#he went from side character to antagonist to mc in my head before i’d even finished writing his first scene lol

[cream-and-tea]

on the topic of names, how did you choose fiver's name?

fivers name actually clicked with me pretty quickly! in-canon and irl he’s named after one of the main characters in Watership Down and (like most of the characters in this book) the name has some kind of symbolism related to his backstory and plot, specifically related to prophets and fortunetelling since those are pretty big aspects of his story.

to be honest i actually decided on the name “fiver” before building the character he’d eventually become, even though (for me and my writing) it usually happens the other way around where i come up with a characters general concept before i give them a name lol. in thanks for this ask i am offering you four fiverbackstory tunes that relate to the same stuff that his name does: “john the revelator” by depeche mode and steve fitzmaurice, “venetian blind man” by will wood and “cassandra” by florence + the machine <3

[code-otome-game]

Completed otome games, my thoughts, along with my fav characters (last updated: August 22nd 2021)

1. Code Realize - August 2021

Saint-Germain instantly caught my eye, along with Lupin ofc. I was curious about Impey but my friend who lent me her collection of otome games said he was shit. Code Realize was my reintroduction to otome games, and plummeted me into otome hell once more. As soon as I saw Herlock Sholmes, I wanted him as a route, and loved his Future Blessings route.

Saint Germain was my absolute favourite, and his route hurt me in all the right ways. His VA was amazing at conveying the emotion behind certain scenes.

2. Café Enchanté - August 2021

After completing Code Realize, I felt a little lost and didn't know what game to play next. I figured after the pain of some of the stuff in Code Realize, I'd go for something I thought would be a little more fun and a little lighter. Cafe Enchante was next on my list. I was instantly drawn to Misyr and Il, with Il being my first route. I absolutely loved Il, and was traumatized from having my fav boy be the one who was hurt the most again. Although, Misyr is definitely a top contender for most hurt fav as well...

3. Piofiore - August 2021

I continued on with Piofiore right after Cafe Enchante, and instantly knew I was interested in Dante and Yang. I went with Dante first, and was absolutely enamored by him. I was absolutely heartbroken to find out that I didn't get his best ending at first, and contemplated not playing the game for a while. But I decided against it and carried on, using a guide this time. I didn't think anyone else would surpass him in my mind, but boy was I wrong. I quickly fell in love with Yang once I started his route, and his route was the first to make me feel butterflies again in years since I played my last otome game.

However, after playing through all the routes and getting to the finale, I absolutely fell in love with Henri, and I'm honestly shocked that Nicola has left such an impression on me considering I didn't think much of him right after his route. Now it's hard *not* to think about him. But overall, I love all the men pretty equally. I'm super excited for 1926.

4. Collar x Malice - August 2021

I was definitely curious about this one and was tempted to start it multiple times when choosing which game to play next, however I put it off because I didn't like the protagonist being a cop.

The characters are honestly all super loveable, and I think I love them all a bit more equally then I do the Piofiore guys. I was surprised Saeki wasn't a route, until while I was playing Kei or Shiraishi's route when my friend spoiled he was Adonis' leader.

I fell in love with all the characters quite gradually through their stories, with the exception of Shiraishi. I knew he'd be the one I was the most curious and interested in. I was so excited when I finally unlocked his route, and I absolutely loved every single bit of the early half of it. His comments and interactions were hilarious, he was adorable *and* hot.... and he loves cats. What the hell more could I want from a guy? He makes me want to introduce him to my own cats and also makes me want to do mundane and sweet things with him just because he's so sweet and I love him.

I was absolutely heartbroken at his "best" ending, and thinking about his tragic ending hurts my heart. I legitimately only want the best for this man- I only want him to be happy and healthy and not confined to some stupid prison or Adonis...

It also feels strange, but I think I love him best *before* he got a little soft with the protagonist? His quick retorts and harsh comments were hilarious and I loved that so much about him, so I was a bit sad when he grew a bit soft later on.

At the time of writing these past 4 entries, CxM is the latest game I've played, so Shiraishi's story is still super fresh in my mind. I was as obsessed with most of the other men mentioned above as I am with him right now. I'm sure the following entries will contain more love-ramblings like this as I complete more games and add them to the list.

5. Amnesia: Memories - August/September 2021

Toma! Toma! Toma!!!

My first experience with ✨ the cage ✨. I went with Ikki at first, got his normal ending (thaT SHIT WAS SO SAD WTF ;-;) and then went back with a walkthrough for his good ending. But... his route was kinda underwhelming tbh. I liked it as I played it, but looking back now... it really was quite underwhelming. So was Shin's route, who I played after Toma. I was interested in who the culprit was, and was shocked with the reveal tbh. Buuut after playing Toma's route... it was understandable. Although I really wish that Shin's route had more affection in it... it felt more like a mystery with a little bit of romance rather then an otome game.

I played Toma's route after Ikki's, and omfg... Toma was truly an unexpected fav. Hated his good ending tho, idfk why you would be ok with just returning to normal after all of that... but whatever. I would willingly go in that cage I s2g. I LOVED his eyes too! When he gets dark and super possessive, those eyes are just... UGH. Yes please. ❤

I skipped the entirety of Kent's route because I really just don't give a fuck about him. Hes absolutely not my type. I felt bad skipping it, but... in the end I don't really care.

Ukyo was also an unexpected fav- I wad super curious about his route and suspected that all of the "interesting" and bad stuff that I had heard about would happen during his route buuuut... nope. Nothing of the sort. He was so damn sweet, but I will say that uh... insane side of him is kinda hot too. 👀 but omg, the fact that he's a photographer AND so damn dedicated to you and sweet is just... ugh. My heart. Ukyo and Toma definitely became my favs for this game, and I think this is the first time where my first route didn't end up being one of my favourites.

I love how sharp Toma is as well! That he knows so much about you and can easily find out things and such... but also- I really like how dedicated and caring Ukyo is. He's so protective and adorable! I really did feel bad for him during his route. I haven't gotten his normal ending yet, but the title of it is so fucking sad and I don't know if I even wanna go for it.

"Do you know Ukyo?"

6. Bustafellows - September 2021

Honestly, when I started playing Bustafellows I didnt expect to like many characters, if any at all. None of them were particularly appealing to me, at least visually... however, as I played the game, I was drawn to Shu and Mozu, as I found Shu to be the most attractive one of the bunch, and Mozu was interesting to me as a coroner. However, the first character I ended up with was... Crow. I was honestly a little surprised, but didn't care too much. I didn't know who I wanted to go with first, and honestly, as the common route progressed... I found myself liking Crow more.

Crow was the one I liked the least out of everyone, at least visually at first. I really didn't like his hair lmao. But as I read the common route, he really grew on me, and I couldn't help but be sweet to him, so ofc I ended up with his route first... and god, I really love him. He's so stupid and adorable. Like seriously.

I went with whoever the game would give me after Crow, and it gave me Helvetica. With Crow, I really loved his character, but didn't care much for his story. It was the opposite for Helvetica. I enjoyed his story a ton, but not his character. I then carried on with Shu, who I loved entirely. Both his character and story was really really good, and his bad ending... phew. Damn dude.

Mozu came after, and I honestly have mixed feelings about his route. I feel like there really needed to be more romance between him and the MC, but the end of his route where he finds his sister is.... oof. I literally went "thats rough buddy" in my head lmao. I felt so bad for him.

I liked Limbo a lot more then I thought I would as well! He was super adorable and sweet, and the story was pretty good too, so I really enjoyed his route. But overall, I believe Shu and Crow are my favs this time around. I can't believe I didn't like Mozu as much as I thought I would! But I feel like I would have liked him a shitton more if there was more to his route then there was.... smh.

Nightshade - September 2021

I almost immediately jumped right into Nightshade, although with doubts of enjoying it in my mind, as I wasnt in the mood for a historical japan setting. However! I loved the characters, and the story! By the end of it, I was thoroughly angry with the antagonists for hurting my BOYS like that...

The first one I went for was Kuroyuki, who I LOVED. I felt a little bit confused throughout his route, but I still quite enjoyed it. A sweet yandere. Babey boy. I love him.

Next was Chojiro, and oooohhhhh boy.... yeah. That was a little rough. BUT I feel like the story was very well suited for him!!! After that I went with Goemon, who was SO SWEET. For a moment, the "plot twist" had me, but then I realized there was no way he was wasn't trying to trick his old clan/the council.

Hanzo was second last, and definitely an unexpected fav! I didnt find him very attractive at first, but seeing him more and more throughout the routes had him growing on me. And I LOVED him! But... I don't like Ieyasu's treatment towards the end of the route; ordering Hanzo to kill the MC after making us thoroughly believe he was a kind man in every other route.... sigh. But I'm happy that he was able to take just the MC's sash instead of her head. I do like that he also told Hanzo to "go get a wife and come back" hehe.

GOD that scene in the cave with Hanzo where youre both naked... YES. And his hair when its wet!!! Hes so adorable AND hot at the same time???? I love Hanzo. Tbh, I love all of them.

Gekka was the last one I did, but I wish I reversed Hanzo/Gekka's positions. Cause I really, *really* didnt like ending on such a sad ending.... dear god. I really thought I got the bad end or something for a hot minute there. Then Gekka comes in! Ahhhh, honestly I didn't like him much at all at first which is why I saved him for last, but his route.... FUCK man. His route was heart wrenching. And he's so damn sweet. I still don't understand how/why he doesn't try to kill the MC in the other routes after the "protection" "curse" is lifted but whatever. Still, the ending... dear god. And all of their graves being dug up... the box of everyone's hair... jesus christ that was morbid. Even that made me mad. I didnt care much for the blonde haired kid who died first, but everyone else after that had such a good part to the story...but I wonder why Kuroyuki lived in every route?

Either way, Nightshade was a lot better then I thought it would be! I loved it!!! I honestly might go back soon and replay Kuroyuki's route now that I know whats going on and I know the characters.... also wanna replay Hanzo's route! Babey ❤

[popculturebuffet]

House of Mouse review: “The Three Caballeros” or State of Your Outfit Donald

The Ride of the Three Caballeros continues, and with reviewed paid for up until legend, we’re fueled up and ready to ride on for some time now. This admittedly has taken a bit longer than I like to get back on the ride, due to a  number of reasons, but i’m back on the ride and these next two were both a pleasure to get to and cover a show that was LONG overdue to show up here: It’s the House of Mouse! For those of you who haven’t heard of it House of Mouse was a Disney show in 2000 that ran on it’s one Saturday morning block, the follow up to the Disney afternoon. It also holds a close place in my heart as these are the versions of Mickey and Co I grew up with, as I had Disney Channel as a kid and they reaired it a LOT, so the show is sorta soaked into my DNA, and is likely the reason why I like Donald and Goofy so much, as their shorts here and their personalities outside them really drew me in. I’ll still be objective mind, but the show means a lot to me and i’m not going to hide that. 

The show has a really amazing setup: Mickey and Co run a club for Disney characters. While no tv characters showed up, anyone who had been in the movies was fair game, and everyone from Hades to both forms of Simba somehow to the horned freaking king showed up. The only exceptions were as I said Tv characters, though Pepper Ann makes a cameo in the pilot, and the Pixar characters.. which is more fair than you think. Keep in mind at the time of this series, there were only three Pixar Movies: Toy Story, a Bug’s LIfe and Toy Story 2, which came out the same year as house of mouse. Not only that Pixar wasn’t owned by Disney at the time, so there was likely a fear they could loose the rights to use the characters at some point and thus didn’t want to chance it.  But yeah this setting is used for great jokes, it’s the source of the “No one does X like gaston!” meme and it’s funny every time they do that gag. Though the main stars of the show are still mickey and co with each having a fitting position in the club’s hierachy: MIckey and Donald, being equal stars, co-own the club, though Donald sometimes feels overshadowed. Mickey, with his people skills and cheer is the MC and host. Donald, given his jack of all trades nature and butt monkey status, is guest services, in charge of taking care of the club’s featured guests and naturally having it backfire, as well as sometimes envying Mickey’s spot and trying to take it over. Minnie, being level headed, keeps things running, planning the show and managing finaces as well as calming Mickey when he gets panicky. Daisy runs guest services while trying to break out on her own and is somewhat of a ditz in this series, though not overly dumb or incompetent, just a bit of an air head is all, and her sweet bubbly nature makes her very likeable. That and outside the shorts at least, she’s very nice to Donald here and their realtionship is very sweet, hence it being one of the four versions of it I like.  Goofy is head waiter, which fits him because.. I dunno they needed one. But he does the job well even if he naturally screws up a bunch because Goofy. Pluto is also around as a personal assitant because eh why not.  But what really stood out abotu the show to me, even more so as an adult, was  the supporting cast. As a kid, I was introduced to a lot of the disney side characters i’d never heard of before, all of whom get a decent amount of screen time over the series, while as an adult, I find it heartwarming they brought these characters back and fleshed them out after not being used on screen for so long, with one big exception that was still nice of them to use and helps bridge the generation gap. 

The rest of the HOM crew consisted of Hoarce, Mickey’s friend who was used a lot early on and who works as the club’s engineer and handyman, Clarabelle, also often forgotten but thoroughly defined here as a loveable gossip and acted wonderfully by the incomparable April Winchell. I credit this show for making me love both characters especially Clarabelle and wanting to see them more. 

