Your objective is to increase the suzerain's wealth and renown by accumulating *victory points*.

How do you accumulate victory points?

Fuck the suzerain, what about *my* wealth and renown?

I've read enough. (Put the rulebook away.)

SUZERAINTY: THE BOARD GAME - There is no path to wealth and renown but through the suzerain. As one of the suzerain's trusted administrators, your very function is the glorification of Revachol...

That's where the suzerain's vassals come in. The game features four vassal nations, each one home to an economically important resource...

Each turn the player collects resources from vassals where they've placed workers. They may then rearrange their workers, fulfil contracts for coin and bonuses, or build structures back in Revachol...

REACTION SPEED [Easy: Success] - As you leaf through the pages, your eye catches on a sidebar labelled 'ADVICE FOR BEGINNERS'.

Read the advice.

Ignore it. Just tell me how the winner is determined.

REACTION SPEED - "Remember, there are many paths to victory in *Suzerainty*, but successful players will find *one* strategy and commit to it wholeheartedly."

HALF LIGHT [Medium: Success]- Boring, boring, BORING. Tear up this rulebook and commit some old-school atrocities!

How is the winner determined?

Isn't there any way to invade or commit atrocities or anything fun like that?

SUZERAINTY: THE BOARD GAME - Suzerainty is a family game. The only 'atrocities' you'll be committing are against the social standing of your rival administrators, as you bring in ever more resources and power for the suzerain. Speaking of...

The actual scoring system appears infinitely complex, with a series of tables and appendices required to compute each player's final victory point total. You skip that part for now.

2. Examine the components.

SUZERAINTY: THE BOARD GAME - You open up a number of pouches containing wooden tokens. There are also several punchboards with other cardboard components that will need to be punched out before you can play.

Punch out the cardboard pieces, one by one.

Check out the wooden tokens.

Put the components away.

SUZERAINTY: THE BOARD GAME - Each cardboard token makes a satisfying *chhhk* as you pop it out. Soon a neat pile of cardboard coins and counters has accumulated before you.

KIM KITSURAGI - "What, you're not going to offer to let *me* punch any of them out?"

2. Check out the wooden tokens.

SUZERAINTY: THE BOARD GAME - In addition to the worker and building tokens used by each player, there are also several piles of colourful resource tokens, each representing one of the game's four principal resources...

From the Empire of Safre: orange apricot tokens. From Ile Marat (the ancestral name of Iilmaraa): gray marble block tokens. From the Semenine Islands: white sacks of sugar tokens. And from Supramundi and Saramiriza: magenta tokens for unprocessed cocaine leaves.

KIM KITSURAGI - "Oh, those are nice." The lieutenant picks up a sugar token and admires it.

3. Put the components away.

SUZERAINTY: THE BOARD GAME - You hold the open game box before you.

3. "Hey, Kim, wanna play?"

KIM KITSURAGI - The lieutenant looks over the rulebook before he sees something that makes his eyes go wide...

"Holy shit, the average playing time for this game is one to six hours…"

"I'm not sure we can afford to set aside *that* kind of time for a *game*."

EMPATHY [Formidable: Success] - So he says, but his gaze lingers a moment longer on the rulebook than is strictly necessary. He could *make* time, if he really wanted to.

This unlocks a Suggestion check to convince Kim to play the game, but let's not get stuck into that now.

4. [Put the game away.]

BOARD GAME "WIRRÂL"

A high-pasternal *fantastique populaire* board game, illustrated with bucolic vistas and featuring odd-looking humanoid creatures. It's the 3rd edition mega-setting supplements module and can't be played without the main game.

>INTERACT

WIRRÂL - Large letters on the front form a title: "Wirrâl." The colourful box is illustrated with bucolic vistas. The cover art also features odd-looking humanoids, some short, some taller, some with pointy ears, others with ephemeral wings.

Examine the box.

Open the box.

Put it away.

WIRRÂL - Text underneath the title, in smaller typeface, reads: "Third Edition, Mega-Setting Supplements Module." The side panel adds: "A sword and sorcery adventure board game. With new maps and miniatures."

Shake the box.

Look at the back.

Enough inspecting.

WIRRÂL - Mysterious things rattle inside. What could they be? Dice? Plastic miniatures? A fantastical alternate world full of magic and wonder?

None of that witless Man from Hjelmdall fascist dross hidden behind faux-realistic allegory. Wirrâl is no cliché-ridden apologia for colonial violence. Wirrâl is pure *imagination*.

RHETORIC [Medium: Success] - Yes, the Wirrâl setting is known for its complicated system of political alignments. But if you're not into that you can just hack your way through dungeons in search of loot. That's what most people do.

2. Look at the back.

WIRRÂL - A blurb on the back reads: "Tired of the tedium and toil of modern life? Escape to Wirrâl! Leave behind isolas and nations with their petty squabbles. Discard electricity, magnets, and boring technological widgets..."

"Succumb to a world of high-Pasternal fantastique, unleash your imagination and create an adventure of endless possibilities. Discover the terrible secret threatening Wirrâl -- can your band of adventurers save the world?"

Yes, we're ready to take on this challenge.

I'm not sure I can handle all this responsibility.

Definitely not, it sounds too dangerous.

WIRRÂL - Man up, this is about having structured fun! All you have to do is read an intricate rulebook, study an assortment of maps, unfold the illustrated gameboard, and start rolling dice.

In no time you could be romping through grasslands with low-level characters, hunted by iyskel riders… or battling unspeakable monsters in endless dungeons fraught with danger and despair, conjuring up forceful maegics to aid your quest.

DRAMA [Medium: Success] - Don't forget heated arguments escalating to physical confrontation with your friends.

ELECTROCHEMISTRY [Medium: Success] - And beer. Lots of beer.

DRAMA - And most importantly, never forget to rage-quit if the dice don't go your way!

2. Open the box.

WIRRÂL - You pry open the box. Inside you find a folded-up map, a small booklet, a 24-sided die, and a little plastic figurine.

Look at the map.

Look at the booklet.

Look at the die.

Look at the figurine.

Close the box.

WIRRÂL - A reprint of a crude hand-drawn map. The top left corner reads: 'Lands of Wirrâl.' The map features both small villages and mid-sized towns (with odd names), in addition to meadows, forests, hills, lakes and seas (also with odd names).

It doesn't seem to correspond with anything you've seen thus far. It's not a very helpful map.

2. Look at the booklet.

WIRRÂL - A quick guide to the maegical races of Wirrâl. Create your own hero choosing from any of these completely unique and fantastical backgrounds.

The options are, in order of importance: the welkin, the dweorgr, the humans, the faerie folk, and the pygmies.

Read about the welkin.

Put the booklet away.

WIRRÂL - The welkin -- tall, lithe and graceful, with long flowing hair and pointy ears. They're known for being powerful maegic users, but can also hold their own in a brawn-driven fight.

The welkin come with a variety of exciting sub-races: high welkin, forest welkin, lake welkin, and snow welkin. But if you're not feeling experimental -- a basic welkin will always do.

Read about the dweorgr.

Put the booklet away.

WIRRÂL - A grand race of industrious mountain people. They're short, stout and muscular, and enjoy digging for gold and other precious minerals. They're also well-versed in the art of combat, where they prefer to use axes and hammers.

The dweorgr also come in a few different sub-races: hill dweorgr, shield dweorgr, and dark dweorgr.

Read about the humans.

Put the booklet away.

WIRRÂL - They're just humans... what else is there to tell? They're average in all stats and jacks-of-all-trades.

Read about the faerie folk.

Put the booklet away.

WIRRÂL - A very small race of flying people, known for being mischievous, full of trickery. They often lure people into their maegical traps. There are no sub-races for the faeries.

Read about the pygmies.

Put the booklet away.

WIRRÂL - The least popular of the Wirrâl races, the pygmies are short, rotund and dim-witted. Pygmies live in small villages made of shoddy wooden dwellings. They spend most their days tilling the earth and smoking their pipes. There are no sub-races for the pygmies.

3. Look at the die.

WIRRÂL - It's made from some sort of wood and has been decorated with peculiar plant motifs.

ENCYCLOPEDIA [Medium: Success] - You don't know much about dice, but this one looks pretty damn fancy.

Level up!

4. Take the die.

Item gained: Standard Wirrâl Die

WIRRÂL - You place the die into your pocket. It's always good to have luck on your side.

3. Look at the figurine.

WIRRÂL - You see a man in ragged clothes wearing a lopsided hat and wielding some sort of a firearm.

KIM KITSURAGI - "Huh, interesting. A communard."

"A what?"

"What's so interesting about that?"

"That doesn't sound very Wirrâl-like."

KIM KITSURAGI - "A communard. One of the leftist revolutionaries in the Antecentennial Revolution."

2. "That doesn't sound very Wirrâl-like."

KIM KITSURAGI - "It is not. The communards are not a part of the game setting... I guess someone misplaced it during the packaging process."

"Does this mean we can't play?"

"Maybe someone should make a role-playing game set during the Revolution."

KIM KITSURAGI - "Hmm. Good luck finding people who'd want to play as communards."

4. Take the figurine.

WIRRÂL - You pick the figurine up by the base to meet your gaze. The little plastic man stares back at you, his face contorted into a disturbing shout. Then you pocket it.

