#honestly i really love Nightshade too. when i got to that scene i was actually like AAH i fucking love that scene

[aurorawest]

Reading update

Brick Walls by LA Witt - 3.25/5 stars

Honestly not a great book, from a writing mechanics perspective. This definitely could have benefited from a few more editing passes. It dragged in parts because the characters kept having the same internal monologue over and over, and there were too many scenes of the two mains sniping at each other with the exact same argument. THAT SAID, the MCs themselves were charming and likable, and the second chance romance was compelling. I also thought the cocaine addiction storyline was pretty well done, especially considering this is a hockey romance.

Deny Me, the Nightshade Boy by Mary Vanalstine - 5/5 stars

This is the debut novel of a pal! Very fun book set primarily in Minnesota. It's gay, plus there's a cat named Arwen Undómeow, which is obviously an A+ pun. Also points for a dig at Chaska.

Young Men in Love, edited by Joe Glass and Matt Miner - 4/5 stars

Nice little queer comics romance anthology.

Fire and Sand by Andrew Grey - 3.75/5 stars

The Professor's Green Card Marriage by Heidi Cullinan - 4.25/5 stars

This book was delightful and taught me that I had selective mutism as a child, despite the fact that apparently the therapist I saw insisted I didn't. I was even able to forgive Cullinan's fudging of USCIS's requirements for dramatic purposes because the story was lovely.

Up in Smoke by Annabeth Albert - 4/5 stars

Once a Rogue by Allie Therin - 4/5 stars

The Doctor's Secret by Heidi Cullinan - 4/5 stars

His Reluctant Cowboy by AM Arthur - 4/5 stars

Charmed & Dangerous: Ten Tales of Gay Paranormal Romance and Urban Fantasy, edited by Jordan Castillo Price - 5/5 stars

One of the best short story anthologies I've ever read. There are some real legends in here, like Ginn Hale, KJ Charles, and Jordan L Hawk. Ginn Hale's story belongs to one of my favorite genres, "Harry Potter was a defining piece of fiction for me but what if I ran with its sketchy elements?" (see also: Rainbow Rowell's Simon Snow trilogy). I think a lot of the stories in this collection are spinoffs of the authors' already existing fiction (KJ Charles's definitely is—I had actually already read the sequel to the story in this anthology), but that didn't detract from my enjoyment.

Precious Metals by LA Witt - 4/5 stars

Lies We Sing to the Sea by Sarah Underwood - 2/5 stars

Oof. Look, I know it's YA. But I've read some great YA—and this is not it. First off, it's a myth retelling, which I categorically despise. Second, the blurb makes it clear there's a love triangle involved. Blech. The only reason I read this one is because I got it in an Illumicrate. And to be perfectly fair, I was enjoying it a fair bit until about the last quarter. That was the point at which we got Melantho's rape scene and, very shortly afterwards, Leto and Mathias having sex, which I found extremely squicky because it was structurally and narratively very similar to the rape, even though it's consensual. It made my skin crawl. Also I really Did Not Like the fact that Leto was in love with both Melantho and Mathias (yeah yeah polyships whatever, I hate polyships though). Didn't like the theme of 'choosing' one or the other when the choice was made for Leto but she still got to take credit for it. The idea that all the death could have been avoided if People Had Just Talked To Each Other made me wonder why the book had to be 490 pages long. The ending has none of the gravitas of an actual Greek tragedy, even though that's what it's supposed to be. And like, I got it. I got what Underwood was going for like 100 pages in. It wasn't subtle. Ultimately I think a better/more mature author could have pulled this stuff off, but Underwood was twenty-one when she wrote this, and it shows.

[fuckinart]

Just wanted to say I absolutely loved your drawing of the Nightshade prison scene where Freddy is praying for Alex. Nightshade is my most favorite book ever and I want Alex and Freddy's relationship to grow into a beautiful bond. If you have more Nightshade-related work I'd love to see it!

anon, i love you. i loved that scene too & needed to draw it so desperately i subjected my poor laptop to 100-ish layers in Hexels. here’s close-ups of the art in question because there’s little details i love that might not be very... viewable in the big version (like, yes, Nightshade being on the desk xD also the guns & escape plan. i wanted the room to look more lived in despite being really empty). i may go back & “finish” it, since the lighting isn’t what i wanted it to be but i was too tired to fix it at the time. this has honestly inspired me to go back to it <3

also, yes, i will be absolutely drawing more Alex Rider (& Nightshade) stuff because i love it a lot as well. full blown hyperfixation level love. working on my own personal character designs for everyone at the moment. may or may not be working on an animatic too who knows ᕕ( ᐛ )ᕗ

[seattlesea]

The Poor Character Developments in the Heroes of Olympus Series

Rick Riordan doesn’t know how to write character arcs ✨

-Percy. What arc did he even have? From The Last Olympian to The Son of Neptune it seems like he just got more arrogant and douchey, and this is never explained or expanded on. The readers don’t know why he suddenly got so arrogant. His pride got out of control and he was doing things he knew he couldn’t do but jumped into anyway like attacking a giant head-on alone. He was reckless in PJO, but every time he always had a plan. In HoO he just turned careless. He even put other demigods’ lives at risk at times and honestly didn’t do much throughout the series. He was just kind of there, not really contributing to anything and only involved when the book needed comedic relief or to remind the readers that ‘Hey, Percy is super cool and powerful’. As for his arc, he didn’t change at all. He just got annoying and way too self-involved and vain. I mean- he was literally in front of Hercules, the man who broke Zoë Nightshade’s heart- the girl who literally sacrificed herself for Percy- and he didn’t even say or do anything? He didn’t even mention Zoë or think about her at all. All he was worried about was how ‘big-shot Jason’ got to meet the all-famous Hercules and he didn’t. And this never changed. Percy’s character arc was completely flat cause he never learned from his lessons or mistakes. Even when in Tartarus and was reminded of all the people that he lost during the Second Titan War, how he forgot about Calypso on her island for over two years, and how he left Bob the Titan alone in the Underworld, he didn’t make any move to change. After that scene, he completely forgot to even mention them again. 

