#tr trilogy

[zombiechoir]

Lara's Home - Lofi Beats for Raiding Tombs (FULL ALBUM)

[venbetta]

Was working on freaky friday..

Drew my lineart on the sketch layer and I don't know how to fix it right now.. annoyed because I worked on a background for like 30 minutes (it's a simple background but it's still time consuming)

I'm done for today, I've been watching trolls and I'm gonna watch the third movie

[fdrsamericanflagduckfloaty]

more NATM headcanons from me woo

since it's the death-anniversary of Theodore Roosevelt (Jan. 6th) I'm headcanon-ing that on the anniversary of deaths in the museum, the certain exhibit will be fatigued for the entire night, and pretty much not want to do a thing. Basically feel really sick even if they're not human.

So Teddy, when it's that day of the year, usually tries to ignore it. Because he's a leading exhibit of the museum and the museum-family, damnit. He can't stop just because he feels like he's going to collapse and--

"Teddy?"

Oh. So maybe he blacked out. Big deal. Fatigue happens.

But the museum doesn't take that as an answer and instead forcefully makes sure their president is given the best care they can give him. Heated up towels because he's feeling cold? Get ready to feel like the sun is five inches away from you. Feeling crowded? EVERYONE CLEAR OUT. Wants to sleep? Everyone SHUT UP.

and of course every other exhibit who's that stubborn gets the same treatment.

[wonderjanga]

C.C and Marylin Headcannons

Okay, so the other day I saw someone type about their headcannons for Billy. I wanna put my head cannons for him/his parents too cause I’ve been thinking about this for a while.

So as of now, I’ve been playing a bunch of Tomb Raider games. If you’ve played or at least heard of the franchise, you’d know that Lara’s an archeologist. And guess what? C.C. and Marylin are. (Btw am I spelling her name right 😭) So, in my mind. They both grew up in England and then immigrated to the US and met in Fawcett and blah blah blah. Now to the good stuff, you know how Lara exudes utter badassery? You do? Great! So all the heinous, wild, plot armor filled things she did in the newest TR trilogy (Tomb Raider, Rise of the Tomb Raider, and Shadow of the Tomb Raider) Marylin did all of that. I’m cooking guys I swear, just trust me. Then as for C.C., in my little mind, he’s half Norse and half British. So, you know that one game where Lara wields Mjölnir? (I think it was Tomb Raider Underworld?) He did that. Guys, I swear I’m cooking.

So now, cause Billy in Marvel form looks like their Dad, and Mary in Marvel form looks like Marylin, you gotta wonder what their old archeology buddies are thinking. They’re either not surprised, or they’re like are you flipping kidding me? I can imagine one of their old buddies going up to Billy and being like:

Buddy: “C.C.! You old bastard! How have you been? How’s the wife and kid? Also, quick question, you disappeared for a couple years and didn’t bother reaching out to anyone. You good?”

Billy: *Looks around before flying off cause he has no idea who this person is (he’s too young to remember them)*

I can also imagine the JL with this, specifically Batman. He runs facial recognition on Billy and finds C.C., Bruce is like okay, cool, finally, a clue about that man’s identity, only for him to find pictures, photos, and newspapers from the 40’s and 50’s (I believe in time bubble Fawcett. The Batson’s died in 58 and Billy and Mary were 8 at the time. By the time the time bubble appeared, they would’ve been 10 or 12.) So, Bruce digs a little deeper and finds that C.C. and Marylin have killed a lot of people during their time as archeologists (and they definitely have since I based them off of Lara. Guys, Lara has killed a lot of people.) He also finds out that C.C. and Marylin are dead. So now he’s left confuzzled as to who the heck Billy and Mary are, cause they look exactly like them. Or at least Marvel does and Mary looks like a teenage Marylin, so for all Bruce knows she’s Mary Batson and Marylin is actually dead. But then that raises another question for Bruce, where is Billy? Is he Captain Marvel Jr.? They look similar, but not completely. The whole thing has left Bruce with more questions than answers. It’s also left him looking at The Captain in a newer light. He didn’t think the man had the emotional capacity to have a serious relationship. (He thought he was too childish. Not that my Marvel is, he acts more like a 20 something year old guy instead of a kid) Not only that but now he at least has confirmation that Cap is human… maybe. But I also want to look at this with other heroes! Like Wildcat (the goat) he grew up during the Great Depression and due to his slow aging he was allowed to live all the way up to now. He might’ve seen the Batsons in the paper. He might’ve also read about how their plane went down. I can imagine him being like “Hmm… You’re familiar.”

There’s also Question who I know would be driven up a wall trying to figure out who Billy is, and if not Billy, then he’s trying to figure out where Marvel’s from, cause the Living Lightning is thousands of years old. Yet, he keeps getting led back to an archeologist whose plane fell down in- *gasp* Egypt! Near Kahndaq! *Double gasp* He spirals.

Then there’s also Black Adam, who does his own research on the champion. He finds out the same thing Question did about the plane. The next day he flies over to Fawcett:

Black Adam: “You sniveling worm! What were you doing near Kahndaq?!”

Billy: “Dude, what are you talking about?!”

Black Adam: “You know what I’m talking about, Batson!”

Billy: *Gives him the most horrified look Adam had ever seen on Marvel’s face.*

Oh, and let’s not forget about Ebenezer. Imagine seeing your dead brother, or at least someone that looks like your dead brother, fly around saving people. After everything he did to Billy, I’m sure he was scared shitless(pardon my French). But what I think is worse, is that he’d constantly be waiting for Marvel to do something, only for him to do nothing and just unknowingly leave Ebenezer in suspense for every waking moment. Bonus points if Ebenezer knew about the Lara Croft behavior.

[positivelyamazonian]

What do you think about Tomb Raider Anniversary? I actually like it surprisingly, of course the originals are better but from what I've gathered they seem to have made it somewhat similar to the original but I would have loved to see Core's remake of it. Also, it seemed like they were trying to make Lara and Larson a thing?! Idk. Also, the Atlantean creatures had an awesome design in that game!

