#... i mean it's certainly an investigation

[fisheito]

me: idk i guess i'm not really into [specific kink] anyone: oh sorry then i won't show you t-- me: show it to me anyone: i thought you didn't like [specific kink] me: but how will i know if today is the day that changes? show it to me

[potterandpromises]

@ anon stop me if this isn't the footage you were talking about

(Discussion about possible Theo sighting in the leaked spoilery Arconia courtyard video.)

ENHANCE!

And at a slightly different angle:

Yeah this was filmed on a phone several stories up and I can't tell. But let's investigate:

I think the differentials here are height, hairline, and general build.

Height: According to those sketchy celebrity info websites, James Caverly (Theo) is 5′8″ and Jackie Hoffman (Uma) is 5′4″. That really doesn't look like a four inch height difference, or even a six inch height difference, but I don't know to what extent the angle of the video distorts things.

I think the height difference is why I dismissed this person as Theo when I first saw the video in May.

Hairline: I think it could be and that's all I'm gonna say.

Build: I think it's off but the longer I look at the picture the less I can tell. It also might just be the suit, as it doesn't look form fitting.

Another data point is the wardrobe. At another point in this episode (or at most the episode before it), Mabel is wearing the same exact shade of blue she wore in 2x07. In the OMITB podcast, the wardrobe people have repeatedly said they dress the characters to match the set or each other. It's possible Mabel was dressed for a scene in Theo's apartment.

Possibly-Theo is also matching the children whom I assume to be Will's. Cute!

Let's consider some other suspects:

Cliff:

Wesley Taylor (Cliff) is 5′9″, I can't imagine why Cliff would be at the wedding (even if he's not in jail,) and the ears look wrong, though I'd need more pixels to say for sure. The hairline, however, is very similar.

Paul Rudd:

Ben Glenroy is dead, but reviews and casting information indicate Paul Rudd is coming back as a new character (as Paul Rudd, perhaps?) He is 5′10.″ We have no idea, at present, if this character would have a reason to be at Oliver's wedding.

Other:

John Hoffman is the one officiating the wedding. With that in mind, it seems likely other behind-the-scene-ers are in the audience. I'm not going to post his picture for obvious reasons, but in this video you can see a makeup artist (?) who could be our guy. (Mostly I'm mentioning this just to like, say I called it if it is him.)

It could also be some other extra. A lot of the audience is not recognizable and we can assume many of them are just friends and relatives of Oliver and Loretta that are unknown to the viewer.

We've reached the end of this post. I think... it's more likely then not that this is Theo. As Mabel's friend/roommate he has a clear reason for being there. But I wouldn't give it super high odds, maybe 60/40. Maybe that's too hopeful, or maybe it's overly cautious. It's really the height that gives me pause.

Let's do a poll:

[jessicas-pi]

i hate re-listening to a song as an adult and realizing that it's not about what you thought it was about when you were a kid

[fideidefenswhore]

Yet, even Chapuys, who gives us this information, says earlier in the same letter that ‘there had been… talk of a new marriage for this king… which rumour agrees well with my own news from the court of France, where, according to letters [I have] received, courtiers maintain that this king has actually applied for the hand of Francis’ daughter’. Chapuys himself therefore does not connect up the rumours of a ‘new marriage’ with Jane Seymour. In early April, Jane was still little more than a lady whom the king was pursuing. At best, in accordance with the conventions of courtly love, she was the lady whom ‘he serves’ – a telling phrase. At worst, she was a passing fancy, whom Henry may have hoped to make his mistress. Chapuys certainly didn’t think much of Henry’s choice. He described Jane the day before Anne’s execution as ‘no great beauty’ and ‘not a woman of great wit’; he implied that she was unlikely to be a virgin, and reported that people said she was inclined ‘to be proud and haughty’. Yet, by this point, the world had changed, and with it, Henry’s intentions towards Jane. It is highly improbable that before Anne was considered guilty of adultery, Henry had seriously begun to plan to make Jane his wife.

1536: The Year that Changed Henry VIII, Suzannah Lipscomb

"I hear that, even before the arrest of the Concubine, the King, speaking with Mistress Jane Semel of their future marriage [...]"

