#i got sum edits in the vault

[braedenhales]

Some of y’all followed me for teen wolf and I am so sorry

[macgyvertape]

D2 Season of the Haunted Thoughts

I’m posting this like 2 weeks into the next season, because I haven’t had the free time to edit this until now. Which really emphasizes my realization that as much as I enjoyed the storyline and atmosphere of season of the Haunted, if I wasn’t playing with a clan of people I like I would stop playing D2 for a few months. It's part burnout on the game and part less free time for a while.

I should probably find more people to play with to keep the game social. I came back to D2 during Season of Arrivals, so its been about 2 years which is the longest I’ve played any game consecutively. 

I am glad that I just keep a doc open for notes during the season, I wish I had started doing that sooner than season of the Splicer. It will be nice to look back on this by the time Final Shape comes out.

Gameplay

Mixed feelings on healing grenades, glad all classes get them as I’m definitely used to being aggressive in my playstyle knowing that I can self-heal as a warlock and so I have to use Wormhusk Crown/Alpha Lupi as a crutch. Counter point - healing grenades feel like trash on Well-Warlock since they are no longer situational

Phoenix dive is nice for movement control when the boss stomps you across the room

I did Leviathan raid some, but not a lot so I’m not super familiar with the map. I do like the return of old vaulted spaces and hope to see more of it

Even by the end of the season I’m not used to the menubar ui changes

I don’t like the Solar Warlock changes.  A lof of focus on in-air gunplay which I don’t enjoy especially now that its something you build into, and I usually just get shot out of the sky as I slowly float around. In endgame PVE being in the air is a death sentance. Sunbracers and Starfire Protocol really felt like “must picks”. The joke of “fusion grenades is your super” isn’t inaccurate. 

The changes to resilience where it's the benefit is best at 80-100 in the stat make the changes to Solar Warlock healing feel even worse. Its even worse on Hunter where there isn’t a good stat to sacrifice to build resilience into. 

There are some great solar melee Hunter builds that were a lot of fun, but I really leaned on classy restoration for endgame content

Solar titan is really the best in solar class. Better healing than warlock especially with Lorely Splendor. 

Positive: Having high stat armor focusing from this season and last season makes completely changing your build stats a lot easier

Finally got Eyes of Tomorrow this season!!! The raid and dungeon pinnacle rotator is great for incentivizing old content.

Spent 4 Hours on final boss for GoS before quitting, it was super buggy more than i remember previously.

New Dungeon requires a lot more coordination than the others, especially since your teammates can wipe the party with a missed shot. The long respawn timer on the jumping puzzle is the worst part of it especially since teammates can’t pull you forwards but otherwise I really like it. 

The best fun I had all season was doing screenshot hide and seek with clanmates, it was especially fun to revisit old and obscure areas.

Somehow raiding has become my favorite non-story activity in D2 with the BIG caveat if its with people I like to play with. 

One thing I really liked about Leviathan was how it set powerlevel to 10 below so enemies were red-sworded, it kept them engaging throughout the season. I know Bungie has said they’re looking into alternatives for the current leveling system and I would LOVE to see that for GMs. Power level is already capped there, and its really the only thing I and a few others grind for. 

Iron Banner: glad i didn’t play it first week because its fucking rough even with mercy rule being implemented for the second week. I played enough to do seasonal challenge then stopped

A lot of Leviathan challenges like defeat champions and get kills with scythe, I had to fight other guardians to get it done. Those kind of zero-sum challenges really bring out the worst in everyone. 

Lmao at paying for an upgraded solstice event card when i didn't have time to play, I’m glad I didn’t care  about the title and rewards when I barely played 5 days of it because I was too sick to play. 

Feel like the game is increasingly monetized in a really fractured way. $10 for an event card that is separate from the paid season/delux edition, and the exclusive rewards take up half the card space like an advert. You have to use silver to buy it so you’ll always have some leftover silver that they want you to spend in the eververse store. Feels like it's designed around FOMO with the limited amount of time to grind for the rewards,and  I wonder if people not completing the card they bought is why requirements were lowered in the last bit of the event. 

By the last 3 weeks of season i had ~45% done in Nightmare Containment 3. Each tier gives 1% progress and what a fucking pointless grind it was. Just sat there and did it while watching a show. Bungie sets these super high challenges then I just never want to play the activity after the season ends. 

After grinding out a crucible reset and a half between trials, control, and team scorched; i have firm opinions that team scorched is actually the most fair and balanced game mode. No overshields, no classy restoration healing stuff, no op meta weapons. I would enjoy more modes like it. 

Despite making more of an effort I still didn’t reset banshee this season, glad it's getting adjusted next season

Seasonal challenges I didn’t complete were: Momentum control, Gambit rank up x2, and Mayhem. Mayhem I played my 9 games for a pinnacle had less that 10 kills via Super and said “fuck this” because the super wouldn’t finish someone off or an ally would get the credit. 

First Week stuff

Last season Ikora’s ship was my Warlock’s ship. But I managed to get The Third Tide (alter of sorrows shop) with random blueberries, so seems fitting to be my main ship this season

SO EXCITED you can replay the opening mission on other characters. It was so well made and I’ve been wanting that every season since Season of the Hunt. I’m just keeping it on Titan so i can replay it by backing out.

I really hope we get a lot of Caiatl and Eris interacting, two characters I really like but also Caiatl’s history of course would make her distrustful of Eris, and I’m curious to see how that plays out considering the fanbase used to be distrustful of Eris. (edit: I’m happy with what we got but would love to see more). 

Holy shit doing a creepy ritual with Eris involving the corpse of Savathun by the Crown of Sorrows, I love when Destiny gets scary. Guess they left blank what the Guardian offered up for player headcanon

Ok I know I said I wanted to see some other characters be the focus of a season and not Crow again, but I’m really impressed with Crow/Uldren’s voice actor for differentiating them as Nightmare!Uldren harasses Crow and the angst is enjoyable

Eris’s comforting words to Crow and his very sad “I’m sorry I let you down”, this mission is a fucking whirlwind of emotions

Running sever with clanmates and them meeting the immune chasing dude is so much fun

Other weeks

Longer essay to come about just how much I enjoyed the horror aspects this season both in story and gameplay wise

“Reforged in light for a purpose” its the hawkmoon words! Crow for hunter Vanguard? On my screen his undercut makes him look partly bald so he partly passes the qualifications

“I had a friend and you murdered him” Amanda’s VA knocking it out of the park with the greif/anger. Makes the public event lines where Nightmare!Uldren taunts her so much worse

Week 3: glad  Zavala keeps getting great stories because Lance Reddick keeps knocking it out of the park. Also wow we’re learning a lot of really personal details about Zavala, and he seems mostly fine with it. Guess he really does trust us on a personal level, and Eris as well. 

Calus is like peak fucked up hedonism this season. (hard not to compare it to Slaanesh)

Kethiks in the Zavala severs is a fucking bullet sponge and its not as fun. Good for bounties though

Not playing for a few weeks really made me notice how much worse the Eregore got on the leviathan. Like in the royal pools you’re just walking on bio-matter which I bet would be gross as hell. One of those nightmare-horror (pun intended) mixes of flesh and steel just like all the Flood stuff from Halo

I only realized the above after thinking about how nice the grass looks in the Tower during Solstice

I enjoy how many times this season we get to fight along since big Cabal allies ingame Funny that D2 is finally an mmo with companion allies. Makes me nostalgic for Halo, hope Bungie will do another single player one day

I am not immune to Psion tall. I really hope we get a more developed Psion character

Ghaul was a bland boring villain in Red War and this season he got more interesting writing in just 2 weeks of seasonal story + lore. 

