#Next chapter we get a kri perspective!

[hashtagdrivebywrites]

Y'all bear with me on my bad phone pictures and excessive notes lmao, but, uh, ask and you shall receive.

Here's my concept art for Jason in my fic Imprint, where he's a halfa and Danny's biological dad and the king father/king regent? of the infinite realms.

Here's the first ever sketch I did somewhere around chapter 2 or 3:

Featuring larval Ghost!Jason, Pit madness/Lazarus Water and little bitty Ghost!Danny.

I was already thinking about the possibility of a crown but didn't know what to do with it yet so I just left a halo as a placeholder DBZ-style, which you'll see in the next few concept stages until I finish the latest one.

Ah, the oldest concept I had for the Pit is that it laid dormant in Jason's mind and would physically pull itself out of his head, which is why it's kind of half melded with Jason's helmet in this one. And I'm still kind of considering that idea, but I'm leaning more towards it coming from the bulk of Jason's body instead, as we see it in chapter 8 of Imprint when readers get to see Jason's ghost nonsense from an outside perspective. They (the Pit) is definitely more tiger-like now, and you'll catch a glimpse of a sketch dump where I'm trying to get a handle on tiger shape language (?). They'll still be water based and colored like the pits/a lagoon. It may be hard to picture- just trust me.

Uhhh let's see....the "lantern ribcage" is a part of the design that's really important to me so you'll see me consistently playing with it as I go through these early concepts. That's his core nestled in the lower part of his ribs, visible but protected behind the iron cage of his bones.

I wanted to incorporate Jason's helmet and other parts of his vigilante/hero uniforms in his ghost form since that part of his life is deeply personal to him.

I also knew that I wanted him to have a very monstrous aspect to his design- and I can't resist slapping pointy teeth on any of my concepts that deviate from being strictly human. So those aren't going away. Nostrils to breathe smoke and fire so Jason can better emote with most of his face being metal.

Danny's default ghost form, opposed to Jason's will still kinda be the one he has in his original dimension- black and white suit and the classic DP symbol on the chest, but probably better armored and with a bat emblem thrown in somewhere. So thats what I drew him with here- though little kid sized, with an added black streak in his hair to complete the inverse of the Lazarus Pit streak he has in human form.

In ghost form, when Jason needs precision, his go-to weapon will be the All Blades, which I have kinda illustrated here.

I may kinda set the bones of this design aside to use as a more humanoid ghost form that's closer to his living form, but that's still up in the air.

Here's concept 2, which I did on chapter...5? I think? Which is when I decided I wanted to make Jason's most comfortable ghost form to be kinda big and outrageous:

This one's got some notes doodled around it- but I'll type them out in case you can't read my handwriting.

Jason was definitely leaning more toward dragon (and I'm still trying to find the balance between dragon and phoenix that works nicely for him, but we're getting there.)

I decided not to put heat pits on his face recently so that the parts of his head modeled after the helmet are smooth metal armor. I tried to elongate the head but still keep the lines of his helmet in the design.

This is also the first time I started messing with horns- which have been bent in just about every direction at this point trying to make them mesh well with the rest of his design. The uppermost notes in the image mention basing the shape of his horns off of one of his weapons. I thought that the flaming all blades would just be overkill at that point and decided to play with using the Kris knife he gets from the League. Which is....still overkill but it's less fire to draw, so we'll call it a even. There is also a note on my decision to make his horns into a pair only because of being Bruce's second son and the second Robin. (I have put way too much fucking thought into this if you haven't figured that out already).

Tried a different look for the teeth and ended up scrapping it.

I also started leaning more into making his back look as messed up as possible at this point and started thinking of the....mountain range in plated rows like a croc's back.

And here's concept 3, which also starts playing with colors and the all-tail, no-legs look that I decided to stick with:

This is definitely the biggest jump between concepts so far and was sketched up while writing chapter 7, which I think is the first time we get to experience his ghost forms (there's 2 that we saw in that chapter).

So I continued to smooth and lengthen the head and tried a different thing with the teeth- which I kept. I also felt a lot better about the lines from the helmet with this concept. I tried curling his kris knife horns forward, trying to play with their form. Those have changed since.

This is the first time I added hair, but it's hard to see. He, like Danny, has an inversed streak of black at the front of his 'do to reflect the Lazarus stripe.

Again with the halo placeholder because I was still on the fence about the crown. Started trying to make the mountains of his spine more volcanic looking. Don't know if I'm keeping that or not yet.

So the three major differences between this and it's predecessors is the 1) mantle of smoke that is constantly being expelled from his body that is supposed to imitate a kinds cloak/mantle; 2) the tail, which has since been changed into a fiery tail instead of a ghostly one; and 3) I slapped his Robin 'R' from the movie UTRH on him to make this form more...him, I guess, and also to make Bruce cry like a baby.

So the things that I have changed is the ribcage, the shape of the horns, the crown (which finally has a rough design and a name based on the fight he has to win to earn it- yes, I already have that arc scribbled out and will most likely be adding it into the story) and I added some extra stuff to the face to match the written descriptions in Imprint.

SO. -Claps hands together- I'd love to hear your thoughts on everything, and I am always interested in hearing how y'all have interpreted these characters for yourselves.

If this is something you want me to do again with other character designs, let me know and I will. I am working on Jason, of course, and the Pit, Frankie boy, Danny's big long boi form, Gotham and some other odds and ends.

(Whoops forgot tags again)

#fanart #fanfic art #Hashtagdrivebywrites #Imprint fic #dpxdc #dp x dc #danny phantom #fanfic #ao3 #batman #jason todd #Danny Fenton #Lazarus Pit #all blades #traditional art #sketch #Honestly really nervous to post these #It's been a REALLY long time y'all #But here they are

[da-proti-toku-grem]

Well I'm seeing some people talking about this, and I really don't want to get too much into this kind of things (unless I see someone cross any line, then I will talk), but I have two things to say:

(Also I know the problem is mainly in other platforms but I only actively use tumblr so that's why I'm writing this here. And this is not directed to anyone in specific, I just need to let it out)

First of all, I hope all my posting didn't come out as "speculating" or anything, I just find it fun that they are not giving us too much information before hand, because it's making my mind think about all the different possibilities and I like posting them here. But even so, I am so so excited for the next three chapters, whatever they might be. I honestly didn't know about Damon before all this, but he truly looks like such a wonderful and transparent artist and I'll definitely be looking at more of his work because he's truly amazing. So, whatever he gives us, be it just Kris and Bojan, be it all of them individually, be it any ""ship"" content, or be it something else, I'll take it very gladly.

We will get whatever Damon and the guys want to give us and nothing more. They are showing their vulnerabilities to us (because that's what Damon focuses on), and we as a fandom are not in any place to judge or comment about what would or wouldn't be better for them to do. In fact, we should be greatful that they're showing this side of themselves to us. Of course, we can talk about the different possibilities and what we'd like to see; but that's not the same as saying what they should do.

From my honest point of view (which again, doesn't change whatever they do, and I don't want to either), I would really like to see each one of the guys individually because we barely see them like that. Don't get me wrong, I love them together and their photoshoot as a band always have me screaming, but there'a something so nice about the idea of getting to see them individually (like we already did with Bojan and Kris). And it's not because my faves are coincidentally the other three, but because I want all of them to know that we see them. I want all of them to feel appreciated. I want all of them to know that we love them for who they are. They are a band as a whole, and they themselves have made it clear that no one is more important than the others. Each one of them is different and without them Joker Out doesn't exist, at least how we know them right now.

Second of all, I'm actually really thrilled about what the kissing part might mean, but not in the "I want my ships to come true" kinda way (of course I would be very happy if one (or more) of my ships turned out to be true, but then again if it is actually true they should have the opportunity to come out when (or if) they want and how they want, not because of the pressure from the fans.), but in the way that it could actually mean a lot to a lot of people. I'm talking from my perspective as a cis girl here, but I know A Lot of guys (probably 99% of the guys I know) that never show affection for their friends in this kind of ways because "what will people say?". And even though it happens between girls too, it is (from what I've seen and I think people will agree with me on this one) so much worse in the case of guys.

I was actually thinking about this yesterday because I spent the day with my best friend of 18 years, and we spend all the time hugging each other close, giving each other pecks on the cheeks and holding hands, and suddenly it hit me that I never see guys doing that with their friends. I've never seen guys being so affectionate with their friends in this kind of way. And believe me, I have lots of guy friends and they're probably a whole lot closer with each other than I am with most of my friends. But they just never show it in physical ways because even hugging each other is seen as something bad for some (very stupid) reason.

Where I was going with this is that I really really appreciate the fact that the guys from Joker Out are always so open about their affection for each other (eg. when they hug each other all the time, Bojan ruffling everyone's hair, Jure calling them "my boys" and saying he's really happy just being with them, all their shenanigans on stage, the whole "conspiracy theory" thing, them sharing kisses from time to time, and so on and so forth), because I've personally NEVER seen anyone being like that and it truly feels like an inspiration.

And on top of all of this, if we get Damon actually photographing any of this (again, be it whatever they want it to be) and sharing it with the world feels truly freeing in some way.

And what if some of them are actually queer? What if all of them are queer? What if none of them are? What if they never want to address any of this and just keep living their lives however they want like the normal people they are? We shouldn't care and we shouldn't push them to share anything about their personal lives because they don't have to.

I just want guys (and everyone in the world but you know what I mean) to be able to kiss and hug their friends, I want guys to be able to say "I love you" or "I miss you" to their friends without having to worry about what everyone will think or people speculating on their sexualities. I really hope someday people will understand that it's not bad to show platonic affection and love and that it's just as important as romantic love...

#sorry if this doesn't make much sense but i'm to tired to reread it #and also i really hope i don't sound like i'm angry #i'm sorry i don't know how to express my feelings well through words without worrying that someone will take the message completely wrong #joker out #maca speaks #i questioned myself for a solid 10 minutes before posting this but i feel like i need to atp so here you go

[robotnik-mun]

One of the smaller, yet significant mysteries in Deltarune is whether or not Monsters are magical beings as they are in Undertale, and if Magic is even a thing outside of the Dark World.

And I can conclusively say... we need way more chapters before we can even begin to have a definite answer for this one.

The evidence we do have doesn’t paint a complete a picture and given how the writing in Deltarune and Undertale is in general, very few things can be absolutely taken at face value.

Take for example the stove top at the Dreemurr house.

Now as we all know, in Undertale Toriel’s stove is pristine, with it being suggested she uses fire magic to cleanse it. Yet here, its dirty, or at least dirtier than it was in Undertale. So surely that would be good evidence that Toriel can’t use magic here, right?

Well, not exactly. While it is a pretty good argument for the idea that there is no magic at all for monsters in Deltarune, from another perspective it might be evidence that Toriel simply doesn’t use magic to clean the stove here. Why might that be? Well, I would theorize that she might refrain from doing so because of Kris’ presence. Whether out of fear for their safety or in an attempt to give them as much of a ‘human’ upbringing as she can.

Which may or may not be something that fuels Kris’ apparent feelings of alienation from their family and community... but we’ll see, won’t we?

Another good example of how weirdly open-ended this can be can be seen in the second hospital visit with Noelle and Rudy-

Again- at a glance this would seem to confirm that magic might not be a thing, save for in the Dark World. But then there’s that ambiguous, interpretive syntax rising up again. Does this mean that magic isn’t real and Noelle wishes it was? Does it mean that magic is real and Noelle wishes she knew it? Does magic exist, but healing magic is a thing of fantasy?

If ‘Healing Magic’ is indeed a thing here, then you’d think Rudy wouldn’t be having his troubles. You might argue it COULD exist and whatever Rudy’s going through is beyond it, but then that’d make Noelle’s certainty that she could cure Rudy a very, very odd statement in-universe.

The Healing Magic thing gets another wrinkle in the form of this guy-

One of the frustrating things about UT/DT’s writing is that it DOES operate on a certain level of Toon Logic. Rule of funny and all that... but at the same time it has a certain tendency towards meta-humor and deconstruction, so there’s always a good chance of something that WOULD operate under Cartoon Logic being taken literally.

So where does the Warrior fit in? When we first meet him he’s clearly been badly injured and is babbling about ‘White Mages’, the traditional healer class of RPG video games. Now he’s clearly meant to be unhinged, but the very next day we see him all healed up and no worse for wear.

And thus the question comes up again- is he all healed up because It Is Funny, or are we to take it he really DID just heal overnight despite having both his hands in casts? Could it be the doctors really DO have the capacity to heal? Again, no idea! Rule of Comedy and Rule of Drama blurs considerably in this game. 

And then of course there are the monsters themselves- how similar are they to their UT counterparts? 

Signs would seem to point to... pretty similar! Maybe!

For example, there is Hometown’s very own cemetery.

In Undertale it is established that the funerary practices of the monsters arose from the fact that when they die, they disintegrate into dust. The funeral ritual, as such, is to spread that dust onto an object that was of great significance to the deceased so that their essence may live on in their possessions.

