#i achieved that by skipping some of the clues

[coquelicoq]

beat my monday nyt record by 23 seconds!!!!

[noneorother]

The grand unified theory of Good Omens S2, Hangs on a double meaning - Answering why .5 + .5 = 25 lazerii *The end?*

Part 1 l Part 2 l Part 3 l Part 4 l Part 5 l The end?

Welcome to the end of the Bonkers Meta Series featuring your favourite Art Director/Clue detective. This is it! I'm going to wrap up this series as well as I can with what I think really happened, the final 15 and why Crowley says the things he says. Meta, Spoilers, Beware! All that. “Armageddon only happens once, you know. They don't let you go around again until you get it right.” 

If you've read my Metatron post you'll know that I thought there were *at least* two time loops with tweaks to achieve different outcomes, seeing as we seemed to be presented with two versions of events a lot of the time, two similar lines of dialogue, double meanings for lines etc etc. If you want a really good recap of a lot of the Clues that have already been compiled already you can go through them here. Yesterday I added my own : The columns in front of the bookshop get stained by a demon, and the stain stays and goes. But why do we care?

Here's my final thesis using the context I'll put together below :

The Metatron is changing the past and the present on earth using the book of life. He's forced a time loop of the last few days at least 50 times over a period of (realtime) months to get the outcome he wants : the separation of Aziraphale and Crowley to allow him to complete the second coming. It only worked once. Let me explain.

1) Not time skips, but stitched loops

My theory about the columns goes like this : a demon touches the right column in the attack on the bookshop, and dirties it. The problem is, in every episode we get multiple versions of the column that are dirtier or cleaner. Why? Because a demon has been touching that column in *more or less* the same place and getting it dirty over time, but the effects on the bookshop only layer every loop and reset, instead of being erased. The layering aspect is super important and I'll get back to it. For now, if we take it that the column gets dirtier over many loops, we now know what we are seeing : a bunch of different time loops stitched together to create a sense of time moving forward in a way that we can understand the story, but that skip forward and backward through the loops. Cleaner column = earlier loop. Here's discussion about clock hands if you want evidence, some even saying the hour hand seems to be going backwards in the first episode or the last, or even that the minute and hour hands must be backwards to make sense. If we think of time skipping ever forward and actions getting deleted (as some have said), then clocks going backwards makes no sense. But if we think about it as a time loop where things and actions are ever being tweaked and changed, then OF COURSE the times won't make sense anymore. People don't show up at the same time if they don't do the same thing they did before. The biggest time discrepancies I've seen in a single scene are A) Crowley's phone and watch being an hour apart in S2E1 and B) Inside the bookshop between Gabriel's fly flashback in S2E6 and him and Beez holding hands, there's an hour difference on the clock. I think that by the time we get to very late loops, some things are happening up to an hour later in the day. A simple example we are shown up top is the Eccles cakes. They are there in the first part of S2E1, but then they are no longer there somewhere along the way. In the first loop we see an ordering action/receiving Eccles cakes action, which takes *longer* than just not doing that and going straight to the shop, so that loop will be slightly later. It gets infinitely more complicated the more loops you are looking at, and we have at least 50 of them. How do I know that?

2) A 25 lazerii miracle

If we know that effects on the bookshop are cumulative and don't reset (because columns), then let's try this idea on for size : Aziraphale and Crowley have been performing the same half miracles on the same spot for 50+* loops, and each times they are layering and getting stronger. .5 demon + .5 angel = .5 angelic miracle x 50*ish loops = 25 lazerii miracle goes off in heaven on the latest loop. Shax then confronts Crowley in his car about a mighty miracle, so we're in a loop here where we've layered quite a lot, but not the last loop because he still has the original glasses/ *but also* Crowley's sideburns are long. Compare it to the scene directly after, and how sunny and bright it is. We're in a later loop and and earlier loop simultaneously.

3) Crowley's been testing So I've been searching for a *reason* that Crowley wears a turtleneck in S2E2 and thren new glasses and changes sideburns, and he seems to be up to some pretty crafty spy stuff, seeing as 1) he seems thrilled by it, and 2) he won't shut up about it (How will our hero cope? Jane Austen, nasty piece of work, master spy) There's also this Clue :

Crowley has a secret, as we know everyone with their hands deliberately in their pocket does in the series. I think Crowley knows before Aziraphale that something is wrong, because he's getting little snippets of memory and feeling, and so he's going off to try and change things about himself, the Bentley and the shop to remind himself in the next loop and leave himself clues or change outcomes if he fails to escape. In the early loops it seems like a fun spy mission, but by the end he's pretty tired and jaded that he doesn't seem to be making any headway on his own.

It *also* explains him throwing books and canapés on the floor in the bookshop to see if it changes in other versions. The problem being that Gabriel keeps cleaning everything up and reorganizing the titles to Crowley can't tell if it's his system or not. (lolsob)

It makes this line seem like he can't fit the loop pieces together anymore, and is trying to make headway without any information, rather than a pre-fall reference.

And this line probably much later in the loops (New sunglasses, long sideburns) :

Okay so! To recap : Everyone gets reset every time, and they make different choices because of past and present edits. But, most heavenly and hellish things don't obey earth laws, and therefore things like miracles start layering, and memories start seeping through the loops. (Point 4 is optional but absolutely hilarious, so I'd like to think it's worth speculating about)

4. The flaw in The Metatron's plan

There's a huge flaw in The Metatron's plan however, and it's that Heaven and Hell don't work like earth does. He's spent so many loops trying to get the result he wants, that he doesn't know that something crazy is *also* happening in hell. Every loop, Shax is emptying out the legions of demons until they barely have enough low level lackeys to go up at all. Hell is understaffed because no new people come into hell in the loop from earth, and they're sending all the demons that aren't subject to the reset into battle. This isn't a negotiation, it's a montage.

So the attack on the bookshop isn't one attack, but waves, and the waves get less powerful each loop. Stitched loops would also explain why Shax now hands Crowley his mail again in the last attack after *just* handing it to him on the park bench, like, 4 days ago in an earlier loop.

I don't have evidence for this directly, but if The Metatron put Maggie together with Nina successfully only in the last few loops, then she's fighting in the bookshop only a few times, and doesn't invite the demons in any other times, which might be why the only evidence is the column, and not books being ruined. But, it might also explain why the demon Eric gets discorporated a bunch of times in a row, he's doing it later and later in each loop. (These are kind of contradictory thoughts, I know.)

5. Aziraphale realizes too late. When I wrote part 4 of this series I was pretty awed by the fact that Aziraphale managed to figure out the Metatron was rewriting things after only hearing him say ONE LINE of dialogue. However after more thought, I think that he's been getting close to the truth a bunch of times by communicating with Crowley in previous loops. In each successive loop he tells Crowley later and later, and it's been getting them reset as punishment each time they figure it out together. By the end they barely communicate at all, because they can feel the danger. Watch his reaction here, in what we can assume is a *very late or last loop (because of the time on the clock)*

He stops himself from interrupting and telling Crowley something important he's just realized : that he's seen Gabriel and Beez get together before. "I know what this means..." 6. Saraqael is helping both sides without them knowing We see Saraquael helping Crowley immediately with the trial when she finds him in heaven. Why would she help Crowley without having ever met him before as a demon? The exchange of "Crowley I remember you, we worked on the Hosehead nebula together" and "I meet a lot of people, (*he doesn't say* I don't remember you)" is a code. They are both trying to communicate what they remember like spies on a bench in St.James park. Who recognizes who, who's trying to stop this madness. Maybe once Crowley gets to heaven this time he's seen multiple trials with multiple endings, and Saraquael has seen them too, I don't really know. BUT she's also communicating with Aziraphale at one point. Look at Saraqael in this scene again about the 25 lazerii miracle. She *remembers the book slap* and then the *looks* at Aziraphale in regards to Gabriel.

Yeah Gabriel, IT NEVER F*&?%ING WORKS IN ANY LOOP SO STOP DOING IT. - Saraquel, probably. Are Saraqael and Aziraphale testing later/earlier in the loops as well? Is this when the miracle was weaker? Who knows! 7. The Metatron job offer was many, many offers

It's really hard to tell with all the pieces of the puzzle moving around, but I think I can count 7 job refusal loops by Aziraphale in the last fifteen minutes. Here's a summary 1) Chinwag with Crowley in the room 2) We should go for a walk instead, here's a coffee 3) You don't have to answer immediately 4) Go tell you friend the good news (This is the important one), it's the last one where he tries to convince Crowley to come with him 5) I need to take care of my bookshop 6) The Metatron puts Muriel in charge of the bookshop, but Aziraphale wants to take something with him 7) Aziraphale straight up runs out to Crowley with "I think I-" 4, again) The Metatron takes him out of the bookshop. "Ready to start"?

Trying to screenshot all that would be insane, so just go rewatch it with all this in mind, and look at how the lighting changes inside of the bookshop and the jump cuts to different angles, and how his face resets every time. It's HEARTBREAKING. 8. The argument

I'm so blown away by the acting and writing (as well as the art direction) in this show, and it all comes to a head in the final argument. Many important lines have double meanings in series 2, because everyone is trying to speak in secret code to not get caught. Especially in the final loops.

In the last loops, we have an Aziraphale who is moving ever closer towards accepting the Metatron's offer, with the straw that broke the camel's back being he could restore Crowley as an angel**/save him; and Crowley who is moving ever farther away, by having to hide all of his Clue gathering, and confiding less and less to Aziraphale in each loop.

Check out the double meanings going on in this whole exchange if you consider that they are trying to save each other using secret codes neither one of them can hear. It's so shattering. Especially when you consider they've probably made it to this argument at least twice, and Crowley convinced him the first time. Why do I say that, you ask? 9. No Nightingales

Because I think Crowley remembers a loop where A Nightingale Sang was playing when they kissed, and Aziraphael didn't leave, but he knows they aren't in that version anymore. 10) I'm a demon, I lied. I'll probably post more abut the secondary characters because Shax, Furfur, Michael, Uriel and Nina etc all have roles to play, but for now, this is it.

