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froggysoup · 4 years ago

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wowee

Alrighty I’m just gonna ramble on about my thoughts on the new quest (and things in general because I talk too much) and pray that at least some of it ends up coherent. Spoilers, by the way.

I’ve had this first theory since the last archon quest but got nervous and didn’t share, so here it is now. Maybe it’s an obvious thing that I’m just in the dark about, but I’m fairly sure that Dainsleif’s “Boughkeeper” title has a large part in explaining why he knows so much about things he really shouldn’t. From the newest quest, we learn that he is actually cursed with immortality, which could explain some it, but the guy still knows too much for it to simply be chalked up to his age. He’s literally the designated narrator for half of the official videos and knows a lot about what and who he talks about.

I suspect that the ley lines serve as an information network of some sort, and that Dainsleif’s position as Boughkeeper allows him access to it in one way or another. The only other places we really see the whole tree/branch thing is with the ley line branches, Irminsul trees, the Frostbearing Tree, and the tree who once had roots that spanned the whole continent (which we know the ley line branches were once directly a part of), all of which are connected in a way that I haven’t quite figured out yet.

Now, from those screens that come up while the game is loading, we know that supposedly, the intertwined roots of the Irminsul trees far beneath the earth determine the pattern of the ley lines above, and we also know that ley lines are a “mysterious network that links the whole world together” and that they are said to remember everything that happens in the world. From this, I don’t think it’d be that much of a reach to say that Dainsleif can access that somehow.

Next. I do think there’s a pretty good chance that the Archons were involved in the destruction of Khaenri’ah. The Viridescent Venerer set actually tells us how the former Dendro Archon died during the cataclysm while in Khaenri’ah, which. Uh. That’s kind of really incriminating.

However! Obviously, we’ve only heard this from Dainsleif’s point of view and he’s pretty biased considering his whole thing. We don’t know how much control Celestia has over the Archons’ actions, either, and I’m about 98% sure that some of them weren’t into it, and likely didn't even have a choice. Like, look at the Tsaritsa. Her whole thing is that sometime during the cataclysm, she witnessed something so view-shattering and unjust that her whole thing now is to “burn away the old world” and overthrow Celestia.

I also can’t see Venti and Zhongli going along with the destruction of an entire nation with no hesitation. Like, obviously, again, Dainsleif is going to be biased, but from what we’ve been told Khaenri’ah didn’t even do anything divine-retribution-worthy. Celestia just seems be into dropping skyscraper-sized pillars and other things onto nations who get too good at being independent, for whatever reason. The new quest is definitely supposed to make us question the current systems of this world but I don’t think we’re meant to hate Venti or Zhongli, at least yet. I think they’re even kind of meant to be seen as the “best” out of the Archons, so to speak. (Not that I think they’re perfect, by any means.)

Like, just look at the way they’ve been presented to us, versus how some of the other Archons have been introduced (Storyline Trailer, my beloved).

Raiden Shogun is made out to be some self-absorbed divine ass-kisser who doesn’t have humanity’s best interests at heart (which we know is supposed to be a thing you do as an Archon). She’s doing her whole confiscating visions and oppressive rule thing in an effort to be seen as more divine, but, as Dainsleif puts it, “what do mortals see of the eternity chased after by their god?”

The Dendro Archon/God of Wisdom is implied to not actually be as smart as somebody with that title is supposed to be, one way or another, and either has turned a blind eye to or blatantly encourages the “push for folly” in Sumeru. Can’t tell exactly what that would mean or entail (thanks, Dainsleif), but obviously. Doesn’t sound good.

Dainsleif says of the Hydro Archon that she “lives for the spectacle of the courtroom, seeking to judge all other gods. But even she knows not to make an enemy of the divine.” While the not making an enemy of the divine thing I get (I guess, coward), the whole “seeking to judge all other gods” bit seems very “remove the log from your own eye”-y. Like, you’re an Archon, too, what are you trying to prove here?

The Tsaritsa is- well, the Tsaritsa, as we know. While I do think we are meant to sympathize and agree with at least part of her core ideals and motives, she still is the one behind the Fatui and is, by extension, a war criminal. She also apparently has “no love left for her people”. It’s a bit of a complicated relationship that we have with her.

The only ones who Dainsleif does not directly slander in the trailer are Venti, Zhongli, and Murata. While I don’t think we have enough on her to come to any conclusions about her character yet, Venti does say of her that she is a “wayward, war-mongering wretch”. Now, he does also jab at Rex Lapis during this voiceline, but unlike with Murata we know that those two are buddy-buddy and it was very likely that it was “buffoon (affectionate)”.

Venti and Zhongli are also the first two Archons we encounter, which is important for multiple reasons.

Gonna derail for a bit because I don’t know where to start. But. The game very likely will (or at least should) end with no Archons.

Obviously, especially in light of the new quest (although this stuff has been floating around since the Dragonspine update and even before that), Celestia Bad. Like, cataclysmically bad (lmao). In fact, I’m highly certain that you could trace basically every problem in this game back to them, some way or another.

Even our main “villain” groups all seem to be gunning for Celestia. The Fatui obviously work for the Tsaritsa, who’s made it very clear that she plans to rebel against the divine. The Abyss Order, too, has their Deeply Upsetting plan of creating a mechanized god with the power to “topple the divine thrones of Celestia”.

Evidence points to an overthrow of Celestia at some point in the game, and considering how being an Archon or even a god is directly tied to Celestia, yeah. No more Celestia means no more Archons.

But even besides that, there’s a lot there to suggest that that’s where things are going.

I find it interesting how Mondstadt’s our prologue chapter, or that there’s even a prologue chapter of the game at all. Prologues are meant to set up ideas that will be present throughout the rest of the story, and Mondstadt does exactly that. Venti’s let the people of Mondstadt govern themselves and has almost completely been out of the equation for millennia, even if that means he is significantly weaker than his godly peers. When asked why he chose to do that instead of remain in charge and just give them freedom, Venti responds that “freedom, if demanded of you by an archon, is really no freedom at all.” This sentiment is also brought up in the Mondstadt portion of the storyline trailer, and the traveler even has a whole voiceline debating what Venti really meant when he said that.

This idea of freedom and that humanity is capable on its own is further reinforced in Chapter 1, in which Liyue learns to move on from the death of its Archon. Zhongli set up his plan with the intention of testing if his people could stand on their own legs without him there to guide them, and they do. He even expresses how pleasantly surprised he is that the Qixing were able to take advantage of the situation and seize control like they did. Keqing gives us this whole speech when we first meet her about how the adepti and gods underestimate humanity’s capability and how Liyue’s future is meant to be a godless one. This, in a way, extends to the rest of the continent as well.

In the storyline trailer (which I quote too often, I’m sorry. My favorite and only party trick is that I got bored one day and memorized the whole thing), Dainsleif spends the entire Khaenri’ah section musing about something similar.

“In the perpetual meantime of a sheltered eternity, most are content to live and not to dream. But in the hidden corner where the gods’ gaze does not fall, there are those who dream of dreaming,” is obviously about the people of Teyvat vs. those in Khaenri’ah. While a future under the care of the Archons is a safe and reliable one, is it one that allows humanity to chase its potential to the fullest? Khaenri’ah was destroyed for flourishing like it did without gods, both as a punishment and a warning to everybody else.

“Some say a few are chosen and the rest are dregs, but I say we humans have our humanity.” This is in reference to visions. Throughout the game, this idea that, at least in the eyes of the gods, vision holders are more important than those without them, is constantly brought up.

In the commission “Leaves on the Wind”, Dr. Edith expresses how it often seems as if vision holders are the main characters of this world. From the notebooks we receive during the “Time and Wind” world quest, we learn that the Sumeru Academia actually discourages non-vision holders from conducting outdoor surveys, and how “these days... trying to be an academic when you don't have a Vision, it's really restricting...” Dainsleif even just straight up asks us what we think the gods think of vision holders and people in general during question time in that one quest.

In Lisa’s stories, we learn that the reason for her laziness is that a part of her is afraid of learning or doing too much, after witnessing what “uninhibited erudition” can do to people during her time in Sumeru. She also senses that something beneath the surface is happening regarding the distribution of visions. “For whatever reasons, the gods gave humans the key to changing everything, but they did not explain the cost involved. Lisa grew fearful of the truth.”

I forgot exactly where I was going with that last paragraph, but yeah. There’s definitely sketchy shit going on behind the scenes in regards to visions, possibly to keep people either quiet or complacent. I suspect it may even be to restrict access to certain knowledges or even the elements themselves. Anyways.

I lose track of my thoughts too often. Fuck. Right. Mondstadt and Liyue served as good examples of society under the rule of the Archons, and in Chapter 2 we will encounter our first bad example, showing us the pros and cons of the current situation. However, despite Zhongli and Venti seeming to genuinely care for their people, humanity’s wellbeing shouldn’t be reliant on how their god is feeling that day, and they shouldn’t have to look to the gods for a chance to become something greater than themselves, either.

Um. All that’s to say I’m just very excited to see where the story will go, and if Zhongli’s contract with the Tsaritsa is any indication then it’s gonna go somewhere good. Celestia bad, Archons bad but also not bad but also bad, I don’t know if what I just wrote actually even counts as understandable, thank you and good night.

#i talk too much without saying anything substantial i'm so sorry #genshin impact #genshin impact theory #does this count as dainsleifposting?#i'll tag it anyway #dainsleifposting

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becomewings · 4 years ago

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The Most Beautiful Moment in Life <I’M FINE>

BTS Universe Story Highlights, pt. 1 / 4

» pt. 2

Introduction

BTS Universe Story, a mobile game published by Netmarble, was released on September 24, 2020. While the majority of the app is essentially a sandbox and engine for users to create their own interactive stories, it also includes official and canon BU content. The first eight segments were introduced between the release date and December 2020, gathered under the title The Most Beautiful Moment in Life <I’M FINE>.

“I’m Fine” is half of the I’m Fine/Save Me ambigram introduced in the Love Yourself era. Notably, all of the BU content available in the game so far falls between events of the webtoon Save Me (also called HYYH0 in its logo) and The Notes 1—chronologically, that is, while bearing in mind that time resets to the morning of 11 April Year 22 whenever SeokJin fails to avert a tragedy among his six friends. I want to assure anyone who is unable to play the game that you are not missing any new, major plot beats from the overall BU narrative. Instead, the stories provide more insight into the motivations and consequences of SeokJin’s decisions in the earlier time loops, as well as more depth to individual characters and their circumstances.

The goal of this guide is to summarize each of the eight stories and highlight noteworthy details, especially if they are not yet present in other BU media. Within each story (which I often refer to as an arc, due to their character-focused nature), episodes must be played successively, but the stories themselves can be played in any order. I will present them over a series of posts in the order they are listed under the <I’M FINE> heading. The Prologue and NamJoon’s arc are free to play; the rest are paid content. Please note that due to the app’s Terms & Conditions, I will not include in-game footage here. The images in this guide are sourced from the official trailers/videos and the live action MVs as appropriate.

Content warning: contains references to death, suicide, suicidal ideation, child abuse, domestic violence, blood, homicide, depression, trauma, PTSD

This guide contains major spoilers and includes references to other BU media

Do not repost, copy, or quote without permission

Game Mechanic

Before diving into the summaries, I would like to address the primary mechanic of the game: the user’s control of character choices at designated moments in the stories. It’s a primary marketing point that the player can influence the progression of the narrative, with a frequent in-app tip also declaring, “stories’ endings can vary depending on your choices.” The latter is not strictly true—and it cannot be true due to the structure of the game. Choices are presented within most (not all) episodes, but each episode is an isolated unit: episode 2 provides the same content regardless of what you choose in episode 1. Since the consequences of your decisions are not cumulative, each episode reaches the same ending, and each decision inevitably rejoins the “main” story path (effectively reducing the script size).

So what is the point of this mechanic? While the system is not nearly as complex as what major platform titles are capable of nowadays (I suspect due in large part to the story creation portion of the game), it does foster a sense of interaction with the narrative that isn’t present in static visual media like comics or film. The episodes with choices also have incentive for replay to discover the impact of changing a character’s dialogue or action. Sometimes the differences between the outcomes are inconsequential, but other times you unearth new details, interactions, or memories that are missing in the other path.

I say this partially in reaction to all of the comments and tweets I read for the game trailers and even Smeraldo Book twitter’s choose-your-own-adventure style teasers with The Notes 2 excerpts released last summer. Many users expressed excitement, through words or memes, about finally being able to give the boys the happy ending they deserved. I don’t fault anyone for wanting that happy ending—I wish for it, too. But no matter what the rather overzealous marketing has claimed, I don’t believe that the canon ending of BU is ever meant to be in the audience’s control. But I do feel that this mechanism fits the BU narrative. It echoes the “countless loops” SeokJin has experienced in an effort to save his friends, the choices he must make at every crossroad, and the butterfly effect those actions have on all of their lives. I think it is reasonable to interpret the simple branching paths in the game as alternatives SeokJin has explored across multiple loops in his struggle to find the “right” way forward. I’d love to hear if you have theories of your own!

Prologue

The prologue is a brief episode introducing SeokJin’s repeated struggle and failure to save his friends. He wakes up yet again in his bed on 11 April Year 22, the beginning of the time loop. After reflecting on the tragedies that keep befalling the others, SeokJin realizes that he has only tried to fix the problems he can see. He wonders: “Have I tried to understand the root of my friends’ misfortunes? How much do I really know about my friends? Maybe I was never brave enough to confront their real scars and the worlds they’ve been living in. But I need to do it. Because it may be the key to saving them all.”

How to Offer a Hand

In this story, SeokJin attempts to prevent NamJoon’s arrest after he gets in a fight with a rude customer at Naeri Gas Station, his place of work. The first episode opens on the night of 11 April Year 22 with NamJoon curling his fists, glaring as crumpled bills lie untouched on the pavement. (The money looks similar to the shot from the I Need U MV.) SeokJin reaches for his shoulder, but NamJoon shrugs him off and strides away to punch the customer who deliberately dropped the bills for him to pick up. The gas station owner runs over at the customer’s furious shouts and orders NamJoon to apologize. He refuses, and police officers soon arrive and charge him with assault. No one listens to SeokJin’s protests that the customer started it first. The man sneers as NamJoon enters the police car. “Do you even have money for a settlement? Hey, you’re done for.” NamJoon is sentenced to prison again, and SeokJin hears glass shattering before the loop resets.

Rising from his bed on the morning of 11 April, SeokJin reflects on his failed efforts so far. He has hit the customer’s car, called for NamJoon in the middle of the incident, and stopped the fight himself, the latter of which caused his friends to avoid him later. The fight has even escalated; the details are unspecified, but the audience is provided an ominous shot of SeokJin speaking to a police officer alone at the scene. NamJoon is not the kind of person who would normally respond to that kind of provocation with his fists. SeokJin realizes that he cannot merely stop the fight but must discover and fix the true cause of it.

With this in mind, SeokJin heads to Naeri Gas Station during the day and tries to engage NamJoon. This is their first time meeting since they both returned to Songju, although SeokJin has experienced it in many loops already. “It’s been a while,” he greets (as he does at the end of the Blood Sweat & Tears Japanese version MV). Before SeokJin can dig deeper in their conversation, NamJoon is called away by his boss. SeokJin enters the small employee break room which serves as NamJoon’s living space when he’s not at the container, hoping to find some clues about his friend’s life. SeokJin locates something bundled in newspapers. If the player chooses to open it, he sees a strange shard of glass inside that may belong to a car or motorcycle headlight. He continues on, finding the book Cosmos by Carl Sagan and a notebook. SeokJin hesitates over the invasion of privacy but decides to read it since he needs all the information that he can gather. The journal entries detail NamJoon’s daily life since returning to Songju: his work at the gas station isn’t too bad despite the occasional rude customer; he purchased a book and hopes to get more in the future; he picked up a second job at a wedding hall to help catch up on bills; his brother NamHyeon got in trouble again, leading to more expenses; and his dad’s health has worsened, with hospital bills after an emergency surgery rising to levels that the family cannot afford. SeokJin knew that NamJoon was the de facto head of household due to his father’s illness but was unaware that it was to this degree. He feels sorry for NamJoon yet is also impressed by his maturity, for NamJoon never writes how difficult his situation is.

NamJoon arrives and asks what SeokJin is doing in the room. If the player chooses to answer “reading” instead of “just sitting there,” SeokJin privately observes that the conversation flows more easily when they talk about books. NamJoon says he must leave and declines when SeokJin offers to wait for him there. SeokJin knocks over a pile of books along with money and receipts as he stands. He thinks it is unusual that NamJoon picks up the books before the money. The books seem to be more than a hobby to NamJoon, holding special meaning. Walking to his car, SeokJin wonders if it is pride or determination not to falter that keeps NamJoon from journaling his grievances. He realizes that money is a constant source of frustration and misery to NamJoon, and that’s why he can’t stomach being insulted over the customer’s dropped money. SeokJin’s new plan is to prevent NamJoon from picking up the money. He also calls Palgok County Hospital and offers to pay the patient bill for NamJoon’s father. Anticipating that NamJoon will be angry if he finds out, SeokJin says the payer is Songho Foundation.

That night, SeokJin returns to the gas station with the excuse that he forgot to fill up earlier. The luxury car arrives with a honk, and NamJoon hurries over to assist. He shakes with anger when the customer drops the money on the ground. “Why aren’t you picking it up? You don’t want it? What’s with that look? Pretty arrogant for a part-timer, aren’t you?” goads the customer. SeokJin intervenes. Whether the player chooses to have him advise NamJoon not to pick it up or to order the customer to pick it up himself, the end result is the same. SeokJin asks the customer, “Why are you harassing a pitiful part-timer?” The customer drives away, and something about NamJoon seems off. His face is expressionless, not mad or humiliated. “SeokJin, you…” He stops. “Never mind. Thank you for your help.” The words sound difficult for him to speak.

SeokJin believes that he has saved NamJoon, although this ending feels sloppy. He continues on in the loop to rescue JungKook and later YoonGi, but uneasiness plagues him. Though he meant to help NamJoon with his actions, SeokJin wonders if he hurt him instead. On 5 May Year 22, he returns to the gas station and follows NamJoon when he leaves work early. NamJoon enters a bookstore, and SeokJin sneaks in after him to watch from afar. He overhears employees talking about NamJoon, worrying that he might dirty the pages of the book he’s perusing. NamJoon is too absorbed in the book to notice one of them calling for his attention. SeokJin recalls a memory from their school days when he found NamJoon reading alone in their classroom hideout: he asked why NamJoon read so diligently, and his friend explained that he found it comforting to empty his thoughts of everything else while focused on the book. In the present, SeokJin wonders how he forgot how much books mean to NamJoon. He sacrifices some of his food and transportation budget to afford them, but they enable him “to endure the weight of the world he’s forced to bear on his shoulders.” After realizing this, SeokJin wants to apologize for carelessly sympathizing with the reality that NamJoon has weathered alone.

The next episode is from NamJoon’s perspective, revealing his excitement over being able to purchase a book for the first time in two months. He wants to buy two but can only afford one. The employee at the register sighs and asks why he leafed through a book he wasn’t going to buy. NamJoon apologizes, and she mutters, “So dirty.” He notices his reflection, clothes worn and smelling of gasoline, and realizes she’s talking about him, not the book. He tries to shake off these depressing thoughts, but he is still not accustomed to this treatment despite experiencing it regularly at work. As NamJoon begins to exit the store, the security alarm goes off. The employees demand to check his bag despite his insistence that he didn’t steal anything. Their certainty of his theft angers him. NamJoon allows them to look through his bag, and they are suspicious of the like-new book in it which he brought from home. One begins to call the police until SeokJin appears, vouching for NamJoon by saying he saw everything. The employees accept that the alarm malfunctioned and excuse their suspicions as a mistake.

Outside, SeokJin asks NamJoon if he is all right. NamJoon is thankful but wonders how SeokJin materialized right when he needed him. “How’d you find me here?” he asks aloud. SeokJin explains that he happened to notice him while walking through the neighborhood. NamJoon wonders if it’s because they said goodbye on a weird note last time. He thanks him and turns to leave. SeokJin calls after him. “I’m sorry. I wanted to apologize. I didn’t mean to upset you that day at the gas station. It was a mistake to have called you pitiful. If my rash actions hurt you, I’m really sorry.” NamJoon accepts his apology, believing it to be sincere, and says that things would have turned out a lot worse if SeokJin had not intervened. Thunder rolls overhead, and NamJoon uses the impending rain as his excuse to depart. He declines SeokJin’s offer of a ride and runs home, feeling his friend’s eyes on him.

Before he can settle down to read at home, NamJoon receives a call from his cheerful mother. She thanks him for paying off the entire hospital bill. NamJoon is perplexed and asks what’s on the receipt, since he didn’t pay it. His mother wants to leave it be, but he insists that they investigate so they don’t get in trouble or sued. She reads that the Songho Foundation is credited as the payer. NamJoon calls the hospital, introducing himself as the guardian for Kim YoungMin, but they can’t transfer him to the administrative department at this time. Disappointed, he looks up the foundation’s website, unable to recall why it sounds familiar. He wonders why a scholarship foundation in the city would get involved with him. Spotting photos of a recent launch ceremony on the site, he recognizes a few people: Songju High School’s principal, the familiar-looking face of the foundation’s chairman, and SeokJin. First, NamJoon forces a laugh, and then it’s difficult for him to breathe. He thinks that SeokJin really had pitied him at that moment. The only thing keeping NamJoon going is the idea of getting through life on his own strength. Why does he have to live like this?

The last episode opens on 5 May back in SeokJin’s perspective. He is confident now that he has saved NamJoon, although it occurs to him that a better alternative may have been to simply pick up the money himself instead of stepping forward. (This decision is enacted in a later loop and depicted in the Euphoria MV.) While reflecting on what comes next to save his other friends, he receives a text from NamJoon. “What’s your account number? I’ll pay you back for the hospital bills. I don’t need your help. I’ll handle my concerns on my own.” Heart sinking, SeokJin wonders how he found out. With a sense of foreboding, he tries calling NamJoon, but no one answers. SeokJin texts him back, pretending that he doesn’t understand, and tells NamJoon to call him. SeokJin’s second attempt connects while he’s gathering his car keys to visit the container. “That’s enough. Just send the account number over text,” NamJoon instructs. SeokJin coaxes him to talk for a moment, and NamJoon asks flatly, “Are you going to apologize again?” SeokJin attempts to salvage the situation, but his friend turns cold when he insists that NamJoon is misunderstanding and that he just wanted to help. “So, why? Why are you helping me?! Yeah, you’re always a good person. You’ve done nothing wrong and I’m the one misunderstanding.” SeokJin apologizes again. NamJoon refuses his request to meet in person. “No, I thought maybe there was a reason for everything you did… But I guess I misconstrued it. I’ll pay you back, so I’d prefer if you stopped contacting me.” Long after the call ends, SeokJin stands holding his phone, feeling that the glass is going to break at any moment. He wants to believe that it’s not over, but hope is slipping through his fingertips.

