#and I’ve been meaning to tweak their designs any how

[dork-a-doodle]

This post by @mangletangle was asking for Jeremy and Michael designs and I will NEVER turn down a reason to draw the sillies!

[mostly-marvel-musings]

Old Tricks - P3

A/N: Now I can’t stop writing…

Pairing: Tony Stark x F! Reader

Warnings: 18+ themes, fluff.

Find Part 1 & Part 2 here ;)

.

Your husband was missing. Again.

And right after promising that he wouldn’t be late for movie night.

Movie nights. Something you had designated every once in a while complete with buttery popcorn and candy and lots of fluffy pillows and blankets.

Sighing, you finished your glass of wine while his lay untouched and made your way downstairs where he was probably killing his back over some invention.

As suspected, there he was, deep in conversation with his virtual best friend, FRIDAY. You hadn’t decided whether to let this go or go up to him and remind him of what he’d missed. It didn’t hurt you because you had lived with the man long enough to understand he never did it on purpose.

Curiosity had gotten the better of you when you squinted to see what he was up to, watching your husband scroll through pictures that resembled…sex toys?

“Let’s keep the face plate easily retractable too, the wife has a thing for neck kisses and so do I.”

Tony murmured, mostly to himself but he made amendments to the project in front of him, fingers gliding over the keyboard to put his words into actuality. He had lost track of time but only because it was directed towards a little present he had been working on, for you.

Unknown to him, you were standing back within earshot, watching him work with a mixture of shock and amusement on your face.

“I mean, I know Y/N loves coming on my fingers just as much. Maybe we could tweak the suit? Add additional modes on the vibrators too.”

Sure, boss.

Blush crept up your cheeks as his words fell on your ears, it was as if he was discussing any other modification to be done to his Iron Man suits. You tiptoed inside, not wanting to announce your presence just yet as Tony Stark - the successor of Stark Industries, genius inventor, world-renown superhero and philanthropist continued his back and forth with the AI.

You watched as prototypes holograms of his suit showed up, the alterations he spoke about highlighted along with detailed description of its features. The man ran his fingers through his hair, leaving them a glorious mess before walked around the table as if to get a whole 360 view.

Clearing your throat finally, you stifled a laugh as your husband jumped with a hand over his heart.

“Jesus Christ! Are you trying to give me a heart attack?”

Chuckling, you wrapped your arms around the man and reached up to give him a soft kiss. He sighed and hugged you, rubbing your back gently.

“You know among the things I presumed you do down here, I never imagined I’d catch you doing this. I also didn’t realise we had branched out to Adults Toys R Us.” You giggled when Tony playfully slapped your butt, joining in your laughter.

“It was supposed to be a surprise and a silly little gift. For the countless dates I’ve missed, I’m sorry.” He stared at his feet, scratching the back of his neck almost nervously.

“So you’re making me an apology sex toy? You continue to amaze me, Mr. Stark.” You murmured, making him look up at you again before pressing your lips to his lightly.

The man truly was unbelievable.

“What did I miss?” He asked earnestly, guilt evidently reflecting in his brown eyes.

“Our movie night. But it’s okay, I won’t hold it against you. Especially not if promise to reveal what all of this is about.”

Chuckling lowly, Tony planted his head on your shoulder, letting out a tired sigh and a purr the moment your fingers ran through his hair, comforting him.

“Am I going to get a demo or what?” You turned towards his work station while still keeping your arms around him.

“Nope. It’s still a work in progress.” Tony shrugged, swiftly shutting down his work.

“Oh come on, Tony! At least tell me something about it, what does it look like, how do I use it—”

“Oh no, you’re not going to use it. I am.”

You frowned, coaxing him to continue, now that he’d really got your interest piqued. It wasn’t surprising that he would design something like this without involving an element of ‘him’ in it.

“You’re giving me a present that’s meant to be used by you? Hmm, I’m not so sure if I want it now..” you teased, welcoming Tony as he slotted himself between your legs, caging you in by placing both his arms on either side.

“Oh you want it, alright. I’ve made sure it’s everything you’d wished for and more.”

“Hmm.. I would like some more details before I decide how I feel about this present.” Your arms naturally found their way behind his neck, excitement already building deep within as your little banter continued.

“Well?”

“Let’s just say all of your suit kink prayers have been answered, Mrs. Stark.”

No smut just yet 🤭

[thisbitchcantdraw]

Genuinely tweaking because it’s 4 in the morning rn and I’ve been drawing this all day, literally the second I was free I was drawing.

AND IT TOOK ME 6 HOURS WHATTT

So as some of you know I’m a big fan of a FanFiction made by @theellipelli and it’s epic and great and it’s yanqing and Jing yuan and time travel and family issues GO READ IT IM GREAT AT PROMOTING THIS HAHAH.

So like… I didn’t read the new chapter and I’m scared to do so BECAUSE WHAT DO YOU MEAN TW DEATH??? STOP.. I better not cry

Anyway so I had the idea on what the idea was but I didn’t know how to make it right so I ended up with this, here’s the starter sketch with colour

Now MEGA TRANSFORM RENDER BOOM WOW heheh thank you thank you👏👏👏👏

If you can’t tell Baiheng is drunk and in my head she should be kept at least 5 miles away from any person when she’s drunk

Jinglius hand looks weird but look at yanqing he looks great #neverdoingmysondirty

The atrocious hand grip on yanqing head I head to learn how to draw hand can someone teach me

Ik it’s really hard to tell what’s going on with df and yingxing but I wanted to fit all the quintet in (they are just whispering to each other which is pretty much “bro can we please leave” “nah”) Df is so circle I’m sorry idk what happened I’m tweaking again

Sorry that jy, yq and baiheng look so much better than everyone else that’s the difference between start vs finish

And if anyone is out there “6 hours for that?? Man you got to be joking” well Uhm actually I’m a very slow artist

I think I spent the smallest time on yingxing

But I think I spent at least like an hour on the sketch sigh can I get a pat on the back

ALSO DRAWING THEM WAS SO HARD BECAUSE OF THE SMALL AMOUNT OF REFERENCES I HAD..

I wanted to do cloud night Jing yuan but the design was different from the fic one so I had to live of that one art the author of the fanfic did (go check out her tumblr tagged her above she’s great support her on every platform possible or you’ll die)

Anyway ik not a lot of people are reading this but I would like to thank art Jesus, art God and Beyoncé for giving me the motivation to finish this in one day

Uhm that’s the end make sure to support the author love you all bye,!

Scared to post this second thoughts are gonna be the end of me

[thatguythatdrawsalot]

Blake - Atlas Design Critique.

Yippee I have more to say about character designs, this time it’s Blake’s turn with her Atlas look, there isn’t going to be a redesign but instead my OCs to prove a point. I promise next time there will be a redesign. 

RWBY Archives

This is gonna be interesting because before I can talk about Blake’s Atlas look I gotta briefly talk about Blake’s Menagerie design. This is all gonna culminate into the huge mess that is Blake’s Atlas outfit. Now this look has some meaning to it, by what it says Blake was wearing more white to hide herself, which makes sense for her arc at the time. It may look bad but the white coat had significance, when she ditches the coat and faces Adam to be in more black again it has a meaningful impact that she’s no longer running/hiding… plus the look with the white coat gone makes her look stunning! So tell me why she regressed her arc of hiding to be back in another uglier white coat to hide her ‘not dark enough purples’? It’s because the designer took the Menagerie look but made it sci-fi. They had no idea what to do for Blake other than to exemplify all the bad decisions in her previous look. Silly zippers that are reminiscent of Adam, a cat suit that’s impossible to put on and to take off, and ugly belts clamping her wrists for no good reason. 

And one other thing, why ditch the gold for silver? Wouldn’t it be nice for someone in team RWBY to wear yellow/gold? Why not the girl who’s going to be Yang’s girlfriend???

She’s the second one to freeze to death in team RWBY.

Hair

Again, I never want to direct hate towards a modeler, end of the day it’s the people who make the final decisions for the product who are at fault. When Volume 7’s poster came out nearly everyone was super excited to see Blake with short hair, it looked really cute and framed her face adorably. When the teaser/trailer for the Volume came out… everyone lost their mind at just how ugly the hair looked. False advertising at its finest. Blake’s hair was one of the ugliest examples of modeling I have ever seen in the show proper, it beats Weiss’ chunky braid. I cannot comprehend how Blake’s model got the approval with the hair alone. The hair was a droopy blanket/helmet. When they tweaked it, it still didn’t look good or even like the concept art. 

Primary Color - Black?

I’ve already mentioned that White has overtaken her color palette to regress her character development and her primary color along with purple. There is no ounce of pure Black on Blake. You can have Blake stand next to Cinder, Penny, Ruby, and Yang and they’ll have more Black than her. They try to compensate for the lack of Black with her GRAY hair, and Blake’s INDIGO catsuit. 

It’s ridiculous how the showrunners turn the B for Team RWBY into the representation of the color purple/white than BLACK. Are they afraid of having Blake be a black blob on screen? The reason she had limited black in the past looks was because of her long hair, but she cut it! Put as much black as you want now! Actual black! Stop overdoing white and purple. The black I used was from a direct screenshot of Blake in the DC movie, one where she had on her old outfit that represented her color and looked good- Positives?

I think Blake tops Weiss’ Atlas outfit cause I really can’t think of anything positive to say. If there was a lack of zippers and the concept of Blake was regulated to being a background character rather than a main character, the outfit could stand on its own. Or just MAYBE this would’ve been a better look for Ilia. It can be better for any other character than for Blake. I can just imagine Blake’s excuse for wearing this being “It looked better in the picture.”

