#final fantasy 7 leviathan

[stygiovictoria]

never gonna finish this so may as well post it. leviathan w/ my ffvii oc medusa

[aceduooooooooooooooooooooooooo]

I will start yapping about my FF7 au soon once i flesh it out a little more

[lugiafly]

I didn't managed to draw anything for Mermay so have Leviajune instead *totally real name*. Feat. strongly headcanoned Yuffie and BIG BIG materia 'cause why not 👉👉

[dimension20pcbracket]

round 1 statistics

hi, gamers! while we wait for the round 2 polls to close, here are some interesting stats and tidbits from round 1 that I noticed :)

total votes: added up, the 52 polls in round 1 had a total of 28,221 votes. holy shit!

largest percentage of votes: sometimes the polls were tight, and other times they were... not. the top 5 most decisive winners were:

Fig Faeth (93.6%)

Kingston Brown (93.2%)

Sofia Lee (90.3%)

Chirp Featherfowl (89.7%)

Pete Conlan (88.8%)

the thinnest margin of victory to eke out a win went to Rue, who beat Amethar Rocks with a slender 52.2% of votes. notably, Rue kept up the trend in round 2, with their even slimmer 50.2% defeat of Gerard of Greenleigh, so it will be interesting to see if they're able to keep clinging on through round 3.

polls with the most votes: some polls really got you fired up, and brought Dimension 20 fans running in droves to vote for their faves...

Lapin Cadbury v Pinocchio with an unparalleled 1,636 votes

Squak Airavis v Kristen Applebees (838 votes)

Sam Nightingale v Colin Provolone (818 votes)

Katja Cleaver v Prince Andhera (767 votes)

Kingston Brown v Gangie Green (718 votes)

... while other polls had less fanfare. polls with the least votes:

Tuti IV v Maggie (347 votes)

Vicar Ian Prescott v Bob (388 votes)

Saccharina Frostwhip v Megan Mirror // Twyla v Marcid the Typhoon (392 votes each)

Bean v Amangeaux Epicée du Peche (409 votes)

Sunny Biscotto v Binx Choppley (416 votes)

it may not surprise anyone to know that it looks like none of the winners of these least-voted-on polls will be advancing to round 3; it seems the passion isn't there for these particular PCs :/

winning PCs with the most individual votes:

Lapin Cadbury (851 votes)

Kingston Brown (669 votes)

Fig Faeth (573 votes)

Evan Kelmp (509 votes)

Kristen Applebees (487 votes)

winning PCs with the least individual votes:

Maggie (255 votes)

Bob (260 votes)

Sam Black (269 votes)

Cody Walsh (274 votes)

Gunnie Miggles-Rashbax (285)

evidently, individual votes accrued in round 1 aren't a great basis for predicting future success - Kelmp was the fourth most-voted for PC in round 1 but won't be making it to round3, and Gunnie was the fifth least-voted for character in round 1 but on track to head into round 3 by a pretty decent margin.

campaign stats:

the most to least successful campaigns, by % of characters that won their round 1 polls:

Fantasy High: 100% (6/6)

Misfits and Magic: 100% (4/4)

A Starstruck Odyssey: 83.3% (5/6)

A Court of Fey and Flowers: 83.3% (5/6)

The Unsleeping City: 77.8% (7/9)

A Crown of Candy: 75% (6/8)*

The Seven: 66.7% (4/6)

Neverafter: 66.7% (4/6)

Mentopolis: 66.7% (4/6)

Burrow's End: 66.7% (4/6)

Coffin Run: 25% (1/4)

Dungeons and Drag Queens: 25% (1/4)

The Ravening War: 20% (1/5)

Escape from the Bloodkeep: 16.7% (1/6)

Pirates of Leviathan: 16.7% (1/6)

Tiny Heist: 0% (0/6)

Mice and Murder: 0% (0/6)

Shriek Week: 0% (0/4)

*ACOC: while Amethar was passes on to round 2 to compete against Pinocchio, he did lose his initial poll against Rue. if we included Amethar as a winner, ACOC would have a considerably higher 87.5% success rate, making it the third most successful campaign overall.

it's definitely interesting to see how the success of various campaigns has changed over round 2! Fantasy High stays strong, while the MisMag crew has been wiped out, and several campaigns have lost all of their remaining PCs. it'll be exciting to see how the numbers look when all of the final votes for round 2 are in.

thank you all so much for playing along with this bracket! I hope you're all still having fun and are getting hype for round three :)

[fashiondisastertournament]

🎉The bracket is here! Round 1 Group D concluded! + Round 1 Masterlist

The 64 fictional characters who will compete for the title of the Worst Dressed have been now selected. Thank you once more for your nominations! ALL VOTING WITHIN ROUND 1 HAS NOW CONCLUDED

The bracket is super tiny on Tumblr, so here are the matchups in text format, divided into 4 groups (A, B, C, D). Groups A & C have all the frequently nominated characters in them, while groups B & D exist to give a chance to those characters who were nominated only once but in a particularly convincing way or who just look exceptionally Disastrous! All matches have been randomized - but I made sure to put the two most frequently nominated characters on two different sides of the bracket, not to worry ❤️

ROUND 1: MATCHUPS & MASTERLIST

Group A (popular nominees; top left of bracket) VOTING CONCLUDED

Matchup #1: Taako (The Adventure Zone) vs Trexel Geistman (Stellar Firma) -> Trexel wins!

Matchup #2: Sanji (One Piece) vs Franky (One Piece) -> Sanji wins!

Matchup #3: Hunter (The Owl House) vs Harrier du Bois (Disco Elysium) -> Harrier wins!

Matchup #4: Raikou Shimizu (Nabari no Ou) vs Goro Akechi (Persona 5) -> Raikou wins!

Matchup #5: Kanatsun (Entropic Float) vs Leon (Pokémon) -> Leon wins!

Matchup #6: Konoha (Kagerou Project) vs Rui Kamishiro (Project Sekai) -> Rui wins!

Matchup #7: Pannacotta Fugo (Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure) vs Sora (Kingdom Hearts) -> Fugo wins!

Matchup #8: Sock (Welcome to Hell) vs Midoriya Izuku (My Hero Academia) -> Sock wins!

Matchup #9: Shigeo Kageyama (Mob Psycho 100) vs Cecil Gershwin Palmer (Welcome to Night Vale) -> Cecil wins!

Group B (special chance; bottom left of bracket) VOTING CONCLUDED

Matchup #10: Gamzee (Homestuck) vs Tidus (Final Fantasy X) -> Tidus wins!

