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vyvesvi · 2 years ago

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i have nothing better to do rn sooo... putting my top albums of 2022 playlist on shuffle and providing random assorted commentary

yes, putting them on shuffle kinda defeats the purpose but we move

albums on the list (in order of release/ when they were added):

fromis_9 - midnight guest

mirae - marvelous (pending review lmfao)

onlyoneof - instinct part 2

yena - smiley

apink - horn

stayc - young-luv.com (pending review)

billie - the collective soul and unconscious: chapter one

purplekiss - memeM

lesserafim - fearless

woodz - colorful trauma

class:y - class is over / lives across (they're basically one album idk)

jo1 - kizuna (was not on the playlist at the time of writing and as i was adding them i realized that while i enjoy a bunch of the songs i don't actually have much to say so...enjoy the like ~3 songs i included from this album lmfao) (pending review #3)

tl;dr (the songs i chose to link in order of appearance):

onlyoneof - suit dance

woodz - hijack

class:y - divin into you

purplekiss - oh my gosh

purplekiss - pretty psycho

apink - nothing

woodz - hope to be like you

lesserafim - the great mermaid

class:y - tell me one more time

jo1 - move the soul (from the first take)

purki - cursor || absolutely LOVE swan's voice. i don't follow the group but i always think that when i hear their music

recently read a tweet talking about how onlyoneof really doesn't have filler members, which is why jisung leaving resulted in a pretty drastic change in their style. i really think that's true, but this song also feels like them harnessing their old style a bit and i'm really glad they did.

nayeon - no problem || i really like this dua lipa? kinda vibe she's giving here. (also this album dropped not an hour ago and it's already on this playlist?? and im not even a once?? her power.)

*yena - pretty boys || i forgot how good this song is woww. they really did a great job selecting songs for this album, i'm so excited to see what she comes out with next. also this is definitely a contender for best mini of the year :)

mirae - final cut || definitely one of their best. it's great to witness their bsides improving since their debut.

fromis - escape room || this song just makes so much sense to me. it's at once not a style they've done before but it suits them and fits the logical progression of their sound so much? it feels like it was made for them and their discography

jo1 - walk it like i talk it || not bad at all but their take on noise music kinda gives omega x? it's not my preferred sound from them

billlie - moon palace || this song is cute! it's definitely interesting, but my criticism of the album is that it's a but slow overall. but this track supports the overall tone of the album so well, so i can't fault it too much.

purki - joah

nayeon - happy birthday to you || i enjoyed it first listen but i think im enjoying it even more second listen? the bgm is calm but interesting, it was a good addition to the album without being the same exact style as any other song.

fromis - 0g || their lil foray into city pop i love it! reminds me that i have to listen to yukika's new single lol

nayeon - pop! || sounds very much like a twice song to me, it's good but i cant decide how i feel about that?

the ultimate fakeout lmfao. he made everyone think that he was releasing a punk rock album and then the only hard "punk" song on this album is this one that actually takes more inspiration from hiphop/trap to me? like yeah there's the gritty guitar and the vocals in the chorus but it's definitely not punk rock/pop punk. still great tho lmfao

jo1 - touch! || cute but strange? it's full8loom but...jpopified. love the bass

please give my girls a chance, they need to fund a better album cover artist TT in all seriousness I think this could've at least gotten them a little attention if it was a promoted bside. it fits them all so well (on that note - they really did a much better job than expected coming up with a concept and sound that fits the members' age range). the shouted lines also kind of remind me of prikil's amazing girls. also #giveHyungseoandYukinomorelines2k22

apink - free & love || their brave girls slay

yena - smiley || giving myself a point for predicting kpop's pop punk phase, i don't really think it reached its full potential (seems like summer has brought out house music as the style of choice), but i still saw it coming! i really love this song/album as a really nice blend of bright kpop and pop punk (heavy on the pop). as i said before, her team really did a great job, i hope she sticks with this sound for a little bit.

fromis - hush hush || a lot more fun than i remembered? i like it lol, not sure why i thought it was the ballad?

nayeon - candyfloss || i swear i can hear momo's voice it's driving me a bit crazy

onlyoneof - gaslighting || they're sick for this concept, they pull it off, this song is definitely one of their best post-lovegate (maybe even in general) BUT i am sick of the fucked of relationship concept tbh

mirae - marvelous || justice for lien's lines (yes im aware he has the most. he should have more.) (im never gonna make a standalone post about him but i need his male taeyeonification. normanification. his voice would sound so good in like,,,a soulful pop kind of song? im thinking invu & fair but not exactly. and there are no lien stans to talk about this with rip lol.)

