#plus they're only making money off of the backs of the original

[marciabrady]

I liked your thoughts on diversity issues in the LA TLM. Would be happy to read your analysis of the whole movie.

Thank you for enjoying my thoughts! I think people are really blinded by the casting of Halle to realize that a film set in the Caribbean (TLM 2023) should not look like this:

It's also worthy of noting that the only two people of color in this picture aside from Halle are only featured via their voice- Halle's father, uncle, and love interest are all white- even Ariel's "alter ego" (ie the one who stole her voice and is using it, so should conceivably look enough like her to believably be the original owner of the stolen voice) is also a white British woman...such a missed opportunity. Especially since Disney doesn't have a black Prince (Naveen is South Asian).

Honestly, that specific fandom is probably the worst to interact with if you aren't blindly praising the movie. I think it was a mistake just like every other live-action Disney movie, which are always inferior versions of their original counterparts. I could get more granular but, again, I really don't feel like being countered on why this movie is the best ever and every choice was genius when I have a difference of opinion. I think the added lore was confusing and convoluted and never paid off, the design of the costumes and the worldbuilding was ugly tbh, I think they put WAY too many expectations on Halle and the character of Ariel to the point where it obliterated the very human and vulnerable components of her, they went against all of Howard's original notes of effect vs going broad, and Rob Marshall showed who he was multiple times by saying how he felt the original had a shallow love story that he never connected with, Eric was two dimensional character in the original, and just all the other negative things he said about Ron and John's great work while simultaneously ripping them off (Jodi's said multiple times that Ron kept mentioning to her during the screening that they used a ton of his lines from his original story treatment).

I think the performances were wooden, to put it mildly. And, honestly while a lot of this boils down to bad acting and lack of chemistry (Javier might give the worst performance I've ever seen in a film), it also isn't fair to have actors navigate a heavily CGI'd world compared to the medium of animation that has like four performances for a single character (between the many supervising and sequence animators a single character might have, their voice, the dialogue director, etc). In the original, you can see how Triton and Ariel keep interrupting one another in a masterclass of expressive animation and dimensional voice acting, they're almost one top of each other, and the heave Ariel musters as all the emotions build in her chest. We can feel how frustrated she feels at her inability to be heard and how she's fighting to keep her emotions from getting the best of her. Halle and Javier have a different dynamic, where they never really get that heated or emotionally charged and they're barely interrupting one another; they're super still, and the calm way with which she stares at him before swimming off...I'm sorry, this just isn't it for me lol the film isn't as bad as Lily's Cinderella but nothing ever will be lol

[mrpenguinpants]

Please go out with me for tax benefits!

— When you randomly pointed to a handsome man and declared him to be your boyfriend, you didn't think it would get this out of hand. You just wanted a couples discount!

— Alhaitham, Ayato, and Kazuha

-> Part 2: Overdue Bills [Masterlist]

This was originally written for my upcoming "Help me break my engagement by marrying me instead." fic but I got carried away and it became too plot-heavy. So I made a new one. Most of these have nothing to do with money, I just thought the title was funny.

Alhaitham

You blame Kaveh for this. This is entirely his fault and you will not be convinced otherwise. If he hadn't opened his big mouth to Alhaitham about the fact you've been spouting that he was your boyfriend, then you wouldn't be in this mess. It wasn't even that serious, it's not like you were actually emotionally invested with the man and this was all a delusional dream. You barely knew the guy aside from the multiple rumors about him in the first place. You just needed to access some limited-edition books for your thesis and his name happened to be the easiest way to get ahold of them. Sure, you may be lying to authority for the better half of a year about your relationship with the scribe, but it's not your fault they didn't ask questions. If you happened to threaten to tell your very scary and very influential "boyfriend" about this "mistreatment", that's just a byproduct if anything. But now you have a very irritated silver-haired man crowding into your personal space asking why the hell you're announcing to the world that you're both in a relationship. It's creepy. He called you creepy. Is this where you roll over and die in shame?

You swear you didn't think it would get this out of hand. You just happened to spot him in the background while the librarian was giving you a hard time and your dumb brain-to-mouth filter was taking a break that day. So you just blurted that you were Alhaitham's partner and that he would be very upset to hear that you were being treated this way. It's not completely far-fetched, Alhaitham seems like a very, very, private person and on the off chance you were telling the truth? Well, the poor librarian didn't want to lose her job. Besides, it's not like you were planning on doing anything illegal and you don't think you're the absolute worst person to be fake-dating.

By some stroke of luck, or maybe he felt too much pity for you, Alhaitham decides to cut you a deal rather than get you kicked out of the Akademiya. He gets multiple love letters, confessions, and heart-eyed individuals trailing after him all the time. Frankly, he's getting tired of it and since you've already taken the liberty, he won't say anything if you don't say anything. Though he makes it clear that if you ever do anything embarrassing, you're taking the fall and he's going to pretend he doesn't know you. A bit harsh but that's only a safety net. Plus it's not like you actually want to date him so he wouldn't have any commitments. The added bonus is that since he's well-known for having a...rough personality, you don't need to act affectionately with the man or go the extra mile. As long as you have each other's backing, you'll get to check out any textbook you want for free and he gets to be left alone. So for both your benefits, to the rest of the Akademiya you and him are a couple.

You should have known this deal was way too good to be true. As soon as people hear that Alhaitham acknowledges that you're his partner, they're on you like rabid fungi. In comparison to the scribe, you're far easier to prod and poke for any gossip and your quiet day-to-day life is suddenly thrown into the wind. Multiple people a day come to bother you about what it's like to date the moody man. It gets to a point where you have to actually dress incognito just to go and get some coffee. Seriously, didn't people have deadlines and exams to prepare for then to hound you down to talk about your fake love life? Alhaitham is no help either, only shrugging off your complaints and telling you that this is what you agreed to.

He's a horrible partner, fake or not. This isn't your storybook romance where he suddenly falls in love with you, he straight up ignores you sometimes! If anything, this entire situation has stopped you from feeling intimidated by him. Before you wouldn't dare approach him, his appearance and body were enough for you to shy away. You're impulsive, not blind. Alhaitham is drop-dead gorgeous but now that you've reached such an absurd situation it stops intimidating you. You begin to regularly pester the man because you know that even though you're both not actually dating, it would look really bad if he shunned you constantly.

He actually doesn't mind you. Unlike Kaveh or anyone else who interacts with him, you know how to be quiet and independent. Most of the time you both sit in silence, the only noise between the two of you being the flipping of pages and the scratching of ink against paper. If you ever do speak, it's always with a purpose. It's just a bonus that while everyone stares at your table, no one ever approaches. If they need to speak with him, they see your body right next to him and they decide to come back at a later time when he's alone.

Over time, he finds himself seeking you out instead of the other way around. He's come to find your presence comforting and it's the only time when he can actually sit down and read. Being an observant person, he starts to notice your little habits. For one, touch seems to be how you interact with others. You always bump elbows whenever you greet him, pinching his half coat whenever you want to drag him to see whatever captured your attention, and nudging his arm with your hand whenever you need him to bend down so you can whisper something into his ear. He's honestly surprised and concerned that he doesn't push you away with your skinship. If it were anyone else, he would have sent them a sharp glare and pushed him off but he doesn't for you.

All things must come to an end eventually and you've finally finished writing the last sentences for your thesis. Your pat on the back is the firm shut of a book as a deep sigh escapes your lips. Tired but relieved. The goodbye is uneventful, you simply tell him that you don't need him to pretend to be your boyfriend and he's free to live out the single life. He just nods and with that, you're gone.

No one says anything when they notice that Alhaithem sits at a table alone for the nth time that week. There are a few whispers back and forth about how you either got fed up with this attitude or he realized that he was way out of your league. Either way, everyone assumes you and Alhaithem are no longer together and his routine before you arrived settles back in. Yet, he feels off. He refuses to call it longing, you both were hardly affectionate in the first place, but he feels a bit lonely without your presence beside him. it's been plaguing his mind ever since you packed your things and left. He's hardly been able to concentrate on his book, rereading the same sentence for the fourth time before snapping it shut. Letting out a deep sigh, he runs a hand through his hair before setting it against his closed eyes. What's gotten into him?

"Is this seat taken?"

His eyes shoot open, turning around to see you with an armful of books looking expectantly at him. You look nervous and he can't lie to himself that he doesn't find that just the slightest bit endearing. He can tell that you're struggling to carry all of them from the slight shake in your hands.

"I thought our deal was over?" he says this but he gets up anyways to take the books out of your hands and places them on the table. You just roll your eyes at him because of course that's what he would say first and push forward. You're probably the only one who would act so brazenly in front of him besides Kaveh but he doesn't find it irritating when you do it.

"What? So I need to be in a relationship with you just to sit at a table? I know your ego is big but not thattt big," you stretch your words as you settle comfortably into your seat.

He wonders when he started thinking of that specific chair as yours.

"No. I suppose not," he says with an exasperated smile as he sits back down. You beam back at him as you shuffle your chair closer to him as you open your textbook, your fingertips gave that familiar tug for him to lean in closer.

"Good, because I need some help with this section. I have no idea what the hell "bloom" is."

Ayato

Although Valentine's day was mostly celebrated in Mondstadt and Sumeru, Inazuma still liked to dabble in the festivities during the day of love. Various couples' discounts on tricolored Dango or limited edition books from the Yae Publishing House. There was one popular series in particular that was having a huge discount to celebrate the holiday and even though you weren't in the market for a partner, you weren't going to pass up on such a steal. Only for your excitement to fall flat when the lady informed you that the discount was for couples only.