----------------------------------------- Thanks so much for reading the gigantic post. If you disagree with my thoughts, or think this is terribly wrong, that's totally fine! I won't be offended. Without a real season 3, everything is just ether. Fingers crossed. I'd also like to thank The Ineffable Detective Agency, @embracing-the-ineffable, @cobragardens, @indigovigilance, @yowlthinks and more for inspiring me and feeding my brain with posts. *Loop numbers could actually be 25+ if you think that .5 demon mircales + .5 angelic miracles pour register as 1 whole miracle in heaven, I just didn't want to go into that in the main review. **The Metatron's meddling in the past seems to me trying very much to highlight to Aziraphale how *good* and righteous Crowley is, despite being a demon, in order to convince Aziraphale that joining him in heaven is a real possibility, and he should push for it.

[idkwhatimdoinghere1655]

Birthday Buddies - Max Verstappen

<word count - 3009>

"OK Maxie, here you go," you said, handing him the envelope with his name scrawled on the front. "Thank you, my love," he smiled, running his fingers under the flap to open it. He eyed you suspiciously as he didn't see a card in the envelope, instead seeing a folded piece of paper. 

Unfolding it, he saw the words written on the page. 'Max, as you know, today is your birthday! You're 26, and have already achieved so much, and I am so proud of you! To find your gift, you have to use your brain a bit... So, your first clue is the place we went on our first date,'

"Making me use my brain... Honestly, my love?" he sighed.

"Yes, now, take me to where we had our first date," you smugly smirked. Max figured he may as well play along. You had planned it all out, and he already knew you had put a lot of effort into it. Plus, it was your birthday too, so he had to listen to you just as much as you listened to him. 

"OK, OK, follow me," Max smiled, taking your hand and leading you out of your apartment. He took you through the winding streets of Monaco, the sun slowly setting over the city. You arrived outside of a small cafe that he took you to, because it was out of the way of the world and you could get to know each other, without the prying eyes of the world on you. 

"Good job Max, you have unlocked the next clue!" You smiled, handing him another, identical envelope as he opened it. "So you could just let me skip straight to the end, but you're choosing not to?" 

"Where's the fun in that? I thought it would be fun to take a trip down memory lane," you said, the both of you remembering the magic that was your first night out. Max thought it was a nice idea, since you had done a lot together since you had started going out, and these were definitely some of his favourites. 

He thought he had blown it after your first date, since he was a stuttering, babbling mess due to how much he liked you. He could barely hold a conversation without being gobsmacked that you were there with him. 

He just couldn't get over how much he liked you, but he thought he had ruined any chances with you. Little did he know, you found it endearing how nervous he was. "Yeah, I guess it is fun," he nodded, unfolding the next piece of paper. 

'Well done, but you're not quite near the finish line yet. Next spot: Where did we have our first kiss?' he read outloud. "You really have to make this a bit harder, these are too easy," he shook his head, taking your hand again. 

It wasn't too far away from the cafe, and it was out on the marina. Some of the boats had their lights on, and the buildings behind you were also lighting up. "You're not in the right spot, hang on," he said, placing his hands on the sides of your arms and shifting you so you were stood by the exact palm tree on the marina yacht club walk. 

"There, we are in the perfect spot," he said, standing in front of you. He remembered gazing at you as you looked out on all of the boats, your eyes glittering under the marina lights. You were entranced by the way the sea sparkled, and how the boats gently bobbed on the surface of the water. 

There was no resisting the urge to kiss you when you noticed him staring, and it was the best decision he had ever made. He drowned in the feeling of holding you close, getting to have his lips against yours. It was like sparks flew whenever he touched you. 

"Yes we are, meaning you get the next clue," you smiled, the memories making you feel drunk with happiness. "OK, this is kind of a two in one," you told him, fishing the next envelope out of your bag. 

'You can't have possibly forgotten this one, because I know I can't, and I don't think you'll ever let me! Take me to the first place that you told me you love me...' he read, a smirk dancing on his lips. "Oh I will never forget this one," he smiled, grabbing your arm.

You were almost reluctant to put this as a clue, since it was a bittersweet memory. Max had taken you to the most beautiful restaurant you had ever seen, and it was still one you frequented now. 

Then, he had taken you on a short walk around the streets of Monaco, before stopping you at a bench by the sea. He was so nervous, since he was about to tell you his feelings. You, on the other hand, were nervous because you were sure you were going to throw up. 

You had felt off all day, but you weren't going to cancel on Max, so you just grinned and bore it. But now, your actions were proving to have consequences. As Max stopped you by the bench, you remembered every little detail of the events that unfolded.

He sat you down, just like he did two years ago, and took your hands. As the both of you thought back to that night, it was as if it were yesterday. Max looked beyond nervous as he looked at you, terrified you weren't going to feel the same way.

Current Max started to stutter, reenacting the moment. "So, Y/N, I... Uhm-" he fumbled, jittering around just like he did. "I love you," he blurted out, and you could have sworn you were back there. "I-" you started, before turning around and pretending to wretch into the bin behind you. 

In the memory, Max didn't care that he could have just ruined everything and simultaneously embarrassed himself, he just cared that you were OK. He rushed to your side, before sitting you back down. 

Now, he said the exact same line he had said, "Me saying I love you wasn't that bad, was it?" he said, and it caused a smile to form on your face both times. "I do love you Max, I just feel awful," you said, leaning into him like you always did.

"That was a weird night," he smiled.

"It was. I was surprised you still loved me after that one, it was the worst timing possible," you laughed, looking at his dazzling smile. "I couldn't fall out of love with you for something so small, I was just relieved you felt the same, my love," he said, waiting for the next clue.

"Next up, the penultimate clue," you said, handing him the final of the normal envelopes for the night. 'Since it's your birthday, it wouldn't be a birthday treasure hunt without sending you to the place where we found out we have the same birthday!' 

"This has been the easiest treasure hunt I have ever been on," he smirked, walking off and expecting you to follow him. You had picked all the spots quite close together, so that you wouldn't have to walk too far. 

"OK, here we are," he said, just stopping in the middle of the street. It had simply come up in conversation when you were walking and talking, and the two of you were both shocked, but also excited. 

Ever since, you both went all out to have the best day the both of you could ask for. "Any reason you sent us here or?" he asked, rocking back and forth on the spot. 

"No, I just thought it was relevant," you shrugged, producing the final envelope of the excursion. "This one might be harder for you, but I don't know," you told him, handing him the golden object. 'Finally, take me to the place where I first fell in love with you,' it said.

Max looked confused, and you could see the cogs turning in his mind. "I would have remembered if you had told me where this was," he said, not moving from the spot as he thought. 

"Would you like a lifeline? You can phone a friend, take the bonus clue, or have me point you in the right direction," you told him. 

"I'll take the bonus clue," he decided, waiting for whatever it was going to be. 

"You have selected: 'Y/N's Bonus Clue!'" you enthusiastically said, revealing a blue envelope with a big, orange question mark adorning the front.  "Thank you, my love," he smiled, opening the envelope and looking more confused. 

'We've already been here today...' he read to you, taking a moment to think. It could have been any of them, really, but he went for the one he thought would be most likely. "OK, follow me," he skeptically said, taking you back to the marina yacht club walk, next to the palm tree where you had shared your first kiss. 

"Unfortunately, that is the first one you have gotten wrong today. You can still use one of your life lines, those being phone a friend or have me point you in the right direction," you told him, glad you hadn't made it too easy on him. "I'll phone a friend," he said.

"Alright then, phone a friend it is," you said, pulling your phone out of your bag and dialing a mystery number. Well, it was a known number, but you had changed the contact name to mystery number. "I thought it was phone a friend?" he said, taking the phone from you. 

"It is," you nodded as if it were obvious, the mystery person picking up on the other end of the line. "Hi, this is Max, I'm doing Y/N's treasure hunt, and I'm stuck on the last clue. I've been told you might be able to help me?" he asked, feeling positively ridiculous. 

"Hi, yes I can," the person tried not to burst out laughing, "You need to take her to the place where you first figured out she was the person you wanted to spend your life with," he laughed, remembering when Max had told him that. He had found it unbelievably cheesy, yet sweet at the same time. 

"OK, thank you Lan- I mean mystery person, I appreciate it," Max giggled, now knowing where to take you. "Right, off we go," he said, leading you to the final destination. He was hoping the mystery person wasn't wrong, because that would be embarrassing. 

"Here we are," he hummed, stopping you back outside the cafe that was your first place. "I think the mystery caller sent me to the wrong place," he sheepishly said, rubbing the back of his neck. Surely you hadn't loved him since your first date, right?

"No, you're at the right spot," you reassured, letting him figure it all out in his head. "What was the clue, Max?" you prompted. 

"The place you first fell in love with me," he recited, the pieces still not fitting together in his mind. "And where are we?"

"The place we had our first date?" he said, and it sounded more like a question due to his unsurity. "Exactly, because I've always loved you. Even if I couldn't put a name to how I felt back then, now I know it was just because I had never loved anyone as much as I love you," you smiled.

"Thank you, my love, that was beautiful," he smiled, trying to contain tears at how much your words had touched him. "As for your gift, it's back at home," you said, and nothing happened. "I said, as for your gift, it's back at home!" you shouted, craning your neck so your voice would carry further around the corner. 

A man appeared from around the corner, a hood pulled up over his eyes. He dropped something by your feet, and you picked it up. "Sorry, excuse me, you dropped this," you said, but the man kept on walking. "Well isn't that strange," you said, handing him the black, leather book that the man had dropped. 

"It is, isn't it?" Max joined in, catching onto the act. He ran opened the cover, immediately realising what this was. It was a photo album, with all the pictures you had taken at those spots you had sent him to today, as well as others from other good times.

He ran his fingers over your features, noting how you hadn't changed at all in the two years you had been together. "There's not much you can do for a man who has it all," you smiled, hoping he liked it. "You're right, I do have it all, I have you," he said, cringing at himself internally.

However, you couldn't hide the goofy smile and blush that tinted your cheeks. "But this is the best gift you could have gotten me besides yourself," he said, flicking through the pages upon pages of memories, forever recorded through colour. 

"I'm glad you like it," you grinned. 

"Now come on, birthday girl, let's get you home," he smiled, tucking the album underneath his arm, looping the other around your waist as he lead you home. When you got to the door of your apartment, you noticed it was open. 

"I swore I locked this when we left..." You said, worried. You didn't want your birthdays to be ruined by someone breaking into your home. "Yeah, you did," he reassured, but he was awful at hiding the smirk on his face. 

