#the cursed Theodora stories continue

[smol-blue-bird]

@angelic-dangos this post is like a million years old now, but I just read another Very Cursed duology, so get ready for Cursed Narses Stuff (also readmore so my other followers don't have to see it lol)

The thing about Narses (and eunuchs in general) is that a lot of authors don't really know how to handle them because they don't fit neatly into the male/female gender binary—like, obviously, that's kind of the point of a eunuch, but tons of writers just cannot deal with the concept of a person who has male DNA, but a different hormonal situation and social role. Sometimes these writers handle their discomfort with eunuchs as a concept by making every main eunuch Just A Regular Guy--they'll be like "he's a eunuch, but he doesn't look like one, and he still has a sex drive, and women are still into him, and he's good in bed, and he still has kids" and so on, basically making these eunuch characters eunuchs in name only. A lot of books do this with Narses specifically, because he's usually a prominent character and they need him to seem "manly" enough to believably command troops. One book (The Female, which is an old 50s novel basically built on hilarious sexism) essentially said that all eunuchs are creepy and evil except Narses, who's "normal," and there are plenty of other books that portray Narses as the sole "good" eunuch in a sea of strange, sexless weirdos. Some of them even straight-up claim that he isn't actually a "real" eunuch for some reason or another because they're just that uncomfortable with the concept. If an author gets obsessive enough about this, all of their scenes with Narses start to come across as really odd because they perseverate so much on his "manliness." They'll be like "here comes Mr. Normal Genitals, who has a regular functioning penis and can still have sex!" It starts to give off very "she breasted boobily down the stairs" energy, y'know?

Other books, though, kind of take the opposite side and say "well, eunuchs are just, like, feminine men, right? So they must be into Stereotypically Girly Things, like dresses and gossip and being submissive in bed!" Many of these authors clearly don't know what being a eunuch actually entails or what castration does hormonally. And these authors end up getting weird ideas about what kind of sex eunuchs were capable of having and personally into, because they're viewing eunuchs as strange men who act like stereotypical depictions of women. A lot of Theodora novels are just kind of gross and sexual by default, especially the older ones, and several of them give Narses weird fetishes that they justify by saying "well, he's a eunuch" (one book in particular had Theodora "dominating" him constantly in a very sexually charged way that was really uncomfortable to read.) These authors also tend to write a lot of sex scenes set in places where you wouldn't expect a non-eunuch man to be allowed (women's baths, harems, those sorts of spaces) and they end up incorporating eunuchs into those scenes too. A surprising amount of books like to characterize Narses and Theodora as being romantically or sexually entangled somehow, I suspect because he's convenient and close by—sometimes it's one-sided, sometimes it's not, but it can lead also lead to weird sex stuff.

tl;dr I don't think it's Narses specifically, but a lot of writers don't really "get" eunuchs, so they either overcompensate by making their eunuch characters implausibly manly (complete with long penis descriptions), or fetishize eunuchs to an absurd degree. And Narses gets the brunt of it because he's usually the Main Eunuch.

i have read so many absurd books about Justinian and Theodora that I should probably make a compilation of the weirdest shit these authors have written

[lavastories]

UPDATE!!!Everything I’m Currently Reading to Completed to Everything on my Interactive TBR!

LOL, brace yourself guys this is gonna be a pretty long list from all of my interactive platforms across the grid. This will be going by apps with list of stories.

What I completed reading will be in red crossed out. What I’m currently reading will be in green. What’s on my TBR will be in pink. And what I’m considering to read will be in orange. And what I’m unsure about will be in purple. And what I’ll drop reading will be in blue. And undecided will be in black.

Romance Club

1. And The Haze Will Take Us

2. 7 Brothers

3. Astrea’s Broken Heart

4. The One: Vol 2

5. Garden of Eden

6. Soulless

7. W: Time Catcher

8. Song of the Crimson Nile

9. Elite Tag

10. The Desert Rose

11. Vying for Versailles

12. Psi

13. The One: Vol 1

14. Hell and High Water

15. Theodora

16. The Flower from Tiamat’s Fire

17. Heart of Trespia

18. Gladiator Chrronicles

19. Seduced by the Rythum

20. Arcanum

21. Shadows of Sanitfour

22. Sophie’s Ten Wishes

23. Path of the Valkyrie

24. Love from Outer Space

25. Dracula. A Love Story

26. Legend of the Willow

27. Wave Patrol

28. Queen in 30 Days

29. Sails in the Fog

30. Heaven’s Secret- Requiem

31. Kali: Flame of Samsara

32. Love, Sin, & Evil: Vol 1

33. Chasing You 2

34. Heaven’s Secret 2 (Currently rereading for LI)

35. Kali: Call of Darkness

36. On Thin Ice

37. Sins of London

38. Rage of the Titans

39. Heaven’s Secret

40. Chasing You

41. My Hollywood Story

42. Moonborn

43. The Thunderstorms Saga

CHAPTERS (Keep in mind this app has SOOOO many books, so I’ll be putting the one’s I’ve started, all 27 books. I see to which ones I’ll be continuing, finished read, on my TBR, or not going to continue.)

1. Paying My Dues - Story by ME

2. Knocked Up By the Hockey Team

3. Bride of Anubis

4. Bad Boy Blues

5. Dangerous Guilty Pleasure - User Story

6. My Best Friend’s Baby

7. Having the Convict’s Baby

8. I Lost My Innocence to the Mafia Boss

9. Slashes In The Snow

10. Hot Hot Hate

11. Ruined

12. Pregnant by my Ex’s Dad

13. Addicted

14. My First Time - User Story

15. Our Story - User Story

16. The Darkest Kiss

17. Emergency Engagement

18. Night Prince 3: Bound by Flames

19. Love In the Deep End

20. COLE

21. Seven Day Fiancé

22. Burn for Me

23. The Dark Ones

24. Promise Me - User Story

25. Nico: A Mafia Romance

26. HALO

27. Waking up Pregnant

Choices (For the sake of the post, I’ll keep the books for this general and away from the VIP books. However, only will have the books of the VIP books that became wide release)

1. The Ghost of Us

2. BloodBound Series

3. The Royal Romance Series

4. The Nanny Affair Series

5. Rules of Engagement Series

6. Open Heart Series

7. Laws of Attraction Series

8. Roommates With Benefits

9. The Royal Masquerade

10. With Every Heartbeat

11. Rising Tides

12. Hot Shot

13. Alpha

14. Dirty Little Secrets

15. The Billionaire’s Baby

16. Surrender

17. Untameable

18. Shipwrecked

19. Kiss of Death

20. Wolf Bride

21. Witness: A Bodyguard Romance

22. Endless Summer Series

23. Hero

24. The Heist: Monaco

25. The Phantom Agent

26. Most Wanted

27. Across the Void

28. Ship of Dreams

29. Desire and Decorum Series

30. A Courtesan of Rome

31. Distant Shores

32. The Duchess Affair

33. Murder at Homecoming

34. High School Series

35. My Two First Loves

36. Ride-or-die: A Bad Boy Romance

37. The Elementalists Series

38. HSS: Class Act Series

39. Immortal Desires Series

40. Wake the Dead

41. It Lives Series

42. Nightbound

44. Haunting of Braidwood Manor

45. Perfect Match Series

46. Foreign Affairs

47. Mother of the Year

48. Bachelorette Party

49. Kindred

50. Blades of Light and Shadow Series

51. The Cursed Heart Series

52. The Crown & Flame Series

53. Guinevere

54. Baby Bump Series

55. First Comes Love

56. A Very Scandalous Proposal

57. LoveHacks Series

58. Passport to Romance

59. Along Came Treble

60. Red Carpet Diaries Series

61. America’s Most Eligible Series

62. Hot Couture

63. Platinum

64. Slow Burn

65. Queen B Series

66. The Freshman Series

67. Wishful Thinking

68. Getaway Girls

69. The Deadliest Series

70. Crimes of Passion Series

71. Veil of Secrets

72. The Unexpected Heriess

73. Big Sky Country Series

74. Ms. Match

75. Save the Date

76. The Princess Swap

77. Home for the Holidays

78. Guarded

79. Hearts on Fire Series

80: Open Heart Series

Episode (So just like Chapters, keeping it close to my history. Because there is so many books)

1. The Mafia Bride

2. Eat Me Up

3. Flirting with the Villian

4. Barely Mine

5. Rule Breaker

6. Tempting Devil

7. Playing Princess

8. Blood Lust

9. Pregnant by a Vampire: The Curse

10. The Gamer Girl

11. Love Life

12. It’ll Be Our Secret

13. Feel Me

14. VAMPS & HUMANS

15. Behind His Mask

16. Unexpectedly Expecting

17. Kidnapped by a Prince

Journeys (This app specifically is more like the more stories you read the more books you’ll have access to. So, I’ll list the ones I have so far.)

1. Linda Brown Series

2. Recipe of Love

3. Don’t Forget Me

4. Love Lessons

5. Vampyra

6. #3SUM

My Candy Love (This app is pretty much one story but progressing with the MC life, which I love!)

1. My Candy Love: High School

2. My Candy Love: College Life

3. My Candy Love: Adulting

5. My Candy Love: Alternate Life

6. My Candy Love: Next Gen

Another World’s History (Wasn’t long since I discovered this app. Fairly new to me like some others that will be in this post but it’s great.)

1. My Name Is Hope

2. Neoxites: Child of Light

3. Codex of Consistency

4. Speculum

5. Parallels

6. Chimera

Forbidden Fruit (This app is very new. They only have 4 books so far. And I haven’t gotten around to reading any of them. So they are all on my TBR)

1. The Legacy of Rosefield

2. Undermind

3. Ghostpice

4. Daughter of the North Wind

League of Dreamers (Discovered this app not too long ago.)