Item gained: Figurine Set "Revolutionary"

3. Close the box.

STANDARD WIRRÂL DIE

This basic 24-sided role-playing die can be used to get results for several dice. It's made of East-Semenese Snakewood and embellished with plant motives. It reminds you of plain- and hill-welkins. NOTE! Look at the MAP tab in Journal to see which White Checks have opened.

This die is not actually useful to us at this point in the game.

FIGURINE SET "REVOLUTIONARY"

What a nice little figurine! A turn-of-the-century leftist revolutionary in ragged clothes. On his head lies a lopsided hat, seemingly an ushanka. In his hand he carries a little musket.

I guess we could also give this to Dolores Dei... if we ever figure out what that actually means.

[antelopunny]

no one tagged me i simply enjoy talking about myself in the absence of actually writing

5 Songs

(opens spotify wrapped)

Slow Bloom - The Home Team

Dancing Demons - Space Weather

Gunners in the Rain - Mili

萬千花蕊慈母悲哀 - 珂拉琪

The Mad Stone - Everything Everything

Questions

1. Three ships you like:

about to self-report on my taste so hard rn

Idira Tlass / Jae Heydari (Warhammer 40k: Rogue Trader) - OKAY LOOK. I know people are here because I write that Yrliet fic but listen up. At first I thought of them as perfect besties, which is ALSO a great flavour, but then I began rotating Idira in my mind on full blast like a 900W microwave and I went CRAZY. Like, just, okay, let me try to summarize my thoughts... so Idira, she's brash, she's loud-mouthed, she's talented as FUCK and despite being an unsanctioned psyker has beaten all the millions of odds stacked against her, but pretty soon after meeting her, you can brush past her tough facade and realise she's just aching for someone she can Be Real with. You go deeper and you realise she was raised to be a weapon for warlords to use but then one day a knight in shining armour named Theodora von Valancius busted her out, swept her off her feet and spirited her away into the stars. She wants that back, in the end: someone she can lean on, hug her when shit is rough, stay with her until the inevitability of her gruelling end at the hands of the warp. AND THEN ENTER JAE HEYDARI, a supposed 'princess' of a faraway kingdom who seemingly wants a handsome (and very rich) prince to save her, but pretty quickly you can see past the act and know that Jae is a total freebird who knows that the only person she can count on is herself. But even so, she's fiercely loyal and would happily march into a cold death if that meant saving those she cared for (as many unfortunately found out because of Jae's Act 4 quest bugging). So it's Idira, the 'witch-diviner of fates' with seemingly unbreakable will, a valiant 'dark knight'-type figure holding back horrors unseen all while quietly yearning to be saved, + Jae, the 'runaway princess of Efreet' with unyielding charm and luxurious airs, a beautiful 'blooming rose waiting to be plucked'-type of girl that under the surface is chasing after her destiny all on her own two feet, because who the hell needs a Prince Charming when your name is Jae fucking Heydari? LISTEN. LISTEN OKAY THE ROLE REVERSAL. THE UNEXPECTED INTERTWINING OF THEIR FATES IN OPPOSITE SIDES OF A DANCE. GUYS DO YOU KNOW WHAT I'M SAYI

Trahearne / Pact Commander (Guild Wars 2) - Most people haven't played GW2 at all. But a lot of people have played FFXIV. So imagine a Haurchefant-type figure that, if you choose to start as a Sylvari, has been with you having your back the whole tile, sets up the whole We Gonna Save The World organization and trusts in you to be one of his top commanders, takes the lead but in truth is always looking upon you to be his sunlight and shining spear, you are the only one that sees through the brave face he has put up this whole time for the sake of fighting the good fight, you are the one he trusts with who he is, and then the first expansion of the game comes out and he FUCKIGNGEWOI HOGESWHIIO EGIJJiaewhioewh JHAHAhsahifEGHIWHW EIEWGi NOOoOoOO anyway you should play critically acclaimed MMO Guild Wars 2 it's got a free trial all the way up to the first expansion Heart of Thorns, is a 'buy once play forever' type of MMO so you don't have to pay a sub, and is constantly updating with new story PLEASE PLAY IT WITH ME PLEASE

Zheng Chenggong / Zhou Yu (Fate/Samurai Remnant) - Yes, that Ming loyalist guy who exorcised the Dutch from Taiwan + that Romance of the Three Kingdoms twink who dabbed on Cao Cao. I have no excuse for this one. They got that twin souls separated over 1300 years shit with a heavy heaping of 'time is a flat circle and nothing we ever do will matter in the end' on top of it. Zheng Chenggong is also, uh... it gets worse the more I talk about it so I'll just stop here. If you know you know.

2. First ship ever: ...probably N Harmonia / the Pokemon B/W player character. What was it? FerrisWheelShipping??????? I was like 12 years old okay you gotta leave me alone

3. Last song you heard: Persephone in the Garden - Aidoneus. I've had it on loop while writing. It, uh... it's a mood.

4. Favorite Childhood Book: My dad made me read The Little Prince when I was a kid and I regarded it with the blind childlike wonder an idiot 7 year old would, without understanding all the underlying whispers of tragedy. I reread it along with footnotes detailing the author's shit life and the backdrop of the Vichy Regime and I was like. What the fuck father why did you give this to me

5. Currently Reading: The Sea of Fertility tetralogy. Again. Yukio Mishima's ghost constantly possesses me and forces me to reread his 800 page long suicide note

6. Currently Watching: DUNGEON MESHI! OooOooH DUNGEON MESHI (narrator voice)

7. Currently Craving: Sleep. Good fucking night

simply do this if you wish, tag games are simply a tumblr dot com psy-op to make you anxious about bothering people

[bustyasianbeautiespod]

(non spn watcher here) when did destial become a canon love story with writer intent? like was there more destiel-ness in the season leading up to the nov 5th confession?

Okay *cracks knuckles*.

First and foremost, I'm gonna tell you about my SPN history. I started watching SPN and got caught up with the show while s10 was airing and was watching live until the end of s12. I gave up specifically because Castiel's s11 plot proved to be just on the side of too miserable for me, and s12 didn't really make it any better (Cas dies at the end of that season). During this time, and until Nov 5th 2020, I was solidly on camp "Dean and Cas are never going to be canon just because of what SPN is fundamentally as a show, and even if they did, I cannot imagine a situation where it would be a good thing for Cas given SPN's track record on how they treat the angel."

When Nov 5th happened I was sucked back into the show. In preparation for the finale I watched all of s13-15 in the two weeks between the confession episode and the finale. Again, my perspective going into this endeavour was still very doubtful and pessimistic, specifically on the Dean side of the equation.

The beginning of s13 was a bit of a shock to me, honestly. It starts with what the fandom calls 'The Widower's Arc'. I think this was the arc that most solidly cements the feelings from Dean's side. It was so vehement in pointing out that Dean feels for Cas in a way so distinguished from how Sam does. In the very first episode of the season (so the first episode I watched after going back into SPN), Dean quietly wraps Cas' body with a curtain all by himself in a sunlit room. And I go Oh. Okay.

This vibe does wane after Cas comes back and regular SPN hijinks ensues. S14 actually ends with Dean and Cas fighting and Dean doing his usual Dean-isms. 15.03 is when that fight culminates: they break up and spend a couple episodes apart from each other.

15.09 The Trap features Dean and Cas in purgatory, and this was Truly An Episode. They bicker through-out the entire thing and are pretty pissed at one another, but then Cas gets taken, and Dean desperately prays to him, confesses his anger issues, forgives Cas and asks for forgiveness back. Later, they reunite, and Cas acknowledges that he heard everything Dean said.

This episode is so interesting to me because it culminates the Dean and Cas fight-separation-reconciliation plot of s15, and in doing so confirms it to be as important as it is. I cannot point enough that the plot reasons for the stuff happening in 15.09 is so pointless. They go to purgatory for a fetch quest for an item that can be interchangeable with literally anything else, specifically to put Dean and Cas back in purgatory (a meaningful place for them), have them be separated, and have the prayer happen. The whole point of the Dean and Cas portion of the episode is to do character work. We don't even see the scene where Cas finally gets the thing they're here to acquire in the first place. That's literally not the point. The point is Cas and Dean's story. S15 is the last season of a show with so many big things to wrap up, and they make it a point to have Dean and Cas go through a half-season arc that DOES occupy so much of the season and brings a new openness, vulnerability, and room for development into their relationship.

So yeah, before 15.18 there WAS very visible marks of the fact that Something was gonna happen. Interestingly enough all those marks were pretty dean-centric. I would say s4-10 destiel is the audience being inundated that Cas loves Dean. S11-15, ESPECIALLY 13-15 is so very much making it known that Dean loves Cas too.

On a related note, on Nov 21, 2020, a post is made here on tumblr claiming that around Dec 2016 (S12 was airing at this point), Warner Bros. conducted a market research about Supernatural, and from this person's experience, specifically about Dean and Cas and Dean's sexuality (link to a post that confirms the information in the post to be true). This market research was during the time leading up to s13, which I think does mark a big change in how the love between Dean and Cas started being framed by the show as something Dean both feels and is also aware of.

So, to answer your questions.

Was there more destiel-ness in the season leading up to the nov 5th confession? Yes.

When did destiel become a canon love story with writer intent? It became a canon love story by S15, but the writer intent to make it canon goes way back to s13 but probably even s12.

