#anyway i’m not finished the books so no spoilers please also sorry if the designs are off/i missed some key stuff!

[mossymage]

Tied through time

[damoselcastel]

Ashen Wolves, part 1

Alright I know like NOTHING about this dlc other than the weirdo fact the HQ is below the main game's HQ. So I'll likely be pointing at stuff and getting tons wrong, PLEASE do not correct me. I want to try and play this as blind as I can and gosh twitter's awful as usual in trying to filter anything, time for a break. Also there's going to be TONS of main 3H route spoilers as I speculate aloud- so maybe don't read if you haven't "finished" the game.

Okay so I'm barely in, saw the intro video, Rhea/Alois co-monologue. And mostly what's come out of this is... there weren't just 5 Nabatean survivors post-Red Valley, but 9. At least who decided to team up under Serios and stop the rampaging cannibal graverobbers.

The 4 previously unmentioned are now "Apostles" (wait, apostles of...what? Do these writers know the title is essentially "student"? WHO'S THEIR MASTER/TEACHER) but they were noted to being alive right after the war... However even without deep-diving spoilers I know their namesake bloodline characters all have Heroes' Relics... So I guess, these 4 dragons got murdenated and turned into tools at some time by molepeople (how did this not set off alarm bells for Rhea?).

Anyway, the DLC exposition dump hammered a ritual to revive the goddess over and over again, which re-contextualizes Rhea's own attempts to do so. Like she didn't take a huge leap in logic, instead she just tried an alternate method when the original attempt failed (but it was still taboo? So maybe the ritual was a different beast altogether) Now I wonder if the final boss will be some 4-blood humunculous sealed in a pit as a failure or something.

Alright, I still find some huge society living in THE GIGANTIC WELL FURNISHED RUINS right under the biggest pilgrimage holy site + political epicenter + military outpost in Fodlan to be a stretch. Like if this were just slums really close to Garreg Mach's outer walls, sure I'd buy that in a second. But in the basement/sewers??? Considering how there's already MULTIPLE underground chambers that're armed to the teeth with traps/golems/magic-ghosts(?) random people wandering down there seems more like a good way to end up dead rather than finding a place to crash. Plus why would Rhea allow this? The DLC will probably try to feed me an answer, but just like with Windmire's "secret society" I'm calling bullshit.

I dunno anything about these DLC characters, other than they all have Major Crests (sorry Felix, your weirdness is no longer unique). But unlike a lot of the fandom, I'm a bit biased against... just in that I don't like how much more anime their designs are for fashion and the like. Gimme period clothing not x2s more belly shirts (its your people femleth). This is also why I’m disappointed by the Awakening design rehash for the classes, I honestly don’t like that game’s visual design and would’ve preferred something more like a Fodlan take rather than Fodlan accents to the outfits. *sighs*

But let's see what I can glean about their personalities from the dialogue-

"Surface laws don't apply down here," says Yuri as one of his teammates rushes off to ambush complete strangers. ...why wouldn't all these noble/royal brats just kill these weirdos for attacking??? Just attacking would be an offense enough that all the ruling powers (hello nobility) would shrug about these sewer dwellers dying. Also the fact the strangers were wanting to run away (thanks Claude) but Yuri would rather assault and physically beat then imprison them, isn't winning any "hero points" for him in my book. Nevermind that FE is ONLY about the battlemaps, this is a pretty hostile stance- and no I don't buy any "their turf is begin invaded" THIS IS STILL GARREG MACH its in the fricking same property line! Also these sewer brats have been spying on students too, to the point the recognize individuals.... so stalking? That's creepy...

"The Church plots to eliminate the inhabitants of the Abyss" look, Constance, I’m surprised Rhea hasn’t just taken you all out already. Since it’s not just people but criminals who'd set themselves up against her institution (from they way they constant talk about the Chuch as The Enemy). Pulling a Parasite (barely above a magical nuclear fallout shelter??? where her relatives' remains are stored) isn’t the smartest move by ANY argument. Pretty sure they only reason they’re still there to begin with is through Rhea’s begin neglect.

Anyway, getting past what I can only call the awkward intro text. Battlewise this map isn't bad, and the limited units/classes make it feel much more like Old FE gameplay. Forcing you into 'tough' situations where you have to play a bit smarter than the average 3H map... though I still found myself muscling through with the right unit-attack order. I'm playing Hard, just cause I don't find 3H on this setting that difficult (no Maddening yet just cause moving-reinforcements is ew) and casual, just cause I KNOW I want to finish this before getting back to my BL run, and I want that to happen sooner rather than later. The only DLC char who actually landed a hit was Hapi. All the rest I destroyed before they could try.

At the very least the Devs tried to write the DLC characters having established connections to existing places/people, because I was bothered by how extremely disconnected all the classes by Blue Lions felt. Like all these leaders kids that’d never met before... wasted potential. So as dumb as I find this underground merc/city guard, their backstories seem to not revolve around “the Abyss”.

I’ll get more into said Abyss more next post, but I have to end this by saying JERALT CANONICALLY BURNS BOOKS!

[commentaryvorg]

Danganronpa V3 Commentary: Part 1.4

Be aware that this is not a blind playthrough! This will contain spoilers for the entire game, regardless of the part of the game I’m commenting on. A major focus of this commentary is to talk about all of the hints and foreshadowing of events that are going to happen and facts that are going to be revealed in the future of the story. It is emphatically not intended for someone experiencing the game for their first time.

Last time, we had all of chapter 1’s Free Time and hung out with Shuichi, who told Kaede about the caring kind of detectives that he and his uncle are, and with Kaito, who discussed communicating with aliens and why he’s an astronaut and how similar Kaede is to him. In the middle of all this, Kaede also grabbed a shot put ball and started plotting murder.

Today is the day the time limit runs out, so it’s time for Kaede and Shuichi to go and set up their plan.

Shuichi doesn’t answer his door for a minute, and then it turns out he was just using the bathroom. On my first time through I was briefly terrified he’d been murdered. That is almost certainly the only reason the (out-universe) writers had this happen.

They hear about a fight going on in the dining hall, so Shuichi goes alone to get the cameras from Miu while Kaede heads to stop the fight (this is how Shuichi ends up being the only one who learns about the camera intervals and forgets to tell Kaede). On the way there…

Kaede:  “If you know about the fight, why aren’t you stopping—”

Kokichi:  “Why should I? Something finally happened to break up all the boring tedium.”

Kokichi’s probably partly hoping that one of the people involved in the fight gets killed, and then he can survive without having to worry about being the victim.

Kokichi:  “If people feel like they need to take action to survive… who are you to stop them, Kaede?”

Kaede:  “…”

Kokichi has a reasonable point here for his standards, but it’s also extra ironic when you know that Kaede herself is the one planning to take drastic action. That’s probably what Kaede’s silence is trying to imply, too.

The “fight” in the dining hall, which is really more just a disagreement, is because Ryoma is suggesting someone should kill him so that everyone else can survive. As heartbreaking as it is that he’s so willing to give up his life, it’s actually quite a reasonable idea in this situation, from a logical standpoint. Assuming that nobody is going to be able to find a way around the time limit, having a single murder happen is better than everyone dying. The biggest problem with that is that it sucks for the one person who happens to end up the victim – but if that victim is a person who is willing to sacrifice their life for everyone else’s sake, then that’s not quite as bad.

Ryoma:  “I… don’t have a reason to live anymore. So if the rest of you want to live, I’ll hand my life over to you.”

And of course Ryoma would be the one to volunteer himself to die. But I also like how despite not having a reason to live, he doesn’t want to just die pointlessly – if he’s going to die, then he wants to use his death to help everyone else. Despite having given up on himself, he still cares so much about everyone else and their desire to live. Ryoma is really good.

Ryoma:  “I hoped it’d end that way. That’s why I waited so long to bring this up. But we’ve just been waiting for the deadline without doing anything to change it.”

