#and just a little bit about slay the princess (god i love slay the princess. absolutely can't wait for the pristine cut. anyways)

[bearimba-reblogs]

Got too much stuff I wanna draw and not enough time to draw it (I have plenty of time, I'm just Slow At Art and amazingly impatient. please send help.)

[7s3ven]

NOBODY’S SON, NOBODY’S DAUGHTER. luke (pjo) pt 1

PART 1 > PART 2 > PART 3 > PART 4 (last pt)

( master list )

IN WHICH… Y/N L/N, after spending a decade at Camp Half-Blood, still remains unclaimed. Luckily, Luke is there to keep her company as her good friend. And to, perhaps, provide a bit more.

“I’m in the wind, you’re in the water. Nobody’s son, nobody’s daughter.”

( follows the show - kind of just a oneshot bc i’m bored )

Warnings : fighting, violence, a little too much of a description about injuries

—

Nobody had been this excited about a new kid since three years ago, when a H/C-haired girl showed up holding a Harpy’s head. The new arrival had slain a Minotaur, which Clarisse wasn’t too happy about. She was convinced he was a liar.

Y/N sat in the Hermes cabin, closely inspecting her empty juice box. She had waken up an hour ago yet her good friend, Luke, still woke up earlier. She always wondered where he went in the early morning. Perhaps to get some sword training in before the day started. He was, after all, the best swordsman in camp.

The rays of sun poured through the window, bathing the wooden floor in light. A few of the Hermes kids groaned, knowing Luke would burst through the doors any second and force them to get up. He always did when the sun rose.

As expected, Luke kicked the door open. “Good morning!” He exclaimed, as energetic as ever. “The new kid’s coming today so get up and start cleaning! I’m mainly talking to you guys.” Luke sent the group in the corner a stern look and added, “Y/N, you’re fine.” He pointed at her with his usual boyish grin.

Lately, Y/N had been sleeping in Luke’s bed while he slept on the floor. They took turns switching. Lying on the ground for more than a decade now wasn’t good for the back.

After all this time, Y/N was still unclaimed. It usually took a week or less. Y/N was a prime example of the Gods above ignoring their children.

“He’s the one who killed the Minotaur, right?” Y/N questioned as Luke collapsed onto his mattress, partly to annoy Y/N who was sitting on it. The H/C-haired girl scoffed and playfully rolled her eyes, yet she couldn’t contain the amused smile on her face.

“Yeah. He can join your little monster slaying group. Let’s hope he gets claimed because I can’t deal with a boy version of you.” Luke teasingly grinned while Y/N scoffed and slapped his shoulder.

“You love my company.” She uttered, rolling her eyes.

Luke’s friends snickered to themselves. “More like he loves you.” One whispered to another.

“What’s his name again?” Y/N asked, tilting her head to the side. “Was it… Tom?” Luke stared at her in disbelief before lightly snorting.

“You’re way off, Y/N. Stop thinking, you’ll hurt that tiny brain of your’s. Just do what you do best; sit still and look cute.” Luke ruffled her tidy hair, turning it into a bird’s nest again.

Y/N flung a pillow at him, and glowered at the Hermes boy. “I’m going to kick your ass in capture the flag.” She threatened, poking his shoulder. Clarisse, out of all people, was her best friend. So naturally, she teamed up with her.

“I wouldn’t be so sure, princess.” Luke lightly shoved her which caused Y/N to gasp in disbelief.

“Don’t push a lady, Luke!”

The other campers, already used to their antics, just chuckled. “Hey, love birds!” One of the unclaimed kids exclaimed. “Get a room!” With her smart she was, Y/N assumed she was Athena’s child.

Y/N and Luke liked to play a silly game where they guessed which camper belonged to which godly parent. It was fun. Luke was never wrong until the day he tried to guess Y/N’s.

A year ago, he guessed Aphrodite. His explanation? Because she was charming and she had a certain aura that followed her. And because she was pretty. That was the only time he was wrong because Y/N never ended up in a cabin.

“So, what do you think of the new kid? Which cabin?” Y/N asked as she and Luke walked outside. He shoved his hands into his pockets, laughing.

“Tough call. I haven’t even met him yet. Apollo, maybe?” Luke shrugged and frowned. “I’ll tell ya my guess when I see him.”

“I’m guessing… Poseidon.” Y/N uttered, earning a light snort from Luke.

“No way. Is that your confirmed guess? Being a child of Poseidon would mean being a forbidden child.”

The game had a few rules.

One. You can only take a single guess and once you confirm it, you can’t change it.

Two. You can’t ask the kid you’re talking about. Luke considers that cheating. You can only observe them.

Three. No asking Annabeth because she’s always right.

“I guess. It’s not like I ever win, right?” Y/N laughed, grinning at Luke. He stared at her for a moment before returning her bright smile.

“I know we don’t usually make bets, but if your guess turns out right, I’ll willingly give up in the next capture the flag game after he’s claimed.” Luke puffed out his chest, certain Y/N wouldn’t win.

“And if you win?” She asked, arching an eyebrow.

“You give me your strawberries.” Luke had an obsession with strawberries that everybody, even the gods above, knew about.

“You’re on, Luke.” Y/N held out her hand with her lips curved up into a teasing smirk.

“Good luck, princess. Looks like I’ll be taking all your strawberries.” Luke ran his tongue over his teeth, already being able to taste the sweet, red fruit in his mouth.

He walked off, playfully winking at Y/N. Clarisse, who saw the whole conversation go down, hurried over to Y/N. “Looks like you and lover boy have a bet going in.” She smirked, raising both her eyebrows. “You two are cute together.”

“Don’t mess with me, Clari. We’re just friends.” Y/N rolled her eyes at what her friend was suggesting. She had been friends with Luke for three years now and she had known him for even longer.

“Are you just friends… or you want to be more?” Clarisse leaned forward with that taunting glint in her beautiful eyes. Y/N groaned, shoving her away. Clarisse simply laughed. “Come on, princess.” She mocked.

“Oh, come on, Risse.” That was a horrid nickname given to Clarisse by an Apollo boy who seemed to be obsessed with her.

“Shut up!” Clarisse exclaimed, eyeing Y/N up and down in disgust as if she was the Apollo boy. “You know how I feel about him!”

“And you know how I feel about Luke.”

“Yeah… but do you?” Clarisse tilted her head to the side before her gaze flickered to something, or rather someone, behind Y/N. “The Minotaur kid is out.” She grumbled and sharply clicked her tongue.

“Great. I can see if my stupid guess was correct.” Y/N glanced over her shoulder, watching the boy walk beside Chiron. His hair was curled, much like Luke’s, and blond. Clarisse had wandered off in the midst of Y/N’s staring, but she didn’t mind.

Suddenly, the boy lifted his head. His eyes clashed with Y/N’s, and he almost jumped at how intensely she was staring at him. Y/N merely smiled before turning away.

“So, what do you think?” She asked Luke as they walked towards the Hermes cabin side by side, their shoulders brushing against each other.

“Hard to say for now.” Luke replied. Y/N looked at him and he stared back before the pair burst into quiet laughter. Just locking eyes could make two friends find anything hilarious.

“I assume you’ll take him under your wing? Good luck.” Y/N nudged him with her elbow, which seemed to be a normal gesture between them.

“Thanks, princess. See ya.”

Y/N turned around, almost crashing into a disoriented Percy Jackson. He seemed jumpy and panicked. Of course, how couldn’t he be? He had just unknowingly killed a monster and his mother had been taken.

“Hi. The first day is always rough. Don’t beat yourself up about it.” Y/N muttered to him before she passed by.

She didn’t stick around to hear Chiron announce him. She sighed, wandering aimlessly around the camp. She saw Clarisse talking to her siblings. Y/N had always wondered what it was like to have siblings you could relate to. What did it feel like to understand each other? To go through the same difficulties?

The Hermes cabin was comfortable and friendly enough but it wasn’t the same. She wanted to feel what a true family felt like, or at least was supposed to.

As Y/N had expected, Luke was the first to talk to Percy.

“I’m Luke.” He introduced himself to the boy after the rocky start to their conversation.

“Percy. Hey, uh, who was that girl before? The H/C-haired one?” He questioned, clearing his throat.

“Y/N. She’s nice most of the time the time but a pain in the ass during capture the flag.” Luke chuckled, shaking his head. “Nah. I’m just kidding. Don’t tell her I said that, though.”

“You guys seem close.” Percy uttered, remembering the way Luke looked at Y/N when they talked.

“Yeah. She’s my best friend. Unfortunately for me, her best friend is an aggressive Ares kid.” He grinned, fiddling with the hem of his shirt. “Feel free to lie down anywhere. Just don’t get too close to Y/N. If she’s having a monster dream, she kicks in her sleep.”

One of the campers across the cabin groaned. “I know how that feels. The bruise lasted for weeks!” The others burst into laughter while Percy hurriedly made a mental note.

Avoid the pretty girl when she sleeps.

Percy was lucky that Y/N, who lay on the floor a few feet away from him, wasn’t having one of her infamous nightmares. He couldn’t say the same for himself, though.

Percy sat up, panting and sweating. He looked around, realising where he was. Birds chirped in the distant and he could hear the faint sound of chatter through the wooden walls.

“You okay?” Luke asked.

“Super.” Percy sarcastically responded.

“We all have them here, you know.” Luke clicked his tongue and sighed. “Intense, reoccurring nightmares. That’s normal here. Take Y/N for example. When she first came here, no one wanted to get near her while she slept. Girl’s a bloody good kicker.”

Percy lightly chuckled while Luke smiled. “The daydreams and ADHA and dyslexia are normal too. Demigods just process reality differently than humans do. For the first time in your life, you’re just like everyone else.”

“So, are you also…” Percy trailed off, not wanting to sound rude to his first friend at camp.

Luke found his hesitation amusing. “Am I unclaimed? No. Hermes is my father.”

“And Y/N? Is her father also Hermes?”

Luke scrunched up his face like he had just eaten a sour lemon. “Oh, no. Heck no. Y/N’s unclaimed… still. She has been for a while.” The brunette pressed his lips into a thin line as he gazed at Y/N, who was laughing with Clarisse.

“Why hasn’t Aphrodite claimed her? I mean, she looks the part.”

“That’s what we’re all asking ourselves. We all thought she’d be Aphrodite’s kid.”

Boys and girls flocked towards Y/N like she was a muse. It was no secret that out of all the campers, Y/N stood out the most. There was something unique about her, how she always hung around the aggressive Ares kids like she wanted to be one of them.

She was a tough opponent but a little too soft for Ares’ liking.

Too gentle for Ares but too angry for Aphrodite. She was constantly stuck in the middle. It almost seemed like no god or goddess wanted her in their cabin because she had proved herself over and over again.

“How long has she been unclaimed?” Percy inquired. Kids before him had asked that very same question and every time, they were never ready for the answer.

“A decade.” Luke replied, “She’s been here for a decade. Last year, there was a stupid rumour going around that she was fully mortal but that doesn’t make sense. If she was, she wouldn’t be here in the first place.”

“Why so long?”

“Nobody knows.” Luke shrugged. He had wondered that too. And he could see how it was weighing down on Y/N. The unclaimed kid was what campers referred to her as. They used her as an example of what not to do.

“Will she ever get claimed?”

Luke hoped she would. For her sake. He knew how she felt about not having a related family of her own. For now, she was satisfied laughing over silly tales with the Hermes kids.

“So, where does she go during the day? She disappeared yesterday and today.” Percy tilted his head to the side, not being able to spot Y/N anymore. Luke paused. It was uncommon for him to not have an answer to everything.

“I… don’t know. I assume Clarisse and her go somewhere.”

“Probably swimming in the lake.” Grover said, overhearing the two’s conversation.

It was scorching during Summer at Camp Half-Blood. Most stayed in the shade while an occasional kid or two tended to the plants. So it would make sense that Y/N would go to a lake to cool off.

