#I may not be able to physically play the games or watch playthroughs but the important thing is that

[vaiztohirez]

You put "bred for desired traits" and "Assassin's Creed" next to each other so my brain connected some dots, hear me out: The Isu are still alive in this AU. They're humanity, and humanity are the mermaids. Or they could be dead. The important thing is that the Assassins are the pretty fish.

I love seeing all the 'mermay' fan art and fics, however...

I've also had this wish for a 'darker' mermay fanfic.

The typical 'species' are all ocean dwelling things, like orca's, seals, sharks, octopi, etc.

But I'd figure, like with all things, there would be 'collectors' that would want to have these creatures as exotic pets. And would breed them selectively for exaggerated traits.

Traits like flashy, bright colors (even though those exist in ocean dwelling creatures), 'fancy' fins like a beta or those gold fish. Basically, traits that would cripple them in the wild. Colors unsuited for their species/habitat, fins that made them very slow swimmers who get tired easily, gills that are poorly adapted for breathing due to a small size or frills, etc.

And that mer just so happens to end up in the ocean, maybe due to a shipwreck that was transporting them to a new 'owner'.

And they had to struggle for survival for a while, unused to feeding themselves or danger in general. Until a 'wild' version of their species appears, at first just to investigate the strange, deformed mer. And then decide to help the poor creature.

Etc, etc.

I don't have time to write such a thing though...but an AC version would be a dream to read...

[thelureking]

I had this idea to make a list of all the games I played in 2022, half as a recommendation list, and half because I struggle to remember when I played what. I have a really bad time ranking stuff, so I'll just list them chronologically (or, as chronologically as I can remember).

Note: Sometimes I dont have a lot to say about a game, but that doesnt mean I didn't like it or that it isn't good.

So, with that being said:

1) Our Life: Beginnings and Always

This game has put visual novels on another level entirely. How must I go on knowing that I will never be treated like royalty by any other game like this did. Our Life tells the story of your friendship and/or romance with Cove Holden, your new neighbor. This Visual Novel remembers an insane amount of stuff you choose, and it can put you in the state of mentioning something you did as a kid that you completely forgot about. I actually really liked how you can go the entire game as just friends, or choose when your character develops romantic feelings. I cannot overstate how well made this entire thing is. Can't wait to play the DLCs and for the sequel to be released.

Absolute recommend.

2) Iron Lung

If you have a computer, you can play it. It is not an option.

Claustrophobic above all, this game captures the pure dread of the unknown, building tension and atmosphere as you travel through this unknown planet's red sea. Highly recommended.

3) An Outcry

Amazing game that I don't see enough people talking about. The first game that made me actually physically ill while playing an alternative route. I don't know what hit me the most, the subject matter or the type of person I played in that route, a person I know exists and maybe I've met, a person I hope I never become. I knew what the game was specifically referencing, but I found it good that it was able to trigger that response on someone who lives in an entirely different place, with different historical events, but with enough similarities that made the feeling of dread and disgust that much real. Its message is clear and loud as it should be, and one that I think maybe now more than ever needs to be heard. I cannot recommend this game enough.

4) Stillwater

Now this is a Visual Novel that I really liked and would have loved for it to be longer, but I love it as it is. It left me wanting more about the world and its characters, and I think that's a good thing. It feels unfair that this is the one I typed the least about, knowing how much I liked it. It's really worth the read/play.

5) The Caribbean Sail

Have you ever wanted to be a sailor or a pirate? Have you ever wanted to grab a ship, sail into unknown destinations, encounter supernatural phenomenons and watch as your fellow crew members die of disentry five seconds after leaving your first port? Because if so, I have the perfect game for you. It's inspired by the Oregon Trail game, and that's literally what the gameplay is like, except on the sea. Which was enough of a selling point for me.

6) Carrion

My child, it has every disease. Loved the concept when I saw the trailer, forgot I can actually buy games now, and then proceeded to do that. Being able to live my fantasies of being a flesh creature that destroys and eats everything in its path was a delight. The creature is my child and I love it very much.

We need more games that let you play as the monster, I'm serious.

7) The Life and Suffering of Sir Brante

This game is both my beloved and the thorn on my side. Who would have thought that in a game like this you would proceed to suffer through life? I said to myself as if I hadn't known what I was getting into. You'll experience loss, you'll struggle to make a name for yourself, your family will fall apart, and you may never kiss your best friend Tommas who gave you a totally platonic ring to commemorate your friendship because the game doesn't want you to.

Or you'll have a different experience than me on my first playthrough.

You follow the titular Sir Brante from the moment of his birth to his last breath, exploring the world he lives in, full of injustices that at times made me go "I do not care about the lots, give me a fucking gun so I can take you to the fucking Twins". There are many branches regarding life paths, the fate of your family and that of the entire city you live in. But don't worry about it now, keep looking at those toy soldiers at the store as a little kid, I'm sure nothing will happen in the future.

8) Princess Maker 2 Refine

And apparently I didn't get enough of walking a kid through life.

Who looks at a game about raising a little girl by managing her monthly schedule and balancing her stats, health and money and says "yes, this is the game I'll play to destress"?

I do that. Don't ask why.

I have only reached two endings, in one my beautiful daughter became the royal painter, her art held as the most beautiful and inspiring in the entire world. In another, my girl made a name for herself by exploring the lands surrounding the kingdom, so fast on her feet nobody could even scratch her; she married a dragon prince and became the teacher of her own fighting school.

And even with all of that, her goddess mother was not happy.

So yes, this is the "divorced dad who got custody" experience.

9) Planescape: Torment

What can change the nature of a man? That is a question posed by one Ravel Puzzlewell, night hag of the Gray Wastes. It is one of the many questions that this game asks, intertwined by the many philosophies it presents. Planescape Torment does not stick to one question, it asks many, and it lets you answer.

It is a beautifully written game, one of the best I have ever read. There is one moment that I do not wish to spoil, but it still sticks to my head months after I experienced it. As a writer, I found myself fascinated by how a certain event was told, all because of the way it was presented.

It feels like an injustice to not talk in length about Planescape: Torment, but I seriously don't want to spoil anyone who hasn't played it yet. A blind experience is fully worth it. All you need to know is that this is the game that made me post for the first time here, two dumb memes for myself and one short analysis that sometimes reminds me that yes, people can interact with it. Shameless link to it here

10) Growing my Grandpa!

If I had to describe this game without saying too much, I would say it's "heartwarming horror". Two words that don't usually go together, but that they perfectly fit here. The story is, like the title says, about growing your grandpa, more like helping a girl grow her grandpa, but still. Strangely sweet and unnerving, I was tense the entire time, and even when I had to replay it to get the second ending (this was entirely my fault, since I could have gotten it way easier) that tension never left.

11) FAITH: The Unholy Trinity

I don't remember how I found out about this game, but I remember waiting patiently for it to get a steam release so I could buy it and play its three chapters all together. The day finally came, and all that waiting was worth it.

The gameplay is simple, yet the developers found a way to have me both crying in fear and frothing by the mouth out of anger every time I saw the game over screen (affectionately). In terms of difficulty, I would say the game is easy until it isn't, looking at you Chapter 2 and 3 Final Bosses, you bastards. Then again, I saw people say they struggled in places I didn't, so I would say it depends on the player.

The story is so interesting and it's still marinating in my brain please I need people to talk about how the prologue of chapter 2 and the one note in chapter 3 relate please. The cutscenes are also so well done, and I had to restrain myself from using one as a second picture because I didn't want to spoil any of them.

All in all, a must play, fully recommend it.

And remember:

GARY LOVES YOU

12) Inmortal Mantis

This is a tricky one. On one hand, the game starts off by basically spelling out every action you have to do, and suddenly it goes full on "fuck around and find out" mode. On the other, the game implements some interesting mechanics that I would love to see developed on a longer game, but I am not going to put the length against it while knowing how hard it is to make a game. And maybe being short plays in its favor.

13) Who's Lila?

This game is my King in Yellow. I cannot stop thinking about it. I finished it with all endings and achievements in a day, and it wont leave me alone. It is always there, forever crawling at the back of my head, stretching itself over my brain and weaving my thoughts into a spiral as easily as a spider weaves its thread. It made itself a home in my mind and I won't kick it out any time soon. I played it because the concept of controlling a character's face in place of a dialogue wheel was interesting, and the story and the way it's presented (hand in hand with the gameplay) lured me deeper and deeper. I cannot even describe it without giving it the praise it deserves. It takes full advantage of its medium. Playing this game is an experience that I can't recommend enough, and I'm surprised it hasn't gotten the recognition it deserves.

14) Someone stole MY LUNCH!

This visual novel is pure fun. The humor is so good I found myself reading the entire thing out loud while wheezing. I actually found out recently that it's made by the same people that made Stillwater, which, looking at it now I should have known. It's good and I'm not still over not seeing that one joke coming; well played.

15) MILK INSIDE OF A BAG OF MILK INSIDE OF A BAG OF MILK INSIDE OF A BAG OF MILK INSIDE OF A BAG OF-

... INSIDE A BAG OF MILK is a short visual novel about a girl going to the grocery to buy milk, and the challenge this seemingly small action can be. It is your responsibility to help her through this.

The steam page description perfectly summarizes it: "This is an artistic manipulation with word and form, only then - a game."

Reblog with more games

Or, you can jump to the 2023 list!

[ammstify]

Okay, I'm a bit late to the game, but I have some THOUGHTS after watching this weeks stream from Atlus about their new game, Metaphor: ReFantazio!

If you don't know yet, Atlus is releasing a new IP created by three of the main members of the team who helped develop Persona 3, Persona 4, and Persona 5! This of course includes:

Katsura Hoshino, who was the director for the past main Persona games, as well as SMT 3: Nocturne and Digital Devil Saga, until he moved on to create Metaphor with Atlus's new division, Studio Zero.

Shoji Meguro, the composer for a LOT of Persona's most well-known music who has composed a new, equally stylistic soundtrack for the new game!

And Shigenori Soejima, the main character artist and designer for Persona who has created similarly distinct and unique character designs for the vast cast in Metaphor!

The game is set in the United Kingdom of Euchronia, a pseudo-fantasy world that is described as a "mirror" to our world, where humans are feared by the many tribes that dot the land. After the sudden assassination of the King, we the protagonist, among many other individuals from the tribes around the kingdom, are chosen to join in a impromptu Royal Tournament to determine who shall become the throne's successor!

Similarly to Persona, the game has a focus on time and how your choices affect the world around you. From what we saw in the stream, our team of characters have a limited time to complete the various quest bestowed upon us, some side quests, some bounties, and others of course being story important quests. Alongside that, our biggest goal in-game is to try and gain the support of the people and gain allies in a Social Link-like system with specific NPCS of specific tribes, villages, and cities!

I'm a bit excited to see how they change up this system from Persona's social links, and what ways they may potentially affect our gameplay! Will they provide us certain special abilities like Persona 5's Confidants? Or will we be able to get some special teammates we might normally not get in the story?

Alongside that, the game also has a lot of other features commonly shared with both Persona and SMT, including the turn-based battle system and a lot of familiar physical, magical, and stat affecting abilities! Though the magic does go by different names this time, such as "garu" being referred to as "cyclo" instead! But hey, we still have tarukaja and matarukaja, so who knows what else may have reutrned or changed?

Unlike Persona though, the game has quite a few distinct differences too, notably the travel system and specific changes to the battle system. In Metaphor: ReFantazio, travel is a very important aspect of the game as our party moves across the kingdom, going from town to town to gain the support of the locale. We enter dungeons that are found in semi-open exploration locations and fight through them

As for the fighting system, there are two main differences from both SMT and Persona that folks may notice; The ability to fight outside of turn-based battle, and the Archetypes System.