We also have Gus, a far more obscure on screen character. Gus is Donald’s Cousin, and as of this writing is the ONLY one of Donald’s three majorly used Cousins to have not shown up in the Ducktales reboot. Gus is also the only one whose not a comics original, to my shock, instead showing up in the short “Donald’s Cousin Gus”, communicating only through honks and eating all of Donald’s food. He was naturally adapted for the comics, where while still having a huge appetite became more bossed with being a lazy while working with Grandma Duck, his and Donald’s Grandma. He’s so different between mediums I genuinely forgot he was in this show and didn’t realize he and the chef from this show were the same person. Still it’s nice to see him and hopefully he’ll make the reboot before it ends.  Finally rounding out the supporitng cast we have Huey Dewey and Louie, who mostly show up as the quackstreet boys to dance and are kind of inbetween their classic designs and their quack pack versions: They have the hair from quack pack, but seem more like their 12-13, a bit older than standard, but sitll not as old as they are in Quack Pack. They also don’t talk which is a vast improvement over Quack Pack. And finally, and more prominently, we have Max, who as I said bridges the gap between generations and I think was an amazing inclusion. He not only gave younger viewers like me a character they knew better, but allowed the character’s story to continue a bit, clearly taking place after xtreme but having him actually go on a date with Roxanne. Thank you House of Mouse Writers. your doing Golb’s work.  Antagonist wise we have Pete, as usual trying to muck things up and presumibly flush with post divorce cash. He’s the club landlord, and wants Mickey out for reasons that are never explained, but as long as the show goes on and Mickey pays rent on time, the show goes on. Being Pete, he naturally tries to sabotage things. It’s a good device. The other is Mortimer, probably the series deepest cut alongside Gus as he only shwoed up in one short but the series easily made him one of my faviorites: A Sleazy asshole who tries to pick up on Minnie (who thankfully this go round is not at all receiptve), tries to get on the card, and constnatly says Ha-Cha-Cha. Maurice LaMarche, this show had a REALLY talented voice cast can you tell?, really owned the character and has been his voice since and really took him from a one dimensional douche to a LOVEABLE asshole. 

Granted most of this.. really isn’t relevant as only the main cast show up, but it’s an aspect of the show I like so I went into it anyway. Plus i’ll defintely be coverng the show again so this saves me time for later.  Back on point though, the show’s format was a problem of the week, ranging from guest troubles to pete shenigans to internal strife in the club to just general sitcom shenanigans, going on at the club, with shorts inserted in from a previous Mickey Show, Mickey MouseWorks. MouseWorks was a short lived, pun intended, show that didn’t do so good, so they had a bunch of these shorts sitting around including some that never aired on the show, and thus inserted them as cartoons being played for the club patrons. It was a great device and the shorts, while varying in quality , are mostly pretty good and were the first Disney Shorts I saw. It was a good format, allowing the main stories to have plenty of time, but not have to overpad them or anything and with so many shorts on hand they could simply write the story to be as long as they needed and then insert however many shorts were needed. It worked well. 

So yeah as you can tell I truly love this show and it introduced a lot of stuff to me. And naturally.. that includes the Three Caballeros here, with their song here being stuck in my head for years and this being the first time they’d shown up in decades... which is ironically how long it took for me to see their movie but regardless. The boys were back, and you can see how the show did with them, under the cut. 

Something to note, No Disney Plus this time.. because BAFFLINGNLY the show is not on there, despite no rights issues holding it up I’m aware of, and the show having every other mouse and duck related animated series on there. I know, I’ve talked about this before, even in this very retrospective.. but I keep bringing it up because it’s something you easily forget about. Something that may slip away. But don’t let it. Let them know, and get our shows on there already. Christ.  Anyways, due to the show’s format of sliding the shorts in, and to make thing easier on me for house of mouse reviews i’m simply going to do the shorts first, then the main plot. Good? Good. 

This one only had two, though it varied on how many they used, and some were just super short shorts anyway, so it all balances out and as I said, i’ts better they just told as much story as was there than tried to rush it. So without further adue...

Donald’s Fish Fry: Poor Poor Humphrey  Yeah I didn’t like this one. The premise is using the old character Humphrey the Bear.. only here instead of being the antagonist the ranger present basically bullies the poor bear, while the other bears constnatly get more fish than him when it’s their registered time to fish. It’s just agrvating.. and when the poor boy finally GETS a fish, Donald snatches it.  Donald isn’t unsympathetic here, he found the fish fairly.. but it’s hard to tell who we’re supposed to root for here. Humphrey, who just wants what’s his, or Donald whose oblivious but technically in the wrong. This kind of slapstick just.. dosen’t work as well with both sides being sympathetic. It can work with say bugs and daffy, because both are equal, but there’s clearly an antagonistc force in elmer fudd. But this type of shenanigan just dosen’t work when neither side deserves the punishment, and Humphrey did nothing wrong. I felt like this for supporting him the whole time. 

And it ends with the ranger getting the fish. Because he wasn’t unlikeable enough clearly. Though Humphrey does get some beans so yay? Also the house segment after has Ranger Dickhead stealing Humphrey’s dinner, which given he’s at the club he CLEARLY paid for because it’s too fatty. Fuck you dude. I hope Goofy threw you out for that one. Just not a fun sit. I’ve seen this kind of shenanigan done better, in disney classic shorts even. I’ve seen Don as the villian better, See Trick or Treat for a good example> There’s just.. nothing here and it goes on forever. This is a good chunk of the episode! Lordy! Just a genuinely bad short. Thankfully the next one while not as word inducing is also not as headache inducing How to Be Smart: Now THESE were my faviorites as a kid. I loved goofy, so shorts about him were no brainer but even now.. these are still funny. Basically a narrator would follow Goofy around while he tries to learn how to do something, in this case how to get smarter after loosing on a gameshow .. and owing the show three milion dollars. There’s not much ot go into, it’s basically a series of jokes about Goofy going to school from elementary to college and learning his way up while Dealing with Ludvig’s bratty nephew and his own stupidity. It’s a funny short and really well done and these are easily some of the show’s best shorts and this is no exception. Unlike  the Humphrey short, where this essentially happened. 

My soul and I gladly enjoyed How to Be Smart. Dare to NOT be stupid and check this short out. 

The Wraparound: And I”m Donald Duck! As for the main segment it’s pretty good. We open with Mickey hyping up tonight’s act, which is naturally the Three Caballeros! But trouble sets in as Donald, while proud at first, is rightfully annoyed that a man on the street segment shows NO ONE remembers he was in the group. Including his best friend goofy. Only Pumba does, somehow. I dunno maybe he dated Panchito once before meating timon. Point is Donald dosen’t take this well, even if we get a nice moment of Daisy swooning over the fact.. even if being  HOM Daisy, she can’t get the name right. But given i’ve had trouble spelling it right, I’m one to talk. 

So being Donald he overreacts, which I like as.. well it’s Donald. Of course when given a very resonable reason to get upset he takes it a step too far. In this case he’s gotten an army of lawers, refuses to speak to mickey and has put ... THIS on. I showed it at the top of the page but.. well it bears repeating. 

It’s like every bad thing about the early 2000′s, from the douchey shades, to the rings, to the golden knuckles, to the hat that looks like a penis, to the no donald logo. There should be all the donalds, ALL OF THEM. He also has an army of lawyers, and naturally resorts to hot doggin and grandstanding: Signing autographs during the show, putting a giant poster of himself up. It works okay, as it makes him unsympathetic for the next part to work and is really funny which is the point. Even if again he looks like the feces that’s produced when shame eats too much stupidity. 

Instead of just getting Dale Gribble in there, Mickey is at a loss for a solution till the boys show up and.. it’s a mixed bag. Carlos  Alazraqui is excellent as Panchito, slipping into the roll well. Unlike last time the character showed up, they did NOT get a mexican actor, but Carols is still Latino, so it’s still better than what they did for Jose, and still big of them to actually bother to get a Latino actor to play a latino role.  Jose on the other hand.. is played, and not very good, by Rob Paulson. And before anyone throws stuff at me, I love Rob. I will  be gushing about him when I get around to reviewing the animaniacs reboot. He’s a god among voice actors and I love him. But his voice, at least in this ep dosen’t really .. FIT Jose, and he dosen’t really match the characters energy which is VERY weird given Animaniacs was right before this. The guy can DO energy and it’s one of his best talents. He STILL can as evidenced by both TMNT 2012 and the Animaniacs revival. It’s just not one of his better performances. I love the guy but even gods have off days.  And of course there’s the bigger issue of the very white Rob shouldn’t be playing the very Brazilian Jose. Not matching nationatlies is one thing, it sucks, but The Three Cablleros had a much bigger budget than HOM likely did. HOWEVER, it couldn’t of been that hard to find two latino voice actors in 2000, especially when you found at least one. I get this wasn’t as big a thing but when the 1940′s did better than you, you know you screwed up. 

But it probably dosen’t help the two.. barely do anything. Despite the episode being named after them, they only show up towards the end and just sorta say hi to mickey, get cool entrances, and then seeing Donald being a dick and Mickeya sking for their help, humble him with their musical number.  And the Musical Number IS really good, it’s been in my head for years and is just as catchy as the classic “Three Cabllero’s Song”.. why they didn’t sing that I don’t know, but this original one, a light knockoff of la bamba is still really fun and bouncy and the gags are good. It’s a really good climax and Donald deserves his punishment.  The only really issue is the ending, as.. no one leaned anything. No one acknowledges how forgotten Donald felt, Mickey dosen’t seem to get the issue as his “promoting Donald” at the end to make sure he’s not forgotten.. just has a bunch of jabs at his expense, and Donald dosen’t apologize..t hougH daisy is really sweet to him so we got some Donsy at least. It’s just a weak ending to an otherwise excellent wraparound.  Final Thoughts: This one was.. okay. Shorts aside, i’ve said my peace about them, the wraparound is a lot of fun, as is the musical number, even if the “artist formerly known as” joke was played out even in 2000. I mean yeas Prince changing his name to a symbol was insane, I get that.. but by then everyone had clowned on that decision and given he did so in a bizarre act of defiance towards his label, at a time where we now know how scummy record labels can be, it hasn’t aged well. It’s just the weak climax, song not included, really drags things down. The Cabs are just.. a cameo in their own damn episode, even with the full musical number and could’ve been around more. They don’t get to show off personalities or really do anything but teach Donald a lesson and are basically one indivdiual here. It sticks out even more because Rosa had both be utterly distinct and showed the utmost care while here.. their just sorta tossed in so they could have Donald be a primadona.. which itself is funny but on the whole this episode was just.. disappointing to revisit. It was disheartening to learn one of my favorite episodes as a kid wasn’t that good. It is worth checking out if you like Donald or the cabs, provided you skip the first short. Trust me, trust me, but is far from the best the house of mouse has to offer and hopefully the next one will show that.  Next time when the Ride continues, my gig at the house of mouse gets held over another night as Jose teaches Goofy manners and Panchito helps deprogram him from that. Before that I hope to get to the next chapter of life and times and some other stuff i’ve had hanging, including the next loud house and the next part of the tomtropsective, as well as some new things that have come up like said review of the animaniacs reboot and a review of Adventure Time: Distant Lands, Obsidan. Until then if you liked this review, please check out my other pages for more, follow me to see them, and if you’d like to comission your own, just hit me up in my ask box for my discord or personal message me here on tumblr. Until then, ther’es always another rainbow. I’m out. 

[khoicesbyk]

The Good Captain.

Author’s Note: This is my version of what book 2 of Distant Shores should be like. Y’know the book 2 that we readers of Distant Shores rightfully deserved! One more thing: in this fanfic, the MC’s last name has been changed to Bennett but; in the game it’s Carter. I decided to change it from Carter to Bennett; because Bennett sounds better to me. Also; her original occupation has been changed as well.

***Rated: Mature 18+. Contains sexual content, nudity, some violence and strong language.

***Bolded and/or italicized words are conversations and thoughts of the characters.

***Characters: Captain Edward Mortemer (LI), Kyra Bennett (MC), Robert Finnegan (Main Antagonist), Charlie, Ginny, Jonas, Maggie, Samuel, Octavia, Henry, Axton, Adelia, Kendrick and Oliver Cochrane (Side Characters)

***Disclaimer: All character names (except MC) and/or some dialogues belong to Pixelberry.

Current Word Count: 2,784 words.

To make this chapter, a little more accurate; I’m timing this around winter 2019/early 2020.

Chapter 2: The Revelation…

As the sun sets; Captain Edward Mortemer gazes over the ocean and watches the colors blend into one another. She’s on his mind again. Her smile. Her eyes. The touch of her skin. He clenches his fists; in order to fight back the emotions and tears that were creeping up on him. She was just in his arms then she was gone.

He missed her. He longed for her. He wanted her back. He loved her.

“I knew I could find you here!”, a familiar voice called out to him. It was Charlie coming to check on him.

“Aye. I’m here.”, he replied.

“Thinking of the lass again?”, she asked.

“Always, Charlie. Always…”, he told her.

“She’s out there Edward. You’ll find her.”, she said reassuringly.

“Aye. I will find her. Wherever she is. I WILL find her.”, he responds. Charlie pats him on the back and leaves him to his thoughts.

“Kyra…wherever you are. Just know; I will not stop until I’ve found you. I will not give up until you’re in my arms again.”, he tells himself before making his way back to town.

She’d been gone for almost 3 1/2 months, at that point. Just vanished into thin air. And poor Edward; the man drove himself crazy, endlessly searching for her. He never got to tell her; what she truly meant to him. He never got to tell her; that he would move heaven and earth for her. He never got to say the words “I love you”. That’s what he wanted. To tell her, that he is MADLY in love with her. He had to find her. No matter where she was. He was GOING TO find her.

But for now, he had to shift his focus to this mysterious Captain Finnegan he’d been hearing about. Apparently this new captain and his crew; had been terrorizing many across the Caribbean. And always at night. This new captain sailed aboard the Dios Del Mar. He and his crew were effective and brutal. Leaving nothing behind; but terror and destruction.

They had even struck down the first of the Seven Lords of The Sea.

Whereas Edward and his crew sailed aboard The Jewel Of The Sea. It was slightly bigger and more agile of a ship than; The Revenge. It did the job he needed it to do.

By the time he reached the tavern; the sunset had turned to night but a ominous dark cloud started to form. He couldn’t put his finger on it but; after looking at the cloud for a brief time something didn’t sit right with him. An eerie feeling was in the air; and he and the crew were about to discover why.

After ordering pints for everyone; Edward settled into, what supposed to be a night of being with his crew. They were his family. Even though; Samuel and Octavia had crossed and mutinied against him. He forgave them. He welcomed them back into his life, his heart and his crew once again. They were all sitting around Kendrick, singing the shanties of old, drinking and laughing. It brought joy to his heart; to see the family he created together again.

That’s when thunder started to rumble; and the winds picked up. It sounded like a hurricane was brewing outside. But as Edward and his crew would discover; this was no ordinary storm. A violent wind blew into the tavern, dousing all the lamps. And then suddenly; they were reignited and when they reignited, a familiar figure stood before Edward and the crew.

“Hello everyone! What a time to be alive!”, he exclaimed.

No one could believe who it was they were seeing. It was Robert. He was alive. He had returned.

