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feralphoenix · 4 years ago

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HOWMST BELL THE CAT? - A treatise on one aspect of how the Pale King sealed the Radiance

sup hollow knight fandom, i’m back with the picante takes again after having Noticed A Thing.

as with my previous essays i’ll put this guy up on dreamwidth later for accessibility purposes, since my layout text may be too small for high-res pc users. i will attach that in a reblog at a later point.

CONTENT WARNINGS FOR TONIGHT’S PROGRAM: This essay discusses canon-typical body horror and bodily boundary violations, with some side mentions of colonialism.

all game screencaps are mine. the screencap of the wiki is from the “developer notes” (style guide) section of the “cut content” page.

ALSO: if youre from a christian cultural upbringing (whether currently practicing, agnostic/secular, or atheist now), understand that some of what i’m discussing here may challenge you. if thinking thru the implications of this particular part of hollow knight worldbuilding/lore is distressing for you, PLEASE only approach this essay when youre in a safe mindset & open to listening, and ask the help of a therapist or anti-racism teacher/mentor to help you process your thoughts & feelings. just like keep in mind that youre listening to an ethnoreligiously marginalized person and please be respectful here or wherever else youre discussing this dang essay, ty

HOWMST BELL THE CAT? - A treatise on one aspect of how the Pale King sealed the Radiance

We understand more or less how the Pale King’s plan was supposed to work. Stuff Radiance into a no-thoughts-head-empty and silent Pure Vessel to trap, isolate, and silence her, both putting an end to the Infection and killing her for good. Stick that vessel in the Black Egg, which harnesses Void BS to both keep the vessel alive indefinitely and to cover Hallownest (and its neighbors) in a time-defying stasis so that the Pale King could successfully hoard his favorite shiny FOREVER, threatened by nothing. Then put a seal on the Black Egg to prevent anyone from getting inside and harming said vessel while it’s strung up and helpless. And THEN, put protective seals on the anchors (the Dreamers) to the Black Egg seal to protect them from any external harm: The stasis means the Dreamers won't die of old age or starvation.

All in all, a pretty foolproof plan!

...except that the Dreamers are still vulnerable to having their minds breached with the moths’ magic... and the Pale King failed to take into account that his Pure Vessel was a person actually and the amount of toxic stress his training/upbringing put on them made them REALLY POORLY SUITED FOR THEIR JOB... and also that killing 99% of his million children and turning the Abyss into a landfill for baby corpses would take enough of an emotional toll on his wife and #1 enabler the White Lady that she would walk out on him, ensuring he’d only ever have one shot at this whole deal...

Basically it’s the sort of plan that an emotionally constipated, low-empathy sort of guy who pours all his points into INT and has a big fat zero for WIS might think is foolproof. It has big holes in it that the Pale King did not consider to be big holes until he got owned by the various consequences of his actions and fell down said big holes, making the shocked pikachu face all the while. Rip in die, my guy.

Anyway, there’s a lot of incidental information scattered about the game that gives us more insight into the stages of TPK’s plan. Looking at Monomon’s notes in the Archive suggests that she was probably involved in designing the Black Egg; the hidden room in the Weavers’ den points to their being the ones to blueprint the Dreamer seal; the White Palace’s hidden rooms reveal both TPK’s morbid fascination with the Void and his mea culpa wrt his motives and the Path of Pain is certainly suggestive of a lot of things. The White Lady tells us straight out that she walked out on the Pale King because she wanted no part in a second vessel batch, but how TPK didn’t handle that is only revealed via map design and some incidental dialogue from the Old Stag.

This stuff presents us with, if not a full picture, then at least a decent connect-the-dots of certain aspects of crater politics and Pale Court drama at the time, and how exactly TPK’s plan came together.

But there is still one glaring question that these cookie crumbs do not provide us an answer to:

Who shall bell the cat?

How did TPK et al manage to stuff Radiance into Hollow in the first place?

This is the subject of a lot of memes and jokes within the fandom because it's so absurd. Radiance fuckin hates that dude! She’s probably gonna be pretty wary of him considering how he stole her people in the first place! And considering the anti-colonialism slant of the writing - beyond the general sympathetic view Team Cherry gives of each indigenous bug society, Seer makes it very clear that Radiance has very good reason to take violent action against Hallownest - the answer is probably not something like “she’s just that stupid” or “she rolled a crit fail”.

Well... I have an idea of how TPK managed to get Radiance in there. It raises about as many questions as it answers, mind, but it may be someplace to start.

[desc: the hollow knight's entry in the hunter’s journal. top text/ghost’s comment reads: “Fully grown Vessel, carrying the plague’s heart within its body.” bottom text/hunter’s comment says: “The old King of Hallownest... he must have been desperate to save his crumbling little world. The sacrifices he imposed on others... all for nothing.”]

Here we have Hollow’s bestiary entry. Most of what we’re concerned with here is the top text, which says the seal has literally trapped Radiance inside their body. (First of all, ew, TPK.)

We already knew Radiance is literally actually inside Hollow, though: The Infection is leaking out of their body, and to get to fight Radiance, Ghost has to go traipsing into their sibling’s mind. So what’s significant about that here?

[desc: screencap of the outside of the black egg temple, post-infected crossroads. there are large infection blobs in the foreground and background, connected to each other by veins that come from inside the temple.]

The infection blobs are weird and get weirder if you kill enough Lightseeds for the Hunter to tell you their origin story, i.e. that the literal actual sun has been having a very long bad day and cried a lot, and some of the liquid coalesced into living flesh, and some of that living flesh took on a mind of its own to become Lightseeds. (Hollow Knight is a WILD place.)

Lightseeds are Radiance’s accidental children and share a lot of her traits: They are harmless creatures that try to avoid conflict if possible but if pushed will get creative and find ways to fight regardless of their physical limitations. (For the Lightseeds this involves hiding inside Broken Vessel’s corpse and puppeting it around to try to stab you.) They even have her same distinctive yell. And according to the Hunter, they’re born from the infection blobs. These enemies only ever appear in the Ancient Basin, which both Radiance and the Void have ransacked, and in the Infected Crossroads.

The infection blobs are connected to and sort of a weird extension of Radiance because the Infection itself is sort of a weird extension of Radiance. In the game’s internal style guide Team Cherry explains that the Infection started as an accident, not her original intention but what happened when Hallownest tried to block her out.

[desc: screencap from the wiki of style notes attached to seer that describe a sketch of radiance’s finalized backstory. text reads: “The moth tribe were (perhaps) descended from Radiance. However, the King convinced them somehow to seal Radiance away. I guess so he could rule Hallownest with his singular vision, as a god/monarch with no other gods. The moths sealed Radiance away by forgetting about her. Hallownest was born and flourished. However, the memory of Radiance lingered (eg [sic] the statue at hallownest’s crown) and soon she began to reappear in dreams and starting [sic] exerting influence. The King and the bugs of Hallownest resisted this memory/power and it started to manifest as the Infection. Thus the first attempt to seal Radiance failed, and the King had to try another method - the Vessel.” emphasis mine.]

Some fans have posited the blobs as deposits of pupa juice, but given Team Cherry's description of the Infection’s origins I don’t know how likely that is. Since the Void also sticks its squamous tentacles into things via veiny looking things and the Nightmare’s Heart has similar veiny nonsense in the Nightmare Realm, I wonder if it isn’t just a Meddly God Shit thing in general.

Whatever the case, the blobs are very much connected to/a part of Radiance.

And when you’re hanging around them, you will notice two things: They pulse like they’re part of a circulatory system, and you can hear Radiance's heartbeat emanating from them.

[desc: screencap of the game’s title screen with the infected menu theme in use: a glowing orange ball at the center of a lot of black tendony webbing.]

Let’s also think of the Infected menu theme, which you unlock after getting either of the endings where Ghost takes over from Hollow and absorbs Radiance out of them. Ghost is infected and then sealed inside the Black Egg in Hollow's place. It’s suggested by the animation’s staging that Radiance briefly struggles to get out of Ghost after absorbed but is ultimately stuck in them, at which point the seal is reestablished.

If you haven’t used the Infected menu theme yourself, the... interesting thing about it is that it moves organically. The light ball expands and contracts - y’know, sort of like a living organ - and so does the black webby stuff around it.

Also, Radiance’s heartbeat is included in the theme's ambiance.

[desc: hollow’s bestiary entry again]

To cut to the chase, this part of Hollow’s bestiary entry that says “the plague’s heart”? I don’t think that’s just Ghost/Team Cherry being poetic. I think there’s a good chance it’s LITERAL.

I think TPK is the sort of person who could cram a native woman’s literal living beating heart inside his own child’s body so they can use it as... say, a focus to absorb and trap her mind/spirit inside their body, too. Mr. No Cost Too Great is capable of a lot in the name of keeping other people’s claws off his Big Shiny kingdom. This is kind of his whole brand.

But also, like, yuck.

This fits the worldbuilding too; generally speaking Hollow Knight is Body Horror City. Also there’s the case of Grimm: While he and Radiance are loose counterparts at best with WILDLY disparate outlooks and ethoses, his existence serves as precedent that a Higher Being’s heart specifically can be separate from the rest of them.

As I said before, though, this DOES raise as many questions as it answers. If this is another piece in the puzzle of how TPK belled the cat, we’re now left wondering how he got Radiance’s heart to use as Hollow's focus to begin with.

We know he has access to the Dream Realm because that’s ultimately where he hid when Hollow’s seal failed, but who did he send to do the stealing and how did they get away with it? (TPK certainly wouldn’t have gone; his own life’s the one cost too great for him to willingly pay.) Was Radiance’s heart separate from her like the Nightmare’s Heart, or was it a part of her body? (I think the latter is more likely just from her personality; Grimm’s hidden heart makes sense because of how he keeps even his own servants at arm’s length emotionally, whereas Radiance is all heart all the time. I think this makes more sense with their equal opposites schtick too. But this would make for a WAY riskier mission.)

I can imagine all kinds of possibilities. None of them are definitive, but the thing they have in common is that they are all Awful... and how on-brand that is for Hollow Knight as a whole is, maybe, the most persuasive argument for It’s Literally Actually Her Real Physical Heart there could be.

#hollow knight #hollow knight spoilers #hollow knight meta #the radiance #hk radiance #not sure if i should tag tpk bc i doubt therell be anything in here his stans will enjoy lol #long post under cut -#essay

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thefoldedbird · 4 years ago

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Mass Effect: Andromeda, Closure

So, it’s been close to four years since the release. Hate has died down considerably, bugs have been patched, faces reconstructed, and opinions reevaluated. On a note of personal opinion.

The combat was the most fleshed out part of this game. It felt good, it felt fluid, and it’s as flexible as it’s ever been. This is perfect for someone who wants to try a class outside their norm and not have long term consequences.

The crafting system. It’s everything I wanted. I missed the level of loot in ME1. Sure managing it sucked but MEA doesn’t have the same management problems. The crafting system this game is the best in the series. Fight me about it.

I didn’t use the multiplayer so I have no opinion.

The characters could have used more work. I am not particularly attached to any of them. Yes Jaal is a nice novelty and a female Turian is bringing some balance to the previously no-girls-allowed club the turian race seemed to be. But none of them are...impactful.

No joke, I was more invested in the small bit of backstory from Kandros. Having been the only one of his siblings to not take a crazy path in life, he came to Andromeda to spice his life and find adventure. I would have loved to hear about his crazy home life with his sisters, him battling with the disappointment from his parents over his leaving and being able to do nothing since they’re dead. Grappling emotionally over the idea that he came looking for his big adventure only to get shoved into a management position for his reliability. Having to shelve his plans and dreams to restore some semblance of militaristic order.

I’m just saying their was a lot of room for a Kandros romance and I’m shocked I didn’t get one seeing all the out of place ones. I didn’t get why Keri was a romance option...or Avela but I think she was meant to be the female Anagara option until they made Jaal bisexual.

That being said PeeBee comes off as someone who would be uninterested in romance as a whole. But you can still get with her.

The characters needed work. Except Kallo. He was perfect. Drack was fine, but they really should have done more with the romance between him and Lexi. He has enough charcteristics to be distinctive from Wrex. His age, being an amputee, being a father, his romance with Lexi. I think the “Wrex 2.0″ opinions stem a lot from their similar snarky demeanor. But that’s just how old Krogans who aren’t assholes are I guess.

It’s funny when you have him an Liam in the Nomad together. The juxtaposition alone is great.

If there was one thing that made these characters tolerable it was the banter. Oh my god the banter. Everyone was always having a conversation. It’s great.

Kesh was also pretty amazing as a character. I loved her. Good job being a parent Drack. Wished there was more of her as well.

Storyline kind of seems like reapers 2.0 but with a dash of Eugenics for spice. I am interested in the Jardaan however. That’s new and that’s cool. We haven’t had an alien race like this since the Leviathans right? With the level of technical advancement to create another species. Except the Jardaan went full organic. Like I know this is science fiction but do you know how hard it is to make a body?

That was not an invitation for sex jokes.

I’m not mad at the Kett storyline. It’s actually strikingly similar to the (Netflix) She-Ra storyline now that I’m thinking about it. It is very possibly that the Jaardan are still in the Heleus Cluster. It’s not like Heleus has Mass Effect Relays. The rest of the Kett horde and the Jardaan are probably closer to our cast than our cast is to the Milky Way.

There’s many unresolved storylines as well. The Quarian Ark, the Jardaan, the rest of the Kett, what are the Turians going to do without a homeworld?

In relation to that note. That GIANT ship on Elaaden. Whose crummy idea was it to only have us explore 2% of it? That could have been a WHOLE other thing.

Holy shit it would be downright unbeliveably cool if the ship could be stripped for materials to build structure on Elaaden. Think of how unique and imposing that would look? Sleek black metal against the sand dunes.

Speaking of ships. Finding the other arks was some of the best stuff in the game. Don’t know why. But the ark missions were just *chef’s kiss* a thing of beauty.

Raeka and Avitus are premier pathfinders. I don’t even remember the Asari’s name though. That mission got pretty messy. Ethically and politically.

The long and short of it is that I want closure. It would be very easy to write off our current crew members into doing other things. Drack being a grandpa, Gill settling down with Jill, PeeBee spearheading the research on Khi Tasira (The Remnant City). She’d make a great researcher. Like Mordin. Good at what she does but totally able to shoot you in the head if necessary. I’d like to see her take on a “mad scientist” role.

Cora could be spearheading the new age of biotics proposed as a way to interact with remnant. It’s mentioned in an email during the epilogue. Liam could be a part of a new crisis response center as the humans of the Hyperion set about trying to colonize Meridian. It’s new territory. Accidents on any scale are bound to happen.

