#romance with etude

[vanmarkham]

love that searching anything about camellia leads you to 500 reddit posts about how they killed her and hate her and shes the worst

[lestcat-de-lioncourt]

Houkago no Etude, by Hirune Cyan

[coqxettee]

Coquette Winter Gift Guide:

🎀 Gift ideas for yourself or your friends who love the Coquette aesthetic:

Clothes/Fashion:

1. Anything from Brandy Melville (Amara heart lace pyjamas)

2. Bailey bow uggs or normal uggs

3. Ralph Lauren sweaters

4. A ballet wrap

5. Floral pyjama sets, Cami’s & Long sleeve shirts

6. Grandma cardigans

7. A cable knit sweater

8. Legwarmers/pretty tights

9. A pair of cute gloves

10. ANY clothing from “Mymummadeit”

11. ANY clothing from “Favourite child collective”

12. Any clothing from the “Cutey” section on Romwe

13. A dress/anything from “Selkie”

14. Any slogan tee’s / baby tee’s from small businesses and independent brands

15. Victoria secret Pyjamas/Robe

16. Pink puffa coat

17. Tiffany & co earrings or necklace

18. The “Mymummadeit” puffa bag

19. Kate spade heart bag/Vivienne Westwood one or just a heart purse

20. A printed tote bag

21. Ted baker bags/cosmetic bags

22. Any dresses from - Cider, Motel rocks, Pretty little thing, Oh polly

23. A ballet skirt

24. ECOSUSI summer garden romance bags

25. A cape/fur shaul//A glam doll coat

26. Vintage nightgowns/nightwear

27. Cute earmuffs & things to decorate them with

28. Mary Janes & frilly ankle socks

Beauty:

29. Any products from “Glossier”

30. Dior (addict) makeup products (Lip oil’s, Blush, lip balm,

31. Anything from “Flowerknows” “Etude house” “Too faced” or “Charlotte Tilbury” “C beauty mall products”

32. Chanel lipstick

33. A quilted floral coquette makeup bag

34. W7 Tinted kiss lip oil

35. Miss Dior perfume

36. Chanel mamoiselle perfume

37. Any of the Ariana Grande perfumes/body sprays

38. Penhaligons “The favourite”

39. Oriana “Parfums de Marly”

40. Victoria secret body sprays

41. Paul & Joe Cinamoroll collection

Homeware:

42. The Amazon floral bedsheets

43. A heart mirror

44. Love shack fancy homeware items

45. Anything from Paris Hilton’s new cookery line

46. A ballerina/music box jewellery box

47. Pink/Vanilla Yankee candles

48. FreePrints photos to make a wall collage

49. Roccoco style picture frames

50. An angel tray dish

51. Fake flowers

52. Pretty Cushions / A large throw fluffy blanket,

53. Caroline medium jewellery case

54. Fake cake jewellery boxes

55. Tall candles and a candle holder

56. Posters of celebrity’s/artists etc

57. Any pretty art that can be displayed/put into frames

Self care:

58. Spa headbands, and wrist bands (Kylie skin headband)

59. Inn is free skincare products

60. Philosophy shower and skin products

61. Chanel eye patches

62. Mulberry silk eye mask (pink)

63. Look fantastic heartless hair curlers

64. Dior prestige skin products and body lotions

65. Baylis & Harding products

66. Angel tangle brush

67. Charlotte Tilbury skincare gift sets

68. Elasti - cream

69. Embellished claw clips

70. Sol de Janerio body cream

71. Mugs, hand warmers, face masks, lip scrubs

Miscellaneous: ⋆꙳•̩̩͙❅*̩̩͙‧͙ ‧͙*̩̩͙❆ ͙͛ ˚

72. AirPod max

73. Wildflower phone cases & airpod cases

74. A pink waterbottle (Stanley or Lululemon)

75. Lana del rey vinyls

76. Coquette notebooks

77. Dior & Chanel fashion books

78. My year of rest and relaxation

79. The seven husbands of Evelyn Hugo

80. Jellycats

⋆꙳•̩̩͙❅*̩̩͙‧͙ ‧͙*̩̩͙❆ ͙͛

I hope this helped you think of some ideas of things you want to ask or get someone for Christmas 🎀✨🎄

Merry Pinkmas coquette doves

⋆꙳•̩̩͙❅*̩̩͙‧͙ ‧͙*̩̩͙❆ ͙͛

[cawyden-gaming]

Rogue Trader - (mostly) Heinrix related romance and general information, toybox flags + etudes

Heinrix romance related

Toybox - general and Heinrix specific information

Devil/closeness flirt

Heinrix romance - flirting differences (devil vs. closeness)

Corruption points

Act 4 - Heinrix romance - Overview over Corruption Points

Act 4 - Heinrix + Guard difference (kill/spared) and corruption points

Act 4 - Heinrix 2nd romance scene

Questions

Janus corruption dialog popup when

Heinrix quest flag/etudes + affected endings

Act 4 Date trigger

Toybox Navigator Points

Dialog screenshots/videos

Heinrix - amasec and wine

Act 1 - shard options and affected Heinrix dialog

Act 2 - Black Ship - Heinrix romance specific dialog

Act 3 - Heinrix joining party dep. on romance

Act 4 - Heinrix romance - Date - love confession

Act 4 - Heinrix romance scene if he was not in Commoragh

Act 4 - Heinrix romance specific talk after freeze scene (video bridge talk)

Not romance related

warp event - Heinrix, Argenta and Abelard

Act 1 - Idira prophecies about companions

Act 1 - Heinrix changed voice over in intro

Act 1 - Heinrix recruitment - disguise

Act 1 - Heinrix and Evayne in Prison (Evayne unharmed)

Act 1 - Rykad Minoris - Ritual Chamber + Heinrix dialog

Act 1 - Heinrix dialog at Cassias recruitment quest

Act 1 - Heinrix - Triumph and Psyker

Act 2 - Heinrix add. dialog for iconoclast act 1 ending

Act 2 - Heinrix Footfall (interactions)

Act 2 - Footfall - Heinrix dialog - Drink in Cantina

Act 2 - Janus - Heinrix and Abelard

Act 2 - Kiava Gamma mission talk with Heinrix - additional/hidden dialog line

Act 2 - Kiava Gamma mission briefing

Act 2 - Ceremony - joining Inquisition - affected Endings

Act 3 - Heinrix + Achilleas/underlings spoiler

Act 3 - Heinrix + companions interactions in Commoragh

Act 3 - Heinrix, Yrilet and Marazhai versions (anat. opera)

Act 4 - Xavier Calcazar - Heretic > 2 and Heinrix reaction

Other

Turns and Cycles (time)

Act 2 - Inquisition Signet Ring color

Xavier Calcazar appreciation (spoilers act 2-5 + ending)

Interesting details (Time spent/Theodora/von Valancius dynasty)

[mingsolo]

Attempt Etude

seonghwa (alucard ) x yunho (trevor belmont) x reader (sypha belnades) / fantasy au, castlevania au, angst, romance, poly (implied, suggested but not confirmed) / warnings: blood mentions, violence, cursing, alcohol intake, suggestive tones / wc: 3k, r: 18+

posting late! very on brand of me (not proud at all) but it´s here! hope it doesn´t feel rushed. I wanted something darker, something bloodier, but my head is not in that space rn. this is done for another crazy collab with my dream team! (@daemour @sanjoongie @flurrys-creativity and @potatomountain) don´t forget to check their stories which i´´ll be reading and rebloging following up this one, please enjoy, cause some of us suffered!

It was another day on foot towards Bralia. 

You walked front. The bickering of Seonghwa and Yunho getting louder, and meaner by the second. You were about to shut them off when suddenly you noticed the path had become different.

“Shh, wait” you whispered, lifting a finger and making both men freeze. 

“What is it?” Yunho asked.

“Hm. On the ground, look” Seonghwa glanced at their feet. He got a closer look, confirming your suspicions.

“They are here, probably between the taller trees”

You got in position, and your partners did the same. You were hungry, thirsty and not in the mood to loose to some devil, night creature, vampire or whatever these footprints belonged to.

“Night creatures?” Yunho asked, hand on his whip. 

“Whatever it is, be alert” Seonghwa walked slowly towards you, and as soon as he reached you, you noticed.

“Shit. the trees are so tall, it–”

“... practically night down here” Seonghwa finished for you. He then whispered. “On guard, they´re here”.

As soon as he finished talking, the whooshing sounds of something moving between the trees resonated against the utter silence. Then they launched against you. Seonghwa moved fast, tacking you down to prevent the creature from grabbing you. Yunho launched his whip against it a few feets back.

“Stay sharp” Seonghwa disappeared, well rather sprinted so fast you couldn't see him. The creature, one of them, wasted no time and launched at you again as Seonghwa disappeared. You launched icy pillars to its front, quickly dodging him., but he was persistent. 

Seonghwa´s sword swinging catched nothing but air. Yunho´s whip did no better. These creatures had thought of this attack. If you didn´t stop them soon they would overpower the three of you, and who knows how many of them were hiding, ready to launch at you too when you were too  vulnerable. 

