#wednesday update

Plot: I think the opening to the quest was one of the best we've had in a while. It wasn't just going up to one of the characters and them remembering your existence since they've been stagnant in Fort Maria for two years. Being alone for that first part was really quite cool, and I think reinforced MC's own individual part in this story, and not just as an accessory to the Soul Riders and the Druids. Taking us on a slow ride through MC's journey and growing responsibility as the fifth Soul Rider through mirages of important characters (istg when Elizabeth appeared, I audibly gasped) felt like a genuinely cool way of preparing us for what's ahead, and what MC's position actually means.

I'm not sure if it's ever been mentioned before, though I probably missed it, but I didn't know Aideen's Ascent is the place where Aideen first stepped on Jorvik? I thought that was a really cool place to have the beginning of this quest take place. To stand on the place where light first touched Jorvik, and then look out into the ocean during the vision scene and see the physical manifestation of darkness breaking loose? HELL YEAH. The imagery is *chefs kiss*.

After following Jessica through the portal and coming up into Guardian's Dale (after using various bits of magic from our Soul Rider training), all four Soul Riders are just sorta hanging there. I'll be honest, I kinda didn't like that bit...??? I completely get that they need to get MC to play a big part in this whole thing, but I don't think that necessarily means just handing the entirety of Jorvik's fate over to us whilst the other four just sit on the sidelines (but, hey, what's new?). They kept mentioning over and over throughout this quest that 'together we're unstoppable', but WE'RE VERY MUCH STOPPABLE IF YOU'RE UP THERE BABE. It would be really nice to get a bit of balance across the group, yknow?

But!! Before we can get them down (which apparently we could have done before everything went to shit), we're invited to touch the Light Ceremony Book. Y'know, the big book that's currently dangerously floating in a pool of dark magic? And then, uh, we just do? Well played, MC.

Queue: "Oh god, oh no!! This has all gone horribly wrong!! MC, I believe in you, you can get us down! And then we can help you!!"

But before I get too caught up in that, allow me to just touch on THE DEATH OF MR SANDS???

Now THIS caught me off guard. Whilst I expected that Sands' death would happen eventually (I would have assumed during the final great battle or something), I wasn't prepared for it to happen at this point in time. Honestly, I'm not sure how I feel about it! I think I've grown too attached to Sands as a character throughout the various games and the books, his history and his motives etc, and am kinda sad to see him go. I think it definitely poses an interesting relationship now, as we saw, between the Dark Riders and Darko, the former of which clearly does not want to work with the latter. Wonder how this dynamic will develop in the future?

Okay, so back to saving our besties.

Avoid the various Dark Rider magic, press E, repeat.

Okay got em down, all good.

Queue: "That was awesome MC!! Okay, here's the plan. ALL OF US will distract the Dark Riders whilst YOU AND YOU ALONE DEFEAT GARNOK!! Because together we're unstoppable!! You'll do so awesome!! We believe in you!!

So, okay. I understand that there is only so much they can do in terms of fight scenes and how MC plays a part in that, in terms of keeping it PG and actually playable in the realms of SSO's mechanics, but come on! You're telling me the Big Great Battle you advertised was just 30 seconds of running around in a circle pressing E? Basically dumbed down to "hit this thing!", "now hit this thing!", "one last time, hit this thing!", "OMG you did it!! Garnok's gone now :)"

Though, to be completely honest, another massive thing that shocked me was us having to destroy the Light Ceremony Book. Maybe I'm just too caught up in the lore of the novels (my beloveds), but it's clear that that thing is so valuable, and it's just like, gone now.

Not only that, as Darko mentioned, whilst we may have stopped Garnok from breaking through right now, we've also just destroyed the one way to stop him from doing it again. Which is um, uh oh.

So, Darko wants a fight (and I fully expected us to start fighting him again) BUT no :/ everyone's just too tired to do anything else right now, and so the Dark Riders (after bitching about Darko briefly) ride off into a portal, and we ride off into the sunset for a lil cosy campfire.