Luke left Percy in the company of Grover and made his way towards the Lake in the middle of the forest. As Grover guessed, he found Y/N and Clarisse and a few other Ares kids swimming in the water or sitting on the nearby rocks.

“Hey, Y/N, your lover boy is here!” One of them exclaimed. Y/N, from her spot in the middle of the lake, glared at him. She huffed before swimming over to Luke, easily heaving herself onto shore.

“Hey, Luke, ready to make your guess yet?” She asked, grinning up at him. “Or do you wanna swim?”

“My guess is definitely not Hephaestus.” Luke said as he sat down in front of Y/N. His gaze flickered to her new swimsuit. “New bathing suit?”

“Yeah. Miya got it for me.” Miya was a child of Aphrodite and favored Y/N quite a lot.

“Ah. No wonder it’s so…” Luke hesitated, “Revealing.” He tried to act like a gentleman but his cheeks flushed every time he even looked at Y/N.

“One more day until I kick your ass.” Y/N laughed as she sank back into the water, returning a moment later with her hair dripping wet and her face shining in the sunlight. She looked effortlessly angelic.

“Are you sure you’re ready to handle Y/N again, Luke? She almost beat you last time.” Clarisse snickered as she floated on her back.

Luke scoffed. “Keyword. Almost.” It was true that Y/N had almost beaten him in his own game of sword fighting but that was because she was becoming increasingly more distracting.

Gone was the shy and quiet kid who always trailed behind Clarisse. With every passing year, Y/N became more headstrong and, well, beautiful. That’s why it was so hard for Luke to keep his feelings to himself now. Even Clarisse could see through his facade.

“I’m ready to make my guess.” Luke finally announced, catching Y/N’s wavering attention. She arched an eyebrow, intrigued. “My guess… is Demeter. I met the kid and he seems gentle. A soft and kind soul.”

“Nice. I guess we’ll find out soon.” Y/N’s guess was nothing but a joke and she’d end up laughing if she was actually correct.

“Join me for a little swim?” Y/N asked, reaching out to tug on Luke’s shirt. He sighed while Y/N merely smiled. A moment later, he gave in. Luke lifted his shirt over his head while Y/N stared at him a little too shamelessly for her liking. Some of the Ares boys teasingly wolf-whistled which made Luke chuckle.

He jumped into the lake, practically tackling Y/N and taking her under with him. “Luke!” She yelled, hitting his shoulder when they resurfaced.

“Oh no. The married couple is fighting again.” Zyra, Clarisse’s half-sister, said. She and Clarisse shared a knowing grin.

“They’re so whipped.” Clarisse whispered, subtly swimming away to give the two more space.

It was the day Y/N had eagerly been waiting for. Perhaps her favourite day at Camp. Capture the flag day.

Clarisse handed Y/N a spear. “I got it fixed for you.” The brunette said. During the last game, Y/N’s spear had broken. She was forced to fight with half of it after that.

Y/N adjusted Clarisse’s armour, ensuring that it was tight enough before putting on her own helmet.

“You’re gonna love this.” She overhead Luke say to Percy as they passed by. “Camp-wide mock warfare. All glory to the victors. Annabeth’s the head counsellor. She’s led our team to three straight wins.”

Y/N looked away, giving Luke the perfect chance to gaze over at her. “Y/N and Clarisse lead the other team. Clarisse is rather… impulsive, though. Y/N’s come up with some good plans but Ares kids always go off the rails.”

“What’s the deal with you and Y/N anyway?” Percy suddenly switched the topic, much to Luke’s surprise. “I mean, you guys say you’re just friends but you’re always looking at each other. And talking. And you stare at her like she’s your world. Sometimes I wish I could look at someone like that.” Percy sighed while Luke was left speechless.

Luke cleared his throat and shook his head. “Let’s just… focus on the game.”

The conch shell blew. Y/N stood side Clarisse, twirling a strand of hair around her finger. “Heroes, it’s time.” Chiron announced. “The game begins. The first team to retrieve the opposing flag and return it across the river shall be the victor. As always, there will be no maiming and no killing. I trust these rules will be respected.”

He subtly glanced over at Clarisse and her cabin.

“Let the games begin.”

There was twenty minutes until the next conch shell, which meant game-on. Normally, Clarisse and Y/N would pair up and hunt through the woods for the first few hours. But Clarisse had a different idea this time.

“Good luck.” Y/N said to her friend, slinging her spear over her shoulder. Y/N split up with the rest of her team, taking with her small portion of campers.

“We follow Clarisse’s plan this time. We’re the last defense meaning that if the blue team manages to get through, we fight like our lives depend on it.” Y/N said as she gripped her spear tightly.

“What are going to do?” Someone else asked.

“I’m going to…. look around.”

Luke grunted as a sword piercing his upper arm. He easily disarmed his opponent and kicked them to the ground.

“We give up.” The red leader grumbled, wincing as their brushed their fingers over his cuts.

“I wanna move quick. Straight through the woods for their flag.” Luke uttered.

“Y/N and Clarisse hunt in those woods for the first few hours, you know that. They’ll cut us down.”

Luke grinned, shaking his head. “Annabeth has a plan for Clarisse. And Y/N, as always, is mine. Don’t worry about her.”

“Last time I didn’t worry about her, she almost chopped my head off. By accident!” Chris loudly exclaimed, shoving Luke. Unbeknownst to the pair, Y/N was watching from above in the trees, hidden by the thick leaves.

She skilfully hopped from branch to branch, sliding down in front of her teammates. “The blue team is coming. They got past the other defences. Get in position.” Y/N hid behind a thick tree branch, panting and listening carefully for the sound of Luke’s voice.

She heard a twig snap and peeked her head out slightly to see Luke, Chris, and the rest of their small team. Y/N looked up, signalling to her friends above that it was almost time.

The moment Luke, who was leading the pack, stepped right where Y/N wanted him, she revealed herself. “Now!” She shouted, raising her spear and striking Luke. He easily blocked her attack.

“Thought you could ambush us, princess? Nice try.” Luke chuckled, pushing Y/N back.

“I’d say that it worked just fine.” Y/N retorted, lunging at Luke again. She pinned him to a nearby tree, holding the blade of her spear to his throat.

Chris grabbed Y/N by her shirt, pulling her back. Luke swung his sword at her but Y/N simply ducked to avoid the blow.

She tried to run off to help her teammates but Luke blocked her path. “Where do you think you’re going?” He uttered, playfully furrowing his eyebrows.

Y/N scoffed, kicking his ankles. She pointed at spear at his chest, poking it ever so slightly. “Ready to give up, Luke?”

“In your dreams.” He rolled over, latching onto Y/N’s arm and pulling her down with him. Y/N yelped, quickly scrambling up before he could grab her again.

She looked around at her surroundings, finally understanding what Luke’s plan was. It was to keep Y/N away from her team so that Luke’s could take them down. That left Y/N solely alone, standing between the flag and the blue team.

She panted, glaring at Luke. “Bring it on, Luke.” She muttered, holding up her spear. Luke was the first to make a move. He jumped at her, swinging his blade. Y/N dodged it and blocked another attack from Chris.

She quickly lowered her head, tackling another Hermes kid. Y/N rolled across the floor, swiftly standing up. “You won’t be getting near that flag on my watch.” She kicked Luke and whacked Chris. One of the Athena girls launched herself at Y/N, gripping onto her leg.

Y/N shook her off but the girl’s weight caused her to topple over. The bits of debris grazed at her skin. Chris swung his sword, slashing at Y/N. The blade cut her lower arm and blood welled up from the slit.

Quietly groaning, Y/N heaved herself up. She lightly swayed, unbalanced and a little weak. “Like I said,” She murmured, “You aren’t getting that flag.”

Y/N blocked every attack and blow aimed her way but she was getting slow. She could barely lift her weapon fast enough to stop Luke from successfully landing a hit.

Everything was becoming too overwhelming as she struggled to keep up. It was all a fast blur filled with weapons violently clashing against each other and shouting.

Up above, thunder crashed and lightning flickered through the darkening sky. Rain poured down, drenching the campers.

The thunder got louder and the lightning brighter as the seconds passed until nobody could ignore it. A harsh flash of lightning hit a tree nearby, setting it alight.

“Y/N, watch out!” Luke shouted, reaching out. Strings of electricity rippled around Y/N as a burning tree branch fell towards her. Luke sprinted towards her, dropping his sword in the process. He tackled Y/N, shielding her from harm’s way.

She groaned as she hit her head, black dots swirling around in her vision. She felt numb and her head lolled to the side as she heard shouts of victory followed by gasps of surprise.

“Y/N L/N has been claimed by Zeus, the king of Gods and the God of thunder and ruler of the sky.”

[amirasainz]

The killer Fruit🍓🍓🍓

Request: Also would love to see the reaction to her eating strawberry something. I imagine everyone in F1 (even the mechanics and camera crew for sports) would just run to her aid 🩷🩷😆

It was supposed to be a normal race weekend. Carlos was supposed to concentrate on his race. Max was supposed to be 15 seconds ahead of everyone again. Charles was supposed to show everyone that he is Ferrari’s golden boy for a reason. Lewis was supposed to slay his outfits again. Hell, even Steve James, one of Aston Martin’s interns, was supposed to bring coffee to potential new sponsors.

But nothing happened as expected (except for Lewis slaying his outfit—that man looks good in anything).

Nothing unfolded according to plan. Formula 1’s very own princess ended up in the hospital during the drivers’ conferences.

It wasn’t a car accident that took her there. Nor was it a broken limb. The reason for her unfortunate visit? A little pink donut with colorful sprinkles on top, filled with strawberry jam. Who would have thought that a bit of jam could send Baby Sainz to the hospital?

Let’s rewind to the beginning of the day.

After Amira and her very own paparazzi (read: the drivers) entered the paddock, half of them had to attend a driver conference, while the other half enjoyed some free time. This left her in the company of Pierre, Yuki, Daniel, and Fernando. Charles, Alex, Oscar, and Max weren’t thrilled about it but dutifully headed to the conference. Unfortunately, Lewis and Carlos were undergoing their annual check-up with the Formula 1 doctors.

As she waited for Carlos and spent time with her friends, her stomach suddenly rumbled. “Ohhhh, darling, are you hungry?” asked one. “Can I bring you anything, Schatje?” offered another. “Don’t worry, Amira. I can quickly cook something for you,” chimed in a third. And then came the playful jab: “Ohhh, Linda, doesn’t Carlos feed you anything?”

While Yuki dashed off to the kitchen, Fernando called over one of Aston Martin’s interns. “Steve, please be so kind as to bring something to eat for the lovely princessa.” Before she could object, Steve was already on his way.

When Steve returned, he carried the most perfect donut with him. Amira took her first bite and hummed happily. Pierre, Daniel, and Fernando turned into puddles at that sound. However, before she could take a second bite, she started to have a coughing attack.

As quickly as her coughing began, the drivers surrounded her. Panic erupted in the paddock as her breathing grew more ragged. Mechanics scurried around like headless chickens. Pierre fetched her water, Daniel called for an ambulance, and Fernando sat behind her.

“No te preocupes, dulce niña. Todo saldrá bien. Carlos llegará pronto. Shhhhh, está bien. Respira hondo. Buena chica,” Fernando whispered, trying to calm her down with sweet reassurances. Meanwhile, Carlos sprinted toward them.

And poor Steve? He stood frozen in shock. “Oh my god. I just killed Amira Sainz,” were the only thoughts racing through his head.

Thankfully, the ambulance arrived swiftly, whisking her away to the hospital and administering the necessary antibiotics.

One can only imagine the nurse’s surprised expression when faced with twenty worried drivers.

Fortunately, nothing serious happened to Amira. But that day marked the moment when Carlos vowed never to let her out of his sight again. Ever!