Bonus Round - Ghira and Kali

You can skip this and go to the conclusion if you want, this is just me talking about how much I dislike the ‘Spitting Image Of Parent’ trope in fiction, as this always nagged me about Blake, Ghira, and Kali’s design. Alright so I don’t mind Blake being a cat faunus, I just hate the uncreative reason as to how she became a cat faunus, this was a trait inherited by her mother. Kali is a cat faunus. In the World Of Remnant series, an episode dedicated to the Faunus had a rundown that if two faunus’ of the same kind had a kid together, it’d be the same faunus. If two faunus’ were completely different, their child would be completely random. Kali is a cat, and Ghira is a panther, both felines technically but they really couldn’t just make her parents be human/faunus? They instead just increased the odds of Blake being a cat than something else or even her parents? They made her parents similar… a little too similar. Blake’s parents read to me as brother/sister by just how similar their colors and appearance are. It feels like two artists were tasked with making a mom and dad but didn’t communicate with one another on traits Blake could inherit from the other. I appreciate that they made Kali tanner with better-looking animated cat ears but seriously they start with black hair, yellow eyes, and end with a color palette being black/purple.

I don’t understand how Yang and Ren’s parents can feel like parents with their appearance but then drop the ball for Blake’s. It isn’t that hard, up above are my OCs; John and Penelope Ironwood aka James’ parents. You can argue that I made John be a spitting image of James but at least I TRIED. I had James inherit his mother’s navy eyes and curly hair. Whenever I draw/color James I just mix John and Penelope’s skin tones to make it James’ skin color. I tried to make them look like independent characters who could look like James’ parents but still unique. Conclusion

I don’t think anyone at RT can make Blake stunning, I hope Viz Media gives Blake a good outfit.

From the teaser image it looks like Blake is wearing black, only downside is the gold piercings. I like the idea of gold piercings but my god she looks way too much like her mother… and I really don’t like that trope.

However I’m gonna keep having my hope be alive for character designs than the story. Out of team RWBY I’m most excited to see Blake’s looks, if she looks awful for the final season I’m going to cry-

But of course, it’s just my opinion. If you love this design or hate the design, please share your opinion. I’d love to hear it! :D

[leveragehunters]

okay, I have to ask — how do you like your kobo ereader??

I’ve been eyeing one for a while bc I really *don’t* want a kindle, but also *so* many people have a kindle that it feels like it’s the only real option

Holy crap I LOVE IT. It's so much better than the Kindle. (Also: this got long)

I decided to upgrade my old Paperwhite (it was a second gen, so pretty old and small) and I almost got a new Paperwhite automatically (cause I felt much the same as you).

But the Kobos were on the same page and since I'm trying to be less impulsive, I started poking around and they are so good.

I went with a black Libra 2 and it's like the software was actually designed for human beings, unlike the Kindle software, which I think was designed for no one except the devil.

I side-load only and keep all my books organised in collections. The only way to do collections on the Kindle is manually, one book at a time, or jailbreak (and I'm not sure you can jailbreak the new Paperwhites, plus it's such a PITA).

On the Kobo, I can build collections from within Calibre, super fast and multiple books at a time. You can also do them manually on the Kobo, but even that is SO MUCH EASIER than on the Kindle.

The actual screen reading experience is basically identical (you can even side-load the Kindle font if you want it), since e-ink is pretty much e-ink, but it has few extra 'while you're reading' tweaks, like setting the all around margin size of the book (great if you switch between books and comics) and controlling the presence of, and info in, the top and bottom bar (pages left in book, pages left in chapter, percentage left to go etc). It also has a brightness and a warmness setting, so you can tweak those til they're just right for you.

I'm loving the physical page turn buttons so much - way easier than having to swipe the screen. I can hold the Kobo in one hand and just page forward with my thumb. It's also a teeny tiny bit lighter than my old Paperwhite.

I also love that you can 'archive' any books you've bought from Kobo, so they don't show up on the e-reader (you can still get them from Kobo later if you want), unlike Amazon where they're always right there unless you delete them forever. Like I said, I side-load everything, I don't want to see the Amazon-displayed copies. I don't want to see the Amazon displayed ANYTHING.

Kobo also doesn't advertise to you. Even in a non ad-supported Kindle, the home page of the new Kindle software shows trending and suggested books. It's bloody advertising. The home page on the Kobo shows you things about your library, with a discrete text invitation at the bottom to find new books or make a wishlist. There is a 'Discover' tab where you can see suggested books and such, but you have to actively go there, which means you're seeing it because you want to see it.

It's very intuitive to use - there's tabs down the bottom that do what they say on the tin and the settings are clear what they do. If it goes to sleep on 'Books' it wakes up on 'Books'. If you have authors sorted by last name it shows them all sorted by last name (this was endless aggravation on the Kindle which seemed to have an 'I do whatever the fuck I like' approach). It displays a cute little 'sleeping' when it's asleep along with the cover of what you're currently reading (you can turn that last one off).

It natively supports a decent assortment of file types: KEPUB, EPUB, EPUB2, EPUB3, PDF, FlePub, MOBI, PDF, JPEG, GIF, PNG, BMP, TIFF, TXT, HTML, RTF, CBZ and CBR.

I cannot recommend the Kobo Libra 2 highly enough. It's the damn bees knees and I wish I'd gotten one years ago. I can't ever see going back to the Kindle.

Some pics and Calibre details under the cut (which doesn't seem to be working, darn it).

(yes I have been rereading the Kitty series)

The Calibre plugins I grabbed are below, but tbh honest you don't really NEED any of them:

I also converted my library to kepub, which isn't necessary, but gives you some nifty extra reading features.

To create Collections on your Kobo with Calibre

Decide what Calibre column you want to use for setting your Collections (I use tags, because I don't use it for anything else, but you can also make a new column in Preferences or use one of the others).

Make sure your Kobo is ejected then go to Preferences in the toolbar, locate the Import/export section, then click Sending books to devices.

For Metadata Management, choose Automatic management.

Click Apply.

Remain in Preferences, locate the Advanced section, then click Plugins.

Expand Device Interface.

Scroll down and select either Kobo Touch Extended, or if that's not present, KoboTouch.

Click Customize plugin.

Switch to the Collections, covers & uploads tab.

Checkmark Collections.

For Collections columns, enter the name of the Column you're going to use for Collections.

Checkmark Create collections.

Click OK.

Close Preferences and exit and restart Calibre.

Fancy up your library by putting your books in Collections and when you're done, Send to Device and those collections will be there, all nicely and satisfyingly organised on your Kobo.

[transformers-mosaic]

Transformers: Multiverse #24 - "The Connection - Part 1"

Originally posted on September 13th, 2013

Story - Adam White Art - Joe Teanby Colours - Laura Holy Letters - Franco Villa

deviantART

wada sez: On deviantART, Joe Teanby explained this strip’s place in canon: “Adam's story is fantastic as not only does it fill in / add to the story of the first movie, but he fleshed out the characters. He also decided to give the robots a more recognisable look, and in doing so created a merging of the different Transformers universes.” The name of the location of the movie’s final battle, “Mission City”, has been changed to an anagram, per Villa: “Simmion City instead of Mission City is a writer's choice to make clear that this is an alternate universe.” Adam White offered a more extended commentary, which I’ve mirrored below alongside the clean inks and an Italian translation. Check back tomorrow for Part 2!

This was never written as a "what if" alternative reality (as much as any other stories I have seen here) but I ended up changing the city title as I figured the art choices had forced the story into that direction. . . . .  but the reality of the writing is a bit different. . . . and this looks like a good enough thread to explain those artistic choices.

When I thought up the story, I immediately envisioned the standard movie-verse, with all it's quirks and visual traits. The problem was that the two leads I had for this were arguably amongst the most throwaway of the Autobot movie characters and, unlike movie-Megs, lacked that depth of character for me to care about that incarnation of them. The cons? They seemed to have stronger elements to them. . . . so they were left to anchor the story more in Bay-land.

The reason fans got so (rightly) annoyed about Jazz's treatment was because they weren't responding to "a movie bot" dying, but a mix of what Jazz means to them (g1/animated/g2/comics/so on) and, when I started to sketch out my hideous roughs, that mix of incarnations popped up in what I actually assumed was his movie look.

So I then gave Joe and Laura the huge challenge to blend those rather characterless designs for movie Ratchet and Jazz, with G1 elements. I was amazed at what they did, and gained so much from seeing how they got their heads around that and ended up with just the right balance.

As much as I am overjoyed with the results of the team, I am even more thrilled that everyone seems to have excepted these hybrids for the characters they are. Yes, Ratchet looks different, but you can also accept its a movie-Ratchet because of the situation he is in. A credit to the team, I think!

A final note on the name. I actually hadn't added a location ident to the start of the script and Franco kindly added one during lettering. Seeing it reminded me 1) How much I hated the bland name 2) How much I really hated the dumb name. . . . . so I tweaked it in the same style that the character designs had been. :-)

[blazehedgehog]

Recently I’ve been playing, and loving, Penny’s Big Breakaway and it’s made me realize how stiff official Sonic games have felt since Sonic Heroes. It feels fantastic to chain moves together as Penny. While I don’t want a Sonic game to play exactly like Penny’s Big Breakaway I do want to enter a similar flow state while playing. Sonic Team seems allergic to making any gameplay/movement options that allows for flow… do you have any idea why?

That's the 65-million-dollar question, isn't it.

Several times over the years I've pushed back on the idea when people say Sonic "can't work in 3D." Of course Sonic could work in 3D, it just takes the right team to build it. The concepts and principals of a Sonic game are not exclusive to 2D. You can build a game on those ideals in 3D and it will work just fine.

If you go back and watch my "How Do We Fix Sonic?" video, I also put forth the idea that a lot of 3D Sonic games are the way they are because Sonic Team does not trust the player. To some degree, rightfully so: there's a growing pile of one-level fangame demos where some college kid tries to do 3D Sonic "right" and while a lot of them are okay, I think it makes for an easy case to see why official Sonic games have so much scripting in them.