- Grey :))

[theadventurerslog]

King's Quest Wrap Up

Here we are. I've finished King's Quest 1-7, which I would consider the main series as Mask of Eternity is so different and I won't be playing it. It's been a great ride that I wasn't even originally intending to do, but I'm glad I did. Sitting here writing this post is a bit more bittersweet than I expected.

This whole blog idea came about because of King's Quest. I went from just watching them played (Thank you SuchMinutiae!) to thinking it'd be fun to try at least V and VI to wondering about the idea of logging them as a textual let's play, which led to doing them all. And now I've played them all and they get to be the first games and first complete series done here.

I mentioned there were a lot of classics I was missing and that Sierra games were a big hole in my history entirely. Not only did I have that total gap, but it was one that didn't come with the best reputation. Basically my association with Sierra was hard obtuse games in which you die at the drop of a hat. Which, okay, especially in the case of the older games that is true, but it's not the whole picture. I can only speak for King's Quest right now, but that misses the fun adventure of them and the evolution the series went through and that VII dropped the cruelty and had no dead ends and deaths were harmless with instant retries.

It misses what I can only imagine the feeling was back then of setting out into what would have felt like a big world and going on this big adventure. It misses the charm and goofiness that crops up. The portrayal misses the fun (and sometimes frustration) of goofing around with the text parser in the first four games. It misses the evolution of not just the mechanics and graphics, but also the story telling and how they start to connect more with each other into a bigger whole. I'm going on a bit of a rant here, but if I had continued with only that original outlook on them and a couple of stray reviews I one time saw while looking briefly into the games quite some time ago--can't recall exactly why, it may have been when that episodic King's Quest game by another company came out--and those reviews also really highlighted difficulty and not too much else I would have passed on an experience I really enjoyed.

Now, I will freely admit my opinion would probably be a bit different if I had gone in blind, or just with the knowledge to save a lot and keep lots of saves. That last point is a big one and would spare some anguish. I definitely would have gotten more stuck on points far more often and probably dead-ended myself at other points and had to rely on past saves more. But I'm also not too proud to poke at hints or check for bits in guides, so I still could have gotten through, but there would have been some more frustration colouring my views. Not to say there wasn't any frustration because there sure was at points, beanstalks and stairs and dark dark caves with trolls, oh my. Still, my point still stands that I could have so easily been continuing to be swayed away from ever giving these a shot and missed out.

I also think it's great to visit or revisit some old games now and then. Not just to see how far things have come, but to experience what things were like. It was still so new as a medium, still is relatively speaking, and devs were still learning and trying stuff and experimenting and there's a very wild west feel to it. And it's just... this is what they knew, this what they had to work with in regards to the tech and it's...cool. And being reminded how much and fast things were changing like the jump from KQ IV to V. It was a lot! I just think it's nice to be reminded sometimes. Games have moved so quickly it can be easy to forget.

It was also nice to have a reminder of my own...outlook I guess? on graphics in a tangible way. I'm not someone who needs or cares about high-end top of the line graphics anyway, but the ability to get into the game and meet it on its level struck me particularly in a couple spots in III and IV where I found myself having the exact same reaction to things I'd have to the same kind of things in a modern game. Those things being a couple waterfalls spots in III ("ooo! waterfall!" Screencap!) and Genesta's island and the path going up the mountain to Lolotte's area in IV. More ooo, pretty, or ooo cool moments. These early four games are older than I am and primitive by today's standards and it's just...nice to know I can still have these little wow moments anyway.

I've gone off on some tangents here, so back to the individual games themselves. As for each game, the obvious thing to do in an end post like this would be to rank them, but I am terrible at ranking things. If you want to send me into a spiral of dithering and second-guessing myself, make me rank things. Instead I will just say that VI is my favourite and I have no idea after that. I am going to give my last thoughts on each and heck maybe some kind of preference or order will emerge. Still not ranking them though.

King's Quest I: Quest for the Crown

The beginning! There's always something exciting about a new start, certainly so when you know it continues into a series. It's very simple: find the three missing treasures of Daventry and become king. Really nothing deep here, but it's a short enjoyable romp through a mishmash of fairy tale things and sometimes there's comfort in simplicity. Less comfort in falling repeatedly off a beanstalk; I might still be bitter.

Not a lot to say about it really, but a solid enough start.

I'm looking forward to revisiting it sometime through the SCI remake.

-

King's Quest II: Romancing the Throne

I looked back at my final notes for the game and while my points are still true I feel like I had a more negative slant on them than I do now. As I've been thinking about these games off and on while playing I've had a growing fondness for II. Yeah, its plot is thin: Graham wants wife, girl trapped in tower by evil witch for some reason, rescue girl, get married. And don't go here for cohesive world building, but it was fun. It did feel like a grab bag of ideas tossed together into a game, but that ended up being what made it entertaining in not knowing what it's gonna throw at you next.

What IS grandma's deal with the wolf and Dracula, and oh yeah, Dracula. Antique shop in the middle of nowhere, the owner of which seems to have some kind of feud with the witch? Why not? Merfolk? Sure! Its stairs weren't as bad yet either.

I've found its ridiculousness is where the fun was for me and my fondness for it has grown.

-

King's Quest III: To Heir is Human

This game was important for setting out foundations for everything to come: introducing Alexander and Rosella, the existence of Manannan which was used for plot with Mordack for V which also included Cassima to get us the plot of VI, etc. It's where the chain of continuity felt like it really began.

That said I said it was a mixed bag and that hasn't changed. The beginning is fun with the spells and all the thing you can have happen with Manannan which I didn't get much of in my playthrough and I regret that. The spells themselves are fun and the game did get more complex than the previous two.

But that second chunk hits on tedium and frustrations and is just plain not as fun or interesting as the first part. If I were to rank the games, and I'm not, but IF I were I'd really struggle with this one and wish I could put one part in one place and the other part in a different lower place.

One other note: now we don't get a ton of Alexander's personality in III really, just by nature of these older games and he's a little older in VI and of course free of Manannan, but I do have a little trouble reconciling them as the same character. Like, for example, there's a point early when you get the fur from Manannan's cat and he snickers about it and calls it a stupid cat and I just cannot picture VI Alexander ever saying that. Of course I doubt they had any inkling of what VI would be like if it were to ever exist, just something I noticed.

-

King's Quest IV: The Perils of Rosella

Like KQ III I still feel this one is a mixed bag but its low points are lower still than the low points of III and it really leaves me conflicted because there are plenty of things I like but so much ugh at some of the bullshit. The whale, the bridle, the dark cave with the troll, some really awful stairs, it got to be a lot sometimes.

But then it was nice to have Rosella as the protagonist and it was nice to have a more present villain and with Edgar it gave them some material to pull from for later. There were still fun moments and some just really nice spots like the exterior of Genesta's home with her gardens. When I wasn't in the really annoying spots I was enjoying myself as much as the previous games but those blemishes cast long shadows.

It also felt a little more sombre overall, which makes sense under the circumstances, but something I noticed.

-

King's Quest V: Absence Makes the Heart Go Yonder

"We're the aaants led by King Antony..." Ahem. V was my originally planned first game then when I realized it was bundled with IV and VI that maaaybe I should start with IV, which oof, glad I didn't, but then I started from the beginning.

That said I was looking forward to getting to V and I quite enjoyed it. That beautiful art. The voice acting is pretty bad, but I find it weirdly endearing. There's some really charming moments.

There's also a ton of bullshit and a long list of ways to softlock yourself, which should annoy me more on principle, but I think the difference between it and IV is that in this one's case the problems come from things that you can miss rather than frustration coming by the actual act of playing through the annoying trial and error parts like the whale and the cave with the added 'joy' of RNG. And since I knew what to look out for I could avoid the problems whereas I was stuck in it in IV.

Anyway, the connectivity really started to come into fruition here too making use of the events of III while building up to VI. ...Still cranky about Graham's attitude about Alexander at the end and everyone ignoring poor dead Cedric at first.

Other than that it's just so cheesily charming to me.

-

King's Quest VI: Heir Today, Gone Tomorrow

Much like my final thoughts in the last post for the game I'm wondering what more I can say. It's my favourite of the series. It's still so pretty. I really like Alexander as a protagonist. He's so earnest. I like Cassima for what we do get of her though I want more.

I love how much there is to interact with and just the sheer amount of descriptive text with some great humour in there. The premise is hinged on some real flimsy love at first sight, but it's wrapped up in such a good package I can't complain much. There are a lot of fun and charming bits and some just cool chunks too like the stuff in the Realm of the Dead. Having two different routes to two endings is neat as well.

Also, "Girl in the toooower!"

--

King's Quest VII: The Princeless Bride

This one's a little harder to talk about again since I did just finish it so it hasn't had the same time to sit in the back of my mind like the others. It was a departure in a lot of ways from the rest of the games but then again, V and VI were a departure in some ways from the first four as well. It was still a fun different flavour without feeling like it was something else entirely I think might be my best way of putting it. And it was a fun change of pace to be alternating between two protagonists.

And despite its differences it still clung to its roots of fairy tales and the Daventry royals and of course made use of the events of IV. It was also still a point and click unlike a certain other unplayed entry of the series.

It was more comedic and exaggerated and there were some points that were running the fine line of grating for me but never enough to be off-putting.

I wasn't quite sure how I'd feel about it before playing, but I did enjoy more it than I initially feared.