[designernishiki]

You asked for a fic rec so I’ll toss this one at ya: https://archiveofourown.org/works/46767358?view_full_work=true Stick through the formatting for the characterization, tone, and really the whole vibe of this fic. I haven’t been able to get the bathroom call between Daigo and Majima out of my head for weeks since I read it with how naturally it all flows. My own little Daigo characterization booklet to review when I feel like I need a refresher on him.

so I may have stayed up until 6am reading this (would’ve slept earlier but I couldn’t stop reading it) and hgggahaghhhhaggahshhhhhhhh that was one of the most well-characterized fics I’ve ever read what the fuck. like the differences in how each character speaks (both tone-wise and in differing levels of authenticity) and how they speak to specific others (the daigo and majima dyanmic specifically- how they actually take into account how long they’ve been working really closely- SO good), the mental anguish and chaos vs the overwhelming emptiness of being daigo dojima but no longer The 6th Chairman Daigo Dojima……….I could keep going but I think you get it.

tbh I’d been wanting to write something exploring a similar set of dynamics/situation (post-kiryu’s fake death, interactions with haruka, daigo, and/or majima specifically, reflecting on his shortcomings while acknowledging the heavy Grief left behind) but now I’m like. well I still could but this was so well written in regards to daigo and haruka that, as far as something between those two goes, I don’t feel the need to.

thanks for the recommendation! my brain is broken now (affectionate)

[wkiwf]

46 minutes long youtube video "i hate my phone so i got rid of it" by eddy burback is something that can be so personal actually

[abeastfrombelow]

I felt very cynical going into work today, since I will be the usher at a theatrical performance of the story of Jesus. I know my abusers still frequent my area, and I'm not looking forward to potentially seeing them at my job.

However, as soon as I walk in, the introjects of my abusers become overjoyed and excited because they are Bible geeks and they want to watch the show. Which is objectively hilarious.

[carpe-mamilia]

Sorry @buttonhouseparty, I thought all your tags perfectly encapsulated what I thought when I first saw this post so I'm putting them here:

#hasn't it always been like this though? I feel like we've had this conversation ever since the beginning #obv I love the captain. but the fandom has always emphasised him heavily over other characters #even ben said that it surprised him how much the story resonated with fans #(alison is literally the main character and she gets less attention) #and since the start there's been the critique that the fandom never talks about anyone else #with the response always: well. you talk about other characters then. you create the content you want to see. #however the reasonable answer to that is #why bother to do that when you know other fans won't be interested + won't engage with it #I've always felt like: I absolutely hear that critique and I do understand the captain bias is annoying + potentially problematic #but people do fandom for fun and they're just going to focus on their fave #it puts me in the odd position of feeling like I'm 'contributing to the problem' whenever I reblog #and it makes me feel vaguely guilty for not enjoying the show in the right way

[...] #also I'm here as a comedy fan so I'm not very interested in doing deep dives on the characters' trauma #I like a bit of angst but I also like a compilation video of captain noises #I mean I'll reblog cap ship fanart #I love to see it and I like doing my part in sharing around other people's creative work #but I also adore a post discussing the idiots' writing and influences #but that's not what this fandom loves to do so I don't expect to see many posts like that

#AND I think many fans were deeply disappointed by the xmas finale and have wandered off to other things #the ppl who are still here are still enjoying shipping and sharing pics of ben looking hot #which is fine. that's a fun hobby! but I get that it's far from satisfactory for the whole ghosts community #anyway yeah. we've argued this one to death over the past five years and it just makes everyone fall out. I don't know what the answer is

controversial take but being a longtime ghosts fan over the past few months has just been watching the captain become increasingly more prevalent in tags and fan content to the point where almost no other character’s stories or personalities are explored and usually if they are, it’s in relation to the captain.

I’m gay, a lesbian, and the amount of fanbases I’ve seen fall to mostly straight women and become a whirlpool of one white, conventionally attractive gay man played by a straight man has been so disappointing. the captain is not the only character in ghosts. he is not the deepest or most tragic character in ghosts. it is a found family themed show. we, gay people, do not exist as tragic entertainment to be fetishised. the women in this show are rarely mentioned in comparison to the captain, Kitty had multiple scenes about her abusive sister, is implied to come from a horrific colonialist background and basically came out as asexual in season 5 and nobody talked about it, Mary died in a way that was so horrific they didn’t even show it on camera but havers had five minutes of screen time and he is everything now, apparently.

it’s to the point where you can’t escape it, no matter what tags related to the show you do or don’t follow. I’ve seen it before with the way the good omens fanbase changed from people who respected this incredible story criticising blind faith in religion with queer characters that inherently further that message into people calling them “uwu husbands” or whatever.

