#liveblogging manner of death i guess

[chalkrevelations]

Well, gdi.

I’m 2 eps into Manner of Death, and I’ve spent the past - year? year and a half? - poking around in bl being all, ‘yeah, yeah, MaxTul, whatever,’ but you guys weren’t kidding, and this is going to send me down a MaxTul rabbithole, isn’t it?

Anyway. Bun, even before he so blatantly tried to stop you from investigating, I was guessing your friend with the mustache was the killer. Anybody with that facial hair is up to no good, plus he’s related to the local magistrate, so we’re gonna get some good corruption and coverup, I bet. Also, i don’t yet know how this ties into Natty, but I suspect the bitemarks on both bodies are not only related but are also related to the way Mustache Guy was trying to haul Jane bodily out of the party. The only thing that makes me doubt it’s him, at this point, is that y’all are telegraphing his creepiness, and it’s kind of early to be tipping your hand, so I’m wondering if this is deliberate misdirection by the show. Plus, Inspector M, or whatever his name is, from the police, is also a creepfest and does a really good job of reminding me why i don’t trust cops, so there’s also that possibility, I guess, although I’m more surprised M hasn’t roofied you, yet, Bun, and threatened your virtue. I kind of thought he was getting you sloppy drunk with a purpose in the first episode, but I guess not yet?

As for you, Tan, you could stand to be a little less of a creep, yourself. I realize this drunken stranger kissed you out of nowhere after you two shared some sort of Moment When Your Gazes Met, but hitting on him in his hospital bed with his friend - your apparent girlfriend, who you seemed perfectly willing to cheat on with him before she turned up dead - barely cold ... you can see how you look a little skeevy, right?

Bun, you are beautiful and perfect and have never done anything wrong in your life (except completely forgetting about Oat - who are you, Kinn Theerapanyakul?), and I am charmed by your self-appointed calling as speaker for the dead. You and Frank Pembleton, man.

[waitmyturtles]

Turtles Catches Up With Old GMMTV: Manner of Death, and What is a BL Edition

[What’s going on here? After joining Tumblr and discovering Thai BLs through KinnPorsche in 2022, I began watching GMMTV’s new offerings -- and realized that I had a lot of history to catch up on, to appreciate the more recent works that I was delving into. From tropes to BL frameworks, what we’re watching now hails from somewhere, and I’m learning about Thai BL's history through what I’m calling the Old GMMTV Challenge (OGMMTVC). Starting with recommendations from @absolutebl on their post regarding how GMMTV is correcting for its mistakes with its shows today, I’ve made an expansive list to get me through a condensed history of essential/classic/significant Thai BLs produced by GMMTV and many other BL studios. My watchlist, pasted below, lists what I’ve watched and what’s upcoming, along with the reviews I’ve written so far. Today, I cover Manner of Death, a MaxTul crime show that leads us to wonder if we can call it a true BL.]

FINALLY! Yeeeeeeah! I’ve waited a while to get this one out, and I’m so excited to finally drop this review: this is going to be a fun one. Let’s pour one out for the retired homey, Tul Pakorn, as I dive into Manner of Death! (MaxTul after a weekend of PerthChimon and FirstKhao, huh? GIMME!)

So, first things first: I cannot remember who exactly recommended Manner of Death for inclusion on the OGMMTVC watchlist. I APOLOGIZE. I am going to GUESS that it was a combo of @manogirl and @miscellar (and if I’m wrong, friends, please forgive me, and whoever really suggested it, give yourselves flowers in the comments so I can give you a high-five!). In any case, though, as I’ve mentioned previously, @manogirl gets the OGMMTVC Trophy for Hyping a Homey To One of the Best Ships Ever, for real -- MG, your repping on MaxTul has paid DIVIDENDS in my life, DIVIDENDS! I LOVE MAXTUL. I love them, your honors! And they are important, historically, for reasons illuminated below. 

Okay, ha, with that out of the way, Manner of Death as a show gets included on the OGMMTVC list because, as was discussed in the comments of my review of Together With Me, MoD may or may not be a BL by way of the “rules” of the genre. The majority commentary on MoD established that MoD was a show that had BL elements in a crime genre-based show that served as an influence for future genre shows in Not Me and KinnPorsche. 

Now, I will note, during my MoD liveblogging, that @true-unicorn-queen came thru to say -- actually, it IS a BL (thank you, TUQ, for jumping in the comments!). I am really going to enjoy digging into this, and I think there are some good examples that serve as evidence on both sides of the argument. A little outline to help us out, maestro:

1) The frame of this piece is going to center on whether we call MoD a “genre” show of another kind that’s not TECHNICALLY a BL (like a crime story, or a workplace drama), vs. whether we call it a BL because there were quite a few BL tropes in it, and I’ll also talk about 2) Why I think this argument works by way of who worked on this show (and who may have influenced this show), 3) The general excellence of the acting of this show (...okay, we’ll gently poke Tul a bit, ha), and 4) Touching a bit on the conversation of whether or not MoD impacted future genre shows,

along with some other floating bits about MoD and its wild ending, ha.

Off the bat, I think this show worked because it played with successful elements of BOTH the crime genre AND the BL genre. It was like, fusion television. The actual twists and turns of the mystery (I will try to not give away too much if you haven’t seen it yet!) were FABULOUSLY done, and I love suspecting everyone during stories like this. Hell, I was suspecting Oat, for heaven’s sake!

So regarding the is-it-a-BL-or-not conversation: I’m not a person who dabbles in binaries and hardcore definitions. I really think art is best when it is dynamic and NOT definitively binary -- when art is influenced by many things, by many elements, by many tentacles. (You’ll notice that this is why I LOVE this OGMMTVC project.) I really felt that I enjoyed MoD, purely as a fan, in part because this show used the best elements of the crime and BL genres to construct a story that was exciting, that was SMART, that was driven and crisp -- and most importantly, that was not DRAGGED or HELD BACK by EXPECTATIONS of EITHER genre. 

I myself would not call MoD a BL, in part because I don’t want to set up expectations that it needed to MEET certain elements of the genre in order to CALL IT a BL. BUT -- to @true-unicorn-queen‘s point -- maybe I GET to call it a BL, because it used BL tropes so well? I’m not going to quibble in this too much (and honestly, if folks have thoughts on this, jump into the comments, because I think the conversation around this will automatically be fascinating and interesting).

I want to also add that MoD shares many elements with another well-known crime show that is also not a BL, but arguably BL-adjacent -- Jojo Tichakorn’s 3 Will Be Free. 3 Will Be Free is ABSOLUTELY NOT a BL. But what 3WBF established -- on GMMTV! -- was a show that was not CENTERED in queerness or a queer romance story. It was, instead, INCLUSIVE of queerness as a GIVEN of the environment and community in which the show was set. I thought this was groundbreaking for the GMMTV network.

Like I wrote recently about YYY, and akin to 3WBF, Manner of Death, very importantly in its writing, did not hew to a NEED to CENTER the burgeoning queer romance between Bun and Tan -- which I think many would argue is a necessary element of a BL. Their relationship was an important ELEMENT to the show, but it wasn’t a CENTER of the show -- until the end, when we got a bunch of fan service flowers..... and fuckin’ gun whips with a proposal, but let’s leave that alone for another sec, HA. 

I really liked YYY for its macro-level commentary about what BL creators and performers face, by way of pressure, of NEEDING to include and/or CENTER a relationship in a BL. The character of Porpla served as a symbol of that internal and external pressure on BL shows to be ABOUT the romance.

Manner of Death just... didn’t deal with that. The center of the story was: who killed Jane? That was it. It was a murder mystery, first and foremost, with two dudes falling in love as a side story. 

I’m shaking my head in wonder at this, because Manner of Death did the love side story much differently than 3WBF, all while paying homage and respect to the inclusion of queerness within the show itself. How did the show do it? 

As y’all know from my MoD liveblogging, I totally marveled at how WELL this show included some important BL tropes. We had tender gay uncles AND a side couple IN THE SAME SCENE! ThatSorn were a NATURAL side couple, great chemistry, GREAT comedy, and BunTan totally knew what was up with them. Utterly cute! And I cackled at some other tropes, including BunTan choosing to MAKE OUT instead of checking the LAPTOP THEY STOLE from BUSTING A CAR WINDOW, lol. 

The inclusion of these tropes was done VERY well, VERY sophisticatedly. Unlike 3WBF, where I did not expect to see BL tropes -- because 3WBF’s crime story was clearly not a home for BL tropes, at all -- I LOVED SEEING THEM in Manner of Death. It was like seeing old friends again. 

I wanted to know what was up with that. So to MDL I went, and found that Title Nirattisai is MoD’s screenwriter. I knew I knew that name, and I went a-clickin’, and went -- AHHHH. 

Title is the screenwriter of He’s Coming To Me. THE SCREENWRITER OF *HE’S COMING TO ME!!!* And he, along with Au Kornprom, wrote Dark Blue Kiss. As we know -- they are both Aof Noppharnach shows of the highest order.

WELL, WELL, FUCKING WELL! That solves THAT mystery. Why is the writing of Manner of Death so great? Why does it balance a crime genre story so well with the very best of BL tropes?

It’s because we have a writer in Title who defied and/or played with BL tropes in HCTM and DBK. HCTM, as I’ve previously established, was WELL AHEAD OF ITS TIME by way of storytelling, mood, and BL genre subversion. DBK was the first GMMTV BL to focus on an ONGOING and ESTABLISHED relationship -- à la Still 2gether, later in GMMTV’s history, but a decision that goes against the grain of your usual BL assumptions in seeing a relationship BEGIN, complete with flirtation, with longing, with yearning, etc.

Title is a screenwriter who is CLEARLY comfortable with playing outside of the boundaries of BL expectations -- HCTM is DEFINITIVE of that position. Again, I wondered broadly why Manner of Death was just such a GOOD and watchable show. It’s because its writing was flowing, seamless, and SMART. And I think Title knew, that by centering the show in CRIME and MYSTERY, as opposed to romance, that he could actually play around with expectations of BL romance in a new and singular way. 

This is some cool-ass shit. 3WBF established that you could lead a crime story and include queerness. Manner of Death took this a touch further, and brought BACK the very best of BL tropes within a crime frame. BRILLIANT. And, listen. I have He’s Coming To Me on the OGMMTVC list as a BL. If we continue to extrapolate this argument, then -- I might contradict myself, and agree with @true-unicorn-queen, and maybe call Manner of Death a BL. In the end, I’ll give this argument to whoever wants to pick it up, because for me -- MoD was just a good damn SHOW that used mystery, BL, and romance tremendously well in its composition. And that’s why I think it was so successful. 

(One last tiny note on this: let me not forget to note the director of Manner of Death is Ma-Deaw Chookiat, the director and screenwriter of Dew the Movie. He, like Title, is certainly someone who plays on the very interesting fringes and intersections of the BL genre.)

For my pure simpy pleasure, I also thought MaxTul were way better in this than in Together With Me, Max especially. (As I’ve now established -- MoD was an excellent show itself, with the script of Together With Me being shaky at best, except for dear Yihwa.) I previously noted that there were some little fumbles in Tul’s acting in MoD, but nothing that kept me from enjoying the show. But Max was REALLY damn good. AND: listen. I mean, I love how jocky both of these guys were in the show, but Max REALLY did fighting and gun stuff and like, physical crime stuff VERY well. It was exciting -- he didn’t seem like he was doing it for the first time. If the show felt like it nailed CBS primetime shit like, I dunno, Hawaii Five-O or whatever, by way of its fight scenes, then I call that a win. I CLEARLY don’t normally watch those kinds of shows, HA, but I’ll watch a crime show if it has MaxTul in it, dammit!

Really quickly, on the point about whether or not MoD had an influence on future genre shows like Not Me and KinnPorsche: I will await my Not Me viewing, and my rewatch of KP, to make that final judgement, and I promise I’ll include MoD analyses in both those reviews. I think this is an important conversation to have continuing over the course of the OGMMTVC project, because aligned with this conversation is still a lingering awareness and analysis of the pressures that BL creators face and struggle with vis à vis romance, as I mentioned before. This is a struggle that continues to this day, as we most recently saw in Tee Bundit’s Step By Step, and whether or not that show was meant to be a romance, a workplace drama, and/or a macro-commentary on BL and BL expectations. I’ll be watching Not Me for the first time -- and I was not aware, at all, of any of these kinds of pressures when I first watched KinnPorsche. I’d like to go in fresh with both shows to be aware of what they WEREN’T doing by way of tropes to create very unique art, and to understand if and how Manner of Death opened that door.

One other floating point: à la A Tale of Thousand Stars that follows Manner of Death, MoD is centered in the rural town of Viang Phra Mork, showing off Thailand’s gorgeous northern scenery. I actually didn’t fully put this together until I had moved on to ATOTS on the OGMMTVC list, but as I was watching MoD, I loved that over the course of the show, many of the characters, especially Rungtiva, were shown wearing more ethnic Thai-inspired clothes, just like Khama and the villagers in ATOTS. I love that over the course of the OGMMTVC, we have gotten to see more and more deep dives into Thailand and Thai culture (Moonlight Chicken being another excellent example). Y’all who follow my blog know that I’m particularly interested in tracking Thai politics and Thai cuisine in our shows, and any bits of Thai culture that I can glom onto in our shows is so welcome. I loved it, and I’ll refer more to this in my ATOTS rewatch review. 

Finally, oh finally: MoD’s ending, HA. FIRST OFF: I mean, THE WEDDING, GAH. COME ONNNN. What a lovely farewell to MaxTul. At that point, I think it was assumed that we’d see them one more time in Transplant, but alas. But I really loved that we got to see BunTan in full-circle commitment.

And that proposal. Y’all. Y’ALL. I. WAS. DYING. So not only did that proposal NOT NEED GUN WHIPS, LOL, but as @kattahj pointed out to me, the proposal included GIVING SORAWIT/SORN A GUN, which, HAHAHAHAHAHAHA. 

Listen. I didn’t get into the actual deep meat of the show itself, of the UTTER success of the mystery story, in part because I don’t want to give it away for folks who haven’t watched it yet. But -- if you haven’t watched it, please watch Manner of Death. It’s a wonderful break from the BL norm, done absolutely wonderfully by a stellar screenwriter in Title, acted very well by Max, acted very attractively by MaxTul, and the supporting cast was spot on. I know I’ll be checking out Triage at some point to say my final-final farewell to Tul Pakorn, and I wish him all the very best in his next career. We’ll see Max and Toptap next in The Outing, and while that show looks -- confusing? -- I’ll definitely be following it for Max, to see what’s next up in his career. (I hope his health is doing better.) MoD kicked ass, with that classic MaxTul heat, crime, intrigue, AND romance, and it was an utterly successful show that’s absolutely worth celebrating.

[We’re truckin’! I’m making process on my review queue: we have my A Tale of Thousand Stars rewatch review dropping next week, with Lovely Writer after that, and then a double-review of Last Twilight in Phuket and I Promised You The Moon. I’m also going to squeeze in a review of The Warp Effect on Thursday for that Only Friends-flava.

Not Me, 55:15 Never Too Late, and Bad Buddy/Our Skyy 2 rewatch on the horizon. Boom boom boom!

List below. As ever, feedback to ya gal is welcome!

