#it's very possible-- it feels like they've been having some variation of this conversation for the past 30 or so episodes

[penrenutet]

I have covid so i figured i would spend the time stuck at home catching up on critical role and i gotta say, yall, i am getting REAL sick & tired of the characters having the same damned 15-minute conversation about whether or not they should "save the gods" over and over again. It was starting to get on my nerves even beforehand, but it's ESPECIALLY apparent in a binge watch. The good news is, flando appears to be sick of it too, lol

[martymcflown]

Oh boy, okay. I just finished Veilguard. I'm going to split my thoughts into non-spoilery and spoilery. I yap a lot.

Non-spoilery:

In terms of enjoyment? I'd say a 8/10. I was emotionally invested in all the characters. I enjoyed the fight mechanics a lot as a warrior (we'll see how I feel in my mage playthrough). I actually felt a lot of motivation to complete as many quests as humanly possible, which is quite different from how I felt during DA:I where a lot of the time I felt like I was running in circles most of the time to complete quests that felt like they didn't matter (and I say this as a DA:I defender).

I do completely understand the critiques from people who say the lore is really lacking. I didn't personally feel like the rich history of Dragon Age mattered much during gameplay. Even choices that can be made in the beginning for your Inquisitor didn't seem to matter much for me (I didn't even get to see the partner I'd chosen for them, kind of lame). I've only heard tell of one variation that matters to the narrative and it's only at the very end. I wish choices like that mattered more, and that the sociopolitical aspects of the series had a greater impact.

HOWEVER, I'm also not as invested in the lore as others clearly are so it didn't detract enough from gameplay for me to say I was unhappy. More like, I think it could have been better. Most of my negative opinions are in the spoiler section though. So, uh. I do recommend this game! I think it was a ton of fun! I'm already playing through as a different character because I was itching to try different choices, even knowing the ending. This is definitely one I'll replay a lot, potentially even more than the last game which I invested hundreds of hours into.

Spoilery thoughts:

Complaints:

-The Varric twist had some emotionally impactful moments, but also I find it pretty cheesy and hard to believe? It was something I'd guessed early on because Varric never interacted with anyone else, but then I convinced myself it was too cheesy to be the actual twist. WELL.

-I thought the ending was pretty anticlimactic, all things considered. I'm pretty sure I got the "good" ending (I only lost one party member...well, two in my opinion because I count Assan as a party member). I guess I sort of expected something like DA:I where there's a celebration at the end where you get to have pleasant goodbyes, as opposed to just "Hey we're about to die but I love you kiss kiss."

-In general, the pacing of the game felt kind of bananas. I can't tell how much in-narrative time passes in the entire game, but if you told me it was only a week I'd believe you. I don't know if I have a great solution to that. Maybe some indication that seasons are passing, or maybe a wait time is necessary between certain quests ("We have to wait for the frost to melt before we can go through the Gate of Blorbus" or something). Part of my disbelief for the Varric twist in part is that NOBODY talks about his death, not even Harding? They've known each other for years. But I guess the breakneck pace is partially to distract you from that.

Random things I really liked:

-Manfred and Assan. I REFUSE TO BELIEVE ASSAN IS GONE, BYE. I also just realized some people have played a version of this game where you lose both Manfred and Assan. I'm so sorry. ANYWAY. Positives. I just think they're precious.

-Loved the environments. Dock Town was probably my favorite, but I enjoyed exploring every map I encountered. Which, big improvement on DA;I (where if I saw one more green expanse where I had to run for three hours to get to a quest marker I would have killed everyone in this room and then myself).

-Thought it was a great touch that companions would continue their conversations after a fight. "Where was I?" etc. It's a small thing but I found it really added to feeling engrossed in the world.

-I like that the companions all have relationships to one another and that there are little touches throughout the game to show they each think about each other. I know there were complaints that everyone...acted like friends? Which, I dunno man. Have you ever made friends? I guess to each their own but their bonds all made sense to me, as well as how the various pairings developed their relationships.

