#NOTE i dont see the characters as cookies personally when i write or visualize them so i didn't use cookie terminology or wtv

[necroangelz]

No one to share the memory of frost.

day 1.5 of @ebiuxxxx's event

“ a character / song you are kin with / relate to. ”

STARFRUIT COOKIE SEMI-DRABBLE! repeated day 1 because i just really wanted to write. takes place after pomegranate's betrayal and starfruit can't seem to sleep tonight, as always. the rest of the story is under the cut. please enjoy.

“ You're my best friend, now I've no one to tell of how I lost my best friend. . . ”

The stars have gone dark. Both the stars in her heart and the stars in the prophetic fountain. She lays awake in bed with bloodshot eyes. Sleep has eluded her for nights now; every time she closes her eyes, she sees red. She sees puffs of red hair, a red ceremonial robe sweeping across the floor, and enchanting red eyes. Pulling her in. Engulfing her in an embrace as it stabs her in the back.

Starfruit used to be at the top. She was respected, admired. Wasn't it so great that she was able to connect with the stars and become an oracle at such a young age? Her heart is as pure as the glowing stars above, but not all hearts are the same as hers.

As she laid on her mess of a bed, her curly hair fanned out beneath her, she holds her hands to her chest and prays a repeating mantra.

May the stars guide me once again, may the stars guide me once again, may the stars guide me once again....

The uttered words were barely over a whisper. If she spoke much louder she might burst into tears. Although the volume of her voice doesn't matter, nor how fervently she prays, the stars never listen anymore.

Her weak voice fades and she falls silent. It was truly unjust—why must she, the victim, suffer so much for this? Why can't the stars, or anyone for that matter, seem to forgive her? Maybe this was really the end for her. She was so foolish.

A thought enters her restless, wandering mind.

She wonders if Pomegranate would understand her situation despite being the direct cause of Starfruit's downfall.

Deep in her heart, she knew she would.

End.

Blue space divider (in the header): by @cafekitsune

header by me.

yellow stars divider (in the post): by @saradika

[catalina-infanta]

Fantastic Beasts meets Star Wars

I was watching the Fantastic Beasts movies and one thing I love about those films is their use of the main character (the protagonist and Hero) being a bit different than the regular hero, and showing traits of someone with autism (he won't look other characters in the eye for long, his very specific interests of caring for animals to which he has developed specialized expertise, and his comments about how people “often don’t like him”). I, myself, love seeing heroes who aren’t your cookie cutter male alpha, punching people while making sassy remarks. I think Ben Solo/Kylo Ren kinda fits this mold too, as did Luke Skywalker. They just aren’t your usual alpha dog, they have emotions, they are real people.  

Yet, there seem to be some other trends where the writing of the Star Wars sequel trilogy and the Fantastic Beasts series are concerned. 

Black and White Thinking

One is the theme of black and white thinking as being portrayed as evil. Maybe this is even more pressing today. Of course, this is coming about out of Hollywood, as Americans are experiencing more and more the pain and dangers of bipartisanship within their government. Yet on the world stage, however (as I am not American) the insidious effects of how we consume media through computer and search engine algorithms (which gather information particular to our interests and worldviews) means we rarely leave our own information bubbles or read news with which we may disagree with. This is separating us further from others more and more, forming divides and even black and white thinking (us versus them) when we are unable to tolerate or understand other people’s opinions.

In the movies, these topics are being stressed with good versus bad, us versus them and with fascist, totalitarian thinking at play. Even visually this is being represented. For instance, the main villain of Fantastic Beasts, Grindelwald, is repeatedly wearing black and white. Conversely, however, the hero Newt Scamander is shown wearing colours, blue and yellow. And this is not the first movie to make colour an important feature in expression ideas about characters:

 This is showing Grindelwalds polarized, thinking of purebloods against those who are not is black and white (read: wrong). Indeed, in the films expresses this as flawed further when it has the main protagonist, Newt, express distaste at how American wizards cut interaction with muggles out entirely and see them as lesser beings, probably commenting on racism in America and its enduring systemic ills. 

Of course, we all know that black and white is traditionally part of the Star Wars good versus bad, but even this is changing, with Rey moving into greyer garbs from her earlier whiter clothing. 

Forbidden Attachments

Also, much like Jedi were forbidden from attachments, Muggle’s can’t be with magic folk in America (its illegal even). Much like dark force users were taught to fear the dark and stay away from light jedi. There is no middle ground, just bad and good, no learning from each other or expanding, just lines which cannot be crossed. So of course, where you have a plot like this which the writers think are constrictive or wrong, you have your main characters crossing this line (in the case of Fantastic Beasts, to show its wrong and backward, and in the case of Star Wars to show its worth expanding outward and understanding the other side, forgiving and letting those who have fallen back into the fold to repent and redeem and that even they can be good nd have souls worth loving). 