Character interactions where one character is one the audience already knows and likes works a lot better to flesh out another character than spending time establishing both characters none of the audience knows. For Red War, as a newbie I didn’t know who Ghaul, the Consul, or the Speaker were and the writing didn’t do much to get me to care. 

I did like the Sever’s 1-2 & 5-6 more and that's definitely because we had past history with the Nightmares and it felt more personal. Also they felt more “scary” with the Immune Nightmare dude. I’m guessing we didn’t get the monster chase in 3-4 because balancing that would have taken away from telling Zavala’s story in 8-10 min.

Caiatl’s so cool. I hope we get more named Cabal characters since like most of them are dead aside from Caiatl and Saladin now i guess

Swamps last seasons, fetid space-hulk this season, hope my guardian can go somewhere non gross next season

Fun to see the eregore progress one week then no one in universe care until the last week where suprise! It took over the HELM. Need a heavy flamethrower, or just fly the HELM into the sun

[neotan-astrology]

Not astrology related but how will you describe Jungwoo’s relationship/dynamics with 127?

this post just turned into me rambling sorry 🙈

Taeil - I think first of all their humor really matches each other. Like Taeil has thing where he doesn't let the age difference come into play and that specially shows in the case of Jungwoo and Haechan. Their ‘debate’ during that punch punch show really proves it. And apparently they have these kind of debates at their dorm too. And Taeil always indulges Jungwoo and he is one of the members Jungwoo is always clingy with. Like since Jungwoo joined 127 Taeil was one of the members Jungwoo was comfortable with so yeah I am really grateful for that.

Johnny - Jungwoo has consistently mentioned that he would like to have Johnny as his elder brother and yup that just explains their dynamics. And Jungwoo also mentioned he feels protected around Johnny so yup they really feel like they have a siblings kind of relationship. And the way Jungwoo talks about Johnny you can feel how much supportive Johnny is and how much he takes care of Jungwoo.  Also in that Chilling Mukping video Taeil and Johnny both treated Jungwoo as the maknae. He literally did not have to do anything and while they both set everything up. 

Taeyong - I think they have the perfect leader x member dynamic. Taeyong has always reminded everyone that even though Jungwoo might have joined 127 later but he has still been with them since the start. in the recent Men’s No No interview and even behind the scenes Jungwoo mentioned that Taeyong liked his clothes which makes me feel that Jungwoo really cares about Taeyong’s opinion. 

Yuta - Okay Yuta is definitely one of the members Jungwoo is closest with. Yuta always confidently mentioning how much Jungwoo loves him and yes Jungwoo really does. I think Jungwoo really relies so much on Yuta, Yuta literally mentioned he thinks Jungwoo cant live without him. I personally feel they both are kind of opposites but they still have their perfect dynamics where they understood each other. This interview is perfect to get to know their dynamics. Also Yuta was the only member who updated about Jungwoo during his hiatus and I cannot accentuate the fact how thankful I am for that.

Doyoung - Okay Doyoung has literally been with Jungwoo since his debut. Jungwoo got overwhelmed before his debut stage and it was Doyoung who calmed him down. And he has been supporting him ever since. Jungwoo likes to tease Doyoung a lot and the playfully argue but yup he indulges Jungwoo a lot. (not at Doyoung’s room getting locked and his first though was Jungwoo is playing a prank on him even though they live on different floors)  Also not Doyoung saying he knows Jungwoo better than Jungwoo knows himself.

Jaehyun - Okay their dynamics really underrated. Ngl since they became roommates it literally feels like they share the same braincells. Jaehyun saying that he thinks Jungwoo is not that weird and Mark saying that maybe it means that Jaehyun is equally weird just sums up everything about them.And Jaehyun really laughs the loudest at anything Jungwoo does. Jaehyun saying watching Jungwoo eat makes him happy i am like 

Mark - BEST FRIENDS!! after the relay cam do I really need to say anything about them. But yeah Mark has been supportive of Jungwoo since he joined in 2018. He literally said he was more excited about Jungwoo debuting than even Jungwoo himself. They dropped honorifics soon after Jungwoo joined 127. Mark saying he misses Jungwoo the most when he is away! And how he is just thankful Jungwoo is beside him just as he is. Also plugging this edit because this makes me emotional.

Haechan - Another underrated duo! I genuinely feel they got close during 2020. I think during the To You video Jungwoo said Haechan feels like a same age friend to him. And in that video Haechan mentioned how they cannot go on without Jungwoo and just his entire message to Jungwoo was so heartfelt I cry every time. My most favourite moment of them has to be Haechan cheering for Jungwoo when he was jumping that 2m 30 cm vault thing and he was all I really want Jungwoo to win and then after Jungwoo won he was all running to hug him. Anyway I am going to pester SM about a hyuckwoo subunit for the rest of my life!

[olivish]

This is the continuation of the Melanie-Bennett meet-cute story. I decided to experiment a little and segue into the rest of the story with a conversation between Ben and Alex, on the pirate train, a week or two after they lose Melanie. I must admit I really adore this. I love Ben and I love Alex, so this my way of giving them both a big hug. (A bear hug.) 

Below the fold: 

“What’s a bear vault?” 

Ben looks up from his computer. Alex is standing midway between the living quarters and the helm, and she’s got a notebook in her hands. He recognizes it from Melanie’s desk. It’s the book that says, “BEAR VAULT!” on the cover, with a skull and crossbones doodled underneath the title.

He smiles faintly. “It just means... the book is full of secrets.” 

Alex looks down at the book and then back up at him. She’s confused, which is understandable. “Is that like... something old people say?”  

“No, it’s a joke,” he explains. (Old people. Yeesh!)  “It’s a joke between your mum and me. Not a ha-ha joke. It’s more of a reference to this thing that happened on the day we met. Sort of a... you-had-to-be-there sort of thing.” 

“Got it. It’s cool.” 

Alex wanders over to the kitchenette. She frowns at the coffee maker and flips through single-serve oatmeal packets, like she’s trying to decide if she’s hungry. She touches a note that’s taped to the microwave. “PLEASE KEEP CLEAN!” 

(One guess who’s handwriting that’s in.)

Finally, she pops the mini-fridge under the counter. Ben hears clinking before she pulls out a beer. He watches her struggle to open the bottle under the hem of her tank top, but it’s not a twist-off. It takes three tries before she gives up and whacks the cap on the edge of the counter. Ping, ping, ping - it flies across the room. 

“You want one?” she asks, when she catches him staring. 

Is she old enough to drink, Ben wonders? And then he realizes how dumb that question is. “Sure,” he says. He doesn’t really want one, but he’ll be damned if he’s going to let Mel’s daughter drink alone.  

Alex brings him a Railman’s. “It’s the last one,” she says. “After this it’s all froo-froo cocktails from the first class galley.” 

“I’ll let you in on a secret,” Ben answers, using the bottle opener on his keychain. “We keep a spare keg in the cold-room, with the breach-wares and the suits. I’ll bring it up tomorrow.” 