Pushing the door open, you saw that the room was lit up in nothing but candles, and relaxing spa music was playing. "I didn't take you to a single spa while we've been globe trotting, so I thought the least you deserved was the at home Spa de Max," he explained, pushing you through the door. 

"Well I already think Spa de Max is better than any spa you could take me anywhere else," you told him, walking into the apartment. "I hope to live up to your expectations, so, go put this on, and your masseuse will be with you when you are ready," he said, handing you a fluffy white robe - just like in a spa. 

"OK," you zealously nodded, excited for what Max had in store. You did just as he had said, changing out of your clothes and into the robe. When you got back out to the living room, you saw the dining room table in the middle of the room, with what looked to be a mattress topper on top.

"Trust me on this, it is actually very comfy," Max said, standing beside the table. "On you get," he told you, and you clambered onto the table. "May I?" he said, slipping his hands into the robe by your shoulders. "Yeah, course," you agreed, letting him slip the soft fabric off your shoulders, and leaving the rest handing on you hips. 

"Lie on your front for me, my love," he said, as you maneuvered onto your front, resting your head on your arms. "Now just close your eyes, and relax," he instructed. Max dabbed some essential oils on his hands, before running them over the span of your back.

As he worked his hands into your muscles, you were trying not to fall asleep. "How did you know we'd be going out?" you asked, wondering how he had managed to sneak someone in to set the house up.

"Because your little helper is also my little helper. He told me we'd be leaving, so I sent him to set all of this up. But, don't worry, he didn't tell me a single detail about what we'd be doing," he reassured you, knowing you wouldn't want the surprise to be ruined.

"Our helper has been a busy boy," you slurred, trying to keep yourself awake by talking. 

"Aww my love, are you tired?" he teased, moving his hands up your neck and across your shoulders. "This is just so nice," you mumbled against your arms.

"Don't fall asleep just yet, you still have a few more experiences in Spa de Max," he said, his hands ceasing their movements. "That'll be hard to beat," you said, sitting up on the table. "Fine, I'll take that as a challenge," he smiled, 

When you stood off the table, Max pulled your robe back up and over your shoulders, tying the belt back up to keep you warm. "Tonight is finally the night I will allow you to put a face mask on me," he said, pushing you onto the couch and sitting next to you. 

"Really?!" You asked, gobsmacked. For some reason, Max had plainly refused to put on a face mask whenever you did, but now was your opportunity. "Yes, anything for the birthday girl," he smiled, even if it was his birthday too. The best gift for him was seeing you happy, after all. 

You tugged your headband out of your hair, slotting it onto his head as his blonde strands were pushed back out of his face. On the coffee table, Max had differents pots of face masks with pre-sliced cucumbers to choose from. "Which one?" he asked.

"I'll go for blue," you nodded as he picked up the blue pot, unscrewing the lid. Max just dipped his fingers in, practically slapping the thick substance onto your face. He slathered it around until he thought he had covered enough of the area. 

"Max, you have put it on so thickly, it'll never dry," you whined, seeing half the container was gone, meaning half was on your face. "Just means you'll be extra refreshed," he smiled, picking up the green pot and handing it to you.

You did the exact same to him, slathering more than two thirds of it onto his face, before trying to put the cucumber slices on his eyes. Before you could, he pulled you in for an affectionate kiss. "Happy birthday, my love," he smiled, tucking some of your hair behind your ear.

"Happy birthday to you too, Max, I love you," 

A/N - Happy birthday to Maxie! And to me so I guess that's fun... Have a great day!

|masterlist|

[miracles-and-butterflies]

The second wip of the Reincarnation AU series; Isabela’s death.

Featuring another sketch at the end.

Time skip of fourteen years. What happened between Mirabel and Isabela’s deaths? You’ll never know.

Comments are always appreciated.

Warning, sensitive topics below: murder and character death.

~~~~~~

So Much Hides Behind My Smile

“Knock, knock? Mi flor? Are you in there?” Someone asks, opening the door.

Isabela is sat at her vanity, carefully taking out the flowers she’d woven into her hair that morning. From the mirror’s reflection, she can see Milagro stood in the doorway, her family going about minding their own business just behind.

It had been a busy day, of course. Her perfect, albeit long awaited, wedding.

“Of course, mi vida. Did you need something?”

“I just came to see you,” he answered, shutting the door behind him. He laughed, walking over to her, just about to set a hand on her shoulder. “Well, it’s been a long day but we’ve finally made it to the wedding night—”

“Get the fuck out of my room.” Isabela snarls.

Milagro blanks for a minute. “Um… where else am I meant to sleep?”

“I don’t care. It’s not my problem.” She seethes, turning back to the mirror.

“In case the rest of the day didn’t clue you in, mi flor, we are unfortunately husband and wife now. It very much is your problem. And from what I understand, the sooner you have a baby, the happier your Abuela will be. Which you’ll have a hard time achieving if you don’t want me here.”

“If you so much as touch my shoulder, I will rip your penis off and feed it to my carnivorous plants.”

Neither says anything more.

But it takes exactly two seconds for them to act.

Milagro goes to charge his entire body into hers but is yanked onto the floor by throned vines, as Isabela throws herself straight onto him.

“How dare you treat me like this!?”

“How dare you!? This is my room and don’t you forget it!”

“Just because you’re a Madrigal doesn’t mean you can get away with everything, princesa!”

They scratch and hiss and hit like wild jaguars, fighting over the last scrap of meat.

It just keeps going.

Not only does he deserve it and worse, she can let out all the steam that’s been building inside her.

~~~~~~

“A perfect match,” Alma hummed, as Bruno poured them all another round of wine. “Isabela deserves the best and that is what she has. They will both bring so much good to the Encanto.”

“I can’t believe it. Where has the time gone?” Bruno added.

Pepa nodded, still drying her hair. “It feels like just yesterday Isabela was born and now she’s married and going to have babies of her own.”

“That will be our Lolita soon,” Félix smiled.

“I’m too young to have grandchildren! We’re too young to have grandchildren! No offence, Mama.”

Alma was in too good a mood to even remotely care.

“Is it really Dolores’ wedding next?” Bruno asked, teasing. “Because I had a little peek into the future and I saw—”

“NO! DON’T YOU DARE RUIN IT! I DON’T WANT TO KNOW!” Pepa shrieked.

Bruno held his hands up in surrender as his sister began a play fight with him, Félix laughed riotously.

“Hey, I was only kidding!”

“Well, I don’t believe you!”

Alma chuckled too, before getting up. “I am going to check on Julieta and Agustín.”

“You do that,” Félix said. “I’ll keep an eye on these two.”

The rest of the grandkids, all of whom were drunk, were out in the courtyard, hyper as anything.

Camilo, Antonio and a variety of animals were dancing while Dolores played some lively tune on her bandola; Luisa singing a completely different song over the top.

Honestly, you wouldn’t know they were adults.

On any other day, she would probably have scolded them and sent them to bed. For now though, she is happy enough to just leave them. They aren’t hurting anyone or causing any trouble, to be fair.

Agustín and Julieta were sat quietly in another room, without the wine. Julieta has been in an odd state for the past few years with seemingly new cure, and Agustín has always preferred to keep some distance from his mother-in-law when he can help it.

But they should be together right now. This is Isabela’s day and they have all been her biggest supporters.

“They certainly make the happy couple,” Alma said, taking a seat beside them.

“Indeed.” Agustín agrees. “I had my doubts about this match, but I’m glad that I’ve been proved wrong.”

“So long as my girls are happy, then I’m happy.” Julieta declares.

“Well, mija, I can attest that Luisa is definitely happy.” She paused, trying to get the pair to hear the carryon happening outside. “And trying to make herself a soprano, apparently.”

After some wonky, forced long note from Luisa, they broke into laughter.

“It’s nice to see the kids are still enjoying life and spending time together,” Agustín remarked, smiling fondly.

Julieta’s smile drops.