This would seem to be the same case in Deltarune’s world, where the graves in the cemetery are themed around various objects, as we can see here. So, that would seem to be pretty solid evidence for the DR monsters being the same, right? Well... it’s definitely more ‘for’, but its not exactly a slam dunk. While it would strongly suggest the same thing is going on here, one might also interpret that a similar tradition of focusing on Objects of Significance arose within the culture of Monsters, even without the prerequisite of them turning to dust when they die. For all we know that when they die here, they decompose just as we do, and they are remembered by they similar reached a similar cultural point for unrelated reasons.

The biggest hint we get into the nature of monsters here comes from a few comments from a somewhat nosy rabbit child. The child in question blithely asks Kris if it hurts to be made out of blood.

And later expresses confusion about how humans can have skeletons while there are skeleton monsters walking around. So, this would seem to strongly indicate that, like in Undertale, Monsters are made of magic rather than flesh and blood as humans are. So naturally, a young monster would be rather confused about how that exactly works out for us.

Likewise, there is the bathroom-

At face value this, again, would seem to indicate that monsters have... a bit more in common with us, compared to Undertale. In Undertale, monsters don’t have toilets. They don’t need ‘em (and boy they are lucky for that!). They are magical and as such do not expel waste as animal life does. So, slam dunk for Monsters Are Mundane here, right?

Wrong!

See, the thing is? This is the ONLY toilet we see. In the Dreemurr House. Where Kris, the only human in hometown, lives. We have yet to see any evidence that there are any other toilets in Hometown- and to be fair I can’t imagine many scenarios that could seamlessly bring us to one in a game- so maybe, rather than being more like humans, this is just evidence that the Dreemurrs had one installed for Kris’ use?

So far it would all seem to indicate that monsters are indeed like Undertale monsters... except for JUST one thing.

Susie.

This statement is perhaps the single biggest indicator of Things Being Different here we got, and its one of the biggest sticking points in the debate about Monster Nature in Deltarune. But the thing that REALLY adds to it? An unused sprite intended for Chapter 2. One that depicts Susie herself bleeding.

Yep, you can see clear as day! Red blood, just as humans. This might have been cut from the chapter, but it’d be shortsighted to dismiss it wholesale given that it gives an insight into the direction Toby Fox was intending to go with the monsters. So, if this is anything to go by? Maybe monsters DO bleed!

Maybe!

Or... maybe it says something about Susie. See, as we look over the chapters we already got, it becomes clear that Susie... doesn’t exactly add up with what we typically see of monsters. She seems fairly confident that all things bleed, but then coming from a monster that’s a bit of an odd statement since monsters, if magical, explicitly DON’T bleed. She seems weirdly shy when it comes to her tail, and when you take her to the Dreemurr house she seems a bit weirded out by the presence of Gingerbread Monster cutters in Toriel’s kitchen.

They’re small things, but small components lead to a bigger picture, and its entirely possible that this is all foreshadowing to something being up with Susie in particular. What that is, I can’t really say. I’ve seen theories ranging from her growing up in a human community in an inversion to Kris to her being half-human herself. Nobody can say for sure though, much like everything else at this point. What we CAN say is that SUSIE can bleed, or was intended to have that ability. Whether that reflects on other monsters though...

Well, anyway. At the end of it? It’s all just kinda up in the air. The middle ground would be that while monsters ARE magical here, they are ‘less’ magical than Undertale monsters and as such can’t use magic even though they’re made of the stuff. We don’t see any magic being used by monsters, and it’d be an odd thing for the game if monsters could use magic with out problem in the Light World, and from a storytelling perspective it’d render some of the wonder of the Dark World less than wondrous. Magic might be real, but it can’t do any of the fantastic stuff we see in fantasy- as such healing magic and the like is a bit like science fiction, fantastical while having a loose basis in real world stuffs.

But then that leads us to the monsters themselves- more specifically it leads us to the odder monsters like Napstablook, the Hand Monster at city hall, the diamond headed guy and of course our favorite skeleton Sans. IF Monsters aren’t magical here, then those guys make virtually no sense- monsters based off animals are one thing, but skeletons? Ghosts? Giant Hands attached to a humanoid torso? Bit of a tougher sell even with the caveat of Cartoon Logic.

You might say that Kris’ search history revealing they look into books on how to do magic being another definite indicator of things, because of course that would make sense for them. They want to be like their family, so of course they would want to learn how to do magic as well... which they can’t since, well, human. But then maybe it has nothing to do with wanting to be a monster. Maybe Kris just has a legitimate interest in stage magic and legerdemain.

That’s the troublesome thing about all this. For now, at the end of it, nothing is truly conclusive, and so much of what we see is open to interpretation. Until definitive answers come, anybody can be correct about the subject.

... yeah, whole lot of words to say “I have no idea!”, but hey, at least I’ve hopefully illustrated why that is. God those chapters can’t get here fast enough.

#Deltarune #Kris Dreemurr #Susie #Noelle Holiday #Rudy Holiday #You know this game has a hold over me when I'm analyzing THIS minor-ass crap

[commanderbuffy]

Chapter 11 was the sweetest thing, Kris. Also hot as hell but mostly utterly, charmingly sweet. I spent the weekend in Detroit, indulging in unchecked consumerism and what amounted to a cross-border raid on Trader Joe's, which is how I found myself in a hotel room with a friend (there were two beds, this isn't *that* story) reading TTA chapter 11 at 1 in the morning with my first stuffed in my mouth to keep the peels of laughter from bouncing around the room because really, TTA is the softest story about two boneheads in love.

I really need to stop playing the "Guess what happens next game" because I expected you to draw out the angst and the miscommunication for *weeks* (by which I mean chapters) and instead, Kit & Jade actually use some of their words to resolve the worst of the hurt they caused each other because they don't actually want to be parted. I found that both co-dependent as hell and lovely.

Jade Claymore has more than earned the right to a good cry and I do hope we get to read her perspective on the "I love you" because, honestly, sometimes the scariest thing of all is someone treating you with the compassion, affection and love you want but don't think you deserve. On the question of Canon!Kit's experience or lack thereof:

I personally like to head canon Kit’s inexperience as more related to who she is rather than the fact that she’s an untouchable princess. I just see her as being totally uninterested in anything sex until she realizes that she’s Jade-sexual.

I agree with your take here but I also think that part of Kit's lack of experience and/or disinterest in sex is partly the result of being emotionally entangled with Jade for years, and partly to do with her betrothal to Graydon Hastur. The conversation between Kit and Jade at the banquet suggests the possibility that Kit was originally betrothed to Dermot Hastur, which means the betrothal would have had to have happened when she was 10 or 11-ish at the oldest. That means Kit would have spent her entire adolescence knowing she would marry a Hastur one day* rather than going on a grand adventure and falling in love with some dashing knight. I think, between the possibility that her father just abandoned their family and the fact of Airk's promiscuity, Kit would have found it dishonourable, or at the very least, dishonest to pursue an intimate relationship when she knows she's going to marry Graydon Hastur. So, I imagine Kit just... didn't. I imagine that for Kit, her ideas (and technical knowledge - no way Sorsha let those two out into the world without a solid grounding in Fantasy World Sex Ed) of sex and desire were completely divorced from her experience of love, intimacy and arousal right up until the moment she kissed Jade in the loft.

This would mean Kit is quite literally Jade-sexual as Jade would not only be Kit's only intimate experience but her only experience of desire and arousal towards another (which, y'know, could be fertile ground for season 2 problems, but I digress...).

Armouriam Is My Comfort Read Anon ;)

Ahhh this was such a thoughtful message!! TTA Tanthamore truly are the softest of boneheads. And maybe a little co-dependent, but not in a detrimental way.

I loooooove your take on Kit being Jade-sexual in canon! Also, can totally see where it might bring up issues in season 2 👀

Also, Armouriam as a comfort read???? 🫠

[teruthecreator]

no but to be absolutely for serious what i really wanna see out of this utdr anniversary special is like. something similar to the livestream? but also similar to the alarm clock. like some kind of demo video or dumb little website that is for the most part lighthearted and fun. maybe a like questionnaire where all the hometown residents talk about what they think about kris, and so we can get little glimpses into more lore while also getting some silly goofy bits. maybe a day in the life situation. maybe the events of the most recent 2 chapters in someone else’s perspective??? maybe susie’s pov???? but either way it’s like very goofy and fun and we’re swept into this silliness until it suddenly stops. and everything gets real quiet. and then we cut back to kris opening the fountain in the living room and then BAM a glimpse at the next dark world and then BLACKOUT HARD CUT IN THE DELTARUNE FONT “CHAPTERS 3-5: TO BE RELEASED IN (MONTH/YEAR)” 

#deltarune #ignorance cloud on #i need something like this i Need it i Need it to not be fucking spamton related. i dont CARE about SPAMTON i CARE about THE WHOLE GAME #WHERE IS IT MISTER FOX. I NEED IT

[vqlisms]

i have exactly two ideas for Things I Thing Would Be Cool For Future Deltarune Chapters And Also Wouldn’t Put It Past Toby Fox To Do

one is that kris will be a boss of some kind

ok this is admittedly just one i think would be neat

a good amount of dialogue and time is spent emphasising the fact that kris and the Player are separate entities (perhaps not completely, but certainly enough that it matters). it is also implied that kris doesn’t enjoy being controlled, or at the very least what the Player forces them to do. this is most noticeable after the spamton neo fight, where they are visibly shaken after watching spamton die in a way that parallels their own situation.

^ i can see that playing out in two ways: kris getting more resigned to our presence because they don’t want to die, or them going to more and more drastic measures to find a way to separate us. from what we know about kris so far, i can see both working for similar reasons. kris really loves their friends and family, so i can imagine them both going along with everything so that they’re family doesn’t have to worry over their situation, or getting rid of us in any way possible so that they can make sure we can’t hurt them (and so they don’t have to have a relationship with them through the Player).

we can fight soulless beings. admittedly, this is based on undertale knowledge, but flowey had no problems pulling frisk into fights despite having no soul. it may just take a certain amount of determination, which kris likely has.

second is that there will be a chapter where we don’t play as kris for a good amount of time

in the pipis route, it directly sets up the fact that other characters can hear the Player, and therefore “control” them. control in quotes because noelle may have only obeyed the Player because she was scared, or thought it was kris in the moment, or was too out of it to refuse anyways. i definitely think that’s going to become a chekhov’s gun at best, and a major plot point at worst, depending on how much the pipis route influences future chapters.

it is also set up in chapter 1 after lancer sends the $!$? Squad to the dungeons. we, for a short amount of time, control/follow susie while she does her first puzzle. iirc, she also mentions hearing kris, or thinking about what kris would tell her to do after rejoining kris and ralsei. while she doesn’t seem as aware of it as noelle was, that would make sense because noelle knows kris. she knows what kris sounds like, what their mannerisms are. while it’s clear that susie and kris knew each other pre-game, it’s also implied to have been a while since they were last close enough to be considered friends, so she wouldn’t know as much as noelle if kris suddenly started acting and speaking differently.

in chapter 1, we were only apart from kris for a short amount of time, and they stayed (from our perspective) in their room for that whole time. there are, however, implications that they left their room after the chapter ended for us, since chapter 2 is the next day and kris apparently stole pie while we were not controlling them. in chapter 2, we were apart from kris for significantly longer, and for double the amount of times. whereas in chapter 1 they only put us in the birdcage, in chapter 2 they both trapped us in the bathroom cabinet and in the living room couch. both times there were the time cuts, which is how they presumably slashed toriel’s tires and did whatever other prep they needed to open a dark fountain. the amount of time we’re away from them (and our lack of awareness of what they do while out of our control) is only getting longer, almost intentionally so.

yeah these aren’t like,, solid theories or anything. but i think they’re neat ideas and i like talking about them so <3

#throwing theories at the wall and seeing what sticks #deltarune #q talks sometimes #deltarune spoilers #might have more thoughts on this later and edit it. who knows #love calling them the $!$? Squad it’s so silly

[sio-writes]

A Botanist’s Guide - Chapter 2

(Chapter 1 can be found here)

Cassie

With herculean effort I fully open the blinds and grab the watering can from the windowsill, marching it over to the sink and turning on the tap. NASA has these nifty auto-watering pots for those of us too lazy to water manually, but there’s something about the act of pouring water over a small bit of life that brings me joy. I’m still half-asleep and my head is starting to pound again, but I’m happy to see my plants.

Ned, my diffenbachia maculate that followed me here from Earth, needs to be moved to a bigger pot, but is otherwise doing well. I nudge Carol, a cutlass aglaonema, with my foot over to her secondary spot in the partial shade before dowsing her with water. She’s starting to lose a few leaves, so I’ll need to keep an eye on her. And Nancy, my Red Anthurium, drinks up the water like she's dehydrated, even though I watered her the exact same time yesterday.

The fundamental requirement laid out by NASA mandates at least three large plants per apartment to raise the oxygen levels to a comfortable state. But they had never mentioned a cap so I, both botanist and full-time hot mess, have ten total in my tiny studio apartment, not counting the line of tiny succulents and cacti along my windowsill. I’d love to add some natural flora from Summanus, but another NASA mandate labeled the harvesting and selling of Summanian life an affront to science. It stops any big corporations coming up and mining the shit out of the planet, but I wish I could snag a small plant for myself.