Alex nods and makes a “not bad” expression. She leans the neck of her bottle over so Ben can clink it. He does. 

After sitting in silence for some time, Alex slaps the notebook on the counter. “Okay,” she says. “Tell me the story.” 

“What do mean?” 

She folds her arms and looks down at him, her tone impatient. “The bear vault thing? How you met my mother?” 

Ben chuckles at the reference to the TV show, but Alex doesn’t get it. 

“Unless it’s gross,” she adds, taking a swig. “I don’t wanna hear gross stuff about my mom.” 

“It’s nothing like that.” 

“Good. So go ahead.” 

Ben hesitates. He drinks as he tries to find the most succinct way to sum it all up. “Well,” he begins. “There’s not much of a story. Basically, when I met your mum... we were in the mountains, and there was a bear. And it was big and angry and probably about to eat me when your mum, being your mum, stopped that from happening. She saved my life, I’m pretty sure. And then she made me promise not to tell anyone. “Put it in the vault,” as they say. So, after that, it became a code between us. If we had something we didn’t want anyone to know, we’d say, “put it in the bear vault.” I think the idea was that the bear was somehow living in the vault, and it would eat any other secrets we put in there. At least, that’s how I thought about it.”

Ben trails off. When Alex seems to be waiting for more, he concludes, “So yeah. That’s it. Bear vault.” 

“Wow. Ben... you... suck at telling stories.” 

“I suck at--” 

“No context. No buildup. No color. Just... a bear almost killed me, I shat bricks, Melanie saved the day, we entered a lifelong pact of secrecy, the end?” 

“That’s what happened.” 

“You’re not even trying.” 

“What do you want? It was a dark and stormy night?” 

“Well? Was it?” 

“No, it was broad fucking daylight. I was hungover. It was... 2002.” 

“Well, if it was 2002, that explains everything. Come on!” 

Ben growls in frustration, but he’s smiling and so is she. Alex is used to better story tellers than him. He-who-shall-not-be-named is an excellent storyteller. 

“Okay,” Ben says at last. “What do you want to know?” 

“Everything.” She shrugs. “Start at the beginning. The first time you saw her. Where were you? What did you say? What did she say?” 

Ben thinks back, answering her questions in his head before telling her. 

They were at the airport in Calgary. And he didn’t say anything. He couldn’t say anything. Melanie was one of those people who could render others temporarily dumbstruck by her beauty. “So you’re the new guy?” she asked. And he had no idea if she was the person Wilford had sent for him. But it didn’t matter. He nodded in the affirmative. He was whatever she wanted him to be. (Ben edits this cringeworthy line out of his narration).  

“We need to hurry,” Melanie said. “We’ve got weather approaching.” 

[victorluvsalice]

AU Thursday: Fallout Of Darkness -- A Half-Decent Sum-Up Of The Pre-War Timeline

If you follow my RP tumblr, @thevalicemultiverse, you may have seen this before (barring a few edits I made just now) -- I wrote this up as background for putting Fallout of Darkness into play over there as an RP verse. It’s as good a write-up as I currently have for Alice and particularly Victor’s lives before the bombs fell, so might as well bring it over here for more general consumption! Enjoy!

---

Alice Liddell shares most of her backstory with her Londerland Bloodlines counterpart: she’s born in 1984, loses her family to Bumby’s obsession with her sister, hallucinates her way through the horrors of Rutledge and Houndsditch with Wonderland serving as a horrific psychological dreamscape for her to get her sanity back under her, realizes Bumby’s behind all her pain and is a child trafficker, kills him, moves to Los Angeles for a fresh start, and gets illegally Embraced by Malkavian Fish and ends up errand girl to Prince Sebastian LaCroix. In this reality, though, she lives through something much closer to the standard Bloodlines plot (albeit filtered through the “all tech is at least kinda 50s sci-fi” lens of Fallout) – including saving Heather Poe instead of Victor, and finding nothing in the Giovanni basement except regular old zombies. She pushes through all the bullshit of Camarilla vs Anarchs vs Kuei-Jin vs Sabbat, convinces Heather to leave when it transpires she’s being really badly affected by Alice’s Malkavian blood (to the point of luring a guy to the haven and then locking him in the bathroom for Alice to eat), and eventually chooses the independent life, killing Ming-Xiao, letting LaCroix blow up with his tower, and flipping off the Anarchs when they try to recruit her. She flees Los Angeles completely shortly thereafter, and spends most of the rest of the next seventy-odd years on the move around America, avoiding possible reprisals from the Camarilla and watching the world go to hell in a handbasket with resources running out and the war for the last great oil pipeline. She finds shelter in Boston in October 2077, and is sleeping away the day in a presumed-safe building when the bombs drop. While she’s luckily buried in a sunlight-blocking pile of rubble, she’s also staked by a falling beam. . .and remains so for the next two centuries. . .

Victor Van Dort, on the other hand, is born in 2050, to Nell and William Van Dort of Burtonsville. William is in the fish business, and moves his family to the USA when Victor is still just a baby to seek new opportunities. What he and his wife and son get is the New Plague, forcing them to stay in Massachusetts due to quarantine measures. Despite this, William still manages to become a fish cannery mogul, making millions off his automated factories. Victor himself grows up almost entirely confined to the house and gardens, cared for and taught by a variety of robots until he was fourteen and it was deemed safe enough for him to attend a normal high school. The gardens taught him to love nature, but his caretakers taught him to love science and technology – while still a hobbyist lepidopterist, Victor is much more a tinkerer and technician in this world. Having to help fix the family’s Protectron driver, Mayhew, when he falls apart almost right in front of you will do that to a boy! He’s just more comfortable with machines than people – a fact that doesn’t make him popular in school.

In his senior year of high school, Victor is pushed to date Victoria Everglot by his parents, seeing her family’s noble history (some relative way-back-when in England was a Grand Duke) as a good way to improve their own social standings. Victor goes along with it after realizing he likes Victoria herself a fair bit, and the two soon become boyfriend and girlfriend. A few months into the relationship, though, Victor comes across a gravely-injured Emily Merrimack-Cartwell in the park, the victim of an elopement that turned out to be an excuse to rob and murder her. Victor is able to rush her to the hospital in time, and the two become friends in the aftermath. Victoria, noticing that they seem to have a growing attraction, decides she doesn’t want Victor to feel obligated to continue dating her if he’d prefer to be with Emily and actually encourages them to go to prom together. They agree after confirming she’s okay with that, and that she won’t be missing out herself. They start out having a good time together, but midway through Victoria goes to the ladies’ room and doesn’t return. Victor and Emily, concerned, go looking for her and find her being menaced by none other than Emily’s ex Barkis – apparently not satisfied with what he got off Emily, he’s now trying to rob and possibly kidnap Victoria. Victor and Emily take him down and get him carted off to jail, to Victoria’s eternal gratitude. The experience bind them all together as a trio, and – coupled with the discovery that Victoria and Emily feel much the same about each other as they do about Victor – they decide to just all date each other and see where the chips fall.