They lost me in the moment Natla mentioned Lara's bloody father AGAIN, who was never important in the original timeline in the first place, if anything, he would've stopped his daughter from pursuing her talents, didn't he disown her for that? Legend was about mommy, Anniversary was about daddy, and the reboot rebooted it again, can't Lara do shit without walking in the shoes of a parental figure?

Also the way she seemed disturbed or repentant to kill Larson when actually she was defending herself from a potential murderer. Classic Lara would've cleaned her teeth with his bones.

The worst part, though, is that its demo was built in record time by Crystal only to rival with Core's almost totally developed TR 10th Anniversary Edition. It wasn't planned before, it was only done so they could push Core out of the map and have their work canned and definitely expelled from a potential release, so their Anniversary ended replacing the Anniversary Core had prepared and Core Design definitely vanished as studio.

Girl, I spit on Crystal's Anniversary. I spit on it a thousand times, only for this.

In the end, NOPE. I remember playing it once just for out of curiosity and then bye bye. You know, graphics and designs were never enough for me to do the trick. It's what happens in general with LAU trilogy. They look cool because modern, but it's like an empty nice chocolate box: no matter how pretty, it's still empty on the inside.

For that, I still prefer to play the originals. Now that they're remastered, I don't see why anyone would care to touch Anniversary.

[master-gaia-tetron-crystalblue]

Updated information on the Soul Trilogy and its connections with other games from the same universe.

⚠️This little information may contain spoilers.

The Quintet Trilogy.

There are a few connections between Soul Blazer, Illusion of Gaia and Terranigma:

Soul Blazer, Illusion of Gaia and Terranigma deal with world regeneration and all three games deal with the concept of reincarnation.

Blazer and Will (in form of Shadow) have the technique of launching the spirit of the Phoenix and apparently in Terranigma the weapons of the Hero, Ark, are shaped like a phoenix, too.

In both the Japanese and PAL versions the Soul Armor of Soul Blazer, appears in Terranigma.

In Illusion of Gaia, Will uses his powers to attract "Gems" like Blazer.

In Watermia, from Illusion of Gaia, Kara says: "Freejia was the same way, but beautiful. Things always have another side to them" in Japanese version: "As was the case with the City of Flowers, I wonder if beautiful things always have a back face." In Terranigma, when Ark reaches the sewers of Neotokio, has a similar line: "The more fancy a town, the more dirty at the back". In Japanese: "The more glittering the city is the more messy it is to look behind the scenes."

In Angkor Wat temple, which appears in Illusion of Gaia, there is a room containing crystals that strongly resemble those in the Shrine of the Master from Soul Blazer.

In Neotokio, the most advanced city in the world, Ark fights a ghost hidden in a garbage can, there by reviving the Quintet programmers, including a chicken, who are creating the game Illusion of Time 2 that is Terranigma. In the Japanese version the game, he is developing 天地創造 (Tenchi Sōzō), they were literally making Terranigma. Also, in that version, you could answer a questionnaire (Quintet Quiz) if you were an expert in the games of the company, among them Soul Blazer and Illusion of Gaia.

Some characters and locations seem to appear in more than one game with different names:

All three games feature a dog named Turbo: in Soul Blazer, he appears in Greenwood; in Illusion of Gaia, he's at the Diamond Coast; in Terranigma, he's Meilin's dog.

In Illusion of Gaia, "The Moon tribe" people, are in the form of a Soul Blazer enemy: Ghost.

The enemies of Illusion of Gaia, Dinapedes and Nitropedes are similar to Metapedes of Dr. Leo's Lab in Soul Blazer.

Both Illusion of Gaia and Terranigma deal with Dark and Light Gaia.

In Illusion of Gaia the secret boss is Metal Mantis, who was the first boss of Soul Blazer.

Soul Blazer, Illusion of Gaia, and Terranigma share a painter in their story.

The "Tulip" that appears in Illusion of Gaia in the of Edward's Castle Prison, is the same as those that appear in Soul Blazer.

Terranigma has Capetown in South Africa (though it can't be visited) and Illusion of Gaia begins in South Cape.

Mu exists in Illusion of Gaia and Terranigma.

In Soul Blazer there is a place called St. Elle's Seabed, which is "Palace of St. Ells" (セントエルズの宮殿) in Japanese. Elle (エル) of Terranigma has a similar name, both in English and in Japanese.

In Terranigma, before entering Great Lakes Cavern, Ark speaks with a man named Servas, who is awaiting the return of his fiancée, Nana. When she died, she became a mermaid, which is a reference to a mermaid's dolphin in Soul Blazer, Servas, who is the reincarnation of a child who died with his father in the a shipwreck and also is mentioned on Illusion of Gaia in Larai Cliff.

Some characters and places are equivalent to the same ones from Soul Blazer:

Guardian of the Forest = Ra Tree (Terranigma)

King Magridd = King Henri (Terranigma)

Queen Magridd = Bloody Mary (Terranigma)

Magridd Castle = Sylvain Castle (Terranigma)

Dr. Leo = Beruga (Terranigma). In Soul Blazer, Dr. Leo says, "I am not passing away, rather, I am going to sleep. When a scientist with my knowledge is needed, I will be back." In Terranigma, Beruga was alive in the ancient world before it was revived by Ark.

Connection of the Quintet classic games between Quintet Trilogy

ActRaiser and ActRaiser 2: For being the beginning of the Quintet Trilogy and their complementary games (Robotrek and The Granstream Saga), there are different references in these:

In Soul Blazer, The Master (a non-playable character this time) is represented as a serious, kind, understandable, positive, and pious deity. He forgave King Magridd and never gave up hope that Blazer would triumph against Deatholl.

In ActRaiser 2 The Master has the power to turn his sword into the spirit of the of Phoenix for a few moments to attack the enemy.

There is a child named Teddy in Soul Blazer, and he tries to sell the Goat's Food to Blazer. He is a reference to the boy of the same name from ActRaiser.

In the Japanese version of the ActRaier 2, "Tower of Souls" is the "Tower of Babel" (バベルの塔戦]), which appears in Illusion of Gaia.

In Angel Village, appear enemies similar to Ramskulls which are from ActRaiser.