“What witchcraft is this?!”, Charlie asked. She was the first to shake herself of the initial shock.

“Ahhhh my dearest Charlie! Such a quick one, you are.”, he replied.

“You’re supposed to be dead! You were killed by the Admiral!”, Edward says to the man who was his former first mate and friend.

“And yet; here I stand before you, boy! As nimble as ever! And with my own crew to boot!”, he replied as he gestures to the crew behind him.

“You can’t be alive! You’d have to be a God to have survived.”, Edward said to him. His hand wrapped tightly around the hilt of his sword.

“I’m not a God my boy. Well; at least not yet.”, Robert casually replied.

“This is impossible!”, Edward exclaimed.

“You know, that’s funny. She said the same thing.”, he answered.

“What are you babbling about?”, Edward asks.

“Ohhh I think you know exactly what I’m referring to Edward. Or should I say; I think you know exactly who I’m referring to?”, he replies.

“Robert…”, Edward sneered. His jaw clenched tight.

Robert merely rolled his eyes.

“Kyra, my dear boy.”, he tells him. Edward froze in his place.

“You…you’ve seen her?!”, he asks.

“Ohhh yes! We had lovely little conversation in future. That’s how I got this!”, he says before producing the golden compass, “although, she might not be happy that I stole it from her.”

“If you did anything to harm her; I swear I will have your head!”, Edward growled as Charlie and Jonas restrained him.

“And there in lies your problem, boy. You’ve always let your emotions cloud your judgement!”, he replied.

Edward was livid. But, Robert once again just rolled his eyes.

“Calm down, boy! I never touched her!…Pearson did!”, he said with sly grin as he gestured to his first mate.

“You bastard!”, Edward hissed, clearly ready to pounce. He was going to kill Robert.

“Would you lot like to see her? That way Edward can finally calm down, about the girl he clearly loves.”, Robert asks the crew, clearly overlooking Edward’s fury. Most of the crew nodded their heads.

“Very well! Mari! Be a dear and show them the girl, will you?”, he commanded one of the women in his crew to do.

“Sí, mi capitán”, she replied before waving her hand, and producing a screen that gave everyone a view into the future. The tavern was mostly empty at that point; save for the two crews.

And there she was. She was alive and judging by the look on her face; clearly troubled. She was sitting down but he wasn’t quite sure what; but it looked like she was in some kind of room, surrounded by strange contraptions. Edward couldn’t believe what he saw. He thought he’d never see her again, but there she was. And although he was rightfully furious at Robert; he was thankful and his heart overjoyed to see her.

“Are you happy now?”, he asked, obviously annoyed at this point.

“When was this? Where was this?”, he replied with questions of his own.

“When? About a month ago. Where? A doctors office.”, he replied.

“Doctor?! Is she sick?”, Edward replies; clearly trying to hide the concern in his voice.

“Watch!”, Robert replied.

Just then the door opened.

“Good afternoon Miss Bennett! I’m Dr. Everett. I’m here to take good care of you.”, he said as he greeted her with a handshake.

“Thank you Dr. Everett.”, she replied sheepishly.

“I know you’re nervous Kyra, but I can assure you that I will do my very best; to offer you the best care possible.”, he tells her.

“I know…I’m just…I guess I’m still in shock.”, she replied.

“I can understand that. But as I said; I will do my very best; to offer you the best care.”, he says with a warm smile.

“Thank you again doctor. So; what do the results say? I can’t be that far along can I?”, she asks.

“You’re actually a lot farther along than you think, Miss Bennett. You’re currently at 11 1/2 weeks.”, he tells her. That was right on time with her timeline.

“Holy shit…”, she thought to herself before asking the doctor, “so, what happens now?”

“Well today, you’re scheduled for an ultrasound. We have to calculate what your due date will be.”, the doctor replies.

“Okay. I can…we can do that.”, she said.

“Excellent! Right this way!”, he says as he gestures for her to follow him.

“That’s enough for now Mari.”, he tells her. That’s when the screen vanishes.

“Happy now? She’s fine! Well…as fine as she can be; given her condition anyway.”, he tells everyone.

“I don’t understand. What condition she be in?”, Henry asks clearly confused.

Robert lets out an aggravated sigh.

“You lot never were all that bright. So, allow me to put it plainly: she’s with child. More specifically; she’s with his child.”, he replies, nodding towards a now very pale looking Edward.

“M-my child?”, he asks.

“Yes, my dear boy. She’s having your child. You’re not only a captain but soon; you’ll be a father as well. The doctor she went to see, helps new mothers give birth.”, he explains.

Edward was stunned into a dead silence. Kyra was having his child; and he wasn’t there with her. She was in the future and he was currently in the past.

“My God…”, he said still trying to process this new information.

“I’d order you a celebratory pint buuuuuut seeing as how the tavern is empty; I’ll just have to owe you one.”, Robert says to Edward.

“So, you’re doing all of this was to torture me?”, he asks Robert.

“No not at all, my dear boy! I’m only here to offer peace…and to get you and the crew to stand down.”, he replies.

“Stand down?! For what?!”, he asks Robert. That’s when he gave Edward and the crew, the rundown of the legends of Atlantis and Poseidon’s Trident. He told them how he was going to find the the trident, and use it to become the greatest pirate of all.

“Yer mad Robert! Absolutely mad!”, Maggie exclaimed.

“Why thank you Maggie darlin’!”, he replies with an icy smile.

“Captain Robert sir, I’d like to point out that; we all know the legends. And we all know that; the trident as well as Atlantis can never be found. Sir.”, Samuel quipped.

“That’s why I intend to be the one to find it. To prove you all and the world wrong. The trident will be mine!”, he proclaimed.

“Robert what the hell happened to you?! You used to be brave and smart and strong! And now? Yer babbling about old legends that ain’t true!”, Charlie says to him. That’s when he shows them the first of the seven key fragments. “But it is true! As you can plainly see! Once I have all the key fragments; it will only be a matter of time!”

“We will stop ye!”, Ginny yelled at him.

“My little one! Ever the fierce protector you are!”, he replies sarcastically as she sticks her tongue out at him.

“Enough! This madness ends now!”, Edward growls as he draws his weapon. And when he draws his; Robert’s crew draws theirs as does Edward’s crew. All ready to strike at one another.

“Don’t be daft boy! Think of your child! What will Kyra think if she were to find out that you died being foolish?”, he asks him.

“You blackguard! You won’t touch her!”, he sneered back.

“You’re right. I won’t. But if you die here; neither will you.”, he tells him.

“What are you talking about?”, Edward asks.

“Callie hand the boy the amulet, won’t you?”, he tells one of the women with him. With a flick of her wrist; she tosses him an ornate amulet. “This is the amulet of Atlas. It’s one of three amulets. I have the amulet of Orion. Can you guess who has the other one, my boy?”

“Kyra has the other one?”, he answers.

“Aye. That she does. I gave it to her. They give you the power to transport you to the future and to the past. Consider them as presents from me and my crew; to you and her on the impending birth of your child.”, he tells Edward.

“You’re lying!”, Edward told him.

“Mari! Show him please?”, he commanded. Once again the screen into the future was up. “This was ohhh…about a week ago.”

There Kyra was sitting at her desk; clearly showing the biggest sign of pregnancy: her stomach had grown. She was going through stacks and stacks of papers, scrolls and books in both English and Ancient Greek. She was trying to figure out two things. 1.) how Robert got his hands on that key fragment; and 2.) the legends of Atlantis and Poseidon.

That’s when a noise startled her from her studying. She knew that it wasn’t good.

“Not again. Not now.”, she muttered. She knew not to leave her office; but she had to find out what that noise was.

And there stood Robert and his evil company. “Why Kyra! You’re pregnant and glowing! How are you doing dear? Are you alright? I hope the last time we spoke; didn’t leave a bad taste in your mouth.”

“Go fuck yourself!”, she snapped at him.

“Quaint as ever I see. Well you’ll be happy to know that; I’m not here to steal from you. I’m here to give a gift, actually!”, he explained.

“Thanks but no thanks! If it’s coming from you; it’s a curse not a gift!”, she replied.

“So, you’re going to be defiant, eh?”, he asks her.

“I think the term you’re looking for is stubborn; and yes I am!”, she said to him. Although she’s pregnant; and clearly in danger, she was not about to back down. She then asked him, “What do you want?”

“Callie? Be a dear, won’t you?”, he commands her. And just like with Edward she tosses Kyra an amulet. “Now pay attention girl! That is the amulet of Triton. It’s one of three. The others are the amulet of Orion and the amulet of Atlas. I have Orion. All of them, give you the power to travel back and forth in time. To use it; think of the place and time you want to be or the person you want to be with; and the amulet will do the rest. I discovered that in my studies; as I’m sure you will in yours.”

“Why would you give me this?”, she asked him.

“Don’t you think Edward should know, that you’re pregnant with his child?”, he replied with a question of his own. “I mean unless of course you’ve already told him…ohhhh wait!”

His crew snickered behind him. She stood there fuming.

“You really are a sick bastard! You do know that, right?”, she told him.

He merely shrugged. “You may see it that way; but to answer your previous question; I’m giving you that amulet for the same reason, I’m going to give the other one to your beau: to get you both to stay out of my way!”

“So this is a threat, is that what I’m to understand?”, she asked.

“Think of it as a promise my darling girl. A promise that if you get involved; you, your child, your dearly beloved and even the crew might not survive.”, he sneered at her.

“I will stop you! And even if I don’t; I know that Edward and the crew will!”, she snapped at him.

“It’s adorable to see how loyal you are to them. And I’m sure when I see them, they’ll be just as loyal to you. Well I don’t want to keep you; I know you’re busy studying, so we’ll see ourselves out. Goodbye for now! And ohhhh! At least, think about my promise to you?”, he says to her; before disappearing into the shadows with his crew.

“What am I gonna do?”, she says to herself while clutching the amulet to her chest and holding her very growing belly.

When screen vanishes again; Edward is furious. “You dare threaten her and my child?!”

“I’ll tell you; as I told her. It’s a promise not a threat. As long as you and the others stand down; no one will be hurt. But if you get involved no one will survive!”, he says to him. Clearly annoyed by the defiance he then asks, “let me guess my boy, you’re going to stop me?”

“We all will!”, Charlie growls. Edward was poised and ready to slice Robert’s head clean off his shoulders.

“I was hoping to avoid this but; so be it! If you plan to stop me you might want to do it fast…like right now!”, he says before a lightning strike hits the tavern; setting it on fire and trapping the crew inside. Edward had to get out. He had to see her. The amulet was his only hope…

Stay tuned for chapter 3! 😘

K. @txemrn @choicesficwriterscreations

[scgdoeswhat]

Unpacking The Elementalists Finale

I’d like to dedicate this to my dear Kane anon (and other TE anons) who have been hitting my ask box up for the last several months. I’m sorry this took forever to get out and I know it doesn’t ease the fact that they ixnayed Kane, but hopefully this makes a little more sense of TE’s abrupt ending.

Without further ado...

I’ve been wanting to make this post since Book 2 Chapter 10, but life has been hectic. TE’s finale finally forced my hand and so here I am, with a bunch of theories, points, and thoughts I've had noted since the book came back from its hiatus. First off, now that TE is officially over (😭) we now know that the hiatus was primarily used to tie up all the loose story lines and to give us a tidy ending. The writing in the second half of the book was more solid, concise, and had a clear cut vision of what the writers wanted and where the plot was headed. As much as I hate to say it, the first half of the book may have been overly ambitious. They introduced the Moral Compass, potentially two villains in Kane and Alma, and a plethora of different storylines. I had a number of people tell me through the first five/six chapters of Book 2 that they were confused with the plot because it became too convoluted and hard to follow along. I think they introduced too many elements into the story, which dragged down the arc. Let’s break down some of these individually: The Moral Compass was something we were all excited to see implemented, because it gave us the potential to be an evil MC. In the end, we know it didn’t make much of a difference, save for dialogue and/or violent options. I think this was originally something intended to be greater than what it amounted to, and part of it is the limitations of the medium that the app is and simply, resources. This also ties into…. The plot involving Kane and Alma. I don’t believe having Kane as the Big Bad was supposed to be as defined as it ended up being. The two Sources were written far more ambiguous in the beginning, with the chance that depending on your choices, you could side with either one by the end of the book and/or series. The hiatus streamlined the plot, discarding elements that were difficult to pull off, including multiple MC point of views that may have held the possibility of being evil or choosing Kane, therefore placing Alma as the antagonist. In a narrative story app such as Choices (as opposed to Lovestruck, where the routes have the same players but different stories altogether), I just don’t think this advanced storytelling would have been doable. These plots are primarily linear, and MC being evil/with Kane/etc, it would present a different set of problems, including the fact that this becomes an entirely different story while there is supposed to be one solid ending. (For what it's worth, I enjoy the MC customizability of Choices more.) Looking at the group of friends, obviously Beckett was incredibly fleshed out while the others were not as much. I wanted to delve further into our friends’ backgrounds a bit more, and I think at the beginning of the book, we were on that path. Aster and her wood nymph family was a perfect example of table setting. We had two or three scenes before the hiatus to go to the forest, and I thought the Wand Wars and their involvement against Kane was slated to be more prominent. I think the writers had something bigger planned, but how would it all tie in if players started choosing the evil choices? Again, having too many choices causes a domino effect that makes it nearly impossible to navigate when the story is supposed to end with a particular goal in mind. The chapter where we can receive the wand was a symptom of ending the book early and I think the execution of the actual Wand Wars scene was lacking the emotional punch the initial introduction of it warranted. This is unfortunate because the setup they had in Book 1 made it seem much more violent, disastrous, and full of hate compared to what was shown (i.e. Attuned just being greedy bastards). We were introduced to Shreya's Serene & Sublime business and the potential of family disapproval and lack of support in the beginning, but everything was tied up with the gala chapter. Looking back, I was curious why it was so easy to get so many financial backers this early into the series, but knowing that TE only went for two books makes much more sense why we knew whether S&S succeeded or failed. (Tangent - for anyone who didn't secure backing, is S&S successful at the end of the book?) I think Griffin, his scholarship, and his decision between Natural Sciences and Thief was also slated to be a bigger subplot. We never met his parents, despite them being brought up very early in Book 1. If TE had gone the originally planned three or four books, I have no doubt his family would've been introduced and MC would have needed to help sway his parents (and the committee for the scholarship) whether Griffin continued on the NS or professional Thief path. Doing the Griffin scenes (even as platonic friends) influenced his standing for the scholarship and not doing them made him lose out to Amy, if I'm not mistaken. Question for everyone regarding Zeph and the Thief captaincy: Does he get it in everyone's playthrough? I wonder if the writers always planned for Zeph to get the captaincy or if Griff would have kept it depending on your playthrough if they had all four books to use. Another big plot point that resolved itself out of nowhere was Atlas and MC butting heads over their Sun Source mother. I was not a fan of this storyline at all. I felt like the disagreements between the siblings was unnecessary drama that came off as forced. They tried to explain Atlas' position, and I understood where they were coming from, but Atlas was very unreasonable with their constant “who cares about mom” shtick.