In Fantastic Beasts, one of the main love stories is one between Queenie and Joseph, a witch and a muggle. Like Rey and Kylo Ren, a lightsider and darksider union (we think..but c’mon its pretty obvious they are romantic!). So both movie trilogies have 2 protagonists who are braving this divide, but finding it casts them out, or jeopardizes their union. Rey and Kylo cannot bridge there divide (nor should they with how dark kylo is right now), and in Fantastic Beasts, (***SPOILER***) the American witch Queenie, in the end of the Crimes of Grindelwald has even joined the evil cause of Grindelwald because she (misguidedly) believes they can help her relationship with the Muggle Joseph come to be allowed. 

The Evils of Repression

So above we have two themes, black and white, polarized thinking as being shown as wrong, and main characters attempting to breach these divides between two worlds/belief structures through love. 

But there is one more similarity. In the Fantastic Beasts 1st movie, there is a dark phenomenon known as an Obscurial. According to Wiki fandom, an obscurial is a young wizard or witch who developed a dark parasitical magical force, known as an obscurus, as a result of their magic being suppressed (often through abuse or fear of showing their powers). According to Dumbledore, an Obscurial can possibly be healed by replacing their feelings of alienation with a sense of belonging. 

Repression has long been seen of as something akin to evil in western film and storytelling (often you see priests in TV and movies going through this, self-flagellating, or whipping themselves for their nasty sinful thoughts – and these characters tend to be evil, think of Paul Bettany’s character in Dan Browns Da Vinci Code, or the evil guy Frollo in Hunchback of Notre Dame). 

Something Star Wars has been dealing with since the advent of the prequel trilogy is this idea of repression leading to evil. One of Anakin’s, and I argue Ben’s, troubles was with the repression of their dark natures, or even repression of just their good emotions such as love for Padme or Shmi, causing them to become unbalanced and leading them to evil. I get it, if someone told me I couldn’t love I would grow angry too, and I am pissed with the Jedi – it seems Luke was too. 

The idea that balance is necessary in the Star Wars community is pretty self-evident though, so I wont take too much time explaining this. Ben and Anakin are emotional guys, constantly told to keep it all in, only let the light out, repress your feelings and any darkness that may be felt because that’s “bad” (Yoda’s advice to Anakin when he was fearing for Padme’s death to “rejoice for her” for becoming one with the force sucked, and we are meant to be frustrated by it, because I can't believe George Lucas would expect us to agree with Yoda and believe it was OK for Padme to die and that Anakin should just move on). Indeed, to repress and deny the good and bad inside us is damaging and something we should all avoid – this is the Jungian notion of accepting and resolving yourself with your shadow self, instead of ignoring it until it explodes, much as the Obscurials do when they cant hold it in any longer and they die at a young age. 

As a side note, I was really happy to see Credence didn’t actually die at the end of the first Fantastic Beasts film, because he was obviously an abused and unloved child looking for his parents (sound familiar? Rey?). Although sadly, I’m not sure he will survive the series of films now that he has joined Grindelwald, or that the writers care enough to give this character anything more than redemption equals death scenario and not bother to give him a happy ending or find belonging and peace. 

Conclusion and how these movies should wrap up

Anyways, I guess I just thought it interesting that both films were dealing with similar themes, probably because they are issues we are dealing with in society, but they are issues society deals with all the time in one way or another at all times but perhaps we feel they are more pressing today?

The importance of these themes to these movies, however, means they should be in some way resolved at the end of each series because they aren’t going to reinforce these notions by punishing the characters who act out of the bounds of societies black and white framework. 

With Star Wars, I think there will be a better way to look at how Jedi will go about their business in dealing with the dark side (i.e. with more understanding of what it is instead of fear and rejection), and how individual Jedi will deal with the darkness inside themselves in thier own personal journies to avoid the worst. This will hopefully include some resolution on how future Jedi will deal with attachment - rather than just repressing everything and forgetting about it. I dont think this is something that is valued today in the west, because no one wants to abandon those things about human life that make it most worth living.  

On that note, I also expect the two pairs of lovers of both Star Wars and Fantastic Beasts to be reunited, in order to visually and narratively show a change and love for the other side and repair the longtime split between the groups. Its more than just a sappy ending, it’s a metaphor for how we should think about the “Other” that we are told to fear or belittle by a society that has gone too far in its black and white thinking. So, Queenie should marry Joseph even though Muggles are thought beneath wizards, and Kylo and Rey should both come towards the centre and be together and find their belonging they so desire, thereby resolving their loneliness. (However, this is a whole other question of Kylo’s redemption, etc.). But the notion that Jedis shouldn’t marry be damned! And this is the PERFECT way to show that stupid rule was dumb and resolve the very thing Anakin struggled with in some way. And, for that matter, the notion that forgiveness shouldn’t be given to those who have erred or fallen by the wayside be damned! 

No, in the end, the lesson is that black and white thinking sucks, and love and forgiveness is what matters for those who find it in their hearts, to love, and not fear the other side is what our heroes are showing us, with a multitude of colour to express the variety of people, and emotions, that life can give us. 

[abstracttheworld]

Monster Prom Thoughts

In short, I think this game is a really fun time-waster! I mean that sincerely. It's a great way to zone out and be silly with nothing truly to lose.