-

I kind of think of the series in three phases which further doesn't help with any attempts at ranking either. There's 1-4, 5-6 and 7. Seeing that kind of progression is another fun thing about going through a series from beginning to end though. Does a ranking emerge from the above notes? VI is high and IV is low. 5 and 7 are probably higher than 1-4 but trying to decide between 5 and 7 and trying to order 1-4 I just don't know. I enjoyed my time with all and that's what really matters in the end.

--

Various Stats and Other Rankings

I've got them anyway, so I may as well gather them into one place!

Final Points

King's Quest 1: 154/158

King's Quest II: 185/185

King's Quest III: 202/210

King's Quest IV: 230/230

King's Quest V: 260/260

King's Quest VI: 225/231

King's Quest VII: N/A

I only got max points in the half the applicable games. Clearly another reason to replay some of these.

--

Death/Game over Counts:

King's Quest I: 58

King's Quest II: 17

King's Quest III: 63

King's Quest IV: 86

King's Quest V: 59

King's Quest VI: 29

King's Quest VII: 42

Feeling some KQIV trauma looking at these counts all over again. I wound up with a higher count that I expected in VII too; it started low then Ooga Booga happened...

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Death Rankings!

I was given the idea to rank deaths so here are some death awards!

Most Deaths: King's Quest IV. Some awful stairs among other things.

Most Maddening: Any stairs or stair-like things. Stair cases in IV and the bean stalk in I drove me nuts. Aside from stairs, the troll in the dark in IV. Once he's there, there's no escape and he's completely random.

Most Expected: Eat these nightshade berries says the golden eyed 'grandma'. What could go wrong. This being hasn't already tried to lead you to your death on more than one occasion before and isn't remotely suspicious now. Alexander, please.

Most Unexpected: This is a bit trickier as I wasn't playing blind. Possibly the rock in KQ I that you push. You have to push it to get a dagger, but if you push it from the wrong side you're squished and there's not really indication of it being on a slope or anything, so... squish. I feel like I'm probably missing some obvious contenders.

Most Tempting: Tree deaths in KQ IV. The tree puns! And failing the spells in III. Gotta see the results. Oh! And not a death but game over, actually this might be the most tempting, but getting turned into a beast in VI. How could you not want to let that run its course and see it? "Whee whee!!!"

Look at him!

Funniest: Possibly getting punched out by the bear in V. It's so ridiculous looking and abrupt.

Most Brutal: I've got three here: two deaths in VI and one in VII. The death by spiked ceiling in the catacombs and the death by fire with the druids. They're both drawn out and the way it all plays out is just yikes. They both had me flinching back into my chair. Then in VII we had Rosella and/or Valanice getting dragged in by the skeletons over the Boogeyman's home. And just the sound and the animation, oh the animation. It was another yikes moment for me.

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Final Final Thoughts

As I try to figure out how to end this ramble. I suppose I will end this with the relatively simple question of would I recommend these?

VI and VII? Yes, particularly VII if someone wants a friendly point and click as VI still has softlocks and the need to save a lot for those deaths

V - with some caveats

I-IV - only to people genuinely interested in exploring the old stuff and willing to tolerate the BS and possible frustrations of a text parser (though I still think the text parser has its own fun)

Was the experience worthwhile for me? Absolutely. Will I replay these games or at least some of them? For sure. I have the SCI remake of I waiting for me and I'll definitely be playing VI again. I think I'll be able to add it to my comfort food rotation. I also, despite my complaining, want to give III another go sometime because I missed too much fun stuff at the start. Honestly I could see doing another run-through of the whole series for myself in the future, maaaybe skipping IV but also maybe doing it too because it's not like I hated it.

For now the Daventry family can live happily ever after until I restart the timeline and force them through all this again.

Once again, thank you for joining me and reading all this.

[rndyounghowze]

Post Geography Is Here: Bubble Wrap vs Cells

By RnD

We got interviewed by the New York Times recently. One of the first problems that Wendy Lee brought up was that she was talking to colleagues and many of them had noticed that they couldn’t find live streamed performances any more. All of the places where they would normally be looking for shows the streaming options had dried up. Now they were on the search again looking for accessible options and this quest is what brought Wendy to our Zoom screen. The saddest thing is that we are asked this question way too many times. If you asked us what our most frequently asked questions are “Where can I find Digital Theatre” is right behind “What is Digital Theatre”. We try not to let it get to us. In fact it is proof that one of our biggest predictions is coming true. We predicted that with Digital Theatre we would get something called Post-Geography. What is it, why is it here, and why are questions like this a frustrating sign of their existence? Let’s take a walk.

Post-Geography is a handy term that we created when we started describing how changes in technology and media have changed the theatre world. The idea is simple: because of how social media and technology has kept artists connected all across the globe they don’t have to make communities based on physical location. Groups of creators can create their own little communities based on interests and needs, not a centralized location. We have seen artist communities and shows based in two different continents, two coasts, and all over the world. We imagine a future where the arts aren’t centered around big cities or hubs. An artist can choose where they want to live and plug in to a global community of makers. These smaller cells of 2-10 makers create the new frontier of the theatre industry. This boils down to “live locally. Act globally. Work in both.” However while we are glad to be seeing a lot of this come true with every show we watch we are finding an aggravating side effect. Along with cells we are getting bubbles and we are so tired of popping them.

Some people think that we have just popped up into their lives by sheer magic. That is a privilege that we didn’t have. We have gotten where we are through sheer stubbornness. We have knocked on countless doors that did not want us. Whenever we just so happen to show up on someone’s radar it’s because we had to pop their bubble. There is no harder bubble to pop than that of indie theatre artists. We’ve noticed time and time again when we want to shout out the work of indie artists or companies that there are so many hoops that we have to go through. There are so many questions to ask, myths to debunk, and back and forth narratives. It’s almost as if they’re terrified of us. We’re not just here to critique like normal theatre critics. We want to turn this bubble into a cell and let the world know what amazing art and artists are out there. We are digital theatre advocates, we believe in this. We know it’s not perfect, in fact It’s as beautifully imperfect as the people who make it. However there is so much potential. So much room for growth and innovation. Then we finally tap into this group of theatre artists and preach the dark gospel of digital theatre to them. Guess what happens next? It’s back to the road to find more bubbles to pop. As much as popping bubble wrap is fun, it can get so old after a while. As tiring as it gets there is an alternative we like the least.

One of the cells that have become absolutely easy to break into are the larger more established theater companies. You know the ones that have massive support systems and infrastructure from before the pandemic? Those have become some of the easiest doors to knock on. Amsterdam, London, New York, Sacramento? They ask very little of us and we get a ticket link. A theatre company is a cell of artists that can connect to much bigger hubs of cells like “National New Play Network”, “LORT”, SETC, etc. We are happy that they are doing digital theatre, we are happy that they are opening themselves up. What scares us is that openness might be coming from a place of security. There is a lot of unholy terror that indie artists have to contend with every day that a more established company with a budget and a building don’t have to contend with. We talked about the flexibility indie groups have to try new things but there is a certain security knowing that one bad show isn’t going to financially ruin you. It leads to the question: Is their openness coming from a place of privilege? Is the indie stage’s guarded stance coming from a place of fear? Or is post-geography still so new that so many isolated bubbles of artists still can’t look to the outside world and see that it has changed.

Every time we talk about digital theatre not being dead we get pushback from the people creating it! They may feel like we are rehashing old territory of fighting battles that have already been won. What they don’t realize is that they can only see what’s in their bubble and we are in that bubble with them now. They don’t see all the questions and the push back that we are getting. A lot of it being so similar it’s like Groundhog Day. So we decided to reach out to everyone at once.

What are the obstacles getting in your way to find your own communities? What is in the way of you creating more digital theatre or creating the style of show that you want to create? What working definitions are you coming up with to help you get through this? What do you need from us to help you succeed?

We can connect you with someone who wants to help you make art. There are more of us than people realize. You’re not alone so please don’t shut people out. We don’t think we have all the answers. We don’t. We want to understand as much as we can but we would never frame ourselves as the ultimate experts. We are just one resource among many. What we do have is knowledge, access, and a ton of questions we explore daily. We try to stay as plugged in as possible. So please reach out to us so that we can try to expand your horizons as much as possible.