Hey guys. I hope you enjoyed my new story. My request are open. Feedback is always welcome -XoXo

[mmikmmik]

I kind of don't feel like getting the endings of Slay the Princess that don't involve Shifty and the Long Quiet having their final argument, followed by LQ agreeing to leave with her and their departure in their fully godly forms. I definitely don't want to kill her or starve her. And I guess I can see the appeal in the ending with the Princess and the Hero, but it doesn't feel like the right ending for me.

I think a big part of why I think of the Shfiting Mound as the "real" "love interest" is because I judged the Damsel a bit unfairly - she falls apart if pressed, but I don't think that means she's not real, you know? All of the Princesses are only one aspect of the Shifting Mound, but they have their own complete hearts nevertheless. But I didn't really get that when I was first playing the game and got her as my first princess, so I definitely thought of the Shifting Mound as "more real". But I think my near-immediate "oh I see! this is my beautiful wife who I love very much" would have occurred anyway. I just really like her! She's beautiful and patient and contemplative, and really successful imo as a truly divine character - an embodiment of a powerful idea/force of nature, who can express a form of kindness but can't really be "good" or "bad" in a human sense.

I also, throughout my first playthrough, felt strongly that the interactions I was having, and the resulting princesses, were like gifts to Shifty. I really liked having a little chat with her and hearing her evaluation of their hearts, and I chose dialogue options for the Long Quiet as though he wanted to bring her vessels and would, if he remembered her at the start of each Chapter 1, have actively chosen to help her complete herself. So leaving together as the Shifting Mound and the Long Quiet, not as the Princess and the Hero, felt like what they were both working towards all along. And they only sort of argued about it because that back-and-forth, rough as it can get, is a natural part of how they relate to each other as gods who embody "opposite" concepts but love each other and want to be together (thesis, antithesis, synthesis...?). I wasn't even really arguing with Shifty, she just went into that spiel because I spent a really long time asking questions before we left. It was more of a passionate explanation than an attack. (And I let her keep going because it was awesome, not because I disagreed with it.)

Putting it like that, "bringing her vessels", it is rather cold, isn't it? I can see the case that the Princess and the Hero deserve more respect than that, that by leaving them behind Shifty and LQ are abandoning something worth having, something they could have explored together at that scale.

Anyway, what I want to say with this post is that like... Slay the Princess has, more than any other game I've ever played, given me the sense that the "true"/"best" ending is really up to the player. I feel like the story + central relationship changes really really dramatically if you don't perceive the Long Quiet as enchanted by the Shifting Mound and happy to be with her and learn more about her, and the dialogue options definitely give you a ton of room to play it either way. I feel that you can play the game so that the Shifty and LQ ending is the true ending, and you can play the game so that the Princess and Hero ending is the true ending.

It does make me more curious about the ending where... I haven't even looked into it enough to really know what happens, but you can kill the Shifting Mound, can't you? Or you can "starve" her by withholding vessels? My gut reaction to the Narrator is "lmao dumbass" - I don't think he understands what he's talking about, and I don't trust his evaluation that a world without the Shifting Mound would be worth living. Just the way his scenario immediately got fucked up makes it seem to me like he doesn't have a strong grasp on the metaphysics. You can't just pick out all the parts of a major universal concept like "change" that you like and throw out all the bits that you don't! But I also don't think this game, with its writing philosophy, would really have a "bad ending" in that kind of sense, you know? I seriously doubt there's an ending that would just be like "you fucked up". But I also feel like... the way the game is written, I kind of feel like I have the freedom as the person engaging with it to say... "this ending is bad, For The Game As I Played It". Does that make sense? I'm definitely touching on complicated questions of narrative theory that smarter people than me have definitely engaged with more substantively haha.

[nordicfiord]

May your 2025 be as great as it could be!

So, um. I was thinking I should do some self-reflection, and... it ended up here. So. Um. I will rumble a bit, if you don't mind.

I haven't been active on tumblr for a long, long time now. Mostly because english is not my first language, and when I didn't have the strength to post literally anywhere, the task to additionally translate my thoughts seem... tedious. So, I just lived my life. At that time, I was drawing a pic or two about once a month. Just some fandom stuff, or something related to the development of my game (I really hope to get it done in 2025... just a good demo would be nice too). And then I got a really bad pneumonia. And a really big hyper fixation on Slay the Princess. At the same time. I must admit, I played the game before. At the beginning of 2024. I was very glad to do it! But it didn't hit quite as hard as now. So... I watched. Lots of streams. Lots of letsplays. Lots and lots of opinions on the same game, same (almost infinite) choices. Then? Animatics. Designes of the Voices. Lots and lots and lots of creativity. "Wait, you could DO that???" Then designing Sceptic and Contrarian as birds (and as a sort of crossover with two of my characters). (here they are btw!)

And then... Birdmen. Hero. Paranoid. It was fun. Cold. For whatever reason. I just like him. Sceptic and Contrarian, because I had a thought about their designes. And then I was like... why not return to the tumblr? And here I was. Just. Pouring my designes and shenanigans on you guys. I'm sorry if I'm annoying, I'm just... really, really fixated. I didn't expect to be accepted. But I was. I feel like I am sitting on the corner of a very warm fandom and I'm graced with sunlight. I'm really, really grateful! And a bit afraid that this dream will end, I will return to making my game, and will not be making as much silly little doodles as I am now. But... that didn't happen yet, didn't it? I will doodle silly stuff for as long as I can! ...it might or might not contain a lot of Contrarian-related stuff because I just adore him too much. He's just like me fr fr. I just feel like... if he was to make something he, too, would just throw random things on the wall and see if something stick. God help us actually finish something haha. So, back to my point. You are all incredible. I love all of you, Slay the Princess fandom. I wish you only the best! Cheers to you!

[brucebocchi]

Spring 2024 anime, Pt. 1: Ongoing/returning shows and the bench

yo! i also post this on my ko-fi! this is very much a labor of love, so if you liked what i wrote consider throwing a few bucks my way! thanks!

And we are back! This one came a little later because I'm much busier now than I was three months ago, but that's a good thing. It'll be a bit longer before I cover last season's new anime, so bear with me. I'm happy to say, though, that I didn't hate anything I watched this season! So there's that.

As always, the OP is linked in the title of each show. Check them out, there were some good ones this season!

Here we go:

Continuing & returning shows:

Delicious in Dungeon, second cour

Ahh, Dungeon Meshi. At the start of my review of its debut cour, I said that Dungeon Meshi is a difficult anime for me to talk about unprompted because it’s such a complete, self-assured work that saying anything about it besides “PLEASE WATCH THIS ANIME IT’S SO FUCKING GOOD” feels like a fait accompli. After twelve more episodes and spending the better part of a weekend binging the entire manga, I’m left with little else to say besides please watch this anime (and read the manga), it’s so fucking good.

Our adventuring party has managed to slay (and cook) the red dragon and resurrect Falin from its belly, but the victory came at a cost: They have managed to not only invoke the ire of the dungeon’s ruler, the “lunatic magician” Thistle, but Marcille’s use of forbidden resurrection magic has also raised another number of hackles. Reunions aren’t all happy ones and the dungeon is getting weirder.

This line break represents where I wanted to add so much more and just kept falling short. This continues to be an exceptional adaptation of an exceptional manga. For all the silly gags, for all the goofy potshots everyone takes at each other, Dungeon Meshi is a series with a beating heart worn permanently on its sleeve. The group dynamic remains superb, and no less so for the standoffish half-girl-half-cat Izutsumi joining the gang (my joy at seeing her added to the OP was indescribable). The ways in which everything interconnects make up only a fraction of this series’ unmatched worldbuilding; much hay has been made about how Ryoko Kui designed the dungeon as a living, breathing ecosystem, but there’s so much more of that within the human element as well, and the latter aspect looks to only improve when the show returns for the next season.

Dungeon Meshi is, without question, the best anime of 2024 so far, and I will be impressed if anything manages to overtake it in this year’s latter half. The manga became one of my favorites in record time, and I have little doubt that by the end of the second (and almost certainly final) season, one of my favorite anime of all time will indeed be Dungeon Meshi. Ahh, Dungeon Meshi.

KonoSuba: God’s Blessing on This Wonderful World!, season 3

When I reviewed last year’s Megumin-centric spinoff, I mentioned that I’m not quite as high on KonoSuba as other anime fans. I always thought it was a perfectly serviceable comedy isekai, nothing too special, but mostly worth the watch. Even after the letdown that was An Explosion on this Wonderful World! last year, I was still looking forward to the long-overdue third season. And pretty much as expected, what we got was fine. Just fine.

That said, I was instantly delighted to see Megumin once again surrounded by Kazuma, Aqua, and Darkness. And as is frequently the case when those four are together, shit goes south fast. Kazuma, hoping to heal the mental wounds he incurred in the Legend of Crimson film, gets his groove back when he’s invited to regale the adorable Princess Iris with tales of his exploits. As a noble herself, Darkness is mortified throughout this ordeal, scrambling to ensure that Kazuma doesn’t get beheaded for being a loudmouthed freak, and also that Aqua and Megumin don’t accidentally burn the palace down in their revelry. 

KonoSuba gets a lot of comparisons to It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia, in that both are ensemble comedies in which the entire main group consists of awful people who don’t entirely like or trust one another. It’s a fair enough comparison, but what makes the group dynamic work for both shows is that the moral center is never a fixed point; the “voice of reason” among either group changes along with the situation to ensure the comedy stays fresh. And the fact that Lalatina Dustiness goddamn Ford has to be the voice of reason for the majority of this season should mortify you.

Darkness losing her mind aside, I didn’t really care for this arc. There was some interesting worldbuilding happening toward the middle of the season, but Kazuma acting way too eager about having a tiny, prepubescent girl calling him “onii-chan” just made my skin crawl, and I’m otherwise pretty much immune to the bog-standard “hey, laugh at this man because he’s a pervert” anime trope at this point. Fortunately, it only lasted for half the season, but unfortunately, it still felt an episode or two too long. The second half of the season followed Darkness’ forced betrothal to a gross noble from an earlier episode, and that arc also felt an episode or two too long.

Season 3 felt like KonoSuba both at its best and worst. The character dynamics are as rich as ever, even as Aqua and Megumin largely fell to the margins in favor of the larger stories. The smaller moments with the main four just bumming around their mansion are always just as entertaining as their larger exploits. The narrative seems to want to continue pushing Kazuma and Megumin together, nurturing the seeds planted in the movie, but later episodes also make a pretty good case for Kazuma and Darkness getting together; for better and for worse, those two absolutely match one another’s freak. Some of the gags this season were pretty darn good as well: This anime’s facials are already the stuff of legend, and we got some bangers here too (see above). For as loud as it often got, there were a few gags that centered on prolonged, uncomfortable silences like a late episode of Evangelion. And for as bored as I started to grow with the last arc, the punchline at the very end of the season almost made the whole thing worth it.

On the other hand, this show somehow got noisier. Some of Explosion’s funnier moments last year came from Megumin’s shrieking outbursts, so Studio Drive (taking over the main series from Deen) seemed to think that everyone needed to yell all the time now. It felt jarring; like watching season 4 of SpongeBob for the first time. I’m also not impressed by the fact that this series still seems to think sexual assault is just the funniest when it happens to men. It was a serious lowlight of the Legend of Crimson movie, and it just seemed to double down this time for a completely unnecessary segment in which Kazuma helps Dust get back at a creep, only for it to backfire on Dust and only on Dust. That shit sucks!

At the same time, it’s still KonoSuba, so ESH. If you made it this far, you’re pretty much along for the ride until it breaks down, so you take the good with the bad. Neither particularly outweighs the other, nor are they enough to push me towards declaring this show as either essential or unwatchable. It’s KonoSuba, and KonoSuba is fine.

