#( it's cute & about design & connections with others so i think i'd enjoy it )

[noamm7]

the new boy

paring : peter parke (tom holland) X male reader

genre : fluff

summary : Peter introduces the school to the new boy (you) and a friendship with something more begins to blossom.

You were slowly adapting to your new life since you moved with your mother and stepfather. Today was your first day in a new school, and while you were nervous, you were also excited to meet new people and make friends. As you entered the grounds of the school, a sweet-looking boy approached you.

He was smaller than you had imagined, wearing a shirt with a Star Wars design on it, he had brown hair, and seemed timid and kinda jittery, but in a cute way.

"Hey, uh... I just wanted to welcome you... I'm Peter... Peter Parker, and I've been here since first grade, and I'm considered a good student, so... they They I was asked to show you around and stuff..." he whispers "I'm really not sure what to say"

"Hey, eh… nice to meet you Peter, my name is Y/N… and as you probably know I… am new here…" you say with a brief smile.

Peter suddenly noticed he was lost in your smile. It was so radiant and expressive, like the light of the sun had been repressed and now radiating from your face. Peter was caught off-guard and blushed for a moment before becoming stunned, unable to avert his gaze. He was then able to recover himself and continue the conversation, avoiding the awkward moment.

"Well, uh... yeah, I guess I should introduce you to the school now, right?"

"Ah, yeah, sure, I would appreciate that." Peter nodded his head in affirmation "All right, follow me, I'll show you the classrooms and other areas of the school."

As you and Peter walked around the school, you had a blast chatting about all sorts of things you had in common. You discovered that both of you loved reading and collecting comic books about superheroes, building complex Lego sets and even playing similar video games.

You could feel a spark of friendship igniting between you, and it was so nice to have someone to talk to and forge bonds with over shared interests.

✁ ..time cut..

Finally, you two arrived at the end of the tour of the school. Peter had showed you all the classrooms, hallways and areas of the school. You realized that you two shared many interests and you were feeling more and more connected. It was now time for you to part ways, at least temporarily, since both of you had to head back to class.

“Well, I guess it's a temporary goodbye... I really enjoyed showing you around... and I really liked you... I mean... meeting you... sorry...” Peter says feeling his cheeks start to heat up "Okay that's cute" Peter squints his eyes and turns even redder than he was, you laugh a little at his reaction and then continue talking "I felt the same way, thank you for taking the time to do this” You say with a brief smile "You're welcome... well I should get to class. I hope to see you later!" Peter speaks with a small smile on his face.

Before parting ways with Peter, you quickly thought of something and called him. "Hey, hey, before we part ways, do you think we could go out to explore the city this weekend? I don't know much around here, so if you could go with me and show me some fun places... if you want, of course." Peter looked at you for a moment, seemingly a little surprised, then smiled and nodded enthusiastically. "Yeah, sure, it's a great idea, I'd be happy to do that." Peter answered, with a big smile.

"Perfect," you say with a smile "Then... I guess I'll see you at lunch, right?" "Yeah, of course," Peter replies, nodding his head and giving a smile "I liked getting to know you Peter." You say with a smile "You're a cool guy." Peter felt a wave of warmth and happiness wash over his mind and heart "Ah, I..." he said, becoming even more flustered "I... I say the same, it was a pleasure getting to know you too, Y/N." Peter replied, smiling and unaware of just how red he was getting.

“See you at lunch, then," you say, glancing over your shoulder with a brief wave and turning to find your class. While Peter stands there, with an infatuated smile on his face, not realizing just how red he was getting.

It was certainly set to be more than just a great friendship between these two young boys.

ac : Sorry guys this was longer than I thought 😭😭 I hope you liked it ❤️‍🩹 who knows, we might have a second part of this story…

[desceros]

for Dredge Au, I thought of this like.. moments before i was about to drift off and legit SHOT UPRIGHT IN BED. What if each of the four turtle brothers were connected to each of the four big landmarks in each corner of the map? here's my thoughts, feel free to shuffle around the brothers

-Leo, Stellar Basin.(Feel like it makes sense considering how at night, stellar basin’s full of bioluminescent coral, jellyfish, etc. Leo could fit right in, esp how in canon his eye marks n stuff glow!!!! I can already see the art of a glowy aberration leo flitting amidst the coral/LH)

-Donnie, Gale Cliffs.( I Don’t have TOO much of a reason, other than that one person who did a fanart of Lavi had her holding a Decaying blackmouth, which is an aberration of a fish found near there. Plus, it just fits, for some reason.)

-Mikey, Twisted Strand. (I feel like maybe he’d be connected to the glowing mushrooms that decorate that area? Since he’s got his li’l spots. Deffo either was friends with the mind lurkers or was like ‘GET OUT OF MY TERRITORY!!!!’ the entire time. No in-between.)

-Raph, Devil’s Spine (Not really that many reasons, but maybe his scales could resemble magma, or He lives off the heat there. Plus all the jagged cliffs/rocks kind of match his spiky design, maybe if someone did fanart they could lean into it.)

Anyways, That's my anonymous word vomit, feel free to toss this ask, I just wanted to share some of my weird midnight lightbulb moments about your AU (I'm devouring it like a man(/gn) deprived btw)

hi hi hi!!! i LOVE that this is haunting you the way it's haunting us 💜 sidebar, "that one person" is gbao3 and is as responsible for the au as i am! all things are better when gb gets involved Confirmed [chin hands]

that's a really cute idea!! the fics haven't really dipped into proper lore yet, but gb and i did come down on the turtles being originally from the stellar basin. for those who haven't played the game, it's a pretty archipelago that has fish that glow at night and is famous for being where you can see an aurora. sooo pretty!! and dangerous. giant kraken in the middle of the ocean dangerous. also it's where a lot of the super deep-water fish are, and we liked leaning into the spookier designs there for the turtles!

BUT!! i do like the idea that they each enjoy different parts of the map! except for donnie, who largely chases fisherman-chan around the map, i suspect leo would have a particular liking for the devil's spine. it's nice and warm, and the buildings are fun to lounge on, and best of all, there aren't any people. well. except that one merchant that comes around from time to time. hm. he should probably do something about that before she gets any ideas about setting up shop permanently.

meanwhile, i think raph would enjoy hanging out around the basin since he really hates being alone and splinter lives in the ruined resort.

as for mikey, i see him spending a lot of time with raph to keep him company... but he also loves going off to hang around People. while donnie is obsessed with One Person (fisherman-chan) and leo distrusts all humans... well. except maybe this one (merchant-chan), mikey is like Wow!! People!! Sparkle Emoji. i could definitely see him getting fished up in nets All The Time, then swimming back home to tell raph about it and getting all huffy when raph gives him a lecture about safety. so i'd probably tie mikey more to the marrows and gale basin, since he likes to go see People.

[otakween]

Digimon Tamers - Episode 8

Hmm this episode was just okay. There were some really nice animation moments, but it kinda felt like there was a lot of drawn out fluff. I still enjoyed myself, but I spaced out a couple times so I guess it didn't have me super gripped.

Notes:

Impmon was a fun little asshole in this episode. It's funny how he doesn't ever really get the reactions he wants. Renamon just kinda ignored him and Guilmon is too innocent to realize he's being trolled. Love a goofy villain who's bad at being evil. (I'm sure he'll get something darker to do eventually tho)

Terriermon has such an interesting personality. You would think such a cute little guy would be nice and affectionate but instead he's very blunt and says whatever's on his mind without much care for other's feelings. The way he inappropriately reacts to things yet seems to have a sort of wisdom...neurodivergent digi? (he does kinda look like autism creature lol)

The fact that Guilmon has a hobby of burying and digging up his food makes me think of enrichment for a caged zoo animal...at least he can technically leave

This episode did a really good job of making big digimon actually big! Adventure struggled with that at times (Greymon's size in the movie vs. the anime for example). I feel like showing off the hugeness of digimon and making them feel intimidating is all about the angles/perspectives they're "shot" at. Devidramon and Growmon felt properly intimidating in this.

Asanuma-sensei's JP voice is very monotone. She kinda sounds dead inside. She also barely reacted to a giant goth dragon flying inches from her head lol. I'd be screaming and peeing my pants and she was just like "what was that...?"

It's hard for me to not read "Grow" as grow...I get that it's from "growl," but that romanization is confusing out of context...

Takato being sucky at strategizing with his cards felt relatable to me lol. I'm bad at strategy games...

Seeing Guilmon digivolve for the first time was exciting and I look forward to seeing more Growmon in the next episode. I'm not super bothered that his design didn't change much. It's just annoying that digivolution is so inconsistent and sometimes they look completely different and other times its more gradual. Also, wait...when he was born Takato's digivice had to scan the drawing of Guilmon but this time it just kinda happened. Hope we get an explanation for all this eventually...

Speaking of unexplained mysteries, Culumon randomly shows up right as Guilmon is digivolving and his head lights up. The timing was suspicious, but I have no idea what the connection is yet.

I don't really get why Renamon and Terriermon couldn't have helped Guilmon with his fight. Renamon was like "that's Guilmon's prey..." which sure, makes sense with Ruki and Renamon's style of battling for power, but what was holding Jian and Terriermon back exactly?