-Even if some of the gender identity stuff felt clumsy at times, I love that it's an option to explore. I love that being trans or nonbinary provides specific dialogue options or changes Rook's relationship to certain characters. I can't imagine playing the game as a cis Rook now.

-I thought there were some fantastic performances from a lot of the cast. I really liked my Rook's VA and was shocked at how moved I was at certain moments in the ending. I think the performances were a major contributing factor to how attached I became to everyone, particularly Lucanis and Emmrich and Taash for me. Oh man, and Harding during her personal quest? Amazing.

-THE LIGHTING!!!! SO GOOD!!!!

My romance with Lucanis:

-Loved it. This is one thing I really don't understand the complaints about, but maybe that's my asexuality showing. I found his character arc really moving and I think the romance added a really nice layer to that. Also, the fanfic potential of Lucanis falling asleep and Rook + Spite playing naked cards? Come on.

My friendship with everyone else:

-I think most of the companions had one really strong theme that carried through each of their narratives. Some of them connected more with me personally than others, but I enjoyed all the personal quests and I cried at pretty much all of their resolutions. I think the only one I found lacking was Neve's? But that's probably my fault for certain choices I made. I'm so sorry, Neve. I doomed our city for the sake of Crow bussy.

-Some of the writing for Taash's storyline felt a bit cheese. However, I'm coming at that from the perspective of a trans and gender nonconforming person who's consumed a lot more media that discusses queer themes than vidya games. So, Taash's storyline sometimes felt like "baby's first coming out", but that was probably for more general audiences who consume the game (and I think the complaints about the game being "too woke" are just...outrageously stupid).

[gunsli-01]

Well, I'm always open to messages and asks since I genuinely enjoy discussing my views further and I tend to think best when in conversation. I was concerned as well since I'm not that good when handling perceived conflict and I've been told my typing style can come off as curt or as though I'm lecturing someone. So, I initially thought I'd end up making you angry.

When it comes to Mahiru and the course of trial two so far...I think it would be ideal if the Milgram staff used her character to shed light on domestic violence in some way.

Especially with how they had her respond to being beat up by Kotoko. Even more so now that we know how severe her injuries were thanks to Shidou's explanation in his voice drama. My belief was that she more than likely poisoned her abusive partner due to some of the things presented to us in the lyrics and visuals of This Is How To Be In Love With You. a lot of the lyrics of her first song are things that female victims of domestic violence usually say or variations of things they say like,

"Do you really think you know what love is?"

Usually when confronted by friends or family about the state of the relationship a lot of people in abusive situations may get defensive. Tending to ask the one mentioning the issue or the idea of abuse at all if they even know what love is, what relationships have they been in, and how can they know this isn't just what love is for them.

"We fought sometimes; I was happy to get hurt. Let’s have matching pain, this sickness is pretty bad."

I think this one is probably self-explanatory. Instead of bonding through mutual affection and care they're bonding through shared pain they've inflicted upon each other.

"Even when I test you, even the times we do the breakup ritual."/ "I can’t stop feeling like there’s something missing. What do you think? I know it's not the type of question you want to be asked. I can’t help myself because I want to see your cute, confused face, I’m sorry."

Mahiru asks her partner at the beginning if they think something is missing in their relationship. Stating it's something she knows they don't like to be asked and playing it off as I can't help it I just want to see your cute and confused expression.

However, this question can be connected directly to the "when I test you" part of the other line. When I check how much you care about the relationship and what you'll want to do next. Because Mahiru asks a leading question here. Even though doing so may not be her intention the very question interrogates the absence of something and from the rest of the song the thing absent is heavily implied to be love.

"The things that I only want to say to you, and the things that I want from you Is love."

Now, it could be the anxious habit of someone in a new relationship yet it still implies there's something missing in the relationship and that Mahiru has recognized it or can feel that thing is missing. She's just asking what her partners thinks in hopes that they'll recognize her needs aren't being met and they'll fill in the gap and recognize what it is she wants. Something that ties directly into her Parasite cover since it literally starts with the lyrics,

"Hey, if you love me, please notice, please notice, please notice. Let me dream."