1. Laws of the Beast

2. Wondering Spirit

3. Lullaby of Witches

4. Tablet of Isis

5. The Seal of Nostradammus

6. Silence of the Sea

7. Blooming Garden

8. Chronicles of Ark Dryden

9. Gates of Samhain

YourStoryLand (Discovered this app just recently, and it’s also fairly new as well. Most of the books are on my TBR and my not sure list)

1. Rock Wave

2. Audrey’s Dairy

3. Blue Abuss

4. Behind The Wall

5. The Lily of the Sands

6. City of Nightmares

Real Love (This app freshly discovered with 4 books. Haven’t started any of the books yet. Most are on the TBR.)

1. Look Around

2. Lame

3. The Codex of a Chess Player

4. Empire of Shadows

Seven Hearts Stories (This app recently made 2 years with 8 books. I honestly do like this app and have started reading one book from this app.)

1. The Deadly Biome

2. Illusion of Fame

3. Legend of the Celestials

4. The Era of Fatum

5. The Villain’s Last Wish

6. Mission Fortune

7. The Heart of Atlantean

8. Bride for a Vampire

TWISTMAX! (This app I freashly discovered just last week. Already started one book from there. And I got most on my TBR.)

1. Billionaire’s Revenge

2. Happily Ever After

3. The Boy Next Desk

4. Love & Scandal

5. Ace!

6. My Prince

7. Princess Escape

8. Touched by Love

9. The Prince’s Consultant

10. Threads of Desire

11. Love to Hate

12. All His Secrets

13. About Last Night

14. The Price of Polanco

15. Surprise Husband

16. Tutoring the Football Star

17. Freshman Flirt

18. Living With Guys

19. Undercover Lover

20. Broadway Baby

21. Forbidden Island

22. His Melody

23. Hometown Hookup

24. Lone Star Lovers

25. Go Fur Gold

26. Blood Red Moon

27. Stuck in the Past

28. A Powerful Choice

29. Handcuff Him!

30. Sultry on Set

31. Seduce Me, Senator

32. Chef’s Kiss

33. Dirty Work

34. Cold Case Chemistry

Dream Zone (Also discovered this last week. Haven’t started a story from here yet. So wee will leave all of the stories undecided.)

1. Hostel Story Series

2. Singles in Your Area

3. Half Human Series

4. Wildest Dreams Series

5. Behind the Counter Series

6. Teaching Undercover Series

7. Going Places Series

8. Incognito Mode Series

9. The Impossible Game Series

10. Devil’s Deal Series

11. Project Prometheus Series

12. Rogue Gang Series

13. Man for Hirer Series

14. Ubers Series

15. Time and Time Again Series

16. Colorblind Series

17. My Bloody Classmates Series

18. The Lookalikes Series

19. Honeywood Series

20. Family Business Series

21. Therapy Sessions Series

And the rest of the stories I read are single story apps which are…

1. Havenless

2. Dangerous Fellows

3. Killing Kiss

4. Henri’s Secret

5. Uncoven

I do plan to keep this list and update it with time. But I am happy I have this list so I can update as I go and keep ya’ll up to date. But this is going to be hella fun. Feel free to have this list if you are also using the same app as myself.

[semper-legens]

187. The Haunting of Hill House, by Shirley Jackson

Owned?: Yes   Page count: 246 My summary: Hill House is said to be a cursed place, where nobody wants to live more than a few days. Dr Montague, a researcher into the paranormal, has invited some people to try and divine the house’s true nature. Among them is Eleanor Vance, alone in the world and desperate to belong. But the experiment takes a sinister turn, and it seems not all the participants will survive... My rating: 5/5 My commentary:

More horror that got adapted into an incredible Netflix series! And a movie that I seem to remember as being, like, fine. It’s Hill House, and I fucking loved it! I don’t know what exactly it was - the unreliable perspective of the third-person narrator, the mounting horror of the house’s strange activities, the fact that it was short enough that I could read it in one sitting - but I absolutely adored this book. It’s classic for a reason.

Poor Eleanor. Our main POV character, Eleanor has just come out of a long time spent caring for her now-deceased mother, who she hated, and we are introduced to her being berated by her sister and her family, who she also hates. On the drive over to Hill House, we see her desperately clinging to the idea of wonder and magic in the world, and constructing narratives for herself where she lives in a grander reality. In Hill House, she continues lying to the others about who she is outside of the house, and we watch as her perspective slowly devolves into uncertainty. Are the things she’s seeing and hearing real, or in her head? If they’re in her head, is it illness on her part, or is the house targeting her specifically? There are no neat answers; and, perhaps, because Eleanor is so easy to like and relate to, the reader is more liable to believe her except when what she is saying directly contradicts things that we know. And even then, there seems to be some shifting perspectives at play. In one scene, we see Theodora’s belongings covered in blood, but when a character enters later she apparently sees them as fine, because she has been less touched by the house. And out of all of them, Eleanor is the one the house names and targets, unless it is her doing these things. Her descent into fear and paranoia is chilling, and the end of her story completely heartbreaking.

The other character I want to talk specifically about is Theodora, who is a lesbian. I know this isn’t exactly a hot take, but I wanna get it off my chest. She’s introduced having a fight with a female ‘friend’ who she lives with, that sounds very much like a lovers’ quarrel. She gets incredibly close to Eleanor - sure, they talk about each other in terms of being sisters or cousins, but there’s definitely a sexual overtone there, especially when Theodora ends up wearing Eleanor’s clothes and them holding hands later. Gay, gay, gay, gay, gay. Anyway, that’s that out of my system.

The horror of the House is a subtle, disconcerting kind. We are told that the house was built to be just slightly out of keel, so the inhabitants will know that something is wrong but not be able to identify exactly what. It’s an uneasy horror, rather than an overtly frightening one, and I think it works well with the way the book presents it. In the earlier chapters, when little creepy things are happening in the house, we’re given the characters and their dynamics to focus on, their cheery banter almost lulling the reader into a false sense of security for when creepy stuff starts happening. It works well, and I really enjoyed that aspect of the novel.

That’s all from this one - next up, a trip to the circus, and a magical game.

[jellydishes]

First Line Game! Rules: List the first lines of your last 20 stories (if you have less than 20, just list them all!). See if there are any patterns. Choose your favourite opening line. Then tag 10 of your favourite authors!  

1: Moments Measured in Years: “Theodora…” Leliana lifted a shaking hand that Theo Tabris impatiently shoved aside.

2: Just a Hop to the Left: “…and this is the commander of the inquisition’s forces, Fenris,” Cassandra continued, gesturing at a most singular elf.

3: Worn at the Edges: “You've changed since I last saw you,” Bethany Hawke smiled as she swept Leliana’s hair to the side so that she could press a kiss against her neck.

4: Checkerboard Patterns: Anora stared sightlessly down at a spot on the stone floor before her.

5: One and Two and Three and Four: There was no longer any reason to sleep, but Jon still found his mind wandering from time to time when everything grew to be too much.

6: Mapping Out the Shape of You: “They say the past is another country…” Fenris rolled the words around in his tongue, tasting them and finding them bitter and tasting like salt.

7: Misfiled: In September of 2016, a man named Jonathan Sims came to give a statement at the Magnus Institute.

8: Lost Before the Sun: There was a sort of breathless anticipation to the hours before dawn that never failed to make Morrigan smile.

9: A Bit More Hip: "A bit more hip, I dare say," Zevran said as Isabela wobbled her way across their rented room on delicate Orlesian heels.

10: Late Night Meetings: It wasn’t the first time she’d been caught staring, she was sure, but it was the first time Bethany had caught the curling edge to a smile quirking Mahariel’s lips.

11: Working Off the Clock: The first time Carver kissed Bull, it was at three am when he had gone down to the kitchens to raid the pantry, wrapped in a blanket and cursing the mountain chill that made his toes curl against the flagstones.

12: Falling Into Place: One year and an entire ocean away from the blight, and Aednat Surana was discovering to her displeasure that the life of a deserter from the grey wardens was nowhere near what the stories had made it out to be.

13: Defy the Night: “You told me once you were afraid the sky would swallow you up, right?” Tsurin Tabris asked Oghren one night in a hushed voice.

14: Old Words Carry New Meanings: Beathany’s breath streamed past her as she paced the battlements of Vigil’s Keep.

15: Stoke the Flames: On Île de la Cité, in the shadow of the looming Notre-Dame de Paris, lay La Morgue.

16: Falling Where They May: Morrigan only realized her discomfort when she became aware of the ceaseless rasp where she had been rubbing her thumbs together against her forefingers.

17: Wandering Our Solitary Way: The day the ceremony was to begin was one of the hottest recorded in Skyhold.

18: Oxidization: Fenris measures time not in years, or in days, but in breaths.

19: Bet You Won't: “You,” Bethany announced one afternoon, “need to stop moping.”

20: Nothing But You: The night of Ben’s death, Klaus went to bed late.

