“Is consort the same in all languages?”

I believe so Khonshu says.

…

I finally got around to doing some Fanart of my all time favorite Moon Knight fic series- We don't need to say it to each other by: deadonarrival on Ao3.

I don’t know if the author is here on tumblr or not. D=

Those fics= fucking perfection. Do mind the tags tho if you go looking, here there be monster(fucking).

Queen of the House

Theme: The House Always Wins ~ The Stupendium

Oh my, how I've been looking forward to this. Vriska Serket is basically a rorschach test applied to an entire fandom in mass. Between all the potential character flaws, interpretations, and sympathetic qualities I could use to make her evil, I almost had too much to work with. Well, make her evil-er at any rate. Or, at least, make her the main antagonist. Because, with the way this is going, I might just make a few sympathizers out of you guys.

So, how does Vriska Serket, fandom darling and author's pet extraordinaire, become the big bad of the story she insisted that she was the hero of? Well, crank up Megalovania, ladies and gents, because you're about to find out~

When the story ended, Vriska had everything she ever wanted.

She had mended her relationship with Terezi and gotten to pursue a proper friendship with her. She had gotten the praise she always thought she deserved, as a savior and a Goddess to Earth C and it's people. And, she'd finally gotten a taste of that little paradise planet that John had given her a glimpse of.

And Vriska found that she really wasn't enjoying it.

There was the part of her that missed the old rivalry that she had with Terezi. The endless cycle of revenge, as destructive as it was, was one of the things the kept her motivated and happy, in a strange way. There was the part of her that felt she didn't deserve all the praise she'd gotten, the part she'd revealed to John after she murdered Tavros. The guilty, humane part of her. And, there was the part of her that didn't enjoy Earth. That didn't want to live a subdued peaceful life. Not when there was adventure to be had and treasures to be won. The bored, bloodthirsty side of her.

Vriska wasn't the other side of Terezi's coin anymore. Vriska's recklessness and selfishness weren't being counterbalanced by Terezi's brilliance and sense of ethics because the two just weren't the same people they were back then. The dynamic was just... off now. Now, Vriska was the coin. Two conflicting sides of pride and guilt that she didn't really know how to address.

See, the Gods put some rules in place to keep themselves from interfering to much with the lives of consorts and carapacians. They're more like celebrities than rulers, the citizens of Earth C are mostly just left to rule themselves. So, whenever a war picks up or politics get divisive, the Gods stay out of it.

Vriska really wants to get involved though. She feels like these opportunities are the best chances that she'll get to work out all of her conflicted emotions she has about her new life. It satisfies that growing itch for adventure and conflict that she has, that bloodthirsty boredom that misses her life on Alternia and her life in the game. And, it also appeals to that lingering guilty side of her. If she really wants to be a hero, really feels guilty about what she did, shouldn't she prove? Shouldn't she step in and earn all the praise she'd been getting? Actually become a hero?

Of course, every time she does bring up getting involved, she gets shot down.

The reasoning given is that, well, they're gods. If they step in to solve tge people's problems, the people will become reliant on them, which is a bad thing when they're arguably not qualified to do. They're not professionals, they're just traumatized teenagers with no real adult guidance. Winning a war is one thing, but solving poverty? Getting involved in politics? Preventing those wars to begin with? That's not something they have the life experience to do, and, if they get involved and start solving people's problems for them, it's what they'd be expected to do, which is a bad combo.

Dirk, Rose, Karkat, even Vriska herself. They're all people who thought they could handle the weight of the world on the shoulders and, when they couldn't, it had disastrous consequences.

Vriska always grumbles, but she concedes the point. Instead, she tries to find other ways to scratch that itch. She tries to go hunting and adventuring with Jake, but finds she can't stand him. He's far to cheerful, chatty, and oblivious, but, worst of all, there are those things about him that remind her just a bit of John and Tavros. Things that she can't quite put her finger on about him but make her uncomfortable none the less. She quickly stops attending these little hunting trips with him.

Vriska then tries to go to Aradia. She wants in on those little multiverse adventures that Aradia had been going on with Sollux, but Aradia slams the door in her face before Vriska can get three words out. Vriska makes a scene and pounds on the door for half an hour before Aradia opens up again.

Aradia explains that, no, she doesn't hold a grudge against Vriska for what she did. Sollux does.

"iit wa2 2uch a 2pur of the moment thiing for you, wa2n't iit? makiing me kiill her. iit wa2 a petty, iimpul2iive act of 2piite, ju2t liike everythiing el2e you do. ii don't thiink you even thought twiice about kiilliing aradiia untiil 2he beat the 2hiit out of you. but me?"

"ii heard her voiice. and ii heard iit on repeat iin the back of my thiinkpan every niight after ii kiilled her. every niight... untiil 2he came back..."

"2o, no, vrii2ka, ii don't forgiive you, and ii don't know or want two know about whatever bull2hiit you hammered on our front door for. now get out of our hiive."

As Vriska sulks her way out of their hive, she again feels those two conflicting responses coming from her pride and guilt. One part of her is indignant. Because it had been just another night for her. It had been just another shitty thing she'd done to someone who pissed her off. Who was Sollux to complain? She was the hero, she saved the day, it should be water under the bridge. She didn't save everyone by being nice, now did she?

But, then her guilty side speaks up. No. She hadn't saved the day like that. But Tavros sure did.

That thought just leaves her feeling more conflicted, bitter, and guilty than she ever did before. In a huff, she storms over to John's house.

Vriska had been expecting, partially even hoping, for his house to be in ruins. In her mind, John's life before the game had been the ideal human life. She thought a lot harder about how John's life turned out compared to how her life did than she'd like to admit. John was one of the few people who could break through her stubborn egotism, after all. So, she'd assume he'd be pretty tired of this new life too, seeing how it effectively stole his old "perfect" life from him.

But, she doesn't find that. Instead, she finds John... perfectly content with his new lidmfe and completely uninterested in finding new adventures.

John had friends. Close friends who knew what he was going through and understood how hard on him everything was. Jade, Dave, and Rose always took time out of their days to check on him, talk to him, be there for him. Even Karkat did his part to help John take the enormous weight of the world off his shoulders, help him settle down and start over so he could be happy again.

Yes, John was nice enough to take Vriska to some dark part of the multiverse if she asked, but she didn't want that. That ugly, prideful part of her was upset that he wouldn't have to rely on her, yes, but mostly, she just didn't want to be pitied. For John, who'd found happiness, family, and love in this new 'boring' world of theirs to tear himself away from all of that to just give her an adventure, would be nothing more than an act of pity. And, in Vriska's eyes, she just couldn't use him like that.

So, Vriska collapses onto her bed that night, and dreams of a way she could easily fix these weird, conflicted feelings she has. Vriska never knew who she was, that's why she was so bad at confronting herself.

But, she knew who she wanted to be, and that person was Marquise Spinneret Mindfang.

And that's who Vriska saw standing before her as she woke up in the dreambubbles.

Vriska fangirls at the sight of her and Mindfang basks in all the attention. Vriska even lists off exact feats Mindfang performed in her journal, leading her Ancestor to boast that she's preparing for an even grander adventure. One that could decide the fate of Paradox Space itself.... and she wants Vriska to join her.

This is everything that Vriska could dream of. At this exact moment, all that inner conflict melts away. Mindfang, the Dreaded Spider of the Sea herself, the person who Vriska centered her entire life around, is offering Vriska the chance to join her. In that moment, both sides of the coin are satisfied.

Vriska gleefully accepts the offer.

Mindfang explains the problem, stating that the battle against Lord English had left a tear in Paradox Space, a wound that threaten to grow until it ripped Paradox Space apart. In order to combat it, she needs to find some Rogues of Life to heal the wound and seal it back together. Without any way to control where she's going in the dreambubbles, Mindfang wouldn't be able to find any without a lot of luck... which is where Vriska comes in. Mindfang never got the chance to unlock her aspect like Aranea and Vriska did, she never got a copy of Sgrub, so she needs her descendant.

Vriska is both ecstatic to be so important and disappointed about not being called on to battle some powerful supervillain or something. Mindfang reassures her that she'd be more than happy to take her to fight a few dangerous villains after the important quest was taken care of, all while heaping on the praise. I wouldn't waste your time with some 8ooooooooring healing quest. I've seen what you can do. I know my descendant deserves 8etter than that."

So, Vriska uses her luck powers to lead Mindfang to several Rogues of Life, whom Mindfang mind controls each time. Vriska questions this, but Mindfang insists it's more practical to just ensnare them and apologize later than try to convince them to tag along. Vriska accepts this, even as the guilty part of her points out how that Tavros did a much better job at getting people to join him just by talking to them.

After Mindfang decides they've gathered up enough Rogues of Life, Mindfang uses the Rogues to reassurect herself and them back on Earth C, allowing Vriska to wake up and meet up with them. Once that's done, Mindfang takes Vriska aside and thanks her for being so helpful.

Before decapitating her, stating that Vriska wasn't needed anymore.

While Vriska is resurrecting, Mindfang orders the Rogues to drain the life out of Earth C and funnel it into her, killing countless thousands before Vriska recovers and attacks her. Mindfang is amped enough for Vriska to be forced to use her Ancestral Awakening form to defeat her, all while she tearfully demands to know why Mindfang has done this. As Mindfang glares up at her descendant with a look of bloodparched rage, she spitefully spits out her motivation for her actions.

What you need to remember is that Mindfang was just a version of Aranea who grew up in a more hostile, deadly environment, where all her character flaws could fester. In effect, she has Aranea's ego dialed up past ten.