Matchup #11: Pico (Newsgrounds Museum 2 version) vs Hecatia Lapislazuli (Touhou Project) -> Pico wins!

Matchup #12: Alear (Fire Emblem: Engage) vs Captain Agent 3 (Splatoon 3) -> Alear wins!

Matchup #13: Mineta Minoru (My Hero Academia) vs Dr. Andre (Inside Job) -> Minoru wins!

Matchup #14: Wiggle Wigglebottom (Bugsnax) vs Tighnari (Genshin Impact) -> Wiggle wins!

Matchup #15: Daredevil/Matt Murdock (Marvel 616) vs Tingle (Zelda) -> Tingle wins!

Matchup #16: Lesley (Don’t Hug Me I’m Scared) vs Shouta Aizawa (My Hero Academia) -> Lesley wins!

Group C (popular nominees; top right of bracket) VOTING CONCLUDED

Matchup #17: Gabriel Agreste (Miraculous Ladybug) vs DIO (Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure) -> Gabriel wins!

Matchup #18: Satan (Obey Me!) vs Naruto (Naruto) -> Satan wins!

Matchup #19: Teru Hanazawa (Mob Psycho 100) vs Leonardo (Rise of the TMNT) -> Teru wins!

Matchup #20: Neku Sakuraba (The World Ends with You) vs Julian Bashir (Star Trek) -> Julian wins!

Matchup #21: Nanashi (Shin Megami Tensei IV: Apocalypse) vs Rex (Xenoblade Chronicles 2) -> Rex wins!

Matchup #22: Ex (Puyo Puyo Tetris) vs The Sixth Doctor (Doctor Who) -> Sixth Doctor wins!

Matchup #23: Quark (Star Trek) vs Harper Finkle (Wizards of Waverly Place) -> Harper wins!

Matchup #24: Kusuo Saiki (The Disastrous Life of Saiki K) vs Zaphod Beeblebrox (The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy) -> Zaphod wins!

Group D (special chance; bottom right of bracket)  VOTING CONCLUDED

Matchup #25: Ryu Natsume (Paradox Live) vs Lu Yi (Dislyte) -> Ryu wins!

Matchup #26: Hannah Montana (Hannah Montana) vs Willy Wonka (Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory) -> Hannah wins!

Matchup #27: Miuccia Miuller (Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure) vs Gonzo (The Muppet Show) -> Miuccia wins!

Matchup #28: Ebony Dark'ness Dementia Raven Way (My Immortal) vs Leviathan (Obey Me!) -> Ebony wins!

Matchup #29: Haiji Senri (Len’en) vs Dick Grayson (DC) -> Dick wins!

Matchup #30: Raizou (One Piece) vs Serizawa Katsuya (Mob Psycho 100) -> Raizou wins!

Matchup #31: Blue Sargent (The Raven Cycle) vs Ghetsis Harmonia (Pokémon Black and White) -> Ghetsis wins!

Matchup #32: Jake Sisko (Star Trek) vs Condiment King (Batman: The Animated Series) -> Jake wins!

Questions? Concerns? Complaints? Please check the FAQ under read-more for answers!

And as always... may the Worst Dressed win!

FAQ

~"How is [x] character a fashion disaster? I like their look/ they're iconic/ they look alright/ etc. etc." First of all, this is a very lighthearted competition that doesn't mean to be negative or judgmental! A Fashion Disaster can sometimes be (affectionate): in some cases there's nothing more iconic than a bit of this pizazz. I like quite a few of the looks on this list (and sometimes dress much worse) but if they have been included, this means that either: 1) they have been nominated multiple times 2) they have been nominated at least once and whoever nominated them provided a very convincing or funny explanation of why they were a Fashion Disaster (for example by pointing out one particularly bad outfit - not necessarily their main outfit!) 3) they have been nominated at least once and upon looking them up, I noticed that they tick many of the boxes that were described repeatedly in other people's explanations of what they consider disastrous: e.g. clashing patterns, excessive accessories, crocs, bad haircuts, etc. etc. In any case, every poll will come with a brief explanation of why people have been nominating a certain character! To make sure that people vote informed ❤️ ~"Why are you randomizing matchups instead of seeding?" I totally see the value of seeding for most competitions, but this one here is largely unpredictable - a lot of characters got the same amount of nominations, and how Disastrous they are is entirely subjective. The competition is also quite visual-based - it's about looks rather than knowing a character, so it's more likely that people will vote for an unknown character than in other competitions, which risk becoming popularity polls quite quickly. Basically: I'd simply have no idea how to determine the ranking of most contestants here for proper seeding! That's why I opt for randomized matches - but I did make sure to put the two most nominated characters on the opposing sides of the bracket. ~"Why is [x] character not included?" There was a total of 174 unique characters nominated to this tournament! If the one you were rooting for did not make it, I'm sorry! One or more of the following was likely the cause: 1) they have not been nominated more than once 2) they have not ticked as many boxes for what other people considered disastrous as some other characters with a single nomination did 3) a lot of characters have been submitted from the same source. After choosing 3 most nominated ones, I couldn't include more! The rule is max. 3 characters per source. ~"Is propaganda encouraged?"

More than encouraged! Please tag me if you make any posters/posts/try to support your faves in another way throughout the tournament, I'd love to see and reblog it! ❤️

[queenlua]

What's ur fave Final Fantasy

oooh hard choice

games i've played at least a little bit of: 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 12, 13, 15

games i've played to completion: 9, 10, 12, 13, 15

games i loved in a wild manic-episode kind of way where i couldn't not fucking talk about the minutia of the dynamics between the main cast for more than 1hr at a time and also i'm absolutely crazyinsane for my specific interpretation of noct's relationship with the gods, and leviathan, and also what the game has to say about anger/loss, but also it was Not A Good Game objectively so what do you do: 15

games i loved in a more grounded way where i can give an actual sober evaluation: 9, 10, 12, 13

so, of the sober games, which reigns?

