#Also it's extremely funny to me that I'm posting this as I'm working on perhaps the most background heavy piece I've ever drawn

[cinnamon-flame]

It's this time of the year again! This was a very good year for me, I learned so much and honestly drawing became fun for me again after a period when I felt kind of tired of my style - maybe the lesson here is that it eventually gets better. Here's the source of this great template Also here are the previous years for comparison: 2021 2022

[beelzeballing]

actually i dont think ive posted my thoughts on ofmd s2 overall here yet have i?

ok here goes: i think it had incredibly high highs, and at some parts i genuinely enjoyed it more than i did the first season, episode 6 being peak imo. however, it had equally abysmal lows with some glaring writing-, tone- and pacing issues that all came to a head in the finale.

i once read someone say that, if you ever feel like a finale ruined the whole story, maybe you should take another look at the story. there were most likely cracks and problems all along, and the finale did nothing besides dashing the hope that these would perhaps be addressed later. very rarely do genuinely well written stories go completely off the rails in the finale and ruin the whole thing.

i think this is applicable here in some ways, SPECIFICALLY in regards to edward. good god edward was a MESS this season, and it's so sad because i loved the starting point! the kraken era was absolutely terrifying and iconic as FUCK but... they shouldn't have leaned so hard into the drama and trauma of it all. don't get me wrong, i loved that it did. it's one of my favorite parts of the season and i'm so glad we got it. but if they wanted this arc to work with the overarching plot as they wrote it, they would've had to lighten up the tone here CONSIDERABLY. had they played the kraken era for comedy then sure! edward's bad youtuber apology would've been funny. his fast redemption would've been less jarring. the lack of consequences less disturbing. but as it stands in the show, this arc is too dark to function with the later episodes.

i feel like they wanted to have their cake and eat it too here. they wanted the gritty drama of ed coming off the hinges entirely but also didn't want to deal with the aftermath of such a heavy arc in their silly pirate romcom. be that due to time constraints and budget cuts or because they were simply unwilling to, doesn't really matter in the end. the result is the same either way: a very tonally messy season with some accidentally troubling implications regarding abuse.

and mentioning troubling implications regarding abuse; izzy. my poor, poor izzy... his arc was absolutely glorious. i liked izzy the second he showed up in s1 and i was absolutely EATING this season up in that regard. and i think in this case, they genuinely did fuck it all up in the finale with that one stupid choice:

choosing to kill izzy was the DUMBEST thing they couldve done here.

ive talked about this over and over and over again. ive reblogged so many meta posts. and still i am left absolutely flabbergasted by how stupid of a decision this was. the fridging, playing at the fallen woman trope, killing the beating heart of the season and the character who delivers what is essentially a thesis statement, killing off the character whose arc is about coming to terms with his disability, having him die in edward's arms, comforting him and apologizing after an entire season of finding community and love outside of edward, the absolutely godawful pacing of it all, the extremely easy and obvious solution of just having IZZY become the new captain of the revenge to mirror s1 and hammer home how much he has developed since then in one go... i could go on. and i have. it was a stupid writing decision, completely fucked the tone and pacing of the finale and took away attention and time from things that really would've deserved a better wrap up (lucius and black pete deserved better)

now. the whole prince ricky & zheng plot line... yeah that shit sucked ass, sorry. they bit off more than they could chew here. i honestly think those are the arc words of this season:

✨️ bit off more than they could chew ✨️

right off the bat: i think he was good as a concept. bringing in a foil for stede who just doesn't Get It as stede does could've made for very good comedy and drama (and to be fair there is some of that). but that shit got away from them extremely quickly. nothing about how he's implemented past his first episode works, and i think this is very specifically because he's mostly played as the comic relief in his debut episode. making this completely bumbling fool, who gets his nose hacked off on his first job, the main villain of your entire season is... definitely a choice. idk. he didn't work for me at all.

ok wow mentioning shit getting away from the writers. this definitely got away from me. this was supposed to be a short lil post. well. i guess tl;dr i loved this season but jesus christ there was a lot wrong with it. if you want to hear more thoughts. ask box is open. be my guest. i have more to say so even if you dont ask i might add more to this at some point but im tired and have work tmrw.

[versegm]

What is Fate/Stay Night?

Fate/Stay Night is a visual novel that came out in 2004. It features three routes: Fate, Unlimited Blade Works, and Heaven's Feel. It is also the first installment of the Fate serie.

If you are familiar with that serie (and if you follow me I think I can safely bet you do,) it's the one game all the other games keep referencing.

If you are not familiar with that serie, it's the game this blonde anime chick you can see everywhere since 2005 is from.

Oooh nifty. What's it about?

The story follows SHIROU EMIYA, a perfectly ordinary teenager with small magic abilities, as he gets dragged in a mage battle royale where the winner gets to fulfill one of their wish. During that battle royale, mages are aided by Heroic Spirits, aka historical and/or mythological figures as summons to fight. As you can imagine, the question of what makes a hero? is a major one in the story, along with What makes a villain? What makes a victim? How does one uphold their ideals?

Cool. Should I play it?

Well that depends on what you're looking for in a story, but if you enjoy strong thematic writing, balls to the wall concepts, and commitment to any worldbuilding implications (be they really silly or deeply horrifying) then yeah you should def go for it! Also, as a visual novel, it is extremely well-made and it fucks with the medium in ways I have rarely seen before.

I'm already familiar with other Fate games and I know the tl;dr of the plot. Do I really need to play it?

Yeah you should!! As I said in the intro, every Fate entry out there references fsn in some way, be in directly by making references to plot elements, or indirectly by echoing and building on its themes. Trust me no amount of knowing what would happen could have prepared me from actually reading it.

Isn't it a porn game?

The original is an eroge, yes, so it did contain sex scenes. The remake, Fate/Stay Night: Realta Nua, replaced the sex scenes with sfw ones. I can give you my personal opinion on which version of these scenes is best if you need me but really it's up to you as to which one you'd rather read.

I tried playing the game a while back but I thought the protag was a cunt.

Yeah I getcha the first route is a bit clumsy by today's standards and it's easy to read the protagonist as a bitchy chauvinist at first. Still he gets better (and in fact never acts even remotely like that in the other routes) so I would ask you to grind your teeth and keep going.

"The first route"? Is there an order to the routes?

There is! In the original game you had to go Fate route -> UBW route -> HF route. Iirc you can play them in any order in the remake, but I strongly advise you to play these routes in this order regardless, because they were very much built with the assumption that this is the way you'd experience things. (A very basic exemple is that the Fate route has a lot more explanations on the worldbuilding and the rules of the battle royales, while the other routes assume you already know this shit and ellipses it up.)

Ohhh. Ok I'm kinda interested. Where can I play it?

Well funny story! This game is like, the ONE fate game that never got any official release in the West whatsoever! So you're gonna have to go with fantranslations. You can play the sfw remake over here, or you can download the og eroge over there.

I'm gonna be real with you bestie I am not committing to a 70 hours-long vn when I don't even know if I'll like it.

Understandable! Perhaps you'd be interested in the anime adaptation of one of the routes then? I'm told the Unlimited Blade Works anime is a good introduction to the Fate serie, its vibes, and therefore whether it might be your thing or not. That being said disclaimer that I have not watched it (<- not an anime watcher) so I can't personally back it up.

Hey why are there like twenty versions of that blonde anime chick

That would require me to make a separate 2k long post king.

Anyways.

[shiroganeryo]

Hi there. So don't mind me, I was going through your dazatsu art a while ago (both you and your husband I think?) and also saw some of the captions. You said you two met when you were cosplaying dazatsu? I don't mean to sound stalkerish so please feel free to ignore me, but that is about the sweetest thing I have ever heard😭❤️ I would like to draw one of your cosplays as our favorite couple. You could send me a picture you like- paint over your faces if you don't feel comfortable or-

And again and I emphasize, feel free to straight up reject this or ignore it, because I know it's odd. Just wanted you to know how you warm my heart, and I love your artwork as well<3

Have a nice day or night

Hello there! First of all, don't worry about "sounding stalkerish", it's very sweet of you to drop by just to let me (and by extension, us) know about your thoughts! 😊 The thing is, it's not that we met when we were cosplaying; perhaps me saying we weren't a couple yet gave that impression, but since you asked, I might as well tell you the full story?

You may want to sit, it's a little long (though I'll do my best to be brief) 😅

We already knew each other, we had been acquaintances for a long while, actually! We met when we were 14/13 or so (we're 31/29 now, I'm the older one). We weren't really that close, but we were on friendly terms and all that.

I'll skip the very personal bits which includes (but is not limited to) us getting closer to each other and stupidly pining mutually, but the sequence of events that led to it is one (!) of the reasons why I tend to say we're a "dazatsucore" couple. Because:

He was into me > I noticed on the spot, and did nothing > I was into him > he didn't know because I hid the fact > leads to him blurting out a confession thinking he'd be turned down > I do not turn him down but ask for some time to think things through because I want to be sure of my feelings first > not too long after I have an answer.

By the way, everything I'm saying gets even better (and funnier) when you consider I'm the "Dazai" one, while he's the "Atsushi" in this.

Anyways, about the cosplay shenanigans you inquired about; back when we were getting closer to each other (2016ish), I had become interested in BSD but knew nothing about it; I knew he had watched it, asked what were his thoughts on it, he said it was nice, recommended it, etc. He then commented that he planned to cosplay Atsushi, showed me the character and shared his cosplay plans.

I had only watched the opening so far (the thing that led me to ask him if the anime was good), and Dazai was the one who had caught my eye the most, so I said, very offhandedly, that 'hey, I'd be down to go with you to the con, I do entertain the idea of cosplaying Dazai'.