You can't believe this. You just stood in line for hours only for them to tell you this now? What kind of shady place was this? Of course, they didn't advertise the specifics of this sale, they knew this book was popular. People waiting in line wouldn't just walk away once they found out and they would end up paying full price! Well, two can play this game. You randomly gesture off to the side, saying that your boyfriend was just standing off to the side because he wanted to grab some refreshments. You aren't really looking where you're pointing, too busy digging through your pouch and counting your coins of mora before a sharp gasp stops you. The lady quickly bows and beams at you with a mega-watt customer service smile. She hands the book to you free of charge while profusely thanking you for your patronage. You look off to the side but you don't see anyone, but you weren't going to say no, so you shrug and take it. A free book is a free book.

To be fair, you were making it really easy for the Archons to mess with you. You hear whispers around you that you can't make out, anytime you glance at passing people, they quickly bow and shuffle along. You have a horrible sinking feeling forming in the pit of your stomach and you quickly rush home so you can avoid whatever the hell you just caused. Unfortunately, word travels fast in Inazuma, and every shop you pass by you're being confronted left and right with sales pitches and gifts of appreciation for your partner's hard work. All of which you decline, half of it because you're not actually in a relationship and the other half because you have no interest in their gifts. But you've already dug yourself this far in your grave so you just give a hasty no thank you as you try and dodge everyone who looks at you with that glimmer in their eyes. Who did you point at to receive this much praise?

Ayato is greatly confused when people approach him to congratulate him on his engagement. He wasn't planning on getting married any time soon, his duties as the Yashiro Commissioner taking up most of this time. Did the elders set someone up for him without informing him first? He's curious about who his mystery person is but everyone he asks doesn't seem to know where they went. Apparently, his fiancee is shy but humble, declining gifts from various shopkeepers no matter how expensive they are.

That's until one of the children points in your direction and his eyes slide over to you who looks just as confused as him. He's never seen you in his life and you don't look like anyone from a significant clan. He gets clued in that you boldly announced your relationship with him when you were checking out a specific book meant for couples only. Ah, he's starting to understand now. He offers a piece of candy for the helpful information as he makes his way over to you. His mysterious fiancee.

As soon as the man in front of you says Lord Kamisato's name, the uneasy weight in your stomach drops. You quickly spin on your heel to see the pale blue hair and amused light purple eyes. Oh. Oh, Archon's above, please, out of everyone you could have pointed to, please don't make it be the Yashiro Commissioner. You're about to burn this book into ashes and do a ceremony to banish whatever youkai were stored within the pages if you manage to make it out of this alive.

If Ayato was upset about this situation he's found himself in, it would be immediately wiped away because you look like you're about to collapse. He's trying his best to not laugh at your torment right in front of you, but the mix of emotions that's so openly displayed on your face is making it hard. It's obvious that you didn't mean for this to happen, you've just tripped and fallen into a web of misunderstandings. Too entangled to explain yourself without making a fool out of yourself.

If looks could kill, this storekeeper would be dead on the floor twice over. This man calls out to the Yashiro Commissioner, and just to add salt to the wound, proudly congratulates him on his engagement with you. You said nothing about an engagement, you're far too young to be thinking about that thank you very much. But Ayato just nods along with that ever-pleasant smile without bothering to correct the situation. You're not sure if you should be thankful or not. He might be planning your murder in his mind so you stay silent as well.

When Ayato's gaze shifts to you, you do what any creature does when they're in danger and there's nowhere to run. You hide. You automatically raise your book to cover your face so you don't need to look at the source of your embarrassment. Although it does nothing to hide just how red your face is, you don't see him and that's good enough for you. But this also means you don't see the questioning glance the storekeeper shoots Ayato about your behavior, to which Ayato gives a pleasant smile and waves a hand to dismiss the situation.

"Please excuse my fiancee, we didn't mean to announce our engagement so early," Ayato muses, and the storekeeper nods in understanding while you bring your book down low enough to peer over the edges of the pages. Is...is he covering for you? He looks down expectantly at you but when you don't move, he awkwardly coughs into his fist and tilts his head toward the shopkeeper.

"A-Ah yes, that's right! It was a slip of the tongue and I hadn't realized I said it out loud. Please excuse my behavior," you bow and you can hear Ayato turning his head to snort into his hand. This is awful. You think you would prefer if he just outted you so you didn't need to show the world how awful your acting skills are. This is why you read plays, not star in them. But the shopkeeper nods in understanding, apologizing for saying your engagement so loud for others to hear before you're leaving with Ayato's arm wrapped around your waist.

"I'm deeply sorry. There was a discount for couples only and I just pointed in a random direction and it just happened to land on you. I swear I didn't mean to start any of this," you quickly rush out as you bow before Ayato as soon as you're out of sight from the public eye. He still has that annoying look in his eyes but you're completely at his mercy right now. The smug bastard definitely knows that.

"It's no trouble at all. I found the situation quite entertaining," he chuckles before looking you up and down. Okay...a tiny bit weird but you suppose your actions are worse. There's a long silence between the two of you as if he's pondering something and you've had enough of today's events.

"Um...well if that's everything I'll be getting out of your hair. Please enjoy the rest of your day Lord Kamisato," you mumble as you turn to leave but his hand hooks onto the back of your kimono and drags you right back.

"Ah, ah. It would make a bad impression if my fiancee suddenly left me on Valentine's Day. Oh and please, call me Ayato," he smiles that same polite smile but his eyes tell a different story entirely. His smile even widens at how hard you're biting your lip as you match his with a strained one. For Archon's sake, you just wanted to buy a book, how did you get into this mess?!

Kazuha

As soon as Inazuma's borders reopened, you were jumping on the fastest ship back to Liyue. You even got extra lucky that your good friend Beidou happened to be on the pier and offered you a well-deserved ride back to your home free of charge. You've been so homesick but unable to leave due to the regulation the Electro Archon placed, so to say that you were excited to finally go back was an understatement. Although the Crux Fleet was mainly an armed carrier delivering goods between places separated by sea, it did occasionally transport passengers if they paid enough. It only made sense that others would be like you and wish to return home as soon as possible. It's too bad that one of them happened to take one look at you and decide that you were born to be his.

It's an incredibly awkward affair. This wealthy businessman doesn't appear to mean any harm but he's incredibly dense with no sense of social awareness. Although you've politely declined his advances, he doesn't seem to stop. Even when Beidou herself threatens to throw the man overboard, he just keeps his distance and makes heart eyes at you. Unfortunately for you, Beidou can't actually throw him into the cruel watery depths no matter how much you plead with her. The man seems to be an important figure from Snezhnaya so she can't exactly treat him badly. Thus you spend most of your time ducking away and running away from your creepy admirer.

You're usually not so bold but the mix of overwhelming homesickness and just wanting to get this journey over and done with, all of it compels you to act rashly. If your new admirer can't take a simple no then you'll find a different way and show him you're off limits. You've seen the man who sits on the crow's nest, you believe Beidou said his name was Kazuha, whose been a part of her crew for a while now. You've only made passing small talk with each other and he seems like a nice person, at least you hope so. Because as soon as his feet touch the ship's deck, you're throwing yourself at him. You have to give him credit, he has lightning-fast reflexes and is a lot stronger than his demeanor expresses since he manages to catch you and stop you both from sprawling across the floor.

You make a show of throwing your arms around him and whining about how he doesn't spend enough time with poor dear you. You can tell he's infinitely confused so you lean in and whisper into his ear about your creepy stalker who can't take a no. Your eyes desperately plead with him to play along with you, just until the ship reaches Liyue Harbour. It only takes Kazuha to look over your shoulder and lock gazes with said "stalker" before he's turning to you with the most tender smile on his lips and a soft apology for being neglectful. A promise to spend more quality time to make up for his behavior. You swear that should have been an omen because you feel your heart stop for a second right then and there.

It's not completely out there. As the lookout, he would have to stay up in the crow's nest most of the day, and given how soft spoken Kazuha normally is, he doesn't look like the confrontational type. But he does make good on his fake promise and you find yourself spending most of your time in the crow's nest with Kazuha rather than ducking into the shadows of the lower deck. Kazuha is a relaxing presence and you can understand why he stays up here rather than with the rest of the crew. The gentle sea breeze brushes through your hair and it's so peaceful all the way up in the sky. You're almost jealous that he has an anemo vision because you think you'd love to stay in the winds forever.

He's also a gentleman through and through. You're not entirely sure if he's just pretending alongside you or if that's just how he normally acts. You think both options are equally plausible and endearing. At some point, you forget that you're supposed to be doing this for show to keep a creepy man away from you and you genuinely start to seek him out. It's during one night when you watch Kazuha whistle a tune through a leaf that you realize just how deep you're in. Now your position is reversed and you start to feel like the creepy heart-eyed stalker. It's something that you must absolutely not let happen, not on your watch.

Your sudden distance from Kazuha leaves him a bit hurt. He knows that this originally started as an act but he felt that you and him were getting close to each other without any ulterior motives. That all your talks of your dreams and aspiration were real and meaningful. But now that you've suddenly pulled back, he question's if everything was made up in his head. It's not like you owe him anything, he decided to help you out from of his own volition. Beidou can only look at this scene painfully at her two idiotic friends pushing themselves away from each other because they can't sit down and talk it out.

She drags the two of you into a private room, her only warning to fix your emotional angst or she really will throw you both overboard. You both know she's entirely serious so you both obediently nod as she slams the door closed.

Beidou leans against the wooden crates with her head propped up with her arm. She should probably stop watching, she's being far too nosy with her friend's love life, but what kind of friend would she be if she wasn't? She hopes you both managed to talk it out and realize that you're both crushing hard on each other. She had been far too busy with Liyue fastly approaching to check in on your progress but from the looks of things, she thinks everything went well. With the red cheeks and your fingertips linked together, it's so cute that she wants to gag on her wine. Don't get her wrong, she's happy for you and Kazuha, but any more of this puppy love is going to send her into an early grave.