When you're going that fast, and you're that acrobatic, it becomes very easy to make some incredibly dumb mistakes. It's not that nobody can play that game, it's that a game like that might struggle to achieve mass market appeal. Sonic is, first and foremost, a pick-up-and-play game. I've been thinking of that term a lot lately since the release of Ring Racers, and it basically means a game you don't have to learn. A game where you turn it on and know everything about it instinctively.

The entire pitch for Sonic was a game you could play with just one button. Easy to start playing, difficult to master over the long term. It's a tough balancing act. Especially when you're aiming for a game that a 10 year old can play.

When I was 10 years old, I couldn't even stay on the road in Super Mario Kart. That's what we're working with here.

So they make Sonic into this guided experience with heavy scripting where they can insulate the player from making dangerous mistakes. Lots of spectacle and minimal friction.

Now you add in the pressure of deadlines and budgets. A fangame like Sonic GT can spend five years as an alpha still figuring out its level design, tweaking its mechanics, before finally releasing a four or five level "game." Whereas an official Sonic game probably has to make a pitch, get to alpha, nail all of its controls and mechanics down relatively early. Probably within the first year of development at least, if not within a period of months.

Then they have to build a game for those mechanics. And, with being so scripted and directed, they can't deviate much. Once they're locked in, they don't have a lot of wiggle room to redefine what the game plays like.

That even goes for researching better ways to do things. I don't think these guys were given much of a chance to stop and think. Sonic Adventure 1 came out in October 1998 in Japan, that team moved to America to work on the September 1999 United States release, Sonic Adventure 2 was announced probably not even six months later, it came out within 18 months of its announcement just in time for that team to crank on the super rushed Gamecube port, which segued into an equally rushed port of the original Sonic Adventure, then their first multiplatform release on a third-party engine just a year or two later, followed by a sequel less than two years later, and another sequel less than two years after that...

Running and running and running and never stopping... and, well, I guess this is just what Sonic in 3D plays like now, right? That's the precedent. Sales are relying on not alienating people who are used to the way these games play.

Plus, it also depends on who within Sega is involved. I tend to agree that we shouldn't pin decisions all on one guy anymore for how many developers are actually involved in a game (200+ for Sonic Frontiers), but it's hard to deny that in the Morio Kishimoto era of 3D Sonic games, they've made a dedicated to effort to lock Sonic down and script his movements more than ever. Starting in Sonic Colors all the way up to the most recent Sega of Japan games, player movement is more restricted and automatically controlled than any other Sonic games to come before it.

Even Sonic Frontiers, for all of its open zone gameplay, once you touch a rail or one of those floating platforms, it tries to restrict and control you as much as humanly possible. Helicopter parent game design. "Do it my way exactly, or stop playing the game."

And I think all of this just collides with itself and makes a big ugly mess. I think it's telling Sonic Unleashed is such a cult favorite given its the closest thing we've had to a decent reboot of mechanics, even though it's still trapped in a lot of that scripted spectacle design.

[astridhobbit]

Hm okay so, I’m thinking about creativity and self expression and the difference between visual arts and crafty projects.

And like, one thing I’m thinking about is how much I love playing a garages song on guitar, how much I loved learning piano versions of my favorite songs, and how much I DO NOT WANT to make my own songs.

Or how much I enjoy crocheting patterns that other people have made, or even making slight design tweaks to make them better suited for me personally, and how much I NEVER EVER want to try to design my own pattern.

Or how the only pieces of writing I have managed to finish have been fanfic, despite starting original stories over and over and over again.

And like, okay, it could be a skill issue, certainly I learn really well by copying someone else’s work and later making changes,

BUT ALSO

I think it might be The Problem With Choices.

I have to make ten bafillion choices during a day. What to eat, what to feed my kids, what to wear, how to spend my time, when I can do this project or that activity, what to do next, what to do after that, what to do after that. I get worn down by all those choices, to the point that I have taken steps to reduce my available choices a great deal. (Fewer clothes, and most of those clothes in the same style, has helped a lot.)

And creative art is ENTIRELY choices. What word goes next, what scene goes next, how best to achieve this look or that feeling or whatEVer. And the varieties are infinite! Like, okay, narrow it down to a single medium, I won’t be making a playful tune out of cotton yarn or whatever, but even within a single medium, there is a vast, nigh-infinite array of choices to make.

And sometimes, I just get overwhelmed and exhausted.

Fanfic is a way of reducing choices. I don’t have to make choices about the characters or the setting, I can just make choices about the story itself. Following someone’s pattern reduces choices. I pick colors and material, and I don’t have to make up the whole dang thing. Playing a song someone else has written reduces choices. I’ve modified a few songs to work better for my instrument and my voice, but I’m not changing the lyrics or, lord above, making a whole new tune.

And to be clear, all means of creating, whether recreating based on a pattern or writing in OCs into an established world or creating something wholly new, all are good and wonderful and are all still about making something new that did not exist before. And that is great! None of these are better or worse than any other!

I’m just trying to wrestle with why I find some kinds of making soothing and restorative and others exhausting.

[spinningbuster98]

Ok so here’s finally my thoughts on Silent Hill 2 @colony-drop-program

So I think I’ll start with the obvious: this game has an incredible aesthetic and atmosphere

The character models are very good for a 2001 PS2 game, not the best mind you (I still think the character models of MGS2 which came out the same year are more impressive, if a little Barbie faced) but they’re animated pretty damn well and go a long way in giving the characters life and expressions

But most of all I love the overall texture work, the environment look remarkably rusty, worn down and creepy, they look like something out of a late ps2 game, not early.

But the cherry on top is the lighting: this game might just have the best shadows I’ve seen, the way your flashlights barely lights up the hallways, and the way it creates dynamic shadows is not only really impressive but really adds to the creepy and oppressive atmosphere. Love it!

The level design of the “dungeons” is technically not too different from the first game’s, so most of its positives and negatives still stand, though this game does generally a better job at making each place more memorable thanks to its gimmicks, be it the Hospital switching over to the Otherworld halfway through, the Prison and its “holes” that you have to jump into that may symbolize James’ suicidal tendencies, or the Hotel and that brief moment where you have to go without any items and of course when it gets all watered-up after the “reveal”, combined with that droning music which all combines to perfectly represent James’ mental state at that moment.

The town itself is both better and worse than in the original

It’s better because it’s scaled down meaning much less back and forth

It’s worse....because it’s scaled down meaning it’s also less interesting, plus you get tired after running for a while causing you to slow down and I fucking despised that because it’s completely useless, it’s not like there are any monsters that can outrun you so it only worsens the pacing and further discourages exploring the town!

There are quite a few gameplay tweaks that I appreciated: the game allowing you to choose a Riddle Difficulty level is amazing and honsetly all puzzle based games should have something like this, plus I found the puzzles here, even on normal, to be more “balanced” when compared to the first one’s, with a few exceptions (fucking cans to throw in that trash chute in the apartement, I thought they were a healing item).

I love how all the hints are saved in the Memo section of the menu

I also noticed that the controls are generally more responsive

However despite all this many of my issues with the first game are still present, namely that the game is excessively generous with resources and that the enemies are usually too easy to take down or avoid, which is not good for a horror game that is supposed to keep player tension high. I maintain that the game’s sheer atmosphere is enough to create great tension on a first playthrough, but on a second one (which I did) it starts to lose its luster and the basicness of the gameplay rears its head.

I was also a bit disappointed with the Otherworld here, I know that the look of the previous game’s Otherworld couldn’t have been reused, as Alessa is nowhere to be seen and James’ mind is far different from hers, but it’s nowhere near as striking as previously, to the point that I sometimes didn’t even noticed I was in the Otherworld! To be fair it’s not a big issue as the game’s basic atmosphere is just that strong but still, bit of a missed opportunity

I also noticed that the map is more....inconsistnent? Like before it marks every door you can and can’t open and the locations of....some puzz tensionles, not all of them which tripped me up on some occasions.

I guess the last gameplay related thing I wanted to talk about is Pyramid Head

Now I like him for his concept, a manifestation of James’ guilt and subconscious desire for punishment. His design has me....mixed? It’s certainly iconic and striking but, symbolism aside, he’s still a dude with a big-ass pyramid on his head weighing him down and I can’t help but find it hilarious XD

But on the gameplay side of things....ngl I thought he was kinda weak sauce

The reason is pretty much the usual: he’s simply not dangerous enough, he’s really slow and has a hard time catching you (the only time he got me a gameover was during the hospital chase sequence but only because I thought he was coming from in front of me, causing me to turn back, run into him and I accidentally got Maria killed because of it. But on my second attempt i simply...ran ahead without stopping....and that’s it), his attacks do more damage than those of normal enemies but that’s no biggie because I’ve got a few dozen health items with me, and it’s usually pretty easy to get around him during his sequences (mainly in the prison). He’s sort of the biggest example of what I said last time about the game’s gameplay tension not matching up with its atmospheric tension. Tbf this may all be much better on hard mode but on normal this was a tad disappointing

I wanted to make a comparison to show you what I mean by all of this. Now the first comparison that most would make would be with Nemesis from RE3, but I thought a more interesting comparison would be with this little bundle of joy:

Say hello to the SA-X from Metroid Fusion.

The SA-X is this game’s take on the persuing monster archetype, an shapeshifting parasite that has robbed Samus of her best weapons and armor and is now stalking her while using her appearence. It’s very similar to Pyramid Head in the sense that it’s invinvcible and you meet it during scripted sequences where you have no choice but to run away, and in this sense it shares many of its issues, namely that due to its scripted nature it’s only gonna catch you by surprise on a first playthrough, and its AI can sometimes be a little...

However I believe that it overall does its job more efficiently because it’s....simply far more dangerous than Pyramid Head. The SA-X is fast, in fact it WILL outrun you in 2 seconds if it spots you, it’s jumping attack can damage you, it can shoot you from off screen and THROUGH WALLS, and you can only hold it off by freezing it, though that only lasts a second, and it will also chase you through multiple (scripted) rooms.