[kn0ckkn0ckneo]

there are certain topics you cannot discuss w/just anyone. there is a certain level of trust, intellect or experience that is required with such topics. the spiritual, woo-woo, Death, ET-related topics are a few of mine i do not discuss w/just anyone. there is a certain level of openness & awakenness that must be present.

now, there is a topic i've been quite fond of my whole life, but haven't been truly connected to it until as of two years ago. Death. in my my life, i have had two NDE. the most recent one was about two months ago. it changed my life & mindset entirely. i have only shared this experience w/my spiritual teacher because i needed answers. i am still questing for them. looking for answers in books, in videos, in blogs- everything. i know what happened was real, but i just wanted the confirmation comparing my experience to those of others.

when you want something enough, truly want it. when you want something so maturely, so detachedly, so conscientiously... you just might get it. no matter how extreme it may be. spiritual ascension has been a theme in my life for the past three/four years & truthfully, i was tired. just tired.

the level of connection & communication i have formed w/my spirit team is beyond your imagination, i assure you that. i had spent a good while contemplating my death, the outcome of it, how can it affect everyone the least, thinking about my pets as well; just like you plan a wedding, i planned my own death, but only i wasn't going to do it myself, i asked a higher force to take care of the deed for me & my pets all together.

one night, i felt ready. i went to talk to the sky as i normally do each night & i told them, "i'm ready." we've had this conversation before, they knew what i needed done & how i wanted to go (w/my pets). so i said goodbye to the world & ended it w/much gratitude & love. i got ready for bed for the last time, did my nightly routine, kissed & hugged my pets a lot & was very grateful to each one of them. they knew, they knew. one of them, my little pisces girl, the one who has seen me almost die before, she was particularly anxious & hid under the bed. i told her it was going to be alright.

so i went to bed. at some point it started happening, i lifted from my body, but there was a silver cord attached from my soul to my body, it was slowly thinning out. i started to feel so much peace. everything was going black, pitch black & everything felt so easy & good. we made a stop. this place seemed to be what people call "paradise," as what i have now learned through my research of those who have experienced a NDE. mother Gaia at it's best. there were other "beings" there that seemed to have the shape of a human, & they felt so familiar. i felt comfortable w/them & there seemed to be some kind of preparation taking place. my cats were there too. my pisces girl was the most scared of them all. the others were happy to be there, but they were not coming w/me to the next level. they stay in paradise.

one of my "guides" asked me, "are you ready to go? i said YES. they said, "you can't take it back. if you're ready, follow me." Dorito kept walking around my legs & pushing himself onto me, wrapping his tail around my ankles, he was saying goodbye. Amparo, my pisces girl, she was so scared, my poor girl. she was in a corner under a beautiful wooden picnic table & didn't want to come out. i felt her energy saying, "please don't go." right before i decided to follow them, i said "no. i'm not staying here. i'm going back. i need to go back."

my guides knew what they were doing. they wanted me to think again about my choice. i saw their "faces" but really it was more their energy of them feeling joy on the inside. you know when you make the little smile because you got your way? like that. they were happy & proud of me to make this choice & they told me to be strong. they were not going to leave me.

then i was back. i woke up w/all my cats surrounding me. this is one of those things i probably will not ever share w/anyone i know.

[mumble-jumble-gallery]

"Take care of your dough...and your running days will be long..."

That's the motto Cotton Cloud Margarita takes to heart as a reminder from such a crucial moment in his life. If anybody ever wishes to build up a more crispy lifestyle then look no further than this cookie right here for help in finding the best recipe for a healthy balance! Working in fitness may be difficult with how rough around the edges he appears but you would soon be surprised just how polite and soft-spoken Cotton Cloud truly is by merely talking with him. It's hard to imagine such a stoic cookie could obtain most of those scars just by his clumsiness alone. Yeesh no wonder he clams up with bright orange burning his cheeks when it gets brought up!

No good sport is without some trouble on the side. Having put his delinquent path to a curb by a vocal elder in his youth, owning up to his previous mistakes through leading a better example is a top priority no matter how tough the going gets. It's merely a shame that a past bearing poor taste in company often comes with heavy regrets but fending off such bad choices is only a minor nuisance for him now. Nothing can deter him in this quest to forge a brand new path. Now...he just has to face against the impending doom of socialization...Gulp!

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-Adopted along with his sister by a couple with their toes dipped in the less than legal aspect of dealings which brought on such troublemaker behavior in him. That promptly got stamped out by a horse of the law which lead to him holding great respect for her ever since

-Firmly set in the teachings of his former mentor and strives to stay far away from the family "business" as he possibly can though still cares for them at the end of the day

-Despite being made with alcohol, Cotton Cloud Margarita holds no desire to drink and would be extremely lightweight otherwise; the irony of that coupled with his mother running a bar club is often lost on him...

-Looks scary but is simply so awkward in how communication that even his own roommate finds it hard to get a good grasp on what he thinks! The only ones who seem to understand him the best are his family especially his dad; guess he had to get it from somewhere

-Can easily recall the story of each scar right down to the exact date (the biggest scar on his chest having an entirely nonsensical reason to be there which gets amplified in comedy due to how genuine he tells them with his deep flat voice)

-Takes a bit to...pick up on certain signals even though he is plenty straightforward himself. Managing to finally "catch the drift" brings his hair more fizz than previously possible before ultimately remaining a bright orange statue and fumbling out words during the dial-up

-Finds comfort in being carried<3

-G A Y AF AND HAS POOR TASTE IN M E N. Don't worry his sister is the same with her poor taste in women

-Smiles in stressful situations. The more desire to not be wherever he is the more he looks like he'll steal yo kidneys

-Never missed leg day. Or arm day. Or any day. AW YEAH SQUAT OUT THE BURN YEAAAAAAA

-Takes being wrapped up suddenly in a blanket burrito then tucked into bed with a kiss on his head personally and with great offense! Just...when he wakes up...zzz...snork...mimimi....zzz...

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Adopted a while ago from @asktheplethaura

Here comes the boooooooy~ Hello boy~

[sinvulkt]

The System / Rebirth / Isekai / Super-hero Kind

Bcs I discovered them recently and felt I had to add them, even if I’m not entirely sure about them yet. I am operating on vibe only to group those, so the grouping may be wrong xd.

The S-Classes That I Raised (Ongoing)

Yoojin is an F-ranker overshadowed by his little brother, an S-ranker. All he does is get in his brother’s way, causing trouble wherever he goes. When a seemingly routine dungeon raid goes wrong and costs Yoojin his brother’s life, Yoojin decides to use the wish granted by clearing the dungeon to reset his timeline. The plan was to lead a quiet life from now on… but now it turns out he can help other people become S-rankers?! Maybe this is Yoojin’s chance at building his own entourage of powerful metahumans… but it may be easier said than done.

As I’m writing it now i just finished reading the season 1 that got out. I’m considering jumping on the webnovel because it was quite nice, I did enjoy this story ! Idk what to say other than the mc wants to protect everyone at the cost of his own pain and sacrifice, once again to ’everyone’ despair xd. But well for now he does have too many cheats to truly get consequence in the present- so most of the angst roots in the past (the whump keep us steadily company all throughout though :3). Still very nice ups and downs to eat 🎶

Necromancer Survival (Ongoing)

When the weak and unconfident Choi Yikyung first found out that he was a user, he thought he had finally hit the jackpot. In Yikyung’s mind, Necromancy seemed like the ultimate mix of cool and interesting. Back then, he had no idea that the Necromancer class was the weakest of them all! But as Yikyung enters the newly reopened Tower of Spirits in search of enhancement materials, he is sucked into a mysterious area of the dungeon where he encounters a frightening corpse. “Ding!” A quest window pops up, and it says… “You have made a pact with Seo Dawon, a vengeful spirit.” When tackling quests, it doesn’t hurt to have a companion or two, especially if one of them is the spirit of an ultra powerful and handsome young man. After all, “it’s dangerous to go alone”!

That one is BL xD. Also I finished it a few days ago so can’t truly garantee the quality in hindsight- i still have the delicious taste at the tip of my tongue influencing my words. But well I did end up jumping on the webnovel after finishing the webtoon, so it’s likely to stay in my mind for quite a while. And the BL part was such slow burn and drown into many other things that it didn’t bother me too puch (since the mc keep throwing himself at death door step everyone has other stuff on their mind than dating which I appreciate XD). The mc begin as very weak willed stereotype, but he grow so much during the chapter it’s very refreshing to see him take his stubborn decisions against other characters as the story evolve (and get his moral twisted, oops?). I do love that those moment of stubborness tend to be against the overprotective cage some characters try to wrap against him. And that he keep getting kidnapped. Yay whump and ’betrayal for your own sake’? :3

Reborn As The Enemy Prince (Ongoing)

Imagine being kin to your sworn enemy. Killed in battle while defending his country, Bern wakes up in the body of the enemy prince, Kalian, and vows to avenge his people. But between taming an abusive half-brother and surviving his mother's deadly web of intrigue, sweet revenge seems to slip further beyond his grasp at every turn.

That one has some potential, but didn’t give me as strong feelings as I’m Not That Kind Of Talent. I think I might get more if I read the webnovel, I like the mc but am still missing on some whump and angst to properly synch. I’m still putting it here though because I also read it a few days ago and it was a very happy find ! Good stories with no romance and a mc I vibe with are rare. I could have put it with the fantasy ones but well it’s ’rebirth’ type of story so i do whatever I want xd. Unlike what the title ensue, this is a guy from the fantasy world who die and wake up in another (young adult?) body of the same fantasy world, so not an isekai case nor a ’go back to infant stage’ case. It’s a bit similar to Trash Of The Count Family in term of vibes.

Wo Jia Dashi Xiong Naozi You Keng (Ongoing)

The hilarious adventures of the eldest apprentice of a sect who has a problem with his brain. Dong Fang Xian Yun is reincarnated as the eldest disciple of the Carefree sect. But the only thing that goes through his mind is to make sure he doesn't end up dying at the hands of the "main character". Read as he makes no sense to his sibling disciples while avoiding flags left and right.

Also named ’Our Big Brother’s Brain Has A Pit’ if you translate the title. It’s one of my favorite transmigration story. First of all, because it’s hilarious and doesn’t try to take itself seriously. Second of all, because there are delicious bits of angst sprinkled all over, making it the webtoon manifestation of ’Crack here to hurt you’. It is very special, and I love it very very much. (Also apparently it got an anime at some point? ☆.☆).