You screamed, pushing back the one attacking you, placing your palms over its roughen skin. The fire burning in your palms made the creature retreat before gaining speed and launching back. You took a few steps back ready to receive his attack, when something grabbed you from behind. 

In a blink of an eye you were being dragged against the mud, when you felt a strike of air rush in front of your face. Yunho´s groan accompanied by the swing of his whip hit the creature that had a hold of you. The hit in your head made you dizzy but you managed to stand up and make an energy barrier around you. Yunho launched himself back to the creature.

“Yunho no!” you shouted but he was already beating the creature, or rather, trying not to let himself be.

You sprint to help, but are stopped by a sharp clawed hand ripping your arm. The sting was painful, but you had no time to complain. Seonghwa kept fighting about three of them to your right. You launched a few flames at the creature´s feet, it squealed and backed off. You created more flames on your palms when you saw it, two more appeared by its side, the three of them ready for you.

As they were sprinting ready to attack, you saw, or heard the familiar sound of Seonghwa making its way through the trees, one of them lunged towards you, making your back hit the ground. Seonghwa launched his sword at its head, but just as quickly another was on top of you. Your flames kept them back but they quickly went at you. 

“Fuck,” Yunho groaned. He aimed his whip at the creature's head on top of you. With gritted teeth, he pushed the one fighting him and wrapped his whip around it until it was finished, quickly running towards you. 

You saw him launch himself on top of the creature growling at you, he was beating himself up. You glanced at Seonghwa, he was too. You just wished he knew what he was doing. 

Yunho killed one and then threw away the other one. You stood up and ran to the middle, between your partners and launched icy pillars and flames to the creatures as both Seonghwa and Yunho launched them in the air. 

There was only one of them left, and just as it appeared, it retreated back into the trees.

“Fuck, about time they backed up,”Yunho spoke under his breath. 

“Exactly. We need to move, there's probably more coming” Seonghwa said, still alert in case a sudden launch of claws appeared in front of his face. 

The tree of you moved quickly, the sun was blinding the moment you stepped out of the forest. 

“They won't attack us here, let's rest for a bit, then we can go to the nearest town and find and in” Seonghwa suggested, gathering wood to light a fire pit.

“And something to eat, I'm starving” you added. You sat against a rock, thankfully it was a flatten one, when Yunho approached you as Seonghwa disappeared for a bit. 

“Are you alright?” 

You blinked slowly at him. It was not like Yunho to come to you and ask you if you were doing fine out of the blue. “A little beaten, nothing that fresh bread and some ale can´t fix”. 

“Yeah, alright.. Hm” he seemed to want to say something more but didn´t. “What about that?” he eyed the long scratch on your arm.

“It's fine, I fixed it already, thankfully I moved fast so it wasn't too deep. I just need to rest, and take a warm bath”. 

Again he seemed to want to add something else. 

“And some ale! And bread!” you kept going. It was bothering you that he just seemed to have trouble saying whatever he wanted to say. “Anyways, it's a beautiful sunset, I like it way better than inside that filthy forest” you chuckled. 

“Hm. Yeah,” Yunho whispered.

“Out with it Yunho, you want to say something?” you squint your eyes at him, cornering him up.

“What do you mean?” 

“It's not like you to come and ask me if i´m alright, there's something weird with you tonight”.

“We almost died back there, I might be melancholic”.

You laughed. Yunho´s vulnerable side was something you didn't expect to witness today. “Sorry, I just.. It's so weird seeing you act like this–” you turned to see him, and got startled by the way he was looking at you. “Yunho?” 

There it was, it was a fine smile drawn on his lips. His eyes shone brightly. He seemed happy. 

“Sorry, I– just enjoy when you laugh, you look beautiful”. 

“What?” you snapped. 

Yunho frowned, he had just said it without thinking. Yes. He wasn't thinking at all. “I mean,” he coughed trying to make up the words he wanted to say.

“Stop with that!” you pushed him back. “Don't say things you don't mean” you stood up, going to sit across from him. 

“What the fuck did I do?” Yunho groaned, standing up and walking past you, probably to find Seonghwa and retaliate his anger towards him.

.

.

.

“Just so you know, you should take care of her tonight”.

Seonghwa rolled his eyes at his companion, turning his head to look at you, sitting a few tables back speaking to an old man animatedly. The same man you said “looked like an old mage” as soon as the three of you entered the tavern after wandering around almost all night. 

“I don’t think your friend can hold on anymore, I don’t want to have to clean up her mess if she throws up on my table”. The tavern owner looked at both Seonghwa and Yunho with a raised eyebrow as a warning.

“See, that’s exactly what I am saying” Yunho turned back to Seonghwa, pushing his cheek with his tongue and giving you a quick annoyed glance.  Seonghwa sighs, getting up from his seat and walking towards you. 

“Thought you said you were good with alcohol?”. he sat beside you, crossing his arms and legs. “Come on, come back with us, leave this poor man alone”. The old man looked at you with pleading eyes, and signaled how he couldn't unlink his arm from yours. 

You threw your hands at Seonghwa, getting closer and brushing your lips on his cheek. “You come to rescue me, or him?” you whispered before bursting into laughter and going back to the old man’s side. “I'm not going ANYWHERE WITH THAT PRICK” you snapped out so Yunho could hear. It was a successful call out as he turned again, now looking even more annoyed.

“Aha!” Seonghwa turned, “So he made you mad and now I'm paying the price” 

You got closer to him again slowly, fluttering your eyelashes. “Am I that much of a nuance for you, Hwa?”

“When you are angry— yes, you are insufferable, now that three drinks to that and no one is safe”.

“Oh she’s had more than three, she had taken mine too!” the old guy finally snapped, taking the chance to free from your arm and leave the table, taking what was left of his drink with him.

“You scared him! He was telling me how to cut time on our way to Bralia!” 

Seonghwa laughed, taking your hand and dragging you back to the counter where Yunho was hunched on his seat. “Come one you can talk about this with him, don't be childish”.You took your seat in between them, but without looking at Yunho to your right. Yunho glanced at you for a second, before going back to stare at his drink. 

“How are you not drunk yet? Though the Jeon’s had it in their blood” Seonghwa snapped at Yunho trying to break the silence that followed but was unsuccessful. “Well, cheer up you two, we still in one piece —against all odds”

“Exaaaactly! Let's cheer for that! You let out with a hiccup, asking the bartender for another round. The very tall and very bald man grinned behind his mustache but served each of you another round.

“I seriously think you shouldn't…” Yunho started but you quickly shut him up.

“Leave the thinking to Hwa or me, alright? I had enough of your ideas tonight” 

Yunho grunted, turning to the side and gulping his drink in one go.

Seonghwa soothed the space between his eyebrows and sighed deeply. This was going to be a long night unless he dug on what got you two grumpy at each other. And the sooner the better, if he wished to have some decent sleep before venturing into the deep forest again tomorrow morning. 

“Can you join me outside for a second? I need some fresh air” he asked. He knew Yunho wouldn’t say a word and he still didn't know how to push him to open up to him. But you were a firecracker, a few paths in the back and you will tell him about everything. 

Seonghwa was just about to ask you what had happened when you snapped.

“HE CALLED ME BEAUTIFUL!”

He blinked for a few seconds, letting out a dry laugh. “So that’s what happened back there! No wonder why he kept groaning instead of helping me get the wood for the fire pit”.

“He was! I don’t know…afraid to die back there I guess, I man he could have panicked!” you stumbled between words. You knew Yunho meant it, but you didn’t want to accept the fact that on what he thought it was going to be his last thought, he decided to call you beautiful. 

“Darling, you know he meant what he said. Why are you upset about that instead of acting on it?” 

You blushed hard. You have been so attached to both Seonghwa and Yunho since the journey started. You have learned to confide and love them both. But with Seonghwa, even in his constant silence, things were easier to say. Now Yunho… he made you weak cause you could trust Seonghwa to take care of himself, but Yunho needed you the most, he was still very broken. You shook your head. Yunho would hate hearing you talk of him like this, but, it was how you felt… 

“Seriously, you two need to fuck soon, im getting tired of this.” 

You freezed in place. “Seonghwa!” 

“I mean it. I would gladly let Yunho join anytime you want, you know I love you both, but I do think you need a first time alone before that can happen”. He smiled, grabbing you by your chin.

“Stop that!” you blushed hard. The alcohol mixed with the swirling on your stomach caused a rather unpleasant reaction. “I dont wnt to fuck him, he– I don’t know how to feel about him!” 

“You love him, just like you love me, well this hurt me to say but you might love him a little more, you are just too proud to admit it”. 

“Hwa…” 

Soeghwa raised his eyebrows. “It’s fine sweet, Jeon has that drunk charm that's hard to resist, I guess.” he chuckled and you pushed him back, to which he theatrically retreated. 

“Alright alright, I give up for now, but seriously you need to talk to him, he’s harmless like a cat, and he— Wait here, I’ll let him say it”.