The SA-X works better than Pyramid Head in this role because it literally outclasses you in every category, meaning if it spots you there is a really high probability of death, and while your first encounters with its are pretty easy if you just stay put and wait for you to leave, later on the game throws you into brief platforming areas that you have to go through WHILE it’s chasing you, so no “running in a straight line to safety” like that Hospital sequence.

Phew...ok I think I’ll stop here for now and cover the plot in another post since this one has gone on long enough I think XD

Well I hope you find my thoughts so far at least interesting :)

[notsocheezy]

Brain Curd #26 - Fanfic Friday #4

Brain Curds are lightly edited flash fiction, posted daily and usually written with the intention of being terrible… in an endearing way. Please enjoy these continuing adventures in The Good Place.

“Michael, it will be so good to see everyone again!”

“Not exactly, Tahani. Since they don’t remember their afterlives, they don’t remember us either.”

“That’s disappointing. I’ve designed so many afterlife tests and I’ve had no one to name-drop to. Everyone here in the Bad Place has tortured the people I’d be bragging about helping.”

Chidi and Eleanor remained hidden behind a filing cabinet, listening in closely. Eleanor could barely hold in her sense of vindication.

“See, man! I told you! We’re in the Bad Place!”

“Oh no…” Chidi held his belly. “I’ve got a stomach ache…”

“I knew that story didn’t add up! No offense, but you aren’t like any of the guys I’ve dated.”

“None taken…” His eyes went wide. “Oh no.”

“What?”

“Almond milk.”

Michael put his hand on Tahani’s shoulder. “It’s too bad, I know. But there’s an upside to them not remembering us. It means you can design their perfect afterlife tests!”

She stepped back. “Me? Oh, no, Michael, I’m too invested!”

“That’s exactly why you should be the one to do it! You know exactly what makes those three tick. You know just what buttons and knobs to push and turn to make them their old reformed selves.”

“Sounds like brainwashing to me.” Eleanor whispered to Chidi. “I’ve heard enough. Let’s get the fork out of here before they see us.” She ran off to the green door and Chidi anxiously followed.

“Don’t leave me here!”

“It’s not so simple.” Tahani, laughing nervously, replied to Michael. “There’s more to it than just… tweaking things.”

“Oh, come on, Tahani,” He waved his hand. “I’ve been an architect longer than you’ve been dead. I know how it works.”

“I understand that… but, well, you haven’t been the most active in recent memory…”

“Fine, I’m a little rusty. Tell you what - we’ll work together on this. With my seniority and your dexterity, we’ll have our old friends back in no time. Then they can help us solve the bigger problems.”

“On that note,” Janet added. “Five more departed souls have returned since we started this conversation.”

“Oh no.” Michael shuddered. “Are you noticing any sort of pattern?”

“I am…” Janet lowered her eyes. “All of them are people we’ve met. People I’ve met.”

“What are you saying?”

“I think I might be the cause of this.” She said matter-of-factly.

“Listen, Janet…” Michael sighed. “I know this is very stressful for all of us, but you shouldn’t blame yourself. Even as the most advanced Janet in all of existence, I still have my doubts that you could accidentally reassemble souls out of the aether.”

“I’m not sure I did. They might not actually be our friends.”

“Are you saying they’re Janet babies?”

“I suspect so.”

“But you’ve never made an exact replica of another person before. It just doesn’t add up.”

Janet sighed. “That’s not entirely true. Back when you were still on Earth, I became lonely and tried to make… a facsimile of sorts.”

Michael frowned. “Don’t tell me this is another Derek situation.”

Janet pursed her lips.

“Oh no,” Michael and Tahani said at the same time.

“Jasom?” Janet said as if requesting a step-child from the other room.

“Jasom?” Michael said as if reading a foreign word from the back of a bag of imported cheese puffs.

“Jasom?” Tahani said like the barely familiar name of an ex-boyfriend.

With a popping sound, someone who looked almost but not quite entirely like Jason Mendoza appeared in the room.

“Friends, Romans, Countymen, lend me your beers.” He bowed to the other three. “My name is Jasom Endoza.”

Janet smiled awkwardly.

“I…” Michael trailed off. “I think I need to lay down. Yeah. I need to lay down for one or two… eternities.”

[creative-anchorage]

Transcript:

My name is Jessica Valenti and since Roe was overturned, I’ve been documenting the harms caused by abortion bans in a newsletter called Abortion, Every Day. I cover everything from legislation and court battles, to anti-abortion strategy and language, but the topic that I find myself writing about most, I’m sorry to say, is suffering. 

And while Americans know about some of the suffering caused by abortion bans, thanks to the bravery of women like Doctor Dennard, there are hundred of other stories that go unreported. I have spoken to a 21-year old woman in Texas who was denied an abortion even though her fetus developed without a head, and a hospital worker in South Carolina who watched a college student die after attempting to end her own pregnancy. I get more messages every day than I could ever possibly answer. And while I could share stories that would shock and sicken you in the way that I am shocked and sickened every single day doing this work, I wanted to use my time here to stress that this incredible suffering, this cruelty that treats American women as less than human, is all by design. 

Despite Republican assurances that cases like Doctor Dennard’s are the result of legislative growing pains, or doctors simply not understanding the law, despite claims that their bans just need to be tweaked or clarified. I want to make clear that all of this pain and suffering was not just expected. It was planned for. Anti-abortion lawmakers and activists would have voters believe that they had no idea that this is what post-America, post-Roe America would look like, but they had 50 years to plan for this moment, and they made that plan carefully, strategically, and callously. 

Every raped child forced to give birth, ever cancer patient denied care and every woman arrested after having a miscarriage was accounted for and strategized over. But with Americans getting angrier and angrier at what abortion bans are doing to their families and communities, Republicans are desperate to hide that truth from voters. They need us to believe that they’re not the cruel extremists that their laws show them to be. And they certainly don’t want us to know that they planned for women’s deaths in the same way they strategize over a talking point or a poll. And I mean that literally. 

For months I have been tracking a conservative campaign to sow distrust in maternal mortality numbers. Republicans know that the data is going to show that their laws kill women, so they’re preemptively claiming that maternal death numbers aren’t accurate. Some states have even disbanded their maternal death review committees entirely, and because the people most likely to die are the most marginalized among us, their hope is that no one will care. 

I’ve also documented how the anti-abortion movement laid the groundwork over months to blame doctors for women’s deaths, as if the people working under threat of losing their license or jail time are the problem, and not the laws that prevent them from doing their jobs. All of which is to say, when Republicans feign surprise or compassion over post-Roe horror stories, they are lying. They knew that women would suffer and die as a result of their laws. They decided it was a trade off worth making, and everything they’ve done since Roe was overturned has been in service of hiding that fact. 

Most of those lies are hiding in plain sight. When Republicans tell Americans that the national fifteen week ban they’re proposing is a reasonable middle ground, they leave out the fact that the law would force women to carry non-viable pregnancies to term. Their compromise would do to any American capable of pregnancy, what Texas tried to do to Kate Cox and again, this is not an oversight, it is a deliberate part of a much broader extremist strategy. 

Right now, there is a quiet but well-funded campaign led by the most powerful anti-abortion groups in the country, that is focused entirely on pressuring and forcing women to carry doomed pregnancies to term. They’re not only trying to do away with exceptions for non-viable pregnancies, they’re trying to eradicate prenatal testing altogether. It’s a lot easier to force women to carry a dying fetus to term if they never get diagnosed to begin with. 

When I tell people about this, the question I get asked out often is “why?” Why would anyone want to deliberately create a world where women are forced to be walking coffins? It is inexplicable until you understand that this has nothing to do with families or babies but enforcing a worldview that says it’s women’s job to be pregnant, and to stay pregnant to matter what the cost or consequence. But because Republicans don’t have the bravery to admit that truth, and because they’re afraid of voters who are more pro-choice than ever, they lie. They talk about compassion because they know that their laws are cruel, they use the word consensus while passing bans that voters don’t want, and they call Democrats extremists while fighting for the right to deny women life-saving abortions in emergency rooms. 

And because Republicans know that votes overwhelmingly oppose their bans, they claim to be softening on abortion by pushing one of the biggest lies in abortion politics, exceptions. Again and again, Republicans propose and pass exceptions that no one will ever qualify for. The only purpose they serve is to allow extremist lawmakers to feign moderation, or pretend as if they’ve conceded something. 

And frankly, any Republican who claims that exceptions are real should have to do so in front of all the people who’ve been told that they do not qualify for care even as they went septic or had their uteruses removed. They should have to defend themselves in front of women like Kate Cox and Doctor Dennard, or Brittany Watts, who wasn’t just denied care by by religious hospital when her water broke too early for her pregnancy to survive, but was arrested when she miscarried at home. 

The only Republican exception that holds an iota of truth is the one about women’s lives, though not in the way that they think. When you look at any Republican “life of the mother” exception, they all contain a caveat. And that caveat says that when women’s whose lives are at risk can be given abortions, unless the risk is because she’s suicidal, and I want to stress how telling that is. Republicans know that forcing people to be pregnant against their will, will make them want to kill themselves, and they enshrined, into law, that they don’t care. In a moment when we are hearing so many extreme horror stories it can be difficult I think to get back to that foundational cruelty. That to force someone to be pregnant against their will, for any reason, at any point, causes profound existential harm. Abortion is health care, but it is also freedom. That’s why every abortion denied is a tragedy, and increasingly Americans understand that. They don’t want the government involved in their decisions about pregnancy at any point. 

The first time I came to DC was in 1992. I was 13 years old and my mother brought me here, for the pro-choice March for Women’s Lives, maybe some of you were there. I remember men screaming at us from the sidelines, and I remember how confused I was, over why they hated us so much. Today, my 13 year old daughter is in the room, and it’s her first time in Washington and yet somehow she’s here with less rights than I had 32 years ago, and I think that we should be ashamed of that. My deepest hope is that she doesn’t need to follow in the steps of her mother and grandmother, and come here decades from now to defend her daughter’s humanity. Thank you for your time. 