apink - my oh my || bodyrolling with feeling

lesserafim - fearless || i don't know that i think this song is *great* but it's certainly a statement, i like how conceptually strong everything is ( the relationship between the song, their name, and their album cover? it's very cohesive). if you've seen chuang i kind of think of this song as a final chuang song (like the song the final group performs immediately after their names are called with tear tracks still on their faces lmfao). but,,,an ideal final chuang song? it's pretty simple to sing and dance and it would make such a cool statement for a final gg. too bad chuang is dead hahahahahahhfnkjsdbfjbjfaju

yena - before anyone else

the ideal slow song because it's still fun! i also respect their commitment to saying "purple on the top" on every album

lesserafim - sour grapes

yena - vacay || tbh this little slow/calm song section that shuffle has given me is eating

class:y - feelin so good || this song is cutee, just wish hyungseo had more lines (although the line she repeats 80 times is very pretty)

i feel so strongly about this song that i've circled back around to having nothing to say TT. it's amazing, it deserved better choreo, and it should've been a halloween comeback. this song could stand alone as a single.

jo1 - love & hate || when i did my discography listen on twt i described it as onlyoneof x tan...not quite the perfect description overall but it's very accurate for the chorus. favorite on the album not including stuff that was carried over from the prev mini

stayc - butterfly || listening to this with new ears lmfao. i was trying to think of why it suddenly started reminded me of black ppl music (like in the chorus and general beat) and then i realized that it kinda sounds like the internet's come over? idk, im enjoying it

*class:y - shut down || one of the best recent debuts idc what anyone says! my daughters fr (except hyungseo, we're besties)

billlie - gingamingayo || cute and experimental, my only wish is that the album kept this vibe. also billlie has so many servers i love it

*purki - hate me, hurt me, love me || feels like it should be on an album with lovesick girls

nayeon - love countdown || probably one of my favorites, if not my favorite on the album. also these wonstein industry plant jokes are hilarious (but for real though who is he and why is he getting all these big 3 collabs lmfao. his part is really good i just dont understand the connection)

jo1 - real || tbh they have so many songs in this style that they all kind of blur? but outside of the context of their discography i do like it. unrelated but i do find the sections a little awkward

stayc - i want u baby || what i'll say about this album - the bsides are conceptually very clear and suit the group's image well. but as a person who doesn't love slow songs i'm kind of on the fence about the album. but in terms of cohesion, and once again, conceptual clarity, stayc is definitely one of the best groups out there. still figuring out if they're for me though (i like their tts a lot though!)

mirae - seven pages || cute but not great?

class:y - classy || in all honesty i'm probably giving this song a pass because i want to support them lmfao. but i do actually like it too! but i mightve turned it off early if i wasn't already a fan. also, it goes almost without saying but this is even more of a chuang ending song than fearless, it's giving "she's a bonbon" and "we are into1" lmfao tencent please put the into1 song on apple music please please pleaseeee

jo1 - algorithm || peak noise music from them minus "cheese on the trap c- c- cheese on the trap" like ??? shut up??? TT

*yena - lxxk 2 u || probably my most listened song on the album, the pop punk vibes are even clearer here, i love it

apink - holy moly || you know what...this album is kinda like elegant brave girls? a lil class:y classy retro throwback party and im very into it

billlie - a sign ~ anonymous || another cute, chill/slow song. this is a late realization but i guess that's the other thing ggs are into this year. also im holding myself back from mentioning gwsn lmfao

fromis - DM || another song i listen to a lot. i've said this already but this is truly the perfect transitional song from their fun concept to a mature upbeat concept...wait...will their music sound like this apink album in a few years? i'd be okay with that actually. also hayoung dozen to designated whistle note-er transformation is something that can be so personal,,,

apink - single rider || don't remember where i ranked this one when i did my album listen but i'm quite enjoying it

jo1 - dreaming night || no idea what this song is actually about but it sounds happy/yearning? idk more bgs need to get on this

stayc - young luv || fits their concept incredibly well. i don't have anything new to say but i do enjoy this song

best song on the album, the only song that stands next to her is red carpet and everyone agrees, mwah

surprisingly my favorite on the album? it isnt really like me to like such a slow song but i got this one first listen for some reason, no idea why. that gif of the green man...frog...cryptid...thing dancing is what plays in my head when i listen to it, no idea why but i'm vibing

class:y - surprise || it doesn't sound current to me, but it's grown on me A TON. but it still confuses my brain. why did they choose this as a prerelease song. (also i like the final group but hyunhee and yunseo must be recognized for their service in the original version. also i miss yooyeon but the group's concept would probably be different if she made the lineup. that might've been better though since she had so many fans...)

stayc - 247 || im enjoying this a lot more than i think i did initially lmfao?

woodz - i hate you || as said previously: fakeout of the century, but i respect it! makes perfect sense for the korean market, i only wish it had gotten more promo!

purki - intro: illusion || i love a good intro, what can i say? good intros and interludes can really elevate an album for me (as long as they're not there to fluff a "full")

onlyoneof - ultimate bliss || glad they left the noise behind for these bsides, i was missing melodic onlyoneof. i appreciate how onlyoneof can do really interesting and complex slow songs

billlie - believe || fully believe that they decided their fan name would be bellieve or whatever it is because they already had this song in the drafts. i also really love tsuki's voice in this song (and i think sua sings part of the chorus? i love her singing voice so much, siyoon too)

mirae - amazing || with mirae songs, the raw talent of their members (mainly LIEN, siyoung, JUNHYUK, and khael) really saves their music for me. that said i do actually like this song but those four...their voices can save a lot for me lmfao

one of my favorite songs of the year and it makes me sick that it came from hybe lmfao.