The outside of Angkor Wat temple is very similar to ActRaiser's Marahna temple. Also, in this level, The Master uses the Earthquake and in Illusion of Gaia, Will (in Freedan's form) get the "Earthquaker."

On Illusion of Gaia, the boss on the Great Wall of China is very similar to the boss of the Kasandora's desert boss from ActRaiser.

In Terranigma, you can see two paintings: The Master of ActRaiser 2 painted by Matis and located in Mati's, which is in Loire, and the other in Britain in Sir Rich's mansion. Like some statues of one of three angels that help him in ActRaiser 2, specifically The Warrior Angel in Loire Castle.

ActRaiser and ActRaiser 2 are of the games that appears in the Quintet Quiz of Neotokio in Terranigma in the Japanese version.

In Terranigma the virus created by Beruga, "Asmodeus" is a reference of ActRaiser 2 the boss: Deception, in Japanese version: 欲望|Lust. Deception, apart from his attacks, sludge spit, fireball and bomb; he teleports to escape and uses his "Teleportation orb" to take The Master to another site on the same battlefield. Unlike "Asmodeus", that demon teleports the combatant, but doesn't erase him forever.

Although in interview of Koji Yokota by John Szczepaniak of his book The Untold History of Japanese Game Developers: Volume 1, he revealed that The Master is part of the games Soul Blazer and Illusion of Gaia. It's believed that he is also Light Gaia and Tanzra is Dark Gaia. This is believed because of the opening of Terranigma, (both in the original and the European version) which says, "They came to be called 'God' and 'Devil'."

The damaged sound effect of Blazer is the same of the ActRaiser when The Master is damaged.

The sound effect when defeating an enemy can be heard in ActRaiser, Soul Blazer, and Illusion of Gaia.

Sound effect of the enemies attacks bullet firing can heard in ActRaiser and Soul Blazer.

Robotrek: It's a relatively comical game where we can find again themes; such as is creation and destruction, human ambition, the use of science for good and evil, the theme of immortality that is implicit in Nagisa an assistant android with the resemblance to the deceased mother of the protagonist, problems between neighbors and among others. In addition to having some elements found in the ActRaiser and Quintet Trilogy, Robotrek would be the complement of those games:

The "Blade 4", in the Japanese version is called "SoulBlade" (ソウルブレイド), which could be the replica of the legendary weapon of the hero of Soul Blazer, "Soul Blade", with the technique of launching bullets shaped Phoenix.

There are two ways to create "Blade 4", combining "Seed" with "Blade 3". The other way is combining "Smoke" with "Scrap 8", nonetheless the first combination is a hidden reference to the Kingdom of Freil from Soul Blazer, which in Japanese is フレイル王国|Fureiru ōkoku, where フレイmeans Freyr, reference to the name of the Norse god of fertility, which comes from Old Norse name Freyr ("lord"), meaning 'fertile'. Both in form and meaning, fraiwa ("seed").

The form bipyramid of the Tetron or "Tiatron" (ティアトロン) resembles the "Shrine of the Master" from Soul Blazer and the crystals of Angkor Wat from Illusion of Gaia.

It's probably the name "Tetron" is the combination of two words:Tia,Theia/Thea"Divine"or "Divine light" and Tron "Tool" take into account that Theia or Euryphaessa is one of the twelve Titans, the children of the earth goddess Gaia and the sky god Uranus in Greek mythology, also it could be a little reference of the Giant-impact hypothesis.

Inside the Count Polinky's mansion you can see knight's armors similar to the enemies of Stormrook from ActRaiser 2, but without the axe and shield. However, in this stage you can learn create Axe 1 (Inventor's Friend Lv 9).

In the Clock Tower of Count Polinky's mansion where there is an enmity of some dolls with the mice of the place, this part of the game could be a reference to Soul Blazer in parody form.

On the South Isle, a native scares the main character with a joke similar to that made by the dog from GreenWood's Restaurant in Soul Blazer.

In the Japanese version, the chicken on the farm of Robotrek is called "Catherine" (カトリーヌ), which is mentioned in Terranigma by a boy watching the chicken race, also are the only Quintet Super Nintendo Entertainment System games where chickens appear and the main character can talk to them.

On Robotrek "Rococo Town" (ロココ町) is a reference of the art style that originated in Paris in the late 17th and early 18th century. Also of the Japanese SF novel "Rococo Town: Rococo-chō" by Masahiko Shimada. In Terranigma, Ark buys for 800 Gems: "Rococo Apartment" (ロココアパート).

In the computer of the main character (Hero's house) and that of his father, mentions ActRaiser 2 and Illusion of Gaia (in the Japanese and American version).

With the CyberJack, the player can enter the computer in dad's house and meet the Development staff of Quintet. This secret is present in Actraiser 2 and Terranigma, too.

The outside of Gateau's space fortress is shaped similar to that of the Tower of Babel.

In Rococo Town, The Master is mentioned in one diary where it narrates the preparation of a wedding: "From the bottom of my heart, to the God who brought us together I can't help but get excited." ("ふたりをめぐりあわせてくれた 神様に 心の底から かんしゃせずにはいられない"), doesn't seem to refer to the God (神様) of South Isle. In addition to the fact that the main character of the game learned to create replicas of The Soul Blade. It is possible that people in another part of the universe believe in The Master from ActRaiser and ActRaiser 2, but it has not been confirmed.

Robotrek is one of the games that appears in the Quintet Quiz of Neotokio from Terranigma in the Japanese version.

In the Japanese manual of Robotrek, the story section compare technological advancement of Rococo Town to that of Japan: "The civilization of Rococo Town is a little more advanced than the present Japan."(ロココ町の文明は今の日本 より少しだけ進んでいますが). It's possible can be seen this mention of Japan in Neotokio from Terranigma.

On Terranigma, in one of the houses in Crysta there is a footboard from the one bed a generic cat's face carved in wood that is later seen again in a mini game in Liotto, however the cat face is similar to the official art of Kurogane the cat from Robotrek.

In both the Japanese and American versions, a girl's dog and her grandmother's have the name Turbo (タ ー ボ), a name given to the Turbo that appear in Soul Blazer, Illusion of Gaia and Terranigma.