Similarly to games like Final Fantasy 15, Persona 5 Strikers, and the Dynasty Warriors series, Atlus has implemented an action role-playing battle system that allows you to either take out weaker enemies quickly in the overworld without engaging in turn-based combat, or getting a a few hits in on a stronger before switching over to turn-based fighting! Hashino noted that the reason why they did this was to make the gameplay flow a bit more enjoyable by eliminating constant turn-based battles with weaker enemies.

Some folks don't seem to quite like it, but personally I'm a bit indifferent. On one hand, constant turn-based combat can get a bit boring and resource wasting when fighting enemies that are weaker than you, a problem that I have faced a bit so far during my current playthrough of Persona 3 Reload. But on the other hand, there is always something enjoyable about being able to defeat enemies with ease and getting a few extra experience points, so we'll just have to see how it feels!

Then comes the most distinct part of Metaphor's battle system so far; The Archetypes. Our team of characters have the ability to awaken to powerful, magical weapon forms known as Archetypes, which are described as "individuals who embody the traits of typical fantasy classes like a knight or warrior, who can then transform into their Archetype once they awaken to this knowledge."

Sounds a little similar to Persona, no? Well, a lot of people, including news companies like Polygon, Kotaku, Game Rant, and more have compared the Archetype system to the Persona system, since it allows you to utilize different forms with different abilities and statuses. However in my opinion, I believe that the Archetype system is more akin to another system we've seen in a game from Hashino....

The demon transformation system in Digital Devil Saga 1-2.

Unlike the system in Persona, which allowed your protagonist to utilize multiple Personas alongside your teammates singular Personas, Digital Devil Saga's demon system had a different focus. You and your teammates have the ability to switch between human and demon forms, with each specific characters demon forms having a variety of special stats and magic specific to them.

However, there is one distinct aspect to this that is similar to Archetypes system: The ability to gain specific magic and change your stats via a skill tree. Both the demons in Digital Devil Saga and the Archetypes are able to change aspects of their builds in unique ways, providing them magic that they otherwise wouldn't have had before, or specific skill boosts that change them entirely. You could change an ice magic focused demon into fire resistant physical figther, and vice versa!

And ultimately, unlike both Persona and Digital Devil Saga, any character can equip any Archetype, allowing for versatility when it comes to the players fighting style! A good example that Hashino gave during the presentation was equipping all the characters with the Brawler archetype, boosting all of the characters defense and physical strength, and providing them all physical based skills instead of magic So, while there are quite a few similarities to Persona, there are also a lot of similarities with past SMT projects directed by Hashino too!

Overall though, I can safely say that I am VERY excited to see whats in store for Metaphor: ReFantazio since I'm an absolute sucker for the Persona games, but also new RPGs in general! I'm looking forward to seeing what other information comes out while waiting for both the games release and any future news for Persona 6, and hope that anyone else reading this might be too!

[boar-cry]

I also love haunted houses. What are your favorite stories about them?

Oh my god I have to physically restrain myself from just going on an entire tirade that I started typing up, but I'll leave you with a list of my absolute FAVORITES of all time so far:

For books, I cannot recommend House of Leaves by Mark Z. Danielewski and The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson enough!! HoL is damn near perfect in every sense of the word, and tHoHH is what inspired me to get into more stories about horror and especially eldritch horror! HoL literally blew my mind the first time I read it and left me hooked that I couldn't put the book down, it's so good!!

For games, Anatomy by Kitty Horrorshow checks every box for my horror-loving heart! Fantastic writing, an unsettling tone and haunting narrative set with stylized graphics meant less to scare you and instead make you feel unease, I could go on and on!! My god some days I'll even pull up the monolog on youtube to listen to becuase it's That Damn Good!! Please PLEASE play this game if you're able, but if you can't I BEG you to watch a playthrough of it at the least!!

For a TV show, The Haunting of Hill House directed by Mike Flanagan is a damn nearly perfect story about grief and loss and love and hope, and saying I feel in love with this show after my first watch would be a MASSIVE understatement. In particular, episode six, Two Storms, is probably my favorite written episode I've watched for any TV show EVER; I could literally go for HOURS just about that one episode alone and how damn perfect every shot and spoken line and interactions between the characters are! But, in the sake of keeping this short, all I'll say for now is PLEASE watch this show! I've re-watched it so many times and it never stops amazing me, that's how good it is!

And finally for my all time Favorite horror movie, my obvious pick is going to be Skinamarink. I cannot put into proper words about just how deeply unsettling this movie was and how it reduced me to tears from both fear and dread alone. It legitimately scared me so bad I had to sleep with the lights on for a week afterwards. I don't know another movie that was both horrifying and heartbreaking as this one was, and I truly don't know how to describe it without feeling like I'm massively understating just how good this film is. I cant even bring myself to watch it more than twice just because it makes me feel so sick to my stomach, but in a good way! I also understand that this movie may not affect everyone like that as it did for me, but I ask that you give it a chance at least.

These are just a handful of my favorites of course, but again trying to keep this (relatively) short, or else I would be here all day rambling lol

[micalpixel]

May Flowers Game - June 2024 Progress Report

Another month has passed, so here’s another update on my gamedev journey. The goal is to create my first video game using the Godot game engine.

(Prior Updates: May, Initial)

Research

The main goal for June was research. Play other character/exploration-focused games with no farming or combat elements and see what they do to keep things fun. Here’s what I played (or watched others play)

A Short Hike: A game about a penguin climbing a mountain. Finding new people, new areas, and moving/gliding were very enjoyable. The game’s 3D environment with pixelated graphics was also a new experience for me. A very nice cozy game.

Rakuen: I love this game. You play as a kid stuck in a hospital, trying to help other sick patients, while also exploring a fantasy world described in a book. Lots of exploration, puzzles, and focus on characters. Catchy music too. Kind of exactly what I was looking for. I think Undertale fans would enjoy this one.

The Stanley Parable: A choose-your-own-adventure game. No NPCs, just movement and a very entertaining and well-crafted narrator.

Potion Permit: You play as a chemist who just moved into a town, and must make a living brewing potions while getting to know the town, its people, and the wilderness. The first life-sim game I’ve actually beaten. The lack of time limits was greatly appreciated.

Shenmue (Watched not Played): An important piece of gaming history. I watched a playthrough of this one, just so I could see this game at its best, and not miss any important events.

Freddi Fish 2 (Watched not Played): A point-and-click adventure for children??!… What’s this doing here?!?! Well, this one wasn’t on my original list, but I realized the point-and-click game genre had many similarities with the walk/talk/trade-items gameplay I originally envisioned. Plus this one had no game-overs and no frustrating trial-and-error like many do. Studying how a different genre handled that kind of gameplay, while making it very accessible and entertaining, was a good learning experience.

Kena: Bridge of Spirits (WIP): I started this one, more for fun than research, but haven’t finished it yet. Beautiful game. As others have noted, it’s like playing a Pixar movie.

OneShot (Not Started Yet): Ran out of time. 😒 Next month. Really looking forward to this one.

All in all, I took 10 pages of notes. Things I noticed, liked, disliked, wanted to think about.

Prototype

On June 20, I began work on an actual prototype (“Prototype 1”). Code from my earlier Godot projects was collected, combined, and improved. The goal is to implement every important mechanic in the game. Everything the player should be able to DO in the game, the prototype should have at least ONE place where the player can do it. In a very condensed environment that's easy to test. Physics and graphics can be fine-tuned later. This prototype is all about functionality. For example:

Walk in 8 directions.

Talk to an NPC.

Choose an answer when the NPC asks a question which triggers different outcomes.

Walk to the edge of a room and appear in an adjacent room.

And overall, things have gone very well! I have a page-long checklist of everything I want to implement in this prototype, and it’s about half-done. :D

Except menus.

And except puzzles.

Puzzle mechanics aren’t added yet. I realized the mechanics I was planning did not have much synergy and were very simple. I also want to review the notes I took during research and study puzzles in general. So, back to the drawing board, for now. Puzzles are the next major step. And I think I have a pretty good idea how I want to change them.

Audio

I made a text-blip sound effect (hear it in the video above) and a placeholder “song” of 6 notes to use for testing music. Since this game’s art style is based on the Game Boy, I did some research on the Game Boy’s sound capabilities.

It has four “instruments” that can play sounds simultaneously, aka “channels”:

Channel 1 and 2: Pulse Channel. Each can emit a quadrangular wave

Channel 3: “Wave” channel with user-definable waveform

Channel 4: A noise wave (think static)

Channel 3 is the most fascinating imo. You can define your own timbre of the sound to be played. If you ever played a Game Boy game that had a unique-sounding song that, chances are it was a custom waveform via this channel. (Also, if you ever played Mother 3, the movie theater part with the retro-sounding music did in fact use the original Game Boy audio capabilities in the Game Boy Advance, and also includes these sounds.)

There is software that can reproduce the capabilities described above in order to create Game Boy-sounding music on a PC. I’d like to experiment with that in the coming weeks. The Game Boy was capable of some really good music. Limiting my scope to its capabilities for the same of my own sanity, plus the flexibility of that wave channel to create custom sounds, seems like it can produce some really nice results, which is very appealing to me.

Graphics

I made a font! It only includes English letters, for now, but it works! I used it in the “Save Pointy” art earlier this week and the prototype video above, and intend to use it for everything going forward.

Closing

And that’s June! Have a nice July, everyone!

[decks-writing-blog]

Use This Power for Good

Summary: Gordon discovers that upon dying, he comes back and everything resets, including other people who had died.

[A/N] I'm a sucker for video game protagonists having the power to reset via death. It's neat and full of good angst opportunities. Also when I played Half-Life for the first time I was fairly save-scummy to save as many scientists as I could so upon Youtube reccing me a video about just how many it's physically possible to save, I of course watched it (I missed a bunch in my playthrough). Which, combined with the first thing, is what inspired this fic.

Also, my first Half-Life fic, yay! I'm late to the party but that's okay. Such is the case with most of the fandoms I write for these days.

Content Warning for temporary Character Death. He also commits suicide to purposefully trigger one of these resets.

~

Upon stepping out of the destroyed test chamber and realizing just how bad things had gotten, Gordon had been pretty sure he wasn’t likely to live much longer. The military showing up to clear out the alien invasion and all who knew of it made death inevitable. The HEV suit had done a lot to keep him alive but it could only do so much. But hey, he’d made it further than he ever would’ve thought he might, if he’d been given the time to think about it anyway. Along the way he’d helped as many as he could. Hopefully a few of them would be able to get out… somehow.

Gordon shifted in a vain attempt to make himself more comfortable. All he accomplished was sending a fresh stab of pain through his side as more blood welled out between his fingers. It was pooling on the floor around him and smeared on the wall behind him, filling the air with its now familiar coppery smell. If it spread a little further it’d soon start mingling with the pool of blood leaking out of the solider that had snuck up on him while he’d barely manged to fumble his way into taking out the rest of their squad. They’d died for the effort – Gordon may have never killed anything before today but he had been taught how to use a gun – but the fatal blow had already been made.

Perhaps something profound could be said about their blood mingling in death whilst surrounded by more dead, both alien and human alike. Something about the fragility of life even amongst beings from another world. Or maybe about how violence and killing wasn’t just a human trait but that of all life, regardless of its origin. … Or maybe Gordon was just starting to grow delirious with blood loss.

The end couldn’t be far off. His extremities, gone cold were now growing numb. He couldn’t even properly feel the blood oozing from where he clutched his side, his grip weakening letting it flow even more freely. Not that he’d been able to staunch it particularly well anyway. If his attempt to do so slowed his demise, it hadn’t been by much.

Darkness pulled at him, eating at the edges of his vision, tempting him to close his eyes and fall asleep. He didn’t. Fighting was futile but he’d known that for a while now, far longer than he’d been sitting here waiting to bleed out for. He was going to keep breathing for a long as he possibly could if for no other reason than to spite the world for just that little bit longer because fuck it for trying to kill him so hard.