[kindaoptimisticsquirrel]

Trigun Bookclub Trimax Vol13 Part2

Vol01: Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3  | Vol02: Part 1 | Part 2

Trimax: Vol01 Part 1Vol01 Part 2 | Vol02 Part 1Vol02 Part 2 | Vol 03 Part 1 | Vol03 Part2 | Vol04 Part1 | Vol04 Part2 | Vol05 | Vol06 | Vol07 | Vol08 Part1 | Vol08 Part2 | Vol09 Part1 | Vol09 Part2 | Vol10 Part1 | Vol10 Part2 | Vol10 Part3 | Vol10 Part4 | Vol11 Part 1 | Vol11 Part2 | Vol12 Part1 | Vol12 Part2 | Vol12 Part3 | Vol13 Part1 | Vol13 Part2

Review for chapters 4-6 under the cut!

Chapter 4:

Oooh Elendira is removing her under gear! (is that the term? the restraints, as she said)

djsfas their height and body differences. If they weren't trying to kill each other they could be so cute together (they still are, just in a very deadly way)

It was long overdue that we really got to see how good Elendira really fights when she's giving it her all! Very cool pose.

I might just have not read so thoroughly, but I wonder where they got their information about the planet's state? Like, knowing about Luida...

...but also about Vash? Is this information they got from the hivemind look into Knives' plant amalgamation, or have did they have other resources I forgot, like listening to radio frequencies, or stuff? I'll be waiting to see if any of you guys have any better idea about this.

Oooh and he can feel Vash's aura. Really cool that you are first only shown Legato's reaction and the fog...

...and THEN the destroyed Legato-gadget (Legadget) which even makes him flinch.

AND BAM banger of a page. It's Vash with his black coat. I love love the idea to also turn the coat black, to change that design for this moment, to really show he's that much closer to death. And the pose oh my. Still...well not really standing. But head bowed low. Holding onto himself like in pain. Gun cast downwards like his power has lost him. And the myriad of bullets lying around him to depict how much he just used... I really just love black coat Vash. It's giving me emotions because it's the embodyment of his lowest point in life. It's so tragic... (and it also looks so cool)

RAZLOOOOO YESSSS ♥♥♥♥

Chapter 5:

Trimax is making me sometimes think my reading comprehension is bad but is...Razlo owing the debt to Livio? Is it not Livio who is alive thanks to Razlo?

Don't mind me, just putting these into my Crimsonfang collection.

My boy is having fun!!! <3

I really hope that they'll have Elendira grown up in season 2 of stampede (looks like that going by drawings we have seen!) and be her just as intimidating an opponent as here in Trimax.

Only high quality pages here, damn.

Chapter 6:

With how good of a fighter Razlo is, this must be one of the very few, if not the first occassion he's feeling something like fear for his life...

The vial!! The vial from Wolfwood! The vial given by Vash to save Livio! Wolfwood's vial!

Anytime Wolfwood appears after vol10 it deals -20 instant damage.

On the next pages Elendira states that they switched personalities again, so I tried to pinpoint the moment, as this looks like it! Razlo's eye is fading out, but in the next panel we have the eye on the reader's left, Livio's metaphorical half, being shown! Nicely done artistically!

Little emote Raz <:3

Aaah it's so cool that with vol10 the Razlo thing isn't just over, but we get more and it's being addressed again!

Aw I'd like to think that Razlo is crying because he's moved...like this is a big and important conversation for him too, and it probably means a lot to him that Livio apologizes again. And Razlo saying he's not good at this feeling stuff! Daww.

Not necessarily an intended parallel, but a nice one still: Both times judgement being cast from above. Wolfwood was struck by Chapel's gun fire afterwards but Livio can evade Elendira's nails! Not that I'm drawing a connection between Elendira and Chapel, I just think it's neat how we have these similiar pages for Wolfwood and Livio.

What I also really enjoy is that Livio manages to get back into the fight and keep up against Elendira not by miraculously getting stronger, but by teaming up with Razlo! It feels important to his character arc that this is what helps him in this most important battle. Before they'd done everything seperately, but now..!

Whoopsie. Elendira seems to have something up her sleeve that even Razlo isn't sure he'll be able to help. Now all he can do is trust Livio that he'll be the one to finish this for once!

Next and last chapters for this volume in the next post!

[glitterguts13]

In genshin and hsr who are your favorites? It can be a category or fave from each body type/gender/element whatever and to balance it out, do you have any hsr/genshin characters you don't vibe with doesn't have to be outright hate but just not your fave either be story/design/personality or any reason really

How about I once again ramble on far too long and just rank all the characters from each series? (I love to yap, I'm the worst yapper) Only doing HSR right now but I'll do Genshin another day!

HSR (going by Element)

Fire

Himeko

5/10

I love her dearly, and I think her design is stunning. The only reason I give her such a neutral rating is because the story hasn't really let me connect with her yet. She still feels like a stranger despite being with us the longest, and I really want more content focused on her, her past and other Trailblazers she's known.

Topaz

4/10

Design wise, I love her. I love Numby, and I think she was the perfect way to introduce us to the higher ups of the IPC. I just don't really care much for her character. I don't connect with her, but I don't dislike her either. I want to see her and Aventurine interact more in the future, I need to know if they're friends or they hate each other's guts.

Asta

1/10

I don't like her design and I find her terribly boring. Honestly if she hadn't been the first character I E6'd I'd forget she was even in the game.

Gallagher

8/10

Real talk, I did not and still do not understand WTF this man was doing or what he was talking about. I love him dearly tho because goddamn it Hoyo we need more old men. Design wise, he's a little plain but that just works in his favorite. Also I still crack jokes about the "I'm Thirteen." line.

Guinaifen

5/10

Great design, her ult is one of my favorites. I loved her in the HouHou event and I really want to see more of her in the future. She's cute and charming.

Hook

2/10

I don't like her design and I don't really care about her as a character. Her relationship with her dad is very sweet tho.

Ice

Gepard

7/10

Biased because baby boy carried my ass from the start up until Aventurine knocked him off my main team. E3 with his signature Lightcone, the gatcha gods have pushed us together. Design wise I think he's rather dull, but he's a wonderful brother and I just want to squish his cheeks and tell him he's doing a good job.

Jingliu

4/10

One of the best designs in the game, but I feel like so much of her story was ignored in place of Blade and Dan Heng. I want more of her, I want to see her what she was like before everything went down. Give me more Jingliu lore Hoyo.

Ruan Mei

1/10

Ok, I know this is petty, and I'm sorry. I would have given her a 9/10 before I did the cat cake quest, but after seeing how she treated those precious babies (I am a massive cat person) I was just so upset. I know that's dumb, and I do enjoy that Hoyo gave us a genuinely morally gray character. I just love cats too much-

Yanqing

5/10

I have no feelings either way about him. Design is meh, story was meh. I'm open to changing my opinion in the future if we see more of him.

Herta

5/10

I love that they made her doll body look like a doll (looking at Wanderer Hoyo) but I don't care about her either way. She's middle ground.

March 7th

7/10

Sweet baby girl, I will protect you with my life. A ray of sunshine in this dark world, I'm very excited about her new alt. Side note, do you ever just have a headcanon about a character that's so strong you forget it isn't canon? For me I've been headcanoning March as a trans woman for so long I genuinely forget she's not.

Misha

7/10

Sweet baby boy I am still not over what happened to you. Adorable design, heartbreaking story. You'll never be forgotten.

Pela

8/10

I love her so dearly, I think her design is perfection. Her VA brought me to tears during her story while crying for her mother. Absolutely gut wrenching, I will defend her with my life.

Imaginary

Aventurine

10/10

I cried like a fucking bitch playing his story. I hated his guts when we first meet him at the hotel and the way I turned around was whiplash. He's wonderful and perfect and I hope to God he gets to know some form of genuine freedom one day. However this is Hoyo and I know better.

Dan Heng: Imbibitor Lunae

8/10

Easily one of my favorite designs. Slutty ass little waist I just wanna grab- anyway I think he's neat.

Dr Ratio

7/10

I don't care for his design but goddamnit if he doesn't make me cackle. I know he isn't meant to be funny but his deadpan line delivery kills me, and his interactions with Aventurine were some of the best.

Loucha

??/10

HEY HOYO WHERE DID HE GO?? TELL ME SOMETHING ABOUT THIS MAN FOR FUCKS SAKE IM SO LOST

Welt

10/10

The love I have for this old man is unhealthy and should be studied. Man made me read Impact Lore I'm down so bad and you know what else HES STILL NOT HOME JUST COME HOME IM TIRED OF LOSING TO GEPARD

Yukong

7/10

Doomed lesbians. Give her her wife back Hoyo, and don't you DARE TOUCH HER DAUGHTER

Lightning

Archeron

5/10

Great design, absolutely peak. I just don't connect with her, nothing to say either way.

Bailu

8/10

My sweet daughter, I will protect her at all costs.

Jing Yuan

9/10

I am not immune to Daddy Jing Yuan. Great design, great character and I want to see him interact with Jingliu more. Give me angst, give me feeling.

Kafka

10/10

I only picked up HSR because of her, and I still don't have her. This feels like a personal attack. Sexy as fuck, step on me, Jesus christ she is everything.

Arlan

1/10

I have no real reason I just do not like him. Design or character wise, I find him boring and uninteresting.

Serval

8/10

Hot big gay sister. She's beautiful, she's talented and she's another one on the list with a dead girlfriend. Would give my kidney just to hold her hand.

Tingyun

6/10

WHY DID THEY DO THAT TO HER????

Physical

Boothill

10/10

I would do disgusting things for this man. Might be the only character story that made me cry while reading and not playing. I'm both thrilled and terrified to see how his interactions with Aventurine go in the future. Give me more slutty, sad cyborg.

Robin

7/10

Beautiful design and she made my heartache. She loved her brother so much, but they'll never be able to recover the bond they used to have...teared up when she caught Sunday while he fell.

Argenti

8/10

I just think he's neat.

