#obviously its a work in progress and a very long journey

[demonicangxl]

im just gonna rant for a sec in the tags 🙃

[blue-likethebird]

Reusing the memory system from botw for the tears of the dragon storyline in totk was such a terrible decision on so many different levels that it’s honestly kind of impressive.

While the botw memory system had flaws of its own, there was one small but significant thing that worked in its favour: botw’s memories were largely separate from the main plot in the past, and have absolutely no bearing on the story being told in the present. Aside from a few specific instances (ie the calamity striking, the ceremony, Link and Zelda becoming closer) the memories are all self-contained moments that emphasize character development over driving the story. Because there’s no major narrative throughline between them, it gives players more freedom to discover in any order regardless of how much they’ve progressed through the main quest without running the risk of stumbling across a memory that ruins something else later on in the game.

(This got long so the rest of my analysis is going under the cut.)

The biggest change between the memories from botw and the dragon’s tears from totk is definitely what kind of information these cutscenes relay to you as the player. Botw’s memories are primarily snapshots of small interpersonal moments that hold very little significance to the greater narrative taking place in the past. Totk’s memories are the greater narrative. With only one major exception -that I’ll touch on in a sec-, every cutscene in the dragon’s tears shows a crucial moment of story development with no time left to explore the characters driving that story forwards. There’s no organic moment revealing, say, a quirk of Rauru’s that Mineru finds annoying, or Sonia’s sense of humour, or any of our literal Main Villain Ganondorf’s motivations for going to war with Hyrule. If there’s any moments of character focus they only happen in ways that advance the plot (meaning the only real character focus is on the characters totk wants the entire universe to orbit around, namely Rauru and Zelda), and as such it’s harder to bring myself to care about what happens to anyone.

To illustrate the point I’m trying to make here, compare the memories of the champions Link regains during the divine beast quests to the conversations with the ancient sages at the end of each temple. The memories make passing mentions of the ongoing preparations for the calamity, but the real purpose of those scenes is to showcase who the champions were as people before their deaths and give us a reason to mourn them, even though we know at the start of our journey that they’re all long gone. In contrast, the conversations with the ancient sages are all about the events of the imprisoning war and their promise to Zelda that their descendants will come to Link’s aid in the future, very obviously copy pasted for each of the five times that cutscene is brought up (which is a particularly egregious moment of bad quest design but that’s a rant for another time) in such a way that none of the 5 incarnations of that cutscene reveal anything new about the ancient sages as characters, to the point where none of them even show their faces. I care about Daruk because the game shows me that he cares deeply about the wellbeing of his fellow champions and brings out the best in others. So why should I care about the nameless, faceless sage of water? What’s there to move me about their struggles if my only interactions with the sages are a series of exposition dumps? If the game can’t give me a reason to sincerely care about its main characters, the whole rest of the story is meaningless.

(As an aside, I get the feeling someone on the dev team caught on to the issue I’m describing here, because the tea party memory sticks out like a sore thumb from the rest of the dragon tear cutscenes. It’s such a jarring change of pace to have the otherwise plot-heavy dragon’s tears come screeching to a halt for a scene where Sonia sits down with Zelda to have a cute little tea party and talk about absolutely nothing of significance that the whole thing almost seems like it was hastily tacked on to the story later. Given that the next (chronological) memory sees Sonia fall victim to an unceremonious death by chiropractor, it feels like someone realized that Sonia really doesn’t do or say much in the scenes before she dies and threw together the tea party scene so players would have at least one moment to look back on fondly when she’s fridged. But I digress)

The story told in the dragon’s tears is a highly linear one. But the open-ended nature of botw’s memory system remains, meaning that these tears can be found and viewed in any order. At first this doesn’t seem so bad, since the first two tears you’re likely to find if you follow the game’s intended path are also the chronological first and second of the memories you can discover through these geoglyph tears. But after those first two, the game kinda gives up on guiding you towards these tears in a way that flows well with the story they wrote: the closest tear geographically to the two the game initially guides you towards correlates to one of the penultimate scenes of that entire storyline, while the next scene chronologically is found almost halfway across the map. As such, it’s all but guaranteed that you’ll spoil yourself in some way without using either a guide or the (somewhat unintuitive and never fully explained by the game) little map in the forgotten temple. Finding memories in order didn’t matter so much in botw because the scenes you could find still worked well as standalone scenes before you discovered every memory and pieced together the full picture, and the game is never trying to surprise me about the characters’ fates at the end of this storyline: hell the first memory you’re guided to shows the calamity striking. But in contrast, viewing a dragon’s tear at the wrong time can completely ruin the story they’re trying to tell in those cutscenes. During my playthrough, for example, the first tear I found after the game stopped guiding me to them showed Ganondorf removing Sonia’s stone from her dead body. At this point I had known Sonia existed for all of like an hour, so every subsequent appearance she made was ruined for me by the fact that I already knew she was nothing but cannon fodder to be killed off for the sake of another character’s pain (Rauru and Zelda a-fucking-gain). I expected to be pissed that it was so easy to spoil myself, or maybe sad in passing that a character with her potential was so underutilized, but instead I just felt… tired. I wasn’t even halfway to the first settlement and already I was completely numb to the story the game was trying to tell.

But the worst was yet to come. And oh boy was it ever a low point for storytelling in the Zelda series. Remember how I said up above that the memories in botw had no connection to the story in the present? Let’s just say the same cannot be said for the dragon’s tears.

It’s May 2023. I’ve just finished the sage of wind questline. I still have hope that the story the game is trying to tell will be good. Deciding that I’ll go to Goron city next, I head towards the Thyplo skyview tower to expand my map, catch a glimpse of a nearby geoglyph from the air, and glide over to check it out. This geoglyph shows me a memory that not only recaps the entire dragon tear storyline, but also ends on a bit of foreshadowing about Zelda’s fate that’s about as subtle as a brick to the fucking face. By exploring -the thing the game claims it prioritized above all else in the design of its world and quests- I’d once again been hit with spoilers for a major story detail.

My main objective in this game is to find Zelda. It’s the only driving factor behind my journey towards all these different regions. The current big mystery I’m supposed to solve is why Zelda’s causing so much hell for the people of Hyrule. I now knew exactly where she was and what the deal with her appearances in other parts of Hyrule was, and I’d found it completely by accident by doing something the game says over and over again that it wants me to do. Unlike with Sonia’s death, this time I was a mess of emotions. I was pissed the fuck off that this open-world game had punished me twice already for trying to explore. More than that, I was disappointed that a game I had been so excited to play, from a series I had so many fond memories of, had let me down like this. With every subsequent quest where the sages and I chased a Zelda I knew was fake to our next objective, and every NPC wondering where she was that I couldn’t tell the truth to, that disappointment grew. The entire rest of the main story was ruined for me before I had progressed past 1/4th of the regional quests and a third of the dragon’s tears. There was no more sense of anticipation or mystery. I finished the rest of the game with a bitter taste in my mouth and haven’t touched it again since.

Do I think this story could have been good? Honestly, I don’t know, and by now I don’t really care either (that’s a lie. I care so so much and that’s probably why I hate totk as much as I do). But it’s all irrelevant, because like Cinderella’s stepsister cutting off her own heel so she can cram her foot into a glass slipper that’s never going to fit, totk is sabotaged by the devs’ insistence that everything fit itself into a world they custom-made for botw. This isn’t a new formula that the series is following, it’s Nintendo slapping a new coat of paint on an existing skeleton, and I’m not optimistic to see what this particular approach has in store for the Zelda series. Especially not at the price they’re charging for it.