And I liked the campfire scene. It very much reminded me of the Saving Anne quest :( Like, they all just want their normal lives back, and yet they're fully aware that they will never fully achieve that? That just :(( I love them really, I promise.

Visuals:

There's no doubt about it that the team went to town on how this quest looked. There were so many new animations, visual effects, and just the general atmosphere felt really nice.

In terms of character animations, I believe we got some new ones for the Dark Riders! The way Katja and Jessica glanced at each other was SUCH a fun little addition to it. No-one was just stood there like "🧍‍♂️🧍‍♂️🧍‍♂️"

The animation for when Darko drags Mr Sands into the portal?? HELLO?? PERFECTION. Bro literally called him frail and decrepit and proceeded to grab him by his collar and throw him into a death hole.

The way the Soul Riders and their horses were being held up in those orb things looked genuinely quite cool. Also very reminiscent of Anne in Pandoria :( We also got another instalment of Shocked Alex™, which I thoroughly enjoyed.

I could be wrong here, but the vision scene right at the beginning looked illustrated? And it looked SO good, I mean, that whole scene was just perfectly executed. The way the effects distorted everything and how we just watch as Garnok breaks out of the water?? MMM.

I would also like to acknowledge the SOUND EFFECTS?? There was a particular moment where Linda screams, and that took me by surprise icl.

Overall:

Mixed opinions for me, really. There are so many elements of the quest that I really liked, and some not so much. I will be stalking ssoblr for the next few days, though, to read people's thoughts, because I get so excited about what people think when main quests come out >:))

"I already said I—"

"You're going to make a scene?"

Both of Tommy's eyebrows rose with the question, the words almost a dare, or perhaps better likened to a threat, and Clara glanced about the room only to determine that the Midland wasn't the proper place for a shouting match with her brother. Scheduling the meeting there was meant to keep the two of them in check, but Clara knew Tommy would show no hesitation in raising his voice back should she choose to make a go of it, settling her firmly in the place where he thought she belonged with a mere line or two.

Clara's cheeks warmed at the mere thought.

"That's what I thought." Tommy shifted, sitting up straighter in his chair, eyeing its empty match across the table. "Take a seat."

Clara remained in her spot, pulling her eyes from him as she forced her finger into the opening between her coat sleeve and glove to expose the delicate watch set on her wrist.

Lizzie's handwriting in her diary had marked her down to be at the Midland with Tommy from 6:00 to 7:00, but she's made herself quarter of an hour late by a bit of purposeful dawdling at the office followed by a bit of nervous pacing out front of the hotel that had left her with chilled toes and wind-chapped cheeks.

"I really can't see why I need to. You've seen I'm alive and well—" Clara gestured to the book and papers. "—You have the ledger, have proof I've been doing as I've been told, and I'm certain you've already gotten reports off of—"

"Take a seat."

Tommy finished his drink, the ice clattering against the glass as he set it on the table, all of the force that wasn't there in his voice focused into the gesture before he pulled the papers closer, thumbing through her work though he cared little to see the grades or completeness. He had little concern that Clara wouldn't hold up that end of the deal, her motivations in that arena extending beyond any guidelines he could set for her.

And anyway, Tommy already knew she'd been towing the line. He didn’t need the completed packet of school assignments to know she was following his rules. He didn’t need this encounter to know she was alright either, his curiosity on the matter fulfilled well enough through reports from Lizzie and Ada and Frances and Michael, his confidence bolstered by the lack of contact from the school. Even Finn’s first words to him in every meeting over the last week and a half had been about their sister.

People usually told him things, always had, seemed to give him what he needed in that respect without him having to ask after it, but Tommy didn’t always trust the word of the world. There were some things he preferred to see for himself, some questions he needed to hear the answer to while seeing the reaction on her face before she got the chance to put her clever words in the way.