And then the draft comes and Victor is yanked into military service. He ends up a combat engineer in the Engineer Corps, and is assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 108th Infantry Regiment, aka “Fox Company.” While he makes some friends in fellow soldiers Nate Howard and Sam “Bonejangles” Thatcher, Victor loathes his experiences as a soldier, especially as his unit is protecting the Alaskan Pipeline on the Alaska border and watching as the US annexes Canada. Things come to a head when his commanding officer tries to get him to shoot two Canadian kids who were throwing rocks at their camp – an enraged Victor shoots the officer instead, then gets wrapped up in a sudden enemy attack on said camp (a small company of Chinese infiltrators in stealth suits -- one accidentally decloaked in his surprise over Victor killing his target), spiriting the kids to safety before managing to save the rest of his company via fast fixing of their defenses and rigging up some explosive power armor. The chaos makes it impossible for the upper brass to know for sure Victor killed the officer (though they’re deeply suspicious), and the fact that everyone else is calling him a hero (plus his father being willing to pay good money for his son’s safe return) leads to him going home for good. Having married Victoria while on leave earlier, they take in Emily as a “live-in friend and help around the house” (wink wink), and the three move to the little community of Sanctuary Hills. They have a good couple of years there, culminating in the birth of Victor and Victoria’s son Shaun. Victor, despite his worries about the resource shortages, the war with China, and his own government possibly looking for a way to silence him whenever he makes his opinions about same known, starts thinking that maybe things can be all right for him and his family at least. . .

And then, on October 23rd, 2077, the bombs hit. Victor and his family get to Vault 111 just in time, and are processed and cyronically frozen as per the experiment. However, things go bad with a security staff revolt, and the frozen family is left easy pickings for some mysterious scientists to come in, shoot Victoria, and kidnap Shaun right before Victor’s horrified eyes. When he is revived again, he finds that the life support failed for the rest of the residents (including Emily, whose pod partially thawed her and left her half-rotted), leaving him the sole survivor – apart from his missing son. He escapes the vault and returns to what’s left of Sanctuary Hills, vowing to find Shaun.

Finding Shaun turns out to be more difficult than imagined – the world above is a dangerous place, and Victor is ill-prepared to deal with it. Fortunately, he makes some friends right off the bat – his old Mr. Handy Codsworth; a German Shepherd waiting for him at the local Red Rocket, who is later revealed to be named Dogmeat; and Preston Garvey, last of the Commonwealth Minutemen, whom Victor saves from raiders at the Museum of Freedom in Concord while looking for other signs of life. Victor welcomes Preston and his settlers to live in Sanctuary, and joins up with Preston’s efforts to revive the Minutemen and make it a force for good in the wasteland (being named General by Preston in the process, a move that baffles him and his 2 Charisma). Helping settlers leads him down to Diamond City, where he was told by slightly-psychic Mama Murphy he could find some help. He befriends reporter Piper Wright there, and ends up getting her help to find her missing friend detective Nick Valentine when it transpires he – and with him, Victor’s best hope for finding Shaun – has vanished.

And during their adventures to track down Nick’s precise location, they come across a raider base, are attacked by a raider who yanks a bloody stick out of a pile of rubble – and are introduced to Alice when she bursts from the rubble and sucks the guy dry. Alice hastily informs them that she’s not a threat to them (she was just thirsty after, you know, two centuries of being staked), and they end up trusting her enough to take down the rest of the raiders with her. Victor does his best to explain what’s happened to her, and she does her best to explain her vampiric nature to him. Feeling bad for her, and like he’s finally found a kindred spirit in all this (uh, no pun intended), he invites her to travel with him, switching to a night time schedule to accommodate her. . .at least, until they go to a certain quarry mined by Dunwich Borers to clear out the raiders there. . .

[talesofthefrontier]

The Pop Culture Playlist: Clay McNab

The Pop Culture Playlist tells the story of fictional characters through music, revealing motivations and personal choices. This edition focuses on Clay McNab from the Tales Of The Frontier series. An infamous witch hunter and complicated man, McNab has dedicated his life to exterminating the supernatural from The Frontier by any means necessary.

Here’s a list of tracks that describe the life of Clay McNab.

Broken Cowboy by the Dead South

The colours deceive me

As I see grey

Oh, you’re cutting me down with those

Cold words you’re saying

Then you called me brother

But this can’t be so ‘cause you

Slander my name anywhere the wind will blow

Well I am a broken cowboy

And I don’t feel right no more

‘Cause I’m a broken cowboy

Yes, I’m a broken cowboy

As a Quester, McNab has earned a reputation for hunting monsters and witches. It also cost him a great deal and left him feeling bitter about his fate.

Broken Cowboy is a good song for highlighting McNab’s lot in life. In addition, it connects to the muscle wasting disease that he suffers from. The older McNab gets, the harder it is to grip his weapons and it’s left him a shell of his former self.

Hell Is Coming With Me by Poor Man’s Poison

Through the years, McNab has developed a particular hatred for witches, earning him the nickname of The Hammer Of The Witches. Fully devoted to his task, McNab has captured, persecuted and ended the lives of many witches and that attitude has carried on into old age.

Hell Is Coming With Me sums up the righteous fury of The Hammer Of The Witches. He doesn’t forgive or forget and he’ll rain hell down on anyone who’s foolish enough to get in his way.

The Bullet by The Devil Makes 3

McNab is the kind of man who’s spent most of his life moving from one fight to the next without stopping. He’s a gunslinger and a warrior who’s most comfortable in the thick of battle and he understands that to live by the gun is to die by the gun.

The Bullet is a fitting song, capturing McNab’s recklessness.

Living On The Sand by Colter Wall

Keep that gun locked away

Locked away, boy

Well you know you’re an angry young man

Going in town with six rounds

You’re sure to be hell-bound

That house you’ve got is built on the sand

This song has a mournful quality that echoes back to McNab’s youth. As a young man he had a wife called Lenora who he loved and then lost, which motivated him to join the Questers and lead a life of vengeance.

All these years later, McNab can reflect on the body count he’s left behind and wonders if it was all worth it. He wonders if everything he’s built has been made out of sand.

Too Old To Die Young by Brother Dege

‘Too old to die young’ is a phrase McNab is familiar with. He’s one of the last few gunslingers and Questers of his era and recognises that his time is coming to an end. The world around him is advancing and he’s resistant to change.

The song encapsulates his recognition that he’s on borrowed time.

Gunslinger’s Glory by The Dead South

Going around every day as I shoot away

Taking them on down to their knees to pray

Make my way up to the top

Rise into the word

Being a gunslinger is a glory

And goddamn

Goddamn it’s good

Gunslinger’s Glory is a song for McNab’s youth. In the early days of his Quester career and before he was The Hammer Of The Witches, McNab was a boy with a chip on his shoulders and had something to prove.

He idolised his mentors in the Questers and vowed that he would be the best damn gunslinger of them all.

My Fair Lady by Kaleo

Can you always tell a sinner

From a saint if he’s the same?

And if your thick skin growing thinner

Have you found someone to blame?

She said, “You need not worry, child”

“Now is not the time”

Then she kissed me on the forehead

And turned my water into wine

My Fair Lady represents the transience of McNab’s character. He’s a rover and a rogue who’s always on the move, filling the void in his life with alcohol and women.

Underneath it all, he’s longing to find his purpose again. The self-loathing he feels at being consumed by his hatred of the supernatural weighs him down.

The Curse Of The Fold by Shawn James

The story of Clay McNab could be a cautionary tale to some. He lost himself to revenge and became resentful of how his life turned out. He recognises that he turned into a monster in order to fight monsters and he accepts the worst and the best parts of himself.

The Curse Of The Fold reflects his complex nature.