[bkwrm523]

Debriefing

Title: Debriefing Rating: Explicit Pairing: Bruce Wayne/reader Word Count: 2986 Warnings: Smut, batcave sex, table sex, oral, vibrators, daddy kink, feels confessions. Summary: Bruce and the reader have an argument after patrol Author’s Note: As usual, this is about no particular universe’s Batman.  You get to see whichever one you want.

The car pulled to a stop inside Bruce Wayne’s garage, and you exhaled a sigh of relief as you turned the car off.  You’d almost stopped to pick him up, but Alfred over the coms had assured you that he would drive the Batmobile home.  Probably a better idea than you picking him up, anyway.  It would have been hard to explain.  With all the punishment you’d put Bruce’s car through, you were a bit surprised it had managed to limp all the way home.

“Alfred,” you said aloud, your voice picked up by the com unit in your ear.  “Is-”

“Master Bruce is already here.”  Alfred answered, not needing to wait for the rest of your question to know what you were asking.  “He’s currently in the cave, if you wish to speak to him.”

“Thanks, Alfred.”  You signed and shut your eyes for a minute.

Bruce had almost died tonight.

You could tell something was wrong with the supervillain he just charged into, and tried to warn Bruce to take it slow and careful.  He hadn’t listened, and you’d had to rescue him.  By stealing one of Bruce Wayne’s cars and trying to run the villain over.

You finally pushed the car door open, heaving yourself out of the car and walked into the house.  It felt like it took an hour for you to reach the batcave, so massive was the house.

“So, that went well.”  You spat sarcastically as you descended into the Batcave.  You could see the top of Bruce’s head around the desk and monitors, and walked slowly towards him.

“It could have been worse.”  He replied, not turning towards you.  “Thank you for that.”

“You’re welcome.”  You told him calmly.  “It wouldn’t have been necessary if you’d just listened to me from the start.”  Your voice was clipped, not afraid to make your annoyance audible.  You finally walked around the computer, and his form came fully into view.

And damn was that a mistake.  He was shirtless.

You’d been working for Bruce for months, and had been suppressing your feelings for him the whole time.  He was miles out of your league.  You could never quite tell if he’d figured it out or not.  Bruce wasn’t the easiest person to lie to, but the way he behaved… it was either totally innocent, or he was enjoying toying with you.  It made you frightened and excited all at once.  

Bruce still wore the pants and boots of the Batsuit, but he’d discarded everything above the waist.  Your mouth went dry, and you suddenly forgot how to form words.  You swallowed, an effort of will keeping your jaw from dropping to the floor.  It was quite difficult to remember why you’d been angry.  There was a large bandage on his shoulder from where he’d been grazed by a bullet.  The rest of his torso was a mass of bruises.  It was hardly a secret how much Bruce worked out, and damn did it show with the view of him without a shirt.  You couldn’t take your eyes off his chest.

“I’ve faced skilled opponents before.”  Bruce said calmly, turning to face you.  Somehow, you managed to force your eyes off his chest and back to his face.  Was that a smirk?  Shit, his face wasn’t any better.  You took in a breath, looking away from him and down at the desk, searching your brain for the arguments that had been so clear before he’d taken his fucking shirt off.

“We… uh, we needed a plan.”  You stuttered out, sounding anything but convincing.

“I’ve been doing this for years,” Bruce replied, sounding amused.  He stepped closer to you, and you felt your breath catch.  You didn’t think you could handle this.  “I know what I’m doing, and I felt I could handle the situation.”

“You wanted me to be a part of this team because you wanted my advice.”  A full sentence!  Fantastic!  And all that went out the window when your eyes flitted over his still bare chest again.  Fuck.  “If - if, uh, you don’t listen to me, then… then I’m not - not sure what I’m, uhm, doing here.”  Look away from his face.  Look away from his chest.  Fuck, just look away from him in general.  You quickly dropped your eyes back to the desk.  Safer that way.  Bruce moved again, stepping into your space until you could feel the warmth from his body.

“I won’t always agree with you, but don’t underestimate your contributions.”  Bruce replied, smooth and comforting.  He rested a hand on your arm, and you nearly moaned aloud at the touch of his skin on yours.  He rubbed a thumb gently against the skin on your inner arm, and you swallowed again.  His other hand gently grabbed your chin, lifting your head to force you to look at him.  You had to fight the urge to let out a squeak, feeling trapped under his gaze.  His eyes… the best you could describe it, was predatory amusement.

“I, uh…” you swallowed, your throat suddenly dry.  A smirk curled his lips as he stared at you.  “You’re doing this on purpose.”

“I don’t know what you mean.”  Bruce said, his voice filled with amusement as his smirk grew smug.  He stepped forward again, forcing you to stumble backwards until your ass hit the desk.  His steps were slow and measured and confident, where you were an undignified scramble, nearly falling before you hit the desk.  You could feel his breath on your lips, making your own breath catch.

Finally, after months of teasing, your patience snapped.

You leaned into him, crossing the last of the distance between your lips and his.  Bruce growled, and this time you couldn’t stop the squeak that emerged from you.  A small smile curled his lips briefly.  The hand that had been on your chin moved to cup the back of your skull and hold you in place as his tongue pushed into your mouth, ravaging your lips.  You moaned, leaning into him, overwhelmed with sensation.  His stubble was starting to grow back, making the kiss pleasantly rough.  His hand on your head, his other arm on your back, the warmth of his bare chest pressing into you.  He kissed you aggressively, leaning you back against the table.  You lifted your arms to wrap around his shoulders, clinging to him as he dominated the kiss, trapping you against his form.  A thigh pushed between your legs, pushing one leg out of the way.  His pants were armored, so you couldn’t tell if he was erect under them, but you’d be willing to bet he was.  You tried to mumble around his lips and tongue, but everything came out muffled, and all you could do was surrender and moan.

When Bruce finally released your lips, you dropped your head back and gasped for air.  A moment later, the breath left your lungs when you felt Bruce’s lips on your neck.  The stubble that had been pleasant during the kiss was so much more stimulating on your neck, and your knees simply gave out.  The hand on your head dropped to your back, and his grip tightened around you, holding you aloft.  He lifted you a little, setting you down on the desk.  The elevated height brought your face about level with his, and he finally stood up straight.  Your mouth went dry again, trying to take everything in at once, for about a second before he was on you again.

Your legs went around his waist, his chest pressed against you again.  One arm went around your back, and the other lifted to tilt your head to the side, giving him access to your neck.  You whined and squirmed in his arms as his lips stole your ability to think.  He leaned into you, his hips making little thrusts into you.  Your head rolled back on your shoulders, and your fingers scratched at his bare shoulderblades.  You whined his name, panting and trying to find the breath to plead.  He gave a groaning growl and leaned into you.  You whined more and ground into him, wishing he’d just take off his pants already so you could feel him.

One of the arms on your back went lowered, until it was practically around your ass.  He pulled your hips into his, holding you tightly to him and ground back into you.  You cried his name as his teeth bit into your neck, biting and sucking just where you were most sensitive.  He rubbed against your clit until your eyes rolled back in your head.

“Bruce,” you breathed, your hand unconsciously lifting to bury in his hair.  Another growl came from your neck.  His hips rhythmically rocked into yours, making you whine and moan and plead.  You tried to squirm away, but his grip was a vise, and you weren’t escaping any time soon.

Bruce ripped away from you, stepping back and withdrawing his heat from you as suddenly as he’d attacked you, leaving you dazed, breathless, and confused.  He held your gaze for a long moment, before dropping his eyes down to his pants as he undid the latches.  You almost leaned forward to help him, but resisted the urge; his pants were armored, and bound to be complicated.  However they were designed, he’d be much more efficient at removing them than you would.

A moment later, it occurred to you that his hands were busy.  That they would be for a few moments, at least.  You pulled your shirt off quickly, tossing it heedlessly to the side.  Your bra was discarded an instant later.  You leaned back a little, dropping your head back on your shoulders, sliding your eyelids partly shut and cupping your breasts with your hands.  You tweaked your nipples, giving a soft sigh at the stimulation.  You kept your eyes on him, and so you saw the exact moment he heard you sigh, and saw his eyes snapped up to you.  They narrowed when he saw what you were doing.  A small growl escaped his lips, and you bit your own lip to suppress the noise that tried to escape you.  His movements on his pants were swift and clipped, and in no time he had removed the rest of his clothes.  He took a swift step forwards, and you dropped your hands to the desk and smirked at him.

“You realize you’re going to pay for that, kitten?”  Bruce asked, giving a crooked, confident smirk.

“Worth it,” you giggled.  Bruce held your eyes for a moment, then produced a zip tie from a drawer.  He didn’t give you time to speak, but pulled your hands behind your back, and secured them in place.  He pulled the zip tie tight, but looser than you expected.  You wiggled a little, testing it; it was tight enough to keep your hands there, but loose enough that you’d have no trouble pulling them free if you really wanted to.  Bruce waited for you to finish testing it, until you looked back up at him.  He kissed you again, gentle this time, cupping the back of your skull again with one hand and planting the other behind you.  You squirmed a little, struggling fruitlessly against the bonds and his hands, but got nowhere.  Bruce leaned forward, slowly pushing you back.  You leaned into his arms, letting him support you as he carefully pushed you down onto the desk, lying somewhat awkwardly on top of your bound hands.  He released your lips with a parting nip, letting you gasp for breath as you tried to guess his next move.

You half expected him to attack your breasts, but instead you felt his hands at your pants.  He undid them, pulled them off, leaving you lying naked on the table.  You could suppress the small ‘meep’ that emerged when you saw the way he ogled your naked pussy ravenously.  Bruce turned his torso around, looking around the small space you were both in, until he spotted the chair.  He grabbed it, pulling it over next to the space of counter you were lying on, and sat.