....probably 9, tbh.

i love 13 for being utterly fearless (and tragically misunderstood!) in its redesign of the combat system, a system i haven't seen done as well before or sense. and i love the idea of a lot of its plot threads, but the execution isn't quite there.

i liked 12 a lot but it suffers from its main plots beats feeling somewhat staccato in nature; in a lot of ways, having first played it in late 2010, it felt like it suffered for, technologically, resting solidly between the "mass effect / dragon age full party banter" era versus the "older-style squenix game era" i guess? i wanted so so much more of the dynamics between the Judges and such fleshed out on the actual screen; it was clear the game wanted you to care more than i actually did, even while the main cast was in fact rock-solid

10 is the biggest competition here. that game meant a lot to me particularly playing it as a vaguely-fundie-religious kid. i probably picked up Nietzsche partially because of that game. i do think it's the most narratively coherent of all the FF games; it had a Thing It Wanted To Say and had its eye on the prize the whole time and fucking executed.

but 9 has that unfair "played it at a formative age" advantage, and also is nearly as coherent, and i was surprised, when i came back to play it as an adult, how interrelated all its seemingly-at-odds themes were. also just has a brighter and spritelier universe overall. which, i don't even really *write* those sort of shenanigans that much in my fiction but i love reading them when they're done well, and truthfully. ff9 is cheerier and more fantastical but i think it gave me heavier blows than a lot of the more "mature" games in the series i guess. damn i love 9 a lot

[thisisnotthenerd]

back at it again with thisisnotthenerd's d20 stats.

this time we're talking runtime. this is referenced directly from dropout--i manually entered each episode into the spreadsheet, no shortcuts. why. times are recorded as hours:minutes:seconds. anyway:

overall runtime stats:

total runtime for all seasons of dimension 20 (at the moment, including oneshots and the episodes of Burrow's End that are currently out): 462:43:30. That’s the equivalent of 19 days, 6 hours, 43 minutes, and 30 seconds. Almost 3 weeks.

average runtime per episode: 2:10:21. around 2 hours per ep.

longest season by time: fantasy high sophomore year, with 52:13:31

shortest season: shriek week, with 7:49:30

season with the highest average: fantasy high sophomore year, with 2:36:41. this one is skewed by the long finale episodes, and the fact that this season was livestreamed rather than pre-recorded, as most d20 seasons are. this stat doesn't include oneshots, as those tend to be longer in order to contain a full narrative. the stats are listed though.

season with the lowest average: fantasy high freshman year, with 1:39:43. as the first season, fhfy tends toward shorter episodes overall--combat episodes usually ran shorter than non combat episodes.

longest episode: Spring Break! I Believe In You! (Part 2) from Fantasy High Sophomore Year, with 5:06:42. by far the longest episode of dimension 20. truly an unbelievable finale.

shortest episode: Brawl at the Black Pit from Fantasy High Freshman Year, at just 1:07:53. like i said, combat ran short during fhfy.

total number of episodes (as of 10/17/23): 219. this will change tomorrow, i know. i'll update when the season is over so i'm not neurotically changing this

total number of battle/encounter episodes: 106. again, this will be updated at the end of the season. quick note about battle episodes: this category includes all of the episodes with a designated battlesets, whether that was physical, on roll20, or on talespire. for theater of the mind, i narrowed it down to specific episodes that had designed encounters, and not just spur of the moment encounters, unless those spur of the moment encounters were significant enough to take up an episode. key example: fabian's no good very bad day in leviathan.

i marked whether you could finish watching a season in one day, with no breaks for each one of the seasons: this doesn't mean could you do it in 24 hours, it means you could do it without losing sleep. in the waking hours.

d20 season runtime data

fantasy high freshman year:

total runtime: 28:15:12

average runtime per episode: 1:39:43 seconds

number of episodes: 17

number of battle/encounter episodes: 9

longest episode: episode 12: the sisterly showdown (1:57:11)

shortest episode: episode 6: brawl at the black pit (1:07:53)

could you watch it in a day, doing nothing else: ❌

escape from the bloodkeep:

total runtime: 14:02:07

average runtime per episode: 2:20:21

number of episodes: 6

number of battle/encounter episodes: 3

longest episode: episode 6: the tomb of ultimate evil (2:57:59)

shortest episode: episode 5: bloodlines and lifelines (1:56:44)

could you watch it in a day, doing nothing else: ✅

the unsleeping city:

total runtime: 34:11:27

average runtime per episode: 2:00:40

number of episodes: 17

number of battle/encounter episodes: 9

longest episode: episode 14: showdown at the stock exchange (2:35:07)

shortest episode: episode 2: mutant santa melee (1:28:12)

could you watch it in a day, doing nothing else: ❌

tiny heist:

total runtime: 12:27:12

average runtime per episode: 2:04:32

number of episodes: 6

number of battle/encounter episodes: 4

longest episode: episode 1: big little crimes (2:11:12)

shortest episode: episode 5: fighting with fire (1:55:38)

could you watch it in a day, doing nothing else: ✅

fantasy high sophomore year:

total runtime: 52:13:31

average runtime per episode: 2:36:41

number of episodes: 20

number of battle/encounter episodes: 8

longest episode: episode 20: spring break! i believe in you! (part 2), with 5:06:42

shortest episode: episode 7: the friendship section, with 2:08:50. even the short episodes in fhsy are over 2 hours.

could you watch it in a day, doing nothing else: ❌❌ (double because you couldn't do it in two days)

fantasy high oneshots:

total runtime: 8:11:31

average runtime per episode: 2:02:53

number of episodes: 4

number of battle/encounter episodes: 4 (they're oneshots)

longest episode: Boys' Night! (Roll20Con) with 2:45:17

shortest episode: Fantasy High LIVE at RTX Austin with 1:26:53

could you watch it in a day, doing nothing else: ✅

a crown of candy:

total runtime: 36:18:00

average runtime per episode: 2:08:07

number of episodes: 17

number of battle/encounter episodes: 9

longest episode: episode 11: at the mountains of sweetness, with 2:30:34

shortest episode: episode 10: blood & bread, with 1:36:59. this came down to emily not coming in as saccharina in this episode.