Something about the power of the impending fourth request to take a seat, and the knowledge that it wouldn’t be as much of a request as it was an order coming from Tommy’s lips, helped Clara to lower herself into the chair across from her brother. She kept quiet while Tommy thumbed through her work, slipping the gloves from her hands and settling them on the table though she allowed herself to shed nothing more as she sat on the edge of the seat, her back straight, every muscle in her feeling taut and strained while she waited. 

“You’ve been busy.”

Clara nodded. She had been busy, and she was quite certain her brother was at fault for that, accepting her being out from under his roof, but not out from under his thumb, ensuring she had more than enough to keep her busy, keeping her so occupied once she held up her end that all she wanted was her bed. 

The worst part was Clara knew it. She knew this wasn’t really the freedom she was after, the distance she’d said she needed, but she couldn’t help herself when it came to meeting expectations. Clara was losing either way, but the fact that she kept trying bothered her brother, that she knew. That she’d rather adhere to his rule and work herself to death than live under his roof and play that game unsettled him.

People listened to Thomas Shelby for many reasons—because of his influence or his threats, because they hadn’t a choice. He imagined his siblings fell into the last category, left without much of a choice, but he’d always imagined the girls were a bit different. His brothers filed in line like the soldiers they were, but the girls weren’t soldiers. The girls had always seemed to be tied to him and his words in some other way, some sort of different understanding falling between the three of them, but with Clara especially. The understanding didn't seem to be there any longer though, replaced with the same soldiering that he'd seen with his brothers.

“I’ve been doing as I was told,” Clara offered. 

“And what were you told?” 

Clara huffed, settling back in the chair, her shoulders slumping at his question, something about him making her repeat it for him doing the work that his tone alone couldn’t.

Clara fixed her gaze out the windows in the front as the waiter approached the table.

"Anything for the young lady, Mr. Shelby?"

"Tea," he said, not pulling his eyes from his sister, her annoyance at the order he placed on her behalf clear in the twitch of her face though she stayed quiet until the man stepped away.

"I'm not staying, Tommy. I told you I have plans."

He tilted his watch face to check the time. “Not until seven.” 

Clara seemed to accept that seeing as she didn’t fight him, settling a bit further into the chair, shifting her gaze out the window once again.

“So, back to doing as you’re told, then.”

Tommy raised his eyebrows, blinking at her long and slow though she’d met his gaze for only a short moment before turning her attention elsewhere, to watch people coming in through the front door. 

“School assignments, exams, the company, Sunday dinners. Your meetings...and all of it’s up to par, Tommy. I’m—”

“And what about this?” 

Clara stilled as he set the blue vial on the table, her pulse picking up as he left it there and sunk back into his own chair.

"Tommy!" she hissed, nearly reaching out her hand to knock it from the table, to remove it from such a clear view, but no one was watching them.

Tommy scoffed, leaning forward and closing the vial in his hand before pointing a finger at his sister. "I told you if there was any fucking nonsense, I'd bring you right back home."

"I am home," she answered. "Can't get more like home than Watery Lane."

Tommy's snort was so quiet Clara didn't even catch it and he nodded, leaning his chin on his hand as he sat back, his finger idly rubbing his jaw as he considered her. "You think you're clever."

"I am clever," Clara answered, unwinding the scarf from her neck, her eyes diverted as she focused on the meticulous folding of the fabric before she set the bundle on top of her gloves. "You've always said."

Tommy shook his head, the second snort almost leading to a smile before he cleared his throat, shifting his position again and rooting around for his cigarettes before he spoke.

"I'm not in the mood for it, Clara. You've been asking questions about things you have no business with and it stops now."

Tommy caught her eye roll as he lit the cigarette, couldn't miss it really, the way the gesture took over her whole expression, her whole body really, and he wondered whether she'd done it on purpose or if it was just a reflex.

Clara was inclined to do far more than roll her eyes at him, a whole queue of arguments settled at the leading edge of her tongue, every part of her except her lips prepared to fight him because everyone else was allowed a bit of snow for the simple fun of it, but Clara had a feeling voicing that argument wouldn't do well in the end. It would only serve to tell him what he somehow didn't yet know, that she hadn't simply asked her questions, that she'd also tried it for herself.

