#ANYWAYS. this is technically a spoiler but i get early access to the knowledge that he's a vamp bc of yaoi privilege

[mars-ipan]

@small-jar and i are talking abt our funny little dnd plans for fortune and his totally-human-and-not-a-vampire boyfriend and. i got excited. anyways followers meet honamiya he is also a completely original character

(drawing base under cut)

like my art? commission me on ko-fi!

[akirameta84]

Okay I could be entirely off mark when it comes to this but I need to share this anyways-

I just had this mental image of WoF Kuusuke just, worrying about his missing twin. Like, the Skywing Queen probably told him about her founding him, alone and abandoned. She probably told him that he was probably dumped in favor for a twin with more venom.

But he has access to maps. He has access to books on the various cultures of the other Dragon Races because to be an effective spy he would have to know this stuff. So he would know that no Rainwing would go that far to get rid of an unwanted child with no venom.

So that means his egg was stolen, and his missing twin is probably with their kidnappers.

Then he finally meets his twin. His twin who acts like he's never sun bathed before, and probably did. Who's grumpy and reserved and acts the opposite of attention grabbing, instead trying to hide. Who's with the Dragonets of Destiny, who also act atypical of their kind.

And Kuusuke is smart. He's smart and he's a spy. He knows how to read people.

And if that doesn't blare the alarm bells that his brother was abused, alongside his fellow Dragonets, I don't know what does.

below the cut cause its long and has spoilers for future parts of the fic

yeah kuusuke was sent on a long trip to study rainwings pretty early (with large threats should he fail to return to the sky kingdom) in order to let queen ake be more knowledgeable on a tribe shes just realizing shes lacking info on, and now that she has a rainwing under her care/command, she wants that info, and the knowledge of that venom...when he tould the queen about it in confusion, she placed easily that he must have been a rainwing twin and told him that explains why she found him abandoned, for he is venomless when he shouldnt be.

it took awhile for that to happen because kuusuke had to grow up, and until he learned that from spying on rainwings (with skywing guards also studying them, of course), him and the queen had no clue about rainwing venom. but once they did that idea is accurate

its quite fitting, considering he plays the role of a fireless skywing twin.

and so when the dragonets of destiny are discovered not too far away from the ravine he was found by, and theres a rainwing with them who has the same purple accenting patterns on his body as kuusuke when hes not disguised...kuusuke puts it together quickly, even if kusuo doesnt because kuusuke is disguised as a skywing and kusuo has no reason to believe this guard thats oddly fascinated with him isnt a skywing, let alone his supposedly dead twin

but yeah, none of the DoD act like their species...except for aren. hes prickly and prone to violence like many sandwings. the nightwing is anxious and cowardly. the mudwing cares far too much about other tribes. the seawing is scared to get her claws dirty in even the slightest manner. the rainwing is the second most violent member of the group, and falls asleep so often its obvious hes never had a sun time in his life. even the skywing queen realized that her best spy couldnt be left permanently sleep and provided him a few hours a day to sunbathe.

not to mention the fact that kusuo has been subsisting on the wrong diet his whole life (technically. but eating purely meat isnt good for rainwings, even if theyll live). again, even the skywing queen realized that she should probably let kuusuke eat what his diet requires if hes going to be in best shape

kuusuke actually decided to bring food personally to kusuo when the DoD were prisoners (much to the queens suspicion), and he was honestly downright sad that his probably maybe twin rainwing didn't even know what a watermelon was or how to eat it

love this ask. hit the mark for the au for the most part and i love talking about my aus. tysm for the ask!!

also rip kuusuke btw, he didnt get venom AND he didnt get animus magic, which is a genetic trait

[worrywrite]

So. When the second dream released and player first got access to their operator, it was considered spoiler-y to use them in lower level missions. The assumption was that newer or less advanced players didn't know what they were in for and more seasoned players that had unlocked the operator beam special attack (mind you this was before the war within released, so no one could actually use their operator all the way yet, just conjure them in to do a big beam attack and then dip out) were being kind and only using it when they really needed a breather in combat or to dump damage on massive groups in end game survival. I was there for this, I'm speaking from first hand experience.