1) The Love of Siam (2007) (movie) (review here) 2) My Bromance (2014) (movie) (review here) 3) Love Sick and Love Sick 2 (2014 and 2015) (review here) 4) Gay OK Bangkok Season 1 (2016) (a non-BL queer series directed by Jojo Tichakorn and written by Aof Noppharnach) (review here) 5) Make It Right (2016) (review here) 6) SOTUS (2016-2017) (review here) 7) Gay OK Bangkok Season 2 (2017) (a non-BL queer series directed by Jojo Tichakorn and written by Aof Noppharnach) (review here) 8) Make It Right 2 (2017) (review here) 9) Together With Me (2017) (review here) 10) SOTUS S/Our Skyy x SOTUS (2017-2018) (review here) 11) Love By Chance (2018) (review here) 12) Kiss Me Again: PeteKao cuts (2018) (no review) 13) He’s Coming To Me (2019) (review here) 14) Dark Blue Kiss (2019) and Our Skyy x Kiss Me Again (2018) (review here) 15) TharnType (2019-2020) (review here) 16) Senior Secret Love: Puppy Honey (OffGun BL cuts) (2016 and 2017) (no review) 17) Theory of Love (2019) (review here) 18) 3 Will Be Free (2019) (a non-BL and an important harbinger of things to come in 2019 and beyond re: Jojo Tichakorn pushing queer content in non-BLs) (review here) 19) Dew the Movie (2019) (review here) 20) Until We Meet Again (2019-2020) (review here) 21) 2gether (2020) and Still 2gether (2020) (review here) 22) I Told Sunset About You (2020) (review here) 23) YYY (2020, out of chronological order) (review here) 24) Manner of Death (2020-2021) (not a true BL, but a MaxTul queer/gay romance set within a genre-based show that likely influenced Not Me and KinnPorsche)  25) A Tale of Thousand Stars (2021) (review here) 26) A Tale of Thousand Stars (2021) OGMMTVC Fastest Rewatch Known To Humankind For The Sake Of Rewatching Our Skyy 2 x BBS x ATOTS (review coming) 27) Lovely Writer (2021) (review coming) 28) Last Twilight in Phuket (2021) (the mini-special before IPYTM) (review coming) 29) I Promised You the Moon (2021) (review coming) 30) Not Me (2021-2022) 31) Bad Buddy (2021-2022) (thesis here) 32) 55:15 Never Too Late (2021-2022) (not a BL, but a GMMTV drama that features a macro BL storyline about shipper culture and the BL industry) 33) Bad Buddy (2021-2022) and Our Skyy 2 x BBS x ATOTS (2023) OGMMTVC Rewatch 34) Secret Crush On You (2022) [watching for Cheewin’s trajectory of studying queer joy from Make It Right (high school), to SCOY (college), to Bed Friend (working adults)] 35) KinnPorsche (2022) (tag here) 36) KinnPorsche (2022) OGMMTVC Fastest Rewatch Known To Humankind For The Sake of Re-Analyzing the KP Cultural Zeitgeist 37) The Eclipse (2022) (tag here) 38) GAP (2022-2023) (Thailand’s first GL) 39) My School President (2022-2023) and Our Skyy 2 x My School President (2023) 40) Moonlight Chicken (2023) (tag here) 41) Bed Friend (2023) (tag here) (Cheewin’s latest show, depicting a queer joy journey among working adults) 42) Be My Favorite (2023) (tag here) (I’m including this for BMF’s sophisticated commentary on Krist’s career past as a BL icon) 43) Only Friends (2023)]

[ilikekidsshows]

Hi there. I have a strange question if you have the time/ability to help. I’m really interested in watching The Owl House. I haven’t read your liveblog yet because I haven’t watched the show, but I have seen enough to be spoilt for some things, so I know the cute little red bird friend dies at some stage in what seems like a pretty tragic manner.

I’ve recently discovered that I struggle with beloved animal deaths (like, had a full-on breakdown in the cinema when watching Banshees of Inisherin IYKYK) and I’m worried this death would be too upsetting and ruin the experience overall for me. Knowing that it’s coming means I should be fine, but I’m still really wary about watching the show. So I guess my question is — is the show still worth it? I’m not nearly as sensitive as this makes me sound, but I want this to be a fun experience, not just something that makes me sad.

I know this is a pretty subjective thing I’m asking about and not easy to provide advice on, but I guess I’m just looking for some guidance. While very sad, does the story earn the death and make the sadness feel worth it? Or is it more just a shock to make you feel sad going towards the end of the show? Thank you in advance if you can provide any insight, but I totally get it if this is too weird a question <3

Hey, it's fine. My take is it's always best to ask other fans when it comes to these kinds of particulars of a show, because where else would you find answers to questions like: "How deeply will this emotional moment wound me?"

I don't have your particular attachment to animal companions, so my experience isn't the same as yours would be, but I feel pretty confident in saying that The Owl House definitely earns its drama. The Owl House never does anything for the shock value alone, in fact, a common criticism of the show I've seen is that it's kinda predictable in what will happen, but I'd say that's only so because this show is so incredibly consistent with its theming and setups. It's not about having to play a guessing game over what will happen, but it's about anticipating how the characters will react to what will happen.

As for whether or not the sadness is worth it, frankly, I'd go as far as to say that the show will reward you for feeling sad about Flapjack dying. Like, he doesn't die in vain and he isn't forgotten; the final episode is full of little nods to how important the little guy was.

I'd say the show is still worth watching.

[vespertin-y]

I FORGOR TO PUT A TITLE WHEN I POSTED THIS SORRY. BEGINNING OF CH2 LIVEBLOG!!

-The Emo Community Has Forgiven Kaito Momota

-i’m far from the first person to point this out but there’s a lot of weird undertones between shuichi and food. he doesn’t eat breakfast, he complains about gaining weight easily in salmon mode, and once he says he would literally rather die than eat greasy food. him being raised by celebrities only adds to the concern,,,i would like to submit shuichi for the “gains weight post-trauma as a sign of Healing” trope pls

-the horse a message makes its appearance!! i’ve seen some people say kokichi wrote it, but i feel like tsumugi (well. probably one of the monokubs lets be real) wrote the og message and he just added to it. For The Funny.

-”so, you found that message while you were out chasing some bug? wooow, gonta! you did it! i knew i could rely on you since the moment we met!” “what? really?” “yep! so you should work for me!” gonta is smart enough to be useful and naive enough for kokichi to feel safe, so he latches on FAST. notably, tsumugi is the first one to be worried about it - i wonder if kokichi is afraid of bugs for a reason...?

-for a liar, kokichi seems real determined to make the others face uncomfortable truths. everyone stutters and shuffles awkwardly when shuichi walks in, but he loudly asks if he’s not wearing the hat because kaede is dead. he says to gonta’s face that he’ll be murdered if he keeps being so gullible, and then he mocks them all for ��banning the k-word”. it’s interesting, and consistent with when he says he doesn’t like people lying to themselves. (and also with him being petty and bitter about everyone else’s lies being just fine).

-”...you look better now. i didn’t think you’d get over kaede’s death so quickly.” “...we don’t have time to be standing around.” “...how heartless. guess you two weren’t as close as you looked.” every time i think i like maki she says something so fucking cruel for literally no reason!!! a character being a jackass has never stopped me from liking them before (...obviously) but it’s the way no one ever seems to mind her saying shit like this. it just goes by unaddressed! it grinds my fuckin gears. crumbles my cookie even.

-”it’s okay. it’s easier for me to earn points if i pray. it’s a shortcut to a platinum membership!” LMAOOO. for real though irl japan has SUCH a big cult problem, it’s wild to me they didn’t write angie to reflect any of that aside from tiny lines like this?? the call of racism was stronger than that of good commentary apparently...

-they walk into kirumi’s lab and she immediately starts talking about the role of maids and other servants under queen victoria, shuichi starts talking about jack the ripper, and korekiyo starts talking about class divides in victorian-era england. the level of autism that oozes off everyone in v3 is truly unmatched, i love this game so much.

-shuichi consistently giving miu absolutely WITHERING stares is so fucking funny. he almost never even *says* anything to her, he just radiates such hatred she starts crying immediately. i’m a shuichi kinnie why don’t i get this power!!

-himiko’s lab has so many saws and knives and swords (also an ACTUAL GUILLOTINE) i’m continually shocked none of them were used for murder.

-(note: shuichi’s dialogue sounds a bit sad when typed out, but he’s smiling for this entire conversation and so is tenko.) ”i can’t believe what happened in the dining hall earlier...males are so insensitive! i wouldn’t ever dare to ask why you decided to remove your hat! that’s something that should be kept private between you and kaede!” “thank you, tenko...” “i...also feel that i must carry on kaede’s wish. no matter what, we’ll get out of here! i won’t give up! shuichi, don’t ever conduct yourself in such a shameful manner ever again!“ “ah, yeah...i won’t.” shuichi 🤝 tenko: LOVING KAEDE SO FUCKFJ MUCH. i like kaito but i am constantly thinking about an au where tenko trained shuichi instead - they have such an endearing and uplifting friendship in these moments where tenko isn’t reduced to her One Joke. they high five on their way to smooch kaede and that’s very important to me!!

-”if you don’t like something, [monokuma]’ll fix it. so don’t get rid of it...please don’t get rid of...me.” “very bad when lady who act like that preys on you.” gonta noooooo D: at least he knows it’s bad, he doesn’t usually acknowledge when people are shit to him :[

-gotta thank tsumugi for tempering the reveals of her no good very bad storyline with shuichi ass shots, i would not have survived otherwise.

-oh look it’s the bit where JP kaito says a slur. anyway,

-”eh? you think i’m messing around right now? aw man, you really don’t get it. i’m trying to get this through to everyone...if you keep saying all this stuff about “working together” and “cooperating”...then you can expect to receive some painful retaliation. get it?” infuriating that kokichi can just Say his reasoning for his behavior through at minimum chapters 2-3 and it just gets glossed over. shuichi does at least try to ask what he’s suggesting, but he gets cut off by kaito threatening violence and kokichi (understandably) bolting. still, i would expect at least a flashback to this from him after the insect meet n greet??? mr detective???? no thoughts head empty??????????

-THE PLAYTHROUGH I’M WATCHING HAS ABRUPTLY DECIDED TO STOP SKIPPING THE FTES???? WE’RE WATCHING ONE OF KAITO’S NOW I FUCKING GUESS. CONSISTENCY? DON’T KNOW HER!

-they did one of kokichi’s next...i don’t know if i can say anything about it that hasn’t already been said, haha. the machiavellian lengths kokichi will go to for attention remain iconic.

-that’s the end of day six! see you all next time for the ch2 motive! (kaede died *yesterday*, jeez...)

[nobody-knose--archive]

i’ve been aching to commentate spirit phone’s commentary for ages. glad i finally got around to it, this was an ejoyable experience. liveblog below the cut

-i'm like half certain i've heard this commentary before. maybe not the whole way through & it was probably actual years ago

-nice hearing stuff like this. in-depth personal view of the album-making process. makes it seem like more of a real thing i could do myself someday

-neil cicierega real person momence

-i could probably go real in depth about neil cicierega/tally hall parallels specifically concerning like. the arc of their musical careers. but i won't, here

-wild how i legitimately don't care much about micheal jackson

-didnt we get a bunch of spirit phone stems from the needlejuice release/his patreon? we could probably hear the funny track he speaks of here in that

-i love hearing musical artists, especially neil cicierega, talking about the meanings of their songs. like, not only has this song been claimed to hell & back by the tumblr gays, but with later ones i just can't see where he gets these ideas from. also, claiming there's any one meaning or plot to a song just seems silly to me

-shoutout to neil reusing a midi from like, 1998, that he made at 12 years old, whose entire melody was reused for the main verses of everybody loves raymond. loved finding that out on my own 2 years ago. now it's common trivia in this fandom. not bad times

-it'd be neat if neil did individual trans tracks here like he did with view monstel, those things are half of why i consider it my favorite album

-it's a lot easier to ignore the creator's intended meaning behind a song when he can't even remember it. thanks neil

-seesaw effect

-and there's my joke all but 1 of my followers wont get. moving on

-what kinds of movie theater lobbies has neil been to where there are arcade machines. i mean im not one to talk but that does sound rather strange

-why do songs' titles even need to be taken from the lyrics. ive never seen that as any sort of requisite. it's like titling any form of prose you can just give it whatever name ya like

-"this part sounds pretty cool right"

-is neil's vocal range only mildly better than mine? with training i could change that

-oh i haven't processed any of the last 25 seconds hold on

-god. a shit ton of vocal modification in this song. it's like neil returned to his roots but with quality this time

-i, as an ace/aro, have never related more to an allohet guy in my life. what is the point of eyes!

-professional humming/whistling takes skill. it's different from the recreational or casual stuff. i'd know

-there's a name for the way sound (especially music) gets distorted when moving past you and i can't remember it but it's probably what neil's referring to here in the way he recorded the intro

(- update: it's the doppler effect no need to tell me cas already did)

-as someone who hasnt seen the rugrats or take me there by blackstreet i'll just say it sounded like a bouncy music box melody. nice to hear a song that messes with the typical scales though. lydian & diatonic.

-that's a rather specific thing to be glad about, but given what he talked about in his last full audio commentary about the jew harp i suppose i'm not surprised

-i know that tmbg song now. listened to it & saw the music video too. yep they're different alright

-where the hell does neil get all these instrumence from anyway

-huh. hadnt heard this part of the commentary before making my oc concerning this song but i like to hear neil's approval concerning part of my interpretation

-i love how ive heard a billion different tellings of this mellified man story from lem dem fans talking about this song and neil's is by far the wildest

-good god that does only make it worse neil

-i love making liveblogs of lemon demon albums. with the fullerenes or tally hall i cant name a specific dude to take out my woes on generally but with lemon demon i can just say neil all the time. i like being on a casual first name basis with this dude ive never interacted with once ever

-is sweet bod the one other than cabinet man with a demo in the bonus tracks? i forget

-holy shit the boston molasses disaster someone call up soapy if it doesnt already know, it'd love this

-two thousand nine. god i miss the fiddle solo. the ver with it is truly the best one

-he pronounces it jeff? i've always read it as gef with a hard g. that's what i get for knowing words that are never spoken aloud

-that's a fun meta interpretation of this ghost story that's over a century old. i like that

-i've noticed neil generally does the same synths across a whole album. it's especially more clear in the earlier ones, and does mean i occasionally mix up songs between clown circus & live from the haunted candle shop

-ah! ancient aliens! my least favorite track on this album. i cant even claim to have the least interest in a popular one i've just generally not liked this one much from the beginning. so im curious to see what neil's got to say, i think ive been in ~new commentary zone for a while now

-anyway. newest update on the loolin not realizing a song's funky time signature front: i think this one's in 6/4. or at least switches a lot between time signatures. granted i dont listen to it very often for the reasons stated above

-see the way neil describes it. eldritch horror upon being visited by the unknown at a time when humanity'd hadn't even yet had a chance to imagine such a thing occurring. should be right up my alley. but the sound itself & many of the lyrics simply turn me away.

-must i specify i don't dislike it? spirit phone is neil's best album it not being my favorite doesn't mean i think it's bad yadda yadda nobody should be surprised by this it's not like anyone in these fandoms reads my liveblogs <3

-granted i think this is. the first bit of spirit phone content i've made on my blog ever. so who knows things can change <3

-the transitions in spirit phone are much less view-monster transition tracks & more extended outros. view-monster's were a bit more intro than outro sure but they also seemed directed upon making a 2-way rather than 1-way bridge between tracks. or something like that

-.............soft fuzzy man is an incredible nickname for a cat. i'd steal that if i werent afraid of introducing my relatives to lemon demon

-jirls

-an underlying metaphor is good enough. the literal side of the lyrics are fun. nothing but agreement here neil my good man

-the transition into as your father i expressly forbid it from soft fuzzy man is the best one in this album

-buddy you ask if a musical idea has been used before odds are the answer is yes in this day & age the question is has it been used in the way you're using it. like sure this soul jazz record from the 60s that was sold out in kansas stores for a week used this bassline that youve found yourself copying. but seeing as youre using it in some angsty garage rock ballad type tune does anybody actually care

-doesn't everybody like to say things in an unhinged manner from time to time

-imagine having a guitar dad, i say, with my dad being a folk accordion/fiddle dad, which is infinitely worse in every way

-i think he was in an actual folk band at some point. idk the 90s were weird

-iron my life?