I'm going to say that my favorite opening line is actually Misfiled's, snd I'll tag @helluvawriter, @autobot-scout-riella, @cartadwarfwithaheartofgold, @jonbinary, @foundinthegrass, and anybody else who wants to play

[byzantine-suggestions]

it was called Byzantium! The Musical. It debuted at the New York Fringe Festival in 2005 and it got awful reviews, continuing the trend of Deeply Cursed Justinian and Theodora Stories. Apparently they didn’t know how to handle the wars (in Italy and elsewhere) so they just had Justinian spout a bunch of references to shit like terrorism and homeland security because this is post 9/11 NYC and I guess they wanted to make it “topical.” One guy on Twitter said it was hilarious but I don’t know if it was actually supposed to be a comedy or if it was a drama piece that ended up becoming unintentionally funny. I’m so sad that nobody filmed it, I just KNOW @incorrectbyzantines would have a field day with it

dear diary, today i learned that they made an Andrew Lloyd Weber style musical extravaganza about Justinian and Theodora’s love story, and there are NO surviving recordings of it anywhere and i am going to cry

[pompomtundra]

WANDERING MINDS

She sat on the on the grass, a thick green blanket dotted with golden dandelions like stars in the sky. Twilight was beautiful blending the colours of day and night, and she stared up at the world above, a pinkish hue hitting the few clouds that had silently surfaced as the hours of the day passed. Holding back the tears that threatened to escape her aquamarine eyes, she cursed the lords and ladies of old Olympia as she thought selfishly of her own feelings. How foolish must she have looked to the godly souls playing puppet with her fate, to have thought that she could love again. Queen Byzantine must have found great joy as she watched the girl toy with her own feelings, thrilled at the prospect of being of somewhat importance to another’s existence. For what are the needs of a human soul to Theodora who pulls and nips at the strings of Love and Lust? She rose from the grass and wiped the tears from her eyes, and smiled at the stars starting to glisten in the sky above. She would continue through her loveless story, carelessly avoiding the companionship that she once dreamt of.

MAKE LONELY SOULS

[heirsofremnant]

Name: Holly Ebi

Nickname: Holls’

Age: 24

Gender: Female

Siblings: N/A

Parents: Charlie Ebi (Father), Aubrey Wells (Mother)

Orientation: Heterosexual

School/Year/Team: Haven Alumni/Old Team HENA

Aura: Red

Semblance: Bloom, a protective semblance that encloses Holly, or those she wishes to protect, in a large white barrier. She can extend it to a 12ft radius around her at maximum.

Weapon: Unknown

Emblem: Unknown

Personality: Discreet, Contemplative, Suave, Sensual, Heroic, Intense, Tough, Abrasive, Vindictive, Petty

Voice Actor: Eden Espinosa (Cassandra from Tangled)

Trivia:

Her Uncle was the late Clover Ebi.

Growing up hearing stories about the war and what happened to him, Holly develops feelings of resentment towards the Ironwood family and their hand in her uncles death. She and her family, though needing it, never fully deal with the trauma of his death and therefor give her a struggling start in life by adding a chip to her shoulder.

Holly grows up angry and bitter towards the pilars of Remnant, thinking herself just as expendable and replaceable as Clover.

After meeting Jace by dumb chance at a coffee shop in Atlas, she curses him internally for being an upstanding and handsome gentleman.

She briefly held a flame for him, but was quickly snuffed out when she found out he was engaged to Verona, a daughter of another person who was her enemy (and should be his as well).

Holly, after graduating Haven, makes the decision to undermine Jacin Ironwood, and by extension James, by creating her own intelligence and espionage agency. Her team often competes with Jace’s for jobs. Both organizations have been deemed on par with one another.

Holly has tried multiple times to seduce Jace in hopes of Verona finding out and divorcing him. He, however, is quite oblivious to the flirtatious manners of other women. As such, it’s been a more comical and sad attempt than anything.

Jet was invited to join her agency a few times, incentivized with a large pay raise. The final time was when he showed up to Holly’s place of business to have a “meeting”. No one is sure what happened in that room, but she has since stopped trying to take him from Jacin.

Jacin has asked her multiple times to drop the past and for them to join agencies to become one super conglomerate, even offering to buy her coffee when they run into one another. He also has apologized for his family’s misgivings and asks her every now and again if she’d like to be on friendly terms, though she denies each time. His unwavering kindness continues to chip away at Holly, which freightens her.

She has met reformed STRQ at a meeting a year after her spy agency started. She and Qrow got into an argument on the grounds of her uncle’s death, which ended with her snubbing his hand for peace.

The only positive relationship’s she has is with the other Ace Op’s kids. Her best friend is Theodora Bree, Harriet’s child. The group is all very close-knit as they’ve all grown up with one another since childhood.

[ship-enthusiast]

Fred Weasley Headcanon

1,700 words

• Colette Adélaide le Beau was raised in a strict household since day one

• Her family was the very picture of sophistication and grace

• She had been taught as a child that acting like a wild child would end up with no supper and no toys

• Her older brother of one year, Colton Adams le Beau, had learned it the hard way since he loved to play sports and roll around in the mud

• Two years of strict boarding school later he came back as if a new person

• Colette hated it and wanted her old brother back but knew it wouldn’t happen anytime soon

• Her parents were elated when they found out about the Triwizard Tournament and would’ve forced the siblings to join if they didn’t volunteer

• Of course they volunteered to go and would proudly represent Beauxbatons Academy of Magic to Hogwarts

• That was when Colette met the insufferable, cocky Fred Weasley

• She had witnessed many of him and his twin’s pranks and always thought about what their mother would think

• She always scoffed when one of his schemes wouldn’t work

• For example, the age potion to put their name in the Goblet of Fire

• This attention wasn’t invisible to Fred, either

• He would often tease her about a crush on him because of all the attention she unconsciously gave him

• Fleur Delacour was chosen as the champion from Beauxbatons and saying Colette was relieved was the understatement of the century

• It wasn’t that she doubted her and Colton’s abilities, but didn’t want them to face the horrors in the tournament simply for money

• She had heard many rumors about the champions who had died while competing

• After hearing about Harry Potter’s story, she knew he didn’t put his name in the Goblet and was determined to help him survive the tournament

• Colette stayed up endless nights helping prepare Harry for the first task alongside Hermione

• Fred didn’t like the fact that she no longer paid attention to him and would often try to prank her

• She usually saw what he was trying to do and never fell into one, much to Fred’s chagrin

• Fred confronted her one day before the first task where he asked her why she despised him so

• Colette wouldn’t answer him so Fred would block the entranceway

• She finally revealed how she wasn’t able to act freely or like herself and has become void of her emotions due to the suffocation of her strict parents

• She was jealous at how Fred and George could be whomever they wanted and do whatever they desired

• Fred tells her she’s not void of her emotions because she’s helping Harry survive the tournament and that’s something she did on her own

• After the first task and Harry’s victory, Colette agrees to help the twins raid the kitchen to celebrate in Gryffindor’s common room

• She finally has fun for once and Fred gives her her first nickname; “Cully”

• Colette begins to feel more at home at Hogwarts when the Yule Ball is announced

• She had known about this event but had thought about studying the night instead of attending so she didn’t have a dress

• That was until Fred asked her to be his date

• Hermione offers to go shopping with her for one in Hogsmeade where the two bond over the Weasley brothers

• Hermione reveals that she’s waiting for Ron to ask her although Viktor Krum had already asked

• Colette purchases a dress that looks like pure starlight and Hermione gives Fred a heads up on the dress code so the two would match

• Harry asks her to the ball but she apologizes and says she’s already going with someone

• The Yule Ball soon came and Hermione decided to attend with Viktor, much to Colette’s delight

• Fred’s cravat and suit patterns match Colette’s dress

• The two dance the night away — cue TWICE— alongside Hermione and Viktor

• Before she knows it, the second task arrives and Colette is one of the people who had been taken

• She and Gabriella, Fleur’s little sister, come up last after Hermione and Viktor

• Fred hugs her tight when he finally sees her emerge from the water

• Harry confesses that he likes her but Colette sees him as a little brother

• After she’s warm and dried (Fred might’ve given her his jumper his mum knitted) he confessed that he’s beginning to really like her and asks her out

•Colette isn’t sure her parents would approve but says yes because it’s Fred Freaking Gideon Weasley

• Fred takes Colette on a date to Hogsmeade the next trip and the two have a great time

• Fred talks about him and his brother’s plans on opening a joke shop in Diagon Alley

• Colette supports the idea fully and could see herself in that future

• Harry decides that he doesn’t need her help for the third task and Colette is kind of down but is cheered up by Fred

• The third task is finally upon them and Colette sits with Fred and Colton

• Colton doesn’t approve of her relationship with him and they get into a heated argument when Cedric and Harry show up at the entrance of the labyrinth

• Fred wants Colette to spend the night in the school but Colette insists she’ll be fine with the rest of the students of Beauxbatons

• They spend the last moments together as much as they could and sitting at Cedric’s memorial together before she had to leave for France and face her parents

• The moment she comes home, Colton tells their parents about her relationship with the “Weasel boy” and her parents make her denounce their relationship

• Colette denies her parents the satisfaction and tells them she loves Fred

• They kick her out of their château and she manages to get ahold of Hermione who quickly invites her over to stay with them

• She doesn’t want to tell Fred from guilt but Hermione owls him who quickly apparates and brings Colette back to the Burrow where she finally meets the rest of the famous Weasley’s

• Molly welcomes her immediately with open arms and she stays with them the rest of the summer until she goes back to Beauxbatons where she’s the laughing stock since she had been kicked out of her home

• Colton decides to apologize for his past actions and defends his sister

• He is no longer a student but helps out in hopes of becoming a professor there himself

• The two reconcile and Colette tells him all about Fred

• Colette wants the two to meet so when Fred comes to pick her up for Christmas, he’s a bit adamant when meeting Colton since he was the reason she was kicked out

• Fred begrudgingly forgives Colton when their parents show up

• He curses them out for being terrible parents before thanking them for raising Colette and saying he could handle it from here before apparating them to the Burrow

• Christmas the Weasley Burrow is absolutely beautiful and heartwarming

• Harry is also there but that’s to be expected

• Fred’s oldest brother, Bill had asked Fleur to be his girlfriend a week before Christmas and she had been invited to the Burrow