Ryoma had already left the dining hall two mornings ago when Kaede announced that she and Shuichi had a plan and weren’t giving up. He’s doing this now specifically because he hasn’t seen anyone else try to take any action that won’t involve people dying.

Ryoma:  “Whoever murders me gets to leave without a trial. Everyone else survives the time limit… After that, the person who gets to escape can go for help and rescue everyone else.”

He could also potentially just kill himself so that nobody else has to dirty their hands – but having someone else do it does make more sense for this reason.

But then Rantaro makes up his mind and announces that he has a plan to end the game – and hearing that, Ryoma retracts his suggestion. He is quite happy to go along with a plan that doesn’t involve himself dying if it’s at all possible.

Also interesting to note is that, while she’s not saying much, Kirumi is witness to this conversation. She learns here just how willing Ryoma is to die if it will help save other people. No wonder she targets him.

Rantaro:  “Well, even if I *did* have an idea, I couldn’t tell you. Can’t risk anyone interfering.”

Guhhhhh the fact that he doesn’t tell Kaede his plan is precisely why she ends up interfering! But of course, Rantaro has no idea who the mastermind is and he’s saying this because he doesn’t want them to know his plan and try to stop him.

Kaede:  (I don’t have time to worry about things I don’t understand… I just need to do what I can.)

And if Kaede just did spend more time trying to understand Rantaro, then…

Kaede:  (Or else… I won’t be able to protect everyone.)

I like how this is a subtle hint at her true intentions – she’s not only really sure that she can protect everyone so long as she doesn’t get distracted, but she phrases it as being just herself who will do this, and not herself and Shuichi together.

Tsumugi:  “The time limit’s up tonight anyway. After going through so much… it’s strange, but I feel like I’ve come to accept it.”

Other than Kiyo and Angie, who are weird and amoral about things like this, Tsumugi is the only other character who appears to have accepted their inevitable death. Which makes sense, since she knows they’re not actually going to die. Apparently she can’t be bothered to fake being believably nervous about it.

Plan time!

Shuichi:  “She also modified them so that they’ll be completely silent, to not attract attention.”

Kaede:  “They’re completely silent… This is perfect.”

Shuichi:  “It needs to be… These are absolutely essential to our plan.”

Kaede:  “And do these cameras have flashes?”

Notice how Kaede specifically asks about the flashes right after Shuichi has explained that the cameras are designed to not attract attention. It’s almost like she’s fishing for a way that they can be made to attract attention or something.

(Then again, she doesn’t know about the vent at this point, so maybe that’s a coincidence.)

Kaede:  (I’m getting nervous… Ngh, my heart is racing.)

Plotting a murder right in front of someone who wholeheartedly trusts you: Not relaxing.

It really is pretty questionable how Shuichi says they should just leave the vent be because they’ll be watching it from the classroom but Kaede insists that she does something about it from the library anyway.

Kaede:  “This will work… This will definitely work!”

Shuichi:  “…Huh?”

Kaede:  “I think this plan might actually protect everyone! Yeah, it definitely will! This plan is perfectly composed like Chopin’s ballades! I actually really lilke complicated contraptions, like Rube Goldberg machines and stuff. So I’m positive this will work! This setup is perfect!”

And here’s the moment Kaede comes up with the specifics of her trap. On a first time through, this seems plausibly enough like she’s just talking about Shuichi’s plan with the cameras, but even with that it’s a little strange that she’d suddenly have this outburst after going up the ladder to look at the vent, of all times.

(Also, I wonder why she has a fondness for Rube Goldberg machines, hm? I wouldn’t be surprised if literally every character here was written with more of an interest in overly complicated setups than an average group of sixteen people would be likely to have.)

It’s lucky for Kaede that Shuichi is so passive and she’s so assertive, otherwise Shuichi would probably have argued harder that there’s no way she could put a camera on top of the bookshelves, like she was using as her excuse to be up there, before she finished arranging the books.

Kaede:  “Geez… these books are so heavy! What is this, an encyclopedia?” (I flipped open the book.)

“…” “…”

Shuichi:  “Ah, Kaede? Is this really the time to be reading a book?”

Kaede:  “Sorry… I get distracted easily when I’m organizing things.” (After I made that excuse, I rushed to reorganize the heavy books, but…)

This part’s also pretty clever. It’s obvious that something fishy is going on here with Kaede’s suspicious silence and internally admitting she’s making an excuse, but on my first time through I assumed it was that she’d read something plot-relevant in the book which she didn’t want to talk about right now and would bring up later. It didn’t remotely occur to me that the mere fact that she opened a book was the suspicious part.

Also, her excuse of getting distracted easily when organising things is pretty believable – she seems like exactly the kind of person to get way too enthusiastic about things, even potentially mundane things like this. This helps a first-time player gloss over the weirdness of her bookcase arranging by assuming this is just one of her character quirks.

Kaede:  (This plan will probably work. No… not just probably. It’ll *definitely* work!)

If she’d just allowed herself to doubt her plan a little more than this, then maybe…!

(But also, even aside from targeting the wrong person, the plan actually doesn’t work in the end, since the shot put ball misses.)

Kaede:  (Upon entering the classroom, a wave of anxiety suddenly overwhelmed me. My heart felt like it would beat out of my chest at any moment.)

Plotting a murder: still not relaxing.

Shuichi:  “About the… security sensor receiver… Could you hold on to it, please? I just feel like… you’d be better suited for that than me.”

Shuichi. All whoever has the receiver needs to do is hold it and not accidentally turn it off! That doesn’t require any kind of skill that Kaede supposedly has more of than you!

Also, the fact that Shuichi wanted Kaede to have the receiver serves as a clue to the player – even though it’s quite easy to forget about it by the trial – that Shuichi probably didn’t do it, because his supposed murder plot required him to have the receiver, so he wouldn’t have wanted to give it away.

Shuichi:  “My uncle runs a detective business… I would sometimes help out, as an apprentice.”

…Little awkward having this line as though he’s never told Kaede this before, after having done Shuichi’s FTEs where he talked about this at length.

Shuichi:  “…I’m not a real detective, Kaede. What kind of stupid detective is afraid of finding the truth?”

Kaede:  (Right then, I noticed Shuichi’s hands were trembling.)

Shuichi is adorable. It’s so refreshing to have a Danganronpa protagonist (even though he’s not the protagonist yet) with actual issues and weaknesses to work through, and it’s also really nice to have a character whose issues are explicitly relevant to the actual story and not just something you only find out if you do their FTEs but can be left out of the story altogether. I did Shuichi’s FTEs in this chapter because I feel like Kaede would have done, and because he’s a very important character, but they honestly didn’t go that far towards really explaining what makes Shuichi tick. This does, this story about that one murder case that made him terrified of finding the truth, and it’s here and not in an FTE because it’s so important that the writers can’t afford to make it optional.

Kaede is wishing she could play Clair de Lune for Shuichi guhhhhh.

Kaede:  “You noticed, huh? Yeah… I’m shaking, too. But… I’d be a mess if you weren’t here. I wouldn’t have been able to do anything… I would’ve been so lost… I’m glad you’re here with me, Shuichi. With you by my side, I feel like I can stand up to anything. You give me the courage I need to take on the mastermind. So please… be more confident. I believe in you, so you should definitely believe in yourself!”

THEY’RE FRIENDS. It’s been really clear how much Shuichi has gained courage from being around Kaede, but I love that, despite Kaede’s greater confidence and assertiveness, she still gets a lot of courage from being around Shuichi too and feels like she would have been a mess without him.

They’re two people stuck in an awful, terrifying situation, gaining courage from each other’s company and forming a bond to help them deal with this fear because that’s what human beings do. It’s the sort of thing that Danganronpa should always have been full of but never really did until now. There’s been other friendships, but none of them felt quite as much like they formed specifically because of the terrifying situation naturally bringing them closer together. I love fictional friendships, and Danganronpa has always had the potential for some really interesting and adorable friendships due to its premise, but it never really used that potential to its fullest until THIS GAME CAME ALONG.