When the war within dropped, the operator was similarly not brought out for low level missions. Mostly just kuva invasions, where they were required. The few times I saw people show low level players operators, it was usually a tongue in cheek "you don't even have the story unlocked yet" kind of teasing. Because low level players always responded something like "what the hell is that? Is that some kind of specter?"

And as the game got older and players eventually were streamlined into the main quests before being able to fill out the star chart (before the rail was introduced and the story was more or less optional). These things became less and less spoiler-y. Even casual players that were just introduced to the game had a concept of what the operator was before they played the second dream quest. And now even the drifter, a relatively new addition and character that was technically end-game only for a short while, is accessible earlier due to how the duviri quest has lined up in the main quest order.

So, here's where I'm going with this. The only real spoiler that newer players are receiving would be if they had no concept of proto-frames. Story-wise, the concept of proto-frames in introduced as early as the second dream, but explicitly in the umbra quest. However, the game spoils this on its own with how 1999 effects the game itself. Loading screens, promotions, the demo, etc. it does spoil things. And you're right, it is end game content and strange to be showing starting out players this kind of information. But the intent seems to be to make this a much bigger part of the game, they're even planning on adding more proto-frames. It seems their intent is to make this unavoidable knowledge.

And, personally, I'm fine with how Gemini skins are used. I understand being bothered by it, don't get me wrong. But players can beat the story without ever touching multiplayer mode if they want to avoid all spoilers. And even when you are in multiplayer, most players don't just stand still so you can look at their frames (until extraction, at least). At most I usually just hear the voice lines, which I find enjoyable.

Anyway. Given how much they marketed 1999, it doesn't feel like spoilers--which, to me, is the only reason I would be upset to see them as a low mastery player. And if people bought the skins, they should be able to enjoy them.

I think I've come to the conclusion that I like the gemini skins in a vacuum, but absolutely hate them as they exist within the wider framework of the game. is this a hot take?

Like, as a thing that exists in the game that players can engage with, it’s cool. But as a thing that you just see in the world now, I hate it.

maybe it's just because they're new so you still see them everywhere, but like... they feel so jarring to me to just have as an element in the wider world of the game. I don't really like seeing those characters everywhere in the base game outside of 1999 or other related contexts, more than maybe just a small little amount. it just... they feel so out of place in the wider universe, when removed of context. And logistically and narratively they feel weird in their application. and it sorta turns the narrative experience that new players will engage with into a bit of a contextual clusterfuck of... sorta presenting a misconception before presenting the main reveal of the story?

Players are not only gonna see these skins before the second dream reveal, but also before they’ve even actually met the characters the skins are based on. Even if they don’t personally buy them. They’re just gonna constantly see them everywhere

I just... they don't *work* for me outside of their niche application, when they're just such a *present* part of the world.

I don’t really know what my conclusion on them as a whole even is, because I think they’re really neat as, like, a thing you can do. And as a fun way to engage with those characters, and give a new experience than what you’re used to from playing a typical frame. I don’t even dislike it when someone in my squad is using one of them or anything, don’t get me wrong.

But I just hate how consistently present they are. When it becomes more than a taste of them in the ecosystem it disrupts the whole vibe of everything else to me.

do ya get me? is this a hot take? Do I care too much about this? Anyone else have any other thoughts on this?

[terramythos]

TerraMythos’ 2020 Reading Challenge In Review - 8/10s!

See Master Post 

Here’s the 8/10s! This is basically the mid-level “stuff I liked” rating. 

1. How Long ‘Til Black Future Month? by N. K. Jemisin (Full Review Here)

The 8/10 on this is a little misleading, as it’s an average score among 22 stories. Anthologies are basically never going to be my highest-rated works because to me short fiction is hit-or-miss. As you can tell from my actual write-up, there are a lot of great stories here; Jemisin is just a fantastic writer. The Trojan Girl, Valedictorian, The Evaluators, The Narcomancer, and Too Many Yesterdays/Not Enough Tomorrows all live in my head rent-free. There’s just some that also didn’t click with me. 

