#well at least it makes playing the game a little more fun? XD))

[thevalicemultiverse]

((Further context about possible BG3 shenanigans that ALSO highlights just how obsessed I am with Valicer In The Dark! Double whammy!))

AU Thursday: Valicer In The Dark Vs Baldur's Gate III

Okay, so, yesterday I happened to mention that I'd gotten into Baldur's Gate III -- and that a certain Crime Trio of mine (based on an entirely different RPG, I might add), had decided to lay claim to it as a potential AU of their OWN AU. No, I don't know why I'm like this either. *sigh* Anyway, there's not really that much to it at this point in time -- while I have spoiled myself on the story (and seen a bunch of cutscenes thanks to my friend @gaydragonwizards), I haven't actually played that much of the game itself and thus don't know exactly how the trio would react to EVERY quest and NPC in the game. I do know some basics, though:

-->The AU starts with the Nautiloid happening to pop into the Valicer In The Dark universe by mistake while navigating -- the mind flayers decide they may as well abduct some people while they're here, and unfortunately Victor, Alice, and Smiler, walking the streets of Six Towers, are in range of the tentacles and taken aboard to be infected

-->Smiler wakes up in the canonical pod and finds their way to Us, saving them and immediately bonding with the little intellect devourer ("I'm a they/them too!"); Alice wakes up in a different pod nearby and is the first to meet Lae'zel, and helps her fight the imps; and Victor wakes up in the same room as Shadowheart, and is working on freeing her when the others arrive -- they get her out, get to the helm, and manage to fight their way to the transponder and connect the nerves

-->If you're wondering about potential language barriers, one of the good things about the tadpoles randomly connecting your mind to other people's is that it allows you to pick up Common super fast -- I basically see them getting a bit of an "information dump" on a few key things about the reality they're currently in during the initial connections

-->Also, in the process of freeing Shadowheart, the group find that woman in the other room and mess with her console, accidentally causing her to change -- a creepy moment made even creepier by Victor's Ghost Mind ability letting him briefly see the woman's soul escape...and then burn up as she transforms into a mind flayer. We will come back to this later

-->After the crash landing, Victor, Alice, and Smiler are very confused when they wake up to see a blue sky...and then, after waking up Shadowheart and being told, essentially, "it's blue because it's sunny?" are utterly GOBSMACKED to find themselves in a world with an ACTUAL SUN. Though shock and delight quickly turn to "oh wow, this is actually a lot hotter than we're used to, we need to find lighter clothes fast" XD

-->From there, they pick up the rest of the companions and work their way through the main plot, hoping to both find a way to get the damn tadpoles out of their heads and get home (because as nice as a world with a sun is, it's not Duskwall, and Smiler in particular would like to see their parents again plz)

-->Naturally, being pretty good-hearted people, they do the nice versions of the quests and help people out as much as possible -- though, also being a group of Shadows who nick things and sabotage schemes for their living, I can see them offering tips to the gang of tiefling children thieves and scam artists to help them in their chosen path. XD Also, Alice probably has to be talked out of killing Kagha right then and there when she threatens Arabella, and I'm not sure the snake survives THAT little encounter. Alice has a thing about people threatening children, as you might expect!

-->I foresee a lot of confusion on both sides about how different Duskwall and the Shattered Isles are from Faerun -- not just the sun thing, but also Victor having access to an entirely different form of magic (Gale in particular is like "wtf is this??? This is not Weave???"); the group not knowing what horses or cows are (both animals are extinct in their world) and having to be introduced to them -- while, on the flip side, being perfectly cool with eating rat; and the trio being briefly like "well, it's horrible what happened to that poor woman on the Nautiloid, but at least her ghost won't be slowly going insane and trying to feast on the life essence of the living" and the others being like "what." Leading to Victor, Alice, and Smiler learning that this world has an afterlife and being like D: as it dawns on them that the total destruction of the soul is not an accepted way to keep the world from being riddled from ghosts here. (The others are once again like "what the FUCK is wrong with your reality?")

-->Smiler spends a good portion of the early game looking for Us, before finally accepting sadly that the intellect devourer probably didn't survive the crash...and then they get to the mind flayer colony under Moonrise in Act Two and "Friend! You found the helm!" :D They are beyond happy to see Us and won't hear a word said against them from the other companions (who are naturally BAFFLED as to why Smiler wants an intellect devourer as a pet) -- and Us, for their part, is entirely loyal to their friend Smiler and all THEIR friends, because the kindness Smiler showed to them on the Nautiloid caused them to bond more closely with them than the rest of the hive :) Victor and Alice warm up to the little thing pretty quick, while the others...well, they get used to having a brain wandering around pretending to be a kitty. XD

-->Part of me would like Shar to somehow be responsible for the Shattered Isles no longer having a sun...and thus be real annoyed that people are still living in that world eight hundred and forty-seven years later (as Alice puts it, "you brought the darkness, and we just lit it back up again")

-->And in the "overpowered nonsense that wouldn't make it into any actual story stuff but is fun to think about," I enjoy pondering the possibility of the trio, when faced with the Avatar of Myrkul, using Victor's Whisper ghost-fighting stuff on it -- and successfully forcing it into a spirit bottle. I imagine the other companions would be like "how the FUCK did you bottle part of a GOD?!" while Myrkul would be just "...guess it beats dying again." Oh, and Withers finds it hilarious in his droll way. XD Bonus points for talking to Myrkul about what the damn plan with the Absolute even gets him, Myrkul realizing that he's somehow been had by the Netherbrain, and switching sides against his former compatriots because, yeah, this mind flayer invasion does NOT benefit him in any way, wtf.

-->Or, if you would like DIFFERENT godly intervention, I did have an idea where Mar-Mal is also able to access Faerun through the blessing they gave Smiler, and uses its influence to protect Smiler from the tadpole instead of Smiler having to rely on the Dream Visitor and the artifact. They task Smiler with spreading their influence and getting worshipers so Mar-Mal can do more on this plane, and Smiler happily talks up their god to anyone who will listen (also sharing what samples they have left of their Joy Serum). And fortunately for them, people are willing to throw at least a few prayers the way of a god of pure happiness...meaning that during the endgame, when it's time to fight the Netherbrain, Mar-Mal's gotten just enough power to come into Faerun, filling the sky with spiral clouds as they manifest. The gang still has to fight the Netherbrain, but it's easier as the Netherbrain is, um, a bit distracted trying to not be mindwarped by Mar-Mal! XD And once the threat is defeated, Mar-Mal is able to open up a temporary portal to bring Victor, Alice, and Smiler home. With the implication that they could get back eventually...like, say, in six months to catch up. :p

Whew -- bit more than I expected here! I don't know if anything is actually going to come from this -- I mean, I definitely have to get the REGULAR Valicer In The Dark stuff done first -- but it's fun to think about as I play the game. And it has inspired me to make a few not-incorrect quotes/shitposty scenes...

[moongumi]

⁀➷ ∵  ❝country boy and his clown❞

⟶ phillip graves x oc/reader

⟶ cw. graves babygirl confused, funny banter, shadow boys, aloof OC, lots of jokes, third person <3

⟶ note. this is basically my little drabbles collection that will accumulate into a long story at some point about my OC Leech xd she's also the ones in all the other MW2 fics i've written

everyone likes that new girl. all the boys were drawn to her and graves can't believe the god damn sight of it all.

on the first mission the damn girl had her little portable gaming device, graves didn't catch what it was called. she whistled as she played whatever game on it. graves felt a fuckin' tick itching on his face from the clicking and tapping.

"shut that god damn thing off, fucking hell."

the girl sighs, putting it into her cargo pocket. "Sorry, Commander." she listens well, at the very least.

graves walks over to her and within an instant she stands up and salutes him. "What they call ya'?"

she's a new transfer, a sort of trade off with a friend. graves needed someone like her but her age was somewhat of an issue, not that young but maybe not old enough to know the ropes of an elite company.

"leech."

the fuck? grave left a migraine forming in his head now. "what?""

"leech, sir."

"got a backstory for that one?"

she laughs, "of course, i would never pick it myself. bit some guy's carotid off during my first deployment—i swear i didn't drink his blood though—"

"i didn't think that," graves sighs, pressing his fingers between his brows. "continue on then, sergeant."

"yup yup."

she catches on quick.

──────⊹⊱♝♜⊰⊹──────

"get this thing open!"

she sighs, tapping away at her little computer in her crouched form. "look boss, you've given me 2 seconds how about you give me 10 more seconds and maybe—oh, look it's open, you're welcome."

graves can see this girl making him lose his will to live. but he was no patient man and well, she was far too chill and nonchalant for this type of work.

when they get inside she's on the computer right away, jamming combinations of numbers and symbols to get what he wanted from this place.

"yikes, lots of porn on here."

graves almost snaps his neck turning to her. "what?"

"joking, got what we need." she pulls out the drive from the computer and pocketing it. she pulls her gun from her side back into her hands. "time to find out way out, commander."

──────⊹⊱♝♜⊰⊹──────

"i don't think i've met anyone more annoying." graves admits.

shadow 1-1 laughs, "boss, she's pretty cool and she's cute."

"she's funny, she said her callsign was because she ate a live lizard on the field—" shadow 1-2 mentions.

hes interrupted by 1-1, "wait what? she told me it's because she was sucking on her military ex-boyfriend's dick one time in the barracks and she accidentally cut off his foreskin."

"that's a fuckin' lie, if i've ever heard one."

1-1 takes offense, "yours sounds more fake than mine."

somehow this makes graves grab his head, what the hell has this girl been doing to my men. now it makes him doubt if the story she told him was even real.

she ponders, pursing her lips, "sir, i told you the real story—it's just fun telling all the boys different shit, they all go around tellin' each other the wrong thing and it's funny when they all get confused."

the girl looks around aimlessly, seemingly waiting for him to say something. "alright, you're dismissed. see you tomorrow, leech."

graves sighs in his office, the girl in front of him now dressed in a more business attire even if her skirt was far too short and the buttons her shirt were on wrong—the sheerness of that top too, jesus christ could she not afford a shirt didn't look like a piece of tissue? he could see her bra straps through the damn thing.