~

Gordon blinked. Before him was a familiar hallway, leading to a closed door. On the other side of which would be a military squad, waiting to ambush him. He shouldn’t know that but he’d already gone through that door and… hadn’t survived the encounter.

Shaking a little, he looked down at himself. He was holding his shotgun as he’d been upon first going into that room, down but ready to snap up and fire should the need arise. The HEV suit was a bit scratched up and dented in a few spots but it was intact, no glaring hole in the side from an almost point blank shotgun blast that also tore up his side bad enough to leave him to slowly bleed out. It was fully charged too, meaning it could likely take such a blow and leave him only a little bruised. A quick check with the suit revealed all his ammo wasn’t as depleted as it should’ve been either.

What the hell was going on? One moment he’d been bleeding out, struggling for each and every breath. But now he was hearty and healthy again, as if the last twenty or so minutes hadn’t happened. … A dream or hallucination perhaps? This was the single most stressful day of his life after all, surely such things weren’t too far out of the question. It had felt so real though, especially the pain. Surely such pain couldn’t have been a dream. What else could it have been though?

If he went through that door, would the military squad be there again? Would the fellow who’d killed him? Only one way to find out.

He crept forward and pressed his ear to the door. … Nothing for a while but then… low muttering and the shifting of heavy boots. The door muffled the words to the point he couldn’t understand them but someone was certainly on the other side. Multiple someones since the speaker was most likely talking to someone else.

Straightening, he reached up and pressed the button to bring the HEV’s helmet up before adjusting his grip on his shotgun and bursting into the room. Exactly as before he was met with three soldiers immediately. Last time, he’d been somewhat surprised and had had to scramble. This time he knew exactly where to go and wasted no time in doing so.

Two more soldiers were waiting for him there but he was ready for them this time. As he got into position, he lifted the shotgun and blasted the closer one in the face, making their head explode in a shower of gore. Kicking the body into the guy behind them gave the perfect opportunity to blow their head off too. He hadn’t gotten a good look at either of their faces in either instance he was here but they had been standing in about the same exact spot. No time to think about that now though.

In response to Gordon moving to cover, the next two soldiers moved to the same positions as before. And then, sealing the deal that his death hadn’t been a dream, while Gordon was looking at them, the third came up behind him, ready to try to blast through the suit with a point blank shot while he was busy taking out the others. Knowing it was coming, Gordon turned and fired before they could get that close. Another close range head shot. Effective, especially with how heavily armored the soldiers’ torsos were, but gosh were they horrific. But with that guy down, the last two weren’t too much of an issue to take out as well.

As the gunshot’s echoes petered out, he lifted a hand to lower his helmet, allowing him to see properly once more. These military guys all looked similar, especially with their heads blown off, so there was still technically room to doubt they were the same ones he’d killed before dying himself. But they’d been in the same spots and had tried the same tactics to kill him so that doubt was rather small, bolstered only by the impossibility of not just Gordon coming back to life but the soldiers too.

Then again, before staring to work at Black Mesa almost a handful of years ago now, there’d been plenty of other things Gordon had thought impossible that proved to not be. Perhaps direct exposure to the resonance cascade had done something to him, altered the way time affected him or dropped him in a parallel universe upon dying. Or something else he was too frazzled to consider right now.

It was fascinating whatever it was. Oh, what he wouldn’t give to be back in the lab, studying it. … Except well, testing it would likely involve him dying some more or just again, assuming it could only happen once. In which case he didn’t really want to test it after all. After he got out of here, he’d try to find a way to study it that didn’t involve dying… assuming he ever got out of here. He’d just learned the hard way that, no matter how many aliens, zombies, or military goons he killed, he was still a soft squishy animal protected only by a hazard suit that even as advanced as it was, was still far from infallible.

~

Three more accidental deaths sealed the deal that when he died, he came back a seemingly random amount of time before that death. As before, with his death, everyone and everything else who’d also died in that time came back too, ignorant of the revival. Annoying when it came to the beings responsible for his death – though it did make killing them again easier – but a great good for the scientist he managed to save as a result. Which sealed the deal on him using this power for good.

How long had he been in this state? Presumably since the resonance cascade. If only he’d known, there were so many he’d tried and failed to save. Too late now though, he’d just have to do whatever he could to save everyone else that he could. … Which would undoubtedly mean he’d have to eventually face the decision of killing himself to reset things. Not a thing he was looking forward so he could only hope it wouldn’t happen soon. But of course it did.

The scientist screamed as the giant worm-like alien burst through the window to impale him with its sharp beak like protrusion. He kept screaming, his voice gurgling and wet, as it dragged him across the floor and out the window. It finally stopped a few moments later, leaving Gordon in a heavy silence as he stared at the trail of blood, leading to the broken window.

He took a couple steps forward and peeked out. There were three of them and they were huge. Or perhaps it was just one being with multiple appendages. Even after the horror he’d just seen it commit, it was still awe-inspiring. Alien life was likely just a complex and varied as that of Earth’s. Biology wasn’t Gordon’s passion or expertise but he still had an interest in it, enough to make him wish studying these beings were an option. … Especially since that would mean they wouldn’t be killing people because now he had to make a choice.

Continue forward and if he happened to die and come back at time to allow him to save the fellow he’d just watched die horribly or kill himself now and save him for sure. Not a comfortable choice. He didn’t even know the guy, this wasn’t the part of Black Mesa he worked in. But if he had the the power to help, he was morally obligated to, right? He certainly would’ve if he’d known it was an option back when he failed to save people he did know.

With a heavy sigh, he pulled out back stepped to where the alien creature couldn’t easily reach him through the window. That had looked a painful way to die, he had no wish to experience it. Instead he pulled out his pistol and placed it to his the side of his head. It was cold against his flesh, held steady only by how firmly he pressed it there. It would be okay though, he’d already died and come back four times, a fifth wouldn’t be too bad and this should be a much quicker death, maybe even painless. He would never be able live with himself if he had the power to prevent people’s death but refused because he was frightened.

If he had to do it though, it’d be really damn nice if he could send himself all the way back to the start though. Even if that meant restarting this whole nightmare, it’d be worth it. But even if he hadn’t known of his power then, he did now, meaning he had to use it. So after taking a deep breath, he held it for a few seconds before pulling the trigger.

~

Sirens blared as lights flashed and sparked around him, making him feel dizzy and unwell. Pushing himself up and the back to his feet, he looked around. … He was in the test chamber again, right after all everything had gone wrong. Seems, his thought of wanting to go back had somehow brought him back here; he had some control over whatever this was.

A good thing, this was what he’d wanted. But also… he’d made it so far. Now he had to do all that again. Lying down for a nap first would’ve been great but he didn’t have time. Lives were at stack and depending on him. Also, he was bound to learn more about this power of his along the way. That was going to be interesting, though likely unpleasant as well, to say the least. So he squared his shoulders, shook himself off as best he could and marched out to begin the nightmare again. This time, he was going to save everyone he possibly could, even if that meant dying a dozen more times.

[nerendus]

Signalis is finished! All of the endings have been brutally experienced! And oh my God! What the fuck!

I went into this game knowing it got a little weird, but I honestly thought it was going to be just your standard Anime Horror Weirdness. But of course, within the first twenty minutes of the game that is immediately discarded with that cutscene after picking up the King in Yellow and ending up in the bathroom at Sierpinski.

I love the nods it gives to so many classics. Silent Hill. King in Yellow. Stanley Kubrick. Isle of the Dead. Apparently also even Evangelion, but I never watched that. And probably so many more that I didn't catch. And I especially love that it isn't just your typical nods, but it actually incorporates it into the story and helps set the mood with the story being told in the way that it is.

The Memory and Promise endings are definitely the ones to make me cry the most, especially with witnessing them in that order. Elster collapsing to the ground when Ariane didn't remember her and instead went to sleep, not fulfilling the promise that she does fulfill in the second ending when Ariane does remember her. It hurts so much.

I can't imagine how it must feel for players who got the Leave ending first, because that one really truly felt like a bad ending. Yeah, sure, you're saving reality and the people within, but c'mon. See your girlfriend. Forget about everyone else.

And from what I've seen the effort that's gone in tracking how to get these endings are insane. The maths is way too much for me to ever understand. I can't even begin to figure out how people managed to unlock the Artifact ending. Literally what the hell. I love it. It somehow makes even less sense than the guides to Silent Hill's endings.

I'm having...a lot of trouble talking about the story itself and organising my thoughts into words. Perhaps with time as my interpretation of the story molds to be something more concrete, I'll have more to say. I'm definitely viewing the story from all angles all at once and trying to rationalise a way to bring them altogether—the trauma, politics, and love specifically.

But I doubt whatever I decide to view it as will ever be the case for long, since I believe Signalis, like many stories of its kind, is meant to be a very personal experience for the player, and that others are naturally going to lean towards different angles based on what grabs them the most. For me, definitely, it is the trauma Ariane has gone through and her seeming struggle with mental illness on top of her physical illness, whatever that may have been.

I really enjoyed this game! It was extremely beautiful. The art style just really grabs you and pulls you in. And I don't think I'll be able to stop thinking about this game for quite awhile.

I literally cannot recommend this game enough. It's amazing. It's beautiful. If you can't play it yourself like I couldn't, I recommend Welonz's playthrough as she's very thorough with the lore and has a grasp on the asian languages used, which was significantly helpful in a lot of parts.

Okay. I'm going to go cry now. Goodbye.

[authoroftwwm]

AAAAAAAAAAAAA BRO I NEED IT

tl;dr is that Professor layton helped w trauma, listed is the journey through the games and future hype for PLWoS

So, I recently got into professor layton (a year ago, to be specific) and I must say, It has helped me SO FUCKIN MUCH WITH SO MUCH TRAUMA--

I have schizoeffective disorder. I have severe PTSD from years of mental and physical abuse from my parents. I have ADHD and may also be autistic, getting tested at 25 years is difficult.

When I started Professor Layton, I decided to play in release order--"I want to experience what long time fans experienced." I felt it would be more genuine. So, I downloaded an emulator (yeah i know, bad Vero) and started to play. I wrote down my reactions to each game after i beat them:

PLCB: THIS MAN GOT CHASED BY A FERRIS WHEEL!!!! THATS COOL AF! It was a really fun game, cool story with neat puzzles tHaT wErE hArD aF (i was kind of nonchalant about the games, just getting into them)

PLPB: ayo he got a box OH WAIT HE DED--i enjoyed the gameplay and watching the bad guy be the bad guy. interesting sequel, hopefully luke stays with the professor a long time lol (I jinxed it lol, also felt a bit more connected to Luke as a character and his admiration for Hershel)

(I took a long break after this one due to college lol but now i just play after my homework is done)

PLLF: I didnt write anything after this one. i just sat in silence for about a week, and I didnt eat for a few days. This was when my foster dad died, and i felt strangely as if i had healed a lot. After that week. I guess I just kinda took the time to process the loss of someone who i consider my true father. It was at this point I realized that playing the games had helped. I also didnt mentally process that luke left the professor lol until i watched someones playthrough of the last part of the game again

PLSC: BRO ITS LUKE AGAIN BUT HES YOUNGER AND HAS TRUST ISSUES WTF ITS MEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE except luke didnt go through massive trauma (unless you count the ghost stuff and the witch stuff and the house stuff as trauma) yeah i like it very good

PLMM: RANDALL IS WAY TOO FUCKIN HOT FOR MY LIKING I JUST NNNNNGGGUHHUHUHUH also SIBLING BINDING WOOOOOOOOOOO

I am currently playing through Azran Legacy, and I must say it lives up to the hype. Havent reached the ending tho so im trying to not run into spoilers. also I know descole is sycamore im not dumb THEY LITERALLY LOOK ALIKE AND THE BUTLER IS THE SAME WTF if theyre not the same person im gonna spazzzzzzzz

All in all, I plan on figuring out how to a b s o r b all the content from the spin offs (in order to do this i also want to play all the phoenix wright games, wish me luck lol) and will eventually get the Katrielle game.