"You're not going to stay in Liyue?" she overhears you say. Huh? She honestly thought that Kazuha might pitch a tent and finally settle down with you but the small shake of his head and your fallen expression says otherwise. Damn, talk about a heartbreaker. But he gives you a soft expression, something really vulnerable, and his hand comes up to caress your cheek- and that's her cue to turn away. That's something that even she knows she shouldn't be watching. She instead takes another swig of her cup.

"Captain."

She looks up to see Kazuha standing beside her, the air of nature and sea breeze clinging to him wherever he goes. She politely doesn't bring up the charm clutched tightly in his hands.

"You sure about this kid?" Beidou asks, her eyes still trained on her empty cup of booze. She doesn't need to look to know that he's watching your back disappear into the crowd longingly.

"If I try to force something I know I'm not ready to finish, it would only lead to disaster. Right now isn't the right time. But I'm sure in the future, our paths will cross again," Kazuha nods to himself solemnly. This time Beidou does look at him before she shows a fond smile herself before she brings her arm back and slaps it against Kazuha's back. It's loud and hard enough to jolt him out of his temporary sadness.

"If you ever need a ride back to Liyue, just let me know. We'll get you there in no time lover boy," Beidou grins cheekily as Kazuha flushes a bright red. How cute, he can't even be honest with himself huh?

[bowtiepastabitch]

Here's the deal on the Good Omens limbo situation. My optimistic and analytic two cents, if you will.

If we look at this through a capitalistic lens, the chances of the show being cancelled are pretty slim at the moment. Think for a moment about the top three amazon prime originals that you pay/keep the platform for. Can you think of three? I honestly can't, not off the top of my head. I know I'm not really the target audience for streaming services, since I don't watch a lot of new shows, but still. I can name plenty of netflix shows I like/might watch. That's why Netflix can cancel anything and everything so easy. They don't have just one or two fandom cash cows.

Amazon, though, doesn't have a lot. Here's a list of all their original shows. I only even recognize 8 titles. I've only actually watched 2. Plus, Good Omens is currently one of the biggest fandoms in fandom right now, with Aziracrow being the top ship on ao3 for the Jan-Dec 2023 wrap up and again on the Summer 2024 leaderboard, as well as the top ship on tumblr and Good Omens as the top tv show (plus second overall after Artists on Tumblr) for 2023. We're a big deal, and I'd bet money that they're betting money on us. I also lowkey think we're the reason Amazon is spending money on a british miniseries starring Michael Sheen tbh but that's just speculation. The show has also won a slew of awards, the same of which cannot, to my knowledge, be said of many of their other properties.

So let's talk production changes; I think there's a good chance they're doing this for the same reason. Our fandom had unique access to the creator via tumblr, and a majority of the conversation around the allegations of SA against Gaiman were and are taking place in fandom spaces. There have been petitions to fire him from the show and conversations (both productive and otherwise) about the duties of fandom when engaging with content connected to problematic individuals. Meanwhile, Gaiman has effectively dissappeared from the internet. Additionally, the video and threads sharing that Terry Pratchett wrote most of the original book have been making the rounds here and I think on the bird app(?). All that to say, if they're betting on us they want to make us happy and keep their good PR. I don't ever expect a major corporation to make a "good" decision, but they will always make the profitable one.

There is, of course, also the matter of the Pratchett estate and the other major players in the matter: the actors, directors, and creative team. These are forces at play with the power to block or stall productivity and profit for Amazon through copyright and labor power. I can imagine there's conversations happening backstage that we don't know about as well as what we see in headlines.

Ultimately, I think the biggest risk to season 3 is unfortunately going to be Neil Gaiman himself and how he responds to the situation at hand. If he steps back quietly, we're living in our best case scenario and everything moves forward as much according to plan as can be expected with at least this small justice being served. I see a hissy fit on his end as the greatest potential wrench in proceedings, but that would exacerbate the (currently quiet in the mainstream) bad PR for him so I give it low odds.

All that to say. From a pragmatic viewpoint, Amazon's best interest seems to be entirely tied to ours as a fandom, and I anticipate Season 3 being made and most likely being only minorly delayed. Either way. What happens behind the scenes in corporate office buildings between rich white men is entirely out of my and your control. I know how huge anxiety can get when it relates to a special interest or a community that has a huge role in your life, and whatever happens we're in this together as a fandom. It's going to be alright. Take a deep breath and maybe get some water. Whatever happens, we're in this together as a fandom, and at least it won't be the end of the world;)

[hometoursandotherstuff]

This really pisses me off- an 1892 Victorian mansion in Denver, CO was converted to an office building and now they want to sell it as a home. 12 bds., 8ba, 21,285 sq ft, asking $8,407,575.

Forget about having a home with a yard and a garden, they made it a parking lot.

In the reception area, which is also the grand hall, it looks like the wood is still intact, but the fireplace behind the desk has been blocked off.

The stairs look good.

It's hard to tell what most of the rooms were. This one looks pretty good. It still has lots of original millwork, the fireplace, and stained glass.

There's a staff kitchenette back here. The cabinets are nice, but the counter is laminate and I wonder what it was before.

This must be a sitting room. It has a beautiful fireplace.

It looks like the pocket doors are intact. I'm not sure if the cabinets are original, but they were nicely done.

This has to have been the dining room. I know that some of it is new, but how did they get the original wood so light? The original ceiling was plaster. There is no longer a kitchen.

This must be an area for staff sing-alongs.

In this room, only the frame of the fireplace is left.

The woodwork in this room was painted white. I don't know if these are separate offices or the same business in the whole house.

Don't know what this room is, but even though it has beautiful brick and wood, they put up modern office lighting and ductwork.

Not bad tile work on this little fireplace, but I don't like the shelves above it.

This room was modernized. I wonder what's under all the commercial carpeting. The door with a transom indicates that this could have been a bedroom. Notice that they advertise 8 baths, but don't show any. They're probably like public restrooms, now.

This would be a landing. Glad to see the railing and columns. Hate the lighting.

If they left the wood in most other areas, why did they paint some of it?

In this area, they put in modern commercial doors and windows, plus the modern ceiling and lights. I'm not sure that the brick is original, but there's a fireplace.

More ductwork and new walls, plus cement flooring. Look at the clear glass door. That's different.

I wonder if the barn doors are original.

I'm thinking that these are different offices, not just a single business. I don't know if the steel columns could've been there. I don't even know where we are.

All modernized except for the fireplace. Nice chandelier.

Here's some sort of a loft or stair landing.

This looks like an attic office and it also has a kitchenette.

In the basement there's a staff room with a kitchenette.

Plus a staff gym. So much money, and I don't even know how much it would take to make it right- like what do you do with the ductwork and all the flush mount ceiling lights. The plaster ceilings, medallions, and light fixtures are all gone.

https://www.zillow.com/homedetails/1115-1121-Grant-St-N-Denver-CO-80203/439736633_zpid/?

[the-secret-keeper]

Part 2 to the Obey me X Twisted Wonderland / Barbatos X Reader

This was requested by @babyxwolfiex glad you liked the original!

TW: Talk of malnutrition, talk of extortion, though not described in detail the readers leg is messed up in the beginning, and angry demons attempting to maul a crow.

Enjoy!

"Very wisely put." Diavolo complimented, as Mammon moved to help me stand, while Barbatos bent down to properly heal my leg.

"You'll show us, darling?"

"Of course." I nodded to Barbatos. "Plus," I glanced at Satan, "I think he'll be the most interesting to watch react. I can guess how the rest of you will react." Satan raised an eyebrow to me, but said nothing, as they all stood to follow me.

"If you would like a tour of the school, I would be more than happy to-" Belphegor glared at him, causing Crowley to shut up.

"You are all more than welcome to come along as well." I extended an offer to the other Dorm Leaders as I walked towards the door. "But, when we get there, you may want to remain a few paces back." I paused, looking around the room. "You are all, unbelievable." I sighed.

"What?" Leona asked in an annoyed voice.

"For someone with such a presence, you all seem to forget him easily." I shook my head. "We will pick up Malleus before we head to my dorm."

"What?"

"For the heir to the throne of a kingdom, you sure do seem unconcerned that you completely forgot about him, Dire Crowley." I scolded him, causing him to sheepishly back off. "Besides, I want him and Dia to meet. I think they'd be good friends." I brushed off everyone looking at me, before taking the hand of my boyfriend and leading all the demons, dorm leaders, and the headmaster out of the conference room and to the mirror room.

Once we retrieved Tsunotarou, we made our way to the Ramshackle mirror, but I stopped everyone short.

"Look, I need to set some ground rules, because knowing my friends, they're still there." I sighed, glancing at the ground. I looked back up. "They have permission to be there, no you may not act as though they do not own the place, they practically live there with me when I'm not at their dorms. Grim, will be Grim, just appease him, it makes things easier. No he is not named after the money." I pointed at Mammon who had raised his hand. He put it down. "No fire magic, critique the house and you will be given to one of the dorm leaders and they will decide what to do with you. Despite everything, he does have his name on everything, so no you may not kill Crowley." I stated before muttering, "at least not before I can put everything in Crewel or Trein's name."

"Can I violently maim him?" Satan asked, sensing where this was going. I narrowed my eyes for a moment.

"I'll think about it. Oh, and Satan." He nodded. "Don't, run anyone over. Yes, you may take pictures, no, you may not keep him unless Lucifer says yes, anything else you may want to do with him you will need to ask him. Yes he can talk, he can also fly and use fire magic."

"What?" Asmo asked.