"are ya' lying?"

"maybe."

[quitealotofsodapop]

The wukongs having mac as there mate/friend is definetly a canon event

Also what would nezha react to his own counterparts? Would he even meet them?

haha Canon Event goth mate/bestie XD

Nezha already has anough headaches dealing with multiple Sun Wukongs, now there's more of himself??

Nezha at the very least gets along well with his younger and girl counterparts from the different cartoon series. He's a little confused why the 2000s cartoon!Nezha/Nata is female, but he's not looking into it. They all bond over their respective Monkey King stories and fear of disappointing their bio dad. LMK!Nezha quickly finds himself being the babysitter to a lot of them.

But the gremlin from the Ne Zha (2019) film? LMK!Nezha is close to pulling his hair out. 2019!Nezha is like Red Boy 2.0 without Red's quiet moments; demonic, moody, on fire, and will def kick his older self in the groin when annoyed. Eventually LMK and 2019 Nezhas end up bonding after a rough fight over their respective feelings of being treated as weapons rather than kids. 2019!Nezha begrudingly admits that LMK!Nezha is kinda cool, for a celestial that is. LMK!Nezha later has a mental blue screen when he learns that 2019!Nezha and Ao Bing are both only three years old??? Is the dragon using a gotdang glamour?

Also apparently a version of Nezha appears in the Hero is Back video game. They sassy af towards Sun Wukong for kicking their butt at Flower Fruit Mountain, and has been trying for a rematch since - but HeroIsBack!SWK thinks Nezha's just a kid playing a game.

Heck might be the same gremlin Nezha we know from the 2019 film with a glamour on. Not sure about the canon of this one since 2019!Nezha and HeroIsBack!SWK have interacted in crossover adverts before.

HeroIsBack!SWK/"Dasheng", looking at 2019!Nezha: "Hey squirt, when did you get shrunk?" 2019!Nezha: >:( *starts biting*

Yunxiang is a different ballpark of emotions all together; cus he's already got beef with his previous incarnation for killing Ao Bing and making sh*t harder for him, and now all these versions of his past life are just hanging around? And most of them are kids??? And why is there so many monkeys!? He needs to lie down for a moment or he's gonna have to fight someone.

So yeah, the multi-dimensional Nezha gang aren't having a lot of fun, but luckily LMK!Nezha is a responsible teenager (?) who's used to handling toddlers on fire.

[self-indulgent-paw-patrol]

Ask game for Chase?

The pupper ever!! Also two other people asked for Chase while I was already working on it XD I'm sorry it's taking me literally days to get them all done, I'm having trouble to think properly on what to say for some stuff in these

My first impression - I'm not tanking this. His car is blue and white, he's a cop and HIS NAME IS CHASE. HMMMM WHERE HAVE I SEEN THIS BEFORE, OH I WONDER--

My impression now - He's precious. No, really. A+ for effort in everything he does but he should learn to relax a little more, just a liiiiiiiittle more

Favorite thing about that character - He's always willing to try new things out of his comfort zone and he always gives it his best, plus his loyalty levels are off the charts

Least favorite thing - He's too much of a people pleaser Istg-- Chase, sweetheart, you're supposed to be a figure of authority XD And this will sound like a dumb thing to dislike but I dislike the fact he's a German Shepherd. I think it's too obvious a breed for police dogs and he doesn't LOOK like one at all for me. When I first saw him without his gear, I was like "Wait is he a Belgian Malinois??? Omg please yes that would be cool to not have a German Shepherd as a Police Dog for ONCE" but yeah my dreams were crushed quickly on my first Google Search on him

Favorite line/scene - It's not specifically the line, but mostly the scene: Have you EVER seen Chase refuse a job or go against Ryder???

I know he ended up changing his mind after that talk with Ryder, but IN THIS MOMENT, he stood his ground and said NO. It's even in his body language: His ears are slightly back, his expression is serious like "don't even try arguing with me on this", his tail isn't relaxed, his paw stomping on the floor to make his point. Notice his frown even deepens as the elevator door closes just before it goes down. This is SO IMPORTANT to me you have no idea, especially considering how much of a people pleaser Chase is and how he holds Ryder as the most important person in his life. We know Chase would do anything for Ryder. But at this exact moment? He was decided to NOT do something for Ryder. This is such a powerful, yet overlooked and underrated scene, as well as character development. It encapsulates perfectly how there's so much more to Chase than any of us knew so far.

Favorite interaction that character has with another - Mighty Movie Skase moment #2 (I think? I counted at least 4 big moments) when Chase goes to check on Skye when she was sulking on the back of the Aircraft Carrier. Her problems there are totally out of his league, he literally cannot relate to anything she's currently going or went through in the past- still he tries to show support the only way he can at the moment, by being there for her, by listening to her. He's a keeper, Skye, go for it XD

A character that I wish that character would interact with more - Marshall and Zuma. They used to play a lot before, but now...? I'm still at the 8th season and I'm seriously missing those fun and slice of life moments

Another character from another fandom that reminds me of that character - Leonardo, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, specifically 2012 series

A headcanon about that character - I think Chase was one of those kind of puppies who just didn't know when to fucking STOP. 24/7 playful baby. Also a natural explorer, always sniffing everything, licking everything, maybe biting, touching, scratching, growling, barking at anything new for a while. Ever curious, always being the puppy to go ahead of the others, "exploring the waters to open the way and make sure it's safe for the others to come after him". On a second note, I've seen one too many people returning adopted puppies for this reason here where I live, because "they're a handful and I wasn't expecting this" 🤦🏽‍♀️

A song that reminds of that character - "Nothing Can Stop Me Now"

An unpopular opinion about that character - Idk why all the hate, even if you're ACAB, it's not like Chase even does a cop job at all XD Have you seen him arresting someone outside from movie verse? If anything, you'd WANT your cops to be like him LMAO

Favorite picture - Y'know how in the first movie Chase was in absolute awe when he saw his new car for the very first time? YEAH, like, he KNOWS Ryder designs and gets them crazy cool stuff, and it doesn't stop him from getting UTTERLY AMAZED every time. Tbh I had the same reaction as them all when I saw that sick af Mustang-looking police cruiser like HOLY SHIT YOU GET THE COOLEST TOYS-- AND YOU GET TO CATAPULT THEM DOWN THE HOT WHEELS RAMP AT TOP SPEED TOO??? Win for life.

[sevenrenny]

I might as well ask you this because I enjoy your writing and way of expressing your opinions. Why do you personally ship Sonamy? What got you into Sonamy? What’s your favorite moment between the two? I know this is a very common question, but I hope you don’t mind me asking. 😅

Oh, this ought to be fun XD I don't mind at all. Send all the asks you like, I like to talk about my interests. I tend to ramble, so excuse my long texts. Gonna insert a break line so I don't torture my followers (that sentence makes it sound like I'm running a cult.)

Why do you personally ship Sonamy? What got you into Sonamy?

These two are connected, so it's fair to answer them both in one go. I'm very new to the fandom, unlike most of the people I've met who've been here for as long as they can remember. I originally had no interest in the franchise. Yeah, I played some games and watched the anime a few years back and had some cheap plastic toys from fast-food kiddie meals, but the franchise never stuck with me back then.

I got reintroduced through Sonic Prime around last year, which led to me reading the IDW comics, which is where I started getting into SonAmy. I really liked Amy in particular; surprising, seeing as she hadn't been my favorite character as a child. I liked Tails and Silver more back then, but the comic solidified Amy as my number one. In every fandom I've been in (HTTYD, MHA) I almost always gravitate toward characters who embody love, and that's the core of Amy.

Sonic was harder for me to decipher at first, seeing as he's more of a person who shows his emotions through action rather than words (in some iterations, at least.) But seeing him be more receptive in the comics and treating her better in more recent media portrayals piqued my interest because this wasn't how I remembered these two from when I was a kid. Seeing the progression from how their dynamic started to how it became made me feel proud of them.

And I'm one of those who likes to hypothesize that their affection used to be more one-sided but became mutual over time. Things change. Feelings change. People change. And I love that.

What’s your favorite moment between the two?

This. I think this is when I started seeing the ship as something I'd like. I've inserted the second panel as well because, while I know the first one is a no-brainer for some SonAmy shippers, I don't see many of them bringing up the follow-up panel.

Before this scene, Sonic kept rejecting Amy's proposal to go back to the Resistance with her (he had his reasons, as he saw investigating the circumstances of Eggman's absence and the waves of Badniks as a higher priority. Get to the snake's head to find the root of the problem.) He was in a hurry to get going. It wasn't until Amy told him she loved him for who he was and that she didn't want to change him that he stopped, got a little flustered, and proposed she come with him instead.

And she declined. She, too, had priorities.

Before this moment, it was possible he didn't see having both Amy and his stubborn way of doing things his way possible, but after, it might've finally clicked in his head that, Oh wait, I can have both? He's asked Amy to come along with him for other adventures afterward.

Also, can I just say how much I appreciate Sonic (who has a history of being touch averse) being more welcoming to her affection? Cause I do.

Okay, switching to Frontiers:

This scene is mostly quiet (I like nonverbal communication in general) and I found it too adorable to not mention. It's just for a few seconds, but the way Sonic does a little giddy skip when she waves him over, and the the fact that he just smiled so innocently the whole time he made his way over is just pure sweetness.

This short little misunderstanding/confrontation. This one's just plain fun for me. Sonic's impatience and inability to articulate his reasoning leads to him sounding like he's abandoning the Koco Amy really wants to help. She's putting the Koco before herself when Sonic's just worried about her. As soon as the misunderstanding is cleared up, Amy calms down, seeing it from his point of view now. It's a subtle little exchange, but knowing how these two used to not be great at communication in past games, and seeing them now deescalate a little misunderstanding this calmly brings me joy.