He was like 'woah, really?! That would be so fun!' but also got extremely nervous on the spot. I obviously noticed. You see, my spouse isn't really the type of person who can hide his feelings very well + I'm good at reading through people. We've always been a funny match in that regard, ngl.

From a quick Google search I did to gather references for the outfit, I could tell the two characters were a somewhat popular pairing, so I made 2+2, I also already knew he had a crush on me and just did nothing about it, like I explained above. So he had gotten nervous that people could mistake us for a couple because the two characters are (were? sadly) a popular pairing.

Which I did know... And again, did nothing about because while my suggestion to cosplay together was sincere, having no intentions of manipulating him or anything, that did work in my favor as well so two birds, one stone.

In the meantime, what I told you above happened and we started dating. And, for obvious reasons, we decided to go ahead with the cosplay plans 😌 I've never posted a clear picture showing our faces because we're not the best photographers out there, but here's one of the least terrible ones:

The icing on the cake, that doesn't have much to do with us, but is still something we remember about fondly: we're Brazilian, and Brazil is a very big country. The anime con we were going to attend was the biggest in our country but also some good hours away (a 9 hour travel away to the capital, to be more precise), so we took a bus ride with some people headed there as well. It's common for people to make these "con attendees" group rides and they're always really fun experiences + very cost efficient.

One of the people we befriended on the ride was this girl who, coincidentally, was cosplaying as Chuuya. Since we're a queer couple (nb sapphics who go by he/him pronouns) we didn't know what amount of gay was okay in public, but this one girl knew we were a couple, 100% sure of it and it was genuinely beyond funny seeing her and her friends waiting on us to just do something, anything, that gave the answer away.

We kissed like... once, when they were nearby, and the reactions were priceless, ngl. The euphoric I KNEW IT faces.

Back then we weren't married yet, so no telling rings or anything, but this Chuuya had gotten the vibes somehow. When I asked her how she knew before we even did anything, she said, just like this: 'it's the way you look at each other 🥺'.

I need you to imagine Chuuya Nakahara saying this, with this expression. Makes it all 20x funnier. Also the reason why I usually write him as a wingman/enabler in my fics.

Oh, and about the "he had no idea I knew all along", I did tell him... last year 😂 We were reminiscing about things and he went on a tangent saying something along the lines of 'I feel kinda bad because it was selfish of me but I liked the idea of us being seen as a couple back then so I didn't tell you the characters were a popular ship'.

To which I replied: 'Oh, I knew, don't worry.'

Cue shocked Pikachu meme for my spouse's reaction. I then explained that I was fully aware of everything all along, and he was like 'thank GOD you decided to play along then because I had no idea how to charm anyone' 😂

It feels good to put our silly story out there, I had told this story only to one person in the fandom so far (I won't tag her, but Katsu can confirm we're two dumbasses in love) because I don't usually talk about personal stuff publicly like this unless on a whim but also because, like I said, it's a very long story even with skipped parts.

I hope this was fun to read, at least? 😅

As for what you asked about drawing us, I'll apologize, but neither of us understood exactly what you want to do. If you could elaborate more on it, we'd be grateful and could give a proper response! All in all, thank you for sending the ask, it was really lovely of you to stop by just to say that! 😊

[lyscot-blog]

Fontaine Spoiler: Neuvillette and The Incorruptible

Continuing on my previous post, thanks to @roseofthewind for providing me with the video titled, "Furina's Mental Health Deep Dive".

The video provides more comparison on Furina with Marie Antoinette and provide more analysis on the relationship story/personality wise. The similarity is undeniable.

However, now it makes me wonder. Is the separation of Fontaine from the Heavenly Principles mirrors that of the French Revolution?

It is a bit funny because now the context would be that Furina that is tied to the Heavenly Principles is no more while the Furina who is a commoner continues to live on. The Marie Antoinette of the Genshin story dies as a royal but lives as a commoner.

But lets have fun and take the comparison further. The coalition that consist of the Traveler (and Paimon), Neuvillette, Clorinde, Spina di Rosula (with Navia) and the Fatuis, are they the "Jacobins" of the Heavenly Principles revolution?

Then if we take the thought further. Is Neuvillette the "Robespierre" of the coalition? How far does the comparison goes?

Neuvillette and Maximilien "The Incorruptible" Robespierre has a few comparisons. Their careers of both are in the judicial system, Neuvillette being the Iudex or judge while Robespierre is a known lawyer. Neuvillette helped passed a law to give Melusine rights while Robespierre campaigned for voting rights on all men as well as fighting for the poor against the privileged. Furthermore, Robespierre nickname, "the Incorruptible" evident by his extreme resolve to ensure (his version of) equality and justice would not be wavered, to not bend. In my opinion, I would also describe Neuvillette as Incorruptible as well. Though he may seem cold and distant, he very much care about the people and Fontaine itself, to take matter to his own hands and to not waver under his judgement.

Like Marie Antoinette, Robespierre is also a polarizing figure. Some call him a monster while others see him as human who was trying his best. Similar to how people may see Neuvillette, a cold and unassuming judge, but in actuality, a very human mournful dragon.

It is interesting that with this comparison we get to see (The Genshin version of) Marie Antoinette and Robespierre working together to save Fontaine even if they're on the opposite ends of the revolution. Robespierre was responsible for the execution of Marie Antoinnette while Neuvillette plays a hand (unintentionally) and saw the execution of Focalor. Robespierre and Marie Antoinette are figures on the opposite side of history. But perhaps it is to show that although Furina and Neuvillette have different methods, principles and ideals to care for Fontaine. They both deeply care for Fontaine and will do whatever it takes to save it. Their sense of justice for Fontaine can never spill nor break.

The comparison is interesting to me, but I wonder if there's more for other characters or other plot points as well. I know that on certain points, I may be reaching. But I'm interested in further discussion on these comparisons.

[tavina-writes]

i find it extremely funny that we (mxtx fandoms in general but mdzs especially) will get into huge shouting matches about timelines and research and accuracy and meanwhile she was like "the death of the nie bros' dad, an event extremely important to explaining the buildup to the war that affected literally every single member of the cast, could have happened anywhere in these five whole-ass years" and "yeah they totally had potatoes don't worry about it lol". truly airplane was an autobiographical character.

You know nonny, I DO find this intensely funny at times. My uh, main source of "shaking my head at this" happens when inevitably, meta goes around and we rush back and forth going "X WAS A GOOD PERSON" and "X WAS EVIL! EVIL!" etc, which happens every now and again and always makes me a bit like "ah, yes, it's difficult to convey nuance and also differing points of view that may in whole or in part also be legitimate and valuable to discuss on a place like tumblr/the internet in general because it is difficult to grapple with uncertainties and we often want to nail things down one way or another so we can figure out if we're right or not" <- but this often comes out as me writing a joke post. Or a saltier post than I intended. Sometimes because I'm tired and sometimes because I just happen to be a salty individual on main.

And I do think fandom is a place where like, multiple interpretations of an event or a statement or a character's "morality" and themes and choices are often equally valid. And fandom should be a place for that, that's what makes fandom fun. If there was a One True Interpretation of the text there'd be no need for interpreting text at all, and that's distinctly sad for me. That's no fun. Anyone who tries to use their knowledge to cudgel people into the One True Interpretation is wrong, btw.

Though I think, and here's where I feel that research and accuracy is a nuanced thing and should actually be of consideration for meta/fic/engaging with fandom in general, and why perhaps people strive for it -- the "lol, potatoes" and "poetry from whatever era I want" is fun! MXTX, however, is still writing about a fantasy version of her own culture, which offers along with it a foundational basis of knowledge that makes this...easier? And again, here's where the part of me that does enjoy these anachronisms and inaccuracies (because they're fun and since we have flying swords why not potatoes) wars with the part of me that's also like, "okay but there is a difference between 'not knowing enough to be respectful of the background surrounding the characters and why that might inform their actions' and 'I've decided that peppers, which did not exist in Eurasia prior to the Columbian Exchange are a big thing here now.'" The difference is respect. Different members of fandom will draw this line in different places and it hits different on different days.

And this is one of the struggles of engaging with foreign language media a lot of the time - we try to strike a balance between engaging with it based on our own experiences and backgrounds and not accidentally saying anything offensive or strange or 'that would totally never happen' or 'he would not fucking talk like that' and I've found, with my time in this fandom, most people who are concerned with accuracy and research are largely trying to be respectful and avoid such gaffes.

Over the two or so years I've been here, I've also reacted to people who've insisted their interpretation is the correct one when it was definitely a case of 'the version Chinese culture that I'm familiar with 200% does not work like that', and saltily wandered off to vent about how 'this is inaccurate and also rude' or try to explain why it wouldn't happen like that. Maybe this comes off as preachy at times, or overly concerned with "accuracy," but that is typically where that sort of reaction comes from for me. I expect this is probably true for other people as well!

And by no means like, do we only engage in fandom because we want to be educated or educate others, and by no means is that an obligation of any fic writer or meta writer or casual fandom goer. We engage with media because it engages us, and we engage with fandom because we love community, and sometimes its no more complex than that.

I enjoy research and art history so that's typically why this appears in my fic, and I started out on doing it to better connect with my own heritage, which I've found more important to me as I've gotten older, so that's where it comes from for me.

Apologies nonny, this was probably not the answer you were looking for and I do commiserate, I'm just chronically unable to be funny on main. 😔

TLDR: there's always nuance in everything unfortunately. Even if this is the no nuance webbed site.