Even the line of, "Never touch me again." is vague enough that it begs the question of whether they are saying this with the idea of caressing or hitting in mind.

Despite asking that Mahiru quickly goes, never mind in the beginning.

Which ties into the repeated line of,

"I pretended to be a good girl, but really, I don't want to say "I'm ok"."

However, when discussing the breakup ritual Mahiru doesn't use I she says we. Something common for people to say when they are in abusive on and off relationships. Oh, we chose to take a break it's just temporary. We're just apart for a bit when it's very possible that one partner did something to annoy the other and in response said partner called the relationship off or began ignoring the other as a tactic to gain back control. So, I think it's important to figure out who's doing the breaking up here. Even in all the moments Mahiru shows us there are only two days that they're doing something she likes.

When they go to see the French film in the park and when they go visit the location of a movie they both liked.

X

Mahiru even states that she had to beg him to go to the screening of the French film with her. Yet, she's been buying the bread he likes, running with him despite it not being her thing,

"Even though I’m really bad at exercise…… I’ve never run so much in my life. Totally exhausted."

Then cooking all his favorite dishes. Throughout This Is How To Be In Love With You Mahiru does various things that her significant other likes while working and balancing college.

The only things she does for herself after they get together are go get her hair done, go to a family member's wedding, and the two things listed above. Then before they get together on one of her off days, she reads a book by an author she likes. However, going to the filming location should be heavily scrutinized as it's one of those things they did together solely because he happened to like the thing as well.

Even during the date at the bar Mahiru mentions this is her first time having a date in such a place, noting how she must be strong when it comes to handling alcohol and the drinks she had. What people mistook for stalking could have been Mahiru's life slowly becoming less about her needs and instead about fulfilling his. Something that a lot of people do in abusive relationships thinking if I just do this, they'll treat me better I'll finally get the love I want. During that film location trip that they took Mahiru also states,

"I feel like a totally different person to before I met him……"

The fact that the French film one really says this is like really irksome, "An outdoor cinema date with him under the stars. How stylish! A French film I like was screening that I really, really wanted to see, so I begged him to come too. A girl really is at her cutest when she’s in love."

Like Mahiru he didn't have to beg you to go running he could at least come to this without you needing to resort to it but okay. Like everyone really went Mahiru was the issue in this relationship when this guy is a dirtbag to the extent that Kazui someone who Mahiru is shown directly confiding in on the timeline feels bad for her.

Kazui; the guy people think cheated on his wife!

21/08/05 (Kazui’s Birthday)

Kazui: Oh, Shina-chan? How scandalous, coming to a man’s room in the middle of the night like this. Well, not that it’s really a room, just a cell. ……just kidding, since you brought some drinks with you, I’m assuming you’ve come to wish me a happy birthday, right? Thank you.

Mahiru: Yep! Happy birthday Kazui-san~ Clap clap clap! But as well as that~ ……I also just maybe wanted to use it as an excuse so I could ask you for some advice over drinks, I suppose?

Kazui: Advice, huh. Well, you’re more than welcome, but I don’t really know what advice an old man like me could give you. I haven’t got the first clue about what love is like for a young girl nowadays.

Mahiru: Ahaha…… Don’t worry, much as I’d love to talk about that too, um…… er, Kazui-san. You know, recently I’ve been having the same dream every day. Lots of people were denying my actions……Denying my thoughts…… that sort of dream.

X

It's implied they continue talking about this over drinks. So, when Kazui had said he feels bad for her I thought that may not just be due to her injuries but because of what she confided in him over drinks. With Shidou's added comment on her mental health it might be likely Kazui discussed what she talked to him about with Shidou.

I can't speak on the suicide, but I can say for certain that her partner may not be as innocent and caring as everyone immediately assumed he was. Because forbid a woman actually be interested or excited about dating or romance nah if she is she must be a stalker but the guy that goes running, has his significant other beg him to go with her to something she's excited for and really likes, and to Mahiru's own admission has questions he doesn't like to be asked nah he's the good guy here.