There are other characters but my point is that a time skip and some new faces could fix a lot of the problems with Andromeda. Throw in the quarian ark, the Jardaan, the rest of the the Kett horde, some news about what happened to the old Milky Way, some new faces and fresh backstories to explore and I really think it could be legendary.

It’s not going to happen. The level of backlash was too severe and now it’s as good as gone...but it shouldn’t have been. There was and still is potential.

If the next mass effect game gives us information and ties to Andromeda I won’t be mad. At all. That world still has stories to tell and I think it deserves that chance.

#mass effect #andromeda #analysis #game mechanics #review #angara #jardaan #kett #comparison

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frumfrumfroo · 5 years ago

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Reading your meta, and you’re right about TFA laying it on thick. But why do you think so many people were still adamant that he not be redeemed *despite* TFA laying it on thick? Because there’s “I reject the canon and prefer my fanon where Kylo has the same backstory and actor but his character is completely different i.e an irredeemable villain” and then there’s “Canon itself is saying Kylo is irredeemable and must die”

(Leaving aside people who are just straight up anti-redemption except in hindsight and refuse to understand sympathetic wrongdoers exist)

Because some people just aren’t willing to look beyond their original assumptions and meet the story on its own terms. You have people hanging on to their assumptions from the marketing before TFA even came out, you have people who don’t pay attention and just indelibly label characters ‘good guy’ ‘villain’ etc. in the most shallow possible definition of those terms, and you have people who wanted a different kind of story who are trying to force the round peg of canon into the square hole of morally grey grittiness or sci-fi political thriller or superhero flick.

There’s also migratory anti fandom and their relentless crusade to turn fandom/character opinions into social capital with which they can bully people. This works, many fans say their careful ‘not like those delusional icky woobieisers’ mea culpa to be ~allowed~ to interact with the character. Notice how much longer it took for the discourse to shift on tumblr than it did in the mainstream- purity gatekeepers very effectively poisoned the well.

#fandom #audience reactions

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tanadrin · 5 years ago

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hey *whispers* hey. hey. i saw your post in the wow tag. i would read THE SHIT out of your interpretation of wow lore. i have homework right now but i think i might just read through your blog a bit. the characters have always been such a high point for me (listen. i know knaak did a lot of shit. but you can pry Krasus from my cold dead hands he was EVERYTHING to middle school me) and i feel so conflicted over what theyve done to the characters - sylvanas, anduin, everyone. would love ur take

You might be a little disappointed, most of my blog isn’t about WoW (it postdates my WotLK raiding/RP guild phase, and I’ve only just recently got back into it with Classic). Lots of opinions on WoW characters below the cut.

I actually don’t hate Krasus as a character. He’s fine, he’s not a Designated Idiot Ball Carrier like some of the others are. In re: the dragons generally, I don’t like the simplistic thing WoW lore does a lot where one faction leader going bonkers turns the whole faction into baddies for no apparent reason, because all political entities are monoliths except when they’re not. I’m also not a huge fan of how crowded the, erm, metahuman bureaucracy on Azeroth has become in the lore–like, the Keepers and the Dragon Aspects serve similar roles, and the lore could have done fine with one or the other, and the dragons were here first (and Ysera and Alexstrasza are BAMFs), and so should get to stay.

Sylvanas is bae, obviously, and Sylvanas as Warchief was a terrific move plotwise. I think it’s a pity they had to kill Vol’jin to do it (because I am also very here for Warchief Vol’jin), but she is obviously the more interesting choice. Speaking of Warchiefs:

Thrall doesn’t have the Green Jesus Marty Stu quite as bad as some people think, but he does kinda have it, and I don’t see them grappling quite with the fact that he done fucked up. Like, not only did he install a Warchief who should have had all smart members of the Horde tugging at their collars nervously when he started his rule, Garrosh turned into a Sha-summoning Old God-corrupted, casual-atrocity-perpetrating maniac, not to mention all the bullshit on Old Draenor I do my best to forget about lest my blood pressure spike. We don’t really get a satisfying mea culpa from Thrall for that, and then his response is to fuck off to fiddle around with the Earthen Ring for a bit, before retiring to a farm in Nagrand. Keep in mind, one of the whole reasons the Horde came together in its current shape in the first place is because of the charismatic, hopeful figure of Thrall. It ran the very real risk of splintering under Garrosh for good (ESPECIALLY after the murder of Cairne, RIP Cairne Bloodhoof, you were too good for this world), and even the most unifying successor (which I think Vol’jin was) didn’t have Thrall’s inclusive, unifying vision. Sylvanas doesn’t, either, and even more, is sort of low-key hated by everybody else, so while I don’t think she’s a maniac like Garrosh who would recklessly divide the Horde, she’s also not, I am forced to admit, necessarily the ideal Warchief from a political standpoint.

Even if he didn’t return to the post of Warchief, Thrall had a moral obligation after the Garrosh debacle to try to help hold the Horde together and heal the divisions his negligence caused. At least to throw his support behind Garrosh’s successors, and not to pretend that Deathwing’s death meant everything was OK forever, job done. And if he wasn’t going to do that (and he has excellent motivations for not wanting to do that!), I think the consequences of that have to be explored. I think some people would blame him, and be justified in doing so. I think somebody like Varok Saurfang, who has had decades of experience with the damage bad leaders could do, would rightly be a little pissed, even as he sought Thrall out for help, that Thrall had let the Horde he built languish under subpar leadership. Thrall has been selfish–and that’s great, because he desperately needed some character flaws more significant than “cares too much” and “believes in people a lot.”

Anduin: better than Varian, still a little bland? Varian was a Professional Idiot Ball Handler, who seemed to do stuff not out of a coherent conception of his character, but just because the plot required a Generic Human King to do it. Plus there was all that stuff with the cloning and the kidnapping that never really made any sense. I like Anduin’s optimism; I like that he feels like a thoughtful, reasonable guy, who’s doing his best in often-impossible circumstances. I feel like they could show him being a little more frustrated sometimes, though, and a little pissed at people like Jaina who obstinately refuse to do the strategically correct thing even if it means setting aside their resentments for a bit. Disclaimer: I play almost exclusively Horde toons, they may address this better in the Alliance quests in WoW.

But oh man, besides the Draenei, I hate most what they did to Jaina. Jaina was that rare jewel, an optimist in a world whose setting demands perpetual chaos. Yes, yes, Theramore and the mana bomb, I’m not suggesting she should be made of stone, but it breaks her character to have her suddenly go from someone trying to forge a lasting peace between the Horde and Alliance in WC3–to the point where she would see her own father dead–to someone who now blames the whole Horde as one no exceptions for what happened at Theramore. Should she struggle with grief and pain and anger? Absolutely. But she should deal with them in more complex ways than “now I am become the mirror image of Daelin.” Nevermind that even if she did that she should at least regret not listening to him back in WC3. (Do they address that in BFA with the introduction of Kul Tiras? Idk, I haven’t played BFA at all yet.) It seems like Jaina’s role now is to be the Person Who Hates The Horde, and honestly, that’s a tired trope. It’s just not interesting, it has no nuance, it has no interesting outcomes. You could maybe get away with it with the generation of leaders from the Second War like Daelin and Genn who knew the Orcs only as the fel-corrupted servants of the Burning Legion, but it’s obvious to anyone with two brain cells to rub together than the current Horde is a very different animal politically and strategically, so even if you hate the Orcs with a burning passion, that is not going to transfer to the Tauren, nevermind onetime allies like the Blood Elves.

Gul’dan: oh my god the time travel plot was so stupid. Did the whole universe get duplicated in the alternate timeline? Since travel between the universes is cheap and easy that means there’s a whole nother Burning Legion with a whole nother Sargeras out there that’s still a huge fricking threat! Not to mention a whole nother Azeroth! Did just Draenor get duplicated? That doesn’t seem to match up with the fact a lot of the Burning Legion characters in WoD seem to be parallel universe versions of Burning Legion villains we already know, but it’s not directly confirmed or disconfirmed. Is it some sort of weird Bronze Dragonflight timey-wimey thing that doesn’t have its own independent reality? Ok, fine, but obviously this alternate Draenor has enough of an independent existence for us to visit it again and see what it’s like decades later, not to mention bring some of the people there back. Gul’dan was a fine, if one-dimensional villain but bringing him back from the dead was dumb, dumb, dumb, in a setting where death often feels meaningless and seems to be reversible at random. And the general incoherence of magic in the setting combined with the perennial incoherence of time travel plots (Gollum voice: *we hates them!*) really just reduced WoD to a quivering mess of plot holes, like febrile fan speculation made manifest.

Tirion Fordring: good example of a purely heroic character done well, which WoW has few of. I think because he actually has challenges to overcome, and he doesn’t feel like an idiot.

Bolvar Fordragon: Literally did not know or care who this guy was until the Wrathgate cinematic, but what they did after that with his character was terrific, 10/10.

Malfurion, Tyrande, Illidan: These characters all bore me to tears. My WotLK main was a druid, and I’m a big fan of the druid lore, so I wanna like Malfurion, I really do, but he’s just so dull. Partly because it doesn’t feel like he has any real limitations on his power, just whatever the plot demands he be able to do or not do at any given moment, partly because he just feels like a stiff-necked scold. Tyrande is even more one-dimensional. Illidan is pure 3edgy5me, and the demon hunters in general feel like they get to be too cool to actually traffic in any of the pathos of what should be their emotional equivalents like the Death Knights and the Forsaken. It’s like, “oh man, my life is so tormented, I have these bitchin’ horns and tattoos, and I’m, like, totally immortal, here, hold my rad sword thingies for a second.” At least with the Death Knights you get the feeling that being a Death Knight is a genuinely miserable experience, so there’s some genuine conflict at the heart of the class: sure, you play as a hero, but not the kind of hero you’d necessarily want to be. Demon hunters are just pissed they don’t get to sit at the cool kids’ lunch table, and Illidan genuinely acts like a giant asshole and then gets self-righteous and whiny when his friends and family are like “Dude! Stop being such an asshole!” There’s room for a prickly character, who’s a dick, but who’s our dick, and maybe that’s what they were going for, but Illidan is just the worst.

Azshara, Lady Vashj: The Naga were a giant fucking mistake. A symptom of the inability to let backstory stay backstory, to have to resurrect and retread the same events over and over again that plagues serials when lesser writers without original ideas get let loose on them. Settings like WoW (like Star Wars, like Star Trek, like Dune) are whole universes. You should be expanding the borders, making them feel bigger, more fine-grained, more alive, not beating the same major characters to death over and over again. The ancient Kaldorei are way more interesting as a lost past and a lesson in hubris than fish-snake-people who live under the sea.

Also, water levels are dumb and I hate them. This applies to coral-and-shellfish themed zones regardless of whether swimming is involved.

Cho’gall: I loved the “insane nihilist death cult” reincarnation of the Twilight’s Hammer Clan in World of Warcraft, and Cho’gall as the many-eyed crazed ogre mage with two heads was great. Would much rather have more Cho’gall than Guldan 2.0.

While I’m on Cataclysm: one thing you don’t often feel in worlds like WoW is the possibility of real defeat, because for extradiegetic reasons, it’s impossible to truly lose in any long-lasting way (or, in quests like Battle for the Undercity in WotLK, they just… don’t let you, which feels dumb as heck). I’ve always been fascinated by the idea of a post-apocalyptic fantasy world, a world where the bad guys won, and all the worst things the good guys feared came to pass. I think this is one reason I loved the original interpretation of the Draenei so much, because we saw in Draenor what that really looked like. It was bleak, and it was poignant, and even though it was set within a silly melodrama, it actually moved me. Cataclysm did something similar with the postapocalyptic time-travel instance (time travel being used well for once in WoW!), where you saw that Deathwing’s victory wasn’t just an abstract possibility, but a thing that could actually happen. It made the possibility of defeat feel more real, and it gave you a taste of that same bleak, poignant feeling: this, it said (just for a moment!) is what failure looks like, an Azeroth without life, without hope, in which everything you ever struggled for was utterly in vain. And that motivated you to work even harder to prevent it.

Alleria, Turalyon: “You last saw us in WC2, and since then we’ve been fighting a thousand years (subjective) of endless war against the Burning Legion and been irrevocably changed by the experience” is actually pretty great! But if I were going to rewrite WoW lore, I would make that a thousand objective years and set the final victory over the Burning Legion in the future, at a time when the Alliance and Horde have made a durable peace, and Azeroth has moved on from decades of endless war. I think there’s a real problem with trying to make the player one of the heroes that brings down Sargeras for good because it’s *such* an epic battle, but it’s a massively multiplayer game. Making every player the grand master of their class order was bad enough, but when you are obviously playing out entirely different diegesis from everyone around you, even if you didn’t have problems like sharding and a glut of phasing and cross-server activities and instant teleportation to dungeons, it really feels like a single-player RPG with a chat function. I mean, conflicting diegeses is always going to be a problem with questing-based MMOs, but suspension of disbelief worked when you were plainly one person embedded in a larger effort, like in vanilla, BC, and WotLK. But ��you are one of thousands of people who is the Best Warrior Ever and sole Leader of the Warriors, and who has the Only Artifact Weapon that somehow also has thousands of copies”… yeah, that just doesn’t work for me. I feel like I’m being pandered to, and not in a fun way, like with the Pandaren.

Sargeras: I like that they retconned Sargeras to have a better motivation than “demons made me nihilistic.” The idea of a void-corrupted titan being something so terrible a member of the Pantheon would shatter worlds to prevent it is interesting. But the Void gods still feel… kinda non-threatening? We don’t see them actively working to threaten anything we really care about, the Void is mostly a pretty passive abstract force like the Light, and in general I feel like the setting isn’t really dualistic, but er… trialistic? Is that a word? In that there’s a three-way opposition between the Void, the Light, and the Nether/Arcane, from the perspective of which each is the opponent of both of the others, but that’s never laid out explicitly anywhere.