Oh.

He intended to take his time with you.

You swallowed reflexively, nervous and excited all at once.  It must have shown on your face, as Bruce gave you a smirk with eyes full of mischief.  From the angle you had, you couldn’t really see much more than his face.  But you suddenly felt his fingers tease your opening ever so lightly.  You gave a loud moan and dropped your head down on the table with a thunk.  When you felt a vibrator teasing around your clit, you gave a yelp and your legs jerked.  Where the ever living fuck had he gotten that from?!

Bruce didn’t show any mercy, continuing his teasing of your clit as he leaned in.  You felt his breath on your pussy lips, and your eyes slid closed as your breath came in short, quick pants.  His tongue pushed into you, and you felt as much as heard his pleased groan at your taste.  A small whine left you at the noise, the vibrations from him and the vibrator teasing you more than stimulating you, leaving you desperate for more.

“Bruce,” you gasped.  “Please.”

The vibrator grazed your clit then, and your legs shot straight up.  Bruce leaned into you, burying his face in you and devouring you ravenously.  He rested his free hand on your hip, holding you steady as he tortured you with tongue and vibrator until you screamed.

Two or three orgasms later, you’d lost count, Bruce sat back and removed his stimulation, finally letting you come down.  Your legs (you hadn’t quite registered it, but apparently they’d been sticking out totally straight while he’d been working on you) fell back down to the counter.  You panted hard, trying to catch your breath after the marathon he’d put you through.

Bruce stood, leaning over you and resting his arms on the table to support his weight.  His expression was tender, gentle, in a contrast to the pleasurable torture he’d just put you through.  One hand stroked a lock of hair out of your face.

“Can you do one more, kitten?”  Bruce asked you softly.  You didn’t even have to think, you just nodded.  

Bruce dropped a short, soft kiss on your lips, then nuzzled his face into your neck.  Your overstimulated nerves jumped at the feeling, and all you could do was give a weak moan and squirm a little.  He leaned his hips into yours, until you felt his erection against your pussy, sliding against your clit.  The orgasms he’d given you made you still wet enough that it felt amazing.  You groaned, and Bruce stopped his teasing of your neck to sink his teeth into your skin and growl.

“‘M ready.”  You gasped out.  “Please.”  That drew another growl from Bruce, and he let your neck out of his teeth, resting his forehead against you and panting into your wet skin.  One hand left the table, going between his legs to position his dick as he pulled back.

When Bruce finally slid into you, it was so painfully slow that you couldn’t help but squirm and whine.

“Stop.  Moving.”  Bruce growled, his voice dropping into his Batman voice, only arousing you further.

“Please, daddy!”  You cried, then froze.  The words just came out without thinking, and you didn’t know if he was into that.  Bruce stopped moving for a moment, as well, and for a horrible moment you were terrified that you’d killed the mood.

“Be patient, princess.”  Bruce growled into your ear, nipping at you.  Lust filled his voice, soothing your worry that your exclamation had been unwanted; far from it.

Bruce kept pushing his dick into you, continuing until he bottomed out.  Then he just sat there, frustratingly patient, waiting and panting and nipping at your neck while he waited for you to adjust.

“Please, daddy, just fuck me!”  You finally cried, unable to wait any longer.

And boy, did he.

Bruce’s hands on the table moved, grasping the far edge of it with both hands to hold it steady as his hips thrusted into yours.  Your head rolled back, arching your back into him.  You were utterly unable to speak, tiny unintelligible noises emitting from you.  Bruce buried his face in your neck, alternately sucking and nipping hard at your neck as he made the table shudder from his thrusts.

You were still overstimulated from the earlier orgasms, and he was so aroused already, it didn’t take you both long to climb to the precipice.  Your vision whited out and you screamed, feeling him orgasm inside you moments later.

When you came to, you were still in the batcave.  Your hands were unbound, and your shirt and pants had been put back on you.  Judging by the feel between your legs, he’d taken a damp towel or something and wiped you clean, and then apparently set you in the cot he had set up down in the batcave.  You made a small inquisitive noise, stirring, and Bruce suddenly came into your line of vision.  He walked over to you, and sat on the side of the bed next to you.

“Hey,” you greeted him, your voice rough and groggy.  Bruce looked… uncertain.  Nervous.  You pulled a hand free of the blankets and held his, wanting to reassure him.

“Hey.”  Bruce replied, a small smile emerging at your action.  His thumb rubbed the part of your hand it could reach soothingly.  “This… this wasn’t the way I wanted to tell you how I felt.” “Really?”  You teased.  “It seemed perfect to me.”  That startled a laugh out of Bruce, and you warmed at the sound.

“Be that as it may, I’d… I’d really like to take you to dinner sometime.” “I’d like that.”  You smiled back up at him.

[nellycanwrite]

hello po ate! halos magkasing edad lang po tayo pero amazed po ako sa experience nyo po! any tips po for writing and drawing po? thank you!!!!

English translations provided for my non-Filipino audiences below.

Oh my god I am weak to people calling me ate NDBSHWHSHSUW 🥺🤲 HELLO THERE LANGGAAAA🥰💘 

For tips, well, there’s nothing much to say really except practice! It took me years to be at the level I am now. All I needed was a bit of patience, dedication, and discipline!

For starters (and a short disclaimer), I am by no means a professional artist nor am I a professional writer. Despite how people say I’m already good at what I do, I’m still studying to become better. 

I’ve already started drawing and writing since sixth grade. I practiced everyday until I could really say I’m good enough for my standards. My writing is initially for academic purposes (since I have been trained specifically for journalism, specifically radio broadcasting and news writing), but it somehow turned into a love for creative writing. I only started doing art again in 2020, so my methods might not be as effective for me as it is for you. My methods for improving on art and writing are the same, but I’ll go ahead and expound!

1. Find Works that Inspire You the Most and Study Them. 

For Writing: This doesn’t necessarily mean you’ll go ahead and do an academic study for each piece of literature that you find interesting (but it does help to do so!) I graduated as a Humanities and Social Studies student, so it was inevitable that I had to do an academic study on literature. I didn’t like it at first, but I soon found it extremely helpful in my writing! I came to love analyzing literary works and devices—particularly Edgar Allan Poe’s works—and binged read his pieces! Later on, I tried to emulate his style of writing with my own works until I found my own writing style that I quite liked! This doesn’t only apply to classic literature, reading works from your favorite authors, digital or otherwise, is just as effective too! I got inspired by @clichejoe‘s way of writing and really studied it first before I dived into my current fic! @breannaaiedail​‘s excellent weaving of emotion to their writing was most helpful as well to get an insight on how feelings intertwine with words.

For Drawing: My style of drawing is first inspired by anime, the splash art I see in games, and DnD artworks. I was addicted to RossDraws’ style and tried doing the things that he does. But as soon as I realized that my artstyle doesn’t really suit me as much, I tried to change it up and apply my own little tweaks on top of his own teachings. I don’t have much to say with my first stages of art because I just basically…went for it. I saw those Pinterest tutorials on anatomy and made my own style based on those foundations. I just kept drawing and drawing and drawing until it just became a part of me. After I decided to pursue art as a career, I went into a deep dive and visited the foundations of what art really is. That meant reading books about anatomy, color theory, composition, and shape language. I took a lot of my inspiration from my fellow artist friends and basically just picked up bits and pieces of my style and applied them to my works. Allan Becker’s character design prowess always appealed to me and I’m aiming to have Max Grecke’s style of rendering and shape language! Loish is where I find a better understanding of color and character simplification. If I need inspiration, I always go to @cheesy-cryptid‘s works and just stare at her amazing composition and colors! At one point, I wanted a semi-realistic style of art. But I just want to yoink her art skills and apply it to my own!

2. Practice. 

For Writing: You don’t become a good author overnight. I can’t even say that I’m a good enough author by my own standards yet. You might be wondering, how do I practice writing? Well, just start clicking away on your keyboard! Inspiration comes and goes as it pleases, so use that opportunity to start writing! You can write drabbles of the most fun ideas! You can search up a drabble list and start there! Remember, your imagination is limitless. Start practicing there and write everything that comes on top of your head no matter how weird it sounds! My method of practice is fairly simple: I find the most mundane thing I could find and make it sound interesting; 

The pen. It is mightier than the sword. Yet whose hand grips this mighty weapon? The just? The wicked, the pure? Or is it the harbinger of death whose tip holds the fate of heroes of the unknown?

For Drawing: Practice. Practice. PRACTICE. In art, there is no easy way in. There are no cheats, there are no artist hacks, it is the acquisition of skill through constant practice. A hard pill to swallow to some people is that they wouldn’t get better even with how much they tried despite not even trying to practice. Start off with knowing the fundamentals of drawing; anatomy, composition, and perspective. Even if you say you already know this stuff, trust me, you don’t. Do art studies, observe how everything interacts with another, and just start grabbing that pen or stylus and draw. Draw what you feel like you wanna draw at the moment. Draw that prompt you always liked. Draw your crush. Draw the plants in your house. Draw fanart of your favorite character even! Consistency makes quality work, and all you have to do is be patient with yourself. If that didn’t motivate you to practice, look at my art from 2020 to present. I did consistent practice every day and did studies, watched tutorials, and just had an “I’m going to improve by practicing” mindset. Now it led me here. Just practice, practice, practice! You won’t get better by just sitting and waiting on a miracle. You gotta do it yourself!

3. Don’t be Discouraged. 

For Writing: Like I said, you don’t become a good author overnight. It takes time, patience, and dedication. If you see someone write better than you, don’t be discouraged. Behind every excellence is a thousand failures. It takes trial and error to become a good creator. It doesn’t matter if you write bad or fail; everyone fails at some point! The most important thing is how you should get back up on your feet and continue your journey. Take your time, set your own pace. Don’t be discouraged.

