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kaidatheghostdragon · 11 months ago

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Halfas and Fear Gas

Ive seen a lot of "fear gas makes danny high." Its hilarious and i love it. Other variations i recall seeing are: fear is not as potent, complete immunity, 'food supplement' fear gas, and the boring 'effects him like normal.'

BUT.

I haven't really seen anyone treat effect effect on the brain and core as separate processes. In other words, humans get affected one way, ghosts get affected another way, and halfas get blasted by both.

We already know how normal humans are affected, so we dont really need to go over that. Ghosts, however, are free reign. (Unless there's a canon incident where a ghost like boston brand or gentleman ghost are exposed to a fear gas attack? Any DC canon nerds out there that know of something like that?)

The options I've seen or thought up so far:

Complete immunity - ectoplasm just doesn't react to physical matter in a way that impacts the ghost. Fear gas, as in the chemical itself, has no effect whatsoever.

Effects ghosts like humans. Straight forward, it's a bit weird if you think about it, but eh.

Fear gas, as in the chemical itself, is like ghost weed, or perhaps something stronger. Might be hallucinogenic, but in a bad trip sort of way rather than a worst fear sort of way

Fear gas, as in the chemical itself, is accidentally a super effective health suppliment for ghosts

If emotions are food to ghosts, fear gassed humans can span the range between 'delectable snack sprinkled with extra sugar' to 'weird chemical food that isnt healthy but will still sustain you' to 'supercharged health snack completely saturated by nutrients'

Fear gas, either the chemical itself or the people affected by it, has a distinct smell. It could be good, bad, or neutral, possibly related to how it affects the ghost. (Or deceptive, for humor and/or angst.)

Fear gas is outright toxic to ghosts. Perhaps the chemical itself is similar to, but just left of, ectoplasm. Like many artificial chemicals that can substitute various nutrients / usurp metabolic pathways in humans, it could have any number of mild to debilitating, short to long term effects on ghosts.

(If anyone has another idea, feel free to add)

Now we get to halfas, who have both a human brain and a ghost core. Dany has a human body and brain that are affected normally by the fear gas: hallucinations, panic attack, adrenaline response, etc etc. Someone better at biology can describe the actual biochemical processes going on.

But the ghost core? Added on top of All That? Can be excessively angsty, somewhat mitigating, or outright hilarious.

Going through the list of options:

Complete immunity.

This sounds boring, but its actually my favorite. Why? Because danny is getting conflicting signals. His brain is compromised and in full panic, but his core is telling him that he's completely safe. As a hybrid, Danny could be capable of having critical thought with both organs. If he's clever enough to recognize the seperation between the two, he can exploit it as a sort of anchor (I'm imagining it somewhat like how a multitasker can do different things with different senses, like listening to an audio book while solving a jigsaw puzzle - the book is auditory, the puzzle is visual and tactile, neither interfere with the other.)

Danny, in this scenario, is definitely in an altered state of consciousness, seeing things that aren't there and right on the cusp of panicking or defending himself. But if he can recognize that his core is unaffected, he can focus on the sensory input that his core is processing, and the whole situation might be somewhat equivalent to becoming lucid in the middle of a nightmare - its terrifying, but just the recognition that it isn't real takes the edge off. To him, it's now like being stuck in a VR horror game and being unable to take the headset off, flinching at all the jumpscares but recognizing that his body isn't actually being attacked or injured.

Affects ghost like humans

Danny could either be affected exactly the same as anyone else or effectively double-dosed as both brain and core fight entirely different hallucinations. Maybe if danny is lucky, he'll just black out from the sensory overload.

Ghost weed

This could make what was initially designed to be a really bad trip into something catastrophic... or mellow it out. Idk. I've never done recreational drugs. Both the brain and core are cut off from reality. The brain is terrified, and the core is tripping out. If his core naturally reacts to his emotional state, it's gonna amplify the effects, which is Really Bad. If the core is compromised to a point where it can't really process anything, then Danny is still trapped in a nightmare state, just more loopy and otherwise no worse than any human.

Health supplement and/or literal food

This one is confusing. Brain is terrified, core is satiated? Energized? A boost to his powers is gonna make him much more difficult to contain and treat. When he comes out of it, there's real potential for angst from danny worrying that the conflicting emotions of absolute terror and hunger satiation are a sign that he's turning evil. Especially if his core was instinctually feeding off of the fear of nearby civilians who were also gassed during the trip. That undercurrent of predatory satisfaction is gonna leave him awake at night for a few weeks.

On the plus side, feeding his ghost core might help it clear out the toxin faster, so the trip is much shorter. Maybe he even pulls out of it before he accidentally causes any damage with his powers.

Smelly

Pretty straightforward. If it smells bad, Danny is automatically gonna hold his breath, limiting his exposure. If it smells good, he might take a good few wiffs before realizing what's up and holding his breath, or just keeps dosing himself more and more as that effects, good or bad to the core and definitely bad to the brain, settle in.

Toxic

Has the potential to be much more long-term and insidious. You can run the full gamut here. Does he need to be restrained and taken to the far frozen for days or even weeks of treatment? Does the ectoplasm incorporate the drug, and Danny has to suffer weeks or months of microdosing until it's used up, turning him into a paranoid schizophrenic during that time? Is it blood blossoms 2.0? Does it have no mental effects but screws with his powers? Does it influence his emotional self-control? Does he grow the ghost equivalent of a tumor that encapsulates the toxin and has to be surgically removed? Does he need supplemental ecto to remain healthy, temporarily, or permanently? Does it affect his ectosignature or peak power level? Injure his core? Lower his healing factor?

All of this is on top of the initial fear gas trip, which he may have never even fully pulled out of. The angst possibilities are endless.

Then, there are liminals who have the potential to be affected like halfas or in an entirely different way. Does your headcanon give them proto-cores or baby ghost cores, or are they just severely ectoconaminated? How would that change their symptoms?

Anyways, just some ideas for people to use. My favorite idea so far, that I'd love to see someone use, is that Danny has learned to use his separate brain and core as insurance against mind control and mind-altering drugs. The freakshow incident was a sort of catalyst that helped him recognize the differences between his brain and core, and he taught himself how to lean into one or the other for various advantages in different situations. (Sort of like how a person can lean on either logic or intuition to make different types of choices.)

There's a lot of interesting potential here. Essentially, Danny could teach himself to be immune to mind-control and greatly resistant to drugs, as he can evaluate his surroundings with both organs and identify differences. Mind control wouldn't work unless it targeted BOTH brain and core, as he could shift to the uncontrolled one to break away. Any drug designed to knock out or roofie a human is countered by the fact that danny's core still remains conscious of his surroundings, and creative use of ghost powers counters the accompanying paralysis.

If ghosts dont sleep, one could argue that Danny's core is in a meditative state when his brain rests, which is why his ghost sense can wake him up from a dead sleep - he's never fully unconscious. Workoholic danny could find a way to get homework or paperwork done, or solve a problem, or design a piece of tech, or even play a videogame, while 'sleeping,' even using ectokinesis to move stuff while his body is sleep-paralyzed. Sleep-deprived danny is still functional because his core isn't affected by his brain's lapses in consciousness from micro-naps. (He is a lot moodier, though. His core is more emotion-focused while his brain is more logic-focused, on top of the normal mood-swings from sleep deprivation.)

This version of danny, after being fear-gassed, immediately recognizes that his brain and core are suddenly experiencing two different realities. He would be able to talk himself down from a panic attack and slowly find his way to safety. He probably wouldn't trust himself to hold back if he got in a scuffle, but he would be coherent enough to vaguely understand his surroundings to avoid danger.

And lastly, something I dont recall seeing in any fics - if the bats encountered fear-gassed Danny, and he's aware enough to refuse an antidote, I dont think the bats would push it. Yeah, forcing more medical trauma on our favorite blorbo is all good and fun, but he clearly has an altered metabolism that was affected differently by the fear gas than normal, so there's a heightened risk that the antidote would also have an altered affect, for the reward of removing the effects of fear-toxin (which is no longer guaranteed), which danny is already showing he's capable of working through.

On top of that, medical professionals are not allowed to force treatment if the patient refuses them and can walk it off. (If they are unconscious or can't get up on their own, they can intervene.) Medical conditions and allergies are a thing too, and its the priority of the patient to inform the medical worker as soon as possible to prevent complications. Jazz may have coached Danny about "in a medical emergency, declare closet-meta status with highly modified metabolism and unknown reactions to most drugs."

I see the conversation going something like:

"If you can hear me, im going to administer an antidote."

"Dont. Give it to someone who actually needs it."

And then the bat treats everyone else before approaching danny again to ask how they can help. They would be trained to take all of this into account:

Human male, visibly uninjured (unless the fic writer has different ideas) experiencing non-standard reaction to fear toxin. Probable indication of meta or enhanced status.

Victim is cognizent, replied to verbal communication, denied treatment. Appears to be managing the effects of the fear toxin. Not currently a danger to themselves or others.

Nonstandard reaction to fear-toxin implies potential non-standard reaction to antidote. Victim may be aware of medical condition that could complicate treatment, and is reasonably stable at the moment. Further questioning needed.

There are other victims in the area that are less cognizent, they become higher priority. Approach victim again when all other victims are cleared out, (in case of uncontrolled meta powers, to avoid further casualties), ask more questions and ascertain situation.

Once questioned further, danny drops the memorized line about altered metabolism and unknown effects, and giving Danny the antidote basically immediately becomes a non-viable option. They will probably argue Danny into being taken to Leslie's clinic, as he'll refuse a hospital (probably quite hysterically, given the fear toxin), which i'd imagine is the bat's normal protocol for closet-metas.

At least, that's how I imagine the situation panning out. Danny noping out before the bats return to him or during mid-interrogation is also extremely likely, which is gonna put the bats in panic mode for the next several hours. (Going to *any* secondary location with the bats is a non-option to Danny, for many potential reasons.) Danny is definitely going on a watch list (as in, possible meta with unknown powers, keep an eye out in case he gets caught up in another rogue scheme, need more information).

