#cannot believe i've actually made it to the finish line with this one i was frankly starting to lose hope

[galvanizedfriend]

Fic Update: Speed Dating [4/4]

Roomates!AU. Friends to lovers. Rom-Com Vibes. AH/AU Klaus is having a bad month, so Caroline decides it's a great idea to drag him along to a round of Speed Dating. Other men in the room do not approve. (That's how it starts, anyway) --

Caroline doesn't see Elijah again for the next two days. Whatever has brought him to town, he either glides through the apartment like a ghost or their schedules are totally at odds. If not for the extravagantly tailored wool coat hanging by the door and what Caroline has quickly learned is a very distinctive brand of grumpiness on Klaus, she might have thought he'd already left.

Fate seems to be sparing her the embarrassment of coming face to face with him again after that first encounter, and it's probably for the best. But curiosity gnaws at her like an unscratchable itch. Elijah has intrigued her for years, far more than any of Klaus' other siblings. Finally putting a face - well, a little more than a face - to the name was satisfying, but it has fueled her desire to know more.

The Mikaelsons carry an enigmatic allure, a heady mix of glamor and mystery that is equal parts magnetic and intimidating. Despite living with one and being friends with another, the family remains a riddle to Caroline. The more she learns, the murkier it gets. It's maddening. Nothing about them makes sense. Caroline can't even decide if they have a deep dislike for each other or love one another to unhealthy degrees.

After two days, though, she's just about lost hope of bumping into Elijah again. She doubts he'll be staying for much longer, especially with Klaus' cordial show of hospitality. Not that Elijah seemed bothered - being caustic to siblings for no apparent reason seems to be one of those things that are normal by Mikaelson standards. It's just how they operate.

She is mindlessly scrolling through Instagram after yet another grueling shift at the hospital, waiting for the microwave to deliver her sad leftover dinner. Her feed is embarrassingly weak. It's been ages since she even posted anything new. Her last photo was taken on a night out with Tyler, for crying out loud. Should she even keep it there? What's the proper etiquette for when you break up with someone for no earth-shattering reasons, the relationship just fizzling out and running its course? Is it rude to delete all evidence of him from her social media? Is it expected? Would he even care?

Has he deleted her from his feed?

Come to think of it... Is Tyler even seeing anyone? Read the final chapter here

--

Can't believe I'm starting out my years by actually finishing something. 🤧 After 100 years of pain, it's finally done. If anyone still remembers what this is, I hope you enjoy it! Beware of the smut! As always, your comments/kudos/reblogs are very much appreciated and help to feed the monster who should be working but is writing fic instead. Happy 2025, folks! ✨

[strawberrypinky]

I've been feeling a bit overwhelmed with negativity on the internet recently and thus I've decided to take matters into my own hands and spread some ✨love and positivity✨

And what better way to do that, than to recommend wonderfully written fanfiction I've come across this year? Admittedly, I haven't read as much as I would have liked, but I still want to share the few I did read. So without further ado, here are my fic recs of 2024 (thus far! Might add to this along the line):

Baldur's Gate 3 Fic recs:

O Fortuna [by @gufu-vire] on AO3 - Raphael x Dark Urge ❦ Plot: Post the events of BG3, a redeemed Dark Urge and Raphael renegotiate terms to fulfil a contract sworn upon during the crisis of the Absolute. An adventure fraught with tension, frustration, conflict, and more as the reader partners up with the devil you love to hate…

This is possibly a very biased mention on this list, because I consider Goof a very dear friend and moot, but it is a deserved spot nonetheless! I have yet to catch up with a majority of the chapters, but I'm enjoying a lot of sneak peeks and Gufu's creative process in private in the meantime. Between the conflict this story is utterly hilarious and witty and is a perfect balance between action and idle affairs. There are also so many intriguing takes on Raphael as a character & Harleep deserves a trophy on his own. I could talk a lot about this story, but truly, I cannot recommend it enough!

❦

Sleep Deprivation - [by @nyda-the-tav & Aisln] on AO3 - Gortash x Tav ❦ Plot: As Orin continues to harass the group of misfits trying to stop the Absolute, Ophelia (Tav) looks for safety in the arms of Gortash in an effort to combat sleep deprivation.

I've only recently started reading this story & both authors best believe that once I've caught up with all 50(!) chapters, I'll leave a more detailed review for Sleep Deprivation. But what I've read thus far has been nothing short of a joy, and I'm always down for a good Tav being absolutely ruined by Gortash himself. The dynamic between the supposed enemy and the hero is gripping, hilarious and not to mention really well written! Kudos to the authors! I'm really excited to read more of what you two come up with!

❦

His Star - His Queen [by @random-introverted-blog] on AO3 - Astarion x Tav/Astarion x Dark Urge ❦ Plot: An ascended Astarion kidnaps the Dark Urge/Tav from a different timeline, after loosing her in his. Desperate to save Tav/Durge from himself, Astarion follows her to rescue his love from certain suffering at his own hands.

I was recommended this story on TikTok (of all places, lol) and I wasn't sure what to expect - but holy shit. The first chapter alone had me on the edge of my seat, as you're really thrown into the action from the start, but the entire premise had me hooked as soon as Ascendant Astarion made his appearance. I often have issues with the ascended version of Astarion's character (I just looooove fixing him & I've got issues with the 'make him worse' story arc), but the exploration of what could have been in tandem with trying to save the heroine from inevitable suffering is beautiful & I can't recommend it enough. I've yet to catch up with every chapter (can you tell I've got trouble keeping up with fics, lmfao?) but either way, "His Star - His Queen" is deservedly on this list!

Note: This fic includes non-consensual sexual content

❦

Judgement by the Hounds [by @septembersummer] on AO3 - Gortash x The Dark Urge ❦ Plot: A look into the relationship of The Dark Urge (Seren) and Gortash, from their first meeting up to their shared end. "The rise and fall of the worst situationship of all time" indeed.

This one I actually finished (very slay), though I'm not sure I actually processed it. I went through all five stages of grief reading this and I'm not even sure I can say anything without spoiling the entire premise. Dear author, you have written possibly the most captivating and enchanting portrayal of Durge and Gortash & though I knew how it would end, I was wishing for a happy end through it all. There's nothing to say about this, other than it was utter perfection.

❦

Miscellaneous One Shot recommendations:

legacy with no memory by @discordsmuse on AO3 - Gortash x The Dark Urge The Weight of A Promise by @sserpente on tumblr [Part 2 is equally good!] - Gortash x Tav/OC kiddo. by @avocado-writing on tumblr. - Gortash & OC

to have and to hold by @littlejuicebox on tumblr. - Astarion x Tav

choices. by @deadtired-highkeyenergetic on tumblr - Astarion x Tav

how to win a custody battle in one easy step. by alltears on AO3 - Astarion x Tav

Dangerous by NaeveTheWizard on AO3 - Astarion x The Dark Urge

❦

Honourable Mentions:

I'm also giving a shout-out to @avani-telvanni & @infernaldaydreams, because while neither have written fanfiction I could recommend, I am obsessed with their respective artworks for Tav x Gortash/Durge x Gortash. You guys are absolutely amazing and I'm conistently in awe of what you create. You deserve all the recognition you receive and more 💕

Hogwarts Legacy Fic rec's: a very short list, but two are dear to me nonetheless!