While Mindfang was content to be dreaded, terrifying pirate in life, it wasn't until her death that she saw the true nature of the multiverse.

She saw Vriska's adventure, watched her life from beginning to end, and realized how insignificant her own role was. Vriska was saving the multiverse, traveling between timelines, battling demons. Vriska became a God, one who was worshipped by an entire planet. All while Mindfang held no real relevance. She wasn't even a background character, she was a backstory character. A means of giving Vriska motivation and nothing more.

Mindfang was a dreaded pitate, but only on one planet in one timeline. Which is hardly as speck in the vastness of the multiverse. And Mindfang felt entitled to more.

The problem is, she's effectively Aranea, but worse. While Aranea tried to make a story that didn't involve her all about her, Mindfang decided that a story that didn't involve her shouldn't exist at all.

Mindfang was going to suck all the life force out of Earth C, before using the absorbed energy to destroy the Alpha Timeline. With no Alpha Timeline to hold it together, Paradox Space would fall apart, erasing everything that ever was. It would be the most important act ever committed. No one could be more important than Mindfang if no one else existed.

In that moment, Vriska Serket died.

Vriska Serket, the one who paralyzed Tavros. Who blinded Terezi. Who murdered Aradia. Who created Bec Noir. Vriska Serket, the egotist, the murderer, the manipulator, and the abuser, died.

Every reason that Vriska had to exist was glaring right up at her, wallowing in a defeated pile of spite, pride, and ego.

Vriska stared blankly as Mindfang died, completely lost. Vriska didn't know who she was or who she wanted to be anymore.

Vriska walks the desolate Earth, the lost Rogues trailing behind her now that they had no where else to go. With so much of their energy wasted on amping Mindfang, there's little they can do to repair the damage done to Earth C.

Vriska searches desperately for her friends, to no avail. Most of them, she can't even find the bodies of. In some cases, such as with Sollux and Aradia, that gives her hope. Maybe they weren't on Earth C during the attack, maybe they're alive. Most of the time, though, it just serves to make her feel more hopeless.

Vriska never finds out if Terezi survived or not.

Vriska does find John's body however. Several months into her search, she found John, Dave, Jade, Rose, Jane, even Karkat inside a run down home. Vriska remembered being surprised at how lively it was once.

The bodies are to rotten for the Rogues to heal in their current state, but at least Vriska knew John died happy. The rotting birthday cake on the table was proof enough of that.

Vriska would never find any surviving Gods. But she would find survivors.

Eventually, after several years of searching, Vriska and the Rogues would stumble across a small town of consorts, slaving away at all hours of the day in mines and farms. They were being exploited by raiders, forced to provide for their ever growing gang or be killed. So Vriska decides to confront them.

The raiders are awed to see one of the "Old Gods" still alive and kicking, but they do not back down and bow in reverence as Vriska would partially expect. The world has turned into an empty, rotting place, so everyone is operating under the idea of kill or be killed. While the raiders are clearly intimidated, they're not going to give up without a fight and they make it clear that they will fight Vriska and her group to maintain control of what little resources they've managed to seize.

Vriska could crush these raiders easily. In the past, she happily would have. But now? She just doesn't want to kill what little life is left on Earth C, especially seeing how they'll likely need every hand on deck if Earth C is ever going to be habitable again. She wants to better now. She wants to do good.

So, Vriska challenges them to game. She makes up a card game on the spot and challenges them to it. If the raiders win, Vriska and the Rogues leave, allowing the Raiders to go on as normal. If Vriska wins, she gets control of the settlement, with the Raiders becoming her muscle. The Raiders agree, seeing it as a better alternative to a fight they knew they couldn't win, and they inevitably lose when Vriska rigs the game in her favor with her luck powers.

Vriska spots an opportunity to rebuild Earth C and, using the raiders as her enforcers, sends her forces out in search of more resources and settlements. Her goal is to unite Earth C under one banner so that everyone can pool their resources into making the world habitable again. As such, all settlements found are immediately "persuaded" to join and those that resist are dealt with by Vriska herself, using that same card game scam.

It takes several decades, but Vriska gradually unites the world and makes it livable again. However, she has no interest in returning Earth C to the way it was, as a bunch of different countries with their own worldviews and opinions. She remembers how often wars broke out and how she wanted to get involved but couldn't, so she decides to sude step that problem entirely.

She creates a new world order, centered around the card game scam she used to conquer the world to begin with.

How it works is that, when people get out of school, they immediately go into the work force in order to get enough money to participate in the Gambler's Den. Those who win big in the Den get House Dollars, which is the currancy that allows people to buy their way up into the world. But better homes in nicer neighborhoods, where food is cheaper and taxes are more lax.

Those who manage to get to the top of the Gambler's Den have to challenge Vriska to the game. If they win, they get let into the House. A paradise eerily similar in aesthetic to John's old neighborhood, wherin the citizens have Vriska's ear, meaning they get some say in how Earth C is governed and run. If they lose, they go right back to the bottom again.

Naturally, the whole system is rigged. Not only can Vriska simply decide wether or not she loses with her luck powers, she has the game's rigged. If someone gets far enough to catch Vriska's attention, she had them spied on and looked into. If Vriska likes them, she has the automatic game machines rig the games in their favor and send them straight to her so she can decide whether they go in the House or not. As "Queen of the House", the Housr and the Gambler's Den are rigged in her favor on every level.

Thing is, Vriska isn't trying to be an evil dictator here. She genuinely thinks this is a step up, as it's what the people themselves seem to want. Of course, the people aren't going to argue against anything she does because she's literally their only remaining God and she rebuilt civilization, so it's not like she's a good judge of that. Basically, her two halves are finally working in tandem. She's soothing her conscience by finally giving the people what they "want" and she's appeasing her ego by rigging everything in her favor and convincing herself and the world that she's doing what's best for everyone. Her compassionate side is leading the dance for once, sure, but that's still leading her down the same path.

The two sides of the coin are identical. It's a rigged coin. And both sides lead to Vriska justifying her own despotism.

Of course, she's not stopping there. Vriska wants to protect her people from all threats, just as she did when she was rebuilding Earth C. By rigging the Gambler's Den so that her most ideal subjects are forced to join the military, Vriska is able to create an army that she uses the conquer the universe. Meanwhile, the Rogues are sent into the dreambubbles to try and find the ghosts of her dead friends so they can revive them or, failing that, find other God-Tiers who can join their cause.

It's a few years after Vriska discovers a way to cross into other timelines and decides to start preemptively conquering the multiverse that she finds her friends again. The Rogues immediately bring John back to life and Vriska enthusiastically hugs him. The two embrace for a solid minute before Vriska decides to bring him up to speed.

John is... horrified.

After he finally managed to reunite with most of his friends in the dreambubbles, they'd heard tell of an evil empire born out of the main timeline that had begun subjugating the multiverse. John and friends joined the resistance against it... but they never thought Vriska was the one who created it.

Vriska tries to justify herself, but it just leads to an ugly, tearjerking arguement.

"I'm doing this for you! 8ecause I want to 8e like you! 8ecause I want to live in a world like yours. You showed me that I could 8e happy, good even, in a more caring world. It's not my fault the things I have to do to protect this stupid paradise planet! I want to 8e a good person, John! ....8ut... I have to 8e a hero...."

John teleports back to the dreambubbles, distraught that Vriska won't see reason. Vriska, meanwhile, readies her armies for war.

They'll see reason. They all will. Then... they can be friends again. They can be happy... in way Vriska was never allowed to be. But, until then, she had duties to attend as Queen of the House.

Homestuck^2: How I’d write the Omega Kids (and the Candy timeline villains)

I haven't reread Homestuck nor the epilogues in a while so correct me if I'm wrong with anything here. This was all in one go, too, so I probably missed something here or there. I'm also not a native English speaker so pardon some grammar errors.

In General

I’d give them a five-letter name scheme. Names of a group being the same length was a big deal in original HS (human first names had four letters, troll names had six, Ancestors had eight-letter titles, Cherubs had eight letters too, etc.), so it’s odd seeing this new group have names of varying length

I’d also give them all shirt symbols. It’s odd that something so iconic to Homestuck isn’t present in the new kids, either.

I'll write for both the canon post-canon with evil Jane and for my own version with different villains. Evil Jane happens because a highblood troll who hears of the old ways of Alternia attempts to kill her and take her crown, as she's technically the heiress. Jane wins, but she starts to see trolls and Alternian culture in a different light from then on. At first she was only trying to prevent the worst parts of Alternian culture from coming back, but over time grew to despise trolls, and ended up trying to force human culture onto Alternians.

The other Candy villains are a dangerous terrorist rebel group that wants to overthrow the creators and destroy them. They say the creators made the people, abandoned the people for years, then suddenly came back and decided they control the people. The group is made of humans, trolls, carapacians, and even consorts. The mysterious shadowed leader claims to be doing this for the people, but really, all they want is to have control for themselves, and they don't care if any innocents get in the way.

Harry Anderson

Has nothing to fix, he’s perfect as is

Okay but seriously, the guy is the kid with the least questionable things around him. He has no baggage from sharing the same name as an established character (ICP Harry Anderson doesn’t count), and he didn’t come from infidelity.

He also has actual color to his personality. He likes musicals and sewing. He has a good relationship with his dad. Like many kids with divorced parents, he wishes his parents were together again. What do the others have? Vrissy is just a slightly less aggressive Vriska. Tavros is just OG Tavros and Jake combined. Yiffy’s thing is being a dog girl named Yiffany Longstocking. The others could be fleshed out eventually, but with the slow pace and meandering plot we have right now, I doubt it.