After the watering is done, I set the can back on the windowsill and grab some breakfast. Eating here is a struggle, but I’m not picky. Eggs and milk are far too expensive to import, and any meat is usually flash frozen and tastes pretty bad by the time it reaches us. I'm left with yogurt, frozen bread products, or fruit. I haven’t tried much Summanian food, although I’ve heard from Jillie that their version of blueberry pancakes are just to die for.

I finish breakfast, brush my teeth, and grab a change of clothes before I head to the gym. Today is a mandated Workout Day, designed to keep our oxygen levels from dipping too low in the low-oxygen environment of Summanus. Usually I'd work out on the weekends just to get it out of the way, but I needed the full two days to relax. Binging Within the Hour while sitting on my couch eating potato chips had been the best medicine for my weary soul. 

I walk out of the complex and spot Jillie across the street. She greets me with a perky smile and a wave and we head towards the gym. Our outfits almost match -- simple leggings and athletic shirts-- except she looks much better in hers than I do. 

She gives me a dazzling smile. “Mornin' twinsie!”

I grunt my response and offer a half-hearted grimace that makes her laugh.

“Sleep well?”

I run a hand over my face. “Jillie, it’s too early for conversation.”

She pouts, her cheeks puffed out. “Don’t be a cranky Cassie, it’s exercise day!”

We try to exercise together at least twice a week. It keeps us from getting lazy.

The gym is technically two buildings in one. An "outdoor" area made of a large glass dome simulating Earth's atmosphere, and a standard two-story concrete building for all indoor activities. It used to be sponsored by Gold's Gym, but Planet Fitness and Shalia's Exercise eeked their way in after throwing some money at the project. It makes for a very confusing set up of Olympic-grade equipment and state of the art training facilities mixed with torn up floor mats and showers that are only hot half the time. 

“You hate exercise day,” I say, staring longingly at the coffee bar as we walk inside. Soon my love, soon.

“Duh, so I’m gonna kick it’s ass!” Jillie holds up her arms and puffs out her chest. Her enthusiasm is infectious, I feel the hint of a smile pulling at my lips.

“Yeah,” I concede. “Let’s crush it.” I hold out my hand for a fist-bump, which she happily pounds.

NASA mandates a total of five hours a week of aerobic exercise, but leaves the specific choice up to us. There’s tons of equipment for strength training, but Summanus has a higher gravity constant than Earth, so I don’t see the point. We pick a spot in the building close to the back and set down our things.

"Stretch time," Jillie says as she sets her bag down. Jillie and I always come into the gym as early as possible, it keeps the chances of running into creeps at a minimum. 

She spreads her feet and pikes forward, wrapping her arms around her knees while I stand there and wonder how she's still single. Jillie is gorgeous, smart, flexible; anyone at the compound would be lucky to have her. She has gorgeous blond hair that I've always envied, and a small lithe body that reminds me of a dancer. I used to have a crush on her when we first met, and I can still see why I felt that way. But any romantic feelings I had were gradually replaced by the slow burn of an amazing friendship. She held me as I cried over breakups, and she took me to my first drag show. I've only known her a handful of years now, but I don't know what I'd do without her.

I try to mimic her pose, and nearly fall over from my efforts. I'm not completely hopeless though, and manage to get my hands on the floor. 

"And up," she says, and the blood rushes from my face as I straighten. 

We spend the next ten minutes working through basic stretches and then trot a lap around the gym. Jillie would make a good fitness instructor if she wanted to. She holds her pace well, and always has a smile. Normally I'd find it annoying, but knowing that Jillie hates working out as much as I do softens the sharp edges that would poke in my side. 

Jillie turns to me after our lap and says, "It's your pick today." 

I guzzle my water as I walk over to the class board. There's a lineup of virtual fitness classes available year round that Jillie and I like to pick from. It keeps us out of a crowded group session and lets us chat as we go. I scroll through the list, looking for something high intensity that'll make me sweat, because I need to let off some steam. 

This past week was hell. It took me running into Kri about eight hundred times for him to get the message to stand back, and from his vantage point in the corner of the room he could apparently still see well enough to criticize my every move. A constant barrage of “This does not follow protocol,” or “Are you certain of this action” so incessant and condescending I started hearing it in my sleep.

By the time Friday rolled around, the headache I’d been nursing turned into a migraine so severe I could barely type my report. A report that couldn't have been worse, according to Kri. I can still hear his voice over my shoulder, "Is that the most scientifically accurate you can be?" 

My jaw still hurts from how often I'd been grinding my teeth together. Kerry, the Outpost dentist, will be absolutely furious with me when he sees all my molars ground down into nubs. Look at these teeth, he’d say, poking around my mouth. They’ve been eradicated by stress!

Bless Jillie for trying to keep the peace, or at least a version of it where Kri and I weren't reaching for each other's throats. Jillie would have to literally step in the middle of our arguments like Chris Pratt in Jurassic World to calm us down. Usually it worked, but it mostly left me feeling gross for falling into another argument when I should be working. 

At this point, I'm not even upset about the audit anymore. Had I been assigned someone else, a quiet observer or something, that would've been fine. I would've gotten over it and maybe even worked with a bit more hustle. Anything would've been better than a helicopter parent judging my every move. I can't catch a break, nothing I do is right, and I'm constantly on edge. 

So I have a lot of extra energy from the past week, it fizzles through my nerves like electricity, making me jumpy and irritable and the binge of trash tv with potato chips only helped so much. 

I wipe my mouth with the back of my hand and turn to Jillie. "I wanna box."

***

The virtual exercise rooms are lined up like offices along a far wall of the gym. At twenty feet long and fifteen wide, they can accommodate a five-person dance class with no issue. They’re lined with soft mat gym floors and the far wall is lined with mirrors. There's somewhere between fifteen to twenty of them, and during the day they're always occupied. Most people have the same idea we do--a personal class is preferable to a packed room. But because we got there early, Jillie and I found a room relatively quickly. The only downside to the rooms is that the air circulation sucks.

And I definitely picked a routine that made me sweat. 

Ten minutes in and I'm already brushing sweat out of my eyes. The virtual instructor is more hyped up than Jillie, and it just keeps moving around. Our instructor is an AI, a tall woman with paper-white skin, no distinguishing facial features, and a generic brown ponytail. The program gives her a high pitched voice so she can yell out encouragements or instructions. It's an intelligent program, all things considered. It reacts to your movements, corrects you on form, and if you program it to, it even knows your name.

"Jillian, great form!" it shouts as we throw another punch. "Player 2, don't forget to rotate your hips!" I don't like the computer knowing my name, I feel like the gym collects our data at the end and runs it through algorithms for ads. But even with a featureless face, Jillie and I have picked the same AI for every class we've done together. We decided to name her Tami. 

For boxing, Tami has on joggers and a sports bra, and has fingerless gloves on. She's set us up with some virtual fighting partners--more faceless AI's-and picked an upbeat song to punch along to. 

Halfway through a round of jabs and dodges, Jillie turns to me over her shoulder. "Ready to see tall, dark, and grouchy today?" 

I answer automatically, "Ready to punch him in the face."

I've been imagining Kri's stupid gray face on my virtual partner for the past ten minutes. I've been punching harder than usual, but I didn't think I was being so obvious.

Jillie snickers. “He’s gonna be waiting for us like: You are late, ten points off.” Jillie tries to scowl but the exertion from moving makes the expression look funny.

"He argues with me on everything," I say as we switch to kicks. "He second guessed me on how much to water the corn. The corn! He made me measure it out three times! Does he want to run the experiment?" I punctuate my sentence with another hard kick, which disintegrates the virtual man into dust. He pops back up again. 

"I dunno. It might just be the way he works," Jillie offers. "We are the aliens here, and technically the less advanced ones." 

I pause, and turn the thought over in my head. She's not wrong. The Summanians have been incredibly accommodating since first contact five years ago. They shared their technology, they invited us to set up shop all over the planet, hell they even adapted one of their pidgin languages to speak around us so we could hear it. They treat us like guests of honor, even when we have relatively little to offer in return.

"He's still a jerk," I huff. I know I'm being immature, but I can't help it. I don't like the guy, I don't want to work with him. "Just because we grew up on different planets doesn't mean he gets to treat me like I don't know anything." 

"Have you talked to him about it?" Jillie throws me a sympathetic look, and I punch the air a little harder. 

I open my mouth to reply that yes, actually, I've told him to back off multiple times, but she cuts me off.

"Talk, not yell. As my therapist would say, you need to use your 'I Feel' statements." Jillie raises her eyebrows knowingly at me. Being a mediator all week, she's seen every argument. "Not to be condescending or anything," she says. "But you're pretty shit at communicating effectively. You gotta go in with something like 'I feel like shit when you correct me because if feels like you think I'm stupid,' or something."

I clench my jaw and turn my head to throw another punch at the Kri stand-in." He's just going to deny it."

"Then what do you have to lose?" 

My pride, for one. My ego. My lab. 

I don't want to second guess my friend. But talking about it won't make things go away--action will. I need to fight, to stand my ground against Kri and his stupid little papers that only write down what I do wrong. I need to make him understand that I'm an accomplished scientist too, damn it. I've been doing things without his help my whole life, and I will do just fine after he goes.

So I don't respond, and keep punching to the beat of the song. 

Despite my disdain for all things exercise, I get lost in the rhythm. Sweat is dripping into my eyes, but the endorphins make me want to do this all the time. My muscles are burning, my heart is pounding, I feel great. I can totally exercise consistently, nearly three decades of doing the exact opposite be damned. 

The class ends with cool down stretches, and I'm definitely more limber than earlier. I can just barely get my arms around my knees this time. 

When we walk out, there's already a line forming for the virtual rooms, and I'm glad we arrived early. Outside, the air feels ten degrees cooler, and I inhale deeply through my nose. That session did help me after all. I feel calmer, less tense. I could even do yoga. Hot yoga.

Jillie sidles up next to me with her bag thrown over one arm. She bats her long eyelashes at me. “Coffee?"

I give her a single nod. “Definitely.” I'll need the caffeine to get through the day. 

We head over to the long line forming at the counter. "Cheer up Cas, at least you'll be out of the lab today." 

I respond noncommittally, a low hum in my throat and roll of my eyes. But I'm tamping down a smile. I’m excited. The greenhouses are all communal, and I don't mind because it means I get to be nosy and see how everyone else's projects are going. Dr. Markesh has a whole line of hybrid flowers about to bloom, Dr. Blaine is working hard on their Summanian veggies, and I know. Dr. Natsuki is getting ready to start her observation on imported non-edibles. It's all just so exciting, and I want to be there to see it. 

Daily watering is one thing, but today is about documenting progress. Mostly it consists of measuring a plant's growth, soil levels, and planting new seeds. I could just have Jillie do it all and stay in my lab, but I love this side of the experiment, getting my hands dirty in the mud. 

But today's greenhouse day will have an extra body in it. At the realization my small smile turns sour. 

The baristas are quick. It's only a few minutes till we reach the counter. "One large iced mocha for Cassie, and whatever the lady wants," I gesture to Jillie with my head, another part of the exercise ritual. Whoever picks the workout pays for coffee.

Jillie orders something ridiculously sweet and I scan my smart watch to pay.

***

The sun is high in the sky when we walk out of the gym, and I feel refreshed and ready to take on the world. The ground is lush with grass and small flowers, even several trees wind their way up to the sky. In fact, most of the plant life on Summanus twists up to the sky. Everything spirals on the Fibonacci sequence like on Earth, but taken to the extreme. There's herbs that grow like someone stuck a pinecone in the dirt, fruit that spirals up the trunks of trees, and fungi that swirl like a snail shell. The Outpost has a handful of fruit trees growing at the entrance of the greenhouse sector, and it wasn't a half hour walk either way, I'd take my lunch there everyday. 

"Oh it feels so good to be outside!" Jillie stretches her arms to the air as we head uphill.

And because I'm in a good mood, it only makes sense that the universe sees fit to ruin it.

"Hey ladies!" Stephen Byrne waves us down and I groan under my breath.

"Oh lord," Jillie responds just as quietly.

We turn down the path and hurry our steps, but Stephen jogs to catch up.

"You girls just getting out of the gym?" He has on joggers and a light sweatshirt, and his dirty blonde hair is plastered to his head. He's smiling at us with straight, whitened teeth. He looks like a grade-A jackass.

Stephen and I dated for close to four years back in training. For so long, I thought he was The One, until he screwed me over to get a promotion. It set my launch date to Summanus back a whole year, and kept me out of a lab for an extra six Summanian months. He dumped me like I was nothing, but for some reason Stephen insists that we're still friends. I want to push his head into the garbage compactor.

"Yep, and now we're off to work" Jillie says dismissively, picking up her pace.

"Cass I heard you got an audit," Stephen says, keeping pace with us. "That's really bad for your record."

"Uh-huh," I say, keeping my gaze on the ground and hugging my arms around my middle. Even responding to him has my stomach in knots. I hate when he calls me Cass. He used to say it so lovingly, but now it sounds like a hissing snake.