I think this was something that could have been more impactful if there weren't so many plotlines happening and more focus could have been given to it instead of a few screens of Atlas saying they were pissed off before storming away from MC. This was also a plotline that was directly influenced by the Kane/Alma decisions. If MC sides with Kane, it makes much more sense for MC and Atlas to be against each other as opposed to MC being good/siding with Alma.

Five major subplots were opened, but how do you seamlessly weave these elements into a 17-19 chapter book? In my opinion, you can't. Each time something new was introduced, I felt things were glossed over, despite big chunks of chapters being focused on whichever subplot the chapter was about. Throw in the romance and I think it is nearly impossible to resolve each aspect in a complete manner.

What also hurt was the pacing of the series. This was also seen in Book 1, where sometimes a chapter would span one or two days, only for a huge time jump to occur in the next chapter.

So many ideas could have been explored through the course of four books (which is what I believe they had planned), but all the different elements should have been introduced at different times. Instead, Book 2 was an amalgamation of so many ideas but not enough time, space, or resources to thoroughly hash out and have a satisfactory resolution. For what it’s worth, I don’t think it was having too much Beckett that hurt the series. He obviously kept the series afloat and was one of PB's biggest moneymakers in recent history. Despite the constant complaints on tumblr, people fail to realize that the ENTIRE online fandom (FB, IG, Twitter, Tumblr, Reddit, Wiki) comprises maybe 0.5% - 2% of the ENTIRE player fan base. It only made sense that PB capitalized on him because their numbers dictated that the resources should be spent in that manner. The fallout from this was that Beckett was the only one who had his storyline relatively complete, and that was due to the spending power of everyone who romanced him. I think what hurt them the most was the multiple storylines and the indecision of which direction they wanted to go. They had a grand idea of the direction through Book 2 (and Book 3, let’s not lie here) but in-game mechanics and the type of game Choices is made it difficult to pull off. The app wasn’t the correct medium for what they envisioned. In my opinion, the overall story arc had the potential to be brilliant, but again, the app wasn't designed for the type of story the writers wanted to tell.

I also think the timing and having a very short turnaround hurt, as well. Players had high expectations and when you factor in the hype around the other books that were also released on Fridays, TE lost some of its sparkle. Most players didn’t get a chance to miss it for the regular 2-3 months we’ve been trained to wait for sequels. (I recognize that I’m an anomaly and the previous three sentences do not apply to me at all.)

Even with all this, I applaud the writing team for wanting to deliver a story that was worthy of a magical world. I love all the Pend Pals (‘Motley Crue’ for me), the familiars, the side characters, loved to hate the villains, and from someone who is not into Harry Potter lore at all, I was absolutely sucked into the magick universe that the writers built. (Metal Att for life ⚙!)

If TE does return in the future (and I REALLY hope it does), I think it will be even stronger than the first two books because the world building is complete. We know almost everything we need to know now. Instead of using a Book 3 to search for Sun Mama, the family is complete, MC and Atlas are attuned to all the elements, and there are so many open-ended questions that Book 2 left us.

If they implement a time jump where MC and the Pend Pals are all post grad/mid 20s, it also gives the writers a chance to move the story from the Young Adult genre to a more mature setting. We saw this in the later diamond scenes, where the writing appeared similar in their vividness (and coding in the final scene - THANK YOU, glorious writing team) to Open Heart, Bloodbound, and A Courtesan of Rome. This removes the restrictions placed on the group of being college kids, and therefore are almost fully developed with their magick, giving the possibility of moving the story out of a university setting.

If you've made it all the way here to the bottom, thank you for sticking with me and apologies for spelling/grammar since this has all been on my phone 😂 I think this comprises almost all my notes I've been keeping for the last 2 months. Feel free to agree or disagree; I just wanted to post my thoughts on this book and series that I love so much.

Now, I'm going to go back to my holiday (don't worry, I didn't write all of this while on vacay lol) and I'll try to answer asks when I have downtime.

[vios-rockland-corner]

Rockland: Zeitgeist pre-release thoughts PT 17

The date of this post is 10/13/19.  Please note that information revealed at this time via Patreon or any of the creator’s blogs may be subject to change after this date.

Here I’ll be talking about a Patreon exclusive spoiler script involving a conversation between Cain and the MC about Damien.

(Spoilers below for BTD2 and the Zeitgeist Demo)

Wow.  There was a LOT packed into this conversation.  Unfortunately it came right off the heels of another spoiler script, and I neither had the time or energy to sort my initial thoughts together and put them out right away.  The problem with this is I don’t think I’ll get everything in here from my first impressions (simply because I forgot initial connections I made).  Still, there’s plenty I can bring up now.

You heard me right though, the conversation here is between Cain and the MC talking about Damien, or more specifically why Cain didn’t like that you seemed to have taken to Damien.

Now before this spoiler script, if you had asked me why I thought Cain had violently took you away after your interaction with Damien earlier, I would have said “jealousy.”  It seemed like a solid guess.  Heck, the biblical version of Cain supposedly killed his brother Abel because he was jealous/envious that God preferred Abel’s gift over his.  I thought it would actually make a lot of sense to for that to be a continuous flaw of Cain’s.  It would help to explain why he could be a kind and caring person, but at the same time is still dangerous due this character flaw of his.  A flaw that could cause him to act violently and even sadistic.

But guess what happened in the script?  Apparently, the MC and I think very alike and they blatantly accuse Cain of being jealous that they got to spend time with Damien (both ways actually, which is a little funny especially how Cain reacts to the insinuation that he wanted to have a romantic night with Damien- spoiler, he’s not amused).  But Cain blatantly tells the MC that he is NOT jealous.  Not only that, he says the reason he pulled you away from the possibility of a second date (well, technically he pulled you away from many things, but let’s stay on topic here), was because he was worried about you getting hurt.

Oh yeah.  Cain is actually claiming that Damien isn’t all he’s cracked up to be, and that he could be somewhat of heart breaker.  He doesn’t describe Damien in a way though that says he’s evil or abusive or even an a-hole or anything.  More like Damien just has a habit of dropping off the grid and being distant.

Now, one could say that perhaps Cain is lying here in order to gain more of the MC’s favor over Damien.  Yes actually, this spoiler script further supports my theory that Cain really wants you to like him.  This sure sounds like the classic, “make the other guy seem like the bad guy and while I’m the one who REALLY cares about you,” and even the MC is a little skeptical with what Cain is saying.  Another small detail I noticed is that the MC seems a little more...comfortable I guess?  With Cain in this conversation.  I can’t tell if this is still a conversation you have early on in the route, or later in the game.  It might be a little later because the MC makes quite a few jabs at Cain verbally.  I feel like the MC that we got in the previous spoiler script would be way too frightened and cautious to make some of the suggestions they do here or act the way they do without fearing upsetting him.  Cain in turn either rolls with what you say/do, or acts very...”real” towards what you say.

Getting back on topic, I actually do believe Cain is being genuine here when he says he was worried about Damien breaking your heart.  The first is that during the demo, Damien actually hints or outright says he doesn’t really have lovers.  He does get comfortable with you, and even a little romantic with the piano, but Cain’s quick to point out how people can make a good impression in a short amount of time.  This is actually really funny to think about considering how you first meet Cain in BTD2 and then see what he’s actually like.  First impressions are important, but not always the truth I guess is what’s best to say here.

The other reason I guess is because I don’t think Cain’s talking smack about Damien out of hate.  There’s small things that get revealed in this script that show Damien and Cain have a MUCH better relationship in the Rockland universe than the BTD universe.  Cain isn’t possibly sending pictures of tortured victims (not confirmed, that was an old guess of mine) to Damien, but cat photos.  Cat.  Photos.  Cain also claims Damien doesn’t really even hate him.  So, they probably aren’t in that whole “good vs. evil for the fate of the world” kind of deal they were back in BTD.

Now are the siblings super close?  Well, not sure.  If the what’s said in the demo by Damien stays in the game for the final product, we also know that Cain used to make fun of Damien for playing the piano like a human.  That and it was a “general consensus” that he was not a good brother.

It’d be interesting to compare how Cain talks about Damien vs. how Damien talks about Cain.  That would reveal how the two view each other, and we’d get to see if either is a liar, misconstrues certain information or really just misunderstands their brother.

I don’t know how to segue into this, but I just had a very random thought pop up into my head.  I think it just came to mine thinking about how questionable Cain’s character is at times, and then how there are some things that MIGHT need to be questioned about Damien:

Cain wants to bond with people, but doesn’t know how.  Damien knows how to bond with people, but doesn’t want to.

I guess this came up because I still question SO many of Cain’s actions.  The last spoiler script on tumblr definitely still made you wary of the guy, and he just seemed livid to me during the demo ending where he pulls you through the mirror.  This whole Patreon spoiler script was Cain being either down-to-earth, playful or concerning.  Nothing in this script made you fear Cain whatsoever.

Now I also have the problem where I would have originally thought getting together with Damien or Sam at the beginning puts you on the road to just “get through” Cain’s stuff (because he’d be more of an antagonist) until you get to the other characters.  Now, not so much.  

This script is clearly exclusive to if you met with Damien at the beginning.  What’s more, it makes me feel like Cain isn’t going to just dump you for no reason.  He’s actually...going to try to get you to stay and like him.  He’s not miffed enough that you went on a date where he’d throw you in a torture chamber or something until someone comes to rescue you or you escape.  He’s putting more effort into conversing with the MC.

It makes me slightly frightened actually because...what exactly happens that causes you to get abandoned by Cain?  Either you completely break his heart (which oddly is sad for me despite what I’ve seen this guy do in the past) or you act in a way that REALLY gets on his bad side.  Even if Rockland Cain is a kinder version, I’d still be concerned what he’s like when he’s p*ssed off.  I mean, if he breaks your face on a mirror when he’s NOT jealous of you and is in fact trying to protect you....I think you get it, haha.

Oh boy.  All my preconceptions are getting thrown out the window and I’m back to not being sure if we’re completely safe yet.  Rockland Cain is definitely going to be difficult to dissect without seeing all the interactions.

One more thing to add.  You get the mirror break demo ending when you talk to either Damien or Sam more intimately.  So if Cain is concerned that Damien will leave you in the dust...what’s his beef with Sam?  I suppose it could be a similar reason.  Like...Sam IS a reaper, and perhaps Cain will think it’s not such a great idea to date some who works so closely with the dead (wait, then what do you do Cain? XD).  Perhaps Sam is friendly outside of work, but is rather cold when on the job, which can be frightening.  I don’t think the reasons for why Cain didn’t like you talking with Damien vs. talking with Sam will be EXACTLY the same, but those are two completely different characters.

Maybe he has an entirely different issue with Sam than he does with Damien.  Cain might not hate Damien, but I don’t know how well he gets along with Sam either.

I think I did a decent job recapturing most of my older thoughts.  But trust me, it got REALLY complicated in my head trying to connect the jovial (but still questionable) Cain from the last strict and the one here that seemed more at your eye-level (and even a little vulnerable).  

Luckily, I think I am the only one going insane over trying to figure this out :P 

[coffeeandcalligraphy]

Reeve’s birthday + mini character profile!

Hey People of Earth!

So it’s become a bit of a trend to use my characters’ birthdays as an excuse to post mini character profiles for them, ha, so here we are again with another one! I’ve written this in advance (on the 12th) because I’ll be at a Current Joys concert for most of the 13th (her actual birthday). Hope you enjoy getting to know the MC of the FOSTERED books. (who I strangely don’t talk about nearly enough lol)

This is her:

This is also her (both by @sarahkelsiwrites):

This is Reeve’s aesthetic that I just whipped up lol:

Name: Reeve Aldaine

Age: 15-19 over the courses of books 1-6

Nicknames and from who: I think she was only ever called Evie by her older sister who isn’t in the books for very long.

Favourite restaurant: East Side Mario’s according to @sarahkelsiwrites (or Five Guys) lol

Favourite candy: Sour skittles or wine gums (according to @sarahkelsiwrites)

Favourite type of cake: Vanilla

Favourite hobby: Being salty for no apparent reason, being that toxic (TM) friend who lowkey knows it but if u bring it up is like whut no how am I toxic

Favourite colour: Purple

MBTI type: ISFP

Favourite cereal: Mini wheats

Favourite breakfast food in general: Crepes

If she had a job in real life, what would it be: Anything in retail (Sarah says at a perfume counter) because she’s rather adaptable and not picky though I think she’d really enjoy being a barista, lol. 

Favourite thing to do: Reeve loves salting about other people. She isn’t an outwardly bitchy person, per se, but she likes toying with potential scenarios of what people could be thinking of her and why. She isn’t a particularly creative person, so she doesn't have any sort of concrete hobby, for example, but if there’s salt involved, she’s down. 

Does she like The Strokes or does she not like The Strokes: Yaaaaassss join the clubbbb (her fave song would probably be You Only Live Once).

Her actual aesthetic: Looking out a gloomy window while it’s raining, chipped black nail polish, the smell of rain on pine trees, the subsequent smell of the sap, maple syrup in clear, labelless bottles (so weirdly specific but truu), sprigs of dried lavender

If she was a gum flavour: Juicy fruit cuz she got all dat riiiipe juicy teaaaaa

Would she write books: No, ha. Although her voice itself is hella poetic. 

If she were a donut flavour: Sprinkles 4 dayz

If she were a beverage: Coca Cola in those vintage coke glasses or a glass of wine

If she had a favourite band: Daughter, but she’s also definitely into rock further along the alternative spectrum (and Whitney. Whitney for dayz).