[lovelyyandereaddictionpoint]

Hey, what is the reaction of some Class A students (especially Bakugo and Deku) to the fact that s/o got into the hero course and scored about the same points as Bakugo. (at the same time, she doesn't have any quirks). She was humiliated all her life, so she decided to prove to everyone that she could become a worthy hero and help people.

(I will be glad if you answer, but you can ignore it.. I just had these thoughts for a very long time)

Strong Quirkless Reader | Yandere Boku No Hero Academia

Ft. Katsuki Bakugo, Izuku Midoriya, Ejiro Kirishima, Shoto Todoroki

Katsuki Bakugo 

“You’ve got to be kidding me!”

He takes a similar approach to what he does with Midoriya and totally puts you down

Not nearly as harsh but he believes this will keep you safe

Instead he’s gearing you to join UA in a support course

“You’ll obviously want to be the secretary of the number 1 hero! So you better become worthy by the time I get there!”

That all gets thrown out the window when Aizawa congratulates you on your high score as their first exams begin 

Whether its your speedy swordsmanship or just insane strength 

You are just built different

And bakugo is having an absolute crisis

‘How can he be a protector if you're too strong to yield to him!?’

He low-key is plotting to cripple you from this point further

“I’m not letting you get any farther! I’m doing this for you so just fall already!” 

Izuku Midoriya

“Wow y-you really did it!…You really did it…”

He’s happy that your doing what you talked about since you were kids

Surpassing so many without a quirk

But now he has to figure out how to do this 

“Icanalwayscripplethem.Butthenthey’dhatemeforever.eveniftheydidn’tknownowthey’dfindouteventuallymaybeifigotthempregnantbutthatssoembarrassingcouldweeverdothis?OrmaybeIcanjust–”

“Midoriya!”

“S-sorry!”

He’s not going to knock down all your progress…just yet

He knows how much you want this 

But he wants to protect you just as much if not more

He’ll congratulate you 

Train with you 

All while planning the perfect future for you both

…without you being in danger

“Great job (Y/n)! I can’t wait to be a hero with you! I’ll watch you closely!”

Eijirou Kirishima

“Way to go (Y/n)! Let’s be heroes together!”

He’s your biggest cheerleader

He definitely wasn’t expecting you to do so well

But he doesn’t mind

“I’m your rock, (Y/n)!”

He supports you through and through

….in the beginning

As the year progresses and you face more life or death situations he’s less excited about you working in this field

He knows your not weak but he worries

He has a while before he��s strong enough to protect you 

And he’s currently not strong enough to stop you 

So for now he’ll settle to stand beside you

Until he can tuck you safe and out of sight 

“I believe you’re going to be a great hero alongside Red Riot!”

Shoto Todoroki

“Y-you must have some quirk right? Right?! You wouldn’t keep that away from me for all this time, right?!”

Guessing that you two were well acquainted with one another before the first test 

He expected to begin his journey in UA alone

Brooding all the while

Not only does he hate his father and his connection into oblivion

But he had to spend the time he typically had with you to train even harder to be a hero

It was the pinnacle of despair

But now this turns into an anger that has to do with his growing obsession with you

‘How can he claim to love you if he doesn’t even know you can do this!!!’

Oh he’s not mad at you 

not at all

But don’t stare too hard when he overdoes it in the following mock battles

He needs to know everything if he really is in love, right?

“That is amazing…why didn’t you mention something sooner? I could have been of some help. I thought I was worthy enough to know that side of you”

[the-black-manor]

WIP Sunday because why not

Demon x Trans Male Priest

The young priest didn’t arrive to the old stone church until well after dark. He was exhausted from his long journey, but there was nowhere nearby to rest, and he certainly wasn’t going to rest in the church until he was certain there were no malevolent entities present. He stepped out of the cab and stretched before he grabbed his luggage and kit and made his way through the crumbling, overgrown courtyard. The front door was unlocked, and he was silently grateful to the family that lived here that they’d remembered to keep it open to him before they fled.

He pushed the door open and stepped inside. The foyer was dark and foreboding. Previous owners had begun renovating the church into a home years ago, but progress had been halted when strange activity began after unsealing a walled-off room in the cellar. Scaffolding, canvas, tarp, rope, and all sorts of construction equipment had been left behind when the family and crew abandoned the location. There was a large industrial light nearby, and the priest switched it on. The room was no less unsettling bathed in white light. 

Dust was kicked up and made the air hazy as he moved through the church to find the dining room. It would work well enough as a sort of “home base” while he investigated the claims of demonic activity. He was no exorcist, just a young priest sent to validate the claims. If he found evidence of activity, he would send for an exorcist. For now, though, all he had was himself, his bible, his crucifix, and his faith.

He started in the cellar, in the newly-excavated room the family claims must be a “door to hell”. He scoffed and shook his head. Not likely. A gas leak, perhaps, which is why he had a mask and detector with him. But the detector stayed silent, and when he felt comfortable enough to take his mask off, the air was clean, if a bit stale. He worked his way through the house slowly, paying great attention to each room, making mental notes if anything seemed “off”. 

The only thing he found unusual was that the crosses and crucifixes the family had put up were still in their place on the walls, unbothered. He shook his head. This was a waste of time. Still, he had a job to do, and he was going to see it through to the end. He kept going. The church was huge, more a castle than anything, and he eventually found his way upstairs into the bedrooms. The doors were all closed, except for the one at the very end of the hall.

If there was ever a place to start up here, he supposed that was it. The dusty old runner beneath his feet muffled his footsteps, and he peered into the room as he approached. It was dark inside, but he could make out the silhouette of a bed with a canopy. He hesitated for only the briefest moment before stepping over the threshold and into the master bedroom. The window beside the bed was open a crack, letting in a crisp, fresh night breeze that sent the linen curtains fluttering. This room was different from the rest. 

There was no dust on the plush red duvet, no cracks in the stone walls or gunk on the windows. No tattered rugs or moth-eaten curtains. Whereas the rest of the church was obviously abandoned, this room looked well cared for. Lived in.

The door closed behind him and the lock fastened with a “click”. He whirled around, and his blood ran cold as his tired gaze met the burning red eyes of an undulating shadow figure. He took a step back. At points, the figure looked almost human, and then its silhouette dissolved and melded with the shadows around it, moving like ink in water.  It was both tangible and intangible, solid and smoke, man and monster.

It glared at him with those fiery eyes, and then he thought he saw, for only the briefest moment, the hint of a sharp-toothed smile. 

“Hello, priest,” it greeted him. 

Its voice was deep and seemed to burrow into his chest and reverberate around in his ribcage. The priest gripped the crucifix around his neck and lifted it, wielding it like a shield against the darkness. The entity laughed, low and menacing. And then it was gone. Or so the priest thought. He gasped and nearly jumped out of his skin when he felt arms snake around him from behind. The demon pulled him close, pressing its chest against his back, and ran its shadowy clawed hands all over the priest’s chest and stomach. 

“Release me!” the priest insisted, writhing in its vice-like grip. 

“Cute,” it cooed, its breath hot on the shell of his ear.

“In the name of Jesus Christ, I command you to- mmph!”

The demon forced two thick fingers into his mouth, silencing him.

“Hush now,” it breathed as its free hand slid down his stomach to his crotch. 

It grabbed him hard and pulled him back into its bulge. He could feel it hardening against his ass. 

“What’s this?” the demon asked as it felt between his legs. “No cock? Does the church know about this?” it chuckled. “No, I think not. They wouldn’t let you be a priest if they did.” 

