#we've “made it work”...

[ambre-gris]

things got quite triggery in RRRR after marriage (the wizard started saying things a cringey ex used to say to me, ick) so i moved it out of my mods folder for now... before that, i had started running away to lance... although at first i was like "wtf dude, stop stalking me" 😅 a couple of days later, i had a dream of exploring crimson badlands with him, which was super cool. 12 irl hours after that, things had escalated to the point that uhh... we were engaged xD and something (i have like a 100 mods) was preventing me from divorcing the wizard so uhh, horrible things might have happened. ofc, you don't simply divorce the wizard! i still kept my other save where i married him prematurely, so i can explore the story in a better headspace.

but! turned out lance was the stardew husband i didn't know i needed. he's stuffed my inventory with life elixirs, triple shot espresso, rain totems and he's done a fair bit of cooking, too. i've been cracking up when i go on ginger island, meaning to go greet him at fable reef but he's just chilling on the beach in his swimwear xD i always wander around a lot so it's nice to run into your spouse on your travels! squee. plus his 12 heart event T.T <3 worth the grind. i was left a little ambiguous on how i feel about it, because it implied i had broken a promise :( but i rationalized it by saying it's for science and for the good of the species (or several).

and then the dream came true and we faced an apophis! (thank you npc adventures xD) wish i could tame one, they're so cute.. the crimson badlands are crazy... CRAZY COOL that is. idk getting there just made me so tickled i've been happy in real life too. ✨

btw, this whole lance ordeal has involved things such as: having a child before marriage (i spent a night at the highlands outpost before getting married to the wizard because "the groom shouldn't see the bride before the wedding" XDDDDD idek what went into me, i was a total nutcase), the town thinking it's the wizard's child when it's obviously lance's, but lance himself being clueless... 😂 but it's all good now. i don't know if i can marry anyone else in a new run. he's just so adorable and silly. he says "your visits spark a lot of joy in me", i say i'm a freaking firecracker 🎇🧨

when i'm way up here, it's crystal clear that now i'm in a whole new world with you...

[vildo]

[diathadevil]

Day 7 - Only the Lonely Survive

But I'd rather hurt here than be happy somewhere else No one will scar me like you do But no one will ever be compared, compared to you.

[fatedroses]

zenos, but he's getting spammed by his weirdly tech savvy great-grandfather.

[lizzybeeee]

DATV explaining the 'Regret Prison'

A REGRET PRISON IS STUPID AND I'M TIRED OF PRETENDING THAT ITS NOT

TL;DR: a prison can serve as a metaphor but it shouldn't be entirely comprised of a metaphor.

From what I understood from what the game gave us: Solas has made a new prison to move the God's too - since bringing down the veil would free them from the Black City. This new prison is separate(?) from the fade or so far removed/contained that bringing down the veil would not compromise it...apparently. We interrupt his ritual, Solas gets sucked into the new prison he made, and the elven gods are free.

When Rook gets kicked into the fade they're physically there - which means it's a physical place in the fade, like how it was a mixture of physical/thought when we entered it in DAI. Which makes sense - the gods are real and living beings, they need to be in a place, there must be some aspect of physicality to it.

Alright, cool, it's a Black City 2.0 - I assume it's better defended to prevent people breaking in/out again?

NOPE.

We get there and it's a 'regret prison'?? It's tied to the regrets of those within it? Composed of regrets??? Solas had to wait for the right moment for Rook to be sufficiently 'full of regret' that they could switch places?

So is the prison tied to Solas's regrets? If so, how can Rook escape? The prison seems to work around the idea that it relies on the regrets of the person it's holding to work - which is how/why Rook was able to be trapped and later free themselves (along with whatever remains of the team apparently being able to do something on their end, not that we hear about it).

WHICH IS STUPID!

Are you telling me the prison intended to hold to megalomaniac elven gods was going to imprison them based on their own regrets? Is Solas assuming that Elgar'nan and Ghilan'nain are as self-pitying as he is? They'd break out quicker than Rook did! He made a time out corner for the elven gods to sit in and gave them an out if they reflected on their emotions/regrets or decided that they don't regret what they did. Elgar'nan, a spirit of tyranny, is not going to 'regret' his actions - he is going to justify them by telling himself and others that he knows what's best.