could you watch it in a day, doing nothing else: ❌

pirates of leviathan:

total runtime: 13:02:06

average runtime per episode: 2:10:21

number of episodes: 6

number of battle/encounter episodes: 3

longest episode: episode 4: i'm worth this, with 2:25:55

shortest episode: episode 5: scramble to the ramble, with 1:52:21

could you watch it in a day, doing nothing else: ✅

the unsleeping city chapter 2:

total runtime: 42:35:35

average runtime per episode: 2:21:59

number of episodes: 18

number of battle/encounter episodes: 10

longest episode: episode 6: collaborators, with 2:46:31

shortest episode: episode 2: heaven and hell on earth, with 1:40:52

could you watch it in a day, doing nothing else: ❌

mice & murder:

total runtime: 20:46:20

average runtime per episode: 2:04:38

number of episodes: 10

number of battle/encounter episodes: 4

longest episode: episode 10: unfinished business, with 2:46:06

shortest episode: episode 8: outfoxed, with 1:22:43

could you watch it in a day, doing nothing else: ❌

misfits & magic:

total runtime: 9:45:13

average runtime per episode: 2:26:18

number of episodes: 4

number of battle/encounter episodes: 2

longest episode: episode 4: we're the heroes, with 2:54:57

shortest episode: episode 3: family on six, with 2:08:58

could you watch it in a day, doing nothing else: ✅

misfits & magic oneshots:

total runtime: 5:19:32

average runtime per episode: 2:39:46

number of episodes: 2

number of battle/encounter episodes: 2

longest episode: misfits & magic holiday special, with 3:14:57

shortest episode: misfits & magic live at gencon 2022, with 2:04:35

could you watch it in a day, doing nothing else: ✅

the seven:

total runtime: 23:55:12

average runtime per episode: 2:23:31

number of episodes: 10

number of battle/encounter episodes: 6

longest episode: episode 6: belles of the baronies, with 2:58:43

shortest episode: episode 7: bloppelganger blitz, with 1:28:09

could you watch it in a day, doing nothing else: ❌

shriek week:

total runtime: 7:49:30

average runtime per episode: 1:57:23

number of episodes: 4

number of battle/encounter episodes: 0

longest episode: episode 3: parents' weekend, with 2:10:15

shortest episode: episode 4: van helsing's party, with 1:39:33

could you watch it in a day, doing nothing else: ✅

a starstruck odyssey:

total runtime: 39:54:33

average runtime per episode: 2:13:02

number of episodes: 18

number of battle/encounter episodes: 10

longest episode: episode 18: the luckless, the abandoned and the forsaked (part 2), with 3:08:38

shortest episode: episode 17: the luckless, the abandoned and the forsaked (part 1), with 1:23:40

could you watch it in a day, doing nothing else: ❌

coffin run:

total runtime: 10:19:38

average runtime per episode: 1:43:16

number of episodes: 6

number of battle/encounter episodes: 3

longest episode: episode 2: attacks on the tracks, with 2:05:18

shortest episode: episode 1: down for the count, with 1:10:21

could you watch it in a day, doing nothing else: ✅

a court of fey and flowers:

total runtime: 20:27:10

average runtime per episode: 2:02:43

number of episodes: 10

number of battle/encounter episodes: 4

longest episode: episode 3: duel on the southern lawn, with 2:32:06

shortest episode: episode 10: you will never know a lonely day again, with 1:14:24

could you watch it in a day, doing nothing else: ❌

neverafter:

total runtime: 42:25:08

average runtime per episode: 2:07:15

number of episodes: 20

number of battle/encounter episodes: 9

longest episode: episode 20: the ending of all things (part 2), with 2:38:33

shortest episode: episode 6: the curdled web, with 1:39:05

could you watch it in a day, doing nothing else: ❌

the ravening war:

total runtime: 14:59:17

average runtime per episode: 2:29:53

number of episodes: 6

number of battle/encounter episodes: 4

longest episode: episode 5: the seventh kingdom, with 2:39:27

shortest episode: episode 3: yonder where the fruit do be lyin', with 2:19:26. matt mercer likes himself a long episode

could you watch it in a day, doing nothing else: ✅

dungeons & drag queens:

total runtime: 9:31:03

average runtime per episode: 2:22:46

number of episodes: 4

number of battle/encounter episodes: 2

longest episode: episode 3: the time has come, with 2:42:23

shortest episode: episode 1: queens on a quest, with 2:03:47

could you watch it in a day, doing nothing else: ✅

mentopolis:

total runtime: 12:31:14

average runtime per episode: 2:05:12

number of episodes: 6

number of battle/encounter episodes: 3

longest episode: episode 5: emergency powers, with 2:31:00

shortest episode: episode 3: f for freezer, with 1:53:48

could you watch it in a day, doing nothing else: ✅

burrow's end:

the season isn't done yet, so the spreadsheet will be updated weekly as episodes come out, and this post will be updated when all of the data is present.

and that's all for this edition of thisisnotthenerd's d20 stats! this one was a long one. as always, the spreadsheet is open to perusal.

[achillean-knight]

LETS GO!!!!!! MY BROTHER AND I BRAINSTORMED SOME IDEAS FOR MY FINAL FANTASY x UNDERTALE AU >:D We decided to call it FinalTale just bc Undertale AU's kinda retain Under or Tale in the title? And also, it just kinda reminds me of Final Fantasy with Tale's usually being fantasy :> (Oh and this is under the cut so casual scrollers don't get bombarded with a WHOLE ASS line of text)

The barrier between the humans and monsters extends to the hole that Frisk/Chara fall through. There have been no other instances of humans ever falling down as it is INSANELY rare to ever fall between both worlds

Each of the crystals are summons that Asgore wants, so he can use their powers to become an all-powerful god to take revenge on the humans (maybe they invaded the underground once and killed MANY monsters.)

Ruins gets Ramuh, just based on the fact that he is usually the first summon you get/considered the wise guide of sorts (plus I didn't know where TF an electric type would go but that doesn't seem to matter for some final fantasy games anyways so PSHHH)

Snowdin gets Shiva, bc obviously, ice elemental LMFAO

Waterfall gets Leviathan because... water

Hotland gets Ifrit bc- ok yes Fire.

Including the Wild East from UT Yellow bc I remembered Titan and I needed him in the story so the crystals would equate to 7 in total lol but yeah he's an earth elemental and that was the only idea that came to mind for him KLSDKJGHSD

Frisk somehow has the Bahamut summon with them (light element), which renders them able to go into trace! :D And was also the reason they fell into the underground and was able to bypass the barrier unlike other humans.

Asgore already has the shadow/dark crystal (Odin), which means all he needs is Frisks light crystal + the Thunder crystal to become an all powerful god cause' he has most definitely already taken every crystal in the underground save for the ruins bc NOBODY goes there.