With each Koco the characters help, there's a certain theme associated between the Koco and Sonic's friends. The inventor Koco and Tails, trying to be of use to others; the soldier Kocos and Knuckles, both who had their people wiped out. For Amy, the Koco (the only Koco who goes by they/them, so that's what I'll be using for them here) is trying to reunite with their lover who had gone into battle. Throughout the game, Amy in her ghostly form can't touch anyone, and she expresses symptoms of dissociation, of feeling 'detached', that she's flying in a dream, but she wishes to just land.

Remember, Amy is a physically affectionate person, but she can't do much of anything, let alone feel anyone, in this situation. She has to leave it to her love, Sonic, to go into battles. She knows all too well how the Koco was feeling, being separated from their lover. When Amy and Sonic watch the Koco reunite with their partner for the last time, it hits Amy hard, and Sonic knows how affected she is by this. He gives her some time to grieve because he knows her well enough to understand this hit her hard. He tells her, "They're together now." And that's all that matters. And I love that scene. It's so mild compared to what others in the community might bring up, but I'm a sucker for the quieter moments like this.

I have to stop myself now before this turns into a novel lol

[sevi007]

Warning! I will be blogging about my first Tales of Abyss playthrough here. If you don't want to see it or be flooded or smth, blacklist "sevi plays tales of the abyss"

@magicmetslogic get tagged!

Soooo started Tales of the Abyss now! (I kept thinking it's called Tales of Abyss, without the "the", RIP me) Must say, this immediately felt incredibly different of a premise to Vesperia (the only Tales I have finished til now) and Zestiria (which I... maybe barely passed the prologue, lol). I think a lot of that is because of Luke and his situation. Getting into that later on.

But! Let's start from the top.

Absolutely gorgeous opening for one, really loved it. I probably got spoilered without realizing it, but with no context, that's not terrible. I remain blissfully unaware!

It immediately felt a bit faster paced story-wise. A bit more emotionally taxing on the protagonist, too. To start, I open the game and get immediately met with red-headed, hot-headed Luke (who is fittingly spoken by Yuri Lowenthal, who voiced Tidus in FFX) and Ithink he's an upbeat headstrong guy - which he is but -

I barely leave his room to get thrown a skit immediately:

I hit the mental breaks when I read that because what. What. You just kept your kid inside like a pet or something?

I mean, in Vesperia, Estelle had a sheltered upbringing as well, and was certainly a bit on the naive side, but she at least was acutely aware of the world outside of the walls of her prison. Luke is not even given that, which you realize approximately two minutes into the game since his only contact to the outside world seems to be his swordfight trainer Van. I am absolutely flabbergasted. This is damaging to a kid!

(And no, this is no normal response to your kid getting kidnapped. Protecting him is one thing. Putting him on house arrest a whole other. I suspect it's not just a security thing but there is more going on here.)

And then next mental break: What the hell is Flynn Scifo doing here?

I'm joking, I'm joking. And yes I have been informed that technically, Flynn is a copy of Guy since Vespy came out later. But still. With my minimum knowledge of Tales, forgive me for immediately drawing connection to Versperia at every turn. And the likeness is startling! XD He seems to be a good guy that Guy (pft) so for now, I like the boy.

(Stop climbing outta windows like a thief though!)

Ah. Really glad I decided to explore the rooms a little. This is...

Well. I assume this was meant to be one of those anime-typical jokes of "haha, he's afraid of this or that" but... call me old-fashioned or a snowflake or whatever the correct term is but I don't think this is very funny. These two quite literally have him cornered, and he looks outright terrified of them. And instead of backing off - or Luke rescuing him - we just have to leave again? Uff. Don't like.

Never quite liked making fun of things others are afraid of, not even if it seems silly from outside.

... Oh wow. Luke is even more sheltered than I thought. This seems to be general, public knowledge, and he got nothing? Does he not get any kind of schooling while on house arrest?

From their reactions, this is not something he is supposed to know but forgot, but more like, nobody even told him. That's... okay. I seriously question his parents right now as well as Van for not teaching him even basics of the outside world.

(On the other hand, in a sense of dumbing it all down for a new player, this is quite genius. Given that Luke needs to be explained everything, so does the player learn at the same time. but still. Questionable decisions all around.)

Utterly. Questionable. Decisions.

Yes I'm already going full on protective mama bear mode on Luke. Give me a caged, sad kid who tries to put on a loud and confident facade and I immediately go "mine" XD

And now, for that faster pacing...

Ma'am I JUST finished the tutorial would you please refrain from killing me til I got to practice some more!

[graaythekwami]

Little random game: name the eps you most hate and most love of each miraculous season and explain why

Hmm, there's not many episodes I'd say I hate, but my favorites and least favorites of each season are as follows:

Season 1:

Favorite: Origins -I don't care if this is technically two episodes, I loved seeing the origins of how the children met and how everything went down. The beginning of LadyNoir and oh my gosh we got such good LadyNoir moments here.

Least Favorite: Reflekta -Honestly looking through season 1 there really isn't any that stands out as a least favorite for me. So I chose Reflekta solely because this episode is the start of the curse of the many Reflekta akumatizations to come. xD

---

Season 2:

Favorite: Heroes' Day -I had to put this one as my favorite just on the premise that I feel that Heroes' Day is the best final/two parter we've had in the entire series. I loved everyone's role in these episodes, and of course we get to see Nathalie being an absolute queen as well.

Least Favorite: Frozer -Eh. Just an episode that's never stood out to me. Forgettable in the long run.

---

Season 3:

Favorite: Chat Blanc -Favorite episode of the season? More like my favorite episode ever! The angst. The feels. Chat Blanc's hurt and rage. Chat Blanc's design. It's all so beautiful the only change I'd make is making it a two parter and maybe adding a LadyBlanc kiss. But those changes aren't even needed because it's wonderful as is. 11/10. -Gamer 2.0, Oblivio, and Reflekdoll are honorable mentions. For the adorable LadyNoir moments, adorable Lovesquare moments via memory loss, and kwami swap! Season 3 is probably my favorite season overall.

Least Favorite: Christmaster -Just another episode that's never stood out to me. Plot wise it felt mid, and I can't see myself going back to rewatch it or basing a fic on it. Or including it in a fic. -Honorable mention of Miracle Queen though, as this used to be my least favorite of the season. I was really on board for a Chloe redemption when season three ended so this episode kind of stung (hehe) then, but nowadays I don't have the same issues with it.

---

Season 4:

Favorite: Qilin Least Favorite: Qilin

-Ha! Didn't see this coming, did you? I love love loved so much of Qilin. I loved the themes it addresses, Marinette and Sabine's relationship, the design of the akuma, it was all so good... until the very end!! They let Marinette take the blame when the real problem was racism?? I hate you ticket dude. And also bus driver dude you saw Sabine with her tickets and she literally gave you baked goods and you said nothing when she was taken away? Why???

And if you don't accept one episode being both the favorite and least favorite, then here are my thoughts on other episodes of the season: -I love the setup of Truth and Lies and would love more episodes focusing solely on Adrien. -Guiltrip when Chat Noir almost Catalcysms himself hurts me on a physical level someone give Adrien a hug. -I will forever live for the Plagg and Adrien moments in Kuro Neko.

Season 5:

Favorite: Evolution -Season 5 has a lot of plot-heavy focused episodes, which I always love to get. We got canon Adrinette, Gabriel getting Cataclysmed, awesome lore... but in the end I still think it's this first episode that's my favorite. I loved the action, how it picks right up at the end of season four, and also Rabbit Noir had such an awesome design too. I liked seeing Master Fu again, and the role Alix got to play. Gabriel got his good Monarch design with the stained glass look. Also timetravel can be tricky to write, and they pulled it off well.

Least Favorite: Action -After a whole season of the most plot-heavy episodes yet with a lot happening emotionally... Action has very little action is the way of plot or even as good “filler”.

Specials:

Favorite: Miraculous Paris -Gah honestly I think this is one of the very best episodes in all the show. Fantastic writing, great characterization, a fun adventure and seeing the alternate universe was fascinating. I love Shadybug and Claw Noir. Hesperia was awesome (I refuse to call him Betterfly). I have so many questions about the other world and who the Supreme is. Gabriel singing the intro. I could go on all day.

Least Favorite: ...idk -I mean there's only three specials thus far, and honestly I can't rank the Shanghai or the New York special as the lowest.

Movies: -Jk we only have one. xD But with how movie one ended with Nathalie I'm excited to see what they might do with this universe in the future.

[elvenbeard]

I finally sat down and played Reed's path in Phantom Liberty and HOLY shit. Spoilers below the cut just in case köahsdföahdsf

MAN. I was like, 95% unspoilered for everything, the only things I knew was: you gotta fight against Kurt, there is a scene in So Mi's apartment, some Cynosure fuckery, and I had seen gifs of So Mi in the core at the end (and deducted HM. she isn't looking to good, I feel like this is an ending where she dies).

But so so so many things came unexpected and got me so damn good!! I had fun fighting against Kurt, his little knife-throwing sequences (though I still wouldve loved a peaceful solution more than this XD a third path where you side with him or sth like that). I did not expect that we'd be fucking with MaxTac alsködhfasf that little bit was so fun, from setting up to having to fight them (though I also really struggled with that at first, rightfully so xDD).

The level design of the Cynosure was amaaaazing, the creepy horror vibes, the voices the jumpscares aödshfasf I loved that so much. I was not at all prepared for the Cerberus mech, that was mean af xD But so fun, gameplay-wise, so creepy, too. I ate up the lore of the place (and how insane that something like this exists under NC - and how much more similar shit must exist as well for other corporations??).