We can come across some of Solas's regrets in the prison if you run around a bit and explore:

Remnant of Failure - talking about the orb from Inquisition.

Remnant of Parting - talking about Mythal

Remnant of Reflection - more vague, talking about the Titans I believe.

So maybe he altered it - maybe he intended the prison to be 'locked' with his own regrets because after a millennia of having a pity party he still can't bring himself to self-reflect and look to the future. But what if Solas died? Or if his guilt lessened - would it diminish the strength of the regret prison?

We already have pre-established lore (though DATV has shown they don't really give a crap tbh) that once the being that has claimed/altered an area of the fade is slain, it's influence diminishes both in and outside of the fade. So if the prison was tied to his regrets then it would require Solas to basically live forever to keep it stable - especially if he brought down the veil and removed the one barrier that kept the world and the fade apart.

Rook and Solas needed some assistance to exit - but it doesn't seem like it was much! Solas used his dagger and Rook just...got out through a fade tear? This is Solas's 'more secure' second prison? It has a worse track record than the Black City! If Rook - who is not an elven god - managed to escape the regret prison what is to stop anyone else from breaking in and out of the prison?

And what did Solas intend to do with the blight - the bulk of which is apparently in the black city?? If bringing down the Veil would free the gods in the black city doesn't that mean that the blight would also be released?! Did he have a plan? Why does he go fully ahead with bringing down the veil at the end if the black city is still there and filled with blight?!

I get it: the 'regret prison' is a metaphor for how Solas holds onto the past and how Rook can move past their regrets and grow. He's trapped by the past - it's a prison. Cool. But this prison is supposed to by a physical place to contain the gods - not just to solely contain Solas. The mission is literally called 'A Cage for Gods'.

The Black City is an actual place that's so far out of reach of anywhere else in the fade that no mage can ever reach it while in dreams - let alone physically, which was only done once and took tremendous effort/blood sacrifices. It made sense - it was cool to see floating in the sky in DAO!

Though it's not said specifically, it's strongly implied that Arlathan is the Black City. You can see in the concept art that floating elven city is exactly the same as the black city in DAO! It's this foreboding thing just lurking in the sky - a constant reminder of the sin that led to the horrors of the blights and darkspawn. A real place with lore and history that also serves as a metaphor for the hubris and destruction of those who call themselves gods and act as tyrants -> for both the evanuris and the magisters.

I WANT TO UNDERSTAND THIS BIOWARE!

WHAT IS THIS KINGDOM HEARTS NONSENSE???!!

[crunchybeards]

I still do find it downright incredible in terms of the time that Look Outside came out and the current meme culture crossing paths the way that they do. And I'm specifically talking about Gen Z not fucking with jobs/ being employed like at all. Seriously the stars aligned for a game where you play as an unemployed 30 something year old who doomscrolls on social media whose only known hobby is gaming and eating shitty TV dinners whilst dodging rent to come out where that exact lifestyle is encouraged by Look Outside's demographic.

Like Sam is the ideal Gen Z icon, as of the current unemployment meme trend despite being well a 30 something year old dude. Being unemployed truly transcends all barriers, peace and love on planet earth.

[catalinemorosetheblog]

I decided to be silly with memes, especially in the realization that a lot of some "antagonists" (if you can call some of them that) keep having connections to this very specific dead guy.

[flowerygarrland]

Hey guys I made some designs

[mantisgodsdomain]

After watching TAZ Amnesty's finale, our favorite character is now solidly Billy. That fucking goat man only had a vocabulary of "Duck" and "Pizza" for 90% of the podcast but it only took one episode of being able to communicate unfettered to rocket that fucking guy straight to being one of the most fucking complex and interesting characters in the damn show

[rosesofenvy]

How Far We’ve Come - Music Theory Analysis

[Disclaimer: I went to university for music as a violin primary and have the most confidence with classical strings. I passed my piano proficiency courses, but that is the extent of my piano knowledge. It has been a few years since I have done an in-depth composition analysis of any piece, let alone transcribing a piece by ear and then analyzing it. Music theory has never been my strong suit! Please excuse any mistakes in notation, and any inaccuracies in my transcription or analysis. I did my best and this was purely for fun *shaky thumbs up*]

----------------------

'How Far We’ve Come' by Harlan Guthrie is a duet between Grand Piano and Cello. This piece opens with solo piano, either in a pickup measure or in a single measure of 2/4 before transitioning to 4/4 time in measure 2. Throughout its entirety there are many moments of rubato which have been notated as ritardando and a subsequent a tempo. To most accurately follow the phrasing, listening to the recording is highly recommended.