If Jane's the villain, things would mostly go the same way. If Jane isn't the villain, it goes two ways: he decides to join Vrissy's guerilla anti-anti-creator group and fight because he wants to protect his parents, or he's just very anti-conflict and avoids the fight because he doesn't think he's up to it. He's frequently threatened but doesn't tell his parents about the threats. Eventually, he gets convinced to join and fight.

Vrissy

So Vrissy’s in relationships with guys who are technically her cousins. At first I was like “well, they’re not biologically related nor were they raised as family so it’s not weird”. But then Tavros called Kanaya “Aunt Kanaya” and now I’m thinking “oh god, that’s really weird”.

Now she’s just a troll girl from school. She's just close to Kanaya and Rose, but isn’t their kid. She isn’t related to anyone. Anyone except Vriska, who she was named after. Vrissy’s new nickname is just Vriss.

Alternatively, her name is something completely different. Honestly, it just seemed like a way to shoehorn in a Vriska for the story. Only for actual Vriska to come back anyway.

Uhh, Eshtha (from Jyeshtha, a Hindu nakshatra Scorpius is associated with)? Oriona (from Orion, the myth where Scorpius is mostly attributed to)? Naiaka (from Manaiakalani, as Hawaiians saw Scorpius as the demigod Maui’s fishhook)? Oh wait, I’ll have to make nicknames for those names too. Uh, Eshty, Riona, and Naiah.

Maybe have her have a personality that’s rather opposite to Vriska’s than have her as Vriska 2. She's more a perky goth, more cheerful and sweet. More "I knew you could do it!" than "So you can do something after all." A beast in battle, of course. She doesn't like to use her mind control powers, because she finds them disturbing.

If Vriska had to come back, the conflict would come from their conflicting personalities. Vriska would pretty much act the same way she did to (Vriska), but this time, Vriss doesn't take any of it and stands her ground.

Whether the villain is Jane or not, she's the one who decides to fight back, and she gets her friends and others to join her. The creators have been nothing but good to her, and she cares about them a lot, especially Rose and Kanaya. Not to mention they're also her friends' parents.

Tavros

Yeah, we’re gonna have to rename that kid. It never made sense to me why Jake and Jane named their kid after some guy they don’t know that well. I don’t remember everything from the Epilogues, but I’ll assume the reason was Gamzee or something. Also weird that Jane, who’s supposed to be racist to trolls, would just...let her kid be named after one.

Something old-ish would work. Flynn? Silas? Avery? Clyde? Niles? Louie?

He's moirails with this Vriss instead of kismeses. The Vrissy/Tavros kismesis also felt like re-hashing the kismesis that Vriska and OG Tavros kinda had.

If we went post-canon villain Jane, he'd be reluctant to join the rebellion and is more of a pacifist who would rather try to talk his mom out of it.

Alternatively, Jane and Jake are separated (but not divorced) and he lives with Jake. Because Jane was never terrible to him and Jake doesn't tell him how bad she's gotten, he disagrees with her but still tries to justify and rationalize that Jane's really doing it from a place of good intentions.

If the villain isn't Jane, then Jane and Jake have been hiding him away, and his friends can only see him when they visit him at his swanky home. You might say he's...housetrapped. He joins because his friends are in it, and doesn't quite grasp how serious things are until the rebels try to kill Jane (the rebels try to kill Jane first because you always kill the healer first).

He's in contact with a mysterious guide who's kinda spacy and a little terrifying at times. His friends think the guide might just be some creepy predator. It's revealed to be Candy Gamzee, out of the fridge and legitimately harmless, but untraceable and doing mysterious things behind the black. Again.

Come to think of it, Dirk's missing too...

Yiffany Longstocking

Yiffy is now the ectokid of Dave and Jade. She looks more like a DaveJade kid than JadeRose, really. Dave and Jade are also either happily married or coming close to an amicable divorce. Yeah, the toxic shit Jade did and the erasure of Dave's bisexuality also don't exist here. Jade, Dave, Karkat, and Terezi are backing Vrissy's anti-anti-creator group.

Her new name is something unisex. Riley? Logan? Robin? Sloan? Salem?

She spends a lot of time outside doing sports and doesn't talk much. She's not very close to the other three kids, but she's surprisingly pretty close to her Aunt Rose.

While Jade and Dave are out on a mission for Karkat (this is the mission Candy Dave dies), she gets kidnapped by the opposing force (Jane/the terrorists). She gets a shock collar forced on her, then is hidden away in a Boarding School for Inconvenient Girls, enrolled under the name "Yiffany Longstocking". Jade comes home to find that her family's been taken from her. Again.

Yiffy almost escapes, but she gets knocked out and taken back to base, where they lock her in a cage and treat her like a dog. She's still defiant to the end.

If Jane's the villain, Jake is inspired by Yiffy's defiance, grows some balls, exposes Yiffy's treatment to the press, and sets her free. She beats up the guards trying to stop her. Jake gets surrounded by more guards. In response, he pulls out his pistols and a one-liner, and bam, cliffhanger.

If it's the terrorist group, Terezi picks up on Yiffy's scent when they're in a base, and she's saved by the other three kids, where she immediately turns around and beats the crap out of the guards. They become proper friends from there.

The reunion panel still happens and this time it's her reuniting with her loving mother and aunt instead of...y'know.

BONUS: Sadstuck

Harry gets his own “im not a hero” speech after trying and “failing” to be the hero that John was

Vriss is eventually forced to use her mind control powers. It’s either a “Katara using bloodbending" situation, or she forces her friends to leave her behind when they want to stick by her.

Tavros finally witnesses his mother’s true nature when Jake defeats all the guards, but is stabbed from behind by Jane and killed. In the other version, it seems Jane is finally safe and able to come home to her son. Then she’s killed right in front of him.

After the big hug with Jade and Rose, Yiffy pulls away. She smiles, looks around behind them, and asks “Where’s Dad?”

So, please tell me what you think!

“Reunion,” an Endless Summer fanfic

Title: “Reunion”

Fandom: Choices: Endless Summer

Main Pairing: Sean x Taylor (gender not stated)

Other Pairings: Grace x Aleister, Craig x Zahra, Diego x Varyyn

Genre: Romance, Vaanu Ending Override (this is a genre now because I said so!)

Warnings: Mild swearing

Summary: “If you love someone, let them go. For if they return, they were always yours.” During a group reunion party on La Huerta a year later, the old memories come rushing back. Sean and the others are invited to Elyys’tel for a Vaanti ceremony...

Note: A gift for the Sean Gayle fans out there! Yes, I know I’m 3 days late for the ESAPW Sean day, but I’m writing it anyway. It has some Grace x Aleister (”Graleister?”) moments too, so...it counts? Kinda? Either way, enjoy!

Sean re-read the letter twice before he rolled it up and stuck it into his back pocket.  He’d spent the entire flight in composing the perfect letter to Taylor; whether they’d actually be able to somehow read it or not, Sean had wanted to do something meaningful. He was still debating whether he’d set the letter adrift at sea in a bottle, or burn it and let the embers escape into the sky. Maybe Quinn would have an idea. She understood that sort of thing a lot better than he did.

Stepping off the Rourke-Hall International plane onto the familiar dirt runway, Sean was suddenly hit by an intense flood of memories. Behind him, Grace and Aleister descended as well, hand-in-hand. “Sean, are you alright?” asked Grace.

Sean shook his head to clear it and looked back at her. “Thanks, Grace, but I’m okay. Just memories.”

“Such is to be expected,” said Aleister. “Nevertheless, memories can be good or bad, depending on one’s outlook.”

“Bit of both, I guess,” said Sean, shrugging. “Come on, let’s head up to The Celestial. Hopefully it won’t be abandoned this ti--”

The roaring of an engine overhead cut him off, and the three of them turned to see a small private jet, wobbling unsteadily through the air, coming straight toward them! “Whoa! Watch out!” shouted Sean, grabbing Grace and Aleister by the arms and yanking them off of the runway. They watched as the plane did a barrel roll, overshot the runway, then swooped down low, skimming the tops of the jungle trees before flying back into the air. It did a full loop around The Celestial before coming in on a vector right toward the runway. It narrowly missed clipping the RHI plane before bouncing twice on its landing gear, finally coming to a stop a few feet away from the control tower. Somehow, impossibly, without a single scratch.

Sean, Grace, and Aleister looked at each other for a moment, and then Aleister said, “Ah. It appears Jacob has arrived.”

At that, the three of them couldn’t help but break down into laughter.

“Bro, I think I’ll fly with you on the way back, thanks,” Craig was saying to Aleister some time later. The whole group had all trickled in on this plane or that plane, until now all eleven of them were seated around a large table in The Celestial for brunch. Furball sat curled up in Quinn’s lap, licking the frosting off of a cupcake she was feeding him. “I felt like I was gonna puke!”

Jake laughed. “What’s the matter, can’t handle a few basic maneuvers? I’ll have you know that was all on purpose.”

“Pfft. ‘Maneuvers,’ my ass,” muttered Zahra. “And Craig, you did puke. On the window. It was disgusting.”

“How was I supposed to know the windows didn’t open?”

“It’s a PLANE.”

“...So?”

Aleister put his face in his hands as Grace rubbed his back soothingly. “The ignorance. It burns...” he muttered.

Sean was only half focusing on the conversation. His eyes were constantly drawn toward the twelfth chair, the empty one they had all placed between himself and Diego. Diego noticed him looking at it and flashed a reassuring smile. “I know. ‘Eleven Catalysts’ doesn’t have the same ring to it, does it?” he asked.