-m-more intimate? there are a lot of ways i'd describe this song but intimate isn't one of them. granted as your father is negatively intimate so from there i guess you've got nowhere to go but up

-...still glad to see his interpretation kinda supports my oc at least

-the way he says characters in songs shouldn't worry about death really strongly makes me think this is some sort of. thematic continuation of stuck from dinosaurchestra, even if there's no real death in there. interesting. would also mean that the dad from these past 2 songs is named carlos betty (no last name)

-i literally never assumed this was a flute solo. piccolo at best. it's pretty clearly a recorder

-my mom plays the recorder. i wonder if she can play recorder better than neil cicierega

-we can throw a party in honor of the crushing weight of responsibility! i simply won't be the one throwing it because i have enough on my plate already <3

-what the hell does "a sense of intent" mean

-i've never heard rush before however i disagree with neil's understanding of 6/4. 6/4 is meant to have emphasis (onbeat or another term i can't remember) on the 1st & 4th beat of every measure, which is greatly different from a measure of 4/4 then a measure of 2/4. it's why his 5/4 always sounds weird, because while it's recognizable in sequences of 10/4, it's more 2 measures of 4/4 with one of 2/4 tacked on the end. that's also how it's different from 3/4. i don't know much music theory but what i do understand i will fight to the death about

-"canonized" that's. a very interesting term to use when referring to a former president

-from now on i will interpret every love song directed at some unseen "you" to be inviting me to marry them for tax purposes. thanks neil for being an aromantic icon

-ah hell yes hell yes man-made object is my favorite goddam song on this album

-short & sweet & good damn vibes. neil's thoughts on it all are only making it better

-wild how he uses very few vocal effects for a song that he clearly is straining his vocal range for. go off neil

-the qualifier of man-made is a wonderful thing. oldest or biggest thing? oldest or biggest man-made thing? what a incredibly important specification. a world of possibilities lie between the two. oh i love it

-just gets me thinking yknow! what we consider weird/impressive in another species, in our own species- what kind of equivalent to that would there be from an outsider looking in? are there alien versions of the significances we place upon things, that we could never imagine? the limits of the human imagination mean we could never conceive of something else in the world that isn't, in some way great or small, just like us- and are we wrong for thinking that? such a juicy topic i wish there were a name for it because it's kinda hard to explain concisely

-spiral of ants. my second favorite song from this album, in fact. a good one to experience

-the vocals are just another instrument. they really truly are. i wasn't going into this commentary expecting to feel solidarity for neil cicierega in this chili's tonight on more than one occasion but here i am.

-like, his whole stance on interpreting songs is something i agree with almost entirely. you can take it at face value, you can dig to their very depths, you can listen to songs without caring what the lyrics mean whatsoever, and those are all fun. & yeah while any of these people can be annoying as one of the types who enjoys gliding on the surface more than anything i find those who dedicate themselves to figuring out the whole meaning of a song over anything else to be both slightly scary & slightly annoying <3 keep up the good work

-i want to make songs for my siblings the way neil makes songs for his sibling(s)

-spinch

-neil really shouldn't be allowed to be this funny like this whole album youre thinking golly! he's just a normal man this neil cicierega! and then he starts listing the cat hacks jokes & you remember he's had ridiculously consistent viral success with all his humorous endeavors and holy shit it's neil cicierega in action talking about his music. god bless you neil

-you're welcome, no problem, my pleasure. good eveternoon, radio audience!

[jalebi-weds-bluetooth]

Hi S! You totally caught my attention with the 3rd Liveblog. My eyes were moist from laughing :D AJ is on the kill. I love that isn't just funny, it actually highlights the good and bad aspects of the show in a comical manner. You really take such a good jibe at Shivay's hubris and it contrasts so well with Om's cool demeanour. The memes and Nirma ad got me choking.. It is such a fun post. Like many of her shows the began with a bang began and quickly went downhill. Loving this new segment :D

Oops- here again. Guess I forgot to sign off. What do you think helped IPK maintain consistency and saved it from becoming unrecognisable- I know it is similar to somethin you have answered previously- why the show is iconic, but I wanted an insight into why you think the show held up, love and warm hugs- Rdx.

Hi Rdx, 

(be ready for a long answer)

Thank you so much for loving the IB liveblogs - they’re my part of my unwinding ritual. It’s good trash - in the sense that there’s some really good stuff and I know that things will become nonsensical in future. But you have to thank @tellywoodtrash for enlightening me in the process of understanding IB. She’s my IB tour guide and has guided me which episodes to watch and what all to ignore. I am blessed. 

Lol, I love making the memes. It’s a very meme worthy show. Now I wonder when I’ll rewatch IPK (for the 4675892th time) I might makes memes of it as well? If you like lol worthy honest opinions while watching popular shows:

@tellywoodtrash for Ishqbaaz, Sanjivani 2 and Ishq Main Marjaawan 2

@australian-desi for Ishqbaaz

@paobhaji for Iss Pyaar Ko Kya Naam Doon (her 2 cents on IPK cracks me up, every single time)

As to what helped IPK maintain consistency? This is difficult to answer because what helps maintaining consistency is a lot of the production/writing team but if I have to pick an answer then its that they knew what’s the midpoint of the show - Arnav realizing the woman he loves is his sister’s ‘sautan’

And it was a good decision to expand the love story between Arnav and Khushi because with those two being so different they didn’t need Shyam to be full fledged villain for some good 50-70 episodes, therefore his revelation and everything took its own sweet time. 

Which is why the quality of the show sharply drops post the terrace revelation and forced marriage because I don’t think they had an exact idea how Arnav would come across the truth - so we got filler tracks and stuff. And once Shyam is out then the whole crux of the show was done. 

They weren’t ever going to maturely explore the effects of the toxic relationship Arnav-Khushi relationship or deal with the intricacies of their relationship post wedding. They went into the formulaic - “A challenges K, K will prove herself” “a villain walks into ArShi′s life, how will ArShi defeat the villain” - which is a very stereotypical writing and non IPKesque writing. Cause if we go back to golden age of IPK - they just explored the relationship than have them mutually work towards/against something or have stupid challenges. That’s why the first time they got PayAsh together or had the sangeet challenge was significant. 

Barun walking out and people protesting to close the show saved the show. Literally.

Otherwise they would've continued with Arnav’s death, Khushi reminded of him in little Aarav, falling in love with some new dude - basically the show would be rendered pointless. 

Love and hugs, 

- S

[peachdoxie]

This post contains my liveblogged thoughts about the prologue and first chapter of Rhythm of War that was released on Tor today. Spoilers, obviously.

Rip Navani

Minor Aesudan lore, yay

Boxes of spren? What the fuck?

Angerspren, like boiling blood, began to well up in a small pool at her feet. Calm, Navani, the rational side of her mind said.

What’s that theory that Navani is gonna be a Dustbringer because she finds order in chaos or something?

I wonder if the border dispute and misdrawn maps are relevant as anything other than a source of conflict.

Today, she’d do her job—though a part of her felt like an impostor. However prestigious her ancient lineage might be, her anxiety whispered that she was really just a backwater country girl wearing someone else’s clothing.

Inch resting....

‘“…Being able to bring them back and forth from Braize doesn’t mean anything,” one said. “It’s too close to be a relevant distance.”

“It was impossible only a few short years ago,” said a deep, powerful voice. Gavilar. “This is proof. The Connection is not severed, and the box allows for travel. Not yet as far as you’d like, but we must start the journey somewhere.”

A box again. I’m guessing this is one of the “boxes of spren” from earlier, though why Kris would tell Aesudan is beyond me. And we know Gavilar captured a Voidspren, so I’m guessing that “them” refers to Voidspren, which were trapped on Braize. But what the fuck? Braize is “too close to be a relevant distance,” if I’m reading the antecedent correctly. Where the fuck are they trying to go???

The king was speaking with two men that Navani vaguely recognized. A tall Makabaki man with a birthmark on his cheek and a shorter Vorin man with a round face and a small nose.

So Gavilar was meeting with Nale and whoever the other guy is. Which means that Nale knew about the Voidspren, yet was killing nascent Surgebinders anyway?

The Vorin man wrung his hands, reminding Navani of the palace steward, though this man seemed much younger. Somewhere… in his twenties? Maybe his thirties? No, he could be older.

Interesting. Navani is having difficulty placing this man. We’ve seen this with I think both Vasher and Vivenna on Roshar, where people aren’t sure exactly how old they are. I am not sure what to make of this.

Plus, you need to know that another of us is here tonight. I spotted her handiwork earlier.

Hmm. “Of us” makes me think that he means of him and Nale, which means he’s a Herald. Has this been established yet? I can’t remember. And I’m betting the woman is Shalash.

“I want out. This is the only way…”

Okay, so this guy who is probably a Herald thinks that whatever Gavilar is doing is the only way out of being a Herald, I’m guessing? I am starting to think that maybe my theory that Taln was murdered (not that he gave in) has some more merit...

“I believe I have managed to soothe Amaram’s pride. He might take [Jasnah] back, and her time is running out.”

HA HA GET FUCKED AMARAM

Also, Gavilar’s a fucking asshole to Navani. No wonder she was fine with marrying Dalinar. He’s an absolute sweetheart compared to Gavilar, even as a drunk.

“I have discovered the entrance to the realm of gods and legends, and once I join them, my kingdom will never end.”

Cool so we’ve got what, megalomania? And “the realm of gods and legends” well that fucking narrows it down. Is he referring to Braize? The Cognitive Realm? The Spiritual Realm? What he thinks are the Tranquilline Halls?

What was she doing? Praying for her husband’s death?

Holy fucking shit. Navani sure got what she wished for. I bet that’s gonna eat at her.

Anyway, on to Chapter 1. We’ve got the five narrators listed. Kaladin (thank goodness), Shallan, Navani, Venli, and Lirin. An interesting mix. This narrows down the main narrator to be either Navani or Lirin. I guessed maybe Navani, but Lirin was never on my list. Darn. I guess this means I’ve lost the bet with myself that Lopen is the main narrator. Ah well. Ngl though, I am very intrigued to read from Lirin’s POV, especially when he interacts with Kaladin. He’ll be the first person we’ve read from who knew Kaladin before he went off to war.

Also, probably won’t liveblog this chapter much, since I’ve already read it.

Lirin sensed a search for identity in the way Abiajan and the other parshmen acted. Their accents, their dress, their mannerisms—they were all distinctly Alethi. But they grew transfixed whenever the Fused spoke of their ancestors, and they sought ways to emulate those long-dead parshmen.

I have the feeling this is going to be vital to Venli’s storyline. The singers only hold loyalty to the Fused, but I don’t know how far that will go. And we know that Venli began to tell of the listeners at the end of Oathbringer - which is probably a closer identity to theirs than the ancient Fused, who are still probably reliving their glory days (the sane ones, at least).

Ah man. I can’t wait for the next chapter to find out what happens.

[neuxue]

Wheel of Time liveblogging: Towers of Midnight prologue (part 3)

Levelling up and last stands

Graendal to Galad, and now Galad to Padan Fain. It’s like alignment whiplash.

The sky was black. A tempest. He liked that, though he hated the one who caused it.

This is great because there’s just a hint of ambiguity to who that actually may be. Rand? Or the Dark One? And when you have to ask, even for a second…well, that’s sort of the point, isn’t it.

Hatred. It was the proof that he still lived, the one emotion left.

Well, that’s one more than Rand at any rate.

(Pre-Dragonmount, I mean).

Padan Fain exists to chew scenery and you know what buddy? Chew away. Live your dreams.

Did his hatred cause that storm? It must be so. Yes.

Sorry Fain; pretty sure Rand has first claim on I am the storm. He just carries it better, you see. It’s a good look on him and we don’t mess with that.

I typo-ed that as ‘it’s a god look on him’ and really… either way.

When you accepted madness into yourself – embraced it and drank it in as if it were sunlight or water or the air itself – it became another part of you.

I’m mostly amused by how similar this sounds to the wording of Egwene thinking of how the Aiel handle pain. In this case I don’t think it’s particularly intentional or meaningful or anything, but it amuses me.

Another part of you. Like a hand or an eye.

Not sure those are the best examples, given Rand and also very likely at some point Mat, but sure.

He was finally free.

Has something changed? Oh, wait. Is this the first we’ve seen of him since saidin was cleansed? And Shadar Logoth destroyed? I think it is, in which case… interesting. Particularly interesting since it doesn’t seem to have affected the dagger’s power – Fain’s still obsessed with his precious, at any rate – and last we heard Rand’s wound(s) hadn’t healed. But Shadar Logoth was destroyed, and its power seemingly with it, more or less, and so now Fain or Mordeth or Smeagol or whoever he is these days is free, in a manner of speaking. That’ll end well for everyone involved, I’m sure.

Oh he killed a worm. And he’s in the Blight so that’s a Worm. Im…pressive?

Mist had begun to trail him, creeping up from the ground. Was that mist his madness, or was it his hatred? It was so familiar. It twisted around his ankles and liked at his heels.

Like a yellow fog, that rubs its back upon the window panes, a yellow smoke that rubs its muzzle on the window panes, licks its tongue into the corners of the evening…

No? Or perhaps like, say, Mashadar? I mean, maybe it’s nothing, but if it’s not nothing, that’s… concerning. Were more things freed than Fain, in the ruination of Shadar Logoth? Open to give the world hope but did it also release some element of despair?

The mist struck.

And unless we’ve transported into one of Sanderson’s original works, that means I’m right and the cleansing of saidin did indeed have some… unintended consequences. Which is fitting, in a grander sense of balance, but still kind of… well, sad.

So Fain has levelled up again, it would seem, which is the outcome absolutely no one needed.

That said, he played enough of a part early on, and enough has been made of him from time to time afterwards, that it would be kind of weird to leave him out of the ending. Personally I wouldn’t particularly mind; watching him chew scenery is fun enough from time to time but the rest of the time I sort of tend to forget about him, and I’m not particularly invested in anything to do with him, and the slightly more critical side of me wonders if he was ever truly necessary as a character… but at this point in a series, once you have a character like that, dropping them now would feel untidy. It would feel like an oversight, or like lazy plotting.

Which is hard, when everything about him suggests that his entire purpose is to be a wildcard character. He doesn’t have a clear fated role to play in all of this, unless it’s something to do with his link to the dagger and, via that, to Mat somehow.

Instead, he’s a powerful entity on a third side in a two-sided war. Yes, there are far more factions than that within each of those sides, and so much of the point of the last several books has been that lack of unity, and the tragedy but perhaps inevitability of fighting against those who should be your allies, of losing sight of the larger conflict in favour of the smaller and more immediate ones, and of trying to forge some kind of alliance despite that, and the ways in which that can succeed or fail.

But Fain is less a part of that and more a completely outside element. Not, in a way, unlike Aridhol itself was, as it became Shadar Logoth. A darkness and an evil that came from a form of the Light and its hatred of the Shadow and, over time, twisted. And therefore was an evil that was not truly of the Shadow, but was no longer an ally of the Light. Instead it was its own poison.

That’s kind of what Fain is. Which certainly has potential, as a story element, but I am curious to see how that’s played, and how well it’s played, given the sheer volume of characters we’re dealing with, and the size of this conflict, and the many other themes already at play. Can his role, whatever it is, end up feeling satisfying? I guess we’ll read and find out on that one.

Anyway, that was a bit of a tangent, but the point of it was: yes, he’s levelled up, because I think he has to in order to have a hope of having his part in the ending being interesting or satisfying.

Red below, black above. Red and black, red and black, so much red and black.

See, the thing is, I know for a fact that Brandon Sanderson is a fan of Les Miserables, so I am fully justified in humming ‘red, the blood of angry men; black, the dark of ages past….’

Also, Moridin would approve. Of the colour scheme, if nothing else.

And also of the chaos. Some say the world will end in (bale)fire, some say in ice, and Padan Fain says fuck it why not evil killer mist. Less poetic but sure.

(Let’s play a little game called: over the course of the liveblog, how much of an English Literature syllabus do we think I’ve referenced? …on second thought let’s not play that game)

Oh, the Trollocs didn’t die, they just got a Mashadar Makeover and now they’re competing for Malkier’s Blight’s Next Top Abomination.

He left the Myrddraal. It would not rise, as rumours said they did. His touch now brought instant death to one of its kind. Pity. He had a few nails he might have otherwise put to good use.

Perhaps he should get some gloves. But if he did, he couldn’t cut his hand. What a problem.

The thing is, while the style here is very Sanderson, for a character like Fain it actually works pretty well. Which is mainly, I think, because I have long suspected Sanderson has a soft spot for writing characters who are utterly batshit and having the time of their lives with it. Pass the scenery, and the salt. Yum.