Songs that remind me of her: 

(I would say all of Daughter but to specify)

- The End by Daughter

specifically these lyrics

They say there's something in my house That I should just get out, get out I don't want to be escaping No, I'm too busy moping around I'm too busy moping around I'm too busy moping around I'm too busy moping around I'm too busy moping around

- Smother by Daughter

I should go now quietly For my bones have found a place to lie down and sleep Where all my layers can become reeds All my limbs can become trees All my children can become me What a mess I leave To follow

- Shallows by Daughter

Let it all rain down From the blood stained clouds. Come out, come out, to the sea my love... And just Drown with me

- New Ways by Daughter

Washed out brain I have a dirty mind Oh, I need, I need new ways To waste my time I need new ways

- Numbers by Daughter

Chemically enlaced faces Black out nights and tight spaces We'll feel distant embraces Scratching hands 'round my waist, yeah I'll wash my mouth but still taste you

- Made of Stone by Daughter

What if I'm made of stone? Feeling is not a system Nervous I'm caught in a hold Hoping I'm over thinking I should be feeling more Draped over your bones Paint colours up the walls To spread our inspirations You are the likely cause Of what will be my demise

- A Hole in the Earth by Daughter

It's like an old ruin Your father's a liar while my father's lying down In a hole in the earth there And I'm scared I'll forget him I'm still haunted by those open wounds I won't express them truly to you

Likes: 

- Sitting in front of fireplaces + the sound of crackling wood

- The smell of smoke

- Rain

- Skipping rocks (she’s also v/ good at this)

- Melancholically reminiscing about her childhood

- Anything purple

- Swing-style rock

- @sarahkelsiwrites says Corn Pops

Some other stuff: 

Reeve out of all my characters, has probably had the most major character flip in terms of her arc. I’ve described her before on here as poetically existential, and I think that’s personally an excellent way to describe her. In the initial stages of the series, she was quite pessimistic, but there was very much still a tangible spring in her. She’s never been particularly warm, but as the series progresses, namely from book four onward, this becomes much clearer. Her morals (especially in book six) also take a turn in what I’d basically describe as moral decline. She’s had a bit of ‘anti-character-development’, by which I mean she’s sort of progressed backwards (and most likely will continue to). Because of this, she reads incredibly ambiguously, and in a lot of ways, like the antagonist of the story, due to her extreme perceptions of people in both her judgements, and interactions with them. (Thus she’d probably rub the reader as unlikable.) She’s a very direct person, who doesn’t quite understand her moral faults, but simultaneously exploits them. So for example, she might know she’s being judgemental, but not quite understand why (or why that’s not a good thing) and continue to impose that on others. 

She’s a very turbulent, negative person, mostly towards the latter half of the series. Whilst she’s always had these issues (such as jealousy and pettiness), they’ve almost been under the surface kind of issues. It’s kind of funny to think of it now, but @sarahkelsiwrites, and @imdisappointed (and myself) have always pointed out Reeve’s unlikable characteristics from the beginning. I always thought this was because I was doing something wrong, and only realized when writing book six, that these characteristics are actually a part of her character, making her incredibly morally grey (and sometimes, morally wrong). Because of this, the narration (since it is first person) often reads morally grey as well. She’ll often state something she doesn’t believe in as if she does believe it, which oftentimes feeds into her constant inner conflict. 

She’s a very critical person, to the point of being overtly so, and thus, will overstep her boundaries in judging you if she feels you’ve either wronged her, or wronged someone she cares about. Though, she doesn’t vocalize these opinions, they almost reach the point of vulgarity through the narrative as they’re rehashed for the reader. 

She also harbours a lot of self-deprecation, and blames herself a lottttt for many a things, namely the various complications within her family, even if she couldn’t necessarily fix these things. She’s a fixer by heart, and not being able to patch up holes continuously bothers her. I’d describe her as self-loathing. I wouldn’t say she hates herself, I just think she hates the pawn of herself (sort of the persona she puts on), and hates what that person let her become. 

Ha, all of this was uber negative, but that isn’t all there is to her! She’s also an intensely emotional person (which can lead to baaare melodramaaaaa), so this really allows her to connect with other people on a really deep level. She doesn’t trust easily, due to her various traumas, but if she does trust you, you’ll feel it. She cares intensely about people (which can sometimes be a bad thing), but will try her hardest to be a supportive friend. So she does have a lot of stuff bogging her down a lot of the times, but will remain by your side (and hopefully not make the situation about her oops). 

I mentioned this before, but she’s also a very distant narrator. It’s sometimes hard to achieve this especially in the scenes I need her to be even more distant in (hence so many clarity issues haaaaha), so I’ve toyed around a bit with form in her POV. Some bits of these books are in verse, some in second person, and some in third. She is a first-person narrator, but I do enjoy experimenting a bit (especially in dissociative scenes). She’ll also insert herself into other characters’ situations (almost like pseudo dissociation lol) a lot, and go through possible events they may have gone through.

I think her development is the main reason these books went from YA to vaguely adult maybe, because she’s definitely gone down a viciously explicit emotional path (which I didn’t actually plan for, but am happy about). So yeah. Lots of things go on in her head, and I think she really does need a lot of time to dispel all of it, but she’s getting there. 

So that’s it for now! I haven’t really done an extensive profile for Reeve, even though I talk about her a lot, so hopefully this helps in getting to know her a bit better!

Thanks for reading!

--Rachel

[clansayeed]

Bound by Circumstance ― Chapter 14: Things Better Left Unsaid

PAIRING: Nik Ryder x trans*M!MC (Taylor Hunter) RATING: Mature

⥼ MASTERLIST ⥽

⥼ Bound by Circumstance ⥽

Taylor Hunter (MC) has made it good for himself in New Orleans; turns out moving to a new city fresh out of college to reinvent yourself isn’t as hard as people make it out to be. Things only start to get confusing when he finds himself the target of a malevolent wraith. Good thing someone’s looking out for him though — because without Nighthunter Nik Ryder as his bodyguard he definitely won’t survive long in the twisting darkness of the supernatural underworld he’s tripped into.

Bound by Circumstance and the rest of the Oblivion Bound series is an ongoing dramatic retelling project of the book Nightbound and the rest of the Bloodbound series. Find out more [HERE].

Note: Circumstance only loosely follows the events and plotline of Nightbound, and features a separate antagonist, different character motivations, and further worldbuilding.

*Let me know if you would like to be added to the Circumstance/series tag list!

⥼ Chapter Summary ⥽

Taylor gets answers to questions he didn't know he had to ask. It seems to be an entirely unnecessary divergence from the main quest line.

[READ IT ON AO3]

Not gonna lie — it’s pretty damn validating when Elric, too, gives Nik a look of utter incredulity at his claim.

Only that’s a scarily similar look. One he could only recognize in the mirror. The same high arch of the right eyebrow; the way he blinks rapidly in sets of three.

Its the least dignified look he’s ever seen on the Fae Lord’s expression — honestly the least dignified he’s seen any fae look, which humanizes them in a way Taylor didn’t know he needed in order to make everything around him less mind-blowing — and its so very fucking Taylor-esque. Does the exact opposite of what its intended to do and actually makes him start to consider the ‘What If?’ of the matter.

Lady Thalissa finally takes in a deep breath and turns away from the balcony railing; joins in on the discussion with otherworldly intensity. This close to the roaring waterfall below her hair billows in the freeze like living flame.

“Elric has shared with me in Living Memory the events of the attack. And while I too find this… being —” the word comes out with a different intention than how it sounds and the Lady of Lamrian offers him a nod of her head in pardon, “— to be of strange innate power, I must agree that you have come to the wrong conclusion, Nighthunter.”

But, like with all things, once Nik has made up his mind he refuses to back down.

Taylor wishes that he would just this once. Especially since both of their lives grow increasingly at risk.

“Why else would the bloodwraith go after Taylor in the first place, if not for his connection to a stronger power?”

“Why should it concern us?” She counters with, what Taylor believes, is a very good fucking point.

He can feel Elric taking him in on a level deeper than physical out of the corner of his eye. He’s seen the power this guy is capable of — doesn’t want to ask him to find something else to stare at for risk of earning that ire.

You know what he wants to know?

He wants to know why himself and Elric both are letting someone else do the arguing for them. Why they can’t just say “nope that’s bullshit, no way I’m your long-lost kid, especially since you’re an immortal being and I’m a moderately decent stage actor from Middle-of-Nowhere Midwestern America” and be done with it.

But he knows the answer. Knows it the same way Elric knows it — in the fashion that unravels their quickly-constructed barrier of impossibilities without even trying.

“I’m not even gonna try to give you an answer on that one, lady. Er — My Lady.” Nik hastily corrects, but the noblewoman doesn’t seem too bothered by it. “But just like you can’t deny that thing is coming for the big faces in supernatural city politics, you can’t deny that this — them — might just be the missing page we’ve been looking for.”

The look she gives him says I very much can deny it you insolent human, so much so that she doesn’t even need to speak it.

Instead; “Perhaps you are not on the wrong path. Perhaps, in an occurrence more rare than the birth of a phoenix or the perfect alignment of all the stars of Obidyanix, a halfling was born to a mortal mother.

“But to imply that sheer happenstance would dictate that child be of my husband’s blood —”

“Your hands are unburnt.”

Thalissa falls silent at Elric’s first words since his surprise at the arrival of two outsiders into his Hall without his knowledge.

On sheepish instinct Taylor goes to shove his hands into his jeans — instead finds them tugged forward by an invisible force, some kind of magic, and hovered over with the pale fae’s own. Like a sphere of glass keeps them from touching. He marvels at them the way anyone might marvel at seeing hands for the first time.

The pad of Elric’s thumb strokes over the lines of his palm and though they aren’t touching it sends a shiver down Taylor’s spine. Feels a little bit like satin. “In such shock as I was upon seeing your impossible act at the Council Garden, I did not take into account your preserved hands.”

It’s just creepy enough that Taylor is frozen; caught between wanting to pull away and fearing the repercussions of actually doing it.

Thalissa rests an olive hand upon his shoulder, a ballad of confusion written in the emeralds of her eyes. “My Northern Moon…?”

“Did he tell you Taylor threw fae grimfire?”

Nik startles her attention back to him. There’s nothing haughty in the way he says it. No victory to be found. Just — what he believes to be — truth and certainty.

“You speak of a sorcerer’s imitation.”

But Elric is the one to dispute her this time around. “No, my Western Sunrise, he does not.”

“But —”

“I saw it with my own eyes. A Living Memory to give to you when this is through. This one,” he covers both of Taylor’s hands with his — that same force he now recognizes as magic making them fold together, “carries the touch of the Fae. And that is only what we know.”

Nik answers his unspoken question; “The only thing that can’t be burned by fae grimfire is a fae. No protection spell in Ivy’s arsenal would keep you from that kind of power.

“That’s when I knew, you know.” Head cast down, Nik suddenly can’t look him in the eye. “I played it off because… because I didn’t have any proof. But that wasn’t fair to you, Rook.”

So much was going on after he came back to consciousness at the Shift. Between feeling as nauseous as he did and then the whole ‘my mouth and your mouth doing the tongue tango’ fallout; topped like a bad dessert with Vera’s panic and what happened to Tonya? The fact that he could remember everything that had happened today in order was kind of a miracle.

Who had the time to think about why his fingers weren’t crispy chicken tenders?

“But —” — because if no one else was going to try and argue this then he’d just have to do it himself — “— I mean… this is nuts! I think I’d know if I were — and anyway my dad was an accountant from Kenosha!”

Smooth defense there, buddy. Because so far Thalissa is the only vocal opposition and even she gives him a look of is that all you could come up with?

With a reluctance Taylor can feel in the places where skin ought to meet skin Elric pulls away. Folds his hands together where they are swallowed up by large and delicately embroidered sleeves. The Lady leans against him and he brushes a ghosted kiss to her temple.

“Bitter moments and hours have been lost on the debates of halflings and their parentage before. But Nighthunter, it is the vehemence of your conviction which draws inquiry. Explain how this pertains to the blighted creature haunting our lands.”

Nik’s teeth grind together. “From the day I was hired I’ve been tryin’ to figure out just what he’s got that that thing wants. What a kingpin like Carlo and someone as powerful as Denna had in common with a human who didn’t know lick, or ain’t so much as been within three degrees of our world.

“Then it attacked the Beau-Keyes. Picked everyone off one by one. I punched a few good holes into it just the other night but it couldn’t have cared less about me, about Kathy — it went after power.”

Elric nods slowly; takes it all in. “First the Wolf… then Tonya.”

“The Rookie was right there but it wanted something else. I ain’t fully convinced it went after him at the end… it seemed a lot more focused on you; the oldest thing in the city, and the vampire.”

“You evade the point.” Even frustrated, Thalissa’s words come out like a melody.

“My point is why go for half when you can have the whole thing? You said so yourself, Lord Elric; once a bloodwraith’s been sicked on something nothing short of its goal is gonna stop it. So what if it doesn’t have a person as a goal — what if it has a type?

“You asked what the odds were of Taylor sharing blood with not just any fae in town but the Founder and Protector of the Lamrian Colony. I’m gonna say they’re pretty damn high — right up there with whatever forces at play put me in his way in the first place.”

There’s always been a certain aura of ‘the Chaotic Dumbass’ to Nik, though maybe he’s just projecting to keep himself from being put to blame. But this — this is a whole other side of the man he’s never really seen—or noticed—until now.

How long had he been thinking about this? Was it all a ruse and he was actually pulling it out of his ass? No… its probably pretty hard to successfully bullshit a fae as old as he is important.

There’s very little doubt in his mind that Nik actually believes everything he’s selling. And its convincing enough to have them all listening; all… considering.

“But that’s not why we’re here.”

Uhm… isn’t it? But Nik doesn’t give him the chance to speak. “This — all this family stuff — this is a courtesy. Because you’re a powerful figure in the community and I respect that. But we ain’t here for just that. We’re here as a warning. Because its still out there. How many people does it have to go through before it ends up lurking at the edges of Lamrian’s wards?”

Elric actually seems haughty. “Our wards are impenetrable.”

“And a guy like you seems likely to get tired of being confined awful fast. You’re really just gonna wait the thing out?”

“If we must.”

