#seaglassmelody

[b1narysol0]

🌻

Getting to this oh-so-late. Sorry!

I thought it might be fun to talk about the games I've been playing this year. I basically spent the entirety of 2025 playing Veilguard, and I really don't want to burn out on it, so this year my goal has been to take a break and get to some of the games I've been putting off in the meantime.

For a little while I got back into Stardew Valley. The 1.6 update came out for console right around the time Veilguard came out, so I hadn't experienced any of that update at all. It was fun! Not much to say about Stardew. It's a game I usually play in short bursts (basically until I feel like there isn't much more I can get out of it) and then set aside for long periods of time. I've only ever played one save file and am in I think year 8. Happily married to Elliot with two little toddlers running around the house lol

I played the then-newest Life is Strange game, Double Exposure. I am a bit of a Life is Strange apologist. I feel like that series has a weird reputation and it can get very silly, but I have always really liked it. Double Exposure was a lot of fun! I really enjoyed seeing Max again, I liked most of the new characters, I liked the romances, and the parallel universe mechanic was cool. I was also really impressed by the characters' facial expressions?? Like some of the best facial animation I've seen in any game tbh. At first I was a little worried because one of the most important secondary characters *really* irritated me when she was introduced. I just disliked the way her actor performed her. And tbh I still don't love it, but I did find that it mattered to me less as the game went on and didn't detract from my enjoyment, so that's a win.

I played Clair Obscur! I did really enjoy the game. The art direction and music were great, and I was impressed by how well the game took it's narrative in surprising directions and used gameplay to further that. I genuinely didn't see any of the twists coming, and I'm usually pretty good at intuiting things like that! I really struggled with the combat at first, but once I got the hang of it I found it pretty fun. Also saying a lot because combat isn't usually my favorite part of any RPG. Oh! And I played it with the French vocal track, which was so fun. I love listening to other languages. I'm still trying to decide how I feel about the ending, and whether I feel like the sheer amount of hype around the game is fully justified (though that might be the hype itself distorting things for me). But I also feel like I need to go back and play through more of the sidequests to have a fuller picture of the story. I haven't done that yet because I was impatient to get to...

...the NEW new Life is Strange game, which only came out like last month (or the month before? What is time). It's a direct sequal to the previous one, and re-introduces Chloe from the first game. I was really curious to see how they'd handle that because (spoilers for a ten-year-old game) depending on the ending you choose she can die in the first game. I always found that plot point really disappointing, since to me it's textbook bury your gays, and I want her and Max to be happy, dammit! I ended up being quite pleased with how it was handled, and I am still so weak for this pairing. It felt really vindicating to see them finally get their happy ending, like a wrong had been righted. As a whole, though, the game was a bit weaker than the previous one. It felt rushed. There was some animation jank the previous game didn't have, and some of the mechanics were underdeveloped. But I enjoyed the mystery story.

Now, I'm playing Final Fantasy VII Rebirth, the second of the remake games. I'm having a really good time with it! It's kind of an open world game, which is a problem because I have an obsessive need to check off tasks anytime a video game gives me a map full of quest icons, so I can get sucked in to that game for hours at a time if I'm not careful. But I guess that's a good sign for the game! Also the animation is nice, and the world is full of hot people and cute animals, so what's not to like? I also think the characters are handled really well in the remake. They're all so endearing. Cloud especially is really worming his way into my heart. He's just so awkward! Also the camp levels of that game are pretty off the chart sometimes, and I'm tickled by how every vaguely evil man Cloud meets seems to be in love with him.

I'm currently (maybe?) like a third of the way through that game, and I'm not sure what I'll play after that. Maybe I'll go back to Veilguard? Maybe I'll finally play BG3 (if I can ever get past the $50-$60 price tag)? Who knows!

Send me a random ask

[handsignals]

🍊☀️Giovanna de Riva☀️🍊

these floral portraits from @seaglassmelody are such gems, and i am so honored to share this stunning piece mari made for gigi 🥹♥️ it delights me to see my girl so happy, surrounded by her beloved oranges and their blossoms 🍊

mari, you continue to be phenomenal, and i'm so appreciative of you!!! 🫶

dare i say sharing this now is a continuation of pride? i think i will 🥰♥️🏳️‍⚧️🏳️‍🌈

[randomnonsensedragonage]

Huge thanks to @seaglassmelody for drawing my girl! She looks amazing!!!

[handsignals]

Nona and Taash maybe??

For the "Send me an OC + an alternate love interest for them and I’ll tell you what I think of the idea" ask meme

OOOOH. Okay, so, for Nona & Taash, I have had Nona flirt with Taash a few times in her play-thru. I think Nona feels a bit awed by Taash-- the Lords of Fortune kind of have that effect on her overall, if I'm honest. Their life of freedom and exploration and fun delights her (there's a reason she's very much about the idea of memento vivere). Beyond that, Taash is coming into their own, finding themself and defining themself on their own terms and taking hold of their life, and that makes Nona so happy.

And I think a part of her is a little in love with Taash for experiencing life so fully. A proper relationship between them would take work, particularly because of Taash's discomfort with necromancy, but I think they could find that balance with time and effort. Nona is also an explorer at heart, and the two of them would definitely have some wild adventures, I'm sure.

That being said, I don't know that they would be a long-term romance-- dare we say it would be something of a summer fling?

[handsignals]

I meant to send these a few days ago!! Soft asks:

14 and 28 for Gigi?

2 and 19 for Nona?

Ah yesssss, thank you!!!

From this ask meme here!