I also think this is almost entirely down to the simple fact that Shuichi and Kaede happened to start out in the same room, and therefore explored together and quickly came to see each other as a familiar, comforting presence in the midst of all the confusion and anxiety. If the locker next to Shuichi’s had instead contained, for example, Kaito, Shuichi might have only barely interacted with Kaede, but instead he’d probably already be Kaito’s sidekick by now and it’d be Kaito helping him set up this plan. Or if it had contained someone that Shuichi didn’t automatically feel like he could trust, then he’d probably have just separated from them and wandered around lost, not telling anyone his deductions and not having the confidence to carry out this plan at all.

Kaede:  “Also, I think you would look way cooler if you didn’t wear that hat.”

Shuichi:  “Wh-What are you talking about?”

Kaede:  “What? I’m serious here. Once we’re out of here, I want you to show me what you look like without the hat, okay?”

What Kaede’s really saying is that she wants Shuichi to grow stronger and face his fear of looking people in the eye. But she probably thinks he’d be extra-awkward if she was that direct about it, so instead she just pretends that the only reason she wants him to take off the hat is because he’d look cooler without it. If she really just wanted to see what he looked like without it, she could just ask him to take it off briefly right now, but that’s not the point.

Kaede:  “Geez… I just wanna see everyone smile. I love seeing the expressions people make when they’re enjoying themselves. That’s why I play piano… To see the smiles on everyone’s faces. And that’s why we need to expose the mastermind and end this dumb killing game! So we can smile with everyone else!”

She is about to turn herself into a murderer because she wants to make everyone smile. Kaede is the best most adorable murderer ever. (Except for the multiple other adorable selfless murderers in this game.)

And now it’s Let’s Start the Killing Game time! The music that plays for the creepy promotional video is, weirdly enough, one of my favourite pieces on the soundtrack. It somehow perfectly manages to capture the mood of “oh god we’re all going to die if we don’t turn into crazed murderers ourselves”, which is quite a mood to be captured in a piece of music.

Kaito’s strategy meeting is on its way to the basement! Even though Kaito believed in Kaede and Shuichi mentioning that they had a plan, he still couldn’t just sit idle himself, not when everyone’s about to die. He promised he’d “do something about it”, and here he is, delivering on that promise. It’s not the best plan, because Kaito is really terrible at coming up with plans, but he’s doing something – which is more than can be said for anyone else other than Kaede, Shuichi or Rantaro.

Shuichi running off on his own to check out the basement works perfectly both as making you terrified that he might get murdered while he’s down there, and then giving him a possible chance to have been the murderer when he comes back alive, even though all it is is a genuinely innocent trip to check where Kaito’s group was going.

Kaede:  (Realizing I was alone, all the fear and anxiety I was trying to hide rushed back into me.) “Ah, geez!” (I couldn’t keep still, so I grabbed the broom from the corner of the classroom… I started cleaning for no reason at all. I had to move my body. The anxiety was getting to me.)

I love this. It’s such a bizarre but really human reaction to this kind of looming terror and anxiety. Especially when you realise that the real reason she’s anxious is that she knows she’s moments away from killing someone.

That said, I think the out-universe writers had her pick up the broom for a very specific reason we’ll see in a minute. But even so, it makes perfectly good sense for her to do something like this in this moment.

“In one hour… everyone dies.”

Monokuma sure is going out of his way to terrify them as much as possible. I wonder if it was specifically this that made Rantaro decide to ditch the strategy meeting and head to the library – there doesn’t seem to be quite enough time between this and the receiver going off, but it’s possible there was a slightly longer gap of time there than the game implied.

Kaede:  (Shuichi sprinted out of the classroom with the determination of a true Ultimate Detective.)

Aww, look at her believing in him! And look at him genuinely getting so wrapped up in his detective-ness that he rushes to confront the culprit and doesn’t keep an eye on Kaede. Not that he would feel like he needs to, after all, since he trusts her.

Kaede:  (I dropped everything I was holding and ran after Shuichi.)

…She was holding a broom, right? Right, yeah, that’s probably what she dropped, then. Nothing suspicious here at all.

Kaede:  (I could feel my heart beating faster and faster. I was so nervous, my head felt like it was pounding with every heartbeat.)

BECOMING A MURDERER WITH NO TURNING BACK REALLY ISN’T RELAXING

Kaede:  (Bracing myself to confront the mastermind, I had balled my hands into fists without realising it. It’ll be fine. Everything will work out.)

Because they’ll be dead and nobody will realise she did it and she’s not going to think too hard about the fact that she just killed someone and she’s an awful person, nope, so long as she saves everyone it’ll all be worth it.

Aaaand then they run into Kaito and Tenko and because of that they’re going to enter the library too late to see Tsumugi actually killing Rantaro in there. Oops.

Kaito:  “Well, never mind. Your timing’s perfect. You should join our strategy meeting.”

Kaito doesn’t know what’s going on and that their plan is in full swing, so of course he does this! He left them out of his strategy meeting presumably because he knew they had a plan of their own, but if they’re down here and seemingly not working on that plan then they might as well help everyone survive by helping with his plan, right?

Tenko:  “I-I don’t really understand, but you just need me to Aikido throw whoever’s inside, right!?”

Kaito:  “No, I’ll do it! I’ll be the one to take them down!”

I love how both of them are SO READY TO BEAT UP THE MASTERMIND, heh.

Kaede:  (As I walked in, I noticed the moving bookcase at the end of the room was slowly closing.)

That’s Tsumugi on her way out. Whoops.

Aaaaand Rantaro’s dead. I’m not going to be splitting up the Daily Life/Deadly Life between posts, because it’s always a continuation of the same scene, so that’s not really the best place to have a split.

Kaito:  “What in the world!? What the hell is going on!?”

I enjoy how freaked out Kaito’s voice sounds here. You don’t often get to hear him sounding like that.

I also appreciate the fact that Tenko freaks out too, like a decent human being who doesn’t care that the person who’s dead is male.

Gonta is the only one of the next four that run in after Tenko’s scream who actually reacts to the dead body like a normal person should. Himiko’s too depressed to respond properly, Angie’s Atua nonsense prevents her from truly caring, and Maki… well, she’s seen more than her fair share of corpses already.

Kaede:  (Shuichi examined Rantaro’s body and placed his hand close to his mouth to check for breathing.)

Shuichi, meanwhile, is showing some serious guts to just immediately examine the body to check he’s dead. He’s not a homicide detective – he only ever solved that one murder, and based on how he talked about solving it “accidentally”, he probably wasn’t even on the initial investigation at the scene for it or anything. This is most likely his first dead body he’s ever seen – if not, second at the most – and yet he’s able to do this. That’s impressive.

Kaede:  (My vision began to swirl… My legs wobbled beneath me… But out of sheer desperation, I kept my mind working.)

And this is how it feels to be a good person who is now a murderer.

Kaede:  (The monitor is off. It was no longer displaying Monokuma anymore. Does that mean… the mastermind is dead?)

That’s a pretty big leap she’s making there. If the mastermind were dead, the video would most likely still be playing – because no-one is there to stop it. The fact that it’s off means that someone did stop it, because the killing game has started and there’s no need for it anymore.

It is strange that the body discovery announcement didn’t play the moment the four of them first saw the body, though. Almost as if a certain someone is giving herself a couple of minutes to get back into the dining hall before letting it play so she doesn’t look so suspicious.

Regardless, it does make sense that Kaede would immediately jump to the assumption that the mastermind is dead and ignore all hints to the contrary. Killing the mastermind was supposed to be the result of this plan, and the possibility of it being otherwise is too awful to think about.

Monokuma:  “Everyone, please gather in the library!”

It’s nice of Monokuma to actually let everyone know where the body was found in this game. You’d think in the previous games when he didn’t do this there should have been a lot of people awkwardly running around going “shit, where is the body anyway???”

Monokuma:  “What a relief. A murder took place just before time ran out!”