"Your auditor is an ento, right? Those bugs are tough. My buddy Bill got a review from one of them and cost him the lab. I told him, 'Bill you need to be on your best behavior or else,' so, ya know, I'd do that."

I sigh through my nose. His voice grates on my nerves worse than Kri. But what if he's right? Diana told me that if this doesn't go well it's going to cost me my lab. I grip my bag a little tighter. My anxiety from earlier is coming back. It always does when Stephen is around, but his talking isn't helping. Someone else lost their lab too? How many audits do they even do in a year? I knew I wasn't the only underperforming scientist, but surely it can't be that big of a problem?

"If you ladies aren't busy after work, the guys and I are--"

"No," Jillie interrupts, and I'm grateful she's blunt. She may hate Stephen more than I do.

"You know, it's good to get out once in a while, instead of staying inside all day," Stephen is now jogging ahead of us, going backwards. I hope he trips. "Being cooped up inside all day can't be good for your mental health."

My blood runs cold and I stop dead. I know that's targeted at me, and I want to fight back, I should fight back, but all the fight has been sapped out of me. Somehow he found out about my episode, and hasn't let go of it since. It's like a badge of honor. Hey, I made this girl break down in front of all her academic peers, isn't she stupid and fragile? 

I need to respond, some witty retort, but all I can do is stare at the ground and hug myself.

I feel Jillie's arms go around my shoulders and she pulls me to her side protectively. "Back off Byrne."

I see Stephen's hands go up defensively. "I'm just tryin' to help."

Jillie starts to walk me up the hill again. We're almost there. If we can get to the greenhouse he'll go away. Probably.

"Well go help someone else, we have work to do," Jillie says pushing us past him. My anxiety is so bad my teeth are chattering. I pray to whatever god is listening that he can't hear it. 

His fading voice calls after us, "I'm sure it's very important." Dick. "The invitation is open, ladies."

Jillie mumbles under her breath, "Not in a million years."

***

We stop in front of the greenhouse, Jillie's arms still around my shoulders.

"Hun, look at me," she says firmly, and I wrench my gaze from the ground to her blue eyes. "Are you okay?"

The truth is, I want to cry. I can feel tears prickling just behind my eyes, and my breathing is shallow. I hate this, I hate feeling like this. One stupid conversation was all it took for Stephen to tie me up in knots, and get me crying all over again.

I sniff, and it's gross. "I'll be okay," I mumble.

Jillie gives me a disbelieving look. "You sure?"

I flex my fingers anxiously, and I can't meet her gaze anymore. I fix my eyes on a freckle on her cheek, dark against all that pale skin, and nod.

It's no use to dwell like this. Crying solves nothing, and I hate the clean up, the puffy eyes, the snotty nose. The looks of pity.

On a deep inhale, I draw my shoulders back, willing the tears back into my body where they need to stay, and nod again. "I'm good. Let's kick some ass."

Another look of disbelief crosses Jillie's face, and I'm silently begging her not to push it. I can't handle any emotions right now. Please, please let it go. 

Thankfully, Jillie sighs and pats my shoulders. "Okay." 

I give her a small smile. "I'm fine, really." 

"Mhm," she hums, lips pursed. 

She opens the door and my mood drops even further. Kri is already here. 

Except he's not frowning at us; he's not even looking at us. He's crouched low to the ground, examining one of Dr. Markesh's plants. One hand is out, gently holding a leaf between his fingers. He's making chirping noises, which I recognize as his native tongue but I don't understand. It flits in and out of my hearing range like a wave, melodic and steady. His head is tilted like he's listening to it talk--can ento do that?-- and his gaze is half-lidded. He's looking at the plant the same way I do, with reverence and affection. 

He didn't acknowledge us at all, so he must not have heard us walk in. After a moment, I clear my throat, and Kri startles. 

It's awkward, looking down at Kri. At a little over seven feet he towers over me while standing, but now his head barely reaches my chest. I can see where his plating connects at the back, forming ridges that protect his spine. The iridescent flecks in his exoskeleton catch the morning light and reflect back to me in gorgeous purple shimmers, and the plates over his arms and chest look like thick muscle. The plates over his face look like they're glowing blue. 

There are some people who are, well, let's say attracted to ento. And if we’re being honest, I see the appeal. They're like nothing I've ever seen before. Ento are gorgeous, in an (excuse the pun) otherworldly way. 

Not that I’m attracted to Kri. Not at all.

Over the past week, when Kri wasn't running his mouth or hovering over my shoulder, he was poised somewhere off to the side. I noticed he holds himself with pride. I can see it in his posture, in the graceful way he walks, how he takes off to fly. It's all done with careful measures of control to be as smooth as possible. And I will admit, despite his propensity to piss me off, he's actually quite pleasant to look at.

Kri stands up and brushes off his knees. "You're late." 

Aaand any good notion I had towards him is now gone. 

"We were at the gym," I hiss, setting down my bag on the table that runs down the middle of the greenhouse.

"I can see that," he says, voice tense. Is he really that mad we were late? I roll my eyes and he folds his arms.

"Sor-ry," I say, opening my bag to get my laptop out. 

"Your tone suggests sarcasm," he says, leaning backwards against the bench. 

"No," I respond, sarcastically. The back and forth almost feels like a game now, seeing how much irony I can inject into my voice to set him off. It's one of the only things that's kept me sane the past week. 

Kri sighs heavily through his flat nose, and starts jotting something down. It's gonna be a long day. 

***

"That's the improper measurement for--" 

"Yeah, I got it." 

"You do not. Your hand position is--" 

"I said I got it!" 

***

"I believe your ratio is off." 

"I'm not measuring it again." 

"Are you certain?" 

"If you write down that I didn't measure the soil to fertilizer ratio in your stupid fucking report I'm gonna--" 

"Cass! Come help me with the seedlings!" 

***

"Are you going to--"

"I already did."

"You don't even know what I was going to say."

"You were going to mention that I overwatered, then ask if I put proper drainage in the pot so it wouldn't drown. So yes, I already did that."

“Refuses to accept corrections,” he mutters, and I snap, whirling on him.

“What is your problem?”

Kri stops writing and looks up from his clipboard at me. “I’m writing my report.”

I lean forward. “All week it’s ‘Doesn’t do this,’ or ‘Doesn’t follow that,’ but not once have you written down the good things I do!”

Slowly, Kri lowers his clipboard, and for a split second I think I’ve got him. With his free hands he starts listing things off. 

“You don’t follow protocol, your organization is nonexistent, you rarely stick to your ‘lists’,” he says “lists” like it’s something he wants to spit out of his mouth, and my anger flares.

Kri narrows his eyes and folds his arms. “And you ignore any form of critique."

I groan, a loud sound that’s ripped from my throat. “You are the most condescending man—alien—thing I have ever had the displeasure of—“

“You are being highly unprofessional.”

“My ass!” I’m shouting now, and I don’t care. “You have been nothing but rude since you walked in! I have plants to take care of, and I can’t afford to be distracted by your stupid, meaningless corrections!”

I want to flip a table. I want to punch something. Instead, I throw my chair to the side. 

It's too much. This is too much too fast. Tears prick at my eyes, betraying my frustrated state. I can't stand the thought of Kri seeing me cry, so I storm out. 

The sun is blinding and I hold a hand up to shield my eyes. I'm storming off towards…I don't know where, I just need to keep walking. I need to get away.

Chapter 3 >>

#my writing #A Botanist's Guide #monster writing #Exophilia #exophilia writing #Next chapter we get a kri perspective! #I promise he's a big softie underneath all those layers #I have no idea how many chapters this will be but I'm gonna ballpark it at like 9 or 10

[dash-n-step]

A long post but something I just really find interesting from a gameplay perspective about that snowgrave route is that it's literally impossible to bumble your way into completion. Which is kind of obvious considering how nobody knew about it for almost a whole day, and the very specific areas and items you need to collect but just... consider that, right?

Like sure maybe you find Noelle's ice skill to be useful, and you might backtrack a bit so you can see what she says about stuff, you might even think you're genuinely helping since the end of the battles do say "Noelle has become stronger".

But then comes the multiple layers of dialogue choices:

The ferris wheel is almost harmless, maybe you just like the idea of Kris and Noelle hanging out again. Childhood friends and all that, even if the second insistence sounds rather forceful, it's not completely out of nowhere.

There's the dating shoes dialogue, which is like, alright maybe you REALLY like the idea of Kris and Noelle hanging together, everybody's got their preferences and this choice is in a normal playthrough as well.

Then you immediately get to the ring that "strangely" costs precisely one dollar more than your total money

Though hey, benefit of the doubt, the item does make Noelle stronger and maybe by saying "Get It" enough times the guy will lower the price or a wacky dollar will show up out of nowhere.

Until Noelle freezes the guy to steal it.

At this point you have to realize something is wrong, but hey, EVEN MORE benefit of the doubt, maybe you think things are going alright.

Until you head straight to the lightning puzzle.

There's very little leeway to justify what comes next: Noelle holds the button for Kris and then quietly considers stepping off and letting them fry. Even if you somehow bumbled your way to this point you either call out how weird she's getting or condone it as an innocent impulsive thought.

And if you do let that slide, the music from this point immediately shifts and now the enemies are actively running away, and you have to search them out in a large map, car puzzles noticeably frozen over as well.

But hey EVEN MORE BENEFIT OF THE DOUBT, maybe you just really like the battle system and want to get stronger.

So I think the first true "oh this player has to know what they're doing" point is when you get to the second mouse puzzle.

All this time, with a bit of imagination, an isolated player could theoretically believe they've been building Noelle's confidence or even her relationship with Kris considering their past. However in that case, someone accidentally getting to this point would choose "Let's solve this puzzle together", and immediately you're back on track for the normal path, music's back everything's wacky and fun.

It's only by choosing the other option, multiple times, Proceed - Proceed - Proceed - Proceed, as Noelle gets backed into an electric wall, is the player stripped of that plausible deniability. You have to know that you're going down a bizarre route, and that there's very little comfort along the way.

And even then the game gives you a few breaks:

You have to go back a long way to get the ring from Spamton

You have to equip it despite the strange debuffs of actually hurting Noelle while she has it

You have to get into the fight with Berdly (again while not choosing the option that you've simply been protecting her from him, or even people like him)

You have to pressure her to use a spell she clearly doesn't feel comfortable even acknowledging on her own classmate with the one word effect: Fatal

At which point you're truly locked in with the choices you've made.

And I just think from a game design perspective where often you have to consider what the most unfamiliar player might do, it lets you deliver certain punches well.

To an extent you can't blame someone for misinterpreting certain gameplay options, it's almost like not knowing whether a game has fall damage and then a game calls you out for a poorly calculated leap of faith. But when you've designed it so there's only one way, a hard way, to do something, you can properly lay on how much of what is happening is entirely on the player.

What also fascinates me is that this is only Chapter 2, we have no idea how this plays out for the rest of the game, how if in some messed up way choices like these actually lead to better circumstances later on or if there are dire consequences to making these choices, despite the advertised "one ending".

#deltarune #long post #snowgrave #pipis #wierd route #noelle holiday #kris dreemur #im definitely rambling here but i just find it interesting #deltarune chapter 2 spoilers #deltarune spoilers

[vampire-petrichor]

[1/5] I’ve noticed some parallels between Spamton and Mike and what could possibly be Kris’s relationship with Asriel. Spamton seems to be a projection of Kris’s fears--specifically things that have already happened.

The first thing I want to point out is that when you talk to the townspeople in the postgame during Chapter 1, you quickly learn that Asriel is very popular and Kris isn't at all. However, the NPC conversation that stands out the most to me is the one with Catty's dad.

[ID: A screenshot from Deltarune with Kris talking to Catty's dad about Asriel in the Chapter 1 postgame. He says "Hope when [Asriel] becomes a big shot, he remembers us little guys down the street."]

The phrase "big shot" is used a lot in relation to Spamton. I don't think this is just a coincidence or a throwaway line. Instead, I think it's possible that due to Asriel's popularity, people would often pretend to be Kris's friend to try to get Asriel to like them. In doing this, Kris may have had business-type relationships with people who were trying to use them to get Asriel's attention. So if we replace Spamton's mentions of sales with Kris's want for genuine connection and friendship, we gain an entirely different perspective on who Spamton is and how he's related to Kris.

Everyone has already been talking about the parallel between Spamton being a puppet and Kris being controlled by the player. However the less talked about parallel is that both characters struggle with perceived abandonment. Spamton, of course, was abandoned by Mike, and then everything went to shit. Similarly, Kris may have thought they had friends until Asriel went to college. When he was no longer around to impress, the others stopped pretending to care about Kris. Spamton living in a literal dumpster could also be representative of Kris's self esteem.

In Spamton NEO's battle theme, garbled vocals can be heard. There are a few videos about what the vocals are, but I think this one is closest:

We hear Spamton trying to reach out to Mike in vain. I believe this is a direct parallel to Kris being unable to reach Asriel. However, unlike Mike, I don't believe Asriel is malicious. Maybe Kris wanted to make Mike out to be the bad guy because they can't bring themself to feel that way about Asriel.