Chara and Asriel are not present as enemies in this story-- aswell as Flowey not being a thing? I imagine they're sorta the angel that's sealed between the barrier and human realm. Maybe Chara was the ONLY human without a crystal that stumbled into the underground, and being human, Chara couldn't survive there, long term. Honestly, seeing as I've given Asgore Odin by default, and somehow Toriel has Ramuh in the ruins, I can see maybe Asriel had Phoenix as a crystal? And used some of its rebirth abilities for Chara, but he had to use his own soul to actually harness it due to Chara being human and not monster-- And in a last ditch effort, Asriel did the sorta-- Monster absorbs humans soul and turns into a god-like being sorta deal but using Phoenix's rebirth abilities instead and so they became a being in itself, rendering them far too dangerous to keep in the underground. Maybe Asgore seals them away, fearing what they can do and not knowing that whatever they turned into is an "Angel" of sorts. Absolutely 100% someone who can revive you if you completely die btw JJHSDGSD I can see you able to obtain them as a summon if you do a SPECIFIC side quest throughout the game, kinda like how you can get the Fierce Deity mask in Majora's Mask by doing certain side quests (yes, ik, totally different game series but it gets the idea around >:3) Aswell also sorta the snowgrave route but not messed up KJHGDSD just a... very long and convoluted side quest that gives you major benefits in the long run.

Due to this angel-like summon being sealed away, they're located between the barrier and human world. You WILL see them anyways, even if you don't earn them as a summon, just bc you'll see them after defeating Asgore and returning to the barrier to go home, but gaining them before then, would hypothetically give you an alternate scene-- maybe you can use the Angel summon to destroy the barrier in its entirety and let the humans and monsters finally live in harmony. So YEAH!

There's technically still a good and neutral route, but no geno bc-- idk how that'd work in a Final Fantasy sense UYGSDDSGHJDS

Oh yeah, more stuff I wanna add!

Each of your party members are the boss fights you actually fight throughout UT, so Toriel, Papyrus, Undyne & Mettaton with Alphys being another party member + being the sorta... spiritual successor of Cid bc she'd be that crazy mechanic that you see in EVERY Final Fantasy LMFAO And Sans is a secret party member that, like how the Summon is OP, Sans is a powerful ally you can only earn by doing an optional bossfight. That way, there doesn't have to be a geno route to get the sans fight >:0 Oh and Mad Mew Mew would also be an optional party member, but like, she's a sorta normal levelled party member like everyone that's not sans JHDGHDSJH I can see her having pretty frequent banter with Mettaton specifically if you have them both on a team LMFAOOOOO

This is sorta what I have right now! :D If I design the summons, I'll 100% make them more monster than human (Shiva for example would not be human like she usually is. More monster like Ifrit!)

BUT YEAH! Final Fantasy 6 has given me alot of ideas so far >:3

[sangaverage]

So I have a fun story for you guys

Aka, how I got into demonolatry using pop culture magick and final fantasy summons

Oh boy here we go!

Divider credit: Here

So when I was younger I was impressionable like we all were at one point, and I loved (and still do to an extent) the final fantasy franchise, I used to watch my dad play ff7 when I was a little kid and as I grew older I finaly got around to playing my first (and favourite) final fantasy, FF12

Now I loved the summons/espers/eidolons in those games, yould call on some ancient being or mythical creature and it would help you in your battles, epic cutscenes that were sometimes just a little too long included...

Now some of my favourites were Bahamut, Phoenix and Leviathan.

One slightly boring day during PE/ Gym we was going to be doing basketball outside, now this wouldn't have been so bad if the school didn't just assume we all knew how to play (I was never taught how to dribble a ball)

So not wanting to embarrass myself and get myself further bullied than I was l did the most logical thing I thought of

I asked Leviathan for rain

Bare in mind this was Leviathans final fantasy aspect, I hadn't learned about the demonolatry/ biblical one yet.

And I was answered, not by rain but by a whole storm! The outdoor lesson was promptly postponed and we got to do whatever activities in small groups in the indoor hall, so I opted for something I was oddly better at, badminton (yes I know!)

Alot later on in my life I got gifted a copy of the lesser key of Solomon and another book on demons (I wanna say the demonolators handbook?)

and lo and behold, what two entities do I find while gracing the pages?

Phenex (yes it's spelt like that) and Leviathan!

me, a little year 7 (roughly 6th grade for the USA) kid, ended up summoning this:

I love magick sometimes!

[theinquisitxor]

November 2023 Reading Wrap Up

I read a total of 9 books in November, which was a better reading month than I've had in a while. I also found some new favorites and new releases this month. My workload for classes was much lighter, and I had significant more reading time. I read 7 physical books and 2 audiobooks.

1.Shadows of Self (Mistborn 5) by Brandon Sanderson, 3/5 stars. Another crime mystery set in Elendel. I read this one entirely as a physical copy, but I probably would have enjoyed the audiobook more. I wasn’t as engaged in the plot as much, and it felt a bit like a ‘filler’ book to me. Crime thriller high fantasy

2.The Hollow Places by T. Kingfisher, 4/5 stars. This was a creepy portal fantasy horror with interdimensional monsters and a museum of curiosities. A good spooky season read, and a book that I couldn't put down. I stayed up past 2am to read it. Horror, portal fantasy

3.The Scorpio Races by Maggie Stiefvater, 5/5 stars. My annual reread of this book starting every November 1st. I listened to this on audio, and I made November cakes in honor of my tradition.

4.Starling House by Alix E Harrow, 5/5 stars. This book was everything I enjoy in stories, and is about a struggling Appalachian town, siblings trying to survive, a sentient house, tragic dark fairy tales, gothic horror, and a beauty & the beast retelling. The pace of this book is slow, and I would consider it a deeply character driven story. Contemporary fantasy.

5.Steelstriker (Skyhunter 2) by Marie Lu, 3.5/5 stars. This is a post apocalyptic dystopian ya fantasy that touches on real world events, and certainly feels relevant to some events that have happened over the past few years. This is a fast paced, action packed duology that kept me hooked and wanting to turn the pages. Sci-fi/fantasy

6.Leviathan Falls (The Expanse 9) by James S.A. Corey, 5/5 stars. I've been reading the Expanse books for three years now, and I started Leviathan Wakes in Jan 2021. This really built up to a huge finale and gave a satisfying ending, I don't think I could have asked for better. The last ~20 pages of this were spot on. I'm very glad I read this series, even if it took me several years. Science Fiction Space Opera.

7.The Bands of Mourning (Mistborn 6) by Brandon Sanderson, 4/5 stars. Very entertaining and enjoyable, reading this series on audio is 1000% the best way for me to consume these books. This book had a lot of cool moments, parts that made me go “what?!” and some neat new cosmere/worldbuilding things in it. Crime thriller high fantasy

8.Murtagh by Christopher Paolini, 3/5 stars. Murtagh was a decently good book. Murtagh is my favorite character of the Inheritance Cycle, and I was looking forward to reading this. I enjoyed most of this book, although I thought it could have been trimmed down, and there was one section and significant trope that I did not enjoy, which affected how I felt about this book. High Fantasy.