I have a lot to do in preparation for New World of Steam! I hope im able to do it in time, and also that its just as good as the previous games. I know Quizknock will do a good job, its just whether i will enjoy it or not.

Thank you for reading, sorry for the long post; i have no potatoes to offer but nevertheless have a good day~!

-Vero

[seventeendeer]

I still haven't gotten into rain world, I played it for an hour or so but it was a bit too slow paced to really grab me at the time. I really wanted to like it but I haven't touched it since. can you convince me?

I will convince you AND anyone else reading this who might be interested in rain world !! >:3c or at least try to lol

quick summary for anyone unfamiliar: Rain World is an indie sidescroller where you play as a little animal trying to survive in a post-apocalyptic world. the player characters, 'slugcats', must eat enough food during the short dry seasons to be able to hibernate through the deadly torrential rain seasons - without getting eaten by bigger animals. as you venture deeper into the game, you learn more about the long-gone civilization whose ruins you're now traversing.

reasons to play Rain World and stick with it despite the frankly harrowing difficulty:

the atmosphere! the nature-is-reclaiming-but-boy-is-it-harsh atmosphere is my personal favorite part of the game. the world only becomes stranger the further you delve into the game. old ruins, old worlds, old religions, old mistakes, old ghosts ... all in a world that feels lush and new and alive despite.

music is used sparingly, but it's gorgeous when it's there, especially during cutscenes

speaking of which, the cutscenes are essentially beautiful digitally painted slideshows. again, full of atmosphere and feeling

the game itself has a deliberately coarse, almost brutalist look, which I think fits the vibe extremely well. unusually for these types of games, all character animation is generated in real time, with each part of a character's body being affected by physics. this creates some very fluid, realistic animation and some ... frankly very janky gameplay, that nonetheless feels very satisfying when you get the hang of it. the learning curve is steep, but once you get really good at movement, you can zoom around the map at much-higher speed!

it may not look like it on the surface, but this game got crazy good AI. it's more or less a fully functioning, procedurally generated ecosystem. every individual enemy lives its own life, including off-screen. each type of enemy has its own unique personality (members of sapient species even have unique personalities generated for each individual!), and almost every being in the game is programmed to try to feed and find shelter before the rain returns, just like the player. the vast majority of beings in the game also develop a relationship to the player that changes depending on how you behave around them - you can actually tame enemy animals and make friends with sapient species! or you can kill enough of a species to destabilize the ecosystem, causing invasive species to appear, among other things. the AI is super intricate and complex, and I highly recommend looking up how it works, just so you can fully understand what you're experiencing in-game. a lot of things that seem random are decidedly not. it's deeply fascinating!!

while it's light on story and there's very little dialogue, what is there is strange, abstract and very poignant. it's a "glass half full" type of story at best, but the almost ... tender(?) way the bleak story is handled really made it stick with me personally. I highly recommend seeing the story through, if nothing else by watching someone else's playthrough. it goes some truly mysterious places that I at least in no way predicted.

as much as I personally love this game, I do also have to disclaim that it's not ... perfect. it's a niche game (I think?) for a reason. the fans love it for the same reasons critics hate it - it's hard, it's weird, it consciously refuses to conform to a lot of the traditional principles of what makes a "good game", and its near-total lack of in-game tutorials makes it almost hostile to new players. it frequently leaps back and forth between "hard, but worth it" and "I will give you 2 dollars if you climb that telephone pole 47 times!" type difficulty, and all you can really do to combat it is to pick and choose which challenges are enjoyable to you and which to leave alone.

I personally gave up on the hard mode campaign completely because I wasn't having fun - the standard campaign was already difficult for me. I also looked up a lot of the lore that is technically available in-game because I found the way to obtain it to be a boring grind at my current skill level.

Rain World is difficult and not in a balanced, fair way, like Dark Souls or Hollow Knight. it will fuck you over at the drop of a hat, for no reason, with no way to recover. it will render the last two hours of gameplay moot if you screw up in the last five minutes. it is not always, strictly speaking, a "well-designed game."

but it is a beautiful game, an immersive game, brimming with emotion right under the steely surface, and if you enjoy simply being in the world and you want to learn more about it, I highly recommend sticking with it in whatever capacity is fun for you.

and then look up all the lore you missed by being a rational person + watch some video essays on youtube about how that insane AI works because understanding what's going under the hood of this game is going to make the slow-paced parts SO much more exciting

everyone who likes fucked up animal stories and getting their shit dismantled by RNG ad nauseum go play rain world right NOW it's FANTASTIC and I LOVE IT SO MUCHH IT'S SO SPECIAL DESPITE THE. THE ALL THAT. THE PAIN

[paterklatter]

Do you have any video game opinions/hot takes?

ok so i ended up writing like an entire essay so i'm gonna put this under a cut

-hades is not that amazing of a game, while it's fun it hardly qualifies as a roguelike and the gameplay lacks depth. the only reason it's so loved is its absolutely amazing character design. it's not bad just the definition of a 7/10 game (which i need 7/10 brainrot games in my life. that's why i've played shit like hades or steamworld quest to completion as their lack of gameplay depth made them easy to play with my brain in the wash)

-"cozy" games have quickly grown repetitive and i genuinely question the need for 500 "stardew valley but fantasy games" or otherwise generic farm sims with one catchy steam page gimick

-the direction of the yakuza franchise is actually such a fucking mess right now. the change of the name to "like a dragon" after the series has already established itself as yakuza is such a stupid fucking move. no one calls it "like a dragon." some fans may call it rgg (including me), but no one calls it like a dragon. the annual release model also just isn't working. these extremely long story based games are a huge time sink and require anyone who wants to play 8 to play all of them, so new fans are going to get burnt out quick. even people who has played all the games are gonna get burnt out fast, especially considering you HAVE to play the new to understand the one coming out later that year. i think 7 was a really good way to sidestep that without leaving fans of the other games hanging as you can go into it having played none of the games and still understand it perfectly well. i'm not the craziest about the turn based combat but i definitely prefer it to whatever the hell the other dragon engine games were cooking because the ragdoll physics of kiwami 2 actually almost made me drop it (one of the reasons i think it's the worst game in the franchise behind 5). i think dropping that to do ANOTHER kiryu send off is stupid. some people didn't like the ending of 6, but changing your mind after switching to ichiban (who has the potential to be a better protagonist than kiryu) is actually so fucking cheap. i'm sure i would make this paragraph even longer if i had played gaiden or 8 but i'm actually so fed up with this franchise. also doing a ground up remake for ishin instead of just a translation with maybe some quality of life improvements or updated characters was stupid and also the combat was bad.

-totk sucked ass nintendo didn't cook. there was NO reason for it to have taken longer to make than botw. the main gimick is cool but i personally didn't like it (though i'm in the minority on that) and while its impressive how bug free it is it doesn't feel play tested. like yeah sure the physics are consistent but it feels like there isn't as many fun ways to use it. after 5 hours you realize what same 7 things work and use them in every situation. also it has some major ux problems (HOLY SHIT JUST LET US PRE-FUSE ARROWS I DON'T WANNA GO TROUGH A DROP DOWN 3 TIMES MID-AIR). the exploration is completely gone for anyone who has played botw as well. the depths and sky just don't have enough going on and again this game took longer than botw to come out despite have absolutely not map change and don't even get me started on the train wreck of a story

-people who have watched playthroughs fundamentally had a different experience to people who actually played the game and that gap can sometimes make them just not able to engage in discussion in the same way. it depends on the game definitely but something like disco elysium relies so heavily on individual experiences that watching someone play it isn't even the same game. even like fnaf which is THE let's play game, you don't truly feel any of the stress from doing mental management by watching someone else play it

-overwatch 2's characters have been such a step down from the first games it's insane. not even as kits but in actual personality and story. with the exception of ramattra who i think is one of the strongest overwatch characters overall (who also has been definitely cooking since mid-ow 1), ow2's characters have been like. not even bland just straight obnoxious. kiriko, venture, lifeweaver, and juno have the same stock "snarky" personality that makes them really obnoxious. kiriko is the worst of that though, her design is also ugly and her entire existence genuinely makes no sense and why is she blizzards golden child what are they cooking. sojourn is just like. boring. junker queen is really fucking annoying and it's a shame as in the cinematic she seems like a much more fun character than someone screaming in my ear. mauga was such a waste of potential because he's also been cooking since before bap's release but he lacks any personality and is again. obnoxious

-fortnite needs to put the collab skins DOWN. the shop has anywhere from 2-8 different collab pages on any given day. and while i'm sure they sell, it just looks so obnoxious and honestly the original skins are just better and more interesting. having to dig to find the signature style page is so annoying. also they need more skins in the rotation because it's the same 5 fucking skins i swear. lego fortnite has absolutely trashed the shop, fall guys will make this problem even worse i imagine

-no more souls likes pleaseeeeee i never fucked with the genre in all honesty but this oversaturation has to be bothering even avid fans of the genre

-nintendo's current re-releases make no sense because why is metroid prime's remaster $40 but fucking luigi's mansion 2 hd $60. also why have they been holding wind waker and twilight princess hd hostage those are easy ports that would sell. i've been wanting to replay twilight princess as i remember it fondly and want to tell if i'm tripping or not but don't have a wii u and you got me fucked up if you think i'm digging up my dead old wii to play it

-on that. twilight princess gets too much shit. of course some of this could be wrong as i'm going off very biased memory as it was my first zelda title and one of the first i 100%ed, but it's so much better than everyone says it is. the aesthetic is very edgy for sure but it also has some of the weirdest character designs and personalities in the franchise and they work so well with the gritty visuals somehow. midna is the best companion as she has an actual personality and isn't BUZZING IM MY FUCKING EAR THE ENTIRE GAME HOLY SHIT FI YOU ARE MY OPP. zant is an amazing villian as well. some people hate on the game's slow opening but i love it because it gives link so much more character and makes you connected to the villagers so you actually care when shit goes down. tp has one of the best stories in the franchise and THE best link and i truly believe that. tp link has so much personality and his connections to characters feel real. it also has some of the best dungeons in the franchise, this is a take many people share at least so i know i'm not tripping on that one

[wulg]

Okay okay, now I got a moment, I can briefly (briefly being the key word) discuss accessibility in video games.

A lot of people like to bring up adding subtitles, color-blind mode, brightness settings, keybindings (being able to customize your keys and inputs), etc. These are all very fantastic starts for accessibility, and I firmly believe that all games should come with this customization as a default. However, this is also just scratching the very surface of accessibility in gaming!

The reason I’m writing this post is to introduce a few of the other methods of accessibility that can be implemented in games. This is, by no means, a thorough or exhaustive list, this is just to bring to awareness some other ways games can be made more accessible. And yes, some of those methods are making completely optional easier game modes, that are optional to use. The emphasis is on optional. Yes, there are a lot of people “bad at video games” who have disabilities or health conditions that make it difficult for them to play video games, and is a pretty common comment I hear from gamers with various disabilities. (And honestly, it’s a lot easier to say “I’m bad at games” that explaining your disability or the health reason why you may not be able to play a game the way it’s intended or as well as other players).

Anyways, here are just a few accessible alternatives;

- Story modes: This is a “story only” game mode implemented in games. This allows players to enjoy the story of a game without requiring them to play through the game’s challenging portions. This way, they can still experience the game in a game format, but if they’re unable to play it normally due to a disability, they don’t miss out on playing the game itself. (Yes, I’m aware some players will say, “just watch a playthrough”, but some players want to support developers, and. well, playing a game, even if it’s only the story portions, is still more engaging and fun for some players instead of watching a playthrough.)