#dp x dc #dpxdc #fear gas #fear toxin

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fandomtrumpshate · 3 months ago

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Unlisted Fandoms Challenge

While we pull together the post on the various types of fan labor being offered so far, here's a quick update on the *hundreds* of write-in fandoms we've received ...

At the top of the list we have Jeff Satur holding onto the lead with 7 entries, but Zhen Hun/Guardian is right on his heels with 6. And then there's a three-way tie for third place with 5 write-ins each for BBC Ghosts, Control (Remedy Game), and Dungeon Meshi / Delicious In Dungeon. Schitt's Creek claims fourth place with 4 entries, and in fifth there's a 14-way tie:

Alien Stage Cabin Pressure Dungeons and Daddies (Podcast) Fire Emblem Awakening Fire Emblem Fates Iron Widow Omniscient Reader's Viewpoint Roswell New Mexico Stand By Me/The Body by Stephen King The Goblin Emperor Series - Katherine Addison Transformers Voltron: Legendary Defender White Collar Zhen Hun / Guardian (drama) RPF

All it would take to upset the apple cart and reset the leader board is one signup. Manage two and it's a whole new ball game. Yes, we're mixing metaphors. And we're not done yet!

Below the cut are the 133 fandoms that have so far received only ONE signup. Want to really shake things up? Get two more signups for any of these and watch them leap into the fray on the leader board ...

10 Things I Hate About You (1999) Among Us Arctic Monkeys/The Last shadow Puppets Around the World in 80 Days (TV 2021) Baseball RPF BBC’s Musketeers Bendy and the Ink Machine Beyond Evil Black Doves Boygenius (Band)(RPF) Brokeback Mountain Bullet train Canji Baojun De Zhangxin Yu Chong (The disabled tyrant's pet palm fish) Cassette Beasts Castle Challengers Charmed (1998) Danger Force (TV) Dark Deception Dark Rise Dead by Daylight Descendants Destiny 2 Dimension 20 Downton Abbey Dr. Stone Dragonball Dragonlance Dragonriders of Pern by Anne McCaffrey Due South Dune (Villeneuve) Emma - Jane Austen Etta Invincible Fangs of Fortune Farscape Fields of Mistria Finder no Hyouteki / Finder Series Flight Rising Formula 2/3 RPF Frieren Fruits Basket Gangsta (Anime & Manga) Giselle Grantchester (TV) Grimm Hatoful Boyfriend Haven (TV) Helluva Boss Henry Danger (TV) High School Musical (Movies) Hikaru no Go HLVRAI - Half-life VR But the AI is Self-Aware House MD In Other Lands In Stars And Time IndyCar RPF It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia Jeeves and Wooster Jet Lag The Game RPF Jurassic Park (Extended Universe) Kamen Rider Gotchard Kane and Feels Kraven the Hunter Kuroko no Basuke / Kuroko's Basketball Law & Order Law & Order: Special Victims Unit Lays of the Hearth-Fire Series - Victoria Goddard Lies of P Live A Live Lord Seventh/Qi Ye Mass Effect 1, 2 or 3 Mononoke (2007 series and 2024 movie) MotoGP RPF My Time at Sandrock Mystic Messenger NBA RPF Nerdy Prudes Must Die Norah Grant Bruce's Billabong books Oh No! Here Comes Trouble Once Upon A Time Order of the Stick Outlast games Over the Garden Wall Pacific Rim Pathologic Peaky Blinders Persuasion - Jane Austen Phandom Pirates of the Caribbean Power Rangers (2017 movie) Pride and Prejudice - Jane Austen Prodigal Son Puella Magi Madoka Magica Quantum Break Ranma 1/2 Resident Alien Resident Evil Rise of the Guardians S.C.I Mystery S.W.A.T. (2017 show) Saint Seiya Saw franchise Scooby Doo: Mystery Incorporated (2010) She-Ra Netflix Shipwrecked Comedy Sonic the Hedgehog (Games) South Park Spinning Silver (Novik) Spirited Squid Game Starkid Musicals (no hp) Stephen King's It Stray Gods: The Roleplaying Musical Super Sentai That 70s Show The A Team (either the 2010 movie or the 1980s series) The Coffin of Andy and Leyley The OC The Pairing - Casey McQuiston The Paradise of Thorns The Radiant Emperor The Silt Verses The Umbrella Academy the vampire diaries universe The Venture Maidens The Walking Dead The West Wing Thousand Autumns Tokusatsu Tron Tsubasa Reservoir Chronicles Turning Universal Century Gundam video games by Arkane Studios Wander Over Yonder Warriors / Warrior Cats Watcher Entertainment/BuzzFeed Unsolved RPF Wind Breaker Wonka Word of Honor Yellowjackets Young Wizards (Diane Duane) บ้านหลอน ON SALE / Peaceful Property (TV)

#fth 2025 #unlisted fandom challenge

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suzukiblu · 6 months ago

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WIP WEDNESDAY GAME

Slimmed-down post/rules, but originally taken from @kedreeva.

It’s WIP Wednesday! This week’s theme is “hey I haven't written enough of my OC kiddos lately, let's do some of the cute OC kiddos we've been neglecting".

Here’s how it works:

I will post the file names of five seven(!!) WIPs, and will also post a snippet of new content from one of them to get the ball rolling.

Send me an ask with the name of one of the listed WIPs and I will write you a minimum of three sentences in that WIP in response!

Multiple requests are fine, but please send them in separate asks. Just a little easier for me to fill them that way, and also easier for people to read through the WIP tags smoothly later.

If you’re reading this, you’re invited!

WIP names:

baby clone and all associated trauma (( chrono || non-chrono ))

Cassie makes a claybaby (( chrono || non-chrono ))

feral Kon and liger pups (( chrono || non-chrono ))

Jon gets cloned and is not okay about it (( chrono || non-chrono ))

the one where Kon isn't the father (( chrono || non-chrono ))

YJ accidental baby acquisition (( chrono || non-chrono ))

+ bonus new WIP to play around with, because your author has zero self-control 💜

grief-soup clonebaby (( meta post || art )) (( chrono || non-chrono ))

snippet from "grief-soup clonebaby":

“Wow, you’re super-dumb, huh,” the kid observes. Tim stares blankly at . . . her? Him? The kid doesn’t look at him, apparently too occupied with climbing their(?) way up to the top of the row of cloning tubes laid out against the basement wall for . . . some reason. The climbing. The climbing is for “some reason”.

Tim knows the reason the cloning tubes are there.

The kid is tiny, all sharp bones and skinny sinew, and looks about . . . seven? Eight? Something like that. They’re wearing one of Kon’s T-shirts and nothing else, which makes his skin prickle uncomfortably, and their hair is a big tangled riot of wavy strawberry blond(e?) fluff all tumbled halfway down their back and almost taking up more space than the kid does.

He has no idea how they got down here.

Is this another Klarion situation? Is this kid, like, some random chaos god or trickster spirit or something? Because he really doesn’t need that right now, especially not in the basement. The basement is a very, very bad place for a chaos god to happen.

“What?” he says.

“I figured out the Speed Force,” the kid says, peering up at the ceiling concerningly speculatively. “And also I figured out I was in VR. ‘Cuz I’m not stupid.”

“. . . what?” Tim repeats weakly.

The kid finally looks at him and eyes him with very intensely, distinctly yellow eyes.

“Bart and Kon both got grown up in VR,” they say derisively. “If you were gonna tell me how to be them, you shoulda maybe not told me that part.”

Tim stares at them.

#wip wednesday #meme #wip: grief-soup clonebaby #long post

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arimiadev · 18 days ago

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I finished processing 100+ game submissions to my upcoming otome games steam festival and here's an out of context list of some of the rejections:

open world bird simulator

physics puzzle platformer

top down exploration adventure game

point and click narrative game with no romance

thrift shop simulator

pokemon x stardew valley sim with no romance

metroidvania platformer

first person open world walking sim horror game

homeless man rpg

turn based rougelike

puzzle adventure game

psychological horror game with a male MC

FMV hentai

VR FMV hentai

flight crew simulation game

horror platformer

internet cafe simulator-esque game

coffee talk but with AI

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lazorbeanz · 3 months ago

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Continuation to the list of my random thoughts and reactions to STH3

(Part 2🫠)

!spoilers ahead duh!

- knuckles at war with the head lmao

- Knux: *LE GASP* ITS THE GOAT MILKER!! 🫵🫵

I’m deceased 🤣🤣🤣

- oh lawd it a crab…what’s the bet the doc is in there

- yep he is…and he’s never looked better…

- justice for the wrap ;_;

- justice for those kids’ eyes too

- okay I get the overly used egg puns, but “…and (stealing) my precious babies from my eggsack” LIKE *COUGJ COUGH* why does that feel so wrong-

- robuttstink lmao

- WHAT IS UP WITH THIS MAN’S OBSESSION IN TASTING ELECTRIFIED HEDGEHOG QUILLS?!

- SHDHDHHF THE WAY STONE HAS TO HOLD ROBOTNIK IN A HEADLOCK JUST TO SHAVE HIS HEAD

- MARIA HAD ROLLERSKATES OMGGG

- shadow the hedge-bunny

✨>:3✨

- and from that moment on they became best friends

- AHHHH TWINNING!!!!

Maria’s and her skates to go with Shadows and his airshoes YAS🙌

- AWWWW JUST- AAAAAAWWWWWWW

He looks so confuzzled like “what is this swaying thing we are doing with our bodies?”

- ayyy there ya goooo getting the hang of it ALSO THE WAY HIS FACE LIGHTS UP WHEN HE COMPLETES THE WAVE AKNDSJNDJAJD HE IS HAVING THE FUNS!!

- THE LITTLE STARTLE SHADOW GETS WHEN THE POPCORN HITS HIM AAAA SO CUTE

Maria’s just like “watch yo lookin at me for? 😏”

- well atleast shadow gets it xD

- also PARALLELS!!

- okay how long has professor Gerald been living in that blown up lab for?