Like an old friend. A dear, beloved old friend that you were going to stab through the eye, open up at the gut and consume by handfuls while drinking his blood. That was the proper way to treat friends.

Sure, it lacks the undertone of beautiful horror, and the poetry of Machin Shin whispering about braiding flayed skin, which is in a way a shame. But it conveys the essential message and character, and at least for me, this works well as an example of Sanderson’s approach of not trying to imitate style because that could go so badly, but instead emulating the feel of the story itself. Sometimes it doesn’t work, but here, at least for me, it does.

It's ironic in a way that it’s a similar thing to what he’s done with Mat, but it has the opposite effect. With Mat – I’ve written about this elsewhere, but tl;dr is that I think he read Mat as funny and so tried to write Mat as funny, using his own methods rather than Jordan’s because imitating style exactly is a lost cause, but something very essential was lost in the translation (like the fact that Mat himself isn’t really humorous; it more comes from the contrast of his thoughts with his actions, and his character against the world around him, but I digress again). So he went for ‘convey the same idea through my own methods rather than trying to imitate Jordan’s’ – consciously or subconsciously – and it backfired. But with Fain, he’s taken the same approach – ‘convey a scenery-chewing wildcard who has lost every mind he’s possessed, which is several’ – and this time the same-idea-different-style still gets that across in a way that feels true to character.

Obviously mileage can and will vary on whether or not this works, but for me it’s just an interesting study in how a certain approach or method can succeed or fail depending on exactly how and where it’s applied, and what the cause of that success or failure may be – why it works in one place but not another, and what went right or wrong.

It is, I think, something of a writing exercise if you want to turn it into one. A bit like reverse-engineering an outline from a book you’ve read (I do this often; I realised at some point that I was doing it and then I made a point of doing it deliberately, and it’s super interesting, and for me at least it’s helped me think more deliberately about the structure of a story, and how that can be leveraged for different effects). But thinking about the specifics of what does or doesn’t work for you about the authorship switch – a particular character, or a scene, or the pacing, or the handling of a certain theme, or anything else – and then digging into the specifics of why it works, or doesn’t.

That, for me, has been more interesting than just picking out the differences. Sure, I’ll nitpick, but I prefer not to focus on it, because ‘this is different’ feels… kind of pointless. Of course it’s different. Figuring out exactly what is different, or why it’s different is interesting sometimes. But also figuring out where and how that difference matters or doesn’t is more what I’m trying to get at here. Because some of the differences, I don’t mind. Some, I do. And trying to understand why I mind some and not others has been helpful at least for me in, again, understanding all of those elements of a story or piece of writing better, and thinking about how they could be used or changed or recombined.

But then, I’m the kind of person who likes to take things apart to figure out how they work. And also to overthink every goddamn text I consume.

Still, it’s a fun one if you’re in the market for writing exercises to try whilst in quarantine.

*

Malenarin Rai. Bold of you to introduce a new POV character in the penultimate book of a series that already has dozens if not hundreds, but that’s WoT for you.

Also it’s a prologue so the rules are different.

Heeth Tower is a weird name. Heeth. But then, I don’t think Sanderson has ever been quite as good with names as Jordan was. And that’s the sort of change I’m not going to get too worked up over. (Also, it was Jordan who gave us Mountains of Dhoom, so I rest my case).

The whistling wind rattled the wooden shutter.

It’s not time for the wind yet; we’re still in the prologue! Wait your turn, wind; chapter one should be here any day now.

Using a Trolloc horn as a paperweight is pretty badass, Malenarin, but Furyk Karede and his human skull wineglass might offer some competition.

I don’t think we’ve spent much – any, depending on where exactly the scene in TPoD’s prologue takes place – time in Kandor outside of New Spring. I guess we’ve got to finish filling in the map now; we’ve only got one book left!

Malenarin’s son is turning fourteen soon, so he might just be lucky enough to get Tarmon Gai’don as a birthday party.

He smiled, setting the Trolloc horn on the note, in case that shutter broke open again. He’d slain the Trolloc who had borne that horn himself. Then he walked over to the side of his office and opened his battered oak trunk. Among the other effects inside was a cloth-wrapped sword, the brown scabbard kept well oiled and maintained, but faded with time.

Typing it out, it’s not even that similar, but reading this my first thought was of Tam al’Thor, pulling out his old trunk and his old sword at the beginning of The Eye of the World, before giving it to Rand as he sets off on his coming-of-age story.

To have a duty was to have pride – just as to bear a burden was to gain strength.

In moderation, though. *Looks pointedly at Rand al’Thor*

I still don’t understand how turning their backs on the Blight to go find the Dragon Reborn to tell him to pay attention to the Blight is a good idea for the Borderland rulers. I must be missing something here and I hope it is eventually revealed to me, because otherwise that is terrible strategy on so many counts.

The only way to go to the fourth level was to climb a narrow, collapsible ramp on the outside of the tower

What could possibly go wrong? I mean, last time we were in Kandor a kid was thrown off a balcony, so…

[Jargen] wore a cord looped around the shoulder of his brown uniform; it bore a knot for each Trolloc he’d killed. There had to be approaching fifty knots in the thing by now.

That’s cute, Rand says, flicking dust off his shoulder Luke-Skywalker-in-The-Last-Jedi style, and flicking some Arrows of Fire off with it to torch another thousand or so Trollocs without breaking a sweat.

But okay, yes, for an ordinary non-protagonist non-Lan in a random guard tower in Kandor, I suppose that qualifies as pretty badass.

The beacons have been lit! Gondor Rena Tower calls for aid!

Pretty sure that’s your cue, Lan.

Or not; Malenarin seems to think it’s his cue to confirm the SOS and start preparing the tower for… bad things, probably.

Seriously, wind, wait your turn.

Of course his son is next on the list of messenger boys to be sent out. Well, it’s a better fate than being thrown off a balcony at least. Maybe.

‘No, we need to send several messengers. Double up. Just in case the towers fall.’

Do you have any uncrowned infant kings you want to send as well? Just checking.

Malenarin let himself feel a hint of relief that his son was one of those riding to safety. There was no dishonour in that; the messages needed to be delivered, and Keemlin was next on the roster.

There is a kind of parallel here – less a parallel, perhaps, than an echo – to Lan. A son sent to safety as a Borderland hold prepares to fall, the sense of a last stand. Because in the Borderlands perhaps that is not so unusual a story, in its way. The Wheel of Time turns.

It was time for Tarmon Gai’don. And looking out into the storm, Malenarin thought he could see to the very edge of time itself. An edge that was not so far distant.

Maybe you should have a dream-chat with Moridin, Malenarin. Maybe it’s just the air in the Blight: gives you nihilist thoughts.

Oh oops, his son wasn’t one of the messengers to go. Because he decided to be all noble and let another boy go in his place, whose mother had already lost four sons. That’s sweet, kid, and it’ll probably get you killed.

Tian, Sanderson? Named after another ill-fated messenger boy in your own works, perhaps?

‘Run down to my office,’ Malenarin said. ‘There is a sword in my oaken trunk. Fetch it for me.’

Aw. Because his son has proven himself a man, three whole days early. Because we’re approaching the end now, and it’s time for everyone to take their last steps into their roles, become who they must be to face that end – whether they’re a protagonist or just some poor doomed kid in a tower in the Blight.

It's something these kinds of snapshot one-off scenes are good for: to show the scope of the story, that it touches everyone, no matter that they’ve never even met Rand or any of the others. And to give this sense of those final steps happening in snapshots like this across the land. The sense of an entire world taking a last deep breath. And so we pause for brief close-ups on the faces of some of the extras stepping onto the battlefield, to illustrate that.

Keemlin’s swearing his version of the ‘kill the bad things until we die or they do’ that every Borderland (and Aiel) nation seems to have, each with its own slight semantic variations.

‘Rise as a man, my son!’

This is no place, or time, for children. Ergo, he can no longer be a child, by simple virtue of being here. Which makes this a rather bittersweet moment; Malenarin’s proud of his son but there’s also this sense that far too many children are having to grow up far too fast in these last moments (and others will never grow up at all – in today’s theme of referencing poetry I like, go check out The Lads in their Hundreds).

They yelled defiance of the Shadow. For a moment, their voices rang louder than the thunder.

I don’t have a lot to say about this except that it’s a lovely image.

Together they turned to face the oncoming Shadow.

Nice knowing you.

Draghkar overhead and Trollocs oncoming, and they’re just a lonely tower waiting to die. I do love a doomed last stand, even if it’s characters I’ve never met before and likely will never see again.

Malenarin was a man of the Borderlands, same as his father, same as his son beside him. They knew their task. You held until you were relieved.

THAT’S YOUR CUE, LAN.

Next (ToM ch 1) Previous (ToM prologue pt.2)

[zephyrthejester]

Sorry! Not quite sure how to write down the sound that’s in my head right now. Let’s say it’s a very intense feeling overall.

...........Wow, dude.

OKAY! Let’s take this BIT by BIT! One at a time! Starting with the least complex up to the most complex! This is gonna be a L O N G P O S T so click below to see the rest.

1: First up, Cactus Stevens. That’s very obviously a plant, namely, a Cactus, that Steven brought to life with his plant powers. You know, like the Watermelon Stevens? Except these/this malformed Cactus Steven/s are looking a fair bit demonic. Erm... Yeah, I guess that’s what this would have to be, right? Unless the bright glow from their eyes and mouths are telltale signs of some outside force making them evil. What I want to know is, what’s so special about this thing that it’s more than just enemy-of-the-day? What’s so special about it that it landed a spot in the show’s intro? Perhaps it is more representative of Steven’s own actions becoming problems. Out with Pink Diamond leaving behind problems, time for Steven to deal with his own mistakes?

2: More Lapis Lazulis. Both wearing Lapis’ old outfit, so I guess that really does prove the skirt was the standard homeworld uniform for Lapis’... Not that I even asked that question, heh. So! We have a Shoulder gem Lapis with a bob and upward curling bangs, with a steely sneer down at us, and then a Belly gem Lapis with relatively short, unkempt hair and what appears to be a tied ponytail in the back, with an expression that’s a bit softer, and more confused/surprised than anything.

Wow, so... Lapis Lazulis, huh? Comin’ in to be bad guys, huh? Wow, that’s pretty interesting, really. Who’d ever predict this? So... Here’s my take on how to explain them. Our Lapis Lazuli was sent to Earth to terraform it, right? Now, per Season 2 we know that Earth was destined to become a mega-colony, all but hollowed out. And, well, that just seems like a job too big for just one terraformer. I can’t believe I never thought of this, but... Yeah, our Lapis probably had some help. So... I guess that’d be a logical reason why these two would be antagonists. They have unsettled beef with our Lapis.

I guess water wings aren’t based on gemstone location, eh? Heh.

3: That’s unquestionably Aquamarine. The very same Aquamarine who hauled Steven and Lars to Homeworld. But... She’s very different. If that is a fusion, we don’t know for sure. Whatever the second Gem that Aquamarine is fused with isn’t visible here, and it looks more like a bizarre mix, like good ol’ “Cotton Candy Garnet.” Cotton Candy Garnet is the only thing this version of Aquamarine looks like, really... However, the extra set of legs is a big hint pointing towards it being a fusion. Hmm... So, yeah, I’d say this absolutely is a fusion featuring Aquamarine and not some weird half-Corrupted form.

That said, she looks to be the same size as default Aquamarine, so whoever she fused with must have been tiny... Maybe tinier than she was already!

Also, between the collared shirt and the tie, that makes me think of the whole “Dad” fiasco, where Aquamarine was looking for “her Dad” by mistake. So congratulations Aquamarine. You have become the Dad.

Finally... Why is Aquamarine an antagonist? This is a question we’ll have to wait and see for. Previously, Aquamarine was simply a stickler for the rules and her job, though she did show a moment of tender mercy by forgiving Topaz’s attempted mutiny.

Finally finally, her mouth is doin’ the cat thing. You know, the :3 thing. Oh boy.

4: We got giant spiky death beast over here. Yeah, um. Yeah, no, I dunno, dude.

Is it a corrupted Gem? Some manner of Fusion Experiment or Cluster off-shoot? A full fledged alien unrelated to Gems? Some sort of primordial Ur-Gem? Its spikes give the impression of being metallic, like steel, or they could just be reflective gemstone material. Whatever this thing is, it’s givin’ me the willies. Look at those sunken eyes with naught but pinpricks of light shining through...

Ah... *sigh* It’s pink colored, by the way. Its got pink skin and pink glowing eyes. Gee, I wonder if this thing has anything to do with Pink Diamond... I dunno, what do you all think?

....Is it just me, or does it have a human nose? That snout looks like Steven’s, frankly.

I have a trillion questions. WHAT ARE YOOOOOU.

5:  I think I know exactly what’s going on here. Now, it may be tempting for some to say that this is some sort of White Diamond clone or replica or what have you, I think the simple truth is that this IS White Diamond, just straight up. And she’s currently having some trouble controlling her emotions.

Think back to the ending of Change Your Mind. The moment Pink Diamond’s composure was broken, the moment her world was shattered around her, the moment she became inescapably affected by the words and actions of another... She began to glow pink all over her body. This, I strongly believe, was literally the emotions and overall world view of Steven bleeding over to her and directly affecting her.

And this? I think this here is White Diamond experiencing too much of a good thing. Look at how she’s grabbing at her head; A typical motion to represent someone struggling with pain in their head. This is a White Diamond who is losing herself to an overwhelming force from beyond herself.

The color White contains all colors, right? What happens when one of those colors takes over...?

6: It’s her. She’s baaaaack.

Jasper is endlessly fascinating to me. When I first liveblogged this show, I wasn’t particularly a fan. But the more I watched, and the more I rewatched, and the more I thought things through? Yeah, no, Jasper’s got all my attention, man.

Born a perfectly flawless Gem in a perfectly awful Kindergarten that produced nothing but Off Colors, born to fight in a war for a Diamond she never met, doomed to failure after a shattering she couldn’t prevent... She ardently clung to her “perfection,” the only thing she had left, which wasn’t even enough to defeat abominable fusions... Until she threw her morals away in a desperate bid for victory, becoming a fusion herself, which resulted in months of mutual mental torment, leaving her addicted to the suffering. She tamed the feral beasts her Diamonds reduced her former comrades to, she was beaten and broken without contest, she lost her mind as she stared down the one person she hated more than herself as he claimed not to know what he even did to her...

AND THEN WA-BAM! She returns to consciousness and suddenly the Diamonds are best buddies with Rose Quartz and Rose Quartz was actually Pink Diamond the entire time and the whole War that Jasper lived through her entire life was literally for nothing but the cruel selfish game of the person she was born for, and, and--

And that’s where we left her.

Jasper, oh, Jasper. What happened to you? Where did you go? What are you thinking?

I need to know.

[lotus-mirage]

untamed episode 34 liveblog

I’m interested to see where this goes now that we’ve caught up to the opening.  I have no idea what tone the rest of the story is going to take, frankly.

That is a very fluffy dog

Did - Is the dog trained to follow people??? That’s. That’s a very non-threatening pace for that sort of thing.

I cannot believe that LWJ front flips in to defend him from a fluffy dog barking in his direction.

Hahaha

So the Nie clan isn’t keeping up, then?

It’s Nie Huisang! Glad to see him even if he isn’t doing a good job at the moment.

Wait. Why is he the clan leader? What happened to his brother?

After all the times I wrongfully assumes that his brother died before, now he goes and dies off-screen? I mean I guess it sounds like it’ll be plot relevant, but. Pfft.

‘His cultivation went wrong.’ What? It can do that!?

:,( at both backstory and family angst

Didn’t LWJ not liked to be touched?

‘Wonder dog’. What

Malsoleum?

The. The dog is powerful??

So did Jin Ling just happen to walk into a trap on the same path that they were heading, or is this another set-up?

Did something break out of the tomb?? I’d say it looks too old to be, like, Wen Ning, but it’s damp and has been like 16 years.

Oh, it’s a bunker. Right.

That seems like too many bricks on the ground there.

