The State of the Gamer: 9/24/20

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<–The State of the Gamer: 9/10/20           The State of the Gamer: 10/8/20–>

A weekly post updated every other Thursday detailing my current gaming projects.  I have an account at Grouvee, which is a site you can use to keep track of your backlog, so please feel free to friend me there!

What I Bought

  • AVICII Invector – $19.99 @ Nintendo eShop
  • Tales of Vesperia – $14.99 @ Nintendo eShop

What I’m Playing

Title: Etrian Odyssey 2 Untold: The Fafnir Knight
Series: Etrian Odyssey
System: Nintendo 3DS

Cover of Etrian Odyssey 2 Untold: The Fafnir KnightDate Started: 9/7/20

I’m on the third stratum now.  I forget what it’s exactly called, but it’s an ice one to the fiery stratum before.  I got my ass handed to me by the Fire Demon boss of the second.  Well…not so much the boss as the Fire Cubes it summons.  If they explode, they take out your entire party.  I’m already on the second floor of the frozen stratum, and I love how each floor has it’s own gimmick with the FOEs (stronger enemies you can see/avoid).  The 11th had these Ambush Wolves that changed direction every third step and that was the only time you could see them.  Now the 12th has these dragons that sleep during the day but are awake and moving at night.  You’d think “Aha!  I’ll just explore the labyrinth during the day!” but there’s a mission where you have to collect these flowers that only bloom at night.  You can find their locations during the day and mark them, which is what I’m doing.  There are also slippery floor puzzles to map and figure out, so my plan is to explore/map the floor as well as find the flowers when it’s safe then pick them up at night once I know where they are.

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The State of the Reader: 9/23/20

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<–The State of the Reader: 9/9/20         The State of the Reader: 10/7/20–>

A biweekly post updated every other Wednesday detailing my current reading projects and what new titles I’ve added to my to-read list.  Title links go to Goodreads, and if you have an account there feel free to friend me!  I’d love to see what you’re reading and/or planning to read.

Purchased: 3

Finished: 2

Title: The Twisted Ones
Author: T. Kingfisher
Date Added: August 26, 2020
Date Started: September 7, 2020
Date Finished: September 15, 2020

Cover of The Twisted Ones by T. KingfisherMedia: eBook/Kindle

Holy shit, I couldn’t put this down, but I had to at night because I’m a fraidy cat.  Foxy is the greatest fucking character ever written, and this is up for my Book of the Year competing with Pestilence.  I did not understand why this has a rating under 4 stars on Goodreads, and reading the comments, I still don’t understand.  Apparently, some people found the mood whiplash to be unrealistic, like how Mouse would be making jokes in the most dire of circumstances.  Do these chuckle fucks not understand morbid/gallows humor?!!  That is EXACTLY how my terrified ass would be acting!  I am definitely reading more T. Kingfisher.

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The State of the Writer: 9/20/20

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<–The State of the Writer: 9/6/20         The State of the Writer: 10/4/20–>

A post updated every other Sunday discussing my current writing projects and any completed the prior two weeks.

Finished Projects: 1

Project: Story
Title: The Broken Rose
Genre: Paranormal Romance
Type: Fanfiction
Fandom: Final Fantasy VII
Length: Novel
Current Word Count: 250,107
Prior Word Count: 250,448
Word Difference: -341
Status: Editing
Progress: First edit of Chapter 27

I’m always glad when I’m not the only one who sees similarities in paradigms as this week’s artwork attests.   I initially started thinking such due to this picture,

because it just brought the “lord of death and flower maiden” paradigm into sharp relief.  I want to do a rehashing of the myth myself at some point with Hades as more of a winter king, but that’s a song for another day.