Clara

9/10

THATS MY DAUGHTER, THAT IS MY BABY. I WILL COMMIT CRIMES TO SEE HER SAFE AND HAPPY AND ALSO PLEASE GIVE ME YOUR ROBOT FATHERS NUMBER HES REALLY HOT-

Hanya

5/10

Stunning design, but I have nothing else to say about her, good or bad.

Luka

-1/10

He might be the only character I actively hate. I don't like his design and I don't like him. I'm sorry to Luka stans, I do not stand with you.

Natasha

5/10

Again, neutral on all account.

Sushang

2/10

Forgot all about her until just now.

Quantum

I give them all a 5/10

I feel 100% neutral on all of them. Sparkle gets a 2/10 tho because holy shit you didn't have to say *that* to Aventurine.

Black Swan

8/10

Everything about her design is perfection and she was just a delight to follow in game. I love her, I want to see more of her.

Blade

4/10

3 of the 4 points is just because of Dan Hang. I don't like Blade at all, unpopular opinion I know.

Bronya

5/10

Again, totally neutral. Love her earrings tho.

HuoHuo

9/10

Baby, angel, sweetest creature alive. I will do anything to make her feel safe and I will personal pick a fight with Mr. Tail for upsetting her. Also FUCK her parents, how dare they do that to their daughter.

Dan Heng

6/10

Hes neat, but I don't really care either way. Did love him with Boothill tho, that was unnecessarily funny.

Sampo

8/10

STINKY TRASH MAN FUNNY I want to hurt him.

[cidthesquid]

Princess Peach: Showtime Demo! - More than Just Cute Outfits!

Today l'll be talking about the demo for:Princess Peach: Showtime!

Yeah, I know this is not a 'Fashion Game', But I make the rules here! Also I think even the 'ideas' here are worth talking about, as well as the gameplay! The demo is free, so I'd really recommend checking it out for yourselves if you're interested, but if you're interested in my commentary with a few personal connections, feel free to stick around! --- Alright, so first off, I've never really had any strong connections or feeling about peach as a character before playing this. She was just another Mario character to me, and did not really represent or stand for anything. I remembered hearing she first got her own spin-off game on the DS, "Super Princess Peach" (2005) where her actions are powered by various emotions, people often described it as "the game where one of her powers is crying:

Also, it was still very much just a platforming game, so it did not really stand out for me. This game however is a lot more difficult to categorize:

I guess the easiest way to describe it would be an 'Adventure Game', You'll be given various challenges, based on the level, there is some combat as well as mini-game style activities, and each level with have multiple activities, so it's not like "just do one baking mini game, then move on to the next level.

There's combat, even if it's very simplistic, I still find it enjoyable. You have a jump button, and a single button that does everything else, attacking, dodging, counter hits, etc. But you'll have a health bar to manage, and enemies may have invulnerability phases, so while it's simplistic, the game by no means 'plays it'self' some level of interaction is still required.

The Mini-games are also simplistic, but do allow you to mess up, they also have a 'soft failure state' so the time limit does matter, and you can actually fail the event, and will be required to retry.

Most gamers would not consider this game difficult, or challenging to any degree, but unlike some other 'cute games' it dose actually offer some form of push back, and I think that makes it more rewarding! --- Ok, Now with gameplay out of the way, I'd like to talk about the game's ascetics. It's clear that making the game as cute and charming as possible was a core design decision. And this is shown from the very start when they make a change to peach's default hairstyle:

Now, I actually see written out in my notes "Don't spend multiple paragraphs talking about peach's new ponytail", So I'll have to keep this short, I think it's a great addition, for a long time I just saw the concept of a "ponytail" as something exclusively reserved for very young people, that's how it was mainly shown in western media. So I was surprised when a lot of Japanese games gave it as an option for adult characters, Monster Hunter, Final Fantasy XIV, and tons more had it as part of the character creator. And while it's not the style I generally go with for my own characters, I've come to embrace the idea, and see how it can be a cute or fun additional to a character design regardless of their age. And I think it works really well here, especially as it offers great secondary motion:

I'm sure there are plenty of ways to interpret Peach's last game, using emotion as peach's own real actions. But I vastly prefer this game's ideas, the whole idea is someone's ruining all the plays, and corrupting them and the participates with negativity, and you fight back with positivity and encouragement!

When things start to get dark, and the characters' perspective change. But Giving them hope (by attacking them :P) you're able to help them push through.

When I first saw this game's trailer, I though it was just an excuse to put peach in various cute outfit, and (I have no problem with that), but it seemed to lack any real substance But overall, I really enjoyed this short demo, You get cute outfits, a very pleasant world, and a nice theme! The game is just full of charm, and there is just so much detail in the background characters, and even the idle animations,

So I'll probably pick it up regardless of the game length, it's just really nice. I probably won't blog about like I do with style savvy.

(Screenshot from the nintendo store page NOT IN THE DEMO) It looks like the full game may offer some unlockables and a little customization, so that could be fun! At $60, It's a bit on the pricey side, so I may end up buying the JP version on play asia to save a little money (~$40) But much like Style Savvy, I really enjoy the variety of outfits, and how it shows that style is more than just one thing, and how various outfits can impart various different moods and feelings.

--- Alright, that's my main thoughts on my small sampling of the game, but feel free to stick around for my added personal notes! ---- /!\ Caution: End of Cute screenshots, Mostly unedited Ramblings beyond this point /!\

So I've been thinking a lot about the concept of 'Cute' in general, to some people, this may seem like an odd thing to think about, But if you've followed my blog for a while, you'll probably understand why. But regardless, I've started to get over the weird feelings of being a guy playing 'cute games', but one of the things I was still trying to figure out was where my own perspective of 'cute' lies when it comes to characters. I have no trouble designing cute outfits for others in style savvy, and I do really like a lot of cute designs, but when it comes to created characters that I plan to stick with long term, it's not really a style I focus on, generally leaning more towards Bold/Rock or even Elegant/Feminine Styles.

For a while, I thought I was subconsciously avoiding anything 'cute', and that I needed to 'fix that' or something. But recently I've been learning a lot about the different ways you can 'like something', You can find something nice because you relate to it, you could like how neat and organized it looks, or you could even really like the feelings it evokes. And I think this was the missing piece and understanding how I relate to various types of fashion. As silly as it sounds, I was not even aware there was an option to like different styles for different reasons. For example: I now know that I do like the 'cute' ascetic, for character designs, outfits, and tone. However, it's not really something I'm drawn to, or relate with. So if something looks 'cute', it may receive bonus points in my brain over something plain, and it can offer a bit of a relaxing feeling.

The Cool/Bold Style has a much bigger draw for me, and as such, when I'm making my own character (especially in a multiplayer game), and want to stand out, this is what I go for. I love the energy it gives off, and playing character that look cool, make me feel cool as well! as such, I'd have to say it's my favorite to use. Elegant/Feminine Style: I still don't really have my exact feels on this nailed down yet. But I really enjoy the flexibility it provides. It offers a lot of what I like about the 'bold' and 'cute' styles, without being too loud or aggressive, you can make this style as mature as you want, or add a more youthful edge, And it can look a bit simplistic, or very stylized. This refined style honestly feels like it has endless potential, yet I have the hardest time designing for it, but it's probably my favorite to experience others interoperation of.

--- Alright, hopefully that was still a fun read, and not 'too personal' . As always, any comments/critique are welcome!

[sibillascribbles08]

Ough got a tag back from @vegalocity !

Here's some Holly Blue fun (??) facts

Her cloaking brooch, the flower on her hat, is specifically designed after the flower Lou Jitsu gave her right before Big Mama used her as leverage to force him to fight.

In spite of her history with sex work she still enjoys sleeping around (and using it to her advantage sometimes)

In the fics she's in her early fourties and only lives to her mid/late sixties (honestly much longer than she expected)

She's actually an excellent singer but does not enjoy doing it for an audience

She likes dancing but does it better in the air because so often she is taller than whoever she is dancing with and it gets frustrating

She's a sucker for sweets, a sucker for cute things, and a sucker for romance novels

Because of her bond with Donatello she does end up with the Hamato clan in the afterlife (which is rather overwhelming for her because she always assumed no one would be waiting for her)

On the topic of sad things, no she never survives long in any of the doomed timelines (and truthfully she thinks it isn't worth it)

She is intensely flattered that Donnie names his daughter after her and spoils the absolute BEANS out of her at any given opportunity.

Magic abilities! For one they include summoning poison needles from anywhere on her person, a poison spear, controlling insects within a certain radius and somewhat connected to that, subtly influencing others

In terms of the last one, she's not aware this is a thing she can do so it's not particularly powerful, but it is one reason people are so easily swayed by her (always has advantage on persuasion checks basically)

A unique thing about her needles is they actually stay present after she manifests them. Most manifested mystics will disappear from either a lack of concentration or if the person dies/leaves their range.

Also her intense screaming ability isn't magic, it's because wasps normally don't have lungs and due to her size the ones she now has are VERY big

Like Donnie can see magic, Holly Blue can smell it to a certain degree via her antenna

She picked up her smoking habit while working in the Nexus and never really quit

Let's keep it going! @sayijo give us some Rae details it's been a while! And @camilieroart if you're up for it I know you've been posting some new refs lately and I'd love to hear more about Avril!

Rules under the cut!

You and hopefully one of your OCs have been tagged! Your job is to make a post about them, and it can be whatever you want! Talk about general information, their backstory, their design inspiration, post some sketches or older art, write up a few fun facts, as long as it's something!

