#i need to get a nice hq pic of her character to share

[claudiadpdl]

eagerly awaiting the big bg3 update thats coming next month bc i miss my bhaalspawn freak so much......she needs to be killing and making jokes about it

[cantusecho-archive]

(Good lord, episode 7.

Let me just say that it’s pretty crazy that we’re already half-way through the season now? It’s almost overrrrr.

But moving on from that, this episode starts out with Millaarc and Elsa forcing Elfnein to activate what they needed in terms of using Carol’s body.

I’m still really confused on what Millaarc’s ability does and it frustrates me because I feel stupid. Lol. I know it’s clearly mental and dealing with the mind, but it seems like it’s used in so many different ways now that I don’t even know how to explain it.

Regardless, she tries doing this again with Elfnein to destroy her mind. However, Carol literally bursts out of nowhere to stop her.

Now, I originally had a feeling that Carol would make an appearance not only because of where they were, but the summary itself, the top half of it specifically. The portion for the episode I mean is this:

If that which was sworn to be slain is put to words, erase them by plucking the strings from beyond zeros and ones. Discarded as unnecessary and unworthy, echoes of memories once lost linger here.

The “memory” mention is a pretty clear indicator to Carol, as they’re within the Chateau, Elfnein has been trying to reach back out to Carol now that they share the same body, and because Carol’s whole deal was dealing with memories. But what also stood out was the mention of “zeros and ones”.

Carol actually mentions “zeroes and ones” in her battle song (Senkin Dur da Bla) back in GX;

Nothingness is the only peaceful paradise What can I do but believe in that? I’ll expose and extol the providence of all creation With my music enshrined in 0s and 1s

So that just felt like a huge hint there too in that she’d make a reappearance somehow. I just wasn’t expecting it that early in the episode...nor did I expect the end, haha. I love Carol.

But regardless, this stops Millaarc immediately, and seems to end up hurting her briefly in the process.

Also, I was surprised that Miku wasn’t the cocoon thing. I thought she was, since that was what happened to Hibiki, but I guess the divine power didn’t actually go within Miku. Instead, it began to somehow manifest itself instead, thanks to her I suppose?

So, Tsubasa, Hibiki, Kirika and Shirabe go and engage in a fight with the strange deity with Chris and Maria trying to make their way there. But it’s a multi-dimensional being, just like the one in AXZ that I can never fully properly spell the name of.

And what stopped it last time was Hibiki and the so called “god-killer” ability, so that’s what she does. But the odd thing about it is that after Hibiki saves Kirika, she was caught in it. HQ says that it begins focusing energy on her instead, which I assume it was overloading her? But I’m not sure in which way.

Regardless, it’s enough to take Hibiki completely out of the fight, forcing Tsubasa to suggest they all retreat.

This thing looks so gross, haha. It’s like a giant, big headed...baby thing.

But anyway, they say Hibiki’s injuries are far more severe than they seem but no other details than that. Not sure how that is though but suppose we have to wait and see.

Also, Tsubasa’s smile was one of the preview pics for this episode and honestly, it was nice to see her smile...but I was worried about the context.

Something about her smile and comment just feels so off to me. Clearly she’s still not okay, and even Genjurou was surprised by her comment, so this doesn’t mean she’s better. No one knows that Tsubasa is dealing with that whole “seal” thing and we don’t even know how to break it so...I’m just not sure about it haha.

I talked to a friend saying that maybe she’s desperate for some good news or someone telling her she did a good deed? Or she’s trying to think of what Kanade would do? It’s hard for me to explain my feelings on this without making any sense.

After this, everyone on the bridge finally hears the ‘Apple’ song by rearranging the melody that Shem-Ha plays thanks to an idea that Maria had.

Maria makes reference to the Chernobyl disaster in Ukraine, as that’s where she and Serena are from, which happened in 1986. It’s been officially stated (or at least shown in the second episode of XV) that the show currently takes place in the year 2044. Maria is currently 22, so that makes her born in the year 2022.