The episode finishes in NamJoon’s perspective. On 8 May and 9 May, he accepts part-time delivery work and reflects on his three jobs. Whenever he thinks he’s at his breaking point, he focuses on his new goal of returning SeokJin’s money. On 10 May, NamJoon wakes up to his buzzing phone and is called in to work. On a scooter, he passes by a bus stop and notices graffiti. (This is the same bus stop, with matching graffiti, that appears in the Highlight Reel.) Mesmerized, he wonders if it’s TaeHyung’s. As soon as NamJoon looks up, the scooter’s brake fails, and he crashes. The shattered glass on the cold pavement reminds him of the headlight shard and the kid who looked like TaeHyung. (So the piece of glass SeokJin saw in April was really a memento NamJoon retrieved from the scene of the crash in the mountain town, where the delivery boy whom he privately called TaeHyung died. This event is described in NamJoon’s 17 December Year 21 entry in The Notes 1.) NamJoon’s vision grows blurry, and the distant sound of an ambulance doesn’t come any closer.

The arc concludes there, but it obviously marks another reset for SeokJin. It is interesting to note that in this failed loop, NamJoon suffers the same fate that he narrowly avoided in the snowy mountain town before returning to Songju.

Please stay tuned for the next Highlights post featuring JungKook and YoonGi!

#armiesnet #networkbangtan #bangtanarmynet #armysource #dailybangtan #bts universe #hyyh #bangtan universe #bts universe story #bts universe story highlights #seokjin #namjoon #namjin #bts theories

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astro-pioneer · 4 years ago

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Anyway thoughts about Dain and others. I'm gonna separate this into different parts since it's probably gonna get confusing. Might do a second part for certain parts of this.

So to get as accurate as possible I did search for more information about The Abyss and Khaenri'ah

OK so I'll give a little back story before diving into my thoughts: Khaenri'ah is an underground unreleased section where, in Dain's words, "the gods' gaze does not fall". It is the origin of Khemia, a type of alchemy heavily focused on the creation of life that ultimately destroyed it. Also, for the Sword Cemetery, that is a result of a war between Mondstadt and Khaenri'ah.

Khemia

Anyway thought time - so since Knaenri'ah has very little fauna and plants they have to find a way to survive and get food and whatnot - hence the creation of Khemia. Now, since there's no information on the aftermath of using Khemia on let's say a human, we're going to make assumptions.

So obviously altering with human life is bound to have it's backlashes, right? My three main bully victims are going to be Kaeya, Albedo, and Dain. Kaeya first: he was sent to Mondstadt as a last hope for his original homeland (I got too lazy to type it continuously) so I'm gonna assume that, before he was dropped off at Dawn Winery, he went through some alterations.

Kaeya

And you guys are gonna get mad but I'm gonna talk about his eye patch. Now, my assumption with the backlash is that it does something physical to the person undergoing Khemia. And yes, while Noelle does say she prepares Kaeya's eye patch, that doesn't necessarily mean that she puts it on him and has seen him without it.

Seeing as though Khemia isn't well-known by the common folk and is concerning to the gods (at least to Venti - thoughts on this later) it's best to hide any evidence of it when around people. That might be Kaeya's case with his eye patch, especially with the issue with Diluc and his father.

Albedo

Listen I hate myself for even starting this but I'm too far deep to give up so we gotta talk about his sexy ass. Now, his diamond. If that's a birthmark then holy hell that's one gorgeous mark. BUT I don't think it is. Since he's the one who practices Khemia, he probably knows how to manipulate the placement to be somewhere hidden or so small you can't see it.

Lmao that kinda contradicted my diamond topic but my thought behind that is that he got that from his teacher (I REFUSE to type that long ass name ok) before he knew the art himself. Him knowing the practice and Venti's wariness of it makes more sense now - will be explained soon.

Dain

THIS BITCH- Ok I need more content of him so I can understand him more but I hate him so muuuuuch. So since he admits that he saw Old Mondstadt before Dvalin resided in it, I immediately thought to the battle at Sword Cemetery even though it doesn't fit with the geography (be honest though nothing matches the geography since the "Wolf of the North" is in the wEST) and you can't see it even from atop the logs (before anyone says anything, yes, I did check with the tallest character I have and yes, I did blind myself at one in the morning just for that.)

Anyway we're getting off topic what I wanted to talk about is the galaxy thing right over his heart. This is going to be short since there's not a lot about him but it's very obvious that it's not natural (well duh) and it reminds me of the particles that erupt from Paimon and that appears out of Aether's hand for an idle animation (I, personally, chose Aether for the MC so I will be using him most of the the time). However, there's noy a lot on him and his attire so this is all I really have.

Venti and Khemia

So a little while ago someone found out that in front of Venti's statue in front of the cathedral it says "Gate to Celestia" backwards. And I do love the theories from many others about how the game might end right where it started, aka Mondstadt. Khaenri'ah dislikes the gods and is not under rule of the Seven and, with Kaeya as a "last hope" so to speak, I feel like (if he doesn't get too attached to everyone) Kaeya and possibly Albedo as well, is going to lead the hilichurls and possibly the Abyss to Mondstadt to open the gate to destroy Celestia.

This is probably why Venti is wary of anyone who knows Khemia or is a known member of Khaenri'ah. This is far fetched but what if he knows of a possible ending without the traveller that is Mondstadt and possibly Teyvat as a whole being destroyed? It's obvious that history and stories are told through songs and, as Venti said in the archon quest, he knows songs "from the past, present, and future."

The Abyss ft. Khaenri'ah & Dain (again)

This is probably going to be the biggest since there's a lot of parts to it. So it's been confirmed that the hilichurls, the people of Khaenri'ah, are being controlled by the Abyss. My thought process was that the Abyss was once a part of Khaenri'ah but there was so much Khemia practice on them that they became less and less human. On a similar note, Instagram user natrya_art made her own theory based off of the Abyss and the chambers just off of the opening screen itself (also one about Dain, Durin, and Alberich (Kaeya's last name) that's still on her story :D).

You guys are probably like "Astro where are you going with this" so I'll stop adding random information and get on with it. Dain specifically only mentions Lumine with "her" and "she" along with "is" and similar present tenses, meaning that she is still alive during whatever time he comes from (as he will decide fate himself if "Albedo were to make a single wrong move using Khemia" (possibly opening the gate) and that's the only time he'll interfere). It's obvious he knows Aether, as he's very easy to talk once he mentions being a traveller. Now, when have you ever heard anyone in genshin mention traveller that is not about Aether/Lumine? Exactly, barely ever if at all.

I mention this since Dain's interest isn't peaked when Aether introduces himself as an adventurer but only after he says he's a traveller looking for his sibling. I, personally, think that Dain was a travel buddy for Lumine since, branching off of Natrya's theory about the Abyss, she was probably brought to the Abyss when they were fighting on one of the paths in Celestia in the beginning.

Since Lumine is trying to redirect Aether from finding out anything about her plans, it shows that she does not want him to either catch her trying to destroy the world or get caught in the crossfire and die. In the time where Dain comes from, though, that's probably what happened and the Abyss wins in the end. So Dain, already knowing where Lumine and the Abyss went, brings Aether to every location that he can remember.

During the old timeline, let's call it that since it's obviously going to change with Aether having help from Dain and Friends™, Lumine most likely talked about Aether and what happened to them. Maybe Dain was just trying to see if he was the real Aether during the tavern scene? No one knows right now honestly (other than the voice actors and creators honestly but they can't say anything.)

It's also obvious that he knows how far Aether is on his journey, as he mentions the Contract to End All Contracts but not why it was made or what the Tsaritsa did with them all while knowing about Venti being Barbatos and the Stormterror battle. This could just be blamed on his failing memory but that's not the case, as he says that he doesn't lack time and will wait to talk about Rex Lapis. However, it's obvious he only knows one side of it, as Aether and the player know of Zhongli being a player in the Rite of Descension but Dain doesn't, as he questions his attitude towards it.

Prophecy

This is copied from Dain's profile on the genshin wiki: The confluence between the past and future. The original calamity had been overturned, yet the island in the sky set the earth to burn. Chalk pursues gold, in this time inopportune, the eclipse is swallowed by the crimson moon. The future must atone for bygone mistakes, as the bond familiar falters and breaks— of the same blood, elders and the youth... Such is the cycle of the world, in truth. Dain, what is that strand of blonde hair to you? Someone you must kill? Or the object of your penitence? - Self-proclaimed prophet

I changed the colour of the parts I want to talk about. The first line is obviously referring to Dain and his connection with going back in time to change the future he came from. "The island in the sky" is Celestia, and the line about setting earth alit could be talking about the gate opening or the gods thinking it'll be best to destroy earth to save themselves.

"Chalk pursues gold." THIS LINE. This one line is what I want to talk about a lot. Gold is not referring to the alchemist who destroyed Khaenri'ah, as it's not uppercased as all names should be. Instead, it's referring to Aether. (Note: the game is actually supposed to take place as you playing as Aether, which is why he's always in the trailers as the protagonist and is more expressive). Aether has multiple gold or gold coloured parts to him, including his hair, parts of his outfit, and it can even be argued that his eyes can be included too. Chalk is, obviously, Albedo, which connects to the quest about him where he's called the Chalk Prince when Dragonspine was introduced. Speaking of Dragonspine, Durin (the dragon that died there) actually came out of Khaenri'ah. Weird how Albedo is almost always in Dragonspine right? The pursuing part can go two ways: his ending line about how if he [Albedo] destroys Mondstadt, will Aether be there to stop him OR to make sure Aether is there to watch him destroy it. A third side is that Albedo pursues Lumine to help with her plan of Destroying Mindstadt/Teyvat.

Crimson moon is obviously about one of the trailers, where I think Lumine is seen walking on the path where her and Aether fought the god in Celestia with a red moon and sky in the background.

"Bond familiar falters and breaks - of the same blood, elders and youth" Aether and Lumine. I feel as though one of them (Aether most likely) will feel the most betrayed and he will lose all trust and love in Lumine and what's she's doing/done. Elders and youth is interesting. It can be nodding at the gods and the people of Teyvat or the gap between Lumine and how she's grown old while Aether died when he was young.

"That strand of blolde hair." English classes and teachers do not teach this enough!!! So I'll say it: blond, with no 'e' is masculine and is used to describe males. Blonde WITH an 'e' is feminine and for females. The use of blonde instead of blond eliminates Aether, Albedo, and Dain. The only blond we really encountered? Lumine. And I can already see the "well what if they didn't know the difference between e and no e" but we're talking about a game where a god dressed as a bard speaks in rhymes and riddles while Dain speaks like hes a poet. They know what they did. This might hint to him being the former travel companion of Lumine and any possible feelings he had that might get in the way of stopping him from helping everyone to stop her.

The Three Questions

When talking to Dain he asks three questions in order to see how similar your thought process is to Lumine. "Who do you think was the key to stopping the Stormterror incident" or something along the lines is the first question. Your answers are Barbatos, yourself, or the people. I will try to go off of memory with my answers, as his quest has yet to be added to the completed quests, as it's in chapter four which hasn't been released yet. I answered Barbatos for this question.

The next one is about Liyue and who will take care of it since Rex Lapis is no longer there to protect it. I said the people of the harbour, which was the third question. The last one is about Visions and who are more important in the eyes of the gods. The three answers are people with visions, without visions, or neither. I answered neither, giving me the dialogue of Aether's answers being similar to Lumine's.

Vision Question

The one about Visions struck me as odd. Visions are given by gods to people that they have acknowledged, yeah? Khaenri'ah isn't acknowledged by the gods and isn't run by any of the Seven. So that means that no one who resided in Khaenri'ah were never helped or were given visions. So why would Dain ask about them? I think it's due to Aether and most likely Lumine being able to weild the elements without a vision. There's also two certain dialogue options that are in the form of thoughts (I do not remember what quests they're from however) and the first one is like "(I'm getting back to my original strength)" I think it was in regards to getting geo too or something while the other one is "(I wish to get the powers of the gods)" or something.

When I first got them I paused for a second. Original strength and the powers of the gods... This obviously means the fact that with one touch of a statue we can switch to that element and can be "blessed" so to speak without actually being blessed. Also I've been meaning to talk about this ever since I leveled up Venti's statue but so far both Mondstadt and Liyue have an extra oculus. This is probably going to be for every region. I found that interesting, since you usually almost always interact with the statues with specific oculi, making it more powerful and giving you more stamina in the process. I think we have to use the extra one to fully harness the powers of that god in order to beat the final boss (probably Lumine.) They are also under the "Precious Items" tab in your inventory which is somewhat significant as well.

I'm gonna end this theory here for now since it got extremely long lmao. A part two might be coming though!

#ೄ sage #genshin thoughts #genshin theory #genshin impact theory #genshin impact thoughts #genshin #genshin impact

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gansey-just-gansey · 4 years ago

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Before I Wake Part Three

Written by @allfortheandriel, @majoringinlycanthropy, and @gansey-just-gansey

Blue kicked around at the entrance to Monmouth Manufacturing. They were all there. She could see three cars in the parking lot: Ronan’s slick black BMW, Gansey’s obnoxious orange Pig, and a tricolored piece of shit that stuck out like a sore thumb. Adam’s, probably. K was always calling him a trailer trash piece of shit and the car was exhibit B, example of proof.

“Don’t be a coward,” she muttered to herself before walking to the front door and rapping three times. It was quiet for a moment before she heard the telltale stomp of Ronan’s boots on the metal floor and he threw open the door. His mouth twisted up in a sarcastic smile, but she thought he still looked pleased somehow.

“Sargent,” he barked.

“Lynch,” she replied with a roll of her eyes. “Don’t look so surprised. My presence was requested at some point, no?”

“It was offered. Don’t mix it up,” he smirked. “Come on in.”

She followed him in, eyes searching every corner warily. Blue registered the boys first. All four of them from Nino’s were there, watching her with curiosity and distrust, even Ronan. Especially Ronan. That was fair.

There was a bed in the middle of the room and a desk shoved off to the side. Both were surrounded by books - mountains and mountains of books. A thriving mint plant sat next to the desk on a weighty stack of papers. That had to be why Gansey smelled heavily of it. Mint was always on his breath and in his hair. On the other side of the room were three closed doors, presumably additional bedrooms and a bathroom. She couldn’t explain the bed in this one, though.

She looked at Ronan, hoping he would smooth over the awkwardness. Talk about unfulfilled wishes. "Maggot, this is everybody. Everybody, this is Maggot." He leaned back against the door jamb. She made a face at him and turned to introduce herself, but Gansey beat her to it.

"Certainly your name isn't actually Maggot, right?" he asked, extending an uncertain hand.

"Blue," she replied.

"Blue? Like the color?"

"Yeah, and you're Dick? Like the appendage?" she took his hand.

He looked pained, mouth forming a grimace. "Please don't.”

"You must be Adam," Blue said, turning to face the lean boy. He was looking at her with his mouth twisted downward into what looked like distaste. She made a similar face, eyes roving over him, trying to see what marked him as superior to K. She didn't find anything immediately noticeable.

Enough time on him. She turned to the smudgy boy instead. "And who are you, stranger?" Everybody but Ronan seemed surprised that she addressed him. She stuck out her hand and he reached to grasp it, seemingly because it was expected of him rather than him meaning to. Blue’s fingers brushed his and she felt a brumal chill travel down her spine. Her stomach turned inside out. This was the telltale sign of being drained.

"Oh ho ho, Lynch, what interesting friends you have," she said loftily, turning to look at him instead of the remnant of the person in front of her.

He gave her his shark smile and bit out a reply. “I keep unusual company.”

“Isn’t that an understatement,” she murmured, turning back to the ghost. “What’s your name? Or what was it, anyhow?”

“My name is Noah,” he said, still staring at her in wonder. “It’s very nice to meet you, Blue.”

He still hadn’t let go of her hand, and she decided to let him keep it, though it might sap her. It had probably been a while since he’d felt this much energy. And it was worth the risk, she thought, to have him so immediately like her, even if she didn’t know why she wanted him to. It seemed to have an effect on the others, too. Adam was pacified infinitesimally. Gansey let out his own sigh, looking at Noah and Blue’s joined hands.

“So Blue, how might we help you today?” Gansey queried.

“Help me? I’m just here for a bit of fun. Lynch here seems to prefer your company so I thought I would check you all out.” She looked down at her hand still wrapped in Noah’s. “So far, doesn’t seem to be a complete waste of a trip.”

“Fuck off, Sargent,” Lynch laughed merrily.

“Go suck a dick,” she responded, making a jerking off motion with her free hand.

“Oh great, there’s two of you now,” Adam said, and Blue couldn’t quite comprehend what he did to his face to make it look so warm towards Ronan, and yet so cold towards her at the same time. It had to be a practiced look.

“How did you know about Noah?” Gansey asked. “Most people can’t even see him, let alone be able to tell he’s a ghost. Is this due to your powers?”

Blue sent a sharp look towards Ronan, meant to injure. “Someone has a big mouth, don’t they? How much have you told them about me?” she accused.

Ronan simply shrugged, an answer in itself, before Gansey stepped in again. The official spokesman of his people. Gansey intoned, “Only that you possess some unusual abilities of your own. You’re an amplifier, he mentioned. You make his ability stronger?”

“I make everything stronger. Dreamers, ghosts, psychics.”

“Oh, like a loudhailer!” Gansey said wondrously. Adam was keenly attentive for a second too long before schooling the fascination and the amusement out of his expression.

“A what now?” she asked, a mildly irritated expression crossing her face. Noah let go of her hand and warmly patted her hair. It was difficult to maintain the exasperation in her expression.

There were parts of Gansey’s face that pinked in response. “A megaphone.”

She shared a long-suffering sigh, shoulders slumped in defeat. She supposed that did describe her abilities. “I guess,” she said. “But I can feel him draining my energy. Made it kind of obvious.”

“Sorry,” Noah said sheepishly. He folded his hands behind his back.

Blue grabbed his hand and placed it back in her hair. “It’s okay, really,” she said kindly.

Adam watched her with narrowed eyes, a creeping suspicion in his gaze. “So,” he started flatly, “You’re Kavinsky’s girl.”

She automatically stiffened. “I’m my own,” she hissed at him, repeating Ronan’s words from that long ago day. “Don’t fucking imply differently.”

“You hang out with Kavinsky a lot. And you’re the only girl that does. Well, the only one that does regularly.” Adam crossed his arms defensively.

She mimicked his stance, standing several inches shorter, but ten times as tensely. Something burned at the bottom of her throat. “You meant I belong to him. Well, I don’t. Or, wait, are you Gansey’s boy? Come on. Talk to me, one toy to another.”

That slammed. Adam’s hands balled into tight white-knuckled fists. Adam’s ears were turning an alarming red color. Fury radiated just under the precipice of his skin. She could tell. It thrilled her.

“Shut your fucking mouth, Sargent,” Ronan seethed. He stood in front of Adam then, his back to her.

She smirked to herself. Blue was good at getting under people’s skin. She could tell from K’s stories that Adam wanted to stand on his own two feet, rather than depend on Gansey, or even Ronan, even though they were together. That car outside in the parking lot confirmed it for her. It would cost Ronan nothing to bring Adam back a car, like she contemplated asking K for. But, still, he drove that little tricolored shitbox. He was a lot like her. Or, at least, how she used to be before K got his hooks in her.

She shook that off. She was happy with her life. She was happy with K. Happy with her job, and her freedom, and her power. K only supported her. He didn’t control her like Gansey did with his followers.

Smiling again, more tightly this time, she opened her mouth for one reason only. “Go to hell,” Blue said pleasantly, rabidly, piercingly, over her shoulder, before she kicked open the door with the toe of her boot.

This had been a bad idea. There was a reason why she didn’t have friends outside the dream pack. There was a reason why she didn’t leave K. There was a reason why Ronan was considered a traitor. And, most importantly, there was a reason why she hadn’t followed him when she had wanted to.

“Wait,” called Gansey, when she was halfway to the opening to the road. She looked over her shoulder at him but didn’t stop. His longer legs caught up to her with minimal effort, though. “Please, wait!” He hurried to pass her and then planted himself in her way, a puff of breath rushing from his lips. “Adam didn’t mean it like that, Blue.”

“Yes, he did,” Blue countered. “Why even bother lying?”

Gansey began and then hesitated. “You’re right,” he agreed, after considering her for a moment. She was surprised to hear him say anything that painted any of his group in a less than perfect light. “You’re right,” he repeated. “He did mean it that way, but he’s just…-Well, for one, he’s rather defensive of the lot of us. I suppose he’s just a bit surprised. I know I am. Why would someone that spends so much time with Kavinsky suddenly want to hang out with us without malicious intent? Especially considering… our misunderstanding at Nino’s.” A hint of shame colored his tone.

Blue’s hackles rose again as she recalled. “Well, as Lynch so helpfully pointed out to me the other night, I have no friends outside of K and his group. He swears the sun shines out of your ass. So, I thought this might be a chance to branch out. Make some. But that was clearly a mistake. I’ll go now,” she said pointedly, moving to go around him.

He reached a hand out, as though to touch her shoulder, but dropped it and stepped into her path again. They weren’t done. “I doubt Ronan quite said that, but you’re not wrong. This could be your chance to branch out from Kavinsky.” The way Gansey spoke his name was the way he would ask someone to take out the trash. Hell, Gansey probably didn’t need to ask anyone to deal with trash. Yet, here he was talking to her.

“I don’t have a problem with Kavinsky,” Blue said sharply. “He’s not as bad as Ronan makes him out to be. He supports me. He cares about me. He encourages me. I won’t let you or your flunkies badmouth him.”

Gansey pursed his lips. He looked like he wanted to argue but, instead, he replied with more formality than was necessary. “I apologize for our incivilities. Please, come back in. We’ll all be on our best behavior. I swear it. Even Ronan.”

“Like that means much,” Blue snorted. “Even you can’t muzzle him.” Gansey cracked a smile, but didn’t dignify that with a response. She studied Gansey for a lengthy moment. He appeared sincere. “Fine,” she said. “I’ve got some time left to kill anyway. Think your merry band is calm by now?”