Don't worry he's the good guy~ That's why Shidou says in comparison to him the people we voted guilty last trial barely did anything wrong. Because it seems last trial everyone that got voted Guilty was responding to a very present and perceivable threat outside of Futa. He was probably just getting revenge.

Though Amane, Mikoto, and Mahiru seem to have all been acting in response to an external stimulus that was outside of their control to some degree. Amane the cult, Mikoto the actions of his coworkers and his job, Mahiru the behavior of her partner all of their crimes are heavily related to social relations that are notoriously difficult to get out of for one reason or another. Didn't stop them from getting tagged red.

It is a perfect match for the suicide forest. I don't really know why Mahiru would be there at any point. Especially since her song seems to end with her either at their shared residence or his home. After she made all his favorite meals too.

I think they might have been living together because it says,

"Before he comes home."

Instead of assuming Mahiru just broke in she probably just has a key of her own or they started living together after a while. She even states that she's been noting his favorite dishes and practicing cooking them. So, they've eaten together a few times for her to be able to have so many options.

I'm intrigued to find out why it appears on her incarceration record though. Those are all my thoughts on Mahiru's case I hope they aren't disappointing I feel like I failed to address your points. Mostly because I really don't know and I can't really wrap my head around it.

tw: discussions of suicide

still reeling from the fact that someone claimed it was "disingenuous" to bring up that mu was suicidal in an attempt to sway an innocent verdict. like... i genuinely can't wrap my head around saying that unless you just really fucking hate mu and can't stand the idea she might be a nuanced character who could be sympathetic.

but honestly what was i expecting from someone who claimed that mu keeping her indoor shoes on while chasing rei meant her crime was premeditated

[zombiiesque]

Nocturne Alchemy Summer Limited Reviews

Originally published on 7/2/2019

Yikes. So I never finished my Vaults, did I? Well, I'll have to come back to it! Right now, I have a few reviews I wanted to get posted from the Nocturne Alchemy Summer Limited Collection release. I'm also including a brief review of the PC Eternal Egypt, for reference purposes! I chose three perfumes, and they sent me one of their choice because I won a giveaway on their business FB page. So what I have here, in the picture, is Eternal Egypt Summer, Eternal Egypt Ambre, Chamomile, Vanilla & Spice Tea, and Apricot Sugar. The sample is Kashmir, which is the free sample while available, that they send along with orders. Any of you who have been following me for a while know that Kashmir is one of my favorites! Let's hop right to it, shall we?

First off, I want to talk about one of my desert island scents - Eternal Egypt. I'll be brief, but I think it's helpful for comparison to the two special versions I picked from the Summer LC. The NA site has this description: Eternal Egypt (Signature Blend): White Amber, Red Egyptian Musk, Egyptian Amber and the sands of Egypt.

I started off with a sample of this many moons ago, and at first I was a little leery - I had ridiculously bad luck wearing ambers. Smelled like baby powder on my skin. I think I wound up putting the sample in my box for about six months, and one day I dug it out and waved it in front of Jody's nose. Win. He was instantly a fan, and he remains one to this day - it's one of his favorites on me and he can name it when I wear it. I think it's the only one he knows, even though he has others he loves, too. It truly is a signature scent. I graduated from the sample, to a 5ml, and now I have a 10ml I'm flying through. The white amber gives this almost a coconut vibe? This is very bright and fresh, and that sandy note, I don't know how they do it, but this is just such a classy scent. It feels like a high end perfume, but at the same time, it's very easy to wear. I must say this is pretty perfect to represent Egypt - when I wear it, I am transported. I feel like the red musk gives this just the slightest bit of sexiness. If you've tried Crimson, I think that's the red musk here, or something similar, as it's not the bold red musk style of Kashmir. It's clean and a little spicy, and very appealing. The combination of the musk and amber is just totally perfect.

I've added a picture of Eternal Egypt Summer and Eternal Egypt Ambre side by side, so you can see the height difference. Ambre isn't as big as my 10ml original EE, but it's definitely larger than the standard 5ml.