Laid-Back Camp, season 3

The reigning champion of Cute Girls Doing Cute Things anime returns to the present day after the 10-years-later film, and it’s in fighting shape. Though the third season of Yuru Camp (another anime I refuse to call by its official English title) is in the hands of a new studio, it’s still full to bursting with all the gorgeous countryside scenery, tantalizing food porn, and whimsical music you’ve come to expect by now.

This is one that was on my backlog for the better part of a couple years, so I figured there was no better time to catch up than to time it with a new season hitting the air. Through two seasons and an original movie, Yuru Camp was peak slice-of-life: Low on conflict, heavy on cuteness, and brimming with personality. It does what it says on the tin; it’s a show about high school girls going camping, and by God are you getting high school girls going camping. And in the meantime, you, the viewer, get to learn the ins and outs of camping while discovering all these real-life, lovely spots along the Japanese countryside with Mt. Fuji always in view, and maybe help boost the local tourism economies once you go outside and touch grass.

The previous two seasons largely followed the girls’ exploits at school and out in the open as individuals and smaller groups before building to a big destination trip with all five of them, but season 3 takes a more, uh, laid-back approach. The first half follows Rin’s bike trip along with Nadeshiko’s hometown bestie, Ayano, until they meet up with Nadeshiko after her own solo excursion. We also get a quick peek at a heavily-fictionalized retelling of Chiaki, Aoi, and Ena’s outing with Toba-sensei, as well as a cherry blossom viewing trip with Nadeshiko and her sister, before the girls all come together once more for a nighttime hanami outing. It’s more of the same, and that’s exactly what you’re here for.

That said, the character work is the glue that holds Yuru Camp together, and it’s as wonderful as ever. Rin and Nadeshiko’s friendship remains a delight, and Hazel covered it better and more succinctly than I ever could in the Yuru Camp segment in her phenomenal video on countryside scenery in anime. Watching Rin bond with Ayano one-on-one on their own trip was a real highlight; they’d hit it off quickly in the first season, and it was lovely seeing Ayano working at Rin’s go-to bike shop in the movie, so I was overjoyed to see more of these two. More than anything, though, seeing a habitual loner like Rin connect so naturally with another person (and one who isn’t Nadeshiko, no less) just warms my cold, dead heart. The looser plotting also gives us the time and space to take in how the girls individually spend their downtime. Nadeshiko’s quickly becoming as much of an expert solo traveler as Rin, and her youthful enthusiasm about everything remains as endearing as ever. We even get to watch her becoming a train nerd in real time! 

At the same time, the communal aspect of camping is a huge part of what makes this show click. Part of that, of course, has been watching Rin’s social circle expanding, but also in seeing how readily campers observe and aid one another. Nobody is “the best” at camping (except maybe Rin’s granddad), so none of the campers in this show have any reservations about going out of their way to help one another. Even an expert solo camper like Rin was a greenhorn at one point, so she’s always happy to give and receive help. The various campers the girls run into along their journeys are always ready with local information about good spots to eat, relax, and take in a good view as well. Even camping on your own, you’re never truly alone.

In that same vein, Yuru Camp is as educational as ever. Along the girls’ travels, we learn plenty about the myriad suspension bridges over the Oi River drainage basin, the various types of passenger trains connecting the countryside, torii gates along the mountains, and clever ways to build a camping menu around local crops. Yes, Yuru Camp is as much food porn as it is nature porn, and the dishes are sumptuous. On that note, my favorite thing I learned this season came from Nadeshiko’s drooling outbursts during the other OutClub girls’ camp retelling: It turns out that there’s an equivalent Japanese colloquialism to what we call food porn, specifically in the act of taunting people about delicious food they can’t have right now, and that is “meshitero,” or “food terrorism.” That is just terrific.

Yuru Camp is in the hands of a new studio for its third season, and the difference is mostly negligible. This is a show that trades largely in vibes, and the vibes remain impeccable. Almost everything still looks and sounds great, but season 3 leans a little more heavily on CG for moving bikes and cars, and they do look markedly worse. Not immersion-shattering, but definitely distracting. The scenery largely looks less hand-painted in favor of a more photorealistic style, which does make me wonder about the actual level of artistry put into it, but that could just be me splitting hairs. Otherwise, it still looks like Yuru Camp, which is all you can ask for.

This show still rules though. I don’t often get intense in my praise of slice-of-life anime, and the ones that get me acting like that are the ones that go to wild lengths for the sake of a joke, like Nichijou and Kaguya-sama. I don’t know what it is about a show as lowkey as Yuru Camp that has me wanting to scream from the rooftops that “THIS FUCKING SHOW WHIPS ASS,” but I’m not questioning it. Maybe it’s cuteness aggression.

Mushoku Tensei: Jobless Reincarnation, season 2, part 2

And we’re back with more of the best-made anime that I can’t recommend in good faith to just about anyone.

The latter half of season 2 surrounds Rudeus’ aims for a quiet domestic life, settling down with Sylphiette and at the request of his father, Paul, taking his little sisters Aisha and Norn into their home (along with a very welcome reunion with their escort). Aisha takes after her mother, Lilia, and is eager to please and help around the house, but Norn’s last memory of Rudeus is of his violent reunion with their father. Norn idolizes Paul, so she doesn’t trust Rudeus and refuses to open up to him. While Aisha is content with working around the house, Norn wants to keep her distance, so she decides to enroll and board at the magic academy.

Norn’s apprehension towards Rudy and the mental anguish it causes her becomes an isolating factor in her daily life, leading Rudeus to believe that she’s being bullied, much as he was in his previous life. Rudy’s attempts at sticking up for his sister fall flat and lead him to realize he’s been projecting on her this entire time rather than actually reaching out to her. It’s these moments of learning and unlearning that nearly make all of this worth it; this was easily one of the best episodes of Mushoku Tensei’s second season, and frankly one of the best episodes of anime I watched all season. Another episode near the end also earned that distinction, but it got weird afterwards. Even in its lower moments, this season traded very well in the themes of family, growth, and loss, and those aren’t always tidy subjects to handle.

Because this is Mushoku Tensei, the cozy home life can’t last forever. Paul’s attempts at saving his wife have continued to fall short, so he calls on Rudeus and Elinalise to come and help rescue Zenith. Rudeus is conflicted; though he finally has the opportunity to save his mother and face his father as a man, Sylphie is now pregnant and he doesn’t want to abandon his wife and future child. As often happens at times like this, Rudy gets some face time with the Man-God who has been seemingly invested in his journey, and for once Rudy flouts his advice to venture out. Many reunions are had, including one that had been teased all season, and a lot of things go south from there. I was spoiled on some of what would happen in later parts of the series, so it didn’t come as a massive shock to me, but it still got weird, it wasn’t really addressed all that well, and people were rightfully put off by it.

On that note, I’ve given up on the idea of this series being about Rudeus improving as a person, because he’s done just about as much “improving” as he’s going to by now. As I’ve said before, he’s not quite the drooling pervert he used to be (he was actually doing great for more than half of this cour before a succubus attack briefly got the better of him), but his moral compass, even in his best moments, still seems to be poorly calibrated. I do see a side of him now that genuinely cares for others and actively wants to help, but it doesn’t erase his questionable acts, nor do I get any sense that he deserves to get the things he wants. I particularly don’t care for what’s already looking like a formula wherein sex seems to be his cosmic reward whenever he hits a low point or achieves something great. For a series that genuinely has such excellent worldbuilding and storytelling, that part feels cheap enough to undermine everything else.

But hey, a rapist died, so it’s not all bad.

I’m not sure I’d necessarily put Mushoki Tensei on the level of Frieren or Dungeon Meshi, certainly not thematically, but with all three off the air this upcoming Summer season, it’s been a minute since we’ve had a season of anime without one of those three lovingly-made fantasy series on the air. It feels like anime has a massive fantasy void now, and I desperately hope I’m proven wrong soon.

Urusei Yatsura (2022), season 2, second cour

The final run of the remade Urusei Yatsura ended on a strong note with an honest-to-God story arc! Lum and Ataru’s tempestuous situationship is put into stark relief with the fate of the world in the balance, except not really; Lum just wants him to think that because she’s fed up with his shit and that’s just how she operates.

Even as disjointed as this run has been prior to the final arc, there were still some gems this season. The time-travel segment where the gang tries to undo Mendo’s fear of the dark was a certified banger, Asuka’s violent androphobia is as funny as ever, and the introduction of Nagisa as a means of further muddying Ryunosuke’s whole gender situation was the most quintessentially Rumiko Takahashi shit I’ve ever seen. It’s the character comedy that makes Urusei Yatsura what it is just as much as the central will-they-won’t-they, and it was just as potent as always before the series hurtled towards its finale.

The four-episode arc to close out the all-stars run, similarly to the final arc of the manga and the final movie of the original anime run, centers on a blowup between our romantic leads over a colossal misunderstanding (sasuga Takahashi-sensei) involving a unilaterally-fated marriage between Lum and the prince of a dark planet, Rupa. Though Ataru and fellow dark-planeter Karula (basically Rupa’s own equivalent Lum) foil the wedding, a carbon copy of Lum created to ensure a proper exchange of vows tells Ataru that she’s over him. Ataru’s feelings are genuinely hurt, and he tells the real Lum that they’re through, and he returns to Earth with Karula, accidentally spreading spores of the dark planet’s enormous mushrooms.

Said mushrooms rapidly grow enormous when exposed to sunlight, so Earth is already in certain danger. Lum sees an opportunity to manipulate convince Ataru to finally get serious, so she sets familiar stakes: She’ll enlist Rupa’s help in destroying the mushrooms, but only if Ataru can beat her in a ten-day game of tag by grabbing her horns, just like when they first met. More importantly, though, she’ll let it all go if he can just say out loud that he loves her. And you know damn well by now that these two are both as stubborn as they come.

As I’ve said before, this is a shorter run, so we may not have the benefit of the entirety of Urusei Yatsura up to this point to be properly salivating for the finale, but I’ll be damned if it didn’t still hit like a freight train. The emotional climax was still meaty and satisfying in ways that made all of this worth it. Half of the joke of this series is that Ataru’s never going to get serious about Lum in a way that matters, but every time the mask slips is a well-earned shot to the heart. The ending is no different, and it made the shorter run still feel worthwhile.

And with that, that’s a wrap on a modern (if truncated) retelling of a legendary comedy manga. I’ll be forever grateful to this iteration of Urusei Yatsura for finally pushing me into getting into Rumiko Takahashi’s classic works, and I’m beyond excited that there’s also a Ranma ½ remake on the way. If David Production takes that one on as well, it’ll be in great hands.

Anime I Watched Two Episodes of and Will Probably Get Back to Later

I Was Reincarnated as the 7th Prince So I Can Take My Time Perfecting My Magical Ability

I mean, you read the title.

This is less an isekai and more of a lateral reincarnation story; magic already very much exists in this fantasy kingdom, but this is about a guy who is very obsessed with magic but sucked at it suddenly gaining a wealth of talent and the opportunity to go absolutely sicko mode.

Lloyd’s existing knowledge of magic serves him well, and he becomes a virtuoso at a young age. He manages to subjugate a demon lurking in the palace’s library and turn him into an adorable familiar (and having the demon go from being voiced by Akio Otsuka to Fairouz Ai was a brilliant move) and just terrorize the poor little shit with his experiments and travails. The kid could basically do a Hollow Purple by the second episode. He’s kind of psychotic, and I love that for him.

This is definitely a comedy, but the comedy is kind of all over the place early on. Prince Lloyd is surrounded by beautiful young ladies-in-waiting who, uh, seem way too into him, and that kinda sucks. Lloyd himself is drawn and animated a little too lovingly for a child as well. It’s definitely uncomfortable in parts early on, but I’ve heard it lightens up on that and gets crazier in the parts that matter, so I’ll be coming back.

And it started with a menacing monologue from Takehito Koyasu himself, so of course my interest was piqued from the jump.