UnOrdinary (Ongoing)

Nobody paid much attention to John – just a normal teenager at a high school where the social elite happened to possess unthinkable powers and abilities. But John’s got a secret past that threatens to bring down the school’s whole social order – and much more. Fulfilling his destiny won’t be easy, though, because there are battles, frenemies, and deadly conspiracies around every corner.

The mc is kind of a jerk but i don’t mind because he does get the consequences xd. Another mc who tried to hide his power~ (listen when we like a trope we keep it). He is a bully, but also still a very interesting character I find. It does study a lot how the victim become the harceler (and might get a chance at getting themselves straight? I don’t know.) Gotta deal with his anger issues first XD. But thise anger issues and attempt at escaping is why I synched~

Flow (Complete)

In this world, every child is born under a god. Some gods are weaker than others. Some gods are stronger than others. Children born under weaker gods become defunct in society, and cannot attend high school. Instead, they must get jobs after middle school. High school in this world is a place that trains students to use their stronger gods. They have one thing in common: They can grant wishes if the correct price is paid. Leerang turns back time a day, and pays dearly for it. To reverse his wish, he must attend high school and try to use the powers of his cat god once again.

That one is on this list bcs it used to be my sibling’s favorite and because the vibe is nice. It’s well made as far as story goes, is complete, and has a rather satisfying ending. It never supremly echoed with me bcs it didn’t offer my favorites tropes so i didn’t enter into a synch with the mc, but I do think the story is well made and can be enjoyed.

---

Here I’ll mention I don’t want this kind of hero. It’s veryyyyyy long and mostly comedy, so not enough pain to make it into my favs, but i still had fun reading it, as its another main character who tried to hide his powers but ending up being caught up by it anyway ~. He is too overpowered to truly struggle though so the story is mostly comedy. I’ll also mention Rebirth, which I liked enough to read despite usually hating zombies apocalypse. A lot of family angst ~. In the trope of VRMMO, I remember being found of The Legendary Moonlight Sculptor. But my absolute favorite of the genre - and the one that initiated me to it - is a shoujo genderbend manga: 1/2 Prince.

List of some of webtoon and manhwa recs.

First of all I should probably say that my favorite type of stories (so the type you might find in the list bellow) is ’tragedy comedy adventure’ without any romance, but possibly a lot of bromance | tension (ok some BL slipped by me into this list). And rather self destructive mc for the sake of their goal (often to the utter despair of the people who care about them xd). Bring forth conflicts and battles of will and rising against destiny !

@blackhazefanblog I did this for you! It took a while. Even if I think you’ll find the ones in [The Fantasy Kind] are the most likely to have similar vibes to black haze. : D

All summaries are from Baka-Updates or WebtoonLine. The links are either towards WebtoonLine, or towards the original official site (or official english translation if i found it).

The Fantasy Kind

Black Haze (Ongoing)

A long time ago, a portal to another world was opened, and those who acquired special abilities along with marks began to be called mages. After the incident known as "that day", the first-class mage from Ophion, known as "Blow", has become very famous. One day, he receives a very special mission: to protect the second son of the Artian family, who suffers from being called a "monster" at the magic school "Helios"! Thus, Blow enrolls in Helios under the name "Rood Krisch" to hide his true identity...

My all time favorite. I learned english thanks to it < 3. And it just group so many of my favorite tropes in one story ☆.☆

I’m not that kind of talent (Ongoing)

A talented individual who is respected by many and welcomed anywhere? Not at all! A bloodthirsty battle fanatic who knows no defeat? Couldn’t be further from the truth! In reality, Deon Hardt is a sickly human who coughs up blood from receiving the tiniest bit of stress and gets sunburns from standing in the sun for ten minutes. But due to an unfortunate misunderstanding, he becomes “Demon Arut,” the notorious 0th corps commander of the demon army and the demon king’s joker. Caught in a war between humans and demonkind, Deon must find a way to survive!

I discovered that one this year! I love comediy and tragedy mixed together, and that one fully achieved that, from making me laugh to absolutely destroying my heart seriously i am still hurting. Well this is a tragedy. Be warned. But a delicious one. (My heart TT.TT).

The Ember Knight (Ongoing)

When Nagyunn’s twin brother, Najin, is murdered before his very eyes, he vows to avenge his brother’s death by assuming Najin’s identity. But although the two may look alike, when it comes to fighting, Nagyunn lacks the talent and skill his brother possessed. In order to successfully execute his plot for revenge, Nagyunn resolves to train himself to become the prodigious knight-in-training his brother once was. Will Nagyunn be able to keep his identity a secret before others begin to catch on to his act?

Another one I discovered ’recently’ = last year. I absolutely adore the fact that the mc rely fully on wits and bluff. He will never get a cheat skill to get as strong as others- he just has to play his card rights (which happen to be a bunch of overprotective knights wishing he stopped going in front of the blade path). So he gotta bluff. A lot. Including playing betrayal at every corner, and i sure love betrayal :3. That and it’s a revenge story ~

TAL (Complete)

They walk like ordinary people, they talk like ordinary people but in fact there is nothing ordinary about them since they can materialize an image they have on their mind... They call themselves Chachaoong which also means Shaman and they do not know how or when they came to this world. It is now a time for their current king to choose the future one and so he did by choosing Yu Jin an ordinary human...? Many of the Chachaoong can not tolerate a human ruling them and now the poor Yu Jin not knowing what suddenly hit him, is trying to avoid the Chachaoongs who are trying to kill him!

This has been my second favorite after Black Haze for a long time, because I got a soft spot for escapists xd. All the more escapists with consequences catching them back faster than they can run until they’re cornered ☆.☆ Fight until the end against a fate you are doom to surrender to ~ I love it.

Catharsis (Complete)

Fear is a powerful emotion that can end up overtaking one's life. Leon thought he knew that. But when he's thrown into the demonic realm that Catharsis governs over, he'll learn that there is more to “true” fear than he could ever have imagined... But will he learn how to face it?

That one also stayed in my mind for a long time. The ending is more ’open’ than I would have wished, but well, there is no sequel yet so let’s call that an ending. Appart from that i loved the mc, and he has synesthesis which give really cool result in webtoon format (yay colors). In a world where nightmares take physical shape, the mc get attacked by nightmares and end up being recruited by the agency fighting nightmares bcs they feel smthg off about him.

Crepuscule (Complete)

Lark is different from the rest of the kids. He has red eyes, just like Vampires do, and he is bullied by the other kids for it. One day he meets Setz, a genuine Vampire of a Noble clan who is the only one that doesn't call him a monster or bully him. Eventually they become friends, but when Lark finds out he may have to return to the orphanage, Setz decides he does not want to lose his friend, so he invites him to his home... The world of the Vampires.

Another webtoon i grew up with as a teen. It isn’t my all time fav, but i still quite enjoyed it enough to reread it a few times. Must be the blond mc that reminded me of Rood xd. Or the fact that he is super weak in a world of monsters. Or the reason he has those red eyes. (Such delicious angst amidst the comedy). Are those just a trope I enjoy? XD

Godly Bells (Complete)

Divine Bells - they choose their own masters and they determine the status, prestige, and influence of the countries their masters rule. The presence or lack of these Bells also has great consequence in the lives of each country's royalty. In particular, the personal and political futures of King Hong-Ryeong seem doomed without a Bell, but at equally great peril if he obtains one. But are the Divine Bells simple magical charms, deities of great powers, or something else altogether? And when the owner of three of the eight existing Divine Bells dies, leaving them to choose new owners, where will the resulting turmoil lead?

Another blond mc i grew up with as a teen and reread a few time. And another ’king’ who is ’weak’. It’s in a fantasy world, where divine ’bells’ give each king (and thus each country) power. The mc country hasn’t been chosen by any bells for years, so quite look down upon. Until three bells at least or smthg choose the mc. And then they become people, with their own agenda. The mc didn’t want the attention but well can’t convince the bells to drop him xd. Which is why i loved this story. Once again, can’t escape fate even when you didn’t want it ~

Aegis Orta (Complete)

Val is an ordinary high school student who dedicates his life to God. His peaceful days however have to end when he learns about who he really is..

Very much in the same vibe of Godly Bells and Crepuscule, only I discovered it later and thus have less memories of it (bcs reread it less). It’s another blond character with red eyes that get ’fate’ thrown at its face ~ well. Demon powers. Same.

---

I’m not gonna put Mxtx’s works here (Heaven Official Blessing, Mo Dao Zu Shi, Scum Villain Self Saving System), but they’re great too. If you love comedy and tragedy and don’t mind BL too much. Go for it. I usually don’t enjoy romance that much but it didn’t bother me with those works, bcs it’s presented so naturally into the story rather than harassing us every second. Phantom Paradise is also a BL, although entirely different vibe. It’s what would happen with matriarchat instead of patriarchat but all the toxicity remain - only gender roles are reversed. As for why I enjoyed it so much... I guess I am still somewhat sensitive to fan service ? XD

I also feel like I should mention UnderPrin, even if it didn’t make it all the way to my favs, kind of similar vibe to Catharsis and Aegis Orta. I’ll also mention Makai Ouji: Devils and Realist which is a manga but another blond character in the same vibe of the earlier ones, who refuse his own power XD. And Pandora Hearts because its my favorite manga ever. I even prefer it to Black Haze (but I think someone who liked one would also like the other?).