Victory [by @jonquil] on AO3 - Victor Rookwood x Original Female Character ❦ Plot: Victor Rookwood is enraptured by the new, ancient-magic-wielding student attending Hogwarts - and Victor Rookwood always comes out on top.

Technically I started reading "Victory" in 2023, when it first came out, alas, it was finished earlier this year and I couldn't help but include it, because it remains one of my favourite fanfiction ever. To me, it's the best fictionalisation of "Enemies to Lovers" in a long time, as I was rooting for the villain to win from start to finish. From the wonderful characterisation of Rookwood to the alternative canon timeline and ultimately the victory of the villain - there's nothing like it and I was hooked from start to finish. I am still sad it's over, but I'm excited to read the prequel (as soon as I get to it, lmfao), because I know it'll be equally spectacular!

Note: This fic contains non-consensual sexual content.

❦

Invisible String [by @legacygirlingreen] on tumblr (though it can be found on both AO3 and wattpad too!) - Sebastian Sallow x Reader ❦ Plot: In an alternative, victorian-attitude-compliant timeline, Sebastian Sallow falls for the new fifth-year. This story explores the sweet beginnings of a tender love amidst hardships and battles ahead.

Admittedly, this is possibly the most biased fic rec ever, but I stand behind it nonetheless. While this fic started in March of last year & brought me and my platonic soulmate May, aka legacygirlingreen, together, it remains my favourite Sebastian Sallow fic to this day. The amount of love, time and creativity May put into this has me in awe time and time again. The sweet and tender love the two protagonists experience is perfectly fluffy and slice-of-life, yet the alternative version of the canon events of Hogwarts Legacy add the perfect amount of drama and action. I will always come back to this fic, because yes - It is that good.

[klunkcat]

tagged by @goodlucktai <3333

1. How many works do you have on AO3?

45 lol but i have I think. 30 wips that exist somewhere on my computer at any given moment. alas.

2. What's your total AO3 word count?

701,032

which..... is like far too many words per fic actually imo

3. What fandoms do you write for?

honestly whatever currently grabs my brain stem changes a lot but i think my top ones are tmnt and stranger things (what a wild combo actually). Actively atm I have a trigun wip and a tmnt one

4. Top five fics by kudos?

A Kiss is a Kiss (But it's never like this) - 6,528

(something happens and I'm) head over heels - 3,518

Green with Envy - 1,880

Forget the mess I'm in - 1,791

Weak Point - 1,366

5. Do you respond to comments?

literally I am the WORST for remembering to reply I'm so sorry. I must say that I do read all of them in my email and screenshot them and cry

6. What is the fic you wrote with the angstiest ending?

angsty endings are too much 4 me I believe so strongly in hurt/comfort but....

Impossible Things and the Tin Can I think is the most like, conceptually tragic series I've written

7. What's the fic you wrote with the happiest ending?

Comfort is a requirement but I think but like Stepping over the line is basically just an extended meet cute so nothing really sad happens at all lol?

8. Do you get hate on fics?

Actually genuinely have never gotten a rude comment in my life I did once get someone being hyper pushy about new chaps when I was like.... 19? Sometimes comments veer I think towards misunderstanding unreliable narrator elements and can be a little intense as a result

9. Do you write smut?

ehhhhhh closest I've ever gotten was dancing around the topic lol

10. Craziest crossover?

omg me and tai have gone down some rabbit holes and made a tangled/good omens fusion among other things, which was cute 2 me

11. Have you ever had a fic stolen?

not that I know of!

12. Have you ever had a fic translated?

I've gotten some requests, not sure if they got uploaded anywhere?

13. Have you ever co-written a fic before?

I did once many years ago but we didn't end up finishing it from what I remember!

14. All time favourite ship?

oh god I mean. ineffable husbands and wangxian invented romance. big mckirk and vashwood fan despite what my published fics would tell you. stsg ruined my life this year. I'm really big on platonic friendships though personally

15. What's a WIP you want to finish but doubt you ever will?

My google docs are a cesspit of fics I will never finish. Once made a wangxian softball fic that will never see the light of day but I think of it fondly

16. What are your writing strengths?

Might actually be a weakness and not a strength but boy do I love prosey metaphor nonsense. Sometimes I think it works other times who's 2 say.

17. What are your writing weaknesses?

Fighting scenes man, combat is hard as hell.

18. Thoughts on dialogue in another language?

in general I dooooon't write it too much just because I don't speak anything beyond like. grade 2 level spanish so.

19. First fandom you wrote in?

tmnt :' )

20. Favourite fic you've written?

Oh tricky. Stealing tai's idea of a top 5

Forget-Me-Nots - :') big ol love u to tai for this

Both the Sweet and the Bitter - so sorry to anyone who follows me for ST fics because I'm probably never going to write for it ever again or finish this but a dear friend of mine helped me with this story and it means a lot 2 me as a result. The flower metaphors were fun to research.

Plain White Beach Houses - also same as the above but idk pacific rim au....house metaphors.... I love this series a lot

change up, high inside - wanted to write a softball fic for my whole life basically and this is more or less me just waxing poetic about the sport if I'm honest

Feedback Loop - this fic was actually insane like. took me I think a full year to write out? There's a lot of stuff in this that I lol cannot reread anymore for reasons but damn if it wasn't a learning experience to write all around

Tagging @eternalglitch @byrdybyrd02 @jinbugs if u want to besties!

[lavenderspence]

Also let’s talk about how Colleen Hoover is really problematic in general and this movie, let alone the book, shouldn’t exist in the first place-

Honestly, yes, let's talk about this too!

Warnings for DV & child loss

I'll be honest, I've read some of her books and have a lot of them in my physical tbr too. (They're very easy to read...like you require a single braincell and that should say it all. The tbr thing I have no excuse for...). You all are allowed to shame me for this, I shame myself too.

Moving on though

Someone literally pointed out on tiktok how NONE of her books actually have any content or trigger warnings. Which, honestly, extremely problematic I'd say. I think as an author it's partially, if not fully, her responsibility to let her readers make a decision for themselves whether her books are something they can handle reading, given some of the extremes she "explores" within her writing.

And that's especially true when most of those are branded as "romance" and are promoted by fans and readers as "romance" books where I'd say some are more of "a romance that explores heavy topics sometimes in a bad way". I think the romantization of certain aspects of her books are quite honestly harmful to any people who've gone through trauma and have had to relieve trauma later on. Obviously i cannot speak on DV or child loss (it ends with us / ugly love) but I can just give my point of view.

I think as a whole had this fully been done under Justin Baldoni's view, where he was the one holding on the reins from start to finish, and during the premieres, the press tour and marketing, we would have had something completely different that I believe might have made much more sense.

I've been deep into "the ends with us" movie drama for a few days now, and you can CLEARLY tell that Justin's idea and desire to make this into a movie has everything to do with wanting to bring attention to what living within a home filled with DV is like, and how even when you struggle and cannot find a way, you and what you experience is important and shouldn't be happening, and it's not your fault (I do hope I explained this relatively well).

I cannot even being to explain how many people on tiktok I've seen be "wait, so this isn't a romcom?" And I'm like....what the hell.

This takeover that Blake Lively has done over the movie and the final cut and the marketing and the press is so disgusting and the fact that CoHo is all fine with this speaks VOLUMES about the truth behind her writing that and making this movie - a money grab.

I don't want to put down her mom's experience in any way, but I think there's a very thin line between making something for someone else, sticking to being real about it, and then later on turning it into whatever this is.

