#((Good!! B3 ))

[avadmortain]

m 😭😭😭

[the-unconquered-queen]

With Blades 2 coming to an end, I just wanna get it off my chest that I'm really not a fan of how they wrote Nia for a great part of this one, particularly vis-à-vis the way they wrote MC. I know I've been saying some stuff along those lines for ages now, but it hasn't left my mind so now I'm gonna actually get into it.

For starters, I think a lot of the issue with Nia's writing was captured pretty well in the tags of this post, particularly on point 2. Like I've said, Nia unfortunately falls into the category of a Mary Sue in that every "flaw" she's given just serves to elevate her to perfection. Hell, even when corrupted—when a person is supposed to be in their most volatile state—the worst she does is be snarky that first chapter (she is aggressive toward MC at one point before this, but it's neither acknowledged nor repeated later). After that, she is entirely normal, just not as much of a pushover, and while I much preferred shadow!Nia, I do think that this really undermines the whole gravity of corruption and b2's emphasis on shadow-light balance, since shadow!Nia comes off as quite balanced already, especially compared to other corrupted characters we've seen.

But here's the thing, that post that got me thinking is months old, and we have gotten more story since then, and what I have noticed is that Nia does, in fact, have one real flaw in canon, but it's the one flaw she's absolutely not meant to have: Nia in canon can at times come off as self-absorbed. She either makes things about herself or doesn't stop people from doing this, and there are multiple examples of it. There is the instance in Riverbend when MC is taking a moment to finally try to process Kade's capture (which, following their own capture, they never got the chance to process) and Nia derails the conversation and makes it about her own grief and is comforted by MC and Mal. Another example is the moment on Gerhard's ship when she vents about the pressure she's been under and lets MC comfort her without at any point considering that MC might have been under similar pressure.

And don't get me wrong, there is nothing wrong with a character putting themselves first. But when the book doesn't waste a single chance to tell us that Nia's character is the complete opposite and that she is chronically incapable of not being considerate 25/8, it's quite contradictory. I mean, you can even call out Ethan Ramsey, PB's golden boy, on making things about himself at some point in OH, but because, unlike Ethan, Nia is written for you to consider her super sweet and wholesome and perfect, the Blades MC actually contributes to this by performing mental gymnastics to turn something around to be about Nia.

Which brings me to my final point: Blades 2 pushed MC to the side to revolve around Nia, but MC is exactly the person they meant for Nia to be, by virtue of the dissonance between showing and telling. They tell you that Nia is selfless because she always puts everyone else first. Well, I can and did name examples showing the contrary, meanwhile, MC is the one who was been through the most traumatic ordeal and is constantly checking in on everyone else without expecting and without receiving much of the same courtesy in return, even apologizing to Nia because she was "carrying all that weight on her own", never mind that MC always has the weight of the world on their shoulders. They tell you that Nia is the heart of the party, but they both told and showed us that everything fell apart without MC.

Even some of Nia's most defining character traits, MC has in similar measure. Nia sees the best in everyone? MC can be the #1 believer in Aerin's redemption after all the shit he pulled. Nia is trusting to the point of naivete? MC literally trusted Valax while she outright told them at every turn she would turn on them at the first opportunity, and was genuinely hurt by the betrayal. Miss me with MC calling Nia "our better self".

Every trait that they've gone out of their way to tell you Nia has they've shown twofold in MC, which is why it's so exasperating to me that they reduced MC to the conduct through which other characters' (particularly Nia's) stories get told while their own is an afterthought. I am by no means saying that two people can't have similar traits or that two people can't be good people at the same time, but there is something about praising these traits in Nia when, based on these, MC should be held to a similar standard. Instead, they relegated MC (main. character.) to a supporting character in Nia's story, elevating every trait that MC possesses only in Nia while ignoring them in MC to the point that many scenes felt frustrating to play.

[dont-blame-it-on-the-kids]

Sometimes I think about what LoK could have been had they known they had more seasons from the start. Amon would have been the perfect over arching series bad guy.

They could have really spent more time with Korra struggling with not being able to air bend. And what that means for her, how her spirit got so troubled she can’t connect to the other avatars.

Season two could have never happened

Instead it could have been about her connecting to her avatar spirit and we could still get the whole origin story but without destroying every Avatar before her because ??? Who thought that was even remotely the right move??

In season three we could have more of Lin’s story maybe even got to see her and Su’s fathers.

We could have seen and explored so much more than the ham fisted endings and showing characters give and grow so much only to be cut off at the knees for the plot to progress somewhere else.

We could have seen Suki and Sokka. We could have seen more of Aang and fuck it even more of the Gaang jr as kids. I don’t think we got to see young Bumi Kya and tenzin other than the photo.