Seonghwa sat you gently in the stool outside the tavern. You hugged yourself head spinning and legs trembling. You weren’t sure you were drunk anymore, the idea of Yunho and you… and Seonghwa…

A few minutes later you could hear the voices inside the tavern getting louder, and a couple of grunts and loud steps startled you. You stood up to check what was happening inside when suddenly the door opened, and Yunho was pushed outside, Seonghwa peeking his head by the door. “You two will settle this tonight. I won't let you in until you do.” with that said he closed the door behind him. 

“Bastard! Open up!!” Yunho grunted trying to open the door. Inside you could hear the voice of the tavern owner yelling at Seonghwa for barricading the door, to which you smiled, as if it would be a harder challenge to pretend he was struggling to keep them away, than actually doing it. You turned to Yunho, who kept grunting trying to open the door from outside, so you knew you had to do this quickly.

“Yunho,” you stood beside him, eyes on the dark starry night, calling him out but trying to avoid him at the same time. ��Seonghwa is right. We need to talk this up”.

“Talk about what? Oh yes, the fact that you pushed me back when I said … forget it”.

“Yes yes, about that.” you sighed.

“You know I wasn’t lying, so what do you want to pretend I did? That wasn’t even the only thing I was going to say before you punched me”. Yunho grunted.

You froze again. Oh no. Here it comes. ”What do you mean?” 

Yunho tried but quickly stumbled on his words, looking everywhere to focus his eyes on, but you. “I care about you, back there we could– have died, and that never scared me before,” you tensed up and crossed your arms over your chest, eyes drifting over to him. “Now that I have you two, I don´t know, I think I would like to live a little longer…” He was looking at his feet, but suddenly his eyes lifted and met yours.

“Yunho…”

“Fuck I´d rather be back fighting night creatures,” You knew he was going to back off if you didn´t say anything, and only the thought of him blocking himself to you made your guts swirl again.

“Yunho! Just say it!”

Yunho looked at you like a nervous dog waiting to be scolded. He looked anxious, he knew the words but he didn't know how to say them. Suddenly, both turned around and saw the knob turning without success.

“Geez. listen, I like you, I know you know but you always take everything I say so… lightly”.

“Yunho, you always say dumb things that get us in trouble, and you are always half drunk if not drunk completely, and– you always say how idealistic I am and how much it bothers you, you don't take me seriously either”.

“Yeah but that’s not things that make me dislike you, I actually admire those things, and you make us get in trouble far more than me by the record”.

“Oh you–”

“So, what I'm trying to say is that I like you– I do think you are beautiful, daring, and you always fight without trying to hurt innocent people, even if you don't like violence. I– never met someone like you before” 

You kept silent but smiled, you wanted to say a thousand things but words felt useless. You wanted to tell him that you liked him, even loved him as well. That you were grateful to have them both beside you on this journey. If he just did what you were thinking… If you just did it.

Yunho leaned towards you, smiling shyly and your eyes shone at how delicate he looked even if he was practically towering you up. He got closer and closer and you closed your eyes instinctively, waiting for him to brush his lips against yours at least, when the sudden stomp for the door being pushed open startled both, making Yunho move the inches back away from you. 

“So, is it settled?” Seonghwa laughed, getting breathless by the second as the bald tavern owner and the few other guys inside fell over him finally making him move away from the door.

Yunho smiles sweetly at you. A smile you had only seen on him the day the three fought and won against the night creatures of Dracula, back in the castle. 

You smiled at him, and then at Seonghwa. 

“Almost,” you replied sweetly, as Yunho and you helped Seonghwa stand up, as the men cursed at you three and closed the door in Seonghwa´s face. “Thanks Hwa, for giving us some time”.

Seonghwa smirked, flattened his jacket and started walking. “I´d hope you would kiss her at least Jeon, but you ain't very good with words”. 

“Bastard, you were listening?!” Yunho grunted, immediately following him down the stone path towards the in. The sun was coming up and you looked at the sky for a moment. The bickering of your two companions served as white noise and even behind Yunho´s cursing and Seonghwa´s snarky replies, you smiled.

 It felt so warm, like home, like a real family.

@mingsolo please do not repost/translate to other sites.

a/n: thank you for reading until the end! i have a half written part two for this, and yes,it gets spicey ;)

[wretchedelights]

A Spoiler-Free Guide to Dodging Marazhai's Romance Bugs

This info is based on the state of the game as of Hotfix 1.0.89. A lot of this will hopefully become irrelevant as Owlcat puts out more patches.

EDIT 10/01/2024 // 8PM ET - clarify companion quest info, correct info about post-recruitment scene, and add missing known bug info about doin the dirty for the first time

EDIT 11/01/2024 // 2PM ET - further changes to info about post-recruitment scene

I've seen a lot of people struggling to successfully romance Marazhai in Owlcat's Rogue Trader CRPG, due to Owlcat continuing their time-honored tradition of launching their games with an obscene amount of bugs.

After a lot of troubleshooting, I was able to successfully finish a sub!Marazhai romance with the "good" romance ending, and I ended up having a pretty good grasp on how the whole thing works. So I thought I'd share what I've learned to save others the trouble. This info should be good for both sub!Marazhai and dom!Marazhai.

Toybox

If you don't have it already, Toybox is highly recommended. You can get it on Nexus Mods. It will help you make sure things are progressing as expected, and fix some things if they get messed up. However, it's not necessary at this point if you're careful, the only thing you need it for is to fix some flags to get some really minor extra dialog.

If you choose to use toybox, you can see the tree + flags for the dialog you're currently in by clicking the "Dialog & NPCs" tab. You can also make flags show up directly in the dialog boxes in game with the "Preview" settings in the main tab. "Dialog Results" will show changes to flags + etudes that will happen if you choose a given dialog option. "Dialog Conditions" will show the conditions required for a dialog options to show. I kept both checked for my whole playthrough for peace of mind.

Flags/Etudes

There are some toybox flags + etudes that are important to Marazhai's romance. (flags are just values like true/false/a number, etudes are... properties set based on flags I guess? idk exactly). You can browse etudes in a tree structure in the "etudes" tab. If you need to change the value of a flag, do that in the "Search 'n Pick" tab.

Etude - Romances >> Marazhai should be flagged as "Active". If it says "Completed", something has gone wrong.

Etude - Romances >> Marazhai >> Counters >> Domination and Romances >> Marazhai >> Counters >> Submission. These determine Marazhai's attitude. If "Domination" is "Active", you get dom!Marazhai, if "Submission" is "Active", you get sub!Marazhai. You have to stick to one or the other, or Marz will be unhappy with you.

Flag - Ascention. This flag needs to be, I believe, minimum 4 by the time you get his final romance scene in Act 5 to get the "good" romance ending. It's pretty easy to get Ascention points as long as you play along with Marazhai, respect his uh... culture, and stick to your dom/sub role.

Etudes - Companions >> Marazhai >> Marazhai_States >> Domination and Companions >> Marazhai >> Marazhai_States >> Submission. You can safely ignore these, they don't actually affect the romance as far as I can tell :)

Regarding Marazhai's Companion Quest

Doing the sub!Marazhai route will lock you out of a certain outcome for Marazhai's companion quest. I don't think this is a bug, because narratively, it makes a lot of sense that this happens. However, the outcome you get locked out of could be considered the "ideal" outcome (though I also think this is debatable, and I was happy with my outcome/ending for my sub! Marazhai). You can get a good romance ending regardless of the outcome of this quest.

The flag related to Marazhai's personal quest is called TempestCounter, and you need it at 5+ for the "ideal" outcome. All TempestCounter points are based on whether Marazhai's dom or sub etude is active, outside of the points you get from the errand mentioned below. dom!Marazhai adds points, sub!Marazhai removes points. Which is why sub!Marazhai locks you out of an outcome.

Act 3 - Post Recruitment Scene

There are two versions of Marzipan's post-recruitment scene. The "Normal" version currently has a bug with dom/sub points, but you can work around it.

Normal - this is what most people see. There is an opportunity to get a dom or sub point in this dialog, but it's bugged so they're flipped. If you want your RT to be dom, pick the sub-y dialog option, and if you want your RT to be sub, pick the dom-y option.

Dogmatic party members starting drama - There's some confusion about what exactly triggers this. My recommendation to get this version of the scene: make sure you recruit Ulfar before you recruit Marazhai, and if you have Argenta and/or Heinrix with you for the Act 3 location, make sure you put them back in your party ASAP (they will get temporarily removed from it), so that they're with you for the event where you recruit Marazhai. To be safe, bring one of Argenta and/or Heinrix with you for Act 3. This dialog also has an opportunity for a dom or sub point, and is not currently bugged. ALSO it unlocks an errand that will lead to a little bit of extra dialog, and potential TempestCounter points.

Act 3 - Marazhai's Possessions

You'll get an act 3 companion quest for Marazhai where he asks you to help find some stuff he has stashed away. Eventually, you find a specific item he's very excited about. Make sure you let him keep this item. There's also an opportunity to get a dom or sub point here, but the flags are flipped again. So like last time, if you want your RT to be dom, pick the sub-y dialog, and if you want to be sub, pick the dom-y dialog.