#wow #wow lore #world of warcraft #sylvanas #thrall #jaina proudmoore #warlords of draenor was the WORST #and Legion wasn't much better plotwise

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ravenstag · 8 years ago

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okay all i heard abt mea goin in was all the shit abt it and?? it’s not actually? Bad at all Like the wonky animations aren’t super noticable and it’s been pretty glitch free the kett storyline isn’t super fascinating but it isn’t horrible

And the characters and interactions are literally just fucking stunning i love how they interact i love gil calling suvi and vetra his girls and i love the poker games and i love how they all wander around the ship chatting (peebee and gil leaning over the railing to chat w vetra and liam is a+) and i love the message board and getting cute emails from them and i love kallo and gil’s stupid arguing and i love my grandpa son drack sending me pics of rifles to cheer me up and ryder’s sassy ass dialogue (i will fuck your shit up=line of the year) and i love how often they chat when you bring two of them along in the nomad and i love my dumb pyjak monkey and i love that you have to befriend jaal before flirting w him and i love peebee’s coy little answers and vetra being a big sister and liam being cocky and also shirtless a lot and I LOVE THEM ALL

#except one person who i really dislike but it's okay!!#i mean the shit romances for mlm suck #gil is a+++ but the backstory w jill is shit #jaal should ne fucking bi #and i havent met reyes yet bc where the fuck is kadara its been mentioned in like 8 quests w h e r e #but like??#your tempest crew is literally a family #like bioware put in the hardcore effort where it counts #i would play a shitpile just for this crew #and the game isnt?? bad i love the nexus and small quests and shit #anyway inhad a lot.of feelings abt my crew i love them #i consistently flirt w peebee vet liam and suvi n i need to know when im gettin romance locked #@ bioware unstraightlock liam and jaal and ill be plsed #anyway #ren rambles #long post #mea spoilers #just in case

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borisbubbles · 5 years ago

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Eurovision 2010s: 90 - 86

90. Suzy - “Queiro ser tua” Portugal 2014

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~Huawei Wa Wei~

I have mentioned earlier that Moran Mazor is arguably the saddest NQ, but Suzy is definitely up there in people whose success I was rooting for. Indeed, I mostly love Suzy because she was a TRAGICALLY ROBBED UNDERDOG.

You see, Suzy was ~BULLIED~ from the moment she had won FdC, and beaten Catarina in the F2. Now, I personally don’t mind “Mea Culpa” itself (my favourite was the drunken pirate hag known as 😍 ZANA 😍, but that’s for another ranking). However, I don’t think I’ve *EVER* witnessed a fanbase as downright evil as the Catarina stans. These ‘people’, by the lack of a better term, make the Beyoncé and Ultimo fans appear like kind and rational people. These... self-proclaimed ‘eurovision fans’ tried to intimidate Suzy into quitting by sending her death threats, all because she DARED to beat their erstwile female-mediocre flavour-du-jour. Who the fuck does that? Human pieces of shit, that’s who. 😤

There’s an *additional* sociocultural connotation to the entire Suzy vs Catarina debacle, but my friend André, who is Brazillian and has Suzy in his 2014 top three made a great post about the issue back in the day, so I’ll just quote him for those who want more backstory:

Quero Ser Tua belongs to a music genre called "pimba", which is perceived by the Portuguese middle and upper classes as tasteless and vulgar because of simple melodies and dirty metaphors (the latter not present in Quero Ser Tua). So they despised Suzy and (...) went in a fucking frenzy [when she won FdC], attacked the composer of Quero Ser Tua (also the father of pimba music), and accused him to rigging the televote and even started dozens of petitions (alol) and regularly vandalised Wikipedia writing that Portugal's entry was "disputed" or that Catarina was the real winner (holy alol). This drama speaks to me because Quero Ser Tua and pimba music in general sound like other genres of popular music we have here in Brazil that are also derided by the snotty-nosed middle class as vulgar and devoid of "culture", often with racial connotations on top of the social class ones. To me, Suzy's victory (rigged or not) has a political message: pimba IS culture, like any other kind of music, and it deserves to represent a country as great as Portugal because it's part of their culture and they should be proud. It's definitely a bigger statement than the bourgeois, mediocre Mea Culpa and I am proud of every Portuguese that voted for Suzy to win. <3

As for ~my~ layman’s opinion, well, I just think the song possesses some great summer sprit.😊 It’s a colourful explosion of cheerful accordeon, moody percussion and ethnic frivolity. 😍 Listening to “Quero ser tua” makes me very happy about 100% of the time, almost as much as the knowledge that, after being disliked for most of the pre-show, Suzy won everyone except for her most diehard haters over, becoming someone who is now almost unanimously deemed one of the most robbed NQs. STAY PRESSED, HATERS. >pasta :victorydance:

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89. Jana Burcheska - “Dance Alone” F.Y.R. Macedonia 2017

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[2017 Review here]

Like many of the 2017 entries, my passion for Jana dropped over time. Make of it what you must but I think the live of “Dance alone” kind of cheapens it... and you know what I think about cheap and trashy, I LOVE THAT OBVIOUSLY.😍

However, I also think the cheapness does Jana dirty, because “Dance alone” also happens to be one of my favourite songs OF 2017. Its 80s synth sound and high voltage fierceness left me bald and straight UPON IMPACT, with madly quotable lyrics that I STILL use in friendly banter to this day. 😍

The awesomeness is only further enhanced by Jana, who is -independently from her song- also one of the best humans in 2017. I absolutely ADORED this goat-voiced gremliness from the SECOND she spent her first interview shading the fuck out of Rykka 😍 (check the 2017 review for the dirt) and then proceeded to troll the press people by teasing that she actually couldn’t sing for no reason. 😍

Which brings me to the live act which.... conceptually is a match to the song, but which also doesn’t do it justice. Don’t get me wrong, Jana contorting her body as she’s assaulted by a Carolean windmachine sustains the crap out of me, but I have always thought “Dance alone” had more potential than shown in the live. (Getting rid of the “Wishing you could hold me close” closer is particularly upsetting imo.) Moldova and Azerbaijan would’ve turned “Dance alone” into an EASY top 30 in this ranking, but in the hands of Macedonia it’s a mere top 90 for me. 😭

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88. Lake Malawi - “Friend of a friend” Czech Republic 2019

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only a friend of a friend of a friend of a friend of a friend of a friend of a friend

Lake Malawi live the ultimate BorisBubbles dream: IMMENSELY annoying song whose appeal hinges entirely on how uncomfortable it makes other people, somehow convinces about ~95% of the loyal eurofans that it’s a fantastic masterpiece. 😍 ADVERSI-DEITIES 😍

Of course, the axis around which Lake Malawi spins is Albert, a human spark plug and mankind’s youngest thirty year old. Seeing Albert fling himself around the stage, never losing his entheusiasm is the main reason why “Friend of a friend” exceeded my already high expectations! Another, slightly-less awesome reason however is the D-sound-like staging:

It really just is a clever, likable entry. Of course, that doesn’t take away that “Friend of a Friend” is objectively one of the most irritating songs ever, making it anathema to the televoters’ tastes <3 😭(😍)

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87. Jamala - “1944″ Ukraine 2016

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It is only FITTING that Jamala and Lake Malawi rank alongside each other, star-crossed lovers that they are. ALBERT x JAMALA 5ever:

A greater love story than even Alfred x Amaia. However, this post is mostly about Jamala, so LET US discuss a great, if controversial winner. I will start with a small caveat and say that “1944″ isn’t the song for me. One of the biggest dealmakers in Eurovision songs for me is replayability “1944″ just doesn’t have that quality for me. I only really relisten to it when I must, for rewatching purposes. However, that does make the few times I DO revisit “1944″ all the more magical to me. If we take on board that songs are a means of expression, then “1944″ is one of the best songs ever, for the themes it expresses are all too real. I don’t even NEED the gutwrenching, defiant lyrics to *FEEL* the pain the nation of Ukraine is going through. The act sends shivers down my spine, body aching all the time. The Jamala Tree is one of modern Eurovision’s most iconic visuals:

Of course, that ALSO makes “1944″ one of the most notoriously political entries of all time. Now, other fans of Jamala might argue that, “No, it’s not about the Crimean war at all, just the historic deportation” and well... no? There is a reason why Jamala wrote this song *NOW* and not the last time she entered Vidbir. It *is* Jamala’s way of coping with the Russian invasion, something which *also* ties into her own family history. “1944″ is a very elegant, tasteful middlefinger aimed at Putin, but it’s a middlefinger nonetheless. However, what if it is? The Ukraine vs Russia conflict is a notoriously heated one and potshots are to be expected. If I have to chose between an open attack and a backhanded one (such as that rubbish entry from the Tolmachevy Sisters, or the two rubbish ones by Julia Samoylova), I will always pick the former.

Overall, I greatly appreciate “1944″ and think it’s a great winner. The composition is evocative of both Ukraine’s history and musical traditions, as well as their current predicament, making “1944″, despite pertaining to a specific year, a timeless experience. It is very deservingly considered one of Eurovision’s best winners by the fanbase, and I hope it remains a favourite for future generations to come.

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86. Joan Franka - “You and Me” The Netherlands 2012

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Yes, Joan ranks one spot above Jamala lmfao. EXPECT THE UNEXPECTED!!! 😈

Back in 2012, I obviously was a feverish Joan stan, mostly for Ironic reasons: “LMFAO JOAN TARD... it’s YOU... and ME! SO SILLY <3″ -- me Circa 2012, when my wit amounted to calling lovable dimwits “tards” and quoting song lyrics.

In 2019, I can say that... I still love Joan for her ineptitude and frivolity, but with the added layer of *genuinely* loving Joan for Joan. From the consistently offkey singing, to dressing up like a Lakota warchief (completely oblivious to how inappropriate this is 😍), to the bonfires (pandering to the Land Of Fire, Azerbaijan 😍) and the general-happy-go-lucky vibe, “You and me” just feels so.. real? Like a real person regaling real stories of a real romance with a real (boy)friend. It is so disarmingly earnest, which of course, being stuck in 2012, meant that it was unceremoniously offed by the professional juries. TOO PURE FOR THIS DAMN’ WORLD. 😭

Since this update booted the final entries from Portugal, Macedonia and the Czech Republic, I’ll disclose my final thoughts below, as to not disrupt the ranking:

PORTUGAL:

Honestly, a pretty good chart for Portugal, despite being the fourth country to be fully eliminated from the ranking. I was hoping that Salvabrat would have started a hot streak, but alas. Portugal just keep getting screwed over by subpar staging and their own stubborness, leading to insistent dismissal by the fanbase. I fucking hope people (Portugal deniers) come to their senses though because they are consistently robbing one of Eurovision’s best fucking countries.

NORTH MACEDONIA:

Sean Tarbuck from ESCUnited nailed Macedonia the best: they are a country of amazing music and utterly disastrous lives. They are probably the single worst stagers in Eurovision? The numbers don’t lie, with a qualification rate equivalent worse than San Marino’s. Just look at what Slovenia and Serbia are doing, Maco, and you’ll be fine!!!

CZECH REPUBLIC

There isn’t much to say about the Czech, but they’ve finally contributed with an entry I not only liked, but loved. I do think we are in the beginning years of a Czech Golden Age though and if they can keep that hot streak going, Eurovision might be coming to Prague very soon (ie: within the next five years.)

#Eurovision #Eurovision Song Contest #Netherlands #Ukraine #Czech Republic #Macedonia #Portugal #Joan Franka #Jamala #Lake Malawi #Jana Burceska #Suzy #You and me #1944 #Friend of a friend #Dance alone #Quero ser tua

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kunstpause-archive · 6 years ago

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Self Promo Challenge

I got tagged by the lovely @curiousthimble, thank you so much for that! ♥ ♥

I am mostly busy with writing a super long fic atm which I’ve not started post yet (soon™) but the last few shorter ones were:

Rules: Post the first line of your last 10 published fics, then tag 10 people.

So, I feel all my writer friends have already been tagged in this? If you haven’t then I am tagging you right now!

1. We overcome the night: “You know, they are looking for you,” Dorian’s voice came from behind her and almost startled Amara as she was leaning against the door leading towards the great hall. DAI, Inquisitor/Iron Bull

2. You can learn to like anything (by adding copious amounts of sugar): The sound of the little bell hanging over the front door made Cullen look up from his crossword puzzle. DA Coffee Shop AU, Hawke/Cullen

3. Nothing lingers (except when it does): A long time ago, there was an elven woman. DAI, Solavellan, written for the lovely OC of @elveny

4. On The Horizon: Ora took a deep swing from the bottle before she handed it back to the man next to her. MEA, Scott Ryder/Reyes - which I have abandoned bc I lost all interest in MEA and still hope to finish one day bc it’s planned out quite far ahead already. One day perhaps.

5. Run For The Hills: “Can you hurry the fuck up already?” Amara had little patience on her best days, on the worse ones she was on a job and said patience ran razor thin. DAI, female Lavellan (backstory)

6. Rigor Samsa: The celebration had been going on for hours. DA, Hawke/Cullen

7. Tea, Terror and Time: It was almost three in the morning when Seshat finally gave up on the notion of getting any actual sleep and with a tired sigh got out of bed and into some warm clothes again. SWTOR, female Imperial Agent/Arcann

8. Plans and Machinations: The long corridors were empty save for the honour guards flanking them, as Shiwon went through them in long strides, trying to project a calmness that she didn’t feel. SWTOR, female Sith Inquisitor

9. Power play for two please: The footsteps came to a halt in front of her but Shiwon made an effort to look utterly unaware and absorbed in the tablets she was reading. SWTOR, female Sith Inquisitor

10. Imperial Boredom Shiwon had spent the last 45 minutes admiring her nails and her own hair in a very obviously mocking way. SWTOR, female Sith Inquisitor

#Dragon Age #SWTOR #dai #da2 #mea #Kunstpause writes stuff

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whenimgoodandready · 6 years ago

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Remember back when Marinette couldn’t talk to Adrien? Remember back when Adrien was a forced homebody? Remember back when Chloe was mea-No wait, she still is. Still, look how far we’ve come into the show! Season 3! A lot has changed since the beginning, but how much did it really “change”? We let’s recap!:

*Stormy Weather 2-Stormy Weather comes back! The first villain we see in the first episode (in some countries), comes back stronger than ever! She made a volcano appear that made the Earth shift out of its orbit and head towards the sun! However, this episode wasn’t all about Stormy Weather becoming more challenging for Ladybug and Cat Noir, but for us to get a look back on what’s happened in the show (now I know Feri said they’rd be flashbacks this season, but I didn’t think she meant all in the same episode!). Guess they needed a plot excuse to do so (shrugs). Starting from this episode, we’ll see more returning supervillains (let’s hope they’re not all flashback episodes though).

It would’ve been nice to see Stormy Weather do a revenge episode again and for us to get a little more backstory on Aurore too, but she was just a plot device. Even if that’s so, here’s what we learned: She’s a weather girl for a kids channel, but not to the high levels like Mireille (“Stormy Weather”), she does commercials (“Prime Queen”) and she went through dé jà vu! She got akumatized again as her villainess self cuz Chloe insulted her for her grades falling from her job (Hey! juggling a career and school work is hard! Just ask the heroes!) and being a lame supervillain too (redemption my a**). Here’s where she changed. She can conjure up natural disasters such as volcanic eruptions! And if we were more focused on that, we could’ve seen her do more like creating tornados and earthquakes!