The priest held his crucifix so tight that the edges of the cross dug into the soft flesh of his palm. He repeated all the prayers he knew in his head, over and over. He wasn’t afraid, but he couldn’t speak with the fiend’s fingers against his tongue, so he couldn’t fend it off. All he could do was pray. Its claws dug into the flesh of his inner thigh, and then he was in the air. He landed hard on the bed, and the breath was knocked from his lungs. He propped himself up on his elbows, ready to run, and saw the demon approaching slowly, like a predator stalking its prey. This was the most tangible it had been. It looked like a man, around six feet tall, with a slim body and long hair that flowed like smoke. He could make out no facial features except for those glowing red eyes, eyes that burned into his very soul and held him in place, like a deer in the headlights.

[dragonroilz]

Hey there! I've come across your art ever since I got into Risk of Rain 2 (better late than never, I've been sleeping on this game for years, jesus), and I'm enamoured with it, to say the least. Is there any advice you could perhaps give for an aspiring artist?

you're getting an essay whether you like it or not.

tl;dr of it if you dont want to read

- learn how to take critique

- dont skip fundamentals

- tracing is okay*

- be mindful when drawing

- you wont see good results for a long time

ok firstly, glad you like my art! i try my best on pretty much everything i make so the compliment is greatly appreciated!!

secondly, you have NO clue how much i love yapping about how to draw. im not an expert on how-to-draw-ology but i like to think i know enough to help other people not swing in the dark when it comes to getting better.

learning how to take criticism is THE most important part. not getting butthurt or at least listening to peoples critiques when they mean well is critical to improvement because its specialized advice for you. you have no clue how many young and/or new artists have gotten mad at me for giving critique when they specifically asked me for it. if youre looking to improve you gotta bite that bullet. not all criticism is valid(dont listen to people who are just tryna make you upset), but good and valid criticism can come from anyone. dont unvalidate someone's critique just because theyre not an artist or "not as good" as you. try and get as much feedback as you can and move onto the next piece instead of fixing something to perfection. you will get obsessed in a very destructive way.

learning fundamentals is another step to getting better. that means actually learning perspective, hands, anatomy, and all of the other stuff people hate drawing. its like lifting weights. most people dont like it but if you want to get stronger you need to put in the time to do the painful stuff.

chris christodoulou(ror's composer) actually made a similar comment about the topic of improvement in his field that was along the lines of "if you want to write music, stop playing video games and read a book". he got a lot of shit for saying that but honestly its true.

you need to treat art as a discipline if you want to get better at it. draw as much as you can for as long as you can before it becomes a health hazard. when im not resting i tend to draw at least three hours a day, not counting the 3 to 6 hours additional hours a day i draw during college. obviously a beginner doesn't need to draw that much but drawing daily is a good start.

if you want resources on where to look for fundamentals, Sinixdesign and Ethan Becker were who I turned to for advice that is relevant to the industry. There's definitely others out there but I tend to do more self studying so i don't know the more recent stuff.

something that they'll bring up is that tracing isn't bad AS LONG AS YOU DONT POST IT AND CLAIM IT AS YOUR OWN. it's a good way to see how other people deal with stylization, but its absolutely not okay to post that stuff online. treat it like how traditional painters do master studies. its for your own education, not clout. and you shouldn't be drawing for clout anyway.

last but not least, draw what you love and you'll always love drawing. dont be afraid to hyperfixate and lose interest in things. it will help you continue your art journey. a lot of people in my art school have little to no motivation to draw outside of college because they have no interest in drawing outside of assigned work, which is not a great relationship to have with art if you want to pursue it in the long run. draw what you want to draw when the motivation hits you. if that motivation is risk of rain? draw it. if it's leg muscles then fuck yeah draw that too.

you can stick fundamental practice into your casual art by being mindful of what you are drawing. that can be done by asking questions about what's going on to further the progress of your art. its kind of hard to explain in text, but its basically just keeping in mind how your lines influence the piece.

in the beginning youre going to have ideas and none of them are going to translate to paper. its going to take years before anything will ever compare to whats in your brain and thats just the sucky part. ive been drawing seriously for about 5 or 6 years and theres still a ton of shit i do NOT wanna touch but i have to if i want to improve.

we're all sisyphus pushing that goddamn stupidass boulder and the only thing we can do is acknowledge how far we've come while still knowing that there's more work to be done. but thats kind of the shit that i live for.

[chimerafeathers]

thinking about Frieren and Dungeon Meshi today and just remembered seeing a post/comment or two saying that people have no reason to compare the two stories since they have nothing in common except being non-isekai fantasy. different tones, different pacing, different themes, etc.

i don't know if whoever said that were dunmesh manga readers or not, but i kinda assume they were making judgments based purely on however much of the anime was released at the time, because i think about how similar these stories are a LOT, actually.

[spoilers for the dungeon meshi manga below, and a little bit of frieren manga]

i think that's a pretty fair assessment to make based JUST on the "prologue"/setup arc leading up to the red dragon. while some of the main themes are very in-your-face, others are still being woven into the characters and established much more subtly, and we don't get the full weight and payoff for that early work until later into the story.

Frieren establishes its identity within the first episodes and never drastically deviates from that first impression. on the other hand, dunmesh takes its time to build its foundation...but instead of using it as groundwork to build a house above, it then leads you into the depths of the dungeon below.

the stuff about conflicts between long-lived and short-lived races seem like just jokes/banter and a touch of political worldbuilding, in the beginning, but that tension is absolutely central to both Marcille and Kabru's arcs. both Frieren and dunmesh are about elves facing their (near) immortality in contrast with the brief mortality of their companions.

I think about the ways Frieren, with a thousand years of life behind her, carries the memories of those she's outlived along with her and all the ways she emulates them to preserve their lives and values. I think about the way Marcille, with a thousand years of life ahead of her, clings so tightly to the people she holds dear and fears the future she sees beyond their deaths.

I think about the way Serie talks about training Flamme on a whim, casually dismissive of short human lifespans. I think of the way Kabru resents the way elves treat short-lived species like children and fights so desperately for their agency and right to speak on the same level as the rest, fully informed of the dangers that threaten them all instead of being left in the dark.

beyond that, too--you can really feel that these series come from a place of love for the genres that inspired them. dunmeshi's speculative biology for the monsters and the ecosystem they're a part of, the exploration of how and why different races get different "stat" bonuses (dwarven constitution, half-foot perception, tall-man versatility, elven/gnomish magical affinity), the side comic about "Grease" as a starter spell--all obviously come from deep knowledge and affection for D&D and/or similar rpgs.

meanwhile, Himmel gives thoughtful weight to doing "side quests" for paltry rewards--they help because they're heroes, but they accept scraps and useless items for rewards because no one wants to feel pitied or indebted to anyone. he says they "went the wrong way" if they find the stairs to the next floor in a dungeon, because the "right" way is to explore every nook and cranny first before you progress. it would be very easy to mock how annoying fetch quests are, or make the dungeon bit a pure joke--but this is a story that relishes the process and the journey of it all, down to the smallest detail and silliest quest.

flashbacks to Falin being achingly kind and gentle, and also strange and awkward. flashbacks to Himmel being blindingly heroic and noble, and also vain and goofy.

these are both stories about the weight of death and loss and the things we'll do to see our loved ones one last time, when we are destined and doomed to outlive them. they're about the joy of the journey even when it's painful, thriving on silliness even when things are "serious," and loving the people in your life knowing you will lose them, and how you carry them with you when they're gone. dunmeshi is heavier on the comedy side of things, but both have their fair share of emotional gutpunches, and their themes and values mirror each other.

all this to say, these stories are holding hands.