-Annabeth. Same thing with Annabeth, except her realism was ripped from her. She was well-written in PJO with actual flaws and weaknesses, relationships outside of her romantic one with Percy, a very important and crucial role, fighting bravely, etc., but in HoO, she- just like Percy- was pretty much dead weight, and she became extremely weak. The only thing she really accomplished was following the Mark of Athena and getting the Athena Parthenos, but she still had to be saved by everyone else, and honestly any other demigod could’ve done it way faster. Nico literally could’ve just shadow-travelled to the statue then shadow-travelled it back out. The only times she fought (which was very few times) she was always with another demigod, and the two-three times she actually fought she always had to be saved, by a newbie, especially. In the Temple of Fear, Piper ‘toughened’ her up and saved her three times from the giant Mimas, and when caught by the giants, Piper was the one to save Annabeth (again). She couldn’t do anything by herself without others having to save or help her. And she also became very dull. She didn’t have any more of her pride, short temper, care, ferocity, etc. All she was was a Percy fangirl. Everything was about him and him only. This also didn’t change. We didn’t see any improvement or alterations to her personality whatsoever. 

-Jason. The majority of the fandom doesn’t like Jason- which is understandable- but they hate on him for the wrong reasons. They dislike him cause he was ‘boring’ despite him actually having multiple distinct personality traits. They just think he didn’t have any personality cause his traits weren’t directly commented on like the other characters’ were (which is actually bad writing, readers should be able to interpret a character’s personality without it being stated to them by other characters). And he even had a sense of humor. His character arc though...fell short. But! He could’ve had an amazing character arc, Riordan just focused on the wrong parts. Riordan’s take on Jason’s character arc was deciding if he was more ‘Greek or Roman��� and then deciding he was both. But...that makes no sense, cause that’s just stereotyping every single Greek and every single Roman. The fandom says that the Romans are the cruel, harsh, and merciless ones, but what about Hazel? Or Frank? Or Reyna? Or the fact that they immediately accepted Nico while Camp Half-Blood outcasted and even ostracized him? And they say that the Greeks are the fun, cool, relaxed ones, but what about Percy, the only character to canonically torture? Or Annabeth, the unfriendly bossy one? Or Thalia, the merciless, ambitious hunter? Or Piper, the prejudiced manipulator? So really, Jason’s character arc made no sense. It was written to be Jason going from ‘always following the rules and following expectations because of his godly parent’ to ‘doing whatever he wants’, but the fandom forgets that Camp Jupiter is the one who doesn’t care about godly parent, Camp Half-Blood does, cause Camp Jupiter has demigods live in barracks for the sole purpose of demigods without family members not having to live alone while Camp Half-Blood separates cabins and tables by parentage and immediately set Percy to high standards after he was claimed. Besides, does Camp Jupiter have harpies that literally kill demigods if they’re out past curfew? Plus, Jason was breaking multiple rules before his character arc anyways- leaving Camp Jupiter, sailing across the Mediterranean Sea, etc. 

-Piper. Oh boy. Where to start with this one. I’ve already gone over how her horribly-portrayed backstory ruined the chances of a good character arc, but now let’s discuss the character arc she actually had. And the best way to describe it is ‘tell not show’. The main idea for Piper’s character arc was that she felt insecure about herself and useless and that she gained confidence in herself and her powers, but that’s not actually what happened, because starting from The Lost Hero, Piper showed multiple narcissistic tendencies that showed that she had a huge ego and placed herself on a pedestal she did nothing to earn or deserve. This is first shown with femininity- Piper immediately thinks that she’s better and above any girl if they so much as wear lip gloss or a dress, which is a sign of an obvious ego: thinking you’re better than everyone else (or in her case, a certain group of people) before getting to know them first. It’s also shown when her and Annabeth are looking for a weapon for Piper and when suggested that she doesn’t choose a dagger cause she’s a newbie, Piper retaliates with “But you use a dagger”...aka thinking she’s already on Annabeth’s level and that she can do whatever Annabeth can despite being a newbie. It’s not hypocrisy if Annabeth has been training for over nine years. Another example would be in The Mark of Athena-  "Piper's eyes flashed defiantly, like anything Reyna could do, she could do". Like, no, she can’t, cause Reyna has been training her whole life and Piper doesn’t even know her. Piper shows multiple signs of having a very high opinion of herself, including degrading others (especially other women) for her own sake, thinking she can do what anyone else can, thinking she’s better than everyone else, constantly fussing over her appearance, thinking she deserves everything she’s gotten and that she deserves more without earning it, etc., so her entire character arc wasn’t even there. She just went from quiet about her narcissism to openly expressing it. She never grew from her horrible traits and habits, never realized she was wrong by jumping all over Jason while he was amnesiac, etc., and the whole ‘feeling of uselessness’ was brought up once then never expanded on or mentioned ever again, and nor was her internalized misogyny and fiery hatred towards femininity (which wasn’t even explained). Riordan should’ve used the ‘snobby rich girl learns to be kinder and more modest’ or expanded on the fact that Piper almost killed her friends multiple times. In Katoptris, she saw Jason with gold eyes in Kansas then said ‘Let’s go to Kansas!’ She saw her, Jason, and Percy literally drowning and legit said ‘Let’s go drown!’ without telling them about what she actually saw in her dagger. She saw her and Annabeth exploring some ruins and said ‘Let’s go!’ despite knowing the visions were deadly. She put all of her friends in multiple, life-threatening situations and never felt guilty and wasn’t even called out on it, because no one said if the visions in Katoptris were fate- something you can’t avoid- or destiny- something you can choose and change. 

-Frank. Frank’s character arc was clear, but it happened in the wrong way. The main idea of his development was that he was insecure about his appearance then gained confidence from it, but he did only after he magically gained rippling abs and muscle. He only felt good about himself once he lost all his fat as if that’s not obvious lookism, fatphobia, and fat shaming (thanks, Riordan). Frank should’ve learned to love himself despite his flab and appearance and learned that it didn’t matter what he looked like cause he would still be a hero either way. He should’ve shown the readers that ‘Hey, I don’t care what I look like, cause appearance doesn’t matter, whether you choose to do the right thing or not does’, but it was wasted for fat shaming every single reader who was insecure about their weight and didn’t or couldn’t get skinnier and telling them that they should be insecure about themselves because they don’t look like Frank. Is it really so hard for society to believe that a lot of people who aren’t stick-thin are happy and confident about their body? 