“Is that what you call us?” Gansey chuckled. “I rather like that. But yes, I think he was mostly over it by the time I came to get you. Adam tries so hard to be his own person, you know? He doesn’t like anybody implying that he belongs to any of us. I suppose you two have more in common than it seems.”

“Yeah, I know the feeling,” Blue muttered.

“He seemed ready to apologize when I left,” he assured her. Gansey paused, ”None of us think that.”

“Uh-huh,” she rolled her eyes again. “Never crossed your minds once.”

“Truly, I know you don’t belong to him. Someone like you could never be owned.”

It was a heady thing, hearing those words from Gansey. Like he saw her. Like he could separate her from the rest of them when no one else did, except maybe Ronan. A swell of pride made her chest puff out as she followed him into the factory.

He was wrong, though. Kavinsky did own her. For now.

Adam didn’t apologize, at least not aloud. When Blue reentered Monmouth, their eyes met. She returned the gaze and that was that. There was still tension between them throughout the day and it often came to a head in matters involving Ronan.

“We’re ordering in. Blue, do you have any requests?” Gansey asked, ever the doting host.

“Not Nino’s,” was her automatic response.

Adam snorted. ��Well, that narrows it down.”

Blue rolled her eyes. “And I suppose you have someplace specific in mind?”

“As a matter of fact,” Adam postulated, “I do. I’d like that Mexican place over on Main street.”

“Ew,” Blue wrinkled her nose. The hairs on the back of her neck prickled at the sound of Adam’s haughty tone. Were they not cut from the same Dollar Store fabric? He was the least Aglionby of the boys before her, and yet he was working double time to clip his vowels and mimic Dick the Third. “If we’re gonna have cheap Mexican food, La Delicias is obviously superior to La Fiesta.”

“As if,” Adam scowled. “La Delicias is overpriced and bland.”

“Whatever. Ask literally anyone, everyone prefers La Delicias.”

“Name one person who prefers that junk over La Fiesta.” He added as she opened her mouth, “Besides yourself.”

The response was quick and followed by a smug looking smirk. “Your boyfriend,” Blue replied. She was petty and she wasn’t sorry for it either.

“Wrong,” Adam insisted. “He likes La Fiesta. We went there last week.”

Blue arched an eyebrow at Ronan. “Man, the things you do for love, huh?”

“Ro, tell her,” Adam turned to Ronan, only to stare disbelievingly at the chagrined look on his boyfriend’s face. “You can’t be serious,” he scoffed.

“Sorry, but the maggot’s right on this one,” Ronan shrugged one shoulder. “We went to La Fiesta cause that's the one you like.”

Blue faked gagged. “You’ve gone soft, Lynch. It's gross.” Gansey laughed, honey rich and butter smooth. It was hard to hate him when his laugh melted her insides.

“Fuck off. You’re just trying to start shit. You’ve never cared what you were eating,” Ronan replied. Neither of them mentioned that she was usually too high to actually pay attention to what she ate, when she actually remembered to.

She smirked again, mischievous this time.

“You’re right. But your little boytoy gets so worked up. It’s just so easy.” Her high was starting to fade fast, and she could feel herself getting bitchy. She scowled, unpleasantness settling in her gut. “Actually, I’m not hungry. I’m heading home.”

“Oh, are you sure?” Gansey’s voice sounded concerned. “Would you like one of us to drive you or-.”

“Don’t worry ‘bout it. Got here just fine on my own. I can get back like a big girl.”

And then she was gone. Out the door before Gansey could insist on taking care of her like she was one of the gang. The last thing she needed was to be seen pulling up to K’s in Dick’s old car. She’d never hear the end of it and K would be pissed. She couldn’t let that happen, especially when she was contemplating asking him for a favor. Especially when she was contemplating spending more time with Gansey and the others.

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amandajoyce118 · 6 years ago

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The Punisher Season 2 Easter Eggs And References

Yes, I know. You don’t have to tell me that the second season of The Punisher dropped on Netflix a month ago. Surprisingly, this last month has been extremely busy for me. Birthdays, family stuff, changes in management at my day job, changes in editors (thrice!) at my freelance job, plus prepping my tax stuff has left me with very little free time. I finally managed to finish the second season this weekend (and I started Umbrella Academy, which is really interesting, but something I’m not familiar with, so no Easter Eggs on that one, sorry!) and finish writing up Easter eggs as well.

As usual, there are spoilers, but I went episode by episode with the Easter eggs. Anybody worried about spoilers has probably already watched the show at this point. I feel like I was probably the last one out there who hadn’t watched. Despite it taking me forever and a day to watch the show, there’s still a chance I didn’t catch everything, especially since the Punisher doesn’t seem like a show with a lot of in-universe Easter eggs.

Happy reading!

S2E01 “Roadhouse Blues”

The Van

Oh, look. Pete AKA Frank is using a van full time. In the comics, the van houses a wide variety of weapons and surveillance equipment, but Frank isn’t quite that high tech without the help of someone like Micro around. He also calls it the Battle Van.

Lola’s Roadhouse

It’s probably just a coincidence, because Lola is just one of those names that pop culture junkies seem to love, but… who else thinks it might be a nod to Coulson’s favorite car in Agents of SHIELD?

Fiona

Some people will try to find the Marvel character that is “Fiona,” but again, I think this one is a coincidence. Why? Fiona is a weirdly popular name in comics. There’s a Fiona who is an Inhuman who can fly. There’s a Fiona who founds the sisterhood and hates men. There are also Fionas who are artists/writers/pencilers/etc in real life. I think this is just a case of them picking a pretty name.

Michigan

It’s the last place anyone would look, you say? Kind of like how it’s the last place anyone seems to care about because Flint still doesn’t have clean water? Yep.

S2E02 “Fight Or Flight”

Pete and Rachel

I like that Frank is still using the name Pete, but can we all laugh for a second about how these two are Pete and Rachel? It makes me laugh because these are two characters in friends. Pete only asks Monica out because he overhears Monica and Rachel talking about their love lives (or lack of them). Pete, funnily enough is like a Tony Stark character here: wealthy, throwing money around to get what he wants, buying women buildings, etc. He’s also played by Jon Favreau AKA Happy Hogan in the Iron Man movies. It’s one of those things that’s not meant to be a connection, but proves you can find “Easter eggs” in anything.

Rachel AKA Amy

Amy is based on a comic book character, but she’s been completely changed for the show. In the comics, she was a little girl who saw Frank escape a crime scene and promised him she wouldn’t tell anyone. He helped her out a few times as well. But, like I said, completely different. (Of course, the use of the name Rachel, and some of her later story gives a nod to another comic book character as well. We’ll talk about that later.)

Larkville, Ohio

Clearly based on Clarkville, Ohio. They thought leaving off one letter would make it less obvious? Anyway, here are some fun facts about Ohio in the MCU. It’s where there was a secret wing of a prison for powered people (thanks, Agents of SHIELD). It’s also where Coulson and company went to get information about CENTIPEDE (again, thanks Agents of SHIELD). Lincoln Campbell tried to escape Inhuman life as a doctor there (again, Agents of SHIELD). It’s also where Bucky sarcastically remarked Steve Rogers was from for one of his many fake ID’s to get in the army (Captain America: The First Avenger). And, it’s also where Helmut Zemo tracked down a super soldier in hiding (Captain America: Civil War). So, what I’m saying is, if you’re interested in lying low in the MCU, you don’t go to Ohio. Someone will find you.

Billy’s Memory

Billy Russo’s memory being jumbled, or having gaps, provides a nice storytelling device, but it’s also a nice nod to the comics. His memory was manipulated, or he was brainwashed, a few times. The only thing that restored his memory those times? Fighting the Punisher, of course.

A Jigsaw Puzzle

Lots of puzzle references to Billy, and with good reason. In the comics, he’s Jigsaw. The guy gets thrown through a plate glass window and his face is put back together like a jigsaw by a surgeon. He takes on the name and vows revenge.

Billy’s Mask

His mask is more than just to build suspense by covering up his face. You’ll see there are red and blue colors on the sides? It’s meant to be a nod to an art therapy practice that’s become helpful in treating soldiers with PTSD as a result of their work. Soldiers are instructed to create a mask to show people what they’re feeling on the inside, even if they can’t say it. National Geographic did a whole piece on how the work has been helping people. I wrote about it in my Jigsaw list, briefly.

S2E03 “Trouble The Water”

129

The door number that is clearly visible when Billy breaks out of the hospital with his therapist’s help is 129. To be fair, most house numbers, door numbers, and phone numbers are completely random. This one might be a coincidence. But… Amazing Spider-Man issue 129 was the very first appearance of the Punisher. Jigsaw AKA Billy Russo appeared over 30 issues later in the same series. It seems purposeful.

Mahoney

Look at Mahoney, making the rounds still. He started as a character on Daredevil and has worked his way through the Netflix shows.

The Pilgrim

That’s the name given in press releases to the religious villain who has some, uh, questionable tattoos removed once upon a time. He’s not a specific comic book character, but a lot of people have compared him to the Mennonite from the old Punisher comics.

S2E04 “Scar Tissue”

WHiH

The world news station of choice in the MCU, this one gets more attention in the movies. It’s covering news from every corner of the globe. Recently, it’s made its way into the Netflix shows, Agents of SHIELD, and Runaways as well.

WJBP TV

Another station in the MCU, this one is local. It’s typically only seen in the Netflix corner of the universe, so it’s usually covering New York news.

The Kitten Hanging On The Branch

I’m sorry, but did anyone not see one of these posters if they grew up in the United States? Nice nod to the inspirational poster schtick the public school system has. I think I saw it in guidance counselor offices at every school I went to.

New York Bulletin

Yes, the Bulletin is still going strong despite losing a lot of its staff in the second season of Daredevil.

Amy AKA Rachel

Okay, so despite looking like a nod to the little kid who keeps Frank’s secret in the comics, this character also appears to be a nod to Rachel Cole. She ended up in the middle of a gang war and became a vigilante, falling in with Frank.

Baseball

So, Billy had a thing for baseball? You know who else had a thing for baseball? Dex AKA Bullseye in Daredevil season two. Nice job keeping your sociopaths on theme, Netflix MCU.

S2E05 “One-Eyed Jacks”

Three Card Monte

I have a hard time believing that Frank Castle, marine, killer, and all around street savvy dude, doesn’t understand how Three Card Monte works. Then again, maybe no one has tried to swindle him with cards because they value their life. Who knows? Anyway, I found this version interesting because most people who hustle with it want you to “find the lady” as the queen of hearts. Here, it’s the queen of diamonds. I’m not sure what that says, but it’s interesting. (Also, I feel like Amy AKA Rachel and Skye AKA Daisy would get along. It reminded me of the sugar packets and Mike’s ID in the Agents of SHIELD pilot).

Turk Barrett

At this point, if you don’t know who Turk is, I’m just going to assume you haven’t seen any of the Netflix shows before. In which case, why are you reading these Easter eggs? Go start watching from the beginning, and then come back.

Oh, sh1t!

I think it’s cute that for all her life as a hustler, she doesn’t use actual curse words, but instead, speaks the way teens might curse via text.

S2E06 “Nakazal”

“You could always burn the place down.”

I feel like this is a nod to how arson tends to be a last resort for Frank in the comics. He prefers to go in, guns blazing, and just take people out. There are a few stories where he’s torched whole buildings, but they usually are just a minor thing in a major story arc.

Anderson And Eliza Schultz

Not comic book characters, but they do share their surname with Herman Schultz AKA the Shocker. I think that’s probably not a big connection. Instead, it’s more likely that the writers liked the name, and as a bonus, it gives them a nod to comic creators Charles Schultz (Peanuts) and Mark Schultz (art for DC, but also really big in indie comics).

I’m not going to list all of the political commentary in this episode, but whew. They really went for it.

S2E07 “One Bad Day”

The Title

“All it takes is one bad day to reduce the sanest man to lunacy.” Or at least, that’s what the Joker believes in Batman’s The Killing Joke. It’s one of the biggest Batman stories ever, so I’m thinking the title is no coincidence. I also think a few staff members are Batman fans since the kid in the first episode also had a Batman backpack.

Fragmentation Grenade

An interesting choice for a weapon since in the comics, Jigsaw gets healed a few times, only to have his face ruined again by the Punisher. One of those times is the result of a fragmentation grenade.

S2E08 “My Brother’s Keeper”

The Fatal Shore By Robert Hughes

The book Amy reads when she’s bored in the trailer is actually about the founding of Australia. History teaches us it was a penal colony - the place where criminals were shipped to start over - but there were already Aboriginals there, which made for quite the conflict. Someone like Amy probably would have found the crime, the hustle of the whole thing, interesting, but she doesn’t strike me as someone who would be into history, so it’s no wonder she put it down.

“He did everything he could to you to make sure you suffered for the rest of your life.”

Yes. This is exactly why Frank leaves Billy alive in the comics. He kills everyone who had a hand in the deaths of his family - all but Billy, even though they weren’t as close as brothers in the comics. He leaves Billy alive so that the guy can suffer, but also to serve as a warning to anyone who comes after him. Billy spends a lot of his story arcs either trying to get revenge, or trying to get his “pretty boy” looks back.

S2E09 “Flustercluck”

Valhalla

Do we say this is a nod to the Thor franchise, or do we just accept that the world at large has the idea of Valhalla as paradise? Your call.

“I’m not the one that dies…”

I’ll confess Punisher is not my comic book cup of tea, but I feel like he said this line in a comic once. I could be wrong.

S2E10 “The Dark Hearts Of Men”

The Title

Pretty sure this is a nod to a Bible verse about humanity. But I’m not up on my Bible knowledge and a google search just gives me a bunch of reviews of this episode, so I’m sorry this isn’t more specific?

“Drunkards Prayer”

This is the song that plays when the Pilgrim is both fighting and recovering from his fight. It’s a song about wanting to be pious, but knowing you’re an addict. And it fits with his character pretty well. AJ McLean (of the Backstreet Boys) covered it once, if you’re interested. I think you could also apply it to just about any character in Castle’s world - people wanting to be better, but unable to leave the bad things in their life behind. And no, I won’t dissect every song choice for the season, but this one stuck with me.

Making Castle Believe The Worst

Making the Punisher believe he killed innocent people is straight out of the comics. It’s one trick a villain uses to bring him down, though ultimately, he figures out he wasn’t the one responsible. That looks like the same thing here with Castle believing he killed the women and the therapist’s “I know how to break Castle” thing.

S2E11 “The Abyss”

Queens

I find it interesting that the Punisher is frequenting Queens a lot in this season. (The warehouse where he gets arrested, as noted in the radio broadcast, is in Queens.) Why? Because he was introduced in a Spider-Man comic and frequently crossed paths with the web crawler. Where is Peter Parker from? Queens.

Karen Page

Karen’s appearance as Frank’s “lawyer” here muddles the timeline a bit. We’ve all been thinking this occurs after season three of Daredevil. That season ended with Matt and Foggy reforming Nelson and Murdock, but with making Karen a partner as well. Never mind that she doesn’t have a law degree or anything like that. But, Karen introduces herself as representing Nelson and Murdock. Maybe her name isn’t in the business because she’s not a lawyer? Or maybe this is actually set before that? Who knows? It’s all very ambiguous.

Sacred Saints Hospital

While this hospital didn’t appear in another episode, the Sacred Saints Cemetery did, and I wonder if they’re connected to one another? Sacred Saints is where Elektra was supposedly buried, which gives us a lot of Daredevil connections in this episode, huh?

Matt Murdock

Frank mentions the man himself while talking with Karen. I feel like this is more of a reminder that Frank knows Matt is Daredevil than it is a legit comment on the state of Matt and Karen’s relationship.

Karen’s Shoes

Not an Easter egg, but I like that the payment to the morgue tech/assistant medical examiner was her very expensive shoes, not something tropey like drinks with him. Thank you, writers. This was cute. Also, it gave Karen the means to run around the hotel easier and not be held back by her heels.

S2E12 “Collision Course”

Mr. Blue

The only thing I noticed in this episode was the nickname given to Billy by the florist. It’s actually the alias Betty Ross used in the comments when Bruce Banner was a fugitive and she tried to stay in contact with him. Probably not intentional, but you never know.

S2E13 “The Whirlwind”

“...pull your spine out of your throat…”

In the “Space” stories for the Punisher, he does something like this to Ultron, funnily enough. He reaches into Ultron’s mouth and pulls his core out, not his spine, through his throat.

Dive School In Florida

Okay, I couldn’t find any characters associated with the Punisher who spend a lot of time in Florida, but I can tell you Florida made its first appearance for Marve in Marvel Comics #1, that Man-Thing is from there, and that Captain Marvel spent time there working for NASA. Florida has also popped up in a few episodes of Agents of SHIELD. It’s where Joey (former SHIELD ally and Inhuman teammate) lives, where Elena has friends, and where May and Coulson pretended to be married to steal a painting.

The Final Shot

That final image of Castle in his Punisher vest opening fire has been in several comics. It’s clear it’s intentional.

Stan Lee

The final episode closes with an “in loving memory.” Not really an Easter egg, but worth a mention. While Stan Lee did not create the Punisher, he had a hand in his name. Originally, Frank Castle was going to be called the Assassin. Lee thought they should go for something a little less on the nose, and coined the Punisher.

A few notes for the season:

Castle never purposely uses lethal force against law enforcement. I guess that’s supposed to make us believe that his killing of all the bad guys is acceptable.

The support group that Curtis leads? One of my favorite things is that there are a lot of flyers on the bulletin boards behind them for things like free puppies. A lot of these guys would do better (not suddenly be whole again, but maybe do a little bit better) with an emotional support animal. It’s proven that having an animal to come home to can actually help you live longer. It’s one of the reasons there are groups that take animals into children’s hospitals and retirement homes for people to play with.

The season finale actually feels very final to me. I think this might have been the only one of the MCU Netflix shows where the writers thought they might not come back? Because it seems like they closed everything up nicely instead of teasing something else down the line.

That’s all I’ve got this time around. The next Easter egg list on the horizon for me is, I believe, Captain Marvel, which should be up the same weekend it releases since I’m seeing that one opening night.

#punisher #punisher season 2 #punisher easter eggs #marvel easter eggs #easter eggs

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lilacskyent-blog · 6 years ago

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Breakfast with Alex Wex

People have a million opinions and false facts about the digital world we live in today, and even more about social media. For a lot of people, they use platforms like Instagram and Twitter to follow celebrities, and some use it to bully celebrities. Most forget that that connection can also be used for good. We live in a world of amazing accessibility and, when used properly, could foster a wonderful connection between people. A prime example of this is the Will Smith Jump event that took the internet by storm, that all started with a video message. It’s incredible what can happen when you reach out to people. That was the main thought in my mind before sitting down with Alex Wex yesterday. Alex Wex is an amazing Twitch streamer, and until recently, was a producer for FBE and REACT on Youtube. As of this interview, Alex Wex has fostered a wonderful community through Twitch and Discord known as the Jank Squad, and recently broke his view count record at 210 viewers for his birthday stream, also hitting close to 600 subscribers. Given that I was in Atlanta and he was in LA we couldn’t actually meet for breakfast like I usually do so we had an amazing video chat instead.

So for starters, I just want to thank you for sitting down with me. I’ve been following your work since I first saw you on FBE and I think you’re an awesome dude so thanks. I wanna start at the very beginning because I’m really interested in your story. So, I know you went to high school in Atlanta, GA. What can you tell me about that?

I was actually born in Manhattan, my family moved to Atlanta around pre-K and I lived there up until I graduated from Riverwood High School. All my friends wanted to go to UGA or Georgia Tech but I was really interested in traveling and branching out, so I went to Ohio for college, and now I live in L.A. I made some truly amazing friends in Atlanta, and having this kind of east coast, south culture mixture has made life pretty interesting.

When did you know you wanted to work in entertainment, and what led to you becoming a producer?

When I was a kid, my family liked to record family videos, and I always wanted to see the recording. I had the eye for production pretty early. Once I started high school I got involved in performing, did Grease, The Wiz, and a few other school plays that got me interested in the performance aspect as well. In college, I majored in video production with a minor in film and sociology so I gained real knowledge of the art that happens behind the camera.

How does one go from school in Atlanta to working at FBE?

As I mentioned before I went to college at Ohio University, what got me was their video production department. I actually still work with the head of the department and speak to the alumni when they come here, advising them on some dos and don'ts. As a graduation gift, my Dad gave me an all expense paid trip to anywhere I wanted to go in the U.S for a few days and I chose L.A. So I was here, hanging out with my current roommate Johnny and we just decided to come out here permanently and live the dream. So I packed up my car and drove from Atlanta to LA and started looking for internships while working at Chipotle.I first joined FBE as an intern, then got hired as a PA and eventually was a writer for some of their scripted shows, and I worked my way up until I was offered the producer position. I loved producing because that involved every aspect of working behind the camera, from writing to filming to editing and seeing the baby from birth to fully grown. Being in front of the camera came back when FBE launched the community team and started streaming on Twitch.

Watching Alex grow on YouTube, putting reactors in hilarious challenges, eat crazy concoctions and brave some insane hot sauces that would make Sean Evans proud, his personality radiates through the screen. His passion for both sides of the camera is clear in the quality of every video he makes. However, taking part in one of his Twitch streams gives you an even more full experience. It’s like the difference between a teaser trailer and a full film.

Freddy or Jason?

Freddy is my favorite in Dead By Daylight but I love Jason, in fact, Friday the 13th was the first game I ever streamed. I’d have to say, Jason.

So, we were in high school in the baby years of YouTube, I mostly used it for music videos and anime, I think back then I only followed Phil Defranco and Timothy Delaghetto consistently. Back then, did you ever look at YouTube and think “this is going to revolutionize the world and turn traditional media on its head?”

Yeah, it’s changed everything. Almost every network has a YouTube channel now. Late night shows and things like SNL upload segments that get massive amounts of views. YouTube is still growing, testing out its premium service and channel enrollment and things like that, but it’s exciting to see where it’s going to end up.

It’s even crazier when you think about how much Twitch has already changed the game.

Definitely, I mean we’ve seen what happens when some of the top YouTube creators come over to Twitch and realize that it’s completely different from what they’re used to. It’s more like an improv radio show, you have to be on for two or three hours and avoid dead air, rather than being able to edit something together. It’s hard to be constantly entertaining when you're used to delivering a finished edit rather than a live audience. For example, Logan Paul had over 100,000 people in his first stream but after that, the numbers dropped just cause that’s not his world. Live Streaming is a constant conversation. It’s the opposite of YouTube.