Kaede:  “M-Monokuma!? But how!?”

Monokuma:  “I gotta admit, I was a little nervous there cuz the killing game hadn’t started yet. Geez… you guys really know how to keep me in suspense.”

Yeah, I bet you’re relieved, Monokuma. Although you’d probably be more relieved if Kaede’s shot put ball had done the job like it was meant to and Tsumugi hadn’t had to step in.

Monokuma:  “If the mastermind had died, this killing game would be over.”

It really doesn’t have to be, though, does it? Monokuma can run the game by himself. Cutting the game short if someone happened to kill the mastermind without that even being their intention would make for a boring story, wouldn’t it?

Kokichi:  “Wh-What? This is a lie, right? My dearest Rantaro is dea – Oh, I mean… was kiiiiiiiiiillled!!!”

Here’s Kokichi doing something he does often when he is probably genuinely at least a little distressed – massively overexaggerating his distress to make it seem obviously fake, so that when he turns around and starts acting like he doesn’t care, he can tell himself that all of his distress was a lie and he isn’t really bothered at all, right.

Monokuma:  “With that said… if you’re the blackened who killed Rantaro, raise your hand!”

Tsumugi:  “The one who… killed Rantaro?”

Yeah, Tsumugi, want to raise your hand like he’s asking you to?

Kaito:  “Tch… That dumbass! How dare he go and get himself killed!”

I don’t believe that Kaito even for a moment actually considers Rantaro an idiot for getting killed. He’s just lashing out irrationally because he’s upset and angry that this happened – perhaps that he let it happen, even. He’s probably thinking that he should have realised Rantaro leaving to go the bathroom was suspicious and done something to prevent this. Even something as simple as Kaito insisting on going with him just in case would have saved Rantaro’s life.

There’s a couple of text boxes of nothing but ellipses from Kaede’s “inner monologue” as nobody speaks up to claim the First Blood Perk. Most likely she is thinking something that’s being omitted to prevent spoilers – it’s a shame we’ll never know what it is. Even so, the fact that she’s thinking “nothing” is in and of itself suspicious; one would expect her to be wondering why nobody’s speaking up.

Kaede:  “Everyone besides the blackened… Everyone…”

You won’t let that happen, though. Will you, Kaede?

Her saying this as if in horrified realisation implies it’s only just now occurring to her that if she doesn’t manage to unmask the mastermind in the trial like she’s hoping to, she has to sacrifice herself because the alternative is completely unacceptable.

Tsumugi:  “But… is it true? Is one of us really the culprit?”

I don’t know, Tsumugi, you tell me.

Kokichi:  “Ah-haha, everyone’s competing to see who’s the most paranoid. Yeah, that’s not boring.”

Don’t worry, Kokichi, I’m pretty sure you win that competition hands down.

Shuichi:  “If we all lose our trust in one another because of this… it’s all over! We have to believe in each other and investigate this case.”

Miu:  “Investigating is the same thing as not trusting each other.”

Shuichi:  “No, it’s completely different from what Monokuma wants us to do. He wants us to throw accusations at one another, and lose all trust in each other. And we… can’t let him get what he wants. We need to investigate this murder. Not because we don’t trust each other, but because we *do*.”

Shuichi has such a good point! Sure, one of them is seemingly a horrible person who betrayed them and is lying to them right now, but the other fourteen of them should still be able to trust each other. So they should absolutely try and work together, because there’s still a fourteen-in-fifteen chance that any given person is genuinely trustworthy. The blackened would have a much easier time getting away with it if everyone investigating just did so on their own and didn’t co-operate or share their findings with each other at all. Believing in people, at least to some extent, is necessary to reach the truth!

(Also I appreciate that it’s Miu, the most paranoid person who is actually up-front about their paranoia, who questions Shuichi on this.)

Kaito:  “I agree with Shuichi. Actually, he just said exactly what I was gonna say!”

And again Kaito was beaten to the punch when it really mattered in terms of rallying everyone together and inspiring them. Of course he would have said something exactly like that himself if only Shuichi hadn’t said it first! But because he missed his chance, it just sounds yet again like he’s spouting empty words to save face. Despite all his efforts, Kaito has been so completely ineffective during this chapter, and that’s got to be eating away at him.

Kaede:  (I can’t change what has already happened. All I can do is what must be done. Otherwise… Rantaro died for nothing.)

She can’t take back that murder, but she can at least try and use his death to save everyone else.

Kaede:  (We’ll all escape from here! I’ll make sure of it!)

That “all” is pretty optimistic of her. But at the very least, she’s hoping for all but one.

---

[Next post]

[booksandtea]

It should be no surprise after my announcement post that I eventually posted a Book Hooked Box unboxing. I had planned to do January’s but by the time I finished photographing and editing it I was in a cast and honestly this is just an excuse you’re going to see for a lot of upcoming posts.

So I had Januarys and I loved it but opted to skip Februarys as I’m not hugely into Dystopians lately but after figuring out what March’s book would be I just knew I needed it.

For those who don’t know though, Book Hooked Box is a UK book subscription box with a focus on providing you a hardback book and items you’ll love and use that month too. The items will help to create a relaxing and indulgent experience for you so you can live your best bookish life tbh.

M A G I C A L  H E A L I N G

The main goodie of this box is a signed bookplate + deckled edged edition of The Antidote by Shelley Sackier, with a letter from the author.

Whilst I actually got this book earlier this year from Harper I’ve yet to finish reading it – sorry guys! Again I can blame breaking my wrist for this because I started consuming a lot and then got overwhelmed with being behind on reviews so yay.

However, what I have read I do like and I’m very ready to put some time aside with a hot choclate and finish reading it.

Synopsis: Magic is not allowed, under any circumstances — even if it could save someone’s life. Instead, there are herbal remedies and traditional techniques that have been painstakingly recorded in lieu of using the mystical arts. Fee knows this, so she keeps her magic a secret.

Except her best friend, Xavi, is deathly ill. He’s also the crown prince. Saving him is important, not only for her, but for the entire kingdom.

Fee’s desperation to save her friend means she can barely contain the magic inside her. And after the tiniest of slips, Fee is thrust into a dark and secretive world that is as alluring as it is dangerous.

If she gives in, it could mean she can save Xavi. But it also means that those who wish to snuff out magic might just snuff her out in the process.

I T E M S

As I’ve mentioned in my first post Book Hooked Box’s main aim is for the box to be affordable and to provide a relaxing experience foryou whilst cosying up with your new book. Its safe to say I definitely think they’ve achieved this.

Full Item List: – Myosotis Sylvatica Botanical Bath Oil from Hearth & Heritage – A four piece luxury chocolate bos from Whitakers Chocolates – Marshmallows & Milk Chocolate Hot Chocolate Stirrer from Pendragon Drinks – Themed Artwork from R.N. Merle – Hocus Pocus themed bookmark from Felfira Moon Designs – Mandrake pin from Spellwork Studio (extra item) – one of four Autumn Witch prints from Oktoberdots (extra item) & the back of the spoiler card was designed by Tecsielity

I had a nice late night reading session where I enjoyed my chocolates – which really helped because it was one of those nights where you stay up so late you start to feel hungry but dont want to wake the whole house up.

I actually used some of the bath oil earlier tonight too and omg I am in love. My skin is so soft and it didn’t make my hair feel gross so that’s awesome.

Anyway I’m really pleased with this box and unfortuantely I think they’re sold out of Aprils so you’ll have to keep your eye out for Mays which I am very excited for too.

Stain was from their January box!

Have you read The Antidote yet?

If you enjoyed this post consider supporting Northern Plunder Ko-fi | Twitter | Book Club | Blogs & Tea | RedBubble

Magical Healing | @BookHookedBox Unboxing #booksandteabc It should be no surprise after my announcement post that I eventually posted a Book Hooked Box unboxing.