9. Thornhedge by T. Kingfisher, 5/5 stars. This novella was exactly my type of fairy tale and brand of faeries. I also enjoyed a good representation of the middle ages, and T. Kingfisher's excellent writing. This was such a sweet story (even though it has darker moments), and I'm glad I decided to pick this up. Fantasy/fairy tale

That's it for November! See my December tbr below

December tbr:

The Lost Metal (Mistborn 7) audiobook

A Strange and Stubborn Endurance by Foz Meadows (reread)

All the Hidden Paths by Foz Meadows

Howl's Moving Castle by DWJ (reread)

Castle in the Air by DWJ

House of Many Ways by DWJ

The Damar duology (The Blude Sword and The Hero and the Crown) by Robin McKinley

A Winter's Promise by Christbelle Dabos

Realm Breaker by Victoria Aveyard

Nonfiction on audio

[desertleviathan]

I'm still not particularly adept at Gposing, but spent most of today making a gallery of all my FFXIV alts as they stand on the last day before the servers go down for Dawntrail on Friday. I guess so I have something to compare them to when figuring out whether or not I'm happy with how they look after the graphics update?

Anyway. Here's the whole crew.

1.) SIEGE ZABAC, Captain of the Amaranthine Maw Pirates and my Warrior of Light. An absolute garbage fire of a man, but an unparalleled tactical genius and god-slaying machine. Also featured: the Major-General, mascot of the Amaranthine Maw Pirates.

2.) R'KHSANA JANNAT, First Mate of the Amaranthine Maw Pirates, the ambitious and talented granddaughter of the legendary pirate lord who preceded Siege as captain, biding her time until it's her turn to take command.

3.) GRIEVER STRZYGASCH, Quartermaster of the Amaranthine Maw Pirates, an old smuggler who talks a big game about retiring any day now, but clearly loves what he does too much to let age slow him down.

4.) AUBERONT GEVAUDAN, Master-at-arms of the Amaranthine Maw Pirates, Gelmorran Royalty (for whatever that's worth) cursed with something like Lycanthropy, who's developed impressive spiritual discipline to keep the Beast Within on a short leash.

5.) PENITENT CORMORANT, Chaplain of the Amaranthine Maw Pirates, a rank that's something like "chief sorcerer." In a world where ghosts and demons and sea monsters are definitely real, having a full-time spook wrangler on board is indispensable. Also, she's Captain Siege's ex-wife. But it's an amicable split. Mostly.

6.) LOCKPIX BURGLEBANKS, Engineer of the Amaranthine Maw Pirates, a Lalafell orphan raised by a crew of Goblin thieves, and a genius magitek expert on par with even the Empire's best and brightest.

7.) USUL HARAGIN, Navigator of the Amaranthine Maw Pirates, an eccentric mystic who followed signs and portents across half the star to find and join the Warrior of Light. Also the Second Azure Dragoon in my continuity, as per the DRG Job Quests (Siege's DRG powers come from his bond with Midgardsormr instead.)

8.) PANDORA JARNVIDR, Doctor of the Amaranthine Maw Pirates, but not really a member of the crew. Just a civilian passenger... who in all ways acts like the chief medical officer on the ship. Possibly over 300 years old. Was married to the old captain, R'kshasa Nunh, and is the only one of his wives to outlive him.

9.) ERIS DONOVAN, Rogue Ascian. She wasn't one of the Thirteen, but she was high-enough ranking to get an idea of what the whole Master Plan was, and she wanted no part of it. Honestly, they only recruited her because her Ancient predecessor had been a fierce political opponent of Venat's, forgetting that that was back when Venat was herself a member of their cohort.

10.) LUNATICIA CERISE, Demon-Engineered Apocalypse Weapon. A tribute to my favorite City of Heroes character, here reimagined as a byproduct of the Demon Princess Lilith's experiments, too volatile for possession, but too powerful to be set aside, taken as an "apprentice" by Eris.

11.) BEATRIX LEBLANC, a tribute to General Beatrix from Final Fantasy IX. An officer in Amdapor's military who was sealed in a crystal of light for centuries, then rescued and recruited by Eris (whose pre-awakening incarnation had been Beatrix's Mhachi rival) to oppose the Ascians.

12.) COLUMBO LALUMBO, Master Detective. I created him for a friend's Book Club style MSQ replay, which has mostly ground to a halt, but I enjoyed playing him enough that I still log into him every so often and do stuff.

13.) DESERT LEVIATHAN, not really a self-insert, I just realized that my handle was a lore-compliant Hellsguard Roegadyn name and decided to name my EU server alt after myself to make it easy for my friends in the UK to remember that that rarely-played name on their Friend List matched the guy they knew on Discord.

14.) NOT SHOWN, hopefully my final alt, who will be waiting for information on Female Hrothgar names before Fantasia-ing into one. Was going to be based on Madeen from FFIX just like Griever was drawn from FFVIII, but it looks like Madeen is an inspiration for some of the Pictomancer powers, so I'll be waiting to figure that out for sure.

[aceduooooooooooooooooooooooooo]

I want to talk about my ff7 au but I'm nervous 😔

[ghoulishbuck]

24 books to read in 2024 | X= on my physical tbr O= not on my physical tbr

1. Eragon by Christopher Paolini- 528 pages O

2. Frankenstein by Mary Shelley- 288 pages X

3. Red Rising by Pierce Brown- 382 pages O

4. The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien- 389 pages X

5. Gunmetal Gods by Zamil Akhtar- 498 pages O (audible tbr)

6. The Sword of Kaigen by M.L. Wang- 600 pages O (audible tbr)

7. Fireborne by Rosaria Munda- 448 pages X

8. The Familiar by Leigh Bardugo- 400 pages O

9. The Final Empire by Brandon Sanderson- 541 pages O

10. The Devil in the White City by Erik Larson- 464 pages O

11. The Eye of the World by Robert Jordan- 814 pages O

12. Leviathan Wakes by James S.A. Corey- 561 pages X

13. Les Misérables by Victor Hugo- 1,463 pages O

14. Percy Jackson and the Olympians the Lighting Thief by Rick Riordan- 375 pages X

15. The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins- 374 pages X

16. Network Effect by Martha Wells- 352 pages X

17. Jade City by Fonda Lee- 560 pages O

18. The Terror by Dan Simmons- 769 pages O

19. Shadow and Bone by Leigh Bardugo- 358 pages X

20. The Troop by Nick Cutter- 358 pages O

21. The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller- 369 pages X

22. Mr. Mercedes by Stephen King- 437 pages X

23. The Wager by David Grann- 329 pages O

24. Monstrilio by Gerardo Sámano Córdova- 336 pages O

This is very fantasy heavy and 11,993 pages long… I honestly have no idea if I’ll get to The Final Empire, The Eye of the World or Les Misérables I want to but they are the most intimidating on this list. Although, I should really try to get to Les Misérables considering that it’s been on my tbr since July and I keep putting it off.