[the--highlanders]

thoughts on the star beast!! under a cut bc spoilers

first of all just. as someone who really did not vibe with the chibnall era at all. dear god it feels good to be excited about doctor who again

it was FUN. it was great bouncy silly charming fun and that is exactly what the show needed at this point I think. I can really imagine kids tomorrow running around pretending to be the meep

also the meep was great and I'm SO glad it was practical effects, it looked so good

setting aside the doctor-donna plotline, the callbacks to the rtd era were fairly low-key (resonating concrete!) and fitted in with the episode but they were fun if they meant something to you

on the other hand the glass divider between the doctor and donna and him raging at having to kill her really felt like a kind of. reverse of ten and wilf and the radiation chamber. which HURT. ten raging over having to save wilf vs not-ten raging over not being able to save donna.

rose was lovely!! I really hope we get some more substantial stuff with her, I think she'd be a great companion

seeing unit again was fun, and I really liked shirley actually!! I hope she's a recurring character, I thought she worked well with the doctor and her gadget-y wheelchair was fun

also kate sorting out a place for wilf to live 😭😭😭😭😭😭

I did think the solution to donna being able to keep her memories was pretty creative, and the acknowledgement of the doctor being outside the gender binary made me yell

that being said I really didn't like the line about a 'male-presenting time lord never thinking of [letting go of power]. I feel like that was rtd trying to be too hip-with-the-kids progressive, which like. obviously I want the show to be progressive!!! but it's the sort of thing I hate

like, first of all, we've just established that the doctor is more or less nonbinary - and the show has been very obviously referencing time lord society as genderless since like, twelve's era. time lords feel that they are /genetically/ superior - it's a species thing, not a gender thing. a 'male' /or/ 'female' time lord is going to have a tough time giving up power. and this felt especially incongruous when we've just had thirteen, a doctor who used her white privilege to hand the master over to the nazis. doesn't seem like she was very interested in giving up her power there.

imo one of the doctor's whole character tensions across the whole show is them trying to break away from time lord superiority, and again that's species-based, not gender based. and it was literally established in journey's end that the doctordonna could think of things the doctor couldn't because of her human part! there was already a solid logical grounding for donna and rose to give up their time lord powers /because they were still part human/

there were a few thematic things I would have liked the episode to dwell on a bit more, like the whole cute-appearing vs frightening-appearing thing with the meep and the wrarth warriors, and how appearances are sometimes deceiving; or the stuff with the doctor and gender; or even just rose's character as a whole

that being said, this was an episode with an awful lot to do, and also an episode which was there to be a fun romp. it HAD to be a romp. so from a sort of metatextual point of view I can understand and forgive

overall I really liked it!! it really recaptured the magic of doctor who for me after so long not feeling it and I think it's going to do a good job of its most important task, which is getting the show afloat again in terms of casual viewers.

also SO glad they've gone back to a confidential-style program, unleashed was so fun

[limited-fish]

Should I put some of my WIP on ao3? because I really want feedback. (Friends are too busy to read or give very vague feedback lol)

If you're interested in stories with unique world building, dragon-adjacent creatures, gender trouble, time travelling, shape shifters, many unreliable narrators and gods with bad tempers from whom magic users gain their power, then you may enjoy The Divided Door (working title) (may also be under The Analogy of the Divided Door). And yes, the two main characters are both trans.

Fiorel, a low ranking faerie, is forced to work with Jassid, a seemingly normal human tailor, while trying to uncover who killed nar father, why the eelems disappeared and why no new fae are being made. Meanwhile Temmin, a powerful sorcerer and his apprentice, Olia, daughter of the Emperor's favourite Imperial Hunter, are intent on ridding the world of barbarians, fae and monsters. Fiorel and Jassid's search for the truth takes them to weird little towns, forests deeper than glaciers, sprawling cities, wide open plains and far underground, each scene bursting with characters to help or hinder their journey.

It is still a work in progress and the plot hasn't completely solidified (and neither has the world building if I'm being honest) but that is why I need some one to help iron out the kinks (or put some in if needed). If anything is unclear, please tell me so that I can try to make it more intentional.

Trigger warnings include

- cheating

- blood mention (I haven't written any gore yet but it will probably be present later)

- fictional racism

- child death

- sex mentioned (m/m, m/nb, probably more later)

- possibly transphobia

- death

- murder

- torture

I'll have to check that this list is complete, but if its on ao3, the tags on that should cover everything.

Some characters use neopronouns (more accurately, their culture and language does not consider gender that important) so if neopronouns annoy you this may not be your cup of tea. Fiorel uses nai/nam/nar.

Fae is just the word I'm using to describe the undead shapeshifting servants of the penjagai, the demiurges, guardians of nature. It has very little to do with fairy tales although they are not completely disconnected.

I'm slightly worried about people and AI bots stealing my ideas - and whether it will be less viable to publish if I ever finish it. That's not a big fear however, as I've read Joy Demorras work and it seems she had no trouble getting published. Another anxiety is obviously people being callous or hateful with their comments but I am sure my mutuals will be lovely.

I have worked on it for about two years now, on and off and has many influences, one of them being Discworld although I am aiming for maybe a different tone.

Remember that all of it is subject to change.

My ao3 handle is limited_fish so it shouldn't be too hard to find... I just have to find the courage to upload it.

Hope you enjoy 😁

🐟 Signing off and hoping I can find a fabled beta reader 🤞

Corey 🖋️ヽ⁠(⁠｡⁠◕⁠o⁠◕⁠｡⁠)⁠ﾉ

(he/him)

PS I would especially like ppl who are native Greenlandic to help me out a bit because everything revolves around a people group that are partially inspired by real life Greenlandic people. I need to do more research (I've only read Miss Smilla's Feeling for Snow and am not sure how accurate it is especially considering the guy who wrote it isn't native Greenlandic.) so if anyone could help me out, I would appreciate it 🙏

(This people group is also partially inspired by the Romani people having made a long journey from India to Europe. The Kutkuallahns (may change name later) travelled from the equivalent of the Antarctic where they had lived for thousands of years to a large southern continent, where they had to change their way of living quite drastically as they were no longer in a perpetually freezing climate. Again, I need to do more research and probably consult with anthropologists, but if you have any ideas for customs that might continue even once they are in a different climate, that would be awesome.)

PPS I know I use too many parentheses.

[galaxy-fleur]

hey so

in re4 remake, was the romance crafted with the idea of like, following the plot without any long-lasting commitments from the devs? because it felt like that to me especially with how the game ends. i am a bit confused by the whole structure and i guess it is because i was used to seeing other movies and games usually follow through with it but in the case of this game and resident evil, it just doesn't? peculiar

A story structure is simply a narrative tool that ties all of your story elements into a singular coherent narrative. It is what it sounds like. A tool. You can use a certain story structure to tell many different stories with different plots, while still following the said structure. For example, here's a classic three act story structure that is commonly used today:

And here's a 5 act story structure for comparison:

Out of these acts, each one is broken down into additional steps, depending on what story you are telling. For example, the hero's journey has 12 steps in these 3 acts.

While a horror story follows different steps while still following the 3 act structure

And here's one of the 3 act structures for romance

Every single step in all these different structures I showed you can look different in different mediums. For example, a romance visual novel can follow the hero's journey structure instead of a romance structure because it fits the narrative more, all while still maintaining a large focus on the romance itself than action or adventure.

And the romance story structure can be used to tell a narrative that is seemingly not about the romance itself. In fact, it has been used to tell platonic relationships, or relationships that are ambiguous and are left for you to interpret. A romance story structure is great to use if you want to focus on the relationships of your story, whatsoever those relationships may be.