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The Broken Rose: Chapter 26 – Picked By a Rose

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The Broken Rose Page

<–Chapter 25                                                                                                                                 Chapter 27–>

Disclaimer: Final Fantasy VII, its characters, and settings are all property of Square Enix so I can take no credit nor claim any ownership of that. I do take some credit for the story’s plot.
Banner Artwork Disclaimer:  The featured artwork for the banner is entitled White rose I and was created by the very talented Deviant Artist RemusSirion who was gracious enough to grant me permission to use it here.  The picture has been slightly altered from the original. All rights belong to the artist, and links are included for both the artist page and the work.
CHAPTER ARTWORK DISCLAIMER: THE FEATURED ARTWORK FOR THIS CHAPTER IS BY NVALKYRJA. THE PICTURE HAS BEEN SLIGHTLY ALTERED IN APPEARANCE AND TO INCLUDE THE CHAPTER NUMBER AND TITLE.  ALL RIGHTS BELONG TO THE ARTIST.

*******MAJOR CONTENT WARNING*******

Consistent and sustained graphic descriptions and mentions of rape/ sexual assault, sexual slavery/bondage, slavery, human trafficking, physical abuse, graphic descriptions of violence, mental abuse, emotional abuse, psychological abuse, body shaming, starvation, torture, forced pregnancy, forced childbirth, miscarriage, forced miscarriage, abortion, and other potential disturbing and triggering topics.

Author’s Note: This chapter is pretty much the pure smut I promised.  It’s actually much lighter than what I had originally.  I will eventually post the more X-rated version (though this one is still certainly MA).  Editing smut is much more difficult than editing regular romance.  There’s a fine line between decent erotica and unintentional hilarity, and I hope I fall on the side of the former.  Don’t laugh at me too hard if I don’t.

Aeris changes her mind to delightful results about something she once feared.

Artwork of Aeris and Sephiroth. Aeris is right side up on the left looking at Sephiroth who is upside down on the right.  Chapter 26 Picked by a Rose is in the upper left corner.

The winter would ravage with thick spilling snow that silver would still always best.  He went out more often than Aeris, of course, to mayoral duties’ demand.  It was less, though, than summer for little required immediate response.  His tasks were more to avail his aid for any pressing concern, and monsters of course, always that rigor that kept his instincts sharp.

When Sephiroth left, whatever the need, his thoughts were of always his Aeris.  The joy that would beam through his heart at return that gave the rents a sweeter purpose.  It spread through his veins and bled through his skin, his flower’s ecstasy.  At sight of me…her once murderer.  I don’t want to leave yet I do.  Knowing her presence ever awaits me makes Heaven’s Gate utter truth.

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The State of the Gamer: 9/10/20

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<–The State of the Gamer: 8/27/20           The State of the Gamer: 9/24/20–>

A weekly post updated every other Thursday detailing my current gaming projects.  I have an account at Grouvee, which is a site you can use to keep track of your backlog, so please feel free to friend me there!

What I Bought

  • World of Final Fantasy Maxima – $39.99 @ Nintendo eShop
  • Etrian Odyssey 2 Untold: The Fafnir Knight – $19.99 @ Nintendo eShop

What I Finished

Title: Broken Age
System: Nintendo Switch

Cover of Broken Age gameDate Started: 7/4/20
Date Finished: 8/29/20

I loved this.  I gave it 4 stars out of 5 on Grouvee because some of the puzzles were a bit non-intuitive, but that could also be me.  I noticed I was much better at resolving them/thinking outside the box when I wasn’t tired.  Also the voice acting lineup, holy shit.  Elijah Wood did a voice!  I’m guessing he was Shay.  I’ve never heard of Vella’s voice actress Masasa Moyo, but she killed it.  Just checked and I was right about Shay.  There’s also the indomitable Jennifer Hale of Mass Effect and many other titles’ fame, and freaking Wil Wheaton!  What a lineup.  I’ll be talking more about Jennifer Hale below with WOFF.

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The State of the Reader: 9/9/20

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<–The State of the Reader: 8/26/20         The State of the Reader: 9/23/20–>

A biweekly post updated every other Wednesday detailing my current reading projects and what new titles I’ve added to my to-read list.  Title links go to Goodreads, and if you have an account there feel free to friend me!  I’d love to see what you’re reading and/or planning to read.