When you're done, be sure to pass it along by tagging at least one other person and their OC (you can tag as many people as you want though!) Tag backs are allowed and encouraged.

When you tag someone, try to specify an OC, even if you don't know who they are yet (i.e. "You should do that OC with the butterfly wings you posted the other day!" or "Do the OC you drew most recently!")

Participation is not required, but even if you don't want to, it'd be great to pass the tag along to someone else!

[restinpeacesensei]

@talisman975

#I think you did the right thing with waiting! #sometimes it’s better to do something AFTER the hype has died down #it’s like going to the store after Black Friday it’s not worth going on that day and getting overwhelmed or harassed by everyone #plus I totally get being uncomfortable with certain comments at Akoya and the boys #they’re still high school kids after all #actually I think that’s something a lot of anime fans tend to forget since we HAVE so many anime that takes place in a high school #or a majority of the characters are minors yet they’re constantly sexualized #ngl I love that a character like Akoya and this show in general prefers to use the term pretty to describe the boys #Akoya may be a villain but he still prides himself to be pretty and beautiful #and I love him for that and I love that the show doesn’t say it’s bad that he does this

i love your black friday comparison, that puts it in perspective so much!! ;;O;; it's a double-edged sword tbh, it's usually a lot of fun and encouraging/motivating to be involved in communities during high activity but also more overwhelming. i wish i'd learned to speak up for myself earlier so i could have enjoyed the higher level of interaction without the discomfort, but it was only from going through that for so long that i figured it out. it was honestly really important for me to learn that from this whole experience.

(to be fair, i don't think anyone has meant to harass me. i know a lot of people and/or artists take and/or mean "hot"/"sexy" as a compliment. im just personally sensitive about that and/or uncomfortable with those words; to me it feels a bit like being catcalled. i do think the internet normalizes it WAY too much to say these types of things to random strangers, without knowing if the person is okay with it or not--because yes, it'd often be considered harassment irl, and the internet seems to make a lot of people forget this. but i also know most people aren't intending to bother me and aren't aware of how i feel unless i say it, so it's good for everyone that ive learned to state my boundaries.)

thank you so much for your validation and understanding of being uncomfortable!! \T--T/ though, the ages aren't the reason it makes me uncomfortable. (i personally like to imagine that akoya has aged along with me and is an adult now) it makes me uncomfortable bc 1) i didn't ask for or consent to it; 2) a lot of the comments are phrased in a way that focuses only on what the person saying it wants, as if the other is an object or tool for their enjoyment. i don't like hearing this bc it makes me feel like not being treated as a person.

sexualization in media is a complicated topic, and one that i try to avoid bc it's too easy for me to get uncomfortable and/or into an argument that i don't want to have. i was definitely affected growing up by sexualization/objectification in media and the objectifying comments that are made in reaction to it, and i still struggle today with feeling like a person in my own body because of it. yet i can't be too critical of the content bc i also draw "idealized" characters and fall for these characters bc they're designed to be so cute/pretty.

im uncomfortable with a lot of things about this show, and yet if it hadn't been exactly the way that it is, i don't think i would have been able to express personal/intimate thoughts and feelings and find connection over them. i was a (young) adult when i found the show, yet in a way it allowed me to make sense of growing up and/or almost have a high school experience that i didn't get to have (due to bullying and isolation irl). at the end of the day, all i can do is ask that people be respectful of my wishes when they interact directly with me. ive been grateful to find that most people are glad to do this. consent and boundaries are how it should be.

(i also love that akoya is allowed to just LIKE pretty things without being put down or made fun of for it T.T the way that aNYTHING considered "feminine" is often considered "shallow" or "silly" or boys aren't "allowed" to like it is so. limiting. and made me feel bad for a lot of things when i was younger)

[lucere-aeresta]

Have been playing some Sherlock Holmes themed board games and here are some quick reviews/thoughts/recommendations.

This one is a delightful surprise. I didn't think I would love it so much but it turned out to be amazing. You play as a group of animals who help Toby to solve some mysteries in both human and animal worlds. Can be played solo or co-op (so as all other games I will mention later).

The gameplay is relatively easy and there is no hard puzzle to be solved. It is more of an adventure game rather than a detective/mystery or puzzle game. I enjoyed the writing a lot. I mean, I'd never thought that I would find good writing in a board game, but here it is. Usually the fairytale-cute-wholesome style is not my cup of tea but this one strikes me different. The writing is elegant, fun, and effective, and the overall story is wholesome with a hint of dark humor (I love the spider lady XD). The characters are good and some plots are touching. Kudos to the writers!

And there are many Sherlock Holmes canon references! So happy to find them spread around. We all love the mystery of the Giant Rat of Sumatra don't we ^w^

The game mechanics are fun and simple, but could be a bit repetitive after a while. It's the story and writing mostly counts.

This is one of a series of board games, I have only finished this one I linked though. The full set is:

These are very reading-heavy games, and a lot of note-taking. It does require you to be patient and really make the mental connection of the evidence rather than just follow the storyline.

In this game, you play as Wiggins, helping Sherlock Holmes solve some crimes...although you will always find out in the end that he has already solved the case before you lol. And worse, you have to compare your steps with his to score yourself...it is a disaster I have stopped trying to match his effectiveness lolololol

Anyway, I personally like the game because the rules are simple but the gameplay is complicated in a good way. It kind of gives me the feeling of being a real detective--going around to talk to people (meaning searching the map & directory and then reading the booklets), piecing information together, and eventually making my own deduction. But it could be a bit challenging if you are not up to an entirely text-based game.

The writing style is canon-like and elegant. The mysteries are not easy and take a while to solve. Warning: don't try to beat Sherlock Holmes, you will only give yourself a harder time than it already is :p

I've played a lot of Exit puzzle games and was delighted when this one was first released. I enjoyed it. It is a puzzle game that requires a lot of thinking outside the box, and finding clues inside the box (literally). In this game you play as some anonymous detective(s) who help Watson to find and exonerate Sherlock Holmes, who was framed by some villain (you know who but not really in this particular game), hence lying low for the time being.

If you have played the Exit series before you will know what you expect, but I think the puzzle makes more sense than the average of these games. If you haven't, I do recommend giving it a try if you are up to some weird but fun puzzle-solving. They really have tons of novel ways to construct a puzzle. A warning: this game is not replayable. A lot of puzzle-solving process requires you to destroy some game pieces.

Many Sherlock Holmes canon references too! And they designed a nice logo for Holmes ^w^

The story is so-so...I mean, it's a puzzle game, who cares about the story lol. I do find it a bit silly but that's expected. The puzzle is enjoyable and in my opinion not too hard or too easy.

And...this one; also one of a series of games, but I don't bother to find the rest of the set because this is the one I don't recommend. Like, I don't even know or care if this particular one in the link is what I've played. (I can't even find them on the Board Game Geek site so have to give an Amazon link.)

It's a card game in that you play cards and build evidence, Ideally co-op but can be done solo. I find the game mechanics really unbalanced that can be exploited. The mysteries themselves are alright, nothing bad but not really impressive either. The thing really bothers me is that I feel it has nothing to do with Sherlock Holmes, though you supposedly are assuming his role? But the cases happen so randomly over time and space, like in 16th-century Spain or something (at least the one I played was like that). All other games make you feel you are playing a Sherlock Holmes game, even though you are someone else, and this one is just...the opposite, somehow lol.

But if you just want to enjoy some random mysteries and don't care too much about the game balance/mechanics, or stories/writings, or if it is Sherlock Holmes related at all, I guess it is not that bad...?

These are the ones I've played/remember playing so far. Maybe in the future I will try more and post reviews here!

As for video games...come on, there is almost only Frogwares, nothing much new to review--which is really a surprise for me; I thought there would be tons of them. But who knows maybe it is a copyright thing and now since now Sherlock Holmes enters the public domain, we can see if there are more popping up in the future.

[owlixx]

Kirby Copy Ability Thoughts

Animal - Pretty cute, useful for digging, decent in combat, would love to see it come back

Archer - Perfect, wonderful, amazing. Love varied movesets.

Backdrop - Great when merged with fighter later

Ball - I hate this one, yet I would love to see it return

Beam - A classic, prefer it when it has a more diverse moveset. Love the dash air attack and the infinite air spin

Beetle - One of my favs, super fun and fluid to use

Bell - Again, slept on, really enjoy the dash attack and the look

Bomb - I always avoid this one, it just feels very plain jane to me

Bubble - Gets a little overwhelming to have to manage all the bubbled abilities, but genuinely interesting. Would love to see a way for it to return.

Burning - Great when it becomes merged with fire later

Circus - Not a huge fan of this one, doesn't feel like I am in control

Cleaning - Interesting how it is worthless for Kirby but good for his friends, and love that Star Allies uses it to reference those games

Cook/Crash/etc. - I barely ever use these unless they are obviously offered right before a boss fight

Copy - Such a funny one. Niche, but I wouldn't mind seeing it return. The Tac is such an iconic enemy too

Cupid - bring him back! Feels like a downgraded UFO, which I like. More abilities like this that really change the way Kirby moves, for better or worse

Cutter - A classic, maybe my favorite of the core abilities. Great for bosses once you can aim and charge it.

Doctor - Not a huge fan. Cute theming but feels like it lacks a gameplay purpose

ESP - Good on the mech for that one double boss fight, but otherwise cute theming and underwhelming power.

Fighter - Love to see it every time. The original varied moveset. Lost a bit of its uniqueness as other abilities also gained varied movesets but its always fun to see the flashy animations

Fire - Very reliable, love it for safely bashing bosses. Love the fire dash, love the flame wheel drop in Triple Deluxe

Freeze/Ice - I miss when he would turn blue for this one but the Parka is cute too! Love the ice blocks, the air attack, and most of all the iceball roll from Return to Dream Land. Always a fun and cute one.