Congratulations, this is the last flipped dom/sub flag situation you need to worry about! (at least, I'm not aware of any others)

***Also MILD SPOILER WARNING due to flag name***

I guess this is really only a spoiler if you're familiar with 40k lore but... anyways... This scene should probably start etude MarTookAgonizer, and should also probably start either PlayerTriedAgonizer or PlayerTriedAgonizerOnMar (depending on what you did). Start the appriate etudes manually for some fun little bits of bonus dialog later :)

***END SPOILER***

Act 4 - First Void Jump With Marz

In act 4, during you first void jump with Marazhai, he'll cause... problems. You'll ultimately have 3 ways to deal with this:

Let him do whatever tf he wants. Sets Companions >> Marazhai >> Marazhai_States >> Domination to active. Currently bugged, prevents completing the quest associated with this event and prevents romance progression.

Compromise? Sets Companions >> Marazhai >> Marazhai_States >> Sybarite to active. Confirmed to work for both dom!Marazhai and sub!Marazhai romance paths

Lock him up. Sets Companions >> Marazhai >> Marazhai_States >> submission to active. Immediately breaks the romance. Used to work with romance, but according to patch notes was causing Big Bugs so it just ends the romance now. It should get restored in a future patch, but for now, DO NOT PICK THIS.

Act 4 - Sleeping with Marz the First Time

There is a known bug where after you sleep with Marazhai for the first time after going for a "walk", you get dom!Marazhai flavoured dialog no matter what. The sub!Marazhai flavoured dialog for this doesn't even seem to be in the game. So... nothing you can do about it, but it won't break your romance. It will just seem a bit off if you've been doing the sub!Marazhai route.

Side Content - Equipping Super Cursed Item

This doesn't affect the actual romance in any way, but it's a bug you can experience if you have an active romance with Marazhai. There's a side planet where you can loot a SUPER cursed item, that warns you that you won't be able to take if off if you equip it. If you try to equip it anyway with romanced Marazhai in the party, you'll get a special interaction with him over it. Unfortunately, it's bugged, and as a result the item will be stuck on your character but with providing any benefits, so it effectively just removes one of your equipment slots, which is super annoying. Do recommend saving and then trying to equip the item just to see the scene though :)

Companion Quest Journal Bugs

You may notice Marazhai's optional Act 3 errand and his Act 4 companion quest not getting removed from the quest log. Don't stress it - if you've done what's required by them, you're good. The quest/errand is done, the journal entry is just stuck because it's bugged.

End

Aaaand that's pretty much it! There used to be a few other bugs affecting Marazhai's romance but they've since been patched. Now it's mostly a few issues early on, and then smooth sailing once you get past those.

General, non-bug-related tips for succesfful romance:

Don't be a coward, Marazhai respects wholeheartedly embracing Drukhari culture and will break things off if you don't

Stick to your established dom or sub role

Play along with Marazhai's shenanigans

Keep in mind that you really can't be a good person while completing this romance path

If you have any questions or need clarification on anything don't be afraid to ask! I'll do my best to help.

[lgbtqmanga]

New Releases Sep. 17, 2024

After School Etude (manga) vol. 1 by Hirune Cyan

When Minobe Chihiro is admitted to a private arts academy to study ballet, the last person he expects to train with is the surly second year Ichinomiya Shun. Yet by some stroke of luck, the two have been paired up for their school’s mandatory pas de deux practice. While Minobe has fallen at first sight for Ichinomiya’s superior dance sense, the second-year’s attitude leaves a lot to be desired. For Ichinomiya, paired with Minobe as a dance partner is not how he’d like to be spending his time. The grumpy upperclassman has his walls up, but Minobe’s puppy-like affection might be just what he needs!

Cheerful Amnesia (manga) vol. 4 by Tamamushi Oku

Arisa and Mari have finally decided to get married! The two are in a better position than ever to prepare for the ceremony now that they may know the cause of Arisa’s amnesia, except…Mari still hasn’t told her family about their relationship. And so, amidst all the wedding planning, Mari and Arisa go to greet Mari’s parents and announce their intentions—but will the pair be able to get through to them?

Cherry Magic! Thirty Years of Virginity Can Make You a Wizard?! (manga) vol. 12 by Yuu Toyota

Adachi and Kurosawa’s married life hits the first bump in the road when Kurosawa just won’t slow down on a work project! After he brushes off Adachi’s requests to let him pull some of the weight, insisting on taking care of everything himself, Adachi retaliates—by refusing to be intimate with Kurosawa until the big project is over! Will Kurosawa make it through and get his reward from Adachi?! As for Tsuge and Minato, it’s their six-month anniversary! They decide to rent motorcycles and spend a day touring around together, which proves to be the perfect opportunity for them to get a whole lot closer…

The Executioner and Her Way of Life (manga) vol. 5 by Mato Sato, Ryo Mitsuya, and nilitsu

Menou and her allies succeed in executing Manon Libelle, the mastermind behind the drug monstrine—but they are immediately attacked by one of the Four Major Human Errors who once destroyed the world, Pandæmonium. Up against an enemy who creates infinitely many monsters from her flesh, revives herself at will, and treats life and death as mere entertainment, Menou is driven into a corner. But just as she prepares herself for the end, the princess knight appears…

Hatsukoi Note (manga) vol. 1 by Amekiri

Shouya, a high school boy whose heart has never known romance, comes across an internet diary filled with wistful whispers of love toward the writer’s same-sex crush. A photo posted to the page provides a hint as to the blog’s owner: Tsubame, a fellow classmate known for being a lone wolf. Shouya realizes that his friend Ryuu is the object of the diary writer’s affections, so he attempts to play matchmaker…but where will his own feelings take him in the process?

I Can't Say No to the Lonely Girl (manga) vol. 4 by Kashikaze

After a dramatic intervention, Ayaka finally makes her heartfelt confession and prevents Sora from moving to Hokkaido. Their mutual affection deepens their relationship, calling for “requests” that demand more.  “Something besides kissing…”  Ayaka and Sora are feeling the heat, and they’re ready to jump into romance with no regrets.

I Cross-Dressed for the IRL Meetup (manga) vol. 1 by Kurano

"Cocoa” has made three best friends in her monthly meetup group, where girls get together every month to quell their sweet tooths by meeting up at the cutest and trendiest new dessert cafes. Cocoa is in it for the sweets--really!--but she's also harboring a few secrets: Not only does Cocoa have a crush on another one of the girls in the group, Opera, but she's actually a guy named Satoshi who's been cross-dressing in order to attend the all-girl group! During one meetup, things come to a head when Opera discovers that Cocoa is cross-dressing--and to Cocoa's surprise, Opera confesses that he is too! But Cocoa realizes that his attraction to Opera is more than clothing-deep, and as the two grow closer, they'll learn more about each other--and their own selves--than they could have ever imagined.

Just Like Mona Lisa (manga) vol. 2 by Tsumuji Yoshimura

As Hinase approaches their eighteenth birthday, their life continues to diverge from those of their peers. After Shiori and Ritsu both confess their feelings on the same day, confusion sets in as Hinase begins to see their two childhood best friends in a new light. And now that their body is starting to hint at transformation, Hinase must decide who to give their heart to before it's too late… What draws the line between friendship and romance?

Sailor Moon Naoko Takeuchi Collection (manga) vol. 10 by Naoko Takeuchi

Teenager Usagi is not the best athlete, she's never gotten good grades, and, well, she's a bit of a crybaby. But when she meets a talking cat, she begins a journey that will teach her she has a well of great strength just beneath the surface and the heart to inspire and stand up for her friends as Sailor Moon! The original Sailor Moon in a new, affordable edition.

Spoil Me Plzzz, Hinamori-san! (manga) vol. 1 by tsuke

Known throughout the school for her selflessness and perfect grades, there's not a single underclassman who doesn't look up to Yaya Suou--including Ichigo Hinamori. Turned down by her crush because of her childish image, Ichigo idolizes Yaya and wishes nothing more than to be as mature and elegant as her senpai. But Ichigo's perfect image of Yaya is shattered when she comes across her wallowing in self-pity in the nurse's office one day. The real Yaya is clumsy, clingy, and selfish--not at all like the perfect act she puts on. What's more, she's desperately starved for attention and now she won't leave Ichigo alone.

This Monster Wants to Eat Me (manga) vol. 2 by Sai Naekawa

“WHAT HAS YOU IN SUCH A HURRY TO DIE?” Shiori the man-eating mermaid has seen through Hinako’s lonely wish. The girl who spends her time in solitude bares the truth to her devourer—her family made one final request the day she lost them. But really, they cast a curse on her, eating away at her from the inside…Will her newfound confidant help Hinako overcome the tragedy of that day?

The Troublesome Guest of Sotomura Detective Agency (manga) by Kusama Sakae

Matsuda Kei is a private investigator who specializes in quirky cases centered on his local neighborhood around the shopping arcade. He’s recently taken on a new roommate (and lover) named Kamiko who is unemployed, ruthlessly horny, and was actually a classmate from his past. While the two work together to solve cases, they carry on in what starts as a strictly physical relationship… until Matsuda finds that this temporary situation he has entered with Kamiko might be turning into something more.