Oblivion Battery

It’s weird, I love both anime and sports, but sports anime was just something I never sought out too much until I picked up Blue Box recently (also please read Blue Box, it whips ass and the anime is gonna be incredible). Oblivion Battery’s debut coincided with the start of the American baseball season, so it seemed like a great time to hop in.

I can’t say I was too intrigued by the premise, though. The intentionally generically-named Taro Yamada quit baseball after middle school after getting utterly rinsed by the high-powered battery of pitcher Haruka Kiyomine and catcher Kei Kaname, so he enrolls in a high school without a baseball club, only to find that his classmates are… Haruka and Kei. Kei, as it turns out, took a bad hit to the head and has completely forgotten all about baseball, and now spends all of his time trying to be a comedy boke for unwilling participants. Taro and Haruka would like Kei to learn about baseball again, so they start up a new club, alongside other classmates who also quit baseball because of the titular battery.

Fine premise, but eh. The hook wasn’t enough of a hook for me, and even MAPPA handling the animation didn’t keep my attention for long. I’ll probably get back to it eventually, but I ended up watching plenty of other anime this season that felt like higher priorities.

Also, I’m pretty sure Oblivion Battery’s manga introduced a character named Aoi Todo before Jujutsu Kaisen did. I still prefer the latter.

YATAGARASU: The Raven Does Not Choose its Master

See, this one I probably should’ve picked up sooner, because it seems like it’s very much my jam, and I’ve seen plenty of praise for it. It’s a dense one, though, and I’d rather not cram it just to turn around and review it a few days later.

I won’t even go into the details because even two episodes in, there are darn near too many of them. This is a massive ensemble cast in and around a succession battle in a fictionalized, imperial Japan-esque kingdom created and ruled by yokai. We’ve got a battle of brides-to-be vying for the hand of an embattled prince, a cunning but resentful empress overseeing the proceedings, a possible spy or two, and a rambunctious little shit who looks like he got plucked out of Avatar: The Last Airbender getting roped into working in the palace. It’s a lot of moving parts, but I’m curious to see how they tie together.

Two episodes in and this show looks good, but probably not as great as it could. I know I’m spoiled on The Apothecary Diaries, but something like this already feels like it deserves better than some of the stiff character animation I saw early on. I’ll reserve my judgments for now.

YATAGARASU is continuing into the summer season, so I’ll take my time catching up on it. This one feels like it deserves to be sipped slowly, not chugged, and I’ll have my tasting notes in due time.

[sincerely-sofie]

Chapter 10 of Sofie Plays "Slay the Princess": The Prisoner (Part 2) + The End

I'M NOT CRYING. I'M JUST ALLERGIC TO POIGNANT STORYLINES OKAY?

[ Beginning ] - [ Previous Part ]

Hey Narrator? Narrator, remember when you said I'm finite and mortal? Narrator, why am I apparently very similar to the Princess in my inability to starve to death? Narrator? Huh? Narrator?

Not gonna lie, before the confirmation that we aren't any closer to death after being here for decades uncounted, I thought that the player character was going to eat the Princess. Glad that's not how things turned out!

I SEE THOSE FEATHER BARBS IN THE CORNERS OF THE SKY. I SEE THAT RED TINT. I HEAR THAT AMBIENCE. FINAL PRINCESS SWEEP LET's GOOOOOOO

It's time for the (presumably) last mirror selfie! Let's see how horrific we look after spending seeming eons locked away!

what

HEY WAIT WAIT WAIT ALL OF THE TIMES "NOTHING" WAS REFERRED TO AS A CONCRETE FACTUAL FORCE ARE FLOODING BACK TO ME. IS THIS A METAPHOR OR LITERAL OR---

*Kingdom Hearts Character Voice* "No, I'm me."

wait wh

Playing 20 Questions with the world's most cringefail loserman and then this absolute bombshell gets dropped

I WAS RIGHT ABOUT THE LONG QUIET THING? AND THE PRINCESS BEING DEATH? Y'ALL I THOUGHT YOU WERE LAUGHING AT ME BEING AN IDIOT WHEN I SAID THAT STUFF

YOU FRICKIN' HECKER. SHE'S DEATH IN THE SENSE OF THE TAROT CARD--- ENDINGS AND BEGINNINGS. OH MY GOODNESS SHE'S THE EMBODIMENT OF CHANGE.

I asked the Narrator why Death took the form of a Princess and he said "buddy I'm not going to psychoanalyze why you've got a thing for princesses with what little time I have left."

I WAS RIGHT ABOUT THE TWO OF US BEING THE SAME BEING ORIGINALLY TOO????????

Okay so. Big ol' conflict with the Shifting Mound. I didn't answer to her during any of it, and now I'm back at the start with the Hero offering to narrate my surroundings for me. What a chad. Love that guy.

We enter the basement with no knife in hand.

I apologized for the time I hurt the Princess, and she pretty much gave me a Look and said "I ATE YOU THE FIRST TIME WE MET. DON'T APOLOGIZE. GOOD GLORY."

"After everything that has happened with this, will you tell me your name?" "I'm fine being called Princess. You never told me your name either, you know." "I don't think I have one." "Then I guess I'll just have to call you Quiet :)" CHOMPING THROUGH A STEEL BEAM THEY'RE ADORABLE

"I don't think I want to be a god." "Me neither. At the end of the day, it just feels like waking up in another basement." OUAGAHAHGAGHHHHH

Told her I wanted to leave with her, but not as gods. To leave the cabin as "just you and me." The Hero was like "Gonna hang back and find the other Voices. This next bit is just for you two. Go get 'em, lovebirds." BEST WING MAN

She hesitated at the cabin door and I asked her if she was ready. We opened it together. And Sofie bursts into tears IRL.

I know there's so much more to this game but I feel like I got the ultimate ending with this. Two offshoots sprouting from unknowable beings and playing at mortality together, forgetting that they know everything for a while so that they can learn each other for the first time again. It's so delightful and I need to let it sink in for a while.

[g0g0at]

Malevolent part 48 spoilers live blog

Oooooh I’ve heard good things about this episode

Starting off strong with Arthur coughing his lungs up

BLOOD?! TUBERCULOSIS

Spooky hallwayyyyy

John is gonna take the lead this episode it seems

Ooooh more people?

Oh someone is speaking!

Kinda thought they would all have sewn lips

Who’s that?

This is more characters in one space at a time

Moreeeeeeee voicessss

Bro just straight up dying and these guys don’t bat an eye

Oooh ok so they’re all waiting

“Speaking of sick, who are you?”

Gerard? A vin- a what?

A WEEK??

So much for being late

Oooh I’m liking these voices

He sounds like s1 Arthur

Friendly Friar

I am gonna lose track of these characters so quick

Forgotten all their names already

Oh my god Arthur

There’s so much talking this is really different (not in a bad way)

Get a snack Arthur PLEASE

The witch?

Oh wait that guy is French

Spooky lady at the bottom of the stairs…

Slay the princess reference omg

I love this music

Who is this

This is making me think of the green knight

I actually do kinda need this layout refresher it’s hard to keep track

Hmmmm many characters to ask

Lengwood does not like him BHAHAHAH

EWWW

John is in support mode hehe

I do kinda like this character he’s interesting

Are they gonna get picked off one by one

“It’s only death” Arthur like “yes indeed, I died just the other day!”

I’m very curious about this Everard now

Hmmm well John and Arthur are seeking answers

Ah he knows… maybe

Ooh that’s ominous

Oooh someone is coming……….

Everard?

Modern… interesting

Oooh this is so ominous I’m loving this

“No issue navigating” interesting…

Something about the way he says consonants scratches my brain

Seems Arthur fits the Warren role well

Mmm an architect

“Short while” BEHHAHAHS that feels like a roast ngl

So we have a friar, warren, architect, doctor (?), anstronomer

These guys are gonna be a big help me thinks…

“Visions the others cannot comprehend” want a bet

Ooooh what will it be

Black stone teehee

“I am not affiliated with the order?” Order of the fallen star?

Yep

Arthur accidentally getting himself drawn into a cult smh

Tomorrow night… well that’ll be next episode I assume

Arthur is probably gonna try take it… maybe

Uh they can’t give him the ring from the order hmmm

Loving that they’re working with non verbal communication as apposed to IGNORING EACHOTHER

Uh oh…

Making note of the scars

Ngl Arthur that’s not the BEST excuse

Ah they’re stuck with eachother for a bit

Hope those walls are soundproof…

John was doing a description!

Mmm yeah I wonder what getting evolved with great ones would do to your faith…

Calling him a heathen HAHA

Arthur is back in the game YEAAAAH

Well maybe…

One of these guys is gonna get murdered FOR SURE

They’re going to pick eachother off

John needs to NOT sleep tonight he’s gonna need to play watch dog

Arthur admitting he’s not ok? Wow who’da thought. Character development!

Who’s moving around

“Sit” “it helps me think” I liked that little exchange idk

Why are you talking about football

He’s trying to get them to fight for it?

Mmmmm so it’s a test?

CALLLLLLLED IT

Murder mystery!!!

Who got murdered?

You think John suspects the power won’t work anymore?

It didn’t with the witch…

Or maybe he’s just nervous to go through it

Man they’re all pointing fingers smh

Ooooh it’s a who done it heheheh

RIP Lengwood

Friar might have done it but he could be a red herring

Well that’s a bloody murder you would get a little blood on you for that

These guys would not solve shit without Arthur

Common interest…

Ah ok order stuff

Devious devious

Ah the ring!!

Arthur can use their’s if necessary

Well shouldn’t you look at Lengwood’s corpse?

Yes yes

OH FUCK

You two need to get rid of that ring

ARTHUR YOU’RE MAKING YOURSELF LOOK SUSPICIOUS

AURGHHHHHH

Arthur has an alibi but you lot can’t hear him!

Friar answered way too quick

“Don’t you mean again” BHAHAHHAHA

John is reluctant to touch the body… does the power not work anymore..?

Ditch the ring!!! Ditch it!! You don’t need it!! Or hide it in your shoe or some shit

SHOE PUT IT IN YOUR SHOE

WHY DID HE JUST DUMP IT

Barnabus jumpscare

Why you grabbing him like that stop that

This guys is a bit creepy

These guys have a guilty before innocent thing

“He studies your face with a cleverness. It’s hidden slightly, behind the veneer of alcohol” nice line I like that

They’re gonna buddy up?

There’s gonna be a brawl or something

Arthur you’re toeing a dangerous line

Everard WANTS you guys to be picked off, he’s not a good alibi

“I’m excited for you to see” the dead body????

Cool chapel? Sounds like it could be?

Oh Lengword woods

“His body is sprawled upon the steps, face to the side in grotesque tableau of agony. His face wears a horrible scream.” Great imagery goddamn

No ring… damn

You guys are bad at investigating stuff

Yeah they’re gonna wanna check your bag probably

How would they explain away Yorick?? “Hey sorry yeah that’s just my severed head, he’s chill dw”

Why is Elia on body disposal duty

Bro is poking at Baranabus BHAHAHAH get FUCKED

Loving the non-verbal communication between these two

What IS Arthur doing

HE’S GONNA PLANT IT. Or something similar

Oh Arthur you sneaky SNEAKY bastard

Clever clever

Everard just dipped BAHHAHHA

I know this is just how Arthur is in his element but also he fits the Warren role

So much for touching the body…

Why do people keep asking him if he’s a good person

Kayne? Horig? Or maybe the KiY??

Omg wait maybe is it Horig…

He was taken to the dreamlands?? Maybe…

OH WHAT THE FUCK

Why’d he do that?

Horrifying imagery, love it

BAHAHA HE’S JUST FLOATING

Well you missed your opportunity

“All you worship the way I do” ehhh Arthur not so much

Dang Everard is a horrid host

So someone else might die overnight

Your alibi really ditched you BAHHAHA

So Barnabus did do it? Maybe

Oooooh black stone next episode!!