In one video "Brute Press" VHS Vol.24 July 1995 (【非売品】ブルートプレス Vol.24 1995年7月号) published Terranigma Beta version.The sound effects can heard is the same of the Robotrek.

The Granstream Saga: It's not certain if the story takes place on Earth or in another planet in a distant future. In American version the story of manual tells us:"One hundred years ago, on the planet of Granstream, a great war devastated the land"; while the Japanese mention "the world" (世界) and "land" (地表) or "above ground (地上): "Going back in time, 100 years ago. The war that divides the world broke out, and humankind was on the verge of extinction. Based on different magical powers as the basis of civilization, the two opposing forces "Magical Empire Army" and "Spirit Alliance Army" do not yield to each other, and finally the empire destroys the enemy's center with forbidden super magic weapons Executed the operation. It shattered the earth's veins and caused cataclysms. The earth's axis tilted greatly and the surface of the earth was completely submerged. And all life and civilization rooted on the earth have perished".

"今より時をさかのぼること、百年前。 世界を二分する戦争が勃発し、人類は滅亡の危機に瀕した。 異なる魔法の力を文明の基盤とし、対立する二つの軍勢「魔導帝国軍」と「精霊同盟軍」は互いにあい譲らず、ついに帝国は禁断の超・魔導兵器で敵の中枢を破壊する作戦を実行した。 それは、大地の地脈を粉砕し、大変動を引き起こした。 地軸は大きく傾き、地表は完全に水没した。 そして、地上に根差したあらゆる生命と文明は、滅びた。"

Although in an interview Koji Yokota, identifies Terranigma and The Granstream Saga different from ActRaiser, Soul Blazer and Illusion of Gaia,these two games from different consoles, presented various themes related to the company's previous games, for these that suggest to be possible sequel of Terranigma. Due to the fact that the connection with the others isn't official, it could be considered as another complement to ActRaiser and Quintet Trilogy:

In the game Eon and Arcia make it a goal to raise the other continents to restore the world.

The level of Stalagmite Castle just like Dr. Leo's Painting of Soul Blazer.

A stone appears named: Star Stone.

Among Eon's weapons we find a sword called: "Arc Blazer" that increases damage to enemies that are weak against ice.And the axe of the Spirit King: "Gaia Edge."

The stained glass window of the church is very similar to the one that appears in Terranigma in Litz's church, but not the colours.

Outside of Airlim, the magic control Tower, it's similar to the form of Tower of Babel.

The background of Curio Shop, you can find a vase with two handle, just like Illusion of Gaia.

Appears the enemy "Mimic", like in Soul Blazer.

Eon use"Dried herb" and "Special herb" to heal like the herbs from Illusion of Gaia.

The original form of the Demon King Demaar (Digol) looks like the final form of Dark Gaia of Terranigma.

In The Granstream Saga, if Eon decides to sacrifice Arcia using her pure soul for defeat demon Demaar. In the end, "Deity" appears, sitting on a throne in the Palace of the Heaven, talking to her. This is possibly The Master from ActRaiser, but it has not been confirmed.

https://quintet.fandom.com/wiki/Similarities_between_Quintet_games

[davyreads]

review of tomi adeyemi’s children of anguish and anarchy

zélie confronts her final enemy, the king of a foreign land who hunts her heart.

"i'm not ready for our story to end."

children of anguish and anarchy is the final entry in tomi adeyemi's legacy of orisha trilogy, and it was preceded by commercial and critical successes children of blood and bone and children of virtue and vengeance. this final book continues where the second book left off, and readers are reunited with zélie, tzain, amari and inan, as they fight to free their people and save the life of an unknown girl. the plight of the maji has always been reminiscent of the struggles of the black community, but this is made even clearer and more visceral in this final installment.

keep reading for my personal thoughts (there will be spoilers)

the story follows zélie as she frees the maji from the captivity of those known only as the skulls, for the masks that they wear over their faces. after freeing her people, during the process of which an artefact from the skulls is embedded into her chest, zélie searches for a mystery girl and aims to save her life and protect her from the skulls and their monstrous power. whilst she does this with tzain and amari, inan returns with the rest of the maji to orisha to warn the rest of their people of the threat posed by the skulls. upon returning, they find their people still at war with one another, and they very quickly understand that in order to stand a chance against their new foes, they need to stop their infighting and unite. meanwhile, zélie, tzain and amari come across an island of people with different and unique gifts, and they find the girl they have been looking for. there are many time jumps, and a sacrifice made by one of our protagonists, but by the end, the maji and zélie’s new friend, mae’e, defeat the skulls.

the aspect of the trilogy that i really enjoyed, and that i have always enjoyed, has been the worldbuilding, and this final book carries on that legacy, and expands it to different continents. we’re introduced to new worlds and new abilities and, briefly, new systems of magic, with references to different cultures and mythologies. this is something that has never been an issue for this series, and i appreciate that this is something we get to enjoy to the very end of it.

another thing is that, as i said in the small blurb i wrote, the references to struggles faced by the black community from outside the community and within it have always been part and parcel of the series, and these themes have driven the story in an authentic way that allows readers to relate to the characters. i truly appreciate these inclusions and it helps the series maintain a flavour of what initially drew readers in to begin with. unfortunately, this final entry was a major disappointment to me, and it let me down greatly. the issues that i will discuss are the pacing, the characters, the story itself and its place in the trilogy.

i knew almost immediately that something wasn’t right, because the pacing was quite fast, and it felt abnormal. around 100 pages into the book, our characters have already staged a successful revolt without powers (mostly; with the exception of tzain, curiously); in any of the other books in the trilogy, this might not have really been an issue but since this book is shorter than the other 2, this is ultimately less than a third of the way through, and with the way the rest of the story is written and paced, this speed feels unnecessary, and it doesn’t feel like there was any point to this, because there was no clear compromise on any other aspect that could possibly explain this. there are many time jumps and skips and whilst these are good, and should be used, this just left the book feeling a bit spotty. when i think of my experience reading the book, there aren’t any actual gaps in my memory, it’s just that the timing of the novel is really bad, as much as it pains me to say. we don’t see any actual training for the characters, with the exception of a singular scene for zélie and tzain, if they can really be called that, but this takes me to my next grievance: the characters.