Twilight Out of Focus: Long Take Part 1 (manga) vol. 5 by Jyanome

Second-years Mao Tsuchiya and Hisashi Otomo make three promises: 1) That Mao will never tell anyone that Hisashi is gay and has a boyfriend, 2) That Hisashi will never think of Mao “in that way,” and 3) That they'll always knock before entering, in case someone is having some “private time.” The two's ground rules should ensure a peaceful life together in their dorm, but life is never as simple as it should be, and some things are not so easily promised in this latest volume…

[trashexplorer]

BLCD Review: Zanzou Slow Motion

Title: Zanzou Slow Motion (残像スローモーション)

Author/Artist: Janome

Shop: CD + Manga

Release Date: 2021/05/28

Cast:

Furukawa Makoto x Nakazawa Masatomo

Eguchi Takuya

Satou Gen

Tadokoro Hinata

Yasuaki Takumi

Matsuoka Yoshitsugu

Ichikawa Aoi

Yanagi Kouhei

Karino Sho

Synopsis:

What happens when two rival directors who hate each other's guts are forced to share one roof? And what if one of them has a secret he's been harboring for years? Throw in a shared love of movies, BL manga, and an accidental kiss, and you've got the next heart-pumping love story in Midorigaoka High and the sequel to Twilight Out of Focus 1. Jin Kikuchihara, third-year director, main actor, and president of the film club, and second-year director Giichi Ichikawa see eye-to-eye on very little. Jin is flashy, flirty, and focused on keeping everyone happy, while Giichi expects the best from himself and others, and will compromise nothing to see his vision through. Constantly at each other's necks, the two can hardly stand to be in the same club. But what will happen when family trouble forces them to live in the same room? Will their shared interests bring them closer as friends, push them further apart as rivals, or something else entirely?

Review Proper

I love Tasogare Outfocus, but this is actually my favorite Janome.

The second installment curse strikes again!

UGHHHHHHH THIS WAS SO WHOLESOME. Don't get me wrong, Tasogare Outfocus is written pretty decently, but I really don't like how Janome just glossed over Hisashi's SA and grooming like that. It reminds me a lot of Etude vol. 1. I can still get over Etude vol. 1 'cause it's not that uncommon to see in sports and Ichi-san's deal with Futami was given some closure in 2, but given how short Tasogare Outfocus was, Hisashi felt like he just lmao byed his teacher. 😔Doesn't help that it kinda doesn't matter anymore in overlap even though it hasn't been long since it ended. Is my son Hisashi really okay now? 🥹

I'm old, so DK BL doesn't appeal to me that much anymore. It's also hard to find good DK rivalries nowadays that aren't just about fucking or delinquents. Zanzou Slow Motion, however, just checked all the right boxes for the category: simple, no drama, and no loose ends. That coupled with Janome's element of touch?

And can we talk about this monologue?

Ugh.

I will say Jin's suspenders, Ichikawa's snatched waist, and the ABO shout-out greatly influenced my decision too. Y'all should get suspended in high school, not wear suspenders!

Onto the technicalities...

I don't think I've heard these two co-star before (or I just don't remember), so I was a bit skeptical especially 'cause last I heard Makonyan in a DK was in, well... Given as BLCD!Ritsu. And where else did we hear Yuuma star in a DK too? Yuuma as Anime!Ritsu. We just had Given Anime!Ritsu in Tasogare Outfocus being somewhat friends with Ichikawa and now we have BLCD!Ritsu (thanks to ecargmura for catching this!) trying to romance him. They used very different tones for Ritsu, but the vibe was the same overall. THEY'RE THE SAME PERSON. Makonyan and Nakamo also played tops in the last works I heard of them (Makonyan as Takaba in Kurui Naku and Nakamo as Yakumo in Nu:carnival), so I was concerned about a lot of things. Thankfully, however, instead of Makonyan going for his Ritsu tone or his lighter Kimitte Yatsu for a more youthful vibe, he went all shounen in here lmaooo.

His bwakame was so funny it reminded me of this:

I love roasting Makonyan more than any other seiyuu out of fondness, but I'm really proud of how far he's gone. He's gotten so much better in his delivery, and it's obvious in his budding anime career, too.

But...

I didn't expect there would be improvements in his bedding techniques too...

What the fuck was that? HAHAHAHAHAHA. WAIT. No, y'all don't understand. I have most of this man's r-18 otome CDs and BLCDs, and I have never heard him this... this hot before???? Jin is such a smooth flirt, so I had some expectations on the delivery, but FURUKAWA MAKOTO HISSES. HE HISSES!!! SIR IS THIS APPROPRIATE BEHAVIOUR FOR A HIGH SCHOOL BOY??? THEY DON'T EVEN SHOW THEM DO THE DO FOR MORE THAN A MINUTE??? WHERE WAS THE NEED?!

PUTS THE GODDAMN FU IN FURUKAWA MAKOTO ALRIGHT!

First it was Ono Yuuki, now it's Makonyan. Is Nakamo's ass really that good that his tops go all in???

I admittedly don't have a lot to say about Nakamo because that man always slays. I was afraid that Makonyan would overpower him during their Netflix and chill, but as soon as I had that thought, Nakamo pushed back like??? THEM SHAKIRA HIPS DON'T LIE!

HOW DO I LEGALLY MARRY GINGER RECORDS???

I didn't read the scan or the official English release 'cause I actually had the raws, so I can't vouch for the translation. As for faithfulness to the manga, however, I need to stress that there were a lot of rearranged events and cut dialogue. One notable instance was Ichikawa's message for Jin. It was placed after their kiss in the last chapter, so I believe that these changes are quite significant. It is still possible to read the manga while listening to the BLCD, but I suggest reading the manga once first so you're aware of which pages you need to jump to.

Chil-chil Awards 2022 was a scam 'cause this wasn't nominated for ANYTHING! This might actually just be my favorite BLCD of 2021... and Makonyan was my favorite actor in this series so far. OKITSU AND MAKONYAN REALLY SWITCHED IN THIS LOG HAHAHAHA. Makonyan and Nakamo at least won in my heart. 😌 Definitely listen to this if you're a Makonyan fan or if you're a fan of the series in general. It's also perfect if you're looking for something light and sweet but immersive at the same time. Chesk gives this a 9/10! Only the third 9 after Sonna ni and KD!

[lorirwritesfanfic]

A Ballad To No One

Book: The Royal Romance Character: Hana Lee Rating: G Word count: 670 Reading time: ~1min Summary: Hana carries a secret she isn't willing to share with just anyone. Based on the prompt: @choicesnovchallenge: Music/Musicians Day

Author’s notes:

Hana Lee belongs to Pixelberry Studios;

I was supposed to post this during @hanaleeappreciationweek, but my muse wasn't cooperating at the time;

I'm picturing Hana in this oneshot as a child/pre-teen, before the ball she rebelled against her parents playing a song out of key on purpose.

Hands glided on the piano keys as Hana once again tried to follow the fast paced notes of Chopin's Étude Op. 10 No. 4. At this point, she didn't even know how many times she had repeated that tricky bar in which she missed the tempo. Or how long she had been practicing that same piece since her classes ended. Her mother would host a party in two days and for some reason she couldn't fathom, her mother insisted Hana should play Étude Op. 10 No. 4. Of all Chopin's etudes, why did she choose the hardest one?

As her ring finger slipped, hitting the wrong key, she frowned. Taking a deep breath, she looked back at the sheet music, hummed the bar one more time at a slower pace, then began to play again. As she got it right, she tried again, but faster. Then a little faster. Faster! Faster! Faster! Before she could avoid it, the wrong note echoed in the room, making a strange, dissonant sound.

Huffing in frustration, Hana placed both hands on her legs and took a deep breath. If it was up to her, she could tear that stupid sheet music and never play that piece again. She didn't even like that piece. But she couldn't say no and walk out of the room. Whenever her parents told her to do something, there was no time for questions, scowls or long faces. She did as she was told and that was it. But just because she didn't protest it didn't mean she was happy to obey.

Why so many etiquette lessons? Why did she have to take such strange classes completely unrelated to one another? 'It'll prepare you for courtly life', her mother used to say. But what was the use of preparing herself to live somewhere she didn't even know, for a life she didn't choose?

Hana shook her head, as if to shake away those thoughts and looked back at the sheet music again. Tapping her right foot on the floor, Hana studied the tempo once more and played it slower again. 

"Such a dull piece..." She thought to herself. It didn't have a nice melody. it wasn't fun to play... Did anyone ever feel anyone except anxiety while playing this? Did anyone who play it had any other intention to play it except show off how skilled they were at the piano? 

Playing the piano shouldn't make her feel like this... Is music a form of art? Isn't it a form of expression for the author of the piece? Shouldn't the performer feel something about it?

Hana then stopped playing and closed Chopin's songbook. There was no point in playing it. Looking down at the piano keys, the young girl tried to remember the last time she felt something while playing the piano. It wasn't during any of the parties hosted by her parents. Nor during recitals. She always felt uncomfortable while playing for an audience.

As her fingers ambled on the piano keys again, following the chromatic scale, memories of her first piano classes flooded her mind. How exciting it felt to play for the first time, the warm ups, learning music theory, the first piece she ever played, the first song she wrote... 