Speaking of all these changes, let’s just go through the list of all that’s “changed” in the show since I got nothing to review over here:

•Nathalie Sancoeur/Catalyst/Mayura-shes always been a cold, stoic and serious woman doing everything Gabe tells her to do as his secretary. It’s scary that’s she’s the only one in the Agreste mansion that knows about his villainy and even willing went along with his plans to help him (almost) succeed! (“Heroes Day-Catalyst”). (quivers).

•Gabriel Agreste/Hawk Moth-hes still trying (and failing) to get the miraculouses from Ladybug and Cat Noir (the latter of which is his own son! That he doesn’t know about!) and isn’t giving up no matter how much it’s negatively putting Adrien in despair and danger from his neglect and villainy (Hey! you think this’ll be a running gag now with Adrien almost discovering his dad is Hawk Moth? Cuz it happened in “Backwarder” and if I see it a third time, I’ll be convinced). He almost let him die falling off a building! (“Gorizilla”). Mad and desperate, he thinks this is the better way to bring back Emilie............through evil!

•Alya Cesaire and Nino Lahiffe-Alya, Alya, Alya, you call herself a reporter!? It’s Season 3 and yet you still haven’t unmasked who Ladybug is! You go to school with her and fight crime with her and THAT doesn’t get you to think she might look vaguely familiar to you!? And Nino! Yeah, I’m talking to you Nino! How did you not recognize your own girlfriend was a superhero when she already saw through yours!? (”Anansi”). No wonder you guys are a couple, you can’t figure anything out!

•Chloe Bourgeois-You writers call this a “redemption” for Chloe! She’s still a b****! Even if this episode was supposed to be for later, she still didn’t learn a God damn thing! Getting away with trouble (“Despair Bear”), mistreating Sabrina (“Antibug”), continuing to cause akumatizations! (“CURRENT EPISODE!”) etc. If those “baby steps” she’s taking are that slow, someone needs to give her a Red Bull to pick up the pace!

•Ladybug and Cat Noir-the relationship between them is still one-sided (“Glaciator” and “Frozer”), and that goes for the unchange in whole love square too, Adrienette:one-sided, Marichat:strictly platonic and Ladrien:mutual. Unless something goes on with Marinette/Ladybug and Adrien/Cat Noir with Luka and Kagami, respectively, we’re gonna keep seeing the same old thing!

and finally,

•Marinette Dupain-Cheng and Adrien Agreste-Marinette still can’t talk to Adrien and continues to talk like she’s reading alphabet soup mixed up! (“Bubbler” and “Origins-Stoneheart Part 2”). It’s Season 3 sweetie, and in this case, Chloe was right! And Adrien is still oblivious to Marinettes interest in him. What’s worse? After she gives him his homework from school with a note saying “Love, Marinette”, he compares it to his Valentine card he assumed was from Ladybug (“Dark Cupid”) and you’d think he’d put two-and-two together, like how that one fan suggested, buuuuuut HE STILL DOESN’T FIGURE IT OUT! W.T.F!?! ARE YOU F**KING KIDDING ME!? You know what? I was wrong, Adrien had changed.........he got stupider!

(heavy breathing)................okay, okay, now that I got that out of my system. Let me get to the positives of this episode. So what we got is not so much how things “changed”, but how they “progressed”. Everything’s still just “the same” except with a different approach. Some for the better and some for the worse. I took some time to let off some steam and to put this all together and not rush into it and it all sounds pretty okay: First up, Nathalie, she’s melancholic and dark. However, as we saw from “Queen’s Battle”, she has a soft side. She’s grown to care deeply for Adrien almost like a son, concerned for his neglect and loneliness (“Mime” and “Glaciator”), and even had tried to get Gabe to spend more time with him (“Christmas Special”). She’s compassionate to Gabe about his grieving towards his wife, Emilie, even if it means aiding him in his villainy to bring her back out of her comatose state (“Heroes Day-Queen Wasp”). What’s also nice is that shes not doing anything underhanded to steal Gabe away from Emilie as she’s concerned for her too (“Heroes Day-Catalyst”). As we thought, she’s in love with him, but is keeping it to herself since he’s not moving on. She’s still sick too from using the (damaged) peacock miraculous and it might get worse! (“Heroes Day-Mayura”). Next up, Gabriel. Sure he’s neglecting his only son/child to run his fashion line/villainy, but he’s changed, or as he calls it, “grown” to allow him to be a little more out-and-about such as allowing him to attend public school (”Origins-Stoneheart”) and is actually now listening to what Nathalie AND Nooroo had been telling him and that’s to spend more time with Adrien! He did watch Emilies movie with him (”Gorizilla”) and played a piano duet with him (”Captain Hardrock”) and after that, let him go out to hang out with his friends. If only he didn’t have to resort to the dark side to make Adrien happy by bringing back Emilie. Funny thing, despite Adriens clinical depression, it’s not strong enough for him to get akumatized.....................or is it? *cough*upcomingepisode”CatBlanc”*cough*. Then we go to Alya and Nino! Okay, so Alya still hasn’t unmasked Ladybug yet, but at least she quickly figured out who Carapace was (”Anansi”) and is getting closer on Cat Noir, (”Lady Wifi” and “Frightningale”) right? That’s a change. Also both her and Nino were shown worthy of being superheroes by stepping into action to help Ladybug (”Befana” and “Anansi”) and thanks to her, realized they were compatible for each other (”Animan”). Speaking of worthy superheroes, we come to Chloe. Yes, she’s still a spoiled brat and her “redemption” is awfully slow, but she was shown to be heroic, but only when she’s motivated by her idol, Ladybug (”Despair Bear” and “Queens Battle-Malediktator”) she just needs to learn to do it by herself more to improve faster. Although Chloe can be impatient with her, she respects Ladybug too much to badmouth her as she scolded Sabrina for doing so. She also needs to understand that she’s not needed all the time for crime-fighting (lose the bat bee signal, will ya!?). Besides, I heard the next special (”Battle for the Miraculous”), just might be what it takes to get Chloe to be woke! Deep down, she’s still human. On to the dynamic duo! Minus the unchange in the one-sided relationship they have, it went from professional to platonic! (”Glaciator”). Not only have their enemies gotten stronger, but so have they by gaining new powers (”Syren” and “Frozer”) and learning to trust each other (”Dark Owl”). More importantly, Ladybug is starting to make puns! Guess she doesn’t hate them that much, maybe we’ll see more of that. Last but not least, Marinette and Adrien, Marinette did change! She can talk to Adrien, but platonically! like she realized herself, (”Frozer”) Romance wise, not so much (”Bubbler”). Hey! At least she went to the movies (”Gorizilla”) and trained with him before (”Gamer” and “Riposte”), that’s progress! Stepping up her game! So she’s taking it slow with Adrien by being friends first (she’s still got a lot to learn about him as he’s not so “perfect”). Adrien, on the other hand, well, it’s not so much that he’s “stupid”, per se, but from the circumstances that are happening that’s making this so complicated. I mean, he almost figured out Marinette was the one who wrote him the unsigned Valentine (”Dark Cupid”), but dismissed it cuz, like you read, Marinette is taking the friendship route first. Not to mention he was fully convinced that she’s “only a friend/fan who’s into fashion” (”Troublemaker”) and that she’d rather be with Luka (”Frozer”). Well, that’s it, that was the recap episode of “What-We-Learned-So-Far” in the show, some were heartfelt, some were sad and others were just obvious. Nathalie is slowly getting sicker and truly cares about the Agrestes, Gabriel is starting to show regret over his villainy, Alya and Nino are still going strong, Ladybug and Cat Noir are getting stronger, Chloe is “trying” and Marinette and Adrien are still sailing the friendship! Lol! And it’s understandable why. Some more foreshadowing we got and you know how much I love those (whats Gabe got planned with Kagami’s mother?), so here’s hoping. Change happens all the time, if my reviews can change, so can this.

#miraculous ladybug #stormy weather 2 #miraculous ladybug stormy weather 2

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mythicamagic · 7 years ago

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Diabolik Fairy Tales - Chapter 9

AU - 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 (you can read all my fics here on fanfiction.net or Ao3)

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 (end)

Warnings: Smut, dark themes.

AN: Okay so Dorian Grey isn't a fairy tale, but if Once Upon a Time can have The Count of Monte Cristo in their series, then I'm taking this bad boy to town.

Btw I am not trying to 'censor' Basil Hallward by essentially making a female OC of his position in the story, nor any gay subtext and what not. You can debate his feelings towards Dorian in your own time, but I'm just saying, Basil was a sweet man, and hypothetically that asshat Dorian would not deserve hi- (rants about a book brought out in 1890.)

Also you'll notice that Kou's backstory here doesn't include the orphanage, but as this fic goes on, it'll incorporate the themes of his abuse there.

Mea culpa

"The only way to get rid of a temptation is to yield to it. Resist it, and your soul grows sick with longing for the things it has forbidden to itself, with desire for what its monstrous laws have made monstrous and unlawful."

~ Oscar Wilde

The smell from the kitchen wafted light and pleasant through the air. It lured the Baron's daughter from her bedroom, rubbing her eye. Her stomach rumbled as she smiled innocently up at the cook.

"None for you, miss," chided the older woman.

The girl lowered her eyes, still grinning slightly. "I just wanted a midnight snack." She glanced up once more, eyes twinkling. "Father doesn't have to know."

With a sigh, she relented, returning the child's smile. It was difficult to say no when the little girl was covered in random splodges of paint. No doubt the Baron's daughter had been up out of hours painting again.

"I guess you'll need something to keep you going, if you're to create a masterpiece." The cook muttered, pushing a plate of leftovers towards her.

The girl grinned, accepting the plate with a nod of thanks. She bid the cook a goodnight, and walked away. As she passed by one of the doors in the kitchen however, she heard a clatter from outside. Glancing around, she realised that the cook had left the kitchen. Left alone, she placed her plate down and opened the door, peering out curiously.

Despite knowing it was a door used primarily for servants to gain access into the alleyway, the girl dismissed this as she stepped outside. The alleyway was bathed in dark, grim colours. Light cast by a lamppost nearby guided her as she glanced around. The usual bustle of the city surroundings sounded quiet and subdued.

Shivering, the girl wrapped her arms around herself, before she jumped, hearing another clatter. A tin can rolled out of the darkness towards her feet, and she noticed a rubbish bin had been tipped over.

Thinking it was some sort of cat that had made the noise, she grabbed her plate and brought it out, squinting into the dark.

"Here, kitty kitty." She called, making little noises and putting the plate onto the ground, pushing it out in offering.

Another clatter, like something moving, encouraged her. She continued to call, only to stop when a single brown shoe stepped into the dreary light. The girl froze as what looked like a creature about her height, inched forward. He was covered in grime, so much so that she couldn't tell the colour of his hair. He stopped a safe distance from her, his eyes making her breath hitch.

They were light, glimmering blue.

The utter beauty of them was enough to make her smile and push the plate further towards him. The boy fell on his knees in an instant, grabbing the food in his hands and frantically stuffing it in his mouth. She watched him eat dazedly, having never seen such desperation in her life.

"W-would you like a drink of water?" She asked.

Wide eyes snapped up to look at her, before he very slowly, carefully, nodded. She quickly scampered back inside and fetched a glass for him, which the boy drained with all the vigour of a man dying of thirst.

"Would you like to come inside?" The girl asked, once his plate had been licked clean.

Blue eyes widened as he stilled. He then slowly, confusedly shook his head. The girl sat back on her heels and sighed, but nodded in acceptance.

The boy motioned to her clothes, pointing to the bright blotches of reds, blues and oranges staining her frock.

She smiled. "Oh, these? They're from painting. If you like, I could show you another day."

He hesitated, standing up and looking at the open doorway she'd entered from. He slowly nodded, before turning on his heel and running around the corner of the alley. The little girl gasped, running after him to watch him leave. He darted over to the far corner of the city square, before bending down and lifting one of the metal grates in the pavement meant for sewage.

He climbed down inside it, disappearing from sight.

The next night repeated the same actions as the first, much like the fifth and sixth. On the seventh however, the boy finally crept inside her grand house. His blue eyes glanced around, wild and fearful like a cautious animal.

She paid it no mind as she tugged his stained hand along, with all the innocence and goodwill of a child. Leading him to her studio, she bossily instructed him to sit, before making her way over to an easel. She painted his likeness on her canvas while scrunching her nose and biting her lip in concentration, something the boy watched with interest. Finally she presented the finished picture with a flourish, grinning.

His shoulders dropped in disappointment. His image had been painted using murky, dreary colours, all except his eyes, which were two shining blobs of blue.

"Would you like a bath? And maybe some new clothes?" She offered, seeing his sour expression. He nodded without taking his eyes off the picture.

She took his hand, about to lead him from the room when a sharp voice called her name. The girl froze, and turned to see her father in the doorway.

"Who is this boy?" He asked sternly, eyes sweeping distastefully over the street urchin.

She bristled, and quickly explained the situation, punctuating each word with pleading looks. In the end, she begged the boy to stay, but her father stood grim and quiet.

"He may have a bath and a change of clothes, that is the extent of it." He said calmly.

She felt tears well in her eyes, but nodded silently.

The boy was given a bath, and supplied with a second-hand pair of clothes that had previously belonged to one of the cook's children. All the while, the boy wasn't certain how to repay them. Yet when he stepped into the room once more, dressed in pale green, new clothes, the gold of his hair shining bright, his pale skin wiped clean, and his magnificent blue eyes staring up at them, he was struck by their expressions.

They were in awe of him.

New words began to be spoken. Things like beautiful, handsome. The cook wished her own children looked as marvellous as he did.

Even the girl looked at him with new eyes. She stared, until a redness crept into her cheeks and she glanced away.

The boy was accepted into the household as a servant after that.

From then on, whenever he needed something from her, the boy would let her paint his picture as payment. It delighted her to paint him, just as it delighted him to see his image filled with such rich, beautiful colours.

"Come on, come on! Hurry up! I haven't got all day!" Kou called to her, grinning playfully as he flopped down onto a chaise lounge.

"Kou. Give me a minute! I need to make the right hint of gold to highlight your hair. I've got it this time, I know it." The artist wiped her hands thoughtlessly on her apron, tucking loose threads of hair behind her ear and staining her cheek yellow. She squinted critically at the array of paints in-front of her.