[smellslikemultifandomimagines]

Hey, it’s me again! Hope u don’t mind, but if you haven’t done one before, could u do a frank or a Percy nsfw alphabet?

also:

pairing: percy jackson (18+) x fem!reader

warnings: smut → NSFW alphabet

headcanon 🖤

a/n: i chose percy for this if that's okay ✨

•:•.•:•.•:•:•:•:•:•:•:• ☾ ☼ ☽ •:•.•:•.•:•:•:•:•:•:•:•

requests are open🖤

request guidelines✨

🌻masterlist🌻

smut night masterlist 💦

A = Aftercare (what they’re like after sex)

would be the absolute king of aftercare

bby would run a bath and sit behind you, washing your hair / body

would 100% be such a cuddler too and would run circles / shapes all over your back as you cuddle into his chest

he'd be a talker too - like just talk about whatever's on his mind, whether it's college, or demi-god stuff

B = Body part (their favorite body part of theirs and also their partner’s)

Percy would love your hands

He'd love to hold them while he fucks you

would love having them in his hair (at any given circumstance, but especially when he's having sex with you and you're pulling at his hair)

having your hands run down his chest while you ride him would be like 🤤to him

even having your hand wrapped around his cock is enough to send him over the edge haha

C = Cum (anything to do with cum, basically)

percy would take such pride in being able to make you cum

i think he can do it pretty easily through eating you out tbh - like that man would 100% know how to work his tongue lol

I think he'd have a thing for cumming in your hand or stomach tbh

D = Dirty secret (pretty self explanatory, a dirty secret of theirs)

omg Percy would have such a thing for seeing hickeys and bruises scattered all over your body

like one time he even called it his artwork haha

like knowing that he can do that to you would really turn him on ahah

E = Experience (how experienced are they? do they know what they’re doing?)

I think a decent amount

I mean him and annabeth probably did stuff but I think she'd be a bit more conservative with what they did

with you, i think he's able to fully experiment lol

F = Favorite position (this goes without saying)

face riding!!

would love fucking you from behind

would also love you riding him oh my- bby gets so heated from that

G = Goofy (are they more serious in the moment? are they humorous? etc.)

ahha omg yes, are you kidding me?

percy never really takes anything too seriously (unless he has to of course) and i think being able to laugh would be such a reliving thing for the both of you

that being said, i think he can be pretty serious at times, especially when he's really concentrating on what he's doing lol

H = Hair (how well groomed are they? does the carpet match the drapes? etc.)

i think he'd have it groomed most of the time

but when you're on a quest, i don't think he'd care too much about that (though that's pretty much a given lol)

I = Intimacy (how are they during the moment? the romantic aspect)

Percy would be so cute omg

like he'd always make sure that you're okay and would back off if you're not in the mood or if he did something that you're uncomfortable with

like i said before, Percy would hold you hands while he eats you out/fuck you

and he'd cup your cheek when he kisses you

even kissing would be super intimate bc he's so passionate and puts all his feelings of love into it

J = Jack off (masturbation headcanon)

with you around so often, he doesn't really do it tbh

though there's no denying he'd go to the bathroom and secretly jack off bc you were riling him up haha

K = Kink (one or more of their kinks)

oop begging

would be a switch - but is mostly a dom

I've said this before in what sex would be like with percy, so heres an excerpt from that:

I’d imagine him having a praise kink – for either of you

“you take my cock so well, gorgeous.”

“you did so well”

“im so proud”

ya know, sweet things like that

I’d also imagine him saying those especially during aftercare too

and he’d get super blushy when you praise him

pet👏🏻names👏🏻!

baby

angel

but his favourite would be princess

percy would have a lowkey daddy / sir kink though like hahah

L = Location (favorite places to do the do)

his cabin - obviously lol

i think as well anywhere you're not supposed to be lol (like Mr D's office for one hahah)

M = Motivation (what turns them on, gets them going)

when you rile him up lol

and you do that pretty often, especially when there's a party at camp and you're swaying your hips to the song and giving him a show lol

every time you guys spar and you win and you're super cocky about it

N = No (something they wouldn’t do, turn offs)

honestly, i think you'd barely even have to have a safe word bc he'd know your limits

safe words were more common back when you were starting to experiment with kinks and other things but over time, knowing each other's limits became so much easier

I think though one thing he really would not do would be threesomes (only unless you want to, then he'd be okay with it)

there's just something about having you all to himself and being the only one to make you cum

O = Oral (preference in giving or receiving, skill, etc.)

I've said this before in what sex would be like with percy, so heres an excerpt from that:

ooh that boy would know how to eat you out!

one of the first times y’all were having sex you were literally like :o from how good he was with his mouth

the way he sucks your clit, to the way he flicks his tongue so pleasurably on your clit leaves you a trembling mess

like sometimes he leaves you trembling so hard you’re not even sure where to grab – the bedsheets, the headboard, the back of the couch, his hair

P = Pace (are they fast and rough? slow and sensual? etc.)

oh my god percy would 100% know how to pound you - to get you screaming, struggling to get a word out through your moans, trying to grab something to hold so you can ground yourself lol

but other times, he's super sweet and tender and just overall really cute

Q = Quickie (their opinions on quickies, how often, etc.)

ahh omg yes, especially when you're having sex in places you're not supposed to be lol

ah ah omg being at work and he visits you and on your break you fuck in the staff bathroom lol (dude i think about this every day lol)

R = Risk (are they game to experiment? do they take risks? etc.)

lmao yes

like imagine just fucking in Mr D's office, knowing that at any moment, he or someone else could walk in

would be up for experimenting to see what you both like, so i think risk taking would come under that

S = Stamina (how many rounds can they go for? how long do they last?)

percy has some pretty good stamina in general, so don't be surprised if he could go for a couple of rounds

i think round 2 would be most likely spent in the shower as he washes you both off

bc let's be real, that man could not get enough of you

T = Toys (do they own toys? do they use them? on a partner or themselves?)

yes omg

would try with vibrators and a satisfier but i think he'd really like to get you off himself tbh

U = Unfair (how much they like to tease)

ah omg yes

like i said before, seeing you put on a show for him when you're dancing or teasing him during sparring, would be such a turn on for him

he'd hate that he gets so riled up easily and how easy it is for you to tease him without really doing anything / putting much effort in

he would love to overstimulate you and having you beg to cum

V = Volume (how loud they are, what sounds they make, etc.)

i think small moans - not too loud, not too soft

they'd be so hot against your ear as he buries his head in the crook of your neck

or from behind you as he focuses on pounding you and he's just letting out grunts and moans with each thrust

W = Wild card (a random headcanon for the character)

percy would have such a thing for making the bed rock against the wall

like having the headboard bang and mattress squeak as he fucks into you hard

even the sound of skin slapping against skin would turn him on so much

and sometimes would fuck you so hard just to hear them lol

not in a weird way, but more like he's able to fuck you this good that even the bed is taking it lol

another thing would be watching you cum – the way your eyes squeeze shut.  how you can’t even form coherent sentences (which i mentioned in sex with percy lol)

X = X-ray (let’s see what’s going on under those clothes)

honestly???? a bit above average

would definitely love feeling his cock stretch you out lol

Y = Yearning (how high is their sex drive?)

I think being on a quest can definitely take his mind off sex

but when you guys are alone together without any worries monsters, that's when he'd really be quite antsy

he can control himself around you, especially on a quest, but my god when you tease him or turn him on in anyway, it'll take every fibre in his being not to pull you over and fuck you right there and then

Z = Zzz (how quickly they fall asleep afterwards)

I think the two of you would get really sleepy during aftercare

like there would be times when you've napped in his arms in the bath and he's had to wake up you

it's nearly happened to him too haha

and with what i said before about being a talker, he'd talk until he'd fall asleep

like there'd be time when you're having a conversation and he just dives off into a sleep, almost slurring his words bc he's so tired

or if you're talking and notice he doesn't respond

[queen-of-meows]

I think all the issues with S2 can be boiled down to the fact that this season was commissioned by Disney during S1 production, while the whole plot was already wrapped up.

The more I rewatched it, the most obvious it becomes that Loki's sacrifice was likely meant to be the true finale of S1 and S2 is 6 episodes of biding time. It's a bit sad because if they had to do filler, they could have done interesting, character driven filler. But instead they seem to have purposefully avoided any character development, even erasing lot of S1 development and resetting them to early S1.

Mobius being suddenly okay with the TVA when his own S1 arc was about realising he was working with the bad guys all along.

Sylvie is just a background character with very little spoken lines.

Loki is... honestly, I have no idea. I don't understand Loki's characterization in S2. They made him torture a random dude to prove he's still a dangerous villain, but would have Avengers Loki done that ? Maybe ? Maybe not ? But also he was kinda mind controled by te Mind Stone so te point is moot.

B-15 is the most consistant character, but since she does all the heavy lifting off-screen while we follow Loki and Mobius doing the side quest like it's a Skyrim long play, it's up to our imagination.

Ravonna's arc kinda makes sense, but also she was such a fascinating character in S1 and now she's reduced to a wronged lover tryng to get her due. Not bad in itself, but it's still a downgrade.

Of course, S2 is not all bad, it introduces really good new characters, but I feel like the characters that got us invested emotionally got neglected. And even those good characters don't work very well as narrative tools. They're lovable and fun, but they lack anchors to each other.

Anyway, I feel like I'm being a negative Nancy. I don't even hate S2, it just doesn't feel like the sequel of the show I loved so much. It's more like a fun little DLC to play once you've finished the main game 20 times.