- dOrKuPiNe HEHEHE

- robotnik: *talks a whole bunch of mechanical words about the door and how to open it*

Meanwhile knuckles: door + my fist = unlocked

- STONE CALLED TAILS ADORABLE OMGG I mean he ain’t wrong lol

- OHHH NOT TAILS THINKING STONE AND ROBOTNIK ARE BEST FRIENDS 🥺

- SONIC FINDING THE PICTURE OF SHADOW AND MARIA AAAARRRRGH he’s beginning to understand why he is who he is

- this has gotta be one of the most weirdest family reunions I’ve seen lol

- NOT THE FOURTH WALL BREAKING AINSJWHDIENDJWBD

- okay this family reunion just got even weirder xD

- oh it’s all VR of course-

- aaaaa I’m beginning to feel sorry for stone :(

- gotta love sarcastic Tom and Maddie 🤣 like they didn’t even question what this “top secret mission” was about and why they were just hella relieved their kids are back to cure them from their boredom

- LITTLE TOM!!! omg Tom’s a ventriloquist?? Coool. Ofc Maddie finds it creepy hehe

- awww look at him wearing the beanie…very stylish indeed. 5 STARS!! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

- “REVENGE GUAC” - Shadow the Hedgehog 2024

- good to see Randall and Rachel make an appearance (even tho it’s not really them apparently)

- MADDIE’S IMPRESSION OF RACHEL IS LEGENDARY OMG XDDDD

- blowing on stuff to fix it never fails

- okay yeah the suits r cool but ur heads aren’t protected??

- oh gosh there’s another one who like tasting hedgehog quills

- HELL YEAH THAT DANCE SEQUENCE WAS LIT

- sonic refusing to listen to his team strike 2

- tails coming in to save Sonic’s butt from being incinerated 💪💪 yasss brothers!!

- “I don’t believe this” “I know grandson…a woman in the military” AYOOOO 🤣😭

- YAAAAS GO KNUCKLES!!!

-oh good job knuckles…

- human slug race lmao

- nawww not the dentures popping out HSHDHDHHD

- oh god pls not let this be moment his parents get killed

- YAY SONIC SAVED EM!!

- ohhh yess smart move tom..disguising as the Commander

- NOOOO SHADOW THAT ISNT- OH FU-

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danganronpasurvivoraskblog · 4 months ago

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Dangancember 2024 - Danganronpa Top 24 Class Trials - Number 6: Danganronpa V3 Case 4

//Case 1 and Case 4 of Danganronpa V3 are two of the most standout trials in the entire series. So much so, that seperating them, and deciding which one was better between the two, was nearly GODDAMN IMPOSSIBLE.

//Seriously, throughout the entire time I was making this list, having to choose between which case I liked better between this case and the first case of V3 was so insanely difficult.

//But in the end, I had to give it to Case 1. For the simple reason that I always tend to revisit Case 1 of V3, where I don't do the same, at least not nearly as much, for Case 4.

//And for very little reason other than that.

//Danganronpa V3’s fourth Class Trial is a bit of an enigma for me. On the one hand, I often find myself sweeping it under the rug when discussing the series, but on the other hand, I can’t deny that it’s one of the finest trials Danganronpa has ever crafted.

//Seriously, it’s sitting at a comfortable sixth place out of 30 cases in my personal ranking, so yeah, it’s undeniably great. I’m just selective about how much I acknowledge it.

//What makes this trial so fantastic is the way all its elements come together seamlessly: the jaw-dropping twist, the high-stakes context, and the deeply compelling mystery. With most of V3's cases, I feel they're a little...weaker overall, even if they are generally the more complex cases in the franchise, mainly because of the emotions they instill within me.

//But two of the cases, with Case 4 being one of them, are an exception to this. This one mainly because it’s a case that doesn’t just tell a story; it practically reinvents the game’s rules while doing so.

//The trial takes place inside a virtual reality simulation, reminiscent of something straight out of Sword Art Online.

//And yes, just like SAO, the stakes couldn’t be higher. If you die in the game, you die for real. That chilling premise alone opens up a Pandora’s box of possibilities and interpretations, making the entire case feel more dynamic and multidimensional than your average murder mystery.

//It’s also hilariously meta, and in the good way, unlike V3-6. Not only are you solving a murder in VR, but the case leans into the absurdity of its premise while staying true to the emotional core of Danganronpa’s storytelling. The layers of reality, fiction, and simulated existence blur so well that you can’t help but admire how cleverly it all fits together.

//So yeah, even if I don’t gush about this trial as much as some others, I’ll still tip my hat to it. It’s a wild ride that fully earns its place in the Danganronpa hall of fame.

//This chapter is… fine, but what really makes it stand out is how it aligns with a recurring theme in the main Danganronpa trilogy. In each game, the fourth chapter tends to focus on a character who, up until that point, seems to be thriving a little too comfortably in the chaos of the killing game. Whether they appear to be enjoying the despair or simply manipulating the situation to their advantage, Chapter 4 is where the narrative decides it’s time to shake things up and force some character growth, or, in some cases, a complete character overhaul:

In 1-4, Byakuya gets his reality check during the trial itself. After stubbornly clinging to his cold, cutthroat logic all game, he suffers a humiliating defeat in reasoning during the Chapter 4 trial, making him reconsider whether his worldview is truly as airtight as he believed. By the time the trial ends, he begins taking steps toward becoming a more dependable ally and declares that he won’t engage in any more killing.

In 2-4, Nagito's character arc takes a sharp left turn in the Case 4 investigation. Up until that point, Nagito had this weird self-deprecating reverence for the other Ultimates, treating himself like disposable trash unworthy of standing among them. But suddenly, after finding out the truth behind their identities, it’s like a switch flips. During the investigation, he becomes disturbingly self-assured, cruel, and downright dominant, flipping his dynamic with the group entirely. Now, instead of putting others on a pedestal, he’s treating them all like the garbage he once considered himself to be; and this segways into Chapter 5.

This idea literally goes double for A-4. Rei, typically dismissive and unhelpful, is shaken to the core when faced with Satsuki’s sacrifice. Haru, a victim, gave his life to save Satsuki by creating a Locked Room Mystery for her escape; a level of selflessness Rei has never witnessed, and when Satsuki confirms Haru’s sacrifice was real, Rei is stunned, unable to process such altruism. Meanwhile, Tsurugi, steadfast in punishing victims as chaos-causers, is thrown off balance by Satsuki’s unprompted confession. The idea of a victim helping their killer challenges his beliefs so profoundly that he passes out, forcing him to question his entire worldview.

Syobai literally becomes the player character in A2-4 for a part of the trial, and singlehandedly is forced into a position of leadership. It's a key moment for him and the mark of the game where he starts to take more initiative as a character, and go on his own quest to dick over Mikado and end the Killing Game.

//And then, in V3, there’s Kokichi Ouma, who, comparatively, takes the "fourth chapter personality shift" baton and runs to the end of the Earth with it.

//(Side note, I can't believe I'm actually talking about it here, but I have seen SO many people ask me why I spell it "Ouma" and not "Oma" like the dub does, especially since I don't call Kyoko "Kyouko" or Kirumi Tojo as "Toujou" when that's what it is in Japanese. It's because "Oma" means Horse in Japanese, and I don't want to call him "Kokichi Horse." That's weird. Also, I just prefer this spelling, it's as simple as that.)

//Kokichi, already a wildcard and a mischievous trickster, steps fully into his role as a scheming, manipulative VILLAIN, leaning hard into his calculating and almost theatrical nature. It’s a fascinating evolution, especially since his antics fill the tension void left by the previous case.

//Let’s be real, Case 3 had its moments, but Korekiyo Shinguji being both the killer and victim of his own twisted scheme felt more...uncomfortable, than genuinely intimidating.

//Kokichi, on the other hand, brings back that thick, suffocating air of distrust, which elevates the stakes nicely. All in all, the fourth chapter’s character transformations may follow a predictable formula, but they always deliver something fresh and memorable.

//But we'll come back to Kokichi later. Let's get talking about the trial itself, and why it's so unique.

//Danganronpa trials always tend to have a running theme with them throughout each game, and some of these work out better than others tend to. For example, all the first cases, a character who is seemingly important to the plot is suddenly taken away after they are killed. Case 2 always reveals a new, more ominous, secretive side to a character, who up until that point, had been rather unnasuming. And while not a lot of people like this fact, up to 3 people always die in Chapter 3 of each game.

//In Chapter 4, the running theme is that all the murders take place in a very liminal environment; different from anywhere else you've seen in the game, and with its own set of rules that differ from every other trial. In the other games, it's the Locked Room, the Funhouse, the Ballroom, and the Tower of Babel.

//But this setting is probably the most bizzare of them all, and by God, do they do some GOOD THINGS with it!

//The entire murder takes place inside a virtual reality simulation. A full-on digital world that, if I’m not mistaken, was originally created by Monokuma but later modified by none other than Miu Iruma, the Ultimate Inventor.

//VERY CLEARLY a nod to Danganronpa 2, and that alone is great.

//Miu takes it upon herself to tweak the simulation, removing anything dangerous or sharp enough to become a potential murder weapon. Ironically, despite her best efforts, it’s Miu who ends up as the victim of this virtual whodunit.

//Now, here’s where things get juicy: this wasn’t your typical crime in the series. This was a murder gone horribly wrong.

//And what’s fascinating is that while this isn’t the first time something like this has happened in the series, it’s actually only the second, or if you’re really nitpicky, the fourth instance of a murder scheme backfiring. Let’s take a quick trip down memory lane, shall we?

//In Danganronpa 1 Sayaka cooks up a plan to kill Leon but ends up being the one who got skewered instead. Then in Goodbye Despair, Killing Harmony, and Another, the first cases also feature a twist where the killer’s original plan goes sideways, albeit in a slightly different flavor, with the killer targeting the wrong victim.

//But this case is the only other murder scheme, besides Sayaka's in Game 1, planned by the victim themselves.

//...Unless you count Haru in Another, which we've already been over, but you could also make the argument that Haru's plan was for him to be killed, while with Sayaka and Miu, their plans backfired.