His expression soured. "Humph. You've been working non stop for hours. Keep it up and I really will have to brand you a masochist~"

She flushed scarlet as Kou grinned to himself, stretching his long legs out. "What did you think I was when we first met, again? Oh yeah, a kitty. Maybe I should call you 'Masochistic Kitten' instead. It's kinda fitting." He snickered.

"Unless you want me to paint you with a big nose again, Kou, I suggest you hold your tongue."

Kou pouted but complied when she bid him to rise and stand on a platform. The artist took a moment to look at him, briefly acknowledging how much he'd grown from that meek little boy from her childhood, and into the young man that stood before her now. His hair was like spun gold, mischievous eyes blue, and striking.

Unexpectedly, doorbell rang. A butler entered the room soon after, announcing: "Sir Karl Heinz, madam."

The artist quickly set her brush down. "Stay there, Kou!" She called, running from the room towards the entrance.

"But-" his complaint was cut short as she left, and he sighed, smiling slightly.

Karl Heinz was an influential figure among aristocracy. He had a way of flitting in and out of different social circles, yet had such an amiable disposition he never seemed out of place. That was how he'd come to be such good friends with her father. The artist had enough money to put her works on display, but wanted to earn her place among established artists. At age 18, she felt herself more than ready to do so. So she'd invited him over for his opinion and input.

Karl met her in the lobby with a bow as she curtsied. "Thank you so much for meeting with me today."

"Not at all. I've heard good things about your work, not just from your father." Karl spoke with a rich, enticing voice that never failed to draw one's attention.

Smiling bashfully, the artist was about to show him her work in her study, before she stopped and remembered Kou. "If you'll excuse me for just a moment, I forgot something in the next room."

Karl inclined his head politely, and stepped forward. "It is no trouble, I will accompany you."

She felt mild surprise but conceded, ushering him into the room.

"Finally! Do you have any idea how hard it is to stand here-" Kou cut himself off as a prestigious looking man entered along with her, and he clicked his mouth shut, bowing. "Ah, sorry. I didn't know you were following, sir."

"Not at all. Youthful proclamations such as yours are always amusing to these tired ears." Karl smiled.

Kou nodded, awed into silence at the older gentleman's commanding presence.

"Kou was just in the middle of sitting for a picture when you arrived." She clarified, wondering at the assessing look in Karl's eyes. He nodded and requested that she carry on, regardless of his presence. She did so, wishing she could pay attention to their conversation, but unfortunately whenever she painted, she lost herself in work. Kou sometimes had to throw small objects in her direction to gain her attention again. So, as she painted, she drowned out the compliments and flattery that rolled off Karl's tongue. She didn't see Kou laugh it off, before he began to pay attention to the older man's words.

"Youth is so fleeting." Karl was saying. "As you are now, you have the world at your feet. You've been blessed with beauty and fortune after being taken into a good home. Why do you hide such a face away in here? It should be out in the world, breaking hearts." He said amiably.

Kou's brows drew together briefly, before his gaze slid to the busy artist. Karl laughed, the rich cadence of his voice echoing into Kou's heart, unsettling him.

"She will always be here in this studio." He said, making a gesture in the air as if it were unimportant. Kou's lips thinned. Well...he was right to an extent, she didn't travel much.

The artist raised her head after awhile, permitting them to leave for a respite, saying that she just needed to work on the finishing touches. Kou showed Karl out to the garden, where the sunlight made his hair shine with strands of gold.

Karl carried on. "You know that she will remain here, unchanging except for the age that will inevitably stiffen her fingers. You could always come back to her. As she works, you could be out there in the world. You could tame it, make it yours. I have every confidence in that."

Kou blinks, he'd thought about something similar before, as he'd been feeling restless lately, but...

"This place kind of gave me everything. I don't know if I want the world, but...I guess a title for myself would be nice." He says, considering. He didn't want to stay her servant forever. Even if...he remained a servant and something happened between him and his artist, there wouldn't be any point. He couldn't offer a thing.

Karl immediately switched gears. "Beauty can open doors previously shut. Many consider it the greatest worth one can have, such as with china, priceless jewels and one of a kind art pieces. Allow me to help you. I can introduce you to society, and we can utilise that face of yours to reach your goal."

Kou thought of the look of utter amazement and admiration he'd gained when first emerging in fine clothes, spotless of grime, so many years ago. Since then, he'd considered his worth tied with his beauty. Didn't his artist think so as well? She always painted his likeness but it wasn't because she liked him.

Had he been ugly, her father would never have accepted him. He got away with so much around the house even though he was a servant because of his looks.

Karl watched the change in the young man's face intently. The lad had an innocence that he'd never possessed, and was impressionable, a clean slate. Like that of a blank canvas. Karl had a vague curiosity in seeing how far such a gleaming frame could take the blank painting, before it became sordid with fame.

"There." She said, writing her signature in vermilion green in the right hand corner.

Karl stepped up to her side, admiring her work. "Splendid. You've captured him perfectly, down to the last detail."

She smiled awkwardly at the praise, waiting for Kou's assessment. However, he stood frozen, staring at the painting fixedly. The picture was truly him. It looked more real and vibrant than any other she'd created, as if life had been breathed into it. And yet...he couldn't congratulate her for it. The painting looked back at him mockingly with his own innocent face. It was like a personification of everything Karl Heinz had been telling him just moments before. This was his youth, his beauty, his worth, staring at him with bright eyes. He could see it now; years down the line this damn picture would mock him as he stood before it aged. This was him at his most perfect. From every moment onwards, he would slowly decline in value, dying insidiously.

"It's awful." He muttered.

The artist snapped her gaze to his. Never had she heard Kou speak so coldly.

Sensing her gaze, Kou shook his head. "Not the work, it's great. I mean the...pain in the ass of time. It's not fair." He grit his teeth, blood pumping quicker in his veins as something took hold of him. "It's not fair!" The words burst from him in a shout. "Why do I have to wither and age, while this Kou gets to stay young? I feel like it's laughing at me." He growled.

The artist touched his hand, which had balled up into a fist. Her brows knitted. "Kou. I didn't paint it to laugh at you. If it hurts you that much, I can destroy this one and start again."

"Wha-no! You painted this thing for hours. It just..." He quieted. "It just makes me heartsick or something. Makes me wish it were different...that this painting would be the one to age, while I got to stay the same. Imagine how great it would be." Kou said in a soft murmur, gazing at the thing so intensely it made a chill run down her spine.

Karl Heinz laughed, breaking the heavy atmosphere. "What nonsense youth speaks. But I can't fault your idealism, Kou. As for the painting, I think it will do wonderfully when you decide to display it."

"Oh I'm not auctioning or displaying this one, sir." She murmured, before turning to Kou. "This is yours, Kou. I painted it as a thank you for everything so far. " She smiled weakly, sad that he disliked it.

"Ha? Mine?" He blinked.

"Yes. You can do what you like with it, but if you ever sell it, I won't ever forgive you." She sniffed, smile becoming more playful.

Kou glanced at the painting, trying to shake his hatred of it. "So you're happy with me destroying it, but not selling it? Hehe, you're a weird one, Masochistic Ki- Ouch!" He broke off as she poked him hard in the ribs, conscious of their company, before she brushed the wet paintbrush over his cheek, oblivious to Karl's smile.

A few days later, when Karl invited Kou to one of his lunch-meets, the artist thought little of it. Kou readily accepted.

Over the following weeks, she saw very little of Kou. Despite his status as her servant, she'd never really thought of him as such, and thus allowed him to do as he pleased. She kept hearing idle gossip throughout the house that he'd been seen in various luxurious establishments with Karl Heinz and other big name aristocrats for dinner parties. Thinking that her friend deserved such attention and goodwill, she could only be happy for him.

However, as she sat in her empty studio, a twinge of something foreign niggled at her. Was this...loneliness? She'd never felt it before. She'd always had him around to talk with. Funny that she'd fought for peace and quiet, yet now that she had it, she longed for him to pester her again.

Hearing the front door, she couldn't stop herself from rising quickly, smoothing out her steps into a more blase pace as she walked.

"Oh, Kou. Back already?" She asked, leaning against the door-frame to the lobby as he took of his coat. His new, expensive looking coat, she noted.

"Ah! Hello Maso-kitty." He beamed, before tilting his head. "Could it be that you were waiting for me~?"

She folded her arms and scoffed. She'd meant it playfully, but felt herself stiffen slightly when Kou stared at her soberly and seemed to take her reaction at face value. Odd, Kou usually knew her so well.

"Well, never mind, can you do me a favour and help me with these clothes?" He asked, gesturing to his fine clothes. She followed him to his room and helped him with them, not embarrassed in the least about tugging his shirt loose. She'd fixed his clothes many times for grand events when he'd acted as her servant, this wasn't much different.

Kou smiled jadedly. "Do you even think of me as a man?" He mutters as she worked on undoing his buttons.

She stilled and looked at him in surprise. "P-pardon?"

"Ah, it was nothing. I was just reciting a line from a play I saw." He waved his hand dismissively.

The artist's lips thinned. "I'm guessing you saw that play with Karl Heinz." She says, jealousy colouring her voice.

Kou shrugs and steps away, taking off his jacket, followed by his shirt and searching through his wardrobe. Instead of plain clothes befitting a servant like she was expecting, he took out yet another grand set. "He's interesting. What he says makes a lot of sense to me, plus he's been helping me towards my goal. I'm not quite there yet, but I will be." He murmurs, slipping the new shirt on.

"What kind of things does he say?"

Kou hummed. "Ahh just stuff to do with; Beauty, time, and making the most of it to experience as much as you can!" He chirped.

She waited numbly, her fingers frozen as she swallowed. Oddly, it felt like she was losing him. "I see. Are you...going out again, Kou?"

He lifts a shoulder. "Sure. I've got what I came for."

Wondering what he meant by that, the artist floundered. Her heart swayed and ached with things to say, before he uttered a few more words that had it clenching. "Actually...I was thinking about handing in my resignation."

She blinked, tensing. "Kou. You know I've never considered you as my serv-"

"That's funny, because I still remember fetching things for you and your father, and doing chores. Very... servanty." Kou interrupted, fixing his appearance in the mirror, though there was nothing to fix. When he noticed her downtrodden expression, he softened. "I'm really grateful for everything you've done, Masochistic Kitten. Don't think I'm not! It's just..."

"No, don't explain. I understand. " She smiled despite her pain. Kou would be leaving. He needed to become his own person. She hesitated, but couldn't stop herself from walking over to him and hugging him tight around his middle. Kou stiffened at this, inadvertently inhaling the scent of her hair. His arms slid around her waist slowly, pale fingers clenching slightly in the fabric of her dress.

"Whatever this goal is that you need to reach, good luck with it. And write to me, or I'll be cross." She murmured, squeezing tight, before pulling away. Turning on her heel, she rushed out of the room.

Kou watched her leave with an unreadable expression. An image of a blue sky flashed in his mind. She'd know one day what that goal was. It didn't matter how he obtained his desire, so long as he did. As Kou turned, meaning to leave, he stopped at the sight of his painting, hidden away in the corner of the room. He caught his double's eye, and frowned.

For some reason, the lips seemed to have turned up slightly at the edges. Now, the smile looked slightly self-satisfied instead of youthful.

Kou shook his head, telling himself he was seeing things, and left the room.

He wiped at a red mark on his neck with a handkerchief, smudging the imprint of lips before removing it completely. Kou remembered Karl's words. 'The Duchess had just been excited, that was all.'

Women had taken to doing that allot. Kissing him, touching him. He'd been confused by it at first, but Karl said it was natural. He was beautiful after all. Aristocrats especially, loved beautiful things and liked to touch them.

So, Kou shrugged it off, and got drunk on the attention lavished upon him. It had become expected over the past five months for everyone to compliment him, seek him in conversation. He'd gotten so many invitations to go hunting with Barons, or dine with people in polite society. He didn't even need Karl Heinz at his side anymore, offering advice, Kou knew how to talk to them.

Still, he hadn't lost sight of his goal to gain a fortune, and soon he became a presence on the stage.

He hadn't even needed to work his way in, he'd been accepted right away at a grand establishment, that of an opera house. The suddenness of it made Kou question whether he really had talent singing, but Karl assured him it didn't matter. If they were paying just to see his pretty face, what difference did it make?

If their payment is to see me...then mine is their wealth. That sounds fair.

The aristocrats around him parroted the phrase; 'You can't gain something, without giving in return.' It was a surprising sentiment from their kind, but it made Kou relax around them. The philosophy made sense to him.

At that moment, a voice was ringing out into the opera house. The audience watched the young man on stage with rapture, their eyes pinned on him, absorbing every movement. Kou sang softer, glancing at the faces assembled. He'd become used to the sensation of eyes following him, and instead of feeling daunted, his voice became stronger, charisma making his song feel personal to every listener.

When he stopped, a thunderous applause greeted him. Kou grinned and bowed. After straightening, he winked at one of the girls, who blushed.

After the performance, Kou sank into his chair in his dressing room with a sigh. "Whew." He dabbed a napkin against his brow. An open letter on his desk caught his eye, and it he knew it was from his artist.

His hand reached for a piece of parchment, meaning to write a reply. He'd been so swept off his feet lately that he hadn't gotten a chance to.

"Another wonderful performance, Kou!"

He looked up at the mirror before him and automatically smiled. "Thanks!~"

The owner of the opera house greeted him with ruby red lips tilted up. She edged closer, the heavy coat wrapped around her brushing the floor. She took a seat next to him and smiled amiably. "It's good to see you thriving." Her cultured voice praised as she adjusts her coat, the fur lining her collar parting to reveal her collarbone, and more still, exposing her cleavage. Kou blinked and snapped his eyes to her face, blushing slightly.

"Aha, well I'm really grateful you took me on." He chirped, glancing back at the letter.

Kou stopped when something touched his knee. Blue eyes met glittering green. "I just knew that you'd be a success. You've really blossomed on stage. Now that you've gotten what you wanted, you must be pleased."

Kou hesitated. Was he pleased? No...it still wasn't enough. He needed more. More money. More titles. Was Opera Singer really any better than Servant or Street Urchin?

Her hand distracted him as it slid down his thigh. The woman leaned in close, perfume making his senses hazy. "So, you know the saying, honey?" She murmured into his ear.

His spine tingled as he tensed. He remembered Karl Heinz's words, and repeated them softly."...You can't gain something without giving in return."

"That's right honey. I was generous, accepting you so quickly into this place. Now...be a dear, and be generous with me, alright?" Those ruby lips curved up in satisfaction, the coat falling from her shoulders as she stood, running a hand through his hair. Kou dimly noticed the gold band on her finger.

Her lips pressed to his a moment later.