Troubadour by George Strait

Sometimes I feel like Jesse James

Still trying to make a name

Knowing nothing’s gonna change what I am

I was a young troubadour

When I rode in on a song

And I’ll be an old troubadour

When I’m gone

The final song to sum up the saga of The Hammer Of The Witches, Troubadour tells the story of a man who’s stayed true to the person he’s always been. And there will never be another like him.

Troubadour is the kind of song that’s indicative of an era and McNab’s identity as one of the last gunslingers of his generation.

You can follow the adventures of Clay McNab in AT THE DEAD OF DUSK, which involves him transporting a young woman across dangerous terrain to complete a job that’ll set him up for life.

Along the way, McNab faces down countless horrors, teenage angst and the darkest parts of himself. Buy the novella today!

Originally posted on The Comic Vault.

[aspiestvmusings]

MCU & SPIDERMAN: FAR FROM HOME SPOILERY REVIEW

This is my first, initial “review” of the latest MCU movie - “Spiderman. Far from Home” 

SPOILERS, BEWARE! for “SPIDERMAN: FAR FROM HOME”

“Everywhere I go/look, I see his face/I am reminded of Tony”

The memorial video made by Peter’s HS friends. The comic cans, the online/getty pics used, the editing, the music choice “Dolly Parton’s “I will always love you” … from “The Bodyguard” by Whitney Houston” & images of Tony, Steve, Nat, Vision… Tony…

all the Ironman drawings/art on the classroom wall in Peters school (as he & Ned talk about the vacation plan)

the Ironman mural on the building wall… when Peter escapes to the roof… from the “press conference”

the film/video choices on the plane from Americas to Europe  (next to: “Nova: Einstein Rosen Bridges” &  “The Snap,” & “Finding Wakanda,” & “Hunting Hydra.”) is a 114 minute long Tony/Ironman docu/film… story

I am pretty sure there are also some pictures/posters/images on wall/screen at the airport, when they arrive in Europe... but I need to go watch it again (3rd time) to be sure. I think I saw it, but am not certain....

The murals (with flowers & lit candles) in Europe (Prague)…

Tony’s tech… everywhere

The EDITH integrated in Tony’s glasses...that are now Peter’s. He’s the next Tony Stark. He is the only one who can be trusted with the power - everyone else would just use it for their own good. The Tony glasses being basically a supporting character in the film... central in many scenes. 

Tony’s friends & “enemies” (people, who remember/mourn him & people, who are jealous of him)

Things I noticed/The little things:  

The BLIP “in memoriam” video edit made by Peter’s HS kids: The font was comic sans! The song choice was “I will always love you” by Whitney Houston from the film “The Bodyguard” (original: Dolly Parton), and the “in memoriam” part included images of Tony Stark... twice (first & last), Nat, Steve, VISION...and also others.... And biggest question here is... does this mean that Cap is considered dead? Does this mean his time travel shenanigans lead to him/the team listing him as one of the casualties... to not reveal the details of what really happened & to keep the time travel & other things... a secret? 

BOH! MJs new favorite word. I loved how Peter used it back at MJ... when he doesn’t want to reveal what’s in the bag/box. 

That “cat” in that one scene kinda looked like GOOSE, but only  a little bit, so was it a random cat, or was it a “relative” of Goose? Maybe another flerken?

I absolutely loved how happy & excited Peter got when he was told that the multiverse is real, not just a theory (anymore). I’m kinda sad that it turned out to not be true... for now. (he’d love to learn about the multiverse, just like he’s now studying Thor, who was a myth before, in his physics class)

When Peter was betrayed by someone he trusted & had no one to turn to, who did he call...from Netherlands? Happy. He was the one person, who knew, knew him & could be trusted, and could help him. I’m glad he had that option...someone to turn to. 

That tulip field in Netherlands was beautiful and all, but I was kinda sad to see that plane land there... and then hover above it..for a while... 

Speaking of the plane: The Avengers Tower was sold & is now being re-built by someone else, The Avengers Headquarters was destroyed in Endgame & since Tony is gone (and everyone else ran  away/went to hiding), I am not sure it’ll be re-built (we saw that the clan-up after the battle was happening... in the background...during the Endgame end scene where they set up the time travel platform by the lake). And now the airplane was destroyed in FFH. So lots of Tony’s tech (suit making machines & other tech) is destroyed now. And even though  the introduction of EDITH suggests that he had many other labs & tech set up, “secretly” everywhere... still... it keeps getting destroyed. and since he’s not here to create anything new, all his work will soon be destroyed/gone if this keeps happening. 

Peter stripped not once...but twice...in front of someone... a girl: first the SHIELD European agent, who made him the new (black) secret european “Night Monkey” suit (pants) & later in front of the girl he really likes... MJ (shirt). 

Mysterio’s illusions: all those scenes were visually amazing/brilliant! The Prague fire monster, the bar scene illusions after Peter leaves - the twist!, the German “safe house” illusions  that ended with the train & then the London Tower bridge illusions. 

The bar scene “turn of events” twist moment was brilliantly scary: it showed just how “crazy” Mysterio was. That, together with the “illusion rehearsal” scene, when he learns about the missing projector...and threatens his whole team... that was same level brilliantly scary. 

“Appearances can be deceiving”  hahaha Oh, how it hinted at the end credits scene reveal. It was not just Happy trying to tells “Fury” about Mysterio and his deception, but... also how Fury & Maria Hill are actually... skrulls, who work for Fury, while he (and Hill?) are elsewhere, working on other projects. 

Skrull sleeper cells... mentioned by “Fury”... a reference to Captain Marvel & comics.... 

Happy throwing a shield...at the drone... His cap moment. And his comment about how heavy it is/hard it is, and he doesn’t know how Cap does it hahaha

Michelle and the medieval weapon..that she borrows from the museum vault... 

There are many artifacts in the Tower of London museum vault - the crown jewels, all kinds of medieval tools & weapons, and also... “IRON MAN” - medieval iron knight armor!

Peter taking a selfie as he swings in NYC...in the end. He’s swinging & reading texts/texting & taking selfies... 

The text/line on the fence on the street/in front of “construction site”.... when Peter/Spiderman is swinging to MJ in the end scene..on NYC streets... (Madison Square Garden) say:   “We’re excited  to show you what comes next. And there are numbers 1, 2, 3 & a ? (instead of number 4) under the text. This has many meanings: a) the people in the MCU/FFH universe  are excited to show the citizens what they’re building there. b) the MCU creators are excited to show/tell us/viewers/fans what’s to come next...both in Spiderman films & MCU in general (Phase 4). c) Also..according to fans, who know more, it’s also a reference to the “Fantastic 4″.  

The initials B.F.P. on the suitcase he takes to Europe aka the suitcase belonged to Peters uncle Ben (May’s husband). Too bad it, too,  along many other things & places...got destroyed..in this film. 

