If it bothers you enough, you could add it to the thread banner?
The core issue with this is that there's nothing wrong, with mentioning or acknowledging the existence of other quests. The issue, instead, comes about with something exactly like what's just happened.
From a creative, writer, GM standpoint, it's infuriating. I've steadily been showing their growth in terms of medicine/surgery, I've shown in the Sidestory sections that there was discussion of the Jade Dragon's dedication to healing/medicine, I've shown most recently them doing surgical stuff to the vampires to interrogate them. Clearly, these users of Shyish are interested/focused on things like surgery. But we've also discussed, in-thread a couple times at this point, the issues of medicine/surgery and the competing concepts on the body and its treatment. Things like studying anatomy vs. accusations of necromancy, and more. To the point that books which closely examine human anatomy sometimes are treated as books of necromancy - because they were written by them - and there's the whole thing about corpse stealing for study for earnest physicians who want to learn to help others. And the thing with the Twins being incredibly versed in Morrite theology, but not themselves superbly strict Morrites. They're closer to Yemaraja religously at this point, and he doesn't have the same tenets as Morr.
There was even a mysterious section where the twins were hiding something from their teacher on the way back to the Empire.
The point, is that now, if/when I were to reveal something like that, the dramatic impact of it has simply ceased to be, at least for me as the writer. Because now it appears like a cheap imitation or alteration on something else that someone else has already done. And it doesn't even have to necessarily be true, they could be distinct from one another, but at the end of the day there's a difference between writing a homage to another quest, a cheeky little reference, an fun little acknowledgement, and doing so on purpose, and not doing it on purpose.
There's an inherent thing about writing something and building up to something, only to have - even if it's not done maliciously - the air get popped out of the balloon. To try and do something interesting, creative, clever, all in preparation for a reveal, only to have that momentum internally stolen out from beneath you. Planning part of a party for someone, only for someone else to mention something that's close to what you were already going to do. It doesn't have to be the exact same thing. It's just close enough to take the wind out of your sails, even if temporarily. Like...it's not a spoiler, technically. But it sorta feels like one anyway? In some ways?
Listen. I think that Mayto is doing a great job. Voikirium is doing a great job. Swordo is doing a great job. Blackout is doing a great job. Boney is doing a great job. soulcake is doing a great job. yrsillar is doing a great job. Durin is doing a great job. But I just don't necessarily want to draw things from their quests out of nowhere, or things like that. I'll ask before I do, for anything too in depth. A Grey Wizard who is short and has a big hat is one thing, something about the runic powers/Waystone network intricacies of the Eight Peaks is another. Potential lore on a powerful Runelord who made toys or what not in the northern Dwarf Realms, that's one thing, straight up naming that Runelord is another. And so on.
I don't know if I've communicated my feelings on this correctly, honestly. Because I love their writing, their quests, their hard work. And somedays, sometimes, it's interesting to think about how things are going on in their quests compared to my own. I don't know if I can explain, exactly, how it's just sort of disheartening to read posts like that at sometimes, and sometimes not. It seems to depend. Which is why, generally, I ask that we just keep out usual comparisons or whatever, because I don't care for them for the most part. Mentions are one thing, but pulling content unasked for, making comparisons, it's just a road I don't particularly care for the vast majority of the time.
Honestly, it feels like I'm being a weirdly little fragile glass creature or whatever about this sort of thing, which is also incredibly frustrating, but that's an inward facing sort of thing. So my emotions get all over the dang place, you know what I mean? Which just annoys me more, but towards myself for being frustrated, because why? Why should I be? Why should it bother me? Some kinda idiot just writhing uncomfortably in his own brain? What a weird creature. Ugh.
If we could all just move on, I would greatly appreciate it.