I remember being so uncomfortable reading "it ends with us" because even then (and that's Jan of 2021) it was marketed as a romance...A ROMANCE? Like....?-?

Anyway, at the end, I think this whole thing is a mess and CoHo has long ago had people openly be negative towards her but I think this might also be the fall of Blake Lively because...girly this isn't...it's not the place nor the time. Like do you really need to promote your haircare line right now? Right now?

Well maybe not the fall, but a lot of people are aware and becoming aware that this is problematic, and her husband is also being problematic and to be honest, the only none problematic individual is this whole scenario is Justin Baldoni.

(Okay this once again had more focus on the movie, I'm sorry)

[daybreakrising]

okay, quest thoughts under the cut, but again, i'm not really saying anything other people on my dash haven't already said-

i'm gonna get the negatives out of the way first, bc i like to end things on a positive note. i promise you, i do have positive things to say, but-

genshin peaked at fontaine. i'm sorry, maybe there's a little bias involved there, but i genuinely believe that. i'd accept an argument for sumeru to be included too - the storytelling in both of those regions was amazing.

nothing in this story has grabbed me the way fontaine's did. i had zero emotional connection to any of the characters, most of whom i found to be severely lacking in any distinctive personalities beyond surface level traits. i just had no reason to care about them except that the story was basically telling me to, which... is very bad storytelling. if you want me to care about these people and their stories, then give me a reason to, show me why i should be invested in them and their stories. i had more emotional connection to the saurians than the people. as for the archon... listen, i may not have found raiden all that interesting, personally (in comparison to other archons, that is), but i could still connect with her and her story. mavuika? eh. i'm sorry, but she's just boring to me. yes, she's kind, she's strong, but is that... it ?? for her personality ??? and sure, it's sad that she said goodbye to her family so she could come back in 500 years but to me that's nothing compared to the sacrifices or the losses that other archons have faced. in my tier list of archons, she's at the very bottom with no competition. we'll see if her story quest changes anything, but based solely on what we get in the archo quest? i just don't care. i know some people love her but for me there's just not enough there to care about.

and the story itself... is boring. the idea behind it is interesting, some of the execution of it has been fantastic, but as an overall plot... ehhh. being force-fed "friendship is magic" themes over and over, the constant introduction of frankly pointless interludes that add nothing to the plot, the pacing of the story itself... it made me tune out and skip dialogue (by this i mean: i read the subtitles and skipped the voiced lines once i was done) and it felt like such a drag to get through. i saw this last act described as a 'slog' and honestly.... that's so accurate. it was.

that first half didn't need to be included, or if they had to shove it in there, why wasn't it part of the equally pointless (and very short) interlude quest last patch? it would have made more sense to have the 'post-war downtime' elements in the interlude so you can start off the final act with the actual action. i know i began playing when i was already exhausted, but it isn't the first time i've picked up an archon quest on little to no sleep and i've never before had to put down the controller and take a break because i was bored. nothing pulled me in, nothing gave me the motivation or the drive to finish it (or at least get as far as i could before i had to cave to exhaustion). i literally got to the point of "wait 2 more days" (again) and went: i cannot be fucking bothered with this. it honestly felt like a means of 'padding out' the story for the sake of content, and just frustrated me because i wanted to get to the point of the plot.

side note: i'm getting so tired of the constant "wait x amount of days" quest objectives. you can show the passing of time with a simply cutscene, or even just one of those black screens with text genshin likes to throw at us a lot. that and the "walk three steps, cutscene, walk two steps, cutscene, walk-" elements that are prevalent throughout hyv games but seem to be more frequent in current storylines are just... killing it for me. it's unnecessary and interrupts the pacing of the plot too much.

i have many issues with the storytelling in this region, some i've talked about before, some other people have put into finer words than i can produce right now, but it does come down to: there's no conflict, there's no real consequence, and it's not real enough. "but lauri, 2000 people died in this quest, how is that not a consequence?" - this is one of the positives i have about natlan because yes, we see actual consequence of war but at the same time... that's it. we get one act with consequences and then magically the world is all back to normal. i saw a video that touched on this exact issue: during that act, we saw the region torn apart and contaminated by the abyss, we saw people and saurians dead or dying - but then once we complete that part of the story, there's no follow-up (i do not count that pathetic interlude. it had promise and it failed to deliver imo) - and to prove this isn't entirely based on bias, fontaine did have the same problem. there was a huge ass flood and other than poisson, nowhere needed rebuilding?? there was no lasting damage??? genshin pls we know you can alter the state of the world around us - do better. and as much as i hated the trope of 'dead sister = awakened power', we should have seen more of how that affected chasca after it happened. instead, we got a few lines of dialogue and that was it. and idk if it's gonna come up again in a later quest of some kind but her whole "tainted by the abyss" deal just... never became relevant outside of her briefly losing control in her grief. i honestly expected that to play a part in the archon quest somehow and it... didn't.

because there's no conflict. & i'm not referring to the actual physical conflict of war, but conflict between characters, between elements of the plot, etc. everyone is just perfectly happy buddies that all magically get along and that is just.... not real at all. even when people band together against a common enemy, join forces to fight for their people and their home, you're not going to magically work together perfectly. there will be clashes, opposing opinions on how to move forward, etc. if there's conflict between characters, it makes it more meaningful when they do come together and fight for a common cause, it makes the victory even more impactful because of it. instead it just felt... empty. lacklustre.

i have never before finished an archon quest's story and gone: is that it? i did with this one.

i've rambled enough about the negatives so i'll close on one final thing regarding capitano and his story: there wasn't enough of it. there wasn't enough of him. again, other people have already touched on this with far more eloquence than i can muster at this moment, but as one of the only genuinely interesting characters in this quest, i was very disappointed that he was just... nowhere to be seen until the very end. 'but he didn't have an ancient name, he couldn't help with the final fight' - so wtf was he doing while it went on then? idk man i just think they could have showcased him a little more, especially since he's the first harbinger.

and now for the positives!

natlan as a region has a lot going for it from my perspective. i love the landscape, i love the saurians, i love the music (though it doesn't always fit the tone of the scenes happening in some of the quests), i love the different tribes and the culture of natlan as a whole. i may not like some of the playable character designs but some of the npc designs are fire (pun intended). the lore is fantastic too, and i've really enjoyed the world quests (which makes me sad they aren't voiced, bc i prefer them to the archon quest in this instance)

capitano saying a big fuck you to the lord of death was *chef's kiss*. i'm sad that his character has essentially come to a close now, but it was definitely clearly leading to that and it is a very fitting end to him. i loved that he was nothing like anyone really expected him to be & he's definitely up there amongst my favourite harbingers. the fact he asked to removed from the mission to collect the gnosis was a nice touch - further establishing the honour he upheld (i'm also curious who will be sent instead - given the new area incoming, perhaps dottore again? it's a shame the one i want to see the most canonically doesn't leave snezhnaya-)

and i didn't hate the story entirely, don't get me wrong. i know i've complained a lot about many elements, but that's only because i know they can do better. and some of the small things - vichama's sub-plot & the fact he does eventually get to reunite with his friend at last, people you've helped in the tribes or in world quests coming to your aid, etc - were very nicely done. it had such a good premise that was simply let down by bad storytelling and a lack of investment into making the main characters interesting enough and important enough for you to care about what happens to them. and i'm sure not everyone will feel that way - people will connect to characters for a multitude of reasons and that's very valid, but for me i just. i needed more.

i enjoyed it, but i enjoyed it in the way i enjoy a book with a plot that sounded promising but didn't quite hit the mark: i finished it, but it's not going to a memorable story that i'll come back to. it's gonna sit on the shelf next to inazuma and gather dust, whilst fontaine gets taken down and experienced again and again.

i can only hope snezhnaya brings it back around

[dianight]

Let's go over a few scenes, Ulysses Ogre style. I wanted to go over all characters again but some of them it can be summed up as "as per my previous post".