• Molly and Ginny had been wary of Fleur but Colette knew she was a good person and vouched for her

• She had stayed in touch with Colette after the second Triwizard task and the two had become close friends

• Fred tells her all about their awful Professor Umbridge and they exchange stories between their schools

• Fred apparates Colette back to France the day after Christmas break before going down on one knee and giving her a promise ring

• Colette accepts with a mistletoe before the two had to separate

• They keep in touch, especially after Fred and George drop out to start their joke shop with the money Harry had given them

• She is at the shop for its grand opening and helps Fred and George run it when she graduates from Beauxbatons

• Colette moves in with Fred and George in their flat above the shop

• They offer her a permanent job but she declines, saying she doesn’t know what she wants but would continue to work there for the time being

• She, Fred, and George were playing one of their games in the parlor when they receive the news about Dumbledore’s death

• Colette stays with Fred and George when they take the polyjuice potion to look like Harry to transport him to the Burrow

• She’s Fred’s date to Bill and Fleur’s wedding when the Ministry announces that the minister has fallen

• Colette stays at the Burrow to help Molly take care of everyone who came home due to the war that had begun

• She and Colton help fight at the Battle of Hogwarts

• Colton pushes Fred out of the way just in time but gets crushed instead

• All of the Weasley’s survive (yes, even Percy)

• A month after reconstruction, Colette and Fred are 19-years-old

• Fred decides to propose and the two get married that winter

• Hermione is Colette’s Maid of Honor and George is Fred’s Best Man

• Mrs. and Mr. le Beau were offered an invitation and decided to attend

• Their son’s death was a wake-up call to cherish what family they had

• Colette decides that she wants to become a doctor and studies at a muggle college to get her PhD in medicine

• Two years later, they have a boy they name Colton Frederick Weasley

• A year after that, a girl named Molly Colette Weasley

• And a year after that, a twin pair named Jacob Gideon and Elain Adélaide Weasley

• Colette finally graduates from school three years later and starts as a nurse at the local hospital in London

• She is promoted to doctor a few years later

• Their children undoubtedly attend Hogwarts when they are of age

• Colton is placed in Ravenclaw, Molly in Gryffindor, Jacob in Hufflepuff, and Elain in Slytherin

• Colette and Fred retire at the age of 58, two years after they became grandparents

• Jacob and Elain take over the joke shop while Colton became an engineer and Molly a zoologist

• They resided in a cottage in the English countryside near George and his wife, Theodora, for the rest of their years

[girl-with-cat-eyes]

Love As Strong As Stone (1/?)

Summary: Virgil and Thomas are two princes about to be married and things couldn’t be happier for them. But when disaster strikes, they will have to do everything in their power to stay together.

Ships: ThVi, background Logince

A/N: I know that I need to post the next chapter of Where I Belong, but this came over me. So here we are. Heads up this is going to be angsty but super sweet. Special thanks to @forever-forgotten-angel for listening to me rant about this for like a week now and helping me write this. Tell me what you think and send me an ask if you want to be added to the taglist.

~

The kingdom of Elusia was a prosperous one. The people flourished under the rule of King Caspian Elusian and Queen Theodora Elusian and all was well. And today marked a joyous occasion for the kingdom, as it was the christening of the newest prince. Citizens flocked to the town square to hear the news of the baby prince. Inside the castle bustled with activity: servants setting up for the celebration. And amongst this commotion sat the eldest prince, watching his new brother with complete and utter adoration. 

    “Hi Virgil!”, whispered Prince Roman softly. The baby in question cooed in response, “It’s crazy, huh? Everyone’s running around like they’ve gone mad. They’re all getting ready for the party. ‘Cause we gotta celebrate that you’re here now.”.

    Virgil gurgled in response. Roman took it as excitement, “There’s gonna be good and presents. And mom and dad are gonna tell everyone your name. They already told me though. It’s because I’m your big brother. Which means I get to know first.” 

    “There’s a lot of stuff that big brothers. We have to watch our baby brother’s. We play with them and make sure they’re happy. We have to protect them. That’s what mom said, anyway.”, Virgil watched him with rapt attention. Roman smiled and reached into his crib to tickle him, smiling as the baby squealed with laughter, “I’m gonna protect you. I’m gonna look after you and be the best big brother ever!”. 

    “Your Highness, where are you?”, Roman sighed as his nursemaid rushed into the room, “There you are! I’ve been looking everywhere for you. Come on now, you have to get ready.”.

~

    All of the nobles in the kingdom stood in the throne room, watching silently as the king and queen walked out holding their newest child and young son in tow. Everyone waited with baited breath as King Caspian began to speak. 

    “Citizens, we have had another peaceful year. And it is due to that peace that we are able to bring you this good news. A week ago my lovely wife, your queen, gave birth to a beautiful, healthy son. You have a new prince. I swear, just as I swore 6 years ago when my presented Prince Roman to you, to raise him to be a prince that all of you can be proud of. I swear to teach him to know that he is to serve you, and not the other way around. It is this idea after all, that has caused all of these peaceful and prosperous years. I swear to raise him to be kind and compassionate. That I will teach him all I know, and to hope that he learns from both my successes and my mistakes. And now, it is with great pleasure that I present to you His Royal Highness, Prince Virgil Alistair Elusian of the Kingdom Elusia. I hope and pray that he will help to continue our era of peace.”. 

    With those words, the infant prince was raised into the air. The crowd erupted into applause. This was truly a joyous time for the kingdom. Caspian smiled as he handed little Virgil to his wife, looking at his lovely family. His smile faded as the clapping was replaced by shocked whispers. Caspian turned back towards the crowd. There, walking towards his family, stood a man. He stood tall, smirking as he slowly clapped. He stood out amongst the crowd, a burn scar covering half of his face and two green tattoos traditional of warlocks streaking diagonally across the entire thing. Caspian knew him well.

    “What are you doing here, you snake?”

    The man in question smirked before speaking, “Now, is that any way to treat an old friend, Caspian? I thought we were closer than that.”

    “Friend? You call me your friend after you try to murder my wife? How dare you, you traitorous bastard.”

    He walked forward and Caspian made to block his family from view. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw the guards inching closer to apprehend the warlock. The warlock however saw this as well and, with one movement of his arms, sent the guards flying back.

    “Now really, what is with all the hostility? I’ve only come to give my newest nephew a gift.” 

    Theodora spoke then, and from the fire in her voice you wouldn’t realize that she was known as ‘Queen Theodora the Kind’, “There is not a single gift in this world that we would want from you, brother.”

    “But you shall have my gift. After all, I am ensuring that your precious new son will never be sent off to war. From this day forth, Prince Virgil shall remain in the palace grounds.”, he rose his hands and an ethereal yellow light surrounded both the warlock and the baby in question,  “Yes, the young prince shall remain here his entire life. And be warned, should he step one foot over the border, he will turn to stone and stay that way for all eternity. I swear upon all the gods in the sky that not even True Love’s Kiss shall be able to break this spell.” 

    The guards took this as their moment to strike, but it was no use: the warlock moved his arms again and disappeared into a puff of smoke. It took everything that they had not to crash into each other. Virgil, spooked by the sound of  metal clanging on metal, started to wail. Caspian turned to his wife, who was attempting to soothe the infant while holding back tears herself, and gathered her into his arms. He felt a soft tug on his pant leg and looked down to see Roman staring at him with scared eyes. “Papa?”, he whispered softly. 

    “Come here, Roman.”, the king said as he scooped up his eldest son and held him close. In that moment, one wouldn’t be able to tell that they were royalty. They appeared to be just a grieving family, holding each other so as to not lose one another. 

~25 years later~

    “Because I just can’t, Thomas. I’ve told you this before.”, There were many cons to being cursed. Virgil knew this for a fact. Not being able to leave the palace grounds was not a fun thing, even for someone like him. He never even had the option of going out to see his kingdom. Virgil’s entire world was limited to the palace and its grounds.

    “Why not? You are avoiding the question now and you know it. Why won’t you come visit my kingdom? If it’s because of your illness I talked to my father: he said we’ll send for the best healer there is so that you won’t get worse.”. 

    This of course was another problem. Not being able to tell his betrothed the reason he could never come visit him. This had been a point of contention in their relationship for a while now. It wasn’t exactly easy for Virgil to say ‘Hey I can’t come see your kingdom because if I step one foot off of the palace ground I’ll turn to stone.’. It was kind of a crazy story to explain to someone after all. 

    “It’s not that Thomas. It’s just….”,Virgil looked to the sky and sighed, “I just can’t. It’s not just your kingdom, I’m not even allowed to go into town.” 

    “Why not? There are so many secrets around where you can and can’t go. It feels like you’re trapped here, Virge.”, a hand wrapped around his waist, “I just want to know why. One reason, Virgil, that’s all I’m asking for. Give me a reason why and I’ll never ask you again, I swear.”

    Thomas looked so distraught. His eyes were red with tears and his hair was messy from repeatedly running his hand through it. Virgil took one look at him and knew he had to tell him. He sighed and tried to gather his courage, “Because I’m cursed.” 

    “What?”

    “When I was a baby a warlock cast a spell on me. He said that I’d never be able to leave the palace grounds. That if I took one step step off of them I’d turn to stone instantly. My family- we’ve been looking for a way to break it for years now. But nothing has worked. So I’m stuck here.” 

    Thomas gasped softly at his betrothed words, “Virgil, I’m sorry. I didn’t know. I shouldn’t have pushed you like that.”

    “Of course you didn’t know. We kept it under wraps for a reason.”

    “It’s still no excuse for how I acted. I should have listened and left it be.”

    Virgil looked him, “It’s better that you know this now, we’re engaged after all.”, Thomas wrapped his arm around his waist. 