there is no development, and certain characters just straight up disappear (roën is nowhere to be found…?). the characters don’t change whatsoever. zélie is still zélie, amari is still amari (except she’s explicitly queer now, which i will discuss), and inan is still inan. tzain doesn’t really change either, he just gets a weapon (made from his own rib, which is pretty cool, i have to say), and whilst i can appreciate that he has felt powerless throughout the series as he has had to wait on the sidelines whilst the main action happens, this almost comes out of nowhere, and it felt like there was no buildup. i might even go as far as saying that there might have been a few out-of-character moments for some characters (inan consistently making terrible decisions even though he’s the closest we have to a military tactician was annoying to witness). this doesn’t seem as big of an issue as other aspects that i will discuss further, but it’s aggravating that with all these new threats and discoveries, everyone stays the same. inan sacrificing himself at the end of the novel felt like a very cheap way to shock the reader rather than it feeling like a necessary part of the story; in the book, it’s explained (kind of terribly) that inan must exchange his breath of life for zélie’s, and it is for that reason that inan dies and zélie lives, however it felt incredibly cheap and weak because nothing has changed about inan over the course of the novel to truly make us feel emotional at his death. it felt a bit like the ending of netflix’s chilling adventures of sabrina when nick scratch kills himself because it felt less like a needed part of the book and more like an attempt at shocking the viewers. i also think the book suffers from having too many perspectives, and i truly feel that tzain’s perspective was insignificant, especially seeing as with his point of view, we still know close to nothing about his training and what his experience in new gaia is like. this was really disappointing to read and very very annoying.

as i mentioned earlier, amari is explicitly confirmed to be queer, and many have read her as such since the first book, a popular pairing being zélie x amari. however, as much as i love queer stories, specifically black and african queer stories, this felt very lacklustre. amari meets mae’e and they pretty much fall in love instantly, with a short and uninteresting throwaway line from tzain where he remarks that amari looks at mae’e the same way she used to look at him (pg. 270). personally, this wasn’t very satisfying, and i can’t tell if it’s because the romance itself wasn’t convincing or if, in the context of the rest of the novel, this was just disappointing. the villain of this book is also very uninteresting and it got to a point whilst i was reading that i was waiting for the book to end because i felt so unstimulated by it, which really upsets me.

my final grievance that i will discuss is how well this novel works as an end to the trilogy, and the story itself. in short, i think this book was an incredibly disappointing and dissatisfying end to a beloved trilogy, and it truly hurts to say that, because there aren’t many times where i will see my culture written with such love and written so beautifully. this trilogy, in my opinion, really should have been a duology, and it should’ve ended after children of virtue and vengeance, perhaps with an epilogue that explored how their world was changed by the return of magic and how they are working to rebuild their country. this final instalment was so inconsequential, and really did not change much about the world of the trilogy, and because we were being introduced to so many new things in the shortest book of the trilogy, everything felt a bit out of place and time. nothing felt earned or deserved, and the only death that really moved me was one that didn’t even appear in the book (i miss you, imani). the epilogue was also very weak, in my opinion, because whilst it promises the hope of rebuilding lives and homes and orisha as a country, i think it would have been better placed at the end of the second book as it would have allowed the series to end on a high note.

[seemeunseelie]

‘The Wolf and The Lamb’ from Aesop’s Fables (1927), by Nora Fry | ‘Persephone Writes a Poem’, from This Is How We Lost Each Other (2018), by Karese Burrows | Deathless, by Catherynne M. Valente (2011) | ‘Mizumono’ from Hannibal (2014), dir David Slade | For Your Own Good (2015), by Leah Horlick | ‘Agamemnon’ from The Oresteian Trilogy by Aeschylus, tr. Philip Vellacott (1966) | Kiss of Judas (1852) by Ignazio Jacometti | ‘What Was there to Bring me to Delight but to Love and be Loved’, from When She Named Fire: An Anthology (2008) by Paisley Rekdal | ‘Thirty Pieces of Silver’ by John Charles Dollman (1851–1934) | ‘After the Movie’ from The Kingdom of Ordinary Time, by Marie Howe (2008) | untitled poem by Sue Zhao (2020) | all other images taken from Baldur’s Gate 3 (Larian Studios)

[apollo-353]

I’ve edited together some Tomb Raider wallpapers to share with you all.

Every wallpaper has a version with the EU Logo, Remastered Logo and without a logo in both landscape and portrait.

I also edited together some Gold wallpapers to go along with the original trilogy also with and without logos in landscape and portrait.

[blade-that-was-broken]

Clay was the one who went with John Dory up north to the funeral. 

All those years ago, Clay didn’t just lose his big brother, he lost his dad too. His father died and Clay never knew. If John had died in service, Clay and the rest of his brothers might have never have known. He never got to go to his father’s funeral. Was there a service? Who came? Did he have any friends? Or was John the only attendant? Did John go at all? 

The few times JD even mentioned their father, he was strangely detached and flat. He wondered if John resented their father as much as Clay - and probably the rest of them - resented their mother. He wanted to know more but John never seemed very forthcoming and generous with any information. 

He didn’t talk a whole lot in general. 

Clay didn’t know a lot, just that someone from John’s old church at their father’s home had died, but it was all John gave him for information. He didn’t even know John went to church. John didn’t ask Clay to accompany him and Clay knew Floyd would probably be better suited for this, or even Bruce. However, he also knew that they would both have a lot of questions, and comments and John wasn’t one to answer these days. They would be returning to the cabin that John had spent his teenage years in, the one their father took him to live in. Just them.

Clay had no idea what to expect. John didn’t talk about the years between leaving home and joining the military, which Clay suspected was at a young age. He told John that he would come with and continued without pause to explain that people should not go to funerals alone. He tried not to insinuate he was going because of John’s missing leg and disability. 

He wasn’t. 

John didn’t announce the short trip to anyone so Clay didn’t say anything either. If one of them had, the others might have joined but Clay wasn’t sure if John wanted that. Clay himself only knew because he had so happened to be there when John got the call. 