I remember seeing YouTubers flood to Twitch after the adpocalypse and feeling like it made no sense. A lot of vloggers and creators who never expressed any interest in video games were all suddenly obsessed with Fortnite. However, when people like Alex Wex came to Twitch they brought genuine love of gaming, skill, and a great sense of community.

What insight can you give into the world of a producer? Especially on the internet, how to figure out what videos are gonna get views or go viral?

It’s a case by case basis depending on what you make. With Challenge Chalice, we made it during the high point of internet challenges and we had consistent challenges to make content with constantly, but this past year challenges have kinda quieted down so that got more difficult. We revisited and revised a lot of earlier challenges to make them more interesting, and that has to do with being present during every step of the process. You can’t slack off on anything, from script to editing. Being organized is key, and definitely take on the ideas and criticisms of the people working with you. Be flexible and open-minded. It’s not about balance, it’s about harmony.

3 Breakfast must haves?

Bacon

Grits

Belgian Waffles are incredible

Hack-n-slash? RPG? Or FPS? And why?

That’s complicated. Overwatch is one of my favorite games but it doesn’t play exactly like an FPS. For me, hack-n-slash for games like Dead Cells, Rogue Lights, I love games with massive replay value. I’m playing Diablo 3 on switch right now and I love it.

What games are best for streaming? Does the game you play matter?

A little, but it shouldn’t be everything. You want your audience to gravitate towards your personality. Never play something you don’t enjoy playing. I love Overwatch and it’s not one of the current hot stream games but I love playing it. Story games are complicated. If people miss parts of story mode games they tune it out cause they won’t know what’s going on. More than anything put your own spin on what you’re doing. For example, when I do Dead By Daylight I do stream vs chat where my chat helps the survivors escape if I’m playing the killer. In fact, chatting streams are starting to really blow up. It’s more about the person playing than the game they play.

What game has you hype for 2019?

That’s tough, but probably Kingdom Hearts 3. I’m excited for Smash Bros for my last game of 2018 too.

What led you to Twitch?

I’d seen some of it, but Tom had been doing it for 6 months and kept suggesting it until one day I finally did. I had a decent setup with an ultra-wide monitor and Tom’s old video capture device and I started streaming Dead by Daylight. We actually came into the name Jank Squad because of how janky the streams were in the beginning.

What led you to leave FBE and what are you working on now?

I wanted to focus more on my Twitch, and it was exhausting streaming at work on the days when I’m also streaming at home. I wanted to give my audience the most energy I could and be more involved with them as a community. I’m creating new ways to interact with my audience, more active in my Discord, and after working there for 5 years I felt stuck. There wasn’t any new learning experience and things felt a little sour and monotonous with the new direction things were going in. I’m actually getting a new camera and a green screen to upgrade the stream quality. I’d love to make partner with Twitch.

What’s the dream?

I take things to step by step. I’m definitely in a transition right now. I’m looking for another good full-time job at the moment. I’d love to be a full-time streamer but I’d also love to produce my own stuff and then stream after work. Streaming is probably one of the most consistent things I’ve ever done. Funny enough, that’s part of what got me into it cause Tom knew my leisure activity was video games, and streaming just takes that to another level. It definitely takes work, but the community you foster on this platform is unlike any other with the rating system and how everything is set up.

Alright so the zombie apocalypse is upon us and you can have 1 mortal character, one god tier video game character, and one Reactor in your survival squad, who you got?

Kratos from God of War 2 causes his chain blades would tear through everything, my regular would be Leon from Resident Evil 4 cause his aim is amazing and he’s used to zombies, and my Reactor would be Chelsea cause she knows so much about The Walking Dead. That’s my squad.

East Coast or West Coast

East, it’s where I was born and bred.

Top 10 songs or artists on your playlist right now?

Meek Mill- Intro with the amazing Phil Collins sample

Tyler the Creator’s Grinch is great for the holidays

The Cool-Lupe Fiasco

Chance The Rapper’s new songs

Paramore- Ain’t It Fun

You come from the same city I did with only a two year age difference, and you’re the first brown face I saw in relation to FBE and now you’re killing it on Twitch. Do you know how dope you are?

I appreciate that. I like to think I’m dope in some ways but I also do my best to keep it real, keep myself humble, and not letting the numbers get to my head. I hope everyone thinks they’re fucking awesome, cause they are. I have my good and bad days but I like to look at what has been built and keep grinding. Everyone is on a different time stream. I don’t want to rush things, I’m on my own path, and right now I just wanna build this community.

I for one, am excited to see what comes next from Alex Wex, including his stream later this week. You can find him @ItsMrWex

-Strawberry Smirk of Lilac Sky Entertainment

#twitch #fbe #stream #gaming #producer #lilacsky #alex wex #digital #media #breakfast

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mythicamagic · 7 years ago

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Diabolik Fairy Tales - Chapter 10

AU - The Diabolik Lovers re-imagined as fairy tale characters. Each chapter will feature a different diaboy, as their dark natures become entwined with the original macabre fairy tales of the past. Includes smut with a nameless heroine (slight reader insert)

Rated M Trailer is here

Chapter 1 - Yuma Mukami Chapter 2 - Shuu Sakamaki

Chapter 3 - Kanato Sakamaki Chapter 4 - Ayato Sakamaki

Chapter 5 - Ruki Mukami Chapter 6 - Laito Sakamaki

Chapter 7 - Azusa Mukami Chapter 8 - Reiji Sakamaki

Chapter 9 - Kou Mukami Chapter 10 - Subaru Sakamaki

Warnings: Smut

AN: This will be combining two fairy tales, just for something different. ^^

Thank you everyone who commented and stuck with the story, I'm sorry it took a little while to complete. Happy new year!

This chapter follows on from Ayato's chapter and yes, all the Sakamaki's chapters are connected, but it's not necessary to read Ayato's to understand this one. Title translation is: A two step - the swan and the beast.

Un pas de deux - La Cygne et la Bète ~

When the third son, Ayato Sakamaki, took the crown, a murmur of sympathy rippled through the crowds. At his victory, a certain brother - the youngest, had lost his opportunity to provide for his mother. The White Rose remained uncured of her mental instability, and from his failure, she lost all hope of being restored to her former untainted glory.

After the coronation, the youngest Prince disappeared into the heart of the forest. ~

White fur brushed against leaves, a single snap of a twig signalling the creature's approach. Musty scents of a rabbit filled his nose, making his mouth salivate- jaws opening and spreading wide to reveal spittle coated teeth. Ears lay flat on his head, body slowly crouching down as prey was sighted. The forest lay completely silent around him as he remained still. Waiting...

A flurry of chaos broke out, but not from him. White feathers clouded his vision as swan burst from the bushes, making the creature's eyes fly wide. The rabbit fled, disturbed by the commotion. The swan disappeared through the foliage nosily, flapping it's wings.

Frustration welled up viciously fast inside him. A low growl escaped clenched teeth, before the creature took off running through the trees, pursuing the swan. He scented the lake nearby, and bid himself to move faster, running on four legs.

Branches and thistles of the surrounding greenery ripped into his face, but he hardly cared as he propelled himself forward, until the lake came into view. Smelling the swan just beneath him on the water, and uncaring of the depth of it, he jumped straight in from the bank.

Loud cries of surprise filled his ears as he snapped his jaws, biting down. He tasted feathers and felt the thin but strong bone of a wing under his teeth. If it wasn't for the need to kick his legs to keep afloat, he would've ripped the wing clean off. As it was, he was forced to let go. Water thrashed as the swan tried to fly away, but only succeeded in dragging itself over the surface of the lake.

He growled and swam after it, in hot pursuit of the swan as it's graceless form swam into a disk of moonlight on the surface of the water. Red eyes widened as a harsh light suddenly burst forth from the swans body, blinding the creature and forcing his eyes closed.

When the light died down, his eyes peeled reluctantly open as he tread water, starting at the sight before him.

A terrified woman stared back.

She clutched her bleeding arm to her as she kicked her legs, trying to stay afloat. Moonlight bathed her features in a soft glow, hair wet and curling in the water.

The two regarded each other in shocked silence. However, the woman's struggles to stay afloat became apparent as her head dipped under the surface, before rising again. She sputtered a few times and tried to swim, but sank under once more.

His eyes followed her form, hesitating a moment. When she didn't rise again, and bubbles floated to the surface, he plunged into the water after her. Through some difficult navigation, he was able to carry her partially on his back, her arms looped weakly around his neck. He could hear her breathing shallowly, her wet, trembling form pressing against him. The contact felt strange, foreign.

He sighed in relief when they reached the shore, and the woman let go, scrambling away from him a little.

"Why did- you save me?" She coughed, looking up at him warily.

Red eyes narrowed. He cleared his throat, as if forming the words in his head. "It's... not like I knew you were a human when I bit you. Tch..." His voice was tinged with hoarseness, like he hadn't spoken in some time.

Her eyes widened, having not expected him to be able to talk. "Is there...magic in you?" She breathed, clutching her bleeding arm a little tighter. Her underlying question was clear. She searched for signs of a curse silently.

Startled by how easily she'd come to that conclusion, he automatically frowned at her, not liking the vulnerability her question unearthed.

"You should worry more about that arm, idiot." He muttered gruffly, drawing himself up to stand on four legs.

He bristled at the way she looked at him, as if figuring out which parts of him looked human. His appearance at first glance was that of a large wolf, but upon closer inspection one would see his 'paws' were more like claw tipped hands. His hind legs were capable of letting him stand upright, and his upper body resembled something of a mans. Feathers were also mixed in with that of his coarse white fur, giving him all round a very odd appearance. He wore no clothes, as they'd long since been ripped to shreds from his time spent in the forest, and his eyes- at first glance, looked inhuman from their shade of red. Lastly though, and what the woman seemed most fixated on, were his jaws. He had the slight muzzle of a wolfs, and though shorter, his teeth were no less deadly sharp.

He glanced down at her shivering form, her soaked white dress clinging to her and leaving little to the imagination. He tsked and started to walk away from the lake.

"Wait, please!" She called after him. "That castle over there...it's the Sakamaki's isn't it? Do you think they would help patch up my arm?" Her shaking finger pointed to the castle not too far from the lake, overlooking the forest surrounding them. The telltale hesitance in her voice showed that she knew the reputation of the residents, especially the new King.

"How should I know?" He muttered, padding away from her and shaking his fur in a very undignified way.

An hour later though, despite himself, he approached the castle, keeping to the shadows as he watched the side entrance. He smelled the gentle suggestion of her scent, and spotted flecks of blood on the ground. She must have been accepted inside after all.

Something twisted in him at the sight of the familiar castle, as it always did. It stood tall and imposing, but the past horrors inside it's walls were what kept him away. In particular, a lone tower drew his gaze and held it captive. The creature drew back from his hiding spot, turning away. It didn't matter what happened to the girl anyway.

After that, he believed that he would never lay eyes on the swan-woman again.

His jaws sank into hide and bone, tearing it aside in order to gorge himself on muscle and flesh. It bloodied his mouth, coating his tongue and teeth with the hot red substance. He happily busied himself with the carcass of the stag, his audience completely undetected.

The swan-woman watched, fear, disgust and horror curling in her stomach as she hid in the bushes. And yet...she understood such things were necessary in order to survive in the wild. As a swan, she could vaguely remember eating pondweed, insects and tadpoles. Wetting her lips once his appetite appeared to be sated, she stepped out from the bushes.

The creature tensed, looking at her sharply with blazing, feral eyes. She stilled, before steeling herself and murmuring;

"You're cursed too, aren't you?"

A distrust filled silence answered her question. She introduced herself, dropping the title of 'princess' in there. Odette, he could call her. She curtsied politely, or at least, tried to. Her damaged left arm, wrapped in bandages, made movement difficult. The creature shifted warily from the body of the stag, his mouth still caked with blood.

"When I went to the castle, they treated my arm." She explained. "I spoke to one of the Princes there, Reiji. When I told him what had happened...he gave me your name."

A forced smile bent her lips at his narrowed gaze. "It's nice to meet you, Prince Subaru."

Between one moment and the next, a claw tipped hand met her collarbone. Her head hit the forest floor as he shoved her body down into the earth.

"Why'd you approach me again?" The words hissed out from bloodied teeth, inches away from her frozen face.

His body leaned over hers, pinning her down to the ground heavily. Her stomach churned from his hot breath, her hand drawing into a fist at her side as fight or flight kicked in. She automatically struggled, the instincts of the swan, prey, bid her to flee.

His weight pressed her down harder, a fierce snarl shuddering into her ear. It made her eyes widen, body automatically stilling.

She looked up at him, stiff with fright. "Because...we're the same." She gritted out, trying to shove down her fear, though her trembling betrayed her.

A thunderous growl escaped him, rumbling from deep within his chest. It hissed out like curling smoke from his jaws. "We're nothing alike. Got that?"

He glared down at her, slightly surprised when she continued to speak, meeting his gaze with wet eyes.

"I-I don't know the circumstances for why you got cursed, Prince Reiji wouldn't say. But I got cursed by a Warlock..." she tried to ease him into conversation. His brother had mentioned that Subaru had sank into isolation, and from the looks of things, being alone wasn't helping. It frightened her to see a former Prince so wild. It wasn't his appearance that unsettled her either; his manner, body language, everything nearly resembled that of a wild animals. It was as if he'd completely accepted his appearance to be his natural self.

"Hah? I ain't interested in your damn story!" He sneered. "Why'd you really approach me? I'm not gonna accept a shitty reason like us being alike."

"It's the truth! I'm just...I'm happy not to be alone." She revealed, feeling rotten for admitting it. "Sorry. I know that's awful. But, when I was in the castle...I felt like my heart was going to burst. I felt like a swan, even though I was human, trapped inside stone walls. Caged..." she trailed off, voice small. "Not to mention...Sakamaki castle is infamous for having cruel rulers. That's why I've stayed by the lake so long. It's more freeing being outside."

"...Tch." He glanced away, the weight on her chest easing away.

She slowly sat up into a sitting position when he drew back. Her heart continued to beat wildly in her chest, but the answers she sought loosened her tongue. "You felt that way too, didn't you, Prince Subaru? That's why you're out here in the woods instead of inside-"

Subaru snarled, rounding on her. "Just leave me alone! If you approach me again...I'll kill you." He glared, turning away again as he stood on all fours. "And drop the 'Prince' crap. I gave up that title a long time ago."

These were his parting words, as the former prince walked away from the clearing, leaving her alone.

She'd always found roses to be beautiful.

Since she'd arrived at the lake a week ago, the swan princess had found odd patches of them hidden in the bushes here and there. Their sweet scent drew her closer, like a moth to a flame. They were a source of comfort to her in this strange new land, filled with unknowns and a rogue former Prince. So it was that one night, after the moonlight had changed her feathers into skin once more, she was lured back to the castle.

She padded bare-foot around it's looming outer wall and stumbled upon a side entrance, which was laying open for anyone to wander into. She crept inside the castle grounds, feeling like she was intruding. Though they'd treated her wounds and were somewhat more decent than the rumours she'd heard, the Princes had seemed uninterested in her plight, much like Subaru.

The scent of roses filled her nostrils, distracting her. She was lured in further by their beauty, finding only pure white ones in the castle garden. She briefly wondered why, but it didn't stop her from reaching for one, wanting to touch it's soft looking petals.

"Don't touch it!"

A claw tipped hand closed over her own, and she started, looking up at blazing red. Subaru tugged her away from the roses, the feel of his calloused hand making the image of him gorging himself on the dead stag fade slightly. His touch felt warm and human even as he growled at her.

"You stay away from the roses. Got it? They ain't for you."

A brief flash of annoyance welled up inside her. "I know they're not mine, but you don't have to be so rough. I wasn't trying to pick them or anything."

"Tch...even touching them makes them dirty." He grumbled, gaze drawing up to the tower not too far away. When he realised that she'd followed his line of sight, and was now curiously regarding the tall, stone prison, he let her go quickly. "Just get outta here. Why are you even hanging around these parts?"

It was her turn to shrink away slightly, lips thinning. "...The lake near this castle is the only one that can transform me back into a human at night. The warlock who cursed me made it so...because here, I'm far from the one who can break my curse."

Subaru sneered. "Well if you know where that person is, then go to them. If they're so damn special, they'll know it's you even if you're a swan when you see em'."

The swan princess drew further away, holding her bandaged arm. It was then she realised that he was standing on two legs, looking more human. She blinked, and he drew himself down, muscles shifting to accommodate him. On all fours, his appearance looked...wrong. He'd become the twisted creature once more, that was neither man nor beast.

She was about to speak, when a scream reached her ears. It rang out loudly from the tower window, which only now did she notice had bars over it. The scream descended into hysterical sounds, and the princess felt a rush of air brush violently past her face. It was only then did she realise Subaru had ran away, melting into the shadows and safety of the forest. Her eyes shifted back to the lonely tower window, and her heart clenched at the sound of soft sobbing from within.

The White Rose sat on the window ledge, bathed in sunlight. Her dulled red eyes stared sightlessly at the bright outside world, barred to her. Fragments of her torn white hair lay in tatters around her 'room' though she didn't notice them. Vague memories came back to her, ebbing and flowing away like the tide. Just when she thought she'd grasped them, they fell through her fingers. But distantly, the image of a gentle boy with white hair came back to her. She was broken from her heavy thoughts by the flapping of large wings. A shadow darted past her window, before a flurry of white clouded her vision. Christa drew back, startled as the swan perched on her window on the other side of the bars.

It made a noise, but otherwise looked at her calmly, settling itself down. Christa blinked, carefully shifting closer, though the swan could do her no harm, barred from her.

"Hello..." she greeted softly. The swan looked at her curiously, and noticed the resemblance. How could she not? She knew it somehow instinctively...that the fragile, imprisoned woman was Prince Subaru's mother.

Christa hesitantly touched her feathers, her fingers pale, touch soft. Her timid, tense expression melted, and she smiled at the swan, reaching through the bars to stroke the swan's neck. The creature held still for her and was patient with the woman's timid hand. It was only when the sound of keys jangling in the lock did the swan draw away. Christa smiled tiredly.

"Thank you...please come back sometime." She murmured. The swan dropped away from her perch at the window, just as the door opened to reveal a servant with some food.

She soared down from the tower, looping around it a few times and then flying back to her usual haunt, touching down on the bank of the lake. She ruffled her features in the sunlight, and started when she heard the leaves rustle. Her webbed feet drew her back and large wings unfolded, sensing the threat before she saw it. Subaru padded out of the bushes, his lupine features standing out to her more, now that she was true prey.

But he didn't look angry with her, as per usual. In fact...his eyes only seemed worn, and searching.

"So...you saw her, huh?" He asked, voice a rasp of sound.

She couldn't reply as a swan, but folded her wings, looking at him silently. He sighed heavily, glancing away from her and looking at the lake. It almost seemed like he was less guarded with her as a swan, rather than when she were human.

"You probably...brought her more comfort in that single moment, than I ever have." He muttered, tone acidic. There was no jealously in it, just a hatred, that the swan was steadily realising was directed at himself. She wanted to ask him so many questions, but had to resign herself to settling down on the bank. Subaru remained with her mutely, and they watched the current of the waters, the light slowly dimming on the surface of the lake. When it was time for her to transform, the swan slipped onto the lake water, into the disk of waiting moonlight.

The princess soon breathed out into human lungs, but when she turned, treading water, only the empty bank greeted her.

She kept going back to visit his mother as a swan, and more often, when she left, Subaru become a silent presence at her side. He sat by the lake with her mutely, and always after transforming, the first thing she saw was his back as he walked away.

Finally, she could bare it no more, and shouted from the water, bathed in moonlight. "WAIT!" She yelled at the top of her voice.

He stilled, back turned to her. White fur shifted as muscle moved, and he turned to look at her. "What?" He grumbled.

She waded in from the water, heedless of the image she made. Wet clothes plastered to her skin, dress hitched up to reveal her thigh. She breathed out, trembling slightly from the cold as she frowned at him. "Stay." She breathed.

He frowned at her. "Ha? You orderin' me?" He uttered in a dark tone.

"No, of course not. It's just that...I want you to. Please stay and talk with me. Or it can just be like when I'm a swan. We don't have to speak. Just...please."

Subaru frowned deeper, ears twitching and flattening. He briefly inhaled, and her scent flooded his senses. Stifling it, he lifted a shoulder and dropped it. "...Tch. Fine, whatever. It's your fault if I end up hurting you."

She nodded eagerly, and the two settled into an awkward pattern. Their nights were composed of odd fragments of conversation, which she suspected were more from him being socially awkward, rather than him brushing her off.

"Why do you keep...doin' that weird posing shit?" Subaru grumbled one night.

She straightened her posture, standing a little ways away from him. "Ah...they're ballet poses." She admitted, cheeks heating slightly. "I used to practice all the time, but when I was sent here...I didn't exactly get to bring my shoes or tutu." She laughed softly.

Subaru tensed, eyes widening a touch at the sound. His gaze travelled over her, before fixing his attention firmly on the lake again.

Another night, she held a blanket around her shoulders, which had been waiting for her on the bank. She'd thanked him, but he'd just sneered at her, revealing sharp teeth. The princess had dropped the subject, but not without a smile.

"It's a pretty popular theory that all curses can be broken by true love." The swan princess grinned, looking at him as she made conversation.

Subaru snorted. "Sounds dumb. Like the whole thing's been romanticised." He glared daggers at the lake water as if it were personally responsible for spreading the misconception.

She lifted a shoulder. "Well, there's no harm in trying. My curse is a little different. I had to name who would break my curse right at the start. Name my champion, as it were. I chose Prince Siegfried."

Subaru's glare lessened, becoming pensive. "I've heard of him. Neighbourin' kingdom, right? What does he have to do?"

"Well, he has to proclaim his love to the world. You know, as an engagement announcement to me, or something like that."

"If it's that easy, why the hell hasn't he done it yet?" Subaru grumbled.

At this, the princess fell silent. She clasped her hands behind her and watched the moonlight on the lake, eyes unreadable. "He's just busy. I've known him for a long time. We've been set to marry since we were young. He can be a bit scatterbrained, a daydreamer. But he's a good man. He killed the warlock, Von Rothbart who cursed me...but the spell still didn't break."

"Why'd that bastard even curse you?"

The princess smiled, knowing she'd be thought of as one of the romantics he'd just sneered at. "I didn't love him, so I refused his offer of marriage. He didn't take the rejection well. When he died...I woke up here." She muttered, voice becoming quieter.