So saying that her ancestors have a similar song can hint to a lot, just like how Tsubasa’s comment leads to. Maria (and Serena) very well may be a descendant of the Annunaki/Custodians, or has a connection with them somehow. Now it’s just speculation but still, it has to mean something. They’ve been alluding to Airgetlam and ‘Apple’ ever since the second episode (at least the song they have) so I mean...it’s slowly but surely getting there. Lol.

Plus it was a massive trigger to bring the world together in song way back in G for them to get enough phonic gain to achieve their X-Drives back then.

After this, Hibiki has a brief dream about the conversation her and Miku had in the first episode. I never did talk about the first episode but this conversation was just throwing a whole bunch of red flags from the get-go. Miku posing the question if she was a burden on someone else, would Hibiki stop her but then turns around and jokes saying that it was a hypothetical question.

Of course I still think she meant this as her fear of being a burden on Hibiki (aka Miku’s guilt) but again, this seems like a re-imagining of that conversation.

It’s different in the fact that Miku says that if she’s ever a burden, that she wants Hibiki to stop her, that she’s the only one who can. Hibiki, throughout this whole exchange, is actually really confused while Miku continues on saying that she’s the only one that she “trusts with all I have”. And it ends there. I can see this being a possible dream of Hibiki where she’s re-imagining the scene but replacing it with the details she knows now, or kind of like her fears slipping in?

But then I saw someone else pose a possible idea of her and Miku actually communicating through the same dream since they’re both knocked tf out right now. Not sure which one is true enough but it very well could be Hibiki having a dream.

Okay, this second half of the episode is just pure gold for Elfnein. It’s a lot of little things that stood out to me too, not even just the big reveal at the end. Here’s one:

Elfnein gaining self-worth in herself ever since the end of GX. Elfnein, in her own way, has gotten so much stronger over the seasons and this whole half showcases that I think. But she’s stuck between Vanessa and co. since they’re trying to kill her. But the second she calls out for help---

THE PREVIOUS AUTOSCORERS COME BACK. I swear, I didn’t see this coming. Like, at all. I actually really enjoyed them back in GX, I found them to be interesting, even with their limited time on screen. The OVAs build on them more but I still felt there was enough there for them to be interesting and for us to get a feel on their dynamics together.

The next thing that’s great for Elfnein:

Elfnein being assertive. She decides trying to fight back and rescue Miku instead. It was strong enough to surprise Genjurou so I mean lmao.

Then another thing for Elfnein as a character. Noble Red catches up to them, so Phara and Leiur stay behind to slow them down while Micha and Garie lead Elfnein away.

Instead of apologizing, she chooses to say thank you instead. It’s something simple like that that shows how much Elfnein has grown too.

The next one is a comment that Micha makes. In the OVAs, Micha makes a comment of how it’s hard for her to hold hands with people due to her claws. She speaks about how she’s the “ultimate autoscorer” but she needs the help of Garie to literally do everything for her; collecting memories, holding hands, and even tying her ribbon.

So she was slightly bummed that she couldn’t help escort Elfnein away like Garie could because her hands were too big. 

But Elfnein tells her that she thinks her hands are “really cool” and she loves them. That gave Micha motivation to keep on fighting and made her happy. It was just something so simple and small that was really really sweet, especially knowing how Micha felt about her hands.

Noble Red catches up though, and defeats all of them easily. Garie was the last one to help Elfnein get away. And now that she’s alone, Elfnein is faced with the fact that everyone has helped her, but she wants to figure out a way to help them too. 

She wants to repay everyone back for their help and kindness but didn’t know how. And so, faced with an incoming attack from Vanessa, she ends up doing this:

She freaking summons the relic Dur da Bla and basically...Carol comes back. AND has a new song. Song is called “Echo of Sforzato”.