    “Is that why Roman gave you the throne?”

    “Yeah… He figured if I was king then I couldn’t be sent away to train to be a knight like he was.”

    Thomas pulled him into a hug. No more words were spoken after this, the couple merely enjoying their presence. Thomas however was thinking of how he could help find a way to break the curse on his love. Virgil deserved to see the world, to be able to leave the castle. And Thomas would do whatever he could to help him. 

~

A/N: Tada!!!! I hope you guys like it. 

Tagging:

@forever-forgotten-angel

[mermaidsirennikita]

Hi Caroline! You always have such excellent reading recommendations, so I figured I'd ask you: Do you know any good books with a medieval setting?

Thank you!  Literally anyone who says that I have good taste in books is flattering me so much, I just can’t.

Looking through my historical fiction shelf on Goodreads, I don’t have a TON of books with a setting that I’d call truly medieval.  There are some borderline reads, like Tracy Chevalier’s Lady with a Unicorn, but due to my love of the Renaissance a lot of those borderline books are more late fifteenth century, which really more early modern/Renaissance at that point.  (Lady with a Unicorn is good though, and in general I’d always recommend Tracy Chevalier.)

If you’re open to a bit of fantasy mixed in to an an otherwise straightforward medieval setting, Juliet Marillier’s Daughter of the Forest is an old favorite of mine.  It’s set in early medieval Ireland, and is a retelling of the Six Swans fairy tale with a good focus on Celtic traditions vs. the introduction of early Christianity.  Sorcha, the protagonist, must free her brothers after they’re cursed into the form of swans by their stepmother.  It starts when Sorcha is thirteen and continues for quite a while, making it a bit of an epic--there’s a good romance down the line as well, and I adore the familial relationships in the story.  Sorcha’s love for and devotion to her brothers isn’t something you see in a lot of books today, and it brings home the sense of the Celtic clan, if that makes sense?  I’ll add that the book is a bit brutal, and there is sexual violence included, though it’s not gratuitous.  It also kicks off a series that focuses on the family at large over the years.

If you’d like a bit of a medieval Mongolian setting, The Tiger Queens by Stephanie Thornton is a good novel that has a super interesting take--it features multiple perspectives, and all the women involved are connected to Genghis Khan in one way or another.  Of course there is Borte, his queen, as well as Alaqai, their daughter, as well as a Persian captive of the Mongols and a widow who figures quite strongly into the empire’s future.  I’m really fascinated by Genghis Khan, and the women of his family figured quite strongly into its future.  Thornton also wrote a book called The Secret History about Empress Theodora, which I enjoyed less but it’s still a decent read.

That being said, I’d also ask @glorianas for recommendations, as I know she reads historical fiction and may have better recs than I do!  Wish I could offer more.

[armanda-lucia-salazar]

what is the weirdest thing the Sparrowlings have done

Well… I have a story over the funniest and weirdest thing they’ve done.

It was Halloween. We all decided to dress up as our parents.

I went as Armando, my father. I “borrowed” one of his spare uniforms which unfortunately got ripped up. I never got told off either, since he didn’t ever find out. Mercy made my face more masculine for this.

Carolina went as her father, Lieutenant Lesaro. She used her uniform but got Mercy to make her resemble her father more. obviously it was going to wear off after Halloween.

Mercy went as her father, Davy Jones. Using Esmée‘s magic combined with her own to make herself look like him, tentacles and all. She didn’t need to borrow clothes or use her own since she had magic.

Esmée went as her mother, which we really didn’t expect, we did expect her to go as Davy, but I think going as Calypso was priceless.

María and Rosa didn’t dress up or even go with us so I got Mercy to make them stuck in their fathers’ uniforms so they couldn’t change.

Calixia went as her father, Cutler Beckett and due to her shocking resemblance to him, she didn’t get Mercy to use magic.

Theodora didn’t go as either of her parents but as Ex-Commodore James Norrington, it was funny since Lucy couldn’t decide which version of her dad to go as.

Andrea went as neither of her parents but as Admiral James Norrington, for the same reason as Theodora. It was funny since Andrea looked disgusted throughout the day and evening. She didn’t mean to but it seemed to be a permanent expression whenever she wears unknown clothing.

Lucy went as Commodore James Norrington, early version of her father before he lost everything and then became Admiral before dying and coming back when the curse was broken on the Dutchman.

Emilia refused to go as Hector Barbossa and instead went as Lieutenant James Norrington. She admired Lucy’s father for his bravery and his obsession with killing pirates.

Lyra went as her father, Hector Barbossa and got Mercy to make her look exactly like a young version of him. She just seemed to become him. It was funny and I continued to tease her after that.

Catherine went as her father, Will Turner, after he became Captain of the Dutchman, meaning she got Mercy to make her a guy for that day and evening. She even got Mercy to replicate a scar on her chest and she “borrowed” her father’s clothing.

Olivia Mercer refused to play “stupid” games with us but made herself look like her father, only to scare everyone, and to protect Calixia, since she never trusted us. We also got to witness her boyfriend, James Taylor, dress up as a pirate, chained and dragged around by Olivia.

And then we have Jacqueline and Lucas’ godmother, Nancy Sikora, although most pirates knew her as Ann Fasano. Nancy also went along with the pirate, chained and dragged. But she got Calixia to do it. It was the funniest thing since Nancy was taller than Calixia. Nancy was a Pirate since the age of 17. I think Nancy decided to go as a young version of Jack Sparrow

But what I didn’t expect was Lucas and Jacqueline’s costumes. Lucas got Esmée to make him look exactly like Jacqueline, his sister and Jacqueline got Esmée to make her look exactly like Lucas. I just stared at them, I knew who was who due to the scar Lucas has on his eye, small but obvious.

I just tried to keep in character the whole night as we all traveled together.

@ninjacat1515 , when Cosplaying went too far)

[aurantia-ignis]

Velvet and Magilou and Eizen for the meme, please!

That’s a lot haha. Going under cut for spoilers!

Velvet 

First impression

She looks like a typical emo edgy character. On top of that, the whole revenge thing just made her seem like a female Sasuke. I was so apprehensive about her because it is so easy to write such a character badly. Also, her clothes are absolute fanservice and that really sucks. 

Impression now

I love her, She got some really amazing character development. Hitting all the important points aside, the way they executed her writing was so emotional and beautiful, and I really, really appreciate how her character growth was tied directly to the plot. Not many video games do that. 

Favorite moment

Ummm there were quite a few… but for Velvet herself, I think I loved the ending the most. She knew that she had committed many sins in her quest to kill Artorius, and she knew she had to pay for that. She acknowledged that. She also knew that it was selfish of her to make the choice to eat and be eaten by Innominat, leaving Phi to live. But despite knowing that, she made her choice. I find that extremely beautiful… and very, very human.  

Idea for a story

WELL SHE KIND OF “DIES” AT THE END SO THERE CAN BE NO SEQUEL. ;___; But originally, I’d wanted to see Velvet make a choice between saving Laphicet and fulfilling her revenge. In canon, her revenge itself was rendered meaningless due to Innominat, and while I do like that as well, I’d really have loved to see her make a conscious choice between killing Artorius and saving Phi. I’d like to see her decide that vengeance was not as important as keeping someone important to her alive.I also want all the happy family AUs, but then again, in AUs she wouldn’t have gone through all that beautiful character development ;w; 

Unpopular opinion

I don’t ship her romantically with anyone. Although I joke about crack Velcro because of the ship name, I honestly didn’t see her (or any of the others in Main Cast Berseria) doing anything (in canon) that is considered undeniably romantic. But I love the whole main cast coming together as a really unorthodox family, supporting each other and caring for each other. 

Favorite relationship

Her and Phi, of course.

Favorite headcanon

Someday in future, Sorey and Maotelus find a way to deal with all the aftermath, then wake Velvet for a final goodbye, and then she, Innominat and Maotelus are put to eternal rest. 

Magilou

First impression

Interesting design, although not my favourite style. Typical joke character.

Impression now

Much as I appreciate her character development points, I wasn’t fond of the way it was executed. It felt rushed and squashed mostly into one tiny segment of the whole game, which made it very difficult for me to really like her. Personality wise, she makes me laugh whenever she interacts with the rest of the Berseria party, but she’s not my favourite type of character either. 

Favorite moment

Probably her crowning moment of glory? When she stood before Melchior to protect her adopted family and ensure that they have a safe way out of the Earthpulse. You go, girl, admit that you love them. 

Idea for a story

I’m not sure I have any ^^; 

Unpopular opinion

Basically what I wrote above about her character writing execution. ^^; I know a lot of people love her and her development, and i do get why, but I just can’t… get over how badly it was done :

Favorite relationship

Her and Bienfu and Grimoire, I think. But also her with the rest of the Berseria cast.

Favorite headcanon

I don’t think I have any for her, sorry ^^; 

Eizen

First impression

IT. IS. EDNA’S. BROTHER. WE. KNOW. WHAT. HAPPENS. TO. HIM. IN. THE. END. HOLY YULIAJSOJESOJASOIENAKEAlso Edna said Sorey reminded her of her brother but this guy looks nothing like that happy cinnamon roll type?

Impression now

Okay the similarity is explained because they’re both nerds over archaeology. This guy is such a dork On top of that I really, really, REALLY love him. Eizen doesn’t get very clear character development in the game, which is a shame. But his personality, his beliefs, they appeal to me a great deal. I love how they didn’t simply make him an overprotective older brother who left his sister to protect her, because of his curse. Although that seems to be the case on the surface, Eizen’s problem is more complex than that. He realised that he didn’t want to go back to living with Edna on the mountain because he loves adventuring and exploring with the Aifread pirates. He was being selfish, and that’s okay. I do imagine that after the whole battle with Innominat and Artorius ended, he’d start to visit Edna once in a while, but continue his travelling with the Van Eltia, because that’s the life he wants. 