Another point from this fight is this line:

[ID: Three screenshots from the Snowgrave Spamton NEO fight in which the boss is in front of the Fountain. He is saying "Well, you're [$!$!] right! But don't blame me / when you're [Crying] in a [Broken Home] wishing you let your old pal Spamton / [kill you]"]

This line sticks out to me because due to their parents' divorce and their brother going off to college, their home is pretty broken and it's very possible Kris is not taking this well. But how would Spamton know about any of that? I don't think he would unless he was some form of projection from Kris. At the end of this fight, we see a few more interesting lines.

[ID: Four screenshots of the Spamton NEO fight in which he is standing by the Fountain. This time he is saying "What!? You're calling friends!? / Go ahead, [Kid]... Call all you want! / No one will ever pick up / Go ahead and [Scream] into the [Receiver]."]

The next few lines are especially intriguing.

(Due to image limit this will be continued in another reblog or two. If you like this theory please consider waiting until I am finished writing it up and reblog the whole thing!)

#my post #deltarune #deltarune spoilers #deltarune chapter 2 #spamton #spamton neo #spamton g spamton #big shot #asriel deltarune #kris deltarune #kris dreemurr #deltarune theories #Youtube

[amaranthineoceans]

Everything Weird About Deltarune!

Spoiler Warning for Undertale and Both Chapters of Deltarune! Really! I Literally Go Through Everything I Can Remember About Them!

This is a long post so get comfortable. Also note that my brain doesn't process thoughts into words very well so some of these might not be worded in the best way. :)

Deltarune. The first teaser chapter was released on October 31, 2018, and it came out of nowhere. We've all gone through this, but I'll try and go through every single painstaking detail I can remember. Feel free to reblog and add/correct things.

The weirdness begins right off the bat. The title is an anagram of UNDERTALE. We all know Toby likes to use anagrams when he wants to indirectly tell us when things are related, so it's no surprise that when you go to download DELTARUNE, it warns you that the game is designed for people who have played UNDERTALE. You think, "Cool, so it's a sequel? Or maybe a prequel? A different perspective of UNDERTALE perhaps?" You were wrong; so terribly, terribly wrong! I'll elaborate on this later.

Before you download the application, the terms of service that you must agree to beforehand reads simply and plainly, "You accept everything that will happen from now on." This detail was kinda brushed off in the beginning, because, hey, it's Toby Fox. He does weird stuff all the time. But even in the first chapter, it's apparent that the concept of choice, or more accurately, the lack of it, is a very present theme in the game. I would like to remind you that Toby has announced that there will be one ending in the game. One. I'll elaborate on this later.

The program (as in, what the game is called in your files) is named SURVEY PROGRAM. Why not just call it Deltarune like it is when you download chapter two?

The game launches you, without a title screen, without any setting adjustment options, straight into a reference to the theme of the entire franchise: the lack of choice. A strange formless voice guides you through "making a vessel", with what we know now as a fountain in the background. You have the option to make some very disturbing choices in this character creator, such as making its favorite flavor "pain" or expressing your feelings about it with options such as "fear" and "disgust." You name your "creation," tell the formless voice your name (which is different from your vessel's name) and watch as said formless voice muses over your name at an agonizing pace. It thanks you for your time and tells you that your wonderful creation, (cue music cutout and background removal) will now be discarded. "No one can choose who they are in this world." The screen slowly turns white as the voice says, "Your... name... is..."

It gets weirder. The next scene appears from the whiteness and showcases Toriel calling "Kris" out of bed. Kris' area of the room is very bare in contrast to the other side, which we later discover is Asriel's.

It's Toriel. Why is Toriel here?

Kris is kind of an anagram of Frisk (the protagonist of UNDERTALE) but without the F. I highly doubt this is a coincidence.

Speaking with Noelle is the only reason you can proceed (see what i did there?) while finding a partner in the classroom. This means you can't go through the 1st chapter without knowing who she is. Is it because of the Snowgrave route?

Ralsei is just suspicious to me. There's no way he was just waiting in that castle his whole life alone without some mental toil. So either he's insane or he wasn't alone the whole time. What happened? Is it related to how he can close his eyes and see what Susie is going through when she's apart from the party? Was he just watching everything? Is he related to the formless voice?

Susie's icon is the only one without color in the Dark World.

Jevil's fight is more difficult than Sans'.

Your actions have little consequence in the first chapter. If you choose to go genocide, the only difference in the ending is being run out of the kingdom, and this doesn't carry over to the next chapter. Again, lack of choice, people.

If at the end of chapter one, you walk around town, it's mentioned (notably by Noelle) that you're usually not this talkative. If you go to the hospital and speak with the receptionist, they mention that you used to play the piano in the corner. If you decide to attempt to play the said piano, an out-of-key bash can be heard and the receptionist comments on how you used to play beautifully. If you try this in chapter two, the result is the same. All this is confirmation that Kris is acting noticeably weird.

When you leave the Dark World and walk around town, you can find Sans. He "pretends" to recognize you, and if you tell him you recognize him, he tells you it's funny, considering that you two have never met before. He winks. I'm pretty sure he knows that the player is there.

The mention of Papyrus in both games, but the purposeful lack of him. Like he's avoiding you.

If you go upstairs while inside Asgore's flower shop, there are flowers in glass cases resembling his SOUL collection in UNDERTALE. There's a red flower.

You can't enter the church.

The clock in the storage closet shows a different time than all the others in the school.

If you go all the way south in town and into the woods, the music stops and you come across a rusty, double door is in a hill covered in crass. It's locked. If you go this way in chapter two, however, you watch a cutscene where you and susie happen to find Monster Kid from UNDERTALE (or someone resembling them) and an owl kid in front of the door. The owl kid is pressuring Monster Kid to (presumably) break inside, telling them that they don't want to be a wimp like Kris. Does this imply that Kris is connected to this strange door somehow?

The ending. You know what I'm talking about.

Did Kris actually rip out the SOUL (I say "the" because I'm not entirely sure it's Kris') and knife because they wanted to eat the pie? Did they only eat the pie because Toriel caught them?

Why did they look at the player? Are they sick of being controlled? Is that why they freaked out after the Spamton fight? (later)

Anyway, now we're at chapter two.

DELTARUNE Chapter Two was released on September 17th, 2021. 17. Entry Number 17. Sound familiar?

Asriel's part of the room is different from the last chapter. I don't think this means anything sinister, but I think it means Kris notices different things about the room as the story progresses. My theory is that it will become more sinister in each chapter.

Ralsei getting super excited to see Susie and Kris after a day. As in he has separation anxiety and it breaks my heart. not anything suspicious but it makes me sad so it's on the list.

Kris and Susie's rooms. Ralsei REALLY doesn't want them to leave. Seriously get this boy a therapist. Or a stuffed animal. SOMETHING.

Kris having to gather everything from the storage closet so that people appear in the Dark World????? Why??????????????? They had to do the same thing for the computer lab too.

The golden door. I don't trust it.

How/why the heck did Noelle and Berdley go into the Computer Lab Dark World? I don't see either of them just walking into pulsing void doors without Susie.

Apparently the knight has been gone for a bit and can corrupt people's minds? The king in the first chapter doesn't seem like he can be redeemed but Queen just seems,,, not bad, but a little crazy. I wonder what happened.

Then again, name ONE person in this franchise without trauma.

Spamton.

Horror doesn't bother me. Spamton? Spamton bothers me.

SPAMTON. ENOUGH SAID.

A Kromer is a type of hat invented in the '70s. Nobody named Mike is associated with it, that I can find.

SPAMPTON. HOW DO I EVEN DESCRIBE IT.

HIS SONG IS THE ONLY ONE WITH WORDS.

The way he asks Kris is they want to be a heart on a chain their whole life. Like, dude, no wonder they were screaming after the fight.

WHERE DID THE YELLOW HEART COME FROM. YELLOW MEANS JUSTICE. WHY DOES JUSTICE APPLY.

Kris screaming after the fight and the player not being able to hear it. Don't you dare tell me that's just how the game is designed. There are sound effects characters make throughout the game. None that I can think of apply to Kris, apart from when they rip their soul out.

Ralsei brushing off the Spamton fight. Either that's his coping mechanism or he was trying to shut Susie and Kris up to protect them from... something. I'll touch on that in a minute.

According to Queen, DETERMINATION is a key factor in creating a fountain.

Also according to Queen, Kris, Noelle, and Susie all have DETERMINATION SOULS.

Ralsei freaking out about Berdley making a fountain implies that he may also have DETERMINATION. Why I'm bringing all this up will make sense soon.

How was Noelle able to cast Snowgrave... a spell that she, according to her, didn't know?

The Snowgrave route is so twisted.

You manipulate Noelle into killing Berdley and then, when you get back to the computer lab and investigate his corpse, the text box says that he doesn't seem to be awake. As if you're in denial?

Burgerpants recognizes you. Not Kris. As in the player.

The ending. I don't think I need to describe it. Kris is very methodical without the SOUL. (I say "the" because, again, I'm not 100% convinced it's theirs.) I'm saying this about how they left clues that someone broke into the This proves that they are NOT a mindless, vengeful husk.

HOW DID THEY MAKE THE FOUNTAIN WITHOUT THE SOUL INSIDE OF THEM. DID THEY FEED THE SOUL TO IT AFTERWARDS? IS THAT WHAT THAT WAS?

Another point I would like to make is my theory that Ralsei knows much more than he would have us believe. I might put this into a different post because I have yet to gather my points into a coherent bullet point list, so keep an eye out for that.

Anyway apart from Toriel and Susie being VERY heavy sleepers, I think I've gone through everything. I have a few theories.

1. Kris is possessed by the player and figured out that they could make a fountain from Queen and related to Spamton freaking out about freedom. They then decided to make a fountain going by the logic that "this would tick the player off." This is one of my top theories that assumes that the SOUL is theirs.

And 2. Kris is possessed by both the player and the knight. I think the formless voice at the very beginning of the game is the knight, and they somehow needed the player to possess someone with DETERMINATION. If so, then why Kris? We know from Queen that Noelle and Susie, and maybe even Berdley also have DETERMINATION. The most plausible thing I can think of is the fact that human souls are stronger than monster ones.

I do think that the popular theory (about the one that suggests that the Dark Word is nothing but a figment of a child's imagination, and the events that occur in said Dark World are simply children playing with toys) has been thoroughly dashed due to Berdley's murder in the genocide route of the second chapter. Unless he's not dead. Regardless, how the events (or lack thereof) that occur in the second chapter play through the next will be interesting, especially considering Toby's announcement about how there will be one ending to the game. So either Berdley isn't dead, or he will be.

Aaaand I think that's it! Sorry for the long post; let me know your thoughts and if I missed anything!

#deltarune #deltarune chapter 2 #deltarune theory #deltarune theories #deltarune chapter two theory #deltarune chapter two theories #snowgrave #pipis route #deltarune snowgrave #video games #indie game #deltarune spoilers #ralsei #kris #susie #undertale #sans

[returnerofthesky]

I’ve been doing a lot of Thinking tonight since I don’t wanna work on my research paper but also don’t have the energy to keep going with the next chapter of TDA, and

one of the most interesting things about the snowgrave route is how it puts the whole “voice in your head mind-control” concept into perspective

like, to quick-summarize, we are the voice giving commands through Kris, and when they’re KO’d, Noelle realizes she can still hear their voice... and in the Hometown segment, she realizes that it wasn’t actually Kris’ voice - it was someone else

In a regular pacifist, neutral, w/e playthrough this is definitely touched on and Kris is clearly uncomfortable with it, but we’re also not going out of our way to be evil

In a Snowgrave playthrough, however, that’s where it really gets interesting, because even though she has trouble really putting her hoof down, Noelle still does resist your inputs

you get tons and tons of potential ‘outs’ when you’re playing through Snowgrave; all it takes is one little change of heart and you’re back on a neutral route... and the vast majority of those outs come from Noelle trying to reason with you

Aside from regular battles, the vast majority of the Snowgrave route only happens because the player repeatedly pushes her to her breaking point - she goes into a trance to get the FreezeRing, you push her into a life-or-death scenario with the forcefield, etc etc

---

and while working on writing a while back, I realized a disturbing comparison that I actually find super-compelling: we are the Jenova/Sephiroth to Noelle’s Cloud

Cloud’s whole deal in FF7 is that he has a lot of inner turmoil and trauma, and ultimately he lacks the inner strength to resist Jenova/Sephiroth, who gets into his head and takes control... just like what happens with Noelle

the key difference is that in FF7, the “voice in Cloud’s head” is an in-game character/thing unto itself - and even at the end of the game, it still has enough influence to make Cloud drop to his knees and start having a freak-out

But in Deltarune... the voice in Noelle’s head, the voice in everyone’s head, is the player... and the player ultimately has the final word in battles, because that’s just how videogames work

(and in Deltarune specifically, we have the final word as long as we’ve been given an opening - like Susie opening up to Kris and ACTing in Ch1, or Noelle’s estranged friendship with Kris in Ch2)

it’s why the Berdly battle in a Snowgrave route is so terrifying to me, I think - in-game, Noelle’s portraits mostly portray her as getting more frustrated and angry, but given she’s trying desperately to ignore and then resist your inputs... well...