[applegelstore]

So we (=my sister plays, I watch her and do other stuff besides) have finally marathoned through Tales of Berseria (only the post-game sidequests left). So here’s excerpts of my final verdict (mostly in contrast to Zesty because sorry but I can’t help it. Plus, it’s the prequel for Maotelus’ sake). Cut for massive length and very heavy spoilers, obviously! No reviews, though, just incoherent ramblings. Many, many incoherent ramblings.

-The plot is indeed kinda more exciting than Zestiria. Which isn’t particularly hard. I mean there are many reasons why I love Zestiria, but the plot (and the villains) sure aren’t one of them. The plot was kinda just… there and didn’t do any harm, but honestly I could just have watched a 200 episode show of plotless party banter and would have enjoyed it just the same. The plot in neither game makes particularly much sense, tho.

-I have a billion questions and somehow most of them concern Zaveid’s gun in both games. Like, how does it actually work? It separates fusings, but it’s the basis for the invention of the armatus? Apparently it also boosts magic? Idk. And where does it come from? Let me guess, there was that super advanced sci-fi-civilization that lived on the planet like 20 000 years ago and is now forgotten *insert dramatic music here*

-How on earth did Velvet get out of that volcano…? But as long as Morgrim is safe, I’m good.

-On that note, Velvet literally screaming WAKE UUUUUUUUUUUUUP!!!!!!!!! at the volcano made me kinda happy

-whenever she has facepalm/I’m so done/I’m surrounded by idiots moments, I feel her very much

-Despite the headscratchers, I’m totally digging the Berseria/Zestiria worldbuilding, like hell

-Sue me but I still like the Zestiria characters lightyears better than the Berseria characters. Mostly because they’re funnier, more relatable, and also because I honestly don’t like the Darker and Edgier trope. But also because the costume designs are goddamn awful, Magilou is an obnoxious pest, and it takes Eleanor far too many hours of game play to get that other people than abbey members have human rights (I ended up liking her in the end but honestly getting there was a pain). BTW yes, Velvet, Phi and Eleanor probs have more dramatic changes in personality over the course of the game than the Zesty squad combined, but can anybody explain to me what kind of character development Eizen, Rokurou and Magilou display? …Thought so. Also, no, dramatic 180° turn character development is NOT a prerequisite for good character writing in my opinion, thank you very much. I also think that mental breakdowns aren’t a prerequisite, just in case you were wondering. I’m honestly not a big fan of the Heroic B.S.O.D. trope, although there might be some exceptions where I thought it was well done. I still prefer to do without.

-At least I can tolerate Magilou and Eleanor now that the former got a backstory and the latter finally learned how not to be a dick

-Phi’s constant complaints that he doesn’t want to be treated like a child (I’ve got bad news for you sweetie, you’re TEN) do horrible things to my headcanon that he simply stays physically 10 for eternity, but don’t think I’d give up too soon

-however, I guess we can establish that he plays splatter games with a burning passion

-I am very glad that the monster doggies and the monster bird are safe and sound in the epilogue

-WHERE IS FIRE MUM

-How on earth do people defend the opinion that Berseria was less of a button smasher game than Zestiria?? Because honestly in Zestiria I never managed to win battles by doing nothing but frantically smashing X/Square/Triangle/Circle without any plan or order.

-THE BATTLE CAMERA IS SO MUCH BETTER THO I can control it freely! Oh bless the new camera. I want that so hard in Zestiria. It would help a bunch.

-the equipment upgrade and drop system is also a billion times more effective in the sense that you don’t have to carefully plan your fusings (guess who’s always too lazy to do that) and fruitlessly try to farm the drops for that for hours (guess who’s too lazy for that as well, and also helplessly underlevelled because she’s so lazy and ends up with bosses one or two hitting an armatus even on normal mode *coughs*). Bless.

-I mean the new equipment system in Berseria is basically Final Fantasy IX but for lazy noobs. There’s ups and downs to that, I guess?

-Meirchio is so goddamn pretty, I didn’t even realise that in ToZX. Guess I was distracted by how bad the trainwreck is. Anyway I love everything about this town

-Aball and its surroundings incl. Taliesin also deserve awards

-the dungeons and field areas weren’t anymore interesting than Zestiria, tho

-btw Aball=Avalon? Magical apple island and stuff? Just asking because honestly some of the Arthurian references are pretty obscurely named (it took me quite a while to get the Lastonbell=Glastonbury reference, too, trollolol. Anyone else reminded of Good old Ah! My Goddess translation sins? I mean, come on… Verdandi to Belldandy? Apparently, correctly transcribing Roman letters into Japanese script is even more difficult than Ancient Avarost)

-Morgrim, let me love you, please take all my blessings, you are purrfectly pleasantly plump and I want to cuddle you and give you kisses

-why exactly was Shigure one of the bad guys?? It still escaped me after we cut him in half, sacrificed his soul to some ancient deity, and killed his deceased, reincarnated, dragonised mum

-speaking of which, is it really clever to use the souls of your mortal enemies to revive gods that you want to be on your side!?

-anyway, screw you, Melchior, in particular

-Bienfu is a strong contender for most annoying mascot ever and I still wanted to throw him into the ocean hours into the game. I swear if I have to hear him yell BIIIIIIIIIIIIIEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEN just once more in my life I’m gonna punch the screen.

-I’m with Jude on the pengyons. I mean I guess killing and eating them is preferable to killing them but not eating them, but still. Everyone speaks about representation, where’s my representation? Is there a single JRPG in which at least one of the playable characters is a vegetarian?

-I was surprised how much I enjoyed the Jude and Milla cameo, cracktastic as it was. Milla was actually my favourite in Xillia, although I had and still have severe problems with her character. But here I only saw of her what I love about her, and it made me happy. You go, Milla

-The skit writing with the constant “all males are perverts”, “all women are deceitful whores” and “men and women are fundamentally different and will never understand each other or be friends unless they’re incestuous siblings” is goddamn awful, period.

-apparently if your vessel becomes malevolent even the tiniest bit (no need to go full tainted), that physically hurts your malak/seraph. I’m glad that doesn’t happen in Zesty.

-Zaveid. Buddy. I feel sorry for you. But it also kinda shocks me how fast you get over your girlfriend’s death. I also have bad news: Eizen’s little sister will still look like a 12-year-old in a 1000 years from now. I actually hope you’re NOT into that.

-btw Zaveid and Eizen jump from mortal enemies to true name basis pretty fast holy shit

-I wouldn’t have minded more Aifread’s Pirates shenigans and nobody is surprised

-I want the cracktastic enemy book back

-I want my elemental powers back. Fuck this don’t ya try to talk down my beloved Magical Dragqueen mode IT’S THE POWER OF LOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOVE y’ignorants

-dear malak NPCs, thank you for establishing that the abbey version armatus is a sucky beta version which will be replaced with the awesome real thing in a couple of centuries, and will eventually symbolise harmony between humans and malakhim. Bonus points for carrying along the motherfucking Galahad ruins bow to drive home the point

-I’m a little too amused by the fact that the ending credit cards are a “everyone’s happy, nobody ever died, and everybody’s friends with each other” AU

-uhm, guys? Did they give Artorius’ sword to Sorey’s gay pride armatus in the anime? I didn’t like it even back then but now I hate it even more, pls no

-I want Sorey back I want Sorey back I want Sorey back I want Sorey back I want Sorey back I want Sorey back I want Sorey back I want Sorey back I want Sorey back I want Sorey back I want Sorey back I want Sorey back I want Sorey back I want Sorey back I want Sorey back I want Sorey back I want Sorey back I want Sorey back I want Sorey back I want Sorey back I want Sorey back I want Sorey back I want

-I know there will never be a Zestiria sequel because it didn’t sell well enough for that, but just in case: the only premise I’ll accept is “Phi, Sorey and Mikleo free Velvet from her prison and finally tear Innominat apart for good”. I don’t know how that would work without killing Velvet and Phi, but hey, I’m sure we’re gonna find a solution because it’s as JRPG and all we need is the POWER OF LOVE *dundundundun*

Everyone is happy. Also what is this “reborn Malakhim aren’t the same people they died as anymore” crap, don’t give me this heartbreak material you assholes

-is it wrong if I wanna play Zestiria after finishing Berseria? Actually, we would have gotten there far sooner if I hadn’t insisted taking breaks so I could play a few hours of Zestiria in between. Whoops.

