#at least I can say I didn't cheat this WAS a completely random selection

[atamascolily]

TBF Prediction: Cheating Death is the Ultimate Trick

... or, why I think Lin Xue Ya is going to die--or at least, appear to die--in a future installment.

When a dying Sha Wu Sheng tells Lin Xue Ya he'll be waiting for him in hell in Season 1, I didn't think too much of it. Then I got to to the opening scene of Season 3, where Lin turns up with a bottle of wine to Wu Sheng's to pour one out for the departed, and says, "Knowing how impatient you are, I'm sure you're upset our promised reunion is taking so long," my ears pricked up at the unexpected callback.

Then Lin adds, "I'll have you know it's not that I'm not avoiding you, but I'll have to beg your patience for a bit longer" and my foreshadowing detector started tingling: Is he really saying what I think he's saying?? Is Lin really going to die?

Here's the thing about Lin: he never lies outright, but he's selective in his phrasing so that everything he says is both literally true and completely misleading without full context. There are so many different ways to interpret this scene, and that line in particular, and it may be that I'm seeing something that isn't actually there. And yet, I can't help wondering why he says this and what it means--and, perhaps more importantly, why the audience witnesses this. What is this scene's narrative purpose, anyway?

(Urobuchi has gone on the record saying that this scene is intended to connect S3 to everything that has come before--but while that's certainly true, I'd be surprised if that were the only purpose, especially since he also said he conceived of S3-S5/movie plots as one story, compared to previous installments, which were more episodic.)

First of all, it shows us a more contemplative side of Lin we haven't seen before--a Lin who appears to have some degree of fondness for Wu Sheng, enough to come visit his grave when he's in the area. But it also serves as a reminder of Wu Sheng's promise from earlier--and the only reason we need to be reminded about that is if it's going to be relevant later on.

When questioned by Shang Bu Huan about where he's been and why he's late for their latest dungeon crawl, Lin says, "Nothing to worry about. Just indulging my superstitious side". What does he mean by this? Does he know--or suspect--something we don't? Coupled with Lin's casual remark to Wu Sheng that he might enjoy the spectacle about to unfold, it seems like Lin either has some foreknowledge of what's to come, or he's making a reasonable assumption given the parties involved. Like so much involving Lin, it's difficult to say for certain.

Shang's angry response for Lin to quit fooling around seems especially harsh when we know what Lin was actually doing, even if it's perfectly justified from Shang's perspective. Yet at the same time, Shang invited Lin to come along on this expedition, and even asks him to take the point position and lead the way. For all Shang's bluster, he seems to have found an equilibrium with Lin, or at least some kind of acceptance of his presence and his personality even when Lin annoys him.

Season 3 sends Shang and Lin on parallel paths, with Lin targeting Huo Shi Ming Huang and manipulating events to keep Shang and company safe even from a distance. In the final episode, Lin doubles down on this, running away before Shang can confront him. We don't know what's going to happen in Season 4 yet, but it's likely that their arcs will continue to diverge, at least for a time, (as confirmed in the S4 trailer) as Lin infiltrates the Order of the Divine Swarm on his quest to humiliate its master, who is also Shang's greatest enemy.

Gen Urobuchi has a reputation for killing characters off, but it's important to note that the deaths are never random or pointless; they only occur when a character has fulfilled their narrative arc. (This is how I knew Juan Can Yun wasn't really dead in S3, even though I wasn't sure how he'd survived until the reveal.) This is especially true for a major character like Lin.

Urobuchi has commented in interviews how Lin and Shang's characters are "fixed" compared to someone like Lang Wu Yao, who is still figuring himself out; this doesn't mean they can't grow or change, merely that any shifts will be more subtle and less obvious than, for instance, Lang's magical boy power-up to signify his self-determination. Shang and Lin can and will change as a result of their interactions with each other, but only up to a certain point--no matter what else happens. they'll always be recognizably themselves.