These are what story structures are. It's a way for a writer to follow certain steps to tell a compelling and coherent narrative. Basically, a way to tie everything together in a neat little bow, so that when someone experienced that said story, they go: 'wow! This makes perfect sense!' You can read up on all these structures in more depth if you wanna educate yourself! It's really helpful if you are interested in storytelling.

When in comes to RE4R, it just doesn't really fit into the hero's journey structure for a variety of reasons. In fact, it'll be very hard to write it in a way that would fit it with what we have. So, instead, it focuses on the relationships between its characters and their progression throughout the story. I will say that I haven't broken it down myself in alignment with the romance story structure. Plus, there are multiple romance story structures, so it can be a bit of a tricky task to handle. (For example, there's a 4 act romance story structure instead of a 3 act one, or a 9 step romance story structure instead of a 11 step one, ect)

RE4R following the romance story structure doesn't really mean anything more than that. It follows a romance story structure. That's it. That's all there is. It doesn't mean that RE4R is a romance video game or anything. Obviously it's a survivor horror game, no one is arguing with that. But when it comes to the way it tells its narrative and what narrative tools are being used, it is very much a compelling argument that it follows a romance story structure.

So that's a very long way of saying: Yes. It was written this way to make its story and its characters compelling. It wasn't written this way with any long-lasting romance in mind. It was written this way to make its characters and the relationships between these characters authentic and conclusive. And I'd say it worked!

[rationalpassion]

Elder Memories

I'm getting older, and sometimes I think that my memory might not be what it used to be. I'm not so worried. When I need to remember the past I just use my personal search engine. Do you do this? I journal using my phone a lot. I add pictures, the works, but mostly it's a normal written journal. I'm writing using it right now. A bit meta-weird. Anyway, I use a searchable journal app, called Journey on my phone. It reduces my need to commit things to long term memory. I don't really want to remember everything anyway. I just hit the little magnifying glass, pop in a few words... and bam it's there, better than I could remember it.

There was a time when we actually had to remember things. We also had photographs and video tape recordings to help us remember. But even they aged and faded. Some people made home movies on Sony Handycams, played them back on their Betavisions, but then engineers and designers, despite the corrupt patent offices, always found some way of making improvements to the recording and playback systems. You know the story, the big switch to VHS, DVD, Blu-ray, and gigabit/sec internet streaming. They were called improvements because they tended to improve the user's experience of a familiar and popular technology while still being accessible and affordable. Electronic devices were particularly prone to quick obsolescence due to frequent science-based discoveries, developments, and the ability to engineer things on progressively smaller scales. Noticeable improvements in the quality of audio-video recording and playback, but also in ergonomic ease-of-use, and ability for a memory device to last and be playable for years to come. In the area of video recording, optical discs are not susceptible to being erased my magnetic fields. They typically allowed people to enjoy a better product using a more pleasant, novel or familiar, and possibly more intuitive interface. The analog era was an exciting time.

The digital revolution changed everything.

We slowly realized that that making a common digital recording medium that many devices could use was the way to go. Like a Swiss army knife, amalgamation and ergonomic improvements put a powerful computer in the vast majority of everyone's pockets and hands.

Ergonomic improvements often meant that a person's usage of the product was more intuitive and familiar. The user could rely on common and familiar manual skills or gestures to control the machine. It's easier to go from riding a horse to a motorcycle than a jet airplane. Hand gestures have been used for millennia to accomplish non-verbal communication by humans. Using hand gestures to move a mouse or interact with a touch screen is an easy step for most. Also many technologies require that a written symbolic language is already developed and used by the vast majority of the population. As is almost always the case for most cultures in the world. But the real advancement came when world wide wired and wireless data connectivity with several layers of technology, hardware, protocols and languages allowed for ubiquitous access to information.

The Journey journaling app works very well. I think I pay $4o/year for it. It allows quickly publishing a journal entry as blog post to Tumbler. It's has a great search engine. I also like that it's cloud-based, and automatically synchronized so I don't have completely rely on my phone for its existence. It's works via a PC too. When I look up really old entries I can see how some memories stand the test of time better than others. Many memories are interesting or cherished because they are old and foundational, elder memories. I'm fine if my memory storage is externalized. It'll very likely last longer than my brain-based memories anyway.

P. S. This blog post, obviously the ramblings of a slightly stoned 40-something tech guy, may not be everyone's cup of tea 🍵. : )

[secretsofblackthornhall]

Kieran to General Winter

General Winter,

Three sunsets. I told you, I have three sunsets. I will be back in just that amount of time. It is not a very long amount of time. And yet you have written to me, spent your valuable time and mine because you could not wait three sunsets to know whether I prefer velvet in midnight blue or one in more of an eggplant, I believe was your phrase.

Forgive me my temper. I am not really angry with you. I am only somewhat out of sorts this morning, after a night of merriment and whimsy on the streets of London-Town, along with my Nephilim friends. Now, obviously any faerie revel contains such dark delights as mortals can only dream, and so on. But after the previous night I must concede a grudging respect for the reveling capacities of an unexpected group: London businessmen of late middle-age. In our journeys we encountered what is known here as a “Retirement Party,” a kind of movable feast in which these businessmen traverse the city in celebration of a chosen one. In this case I knew him only as “Kraig.”

We met his Party thrice last night! The first time, at the Tongue & Grapes, we shared only a mutual acknowledgement of fellow celebrants passing in the night. The second time, at the Inn of the Shaved Werewolf, there were mutual roars of recognition from both parties, and a ceremonial exchange of beverages, as is custom. And the third time, at the Pigeon & Spoon, we were welcomed and—a great honor—inducted as honorary members of the Party, whereupon we were bestowed with festive hats and jersey-cotton smocks proclaiming the majesty of the great Kraig.

So you will understand if I am shorter of patience than I would like, this day, for I have a vile headache engendered by too much of what mortals call “shandy”, a repellent beverage with a kick like an angry kelpie. It quite left my darling Cristina asleep on a rather sticky table at the Pigeon and Spoon; Mark and I had to carry her back to the Institute. She is awake now, of course, and demanding coffee with rather more force than usual. Given that my time is short, I shall endeavor to answer your queries as well as I can.

I like the midnight blue, for the throne room. I think it sets off the creeping vines well, and also I think that you were hinting you prefer it as well. Next, I am in general agreement that the overall aesthetic of the throne rooms should move in the direction of an opulent Gothic feel, rather than its previous occupant’s preferred mood of “blasted hellscape.” Let us remind our Court that we are the Moon, as the Seelie Court is the Sun; rather than that they are Beauty, and we Tackiness.

However, I disagree about the skulls. I think they should remain. Skulls are perfectly appropriate in an opulent Gothic setting. In fact, I am hard-pressed to think of a style in which skulls would not be an improving presence. If such a style exists, it would definitely not be a good choice for the throne rooms of the Unseelie Lord, let us at least agree upon that.

Lastly, I am disturbed to hear that the Seelie Court continues to rebuff my requests for a summit of peace. You were right when you noted your suspicions earlier; they have become more secretive in this past year, even for them. We will see if our scouts manage to learn anything, although in my experience our scouts mostly seem to fall into forbidden romances with Seelie scouts and then they run off together; we lose something like four out of five that way. I suppose what I am saying is that I am not exactly holding my breath. (A charming human expression, is that not?)