- Use of images or icons or other visual indicators along with text. Some players may have trouble remembering items visually, or in the case of some people, their reading skills (for any reason) may give them difficulty when it comes to playing a game. Or, reading fine text may be hard for them. In any case, using visual aids in game can be super helpful. An example of this would be in Super Mario Galaxy!

[ID: A screenshot of a penguin from Super Mario Galaxy standing next to Mario. There is a text bubble above the penguin that reads “So... chunks, huh?”. The text that reads “chunks” is purple, and there is a purple star-like shaped icon beside the word chunks, showing the player what a chunk is. End ID.]

- Adding onto the text, I think while subtitles are a great start, there should also be a way to change the font, colour and size to make it easier to read. (Black background, white text, for example, is easier for some people to read.) Having emphasized words in different colours can help others out, depending on the person. 

- Physical demand that video games have is very often overlooked. A lot of people don’t necessarily think about it, but, for example, many games require the usage of both hands to play. This isn’t possible for some players. A lot of games require very careful, precise, exact movements. This level of dexterity isn’t possible for some players. Some games require very fast reflexes, but not everyone can physically perform those sequences of games. This can be remedied by easier game difficulties (that tone down the speed of games, for example) or even allowing the player to skip difficult sections of the game, which is very much optional! (I cannot count the amount of games I have collecting dust simply because I spent days trying to complete a puzzle that relies on memory, and I have very severe memory issues that interfere with that.)

- (Also to add on: some puzzles, such as colour puzzles or sound puzzles, should always be skippable in my opinion. I cannot fathom a reason why one of these would have to be mandatory in a video game, but for people who have hearing impairments or are colourblind or have other related disabilities, this just makes the game unplayable for them. Also, I think we can agree a lot of these types of puzzles are just not the most fun in the first place? But that’s an opinion/discussion for another post.)

- Controllers! There are some options out there, but not as many as you’d think there are. Actually, while there are a lot of general purpose controllers for every day use (such as using a computer in day-to-day use), there aren’t actually a lot of gaming-specific controllers. I’m talking about controllers designed for gamers, for games. If you want to check out a few examples, there’s the XBox Adaptive Controller (which is nice as it allows for the user to attach their own input devices such as their own joysticks, buttons, switches, etc. for customization which is pretty nice), as well as VoiceAttack, a controller that’s controlled by your voice and is completely hands free. There’s also some companies that specialize in designing game controllers specific to a person’s disabilities, which are all pretty great options, and I do recommend checking them out (I don’t know any specific recommendations myself but feel free to add any).

Anyways, these are just a very few, brief accessibility options, and I have definitely not touched on every single kind of accommodation nor condition out there. I just wanted to list a few that people don’t always think of, just to get people to think of accessibility options outside of the usual “subtitles, colors, keybinds”. Which are, again, a great start, but let’s not stop there! 

I would also like to note, I am by no means a total expert on the subject, a lot of this is from my own personal research and findings online and going through some research papers, as well working on my own projects relating to accessibility in games and making them more accessible for players. Please feel free to add onto the post or make corrections!

[jeremy-ken-anderson]

A Curious Debate

So a huge fan of Dead Cells had a problem specifically with Continue Mode - a part of their accessibility-focused “Breaking Barriers” patch.

They didn’t have a problem with other assist modes - options allowing players to autoattack, to use sliders to set damage taken and enemy hp, to expand parry windows for folks with mental/physical disability. They specifically felt as if Continue Mode unmakes something fundamental to the game. To them, Dead Cells is a roguelike, and with Continue Mode on Dead Cells is not a roguelike because it allows them to continue from the start of a zone instead of the roguelike tradition of restarting a run.

After some thought, what I came to was this:

They are correct that Continue Mode unmakes something fundamental to the game as they experience it.

Also, that does not matter.

If there were (and indeed maybe there is) a War of the Lions Story Mode mod that makes all of the battles in Final Fantasy Tactics trivial so that a player can just steamroll all the fights, then FFT becomes fundamentally not a tactical game. And...that’s fine. At that point it’s basically a visual novel with odd graphics; a really good visual novel, because FFT has a really good story. If it stops being a tactical game and only the story is left and someone needs that because it’s all - for whatever reason - they’re able to experience?

That’s fine.

Would they save time by watching a playthrough somewhere? Maybe. But nothing is lost for people who like tactics games if the game itself includes a button you can turn on to make the tactics game not a tactics game anymore.

All of this logic applies to Dead Cells as well, but moreso. Dead Cells loses one of three of its best-known gameplay concepts: No more permadeath, but it’s still a reflex-based platformer with persistent progression between a set of runs. The only difference is until you beat a final boss you get to decide when a run is over instead of having it decided for you. It struck me partway into writing this that Continue Mode might provide accessibility for people with certain kinds of anxiety; that the increased agency may change it from a game they literally can’t stand to play into a game they can.

If we accept that some players will never be able to experience the depths and intricacies of the game at the level of the superfan, we have a choice: Tell them they cannot experience the game, because we cannot provide all of it at once, or provide tools to let them experience as much of the game as they can. No part of the game is above this. The tactics bit of Final Fantasy TACTICS is not above this. What part of the game CAN we let them enjoy? We should let them enjoy that much.

I don’t think the fan who started the conversation is bad or attempting to gatekeep. I think they’re just confusing “full experience” with “real experience.”

With the full assist modes, a blind person has successfully beaten The Last of Us 2 on their own, which is largely a stealth/shooter game. They didn’t get to experience most of the aiming, and they didn’t get to experience any of the thrilling graphics. But they did get to experience the story, to use auditory cues to engage with the combat system, to explore terrifying spaces and cope with the horrors both human and supernatural.

[tearblossom]

Orbital Station Scene Analysis: Part 3

Lmao here we go again. Ready to fall even deeper down the rabbit hole that is this scene with me!? This one scene functions simultaneously as my source of joy and depression and I watch it more than I would care to admit. So, naturally, I have even more to say about it! It’s going to be long. Sorry.

Part 1- https://tearblossom.tumblr.com/post/645095661644251136/scene-analysis-this-is-just-what-i-personally-feel

Part 2- https://tearblossom.tumblr.com/post/645776311115186176/i-was-thinking-some-more-about-the-final-scene

In this one, I’ll be going into more detail explaining the emotional mask that I believe Takemura is trying so desperately to keep on during this scene (and undeniably fails at several times, with it coming off entirely upon the scene reaching a certain pivotal moment) and also pointing out the instances that I feel the mask slips occur. Honestly, it’s pretty easy to tell for reasons that I will explain. I’m going to reiterate the fact that I am not a facial expression/body language expert. This is just one human being looking at another human being and trying to figure them out. This is just my personal interpretation of this scene. Prepare yourself for many, many screenshots and gifs. Also, I will be using the same video sources as the other two posts because I don’t have my own footage. 

https://youtu.be/ra-Ij1KU8r4

https://youtu.be/PUmQqVOq5oY

I failed to mention before the reason that Takemura even had to put up the cruel facade in the first place because I didn’t want to state the obvious and insult everyone’s intelligence. We all know the reason but I’ll just say it here anyway: Arasaka. 

Arasaka is listening to Takemura’s every word so he literally cannot say shit to V that would hint at any sort of affection for him/her and absolutely nothing that would indicate any growing uncertainty in said corporation. Words mean nothing here. He has to speak through his eyes and expressions because that is all he has to offer, the only cards he has to play. That is why the meaning of this scene can be so easily missed and flies over so many people’s heads. I do not fault anyone that may have missed this on a first playthrough or even those that are still unaware of it whatsoever because Takemura is very, very convincing at first (his face becomes an open book once the contract gets brought out but we’ll get into that later) and besides, to truly understand something that involves emotions as complex as these caused by equally as complex reasons or anything involving subtext really, takes multiple viewings to truly appreciate.

In summary, what I believe is happening here is that during the entire scene up until the contract gets brought out, his mental state is constantly teetering on the edge of a cliff so to speak. He is trying so hard to fight his sentimentality and control his emotional responses not only to V’s misery and pain but also his own wavering faith in Arasaka because they are watching, listening, and monitoring. And he succeeds extremely well at first but it gets harder and harder for him to maintain the mask. The closer he physically gets to V, the harder it is to pretend, to hide. His eyes alone betray him on several occasions but eventually the whole facade just crumbles and he falls. And when the contract comes into play is when he truly, honestly looks at V and the communication through his eyes really begins.

Here is the key thing- it is the most important visual clue to understanding when things happen: When Takemura is feeling any doubt or his emotions begin to overwhelm him or he fears that they might, he promptly averts his eyes to get himself under control and readjusts the mask that has slipped. 

He looks away from V during these moments!

(Just to clarify, I don’t think that every single moment in the scene that he looks away from V has this deeper meaning behind it. When people talk it’s completely natural for them to turn their heads, avert their eyes to look at other things, etc. These are just some moments that particularly stood out to me as signs pointing to my little theory.) 

Okay...let’s start deciphering this conflicted, broken mess of a man.

Scene starts. Takemura is fiddling with the Rubik’s Cube. He puts it down. Expression cold as ice.

mask on full display in all of it’s glory

They talk about Saburo being back in the body of his son and have this exchange of words:

V: “Saw Saburo Arasaka’s back. In Yorinobu’s body.”

Goro: “Yes. Justice has been done.”

And then it happens for the first time...

(Could this be...doubt perhaps? Has justice really been done?)

Moving on- he walks over to stand behind the chair across from V, telling them of their imminent death.

Goro: “I will be blunt - the surgery did not help. You will be dead before winter.”

And then he proceeds to make this face immediately after...

(Lovely, isn’t it? Just full of sympathy. His mask game is strong. But don’t worry though because V wins in the end BIG TIME.)

Understandably, V gets very upset upon hearing this news.

V: “How... how’s that possible? Arasaka’s got the best and the brightest.”

And then something happens again. Whatever could it be, I wonder!

But wait, there’s more!

(He couldn’t even wait until he finished talking before looking away! It’s getting more difficult for him to look at V with a straight face every second! Also, his expression here is the most broken looking yet.) :(

He must not reveal what is hidden behind this emotional wall that he’s worked so hard to build up specifically for this meeting because the room they are speaking in may just as well be made of glass with Arasaka’s unrelenting gaze, an ever-present entity, on the other side of it. He will do so soon though, when he offers V salvation. The contract raises the stakes. The rules change. He feels the wall breaking and there isn’t anything he can do about it and he knows it.

IT’S CHAIR TIME, CHOOMS!

He looks away another 6 TIMES! Leaning more and more over that edge. Feast your eyes...

IT’S CONTRACT TIME, BABY!

Oh, shit!

It’s happening!!

He does look away here but there’s no mask on when he looks back...only despair.

It’s gone.

TO SIGN OR NOT TO SIGN

The disguise is off now. From this point onward, Takemura looks at V with his true feelings on display. This is where the ability to read the emotion portrayed solely through one’s eyes really comes into play because even though he’s not trying to hide anything anymore, he still can’t say what he really wants to say. We have to feel it through his expressions. His thoughts are so loud during these final moments of the scene that we don’t even need words to know what he’s saying.  

REFUSE TO SIGN

SIGN

HOLY GRAIL MOMENT!

(I’m literally going to copy and paste what I have in my part 2 analysis about this section because I explained my thoughts on it about as well as I am able to there and have nothing else to add. My apologies for repeating myself but I feel the exact same way about it so it still applies here.) 

These reactions make perfect sense because we’ve always known that he cares deeply for V and never stopped. He just couldn’t hide it! But even with this treasure trove of emotional mask slips and unintentional displays of affection, I still wasn’t sure exactly how deeply he cared for V. In other words- if he was actually in love with V or not.