-Hazel. Honestly, her character arc was one of the most confusing ones, cause she didn’t have anything to drive or even start one. Her backstory is tragic, yes, but there isn’t anything in it that she has to learn to change from cause all of that was resolved when she took down Alcyoneus and Gaea. The only thing I can think of is learning to break away from toxic people even if they’re your family or friend or cause you don’t want to hurt their feelings, but Hazel didn’t struggle with relationships at all. She wasn’t even introduced to any toxic people besides Octavian, and she already hated him. Her transition from the racist and segregated days to the modern world could’ve been really good material for a character arc along with internalized racism- she of all people (someone born and raised in segregation who was taught to hate herself and her skin tone) would grow up thinking that there was something wrong with her because of her dark skin tone and- especially after meeting so many different people of different ethnic groups and skin colors- could’ve learned to love herself and learn that skin tone doesn’t define you (which also would’ve been a perfect lesson for younger readers). Another thing that puzzled me about her ‘development’ was her powers. Her Mist control powers are cool, but what would’ve been cooler was if she was reluctant to use them because she wouldn’t want to twist the minds of people just like Gaea did to her mom. Her gem and metal control powers could’ve been expanded on but they were barely mentioned after The Son of Neptune. As for her curse, that...made absolutely no sense. Her curse was honestly just dead weight. It wasn’t even that one thing that had a lot of potential, it didn’t even have potential, cause what would she ever use it for? It was just used to make her backstory sadder, but it was never mentioned again or even explained. The only thing it could’ve been used for (and what I was hoping would happen) was if one her friends or allies took one of her cursed jewels and died because of it. The one thing I was really hoping to see in her character arc was from the quote she said to Hecate after Hecate gave her the three paths to choose from- “I’m not choosing one of your paths. I’m making my own.” This really sparked my interest because almost everything Hazel had gone through was forced onto her by others without her consent. She didn’t choose to be born into racism and segregation. She didn’t choose to be cursed. She didn’t choose to be used as a pawn by Gaea through her mother. She didn’t choose to almost raise a giant and nearly bring upon the apocalypse. She didn’t choose to use her curse against others and move to multiple places. She didn’t choose to be brought back to life. She didn’t choose to be brought to Camp Jupiter and thrown into an army. She didn’t choose to be a part of the Seven and face the same woman who used her and had her mother possessed years ago. The only two choices she made herself- destroying the island and Alcyoneus and sacrificing Elysium so her mother wouldn’t go to the Fields of Punishment- and she and her mother died because of it and she went to Asphodel for years. I was really hoping to see Hazel break free from others always making decisions for her and learn to make her own choices, but that never happened. 

-Leo: His character arc was also very confusing, but because it was all over the place. Riordan kept switching up Leo’s internal problems; forgetting about one of them and jumping to another, jumping to three different others, and then going back to the first one a few chapters later. It was so confusing. And then- in the end- he focused on the worst problem Leo had- not finding a love interest. I mean, who exactly focuses on whether or not they have a girlfriend while in the middle of a war and fighting to survive again? I liked Leo’s other problems- guilt over and blaming himself for his mother’s death, seeing his fire powers as a curse instead of a gift, forcing himself to hide his pain with humor instead of opening up to people, running away from all his problems, and his abandonment issues and constant fear of being left out and alone, but they were all replaced with ‘He felt like the seventh wheel’ (cause yes, Riordan, if you don’t have a love interest, you are immediately lesser than anyone who does, obviously). Leo got over his mother’s death in The Lost Hero- which, great- but after that nothing too memorable changed about his character. He never even used or mentioned his fire powers after The Lost Hero, he continued to hide all his pain with humor, hide his emotions from other people, and never learned to open up to others about his pain and trauma, he never learned to stop running away from his powers (shown by when he faked his own death without bothering to talk to the others about feeling left out), and his abandonment issues and fears were never expanded on, he just ran into the arms of a girl who verbally abused and constantly insulted him AKA ran to the person who gave him attention, even if it was the bad kind of attention, as if that’s not something emotionally scarred people and people with abandonment issues do, and he never grew from accepting unfair hate and criticism. 

-Nico. His character development was actually pretty good. From going to an energetic, cheerful, and playful kid to becoming a quiet, closed-off, and independent teen who struggled with depression and feeling alone and like he didn’t belong, to finding comfort in his family and friends (especially Reyna, Hazel, and Will) and learning to accept himself for who he was (as a son of Hades and as gay) and how to confide in others about his struggles, problems, and trauma and finally letting people in after being do dubious of people after Percy broke his promise to protect Bianca, he found out that King Minos was using him, and almost all of Camp Half-Blood excluded and ignored him. After being alone for most of his life, by the end of The Blood of Olympus, he has two homes (as stated by Reyna), is comfortable with people hugging him, allowed people to take care of and help him, decided to stay at Camp Half-Blood and Camp Jupiter instead of isolating himself, made a bunch of new friends that helped him through his struggles, and he even showed multiple signs of healing from his depression and anxiety. His character development was pretty well-written. But, there was one thing wrong with it that kind of ruined the rest- his love life. Nico had an incredible character arc that could’ve taught multiple valuable lessons to younger readers, but most of it was ditched after he came out as gay in The House of Hades. Throughout all of his point of views in The Blood of Olympus, Nico never thought about any of his past trauma or struggles, Bianca, his new family and friends, etc. Pretty much all he thought about was finding out how to come out to the others and Percy. And while mustering the courage to come out is a huge deal and is great material for a character arc, Riordan never actually utilized it. Nico telling Reyna he was gay was really touching (best duo) and telling Percy he had a crush on him was great, but after that, his entire character was about his attraction towards Will (which was way too rushed, but that’s for another rant), and it got pretty annoying cause it made it obvious that Riordan only confirmed him gay for publicity by trying to shove it in the reader’s faces as if every gay person needs to have a boyfriend to validate and prove their sexuality. Riordan should’ve stayed on track with Nico’s original character arc. 