For Drawing: Oh boy do I have an experience for you. I actually just started doing digital art last 2020. I had to stop drawing because of the usual “there’s no living in art” mentality, but here I am today and taking up BA Multimedia Arts in college despite my peers wanting me to become a lawyer. The struggle I had as a 17 year old artist at the time was that everyone was so much better than me. Even the 12 year old kiddoes are better at rendering than I am. But I used that feeling of envy as motivation: if they can produce banger art, then why can’t I? So I practiced and took inspiration from those instead of being discouraged! Just continue the grind and I’m sure you’ll improve!

This came out longer than I intended it to be, so I apologize for that SOBS. I just love talking about stuff like these! 

Translations:

The ask: Hello! We’re almost the same age but I’m already amazed at your experiences! Any tips for writing and drawing? Thank you!!! 

Ate (ah-teh) is used to refer to a girl or a woman older than you. The literal translation is "big sister". 

Langga (lang-gah) is used as a term of endearment for someone younger than you. It can used to refer to people platonically, in a familial sense, or in some cases, romantically. The tone used for this ask is platonic.

[ponds-of-ink]

A Whole Slew of FNAF 6 Salvage “Squad” Incorrect Quotes

Consider this the calm before the upcoming storm. What do I mean by that? …Something.

Anyway, the list is below the cut. You can thank an incorrect quote generator for this.

(Some of these bad boys have been tweaked to better fit the characters and/or the setting. Just wanted to give a head‘s up before reading.)

Scraptrap, moving around a cup in his hand: There is no future. there is no past. do you see? Time is simultaneous, an intricately structured jewel that humans insist on viewing one edge at a time, when the whole design is visible in every facet.

Scrap Baby:

Lefty:

Molten Freddy:

Everyone Else At Scraptrap ’s Surprise Birthday Party:

Scrap Baby: All I asked was if you wanted to cut your birthday cake first.

Lefty: Why are Scraptrap and Scrap Baby sitting with their backs to each other? Molten Freddy: They had a fight. Lefty: Then why are they holding hands? Molten Freddy: They get sad when they fight.

Scraptrap: I currently have 7 empty notebooks and I have no clue what to put in them. Suggestions? Scrap Baby: Put spaghetti in it? Scraptrap: I'm currently taking suggestions from literally anyone but you. Lefty: Put spaghetti in it. Scraptrap: I'm currently taking suggestions from anyone but you two. Molten Freddy: Put spaghetti in it. Scraptrap: I'm no longer taking suggestions.

Scraptrap, Scrap Baby, and Lefty are sitting on a bench Molten Freddy: Why do you guys look so sad? Scraptrap: Sit down with us so we can tell you. Molten Freddy: * sits down* Scrap Baby: The bench is freshly painted.

Scrap Baby, banging on the door: Daddy! Open up! Scraptrap, uneasily: Well, it all started when I was a boy… Lefty: No, she meant- Molten Freddy: Let him finish.

Scraptrap, setting down a card: Ace of spades Scrap Baby, pulling out an Uno card: +4 Lefty, pulling out a Pokémon card: Jolteon, I choose you Molten Freddy, trembling: What are we playing???

Scraptrap: Everyone, synchronize your watches. Scrap Baby: I don’t know how to do that. Lefty: I don’t wear a watch. Molten: Time is a construct.

Scrap-Trap, Lefty, Scrap Baby while looking at Molten: ???

Scraptrap, after giving some master plan: How did none of you hear what I just said? Scrap Baby: Sorry, I’ve been zoned out for the past two and a half hours. Molten Freddy: I got distracted about halfway through. Lefty: Ignoring you was a conscious decision.

Scraptrap: Can I be frank with you guys? Scrap Baby: Sure, but I don’t see how changing your name is gonna help. Lefty: Can I still be Lefty? Molten: Shh, let Frank speak.

Scraptrap: Ah, here’s a waiting game! On the count of three, you shout out your favorite cake flavour. One, two, three- Scraptrap and Scrap Baby, in unison: Vanilla with sprinkles! Molten Freddy: Our turn, Left! One, two, three- Red velvet! Lefty, deadpan: I've never had cake. What is cake?

*Scraptrap is cooking… somehow* Scrap Baby: Any chance that’s for me? Scraptrap: It’s for Molten Freddy. I’m planning on making some bad choices tonight, and I need him on my side. I’ll make you something when we’re done. Lefty: I never realized the forethought that went into being a disappointment.

Scraptrap: *Screams* Scrap Baby: *Screams louder to assert dominance* Lefty: Should we do something?! Molten Freddy, observing: No, I want to see who wins this.

Scraptrap, about Scrap Baby before she’s in the pizzeria: Apparently we’re getting someone new in the group. Molten Freddy: Are we stealing them? Lefty: New or used? Scraptrap, not sure whether to be proud or absolutely disappointed: Wonderful responses, both of you.

Scraptrap, peeking at a cell phone: Scrap Baby, what do “IDK”, “LY“, and “TTYL” mean? Scrap Baby, without hesitation: “I don’t know”, “love you”, “talk to you later”. Scraptrap while walking away: Ok, I love you too, Lizzy. I’ll just ask Lefty about it.

Lefty, watching on the side lines: ‘Trap, thats literally what those things mean.

Scraptrap: …Oh. Scraptrap: O H.

Scraptrap: Here's some advice. Scrap Baby: I didn't ask for any? Scraptrap: Unfortunately for us both, I'm stuck here with my thoughts and you're the only one who really talks to me.

Scraptrap: I think I'm finally having a mid-life crisis. Scrap Baby: You're kinda 50-something years old? Scraptrap: I MIGHT DIE AT 50-SOMETHING!

Lefty, talking on the phone with Michael after closing hours: Ok, maybe playing ‘whose family is most dysfunctional’ wasn’t the best idea we’ve had. Scraptrap’s been crying in the men’s bathroom for an hour now. We can’t get him out...

Scraptrap: What are you guys on about? I turned out perfectly fine, all things considered! Scrap Baby: Daddy, this morning you thought a ghost made your breakfast. Scraptrap: I DIDN’T TURN ON THE BLENDER! YOU DIDN’T TURN ON THE BLENDER—!

Scraptrap: Violence isn't the answer in this this situation. Scrap Baby: You’re right. Scraptrap: *sighs in relief* Scrap Baby, readying her claw arm: Violence is the question. Scraptrap: Wh… What? Scrap Baby, skating away at top speed: And the answer is yes! Scraptrap, running after her: ELIZABETH, NO—!

Molten Freddy: I'm incredibly fast at math. Lefty: Alright, what's 30x17? Molten Freddy: 47 Lefty: That's not even close. Molten Freddy: But it was fast.

Molten Freddy: If you were to vacuum up jello through a metal tube, well I think that’d be a neat noise. :) Lefty: I… beg to differ. Molten Freddy: Then B E G.

Scraptrap: Where are you going at this hour? Scrap Baby: To get ice cream or scare the mask off my brother, I’ll decide on the way there.

Scrap Baby: Okay, truth or dare? Scraptrap: Truth. Scrap Baby: How many hours have you slept this week? Scraptrap: Scraptrap: ...I’ve changed my mind. Dare. Scrap Baby: Then please go to bed. Scraptrap, cowering in his blanket: I don’t like this game anymore. :{

Scraptrap: It’s dark in here. How in the world are we supposed to see? Scrap Baby: Don’t worry, Dad, I got this. Scrap Baby: *Stomps her feet* Scrap Baby: *Roller skates light up like an RBG keyboard*

Scrap-trap: Don’t remember putting that feature in, but all right.

Scraptrap: One thing is for certain with this place: Someone will die— Molten Freddy: Of fun!

Scraptrap: petition to remove the 'd' from Wednesday Scrap Baby: Wednesay? Scraptrap: Not what I had in mind, but I'm flexible.

[unoisveimved-un-proffesional]

Yeah this sums up my thoughts on it pretty well, but you know I’ve been thinking about this, and in this day and age, especially with so many unfinished productions being rushed out, you could just add major updates and expansion packs. Not just DLC stuff but like, upgrading the game entirely. Some games just feel like beta’s that needed a little bit more time, and you could really have your cake and eat it by 1. Releasing it to the public on the deadline but prematurely 2. Introducing new content as the year(s) go on until you have the game you and everyone really wanted.

Think about it! You could charge people for it, but that would only really be fair if the original game wasn’t that expensive and neither were these updates/upgrades. It would also artificially inflate replayability, which might have a positive effect. You could also have a lot more interaction with the community, seeing what worked for them, what didn’t, rolling back on and tweaking things. Honestly the formula has been made by online multiplayer games, with a few adjustments it could just as well work for all genres of video game.

Maybe you could only introduce the first third of a game, roll out adjustments over the course of a couple months, add those to the second third in development, leave fans to ruminate and marinate in lore mystery and story, drop the second third adjusted to fit in with the new style the first third ultimately ended up being, and rinse and repeat for the final third, take everything you and your team learned from that, and apply it to the next game. This is not a perfect system by any means and is going to be a very bumpy road if ever utilized, but I think especially in the modern gaming industry, something like this could work. Sorry to hijack your post, but this had been ruminating in the back of my mind for quite some time, and the discussion surrounding these situations seems to be the prime target for this idea.

It sounds just like DLC stuff, but DLC is more of a supplement, vitamins and sides to an already prepared dish, I’m thinking more of changing the meal itself, the recipe, and servings until they are the best they can be in a limited yet extended time frame. It’s definitely a more “By the seat of your pants.” Approach, but it’s not without merit, at least I don’t think. Fine tuning and adjustments are needed, but that’s what it’s all about, a major approach to updates, maybe a blurred line between update, DLC, and Sequal, perfect for the modern era.