How the apartment sequence was done blew my whole mind, the transition between the bunker and the apartment, the little flashbacks, and how everything slowly crumbled and fell apart. I love that you can hug So Mi ;___; and man, I was crying so much at the end, the pain... but the only thing that felt right in that moment was killing her and giving her her freedom, and it was so raw and gentle and horrible all at the same time (also V's reaction was ;____; aaaahhh my boy).

I loved that we got a chance to shit-talk Myers XD And that, after all that in the end, Reed may finally find his freedom too and get away from the FIA for good!! I was adskhföasf so feral about his and Vince's parallels again, losing everything and being forced to start over. I loved his line that went like "thanks to you I have a choice now, something I haven't had in a long time". And man, I hope he uses his chance to get as far away from Myers and Washington and all that crap as he can, while he still can (just how that whole experience has deterred Vince from wanting to go back to Arasaka for good xD).

Overall though, I gotta say. I felt like the villain the whole time xD From betraying So Mi (still so obsessed that the options are called "Betray XYZ", not "Side with XYZ" which I've seen much more commonly in games with choices - It's a small detail but it makes such a difference in tone!!), to chasing her down all along it always felt wrong xD I'm glad at least towards the end there were some dialogue options that went away from the patronizing "we just wanna safe you" and "this is all for your best", and felt more human again.

So, for Vince's canon, if he goes through with PL from start to finish, he would rather betray Reed - and in return be betrayed by So Mi in the end aöshdajshf but yeah. Immersion and story-wise, her path felt more true to what he would do, even though I liked the outcome for Reed a lot in this. (and I guess that's really where the main difference lies in the end in all the choices, who gets to live and have their freedom in the end, and how much V is willing to sacrifice).

Also, since I went down the path of not handing So Mi over this time and not unlocking the new ending, instead I got new Mr. Blue-Eyes headcanons material O.O aksdfahsöf highly recommend looting the Cerberus mech and crafting the Cyberdeck in the "Unknown Number" related quest after the credits, in case you always wanted two more or less creepy talking constructs in your head xD

[dorizardthewizard]

Galactik Football season 3 rewatch, eps 16 - 18

Episode 16:

Nice levitation trick Simbai, but she's just allowed to use the Breath like that? Maybe because she's a flux society member? It does make me realise, since the wars were not so long ago, how many people are walking around who could previously use the the Breath all the time but now aren't allowed. That's kind of crazy!

I do like the idea of them actually learning how to use the Breath in more creative ways!

This soundtrack for Tia's training session is pretty cool

Well done Mei for wearing more weather-appropriate clothes this time!

Mice telling Mark to get it together kdjfskfd time for lover boy to get dunked on for once

FSJHDFKDSF ARTEGOR BEING A COMMENTATOR NOW I LOVE IT

Callie: Do you miss playing when you see your friends on the field? D'jok: Um, I- Callie: Certainly you must think they are still bitter towards you after beating them on Paradisia?

Callie those are some horrible questions leave the man alone 😭

I am once again asking for more Lun-Zeara action. Btw has she ever spoken a line? Fucking Stevens may have spoken more than her

I support the Snow Kids but I love seeing the Wambas winning and having fun <3

GOOOOOAL MICRO-ICE!

Artegor: Listen Barry, to be frank, I'm not a fan of your work

HE'S SUCH A BITCH LOOOL after my rewatch I want to make a compilation of Artegor's commentator moments

Lun-Zaera is CHILLING lmao, also I just checked the wiki for the spelling of her name and it's about as consistent as the Wamba's hair colour.

Why is Woowamboo being such a dick. She's trying her best!

Awwww D'jok cheering on the Snow Kids

Mei is carrying the defence in this match like the queen she is <3

Artegor contributes a more technical analysis of the game which is pretty cool

WOOWAMBOO FOULING?? I mean fouls aren't really rare but still, he's being far more aggressive than before? Sure, the Wambas aren't going to just be fun-loving when the GFC is at stake and they're as competitive as any other team, but when you combine this with the way he was talking to Lun-Zia it's just jarring?

Also WAIT. Woowamboo is ginger? So the player that switched to the Lightnings for the Paradisian tournament was just someone else? Fair enough as you wouldn't switch your star player, but yeah my bad. Actually wait, he literally has grey hair in the Netherball scenes in season 2. WHAT IS THE TRUTH

OK WHAT. SO LUN-ZIA TELLING THE WAMBAS WHERE ROCKET IS MOST LIKELY TO SHOOT IS PERFECTLY A-OK BUT D'JOK TELLING TEAM PARADISIA A LITTLE TIP ON HOW TO BEAT AHITO IS A BETRAYAL?? PLUS, in the last episode Aarch faces the SK in the holo-trainer and says he can beat them because he knows how they play, and that everyone else does too. WHICH IS EXACTLY WHAT I WAS SAYING WHEN I WAS COMPLAINING ABOUT THE AHITO BETRAYAL BS. WHICH IS IT, WRITERS?!

Well at least Woowamboo seems more accepting of Lun-Zia now that he's seen her give it her all. Nice to see her settled in with the rest of the team!

I just had a thought, where is Maya in all this? We've seen Mama-Ice pop up and check on (scold XD) Micro-Ice but we didn't see Maya interact with D'jok at all? Wouldn't she have gone to see him instead of only hanging with the Snow Kids?? And now that D'jok's “retired” and hanging out by himself at Genesis, isn't she gonna look for him? She knows football was so important to him, so to give it up is a big deal! Ah well, we'll see.

Episode 17:

Yaay more Tia and Mei being besties

NOT CLOVER GIRL DOING THE MARYLIN MONROE

Side note I like Kim-8's vibes, she's just cool

That scene in Ballow's restaurant where he's talking about leaving dirty business behind, all while henchmen are constantly coming up to him with dodgy items like stolen paintings is so hilarious jfdskmn

aww I love Artegor trying to convince D'jok to come back, especially with him telling him how hard the SK took it when he left. It's also interesting to see Artegor refer to playing with the Snow Kids as a responsibility - they're a symbol of hope for the people of Akillian, who didn't even want to go to their first match in the stadium due to the trauma from the glaciation.

He also reminds D'jok he's a Snow Kid, which reminds me of their conversation in season.... 2? Where Artegor tells him he'll always be a kid from Akillian. It's also nice that once he's voiced his opinion, he changes the subject instead of pressuring D'jok to answer. He's really developed from the demanding Shadows coach he used to be.

THE PIRATES!! CRUSH THE RED TIGERS!!!!

Poor Artie, he can never watch a full match LOL

FOUR GOALS FOR STEVENS!!! WOOOOOOOOO PIRATES BEAT A FLUX TEAM! TAKE THAT!!!

NO. NO NO NO NO NO. THE CYCLOPS CANNOT FREEZE PEOPLE. THAT'S THE XENON'S FLUX. TRY AGAIN. ACTUALLY WATCH THE PREVIOUS SEASONS. TAKE IT FROM THE TOP.

Do you ever watch an old video and get jumpscared by a comment you don't remember making? Because I wrote this on another upload 9 years ago and I still don't know how they messed that up LOL.

I mean yeah sure it COULD be a new ability they've unlocked like how the Snow Kids are finding new ways to use the Breath. But they don't show the Cyclop's hypnosis thing at all, the animation is exactly the same as the Xenon's flux, and Callie even mentions their "hypnotic" flux and how the players can barely stay on their feet, which doesn't really match what's on screen sooo yeeeeeaahhh this is just an animation error. A pretty big one though.

So team Paradisia have no problem using their flux? Which was a synthetic one to begin with? And the technology for it is no longer available? Or do they just get it implanted once and that's it? So what was up with them going into those pods to “charge”? How does this work???

sfkdgfkjdf Mark went too hard on the sauerkraut, I love this gag about Mark and food

YESSSS SONNY! FATHER SON BONDING TIME FINALLY. His speech about the Pirates always being by his side even in tough times is sweet, and makes sense for D'jok. He's been through a lot with the Snow Kids and they're basically family now, and family wouldn't truly turn him away if he was sorry for what he did. At least, they wouldn't stay mad forever.

BENNETT YOU LEGEND. But also a bit reckless of Sonny to stand with D'jok right in the middle of an open area

Sonny: We're trapped!

Um no you're not, there's a staircase right there

Poor Cyclops, always getting clowned on :( ARTEGOR IS A SAVAGE IN THIS MATCH

BALLOW OUTING THE CON ARTISTS FDKFDKJDF I'm sorry I know it's a tragic moment for Sinedd but THAT'S SO FUNNY

The way they animate Sidney rolling around is hilarious. Also Thran only thought of finding Harvey just now? Wow, talk about second-class citizens.

It's so funny how this is the last episode in the official playlist, like they just gave up uploading HD episodes 2 years ago. Unless it's a regional thing? I'm editing this in Austria rn and the official English uploads aren't available unless I use VPN, are the French eps all uploaded in HD at least?

Episode 18:

Aaaaand I'm back to 480p uploads from 10 years ago. Thank you for your service youtube user lykaon868

I do get to see the intro and outro now though yaaaay

Wait what? We ended last episode on D'jok wanting to talk to the Snow Kids and with this one we just skip ahead to him being on the team again? I mean... they were building up to that moment for sooo long and we don't even get to see it? What???

It seems Tia and Rocket have accepted D'jok back but Micro-Ice and Ahito aren't so enthusiastic. It's strange to see Ahito so resentful but it's a refreshing change to see him react like that.

Micro-Ice's reaction on the other hand isn't taken very seriously and it's presented as them squabbling immaturely but like... he's right to feel hurt! We could've had some good Micro-Ice angst topped off with a heart-to-heart between two guys who canonically consider each other brothers, but here we are.

Sinedd's parents were... I M P O S T E R S ?