Sean nodded. “Yeah. They made the right call. I just wish... I just wish we’d had more time. To say goodbye.”

Diego leaned across the empty seat to pat Sean’s shoulder. “We all do, but probably you more than anyone. I guess...well, Varyyn told me about a tradition the Vaanti have. They climb to the highest branch of Elyys’tel, and toss leaves containing messages for their departed loved ones into the wind. They say if you listen closely, you can hear a reply on the breeze blowing through the boughs.”

Sean took in Diego’s words. “That’s....” He swallowed hard. “That’s beautiful. D’you think he’d let us do that?”

“Sean, of course he would! Why do you think I suggested we go to Elyys’tel tonight, anyway?”

Sean broke into a grin and pulled Diego into a tight hug. “You’re the best, Diego. Damn, I’ve missed you.” He stopped, and looked around at the others at the table, smiling at each and every one of them. “I’ve missed all of you.”

“What, even me, bro?” asked Craig.

Zahra punched Craig playfully. “He sees us every day, dumbass. You know what he meant.”

“Oh yeah. I knew that!”

“Mmmmrl!” squeaked Furball, leaping up onto the table and knocking over the stack of waffles on Estela’s plate. She glared at the blue fox for a few seconds before breaking down and smiling, unable to stay mad at the adorable creature for long.

Quinn giggled. “Furball says he missed everyone too! And I agree with him!” She smiled sweetly and added, “Let’s not wait another year to have a group reunion, huh?”

Michelle nodded. “Amen to that, girl!”

A sudden slam from the direction of the front doors made everyone look up. “What was that?!” demanded Estela, leaping to her feet and dropping into a combat stance, butter knife in one hand.

Diego sighed. “Not again. It’s just the Vaanti, Estela, calm down. How many times do I have to tell them...uh, be right back, guys.” He jumped out of his seat and sprinted into the lobby. Estela dropped the knife and sat back in her chair, relaxing a fraction.

The rest of the group stared after him in confusion. “Well, that’s a thing that happened,” said Raj. “Anybody want any more waffles?” Silence. “Just me then? Oooooookay, be right back.” He stood up and wandered over to the buffet line.

From the lobby, Diego’s voice drifted into the dining area. “I asked Varyyn to tell everyone, no need for battering rams! Just knock normally next time!”

“We apologize, Canis, Consort of the Elyyshar.” The doors opened and Diego entered, along with two Vaanti carrying a massive tree-trunk between them.

“Uh...what’s with the log?” asked Michelle.

Diego waved her question off, a slight blush creeping up his cheeks. “Just...uh...a little confusion. Point is, finish your plates, because we’re heading to Elyys’tel!”

Raj was walking back to the table at that moment, a massive stack of waffles on his plate. Craig’s eyes widened at the sight and he jumped out of his chair, sprinting over to the buffet table. “Bet you 50 bucks I can eat more!” he shouted.

“Craig, no, c’mon--” Sean started to say.

“You’re on, dude!” Raj shouted back, taking a seat and drizzling his waffles with syrup.

Diego sighed and sat down. “On second thought, this brunch might take longer than I thought...” he said. “Uh... so, anyone seen any good movies, lately?

After about another hour of watching Craig and Raj wolf down waffles, and another couple of hours trekking through the jungle, the eleven Catalysts finally broke through the treeline and emerged at the base of Elyys’tel. Varyyn was standing at the entrance, flanked by Seraxa and three other Vaanti warriors. The elyyshar broke into a massive grin when he spotted the group. “My friends! Welcome! Diego had told me you were coming. This is a joyous occasion!” He waved the warriors and escorts away and raced forward, pulling Diego into a bear hug that lifted him straight off of the ground, spinning him around before setting him back down. He straightened and looked at the others, one by one. “I am delighted to see you all once again. Come!”

As the Catalysts followed Varyyn into the city proper, Sean noticed Seraxa following, looking him up and down appraisingly. “Aquila. It is a joy to see you again.”

Sean smiled. “You, too, Seraxa.” He looked around at their surroundings, admiring the extensions and additional levels and structures that had been added to the city since the last time he had been to the island. “I like what you’ve all done with the place.”

“We had a lot of help. The workers that Cygnus and Serpens provided to us have been most useful, especially since we lost so many warriors in battle with the Hydra.” It took Sean a few moments to realize she was referring to Grace and Aleister.

“Kee-la! Hi!” shouted a small voice. Sean bent down and scooped Taari up into his arms, laughing.

“Whoa! You’ve gotten bigger!” he observed as the Vaanti boy giggled.

“Yep! I’m gonna be a warrior soon! Rar!”

Sean set the boy down. “Wow, you sure are scary!” Then he glanced over at Seraxa. “Warrior? But there’s no one left here to fight...”

“Shh. Don’t tell him that,” replied the war chief.

Taari suddenly stopped in his tracks, looking around at the rest of the group. “Kee-la, where’s Dromma? Are they back from their trip yet? I wanna say hi!”

The entire group stopped in its tracks. Seraxa’s eyes widened suddenly. “Oh! Uh...Andromeda has gone a very far way away. They are still on their long journey, but the other Catalysts have come back in the meantime!”

“That’s not true! I saw Dromma yesterday!”

Seraxa laughed halfheartedly and patted Taari’s head. “I’m sure you did. Run along and play now, I want you at your best for the Wind Talking ceremony tonight!”

Taari pouted. “Do I have to?”

“Yes.”

“Aww.... Oh well. Bye, Cat-a-lissus!” He waved at the others and scampered off across a bridge.

An awkward silence followed this exchange. Sean, finally, was the first one to break it. “...What did you tell him about Taylor?” he asked.

Seraxa shook her head, a faint dark green tinge visible on her cheeks. “I told him that Andromeda is on a long journey with Vaanu. I did not wish to burden him with sorrow at such a young age. I...neglected to mention this earlier. I apologize.”

“No need to worry, Seraxa. I get it. It was a little awkward, but I get it.” Sean pushed his thoughts of Taylor out of his mind and put on a smile. “So! Who’s up for some wind-disc later?”

“Diego and I accept your challenge!” Varyyn called out from the front of the group.

“Whoa, I never agreed--” stammered Diego.

“Fine, then I’m with my bro!” declared Craig. “Let’s do this!”

That night, the Catalysts prepared for the Wind Talking ceremony. Varyyn and Seraxa had provided each of them with formal Vaanti attire for the occasion, which Sean appreciated after spending all day in a t-shirt sticky with humidity. The eleven of them stood in a single file line along a massive branch at the top of Elyys’tel, a set of flimsy-looking wooden railings being all that separated them from a very long fall. “I... I don’t know about this,” stammered Grace nervously. “Have I mentioned I don’t like heights?”

“Fear not, Grace. When these weak structural barriers inevitably fail, I will keep you safe from falling,” Aleister reassured her. “It’s simple physics, given the discrepancies between our respective body mass and my impeccable sense of balance.”

“You’re right. Even if I were to fall, if you held me tightly by the hand, the vector force would be sufficient enough to overcome the pull of gravity--”

Sean turns his attention to the leafy “altar” at the tip of the branch, where Varyyn stands resplendent in his full regalia. The Vaanti leader holds up two of the massive leaves they had all been given earlier, each one significantly bigger than an ordinary sheet of paper. “Tonight, we commence the Ceremony of the Wind Talking. For those of you unfamiliar with this tradition, we will each step forward to this place where I now stand. Face the wind, and read your words to your departed ones in a soft, clear voice. Allow the wind to carry the words, and when you are finished, release the leaf and pause. Let the rustling of the branches carry the departed one’s reply back to you.”

Varyyn then turned around, stepping to the very edge of the branch. He held up his first leaf, and began to read aloud, though too softly for Sean and the others to hear. They waited quietly, though Taari started to shuffle impatiently. When Varyyn was finished, he held the leaf aloft and released it, letting the wind catch it and carry it upwards and upwards until it was lost to the night sky. He paused for several moments, eyes closed and face raised to the sky, listening.

When this was done, Varyyn repeated the process with his second leaf. “Two leaves?” Sean heard Quinn whisper, curiosity in her voice.

“One for Taylor, one for Ximaedra, I bet,” Michelle whispered back.

When Varyyn was finished, he turned and walked silently back toward the group. He nodded to Diego, who took his own leaf in hand and stepped forward to the tip of the branch.

The rest of the Catalysts went in turn, as did Seraxa with Taari at one point. Grace and Aleister did their wind-talking together, but the rest went individually. Sean hung back, knowing his letter would take the longest to read, and letting himself go last for the others’ sake. Finally, it was Sean’s turn. Slowly, confidently, he strode to the edge of the branch, looking out along the La Huerta horizon to the point where the sky met the sea.

Opening his letter, Sean read it aloud:

Dear Taylor,

I don’t know where you are, or even if you’re still “you,” but I hope you’re happy and at peace. I wish we could have had more time together, but I, maybe more than anyone else in our group, understand making the hard call. The sacrifice play. I may not have liked it, I still resent that you were forced into the choice at all, but I’ve accepted it. I would’ve done the same thing in your place.

I’m on my way back to La Huerta now; it’s been a year and a day since I became your husband, and exactly a year since the day we left, and we’ve decided to celebrate with a reunion...where else but the place it all began. And no, I don’t mean suddenly breaking out into song on Jake’s plane, even if that was the moment I first fell in love with you.

Know this, Taylor, the love of my life: I may have moved on, I may have accepted our circumstances and tried to push my life forward in spite of this hole in my heart, but that doesn’t mean I’ve forgotten you. I will cherish the memories of our time spent together for the rest of my life. Whenever I look up at the stars, I will think of you, wondering if you’re out there somewhere, with Vaanu, looking back down at me. And I know it’s impossible, but if I had one wish, it would be to hold you in my arms. One last time.