“Not all of them.”

~~~~~~

Long after Milagro is gone and her temper has cooled, Isabela heads downstairs.

It’s late now.

The rest of the family is in bed. Or at least in their rooms.

She doesn’t know where Milagro went after she kicked him out, probably the guest bedroom, but she doesn’t care enough to check. He can sleep outside for all she cares.

She heard some footsteps on the way to the kitchen, but brushed them off.

One of Antonio’s animals, no doubt.

In the kitchen, she makes her way over to the coffee pot. It’s half full, just needs to be reheated - no doubt Luisa has beaten her to their usual midnight drinks.

Casita takes over, sliding her signature cup along to her.

“What do you think of all this, Casita?”

A few tiles clink.

“Mirabel? I’d be lectured for at least two hours about failed marriages in history or something if she was still alive.” Isabela glanced to the side. “Can’t imagine how she’d take this… knowing I just went back.”

More clinking.

“Well, what was I meant to do? I couldn’t say no.”

A cupboard smacks her shoulder, lightly.

She chuckled. Taking off the wedding ring.

“Haha, good point. You know, I always thought getting out of the Guzmán engagement would make me happy, and now I’m about two seconds away from committing murder.”

The beams squeak supportively.

“It’s nice to know someone’s got my back.”

The coffee pot, ready, is tilted over Isabela’s cup, filling it to the brim.

“Maybe I’ll let it happen. Let the family see he’s awful and then I’ll be free.”

It smells as good as usual, there’s an underlying hint of something that isn’t coffee though. She shrugs, and drinks it anyways.

Luisa’s been drunk since the ceremony ended, who knows what she’s put in here since. It’s probably alcohol - that she’s added in some spark of creativity. And Isabela isn’t too against the idea of alcohol in her coffee at all - it’s an idea she’ll try later, when she isn’t about to go to bed.

It doesn’t taste any different though.

She lets Casita dispose of the ring.

She returns to her room steadily, not paying much attention to the beautiful decorations that have been hanging since this morning.

It’s one of the odd times where she wasn’t the one to decorate Casita in her flora - it was her day. Abuela had made it very clear that she didn’t want Isabela to lift a finger.

She never really got a chance to admire them this morning either. She’s spent most of the day outside of Casita and when they have been home, she was in her room, getting ready with Dolores, her maid of honour.

Ah well.

They will still be there tomorrow.

All that matters now is that she’s alone, out of that hideous wedding dress and can sleep off her frustration with a drink.

She doesn’t bother switching on the light, just clambers into bed and setting the cup on her bedside table.

The café con leche is as inviting as always.

[Note reads, not in Isabela’s handwriting:

Dear family,

This is not about you, this is about me. I can’t cope with the pressure of being the perfect Madrigal any longer. I was not made to be a wife and mother - my most sincere apologies to Milagro, mi vida. I tried. You should not blame yourselves. I hope whatever is is next is better than this.

— Isabela]

[plottwiststudios]

Women of Xal - %15 off

It’s time for some gay alien politics. 

[steam] [itch.io]

Seen this CG yet? No? You should! That’s right, year two of the game being out means it’s time for our second Steam Summer Sale, let’s gooooooo! 

Guide Xjena up the political ladder to the coveted position of Matriarch. Or guide her into a knife repeatedly! That’s fine too! In an alien society where lying is impossible, make sure you utilize your powers to rewind time as you choose the best path forward.

A visual novel with many significant choices and four major endings: two bad, one neutral, and one good. Plus a bunch of ways to accidentally end things early.

12 character arcs with options for romance and/or friend routes! 7 women and 8 men. 

Aro/Ace and Poly runs! One player in our Discord mapped out the maximum number of dates they could go on in one run. 10/10 speed dating strats.  (How do you get the Discord link? Well, that happens to be in game.

Plus!!

Many, many bugs have been either squashed or gently relocated outside since launch. Some still haunt us, but we’re working on it.

Steam Achievements very soon??? We figured out how, we just gotta... do it. lol

Want to get to the gay faster? You’re in luck! We’ve added a whole new mode to the game: Steamer Mode. If you want to skip the exposition at the start and get right to the interesting stuff, this mode offers you a streamlined early game - at the cost of missing a few clues along the way, of course. 

Curious what our team has been up to since Women of Xal’s release? Well.... mostly recovering from moving, if I’m honest. We’ve keeping our heads down and working at our boring day jobs while tossing around ideas for future games and stories in the background. We plan to have the script for Women of Xal’s sequel completely written before launching the Kickstarter, but we’re also looking at things like art books, novels, a 15 minute horror game, Patreon.... maybe even a silly little mobile game for collecting ploofs. Or snakes. One of our founders really likes danger noodles. 

Until then we’ll just wait.

[steam] [itch.io]

(I had a big work meeting today and I’m loopy lmao ~Shald)  

[slveepyscwrs]

soukoku chuuya x dazai angst blurb (ed but not ed sheeran edition)

this is my first blurb post (and my first bsd post in general) mainly because i'm too lazy to make this an actual fic (at least for now).

as always, if you want to request any specific scenarios, prompts, or whatever for me to write about, feel free to drop an ask! (seriously, i need more of those...)

i was born hungry

(takes place in highschool AU)

-chuuya was recently kicked out of his flat, now he's living on the street.

-of course he won't tell anyone at school, though. that would make him weak.

-no one really gives a shit. who would want to come close to the kid who doesn't hesitate to beat people up the minute he gets pissed off?

-dazai's the person who pisses him off most. he's even more unstable than himself, and yet he's the one who people seem attracted to.

-dazai's the last person he wants to tell this to, even though he's the only one who noticed. he would never hear the end of it... how apparently he's too dumb to even keep a house down.

-and so, he distances himself from him. they used to talk sometimes, but now he's cut him off as much as he possibly can.

-without this annoying orange head in his life, dazai feels so empty... he wants to reconnect with him, whatever that means, but how?

-after some time, chuuya realises just how utterly he's broken dazai.

-the guilt begins eating away at him, literally.

-maybe if he was more desirable, he wouldn't be so alone. he begins convincing himself he's fat, and won't achieve this desirability until he loses weight.

-besides, the lightheadedness from not eating distracts him from his guilt about what he did to dazai.

-he skips lunch break to hide out in the classroom, or just exit school to walk around a bit.

-eventually, though, he becomes weaker and weaker... classmates start to turn head at the visible bones, and soon even the mildest of physical activity is too much for him.

-and yet, chuuya still hates food more than his awareness of his deteriorating state. all he sees when he looks at food are cal0ries.

-dazai watches as chuuya gets weaker and weaker, and even though chuuya runs away from him even more than usual, he decides that he can't just stand by and watch the only person he can be himself with fade away.

-unfortunately, it's too late.

-one day when dazai is walking home from school, he spots chuuya unconscious and collapsed on the pavement in an alleyway.

-picking up that bony, fragile, cold body in his arms... dazai can't be that same sassy, calm, and collected boy anymore. he can't help but burst into tears seeing one of the strongest people he knows break down completely.

-dazai's just a kid. he feels utterly helpless, and has no clue what to do.

-he takes him back to his home, and tucks Chuuya in warm blankets and a bed, something he hasn't felt in god knows how long.

-over and over again, he whispers pleadingly in his ear:

-"i can't lose you, please... i'm the one who's supposed to leave this world first, not you."

-chuuya wakes up to something he never imagined in a million years: dazai, his worst enemy, crying and begging for him to wake up.

-his first reaction: "dazai, what the fuck has gotten into you?"

-he's still trying to seem badass, but his voice is obviously holding back tears– he's the one who brought out daze's repressed emotions against his will.

-as soon as his voice reaches dazai's ears, within a split second, dazai pulls him into a tight hug.

-feeling a loving embrace... chuuya hasn't felt that in... his whole life, come to think about it.

-the reality of what his eating disorder has done to him is too much to bear, and chuuya breaks down and comes clean: being kicked out, wanting to lose weight, everything.

-"am i really that annoying, that you won't even come to me when you're literally dying? i care about you, dumbass."

-"i don't deserve care. i'm too much of a goddamn burden..."

-dazai knew that chuuya didn't always feel the best about himself, but hearing him call himself a burden breaks his heart.

-"i'm the burden of us two. anyways, if you don't deserve care, then what about love?"

-he can't believe he's admitting this, but maybe it's the only way to snap chuuya back to the fact that dazai wants him in this world more than anyone else...

-"pfft. you love me?"

-"i'm dead serious. so dead serious that i won't even ask you to do a double su!c!de with me."

-"if you'd go out of you stupid way to do this... then fine, i love you too, you fucking nosy mackerel."

-just a few days before, chuuya never would have imagined loving dazai, of all people. however, after pushing him away... maybe absence really does make the heart grow fonder.

-if that was true, now that dazai had come back to him, he wasn't going to let him go again.

-suddenly, dazai disappears, and returns just as quickly with some snacks chuuya loves.

-"that's way too many fucking cal0ries."

-"unless you want to be six feet under in about a week, you need to eat this."

-"but-"

-"i'm not letting you leave me. food isn't about cal0ries... it's about the joy it brings you."

-believing his words, chuuya eats the snacks without thinking about weight for once... and dazai couldn't be prouder.

-"you don't mind how annoying my eating habits are? it's not like it's going to go away just because i ate this one time."

-"i know, chuchu. and i don't' care how long it takes. one day, i'm going to bring back the old you... the one that i grew to love in the first place."

-before chuuya can respond, dazai steals his first kiss in a sloppy peck.

-and as chuuya stares in dazai's determined eyes with a bewildered yet amazed look, he realises that maybe there is hope.

-dazai might be the embodiment of darkness, but just for chuuya, he will bring the light.

[final-fantasy-imagines]

I just saw your post about request so I want to make your day. May I request headcanons of Zach dealing with a crush on the reader who just helps out with solider. He sees them a lot and can’t help but think about them. :)

Yay, thank you! This is a great request and I really enjoyed working on these headcanons, so I hope you like what I came up with. <3 Let me know what you think!

Zack Fair x gn!reader – how he acts when he has a crush on you (HCs) 

Having a crush on someone is honestly a bit stressful for Zack. He’s just not good at hiding his emotions, and he feels like everyone can read him like an open book, so he’s always a bit afraid that someone will figure out how much you mean to him. It’s not that he’s embarrassed about his feelings for you – everyone can fall in love, right? – but he doesn’t want anyone to make stupid comments when you’re around.

It’s not a conscious decision but Zack definitely tries to impress you whenever there’s an opportunity to do so. He’s not exactly bragging but it’s quite obvious that he brings up the success rate of his missions and his achievements during training to make an impression on you, almost as if he wants to prove that he’s strong enough to protect you, should it ever be necessary. It’s actually pretty cute but whenever he thinks about these situations later on he can’t help but feel like he has made a fool of himself. (That won’t stop him from acting the exact same way the next time you see each other, though. He just can’t help it.) 

More often than not, Zack ends up embarrassing himself during conversations with you. He wears his heart on his sleeve anyways but during conversations with you, it’s even worse. It’s almost like his brain stops to function properly when you’re around, no matter how much he tries not to say something stupid. 