Two Years Later

More hands had touched him now, and instead of shying away, Kou accepted it. In return, he had more wealth than ever before, and had even bought himself an impressive sized house.

Still...the painting unnerved him. His once pristine image was starting to...decline.

The fine clothes he'd been dressed in on that day seemed dirtier, sullied as seams of fabric had split and torn in various places. Once golden hair now looked thin, and had lost it's lustre. Most prevalent of all was an imprint of lipstick on his collar that stood out so starkly against the white it looked like blood. Even his double's expression had changed. Those satisfied lips were now joined by eyes that seemed to be looking down on the viewer, rather than straight at them. Vanity was etched keenly into his features.

Kou jumped at the sound of the door knocker being rapped. He quickly threw a cover over the painting, as he'd been prone to doing these days, and returned it to the little cupboard under the stairs.

He answered the door and felt his heart tighten for a moment, before he dismissed it and smiled. "Maso-Kitty!"

The artist returned his smile, but thought his own a little...off. She couldn't exactly explain it, but her childhood friend felt much changed to her. Nonetheless, she took his offered arm when he shut the door and began to walk with her. Both of their hearts acknowledged the things constantly left unsaid between them. As ever, their lips refused to part. Secrets and desires locked tight behind their teeth.

Four Years Later

A girl had died.

She'd become infatuated with him as he'd sang, and he may have led her on. Perhaps he'd even whispered honeyed words, invited her back to his mansion, enraptured by her expression as he eventually snatched all the promises away in one go. It had been her fault after all. She'd only loved him for his face. He'd loved hers the moment misery, disbelief and pain washed out her expression. She'd been such a spoiled brat too.

"That's right...it should be an equal exchange. Anyone blessed with my presence should pay me something in return. It's only fair." He'd breathed shakily to himself after hearing the news of her suicide.

Kou stared at the painting, blood red stains on it's hands now. His image exuded cruelty.

"S-shut up! Everyone loves me! You...you're the one that's shriveling up like a worm. Heh, looks like I'll outlast you after all."

Kou gave a shaky grin, staring directly into those jaded eyes. His stomach buckled sharply, and Kou fell to his knees, retching. His loud breathing and obscene, gasping sounds burst through the room of the attic.

"Hah...gn...hah..no." He gritted out, wiping vomit from his pale mouth. "I don't...I don't want it anymore. Why did I even wish for this? I can't...I don't remember." His mouth moved senselessly.

Kou forced himself to stand and staggered over to a mirror. His pale reflection stared back, beautiful even in ivory tones. His expression darkened, lips thinning and pressing into a grim line as a violent shudder wrecked his frame.

Kou grabbed a fork from a nearby table.

Eyes slanted up to the mirror again, and then past his reflection to the painting watching mockingly behind him. "Fuck you. Don't...piss me off. If they want me to be perfect then-then I'll just have to disappoint them." He breathed with a thin, airy voice. Blue eyes shook with a depthless terror.

His hand tremored as it gripped the fork tight. Kou then minded his bangs away from the right side of his face with trembling fingers, sweat running down his brow. But his aim was true. With one sharp thrust towards his eye, his mansion was filled with agonised screams.

Six years later

It had been such a long time since she'd seen him last. At least a year. They'd kept in touch via letters, but even they had become sparse. She'd focused her mind on other things, travelled to many countries for art exhibitions. Her work was now displayed in various places, reaching a wide audience.

At that moment though, she waited in the lobby of Kou's luxurious mansion. The butler had explained that the Master of the house was out at the moment, but she was welcome to wait in the living room. The artist had accepted, but she waited anxiously and left her seat, now staring at the front door. She pulled out a pocket mirror, since oddly she hadn't been able to find a single one in the living room or lobby. Catching sight of her reflection, she tucked some hair behind her ear, noticing another grey hair. How annoying, she wasn't that old at 30. Starting at the sound of the door, she turned to see Kou enter, who blinked at the sight of her, before smiling evenly.

"Ah! Masochistic Kitten! You're back from Berlin early." He grinned, setting his things aside and taking off his coat.

She smiled, heart clenching slightly for what she had to do. Walking up to him, she took his hand in both of hers, which he raised a brow at.

"I've missed you, Kou. But...I came here out of deep concern. Let's go talk, alright?"

He frowned in confusion, but slowly nodded, ushering her to the living room. He ordered for the butler, who brought them fine red wine. Kou leaned back in his armchair with a glass and grinned. "Ahh, so what's new? I hear that you've been doing great overseas." He grinned.

Her lips thinned. She knew that tactic well. He always tried to avoid serious conversation, that much hadn't changed. "Kou...enough. I'm worried about you."

Kou glanced at her in confusion. "Eh? Why worry now, of all times? I'm doing better than ever."

"Maybe you are...but the people who come into contact with you certainly aren't." Her hands thread in her lap, eyes downcast.

"Better explain what you mean by that." His tone remained unaffected, but it felt as if something lurked underneath it, coiled and tense.

She shook her head miserably, glancing up at him. "I...I can't keep my silence any longer. I've heard things, like about your friendship with Mr. Campbell. You were wonderful friends, seen at every gathering together, until suddenly you just stopped talking to each other. His family fell into ruin. H-he drank himself to death."

Kou frowned and scoffed. "You're pinning a coincidence like that on me?"

"I am when this kind of thing has happened over and over! Sibyl Vane, who was rumoured to be infatuated with you, she...she killed herself when you rejected her. But there's more to it than just that, like I heard you were actually engaged to her, and toyed with her feelings. Countless marriages have been ruined. Aristocrats I know have become bankrupt. Anyone who involves themselves with you becomes miserable!" She yelled, getting to her feet.

He suddenly stood up, drawing very close to her, with a cruel look she didn't recognise. It didn't belong there, not on a face so beautiful. "Does that include you, spinster?"

She flinched, drawing her hand back and slapping him hard across the face. Kou blinked as his face was struck to the side. His cheek blazed with a harsh sting.

The artist breathed erratically, hot tears pricking her eyes. "I don't...I don't even know who you are anymore. You didn't even come to Father's funeral. W-what happened to you?" Her voice wobbled, heart shaking in her chest.

Everything lapsed into silence for several moments, only broken by her breathing starting to calm, becoming quieter. Kou's empty gaze changed into one that was sightly considering, filled with dark secrets. "Do you want to know, Masochistic Kitten? Come on...I'll show you, and only you."

He led the artist up to the attic. Unlocking the door, he walked inside, and closed it behind her. She met his eyes and felt cautious for the first time in his company. Oddly...she felt like a stranger in his presence.

Kou walked over to something hanging on the wall, but it was covered by a drape. He then looked straight at her, wanting to drink in her expression as the cover was pulled free.

Her breath shuddered, before her hand smothered the gasp that escaped her lips. Revolution pulsed, her stomach lurching at the sight. "What...is this, Kou?"

"Don't you recognise it, Masochistic Kitten? Heh, it's your pretty painting of me. Only, I guess it's changed a little." His cheerful act fell away, to reveal a jaded, warped gaze as he considered the painting dully. "I guess you could say this piece has more of me in it, than I have in myself."

The air rushed out of her lungs, and she silently shook her head in horror, staring at the decrepit thing. Yet when she looked at Kou again, she started at the sight of his right eye, which glowed red.

"No. This isn't the painting I made, it-it's so-" she swallowed thickly, tasting bile. The person in the frame was hideous, malevolent and cold.

Kou clamps his hands on her shoulders from behind, she didn't know when he'd moved- forcing her closer to the painting. She struggled, wanting to be far away from the awful sight. Kou grabbed her chin firmly, almost painfully, and turned her face to look at the image. "Don't you see it though? Your signature?" He breathed in a sadistic rush.

She stilled as vermilion green letters catch her eye. "Oh, Kou." She choked. "H-how?" It was the only thing she could grit out.

"I guess I got my wish. My looks don't seem to alter. Haven't you noticed?" He tilted his head, blond locks sliding over the side of his face.

Unable to bare it, the artist wrenched herself free from his grip, but firm hands pinned her against the wall, right next to where the painting hung. She stared at him with wide eyes, and suddenly it hit her. After all the time that had passed, he didn't look any older than 18.

"You haven't...aged." She murmurs dazedly, thinking of the grey hairs she'd discovered in her own hair. Why hadn't she noticed it before? The more she looked at him, the more wrong his image seemed. It was flawless. Too much so. It felt unnerving.

And yet, her hands came up to frame his face delicately, caressing his hair and skin softly. Kou started at her touch, staring at her. "You find it disgusting, don't you?" He muttered.

"I just...don't understand it. But...I want to help you Kou. Y-you know, like before?" She gave a strained smile, eyes welling with tears.

If he'd had feelings like guilt, Kou might have collapsed from it right then. As it was...nostalgia clenched his jaded heart, and he slowly leaned in, the fight leaving him all at once. He rested his head on her shoulder, still holding her in place, and breathed out heavily.

A moment later, he leaned up, pressing his lips to hers. His tongue swept over her bottom lip, before prying it into her mouth. The artist squeaked when she felt him brush her tongue with his own, freezing from shock. Their chests met, bodies pressing close to each other.

Kou held her against the wall, and despite her surprise and confusion, the artist did not struggle. However, something weighed in the pit of her stomach. The weight only grew heavier as Kou leaned back to look at her, smiling jaggedly.

"You're happy, aren't you? Aren't you?" He breathed. "That's because...you love me, right?"

She shuddered as her corset was loosened and pulled free. "K-Kou, what are you doing? We don't...do this." She murmured, cheeks blazing. A part of her had longed for it, some time ago. But her body blazed alive under his touch. The feelings she'd suppressed came rushing back. All at once it was like they were teenagers again.

She started as he tugged a little too harshly at the fabric, exposing her shoulders.

"That's good...such a frightened expression looks so cute on you." Kou smiled, sweeping a hand through her hair, tugging at the stands to yank her closer. Making a small sound, she grit her teeth. His breath fanned over her neck, kissing the skin hungrily, needy hands smoothing over her body. "Why...why did I wait so long to do this? I should have had you from the start." He muttered, almost to himself. Her eyes widened slightly.

They stumbled in a tangle of limbs to the floor, Kou landing atop her. His hands wandered and cupped her breasts, massaging the flesh. The artist trembled, releasing a small protest.

"Heh, don't be silly. You should be thanking me...after all, you're being touched by me. It's natural to be pleased. Everyone is always happy when I touch or look at them. You have the same enchantment in your eyes."

Skirts ripped and discarded, she fell unresisting into his hands as he slid two fingers inside her entrance.

He chuckled breathlessly. "You're so wet. Look how it sticks to my fingers. Hehe."

Shuddering, she writhed and panted quietly as his fingers circled maddeningly inside her. "You're so easy to read...this eye of mine sees everything inside your heart. Ah, and what's this?" Kou leaned in close to whisper in her ear. "My face is the only thing that resides there." His single red eye peeked out from behind his bangs, glowing eerily in the dark.

She reached for him daringly and smoothed his bangs aside. "K-kou. Why is your eye a different color? You never explained..."

Kou smiled thinly and reached up with his free hand, even as his fingers thrust harder inside her. She gasped and paled as he touched his right eye. Taking it out, he revealed it to be made of glass.

He smiled at her reaction, the blank socket staring back at her. "I tried not to be pretty anymore." He said, circling his fingers in her sex until they were totally soaked. "It didn't work. In fact...people liked the imperfect beauty more."

As he took off his shirt and discarded it, her breath caught at the marks on his body. His back held the most damage. Long, harsh rivets scarred his skin. Kou tilted his head and lifted a shoulder.

"They wanted more entertainment, so they gave me more imperfections. It pleased them. Hmm, let's not think about it anymore~" He said and finally freed his erection, which had been straining against his clothes, he sank inside her with a single thrust that had her back arching. She cried out, eyes wide from the feeling.

"Gn! Ah...no way, somehow, you feel amazing." He panted, grinning and beginning to move his hips against hers, sliding inside her wet folds.

Unable to keep herself from moaning, she desperately tried to censor the sounds by putting the back of her hand over her mouth.

"Stop that! Don't even think about hiding your voice." He suddenly growled, teeth flashing. She shuddered, frowning, and obeyed, her eyes darting away from his face. "Don't look away either. Tch, you're pissing me off. Are you behaving badly because you want to be tormented by me?" Kou hissed.

The artist jumped and made a small sound as he bit her neck, sucking the flesh harshly and leaving a hickey.

"K-kou!" She gasped.

"Aha, the more you're tormented, the more tightly you grip me. I think you're getting wetter too. Guess you really are a Masochistic Kitten. Be a good kitty and cry for me. Louder..."

She moaned and grit her teeth, nails biting into his shoulders as her cheeks flamed redder. Kou bid his hips to move faster, until he pinned hers to the floor and rutted against her hard and fast, panting wildly.

The artist cried out when the painfully tight ache within her loosened, and blinding pleasure ignited her. Consumed with the feeling, she dazedly held onto Kou as he groaned and bucked his hips some more. His pace became erratic, before he finally released, gasping loudly into her neck.

Silence descended, only broken by quiet panting. They lay entwined for a few moments, lips inches apart and breath mingling. After glimpsing the darkness she knew to be inside him, the artist started when his hand cupped her cheek almost reverently. "Why did...we drift apart?" He murmured.

Her eyes misted over with hot tears. They silently escaped, rolling down her cheeks.

Kou sat up some hours later, the bed-covers pooling at his waist. He looked down at the woman beside him and watched her with tired eyes. How far away it all seemed...those days spent with her. Kou sighed and left the bed.

Surely, he thought, the painting looked a little better now. I made her happy. So in exchange...my soul is a little purer. It's only fair.

He made his way up the long flight of stairs, and further still to the attic.

Yet the moment his eyes fell on it, Kou shrank back. A noise was ripped from his lips, rising high like a wail as he trembled.

The painting looked even uglier than before. Now pride and smugness marred those cruel, thin lips, still tilted up in what had become a mockery of a warm smile.

"Why..."

Horror gave way to anger, curling his hands into tight fists. "WHY? I was selfless! I gave her what she'd been seeking all along! Don't laugh at me!" Kou yelled, the sound of his voice bouncing off the walls.

The painting stared back with knowing, jaded eyes. Kou breathed heavily, shaking. What if...what if he hadn't been selfless? Had she even...wanted him?

In his heart, he knew physical intimacy and love wasn't enough to absolve him. His breathing escalated. No. No, it wasn't fair! Where was his equal exchange?

Kou shuddered with rage and grabbed the painting off the wall. His lips thinned, eyes narrowing. He'd get his equal exchange, just not with her.