//Miu, in all her chaotic, trash-talking glory, was planning to take out Kokichi. Being the brains behind the virtual world, she took full advantage of her role, laying out the rules of the simulation for everyone while sneakily fudging a few of the details to give herself the upper hand.

//Her goal? To execute the perfect crime, one that would be impossible to pin on her.

//Even though, upon reflection, the fact that she's the only one who COULD make the rules makes it pretty obvious that she's the one responsible. Had that been the case, I think that would have been too easy.

//Unfortunately for Miu, but fortunately for us, Kokichi is like a walking ad for 4D chess. He catches on to her plan faster than she can deliver one of her raunchy one-liners, and instead of walking into her trap, Kokichi flips the script, countering her scheme with a plan of his own.

//What ensues is a mind-bending trial where the layers of lies and manipulation make even seasoned players question what’s real and what’s virtual.

//This case stands out not just for its premise but for its audacious execution. A murder happening in a VR simulation is already enough to make it memorable, but the added twist of the victim being the would-be killer takes it to a whole new level of brilliance.

//And let’s not forget Miu herself: even in her final moments, she manages to be equal parts infuriating and hilarious, making her one of the most unforgettable characters in the series.

//I could do a whole character analysis on Miu, and I feel like I might want to one of these days, but today is not that day, because despite her integral role in this case, of the characters that are important to it, she is the least so.

//But with Miu dead, this leads into what is quite possibly the FUNNEST investigation and trial in the series.

//The real charm isn’t necessarily in the investigation process itself. It’s in the clues you uncover and the sheer thrill of piecing together how the crime could have possibly gone down.

//This isn’t your standard case where you’re dusting for fingerprints or deciphering alibis. No, this case takes place in a virtual, video-game-like world, and that alone makes it incredibly special.

//What really sets it apart is that solving the crime requires you to think in terms of VIDEO GAME LOGIC. And I don’t mean just understanding how games work on a design level, like balancing difficulty or crafting levels.

//We’re talking the nitty-gritty quirks of actual gameplay mechanics, stuff like looping worlds, invisible walls, glitches, and even loading screens. These elements aren’t just amusing easter eggs; they’re critical to figuring out how the murder was executed. It’s like being handed a mystery where the answers are buried not in reality, but in the code itself.

//For anyone who’s spent hours yelling at their screen over a bugged-out NPC or a weird collision glitch (Fuck you, Todd Howard), this investigation feels like a hilarious, and extremely meta, love letter to the quirks of gaming.

//This case’s brilliance lies in how it merges classic mystery-solving with the quirks of gaming, creating a truly unique experience. It’s the kind of investigation that makes you feel like both a detective and a speedrunner trying to glitch your way into an inaccessible area for clues.

//And let’s be honest, when you’re unraveling a crime that hinges on the kind of stuff we normally blame on bad game developers, it’s impossible not to have a little fun with it.

//But of course, the mystery and the setting of this crime don't carry the whole thing alone. The actual conflict itself is what makes this trial such an emotional rollercoaster, and hands down, there's one key element of this trial that shines out more than any other:

//Kokichi.

//We've already been over V3-5, and the role that Kokichi plays in that chapter, where his scheming all culminates into his final plan. But the biggest issue with that was how little closure it gave Kokichi, and how his plan felt like it was all part of Tsumugi's scheme anyway.

//But the SETUP for his character arc's conclusion, that we see in this trial, is BRILLIANT.

//I already kind of talked about this at the start, but let me reiterate my points in more detail here.

//Up until now, Kokichi has been the class’s resident chaos gremlin. Cocky, sarcastic, endlessly witty, and annoyingly good at making people want to strangle him.

//Whether he’s tossing out savage one-liners or cracking jokes at everyone else’s expense, Kokichi has spent most of the game toeing the line between a playful pest and a genuinely brilliant schemer. And no matter how much he got under your skin, you couldn’t deny that he was sharp as a tack, sometimes spotting clues even Shuichi, the Ultimate Detective, manages to miss.

//But in this trial? Kokichi doesn’t just steal the show. He sets the stage on fire, and crowns himself the ultimate supervillain.

//This is Kokichi at his absolute peak. Gone is the silly prankster who lived to push everyone’s buttons. In his place is a calculated mastermind who orchestrates Miu’s death in a way so devious and brilliant that it leaves you wondering just how deep his schemes go.

//And here’s the kicker: he didn’t even commit the murder himself. He set everything up like a diabolical puppetmaster, then let the crime unfold while keeping his hands technically clean. That fact alone? It’s the ace up his sleeve, and he’s not shy about rubbing it in your face for the entirety of the trial.

//Kokichi’s behavior in this case is a stage show of psychological warfare. At one point, just to prove how far ahead of everyone else he is, he flat-out CONFESSES to the crime and lays out every single detail.

//And no, it’s not because he’s trying to save anyone or come clean. Kokichi’s confession is less about honesty and more about spiting you. He doesn’t want you to have the satisfaction of piecing everything together. Instead, he hands you the answers on a silver platter, complete with that smug grin of his, just to prove that he’s always one step ahead.

//The best part is that even when Kokichi is acting like a full-blown villain, he’s still absolutely hilarious. Whether he’s taunting the group with his over-the-top theatrics or dropping perfectly timed quips, his antics add a layer of dark humor that keeps the trial both tense and ridiculously entertaining. It’s like watching a magician perform a trick while roasting the audience the entire time.

//But what makes his actions, and this case as a whole, even more heartbreaking and mind-boggling is the reveal of the real killer.

//Shockingly, the one who ACTUALLY murdered Miu...is GONTA!

//Gonta Gokuhara. The Ultimate Entomologist. The most wholesome, lovable, pure-hearted character in Danganronpa V3, heck, maybe even the entire Danganronpa franchise. The gentle giant who LEGITIMATELY wouldn’t hurt a fly (Though would probably hurt someone else for hurting the fly.) The guy who refers to himself in the third person and wants nothing more than to protect everyone, make friends, and be a true gentleman.

//That Gonta.

//Even though the big guys always die in the fourth chapter, unless you're Kakeru, To say Gonta being the culprit is shocking would be an understatement. While Gonta is undeniably kind and reliable, it’s no secret that he’s not exactly a mastermind. He’s easily manipulated, struggles to keep up in trials, and doesn’t have a mean bone in his body.

//So when it’s revealed that he killed Miu, the first reaction from everyone is sheer disbelief. How could Gonta, of all people, commit murder? And more importantly, why would he?

//What makes this moment so impactful is the reaction of the group. Once Kokichi drops the bombshell that Gonta is the killer, everyone scrambles to find excuses to prove him wrong. No one, not even Gonta himself, can believe it. Gonta, in his sweet and earnest way, tries to deny it, clinging to the idea that he could never willingly hurt someone. But the cold, hard evidence keeps piling up, and by the end, there’s no escaping the truth.

//The only two people in the room who seem willing to entertain the possibility are Shuichi and Keebo. Shuichi, being the Ultimate Detective, reluctantly follows the evidence where it leads, no matter how painful the conclusion may be. Keebo, ever the logical one, processes the facts without the emotional bias the others cling to. But for everyone else, especially Kaito, and even Maki, the mere idea of Gonta being the culprit is too much to bear.

//And that’s where Kokichi pulls off another one of his devious moves. By exposing the truth and forcing Shuichi to press forward, he drives a wedge between Shuichi and Kaito, effectively turning Kaito against him. Kaito, the ever-loyal and stubborn optimist, refuses to believe that Gonta could be capable of such a thing. His faith in Gonta, and his growing detest of Kokichi, creates a painful rift in what was once a strong friendship.

//What’s even more brilliant about this setup is another reason why the investigation is so good, in how it creates the perfect misdirection. Gonta is a notoriously sweet and loveable guy whose idea of "video game logic" probably involves pressing random buttons until something works. Early in the investigation, you’re almost sure he couldn’t have done it because, let’s face it, even if you walked him step-by-step through how world loops or loading zones work, his brain would still be stuck in "kind gentleman" mode.

//So, when the evidence eventually points to him as the killer, it’s a jaw-dropping moment. The fact that the least tech-savvy person in the group was somehow the linchpin in this digital murder mystery is both tragic and utterly shocking.

//This case doesn’t just deliver a shocking twist; it weaponizes the emotional bonds between the characters to make the reveal hit even harder. Gonta’s reveal as the killer isn’t just surprising, it’s tragic, and it leaves a scar that lingers long after the trial is over.

//And the trial itself rides on these character moments, but it sure as hell doesn't die on them.

//If the concept of a murder mystery set inside a virtual reality simulation wasn’t already enough to make this case one of the standout moments in Danganronpa, then the trial itself takes things to levels of brilliance and emotional devastation that few could have anticipated.

//This trial isn’t just good; it’s a masterclass in everything the series does best: crafting intricate mysteries, delivering gut-wrenching twists, and tying it all together with compelling character moments that leave you reeling. It’s a case that combines innovation, heartbreak, and even absurdity into one unforgettable experience.

//When the trial begins, suspicion immediately falls on Kaito, a favorite target thanks to his hot-headed nature and frequent clashes with Kokichi. The evidence against him is damning on the surface: he logged out of the virtual world earlier than anyone else, and a bottle of poison was found on his seat in the real world.

//All signs initially point to him being the culprit. However, things are rarely that simple in Danganronpa, and this case is no exception. As the trial progresses, we learn that the setup against Kaito was actually the handiwork of none other than Miu herself.

//As I eluded to earlier, Miu had concocted an elaborate scheme to murder Kokichi and frame Kaito for the crime. She planted the poison and forced Kaito to log out early, expecting that these details would make him the prime suspect. It’s a devious plan worthy of her sharp mind, but in a cruel twist of irony, Miu ends up dead instead.

//And how, you ask? By being strangled to death…with toilet paper.

//Yes, toilet paper.

//That’s the murder weapon.

//While it might sound absurd...and it is...it makes perfect sense within the context of the virtual world. Just exhibit A of why this case uses the unrealistic logic of the game world so damn well.