Even when you’re not around, Zack can’t help but think about you and the way you always smile at him when you meet. Just the thought of it is enough to make his heart skip a beat, and he often finds himself smiling like an idiot as he thinks about your latest encounter. It’s moments like this that make him realize once again how much he really likes you. 

To be perfectly honest, he has considered asking you out quite often but, despite his optimistic and carefree nature, a part of him is always afraid that you’ll reject him. It’s torture to be around you without having a clue if you maybe return his feelings, yes, but it would be even worse to know that he’s not more than a friend to you. It honestly drives him crazy to mull over these things all the time – and in the end, that might be what drives him to finally confess his feelings to you. 

Thank you so much for reading! If you enjoyed it please consider reblogging, sending some feedback to my inbox and/or leaving a comment. I'd really appreciate the support. <3

[brooklynstrangler]

The Bigeneration is great, and here's why.

Not only is the bigeneration great, but the entire plotline with the Fourteenth Doctor returning and staying put is brilliant.

I've seen a lot of people criticize it after (seemingly) making the starting assumption that the only reason it was done was to bring back David Tennant, just to wank off the first RTD era and bring the ratings up after the Chibnall era with the two lead actors from the show's most popular (according to ratings) series.

This is entirely the wrong outlook, in my opinion.

A better outlook is to start with the desire to heal the Doctor's trauma, to lighten the weight of the emotional baggage at the start of this brand new era with brand new viewers. And then you ask, how is the best way to do that, without some cheap memory wipe or time skip or simply ignoring it and pissing off fans?

The bigeneration isn't what I would have thought of, but it is definitely an answer to this question, and I think it's a great one. Doctor A has a few episodes, then Doctor B pops out of him, and flies off in the Tardis while Doctor A stays and... gets therapy, I guess.

The trouble is that you now have one Doctor that only has a few episodes of screentime, which is going to be considered unfair and cause a lot of upset in the fandom.

One solution is to give that role to someone who's already had it. And once you've decided you're going to do that, having the person that the Doctor settles down with makes sense to be a companion of said actor's previous Doctor. The resolution of RTD-era trauma for a lot of the audience, the pull of the return of David Tennant, all of that is a bonus stemming from this solution to achieving the main goal of helping Ncuti Gatwa's Doctor be as carefree as ever.

Is this actually how I think the Fourteenth Doctor and the biregen were conceptualized? I have no clue. And neither do you.

My point is partly that if you're going to make up a narrative anyway, why not make up a positive one? Furthermore, the exact order of how things were come up with don't necessarily matter because what the Fourteenth Doctor's existence did was ultimately great for the show and great for the Fifteenth Doctor's run.

[rhetoricandlogic]

Review: Dreadful by Caitlin Rozakis

By Nathan May 23, 2024

Dreadful is a hilarious fantasy that is both a loving, gentle satire of the genre’s many tropes while also being a poignant exploration of how we get to decide who we are going to be in this world. It is perfect for fans who love deconstructions of fantasy books (think a gentler Discworld) and anyone looking for something on the more action-oriented side of cozy fantasy (and without a cup of coffee/tea or bookstore in sight!). I quite enjoyed my time in Rozakis’ world, and this is an impressive, if not perfect, debut novel – one that should be on your radar if you like your fantasy both funny and just a bit saccharine.

Dreadful begins with Gav waking up without any of his memories intact….and quickly discovering that he is one of the big-bad Dark Lords that are so common in epic and heroic fantasy. The issue – he doesn’t know how to be a Dark Lord and is actually a pretty nice guy. Gav has a host of terrified goblin servants and a captured princess and a whole coterie of other dark mages he is supposedly working with on some diabolical plan…and he has no idea how to deal with any of it.

Rozakis’ wit, style, and humor really shine in the early pages of the book, and nothing that came after really enamored me in quite the same way. As Gav awakens with no clue who he is or where he is at, we readers, with our in-depth knowledge of fantasy worlds, come to a much quicker realization of what is going on than Gav does. We understand the oppressed servants, the kidnapped princess, the castle with the creepy aesthetic, and more. This was so much fun because readers, for once, had more information than the main POV character himself, and Rozakis hilariously impales so many of the standard villain tropes. Gav is shocked by the condition of his castle – why is it so ugly? – and how inefficient the whole system is. He laments his surroundings and why the peoples that his castle controls (a single solitary village that can only grow garlic) are so destitute and poor. Why would anyone be proud of this? Why would anyone want to be surrounded by this? Everything you think while reading about any stereotypical fantasy villain is put on full display here, and I had such a wonderful time laughing along with Rozakis’ observations!

If you are a fan of villainous characters and are perhaps a bit disappointed that this book’s main character is trying to live a less villainous lifestyle, don’t worry! Rozakis packs the book full of various villainy characters – characters that all have their own goals and lengths that they are willing to go to achieve their evil plans. Rozakis also has a lot of fun “inverting” the traditional dynamic between heroes and villains. The “villains” in Dreadful are given names, personalities, backstories, etc., while the heroing party coming to save the princess are glorified background characters. They don’t have names and readers can barely distinguish between them, which was such a clever way of exploring the character archetypes in epic fantasy, while also allowing Gav and co. to shine in their own ways as the book moved through towards its conclusion.

I did find that the book lost a bit of steam after Gav starts to figure out who he is and how this world operates. Dreadful isn’t able to maintain its momentum and humor as the book becomes a bit more plot-based, and the initial hilarious observations about fantasy tropes starts to fade into the background. The biggest issue here, and with many cozy fantasy (or cozy fantasy-adjacent books) is that the plot isn’t all that interesting. It is fairly simplistic and cannot sustain or support the book as it moves into its second and third acts. Rozakis occupies Gav’s world with a bevy of fun and memorable characters, but doesn’t quite him them enough to actually do. Some potentially exciting moments (like quests for some MacGuffins) are completely skipped over, and so the book just eventually becomes a bunch of characters explaining things to each other without actually having them DO anything. This is what ultimately bumped this down to a four star book from me; the book is nearly perfect, but it stumbles in its middle section.

As the book reaches its falling action, I was back on board again. As Gav and the rest of the crew reconsider everything that they thought they’ve learned about themselves, Rozakis finds a way to reach through the humor and pull at some heartstrings. She beautifully explores the concept of identity – is our identity predetermined for us? Are we allowed to change? Are we allowed to take control of our own destinies and assert our own agency? At the beginning of Dreadful, it seems like everyone has some predetermined role to play that fits into the tropes of the fantasy story – the evil villain, the put-down henchmen, the damsel in distress. And yet through the book the characters realize that they don’t actually fit those archetypes, that what they want out of life is so much more than the boxes that they had initially been put into. I loved this ending so so so very much and made the whole book worth reading.

Dreadful was such a fun read that was relaxing and cozy, but made sure to insert an actual plot. I definitely enjoyed my time with it, and if a cozy comedy with heart sounds good to you in your fantasy reading, then make sure to put this near or at the top of your TBR. It’s not perfect, especially for readers who are looking for dense or complex plotting, but it is a fun send-up to so many of the villainous fantasy tropes.

[nexus-nebulae]

would you recommend terraria

‼️‼️INFODUMP INCOMING‼️‼️

uhh i mean probably it's a pretty good game like a 2d minecraft (i started playing mostly bc i stopped being able to play mc), we mostly play it because there's a lot of items we can sort and alphabetize (spin go brrrr) (and we haven't even started modding yet! *stares at the dozens of mc mods i downloaded solely bc they add hundreds of items*) also similar to minecraft the devs are still making updates and putting out new stuff,

it is pretty hard to Just Start Playing, you'd have to read the wiki a lot or look at reddit for tips (or we can try to give tips if we know the subject (NOT wiring i repeat NOT wiring we are just as bad at terraria wires as we were at minecraft redstone 😔)), and I'd kinda recommend playing in Journey mode at first to get your bearings. Journey mode is like terraria's almost-creative mode, where you can still play survival but everything's super easy and also you have options to turn on god mode and item duplication- except to duplicate an item you have to collect a certain amount of it first, so it's not an instant cheat code. personally we actually love it that way bc that's how we've always wanted to play survival minecraft (i mean, we basically do by using commands to get infinite amounts of what we know we've already collected once). if you're too lazy to collect all the items yourself tho there's also character downloads you can get that have everything already so you can just get it all at once

it's an enclosed world, it's not infinite, though you can pick different sizes of world (small, medium, and large). Worlds always spawn with the same major biomes (minus a few), and usually in the same order, but there are also a lot of special (and sometimes rare) mini-biomes you can find within the big ones. Also some things are mutually exclusive items to spawn in the world, like if you have Corruption you can't also have Crimson (usually), so to get certain things you will probably have to jump worlds multiple times (there are special worlds that do combine these things into one world BUT I ABSOLUTELY DO NOT RECOMMEND THEM FOR A BEGINNER THEY ARE. ROUGH)

You can create multiple player characters and each of them can play in literally any world, and go between them (while keeping your items!) so it's like. GREAT for when someone is in front and wants to look like themselves. also you can change your characters' name and appearance at any time. it reminds us a lot of the Stardew Valley character creator, with how you can pick your hair and eye colour and your tiny pixelated outfit (you start with a pretty plain outfit, though, until you can find other clothes in the world) also! you can wear functional armor AND cosmetic armor so if you hate how your armor looks you can just wear something on top of it or just remove it from view entirely.

the lore seems to me similar to minecraft again, where none of it is in your face but you just find relics with no clue how they really connect. There's A LOT of outer gods/lovecraftian type stuff (there's gigantic skulls in the backgrounds and creatures that seem to be the somehow still living decapitated body parts of beings beyong your understanding and also there are QUITE A FEW random floating eyes. like everywhere there are so many eye motifs in this game). there are A LOT of bosses, and as you travel up the chain you sort of see a vague story piecing together, it's kinda cool. Also the npcs sometimes have lore dialogue depending on the time and state of the world. there's also a lot of enemy spawning events, like blood moons and goblin armies. Some of these you can do at any time, some of them are a progression chain you need to move up. It's actually not that hard to speedrun the game since you can technically skip a TON of bosses that are not enforced but definitely suggested within the progression chain (the in-game achievements can sometimes give you a vague hint as to what to do next) though once you unlock Hardmode- kinda the halfway point of progression- it becomes a little more linear