Gigi:

14. What's something they unashamedly adore?

Answered here, but another thing! The sea. The beach. Any shoreline, really, that lets her have a view of the water stretching out toward the horizon. Gigi truly enjoys being on and by the water, especially if she gets the chance to go sailing or go swimming. She's at her happiest when she smells like sea spray, salt, open air, and oranges.

28. What makes them feel safe?

Answered here, but also-- being allowed to test and examine anything she ingests. Gigi puts up a decent front of nonchalance, but she is Viago's protege and heir and she is very aware of all of the different ways she can be poisoned. She is incredible meticulous about it, often testing new clothing and anything she ingests, unless she absolutely and completely trusts the source (and maybe even then, she might do it while they aren't looking). BUT if she doesn't have to sneak, or if she's around people who encourage her to test for her own comfort? That means the world to her.

Nona:

2. What's their favorite comfort food that they eat when they're sad?

Answered here and here, but also fresh sage leaves or fresh mint leaves. She will chew on them slowly and savor the herbal flavors.

19. What's their favorite texture?

Answered here, but Nona also likes the texture of candle wax, preferably still warm and soft from the candle being lit.

[handsignals]

6, 15/16 for the Rook and Partner asks? Always love to hear about Nona :)

Thank you so much!!! <33

From this ask meme here

6. What is their favorite thing to do together? Do they share any hobbies? Does your Rook teach their partner their own hobbies? Does the partner teach Rook theirs?

OOH this is a fun one! Nona and Davrin definitely share an interest in one another's hobbies, but not in the sense of picking them up to also take part. The two of them tend to engage in a more 'parallel play' dynamic with their hobbies--Davrin with his woodworking, Nona with her journaling (or, depending on location, caring for her beetles and other bugs). One shared hobby, if one could call it that, is being outdoors. They both love being outside in nature and will go for long walks to spend time together and collect objects specifically for their hobbies -- feathers for Nona to make quills, wood for Davrin to work with, and any bugs that might need rescuing that day.

15. What was the partner's reaction to Rook being imprisoned in the Fade? How did they cope? How did they react upon seeing Rook again? 16. How did your Rook react to getting trapped in the Fade and separated from their partner?

THE BIG QUESTIONS. All right, so. A bit of context. Prior to being trapped in the Fade, Nona had lived a strange life of being both alive and... not alive. She had one foot on either side of the Veil, her live intricately linked with the Necropolis after an agreement between her dying mother and the Necropolis itself. This changed significantly after the Regret Prison, in that she emerged from the Fade fully and properly mortal for the first time. Davrin, during this time, struggled all the more with the feeling of being honed for a purpose and not being able to use his purpose, his skills, his capabilities to do anything to help Nona. The Veilguard scrambled for solutions, developing a faux dagger, seeking out opportunities to press through the Fade in search of Rook. His blade, his hands, his griffon-- none of these things could help. After the first few days of wallowing in silent despair and something like rage, Davrin set out to do the work he could do. In the time that Nona was in the Fade, Davrin put boots to the ground in all of the locations where the Veilguard had done work. He helped rebuild in both Treviso and Minrathous; he helped train the newer Warden recruits in Lavendel; he ran supply missions in the Crossroads; he even went so far as to go to the Necropolis to provide whatever support he could, there, including bringing back any books that the mages of the Veilguard might find beneficial. When he was told they had found Nona, he could not bring himself to believe it. He went. He waited. But it wasn't until he held her in his arms again that it felt real. The first thing he noticed was how warm she felt in his embrace, perhaps for the first time, and that the scent he knew as her had changed slightly, but he knew without a doubt that it was her. And he kissed that woman absolutely silly, then and there. Nona, during her time in the regret prison, was a wartorn field of worries and confusion. The Fade was disorienting to her, in that reality and unreality became muddled and blurry, the two halves of her self and existence overlapping in perplexing ways. At first, it was difficult to remember herself... let alone the others she had been with. But Davrin's voice ended up becoming a beacon, an anchor, in which she remembered her own name and who she was and what she needed to do. She used memories of the way his hands held hers to give her strength to keep going, keep walking, keep trying to find her way home.

[juniper-and-dragonthorn]

R, T, X for the valentine's alphabet asks? For character of your choice :)

Thank you for the ask! ^-^

From the Valentine's Day Asks

R : ROMANCE. is your muse a romantic or a cynic?

Selora is kind of neither, really? She can certainly be a bit weird and skittish about romance (the best way to romance her is to make it seem like you're not tbh) but that's more to do with being perceived.

T : TRUE LOVE. does your muse believe in true love?

No. Not that Selora doesn't believe in love, of course, but the idea of there being some fated true love out there is a bit beyond her. That, or she's just too aware that she and Lucanis only happened because of the specific circumstances they met under.

X : XOXO. does your muse use / like pet names?

Not really? Selora might shorten Lucanis name to just Luc in writing or refer to him as 'my love' when they're alone and she's feeling extra squishy for whatever reason. But on the regular? No, and certainly not in front of other people.

[juniper-and-dragonthorn]

The Scoundrel of Seleny for the WIP ask game?

Thanks for asking <3

wip asks here

The Scoundrel of Seleny is a a Bellara/Illario historical romance au novella I'm planning on writing at some point. The premise is that Rook lends Bellara the use of a house on one of the Dellamorte properties to work on an invention, but it's also a house Illario is hiding out in after accruing a pretty large debt, so they're forced to share it for the summer. Illario is forced to confront the people he's indebted to and there's also bandits terrorizing the locals that come calling at the vineyard.

There's action and hijinks that has the same vibe as something the Randy Dowager would flutter a few scarves at, lol. I just have to write it.