You do not need to suggest to me that I contact Adaon; he is my own brother and I speak with him often. Whenever I bring up the possibility of a united court, or a meeting between myself and the Seelie Queen, he says the same thing: now is not the time for a summit that might lead to discord — now is the time to preserve the fragile peace between the two courts by leaving well enough alone. He has the Queen’s ear, so I must trust he knows what I do not. Still, you know it is not in my nature to do nothing and call it progress.

Speaking of that fragile peace, I must inquire—have your redcaps learned any more about the strange presence that has been noted in Faerie, and whether it is beneficial or antagonistic to our interests? I feel it through my connection to the Land — I am woken sometimes, feeling that presence I cannot define, knowing it is both of Faerie and not of it, and that the Land itself is afraid.

Enough of that. I trust that you can manage to keep the Court in working order for the thirty-six remaining hours I will be gone. If more color selection is necessary before my return, I trust you to go with your instincts, which have always served you well.

Until then I have the honor to remain Your Eternal Sovereign, Master of the Hob and the Domovoi, Breaker of the Broken Lands, Crown Under the Hill, Dark Star of the Evening, Friend of Kraig, and King of the Unseelie Court —

Kieran

[bellafragolina]

Hmm how about submas twins with a s/o that wanted to be a gym leader but gave up on the dream? Maybe they left the region to study and train but came back to Unova with no plans for their future? What do the brothers do with this information? 👉👈 I've been working on an oc that wanted to be a fairy type gym leader for a long time. Like in high school she had a notebook with different strategies and designs for an outfit she would wear. She thought maybe pursuing her dream would make her happy. Unfortunately depression doesn't work that way and things never got better, she ended up returning home so she can live with her family (and get some therapy but she doesn't know that yet. I'm the writer and I say someone is going to drag her to therapy)

I just wanted to see how you think this sort of scenario would play out.

-Honey 🐝

you got it, honey! this one is for you and your cute oc <3 but fair warning, i don't have depression myself, so if anything looks not correct, please let me know and i'll fix it!

🍓🍓🍓

Ingo:

Ingo doesn't discover about your past until a little whiles into your relation. You're spending the night with him before one of his days off, and your late night pillow talk has taken a turn towards your past. You're obviously a little uncomfortable talking about it, but you slowly tell Ingo of your dreams from before you met him

You had wanted to be a fairy-type gym leader, it was your long term dream, but your depression was taking its tole, so you returned here to get better. Ingo is quiet throughout your explanation, but murmurs that he's proud of you for making such a hard decision. He can't imagine it was easy, giving up your dream to help with your mental health, but you did it. And you're very strong and brave in his eyes

If you show him the notebooks you made, he praises them endlessly. He keeps the pictures in mind, and wonders about having one of the designers Elesa works for make you a copy of the uniform you designed. Would you like that, as a gift?

Should you get therapy, and start understanding yourself and your needs better, Ingo might suggest trying again. It's never to late to follow your dreams, and if you think it won't undo the progress you've made, he's willing to support you towards your goals. He trusts your judgement on the matter, but he doesn't want you to feel like that chapter of your life is forever closed. He loves you too much to watch you entirely give up on something your so passionate about

Emmet:

Emmet discovers your notebooks as you're moving boxes into your new apartment. He sees the outfits you designed, admires the strategies you had planned out, and immediately bombards you with questions about the notebook when you return into the room with him. You're very embarrassed, but give him a brief explanation of what the notebook in, but that only spurs more questions

So you sit Emmet down on the couch and tell him about the journey you made fresh out of high school, in pursuit of your dream to be a fairy-type gym leader. Emmet is excited to hear about this dream, but then you continue and tell him about the tole the journey took on your mental health, so you returned to take care of yourself and get a handle on your depression instead of becoming a gym leader.

Emmet is sad to hear you gave up your dream, but he's glad to hear that you're taking care of yourself more now. He wants to support you through everything, and he wants to help you be happy, so he takes a very heavy interest in fairy types and the fairy type gym leaders. He thinks Unova could use a fairy type leader, if you're interested

Should you be willing to give it a shot, Emmet is helping you do any and everything you need to do to get this official. He's pulling strings, he's advocating before city officials, he's putting up flyers and posters about the wanting for a new fairy gym around the subway. There's quite a bit of interest and support for the idea, so you two actually get the idea off the ground. Emmet is beside you every step of the way, hanging onto your hand as he makes you promise to battle him with your best strategies once all is said and done

🍓🍓🍓

they'd be very supportive of you giving it another shot! after all, if at first you don't succeed, try try again! they believe that wholeheartedly, especially when it comes to you and your happiness <3

~Renee

[miraculous-pyromaniac]

I am nearly silent about the things i write, both irl and unfortunately on my blog as well, for different reasons.

The simplest reason is my silence irl bc i kind of just dont have anyone to talk to my ideas about. My closest friends generally dont have any intrest in fanfiction and even if they were, me and my friends participate in very seperate fandoms and sometimes struggle to overlap our intrests. So i just generally keep my fanworks to myself most of the time.

I also dont talk about my work much on my blog either(which is kinda the only social media i use) and thats mainly because im just not the type of person who enjoys broad social media engagement, so i just rarely make my own posts.

This all kind of leads to bursts of hyperfixation and progress on any stories or WIPs i have that come about randomly and long droughts of my content.

Also i have this huge anxiety about people seeing any idea i would post about and 'stealing' it from me. Like this is a constant anxiety for me, idk why. Im probably hesitating to hit post on this post and then thinking of deleting it.

Like obviously a writer doesnt want to post spoilers for something theyre working on, but im paranoid to even post ideas for possible fics i may think of for new WIPs, leaving my ideas to rot alone in my mind until i lose intrest bc i have no one to talk to about them.

Anyway, in what im sure is a healthy way to overcome this apparent fear ive just realised i have, ima post a list of WIPs and ideas that are currently collecting dust, most of them i beleive seeing light from my dark google docs cave for the first time ever

Most of these mare miraculous labybug ideas

A miraculous soulmate AU based around Chloe where her initial meeting with her soulmate ends up with them basically dead from a speeding truck. The story is Chloe's journey of navigating the world angry and jealous of everyone else who has soulmates and learning how to deal with that stuff. Ace medifore maybe? Idk just seemed like a fun idea.

A miraculous Myvan AU where Master Fu had the 'native american miracle box'(Which i refer to as the Thunderbox) instead of the 'Chinese miracle box'(aka the Motherbox). He pickes Mylene and Ivan to be heroes weilding new miraculous of my design against an enemy who holds the Motherbox, with more than half the miraculous within being heavily damaged/destoyed. Shown by the below image(right of the red line completely unuseable, on red line damaged but technically funtional like a canon peacock, left of the line are undamaged)

A Percy Jackson story with OCs made by me and by bff which would run parallel to the canon story where I play with background characters and plot to create my own stories. The MC is the child of a goddess so minor Riordon never mentioned her, Euphrosyne, and a devout champion of Hestia.

And even a couple of original story ideas like

An 'everyone has a superpower' concept where the MCs are all artificial 'bornx from a kid whose power is to create new people by giving up parts of their soul. While not a completely original power in this world, its unique by the fact that the MCs here have their own powers, unlike other people created from such a power. This leads to the goverment trying to capture and use this kid to custom create soldiers.

A magical college type story where the MC is a healer in love with a plant mage, which eventually becomes mutual and loving relationship things until plant mage is suddenly killed by an assassin, sending MC on a revenge spiral. Said assassin is MC#2 who is being used by shady folks as an assassin due to her particular abilty for death magic. The two of them team up to dismantle the shady organisation and maybe a goverment later on. Their relationship is also completely non-romantic, but they grow extreamly close to each other.