Sharky why are you revealing this as a scoop when it just puts you into hot water for not doing a background check before inviting them on the show

OOOO SHADOWS SPEAKING HISTORIC MOMENT

This is the serious - silly contrast dynamic I had in my head for the Shadows LOL. Although it's sad this kind of implies the Shadows only care for Sinedd as a player and not a person, telling him to get a grip after something like that? Although maybe their whole thing is that they TRY to act tough but really they're all feeling like that one guy who ran out crying lol. It IS a bit weird to insert comedy like that into this kind of scene though, kind of undercuts it for me.

Artegor just having tea and biscuits 🤣🤣🤣

CALLIE ACCEPT HIS OFFER FOR TEA DON'T BE RUDE. He looks sad after her reaction fskdjfskds honestly Artegor is probably the best character this season

STOP HAVING THEM SCORE IN THE FIRST MINUTE SFJKDFSKS

Tia squaring up to Sinedd I LOVE HER

Also wtf Sinedd, but he was about to go to Mei so I wonder what he was gonna do? Taunt her? Or maybe he regretted it? I guess we'll never know

This is a match with the Shadows, the Snow Kids' biggest rivals, and yet the first half is over in a few minutes of the episode! The matches just aren't as interesting in this season and feel too rushed

TIA CAPTAIN MOMENT YYYEAAAAAAHHH SHE DESERVES IT!

I am not immune to some D'jok vs Sinedd action

Not Maya focusing on Sinedd when she hasn't interacted with D'jok this whole time 😭

Mei is such a savage, it reminds me of Stevens handing Sinedd the ball that one time when there was seconds to spare LOL also pls forgive the shit quality gifs, demonstration purposes only folks

Sinedd: Do like everyone else Mei, don't worry about what I do and just forget me. Mei: But Sinedd- Sinedd: I lost, Mei. I lost everything. Everything.

Oof Sinedd really goes through the ringer every season, huh

Mark is smooth as butter on the pitch but so incredibly cringe at flirting

Warren: The team. The group. That's all that counts, D'jok D'jok: Being a team player Warren, that's what I want to improve!

Sure D'jok, until next season. But it's also kind of weird to portray his arc as if he just needed to learn how to be a team player again, when a big part of why he left was the emotional turmoil from the breakup and him lashing out because of it. That's never really resolved, although I guess the season is trying to say that D'jok became obsessed with winning again, which is what drove Mei away in the first place, but again I'm just speculating here! They had the means for a really good arc for D'jok but fumbled it and decided to retread old paths instead.

Is Harvey alive after all?

I do love that Clamp is still working alongside Sonny. And yaaaay Thran gets to do something!

Wait Paradisia is a dead planet, it didn't blow up or anything. Harvey is a robot so is it that surprising he's still there? Why not look for him earlier?

[frottana-sims]

2023 Tumblr Top 10

Time to see what I post on my main blog this year. Feels like there wasn’t that much posts (only 43). Hopefully this will change in the next year. 

1. 76 notes - Aug 25 2023

» This was my first makeover in 1.5 years! But it was so much fun doing it. It turned out so well that I placed a slightly edited version in Purple River. 

2. 53 notes - Feb 12 2023

» Apropos apartments, the little sneak peak of the other apartments that are now in Purple River seems to have been well appreciated. It's about time I uploaded them. 😅

3. 42 notes - Jan 7 2023

» Another sneak peak of a “new” community lot in Purple River - Rusty Knives

4. 37 notes - Aug 18 2023

» In summer I finished the 16th round of Purple River ♥

5. 33 notes - Mar 5 2023

Hello ^-^ your sims are so cute! Can you share your favorite makeup? Thank you!

» Just a list about my all-time favorite and used make up. I should really work on my resource list, but I know that will never happen.  😅 So if you are interested in something, just ask. :3

6. 27 notes - Nov 10 2023

» It's just me - but this little "challenge" was a lot of fun and I really loved seeing all your little versions :3

7. 25 notes - Jun 10 2023

» Somehow you guys were pretty excited about this update. xD 

8. 22 notes - Jul 5 2023

Hey! The 16th round is now over. :3 I've even started the next one, but unfortunately haven't got around to filling the queue...

» I started with posting round 17. But unfortunately, the frequency of updates wasn't as consistent as it could be. I was more interested in just playing my game than posting the updates - oops..

9. 19 notes - Jan 10 2023

Simming Goals 2023

» lol I've been posting so less that my simming goals are in this list. xD

10. 18 notes - May 14 2023

15 questions for 15 mutuals

» At least I was around enough to get tagged for this question thing.  😅

Created by TumblrTop10

[koskela-knights]

Night Springs DLC ramblings

Spoilers under the cut. And since this is a Koskela/Huotari main blog, my focus will be mainly related to these boys in relation to the DLC content.

Alright, my friends already confirmed it and I just watched all NS DLC chapters on YouTube becos I didn't wanna miss out lol, but yeah there's just no mention or appearances from the Koskelas and who was I to think they'd touch upon the Huotaris if even Ilmari is already forgotten and left out in most media surrounding AW2 😔

But yanno, it just irks me how erased the Koskelas seem to be.

Like yes, Night Springs gives us a look into alternate realities/universes/versions and you're telling me we only looked into worlds where the Koskelas (and in extension the Huotaris) just never existed. At all????

So in this post I'll look at what I've seen and how I might've made the boys a bit more relevant/have them make a lil cameo.

Rose's Chapter

In Rose's chapter, Scratch is wearing a biker jacket but it lacks the Kalevala Knights text on the back so I guess the KK didn't exist here..

I love that Rose wasn't interested in Scratch's biker look or the werewolf thing at all lmao. She's more vanilla than I thought xD

Funny how they went with the 'they're twin brothers' but now it's for Scratch and Alan lol. Even the twin thing the Koskelas had going for them, now attributed to other characters instead.

There was also someone at the Diner in a biker jacket. But again, a different design.

How I'd add them back in:

The Koskelas could've been NPCs at the Diner at the beginning. Or the ones out on the street, just outside the Diner

The NPC in the biker jacket could've worn a Kalevala jacket

Additionally, I think it would've been fun to see the Valhalla residents as NPCs at the Diner.

If we had more named characters as NPCs, I think this chapter could've felt even more personal. Now I felt a bit of a disconnection/detachment from Rose vs the other characters outside of Scratch. Like, yes this was sort of her fanfic/dream world but wouldn't it feel more effective/real if the people cheering her on were like the Anderson brothers, the Valhalla residents. The people you've already met in the main game that had somewhat of a personality? Becos now you might as well have used the shadow people characters at the Diner.

Tim's Chapter

In Tim's chapter we don't see anything either. Don't get me wrong, I liked his chapter too. It was wild and I'm glad to see Door play a bigger role here. The comic section was well done, rly liked its aesthetics and I liked how they tried to mix up the game as a medium. I think this chapter didn't irk me as much, given the context of it.

How I'd add them back in:

There's a Seine poster in the Oceanview Hotel and the tiniest bit they could've done is add Ilmari Huotari again in the credits. you wouldn't even have to put his face on the poster T_T

Jesse's Chapter

My biggest hopes were for Jesse's chapter. It has literally Coffee World as its setting. But again... Literally nothing, no mention in text or as a 3D character.

@zephyrone01 pointed out to me that despite all the other changes, Coffee World remains mainly the same. Even the attractions still have the same names. BUT! The Huotari Well no longer exists as an attraction. There's a well. But well, it's just that lmao.

So what's the point of CW even existing here other than being a little call-back/connection to the main game's universe? Coffee World was clearly a project of the Koskelas but they're nowhere to be seen or mentioned. Instead, we have a vague, faceless shady government (perhaps the Board?) wanting to take over through coffee indoctrination.

Of all the DLC chapters, it would make the most sense to have the Koskelas be present or at least acknowledged/mentioned in Jesse's chapter. And like... if they couldn't get Peter back to voice/mocap them, it could've been a note, or they could've used a distorted voice to highlight how they got corrupted by the coffee or something. But instead, it's Tim who gets suddenly corrupted by the coffee? Was it mainly to tie Jesse's chapter into Tim's? Also, it seems Tim's animations when he tries to convince Jesse to drink the coffee, seem to be copy-pasted from Ilmo's Deer Fest animation that is bugged and not easily triggered at all in the vanilla game/average run 😭 Tim never has been that vivid or animated in the base game, but you know who was? Ilmo Koskela.

The 'Cult' stashes & the math puzzles no longer make narratively sense other than being mechanics/little obstacles to be solved. Again, Ilmo was the 'mastermind' behind those math puzzles and the stashes were there for Cult members. What purpose do they serve now other than functioning as conveniently placed ammo stock for the player?

I feel Jesse's chapter had some potential and maybe even 'easy' ways to keep the Koskelas related to, yanno their amusement park.

So how I'd add them back in and make this chapter feel more connected to the other universes and the main game:

The Koskelas could've been the ones to get corrupted first and through them, others would easily follow

As @zephyrone01 and @copiasmicalso discussed with me, it would've been more logical to meet a corrupted Ilmo instead of Tim. It was he and Jaakko who marketed that coffee brand and Coffee World to begin with. Why not tie them into this chapter?

The Koskelas could've done that orientation video as pawns of the shady government. Maybe even in a similar vein to the Book Review ad with a clearly influenced/partially corrupted Ilmo.

There could've been some kind of connection to Jesse looking for Dylan and Ilmo looking to bring Jaakko back or looking for his brother or something. It would given us more narrative parallels! A sibling looking for their other half that got corrupted/influenced by a shady government

Make a different amusement park (one tied to the fishery or lumber industry but I suppose that would've taken much more time to make ofc)

The utter lack of the Koskelas makes me revise/question what their purpose in the main game was for then? Were they really that insignificant and immemorable to serve no extra mention in the other universes to the point CW is seemingly owned by a government and the Huotari's also have no historical purpose or importance anymore.

Like, their Cult of the Tree killings are what led Saga to investigate BF & Watery in the first place.

I'd dare to argue that the erasure of the Koskela brothers' existence in the Jesse chapter made the stakes feel lower and possible connections and parallels to the main game less powerful and interesting than they could've been. Plus it would've make more sense to still have Coffee World exist at all becos imo without Koskelas, there would Not have been a Coffee World to begin with.