I’m not particularly angry, I’m just sad to see that the internet has turned into this again. I love the captain. I love ben, he’s a fantastic actor that I grew up admiring!!! but the captain is not the entire show and I think we need to think about why he takes up like. 85% of fan works.

[fozmeadows]

There's a lot of conversations to be had around the current influx of Americans to Xiaohongshu (RedNote/Little Red Book) ahead of the TikTok ban, many of which are better articulated by more knowledgeable people than me. And for all the fun various parties of both nationalities seem to having with memes and wholesome interactions, it's undoubtedly true that there's also some American entitlement and exoticization going on, which sucks. But a sentiment I've seen repeatedly online is that, if it's taken actually speaking to Chinese people and viewing Chinese content for Americans to understand that they've been propagandized to about China and its people, then that just proves how racist they are, and I want to push back on that, because it strikes me as being a singularly reductive and unhelpful framing of something far more complex.

Firstly: while there's frequently overlap between racism and xenophobia, the distinction between them matters in this instance, because the primary point of American propaganda about China is that Communism Is Fundamentally Evil And Unamerican And Never Ever Works, and thinking a country's government sucks is not the same as thinking the population is racially inferior. The way most Republicans in particular talk about China, you'd think it was functionally indistinguishable from North Korea, which it really isn't. Does this mean there's no critique to be made of either communism in general or the CCP? Absolutely not! But if you've been told your whole life that communist countries are impoverished, corrupt and dangerous because Communism Never Works, and you've only really encountered members of the Chinese diaspora - i.e., people whose families left China, often under traumatic circumstances, because they thought America would be better or safer - rather than Chinese nationals, then no: it's not automatically racist to be surprised that their daily lives and standard of living don't match up with what you'd assumed. Secondly: TikTok's userbase skews young. While there's certainly Americans in their 30s and older investigating Xiaohongshu, it seems very reasonable to assume that the vast majority are in their teens or twenties - young enough that, barring a gateway interest in something like C-dramas, danmei or other Chinese cultural products, and assuming they're not of Chinese descent themselves, there's no reason why they'd know anything about China beyond what they've heard in the news, or from politicians, or from their parents, which is likely not much, and very little firsthand. But even with an interest in China, there's a difference between reading about or watching movies from a place, and engaging firsthand, in real time, with people from that place, not just through text exchanges, but in a visual medium that lets you see what their houses, markets, shopping centers, public transport, schools, businesses, infrastructure and landmarks look like. Does this mean that what's being observed isn't a curated perspective on China as determined both by Xiaohongshu's TOU and the demographic skewing of its userbase? Of course not! But that doesn't mean it isn't still a representative glimpse of a part of China, which is certainly more than most young Americans have ever had before.

Thirdly: I really need people to stop framing propaganda as something that only stupid bigots fall for, as though it's possible to natively resist all the implicit cultural biases you're raised with and exist as a perfect moral being without ever having to actively challenge yourself. To cite the sacred texts:

Like. Would the world be a better place if everyone could just Tell when they're being lied to and act accordingly? Obviously! But that is extremely not how anything actually works, and as much as it clearly discomforts some to witness, the most common way of realizing you've been propagandized to about a particular group of people is to interact with them. Can this be cringe and awkward and embarrassing at times? Yes! Will some people inevitably say something shitty or rude during this process? Also yes! But the reality is that cultural exchange is pretty much always bumpy to some extent; the difficulties are a feature, not a bug, because the process is inherently one of learning and conversation, and as individual people both learn at different rates and have different opinions on that learning, there's really no way to iron all that out such that nobody ever feels weird or annoyed or offput. Even interactions between career diplomats aren't guaranteed smooth sailing, and you're mad that random teenagers interacting through a language barrier in their first flush of enthusiasm for something new aren't doing it perfectly? Come on now.

Fourthly: Back before AO3 was banned in China, there was a period where the site was hit with an influx of Chinese users who, IIRC, were hopping over when one of their own fansites got shut down, which sparked a similar conversation around differences in site etiquette and how to engage respectfully. Which is also one of the many things that makes the current moment so deeply ironic: the US has historically criticized China for exactly the sort of censorship and redaction of free speech that led to AO3 being banned, and yet is now doing the very same thing with TikTok. Which is why what's happening on Xiaohongshu is, IMO, such an incredible cultural moment: because while there are, as mentioned, absolutely relevant things to be said about (say) Chinese censorship, US-centrism, orientalism and so on, what's ultimately happening is that, despite - or in some sense because of - the recent surge in anti-Chinese rhetoric from US politicians, a significant number of Americans who might otherwise never have done so are interacting directly with Chinese citizens in a way that, whatever else can be said of it, is actively undermining government propaganda, and that matters.