apink - dilemma || actually not my favorite from them. i love the verses but not the chorus? also, just noticed that this uses the same sample as mamadol's wooah hip? it kinda took me off guard lol

onlyoneof - skinz || stockholmed myself into thinking i kinda enjoy this song. i caught myself kinda dancing to it and was disturbed

*lesserafim - blue flame || another win for yunjin lesserafim

stayc - run2u || i've said this a million and one times but. i played that twitter leak over and over and over for literally 2 hours. i was obsessed and i feel bad that the stayc girls arent getting the streams they deserve from me. but it was just too good

if they promoted this song i wouldn't have to stand outside and promote class:y on the street corners. but alas

lesserafim - the world is my oyster || kind of corny but it could make a great performance if everyone serves face

woodz - better and better || me enjoying all the slow songs on this album...it needs to be studied

nayeon - all or nothing || another possible favorite from the album, i liked it first listen. also i swear i heard mina at some parts 😭

*purki - memeM || i'm not usually a noise music girl but this really got me idk. this really was a great album wow

stayc - same same

so this is very much cheating but alas. i don't care for some of jo1's songs but something magical happens when they take their best vocalists and have them sing the whole thing live on the first take. like their vocals are just soooo good, the clarity of those first take mics really elevates...everything. it is kinda hilarious that their management said "six of you are not allowed near mics that are on" which i respect actually. sometimes idols are better seen and not heard ToT anyways it would be cheating to link it since its not even a 2022 release but junki's version of their song voice on the first take is sooooo good i love his voice so much,,,but they really did cut 10 men from the song lmfao? iconic

*apink - red carpet || needed them to promote this wayyy harder its so good????

billlie - overlap (1/1)

*mirae - juice || definitely one of their best songs, probably their best bside? actually it's this and new days i think. i should listen to this more, i forgot about it lmfao

class:y - super cool || hmmm. the chorus is a bit addictive but this song isn't great. the processing on their voices during the verses is a bit odd, but then there's way less done to chaewon's voice during the prechorus so it's a bit jarring? and they let my girl jimin (love her, girlie can SING) do a screaming high note TT like she's so good but she has had 0 training (like literally, which makes her even more impressive tbh), why didn't they help her out with that one thing...also i can't pick out hyungseo's voice at all :(

jo1 - stay || truly one of their best, a true feel good song to groove to. it fits them so well, it's f8, the bass, the beat...yeah. yeah. they do other styles well but this song definitely stands out to me

the end, i don't know if i'll ever do this again but it was fun! i think one of the things i rate on when i'm listening to an album is cohesion so it didn't really make sense for me to do it this way? but i'm glad i recorded my thoughts anyways lol♡

#long post #vyvesvi's year #song recs #fromis_9 #mirae #onlyoneof #yena #choi yena #apink #stayc #billlie #purplekiss #lesserafim #woodz #class:y #nayeon #jo1 #Spotify

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lizzybeth1986 · 5 years ago

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Quick Thoughts on TRH Book 1 Chapter 5

• Now that we are five chapters into this story, now seems like a good time to get the masterlist of this series out! 😁 Which I will be doing shortly after this QT is up. If you've missed the other chapters, you'll be more easily able to find them all there! I'll also be reblogging my TRR series masterlist sometime this week, since my TRR Book 1 Chapter 5 chapter is close to getting finished as well.

• I'm hoping to get this one out early, it's an extremely light chapter for the most part. It's practically filler, filled with little vignettes between the characters here and there and mostly diamond scenes. The heavy stuff inevitably seems to be left for the actual Walker Ranch (sigh).

• Here are the tags to block if you don't want my QTs to clog up your dash: #long post, #trh quick thoughts, #trh qts, #trh qt reblogs. For now a friend of mine is helping get the read-mores on the main posts, until Tumblr actually does something to make them work on a phone again.

• TW: Brief mentions of the Dr Ramirez scene in Hana's playthrough, and infertility.

• Screenshot Credits:

Hana - @pixieferry

Maxwell - Abhirio's YouTube channel

Drake - @thefirstcourtesan

Liam - Well, me

• Besides being mostly filler stuff, this chapter had a lot of diamond scenes. Two outfit changes (one OOTD and one lingerie for the LI), a group scene and the book's first character scene (Liam).

• A few people I know have been asking me about the differences between "character scenes" and "LI scenes" (and indeed a lot of people were confused by my use of these terms in my Book 3 QTs). So once I get to my general thoughts section, I'll elaborate on those.

• Title: The Open Road

Alternative Title: Enjoy The Fillers, Dear Fans, Coz You Got A Walker-Storm Comin'!

• We're now on our way to the States, barely days after we got back to our own estate. The Council is looking after stuff in exactly the way they have since we left for our honeymoon, except that now it's lost all its core group members besides Olivia. Her, Hana and Kiara must probably share whatever few brain cells exist in that Council between each other.