On the plane ride, John was quiet, mostly listening to Clay read softly to him. John’s presence in Clay’s life was still relatively new but they were quick to pull up on the slack of lost time. John tried to show interest in his hobbies and work - at least as much as John was capable of showing interest. Clay had quickly found John liked to be read to. He already listened to audiobooks and podcasts, as well as the radio fairly frequently. Clay had gotten him a phone with plenty of apps for those things to keep up. John wasn’t very good at that type of technology, although not incompetent by any means, and Clay was sure he didn’t love to need the help, he eventually accepted it. 

In a moment of vulnerability, John confessed he didn’t read real quickly and for some reason, Clay thought it was a good idea to start reading to him. He didn’t even recall how the conversation came up but he wouldn’t complain. Clay would take breaks from his work or studies and Facetime his oldest brother to read to him. They were almost finished with The Hobbit. Clay already bought the Lord of the Rings Trilogy to read next. 

By the time the plane landed, they were almost to the end of the book. They’d probably finish on the ride back. 

Clay tried finding a taxi when they got off the plane but John just stared, almost a laugh bubbling up. It had taken Clay by surprise but John told him that it was unlikely to find a taxi around these parts. He called someone and within a few minutes, a car came around to pick them up. It was an older gentleman. Clay had no idea who he was but he gave John a brief hug and put their bags into his truck. And then they were off. The older man did most of the talking, a bit about some of the local news, some stuff about the church, how they were praying for John and the others in the military. He asked if John was doing okay. John’s answer was brief but the man accepted it. He asks who Clay was. 

“That’s Clay. He’s my brother.” 

The man absolutely beamed in that second, lighting up like a giant Christmas tree. For whatever reason, he was ecstatic and joyful of the news, congratulating John and mentioning something about God. 

Clay barely followed. 

The man didn’t have much of a chance to continue, as they pulled up to a worn yet overgrown dirt and gravel driveway, a small rundown cabin at the end of it. They parked, the man explained a bit and John told him he will see them at the funeral. Clay carried both their bags, John on his brace crutches. He barely packed anything. 

The yard - if one could call it that - was overgrown with old things twisted in dirt and vines. The door creaked when John opened it. “They turned the water back on,” he said, quietly. “But let it run for a bit before you use any of it. I’ll try to get the generator up and running for electricity. There should be some lanterns and flashlights in the meantime.” 

It was a tiny little place but someone definitely opened it once in a while. “This is where you and dad lived?” Clay asked. It was probably obvious and probably a poor way to try and start a conversation. 

John just hummed, undeterred. “You can take the bed. I’ve got the couch.” 

Only one bed. Clay wondered who had claimed it before. John disappeared for a couple of hours. Before he goes, he tells Clay not to go out into the woods. It is easy to get lost. Clay wondered how many times John got lost in these woods. Despite the urge to wander, Clay barely goes outside. John came back with a couple of fish, newly descaled and cleaned. He turned on a little grill outside with some coal and prepared the fish to eat. It is strangely and unfairly delicious. 

“You’re good at this.” 

“Lots of practice.” 

They eat for a while and Clay eats the entire fish that is given to him. There is a silence which isn’t entirely uncomfortable. John pulled up a couple of chairs and started a fire. There is a firepit on the side of the cabin, mostly just a hole with some rocks but Clay watched in rapt attention how easily John makes the fire from practically nothing. 

“You have questions,” John noted. It had been an hour or two and the fish was entirely gone. They had been staring at the crackling fire in silence for a while. He’s not wrong but Clay doesn’t want to push his brother away. Things are so different and John isn’t the person he used to be as a child. 

“Who wouldn’t?” 

“What do you want to know?” John asked, pushing one of the logs in the pit closer to the flames with another stick. 

“Did you sleep on the couch?” he blurted out. 

John still stared at the fire but Clay could see him blink in surprise. He wasn’t expecting something like that, it appeared. “No. He let me have the bedroom.” 

“Do you… like this place?” 

John shrugged. “It’s a roof.” 

Clay wasn’t sure where he was going with this. 

“I’m an angry person.” 

“At what?” 

“Everything, everyone. I don’t know how to stop it.” 

“Maybe you’re holding on?” 

“Are you angry?” 

“Yes.” 

“It’s hard to tell.” 

“The appearance of anger can sometimes be worse than the anger itself,” John replied quietly, turning over some logs again. “It’s getting late. Why don’t you get some sleep.” 

It was clear the conversation was over. 

Clay did and laid on the bed, the window next to him slightly open with a cool breeze coming through. He could hear the crackle of the fire still and birds chirping lightly. All he can think about is wondering what kind of life John must have lived here, in this old dinky cabin. 

[stheresya]

The heroines of both The Grisha Trilogy and The Red Shoes (1948) respectively kinda share the same conflict, despite the stories being set in very different universes with its own circumstances. One is a story set in a 19th century russian-esque fantasy world, the other is set in the ballet world of 1940s UK. Both stories feature female characters who have a special skill/ability which is deemed an essence of their very being, who then become entangled with a scheming older man that elevates their abilities to its full potential, but meanwhile these girls also fall in love with a seemingly good guy, a love that inevitably prunes their abilities. And so they must decide between having love but devoid of their essence, or exploring their essence to its full potential but without love.

“It isn’t something separate from you,” Baghra snapped. “[…] Do you ask your heart to beat or your lungs to breathe? Your power serves you because that is its purpose, because it cannot help but serve you.” (Ch. 13, Shadow and Bone)

- Why do you want to dance? - Why do you want to live? - I don't know exactly why but… I must. - That's my answer too. (The Red Shoes)

What differentiates the stories, other than the environment where they're set, is how each of them deal with this conflict. In TGT this conflict is felt most by the reader than by the heroine herself. The paths that are presented to Alina are embodied by her childhood sweetheart and an older powerful man who ignites her in various ways, both men form a love triangle with Alina where they compete for her, even if each man wants her for very different purposes. Alina knows this but she refuses to grapple with a decision, she already know head-on that Mal is the one, and she mostly just tries to navigate both of these contradictory aspects: the grisha/saint identity as well as her normie boyfriend, despite being constantly warned that this would not be a feasible on the long run.