Once she played the key she failed so many times, it sparkled something within her. She then played a chord that sounded nice with the note, creating an harmonic sound. Hana continued to play without any sheet music, occasionally writing the sequence of notes and chords in her notebook. 

Before her, an original piece came to life. Quite a surprise, given how rare inspiration struck. As Hana played the song once again, she pictured someone dancing, gracefully following the rhythm. She couldn't see their face, but something told her they were smiling. 

As the song came to an end, a sense of yearning spread in her chest. Composing this piece was quite fulfilling, yet she couldn't help but wish she could've seen that someone's face. Perhaps they would like to dance while she played. Carrying her notebook, Hana closed the piano lid and stood up to leave the music room. For now, no one would know about it. But hopefully, someday she would meet someone who would dance to her song.

[aislynn-wiley1999]

The Duet

After her house loses a Quidditch match, Aislynn finds herself drawn to the Undercroft with promise of silence. Instead she finds Ominis, who has transfigured a piano.

A/N: Light angst and fluff. No heavy romance, but two people who can’t bring themselves to admit feelings.

Word Count: 2.4k

Chapter 7 of “Three Headed Serpent”, full fic found on AO3 here!

Slytherin’s were notorious for being sore losers and haughty winners. So when the first Quidditch game of the term saw the victory go to Ravenclaw and not them, the Slytherin student body sulked. Massively. Most of the older students, including Sebastian, headed off to Hogsmeade to drink away the shame they had. I had never known Sebastian to be a very humble person, so it was no surprise that he took the loss especially hard as the team’s keeper.

I had no desire to watch him, Imelda, and the other team members make fools of themselves in Hogsmeade, so I decided that my time was better spent doing some reading. Mind you, not reading for school. I had recently fallen into the trap of Jane Austen, and I needed to know if Mr. Darcy and Lizzie reconciled after his failed proposal. The common room was not an option, as those who could not go out and drink in public tended to mope about the common room and drink whatever shit brew they could find.

As I approach the entrance to the Undercroft, I thank my brain once again for not allowing me the courage to try out for Quidditch. I am not the least bit athletic and have no desire to be dodging and chasing things.

I creep into the dark room, but stop dead in my tracks when I register the noise. Except, ‘noise’ may be a cruel word for what I hear right now. The soft melody of a piano floats up through the room. Venturing further, I see the piano and its musician in a dark corner of the room, illuminated only by a few small candles.

Ominis is seated, his eyes closed in total concentration, playing the familiar melody with ease. The sight and sound merge into one of the most beautiful things I have ever beheld in my time at Hogwarts, and I am not eager to give myself away before he finishes. He looks angelic, like a being I have never before seen. The focus on his face is evident as he squeezes his eyes shut, playing the haunting tune.

I am mesmerized. I feel as though I have never heard music before hearing him play today, and like the music I will hear in future will not compare. His slender fingers move gracefully as he plays the last few bars. I watch as his hands pause on the keys before slowly lifting them away, sighing with triumph at his playing.

“That was beautiful,” I say. Perhaps beautiful was too plain a word for what it was. It’s clear that I have startled him with my words, as his head turns abruptly in the direction of my voice. I watch him for a moment, as he pants and drops his hands into his lap.

“I didn’t know you were down here,” he stammers out, as if he was disturbing me. “I can stop, if you plan on doing work.” The tips of his ears turn pink, made even more obvious by the candle light that flickered near him. I shake my head, before actually speaking.

“Ominis, it was beautiful. I- I don’t even know how else to describe the way it was.”

A small smile dances on his lips. “Thank you. It’s one of my favorites. The piece, I mean. It’s by-”

“Chopin,” we say at the same time, causing his smile to widen. “Do you play?” he asked me.

Gnawing on the inside of my cheek, I suppress a laugh. “Barely. Not since coming to Hogwarts, at least. I only really remember some of the etudes that were drilled into me during lessons.”

He scoots over on the piano bench. “Show me,” he says, more of a command than a suggestion. This time I let out a laugh. “Prepare to be utterly disappointed,” I say, grinning.

He shakes his head, still wearing a smile. “I promise, I will not be.”

I sit next to him on the bench, our legs touching and our shoulders pressing together. My mind races on what I should play, having not touched the keys for almost two years at this point. Settling on a Bach etude that I remember somewhat from my adolescence, I place my fingers on the keys.

This time it is noise that comes out of the piano. The etude is not one I have entirely memorized, and I have to pause a few times. In addition, wrong notes sour the melody and I can’t seem to decide if I want to play fast or slow. Thankfully the piece is short, and I find myself playing the last chord with a sense of relief.

I glance over, studying his face. He is wearing a crooked smile, perhaps trying to hide laughter. “Lovely,” he says, almost breathily.

I snort, releasing a giggle. “You are a horrible liar,” I tell him, leaning against him with my shoulder. “Don’t speak to me with poetry, I know that I am a horrendous piano player.” Another thought comes into mind, causing me to laugh. “Have you read Pride and Prejudice?”

Ominis shakes his head. “I feel awfully similar to Lizzie Bennet at this moment, she also can’t play the piano. In the book, she makes a fool of herself doing so in front of the man that is in love with her. I haven’t finished it yet, but I am certain that they will marry. We should try to find you a braille copy!” I say, laughing.

He doesn’t say anything back, and I look over expectantly. Ominis’ cheeks are a bright pink, as if I have said something to embarrass him. “Are you okay?” I ask him.

He nods, but doesn’t say anything just yet. I absentmindedly tap a few keys on the piano before thinking out loud. “I wish that my hands moved like yours on the piano.”

This causes him to speak. “Really, you were not bad at playing. I quite enjoyed it, you should play the next time all three of us are down here,” he says, kindly. He seems to think for a moment, unsure of if he should speak.

“Do you want to try something?” he asks, turning towards me a bit. My eyebrows raise slightly. “Ominis, I don’t think I have it in me to play a duet with you,” I say sheepishly. This earns a genuine laugh from him as he shakes his head. Standing up, he steps behind me on the bench before reaching his arms on either side of me to touch the keys.

“Put your hands on top of mine,” he tells me.

My hands obey his command, tentatively resting on top of his. His skin is soft and cold, his fingers long and graceful in comparison to mine, yet my hands feel on fire as they sit on his.

Ominis slowly starts to move his fingers on the keys, my hand mimicking his. He plays the same melody as before, albeit much slower. The room fills with nothing but music and the sound of our breathing, our breath almost in sync with each other. The piece is tragic and soft, and this moment feels far more intimate than anything else in my memory. His fingers are gentle, commanding perfection from the instrument.

When the piece finishes, we don’t move our hands away. I can feel his breath on the back of my head, how quick it is.

“I was right about you and your lovely playing,” he whispers into one of my ears. His voice sends a chill down my spine, and I instinctively lean back slightly into him.

“You really are a horrible liar,” I say back, my voice a low whisper. The room feels too silent now, just our breathing and the creak of the bench. He doesn’t respond, standing still against me. I notice that he has stayed stationary, despite being pressed against me. My mind races from this small contact, from the contact our hands still have. It frightens me.

I quickly lift my hands away from his, leaving his fingers alone on the keys. My hands feel cold, and I watch as he lifts his arms around me and moves away from my body.

“Why did you come down here?” he asks suddenly. I turn around to look at him, watching as he rubs the back of his neck with one hand. His other hand is absentmindedly flexing at his side, his fingers stretching and then creating a fist.

“I came down to read, to be alone. Or,” I say, trying to correct myself. “At least get away from the moping that was happening in the common room.”

He smiles. “Let me get out of your hair, give you quiet so you can read.”

“No! I mean… stay and play for me while I read. If you want,” I add, smiling at him. He looks unsure, but nods. I pick my book up from where I set it and look around for the sofa that I transfigured months ago. “Where is the sofa?” I ask him.

He turns, smiling mischievously. “Where do you think the piano came from?” he asks me knowingly. I laugh. “You prick! You transfigured my reading couch?”

He nods sheepishly. “I was going to change it back when I left, before you came back down.”

I shake my head. “No, leave it. The piano does so much more good for the room.”

Ominis smiles, before turning back to the piano. I watch his body rise and fall with a big breath, before I am floating as music fills the room once more.