I was over the moon when this happened, haha. I couldn’t believe they’d actually have Carol come back in such a way? Again, the beginning is the only think I thought we’d get. But this? Good lord. It’s hard to explain my emotions about this episode because it was sooooo good for Elfnein especially in terms of character, same for the autoscorers. It touched on previous things about them in the OVAs, and added more to it, even if they only had small and limited cameos.

Also, one neat thing about the transformation Carol/Elfnein has is that in her hat, it shows the reflections of Leiur, Phara, Garie and Micha. The colors represented them before but the thing about it is that if you freeze frame the scene, it shows them making poses exactly like their “enemies” GX CD covers. 

Luckily someone made a picture of them all on twitter so I can paste them here haha.

There’s two because Micha is the only one that changes twice for both Shirabe and Kirika. This part isn’t even a second long, it zooms by SUPER fast, but the detail in it is amazing.

It’s just a REALLY nice callback that they probably didn’t even have to add in. Plus there’s some other cool “behind the scene” things they posted on twitter (official staff) that even other stuff they made was meant to reference past CD albums (Like Leiur and her “big sister” version of herself was to reference the GX concert cover with Maria and Tsubasa).

Regardless, yeah this episode was great with the callbacks and references. I enjoyed it and got emotional over it. It turned out to be a great episode for Elfnein as a character honestly, which isn’t what I expected but glad it happened. ♥)

[murfeelee]

Autumnal Asks - Nasir

I saw at least three people reblog this post on my dash, and since I'm feeling all festive I decided to join in on the holiday cheer with my fave sim, Nasir ibn Hema! <3

lantern - how did you meet your best friend? What were your first impressions of each other?

Nasir, Pietros, and Naevia were all classmates in med school. They got paired up together for a lab project, and immediately hit it off. Naevia’s like a big sister, as she’s so sweet and nurturing to the boys who never had a strong female presence in their lives. Pietros and Nasir like playing harmless pranks and being naughty, urging prep-schoolgirl Naevia to loosen up a bit. The three of them feel like long lost siblings, and they love each other dearly.

crow - which school subject do you wish you had an aptitude for? / cobweb - (if you’ve graduated) do you miss high school?

Nasir was actually a brilliant student -- when he wasn’t cutting class to smoke weed on the rooftop. His entire family pushed him from an early age to go into medicine, since that was where the money and prestige was. But Nasir’s always loved arts & crafts; creating things with his hands and expressing himself artistically.

maple - is there a hobby/skill you’ve always wanted to try but never did?

Basketball. (Lmfao!) But alas, the Little Man’s such a smol bean~! :3

harvest - what fictional character do you most identify with? Why? / jack-o-lantern - if you could look like any celebrity, who would you choose?

Gods, there’s this precious little Syrian on some show Nasir saw once; I swear he looks just like him.... :P

I love Pana in a man-bun.

fireside - if you had your dream wardrobe, what would it look like?

Nasir’s pretty much a Hot Topic reject, tbh. He likes the grunge/punk styles, and dresses like a little thuglet. Growing up on the streets, he needed a way to look tougher and more intimidating, when people would underestimate him because of his height and his cute face.

cocoa - if you could have any type of hair, what colour/cut would you have?

If he wasn’t so vain about his hair (and if Agron hadn’t threatened jokingly of course to dump him if he ever cut it), Nasir would totally rock a buzzcut!

cranberry - what’s one physical feature that you get complimented on?

Nasir’s been growing his hair out since childhood, as Nazeem once told him that his hair was very soft and pretty. By growing it, he feels closer to his brother. (Plus it doesn’t hurt that he looks so darn good with it!)

fog - how well do you think you’d do in a zombie apocalypse scenario?

Oh god. >_> Well, for any of you who remember that In the Flesh inspired Zombie Apocalypse AU I never finished, it left off with Nasir meeting the mysterious Agent Laeta, who had information on his MIA military brother, Nazeem. She took him to her HQ in Twinbrook/Nightmare Valley (one of the quarantined areas where The Risings first devastated the area), but Nasir was perfectly safe with the military escort she had. 

amber - share an unpopular opinion that you may have.

