245 | unexpected MDZS/CQL fic recs + the beginning of a Bravely Default replay

► I’ve gone down the most unexpected rabbit hole recently. MDZS has always been my least favorite MXTX novel (despite also being my first) and I’ve only read it the one time, not because of anything related to its actual quality, but rather because it features one of my biggest squicks. (Namely, zombies.) I’ve also never seen The Untamed, and never intend to it; it just doesn’t strike my interest. And yet. Since last Thursday, I’ve found myself obsessively reading MDZS/CQL fic?? And having all sorts of feelings?? And even considering rereading the novel despite knowing what a bad idea that would be? I don’t even know what happened here. Who knows how long this will last, but until then, have some recs:
( beneath the cut )

► On a non-MDZS note, I’ve also been replaying Bravely Default lately. I first/last played it back in 2015 and was deeply obsessed with it, putting over 100 hours into the game, but I never got around to playing the sequel despite having purchased it within a year of its release. So I decided to finally do a replay of the first game to refresh my memory of it, before moving on to finally play the sequel.

Currently, I’m at the beginning of chapter three. ( more beneath the cut )