Love, forever and always,

Sean Gayle

He was barely able to finish the letter as the tears began to flow down his face. He stared at the horizon for several long minutes, letter clutched in his fist. He heard a commotion and some muttering from the group behind him, and he knew they were getting impatient, but he needed this. He needed this moment. He took a deep, shuddering breath, held the letter aloft, and released it.

Sean closed his eyes and turned his face to the sky. The breeze whipped through the boughs of the great tree, and he concentrated, hoping to hear some fragment of Taylor’s voice. If he strained, he could almost hear words...and if he really tried hard, he could even hear that familiar voice....

“Sean, I...I’m glad you didn’t rage against my choice, or try to stop me. I knew you’d understand. It was the toughest choice I ever had to make, you know. But I hope... I hope you haven’t moved on too much. I’d like to grant you your wish, and so much more. Because this time, I’m here to stay.”

Sean blinked and shook his head. His own wishful thoughts had definitely taken over toward the end there. He knew logically that it wasn’t really Taylor, it was just his own thoughts and mind interpreting the sound of wind on leaves as words, but for just a moment, he had wanted so badly to believe... part of him still half-expected to see Taylor there, smiling at him, when he turned back around. Don’t be ridiculous. C’mon, Sean Gayle, he told himself before preparing to rejoin the others at the base of the tree.

He turned around.... And he stopped. His mouth fell open. He blinked, then rubbed his eyes, then pinched himself, then pinched harder, because they HAD to be an illusion. There was just. No. Way. But it was: behind them, the others were watching, enraptured, and it was clear they could see the figure standing before him as clearly as they saw Sean himself.

“TOLD’JA I SAW DROMMA! TOLD’JA THEY CAME BACK FROM THEIR TRIP!”

“God dammit, Raj, how much do I owe you?”

“Five hundred bucks, dude! I told you, Raj is always right! Called it, a year and a day to the minute!”

“It’s just... utterly illogical! How...?”

“Al, logical or not, I’m happy to accept it.”

“Guys, let them have their moment.”

But Sean heard none of this. The whole rest of the world could have vanished right then and there, and he wouldn’t have noticed. All of his attention was fixated on the person standing there before him.

“Hi, Sean. Did you miss me?”

@mysteli @brightpinkpeppercorn (yes I know it’s three days late sorry!)

HS^2 Re: CHAPTER 14. The Best Laid Plans, Part 2

So, time to read up, I think there were like three new updates since I last visited the site, hahah!

Oooooh boy, Chapter 14 continues, it's not even done yet. Eesh, yeah, what is Jane plotting to do. Massive laser beam from above is my guess. But yeah, that would cement it for Jake and Tavros that she really sees them as disposable, in the end.

---

> Page 344

Ohh! So it switches to Vrissy and Vriska? And... Vrissy knows about the plan going on at the church? So they got told, before laying low at Roxy's place, it seems.

But now they're out.

And... Vriska wants to start a new Sburb session. To get Vrissy into the god tier. And set Earth C back a few eras, for a "hard reset" of society. Eesh.

That's indeed very on par for her line of thinking.

And it starts to point in the direction, finally, of what I had been thinking. I had thought the descendants of the Creators would start a session that would "coincidentally" be joined by the members of the races that Dirk and Rose are creating. Seems like it's heading there.

A black & white session, originating from a white (win state Earth C) and black (Black Hole Earth C) timeline. Ultimately merging into one.

But that means that Calliope (both versions of her) started a different session on the same Earth as one of these timelines (or both, depending on where Alpha and Alternate Calliope came from). That's not too surprising, as B1 Earth spawned a lot of sessions too.

Are they going to the meteor for the Sgurb play grubs? I think so.

---

> 345

Uhmm. What? I don't think an ambush is any real incentive to enter the Medium for, like a meteor or a spaceship or drones.

---

> 346

Uhmm. Yeah, Vriska is trying to engineer a situation where Vrissy has no choice but to play the game, I guess. Still seems stupid.

---

> 348

Well then. Vriska was right. These soldiers of Jane look like they are closely related to her. Or maybe it's just the tiara.

---

> 349

Oooh! Nice melee weapon there. Are those... nunchuck dice, or something?

---

> 350

Not 2*8 agents around them, sadly.

---

> 351

Nice overview of the carapace kingdom. A lot less purple and gold and a lot more blank buildings than I imagine. That seems to be the park where John made his choice in the epilogues, in the upper right quadrant of the picture. With a clock tower nearby, so probably "the" clock tower.

And don't think I don't recognize that shadow being cast from a certain ship owned by a certain coorporate mongul.

---

> 353

Oooh, John is looking for them. Is he going to fly in the direction of the ship? But what about Harry?

Hah, look at those totaled cars. That's the aftermath of Vriska flipping out, during the epilogues. It wasn't cleaned up properly after all. Roxy's car is pink, that's perfect. ... So, does that mean she went for groceries without her car? Or did she have a spare car, also possible.

---

> 354

Looking at it from below, the ship is actually more menacing. Less confusing design choices distracting from its size and menacing look.

It's really huge, isn't it? Compared with the clock tower.

---

> 355

Huh, so there's already fire in the church?

Does that mean John's too late? Whatever Jane ordered has already happened? Or did the rebellion start the fire when they crashed the ceremony?

---

> 356

Huh. John's house? Where is the ship even going??

Oh. Wait. The church where the ceremony was held was in the human kingdom, John's house is in the consort kingdom... So did Jane pick everyone up and is now taking them to the troll kingdom for some reason?

---

> 357

What? A bomb? Has Jane really ordered a bomb dropped on an alternate version of her family home? She's really lost it. Then again, Blaperile has a good point. All those fires in the distance... They might just be bombing indiscriminately.

---

> 358

Oh god.

...

Wow.

If John was relatively on the fence about Jane until now, he has just been swayed. His childhood memories... The last remaining things reminding him of his Dad...

---

> 359

D: This is horrible.

The war has often felt surreal and stakeless. But it isn't, it really isn't anymore.

---

> 360

John's just... Stopped. He's unwinded. I wouldn't know how to process what he's going through, either.

It's more than just stuff. It's a lifetime of memories. And the connection with his Dad, most importantly.

---

> 361

He was so shocked he didn't even think of blowing out the fires to save at least a part of the structure. Then again, what would have been the point?

---

> 364

That's Jade, right?

But I just thought of something. Jake would have been able to aptly sympathize. A batterwitch bombed his childhood home, too. If he ever connected the dots on those events, that is.

---

> 365

FLIPPING KARKAT???

Wow. Look at that badass. Solid Snake for real.

Blaperile has a good point. The cape he's done evokes the Sufferer!

But this is what I'd call a Martial Messiah.

---

> 366

Art whiplash!

... Wow I have missed these two interacting.

Even if it's true, and John is not getting the catharsis out of talking with Karkat he normally got. It's true what Karkat said. Noticing the problem and being able to solve it are different things. And he's been out of the game too long. He's back to square one, he'll have to let people with a slightly better grasp of things tell him where to start.

So, at least until now Karkat didn't mention Harry Anderson being caught. The Vriskas probably got caught in an elaborate ploy by Vriska Prime to engineer the perfect situation in which S***b is the only way out. :(

At least Fanny has been freed and already shown her competence to the other adults. So she's got one up on a lot of the other kids already!

So, what? Did Jane's plan of retaliation really constite: bomb it, bomb it all? And yes, a lot of ploys at stake by Jane seem to consist controlling the offspring, of her friends, of other races...

And did anyone else feel as if Karkat's rant against John, about listening to the experts when you notice things going to shit, could also be seen as a rant in favor of following Covid19 measures?

---

> 367

John is like: this has GOT to become a two-way feelings jam. It's the only proper way to go about this.

---

> 368

Pffffff. John is the one ranting now.

He has a good point though. They haven't discussed the Yiffy situation and should DEFINITELY discuss the Dave situation. If Karkat even really knows he's dead. Which would be weird if he hadn't, since Rose and Jade are part of the same organization.

So with Karkat immediately, momentarily and at present starting his rant about Dave, I'm sure you are reminded of how he was going to tell John how the kids fucked up the session. Only I wouldn't be surprised if this time we're in for a perspective switch.

---

> 369

Seriously. Okay, perspective switch in 1, 2, 3...

---

> 370

Okay, I was psyched, I'll admit it.

Hah! Just like Jade got accosted by two Karkat's, John is feeling ambushed from three sides by one!

...

Oh shit, Karkat REALLY doesn't know what happened with Dave yet. And here we'll find out what John and the others even know. Also, yup, Karkat is still in denial of his feelings for Dave.

---

> 371

Eeeesh.

Okay, his Dave impression is on point, points to Karkat.

But now John is going to be the bringer of bad news. Why even did no one care to tell the leader of the resistance this most important fact??

---

> 372

Welp. Karkat really wants to bury this topic. And...

The sad part is...

It's half done now, too.

But John is going to have to get through to him, so I fear he'll just explode and blurt it out, if he can't get a word in edgewise.

---

> 373

...

So they know. That much they know. So they found his body. And Davebot didn't leave a message.

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> 375

... Aww.

That's actually a good point for Karkat to make, from a Doylist point of view. In story though, they must have thought it was a sudden, unexpected death, somehow in line with Heroic or Just? Or... Do Karkat & the others think Dave pulled a Dirk on them, that would be so sad.