"Trust me, it's necessary." I promised before taking a deep breath, and walking through the mirror. "Welcome to Ramshackle dorm." I said, gesturing to my dorm. There was no noise, so I turned, only to see them all in varying forms of shock.

Asmodeus, he seemed to be gripping Satan's arm with all his strength, or at least a lot of it. I couldn't figure out whether or not it was because of the looks, or the condition.

Satan wasn't faring much better, but he was more angry than shocked, fists clenched so hard his knuckles were white and I was worried he'd begin drawing blood soon. His pupils were so dilated, I wondered how he could see.

Mammon was seemingly experiencing a mix of emotions. His eyes read as sad and worried, but his body language read as anger. Either way, he had grabbed my hand and wasn't letting go, though he wasn't hurting me.

Lucifer, once out of his trance, immediately began tearing Crowley a new one. Despite his anger, he was being at least somewhat diplomatic about it. Ranting off about health and safety codes, about endangering lives, and about how irresponsible he was being.

Leviathan passed out. Legitimately. Though I shouldn't be too surprised, I guess, since he's so similar to Idia and that's how he reacted the first time he saw my dorm. He probably put together very quickly that, when I have WiFi, it's shitty and isn't very often.

Beel, looked like he wanted to cry out of worry, but he was doing something much more important. Holding back Belphie, who had immediately lunged for Crowley upon seeing my living conditions. Beel has quick reflexes, and is very good at knowing what his twin is about to do, so it makes sense.

Barbatos, is hard to read as always, but judging by the fact that he's clenching his fists and glaring daggers at Crowley, he's furious. He's likely only holding back because Diavolo hasn't let him go loose yet. I squeezed his hand reassuringly, to which he latched onto my shoulders, quietly apologizing for not coming sooner.

Speaking of Diavolo, he was much closer to Beel in reaction, but was handling it more like Lucifer. He wasn't yelling, in fact he was trying to calm Lucifer down, but he was still berating Crowley for how he's been treating me.

"There you are!" I looked at my door.

"Boys!" I smiled. "Guys, these are my friends here. Meet Ace and Deuce, they live in Riddles dorm known as Heartslabyul. Jack is in Leona's dorm, Savanaclaw. Epel is in Pomefiore, which is run by Vil. And Sebek,"

"Is in the same dorm as my Young Master, Diasomnia!"

"I was getting there, Sebek." I sighed. "Boy, these are my friends and boyfriend from where I used to live. Barbatos, Diavolo, Lucifer, Mammon, Leviathan, Satan, Asmodeus, Beelzebub and Belphegor." I finished introductions.

"Don't forget the Great Grim!"

"I could never, I was just saving the best for last." I assured Grim as he flew to in front of me. Satan, upon seeing Grim, calmed down immensely, and almost grabbed him out of the air. I figured that would happen. "Isn't that right, Satan? Only the best for the Great Grim." He nodded enthusiastically, causing Grim to laugh in a high and mighty tone and fly over to him.

"Good job." Barbatos whispered.

"I knew that would happen, it's why I gave him those extra rules." I whispered back.

"It's like there's 9 more Malleus'." Ace whispered fearfully.

"You are an idiot, Trappola." I scolded. "All of my friends, Tsunotarou included, are amazing. I mean, these nine are probably even more than what you're used to handling."

"They can't be more scary than Overblots." Epel agreed with me.

"Well," I said in a high-pitched tone, remembering the time Lucifer tried to kill me, Satan tried to kill me, Leviathan hurt me, Asmo hurt me, and Belphie did kill me, "I wouldn't, say, that." I laughed awkwardly.

"What are Overblots?" I froze at Diavolo's stern tone. He doesn't usually take that tone with me. I slowly turned, seeing all the demons staring at me. "Mc, what are Overblots?"

"It's, not,"

"It's a monster that forms when a person overuses their magic, becomes overwhelmed by negative emotions, and loses control of their entire being." Riddle surmised. "The Dorm Leaders, aside from Kalim, but including his Vice Dorm Leader Jamil, have all Overblotted. Mc is the one who saved us." The air grew very tense.

"You really are a therapist, huh?" Mammon tried to joke.

"I suppose. If only I got paid like one. Then I wouldn't have to rely on Crowley for food. Though, admittedly, I do often attend dinners and parties at other dorms, so it's not as though I'm completely deprived of food."

"You haven't eaten in three days."

"True, but there weren't any Unbirthday Parties during that time, and I didn't want to intrude on anyones dinner, seeing as I wasn't invited. I spend all of the little money that I do earn fixing this place up and making sure Grim is taken care of." I explained. "He's a very pampered kitty."

I felt Mammon let go of my hand. Mammon picked up his younger brother, still passed out on the floor, and handed him to Asmo, who complained but complied. Now the only demon without something holding him back, he lunged for Crowley.

"Mammon sit!" I commanded, causing him to fall immediately to the ground. I managed to get out of Barbatos's grip and approached Mammon.

"C'mon!"

"Mammon. You and I both know you would've killed him."

"Only a little."

"For most people, death is irreversible, dummy." I flicked his forehead. "I'm fine, really. Besides, knowing you lot, I'll be out of here before morning."

"You're exactly right." Lucifer grabbed my arm.

"Off." I commanded, and he let go.

"You're going to come back with us."

"This will not be an argument." I blinked at Barbatos, before nodding.

"But I will be able to come back, right?"

"Of course!" Diavolo guaranteed. "Now that we know where you went and how to get here, you can come and go as you please."

"Thank you."

"Can we keep him?" I laughed at Satan's question.

"No."

"Can we keep him?" I asked Barbatos, who looked at Diavolo.

"I see no reason why we can't have a marvelous animal such as this at the palace."

"Palace?!" I flinched at the outburst of the dorm leaders and first years.

"Did Crowley not tell you?" I asked the dorm leaders, not surprised by the first years confusion.

"It seems to have slipped my mind."

"Lucifer, please slap him." He smirked, moving towards Crowley, who began running away. "These men are demons, and Dia is Lord Diavolo, the next King of the Devildom. Barbatos is his butler. The other seven are the Seven Deadly Sins and the other seven rulers of hell." Malleus nodded sagely, as though he knew the entire time, though I had never actually introduced him to anyone.

"How did you meet these people?" Deuce asked, his voice going up in pitch as he frantically looked between all of them and me.

"Oh, they kidnapped me and I spent a year in the Devildom as an exchange student! I came back though. Could never really go back to normal life after that, and, of course, I couldn't really be separated from Barbatos for too long." A very loud resounding slap, followed by a thud rang out during the bout of stunned silence that covered the group.

"At this point, nothing about you shocks me. You could tell me you're an angel, and I'd believe it." Jack sighed.

"I'm not an angel, though I am descended from the reincarnated soul of one, and I know three."

"I believe it." He nodded.

"We should have a celebration once we return to the Devildom."

"Ooh! A party!" Asmo dropped Levi, who had begun to regain consciousness. "I'm down! Always ready for some fun!"

"What kind of celebration?" Lucifer asked, adjusting his glove as he returned victorious in his quest to slap Crowley.

"A festival!"

"Sounds fun, can my friends from here come?"

"Of course! The more the merrier!" Diavolo insisted. I beamed.

"You're all going to love hell!"

[randomthefox]

I really wish sega would be like "don't do that with our property" more often

Especially back in the 90s

SEGA doesn't care as long as they're getting money and not losing any money. That's why they were so hands off with Archie. They saw Archie as just a free running commercial for their games which, unlike their regular marketing department, THEY got paid for instead of needing to pay for. It was a no brainer to just let Archie run in the background, collect the licensing fee, and occasionally tell them to make a game tie in issue or two to advertise the hot new release. The fact Archie and its creators didn't realize this was their relationship with SEGA was the cause of all the friction with the licensing partnership.

Every time someone references that interview with Ken Penders where he talks about how SEGA asked them to make a tie in storyline for Sonic Adventure but didn't give them an advanced copy of the game or game script, in all his Ian Flynn-ian "ugh big bad Sega amirite" tone, I just shout internally "WHY THE FUCK WOULD THEY GIVE YOU A COPY OF THE SCRIPT ALL YOU NEEDED TO DO WAS MAKE A FUCKING 20 PAGE COMMERCIAL FOR THE GAME WHO THE FUCK DO YOU THINK YOU ARE?"

Every single fucking time Archie fuckers complain about how SEGA would occasionally force them to make issues that tie into a new game release because it interrupted the storyline they were in the middle of, all I can respond with is WELL THEY SHOULDN'T HAVE BEEN DOING THAT! WHY THE FUCK WERE THEY MAKING ORIGINAL STORYLINES? THE PURPOSE OF THE COMICS WAS TO SERVE THE GAMES, IF THEY WERE TRYING TO DO THEIR OWN THING THEN THAT WAS A MISTAKE AND YOU HAVE NO ONE TO BLAME FOR THAT BEING DISRUPTED BUT YOURSELVES!

Anyway! SEGA eventually only started actually caring about Archie because Archie started costing them money. The lawsuit drama when Ken Penders was smart enough to retain the intellectual rights to the characters he created (I actually deeply respect him for this, good on him. Walt Disney had to learn that lesson the hard way) caused SEGA to actually start paying attention because they had to start asking the question of "why is our legal department setting up board room meetings over this fucking comic book?" Suddenly the comic was not just a source of free licensing fee income, but now it was a possible source of losing money to legal drama. So while they were happy to keep accepting the licensing fee payouts, NOW they actually had to monitor this shit and make sure nothing that would cause them to lose money happened again in the future by applying actual scrutiny to the comic.

So basically SEGA finally needing to put their foot down and say "don't do that with Sonic" was an example of "this is why we can't have nice things" because Penders and Archie and Bioware had a bumblefuck that caused the lawyers to start getting involved. So now in the interest of ensuring they maximize making money and minimize losing money, SEGA actually will devote time and resources to monitoring the comic and making sure it doesn't fuck up their brand.