Noisy like ghosts, or noisy like resentful energy?

Spirits, okay.

‘Blades shrine’ well that’s ominous

Would make sense for a place for the sword to have come from, though

Are those coffins!?

Sword coffins. Okay.

Okay, sword ghost doesn’t know anything, but... weird thought: he said the same thing Nie Huisang was just emphasized to be saying all the time.

Did we know that they could, like. Communicate with spirits this way before?

They actually brought up the Nie Huisang thing. I don’t know if that implicated him or. What.

These are some kind of complicated questions for a series of notes.

The spirit is who? No. Well. He can’t be dead, not already. Not with such little fanfare.

How does this world work

He’s in the wall!?

Buried and sealed in the wall!?

Well at least he’s alive

That’s a lot of people.

Okay, so the statues??

Was that a Lan disciple? Looked to be wearing white. Probably not the mystery instigator guy, at least.

Wait nvm not wearing white.

I don’t recognize the clothing

Definitely expensive though

Oh jeez that’s a evil looking infection.

Or spell, okay.

Yeah. Uh. That’s kind of an alarming thing to be woken up to.

‘One death is enough for me’ DO YOU NOT KNOW THE MEANING OF THE WORD ‘COVER’

I THOUGHT YOU WERE SUPPOSED TO BE SMART

it’s exactly the same thing he’s been doing the entire tome, though, so I guess I can’t really complain. can still be exasperated.

Is it the same pendant? If so - how’d he get it?

Oh! I recognize that voice!!

Proobably not great for WWX at the moment though

they walked right past his horrible hiding spot

I. Right past him.

The dog is smarter than most of the characters combined, I swear.

I guess that’s one way to get him to reveal his face.

Yeah he’s really just piling up evidence against himself isn’t he

:,(

This entire conversation is just painful

Ouch, flashbacks too.

Hmm. Not sold on the idea that it was Wen Ning.

I’m kind of trying to distance myself from the conversation here because it. Kinda hurts.

Wait, he’s letting him go and going with him!? Was not expecting that at all, frankly.

Nor was I expecting him to be able to use Zidian, but I guess that makes some sense.

Did he forget about meeting LWJ?

Jin Ling named his dog like his uncle named his and I find that adorable.

Okay yeah Jin Ling is oddly adorable by himself anyways.

Did. Did Mo Xanyu have a unique mask? I guess it’s recognizable and not a lot of people seem to be wearing them, but he’s referring to it specifically

Actually both his actual facial structure and mannerisms look a lot like Jiang Cheng’s. Props to both the actor and people who did the casting.

Did he knock him out so he wouldn’t get in trouble with Jiang Cheng or??

No, the curse, right.

Transferring it? I guess he doesn’t really have another option right now.

End notes:

So. He seems to have forgotten about the meeting with LWJ, which is probably going to escalate some things.

As is transferring the curse. That might endear him some to his brother and nephew, but frankly is going to probably be very troublesome in the near future. And also scare LWJ.

I do wonder what it actually does, though? And why he didn’t point it out to Jin Ling or Jiang Cheng?

So. Jiang Cheng has been catching people that he thinks could be WWX, but ah. This one is definitely him and I think he knows it. The both of them being gone is probably going to get him pretty mad/scared. Which may or may not be his entire state of being at this point. Or mad/grieving. Smad.

This is me being lighthearted about the whole thing, to be clear. I’m. Really not glad to see him effected like this. I can’t wait to be done with this series and be able to go read fix-its - there must be a ton of them.

I wonder who it was by the bunker?? Wen Ning was wearing his all-black combo+cape thing, I think, and the guy didn’t seem to be chained up.

Actually. That whole thing might have been a ploy by Jin Ling to get Jiang Cheng to go out searching. Smart, but a little cruel, given the circumstances.

The Nie Huisang thing got suggested and then dismissed, but I feel like it’s. I don’t know, the opposite of a red-herring? Like, an option is raised and dismissed, and then it turns out to be the solution all along (or to something related).

The guy at the bunker didn’t seem to be extremely coordinated and I don’t recall Nie Huisang being a fighter (aside from the original Danfan mountain fight, maybe), but I’m not sure that a clan leader would be able to just leave like that without an entourage, especially if he can’t fight.

We don’t really have many options, that I know of, really. What other named characters could possibly be there? Meng Yao? One of the two wandering cultivators? We haven’t seen those guys in a while.

[thebibliomancer]

Dark Crystal Age of Resistance ep 8 liveblog

“Prophets Don’t Know Everything”

That’s a funny line considering that the prophecy was exactly right in the Dark Crystal movie but Aughra comes up with another prophecy in the sequel comic which is also exactly right but she doesn’t understand it herself until it starts coming true. So, yes, prophets don’t know everything. But prophecy probably does.

Just a stream of thoughts.

Hey, this is a bummer. Aftermath of spider eradication of an entire gelfling tribe is a huge bummer. I’m brave enough to say it. 

Aughra starts yelling at the spider that tried to take over her body last episode. And then helps patch it up anyway because she cares for all the creatures of Thra, even the jerks.

“It’ll leave a scar but scars are good. The mind forgets but scars remember.”

Apparently if the spider had succeeded in taking her over, its tiny brain would have exploded. Good to know!

LANDSTRIDER

Oh, its Seladon. And she’s seeing the wiped out village and going ‘serves you right you dinks’

Oh she’s trying to arrest Aughra for dunking on her. And then she’s like did your prophecies predict this?

Yes, she did. She tried to warn Maudra Fara but all Maudras are kind of dumb.

Oh, nice trick. She slipped her eye into Seladon’s pocket to spy on the castle.

“Don’t worry, Mother Aughra. I’ll convince the Lords to show mercy on you. And your treasonous pets.” Oh Seladon, you sure don’t have the right idea of your relationship with the Skeksis.

Hi SkekSil!

He’s explaining his evil plan to the science slaves with the sewed up mouths because he knows that they can’t tell on him. You’re a weird one, Sil.

Oh, he’s buying their double silence in exchange for him freeing them.

He’s going to get them to replace the General’s allotted vial of essence with a substitute so General will get weak.

The Hunter took off with Brea and Rian wants to go rescue her but Heretic is like NO GO GET THE GLAIVE YOU DUMB IDIOT

Aww Hup is injured and is out of action and so is the Archer.

Just Rian and Deet now.

The Heretic shows them a secret tunnel to the Breath of Thra. Which is something that Deet knows about.

Awwww Heretic and the Wanderer are wishing Rian and Deet luck and to not get killed. Because they want to be one one day.

... I really hope that they’re actually alive by the time of the movie and get to fuse.

So after all the discrimination that Deet has faced for being a Grotten she smugly reveals that Grottan have mean names for the other Gelfling too like Daylighter and Sky Baby. Which she reveals by teasing Rian. Okay then.

Deet: -grabs Rian and jumps down a pit-

Rian: “AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA”

Deet: “Don’t do that it aggros the bats”

So the spiders just brought the Gelfling to the castle to be drained all in one batch? INstead of using them as an army to capture other Gelfling? Sure, guys, sure.

Scientist: “I have strapped countless Gelflings into these chairs. And I was equally unmoved by their screams!”

Oh the guard that sold out the other guards is getting drained too. Rewarded as a traitor deserves I see.

Scientist: “The only mercy I have to offer…. Is death!”

I have to say. The Gelflings exploding at the end of being drained. That feels like youre losing something somewhere along the process. Like waste heat but soul goo.

So Chamberlain is cut off from essence because the Emperor is mad at him. But I bet he’s going to get the General’s share on the dl. That sneaky.

Deet and Rian arrive at her home cave and WHOOPS its being attacked by spiders.

Everything is awful everywhere.

Oh geez. There’s that minor arachnophobia again.

OH GEEZ GELFLINGS BEING TAKEN OVER BY SPIDERS AGAIN

Scientist: “Keep up you lackadaisical lumps!” Good alliteration, Tek.

Scientist’s two assistants just made the swap.

So with entire villages being taken, I feel like the Skeksis are really in danger of overgrazing.

Emperor: “Look at you yelling and gorging! This essence was hard won by! Lets not drink it all at once! … JUST KIDDING DIG IN”

And another Skeksis bacchanalia.

Scroll-Keeper: “My eyes! They’re working again! I’ve forgotten how ugly you all are!”

Skeksis: -laugh uproariously-

Emperor: “.... what?”

Ritual-Keeper is going to make a new ritual for drinking essence. It will involve a lot of bathing. Just guzzling essence in the bath I guess.

Oh no, Seladon just arrived.

And the Skeksis are not responding well to her new look.

Seladon: “I’m here to ask you spare the Stonewood”

Emperor: “Uh…. no”

Seladon: “I understand but the other clans have remembered their place so surely they’ll be spared your wrath”

Emperor: “...... No”

And the Skeksis just straight up revealing that they have been draining Gelfling is what it finally takes for Seladon to realize sense-

NOPE SHE DECIDES TO KEEP OFFERING THEM TRIBUTE

Emperor: “Uhhhhhhhhhh….. No!”

And then she asked the Skeksis to spare her sisters if no one else. You can guess what the response is. Its a no and laughing.

And then they take her crown and mock her. Because nothing like insult to insult.

And then she asks for mercy and they tear her Skeksis cosplay apart and take her to be drained. Because. All of Seladon’s hopes and dreams have to be crushed. And also because we gotta get that reference to the movie in.

SkekSil is probably just glad its not him this time. Its usually him.

I’m glad Aughra is crying for Seladon because I’m not really.

She Tried and that’s about what I can say.

Also Aughra’s friend spider rescues her eye which falls out of Seladon’s pocket during the ruckus.

Back over at the caves, Deet’s home is destroyed. Her family is gone. She has two dads apparently. That’s neat but sucks that they’re drunk. 

You know what I mean.

Oh hey its Deet’s brother Bobb’n! He’s controlled by spider!

Deet is trying to negotiate with the face hugging spider.

He just starting freaking out and hissing so I don’t think its going GIANT SPIDER OH GOD

And there goes spiderbrother.

And there goes Deet after Bobb’n.

NURLOC

DARKENED NURLOC HOH SHIT

ITS TRYING TO EAT EVERYONE

Rian: “Hey! Look at me! You hungry? I’m a much tastier Gelfling!”

That’s a brave thing you just did there Rian. And I’m sure you are pretty tasty.

Oh the General is blaming the Scientist for the essence not working for him.

Except Scientist has been drinking his essence and the General hasn’t so the Scientist is the jock here and bullies General right back.

Chamberlain breaks up the fight because I’m sure he has some angle but I think its so he can laugh at both sides internally

OH HI HUNTER

Wow he makes an entrance, dragging in some chains and pincushioned by arrows.

I think…. He just dropped dead?

No, he’s alive.

But a Skeksis seeming to die makes a huge stir.

Back in the tunnels of underground and Deet is lost

OH RIAN HAS BEEN SPIDERED

DEET IS ABOUT TO BE SPIDERED

OH and Bobb’n… uh intervenes? The spiders jump off Deet and Rian.

I guess the spiders aren’t so unreasonable? Rian saved Spider-Bobb’n from the nurloc so Bobb’n spared him?

Deet: “He wants us to follow him”

Rian: “What could go wrong” Heh, wRyian.

So Scientist is Bad Bedside Manner but point being the Hunter is going to die.

The Collector assumes that the Gelflings did this and the Skeksis immediately all start losing their shit. ANY ONE OF THEM COULD BE NEXT

I can see why the Emperor is in charge because he’s the only one who’s trying to think of a way to fix things.

He commands that the Hunter be given as much essence as it takes to save him.

Gourmet: “Surely not all of it?”

Ritual-Master: -glares-

Hah.

And then theres a scrabbling in the cage and whoops theres Brea

Scroll-Keeper: “Oh look the clever princess” -throws her in jail-

Brea: “No you can’t do this!”

Scroll-Keeper: “And yet its already done”

Brea: “You’re all monsters!”

Scroll-Keeper: “Have you only just figured that out? Perhaps you are not so clever after all”

Wow the Skeksis really are thrilled to let their jerk flag fly now that they don’t have to be nice to the Gelflings anymore.

Oh cool, Brea got locked up across from Seladon.

This will let them work their shit out.

Seladon: “There was an order to the world… Everything worked… Until you and your friends broke it!”

Oh good. She’s still delusional. What does it take to get her to see reality.

Oh hi Spider-Tavra is here too. Its a family reunion.

The most awkward family reunion on Thra.

So the Scientist has poured all the stored essence down the Hunter’s throat. Well most of all. It looks like he’s spilling most of it because those long snouts kind of make it hard.

But the essence isn’t healing him. So the Emperor tells Scientist to drain more Gelfling but the Scientist tells him that there’s a limit to what essence can heal. So Emperor hauls off and hits him.

Dang everyone is so rude to the Scientist.

But he raises the point that if the Gelfling know that Skeksis can die it will mean the end of their rule. I’m not so sure about this but whatever.

Emperor: “Bathe the Hunter in essence if you must! We are immortal at any cost!”

Oh hi Aughra’s Eye. On a spider.

So, huh. Are the arathim a hivemind or what? Because Aughra’s spider seems to be working for her. And Bobb’n saving Rian and Deet. 

Bobb’n: “You save our lives, we save yours”

Oh. I guess the arathim are just super into paying back debts.

So the arathim tell Deet that they’re working for the Skeksis in exchange for the Grottan caves which used to be where the arathim lived. Which Deet is like NUH UH THE GROTTAN HAVE ALWAYS LIVED HERE

Uh oh the gelflings did a colonialism. 

And the Skeksis helped. Or did it primarily. 

The Ascendency, All Arathim as One: “Then the Skeksis came. They demand we serve them. When we refused, they drove us out and gave our caves to more willing subjects.”

So. Like I said, the arathim were ahead of the curve on rebelling against the skeksis but nobody else on Thra stood with them, because horrifying spider people, so after countless years of being considered Public Enemy Number One by everyone the arathim have decided fuck it, we WILL deal with the Skeksis if we get to go home.

This is a complicated issue so good thing that everyone is going to die so we don’t have to deal with it!

Then the Darkened Nurloc kills an arathim and the spider-gelflings start freaking out. Because what one feels the rest feel.

Which sounds like a bad basis for a hivemind.

Rian figures out that the Skeksis must have known about the Darkening being here and that they double crossed the arathim.

But it doesn’t matter because the arathim are trapped in here.

Deet decides that she can get everyone out by talking to the Sanctuary tree.

Deet: “My clan takes our names from these caves. But if you were here first, then you’re Grottan too.”

Aww…. Angry denial to camaraderie in one conversation. We could learn from Deet. Learn something.

Rian asks that the arathim free the Gelflings under their control and fight against the Skeksis with them. Maybe they can together do what the arathim couldn’t do alone!

Probably not! The movie still exists! Nothing here is going to end happily!

But the arathim free the gelfling.

Hey, if the arathim are a hivemind, do the ones in the castle know this is going on too?

Awwwwww Deet’s family is cute.

Wait, is Aughra’s spider still part of the hivemind? Do the Ascendency know everything its been doing?

Oh this is confusing.

But it returns her eye to her finally. She’s just been sitting at the village.

Okay so I guess her spider is part of the hivemind because it tells her about the alliance that just happened.

Aughra: “It’s time to make my move”

THATS A MOVIE QUOTE WHY ARE YOU SAYING IT

Oh this is just so many spiders 

I GUESS THE GELFLINGS HAVE AN ARMY NOW!

Deet: “The tide is turning! A resistance is forming!” I should hope so! Its episode 8 into the age of resistance!

Rian: “I have to find the glaive” OH SHIT I FORGOT THAT PLOT POINT WHAT WITH ALL THE SPIDERS

And Rian is like This Is Something I Have To Do On My Own

But then before he can send Deet away, the Nurlocs show up and eat the Sanctuary Tree, trapping her in Rian’s subplot.

I appreciate dunking on the this is something i have to do on my own trope as much as possible but eh getting trapped in Rian’s subplot.

Sanctuary Tree: “The Darkening is pure energy! It cannot be destroyed! Like all energy it can only be transferred!” Some physics in my fantasy. Oh and the Sanctuary Tree uhhhhh uhhhhhhhhhhhh uhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh transfer its power to Deet but also shows her a fucked up future with the Garthim and a weird Dark Side Deet and also the movie’s end.