In general

I like the DLCs for what they are and that they tried to do things differently or highly different from the main game. Alternate realities/universes always give us the opportunity to go off the main path and come up with different interesting stories and theories.

I do think that using generic NPCs most of the time also made the stories blander than they could've been.

The way the Koskelas' existence was all ripped away and sorta re-assigned to other characters

the twin brother thing now being Alan & Scratch

We never got the Actual Bikers get an animation on/with their bikes, but Scratch now gets one 😔

the Kalevala Knights' existence erased too

Tim in Jesse's DLC having the same animations as Deer Fest Ilmo

Coffee World literally not being their thing anymore but somehow still existing (rly why would the shady government even make a Coffee-themed amusement park)

TLDR

Saddened and equally not surprised that the Koskelas (and Huotari's) are just erased from the narrative in the DLC. Like their characters aren't even an afterthought anymore or relevant enough. All these wild different universes and they're part of exactly zero somehow.

The CW thing somehow remains unaltered for a few parts but taking the Koskelas' og involvement in that park into account, it makes no real sense to the state it is in, in the DLC.

I think their erasure (and the non-usage of other more known characters from the main game) made some parts feel less vivid/real.

[the-bar-sinister]

For the Comforting the Blorbos:

♟ - Board games/arts and crafts inside

For the blorbo group you feel most deserves a day in of playing board games or making something fun 😀

ask game link

Thank you so much for this prompt and I'm so sorry for what we've done with it XD <3

Rainy Day (North) Blues (2007 words) by Dave Strider Chapters: 1/1 Fandom: One Piece (Anime & Manga) Rating: Teen And Up Audiences Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply Relationships: Donquixote Doflamingo/Trebol Characters: Donquixote Doflamingo, Trebol (One Piece), Diamante (One Piece) Additional Tags: Twisted and Fluffy Feelings, Boredom, Kissing, Found Family, Weird Fluff, Villains, Domestic Fluff, Light Angst, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Mentor/Protégé - I make no apologies for posting the world's first Doffy x Trebol fluff. I was compelled.

-

Trebol's Side

The gloomy haze and downpour over the little island in the North Blue would have made it a miserable day even if the local factory-town rain wasn't acidic enough to sting when it got in your face– which it was. The business would wait.

In the smoky backroom of the hideout Trebol and Doffy sat in fat armchairs around an old chessboard, where the 'young master' was currently creaming him in three out of four games, much to both of their delight. Doflamingo was a much keener chess opponent than Trebol was used to facing, and Trebol was excited to use teaching him more of the theory behind the game to sharpen the young king-in training's mind for strategy and politick. 

After checkmating their sixth match, Doffy pinned the defeated king under his finger and declared. "I'm bored."

"Well, maybe time to do something else then," Trebol agreed, stroking his chin. Six games was enough that even Trebol's patience for the game was growing thin, and he considered some other diversion for the two of them.

Before he could think of something, let alone suggest it, without warning and without another word, Doffy stood from his chair and came and sat himself right across Trebol's lap.

Trebol felt his pince-nez slip on his nose as he looked down in astonishment. 

"Is that alright? I'm not too heavy?"

"Never, Doffy," Trebol promised. Trebol was far from the strongest man alive, despite the size of his body– rather frail from the cruel treatment of his enslaved upbringing– but he wasn't sure he'd tell Doffy even if the young master was too heavy for him. He wasn't though, just a pleasant, if mildly confusing weight in his lap.

"Good then. You may pet my hair." Obviously it was less permission, and more command. Once again it surprised Trebol, but Doffy's demanding nature was neither something new, nor something unwanted. Happily Trebol ran his fingers through the short blond locks, and Doffy arched into the touch like a big cat.

Bored, it seemed, for Doffy, meant in need of physical affection, and Trebol wasn't the least bit displeased to provide it.

A few minutes later, he poked Trebol in the chest. "Do you love me, Trebol?"

Trebol looked down, surprised yet again. "Huh? What kind of question is that, Doffy?"

He wasn't quite sure what he heard in Doffy's voice. It wasn't exactly insecurity, though Trebol admitted even someone as effortlessly regal as Doffy might need to occasionally be reassured, given the sorry state they'd found him in.

Doflamingo stared up at him and Trebol could feel the intensity of his stare behind his crimson glasses as he answered haughtily. "One that I'm demanding an answer to. And I'll know if you're lying."

Maybe he did need to be reassured after all. Well, Trebol was pleased to remind him that he was unwavering in both his support, and his affection.

"Hey, hey I wouldn't lie, Doffy," he placated. "Of course I love you."

Doffy stared him down. 

"And the others? They love me too?"

Another demand. And Trebol was equally sure of their devotion, and equally quick to defend it.

"They love you, Doffy. I swear. We all do."

"Good."

Doffy leaned against him again, and Trebol didn't question him about it further, instead going back to petting his hair, until a moment later when Doffy squirmed and reached for something on the table.

Trebol watched curiously as he grabbed a napkin and damped it with some water, washing traces of soot and sweat and other mundane filth of the day off of his face. It wasn't that unusual– Doffy had been living in the trash when they'd found him, and sometimes he'd get all twitchy and panicked about garbage or being dirty. Trebol couldn't blame him. 

And then, without waiting for permission, did the same to Trebol. The cool cloth carried away the grime rather refreshingly from his pale, soft face, and he certainly wasn't going to complain, but he was curious if there was something more on the young man's mind.

Before he could ask what was up, Doffy leaned up in his lap and pressed his lips to Trebol's.

Whatever question he might have asked was smothered immediately by kiss.

It came as a surprise but Trebol was certainly not about to say no to whatever their kingly young leader wanted, even if it was something he'd assumed would hold disgust rather than interest. He felt himself flushing as Doffy kissed him greedily and Trebol flushed as he returned it, hesitantly pressing his tongue into the young man's mouth only after Doffy had first invaded his own.

The door clicked open just as Doffy was breaking the kiss, and while Trebol went further scarlet and hurried to pull away in hopes to preserve the young man's dignity– surely he wouldn't want to be seen kissing him– Doffy pulled him back for a final kiss perhaps just out of spite.

Diamante lounged in the doorway, looking bemused. "Am I interrupting something, Doffy?"

Trebol, flushed and breathless, stared at his partner across the way with an equally bemused expression.

Doffy slid back into Trebol's lap properly and smirked. "No, you can come in."

Diamante shrugged and waved a hand as he came in. The rest of the gang came along over the next few minutes, and the chess board was put away, and a game of poker started in its place.

Doflamingo, who insisted he was bored of games for the day, lounged in Trebol's lap while they played.

Trebol never did get an explanation beyond a guess at Doffy's boredom, but it didn't bother him, far from it. He cheerfully thrashed the rest of the gang at poker with the pleasant weight of the young master on his lap.

Doffy's Side

The gloomy haze and downpour over the little island in the North Blue would have made it a miserable day even if the local factory-town rain wasn't acidic enough to sting when it got in your face– which it was. The business would wait.

In the smoky backroom of the hideout Trebol and Doffy sat in fat armchairs around an old chessboard, where the 'young master' was currently creaming him in three out of four games, much to both of their delight.

Doffy knew that Trebol was using it as an opportunity to drill him on strategy, and that was interesting enough for a while but on a day like this the amusement started to wear thin after a while.

After checkmating their sixth match, Doffy pinned the defeated king under his finger and declared. "I'm bored."

Unsurprisingly, Trebol was hasty to cater to Doffy's whims. It was one of the many things that he liked so much about the man.

"Well, maybe time to do something else then," Trebol agreed, stroking his chin.

This time however, Doffy had no intention of letting Trebol set the expectations for their next amusement. He'd probably suggest another game, or some reading, or perhaps even a sojourn out into the miserable weather if he thought Doflamingo was restless enough to want to get into a fight.

But Doffy had something else in mind.

Without warning and without another word, Doffy stood from his chair and came and sat himself right across Trebol's lap. He grinned widely at the shocked and confused look on the older man's face.

"Is that alright? I'm not too heavy?" He squirmed in his lap, just to make sure. Trebol, he knew, wasn't in the best of health, and he didn't want to crush him.

"Never, Doffy," Trebol promised.

"Good then. You may pet my hair." Obviously it was less permission, and more command. He knew that Trebol liked it when he was demanding– it always seemed to delight him, so Doflamingo liked to play it up, insisting on things rather than asking for it. It paid off, once again. Happily Trebol ran his fingers through the short blond locks, and Doffy arched into the touch like a big cat.

A few minutes later, he poked Trebol in the chest. "Do you love me, Trebol?"

Trebol looked down, surprised. "Huh? What kind of question is that, Doffy?"

Doflamingo stared up at him and Trebol could feel the intensity of his stare behind his crimson glasses as he answered haughtily. "One that I'm demanding an answer to. And I'll know if you're lying."

Doffy knew what the answer was. At least, the answer he expected to hear, but he still wanted to hear it. There was a dark voice that whispered in his ear sometimes that it wasn't true. That Trebol and the others were using him somehow, in some way he couldn't imagine. Which was ridiculous. They all cared about one another, and Doffy was the leader besides.

Of course they loved him. Unlike his father, who had ruined him. And his brother who had run from him.

"Hey, hey I wouldn't lie, Doffy," he placated. "Of course I love you."

Doffy stared him down. Hearing it sent a pleasant shiver of reassurance through him.

"And the others? They love me too?"

"They love you, Doffy. I swear. We all do."

It was true. He knew it was true. Trebol and the others loved and adored him. He was special, and beloved, and they were a family, and they'd tear down and destroy anyone who hurt any of the others.

"Good."

Doffy leaned against him again, and Trebol didn't question him about it further, instead going back to petting his hair, until a moment later when Doffy squirmed and reached for something on the table.