[neverpathia]

Slay The Princess ships part 3 because it gets me attention so who am I to complain

so here's another one folks. @silvermoondarkening now this one is yours

to be honest I won't really say I like Princess x Princess ships as much. with Voice x Voice it's easy to regard them as separate identities that can form a relationship and grow together, you know? same with Voice x Princess. with Princess x Princess it's more like they're different permutations of the same identity so it's harder to visualise. however, fanfics are changing that, I'll admit.

but a question has been asked and I am inclined to answer, so answer I shall.

Damsel x Tower

Four words: Oh shit toxic yuri.

like, that's pretty much what's going to happen. the Tower has a major superiority complex, while the Damsel is a major people-pleaser. it's not going to end well. it's pretty much just a repeat of Tower-Broken but gay.

although if the Apotheosis is any indication, then I guess you could say that Tower does care about her love interests in a twisted way. Tower would play with the pliable Damsel and force her to forsake each thin strand of humanity holding her together, just for the sake of...well. refer to the tower route. come on.

it's just abusive toxic yuri it's jUST TOXIC YURI low-key this is a little bit hot, okay who am I kidding, it's incredibly hot. but it's not. ending. well. only after the Damsel's been completely broken down, and reduced to nothing but a submissive sliver of herself, will the Tower yield. and that's not going to be too hard either, but poor Damsel. oh, they're probably going to be 'cute'. after everything, the Tower would give her a nice little place at her feet and lavish her with her divine affections. but it would be so messed up. oh my god. no.

fuck stubborn, I'm starting to ship advy with dams instead. also, platonic damsel-broken besties. nope, Tower wouldn't help matters there at all. although I guess this was fun to think about.

Razor x Adversary

okay I love this one I actually love this one holy shit. I still prefer the idea of advy with damsie but holy crud this has potential.

it's comedy gold. their love language would just be smacking each other to hell and back. lovingly. the adversary would get high off razor slicing her into ribbons. the razor would goofy-blush as adversary pummels her into a metal pancake. holy shit. they're so in love.

cheated would also be really mad at this ship. no reason, just seeing the razor aka his bitter one-sided nemesis actually being happy for once.

although I don't know if they'd stop fighting at some point to like lovingly gaze at each other's eyes and flirt or something. no, unfortunately, they'd probably still do that while beating the crap out of each other. there isn't much room for character development here, sadly. that's the pass.

[caswensworld]

“The outfits in Descendants: The Rise of Red are so bad” “I hate them” what Descendants are y’all talking about?

We gonna start off with Uma. No, I’m sorry, Principal Uma! She looks so good! D2 vibes all around. Sure, there’s not as many sea trinkets as I’d like there to be but I can live with that. I missed her Pirate hat and her fringed skirt! The shredded shirt, I see you, Harry Hook inspired! I love the brown sleeves with glitter, that definitely reminds me of the sea. I just got black fingerless gloves but now after seeing her, I want gold…Great. I haven’t talked about her jacket cause there’s no discussion to be said. No defense to be made. Uma will always have that fashion!

Princess Red of Wonderland here is slaying! The designer understood the assignment! Red’s style is like a combination of Mal and Evie. The gown gives Evie’s royalty and the other gives Mal’s edge. Let’s start with the dress, I have always had a thing for corsets , I don’t know what it is, I just love them. Her arm warmers! Maybe it’s something on the arms, I just find it so sexy (y’all should’ve seen me swoon over Mal’s D3 moto sport fit). Why does her dress give more Queen of Hearts then the actual Queen of Hearts. And don’t act like we didn’t see that crown, Miss Ma’am.

Now the other picture, it may be dark but I saw everything I needed to. I think that’s a double belt she’s wearing and I love wearing more than one belt! The leather pants with the gems on the side, love that! Combat boots are my true love, but y’all. Y’all. The hood. THE HOOD! WITH THE GEMS!! OHHH! I need the character pictures to drop so I know what to gender-bend and thrift.

First off all, Hades always got it on but THIS! Hades is my spirit god! I am Hadie. I can see how he pulled Maleficent. This is my father, I dressed up as this specific Hades for Halloween. I love it when my gender wears makeup, I personally like painting my nails and wearing eyeliner so to see it on Hades, I’m very happy. I am a sucker for jewelry and that choker around the neck! I recently bought my own choker because of him! His leather jacket is everything! The studs! I haves stud fetish! I need the jacket but it’s just too expensive. Now the main thing we need to talk about is THAT SHIRT! OR SHIRTS! I fully believe these are two shirts safety pinned together! I think that the blue might be long sleeve while the gray is short! I got the safety pins so I find the right shirts, I will my customizing!

The Mistress of Evil, Maleficent always has that fashion chic. The complaints I do understand are from her horns and hair. We’re gonna start with her hair. People were expecting it to be people because Mal’s was purple. Y’all, you cannot expect me to believe Mal’s hair was an inherited trait, I did not believe for a second that Maleficent had purple hair. (Imma have to do a whole other post on that). Now the horns, I do believe that her horns are there and her hair is just long enough to be wrapped around her horns. (And if not, then we go all Dragon). Now let’s talk about the pros. THE PURPLE EYESHADOW!! I LOVE THAT! The leather corset, again, something about a corset! Why do I have the feeling that’s dragon leather? If that’s a thing, is that a thing? Now let’s talk about that single arm sleeve. Even as a teenager, Maleficent still looks regal! How many chains does Maleficent have? I love that. Ulyana is a mean girl, Maleficent is a BAD girl!

It’s not that she doesn’t look good, it’s just that it’s all red. I know that’s her main color, but she does also wears black with a little bit of gold. That’s pretty much my only complaint, she looks beautiful, I love how the dress looks like roses! The sleeves, I love translucent or mesh or whatever it’s called. The crown is crowning! Don’t get me started on that corset turned collar!! But I do understand why they made her all Red so she can contrast with Queen Cinderella!

I’m am rating this because the other one we saw is not a dress, that is a cape or cloak or something, I don’t know what it’s called. This dress is very beautiful, I have always preferred her blue over her silver but I do like how the designer added silver swirls. The jewelry is everything! The earrings, the necklace, THE SILVER CROWN! IT’S BEAUTIFUL! Brandy is royalty herself! I’m not sure if you guys can see it, but she does have these shiny translucent gloves and I like them. I don’t care what you people say, even if it’s a little random, her blue braid is absolutely beautiful! I absolutely love it!! The first black Cinderella then the first Cinderella with blue hair, Brandy is the literal definition of iconic. She is the history of Cinderella.

Emilio Sosa, the designer, is amazing and he deserves his roses and trophies

[floral-moon-light]

Ok, so I have seen bits and pieces of the different routes for Slay the Princess (no I have not played the game, and no, I don't mind spoiling routes to myself, it will not break my experience), and one thing I'm honestly surprised about is how little the "kill yourself" thing seems to be used. As I have been able to pull from different sources, there are only 2 major times it is used; the first is when you would be forced to sit in the cabin after the princess is dead, the second being to kill the ghost princess. Note, I do not consider the death on the damsel route because technically it is not the player choosing to kill themselves. And i don't know if the apotheosis route self kill can be considered because she is influencing you to end yourself.

Why is the "slay yourself" function not used more? Your actions relating to the princess affect how she acts with you in further routs, so killing yourself without killing her should do the same. After all, this is a love story right? And love stories don't just consider how you act to your partner, but also to yourself. So, a quiet that kills themselves instead of the princess should cause a reaction for the princess. Maybe a "first princess" like the stranger who reacts to the knife in fear, but not for herself, but relating to you. It could lead to more "caring" routs, like a doctor esk route where the princess is trying to figure out what is wrong with you, or a rout where the princess becomes indifferent towards you and offeres a clean seperation after the both of you leave the cabin where you don't have to be together after because it is clear you are not compatible.

Another piece of this could relate to the Nightmare and the moment of clarity, where the "moment of clarity" causes a change where instead of the voices disappearing, the long quiet feels like they are resting and have slotted themselves into themselves, and they say they look battered and bruised, but not yet dead. And in the next route after the Nightmare they can ask the question "do you remember?" whitch can bring more voices out instead of just the hero, because past relationships can color how people view their next relationship, make them see danger where there isn't, make them scared of love or fall harder, make them hurt themselves in an atempt to please their current spouce or be more indiferent in the relationship.

I know part of each route is supposed to be forgetting all that happened in the last route, but that can't fully be the case, after all, you aren't allowed to repeat routes, so you at the least have to know you've done something like that route before, maybe something like remembering something you did in the past but not remembering it clearly. Like foggly remembering your past relationships.

And with these new routs it can lead to a new ending thing where the long quiet isn't scared for the little people out there but is scared of how the princess would treat them once the both of you get out, after all, you have both hurt eachother , and despite being change it doesn't seem like she will ever stop hurting you if you make one mistake. So maybe quiet can yell something like "and how do i know you won't just kill me once we are out! You and your parts have proven time and time again that you only care for your freedom! You don't care how you get it! You don't care i was forced to act the way i did because of the stupid man who tore us in two! You only cared about getting parts for yourself to make yourself whole without giving me an actual chance to understand myself in this!" after all, the long quiet never got to look at what was going on in a rout, they had to keep making decisions in the moment, no time to let them cool off, no time to think rationaly, look at the outcomes that could happen.

And maybe from it, the mound realizes that while she is whole, you are still fractured and broken. So, as a god, she offered for her to reset the construct, so perhaps next time you can put your own pieces back together.

It's just a thought. Have fun with it.

[hulloitsdani]

Related to the subject of Alfonse/Kiran's brave alt, what was the inspo for Kiran's fallen alt, out of curiosity? And by any chance, was Slay the Princess a part of it at all? 👀 I'm sorry too about potential Slay the Princess spoilers (it's a very "you can mention the tiniest detail and spoil a chunk of a route on the spot" subject), just I'm super intrigued of how Kiran's fallen alt reflects on Kiran's duo-brave with Brave Alfonse, if, say, fallen Kiran had aspects of The Stranger, or more, The Shifting Mound.

The two bonding in intense, almost horrifying degrees, would make them entwined in a way that blurs the line of where one of them ends, and the other begins.

But then the fallen Kiran is a soul of what used to be, and Lif is a husk of a person that no longer is.

"I made sure that the tear was rough. You carry a part of what should be them [Kiran], and they carry a part of what should be you [Lif/Alfonse]. Things won't be as they are now, but they won't be nothing, either."

I just find the parallel between both extremes of 'fundamentally changed to the point they could no longer go back to what they used to be', and then the far-opposite 'so close together they become something that's both, but not quite'.

OKAY SO BEFORE WE CONTINUE THERES SOME IN STARS AND TIME SPOILERS IN HERE. THERE WILL BE SOME RED TEXT BEFORE HAND BUT BE WARNED.

Anyway.

I am so sorry to report that I wasn’t actively thinking about Slay the Princess while making either the fallen Kiran alt or what I’m going to call the Chosen Consort alt. However, DAMN BRO YOU SO RIGHT. LIKE OH THAT GOES CRAZY.

Slay the Princess and I have a funny relationship, because it’s such a me-coded piece of media. To give you an idea, I have posted mainly fanworks on this blog, right? But if we take a tiny peek into what some of my more personal sketches can look like:

…I think you can see what I mean. Slay the Princess haunts me in the most wonderful little ways. Love that game. The comparisons you have drawn are so god damn right. It was not intentional, but a lot of my work tends to be in a similar vein. That’s DEFINITELY the vibe and I am delighted by the comparison.