Anyway, tree ded.

So the nurlocs attack. Hey the nurlocs are giant worm things that the Grottan raised. And yeah they’re worms but they’re livestock. This plot is about cows infected with pure evil

Deet stops the rampaging nurloc by absorbing the evil out of it. Even considering how everything is going to end badly, I think Deet is going towards a particularly bad end =(

[chalkrevelations]

SO.

I have reached a certain point in Manner of Death, and I’m sure I’ll have many other things to say eventually, and also I’ve spent the past 10+ eps yelling “ACAB” at my screen whenever M appeared, AND YET, somehow, what I am feeling, right at this particular moment, in my soul, is the need for some Tan/Bun/M.

I mean, Tan/Bun +M, really, if you get what I’m saying, but right at this particular point, M is being a Very Good Boy, Indeed, and I am certainly down with rewarding this good behavior by allowing him to help Tan make Bun lose his mind.

I realize this is probably blasphemous, and I’m never going to actually find anything extant to feed this need. Nevertheless, I (and the couple of drinks I’ve had) felt like I should just put it out there.

[journeysintowebcomics]

Girl Genius Liveblog #220

UPDATE 220: Dungeon Crawling

Last time it was high time to start the trek into the depths of the crypts where, supposedly, the professor they’re looking for went to explore for...reasons. It will be dangerous and most likely half of the group will be injured in some manner by the end of this. Nothing we haven’t seen before! So let’s get started with this adventure.

Oh, also Hoffman is still trapped in the mire of his love problems and doesn’t seem to me like that will change anytime soon. This whole thing is like some sort of B-plot. There’s Agatha and finding the professor to try to solve the problem of the time bubble, and then there’s Hoffman’s relationships. Alright then. I don’t mind Hoffman, honestly, he seems like a rather decent guy, but this is still a bit of a bizarre writing choice. At least it’s a nicely written secondary plot, that I’m glad about. Also, I like Aldin. He’s a kind of character I like.

So, while Agatha and friends examine the place around to find the countless traps that will kill them, the princess and Aldin discuss their mystery plans, plans they can’t tell Hoffman because Hoffman doesn’t have not even one malicious bone in his body. He’s like an open book. Is this the kind of secret plan it isn’t convenient for Agatha to hear about? I’m getting a little worried here, to be honest. Last person that had a secret and mysterious plan freed an evil train.

These crypts are full of vaults with incredible inventions and countless abominations. Oh, the usual for the Girl Genius world, really. Agatha explains once again the motivations to find Dr. Zardeliv, and Dimo delivers the news he may already be dead – right before they turn a corner and find the dead bodies. Oh, of course this happened! Now that sucks, another obstacle in the quest. Once again the usual for the Girl Genius world, hah! But yeah, he’s dead.

But not all is lost, correct? After all, they’re here mainly for Prende’s lantern. As long as they can get their hands on that, things should be okay.

So what happened here is that a member of Dr. Zardeliv’s entourage died from poison, and they took the chance to turn the body into a facsimile of Dr. Zardeliv? In that case, they want to make them think the doctor died. Not only that, I think they knew someone would come very soon and did this so Agatha and friends would turn back and not go any further. Well it sure didn’t work, they caught on real fast this isn’t the real doctor.

It takes no time to disprove my thoughts – well, not disprove, but what the characters say go against all I had said. I wondeeeer...so, what they’re saying is that yeah, someone tried to fool them with a fake Zardilev, but it was meant to be found in a few weeks, not right now. Also, what killed this person was a rare poison. Sounds like foul play to me, then! Could it be the real Dr. Zardeliv did that, to make people believe he had died?

Frankly, given what family this is, I’m inclined towards thinking he planned this and is indeed working to take part in the schemes of the Storm King or the Other. Violetta may think he stayed away from the intrigue, but I have my doubts.

You know, given what story this is, I would be really surprised if they were after anything other than Prende’s lantern. That has to be it! That they were looking for something else down here and taking all these precautions...there would be a bit of a coincidence if they were after something else, something that’s conveniently located also down here. Hmmm...

Aldin and Larana are not very subtle at scheming, hah! I mean, they’re right there murmuring things a foot away from Agatha. Really, it almost makes me think they’re not bothering hiding...which, in turn, makes me think whatever they’re scheming is unrelated to Agatha. Maybe?

Turns out Violetta, always being far more competent than people expect, has deduced a couple things, such as for example there are Other agents down here – rogue Smoke Knights led by one Madwa Korel. The cause of death of the fake Zardeliv proved it. Hm! So something down here is of interest to the Other, possibly the lantern. Could it be she’s trying to get it to stop Agatha and others from stopping the Mechanisburg time bubble, all so the Baron would continue trapped inside? If one of your enemies can’t fight you, you do your best to keep that status quo.

While Aldin over there freaks out about potentially troublesome Smoke Knights sneaking into the library, Agatha and Violetta get briefed on the situation. The Smoke Knights that had been following Agatha and the group will go ahead, seeking Madwa to dispose of her. Well then! Two new allies, albeit temporary. That has to be useful.

Sounds like the Smoke Knights have the potential to be overpowered, then! In that case, the Other having access to them is baaaaad. That’s going to be troublesome to deal with in the future, since I really, really doubt this Madwa Korel will die anytime soon. Sure would suck if what seems like a decent threat is taken out shortly after the introduction.

Um...Violetta, are you sure those two are good Smoke Knights? Maybe they were kissing while they were going around, I guess, but really, this happening one page after their competence is proved is kind of...silly. Either way, now Agatha and pals have a big and presumably ancient clank to deal with. That’s got to be fun.

Hoffman, always eager, runs towards the clank and gets blasted with acid, prompting Larana to pretty much obliterate the clank with bombs. Good! Hoffman doesn’t seem to be having much of a good time, as the acid may have hit his eyes. These crypts down here are a really, really bad place to be blind at. This could be deadly.

I think I’ll stop for now.

Next time: next update

[theythemsam]

spn 1x08, liveblog, collected posts (all 11 of them) or as i like to call it: Creepy Crawly Curiosities and more sam parallelisms (which as y’all know I’m A Sucker For):

ahhh yes its the creepy insects episode

i might be skipping this monsters of the week edit…

#its very gorey and also insects dont make for a good picspam material

aaaand here we have the first time the brothers are mistaken as a couple

#Oh No

i dont mind spiders, but the idea of having one on my hand is terrifying

#also the dad sucks

hey sam finally gets to drive /on screen/

#nice :)

another woman dying in the bathroom, hey @ kripke is that your kink?

#its bad is all im saying #also im tired of seeing naked ladies on this show #where the equality? #where the naked dudes

the fact that matt realizes those two grown ass man, who are definitely not here to buy a house, follow him into the woods and he doesn’t immediately throw a spider at them and run shows that nothing can scare this weird kid

#listen... im just saying... if im taking a stroll in the forest #all alone #and suddenly sam and dean fucking winchester show up #saying they wanna talk with me #im gonna unpack my pepper spray just like for self defense #cause they definitely do wanna murder you  #thats their vibe

poor sammy :(

#like i get that john could have been scared of what could happen to him when alone #but trying to keep your kid under your thumb and kicking him out of the house for wanting to do something else #than the family business is still Not Good Parenting #and sams obviously very hurt about that #and it makes me sad

as much as i don’t like the storyline in bugs, i have to say that kim manners really goes off with the really beautiful wide shots of scenery

#like same thing with dead in the water #theres just some shots that are... so... beautiful ughh i love it! #i dont like the magical native american trope though #like... with the ghost lore? it can make sense but its still really gross tbh

like i definitely get that this is one of the weaker episodes, but i am much more afraid of bug attacks than of the hookman or creepy ghosties

#its a much more painful way to die if you think about it #id rather have a ghost break my neck #than slowly being stung to death by bees #and its be slow for me and very painful cause im not allergic #so that takes a little bit at least

sammy boy i get that like… yes john was doing the best he could but that… still doesn’t mean it was enough.

like I love john. he’s a fascinating character and i think he had the possibility to be a good dad, but he wasn’t and he still kicked his kid out of his home cause thats easier than communication I Guess and he still neglected them growing up and ughhh now im frustrated

[hermionesterrier]

More Than Human: Chapter 8 Liveblog!

“With the Girl at the Rock Show” *wink* *wink* 

The change in the Blues' dynamic -in Boomer- is adorable and surreal and definitely healthier. Before this point, Boomer's obsession made me uncomfortable and now that he's so taken aback that she likes him back and she’s the one actually making the moves, he's so thrown off and nervous and falling so hard and just....KIDS *_* 

Mrs. Morbucks = HBIC

I'm still not sure exactly what she does though....? Are we ever gonna find out?

Damn. So why aren't JS's clients looking for other Evil Corps to get their dirty work done?

Buttercup's blankie is making a guest appearance!! Bubbles, don't you dare hurt blankie!!

I feel like the girls' boyfriends would always come out scarred for life after a "conversation" with the Professor. Who knows what he does to those poor souls in his lab xD

Why do you want her to acknowledge your existence so badly, Brick, hmmm?

Hold on. Is that the same Julie from that messed family on the show? Or am I confusing Julies?

He glared at her. "You know, generally? You ask permission before doing that." "Generally you ask permission before letting a giant black spike of death stab a pretty girl in the heart, too," she responded. Daaaaamn, shots fired!

OH MY GOD THE LUNCH SCENE! ONE OF MY ABSOLUTE FAVORITES!! I'm gonna try not quote all of it xD

"You are setting a terrible example as a Senior." "I set a terrible example as a person," Butch corrected. I mean...no arguments there.

Ok, I really don't remember this Julie Bean from the show...

"I wouldn't solicit advice from someone who tried to sacrifice my sister in a dire situation." "That was an act of heroism!" he snapped. "Except it was going after you," Bubbles pointed out. "So it was less heroic and more cowardly," Buttercup said. "Say that a little louder, Buttercup," Brick seethed, his eyes glowing red. "I didn't quite catch that." Unperturbed, Buttercup looked him right in the eye and enunciated, "You're. A. Pussy." DAMN STRAIGHT! 

"Speaking of fucking," Butch moaned. "This food? Is like an orgasm in my mouth."

I wanna taste Buttercup's food :'(

Even Brick's in love hahahahahaha

Did someone say Tabouli? *_* GIMME!

Poor Julie, she's so confused AHAHAHAHAHAHA

Ugh, get over yourself Brick. You're like a 5 year old throwing a temper tantrum because he's being ignored. And you did nothing to Bubbles? Really?

"I wish I'd been around to see that," he said, and meant it. He really did. He wished he hadn't been such a stupid little kid. He could've played with her, and they could've grown up friends instead of enemies, and he might've felt this sooner, this easing of an unbearable weight in his heart every time she looked at him, touched him, kissed him. This makes my heart ache. Blues are killing meeeeeee

Brick thinking he's so mature but actually being a complete baby tho AHAHAHAHAHAHA

Eww Butch stahp

THE PROFESSOR WATCHING ALL THE MALES LIKE A HAWK OMG HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA

Ugh Brick is so stupid I can't even...JUST ADMIT YOU WANTED TO SEE HER DANCE YOU IDIOT

"Butch, boobies," Bubbles said simply, and Butch suddenly shot to. "Where?" he said, eyes frantically darting around. Well that was easy xD

The Blues just standing there hugging tho xD

Bubbles wrapped her arm around Boomer's and beamed at him. "Come on," she said sweetly, encouragingly. Then she looked at Brick. A sudden chill shuddered through him at the sight of her expression, and before he could process it they were already gone. He couldn't even recall exactly what she had looked like as the door shut; it had happened so quickly and caught him so off guard. Bubbles may or may not be possessed but she definitely scares the shit out of Brick :')

That disappointment when you wanna see someone so bad and they're nowhere in sight. I feel ya, Blossom. Let me hug you.

Bubbles is such a little Reds shipper :D

Even I'm overwhelmed by how corny this is.

BUTTERCUP IS SINGING!!!!!

Boomer is outright challenging her. Show that bitch who’s boss, Buttercup!

The more comfortable she grew on stage, the more uncomfortable Butch grew watching her. Bubbles asked, "Butch? What's wrong?" "Great," he said, his voice flat. "She sounds great."

This Buttercup/Mitch conversation is fucking painful. All the would'ves and could'ves....

"I was talking with Mitch earlier," she said quietly, and Butch abruptly decided he'd never really liked Mitch anyway. CAN WE JUST TAKE A MOMENT TO APPRECIATE THAT THAT IS ALL IT TOOK FOR HIM TO DECIDE THAT? BUTTERCUP LOOKING SO SAD AND MITCH IS DONE FOR HIM

Butch struggling so hard to understand human emotion though...

"You've never really wanted to be with someone, have you, Butch?" she said, a small, bitter laugh curling around her words. Foreshadowing? :')

I cannot with the Greens. This rooftop scene is KILLING ME I’M GONNA CRY GIVE ME MY OTP PLZ SBJ PLZZZZZ

PERIOD DRESSES AND WHITE WIGS THIS IS ACTUALLY GOLDEN OMG AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA

Oh my god these costumes...whyyyyyy

It's interesting how well Brick is getting along with Buttercup and Bubbles. Like friends. Buttercup keeps talking to him and sharing her misery with him, while Bubbles just naturally gets along with everyone and everything. He's even acting like a normal person with Julie! And annoying Blossom, as usual hehehe

I wanna see what Bubbles is working on.

Buttercup jumping at the chance to embarrass Blossom with THAT STORY is what sisters are really for, isn't it?

I really wanna take hip hop classes

Mrs. Morbucks being a sly HBIC :D

Awww @ Blossom feeling pretty. You're beautiful all the time ❤ 

I hate this next part for her...

“Looks, brains, talent," Buttercup said, nodding. Her eyes glazed over. "Plus a chest that you want to... throw rocks at just so you can watch them bounce off." Bubbles shot her sister a look. "Buttercup, you... you're kinda weird." BUT THAT'S THE BEST THING ABOUT HER AHAHAHAHAHA

Fucking pedophile assholes leave Blossom the fuck alone how fucking dare you :(

Buttercup would kick (even more) ass being Evil...I think there was a comic or something where she lost her memories and joined the dark side? 

All these ep references are making me want a PPG rewatch *_*   

Brick wants to cheer her up so bad it's so...uncharacteristic and heartwarming

The AB virus...the only villainous thing the Amoeba Boys ever managed to do...unintentionally xD

BLOSSOM BEING A KNIGHT IN SHINING ARMOR LITERALLY SWEEPING BRICK OFF HIS FEET I LOVE ITTTT

I think I just fainted," Brick said feebly, eyes shut and breath once again warm and sick against her neck. "In front of everybody." "You crumpled to the floor in a very dignified manner," Blossom assured him. He pressed his head a little closer into her, almost a nuzzle. "So long as it was a manly faint." "Oh, I don't think it could've gotten more manly than that," she said, and turned to the silent room again once she reached his door. Everyone's eyes were still on the two of them. "At ease, men," she said dryly, and pushed into his room. MANLY FAINT AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA

H O W did the girls not throw the sharpest object they could find at Butch? I totally would've. Not even exaggerating.

Way to ruin the moment, Brick.

UGH Blues being THAT couple

Someone learned his lesson and is actually accepting help :D

This is probably one of the most insightful conversations about Butch's psyche. His "jealousy" doesn't stem from the fact that it's Blossom, it stems from the fact that it's BRICK. It's not like he has problems getting girls, but, in his eyes, Brick gets everything and then some with no effort....can see why he thinks so. But then again, Brick's still a temperamental man-child with below zero social skills, so I guess you win some you lose some right?  

Buttercup's right though. Butch likes bleeding for things. If he got the same things Brick does while also putting zero effort in it then he wouldn't want it anyway.

SHE'LL BE WAITING OKAY

Hmmm I wonder why Brick is taking so long to recover even though both his brothers were only sick for 1 day...does he have a lower immunity system? Or is it the pretty redhead taking care of him during this difficult time? :')

Boomer's deal with the Devil and how confused he is by Bubbles' horrified reaction... 