LOL at everyone knocking on Peter & Ned’s rooms door at the hotel theyäre staying in in Venice. Interrupting “Fury” (and Peter) & Fury’s reaction... (he is so done with being interrupted...every 5 seconds)

All the “upgrades” to the class trip in Europe & all the changes in itinerary... #IfTheyOnlyKnewWhyThePlansWeereChanged

The “Peter tingle” (aka The Spidey Sense) 

“What happens in London/Europe, stays in London/Europe?” Peter, who is/has been keen to keep his identity a secret, behaved strangely & boldly in Europe & especially at the end of the big “battle” in London...where he just stands on the bridge...without his mask & talks to & kisses MJ. In the middle of the bridge, at the center of big event... Are there no video/traffic 8etc) cams in Europe/LOndon in 2023/2024 MCu? Are there no cameras/smartphones that people use to take pics & vids of every big event they see... in 2023/2024 MCU? I found that surprising... based on all the attempts he made until now & in this film..to keep his identity a secret. 

Pepper Potts signing the big (in both size & sum) check from Stark Fund to May’s charity event. But not being able to attend the event herself. Most likely cause the actress is done with MCU, but... otherwise...interesting... to mention her like that & specify that she was unable to attend in person...

How many “vacations” has Fury taken over the MCU history? While I mostly think that this was the first... after Fury & CM were “reunited” during the Endgame events (BLIP) & the plan was formed after Tony was gone (they were both at his memorial service) & the returned Fury who had no more team on this planet, was kinda lost...) But I also kinda think he might’ve used the skrulls before to take vacations. I am pretty certain that we saw the real Fury in Captain Marvel, in Iron Man films...  and I am also pretty certain that he was himself in Infinity War/Endgame...because as he’s “dying” aka turning into dust he doesn’t turn into skrull.Though it is possible that the dusting doesn't count & the skull face is only revealed if a character actually dies. (this is why we can be certain Tony was Tony & Nat was Nat in Endgame) 

ETA

What I LOVED the most 

My absolute favourite scene(s) is the Peter & Happy at the Holland/Netherland  tulip field & on the plane, hovering above the tulip field scene(s) -  their “talk” as Happy patched up Peter’s wounds. Talking about being a superhero and making mistakes, about Tony...and more... 

That scene...to me...sums up...hopefully... what’s to come. It confirms what I thought would be the case. Tony was/is Iron Man and no one can & should replace him as Iron Man. So everyone asking Peter if he’s gonna be the next IM... everyone looking for the next mightiest protector of the earth... and looking at SM...cause everyone else seems to have disappeared... are just putting too much pressure on him. He’s not the next Iron Man. He is Peter. He is Spider Man. (though after that end twist... who knows... maybe he will put on an iron suit for a while...since he can’t be the unknown neighborhood hero anymore...now that everyone knows...) But to me it summed up peters journey in this film & sets up what’s to come. He needed some guidance & Happy provided it... he needed to realize that he’s he’s own person & his own superhero & he’s not there to replace Tony/IM or any other superhero

But yeah... I loved how Happy said it. When others pressured him & manipulated with him (Beck purposely making him feel inadequate by saying things like “if you would've done better, he might’ve not died”), the now Pilot was his best friend & the one person he could really talk superhero things with...the one person, who IMO helped him the most with his grief over Tony & all the feelings he had regarding that & the pressure he felt to be his successor. 

Peter is likely the person, who will take over Tony’s role..somewhat...with the tech and such, but he is Peter, not Tony. 

And the end scene in Endgame with Happy & Morgan..talking about cheeseburgers & now this scene in FFH with Happy & Peter talking superheroes, responsibility, Tony...and more... tells me that Happy is now the mentor-uncle to these kids now...kinda. 

...and when Peter, excitedly, yells “I love Led Zeppelin” when the iconic IM song “Back in Black” by AC/DC starts to play... haha... awesome

What I hoped would’ve been (will be explored in future films) explored/shown in more detail: 

THE BLIP & how it affected regular people. We only saw the comial bits/parts - the marching band of Peter’s school disappearing & reappearing & Aunt May reappearing in her apartment..that was no longer hers...as someone else had moved in (a family). When in reality... this film confirms my “theory/suspicion” that Avengers 3 & Avengers 4 - the Thanos snap & the Hulk (un)snap both created chaos everywhere. Both emotional, and legal..and other issues. 

The fact that the world is not in chaos... makes no sense. But then again... since NYC & several other places on Earth being battlefields during the Avengers vs Bad guys/aliens battles...in the past films...and being re-built really fast & people seemingly not panicking or having PTSD after the events... is a thing... then I guess only the main characters will remember & suffer after living through such events...everyone else seems to go on with their normal lives in a week or so... 

It did bother me a bit (even though I know this is a blockbuster film..and those don’t deal with such things...) that the very real repercussions of the snap & re-snap were not really shown or told. Just the funny Blip-video. And then the little bit we saw from the Aunt May held charity event for the homeless. That was the only real hint about the seriousness of those events in the fictional universe (even though she also made a joke about it on stage...but the cause itself is serious)

Things that bothered me

How no one seems to do any background checks in this universe. How no one seems to use any security measures. Like... no one checking up on Mysterio’s backstory (and yes, I know...his team helped create such amazing backstory & provided such great “proof”...that it fooled even “Fury” & SHIELD -- probably would not have fooled the real man, but... that’s the point...) but still... 

Also... Tony’s glasses not having any other safety measures & it being so easy to transfer over the power to someone else. And...despite Peter being vulnerable & trusting what others tell him (he probably thought Fury had checked up on Beck, but still... how & why did EDITH/the glasses not “scan” Beck...and reveal he’s a fraud? I know... that the only time when he’s looking at the illusionist when wearing the glasses is in the bar scene & they seem to be not “on”... still... why is the tech not scanning everything nonetheless? Though yeah... I know that the idea is that because of the characters emotional state they are vulnerable & easy to manipulate, and hence not thinking of checking “twice”...

MCU using the same backstory for yet another villain. Thats old. It’s done. Time to move on. I'm talking about Mysterio & how his backstory is that because he feels personally attacked by Tony Stark then that’s a reason (which justifies..in his mind, when it does not...and has not for any other past MCU villain, who thinks the same twisted way) his actions - destroying historical sights/cities & leaving behind casualties... not caring if there are innocent bystanders getting hurt. I will allow it this time, because Tony was in the center of this film, but this had to be the last time MCU uses the same “Tony hate” as the villains motivator. Also... I don’t trust Beck’s version of the story, so I would not be sure if he’s telling it as it was. He might be, but he might be not. (maybe he did come up with the idea, but perhaps his work contact stated that all creations during working for SI belong to the company, so he has no right to claim the tech as his own..no matter how much he regrets it after. Or perhaps he did (co)create it, but since his idea was weapons-based (destruction) & SI didn’t do weapons anymore, the tech was redesigned by Tony. But until MCU makes a stronger case... I’m not gonna blame Tony for “stealing” becks tech & claiming it as his ow. Also because I do not think Tony ever claimed in past films that he made the tech. He says it cost him a certain sum...though... So it’s even possible he “bought” the idea from Beck...and turned the weapon into therapy sessions... But even if mr. Beck was telling the whole truth and he was the sole creator of the tech & Tony “stole” it... none of it justifies his actions of purposely hurting innocent bystanders & destroying places. ) 

And I cannot believe how anyone can see Mysterio as the good guy, or sympathetic to Peter.  I might be wrong, but IMO all his “friendliness” in the beginning was a trick... part of the plan to earn Peter’s trust. It was part of the “illusion”, so even though I appreciate his comment “never apologize for being the smartest one in the room”, I don’t see it as anything other than fakeness. And I know I might be wrong & he might’ve really liked the kid & try to be friendly & appreciate him... up until “his team messed up & he had no other option than to get rid of all the loose threads”) 

Things I did not see coming: 

The train! I mean... at first I did not suspect that it was actually Beck, not Fury in Germany, but I became suspicious before it was revealed. And then I suspected that the illusion was not over yet, but... what I did not see coming was that train...moment. 