Purchased: 2

Finished: 2

Title: Dracula
Author: Bram Stoker
Date Added: May 16, 2015
Date Started: February 13, 2020
Date Finished: August 30, 2020
Reading Duration: 199 Days

Cover of DraculaMedia: eBook/Kindle

Definitely see how this could’ve inspired/influenced GRRM’s Night King along with other malicious hive-minded entities that could have your friends spying for the enemy.  This novel was wild from start to finish in all the best ways possible, and its cultural influence cannot be understated.

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The State of the Writer: 9/6/20

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<–The State of the Writer: 8/23/20         The State of the Writer: 9/20/20–>

A post updated every other Sunday discussing my current writing projects and any completed the prior two weeks.

Finished Projects: 0

Project: Story
Title: The Broken Rose
Genre: Paranormal Romance
Type: Fanfiction
Fandom: Final Fantasy VII
Length: Novel
Current Word Count: 250,448
Prior Word Count: 250,199
Word Difference: +249
Status: Editing
Progress: Finished first edit of Chapter 26

I finished the first edit some time last week and added in all of the additional text I felt was necessary.  I am going to do a move explicit version (maybe I’ll password protect it or something, giving it out to anyone who requests?  Idk I’ll figure it out lol), but it’s not like this version is tame by any means :p  I’m on vacation for the next two weeks, and my goal is to finish editing and posting the rest of the story as I only have one chapter left after this.  I love this piece and I still have a lot of offshoot story ideas to explore with it, but I really want to have the main story up prior to November so I can focus on NaNo, plus I’d like to re-edit and start looking into self-publishing my short story in the interim and prep for NaNo as well.

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The State of the Gamer: 8/27/20

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<–The State of the Gamer: 8/13/20           The State of the Gamer: 9/10/20–>

A weekly post updated every other Thursday detailing my current gaming projects.  I have an account at Grouvee, which is a site you can use to keep track of your backlog, so please feel free to friend me there!

What I’m Playing

Title: Broken Age
System: Nintendo Switch

Cover of Broken Age gameDate Started: 7/4/20

I think I’m in the final parts of the game.  The narrative is doing that thing where as you get closer to the end, the two sides of the story (have to) switch more often.  It’s a clever pacing method that ramps up the tension, and since all of this is taking place during a barrage, it’s even more nerve wracking.

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The State of the Reader: 8/26/20

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<–The State of the Reader: 8/12/20         The State of the Reader: 9/9/20–>

A biweekly post updated every other Wednesday detailing my current reading projects and what new titles I’ve added to my to-read list.  Title links go to Goodreads, and if you have an account there feel free to friend me!  I’d love to see what you’re reading and/or planning to read.

Purchased: 1

Currently Reading

Title: The Luster of Lost of Things
Author: Sophie Chen Keller
Date Added: September 12, 2017
Date Started: July 22, 2020

Cover of The Luster of Lost Things by Sophie Chen KellerMedia: Paperback
Progress: 27%

I can see where this story is going with the landlord, and I love how Lucy called him out when he played the victim of the people he’s threatening to evict.

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The State of the Writer: 8/23/20

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<–The State of the Writer: 8/9/20         The State of the Writer: 9/6/20–>

A post updated every other Sunday discussing my current writing projects and any completed the prior two weeks.

Finished Projects: 1

Project: Story
Title: The Broken Rose
Genre: Paranormal Romance
Type: Fanfiction
Fandom: Final Fantasy VII
Length: Novel
Current Word Count: 250,199
Prior Word Count: 250,796
Word Difference: -597
Status: Editing
Progress: First edit of Chapter 26

It is so much more difficult to edit smut than it is to do general editing lol.  I think it’s because it’s so easy for something like this to veer into cheesy and hilarious territory.  I mean we’ve all read bad smut/poorly planned erotica and it’s not the vibe I’m going for.  I’ve cut a lot of things out.  Some of it might find its way into the more explicit version; other parts are definitely gone to stay.  I only have less than a page left to edit, but I really need to bring my A game because it’s definitely one of those that could be laughably bad if done wrong.

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