we bought the game in february (of this year, 2024) and so far we've clocked in a little over 1600 hours (THATS. OVER 66 FULL DAYS. HADN'T DONE THE MATH UNTIL NOW DEAR GOD. OUR PLAYTIME TAKES UP A FULL 2 OUT OF THE 8 MONTHS WE'VE HAD THIS GAME) in this game so uh. i guess that kinda speaks for itself huh

[mer-birdman]

some random d&d advice

aka ‘don’t repeat my mistakes’

mostly applies to campaigns that lean towards a balance of combat, storytelling and roleplay, rather than straight dungeon crawls, since those are the games i prefer

Come to the campaign knowing what motivates your character. It doesn’t have to be elaborate or fancy, but going into a game without any actual driving force or interest makes it a lot more challenging to roleplay and get engaged with the story.

Find at least one (1) reason for why your character is sticking with this group. Because D&D is, in most circumstances, a group game — constantly stretching for in-game reasons to stay does not make a fun experience. It doesn’t need to be fancy or even nice, it just needs to be.

If you’re feeling frustrated, dissatisfied, not listened to, etc… speak up sooner rather than later. Express what you’re feeling and why it’s making the game less enjoyable. If your DM and fellow players are good, they’ll be willing to take a step back and find a way to make it fun for everybody.

If you’re having conflict or issues above-table with a specific person — DM or player — find time outside of the game to talk to them about it. Bring a mediator if you feel you need or want one. Work through issues before they become deal-breakers.

For DMs — consider just doing a time skip if there is nothing players can do to progress a plot faster in-game. Maybe do a loose system of ‘roll for each day to find xyz clues or achieve abc tasks’, rather than having them roleplay through specific actions and encounters that will not actually affect anything. Let them know ‘okay, this process will take x amount of time in-game, how do you want to spend it?’

For players — your character’s backstory is a collaboration between you and the DM. Don’t hesitate to get into the details with them. The more they know about who your character is and what their external and internal realities are, the better they’ll be able to weave those into the world and make the role playing engaging and compelling for you.

Conflict is not anathema to a good game. In-game conflict can be incredibly dynamic and fulfilling, if you are able to communicate safely with your party above-table about it. Never feel like you can’t ask to pause a scene to check in out of character.

Sometimes an arc or session will focus more on one character than on others. Players — let that player and character have their limelight. DM — try to find ways to let the other players/characters be involved too, because it will help them stay invested and engaged in the moment.

D&D is not a competition. It’s collaborative. There’s no need to one-up each others’ Tragic Backstories, no need for everybody to have the exact same types of solo scenes or significant NPC encounters or plot trajectories. Each character is different, and the story is at its best when they come together and create unique dynamics.

You don’t have to do accents or consistent voices, but do try to make it clear who is speaking — for a DM, that means trying to make some distinction between NPCs, even if you’re just saying what the voice sounds like. For players, that means trying to be clear on what you’re saying in character versus out of character. Obviously, this won’t happen all the time, but it’s worth trying to be aware of, especially if you’re not playing in-person.

Ultimately, the RAW are more like [Barbossa voice] guidelines. Play in the way that is the most enjoyable for you and your party. Homebrew or bend what you want to, to create the game you all collectively want to play. As long as everyone is having a good time, there is no such thing as playing D&D wrong.

And following that last point, obviously if any of these tips would make the game unenjoyable for you and your table, then they don’t apply! Toss them out!

Main takeaway — communication is key, you’re all in this together, and everyone deserves to enjoy the game.

[ghostrot12343]

A self-indulgent ramble about my playthrough of Scarlet Hollow

I'm mostly writting this as an attempt to get these thoughts out of my head. Spoliers below.

So, I decided to try playing basically myself but more well read (Book Smart) and with the ability to talk to animals. Yes, my first D&D PC was a druid, how did you know? I did as much as I could to ignore bus guy, and I don't like peanuts, so on the bus they remained.

Upon meeting Tabitha, I did break my rule of offering a hug to someone lest they reject it, and reject it she did. So that stung. And in the car, Tabitha's statement about "emotional maturity" did nothing to convince me of anything but her own trauma.

After getting settled in, it was nice to meet Dustin and give him some nesting materials. And as I mentioned, I don't like peanuts, so there's nothing to eat in the house, and I didn't want to break Tabitha's trust immediately, so while I wanted to explore the house, I decided to leave that for later in the week and left the house.

Gretchen is delight and a fantastic friend. Frou-frou is fine, I can respect her need for space, but I'm definitely a dog over cat person. Having a gluten allergy, the diner is a reminder of how unaccommodating places outside NZ were of that, but I've not eaten all day and I'd suffer the headaches for at least something to eat that doesn't contain peanuts.

Meeting Duke with Stella, I told him not to shoot the mountain lions, and uh, well, I had accidentally skipped why he was asking for the flashlight and decided to go save Gretchen who I knew would be killed by the ditchlings like all the other animals we'd seen (also, it was weird that the game tried to suggest the deer's obvious statment on its affliction and warning was a threat?), and as the achievement states, Duke had poor trigger discipline.

Meet Kaneeka & Sybil, but I'm 90% sure I also went back to the estate that night.

The fact that we saw supernatural beings and a man died means I am immediately unconcerned about hiding my ability, there are weirder, more off-putting things going on. One thing I regret about the library was not reading what the game had to say about Tommyknockers.

Of course I immediately go see my cousin when we get to the mine, but I don't wait after I call her about Rosaline because time is of the essence - ditchlings exist, a man died, and this shaft had a collapse that already killed children.

I'm glad no one died, sucks Rosaline lost a foot though.

Checking in on Dustin & his mom is definitely a highlight of the mornings. And I was so worried about Bo dying if I gave him his father's location, but it felt more wrong to keep it from him when the police were so FUCKING USELESS, so it was a relief when I saw him in the later episode.

Cousin Bonding Time is the best, I didn't even know there was romance in this game until hanging out with Reese, but I still would choose CB... cousin bonding time over a date, sorry Stella. And fuck that Piece-of-Shit-Karen Nancy for ruining her morning.

While I thought the pastor left an okay impression and I have no clue why other people found him so sketchy, I also didn't tell him about my conversation with the mayor because I just don't know him.

I definitely clicked that the doc was poisoning Reese even before the game gave me the ability to voice that suspicion. Also, I am still very curious as to why she seemed to immediately detest my presence.

I asked for permission to invite Tabitha and then ignore Kaneeka's objection because asking was a formality. While I didn't object to Tabitha's belief of Oscar's parenting in the car, something that I sort of regretted, and simply further questioned during our morning hangout, I was disappointed that he failed the test of letting Rosaline take part. Like, sure, her being there meant that she knew for sure that her dad wasn't making stuff up, but she also literally lost her foot YESTERDAY, what the fuck Oscar, she shouldn't be in a high stress environment. So, while I don't fully agree with Tabitha about Oscar specifically (she's right about some people shouldn't have kids, *cough* the Scarlets *cough*), he definitely needed to have picked up a parenting book about setting stronger boundries, preferrably a week ago before all this shit happened. But I digress.

Very glad that I was able to win my day in ghost court.

Strike: Told Tabitha people thought she was a hero because of e2 and to not fire Davis, that she should meet with them and after asking what it is they wanted that she should probably give it to them, whilst also being understanding of the financial difficulties of the mine itself. Didn't tell the strikers about Rodriguez because honestly, I don't know what they'd do to him and I don't want another man's death on my conscience and this is less personal than with Bo. Also didn't talk to the strikers in the diner as I didn't want to get attack and/or weaken their efforts.

I did get to go everywhere, the pastor revelation was interesting, but I misread the "this doesn't mean we're friends" and wish it hadn't been so cold, even if yeah, friendship in this game requires immense trauma and life-threatening situations, so you know, maybe Daniel shouldn't want to be my friend.

I regret drinking Sybil's tea, I don't like tea but I thought maybe her insights would be useful... which they weren't. "Oh no, your cousin is going to betray you", I don't trust that idea as far as I can throw it and since I don't have powerful build, that's not very far anyways. At least, according to the decision tree I'm using as reference, I saw more of the Enoch/Teddy interaction.

I do feel sorry for Reese, but no way was I going to let him murder Dr Kelly. That's just more trauma to endure, and also, he does literally turn into a powerful monster when emotionally distressed, so wanting to prevent that from happening is a reasonable desire even if her approach could 100% be better. Also, Sybil was not slick, I already knew she was giving the Doc the castor beans, fucking with my head was as much a confirmation of that belief as hearing it normally. Also, Dr Kelly talking about Reese's dad was really humanising, definitely made me want to chat with her more. Hopefully the game allows you to convince the pair to go about cognitive behavioural therapy / anger management without the need for pills.

Sad that I missed out more Tabitha bonding by not calling her, but I also didn't want to put her in harms unnessecarily (the mines were specifically her business, and the ghost hunting was a group thing anyway). Hope I get a chance to help her and Stella reconnect without having to try and recreate this playthrough up to that point.

And the main reason I wanted to write this:

Based on the death certificate and the vision, Enoch lied about Teddy's cause of death, and with Charlie Jr's death being connected to the sigil and Edwardine's sadness in the moment all leads me to believe that there may come a moment when Tabitha, or maybe the MC, will be tempted to sacrifce the other to secure the future of Scarlet Hollow, and I need to be able to beg Tabitha not to make a blood sacrifice of my character before it gets to that point. And like, I know that feeds into the Sybil tea thing, but that also suggests premeditation which I don't think is the case. I just don't want my character to be made into a literal blood sacrifice on the alter of capitalism when I'm already a figurative one irl.

[fics-n-stuff]

Some Random OBX3 Thoughts and Opinions (full spoilers)

This whole season was on crack. It was fucking wild and I loved it

Put me on Poguelandia. That was so sweet. I want to see what that month looked like, I want to experience that with them

I wanted to see more Wheezie :(

I'm sorry but Big John was so annoying, tryna keep the Pogues out of the loop after they've already been through all this shit

Pope and Cleo are super cute, very sweet relationship. The way she's always teasing him? The fact that his parents immediately love her? Immaculate

What they did with Ward this season was... interesting. I will say though, I'm okay with that being the way he goes out. I'm glad he's actually dead now

Rafe × Barry is alive and well

Topper interlude:

Topper really should have got a clue. Sarah moved on babes, you should move on too

I really thought we were on our way to a Topper redemption arc when he helped them with the train robbery - and I was super happy with that - BUT OH BOY WAS I WRONG

Topper deserved to get his shit rocked by John B. His little snarky comments are absolutely a punchable offence

Everyone was freaking out about John B punching Topper while he was down and I think everyone forgot that Topper literally tried to DROWN JOHN B in season 1

HE BURNED DOWN THE CHATEU!?!? HE WAS PISSED AT SARAH SO HE DECIDED TO ATTEMPT TO MURDER SIX PEOPLE!?!? THAT'S NOT JUST PETTY THAT'S PSHYCHOPATHIC