Is he already in love or is he still in the process of falling in love? Is it just a friendly love? (hell no! I knew that was definitely not the case but I still had to ask just so I could cross it off the list!)

And then the two of them walked to the door and said their parting words.

V: “Gonna see each other again?”

Goro: “I believe we will.”

V: “So… see you.”

Goro: “Visit me in Kagawa - I will show you what is real food.”

And then…

he proceeded to make these faces…

HOLY

SHIT!

(The mask isn’t just gone now- it’s burned, splintered, shattered, exploded in a million pieces, disintegrated!)

This man just had the biggest revelation of his entire life: the realization that he is in love with V. These are looks of love and I will not be convinced otherwise. I’m not a facial expression expert or anything, only stating my humble opinions here, but are you seeing this!?

He realizes the truth and it catches him so off guard that he has to look away. He contemplates these newfound feelings and tries to sort them out in the few seconds that he has left with V. And he does. He accepts them. He welcomes them. The gentle, knowing look he gives V when he looks back at them is saying just this.

He also knows that he is now fucked because his love for V is going to complicate things so much more than they already were. Now that he is fully aware that he is in love, these feelings are going to directly conflict with his duties to Arasaka later if a situation arises that places V and Arasaka on opposing sides and I think we all know that is most definitely going to happen at some point.

And now he has to see the love of his life die and just leave this place and go on with his day. Damn. This is turning into one of the saddest love stories I’ve ever seen. Something major is going to happen in the dlc that is going to force his hand one way or another: V or Arasaka? I hope that Arasaka somehow fucks up so bad that it makes his choice easier but my heart breaks imagining the amount of conflict and torment that await him.

The Beginning and The End

[disemboweled-fish-pastry]

Welcome!!! It’s so exciting to still see new people joining! After all, we all played the same game and spent the same amount of time on it, so the time when we joined doesn’t really matter at all. :D

That’s bumming but on the positive side, you can get them later on again when you feel like doing a replay. I bet it will be satisfying, to come back to the game after some time and watch your cg gallery fill once again.

Aren’t we all whales of some sort

but I'm glad you found tricks so it's at least something, but I bet it must’ve still been frustrating losing the content. You may have already seen it but if you like-to really turn into a whale and sell your heart to Saeyoung to get some bonus content and physical merch, you might wanna check the RFA VIP/Special believer packages out. They among other stuff also give a bunch of hourglasses and unlimited calling cards for everyone. http://msg.cheritz.com (I know it might look shady at first but I promise it's an actual legit site xD) you can find more information there than on Cheritz Market + it has really cute bonus comic material!

Don’t worry!! I’m happy I could be your first ask! Hopefully, you will get even more in the future. :> My day was kinda rough actually, but it gave me a smile when I saw you interacting with my post! I am usually very passive in fandoms but Mystic Messenger just has a special place in my heart, and I totally love interacting with people who played it! I hope your day will also treat you well!

Heyo, hi again~ :"3

Perhaps~ It's been more fun since I finally started sharing. I was posting just a tiny bit on my main blog some time ago, but it felt like not many of my followers there really knew much about it, so I just decided to make a separate blog. It helps me stay organized too. People who only like one thing can follow this or that, y'know.

Ye, I'm not terribly concerned about the illustrations as much. However, I did force myself not too long ago to get all of Yoosung's bad endings in one fell swoop so I wouldn't have to choose the horrible answers again, so I really hope I don't lose that illustration or chats. ^^'' I only want to give nice answers to Yoosung! :"3 💖 One illustration I lost was the one of Rika with the plants, so I'll have to replay.. I think the Ray after ending. I know I already earned that one. I lost Jaehee's Valentine's illus twice, but it's no big deal because they're free after you buy the episodes once. :p I swear I keep losing the same Zen picture on the first row in his album.

Chichichi~ Actually, if I had only known how much I would have ended up spending, I really should have just bought the VIP kits. Without getting a single thing of merch, I calculated over $200. T __T orz I actually really like the illustration on the Yoosung pillow. I have it as my banner thingy here. Maybe a plush sometime, that'd be nice. At this point I'd have to see the gains if I did end up getting the packs sometime. I need to finally get a new income then I'll think about it. + 3+ Oh man, I actually did look at the official site before I finished a playthrough actually. I still remember that one ama where the characters wear glasses and I was like "wahwahwahwah???"

Aww ♥ I'm happy~ Honestly really happy that I was able to brighten your day a bit, you brightened my day as well! ; v; I feel you, though. With Mystic Messenger, sometimes I just want to gush about something and sometimes I feel like I have no one to gush to.

[ichigo-daifuku]

Harbor

Obey Me! Fanfiction [Read on AO3]

Leviathan/Female!MC

In true normie fashion, she convinces Leviathan to be her date on the anniversary celebration in honor of the Hell's Navy.

Explicit | Fluff and Smut, Clothed Sex, Cosplay (...Kind Of), Uniform Kink

It's Leviathan Loving Hours, what else can I say? 💙

Word Count: 5.2k

If there was one thing she has learned over her multiple playthroughs of Dogi✩Magi✩Memorium with her boyfriend, it would be the importance of setting the mood when asking someone for a favor. Once the target was locked, every interaction with them bore a significant weight, including physical touch, if there should be any. Words uttered to them must be chosen with utmost care. Gifts, when presented to the target, in particular, those items in line with their preferences, would give higher chances of a positive outcome: intimacy up.

The front door clicked shut. She navigated through the hallways of the House of Lamentation with a purpose. An opportunity presented itself to her, and she was on her way to seize it. Once she reached the location of her target, who was none other than Leviathan, she halted, raised her occupied hand carefully, and knocked three times on his door.

“It is I,” she announced. “I come bearing gifts.”

There was a shuffling sound from the inside. After a few seconds, Leviathan answered, his voice in proximity, just behind the wood. “What’s the secret phrase?”

Three options flashed inside her mind, and though the secret phrase changed from one to another every single time she dropped by, she has been in the same situation numerous times. It was easy to decide which option was the correct one: the catchphrase in the transformation sequence of The Magical Mysterious Jane: Peony Phantom, one of Leviathan’s most recent anime obsessions. She began, “‘Lunaria.’”

“‘Wisteria.’”

“‘Primrose.’ ”

“‘Peony.’ ”

“‘Through the power of the flower, I’m as pretty as I can be.’”

“‘I’m the magical, mysterious Levi!’ Secret phrase authenticated. You may enter.” Leviathan unlocked the door and revealed himself. He wore a grave expression as he nodded and continued, “Welcome to Castle Leviathan.”

“Hold on, there’s a final line. ‘And I might just steal your heart, so watch out!’ There!” She laughed, stood on her tiptoes, and gave him a kiss on the cheek as a greeting. “Hi, Levi. I missed you.” 

Leviathan froze, the brief brush of her lips causing his skin to redden, but he shook his head and intercepted her entrance with his body when she moved to enter the room. “Where are those gifts you speak of?”

“Oh, my apologies.” She chuckled and cleared her throat, showing him the packages she was carrying with her two hands. “I present to you… Spicy Rainbow Pizza and Café Lament’s Bufo Egg Milk Tea!”

“OMG! Sweet! I was just getting hungry,” he enthused but regained his composure in a second. After shifting his facial expression and tone of voice back into serious mode, he continued, “I mean, your humble offerings are most appreciated.”

With the first phase of her plan successful, she entered Leviathan’s room, one of the most unique living spaces she has ever visited. An eclectic assortment of posters and merchandise of Ruri-chan and Sucre Frenzy decorating the walls and shelves welcomed her inside. A bathtub served as his bed, which she found odd during the first time she noticed it. The gigantic aquariums inside reminded her of oceanariums in the human world. The floor was cluttered with a few empty sports drink bottles and the like, but everything else he prized—from his books, manga, CDs, anime figurines—were organized in their rightful areas.

Light radiated from his computer screens as Leviathan made his way to the nearby table and set the pizza box down. He poked the straw through the cap of the Bufo Egg Milk Tea, grabbed a slice from the box, and strode to the direction of his computer while indulging in his snacks. In a good mood, he plopped down on his gaming chair and spun it in the opposite direction of his set-up.

Meanwhile, she had gone to the fishbowl where Leviathan’s beloved goldfish took his residence. “How are you doing, Henry?”

Henry circled the space, leaving bubbles in his wake, and bumped onto the glass as if to say hi.

She concluded that things were going swimmingly with Henry and turned to Leviathan. “Have you fed him yet?”

Leviathan observed the interaction with curiosity and finished his slice of pizza, grabbing a sheet of tissue paper from his desk and wiping his hand with it before throwing it into the wastebasket. He took a long sip of his Bufo Egg Milk Tea and replied, “Nope. It’s almost time for his meal, though. Do you wanna do the honors?”

“Sure,” she responded with a smile and took the goldfish food container near the fishbowl. Henry chased after the pellets she sprinkled inside, delighted. Once she was satisfied with the amount of food she had given Henry, she dusted her hands and strode to Leviathan’s direction. 

Although they had been in the same position many times before, the moment she sat on his lap, Leviathan looked away and blushed, taking the straw away from his lips and coughing. “Hey! What do you think you’re doing?”

“Nothing…” she answered coyly and turned the gaming chair toward the screen. “So, what were you doing before I got here?”

“Uh, nothing.”

True enough, the screen indicated an open tab on Deviltube, an adorable cat video on pause. She clicked play and watched the clip of a cat kneading its paws against a soft blanket. When it ended, Deviltube offered more cat videos as recommendations, but she found no interest in them at the moment, her gut telling her that it was the right time to broach the subject she had been itching to ask him since yesterday. “By the way, I got invited to a party a few days ago. It’s going to be in two weeks... Can we please come together?”

“Is that social interaction I hear? No, thanks.”

She pouted and turned to him. “But Levi…”

“Besides, I have to attend something in two weeks as well. Too much social interaction for a shut-in like me is unhealthy.”

“Aww, okay.” She let out a dramatic sigh and revealed her trump card. “I guess I’ll have to extend an invitation to someone else to be my plus-one, after all… because the Grand Admiral refused to be my date on the anniversary of the Hell’s Navy.”

There was a moment of silence as he put two and two together. “What the—? Let me guess, you received an invitation from Lord Diavolo?”

“Yeah,” she replied. “He was the one who told me I can bring a plus-one.”

“I can, too, but I didn’t think you’d be interested.” Leviathan averted his eyes and took another sip of his drink. “It’s not a super big deal, you know? And it can get kinda boring. Like, really boring.”

“I’m definitely interested. I already said that I’d go, so… do you wanna go together?”

“You really mean that? Um, like a date?”

“That’s right!”

“Ugh, fine...” he sighed in resignation, the blush coloring his face growing fiercer. “It’s not like I wanna go or anything—I have to, either way. Don’t say I didn’t warn you about how boring it is, okay?”

“Yay!” She threw her arms around him, making him yelp. “If the event ends early, let’s go home right away and check out the newest update of Mononoke Land. Just the two of us.”

Though caught off-guard, his hand that had been resting on the armrest snaked around the curve of her waist to pull her closer. He shook his head. “I should’ve known you were up to something the moment you walked in with those snacks. I can’t believe I fell for your normie tactics.”

Mission accomplished! “Normie - 1, Leviachan - 0.”

“I’ll get you next time!”

“Best of luck with that,” she replied and blinked at him suggestively. “Now, how about we watch something more... interesting?”

Alarm and anticipation caused his eyes to widen and flicker from her face to the screen, his throat bobbing as he gulped. “Huh? L-Like what?”

“Hmm…” She turned away from him, clicked on the search bar, and pressed a certain letter on the keyboard: H.

Leviathan’s lips parted to say something, yet even the sound of the letter, its implications and all, failed to escape from them.

She leaned in and whispered in his ear, “That’s right, Levi. It begins with the letter H, do you know what it is?”