-Reyna. THE BEST CHARACTER ARC. Hers was actually really good. She started off trying to do everything on her own because she believed that she had to be strong enough to do things by herself without help from others to learning that it’s okay to ask for help. She also started off with the (quite serious and traumatizing) problem of bottling all her emotions because she believed that she always had to put on a strong, brave face for others without showing any signs of weakness to learning that it’s okay to express your emotions and confide in others (and again, that it’s okay to ask for help). This was mostly evident after she met Nico, which (in my opinion) kick-started her motivation to change because once she saw how much Nico needed help and giving him that support and comfort, realized that everyone is allowed to ask for help and started confiding in Nico as well. I like how she stayed strict and serious cause she has a formal job- a job that’s equivalent to an American’s president, that is- so she’s supposed to be serious, and she’s only strict cause she wants to protect her people. Though I do hate when people misjudge her as ‘cold-hearted’ or ‘cruel’ because Reyna is actually one of the kindest and most selfless characters in the series. Even Pegasus (the immortal lord of the pegasi) was ‘touched’ by Reyna’s ‘compassion’ towards Scipio (he didn’t even say that to Percy about Blackjack), and it’s pretty obvious she cares deeply about her family, friends, and people. And overall, her character arc was easily the best-written one in HoO. But then Riordan- just like he does with most things in this series- completely trashed her character arc just so he could have the opportunity to make fun of wlw readers who thought Reyna and Thalia would be a good couple by making her leave everything behind for the Hunters of Artemis just cause she ‘couldn’t find a love interest’ as if joining the Hunters is the only option for single female demigods instead of just...living a normal demigod life without a partner without leaving everything they know and love behind for no reason other than their shitty love life. 

[spiralcompendium]

Day Six: Arc One World Critique

This will be a review/critique of each of the five worlds in the first arc--what I thought was effective and ineffective about each world’s plotline, setting/lore, and characters! Spoilers: there are a lot of Problems but I still love this horrible little game anyway.

═══*.·:·.✧    ✦    ✧.·:·.*═══

.·:·.✧ Wizard City ~ A- ✧.·:·.

✦ Plotline  ✦

Wizard City functions well as an introduction to the game. We immediately get introduced to the main villain, but we don’t know what his plan is yet. The Wizard’s mission, at this point, is to stop Malistaire’s undead from overtaking the streets. After we defeat Lord Nightshade, we learn that this was all a distraction from Malistaire’s real plan--to get the Krokonomicon from Krokotopia. Even though this means that what the protagonist did in Wizard City doesn’t have a direct connection to the main plot, I still think that it works well as a low-level story. 

I appreciated the originality of some of the subplots on each street; some standouts include stopping undead from siphoning powerful Storm magic from the Storm Mill on Triton Avenue, as well as defeating Cyclops Lane’s Cyclopes and Trolls, who were originally summoned to defend against the undead. 

While some of the side quests were just your standard MMORPG delivery or defeat quests, some were also pretty interesting! For example, Gloria Krendell’s and Duncan Grimwater’s quests provide insight into Malistaire’s backstory. Even the more simple-seeming quests had flavor text that made it a bit more fun. Being sent to defeat a boss to get back the Sleeper’s Timepiece, a watch that can bring nightmares to life, is a lot more interesting than being sent to defeat a boss who’s just evil and attacking citizens.

✦ Setting and Lore ✦

Every game needs to start with a relatively basic area, and in this one, it’s Wizard City. Still, I love all of the little details that flesh out the world. The devs could have chosen to go with really basic fantasy areas and use just houses, castles, and libraries. Instead, we have places like the Storm Mill--“one of the main sources of magical energy for all of Wizard City,” the Hedge Maze that is watched over by an ancient seraph, and the Fireglobe Theatre in the center of a burning street. It’s also really cool how all of the different streets have a different “feel”--Triton Avenue seems very industrial, Colossus Boulevard seems very upper-class (despite the Gobblers), and Firecat Alley seems very artsy and creative. Having abandoned areas like the Haunted Cave and mysterious places like Sunken City imply a history to the world. Still, Wizard City doesn’t feel like it has much of a past.

Overall, Wizard City has a good amount of lore with the various magical creatures and villains, especially considering Bartleby, the creator of the Spiral, lives here. With the addition of the Catacombs quest, it seems like Wizard City has a lot going on behind the scenes. 

✦ Characters ✦

Very few characters stand out at this point in the story. I liked Duncan Grimwater’s arc (although this doesn’t pay off until arc three), and I loved dealing with the shenanigans of both Nolan Stormgate and Cyrus Drake while questing in Cyclops Lane. Still, none of the characters have any major presence besides Ambrose, who is just there to be an Old, Wise Wizard. I would have liked there to be a maximum of six or seven major characters, possibly to represent each of the main schools. They wouldn’t all have to travel with us everywhere, but it would be cool to have more overlap instead of just meeting one or a few separately in each street. I also wish that some of the villains had a larger presence in the story. We don’t even hear about Lord Nightshade, the final boss, until we’re sent to fight him.

.·:·.✧ Krokotopia ~ B- ✧.·:·.

✦ Plotline ✦

In Krokotopia, the Wizard is chasing Malistaire to try and prevent him from getting the Krokonomicon, a book of powerful Life and Death magic. They are also stopping the awakened Kroks and some undead along the way. The plotline could have been more compelling if there was more of a focus beating Malistaire to the Krokonomicon, stopping Malistaire, or having Malistaire find different ways to stop the Wizard. Instead, Malistaire has very little presence, and we learn at the end that he beat us there--who knows how he got there or what he was even doing the whole time. 

By itself, though, Krokotopia’s plot isn’t too bad. Freeing slaves and reassembling an ancient magical order of anti-authoritarian Kroks is a good premise. 