(The question then becomes, "What is Lin's narrative arc, anyway?" which is an essay in and of itself, so forgive me if I don't tackle that here.)

Lin and Shang's fates are tied together; this is true both on a narrative level and in-universe, where Lin is able to exploit those ties for the Nendoroid communication devices. In their cameos in the Pili main series and in the Nitroplus 20th Anniversary video, the two are always depicted as companions walking side by side or sitting together at a table or having adventures together, which is especially striking given the push-pull of their canon relationship and how often their paths diverge. I fully expect that the final shot of Thunderbolt Fantasy will be Shang and Lin walking off into the sunset together as dramatic music plays, their cloaks blowing in the wind--an image that is incompatible with Lin biting the dust. Nor do I expect Urobuchi to end the series on a downer note--Thunderbolt Fantasy is his baby and he loves it, and Lin is very clearly an authorial favorite on top of that. So what's actually happening here?

Given all of the foreshadowing, I think Lin's death is inevitable as part of the show's climax (most likely in the final movie). But I don't think it means he's actually going to die--but we'll think that he did, at least for a bit, only for him to pop out at the most dramatic moment possible. After all, Lin is an illusionist and a performer, a master at making people see what he wants them to see--and what could possibly be a more dramatic trick than faking his own death?

Alternately, perhaps Lin really will die, but will somehow be saved/resurrected/restored in the end, most likely through his connection with Shang. All of the foreshadowing was correct, and perhaps Lin even believes this is his fate--but Shang doesn't believe in fate and might be able to do the impossible to prove it.

Or perhaps the death is a metaphorical one. "The Enigmatic Gale"--the persona that Lin has adopted for the entirety of the series thus far--might fall, and perhaps he will adopt a new name to suit his new role in life. As I said earlier, I don't think Lin will change completely--he'll still be a rogue we love to watch--but just as Shang became the Edgeless Blade, it's possible Lin will undergo a parallel transformation.

Or perhaps it's some combination of the options that I've discussed here--I genuinely don't know. I lean towards the first one, given Lin's personality and Urobuchi's style, but at this point, I don't have enough information for anything more informed.

I'll confess straight up that Lin is my favorite character, and I don't want him to die for good, so perhaps this is all just mental gymnastics to convince myself it is isn't going to happen. That said, while the subtle death flags are there, I think there's also plenty of evidence that it isn't going to stick. If nothing else, Lin Xue Ya is the sort who always has to have the last word, and cheating death--and looking good while doing it--is 100% his style.

[sims4ev]

Ash Legacy Generation 1

In my previous post, Tori & Alessandro Castle were introduced as the founders of the Ash legacy challenge/family. To be clear for future posts, there aren't really rules with this legacy challenge. I am simply playing as I want to play and leaning into the storylines created by the game, mods, and my imagination. I will use cheats, but not for money. Traits are random based on birth order (i.e., if they are the second sim born I will click the random dice twice, three times if their the third, etc.) and whatever they inherit from their parents (decided by MCCC). The heir selection is left to a random number once all sim children are born. If the heir has been selected, but there is an oopsie, then I will re-roll for heir selection (it's only fair if it's truly random and not controlled by some woman on her computer...).

That being said, I wanted to introduce you to Generation 1 - the children of the founders. We left off when Marya was in high school. There, Marya met Dion Ernest while completing her high school aspiration to be a Drama Llama. Yep, that's what she wanted: all. the. DRAMA. And that's what Marya got after an afternoon rendezvous in the cuddle carts with Dion. She tried to hide the results of that rendezvous, but she couldn't hide it long.

Tori and Alessandro were NOT HAPPY. Some would say they were actually rather angry. (Honestly, Alessandro was probably a little happy cause he wasn't sure if he'd ever get four grandchildren to complete his family aspiration since he waited so long to start a family of his own.)

Tori and Alessandro put their minds together and helped build Marya her own apartment so she could focus on her pregnancy, her child, and finishing high school. While Marya tried her best to graduate early, so she could start focusing on building her farm, she was unsuccessful.