With his feelings satisfied, he was ready to go for the other part of his rainy day entertainment plan.

He grabbed a napkin and damped it with some water, washing traces of soot and sweat and other mundane filth of the day off of his face, and then, without waiting for permission, did the same to Trebol.

Doffy loved and cared for Trebol, and he didn't mind the former slave's somewhat sickly appearance, but he did want the both of them to be at their freshest for what he had planned.

Before he could ask what was up, Doffy leaned up in his lap and pressed his lips to Trebol's.

It came as a surprise but Trebol was certainly not about to say no to whatever their kingly young leader wanted, Doffy knew that he never would– even if it was something he'd assumed would hold disgust rather than interest. Trebol, Doffy knew, felt deeply unlovable at times. He wanted his mentor to know that it wasn't the case at all.

And besides, this was much less boring than a seventh chess match, and he could probably make an argument that it was just as strategic.

Doffy kissed him greedily and Trebol flushed as he returned it, hesitantly pressing his tongue into the young man's mouth only after Doffy had first invaded his own.

The door clicked open just as Doffy was breaking the kiss, and while Trebol went scarlet and hurried to pull away to preserve the young man's dignity, Doffy pulled him back for a final kiss perhaps just out of spite.

As he finally let the kiss break, he glanced slyly back at Diamante. He'd have to get him, too, another time.

Diamante lounged in the doorway, looking bemused. "Am I interrupting something, Doffy?"

Doffy slid back into Trebol's lap properly and smirked. "No, you can come in."

Diamante shrugged and waved a hand as he came in. The rest of the gang came along over the next few minutes, and the chess board was put away, and a game of poker started in its place.

Doflamingo, who insisted he was bored of games for the day, lounged in Trebol's lap while they played. He nuzzled against him, satisfied with the attention, and snuck amused looks at Diamante, who he knew had questions that Doffy didn't intend to answer for a while.

It was anything but boring.

[an-honest-puck]

Prompocalypse (Ep. 16) highlights and viewing notes because I don’t have the time to liveblog while watching but I do have thoughts that I will complete some other time lol

spoilers ahoy!!!

nothing like the power of a teen girl/tiefling's catty sarcasm to completely undermine a villain's monologue (shoutout to the d20 sound crew for the perfect music and timing on that one!!)

Gorgug learns about a new way of disarming people: kissing them

"Stop outing students!"

"I'M GAY NOW WOO"

Lou turning his adding-up-dice-humming into the first notes of 'Amazing Grace' that Zac immediately picks up on and starts swaying along

Brennan's gentle "yeah" when Siobhan admits to having a question that will be bad for the party, but also that she wants to play the game right

even more spoilery spoilers below!

Lou giving Siobhan a thumbs up after the above question

the fact that Goldenrod finds the need to justify to a bunch of teenagers that he's attacking this student because he's just an evil demon and not because said student is gay

Riz yelling "HOMOPHOBE!" at an honest-to-goodness dragon

"To be clear, I am very socially liberal; I am fiscally conservative!" + everyone's reaction to that (shoutout to Zac's very judgemental head tilt XD)

Brennan saying "I am a libertarian!" in Goldenrod's 'teacher' voice and then growling it again straight afterwards, as if Goldenrod just remembered he was a big-ass dragon XD

not Beardsley's "So convenient for you!" lmaoooo

Goldenrod: What? Everyone should be free to do what they want. I should be free to collect gold and destroy, and you should be free to try and run away! This is a cultured political philosophy!

Ally/Kristen: I'm down from hearing that [and not from his actual attack XD]

Brennan: *describing the gnarly metal music Gorgug's listening to*

Zac: *drops his dice*

"Ooh, beignets!"

the little grin on Brennan's face when he rolls the dice and then A WILD JAWBONE APPEARS!!!!!!!!!!

Jawbone hugs!!!!!! 😭

Jawbone: Y'understand me?

Adaine: No!

Jawbone's monologue about panic attacks which is too much to unpack here and is basically a whole post in and of itself

Brennan: *mentions Tracker*

Ally/Kristen: Tracker!

Jawbone: I CAME HERE TO FUCK SHIT UP and help children

"Jawbone rules! I'm so glad we helped get his life together"

Introducing, Jawbone: Not a Healer, but a healer of the mind and the soul uwu

Adaine (but mostly Siobhan lol): I would love to do an arcana check... on this absolute fucking unit

Adaine just double flipping off an honest-to-goodness dragon

Kalvaxus: Aren't you supposed to be some kind of high-falutin' elf?

Adaine: I'm a child. You are attacking a bunch of children, you coward.

Fig: Be careful, Adaine; he has a taste for the young ones

Adaine: I have a mental illness and that's fine!

Kalvaxus: Alright, let's not turn this into a fucking PSA after-school special bullshit

Emily's big brain idea to seal Kalvaxus to be the next lunchlad and promote Gilear to be the new VP

Lou's sick-of-Brennan's-shit "Is it [Kalvaxus's] turn?"

Kalvaxus, an honest-to-goodness dragon and the Emperor of the Red Waste: Teens are so mean!

Kristen, mockingly: "Stop making fun of me!"

Adaine: Yeah well at least we're not ugly!

Adaine's happy bobbing!!!!! :DD

"This medicine is great! :D"

Gorgug's Nat 20 (!!!) to summon GORTHOLAX!!!!!

"IT'S TIME TO SHRED, BABY!!!"

Penelope, dying: All I wanted to be- was queen :'((

Kristen: We know!!

Beardsley trying to figure out how to flip someone the middle finger when they only have 4 digits

Riz/Murph, despondent that he can't roll anything higher than a ten. Everyone else: "You can!"

"Should've gotten silver fillings, bitch!!"

"Man, when I grow up, I wanna be a guidance counsellor!" - Adaine

Fabian's "a-HA!"

the strangest bit of improv when the tables are turned and Siobhan makes Brennan improv something coming out of her character's Jacket of Useful Things ("I open up my Jacket of Useful Things and I say 'I need something that will beat Kalvaxus' and I put my hand in a pocket and I pull out...?) only for Brennan to pull out the whole goddamn lore for the jacket XD

Ally: Can I roll for a nat 20 and then be alive?

Brennan's famous last words: Uh, sure, go for it.

Ally/Kristen: This is to the corn god. I know I left for a while but-

[Brennan.exe has stopped functioning]

Brennan: *flabbergasted and now rapidly figuring out how the fuck to figure this out*

Riz/Murph: Praise be to Helio!!!

Fabian/Lou: He-li-o! He-li-o!

BONUS EPISODE UNLOCKED, BABYYYYYY

[tothelasthoursofmylife]

Travelogue: Kuroshitsuji

I've been back from my vacation for a few weeks now and decided to write a little bit about it. :) I will restrict myself to Kuroshitsuji-related things.

I spotted some Kuroshitsuji volumes fairly early on in my trip (they were in the first bookstore we visited!), but it took a bit longer to find some merch, and the first thing I spotted was this:

A clothes-hanger XD

Thankfully, it wasn't all that Animate store had in stock. Right below the clothes-hanger were tapestries, and just around the corner was the rest of the merchandise. And it was so great to spot Kuro merch in shops that didn't have S1/S2 art on it for once (that's, unfortunately, still the norm in Germany for some reason?).

(As you can see at the bottom of the last picture, it says 8.17 to 9.15 - I first spotted that merch on September 16. It remained there until I left nearly a month later, only the event info was removed.)

That Animate also had the volumes, of course, with Sebastian and Ciel on the divider (and their cousin series right with them!). They were also in the seinen corner which is why I didn't find them immediately.

We were a few days in Tokyo too, and I found more merchandise at Tree Village. I liked its selection a bit more because I don't care much about acrylic standees and buttons (though I did end up buying some for other fandoms...).

If the puzzle had a nicer motive I would have got it 100% because I love puzzles. The Emerald Witch posters better be stunning so that we can get stunning puzzles of them too.

Amiani had some merch too.

Below Amiani was a second-hand figure store whose name I didn't catch. I, unfortunately, couldn't explore it (my siblings and I were running late already and our mother and cousin were waiting downstairs - and while Akihabara was fun while we were briefly there, an absurd amount of people in the anime shops we visited reeked like they hadn't had a shower in months) but I did spot a Ciel and a Sebastian while waiting by its entrance, so that was nice.

I had really hoped that I could find some old Kuro merch in second-hand stops. Something from BoC or BoM or BotA; something from a special collaboration - anything, really. My brother got really attached to a series of second-hand stores (Book Off) because they had the video game guidebooks he had wanted for ages. We had a Book Off close to where we stayed, but he would also drag us to larger ones farther away, so we spent quite some time in Book Offs (and we also went to K-Books in Tokyo). Each store was amazing, and I searched them carefully every time, but, well, apart from DVDs and manga volumes, I only found Kuro stuff once.

I have no idea what was going on, if Kuro fans just don't like to part with their merch ever, or I was just super unlucky (and I was unlucky in some other timing aspects argh), but that was everything. Just cards from a cafe collaboration. They are very beautiful; however, I didn't end up getting any. Maybe I should have got one because they make good bookmarks but I found other things I wanted more and I had hoped I would find more Kuro stuff elsewhere...

(Also, oddly enough, Grelle's cards were the least expensive of them? Undertaker's were either 770 or 990 Yen, and Grelle's were "just" 350.)

(I guess I might have found more if we had been in Akihabara for a longer time/in more shops there but time was limited and people were just too stinky...)

Do you know what existed in overabundance everywhere? Twisted Wonderland merchandise. You could enter any store that carried anime merch of any kind and get showered in Twisted Wonderland merch. So if you're a fan or that game, you would 1000% find something. (I've never played it myself.)

Oh, and there were posters too!

(These posters were on the way to an absurdly deeply placed train platform, and it felt a bit like a fever dream encountering them for the first time.)