There was so much(!!!) going on with Rosa and Maria. I had some hope for the kids but it appears, against my expectations, that Battler is actually meant to be the "normal" one. I assume it's due to his distance from the family, while there are moments where his upbringing shows on some of his narrations (which is itself confusing at times: is it Battler's inner monologue? Someone else's? Omniscient narrator now? and you can never tell right away nor is there any indication, you go by context) and there are clearly aspects of his personality that he needs to work on, he is different to his cousins.

He is the one to stand up for Maria, in his joking way. One could argue that George also does this, difference being that George immediately backs off and makes excuses for Rosa as soon as she paints hitting Maria in a "I'm trying to help her not get bullied" way. Jessica doesn't even try, and while there isn't much to analyze textually (in that moment), going by how the other women in the family act I believe it's out of a sense of internalized misogyny. My "suspicions" about George also turned to be correct, adding his behavior on this incident to the point after dinner where he defends the adults acting like vultures obssessed with money and telling Jessica and Battler to "not hate them even if they can't understand" (<- paraphrased). He is older and already "influenced" by the Ushiromiya name.

While the main action was Rosa hitting Maria I believe, and this is hard to phrase, that it was the least important thing going on there. I'm curious about the rose, sure. But while we could look at Maria's behavior as her just having a tantrum I think we have to look at all the moments where something ominous/supernatural(?)/weird(!) was going and Maria is never listened to or believed, it's always everyone else trying to play along instead of paying attention for real to what she's saying. This is like, textual when she is the one to get the umbrella and letter from Beatrice, like it cannot be any more clear.

As a parenthesis, the novel has been extremely blunt with some of the themes at play, to the point where I've literally missed stuff that I was getting hit by constantly because it was too obvious. We'll elaborate soon.

We cannot talk about Rosa hitting Maria without talking about her relationship with her siblings. She is the youngest, she is unmarried (still Ushiromiya Rosa), she already has a kid while unmarried and, last for dramatic effect, she is a woman. Which is the most important factor and so "in your face" that I've been ignoring the obvious for too long: everyone in the Ushiromiya family, externalized or internalized, to different degrees, is a misogynist. There were two moments, as a setup and as a finisher to my willing ignorance, that made this fact blantantly obvious.

The first was the sibling conversation/blackmail about the gold, where Kirye has a single line near the end of the scene. This is the setup, a minor one compared to other things on that same scene. Eva's arrogance and hatred toward Natsuhi are born out of misogyny and belief of the hierarchy of the family. Natsuhi married into the family as a woman. Eva is bloodrelated to Kinzo, and despite being a woman, she is superior to those married into the family (Natsuhi, Kirye) but not superior to Hideyoshi, who married into the family as a man. Hence the Ulysses Ogre and the themes being blunt part. The fact that everyone's relationships are based on misogyny and adherence to the patriarchal nature of the family... went over my head at first. And it wasn't Eva taunting Natsuhi and spelling it out, nor the narrator explaining the circumstances that let Eva keep the family name, nor Natsuhi struggling to say anything while Hideyoshi took part on the entire conversation despite not being one of the siblings and also marrying into the family; it was asking myself: where the fuck is Kirye? Because she was there the entire time, but she knows her place as a woman that married into the family! So she never takes part on the conversation at all.

And in case I was reading too much into it or thinking myself so clever for such a tiny thing, the finisher came when Kirye and Battler are talking after dinner and Kirye mentions, quite literally, how she has to be there but can't really speak. This conversation also includes the whole "flipping the board" thing but I find (so far) that almost every character lacks imagination(?) one way or another. When discussing if there is a 19th person or one of the 18 is pretending to be Beatrice both focus too much on the whole 18/19 people thing and at no point consider, for example, that Beatrice has been on the island and she is straight up telling the truth the entire time.

For the adults with money problems she is another rival trying to get a piece of the cake, but I find their lack of concern given the epitaph kind of... terrible? Only Rudolf being like "I'm going to get murdered" seems to take it seriously (so far).

And I need to see more before I shit on Rosa, but for now the only thing I can tell her is that when you're stuck on a cycle of violence the only way out is to stop the cycle. Which. You know.

There is even more that I'd talk about, but it's really hard for me to be brief and I'd never stop. Can't keep reading until next year so we'll have to wait.

[danikatze]

[ID in alt text]

Well over a year ago I started a woodcut printing project with Matsu, Masa and Yaichi and it never really went anywhere. The fact that it maybe way too detailed wasn't even the main issue - I've completed overly detailed woodcut prints before - there was just something off about the drawing itself to begin with.

But a week ago I started my new job at the local Graphic Studio and I have to learn new techniques (I know, isn't it awful) because I'm gonna have to be able to explain it to people coming in to learn themselves. And one of those techniques is screen printing!

I've only observed and assisted so far (and learned so much already) but the plan for tomorrow is for me to do it myself, start to finish!

So I re-drew the aforementioned drawing and now I like it much, much better. I made two versions - The first is just line art, and the second is shaded with tiny dots and stripes - because I want to be able to go as detailed as possible.

(For the record: I am actually so psyched that I have to learn new techniques for this job!! Honestly cannot believe my luck.. About two years ago I was shown how to make a lithographic print by my now-colleague, but I'm gonna have to take a refresher course on that one. Those are the main two for now, but I'm sure I'll learn much more along the way.)

[duckielover151]

Some OPLA Thoughts: Episode 8

(I'm probably gonna make a separate post on bigger, overall thoughts... I want this one to be exclusively about the final episode.)

Oh man, guys... I can't believe it's over. How am I supposed to make it to season two? I have no idea how you binge-watchers who finished it a day or two after it came out have survived this long.

Everything about this final episode was just beautiful... I want to cry.

I really loved that they opened the episode with Nami getting her tattoo and chained up in the map room. (We saw the chains in the previous episode, but it felt like her imprisonment there was just a little bit in question, as she gave herself up to Arlong in this version.)

However! Okay, so they bring it back around to Nojiko telling the whole village about what Nami's really been up to, and the Straw Hats have to stop them from charging into a fight they clearly can't win. And that's fine. In line with the original canon... (Even if it actually felt a little unnecessary in this version.) But that made it super disappointing that we still don't really get that iconic shot of the crew walking up to Arlong Park.

But the fight was really great. It just all looked so good! And it was great to see Usopp finally get his moment to shine. And flashing back and forth between the different fight scenes was rather reminiscent of the anime in a way I found strangely nostalgic.

And Luffy standing atop the wreckage of Arlong Park was the first moment I really felt that he could be king one day. I almost don't know how to explain it. You know those moments in the anime where you're kind of just awestruck by his own potential and... goodness? Not to go off the deep end, (^^') but there's almost something holy about it. A moment where you know you're looking upon someone destined for greatness. It doesn't happen often. But I thought it was great to end this series on one of those moments.