...you could say it was probably even messier for Noelle than we get to see in-game

(and I realize UT/DR actively works in-game portrayals into Lore and all that, but even so, the fact that players get to play god like this is a big part of why I find Snowgrave to be terrifying

it’s not just a frighteningly-realistic portrayal of abuse and coercion of a genuinely kind and innocent character, it’s also a terrifying in an existential sense, as well)

#deltarune #snowgrave #another rambling analysis post thing #shorter this time tho #sky writes #noelle holiday #desperately needs a hug someone get this reindeer a hug please #kinda sorta spoilers for FF7 (the original) #but it's just a cropped gif for context so

[morbethgames]

A tiny glimpse into the final scene of Chapter 2 + What’s to come

                            I smile back and rub my neck a little. "The only instrument I have is my voice. I practice by myself at home a lot, but I was also in choir at school." I let out an amused chuckle, "Man, they used to make us sing the [i]worst[/i] stuff. We had this song we had to sing for the Holiday concert, and the entire thing was about getting socks as a present."

                           ${eli} lets out a small laugh, "Really? That bad?"

                           "Oh yeah, it definitely was. Although we did get to sing some good ones too, one of which was 'Footloose'. I still sing that song to myself in the shower sometimes." I faintly laugh in return, remembering the days back in elementary school when things were just so much more carefree.

                           "In fact," I continued, "I strictly remember one girl in the front row of the chorus, Rhonda Simmons. On the very last line of the song, on the big finisher, she sung it so loud that it cracked every window in the auditorium."

                           ${eli}'s eyes widened with a smile. "Surely not."

                           I chuckled a little, "It's true, it's true. Her mutation had to do with her voice being amplified." My smile starts to fade a little, "She had a, uh… a great voice."

                           ${eli}'s smile starts to falter as well when ${NPCGender1} sees my expression shift. "Is something the matter?"

                           "Sorry, I just remembered…" I pause for a moment, recalling the events that took place afterward. "When chorus started the next year, I noticed she wasn't there. Turns out her mutation was one that affected her larynx and made it produce sound by amplifying its vibrations. During winter break, on Christmas, her parents got her this cheap karaoke machine." A sad smile forms on my lips for a couple of seconds and I shake my head, but the smile fades just as fast and my features turn mournful. "When she saw what they got her she screamed out in joy… Her vocal chords tore themselves apart."

                           ${eli} gazed at me with a stoic sympathy, simply sitting there and waiting until I was done. When ${NPCGender1} was sure that I was, ${NPCGender1} spoke in a soft, almost monotonous tone. "That's also part of our job, you know."

                           I stare up at ${NPCGender27}, confused.

                           "It's not all just catching killers and bringing justice to them. There's an entire subsection of the Mutation Control Team that focuses on rehabilitation and guidance. If someone is possibly able to control their mutation, we offer to help with that. That's why our job is so important, because sometimes the people we track down don't need justice… they simply need a little help."

                           I look back at ${NPCGender27} with a thankful smile and nod. "Thanks."

                           ${NPCGender2} simply nods back in return.

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

It’s going to be a little while longer until the chapter is finally out, so I figured why not post a little snippet of it to hold people off? To put it in perspective how massive this scene is, you will have an option to choose whether or not your MC plays a musical instrument. There are a total of 9 options (including not playing one at all) and every single one of them have completely unique responses. This is the response if you chose that your voice is your instrument. 

So please, put those save files to good use, and try out different options! You may learn more about the world, get extra little information about the MCT, or unique dialogues that come up later in the game! A current live example of this that is in the demo is that Elizabeth/Arthur have two entirely separate scenes on the train. If you have >= 15 intelligence when playing chess with them, you play a full game. If you have < 15 intelligence when playing chess with them, the game end very quickly and it takes you to a different scene with unique dialogue. 

Something similar also happens with Kris/Kristina on the train. There’s a specific dialogue option where if you noticed Sarah/Samuel’s panic attack in Chapter 1 (which in the current build is only possible if you have >15 Insightful) it makes a unique choice appear with them on the train. I’m hoping that by the end of the game, even regardless of stats, players will have the ability to have a unique experience in many playthroughs and see a new side of their favorite MCT member every time!

I also wanted to take this opportunity to say that soon, Extra Scenes will be added to the Stats Screen. These scenes will unlock as you make choices in the game and act as short scenes you can go back and reread at any time! For instance, if you get a dialogue option where Sarah/Samuel tells you briefly how they met Kate, you might unlock an Extra Scene in the stats menu where you can actually read through the entire scene of them meeting for the first time.

These are meant to not only add to the replayability, but to also give you scenes that expand the characters, world, and understanding of mutations, all without disrupting the flow of the main story. They will not have stats attached to them, even if they are scenes with the MC that allow you to make choices. I really liked the idea of this and I haven’t heard of it being done in a ChoiceScript game before (I could be extremely wrong about that and if I am then I profusely apologize) so I’m going to try to add these in as I go along.

This was a very lengthy update, and I do apologize, but just know that I am working very hard to make this the best IF I possibly can! Thank you all so much for following the game, and for supporting and believing in me. From the bottom of my heart, it genuinely means a lot, and I hope I don’t disappoint you all and that the book can live up to all the positive reception it’s gotten so far. Thank you all again.

#interactive fiction #Interactive Novel #elizabeth hawks #the bureau #The Bureau Chapter Two #ChoiceScript #writing #oc #fiction #romance #mystery #sci-fi #book #text-based

[temperancejones]

Some Kind of Curse- Chapter Six

Kris barely slept that night. Something was plaguing her mind, but she wasn't sure what it was. At 0530, she gave up trying to sleep, and decided to go on a run while Steve caught his last few hours of sleep. Throughout her five mile long run along the beach, Kris' mind couldn't help but to imagine what her new life would be like back home in Hawaii. When she was fifteen, she imagined herself in a completely different life. Dreams of being on the US Olympic volleyball team and touring the world playing the sport she loved while making lots of money seemed like a lifetime ago to her now at 33. Being forced to grow up at sixteen when her mother died and her father, consumed by grief and anger, sent her and Steve away to boarding school on the mainland while Mary got to stay with their aunt in Los Angeles. Kris was thankful for her life now though, she held no real resentment towards her father for everything that he did to her and her siblings- her and Steve got an amazing education at the Navy academy, and Mary got to truly live a free life in Los Angeles, just like she always dreamed of. Even at a young age, Mary told everyone that she was going to be a famous Actress in Los Angeles, where she could have everything she had ever wanted. The dream lasted a little while for Mary, until she nearly died from an overdose at age 25, which then lead to a bit of a downward spiral for her. Aunt Deb always took good care of Mary though, and helped her get back on her feet. Unfortunately, Steve and Kris could not be there to support her during this time, as their location for nearly ten years was on a strictly need-to know basis, thanks to them being in Naval intelligence and the SEALs. A lot of their adult lives were confidential, which lead to a big rift between them and Mary and Deb in LA. Mary blew them off in return, which Kris now understood that it was completely their fault, but Deb always made sure to check in on them whenever she could, and whenever they were able to.

Deb McGarrett had a heart of gold, and always saw the best in everyone. She never gave up on believing in Steve and Kris, and she knew that they were just as devoted to their jobs as her brother, their father once was. Deb secretly hoped that they would have a different and better life than John, but deep down, she knew that they would most likely have the exact same life as he once did, which was working until he died. Even when John was retired, he still worked every single day, up until his death. Deb hoped to god that Steve and Kris wouldn't end up like him, but she figured it was inevitable at this point. Thanks to John sending them away to boarding school, he practically sealed their fates. Deb hadn't talked to them in a few years now and was fearful for their futures. She hoped that they didn't become obsessed with his death as he did with their mother's death seventeen years ago.

--------- When Kris returns from her run, Steve is awake and fully dressed, after having gone on a (shorter) run of his own. He was ready for the day, and apparently had a full itinerary planned for the both of them. Kris quickly showered and got dressed, then listened to what Steve had planned out for the both of them. While Kris was out running, Steve asked the governor if they could borrow a car for the next few days until they could get the taskforce going, to which she agreed- there was a government Issue black SUV waiting outside for them as they spoke. Steve was going to go and recruit Detective Williams and get them to work with them on the case. Steve was impressed with his background, and after a quick little rundown on him, Kris was too. The next person that they had decided to ask to join their team was Chin-Ho Kelly. Even though Chin had been fired from HPD, Steve and Kris knew that he was still a good man and a cop. Chin was essentially an older brother to them when they were teenagers- he was always around their house, learning everything he could with their father, who was his training officer. Their father had trusted Chin with his life, and if John McGarrett could do that, then Steve and Kris could as well.

A coffee was quickly downed by each of the twins, then they head out for their day of recruiting. Steve had gotten Detective Williams' address from Duke, so that was their first stop. Steve pulled into the parking lot outside of the detective's shabby looking apartment complex, and hopped out, wishing his sister good luck.

Kris quickly hopped over to the driver's seat once Steve left, and drove over to Pearl Harbour, in hopes to find Chin-Ho working there. When she parks the car, she quickly goes over what she is going to say to him, then hops out of the car. Thankfully, it has stopped raining now, and it is a sunny and beautiful September day on the harbour. Kris tucks her phone in her pocket and makes sure that she has her wallet on her, then walks over to the gift shop, which is opening for the day. Thankfully, Chin-Ho is there, and he smiles when he sees her approaching.

"Hey, back so soon?" Chin asks, smiling as he begins to make his way over to Kris, who is now smiling back at him. They shake hands when they get close enough, then Kris asks if there is somewhere a little more private that they can talk. Chin quickly directs them inside the gift shop, which is still empty for the time being. Chin and Kris make a little bit of small talk, mostly about how happy Kris must be to be back home on the island after all these years. To be honest with herself and Chin, Kris is very glad to be back home and feel a little bit of normalcy in her life for the first time in a while. Deep down, she really hopes that the taskforce will work out well for them, and that they can hopefully settle down back home.

Once Kris and Chin are seated, Kris gets right to the point. "I'm just going to jump right in. Yesterday, the Governor gave Steve and I command of the new state taskforce to take down Hesse and his accomplices. By the looks of it, we will be special forces in a way, and Steve and I want you. We need someone we know we can trust, and I know that our old man trusted you. We also need someone who knows this island like the back of their hand. We need your help." Kris offers to Chin calmly. Chin sighs and looks down at the table. "I'm the last person that HPD wants to see with a badge again. We did not end on good terms." He replies, looking a little upset. He looks up at Kris, defeated. Kris nods, understanding his perspective. "I understand that. But this is not HPD. We will be working under the governor's command. No backing, no red tape. Just us, doing our own thing. Sure, we will butt heads with HPD occasionally, but you are going to have to face them one day. We are willing and ready to help you when you do so." She explains to him. Chin furrows his brows and looks a little skeptic towards the offer. Something like this must be too good to be true. "HPD thinks that I stole money from their evidence locker, what is going to stop you guys from thinking the same?" Chin challenges, hoping to call out Kris' bluff. He assumes that she must be bluffing at this point, because nobody gave second chances like this. Never. "My father trusted you with his life back in the day. You were a part of our family for a while Chin. If he can trust you, then so can we." Kris explains, now looking Chin in the eye, making sure that she can get a good read on him for the next thing she is going to ask. "I will only ask you this once, then it will never be brought up again by me or Steve. Did you take the money?" Kris asks sternly. Chin takes a deep breath and looks her in the eye before saying a firm "No.". Kris can't help but smile. "Good. Well, the offer still stands. This is your ticket back in the game, Chin." Kris tells him, and then stands up and pushes her chair in, waiting for his response. "You're sure you want me?" Chin asks once more. Kris nods. "alright. I'm in." He grins and stands up himself. He and Kris shake hands once more and smile at each other. "Welcome to the taskforce, Chin-Ho Kelly. Now please, raise your right hand." Kris says to him, and then swears him. Chin chuckles in disbelief once he is sworn in, then quickly heads to the staff area to grab his things. Kris heads outside to wait for him.

While waiting on the pier, she pulls out her phone and calls Steve, who fills her in on his little outing with Detective Williams, who was investigating the possible involvement of Fred Doran, a local arms dealer who may have set Hesse and his crew up with their weapons. Doran himself was a dead end, but his house revealed a big break- Doran was involved in human trafficking. Kris wasn't surprised to hear those words, as Victor and Anton Hesse were highly involved in many human trafficking rings around the world, so it was easy to assume that Hesse contacted a trafficker to get onto Hawaii. Kris quickly fills Steve in on her meeting with Chin, telling him that he agreed to join, and has been sworn in by Kris on a temporary basis until he can get sworn in by the governor. Steve tells her that the Detective is in as well, but Kris already knew that he was going to be, as Steve wasn't going to give him an option- he wanted him on the team no matter what. And if Kris was being completely honest with herself, she wanted him on the team too. His track record was great, and he was nice to look at too.

Chin meets up with Kris a few moments later, and she congratulates him again, then offers to give him a ride back to the palace, where they will be meeting up with Steve and Detective Williams. Chin declines, saying that he brought his bike to work today, so he would meet her there. Kris nods, and they go their separate ways.