[qvincvnx]

on an unrelated note, if you've been using xkit / tumblr savior for a long time, i heartily encourage you to try out tumblr's native filtering system, which is excellent.

IT WORKS ON MOBILE! (unlike browser extensions)

it's located on little person outline -> (gear) SETTINGS on dashboard or person outline -> gear (settings) -> general settings -> content you see on mobile.

this will turn any post of any length into a little block that's like "post blocked for containing [thing you have filtered]" and then you can decide if you want to click to see or if you want to simply move along.

you can filter tags - this will block a post if your friend OR THE OP used a specific tag.

super, super helpful way to find posts made by t/erfs that had been circulating unnoticed - if you block tags like 'g/ender critical' and 't/erfsafe' (with no slash, i am putting the slash in so this post will appear to people who might otherwise want to filter that content!), that'll be blocked on tumblr if OP tagged it that, even if the post is now circulating in genuinely trans-inclusive spaces.

also helpful if your friends have their own weird tags for stuff like one of my friends posts a lot of long screenshots of books and has a tag for that that i have filtered because the posts are always really long and i hate scrolling past them when i'm not in the mood to read. or one of my friends is a wonderful person and i absolutely hate one of her major ships, but she uses a weird individualized tag for that fandom so i just get to avoid her posting about that thing and still see other fandom content for a fandom i don't hate.

this one is going to filter things that are exactly the same as what you put in the filter field. that means that you may have to filter "content", "content cw", "content /" separately, but you can literally add as many versions as you need to. my friends all have slightly different systems for tagging and ykw? it matters more to me that they are consistent in whatever way works for them, so that i can filter what i need to filter, than that everyone uses MLA vs Chicago tagging style.

you can also just filter content. this is for any word that appears in the body of a post (or perhaps also tags? not actually sure)

PARTICULARLY USEFUL WHEN YOU ARE UPSET BY SOMETHING THAT ISN'T REGULARLY TAGGED

for instance: there are certain users who have a tendency to show up in reblog chains. they have consistently rancid takes and annoy me. i filter their url, and then i don't have to see those anymore! or: i know they're going to be in there and when i click through to the post it's not an unpleasant surprise anymore.

for instance: sometimes people tag politics but not specific issues, or you filter the tag "#politics" but then find it hard to click through, expecting funny uk prime minister goofs and instead get posts about genuinely bad things happening. you can instead filter words or phrases like 'crisis,' 'abortion,' 'election' and decide what you wanna see

tumblr's filtering has gotten so so so much better, it's extremely usable, it's cheap and it's easy and it's free to add as many words as you need to. literally no one can stop you and no one is going to notice. you can do anything you want.

[bi-demon-ium]

SEASON TWO POSITIVITY POST!

listen there's so much negativity going around and like. i actually really liked this season!! so!!!

the "okay, but" section

okay, so curtain's redemption arc was extremely rushed. BUT

a) i love where it's left us. curtain working on their team--and indeed him actually saying the words "i'm joining the society"--is going to be wonderful to see, and we'll be getting more of one of my favorite dynamics in the show, namely, the twins. and hopefully curtain being funny with more of the other characters.

b) although i suppose this is all assuming we get a season three at all (which i still have fingers crossed for) i would hope that as rushed as it feels now, we would have more time to breathe with it in s3--reckon with a post-redemption curtain and what his relationship with the others looks like, particularly the ones he's hurt the most, and also, number two & rhonda, now that they've "stepped into a leadership role". like that all sounds really interesting and engaging!!! rich content i want to know more!!!!

c) it was also just like. the SCENES!!! god it was heart-wrenching. again, where we ended up: what curtain said out loud, multiple hugs (!!!!) + curtain's hilarious then mildly heartbreaking interactions with jeffers&co + jackson&jillson,,,,, plus just his entertaining reactions/expressions to everything like them all aggressively reciting poetry at constance and its just lik [LIVE CURTAIN REACTION] lkgjfghfgh and then mr benedict's super passionate cross-language performance and curtains just like [visibly despairing] like you have no room to talk mr. stole the solo at the orphanage then aggressively recited shakespeare.

and like i think his dynamic with mr. benedict was especially good. even his reaction i was totally fine with (the panicking and lowkey breakdown--it was a little cheesy and even a bit unnerving seeing him finally lose it but i was like oughhhh) it's more the "aight. im good now ig" right after and just giving up. (it does make me wonder if it's actually another evil plot of some sort--which would be heart-wrenching, particularly if s3 is full of them bonding and then curtain realizing he doesn't want to betray him anymore but then whatever his plans were are revealed at a key moment.... i don't think is going to happen but fun speculation!) but like BEFORE that. oughhhhh that whole scene..... and the fact he was FAKING it.... and curtains justl ike [NOT CRYING SHUT UP] well. that was. a very devious plan. i have to respect it.

okay, so this whole "eurus benedict"/secret sister thing is fucking weird and terrible. BUT

okay first of all you can't deny that this is extremely funny

it is extremely funny and i desperately want to see where they're going with this

is she just going to be book curtain with tits.

(this would perhaps be a chance to explore some of the themes/ideas from the books now that we have an evil/bad sibling neither of them knew as a child?)

DOES SHE HAVE SQ. DLFKGJ HI IM YOUR AUNT :)

so like. this one also, as ridiculous as it is, has a lot of plot potential. the twins bonding, how each of them might relate to this sister differently (maybe it will ironically be nicholas not trusting her and curtain relating to her, after so long of nicholas reaching out to a long lost sibling), what she thinks of them, and particularly curtain's ex(?) supervillainy considering she's apparently going down that route...

does she also have narcolepsy? plot twist, book curtain thing again, she has sunglasses and a wheelchair and anger issues. and just for flavor maybe curly hair.

is she the older sister? younger? triplet? so many questions

this could really go off the rails and even if it ends up being bad i think it will be an extremely entertaining trainwreck

okay, so there were some other problems (like sq just being fuckign missing dfkjhghfgh) BUT

sq being missing i'm mostly blaming on the change in filming location. while i'm not pleased with that, i will say

a) i'm so sorry to be heartless but it IS ONCE AGAIN KIND OF VERY FUNNY

HES JUST ON A WALK<3

LIKE OKAY

b) while i wish they'd worked around the actor's absence better than that one line, it didn't ruin my enjoyment of the season. the plot was still coherent. i missed him, but it was enjoyable nonetheless.

same with the shorter episode times. i don't think this is something that they could help, and that makes me feel a little better about it, weirdly.

adaptation blues

i am gently holding you by the shoulders. listen to me. listen, beloved. you need to understand that this is now sort of its own thing now. if s3 comes it will probably be nothing like book 3 and that's okay. the characters are different, the changes they've already made have butterfly effect/branched off and now we're looking at a whole new picture and that's good. it's okay. deep breaths with me

honestly with the changes this season, i loved it! i'm into it!

really it's less a direct adaptation of book 2 and more like. its own thing (AGAIN. ITS OWN THING. THATS OKAY) with some easter eggs and nods to the books, particularly in the first few episodes. probably because again, changes made in s1 (which i ADORED) meant a lot of book 2 would no longer work

but i really liked the plot that was here!!! curtain's cult + the "Happiness" is absolutely terrifying, engaging the whole way through, and very good material for fic. i like miss perumal's continued presence as a character who actually does things, i like number two's weird/mildly rushed background story, everything with mr. benedict's story both about being whammied and his struggle to gain perspective when faced with his brother. i can see why some people aren't fans of kate and milligan's new story but personally i like it and think it fits them well. and constance!!!! martina!!! dr garrisons full mcfuckingbreakdown!!!! captain noland--and CANNONBALL MY BELOVED. he was so funny and i love him so much

like for me, if i want to read the book, i'll read the book. i love the roots this show has in the books, but i also love the characters that have grown from them, and want to see them grow more rather than be forced into a shape that's more like the originals.

all positivity, baby!

okay first of all this season was funny as hell. there were countless moments that were just so fucking good and hysterical. flower delivery. jackson and jillson tackling a bitch. constance's malicious therapy. dr garrison's doll. everything about jeepers. the gambling. the taxi driver. very exclusive list of traitors. miss perumal's grand theft motorcycle. what does the blueberry represent?! etc. the humor was spot on it was all HILARIOUS

the dialogue was generally the same perfect flavor of offbeat charm

the characters and relationships continue to be vibrant, engaging, and just generally soooo good. the side characters continue to be hilarious but also important to the plot (dr garrison, martina, jackson and jillson, jeepers, etc) while the main characters all have things to do (reynie and his struggles with both feeling needy and morality, sticky and boatwright academy, constance and her past, kate and her dad, mr benedict and his brother, miss perumal and both reynie and milligan, rhonda and the mission and general + number two, number two and her family + relationship with mr benedict, etc) and their interactions are always fun to watch

plus, again, some great developments, particularly with the kids and with the twins

i just had fun????? i mean i was super anxious but i'm like that any time i watch a show with suspense

but it was like it was fun! it was fun!

but it was also emotional in the right places!!!

and the ending!!!! not the very ending but just before that, with reynie getting his letters, and everyone vibing!!! my heart is full!!!!!!

i feel like i have more to say but i just can't put it to words like idk bro! i just liked it! it was rushed but it was good overall! there are very few things i straight up don't like! it's fun! i want to write ten thousand million words of fanfiction!

please!!! add on things you liked about this season/the show in general!!! positivity time, babey!

[deathenfield]

So, I just saw Skinamarink...