They're more lenient with the movies because the movies are a different medium, they were an unproven market so they were more swayable to studio insistence on changes needing to be made, plus the revenue from movie sales is so much higher than the comic sales that it'll make your head spin AND due to the difference in the contract between IDWs licensing fee and their arrangement with the movie studio SEGA actually likely makes a percentage of the box office gross and DVD sales for the movies whereas they don't make a single dime off of IDWs comic sales. So it's just a different can of worms there.

[too-much-otome]

Mammon Playlist

Link

These can be for the original game or NB. most of them fit for both. I've had the playlists for a while but recently refined them. I hope you like them!

Explanations (Excluding Character Songs):

They Call Me Tiago (Her Name is Margo) - Tiagz

Not exactly a song about him but something I think he'd listen to and I think it fits his vibe. I just really think it fits him.

Go Hard (La.La.La.) - Kreayshawn

A bit unhinged and chaotic which always reminds me of Mammon. Also love that the first line is "I don't have any money..." Big Mammon energy. This poor bitch is always in debt.

Oh Yes (Rockin' With The Best) - Laidback Luke, Keanu Silva

Not only does it give off his kinda vibes but he's also very full of himself. I mean we're talking about "The Great Mammon!" He only comes in second to Asmo.

Jerk It Out - Caesars

Another one based on vibes. The instruments and vocals just give me something I feel he'd like!

Mine - Bazzi

This is 100% how he thinks of MC. That boy is just absolutely smitten with them! He adores them! He might be a bit selfish, careless, and let's be honest stupid but he always does his best when it comes to MC. He's always genuine and open with them! I just love him!

24k Magic - Bruno Mars

We all know if Mammon knew how to budget he'd be living a lavish lifestyle! He loves having nice things! Plus, some of you forget this but I didn't, one of the powers Mammon has is that If he likes someone they're bound to come into money and usually prosper wealth wise.

Tonight Tonight - Hot Chelle Rae

Party boy. Loves a good time and letting loose.

7 rings - Ariana Grande

Wants nice things and who can blame him. It's not exactly his style music wise but the lyrics definitely remind me of him.

Sucker - Jonas Brothers

I mean it's literally canon that MC can say one word and Mammon just falls in line. Even Lucifer struggles with that sometimes. He'd do literally anything MC asks.

Check Yes, Juliet - We The Kings

Oh, this is so him! He's so the type to do the cliche throwing rocks at his partners window then asking them to sneak out for a late night impromptu date. Hes also just so stubborn and honestly, we love it. I just feel like this is very much what he'd be like in a relationship.

Hard Times - Paramore

This man is always in the red. He is struggling financially and his brothers constantly belittle him, this man is just living in a constant state of hard times. My fav may not be Mammon but the day I don't immediately jump to his defense in a cold day in the devildom.

Make You Mine - PUBLIC

Once again, this man is smitten! He just loves MC so much and it's so sweet I'm gonna cry-

First Date - blink-182

As much as he likes to show off and brag and act cool he is always a bit nervous around MC. He wants to impress them and look cool but he can't help but blush and stutter when they flirt back. It's adorable.

Treasure - Bruno Mars

I truly believe that in a relationship Mammon would put MC over everything. I know it's a stretch...but I think even Goldie would come second! WHY ARE YOU BOOING ME IM RIGHT!!

Mr. Brightside - The Killers

Jealousy. That's it. We all know Mammon is extremely protective and jealous when it comes to MC. It makes sense for the Avatar of Greed. But I also think the lyrics can apply to how Mammon might feel watching MC with his brothers. Because even if you don't necessarily want to romance Mammon he is still clearly pinning after MC.

GOODMORNINGTOKYO! - TOKYO'S REVENGE

Chaotic and unhinged. What more do you need?

[y-rhywbeth2]

I think it would've been funny if instead of being a dragonborn by default, the Dark Urge was literally an actual white dragon.

For shenanigans.

[Disclaimer that this idea is ridiculous and I don't care.]

The bhaalspawn plot twist is largely obvious to players of BG1+2 and those who've already completed the game. Who'd see the twist that you've forgotten that you're dragon in disguise coming? If you play another origin they'd make a good excuse to add a brainstealer dragon boss battle. Alternatively, if you take the ceremorphosis ending, you play as one.

Plus white dragons instinctually lean towards being brutal, vengeful little bastards in a manner Bhaal would probably approve of and due to their slow development would be very easy to corrupt from a young age… but my motivation is still mostly for shenanigans.

Living most of their life in a city, I imagine they're used to being in humanoid form. They had a sibling rivalry with Abazigail, as the only other dragon they know ("White dragons are weaker and inferior to Blues." - "I'm sorry, I'm too stupid to remember something, can you remind me? Of the two of us, who's a dead failure who disappointed Father?").

They got shanked by Orin in humanoid form and just woke up with brain trauma and assumed they were whatever humanoid they appear to be. Sure they have some ancestral draconic memory and speak draconic, but that's just a sign of having a dragon ancestor. It's not that weird! It might also seem strange when they start growling at the Githyanki dragon steeds, but going by some dialogue Durge growls at people anyway so it won't even stand out that much. At least the "human flesh smells tasty" thing makes sense now?

Lacking any memories of past enemies to plot against, dragon Durge simply adds their new friends' enemies to their list of grudges.

Those of us who play by looting everything in sight and refusing to share it with the party members have a valid reason; dragon hoard. Yes I do need to break my back carrying all of the money, enchanted weapons and six thousand books I'll never read; no, we're not selling any of it, fuck off.

We get to act 3 and the party gets the Bhaalspawn reveal possibly followed up by "also I'm a dragon." ("what the Actual Fuck.") Gale has already formed a hypothesis about Durge's true species, but we should also get to play Sharks Are Smooth over it. You get the standard -30 disapproval from Gale, but if Astarion is there he'll also want to play and you get 30 approval from him and Gale's disapproval doubles to -60.

Lae'zel as our resident horse dragon girl would rather travel with a red, but perhaps a mere white dragon will do for a steed in the meantime. It's training for her future, you understand.

I want to pick up Mizora with teeth and shake her like a dog with a chewtoy when she invades my camp to torment Wyll and refuses to leave. Maybe throw her around like an orca with a seal…

Romanced Wyll, Shadowheart or Gale introducing them to their parent/s (+Tara, in Gale's case) would be fun to watch.

Duke Ravenguard has hopefully learnt his lesson about not jumping to conclusions and hearing Wyll out and showing some tolerance for what appears to be an evil alliance, but a chromatic dragon sired by the god of murder who's also a reformed serial killer might be putting some tension on that... Maybe leave some details out.

The Hallowleaves are remembering the tolerance their Selûnite faith espouses and that they too are a loving couple involving one person who is technically a monster but I feel like Arnell is still on some level internally going; whatthefuckwhatthefuckwhatthefuck.

I think Ms Dekarios will be mostly unphased. She's a wizard herself and Gale's been bringing weird shit into her life since he was born. Her son came home with a dragon for a fiancé/e. Sure. Must be Tuesday.

[another-lost-mc]

May I ask where the complicated feelings for the newest nightbringer chapters come from (polite way of phrasing "Plz tell me all your thoughts")

I guess it feels like less of a fun, coherent story that has now become a series of contrived, nonsensical events that exist only to move the plot from Point A to Point B in the easiest (if awkward/inelegant) way possible.

If I had to summarize my thoughts:

I don't like Mephisto's make-a-wish ability. It seems OP for what it is, but of course he has it because the plot needs him to have it to achieve things that probably wouldn't be possible otherwise (like the demon brothers being able to visit the Celestial Realm). But he's not the first character in this game to have weirdly powerful abilities that should be rare and more restrictive/punishing to use than they currently are, and I doubt he's going to be the last.

Related to that, the story keeps moving forward but in a very clunky way. The writers set up something beforehand - giving a demon an OP tool or ability they shouldn't have, RAD hosting yet another stupid fluff event that seems pointless but is probably another one of Diavolo's shenanigans - and then later reveals that it was all meant to explain/justify/solve (whatever random plot point) the writers need an answer for.

So much about Michael. Okay. Michael's disguise/sneaking into the Devildom in early NB rubbed me the wrong way from the start, and it's reappearance in L43 is even worse. I'm not convinced Solmare has any intention of showing us a proper visual of his character anytime soon, not when they can use Raphael as a plug-in for his character while the characters go on about how fun and silly Michael is for using a disguise to begin with. (Plus, making assets for him costs money, and if they make him attractive aka dollar-store-brand-Legolas, they'll need to decide whether they want to potentially take on the cost of adding another dateable option when there's still three waiting on the sidelines, etc.)

Beel (and the others apparently) still love the Celestial Realm? Really? Even after—? Oh. Okay then.

Diavolo, Barbatos, and Solomon all have moments where they're CLEARLY aware of things going on behind the scenes, or they hint at doing/knowing more than what they let on while being very bad at hiding it, and no one seems to notice or care. Whether the characters/MC are too passive to ask questions/point out their odd behaviour, or whether this is a symptom of more timeline nonsense, is anyone's guess. At this point, I don't know or care if any of them turn out to be Nightbringer, because the story has drawn out the suspense for so long and it feels less impactful/relevant as time passes. A good mystery is fun for a while, but the writers seem reluctant to answer any questions before adding new elements into the mix. Things keep chugging along regardless of who or what is stirring up trouble in the background, so in the end, how much does it really matter when it feels like there are no stakes anymore?