//In the VR simulation, objects are unbreakable, meaning that even something as flimsy as toilet paper becomes as strong as a rope. While this detail initially seems like a quirky bit of world-building, it turns out to be the key to unraveling the mystery.

The moment it’s revealed that Miu was killed with toilet paper, the case takes on an entirely new level of not just hilarity, but complexity. It’s a reminder of how cleverly the trial uses the unique mechanics of the virtual world to craft a mystery that could only exist in this game.

//But the ingenuity of the murder weapon is just the beginning. As the trial unfolds, the focus shifts from solving how the crime was committed to figuring out who the culprit is, and this is where things get truly heart-wrenching. The culprit isn’t some cunning mastermind or morally gray antihero, and is instead the gentle giant with a heart as pure as freshly fallen snow.

//For Gonta who wants nothing more than to protect his friends and be a gentleman, the very idea of him committing murder is unthinkable, not just to the characters but to the player as well.

//And yet, it’s true. Gonta killed Miu. But the twist doesn’t stop there...because he doesn’t even remember doing it!

//Due to a mix-up with the VR helmet cords, Gonta experienced memory loss upon logging out of the virtual world. He has no recollection of the events that transpired in the simulation, including the murder!

//This detail adds a tragic layer to the trial, as Gonta’s confusion and heartbreak become almost unbearable to witness. The group is torn between their trust in Gonta’s inherently good nature and the mounting evidence against him. Even Gonta himself struggles to reconcile the truth, repeatedly insisting he would never do it.

//The emotional weight of the trial is further heightened by the reactions of the other characters. No one wants to believe Kokichi when he suggests that Gonta might be the killer, while Kokichi, ever the manipulative trickster, delights in dropping this bombshell, though his accusations are met with immediate resistance.

//Everyone scrambles to find alternative explanations, desperate to clear Gonta’s name. Even Shuichi, who is typically steadfast in his pursuit of the truth, hesitates to accept the implications of the evidence. However, as the trial progresses, it becomes impossible to deny the facts, and the group is forced to confront the devastating reality.

//One of the most powerful moments in the trial comes when Kaito, Shuichi’s closest ally and staunchest supporter, turns against him. Manipulated by Kokichi, Kaito lashes out at Shuichi, accusing him of being too focused on the truth to consider the emotional toll it takes on others.

//I won't go as far as to call it a "betrayal" because it's nothing that serious, but considering the bond between Shuichi and Kaito has been one of the few sources of stability throughout the game, watching their friendship fracture under the weight of this trial is a testament to how deeply Kokichi’s schemes have sown discord among the group.

//Gonta's breakdown as the truth comes to light is one of the most gut-wrenching moments in the entire series. The tragedy of his character arc is amplified by the fact that he doesn’t remember committing the crime. He doesn’t get the chance to explain his actions or defend himself. Instead, he’s left to grapple with the knowledge that he did something he would never have consciously chosen to do. It’s a unique conflict that’s rarely explored in murder mysteries and one that V3 handles with surprising nuance.

//I also want to draw attention to the voice acting, specifically with the English Dub (since that's the version I played), which takes this trial to an entirely new level of emotional devastation.

//Kaiji Tang’s performance as Gonta is nothing short of phenomenal, capturing the character’s confusion, sorrow, and desperation with heartbreaking authenticity.

//But more than him, remember how I said that there were four voice performances in the main Danganronpa series that I thought were absolutely phenomenal for the breakdowns in the series? Marieve Herington as Celeste was the first one, Kira Buckland as Kirumi is the second, and the third is Derek Stephen Prince as Kokichi.

//He's insanely good throughout the whole game, but he shines especially here, delivering lines with a blend of smugness and chilling calculation that makes him simultaneously infuriating and fascinating.

//Kyle Hebert’s portrayal of Kaito adds layers of frustration and vulnerability, while Dorothy Fahn brings subtle depth to Tsumugi (shockingly). The voice work is so impactful that it enhances every twist and turn of the trial, making the emotional moments hit even harder.

//In the end, this trial isn’t just a showcase of clever writing and innovative mechanics. It’s an emotional rollercoaster that pushes the characters and the player to their limits.

//From the absurdity of the murder weapon to the heartbreaking revelations about Gonta, every aspect of this case is meticulously crafted to leave a lasting impression. It’s not just a standout moment in Danganronpa V3, it’s one of the best trials in the entire franchise, a perfect blend of creativity, tragedy, and unforgettable storytelling.

//...Almost...

//I don't want to end this on a negative note or anything, but there is another reason why I ultimately had to put this trial below V3-1. It's far from a major problem that completely ruins my opinion of the trial, obviously, but dear God did it test my fucking patience.

//Put simply...

//This trial and this Chapter are where the MONOKUBS are at their MOST INSUFFERABLE!

//Crazy, because at this point in the game, there's only two of them left!

//I largely boil this down to Monodam dropping out of the story prior to this chapter, but Monophanie and Monotaro single-handedly come close to RUINING this Chapter because of how goddamn fucking INCORRAGABLE they are. Legitimately, the only thing that they did that I thought was entertaining was Monotaro proclaiming Miu as his mother, but that's largely because of Miu and not him.

//To make a long story short, I really feel SO GLAD for the people who actually liked the incest stuff that happened in Case 3, because HERE! YOU HAVE MORE OF IT!

//In this chapter, Monotaro suffers memory loss, causing him to forget who Monophanie and Monokuma are. Monophanie, in an attempt to help him remember, beats him with a frying pan. This leads to a bizarre and disturbing romantic relationship between the two, despite being family.

//The next day, Monotaro turns abusive toward Monophanie, and though he later apologizes, it paints a toxic and uncomfortable dynamic. Monophanie becomes jealous of the students as Monotaro bonds with them and starts to act like a father figure when they believe she’s pregnant. However, this is all part of a gruesome execution, where a giant insect bursts from Monophanie’s stomach and kills both Monokubs.

//This entire plotline trivializes what are actually some SERIOUS ISSUES in a disturbing, exploitative way, and turns it into an uncomfortable "spectacle." It's hands down the ABSOLUTE WORST THING that happens in ALL of V3, and possibly the entire main trilogy, especially because it takes place in what is otherwise one of the BEST CHAPTERS in the series!

//But Oh! OOOH! OOOOOOOOOOOOH IT DOESN'T STOP THERE! IIIIIT DOOOOEEESSN'T STOOOOP THEEEERE!

//Ahem...

//Sorry...In case it wasn't obvious, this REALLY upsets me. But I'll try and stay professional.

//Largely the reason I've never gone over them before this point is because the only other time in the game where the Kubs actively play a part in the trial is in Case 2, when Monosuke, after acting all high and mighty towards his siblings, accidentally gives away a major clue in the trial. But that was actually a pretty entertaining part.

//Here, Gonta's execution, and his final moments, are completely RUINED by the Monokubs. And any emotional tension and misery that you're feeling for him in his final moments are completely taken away!

//While the execution itself is by no means poorly done, and it does feature one of my favorite music tracks from the series, it definitely doesn't give Gonta the fitting send-off he deserved.

//Sure, it’s undeniably tragic, with Gonta being attacked by robotic wasps, stabbed in the chest, and ultimately set on fire. Quite a violent and gruesome way to meet his end; but here’s the issue: The execution doesn’t focus on Gonta’s death as much as it should.

//Instead, a significant portion of the sequence is dedicated to Monophanie and Monotaro’s bizarre, unsettling bug-related antics, which just feels…off.

//While the gruesome spectacle is certainly chaotic and violent, the sequence spends a substantial amount of time on the absurd antics of Monophanie and Monotaro, especially their bizarre "bug baby" plotline.

//Now, the Monokubs meeting their end in these executions isn’t new. This is, after all, the last time we see any of them perish. But this one feels like the worst offender. When Monokid and Monosuke died during Kaede and Kirumi’s executions, I wasn’t bothered too much because their deaths were brief and didn’t take the spotlight away from the main event. Monodam’s death, on the other hand, was genuinely surprising, and despite some focus on him, the context made it feel fitting.

//But here? We’ve crossed a FUCKING line. The execution becomes less about Gonta's tragic demise and more about this uncomfortable and frankly weird bug child subplot. Honestly, by this point in the series, I’m pretty done with the odd, incestuous undertones, and I certainly didn’t need to be subjected to a whole execution where that’s the central theme, while Gonta himself feels like an afterthought.

//Le sigh...

//Aside from everything else, I feel it’s worth repeating that this case is crafted in a pretty impressive way. The sheer creativity and intricacy behind it can't be ignored. And while the execution itself leaves something to be desired (and by "something," I mean "a whole lot"), I don't think that should take away from how well the rest of the case is put together.

//I mean, the story, the twists, the atmosphere...it all comes together in a way that's hard to ignore. Even if the final outcome feels like a botched cake at the bakery...all gooey on the inside and looking suspiciously like a science experiment gone wrong...the overall design of the trial is still pretty solid.

//It’s like watching a magician pull off an incredible trick, only for the rabbit to hop away halfway through. You can’t really blame the trick just because the rabbit decided to bail.

//So while I can’t overlook how poorly the final bits were handled, the rest of the case is still good enough to hold up.

#danganronpa survivor #danganronpa #danganronpa v3 #drv3 #mod talks #ranking #gonta gokuhara #miu iruma #kokichi ouma #dangancember 2024

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sweetfirebird · 2 months ago

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More Things You Can Do

aside from protesting

There are a lot of boycotts going on right now. I have seen calls for an official day (February 28) of no shopping and others that are extended avoidance or limitation of using: Target, Walmart, Whole Foods, Amazon, Airbnb, Tesla, Meta, CNN, Fox News.

I've also seen boycotts, individual and collective, of businesses like Sephora or CVS, which voluntarily rolled back their DEI. (So did Disney, btw) But while boycott is a power you can flex (and save yourself money in the process), I think it's easier to list some places that have NOT caved on their DEI and/or who are even actively supporting it: Costco, Walgreens, Ulta, Lush, Penzey's, King Arthur Flour, Bob's Red Mill, Albertson's grocery stores (includes Safeway), Apple and more

Delete any Meta apps you aren't using/don't need. This includes Threads, Instagram, Facebook, Messenger, and whatever stupid VR thing they try next that will fail. If you do need to keep using them (small businesses, unfortunately, still often do), you can still keep Meta from profiting from you by going into your Privacy Settings and turning off any function that allows them to collect your information for ads. Meta does not make this easy to find, btw. And you are going to end up with weird ads, but just ignore them.