Mild confusion had spread throughout the upper class when they'd heard news that Kou was holding an exhibition. This confusion had doubled when it was announced as a closed exhibition, only invited guests being able to attend.

The owner of the opera house huffed. "I didn't even know dear Kou could paint. This is unexpected."

Karl Heinz glanced around, noting the high windows, closed room and single exit behind them. He then took notice of the guests assembled, primarily consisting of aristocrats who knew Kou well.

He drew back and stepped towards the exit. "Yes, please excuse me. I've just remembered a previous engagement." He muttered. Karl then walked outside, standing some distance away, and watched as the doors slid shut.

Wine glasses were passed around inside, filled with expensive red wine. Kou walked out in front of them on an elevated platform, something hanging behind him on the wall. "Hello everyone!~ Thanks for coming! It's great to see you all." He beamed.

The guests assembled laugh. Their sharp eyes appraised him all over again, like admiring a cut of meat. Some had branded that fair skin, others had left love bites. All in the name of entertainment.

"Cheers everyone!" Kou said, raising his glass. They echoed this with a hearty cheer and downed their glasses.

Their laughter and chatter soon descended into stunned, horrified silence when Kou went on to reveal his single painting on display. He drank in their expressions with a wide, empty smile.

Gasps and cries of horror rang out when the first aristocrat fell, followed by the second. Glass shattered. Wine spilled as the people choked, frothing at the mouth. A red substance leaked out from between their teeth. Kou watched with dead eyes as they began to fall, holding his own wine glass and looking calmly at the red substance that reflected his image. "Looks like…I can't obtain that blue sky, after all…"

He'd remembered his goal, that of a life somewhere with his artist, under a blue sky. But the people before him had ruined that. Ruined him. So, he was giving them their equal exchange, and his.

A man, who Kou recognised as a Viscount, staggered towards him, rage clashing with terror in his eyes as he realised the culprit behind the disaster. He brandished a knife, coughing harshly. "You twisted, vile-"

Kou ducked out of the way, staggering. The man swung down the knife, swiping into the painting instead.

Outside, his artist ran straight for the doors, passing Karl Heinz on the street. Kou had left her a strange letter, and after hearing about the exhibition and thinking about his scars, she'd headed straight there. Bursting in through the doors, she froze at the sight of the fallen bodies.

A strangled noise escaped her throat. Her knees buckled, head bowing. "Kou…"

Up on the platform, the image on the torn painting showed that of a handsome, young man, returned to splendour.

Not a trace was left of Kou, except that of a red glass eye.

#diabolik lovers #kou mukami #diabolik lovers fanfiction #diahell #diabolik fairytales

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heartforheart532 · 7 years ago

Text

2x11 Review

So I wanna go ahead and talk about “Mea Maxima Culpa’’ with you guys! I’ll be highlighting a few things I liked about the episode and what didn’t really do it for me, and of course you guys are all welcome to share your own thoughts in the comments down below.

This review is NOT spoiler free! If you have not seen the episode yet, then don’t click on “Read more.’’ Come back when you’ve watched it and feel free to join the discussion. (It’s quite long, prepare yourself)

Okay, before I begin this review I’m highlighting the things I did or didn’t like and then I’ll dive into them more later.

Things I liked:

1. Parabatai intro scene 2. Jimon banter 3. Debute of Sebastian Verlac 4. Azazel (For a certain part) 5. Malec (Duh) 6. Raphael’s scenes 7. Clary/Jace/Valentine scene 8 Luke/Maia bonding + Luke being one of the best Alpha’s there is. 9,. FUCKING PARABATAI’S 10. The summoning of Azazel 11. The bodyswap between Magnus and Valentine.

Things I didn’t like:

1. Climon 2. Azazel (For a certain part) 3. Ollie 4. Izzy battling her yin fen addiction 5. The Saphael scene 6. Certain parts of the bodyswap between Magnus and Valentine 7. Clary’s reaction when she found out Jace was not her brother 8. JACE FUCKING CRYING

Alright, kicking off I’ll start with the things I liked and really set the episode for me:

1. The parabatai scene: How could anyone NOT love this scene? It’s some lighthearted, playful training between to brothers and parabatai and it’s something that makes you smile. It was a great decision to put this at the beginning of the episode and how the two bantered about Jace’s issues while training. I think it really lightened the mood after the events of the Soul Sword and we all know Jace could use that.

2. Jimon banter: WHAT IS THERE NOT TO LOVE!? This scene honestly made me laugh so loud. Reasons why I love it so much is because, A) Simon really, really wants to cheer Jace up, showing he actually cares for him and B) Jace is having NONE of it, which is just funny. I saw some people found it disappointing on how he responded towards Simon but guys, don’t forget that’s what Jace is like. Besides, he does care for Simon. He just doesn’t want to show it.

3. The debute of Sebastian Verlac: I think we’re all in big trouble. We all know Sebastian is no good, and you can definitely tell something’s up with him at the end of his and Izzy’s scene, but Will plays him so, so incredibly well that I can’t help but smile when I see him on my screen and I think at that, the producers did a damn good job casting him. For this role you would want someone that looks nice, acts very sweet and would want to be someone you can trust and lean on, while in the inside, they are planning how to take you and everyone else down. Will so far is rocking the ‘’kind’’ side of Sebastian but I can not wait how he will portray the real Sebastian. All in all, I’m hyped.

4. Azazel: I pointed out in the highlights that I only liked certain parts of Azazel. The parts I liked is more his power then anything. Also the small backstory Magnus gave us on Azazel (I’m not that far with the books yet, I know. I’m a slow reader) really intrigued me and left me anticipated for what Azazel might be up to next episode. Also why DID he swap Magnus and Valentine’s bodies? I’m really curious to that. (I also really liked the plot the writers were going with here, having Magnus and Alec arrive late at the scene where Azazel was with Izzy and have them think he has her, it all fitted really well and I thought it was brilliantly written.)

5.Malec: DO I EVEN NEED TO EXPLAIN MYSELF WHY I LIKE- MORE LOVED THESE SCENES SO MUCH!? I think to me the big deal breaker is the casual kiss and touches they shared with each other. Now they are in an established relationship, we see them getting more touchy feely with one other and that is something we clearly missed in 2A. Magnus seemed to be the person that, after his family, Alec really has grown to love and this episode shows that beautifully. From the point where he just casually kisses Magnus first, to the point where he is crying out in pain and practically begs his loved one to stop Azazel and afterwards being so worried, that he wanted to go home with Magnus. (Even if it was Valentine at this point but hey, Alec doesn’t know that.) I think they work great together as a team, even if we saw them evastigating the place around the vampire den for a short amount of time.

6. Raphael’s scenes: I am so happy with the path the writers have chosen for Raphael. I love that how, when Isabelle visits him, he owns up to his mistakes, tells her to leave for her own good and refuses every single offer she throws at him. But when she leaves he knows she’s not going home so he goes to Magnus’ to warn Alec. Also, the fact that after everything Magnus welcomes Raphael with open arms and covers up the windows with his curtains really warms my heart. to me, this episode showed a more vulnerable Raphael then it did the last two seasons. He didn’t bicker with Alec, he accepted the attitude he got from him. He knew it was his fault and he’s owning up to it, while looking out for her at the same time. I think that’s just amazing. As for the Saphael scene, I loved it. I do. Him scaring Simon is just plain funny but there was one thing that had me confused, and I’ll explain that later.

7. Clary/Jace/Valentine scene: Valenitne taunting Jace about Clary and her not having a clue and Jace punching him. Sorry just. That made my day.

8. LUKE: Can we just appreciate how fucking calm Luke stays with all this going on and tries to keep his pack under control at the same time? I have so much respect for this man and I am so, so happy all is good between Maia and Luke. These two are really going to need one other these coming episodes and I’m really looking forward to see more of their bond. For the rest, I loved how he handled the Russel situation and was not afraid to fight Russel if he really would have had to. And besides, letting Russel know he’d lose if he fought with him? Fucking genius.

9. FUCKING PARABATAI’S: AND MY FUCKING EMOTIONS. HUG. THAT HUG. THAT’S ALL. HUGGING WHILE JACE IS CRYING. OKAY BYE.

10. The summoning of Azazel: I really liked the summoning actually. I don’t know, I found it interesting to watch, maybe because you know that, of course, it will fo wrong and you’re anxious to see how they will fix it. I really loved Magnus’ facial performances during it and the way he used his magic. Harry Shum Jr owning the scenes like always.

11.The bodyswap between Magnus and Valentine: I. AM. SO. FUCKING. HYPED. FOR. THIS!!! I really think this is a good plotline, even though it’s not lasting long if you have seen the 2x12 promo. But guys, this is going to show us beautiful, earth shattering acting by both Harry and Alan! And I am so here for it! I don’t know how but in the 2x12 promo I can literally feel Valentine in Magnus and the other way around as well. The way Harry portray “Valentine’’ Magnus is just amazing and he is going to blow our minds once more. As for Valentine, we see a very vulnerable and scared one, we see a scared Magnus. And Alan nails that as well in my opinion, you can just feel them in each others bodies and I am so excited for it.

Now moving on to the things I didn’t like:

1. Climon: This is not a ‘oh ew gross they’re kissing’ opinion. No, this is an opinion where I am hella pissed at Clary. Simon is voicing his worries about being a Daylighter and she just fucking keeps brushing him off, she keeps pushing his worries away instead of talking about them and it really, really rubs me the wrong way. If she wants to be a ‘normal couple’ then she should listen to Simon, not shut him up because ‘they’ve gone already through so much’ and she so desperately wants to smooch him...

2.Azazel: The only thing I didn’t really like was how when Sebastian and Jace tried to attack him he vaporated into what looked like a swarm of bugs and then disappeared. Again, I’m not firmiliar with his book charachter and I don’t know if he does it in the books but ... No, I didn’t really like it.

3. Ollie: Don’t like her. Don’t trust her. Keep an eye on her at all costs.

4. Izzy: It’s really difficult seeing our beloved Isabelle struggling like this. But I think the writers and Emeraude did a good job on showing what kicking off drugs looks like and can do to a person. Props to them. For the rest, Emeraude killed the episode in the best way possible.

5. The Saphael Scene: Okay, here I am getting to something I didn’t understand. Raphael seemed very calm talking to Simon, even when explaining about Daylighters. Then he got up in to his face and said in a very low voice “I hope so’’? I mean, what’s the deal with that? Is Raph jealous?

6. Downsides of the bodyswap between Magnus and Valentine: Mainly Malec. Alec is going to lovingly interact with Magnus, while not knowing it’s not HIS Magnus and Valentine (Read Magnus) is perhaps going to blow him off most of the time. ALos the scene where Alec is holding Magnus (Read Valentine) against the wall and tell him his sicks games are over after (?) Magnus tells him that if he loves him, he has got to believe him, really kills me on the inside. Magnus is desperate and has no way to actually prove that it’s him, except for his boyfriend. But if you watch very closely you see Alec falter when Magnus calls him “Alexander’’. No one calls him that, sure they know it’s his name but no one calls him that. Especially not Valentine. If that doesn’t cause any alarm bells to go off in Alec’s head, then I don’t know what will.

7. Clary’s reaction when she found out Jace is not her brother: I get why she is mad. That’s not my argument. What pisses me off is the way she said “Why would that ruin anything?’’ Like girl, don’t fool yourself and don’t fool Simon. He deserves better and so does Jace.

8. JACE FUCKING CRYING: Beautifully and heartfelt portrayed by Dom. And it broke me. Clary wanted him to feel something? Well congratulations, you made him cry.

All in all, this episode had me on the edge of my seat most of the times and really sent the tone for 2B! I am really excited to see what happens next and I don’t think they could’ve kicked the Summer premiere in a better way.

See you next week, Angels!

#shadowhuntersseason2 #Shadowhunters 2B #Shadowhunters 2x11 #Shadowhunters Spoilers #SH spoilers #Alec Lightwood #Izzy Lightwood #Isabelle Lightwood #Jace Wayland #Simon Lewis #Maia Roberts #Luke Garroway #Magnus Bane #Raphael Santiago #Sebastian Verlac #Valentine Morgenstern #Malec #Climon #Clace

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sleepymarmot · 8 years ago

Text

MEA liveblog #6

Spoilers!

Kadara

Alright, let's hope this virus sample is as harmless as SAM said... Why doesn't this scene have an interrupt? Why does Andromeda have so few?

Oh, right, there's still a quest with Reyes and Drack's story about Spender

I think I should also try the monolith again. Regardless of politics, activating the vaults for Ryder is like closing rifts for the Inquisitor.

Thank you internet for telling me how to activate the southernmost monolith! There's a cave entrance at the base of the mountain, on the road to the east of the monolith and north-east of the forward station.

Ugh, navigating this vault and trying not to die took a long time...

Why do I get flirt options with Reyes in 90% of dialogue wheels?

Okay, I finally crafted something. Chest and legs for armor. Iitiative V. Together they give +11% XP instead of +15 I had on the pre-order set, but I could put lots of bonuses onto them. Used "25% shields on kill" as enhancement and "+50% recharge speed, -30% weapon damage" as a mod.

Yikes! It looks so ugly! Here I thought Deep Space looked mediocre compared to Scavenger, but this...

My adept profile is now rank 4!

Zia's voice sounds terribly familiar.

I literally met murderers disposing of a body, why can't I interact with them?

Two Hydras, more like "run around the entire time". Ugh, why are biotics in this game so weak against armor? And where's the fall damage? The entire point of biotics is killing enemies with physics! Why does a combo, on normal difficulty, not kill a mook, but throw him somewhere I can't see him with a sliver of health so he continues to shoot at me? This is ridiculous!

Me: Ugh I don't wanna do Kadara Also me: *does every single sidequest in the Badlands, raises viability to 70%*

Tempest

Peebee: idk why I wanted to write to you -- Aww :D

Yay, finally I can make my inventory bigger!

"I like it when you flirt" is still an option smh. Clicked it because I think someone mentioned that the zero-g scene is repeatable, but nope.

Alright, time to finally move on to the loyalty missions!

Cora's LM

Convenient when you can reuse an entire map huh :D

TBH most of the things people are saying are flying right past me. I'm just following the quest markers. So, is the arc pretty much empty now?

Asari sword V!!! Something I wanted to craft or find a long time ago.

This ascendant wasn't even dangerous. Just a boring bullet sponge. I need to get more weight capacity so I could always carry a sniper rifle just for those guys...

I'm a biotic too!!! I walked through this entire mission as an adept! Why am I not helping with the shield?

Revealed the truth, then said Sarissa should stay as the Pathfinder. Not a difficult decision.