And I have so many thoughts! I guess this is an analysis(?) of the film, but it's mainly just going to be me putting down several thoughts and ideas down I had as I mulled over the film:

This film feels extremely similar to a Junji Ito novel, which might be because Junji Ito pioneered his own brand of horror. There's this wonderful post by @cryptotheism that delves into the difference between Lovecraft's brand of horror and Ito's. Basically, In a lot of Ito's works, the horror comes from doing everything right, making all the right decisions, and still suffering an unimaginably cruel fate. The horror is that there is nothing to prevent the awful things happening to you, which is exactly what happens in Skinamarink. Hell, we even see the kids do everything right! The literal first things they do is try to find their dad, and when they can't they attempt to call (what I assume is) a friend of their dad's, and then the police. They leave the lights on in the house. They whisper so that whatever is in the house won't hear them. None of it matters. The only reason the Skinamarink even lets Kevin call the police or lets them have their TV is because none of it will help them.

It's a film about cruelty. I feel like the biggest reason it's so effective as a horror film is because it's happening to children. The empathetic part of you wants so desperately to reach out and save them because culturally (at least in American media) there's an absolutely huge no-no about harm happening to kids. Bad things rarely happen to kids in media, and when they do, the kids always get a happy ending. This is not the case. Kevin and Kaylee will be tortured for eternity by a malicious entity and nothing will save them. There's also the part in you that was once a child, that knows what it's like to be so utterly helpless in a scary and confusing world. So many people say this is a movie about abuse and, like, yeah. To have your house become an inescapable prison, to be subjected to the cruel whims of a powerful figure that can protect but chooses to use their power to subject unimaginable cruelty to you - that as a child you have no means of protecting yourself, or even comprehending, the horrors that are happening to you. This film acknowledges the terrifying helplessness of being a child and it's honestly kind of wonderful for that. Seeing the terror I felt as a child being put to film almost feels cathartic, like being seen. No wonder it resonates with so many people.

The Skinamarink letting them have their TV, letting Kaylee see her parents and having them tell her they love her, letting Kevin call the police and turning the phone into a toy halfway through. I'm just sort of struck by how cruel it is. Letting them have spots of hope purely just so it could take it away from them. Torturing them for years only because it finds the suffering of children funny. Props to the movie for creating a monster that sounds almost cartoonishly evil on paper and still managing to make it completely terrifying.

The Skinamarink, for an all-powerful malicious entity, is surprisingly child-like. When it wants to play with Kevin and he refuses, it makes him hurt himself, like it's tantruming. Whenever Kevin is confused or in pain, the entity just laughs and giggles. Is there a reason the Skinamarink specifically targets these children, because an adult in this situation would be way harder to torment? Perhaps, you could say, the Skinamarink is just a bully given god-like power, that preys on children because they are weak and helpless. I've seen more than one post talking about how they would defeat the Skinamarink and like, that's not the fucking point. Of course you could probably defeat it, you're an adult with rational thinking skills, that's why it targets children.

Kaylee, despite being only six and two years older than her brother, is forced to be the adult in this terrifying situation. Having to take care of her brother, find solutions to their problems, be the one to face the brunt of the terror on her own. I can only assume that one of the reasons that the Skinamarink sealed her mouth and eyes and took her away from Kevin is because she has more autonomy than Kevin, more ability to disobey the entity. It needs someone even more helpless than her to torture.

The two of them saying "I love you" to each other in the beginning. Aaauauguhghughughh.

Yeah that's it lol. I might think of more later but god damn, this movie a lot to think about.

[northernolddragon]

Why are there so few Witcher posts lately? Or have you completely moved to Bg3? I love your works, don't think so~

Hello. Thank you for your kind words, anonymous. And for the questions, respectively.

Rather, I'm just a nomad for 'Baldur's gate 3' and 'The Witcher 3'. A scientist who hasn't yet learned everything in BG3, but in TW3 everything is more familiar, but at the same time I love it no less, as a place where you relax and unwind. I have not finished anywhere and will not finish anywhere (the paths of my laptop are inscrutable, and that is his will). BG3 was overwhelming, and for good reason, otherwise I wouldn't have gotten into this game. I can't get a helping hand, until I thoroughly enjoy the play area. The characters become loved, the situations are funny and attractive, and the gameplay becomes familiar and understandable. I rarely get carried away to my head. I even got my wife into it, although she categorically refused this game initially. xd Now we have our favorite pairings. The bloodyweave left no chance (+ Raphael/Haarlep).

My muse is damn capricious, harmful and extremely grumpy - she has her own plans and her own aspirations. I don't control, where I shoot content. Sometimes, I can play TW3 without any desire to take photos. This also applies to BG3. Sometimes, it is useful to go on vacation so as not to burn out in the desire to do something worthy, but this worthy thing categorically refuses to happen. But I don’t tend to burden myself with wasting energy, and besides, I'm always optimistic about my little hobby - I do it the way I do it and the way I see how I want to do it. I just like to engage in this type of activity, without jumping over my head, without trying to prove something to anyone. Do what you like and be happy.

Answering your question in such a long form, I will say that the love for the atmosphere, characters and world of 'The Witcher' will never fade in my soul. But I also fell in love with 'Baldur's Gate'. With its unique characters and incredible storyline, that opens up differently every time in its diversity. This needs to be played. You need to feel it. This must be completed to the end.

I've done enough content on 'The Witcher' and can reduce my activity for a while. In addition, lately I have been exhibiting the work of other authors more than creating my own content. xd Therefore, my blog is a kind of diary on the gaming zone, on several pairings that I love. And a photo-album, where something periodically appears. Yes, perhaps, such a diary of a gamer and a virtual photographer. And I understand, that most are accustomed to content from the expensive 'The Witcher', but I already explained somewhere in the question that my personal blog will look the way it's convenient for me, as it's what I want. With all due respect, I will not please the audience, if my inspiration refuses to do something familiar and stable. Although I am grateful for the attention of those, who follow me and my humble work. I appreciate it.

I hope, I answered your question. But if not, well, I'm glad, what shared my thoughts.

[vinbee631]

Family Ties

Logan used to have a hard time expressing his emotions. His new family ensures this changes. (For the better, I may add.)

writing these logince fics has been so much fun! i can't believe I'm almost done with all of them!

thank you all for the support on my last couple posts. it means the word to me, and it's crazy to me that there are several humans that have read all the silly little words I mash together and neglect to proofread

anyways!! this work is connected to day 4: winter, so you may have to read Welcome to the Family to understand some of this

enjoy! (the prompt for day 6 is hopes & dreams also)

Logan had been in college for eight years.

It was strange to think about, all that time (and money, as well. Even with financial aid, college was unreasonably expensive) he had spent to get to this point. In two weeks, he would graduate with his doctorate degree, and he wouldn’t ever have to step foot on a college campus again if he didn’t feel so inclined.

And yet, this very thing he had worked for, the commitment he poured his soul into for eight years, was overwhelmingly anxiety-inducing.

He had no idea what he was going to do. Oh, not with his career. He had already been job searching and starting applications that he needed his doctorate certificate to finish. However, the idea of leaving behind an atmosphere he had accustomed himself to for so long was ridiculously daunting.

He had become an adult here. He pulled his first all-nighter during freshman year finals, and it was followed by an incredibly unhealthy amount in the next seven. He made some of his best friends here, friends he had trusted enough to drink in front of for the first time when he turned 21. He got his autism diagnosis mailed to the apartment he still lived in two years later.

He came out here.

He lost contact with his biological family because of that, and gained an entirely new family as a result, not necessarily while he was at college, but during that timeline, so it counted in his opinion.

That was perhaps his fondest memory of all those he had made in his time tied to his school. Roman and his siblings, cousins, aunts, uncles, and grandparents had been so welcoming to him from the very beginning, and his love and trust in them had grown stronger than ever through the years.

Even as he endured all the teasing from them when he and Roman finally decided to start dating three years ago.

It was a very stark contrast from his biological family’s reaction, but he wouldn’t have it any other way.

…His family.

Logan had tried to distance himself from thinking about his biological family ever since they disowned him, but the three of them had been extremely close up until that fateful day. Coming out had gone… poorly, and ever since then, the complete loss of contact has been jarring.

Perhaps jarring was an understatement. His mother and grandpa were the most important people in his life up until he was 22 years old. They’d raised him, fostered his love for astrology, helped him with even the hardest of classes, and paid for his first four years of college in full.

Then, Logan told them he was gay, and they threw him away like he’d never meant anything to them in the first place.

Logan sighed, shaking himself. It was too early in the day for this many mental tangents.

Perhaps he should call someone.

To anyone else, this would be strangely out of character. Logan had never been one to willingly talk out his feelings. Another thing his biological family had given him, always being closed off, opting to deal with personal problems quietly and alone.

After spending about 10 seconds with his new family, it was clear none of them had ever operated that way.

They shared everything with each other. Good news, bad news, funny news articles they’d found while doom-scrolling, anything they could. It took Logan some time to get used to this, but now, it was instinctual to be comfortable sharing what was on his mind.

And now, he did a lot more infodumping as well, something he had never been allowed to do with his biological family.

Yeah, the separation from them had taught him a lot about the reality of how good his biological family had actually been for him.

Subconsciously, as he had found himself mentally trailing off, Logan had called Gram.

“Well, hello, dear. It’s been quite a long time since you called me. I was beginning to think we’d never speak again.” Logan snickered at the teasing. He’d called her two days ago, but he was quite used to her dramatics and had picked up quite a bit of her sarcasm himself.

“Hello, Gram. I didn’t imagine I’d ever see the day where you, of all people, complained about having a conversation, but I suppose there is a first time for everything,” he jested back.

“Oh, leave an old woman be, I was just surprised. I figured you’d be busy with all the graduation preparation or whatever it is they make you poor kids do nowadays.”