✦ Setting and Lore ✦

Krokotopia’s setting is somewhat compelling in theory, but I do wish there was more variety--we’re pretty much inside hallways the whole time. I liked how each major area (the Pyramid of the Sun, the Krokosphinx, and the Tomb of Storms) has their own Krok leading family, such as the Nirinis and Sokkwis. I liked the family conflict between the Ahnics and Djeserits in the Tomb of Storms, as well. Krokotopia has a much more obvious history to it than Wizard City. I really liked the Marleybone presence, as well, which hinted at their dominance over many different worlds in the Spiral; it also showed that the various worlds are interconnected and not just levels in a game.

✦ Characters ✦

Yeah, no one in this world is particularly important. The major Marleybonean characters are pretty much just there to give quests, and the villains are just there to be something to fight, similar to Wizard City. Hetch al’Dim’s character trait was Anxiety, which I thought was pretty cute. Alhazred’s character trait was Old, so… alright. Once again, we get introduced to our final boss pretty much right as we have to fight her. Still, her design is pretty fabulous, so that’s cool. 

.·:·.✧ Marleybone ~ D+  ✧.·:·.

✦ Plotline ✦

Marleybone’s importance to the overall plot of arc one is minimal:

1. Malistaire frees Meowiarty so he can steal the Krokonomicon.

2. Malistaire gets the Krokonomicon. 

These last two events happen at the very end of the world, so everything else feels like a lot of filler. The Wizard has to put a stop to gang uprisings and attacks by automatons, only some of which Malistaire is connected to--and these were only started to interrupt the Wizard chasing him. It would have been great if the narrative as a whole was a mystery; despite having some elements of a mystery story, it wasn’t one. Also, it would have been interesting to have more of a focus on the obvious social issues occurring in the world. We see the dogs discriminating against the cats, rats, and frogs throughout the story--accusing them of crimes they didn’t commit and literally paying the Wizard to attack Street Sweepers out of a pavilion who were doing nothing but loitering, at worst, just because Abigail Doolittle wanted to have a party celebrating the police. Yikes!

Beyond that, a lot of the side quests were unquestionably bad. I always hate doing the quests for the ladies in Marleybone, because it’s all just bringing hats and scarves to different places. One quest like that would have been fine. 

The moment when the Wizard had to chase Malistaire and Meowiarty during the prison break was pretty fun, although (as @calamity-callie​ pointed out) they immediately moved to an unrelated case in Knight’s Court instead of just continuing to ramp up for the Meowiarty fight. This makes the story seem kind of janky. Again, I would have preferred for both Malistaire and Meowiarty to have more of a presence in the story. 

✦ Setting and Lore ✦

Marleybone’s setting is a lot of fun, and I love how much it contrasts Krokotopia. While magic is deeply ingrained in Krokotopia (from the presence of the Balance school down to the colors of the Manders’ scales), Marleybone doesn’t practice magic at all. I like how dark the world is--it’s very fitting for a place that has so much turmoil. I definitely would have liked to see more of a variety in the specific locations though--Hyde Park, Chelsea Court, and Knight’s Court are pretty much the same, not to mention that 99% of the story takes place on rooftops. The lore is alright, but there’s not too much that I find to be super compelling--most of it is just Victorian English stuff + steampunk.

✦ Characters ✦

Sherlock Bones is kind of there, although he doesn’t really solve any interesting mysteries. The concept of Baxter was good--having a “guy on the inside” who could guide the Wizard--but he was a flat character. Meowiarty was probably the most compelling, but he didn’t have much of a presence. I would have liked the world to have much more of a mystery-based plot (as in, actual mysteries) that was focused on working with Sherlock Bones, Watson, and Baxter to find/stop Meowiarty and Malistaire. 

.·:·.✧ MooShu ~ F+ ✧.·:·.

✦ Plotline ✦

MooShu has always bothered me a lot, because it has little direct connection to the overarching story. Malistaire comes here, steals the Spiral Key from the Emperor, and then leaves before the Wizard even gets there. The Jade Champion was able to get the Spiral Key back right as Malistaire went through the door, but he did not give it to the Wizard because the Emperor must be the one to give it to us for some reason. Still, I really liked the concept of the different Onis affecting each area in different ways.

The side quests are… fine, I guess, although I did love the ones centered around the two lost lovers in the Ancient Burial Grounds.  

✦ Setting and Lore ✦

This is the first W101 world that stands out as being, uhhhhh,,,, NOT super PC. The accents, stereotypes, and blending of different Asian cultures is not a great look. If we’re able to look past that (which we shouldn’t), I honestly don’t really like look or aesthetic. There’s just a whole lot of brown and a whole lot of bamboo. Pirate101 MooShu is leagues better visually (although it has the same problems with reeeeeally problematic language and characters). I do like a lot of the lore though, especially concerning demons, the Spirit World, and religion. But yeah, I do wish that the setting had more relevance to the story as well. Malistaire wants an ancient magical text from Krokotopia--Krokotopia as a setting makes sense. The ancient text gets stolen by an England analogue and put in a museum--Marleybone as a setting makes sense. The Dragonspyre Spiral Key is kept in MooShu just for fun, I guess. We learn later that the Emperor of MooShu is a member of the Council of Light, so I guess it would make sense for him to have it, but they literally could have made him the Emperor of a world based on anything else and it wouldn’t have changed anything in the main, overarching plot. 

✦ Characters ✦

The characters sure do give you quests! They’re really good at telling you how to progress in the game. They absolutely tell you where to go to get XP. 

.·:·.✧ Dragonspyre ~ B- ✧.·:·.

✦ Plotline ✦

Dragonspyre’s plot definitely needed some work, as well. When we get there, we learn that Malistaire is in the process of summoning the Dragon Titan in the Headmaster’s Office, but the Wizard can’t get there until they can become a student at Dragonspyre Academy. So we, again, aren’t actively working against Malistaire, because he’s literally static the whole time--the Spiral would be screwed if the ritual took like five minutes. 

Despite that, some of the subplots in the different areas were pretty fun: going into the past to see the start of its end, learning lessons from its history in the Crucible, and hatching and raising a Drake (whom we never see again, which sucks). 