Tempest

"Outcast HQ" sounds ridiculous...

Meanwhile, my Bronze/Silver strike team has five positive traits and no negatives...

Nexus

Good thing I went here before moving on to Vetra's mission! There's a follow-up scene. And apparently, there were a lot of asari still in cryo?

Is this the guy who already sent me a grateful email? This game really fails at continuity sometimes.

Fuck! Jien Garson "died alone"?! All this time I was suspicious about her absence, but people talked about her death so confidently I was sure there were witnesses!

lmao a burned body in an unexpected place. suuuuure

Oh, so she is dead :(

Okay, this is simpler than I thought. The Initiative was about escaping the Reapers. And I thought they were looking for something in Andromeda...

If there's really nothing more to it -- I'd actually be disappointed. The game just continues to subvert its own most ridiculous statements. Pretty much everyone assumed that building something called Arcs and moving to another galaxy right before the Reaper invasion is an attempt to preserve people and culture. The game insisted that wasn't the case, except of course it is. There were only two new races, suspiciously alike -- are they related? Nobody even mentioned the possibility in the game until it was confirmed. On the one hand, it's a relief that the game doesn't believe its own bullshit. On the other, I'd like not to be treated like an idiot. I'd like a story with a premise that makes sense by itself, and with reveals that are genuinely surprising. What's next on the list of predictable "plot twists"? Is Alec alive? Is Reyes the Charlatan?

Tempest

What, I got a bunch of AVP just for promising to do Drack's mission?

Fuck yeah vanadium

H-047c

When you land, the subtitles just disappear...

I almost fell off a cliff and Liam shouted "Ryder!!" in a very startled voice

Whoa, a Reegar!

Took the interrupt, of course.

After Liam's mission, the other two seemed bland...

Havarl

Thanks to the internet, finally found the Fusion Mod of Adrenaline. How can anyone find that by themselves?!

Archon's ship

I'm tired of messing around, let's get on with the plot

Let me guess, I'll have to choose between the map to the Meridian and the salarian arc's survival?

This Pathfinder actually sounds like a Salarian!

A new carfalon, nice

this fight didn't go well lmao

Oh great, now we wiped everything but the ascendant and then he killed me

Ughh, on the third try...

Poor Ryder

Yeah, yeah, we've already heard all that from Harbinger...

Archon's chamber, health and ammo packs... Annoying boss battle, here we go

oh great, it's the Krogett

ah, so it's a mix of Virmire and Priority: Tuchanka

Ouch, I wish I didn't take Drack on this mission...

Well thanks I feel like a monster now

And of course, the autosave is after the choice. I've long suspected that the lack of saving in priority mission is designed to make us live with our decisions...

Honestly when I was making a choice it seemed simply whether a bunch of krogan or salarians are saved from exaltation, the krogan are connected to your friend but the salarians have a Pathfinder. But then the game seems to present it as "many krogans, your friend's friends, vs one Pathfinder"?

So, where to now? After the Nexus.

I have 3 loyalty missions in progress, Peebee, Jaal and Drack, and the last one seems pretty urgent.

I need to go to Elaaden, especially because after this I need to restore my relationship with the krogan.

I need to activate the vault on Voeld, people in my outpost and my angaran allies has been freezing their limbs of for a long time.

Kadara is the only place where nothing important is happening, but I need to get it to 90% asap to unlock the fusion mod perk.

Tempest

Poured some more points into combat to decrease the weight of sniper rifles, and crafted a Vintage Isharay V. Now I can carry it along with the Hornet and a shotgun of my choice. Some power user I am... :D

No, Gil, I don't really want to meet your friend. Though on second thought, maybe if the Pathfinder tells her we're not here just to breed, maybe she'd believe...

"My mother created the implant in my head, and my father created the AI that uses it. I haven't lost them either" ;_;

Suvi organized a comparative religion seminar, and Jaal and Kallo signed up!

Got myself a bald space mouse

"Okay, I'll learn a new party trick" :D

"You are daring. I had to up my game" It's just a casual option, but sure sounds like flirting... :D

"Just don't get yourself exalted" -> "Just don't relax too much" The translation is getting worse and worse... There's some nonsense in almost every conversation.

Aw, Vetra!

Nexus

Thanks, Tann! Now I have time to do sidequests and loyalty missions without guilt!

No thanks to other Pathfinders, seems like I have to rush the main plot after all :(

Scott!!!

Why is Ryder asking him about things she must know just as well?

Honestly, this game design is super stupid! Kadara opens up a lot of new quests, but also the rushes the main plot like hell! Am I supposed to do the loyalty missions and shit after the end of the story??

Wait, how exactly did Keri scare people? Why was she arrested? I don't understand.

Tempest

Aw, Liam is worried about how I'm coping with my clinical death! *Shepard sighs with envy from another galaxy*

Kadara

Why does the game shower me with shippy Reyes material even when I'm not trying to romance him?

Finally another interrupt lol

"Try to settle here, and I'll consider it an act of war" If I took the story seriously and roleplayed honestly, this would be the point I'd abandon this planet forever, even if I didn't do it far earlier. There's no reason for Ryder to plan for an outpost here -- and I only do because of the queat description. Ughh, the writing in this game is killing me.

How do you take a recipe anyway? How do you make sure there isn't a copy left on the person's computer? Anyway, took it from the asari because I assumed I could destroy the info instead of giving it to the doctor, but had to give it back anyway.

Whoa, the date with Vetra is incredibly romantic

Was it really necessary for two freaking eirochs to greet us as we exit the cave?!

People who lit Sloane from behind so that every time there's a closeup on her, the camera adjusts to that bright light and her face becomes a pitch black blob: please don't ever stage anything again

Travel from the Badlands to the Port, meet Sloane, immediately travel back to almost the same place in the Badlands. Is the game intentionally trying to waste as much of our time as possible?

I think my game ran out of save slots... Without any warning. When you try to write in a new slot everything seems normal but the save just doesn't appear.

Whoa! Ryder WASN'T surprised that Reyes is the Charlatan! I didn't expect her to figure that out...

I'm not sure how Reyes's actions were supposed to weaken Sloane but whatever

First I shot him because I use interrupts instinctively, then replayed and didn't. I don't give enough fucks about this petty war.

100%! Now I can finally leave this snake pit.

BTW, re: the choice: Sloane is almost as bad as Aria at this point, the only redeeming quality is her backstory. And she's proven herself a bad leader, while Reyes could turn out to be better. But deciding to let her die within a split second -- that's not something I or my idealistic character could do. And now Reyes has a potential for a cool comeback story, and Sloane -- for a redemption arc. We have both characters alive and active, while the other option kills one off. (Which, I realize, is a reason that we might never see an interesting follow-up.)

Tempest

Reyes bothered to send a letter! I hope we'll see his dramatic return in a sequel or a DLC. Imagine if you romance him and then save Sloane -- that's a good story! Also, glad I didn't shoot, because the internet says the letter is very bitter and ominous in that case.

Aaand what some people on the internet were saying is true. Fusion Mod Support, which was the sole reason I went to complete Kadara, is broken and deprives you of all buffs. Well, whatever.

Drack doesn't tell me to fuck off anymore. Does this mean I don't need to "give him space" anymore and can plausibly do his loyalty mission? It's weird that the game just ignores all that's happened -- it's not like he tells me he forgave or anything. Consequences my ass. Just lazy writing.

And Lexi just repeats her first description of Drack -- that he's "always good". Ugh. No, he's not!

NOW you want to talk about my death, Cora! Not when I approached you after that mission!

Elaaden

The krogan have a nice flag!

Logical: "Don't make me headbutt you. I absolutely will" Ha! The emotional option was some shit about friendship...

The worm? That thing from the promo pictures, right? Is it the same thing as the Architects people on the internet are mentioning?

Aww, is this a letter from multiplayer's krogan engineer?

A krogan LARP!

The krogan are literally the only people whom I can understand and support in a decision to jump galaxies

Drack's LM

I don't understand how Vorn got here...

For once I'm not the one with a dilemma lol

"There's only one thing getting destroyed today (...) So there are a lot of things getting destroyed today, actually"

Drack please don't talk during fights, I don't hear a single word, too busy charging people and slashing them with my sword

I still don't understand what all of this has to do with Spender, and don't remember Drack ever mentioning before that the botanist is so important and irreplaceable.

I love being a vanguard on normal because even with an incomplete build you can tank two hydras. To be fair I was standing right on top of a health box...

That's all?? So short...

At least Drack hasn't forgotten my choice...

Ah, so the botanist who sent us on this mission and the botanist we rescued are two different people? Okay, one question answered.

Elaaden

Hmm, this puzzle seems more difficult...

The second monolith has a console puzzle instead of sudoku. I spent a pretty long time on it before realizing there were three consoles, not two...

WHy am I breaking into this base and slaughtering everyone inside??

Couldn't solve the console puzzle in the vault, looked it up, didn't understand the explanation, clicked some more and activated it by accident.

Shit, is this the same puzzle but on pillars?

I fell into the water and the game respawned me into the same fall -- but in the Nomad.

Jumped around and activated the bridge somehow, but the door behind it is still closed

How am I supposed not to fall from the pillars? It's impossible to know if you're jumping not far enough, too far, or not high enough.

Oh, here's that difficult sudoku. I spent like 15 minutes on it and still can't solve it...

Holy crap, I solved it! Took me about 25 minutes...

The purification field was already in the room when I closed the door on it...

Lmao apparently the main krogan on this planet is right in the starting zone... I searched the entire colony for him! And now, with the planet at 83% viability, I finally meet the guy I came here for :D

I clearly was meant to do all of this right in the beginning lmao. But I was in a rush to do Drack's mission...

Pressuring women into childbirth is bad enough in normal circumstances, but when children have about 1% chance of surviving? Back the fuck off.

Messages on the terminal are interesting. I don't like the confirmation of too-earthlike misogyny on Tuchanka, but at least things are getting better here. And I'm still impressed by the letters from the krogan engineer -- do other multiplayer character have presence in the main game too?

And here's the deal with the Remnant ship! I was waiting for the reason to visit it...

I like Morda. I hope I won't have to fight or depose her.

(Btw she's Norda in translation because "morda" means "face, mug")

It'd be much more fun to fight fiends if they weren't sync-killers. I can't even use a shotgun -- the entire fight consists of running away, throwing powers at them when at safe distance, turning around to run again, and if I'm very lucky, finding a moment for a sniper rifle shot a couple of times.

Btw this entire time I thought fiends were exalted eirochs -- but they're just a normal local species? What?

Lmao the viability is at 99% now

The Remnant Ship is a lovechild of the Collector ship/Derelict Reaper and all those veilfire dungeons from DAI

The Nomad looks bad in this planet's lighting... Or is it because I raised texture quality? On Eos and Voeld the entire hull looked the same, now I can see the difference between two areas.

Oh. Is this why I was supposed to break into the scavenger base lol

Well, this was a good planet to bring Drack and Peebee with you everywhere! Sorry Peebs, but even you didn't feel joy when we finally found that drive core after all the bloodshed; plus it's your own philisophy to look into the future instead of the past; plus we might find other Remnant ships but this diplomatic opportunity is huge and unique. It's a laughably small price to pay for so many good things -- not just the outpost, but paying our debts and renewing friendship with a good ally led by an admirable woman. This makes me feel really good, unlike Kadara. New Tuchanka in generally is a feel-good place. The krogan look more real with their occupations and interests, their reason for being here makes perfect sense unlike the rest of the Initiative, and they're happier than in the Milky Way (at least until the end of ME3. Yeah, they have the genophage here, but also the Reapers aren't killing and harvesting them, so I'll call it a draw).

Oh my god, the translators misread "fiends" as "friends"! "Even if it means taking out three friends at once"! L M A O

"We're all a little krogan in here" That sounds pretty racist, Ryder

Nexus

Wait, how is exile harsher sentence for Spender than jail? In exile he'd just be free to continue his racist criminal activities.

"It is the will to continue living" Ugh, don't give me that Padme bullshit

Eos

That's all? This short rude conversation is why Gil called me to meet his shitty friend?

Aw, Cora started a garden! Right on a nest of poison-spitting bugs, but still cute.

Just as I switch from Flamethrower to Annihilation, I get attacked by two fiends -_- Where's my biotic armor damage, Bioware?!

Btw the Nomad now looks plastic on Eos too :(

And here's the Architect! I avoided looking up videos because I wanted to find out how this fight goes by myself.

And of course, when I died the autosave was glitched and froze my entire game -_-

And it happened again -_- The cutscene doesn't start and I can't do anything

For fuck's sake, on its leg WHERE?

Managed to shot down a leg, got killed trying to shoot its head

Whoa, I won! Ate like 20 shield boosters, though. What a bullet sponge, I felt like I was doing no damage at all. And in the final section of the fight it spent like 5 minutes just shooting and throwing grenades at me without ever exposing the vulnerable spot, I thought that maybe the game just forgot to indicate it. I used Vanguard, Charge/melee/Lance for adds, gun/Lance/Charge for the Architect itself. For some reason it didn't occur to me to switch to Infiltrator or Soldier or even Explorer for sniping lol

Now that I finally leveled up Lance today, I tried a lot of setups... Flamethrower/Energy Drain/Lance (Sentinel), Annihilation/Energy Drain/Lance (Sentinel), Annihilation/Charge/Lance (Vanguard), Pull/Charge/Lance (Vanguard). Next time I'll try Singularity as the first primer. I don't have the final evolution of Annihilation yet, so it's not at full synergy. I really don't know what I like better -- ED/Sentinel or Charge/Vanguard. The latter is novaguard reborn, basically, but I already have one Vanguard profile, which is melee/tank oriented, and I don't want to remove Backlash, especially to replace it with a power that slows down Charge. Four favorites are not enough, Bioware! At least seven -- one for each profile. I still don't have a build for Remnant VI and I really want to use it! Btw, my final blow to the Architect was with Lance -- ending the testing session with style!

I can craft N7 armor X already! Wow. Why no level requirement? I'll replace my chestpiece -- massive buffs to biotics >> 4% XP. Don't know if I should disassemble my old armor or just buy more enhancements...

I just (re-)realized that Charge/Lance/asari sword is basically N7 Slayer... I definitely need that N7 armor!

I'm watching other people's Architect fights -- and turns out, Backlash can deflect its attacks! That's what I should have used as the third skill.

Not related at all, but I hate how people put spoilers in thread titles on Reddit :/ I guess the most obvious ones get filtered out, but indirect spoilers stay. "What are your theories about [thing]?" -- thanks a lot for telling me it won't be explained in the game, dude!! >:[

#mass effect #mea spoilers #blah blah blah

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