“Gram, college is not that much different than when you were a kid. But no, my schedule is rather free for the next few days. And… I have missed you, quite a bit.”

“Oh dear,” she mumbled gently, fondness overtaking her tone, “you are far too sweet to me. I’ve missed you as well, darling. You’ve had a long couple of months, haven’t you?”

Logan nodded, then quickly realized his mistake. “Ah, yes, I suppose so. I suppose it has been worth it, though. The only thing I would change about all this is allowing myself some more free time for my family.”

“Entirely too sweet, Roman has been a terrible influence on you,” she joked. “Now, what’s going on?”

Logan blinked, taking a long moment to process her question. “I’m- not sure what you mean? I have a completely free day today, so I called to talk to you, as I have done many times before. So, nothing is going on other than this conversation?”

“My bad, darling. That was a bad way of phrasing it. I meant: what’s wrong? I can tell when one of my babies is upset, and it’s pretty clear, hon.”

“N-nothing’s wrong, Gram. I... I mean, it has been a long week, but nothing out of the ordinary. I am doing just fine,” he replied smoothly, sneaking in as much of a smile into his voice as he could manage.

Logan could hear her head shake through the phone, and not just because of the audible rustling. “You’re testing my grandma senses, dear? Trust me, I dealt with Roman in his slumps. I know how to tell when someone’s hiding a problem from me. Especially you, considering all the time it took to convince you that sharing is alright. I mean that nicely, by the way, I care a lot about you feeling alright.”

“Thanks, Gram. I… suppose it is a bit complicated to explain.” He didn’t elaborate further, cutting himself off with a long sigh. Was this really how he wanted to spend his valuable time talking to one of his closest family members?

“I have an idea, if you’ll hear me out. Why don’t you come up for the weekend. Roman will be here too if you’re not up for talking with me this time. He’ll want to see you anyway, and so do I.”

Logan thought it over. He didn’t have any classwork. Really, the only reason he was still near campus was because he’d already made his final housing payment, and he intended to use the space for as long as he owned it. If he left on Friday, he’d get plenty of time with Gram and Roman, and whoever else happened to be there, and still have the opportunity to leave on time to get back to his minimal responsibilities on Tuesday.

“...Yeah, I’ll be there. It will be… nice to talk things out in person. And to see you, of course.”

“Oh, you, such a flatterer. Worse than Roman, I swear. I’ll be looking forward to seeing you, hon. Love you big bunches.”

“Love you big bunches as well, Gram.”

…

The weekend came far too quickly, and yet not fast enough. Logan was anticipating the time with his boyfriend and family, but the real reason for his visit had been looming over him all week.

He knew it would be good to discuss what was bothering him. That did not make it any easier to look forward to doing so.

The four hour drive passed as fast as a blink, and Logan realized with an achinly fond smile that Gram had been waiting on the porch for him.

“Get over here, baby,” he heard her call as soon as he closed the car door behind himself. She met him halfway, wrapping her arms securely around his waist and inching up on her tiptoes and nudging Logan to bend down so she could kiss his cheek.

“Hello there, beanstalk. I’ve not missed this height difference, but I did miss you. You’ve been so busy, I’ve been lucky to get all those weekly calls.”

Logan chuckled. “I wouldn’t mist those for anything, Gram. I’ll always have time to talk to you.”

“Don’t remind me, I’m sure I know that,” she reassured. “I recall a good handful of those calls prefaced with a warning that you were at work or driving to class, or whatever else it was that made you so busy, you wild little multitasker.”

“Says you,” Logan teased right back as she ushered him inside. “Every time I come over, you’re cooking six things at once and in three separate conversations. I’d argue that’s much more impressive multitasking.”

“Flattery,” she laughed, pinching Logan’s cheek, “but as much as I love to tease, that’s not quite why you’re here, now is it?”

“Well, of course not, it’s because Romam is coming tonight, and you’d hardly miss the opportunity to tease us together under one roof,” Logan replied innocently, making her chuckle again.

“Oh, you are terrible. I would never do such a thing! Except, perhaps I already have. Alright, stop distracting me! I had a point, and you have become a worse instigator than your boyfriend,” she chided, nudging him along to the living room and onto a couch right next to her.

“Now, I won’t push you outside of what you’re comfortable with if you’re not up for this right now, but even over the phone, it was obvious you’re having a hard time. We can talk things through now, or wait for some other time, or never if you’d rather talk things out with Roman when he gets here. Or, a surprise fourth option, I guess.”

“I’ll take door number four,” Logan deadpanned, his false glare breaking with Gram’s laughter. “No, I… suppose I should talk things out. It won’t do any good to let them fester.”

“At least one kid listens to my lectures,” Gran shook her head, gently squeezing Logan’s hand. “Ignore my whining. You talk whenever you’re ready, dearheart.”

Logan took a deep breath, squeezing her hand back. Despite all the ruminating he’d already done, it was considerably difficult to figure out how to express all those pesky emotions he’d been dealing with.

Eventually, it all just spilled out. It started with his biological family, how the memories had been creeping up on him now that he was finally going to be moving on from the last connection he had to them.

Next, it was losing that connection, losing his home of eight years to graduation. He was still confident with his job choice and the ease of getting one of those, but the act of leaving… he was terrified.

There were other things as well, his returning, paralyzing fear of failure creeping back as he began to transition into something new. There were a few jobs he had considered applying for that he had to stop considering because of their terrible policies for the disabled. Not that he needed many accommodations, but an institution such as those would likely not be welcoming to an autistic individual.

And after all the work he’d put into acquiring this job, he was not about to settle for a place that would not make him feel human.

By the time he had gotten everything off his chest, and shed a few tears in the process, it had been… a while. At least an hour, likely more. Gran had been attentive the whole time, offering nonverbal support and comfort as he vented.

God, he loved her so much.

Once he was feeling calmer, a byproduct of the venting and the love his grandma had been pouring out to him, she tugged him along to the kitchen with a smile.

“Instead of making you sit through a saccharinely sweet talk about how much I love and support you, and whatnot, we’re gonna bake cookies. Sound good?”

“I would not be opposed to the love and support but yes, cookies sound fantastic.”

Gran whacked him gently on the arm, the smirk peeking through betraying her true feelings. “Quit being cheeky, you absolute menace. Here I am offering my home to you and giving you all the support you deserve, and you treat me like this in response? The cruelty! Whatever happened to respecting your elders?”

Logan laughed, and in an impulsive but familiar move, leaned down to wrap her in a firm hug. “Thank you. I… I needed this, more than I think I realized.”

“Oh, of course, Lo. Anytime, I-” Gran cut herself off with a smile. “Enough from me. You’d better go and say hi to your boyfriend.”

Logan perked up immediately, ending their hug with a final squeeze before rushing out the door to meet Roman as he hopped out of his Uber.

“Logan!! Oh, my precious starshine!” Roman exclaimed, throwing down his bags to scoop Logan off the ground. Logan giggled, nudging halfheartedly at Roman’s hold. “Roman I am taller than you, this is obscene-!” He cut himself off with a squeak as Roman began to spin him around joyfully.

“If you drop me I will never forgive you!!” Roman laughed joyously in his ear, but he did noticeably tighten his grip on his boyfriend. “Worry not, light of my life! The only thing I’ve ever dropped is my jaw at the sight of your lovely face!”

Logan resisted the urge to roll his eyes, smirking fondly at Roman as he was set down. “You are perhaps the clumsiest man I’ve ever met, forgive me for doubting the validity of your statement.”

Roman gasped loudly, a dramatic move Logan could recognize from a mile away. “You- don’t believe me? Your own partner? Would I ever lie to the loveliest man in existence, the force of nature that keeps my very heart beating? The slander, in my own childhood home! You disparage me, starlight!”

“You are incorrigible, but I suppose I knew that when I signed up for this,” Logan continued, laughing at the over-exaggerated gasp that was so forceful it made Roman cough.

“You win this one Tall, Dark, and Handsome. C’mon, let’s go in. Gram’s probably got a whole laundry list of teasing remarks at the ready, the old sap. Emphasis on the old.”

“Be nice!” Logan chided, huffing at his boyfriend’s antics. “Your grandmother is a saint, and to imply that the first thing she will do at the sight of us is jest is a slanderous oversight. I cannot believe you right now. She’s already teasing us right now, under her breath, testing out which ones sound the best.”

Roman wheezed, nearly buckling over as he walked. “You- you have a point, beloved. Forgive me for such an oversight. Now, let’s head in to hear what she’s planned for us, yes?”

…

The rest of the day continued similarly. Logan eventually ran out of conversation spoons just after dinnertime, and spent a few hours in his guest room destressing. Around ten that night, he wandered down the hall to Roman’s room, curling up with him on his bed.

“Welcome back, dear. Feeling calmer?” Logan nodded, shifting closer so he could kiss Roman’s cheek. ‘Much calmer, thank you, sweetheart. How are you?”

“Oh, a bit stressed about the upcoming show but hey, that’s just life. Also, Gran snitched on you, so I’m gonna awkwardly transition into bugging you about that now.”

Logan groaned, hiding his face in Roman’s chest. “Awful, terrible family. Why did I ever sign up for this? You people are so cruel to me.”

“Not as cruel as them, I can assure you of that.” Roman had meant it in a teasing manner, but Logan couldn’t help but wince. It was perhaps a bit too soon to be joking about something like that so soon after he figured out all his feelings.

“Ouch, that was in poor taste, wasn’t it? I’m sorry, beloved.” Logan shook his head, leaning up for another kiss. “Not your fault, I suppose it was a bit funny. I’m just… “I let them control me for years, and I didn’t even realize. They were so… harmful to me, but they were the only people I had. It… it was so hard to realize that all that time spent idolizing them was time wasted. And, I don’t think I’ve ever completely moved on from it, which is terrible. They don’t deserve it, even if they are just thoughts.”