Dion was pretty pumped too.

Soon after, Sylvie Ernest was born into this world - a spellcaster, which was a complete surprise to Marya! She didn't even know Dion was into witchcraft.

The family then suffered the traumatic loss of their beloved Star. Star lived well beyond her years before the Grim Reaper came to collect her. The family still strengthens her bond to the world, so they can have her close, at least until Tori and Alessandro join her on the other side.

Wren was devastated but continued to work diligently in high school with a focus to complete the Goal-Oriented aspiration. She wanted out of there as soon as she could to start university. Not sure what she wanted to do, but she knew it would be something like ruling the world.

Poe was also a teenager around this time, but his main mission was to get into TROUBLE. He wanted to sneak out, party, and prank anyone that walked by him. He had a difficult first day of school that lead him down this path - two workers DIED before classes could even start!

Before Poe knew it, he was channeling his grief into kissing girls and getting into trouble.

Marya graduated high school with honors and was excited to keep growing her family while continuing her relationship with Dion. They had a beautiful white wedding (she couldn't stand the thought of having a wedding similar to her parents) and then moved onto their own lot where they currently are building their farm and raising their FOUR kids.

Marya & Dion today:

Marya & Dion's Children:

Sylvie, Mollie, Kerry, Camille: ALL SPELLCASTERS (Dion's line is STRONG).

Wren went on to graduate high school as the valedictorian (if ya got it, ya got it). She's currently a young adult still living with Tori & Alessandro studying to become a judge or a lawyer or something! She may even run for office. Wren somehow was also randomly chosen as heir, which she is taking VERY seriously, but she's not sure she will ever actually get married or have a child. She hasn't even had her first kiss yet!

Wren from Teen to Young Adult

Poe moved out with a mission to be a menace to society. He wants to be a villain and got out as quick as he could to live in Strangerville. Everyone keeps up on social bunny, but he'd rather mess with them all.

Poe from Teen to Young Adult

Finally, Orion is still kicking it as a teenager. He fell in love with Gemma Hara (and who wouldn't?!). He's graduated high school early and is focusing on becoming a superstar athlete. Since he can't start his career yet, he decided to try to enroll in college and see if he gets on a team. He's waiting for the acceptance letter now. Orion also messed around with Gemma ONCE (!!!!) and now Gemma has moved in to finish her high school education and prepare for their first child. Once they both age up into young adults, they will look for a place of their own. Maybe even think about marriage, but Orion also thinks about having as much fun as he can.

Orion is also very grateful for Wren because she's the only one who even tried to save him from dying in a fire when he cooked eggs and toast for the first time.

And now you're caught up!

I wanted to be sure the non-heir sims also got attention and that their stories aren't forgotten. While I won't be as hands-on with them as I will be with Wren, you'll occasionally see updates from their lives. Now to actually go play sims so that Wren can continue her journey... I'm sure the next grandchild of Tori and Alessandro will be here before we know it (thanks Orion and Gemma).

PS: what are the odds Orion fell in love with a Gemma?? Talk about names that match!!

[maren-believesinsherlock]

Rules: We’re snooping on your playlist. Set your entire music library to shuffle and report the first ten tracks that pop up! Then chose ten additional friends.

I was tagged by @abigailht <3

1.  Femme Schmidt - Heart Shaped Gun 2. Damien Rice - 9 Crimes 3. Lord Huron - Meet Me In The Woods 4. Feist - 1234 5. Bon Iver - Skinny Love 6. Mumford & Sons - The Cave 7. Frank Turner - To Take You Home 8. Johnny Flynn - The Water 9. Großstadtgeflüster - Fickt-Euch-Allee 10. Death Cab For Cutie - Transatlanticism

I’m tagging @abschaumno1, @quadradadical, @mssecretary, @wrack-spurt, @overworked-bookworm, @armorgan66, @runningbarefootonice, @vivi-hiddleston, @petasupermegafoxy, @katthedemonslayer and everyone else who feels like doing this :)