One thing I want to mention, about a lot of Nocturne Alchemy perfumes, and particularly Eternal Egypt: these do get travel shocked. So a little caution note, a little imploring: Please do not judge these by what they smell like when you first get them - and please, please try them on your skin before you dismiss them. They change quite a lot with some rest, and what you smell in the bottle can be very different once it melds with your skin and warms up. Eternal Egypt variations in particular seem to do a lot of "filling out" with age; they get richer, more beautiful - the notes seem to meld and really reach their full potential with a little time in your possession. So my initial reviews will stand, but it's like they're amplified TL;DR? Give these some time. It's summer, it's hot, they've traveled a distance to get to you.

Eternal Egypt Summer is part of the sub-collection Eternal Summer. Notes are: White Amber, Labdanum, Crystalline, a little eNVie saphir Amber, Copal, Guaiac wood, Lavender, NA Chypre accord. I opened this fresh out of the mail (not advised, ever, I have to say, but I have no self-restraint) and I swooned a little. This is pretty different than the original. It's got a cool feel to it. I gave it a few days to rest before I tried it on my skin, but I could kind of tell right away I was going to love this. Converse to the cool feel, there's a warmth here from the copal, a sweetness from the guaiac. The lavender isn't a star, but I think rather blends with the chypre, which is absolutely lovely. I usually like chypres, and this is no exception. You can definitely tell that there's an essence of Eternal Egypt to this, but if you're worried you might be getting a dupe, you're definitely not. How does this make me feel? Like I'm at the beach. It's a perfect, sunny day, the water is a sparkling turquoise, and there's a cool sea breeze on my sun-warmed skin. Yes, this feels like summer to me.

Eternal Egypt Ambre is a part of the 13th anniversary collection. NA says this: Eternal Egypt Anniversary Collection – a reinterpretation with exclusive notes, beautiful blue pearl bottles but most importantly celebrating thirteen years of the original perfume blend from Nocturne Alchemy in four new iterations and limited to 75 bottles each. From the elegant label art to the carefully chosen bottle and the exquisite ingredients, the owner & creator of Nocturne Alchemy (Emerson Hart) wanted the create something to honour the first perfume created at Nocturne Alchemy thirteen years ago. Aging these perfume will bring out the resins and natural notes.

The notes for Eternal Egypt Ambre are: Bastet’s Amber Absolute, Labdanum, Cedar essential, Palo Santo essential, Black Patchouli, Benzoin, Heliotrope, Smoked Balsam of Peru, Italian Lavandin, Black Pepper and White Amber Absolute. Oooof. Well, y'all already know how much I adore Bastet Amber, and here we have my two desert island scents? Okay, that was an obvious gimme. This, too, is pretty obviously different from the original Eternal Egypt. The bottle is GORGEOUS, as is the label! When I first got this, it was far more travel shocked than Eternal Egypt Summer. I couldn't really tell what was going on, and there was almost a black licorice note in the bottle sniff. What? Turns out, that's the palo santo note. It can smell like anise, or minty...but I gave this a good bit of rest before I tried it on my skin. Four days. The anise had calmed down, and I could get an idea of what this was going to be like on my skin, I thought - except, it was so much better than I could have imagined! It absolutely transformed once it warmed up and melded with my skin. Wow. This is more complex, and sexier, than Summer. I'm having a hard time picking out individual notes, that's how well blended this one is. If Summer is bright and fun, a day at the beach - Ambre is a sultry summer night, a slinky black dress, and low slung heels. The palo santo gives this a cool feel, as does the white amber.

Honestly just so glad I chose both of these, I have several variations of Eternal Egypt, because I love it that much, and these are two wonderful additions to my collection. Backup worthy, really.

One of my favorite things Nocturne Alchemy does for their Summer Collections are the Summer Tea and Tea Service. You can read my reviews here, although I've added more that I haven't reviewed from previous collections. The Summer Tea Service reviews are separate, you can find them here. Y'all, it's hot in Florida. And it's hot from April right through December these days. I find myself craving the Summer Teas as soon as it warms up, so they get a lot of wear from me. Green Tea Crimson is easily in my top five all time favorites, ever.