As for where the story is going, I have some idea based on the writing patterns of this game and the way they've sort of jammed a Celestial Realm visit into the plot where it shouldn't be possible to begin with:

Based on my understanding of Babel (after a glance at Google to figure out what the game is referencing), it feels like the game might use it as a spiritual no-man's-land where a limited numbers of angels and demons know about its existence/can potentially go there. Since it was originally inhabited by humans, it makes sense that there might be a pathway in the human world to its location, and conveniently enough, Solomon can locate it. Of course, he disappears right after and like other times in the past, he's probably off doing his own thing and not going to be entirely truthful about it if anyone asks him about it.

However, I'm guessing the real reason why the brothers are there at all - other than Asmo's random inspiration to go back to the Celestial Realm for a fun family holiday - is because there's someone/something at Babel that Solomon needs to find, probably at Diavolo's request (since he was the one who set up the science fair and the prize that would allow them to go like it was no big deal). Whatever Solomon is up to is probably tied to the weird business Diavolo/Barbatos have going on, whether its a link to Nightbringer or some other obscure plot device/event we're not aware of yet, who knows.

There are things I like about Nightbringer and things I don't like. It's part of the reason why I still hold onto the OG characterization/early world building.

I'd be lying if I said I wasn't still disappointed that OG's story has essentially been replaced with something that feels like an AU rather than a continuation. I had a lot of expectations and hopes for OG Season 5 (such as MC visiting Michael/the Celestial Realm to help resolve Simeon's crisis, Barbatos' proper love confession, more development with the side characters and eventually making them dateable).

One of my favourite nearly NB theories, my personal copium getting through the first 20 lessons, is that Barbatos from the OG timeline was actually the one MC met in the Nightbringer timeline. We got our romance and sweet Barbatos moments in NB Season 1 with the OG Barb and just didn't know it. (I honestly can't explain how he acted with MC any other way.)

[basedkikuenjoyer]

I wanted to take a brief pause after VII, just to talk about hallmarks of Dragon Quest as a series. Because we are leaving the era where these games are a driving force in developing the JRPG genre. Like...I know when I do the final ranking I'm going to put II much higher than most. Because I earnestly feel II is one of those very special games that developed so many things that became ubiquitous you take it for granted. This does not mean VIII, IX, and XI are bad by any stretch. I'd compare it to The Simpsons; your purpose has changed in a world full of imitators. What was revolutionary is not comforting and timeless.

Sadly this does mean we'll lose a few elements that didn't translate into the next generation. Eventually the designers behind the series started following norms competitors innovated. So before we go on to VIII and it's massive legacy, a few favorite hallmarks I didn't get to cover:

One of the most iconic features here since the first that's just as fun in XI. Metal Slimes. So many have tried this and none work as well as the original. Rare version of a weak enemy that nets massive experience. The catch? They're quick to flee and while they have only 3-4 HP their defense is maxed out. Enough you might do 1 damage on a hit. Then later games introduce different, stronger varieties. If you need to grind, the metal slime family always feels like a fun little mini-game to shorten it. And the developers are smart about where their hotspots are usually. If you see one in a new area, it's worth it to try and bag a few first pass.

Dungeon Philosophy. I hate this has fallen by the wayside in favor of following Final Fantasy's style. Early on, you had to approach dungeons like an old school D&D module. You're not doing it first try. It's all part of the fun baked into what happens on a loss. You just go back to the last King/Priest you saved at and lose half your money. The dungeons are designed around this, if it's a tower you can just hop off and go back to town. But you'll have to make a few runs at the labyrinth to figure everything out and learn the optimal path. Especially with...

Random encounters having some teeth to them. This has diminished over time but game design in general has gotten easier so I don't fault DQ for it. But in those early ones, yeah random encounters can be brutal. You need to consider spells like sleep or fog that'll spare you some hits cheaply. If you flee and fail you lose a turn like a lot of RPGs but not every monster will go so it's more viable sometimes. All together, simple but tight design. A dungeon in early Dragon Quest feels like a real challenge of balancing resources like MP. This is why I love III so much, the class system plus peak design philosophy makes everything work so well as a total package. Your party comp will determine which parts are hard or easy.

Decisions on equipment. This is subtle but very cool in practice. Unlike a lot of JRPGs, in these early Dragon Quest games you're going to have to grind a lot to get every new piece of equipment you can buy immediately. Which will feel even worse if something is rendered obsolete with a dungeon treasure. You're not expected to. When you first get to town you decide what felt like it needed to be bolstered the most, then go on and start taking on the dungeon expecting to need a few trips. When you're ready to leave, decide if you want to polish it off here or try your luck with a headstart on the next town. Later games have replaced this with a crafting element I like, so it's more of a lateral move.

[ilovescaredysquirrel2]

The problem with Disney right now...

I know I usually state my opinion on movies I see recently and give reviews but sometimes I give my opinion on movies that are going to come out soon. So, I heard about the unnecessary sequels for Moana and Inside Out, which are great movies but they don't need sequels. In all honesty, after seeing what they did with Wish, I think Disney should take a break on making animated movies for a while! Not forever, just for a short time.

Okay, so I think we all can tell that they used A.I on Wish. It's not the animation and stuff, it's just the story! I even think the songs were written by real people, it's purely the story that feels A.I generated. Watch them use A.I on Moana 2, Inside Out 2, and Frozen 3... oh gosh that would break my heart to se them ruin the sequels with A.I. I don't consider myself a Disney fan, in fact, even as a kid I wasn't a Disney-movie kid, but I did have a Frozen phase back in the day. Every kid had a Frozen phase. Inside Out is okay but it was kind of emotional, but the first Moana was really good. The thing is, Frozen is based off the Snow Queen while Moana and Inside Out aren't based off any fairytales and are Disney's own original ideas for once. Plus, I think they're only making these sequels because their original ideas like StrangeWorld and Wish are failing so they're proffiting off live action remakes and making sequels of already existing characters because they're desperate. They're just so greedy and can't stand to see the competitors, who are smaller animation companies, beat them!

I'm mostly boycotting Disney (and have been ever since I saw Zootopia) but I'll watch Disney movies pirated on free websites like Actvid and Moviesjoy. The only thing I like from 2024 Disney is Kiff! LITERALLY KIFF! KIFF! Of all things, I never thought KIFF would be the only thing that's stopping me from abandoning Disney all together. I don't use Disney plus but the website I watch Kiff on doesn't have the recent episodes and I refuse to get Disney plus. Disney should focus on stuff like Kiff and Phineas & Ferb anyway. The only good show they got on Disney channel now is Bluey and Bluey is NOT EVEN DISNEY! Bluey is an Australian show and should be seen as that, instead of having the greediest corporation in the world act like they own an Aussie show that they didn't have anything to do with. Bluey should be on PBS kids or something, not greedy Disney! Who agrees? I'm American, but If I was in Australia I'd be so mad at Disney. Disney literally censored episodes, removed episodes, and stopped the writers from throwing in a Bible reference... when they weren't even making the show! If I was in charge, Disney Channel/Disney Junior would have shows like Jungle Junction, Phineas & Ferb, Bear in the Big Blue House, Good Luck Charlie, Suite life of Zack & Cody on Deck,... ect. Basically I'd bring back everything except JESSIE because it was racist (R.I.P to Cameron Boyce tho, he wasn't a bad guy he was just on a bad show).

Anyway, Disney is on my last nerve rn, and if it wasn't for Kiff I'd hate it all together. I still do hate Disney but the only thing that keeps me from wanting it to go away is Kiff. If you haven't heard of Kiff, it's a recent show by Disney, about an orange squirrel who's really energetic (and no, she's NOTHING like Scaredy Squirrel). As far as movies go, I know for sure that I will never see another Disney movie in theaters and I encourage you too, as well. They'll end up on Actvid or Moviesjoy before they even end up on Disney plus anyway, because Disey is popular and people care enough to record it off some hidden camera in theaters. I'm not saying you have to follow in my footsteps and boycott Disney, I'm just telling you on how I do it. Like, the day they come out in theaters is the same day they end up on free websites. Plus, you don't have to waste your money if the movie is going to be bad, like how Wish ended up being bad.

So yeah, please share your thoughts! If you're a Disney fan, I'm sorry. You have to know that they've been really shady recently (they always have been shady but particularly now).

[cryingalexanders]

The claim that writers are "giving Lex Bruce's traits" in fanfic or redemption arcs is so interesting to me because what traits are we talking about. And I’d also like to hear what these people think Lex Luthor's real, non-derivative traits are? (Because I wonder if they would end up listing traits introduced in post-crisis or the dcau, and whether they would be entirely negative/villainous.)

I've seen people say that sort of thing about Smallville's Lex before and I'm not denying there are parallels between him and Bruce, but assuming the portrayal must owe entirely to Bruce comes across as pretty ignorant to me as a fan of pre-crisis Superman. (And I don't think it helps that World's Finest stories historically have presented Lex in a very one-dimensional manner.)

SV Lex's (initial) compassion? That's originally from silver age elseworlds where Lex was a good guy, as well as flashbacks to his and Superboy's friendship. I understand not being aware of its origins in the comics because modern versions like Waid's have Lex lack compassion the whole time, but that doesn't mean SV came up with it wholesale and copied Batman.

His protectiveness? That's just a trait that Lex has (at least when he's being written with nuance). It originates with the stuff with Lena in the silver age, but would get extended to Clark and/or Lois as well in aus. And it's distinct from Bruce because even at his best Lex isn't really altruistic, he's only protective of people who are important to him. (Plus there’s the way that Lex’s protectiveness manifests in ways that the people he’s protecting neither want nor ask for.)

Him liking kids? This is also from pre-crisis. That Lex had surprisingly tender relationships with children who relied on him like his sister, nephew, and son. And it's also distinct from Bruce because Lex only tends to care about children in his own family rather than about them as a category.