We also went to the Kyoto Manga Museum which was a great experience and very unlike any museum experience I had in Germany. The museum informs you about the history of mangas and how mangas are made, but it also collects and preserves mangas, from really old to new ones. They are not only display articles though. Apart from some very old mangas, you can just pick and read them too (inside the museum or on its lawn in front of the building).

I think this is something that only be done in certain places. I doubt a museum like that would work so well in Germany. (Mangas wouldn't be put back, wouldn't look as neat anymore, etc. (99% of books in second-hand stores are in very neat condition too, and people go there just to read those books too if a library isn't nearby/well-stocked and because new books are wrapped in plastic. When they're done reading, they just put them back where they got them.))

Right by the museum's entrance is the "International Mangas" area, and the first shelves you see when you come in are the German mangas - with the German Kuro volumes right on top!

The museum also hosts temporary art exhibitions; when we were there, it was a Delicious in Dungeon one. (I haven't watched/read it but the exhibition was fun still.)

The museum was warmly (and threateningly) recommended by some old family friends (they really wanted us to visit there). They were also very surprised to hear that anime/manga is very popular in the West too. It didn't matter what kind of anime/manga it was too: They were surprised that Demon Slayer is so well-known and popular here too. They got very excited when they spotted my Kuroshitsuji purse. They couldn't believe we knew Detective Conan or had Kamikaze Kaito Jeanne or Inazuma Eleven on TV, etc. They were even shocked I know and play the Ace Attorney and Professor Layton games.

(They were also happy to hear that my brother and I used to watch Doremi on TV around the same time they got up early to watch it on TV too before school. We moved away but still did things "together" without knowing.)

I think it's very fun how popular Japanese media in the West is - and how Japanese people, apparently, don't even know about that. I don't know if it's just them, but they're my and my brother's age (20s-30s) and in touch with these things and didn't know. We also met up with older people, and some also read mangas and were surprised we did too; their surprise was more "understandable" at least because they're 50-80(+) years old.

We visited a few shrines too, of course. One of which was rather interesting because everyone seems to have sponsored it. (And that's why everything looks extremely clean and pristine, like it was only just built.)

For example, Soma's VA Shinnosuke Tachibana.

And the entire Straw Hat Crew???

In Tokyo, we were also in Disneyland.

Because it was during the Halloween Party period, many people were in costumes which was super fun. There were a lot of Twisted Wonderland cosplayers too. We encountered some, i.a., at the Snow White Well, and they were very kind because they quickly made way for us to take pictures too before they resumed their photoshooting.

We went on the Haunted Mansion Holiday Edition ride (which is Nightmare Before Christmas themed), so Yana's Tweet later on was fun to read. Her assistants went for her, and I did too. <3

And now on to my little Kuroshitsuji haul :)

I got the Japanese Character Guide! The German guide was the first Kuro thing I ever bought (in 2015; did a quick trip into the city during a free period right before chemistry class heh). The translation might be wonky and inaccurate at times, but I have the book very dear nonetheless for that sentimental reason.

I love to compare editions from different languages, and look how thick the Japanese one is in comparison!! (That it's smaller in height was unsurprising because Japanese books are mostly that small but I was taken aback by its thickness.)

I hope we get a new character guide. The one I got was from the 41st print; it's time for a new one, but I guess we'll have to wait until the series ends for it, if we get one at all.

I got the severed heads too <3

I spotted them in Animate for the first time, but didn't buy them then. By the time we went to Tree Village, their price was reduced, and I got them <3 They weird me out a little but they're also very squishy.

The pocket mirror was the first piece of merch I got on the trip (you can see it in the shop if you scroll up! it was the last one they had), and I was very happy to see and get it because I always wanted a foldable pocket mirror like that. (I already have a Kuroshitsuji pocket mirror with UT on it from when I was in a zine; however, because it isn't a foldable one, I never used it orz One day, I will find a suitable little bag for it and I get to carry it around without fear.)

And a little Ciel keychain because it's so cute <3

It was a lovely trip, and I leave it at that, or I will dissolve into sappy rambling because it was a very special trip too.^^

[gwydionae]

King's Quest Fan Remakes

After talking about them a bit recently, I felt compelled to play through the old KQ fan remakes (1-3 from AGDI and 3 from IA), and I wanted to share my more in depth thoughts for anyone interested in these love letters to the original games.

King's Quest I: Quest for the Crown Remake from AGD Interactive

A lovely update to the original! While clearly the least polished of AGDI's offerings, it's nice to be able to play KQ1 with KQ5-style graphics and voice acting (the original voice of Graham, Josh Mandel, voices him in all four of the games in this post, ftr). There is an option to turn off any chance of softlocking yourself before you even start the game, which is a welcome feature. Puzzle-wise, this one stays the most faithful to the original out of the three from AGDI with a few updates here and there (like that stupid name puzzle! lol). The vocal performances and sound effects can be a bit fuzzy, but I found them enjoyable nonetheless.

Overall a solid fan remake with limited extra bells and whistles!

King's Quest II: Romancing the Stones from AGDI

Easily the most ambitious of the three from AGDI. Pretty much all of the core elements from KQ1 are further polished here - artwork, acting, music, and sound effects. The story and puzzles, however, have been changed enough that the end product is sizably different from the original. In some cases, this is fun and interesting (more lore and character interactions! new and unique puzzles!), but not everyone will enjoy all the changes. I, for example, find the underwater section kind of fun, but the new content around the count... not so much (for reasons I'll avoid due to spoilers, but know they're more mechanical than anything). There's less freedom in when you can do things, the added story making the game far more linear than it originally was. But then I'm sure many would agree that if any KQ game could do with extra content, it'd be 2, so I can't fault them swinging for the fences, even if not every hit was a home run.

All in all, this version of KQ2 doesn't really work if you're simply looking to experience the original game with updated graphics, but it's a fun playthrough nonetheless, and newcomers might enjoy the added lore/story bits. Just be aware that I could probably sum up the original game's story in about two sentences while this one would take far longer. XD

King's Quest III: To Heir is Human Redux from AGDI

If KQ1 wasn't fully polished and KQ2 was a little overworked, then KQ3 is juuuuuust right! (For anyone who knows the game, yes, this is a purposeful pun. XD) The graphics, sounds, music, vocal performances - all are the best yet (though still with some minor hiccups as any fan game is wont to have - the music was sadly cutting out during the climactic sequence for me). It even has a neat little feature where the timer changes color depending on how close you are to being zapped into oblivion that is not only useful but adds a sense of urgency in it's own way (especially if you forgot the item that makes travel a lot easier for like 2 meals I mean what lol). While it does carry over some of the story threads from AGDI's second entry, this game still works well enough on it's own, with the majority of the new content being added in naturally rather than supplanting whole sections of the original. In fact, personally speaking, I think the added content only enhances the game, your encounters with Medusa and the yeti especially getting a nice boost. And the extra lore only helps you feel for the protagonists plight all the more. The ending is a bit drawn out, perhaps, and I may not agree with the order you're supposed to choose the four items in to get the treasure (insert rant here XD), but those are minor nitpicks at best.

This is easily the best of the three, AGDI having perfected their KQ formula at this point. It works as a remake of the original while still adding in a bit of new content that doesn't feel unwelcome. I would highly recommend it to anyone interested in giving the King's Quest series a try.

King's Quest III: To Heir is Human Remake from Infamous Adventures

Look. I know that it's not as impressive as AGDI's version. The time limit is laughably long, the spells are impossible to mess up, and some of the clickable areas can be a bit wonky. But I really like this version, ok?? I like the design and voice of Gwydion, I like the storybook quality that the cutscene art has, I like that it feels lonely when it should. And as much as some of the changes in AGDI's version were really nice, I like that it's basically just the original game without extra stuff added in.

This is like AGDI's KQ1 - a really solid remake of a game that gives you the feel of the original but with an updated interface and graphics. It's not as impressive as the one above, but it doesn't have to be. The original KQ3 is an awesome game, so an update of just that can't be bad. It can easily be played as a standalone game, and I will continue recommending this version 'til I die, lol.

[lacunafiction]

Progress Update: February 18 2023

TFS: Book One Masterpost   🌲 TFS Patreon (New pricing and Benefits) 🌲  If you’re enjoying your time in Fernweh, please consider leaving a review/rating on the platform you downloaded the game from during your next break from the story. It helps TFS out and encourages me! 😍💚  

Hello Returning Visitors!

Hopefully, you’re doing well and aren’t lost in the woods somewhere…

We celebrated our first Valentine’s Day 💘 together since the release of TFS: Book One. In case you missed it, here is a link to R’s Valentine’s extra writing, which is available to the public. Patrons receive six themed writings (one for each romance route) during holidays/seasons; R’s official writing will drop in March.

You can check out the #public tag to discover more TFS goodies on Patreon.

We should get into how Book Two is going!

My intention is to have the same (unlucky number 13) amount of chapters. ⬛🐈 I’m noticing that the chapters are tending to be longer as I move forward, partially due to the scope of the plot points, but also because of the level of variation that I’m adding by calling on variables. (Book Two’s Introduction is about 3 times longer than Book One's.) This is primarily due to scenes that trigger based on your MC’s current choices along with past choices/stats.

Something I’ve been having fun with in this book is the ability to make nods to past RO moments you may have experienced while giving options for you to explore those tentative feelings/bonds. I couldn’t do this too early in Book One, since you were still meeting and learning about the characters; now, I can! 😎 Or at least, I can give you the opportunity to be flirty with J as soon as they call you on the walkie talkie in Chapter 1. Having that past history thanks to Book One is something I’m sincerely enjoying incorporating into Book Two—it creates links between your two playthroughs that will hopefully make everything feel more real.

I know I’m supposed to be a little vague about things in these updates; it’s hard when I tend to ramble. XD The scene I recently wrapped up involved the MC’s W-given nickname coming into play and tailoring how they interact with you in the Fernweh Diner. It will be interesting for replays.

Thank you for your support and best wishes! 💚