I just wish they had the time to detail out this wonderful world they set up with AtLA

Just Imagine a Legend of Korra where they actually planned things out properly and allowed the seasons to work together instead of trying to make a Grande Finale every season.

[soulthesimmer]

excuse me, WE?

[vhvrs]

comm for @caffeine-hifi !! thanks again for entrusting your dorks to me 🕶🚬💞!!

comm info

[savage-rhi]

Having a B3 overdose be like

[ace-and-ranty]

The funny thing is, The Cruel Prince made me absolutely feral when I first read it. HOWEVER. It was not because I gave a fuck about Cardan. Because I didn't. I didn't give it a single fuck.

I was too busy having ENORMOUS feelings about Jude and her step-father.

Like?? I'm sorry?? You ruined my life, and yet that is simply your nature?? When you took me in you were being responsible, and you tried your best to love me, but in the process your ruined me for the human world?? Your murdered my mom, but you read me bedtime stories??

WHO CARES ABOUT CARDEN, ARE YOU GUYS FUCKING SEEING THIS???

[sophieinwonderland]

ourmageddon?

😊

[inkandpaintleopard]

R E A L

I have been waiting for a mod like this -- basically ever since SM overtook my FNF hyperfixation, lol. And it's headed by the same person who made One Shot Calamity!!!!

Also like the seeing the title screen and the logo makes me SO excited

First off, the Hatz getting billing above Dexter and Bob in the logo is funny to me, but the SIDE ART-

Seeing both regular Moloch and him possessing Dexter implies he'll get one song for each, which?? Is really cool?? Moloch deserves the love, I just hope he gets a good voice this time

Also the Hatz in the corner, I REALLY hope they all get a chance to sing. All songs involving the Hatz usually only have Roy sing, which is fine! But they are a trio after all, feels weird without Ross and Robert (tbh I'm surprised nobody's done a week where they all get one song yet)

Anyways. I'd be shaking in more excitement if I wasn't so tired but I am ABSOLUTELY playing this later omg

THE HATZGANG BETTER ALL GET THEIR OWN SONGS BECAUSE THAT FEELS LIKE SUCH AN OBVIOUS MOVE

THIS WILL BE GREAT

[dutybcund]

so.... is the implication there that edwina did marry the prince???

[masonscig]

Writer Rant: Am I the only one who finds it kind of strange how many people are complaining about how the detective didn't have a choice but to join the agency? Like I totally get thinking its too soon (I personally expected it in book 4 at least, so I have no issue with the opinion it should have happened later in the series) but there's been multiple posts I've seen of people saying they're upset that choice was forced upon them/the 'no' option didn't work, and I'm kind of wondering what they expected? Idk I feel like there's this growing trend in the IF/COG community where people are mad that they can't go completely against the status quo of the story, but like...there's a difference between taking away choices for the protag/taking control out of the players hands and some plots just *needing* to happen in order for the story to proceed as intended, especially when they relate directly to the protag and their environment and not a mostly offscreen situation like the aftermath of whether Sanja survives/the treaty is signed in Book 2.

The detective being a full time agent is a major development and would effect most if not every agency/station related scene going forward - if saying no was a legitimate option that carried over as a major choice, Mishka would basically have to write a second version of each subsequent book to account for the differences until they finally join. Not allowing that to be an option isn't taking away the players choice because it was *never* a choice to begin with, its a set part of the plot already. I get the frustration of it maybe not being the most in character, but the author in me wants to scream that it's not on the author to adapt their story to fit each OC every time, especially when that OC is made to intentionally break what 'should' be happening. For all the legitimate criticism about book 3 that I've seen, this is the one that I genuinely Do Not Understand unless there's just a lot of folks in the fandom without experience writing longer, connective works, because they either don't recognize or respect just *how much* would have to change going forward based on that one call.

i completely get where you're coming from, i really do, but i have to disagree with some points here

i think that the reason people are upset is because mis/hka has like. stripped the agency (haha no pun intended) from the mc but it doesn't quite feel as intentional as she wanted it to be – (idk if i'm explaining correctly bc it makes sense in my head) let's say you're playing with an mc that has little to no agency points, they've fucked up majorly at every stat check (murphy got away, sanja died, falk didn't sign the treaty, falk was hostile, fucked up at the auction), and they're scared of supernaturals? in what world would that qualify the mc for an agency position?

if you're thinking "okay well, maybe it's because the agency is trying to keep a close watch on the mc" – okay, well, mis/hka isn't going to flesh out the idea of the agency being evil or even explicitly morally grey. she's said herself in asks before that the agency are the "good guys" (i don't feel like looking for it lmao if you do, godspeed. there's a lot of asks to sift through) – so the choice just doesn't make sense unless she's been playing the absolute longest con and they'll be revealed to be the true antagonists in the end.