In long? While I enjoy this game, it really doesn't reward the player much for, well, playing.

Bullet point style thoughts:

ART It's fun, expressive, stylish, and bright! It's cute and I really do enjoy seeing it! I'd LOVE to see more of it! There are TONS of wacky events you can encounter that would SO benefit from either immediate photos, or photos unlocked in something like an album, in a style similar to that as you see in the end credits! I'm especially fond of the unlock-able method, because it gives the player a reason to hunt down all the events beyond just a number on a scoreboard at the end. Also important, I found the prom date photos to be rather disappointing- on first appearance it's cute! But then I realized it's not personalized to the player at all. Like, if you play with ANY character, DATE any character, it'll still give you the same poses, just pasted into the same picture- It didn't really make me want to bother trying out the other player characters much, and especially not with every date-able character. And even for what we get, there's no way to preserve the moment, sweet as it is. Unless you screencap and save it yourself, I guess?

ROMANCE For something calling itself a dating sim, there really isn't almost any DATING going on. The majority of the interactions, while funny and entertaining, aren't really romantic in any capacity that I've noticed. And honestly? A fair majority of the characters aren't exactly the NICE type to begin with, so many interactions seem to keep the player in a state of "Dont mess up at all or suddenly you're an outcast", which at least to me isn't very enjoyable, especially if you aren't on the up-n-up on what right answers to pick!

There are at least a few instances that the scene teases at in a more mature nature, that I feel are a missed opportunity visual-wise. What better way to entice a player to try for all the events in a wacky and wild game, than offer up some level of teasing art to go along with the moment? I'm not talking full nudity (though tbh I'm not opposed either), but at least SOMETHING that's a little suggestive or flirty, something beyond the same set of emotes we see everywhere else in the game. Something to make the work of the less-than-friendly interactions worthwhile, something beyond bare-bones appearances to entice me toward the character. If I can't have heart felt conversations or romantic instances, I'd at least like something a little saucy to keep my drive going.

PERSONALITIES As for the player? I don't really think there is one. The flavor is pretty much "desperate to impress peers/be wacky" with a side of "eager to assist murderous tendencies." I guess it is hard to hit the right note of "relatable/open design" that a person can kinda settle themselves into, while still trying to keep up with the mix of slapstick/dark humor, while also not wanting to write 4 times as much event dialogue/outcomes that depend on what avatar the player chooses to use. I guess this is more of a personal grievance, since I found it incredibly hard to relate to the character who pretty much, well, is quite unpleasant. A social climber who will leap at the chance to ruin your day if it benefits them/their crush of choice.

Regarding the date-able characters? I get that they're trying to reach outside the popular theme of "monsters, but NICE!!" but the majority of them are pretty shallow. They're just flatly designed. They have their theme, yes, be it Greedy Mean Girl, Elitist Hipster, Socially Unaware Royal, Friendly Idiot, Stoner Party Girl, and Arson, But With Knives, but they wear it to DEATH. There's no room for improvement emotionally, or even any way to test for depth. I think MAYBE I saw a hint of a deeper personality in, like, 2 of them. And it was only spread out over a couple events? I'm not even sure. Just the fact I have to THINK when/if I saw a sign of character development, doesn't sound good to me. I watched the whole of the end credits, and the pictures they had there made me LEAGUES more interested in them! They seemed interesting! Personable, even! Where did go, when I get into the actual game?!

AUDIO There isn't really much to say about it- the voice acting is fun! The sound effects are fine! The monster-jam background music is peppy and enjoyable. THE END CREDIT SONG IS A BLAST, LOVE IT.

MECHANICS Also not too much to say about them. I guess I really would prefer some kind of save option? At least Mario Party style where you can like, come back later, not exactly in a slot-save way (but I'm also not opposed to that). Also the end-game score board left me surprised and really confused- surprised because WOW THATS A LOT OF EVENT POSSIBILITIES, and confused because it kept saying I hadn't earned any of the endings yet. Like? I just got to the end? What do you mean it isn't an END? I've come to know that this may be because the actual endings are specific events you have to trigger? I'm not even sure yet. But y'know what would be great? A list of the events so I know which ones I've found, which outcomes I've picked, something to unlock and shows what I've done and what my next goal is! Also, the addition of a photo album. Plz. ======================================================================= Yes, I know this game is basically a gag-game and isn't meant to be taken seriously at all, or at least thats the vibe I get from it. Yes, I know I'm being picky. No, I don't expect the developers to take this to heart and add in any of this to the game now.

But!! I'd love to see their future work, because I truly do enjoy this game!! Not all of it, but most of it!! As I said, it's a nice something to do when I can't think of anything else to do. This game might not be perfect in my eyes, but it's absolutely a step in a direction I'd LOVE to see pursued! If they took these things to heart, maybe even made a sequel of this game where we can explore the character's more, and they included the things I mentioned above? I'd 100% pay more to own it and experience it. So, tldr; please support this game! Because I'd really love to see any future work's these folks have planned come to fruition!