Ghost - Never unlocked it but seems odd

Hammer - I mean, the king of weapon abilities. Always try to hold it as long as possible. Great for bosses. Love the dash air attack

Jet - Love using this in enviroments designed for it, fun that it turns the mech into a shmup

Laser - Really like this one for unique puzzle solving but less so for boss fights. Bring it back! I'd love to see this mix with other powers or an Ultra/upgraded version too

Leaf - A little underwhelming for such a late addition, but I really like this one for hitting aerial enemies. Feels situational. Bring it back.

Light - LOL I forgot about this one, its funny. Bring it back for the lolz

Magic - Enjoyed this in Squeak Squad, felt wacky but usable. Bring it back.

Metal - Superior to stone in every way (except cute references). Bring it back NOW

Mike - I never use this but I think it is funny that the mech version isn't single use

Mirror - THE GOAT, my all time favorite copy ability. Useful for all occasions, especially when they add the pillar attack. Only reason to leave it out of a Kirby game is to give the other abilities a fighting chance for my attention

Missile - I like that it is hard to use. Bring it back

Needle - Sucked until you could shoot the spines.

Ninja - Never connected with this one much despite its ubiquity

Parasol - A bit situational, but a reliable one that ages well as the moveset grows

Plasma/Spark - Was never a huge fan of these until I learned their boss-killing potential late into Return to Dreamland, but I still hate wiggling the stick. RtDL helped by allowing motion control for charing up

Poison - Not bad, its cute, great for boss killing, deserves to return

Sleep - I like there being one bad ability

Spear - Really like this one being included as bandana's weapon!

Stone - Actually never liked this one, maybe it got a better moveset at some point that I never picked up on

Suplex/Throw - Great but prefer when merged with Fighter

Sword - Not really a huge fan except for the dash aerial or mixing with elements or underwater

Tornado - Great for bosses, great for levels. Love its power being counter balanced by its difficulty of use

UFO - I never understood why this is such a rare ability when it seems like it just slows you down

Water - This one seems like it should've been included sooner. Love the dash attack

Wheel - Adore this one, always improves a game by being present. Lends itself to unique platforming level design. Great when you can ride an ally. Hate the mech suit version though

Whip - Never connected with this one, seems like it doesn't do enough damage to be worth using on bosses but isn't mobile enough for level clearing

Wing - Really enjoy this one, I love any ability that changes Kirby's movement options

Yo-Yo - So rare that it really reminds me of Super Star, and I love Gim's design. Really glad this one is in Star Allies.

Overall, I basically just like the abilities in Super Star especially since Mirror and Yo-Yo are two of my favorites. But I also really like Archer, Beetle, and Bell introduced in Triple Deluxe. Shout out to Return to Dream Land too though for Spear and Water. And the last shout out goes to Squeak Squad for having the guts to replace Stone with Metal.

[bahamutgames]

AFTERTHOUGHTS - ROUNDUP ROUND 12

April 2024

Hello again!

It's been a HECTIC year so far. I've been very busy and frankly, just burnt out. Even with playing video games. So I really wasn't playing much of anything during that huge move I had to do. BUT, last month, I got a new phone and it's SO much better at playing games than my old one was. So I've been giving mobile gaming a shot, and I think it's been really helping to slowly get me back into gaming again.

So! To finally get back into the groove of doing my little afterthoughts stuff, here's some mobile (and some not mobile) games I played last month!

And as always, these aren't reviews, just my thoughts, please play everything I talk about if it interests you.

Super R-Type (July 13, 1991) - SNES

Another day, another FANTASTIC shmup with a new gimmick I've never seen before. I know I constantly say it, but this is the genre that keeps on giving for me. Every time I think I've seen everything you can do with it, I play a new one that does something brand new with it. AND THEY'RE USUALLY OLD GAMES! They had this shit figured out ages ago.

SO, Super R-Type's main gimmick is your little mobile drone sidekick. It's a ball that shoots out additional bullets for you, as you'd expect. But you as the player can actually fully control its movement, shooting it out as a big blast, leaving it stationary on the map, or having it trail around you as it tries to follow you when you call it back. Even the direction it links up with you matters, as you can link it to your back and have bullets fire from behind you, which is very helpful! It's REALLY neat and basically makes it feel like you're controlling a puppet fighter! There's also your standard red, green, and blue bullets with upgrades. But these special bullets were particularly interesting to me because they REALLY interact with the level in a way I feel like I hadn't seen. Like red, which shoots fire pillars that snake across the top and bottom of the map. Or, the best one, blue, which shoots lasers that bounce off walls!

The sprites, music, game feel, designs, and everything in this game totally rule! In fact, it rules a little too much! This game is constantly being crushed under its own weight and was lagging like CRAZY! Combined with some pretty brutal amounts of enemies and narrow passages to fly through, having your speed change so much at random can make the game pretty difficult. I imagine, if the lag was there on the SNES, this game was a bit of a nightmare to play. Obviously way easier with rewind though. But other than that, cool game!

Molecano (December 8, 2023) - Mobile

Another wonderful game from the creator of Dadish! I wanted to try this game when it launched SO BADLY but my old phone just wasn't compatible with it. BUT MY NEW ONE IS! So I went OFF, unlocking every character and making it to level 400 before deciding to take a break lol. I think that's far enough to share my thoughts.

This game is SO cute! You play as a mole in a volcano and have to pick up food on the lava by building bridges by spelling words using 6 letters. The 6 letters always spell at least 1 word, which you can watch an ad to reveal, but of course you'll need to use many words of different lengths to beat each stage.

This game is a ton of fun! I actually really enjoyed trying to figure out all the anagrams and making them connect to each other properly. The graphics are cute and the music is so jazzy and nice. It's a really simple word game but I think the inclusion of scrabble-like mechanics and having to actually place the words down with purpose make it really interesting.

I do have some issues with it though. Mostly the fact that no level can be replayed, which is fine. But I'd LOVE to have some sort of catalogue for every word I've used, or my best/biggest words, my most impressive plays, most coins, ect ect. It feels like it's missing that to really make what I'm doing kinda matter? And also that some of the later levels get REALLY brutal. Requiring you to do the level exactly as intended to beat. Which kinda sucks. But outside of that, most of my complaints are nitpicks like the bosses just being the same as the levels or characters being too expensive (you can't spend real money on them though so it's okay)

Crazy Taxi (2013) - Mobile

HEY HEY!! I'm actually a HUGE Crazy Taxi fan. I play my 360 copy of it a lot, play it every year at various cons on the original cabinet. And, when I found out it had a phone port I could run, I of course gave that a shot too!

This phone port works SURPRISINGLY well, I was not expecting to go so smoothly. But even with touch screen controls it feels fairly good to play and runs nicely. Still has good music and even nice graphics. It feels like a pretty uncompromised port of the game, which is awesome! And even though it has ads, you just watch one really quick ad before each run. So they're really unintrusive which is awesome and really shocking for a phone game lol.

I also beat Crazy Box for the first time (I'm not sure what other ports have this I haven't really explored the menus for this game much it seems) and had a pretty good time with it although some missions were pretty brutal. But it helped me learn a lot of how to play this game better which is fun! Not really too much to say here, Crazy Taxi rules and this phone port is fun! That final mission (and the one before it where you have to find a bunch of guys) was TOUGH as fuck though

Handshakes (2022) - Mobile

Ah this one was so cute! After playing a couple things from the playstore, I thought it'd be fun to see what indie stuff I could find on itch for phones... There surprisingly isn't much that isn't nsfw (which believe me, I tried a lot of those too lol) but this one is absolutely a winner!

Handshakes is a really short puzzle game where you have 2 guys on either end of a puzzle room, and they can extend their hands REAAAAAALLY far. And you have to use this to push blocks and solve puzzles to get both hands to meet in the middle for a handshake. It's simple but SO much fun and really had me stumped a couple times! It can get really complex too as later levels require you to cut off your hands (they grow right back) and use the severed limb to hold down switches, it's neat! Cute and goofy visuals, calming music too, this one is a winner for sure! I'll be very excited awaiting the sequel!

Sex Advice Succubus (2023) - Mobile

One of those earlier mentioned NSFW games. Well... this one is probably sfw cause there's no nsfw visuals, it's all in the text. This is a cute little game where you play as a succubus who gives a sex advice service online. You coach 2 monsters (a ghost and an incubus) through their sexual problems and concerns. It's a simple visual novel but it's VERY cute! Having around 10 endings which is impressive for a game with only 2 short routes, a selection of calm and relaxing music to listen to, and even a comfort mechanic that determines the endings you get.

My only REAL complaint is that it might be too easy, like it's surprisingly difficult to get the bad endings and make clients really uncomfortable. Which is, maybe for a best? I guess I just feel like I wanted some more consequences, but I think I'm game-ifying it in my brain too much lol.

This game is VERY cute and I actually think a lot of people would really enjoy it! So I wanted to be sure to give it a shout out! Check it out if cute sex positive monster girl visual novels sound fun to you!

TOMATO CLINIC (April 13, 2020) - Mobile

Another VN! There's a lot of them available for phones I'm seeing. Not usually my cup of tea (I want something with a bit more action and hitting monsters) but I certainly don't mind a bit of reading. Some culture for you.

Tomato Clinic is a cute visual novel where you play as a human getting a tour of a blood clinic made to supply vampires with food! It's pretty cute with very charming visuals, premise, music, and a cute little lore for how vampires work and function in its world. You also get to play fun educational vampire related activities! Isn't that lovely?