[vgperson]

Vocaloid Highlights: December 2022

If it's dull... dash outta there!! Highlights Archive

========== Stand-Outs ========== Eat Sleep Play-Oink Poison Apple Imaginary Citizen CAT HOOD Cafe JazzySnow Spectrum Dull!! Nekommunication Orbit Lily Alert TWILIGHT OATH Dream in Darkness Fall with U Pinched BlackFlagBreaker!! Dash Outta There! Color Matching SnowMix♪ It's Not Christmas Clay Snow Neon Such a Fantasy Deception Unavoidable Cheese Each Time Beautiful Peacock

========== Worth Your Time ========== Out of Sight Tiger Girl Ceiling Observation Journal Love Song temp. Limit Mandala From Unending Winter With Love Aquatic Innocent Veil LIFE IS BEAUTIFUL Pipopuppet Orion Flame Light Veil Lily Aflame Mystery Highway Hypnosist Boule de Neige Venomous Snake Seaside Memory Zunda Will Be An Idol! You Won't Listen To This Song Anyway December Icy girl, love comes water Returning From the Witching Hour Anonymous Undead White crow Duo's Symmetry Strange Love Happy Wedding Tower Towabanaya Jesus Be My Guest Imitation Sermon Fragrantly-Blooming Water's Surface Education Theory CUGE!! Cliff Merry-Go-Round Soap Missing Star Parallel Highway Breathing at Planet's End Masterpiece Doesn't Matter Night Token Miniature Melt Into Mercuy Knight of Kairos Trade-Off Eternity E na Doctor White Night Irony Resilience Pathological Jealousy Interglacial Old-Folks Town Mind Numbing Legs For Whom Aten Pluto Nursery Etude Daedalus Won't Drop It For Me Hallelujah to the Night Sky ember Sweet Fish Living in Hell Canopus At Night Sweet Winter Polka-Dot Castanet Yet Resume Self Antithesis Seconds-Hand Strike Permafrost Research: 13th Month Wandering Log Now It's Fine. GOAT Silky Kashika illuminate (everyday) Update Present BRIGHT FUTURE Happy Merry Dress Blooming Bells 120 Misfortune Overflow Rust White (No Title) Star Field Dead Stock Science Pavlovian Love Ghost Romance Ever Green Gestalt Skyscraper Melantrick Hyperinflation Mercenary Scrapper Slumber Indeed Sinks Goodbye, Shoegazer Please Instruct Me? Earth Snake Good Kid and Kitsune

[whirld-of-color]

it’s me, michael!

local sticksona so camera-averse that he put a box on his head and called it a day

i draw animation vs minecraft stuff. big big fan of green and gold and mango and purple and-

my art requests are always open. you have to understand that i fucking love it when people ask me to draw stuff and it will get me to draw stuff infinitely faster than anything else. every day art block tries to kill me

you can also send my ocs asks! or just like, talk to me about stuff. im down with that.

i’m working on @animation-vs-romance, go check that blog out if you want :)

TAGS:

#original posting: art that i’ve made, that i consider “good”

#michael talks: some of my bullshit ramblings

#oc reference: go here if you want the basic info about any of my ocs!

#seaside au: an au about pirates and mermaids and fantasy!

#avm jsab au: a green-centric crossover au!

#debug au: you know those guys in avm 30? what if they were wracked with guilt and also evil corporation

#wishing well au: go resurrect your son from the dead mango im sure you won’t summon any horrors!! masterpost here

#tober prompts: inktober prompts i did!

OC TAGS:

#blueberry tag: local wet cat of a man manages to create an extremely unstable on-off relationship with mango tango

#unfinished tag: not for unfinished works, but for an oc named unfinished who was made by alexcrafter. he’s just some kid who sews!

#eigengrau tag: horror movie monster with big sad eyes who escaped from a lab and is friends with unfinished, a 12 year old child

#fledgling tag: little triangle guy. it is just a little thang

#153 tag: some gayass lawyer or whatever. ace attorney looking… affiliated with @ freeeesticks

#panache tag: anime theif with an extensive criminal record! affiliated with @ clan-obsidian. click on images, they’re transparent!

#match and pair tag: portal oc twins who hate each other in a new and special way <3 they’re soulmates (derogatory)

#etude tag: he has a cute hat and a violin. also he raises the dead with music a la crypt of the necrodancer! he has 3 entire romantic interests!

#byzar tag: an enderman oc- exiled royalty, dead parents, general air of drama, the works!

#sona art: art of my persona, shown above!

for a quicker guide to my ocs, you may also consult this venn diagram!

[classicalpianovibes]

Sibelius: pieces to listen to

In honor of Jean Sibelius' birthday (and Finland's independence day 6th Dec) I made this list of his works to listen to:

Symphony, op. 39 no. 1

Violin concerto op. 47

Tapiola, op. 112 (A symphonic poem)

Romance for violin and piano, op. 78 no. 2

The Spruce (from "The Trees") op. 75 no. 5

Etude, op. 76 no. 2

Waltz, op. 81 no. 3

Valse triste, op. 44

Finlandia, op. 26 (A symphonic poem)

Karelia suite, op. 11

Sydämeni laulu, op. 18 no. 6

[dove-da-birb]

My Vinyl Collection!

*because idk I want to list things; I'll try to include the year it was published as well

Warning LONG LIST that I nearly cried writing because WHY are classical songs SO DAMN LONG?!

The Philadelphia Orchestra with Eugene Ormandy *unknown date

Afternoon of a Faun (Debussy)

Daphnis and Chloe, No. 2 (Ravel)

La Mer (Debussy)

William the Overture [Philadelphia Orchestra with Eugene Ormandy, again] *unknown date

Offenback: Orpheus in the Underworld

Smetana: The Bartered Bride

Thomas: Mignon

Suppe: The Beautiful Galatea

Highlights from the Sleeping Beauty Ballet by Tchaikovsky [Rias Symphony Orchestra, Herbert Charlier] *1957

... it doesn't list the songs ...

Tchaikovsky's Greatest Ballets: Suites from The Nutcracker/Swan Lake [Arthur Fielder/Boston Pops] *unknown date

The Nutcracker

Overture

March

Spanish Dance; Arabian Dance; Chinese Dance; Trepak; Dance of the Mirlitons

Waltz of the Flowers

Dance of the Sugar-Plum Fairy; Coda

Final Waltz

Swan Lake

Waltz

Dance of the Little Swans

Pas de deux

Hungarian Dance

Spanish Dance

Neapolitan Dance

Final Scene

James Last in Concert *unknown date

Side 1

Theme from "Elvira Madigan", Andante from the concert for piano and orchestra no. 21 in C. major, K. 467. Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart

Presto from the symphony no. 7 in A major, Op. 92. Ludwig van Beethoven

Romance for violin and orchestra in F major, Op. 50. Ludwig van Beethoven

Impromptu no. 2 in A flat major, Op. 142. Franz Schubert

Air from the suite no. 3 in D major, BWV 1068. Johann Sebastian Bach

Impromptu no. 3 in G flat major, Op. 90. Franz Schubert

Side 2

Adiago from the sonata "Pathetique" no. 8 in C minor, Op. 13. Ludwig van Beethoven

Slavonic Dance no. 10. Antonín Dvořák

Andante from the violin concerto in E minor, Op. 64 Felix Mendelssohn

Prelude 1 in C major. Johann Sebastian Bach

Andante from the symphony no. 5 in C minor, Op. 67. Ludwig van Beethoven

Ballet Music from "Prince Igor". Alexander Porfiryevich Borodin

April in Paris [The Melachrino Strings and Orchestra with Trio Musette de Paris] *1963

April in Paris

The Song from Moulin Rouge

Autumn Leaves

C'est si bon

J'attendrai

Madelon

La Seine

The Poor People of Paris

Clopin Clopant

Mon manege a moi; I love Paris

In a French Nursery Garden;

Sur le pont D'Avignon; Au claire de la lune; Frere Jacques

La Mer (Beyond the Sea)

The Piano Classics [unknown artists and date, European Import]

Fur Elise [Ludwig van Beethoven]

Impromptu Op. 142 no. 2 [Franz Schubert] Moment musical no. 3

Traumerei from Scenes of Childhood [Robert Schumann] The Prophet Bird from Woodland Scenes

Nocturne Op. 9 No. 2 [Frédéric Chopin]

Liebestraum [Franz Liszt]

"Raindrops" Prelude [Frédéric Chopin]

"Tristesse" Etude [Frédéric Chopin]

Barcarolle [Frédéric Chopin]

Clair de Lune [Claude DeBussy]

A Piano Invitation to the Dance [Ann Schein] *unknown date

Weber-Tausig: Invitation to the Dance, Opus 65

Medtner: Danza Festiva, Opus 38

Halffter: Dance of the Shepherdess (Danza de la Pastora)

Bartok: Roumanian Folk Dances

Bizet-Rachmaninoff: Minute from "L'Arlesienne"

Chopin: Waltz in D flat major, Opus 64, no. 1 ("Minute) | Mazurka is A flat major, Opus 59, no. 2 | Mazurka in F sharp minor, Opus 59, no. 3 | Polonaise Fantaisie in A flat major, Opus 61

Sander Van Marion: Improvisaties op het orgel in de Evangelisch Lutherse Kerk, Den Haag *unknown date (realized this was religious after further inspection, oh well, it's organ??? music)

PS. 72 ,,Laat Ons De Grote Naam Bezingen"

,,Als Stormen Woeden"

,,Loof De Koning, Heel Mijn Wezen"

,,Heer Van Uw Kerk"

,,Komt Laat Ons Voortgaan Kinderen"

,,O Hoogt" En Diepte Looft Nu God"

PS. 25 ,,Here, Maak Mij Uwe Wegen Door Uw Woord En Geest Bekend"

,,Alle Volken, Looft De Here"

,,Jezus Ga Ons Voor"

,,Neem Heer Mijn Beide Handen"

,,Wat De Toekomst Brenge Moget"

Lawrence Welk Polkas *unknown date

Hoop-dee-doo

Barroom polka

Julida polka

Dakota polka

Laughing polka

Emilia polka

Tinker polka

Kit Kat polka

Chopsticks polka

Russian Folk Songs [assorted choruses] *circa Soviet Russia

The stage coach is racing [Vot mchitsa pochtovaya]

Through the village [Vdol dyerevni]

Oh, my sweetheart [Ekh ty, duschechka]

The week [Nyedyelya]

The shades of night are falling [Noch uzh nastupayet]

Along the dusty road [Po pylnoy doroge]

Vanya can't sleep [Vanye nochenku nye spitsa]

In the Zhiguli hills [V Zhigulyakh]

The wide steppes [Shirokiye styepi]

Oh, you mists [Oi, tumany moyi]

Moravian polka [Moravskaya polka]

The chain-gang [Kolodniki]

@krenenbaker

[cawyden-gaming]

Rogue Trader - Toybox - General and Heinrix specific information

You can use toybox to check and change values e.g. if you want try out or fix things or help with the game (e.g. reskill without cost etc.).