• If you've unlocked the "casual clothing" scenes for the LIs in Book 2 (Liam's t-shirt, Hana's crop top, Drake's Henley and Maxwell's muscle shirt and Bubbles necklace), that's what they'll be wearing on their journey this chapter.

• Maxwell is now the self-appointed Royal Entertainment Committee.

• Bertrand WOULD be freaking out about spoons.

• Our OOTD today is an off-shoulder crop top with floral designs, and ripped shorts - paired with a blue and pink statement necklace and a few bracelets. Esther DuPont and literally every other MC is more confident about pulling this outfit off than I will ever be.

• Maxwell suggests the outfit in the Liam, Drake and Hana playthroughs, and Hana suggests it in Maxwell's.

• First Stop: Our old workplace in NY! Our manager is no longer around (probably got fired lol) but Daniel is! Or as I still like to call him, Not-Henney 😂

• Hana is so cutely excited about visiting the place where it all begin, a place she must have till now only heard about in the other LIs' stories. Sigh. Wish we'd brought her here earlier.

• Not-Henney has issues with how little attention Maxwell gave to the MC's origins. @callmetippytumbles points out that there's not much you can expect from an author who put his face on the cover of a book about you. Cmon, Not-Henney.

• Told you "Things are Great" would become a meme.

• He now asks what the experience of being an actual Queen/Duchess is like. You can go for the funny route (glam parties that'll make Beyonce jealous. Oh idk, does Beyonce like an overabundance of apples?), the realistic route (speaking about everyone's expectations weighing on you), and the romantic route, which brings out some cute responses in both Not-Henney and the LIs, ranging from delight to awkwardness.

• Oh snap. The paps are here.

• We make a run for it (in two options, with Daniel's help), and keep driving. Somewhere in the middle of the conversation, the MC mentions a motorcycle when speaking about Drake, which makes me wonder in we will end up having a motorcycle scene in Texas itself. I mean, the writers did mention being excited about a scene featuring one in their livestream.

• Maxwell picks the next stop, and it's that engagement barn we built for Liam, apparently. Or the house of Robert, Steve Tennyson's (PM) dad. Where he has found the "biggest ball of string". Only Joy and Hope, my corgis, seem even remotely happy about this.

•

...Okay Maxwell.

Hana needs to roast people more. Roast EVERYONE in that friend group and EVERYONE in that court!

• Fun Fact: This chapter was released on the 50th anniversary of the historic 1969 Apollo 11 moon landing 😁

• As proven from this scene, the few brain cells this group collectively has, all belong to Hana.

• It's now time to check out what the group brought as provisions:

MC: Nothing, she's only here to ask what everyone else brought

Drake: Jerky

Maxwell: Tequila (!!)

Liam: IDK Esther I thought a four-course meal would just fall upon our laps from the heavens

Hana: ME! Bring cookies that I've NOT warmed by the fires wrought from the bowels of the deepest hells??? BLASPHEMY.

As always Hana saves everyone's ass this fine day. I actually quite like this bit with Hana, because it veers a tiny bit more towards "perfectionist" than just simply "perfect". Hana would be the kind of person to worry excessively over being a good hostess, since that's something she's been learning since she was a little girl (remember the tea scene in the flashback).

• We now stop by at Washington DC - Hana's suggestion - because she wanted to look at the cherry blossoms. I was quite chuffed about this when I found out coz I always used to have her down as more of a "plum blossom" girl, and this is pretty close 😁

• That little bit in DC where speaks of the area as "a marvel of both nature and civic engineering" is a nice touch, since Liam has always been associated with monuments and national legends.

• THE PAPS?? AGAIN????

• ...If my spouse and I have to spend ALL our time answering questions about babymaking, where are we going to find the time to babymake, mediapeople? Ever thought of that? Huh? Huh??

• This option is hands down the best fucking option in this chapter lol:

YOU'RE ALL SUCH DORKS ISTG

• We're now in a small town where Liam wants to mingle and be one with the locals. He's not been very successful in doing this in Cordonia (where people can literally look at his face and figure out who he is), but because it's the US and not many people might recognize him here, his chances of not being caught are better.

• This is the first character scene in the new series. It's pretty alright, not a lot of insights or anything, just a simple scene where Liam gets to not worry about acting like a royal, occasionally acknowledge his privilege, be charmingly naive, order milkshakes, and listen to the MC's insights on how she will bring up her/their kid. He does mention it opens some new perspectives on understanding his people, but I'm not sure we'll get to see much of what learnings he will put into action because, yknow, Cordonian commoners are practically invisible.

• This scene is also proof that you can take Liam out of the court but you can't take the court out of Liam.

• It begins with what the MC calls "a sidewalk hello", where she can either guide or massively troll him. The first two options are awkward as hell (I did like the bowing one though lolol coz she tells him he's probably made someone's day with his "courtly manners"), and the third is for Liam to simply ignore the other person and stare at his phone.

• Next scene involves getting Liam to buy groceries...coz he's never brought groceries. Why would he Esther he has a staff.