But in TRS, however, the conflict is deeply felt by the main character as well as the viewer. Also, and this is very important, there isn't really a love triangle in the movie. The main character is divided between her boyfriend and her mentor, who doesn't seem to harbor genuine romantic feelings for Vicky even though he still feels something that borders on obsession for her due to her talent (some people, like myself, interpret this as his own twisted form of romantic love, but I'm going here with what's clearly shown in the movie). The mentor is a bit similar to the Darkling personality-wise. He is a man who has renounced love altogether and lives solely for his job (or as he calls it: his "religion", which is ballet), and he expects his prima-ballerinas to do the same. So when he learns that Vicky has fallen in love with his composer he goes mad and lashes out on both of them, which causes Vicky to readily stand by her boyfriend. But of course things don't stop there as she constantly second-guessing her decision, even when her man tries to deliver on the happiness that he's promised her. The movie is constantly asking us: is it fair to give up your dreams for the sake of love? can you truly be fulfilled in your dream when you have no love?

But why am I making these connections? I suppose because watching this movie made me realize that these sorts of conflicts can never really lead to a happy ending. It's the perfect conflict for a tragedy. I guess one can write an ending where the conflict is resolved by just having the character be allowed to have both. But in my opinion it feels a disingenuous and coward choice to just take the conflict away, without having to face it.

And that's why both The Grisha Trilogy and The Red Shoes end in tragedy. The difference is that the latter is honest in its tragedy, while the former tries to paint the situation as... not exactly happy, but still hopeful, maybe bittersweet, but ultimately ok. It's ok because it was "fair", it was punishment for her "greediness" (she wasn't greedy). Another thing that I think The Red Shoes does better is allowing for the heroine choose. The ending of the movie, albeit sad, is entirely Vicky's choice. The Grisha trilogy doesn't go that way. Instead it does the RS equivalent of having Alina suffer a permanent injury that makes her unable to go on pointe, thus killing her career as a ballet dancer, and then Alina has to settle with her boyfriend after all, living as a shell of herself where she not longer has her essence, and she's not even allowed her own name anymore. But it's ok! she has her (unsupportive) man with her!

So long story short, there is no possible scenario where Alina could've had a happy ending. But we as readers could've a more fulfilling end if only the story were more honest about the ending it was writing. Alina died in every way except physically. It's not a happy ending in any way.

[scotianostra]

The 9th January 2000 saw the death of the historical novelist Nigel Tranter.

Tranter was the most prolific Scottish writer of all time, writing mainly factual and fictional books related to Scottish history, if you haven't read any of his work I recommend you do, the attention to detail takes nothing away from enjoyable stories. In my opinion the only other Scottish writer to come close to the volume and quality of work in this field is Sir Walter Scott.

His grandfathers were church ministers, but a great-grandfather invented the Tranter pistol. He was descended also from James Watt, inventor of the steam engine. He himself wanted to become a restoring architect, but the early death of his father forced him to stop studying. Instead he trained as an accountant and worked in the Scottish National Insurance Company. He served in the Royal Artillery during World War II.

Tranter went to George Heriot’s School in Edinburgh, which may have inspired his love of castles. His earliest writing on these was at the age of 13. As a boy he spent hours cycling to castles and mansions, and drawing them in meticulous detail, before going on to write about them in his first published book, The Fortalices and Early Mansions of Southern Scotland, 1400-1650, at the age of 22. This was followed by the five volumes of The Fortified House in Scotland. In later life he loved to take visitors out to castles and assisted many castle restoration projects in Scotland such as Fa’side.

He married May Jean Campbell Grieve in Athelstaneford Church in July 1933 and they had two children. He and May worked together on The Queen’s Scotland series, giving a short history of parishes in four Scottish regions until her death in 1979, when the project stopped.

Their son Philip was a climber, who sadly died in a car crash in 1966 on his way home from an expedition in the Dolomites. Tranter wrote No Tigers in the Hindu Kush from Philip’s notes.

Tranter saw himself primarily as a storyteller rather than a historian, and his first novel, Trespass, was published in 1937. Although criticised by some academic historians for writing fiction, he developed a huge new audience, who loved his tales of Scottish historical events and people. He wrote his fiction with increasing knowledge of Scottish history, introducing the subject to millions of people worldwide. From 1947 he decided he could earn a living by writing, and produced several novels for children, as well as adults. The Bruce Trilogy sold over 1 million copies and he had fan clubs in many countries. He also wrote Westerns, using the pen name Nye Tredgold.

Nigel Tranter received many honours and awards during his life, and was also actively involved in several organisations, including the St Andrews Society of East Lothian, Scottish PEN, Athelstaneford Flag Fund and the Saltire Society. He believed Scots should ‘be responsible for our own decisions’, and as chairman of the East Lothian Liberal Association for 15 years, he was part of the Scottish Convention, a cross-party pressure group set up to push for devolution. ‘We Scots are different, not better, but long live the difference’.

He continued to write into his 90s, starting each day with a walk across the wooden bridge at Aberlady Bay which he called ‘The Footbridge to Enchantment’. He was a familiar sight walking on the coast, stopping to jot down neat notes for his books on cards or even shells picked up from the beach. Some of these can be seen in the Tranter Museum, which is currently in Athelstaneford Parish Church. His last novel was Envoy Extraordinary. On his death thousands mourned and many friends and residents in the county remember him with great fondness.

Tranter and his family are buried in Aberlady Churchyard. There is a memorial cairn to him at the carpark near the footbridge which leads over to the nature reserve at Aberlady. The Scottish Castles Association have an annual Nigel Tranter Memorial Award in his memory.