Last year I missed out, but my good friend Heather grabbed Apricot Sugar, and absolutely adored it. So I promised myself if it came back in the Resurgence, I would for sure have to nab it - it seemed like everything she wore it with was perfect, and of course, it was wearable alone. So I chose that for my third bottle, and as I mentioned, I won a giveaway (thanks, y'all, SO much!) on the Nocturne Alchemy business page, for a free bottle of their choice from the LCs. They chose Chamomile, Vanilla & Spice Tea for me. I had already eyed it, because it sounded delightful. The notes for this are: Blue German Chamomile, Bastet’s Ice Cream Accord, Vanilla Bean, Vanilla essence, Black Tea, Cardamom Spice and a little sugar. I love chamomile tea. I have one that's chamomile and vanilla, and it's so soothing, puts me right to sleep! And Jody's mom grows chamomile. This is very realistic. I guess this could possibly go a little floral, but they are such masters at blending, that never happens here. It's got a bit of a floral/herbal tinge to it, for sure, but it's reigned in beautifully by the vanillas. The cardamom is more of a supporting note on my skin, just a slightly spiced warmth, honestly, it's perfection. The balance here is superb. The black tea is something I utterly love, and it adds a little strength to this. Unfh. I've mentioned before, I didn't use to like tea notes, they would go bitter on my skin, but that's never happened with NA, and this is no exception. This is just so appealing! I could not be happier with what they chose for me, I adore it. The ice cream accord adds a tiny bit of foodiness, and it's at the perfect amount. Yum. Obviously, you can easily wear this alone, but I love to layer my Summer Teas with the Tea Service, it just is the perfect compliment. The first time I wore this, I added a little dab of Apricot Sugar, because that's what I had on hand, and it was delightful! I wasn't sure if it was going to wear well with this one, but I have to say if you have both of these you really should try this, it was a wonderful surprise. I've since tried Rice Milk and Sugarcube, and those are both easy winners, too. I haven't tried Sweet Santalum Milk or Coconut Milk, but I suspect those will work well, too - or even my original Bastet's Ice Cream Accord, if you want your tea to be a little creamier/more foodie.

Apricot Sugar: Apricot stone essence, Apricot Skin, Egyptian Sugar accord, Papaya skin and Vanilla fleck. Oh, how much do I love NA's sugar note. It's just so dang good! I have a couple of bottles of the original Sugarcube, and I have worn it alone, because I love it so much. There's almost a freshness to it, and of course sweetness - but it's not tooth-achingly sweet, if that makes sense. That base is pretty present here, more so than it is with Lemon Sugar. The apricot is bright, juicy and just a little tangy, and extremely realistic. I think the papaya skin is more of a supporting note, I've had it in other blends and enjoyed it, but I don't really notice it here. It may be adding to that juiciness. This is a simple blend, but it was meant to be layered, and it really shines when you do that. As I mentioned above, I wore it with Chamomile, Vanilla & Spice Tea, and I've also worn it with White Tea Vanilla, and Crystal, so far. I'm going to try it with Santalum White and White Ambre Ombre, because I feel like those will be great pairings, too. I think this is a very versatile layering perfume, and would be lovely with so many perfumes. Anything with vanilla, for sure. Bastet Ice Cream Accord, some Dinos, Eternal Ankh, really I think anything you think might work. I bet it would be pretty with Egyptian Musk, and definitely Diamond. I'm so happy I grabbed this! If you were a fan of, or yearning for, Love of Bastet: Pink Vanille, I think you should definitely get this.

I have Dimetrodon from last year, but I've run out of time, today, so I'll post that separately. It's currently available in the Summer LC Resurgence, in the Prehistoria collection.

What did you choose from this release? What are you looking at? I'm eyeing a Dino or two, and more Teas....always more Teas! I hope y'all enjoyed these reviews, and they helped you to make some decisions. As always, thanks for reading!