Also...during the London Tower bridge scene... I had a hunch that he’s pulling a double again..and the dying Mysterio on the ground was fake, but I did not see it coming that in reality he was standing right next to spidey, while pointing a gun at the kid. I had thought he was “hiding” somewhere instead. So that kinda surprised me...

What surprised/confused me

What surprised me a bit was seeing THAT character (William) from IM1 being on Team Mysterio. Yes, he was one of Tony Stark’s Stark Industries previous employees, but  it confused me a bit that he blames Tony, when he should've seen Obadiah Stane (who yelled at him for not being Tony Stark & not being able to create a miniature arc reactor, when Tony could do it in cave...with no high tech..using just a box of scraps) as the one to blame -- his anger should’ve been directed at (based on what has been shown on screen so far) at the man who yelled at him in IM1. 

But I guess there’s either a bigger story there after that that the MCU writers/directors decided to not reveal just yet (as we saw him take that thumbdrive after the download was completed at the end of FFH) or Mysterio simply was able to manipulate people so well & rallied them against their former boss, making everyone see him as the bad guy & the source of all their problems. 

THEORIES: 

WHAT IF... the NYC “fake news broadcast” was an illusion created by Mysterio/histeam? This would make it much easier for Marvel to have several other movies released in the next few years...before the next Spiderman & go easier on Spiderman? This way we would not miss a lot of time & there’d be no need to clear his name. they could just have the movie take place right after Far from Home (and prior to the coming movies events)...or they could start with a flashback to the end of this film & the  fade to “2 years later” or something. The last bit is also how they can still release the next Spidery film in a few years, while having several otehr films events happen in between... use a time jump early in the film... after a “flashback”...to the time Peter was considered a villain

[newvegasorbust]

I have a few thoughts about this:

My first thought is that to some extent, Vault-tec merch makes some sense in the context of the games. Vaults preserve what they contain, so it's not outside the realm of possibility that a wastelander, without even knowing the history of what exactly Vault-tec is, might find themselves in possession of a branded lamp, clipboard, or other piece of equipment salvaged from a vault. In the beginning, I think the merch was meant to riff off this idea. My first piece of fallout merch was the lunchbox and bobblehead from the special edition of 3. Both pieces of Vault-tec, both make sense in the context of the game. I do think Bethesda has gone off the rails since, which brings me to my next thought.

Adoration/idolization of villains is nothing new. I remember when Avengers fever was at its peak and everyone was wearing Hydra stuff. Naruto is the hero if his show but I see way more people casually wearing akatsuki designs. You could argue that some of Batman's villains are as, if not more, popular than Batman himself (coughJokercough). It could be argued that Bethesda is just following in the footsteps of a lot of media. The problem, why the focus on Vault-tec feels weird to a lot of us, can be summed up by my third thought; that Vault-tec is not the villain.

The old world itself, and late-stage capitalisms catastrophic consequences, is the biggest villain in Fallout. Vault-tec is the symptom of a deeply authoritarian, paranoid, xenophobic society that saw no problems with experimenting on unsuspecting citizens. The Vault-tec program was really just expanding on already existing experimental programs, the pre-war American government was already experimenting with FEV years before Vault-tec came around.

To think of Vault-tec as the big-bad is to ignore everything about the old world that got them to the point that they could do what they did. It mirrors the structural inequality and frankly callousness of our real world. Tr*mp was bad, but he was a symptom of a racist, violent, mysoginistic, meritocratic society that propells men like him to success. At the end of the day, he didnt create the country that made him president. Our parents, our grandparents, and beyond did. We're suffocating under systems created before we were ever born and that won't change until after we die.

The Fallout universe mirrors this struggle. The citizens of the post-war wasteland struggle under the devastation and radiation left behind by generations before them. The rads, the mutated creatures, the hostility of the environment, and yes, dangerous artifacts like Vault-tec vaults are all products of pre-war America. Like us, wasteland citizens are stuck living within a world that was created by previous generations, preoccupied with adjusting a shaky existing framework just to survive instead of building something new to thrive.

As for why people buy the merch, I think some fans respond to Vault-tec merch because it's easier to pin an evil corporation (with a marketable, cartoon mascot) as the villain, instead of blaming structural inequality, racism, the average old world citizen's personal insecurities and the people in positions of authority that took advantage of those insecurities to consolidate power. There's a major push worldwide right now to accept fascism and authoritarianism as some kind of new normal, and it's important to remember that no one is immune to propaganda. What better way to prepare us for martial law and the surveillance state than glorify it in our games? I don't think it's too farfetched to believe there is corporate incentive to keep people engaged without making them think about how many liberties an individual or society should be willing to give up to feel safe, or the long term consequences of an obsession with American exceptionalism and military might to the detriment of basic empathy for your fellow man.

Bethesda is marketing Vault-tec because there is pressure from the 1% to water down and obfuscate the base message of Fallout; War never changes, but people can, and must, if we are to survive as a species.

Am I the only one who gets creeped out by all the vault Tec merch? It’s so weird that of all the things we merchandise is the thing that criticizes capitalism. I’ve never understood the appeal of vault tec merch,give me a kings jacket,ncr flag,wasteland creature figures and plushies over vault tec merch any day. Vault tec is so oddly idolized by the fan base when they are clearly suppose to be the bad guys. I don’t understand it.

[fancyladssnacks]

First Lines Meme

Hey so I got tagged AGES ago by @gaeadene​ to list the opening lines of my last 20 fics. It just so happens that I have exactly 20 works on AO3! This is in roughly chronological order of writing. Most are rated E and thus nsfw. 

1. Arcade was afraid. (Meat, Fallout New Vegas, Arcade/M!Courier)

2. Jude sat on the river bank, occasionally poking at the fire under the coffee pot and watching Arcade’s first attempts at fishing. (Perfect, FNV, Arcade/Courier Jude)

3. “Welcome home,” said a voice to his right. (The Icing on the Cake, FNV, Arcade/Courier Jude)

4. “No.” Arcade looked from the item in Jude’s hand to his face and back again. (Capture, FNV,  Arcade/Courier Jude)

5. Arcade hitched a ride downriver on a barge delivering cement from Boulder City for the building work at Cottonwood. (Gravity, FNV, Arcade/Courier Jude)

6. Rosy evening light flooded into the tent. (Fever (All Through the Night), FNV, Arcade/M!Courier)

7. It was after one a.m. when Hsu made his way through the concourse. (The Beatdown, FNV, General Hsu/Bitter-Root)

8. Six stood on the balcony outside his motel room door just after sundown. (Binary, FNV, Arcade/M!Courier)

9. Arcade left the room at 20:03. (Interlude, FNV, Arcade/M!Courier)

10. The knock was the same as before; a short, businesslike tap-tap, tap. (Pride and Patience, FNV, Arcade/M!Courier) 

11. Six didn't speak when he walked into the lounge of the Presidential Suite and met Arcade's eye. (Soothe, FNV, Arcade/M!Courier )

12. Arcade sits in the chair above him, his shirt unbuttoned halfway and his sleeves rolled to the elbow. (Ash, FNV, Arcade/M!Courier)