They lapsed into silence for a moment, both of them watching the lake before them. Subaru frowned. There were holes in her story, like why she hadn't tried to reach Siegfried in swan form if she couldn't transform anywhere else. But he didn't call her out on it. He hadn't revealed anything about his curse. He caught the faint sound of her sighing next to him, before she turned and forced a smile.

"Let's not dwell on that. What about you, anyway?"

Subaru's ears lay flat, his lip lifting in a warning sneer. "What about me?"

"You could always try to find a true love." She suggested gently.

His tail swished in agitation even as he laughed humorlessly. "That ain't gonna happen."

Setting her hands on her hips, she regarded him stubbernly. "Not with that attitude, it's not. You should try. I'll help you." She smiled encouragingly.

His hackles raised. "You're a damn busybody is what you are." He growled.

"I think I could be a pretty good match maker. What have you got to lose?"

"More like - what have I got to gain? Tch, no idiot would sign up for my crap, and I wouldn't want them to."

Her gaze gentled as her hands threaded in the comfort of the blanket. "...You don't give yourself enough credit." She muttered quietly.

"Just shut it, will you!" He snarled, standing up on all fours as his claws dug into the earth. "Just drop it! There's no point in breaking my curse anyway." Subaru turned, intent on leaving. "Nothing would change."

This time, she didn't stop him as he left. Guilt made her teeth tug at her bottom lip. Somehow, she got the impression he was punishing himself for something.

One night, instead of a dress waiting for her, as she'd found a few days prior, she stumbled across something which made her expression light up.

There, on the bank, lay a pair of pale pink ballet shoes.

She bent down and picked them up, stroking the ties gently. Gratitude swamped her, gentling her features. "You really...don't give yourself enough credit." The words escaped her softly.

After finding a flat expanse of earth with which to practice on, the swan princess excitedly tied the ribbons of her ballet shoes. It had been a month since she'd properly practised point work, and she'd missed it.

She straightened and felt a surge of nostalgia as she bent her knees and got a feel for the shoes. They'd need to be broken in before she could do more elegant dances. She rose up on her tip toes a few times, smiling slightly, before stretching. She then practised a simple set, manoeuvring around the parts that required a partner, though she felt it a shame there were no lifts. She spun gracefully, her hands crossed at the wrists near her waist, weaving a story with her actions that she unconsciously practised.

Leaves shifted almost silently as her spectator crouched low. Subaru blinked, unreadable features shifting slightly into something more humane. His eyes followed her figure as she jumped and rose high on her tip toes, raising her arms into the air and curving them. Her back arched, and his heart quickened, tracing the curves of her figure. Enraptured and simultaneously disgusted with himself, he breathed out, staying hidden for some time and just watching.

Her ankle gave without warning, sending her to the ground in a heap. Subaru's eyes widened just a touch when she picked herself up, not shaken in the least. A darker part of him recalled her fear that day with the stag, and how he'd enjoyed it. How he'd bathed in the scent of her terror. It was natural, he told himself. He was a beast after all, a twisted, ugly thing. The way they were now, her bathed in moonlight, and him in shadow...those were the correct roles for them. His teeth clenched together, eyes narrowing as he thought to leave.

But something inexplicable had him bursting from the trees when she slipped again, heading for the water. His claw tipped paw- no- hand, latched around her wrist, pulling her back toward him.

Her eyes widened as she fell against him, surprise written across her features as he stood upright with her. His arm insidiously snaked around her waist to steady her. She tried to catch her breath, panting softly from the exertion of pushing herself too hard. "Th-thank you."

Subaru looked down at her, shifting his weight and seeming to realise their positions. He swallowed and cleared his throat, wondering why her eyes and red cheeks made him linger, before his own feet threatened to give unexpectedly, unused to standing upright.

"Ah! It's alright, I've got you." She exclaimed, holding his arms as their bodies swayed. She desperately fought to keep him upright.

"Dammit, let go! I don't stand like this anymore." Subaru growled, wanting to be back on all fours again. It was so much easier being that way, being a beast. Being alone. Letting his mind bleed away into that of an animal's.

He started when she grasped his hand, and put her other on his shoulder. Muscle automatically tensed under her touch. If he could blush, he would have. "The fuck are you doing now?" He snapped, embarrassment blurring into confusion and heightening his temper.

She frowned slightly at him. "It's alright." She repeated, making her tone softer. "You're meant to stand like this. See? Your 'hind legs' aren't wobbling anymore. You should try a few steps."

Subaru glared at her, but she was correct. He was able to stand upright, but he wasn't certain he'd last two steps without her support. His lips curled as he waited for her to lead him forward, only to bristle. "W-well? Get on with it then, if you want to do it so much."

The princess just smiled. "You and I both know that a gentleman must lead. I'm not forcing you to do this...if you want to walk on two legs, then do so."

She eased slightly away, teasingly, which had the desired effect as he snarled and took a step after her. She then side stepped, still loosely holding him, as he followed her step and suddenly dragged her in close. His breath fanned over her cheek, white fur brushing her exposed collarbone. His teeth skimmed her neck. "I'll damn well lead, if only to put you in your place, prey." His voice, pitched low, made her shiver pleasantly.

He then pulled her back a step with him and braced himself, before side stepping, watching his feet as they both navigated a small space. His clawed toenails dragged across the earth, and his hackles raised in irritation as he stumbled. However, her hand at his shoulder curled in a reassuring squeeze. Her fingers brushed the feathers mixed into his fur, and his frown melted away.

Sharp nails dragged over her waist lightly, twitching into the material of her dress. It didn't really occur to him that they were dancing until partway through, him being more focused on moving with her and staying upright. Their eyes met, and he took in the happy blush on her cheeks, the glitter in her eyes.

Her breath caught, and his hand flexed wide on her hip, drawing her slightly closer.

"Subaru you're-" she exclaimed, gaze flitting around his face. She watched as his lupine features shifted away slightly, revealing pale skin. The snout disappeared to reveal his nose, lips thin without the monstrous jaws. He automatically stiffened at her expression and moved away a little.

"What?" He grunted.

"Your face it's..." she breathed, staring at him. He snarled, shoving her back and losing his balance. Just a second before his hands met the ground once more, she watched with wide eyes as his beastly features were returned to him, as if it were a trick of the light that had made him human. Fur and sharp teeth rushed back onto his face as he resumed his four legged position. He padded away from her a little, face unreadable.

"Subaru..." she murmured, trailing off. She didn't know what to say, but now, she was certain of it. "You're...keeping yourself like this. Aren't you?"

He doesn't answer her for a moment, but his quiet, subdued voice reached her. "I think it's about time we find your Prince, and get some damn answers."

"I...I can't."

He blinked and turned to look at her. "What the fuck are you goin' on about now? Course you can. He's only in the next kingdom. I'll drag his sorry ass back here if-"

"No." She murmured, holding her arms and turning away. "Please...don't." Her voice had become a whisper of sound.

Subaru padded forward, frowning at her. "What aren't you telling me? You a liar now or somethin?" He asked, red eyes trying to read her.

The princess folded in on herself and crouched by the lake, looking at her reflection miserably. He smelled salt on the air, and his ears pricked at the sound of muffled sobs behind her hand. "I-I'm sorry. I...I haven't been entirely truthful."

He padded closer, ears laying flat on his head as his fur brushed her side. The heat of his body drew closer to her bent form. "Spit it out." He demanded quietly, unnerved by the turn.

Her shoulders shook as she slowly leaned back slightly into his heat. "M-my...curse can't be broken, because Prince Siegfried ha- has fallen in love with someone else. He's...going to get engaged to her soon. When he announces it, I'll be trapped in the form of a swan for good."

Subaru's eyes widened a touch. "Why the fuck is he getting engaged to someone else?" He snapped. "I thought he-"

"No...we were supposed to marry but we never fell in love. I-I can't deny him happiness, Subaru." She turned to look up at him, cheeks red as tears escaped her eyes. "When I saw him last, and we realised the curse wasn't going to break just because Rothbart was dead, I...let him go. I want him to be happy. So I came here."

"...How long do you have?" His voice had become quieter.

"I don't know when his engagement is. I keep expecting one night not to be able to turn back into a human." She admitted.

"And what if I killed your old sweetheart, huh? Would that break the curse?" The words rushed out in a breath. His teeth ached.

She started in alarm, gripping his clawed hand tight. She barely noticed as his nails dug into her skin in harsh rivets. "Subaru- don't do that. Please don't...I'll never forgive you if you do." Her clear eyes bore into his.

His eyes strayed, unnamed emotions welling up inside him, clashing together in chaos. Desperation clawed at him.

"Subaru?" She murmured questioningly, when he didn't answer.

"I have to go." His heel drew back, and when she moved to touch his cheek, he snarled. "DON'T TOUCH ME-"

The princess froze, hurt crossing her features.

A claw tipped hand ran through his hair in frustration. "I thought...fuck, I don't know what I thought. That maybe you'd at least stay. I...wanted you to, I think. Doesn't matter..." Subaru trailed off. Her brows drew together as he retreated from her touch once more. As always, her heart swayed as if to fill the distance between them.

He didn't know what the hell he was doing. He hadn't stepped foot in the castle since his father's death. Unfortunately in his absence, Christa had been placed back inside that tower that resembled hell. He partly understood why, Ayato had no idea how to handle her outbursts, and it often took six guards to restrain her. He knew from experience...nothing could bring her mind back. Not after he'd ripped it to shreds just by being born.

But now, he crept down one of the many hallways inside the castle. Unannounced and unseen, his fur brushed against the walls as he stayed close to them, crouching low and ducking out of sight of the guards. Sounds of a party lulled him closer, until he found the entrance to the private gardens. He quickly darted for cover behind a rose bush, sneering as he heard tinkling laughter and polite conversation.

An unknown hurt twisted his heart painfully, but he figured it had something to do with the princess. She couldn't just invite herself into his life and then wander away unscathed, it didn't work like that. So...that was why he was doing something incredibly foolish. He burst out of his hiding place, heedless of the screams, and headed towards the tower.

"He has to proclaim his love to the world. You know, as an engagement announcement to me, or something like that."

"Mother..." He trailed off, looking at the woman before him with tired eyes.

After taking down the guards and knocking the door aside with his strength, he expected a shrinking violet, hiding in the corner. As it was, his mother stared at him with haze filled eyes, standing by the barred window.

"Who are you?" She asked softly, tonelessly.

Subaru swallowed, and his legs shook as he forced himself to stand upright. "You told me...never to show my face here again after I failed you. I know, Karl's death hurt. Shattered what was left of you... But I-I'm gonna talk to Ayato and see if he can find better ways to help you. Rather than keeping you locked up."

His mother tilted her head slightly, regarding him quietly. "You seem happier." She said in a subdued voice, piecing memories back together.

"Guess so. I think I fell for someone like an idiot though." He muttered the princess' name, avoiding Christa's gaze in embarrassment now. "I'd want to wait a while to say this, but I'm short on time, and I don't wanna lose her. Thing is...you're the only other person in my world who I give a shit about. So..I'm gonna tell only you that I want to marry her." He said, knowing it was a slim chance his confession would even mean anything. Her curse was meant to be broken by someone else, not him.

A hand reached out, and Subaru flinched- a reaction as natural as breathing. Even her gentle touch atop his head did nothing to stop the fear- the expectation of her hands turning violent unexpectedly as she took a turn- fingernails digging into his scalp. But Christa remained placid, and his eyes widened, tears pricking them without him realising.

"Don't...look at me like that, mother. I might think you've forgiven me or somethin..."

Her fingers moved from his head to his cheek, brushing the bangs over his eye aside. "There's nothing to forgive, my son." She murmured, a hollow pain in her eyes.

He started when the fur lining his arms began to slide off into the air, descending to the floor. He watched with wide eyes as his nails became shorter, and pale skin was revealed. Heart quickening, he flinched again as his mother wrapped a blanket around his shoulders to shield his suddenly nude form. He reached up and touched his human ears, his face-nose.

Subaru turned and saw the features he hated so much in the mirror. White hair and red eyes. The same hair from his mother and father, blood relations. He was that man's son once more.

His gaze returned to his mother, and her answering smile undid everything. All the pain over the years fell away. What he wanted most, was to smell the princess' familiar scent, and hold her once more.

"Go, I'm sure she's waiting for you." His mother encouraged.

Obeying this, his bare feet pounded on the stone steps down the tower. He clutched the blanket around him and ran as fast as he could through the gardens-the forest, until he reached the lake, driven by something inexplicable.

The scent of salt reached him once more however, and he frowned at the distant form of the princess. Her legs were dipped into the lakewater as she sat on the bank, her head bowed as she held her arms.

"Oi...what's wrong?" He asked quietly, standing behind her and panting softly.

She shifted to look at him over her shoulder and tensed in surprise. "Subaru..." she breathed.

"Ah, yeah the curse broke, what's up with y- gah!" He was cut off as she suddenly launched herself at him, arms wrapping around his neck.

He blinked but relaxed into her arms, the sensation strange. He buried his nose into her hair and inhaled, finding the scents more muted now that he was human. Nonetheless, it felt right to hold her.

When she drew back, she was smiling, lips stretched wide. Subaru dimly wondered at the tears in her eyes, and tensed, looking at her arms.

Very small white feathers were starting to poke out from her skin. He raised horror filled eyes to meet hers.

"I'm so happy for you, Subaru." She breathed, smiling genuinely.

"No." He spoke slowly, mind catching up with the situation. How much more could be taken from him? Why weren't his words enough?

Her gaze dropped to her arm. "I...think this might be my last night."

"No, damn it!" Subaru snarled. He gripped her tight and kissed her like she was hiding secrets behind her teeth.

He swallowed her brief inhale of surprise, holding her close. Her hand settled on his shoulder, as the other touched his hair gently. He didn't flinch at her hand, but his shoulders tensed, easing slowly. Their forms slowly sank down to kneel, kissing and mapping each other's skin, the plains of their bodies.

Subaru clung to her tightly, their bodies pressed close. He sought more of her warmth however, and ran his hands over the skimpy lace of her dress, the material riding up to reveal her thighs. The princess allowed this, kissing him with the same amount of vigour and need.

She willingly lay back onto the grass and beckoned him to follow, lips bent up painfully. "I don't think I have long...please just touch me as long as you can. I want to feel you."

He couldn't deny her and braced himself over her, the blanket slipping from his shoulders. She started at the feel of his palm on her bare leg, sliding up and disappearing under the hem of her dress. Subaru broke away slightly from her lips, their breaths mingling as his fingers stroked and rubbed at her clothed entrance. A blush spread over her cheeks as their eyes remained locked even as he touched her so intimately. When she began to squirm, the hazy desire in his gaze sharpened, and his lips turned up at the edges.

"...I've wanted to see you like this for a long time." His teeth grazed her jaw, kissing and licking her skin. "But it's still not enough...I want more. All of you. Give yourself to me quickly."

He marvelled at the feel of his skin against hers. Of his human body experiencing her touch. When he sank inside her, he groaned into her neck, shuddering. She felt warm and tight, gripping him like a vice. The princess gave a whimper, squeezing her eyes shut- until they peeled open and she nodded, moving her hips to try and ease the uncomfortable aches and pains of him stretching her. Subaru hissed out a breath as he bucked, grunting.

"Hah- don't make that face..." He muttered, looking down at her flushed cheeks. Teeth dragged over her neck, lips soon following as he kissed her hungrily. "It makes me want to break you..."

She made a breathy noise, gazing up at him with hazy eyes as her fingers stroked and gripped white strands of hair. "Go ahead...so long as it's you."

Subaru breathed out and clung to her as he moved, hips meeting hers over and over again. She, in turn, held onto his shoulders, making small whimpering noises. He bid himself to move faster, until his hips become a rough- bruising sensation. He panted harshly into her hair, digging her into the earth beneath them. He hitched her leg up and over his waist, holding it in place as he bucked and snarled, eyes darkening.

Her heart thudded with a surge of possessiveness, rising up and sprawling out along her veins. The steady chant of 'mine' sinking deep into her bones as she clung to him, screaming his name. Tears pricked her eyes as she gave herself over to the pleasure, wanting never to leave his arms.

Subaru rammed his hips forward a final time, letting out a harsh sound from the back of his throat as he released. She clenched around him exquisitely as she finished with him, panting hotly into his shoulder. Her lips pressed against his skin, her kisses starting at his collarbone and ending at his ear. The tears in her eyes spilled over as he stayed locked within her.

Subaru drew back slightly from her neck, and tensed at the early morning sunlight peaking out slowly from the tree tops. "No...just a little longer." He gritted out, panic lacing his voice.

He started as her hand cupped his cheek. Those sinful, beautiful lips that had chanted his name just moments before- pressed to his in a long, lingering kiss.

"I love you." She murmured, smiling despite the tears. "Don't...be sad, it's alright. You're human now. I want you to experience everything you can now that-"

"Don't start with that shit!" He snarled, holding her to him almost painfully. "Don't talk like you're dying. I ain't gonna experience shit unless you're there too." He muttered, shifting his hips and pulling out of her. He sat back, dragging her with him to sit across his lap as he held her.

"Subaru, what are you talking about? There's no time...I have to stay as a swan-"

"I'll fix it, alright! Trust me." He growled, glaring at her as the sunlight touched her cheek. His eyes widened slightly and he pressed his forehead against hers, heart constricting painfully. "Fuck..."

The swan princess closed her eyes and breathed out. She stroked his cheek and hair, committing the way they felt under her fingertips-in her human hands- to memory.

"It's alright." She murmured once more, as the light began to spill out from her body.

Subaru held her tight, trembling as he felt her form change under his hands. Her shape shifted and changed, skin becoming softer.

He watched with a distinct dullness to his eyes as the light receded. It paled and thinned to reveal the white feathers which he knew so well. The swan stared back at him as she stepped away sadly. The hollowness in his chest only grew as he touched her beak with his thumb, tracing it down her long neck. His hand then drifted away, clenching into a fist as he watched her turn and slip back onto the lake. Her head bowed in sadness as she drifted alone on the water.

"I'll fix this." He muttered hoarsely. Muscles shifted as he finally moved to stand upright, feeling the earth under his toes as he stood on two legs. "I promise...I will." He burned the words of commitment into his being.

The colours of the leaves slowly changed from green to orange as the months passed. Subaru searched endlessly. Within the pages of books, to old resident shops, to further kingdoms- even to the deepest recesses of the forest, knocking on a witches door, all in the name of a cure.

Reiji assured him countless times that one did not exist for curses of her magnitude, but he refused to hear it. No one else had been so desperate, he reasoned. No one else wanted it as badly as him. He wouldn't lose again like he had with his attempt at the crown. This time...he wouldn't be able to stitch himself back together if he failed.

But as the autumn breeze greeted him, Subaru realised something important he'd overlooked. She'd be flying south for the winter soon. He could see it in her eyes sometimes, that a worry plagued her. He supposed she'd never travelled it before, and she wouldn't be able to follow the other birds if she waited any longer.

He raised his head from the pages of another book, he'd lost count which volume. Tired lines creased around his eyes. Studying had never been his strong suit. He slowly raised himself from his chair, looking out of the window at the lone, tower.

His lips thinned as he turned away. His room felt too spacious and wide...empty. Not once had it ever resembled the warmth they spoke of in books. The warmth of home. He left his room, walking down the hallway silently.

Subaru didn't breathe a word to his brothers as he passed their rooms. They were merely strangers who lived together anyway, and they'd probably piss him off if he did so.

He walked the familiar path from the castle, down to the glimmering waters of the lake. He could practically taste the chill in the air, but strode on, boots crunching on the dry grass. She was waiting in the shallows, a pure white figure. She craned her neck up to look at him and Subaru nodded in silent, grim acknowledgement.

"Oi...so, I know I've been putting this off...but you've gotta go now." He said quietly.

She blinked slowly, unfolding her wings and beating them in annoyance, clearly not amused by his words.

He snorted. "It's not a joke. You have to go. It's turning winter now. Swans...they gotta head south like with all the other birds."

Subaru sighed as she folded her wings and shot him a dark look. "I know. You're scared of going. I said I'd fix things...so this is me keeping that promise. "

She started as he suddenly stepped foot into the lake, making a noise of surprise. He waded in further, until he was waist deep. "Shit it's cold." He cursed, gritting his teeth.

The swan circled around him worriedly, pushing at him with her head to go back to the shore. He batted her away gently. "Quit it. Just...trust me." He mutters, looking at her with firm red eyes.

She conceded, and he brought out a vile from his pocket. There was a curious shade of purple to it, but Subaru didn't hesitate to lift it to his lips, drinking. The swan backed away, something clicking dimly inside her mind. Her eyes widened and in a flurry of feathers- raced forward to try and stop him. The water thrashed as she was forced to stop, blinded by the light that burst forth from his form.

~ x ~

A pair of half lidded blue eyes watched the couple of swans. They drifted together on the surface of the lake, drawing closer. Shuu lazily broke some break off and tossed it to them. The more ruffled looking one glared at him as per usual, but ate the crumbs none the less.

Shuu's lips quirked as he regarded them tiredly. He shifted however, after hearing footsteps draw closer.

"Ah, what a nice night to feed the ducks." Laito smiled amiably, looking at the swans.

Shuu made an undignified noise. "I dare you to say that and stand closer to him," he muttered.

"Fufu, I'm sure his temper must have eased some-" the red head stepped closer to the water. Not a second later, the ruffled looking male hissed at him, beating his wings violently.

Laito eased away again, holding up his hands placatingly and chuckling weakly. Shuu smirked, gaze shifting to the female swan, who calmly circled around the male, nuzzling his neck with her beak. The male relaxed some, but kept his beady black eyes on Laito distrustfully.

"He really hasn't changed has he?" Laito mused softly as the couple drifted away from them, moving further out onto the lake.

Shuu hummed, eating some of the dry bread and chewing it slowly.

"I for one, think it was a foolish choice. A thoughtless act." Comes a new voice. Reiji approached, his folded arms curled around his form loosely. He regarded the swans with narrowed eyes.

"Naww, I see that marriage hasn't made you any more romantic, Reiji." Laito teased, green eyes glimmering as his elder brother snorted.

"...Seems happier though." Shuu's quiet voice was lost as Ayato knocked a branch aside, grunting as he stepped up behind them. "It's a damn pain is what it is! I can't hunt swans now!"

He righted his cloak, brushing himself off and standing tall. He didn't wear his crown, which was a surprise, as he insisted on wearing it at all times.

"But you never liked the taste of swans, your royal highness." Laito's lips quirked.