I don't really have much more to say on this one, but it's cute and free and a good time if you're looking for something vampire related! I recommend it, it's a great thing to spend some time with.

WarioWare: Twisted! (October 14, 2004) - GBA

LET'S GOOOOOO!! I've wanted to play this game for AGES! But it's so unreasonably expensive. And for the longest time I couldn't find a GBA emulator that didn't require payment for gyro control. But don't worry, the new and improved Green has a bigger brain and can get anything I so require. SO! WarioWare Twisted! THIS GAME RULES!! Genuinely, this might be one of my new favorite entries in the series!

In addition to your general WarioWare compliments, great characters, fun cutscenes, addictive and frantic gameplay, surprisingly good music, this game has some really specific stuff it does really well! Mainly, the actual gyro gameplay. I don't know if it's just the emulator (which I don't think it is, I'll explain why in the next game) but this game feels GOOD! Like, REALLY good, the gyro just works PERFECTLY! So the minigames are incredibly fun and goofy and throwing my phone everywhere to try and figure out what to do for each game was a blast. I think I liked this and how it controlled even better than Gold's gyro minigames. Though, again, this could just be a compliment to the phone emulator I used.

Also, this game has a lot of firsts that I had no idea came from this. Like 18-volt, I think Mona's pets?, I'm pretty sure interactive cutscenes were new to this one, and most impressively: THIS GAMEBOY ADVANCE GAME HAS A FULLY ORIGINAL LYRICAL TRACK IN IT!? I could have SWORN Mona's Pizza was from Touched! But I was blown away when I heard it in this! That's awesome!! Wario really is always pushing the GBA so much lmao. I don't really know if I have anything rude to say about this one, I genuinely had a blast with it! PUT THIS ON NSO NINTENDO!!! DON'T THOSE JOYCONS GOT GYRO IN THEM!?

Also I think Game & Wario is the only Wario Game I've never beaten now??? Unless you count Wario's Woods... But we can all agree that's a Toad game, right? Right?

Yoshi Topsy-Turvy (December 9, 2004) - GBA

*sigh*

It's time... to talk about... Yoshi Topsy-Turvy...

So since I was able to play Twisted for the first time, a nagging voice in the back of my head kept telling me "Now you have to beat Topsy-Turvy!!" And sadly, I couldn't just say no. I have a bit of a history with this game. I got it when I was a kid for my GBA, it was a bit more expensive than the other games at my local used game store if I recall correctly, but it had the gyro stuff which looked cool. So I wanted to play it!

Surprise surprise, this game sucked! And I could never beat it. But nowadays, I have a deeper appreciation for Yoshi games. I think Yoshi games are really underrated. Stuff like Story and Crafted World are REALLY good in my opinion. And with a great phone emulator, I could at least cheat my way through it right?... Surprise Surprise, this game still sucks!

Okay, let me be a little fair. It has some... okay graphics (I think going 3D drags them down hard though, just doing 2D would've been SO much better and looked nicer). And it has... music... I mean, it's not out of tune kazoos or anything. And the spirits of the island are cute, right? Look, it's a neat concept, but in my opinion it fails to deliver on those concepts in almost every way. The challenges are just boring at best and downright infuriating at worst. The story is kinda nonexistent. And the gameplay feels SO bad.

So, the reason why I don't think my emulator made Twisted better than it actually was is because, this emulator makes YTT feel IDENTICAL to my physical copy (I checked). And Twisted gives the player full 360 rotation, like, it can tell down to an angle where I'm tilting. Some microgames fully requiring you to turn the console upside down! And I can't prove it, but I think YTT fails at this because it's gyro is kind of fake. It just tells when the GBA is Left/Center/Right and then just full tilts the screen to that. So there's no nuance in how things move and tilt. Which is rough because this platformer kinda wants you to have that nuance. Then you add on having to tilt in the right direction to walk on walls or jump properly. Which is all cool ideas! But I think they just fall flat because the gyro is so basic. So the game just feels, bad. At least in my opinion.

I could never properly explain why the gyro felt so bad, but playing Twisted really showed me how good GBA Gyro COULD be! And again, maybe I'm completely off base, but this is just how I feel about YTT's control. It makes some minigames a nightmare and overall the game just doesn't feel good to play. I'm happy to finally have it beaten, but this is kinda no questions asked still the worst Yoshi game.

Regardless, I think I've played every Yoshi game now? Yoshi NES, Safari, Touch & Go... Is this the end of my Yoshi ride? What a shame, I feel like I really do get more of a kick out of this fella's games than most people do.

Tong Jyun (February 26, 2021) - Mobile

And last, but not least, one more VN! This is from the same creator as Tomato Clinic, I was actually looking for a DIFFERENT VN they had made... But it cost money and this was free so I went with it lol.

In this game, you play as a Chinese girl living with her girlfriend while her mom teaches her how to make the titular Tong Jyun over the phone. It's another VN but this one is maybe my favorite of what I played this month because of how unique and cool the set up and format it. The game is inside a fake Phone OS, and you actually receive texts and respond to them (not really you just click but it's still cute) and have a full conversation with your girlfriend and your mom. It's just a really interesting set up for a VN!

But where this game REALLY shines is the minigames! They're super simple, I don't even know if you can lose them. But again the way they're presented is SO creative and cute. Your mom says she's gonna video call you (and I was in a crowded place atm so I was like "OH FUCK) but thankfully there's no talking. Instead, your character is livestreaming herself making the food to her mom. And these are the minigames, you actually have to make the food. Again it's simple but the framing of the phone os, and the video calls, it's so genius and fun to me. I was really impressed with this one. If you only check out one VN I talked about today, I think you should check out this one. Literally my only complaint is that the music section lasts too long and I thought I broke the game lmao

[superrex319]

Fire Emblem Engage Thoughts

So, I finished Engage, and while I will probably sit on some ideas for a bit and maybe one day do another playthrough, these are just some of my initial thoughts on the game. Which, from my understanding, aren't all that different from the general consensus I've seen so far

The Good

The gameplay is a heck of a lot of fun. Interesting maps, the break mechanic is super fun to use, and well, it's Fire Emblem, so of course it's fun.

Most of the cast are quite charming and the supports can be nice, if you can actually get them. Some of the standouts for me were Yunaka (best girl), Alcryst, Timerra, Lapis, Panette, Rosado, Veyle, Mauvier, and Jade. But there were others who I wanted to get to know more but didn't have the chance to

Using the Rings is pretty fun and a neat little power boost

You can adopt every animal you see and it's great

The Somniel is gorgeous and it's nice that you can see characters actually using the various parts of it, like sometimes they're swimming or fishing or singing, it's cute

Sommie. He's perfect

The Bad

I saw someone compare the plot to Power Rangers and uh, yeah I can't disagree. I like Power Rangers, but it is a kids show, and this game's story is about as complex as that. That's not necessarily a bad thing...but it doesn't really work

I have no idea why, but they made getting supports for characters way more difficult. Now characters only build supports when attacking next to each other, so no points build up on the enemy's turn which is half of the battle. There were several supports that I wanted to see that I just couldn't get this time around

Most of the minigames in the Somniel are...not great

Why does the game insist on giving the bad guys attempted sympathetic qualities moments before they die? There are like two of the bad guys that are horrible, abusive monsters, and the game tries really hard to make you feel bad about them as they die but like, they were so horribly bad that I just didn't care at that point. If they wanted me to feel sympathy for them, they should have either tried to seed it in earlier, or just made them not utterly terrible the rest of the game

For a game that wants you to spend a lot of gold, they sure as hell do not give you any and I was so strapped for cash the whole game. Maybe that was intentional, but it wasn't fun

Why do the extra skirmishes scale with level? I wish that they were like in Awakening where they scaled on location. That way, it would actually be possible to level up weaker units instead of leaving over half of my army in the dust

The Ugly

Such a strange complaint, but the UI is nonsense. Why are the supports in a sub menu? It also just looks kind of ugly

The character designs aren't great. I've seen them compared to gacha games and, yeah... I doesn't help that every female character looks super young, except Saphir who looks like she's 60 when she's apparently 35? It doesn't make any sense

The Undecided/Average

I'm not sure how I feel about Alear as a main character. It's nice that they are fully voiced, but maybe it's just a me thing, but I didn't really connect with them as much as I did other Avatars. I realize that it's not a common sentiment but I actually really connected with both Robin and Byleth, though I'd need a whole other post to explain that more. And even if I didn't personally connect with them as much, I still feel like I enjoyed Corrin and Shez more. Maybe if I play the game again I'll feel a stronger connection, but it just wasn't there this time. Also, why can't they turn into a dragon? They're the literal child of a dragon! Such a shame

The thing is, I liked the game, but I also found it to be pretty, middling. It's like the exact middle of my Fire Emblem list. Enjoyable, but not something I'm gonna obsess over like I do with Awakening, Three Houses, Sacred Stones, or Path of Radiance

I think it may be because I value the story and characters of an FE game more than the combat. It's harder to get invested in the combat when I don't vibe as much with the world and the people in it

[bukguhope]

CLICHÉ | jjk 08

“how cliché”

“just pretend, you owe me”

summary: pretending to date never ended badly right? especially when there’s a dark secret involved

themes: jungkook x f.reader, enemies to lovers, childhood friends, mature

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"you're fucking with me right?"