“First of all, you are allowed to grieve over losing them as much as you need. No, they don’t deserve it, but you deserve to process what they did in a healthy way. And yeah, the things they’ve done were terrible, but it wasn’t time wasted. You truly did love them, and they taught you so many things that make you so special. It’s not time wasted, it’s just… time you had to spend to get to us.”

Logan blinked, pushing away the sting of happy tears. “I.. suppose you have a point. I know I need to process my grief healthily, I just wish they didn’t make that so difficult. They… I almost wish they would have made it more obvious that they were terrible people. They hid it behind so much positive and healthy behavior, it can be hard for me to remember that they are bad for me.”

Roman sighed, rubbing a hand across Logan’s back, sending shivers through his body. “I know, darling, it is very complicated. It can be hard to deal with all the gray space in the black and white of talking to someone or cutting them off entirely. But, no matter how positive some of their influences were, you’re so much better off here. I hope you can remember that.”

“I am trying,” Logan decided, “and I know I will get there. It just… I want to be able to block them out forever as they did to me, but I’m not sure I’ll ever be capable of that.” “You don’t have to push yourself to forget them entirely, but I can understand why that would be desirable,” Roman reassured. “You have dealt with all of this incredibly well given the circumstances, and you have accomplished so much. Hell, you’re graduating with a doctorate this year! You’re amazing, Lo, and if they can’t see that beyond the hatred, then it’s their loss.”

“It truly is,” Logan agreed, “especially since it means they never get to meet you.”

“Aww, come here, precious.” Roman grinned, hugging his boyfriend so close, Logan could feel his boyfriend's heartbeat pulse through his own body. “You’re incredible. I am so proud of you and the things you have accomplished. I am so confident in you, and I know this change is going to be hard, but you’re gonna embrace it just like everything else.”

“Ah, she really did snitch on me, huh?” Roman nodded solemnly, still holding his boyfriend as tight as he could manage without actually hurting him. (Logan loved this, he had been encouraging Roman to help him with pressure stimming for years, and his boyfriend always agreed.)

“I can’t say I’m surprised, but… I’m not upset that she did. Talking about everything again would be way too many spoons for one day.”

“Well, if you do need to talk more, I’m always here, my love. You are so important to me, and anything you need, I can provide.”

“The same to you, dearest. Now, it is getting late, and I know you’re going to be up early working tomorrow. Sleep with me?”

“I wouldn’t have it any other way, starlight.” Logan smiled, kissing him gently on the lips before pulling the covers up around him. He truly was lucky for every single person in his life. Even his biological family, he supposed.

Without them, he never would have received the kind of love the Reyes family would be outpouring to him for years to come.

He and Roman fell asleep tangled in each other's arms, and Logan only dreamt of love and happiness.

[thegeminisage]

tng update time!! we're back, baby. sunday we did "the masterpiece society" and "conundrum" and last night* we did "power play" and "ethics."

*by last night i mean earlier tonight, but i'm typing this at 1am and letting it post tomorrow

the masterpiece society: this one was okay. i was very endeared at first to this guy flirting RESPECFULLY with deanna after the ordeal of 3 rape scenes in one episode but then she shot him down and he kept flirting. WILL my misery never cease

that said, i like that picard was nice to her when she fessed up about fucking with him. i am so fond of saying "treat him really niceys" about data but perhaps we should also be treating DEANNA really niceys. instead of raping her repeatedly.

one hilarious detail i noticed about this episode was that they went out of their way to show us a lot of extras in this episode (sometimes we don't even get this many extras in ten forward scenes) and show us that the extras were. diverse. because if the society is "genetically engineered to perfection." and then you only show white people. THAT puts a whole new spin on things. i'm imagining some joker on the production team looking at a shot of mostly-white extras and frantically calling the casting director on the phone

i was EXTREMELY worried when they asked geordi to work with this woman but he was professional the whole time to my huge relief. actually, geordi had a little bit going on in this ep that i really enjoyed - when these "perfect" people kept implying he would have been aborted as a fetus in their society he gave as good as he got EVERY time and his blind ass DID in fact wind up saving all their lives and GOOD FOR HIM!

i dont really get what the big deal is about 23 people leaving = destroying their society. if you can't plann for people being out then it's your managerial skills that need work. also, they were kinda freaks, so maybe they needed to have their little cult broken up. sorry

conundrum: EPISODES FOR MEEEEE. this episode was just like tabula rasa, except this predates tabula rasa, so really tabula rasa is just like IT. anyway, amnesia. i was gleefully rubbing my hands together the entire time

hands down funniest bit was everyone just assuming worf is captain despite the fact that he's bloodthirsty and insane but the second funniest bit was data the bartender. "where's the android?" "serving drinks in ten forward." "[as data speed types] you must have been one hell of a bartender." 10/10 no notes

also his little chess game with deanna!! wah.

actually no the other funny bit was riker lowkey running around on deanna with ro. and i abslutely LOOOVED he and deanna being flirty with each other. it's ABOUT TIME we got some real food. it's been so sexless up til now that all she did was play with his hair a little and we both went bananas

and then the scene at the END? riker more flustered than we've EVER seen him and these two ladies ganging up on him...mwah. 10/10 perfect.

the villain this episode was good. when he first showed up cathy was like who tf is that and i was like idk some rando im sure he doesnt matter but then the computer named him first officer and it was like !!!!!!!!!!!! they tricked me !!! it's a VERY rare day when tng manages to trick me i was so pleased. i do kinda wish they hadn't theo teennwolfed him though (made everyone else a bit dumber to make him seem smart)

power play: deannna was so hot in this episode she should play male characters more often

i really REALLY wish i had been riker deanna and worf that had been possessed. data's not as much fun when he's someone else and not data. obrien could have come too if he wanted though i guess

PLEASE do not tell rosalind chao to shut her baby up. the last time someone told anyone to shut a baby up in a property she happened to be acting in. well. mash fans know. they know.

i genuinely believed those guys were ghosts until the last second. probably because prisoners makes no sense. also, i think prison for 500 years is too much. can we not just let them die

i love when possessed data tried to prove worf and worf was like lol no. he knows data is 10x stronger than him lmao

i wish guinan had been in this episode it's been ages and i miss her

after how tense and fun the beginning was the end and middle of this episode were kind of anticlimactic. still, it was fun and so it gets a pass. more people should get possessed on the enterprise

WHY DO I ONLY GET 4K CHARACTERS PER TEXT BLOCK staff i'll fucking kill you. anyway

ethics: RIKER/WORF/DEANNA IS REAL IT HAPPENED ON MY COMPUTER SCREEN!

ok, first of all, sorry i have to go ahead and get this out of the way before i get to the good stuff, picard advocating for assisted suicide is NNNOT his best look. in fact it's literally such a fucking bad look. actually. uhh tw for talk of suicide here on down

i understand what they were trying to do. they wanted to present both sides of the ethical dilemma here "equally." but there are some problems with this. firstly, in the real world, assisted suicide is for people with like. terminal illness. worf was fine. yes, he was paralyzed, but he was healthy and had the change to regain a great deal of his mobility. so picard already looks like an asshole because he's advocating for a disabled person killing themselves because they "can't" adjust to the loss.

SECONDLY, the use of "can't" was very poorly done here. if picard had said, worf is too stubborn to change his beliefs, he WON'T adjust to this because he will refuse to try, that would be a LOT BETTER than saying "worf CAN'T adjust to this, it's too many lifelong values to change."

and finally, if we really wanted to be "equal" about the debate, it wouldn't be about worf's ability or inability to adjust to being disabled, it would be about his BELIEFS. like his society and heritage, which he cherishes so deeply because he felt disconnected from it for so much of his life. instead picard was just like "worf is way too much of a pussy to do this just let him die lmao"

like he seriously tried to persuade will to KILL WORF. worse, to help worf kill himself!! JUST BECAUSE WORF WAS DISABLED. he even guilted riker about it: "he wouldn't have asked if he didn't know he could count on you." girl what the FUCK

ok anyway, speaking of will: his reaction here was so strong i wonder if he knew someone who'd killed themselves before. NOT that i'm complaining about a strong reaction. FINALLY we are getting some solid worf/riker Content. maybe asking your commanding officer to kill you is romance or whatever. i loved their argument to little bitty pieces. compare to: riker in tears next to deanna's sickbay bed. ooough i am eating. according to the wiki they actually cut a scene of nose-to-nose yelling and i'm mad about it. LET THEM PUT THEIR FACES TOGETHER. give me something to live for

deanna in this episode too. her kneeling by the fallen worf and murmuring "let me help you." her making him talk to his son. him BASICALLY asking her to be his kid's new adoptive parent should he kick it

oh speaking of alexander. he said some really troubling things this episode. such as, "my mom always said klingons had dumb ideas about honor" and "i don't care about being klingon." HIS MOTHER WAS RACIST..............if alexander decides the klingon ways aren't for him that's fine but that should be a choice HE GETS TO MAKE what an insane way to be raised. meanwhile people are out here calling worf a deadbeat and he put aside his suicide plan for alexander specifically

other shocking things about this episode: beverly was sooooo good actually. she was channeling bones energy in her fury and i mean that as the highest possible compliment. that other doctor quite literally KILLED A PATIENT because she's so sketchy and focused on her own glory "oh i need tokeep a professional detachment" YEAH SO YOU DON'T FEEL GUILTY ABOUT KILLING PEOPLE. bones would have torn her limb for limb and i'm very glad beverly did too. i just don't understand why she was allowed to like leave the ship and go back to practicing medicine. she should have her medical liscene revoked. was this too also in the name of "both sides" of the debate girl this isn't fox news she KILLED A PATIENT for her own personal gain just space her ass!