I’m also loving the comparison of the two alts! And what you’ve brought up is getting very close at what I was aiming for. See, how I think about it, the Chosen Consort alt is the result of a moral failing. Kiran’s core principles about how they chose to wield power has been compromised and they’re suffering the consequences. Their loneliness got the better of them. They caved. To satisfy their own selfish need to never be alone again, they used their immense power to control the people around them in body and mind. Kiran has become no better than a lot of the gods they’ve killed, and now their body reflects this. However, this failing is mutual. Alfonse also failed to overcome his own loneliness. We don’t know how these two got here, but… Alfonse’s willingness is extremely telling. We know, deep down, that he didn’t fight this for a god damn second. No, instead he fights to keep Kiran on his back just as hard as Kiran fights to keep him. They won’t leave each other. They can’t. Everything may be worse now, but they’ll both be damned if they let the other go alone. Through heaven and hell, for better or for worst, they’ll go together.

The fallen alt is a bit different. It is a failure of a different kind. See, upon working with Kiran (especially for books 3 and 4) I’ve come to the realization that this is not a character who is… well? Like, despite their sunny disposition, they’re doing bad mentally. Life has thrown a lot at them at once and they can only withstand so much.

Now, this doesn’t become obvious until book 3, because it’s there where Kiran comes under threat of losing EVERYTHING. TWICE. For a second time, everyone they know and love is at risk of slipping through their fingers thanks to forces outside of their control. They’re not taking it well. Kiran agrees to walk straight into a potential suicide mission into the realm of the dead, because they know deep down that they don’t have it in them to start from square one again. They can’t do it. It would break them. Kiran doesn’t technically have to die in Askr at any point during book 3. If they had the self preservation, they could run into another world and let their friends shut the door behind them. But they can’t. That’s still a death sentence. For them, it’s Askr or nothing at all. You must understand, Kiran has already experienced Líf’s level of loss. But unlike him, they didn’t have to face it by themself. The Order was there and CAUGHT them before the worst could happen. But this runs the risk of exactly that, and they know they wouldn’t survive it without the Order.

So, pretell, what happens to that mentality once it becomes clear that the only way to defeat Hel is to activate the blood rite?

See, Kiran dying to Hel would be a worst case scenario. Giving Hel the ability to potentially summon and artificially add more the dead, similar to how she had done with Eir, would be inconceivably bad. Might genuinely become unstoppable. So they’re not allowed to die in a way that would add them to the ranks of Hel’s forces. No easy out. But as they sit there, alone in this blood temple with hoards of the dead clambering at the doors, they contemplate this. There’s only one choice, isn’t there?

There is only one way out.

This how we get the fallen alt, who is not simply a Kiran who activated the blood rite, but who failed to find the will to keep going and destroyed themself. Then, to add salt to the wound, they have to watch another version of themself get the happy ending built off their sacrifices. It’s INFURIATING in ways they don’t have the words for. God, can they imagine how this feels? To know some copy of them won, and yet they’re left with nothing?

BEFORE WE CONTINUE: If you have not played In Stars and Time, maybe don’t read this next bit? It’s kinda major spoilers. Play it yourself. It’s a wonderful little game. You won’t regret it.

Got it?

Cool.

THATS THE MOST LOOP CODED SHIT IVE EVER SEEN. Had JelloApocalypse’s play through and performance of Loop on screen to give me vibes. Had an animatic of said performance by the lovely artist Str8 Rät also on screen for even more vibes. How Can You Help Me, Stardust? Was on repeat and made it to 14 on my end of year wrapped playlist. Loop my beloved! Hits Kiran with the Loop beam!!! Slay the Princess might not have been the direct inspo but In Stars and Time 100% was!

SPOILERS OVER: Anyway, this compliments how you phrased all these dualities in fun ways. Kiran fallen alt and Líf, even in this state, are still two halves of a whole. Soul of what once was and the husk of what no longer is still have a shared braincell and agree that throwing hands with an alternate self will definitely solve something (it won’t.) It’s fascinating how their separation is what partially lead them down this road, while the refusal to be separated is what creates the Chosen Consort. They won’t let each other go and that’s what has damned them both. Two halves have become a whole and are loosing the individuals along the way.

In looping back a little to the Slay The Princess comparison, these two remain reflective of each other. No matter what. The fingerprints of the other cannot be washed away. How can they be? With loneliness haunting the narrative in the way that it does? Loneliness is the question, through each other they find an answer, but it turns out that’s not always a simple good thing. Apparently you and your friend having very complimentary issues can either make you a lot better or infinitely worse. Sometimes both. And hot damn that’s fun to dig into.

Needless to say, I think these two are neat. There’s multiple ways for their story to go catastrophically wrong and I love that for them. They deserve to be a little doomed. For fun and enrichment. And someone should definitely make a Slay the Princess AU that would be cool.

[acaplaya-musings]

A random assortment of Geoff Castellucci pictures - Part 3

Y'all seemed to enjoy part 1 and part 2, so here, have a part 3! Featuring pics of Geoff from videos where I haven't already saved any screencaps from (not counting Voiceplay Visuals posts), but where he still looks really good anyway. And so because this one involves me going back and rewatching certain videos for the purpose of screenshot grabs (always nice to have another excuse! <3), these pictures are going chronologically by video, oldest to newest, rather than alphabetical by title. And again, featuring little bits of thoughts/commentary from yours truly. This one ended up being longer than part 2 as well, so enjoy!

(Everything below the cut as like the previous posts!)

Starting off strong my fam!!

I said as much in my VoicePlay Visuals post I think but this is honestly one of Geoff's best "shorter (or at least shorter-ish) hair" looks imo. Like look at those waves and curls! To! Die! For!

Also the open shirt with the popped collar is such a look and I kinda wanna see Geoff with a popped collar more often tbh

Also on the Panic Medlry Part 2 video someone commented "Is it just me or is Geoff extra hot in these last two vids". VoicePlay replied with "It's not just you. There was no air conditioning. ;)" XD

I forgot how hard it is to get decent pics of Geoff from this video, rip. I couldn't not include anything from it though! I mean come on!

Sir excuse me who gave you the right (and can they give you the right more often please)

I don't even know what it is in particular about this look that's so good but dear god everything just works and like, y'know, as I very frequently say: He's! So! Pretty!!!

Actually I do know one key component: his smile!!! <3

Well hello there good sir! 👀

Yet another video where Geoff smiles a lot and it's so lovely and nice but goddang is it hard to get a clear pic of him!

Yes a good portion of these pics is honestly just me showing some of my favourite Geoff smiles from different videos, and I apologise for nothing <3

Look, I love Geoff as a Disney villain, of course I do, he slays it absolutely every single time, but goddamn, I would love for more Disney Prince Geoff, in vibes/aesthetic if not any actual Disney song.

Also shoutout to one bit during Eli's When I'm Older section, where Geoff is looking off to the side and smiling <3 (smiling at Kathy? Maybe?)

(Oh and actually, between Sh-Boom and this video, I'm realising I kinda sorta wanna make a picture collection post for Layne as well - he does have some good looks sometimes! Nothing Else Matters, Hellfire, Warriors, y'know?)

Jumping ahead 1.5 years now!

Butter is such a fun video - everyone looked like they had such a great time!

If I Were A Rich Man/Girl MY ABSOLUTE BELOVED

The fluff in the hair, the visible bit of white/grey, the shirt, the smile!!! This video has me so weak y'all <3

Honestly Geoff looks phenomenal in almost every single medley video in particular and I love it (almost every medley - Greatest Showman Medley isn't in this photoset for the same reason that Kidnap The Sandy Claws and Hide And Seek aren't, lol)

(Also appreciation for the long-sleeve shirt behind rolled up to the elbows 👀)

Geoff from like 2022 onwards was "I'm going to find a hundred different black outfits to wear in videos and I'm going to look good every time" /j

Couldn't help but include a pic from We Don't Talk About Bruno in this - he's so silly (affectionate) <3

Not including any pics of Disney Princess Geoff(tm) only because it makes me laugh too much XD (seriously even as soon as Ashley starts singing Isabela's part I already start giggling, and it does in fact get me every time, but you can find a couple of pics of it in my VoicePlay Visuals post for this video HERE

I haven't rewatched this video in a while, so I wasn't exactly sure what kinda quality of screencaps I was gonna be able to grab from it, but well... it delivered!!!

I said this in a comment on the video as well but whoever had the idea to have that little bit of breeze/wind blowing Geoff's (and Adriana's) hair back, you're a genius and I love you

Also DJ_410 has occasionally referred to Geoff having "puppy dog eyes" or something along those lines, and man, he ain't wrong!

Someone said in the comments of this video that "Geoff is slowly turning into a silver fox" and honestly so true bestie <3 (ages! like! fine! wine!)

Also love how you can see the full necklace in this one (fun fact: Geoff's wearing a white singlet underneath, but he actually deliberately ripped it open a little bit at the neckline, which is how we end up with this 👀)

Plus this is the closest we've come to Geoff wearing a upturned/popped collar since the Panic Medley!

I Love Drunken Sailor A Normal Amount

Okay so obviously I already had one image from this video already saved to my folder - my profile pic - but nothing otherwise, and man is this video a goldmine. The arms! The hair! The eyeliner!!!

We really were absolutely spoiled when it came to Sleeveless Geoff in 2023 quite honestly

And what better way to end this post than with the god-tier all around stunningness that is Geoff in Hellfire?

I mean come on he literally looks like a goddamn painting!

So that's all for now! I might at some point do a part 4 or something dedicated to Minis and/or Shorts, but I do have a couple of other post ideas in mind for later down the line, so we shall see!

[lovediives]

eyeballs emoji for um EVERYONEEE!!!!!!!!!!!!!

nat.

well. i guess this is gonna be a TWO PARTER THAT ILL HAVE TO RB TO SPLIT UP!!

i love fanservice. genuinely but only if its a man who is old. LIKE GENUINELY WHAT IS THE POINT OF HIM BEING SHIRTLESS? (its for me)

guys dont judge me for being insane. but the game literally rewired my brain and the way he looks here. well okay. shut up. maybe im the problem. but like hes so scrunkly. cute. i want him. here

nao better then me. i would have pulled down his pants and showed him a real your turn to sh- sorry.

the way he looks here is just genuinely so pretty. like i wanna kiss him so BADDDD I HATEE HIM SO MUCCHHH. LIKE THE LOOK OF SURPRISE. THE WAY THE LIGHT SHINES ON HIS FACE. i wish i was immune to men with pretty lashes.

oomfie you know i dont have much to work here. but do you remember when i was in call watching this scene and it made me look gay as fuck? this is why this screenshot is here. reminds me just of that.

dont look at me. i dont. i dont know what to say. like i hate how stupid his grin is like hes so smug about it to. like do you have any common decency. aieeeee

BYE THIS IS SO FUNNY. strangely enough he does not make me wanna kick him like a puppy. i think he genuinely looks very sweet here and i like to drink tea with him and smile :)

this post is getting so long. but know that when i saw THIS i knew that was bae. this was pookie and she was going to stick around for a LONG LONG TIME (shes still holding on STRONG) god i love how he hair makes it looks like tails. the way she holds herself. everything about it. A MOTHERS SLAY!!!!!

tweaks. you just had to be here. when i see this. its like the angels above came down above to tell me that i deserve nothing but joy and happiness LIKE WIFEY WANTED TO SEE ME AND WAVE AT ME!!!!!! i lauve u princess i lauveeee u. shes so cute here. i wanna twirl my fingers in her hair and giggle and laugh with her. and then she picks me up and (woah lets pump the breaks there)

you IDIOT FOX!!!!!!!!!!!!!! YOU ARE GOING TO FALL IN THE WATER. but youre so cute about it like what you trying to impress me or smth <3 cause its working. like eek a boat ride with him could save my life. his little quote that comes after it. like he knows what hes doing and he knows its working.

i say this from the bottom of my heart. if they gave him top surgery scars here and confirmed him to be trans. he'd be top there. something about him is so f/o core and gender at the same time. like hes so cute. plus he looks like kaira. which makes him a bit hotter.

this is where the clones would go but theres four of them SO WE'LL ADD THEM AT PART TWOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

i know i posted this already but dear lord this is literally rotting my brain in real time. i unironically need him.

the pose here is just funny. like let it go old man. youre no longer hip with the kids. (but i love how smug he looks here like what the fuck is wrong with you <3 youre about to LOSE)

NO COMMENT NO COMMENT NO COMMENT NO COMMENT NO COMMENT this blog is for EVERYOEN (18 and up only) but i am FUCKING CRAZY!!!!!!!!!!!

the little wave here is really cute.. eek. ignore the blood and the knife. but it makes him so playful and funny. like can we frolic in the fields my love

Bro TAG ME IN!!!!!! TAG ME IN!!!!!!!!!! when i was born i did not ever think i would ever wish i was a key. and yet HERE THE FUCK WE ARE!! she looks so cute here and its so weird. i love her tired little eyes and fucked up smile.

i think im at a point where i just am tweaking but idk hes kinda hot. like do you guys see what i see? no? can you lie and agree with me anyway?