The difference with the meteor, I mean, the pirate ship crew, can't be much bigger. In fact, I'd say as far as Meat and Candy go, Karkat's situation is basically flipped from the very start.

The Witch of Hope

A Witch is a player who Manipulates their Aspect and Manipulates through their aspect.

This contains examples of characters from the comic and thus, spoilers. Read it if you’re ready for them.

Witch Examples

A famous example: Jade Harley, a Witch of Space. We have seen her manipulating the space that an object occupies by enlarging it or shrinking it. She can also maniplate the occupied space by moving objects of any size and weight. Changing the movement at different speeds.  I must remind you that teleporting is a consequence of Bequerel's First Guardian powers. If she was a normal Witch of Space, she would not be able to do that. In the beggining, Jade was acting as her inversion, the Seer of Time. This is pointed by her in the future, saying she found it silly. Jade has come as a great support for her friends originality. She has always supported their creativity, and even has a big imagination herself. Jade changed from different hobbies all the time, always trying new things. Jade is also a kind and careful person, she likes beign nice to others and helping in any way she can. As one of the characters with less development, Jade has actually been very mature and grew on her role faster than any other. It is mostly due her merging with her own sprite, gaining knowledge of  her quest.

Another example: Feferi Peixes, a Witch of Life. Feferi has the power to manipulate Life at her will, as she made evident by reviving The Mayor. Regardless, what is important to point out is the other ways in wich she manipulated life. Feferi had a moirallegiance with Eridan, wich was not that good. It was evident that she was not willing to hear her moirail, and convinced Eridan to do as she said all of the time. One could say that she was only using him to feed her Lusus, because once she knew it was going to die, she broke with Eridan.  She has also manipulated Sollux life, trying to force him into beign more optimistic and making him do puns. In the end it was bad for him, as it was a dristraction from his role and his other relationships (specially with Aradia).What made Feferi have a Just dead, was the fact that she wanted to manipulate evrything, trying to have a perfect life. To be the perfect heiress, to become the perfect condesce. It was sadly when her friends more needed her that she decided not to help them. A Witch must know how far her influence goes and when they must manipulate their aspect, or not.

One last example: Damara Megido, a Witch of Time. We did not had almost anything about Damara's role because she inverted into a Seer of Space. When things did not went as this Witch wanted to, she started to sabotage her team, as Aranea said:

ARANEA: Damara has 8een unhinged ever since. 8y increasing her violent tendencies, instead of 8eign an asset in the game, she 8ecame a loose canon, ar8itrarily showing up at key moments throughout the timeline to sa8otage us.

She manipulated the timeline at her will for the fall of her team, instead of helping them. Most of these changes are made through death and great destruction

The Witch of Hope

Witches are an active class because they directly affect their aspect on others. It's passive counterpart is the Heir.

Hope is a powerful force, wich consists in belief, joy and positive emotions. It's about creating new options and believing on them, even if they seem impossible. Its complement is Rage, wich is about conviction on a belief and negative feelings. Both represent the two sides of faith, dedication and obsession.

A Witch of Hope is then, a player who manipulates the beliefs, dedication and faith of others. They cause changes through joy and other positive emotions.

They are most likely to always speak up for their opinions. They would be optimistic and joyful. They would think pushing their friends so they can meet their goals is correct. They are also prone to take others into believing in something. They could also dedicate themselves to certain path too much. Also, when this Witches moves the Hope out, a lot of anger and frustration is going to be left behind. People could get deeply hurt by these changes. This could be because it is hard for this Witch to acknowledge negative actions or traits.

At the beggining they might not have a good knowledge of what Hope is or what it means on others. However, they represent their aspect very well. They will have to lear what it is and appreciate it in order to manipulate it correctly. And of course, they must know what Hope means in others so they do not end up shifting it all.

One of the abilities of this player could be enlarging the vigour of their teammates and themselves, making fights a piece of cake. They also could be capable of making dreams bigger, and by that the team will not lack of encouragement. Though this is dangerous in great quantity, as the players could get tired of it. Another abilitiy is to control angels that could reside on their planet, that is if the Witch accepts their knwoledge on Hope first. Other abilities could be using the hopes and dreams of others for their benefit.  The most dangerous thing about this player is making the team loose their conviction and dedication.

The Strife Specibus of witches has diversed with Forks, Fire Guns, and possibly Wands. For Hope players we have seen shotguns and wands. So a Witch of Hope is more likely to use a deadly weapon, but it has to resonate within them and represent their beliefs.

The lands of Hope players seem to be related to what the heroe of hope must realize of themselves. Eridan’s land had Wrath, wish is something he was excessive in. Jake’s had Mounds, which is probably related to accumulate Hope. Then the land of a Witch of hope must have what they lack or excess on. Mostly focused on the manipultion of faith for the benefit of the consorts and the land.