"Tch, yeah well now I can't try it one day and see if my tastes have changed. It's all his fault too. Selfish prick." Ayato grumbles, folding his arms and glaring at the swans retreating figure.

"...I heard that you made a law against hunting swans in the kingdom, Ayato. Heh, he certainly complains a lot, doesn't he, my love?" Kanato murmured, pushing his wife towards them as she sat, unmoving in her wheelchair. The rest of the brothers shifted uncomfortably, as they always did in her presence.

"Well that IS news to me. What a softie you've turned into." Laito smoothly side stepped Kanato's appearance, grinning at Ayato, who cursed loudly, launching into a rant.

"Oi, shut up. They're leaving." Shuu sighed, looking at the pair of swans. They opened their wings and started to glide faster on the water, flapping and eventually rising up, leaving the lake. Their pale figures soared into the air, climbing higher and higher into the sky.

The brothers watched them go, a brief, rare moment of silence swamping them. Only the sounds of crickets chirping and the lake water lapping at the bank could be heard. Ayato blinked, and then shook himself, grunting about dumb distractions.

Shuu stayed where he was as they all slowly parted ways again, as if nothing had happened. His blue eye cracked open to look at Reiji, who lingered for some reason, staring at the spot Subaru had vanished from sight. Reiji shifted his gaze down to meet his.

"And what are your plans now, Good-for-nothing?" He muttered.

Shuu sighed and closed his eyes. "What are you talking about? I never have plans."

"No, I suppose not." Reiji replied in a clipped tone. He turned, making to leave.

"I guess...it's time for me to be moving on too." Shuu's subdued voice broke the ensuing silence. He was unsure if Reiji heard him as he left, but it hardly mattered. The blond sighed and leaned against a tree trunk, the rough bark digging into his back. Blue eyes stared up at the brightening skies.

"Wonder if there's a witch nearby who'll grant my wish too." He muttered tiredly, before his eyes fell shut.

~ End ~

#diabolik lovers #diahell #diabolik lovers fanfiction #subaru sakamaki #dialovers #diabolik fairytales

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travelingtheusa · 4 years ago

Text

TENNESSEE

2021 Apr 12 (Mon) – We ran a bunch of errands today. We had to get fuel for the truck and pet food. PetCo did not have Sheba’s food so we stopped at The Fresh Market to get her food and some food items for us. The store turned out to be small and didn’t have everything we wanted. So, we had to stop at Kroger to get cat food and the rest of the food we wanted. Lunch was at the Blue Plate Café. I thought the pot roast was chewy but Paul enjoyed the meal. When we returned to the campground, Paul finished up the wallpaper in the bedroom. It looks very good. Now I need a different covering on the window treatment. And, so, it starts. Lol.

Before:

After:

2021 Apr 11 (Sun) – We watched church services on Facebook. Afterward, we drove to Camping World to return a part Paul was not able to use in setting up the cell phone booster. We drove around trying to find a place to have lunch but we couldn’t find any place open and wound up just returning to the campground. Paul got to work tearing off the old wallpaper in the bedroom and putting up the new paper. It’s looking good.

2021 Apr 10 (Sat) – Bonnie is doing better. The galliprant seems to be working for her. She is still weak on her right side but she’s hardly limping. We just have to be careful not to get her off balance and make sure she goes slowly up and down the stairs. Old age sucks – for dogs as well as humans.

A fierce thunderstorm rolled through early this morning. We had storms last night from about 8 to 11 p.m. accompanied by the usual tornado warnings. The storm this morning was so strong that one lightning boom literally lifted me out of the bed. When the lightning flashed, you could see it through your closed lids. Sheba must have been going crazy!

My sister, Susan, is having surgery on her knee and asked if I could come stay for a week or two to help her out. So I called my cancer doctor to reschedule my PET scan. I was going to go home May 1 to May 12. Now it looks like I’ll be flying back on May 16 and staying through Memorial Day. Susan’s surgery is set for May 17.

We got aggravated with not being able to get online to check out campsites. We decided to buy a cell booster and drove to Camping World in Olive Branch in Mississippi (just across the border) to buy a King cell phone booster antenna. It was $499! Ugh. We also picked up two camp chairs since ours are starting to fall apart.

Lunch was going to be at the Brass Door Irish Pub in Memphis. After paying for 3 hours parking in Memphis, we walked a couple of blocks to the restaurant only to find it has been closed for the last year. We then walked back toward the truck and stopped to eat at the Blue Plate Café Downtown. That was closed indefinitely. Next door was the River Time Café. It was a tiny deli but had a robust menu. We both got sandwiches with potato salad. We had to sit outside at one of two tables. The proprietor said she was not allowed to have people in her shop. While sitting outside waiting for her to bring out our meal (it’s down south and the wait was very long), an older man came stumbling by and started talking to us. He was very difficult to understand but we understood that he was drunk and had come to get something to eat to soak the booze up. At first, I thought he was going to panhandle but he just wanted to talk. Then he went into the café and picked up his pre-ordered meal. Finally, our sandwiches came out. They were delicious. The owner also gave us a free banana nut muffin because we waited patiently for so long. That was nice.

2021 Apr 9 (Fri) – We drove to the vet this morning to drop Bonnie off. She is getting a test today to see if she has Cushings Disease. She has had increased thirst, difficulty walking with a weakness on her right side (especially the back leg), and it seems like she has to pee more often. Could be age related. It might not. They will give her a shot of cortisol and check her blood at 8 a.m., noon, and 4 p.m. If she makes more cortisol then she’s got the disease. If she doesn’t make more cortisol, then she doesn’t have Cushings. We have our fingers crossed.

After dropping her off (we had to wait outside for someone to come get her – they’re not letting anyone inside), we went to the Blue Plate Café for breakfast. It was a cute little place, bright and inviting. The food was very good, too.

Next stop was at Lowe’s. Paul peeled the wall covering off in the bedroom. It’s been coming off almost from the day we bought the camper. Now we are looking for a new wallpaper. We found a pattern we like. We’ll see how it looks.

We made a quick stop at the Fresh Market. I am out of Vitamin C and looking for more. We thought it was a health food type store but it was just a regular supermarket. I picked up a few items but no vitamins.

When we got back to the campground, we drove over to the Chucalissa Village in the park. It is an area where Choctaw tribes lived there hundreds of years ago. There is a mound and a replica house built on the site. A small museum tells the story of the area, both of the park itself and of the inhabitants who lived here. The old site was actually discovered by CCC workers who were building a pool for the first all Negro park in the state. It is now run by the University of Memphis.

At 4:45 p.m. we drove back into town to get Bonnie. The vet came out to talk to us. She said the test was negative. Bonnie does not have Cushings Disease. She couldn’t see any reason for her leg problems and surmised that it is arthritis. She told us to continue with the Galliprant and bring her back if things get worse.

We found something very fascinating. It is a Smart Mart. It’s like a new version of the automat. You pull up, touch a screen, shop for different grocery items, pay and your items are given to you in a big drawer. There was a delivery truck there filling up the mart when we stopped.

2021 Apr 8 (Thu) – We wanted to go to the Cotton Museum but it was closed due to the pandemic. We then drove to the National Ornamental Metal Museum. Although their website said they opened at 10 a.m., they were closed with a sign out front saying they open at 11 a.m. So we drove around Memphis for an hour. Saw Beale Street (Home of the Blues) in its quiet state; i.e. with no partymakers at night. Paul says they are trying to be like New Orleans. I don’t think so. New Orleans is different. It is the place for jazz music. Memphis is blues music. The city is confusing with lots of closed off streets for renovations or construction. As you get further outside the city, the buildings are old, dilapidated, spray painted with graffiti. Many homes have bars on the windows and doors.

We tried to go to the Mississippi River Museum but it wasn’t where Trip Advisor said it should be. We stopped at the Visitors Center and were told they moved the museum to Mud Island and it has been closed for the past year and a half. We went back to the Metal Museum and they were open. The most delightful part of the tour was the exhibit by international artists. They took a 155mm steel bar and made all kinds of things from it. It was fascinating to see how imaginative people can be.

After the Metal Museum, we drove to the post office and dropped off all the envelopes we prepared. Then we went to the Bass Pro Shops Giant Pyramid for lunch at Uncle Bucks Restaurant. They have rooms up on the second and third level. So the store is also a hotel. Paul bought a flannel shirt. We looked for new camp chairs but couldn’t find what we wanted.

On the way back to the campground, we stopped at Kroger Supermarket and picked up some groceries. The camp host told us that the campground will be full this weekend. Although many RVs have come in, it is not full. Either he can’t count or some of the campsites are not usable. Whatever.

2021 Apr 7 (Wed) – We spent the day working on the mass mailing for SMART. There were 32 duplicate addresses and 32 companies that did not have envelopes. I typed labels for the missing companies and stuck them over the duplicate addresses. Saved a lot of work (Paul’s suggestion). We finished folding the letters, inserting them in the envelopes, and putting the return address labels and stamps on all the envelopes. We just have to deliver them to the post office.

The vet called this morning. Bonnie’s liver enzymes are high. She thinks Bonnie might have Cushings Disease. We will drop her off at the vet on Friday so they can do some tests. In the meantime, Bonnie is having a very difficult time walking. She fights getting up if she doesn’t have to. We have resorted to using the special stairs we bought for our last dog to help her get in and out of the trailer easier. It seems to be helping Bonnie.

We packed up the trailer today and Paul drove over to the dump station to empty the tanks. I sat at the campsite with Bonnie because she was in too bad shape. It took him 20 minutes then he was back and we got all hooked up again. Good for another week.

2021 Apr 6 (Tue) – We took Bonnie to the vet this morning. We had to sit outside while they took her inside. The vet called on the phone and we talked about Bonnie’s history and issues. She didn’t find anything obvious wrong with her foot. Thinks it might be arthritis. She took blood and will call us tomorrow.

We left the vet and went looking for a fast food place for lunch. We stopped at a Burger King. There were six cars on line in front of us but were still on line for over half an hour. It was the slowest fast food joint I’ve ever been to! The junior whoppers were small and the fries were not even warm. At least Bonnie enjoyed her burger.

We went back to Office Depot to pick up the copies. The service – again! – was so damn slow. When the clerk finally waited on me, she asked if I had gotten an email saying the project was ready. I replied that it was agreed upon yesterday that I would be back today. With a sigh, she went to search on the shelves. After about 5 minutes, she found my print job.

When we got back to the campground, Bonnie’s back leg was giving out on her. She could barely walk and kept sitting down and refusing to move any further. I called the vet to ask if she had examined Bonnie’s other legs or just her hurt foot. After some discussion, the vet said we’d wait to see what the bloodwork shows. The results should be back tomorrow.

I took the mailing list I got from the Muster Master (who got it from the Chamber of Commerce in Shawnee, Oklahoma) and struggled through printing 360 envelopes. Our printer is not a high capacity printer. It took me hours to get them all printed. The program kept shutting down and I would have to restart it. In the meantime, Paul started folding the letters to insert in the envelopes.

2021 Apr 5 (Mon) – The cell service at this campground is sooooo bad! Even my phone isn’t working right and often drops to 3G with one bar. It drops calls like crazy. Getting on anything beyond standard email with the laptop is almost impossible. Twelve days of this will be maddening.

We drove to CVS to get Paul’s first COVID-19 shot. On the way, we got an email saying his appointment had been cancelled. We decided to just go in anyway and play dumb. It worked. Old people and technology is a recognized disability. Lol.

After the drugstore, we drove to Olive Garden to get lunch. It appeared that they were repairing fire damage. Nothing to eat there. We then tried another restaurant but it looked too high class. We stopped at Seasons 52 Grill, which looked moderate from the outside but once we got inside – va, va, va, voom! Very expensive. We spent over $100. Oh, well, what’s money for except to spend? The lunch was excellent.

We drove over to the Agricenter to look at the campground. We will be going there after the rally in Arkansas and wanted to check out the best entry point. It has a large campground but the spaces are a little too close. Oh, well. It will be home for Paul when I fly back to New York next month.

We stopped at Office Depot to drop of letters for copying. I volunteered to be the Administrative Chairperson for the SMART 2021 National Muster. One of my jobs is soliciting donations. So I drafted a letter and attachment, got approval, then brought it to Office Depot to make 365 copies of each one. I also gave them copies of return address labels to make up. I don’t if it’s a “down south” thing, but the service was so frickin’ slow. We were there almost an hour just to drop off the originals. I said I’d be back tomorrow to pick up the copies.

Bonnie has been favoring her front, right paw. She started limping on it yesterday so I called a vet today and made an appointment to bring her in tomorrow. The paw got worse over the day and now you can see her paw is swollen. Hope they can figure out what’s wrong and fix it.

2021 Apr 4 (Sun - Easter) – We managed to dial into the church service this morning. It’s nice to be able to share the service with our congregation back home.

I walked around the campground today. Most the campsites are empty. A lot of campers left today. I would have thought they’d stay for the weekend. Guess I was wrong. We stayed in today. Paul repaired the AC and we did the laundry. It was a very nice day. The trees are a brilliant green and the buds are in full bloom. The sky was an incredible blue and the temperature reached the high 60s. It was a beautiful Easter day. We got to skype with both Travis and Miranda. That make the day perfect!

2021 Apr 3 (Sat) – We wasted 20 minutes this morning trying to get the Sunday service streaming on the iPad before we realized it was Saturday. Lol. There are not nearly as many RVs in the campground as I thought there would be. Over half left today. I have never seen so many tiny trailers in the campground at a time. There’s a teardrop trailer, an A-Line pyramid shaped camper, a Scottie, a couple of tiny trailers, and several tents.

The day was pleasant. It started out cold in the 40s but warmed to the mid-60s. The sky was clear and a brilliant blue and there was hardly any wind. There was a terrible odor in the air. At first, we thought it was the smell of campers dumping their tanks but it lingered too long. There must be a waste plant somewhere nearby.

2021 Apr 2 (Fri) – Sure was glad we had that electric blanket on last night! We are under a freeze warning for a few days. We drove back down to Southaven, MS to get dog food at Petco and cat food at Kroger. Picked up some people food, too, while we were at it. Stopped at Southaven RV Super Center where Paul was able to buy a replacement for a broken part in the AC. Not that we need AC right now, but (hopefully) soon. It also operates the heat pump, which we DO need right now. We have been keeping warm enough with the fireplace, the furnace, and a small electric heater. On the way back, we spotted a pup up on the side of the highway. We stopped and shooed it away. Down the embankment, the mama dog and two other pups were skittering around. They were clearly unowned canines. We were glad we could chase the pup off the roadway and keep it from getting run over.

We stopped at Memphis BBQ for lunch. The meal was not that good. Paul’s pulled pork was bland and my burnt tips were dry. The restaurant was very busy and service was understandably slow.

The day turned out to be nice although the temperature never got out of the 50s. The skies were clear and deep blue. We’ve been watching RVs come in all day. This is a holiday weekend and the campground is going to be full.

2021 Apr 1 (Thu) – We packed up and left Fulton, MS at 10 a.m. It was 135 miles to Memphis, TN. We are staying in the T.O. Fuller State Park Campground. There are lots of woods around and plenty to see in Memphis. The sites have a good amount of space between them. The roads and campsites are asphalt. We have electric and water hookups. We will have to go dump after a week because there is no sewer hookup and we won’t be able to last 12 days without filling the tanks.

It got real cold last night and we pulled out the electric blanket. Imagine! Needing the electric blanket down south in April. We watched the Holy Thursday service from our church streaming on Facebook. We also facetimed with Paul’s sister, Joan, about our cruise to Australia in January.

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transcriptroopers · 7 years ago

Text

TranscripTrooper’s FAQ

I finally started getting enough repeats that I felt vindicated adding a FAQ. If you’ve asked me one of these questions in the past, don’t sweat it! All that means is that you helped alert me to a common concern that needs to be addressed.

Why join the army if it's not the highest paid, the most prestigious, or the most well treated? For many people, it's a family tradition. You'd be incredibly surprised how much loyalty a person can have to any given branch strictly based on their familial relations. For others, it seems to be the most direct service when it comes to helping people, probably courtesy of seeing the National Guard being so prominent. Civilians have no idea how the military works; they think the navy just sails around, the air force just flies around, and the Marines just...idk...do whatever Marines do. Plus people think the army is just the Default Military. It's like the army is the “generic brand,” you know, like someone saying “Q-Tip” when they mean “cotton swab.” Others, quite frankly, couldn't join the other forces. You'd be surprised; I knew many people who originally wanted to join another branch but either weren't smart enough or weren't physically fit enough. I distinctly remember someone in basic saying he originally was going AF, but when he brought his ASVAB scores to their recruiter office they literally told him “the army recruiters are down the hall.” What does this piece of jargon mean/do soldiers actually use this jargon? See this post and if you still have questions be sure to send me a clarified ask. My soldier character received a(n) ______ wound from combat. Would this get him discharged?

To clarify, wounds both combat and non combat can get a soldier discharged, so your soldier doesn't have to be in combat to be wounded severely enough to warrant a medboard.

Eye: if there is permanent vision damage that drops the eyes below the standards associated with Army Regulation 40-501 paragraph 3-16e, which for reference is: (1) Vision that cannot be corrected with ordinary spectacle lenses (contact lenses or other special corrective devices (telescopic lenses, etc.) are unacceptable) to at least:

20/60 in one eye and 20/60 in the other eye, or

20/50 in one eye and 20/80 in the other eye, or

20/40 in one eye and 20/100 in the other eye, or

20/20 in one eye and 20/800 in the other eye; or

(2) An eye has been enucleated. (removed) Ergo it's up to you if your soldiers meets those standards after an eye injury. If your question is, “if he goes blind in one/two eyes” then the answer is “yes.” If your soldier is “legally blind” in one eye but it is correctable with lenses/surgery, the army covers that and actually allows active duty soldiers to get corrective lens surgery even without eye injury, so barring an unreasonably long recovery time I don't see why that wouldn't apply.

Ear: harder question. If your hearing is damaged enough, (”enough” being a subjective term) your soldier might at the very least face a mandatory reclass, which means the army will assign them a new MOS and they will not only have to go back to school for training in that MOS but they won't be able to do their current job any more. If the hearing loss is more severe, they may be medboarded instead. The exact numbers of acceptable hearing are probably not of interest to you but suffice it to say it's up to you whether the soldier's hearing is bad enough to warrant a discharge. I will say that soldiers being slightly hard of hearing isn't unheard of and it's also not unheard of for soldiers to be able to pass the hearing test but still have poor hearing in the field.

Limb: if the limb is amputated or otherwise non functional, it is grounds for a medboard. However, some soldiers have successfully been able to return to active duty with missing parts, although the vast majority of these numbers are those who've lost hands/fingers. Whole arms, toe, foot, and below-the-knee amputees are much less likely to return to active duty, although it's not impossible. IOW unlikely but up to you. Other: unless the wound or a mental illness would otherwise disable the soldier, there would be no medboard.

tl;dr: do you WANT it to be enough to get them discharged?? Also read this post about aftereffects of being medboarded via combat wounds.

I'm writing a fantasy/sci-fi story and I have to make up ranks. How do you suggest I start?/I have a soldier whose duties include X, Y, and Z. What rank would he be? Read these posts about ranks and if your question still isn’t answered then send a more detailed post explaining what you need. I will not help you come up with imaginary ranks. Enlisted Ranks Officer Ranks Rank Purpose Multiple branches working together What would a soldier with PTSD act like? You should consider reading @scriptshrink‘s post on PTSD. It’s a clinical assessment but it contains valuable information I consider nigh essential for writing PTSD characters. Other than that, I don’t have PTSD, (or at least PTSD associated with combat) so I don’t feel entirely right answering this question. I can tell you with some confidence that while their medical needs would be met by the army as far as medication goes and officially mental health is considered a priority, unofficially the military’s stance on mental illness is “you’re fucking weak.” How long are soldiers in combat? Generally? They aren’t often even IN combat, at least not in the current war. It’s absolutely a falsehood that most soldiers will see combat. Having said that, a firefight might last a few seconds to a few days, although with our current enemies I’d lean more towards seconds/minutes. Our biggest concern atm is actually IEDs. What are the fraternization rules regarding soldiers/is fraternization really that strict? Officially you can read about this here An expanded-upon answer can be found here. Information about holiday events here. Fraternization across branches here. Short answer yes, the army does tend to take fraternization that seriously, but as with most rules it’s often dependent on the chain of command when it comes to just HOW seriously they take it. There might be demotions, article 15s, verbal and written counselling, changes of station, and there might be, you know...nothing. Personally I think the rules were a lot more strict when I was at home than when I was deployed. During deployment I think people can get away with pretty much anything because in a lot of cases it’d be significantly more detrimental to the unit if they punish the soldier than if they just let it go on until it becomes a problem. Are women really called “females” in military environments? Yes, as are men called “males.” Calling female service members ladies, women, or girls is considered rude/derogatory. The only exception is female officers, who are called “ladies” as male officers are called “gentlemen.” It’s also now unacceptable in the military to disparage troops by using “girls/ladies/women” as insults. How much money does _____ make? The answer depends not only on the soldier’s rank but also their marital status, deployment status, and their Time in Service (TiS). You can read a good article about it here, but you can always just google “this year’s military pay chart” and something basic will come up. Be sure to take into account whether they have kids or take care of a parent! Where do soldiers get medical care? We normally get seen at the TMC, or Troop Medical Clinic. It can be as small as a trailer or as big as a multi-story hospital. If more intense care is needed, we might be sent to an actual hospital. But soldiers can also just get medical care at any location that offers medical care, whether civilian hospitals or clinics. They won’t be expected to foot the bill as long as they present proof that they’re active duty. Your leadership should be informed if you use civilian health care and if you acquire any medicine from them, and this is considered a sort of “no other option” choice so it shouldn’t be done willy-nilly. Does not (typically) apply to dental or mental health.

What are the most common injuries soldiers face? In combat we most frequently see extremity injuries, (52% of all injuries) and usually from explosives (75%). TBIs are also a common problem. When a soldier is hurt in combat we usually use the word “wounded” over the word “injured.” For the general army, I’d probably say sprained/twisted ankles. In most of the TMCs I went to, you don’t even get examined if you just walk in and say “I twisted my ankle.” They’d just throw you some ACE bandages, some ibuprofen, and the recommendation to ice it. It’s just such a mundane and boring injury, but it’s woefully common not only because of our level of physical exertion, but because the army won’t let you keep off your feet and you’ll be forced to keep working on that bad ankle so that you’ll continue to have problems with it forever.