I realised what my issue with S2 Mobius was! His abrupt reversal from "I'm gonna burn this fuckin place downnnnn!!!" to "I love the TVA! They kidnapped me, but that was good! Also, I like pie!" is explained (too briefly) as repression/denial and not having any sense of purpose without the TVA, but it didn't feel to me like that was a logical progression for his character, an inevitable result of who he is, but more like the writer(s) wanted Jovial Office-Worker Mobius - perhaps the shallowest and least-interesting interpretation of him as he appears in S1 - and so the character is not allowed to be visibly upset or conflicted about his own life. It feels like he's been held back and reduced in complexity for the sake of convenience.

Sylvie's emotions being inconvenient for the Tedious Loom Plot led to her being largely absent and viewed as an irritable, irrational shrew, so Mobius did better than her in that he's allowed to be more easily "likeable" but he too is, while present, still being shunted to the side in a sense, because the story refuses to be about any of the things S1 left hanging/set up and wouldn't it be funny if Mobius suddenly liked food??? Ha ha ha, he likes cake pie! PIE!!! :D

[big-brainrot-hours]

I couldn’t get this out of my mind

Morax definitely felt some sort of a power trip when he got Xiao on his side during that time in the archon war. Thinking that now that he save his God most favor he’ll be recognize for his good deed and may even grant him a Mark similar to Xiao or something along those lines

Or maybe Morax think that with Xiao their god will be more incline to stay in Liyue because their favorite is in Liyue

YOU’RE ABSOLUTELY RIGHT AND YOU SHOULD SAY IT LOUDER!!!!

Anyway, I haven’t played the story quests so the characterization of Morax might be a bit off?? Let me know what yall think lol

Headcanons and ficlet under the cut

— — — — — — —

He absolutely got a power trip when Xiao was on his side during the war. Not only did he have the creator’s favorite on his side, but he was powerful, and that was while he was starved and injured, his skin littered with unhealed wounds and in agonizing pain. Imagine how powerful he would be when he was in full health.

And being recognized for his "good deed" is definitely a large part of his motivation for helping Xiao. To be honest, it’s the only reason. Mr. God of War was not a nice person, and he was not about to just help someone just for the sake of helping them. Especially not when this person had nearly beat him. But, if the creator was watching over Xiao, then maybe if he helped him, he would be seen too?

And that last bit about keeping Xiao around so that the creator is more likely to stay in Liyue is absolutely true too. He does realize that Xiao doesn’t care about Liyue, and he knows that he’d leave immediately if the creator asked him to, but he keeps him around anyway. He’s hoping that if Xiao stays in Liyue long enough, the creator will see and get attached to the nation and want to stay.

— — — — — — —

Morax was ready to end the life of the disgusting beast he had just struck down. It had put up a good fight, he’d give it that, but it was one fight too long. This tiny creature, injured and covered in festering and infected wounds, covered in countless scars layered on top of each other, this pathetic slave of Osial’s. How did it manage to hold him off for so long? How did it manage to hurt him so badly that he had to stop to heal and catch his breath?

He watches it, laying on the ground, staring blankly up at the sky, when suddenly, it starts to scream. He raises his spear, ready to finally end it, when he notices the light wrapping around it. It was dim, barely noticeable, but he saw it. And even from where he was standing, he could feel the warmth radiating from it. His breath catches in his lungs as he realizes what he’s seeing.

The creator, his god... They’re keeping that thing alive. Panic grips his heart as his thoughts start to race. No one had seen or even sensed the creator in Teyvat in centuries, so how was this thing graced with their light? What is this creature, exactly? All he can see is a mess of feathers and skin, too covered in blood and gore for him to really notice anything else. It lays there, screaming and sobbing, and he just can’t see why this pest is being protected by the creator themself. And that’s when he notices. The torn markings under its scars, the faint glowing under its skin, the way its sobs and screams are filled with pleas for forgiveness.

He had heard the rumors before. That the creator had a favorite. That there was one being who carried the god's light, one who could still sense their will and godly aura despite having left Teyvat many years ago. Never would he have thought the rumors were true.

But… The rumors also said that the god’s favorite was a being of beauty and grace. One that was kind and outgoing, one who glowed under the stars and was covered in marks of the creator, had a soft voice and a gentle demeanor, and was quick to offer help to anyone they came across with a laugh and a soft smile.

So what in the world happened to make them into this… thing? This tortured, broken creature, screaming at the stars and sobbing out broken prayers and cries for forgiveness?

And that’s when it struck him.

This was his chance.

He found it hard to believe, but if this creature really was the creator’s favorite, then this was his way to show his devotion. His way of showing the creator the extent of his worship. He’ll save this pathetic creature, and although he won’t be able to restore it to its former glory, it will live. The creator’s favorite creation will live to see another day, and it’s thanks to him. Surely the creator will notice him after this? They’ll see just how much he loves them and that he’s willing to put energy into healing something so broken. And maybe… maybe he’ll be blessed with the creator’s light too? Maybe he’ll be granted divine markings as well. Maybe he’ll be the new favorite…

[prancingnougat]

Ranking Harvestella's Party Member Quests (Spoiler Free)

I just wrapped up the last of Harvestella's party member questlines and I'm really surprised at how much I loved them. Each and every one had something I enjoyed, but there are ones I totally preferred and I wanted to think about it some more, so here is a list of my favorite questlines. This is totally personal preference, but this is the first time in a long while where I've totally fallen for every single member in an RPG party, so while some quests stuck out to me, they're all winners in my book.

S-RANK: Heine

Heine won me over quickly despite feeling iffy on his flirty nature at first. His story is one of the most heartfelt and lovely character arcs I've experienced in a video game. It's everything wonderful (and unexpected!) about Harvestella in one succinct and satisfying package. I am an absolute sucker for pioneering/adventurous types, and Heine's development - from the backstory that gets laid out and the parts you're personally involved in - exemplifies a certain kind of character that I find premium-grade endearing. My favorite! A-RANK: Istina, Shrika

Istina's story is similar to Heine's, where you learn a fair deal of her background as you go along, so some of her character growth requires getting deep into her questline to fully appreciate. What sets this one above the rest for me is the ultimate payoff, though. The middle few chapters slow down a touch, but I think that's more due to Harvestella's storytelling method. She's a very kind character despite a very heavy background, and her struggle to break the circle of trauma for herself and others left an impression on me.

Shrika's story carries with it religious overtones that asks for a little bit of meditation on the concept of faith, within and beyond the context of Harvestella's world. The other characters involved in her journey present a direct, philosophical challenge to her beliefs that doesn't dumb anything down for the player. It's not at all what I was expecting when I picked this game up. I think whether or not you agree with Shrika's direction as a character, this questline at least provides a unique experience that deviates from the usual JRPG tropes involving religious themes. That's not to say it's 100% perfect - I absolutely would see why others dislike this one - but in terms of memorable experiences for me, this is up there. B-RANK: Brakka, Dianthus, Asyl, Emo Perhaps it's a little lazy of me to lump the rest altogether in one explanation, but the remaining stories (while enjoyable) did not stand out in the same way as the top three. That's not to say they're bad, quite the opposite! These just all didn't quite excite or intrigue me like my top 3 did.

Brakka's character arc takes a turn into reasonable, logical storytelling that deviates from the typical edgy-mercenary-type storyline you find in RPGs. I imagine the themes of purpose (lost and found) to be likely very relatable to a lot of young people, especially those who are at a crossroad in their own life story. I recommend following his if you like your morality scale a little on the gray side. Dianthus has a really cute storyline that I think anyone will enjoy if they're into thoughts about romance, or studying human behavior. She's very robotic but only in the best way, and is totally lovable in her own regard. I liked it! Asyl's story plays with ideas about identity and perception that feel like I've experienced in other games/media, but if you were to ask me for a concrete example, I couldn't give one. It all felt very familiar; I still think it's a great study of Asyl as an individual, and I appreciate that the developers leaned into how naturally noble he is. He isn't an unabashed stereotype of a knight - he's just a good guy, and those who like him are going to enjoy this story for what it is. Emo's story is easily the least "exciting", but that's not what it's trying to sell. It's one of the most heartfelt questlines out of everyone listed above. My experience in approaching it falls squarely on my shoulders as I was tackling mainline story quests in tandem with hers, and I think it is one instance where the pacing and tone slightly clashed. Yet on the same token, I think what her story is important to the overall themes found throughout Harvestella, so I don't discount the content of her questline itself. Plus, you get to hear her cute singing a lot! Honorable Mention: goes to Cres, who I would place as a high A-Rank (she just isn't a party member, so I put her here). I found Harvestella's approach to discussing topics like autoimmune disorders and palliative care surprisingly mature. I've always been a proponent of videogames as a valid medium for storytelling, and I do think you can point to this game in particular as an example for all of that. Overall, I'm so pleasantly surprised with how much fun I've had with this game from top to bottom. I love every character. I'm a big fan of farming sims, and this itches that scratches perfectly fine for me. I'm a Final Fantasy fan, and this takes elements found throughout that series and presents them in a way that feels tailor made to my own tastes.

But it's Harvestella's storytelling that blew me away the most. If you want a game that accomplishes what it sets out to do within its genre while providing a fulfilling and thought-provoking narrative experience, please check this out whenever you can. I wish I could personally thank the devs for bringing me so much entertainment the past few weeks.