This piece begins in the key of F#M or the enharmonic spelling of GbM. Although unpleasant to look at with either 6 sharps or 6 flats, depending on which spelling is followed, this key is often used by composers to invoke emotions of a conquest story, evoking relief, triumph, victory, and clarity. As we know from our story in Malevolent so far, this meaning is not lost on us. I have chosen to keep this piece as F#M since that is how I originally began transcribing it. I have also attached the GbM version at the end of the post, however all the analysis follows F#M spelling.

The lone piano begins on the third of our I chord with a hesitant, heavily rubato 8th note pickup into measure 1. The transition from measure to measure in this first phrase gains little confidence, especially with the transition from the pickup into m. 1 as this is the only instance in the piece where the set of 8th notes in the left hand do not lend itself into the next right hand pickup (four 8th notes instead of five). Each lead-in to the downbeat is stretched, pedal held throughout the measure to allow the sound to linger. Each press of the keys is deliberate, yet maintains a mezzo dynamic as the sound fades. m.2 is introduced with a vi chord, creating a hint of unease before resolving in m.3 to a IV(add7). We end our first phrase with a half cadence to a V chord, leading into a V7 as our next phrase begins with a B. 

As we enter our second phrase it is similar to our first with  m.5 beginning with a I chord, m.6 expands our vi chord compared to its first iteration, resulting in a more confident feel as we continue into m.7 with yet another expansion to our IV(add7). M.8 ends this phrase as we reach another half cadence V chord almost V7. 

Beginning m.9 the piece has a few possible paths of analysis, we arrive on a vi chord if we are remaining in F#M, which unlike our other initial starting phrases this throws us into a melancholic mood. There is a possibility of modulation to the relative minor (D#m), however I believe it remains in F#M and utilizes inversions of our chords and will continue with this assumption for the next phrase.

Remaining in F#M, m.10 could be a vi(4/2) inversion, or a I(6/4) inversion. Because Measure 11 moves to a ii chord, I believe it makes more harmonic sense for m.10 to be a vi(4/2) inversion as moving from a I(6/4) - ii is less common than a vi(6/4) to a ii. 

M.11 into m.12 is a fascinating progression. We have a V with the (g) in m.11, then we are descending to a Dnat, A#, E# progression. The Dnat is what has thrown me off the most, as it is a minor chord of sorts but doesn’t exist within our key of F#M, or relative D#m. The E# A# progression I believe is a I(4/2) chord, as it is leading us back into the next phrase. Even spelling enharmonically as a A#, Cx, E# chord it does not naturally occur within our existing key. After many hours of checking theory textbooks, writing out possible modulations, and playthroughs of the chords, I’m choosing to leave this as a V-I(4/2) progression and accepting my loss that I do not know what chord exists in the downbeat of m.12. However, I can say that resolving to something that is not a root tonic further creates this sense of melancholy.

Bringing us to our next phrase at m.13, similar to our previous phrase a vi chord but instead of resolving to an A# it resolves to the root D#. M.14 is identical to m.10 with the exception of the lower octave A#3 before resolving in m.15 to a ii chord until the fourth beat of the measure which leads us into measure 16 - resolving to a IV-V half cadence by the end of the measure. 

Reaching m.18 we are returning to our original phrase. This is where our cello enters for the duet, in which I have some observations about musicality first. As the piano is using a significant amount of pedal to sustain the sound, the cello utilizes a wide vibrato to create a warm sound. Notably, this doesn’t occur as significantly when entering with the lower notes. The cello is confident, encouraging the piano forward and maintaining a solid momentum even with the hesitance the piano has shown. 

M.18 we begin on a I chord, supported by the cello playing a low F# as the root. In the pause between phrases, it's as if you can feel the performers breathing together before they move to m.19, our vi(add7) chord. 