Favorite moment

Oh no I have two that I can’t choose between. 1. “Laphicet, tell this self-absorbed idiot what she needs to hear!” The way he slammed his chains into the ground and held Phi… He knew what his two team members needed. And he was right there to support them. 2. When he stood before Theodora and told Zaveid all those home truths. In the words of Eep from the Croods, ‘That wasn’t living! That was just…. “Not Dying”!’ He knew that, and he had to show that to Zaveid, too. 

Idea for a story

HE ALSO DIES IN ZESTIRIA everyone I love dies, basically.But I’d love to see him journeying around on the Van Eltia with the Aifread pirates even after Berseria. He strikes up quite a friendship with Zaveid, who begins travelling with them as well. And from time to time, they visit Maotelus at his shrine with some of the stuff they collected on their travels. Zaveid tries to teach him all sorts of things Velvet wouldn’t have approved of. Eizen smacks him. 

Unpopular opinion

I love the fact that he died in the end. I wouldn’t have wanted him saved, like in the ZX anime, because that defeats the point of his entire character arc. He believed in living his life to the fullest, doing what he wanted to do, no matter what his curse or the malevolence system did. And he was perfectly willing to die after he had lived that life. I think that’s how it should be for sentient beings. Malaks/seraphs living forever is just ridiculous, but that species being so horribly crafted is another can of worms that I won’t open here XD; Also ditto on the romantic relationship business, particularly with Rokurou or Zaveid. :/ 

Favorite relationship

Him and Benwick and the rest of the Aifread pirates, as well as him and the Berseria party. Also him and Zaveid, although mostly in the future, since they were clashing far too much to really get along properly during most of the canon story. 

Favorite headcanon

As seen above! He’d also give Benwick’s kids and grandkids toys from far-off places. Benwick tells them that the Earth Fairy brought them.

[eggnogdoubt38-blog]

Reading Recap: August 2018

At the end of every month, I take a look back at my reading journal and share the books and my thoughts on them here. The comments below are excerpts from my full reviews on Goodreads; you can always keep up with my reading in real-time over there.

My Goodreads goal for the year was 71 books, and I hit it this month! So I’ve increased my goal to 91 books—this is the most I’ve ever read in my life, and I’m loving it. After being a guest on the What Should I Read Next? Podcast, I decided to start treating my love of reading as a hobby. Prior to that—for reasons I can’t articulate—I just didn’t see reading that way. It was something I did around the edges of the day, but it wasn’t a primary activity.

Since we moved to Prague, that’s changed. I watch only 1 hour of TV each day—and don’t read that in a snooty voice! I pass no judgment on TV-watching; I love TV-watching. I just like reading more. By the by, we usually work our way through a series, one episode per day until we’re done. Just finished season two of Riverdale, and I love it so much OMG. So campy and over-the-top. LOVE! I cannot wait for season three. Give me more Cheryl!

Anyway… back to reading. I deleted Twitter and my RSS reader from my phone so I don’t get sucked into the vortex. I always have my Kindle in my purse so I can take advantage of unexpected bench-sitting time or a long line. I listen to audiobooks and literary podcasts on my daily walks. And I read every night before bed, sometimes at lunch, and sometimes for 30-60 minutes in the morning, if I wake up before 6:00 a.m.

I am thoroughly enjoying this book nerdiness.

Pachinko byMin Jin Lee | 3 1/2 stars I really wanted to love this book, but for me, it was good, not great—which makes me feel kinda dumb because it received so many prestigious accolades. I respect it, but it didn’t touch my heart. To be fair, I’m beginning to think that sprawling family dramas are not for me. I prefer to be really connected to a smaller cast of characters in an atmospheric setting. There were so many people in this book and the way I thought of them was “the one that owns the pachinko parlor,” “the one that wants to be a scholar”… they never moved past 1-liners into real people for me. (My Goodreads review provides more detail, but also spoilers; proceed with caution.)

This book’s biggest strength—and it’s significant—is the way it brings an unknown-to-me part of history to light. I was only vaguely aware of the events leading up the U.S. Korean War, and it was fascinating—and sobering—to learn about the tensions and discrimination between the Korean and Japanese people.

Favorite highlight: “People are rotten everywhere you go. They’re no good. You want to see a very bad man? Make an ordinary man successful beyond his imagination. Let’s see how good he is when he can do whatever he wants.”

The Strange Case of the Alchemist’s Daughter  by Theodora Goss | 4 stars Just as Pachinko helped me realize multigenerational family sagas aren’t really for me, this book reinforced how much I love stories about found families. Set in Victorian England, this romping adventure includes not one, but FIVE plucky heroines, and I am here for it. If you enjoy the Veronica Speedwell series—A Curious Beginning, A Perilous Undertaking, A Treacherous Curse—then you will probably enjoy this one, too.

I don’t want to give too much away because the surprises are fun, but this story includes Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson, the danger of poisoning, literary references, a traveling circus, an insane asylum, potentially evil nuns, and family secrets. What’s not to love?! (I also treated myself to the sequel European Travel for the Monstrous Gentlewoman because it’s described as a “madcap romp” and the action takes place in Paris, Vienna, and Budapest.)

Favorite highlight: “No wonder men did not want women to wear bloomers. What could women accomplish if they did not have to continually mind their skirts, keep them from dragging in the mud or getting trampled on the steps of an omnibus? If they had pockets! With pockets, women could conquer the world!”

I’d Rather Be Reading: The Delights and Dilemmas of the Reading Life by Anne Bogel | 5 stars It’s no secret that I adore Anne Bogel’s podcast What Should I Read Next? so I had high expectations for this collection of essays. On her podcast, Anne is just the kind of person with whom you’d want to discuss books: opinionated but not pushy, insightful, relatable, and quick to laugh—all of that warmth and intelligence and sheer book love comes across in these essays. I read it over the course of a month or so, dipping into the essays between the other novels I was reading to cleanse my palate and to revel in the book nerdiness of reading.

I sometimes have a difficult time talking about my favorite books, or even really sharing how much reading means to me as a human—it feels too personal, makes me vulnerable in a way I’m not really ready for. But reading this book made me realize that there are legions of us out there: People who find friendship, solace, adventure, challenge, grief, joy—the whole gamut of human emotions—in the books that we read. And sometimes, they’re just damn fun.

I’d Rather Be Reading is just like that: lots of feels and damn fun.

Favorite highlight: “Old books, like old friends, are good for the soul. But they’re not just comfort reads. No, a good book is exciting to return to, because even though I’ve been there before, the landscape is always changing.”

Like Water for Chocolate by Laura Esquivel | 4 stars Food, love, magic, and passion color this luscious family saga set in a Mexican border town around 1019, so the intimate story of the family is played out against the backdrop of the Mexican Revolution. The tale reads like a family legend that’s been passed down through generations, and it centers on the forbidden love of Tita and Pedro. As the youngest daugher, it’s Tita’s fate to forsake love and to care for her dominerring mother Mama Elena until her mother’s death. But Tita and Pedro fall madly in love: When Tita felt Pedro’s gaze on her “she understood exactly how raw dough must feel when it comes into contact with boiling oil.” To be close to Tita, Pedro marries her older sister, and no one’s life remains untouched by this flawed decision.

Tita’s life is spent in the kitchen—both a gift and a curse to her—and her cooking is infused with deep emotion and magic. To Tita, food is life, and each chapter represents a month of the year, opening with a recipe that intertwines with the characters’ lives. Tita’s tears wept into wedding cake batter induce a devastating sense of longing in the guests who take a bite, and a delicate sauce made of rose petals inspires dangerous passions around the dinner table.

As the plot traces Tita and Pedro’s lifelong love, we see its impact on the rest of the family and the village: Tita’s sisters, a kindly doctor, bouncing babies, and Mexican revolutionaries. It’s a delightful—and sad—story of family obligation, the things that feed us, and a passion that could not be extinguished.

Favorite highlight: “When the talk turns to eating, a subject of the greatest importance, only fools and sick men don’t give it the attention it deserves.”

Jamaica Inn by Daphne du Maurier | 3 stars I went into this novel expecting a dark gothic adventure—thanks to previously reading Rebecca https://amzn.to/2BVakpp—and that’s exactly what I got—for better and for worse. Our heroine is definitely a damsel in distress, all muddle and forbidden love and quivering fear. I think I would have loved this book if Mary had some spunk, but instead, she kind of just bounces her way through the story. I found I enjoyed giving daily updates to my husband about what was happening a lot more than I actually enjoyed reading it. But for pure camp, it’s great: creepy isolated house, desolate moors, shady characters, an is-he-or-isn’t-he love interest, locked doors, a big character reveal, and plenty of stormy nights.

Favorite highlight: “The driver, muffled in a greatcoat to his ears, bent almost double in his seat in a faint endeavor to gain shelter from his own shoulders…”

Prague Spring by Simon Mawer | 4 1/2 stars Yay for British release dates: I got to read this book in time for the anniversary of Prague Spring on August 21—it’s available for pre-order now in the U.S.

This books examines what people are willing to risk for freedom and love. And if you’ve ever wondered what it would be like to accidentally get caught up in a potentially dangerous spy mission, this is the book for you.

It’s the summer of 1968—the summer of love—even, for a while, in communist Czechoslovakia. As tensions rise between Moscow and Prague in the background, this story follow the misadventures—romantic and otherwise—of two groups of people: an on-again-off-again British couple who cross the Iron Curtain on a lark as they listlessly backpack through Europe, and a group of Czech youths—eager to test the limits of the Czechoslovak “socialism with a human face”—who find themselves in an unexpected friendship with a British diplomat.