Like with MooShu, it would have been a lot more impactful to be actively fighting against Malistaire the whole time. In the other worlds, part of the tension comes from Malistaire’s minions attacking innocents. In Dragonspyre, the tension isn’t there because they’re all already dead. Still, if they had focused on this aspect (i.e., the Wizard is the only living person in a world full of ghosts and Malistaire’s minions), it could have been really impactful.

✦ Setting and Lore ✦

I love the premise of this world: a ruined city that was destroyed by a horrible, ancient power due to the hubris of its elite. Dragonspyre has one of the most in-depth histories out of all the worlds of the Spiral, and I love the blending of the cultures of ancient Rome/Pompeii and Russia + dragons. Plus, Dragonspyre Academy darkly mirrors what Ravenwood could become if Malistaire successfully summoned the Dragon Titan. 

However, similar to Marleybone, all of the different areas have the same buildings, color palette, and mood. I like the additions of areas that are based on ancient Roman structures (the Basilica, the Necropolis, the Forum, etc,), but it doesn’t really matter because they all look the same. 

✦ Characters ✦

Cyrus Drake is one of my favorite W101 characters. His character arc is really good, especially if you play as a Myth wizard. He’s tough on the Wizard at first, but I honestly think it’s because he doesn’t think this Literal Child should be sent to defeat Malistaire. 

Malistaire is alright as a villain, and I’m certainly glad he wasn’t a generic evil guy who wants to rule/destroy the world just cuz. I would have wanted him to have just a little something extra, though?? Morganthe is a necromancer who was once a student just like the Wizard, but her mind shattered after the Spider Magi showed her how to touch Shadows. Old Cobb is an elder god who wanted to end the Spiral and recreate it. Malistaire is… an old professor who wants to bring his wife back. I do like how it’s unique, but I would want there to be something more.

Besides them, the characters in Dragonspyre are once again very flat, although I am very gay for the Russian-accent soldier ladies. 

═══*.·:·.✧    ✦    ✧.·:·.*═══ 

Before writing this, I probably would have said that arc one was my favorite. Looking back, it has soooo many problems--writing isn’t exactly one of KI’s strong points lmao. I think that Wiz has some very creative ideas and premises, but sometimes the execution just isn’t the best. I definitely think that a lot of these problems were a result of crunch time, though. If they were actually given time to flesh out their ideas, I think that the game would have turned out much better in terms of storytelling and design. 

I’m thinking about making reviews for arc two and three, as I’d be really curious to see how they’d compare. They all have different strengths and different problems. Still, this game has been my favorite game since I was eleven, and it’s something that I will always come back to.

Image Sources

https://101universe.fandom.com/wiki/Wizard_City?file=Ravenwood.jpg

https://101universe.fandom.com/wiki/Krokotopia?file=Tumblr_n1e872SXlZ1tsc4dmo2_r1_540.jpg

https://www.swordroll.com/2013/05/Pirate101-Krokotopia.html

https://www.mmorpg.com/columns/wizard101-abigail-doolittle-is-the-true-villain-2000108162

http://www.edwardlifegem.com/2018/11/wizard101-questing-where-we-ended-up_14.html

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_hGd5cDTxd0

https://finalbastion.com/wizard101-guides/w101-pet-guides/pets-dropped-mooshu-wizard101/

https://101universe.fandom.com/wiki/Dragonspyre_Academy?file=Dragonspyre_Academy.jpg

http://www.wizard101central.com/wiki/File:(Location)_The_Crystal_Grove.png#axzz6a4BqFgfv

[ask-teamsunrise]

It’s 2am I can’t sleep, so here’s the reasoning behind the names I gave the characters because I’ve been known to spend HOURS trying to find the perfect name for a character.

Saki (Treecko, hero)- The name Saki comes from two Japanese words, Sa which means blossom and Ki which means hope. I thought it was a fitting name. Also, you might have noticed from the one time I drew her human form, but Saki is supposed to be Japanese.

Pallas (Eevee, partner)- Pallas means wisdom, and in Greek Mythology Pallas was the name of Athena’s best friend who she accidentally killed during a spear contest. The partner in EoS is probably the smartest out of all the partners, and explains many things to the player (Mystery Dungeons, the Time Gears, Treasure Town, etc.)

Andy (Bidoof)- Andy is the shortened form of Andrew which means manly. However I didn’t give this name to Bidoof because of the meaning, but instead association. I’ve grown to really love the name Andy (it’s my favorite male name) because I find that most fictional characters with the name to be adorable and really endearing. (Andy from Fantasy Life is a big reason as to why.) So I figured I’d give it to Bidoof.

Maximus (Wigglytuff)- Maximus means greatest. I thought it would be a good name because the name can be shortened to reflect the two sides of Wigglytuff. Max- a shorter, more childlike name (When I hear the name I tend to think of the show “Max and Ruby) to associate with Wigglytuff’s friendly carefree side. While Maximus stands for his more serious and “dangerous” side hence the longer and more intimidating name.

Antonio (Chatot)- Finding the meaning for this was a bit harder, but the most I saw for the meaning is priceless. And a synonym for that word is invaluable. Which is fitting considering that Wigglytuff calls him his “invaluable partner” in Brine Cave. Though funnily enough, that was just a coincidence. Since Chatot’s my favorite character I had some specific requirements for his name. The first was that I wanted it to be musical related. The design of Chatot is heavily based off of music (The quarternote head and metronome tail for example) and even during the game Chatot tends to sing out his words. The second was that I wanted a name I could get a nickname out of. Because the idea of Wigglytuff giving Chatot a nickname was too cute to pass up. I chose Antonio for Antonio Vivaldi, who was a composer. (I played one of his violin solos for a contest once) and for a nickname I came up with Annie.

Clytia (Sunflora)- Clytia means renowned, famous, splendid, and excellent. Okay, I got the mythology wrong, but oh well. In Greek mythology there was a nymph who had that name, and that nymph fell in love with Helios. However he left her for someone else. Angered, she killed that other girl but didn’t gain back Helios’ love. Filled with dispair she sat unclothed without eating or drinking and on the ninth day was turned into a flower called the heliotrope. However, when I read the myth it just said she was so in love with Helios that the gods took pity and turned her into a sunflower. Bit of a mistake on my part.