if they are, i'll record myself a jean jacket with no sauce :) xoxo

but like others have said before, mis/hka is writing this series as a utopia of sorts – the mc is a fucking cop, working for a federal agency. and they're presented as the good guys. that alone means that any weird things that they do are going to be pushed aside and blamed on an "individual" rather than the "structure" itself, if that makes sense. (an option available towards the end of book 3 depending on what route you're on is being able to erase bobby's memories if they find out about supernaturals. a cop? possibly forcibly suppressing a journalist? yeah. no thought put into that option.)

what i'm getting at is, she's stripping the choice to join the agency from the mc's who don't want it, and similarly, from what she's shown us, it's not going to amount to anything, because she doesn't seem to criticize any of the systems she's established in a larger sense outside of the mc's dialogue. so if that doesn't matter, then what are the mc's working towards? <- this is a rhetorical question, food for thought if you will LMAO

sorry this is all over the place, but to tie it all back together, i think that yes, if your oc doesn't fit the universe, i completely agree – you can't blame the author for not fulfilling every fantasy you have about the series – but similarly, i think that if mis/hka is giving us the option to make mc's who are untrustworthy of the agency, it's her job to follow through with that to some degree. and that means not just pandering to mcs that love their job, love being a cop, love supernaturals, love the agency, always pass stat checks, etc.

all of my thoughts are based on things she's said about her own story, and how i think that contradicts some ideas she may be unintentionally setting up.

but again, i totally get where ur coming from – branching stories are difficult, i just think that if you're going to offer options in a story, then choices should matter, and they feel like they don't in b3. i get that things need to happen in order for the story to progress, but some of these choices the mc is able to make feels like dead ends? like it's not going anywhere

[ambrosykim]

this probably has been said before but the twc sex scenes really read like choices sex scenes lol

[everythingwasnormalhere]

...ok apparently im not completely passing so I'll have to make an effort at school so for the next month imma post less than usual but I'll still be around and well so dw 💯

[xavalav]

look at my blorbos Now

[thisghosts-obsessions-again]

I spent last night having a good half and hour debate with myself on how to handle THAT FREAKING ADAM SCENE in B3 and the possible avenues the whole relationship would take going forward. Did I had them kiss in the end??? hsjsjajanajajanajajan OFC I DID BUT AT WHAT COST???? PLEASE! PLEASE CAN WE HAVE A NEW RO JOIN IN IN B4??? I JUST WANT THE DETECTIVE TO BE HAPPY AND THE WHOLE ADAM ANGST ISN'T HEALTHY 😭 FELIX'S SALT AND PEPPER ANALOGY HIT TOO CLOSE FOR COMFORT THEN AFTER THAT FREAKING ANGSTY CONVO A POV FROM ADAM???? 😭😭😭

[silvery-bluish]

Aurrie got me thinking abt Sidestep Chen Friendship and specifically Ars and Chen Friendship again and I am In It about them tonight. Because he knows they’re Anathema literally from the start of Retribution - they get over 40 clue during the Carter Mansion Thing and it only gets worse as the rest of Retri wears on - and he. Doesn’t say anything about it to them. They want to hang out with his dog (and him) after Therapy Stress. He gives them a shelf. (I’m a regular criminal - You don’t have to be) He wingmans for Daniel??? Despite knowing they’re the villain calling themself Anathema, despite knowing what happened at the gala???? There's a bit of a warning in there, yeah, but it's still the inciting factor in the (maybe?) date.

If they’re puppetstuck (they can’t be now, puppet comfort too low even if they punch their own mirror I think) Chen goes to keep an eye on them at the hospital, so he presumably always goes to keep an eye on them at the hospital. So they don't disappear again. If I run them down the guilty ending, he’ll rescue them from Rangers HQ. He doesn’t even show up to talk to them at HQ, since they already did the photo talk and the other possible Chen talk point (after the Argent confrontation) is a Daniel talk because of how the priority order works out, so he never tells them they’re under arrest— just shows up going “I thought about what you said and you might unfortunately be right” like he heard Ortega say they were Anathema and immediately started planning how to break them out. (Less supported by the code but-- like he knew this was going to happen at some point.)

He doesn't snitch on them when I run them their main canon, the innocent ending, not that they know he knows. Arsinoe still thinks he'll be the one to arrest them, in the end. I don't think they're right.

Idk. I’m just. Feeling emotions about them being friends, somehow, now? He almost died because he was looking for them, lost his arm because he was looking for them— even if he didn’t succeed, it matters that he tried, that he cared to try. Chen keeping secrets (for them?) They weren’t expecting his,, solidity or loyalty or sense of duty to be for them. It's unexpected, and it Really Fuckin Matters to Arsinoe.