There's something so incredibly sad and heartbreaking about Boomer's storyline here. When will Him come to collect, but more importantly, what will he be collecting...?  

Mitch's grandmother tho...very Norman Bates-y xD

Not that into each other, Mitch? I call bullshit! 

MOJO JOJO!!!!!

Awww, same, Bubbles I missed him too hahahaha

Mojo so offended and schooling Buttercup for her cussing tho xD

CLIFFHANGER DUN DUN DUNNN!!!

I really did try not to quote the whole entire chapter. I failed. Obviously xD

Click here for more quotable fic!

[bluerosesburnblue]

Liz Liveblogs Bravely Second: Chapter 5, Part 2/2

And now for the actual story of Chapter 5: This is Our Coup de Gravy!

There were... so many Coup de Gravies in this chapter. Too many. It seems like everyone had one

You know, thinking about the Sidequest Roundup last time, I don’t think I’ve ever said how much I love the way Bravely handles obtaining jobs. It would be so easy to just hand you a magic job crystal at different story beats, but no. You have to fight someone using the job you wish to obtain. You have to figure out how it works and overcome its abilities at their most powerful before you can use them against others. It serves as both a neat tutorial for how the job works, since you’re on the receiving end of most of its attacks, and proof that you deserve to have the job since you overcame its user. It feels earned every time you get a new job. It’s kinda like how I feel about the Island Trials in Pokémon Sun and Moon, where you have to fight a difficult boss of a specific elemental type, and once you do you gain the ability to use the strongest move of that type. I dunno, I just really like this trend in games of proving your worth for the skills you gain by besting them in combat

Anyway, let’s head on to the Harena Sea Caves to stop Geist from performing his heist

You could absolutely stab a man with that compass

Oh, come on, Edea. When did you get possessed by Rev? Just now? When we walked in? How long have you secretly been a ghost child?

Heyyy Templar Braev to the rescue! TBH, I’d stop running if Edea’s dad was staring me down

Wait... Geist didn’t recognize him until he said his name? Dude, like, even NPC #67 knows Braev, get with the program!

I wonder if the exploit I used to insta-kill Rev the first time will work again. I also wonder if Geist might be able to undo that

Oh, it’s backstory time. Geist left his ill son because he got called to do an exorcism in a foreign country. I guess he was probably a priest, fitting with the Bestiary tidbit of his name, Grace, being given to those respected by the Orthodoxy. But the girl wasn’t possessed, she was sick. Patient Zero for the Great Plague. And she was taken onto his boat because she wanted to go home one last time. But she was used to spread the disease around. He still blames himself for what happened and wants to make up for both spreading the Plague and his botched attempt to revive his son

Geist may be the bigger problem with his Undo abilities, so I’m gonna focus on him

Rev actively refused to move on because he loved his daddy and didn’t want to go without him. Ohhhhh my god, kiddo, that’s so sweet in a morbid way

Stop being dramatic, Geist. Best timeline rules dictate that we’re keeping you alive. You’re not dead. Relax

Undo HP after Rev possessed someone does work, it just took him until he was about halfway down to start possessing people

This poor kid’s in a tough spot. I don’t expect him to understand the full implications of “rewrite time to fix things.” He just thinks they’re gonna make everything better. He doesn’t understand the Butterfly Effect, and how it’ll erase the future. He just thinks what he’s doing will make his dad happy, so he’s gonna do it

At least we got through to Geist. Changing the past could wipe his son from existence. A second “death,” if you would. And harming Rev is the one thing he could never do

Now that is a cute hug. even if it’s between a man drenched in blood and the ghost of his son possessing armor that’s a full head taller than him

And Geist does know Braev... but on a personal level. Braev was a young priest back when he worked with the Orthodoxy

And there it is. Geist sent a warning back, which allowed them to gather a team of physicians to find a cure. The Plague would have been much worse without that warning, but all Geist can see are the people who died in the first place

And he finally gets some closure. His son doesn’t care that he’s a ghost in a suit of armor, he’s just happy that he can stay with his dad. And his actions did save plenty of people. It’s just that the guilt has been crippling him for years. Now that he’s free, he’s allowing himself to be arrested for crimes of the present, and no longer for assumed crimes of the past

I really appreciate Edea’s speech to Rev here. She talks about how she used to blindly believe everything her dad told her until the events of the last game. It broke her heart to fight him, but ultimately, in doing so, she started to actually understand him instead of just parroting what he said. And when they met again? It was as equals, and their bond was stronger than it had ever been. So she encourages Rev to come up with his own ideas, try to understand his father’s, and then come together as equals. Truly understanding each other, instead of blind faith, because that’s the best way to support your loved ones. And she says this all in front of Braev, too, and the pride he feels towards her is so evident. It’s moments like this that make this game a great sequel. Edea’s come so far from the person she was at the start of the last game, but she’s still not flat in this one. Sure, the focus is more on Yew and Magnolia’s development, while Tiz and Edea had the brunt of it in the last game, but our returning party members are still growing, too, and it’s nice to see them in a mentor role

Phase 2 of Magnolia’s plan: use the compass to lure out the Kaiser. Unfortunately, it seems something’s come up on Kamiizumi’s end of this plan, so now we’re off to Florem Gardens to help

Also, I love how Kamiizumi is so useless with the pendant call. He can’t work the thing at all

On to Florem Gardens. Good to see my old grinding grounds are doing well. I’ll be back for more next chapter!

Aww, they called Edea’s dad with the pendant. It’s really nice to see them getting along in this game

Yew’s call to Norzen didn’t go half as well, though. Turns out Norzen, Braev, and Kamiizumi have a shrubbery group chat

Altair is now telling them about how he and Vega would call each other using cell phones and video phones. The more things change, the more couples keep talking forever on the phone playing “No you hang up”

Chill, Kamiizumi, I’m like, one screen away. We’ll be there in two minutes

Oh dear lord Angelo set up shop in the forest. And Aimee’s here, too. Time to beat her down using her own job I guess

So they think the last timeline was a dream, but Angelo’s memories of Aimee’s dying words spurred them on to being an actual couple. Also, they’re still gonna fight us, because definitely fight people who made you mad in (what you assume are) dreams?

Also, Aimee is literally from Florem Gardens. They met there. That’s why the shop’s there

Some neat tactics going on with them, with Angelo inflicting the party with fire weakness and then having Aimee use Firehead to give all her attacks fire damage. Not much else of note though

And Yew just totally hired them to open up shop in Gathelatio. Not... sure they deserve it, but I guess they were the least attached to the Kaiser’s plan in the first place

...thanks for all the help, Kamiizumi

Oh good lord there’s so many cats here. I see where this is going. We’re gonna have to take on Minette, aren’t we

Kamiizumi’s cat’s here. Forgot that was a plot thread

Hide the compass in Sagitta? With how easily Geist got in? I don’t know if that’s the best plan

Ah, I see. We’re feeding the cats false information to report to Minette, who will lead the Kaiser right into our SP Cannon’s blast. Not a bad plan

Of course Tiz is “all catted out.” He’s been my dedicated Catmancer for a long freaking time

Alright, Elder Sirius. Time to shoot that Skyhold out of the sky

I appreciate Yew’s conviction in stopping Denys. He may be his brother, but he’s also gone (or about to go) too far. And I’m sure Yew feels responsible for it, since this all started after Denys lost his hand due to Yew’s mistake

Making Yew be the one to fire the cannon seems a BIT cruel to me, though

I can’t believe that plan actually worked

Minette’s gonna buy time for Denys, Janne, and Nikolai to escape, and they’re all treating it like she’s gonna die, but guys. We haven’t killed a single person this timeline. We have fought six of your people and the worst they got is prison! You really think we’re gonna kill the kid and only the kid?

You can see Denys actively fighting with his Big Brother Instinct to protect the kid. But he renounced that to be the Kaiser. Best he can do now is send the lion with her, just in case

Please. Child. Just stop the cat puns. You keep making it so tempting to actually kill you

Okay, I know this kid was experimented on and crossed with cat DNA or something equally ridiculous, but her backstory and mannerisms REALLY say “I’m a cat who was turned into a human”

She became a cat to... please her mom? What? Why would her mom be upset her daughter WASN’T a cat? Did the experiment fail? Or did she just have a kid and go “you know, I should’ve just adopted a cat instead”

Holy shit, I was gonna say “not a hard fight” but then Minette got off a lucky full-party Catnap+RIP combo and totally wiped the team

Definitely sticking a Clothespin on Yew this time

I probably went about that in the dumbest way possible, but we beat her

Child! I will take you in if you just! Stop! The cat puns! That’s it! That’s all I ask of you! Maybe people are abandoning you because every time you open your mouth you make yourself as insufferable as possible!

Oh no Kamiizumi just adopted her. Dude... dude please break her of the cat pun habit

Hey! She’s not a cat! She’s a human who thinks she’s a cat! Stop telling her she can sleep in front of the fire all day every day! How about you freaking rehabilitate the kid and then send her to school like Gho

You are adopting a daughter, not a pet

Minette is one of the worst characters in this whole series. I can’t even muster any sympathy for her because all she is is a GIMMICK with a cute face. She isn’t even a character! She’s just the human embodiment of cat puns! And I hate it!

So Norzen, Rifa, and Pudgius just enchanted a crystal to trap the Skyhold. Guess we’re storming it again already, huh? I’ve gotta say, after the Empire being constantly one step ahead last timeline, it’s nice to be the ones in control for a change

And Norzen knew Minette’s mom. He was working to make a cure for the Plague. It killed so many that it mostly died down, but they saw that it was going to make a comeback, even worse than before. Minette’s mom noticed that no cat got infected, so she used them as the base for her vaccine, and tested it on herself. And died. But not before giving the vaccine to Minette, who the scientists took in and studied, and in doing so found the cure they needed to stop the Plague for good. Nope. Still feel nothing for Minette. This is a half-assed justification for making a Walking Gimmick. Minette could be deleted from existence and I would not care and it is entirely to do with the fact that her entire character is Cats™ and Abandonment Issues™ with no further substance

Back to the Skyhold. The big diamond in the center is looking quite a bit worse for wear now that the SP cannon landed a direct hit on it

I hate this stupid dungeon and its useless map that does a really awful job of showing how platforms overlap

On the way back to where we fought Anne. Everyone’s treating this as a point of no return, but I’ve gotta wonder about that considering there’s three jobs, one summon, and several more Catmancy skills left in locations that I can’t access yet

“Regrets... are like rutabagas - far better overcooked than left untouched in the pantry.” Altair I have never eaten a rutabaga in my life, your metaphor is lost on me

Oh, we’re finally going to hear about Vega. Good, I was looking for a reason to be invested in Altair and his story

Wait... Altair’s from the Celestial Realm? Does that make him a Celestial? Does he know the Celestial/Player from the first game (and probably also this one, since I’m assuming it’s the same Celestial guiding the party both times)? ...is he aware that I’ve been making fun of his metaphors and the way he pronounces his name for a while now?

Vega was his wife. A great Calamity befell the Celestial Realm, so they planned to take a ship and flee to Luxendarc... but Vega never made it to the ship. Altair didn’t realize she wasn’t onboard until after the ship had left on its one-way trip to another dimension. He doesn’t say it outright, but he probably doesn’t even know why she never made it or if she’s even alive anymore. He never said goodbye to his wife. He wasn’t expecting to need to. The last time he saw her was never supposed to be the last

Since a female voice narrates the ends of chapters, and what seems to be Altair’s theme plays there, I can only assume that that’s Vega. I don’t think she’s THE Celestial that guides the party, but I do wonder if the two know each other and The Celestial/Player is showing her what they’re seeing. Or maybe just intercepting messages from her

Yeah, I’m sure this is a “final” battle and your backstory is entirely irrelevant, Altair. The Kaiser is definitely the Big Bad, just like Braev was last game. Definitely

So I have Magnolia as a Black Mage and the brim of her hat is just barely covering her eyes. It almost looks like she’s trying to hide tears behind it, which is especially noticeable since she had the biggest reaction to Altair’s story

“With the right dressing, a simple piece of lettuce can become a salad.” Have you ever even eaten a salad before because it takes more than one piece of lettuce to make those. Otherwise it’s just lettuce with some sauce on it

Altair, we both ship Yew/Magnolia, but maybe lay off the kid a little? I know your romance went poorly, but I have no intention of letting these kids die. That only ever happens accidentally

“Give Tiz the pendant. ...I believe he has something to tell someone.” Agnès probably already knows... but I think they both need to hear it spoken. Two years can be a painfully long time to wait just to hear someone say “I love you, too.”

And all I can think of during this is poor Edea. I think she loves Alternis... but as a brother. The Alternis that she’s in love with, the one who grew and changed, the one she shared an adventure with, who she came to care for beyond their shared history but as an equal... well as far as she knows he isn’t in this dimension anymore. She’s already had her Altair/Vega situation, a goodbye that never was. Of course, if my theory’s right and one of the Alternises running around is Ringabel, then she may have another chance. But as for now... she just has to sit here listening to her new family get resolutions that have been lost to her

So I did end up grinding out the Bestiary entries for Skyhold just on the off-chance it was a one-time location and let me just say: Ranger Edea is terrifyingly strong and I love her

Dammit, Denys, just stay still so I can fight you, rip your sword out of your robot hand, and then steal your job!

Oh fuck OFF, Janne!

“In the end, you understood me. You’re a true friend, Yew.” Yeah, he’s a much better friend to you than you are to him. It’s a two-way street! So kindly take that newfound modicum of introspection and use it for something, you brat

So it’s a Janne/Nikolai dual boss as they cover Denys’s escape. My team’s level 65 and pretty damn tough at the moment, though. Nikolai’s gonna have a hell of a time trying to out-heal Tiz’s Exorcism HP Undos and Janne’s barely gonna make a dent with Yew’s Spellcraft-boosted Healing

“Now isn’t the time to wallow in sentiment!” Sure, Janne. “Stop thinking about the past!” Yep. Sure. You fucking hypocrite

Whaaaaaaat the fuck was that rumbling. What did you three idiots doooooo!?

Don’t know why Nikolai thought using Sacrifice was a good idea. Janne’s really useless on his own

Guys. We haven’t killed anyone this timeline. Stop being dramatic! We aren’t going to kill you. ...but you are going to prison for Mook #4′s death, Janne. You brought that one on yourself

“Only death can stop us” or some really good chains, you know

Atta boy, Yew. Don’t compromise your own morals for these idiots

“You can still change the world without destroying the past!” And that’s the crux of this whole game, isn’t it? What’s done is done. We’d all like to go back and change things. It seems like it would be so easy to erase the mistakes of our lives... but things aren’t that simple. How much good can come of the bad? If the Plague hadn’t happened, a cure never would have been developed, and the technologies and medicine that arose from it can be used to great benefit in the future, and so on. This is a game about accepting the bad and moving on. Working not to undo your mistakes, but fix them and be better the next time similar situations arise. And as someone who struggles a lot with self-blame, that’s really powerful to me

“But... what about my revenge!?” Oh. MY GOD!!! I get that you’re 16 and moral complexity seems to fly right over your head, Janne, but have you listened to nothing this entire game!? I actually hate you more than Minette, and she makes insufferable cats puns every. Fucking. Sentence. I swear you two are the worst goddamn characters in this game. Give. It. A. REST

Oh, so Janne’s motives are entirely selfish, too. Because according to him, he’s not looking to see his family again. He’s not looking to bring back his parents because he loves them and thinks they deserved better. No, he just wants to undo the years of emotional suffering and living on the streets he had to go through in the aftermath, and he’s taking it out on everybody else

God, fuck, why do people like this character!? Is it because he falls into the “tortured-but-physically-attractive character with a tragic backstory, so even if they do awful things they’re sympathetic so I can change them (or have the other participant in a ship with them do so)” archetype? Because fuck that archetype, it’s been romanticized to hell and back and I have literally always hated it. I’m not shy about my distaste for Kylo Ren in the new Star Wars films, a certain villain from Pokémon Sun and Moon, Merula Snyde in Hogwarts Mystery, and I’m certainly not shy about my distaste for Janne Balestra, the most self-centered brat in existence still trying to pretend that just having a tragic backstory somehow justifies all of the shitty things he’s done in this game, with no effort to make amends on his part. People don’t deserve to get off with no consequences like that!