THIS LONG ASS POST........ IS ABOUT TO GET LONGER IN PART TWO!!!!!!!!!!!! HOPE TO SEE YOU SOON OOMFIES!!!!!!!!!!

[rozecrest]

i played slay the princess for the first time yesterday! it was really cool!! i have covid so i was like i need to make this day memorable for a different reason and distract myself so i'll finally play this game (similar reason i started reading dunmeshi -- but that was just a scare)... gonna talk about my full run under da cut this post got long. spoilers, of course

okay so i knew a little about this game in that i saw a few screenshots of the princess looking Different so i knew she changed but i didn't know anything about then narrator or the voices or the vessel (that's what i took to calling our handsful growing god we brought gifts to. i think it's a fitting name thematically if technically incorrect) or the looping game mechanics which i'm glad of!

run-through of the main actions i took

first loop: questioned the narrator intensely, did not take the knife, chose to keep course of saving the princess after she lightly threatened me for dithering about it, the narrator took control of my body and i warned and resisted until she killed me. i meet the damsel and the voice of the smitten, argued with the narrator, slipped the princess' hand from her chain and asked her what she wanted over and over until her drawing simplified enough that it seemed painful so i let it go, we left together and she was taken... and i met the vessel for the first time

second loop: i shirk the call and refuse to go to the cabin just to see what will happen. there are infinite fractal cabin. the world ends. the stranger begins! i meet the voice of the contrarian and take the harsh stairs and have the worst icy trip of my life. i talk to the stranger until she shatters and shatters and shatters and i have no choice but to slay her/save her/every option until she combines into a three-bodies-joined princess, and the vessel takes her

vessel interlude of note: speaking to Her this time i felt confident that i ccould kind of do whatever and not ruin things, and find my way back to Her. i decided to choose to slay the princess. i wanted to see what would happen

third loop: the princess is quite rude this time, which makes the choice easier. i play at deciding whether i should rescue her for a bit, and the strike. we fight. we both die. do you really think this is the end? i wake up and meet the adversary. don't take the blade and i refuse to fight. it causes her agony. she kills me. she becomes the fury. i believe i gshe kills me awfully and says it will be forever. the vessel takes her anyway

having the time of my life on priv btw

fourth loop: i speak to her for a while, and am unsure what path to take, so i leave, and push the table up against the door, and go to sleep. the princess comes to me anyway. i die of fright. she says she will not forget. i wake up to the nightmare. i believe this is where i meet my favorite voice, the voice of the paranoid (the voice of the hero is narrowly second to him in my ranking). absolutely love him chanting your organs into function, it creates such a good rhythm and tension to the moments. the nightmare and i get all the way to the cabin door and i kill her. on impulse, and because it felt like at the time that violence had been my least utilized path. she takes me with her. i am falling, falling, falling. i choose to throw away the knife. i die terribly.

i reach a third chapter for the first time! the wraith :)

i love how fucked up the road looks. and this is maybe my favorire cabin entrance..

she breaks my ankle, i let her possess me, she walks me out to her freedom, she is taken.

fifth loop: i don't remember how, but i reach chapter two: the witch. (on second thought: i think i had an almost identical run to the very first meeting. i am taken over again, but i cannot resist. i am killed) my utena senses immediately start tingling even harder, and this was correct to happen. and for the life of me, i cannot remember what i did here! and don't feel like checking history.. i think i gave her the knife? because in the next chapter, the thorn, she already has it. and i did not kill her.

i made her trust me, and i did not break it. as a lesbian, this chapter was emotionally manipulative. of course i was going to save her. of course i wanted her to trust me, and keep it. her being taken made me terribly terribly sad, she was ready for a future, gone now.

i went to the mirror. the narrator took me instead. i've grown to resent him by now, how he spins the princess and the player against each other over and over, encouraging my worst violences. i had told the vessel once that when i found him i would kill him. my desperate want for answers got in the way. and he was dying anyway. i asked them until he was ready to shatter on his own. i told him the truth: that i was still deciding what to do, and i wanted a hand in that choice to be hers.

endgame! fuck!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

i rejected godhood. i spoke to all the gifts i had given, which was really cool and affecting, loved that. i found the hero, and we went to her heart.

i was VERY indecisive. i wasn't sure what could get me what i wanted, which was of course a breaking of the cycle, a forging of something new, walking to the outside world lesbianly etc etc. on my first go of the cabin at the heart of the princess, i took the knife. i chose to because i felt more often than not i had chosen not to take it. i felt validated when the hero said it was wise, that it tended to give us more options than it didn't. considering who he was, i shouldn't have listened LOL

first: i chose to kill her. i hated the choice, but i wanted to see what would happen. i became a god and saved the nameless world and broke from the constructs. my voices came back, pissed, and decided to beat me with hammers forever, lol

i reloaded a save for a very first time. second: i chose her option. i was on a path to the cabin in the woods. i had a job to do. credits roll. MISERABLE ! deeply fun that it's an option, but miserable.

i mulled on what i could do to change things for a bit. i had been saving often throughout, at places of interest or nexuses of change, so i had plenty of options. it came to me like a bolt. of course! don't take the knife!

third: we left together. utena ass ending. we can always build new roads ! i am sentimental and was deeply invested in the princess' freedom and happiness and possibility fo life outside this violent cycle we were bound in, so i was happy to tell her i loved her, open the door together, and leave, close the game, and let that world be final. for now :)

last thoughts: i really enjoyed that. i'm always saying i need to play more visual novels and i really really do they rule they rule! the art in this was so cool! the voices were so creative! i liked the writing style a bunch! i loved how settings shifted. i loved how branching it felt, like there was always something new to try. always enjoy when a game just closes on you and greets you again when you open in like the vessel did that one time. good game !

things i want to go back in my saves and try at some point

becoming Gods and letting the world fall away with her

breaking the narrator before He can die on his own

breaking my body in a meeting with the vessel

killing the vessel before She has collected enough selves

and also trying to find more of the princesses i missed!

scrolling through achievements i didn't get also (i got 24/97) and i saw you can kiss her. i bet its fucked up. i would like to see it

[somethingclevermahogony]

OC Questionaire

I'm gonna respond to a couple people on this post so this is gonna be a bit of a big one! First, @mk-writes-stuff

What would you go back and do differently if you could redo one event in your life?

Narul: "I wouldn't have stopped to pick those flowers, I would have gotten back to the others before..."

Ninma: "I would have told Jani to stay, I would have told him that we didn't need the wine."

Otilia: "I would have left Korithia ages ago, I wouldn't have lived with that horrible man, I would run away."

Akard: "I would've stopped the Makurians. I would've kept them away from the children."

What’s the ugliest thing you’ve ever worn?

Narul: "Um, this I suppose." He gestures to the great shaggy sheepskin drapped on his shoulders, stained and matted from years of use.

Ninma: "My mother gave me a green shawl, it was the color of throw up, the weaver who made that should be thrown into the river."

Otilia: "Ugh that white...sheet, that Wadikir made us wear."

Akard: "Ugly? Hmm, when I was a boy I was told to wear a Kishite style robe, so that the Apunians would not forget my heritage. But the palace seamstresses did not know how to make it properly, so it was baggy and one sleeve was longer than the other."

How do you feel about children?

Narul: He glances at Ninma and chuckles, "Their a bit loud sometimes, maybe a little more energetic then I would like, but...I don't mind them I suppose."

Ninma: The five year old crosses her arms and sniffs regally, "They're stupid and immature, and they don't know anything about good food or poetry."

Otilia: "They're alright. I will say that I'm not terribly saddened by the fact that the gods have decided that I can't have any of my own."

Akard: At the mention of the world children he grimaces and turns away, "They are precious. The person who would do them harm...is owed no forgiveness."

And next up is @illarian-rambling

What's your favorite legend and why?

Narul: "Oh! I like the legend of the giant, Huma. I don't hear it all that often, most people don't like it because there isn't any fighting or monsters in it. Huma was a giant, like me, he was big and strong but he never used that to hurt people. There are so many stories about him. Once to protect the people of Shipra from bandits he built an entire wall for the city by himself in one night. When the fields of Shepra were dry he dug an entire river to irrigate their crops. Once when a merchant ship was stuck in a storm off the coast of Kotsa he used a sling and a rope of leather to catch the storm spirit and held it until it agreed to let the merchants get back to their homes. I know that most of the stories aren't true, but I like imagining someone that looks like me that doesn't hurt people and that people aren't afraid of."

Ninma: "Seha and the Golden Trout! Seha was so cool, and she fights monsters and forestfolks, she talked to the ancient Kiriki. She's just so cool, I think she's even cooler than Tamel was, it's easy to do impressive things when you're a demigod, Seha was just a princess from Makur."

Bazus: " The story of Tamel and the demon. When Tamel and his followers landed on the shores of Kishetal, they were attacked by a great demon, before they could escape he broke their ships and consumed three dozen people. Tamel fought the beast with his bow, and the arrows just bounced off, he fought it with his fists but he could not break the fiend's bones, and so finally he took up the hammer he had been given as a gift, a hammer of Arkodian Bronze, and that is what he used to slay the demon. And that's where they made the city of Udur, the first Kishite city. That hammer was the symbol of Royal power in Kishetal, until it went missing with Tamel's son. I wonder where it went.

Zenit: "Hmm...there's a story in Shabala, don't laugh, it's about a crow spirit that falls in love with a dove spirit. And their children became the spirits of the wind, the warm southern winds are from their mother, the cold northern winds are from their mother. It's not exciting or anything, no monsters, I just think its nice."

How do you celebrate your birthday?

Narul: "Um...I don't really know when my birthday is. I don't know if I've really ever celebrated it. Getting older...and bigger wasn't really something that I wanted to celebrate when I was younger."

Ninma: "Oh! For my fifth birthday my father would threw a big feast with fish and peaches and roast lamb, and we had a singer and dancers, and he gave me a new dress and new perfume, and all sorts of new things. And there was forestfolk with feathers like a peacock, I felt bad that he was in that cage but he was so pretty!"

Bazus: "My father throws a feast and invites all of the various nobles of Labisa. And we go on a hunt, usually for boar, auroch, or something like that. We did hunt for lions on my fifteenth birthday, no luck."

Zenit: "I don't really remember. Hutbari doesn't celebrate his slave's birthdays. "

What's something you'd regret if you died without doing?

Narul: He blushes and coughs, "Um..."

Ninma: " Hmmm...I want to be famous for a song or something like that! I want people to know who I am!"

Bazus: "Seeing my children grow up to be greater than me."

Zenit: " Putting my feet in the sea again..."

tagging @elsie-writes , @kaylinalexanderbooks , @abalonetea , @roach-pizza

Your questions are:

What is your favorite beverage for a warm summer afternoon?

What is something that keeps you up at night?

If you could switch lives with any one you know who would it be and why?