• They have a choice between fruit, nachos with everything on them (and they weren't kidding about "everything") and chocolates. I chose fruit.

• You also get some cute tidbits about Liam's life growing up in the palace. Here are the important ones:

- Constantine and Eleanor agreed they wanted Liam to be self-sufficient but "disagreed on how far to take that principle" (given what Liam says about her in one of the other options, I'm guessing Eleanor wanted to take it a lot more further).

- Liam can make spaghetti carbonara!!!

- Laundry: So there was this one time Leo and Liam played tag close to a champagne tower at an event, and it fell down. Eleanor insisted they "clean up the mess [they] made. A reasonable lesson in decorum and consequences". I kinda like this little crumb of info considering there is so little we know about her.

- Eating leftovers: Liam used to have sleepovers at Jackson and Bianca's quarters, and he tells us he was "proud to help Drake's mother microwave the leftovers" coz to his little mind he thought that was cooking 😁 I know, I know, I believed my mom when she put a tiny bit of coffee powder in my milk and told me it was actual coffee haha.

- Doesn't know how to do dishes. He knows soap and water is involved lol.

• The final part of the scene involves Liam treating himself at a diner with (what else!) a milkshake, while casually chatting with the MC about how she feels about the simplicity of her past life, and the way she plans to bring up her (or their) own child.

• Liam not immediately understanding that utensils are self-serve reminds me of Hana's confusion at the idea of a McDermots not having wait-staff.

• The MC has options for how to respond to Liam's question about bringing up a child - 1. I'd like my child to be practical and aware of their role, they don't need to learn how to fold a bed sheet or do dishes. 2. I want my child to have a bit of both worlds so that they're more flexible in their approach. 3. My child should be acutely aware of what the common person in Cordonia goes through if they're going to have to rule fairly over them. These three options in some way allow you to imagine what the MC would be like as a mother, and what upbringing this 'heir' might have.

•

I've never actually seen YOU make much of an effort to find out in Cordonia.

• There's also a tiny bit about Regina that follows this optional dialogue if you're married to him, which I really like: Liam states to Esther that those are "wise words from the wisest queen I know", following which she points out that he's lucky Regina hasn't heard it. Liam's response to that is: "after all this time, I think she'd agree with me". Regina's kinda grown on me over the series, and I do hope we see her again!

• Overall the scene's alright. It's there, it's cute, it's filler like the rest of the chapter. Only time will tell if it will actually result in anything in the future, which kind of leads me to wonder what Character Scenes are going to look like going forward (now that the LI scenes mostly perform the function for both characterization and romance). But the biggest takeaway right now for me is what Liam has to say about his parents, and optionally about his mother. I think that may point towards something later on.

• LMAO @ the random stranger in the diner optionally thinking Liam's brother might be Thor. Leo would be pleased 😂 Also a nice touch to see her recognize us again at the lingerie store if we buy both scenes!

• We now have a scene featuring the couples in their hotel bedroom, where the LI and MC have either had a bit of a wild night, or where the MC has just finished her at-home fertilization procedure (if the LI is Hana). There's a little chit-chat here and there about the moments they have now and about privacy, but it's different in the case of Hana.

• You finally get the chance to ask about how she feels, and this is the response:

• That's it then, I guess 😒 I'm honestly not surprised, given how much in a hurry they were to have Hana concentrate on the MC in the doctor's office itself. I'll expand more on this later.

LIAM. YOU FOOL. I'M WEARING IT RIGHT IN FRONT OF YOU.

• Honestly I don't see the point in having the MC suggest the lingerie in Liam's playthrough (the others basically make the suggestion instead, and they say "well, you're wearing that", instead, implying that they're talking about what she has on already) if they're not going to code it properly.

• The actual lingerie scenes are pretty cute! And fun! And comes with cool dialogues options, and this:

• NOW I know why Hana's lingerie was head and shoulders above the rest. SHE WAS THE ONE WHO CHOSE IT.

• So here's a rundown of all four LI scenes:

- Liam: The clerk from the store (who was also the girl who noticed Liam in the Incognito Scene if you bought that) recognizes Liam and the MC, freaks out and closes the store so they can shop in full privacy. The rest of it is cute playful banter, like expressing surprise at this being Liam's first time at a lingerie store. She then chooses black silk boxers with a golden baroque design. LMAO trust the MC to get him a Versace. 😂

- Drake - Tells the MC he likes it when she takes the lead. The MC then gets to ask him whether he would be down to wearing handcuffs or pink feathers. To the second option, Drake claims that he would "wear a tutu and crown if you told me you had a thing for the sugar fairy". LMAO they really are desperate to show us how much they learned from the "pink cake" fiasco. Pity how they couldn't teach themselves to treat their one female LI with respect. Anyway, the MC chooses red silk boxers with polka dots (!!)

- Maxwell - This scene is a fever dream from start to finish. Maxwell is happy and excited and SUPER SUPER enthusiastic, asking the MC to drop a beat so he can break into a dance at the store. The MC chooses blue silk boxers with squid designs on them. EVEN MAXWELL CANNOT CONTAIN HIS SHOCK. (PS: This scene marks the third appearance of "release the kraken!" 😄).