-my sister was worried that Phi would miss his auntie Velvet very much and suggested Sorey and Mikleo should adopt him once the sweet baby slumber party is over. At this point I’m wondering whether I should give her fanfic recs to brighten her days, or whether that will cause her to forever ban me from her Playstation and refuse to cook for me ever again

-after watching the Zesty DLC, she also told me: “I don’t know what was the point of it, but Rose and Alisha were very cute.” She’s on the path to righteousness.

[jinjojess]

Could you elaborate on what you dislike about Death Note? If you feel like doing it, of course! I always enjoy your unpopular opinions so I would like to hear more about this. I personally liked many aspects of it, but I can also see many flaws, and the second part of the story is way less fun. Also: "Remember how I can't stand characters transparently designed to appeal to a certain kind of fan" PLEASE GO ON. I need a serious critique of the characters!

Oof, I don’t know if I have that in me, but here’s a semi-short version.

Death Note has a lot of objective stumbles, but honestly the thing about it is that it’s very much Not For Me and that’s where I have the most issues.

Spoilers for the entire series, just in case.

Edit: This got really fucking long, I’m so sorry mobile users…

Note: This will be manga-based since I read the entire manga, but have only seen a few of the anime episodes.

So I was very on board with the series in the early chapters of the manga, because I liked how it was exploring the way that Light starts off as this really eager do-gooder who gets corrupted by power. In the early chapters he looks younger and adorable, and you can see a physical change in the way he carries and presents himself as he becomes more Kira than Light. Loved the idea of presenting a protagonist and then turning him into the villain and testing the reader to see if they would still side with him or not. That was cool.

I probably would have enjoyed his rivalry with L more if I didn’t find L so personally obnoxious. A lot of people like him (to the point where I feel like I am the sole dissenter) and I don’t think he’s necessarily the worst character, but just like…I dunno. Something about him and the way he’s treated in the series just feels so…I don’t know how to put this…wish fulfillment-y? Like he’s this dude who really shouldn’t be attractive because he’s gaunt and pale and clearly doesn’t take care of himself at all, plus he’s got all these nervous tics that would probably be at best politely tolerated while everyone talks about how awkward he is behind his back but like…I don’t remember that ever happening really.

Like if the police force were like “Jesus, dude, just sit like a normal human being for once,” I’d have found him more believable as an actual character instead of this guy conspicuously being weird to show off how “different” and “special” he is. Plus he’s also athletic, despite not ever being shown practicing or going to the gym or anything–he’s just super good at martial arts and a tennis champ, guys. Like sorry, but for those of us in the real world, we have to adhere to social codes and actually work for that kind of shit, and while some people find comfort in this sort of idealized escapism, it’s always just pissed me off from a personal standpoint.

Basically L feels like he was created to appeal to socially awkward fangirls who could squee over him and be like “he’s weird and socially awkward just like me! but everyone would be jealous of me if he was my boyfriend because unlike me everyone loves him!” Which in and of itself is not inherently Bad or anything, but it gives me a sense of unbearable second-hand embarrassment so I just cannot deal with that.

Let me be clear here: those kinds of fangirls completely deserve to have media aimed at them, and Death Note fills that niche pretty well. Again, this complaint is from a place of personal preference, and is just to get you to understand why Death Note turned out to not really be my cup of tea.

(Plus also where is the storyline where L gains weight or gets type 2 diabetes from surviving on sweets? Oh, it’s because his brain burns too many calories. Fuck that guy.)

Misa is similar in that she’s basically Yamato Nadeshiko: Goth Edition and that just ain’t my thing. Like don’t get me wrong–I love me some tragically loyal people, but I usually prefer that they also be capable in some other way (Pekoyama can swordfight like a badass, Sakakura is a world-class boxer, Mukuro is…well, Mukuro, etc.). MisaMisa is kind of a fuck up. Plus iirc she’s an idol and sorry, if you are not part of Maizono’s posse I have zero time for you.

Anyway, the fact that the reader is supposed to feel less sympathy for Light because of his treatment of Misa is interesting, but it’s kind of clouded by the fact that Misa is so annoying to me personally that I just wanted her to fucking die already and get out of the narrative. Rem, you are too good for this shit.

I did find the police force itself pretty charming, though. I was rooting for them for most of the story.

Ryuk was great too. A nice provider of very needed levity, and probably the most consistently good point of the series, at least until the very end which I’ll get into in a second.

Anyway, the more technical issues I have with Death Note are with its pointless meandering. There’s that famous tennis scene where it’s supposed to be really exciting because Light and L are trying to figure each other’s psychology out, but the things they’re thinking aren’t at all realistic. Like trying to win a tennis match proves you’re competitive ergo you must be Kira? What? It’s overthinking very mundane things that would have too many variables to ever be conclusive proof of anything, and it turns out to be pointless since they both reach that conclusion at the end of the game anyway.

So yeah, my biggest issue with Death Note was that it wasted so much of my time. It feels a little like the V3 trials, where you’d be purposefully led down this boring, clearly incorrect route so that the reader could be “surprised” when it turned out that something could be Occam’s Razor’d. There are entire volumes where nothing happens. And I don’t mean like, nothing physically happens, but the characters are having intense debates or whatever. I remember reading volumes where only two real conversations were had, and the rest of the time was everyone imagining and mentally preparing for said conversations.

Maybe my memory of the series is too patchy, since I read the manga over a decade ago in 2005, but I remember a LOT of padding.

Something I did think was handled well was how Light defeats L. That was pretty great because at heart I do love super smart villains with stupidly complicated plans, and that one was pretty great, especially since I figured that L wouldn’t be going anywhere.

However, the series should have ended here. It should have ended with Kira winning out over L, but the law being closer to figuring out who Kira is, leaving the reader in a state of uncertainty about the future of this world and Light as a character.

Would that have wrapped up all the loose ends? No. But it would be way better than what we got in the second half of the series, I think most people would agree.

So let’s talk for a second about Near and Mello.

To touch again on the “this was clearly for a certain kind of fan” subject, how hard do you think the publishers shit themselves when they realized that L was going to die but the series wasn’t over? L was and still is by far the most popular character from the series, and the fangirls were probably not going to be pleased that their husbando got ejected from the narrative.

So what do we do?

Replace him with more of the same!

While L was annoyingly teetering on Gary Studom, Near is basically that just with an added dose of “precocious child” which doesn’t really help the situation. I hesitate to call him Shouta L, even if that’s how it feels sometimes, but I just felt like Near was way too similar to L to be his own character. He felt more like L was reborn as a kid for the Death Note Babies spin-off.

Mello was a lot more interesting, with the inferiority complex and his tendency to, you know, actually do things. The only part of the latter half of the series I remember liking was when Mello kidnapped Light’s sister and there was this tiny glimmer of humanity left in him where he didn’t want her to die. However this was always offset for me by the fact that he was running around with an exposed midriff because yeah we need to have fanservice somewhere man. (Again, not inherently Bad and fangirls deserve their fanservice too, but like…not my thing, at all.) It just felt very…calculated, if that makes sense.

What would have been way more interesting to me would be Light finding out about these orphans being groomed to take over for L and there being some kind of commentary on how the side of “good” is using these really dubious and unethical methods to catch Kira, bringing up the question of whether or not they’re actually any better. Like let’s talk about that.

Okay so. The only thing left to talk about is the ending. And holy shit, that fucking ending.

I was still trying to be on board with Death Note even in the second half where I had very little desire to finish it but felt like I’d already invested the time and money so I might as well. I was trying so damn hard, and I was still kind of enjoying the ridiculous lengths Kira was going to get a one-up on his pursuers, with the fake out girlfriends and the cult, and the fucking pieces of Death Note pages inside the secret compartment of his watch and shit…it was so dumb but in like a fun way.