the fake-out with worf dying was expected but them faking us out for so LONG was a surprise. i was like how are they gonna get him out of this one and it's literally the klingon anatomy. double of eeeeeverrrything. wow that sure is something. funny that worf has ridges on sooo many places. love that it took until season 5 to see it

also, that surgery scene was GROSS. im not normally squeamish but that little worm thingy they put into him looked awful

devastated there was no worf/riker reunuion at the end but other than that and picard and that other dr lady not getting fired it was extremely good. one of my favs so far i think actually.

tonight: "the outcast" and "cause and effect." i've started spoiling myself w/ episode summaries in order not to get surprised by 3 rape scenes in a row again and ik what both of these are about and im soooo excited for it

[blessphemy]

✨ Fic Writing Review 2023 ✨

thanks for the tag @non-plutonian-druid!

the actual format of this game is this post but i rearranged it a bit so that i could hide my extremely long list of fics under a cut

Fandom fic events 2023

Murderbot Diaries New Year Gift Exchange

Yuletide Draft Dodgers

Murderbot AUpril Collection (open and accepts submissions)

2023 Aspec Murderbot Diaries

2023 PresAugust

We Were It // It Will Be Us: A TMBD Art Exhibition (open and accepts submissions)

Botober 2023

Upcoming 2024

Events:

i'm doing the Murderbot Diaries New Year Gift Exchange (2024) :3

Perhaps i'll post something for the annual 3/3 for Three collection idk (this collection is open and accepts submissions, and it spikes on March 3rd of each year)

WIPs:

Gift exchange fic

Absolute monster of a nullverse!network effect AU fic. i'm trying so hard to get draft 1 of this beast finished it's been beating my ass for over a year but i'm gonna Get It

Continue Via Solitude updates.

a 5+1 ASR bad ends fic that explores some meta shit. namely trust, forgiveness, and sci-fi horror genre vs canon.

Words and fics 2023

let's find out just how cringe (fun) i've been on ao3. i'm like. jeebus creebus i've posted a lot this year huh.

105,486 words of fan fiction. all of it murderbot. let's look at them going right down the statistics page (default sorted by hits, tho it gets kind of messy at the end with and i got lazy):

30,336 words of Via Solitude, an All Systems Red AU where murderbot has to do wilderness survival.

~5k words that's just a repost of Threat As Greeting, except with fresh interactive CSS effects.

3,346 words top 3 SURPRISING things you didn't know about the SECUNIT who pulled you out of an INCINERATOR (2023 gift exchange) outsider POV from the characters featured in Wells' pre-canon short story

1,502 words Aspec Drabbles (for the Aspec Murderbot Diaries event) it lot of fun to work with strict 100-word drabbles.

13,837 words References NULL: Logs From Project Murderbot [nullverse] the most purely concentrated angst/whump from the nullverse series yet. handle with care or skip it.

6,552 words How To Go On A Camping Trip - a guide for anxious SecUnits who are bad at vacationing (2023 gift exchange) i really liked this one tbh. fun standalone.

2,488 words Improve Your Baby AI With This One Weird Trick! (2023 gift exchange) my personal fic-titling theme for the gift exchange was "clickbait."

7,875 Alien Refuge (AUpril inspired) This is a Homestuck crossover, and reportedly the first time multiple people willingly interacted with homestuck-affiliated content, and they liked it. gottem. it's also pretty good, i did a nice job injecting homestuckism tone into the murderbot narrative style If I Do Say So Myself.

911 words No Comment: Shut Up And Dance [nullverse] fluff and humor. tfw your secunit friend (murderbot) is crashing in your living room and you (dr. ratthi) have insomnia.

2,922 words MetaMorphoSys (AUpril inspired) listen i NEED the next big fandom trend to be an AU world where people metamorphose inside cocoons. hear me out. HEAR ME OUT. in this fic we take the fridge horror of canon murderbot diaries and make it visceral, wet, biological, and ethically Even Worse. get yr Amena emotions also.

0 words SecUnit Technician Bingo Card it's funny. idk.

3,438 words nullverse reference sheet [nullverse bonus content] self indulgent AU notes

2,290 words Systems: Splorch [nullverse bonus content] a friend of mine said "how long until we get a fic with #oviposition in the murderbot diaries ao3?" i took the answer to that question into my own two capable hands at 7.5 hours. you're welcome.

2,562 words Artifacts NULL: Fire Festival [nullverse] slice-of-life friend times with nostalgia vibes. how far we've come.jpg.

388 words Entries shared by the Society for Conservation of Feed Artifacts (SCFA) (created for TMBD in-universe robot art gallery, which is an open collection that accepts any submissions!) wait this reminds me i have one more to post. i'll get to it.

9,314 words in 31 fics written for (Botober 2023) daily prompts. turned out to be a fun exercise and exploration of bot culture tho it took me longer than the month of october to finish.

4 fanarts of fics that i liked.

26 fanbindings where i printed out and made booklets out of fics that i liked.

2 translations.

3,080 words Refrain [nullverse bonus content] if you're unfamiliar with my Brand this will sound unhinged. if you are familiar with my Brand you know by now that i have a knack for taking literally Anything and treating it with tender loving care and unexpected deft so this doesn't even surprise you. tl;dr it's porn of two bots having a deeply OSHA-unapproved Fuck Session, there's no genitals involved, and it's tagged #Vivisection. it's pretty good if you're into robots and perhaps mild gore.

Rules & Tags for this game

Rules: Feel free to show whatever stats you have. Only want to show Ao3 stats? Rock on. Want to include some quantitative info instead of stats? Please do this. Want to change how yours is presented? Absolutely do that. Would rather eat glass than do this? Please don’t eat glass, just keep on scrolling.

@fishdetective @beatrice-otter @snugglyeldritchjellyfish @ilovedthestars and anyone who feels like it

[flowerboycaleb]

every month I'm gonna try to post reviews of three albums from years past!! this week i wrote about one of the most seminal hip hop albums of the 1980s: 3 Feet High and Rising by De La Soul!!! also feel free to follow me on rate your music and twitter <3

3 Feet High and Rising - De La Soul

◇ release year: 1989 ◇ genres: east coast hip hop, conscious hip hop, abstract hip hop

Few years were as pivotal to hip hop's trajectory as the late 1980s. Two albums in particular, in my opinion, pushed the boundaries of what hip hop could be. One was Public Enemy’s 1988 masterpiece, It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back. That record was raw, angry, and profound. It’s a perfect document of the time and many of the issues tackled on the record remain relevant to the current time. The other album was 3 Feet High and Rising by De La Soul. Where the former was intense and political, the latter was significantly more playful and light. Both were sort of rebellious in their own ways and both set up the dominant sounds in the genre for the next decade to come. 

De La Soul consisted of MCs Pasemaster Mase, Posdnuos, and Trugoy the Dove. They were innovators in the genre, making use of samples in a way no other group had at the time. They also had a distinct sense of humor that would come through in their clever writing. Both of those talents are displayed perfectly on this debut record.

De La Soul, 1989

Skits on hip hop records have been a point of contention in the genre for a long time, but whether you love them or hate them, De La Soul revolutionized the concept. This record and the following De La Soul is Dead, made skits a much more cinematic experience. It felt like radio comedy for a new generation in a lot of ways. They were intricate, witty, and smart. Just as much thought went into them as did the actual songs. They’re all over this record and I, for one, love them. They make this album such a unique, cohesive, and fun experience. The record opening with the cheesy, goofy line “Hey, all you kids out there! Welcome to Three Feet High and Rising!” just works. The skits follow this game show concept throughout and again, it just works! Although, even I could go without “De La Orgee.”

That same energy comes through in the music. Fun is one of the keywords that comes to mind. More often than not, there’s a smile on my face when I’m listening to this record. “The Magic Number” is the perfect introduction to our MCs. Each member shows that, while they may be funny guys, they’re also so much more than that. They’re extremely talented lyricists. The outro of the song shows off their knack for unique sampling, hearing this for the first time just about a year ago was mindblowing, I can’t imagine how much that feeling would’ve been amplified if I had listened to this in 1989. Every beat is just so colorful, much like the album’s art direction. 

“Jenifa Taught Me (Derwin's Revenge)” is another great example of the band’s talents. It’s provocative in the tongue-in-cheek way that even when they say something wild, for example, Pos’s bar “Grabbed my jeans, Jimmy screamed,” you can’t get mad it just elicits a smile. The song also has them playfully ripping on their friend Derwin who “never got no girls.” I have no clue who Derwin is, but I immediately feel like I’m in on the joke, it’s weirdly welcoming. Perhaps the centerpiece of the album is the bright, sunshine rap masterpiece “Eye Know.” Sampling Otis Redding’s whistling from “(Sittin’ On) the Dock of the Bay” and a piece of the chorus of “Peg” by Steely Dan, this is one of the best beats in hip hop history. The brilliance of this record is also indebted in a lot of ways to the main producer Prince Paul. He was De La’s producer for all of their records up to 1993’s Buhloone Mindstate. They have an undeniable chemistry, exhibited masterfully on tracks like “Eye Know.” 