- Hana - Hana has apparently seen shops like these from the outside but has never been to one (same sis same). She speaks of how she never had anyone to do it for, which is why she is so happy about it now coz she can do it for the MC. A sweet, simple conversation. The difference here is that Hana knows what she wants, and chooses the lingerie herself: a beautiful lace and fishnet number with garter belt and stockings. She looks amazing and part of that is because unlike her friends, she realizes that her wife has deplorable fashion sense.

• It's now the next day, and Drake tries really hard to hoodwink everyone into making his "next stop" the Walker ranch, but the Royal Entertainment Committee threatens him with an "intimidating interpretive dance performed by me" (is he going to jump out the car and sing Kiki Do You Love Me too?). It's enough to scare Drake into picking a nicer stop.

• It's now time to listen to some tunes!! Everyone squabbles a little over what music to choose and the MC gets to pick either of them:

- Hana's Choice: A piano concerto that Liam loves, makes Drake cry and Maxwell go all happy-sleepy.

- Liam's Choice: Chartbusters. "Top 40s". Drake is surprised coz the last time they drove together, Liam made him listen to 52 versions of a single Bach sonata, to which Liam cheekily responds that doing so made him figure out which one was Drake's favourite.

- Maxwell's Choice: Some song that Maxwell did a deejay mix to, and apparently Liam (and presumably Drake) lent backing vocals to. Going by Liam's advance apology it must be pretty fucking terrible.

- Drake's Choice: Classic rock tunes that he can do air-guitar to. Liam concedes it has rhythm, Drake responds that it has rhythm and attitude. He tries to do air guitar in the car but Hana, panicking, reminds him that he's the one driving.

- What Would Have Been Bertrand's Choice/We Shall Drive In Silence!: Apparently when the MC says this, Maxwell says that she channeled Bertrand so hard "he flashed before my eyes". The MC reasons that if no one wants to listen to anyone else's music they might as well be quiet. Maxwell tries to bring up other alternatives such as playing his kazoo-tar, at which point EVERYONE agrees that silence is golden.

• This bit is one of my favourites in the chapter. Probably the second after "say cheese" haha.

• It's Hana's turn to drive and Maxwell is helping her by asking she carve that path from her heart. Which she does, even though she has mentally memorized the next twelve steps she needs to take.

• Liam drives, explaining when the MC asks that Drake was his first driving instructor (Drake had his licence already and they may have used a royal golf course or two for practice runs).

• Maxwell finds a new waypoint: Thrilltown. His reasoning is quite poignant (everything is changing, the MC and LI - in some cases him - will be having a child soon and everyone will be busy in their respective roles, when will everyone be together like this again?). The rest of the group comfort and reassure him, stating that they will probably see more of each other now. In any case...perhaps to Maxwell this is like a last hurrah to the carefree life he used to have.

• We start with choosing rides. Maxwell and Drake choose The Accelerator, which Maxwell describes as "fast. furious. and it uses gravity at speeds that Thrilltown can't legally release to the public!". Hana and Liam choose the "gentler" option - the carousel - which has you ride unicorns, griffins, dragons and other fantastical beings.

• I'm surprised the writers don't have him react even a little to the carousel, considering one of his scariest experiences took place on one (Book 1 Chapter 16). Just show him say "yeah...I'll pass" or show some emotion or other. It's like that armoury scene in his playthrough of Book 3 Chapter 11 where Madeleine could mock Liam about his feelings for the MC and Maxwell is pretty much sitting there not reacting. It's so lazy. I can't.

• Carousel with Liam and Hana: I loved this one, very cute. The carousel has fantasy elements and mythical animals, things that both Liam and Hana love. The MC gets to sit on a phoenix (like her optional Valtoria sigil!), Liam on a dragon (like the royal family's old crest! Dom would be proud) and Hana on a unicorn (which suits her particular style of whimsy). It's cute and fun and sounds exactly like the kind of thing Liam and Hana would enjoy.

The Accelerator with Maxwell and Drake: They call it EXTREME, and it lives up to its name. Maxwell is ecstatic obviously because he's a thrill-seeker and a ride like this is completely in his wheelhouse. Drake gets caught red-handed handed actually enjoying the ride.

• We try out something called The Vortex of Terror, where Liam challenges his friends to not scream up until the end of the ride. Ironically he's the first one to cave 🤣🤣

• "I accept your terms, Liam...as long as you're prepared to lose". Badass enough to challenge the king of the country xD (considering the way that ride goes, I think she was right haha).

• I need more Competitive, Sarcastic Hana outside of cute group scenes.

• One of two people can win this challenge: either the MC or Hana. If the MC wins, she gets to hoist herself on the LI's shoulders towards the next ride. If Hana wins, she perches herself on top of Drake's because he's pretty damn tall.

• Our last ride is called "Lover's Leap" and it's pretty much the romantic portion of the group scene, really.

At the end of it, the LI brings you a green candy drink, and then lets you know how this trip to Thrilltown is representative of their journey together and the change the MC has brought to their lives.