There are also world-famous musicians, bugged rooms, larks into the countryside, and secret meetings. The various threads of this sort-of spy story come together in a satisfying, heartbreaking way. There’s plenty of intrigue, interpersonal sparks, romance, adventure, and irresistible descriptions of Prague, as well as a cast of characters you won’t soon forget. (I also LOVED another book by Simon Mawer: The Glass Room.) http://meljoulwan.com/2018/07/23/reading-recap-june-2018/

Favorite highlight: “You haven’t lived here long enough,” Zdenek said. “No one can live in this place for long and still believe in reality.”

FIND ALL THESE BOOKS AND MORE IN MY AMAZON STORE!

Source: https://meljoulwan.com/2018/09/03/reading-recap-august-2018/

[bamboomarket72-blog]

Netflix's <em>The Haunting of Hill House</em> Is a Spooky <em>This Is Us</em>

The Haunting of Hill House is as classic of a ghost story as you can get. First published in 1959, Shirley Jackson's brilliant gothic horror novel features a collection of strangers—Dr. John Montague, a supernatural investigator; Eleanor Vance, a shy recluse; Theodora, a seductive artist; and Luke Sanderson, a wealthy playboy—who agree to spend a weekend in the infamous titular mansion that has a terrifying past. The three guests are picked for specific reasons by Dr. Montague for his study: Nell because she experienced a supernatural event as a child, Theo because she has exhibited psychic tendencies, and Luke because he's set to inherit the house.

Advertisement - Continue Reading Below

You can guess what happens next: There are bumps in the night. Objects move about. Everything devolves into madness. Shirley Jackson didn't necessarily invent the haunted house story, but she did set into motion the familiar tropes that would follow both in literature and in cinema (her novel was adapted twice under the title The Haunting—once in 1963 and once in 1999, with the former standing arguably as the scariest haunted house movie ever made).

The Haunting of Hill House is premiere horror, and it's only natural that filmmakers keep returning to its story.

The Haunting of Hill House is premiere horror, and it's only natural that filmmakers keep returning to its story. But to extend the plot (which is so tight that the novel is less than 300 pages) into a narrative television show is a heavy lift, one that would require a vast reimagination of its central structure and the ability to extend its frights beyond the claustrophobic walls of Hill House, is quite a feat—and one that could potentially turn off fans of the original novel and the stellar 1963 adaptation directed by Robert Wise.

That's what creator-director Mike Flanagan manages to do with the 10-part Netflix adaptation (which no doubt will see additional seasons). He completely up-ends Jackson's original premise, which works for this television iteration but may prickle Jackson's fans. Instead of bringing a collection of adult strangers into Hill House, he centers his version around a family in an Amityville-style take on the classic story: An enterprising couple (Hugh and Olivia Crain, played by Henry Thomas and Carla Gugino) move their family into Hill House with the intention of renovating and flipping it for profit. But it doesn't take much time at all for their five children to realize that a darkness lies within the mansion's walls; as in almost every haunted house story, the family is nearly destroyed by an all-encompassing evil.

Advertisement - Continue Reading Below

But unlike the typical family-moves-into-and-quickly-out-of-a-haunted-house plot, The Haunting of Hill House presents a twist. In very This Is Us fashion, the show flash-forwards (and backwards) in time, examining the Crain children as they are traumatized by the horrors of Hill House—and as adults, a collection of broken personas who are struggling in their specific ways with the emotional injuries that have never healed.

There are specific parallels to the original characters in Jackson's novel found in the five Crain kids. Katie Seigel plays Theo, an empath to the most supernatural extent. There are the twins, Luke (Oliver Jackson-Cohen) and Nell (Victoria Pedretti), who feel specific connections to the house. And then there are two additional Hill House victims. Michael Huisman's Steven is, like Dr. Montague, a paranormal investigator; Elizabeth Reaser's Shirley does not resemble any of Jackson's characters (but she does share her first name). And the Crain name features predominantly in the novel, too; in the book, Hugh Crain built Hill House, and his brutal demeanor infested it with a demonic energy (and cursing his family with his actions, which they had to carry on throughout their lives).

Advertisement - Continue Reading Below

Advertisement - Continue Reading Below

What made Jackson's novel so radical was that it didn't depend on shocks and jumps to terrify its readers. The book relied on psychological horror, showing how the past manages to lurk in our own brains forever and rot us from within. Nell in particular finds a bizarre comfort inside of Hill House; having cared for her sick mother, whose brutal emotional torments haunted Nell's mind long after she died, the timid and quirky young woman seems to fit within the weird labyrinth of Hill House, a structure that has taken on the toxicity of its human inhabitants and projected it back onto anyone who dares to enter it.

By essentially drawing out a human drama, Flanagan amplifies the psychological spirit of the source material. The experience of living in the haunted house—and living through their mother's suicide, a brutal event alluded to early in the series—has left the Crain children with an emotional burden. The supernatural evil within Hill House presents itself to each of them in various ways (it's a shape-shifting spirit not unlike the unnamed force in Stephen King's It). The grown-up Crain children are damaged, carrying on the pain from their childhood—but that pain sometimes manifests itself in the frightening monsters of their youth.

Is it all in their mind? Are these supernatural beings avatars for their traumas? Or is the horror inside of Hill House, extremely real—and free to roam outside the property, stalking the Crains until they relent to their respective fears because they've simply grown tired of fighting their own anxieties?

Make no mistake: The scares in The Haunting of Hill House are very real and very unsettling. Flanagan, who has made a career for himself by adding a stylistic flourish to what could be simply schlocky horror movies (his Ouija: Origin of Evil is much better than a sequel to a maligned b-movie deserves to be), terrorizes his audience as much as he does his characters. He tends to avoid ominous music, delivering frights with a silent intensity that manages to make this series one of the scariest television shows ever. And it's helpful that the perfectly cast actors (who are perhaps too perfectly cast, as the women look so much alike that anyone with face blindness will have a tough time telling them apart) deliver serious performances that make their characters' terror feel so genuine.

Advertisement - Continue Reading Below

The best horror movies are the ones that use our own personal fears to scare us. Similarly, the most affecting TV show can cut deep into our emotions, pulling out a response—often through catharsis—because we recognize ourselves in its characters. The Haunting of Hill House manages to both at the same time, using atmosphere and sharp characterization to present our deepest fears—both the mundane emotional kind and the supernatural and unsettling variety—as extremely possible. It's rare to see a horror film evoke such an emotional response. The Haunting of Hill House accomplishes a second feat: It's a truly scary TV show that tugs at our emotions while also poking us with discomfort.

Source: https://www.esquire.com/entertainment/tv/a23769214/the-haunting-of-hill-house-netflx-review/

[angedemystere]

Books I plan to read this year

I feel I’ve fallen behind on reading this year, especially in the back-half, so one of my resolutions is covering this list of books. Some of them I already started and am determined to finish. Others are ones I picked because they will somehow tie into what I’m writing and feed me with much-needed inspiration. 

Before embarking on the new year, though, I intended to finish Jean-Marc and Randy Loffficier’s English translation of The Phantom of the Opera. And I did!

Overall enjoyed it and would recommend. At some point I might compare it to the much more common translation and what differences stand out. But that will be for a ways down the road, maybe when work is less busy. 

The plan for 2021 is to get through 2 books a month, one book I’ve started, one that will be new for me. 

For January - as in, starting tomorrow - I’ll continue Dracula by Bram Stoker, then read The Sisters Grimm: The Fairy-Tale Detectives by Michael Buckley.

I’ll list out the rest of the books for the year:

Les Miserables by Victor Hugo (ongoing throughout the year)

The Neil Gaiman Reader (ongoing throughout the year)

To Kill a Kingdom by Alexandra Christo

The Confessions of Frannie Langton by Sara Collins

Fenrir by M.D. Lachlan

Lanny by Max Porter

The Invisible Man by H.G. Wells

The Whisper Man by Alex North

The Island of Dr. Moreau by H.G. Wells

Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell by Susanna Clarke

The Monstrumologist by Rick Yancey

The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, Volume 1 by Alan Moore

The Resurrectionist by Tess Gerritsen

European Travel for the Monstrous Gentlewoman by Theodora Goss

The Golem and the Jinn by Helene Wecker

The Color of Water by James McBride

A Gathering of Ravens by Scott Oden

A Curse Dark as Gold by Elizabeth C. Bunce

The Company of Death by Elisa Hansen

Erebus: The Story of a Ship by Michael Palin

The Gilded Wolves by Roshani Chokshi

Rosecroft by Mike DeClemente

Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea by Jules Verne

“The Lost Road” (from The Lost Road and Other Writings) by J.R.R. Tolkien 

I would love to get back into doing little reviews, but I’ll keep my fingers crossed just to read them all!

[aurantia-ignis]

how do you rank the berseria characters in terms of personal favorites and why?