Thalissa nods in agreement. “Lamrian has always endured.”

“Can you say the same for its people?” Nik nods down below the balcony as he speaks.

Towards the hundreds of glowing lights in the darkness; lamps glowing pale pinks and yellows and blues bobbing in the air as the fae who carry them migrate away from the Lord’s domain and out towards the funeral procession they had interrupted in the first place.

The guards who had been killed by the bloodwraith at the Beau-Keyes. They were being mourned by not only their rulers but by their entire community. It was a sadness in the air that permeated through the beauty of Lamrian — spires of impossible age and design unlike anything Taylor had ever seen on the back of the brightest and clearest night sky.

He couldn’t have imagined something like this in his wildest dreams. And yet it was so hard to truly appreciate because of the loss that was felt in every cobblestone, every winding string of ivy crawling up, up into the clouds and their oblivion.

The Lord and Lady, too, watch their people sing the songs of the fallen. A glittering tear falls down Elric’s cheek.

When Nik continues his voice is rougher; thicker. He isn’t spared from the emotions demanding to be felt in their full power.

“You’re a good man, Elric — and a better regent. You really care about your people, but how long can you keep them safe here when they’re already such a big part of the mortal world?”

“Tilly doesn’t seem like the type to run and hide,” Taylor finds himself saying, “and Garrus…”

“Garrus is no longer welcome among us.” Thalissa practically snaps. Looks ready to give another piece of her mind when Elric’s hand falls over hers.

“What is the pettiness of an old grudge compared to the lives of our people, my Western Sunrise?”

Old as they may be, having lived lifetimes Taylor’s not sure he could comprehend right at that moment; they’re still affected by loss. Not just in ceremony but in a heavy way.

And yet they still won’t do anything to help? It’s a bitter irony.

“If you’re just gonna hole up here and not even consider helping, then no amount of pleading on our part is gonna actually make a difference.” Taylor grabs Nik’s arm, catches Elric’s eyes with one last look of disappointment. “Let’s just go. Maybe the Garden Coven is the answer after all.”

“That’s all well and good, Rook, but we kinda need them to get outta here.” Right, that makes sense.

They’ve wasted enough time here.

Its the dramatic act of turning and leaving that’s supposed to prove the point, that the ones who are staying are the ones really turning their backs on everyone.

Thalissa makes a gesture with her hand and an armored guard rounds the corner of the balcony; ready and waiting to be summoned. “Prepare a portal for our guests,” she addresses him somber and solemn, “and when they have departed we would ask you to go over every fiber of the wards to ensure Lamrian’s safety.”

The guard bows and departs. A jerk of Nik’s head means they ought to follow, but something heavy keeps him from doing so. Not just in his feet which feel like two anchors are fastened to his ankles, but something that makes the air that once was crisp and a refreshing change now feel thick in his chest.

It makes sense for Nik to have hoped an appeal like ‘long lost child’ would spur Elric into action. Whether he’s just pulling legs or actually means what he says. He’s seen it done in plays and epic dramas and normally it works because… well because normally even if its a lie at first it ends up being the truth.

There’s no fucking way this is the truth.

“While I would not risk the lives of my people again, I would wish you luck.”

When he looks back at Elric the man’s hand is offered to shake. It’s funny, almost. Humorous at least. So uncomfortably human in gesture that the longer Taylor hesitates to take it the more he seems unsure of whether or not he’s performed the right action.

And he doesn’t want to take it. Wants to make some kind of point by refusing. But if, by some actual impossibility, he had seen something familiar in the Lord moments ago…

He breaks the invisible glass sphere — the barrier between them — and shakes Elric’s hand firmly.

He hasn’t crossed the barriers between his realm and the realm of mortals in nearly half a century.

Would not even have noticed the passage of time if not for wistful sighs that turned into the insistence of his beloved soul-kind, his Western Sunrise, that he walk among them and remember what it once felt like to gaze upon mortality with wonderment and delight.

In the strands that weave together the universe he knows they were once part of the same creation. Even among the fae that is a rarity to encounter. Even more so to stay at each others’ sides as they have.

That she chose to abandon their world and walk with him among the places where only the lost dare to be found… it would be impossible to ask for such love and devotion — only for the trouble he would have bringing a request like that to his lips.

Each night he walks through throngs of fumbling children — even the oldest of mortals are still so very young in his eyes. And when they see him they know it, too. Despite the dull flush this glamour gives him, they know he is different than they are.

That the look in his eyes comes from the pain of loss and the pleasures of discovery.

In most of them it incites a feeling — an instinct. One to let them revel in his beauty but keep their distance.

In her…

It was as though on the day she came into the world that instinct was taken and turned on its head. Where others retreated she sought to dive in deeper, further. The act of pursuit so foreign to him that he wondered if she somehow had a touch of the fae inside of her and did not know it.

She was greedy in the way immortal creatures were greedy; demanding of the world to let her feel and accepting nothing less than every emotion there could possibly be in the universe. So unlike the rest of her kind. A single rain drop able to flood the desert.

There was little doubt in his mind that if she had the power to shape the stars to her whim she would carve out entire stretches of sky with the stories she had lived, wished to live, and would live before her time was done.

She prostrated to him with an open breast and he took. Shamelessly. Even now he remembers her soul brighter than the suns of the homeland he now walks only in Living Memory.

In memories like these.

But to see a soul is to eclipse simple, tangible things. The indent of her cheek when she smiled. The strands of gold she wove together and called hair. A silvery streak over her knuckle called a scar. The curl of peach-painted toes in ecstasy.

He sees it now, too. As if the very veils of reality have been drawn back with a startled flourish.

Not in the mouth, hair, or toes. But in the part he had forgotten; had wanted to forget — has no qualms being honest with himself. Because compared to those of his kind they are far more dull, far more revealing of their frail limitations than they would like to think.

Her soul rests in his eyes.

When this is all over, if he’s still alive to see The End, he’d like a few answers.

A perfectly reasonable request.

And yeah, its a bit of a shock to them both… but it doesn’t change anything if Elric isn’t going to help.

Maybe one day he will be more than forgiven. Maybe one day he will understand.

“Yeah, doubt it.” Taylor answers aloud — pulls his hand away from the fae’s touch and the world of Lamrian, still with a beauty beyond compare, goes dull around him. If that’s what life is going to be like now knowing what he knows…

“The gateway is ready, My Lady,” calls the guard behind them.

With a finality Taylor glances between the Lord and Lady; she who now looks between the other half of her soul and deeper than just his human body with a new revelation. There’s almost an apology in the crease of her ginger brow.

She opens her mouth to speak — but either can’t find the right words or simply doesn’t want to bring them to light.

“Thank you for your time. — And we’re sorry for your loss.”

He’s tugging Nik along then. Doesn’t give him the chance to say much but from the looks of it there’s nothing more to be said.

Nik was right.

But Elric, Thalissa — they still won’t help.

So it doesn’t matter, does it?

The guard leads them back to the main hall where they entered. Now empty of the mourning congregation from before. The portal is like Tilly’s; created by the hidden place between a curtain of rich velvet reaching all the way up to the top of an archway made of polished amethyst.

The noises from behind it should echo through the hall’s every hollow space but it doesn’t. It waits until they’re mere breaths from stepping through and Taylor only notices because of how jarring the sounds of a ringing landline and crackling of a PA speaker sound in comparison to the medieval space they occupy.

Just like last time he takes the first step. Worries deep deep down that if he doesn’t he might never — might try and stay and not just to convince them to help, either.

There’s no curtain on the other side this time around; no veil between worlds. Just a doorway already open and the hospital lobby in a lull beyond.

Before Taylor can beeline for the sight of Cal, Cadence, and Katherine having rejoined them, a familiar hand grabs his wrist, tugs him aside until the lobby fluorescents are a far-off dream. Replaced instead by the darkness of a cramped facilities closet.

His eyes adjust in no time at all. He watches as Nik blinks away the light. Wonders silently and to himself if that’s something he inherits from his… from Elric.

Wonders if its a halfling thing.

But he knows why Nik pulled him in there. “I know why you pulled me in here,” and he really doesn’t want to talk about it, “and I really don’t want to talk about it,” because there’s more at stake than the secrets Nik has been keeping from him, “because I’m sure I don’t need to tell you there’s more at stake than any other secrets you’re keeping from me.” And because seeing Kristin again has reminded him just how high the stakes really are.

He doesn’t say that last bit aloud.

“Too bad,” like Nik’s just used to getting his way, “because —”

“Sorry—was I speaking English? I said no.”

Together they wait in breathless silence for someone to burst in and kick them out. He wasn’t exactly quiet. And the footfalls of rubber crocs and worn gym shoes are soft but not silent — they come and go and leave the pair alone.

He can’t help but bite out; “You know for the ‘brooding loner’ type you sure want to talk about your feelings a lot.”

“It ain’t for my sake, Rook.”

“Well if its for mine, you can cut it out. Because—because I can’t even begin to introduce how mad at you that I really am, okay? And for the record, Ryder, I’m a guy with a lotta words to say. So when I don’t have any its generally seen as not a good thing.”

And his skull might not be as thick as he makes it out to be because Nik does, indeed, fall quiet. Stares at him with all of the shadows from the light underneath the door casting on the hard angles of his face and he’s thinking, debating, trying to figure out the right thing to say but this might not be something that can be fixed by simple words. By an apology.

He might be finally starting to realize that.

“You…” he totally inherited the ‘wagging finger’ from his mother and not Elric, not Elric at all, “I mean, you get how I’m angry, right? Please tell me you get that because I don’t think I really know if I can find the words to make you get it.”

“I — I get it.”

“No you don’t!” He shoves the man back — or tries to, he’s solid muscle that Taylor remembers almost fondly and doesn’t move an inch — with gritted teeth and frustration. From a place of frustration he didn’t know he could reach.

“Okay. I don’t.”

“You’re damn right you don’t! Who the hell do you think you are? Where do you get off thinking you can just—just keep upending my life like this?! No—No don’t answer that, don’t you fuckin’ dare.

“Because you… you think you can just come into my life and keep messing with it the way you have been well. Well no. No more—I’m just saying no more. No more being chased, no more underground fights, no more fearing for my life and no more secrets!

“Christ… do you think she knew? Do you think she knew and never told me?” — where the hell did this come from? — “Do you think that—that every time I fucked myself up or every time I did something stupid she was just wondering how human I was? When I told her I was trans—did she think it was some dumb fae thing?

“You know all the answers, Nik, so just—just tell me if she knew.”

His hand flies over his mouth to contain his sudden choked sob like he hasn’t been practically shouting and if anyone was going to come in they definitely would have by now.

Everything goes a little blurry and tears sting in his eyes and then he’s wrapped in a person-sized vice and the smell of dust and dirt and Ryder fills his nose and he didn’t know how much of a comfort it would be until he has it. Doesn’t want to ever be let go.

“Did she… I mean —”

Its obviously not in the realm of questions Nik asks often. How he manages a couple of false starts before huffing heavy through his nostrils and decides to just stay quiet instead.

But he can guess where the man might have been going with it. Did she accept you? Was she supportive? Do I need to have a talk with her?

“It—hic—took her a bit. There were some therapists involved.”

Nik’s arms tighten around him. “She didn’t try to change you through that shit, did she?”

“No—no nothing like that. More… she and me — we had to find a way to talk about it that didn’t land me at a bar and her closing up.”

Taylor pulls back — tries to regain some semblance of the masculine facade — and there’s a sheet half-pulled off of the shelf nearest them in Nik’s offered hand. It’s a much-needed laugh before he takes it and wipes his eyes. “It wasn’t like it is in the movies, you know? I went in ready to tell her, ready for everything to be so black and white…”

But telling his mom hadn’t been the binary acceptance or rejection he thought it would be. It had taken time, and a lot of talking, and a lot of refusing to talk. Compromises that weren’t really compromises because there was always someone who got out of the deal a little more satisfied than the other.

Then something changed. He couldn’t tell you how or when exactly it happened but he was lucky enough to be able to look behind him in the small court room, to find her eyes in the small crowd, and in them find the courage to turn back to the judge and say proudly just why he wanted his name changed.

They went out for dinner after. At the hostess’ booth his mom had given her his real—and newly legal—name. And he knew everything was going to work out.

And those memories were still good ones. They were still important, still defined his journey. But if she knew…

No. If she didn’t know. If she didn’t know then this was just another thing to tell her. Another part of himself to bring into the light. Another secret between them — and that just didn’t seem fair. Not to Taylor, not to his mom, not to anyone.

Nik fidgets relentlessly in front of him. Arms at his sides, then hands in his pockets, tucked under his armpits, one in the coat pocket and one in his jeans. Like he’s only just realized he has hands and has no idea what to do with them.

“You, uh, you… better?”

Taylor nods; gathers the sheet up into a ball and chucks it in a laundry cart at the back of the closet. “As much as I can be — I’m still pissed at you, though.”

“At this point I’d be worried if you weren’t.”

“It’s not a joke, Nik.”

“I know Rook — I know.”

“So now what?”

Its a useless question; they both know the answer.

Nothing has changed. Elric won’t help. Kristof isn’t a likely ally, Isadora neither. Tonya is out of commission. And if the bloodwraith really is after creatures of power like Nik suspects then Taylor — and somehow Cadence — still have targets on their backs.

Now what?

Now… they just keep going down the list. There’s one last name to cross off.

[nagatsukinura119]

Ramble and thoughts on V route

[A bit of (or maybe huge) spoiler alert for those who haven’t played/finished the route]

I just finished V’s route and got the Normal Ending. I have to say that I have so many thoughts and feelings that leave me like an empty shell. 

Okay, I already knew from the start that Zen wasn’t gonna be involved too deep with the story besides sharing what he feels or thinks about the current situation in chat rooms (and babysitting Yoosung). But that doesn’t mean I wasn’t disappointed that he, Yoosung and Jaehee were practically thrown aside. Technically Jaehee was still kept close because of her position as Jumin’s assistant, but nevertheless I still feel that the Casual Story members were regarded very little in V’s route. But it can’t really be helped because I knew from the start that Zen’s involvement with RFA was a bit too “eeeh”. Sure, he’s indebted to V for saving his life during a motorcycle accident and that’s why he joined RFA, but I still felt like he was a bit off from the rest of the group. I mean, the next member I’d say is a bit of “eeeh” within the group is Yoosung. He might be in the group because he’s Rika’s cousin and that she feels comfortable for a family to be a part of what she loves to do. And perhaps they needed someone who’s familiar with a group of people of his age and class to know what they think about charity fundraising parties (I don’t know what I’m rambling about here). But what can Zen do to help RFA since he was just a mediocre musical actor? I guess like Yoosung, all he could do was just tell his (hopefully rich) co-workers about the parties. I’m guessing they were just satisfied to get as many hands to help as possible. And then I recalled in V’s route that Yoosung said that so far, they’ve conducted 2 parties, and the latest one would be the previous year. So I wondered how successful was RFA, really, if not including their small charity events?