And to be clear, I’m fine with Light losing in the end, and being undone by his own hubris.

But to only have it happen because Ryuk decides to conveniently help the police? Like, that’s dumb. The entire thing hinges on Ryuk deciding at that very moment to fuck Light over–sure, whatever, he’s not on a side, sure. I don’t expect him to actually pull a Rem, but he must have fucking known that the lackey’s book was fake (who, by the way, should have planned to do away with everyone one at a time, using the power to determine how people die to make it look like an accident, and then he would have noticed that his notebook wasn’t a real one). At least hint toward Ryuk getting fed up, or bored, or something so that this doesn’t seem so frustratingly convenient.

Though Ohba apparently once said that L was the smartest character because “the plot needs him to be” so there you go. That’s his approach. Plot contrivances are the order of the day.

So yeah, anyway.

That’s why I’m not that fond of Death Note. Part of it is because of personal biases against certain kinds of characters that are not appealing to me, and part of it is because the entire story feels like it’s taking itself too seriously and is trying to be more clever than it is. As a more compact narrative I think it would probably get a pass, but the fact that it’s so bloated and sprawling really makes it hard for me to consider it objectively good.

…Turns out I did have it in me.

[dorianpavus]

hi katie! i've seen looots of ppl talk abt critical role and i reeeally wanted to start watching it but i have no idea how it works. AT ALL. and i know there are LOTS of eps out there and do i have to start from the 1st one or is it something like season 1, season 2, etc? please guide me i'm really looost aaaaa thank u

omg omg!!! hi i’m so excited for you i love critical role so much!!!! :’)

so yes, there are currently like 96 episodes out… and most of them are 3-5 hours long. holy shit. it’s definitely a commitment, but super worth it imo (i love my family…. they are my family… so pure…. so positive). plus, you can watch it kind of like a podcast and just listen to it if you like, since so much of it takes place verbally. 

(though i actually prefer to watch it cause i love seeing their faces and their cute interactions and reactions and acting and just… ya know. to each their own :3)

BUT OKAY

there aren’t actually seasons!! i know on the critical role wiki they list episodes as in “chapters”, but it’s mostly just a fan construct to help group and organize the episodes. the game itself isn’t actually designed in Chapters/Seasons/Whatever, not exactly… 

THAT SAID there are a lot of story arcs and plotlines!!! that have clear beginnings and ends, and those are really helpful in dividing up and discussing the show. (usually the “chapters” of which ppl speak – they just take the story arcs and roughly group them together into “chapters”, though i think that tends to lump episodes together that don’t always belong together ya know)

in any case you don’t necessarily have to start from episode 1 – i mean, the cast members even played together for 2 entire years before ever starting to stream their games on twitch, so EVERYONE who watches the show is still kind of getting thrown into the middle of their journey. plus tons of fans start watching from like…. any given episode, and most of them turn out okay. :P

however, episode 1 is designed intentionally for people who are new (duh). it starts the Very First Arc of critical role, it introduces all the characters (for the first 20ish? episodes they have a little character-introduction video they play at the start of the episodes and during breaks that helps you familiarize yourself with the characters and their brief backstory & info).

i’m only on episode 66 myself (OUT OF 90 SOMETHING) but that’s partially because i’m determined to watch them in order…  because i love them and don’t want to miss out on anything. even though i’ve been watching for over a year, lmao. i mean, i’ve had a lot going on in my life!! ya know!!! (ok… but really i’ve been watching so much lately so i feel like i’m gonna catch up pretty soon lol).

ANYWAY

i can break down some of the arcs for you and give you some recommendations on where/when you might wanna jump in and why, without giving away spoilers! 

dun dun DUN

ARC 1 - KRAGHAMMER (ep 1-16ish) - so the first arc of critical role is designed intentionally to introduce viewers to both Vox Machina (the party) and dungeons and dragons. it’s a very traditional dungeon crawl where the party was tasked with rescuing an npc from a dungeon, so… story-wise, the plot isn’t the most interesting, and there’s a pretty fair amount of combat. but it’s vox machina! and you get to fall in love with them from the first time!! this is also most of the time you’re going to get to see Tiberius, a dragonborn sorcerer played by Orion Acaba. orion leaves the show around ep 27 i think, (which… to be perfectly honest i was really happy about because i kinda disliked him as a player… ahem… but other people LOVED tibs and orion so that really depends :P). all that to say, if you want to get tiberius content, if you want to truly get the whole Critical Role experience, if you want to get familiar with the group as they play and fall in love with their fans for the first time as you fall in love with them for the first time, arc 1 is the way to go. i do think it’s the most boring arc by far, and because the show was just starting out the production quality is by far the worst, but i still loved it, so. :P

MINI ARC - VASSELHEIM (ep 17-23, ***NOT*** including ep 22) - this is where critical role really starts to hit its stride. the players are more comfortable on screen, everyone relaxes, the story is funny and it’s kind of an In Between mini arc – the events of Arc 1 have finished, but the next arc hasn’t really started yet. you could call these “filler episodes” but they’re some of my FAVORITES, more lighthearted and goofy and fun as the party sort of takes a breather from the intensity of their previous arc. this also features the Slayer’s Take episodes, a series of 4 episodes that SPLITS THE PARTY!!!! and features guest characters for the first time, including my beloved Zahra (i’m lov!!!! her!!!!!!) played by mary elizabeth mcglynn. also featuring felicia day, wil wheaton, and will friedle. honestly these episodes are… fun. i love them so so much.

STANDALONE - EP 22 - keyleth-centric episode - episode 22 isn’t included in that above mini arc; it’s kind of a one-standing episode that features a moment in keyleth’s overarching character development and plot. it wasn’t my favorite episode, but it features some cool elements and if you like keyleth you’ll def wanna watch it.

ARC 2 - PERCY’S ARC - (EP 24-36) - yehhh boi!!! PERCY’S ARC. THINGS ARE REALLY HEATIN UP FOR VOX MACHINA. okay, some of my favorite episodes happen in percy’s arc, and you get a LOT of no mercy percy. there’s intrigue and danger and delish combat and just like… what more could you ask for? the stakes have really raised for vox machina in arc 2. i love it, and my personal recommendation would be to not skip this one. :P

ARC 3 - (ep 37/38, REALLY starts ep 39 and goes way past where i’m at right now so i haven’t even finished it yet) – so the first two episodes of this arc start of really slowly (eps 37 & 38); they’re setting up for the shit that’s about to go down, which pretty much starts in ep 39. this is sort of the BIG BIG BIG arc that spans like 30+ episodes. i mean, don’t get me wrong – there are a billion smaller arcs within this arc alone, but i’m grouping it together because… it’s a big overarching plot unlike anything we’ve seen before in critical role.  i mean, the majority of episodes of critical role have been about this arc, haha. even if you skip everything else (… though i don’t think you should :^)…), you’ll probably still want to watch from here on out. some episodes are better than others (my god, the Planning episodes…. rip) but like… this is sort of Modern Critical Role™.

ALTERNATIVES - of course, you could really skip that arc. you could jump right in right now to ep 96 if you want and just watch from here on out, as you slowly go back to watch older episodes (even though that gives away so many delightful spoilers and plot twists, it is efficient). or you could watch from wherever that big arc ends, which is probably around like ep 90 or something (i don’t know!!! i’m not there!!! i know it’s roughly around that point haha). wherever you want to start watching is up to you. critical role is a commitment. but since you did ask me my opinion, i’d say either start from arc 1 (even though it’s a little more boring/combat-oriented than the other arcs because it’s The Introduction, it’s really nice to have that background and not be missing out on great moments and episodes and stuff), OR skip the first arc and start with the MINI ARC beginning on ep 17. it’s gonna be a little less cohesive for you, and the cast doesn’t focus on explaining their background/what’s going on quite as much for you, but the stories being told are just kinda more fun, haha. OR start with percy’s arc. but i’d recommend not just starting on Arc 3 (aka The Big One) because you’d be missing out on a lot of fun and history and the important moments won’t mean as much to you because you won’t be attached to the characters and their world.

tl;dr either start from the beginning (which is what i did and i don’t regret it), or start from the mini arc or arc 2. or do whatever you want. :P

GOD I KNOW I WROTE SO MUCH 

I’M SORRY

just… i wanted to be…. helpful. lol. ahem. ANYWAY 

I HOPE THIS HELPED

even though i wrote a book D:

i hope you really enjoy critical role friend!!!! and thanks for asking!!! and calling me by name cause i melted!!!! :3

[middayreads-blog]

A Court of Frost and Starlight by Sarah J. Maas

Warning: This review contains major spoilers!!!