The tip of his tongue darted to wet his lips, and his fingers stiffened around his drink, slightly tremulous. A silent groan escaped his mouth as he fidgeted in his seat and halted the movement a second after, becoming extremely conscious that she was perched on his lap. With the space between them close to none, she could feel every detail of the rising tension in his body. Between ragged breaths, he murmured, “Y-Yes…”

Victoriously, she smiled and leaned back, turning away to finish typing the rest of the title while announcing it to him, “Harrison Porter and the World of Wizards!”

The anniversary celebration of the Hell’s Navy would be held at the Demon Lord’s Castle. Being the only two humans currently in the Devildom, Diavolo decided that it would be great as part of the cultural exchange to introduce her and Solomon to a branch of the Devildom’s military. According to the invitation, the Hell’s Navy would be presenting its newest members which not only included demons but also sea monsters joining the fleet in its endeavors. Everyone invited was instructed to adhere to the nautical dress code, and so the day after she convinced Leviathan to be her date, she visited Majolish and searched for something suitable for the event.

After making final adjustments to her ensemble, she stared at her reflection in the mirror, happy that she was able to find something in line with the theme. Her navy blue dress sported a sailor collar, a white necktie, and a skirt adorned with two stripes at the bottom. On top of her head, a matching sailor hat rested while her footwear consisted of plain white ankle boots. 

Satisfied, she sent Leviathan a text message to inform him that she would be making a stop at his room. When she received a reply that he would leave his door unlocked for her, she opened her bedroom door and peeked outside, not wanting to risk running into the other brothers in the hallway. As silly as it was, she wanted Leviathan to be the first one to see her in this outfit. The coast was clear. She stealthily made her way to Leviathan’s room, knocked, and entered, making sure to shut the door as quickly as she could.

Leviathan stood near his closet, facing away from her. She figured out that her entrance had gone unnoticed as he continued fumbling over his sleeve and adjusting his collar.

“This could’ve been the perfect time to show off my skills and cosplay a sea spirit from Mononoke Land, but no, I have to be in this uniform,” he whispered to himself and sighed. “Henry’s going to be there with the other sea monsters. I’m so proud of him… I wish Lotan was present as well. He’d have so much fun…”

“Levi?” she called.

“Oh, hey,” he said and turned around, the words dying in his throat as he took in her appearance. “You’re… here…”

The sight of Leviathan in his Hell’s Navy uniform rendered her speechless. Even though he has yet to wear his cap and gloves, he looked entirely formal and professional, a stark contrast to the image of him she viewed every day. His uniform suited him, and he looked stunning. Her heart hammering in her chest at the heat of his gaze, she gave him a twirl and asked him with a nervous smile, “Ta-da! Is it okay?”

For a while, he didn’t speak. He only gave her a wide-eyed stare before blurting out, “Are you… real?”

“Huh? Of course, I am.”

“3D…?”

“Um, yes.”

He gulped. “If you’re telling the truth, what was the item you borrowed from me after we made a pact?”

“What’s with the pop quiz?” she fired back. “Anyway, it was the cursed vinyl edition of The Tale of the Seven Lords soundtrack. How could I forget?”

“Easy enough,” he said. “How about this? Do you remember the first phone call we had?”

“Yeah, I do. You told me that you dialed the wrong number, right?”

His cheeks pinked. “I didn’t just tell you that—I actually did, okay? Who was I trying to call, then?”

“Ultrawitch✩Rainbow-chan. Luminous-chan.”

“That’s right.” He nodded. “What was the last movie we watched together when we were in this room?”

“The one which begins with the letter H,” she responded with an amused giggle, remembering the way he squirmed in his seat. “Harrison Porter and the World of Wizards. Seriously, Levi, what is going on?”

“WHOA! It really IS you,” he confirmed enthusiastically. “I can only imagine you doing all the magical girl transformation poses! I... I never thought—I mean, okay, yeah, I’ve thought about it—but I never thought the day would come when my fantasy would turn into reality… I can’t even look—it’s too much for my heart to take! I-I think I’m going to have a heart attack!”

Sure, Leviathan adored two-dimensional girls dressed in schoolgirl uniforms which were mostly in the style of a sailor’s, but what she wore right now wasn’t that; this was as close as she could get to the human world’s navy uniform which, from the details of Leviathan’s current attire, was similar to the Devildom’s. “So, it’s alright? You like it?”

“Do I like it? I love it! Of course, I love it…” He blushed and averted his gaze with a frown. “Those other guys in the navy, they’re going to approach you like a school of fish… I can’t have that… but how am I going to keep you in sight and stay away from you at the same time?”

She took a moment to process what he said and cocked her head in confusion. “Huh? What are you talking about? Why would you do that?”

“Look at me! Look at you! You’re so cute and perfect… I’m just a gross and icky shut-in otaku with zero social skills. I’m not worthy to stand beside you…”

“What? No!”

“Why did I have to be like this? A loser! It’s so not fair!” he cried out and covered his face with his hands, his shoulders slumped in sadness, on the verge of bursting into tears. 

Self-deprecation rolled off him in waves, and though the declaration he made about himself was the most ridiculous thing she has ever heard, she understood where he was coming from. This was Leviathan, after all. A lot of times, he didn’t give himself enough credit. He was unaware of it, but he was popular with the Devildom community, especially to the succubi. There was an instance when Mammon sneaked a photo of a freshly bathed Leviathan coming out of the shower and sold it online, much to the succubi’s delight. Too bad for them, though, she was already dating him.

“Levi.”

“Maybe it’s better for me not to go…”

“Levi.”

“I guess I can try to fake sickness or something…”

“Leviathan.”

The resolute tone of her voice as she called him by his full name drew his attention. He removed his hands from his face, turned his gaze on her for a second with difficulty, and looked away again. “Um, what?”

“Change into your demon form.”

“Huh? But why…?”

“Do it, please.”

“O-Okay… If you say so…”

Leviathan shifted into his demon form. Her footsteps echoed through the silence as she made her way to him, and though he still refused to look at her, she didn’t hesitate and wrapped him in her embrace. “I didn’t slip and hug you by accident, just so you know.”

It took him by surprise, but he held his tears back and sniffled, placing his arms around her waist in return. The calming fragrance of the sea enveloped her, making her close her eyes and sigh contentedly. 

They remained in the same position until, slowly, she led them to the giant aquarium that served as a wall in his room. Her back turned from the glass, she stood on her tiptoes, skimmed his horn soothingly with a fingertip, and whispered in his ear, “Do you see that? Look at him… That’s Leviathan, the Avatar of Envy, one of the Seven Rulers of Hell, one of the most powerful demons in the Devildom.”

She kissed the visible markings on his neck one by one and lingered her lips on his collarbone, waiting for the tension caused by his moment of insecurity to alleviate, even fractionally. Once he calmed down, she looked behind her and found him staring at their reflection, a sense of shyness and wonder within his gaze. Determined, she faced him again and tugged his sleeve. “Will you change back for me, please?”

Wordlessly, he did as she requested. Light surrounded his body for a second, and he returned into his human-like form, still staring at their figures on the glass, entranced. 

“And, right there, is no ordinary demon. That’s Leviathan, the Grand Admiral of the Hell’s Navy, the one who wields power over a multitude of sea monsters.” Softly, she traced the badges embroidered on his uniform, the pins indicating his rank and power, and the stripes on his sleeves. She took his hands in hers and squeezed them before continuing, “Anyone would be jealous of whoever is standing beside him. In fact, am I—a human and a normie at that—worthy of being his date?”

His eyes flitted from their reflection to her face, worry making his brows furrow. He grabbed her by the shoulders and answered without an ounce of hesitation, “Of course, you are! There’s no one else who can keep up with me as you do... You’re my True Friend as well as... m-my… g-g-girlfriend! You’re the only one for me!”

This was supposed to be her reminding him of his worth, but how the tides had turned. Overcome with deep affection for him, her eyes watered, but she blinked her tears away with a serene smile and touched his cheek. “And this… This is Leviathan: an otaku, a gamer, the biggest TSL nerd there is, a Ruri-chan and Sucre Frenzy fanboy—he’s passionate about many things. On top of it all, he’s so handsome and amazing… but he doesn’t seem to know that. Not on my watch, though, I’ll remind him of those as many times as I have to.”

“Why are you telling me these?”

“Because they’re true,” she told him. “All of those incredible qualities, they’re you, Levi, and I love you.”

He buried his face on her shoulder, his voice muffled as he replied, “I love you, too.”

She chuckled and gently nudged him, loosening herself from his embrace and facing forward. Hand in hand, the two of them stared at their reflection contrasted by the aquamarine water beyond the glass. “See? We look perfect for each other, don’t we? Actually, scratch that, we are perfect for each other, aren’t we?”

“Yes… Yes, we are,” Leviathan agreed with a bashful nod and turned to her. “GAH! How do you always know just what to say? What are you doing to me?”

“It’s one of my normie tactics, nothing new about that.” She laughed and expected him to tease her about being a normie like he always did.

Instead, he stared at her seriously and exclaimed, “I can’t take it anymore!”

“What do you mean?”

“How could you show up looking so cute, say cute things like those, and expect me not to get all… UGH!”

The next thing she knew, her back leaned against the cool glass, her hat falling to the floor at the suddenness of the motion. A faint thud resounded from Leviathan’s hands as he placed them beside her head. He bent down and captured her lips in a hungry kiss, shifting closer to her until she was flush against his torso—until they could feel the warmth emanating from each other’s bodies. His tongue lapped at the seam of her lips and slid inside, meeting hers and exploring her mouth. The rapid succession of events caused her mind to go hazy, but she found her bearings and reciprocated his advances eagerly, the desire for him thrumming through her body in clarity.

When they parted to breathe, she bent her leg upward to confirm her suspicion. “You… Are you excited right now?”

“Yeah, totally. So, you’ve noticed.” He hovered over her throat, softly kissed the sensitive skin, and pressed his forehead on the crook of her neck. “I can’t help it. Is it okay if I… I-I mean, can we…?”

She swallowed hard and brushed his hair with her fingers. “Of course, Levi. I’m all yours.”

He lifted his head and met her gaze. “All mine...”

“But we have to be quick about it, okay? We can’t have you being late.”

She grasped Leviathan’s shoulders, tilted her head, and initiated the kiss this time. It started as a tender brushing of their lips and turned into deep, lingering caresses as he responded heatedly, neither of them requiring any form of coaxing. While one of his hands moved to cup her cheek, the other grazed her shoulder and made its way downward, fondling her breast along the way and making her moan. He teased the hem of her skirt and slowly made his way underneath it, stroking her thighs and squeezing lightly at the flesh. Groans fell past his lips in between kisses, his hand wandering dangerously close to the apex of her thighs. In a surge of boldness, he cupped her sex and hooked the fabric covering it aside. She leaned back with her eyes closed and parted her legs to give him further access, the back of her head resting against the glass. Her breath hitched, and her body quivered as he began teasing her entrance, the pad of his thumb stroking her clit before his forefinger glided in and out of her in shallow and languid motions, providing relief to the aching emptiness inside of her.

“That feels so good, Levi,” she murmured and moaned. He stared as he added another finger, eager to memorize every detail of her reaction. She admired the way the light and reflection of the water from the aquarium illuminated his face and whispered, “You’re the only one who can make me feel this way.”

“R-Really?”

“Really.” She captured his lips in a quick kiss. “Only you, Levi. Only you.”

The expression on her face, the pleasured noises coming from her lips, and the way she bit back another moan led his ministrations to grow more frenzied by the second, his dexterous fingers plunging in and out of her entrance relentlessly. Eager to please him in the same way, her hand shifted from clutching his shoulder to seeking the button and fly of his pants. She tugged on his waistband and slipped her hand inside. Fingers closing around his stiffening length, she released him from the confines of his underwear and stroked him from base to tip. 