Sorry, that was getting off the topic that I intended to talk about.

Back to V’s Normal Ending and some parts of the story, I’m just gonna say that although it’s generally a happy ending for MC since we’re shown that 2 years after the incident with Rika, her exploded apartment as well as Mint Eye’s fall, MC and V are living together, and as V said, they’re in love. It’s all happy for V and MC in the end, but I can’t say that I am happy. At least not wholly because, hey, the man deserved happiness after all the shit he went through.

First of all, I’ve got so many questions stuck in my head up until now. Like, if V’s route was set 1 year before the current story (I’m guessing the Deep Story since it’s been theorized as the True Story if you’re in Seven’s route), then, the events happened in Seven’s route where V was shot and died, did that happen in a parallel world or something? I think I’ve missed and skipped a lot of info that I needed to answer these questions (I avoided Tumblr and any place that could give me spoilers while I played the game). However! The disappearance of Ray and the appearance of Unknown (Saeran) implied that because MC decided to shag with V, Ray lost the person whom he claimed to really care, and apparently fell in love with. Because of this, as well as Rika’s changes of plans that involved the MC, pushed Ray so hard that his dangerous split persona resurfaced, and I believe this Unknown is the Unknown that we got introduced to in the Casual and Deep Story, which makes me believe that the Normal Ending is somewhat still connected to the world that we know. But, here’s the catch, if the Normal Ending leads to the current story, then what happened to V, who appeared to get his happy ending with MC and with perfectly good eyes? Then what happened to the MC in his route? Did she get kidnapped, or died in an accident that involved him which led to his eyesight getting messed up? Is that why he was so persistent to not get any treatment? Because he felt so guilt ridden by MC’s death? And where does that leave us? Are we playing two different MC’s, one from V’s route and another from Casual/Deep Story? Because of this I actually believe that there are 2 MC’s in Mystic Messenger universe.

From the beginning, I never really thought Rika as the antagonist, at least not on purpose. In Day 10′s chat room, Rika was pleading so hard towards V and MC to let her stay with them (I’m not sure if she meant stay, as in just in the chat room, or physically). She was literally begging like a child. She said she would be a good girl, sit quietly in her room, listen to what MC and V tell her, she won’t cry, never throw a fit, won’t express her feelings, she would eat little without complaint, and basically won’t talk to other people and stay locked in the house. She would live lifelessly like a paper doll. Hell, she would even allow MC to end up with V!

Sure, this might be one of her tricks and guilt cards to make MC and V fall into her trap, like her constant plea towards MC to stay with her (though the situation felt almost too intense to be platonic). But I can’t help but feel that her pleas and cry for help is real. Think about it; she started of groveling for help and pleas not to leave her, and then a switch went off and her raging side came out and started telling MC and V and to give her sun back (I’m guessing the sun would be V), and even threatened them that she would exact her revenge on MC who stole V from her. BUT instantly she went back to begging like the beginning of this chat. What’s more is that, this time she even apologized for everything she had done. The emotional transition between her anguish and angry sides was just a bit too real for someone to be faking around. 

My theory: And speaking of her revenge on MC, I’m starting to think that the current MC (MC(A)) might be dead by Rika’s hands somewhere in the future (because we know Rika didn’t die in the explosion in order for her to still be alive in Deep Story) and that is also an act of revenge towards V who left her (hence explaining why she despised him in this story). This feels like too far-fetched but isn’t that what fan theories are all about? But if this theory is plausible, how would this explain the apartment that the MC from Casual/Deep Story (MC(B)) would be staying in, as well as no one’s memories of Rika being the antagonist or MC(A)’s existence? Also, the timeline wouldn’t make sense, because in Casual/Deep Story, Rika’s death was supposed to happen a year and a half before MC was introduced to RFA. And if at this point V was dating with MC(A) then why didn’t anyone mention this to MC(B)? So… theory debunked?

Now, I did say that I never see Rika as the bad guy, but I’m not saying that we can just forgive her and let bygones be bygone, but I’m not saying that she deserved all the stuff that happened to her either. Everyone in the game deserved to be happy.

I think she was just awfully lonely and needed love. We never know if she had genuine friends before meeting V. Then we learned that Rika had a good relationship with V for some time and she struck a friendship with Jumin along the way. We know that she is a fan of Zen (as she claimed) and it seems like she was a normal person. But turns out she had serious mental issues and this should remind us that some things that she did were things out of her control, especially when her mad and delusional side controlled her most of the time. What I see here is that she’s just a victim of mental issues and she needed help and shouldn’t be antagonized entirely. Her extreme acts should be blamed, but not her.

Playing this game while dealing with so many deadlines can be very emotionally draining and honestly sometimes I question my sanity like am I thinking about and caring for the characters in the game too much? What if the game is actually based on real people? What if we’re in the same situation like MC in V’s route, who was lured into this game by someone? These questions tend to keep me bedridden and feeling empty at times.

See what I mean? I was never considered having any mental problems or something like that, but here I am, questioning all these questions like a mad person. Maybe it’s because of the stress from my daily life? Who knows, but one thing for sure is that if I’m affected like this by just something so trivial like a game, imagine how Rika must have dealt with her legit health issues. And as for her withdrawing herself from V, I can only think that she was so used to having darkness (or to put simply, dark thoughts) within her and the belief that nobody wanted her must have been permanently scarred her mind and she believed that being unwanted makes up what she was. So, when V came in, she was really happy to be loved but later on the feeling was strange and unnatural for her, to the point that she thought the more she was loved, the more she was losing herself. Hence explaining why she chose to separate from V and embrace her ‘darkness’ which is basically herself. But at the same time, I think she was conflicted with her decision to either choose herself or being with V, because clearly she was also very in love with him. I think her fit of rage in Day 10 might be a possibility of her having Borderline Personality Disorder.

I’ll be honest that I wasn’t giving my 100% focus in the game and sometimes I’d just skim through at whatever popped in the chat rooms (the chats can be too long for my liking). That’s why I’m thinking to re-play the game and give it more focus and analyze V’s route with deeper thoughts so that I can actually accept the aftermath of his and Rika’s relationship. I’m also very curious to what the other endings would show us. Hell, if the Normal Ending is THIS happy and satisfying, I can just imagine what the actual Good Ending would offer (I’m still avoiding spoilers here).

Though to be honest I never wanted to play as an MC who would have a romantic relationship or story with V because I’ve come to believe that he was so blindly (pun intended) in love with Rika that it feels like it’s impossible for him to fall for a stranger within 11 days (but then again, this IS Mystic Messenger, where people get to fall in love quickly, even though you barely seeing each other). I’m not saying that he doesn’t have the right to love again, because he DOES. But personally, I just don’t think I have that capabilities to help him nor that I have so much maternal instincts to save him. That’s also why I never see or want Saeran in a romantic way. I just want to help them to be happy again as a platonic friend. Although V’s relationship with Rika was unhealthy, it can’t be denied that they WERE happy and shit just started and broke them apart. Being a helpless romantic, I always believed that there was still some hope for them to be happy together, and I actually hoped V’s route involved helping them to mend their relationship, if not just help to resolve their conflict. 

And also, let’s not forget about Ray, Unknown’s gentler side personality. It can’t be helped that I also felt the need to save the sweet guy, and at the same time it was pretty worrying if I were to really fall for him I might actually have Stockholm Syndrome. Sure, MC wasn’t really kidnapped by force per say, but it can’t be denied that she was locked up in some unknown place that she was brought to with a blindfold. That alone was quite disturbing but then again, I DID play Shall We Date’s Blood in Roses and chose to shag with Rupert which eventually made me realize that maybe some MC’s in otome games need to have Stockholm Syndrome just to pull the player’s heartstring for the sake of what is called ‘romance’… Anyways, I wasn’t really sure what really happened to him in the end of Normal Ending. First, Rika apparently died in the explosion of her apartment, and so did Mint Eye’s building so where does that leave Ray (at this point Unknown)? Did he also supposedly get blown into bits? If so that is more depressing than what I actually expected because poor Seven would never know the truth about his brother.

[syncogon]

Some Chinese Cartoons

[Disclaimer: this was addressed to one specific person. I’ll make a better post one day.]

One day I’ll add pics and make this actually formal and stuff. But for now...

我为歌狂/Music Up:

Summary: Two musically talented, insanely popular high school guys - but that’s about all they have in common. In fact, they hate each other’s guts. And yet, through complicated circumstances, they and two others join to form a four-man band, “OPEN.” Both individually and as a band, they face a variety of problems: financial, academic, familial, romantic, and everything in between, in order to pursue their dreams. (52 eps)

Commentary: This is set in modern(ish) day, real world. Made in 2001, so keep that mind when considering the animation quality. They do have a lot of good songs, since this IS a show about singers and pop bands. Overall the tone is pretty light. Some things are a lot more dramatic than they need to be but that’s fantastic. And a lot of the problems are highly relatable. Development of characters and relationships is def one of the selling points. HUGELY nostalgic for me and a lot of Chinese people it seems haha

Links: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eLkMLYnt73g the second opening.

战龙四驱/Go For Speed:

Summary: Two years ago, the genius high schooler Fei won the minicar (4WD) racing Nationals. But only shortly afterward, he disappeared, with only a short note hinting at why. Now, his younger brother Dragon follows in his footsteps, designing and creating his own minicars to compete in the tournaments and steadily working his way up through the rankings. Along the way, he meets many people, makes friends and enemies, and struggles to find Fei and his reason for leaving. (64 eps)

Commentary: Modern/slightly future-day, real world (Shanghai!!). Okay so this show is based around like the gimmick of “minicar racing” - not sure what to really call it. The races are surprisingly fun to watch actually imo, with the technological abilities of the minicars, interactions between players, and obstacles to pass... but you’d probably have to decide that for yourself. For me, the biggest draw was probably the surprising number of subplots, which explore the complex relationships between all the characters - literally every single side character is well established and developed. Family and familial relationships play a pretty big role. Revenge and forgiveness are there too. I got hooked into this show when it was airing on TV solely because of one character haha. Caveat that it starts slow, I don’t know how much you’d actually like this, there needs to be some suspension of disbelief, and the animation quality isn’t fantastic… rip

Links: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gb0tHRbyaek&index=30&list=PLQukwpGC9a0wfDv0ymEgGX-LydTKbZY_s (a trailer, in english for some reason even though i’ve never found an english dubbed version of this and don’t want to. It mostly focuses on the racing aspect, but as before, don’t let that fool you, it’s surprisingly deep. Come for the races, stay for the chars)

https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLQukwpGC9a0zqrmIGCXOW1QVlfh6svY7y since when was this on youtube?? :o WAIT HOLY SHIT SINCE WHEN DOES THIS HAVE ENGLISH SUBS THIS IS A GAME CHANGER AAAAA NOW LIKE I MIGHT GO REWATCH THIS - just kidding, only the first episode. Man what a letdown

弹珠传说/Danzhu Legend:

Summary: This is a world where people have Danzhu battles: competitions involving channeling your magic energy into Shooters to launch marble-like Danzhu at targets. These objects have great power, but, so far, no one has decided to take advantage of it… until now. One day, a young boy who has always dreamed of becoming a Danzhu battler is chosen by one of the five Legendary Shooters. He journeys into the mountains to seek training from the Danzhu Master, where he meets the other four Legendary wielders and learns that their job is to stop the evil threatening to take over their world. (52 eps)

Commentary: Fantasy world. So this is like your pretty standard “boy discovers power and works to save the world” story, but still enjoyable in its own right. The gimmick of this are the aforementioned Danzhu. The Guardians are also very important; all Shooters are linked to a spiritual animal/creature/something that’s the basis of power. The battles are all very cool! Quick disclaimer: for various reasons I am more familiar with this show than maybe any other of the ones here. This fact made me appreciate how much potential this story had, but also made me realize all of its flaws. There are a lot of things it could have done better - character development jumps to mind, because aside from the MC and one of the antagonists, most of them don’t change all that much. Also there’s lots of recycled animation. Just keep these caveats in mind. However, I still found the adventure/plot/magic very exciting to watch, a healthy dose of idealism and humor as well as tension/smarts/raw courage, so if you’re interested in that aspect more, I’d recommend this!

Links: ALL THE EPISODES ARE ON YOUTUBE ONCE MORE PRAISE this is very helpful for me because when i needed them to be on youtube, someone had like taken all of them down, which was very upsetting, but now they are back again, glorious

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wvQUvsPwKA0&list=PLZKi4aAqJS8dbVOUrKnDqNU4F4rnm8Ott playlist isn’t in order but you should watch the opening theme to get a feel for it - if you want even more of a feel, watch to 4:50, which is kinda like a prologue and a better summary of what I said above lol

开心宝贝/Happy Heroes:

Summary: Just read what’s on tvtropes tbh haha (link below) (Ongoing, 10 seasons, 52 eps each (except season 8 which was 40 eps) )

Commentary: Imo the best seasons were 3, 5, 6, and 8. After 8 the animation style changed a bit and the humor quality kinda went down…well, that might just be me, though. Either way, though, there are so many amazing earlier episodes, and I’ve gotten really attached to all the characters. It being a kids show, there’s no super deep plot or lasting impact of anything (aside from the last arc of season 7, heh. I remember watching when it came out in 2014 and flipping out bc I did NOT expect that, knowing HH) but it’s still thoroughly enjoyable. There are also two movies: the second movie is kinda confusing and meh but the first movie is pretty good and I think you can find it on youtube. In fact I believe all the episodes are on youtube, but I imagine you have those links already

Links: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCKA3CuHXUxHflv9KAgEJyKQ is the channel with everything. Watch the trailer for season 8! It’s v epic and got me hyped when it released.