Someone hold me. I might hyperventilate any minute now.

I’ve just finished reading my most anticipated book this 2018 and I can’t contain my feels. It’s overflowing. I honestly don’t know how to manage all these influx of emotions. Please don’t expect me to have this talk in chronological order since I’m still at the verge of gathering my thoughts and calming myself all at the same time. I really love the ACOTAR series and doing this review won’t even justify the enormity of my love for Maas, the courts, the story, the characters, the world and everything about this series!

First of all, let’s talk about the Winter Solstice. OH MY GOD. Such a wonderful holiday to experience. The Winter Court celebrates it because, of course, to simply put it, they are the Winter Court. But the Night Court celebrates it because its the longest night of the year. Imagine a feast where faes of all kinds gather together to drink, dance and have fun. The decorations mentioned in the book are magnificent, too. My imagination was filled with sparks and colors I couldn’t even give the names of. Winter Solstice is also Feyre’s 21st birthday, so, you can’t picture how happy I was to see Feyre celebrating her birthday in their home-- Velaris-- along with her family- Rhysand, the Inner Circle, Nesta and Elain.

I was enthralled, too, by their exchanging of gifts during the Solstice, awed by the things they bought for each other. Just seeing them dining in one table, having a fine dinner, laughing, being careless and having fun lightened up my mood and made my heart swell with love. 

Also, the Tradition! It’s so cute! At first, I was kinda worried since okay, another tradition, who’s gonna go home covered in blood this time? But little did I know that the said tradition was the most adorable! It’s a snowball fight; Rhysand, Azriel and Cassian have been doing it since they were children and up until now that they are already on their 500th. Isn’t it the cutest?

There may have been another war that’s about to begin in the next books- about the Illyrian warriors and all that stuff. But can we just skip that in this review? I want this talk to be as light as possible. Hee hee.

Okay, now, let’s talk about the multiple POVs. I repeat, multiple POVs! This is not a drill. 

I love how we finally got the chance to see Cassian & Morrigan’s point of view. But I find it a little unfair that Azriel and Amren are left behind, same goes with Elain. You might deem this a bit weird but I somehow craved for a Tamlin or Lucien POV, just to check on what they truly feel about the other characters. I was slightly curious about Tamlin’s real emotions towards Feyre and Rhysand. But I guess that’s the beauty of not knowing, we are left thinking about its vast possibilities. 

So, Cassian. My sympathy goes to the toxicity of his past as an Illyrian warrior and his torturous training with Azriel and Rhysand as they were growing up. I don’t want to pity him or them but considering the fact that their loved ones were killed in the most inhumane (I know, they are immortals but you get the gist) possible way, then you can’t blame me for sympathizing them. Anyway, I love how we get to see a glimpse of their past, especially Cassian because if you know me, then you’ll know how I adore him so much! My poor Illyrian baby.

I have so many things I want to talk about. It’s seriously already jumbling in my head. I’m sorry. Hahahaha.

Going back, I want to talk about Azriel, Elain and Lucien. Alright, so I have to admit that I’m a little bit fond of love triangle relationships. I mean, come on, aren’t we all are? Or even if not, I have to admit that it’s my guilty pleasure. Maas didn’t subtly shove their love triangle in our faces but knowing Azriel? The quiet, almost stone-hearted male who rarely shows his emotions? It is pretty obvious that he is slowly falling in love with Elain. I am really interested on how their story will go since Elain is mated to Lucien in the first place.

With Rhysand, Feyre and Tamlin, it never felt like a love triangle. Feyre being with Tamlin at the first installment of the series felt forced, so I never saw it as a genuine love story, not until Rhysand came, of course. But with Azriel, Elain and Lucien? I don’t know, I was kinda torn between the two good males. 

About Nesta, though. I was not impressed by how she acts. I still couldn’t comprehend the way she treats people around her. Okay, I get it, she doesn’t want to be a Fae and all that whatnot. But considering other people’s feelings or at least respecting them won’t hurt, right? Nesta won’t, she never wanted and never will. She is determined to hate the fact that she was Made. Nesta treats Cassian like a trash, despite him being all out about his adoration for her, and for that, I will never forgive her. I’m not gonna ship them. I don’t want to. Unless Nesta will have a change of heart. I know, I’m unfair, but she’s a fucking pain in everyone’s asses. So, yeah.

I had so many moments were I was completely swooning over FeySand. The kind of love story they have, that’s the one you would want to have in the future. Rhysand loves Feyre so much he would bow to nothing and no one but her. He is even willing to lose his crown-- everything he has-- just for Feyre. Rhysand loves her so much my heart ached. It was wonderful.

I was shocked by Rhysand’s revelation to Feyre that all the breath-taking dresses he gave to her was made by his mother who was a weaver.

“Long ago, when I was still a boy, she made them-- all your gowns. A trousseau for my future bride. Every piece ... Every piece I have ever given you to wear, she made them. For you.” --Rhysand

I lost it there. I was trying to hold back the burning in my eyes, not knowing that the tears were already falling. I was crying like a legit baby. I never knew this kind of love existed, not until I witnessed this perfect love the two have. 

My sob went harder when Feyre asks Rhysand to finally have a baby and in return, Rhysand gave her a whole estate, by the river side, over looking the Rainbow. With lots of room for her to design; office, art studio and even a nursery room for their future babies. I’m crying.

I know, I’ve said it before, I don’t want a pregnant Feyre, they’re not ready, but Rhysand’s reaction to that made my heart melt and my knees wobbly. I was like a hen acting like a proud mother to her little chicks. I swear, I’m not exaggerating things. I sobbed harder than I thought I would.

But that didn’t stop there. Aha, this all Maas’ fault. She wanted us to feel this way; jealous but at the same time happy for the both of them. When Feyre asks Rhysand if he could change the eye tattoos on her palms into the Night Court insignia-- the high mountain with three stars that frame at its uppermost peak-- that’s when I knew that they will last forever. No turning back. Stars Eternal and Night Triumphant.

I think it’s pretty clear now that this series holds a special place in my heart.

I’ve held every characters so close to me and I know that they have already made an impact in my life.

Some may say it’s just fiction. But to me, they’re more than that. 

To me, they are family.

So I leaned into him, into that unfailing strength, and said down the bond, You make me so very happy. My life is happy, and I will never stop being grateful that you are in it. 

I looked up to find him not at all ashamed to have tears slipping down his cheeks in public. I brushed a few away before the chill wind could freeze them, and Rhys whispered in my ear, “I will never stop being grateful to have you in my life, either, Feyre darling. And no matter what lies ahead”—a small, joyous smile at that—“we will face it together. Enjoy every moment of it together.” 

I leaned into him again, his arm tightening around my shoulders. Around the top of the arm inked with the tattoo we both bore, the promise between us. To never part, not until the end. 

And even after that. 

I love you, I said down the bond. 

What’s not to love? 

Before I could elbow him, Rhys kissed me again, breathless and swift. To the stars who listen, Feyre. 

I brushed a hand over his cheek to wipe away the last of his tears, his skin warm and soft, and we turned down the street that would lead us home. Toward our future—and all that waited within it. 

To the dreams that are answered, Rhys.

Rating: 5/5 stars