• Both Hana and I have no freaking clue what Liam means when he says "I call shotgun" before they head out.

• Lol @ Cordonia having its own version of "Ninety Nine Bottles of Beer on the Wall". And of course it's going to feature Cordonian Rubies 🤣

• We now reach the ranch, where those of us who didn't marry Drake meet his mother Bianca for the very first time (in every other playthrough she is called "The Rider" and in Drake's her sprite is addressed by name).

• There ends the chapter, on a 'suspicious' note, the kind that seems to sound like things are suspicious but they're probably not. Bertrand's head must be exploding from the lack of spoons.

General Thoughts:

• It's a good thing this filler chapter exists, even if it's mostly inconsequential fluff, because at least that's one chapter less to deal with BertVannah and Drake and his family.

• It's also pretty expensive because the writers knew their crowd by now and know that that crowd is willing to spend.

• The scenes were in keeping with the mood of the chapter - light and fluffy, lots of friendship and some amount of romance. I ended up liking the free short scenes more than any of the diamond ones this chapter honestly.

• So...on the outset, it seems good that the MC is able to check on Hana, post the visit to Dr Ramirez. Hearing Hana's answer, however, brought back every issue I've ever had with the way they've written Hana.

I mean, sure, not everyone reacts the same way to such painful news. I understand that. But here the writers are basically using Hana to minimize what she's going through. They use her to dismiss her own pain with "oh that's okay, I'm just happy that at least you can carry that baby". All that proves is that the female LIs' experiences and pain mean nothing in front the MC's needs.

I've spoken before about the numerous times Hana's pain had been brushed aside or her space eaten into, to favour particular characters, and this just happens to be a repeat of the same formula. This is especially bad because it proves that the only reason they put Hana through this kind of hell in the first place is so that only the MC can carry the child. Her condition isn't allowed to be anything else other than a plot convenience: not an opportunity to open a conversation on this, nor to help develop her as a character. It's merely a narrative device meant to make coding easier. It's dismissive, lazy and reeks of a deplorable lack of care. And again I have to ask, why put her through this if you're so desperate to ignore it afterwards??

• The other big problem is that considering the gravity of that situation, why is checking on her an option rather than actual default dialogue?? If you choose the option to continue talking about playlists instead, the topic just never emerges again. Again I have to ask, what the hell kind of wife is the MC? I mean even before they got the news, the MC was pretty much doing nothing. She wasn't planning for Hana, she wasn't thinking much in terms of what to do for her, everything seems to just revolve around her even in a scenario where either one could have been a mother.

• The lingerie scene seems to me to have elements of a type of diamond scene in the flagship series - the ones where we could buy new casual clothing for our LIs in NY. The LI requires a new look, the MC suggests for a change and often picks out something that she thinks would work (some of her choices - like Liam's pants or Drake's sunglasses are...questionable 😅), and from then on this would be their option for ultra-casual occasions. The one casualwear scene that is different from all these is Maxwell's: he gets his sleeveless shirt and Bubbles necklace at a shop in Coney Island, during the group scene (I think part of this was that they were attempting a step-by-step LI-upgrade because they were a new couple at that point...which was why his first 30 diamond scene was during the Gala, after they'd been together for a little while. Still doesn't excuse all the ways they ignored his background and history though).

The main difference between the casualwear scenes and the lingerie ones is that the first dealt put the MC and LI in different situations and dealt with different issues (therefore was a scene of its own) and the second really just revolved around the lingerie. Perhaps the lingerie scene would be what you'd call an 'extended outfit option'? As opposed to something that's a scene all on its own?

• I was actually quite surprised we got a character scene in this series. Given how much they'd drastically cut down on them in favour of beefing up their LI scenes more, I was fully expecting not to see them. I do prefer them to the LI scenes sometimes, because my LI is not the only one I want to be keeping tabs on, and I do want to know what's happening in their lives.

• What is the difference between the two? I hear some of you ask. Well, good question because I'm about to launch into one of my long-winded explanations again.

• Diamond Scenes in TRR/H: I've been holding off on writing about these, since I believed that the series probably had done away with character scenes and preferred to use LI scenes for both romance and development. With this chapter, I now understand that's not the case.

• So...simply put, the difference between an Character Scene and an LI scene, is that the first focuses on the same character in all playthroughs (eg. no matter who you are romancing, if you buy these scenes it's Hana who will play Snow Angels with you, or Drake who will go fishing with you), and the second focuses on who you are engaged/married to (eg. If I'm romancing Hana, I will not be going to the movies with Liam. If I'm romancing Maxwell, I will not be having a cake testing session with Drake).

During Books 1 and 2, when the MC wasn't altogether exclusive with any LI as such, each character would have their own specific scene which expanded further on their characterization and gave the MC a chance to learn more about them. Most of the romance in these scenes were by choice, with the exception of a few lines here and there. The writers tried to continue this way of formatting diamond scenes even beyond Liam's proposal, but the amount of backlash from the portions of the scenes that involved the MC cheating on her confirmed LI...kind of made them backtrack on this plan quite a bit.