Look, Lex is an extremely intelligent, prideful man. He's been consistently depicted as wealthy since the 80s. He has great chemistry with Superman, as an enemy/rival, a friend, and a foil, and they're organically able to contrast and push back on one another. People are going to draw comparisons between him and Bruce Wayne. Even Maggin contrasted them in order to show off Lex’s faults.

And like, I think there are some things that SV did probably did get straight from Batman! Like Lex using his money and power to get people help. The flavour his compassion takes in the early seasons is pretty Batman-ish. I'm also not sure how to feel about the concept of him being an heir to a fortune of billions, as it does make him more similar to Bruce on the surface, though the fact he's set to inherit an evil corporation built by his father and that he was abused and deprived of love as a trade-off for that privilege is definitely unique.

But god, this idea that portraying Lex as a better person is inherently derivative of Bruce's character or Clark's dynamic with Bruce drives me kind of nuts. It's ignorant, presumptuous, and disrespectful to the strength and history of both Superman's mythos and Lex as a character.

TLDR; Not everything is about Batman.

[king-of-vertigo]

fuck it. I am sick of having so much oc lore and having it just sit in my brain. so. ((plus I'm pretty busy with art fight atm, I'll be posting attacks soonish?))

time to ramble about toni.

btw, he is on art fight if you wanna draw him >:DD

I put some of the stuff here on his pfp already, but I'm gonna go more in depth. read if you like, ramble is under the cut + a smidge of backstory/headcanons for a couple canon characters <33

I'll start off with a silly fun fact. I made him before I got the second bendy novel where there was a mention of a Mr. Russo. completely unplanned and sheer coincidence-- but it inspired a lot of his lore.

family originates from Italy, it was his grandparents who moved to New York. however, his father was the one to properly find quite well paying work. it was because of that work that Toni was born to a decently well-off family that already had ties in the entertainment industry.

Rodolfo, his dad, often helped direct productions trying to get off the ground, and though he's given up a role in the director seat in more recent times, he still helps financially back certain projects in the industry. a somewhat short-tempered, traditional, and blunt man. not fond of pleasantries unless they're strictly needed, in which case-- he can be quite charming. or at least charming enough. Rodolfo has very high expectations for his son, and found the whole cartoon thing quite childish-- until he realized how much money could be made. he doesn't consider it in the same league as actual movies, and Toni isn't saved from the snarky comments when he comes over for dinner-- but the job pays well enough.

Antonio's mother has been out of the picture for some time now, becoming very sick when Toni was very young-- he doesn't remember much about her, and his dad is quite cagey when discussing the subject. Toni's made peace with it, even if he sometimes mourns the relationship there could have been.

there was still a motherly figure in his life growing up, though. and that came in the form of his aunt, Clara. though she is incredibly kind, make no mistake, she can be fierce when needed. growing up with a brother like Rodolfo, she learned how to push back against loud personalities. Clara is sweet, but honest. she'll comfort and soothe, while also holding whoever accountable. one of Antonio's most trusted confidants, only coming second to Clara's daughter and his cousin, Isabella.

Isabella, while only being his cousin, is loved like a sister. she's a constant source of stability in his life, though as an up and coming actress she can be a bit dramatic. they're a duo, the one who loves the spotlight, and the one who would rather stay behind the scenes. they were joined at the hip as kids, and while both are now busy working adults-- they still find time for each other. Isabella does her best to get Toni out of his shell, and has provided a huge boost in confidence the last few years. she's incredibly quick witted, cheeky, social, and just generally a gem of a human to be around.

Antonio has always been a bit on the quieter side, so as his fascination with movies and cartoons matured, he became really interested in the work that happened off the big screen. specifically in sound effects. how objects were used to make noises for completely different sounding things. him trying to break into such a specific part of the entertainment industry lined up perfectly with Joey expanding his Music Department, though a couple more stars had aligned before to lay the groundwork.

he'd been a fan of Sammy and Jack's shows for at least a year by this point, even if Toni himself wasn't entirely musically or vocally inclined-- there was something so charming about the pair that he couldn't resist. and seeing as they were often hired to play at ritzier parties, Antonio could see them perform on a mildly consistent schedule if he could get himself invited by the right people. of course, his family wasn't infamous by any means, and Toni hated to throw around his last name as leverage... but in this case-- it was a guilty pleasure, and did no real harm to anyone. plus, his family was happy to see him get out more.

the way Antonio ends up getting hired on is-- still in the works. but the idea I'm probably going to go with is this: while Sammy was given full control on who was hired in his department, the people he knew were all very-- refined artists. classical folks. people who performed for the sake of the art, and not for movies and such. Jack had a better hand in it, as I imagine he tried to get a start in comedy, which didn't end up going anywhere. one way or another the name 'Antonio Russo' travels down the grapevine. Sammy is a very critical man, very hard to please. Toni probably still doesn't know what earned him a spot in the studio's employ-- but he's so thankful for it regardless.

I'll maybe make another post about his inky arc, because that's it's own can of worms-- regardless, I'll probably add little pics of his family as I make references for them.

but now-- sleep. cause I am tired. if you read all this, thank you. it means a lot :DD

[enchantedchocolatebars]

Gorillaz Teacher! AU Headcanons

🍎 Original headcanons ✏️

🏫 Ao3 version 🎒

Murdoc:

• Wait, how did he even get this job and why hasn't he been fired yet?

• Teaching is honestly just a shitty day job for him. Once he earns enough, he's quitting to become a famous rock star with his own band! He could see it now: fame, glory, girls. It sounds like a dream come true. But until he had the money to make that dream a reality, he was stuck as the school's social studies teacher.

• When he quits his job as an "educator", it's going to be very similar to the fuck you scene from the movie "Half Baked".

• He is disliked by the students in all of his classes.

• He has a habit of arriving 30 minutes late to class. Sometimes he'll show up completely sober, while other times he'll show up drunk.

• The pickle has WAY too many political views that he refuses to keep to himself.

• If Murdoc falls asleep at his desk, one of the kids might try to either draw a dick on his forehead and take a picture of it, or they might try to put a 'kick me' sign on his back. But they have to be EXTRA careful or they might wake up the grumpy goblin!

• If he does wake up, he'll be extremely mad and end up giving the whole class a pop quiz first thing tomorrow morning.

• He finds grading papers to be too difficult, so he doesn't bother doing it.

• The only time Murdoc actually teaches his class something about social studies is when the principal or some other important staff member walks into the room to see what's going on. Once they're gone, he goes straight back to sleep.

• He believes that Stuart Pot, the new music teacher at school, is an idiot. He decides to give him the nickname '2D' because he feels that the man is too dense. Murdoc has walked by Stuart's classroom a couple of times before and has overheard him and his students singing while he plays the piano. To hear more, he would usually place his ear against the door. He had to admit that the guy had some really nice vocals. Plus, he's tall, pretty, has blue hair, and both eyes! Murdoc makes a mental note to remember to make that Stu-Pot guy the front man of his future band once he gets the money he wants and decides to quit.

• Murdoc only tries to 'befriend" 2D because he's a music teacher and also because he wants him to be his future front man.

• When he learns that the teacher of the class with the highest test scores will receive a large bonus pay, he decides to change his style of "teaching", forcing the students in his class to study intensely for the upcoming test. However, the kids end up getting low scores.

• He has been embezzling money from the 9th grade bake sale.

2D/Stuart Pot:

• He is the new music teacher!

• He quickly becomes well-liked by students and co-workers.

• Stuart is a nice teacher who carries himself off as a goofy professional who knows what he's doing.

• Believes that every one of his students will become a great musician one day.

• At times, he enjoys teaching while music plays in the background.

• He may accidentally give students test answers when they ask for clarification on a question

• He will write original songs for his class to perform.

• Has an after-school club where he teaches students how to play piano, keyboards, and melodica.

• I can imagine him being an actual teacher in real life.

• Stuart is a bit terrified of Murdoc because one time, when the two were on lunch duty together, Murdoc was explaining to him a dream that he had last night where he launched his car through a music shop that Stu-Pot was apparently working at and had knocked one of his eyes out! “ Oh, uh, o-okay… W-Well, it’s a good thing you aren’t actually going to run me over with a real car, right?…RIGHT?!”

Noodle:

• She has a full real name, but prefers to be referred to as Noodle, which was a nickname she received in her childhood.

• The children generally call her Ms. Noodle.

• She's the teaching assistant for Stuart's class!

• She's kind because she helps everyone in the class who needs it, even the spoiled kids.

• She's in charge of the guitar club after-school!

• She really likes the guitar club since it provides a safe and fun environment for students to come together and enjoy music.

• She's a master at playing acoustic guitar and ukulele!

• You'll most likely find her in the teacher's lounge playing on her pink handheld game player while drinking tea and munching on the candy and snacks that they have in there.

• The teacher's lounge is her favorite room to be in for obvious reasons.

Russel:

• He's a no-nonsense math teacher who will joke around with his students from time to time, but then gets very serious with them when it comes to their grades.

• Mr. Hobbs is skilled at making math fun with a capital F!

• They didn’t do so well on a test? Not a problem! Russel will happily allow a student to retake it, as long as they go home and study.

• He will greet each student by their name when they enter his class.

• Russel has a general concern for his students and desires the best for all of them.

• His students can count on him being genuine

• Will bring treats for the class if they did really well on a quiz or test!

• Allows his students to use their phones once they have finished all their work.

• When his students throw him a surprise party in the classroom on his birthday, he breaks down in happy tears.

• Murdoc's classroom is situated across the hall from his own.

• Russel doesn't know why, but he feels that Mr. Niccals is teaching for all the wrong reasons.