Nasir thinks the government should totally legalize weed! He’s tired of stealing from Gannicus’ stash.

orchard - share one thing that you’d like to happen this autumn. 

Nasir is really looking forward to the Halloween Oktoberfest party Uncle Lugo is throwing! ^0^ He got his costume ready months ago. He can’t wait to see Agron’s face when he sees it~~! ;)

spice - have you ever encountered a house that you believed to be haunted?

Thinking won’t be necessary -- that mofo was DEFINITELY haunted.

cider - a food that you disliked as a child but now enjoy?

Western food. Growing up in a traditional Al Simharan family, Nasir had never had things like pizza and cheeseburgers. It was only after Nazeem moved them to Starlit Shores that Nasir was introduced to the world of fast food. Mmmm...diabetus. :P

quilt - how do you take your tea (or coffee)?

Nasir loves Turkish Coffee with biscuits and a spot of milk!

bonfire - describe your dream house.

Modern!Nasir’s been living in a gorgeous apartment Nazeem picked out for them. (I first show it off in this post. It was made by @pralinesims​, and I just added a few changes here and there.) GoatFarm!AU Nasir has been living in the Rhineland with Agron and his family at the Zeigenfarm Homestead.

moonlit - are you a neat or messy person? Is your room / house orderly?

Nasir is a wee bit of a neat freak. He likes pretty things, and always keep his stuff kept nice and smelling good.

cinnamon - if you had to live in a time period different than the present, which would you choose and where?

Nazeem used to tuck Nasir in with stories from 1001 Nights. Nasir loved the tales of adventure and magic, and his favorite cartoon was Disney’s Aladdin. He’d love to go back in time and see what Al Simhara was like thousands of years ago.

pumpkin - do you think that humans are inherently good or bad?

Nasir grew used to expecting the absolute least from others, especially when it came to him. He was exposed to real scum growing up. It was only after gaining the friendship of Pietros and Naevia, and then finding love with Agron, and being welcomed/adopted by all of their friends and family, that Nasir started believing in the goodness of mankind.

(I will never get over Uncle Lugo picking Nasir up. <3 )

flannel - have you ever gone on a bad date?

Nasir never really dated before Agron, just mostly had hook ups. But his earliest dates with Agron were...complicated, to say the least. (Scroll down to “Who remembers things / anniversaries.”)

maize - the weirdest encounter you’ve had with a stranger on the street.

Nasir was scouted by so many gay porn agents in Starlit Shores. He’s got that dirty twink charm about him, that certainly helped during his brief and lurid career as a gogo dancer before getting into med school.

ghost - is there someone that you miss having in your life?

Nasir barely remembers his parents enough to deeply miss them. It’s his big brother Nazeem that Nasir really longs for. Mostly Nasir wishes he could apologize, for giving his brother such a hard time when he was busy being young and dumb, while Nazeem was just struggling to do the best he could to take care of them. Nasir resented Nazeem for always being gone (working odd jobs and crazy shifts just to keep the lights on), and then for joining the military -- both times leaving Nasir to pretty much fend for himself. But now he understands that Nazeem just wanted the best for his baby brother.

(I’m just spamming y’all with unreleased pics/spoilers from the Zombie AU chapters I never finished. Sorry for never following through with anything. U_U)

frost - if you could give some advice to your younger self, what would you say?

One of Nasir’s favorite songs is P!nk’s Conversations With My 13 Year Old Self. That’s pretty much exactly what he would say. Nasir had a very hard childhood, as he and his older brother Nazeem were orphaned during the political turmoil in Al Simhara. The barely 18 Nazeem tried raising little Nasir on his own, but Nasir was left alone a lot and hung with the wrong crowds; getting into trouble. Angry and rebellious, Nasir could have done well with an uplifting song like P!nk’s while growing up.

Wow, this post got sorta heavy here and there. :\