There is a lot more on Nigel Tranter at the following link [http://cunninghamh.tripod.com/2001/index.htm](http://cunninghamh.tripod.com/2001/index.htm)

[cosmama]

my chosen munday post is just sharing games i like, another way to learn about me. it's sort of in semi-order? but is mostly kind of just based on vibes, influences on me as person, etc. rather than any objective measure of quality. i was talking to friends about our top 10 games recently so it made me think about doing this list over again. if anyone is curious, some notes:

jade empire - not a perfect game but i love it. objectively, it's a generic wuxia but it's my first generic wuxia ( as well as my introduction to bioware in general ) so i don't really care! an oldie but a goodie. summah's first rpg ( not counting ffviii b/c while i played it first, i watched my brother play it for years so it wasn't 'new' ).

jsrf is nostalgic. i watched my big bro play over and over again before playing myself. it formed my love of graffiti and street art; its message that art is not a crime has stayed with me to this day. also has a killer ost. HELLO ALLISON.

alan wake ii is art. is it perfect? no but art isn't perfect; it's such a great iteration on every unique and weird idea that remedy has ever tried across all of their games. i'm so happy for sam and team for finally getting the flowers they deserve ( seriously, if you didn't smile at finnish king, sam lake, dancing at TGAs you have no heart! ). also don't ask me what alan wake is about unless you want a crazed essay in your dms, thank you.

max payne 2 - i can already hear that sweet, depressing main theme. another 'watching my brother play and then playing myself' classic. the noir style. the purple prose writing of max... it's just all too immaculate. i'm incredibly excited for the remakes but i'm also sadden that james mccaffrey won't be giving his voice to max again and hope people still seek out the original.

i cheated by adding the reignited trilogy on here ( last time i only had year of the dragon ) but after doing a quick replay of the remaster of 3, it reminded me of how much love and charm was poured into this remaster. it's such a good vibe - headbutting into walls has never felt so right.

yakuza 0 is peak - it's what you should start with when getting into the series. kiwami 2 was on last time but didn't make the cut; it's story is awesome.

p3r is a hard recency bias but! i had p5r on my list last time and i genuinely think 3 is a vasty better game so it felt weird not to replace it.

the only two games on here that i haven't played but i've watched countless playthroughs of: tomb raider 3 and silent hill. tank controls in classic TR destroy me but watching my brother and uncle play and seeing lara get crushed by boulders is a core visual in my memory. with sh1, i'm just a baby and don't play horror games but i enjoy the general weirdness of that game compared to its sequels.

feel free to do this yourselves :)

[zerokurokawa]

Announcement: TR Requests

I have been working overtime. For those of you who don't know, I work in a very tedious field and have been working a lot. Keep sending the requests though, but it may take me some time to actually sit down and write them to perfection. Please be patient with me :-) I will write every single one of them, I promise.

Thank you all that support me fully along with my writing. My account has blown up and it's all due to your love and support. <3

In the meantime, while I catch up on requests, I have a whole completed trilogy on my wattpad that is available to read. The REVERSE series contains my own characters though. I'd love your support on the stories I wrote. Again, thank you for your patience and kindness. I love you all <3

[tomionefinds]

Hey do you have any fics where it's set up after the war either Voldemort died or disappeared but he comes back.

It can also be fic where Hermione doesn't know she's helping him because he changed his identity etc....

Thank you!!!!!

Hey Anon,

I definitely have read/currently follow a couple like this. I'm sure there's more so if any followers think of some as always feel free to drop them in the comments! -JD

Tom, just Tom by Ciule E/Ma | Complete | 121k Lord Voldemort slithered out of the Veil on New Year's Eve in the year 2000. Still bent on world domination, he decided that Golden Girl Granger would be the perfect accessory on his arm.

Shared Flame by Lady Miya M | Complete | 311k It all started when two normally clever individuals both had a really lousy day.

The Department of Magical Law Enforcement by devdevlin M | WIP | 19k What if Voldemort survived the Battle of Hogwarts? Flight instead of fight? Seven years after the Battle of Hogwarts, Hermione is appointed to the team given the task of tracking him down. But when an attractive young man, who Harry is strangely suspicious of, is appointed as her boss, things quickly get out of hand...

When Lines Get Blurred by Arodain M | Complete | 168k The Battle at Hogwarts did not reach its conclusion as expected, and the Second Wizarding War takes on a new direction. Canon compliant until the last part of The Deathly Hallows. HG/TR without the time travel.

Tertius Vita by Shan84 M | WIP | 124k Post war and Hermione is struggling to deal with all of the public scrutiny. She decides to escape and attend muggle university for the time being. Who's the handsome stranger in Hermione's classes and why are Draco & Blaise here?

Second Chances by Anneeny M | WIP | 47k Tom Riddle has never been one for mediocrity, so when given the chance, he seeks out the one person able to tell him the future; a blind hag living in the Black Forest of Germany. However, he does not like what he is told one bit. How is he supposed to change it and who the bloody hell does this Hermione Granger think she is?

Belladonna by LadyMiya E/Ma | One Shot | 17k Her parents had always warned Hermione against getting a tattoo. She probably should have listened to them.

Ministerial Response by Shan84 E/Ma | One Shot | 17k Instead of dying in the final battle, Voldemort simply disappeared. Now nineteen years later, life is not as perfect as it seems. When Hermione is finally promoted, she gets a congratulatory letter from the person she least expects.

Fics where she's aware who he is when encountering him again:

The Prisoner by NerysDax E/Ma | Complete | 182k Imprisoned, Lord Voldemort is considered a threat of the past. His knowledge is desired by many. Yet, his offer is for one person only: Hermione Weasley-Granger.

The Art of Genius by WildKitsune Series: Art Trilogy [1] E/Ma | Complete | 61k Three years after the Battle of Hogwarts, Hermione is working on a team of healers to help find a cure to a new wizarding disease. An imprisoned Lord Voldemort offers the help of his considerable genius but only if Hermione consents to be his handler.

[positivelyamazonian]

Hey, I'm so happy I found your blog! I love Lara and Kurtis together too, they were my first OTP! It's nice to find people who actually love and appreciate the Angel of Darkness! I'm still sad it didn't get the trilogy it was supposed to though, as well as Kurtis' spin off.

Welcome to my sad, nostalgic blog! :D We were many of us some years ago but sadly, most of them have moved to Twitter together with most of the TR fandom.

I quite prefer being here at Tumblr and have no interest in having a Twitter account so... here I will remain. It's very nice to have fresh blood sharing our interests and well, if you're into reading fanfics, I can recommend you some ;)

Feel at home!