• He really doesn't think Murdoc should be teaching teenagers, or really anyone. Russel couldn't think of anyone less qualified to be a teacher.

• Whenever he's in the teacher's lounge, he likes socializing with other teachers like 2D or Noodle, but never with Murdoc. Russel tries to avoid him.

[the-lady-writes-what]

Now for something completely different: The AI Problem with Etsy

I was minding my own business and scrolling through Pinterest, when I came across this:

First you think, that's a pretty dress. What could be wrong with it? Turns out, quite of few things. I will admit that the AI is pretty good here, but you can't help but notice how stiff the "model" is. Then, the cracks start to appear. The eyes seem to be looking in different directions. The background looks too unfocused. The hair doesn't make sense.

And then you get to the dress itself.

I am not a professional seamstress or dressmaker. I sew as a hobby, so please take my word with a grain of salt. However, I know enough about the basics of sewing and construction to tell you that something funky is going on. First the price. The seller slashed the price from $475 USD to a measly $142.50 and doesn't include shipping. The most expensive dress I have made would have set me back at least $100 if not for the fact that I purchased the fabric from the craft I worked at during that time. It was a simple medieval gown of linen. A ball gown with corset lacing, lace, boning, gathers, and at least 6+ yards of fabric for the skirt alone would set you back a couple hundred dollars just for supplies alone. The total cost of the dress with all the supplies plus labor would make the item cost higher than the $475 figure.

This wedding gown looks like what a $500+ ballgown should be.

The dress retails at $579 plus $97 for shipping. If a dress originally worth $475, it's going to include a pricy shipping and handling tag. And the only reason someone would make a dress worth that much money and knock that price down by 70% is if they're going out of business and desperately need to get rid of their stock. Here's a thing about retail, most often if they're giving you such a big sale, it's because the retail value is much lower than what they're selling it to you for. They already bumped up the price to cover the cost of shipping and handling, although in the case of most corporate big box department stores I suspect it has more to do with making more money when they trick you into thinking that you're getting a deal for a dress that should probably match the sale price and not the marked up one.

Let's get back to the original dress. There's a couple of discrepancies right off the bat. The gathered ruffles at the top mysteriously end in the middle of the bodice. The bodice looks like it has three strings trying to imitate corset lacing and I can't seem to figure out how it would be sewn. I don't see seams for boning and you would definitely need some boning structure for a dress like this just for stability while wearing it, especially if you're wearing a strapless bra. The lace at the end of the sleeves melt, literally MELT, into the other fabric instead of, you know, being SEWN? It also doesn't look right from a design stand point. You have all that gorgeous pink satin and you slap on cheap lace where there is lace nowhere else on the dress?

This is another picture from the same listing but it looks like a similar but very different dress.

The bodice style is completely different going from a more heart shape to a straight across. The front lacing is even more funky, the sleeves somehow got worse and are completely different from the first image, and the "model's" face looks like it's melting if you look closer at the image.

Here is the supposed back:

Even with my amateur eyes, this back is incongruent with the design of the front and looks like a new kind of dress. The sleeves have changed yet again and the lacing is a horrifying mess of Lovecraftian proportions.

Everything about this listing is alarming. There's only one color, the size chart is very small (only 0 to size 12), there's no shipping, and no refunds. Sometimes you need to be cautious around sellers of any goods that offer exchanges rather than cash refunds. There might be legitimate reasons a good seller doesn't do refunds, so you need to take that into account before labeling someone a scammer. If you see "no refunds, only exchanges" and there are other red flags, then you would most likely be in the right to call that seller a scammer. Even with a 70% "sale", $132 is a lot of money to throw away on a dress that might not exist and by the time the store gets shut down, you might not get your money even if in the off chance Etsy or whatever platform decides to throw you a bone and compensate your loss.

The same store has a much more obvious AI "dress" they're trying to sell.

The "model" is even worse. The eyes are definitely going into different directions and the mouth literally looks slapped on. I'm not an expert in photography or anatomy, but there's also something funny going on with the legs. Should legs look like that? The listing calls this one a "Vintage Style Gothic Medieval Dress, Halloween Party Costumes for Women, Vampire Cosplay Long U shaped Skirt, Baggy Sleeves Roleplay Tunic". First, if the listing of a clothing item is a fucking novel, it's either fake or shoddily made in China by an underpaid seamstress in a sweatshop. Second, nobody calls that a "U-shaped" skirt. That's not a thing.

The proper terminology would be a "high-low" or "mullet" skirt. I have never heard of "U-shaped" skirt before.

The front of the dress is supposed to be laced, I think? But the design loses cohesion. If you tried to zoom in, the entire image gets blurry. The dress, the background, the "model." It all looks super funky, and not in a fun way. I can't tell if they were going for corset lacing, rouching, gathering, or all three at once. The AI mess up big time. And of course, all the images in the listing look like similar but different dresses.

I'm including a link to the shop in the hopes if anyone sees this and cares enough to report the shop and all its listings to Etsy. I don't know if they'll do anything about it since they seem to care more about making money than protecting consumers these days, but it can at least send awareness that we don't want scammers and fake artists using AI to hurt people.

Scammer Etsy page link here

[deusexlachina]

Wannabe Warden Part 17: Utterly humiliate the Grey Wardens with my superior darkspawn-slaying skills

In which I am still not deemed worthy of the Grey Wardens despite saving three of them, plus another of Warden Morwen's friends.

After melting enemies left and right with the superior and better one-handed axe, I quickly rack up a vast fortune. Naturally, I spend almost all of it on more equipment to make me even stronger - Four-Fingered Eddie's Lucky Talisman. Unlike in Origins, most items have no description, so I can only imagine he's Four-Fingered Eddie because the amulet gave him so many critical hits he cut his finger clean off slicing onions.

This goes well with the other piece of crit-tastic murder jewellery I spent the rest of my money on back in Act 2 - the puzzle ring of...the BLACK FOX! AHAHAHAHAHA!!!! Unlike poor Four-Fingered Eddie, there are codex entries describing who the Black Fox is and what his puzzle rings might be, but why read the book when you can watch the movie? With these magic charms and a good head start, only the sprightliest sprite, the nimblest elf, the wickedest witch or the devil himself can withstand my near-constant stream of critical hits. Speaking of critical hits and the nimblest elf, I encounter Zevran, Warden Morwen's murderin' chum. Anders recognizes him. From the stories. They never actually fought together.

Zevran explains that he's being hunted by the Antivan Crows, again, despite the fact that Warden Morwen did several jobs for the Crows in exchange for them backing off from her, the Couslands, and Zevran in particular. Maybe these Crows are a splinter group, or maybe assassins tell lies to people.

Unfortunately for the Crows, they're the "Coterie" enemy type, which is weak to spirit damage, aka the purple numbers that cloud the air whenever I look at someone funny. Worse, with my newfound knowledge of one-handers, I respec Other Aveline into a pure DPS battering ram and hand her the other, only slightly less broken, spirit axe. What's she trying to do, steal my look? Some people. Anyway, we win, and Zevran has a reward for me.

I'm excited now. As a good friend of the Warden-Commander, Zevran would make an excellent job reference for Being A Grey Warden. Unfortunately, the reward is a dagger, which is already obsolete because only Isabela can use them and she has better ones. Isabela is so insulted at this vendor trash that she asks for makeup sex despite unilaterally claiming me as a girlfriend. But threesomes are Isabela's hobby, so I oblige my yandere pirate lover and she gets to be stuck in a compromising position between two deadly fighters, which is usually how combat with her turns out.

Other Aveline sees us propositioning each other and throws up a little in her mouth that we're talking about having sex with each other right in front of her. It's an easy mistake, I thought she didn't mind that kind of thing since she asked me to vicariously seduce her direct subordinate, and no, she is not living that down three years later.

I'm thinking more clearly now, but I'm not satisfied, and not just because Zevran kept crying out "I still remember MY first battle! Hahaha!" But I get another chance to prove myself to the Wardens. Warden Nathaniel Howe, who is moderately nicer than his dad who killed Morwen's family, is missing in the Deep Roads, so I go rescue him.

This is more difficult than I remember because these aren't your average, everyday, darkspawn. These are advanced darkspawn. I wonder who made this sidequest so overtuned before I remember that it was me, because I thought it would be fun to have both Nightmare Ultra difficulty and nastier darkspawn. It's just like the escape from Lothering. Except this time, the roles are reversed. I can do thousands of damage in a second, so it's their turn to run screaming from me.

This is for Wesley! This is for all three of my buddies who got mangled trying to keep up with the dozens of advanced darkspawn I'm mowing down! And, most of all...this is for Carver!

But I'm not the only one avenging Carver. Bethany is also here, fighting the good fight. Unfortunately, she's not doing as well as she does with me, because the Wardens unwisely armed her with a fire staff. Curiously, she gets a nature staff exclusively if she's not a Warden, despite nature being twice as effective as fire against darkspawn. See, this is why Bethany needs me. And why the Wardens need me.

She introduces me as her sister. (Or I WAS her sister...before she got THE BLIGHT!!!) I miss her, but she can't let herself miss the family.

Once again, she manages to make everyone feel uncomfortable - not just with her bleak words, but also by steadily zooming in on her face, closer and closer. JUST LIKE THE TAINT IN HER VEINS.

But I have saved her life, and that of Nathaniel. And some other guy who made bombs that were supposed to help fight the darkspawn but these ones are so powerful that explosives barely tickle them. Because of me, Nathaniel will see his sister and nephew again. And - seeing how I wiped out the darkspawn more than ten times faster than all three actual Wardens present - he has a fitting reward for me.

I reach out my hand, waiting for a notice of Conscription, and receive a longsword, which is already obsolete because only people named Aveline can use longswords and we both have much better weapons already.