"y/n come on he was so bothered when he saw us together and you've already done this before you're practically a pro" you narrowed your eyes at him, he had a cheeky smile on his face

"tae i think it's sweet you don't want your friend to be hurt but, ive had enough of these lies. plus why would he even care if we're dating he doesn't even like me at the moment?" he raises an eyebrow at you and you do the same action back

"he was totally jealous when we walked in. even if he doesn't know it" you scoff at this, you knew how hurt jungkook was and that he would never have those types of feelings for you again

"with all due respect i think you're wrong"

"with absolutely no respect, you're stupid" you couldn't help but laugh at him. it was cute to see how passionate he was about this and admirable he was willing to do anything to get his friend out of a bad relationship. "y/n, let's just try it my way. if it doesn't work i promise to leave it and let him date the devil" you chuckle at him but you couldn't bring yourself to go against jungkooks wishes. he said he never wanted to see you again and parading around with his friend pretending to date him was certainly against that.

"tae i can't. he wants me to stay out of his way and iam going to do that so let's move on and order dessert?" he looks disappointed but nods and calls the waiter over. taehyung wasn't going to give up that easily though. in his head, as he watched you order, he was plotting something. he couldn't help but smile to himself, he knew it was going to work.

"so i have a showcase for some photography work i did last month, would you like to come?" he asks once the waiter leaves and you smile

"of course i'd like to come. i can't wait to see your work"

and a week later you were there by his side, looking at the pretty photographs he had taken. the theme he had was nature and every picture you laid your eyes on were stunning, taehyung had such a talent. and the ballroom that held the display was almost as beautiful. tall ceilings and a traditional design. there was even people dancing together in the middle of the exhibition.

"are you enjoying yourself?" the man himself asks, handing you a glass of champagne which you take with a smile.

"iam having a great time thank you for inviting me. you're very talented" looking over his shoulder he turned back in a rush and took the champagne back out of your hand

"that can wait actually, i'd like to dance. be my partner?" he asks and how could you deny such a request. he places the glass down on a near by table and grabs your hand leading you to the dance floor. he places his other hand on your waist, pulling you in close and swaying to the gentle music playing. "forgive me" he says suddenly, confusing you, before he leans down and plants a kiss onto your lips making you freeze. he pulls back before you could register what happened. and suddenly you're being dragged by an unknown person to outside of the venue. on the way you turn your head and notice, it's jungkook. once outside he turns to you and let's go of your arm.

"are you deliberately trying to embarrass me?" he seethes and you're still trying to process what's happening "well, not gonna say anything for yourself?"

"i need a minute" you state hand in the air to motion for him to stop but he mocks a laugh

"so what you actually are dating taehyung now?"

"jungkook i didn't even know you were here" you try and justify as your brain begins to connect the pieces. taehyung did this on purpose and you had to applaud his persistence

"what and that makes it okay?" he asks and now you're simply confused.

"what do you want from me? even if i was dating him what is it to you? iam sick and tired of walking on egg shells every damn day for you. i've listened to you jungkook, i've stayed away it's not my fault taehyung invited us both!" you let out the pent up frustration you've had all month since last seeing him and now he's just getting on your nerves. you tried so hard to avoid him, like he asked.

"what i want is for you to get out of my sight" with that you began to walk away, brushing his shoulder as you did but he grabs your wrist "no wait"

"what! iam literally doing as you ask"

"i don't know y/n!" he yells slightly and getting a little out of breath "seeing you again, it's confusing for me. iam still hurt, i want you to explain. i need to know y/n." you were shocked at how broken his voice sounded. and your heart ached, you wanted to tell him you really did but you just can't.

"ask your girlfriend" a voice calls out making you too look away from each other to its source. taehyung was stood a little away from the pair of you, his hands in his trousers pockets.

"my girlfriend?” he thinks before realising “lily? why would i ask her?" jungkook asks and you shake your head at taehyung, begging him not continue. the man in front of you looks between the two of you before settling his eyes on you "so, he knows and i still don't? for fuck sake! once again iam kept out the loop." jungkook explodes and you've never seen such an expression on his face. the explanation is on the top of your tongue but it just won't come out, it can't.

"jungkook iam so sorry" you mutter out before walking away, making sure to drag taehyung along with you.

"i can't believe you tae, why would you do this?" you ask once you're back inside the venue, sat on a table not far from the entrance.

"you know why. and iam sorry i kissed you but i was right, he was jealous"

"no he was angry because it's embarrassing for him. what most people who know you guys think is that iam his ex, now suddenly his friend is with her? it looks bad" you try and explain with getting angry at him but he just shakes his head at you

"that's what he says y/n but it's not the truth. look iam sorry again let's just forget it and have a good night. i want to introduce to some of my friends" and as soon as he finished three handsome men walked up to the table you were sat at and taehyung stood up to greet them with a big smile upon his face. you weren't really listening to what words were being exchanged because you couldn't stop staring at the men stood in front of yourself, it was like when you met tae all over again

"and this is y/n, she's a childhood friend of jungkook" you caught the end of his sentence and you stood up with a gentle smile "this is yoongi" he pointed to the man stood right next to him and he was just ethereal. you couldn't actually quite believe someone that looked like him was real "and that's jimin" the most heart warming smiles appeared on his face and you returned it. "then he's seokjin" he pointed to man who stood closest to you and you were sure he had to be a model, it was like he had the perfect everything.

"it's really nice to meet you all" you said and you all sat down, seokjin took a seat next to you while yoongi and jimin sat on each side of tae

"it nice to meet you too, so you're childhood friends with jungkook?" yoongi asks with a small smile, starting conversation. but his subject choice made you uncomfortable

"ah yeah we were. we lost contact when were seventeen"

"you were sixteen actually" a voice interrupts us and you look behind you to see jungkook stood behind you, giving you a look before he sat right next you. you looked away from him and over to tae who was staring jungkook down "i was seventeen, you weren't" he clarified, annoying you.

"jungkook! great to see you again" jimin says with a nice big smile and jungkook gives back a small one before saying the same

"like a university reunion right now" seokjin laughs beside making everyone else chuckle, except jungkook, who was chugging down his champagne he bought with him.

"been a while since we've all gotten together like, so what's new" yoongi asks the table and jungkook decides he's gonna reply

"oh not too much just getting back stabbed by a so called friend" the table immediately grows awkward and tae scowls at the man while the others just look at each other

"really? you think that was appropriate to say" tae scolds him and jungkook smirks, letting out a chuckle

"you think what you've been doing is appropriate" you didn't know what to do with yourself, he was making this so awkward.

"guys what's going on? you're best friends" seokjin comments and you internally groan

"we was but jungkook turned into an inconsiderate ass-"

"taehyung, language" yoongi nudge his friend and you just wanted the ground to open up and swallow you whole. that would be more pleasant then this whole encounter

"oh iam the asshole?" jungkook laughs, taking another big gulp of his drink and finishing the glass "you're the one running around on dates with y/n behind my back and keeping secrets" the men you just  met all looked at you and you avoided eye contact with all of them.

"and you're the one running around with your bitch of an ex behind my back and ignoring my entire existence" jungkook looks at the man enraged, if looks could kill taehyung would be six feet under

"guys enough, we're here to celebrate taehyung's beautiful work. there's a much better time to sort out whatever is going on here" jimin states and you're relieved he's trying to put an end to this whole situation

"exactly jimin, these photos are amazing taehyung you should be very proud" seokjin praises him and the man smiles, thanking him.

"yeah but why's that one over there covered up?" yoongi asks, point to a frame on a stand not too far from the table with a red velvet cover slung over it

"well, that would be the highlight of the exhibit. and it's time i unveil it i think" he explains before standing and leaving the table. he talked to someone before the music stopped and he was handed a microphone "thank you all for coming tonight, iam the photographer behind these pictures" he says and everyone gives him an applause before he continues "i love all of these pieces but this one right here" he says and he walks over to the stand that was covered  "this is my favourite, and i've kept it as the highlight for this evening. so i give to you the title of this piece, 'young forever' " he beams before ripping off the cloth and your eyes spread wide. on the stand was a picture of, you? you were stood beneath a cherry blossom tree, arms in the air with one leg up. a bright smile painted on your face. you couldn't believe he made a picture he took on one of your outings the highlight of his exhibit. everyone began applauding once again and the music began to play again as the guest walked up to the frame to get a better look. taehyung returned to the table after a couple of minutes and you were still too stunned to say anything. and so was jungkook. he stared at the picture and his chest began to get heated, was he jealous?

"y/n what do you think of my main piece?" taehyung asked cheekily once he reaches the table and you shook you're head with a soft smile on your face

"tae, the picture is beautiful. iam really honoured you made it the highlight" jungkook scoffed at the nickname you gave him. he found it ridiculous that you only got close during one month and the pair of you act like you're in some romantic movie.

"taehyung thank you for inviting us tonight, it was nice to see you but i've got to get these two men home before they dry out the bar" jin states and he was right to make yoongi and jimin go home, throughout taehyungs small speech they cleared several drinks "y/n it was nice to meet you, jungkook don't be a stranger" he smiles before getting the two men up

"y/n! yoongi calls over the table as he stumbles to his feet "you are a very pretty lady, i see why taehyung made you the main picture" he began to laugh as you grew embarrassed and jungkook rolled his eyes

"ok don't embarrass the nice women let's go while you two can still walk" jin says before pushing them to the exit. you smile and wave at them as they go

"so you just going to pass yourself around my entire friendship group?" jungkook spits, you and tae look at him in shock. he is taking his hatred for you too far

"man that is way too far you need to shut the fuck up" taehyung hisses, you never seen him this angry and he was little scary.