Go into all of the Meta apps you use, find the Privacy Center, under Settings, I think, find Ad Preferences or Common Privacy Settings. It's then going to make you click on more things, like Manage Settings. And then you can turn off settings like "Use your information to show our ad partners"

Then you have to find the other settings to turn off other companies sharing your information with Meta jfc

Here, John Oliver explains it better

Switch from Chrome. (I have to use Chrome to pay my electric bill, they won't let me use another browser. Dicks. But for everything else, I use Firefox or Ecosia) Firefox isn't Google but also Firefox lets you add extensions to block tracking or ads and I have one up to help limit Meta's information scraping anyway. And it's free! Switching only takes minutes!

Use Mapquest --Mapquest is not referring to the Gulf of Mexico as anything but the Gulf of Mexico.

If you are into these sort of podcasts, The Meidas Touch is openly critical of Trump and Musk, and just ousted Joe Rogan from Spotify's top spot.

This one is difficult for trans people right now but everyone, yes everyone in America, get your IDs in order and up to date. They are going to try to push some Voter ID shit too (where they haven't already) so take the time NOW to get your paperwork in order. Go request (or order through the mail) a certified copy of your birth certificates from the county where you were born. Going in means you only pay the County Clerk fees. Through the mail usually means you will have to have something notarized as well. (Hell, anyone who changed your surnames when you got married, maybe get a certified copy of your marriage license too.) Get a Real ID. Get a passport if you can afford it. Passports also require a certified copy of a birth certificate. If you have a valid passport, it will work in place of a Real ID but get both if you can. American passports are good for ten years (for adults).

Also, and this sucks, get your affairs in order. You could get hit by a bus or something, and you want to make sure your death is handled *how you want* and your loved ones get what you feel they should, regardless of your gender and how many roadblocks the govt is going to try to throw up in your way. Protecting Trans Bodies in Death and Making Your Death Plan (videos from Caitlin Doughty). Also and I know I keep harping on this, MAKE A WILL. MAKE IT LEGALLY. Look up your state's requirements for such a document or hire someone to do it for you. (Sometimes credit unions or regular unions will offer this as a service. LegalZoom also exists if that is more your jam.)

Fun stuff (cuz sorry about the death stuff!)

Got Spotify or Tidal or even Youtube? Start making playlists of POC and queer artists, and make them public. Search for BIPOC and/or queer podcasts and video essayists.

Personally, I've been putting on all the booktuber videos about ditching Kindle and just letting them play in the background while I do tasks. Someone is out there on Youtube speaking the truth? Like and Subscribe! (It helps them get visibility and shows Youtube there is an audience, and if it worries you... it's not permanent. You can unsubscribe later if you want.)

Like books by BIPOC and/or queer people?? Recommend that shit. Check it out from libraries even if you've read it before!

Be Kind. Be kind to people and to yourselves. Participate in boycotts and remember they can mean *totally avoiding* a store, or, if there is no alternative for what you need, then *spending far less* there than you normally would. Shop local. Shop small. Spread correct information as best as you can. Remember that Black lives matter, that trans lives matter, and that way more people on our side than they want us to realize.

#giving everyone homework #resistance #acts of resistance #protest #boycotts #uspol

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kathbunny · 2 months ago

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A little bit of crime Maxim AU! Just a small bit of Maxim's morning routine in this au. He is not an interesting man in his personal life, he does this pretty much everyday.

Maxim opened his eyes slowly, staring up at his ceiling for a moment before rolling over and taking a look at his alarm clock. Only a few minutes before it would go off, there'd be no point in trying to sleep anymore. He pushed himself up, turning his alarm off before it went off and stretching. Breakfast, shower, check the news, leave for whatever was on the to-do list for the day.

He stood, walking through the darkness of his room and the hall to get to his kitchen, wincing at the brightness when he flicked on the lights and the white counters immediately made it blinding. Regardless, he powered through. Ramekin, one of his tiny shallow sauce bowl, normal plate, butter knife. Egg, bread, tub butter, white vinegar. Salt, pepper.

Bread into the toaster. Bit of vinegar, water, and egg into ramekin, sauce bowl over the top, then into the microwave. Spread the butter, retrieve and season the egg once it's down. And that's breakfast made.

He retrieved his phone and sat at his dining table, checking his messages as he ate. One from VR-LA, a few from Flint, some reminders from a few others that mattered much less. VR-LA's seemed to just be something work related, as to be expected. Flint's was about something to do after work. About what he'd expect.

Maxim finished his food, placing his dishes in the dishwasher. Shower, head out.

#crime maxim au #my writing #not even coffee smh /silly #maxim maybe you should address how you view other people

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stvllioner · 2 years ago

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Yk thé girls from the mha mommy headcannons ok NOW what type of top or bottom would those girls be!!!

toga | midnight | burnin | mina | jiro x [fem]reader

tw; sexual content, top & bottom terminology.

read more; masterlist | drabble masterlist

i/b; mommy kink girls vr.

a/n; ANONIE YOU ARE SO 🤌🏽. i would also love to see these sosjsjs. the girls are so underrated it's painful. pun intended , the list is organized by top to bottom LMAOAJSJSJDJD anyways,, thank you, anon!!

MIDNIGHT—top

she is the type of top that is able to adapt to however you're feeling in the moment. Midnight is flexible and easy to please. she takes a lot of pleasure from pleasing you, and her main focus is exactly that. there's not a time where she complains or pushes you to do things you don't want to. she takes it seriously and it wouldn't surprise me if you do accidentally call her mommy or smt (you most likely have mommy issues if you want Midnight to top you, don't lie to me). even if she isn't necessarily on top, you can guarantee that you can follow her lead (power bottom moment ensues---)🫶🏽

━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━

TOGA

Toga topping means she is pushing your limits (respectfully). she is an experimentalist and loves to watch you squirm and whimper. even when you're in moments where its not super intense, she just adores looking down at you and admiring you. her being able to top gives her a whole better viewing experience in her opinion. she bend, twist, grope etc and it's just so fun.

━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━

BURNIN—switch

Burnin does not mind whichever. if you want her to top, she will top. if you want her to bottom, she will bottom. Burnin is a giver and will do what it takes for you two to get to a release. doesn't matter what position she has to do it in; neither does she have a preference. she can easily do both which is what makes having sex with her so fun. 🤭

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MINA

she is another one who doesn't mind but prefers to bottom. Mina is a brat who'll top when she wants but don't expect it to be all the time. i'd say in a ratio... 60/40 she will bottom. she just likes to tease and play around so she loves receiving the punishment for playing with you. of course if her antics call for it, she will top. so it's up in the air really. a mystery but not enough to really call her a switch.

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JIRO—bottom

tbh i kinda see Jiro as a pillow princess. now, she will do what she needs to do but is the type to just lay there and take it. how sweet she is, you don't even think about it too much. she gets the best view, received the best treatment and when is rewarded well she is very willing to give back. don't mistake her royalty for her attitude!! she is very generous.

#bnha x reader #mha x reader #bnha thirst #mha thirst #talk toga #toga x reader #talk burnin #burnin x reader #talk midnight #midnight x reader #talk mina #mina x reader #talk jiro #jiro x reader #not sfw #d drabbles

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thecrowfinder · 5 days ago

Note

Can you list all of your fandoms

Also, if you could choose to be a disembodied voice in someone's head or be the person with the voice inside their head, which would you choose?

well, i didnt make a fandom list because i have a REALLY bad memory, and my ability to recall all of the stuff im interested in is kinda shit, but uh.. i can try my best?? under the cut so people can decide if they wanna see all that or not

please note that this list is entirely based on my current fandoms right now + all the other stuff i can remember off the top of my head, and will not be accurate forever

Major Interests

(stuff i will post about a lot, or reblog on my sideblog frequently)

OK K.O.! Let's Be Heroes

Half-Life VR but the AI is Self-Aware

Minor Interests

(stuff i post/reblog semi-frequently, typically because i follow people who post about it, or i passively seek it out)

Half-Life

In Stars and Time

Wandersong

Hollow Knight

Invader Zim

Dayshift at Freddy's

Miraculous Ladybug

Undertale/Deltarune

Adventure Time

Sleeper Interests

(the stuff im not currently thinking about and dont interact much with, but WILL make spontaneous unholy resurgences at some point)

Five Nights at Freddy's

Avatar: The Last Airbender

The Owl House

Inscryption

Homestuck

Bendy and the Ink Machine

Cuphead

Spark the Electric Jester

Portal

Digimon

Danger Planet

Rise of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles

Lego Monkie Kid

Welcome to Hell

Wakfu

Transformers Animated

as for the other half of this ask, thats a strange question, but i will still answer it. being a disembodied voice could let me be helpful and encouraging to someone, but i dont think disembodied voices can eat mac n cheese or spaghetti, so i guess id choose to have the voice in my head?? it really wouldnt be the weirdest thing to ever happen to me

#crowfound answers

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earth-64 · 2 months ago

Text

Tomb Raider

My 6th birthday party was themed after Tomb Raider. We played bingo with custom C-R-O-F-T cards we had custom printed. My dad hired a friend from work to come dressed as Lara Croft. He made me my own Lara Croft belt: a ring of felt with a skull sharpied on front, with two construction-paper gun-holsters. My presents included a few Tomb Raider comic books and an Angelina Jolie as Lara Croft action figure that for the next few years I would sleep with as if it was a stuffed plush and not a hard plastic figure.

We could begin unpacking the fact that I was, in the 2nd Grade, already dreaming of becoming a woman. Though there is a more shocking fact: I did not play through Tomb Raider until last week, a month prior to my 28th birthday.