2. All Systems Red (The Murderbot Diaries #1) by Martha Wells (Full Review Here) 

If you peeked at the 9 and 10 lists you know I loved this series, lol. This one ranked a little lower than the others because it’s super short! Just as I started getting attached to Murderbot and interested in the world, the book ended. It was a good hook to get me further into the series but hard to rank on its own. The other novellas ranked higher since I was more familiar with Murderbot by then.  I’m very glad I stuck with it and kept reading! 

3. City of Saints and Madmen (Ambergris #1) by Jeff VanderMeer (Full Review Here) 

This is the first book in the pseudo-trilogy that is the Ambergris series. It’s basically a short story collection, and boy is it weird! There’s clearly something wrong with Ambergris as a city, and it’s hard to parse fact from fiction when the stories intentionally contradict each other or obfuscate information. There’s a ton of hints that don’t pay off until Finch, which is totally bonkers. Anyway, I really liked the horror/historical stories (yes those are basically the same when it comes to Ambergris) -- The Hoegbotton Guide to the Early History of Ambergris, The Transformation of Martin Lake, King Squid, and my personal favorite The Cage. The other stories just ranged from mildly interesting to meh. 

4. Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe by Benjamin Alire Sáenz (Full Review Here)

I can totally see why this is a classic in LGBT YA fiction. The writing and love story are both fantastic. As someone perpetually closeted in real life, the struggle of Ari realizing he’s in love with his best friend hits close to home, and is clearly drawn from the author’s own relationship with his sexuality. I really like that both of the leads’ families are integral to the story, and while Ari’s personal arc is a family conflict, it’s refreshingly not due to the LGBT stuff. This book would be an easy 10/10 but something happened near the middle that totally killed the pace for me. Thankfully it does get better in the last third or so. 

5. The Siren Depths (The Books of the Raksura #3) by Martha Wells (Full Review Here) 

This book is probably my favorite in the original trilogy; I like the reveal of Moon’s past and the complicated emotions associated with that. The Fell are genuinely creepy villains played to their full potential as well. The Siren Depths also introduces two of my favorite characters, Malachite and Shade. It’s got the emotions! It’s got the action! It’s got the kinda-horror! The main thing that dragged down the score is the ending, which felt rushed and tied up way too quickly. 

6. The Cloud Roads (The Books of the Raksura #1) by Martha Wells (Full Review Here) 

As an introduction to the Raksura series, I really liked this book! There’s a sense of this huge setting with lots of interesting worldbuilding and development. I’ve said it a lot, but I like that it’s a fantasy setting with zero humans or recognizable fantasy races. It’s also super cool to have the main characters able to shapeshift and fly! Moon learning about the Raksura and their culture feels natural because he’s an outsider. I also like his arc; how he mistrusts/allies with the Raksura for convenience, then gradually finds his place among them. At this point in the series the Fell weren’t especially interesting villains, but (spoiler) the series does eventually address this. 

7. Middlegame by Seanan McGuire (Full Review Here) 

So I really like the concept behind this one -- twins created by shady alchemical experiments get tossed into the real world in order to observe their natural development. While intentionally kept apart, they manage to find each other nevertheless via telepathy. There’s this grand scheme for the villains to steal the twins’ power and become a god? And at some point the reader realizes there’s time loops and stuff where they’re trying to prevent certain bad endings (hello Zero Escape)? Platonic soulmates?! Just... a lot of interesting stuff going on. I think what kept this from a 9 or a 10 for me is much of the book reads like contemporary coming-of-age fiction, which isn’t what I was looking for with a concept like this. Technically the “ordinary” nature of the first half is a façade because Plot, but... you still have to read through it. 