Twenty minutes later, Kris parks the car at the Palace and waits for Chin to pull in beside her. They quickly make their way into the building and up the stairs to the new office. Kris gives Chin a little tour and lets him have first dibs on the three remaining offices. Chin chooses one and puts his bag down in there, and then heads out to meet Kris in the main room, where she fills him in on the case so far while they wait for Steve and the Detective to arrive. Within a few minutes, Steve and the Detective arrive, looking awfully grumpy and generally unhappy to be around each other- Danny wont even look Steve in the eye right now, due to his anger towards him and how bad the raid at Doran's house went. Danny had managed not to get shot in his six months on the island. But within one day of knowing the McGarretts, he managed to get shot. He was thoroughly unimpressed. He really hoped that this wasn't going to be a normal occurrence for him but based on the fact that Kris was already nursing an injured arm, he had a feeling it would be. Introductions are made, and the Detective insists on being called Danny, which Kris and Chin note. Danny seems to be favouring his left arm a little bit when Kris looks at him and quickly analyzes him. When Chin asks him about it, Danny grumbles something about a woman biting him, which confuses Kris a little bit, but she doesn't question it any further. The moral of the story is his arm is injured. Kris makes a mental note to ask Steve about it later.

The new team then gathers around the table and discusses Steve and Danny's new findings. Thankfully, Chin pipes up and says that he may know someone who can help with the trafficking lead, which is a relief to Steve, Danny and Kris, who had no idea how to pursue that lead. Steve and Kris had hoped that having a local as well known and liked as Chin would help them out. And they were right. "My guy may have the information, but he probably won't give it to you. He's not the biggest fan of haoles." Chin explains to the three outlanders who definitely would not pass as locals. "but he'll talk to you, right?" Steve asks. "if the price is right, yeah. His name is Kamekona Tupuola. He used to be a big-time gambler and arms dealer, 'till he got handed a five-year sentence in Halawa. He got out a few years back and since then, he has been running a legit shrimp and shaved ice truck. He still has connections to the black market though, so he may be able to help us out." Chin explains to everyone, who is listening intently. "and he can be trusted?" Danny asks the question that was in everyone else's mind. Chin nods. "He is a well-known CI with most of HPD. You may not have heard of him in homicide, but he was well known in organized crime and robbery. He's good. He helped me a lot in HPD." Chin replies, reassuring Danny, Steve and Kris all at once. Kris slaps the table. "alright, let's get a move on then." She says to her team, grinning. She digs her SUV keys out of her pocket and tosses them to Steve so he can drive. She technically isn't supposed to be driving with her arm in a sling, so it's better if Steve does the driving until her arm is feeling a little bit better.

They all then file out of the office and back downstairs and to their cars. Kris ends up hopping in Danny's car, while Steve and chin take the SUV. Kris really wants to get a proper first impression on the detective, and she wants to make sure that he is a good fit for the team. Steve seems to think so based off of their meeting in the garage of their house, but Kris, being the control freak and leader she is, wants to be sure. She learned quickly in the Navy that she needs to be able to trust her co-workers and team members in order for their ops to go well, so she needs to make sure that Danny will fit in well. She already knows Chin will.

The first few minutes of the drive are silent while Danny and Kris try to feel each other out and figure out what is going on in each other's heads. Danny is still angry about Steve's impulsive actions back at Doran's house, which could have easily gotten them both killed, but that was not what was bothering him. What was truly bothering him was Steve's complete lack of empathy and common sense. Steve did not have a way with words, and so far, had come off pretty rude and offensive towards Danny, which just made him feel miserable. Danny was already dealing with enough misery in his life- he hated Hawaii with all of his being- but now, he had no choice to deal with a complete and utter moron who had no people skills and would most likely end up getting him killed before he can see his sweet Grace graduate elementary school. Danny secretly hoped that Kris had the brains between the twins and was a lot better with her people skills than her neanderthal of a brother, but he definitely wasn't getting his hopes up. Kris on the other hand, was trying to figure out what made Detective Williams- Danny- tick. She didn't get to go in his apartment with Steve to get a real feel for him, and she only looked over his work file quickly, which really does not give her the full picture. He drives a Silver Camaro that is in impeccable shape, meaning that he is not a slob and that he is a good driver. So far, he hasn't done anything too reckless yet, meaning that he is quite careful too. Kris glances over to his visor and sees a picture of a little girl and a post card of New Jersey. She quickly thinks back to his file and recalls that he has a daughter, and that he transferred from Newark PD six months ago. Kris hasn't noticed a wedding band or anything on his person, meaning that he must be separated or divorced; he probably transferred out to Hawaii to be closer to his daughter by the looks of it. Kris makes a mental note to ask either Danny or Steve about it when it is appropriate. And finally, Kris takes a closer look at how Detective Williams presents himself. His blonde hair is always perfectly styled back, and he always makes sure to wear a tie with his dress shirts, meaning that he definitely cares about his appearance, and still is clinging onto the mainland, where detectives wear suits and ties. Here on Hawaii, the dress code is a lot more informal; it's hot year-round, and the only time suits are worn are weddings and funerals. Most detectives wear polos or Hawaiian shirts, which would be completely inappropriate on the mainland. Based on Danny's resentment towards Steve so far, He probably isn't impressed with Steve's lack of communication or people skills, so Kris makes sure to not tease him about anything for the time being. Good first impressions matter, especially when you are supposed to be working together and having each other's backs in dangerous situations. Based on all of this, Kris has a good idea about how to approach him now.

"So," She begins, "Steve wooed you with his great communication skills, right?" Kris chuckles, now looking over at Danny when they stop at a light. Danny scoffs. "What gave you that idea?" Kris smiles cheekily. "I've spent thirty years with the man. I think I know how dreadful he can be when talking human beings." She tells him. Danny raises his eyebrows and exhales loudly through his nose, half laughing. "so, what-" He says, and now looks over at Kris. "he's the brawn and you're the brains?" he asks, then looks back at the road and continues to drive, gripping the steering wheel a little tighter. Kris shrugs. "more or less. It's more like... we're both the brawns and brains, but him more so the brawns and me more so the brains. People skills are not his strong suit." "yeah, I learned that real quick." Danny mutters, now thinking about his throbbing arm. "He'll grow on you. He always does. He's kind of like a parasite in that way." Kris jokes, hoping to break the tension building between her and Danny now. Danny just nods, obviously not too impressed. "I just don't wanna end up six feet in the ground, okay? I got a kid, I wanna see her grow up- and with him being all impulsive and shit, I'm gonna get killed! I'm not a Navy SEAL like you two. I do things by the book, and I do things to stay alive- I do not have a death wish like you two." Danny says with a little bit of urgency- to kris, he sounds quite angry and upset about this. Kris nods, now understanding his perspective. "okay. Okay. I can work with that. So can Steve, but we just need a little bit of time to adjust, you do need to understand that we have been in the navy since we were eighteen. Old habits do die hard, unfortunately." Kris explains to him, which causes him to loosen up a little bit. He sighs. "I- I didn't think about that. You're right. Sorry- Steve really got me goin'." Danny chuckles. Kris can't help but to smile at the detective. "I know. He's good at that. I just tune him out if he gets like that with me." She confesses, making Danny laugh again. When Danny stops at the next light, he turns and looks at Kris again. They half smile at each other. "And Danny," Kris begins in a softer voice, "We will do everything in our power to get you home safely to your daughter, okay? You have my word. And Steve's. He may not act like it, but he means it." she smiles sadly at him, feeling her heart pang in her chest. Kris tries not to think about the day that her mother didn't come home from work, but at times like these, she can't stop it. She still remembers seeing her father collapse in shock and devastation at the door- the gut-wrenching sobs that escaped her father's lips that day have been permanently trapped in her mind for nearly two decades now.

"thank you," Danny says softly, as he pulls up to the parking lot of the shrimp truck next to the SUV that Chin and Steve drove in. Danny and Kris hop out of the car and greet Steve and Chin, who are already out of the SUV and waiting. Kris nods at Chin, and he leads the way to the window of the shrimp truck.

#Hawaii Five-O #hawaii five o #Hawaii Five-0 #H50 fic #h50 #steve mcgarrett #kris mcgarrett #Danny Williams #chin ho kelly #Kono Kalakaua

[ahtohallan-calling]

chapter 10 of it’s always ourselves we find is here!

1 / 2 / 3 / 4 / 5 / 6 / 7 / 8 / 9 

[kristanna / m / modern au / coworkers & enemies to lovers ;) ]

Once again, he was woken up by a hand shaking his shoulder and Anna’s voice as she said, “Kris. Kristoff. Wake up, I need you.”

“Mmff...what?” he mumbled, rubbing at his eyes.

“Remember how yesterday you said you owed me a favor?”

“Uh-huh.”

Through bleary eyes, he watched as she bit her lip, her eyes nervous. “I need to call it in.”

That got him waking up. He pushed himself up on an elbow with a wide yawn. “Okay, I’m up. What do you need me to do?”

Her face melted into a fond smile. “Nothing. I just need to borrow one of your shirts.”

“What for?”

“To wear.”

He raised an eyebrow. “I don’t think that’s gonna fit you.”

“I’ll make it work. I have to. We’ve got that conference call with Harry today doing the dry run, remember? And I, um...I forgot my nice dress was bunched up in the bottom of my suitcase, and I just realized my shampoo leaked all over it, and--”

“Alright, alright, yeah, just grab one from the closet, no problem,” he said with another yawn. “But it’s really not gonna fit.”

A sigh of relief escaped her. “Thank you so much, seriously.”

“Don’t mention it.”

Quick as lightning, she leaned down to press a kiss to his cheek. “Go back to sleep, Kris, it’s not even half-past six.”

The only reply he could conjure up was a nod, hoping the room was still too dim for her to notice he was blushing. Mercifully, she only lingered long enough to squeeze his shoulder before darting towards the bathroom.

The next time he woke up, it was to the beep of his alarm at a quarter past seven. He sat up, swung his legs over the side, and stretched, his back cracking as he arched his arms over his head. Anna peered around the corner of the bathroom then, her hair falling in soft curls over her shoulder. “Morning, sleeping beauty,” she said cheerfully.

“Morning. How’s the shirt situation working out?”

“You tell me,” she said, a little shy, before stepping out so he could see her.

Fuck, he’d never been so glad to be wrong. The shirt didn’t fit the way it was supposed to; it hung loosely around her slender frame, the hem hitting a couple of inches above her knees and revealing the graceful line of her freckled legs. She’d pulled a cardigan on over it, hiding the way the seams had to be falling off her shoulders, and left the top buttons undone, showing off her collarbone and a delicate gold necklace that nestled there. Kristoff didn’t know a hell of a lot about fashion, but he did know that she looked like she’d walked right out of one of the giant posters he saw stuck up at the mall-- and that he’d be more than happy if she wore his clothes for the rest of her life.

“Is it that bad?” she asked timidly, and he realized he’d been gaping at her in silence for what was probably an embarrassingly long amount of time.

“Jesus, Anna,” he breathed, “you’re keeping that shirt, okay?”

Her cheeks colored at that, but when she crossed to stand in front of him, she was wearing a smile. “Will you help me roll the sleeves up? The shirt’s all bunched up under the cardigan, but I think if I roll them up and over and get the cuffs right it’ll look better.”

“Of course. Let me see.”

She lifted an arm, and he began carefully rolling up the sleeves the way she’d requested, feeling his mouth go dry as he saw how delicate her wrist was next to his broad hands. He wanted to linger there when he was done, trail his fingers over the pale, silky skin of her forearm and press a kiss to her palm, but instead moved to the other arm without even looking up.

“Thanks, Kris,” she said when he had finished, catching his hand in hers before he could pull away.

He gave her fingers a soft squeeze and glanced up at her with a lopsided grin. “Don’t say I never did anything for you.”

“Wouldn’t dream of it. This almost makes up for all the times you’ve stolen my post-its. Now hurry up and get ready before the line for the waffle maker gets long.”

“Knowing you, feistypants, you’ll just elbow your way past anyone who gets between you and something sweet.”

“And knowing you, you’ll just glare at anyone who takes too long at the coffee pot and they’ll melt away on the spot.”

“I glare at you all the time, and you’re still here,” he pointed out.

She grinned at him then, and something about it made his heart constrict. “Yeah,” she said warmly, “I am.”

---

“Excellent work, you guys,” Harry said with a grin. Behind him, Elsa gave them a thumbs-up and mouthed fuck yeah.

Kristoff set a hand surreptitiously on Anna’s lower back, like he’d been doing during the whole presentation, as if to steady himself. “Thanks, boss,” he said, his relief palpable.

“Any suggestions for how we can improve it?” Anna asked. “Do you think using Prezi slows it down too much? I can remake it in Keynote if you want, or I already have a backup PowerPoint.”

“No, I--”

“And are there enough pictures? I know people get overwhelmed with blocks of text, but for some of this the pictures felt extraneous, so I just thought--”

“Anna, no, it’s--”

“And did I talk too much? I know I tend to go on and on and--”

“Miss Delle,” Harry said firmly, and her mouth snapped shut. “I typed a short list of critiques. Once Elsa has a look over it and adds her own thoughts, I’ll email it to you. But it’s all very minor stuff, really. The important thing is that you two really know your stuff about the tech we’re using and our online sales and engagement strategies. Seriously, great work. We’ve got a conference call in a minute, though, so if you don’t mind--”

“Oh, of course! Thanks so much, Harry, really,” Anna said breathlessly. “See you Monday!”