Okay since you asked ‘why’, I’m going to give you two versions. One with spoilers and one without.The spoiler-free rank!1. Eizen and *SPOILER CHARACTER*2. Laphicet3. Velvet4. Eleanor and Rokurou6. *SPOILER CHARACTER*7. Dyle, *SPOILER CHARACTER*, Benwick  8. Seres9. Magilou   10. Or & Toros, Percival 11. Artorius, Shigure, Kurogane, Medisa, Moana12. Oscar, Teresa, Melchior    Reveals and reasons will be under the spoiler cut

>>>>>>>MAJOR BERSERIA SPOILERS BELOW>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>1. Eizen and ZaveidThese two tie because I can’t pick between the two of them. I love Eizen’s personality: the way he makes occasional puns, his enthusiasm for adventure and loot, the way he watches over Laphicet (and later, Velvet and the rest of the party). I love the way his backstory was crafted, how he had to live with the curse of the shinigami until Aifread taught him not to fear. I love the way he came to terms with it, the way he would rather live life to its fullest with the other pirates and one day die a dragon than be immortal forever just to be ‘safe’. I love that he obviously cares for his sister a lot, but despite that he has no intention of going back to live with her because he knows that his place is aboard the Van Eltia. It’s important, I think, for there to be characters that live for themselves and what they want from life than to have it all revolve around someone they love. I love how he interacts with Zaveid, how he fought so hard to save both Theodora and Zaveid. I love how he gave himself to save the world during the Death Edge period. I love his manzai bout with Magilou. I just really, really love this man a lot. Zaveid’s personality I’ve loved ever since Zestiria, but back then I lamented the lack of screentime and character development in the game. In Berseria, we get to see him so much more. I love the way he passionately defends the seirei. I love the way he tried to watch over Silver. I love the way he kept insisting that dragons are still the serei they once were. I love how he watched over the human children with Theodora. I love the way he interacted with Aizen, learning that there are different ways to look at death. I love how he fought alongside Eizen during the Death Edge period, and ultimately tried to follow up on his promise to take care of Eizen. And of course, during Zestiria… he tried to teach Edna what Eizen taught him, too. I don’t ship these two romantically, but I love them both and I want to see them interact more and I would fight to the death for either of them ;w;b2. LaphicetTHIS CHILD. When I first saw him I merely thought ‘oh it’s a cute shota how adorable’. He seemed to have a lot of potential, a blank slate that didn’t know anything, a person who has to learn how to live. I was a little apprehensive because I didn’t know how good the writing would be, and I worried a little bit that he’d not be as good as he could be.Thankfully, Berseria wrote him wonderfully. He went from “I’m not supposed to have opinions” to “THESE ARE MY OPINIONS AND NOTHING WILL STAND IN MY WAY” in a beautiful story arc. Unlike some of the other seirei like Zaveid, who went from normal to 0 to normal due to Kanonushi’s power, Phi was born already controlled, so he really had no idea what it was like outside Teresa’s control. He learnt that from Velvet and the party, though there were multiple obstacles including Velvet’s occasional meltdown “THIS IS AN ORDER”. I was waiting for the moment when he’d stand up against Velvet for what he believed in, and I wasn’t disappointed. The scene where he yelled at Velvet and demanded for her not to give up was a most amazing scene. I loved him for becoming Maotelus to protect the world that he had learnt to love, even though it was heartbreaking ;_;Aside from that, he’s adorable, and kind-hearted, and hilarious, particularly when bugs are involved. Protect Laphicet 2k17. 3. VelvetThe only thing I dislike about this lady now it’s probably her default clothes. I can’t stand them. She spent my entire playthrough dressed in her villager outfit. =w=;;I was also very apprehensive about Velvet because she had a lot of potential… but could also go horribly wrong. I saw her as a Sasuke type; an avenger who was consumed by revenge. There’s so much room for character growth that, if done well, her entire journey would be excellent. But if badly handled, she’d end up as boring and problematic as Sasuke. Fortunately, the game managed her beautifully. She did start her journey with a narrow minded “I must kill Artorius” goal, and kept that mindset for quite a long time. But she did begin to realise that she was doing essentially what Artorius did; that her coldblooded road to vengeance was nowhere near any kind of goodness, despite how she was so angsty about Artorius being the true evil that deceived everyone. I loved her entire breakdown scene; she was going crazy, and it was so carefully crafted. Although I had originally hoped that she’d have to pick between continuing with her revenge and deciding to live for the sake of those who still live (like Laphicet), what I received in the end with her revenge itself being rendered unnecessary was still quite good. Finally, I loved her for acknowledging that she had committed so many crimes while ‘saving the world’, and that she would atone for it by going into eternal slumber with Laphi, to protect the world that she had caused so much harm to. Very few games do this (there should have been a part in Graces F where Richard has to deal with having been a bad guy, instead of the whole world just going OH IT’S K WE FORGIVE YOU NO HARM DONE), and though it’d have been nice if she could live with Phi through the years, I think it was a great end to her journey. Much love for this protagonist who was clearly and wonderfully written.4. Eleanor and RokurouI wasn’t very fond of Eleanor at first, because her character archetype didn’t appeal to me. But she was the first to get her character development clearly. She reminded me a great deal of Flynn; blindly following orders because that was all that she had known. As the days passed with the party, she slowly came to see that her whole world might be a lie, and she was honest enough to decide that she wanted to see everything through, to find out what was the truth behind Artorius and the seirei. This has to be the first time that a ‘traitor’ character gave up the betrayal before it even happened, and I laughed a lot at that XD I appreciate her well-written relationship with Velvet, and her bond with Laphicet, even though it started out as ‘I HAVE TO PROTECT THIS CHILD BECAUSE IT IS MY DUTY’. Rokurou was the other way round. I loved his character from the start because he made puns and he did jokes and he was fairly open and honest, contrasting with Velvet and Laphicet. He was the first to show immediate care and concern for Laphicet, despite his “I am a gouma I have no feelings” drivel. Which I felt was a problem as the story went on. His character writing (or lack there of) wasn’t coherent at all, and there was so much potential for him to have been an excellent character. But instead, as even his seiyuu acknowledged, he was kind of shunted to the side. The entire thing with Shigure and Kurogane could have been handled much better. Ultimately, he fell from grace for me. :6. Laphicet Crowe/KanonushiA very fascinating character. It’s been years since any game has managed to overwhelm me with a plot twist; usually I can predict what happens in the plot. But at his first appearance as Kanonushi I literally sat up straight in my chair with a HOLY CRAP WHAT because it was /that/ unexpected. I loved the way he was written, how he was shown through the prologue (and Velvet’s POV) to be such an innocent, endearing character… and yet through the narrative later we’re shown that there’s far more to him that she never saw. It’s hard to say if the Kanonushi we see is still Laphicet Crowe, or if they’re two separate people, but it’s a fact that before his ‘death’, Laphi did think and say all of that stuff to Artorius. I can never call Phi Laphi anymore even though those who haven’t played the game are still doing so as a term of endearment ;w; 7. Dyle, Van Aifread, Benwick  Dyle is my all time favourite monster NPC. He’s hilarious, and I love his gentle concern for Moana. Off the top of my head, him going “I WONDER IF THAT WAS MY ANCESTOR” when he was born a human cracked me up really hard. I’m really glad he ended up adopting Moana. Aifread is a great character, though we don’t see much of him. I liked his story with Eizen in the light novel, and I love his personality. I also love how he says that one of Eizen’s biggest failing is his refusal to introduce Edna to him XDBenwick is another adorable child. I love the way he’s written as a part of the storyline, the way he speaks to Velvet and the others throughout the plot of his own accord. He’s not just there to fill a Ship-chauffeur role, he’s there as a member of your party. I love the way he and the other pirates leaped to rescue Aifread, even though it was pretty stupid of them to do so ^^; 8. Seres/CelikaShe was a great sister. Again, it’s hard to say if Seres and Celika are the same people or two separate beings. If Seres had gotten control of her mind without the memories of Celika, would she be Celika? We’ll never know.But because she was a blank slate when she recovered Celika’s memories, I choose to believe that the being Seres was shaped by Celika’s experiences and feelings. And I loved her for believing in Velvet, for wanting to help Velvet stop Arthur. 9. MagilouHonestly, the only reason she’s here and not all the way at the bottom is because she makes me laugh sometimes, like during the manzai subevents. Magilou’s writing was messy, she got her entire ‘backstory and development’ within a single scene (much like Dezel’s was) and I honestly couldn’t care anything for it. She was the biggest disappointment for me, because I cannot find it within myself to care for someone with such shoddy writing. Even all through her heroic moment of Crowning Glory (or both times, actually), I didn’t feel anything for her at all.     10. Or & Toros, Percival,KuroganeDOGS. LOVE DOGS. LOVE THEIR LOYALTY. Prince is also kind of ok. But he was kinda nice. Also love his gryphon. Kurogane was likable, but didn’t really get a lot of screen time. I liked the idea of him using his own self as material to craft, but I wish that had gotten better developed.Let me also use this space to say I love the way the Aifread pirates + the ‘hostages’ interact. I always talk to every single NPC when I’m at base 8D; 11. Artorius, Shigure, Medisa, MoanaThe main reason Artorius is here instead of higher is because I don’t really care for him personally, but his writing is actually pretty great. He was wonderfully developed as a character, and throughout the game you get to see how he clearly grew to become Artorius the Antagonist from Arthur the good guy (which doesn’t always happen cough Heldalf). Shigure is kind of wrapped up in Rokurou’s messy underwhelming writing as well. And aside from that I also don’t care for him much. Medisa is a pain and I disliked how she was given a 180 simply because MOANA DAUGHTER SUBSTITUTE. It might have worked if she had been properly developed. Moana is here because I really don’t like childish immature selfish children. Yes, I get that they’re kids, it’s normal for them to act this way. But they still annoy the hell out of me each time they whine. And in terms of writing, she’s pretty unrealistic half the time…. 12. Oscar, Teresa, Melchior, BienfuThese people =w=Oscar and Teresa are not badly written. They’re pretty good. But they’re also terribly selfish human beings, and I just dislike their characters. Melchoir is a lot less developed than them, and he’s an asshole. Bienfu is just annoying from start to end and I found nothing to like about him whatsoever. =w=;;And that’s it. Sorry for the spam; I hadn’t realised it’d get this long ^^;