On the other hand, Sarah should have really just let that boy have some peace and stop stringing him along. Like, I get it it was for the greater good and maybe it was their only option but it was still a bit mean (not that I cared much after Topper attempted to commit SEXTUPLE MURDER BY ARSON)

Sarah was so wrong for kissing Topper. You get in one fight with your boyfriend and you run back to your ex? After everything you've gone through? Weak

When Rafe melted down the cross I died a little inside bro that was so upsetting

SOMEONE GET RAFE SOME THERAPY JESUS CHRIST

Jiara. Was. Great. The looks, the hugs, the lingering moments, the slow build up to the final payoff. Loved it

Jiara's first kiss! Idk if this is controversial but I loved that they had an audience cheering when they kissed, it felt like a little inside joke with the fandom. Like a little "wink wink nudge nudge, we know this is how you at home are feeling rn"

Bit harsh that John B got his dad back just for him to actually die, but at least he got to say goodbye this time

18 month time skip? What happened in that time? What did they do with the gold and how did they get everyone to believe their stories? What happend with the charges Topper filed against John B? How did Rafe react to Ward's death? What about Rose and Wheezie, what did they do? The Pogues are still minors (before the time skip at least) and like half of them don't have legal guardians, I know they're rich now but how did they sort that out?

HOW DARE MIKE AND ANNA SIT IN THE FRONT ROW SMILING AND CLAPPING AS IF THEY DIDN'T TRY TO STOP KIARA FROM ACHIEVING THIS EVERY SINGLE STEP OF THE WAY AND SHIT ON ALL OF HER FRIENDS IN THE PROCESS

ARE WE SERIOUSLY ENDING WITH A BLACKBEARD NAMEDROP?? ARE YOU KIDDING ME!?!? When I say I sat in silence and laughed for a full two minutes after that ending, omg

[alexhwriting]

Ludonarrative Harmony and Engaged Narrative Drive: The Success of Unpacking and Inside.

VII. Conclusion

Having spoken about two games that achieve ludonarrative harmony through environmental storytelling and engaging the narrative drive of the player, I will now discuss an example of a game that does not provide this experience, Goodbye Volcano High (KO_OP, 2023).  This game blends the two genres of visual novel and rhythm action to tell a story of a musician in high school, except that they are an anthropomorphic dinosaur named Fang.[1] The entire game takes place over the course of a week, during which rumors spread that there is a meteorite coming to kill all the dinosaurs on earth (mimicking the actual meteor that killed the dinosaurs). It is worth talking about for two reasons: it fails to use its environment to its full effect and thus fails at achieving ludonarrative harmony.

In Goodbye Volcano High, the high school setting is never fully utilized. While there are back and forth conversations with individual characters and one scene where a mass of dinosaur-people is present as part of a light puzzle, there is never anyone in the background of the game or its scenes. Rather, every wide shot of the school or the town in the game is left devoid of dinosaurs in what should be very populated areas. While this makes sense in the later part of the game where the characters are all facing assured destruction because of the oncoming meteor, the certainty of their death is only made a part of the story in the very last bit of the game after a brief bit of time-skipping. Thus, the earlier empty space just leaves the game feeling underdeveloped. This is in part due to the generic nature of these background spaces as well, which take the form of – unpopulated – streets, building facades, and school interiors, which give the player little to latch on to when it comes to non-explicit narrative clues.

Similarly, the game struggles to engage the player through its mechanics. While the narrative is of a musician composing songs for their garage band, the actual moments where the player must hit notes to a beat in the rhythm action sections are completely optional and cannot be failed. While this may sound as though they are simply very easy, the reality is that the moment of engagement is lost in the absence of stakes. Rather than having a “game over” screen and blocking the player from progressing, or giving narrative consequences for failing to perform, the story moves on as if nothing had happened. The band acts as a narrative catalyst for the core conflict of the game, that all the band members are drifting apart as they come to the end of their high school careers, making the concerts that they play together very important, and the music is put across as though it should have some weight and impact to it. All of this falls flat when there are no narrative consequences for failing, removing the emotional stakes from this interactive component of the game. The other mechanical way that the player engages with the game is through making choices in the dialogue to affect conversations, befriending, or pushing away, the other characters that they meet. However, the consequences and ending remain unchanged no matter how the player engages with the other characters. This begins very early on in the game when Fang gets caught on their phone in class by a teacher and the two options that the player is given two options: to hand it over willingly or to insist to keep the phone. Both choices lead to a different reaction from the teacher but do not persist beyond the different reaction. The narrative tension is all brought to a head in the penultimate scene, that either disregards the player’s choice to push away other characters or seems out of left field as characters who were all befriended turn against the protagonist so that they can move past their issues and play one last big show. In this scene, all of the main cast of characters gather at the beach for a bonfire to talk about how they should handle the incoming asteroid that is set to clear the planet. However, in discussing their plans, regrets, and fears, the characters get emotional and begin fighting about perceived slights, after which the player can get an extra scene of dialogue with any of the characters, they have built strong bonds with. Regardless of who is spoken to, or who was befriended, the beach scene and the final send off concert both play out exactly the same. Through these two mechanical missteps, we can most clearly see what ludonarrative dissonance looks like: the misalignment of the mechanical structure and the narrative.

By understanding ludonarrative harmony and its relation to forms of storytelling, as theorists we gain another form of description that can be used to analyze these complex interactive narrative structures. It is this dual nature that video games have that allows them to work well, the interactivity working in harmony with the narrative elements or in dissonance with each other, and effectively engage the narrative drive of their players. A key part of these two aspects working in harmony with each other is the environmental storytelling that takes place, blending the interactive environment with the story being told. By looking at environmental storytelling as a way in which game developers leave gaps in the story for the players to fill in, the players are provided with another level of interactivity that goes beyond the one provided in just the mechanical use of a controller and an avatar, but also as creators with investment in the story itself.

Bibliography

Aarseth, Espen. “A Hollow World: World of Warcraft as Spatial Practice.” In Digital Culture, Play and Identity: A World of Warcraft Reader, edited by Hilde G Corneliussen and Jill Walker Rettberg, 111–22. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press, 2008.

Altman, Rick. A Theory of Narrative. New York: Columbia University Press, 2008.

Christopher, David, and Aidan Leuszler. “Horror Video Games and the ‘Active-Passive’ Debate.” Games and Culture, April 27, 2022. https://doi.org/10.1177/15554120221088115.

Green, Amy M. Storytelling in Video Games. McFarland, 2017.

Grodal, Torben. “Video Games and the Pleasures of Control.” Media Entertainment, 2000, 209–26.

Hocking, Clint. “Ludonarrative Dissonance in Bioshock.” Click Nothing, October 7, 2007. https://clicknothing.typepad.com/click_nothing/2007/10/ludonarrative-d.html.

Jenkins, Henry. “Game Design as Narrative Architecture.” In First Person: New Media as Story, Performance, and Game, edited by Pat Harrington and Noah Frup, 118–30. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press, 2004.

Kirkland, Ewan. “Storytelling in Survival Horror Video Games.” In Horror Video Games: Essays on the Fusion of Fear and Play, edited by Bernard Perron, 62–78. Jefferson, NC: McFarland & Company, 2009.

KO_OP. Goodbye Volcano High. KO_OP. Windows/PlayStation. (2023).

Krzywinska, Tanya. “Blood Scythes, Festivals, Quests, and Backstories.” Games and Culture 1, no. 4 (October 2006): 383–96. https://doi.org/10.1177/1555412006292618.

Playdead. Inside. Playdead. Xbox/PC/PlayStation. (2016).

Ruberg, Bonnie. Video Games Have Always Been Queer. New York: New York University Press, 2019.

Ryan, Marie-Laure. Narrative as Virtual Reality 2: Revisiting Immersion and Interactivity in Literature and Electronic Media. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press, 2015.

Soriani, Alessandro, and Stefano Caselli. “Visual Narratives in Videogames: How Videogames Tell Stories through Graphical Elements.” Img Journal 3 (2020): 474–99.

Wolf, Mark J. P. “Beyond Immersion: Absorption, Saturation, and Overflow in the Building of Imaginary Worlds.” In World Building, Transmedia, Fans, Industries, edited by Marta Boni, 204–14. Amsterdam: Amsterdam University Press, 2017.

Witch Beam. Unpacking. Humble Bundle. Xbox/PC/PlayStation. (2021).

[1] A ‘visual novel’ typically involves a branching narrative based on player choices, branching narrative structure, a character focused story, and visual elements to show the player who the characters are and some basic scenes they are in, usually with very minor animation; A ‘rhythm action game’ is usually a game where the primary activity within the game is based on music, rhythm, keeping time, and colorful visuals that match up with the timing of the player.

[the-drunken-huntsman]

Hiii arr u willing to answer all the TES months asks for Aneis and Murza and Dire please please please :} I know that's a Lot so if u want to skip over some that is totally understandable hehe

Morning Star - What was the first thing you gave your OC? Name, backstory, design, etc

Aneis: I guess technically the first thing I gave her was her name, even though I've since changed the spelling. I had liked the name Anais before picking up Skyrim (even though I was pronouncing it wrong lol) and had used it for my PC in Pokémon Sword and one of my SDV saves so I just used it again when I started Skyrim. Also side note, I've never watched The Amazing World of Gumball before today while babysitting and I had no clue that was the little sister's name.

Murza: The first thing I came up with for her was just a vague concept. I wanted to play around with mismatched race/class, so of course the first thing I wanted was an orc mage. The second thing I decided for her was that she was gonna be trans because hell yeah.

Dire: The first thing I came up with for him was also a vague concept. I had wanted to make a chaotic evil demigod type character and even though he's changed a lot since initial concept I figured the best way to achieve that would be to make him a demiprince. I wanted him to be kind of conniving and sly and settled on making him the son of Clavicus to get there. Originally he was going to be another one of Aneis' companions who was tagging along just for the vain glory of being a part of the dragonborn's adventures but you know how OCs sometimes seem to have a mind of their own and he eventually got to where he is now :)

Sun's Dawn - Does your OC have a love interest? What is their relationship like?

Aneis: Aneis was always a pretty promiscuous person. She knew she'd have to make Teldryn another one of her conquests from the first moment she saw him without the helmet. They hooked up a few times while traveling on Solstheim, but while going through Nchardak trying to get to the Black Book, he used his whole body to shield her from an automaton that had caught her off guard and that was it, she was done. That night in Severin Manor she sits him down and is like. Look, don't be alarmed and please don't leave because I still need you to guide me around this gods forsaken island. But I think I'm in love with you. To which Teldryn is like

Murza: You know the "me doing whatever my hot witch wife wants" meme? That's Murza and Endurys. However before they were married they were the epitome of idiots in love. Just stupid long stares and longing sighs in camp at night until one day Aneis snaps and shoves them in an inn room together and yells at them to not come out until they've fucked all the yearning out.