I owned all five of the original Tomb Raider games before starting kindergarten. Or rather, my dad did. While I had a number of kids games over on the family PC (Freddi Fish, Blue’s Clues, Play-Doh, Lego, etc.) (digital Play-Doh sounds sad and/or silly but that game was rad), our only console, a Playstation, sat next to a mix of games for me and games for my dad. A stack of jewel-cases where “Play With The Tellytubbies” was underneath “Grand Theft Auto 2”, underneath “Tomb Raider: The Last Revelation”, underneath “A Bug’s Life”, underneath “Fear Effect”, underneath “Punky Skunk”, and four other Tomb Raiders, and topped with “Rayman: Brain Games”. I was playing games from this pile mostly at random. I was playing games from this pile before I could read. I was playing GTA 2 while wearing diapers. Imagine me here listing all of the various aspects of the world I was not aware of when I played Tomb Raider because it is literally all of them. I had no comprehension of existence when I played Tomb Raider. The first three Tomb Raider games contain tutorial levels separated from the main game. You select “Lara’s Home” and are taken to a unique level: a large mansion containing a training course (of increasing complexity for each consecutive game). The fourth game opens to a mandatory tutorial level that is much more aggressively teachy. The fifth game has no tutorial other than a relatively safe first area As a literal toddler, I would play these tutorial levels over and over and over. What many gamers saw as optional hand-holding warm-up areas became my first digital living space. Lara’s Mansion was the VR Chat Ambient Chill Relax 24/7 Furry Hangout Rain Bedroom of little Skyplayer’s preschool years. The three versions of the mansion were designed with increasing complexity in order to cover Lara’s expanding moveset. Young me only saw this as “was the red disc the one with the swimming pool or was that the blue one?”

This was all amongst the earliest influences on my brain comprehending 3D spaces. While I can, and probably will, write a similar piece praising Spyro the Dragon for likewise affecting how my brain is built on locational memory, Tomb Raider was just a much more grounded example. Lara moves stiffly, slowly, methodically, not unlike a toddler learning to walk. She rocks back and forth to turn in place. She takes careful steps back from dangerous ledges. She sidesteps one foot at a time to align herself with wall switches. She inhabits a house too large for herself. The mansion’s walls are belittling, the blocky polygonal stairs too large, the spaces between furniture vastly empty to accommodate player movement. Lara is only as proficient at locomotion as the player is with their controller, only as familiar with her own home as the player is with it, not much more than a child is to their own home. An adult player will complain about the tank controls, a child will see and feel a realistic depiction of their own lack of balance and confidence in movement.

Children can also run around in a circle in a video game for hours and be entertained while nothing in particular is happening. And be too scared to step outside the safe boundary of the tutorials. I mean Lara’s Butler is scary enough!

Now that you are equipped to properly call out my nostalgia goggles, I will immediately say that as an adult I found the tank controls of Tomb Raider to actually be profoundly satisfying and nigh mechanically unparalleled. Tomb Raider, released in October of 1996, followed Super Mario 64, released in June of 1996 in Japan but not until September for the US, by a margin slim enough that the former could not have been influenced by the latter beyond the developers knowing Nintendo was also doing A 3D Thing. This is probably an obvious statement to those alive at the time, but the mythology of Super Mario 64 existing as a progenitor of all 3D creation in the digital realm has buried itself deep in the cultural zeitgeist. I believe Nintendo is only as responsible as Core Design or Argonaut or any number of hobbyists exploring the computing power available in the 90s, even when it comes to things like “widespread public perception” or “game design precedents”. The 3D-Game was inevitable.

Which is all to say that Tomb Raider has ideas about 3D design that differ wildly from Super Mario 64 because they are two separate branches burgeoning from the theoretical 3D progenitor. Where Nintendo saw perhaps a more natural approach to design (rolling hills, free-flowing landscapes, open plazas with branching paths not unlike the Hub-And-Spoke design adopted by Walt Disney), Core Design saw structure and rigid shapes in the form of human architecture. In a 2007 documentary Core’s studio manager Gavin Rummery explains the level design being the result of working backwards from the design of Egyptian tombs. The interconnected rooms of sometimes-claustrophobic square hallways and grid-based rectangular rooms of towering ceilings came from the influence of human architecture, not software architecture (though the Saturn’s peculiar rendering techniques probably helped) (the Saturn rendered skewed sprites, not true polygons, something in between the “fake” 3D of Wolfenstein or Doom and the “real” 3D of polygonal meshes.) (All digital 3D is fake! It all gets rendered to flat pixels! It’s just arrays of points stored as plain ol’ integers!).

Hopefully this helps disperse the idea that Tomb Raider’s level design or control scheme are “outdated”. I truly don’t believe Tomb Raider has many software limitations that “don’t hold up” to modern eyes. On original hardware I would perhaps argue against the draw distance (though there may be those that argue for it adding to the atmosphere given, for example, Silent Hill), but the playthrough of mine I’m writing about now was done using the “Tomb Raider I-III Remastered Starring Lara Croft” collection (a mouthful, it seems “The Tomb Raider Trilogy” was already taken as a 2011 repackaging of the three later-6th and 7th generation games).

In so many 3D platformers, especially the collectathons, levels are presented as open playgrounds. Shining, often spinning objects sit atop tall geometry, drawing you in to search for the start of the guided hiking trail that will lead you to it. Pathways of small collectibles lead you meandering between landmarks, perhaps branching to small puzzle rooms. You go into a cave, solve a puzzle, get a reward, and leave the cave with a slightly heavier inventory. They are branching trees that stay close to the root: sometimes one reward will lead to a second, rarely will a more complicated chain emerge. Each time you return to the same open area, ready to find the next branch.

Tomb Raider isn’t doing this and it doesn’t want to do it. Some would say Tomb Raider’s linearity is a limitation: a way to render less, design less, display less. Screenshots do less justice of telling Tomb Raider’s intentions than a distant view of a Nintendo level.

“Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark” opens to Indy trudging through a jungle and coming to the overgrown entrance to an ancient structure. There is no immediate awe to the interior of this structure. His local guides abandon him. He barely fits through the narrow hallways, he intrudes on a hive of spiders that have taken residence, the very stonework become hostile towards him with deadly traps and collapsing floors. Only after much ordeal does any room open to be larger than the last, and even then it’s the most dangerous one yet. Upon committing thievery the building completely turns against him, chasing him out.

“Tomb Raider” begins with Lara arriving at the plateau of a snowy mountain, standing in front of the opening to an ancient structure. Wolves storm out of the stone gates, killing her local guide. The player is given control.

The first “world” of Tomb Raider, for lack of a better word describing a set of levels, is one continuous trek through this ruined place. You spend quite a bit of time running through a snowy cavern, killing the wildlife you have intruded upon. The caves begin large enough, though already smaller than any tunnel you will find in Super Mario 64, gradually shrinking as you dare to go deeper into the darkness. Through a few levels the icy rocks give way to smooth stone, then to walls inscribed with ancient writing, then to mossy ruins of a long-forgotten civilization. All the while the gameplay is ramping up in difficulty as any game naturally would. Small hops become larger leaps. At first these jumps have floors below, requiring you to climb out if you fail. Then these chasms get deeper, falling means damage. Then missing a jump becomes deadly. You find a bear making its home underneath a precarious bridge, then you find yourself leaping off high rocks to avoid pits of spikes. The level design narrows, caverns become hallways, caverns become rooms. Danger begins condensing: multiple difficult jumps between any flat areas, those flat areas inhabited by jaguars instead of bats.

Finally, in the third level of a single linear path, when even the doorways narrowed and now you feel like you’re slipping between cracks in walls, you come to the Lost Valley. An immediate awe-striking view of a jungle untouched for untold years. The game did not hand you Bomb-Omb Battlefield and tell you to have fun, it hid this larger world from you miles beneath hostile territory. You bask in the graphic fidelity of a fully grown jungle. And a T-Rex appears from the black fog. It eats you in one bite. You respawn, now knowing this valley is in fact the most hostile place yet. You are not here to explore. You are here to get the thing you came for and to then get out.

Where Indiana Jones is satisfied with its location-centered short story and happily broadens out to a typical three-act character-centered adventure film, Tomb Raider isolates this as a gameplay loop, the rest of the game running that design to its logical conclusions. Each “world” plays with geometry and pacing but always comes back to that core design: you are always pushing deeper into the hostile unknown.

Tomb Raider and Super Mario 64 share the philosophy that The 3D-Game’s target is to inspire and satisfy curiosity through exploration. Mario, and really any similar Nintendo game, especially Zelda, envision this act of play as a child running around a park. Tomb Raider offers a more active engagement, a way of pushing back on the player. I find this tactile force-feedback the much more satisfying style when it comes to playing games as an adult. As a kid I forced Tomb Raider into the Nintendo style, by refusing to engage with the hostile areas.

This dichotomy is displayed just as clearly in Tomb Raider’s other, surely more, contentious aspect: the controls.

Tomb Raider is using what is often referred to as “tank controls”. In most 3D games the left directional pad or joystick will move the player in four directions. As soon as the control stick is moved the character will pivot their entire body to face the direction pressed. If Mario is facing away from you and you press “down”, or towards yourself, Mario too will face to look at you. This is what is colloquially known as “controlling a dude”. Tomb Raider’s controls are something I wish was more often colloquially referred to as “driving a car”. While Lara is facing away from you, pressing down causes her to backstep, moving in “reverse”. Pressing left or right will cause her to rotate in place, pivoting in a circle while remaining still, like a car pulling off a pavement-burning screeching-loud donut stunt, or, if she is already moving forward, will have her drift to the appropriate side in a smooth arc. Pressing forward will make her move forward, this is your “gas” button.

You could say that this makes her movement independent of the camera, though Tomb Raider’s camera employs more restrictions than Mario’s.