Measure 20 I have quite a bit to talk about. Stacked chord analysis is not my forte (pun intended). From what I could hear, there is a B1, F#2, B2, F#3 in the cello, while the piano continues with a IV(add7) chord. B1 is impossible to play on a cello with traditional tuning, in order to achieve this note they would have to tune their lowest string - their C string - down a half step. The chord B1/F#2/B2/F#3 is also impossible to play on a single instrument. If one cello tuned their C down to a B, then they could feasibly play the bottom chord, possibly the two B’s in octaves. It is possible for a cellist to play an F#/B/F# chord, however it would be uncomfortable and not result in a good tonality with it being a triple stop - but, the second cello could split the chord and play a different combination (F#2,B2 or B2,F#) with success. Other solutions to this could be having a double bass play the pedal B, as it would be within their ability on and remain in the correct octave, or having the piano cover the pedal B. This massive chord then resolves simply to a half cadence V chord in measure 21. 

Entering our last section, m.22, we return to a phrase similar to the beginning, with a confident I chord. With each measure we go to a more traditional chord progression to a V-IV-V in measures 23, 24, and 25 respectively. In an exciting turn of events, we land on a I chord in our final measure. The first PAC in the entire piece, and yet, it doesn’t sound as if the piece is finished. Throughout its entirety, all the phrases have been a form of inauthentic cadence. We end on a Perfect Authentic Cadence, a V-I, it should sound resolved. And yet, it continues on. The notes ring, and if left on repeat (as I have done for this analysis), it makes sense for it to continue. 

In conclusion, I believe this duet is in an general AABBAA format, with A being Major key tonality and B encompassing a minor key tonality. This piece is a conversation, it’s full of emotion and hesitance and is a fantastic representation of everything we’ve seen Arthur and John go through so far in the podcast. I can’t help but think of “I’ve come so far…and I have miles to go before I sleep” with this piece as a reflection of that. This composition is saying “Look, see how far we’ve come, what we’ve done to get here. How we’ve changed and grown.” All this to say, it’s an amazing story and an amazing composition. If you made it this far, I’m glad you came along in this musical journey with me and feel free to add anything I may have missed (or possibly mistaken). 

[dreamsrunfaster]

i think my biggest problem with belinda's arc is that it's so wildly inconsistent. and that's what makes it clear that it's an arc in service of other characters. the moment belinda gave up her "nah you're sus and i fucking hate you" vibe with no real justification, that arc was dead in the water.

[disposal-blueeee]

( stereotypical mexican music starts playing

[loop-lover-central]

Hey, hey, c'mere. Yeah, you, lovely follower and/or observer from the dash.

I'm saying this gently. I'm saying it kindly.

I am a larger blog now, unfortunately, which means when stuff starts to bother me I'll have to talk about it because it's less of a one off type deal. I'm more of a doormat, so I hate putting my foot down but this needs to be done. I love you all dearly, and I try to keep super personal things away from this blog because this is my funny blog. But being pedantic, especially if you don't know the person well, is not funny.

I fully endorse goofs, gafs, and japery of all sorts. Going "well ACTUALLY *insert pedantic here*" is not funny to me. I actually find it very belittling, personally. Acknowledging that you are fully being pedantic, and that you don't HAVE to be pedantic, and then being pedantic in your tags anyway is even worse because you are aware you're just doing it to do it.

This has happened several times, with a lot of different people, so I'm not specifically pointing out any single person, but it is starting to become an issue for, once again, personal reasons that I won't air out on this blog specifically.

Thank you for your time, thank you for your patience, and thank you for pointing and laughing when I slip on banana peels. That's what I love to do, make you laugh and cry.

[ad-hawkeye]

thinkign about this... sobs

[yumenari]

I've found myself in a terrible circle that's slowly driving me insane

Need to do work -> Gets distracted thinking about Leona -> Wants to draw Leona -> Needs to do work -> Gets distracted-

[kindnessoverperfection]

ADHD really does put everything at equal levels of importance, huh? Like I'll have an email I need to write that'll take maybe 10 minutes, and getting that done will alleviate 6 months of stress. Then I'll notice a sock on the floor I need to put away. Then I'll get the strong conviction that it's up to me to cure cancer. And my brain will tell me that I need to do all of them at once, start and finish them all in the time span of 0 seconds, and my executive dysfunction will throw up its hands and do none of the above.