“What am I supposed to do!?” How about you grow the fuck up, listen to what we’ve been telling you this whole game, and stop taking your frustrations out on everybody! Get a therapist! Open up an orphanage or something so other kids don’t end up on the street like you! You’re the one who decided that rewriting time and killing anyone with even the slightest connection to the Balestra deaths was the way to handle this. Honestly, your lack of direction is not our problem to fix now that that’s out the window. The only thing Yew’s obligated to make right is his relationship with Denys

Oh, nice! Yew’s gonna hand control of the Crystalguard from House Geneolgia to the Orthodoxy. That won’t stop corruption entirely, but I’m sure Agnès will make good use of being able to control the knights sworn to protect her and her faith

And the other Houses in control of the guard are in agreement. Enough of using the Crystalguard as a tool against each other, now we’re letting Agnès decide. One, unified voice in the organization, instead of the warring factions it’s been made of

And Braev, Goodman, Norzen, and Lotus will help out, as counterbablances to Agnès, representing the needs of the four Continents (with Crystals on them. Sucks to be Caldisla, I guess)

Yew’s finally figured out who he is and what he wants out of life. He’s not just the kid following Crystalguard orders or filling in for Denys out of a sense of duty. He’s seen the corruption and he’s going to work to change it. To make the organization he was told was his to inherit into something worth inheriting. Something to be proud of. And now, he’s not doing it alone. He sounds just like a certain blonde in our party...

And Nikolai and Janne agree to help us... without even the slightest hint of an apology from Janne. Fuck you, just leave the story already

And Denys’s in the Geneolgia mausoleums beneath Gathelatio. Time to kick some sense into big bro’s ass while surrounded by the corpses of our ancestors?

I can’t help but notice the game’s letting me walk around but still hasn’t addressed the shaking during the fight. I get the feeling there’s another boss coming and it isn’t Denys

I got off Skyhold and literally nothing happened, but I don’t think that’s the end of the rumble shenanigans

Ah, making use of that tiny door next to Yew’s house. Down into the Crypts we go!

I love how Alfred’s first thought upon seeing Nikolai and Janne is “Hey, it’s you jerks who betrayed Yew! Get lost!”

And we didn’t even need Alfred, because Denys left the door open instead of locking it behind him, as would be smart. Though in his defense, the only people he’d want to stop could just use Alfred’s key, and Denys doesn’t seem like he wants Alfred to know who he is just yet so it’s safer to leave his old butler alone than sneak in and grab the key

Denys has the other key because he told Alfred he wanted to lay flowers on his mother’s grave before he was exiled. So even if her son wasn’t the favored heir of House Geneolgia, they still had the decency to bury her with the rest of the family

I love how Alfred really loves the Geneolgia kids, more than even their father. He doesn’t want to believe that Denys is the Kaiser, it seems so out of character for the boy he knew, but when it’s Yew saying it... how could he not believe?

No, Yew, let Nikolai and Janne turn themselves in to the police. I know you still hold some affection for them (despite how much Janne doesn’t deserve it) but they totally committed some atrocious crimes and need to atone in some way

“A crime is a crime. How can we hope to reform others if we cannot admit our own trespasses?” And that, right there, is why I have sympathy for Nikolai and not Janne. He’s willing to admit he did wrong, and willing to attempt to make it right. Janne may be going along with him, but he still hasn’t apologized and is throwing a minor fit about explaining himself. His behavior is beyond unsympathetic, no matter what his backstory is, and his “reformation” comes across more like he’s just doing it to please Nikolai. Like when a child begrudgingly apologizes because their parents told them to, but you can hear it in their voice that they don’t mean it

The Geneolgia Crypts. The location of the final summon, one of two remaining places with Catmancy skills... and the last story-mandated asterisk. Time to find Denys

I know it plays in a lot of locations, but I love the music in the Crypts, “Dungeon of the Nature.” It’s somber, but grand. Soft, not bombastic, but still powerful. It’s great, I’d recommend people look it up if they haven’t heard it yet

Why are there instant-kill rabbits in here

Also can’t help noticing that the other enemy types are female mummies and ghost knights. Doesn’t seem like the Geneolgia family is really at rest, does it?

So it’s a maze, where I have to light each crystal to unlock the door, huh? Not too complicated

Susano-o Obtained! He’s been changed from non-elemental to Dark, but it’s otherwise our same old friend from Default

I find it bizarre that Amaterasu is listed after Susano-o, despite unlocking earlier. I suppose most people would run into Susano-o first, since there’s literally nothing out by Amaterasu’s anchorite and no reason to go there

I also appreciate that the two “strongest” summons are named after sibling gods from Shinto mythology, though I do wish there was a Tsukuyomi to go with them, considering the abundant moon symbolism in this game

Ah, is Yew’s fear of ghosts from being down here as a kid? He says he came down to bury his father and pay his respects, but he doesn’t remember it well because he tried to forget. He didn’t want to remember how lonely his childhood was because of the emotional divide between Denys and his mother, Yew and his mother, and their father. Going off to school was his first taste of freedom

“It’s... perfect.” God, can we give Michael Sinterniklaas an award for just the delivery of that line?

Hey, Denys. Fancy seeing you in what is clearly a boss room. No hard feelings for what comes next, yeah?

OH MY GOD I put my 3DS down and the screen went black for two seconds. Scared the hell out of me I thought I was gonna have to play part of that over again

I can just leave the room. The stairs are right there. The game is letting me walk right past him and go... but that won’t solve anything, will it?

We stand at the grave of Foundar Geneolgia. Captain of the Crystalguard, first leader of the Three Cavaliers... and completely corrupt beyond belief, using his position to take out personal enemies by accusing them of being enemies of the Orthodoxy, all to keep his own power. Sometimes to gain more

This was the standard of House Geneolgia. Those who deviated, who tried to be better... what remains are unmarked gravestones. Still here, within the family, but shunned and forgotten. Even in death. Denied the opportunity to be remembered by the lives they touched and shackled by the legacy of a bloodline they were unable to escape. Lost to an underground cavern for eternity.

And that’s his goal. Denys, disgusted by his ancestors and bearing the weight of a bloodline he never asked for, planned to travel back in time and kill Foundar, erasing the entire Geneolgia line and their sins with it

He’s so caught up in his plan that he’s failed to see something that I think Yew’s already figured out: these brothers are the only members of the Geneolgia family left. They aren’t beholden to the laws of the family anymore, because who will enforce them? Each other? There’s no guarantee someone worse won’t spring up in the place of Foundar, but Yew and Denys together can take what their bloodline has been given and turn it into something worthwhile. Erasing the past is a gamble on a brighter present. Working together is a guarantee of a brighter future

*squints* There’s a single dead pixel on my screen right in the middle of Denys’s face right now and it’s driving me nuts

“So you, too, would slumber in an unmarked grave. We are more alike than I thought...” And you always have been. If you’d spoken openly to your brother, you would have noticed who he is deep in his heart. Someone who doesn’t care for money or power, who takes in and cares for others as if they were family, an idealist who wants nothing more than a better world for those they care for, even at the cost of their own life... You two make quite a pair.

This whole conflict probably could have been avoided if these two had the chance to be closer as kids. If Denys had a single family member to confide in... If Yew had someone to guide him away from the indoctrination of their father... The tragedy is that the only times they’ve been able to speak freely to each other... have been at the end of this game

It’s just a shame Denys wants to fight. He wants to be proven wrong, not just have his baby brother spout nice platitudes at him

Still, I warned this chinstrap-beard-sporting jackass. I’m going to RIP. THAT. SWORD. OUT. OF. HIS. DUMB. METAL. HAND!

(By which I mean I’m stealing the Chaos Blade, the only missable item as far as I’m aware, from him. I was just being dramatic about it so I wouldn’t forget)

No pretense of fighting “The Kaiser,” an untouchable force of nature. Now he’s just Denys. A brother lost to his own guilt. Flawed, human, and in need of a guiding hand to bring him towards a redemption I think he’s willing to start

Aaaaaand of course he has reraise

I mean... that’s a decent argument. If Denys goes back to change the past, he actually ruins the future because he’s given Anne access to the Holy Pillar

And now the party gets the Kaiser job. Almost like a spiritual relinquishing of the role from Denys

I assumed we’d be taking Denys home to rest. Can’t help but notice we took his coat, though. Really shows off the fact that Yew cut off his entire right arm, not just his hand 

Denys was always going to try and make a martyr of himself. It didn’t matter what he did, how bad his actions were, his final act, erasing himself from existence, was supposed to be his atonement. Now what does he do, living with the things he’s done and no easy end to absolve him of it?

It’s like the game thought I wouldn’t recognize Agnès‘s voice immediately

Agnès is willing to give him the chance to atone. Not forgive him outright, but a chance to earn that forgiveness. And why wouldn’t she? Agnès was once the puppet of a fairy herself, nearly driving the world to ruin with the goal of its salvation. Killing countless Duchy soldiers (and I know the game’s gonna act like the random encounter soldiers didn’t exist, but they did) in the name of her cause. Denys really is in the same position as Tiz, Agnès, Edea, and Ringabel were just two years ago

Denys really thinks all of his companions are dead, huh? “The only mercy I need is a quick death, so I may apologize face-to-face.” “Then come with me to the Sanctum.” We’re just gonna arrange a prison meet-and-greet with the other Glanz Empire higher-ups that we didn’t kill, just stuck in prison, and Denys’s gonna have a change of heart and join us, I can already see it coming

According to the Bestiary, Denys met Anne when the Great Chasm “disappeared” (where... did it go?), captured the Ba’al Diamante and seized the asterisks left behind in the crater, and then created the Skyhold using Diamante. So the Ba’al that the Sagitta thought they were firing on, and the one sealed within... is Diamante, which I thought was just the official name for the Skyhold when it appeared on the location intro card. I... I think I know what those rumbles from before may have been

Yew makes sure to note that everything he wrote was told to him by Denys, presumably off-screen. And there’s a little note that makes a similar point to what I did during the fight: his Bestiary entry is listed as Denys Geneolgia, not Kaiser Oblivion, because should anything happen, Yew wants him to be remembered not as the leader of the Glanz Empire, but as his beloved brother

“To meet those who sacrificed themselves for your cause... This is what you truly wish? Then let it be done!” I see you trying to be dramatic, Agnès, but let’s cut the man a break, yeah? Faking him out like this is just a bit mean. The look on his face is gonna be great, though

Yup! And Minette even got adopted with no jail time. Isn’t that great?

“I-I do not deserve...” Maybe not forgiveness, but no one has given you a second chance to atone yet. It’s about time we do

Okay, I know Braev was cutting his restraints, but it still looked like he slashed Denys across the back. Could you imagine if he had! “Grand Marshall! I meant cut his restraints!” “Oh. OH. Oh no. My apologies. I thought this was going somewhere else! Oh dear... someone call a healer! Nikolai!”

Family dinner! FAMILY DINNER! FAMILY DINNEEEEEER! Aw man, get in here, Agnès! It’s the whole dang team! Magnolia, Tiz, Edea, Yew, and Agnès all sharing some down time together is what I live for!

Aaaaaaand Agnès made it sad by asking if Magnolia’s gonna go home to the Moon when her work is done. Now Yew’s sad. And Magnolia’s sad

Denys, get in here! If the team’s willing to forgive and forget, well, I’ve been willing to with you for a while! Family dinner! Estranged older brothers and adoptive extradimensional aunts and all!

I am desperately in need of a reconciliation hug between Denys and Yew right now

“What do you say we go for a bath, Brother?” Or... you can make it weird, Yew. I feel like that’s a few steps past a hug

Just two bros chillin’ in a hot spring, five feet apart ‘cause they’re estranged siblings awkwardly attempting to reconnect

This is good for both of them, really. Just finally getting to chat it out, maybe air some grievances...

Denys never blamed Yew for what happened with his arm. It actually gave him the perfect opportunity to walk out on their father and never look back. One of his big regrets was that he never got to tell Yew that before he was forced to leave. He’s just glad they even have the opportunity to talk again. That he had the opportunity to finally tell his brother that he doesn’t have to bear that weight anymore

And now he’s giving relationship advice to his little bro... awww, that’s sweet, but I gotta wonder what Denys actually knows about romance. Like... at all

Denys’s just sitting here like “Oh this dense kid. It’s so obvious they belong together. Come on, Yew, confess. That’s gonna be my new sister-in-law, I can tell.”

Nothing like a GIANT FUCKING DEATH LASER IN THE SKY to ruin your nice chat with your brother, huh!?

Dammit, I knew Anne was suspiciously absent and yet I still overlooked her. I bet she used Sylvie to overload the Crystals and form the Holy Pillar

MMMMMMmmmmm Skyhold again. I’ve got... a bad feeling about what’s going to happen to Denys. Please don’t go Redemption Equals Death, please don’t go Redemption Equals Death he has so much potential...

Yew’s apologizing to Magnolia because she helped him repair his relationship with Denys, but he still hasn’t returned the favor in helping her defeat the Ba’al and save the Moon. God, I love this kid’s sense of honor

Oh, hey, confirmation that the Moon and Appleberry are still okay. At least until Anne does something again

I knew it. The Matriarch and Sylvie are here

Anne you fairy fuck get over here! I know you’re aware of my existence, you’re the one who asked me to play the original game!

“You’re here already? Not bad! You beat my estimate by fourteen minutes.” Not bad considering I took a day’s break before getting here. That estimate must have been pretty generous

She pulled an Airy on Sylvie and the Matriarch and convinced them to help her. Where the Fairy Flies, am I right?

“Denied!” Denys you ham this is supposed to be serious

Oh... I forgot that Anne sent Denys to the future instead of the past and he still remembers that

You didn’t realize she sent you to the wrong time!? How do you not notice the technology and architecture being way off?

She had no intention of sending him to the past. Of course not. Why would Airy’s sister have you invalidate all the work she had the player/Celestial do last game?

...Master?

Here we go. The freed Diamante, Ba’al that destroyed the Moon civilizations. And Magnolia’s freaking out, but her new family won’t have it! We avenge her people together!

Diamante looks freaking awesome. A diamond unicorn with a skeleton rider, with butterflies in her long, teal hair and shredded wings for arms.

And don’t think I haven’t noticed the background. A woman with a ponytail kneeling behind a chain-link fence, reaching her left hand out towards what appears to be a rocket ship flying off into the distance. The ring on her finger glinting every once in a while

A married woman left behind, longing to reach a ship... Vega...

Diamante, the diamond ring

Health doesn’t look too bad, but I’m worried about the 100% Mirror. Seems it even reflects physical attacks

It’s gone down to 60% after a round of attacks. Maybe I’ve just got to wear its shield down

It did... something to Tiz that prevents him from doing anything besides Default and Summon and brings its Mirror up for one more hit every turn, but this seems manageable. Turns out attack items count as hits to bring it down, so if I toss one out per turn it can’t do anything

I love the effect of the diamonds on the unicorn breaking away to reveal an electric interior

Reraise was to be expected at this point

They only make you fight it twice and it still revives at the end, but I think it’s poetic that I beat it while I had Magnolia’s theme playing thanks to her special being the second-to-last hit on it

Do what you did to the Moon? “Let the cleansing fires cover the world, and burn for three days and three nights!” Why so specific, Anne? It sounds like you’re quoting a Bible verse at me

You sound ridiculous, Anne. Tone the formality down a peg

“Yes, it is time I atone for my sins.” Denys don’t you fucking dare

Yew, do not give him the compass.

You are not taking this Ba’al to the end of time, young man! No! You aren’t allowed to pull a Redemption Equals Death on me

“I trust you. My sacrifice will not be in vain.” You don’t have to do this! I can keep this boss fight going forever! We weren’t even struggling! I’ve got the resources to keep trying!

Denys, please. You could be Party Member #5. You could have a well-written, non-copout redemption arc. Let’s think about this

God...

...dammit.