Classpect Analysis: Prince of Mind

DEFINITION: Mind, as an aspect, is fairly literal, dealing with thought, logic, reasoning, memory, deduction, decisions, and consequences. Mind may also hold sway over the senses, although it is difficult to tell considering the general shortage of Mind players, and whether or not the association is between the aspect or its users. With regards to the use of Mind, we are allowed a fair glimpse of its abilities, primarily through the actions of Terezi Pyrope, Seer of Mind. Terezi’s use of her aspect is rather uniquely expansive, presenting itself in different ways throughout her lifetime; even before entering the Medium, Terezi was able to, “dismantle huge teams of Flarpers with nothing 8ut politics and head games,” using Mind to overcome her foes without even having to resort to combat. As well, Terezi was even able to, using nothing but a scrap of information and predictions of people’s behavior, manipulate Doc Scratch, a being of approximate omniscience, into avenging herself and Aradia upon Vriska. Meanwhile, inside the Medium, Terezi’s abilities as Seer of Mind remained potent, providing her the knowledge of personal manipulation to exile, at minimum, Jack Noir. Later displays of ability include her own foreknowledge of the consequences of Vriska’s attempted fight with Bec Noir, her use of memory to guide John on his retcon escapades, and (most impressively of all) understanding in advance the consequences of every individual action John would perform on her behalf. Other Mind aspected characters include Latula Pyrope and her post-Scratch counterpart, Neophyte Redglare, but neither of them has shown much in the way of ability, with the greatest display out of her/them being Redglare’s use of Mindfang’s disregard for her to destroy Mindfang’s fleet and to capture and partially blind the pirate in question. The role of the Prince is that of destroyer, either destroying their aspect themselves, or weaponizing their aspect to destroy others, often starting the game with items and abilities that make combat immediately easier (such as Dirk’s Unbreakable Katana and That Worthless Fuckup’s Ahab’s Crosshairs, both legendary weapons). The Prince class is easy enough to speak about, with multiple examples demonstrating use of their abilities, most prominently through the actions of Dirk Strider. As a Prince of Heart, Dirk is able to destroy souls, or at least destroy their connection to their original body if circumstance requires, such as Dream Ghost Dirk’s attack on Aranea, and future Claymation Dirk’s almost/sorta/not-really victory/cosmic-fuckup against Caliborn/Lord English; as well, using his aspect’s association with emotion and romance, Dirk acted as destroyer of romance and relationships, destroying the romantic aspirations of Jane and Roxy both through his actions, before also destroying his own failing romance with Jake. Next, That Worthless Fuckup (Prince of Hope) has been shown to be quite adept at utilizing his aspect for destruction, using a beam of pure Hope (channeled through 5 build grist worth of wood) to overpower Sollux, one of their teams most powerful members, before slaying Feferi, exploding the Matriorb, and almost-but-technically-not-quite killing Kanaya; simultaneously, in addition to using Hope to physically destroy his friends/enemies, That Worthless Fuckup destroyed the very concept of hope so embodied by those he harmed in his rampage, destroying Feferi’s hope for the future, his own hope for Feferi, and his entire species hope of survival. The final Prince seen, Kurloz Makara (Prince of Rage) hasn’t actually demonstrated anything that could be directly connected to his role, and is thus ignorable. Lastly, it needs be noted that Princes show a habit of destroying their aspect, not only against others, but also against themselves. Dirk destroyed his own sense of self through his multiple alternate splinter identities, simultaneously putting his soul under destructive strain, and also managed to destroy his own romance, either through his reliance upon his splinters to communicate with Jake, or simply through his own dispassionate actions. That Worthless Fuckup, meanwhile, continually destroyed his own hopes, first destroying his own sense of hope and wonder (by categorically refusing to believe in, or even acknowledge, magic instead of science), before destroying any hope of Feferi returning his affections (by being an exhausting lunatic with a genocide complex), destroying his hopes for a racially pure world (by helping feed Feferi’s lucus, even when starving it slightly would have furthered his goals), destroying his hope for power and success in SGRUB (by willfully opening fire on his own consorts, to the point of provoking a Zelda-like retaliation from them), and, in the end, managing to destroy his own hopes past, abandoning his goals and dreams in favor of murdering his friends and attempting to appease a violent dogfigure. Kurloz, meanwhile, has little evidence to use, but may be said to have destroyed his own sense of rage, finding internal peace through his religion (albeit by carrying out the will of Lord English, and by certainly carrying out plenty of external rage) Prince of Mind. Parsed out, “Destroyer of, or one who destroys through, thought, judgement, memory, decisions, or logic.” Other Mind players might use your judgement against you, plan their way around your thoughts, and they’ll already know what you’re going to do before you do, because they already know what you think; the Prince of Mind doesn’t need to bother with any of that. They just make you go insane. The Prince of Mind is a’reigned in the glory of conquered thought, hording logic and sentencing his subjects to lunacy, presiding over them all with perfect understanding of how precious a Mind really is; after all, he lost his some time ago. We have another name for the Prince of Mind, and we already know what kind of person they would be. We call that man, the Joker. ABILITIES: The Prince is a destroyer, and he destroys Mind. There is no other way of saying this: the primary focus of the Prince of Mind is to rip, tear, violate, and annihilate the thoughts, memories, and reasoning abilities of his foes. He is a combat class combined with a support aspect, leading to a character who specifically attacks his foes on a support level, demolishing their ability to fight at all, rather than necessarily attacking them directly; in RPG terms, he’s a mezzer/debuffer. At lower levels, the Prince of Mind would seem more like a traditional Prince, likely starting the game with a dramatically better weapon than the players around him, charging into combat and relying on psychological tactics to cover up for any personal shortfalls; things such as aerosolized hallucinogenic gasses, myriad traps and snares, poor visibility environments, and good old-fashion mind games would be the tools of their trade, just as much as their actual weapons. As well, they likely have an unusual weapon allocated to their Strife Specibus, either something not commonly thought of as an actual weapon (such as a yoyo or ribbons), or something with distinctly unsettling social implications (knives, razors, scythes, saws, and other scary devices). For more information, I recommend either watching the Dark Knight film, or reading the Killing Joke comic. Upon Ascending to God Tier, the Prince of Mind truly begins to take his place, directly targeting the minds of his opponents. Fields of distorted perceptions, direct attacks on mind and memory, the forcible breakdown of logic and reason, imposition of irrational phobia; anything that makes the minds of others a less-friendly place, it’s all considered welcome. By this point, the Prince of Mind is an immediate powerhouse in the areas of counter-logistics and political attacks, able to demolish the reasoning behind actions or driving them into the depths of fearful madness. Foes like the Black Queen, Jack Noir, and the more cerebral of Denizens would be nothing next to the Prince of Mind, who could undo every plan they might ever make by making it so they can never plan again. Even at this stage, a Prince of Mind is horrifying; watching an actual fight between a Prince of Mind and an inappropriate opponent would be akin to the fight between Asuka Langley Soryu and the 15th Angel in Neon Genesis Evangelion. At the highest level of power and skill, the Prince of Mind is something far more terrifying than a force of nature. While other classpects might be forced to take a more direct hand against foes, or having to rely on others to do the heavy lifting when dealing with problems, the Prince of Mind needs only make eye contact with a foe to drive them to madness. He can turn entire planets into degenerate madmen, beat people’s minds into whatever twisted mass of neuroses he wants, strip people clean of anything that resembles thought, break them down to the point of no recovery, or simply impair their thoughts to the point of non-functionality. It’s a power far more immediately terrifying than death, because while death might be the end (or not, because ghosts), the Prince of Mind doesn’t actually need to kill you; he could strip away every memory you ever had, every shred of logical thought and reasoning, every higher function that makes you a thinking being, and leave you to live out your days as a mindless animal, driven by nothing but impulse and instinct, left with nothing but the basic drives to feed, to slake thirst, to mate, to defecate, and to sleep. A Prince of Life might kill you without effort, but a Prince of Mind can make you wish you were dead, if you still have enough thoughts inside your head to wish for anything. However, the Prince of Mind is not without faults and weaknesses. First, foremost, and most immediately, is the fact that the Prince of Mind works his powers against people’s thoughts, not against anything physical. Unlike most Princes, the Prince of Mind is a support character, and while he may be more offensively powerful than most supports, I doubt he could truly make up for an actual main combatant. As well, there is the fact that destruction is effectively all he can do; while there may be some effects that don’t entirely destroy things, they all still reduce to breaking minds, with the only real difference being in how thoroughly they do so. He might be able to remove memories and create psychoses, but any positive effects will come more from simply chopping out unwanted or infected sections of mind, rather than actually fixing anything. Lastly, and possibly most fatally, is that the Prince of Mind is still a Prince, and Princes are self-destructive. Just as other Princes destroyed their aspect within themselves, the Prince of Mind would destroy his own sanity. At minimum it might manifest as a developmental disorder, such as autism, a mild learning or comprehension issue, such as dyslexia or aphantasia, or possibly as one of the less-emotional personality disorders; at its worst, the Prince might be so thoroughly insane that he cannot actually function in society, requiring another player to watch over him at all times, or might even be so heavily mentally handicapped that he requires the aid of other players to accomplish anything outside his role as Prince of Mind. QUEST: The quest of a Prince isn’t something we’re shown in Homestuck proper, both Princes being either out of focus when acting on their actual quest, or having disregarded their quest in favor of attempted genocide. However, assuming that a person’s quest is intended to push them to become a better, more complete and realized person, it can be assumed that the quest of a Prince of Mind would be one of healing, one intended to bring order to their own broken psyche. It would be one of cerebral challenge more than physical difficulty, requiring them to make progress with their own mental issues, either by overcoming them (not likely), or by learning to live around them; as an example, a Prince of Mind with OCD might have a land filled with wall outlets, none of which have outlet covers, forcing the Prince to either overcome his obsessive fear of uncovered outlets causing a fire (not likely), somehow make and plug in an outlet cover in every outlet on the planet (also not likely, and probably a waste of time), or the Prince being forced to come up with some other solution in order to get by in his day-to-day life, such as carrying a small fire-extinguisher with them, allowing them to act with confidence that, if an electrical fire does happen, then at least they can stop it. The Prince might not be made perfect by his quest, but completing it has allowed him to move forward, dealing with his issues and becoming something closer to a functional adult. The Lands for a Prince of Mind would obviously include something to do with the Mind aspect, such as Thought, Neurons, Logic, Judgement, and Karma, with the other part of the name being related to the conditions of the Prince himself, the quest built into the land, or the relations between aspects, resulting in Lands such as the Land of Choice and Amusement (related to the Prince, in this case using the Joker as an example), the Land of Obsession and Plugs (related to the quest, using the example given in the prior paragraph), or the Land of Logic and Emotion (relating to the opposite aspect of Mind, Heart). VERDICT: Straddling the barrier of, “amazingly useful,” and, “the albatross around our neck,” the Prince of Mind is a powerful force, albeit a difficult to use one. Amazingly powerful against thinking opponents, the Prince of Mind would be a certain, direct asset against the Black Queen of Derse and her Agents, and would be a powerful enough force on the Battlefield that, even if unable to directly attack the Black King, he might still be one of the more potent combatants by simply making the army of the Dersite army go insane, either cannibalizing itself or even attacking the King directly, to say nothing of stopping the army from attacking the players. On the other side of the coin, the Prince of Mind is only really useful against problems that have a mind to destroy, and would have definite issues dealing with any mindless automata that might accost the party, and would have difficulty with any foe more driven by heart than mind, something which might provide a measure of protection against an insufficiently powerful Prince of Mind. Moreover, the Prince of Mind may actually become a direct danger to his team; whatever derangements the Prince has inflicted upon himself are always going to be something to work around, but in the cases of particularly violent psychoses, and with full knowledge that the insanity-causing attacks of the Prince would work just as well on his teammates, a Prince of Mind who turns against his friends would be a ruinous force, able to harm the party in ways which would last long after he was stopped, possibly for the rest of his friend’s immortal lives. As with many of the destroyer classpects, one needs to be able to manage a Prince of Mind; to this end, a Sylph of Light, Hope, or Heart would be immediately useful, able to heal at least some of the damage cause by or to the Prince, while a Sylph of Rage might be useful if the Prince is unable to handle is role as a living instrument of psychological torture. Also useful would be a Bard of Rage, a Knight, Maid, or Witch of Blood, or even a Seer of Heart; any of these classpects would be appropriate to guide and direct the Prince of Mind, keeping him pointed at their enemies and loyal to the team. As well, a Knight of Heart or Rage would be an excellent balance against a rogue Prince, their emotion-driven aspects providing some degree of protection against mental attacks, as well as being direct attack classes, able to capitalize on the Prince’s relative weakness in straight up combat. Finally, a Prince of Mind would synergize exceptionally well with most Void players, experience with the Horrorterrors providing some means of inoculation against the Prince’s mental effects, and Void powers being an excellent supplement in driving foes insane.

REVIEWS! - ROMANCE

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Spring has sprung and Romance is in the air! With this weeks reviews you’ll find the following: some swoony, some funny, and some just short of the mark, but all are romances (in some essence of the word.)

So sit back, and take a look at this week’s romantic line-up:

📚Daphne Dubois’ Only the Beginning (2018 Contemporary Romance) 📚Leddy Harper’s The (Half) Truth (2019 New Adult College Romance) 📚Adriana Locke’s Tumble (2019 Romantic Comedy) 📚Elinor Lipman’s Good Riddance (2019 Women’s Fiction Rom-Com)

From one bookaholic to another, I hope I’ve helped you find your next fix. —Dani

Only the Beginning 

By Daphne Dubois

Publication Date: April 25, 2018 Genre: Adult, Women’s Fiction Literature, Contemporary, Romance

Synopsis:

After a heartbreaking betrayal, Melissa Legacy shuns romance. So when her best friend joins the Lovers Oasis website and fears her fiancé will find out, Melissa agrees to meet the anonymous Romeo, prepared to explain her friend’s change of heart—then she sees him.

Failing restaurant entrepreneur, Craig Wheaton hasn’t been home since his mother’s tragic death. Now he’s back to confront his demons and stand beside his brother as best man. Dreading the reunion, he agrees to meet his avatar lover, but at the last moment he reconsiders the arrangement—until he lays eyes on her.