13. She first invited Boone round for tea a few days after he and the Courier had helped get her and her friends out of Gomorrah. (Tea, FNV, Boone/Joana)

14. Joanna had sworn on her first day out of the Vault that she would never take anything for granted ever again. (Paper Moon Lead Balloon, Fallout 4, Maxson/F!Sole, 30-chapter WIP)

15. The curfew bell had chimed through the speakers along every deck, and the Prydwen was readying for sleep when a light knock fell on Maxson’s door. (Diagnosis, side-fic to PMLB. Fallout 4, Maxson/F!Sole)

16. The flash left a bright blue afterimage that burned against the night sky and the inside of Danse’s eyelids when he blinked. (Paper Tiger, side-fic to PMLB. Fallout 4, Danse/Preston)

17. The detective held a fist to his mouth, shoulders shaking.  (Date Night, Fallout 4 collab fic; first line of my contribution. Fallout 4, Danse/F!Sole)

18. “Why does that guy sleep outside?” (Walls, chapter of collab fic. Fallout 4, Sturges/OFC)

19. “Up.” (Stone Cold, Fallout 4 collab fic. MacCready/OFC)

20. The fight is short and bloody. (Tooth and Nail, Fallout 4, Danse/Maxson)

Trends: I tend to keep first lines very short, or mid-length. I often start with a character’s name or identifier, even though I prefer not to open with an action because it sounds somehow... clunky to me. I thought I opened with dialogue more often than this, but most of that is probably in later chapters of Paper Moon. Speaking of PMLB, I pretty much hate the whole opening paragraph of that now and plan to change it at some point. 

Out of all these, the ones I like the best are 10, 12 and 18. I think it’s because those lines somehow say more than the sum of their words, if that makes sense. Most of the other lines say what they say and no more. But I’ve long thought that is the sign of good writing: when fewer words are used to suggest more. It’s something I occasionally achieve, but only through lots of editing. 

Of course, it’s only my subjective response anyway, and other readers may disagree entirely. I’d love to hear other people’s thoughts on this; not necessarily about my writing but about opening lines and fiction in general. 

[dudja]

Excision - Lost Lands 2018 Mix by Excision Download the Lost Lands 2018 Mix now! https://ift.tt/2PosiXt Purchase/stream tracks from the mix Spotify https://ift.tt/2QyAMrM iTunes https://ift.tt/2RIzESk Apple Music https://ift.tt/2Dwm0yS Beatport https://ift.tt/2PgIGcu GooglePlay https://ift.tt/2QvabeV Excision - Baby Steps Excision & Space Laces - 1 On 1 Kompany - Buck [Never Say Die] SLANDER & Wavedash - Move Back Antiserum - On The Edge ft Bok Nero Panda Eyes - I Am Undead (Nasko Remix) Bailo & NXSTY - Tear It Down ft BORN I RIOT - Aiwa Ubur & Subject 31 - Flex Peekaboo & G-Rex - Babatunde Monxx & Walter Wilde - The Wonky Song (X Rated Version) Svdden Death - Behemoth Eptic - No Mercy [Never Say Die] SLANDER & Crankdat - Kneel Before Me ft Asking Alexandria NGHTMRE & Dillon Francis - Another Dimension (YOOKiE Remix) Dion Timmer - Barrows Ballad NXSTY - Coupe Bandlez - Together Jantsen - Bring It Back Lifecycle - Zero-X (Franky Nuts Remix) Bandlez - Spy Kidz ID - ID Bassnectar & Jantsen - What Monxx - Wonky Riddim VIP PhaseOne & YounBuck - Double Up (Bandlez Remix) Excision - G Shit ft Sam King (BadKlaat Remix) Excision & Illenium - Gold ft Shallows (Stupid Love) Excision - With You (Sullivan King Remix) Sullivan King - Dropkick Pegboard Nerds & Dion Timmer - Escape Carbin - Twenty2Life Ivory & Samplifire - ID [Never Say Die] Spag Heddy - Reddy The Throne ft PsoGnar [Never Say Die] Barely Alive - Wompum Figure - Heartbeat Of Hell [NSD Black Label] Megalodon - Sum More ft Leo Black [Never Say Die] Tha Trickaz, Creaky Jackals - OG Purp (PhaseOne Remix) Excision - Vault Lil Jon & Skellism - In The Pit ft Terror Bass (Excision Remix) Excision & Space Laces - Throwin' Elbows (Getter & Virtual Riot Remix) Oliverse & Tisoki - Friends Forever Bassnectar & Digital Ethos - Slather Peekaboo - Arrival Kayzo - Feel The Power ft Micah Martin (Tisoki Remix) Spag Heddy - Gospel ft Born I [Never Say Die] Gammer - The Drop PhaseOne - Welcome To Mayhem Mashok & Nost - Blow This Bassnectar & Jantsen - Heavyweight Sound ft RD MurDa - Ball Licker VIP (Killionaire Succ Edit) Trivecta & Wooli - Falling Excision - Drowning Excision & Dion Timmer - Her (Wooli Remix) Snails & Dion Timmer - Forever ft KLP (Funtcase Remix) Virtual Riot - Dog Fight Lev3l & Sweettooth - Impending Doom HE$H - Hit a Lick MONXX - SCARY RIDDIM Spag Heddy - Zoom IVORY - No Regrets [NSD: Black Label] Excision & Sullivan King - Fight Through The Pain Excision & Sullivan King - Wake Up Wooli - Throw It Up [Never Say Die] Excision & Dion Timmer - Hoods Up ft Messinian Spag Heddy - Strayed Up ft Armanni Reign [Never Say Die] CYBRPNK - MSHPT ft Sullivan King Mantis - Moshaholics ft Messinian Excision - Exterminate Samplifire & Ivory - ID [Never Say Die] Space Laces - Kaiju [Never Say Die] Wavedash, Quest - Devil Music NXSTY & Snavs - Flex TYNAN - Terminal 4B - Ice Cold (Acraze remix) Big Gigantic - Got The Love (Kill The Noise & Mat Zo remix) Ivory - The Fight Fox Stevenson - Miss You Excision - Fall Phiso - Jotaro (Mighty Duck Edit) AFK - On The Floor ft Messinian (2018 VIP) Megalodon - Half Breed [Never Say Die] Sullivan King - ID HE$H - Mike Tyson Chime - Experience Points Celldweller - The Imperial March (Pegboard Nerds Remix) Bossfight - Work Delta Heavy - I Need You Excision - Tonight Carbin - Bad Habit Virtual Riot - Purple Dragons VIP Excision - Power Riot Ten & Sullivan King - Pit Boss ft DJ Paul (Badklaat Remix) Dodge & Fuski, Ivory - Dog Eat Dog Excision - Die For You ft Akylla Barely Alive - Odyssey Sam Lamar - Destroy Adventure Club & Dion Timmer ft Kai - Need Your Heart 2.0 VIP Excision & Dion Timmer - Home Barely Alive, Panda Eyes, Virtual Riot - Triforce (Dodge & Fuski Remix) LAXX & Dion Timmer - Join Me (Gentlemens Club Remix) [Never Say Die] Downlink - Threat Excision & Downlink - Headbanga Eptic - Bloodlust [Never Say Die] Excision & Space Laces - Rumble Hekler - Basic Bass Tune