Lacuna Rambles/Thoughts/Gif Reacts #3: ~Balance~ π₯π
Added 2024-01-29 13:30:03 +0000 UTCMe, trying to write something wholesome and fluffy after allowing the ??? to wreak havoc on the MC's emotions by bringing up past trauma and/or scaring them:
[Alternate Text: A GIF of a man talking into his cellphone with an unsettled expression. He says: "I was so worried, I baked a whole cake.".]
The balance between the nightmares and then the potential hurt/comfort RO moments can be delicious, but I'll admit the last section I wrote even made me on edge. π The horror will vary across the series to keep things dynamic and engaging; however, the trend of the ??? escalating things is a constant in TFS. That need to push and bend and twist is their nature.
While I can't give the MC a cake, I can let B scoop them up in a hug or R cradle their face, etc.
Somehow that momentary relief from the RO(s) can make the next bout of dread or encounter more harrowing if your Returning Visitors believe (know?) it won't last. It's a balance! π
Comments
Lmaoo it totally wasπ€£. I was definitely confused and a bit freaked out at first. But when I realized that his actual name was just a coincidence, then it started to be a really funny π€£
Lee
2024-01-30 17:31:13 +0000 UTCOhmygosh, this coincidence would have made me laugh too, though I might have been freaked out at first as the letters started to spell out my MC's name, lol. π I bet that was an interesting discovery. I love it!
Aelsa Trevelyan
2024-01-30 16:42:45 +0000 UTCI'm happy this intrigued you! π₯° Our next alpha update is in less than 24 hours, and I can't wait to share more of Book Two with you.
Aelsa Trevelyan
2024-01-30 16:40:59 +0000 UTCI could see A doing that to try and cheer up a befriended MC. ππ
Aelsa Trevelyan
2024-01-30 16:38:54 +0000 UTCThe way I grinned at your parenthesis! π I love how Zarina emulates aspects of her mother, especially her tenacity and commitment to staying strong. Her sweet Bee being nightmare fuel would be extremely taxing on her. While I feel like this is the case across the romance routes when being terrorized by your beloved(s), there's something about B that can hit differently given how they are each other's source of familiarity and comfort. It's like twisting the knife further? I'm !!! over B's comfort possibly being what helps those cracks to show up. The respite they give to Zarina is then overshadowed or turned brittle since she just saw something horrific--something that might have used Bee against her--yet here B is wrapped around her. It's sweetly jarring. 𧑠I'm looking at something else in what you typed, but I can't comment on it yet. XD At times, the nightmares take on a different nature. π No worries, that is a great question! The MC naturally had some night terrors that link to what happened in the sunken clearing, the town line, and the general Fernweh horror ambiance. π²π» These would fall into the category of typical nightmares versus what the ??? does that is extra vivid and more of a psychological horror show for them to plan out. So, yes, they had nightmares! I would say more so regular ones to allow for a slight lull before the ??? starts to sprinkle in their own unease before ensnaring the MC in a particular production. There are reasons behind each sequence; they often link to the MC's actions. I'm glad you enjoyed those texts/phone calls along with the scares on the highly resistance path. Thank you for your kind words! π
Aelsa Trevelyan
2024-01-30 16:37:39 +0000 UTCAlso, lol off topic. But last year when I found out the Waiter's name, I laughed super hard...because that was my MC's nameπ π. What are the chances of that!?π€£ It made for a funny romance tho. But lmao, I have to use a different name when I romance that route now
Lee
2024-01-29 17:52:54 +0000 UTCOh man, that all seems super intriguing and exciting. I can't wait for when we get to try this out in the alpha π π€. I'll prob keep replaying it, until it gets updated againπ€£
Lee
2024-01-29 17:50:21 +0000 UTCWell, perhaps A can give them a cake?
Kieran Tala Dawnshadow
2024-01-29 16:56:58 +0000 UTCKnowing how highly resistant Zarina is at the end of Book 1 (guess like her mom with that fire inside haha) + Beckett as a nightmare fuel used by ???. Oh boy, I cannot imagine the absolute horrors that ??? will bring into her life. Knowing Rina's reactions to nightmares (aka try to be strong), B scooping her up in a hug? Might just make her show the cracks that start to appear because she's so scared not for herself but for those surrounding her as those nightmares? Yeah, she believes those sweet moments may not last because sleep comes always, so a nightmare will reappear once again. It's just time and it seems like ??? has enough of that to spare and plan out all the possibilities to mess with MC moving forward. I love how everything is connected and how there is hurt/comfort by ROs and the way you underline the horror aspect of TFS by hinting at 'how long will this peace last?'. It creates such suspense! I'm actually curious to know if between Book 1 and Book 2 Mc had any more additional nightmares after being unable to leave Fernweh and I'm sorry if it was mentioned already haha. I'm excited to see the balance play out! The full resistance in the dining room scenes continue to haunt me with because Zarina was refusing to obey and the phone calls/texts? Terrifying. Can't wait for all those nightmare sequences! Thank you for your hard work, Aelsa! <3
Renata G.
2024-01-29 13:58:27 +0000 UTC