[styrmwb]

Favorite Final Fantasy Music (FFXIV - A Realm Reborn)

something something critically acclaimed mmo something something IT'S THE SECOND FF MMO BABYYYYYYYYY!!!! This game is what really started my personal FF renaissance, as I really only played a couple games growing up and watched a lot of them being played, but this is what activated my brain. It was all downhill from the moment I logged into Limsa. If you're reading this, you're on the internet. You know people love this game, you know people won't shut up about this game, and it's for good reason! This game fucks! And you know what helps this game fuck? Its soundtrack fucks!!! XIV has the big dog himself Masayoshi Soken take over as the music director, and my man is god's gift to earth (as well as the rest of the XIV music team who's names are harder to find and credit but I know they're there and they're putting their whole fantussy into it). Like XI, I cannot do this game justice putting it into one list since it's basically multiple games in one, so I will be making lists per expansion again (and that still feels like it's doing it dirty this list was so hard). Let's get started with the definitely first part of this game (no there's no other part what huh) and have me share my favorite ARR songs :)

5. On Westerly Winds Ohhhhh my god. This was probably the first song that really caught my attention when I first started playing the game, which a first area should do! I love La Noscea and this song is half of the reason why. Something about that first melody and the sound of the strings; it's amazing. This song goes through multiple different phases. The intro feels grand, starting off your adventure, then it feels like you're running around the hills of Middle La Noscea; then it feels like a party in a tavern, people loudly cheering and having fun and toasting their barrel mugs of mead, finally calming down in a windy, spiraling, chaotic way to move to something befitting the night, with this amazing mystical finale turning into the sun rising and starting the song over. This song DEFINES La Noscea and the people's lives in it. Musically, I love the percussion, I love the strings, I love the bagpipes, I love the choir towards the end; this song was the first hook that this game put in my head.

4. Dawn of a New Era The only reason that this song is not higher, is that it's Too Goddamn Short. One minute long. But this one minute? Pure emotion. Pure joy. This is the song that plays at the end of the ARR cinematic trailer, but also at the end of the campaign. This song is both a finale, but also as it says, a dawn, a new beginning. The short, plucky start building you up, letting the dialogue occur or to put you back into place after some massive, world ending event. Then the horns come in blasting cheer at you, and one of the most fun bass tracks I've ever heard. The choir shouts at you with the main theme of the entire series, the orchestra plays the prelude, and the entire song plays off with the fucking victory theme. Every single sound in this entire song is amazing, and the way it's composed, the emotion behind the melodies in game, but also for the series as a whole, this is triumph and victory incarnate. When I heard them use this melody later on in Myths of the Realm? Dude I swear I teared up at every song. I still tear up at this song when I hear it. WHY CAN'T IT BE LONGER GODDAMMIT I PUT IT ON LOOP LIKE 7 TIMES BEFORE I'M SATISFIED

3. Through the Maelstrom LEVIATHAN, LEVIATHAN! LEVIATHAN, LEVIATHAN! My favorite summon. My favorite primal. This song is absolutely perfect for what it is, while keeping that rock that XIV is now known for. I can't really explain it, but the guitar riffs SOUND like a storm at sea. They sound like violent, crashing waves. The lyrics are coming straight from the Sahagin chanting and praying for their lord; "Endless! Send us! Breathless! Deathless! Restless! Test us! Tend us! Mend us!", this song sounds like everything is going against you, both the weather and the people all around you. As a song? IT FUCKING ROCKS. The rhythm of the whole thing is a headbanger, and my absolute favorite part is right after the second loop of the chorus, the SWELL, YE SEAS OF OLD section (this is so much easier to place specific parts with the lyrics), it sounds like a modernized surf rock jam, the lyrics are really fun to sing along to (once you understand them), and it's just an absolute joy. I wish this song played the entire time so it made farming all the Leviathan weapons less painful. (WHITE FUUUUURYYYYYYY, BLINDING INDIGOOOOOOOOO)

2. Under the Weight Can you tell I'm a Limsa Lominsa bitch? All of my favorite songs come from this area lmao. I feel like this spot really goes to every song in Titan's fight; On Westerly Winds was where the soundtrack hooked me, but Under the Weight is where I realized this soundtrack was Built Different. Heavy rock in my fantasy RPG? What the fuck??? The heavy drums throughout the entire song, the guitar rocking out, and the vocals screaming and chanting at you, this song is a headbanger through and through, but shows you the intensity of this fight. Kobolds all around you jumping and beating their fists, chanting for their god while Titan slams and knocks you around. This song sounds like an earthquake, and I mean, come on, rock for the rock monster? Absolutely yes. I feel like I'm bouncing for the whole song, with the way the drums beat, but also when the lyrics go solo, saying more than just the "BOWDOWNOVERDWELLER TITAN!", and those are definitely my favorite parts. I also love midway through, with the echoey fading out yelling to the really cool like, pipey sounding guitar. I feel like I'm just gonna keep repeating myself, but it's not hard to see why this song is so amazing. (INTO THE DARK OF AN ENDLESS NIGHT WHERE THE PULSE OF THE LAND OFFERS NO RESPITE)

1. Tempest I feel like everyone knows Under the Weight, it's mandatory content. We all know how good that song is. But you know what not as many people have done? The Binding Coils of Bahamut. This is the song of the final boss in the Second Coils, aka the fight against the main villain of the game leading up to Bahamut exploding everything. This song is also one of the few XIV songs that Uematsu did, and it feels like he took the soul of IX and brought it into the modern era. It has the rock, it has the synth, it even has the souls of the damned again! The intro is incredible, with the heavy hits and the guitar riffs alongside the SHHHHHEEEEEWWWWWWWW synth sounds. The piano/organ playing off right before the song hard stops, bringing in these haunting wails and the classic "Hear. Feel. Think" Hydaelyn chant; then it goes hard again. The drums slam. The guitars shred. The terror truly begins. The song builds up further and further with one of my favorite synth sounds EVER. This sounds like you're facing off against an absolutely demonic evil (which you are!), and the wailing coming back playing along side everything???? DUDE. HOLY FUCK. The build up in this whole song goes absolutely insane, but when it actually starts going is incredible too. I've pretty much already said my praises for every instrument used in this song, and the rest is just going to be me repeating it. I love all the melodies, I love the heavy off beats, and I just love the jamming from both the rock and techno ends. This is The Black Mages all over again.