8. A Short History of Nearly Everything by Bill Bryson (Full Review Here) 

This is an interesting nonfiction work that summarizes major scientific knowledge in terms a layman can understand. Bryson is actually a travel writer, but consulted dozens of experts in order to write this book and cites the hell out of everything. I think he does a great job presenting accurate and accessible information. Even stuff I learned in school is explained in ways that make more sense than how I was taught-- like ice ages. I also learned lots of interesting facts! My main issue is there’s a heavy focus on individual scientists, many of whom were boring. And while this isn’t the book’s fault, some of the info is outdated. I think this would benefit from a revised edition. 

9. Wolf by Wolf (Wolf by Wolf #1) by Ryan Graudin (Full Review Here) 

Absolutely fuckin’ bonkers concept. Alternate “the Nazis won” history, starring a Holocaust escapee who can skinshift, posing as a professional motorcyclist, trying to compete and win an annual Reich-sponsored race, in order to get a private audience with Hitler and murder the shit out of him? Probably the most surprising thing about the premise is it mostly works. I really like the deliberate pacing through the tense motorcycle race, the level of deception Yael has to maintain, and the harrowing flashback sequences. Sometimes the symbolism is a little heavy-handed, and I wasn’t a huge fan of the generic antagonistic YA love interest character Luka, but overall I was pleasantly surprised by this one. 

10. A Conspiracy of Truths (A Conspiracy of Truths #1) by Alexandra Rowland (Full Review Here) 

This takes place in a fantasy world with analogues to real-world nations. The main character, an old man named Chant, is a professional storyteller who is arrested for supposed witchcraft in the Eastern Europe-esque country of Nuryevet. While it’s clearly a farce, he’s screwed over by the local political system and imprisoned. Faced with possible execution, Chant uses his gift for storytelling to manipulate local powers, and accidentally starts a political revolution in the country. Whoops! 

I liked the book’s meta-commentary on storytelling, and it features a lot of wonderful side-stories told by Chant and other characters. Oddly enough, the economics are super interesting (a trait shared with the sequel). My main criticism is most of the political intrigue goes down off-screen; we just learn about it through other characters. While that makes sense with an imprisoned protagonist, it’s not the most exciting approach. I ended up liking A Choir of Lies more, but this one was still good. 

11. The Serpent Sea (The Books of the Raksura #2) by Martha Wells (Full Review Here)

Boy did I read a lot of Martha Wells this year. This is the last one! This is probably my least favorite of the series; very much a filler/side-story. Nevertheless, it’s an entertaining entry on its own merits. The leviathan city is distinctively gross, and I liked the evil magister antagonist and his creepy-ass museum. This is also where we learn about Chime’s powers, which continue to be relevant through the series. But I don’t have a whole lot to say beyond that. It’s a solid entry that doesn’t change much.

[aion-rsa]

Nancy Drew Season 2 Episode 1 Review: The Search for the Midnight Wraith

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This NANCY DREW review contains spoilers.

Nancy Drew Season 2, Episode 1

The CW mystery series Nancy Drew returns for its second season with “The Search for the Midnight Wraith,” an hour that’s as confident, self-assured, and downright scary as the show has ever been.

Technically, Nancy Drew’s first season came to an early end due to the coronavirus pandemic but watching the Season 2 premiere, it’s hard to tell that the story of the monstrous Aglaeca wasn’t always meant to carry over into the new season. “The Search for the Midnight Wraith” seamlessly weaves the dangers of its ongoing curse in with a new creepy creature of the week and the overarching drama of Nancy’s quest to solve the mystery of her own identity.

The result is a thoroughly satisfying hour of television that shows off everything that makes Nancy Drew worth watching.

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After months of life in the hell of pandemic-related anxiety, it’s honestly a relief to return to the town of Horseshoe Bay, with its seemingly endless string of murderous supernatural creatures, weirdo townie rituals, and dark urban legends. The premiere is full of creepy set pieces and jump scares alongside genuine emotional moments and seasoned with a dash of exposition for the new viewers the network clearly hopes will tune in for the series’ second season.