But what I really loved, of course... was that there was still another 30 minutes reserved to wrap this up after Arlong had been taken care of. I'd been worried about pacing for this last episode, but it was concluded really well.

I've seen some mixed opinions about this, but I actually really loved the Garp vs. Luffy fight. I've already accepted that this version of Garp is a little different. I thought this-- the reveal that he just needed some final proof that his grandson was ready before taking his dream seriously-- was a great conclusion to that little character arc. I felt like he did finally start to feel a little more like his authentic, anime self near the end. More serious for the sake of the tone of this live-action... but that's fine. I'm sure he'll be back, and I'm curious to see what that dynamic will look like, going forward.

Post-Arlong there was literally nothing to be anything but hype about. The reveal of the first bounty poster! Getting to watch all the reactions to those posters! (Zeff hanging it up under the Employee of the Month section of the board XD) Coby and Helmeppo officially being taken under Garp's wing! The return to the iconic East Blue outfits! The castoff ceremony!

THE FLASHBACKS TO THEIR CHILDHOOD SELVES AS THEY ANNOUNCED THEIR DREAMS!!!!!!!

(That sort of thing always gets me.)

I think I saw an announcement recently that they've begun filming for season two and I. Cannot. Wait.

[crossdressingdeath]

Actually one thing that really bothers me with the whole "No one hated you for being the son of Hades, you just pushed everyone away" thing is that... well, first off as I've said before we know it isn't true because every single POV character we've had since Titan's Curse who's interacted with Nico except Hazel comments on how creepy Nico is for being the son of Hades so it doesn't work even slightly, but also. I mean. Nico spends so much time being told "This thing that you are and cannot stop being is wrong and evil. It's wrong and evil because we've decided it is. Your father, the one adult in your life you can even sort of depend on? He's bad because he's the god of the dead. No, no, it's nothing he's done exactly, in fact when we accused him of a crime before it turned out he was actually a victim in said crime, he didn't do anything; it's what he is and how that's caused him to distance himself from the people who vocally hate him and don't want him around that makes him untrustworthy, and you should also know better than to trust him. He's Hades after all. That makes him bad," with the subtext that Nico very clearly picks up on being "and you're bad because you're like him". Now, if you think about that, you may pick up on a little bit of applicability in there for the story of a kid struggling with internalized homophobia! Just a teensy bit! It was a perfect way of getting into how awful it is to have people you like and care about openly think something about you that you can't change makes you wrong even if they don't realize they're doing it and even if they really do love you (and in fact how in a lot of ways it's worse when you know beyond a shadow of a doubt that they do love you aside from That Part) without having to make any characters actually homophobic (thinking the Underworld's creepy is significantly more sympathetic and easier to justify and get characters to work through in a fictional setting than them being real-world bigots would be, after all), and Rick fumbled the ball at the finish line!

If you're reading the whole "Hades and Underworld stuff is Bad And Creepy so Nico is Bad And Creepy" thing as being a metaphor for homophobia (or honestly any other kind of bigotry, but given Nico's problems homophobia fits best) as is really easy to do even before he's revealed to be gay the way that plot point gets dropped in favour of "Well actually it was fine the whole time and Nico just decided that everyone hated him with no evidence other than every POV character except his sister openly thinking he's creepy and at least one person telling him to his face that he shouldn't have trusted his own father who up to that point as far as we know had never lied to him solely because his father is the god of the dead but never mind that, it was all in his head!" kind of feels like Rick's going "Oh, it's not that serious" when uh. incorrect. Which I'm sure wasn't his intention, Rick does try to be sensitive about these things, but it is very much a thing that insisting that a character (whose arc features a huge aspect of overcoming internalized homophobia developed by growing up in the 1930s) saying in no uncertain terms that he's been made to feel unwelcome because of who his father is when we know from the other POV characters' views of him and responses to him that his view of it is correct doesn't need to be taken seriously because "Oh it's all in his head" is... a little uncomfortable! And made worse by the fact that while Will learning to see that the Underworld isn't an inherently awful place is an excellent subplot and we love to see the character growth (and I still firmly believe that Will is infinitely better about it than basically any other character for the primary reason that at least he has a specific reason for thinking the way he does, being in the Underworld is literally killing him and also he's the only character who does learn he was wrong to think that way, so no one start shit about it on this post) he hasn't had that character development at the end of HoO, and the fact that we hear this "You pushed yourself away" viewpoint from someone who also has issues with the Underworld and it's still allowed to stand without argument makes it so much worse. Rick, there's an entire subplot in TSatS about how Nico does in fact still hear even people who genuinely and deeply love him and hate the thought of doing anything to harm him talk shit about his home and how that hurts him and they need to learn to do better. Why are you still trying to say it's all in Nico's head when you keep hammering home that it isn't?

[annelidist]

Any current theories/symbolism reads/other thoughts not yet posted on umineko? I am always trawling the tag for umiposting. Also, have you been spoiled on anything?

i recently finished ep3, which puts a lot of new things on the table, so a lot of thoughts because there's just. so much to think about. beato has been even more of a delight than usual throughout this episode. i was kind of willing to accept her contrition and floundering attempts to better herself as an interesting direction for the character, but the final turn at the end where it's revealed she truly is just unrepentantly, irredeemably awful is such a delightful moment.

i've been thinking a lot about the line that gets drawn in ep3 between becoming a witch and growing up. becoming an adult means letting go of certain dreams, resigning yourself to the possible, and if you do that then magic slips beyond your reach forever. a direct line is drawn (i think by hideyoshi?) between the cruelty of witches and a child pulling the wings off an insect. as the only witch who appears as an adult woman rather than an adolescent girl, beato is kind of an outlier in this regard, but you can totally see that mile-wide streak of immaturity in her nature, the irrationality that keeps her rooted in the impossible. battler is positioned as sort of an anti-witch with his categorical refusal to believe and his deep emotional ties to those around him, but he also shares this nature of being physically adult and intellectually rigorous while possessing kind of a childish personality. they're great foils.

speaking of battler, i cannot get over how fucking stupid his arguments get in this episode. it's perfect. he's started just making shit up and it rules. umineko is a battle anime about debate club, and battler has finally realised that debates aren't won by being correct, they're won by being better at debate. "mysterious mechanism x." dickhead. i love him

last battler thing, i'm fascinated by that brief moment where his rejection of beato is forms an actual magical barrier against her. just super interesting to me that the things battler is capable of as anti-witch are still couched in the visual language of magic. his rejection of magic is still a kind of participation. i guess that kind of contradiction is fundamental to what battler's doing here, given that he relies on the red truth, a magical conceit made up by the witch, in his rhetorical struggle against the existence of witches. just very interesting to me

i also really really like how eva and rosa are written in this chapter but this post is long already

re spoilers: i have been spoiled on a bunch of miscellaneous things like the designs of upcoming characters, battler's dickhead cape, and the existence of multiple kinds of coloured text, but nothing important in terms of plot. currently i'm at the very beginning of ep4, so approaching the halfway mark by word count. also some completely contextless Beato Facts like her and battler apparently turning out to be cousins and her being [taking this one with a massive pinch of salt because tumblr users will say it about anything] transgender

[scoonsalicious]

Wow, that was such a sweet ending. I can't believe we're here now. and guess what YOU DID IT! you finished a whole series so huge congratulations! That's not an easy feat. I'm proud of you!

Tony being dramatic with Pocket moving out as if she is going to move to another country only to find out it's just a couple blocks away? Hilarious. Also the umbilical cord line was so so funny. I'm glad for this fresh start though! Pocket absolutely needs it.