Tank Controls are often paired with a “fixed camera”, meaning multiple static camera positions exist parented to the world geometry, hand-picked by the developer, as in Resident Evil, a set-up that would be correctly described as having camera and movement systems that do not affect one another. Tomb Raider’s relationship is better described as being the inverse of Mario’s: the movement controls the camera. In the original release of Tomb Raider there was no player camera control outside of a special “look mode”. While holding the first left shoulder button the directional control is changed to only affect Lara’s head, which in turn carries the camera along with it. In the re-release the player is allowed some control over the camera with the right analog stick, but trying to force the camera to face Lara head-on will cause it to quickly swing around her, placing you back behind her. In either situation if the player wishes for the camera to turn and rest to the left, Lara must physically turn to the left.

This creates a close connection between the player and Lara. Nintendo’s games often feel, by design, like peeking into a toy diorama or a miniature world. Tomb Raider puts you closer to the action, demanding focused vision and intentional movement. It is planting the philosophical roots that would become the modern third-person cinematic experience, your God of War and your Last of Us. Though those games have, with time, sanded away the satisfying friction that comes with the other half of Tomb Raider’s interface: movement.

The original Super Mario Brothers popularized a subtle, almost unconsciously intuitive quirk of control: holding the jump button makes you jump higher. There are dozens of frames one could release the jump button to cut the jump short, incorporating their prior velocity to create a nearly unique jump arc. Despite this complexity, it only takes a few minutes of practice for the jump in Mario to become second nature. It begins to happen with only milliseconds of conscious thought, a reaction more than an idea.

Tomb Raider gives you a small handful of canned jumps. On a flat surface, pressing the jump button will always result in Lara jumping over one grid tile and landing on the one beyond it. Tapping the back button will have her hop one tile backwards, the perfect amount of running room for you to press forward and hold jump, executing a running jump that will always take you over two grid tiles and land on the third. These can be combined with a “grab” command that has her reach out to grab the ledge of an adjacently forward grid tile. Ignoring movement intricacies used by speedrunners that are not required for the game’s completion, these four jumps are your only options.

This is what makes platforming the star attraction of Tomb Raider. The grid-based levels and the intimate controls meet in harmony to present the main challenge of the game as a tight loop of observation, planning, and execution.

Any given room in Tomb Raider can be broken down into an ordered list of these four jumps. Any given gap between broken pillars or jagged cliffs can be counted on grid, asked by the player which jump this particular gap calls for, and narrowed down to a specific solution. As we charted before the player is introduced to these types of gaps one by one, with gradually increasing punishment for failure. This complexity is increased through the level design, not the available movement. You will never get a power-up that affects jump height or unlock a new kind of movement tech (within this first game anyway). Instead the game may ask for more planning and planning under pressure. It will introduce sloped surfaces, where Lara will automatically plummet if you do not decide whether or not to jump and whether or not to grab by the time she slides off the end. It will introduce traps: retracting blades that add an importance of timing, spikes that require slow movement to avoid damage, puzzles that require retreading of areas with retracted platforms, or perhaps from a reverse direction, requiring a fresh perspective and replanning.

Where some games suffer from a feeling of redundancy that comes from canned interactions, single-solution platforming challenges leading to the thought that you are simply acting out a set of button-pressing instructions designed by the developer, Tomb Raider manages its complexity ramp to keep the challenges fresh. Where,say, Uncharted will present over-the-top blockbuster fake danger vignettes for every few seconds of wall climbing and ultimately present only a facade of complexity, Tomb Raider will give the smallest of static spike pits enough real danger to be far more worthy of your attention.

There’s just enough room for self-expression to place the final cherry on top of Tomb Raider’s repertoire. The standing jump can be performed in any direction, allowing for sidehops and backflips. Chained jumps will initiate more quickly in succession. This allows you to complete otherwise fiddly zigzagging sets of platforms with essentially a string of bunnyhops, where Lara never has to change direction or stop moving. Climbing up from a ledge has a stylish acrobatic cartwheel variant if an extra button is held. Lara can perform a graceful swan dive with a complex three-button running jump but it never serves any gameplay purpose. You are given movement options, but complexity is always defined by level design.

And then the bubble bursts.

Maybe that’s not an apt metaphor. It’s not a sudden pop. I didn’t finish that last paragraph and stare at the blank page for a moment, and then hit enter a couple times and start having this epiphany.

No, it’s been a few days. It’s been a few quiet showers. It’s been a few panic attacks, a few half-filled job applications, a few nights of restlessly tossing and turning while that horrendous buzzing scatters my brain waves. It’s been a few skipped meals and a few evenings of guilt for the ones I didn’t skip. The ceaseless news cycle all the while.

It’s directly after an episode of Sarah Zedig’s Trans Questioning 2 that all this stress comes to a point. I’m staring at the ceiling and eating a Wendy’s Frosty and listening to the rare patter of Californian rain. I’ve finished Studio System: Guardian Angel today and played the new Monster Hunter beta and didn’t get any art done. I’ve begged myself to relax for a day and hid the pill inside the peanut butter of content creation. I feel bad that even the act of playing an artful video game is something I view as a step in my own art, but even that selfishness is manufactured as an excuse to myself.

My mind comes back to this article. I think of the bulk of it being so mechanical. I wouldn’t argue that there isn’t an art in breaking down the mechanics of a video game into a digestible explanation. I recognize the voice in my head telling me it's pointless to be rambling about a nearly 30 year old video game as being wrong. Lots of people write things like this, lots of people read things like this. It’s remarkably easy to me, in fact, to ignore the negative thoughts and the imposter syndrome and the nagging fears.

I could make this three times as long. I could write about the puzzle mechanics and the underwater segments and the sound design. I could praise the original pixel textures, taking some time to download a repository of all the ripped files to show you a few of my favorites. I could put them side by side with the new Remastered versions, showing how clearly they used Generative AI that, even with human touch-up, refuses to make sense under scrutiny. For some time I played with the idea of including my complete review of Tomb Raider 2 inside of this one. Tomb Raider 2 is truthfully awful, as it misses the point of Tomb Raider and focuses on all the least fun parts of this game. This could become an entire series retrospective. I could treat this as a video essay script. A lot more people would watch that than are going to read this.

Even if I stop here I’ve checked off every box with due diligence. I went through the motions. I talked about my childhood. I made this personal. Then I dove into the mechanics. I hopefully offered a unique outlook on old discussion simply by being a unique individual, as we all are. Now here at the bottom I make it personal again. Even this diatribe is fitting in the formula. It’s so easy.

Why am I doing this?

Now there’s the hard one.

I don’t have a job right now. I am very lucky to have found someone to house me. I have enough money to keep me alive until I find another day job. Meanwhile I’m filling my days with the Fantasy. Every year or so I find myself in a time between jobs, when the stress of living is lifted just enough that I have the drive to create things. I have just enough time to breathe that I remember I have the drive to create things. I see so many of my friends living off their creative work and I recognize within myself the ability to do the same and I get caught up in trying to chase that end because it feels so close.

It’s really not. I can buy a lottery ticket just the same as anyone who has won millions. I can write a video game review just like so many that I read that are by people with incredibly large Patreons. I have piles of notebooks of ideas for video games and youtube videos that I know I have the talent to create and I know have all the criteria to be popular, but I think about the end goal and I think too hard about what drives me and it all falls apart.

I hate money. I hate capitalism and clout and branding and the grind and I hate watching people sell out and I hate seeing my friends selling Makeship plushies and I hate the numbers I hate the numbers so god damn much. I hate their successful Patreons and their viewcounts and I love what they create so much. I wish one could exist without the other. I wish I – no I wish everyone could exist without the numbers.

If waking up every day and feeling the urge to play and review a 30 year old game and share my childhood with it to you and infodump about it for a while was enough to be alive then I would do it. I would do it every day and it could all be played straight and I wouldn’t feel this awful urge to ironically twist everything I create.

This is where my artistic ability breaks. I lack the genuinity. I have every skill needed to put all the crazy imagery in my brain down on the page. I can see exactly how this essay should have ended. The concluding paragraph has been seared into my brain by my middle-school teachers. I can see the final note at the bottom, the same note at the bottom of every blog post on every blog. I see the exact words -

If you enjoyed this review you can help by supporting me on Patreon. My current goal is to have these reviews hosted on my own website. If you read this on Tumblr then your donation will go towards the hosting costs. If you’re reading this in the future on Earth64.com then this was made possible by viewers like you, Thank You.

- as these words have been sitting in my brain for a few weeks now, begging me to finish the Content part. The Fantasy promises so much, asking for me to just do what I do best, telling me that every lottery ticket I buy with my hard-earned time is another chance for it to come true. The Fantasy feeds my ego. It tells me how close I am. It tells me how many of my friends have already been selected. It offers me avenues of revenue. It fills my dreams with Makeships and fanart and recognition. It tells me my art is worth more than me. That my friends are so far above me for having created their own, that I cannot be anything until mine is complete, that all I have to do is follow the formula.

I try to fight it. I try to lie to myself. I tell myself my art isn’t good enough. That I’m not old enough. That my time will come but for now I need to stop trying. Fill out an application for Costco and stop listening to the Fantasy. My imposter syndrome is a self-diagnosed injection of Reality. It’s a conscious decision.

And these two parts of me smash together, a hundred miles an hour collision that finally makes the bubble pop and I start typing this.

Nearly everything on this blog so far follows this meta formula. I get three quarters through and have this internal battle, Fantasy versus Reality, where neither comes out on top and I end up breaking character in defiance. I try to find the kernel of genuine emotion, because neither the emotional personal stories nor the mimicry of professional infodumping are genuine, even if the former tries to claim so over the latter.

I know this part is the genuine one, because I don’t know how to end this. I can’t offer a resolution. Every atom in my body is screaming at me to give in to the Fantasy. To create for money. To keep up the daily panic attacks long enough to create something that will be seen and I will be deemed worthy of being kept alive. I don’t care what others will think of my art. I don’t care if it will touch someone emotionally. I don’t care about building a community or becoming famous or making sure the next generation can find solace in my words the way I find it in the ones before me. I just want enough money to be alive.

Anything I create before I have the money to live will be tainted by that desire.

I hope the world will one day get to see the things I could create if I could create with genuinity.

I give the first Tomb Raider a 4 out of 5, to keep it real.

Tomb Raider 2 gets 1.5 out of 5 its shit.

#tomb raider #review #earth64

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