Dire: Dire is aroace do no romantic interests for him! But his absolute favorite people in the world are his little cousins and his little brother

First Seed - Does your OC have any enemies or rivals? How did these rivalries start?

Aneis: I know there's lots of people who read into the LDB's relationship to Miraak and how tragic his story is and blah blah blah, he makes my blood boil so Aneis feels the exact same way. As opposed to any other big bad she faces, (Harkon is Serana's White Whale before anyone else, Ulfric had to go for the well-being of the people in her opinion, and defeating Alduin was more for the people she loved and needed to protect than anything else) Miraak makes it personal for her, acting like some sort of sibling rival to her when Akatosh is nothing more to her than a perverted puppet master playing with her fate. She actually loathes any of the Dovah who call her sister without having earned that respect from her first (like Paarthurnax and Odahviing have). As far as she's concerned she only has one father and he never used her to clean up his messes, he gave his life trying to protect his homeland from the Dominion.

Murza: I've been wanting to play around with the concept of Savos Aren being the big bad of the College Quest line as opposed to Ancano. Like Ancano is still evil and shit, but like, Aren was actually in league with him the whole time. He needed the Thalmor's resources to get him to the Eye and the Staff and the second he has what he needs he betrays their shaky alliance. Anyway yeah I think Murza would kinda always be wary of Savos and it would also legitimize her succeeding him as opposed to any other member of the staff if she's the one who was able to fell him.

Dire: I wouldn't say Dire had any real enemies or rivals. I'm kinda keeping his story once he goes adventuring on his own open because of TES:VI supposedly being eminent and I might want to use him in that game. So as of right now, in the Skyrim timeline, he's just a lil guy? Who could hate that?

Rain's Hand - Can your OC use magic? If so what Schools?

Aneis: Aneis knows three spells: close wounds, clairvoyance, and muffle. All taught to her by her father as they're the most useful out in the wild while tracking prey. She can also do a bit of fire magic, but nothing more than just enough to light a campfire. She might later learn heal undead for the sake of Serana though.

Murza: I'm not sure what to say for her. She's the arch mage of course she uses magic. I guess she is particularly adept at conjuration, being a follower of Malacath and having a half daedric son

Dire: Dire would mostly be adept with alteration and illusion, but also conjuration because duh. I could see him as a very small child, using alteration to make his toys move without touching them, a slightly older child summoning small beasts from oblivion to play with (maybe even Uncle Barbas), and when his cousins are babies, using illusion to calm them down and keep them entertained.

Second Seed - Is your OC an alchemist? What do they excel at making?

Aneis: Araneth, Aneis' mother, was an apothecary. In the same way her father passed his hunting prowess to her, her mother also tried to give her as much of her knowledge as she could as well. She didn't much get it or appreciate it while her mother was alive, but later in life she put the effort into actually trying to understand her mother's teachings. She eventually becomes about as skilled as your average professional alchemist.

Murza: Gonna preface this with the fact that I still consider alchemy a school of magic even though it counts as a thief's skill in Skyrim. Anyway I think it would be the one school to slip her grasp. It's just too... material. Breaking an enemy's mind with a flick of her wrist? Summoning a sword from Oblivion that weighs nothing in hand but can slice through trees? Those are the kinds of esoteric things that Murza understands. Plants that need to be boiled at a certain temperature and creatures' innards that need to be removed in an exact precise manner? May as well be Dwemeris to her.

Dire: Dire is like his mother in that alchemy is just too far over his head. But he isn't as frustrated about his lack of comprehension as she is. Why would he need to worry about mixing potions when he can just find them well and good for the taking in every dungeon in Tamriel?

Mid Year - Does your OC have a favourite celebration? Do they celebrate holidays?

Aneis: Hircine's summoning day is a very special time for her. She always spends days hunting before hand, trying to gather as much a variety of pelts and trophies as she can for her offering. This is even though, as his champion, they are definitely not necessary, the woman fells dragons in his name. However she always prepares as much as she can for him, and once summoned she always has the same simple request for him. To deliver a message to her family in the Hunting Grounds, that she loves them, and misses them, and hopes she is making them proud.

Murza: Murza always tries to make it a point to be home at Lakeview Manor for the Witches Fest. She loves seeing the children dressed up and doing little tricks to entertain them. (This goes along with the headcanon that Lakeview Manor would eventually have a little village crop up around it)

Dire: He would very much enjoy the Jester's Festival, but his absolute favorite is Clavicus' summoning day. I've joked before that it's the only time he gets to play catch with his dad, but since he is also a small aspect of Vile in and of himself, I think the whole day he'd just feel a little closer to Oblivion and it makes him feel whole.

Sun's Height - What is your OC's favourite shop, in any of the games; what do they buy the most of?

Aneis: Aneis adores The Drunken Huntsman. Anoriath is a very talented fletcher and Elrindir is always game to swap hunting stories. They make the whole establishment feel like what she's been missing from Valenwood all these years away, even as a wooded building. They're probably the only people in Tamriel she trusts to service her family bow.

Murza: Murza actually likes hanging around Tel Mithryn. Neloth always has interesting, useful things to sell to her and she suspects he likes her company as she's much quicker to catch onto his teachings than his actual apprentice (sorry, Talvas).

Dire: Even though Enthir's displeasure at having a child on college grounds was always well known to Dire, he still likes bugging him to show him all the weird, cool things he has for sale, which he has no intention of buying. Just looking and maybe a little swiping to play with later.

Last Seed - What weapon does your OC use? Who taught them how to use it?

Aneis: Aneis' main weapons are her family's heirloom bow and the battleaxe gifted to her by Balgruuf. Her father taught her how to shoot and she's self taught with the axe. She'd honestly never touched a two handed weapon in her life before but she thought the nords might think it a great insult for her to not use a weapon gifted to her by the Jarl, so she just swung it around until she found what felt good and did the most damage.

Murza: Murza got her base knowledge of magic from Atub, but growing up in the stronghold she was also expected to learn to swing a sword. Though the swords she uses now are less... mundane. She uses summoned weapons. Idk if that got across lol.

Dire: Dire has had a natural affinity for magic since birth but he hones his craft under the tutelage of his mother and the other professors of Winterhold.

Hearthfire - Does your OC have a family (blood or found)? Who are they closest to?

I can answer this generally for all three characters. The whole of the found family (the people who live at Lakeview Manor) are Aneis, Murza, Teldryn, Endurys, Dire, Hab, Cinuri, Braiel, and the dogs, Sable and Merc. Aneis and Murza are closest to each other platonically, and though he'd never admit it, Dire is closest to Cinuri, she's his best friend.

Frost Fall - Where is your OC's primary residence? What city is there favourite?

Aneis: Aneis knows most of the Bosmer living in Skyrim find The Rift to be the closest approximate to their homeland, she finds the quite, backwoods nature of Falkreath reminds her much more of the area she grew up in. Of course she loves her quite little life on the homestead, surrounded by all her loved ones.

Murza: Technically, Murza's main residence is the college, but she tends not to spend much time there, mainly because she gets lonely. Endurys hates the cold having grown up in the shit hole of Eastmarch and avoids the college as much as possible and Aneis only goes if she's asked to specifically by Murza. So she ends up spending most of her year in Lakeview.

Dire: His parents have determined its much better for him to grow up in an actual stable home surrounded by actual stable adults, so most of his childhood is spent in Lakeview. However, once in a while, Murza will bring him with her on her trips to the college and he loves it. So many places to explore and get into trouble and so many people to bug until they relent and teach him something new.

Sun's Dusk - Is your OC religious? If so, who do they follow?

Aneis: Aneis' grandmother was a priestess of Hircine, her father a priest, and the rest of her family devotees. Their whole devotion is based on having such hunting prowess on their own, they have no need for the gift of the beast blood. This of course culminated in Aneis literally being born to be the greatest hunter of the greatest prey, the Last Dragonborn.

Murza: Murza has always felt like an outsider, even within her own tribe growing up, so she finds a lot of solace in the tenants of Malacath. She also keeps a quiet reverence for Dibella, as her priestesses were the ones who helped her become her most true self.

Dire: Dire doesn't really necessarily worship Clavicus Vile, he just kinda has this air of thankfulness around the subject of his daedric parent. After all it is through his connection to Oblivion that he is able to help so many people and keep his family together in the afterlife.

Evening Star - When is your OC's birthday?

Aneis: 27th of Hearthfire, 4E 153

Murza: 21st of Sun's Dusk, 4E 165

Dire: 30th of Mid Year, 4E 206

[sam-glade]

Hi~! Happy STS!

How do you feel about prologues and epilogues? How often do stories you write contain one or the other? What do you think their best uses are?

(from @tisiphonewolfe)

Happy STS, Tiss💜

I can see that they are sometimes helpful or even needed for a story to work, but more often than not they can be skipped. Oops, this got long, so I'm adding a cut.

For example, I really liked the assassination prologue in The Way of Kings by Sanderson. It achieves a few things that really helped me enjoy the story. It showcases the magic system, so the reader can anticipate it. It explains why there's a war in broad strokes - the rest of the story is after a timeskip of a few years. It also hints that while we follow a single nation in this instalment, the world is much larger than that, with multiple cultures.

In general, I like the prologues when they set up a promise of the story (not premise!). I want to know roughly what direction the story will go and what to anticipate. They can set the tone or be a message along the lines of 'I know the first few chapters are slow, but I promise you'll see some cool stuff later'. Another example here it's the first Indiana Jones movie - it starts with Indy on an adventure, getting chased, shot at, evading traps and whatnot. It's completely disjoint from the main plot, which starts with him teaching in a classroom like a typical professor (at a first glance). That 'prologue' promises that there's more to this academic than meets the eye and basically says 'there will be cool action later on, just wait'. Murder mysteries often use prologues well to set the tone.

On the other hand, I feel like in fantasy, prologues are overdone. I understand why the authors want to showcase their awesome worldbuilding or their protag's tragic backstory, but I much prefer not having it front-loaded, and instead infer it from the context clues.

As for epilogues, I find them to be a bit rarer and I don't have strong feelings about them. Once I'm attached to the cast and the setting, I don't usually mind an additional bit of wrap up that's X years later. Sometimes it's also helpful to come down from the emotional high of the climax.

As for my own stories, Gifts of Fate has neither a prologue nor an epilogue, though it possibly could use an epilogue. Still debating that. The Prince's Shadow had a prologue in the previous draft, as a sort of half-chapter containing the promise. It also had an epilogue which I'm tempted to keep. The Truth Teller has a prologue which follows the Indiana Jones example - it's from the POV of Lady Night's operative doing some undercover work, because the first act doesn't have much of that, and when it finally appears, it may seem to come out of the blue.