And here's me thinking "Where the hell is, Bucky?" and well there he is! So happy to see them be in such a better place now and I'm glad they were able to go to couples counseling and truly got to work on themselves. It might be rare but it's not impossible for couples to work out even after similar events that Bucky and Pocket have fone through. And well, they've grown a bond so strong with what they went through and I truly believe they're going to be better and healthier than before. I know there's going to be more of these two but for now, I will miss the shenanigans they'll get up to. Especially now that they've got their own place to christen hahaha those poor neighbors, doesn't matter if they're a whole floor down. They're going to hear it no matter what.

What a journey this has been. As I said, I've got all my reports compiled into one document. Would you believe me if I said I've written a total of 19k words from all these essays I've sent you? Insane, I tell you. I absolutely don't regret it one single bit. I enjoyed this ride so much, I wouldn't trade it for the world. I'll try and keep up with the future installments, sequels, and your other series (which has peaked my interest ngl) But with school and work, I'll try my best. I'll for sure pop in here whenever i can though. Until then, I'll see you around! Lots of Love!

— Jnon 🤍

WE did it, Jnon! All of us, together!

Although, if people ask what my Greatest Life Accomplishment is, I'm gonna say "oh, that book I wrote." I will *not* say it was Bucky Barnes fanfic smut; just a book, lol. Actually, lemme go check that off my Bucket List rn...

(Actual photo of my Bucket List. Please ignore the fact I used Papyrus. It was 2014, and yes, I was still old enough to know better.)

I loved the idea of Tony acting like Pocket moving out was the biggest affront to him that could be made. In the original draft, Bucky and Pocket were going to be going at it on the balcony like the touch-starved rabbits they were, and then Tony was going to fly over in his Iron Man suit, but I ended up not wanting to write the awkward, lol. Maybe I'll save it for a smutshot someday, lol.

So, I wrote the epilogue a long, long time ago. Like, way before I wrote the actual ending, or even up to... like Chapter 10, I think? I confess to deliberately playing with it so you didn't know if she and Bucky had gotten back together or not, because at the time, I didn't know myself. I wasn't sure if the ending was going to be truly happy, or just hopeful for them. I had a *brief* (and I mean very, very brief) moment where I had her coming home to Steve, but that died very quickly, because Ew, Steve. I mean, seriously. I think the only reason I thought of it was that it would make people's jaws drop, lol.

Yes, their neighbors are going to hate them, lol. Most definitely. Well, at least until the middle-aged woman who lives downstairs comes up to yell at them to keep it down, but Bucky answers the door in a two-sizes too small tank top and smiles his Bucky smile at her and then she gets it, lol, and did I just come up with another idea for a smutshot? ::sigh:: TO THE GOOGLE DOC! I think I'm up to 13 now? I definitely will do my best to keep you fed with the shenanigans.

I cannot believe you've written 19k words! I have loved reading each and every single one! Focus on school, and don't worry about keeping up with what's going on over here-- it'll be here waiting for you for whenever you have the time. It's been an honor, my friend. A true honor.

[akajustmerry]

Hi Merry! I'm curious whether you think Mencken actually won the election in Succession? Shiv mentions a court is investigating the count, but it feels ambiguous.

Hellooo. Thank you SO MUCH for asking me this I've wanted an excuse to rant about it for WEEKS. so, this is just my interpretation of the ambiguity because it is left ambiguous to a point. Yes I think Mencken actually won the election. Or maybe it's more accurate to say, I think he became president.

Not gonna go into detail about the legal scenario the show establishes in America Decides because I absolutely am not an expert, but I reccomend listening the official Succ podcast where they spoke to the political consultants for the episode because they're literally the experts. But basically they explain that in the event of lost and/or destroyed votes so great that a majority can't be called for a key state, electoral lawyers have to be brought in to argue in federal court which party would have won in those states.

Point is, the state itself should not and cannot be called until that court process is complete. Obviously, ATN calls it anyway which is ethically and legally YUCK because the state is not actually decided until the electoral lawyers do their thing and determine the result based on prior voting patterns, polling, etc. Shiv and Connor mention that this process has started in the finale.

I say all that to say that for Mencken to actually lose in the scenario they established, you'd have to have an actually fair and just legal system that wasn't being influenced by wealthy billionaires. Over and over in Succession, we see how the Roys treat federal legal and regulatory frameworks like playgrounds. There's never any real legal or regulatory consequences for these people because their wealth and influence buys them the favour of those systems so that even when they lose they win. Over and over again.

At the end of season 4, Matsson buys Waystar because he wants ATN. Mencken is included in that purchase. In Church and State, they're pretty disgustingly chummy, making quick work of dismissing Kendall's power plays, ripping into Roman for [checks notes] being sad at a funeral, before launching right into the technofascist talk. I don't reckon Matsson would let a president who agrees with his ideologies so enthusiastically lose the election. Matsson loved having roman and shiv in his pockets, you think he'll let a few thousand destroyed votes get in the way of him having a pet president? Dude may not know shit about coding, but he knows how to play these people.

More than that though, I just believe Succession is a show about how institutions of power are more loyal to one another than the public they claim to serve. And how the human relationships among the people in these powerful institutions shape public life more than anything else. When Jesse Armstrong penned those last few episodes, I don't think they were about how fascism can be thwarted with the legal system. I think they were some incredible speculative satire on the powerlessness of legal and regulatory bodies in the face of wealthy powerful individuals wielding forces they can't control to achieve personal gain.

I don't think it's truly ambiguous because no legal or regulatory process has actually prevented these people from getting what they wanted on a mass scale. It didn't stop them from getting around the cruises scandal or the sale or kendall murdering someone so why would a president be different? Matsson wants Mencken to be president so I'm pretty sure he would be. Roman and Kendall already made sure he'd get to the finish line and the system will do the rest.

So yes I do think Mencken won. Not legally, or democratically. But he won. Personally, I don't think there's another outcome that would fit the established reality. This is, of course, just my interpretation!! Highly recommend listening to the official Succ pod episode for America Decides because it really helps you understand how Mencken's election is possible and you can decide for yourself. Maybe your interpretation will be more optimistic than mine. x

[cuddleswinchester]

HawkCharles and/or CharlesMarg :3

Playing the 'do I ship it' game is easy for me bc I use it to mean 'relationship' and there are so so many kinds of those, so I ship just about everything including both of these. But I'm also terrible at answering questions so.

Hawkeye/Charles

What made you ship it? when Hawkeye pushes Charles to admit to making a mistake, both of them only grow from there. I think they respect each other which is more than can be said about Charles and... anyone else at camp. I also like to note, because I'm me, that part of 'let's introduce the new guy' involves Charles asking what Hawkeye is up to a few times (and the answer is always sex stuff and Charles never understands what or why, which I love, but anyway.) Charles needing to have about a hundred layers of irony and distance between feeling a pleasant, generous feeling toward anyone, and Hawkeye who is moving the opposite direction because he gets attached and hurt so easily because he is giving his whole self away constantly... hello... they're going to crash into each other on their respective ways aren't they... opposites do not attract but they do trip over each other in the dark. And while they're opposite in that way they actually have a lot in common, in this essay I will--

What are your favorite things about the ship? I think Charles has the (perhaps slightly buried) quality of DOTING on people he cares about, it's true I've seen it in the visions, whereas Hawkeye has had to become self-sufficient and resilient throughout the war, I really believe in my heart Charles needs to dote on him, either during the war or after they get home. That's a made up favorite thing but it's true actually. I love that they become more and more open and vulnerable to one another over time. I love that they respect each other professionally and how that turns into friendship.