The death visions brought on by the Aglaeca are obviously front of mind for the Drew Crew, as Nick tries to get rid of the truck he’s fated to drown in and Ace rushes to cover the sharp objects in the Claw freezer where he saw himself impaled. But the gang’s search for a weapon to use against the creature is what draws them into a more immediate – and potentially deadly – mystery.

Read more

TV

How Nancy Drew Has Reinvigorated the Dark Young Adult Drama

By Lacy Baugher

At this point, it’s honestly more surprising that anyone in Horseshoe Bay ever goes anywhere at all after dark than that there’s apparently a specific patch of woods haunted by a murderous wraith. But the Gorham Woods is indeed home to the originally named Gorham Wraith, a dementor-esque monster who feeds on the fear of those lost in the forest during the full moon and whose victims are subsequently never seen again.

So when an injured girl staggers out of those same woods gasping Nancy’s name on the night of a full moon, well. We all know that’s definitely not a coincidence. Particularly when she turns out to be one of a pair of twins who had been offering to sell access to a particular mirror rumored to be a weapon against the Aglaeca.

Star Kennedy McMann has never been better, portraying an angry, fearful Nancy who’s still simmering over the upending of pretty much everything she’s ever known about her life and absolutely terrified that her true parentage reveals her true destiny. That she’ll only ever be the worst parts of the terrible people who birthed her: From her tortured, despairing mother to the monsters that drove her to her death and lied about their involvement afterward.

Much of Season 2 seems as though it will be about Nancy attempting to understand and reconcile these different sides of herself – the truth of who she is with the actual fact of it, that even if she’s a Hudson on paper, in her heart she’s still who she’s always been: Nancy Drew, girl detective, who solves mysteries and fights for truth. Even and most especially when it’s hard – and when it involves the sort of truths she might happily wish she’d never actually learned.

How her relationships with either and/or both of her dads – Carson Drew who raised her or Ryan Hudson who fathered her – will look going forward remains unclear, though I doubt anyone watching is angry at Nancy for refusing to give either of them any of her time or emotional energy at the moment. That Ryan steps up to cover for his daughter not once but twice is truly the absolute least he can do, though his sudden pushback against his own father’s general sliminess is an intriguing hint that perhaps his knowledge of Nancy will help him somehow become a better man.

But it is Nancy’s own actions that prove she’s nothing like the Hudsons, as she not only vows to save the friends she’s unwittingly doomed alongside herself but also offers herself up as bait for the wraith – and nearly dies in the process. It’s true, the Drew Crew has a right to be angry with their friend for her recklessness and to resent the fact that she’s maybe kind of cursed them all to die along with her, but it’s hard to argue with the strength and tenacity of her heart.

I can’t wait to see where Nancy’s journey takes her in Season 2.

Additional Thoughts

Given the rise of Sea Shanty TikTok over the past few weeks, this series has truly never felt timelier. Bring on the Aglaeca-killing sea ballads, folks.

I screeched at the Bobbsey twins reveal (“The Bobbsey twins are hardcore”, I just cannot!!) and we’d better see this intriguing pair of con artists in Horseshoe Bay again, is all I’m saying. Where’s their backdoor pilot, CW??

Kennedy McMann and Riley Smith really do have some distinctly non-father/daughter chemistry and I don’t know how to stop seeing it.

In a perfect world, George and Nick would just tell Nancy they’re dating and everyone would move on with their lives because they’re all friends who care about each other and hope for each other’s happiness. We all know that this is not a standard blueprint for a CW series, but, hey, I can dream, right?

Nancy and Ace’s relationship is quickly becoming my favorite part of this show, and their conversation, in which Ace admits that he’s never doubted Nancy will somehow save them all – but he’s still angry anyway – was this hour’s best moment. Their friendship is so sweet and charming that I almost feel bad for the fact that I’ve started wanting them to become something a little more than friends. (Forthright, warm platonic friendships between men and women are still far too rare on this network and should be protected as such.)

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