Uh yeah. I have ideas. I just never talk about them.

Out of genuine curiosity, to fanfic writers in the world, how vocal are you about the fic you write on your blog? I never know when to start talking about my ideas and eventually the lack of traction or discussion has my passion fizzle out with nobody knowing the idea existed at all (except me, of course) anyway im simply curious :)

[daggerlove]

Loki is Sylvie’s postman

I was thinking about that 

"is there a lucky beau waiting for you at the end of this crusade" 

line, how 'lucky' could legit be a bit of a wordplay (lucky = Loki) and how this entire conversation is describing the state of Loki and Sylvie's relationship at the end of season 1 and their relationship as season 2 progresses.

because yeah, obviously 'lucky' in this context is a Loki wordplay, so that automatically sets Loki as 'Sylvie's lucky beau'. Her special one. Significant other.

But also there’s more. 

The cast and crew said that in terms of character development, Loki has already evolved further than Sylvie, he's moved past his anger and pain, but unfortunately, Sylvie hasn't made that journey (crusade = journey) yet.

-

-

Because Sylvie's crusade, as Loki puts it, was putting an end to the TVA. Her entire lifelong mission, her journey was to destroy the people/person responsible for the TVA & what they did to her. This was her 'glorious purpose' and her only goal she's had for god knows how many centuries.

For example, Loki's own glorious purpose was power, control, ruling etc. This was his entire shtick, episode 1 states it and it’s all about it.

And then during that same episode he realizes the hard way that conquests and ruling isn't what he truly wants and needs, that in the grand scheme of things, it's ultimately meaningless. Thanks to the TVA when he realizes that he’s never had  free will and his life's basically meaningless, and when he sees how his life ultimately turns out for him, everything changes for him. 

His life literally gets turned upside down, he figures out during episode 1 (as well as the rest of the season) that his glorious purpose is just nothing.

Sylvie only realized that after she killed HWR. She plunged the sword into his chest and then promptly collapsed to the ground, sobbing, realizing that her own glorious purpose wasn't what she needed, that it wasn't "it", it brought her no satisfaction, no catharsis, no relief, the pain remains and she's just full of regrets now. 

Loki realized that in ep 1 and then had a fine journey of self discovery. Sylvie realized that in ep 6 and she's still on that same journey.

-

and like Eric said, she hasn't had that full journey that Loki had yet and it was what caused their disagreement. They both care about each other, the feelings are very real but they are at different stages of their journey.

Obviously she's working on that and that will probably be one of her arcs in season 2 (something the writers have already hinted at and I can't wait for that), but yeah, Loki has made that journey already, hers has only just begun. 

In a way he, her "Loki" beau is literally waiting for her to be on the same page as him. Waiting for her to get to the end of her journey.

And then you have Sylvie's line:

"Yeah, there is, actually. Managed to maintain quite a serious long-distance relationship with a postman whilst running across time from one apocalypse to another."

Considering Loki and Sylvie are currently parted through literal time and space, 'long distance' is definitely one way of describing their relationship. Given how alone Sylvie is, has always been, how she's never had anyone in her life before (which is something she also admitted to Loki) Loki came barreling into her life, I'd say that what she has with Loki is important, special and serious in its own way to her. He’s the first person she’s let in, bonded with and cared for.

And then this whole postman thing...postmen deliver letters and messages to people, which is ironically kinda what Loki did too in the finale by forwarding the info about Kang, warning people about the impending war, and as far as we know, he's the only one (along with Sylvie probably) who knows what happened and is actively trying to spread awareness. 

He’s pretty much become a bringer of news. Bad ones but okay. He’s a messenger in this case.

Also considering the show is about time travel and since Tom has teased Loki will search for Sylvie it's kinda safe to assume both of them will spend time hopping through time and apocalypses, trying to reunite and also to fix the multiverse mess and the Kang situation.

So in short, Loki is "the lucky postman waiting for her at the end of her journey" aka the one with the knowledge about Kang, the war, and the one who wants and is waiting for Sylvie to make the same journey and is eager to reunite with her

and Sylvie the one who's still running across time, jumping through apocalypses, either trying to find Loki, deal with Kang, both at the same time etc, being on a journey, both literal and metaphorical and has a special someone waiting for her.

It's not the first time episode 3 foreshadowed certain things that happened later on. And if there's any weight to this ‘Loki postman’ discussion, I'd say that Loki and Sylvie's journey ends with them being reunited, on the same page and all that lovey dovey stuff. I think, and considering what the writers have hinted at, a happy ending is guaranteed.

but first Sylvie too has to go through that same character journey as Loki did for her to reach that happy ending with him 

 y'kno what they said in the show

 "you can't get to the end until you've been changed by the journey"

[sapphic-scylla]

THEY ARE MINE

The world of Cor Varias had known its fair share of hardships. The gods, caring for the people they watched over, stepped back from the world to watch from afar. As civilization grew around the scars of the Disparity, the world and its inhabitants began to progress the world due to their own cooperation and ingenuity rather than leaning on divine powers too much. And the gods wouldn’t have had it any other way.

The prime heads of the deities had issued the Law of Direction. Divine beings could not directly interfere with mortal progress. They could appoint clerics and paladins and influence many other heroes, but even with them, they could not directly intercede in any way that would dramatically alter mortality’s development. Any choices or efforts or any discoveries could only be influenced by divine help if directly called on by mortality and, even then, the deities could only offer minor aid unless it was to intercept any malevolent divine force.

Mortality grew and, eventually, a lot of the gods faded into obscurity, though still watching from afar. The world grew its own conflicts and mortality continued to rise and fall with each decade. No one new the threats that lay within chains or deep within the abyss were stirring.

In a tower beyond space and time, a cloak battered against the pace of her walking as she entered the meeting chamber where several demigods like herself stood around a table. Her eyes red and lavender as she took her seat.

“Feels weird to call us a council, so I won’t. Especially since we’re all married. In any case, Cor Varias is in trouble as you all know and as much as we want to do this for ourselves, the Law of Direction limits our ability, even as demigods.” Petra spoke.

Haley smiled. “I’ve been doing some research and I think I found us some candidates for eyes on the ground. We obviously can’t bless them like gods, but we can help steer them in the right direction.”

Marasenna, in her intimidating glory, nodded. “We also aren’t as bound by the law so we can actively fight these threats. But these three will have to take the lead.”

Lyria restrung her bow. “Well, then I guess we have our work cut out for us. Who do we have?”

Verity placed out three dossiers on the table. “One is a sorcerer. A diplomat of the Tabaxi Order. Incredibly powerful. Nearly impossible to kill and has a twinge of dark in them.”

Emily, eyes still closed in meditation, agreed and continued. “There is also a tiefling. Deep hemocraft is woven into her blood, but something stole her memory. She knows nothing of her past, but she has a fight in her you can’t match.”

Aerin continued. “And finally, a cleric like you, Petra, but this one harbors an aura of death. The Mistress, Malathriel, has taken a special interest in her. Loving family, but she also houses something ancient. Malathriel loves, cherishes, and cares deeply for her clerics and has always honored the Law, but this young aasimar also harbors power from the deep. We suspect Zigguridan and his cult had a hand in it.”

Petra drifted her hands over the dossiers. “Well, they all fit the part. They have a long journey ahead of them. Especially if the hope to catch us and our thousands of years of experience. Nonetheless, we can’t let our foes know we are making moves. Senna, Em, and Haley, I think you should go wake them up. Cor Varias is about to get very interesting indeed.”