Is there an unpopular opinion you have on your ship? I don't know enough about the shipping standard of them to say whether I have an unpopular opinion sorry!

Charles/Margaret see this is one I 'ship' but in a way I cannot define, and I think that's beautiful. They're gay besties, lavender married, aggrieved siblings, professional partners, roll all of that up and feed it to me please and thank you.

What made you ship it? This is going to be my answer to all three questions, and it's 'the writers trying to set them up as a couple and realizing the chemistry was there but it sure was not romantic or sexual.' I love that they gave up quickly on Forcing it, and just let them be friends, because they're a delight to watch on screen together. I looooove the transitional role he plays in Margaret's arc too, like, we meet him when we know a Margaret who is concerned with money and the finer things and in walks this smug mf. Okay. Love it, here for it. And then as he kind of.... tones down the materialism, so does she, and they're left with just Each Other.

What are your favorite things about the ship? I know Charles has sitcom disease and had to continually learn his lesson about Women's Work, but that being said I do love when Margaret has to rampage after him and he hides under his cot? Pathetic??? MORE importantly I love how often they work together in OR, how impressed she is by his abilities, I think there's a lot to sift through in there. She's the head nurse so she would want to assist on the toughest cases, sure, and I think she also (won't admit it but) wouldn't want any of her nurses to get yelled at by Charles if they made a mistake... she will yell right back, we know this. An early moment that I always like to rotate is, after they finish a case, she is complimenting his technique along the lines of 'wow that was amazing, you must have done that a bunch of times before!' and he is... for the first time, a tender little guy, who just quietly goes 'no... that was horrific, I have never done that before' and the way that clicks something for each of them, totally separately, wow.

Is there an unpopular opinion you have on your ship? I once again do not think so? Maybe the fact I like them together at all? I Love the early awkwardness of them not Clicking as a Couple Couple??

[amedleyofthoughts]

“Hope” is the thing with feathers

By Emily Dickinson

“Hope” is the thing with feathers -

That perches in the soul -

And sings the tune without the words -

And never stops - at all -

And sweetest - in the Gale - is heard -

And sore must be the storm -

That could abash the little Bird

That kept so many warm -

I’ve heard it in the chillest land -

And on the strangest Sea -

Yet - never - in Extremity,

It asked a crumb - of me.

When I heard the first few lines of this poem it was a video snippet of John Green responding to someone on another video. The person in said video was simply asking, "...tell me how to have hope that life can get better." (I will link that video for any who wish to view it). He goes on to say that if you notice that in Emily Dickinson's poem, she doesn't specify that one does not stop hearing the song of hope, but that the bird's song does not stop singing. John finishes this stitched video by saying, "But the song of hope is still singing and I know that you cannot hear it, but some day soon you will."

In such few words he was able to put my tumultuous soul at peace for a small time. I think it's easy for us as humans to fall into despair. This in my opinion is why it's so hard to pull ourselves out of the darker moments in our lives. Why would I want to have hope and do good things, and make better choices, or find happiness within this life, if it's all so meaningless? My existence is a blip, tiny and insignificant with no real measure of true accomplishment. I'm never going to be famous, invent something humanity cannot live without, make a grandiose achievement or accomplishment to be remembered by. You won't see my picture and name in a textbook in someones history book far into the future. I'm a just another human, a number in a population of billions of others, living on a rock, that is spinning and rotating around a star in an endless void. And yet...

I heard once that you cannot logic your way out of depression. That makes a lot of sense actually (how ironic). It feels in a way like being this self-aware of my mental illness is somehow hindered more because of it. I know what this is, I know what I should do to help myself, I know where to go and how to start, but...I can't. I wonder sometimes if it's the feeling of shame I feel for not being able to just do it. Or the thoughts of how someone out there on this rock has had a much harder life than mine up until this point, what could you possibly have to complain about? But I know very well how stagnant it's made me. In my relationships with friends and family. Within my professional life.

It's hard to remember and believe that my productivity does not equate to my value as a person. That the expectations of others do not define who I am or what I should be seeking from this life I've been given. When I cannot hear the song of hope singing, I remember. I still want change, I want hope, I want to believe it gets better. I want to hear the song that my little perched bird is singing just for me.

[inquisitorius-sin-bin]

✨What's a fic you've posted you wish you could breathe life into again and have people talking about it? (or simply a fic you wish got more credit)

💫what is your favorite kind of comment/feedback?

🎀give yourself a compliment about your own writing

🕯️how do you think engaging with each other through tumblr, twitter, comments, kudos, creates healthy fandom experiences? How do you deal with that if you're not a social person/experience social anxiety?

💌share something with us about an up-and-coming work (WIP) that has you excited!

Ohh bless thank you for this ask

I put so much work into Blowing Cover and it is super unpopular compared to all my other works. I really liked the character too and kind of thought they might be fun to bring back for another one shot (I mean, given the ending, they have a ton of one-shot potential).

But. The kinks/tags involved are certainly a bit edgier so I can see it getting less hits. I'm already writing for a very niche group, then this hits an even smaller category within that group. Ohh well. I enjoyed making it, at least.

As for feedback! Uh, your kind, lol. I love that you put so much time into selecting the lines that really stand out to you. That blows me away. It's like the best kind of annotations ❤️ and it helps me tailor what I do, I'm still learning what gets folk's hearts fluttering!

That said, literally just a like on a Tumblr post or a message or a keyboard smash also has the capacity to melt my heart. I've received PMs that I gush over for days and reread 1000x over. Back in the old old days of my elder fics, I got fan art and I still have them saved on a special folder on my phone. I drink out of mugs someone created of my OC's Fay and Tsiri. Just knowing people read and enjoyed it is great.

(And I'm one of those weird folks who also welcome criticism too, actually. I want to be better. I want to write good good fics that get people coming to the table and screaming for more. I want to know what you like and hate. What I could improve about my style for clarity. What was so cringey it made your skin crawl. I aim to please.)

Compliment?

I am almost done writing a fic longer than Return of the King that's literally all I'm going to be talking about for weeks. I hope it's good, lol.

In regards to engagement, in my experience I've created numerous connections with people all across the world from different experiences and backgrounds just through fandom culture. That's healthy for cultivating a good, open-minded worldview. Those connections give me so much joy and energy and help inspire me to create! When I get home, I can't wait to work on my projects, and I really want to finish something so that I can giddily hide behind my computer screen and hope you all see and enjoy it.

But beyond that, human connection is very important to me. I like seeing your personal ramblings about how y'alls days are going, your jobs, your day-to-day stuff. The people behind the blogs. And I like that on the internet, there isn't a huge expectation of availability like there is in person. I myself have a great deal of social anxiety, but online, I can choose when I have enough energy to reach out or start a conversation or message back, or when that reserve just isn't in me.

If you're really anxious, know that I still see you and am happy even if you just follow and lurk, even if I just get a kudos or a like and then you disappear. I know what I share is quite salacious and not everyone wants to have that on their blog, believe me lol. Being seen is also gratifying. If you ever have the energy for a word of an ecouragement, that means the world to me! But if not, be not afraid. I do not hate you for liking my posts.