She headed over to where the laptop was perched on a lectern, moving to click the red button and end the call. Before she did, though, she watched as on the other end, Harry turned to her sister and said, “Don’t know why the hell my brother’s always requesting we review their department, do you?”

For a moment she froze, hearing Kristoff suck in a breath behind her. Harry glanced over his shoulder then and said, “Oh, sorry guys, forgot to hang up.”

“I’ve got it!” Anna squeaked, ending the video call before he could say another word.

She turned on her heel and saw Kristoff hadn’t moved, his expression inscrutable. She crossed back towards him, but his eyes didn’t move from the now-black screen. “Fucking rat bastard, huh?” she asked softly, setting her fingertips lightly against his forearm.

He sighed and looked down at the floor, not meeting her eyes. “Yeah.”

She bit her lip, lingering for a moment to see if he said anything else, but his thoughts were clearly miles away. She slid her hand down then to give his fingers a brief squeeze before turning away to retrieve her laptop and settle back down at the table they’d been working at in the most out-of-the-way meeting room they could find. 

Kristoff joined her after a moment, already slipping his reading glasses back on as he hunched over his laptop. “I gotta finish running these reports,” he said, not looking up, “then I’ll help you with whatever Harry said.”

“No worries,” Anna replied, tapping her fingers against the table as she waited for the email to come in. 

Harry, despite being one of the baker’s dozen and one Westergaard brothers, was, all things considered, a more than decent boss. He never got too in the way of the work, was always willing to listen to new ideas, and-- most importantly, in Anna’s opinion-- kept Elsa, who worked as his executive assistant, from overworking herself like she always tended to do. When Anna had been hired on, he hadn’t known the two of them were related, but he’d grinned when he found out and said he was looking forward to having the pair of them around.

As far as Anna knew, he was higher up on the ladder than Hans in terms of who was likely to inherit the company when it was passed down to the next generation, and she was grateful for it. Hans saw everything from a sales perspective and didn’t bother to consider the people involved, and he was outright cruel to people when it suited him, whether it made sense or not. She couldn’t help but wonder why Kristoff in particular was--

A large hand settled over her still-tapping fingers, pressing them flat against the table, and she jumped in surprise. Her eyes flicked up to see Kristoff looking at her, half-amused and half-irritated.

“You’re gonna drive me insane if you keep doing that,” he teased, his voice light.

“Sorry,” she said sheepishly, “just got lost in thought.”

“S’alright,” he reassured her, sliding his thumb under her palm so he could squeeze her hand. “Is the email in yet?”

“Oh-- I wasn’t even looking!”

She returned the squeeze before pulling away to refresh her inbox. “Here it is-- yeah, Harry says....’switch slide four and six….bigger font for the headers...great job.’ And Elsa says ‘relax, both of you’.” 

When she looked up, Kristoff looked stunned. “That’s it? Really?”

“I...yeah. Shit, maybe we work together better than we thought.”

They exchanged shy smiles, each of them unsure of what exactly to do next. The fixes would take less than five minutes; there was nothing left to do but present tomorrow. Well, Anna corrected herself, he probably has lots of emails still about IT problems, probably wants me to get out of his way--

“Do you...do you wanna take a break?” Kristoff asked suddenly, raising one hand to rub at the back of his neck. “Like...we’re at the beach, right?”

“Uh-huh,” Anna replied, trying to quell the tide of excitement in her chest that was going to overwhelm her if she wasn’t careful.

“And we’re the only department with something big like this, so everybody else has already been doing fun stuff, you know?”

“Definitely.”

“So...we could have a turn. For a little bit, anyway?”

She couldn’t fight her smile any longer. “So...what do you wanna do?”

He grinned. “Race you to the room and then down to the beach?”

Before he could say another word, she was on her feet and running for the door, her laughter trailing behind her.

#kristanna #my fics #iaowf

[charlierejouis]

Quick Notes: Chapter 94

Let’s go!

You know, between watching Roberta’s arc in Black Lagoon and playing as Valentine in Skullgirls, I’m not shocked by Irvy’s aesthetic.

“What is it with you people? Can’t trust your own teammate?” While I agree with her, consider Shiki died in another universe. Their concern is justified.

“You’re starting to weigh on my nerves!” Thing I’ve definitely though about a character is said by the character.

Amira’s perspective of “focus on the task” only comes from being an outsider to the EZ Crew. I doubt she plans to join them long-term.

“I’m never saying Moscoy again!!!” Good. “Moscoy.” MOTHER-

Shiki doesn’t look to be doing so hot. Weird that I used to think that he was broken.

“You can fly.” “No. I fell onto the ceiling.” I’m mad I didn’t think to do this in chapter 6.

“You’re definitely going to fall. All the way to hell.” Okay, that’s a cool line.

We know that Labilla is a bad person because, despite everything she’s done up to this point, she’s bad mouthing Homura.

Homura’s going to help the rest of the EZ Crew. This is going to be interesting considering we’ve seen her handle one of the Wind Siblings. Do they have a name yet?

The eighth note next to Amira is... certainly a touch. I mean, she has reason to be calmest among them, but they shouldn’t expect a walk in the park.

Case in point.

I don’t know what Mosco was expecting. I’m pretty sure people on the EZ want to smack Mosco. What about Jinn would get you to think he’d enjoy seeing you after you both “defected” from the fake Sister?

“Just listen, okay? Forget about Mosco for now.” I have no comment, even though I wish I did.

“Next Chapter: Kris Rutherford”. You know, what? I get the name changes now.

See you.

#quicknotes #edens zero #edens zero chapter 94 #edens zero 94 #i'm in pain #leg pain #edens zero spoilers

[gascon-en-exil]

FE16 Black Eagles (Edelgard) Liveblogging

Chapters 15-16. The plot, among other things, explodes.

I was wondering where all the Eagles character paralogues were, and all of sudden come Chapter 15 three of them get dumped on you. Edelgard’s is a fight on the border against Nader and the Almyran remnant. Wyvern riders are unusually overpowered in this game, even as enemies. They’re not a unit type one expects to be so fast. Hubert goes back to the Sealed Forest to save Those Who Slither from their own failed creations. Both of these paralogues play up Hubert’s own talent for slithering in the dark: the first because it’s heavily implied that he poisoned Hilda’s brother so he’d have to rely on the Empire to push back the Almyrans, and the second because he’s been investigating Those Who Slither on the side all the while your army is being strong-armed into doing their bidding.

Petra and Bernadetta’s paralogue meanwhile has been the first map on this route that I haven’t seen before, a heavily forested section of Brigid. Bernadetta’s role there is almost completely random, but it comes together in the end in a way that feels satisfying. The chapter itself on the other hand features a cheap fakeout win condition, thankfully avoidable via Divine Pulse, and another appearance by the OP Catherine.

Playable kills: Flayn and Seteth from the church, Felix and Ingrid from the Lions. Now that the Alliance portion of the story is done I notice that Raphael and Lorenz skipped out on showing up this time, along with Marianne who doesn’t appear in the Lions’ Part 2 either. Actually, I’ve read that she’s the only playable character who doesn’t appear in Part 2 at all unless she’s in your army, with the implication that her depression and/or the dark story surrounding her Crest killed her or drove her to suicide in the timeskip. That’s...something.

I’ve also read that if you don’t recruit Shamir and Alois they show up in Chapter 15 to be killed...and that Manuela and Hanneman only do so on the Lions route in Dimitri’s paralogue for some reason. Weird.

I can confirm that the dark merchant does not sell Dark Seals. He’s only available in the second to last exploration month of Edelgard’s route, so you can’t get much use out of him anyway. Sucks for Hubert, but if I’m understanding correctly how you can buy classes with Renown the next time I use him I can just certify him for dark mage that way and get one seal for dark bishop. 

The brevity of this route sticks out more and more the closer I get to the end. Not so much for the story which is moving along at a brisk pace to match Edelgard’s resolve and concrete goal in contrast to Dimitri throwing everyone off with his unresolved personal issues, but for the gameplay. A bunch of my units aren’t going to make it master classes at this rate, and I’m tempted to not even touch Edelgard’s emperor class when it randomly becomes available after Chapter 15 (seriously, her armor just arrives from the capital? Are we timing lord promotions by the speed of parcel delivery now?) because there’s no timing and making her armored is kind of awful.

Story/Character observations

Chapter 15 opens with a bizarre interlude of Byleth coming upon Edelgard in her room at night, and an attempt at humanizing her by...telling us that she draws pictures of Byleth. That’s not even organic Avatar worship, come on. From what I remember her A support is more of the same, so I’m not holding out much hope for her big bi S rank.

Thankfully her two dorky subordinates salvage the character-based charm of this route. Ferdinand pokes a hole in the fourth wall and asks Byleth if they’ve thought about a world in which they chose another house or chose to side with the church, and while I can see the similarities with Conquest constantly dumping on Corrin’s choice this incident is isolated enough that I’m not feeling condescended to. Ferdinand’s A support with Byleth reveals that the first king of Faerghus - you know, the one with the very close *nudge nudge wink wink* friend akin to Felix - had a second very close friend who was just as indispensible but didn’t desire notoriety and so didn’t make it into many history books. Ferdinand compares this to what both he and Byleth are to Edelgard (I imagine this support is phrased very differently if gotten on any other route), but my mind went right to Kris, the shadow Avatar at Marth’s side who got left out of the original game historical accounts. While I believe that Byleth’s ending on Edelgard’s route actually is fairly out of the public eye, in other routes they’re either the archbishop or the ruler of the united continent. Byleth is very much not that type of Avatar who can just disappear at the end because how else could they sleep with the whole cast?

I can’t forget about Hubert either. Apparently he’s the one who gives Those Who Slither their infamously unwieldy name - thanks a lot, Hubie - during his investigations on how to out-evil them. When he’s not doing that he’s engaging in absurdly cute support conversations with Ferdinand where they’re both blushing and exchanging gifts with romantic music in the background. I also noted that they’re one of the couples who get special meal dialogue that evolves along with their supports. See, this is what I mean when I say that M/M and F/F subtext are on completely different playing fields. Dorothea will just come out and ask Manuela if they can live together and forget about finding men, or give Ingrid a ring and joke about owning her, etc. For the guys it’s watching them sputteringly make friendly gestures toward one another while blushing, or make promises to die together, or insist on the other using their given name (but in private!) to indicate that there’s going to be dick touching.

Nader dies during Edelgard’s paralogue. In combination with Judith’s death in Chapter 13 I think this is meant to indicate that this is the one non-Deer route that does not feature a large Almyran invasion after the credits roll. Even if you choose not to kill Claude as I did, without any of his close allies (who are also his parents, in the case of those two?) the implication is that he won’t have the strength to pursue his own dreams of continental conquest. Good on him to outright admit that he has them to Edelgard, though.

Speaking of the game admitting things that otherwise only go implied, let’s talk about those explosions. The Black Eagle Strike Force feints toward Fhirdiad but moves instead to conquer Arianrhod, with Edelgard and Hubert’s target being specifically Cornelia. Cornelia in this route hasn’t betrayed Faerghus to the Empire yet, but according to Arundel she was planning to as a member of Those Who Slither despite lacking their characteristic pallor. Arundel responds by using “pillars of light” - more likely those anachronistic ballistic missiles seen in a church route cutscene - to blast the fortress into oblivion and kill a bunch of people inside.I’m ignoring how petty it seems of Arundel/Thales to nuke a valuable military installation just to get revenge on Edelgard for killing a minion who was going to help Edelgard do what she’s about to do in the last two chapters anyway. No, what fascinates me about this situation is how Edelgard and Hubert immediately spin this for the rest of their army, saying it was Rhea’s doing and using it to motivate the Strike Force to conquer Fhirdiad as quickly as possible. Ever since I got her C support I’ve been curious as to why Edelgard harbors so much personal hatred for the church when Those Who Slither were the ones responsible for torturing her and her siblings for Crest research. Here she’s deliberately making that misdirection, which....doesn’t answer my question at all but does at least demonstrate that the writers are aware of it. How it will all play out, or if this is something that only makes sense when considering information learned from the church and/or Deer routes is yet to be determined.

Looking at this from the perspective of the Strike Force though I can see why they’d need some additional pushing to get invested in how evil Rhea is. She’s done very little so far to follow up on her creepy authoritarian vibes from Part 1, and the scene of her grieving Seteth and Flayn’s deaths only makes her regain some sympathy because of how personally she takes their loss. They have to be saving it all up for the finale. There will have to something to the antagonists we’re about to fight, because so far DImitri in this route has been even more of a non-entity. Of course I know that Chapter 17 brings not one but two flavors of gay tragedy, but in-universe I doubt anyone on the Strike force is squeeing over the Tempest King and his very devoted vassal.

#Fire Emblem #FE16 #Fire Emblem Three Houses #Spoilers