Honorable mentions go to (there's gonna be so many in all these lists): Torn from the Heavens, Hard to Miss, Fallen Angel, Reflections, Ultima, Spiral, Fury, Rise of the White Raven, Thunder Rolls, Oblivion, and Primogenitor.

[nonsubstantial]

2023 book log (part 2/3)

++++July++++

Yellowface by R.F. Kuang ~ A really meta and 'internet drama heavy' thriller. It's about an author who steals the manuscript for her (dead) friend's upcoming book. I don't think I've read anything like this before, so I thought it was pretty interesting. ~ my rating: 8/10

Persepolis Rising (the expanse 7) by James S.A. Corey ~ The first in a trilogy of books that form the final story arc of the expanse series. I thought it was a decent story, but I don't care for extended fight scenes, and it felt like a lot of it was setting up for the 8th book. ~ my rating: 7/10

++++August++++

Tiamat's Wrath (the expanse 8) by James S.A. Corey ~ The second book in the Laconian trilogy. The main characters suffer so much. But they persevere. I liked this one more than the past few books. It seemed like character development was given an extra amount of consideration. ~ my rating: 8/10

Manhunt by Gretchen Felker-Martin ~ A book where anyone with too much testosterone turns into a fucking monster. Horror, gore, and trans discourse. Extreme trigger warning. ~ my rating: 8/10

Leviathan Falls (the expanse 9) by James S.A. Corey ~ The final expanse book! I had a lot of fun with this series, despite feeling like the authors could have cut 100-200 pages out of each book. Their compulsion to overexplain everything was both their greatest strength and their greatest weakness. Oddly, the side stories that bookended this book ('Auberon' and 'The Sins of our Fathers') were both highpoints in the series history, and I liked them almost more than the final book itself. The Expanse is truly a sci-fi epic. (worth mentioning that I also have a favorite quote from the expanse; it's when Amos says "Everywhere's Baltimore") ~ my rating: 7/10

The Light Fantastic (discworld 2) by Terry Pratchett ~ A direct sequel to the first Discworld book, which I read a couple years ago. It seemed to me that this book achieved pretty much everything that the first book did, but to a much greater extent. It's mostly a lot of riffing on early fantasy tropes. Fortunately, this book solidified my belief that Discworld is a series worthy of slowly making my way through. ~ my rating: 8/10

++++September++++

Equal Rites (discworld 3) by Terry Pratchett ~ At first, it seemed like an attempt to tell a more focused, character driven story in the setting of the Discworld. And yet it remained unfocused, and retread some of the same ground as the first two books. Near the end, I realized that the true purpose of the book was just to explore the ways that magic functions in the Discworld, and to make it a more believable setting. I also loved the eldritch horrors at the end. ~ my rating: 7/10

Babel by R.F. Kuang ~ I loved this author's 2023 book, Yellowface, so I knew I had to check this out eventually. The worst parts, of this alternate history thriller, are that parts of the plot feel a little contrived, and the reader is led along a very narrow path, so to speak. The plot itself is a very well researched and well reasoned dive into themes of translation, colonialism, and scholarship. The real magic of this book is in how it blends its message with its characters, who were all endearing and had stories that were both gripping and believable. I usually don't fall this hard for books that are 'all plot', but Kuang managed to pack so many good things into this one that I ended up really enjoying it. The one thing that I'm unsure of is what to rate it, because while I initially put it at a 9/10, it hasn't remained as memorable as I expected, and I'm starting to think that Yellowface had a stronger impression on me. So, I guess ~ my rating: 8/10

[zahlibeth]

✨zahli's 2023 book tracker 📚📕📙📗📘

i've been tracking these on discord but ig they can go here too!

Gideon the Ninth (The Locked Tomb #1) - Tamsyn Muir [169k] Harrow the Ninth (The Locked Tomb #2) - Tamsyn Muir [193k] Nona the Ninth (The Locked Tomb #3) - Tamsyn Muir [179k] These were an adventure, you can never quite predict wtf is going to happen next. Honestly I prefered the premise of the first and wanted to see Gideon and Harrow go on to be an awesome necromantic pair which (spoilers) is not quite what happens. The whole thing goes very off the rails and is simultaneously a lot of fun but also a little unsatisfying when the story doesn't go anywhere you thought it might.

Project Hail Mary - Andy Weir [171k] Highly highly recommend this, I suggest going in with minimal information. Man in rocket in space. Science fiction. Enjoy!

Persepolis Rising (The Expanse #7) - James S. A. Corey [174k] Tiamat's Wrath (The Expanse #8) - James S. A. Corey [184k] Leviathan Falls (The Expanse #9) - James S. A. Corey [183k] These were re-reads - I was fairly sure I hadn't read the final in the series so I backtracked a couple to catch up. By the time I got to the end I realised I HAD in fact read all of them! I feel like the last couple of book started posing some really interesting questions that the series as a whole entirely failed to answer. It was a good re-read, but I think the trailing questions were why I wasn't sure I had actually finished it before. It feels a little like the ending was planned at the start and didn't quite grow with the rest of the series. Still, there's a lot to enjoy in the series and I will at some point go back and re-read from the start.

Red, White and Royal Blue - Casey McQuiston [132k] I devoured this in about 3 seconds flat and had a hell of a good time. Surprisingly less internal conflict than I had expected, a lot of fun, really loved all the little friendship groups.

Children of Time (Children of Time #1) - Adrian Tchaikovsky [176k] This was a lot of fun - it follows two narratives - a generation ship from a dying earth and a world seeded by a fancy nanovirus that was intended to bootstrap monkeys back up to a human society but instead...activated spiders. It felt a little slow going back and forth as the spiders slowly slowly advance and the humans are periodically awoken and put back into cryo sleep, but it was worth it. Interesting exploration of both sides and then ofc they meet up towards the end.

Next on the agenda: Children of Ruin (this one has cephalopods!), then perhaps Children of Time. Then I think Witch King by Martha Wells because I'm dying to read some more fantasy at this point and I adore murderbot so this should be good. I did start The Cloud Roads and never finish it though, so we'll see. Perhaps the Priory of the Orange Tree instead because dragons!!