“Ah, fuck,” Leviathan hissed and grit his teeth. He pressed his forehead on hers and shut his eyes, the steady pace of his fingers growing erratic as hers found her rhythm. Despite this, her legs grew unsteady, and her knees threatened to buckle, her climax in reach. This didn’t escape him, and he responded to her need by pumping his digits in and out of her entrance frantically, determined to make her come undone.

“Open your eyes, Levi,” she breathed. “Look what you do to me.” 

Leviathan’s eyes fluttered open and watched as the pleasure building up in her abdomen uncoiled. Her body trembled, and her muscles clenched around his fingers as he let her ride out her climax. Warm puffs of her breath teased the skin underneath the fabric of his uniform as she collapsed against him and panted. 

He withdrew his fingers from her folds, and with his other hand, he grabbed her wrist and released his length from her grasp. Firmly, he wrapped her arms around his neck and slid a palm down to her thigh, hooking her leg around his waist. The head of his cock brushed her clit, and she shuddered, still sensitive from her previous climax. “I’m going to put it in, okay? I wanna see that expression on your face again, the one when you come for me.”

Still breathing heavily, she nodded against him and said, “Y-Yes.”

He eased himself inside her, stilling halfway through to allow her to adjust to him. To his astonishment and gratification, it was she who inclined her hips and took all of him the next second, impatient. Inhaling sharply, he unsheathed himself and pushed inside her again, searching for any discomfort on her end but finding nothing.

“Faster,” she urged.

Leviathan was more than happy to oblige. One of his hands gripped her hip while the other clutched the leg around his waist, holding her steady as he sank inside her in one fluid motion, the movement followed by a series of equally desperate thrusts. The strands of his hair swayed at the swiftness and steadiness of the pounding of his hips. Her fingers carded through his hair and nudged his head down, connecting her lips to his in a feverish kiss. Leviathan poured his need for her through every stroke of his tongue and only broke away once he sensed her tensing, her walls squeezing around his length.

The heat of his embrace, the need in his voice as he groaned in pleasure, the feeling of him inside her—at that moment, everything in her world revolved around Leviathan. Although she had climaxed only moments ago, it didn’t take long for her back to arch and for tremors to ripple all over her body again. A thin sheen of sweat coated her forehead, her eyebrows knit in pleasure, and she closed her eyes and parted her lips, her voice echoing across the room as she cried out, “Levi!”

As she drowned in bliss, he continued thrusting into her, chasing the powerful current of pleasure sweeping over every part of his body. He chanted her name in the same way she did with his, his cock throbbing inside her with his release.

Leviathan’s breathing came out in heavy huffs, exhausted. Still, he stood and held her, his tone laced with concern as he murmured, “Your dress… I ruined it, didn’t I? Sorry.”

Aside from the skirt of her dress being a little rumpled, her attire looked fine. It was nothing compared to the happiness that bubbled in her heart at that moment. She shook her head with a shy smile. “No, you didn’t. Definitely not.”

“Oh, okay…” After a moment of hesitation, he continued, “It was good for you, too, right? Because it was, for me.”

She nodded with a laugh. Dressing up was always fun with Leviathan, and needless to say, she loved it as much as he did. “Of course, it was. In fact, I think we should try that again sometime… and you know, do more.”

“So do I.” A spark of excitement laced his tone as he suggested, “Like, later?”

“Later.”

After making themselves presentable again, Leviathan accompanied her to her bedroom where she remedied the rumpled state of her dress. True to her assurance that everything was fine, the matter required a few minutes, and then, her outfit was as good as new. A while ago, on the way out of his room, she had almost forgotten to bring her hat, but to her surprise, Leviathan already picked it up and held it out to her. That made her smile. She set her hat back on her head, turned from the mirror, and began making her way to Leviathan, who was sitting on the sofa and fiddling with his D.D.D.. As she opened her mouth to ask him if he was ready to leave, a thought struck her and made her stop in her tracks. She strode to her desk and rummaged inside her school backpack. “I can’t believe I almost forgot!”

“Forgot what?” Leviathan lifted his head and watched her with interest.

She waltzed to his direction, sat beside him, and handed him a tiny box. “Here’s a little gift. Happy anniversary to the Hell’s Navy!”

“F-For me?”

“Yes.”

Leviathan opened the box, starry-eyed at the unexpected item inside: a metallic goldfish pin resting on the velvet cushion. “NO WAY? IT’S HENRY?”

“Yes! Isn’t he cute? I have one, too. See?” She outstretched her hand and showed him an identical goldfish pin in the hollow of her palm. On the day when she went shopping for an outfit in Majolish, she happened to pass by an accessories boutique that offered customized items. As soon as she could, she entered the establishment and placed an order with the thought that it would be right up Leviathan’s alley. She was worried that her gift wouldn’t make it in time, but fortunately, she was able to pick up her order yesterday. From the joyful look on his face right now, it was worth the wait.

“Whoa! It’s like Henry fan merch!” he said excitedly. Without preamble, he placed the Henry pin in its rightful spot next to his badges. “T-Thank you.”

“You’re welcome.”

“You should wear yours, too,” he told her. “Here, I’ll put it.”

“Okay,” she replied and handed him the pin.

Leviathan placed it on the fabric of her tie and leaned backward to have a better look, blushing at the realization. “Huh. We match.”

“We do.”

He paused, contemplating on something. With a genuine, earnest look on his face, he said, “I have something to tell you.”

“What is it?”

“I love you more than anyone else in the world.”

His statement reminded her of a fond memory when Belphegor sent those exact words as a message for her using Leviathan’s phone. She had to admit that it was nice hearing it in person, and even nicer that she knew the words truly came from him this time. She stifled a laugh and teased, “Hey, is that supposed to be cheesy or funny?”

He covered his face with his hands, embarrassed. “I tried, okay? Come to think of it, I sounded like a normie. Yikes.”

“That’s okay.” She removed his hands from his face and looked him in the eyes. “I love you more than anyone else in the three worlds.”

“Ugh… Must you really one-up me every single time?”

“Normie - 100, Leviachan - 0.” She smiled and stood, righting her hat that had become askew before holding out a hand for him to take. “You ready?”

“Yep.” Leviathan nodded and took her hand in his. “Let’s go!”

And so, together, like two ships sailing across the vast and endless seas, another adventure awaited them.

(⋆❛ ہ ❛⋆)⊃▂✫⌒*･ﾟ✲

Thank you for reading! ♡

Obey Me! Masterlist

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[iaintyourbro]

FFVII and Xenogears - Cloud and Fei

So FFVII and Xenogears were in development around the same time. FFVII was released in 1997 and Xenogears was released in 1998. 

A lot of the Xenogears story elements were “discarded” FFVII ideas. Mainly due to the fact they were seen as too dark for a FF game. Makes sense... have you played Xenogears? 

**Major Spoilers for Both Xenogears and the FFVII Compilation**

This post will be about Cloud and Fei. I plan on also talking about the similarities in Jenova and Miang, the Highwind Scene vs. the SexiTime scene, and anything else I may think of randomly. Xenogears is still one of my favorite games of all time, and I actually think people may understand some of the themes in FFVII more if they played it or at least watched a playthrough of it. 

It is a T rated game, but it is definitely dark. 

Some major similarities for Cloud and Fei:

The main protagonist of each game has amnesia and severe mental health disorders. FFVII and Xenogears do take slightly different approaches. Fei has full blown Dis-associative Identity Disorder which manifests in a physical form. It’s very Freudian. The “bad” persona, is called “Id”. Cloud creates a persona based on experiences he’s had... except....

Fei did that too, partially. His was due to extreme childhood trauma due to being experimented on... As we know, Cloud’s is due to Hojo being a total piece of shit....

Yeah, they were both experimented on. Fei’s is a lot more disturbing because his mother had been possessed by the “first woman” from the skies... And was having him experimented on, forcibly, while awake. (Don’t worry, there’s gonna be a post about Jenova and Miang too.) Fei was around 3, I believe, when his mother was possessed by Miang and started doing this.

And his mother sacrificed herself in order to defend him... you know... Like Zack did for Cloud....

Fei watched his mother die in front of him just like Cloud watched Zack die in front of him. There’s also a major change in their appearance after it happens. Cloud closes his eyes at the end, opens them again, and hello, SOLDIER!Cloud. Fei’s hair will go in front of his face when he’s going to “turn in to Id.” You don’t know this until after towards the end of the game, when you realize it in Fei’s subconscious... Oh yeah...

You also have to go in to Fei’s subconscious and merge his multiple personalities he’s created... However, you do this on your own. Elly does not come with you, in fact she’s not even allowed to be in the party at this point, which will also be covered in another post.

Fei’s father is around, though, and he has attempted in the past to help Fei by building him up enough to be able to handle this and be able to see what Id needed to show him. 

Some of the differences, and areas where ideas “merged”: 

Fei’s Id persona is a mean kid. He says he wants to destroy everything, he does destroy a lot of stuff and he’s just mean. He even has lines similar to things Sephiroth would say to Cloud. 

There’s also the happy persona inside of here - the one prior to the experiments and Miang possessing his mother, and he’s up there in the videos talking about his most treasured possession, which is a memory of him playing with his mother. He wouldn’t allow Id to see it. 

Cloud’s persona is not as extreme in the differences. Cloud’s was somewhat medically induced due to the mako poisoning, Jenova cells, and just a ton of trauma. Fei’s was mostly built the way DID can normally pop-up, which is just pure childhood trauma. However, the Wave Existence (this game has a ton of blatant religious references, by the way), explains it VERY similar to how Cloud describes it about himself:

Fei and Elly reincarnate, so that’s a major difference here in terms of what they are talking about. Cloud’s is done to him directly, while Fei’s is due to some stuff that went on 10,000 years ago when everything happened on this world. The explanation during the entire scene in Xenogears is a lot to take in, but they do a very good job of explaining it. Yes, it’s still somewhat confusing, but I think because they used so much dialogue during this scene, you get a very good idea of what happened to the world, the Fei and Elly, and why things are they way they are.

Fei’s memories aren’t just from this life, but from ALL of his lives from 10,000 back to present. 

Fei has an interesting response to what the Wave Existence says... 

Fei is determined to get through this on his own. 

Hey Wave Existence, how come you didn’t go help Cloud out over in Advent Children? Would have been nice... Especially since Fei’s dad pretty much dies right after this is all over with. 

Personality wise, Cloud and Fei are pretty different, fake persona or not. Fei is mostly confident, somewhat social, and much more optimistic. The persona that you play as is a very normal guy. The persona that he turns in to that you don’t realize is trying to kill you randomly in the game... he’s just pure rage and evil.

Cloud, as we all know, under his persona tries to act cold and uncaring. His true personality is that of an awkward ham wrapped in a cinnamon bun. However, he is very caring and will save anyone - under either persona, it seems.

Fei will too. It’s just more “obvious” with Fei, since he’s out going. Id will not save you, he will kill you. He will even try to kill Elly. Id doesn’t give a shit, he’s a honey badger. 

If you’d like to watch the scenes where Fei explores what’s going on, you can watch them here:

Fei’s Mind Part 1

Fei’s Mind Part 2

I would absolutely recommend you wait to watch these if you haven’t played the game and want to, but if you want some more context on how things work with Xenogears, these would be interesting. Some of it may also be confusing unless you know some of the other stuff about the game, but they honestly do a pretty damn good job of giving you a breakdown.

Fun fact: The song that plays in Xenogears while you’re in Fei’s subconscious is called “The One Who is Torn Apart”. During Cloud’s subconscious journey, “Who Am I?” plays. You could ultimately put either song over either scene and it would get the same point across. Cloud’s is a bit more upbeat, but I’m going to see about doing that and how it impacts the emotion of the scene.