The group’s first single “Plug Tunin’” is included here as well and it’s a welcome addition despite it sounding like a groundwork-laying track. One of my personal favorites is “Buddy” featuring fellow Native Tongues members Q-Tip, before A Tribe Called Quest’s debut, and the Jungle Brothers. Everyone holds their own here and it’s cool hearing Q-Tip in this way. “Me Myself and I” has the band putting their spin on disco rap. A sound that was decidedly uncool by the turning of the decade, but they made it their own thing entirely. It’s so infectious. “D.A.I.S.Y. Age” rounds out the album perfectly. It did sort of solidify De La’s categorization as “hip hop hippies,” a distinction they would come to fight against on the follow-up to this record, but it still stands out as a bold closer. It’s almost like a mission statement. The closing skit also ties up the record in a nice way. It’s impressive how they managed to tie everything up both on the music front and the skits this well, especially for a debut album.

De La Soul performing live, 1989?

3 Feet High and Rising remains one of the most important hip hop albums of all time. I can see how some might say this album has aged poorly, due to the skits and the excessive sampling throughout, but those are the reasons I love this record so much. It pushed the boundaries of what the genre could be and that makes it an exciting listen even to this day. For a long time, this album was caught up in a legal dispute which made it difficult to get your hands on, but as of last year, the De La catalog is available to stream everywhere. Now there’s no excuse to not familiarize yourself with one of hip hop’s most seminal records.

━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━

[berkeley-mews]

for the book ask game: #3

thank you so much for the ask <3

3. what were your top 5 books of the year?

i won't attempt to put these into a specific order of preference, but the first book that came to mind was certainly william godwin's 1794 novel, caleb williams!! it was essentially a fictionalisation of godwin's earlier works on political philosophy, very saliently exposing institutional oppression, injustice, and abuses of power in britain at the time. what really drew me to this book, however, was godwin's gothic, suspenseful mode of writing, and its memorable characterisation. the central characters' dynamic and mutual obsession with each other really clinched it for me (and produced quite a number of queer readings, which i later followed up on!!). it's also just pure, unbridled fun most of the way. shenanigans were plentiful: from eighteen-year-old caleb's attempts at probing his employer's psychology through small talk about alexander the great, to his rants calling for prison abolition, his (several) prison-escape attempts, his joining a group of anarchist thieves, and donning very silly disguises. definitely a highlight this year!!

i also read jane eyre for the first time this year (which is very strange to think about, because i feel as if i've known her forever). i went into it knowing the plot twist at about halfway through, but without other expectations, and i was very pleasantly surprised. from the first few pages i was fully drawn in & immensely invested in jane's fortunes, and later, her relationship with rochester. i also find jane eyre to be narratologically fascinating, i think charlotte brontë does some very interesting things with narrative voice & also constructs her characters' psychologies really well -- i could talk about foils and parallels for hours and hours, so i better stop here!! i've also managed to read wide sargasso sea, jean rhys' post-colonial response or "writing back" to this novel, which provided even more perspectives & ideas!! <3

this year i've gotten into philip k. dick's works for the first time, having read both the man in the high castle and do androids dream of electric sheep? while i was much more invested in android's character, high castle was probably the more worthwhile & rewarding reading experience. it was anything but easy trying to get into it, and i found it wasn't really doing anything for me in the first hundred pages or so. slowly, a little inexplicably, perhaps, i came around to it, and allowed it to take me on a journey through alternate history, different realities, and planes of existence. the world-building is less interesting to me than the uncertainites, the interruptions of meaning, and the unspoken in particular this novel. it also had some very interesting things to say about the production of art & its role in history-making & culture more generally, but i'm still getting my thoughts about that in order -- essay forthcoming. /j

i've also read rosencrantz and guildenstern are dead this summer!! it feels as if were very late to the party, but i'm glad i managed to get here in the end. this one really speaks for itself -- Two Of Them, the absurd, existentialism, meta-theatre, whacky temporality (!!) & the whole shebang. i actually didn't quite expect it to be as funny as it was, now that i think about it, but i did thoroughly enjoy its humour at least as much as its weightier implications.

aaaaand finally i will go with george eliot's the lifted veil -- a gothic novella (and subtle frankenstein pastiche, i like to think) narrated by the world's most pathetic, sad, sopping-wet sliver of a man, known only as "latimer", who finds himself developing clairvoyant & psychic powers. it is extremely well-structured, without a single awkward, unnecessary, or out-of-place sentence (or maybe i'm saying that becuase i'm just really, reaaally partial to eliot's writing style!!). the narrative structure is chilling, and is constructed in such a way that the reader feels as if they were partaking in latimer's strange powers. as is usual for her, eliot offers percepitve & profound insights into the human psyche and character, without ever losing a beat as to the progression of her gloomy, gothic narrative -- and everything is neatly, devastatingly tied up in the story's inevitable conclusion.

well, there's 5 books!! i could mention many, many more (jean toomer's harlem renaissance masterpiece cane comes to mind, so do several short stories & the novella mathilda by mary shelley, rhys' voyage in the dark, acd's valley of fear, agatha christie's and then there were none, austen's persuasion, and even dracula, which i also can't believe i read this year), but i shall restrain myself and stop here, to everyone's relief, i'm sure :)

[fantomette22]

Can we learn more about your Caryll?

Well I’m glad you ask. unfold giant paper

I don’t know if you’re familiar with the lil things I already made ? (About Caryll or my other interpretations, I already talked a bit about Caryll and I did some little drawings that I’m going to repost there + there’s a few ideas in my fic too hehe)

So, dear runesmith Caryll (my beloved). I know canon/lore wise we know almost nothing except that they translate a big part of the runes + create the rune tool that is extremely practical in the game. Somehow with so little I managed to create an interpretation I really like and found really cool!

Because the post is super long the rest under the cut.

First, I need to mention I use they/them when I talked about Caryll (so it's more clear for everyone and yeah non binary Caryll rules! In French it’s a bit more complex but I try to keep it neutral...too bad we don't have neutral pronoun.) But really they can dress with any type of clothes too so they don't really mind that some person could use one gender above the other for them.

You know, sometimes in the fromsoftware games some descriptions are keep neutral (in Japanese) and become masculine with the translation (so we can’t really be sure for Caryll) and also just because I can’t choose XD (both a female or male version of Caryll are interesting !

And I’m really bad at choosing so I thought… why not nonbinary Caryll?? there’s just a lil fellow :) It’s funny because usually I managed to choose, for Dores I managed for exemple but Caryll I can’t… I like various interpretations of bloodborne story & characters too ! Always so interesting and enjoyable to saw the one of others! And I guess the others characters try to keep it neutral too and because they have no idea either

So i really come up with this design randomly. I was thinking of a design for them and boom that what’s came into my mind. Already made a post here.

At the beginning there’s a students at Byrgenwerth, then a researchers after obtaining their degree and then worked with the Church (and began the choir?), the hunters etc... They might came from or have family in Hemwick or the Fishing Hamlet perhaps? (Like this headcanon) but i didn’t thought of everything yet.

Now personality wise if I had to resume, I will say they’re a just a lil "guy" :) they’re kind, curious, really intelligent a bit shy too (but it get better after they grow up a bit) the least agressive person ever…(absolutely not based on one of my own friend) it's just the vibe that it gives me. Really everyone loved them too (because runes/translate great one>all) younger than the majority of the students that came at Byrgenwerth so a bit complicated at first. Then some accident in the pthumeru labyrinth happened then boom you hear great ones and can understand runes. So yeah sometimes they’re acting really weird (like staring at the sea/lake at 2am but he’s not the only one so it’s ok xD) but who isn’t mad in bloodborne hm? At the beginning it’s still like ok and more consider « lunatic » and I least that help them understand a lot of thing + hear stuff + have dreams. But years pass and the voices become louder and louder…

I won’t talk to their relationship with everyone in details (that would be too long so maybe later) but in my hc they're quite close to Laurence, Maria & Gehrman (+had some class with Maria, Ludwig, Rom, Mico etc...) And basically a lot of people just like them in general. Willem took them under his wing too (well that man literally like to « adopted » + help kids & young adults in need XD

(a lil adventure featuring Caryll, Maria & Ludwig in the forbidden woods here xD )

I'm not sure when the choir been formed but Caryll might be the their first « leader » You see the choir’s hat ? Caryll was the first one to have one like that.

And remember the eye pendant ? The one you got from cleric beast Laurence to go to the research hall? One of my most recent hc is that before Laurence had it, it belongs to Caryll.

Little facts :

Probably had an arcane build at some point

Like to look at big body of water (sea/lake)

Had a lil scar under the left eye but can actually see well from it. Until the fishing hamlet.

Caryll had augurs of Ebrietas (Caryll found them and keep the first ones they took back from Isz) and seems to understand them.

The choir's hat prototype they have was a gift made by Gehrman.

They helped Maria with the Astral clocktower construction.

They had some classes with Maria, Ludwig, Mico, Rom, Damian etc back in Byrgenwerth and pass their exams almost at the same time.

Laurence was their fav teacher.

Dores liked them (she don't like many people so that's huge)

They pass the Cainhurst vibe check.

Alcohol is not really their thing but they can drink more glasses than Laurence.

Can pass from one type of clothes to another really often. Making super confused someone who don't know them really well and saw them only once or twice before. What a fashion icon

"If I was a slug would you still love me ?"

And to finished you might wonder what happened to them in the end ? Well the game never answered us on that so... all I can say is that it's and it’s not going to end very well… But at least they're not trap forever in the nightmare like some, so it could be worse 🥲, Kos had some mercy. I like created funny hc but I got some really angsty and tragic one too T_T Even if I wonder why I made myself suffered I'm really proud of what I came up with for Caryll, and the impact it had on other characters.

And i will stop there i think. It’s a good introduction for now ! I have still so much to tell but another day x)