What kinds of medical conditions disqualify you from service? I’ve gone into more depth/information about it here, but basically any chronic illness will be scrutinized by the military before you join. Mental illness included. If you’ve had bronchitis before, or an invasive surgery, (especially one involving pins or other foreign entities) that might be a DQ. Most allergies are a DQ, although it’s possible to get a waiver for less severe ones. IBS, diabetes, anemia and other similar chronic illnesses are an auto DQ. Even acid reflux is taken into account. If you develop a chronic illness while enlisted, depending on the severity and how manageable it is, you might be permitted to stay in or you might be medboarded. There are active duty service members with diabetes for example, but if it becomes too much for the army/you to handle, separation might be initiated. So as is so often the case, if you want your soldier to develop a chronic illness, you’ll have to decide just how manageable the illness is. The army will allot time for medical care and give any necessary medication to the soldier.

What is the proper way to capitalize ranks and branches of service?

If you’re listing the rank itself, it’s not capitalized. If you’re using the rank as a title, it is capitalized. ”As the colonel trailed off, the sergeant left without saying a word.” ”As Colonel Vaughn trailed off, Sergeant Torres left without saying a word.” Similarly, if you’re directly saying “the U.S. Army,” it’s capitalized, but if you just say “the army,” it’s not. This is as far as grammar is concerned. As far as the inner workings of the actual military are concerned, these words are often capitalized regardless of their actual practical application. So while I recommend you write the story with the above rules, anything written by a service member will probably vary.

Didn’t you used to be part of the Script Family/are you still scriptsoldier?

Yes! I left Script Family due to my inability to keep this blog on topic, so I’m no longer affiliated, though I have left Medic’s credit up on my blog since I did start this blog because of her hard work and informative posts! I am not shy about sharing my political opinions on this blog, namely because I feel that the military is inherently political due to its chain of command ending directly with the president of the united states.

What kind of opinions?

I am a leftist and an anarcho-communist. I I think it is reprehensible to join the military for any reason. Those are usually enough lol but there’s more!

Well then, why did you join the army?

Fair, no excuses. But for for context, I was a poor gay loner welfare kid from an abusive home and was targeted by military recruiters who hung around my high school from freshman year until after I graduated. I was convinced that I had no other options and that I would never make it otherwise. I did four years and got out as soon as I could.

That’s all for now! I’ve probably forgotten at least one common question, so do check back now and then to see if I’ve updated the post. Please feel free to ask me any questions that aren’t covered by this post, or to ask for clarifications on things brought up in this post! -Kingsley

I no longer run a Patreon, but if you’ve found my blog helpful, consider buying me a coffee?

#writing advice #FAQ #frequently asked questions #army #military #long post

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praphit · 7 years ago

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Ain't no party like a Ragnarok party!

As I said in my last post, I've needed a break from all of the horror movies. I've needed a break from all of the grim and blood. I need to get happy! I've liked those Guardians and that Wonder Woman, but no one gets me happy quite like those Avengers!

This time we get happy with the sexy Avenger!

Bad ass!

That smile!

That flowing blonde hair!

People don't even pay attention to this Avenger's words... just waiting for them to take some clothes off! Y'all know who I'm talking about!

What?? No, not YOU Scarlett Johansson. Everytime you hear the word "sexy", it's not necessarily in reference to You!

Some people, right??

No, I mean sexy AF Chris Hemsworth!

THOR, baby!

Let me tell you, that theme music from the trailer has been stuck in my head!

Thor 3! YES!

Perfect timing, cuz Chris also needed a break.

Thor 2 was terrible ( no really; right down there with that first Hulk movie), he tried to play some man-meat roles, but those movies didn't do well. He put his shirt back on and tried to play a serious hacker role, but c'mon, dude... just... c'mon. He was great in that movie "Rush"... of course nobody went to see it.

Last we saw him was back as Thor in "Avengers: Age of Ultron", but in that movie he abruptly flew off. I was mad until it hit me... that was probably around the time he heard about his brother Liam being engaged to Miley Cyrus. Just think about of all the holidays that will be spent with this -

By Odin's beard, NO!!!

It's enough to make anyone abruptly run away. But, that's how we got THOR 3! so it's all good.

Now we find that Thor has met his long lost, and never known about sister Maleficent.

But, the people of Asgard refer to her as Hela (played by Cate Blanchett).

Def a good look for her. That look of... she could drop dead or kill someone at any moment.

That look that says "You might catch something from me, but you'll have a good time." Simply irresistible!

But, talk about family issues:

We've already known about Thor's father casting him out of Asgard as some stupid test.

Thor's mama died in action (granted nobody seems to care; it's all about daddy)

We all know about Loki, Thor's murderous brother.

But, Hela isn't any better; in fact she's a lot worse! - as a result of messing with her, Thor loses his hammer, his daddy explodes and turns into... a fart, his hair gets cut, and he becomes a slave.

Thor, you've gottas plan your getaways better there buddy!

Thor is reduced to a slave on Planet Goldblum, where he plays "The Grandmaster".

I like Jeff Goldblum, but he's always kinda creepy isn't he?? Even if he's playing the hero, I'm never really sure about him - that's why he's perfect the the role of Grandmaster.

If we break it down, what the grandmaster is into... we go to a dark place.

He has enslaved a whole planet, but has brainwashed them to enjoy their lives - pretty much through these (battle to the death) blood sports that I'm sure UFC will evolve into.

He buys and sells these slaves, tortures people, and brainwashes the women of the planet to engage in birthday orgies with him.

Yep.

BUT, like I said, I'm escaping the horror movie stuff, so I'll just eat up how Marvel tells me the story:)

Jeff Goldblum is like the creepy uncle that your family tolerates, but when you were a kid they never wanted you to ever be alone with him. You'd be like "I'm going to run to the store with Uncle Goldblum." And your mama would be like "The hell you are! Let him go to the story by himself... go play with uncle Spacey instead."

Now, you're about 21 and rebellious, and Uncle Creepy is throwing a party, and you're invited! :) - sorry to paint that picture; the horror movies must still be effecting me.

But, the party you go to actually ends up being fun! - and that's this movie; a fun, drunken party that you get to live vicariously through Thor.

And he has got some drunken friends on this journey:

Loki (of course), the drunk loser that everyone picks on.

Every party needs entertainment.

Tessa Thompson!

- she plays that angry, badass drunk that you get into trouble with.... but badass enough not to get y'all caught.

The Hulk!

- that big, sick drunk who had way too many like three hours ago, but they keep on going. Eventually they turn green and ruin everything around them with their sick. Not so much fun if you're the host, but if you're not, you'll walk away with a lot of fun memories.

Lastly, Banner!

- as the confused old person at the party. You're not sure why they're there, they're not sure why or even how they're there... but they're cool, so you roll with it. There he is to Thor's right, with that look on his face the entire movie.

And Thor!

- the jock you rode in with. He's so funny in this one. Chris Hemsworth should def do more comedy. He cranks everything up, and makes it even more fun; not just the comedic lines, but his chemistry with all of these actors, the fight scenes, the poking fun at that horrible Thor 2 movie, the plentiful easter eggs in this movie, and the cgi.

I thought (by looking at the trailer) that this movie was going to overdo it with the cgi, but they didn't. Whenever they amped up the effects it was needed, and worked to perfection.

You'll also find some fun new characters in this movie, along with a special appearance from one of Hollywood's favorite actors.

My only complaint about the movie was...

You know how the best parties have themes (Christmas? Halloween? Birthday? Cocaine?)?? If there's no theme, I find that the party either gets out of hand by means of someone overcompensating, or the party can simply be lame.

This movie had no.... real plot. But, that's ok. The people at this party are so fun that you never stop being entertained long enough to realize the weakness in the plot... or the one dimensional villain. You're drunk, you're dancing, you're seeing wild visions (cuz uncle creepy probs put something creepy in the community punch), and you're having a good time with this movie.

Grade: A-

I love how comic book movies have branched out in different ways. "Deadpool" was an edgy rated R flick. "Logan" was a deep drama. Those mutants have a horror themed film coming out soon. And movies like this one are more comedic.

The next one I want to see is a romantic comedy starring The Hulk and Black Widow.

Maybe others join in the lovin as well. The Avengers version of "Love Actually". Or Spiderman's version of "Fifty Shades" Imagine Spiderman sneaking his way into homes, and swinging people away to his sex web.

...

... well, maybe not... that exactly, but I love the growing flexibility, especially on Netflix. Keep it up, Marvel!

#thor ragnarok #thor #john praphit #praphitproductions.com #marvel #Marvel Comics #Movie Reviews #the avengers #Praphit #Scarlett Johansson #chris hemsworth

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pattyfingersintheholywater · 8 years ago

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The fact that some memories just seep into your present is absolutely phenomenal.

I was sitting on the curb outside my apartment at night, and suddenly I felt the warmth of the sun on my face. Then, I start to knit together an inconsequential moment from years ago. And I felt it, in that moment. I wonder if there’s a word for that? Instead of a longwinded story.

---

I was a sickly child; always in and out of the hospital for asthma attacks. I had the nebulizer and everything. The adults around me were terrified that I’d just turn this violent shade of blue, from any activity. This was used to my advantage - especially during math. Mrs. Prince was our school nurse, and she was perhaps the most terrified since I’m not quite sure if she was licensed. Back then, the school districts didn’t really cared for that type of paper. She called the ambulance for me approximately three times, and that was three times far too many for her. So, during math, I’d walk in and feign death to a horrified, powdery-smelling woman with rings that looked like ship wrecks. She’d sigh, completely resigned, and immediately call my mother. After two puffs of my pale blue inhaler, of course. Just to be safe. “Is he bleeding?” No. “Is he vomiting?” No. “Is he turning blue?” No. “Does he have a fever?” No. “Then why, Mrs. Prince, are you calling me at work? Oh, the arguments they’d get in. The amount of times I’d have to sleep under my mom’s desk on this tortoiseshell, scratchy 90′s carpet. Her decrepit Canadian bosses would pinch my cheeks sheepishly, and I could feel my mom sweating from the situation. One day, my mom won and refused to pick me up. But so did Martha, our emergency contact and neighbor at the trailer park. She worked at the military exchange and couldn’t get someone to cover. Looking at me like a time-ticking bomb, Mrs. Prince harshly whispered to Martha, “Well, can’t you find someone else to pick him up?!” Martha’s much younger sister had just moved in to the bright pink trailer that had chilies dangling on the porch. I watched her move in, hidden in the branches of a very large berry tree - planted in the five feet that separated our doublewides. Her beauty didn’t knit into an image. It was a feeling. A stomach dropping, force-to-be-reckoned-with beauty. A beauty that bit, that was confident. That’s why she moved in, I think. Because she barked. Martha’s husband, this greasy white guy that thought he was Mexican, had been hitting her. She came over one day after being hit, and my mom locked the doors behind her. The baby blue walls of our trailer made the scene seem ridiculous to me, and I hovered on the peripheral as Martha heaved the story out to my mom at our dilapidated kitchen counter. I remember this day because it was the day I learned my first Spanish word. I can hear how it was spat, I can feel it. Cochino.

The humorous environment with an anxious air made me want to deflate, so when I heard this word, I repeated it. Cochino. Martha, her eyes big brown puddles, started laughing hysterically. Cochino. I hear this word today with laughter. Laced in violence, greasy white men that pretended to have accents, and sadness. So Sonia moved in with Martha and the Pig. And she came to my rescue, too. And this is the sun I felt that night. This shaky little black pick-up truck with rust. The sun smelled like rust, and it felt like the serape seat coverings, warm and woven. “You don’t look sick,”she said. “Get in.” I didn’t really know her at that point, so I shrunk behind her beauty. So I talked to the sun. Or through the sun. The memory ends at the bright pink trailer, with a sick-sweet warm Coca-Cola settling in my stomach. And oddly, the smell of ferrets. Even though they’re illegal in California, Sonia smuggled them over the border.

I wonder if any of them are oaky. I wonder if Mrs. Prince’s shipwrecks landed on someone else’s hands. If the Pig finally stopped hitting Martha. If Sonia’s beauty still bites.

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ultrabosh64-blog · 8 years ago

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A Comprehensive Review of... The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild

A Game Beyond Your WILDest Imagination

After watching the initial trailers back when Breath of the Wild was announced, I remember feeling much hope for something to rival my love for the classic Super Nintendo A Link to the Past, and the pair of Oracle games for Gameboy Color. A Zelda title with charm, freedom to explore, a plethora of activities, increased focus on story, and a shopping cart full of puzzles to solve. Folks, I think I have found that Zelda title within Breath of the Wild.

Now we all know the basic premise of almost every Zelda game: Save Zelda! Breath of the Wild does its best to break the mold with a story that is a bit more complex than just the typical damsel in distress stereotype. Link is awoken inside a location known as the “Shrine of Resurrection” after a destructive incident that occurred 100 years prior which he has no recollection of whatsoever. Once back on his feet, our hero is greeted with a luscious landscape of a world you are going to spend immense amounts of time exploring. From these first two details we can already see a mixture of both dreadful and delightful ideologies for a bizarre yet sensible opening sequence. This balance of light and dark tones continues to hold throughout the course of the game via memory flashback sequences obtained both through the main story quest-line and optional memory quest-line.

Discussing these events would be spoiler territory, so I’ll simply state that they do flesh out the backstory very well in accordance to character relationships and the reason the world is in the state it is. You’ll have to experience the details for yourself. As an overall package however, the story is strong throughout the majority of the game, only faltering through a select few flashback sequences and [in my personal opinion] a small portion of the game’s ending [which will hopefully be addressed with upcoming DLC].

The Silent Boy’s Living World

Once Link has awoken, and has completed his initial trials to obtain passage to the open world, the world becomes a sandbox for you to explore. Unarguably the strongest point of Breath of the Wild is the exploration. In-fact, Breath of the Wild’s open-world will likely set the bar for future open-world titles much higher than anyone could have ever anticipated with its execution of a living, breathing, truly free-roam open-world. Everything from the subtle wind blowing blades of grass, to the sounds of crickets chirping in the fields during dusk, and even wild deer actively looking for grass to graze make everything about the open world so absolutely satisfying to be a part of.

All of the typical biomes for open world games are present here: desert, snow, forest, jungle, beach, swamp, and volcano. Each type of area has it’s own isolated slice of the world map pie, but also shares pieces of other areas (for example Mount Lanayru is a snowy mountain amidst an otherwise forest-y area). This, alongside various levels of elevation, keeps even the most typical style of area fresh with varying features injected strategically within each piece of the map. Transitions between biomes feel very natural, and non-abrupt, reinforcing the immersion the game does an excellent job of maintaining. The immersion is handled so well in fact, that often times I found myself taking screenshots of foliage, lakes, and wildlife just because I felt it would be a shame to not capture every gorgeous moment the game had to offer (I’m going to need a much larger micro-SD card now). The only downside to such an elegant world is the occasional frame-rate drop that comes along with it. Particularly noticeable while playing in the docked mode during the first few hours of the game, there are noticeable drops in the frame-rate when there are lots of foliage, coupled with enemies and other environmental factors. These moments can potentially take away from the immersion, but are also easily overlooked. Once you leave the Great Plateau these problems seem to become much less frequent while playing docked, and even less frequent while playing portable.

Traversing these wondrous areas isn’t going to be a cakewalk, but luckily you will have several options on how to tackle the Hyrule homeland. The addition of the stamina meter has given inspiration to these options. The stamina meter is used for basically every physical action with the exception of walking and quick-attack. A frequent contender for my stamina usage was the paraglider. This item resembles its real-life counterpart, providing the same functionality. The act of paragliding from a mountain seemed like a desert after devouring a nice dinner of climbing said mountain. It allowed ease of access to far away areas, especially islands, as well as an upper-hand in combat encounters where enemies were at a lower elevation than you. Another of the most important uses of this wheel is the ability to climb. Link can climb anything in the world, even being completely upside-down sometimes (which I’ve coined in my playthrough as “Spidermanning”). See something just above but no road to get there? Climb your to the top, friend! Got a set of enemies in your way that you just can’t seem to defeat? Try climbing around them! Slowly you begin climbing up everything just because it becomes fun and rewarding to see what is atop the cliff you are exploring. Rain will however impede your climbing fun, as it will make any effected surface slippery, causing you to slide downward every so often. Your encounters with the natural force of rain are often going to be your hardest fights. I could not begin to even count the amount of times I had been halfway up a huge mountain hunting for collectibles, only to be interrupted by a monsoon which lead to me slipping down the mountain to my inevitable demise [or at least a decent amount of damage and time-loss]. Thankfully, there is a forecast chart incorporated into the UI for the game which shows you if a stormy front is on its way to ruin your exploratory plans. So unless you’ve consulted Mother Nature��s handbook of forecasting, it’s a super short climb, or you have tons of stamina from upgrades it is best to avoid these situations all-together.

Occasionally, to make matters worse, as if the rain wasn’t enough of a pain, lightning will also show up to the party to ruin your day. The moment your body and/or equipment begins sparking, you’d better open your menu to unequip your hazardous equipment, or be prepared to become a human lightning rod. Albeit an interesting feature, and certainly a very realistic one at that, lightning began to become more of an annoyance than a threat. It is plausible to get caught up in a lightning storm while fighting a Guardian, which may leave the equipment you are carrying useless, ultimately leaving you with a survivability rating of about 1% no matter if you choose to fight, take flight, or initiate a handshake with lightning. This is however a worst case scenario, and will not happen to everyone. The rest of the weather conditions seem to be not as dynamic however in comparison to the to aforementioned. Snow and extreme humidity both are mostly exclusive to specific slices of the map, making their role a bit more static. There’s absolutely nothing wrong with this however, as it allows players to really prepare themselves before entering these areas which can slowly drain you of your hearts if you are not properly equipped. Proper equipment for these areas come in limited forms.

There is basically one set of armor for extreme cold weather, one for extreme humidity, one for avoiding being burnt to a crisp, and everything else can be worn at any time. Most of the game does occur in areas which temperature is neutral mind you, but it would’ve been nice to have just a few more stylized options for extreme conditions. Also the option to quick change armor/clothing similar to the weapon quick select or even armor/clothing presets would’ve been intuitive. So when visiting these areas you will have to open and close your menu more often than you would want to.

Combat, Cooking, & Collectibles

When visiting each area within Breath of the Wild’s landmass, you’ll encounter a wide variety of enemies to cross spears, swords, and tree branches with. Every single encounter is a new experience. This is thanks to the inclusion of relic powers, a plethora of weapons, and tons of enemy types feature in-game. Breath of the Wild offers roughly 200 unique weapons, and nearly 100 varied enemy types. Combining the previous numbers with Link’s four newly introduced relic powers, will give thousands of combat situations. The enemy AI is some of the best in any video game to date. Each type of enemy has their own type of behaviors whether they are fighting alone, with a mob, and even idle! This is one of the precedences that makes the game truly feel alive. Whether you are watching Bokoblins from afar standing around a campfire gazing at a scrumptious roasting meat skewer, squaring off against a Lizalfos’ fast solo movements, or watching a Moblin pick up and throw his cohort Bokoblin at you, there are so many different types of behaviors, that you are likely to walk into each encounter and witness your foe doing something you’ve never seen them do before. This plays hand-in-hand with the difficulty aspect of the game, as there are not any AI which one could call “stupid”. Each enemy is completely capable of killing Link. You will often find that enemies will even use the surrounding environment to their advantage. Environmental variables such as loose boulders can quickly become Link’s worst enemy.

During these skirmishes, you will witness the heartbreak of a precious weapon/shield/bow breaking right before your very eyes. Fear not, and wipe away your tears! You will find another similar weapon, or one even better soon enough. Often spoken of as a negative in most games, the weapon degradation in Breath of the Wild makes perfect sense. Very early on in your journey you will likely be relying on very fragile weapons [ex. tree branches, rusty weapons] which you will end up breaking faster than most teenagers today break the screens on their cell-phones. After several hours you finally begin finding much better weapons, which shows that the designers honestly took their time planning out what type of weapons you would find within each area. The natural progression of obtaining these weapons/armors feels just right for a typical player’s main story route progression.

Now you do have the choice to break this natural progression by skipping early areas and testing your might against much more difficult enemies in areas farther from where you probably should be in accordance to the main quest-line. Noting this, it is very easy to get distracted and end up in the “wrong neighborhood” so to speak. For casual players, if you suddenly find yourself within the first few hours of gameplay surrounded by several silver colored enemies, you may want to tuck tail and run before all of your precious hearts are drained from you with one foul swoop of a club. For some of the more hardcore players [like myself] the thrill of the game comes from fighting enemies that they know they shouldn’t stand a chance against with current stats. In many players’ instances, the Lynel enemy atop a mountain in the Zora’s Domain will likely be their first “Nope, coming back to do that later” moment of the game. Some players however will see this as a rigorous challenge that puts every ounce of their skill to the test, with the possibility of unlocking some incredibly high stat items early on in the story. Breath of the Wild does a fantastic job of mixing the moments in both regular exploration and main story quest-line to keep both casual and hardcore audiences entertained.

When combat has proven that it can be difficult, there is one way to counteract the pain. Supplement this difficulty with the addition of cooking! This is the feature of the game that I did not expect to enjoy as much as I did. Cooking will mostly occur in areas that contain a campfire with a cooking pot above it (although you can cook single items in a campfire without the pot and even cook items contained within crates if you set the crates on fire). There are incredible amounts of entertainment to be had combining different materials in the cooking pot, as discovering what kind of meal each combination will grant you takes a lot of trial-and-error (or a guide, because people do still buy those believe it or not). Sometimes food is required to traverse landscapes with extreme temperatures, other times offers a quick way to a full recovery [with the possibility of extra temporary hearts also], and sometimes even allows a way to increase the speed at which you climb. The amount of possibilities for different recipes, meals, elixirs, and strengths of those products is staggering. The only gripe with this feature of the game is that there is no way to record in game what you have cooked to produce a specific meal. This results in either a mass amount of memorization to ensure you are getting quality foods best suited for your situation, or a lot of blind hope which will often lead into grueling Dubious Foods.

Returning to maintaining your dubious weapons, managing your inventory said weapons does become a task rather quickly. Early on this will likely be a big problem for most players, as they will want to horde every little weapon they can get their hands on. This can be easily remedied via the Korok seed collectible items, which will be addressed shortly. The ability to switch which weapon you are using at any given time is slick as time pauses as long as your menu is up, allowing you to scout out the best weapon for every situation. The only downside to this however is when you are out of inventory space, there is not a quick way to drop weapons. Each time you wish to toss a weapon to the wayside you must open the main menu, select your item, and drop from there. A minor gripe, but for as many times as you will end up doing this, you will realize quickly an increasing amount of time spent doing this process even late into the game when you [hopefully] have acquired more inventory space.