Aaaaand for WIP stuff-

Nice try, you can't fish out more deets about the end of Ride or Die/Fly or Fall than I have already shared lol. I CANNOT spoil anything at this point. But I will say this: I feel more strongly about the theme and the arc for Volume 2 than I did for Volume 1. I have a more concrete plan overall than I did the first go round. And the message is kind of something I'm already working towards at the very end of this work, so they should flow together quite cohesively.

[juggling-responsibilities]

Act 1, Part 1 - Tempting Fête

My wife drew my character and I love it so much it's headlining my first proper post.

I will preface this by saying that I've actually not played much Pathfinder proper - in that I would be familiar with the home setting, at least. I learned tabletop gaming on 3.5e, which is what Pathfinder was built from, so I've got the mechanics down fairly well, but as far as the setting - Golarion, Sarkoris, the Worldwound, etc. - all of what I know about it is from this game, as well as Kingmaker, which I have also never finished. (Currently on a playthrough of that and just finished Act 3, though.)

That's fine, though - when an adventure path like this is converted to a video game, it should be self-contained. Everything I need to know about Golarion, etc. should be explained within the course of the game itself.

I said in the last post that this is not a completely unspoiled playthrough for me, since I've gotten through at least Act 2 in other save files, and I feel confident in saying that everything I need to know is in fact self-contained. What needs to be explained is, what stands evident without needing explanation does, and most everything else is covered by pop-cultural osmosis and educated guesses can be made. So we'll be starting this with that in mind.

That said, let's get started at what we are led to believe is the very beginning - I have been dealt a mortal blow and am dying.

You know. The logical beginning.

*record scratch* Well, you're probably wondering how I got here.

The game opens with a festival, as these games so often do. Drinks are poured, event booths have been constructed, there's a band up on stage and everything. Into the midst of all of this, a woman is brought in on a stretcher, the guard leading the way calling for help.

The woman, as it turns out, is me. We're going full in medias res with this. Definitely a good way to hook me in, that's for sure. Why am I mortally wounded? Why did they bring me directly to the middle of the festivities?

This city, I will find out later, is Kenabres. It is a city built upon the precipice of the Worldwound, a physical tear in the ground that metaphysically opens up into the Abyss. A hellmouth, if you will. Just to jump a bit ahead, because I do so love worldbuilding, the reason this city exists is because it is one of the main staging areas for soldiers and mercenaries in the defense against the demons pouring out of said Worldwound. It also holds one of the Wardstones, a divine relic used to hold back the demonic corruption.

Because soldiers need support, the city exists surrounding the fortress, providing food and resources. Because such things cannot exist in a vacuum, the city exists to support the lines of support - families, shopkeepers, everything that needs to be in place to maintain the fortress.

Today is the Day of the City, a celebration in which the city can rest and relax without being 100% on guard against the demonic forces. It would really suck if something happened when this celebration was going on, huh?

Something like, I don't know, someone being carted in on a stretcher with a strange mortal wound.

Several people pile around to see what the fuss is about - people with voiced lines, names, and even portraits to show that they'll be coming up later.

Such as this asshole. He's not wrong, though.

A soldier comes up and starts interrogating me, asking who I am and what I'm doing here. Prelate Hulrun, with a portrait to let me know he's important. The guard who brought me in says that I was found just outside the city walls, the victim of a demon attack. Whatever weapons may or may not have been found on my person are confiscated, as this is - as we've said - the middle of the festival grounds and we are surrounded by civilians, so that seems more than reasonable to me.

They did, however, leave me with my leopard, who is hovering just beside my stretcher. Good old Maple, who I took with me from the circus.

As I said in character creation, I'm going with a particular character background - I am an entertainer with a traveling troupe of performers. More specifically, I am an axe thrower - I do trick shots and wow the crowd with my precision and daring. Of course, I am at the city because of the festival, and were it not for that suspiciously close and convenient demon attack, I might be performing already.

The Prelate casts a Restoration spell on me, which heals me enough that I can answer his questions, but not nearly enough to heal whatever this wound is, so he calls for Terendelev, the protector of the city, to assist.

Terendelev is, of course, a dragon. A silver dragon, at that, polymorphed into human guise - she is wearing silver armor and bears a silver shield.

I've always liked silver dragons in D&D. Pathfinder diverges a bit from their original source material, but silver dragons are fairly similar there, as well. They are Lawful Good, can breathe cold, and prefer to live near or amongst mortal populations. The 3.5e Draconomicon described how they love to travel to various cities and villages just to sample food, and that is absolutely delightful, so while I haven't seen anything similar for Pathfinder's silver dragons, I'm going to just pretend that's the same. Do not tell me if it's not.

Terendelev casts Greater Restoration on me, which gets me on my feet, but apparently is still not enough to properly take care of this weird wound.

🪓: "What happened to me?" 🐉: "I do not know yet - and that troubles me. I am not entirely sure what the demons did to you. This wound is no ordinary injury, and it was inflicted by no ordinary weapon. I have rid you of your pain and restored your strength, but only time will allow you to heal fully."

So a fucking dragon doesn't know what's wrong with me.

Yeah, I'm feeling absolutely great about this. But hey, I'm on my feet, I've got Maple with me, and it's the Day of the City, so let's go get our party on.

My quest log has been updated with my very first quest:

Sample the special festival drink

Throw the dart at the target

Hit the mannequin

Throw the dart at the target

Interesting fact here, if you don't do these three things right away (in fact, don't do two of them because no matter what order you do them in, you are interrupted after the second) you can explore the town square and chat with some of the named people. Some of them just have a quick aside when you select them, but there are a few neat interactions.

First, there's a person in a robe and a mask who says either "I am the answer, but what is the question?" or "The absence of an answer, is an answer too." and then walks away. Those people pop up a lot and we'll get to them later, but I didn't realize until this playthrough that they're this early too.

Secondly, if you find and click on Daeran, he'll throw a snit about how this part isn't cool enough and he will also leave. We'll find out what happened to him later.

Thirdly, there's a guy who's moping, saying that he has a bad feeling about this. This guy's name is Aravashnial, and I am led to believe he's a pretty big presence in the beginning of the original adventure path this game was adapted from. He has a... somewhat smaller presence here. More on that later.

Really, though, this prologue bit is kind of a Who's Who of faces you'll see later. Some party members we'll pick up eventually, some side characters related to mythic paths or companion questlines, lots of little fun details that reward multiple playthroughs.

Alas, this was not meant to last. Right after we do the second activity on our fairground quest list, there's a massive earthquake.

The city is under attack.

Terendelev is here! ...Terendelev is dead. Brutally decapitated by the Lord of Locusts.

Friends, this is going to be the tone of the game from here on out.

In the chaos, I find myself hiding behind a destroyed table. The guard who brought me into the city to begin with - a halfling with no portrait but a distinctive voice - offers to give me a protection spell scroll to let me escape.

I could take that option, or I could ask him for his weapon to help me fight my way out.

"Here, take this. Best crossbow I've got! The person who made it said it could pierce the hide of a demon lord, even!"

Of course I take that option, which puts me into another cutscene - Deskari towering over the fairgrounds, gloating at his kill, when a strangely red and smoking crossbow bolt strikes him in the shoulder.

That's some fucking crossbow, that a random guard seems to just be carrying.

Of course, it doesn't do much more than make him angry enough to split the ground under my feet, and I fall to my doom.

Thus ends the prologue.