@ebevkisk, I spite wrote this. Also, an introduction to my new world I’m building and I think you’ll love who protects this world. Consider this a reminder of my darling lovelies as well as my D&D characters written as the SHOULD have been written.

[kikidewynter]

Heyyo! In all seriousness, in your opinion, how atrocious is the reboot?

I tried watching it on YouTube but I couldn't sit through it after a while and now I'm curious about ppls opinions

ok this is probably going to be long, mostly rambling, and a little incoherent. but if this helps other likeminded fans save their money then i’m happy to go over as much as possible. this is obviously in no way a professional review, just my opinion.

so. um it was pretty bad. i hated it.

not because it’s modern (although i do hate the livestream, smartphone application activity, etc. stuff bc i hate that shit irl too), not because it’s buggy or glitchy (a lot of my favourite games are old as shit and never got patched, and even the cp2077 bugs didn’t deter me from playing), not because it had a new setting/characters (after getting over the initial shock of the trailer, i was actually pretty excited to be going on a new journey), definitely not because the three homies were characters of colour (if anything, i found it strange and fishy that the original series grew increasingly whiter over time), and obviously not because there was an openly gay character (please let shaundi talk about her ex girlfriends).

so why did i hate it? i need somewhere to start, so let’s talk about the tone. the opening cutscene didn’t really appeal to me until the boss got buried alive. that, i thought set the tone instantly. that the game was going to appear lighthearted, but really have a much darker side. that was immediately contradicted by the first mission, which if i have to compare it so something, felt similar to the gangstas in space epilogue for srtt or the cyrus temple opening to sriv. very strange starting point for what i assumed was a game going back to its roots—a game about a street gang. not necessarily because the boss worked for marshall, but because it was incredibly unserious and cheesy and i immediately hated it. the boss constantly repeating “it’s my first day!” only served to irritate me and pretty much gave me no reason to become invested in their career. which is very strange because the game makes a whole song and dance about how the boss got fired (after working at this job for like 3 whole days) and how depressed and mopey they are about it. something else that instantly tipped me off wrt the game’s tone was the boss just excessively swearing after the first mission. when they’re in their car just saying “fuck fuck fuckity fuck.” like… why. who wrote this. i sound like i’m nit-picking but it just felt really immature and not even in a fun way. like only 12 year olds would find it funny. there were an excess of moments like this that just had me sitting straight-faced, staring at my tv like. this game is not for me. this game cannot be for adults.

then there’s the friends. the game pretty much forces you to believe in this “we’re best friends we do everything together we love each other we’d die for each other” relationship immediately instead of like. allowing you to become invested in them yourself. that was really strange and offputting. especially since all the friends your boss makes in the original series are people they’re meeting for the first time. the games never ask you to like anyone (excluding later instalments), they present you with characters and you get to know them and come to love them or hate them. the entire reboot the whole way through is just this vibe growing increasingly ridiculous. the boss, neenah, kev, and eli make nahualli come on a team bonding exercise where they act like best buddies and try to convince him that friendship is magic or whatever. you know, instead of like some actual plot progression. again i feel like i just sound petty but this grew really fucking irritating. like why are you just telling me that these people are such great friends who sing karaoke together. why don’t you show me that. introduce the characters, and then show that they have this bond by having them sing together in the car or something, like boss and pierce do. it felt very much like you were just supposed to buy into it without there being any real reason. the final part of the game doubled down on this extremely, with nahualli betraying the boss literally so he could take their place because he wanted to be friends with neenah, eli & kev instead… yes the darkest moment of the game, the only glimpse of something a little gritty, the boss being betrayed and buried alive, was so that nahualli could steal their friends and make them his. there was a whole ridiculous mission following this where the boss is half dead and in the afterlife or something where they were inside the farmyard board game the 4 friends play together, which when it turns into a nightmare, has the friends, who are boardgame pieces, taunt the boss by saying things like “you’re such a bad friend, why would we ever be friends, you let eli get shot because you were sad about getting fired :(((” like WHAT is going on with the tone of this game. it really felt to me like it was supposed to be for younger audiences. there was absolutely no way it warranted an age 18 restriction. i would let someone as young as 8 play it. it felt like a kid’s game. literally no mention of sex. kevin’s sexual partners are referred to as his “special friends.”

i just felt alienated from the start. as though it was only advertised as saints row bc the ip already has a lot of fans. they really should’ve made it a whole new thing. which brings me to the writing. because there is literally no reason for them to be the saints. the hq is a church, which i guess is supposed to be their whole origin—the reason they’re called the saints. that’s the only reason i can think of. because the boss literally just stands in the church in silence for five seconds and is like “omg i’ve got it… we’re the saints” right out of nowhere. it’s so bad. like if this is supposed to be an origin story for a new gang then why is there no real origin. it felt very shallow. like the game is just calling itself saints row, but isn’t actually saints row at all. i’ve said before, i was 100% open to the reboot and having a new version of saints row. but there was just no justification for them to still be the saints. it was just way off with the tone and kept attempting to prove to you that it really was a saints row game by making the occasional reference. like the boss saying “it’s our time now, let’s get this shit started.” which i’m sick of hearing by now btw. like !!!! god why didn’t they just put a little effort into the writing. the enemy gangs sucked too. i was not interested in sergio at all. he was mentioned as being in group chats with neenah and then, because she betrayed them, he stole her car and destroyed it. that was it. he trashed neenah’s car. which, i’m sorry, is not enough motivation for me to even care one iota about sergio. what jess and maero did to carlos made me actually care whether they lived or died, and made one of the most brutal deaths in the series incredibly satisfying. sergio was just not giving anything. there’s a train heist mission where a final confrontation with him is supposed to happen which at this point i thought was strange since he hadn’t really been built up to even being a real antagonist. but then when he appeared, he was instantly killed by nahualli anyway. not even the boss. so i was like ok. literally no impact at all. the idols had no members that even stood out, so even though they kidnapped kev at some point i still didn’t really care about them. even after getting rid of both gangs i didn’t believe it was over ??? i thought they would return in force, but that was it apparently. killing some nameless idols and sergio instantly dying by someone else’s hand. that was all it took.

the missions… to me, it felt like there were only a few actual missions. the rest were just pushing you towards doing activities as mission gameplay or completing ventures to take over the map. there was very little story. and i didn’t do many side missions as i found them tedious and wanted to focus on the main plot. so when the game was trying to convince me that the saints had come a long way and now rule the city it was just completely out of place for me. imo a game should not require you to do all that inconsequential shit for the main story to even slightly make sense. that is not good. same thing with nahualli. i guess his betrayal was supposed to be some huge thing. but again, it had 0 impact because the dude was around for 2 or 3 missions and barely gave me time to care about him. the mission where you recruit members for your new gang literally just had you go on a genki-esque murder livestream and apparently that was it. that was all you needed to do for the game to give you some npcs hanging around the crib. bc the saints don’t do much else i can tell you that.

the boss was incredibly unlikeable to me. they have a pretty strong personality that is in effect at all times, never giving you a moment to let your mind wander and come up with headcanons for your own oc. which i suppose makes the boss a solid character. but also makes the whole “create your own boss” thing pretty redundant. i finished the game having made absolutely no notes about my own boss, and no longer caring about him at all.

just a mess. total shambles. really strange vibes. great concept, terrible execution. game forces you to care about its characters but gives you no time or reason to grow attached to them. just awful writing all around. nothing was impactful. really immature to the point where i genuinely couldn’t believe it was for grown adults. bizarre experience.

i’ve seen people say in response to the reviews that “a game doesn’t have to be good, it just has to be fun.” and i’m just going to let that speak for itself because wow alright