Book 3 switched the format up a little. It was similarish in a lot of ways to RoE, except that unlike that book (where the other two would disappear once you got engaged to one), we were also friends with the other LIs. Besides outfits and plot development scenes (such as the one in the Nevrakis replica armory with Olivia and Gladys) and group scenes, the book also offered two types of scenes for the reader to connect with the characters they liked:

1. LI Scenes: These scenes are meant for the LI the MC is marrying, and are coded differently based on that. This kind of scene was first used in the series in the first chapter of Book 3, where the MC and LI could comfort each other in the safe house. The initial chapters had a similar approach to the scenes as RoE Book 3 (where Mr Sloan, Leo and Dean all ended up sounding like each other), in that the dialogues sounded pretty cut-and-paste, with little to no actual variations beyond a few things (an example of this was how - in the Book 3 Chapter 6 Spa Scene in Applewood - all the LIs spoke of being "dumb in love" with the MC - which suited certain LIs, but sounded extremely jarring on others.

During Book 3, a high number of complaints about the series revolved around this copy-paste routine for the LIs, mostly because the characters were so different from each other, and wouldn't speak the same or even have the same experiences. Around Book 3 Chapter 8, major shifts began to happen in the way these scenes were written, starting with the Movie-going Scene in Castelserraillian. Post that chapter, and the hiatus, there was a significant decrease in the number of individual character scenes, and an increase in both number and quality of the LI scenes. It is very possible that they found juggling both stressful and dialed back on one to personalize the other further.

2. Character Development Scenes: These were scenes with the LI that you got regardless of whether you were marrying them or not. This scene would be viewed over all playthroughs, with differences based on whether you were marrying them or not. If you were not marrying them, these scenes would appear neutral and the romantic options would simply not be there, or be replaced by more neutral ones. Examples of such scenes include Drake's Cordonian Waltz Scene in Fydelia (Book 3 Chapter 3), Liam's Gastrodiplomacy Scene in Castelserraillian (Book 3 Chapter 7), Hana's Polo Scene in Portavira (Book 3 Chapter 5) and Maxwell's Armoury Scene in Lythikos (Book 3 Chapter 11).

The most important thing to remember is that these scenes are expected to be coded differently (according to your relationship with said LI), not only by adding romantic options for the MC to choose, but also in the actions of the characters by default. For instance, the Fydelia Cordonian Waltz scene in Drake's playthrough incorporates - by default - all the sensuality you should be finding in this waltz, while his friendly playthrough is merely the MC teaching him the basics so they have an edge over Neville. By default, if you buy the Gastrodiplomacy scene as Liam's fiancée, the chocolate souffle you sampled with him would feature at your wedding reception.

I say the scenes were expected to be coded differently, because very often they were not. In a lot of cases the only proof you'd have in those scenes that the LI and MC were even together were from the MC's actions. For instance, even though Hana was going to be a duchess on marriage to the MC, the same as Drake - only Drake got to speak in detail about it. This opportunity came for Hana very briefly only by Chapter 14, well past the midpoint of Book 3.

• So when Book 3 began the formula was mostly "leave the character scenes for developing the LI's issues or getting them to teach something, and concentrate on nothing else but the romance for your LI scenes". However this wasn't exactly workable given how different each LI was and therefore how odd some of their dialogue sounded. The dial back is understandable (though, as someone who has looked through various playthroughs in this book, I can tell you the imbalances found across character scenes were on a whole different level).

• Why I've elaborated on this is to give context to a question I now have about the narrative: what are the Character Scenes going to look like from here on out? Post the hiatus, they would vary - they could be mostly plot-driven, or fun and light but not much depth or variation, or fun and light, and also opening up diverging conversations based on your relationship. Now that they seemed to have locked down some format in this book at least, what's it going to sound like?

The Liam Character Scene today was fun, light, had default differences based on whether you were marrying him or not, but ultimately had very little to give to the story other than a few facts about Liam's home life and (in a way that expands on what we already know about her and her dynamic with Constantine) his mother. What exactly does he learn? What new insights is he getting as a King who self-admittedly exists and operates in a "statesman's bubble"?

It also remains to be seen whether buying this scene will have any effect of future events - like Liam's Applewood Tour Scene, where his retelling of King Fabian's story had an impact on our conversation with Kiara's mother Joelle. I'm probably going to keep track on how these character scenes are being written in this series, considering that we already have a pretty good idea of how their LI scenes are done.

• Twice I've seen Eleanor associated with pasta. In Book 1 Liam mentions simple tomato pasta as a childhood dish that reminded of his mother, and here shortly after he speaks about his parents he mentions knowing to cook spaghetti carbonara. IDK what that's supposed to mean but I'm bringing it up anyway. I'm mean, what if it's a part of Auvernese cuisine 😂

• I guess that's it for this week! Time for me to scram and finish my Book 1 Chapter 5 QT too before the next chapter drops!

#long post #the royal heir #anti the royal heir #trh quick thoughts #trh qts #infertility tw

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