What it all most puts me in mind of, in fact, is a quote from French-Iranian novelist and cartoonist Marjane Satrapi, namely:

“The difference between you and your government is much bigger than the difference between you and me. And the difference between me and my government is much bigger than the difference between me and you. And our governments are very much the same.”

And at this particular moment in history, this strikes me as being a singularly powerful realization for Americans in particular to have.

[shiftperception]

the sexual tension between me and posting some cryptic message with a spooky ending implying I intend to disappear on my insta story or somewhere. the cockblock of knowing it won’t be fun if I don’t actually go anywhere.

[nightingale-prompts]

Danny lives in a horror movie-DC x DP prompt

Based on my favorite book series "tales from the gas station"

It's not every day that a mission requires the league to travel to middle America in a bid to obtain a highly cursed artifact but it certainly is today.

Locating the Seal of Silent Ashes was a task usually given to Justice League Dark but Constantine was currently busy. So that meant it was left to the poster boys to get this done. They dressed in civilian attire to investigate the last location of the seal starting with the first building on the edge of town. A small dusty gas station near the woods.

The inside had an awful smell, like death and cleaning fluid. The lights gave off a greenish-blue tint. Rats could be seen out of the corner of your eyes. Most of the chips were offbrand and crappy.

Behind the counter was the teenage boy chewing gum. He looked up at the group before going back to reading his book. He had clearly seen better days but didn't show signs of caring about the state of his hair or bags under his eyes. He drank his coffee.

The air felt off.

"Hey kiddo, do you mind giving us directions?" Clark started.

The kid narrowed his eyes as he popped his gum.

"You're not from here. That or you're from that cult in the woods. Listen I'm not joining. Seriously, cosmic nihilism and fatalism sounds doomed. Hey wait-" the teen checked his notes " No, the cult killed themselves in that mass suicide 2 weeks ago. I forgot, sorry."

The teen didn't say anything else as he went back to his book.

The horrified look of the adults shared was almost hilarious. At least to the teen if he looked up.

"Oh, and stay out of the woods. I don't want the police to come back and ask about who saw you last. Seriously if whatever is in there tears you apart I won't feel bad. I put those signs out forever ago and if I get one more girl covered in blood running in here screaming about her dead friends I'll get a headache." The teen shrugged turning the page.

"What do you mean?! Why would-?! Who's killing people?!" Barry asked frantically as Bruce serched for more reports of missing people in the area.

"I don't know. Why would I know? If you want to go in the cursed forest go ahead. I mean that's how they all die. It isn't my job to stop you. My job is to sit here and watch this store." The teen huffed in annoyance.

Before anymore questions were asked the signal of the radio was disrupted and a demonic howl screeched through the radio.

"God damnit. That cunt is back. Stay here." The teen growled as he grabbed his bat from under the counter and walked out the back door. "String bean! Get off the fucking roof you bastard! You know that radio is all I have here!"

A chattering laugh like a death rattle was heard and the sound of 2 sets of feet was heard on the roof then they lept down.

"Come here so I can beat you to death!" The teen ran around the building towards the front of the gas station chasing-what the fuck is that!

It was like a human that was twisted to crabwalk on all fours backwards. Its face was contorted into a black stretched-out smile with no teeth. It had no eyes just black sockets. All its limbs were stretched out to an extra meter in length. It was a skinwalker of some kind with chalk-white skin. It was skittering away from the teen who was swinging his bat at its head.

"Stop running! I told you before what would happen if I found you fucking with me again!" The boy meant it as he finally landed a hit and began wacking it over and over it.

The skin walker screeched and tried to run for its life but couldn't.

After reducing the monster into a black puddle the black-stained teen came back inside to sit back down not paying anymore to the monster blood he was covered in.

"Sorry about that. Most of the freaks around here have learned to stay away from this place. That one is new and he doesn't listen. You'd think they'd learn but Sting Bean thinks he can torment me. Petty bastard." The teen sighed "anyways are going to buy anything or are you going to waste what oxygen we get in here with this shitty ventilation.

Diana couldn't help but admire the boldness of the boy. He had no hesitation or fear against the beasts of this area even if was crude.

"Does Constantine have a cousin or something? Just a more angry one" Barry whispered to Hal.

[yourlocalmissingtexture]

Company-sponsored movie night (unsolved and/or internet mystery investigation videos I’ve already watched 3-4 times) at the electric meat factory (my serotonin-deprived brain) tonight!!