For the Heinrix romance you can find the values for the closeness and devil flirt counters here and you can influence the romance status (start/complete...).

Toybox:

(Mod on Nexusmods) or get the newest version from GitHub: Here.

After patch you usually have to update - just get the newest version from GitHub and overwrite the existing toybox folder in your game path.

Installation

Install as instructed on Nexusmods or as explained here:

unzip

rename folder (at start and end is a zero) to: 0ToyBox0

Put it in the UnityModManager folder for the game und AppData e.g. if you installed it under hard drive C it would be -> C:\Users\\AppData\LocalLow\Owlcat Games\Warhammer 40000 Rogue Trader\UnityModManager

Please keep in mind that the AppData folder is usually hidden and has to be displayed first (check your folder settings) and you need to have started the game first once to have the path available

-> To call it in game press CTRL + F10

Bag of Tricks

The first tab has a lot of quality of life things that might be helpful to you.

set a key bind to instant kill enemies (if you are in a hurry)

give you resources like reputation points etc.

suppress jealousy + gender limitations for romance

suppress conviction restriction for dialog

etc.

Party

Here you can set (under Stats) your abilities and conviction points. You might need to decrease some points first and then save to allow another conviction to increase above the threshold (I think 45 points for stage 2?).

Oh and free respec - but not from origin - for that you might want to try the Level Up tab but no idea if this works.

Dialog & NPCs

Here you can see in some cases if you require a certain threshold (e.g. devil points) to see a conversation or if something is triggered (like here Start etude (Heinrix) would start his romance)

Etudes/Search'n Pick

For the Etudes you can go to the Search'n Pick tab and on the left side check for Etudes and then enter in the left search "Rom" or "Romances" to get the romance etudes displayed.

If you see "Start" it hasn't started yet. If you see"Complete" and "Unstart" it has started. Pressing on "Start" should start the romance.

E.g. - here is the situation after the first talk (in RTs quarters) with Heinrix where I did not use any of the dialog lines to start his romance:

And here if I have the bridge talk with him where I choose the "lonely" line to start his romance:

For the devil/closeness counters go to "Search 'n Pick" tab and on the left side to "Flags". You can search for "Heinrix_R" to show his romance flags and change the values (don't forget to save before closing the toybox screen)

Corruption points

The flag CorruprionInterrogator (-> please check the spelling - it is not corrupTion but corrupRion) is the one responsible to make Heinrix leave the inquisition (if romanced) see info here how to get the points in game).

If you missed a dialog option or got a bug you can use toybox to manually set the counter.

You need value 2 for the date scene in act 4 to get additional dialog to get another corruption point. For the 2nd romance scene ("freeze" scene) you need 3 points for Heinrix to leave the inquisition.

At some point it will set etude Heresy for Heinrix to leave the inquisition. So if you are very late in game deciding to have him stay, it might be that the corruption point counter is not taken into account anymore when you change it. In this case check the Heresy etude - if it is active he will stay, if not then he will return to the inquisition.

Act 4

1st romance scene: Date

Trigger is explained here.

Etude name: QuietEvening

2nd romance scene: Freeze

Should trigger after doing the main quest on Euphrates II when you leave the planet. There is currently a bug where it does not work, then you can use toybox as workaround and press the play button to play the scene directly (-> but NOT on Euphrates II, go to your ship first).

Jealous scene

You can trigger it (even if you do not romance anyone else, just to see how Heinrix reacts) with toybox too:

Look for the etude Jealousy_ktc and start it - it should trigger the jealous scene (in my case I set it right before leaving Euphrates II and got it after Heinrix's freeze/romance scene).

-> Don't forget to save before closing the toybox screen if you want to keep the changed values.

Heinrix quest flags and endings

Please see here for some Heinrix specific quest flags and how it affects the endings.

Romance related scenes:

Act 1:

- first talk after recruitment + bridge talk afterwards (-> some lines are available in later acts but not all and there are romance related lines (e.g. asking him if he is lonely) in there too)

Act 2:

- Footfall docks (when he returns). You can also have afterwards a mission talk with him but I haven't found romance related lines in there.

- Pillars of Viridice (black ship on ice planet -> has to be done in act 2! If you take other companions with you he will get interrupted by one of them but you can go back to the ship after the scene to get your crew for the later fights in the ship)

- Janus (end of quest after you deal with the governor he will initiate the talk when you leave her office)

- Talk after his quest on Kiava Gamma (in your study + bridge talk afterwards. You can unlock playing (repeatedly) regicide with him)

- Dragonus ceremony (talk with him before you leave for your chambers)

Act 3:

- At the beginning talk on bridge about what happened at the ceremony

- In Commoragh when you find him and in the pit (or you can do Commoragh without him by taking him not with you to the quest where you get captured, then you will get a romance scene at the start of Act 4)

Act 4

- Beginning of Act 4 talk (about Commoragh - just a bridge talk if he was there or a romance scene if he wasn't and you unlock the option to sleep with him whenever you like)

- Early Act 4 during travel (date) (after his companion quest?)

- After Euphrates 2 (optional jealous scene) and romance scene (if you have three or more corruption points you get additional dialog in his romance scene and a bridge talk option afterwards -> this has nothing to do with the conviction, if you go full heretic he will leave you before Euphrates 2! These corruption points are only for him to leave the inquisition to stay with the RT.

Act 5

- Before end planet talk on bridge (you can click several times on him and you will get new dialog but the main romance related one is the first one).

[the-orion-scribe]

I'm repaying the favour, and asking about your OCs:

How well do the triplets get along with each of their siblings? Which sibling does each triplet get along with best? Do any of them feel that one of the others is 'the golden child'?

(as someone with a few siblings, I have to ask these questions)

Ah good questions! (From left to right: Nita, Nilam and Taka)

How well do the triplets get along with each of their siblings?

Generally, quite well. Though Taka resents Nita's authority (she claims to be the eldest, though only 13 minutes). Nita's more upright and inflexible attitude, as he mused in The Orion Journal, was enough to draw both him and Nilam insane. Taka is generally closer to Nilam and loves to plan pranks and heists with her, but he also confides his problems with Nita, acknowledging her as the most mature of the three.

Which sibling does each triplet get along with best?

As said earlier, Nita and Taka both felt close to Nilam. I quite think of Nilam to be the glue of the triplets, also mediating whatever conflicts the two might have (whether a disagreement over a certain discovery or a fact, or how to deal with a crisis).

For Nilam herself, it's a difficult question. But I say probably Nita (sorry Taka!). To Taka's credit, she likes mischief, the outdoors and adventuring, but I think she still shares similar troubles (like romance, clothes and makeup) with Nita, which I think overall is the more deciding factor.

Do any of them feel that one of the others is 'the golden child'?

I think this is an inevitable thought that crossed each of the triplets' minds. Like, each of them has their own distinctive talents and traits that set them out from each other. After all, all three still share the same desire to carry on their family's legacy and live up to it.

Nita is the most academically inclined of the three, and the most responsible. (Note I say academically inclined, since I felt all three are equally intelligent, but use their brains differently. Much like Hirsch said about the twins). She often gets praise from her teachers and parents for studying hard and her grades, and is the most sociable.

Nilam takes after her mother's musical talents (her seven fingers help a lot in her piano playing -- you should listen to her rendition of Chopin's Etude one day), and also her Aunt Mabel's artistic talents and creativity. And she has a slight tendency for violence, with a black belt in taekwondo and karate. She might not win a lot of academic awards, but a lot of other prizes and is very diligent in her endeavours.

And Taka... his deeper nature is quite like his father taking after his curiosity and adventure bug. And has a love for journalling and keeping trinkets. Dipper would sometimes unconsciously pay more attention to Taka, for he also has a curious birth condition of heterochromia. It's not a big secret that Taka would eventually take up his father's mantle, much like how Ford passed on the torch to Dipper.

So yeah, I guess they would be envious of each others' talents, and assume one is like the "most favoured".

Anyway, back to @mymanyfandomramblings: Among the three here, who do you think is the most a-dork-able? 😄