Louis (Loudred)- Louis means renowned warrior. I think I really was just lazy with this one.

Joey (Corphish)- Joey means he/god may add, which is pretty ironic considering Corphish doesn’t really... do anything. Honestly if you got rid of him there would be no consequences. Anyway, when you go on deviant art and look up Corphish gijinka some of the top results have Corphish with a blue headband wrapped around his forehead. And that headband plus the orange hair reminded me of Joey Richter’s version of Ron Weasley. So now whenever I think of Corphish I think of Joey Richter. (Fun fact! My design of Corphish is actually based off of Joey Richter as well.

Adonis (Croagunk)- Adonis means lord. Now that I think of it there really was no reason for me to give him this name, though if you wanna have a weird time you can look up some information about the Adonis from Greek Mythology! Man... I really need to brush up on my stuff.

Terence (Dugtrio)- Apparently this name has no meaning. It just reminded me of the word “terrain” so that’s why I chose it.

Noah (Diglett)- Noah means rest/comfort. In the Bible Noah and his family were spared from the flood by God. I chose it because of Digtrio’s obsession with the ocean.

Suzi (Chimecho)- Suzi means lily or rose. Originally the name I chose for Chimecho was Suzuki which means bell tree. But when I found it they said it just meant bell... and that it was a first name. And when I realized my information was wrong I was already fond of the name so I chose the next closest.

Hemlock (Koffing)- Hemlock is a poisonous plant that can kill you.

Oleander (Zubat)- Oleander is a poisonous plant that can kill you. (He’s called Ollie for short)

Nightshade (Skuntank)- Nightshade is a poisonous plant that can kill you. However this isn’t Skuntank’s real name. He was just jealous that Hemlock and Ollie were named after deadly poison and he wanted in on the fun.

Hector (Grovyle)- Hector means to check or restrain. In Greek mythology Hector was a Trojan prince, who was considered the opposite of Achilles. He’s known as being kind, even telling Helen that the war wasn’t her fault, and that it was just a war over a man’s sense of pride. One of the scenes from The Iliad involving Hector that stick out the most is the scene in which his son sees him in his armor and starts to cry, and doesn’t stop until he takes his helmet off. Hector is also the name of my mom’s cat.

Faye (Celebi)- Faye means fairy, though it could also mean loyalty or belief. I chose this name because Celebi gijinkas tend to look like fairies and I find that adorable. There’s also a character in Fire Emblem that’s in love with the hero. (Though obviously that’s the only thing they have in common.)

Alastor (Dusknoir)- Alastor has many meanings “he who does not forget” avenger, persecutor and tormentor. Ya’ll really didn’t think I’d give Dusknoir a nice name, did you?

Caspian (Lapras)- Named for the Caspian Sea. Also in CS Lewis’ book “The Dawn Treader” Caspian was sailing a ship for whatever reason. I haven’t read or watched it in awhile. But Lapras’ gijinka captains a boat so it fits. Also Caspian’s uncle was kind of a mad king that tried to kill him and I headcanon Lapras as being Dialga’s adopted son. (Which is why he can go to the Hidden Land.)

Kronos (Dialga)- Kronos means to cut. In Greek mythology he was the Titon of Time.

[faeriexqueen]

☆Writer Asks☆

Tagged by @kitty-bandit and @silentium-nightshade (thank you! <3)

1. Explain your AO3 handle. TheFairieQueen comes from a nickname I got back in my freshman year of college.  I used to do more studio art growing up, and always did butterflies and fairies (it got somewhat spurned on even more, because my grandmother always talked to me about fairies growing up).  And it’s no secret I like fairy tales - I’ve always been into them, and I just sort of got a reputation in college for liking these things early on?  Between that and the way I dressed, one of my friends thought I was just fairie-like, and she always called me the fairie queen.  So it came from there. XD  (In addition to that, when I talk to my grandmother even today, she refers to my apartment as my “fairy hollow.”) 2. Favorite fanfiction trope? AAAAAA.  This is hard?  I like so many? XD  Definite slow burn buildup and that pining for each other - I’m weak for that, as well as disastrous first meetings when it comes to romance.  (In addition to that, any trope that forced two romantic interests together - like dangerous scenarios, sharing a bed, etc.). 3. Favorite place to write? Easily at home.  It’s just more comfortable to be in my own space, and I usually end up focusing best if I’m cozy in bed or curled up on the couch, always with a cup of tea and dim lighting. ;3 4. Favorite ships in your current fandom? Right now, D.Gray-Man is my main one (I don’t know if I’ll ever leave?), and hands down, Yulma is my OTP.  I think anyone who follows me or talks to me is pretty aware of that. XD  I also have a rare pair I’m super into, which is Tyki x Alma, though @kitty-bandit got me very hard into Lavi x Link as well (and now....Lavi x Alma is on my mind? psjkfjsflkjsd)  But!  I also really love Lucky, LenaLavi, and Laven.  And Anita x Mahoja. <3 5. What are your steps to get into the Writing Mood™? Usually getting comfortable is the main priority, since that helps with focus.  I always have a cup of tea, keep the lighting dim, and will usually be under a layer of blankets.  Sometimes, I’ll listen to instrumental music for inspiration and to set the mood for a scene I’m writing as well. 6. What program/app do you use to write? Microsoft Word. 7. List your zodiac sign, favorite ice cream flavor, Hogwarts House, and your opinion on pineapple pizza. Taurus/WHAT DO YOU MEAN I HAVE TO CHOOSE?  Honestly it switches, but I love mint chocolate chip/Ravenclaw/Nonononono PLEASE NO PINEAPPLE ON MY PIZZA. 8. Link us a fanfic that made you cry. It’s hard for me to full on cry, but A Matter of Time by @kitty-bandit just....fuck.  Fuck.  I don’t even have words for the level of pain this put my heart through.  It just...UGH IT JUST FUCKING HURT, OKAY? ;__; 9. Link us a fanfic that made you laugh. I’m going to have to say A Rough Patch by @errantknightess - like that was so damn amusing I nearly lost my shit on my bus commute home. XD 10. Link us a fanfic that left you in complete awe at the writer’s ability. This is hard considering damn near everyone I know is so talented, but @izadreamer’s Dreaming of Flowers will always be up there.  Like holy shit, everything Iza writes is amazing, but that fic is just a whole new level of insane talent (also Labyrinths of the Heart for any Tangled fans - I’m so behind in this fic, but fuck, it’s amazing too). 11. List your kinks. Oh god, SO. Time to out myself.  A/B/O Dynamics; Dom/Sub dynamics; Anything involving lingerie or tightlacing; Shower sex; Lightheadedness; Teasing; Some BDSM (consensual shit tho); Consensual Voyeurism (if in an established relationship); Mpeg (I lowkey hate myself for admitting this); Sucking/Biting. 12. How do you come up with your ideas? Honestly, they just...come?  Usually with new AUs and story ideas I don’t exactly look for them actively; they more or less hit me.  Once I have a base idea or line of inspiration, I usually will just follow it by jotting down notes, researching anything that ties into said idea, and just..really letting my mind run.  Sometimes you just almost can’t even overthink it, or you might accidentally constrict yourself, you know? 13. How do you implement said ideas into a cohesive narrative? Know the ending.  I swearing, knowing the ending and figuring out the story’s end point is huge.  It really helps in understanding what you ultimately want to accomplish with your stories, and what you want your characters to go through development-wise.   14. What are your working on right now? Share a little snippet or a description. Right now, I just finished up the remaining chapters of Encompassed in Glass for NanoWrimo, but am now moving on to a Nutcracker AU (title TBD).  The main ship with be Yulma (surprise there I’m sure XD), but it’s something I would like to start posting sometime December.  As of now, the prologue is written, and I’ve started chapter one.  (Draft excerpt from chapter one below!)