"whatever hope you two have a nice life" he grumbles before standing but he immediately stumbles forward due to the amount he's been drinking. and he tumbled right into your lap, your hands go to his arms to help him stand but he shrugs you off and stands straight "don't touch me" he grumbles before walking off, swaying as he did

"i can't let him walk off like that iam just going to make sure he gets a ride home safely" you say before getting up and following him outside. when you do you see him tripping over his own feet and fumbling with car keys. "jungkook you're not driving!" you shout and he turns around to face you with a scowl on his face

"don't tell me what to do" he slurs and and you huff and walk over to him as he trying to unlock his car. you go to take the keys out of his hands but he's stubborn and tussles with you

"jungkook you're drunk give me the damn keys" you seethe through you teeth

"no" he mumbles and keeps his grip on them tight

"stop fighting and give them to me"

"no" now you began to lose your patience, placing one hand on his wrist and the other on the keys you begin to pry them off him. suddenly you rip them from his hands and the force of it makes him stumbles backwards and he turns as he falls, landing on his face.

"jungkook!" you shout in horror as you kneel down to help him but he turns and starts flailing his hands around, knocking you away from him

"stop acting like you care y/n! leave me alone" you sighed but wanted to respect his wishes, and with his car keys safely in your hands you stand up and begin to walk back in "y/n! you can't leave me down here!" he cries out like a little kid and you stop in your tracks and take a deep breath before turning back to him. kneeling down to him you grab him by his hands and try to lift him but he was dead weight at this point and wasn't putting any effort to get up

"jungkook" you spoke softly "i really need you to at least try and get up" he looked up at you and your heart began to ache. his face was so sad and his eyes were teary. trying once again, you give him a big pull and he rises to his feet but stumbles into you. holding onto his waist, you try and stop him from falling again "did you hurt anything? are you in pain anywhere?" you asked concerned and he simply leans away from you and taps a spot on his chest, right where his heart is

"it hurts here, my heart hurts" you frown at him, you didn't even know what to say. but he huffs and his hands run up your arms and they rest on your shoulders

"okay lean on your car jungkook, can you do that for me?" you ask nicely and he nods before dropping his arms and turning to the car. he places his hands on the roof and you can't help but chuckle as it looks like he's getting arrested

"don't laugh at me" he pouts and you simply smile. unlocking his car you grab onto his waist again and shuffle him away from the back door so you can get him in

"go sit in there, i'll take you home" he takes his hands off the roof and dives into the backseat, immediately laying down. you close the door and turn around to see tae making his way over

"how is he doing?" he asks, despite his actions tonight he was still worried about his friend.

"he's in a bad way, iam going to drive him home. i haven't drank anything. thank you for bringing me here" you smile he returns it. leaning down he give you a tight hug but jumps away when the drunk man behind you in his car begins to bang on the windows. the pair of you turn to look at him

"get off her!" he calls out through the window and taehyung laughs before leaning down once again, keeping eye contact with his drunk friend, he hugs you again. "ahhh stop!" jungkook shouts, it being muffled by the door. you pull away once you hear the door being clicked open. you quickly close it again and he falls back onto his seats.

[batteryrose]

Kenshin, Leon and Vlad for the ask thing :)

Hewwo :) glad you're somehow curious about what i think of these boys. OH and for anyone else reading potential spoilers ahead!!!!

Kenshin

who? | only know their name | loathe | ugh | overrated | indifferent | dead | alive | just okay | cute | badass | my baby | hot | want to marry | favorite

I haven't played ikesen in ages and the only route I finished are Nobunaga's and Masamune's... soo i don't have any opinion on him. I do think his penchant for fighting/killing people is hilarious. Very good potential shonen anime antagonist i'd say.

also heard he locks you up? not usually into that behavior. HOWEVER.................... Trans King

now for the spoilers zone:

Leon

who? | only know their name | loathe | ugh | overrated underrated | indifferent | dead | alive | just okay | cute | badass | my baby | hot | want to marry | favorite | should've been a based character

His route doesn't do him justice in my opinion. I think he's perfect for some sort of a proper critique on feudalism...or something.............. but I'm asking too much from an otome game.

Could've been an amazing character, but I think the writers held back on the lore + relationship development with his other brothers because he's a starting character or something?? it sucks really. Like, you know how Clavis' route got a lot to do with Chev, Licht with Nokto, and Luke with Jin... etc. I feel like there's no connection with anyone else in Leon's route. Nokto shows up a lot but Leon doesn't really build anything with him. And his faction plays a role in the plot but it's not really a solid arc? He feels kinda disconnected with his brothers!

now THAT could've been interesting to explore given his backstory, but they didn't do that enough either. That's another thing. his backstory. I'm kinda tired of talking about it at this point but... bottom line, didn't really like how slavery is introduced and then never spoken about again. I never heard any other character's route explores it except Leon's. Makes it unnecessary (or implies that the other characters ignores it), because man, am I going to have to enjoy this romance game with slavery in the back of my mind? Especially since I like to write fics that explores the world/lore. I know there's a lot of other dark stuff going on in the game, but this is different for me

And like I said before, lore-wise his route didn't really add anything, except the slavery, that... doesn't even really matter in proceeding routes anyway.

Character-wise, he doesn't really make sense. He loves his brothers and the kingdom but as was shown in his flashback, he does not think that initially. There should've been a development shown where he goes from despising the royalty into... uh, let's say using his status to do what he thinks is right. I don't know. A lot is missing from him. He's got so much potential but imo they did him dirty

Anyway, bottom line bottom line, I want him to abolish the monarchy.

Vlad

who? | only know their name | loathe | ugh | underrated | indifferent | dead | alive | just okay | cute | badass | my baby | hot | want to marry | favorite |

I haven't read his route properly either, but I've heard enough. He KILLED wellington he's DEAD to me

I'm joking but, I think he's a underutilized villain. A lot of the routes before him hype him up a lot so I was expecting more evil. more schemin' and deceivin'. Perhaps more chaos? more.......irredeemable acts?

Also his motivation is what now? fixing the world by reviving old dead white men? alright, sus, but go on....

I'm Joking again but, yeah, from what i heard i jus expected more. but know what. I like the timey wimey stuff. and i love love his design tbh. if his route comes out in eng i may just read it. At the very least for the wellington KILLING scene. more wellesley deaths for character development PLEASE

[neesocks]

do you play animal crossing?? i love that series

i’ve never actually played an animal crossing game but they seem like something i’d enjoy

[weaselandfriends]

it's been a while since i last proposed that dress-up doll game idea for sister, and although my drawing device got busted, i have an old scan of my original idea? the final version was intended to look like the game Love Nikki- Dress UP Queen, with a sidebar showing each different outfit component and more hairstyles/dresses. sadly it was not meant to be...

cxc really interested me with its ideas about art(ifice) and so many of the descriptions of fashion in the consortium interested me. the alchemist is a galatea clad in gold, van der gramme is mysterious and wreathed in smoke, and sister is- a small anime girl in lolita clothing? all of their styles are intensely unique, so it ties in with the thematic extremes of hot vs. cold, civilized society vs. the spirited individual, etc. sometimes i feel like my brain is a bit too small for all of this when it is so interested in the cute clothes.

still, something that really haunted me about certain non-fashion-related scenes were how they were brought back throughout the novel. for one, the first roleplay scene is depressing in hindsight. harper's alienated childhood is akin to the emptiness of space, her domestic fantasy with kyosuke is just as superficial as the kinkade painting, and the seraph is a break in the dream world just as terrifying as her nightmare about the cottage door opening. all these suppressed fears and desires bring some sympathy to her character imo, despite her self-professed selfishness/utter disregard for those around her.

it's kind little hard to imagine that the porn scenes were hard for you to write, because they were awfully eloquent and most of the time they didn't feel sexual at all, especially not later on. more like sublimated representations of the characters communicating or trying to exert control over each other? it feels explicit in, say, the allison apple rp when the participants cut in out-of-character, but setsuna's scene also struck me as a confession of weakness between harper and sister that wouldn't have happened without the masks of setsuna and the comtesse.

but hey, you are the author after all! i'd hate to be blathering on like this and still be misinterpreting what you meant. hopefully you enjoy the artwork, as rough as it is ^-^

I couldn't be more pleased with this art of Sister, finished or not. I feel like you did a great job of capturing of capturing her different outfits throughout the story; I particularly want to shoutout the "original Comtesse" design that so accurately captures the aesthetic of that early 00s era of gothic lolita (Petite Cosette, Rozen Maiden). Also I'm always gonna say "yea" to the Mami hat.

As for your commentary on the story itself, I don't think you're misinterpreting at all. When writing CxC I was heavily influenced by Rebellion, a film I've seen at least 10 times, which handles storytelling significantly via motifs and recurring visual elements as much as traditional forms of storytelling like plot/character/dialogue/etc. Rebellion is so jam-packed with details that twist and change shape and context throughout the narrative and I always get something out of rewatching it because I always make a new connection that I didn't notice before. I wanted to do that with CxC; that's the purpose of motifs like the spider and alchemy and so on. In Ch 4 Harper accidentally stumbles on a bit of poetry by an Armenian author regarding the Armenian genocide; in Mimmy's final chapter this poem returns in reference to the Armenian censor and is extended to refer to Mimmy's own prophecy of a populace "masturbating to death"--which is itself a phrase that appears three times throughout the story, all by different speakers in different contexts.

I hope the people who enjoyed CxC--or even the people who thought it might have had a spark, but didn't quite get it--will take the time one day to reread it, picking up on some more of those elements seeded throughout the story, deriving more meaning out of what's there. I think if you put in that effort you'll be rewarded for it.