Tvtropes: http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Animation/HappyHeroes

Movie 1: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jUiA3nue22Y. (there are english subs too! haha)

Movie 2 isn’t worth watching trust me

星游记/Rainbow Sea:

Summary: Years ago, a man dressed in all red made a declaration to the universe: behind the largest black hole was a mysterious place called Rainbow Sea, a place where any dream could be fulfilled. Enchanted by the stories, people from across the universe joined the man in red in his journey. Unfortunately, no one ever returned. Rainbow Sea was scoffed at as a myth and a lie. The man in red was cursed, nicknamed by people as the Red Demon. The sinister organization known as the Galactic Eyes quietly gained control of the Solar System and numerous other star systems, sealing off the planet where the Red Demon had come from, Earth, and forbidding any ships from entering or leaving. Now, ten years later, the Red Demon's son Maidang has reached adolescence and is determined to fulfill the pinky promise made to his father before he left: to reunite with him at Rainbow Sea.

Commentary: Quality stuff right here. Best part is the backstories of all these characters, there’s some really moving stuff. The characters are p great - Maidang is so inspiring, Gudong is highly relatable, Diya is awesome... The art style (esp for their eyes) is really nice. ...Not much else to say off the top of my head, esp since the story is far from over, but even if it starts off slow, this is definitely worth your time!

Links: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SiB_oZBdi7k&list=PLF068DA90359EDE0D all the episodes. The opening theme/sequence was what got me hooked, you should def watch it (up to like 1:20 or whatever, then if you want like a prologue watch to like 3:07)

26 eps so far. Season 2 and after are apparently going to be “web movies” instead of episodes, something like 60 minutes each, and will cost money (rip) but I’m sure they’ll show up for free somewhere eventually. Fingers crossed this’ll be soon. Wanna join me in hiatus hell :DD

神魄/Zinba:

Summary: Kan is happily chatting with his closest friend on an ordinary school day when, all of a sudden, he finds himself pulled into an alternate fantasy world. This world is filled with Zinba, large and powerful creatures that may form bonds with select humans, called Linkers, for immense battle power. After becoming a Linker with one of the strongest Zinba ever to exist, Kan joins the peacekeeping Dux force of the kingdom of Toria and fights against the various evils threatening the land, all while trying to find his way back to his own world. (52 eps)

Commentary: Okay, so you know, I wouldn’t recommend this as much as some of the others on this list, esp since it’s the most recent Chinese show I actually watched, but it made enough of an impact on me to have it worth talking about. I started watching bc a) it showed up as recommended for me on youtube, b) the opening is SICK as HECK, and c) the protag of this is voiced by the same person as the protag of DZL, and generally looks/acts kinda similar haha. Anyway, overall thoughts: basically, it had a lot of unrealized potential. The world and the character designs are AMAZING. I liked the animation. The plot is interesting, with a surprising number of plot twists as to who’s the real ultimate villain. But there could have been So Much More development – we could’ve gotten more thorough backstories for the main crew, for example, or seen more of the world/magic/tech, but instead a lot of the people as well as Zinba just… exist, as static and boring entities. There were like two interesting characters total (Kan’s aforementioned “normal” friend being one of them heh). Kan himself was suuuuper annoying, esp at the beginning. (can you tell I really appreciate/prioritize the characters of a show?) However, some moments were quite well done and epic, and I wrote some fanfiction and commentary on basically every episode, so it holds a place in my heart. Also, there is a full English dub lmaooo (the voices suck but the translations for names/places/etc are interesting) (episode 1 has 318k views??? That’s a TON for a chinese cartoon)

Links: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9G83STZ9xcc the opening which is good and worth watching, https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLQukwpGC9a0xatMI-KGO9SILZ5sSWfWXX full playlist, syncogon.tumblr.com/tagged/zinba lol

[khoicesbyk]

The Good Captain.

Author’s Note: This is my version of what book 2 of Distant Shores should be like. Y’know the book 2 that we readers of Distant Shores rightfully deserved! One more thing: in this fanfic, the MC’s last name has been changed to Bennett but; in the game it’s Carter. I decided to change it from Carter to Bennett; because Bennett sounds better to me. Also; her original occupation has been changed as well.

***Rated: Mature 18+. Contains sexual content, nudity, some violence and strong language.

***Bolded and/or italicized words are conversations and thoughts of the characters.

***Characters: Captain Edward Mortemer (LI), Kyra Bennett (MC), Robert Finnegan (Main Antagonist), Charlie, Ginny, Jonas, Maggie, Samuel, Octavia, Henry, Axton, Adelia, Kendrick and Oliver Cochrane (Side Characters)

***Disclaimer: All character names (except MC) and some dialogues belong to Pixelberry.

Current Word Count: 2,130 words.

Chapter 3: The Reunion.

Robert has returned, and he is hellbent on finding the lost island of Atlantis and Poseidon’s Trident. Meanwhile; Edward and the crew are trapped inside the tavern as it burns down.

After adjusting his eyesight to the smoke and shooting flames as best he could; Edward grabs the amulet, he puts Ginny who was closest to him when the roof collapsed on his back, calls out to the rest of his crew and leads them to safety via Tilly’s secret passageway.

“Is everyone alright? Are there any injuries?”, he asks as he looks everyone once over. Thankfully no one was hurt; just severely shaken by what had just transpired. “That cruel blackguard will pay for this!”, he says as he slams his fist into the stone wall.

“Aye he will! He will pay with his life! We will see to it!”, Charlie sneered. Rage written clear across her face. After safely making it back to The Jewel; the crew sets off into the night after Robert. The only thing is; they had no idea where he was headed next. Robert wasn’t going the traditional trade routes.

“Ye don’t know where he’s headed cap’n! We be sailing blind!”, Henry exclaimed.

“I don’t care! We WILL find him! And he will die! This time for good!”, he snapped at Henry.

“He’s right Edward. You don’t know where he’s headed. But I know who does!”, Charlie says as she points to the amulet around his neck. “Go to her Edward. We need her help. And you; need to make sure that she’s okay.”

“Charlie, I can’t just leave—“, he begins to say before she cuts him off, “I’m not asking you to leave; I’m telling you to! She’s having your child Edward, you need to go see her!”

In his heart; he knew she was right. He wanted to see her. He needed to see her. But he didn’t want to leave the crew behind.

“Charlie—“, he starts to protest before she cuts him off again,”We will be fine until you get back. I know where the second of The Seven Lords is. We’ll be fine as long as, we can beat him to the key fragment. Now go Edward! Go to Kyra. Send her our love!”

It was decided. He would go to the future to see her. Even though he had his apprehensions; he was secretly excited to see the future and to tell the crew what he saw. Remembering what Robert told her about using the amulet; Edward closed his eyes and envisioned her. And before he knew it; he was thrust into the future.

He was in a parlor of some sort he figured; but he wasn’t sure who’s parlor it was. It never dawned on him that; he was in her townhouse. Nor did he realize that his amulet was glowing.

While she was in her spare bedroom; she was going over scattered reports of the most recent accounts of Atlantis. With papers, books and the like laying all over the place. She was determined to find out everything she could about the legends of Atlantis and the trident. In the midsts of her research is; when the amulet that Robert “gave” to her started to glow ominously.

“That isn’t good!”, she said to herself.

Thinking that the glow meant Robert was coming to see her again; and knowing that he and his ilk would more than likely show up in her living room; she decided to arm herself.

So, she grabbed the metal baseball bat that she got after the last time she saw him and his crew, and went downstairs to see if her hunch was right. When Edward heard a door close; he looked for a place to hide. He was crouched down in her kitchen; ready to strike. When she descended down the stairs towards the living room; the amulet began to glow brighter.

“Alright ya stupid bastard! If I gotta go down; I’m at least gonna get a few Ken Griffey Jr. hits in!”, she says to herself as her couch came into view.

But when she turned a corner ready to fight for her and her child’s life; she didn’t see anything at first. But someone familiar saw her.

“Kyra…is it really you?”, asked a voice that was all too familiar. It startled her enough for her to drop that bat in her hand.

“No! It can’t be. He couldn’t be here. He’s not here! I’m hearing things because I’m paranoid. There is no way that he’s here…”, she said out loud; convinced she was hearing things.

“Kyra…”, he said to her. It caused her to start shaking.

“No! No! No! It’s not possible! He’s not here!”, she says out loud trying her hardest to convince herself, it’s not real. None of it is real. That was until, she felt his strong arms wrap tightly around her waist; and felt his warm breath in her ear.

“I’m here my love. I’m right here.”, he said to her.

It was indeed very real.

She couldn’t believe it. It wasn’t possible. It’s not possible. Even with his arms around her; she still struggled to believe it. That was until she turned around. It’s him. It’s Edward. He’s here. She was staring straight up at him. Those eyes, those beautiful brown eyes looked directly into hers. There he was. Her captain. The love of her life.

“Edward…”, she said as her voice cracked. She reached up and touched his face. He leaned into her touch. Oh how he missed it. That’s when she realized that it was real. He was real. That moment was real.

Overcome with emotion; she wrapped her arms around his neck. She just couldn’t believe what was happening. It wasn’t until her growing belly brushed against him; that she started to truly believe that it was real.

“I thought…I thought…that I’d never—“, she started to say something but; she was cut off by him kissing her. It was powerful. It was passionate. It was true love. It was Edward.

“I’ve missed my love. So much. I never stopped looking for you after you disappeared. And now, I’ve found you. I’ve finally found you!”, he told her.

He was just as emotional as she was.

“I missed you too! I didn’t want to leave you! I never meant to leave you. I’m sorry! I’m so sorry! Can you forgive me?”, she replied; as tears stung her eyes and stained her face.

“Shhhh! Hush! None of it was your fault. You did what you had to do. I could never find fault in that or you.”, he answered her.

She stepped back to truly take a look at him. He hadn’t changed at all. He was still as drop dead gorgeous as she remembered him to be. He placed his left hand on her belly, rested his forehead against hers and closed his eyes. She was really going to bare his child.

“Kyra…there is something I have been dying to tell you.”, he said to her.

“What is it Edward? Tell me.”, she replied, as her voice continued to break.

“I love you! I have loved you since the day we shared our first kiss. I have struggled without you by my side and in my arms.”, he admitted to her.

“I love you too! Now more than ever! You are the only man I will ever love!”, she replied before kissing him again.

They couldn’t get enough of each other. The only reason that they stopped; was because of Edward sinking to his knees and resting his forehead against her belly.

“I’m going to be a father. Your father. I promise you my child; that I will be a better father than the one I had.”, he whispered against her growing stomach. She draped her arms around his broad shoulders; and held him close.

“And what a father; you will be Edward. I’m so excited to have your baby. To have our baby.”, she quietly said to him as she rubbed his back. Tears of joy streamed down his face. He had her in his arms once again. He could touch her. He could taste her. He could feel her. When he looked into her beautiful brown eyes; he saw the love and the joy they shared.

“As happy as I am to see you Edward; I know that you have the amulet of Atlas. You’re because of jackass and his crew, aren’t you?”, she asks him.

“Aye, my love. He’s going after the key to Poseidon’s tomb. I must stop him Kyra. God only knows what havoc he will reek on my time and yours for that matter.”, he told her.

“You will stop him. I will make sure of it. Now come with me; so we can put a plan together.”, she tells him. He stands up then follows her upstairs to where she’d been doing her research. She explained everything she had learned so far. Especially what she had learned about Robert’s crew.

“This jackass here is his first mate; Gerald Pearson. But; I was able to find out their names. The names of the other members are Harold Perry, Donald Hunter, Quinten Jones, Frank Turner, Xavier Reynolds, Calvin Pierce, Shawn Winston and James Kenner. They along with The Sirens were all students in Robert’s Greek Mythology Class. “Now the women’s names are Tabitha Mills, Mari Rodriguez, Callie Wheeler and Beatrice Richards. They call themselves The Sirens. I’m still researching him and the crew.” she explained.

“This is a great start my love! Now, let’s work on the map.”, he told her.

Working together; they even found a way to make sure that the amulet of Orion, can never be used by Robert ever again. As they worked on a map of the seven kings; he noticed that she was starting to get tired.

“You should rest my love.”, he told her before placing a small kiss on the inside of her right wrist.

“I can’t rest yet Edward. We have to finish this map of where to look for the remaining keys. Besides; I’m scared to go to sleep.”, she admitted.

“Why?”, he asks her; as he held her close.

“Because; I’m scared that you won’t be here when I wake up.”, she admitted to him.

“I will always be with you my love. No matter you and I go, no matter what century we are in. I will ALWAYS be with you.””, he told her.

“That’s not the only thing I’m scared of. I have an appointment with Dr. Everett tomorrow, to find whether or not this baby is a boy or a girl. That’s why I’m scared to leave. I’m not saying that I don’t want to be with you. Because I do; God knows that I do. But; in terms of this baby, I have to stay here. But Edward I don’t want to! I want to be with you and the crew but I don’t know if I can risk it.”, she says to him.

“I know that you have your life and doctor here, my love. And I would never demand of you to leave if you aren’t comfortable. So if you must stay my love; then you should stay, Kyra.”, he replies.

“But Edward I don’t want to be alone! And I don’t want you to be alone either!”, she exclaimed as tears filled her eyes. He simply rocked her in his arms.

“Shhh…Hush my love…we will never be alone. I will never be without you and you without me, ever again. And when you are ready; I will bring you and our child home with me. Especially since we now have these amulets in our possession. We will make this work. I promise you that. But right now; you need your rest.”, he told her. His voice was soothing and calm.

She nodded in agreement. He smiled at her.

“Stay with me, until I leave for my appointment?”, she asked him.

“Of course my love. I am yours until the end of time, remember?”, he told her before placing a small kiss on the inside of her right wrist.

“And I’m yours Edward…I will always be yours…Until the end of time…”, she told him. He then kissed her with every ounce of fire and passion that he had in him.

She led him to her bedroom and as she fell asleep in his arms; he whispered to her, “I will protect you my love. Both of you…”

Edward was in for the fight of his life. But for the woman and the child that he loved more than life itself; it was a fight he was more than ready for.

***This was my most emotional chapter yet; so you’re being forewarned now. I’m gonna take a small break. But I will be back with Chapter 4!

😘

@txemrn @choicesficwriterscreations

K.