It had just been the one time, to quell some curiosity, a small indulgence, and even if it had helped her stay alert to get done what she'd needed to get done, Clara wasn't keen to try it again. Tommy had no need of knowing it, so she swallowed her arguments, swallowed her pride and distaste for the double standards that ruled her life.

"Fine, Thomas. I've heard you. You want me to stop asking questions. And Michael and Finn are loyal to you, not me. It's all understood, nothing for you to waste your precious time worrying over." She was sitting up straight in the chair once again, perched on the edge and eager to be out the door before the tea came. "Is there anything else?" she asked. "As I said, I do have other plans."

Tommy pinched the bridge of his nose, releasing an exhale before tapping the ash at the end of his cigarette into the tray between them and holding her gaze. 

“You’ve never tried it, then?”

Clara opened her mouth and Tommy let out a hollow laugh before she could answer, the cigarette pointed in her direction once again. 

“And don’t you fucking lie to me, Clara.”

His gaze was unblinking and Clara held onto it as long as she could manage, not even allowing herself to breathe for several moments as she stared back at him, a familiar strain falling between the two of them.

Clara allowed herself a small intake of breath, attempted to take in a little air before she'd find herself gasping for it, attempted to extend the standoff a bit longer, but her resolve crumbled with the exhale, Tommy's attack coming before she'd even finished the breath. 

“You’re going back to Arrow—” 

“No, I'm not. It was just the one—”

Tommy's laugh cut her off, set a silence between them as he took a drag off the cigarette. “If you believe that, you’re just being naive, always have—”

“Excuse me?”

“You're clever, but you’ve always been naive,” Tommy said. “And all you’ve done this evening is show me that that is still the case.” He cleared some ash into the tray.  

“If the work’s too much, you cut out the fun with the boys. It’s something you kids don’t seem to understand.” He set his finger down into the pile, jabbing the folder of school assignments and the ledger with each word. “The business comes first.”

Clara scoffed, the force of it so gentle it was barely noticeable, and she glanced at her watch. “It’s five after,” she said, scooping her gloves and scarf into her arms as she stood, pushing her chair back in place.

Tommy nodded. “I want you at the house on Sunday…to see Charlie. We can finish this then."

"There’s nothing to finish," she answered, setting her gaze away from him as she wrapped the cloth around her neck and pulled her gloves from the table, fitting one hand inside. "See you Sunday."

Clara took a step away as she worked the other glove over her fingers and Tommy caught her elbow, his hold far more gentle than any of the words he'd tossed at her during their meeting, more gentle than his stares or the mock laughter.

A wetness grew in Clara's eyes and she stayed faced away from him for a moment as she tried to resolve the tears, swallowing hard, her arm going limp as Tommy's grip shifted, sliding down her arm to clasp her wrist.

Enough. That's what his hand on her wrist meant, a gesture Clara and Charlie used to ask for the end of any bit of play that had gone a bit too far, a signal that communicated when it was too much, a gesture Clara knew Tommy had been deliberate in choosing.

"Clara, I mean it. No more snow, alright? If something were to happen, I…"

His words sent a searing lump into her throat, that combined with the touch sending her mind down into a spiral of guilt and shame, and as much as Clara hated Tommy for his role in it, for having the power to do it, she hated herself just as well for succumbing to it, even more for ever stepping out of line to begin with, disappointed with herself and her choices even though everyone else did it.

Clara cursed her brother and his temperamental provision of care, the sparse deliverance of love, and his double standards, and then she’d cursed herself, cursed the expectations and rules she’d set on herself and everything about the relationship that existed between them. Clara pulled her hand loose, tugging her glove the rest of the way into place before she took a deep breath, her back still to her brother as she bid him farewell.

"I'll see you Sunday, Thomas."

--

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