A snowball had hit her promptly on the shoulder, exploding into a mass of powdery snowflakes. The impact had been surprisingly hard, causing Emilia to trip into a pile of freshly-shoveled snow, and for a moment she struggled to get back up. Alma winced, when he saw how hard he had actually hit Emilia with the snowball.  “Oops, that was harder than I thought…” He murmured, hoping Emilia wouldn’t come for him next.  He turned to Timothy, and whispered.  “Go, go, go!” Timothy, who was snickering loudly at Emilia’s plight, quickly got up and dashed out of the alley, laughing full force when Emilia caught sight of him, glaring threateningly.  Then she turned, and her mouth dropped when she caught sight of Alma peeking out from the alley way. “You were helping him!?” She exclaimed.  “Alma, you traitor-!” Alma smiled sheepishly, before giving a small wave.  “Sorry, got to go!” He said, before running back down the alley.  While he usually never would have left someone who had fallen down, he knew it was for the best; friends or not, Emilia was sure to let him have it once she got a hold of him, and Alma was determined to escape that fate for as long as possible.

Tagging: @izaswritings @candy-crackpot​ @a-q-d @guiltyinnocencedgm @titty-now-titty-later @tykipomme @wonderrie @errantknightess (and anyone else who would like to do this!)

[phantomthiefbymoonlight]

Aria Talks Otome (part 2)

Okay so now that my life has slowed back down a bit, I’d like to talk about how far I’ve caught up on my otome binge. 

I’ve finished all the big title otoge that have released this year and I can honestly say that I’m mostly pleased. Nightshade was really great and had a lot of great stuff to it. It’s still my favorite so far. Goemon and Hanzo are my favorite guys. <3 It should have been longer, that’s my only real gripe. 

I’ve finished Period: Cube, and it’s the only one that really didn’t do it for me. I wasn’t really attached to any of the characters. Each one of them just disappointed me in some form. I liked Astrum, and I understand why he’s popular, but he was still a bit too harsh at points for me. Hiroya’s route was good, but tsunderes aren’t my thing. I still like Radius despite his route being really bland. A lot of the guys in this game were kind of mean for no reason sometimes even when Kazuha was being genuinely nice. It’s an okay game; it’s super pretty but just not the best.  

The romance was also so rushed that it was unbelievable. And the romance in poyo-poyo’s route wasn’t at all coherent. Definitely a taboo though; if you cannot stomach game of thrones, maybe leave poyo-poyo’s route alone. lol I only played the good ends in that game and probably won’t go trophy hunting. I also didn’t like that there weren’t any extra scenes; just some text based stuff. Imo, they should have cut Demento’s and Zain’s routes (they made the least sense) and focused more on Hiroya, Astrum, Radius, Libera and Poyo-poyo. 

Meanwhile, Hakuoki continues to be absolutely amazing. Though I understand some people’s frustration about it being only half a game. I only knew about it because I’m super entrenched in otome stuff haha. But having played it, I was a bit frustrated that they ended up going with that kind of format. I think I would have liked it better if they had split the routes between two different games, but that would have been wayyyyy more work. 

Mostly, my love of the characters hasn’t changed. Okita and Chikage are still A+  for me. I also love Harada and Yamazaki a lot, too. Though Hachiro and Ryoma have now become my A+ as well. MAMO AND DAISUKE ONO OKAY. Not to mention both are totally my types. <3 Which means that the only new dateable character I wasn’t really feeling was Souma lmao. 

I know some people think that HKW kind of messed with the story too much, but I liked the extra dimensions it added. Maybe that’s because I just really love Hakuoki, but I stand by what I think.I’m just sad they took out the scenes with Chizuru dressed as a geisha at Shimabara. I really want them to add those back in at some point! Though since I think Hakuoki’s fandisk is getting expanded (has gotten expanded?) with the new characters, they probably won’t.  

Well I’ve definitely rambled on way too long. TL; DR: Hakuoki is great despite the fact it’s half a game (and Hachiro and Ryoma are fucking awesome), Period: Cube is meh, Nightshade needs more. Now to tide myself over with Fire Emblem and Fate/Grand Order’s english release until Collar x Malice comes out in July. I might see if I can’t pick up the other two games that got localized to steam (only because they actually have JP audio).