[dcxdpdabbles]

Clark: Mr. Wayne, can I ask some questions for the Daily Planet? Bruce: Certainly, especially for a reporter as handsome as you, Mr.-? Clark: Clark Kent. Bruce: A name as lovely as the man. Fitting. What questions do you have? Clark: There have been hundreds, if not thousands, of paranormal incidents reported within the Gotham Clock Tower, built and owned by your family. Do you believe these rumors have any weight? Bruce: You mean the legend of the Ghost Boy? Well, it's an interesting story, but in all the years I've been inside the clock tower, I've never seen the famous Phantom. Of course, I also haven't been inside it often, as my Grandfather closed it to the public due to safety concerns, and that included my family. Clark: Then you think that nothing is inside the tower? Bruce: I think the paranormal is real, especially with aliens like Superman being real, but I genuinely believe the Gotham Clock Tower ghost is just an old wives' tale. Clark: Hmm. Including the Lure? Bruce: Yes, including the Lure. As any Gothamite can tell you, the legend states Phantom's singing lures children into the Tower to never be seen again. Children are cautioned not to walk near the Tower after sunset or fall victim to the Lure, but I visited the Tower multiple times as a child, and many other children did too. It's often a dare Gothamites do as teenagers, practically a rite of passage. Clark: Quite a dare. Bruce smiling: It keeps things lively. You know how kids are. They claim they aren't scared, but everyone who does the dare is shaking in their boots. Clark: On the topic of those dares: What are your thoughts on recent rumors claiming that the string of missing teenagers are victims of Phantom? Bruce: I know Batman has made a statement, indirectly, since Commissioner Gordon was the one at the press conference - that he believes Phantom is behind this, but there is just no proof. Personally, I would rather a real detective investigate the missing cases than a man who hides behind masks. Even if Superman agrees with Batman. Clark: You don't seem to be much of a Batman fan. Bruce laughing: You seem to be one. I can tell I upset you with my opinion of him, but really, I think Batman is worthless and necessarily violent. He only punches at the problems but doesn't seem to fight for a better life quality in Gotham, and that's where crime really comes from. Clark is annoyed: Batman risks his life for this city. Bruce: You risk your life walking through the city. But I digress, if people want to believe Batman's warning of Phantom waking to kidnap teenagers, well, that's their opinion. Clark: Thank you for your time, Mr. Wyane. I'm sure many Gothamites will agree with a man as knowledgeable as you. Bruce: Thank you! And hey, if you're inclined in the same gender, I'm free this- Clark: Good day, Mr. Wayne. Tim watching Clark leave: What was the point of that? Bruce: Kent has a sway over the public; if he writes to take the warning seriously, then the people will listen. How was the stakeout? Tim: Oh, there is definitely something in the Tower. Its glowing green eyes locked with mine six different times, no matter how much I moved on the roofs. I was far away enough that Lure couldn't reach me, but I did hear a faint singing in the wind. Phantom is back. Bruce: Then tonight, we contact Zatana and John. That thing is going to give the kids back.

[satellites444]

i, personally, love the whole “caleb is a panty sniffer” thing bc that is so hot to me?? like?

i picture riding him, bouncing hard and fast on him. he can't decide whether he wants to watch your tits bounce to the rhythm or watch the faces you make when the head of his cock nudges just right inside of you.

either way he's completely spent. he's a moaning mess beneath you, but his noises are muffled because your panties are stuffed into his mouth.

like i picture being roommates with caleb and you’ve been missing a few pairs of underwear here and there for months. and you don’t want to accuse him of taking them, but anytime you complain about it to him, he flushes the lightest shade of pink and then miraculously they’re back in your drawer a week later.

this time your favorite pair is gone, the pretty red lace ones that you wear when you wanna feel hot. you’re supposed to be out somewhere but you end up finishing early and when you return home you can hear a faintest groans coming from caleb’s room. you go investigate but you’re certainly not expecting to see what you do when you open the door.

caleb with his pants around his ankles, his hard length proudly on display as he strokes himself, and he's got a pair of your laciest underwear in his hand, gripping on like it's his life source, holding it to his nose. you don’t mean to but a small, “oh,” slips out of your mouth. it cuts through the quiet room and caleb’s eyes lift to yours, shock filling them.

then he’s turning so red he may as well have been one of the apples he loves so much. you're not mad, though, which you find surprising; you're turned on. you also feel slightly validated the he was stealing them. as you slowly walk into the room he starts rambling out excuses and explanations. he all but trips onto the bed as you back him up against it.