I hear you asking yourself, “Where can I obtain these seeds? I want to be the weapon pack mule!”. Well let me preface this by saying that there seems to be a resurgence lately for collect-a-thon games. Breath of the Wild is no exception to this. The Korok seed hunt is possibly one of the largest, and most time-consuming collectible hunts ever placed inside a video game. Without prior knowledge, how many of the little leaf children would you imagine would be hidden inside this massive open world? 200? 400? Those my friend are rookie numbers. For this collect-a-thon you will have to search every corner, rock, flower, pond, and coast for 900 of these twiggy friendlies. Yes, this is not a typo, 900 Koroks are scattered across the world, with only you serving as their savior. This is one of the only tasks I personally did not finish within my playthrough of the game. At my journey’s end I amassed a pitiful 242 Korok seeds. Only the most dedicated gamers will ever see the near four digit number grace their screen during the game’s loading screen. Previously discussing the purpose of these seeds though, you will burn with passion to collect at least several hundred of these seeds. The seeds are given to a specific NPC in exchange for the additional inventory slots you desire, chosen between weapons, bows, and shields. Get your Korok wallet ready though, because each time you make an inventory slot purchase, the next time you select that type of inventory slot you will see an additional surcharge on what you will owe for the next slot. It gets really expensive, really quickly. [A quick aside regarding the seeds; Hetsu is the most adorable NPC of all time. I will say no more. You must experience this for yourselves. If a smile is not immediately filling your face when you meet Hetsu, then nothing can possibly make you happy.]

Another of these collectibles you will likely be working toward completing is the Hyrule Compendium, which tasks you with taking photographs of every enemy, boss, material, style of treasure chest, animal, and weapon in the game. This alone is a daunting task, as many times you’ll find yourself forgetting to pull out the Sheikah Slate to snap a quick picture of a wandering butterfly, new fruit, or boss encounter. The saving grace of this particular collect-a-thon is that you can purchase pictures for the compendium via an NPC for a seemingly reasonable amount of your hard earned rupees. Therefore nothing is missable in your journey to be the best photogrpaher in Hyrule. Now if only you could add some of those wonderful filters commonly used in today’s social media apps to make that picture of a Smoldering Butterfly like it came from an old Polaroid. DLC perhaps? I certainly hope so!

Spirit Orbs are the third [and final] type of collectible in Breath of the Wild. Spirit Orbs, which are obtained via completing Shrines, allow the player a choice of an extra Heart Container or an extra 1/5 of a Stamina Wheel upgrade. These are technically a collectible only because the player can choose not to complete any Shrines after the first four shrines of the game (which are required). Each of the games’ 120 shrines offers a distinct challenge either inside of the shrine itself or on the overworld to unlock the shrine. Shrine challenges generally fall under two categories: combat tests and puzzles. With this being a new addition to the Zelda franchise the initial reaction from fans and critics alike were mixed when these shrines were announced. A Zelda game dropping main dungeons [sort of] in favor of smaller split-up dungeons that are easier for pick-up and play situations? For a completely new idea in the Zelda series, these shrines convey exactly how they should into Breath of the Wild’s open world. These shrines add an additional purpose to exploring the entire map, as they could be nearly anywhere. Some of the shrines are in plain sight, while others require quests to be completed before you can gain access to them. These quests could range from finding fragments of ancient relics in order to reveal the answer the a puzzle which will reveal a shrine, to riddles given by NPC Kass which require the player to do some problem solving strictly from two or four lines of poetic verse. Overall the puzzle shrines themselves feel very unique, with none of them replicating each other in a way that makes you think that you’ve already completed a puzzle that was very similar ten minutes prior. Combat oriented shrines are strikingly similar for obvious reasons. These have very little variation from each other, simply pitting you against a guardian enemy of predetermined combat capability depending on the name of the shrine test (minor, modest, or major test of strength). These shrines typically take no more than fifteen minutes to complete, which seems appropriate for the games’ overall pacing. The only problem that can be seen with these shrines are that some of them are incredibly easy. There will be times where you will find the solution to the puzzle within mere moments of examining the shrine puzzle. For the average problem solver most of these shrines will seem more like tech demos for Link’s relic powers than puzzles themselves. Take for example Mirro Shaz, the shrine which seems to be coined by everyone as the “golfing” test. The entire purpose is to take an iron hammer which is provided by the merciful shrine gods, stasis lock a shrine ball, and proceed to hit it into a hole several hundred meters away which is not accessible by foot. While not particularly challenging on the problem solving front except for making sure you are lined up properly and are hitting the ball with an appropriate level of force, the execution of the “puzzle” seems to be nothing more than a showcase for whether you can comprehend the basic use of the relic powers. This is not to say that these type of puzzles are not enjoyable, because they absolutely are! There just seems to be something missing from several of the shrines in the game as they seem too short sometimes, leaving the player asking why the puzzle does not have more depth. Thankfully though this does remove a problem that most games with puzzles have: padding. The shrines in Breath of the Wild contain absolutely zero padding. Yes, some of the shrines may feel entirely too short, but it is honestly better to have shorter puzzles than to have puzzles that overstay their welcome. As an overall package, shrines seem to be well integrated into the world of Breath of the Wild, minor complaints/suggestions aside.

The Difficulty Curve: Main & Side Events

The difficulty of Breath of the Wild is varied depending on the kind of route you take in the game. If you follow the main story quest-line, you’ll find the difficulty of the game rather tame and controlled. Enemies will never truly seem unfair, and your weapons/armor will scale fairly well with the area you are in. If you choose to have a more open approach to Breath of the Wild’s world, wandering off wherever your eyes see fit, then you may run into some issues with difficulty. It is very easy even from the very beginning of the game to choose a path which will likely lead you to your demise. From a personal account, I decided to [attempt to] explore Hyrule Bridge directly after finishing the Great Plateau tutorial area. Well, let’s just say I quickly learned how absolutely brutal Breath of the Wild could be. With one swipe of a Lizalfos’ spear I was faced with a disheartening “Game Over” screen. Being the stubborn gamer I am, I attempted this personal route several more times, only to face the same bitter end each time. This is not to say that the game limits you to where you can/can’t go. It is very possible with lots of time, skill, and patience to cross Hyrule Bridge straight out of the gate. Most players however will not accomplish such a feat until later in the game when their armor/weapons/hearts reflect a more reasonable chance of survival. The simple fact that you are able to choose how difficult you wish to make the game is something that not many games do, let alone the ones that do and actually get it right. Breath of the Wild allows you to take complete control of how difficult you want your experience with it to be. Want to charge headlong into Hyrule Castle once you leave the Plateau? You may do so. Would you like to explore the snowy areas of the game without any armor to resist cold weather? That is absolutely allowed. Care for a more casual approach in which you simply follow the main story-line? Go for it! There are hundreds of possibilities for how to begin the game, as even more possibilities for how to continue the game at any given point. This is one of the best points to talk about regarding the game; The ability to craft your own adventure, with your own path, goals, feats, and level of desired completion.

On the lighter side of the difficulty topic, the main quest-line route seems to have been made easier than previous Zelda titles, likely to attract a wider audience for the game. The Divine Beast dungeons themselves are the mainline dungeons for this Zelda title. Each of the four total dungeons resembles an animal, which servers as the dungeon itself. Once you make your way inside one of these dungeons you will be faced with a set of tasks: obtain the map of the beast, activate a few terminals, activate the main control unit, and fight a boss. This formula does not vary between the Divine Beast dungeons. To keep things interesting however, each beast does contain a gimmick which allows the map function the alter the layout of the dungeon. This feature makes puzzles in these dungeons much more fun than your standard Zelda dungeon. You no longer have to worry about obtaining a new item within a dungeon to clear it, as you already have everything you need to conquer every dungeon. You can complete these dungeons in any order you so desire. You can also skip these dungeons completely if you desire. There is an incentive for completing them however which appears late in the game. Revealing that would however be a rather large spoiler, so you will have to find out for yourselves.

One of the most important factors for these dungeons for most players is the boss fight at the end of each one. Zelda games have never really been known for the difficulty of their boss battles (look how many times the Dodongo fight has been re-skinned); If you were expecting this Zelda title to change this stereotype, then you will be sorely disappointed. At the end of each of the four main story “dungeons” you’ll be faced with an intimidating-looking [and well designed] boss creature. Unfortunately each one of them falls to nearly the same basic tactic: arrows to the face. Each boss does have their own “gimmick” which will cause some slight variation between each boss fight, but ultimately it boils down to your ability to be accurate with a bow and the ability to block/dodge. Each fight seems to be over before it really even starts. Touching briefly [without spoilers] on the final boss fight, the same mechanics from the other four previous boss fights do not apply [as much]. There is still a brief period where arrows are very reliable, yet the rest of the fight does require a bit more skill. Again, boss design here is astounding, and probably the best boss design across any Zelda game to date. The only flaw here is that just like the other four main boss battles, it seems much too short. Once you’ve taken the time to learn the patterns, you will be sailing through this fight in no time. Oh, and yes there is a cinematic fight bit in the final fight as well, but let’s just leave it at that; It’s nothing particularly special, and will only leave you wishing for more.

Amidst the obvious issues I personally had with the easier difficulty for the boss fights I simply cannot make this point as a strike against the creators. I completely understand why they made these fights the way they did. The main reason [in my opinion] for this choice of lack of difficulty is to make the main questline accessible to all types of players. Casual players who are mainly playing the game for the main storyline and/or are having a difficult time out in the games world with regular enemy types, will be able to still finish the game with minimal item grinding. Then you have the more hardcore crowd, which will find more enjoyment fighting the tougher enemies out in the wild [pun intended]. Either way all audiences should find some sort of challenge within the game at some point.

Extra Flavor: Lasts 100% Longer

These next few sections are strictly for the extra tidbits of the game that I personally did not use much or could not find a proper spot in the structure of the review’s main course. These topics could be more important to other players’ however, so I thought a few words on them could be beneficial. Keep in mind for these however that your mileage may vary for usefulness/enjoyment of these features.

Something nearly every Zelda fan has had the desire for since Ocarina of Time is to once again have their own horse to ride around the world set before them. Breath of the Wild makes that a reality with its abundance of horses that you can capture, tame, and name for your own personal use. The process is simple: Find a horse you wish to tame, sneak up behind it, mount the horse, if necessary soothe it before you get bucked off. Obtaining your horse is only half the battle however, as you may find that the horse you selected does not obey your every command. This is because every horse has a temperament, which effects its behavior as well as its initial bonding stat. If the bonding stat is low, then likely the horse will occasionally wander off in whichever direction it desires to go. You can counteract this by riding the horse for an extended period of time, soothing it while riding the horse, and feeding the horse food. The higher the bond stat is, the less likely your horse is to disobey you. Each horse also has a speed, stamina, and strength stat. Speed is self-explanatory, stamina dictates how many speed boost spurs (reminiscent of the ones in Ocarina of Time) the horse has, and strength judges how strong of a hit your horse has if you where to attempt to trample an enemy. It should be noted that there are no perfect stat horses in the game (not even Epona). Each horse will ultimately have a stat that is lacking in comparison to other horses. You have to decide which stats are most important to you, and choose your horse based on that. In order to keep a specific horse, you must register it with a stable, which will allow the use of said horse via pulling it from the stable, or whistling near a stable for your horse. These horses do have limitations however. You can only store five horses at a time. There is also the possibility of a horse dying any time you are in combat, or if you accidentally run your horse off a ledge. Should this happen no need to cry, there is a way to get your trusty steed back. That however is something you should find on your own. Overall effectiveness of the horses is lukewarm despite all of the desire for the feature. Most of the game will likely be spent on foot traversing areas methodically, or climbing mountains, both of which are not suitable situations for horses. Unless you really have the itch to ride a horse, or want to try horse combat, then horses likely will not be a routine part of your playthrough.

Despite having over 100 tracks, music does not play incredibly often in Breath of the Wild. This is absolutely done on purpose. There are so many sounds incorporated into the overworld, that an extra layer of music masking this would have ruined the atmosphere. Often-times you will be wandering about the world, and will catch an ocassional bird chirping, whistle of the wind as it blows the grass surrounding your feet, and the beautiful sound of water constantly pouring down a waterfall. These sounds and many many more make up a much more perfect soundtrack than some orchestrated nonsense constantly blaring over-top of every action that is taking place in a living breathing world. On the other hand, I do really enjoy the actual soundtrack itself. Every piece of music seems to fit the situation it is mapped to just perfectly. Combat and village music especially are extremely methodical when capturing the mood of the situation is truly important. I will patiently await the day a full physical soundtrack is available for sale, because the music is just that good [and the selection CD that came with the Master Edition does not cover everything I want to hear].

NPC’s all have varied personalities, which is quite unusual for games of comparable size. Each slice of dialogue feels as if it were written by a completely different person, as no two NPCs speak in similar manners. This gives Breath of the Wild’s world a breath [haha] of liveliness that is unrivaled by other open world titles. While each character may not be completely memorable, there are more memorable ones than not, even if their roles were not important. The NPC which allows you to dye your clothing I will never forget. That fellow is what nightmares are truly made of.

Judgment

As an overall package, this is my favorite Zelda title now. While there are some flaws with the game, I can honestly say that Breath of the Wild is one of the only games to ever come closer to perfect in my eyes. The issues I had with the game can easily be overlooked, and ultimately don’t truly effect the score I desire to give the game from a non-subjective perspective. The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild is an ambitious and completely creative game that is going to capture [and already has captured] many gamers’ hearts. This game is an absolute masterpiece! The following screenshot describes exactly what I felt like after every session of Breath of the Wild.

10/10

Essential Masterwork

#Zelda #legend of zelda #breath of the wild #nintendo #nintendo switch #game journalism #game review #video games #the legend of Zelda breath of the wild

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beyondforks · 8 years ago

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Playing Catch Up! Before I Fall by Lauren Oliver

Playing Catch Up has really been helping me through my ever growing TBR list. I'd like to welcome all other blogs to participate too! If you do, be sure to post your links in the comments section. I'd love to see your Playing Catch U

p Reviews, and I'm sure others would too!! *wink*

Want to know more about Playing Catch Up? I'll tell you all about it here!

Before I Fall by Lauren Oliver Genre: Young Adult (Contemporary/Romance) Date Published: October 25, 2010 Publisher: HarperCollins

With this stunning debut novel, New York Times bestselling author Lauren Oliver emerged as one of today's foremost authors of young adult fiction. Like Jay Asher's Thirteen Reasons Why and Gayle Forman's If I Stay, Before I Fall raises thought-provoking questions about love, death, and how one person's life can affect so many others.

For popular high school senior Samantha Kingston, February 12—"Cupid Day"—should be one big party, a day of valentines and roses and the privileges that come with being at the top of the social pyramid. And it is…until she dies in a terrible accident that night.

However, she still wakes up the next morning. In fact, Sam lives the last day of her life seven times, until she realizes that by making even the slightest changes, she may hold more power than she ever imagined.

I'm not sure how I feel about this book, but days later, I'm still thinking about it so that has to mean something, right? I've been meaning to read Before I Fall by Lauren Oliver for a very long time, and it finally took seeing the movie trailer to light a fire under my butt and get it done. It looked like a movie I'd want to see, soooo naturally, I HAD to read the book first. This book was oddly good. I say "oddly" because the characters, especially the main character, aren't people I liked at all. They were selfish, superficial, and self absorbed. I spent so much time annoyed or mad at Sam.. it was crazy. Sam is pretty dense, and it takes her a long time to learn lessons. It's like she has no idea how to be a good person anymore. Her friends are the same, so they were unlikable in every way. With that all being said, if Sam and her friends were good people, we wouldn't have a story. So, if characters like these bother you as much as they do me, just hold on. There is a point to it all or rather a few points, but I'm not going to tell you what they are. Pretty much the only redeeming character was Kent, and I absolutely hate the turn of events that happen for him, and that whole situation taints the entire book for me. In fact, I'm still on the line between love and hate for this book because of him. There's a pattern to each day Sam relives, and like a puzzle, they start to piece together more and more until you get to the ending. I loved it, and I hated it. It was beautiful, and it was ugly. The words "oddly good" come into play again, because that's just the best two words I can think of to describe this book as a whole. There was an epilogue, but it was more of a continuation of the actual ending. I really wish the epilogue would have given us a look at the future of the characters instead, and it wouldn't even have to be far in the future. A week later, a day, even an hour or so... just to see what the characters took away from everything that took place. Was it all worth it? Maybe. Maybe not. Anyway, that would have been very a nice(and I feel necessary) thing to know. And just a little personal side note. In what world is riding horses considered uncool? Does one even exist? I'm glad that's not my world. That's all I have to say about that. Anyway, back to my review. I have so many conflicting feelings about this book. I really don't know what else so say. So, I'll just end here by saying... it was oddly good.

They say that just before you die your whole life flashes before your eyes, but that's not how it happened for me. To be honest, I'd always thought the whole final-moment, mental life-scan-thing sounded pretty awful. Some things are better left buried and forgotten, as my mom would say. I'd be happy to forget all of fifth grade, for example (the glasses-and-pink-braces period), and does anybody want to relive the first day of middle school? Add in all of the boring family vacations, pointless algebra classes, period cramps and bad kisses I barely lived through the first time around... The truth is, though, I wouldn't have minded reliving my greatest hits: when Rob Cokran and I first hooked up in the middle of the dance floor at homecoming, so everyone saw and knew we were together; when Lindsay, Elody, Ally and I got drunk and tried to make snow angels in May, leaving person-sized imprints in Ally's lawn; my sweet sixteenth party, when we set out a hundred tea lights and we all danced on the table in the backyard; the time Lindsay and I pranked Clara Seuse on Halloween, got chased down by the cops, and laughed so hard we almost threw up. The things I wanted to remember; the things I wanted to be remembered for. But before I died I didn't think of Rob, or any other guy. I didn't think of all the outrageous things I'd done with my friends. I didn't even think of my family, or the way the morning light turns the walls in my bedroom the color of cream, or the way the azaleas outside of my window smell in July, a mixture of honey and cinnamon. Instead, I thought of Vicky Hallinan. Specifically, I thought of the time in 4th grade when Lindsay announced in front of the whole gym class that she wouldn't have Vicky on her dodgeball team. "She's too fat," Lindsay blurted out. "You could hit her with your eyes closed." I wasn't friends with Lindsay yet, but even then she had this way of saying things that made them hilarious, and I laughed along with everyone else while Vicky's face turned as purple as the wrinkled underside of a storm cloud. That's what I remembered in that before-death instant, when I was supposed to be having some big revelation about my past: the smell of varnish and the squeak of our sneakers on the polished floor; the tightness of my polyester shorts; the laughter echoing around the big empty space like there were way more than twenty-five people in the gym. And Vicky's face. The weird thing is that I hadn't thought about that in forever. It was one of those memories I didn't even know I remembered, if you know what I mean. It's not like Vicky was traumatized or anything. That's just the kind of thing that kids do to each other. It's no big deal. There's always going to be a person laughing and somebody getting laughed at. It happens every day, in every school, in every town in America--probably the world, for all I know. The whole point of growing up is learning to stay on the laughing side. Vicky wasn't very fat to begin with--just some baby weight on her face and stomach--and before high school she'd lost that and grown three inches. She even became friends with Lindsay. They played field hockey together and said hi in the halls. One time Vicky brought it up at a party our freshman year--we were all pretty tipsy--and we laughed and laughed, Vicky most of all, until her face turned almost as purple as it had all those years ago in the gym. That was weird thing number one. Even weirder than that was the fact that we'd all just been talking about it--how it would be just before you died, I mean. I don't remember exactly how it came up except that Elody was complaining that I always get shotgun and refusing to wear her seatbelt and kept leaning forward into the front seat to scroll through Lindsay's iPod, even though I was supposed to have deejay privileges. I was trying to explain my "greatest hits" theory of death and we were all picking out what those would be. Lindsay picked finding out that she got into Princeton, obviously, and Ally--who was complaining of the cold, as usual, and threatening to drop dead right there of pneumonia--participated long enough to say she wished she could relive her first hook-up with Matt Wilde forever, which surprised no one. Lindsay and Elody were smoking, and freezing rain was coming in through the cracked windows. The road was narrow and winding, and on either side of us the dark stripped branches of trees lashed back and forth, like the wind had set them dancing. Elody put on "With or Without You" to piss Ally off, maybe because she was sick of her whining. It was Ally's song with Matt, who had dumped her in September. Ally called her a bitch and unbuckled her seatbelt, leaning forward and trying to grab the iPod. Lindsay complained that someone was elbowing her in the neck. The cigarette dropped from her mouth and landed between her thighs. She started cursing and trying to brush the embers out from the seat cushion and Elody and Ally were still fighting and I was trying to talk over them, reminding them all of the time we'd made snow angels in May. The tires skidded a little on the wet road and the car was full of cigarette smoke, little wisps rising like phantoms in the air.Then all of a sudden there was a flash of white in front of the car. Lindsay yelled something--words I couldn't make out, something like Sit, or Shit, or Sight--and suddenly the car was flipping off of the road and into the black mouth of the woods. I heard a horrible, screeching sound--metal on metal, glass shattering, a car folding in two--and smelled fire. I had time to wonder whether Lindsay had put her cigarette out. Then Vicky Hallinan's face came rising out of the past. I heard laughter echoing and rolling all around me, swelling into a scream. Then nothing.

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Be sure to check out more books by Lauren Oliver!

Lauren Oliver comes from a family of writers and so has always (mistakenly) believed that spending hours in front of the computer every day, mulling over the difference between “chortling” and “chuckling,” is normal. She has always been an avid reader.

She attended the University of Chicago, where she continued to be as impractical as possible by majoring in philosophy and literature. After college, she attended the MFA program at NYU and worked briefly as the world’s worst editorial assistant, and only marginally better assistant editor, at a major publishing house in New York. Her major career contributions during this time were flouting the corporate dress code at every possible turn and repeatedly breaking the printer. Before I Fall is her first published novel.

She is deeply grateful for the chance to continue writing, as she has never been particularly good at anything else.

To learn more about Lauren Oliver and her books, visit her website. You can also find her on Goodreads, Twitter, and Facebook.

#Before I Fall #Lauren Oliver #contemporary #romance #young adult #Teaser #excerpt #playing catch up #original teaser

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