When Craig assumes Melissa is his online consort, she impulsively plays along, resulting in an afternoon of unexpected intimacy. But with Melissa using her friend’s identity and Craig dealing with a family fallout, is a future together impossible, or will they discover that love at first sight is Only the Beginning?

Goodreads

Purchase:

Amazon / B&N / Kobo

Review:

Only the Beginning  is a a cute romance that has just about every known romantic plot in it, including an Oh-sorry-to-have-run-into-you-knocking-you-to-the-ground / Love-at-first-sight-but-we-won’t-realize-it-until-the-end meet-cute. But don’t let these common romance novels antics dissuade you from picking Daphne Dubois book up!

While Only the Beginning may have all of those romance plots in it, Dubois did a wonderful job at making them all new and fresh rather than seeming old and dry. The constant change in perspective of the story line helps keep the reader in a constant state of wonder - reading to the breaking point of a change-of-events, only to have the next chapter begin from the other person’s point-of-view, and a few steps back. This constant flip-flop keeps the reader on their toes, transforming the escapades and tricks from the usual mundane to fun and flirty.

Craig and Melissa essentially meet because of an online messaging forum called Lovers’ Oasis. I feel like not many people are are logging into online forums to anonymously chat and hook-up anymore, so I did find to be a bit old and dated. (But then again, maybe that’s because I’m married, and I’m not experiencing this myself. Please tell me if I’m wrong…) But other than that dated feel to the book, I found Only the Beginning to be a pleasurable and easy romantic read that warmed the heart.

 Dani's Score out of 5: 🍾🍾🍾🍾

The (Half) Truth 

By Leddy Harper

Publication Date: February 19, 2019 Genre: New Adult, Contemporary, College, Romance

Synopsis:

Tatum Alexander is so close to realizing her dream of becoming a sous chef she can taste it, but working at her ex-fiancé’s restaurant with his new girlfriend was never in her career plan. To save face and prove she’s moved on, Tatum cooks up a lie that she’s in a relationship with her best friend’s superhot cousin. There’s just one problem: Jason only recently moved to town, and he has no idea they’re already “dating.”

Jason’s a recovering ladies’ man who shouldn’t be on the menu, but that doesn’t mean he’s immune to Tatum’s quirky charm. Giving her lie a kernel of truth, they decide some no-strings-attached fun between the sheets can’t hurt. But as Tatum’s forced to keep making up stories to cover her original fib, she has a hard time separating what’s real and what’s fake—including her feelings for Jason.

With too many tales spun, Tatum can only watch in horror as her collection of yarns begins to unravel, leaving everyone she cares about feeling betrayed. After so many lies, will it be too late to set the record straight? And more importantly, will she be able to convince Jason there’s truth in their love?

Purchase:

Amazon / B&N / IndieBound

Review:

Leddy Harper’s The (Half) Truth is a great read! It’s fun and quirky, awkward and romantic. By far one of my favorite (fun) romances I’ve read.

Harper has a way with picturing something in her head and making you see it just as clearly in your own mind with her beautiful imagery. Adjectives are great when used in moderation, and Harper shows the curve of a smile, the grass-green sparkle of an eye, and the trail of a finger so perfectly that you can see them; you can feel them.

Tatum Alexander’s extremely awkward way of handling stress gives this love story a breath of fresh air, making all of the serious life lessons something not to stress over but to sigh and laugh at. Add in Jason Watson’s womanizing history and change of heart and you have a recipe for a zesty and flirty rom-com! Fans of the more serious romance novels will enjoy it, too, though, with it’s real life heartache and life-altering decisions. And while it’s not overly done, the sex scenes are quite hot, too!

The (Half) Truth was entertaining and delightful. I found myself staying up until 2 am, and getting up a couple hours earlier just to read before life started. I found ways to squeeze reading it into every crack of my day because I couldn't wait to find out what Tatum would get herself into next and how Jason would help her laugh it off. And I cannot suggest it enough to anyone who needs a little laughter (and spice) added to their life.

 Dani's Score out of 5: 🍾🍾🍾🍾🍾

Tumble (A Dogwood Lane #1) 

By Adriana Locke

Publication Date: February 26, 2019 Genre: Adult, Contemporary, Romance, Humor

Synopsis:

After being burned by her dream job in New York City, sports journalist Neely Kimber suddenly finds herself jobless and paying a long-overdue visit to her hometown in Tennessee. Her plan? Relax, reset, and head back up the corporate ladder. There’s just one unexpected step. Neely’s back in Dogwood Lane for barely a day when she sees the man she ran from nine years ago: the bad boy next door who was her first kiss, her first love, and her first heartbreak.

Devoted single dad Dane Madden knows he hurt Neely in the worst way. He’s got a lot to make up for. And as passionate as their reconnection is, it’s a lot to hope for. Having her back in his arms feels so right. But falling in love all over again with a woman who wants to live a world away is bound to go so wrong.

What’s it going to take for Neely to give him—and Dogwood Lane—just one more chance?

Purchase:

Amazon / B&N

Review:

Adriana' Locke’s Tumble is a cute southern romance with a lot of heart. But Neely Kimber and Dane Madden’s relationship reminded me a lot of Melanie and Jake’s relationship from Reese Witherspoon’s rom-com Sweet Home Alabama though.

While Neely and Dane aren’t husband and wife like Melanie and Jake, you still have a girl form NYC returning to her southern home and falling for her ex all over again. Granted Locke’s story involves a child, while Witherspoon’s did not, the similarities between the two stories felt too close for me to really feel like I was reading something new, and that was disappointing. What was even more disappointing for me was the fact that Tumble was so highly anticipated for the romance community, that I became very excited for it, but was let down in the end.

I won’t say that Locke’s story isn’t good, because it is. She writes extremely well and knows how to tell a story with beautiful imagery. Her characters were deeply developed, and played off of one another very well. Overall, the story of Neely and Dane is a good one, I just wish it would have been a little more unique.

 Dani's Score out of 5: 🍾🍾🍾

Good Riddance 

By Elinor Lipman

Publication Date: February 5, 2019 Genre: Women’s Fiction, Romance, Humor

Synopsis:

The delightful new romantic comedy from Elinor Lipman, in which one woman’s trash becomes another woman’s treasure, with deliriously entertaining results.

Daphne Maritch doesn't quite know what to make of the heavily annotated high school yearbook she inherits from her mother, who held this relic dear. Too dear. The late June Winter Maritch was the teacher to whom the class of '68 had dedicated its yearbook, and in turn she went on to attend every reunion, scribbling notes and observations after each one—not always charitably—and noting who overstepped boundaries of many kinds.

In a fit of decluttering (the yearbook did not, Daphne concluded, "spark joy"), she discards it when she moves to a small New York City apartment. But when it's found in the recycling bin by a busybody neighbor/documentary filmmaker, the yearbook's mysteries—not to mention her own family's—take on a whole new urgency, and Daphne finds herself entangled in a series of events both poignant and absurd. 

Good Riddance is a pitch-perfect, whip-smart new novel from an "enchanting, infinitely witty yet serious, exceptionally intelligent, wholly original, and Austen-like stylist" (Washington Post).

Goodreads

Purchase:

Amazon / B&N / BAM / Kobo / Google Play / IndieBound

Review:

Good Riddance is one of those books that I can see being turned into a movie. Mae Whitman would play the part of Daphne, the MC. Rebel Wilson, the part of crazy-neighbor, Geneva. And Lucas Till would play the role of Jeremy? I don’t know, I’m still questioning the male lead role, but the ladies I could see playing these roles as plain as day, as if the parts were written for them. And seeing how (it seems) that author Elinor Lipman is such a big fan of the TV show Riverdale, I can see why she would want to write something that would maybe, eventually make it to the screen.

SIDE RANT: On the Riverdale note, I, too, am a fan of the show. I both liked and disliked the constant mention of the show and it’s characters, but for the life of me, I couldn’t place “Timmy” at all. So, I’ll admit, I did totally IMDB the show, looking for a “Timmy” which does not exist, but please, if you can figure out who “Timmy” is referring to, because it’s totally going to annoy me until I re-watch every single episode until I find him. Then, maybe, I’ll have Jeremy’s actor nailed down! END SIDE RANT.

However, that being said, I don’t think this novel should be made into a movie in the slightest. While I did find myself LOL-ing several times while reading, I often found myself either bored or annoyed. Daphne was too whiny (not a reflection of Mae Whitman, FYI), and I found the dynamic between Daphne and Geneva, and Daphne and Jeremy to be very out there (both of which usually make a good movie.)

On top of that, the story of “the yearbook” in question never really comes completely to fruition, and I felt that someone like Geneva never would have given up as easily (whether if that is to finish what she started or to just badger Daphne about it.)

Last note to make about this book is that while it is classified as a “romance,” I have a very hard time classifying it as such myself. “Humorous Literature?” Yes. But “Romance?” Definitely not. Yes, there is a love interest/relationship, several actually, but not in the “Literature Romance” sense. So if you’re looking for that, this is not your book. If you’re looking for something to LOL to, then this one will give your your chuckles.

 Dani's Score out of 5: 🍾🍾🍾

Pair Them All With: Kim Crawford Sauvignon Blanc

A fresh, juicy wine with vibrant acidity and plenty of weight and length on the palate. Ripe, tropical fruit flavor with passion fruit, melon, and grapefruit. Classic Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc aromas of lifted citrus, tropical fruit, and crushed herbs. Pairs brilliantly with fresh oysters, asparagus, lobster, or summer salads, and of course these romantic reads!

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Have a book you’d like to suggest or one you’d like me to review? Please feel free to leave your comments down below.