“don't wanna hear it, caleb.” you say, taking the panties from him, while slowly pulling down your pants. his eyes widen, and you swear you see his cock give an enthusiastic twitch. “you're fucking filthy,” you say, but you're climbing on top of him, you're hovering over his hardness. you leave your underwear on, since he seems to like them so much. you do pull them to the side so he can see that you’re glistening, you’re just as turned on as he is. “fuck…” he says, almost to himself as he gets a clear view of your pussy.

“shit, i know. i am filthy,” he whines, looking at you with pleading eyes, “i’m sor-”

his words are cut off when you stuff your panties into his mouth. you click your tongue at him, reaching one hand between you to rub his tip along your wet folds, gathering up your arousal. “told you i didn't want to hear what you had to say.”

then you're sinking down on him. you both let out a moan at the feeling. he’d already been so close before you walked in it’s taking everything in him not to cum immediately. you lift your shirt up so that you're on display for him, and his hands immediately grip your tits, but he pulls away with a whimper when you give him a look that says he can look but not touch.

the pace is fast and relentless, you're trying to draw and orgasm from him as quick as you can and it shows. the sound of your arousal and skin slapping together is filling the room and ultimately that's what pushes him over the edge. his moans get higher in pitch and more frequent. you lift off of him and work him over with your hand until he's cumming on his stomach, chest heaving.

you pull you underwear from his mouth, he lets out a huff of a breath when you do and you use them to clean him up. “you do that often?” you ask him casually, finishing your clean up and standing up from the bed.

he doesn't answer right away, but when he does his voice sounds bashful, “not really,” he says but you know he's lying. you let him get away with it though. partially because you don't want to embarrass him, and partially because you're hoping you can catch him doing it again.

[queeniewithabeanie]

Child Vigilantes are Just That—Children

Dpxdc Prompt #65

Danny took a deep breath in before knocking on the door, just because the Waynes are influential does not mean child labor laws don't apply.

An elderly man in a suit answered, probably a butler—the Waynes were certainly rich enough for it.

"What is your purpose for visiting Wayne Manor?" A posh, British voice inquired.

Well, too late to go back now.

"I'm Danny Fenton from Child Protective Services and I'm here to investigate Bruce Wayne for violations of child endangerment and labor laws."

"Pardon?"

"Vigilante work is still work, sir, and it would do well for Batman to remember that before bringing his kid partner out during the night."

The most-likely-a-butler's eyes narrowed as he spoke evenly, "I do believe this is a conversation better had in the privacy of the Manor, would you care for a cup of tea Mr. Fenton?"

[jane-d-ankh-veos]

I remember how everyone laughed at this tweet, and although I like DE in all its dramatic and depressive glory, as well as many other such games, I really don't understand the amount of contempt for sweet, cozy, relaxing ones. It's true: they rarely get DE's level of world development, psychology and writing. But that's the point: they, too, deserve it! And I sympathized with the OP's desire for something new like this, because even while I enjoy exploring dark worlds and heart-wrenching stories, there is also a big need for ones that would use the amazing power of narrative experience to ease anxiety and pain instead of just endlessly resonating with it. Especially at the end of a hard stressful day or when everything seems too bleak to willingly add fictional bleakness on top of it. It isn't shameful or childish to admit that in such moments you would rather go look for an adorable cat in a quiet whimsy village with a happy ending than investigate something violent and dismal that you already have plenty of in your own life. And it doesn't mean that games like DE shouldn't exist or are somehow worse; wide varieties of genres of art don't exclude one another, and someone's personal preferences aren't going to eliminate the rest and obviously won't kill something that has already been created, for goodness' sake. So I don't get this need to mock someone in defence of the game from just an opinion if I disagree with it; I'd rather focus on something that I agree with instead. "Here's what I liked about this thing, and I wish there was more of it in other things" is what I can definitely understand and get behind (without pointing out "but those other things are different, silly!", because... yes, they are, that's the matter!).

That's why I'm curious about Mandrake, FBG's new game. I admire – and trust – their narrative skills, seriousness and diligence. It certainly doesn't look like their usual stuff; however, the promise of mysteries, deep characters and folklore is what I can totally believe when it comes to them, so it's bound to be much more than an average game of this cutesy kind.

Of course, some part of me will still expect a sudden glimpse or The Path-style full shift to surreal horror at any moment (and I would be delighted), but it's alright if there won't be one.