It’s a less risky choice than developing a game perfectly for 7 years, or squeezing every last drop of life from your workforce to get it out in 2, and it’s more rewarding in the long run by dragging attention from fans, especially by introducing a more episodic format towards the game with my three act structure idea, and it’s the blurred lines between DLC, update, and Sequal I think we’ll need. I mean no, this is not a one size fits all, nor is it an easy guaranteed win tactic, it’s just a unique style of development that, like all styles of all things, has a time and a place, and I think it could’ve worked for Sonic Frontiers if they wanted to be a little more ambitious in how they approached game design (not saying Sonic Team is lacking in ambition, it’s been their best and worst trait in their history as a game design studio, but in this specific field of development is what I’m referring to).

Actually, this has precedent in game design, one Toby Fox’s Deltarune. I mean, it’s nearly everything I’ve described really. Of course, no one shoe fits all, but there’s no shame in taking a few notes out of someone elses book. I think with a studio and budget as well as fanbase the likes of Sonic Team’s, this approach could’ve worked twice as well. Casual gamers not really big into Sonic could wait for the full game, and the Sonic Fans could be tide over and left wanting more for just long enough for their hungers to peak and then be satiated by the next part, as well as having their voices heard and quickly responded to. It will also prolong and preserve hype for the story, which I feel Sonic Team is looking to give more respect towards in these new installments.

Sorry, I’ll stop using your post to pitch my ideas now (apologies). I’ll do a plain reblog to indicate respect to the original post, (cheers and au revoir).

As much as I love Frontiers, in retrospect there are some parts of it that feel GLARINGLY unfinished. I mean there's the obvious lack of polish and the pop-in issue but the more I think about it the more Rhea Island sticks out to me as unfinished.

There's so much space, so many little details and bits of ruins everywhere, but the lack of platforming structures like the ones on the other islands makes it all look really empty in comparison. There's only a few platforming sections (mostly rails) between the towers to get you from one tower to the next faster, and that's pretty much it.

It really feels like there was meant to be much more going on with that area, yet the only thing you do is go from tower to tower, have a bit of plot happen, and immediately move on to Ouranos. You aren't made to explore at all despite the ruins and such scattered about and the very important plot stuff happening. That combined with how the whole thing with Sonic's cyber corruption was resolved makes that whole section of the game feel rushed.

I just can't help but wonder what could've been, had Sonic Team not been under time constraints. It's kind of sad honestly, knowing that there could've been more planned for that area that we never got to see because of the deadlines they had to meet.

Man fuck crunch culture fuck holiday releases I want my game out when it's done dammit

[frabjoyous]

Persona 4: Dojima was NOT the original killer- and other rumors

Intro: (You Can Skip This)

If there’s one thing I, a fandom nerd with an unhealthy lust for trivia, absolutely HATE, it’s wild claims with no sources. It was the entire inspiration for my previous Ico post. You might even say I find it... un-BEAR-able.

Living in the information age as we are now, rumors and ridiculous claims are pretty easily debunked for new releases, and discouraged by how easy it is for legions of fans to gang up on you for saying stupid shit and call you mean names until you cry. We have access to so many creator’s blogs, interviews, Youtube channels, and more. Heck, voice actors regularly take requests on Twitter. Misconceptions tend to be pretty easy to clear up these days.

But what about older games, back when this was not always the case? When we rarely heard from studios or developers outside of the occasional short article on a (now long-dead) gaming site? What misconceptions and mysteries continue to run amuck, possibly to never be solved?

I’m glad you asked- irritation has spurned me to collect and research several, from one of my favorite video games of all time: Persona 4. There are quite a few strange ideas I’ve heard over the years, but the biggest one I’m going to tackle is a pretty popular one: The supposed original identity of the killer.

***Spoilers galore***- this game originally came out in 2008.

Whodunnit?

Dojima was originally supposed to be the killer.

False- Or at least, impossible to confirm.

You’ve probably heard this one. It’s all over boards, it’s all over TV Tropes, and it’s all over Reddit. Here’s the thing: This has never been officially stated, anywhere, by anyone. Some people say that this information is given in the notes of the Japanese art book, but this is not true. The text only says that Dojima’s design was tweaked because he looked more like a criminal than someone who chases criminals. 

(To be fair, he does look pretty suspicious here)

There is also absolutely no source that mentions anything about this supposed change being made because staff or beta testers complained, or found it too dark or unsettling. I suspect this oft-quoted flavor text is simply the a reflection of the fans’ own opinion on the matter.

Adachi was originally a red herring, and the true killer was someone else.

Not confirmed True

I cannot find any sources to concretely support this idea. The only possibility I’m unable to rule out is his entry in the Japanese art book- some say this is where this information is given, but I can’t find a translation for it.

Update: tumblr user @misedejem​ had the images I could not find! Thank you so much!

It does in fact appear in the art book- and a more recent translation of the English one, in fact.

There is concept art of the original killer [who was not Adachi] in a yellow raincoat.

False.

There is concept art of Adachi wearing a yellow raincoat. There is no concept art of some other ambiguous character or killer in a yellow raincoat.

(Adachi also dons this same raincoat/jacket in his pre-battle sequence in Persona 4 Arena Ultimax, so it had in fact even made an in-game appearance)

Yukiko and Yosuke were considered candidates to be the killer (with their motives being “for pleasure”).

False. 

Having scoured every wiki, interview article, fanpage, and art book scan (if a translation was available) I could find, there was absolutely no mention of this anywhere. Nada, zero, zip, and zilch. Which even I thought was odd, as surely this rumor has to have originated SOMEWHERE. Which brings us to my next, and biggest, entry, the rumor that spawned all the big rumors and presumably this one as well:

An old interview confirms that the identity of the killer was changed very late in the game’s development.

False.

That’s right- this rumor, which seems to be quite widely accepted even among those who are skeptical of all the rest- is simply not true. It originates from an old Gamasutra interview, which states, quote:

“Also, one of the villain characters changed in the middle of development; since the character design was done before the story change, the design did not reflect the fact that he was a villain.”

(For my fellow dyslexics out there: I had to read this sentence over a dozen times before I was sure I understood it- “One of the characters who was NOT a villain became a villain- since we designed him before we decided he was a villain, he’s not evil-looking.”)

It does not say “the killer”, nor does it even say “the main villain”. It says “one of the villain characters”. (We’ll not be too pedantic about the fact that it says “middle of development” rather than “very late in development”, although it is something to take note of)

Does this mean it CANNOT possibly be in reference to the main villain aka Adachi? Of course not. However, the widely circulated rumor that it was a concrete statement is, as you can see, false.

That does of course beg the question of who it could be in reference to- Mitsuo is obviously designed to be disturbing looking, so the statement “did not reflect the fact that he was a villain” doesn’t apply. And that’s a problem- because aside from Mitsuo and Adachi, there aren’t any other real defined “villains” in the story. It would be a stretch to say that the Persona 4 Team could have maybe been referencing Nametame, using the term “villain” loosely to be coy, but that honestly doesn’t make a whole lot of sense. So, does that in fact mean it must have been Adachi, as we’ve assumed? Possibly, but we can’t prove it. Take note that it also doesn’t say “the identity of the killer changed from one character to another”. Technically, it’s possible that the team wasn’t 100% decided on the true identity of the killer, especially if they were in the middle of development- and could have simply CHOSEN Adachi rather than swapped him with someone else who was originally in the spot. 

If we could get a translation of Adachi’s page in the Japanese art book, as mentioned above, and it did in fact say he was a red herring, now THAT would be something, and lend way more credence to the “it was supposed to be Dojima” theory. Sadly, until then, all we have is speculation.

See above edit- the rumor about him being a red herring is in fact, true. Wowie!

So why did his rumor get so wildly out of hand, and where does that leave us?

To answer the first question: Fan boards. But more than that, I suspect this rumor gained so much traction because it’s really, really interesting to think about, and because you can see it making sense. Dojima and Adachi could both be potentially suspicious for many of the same reasons- they both work with the police department, so would have every ability to move around beneath suspicion, going to the crime scenes and questioning victims. Dojima is rarely home, so what he could be doing in his off-time is anyone’s guess. It would fit, right? Heck, even some text in the final game seems to agree. If you choose Dojima from the list of options as to who the killer could be, you get this text:

(The person who seems to be the most likely culprit is…

>Ryotaro Dojima

… If Dojima is the killer, he must have been careful to hide his ability to enter the TV world.

Based on that assumption, it seems possible that it could be him.

After all, as your uncle and the owner of the house where you stayed, he could easily have observed your actions.

Obviously, he had easy access to his own house, and he’d be more familiar than anyone else with the area.

… However, your uncle wants to solve this case even at the cost of his life.

His only daughter Nanako was kidnapped by Nametame.

When you consider all the facts, there’s very little to support Dojima as the killer…

For the sake of the suffering detective and his daughter Nanako, you must find the real suspect.)

And can you even imagine the betrayal, the drama, of learning this character you grew close to, lived with, shared blood with, was a cold-hearted killer? That right there is an enticing twist, baby! Fanfic fuel for days. It’s not hard to imagine that it would spread far and fast, without people bothering to fact-check it. And who, besides me, wants to comb the internet looking for old interviews on semi-defunct sites?

Conclusion:

Was the main villain originally someone other than Adachi? Possibly. Was it Dojima? Though it may seem fitting, there has never been any official word or evidence to suggest this. Is it really fun to this about if this scenario was true? Yes.

It’s also annoying that, while updating this post with various other pieces of information which makes these ideas ALL THE JUICIER, we technically still have no official word on anything, which makes the conclusion technically the same, only now all the more frustrating...

Fun fact: While I was stuck in fan-board hell (I ABHOR fan-boards and discussions in all their vapid, argumentative and misspelled glory) I found MANY posts by people who insisted that Nanako must have been the killer/that they really thought she was the killer when they first played. Upon some further incredulous searching I turned up some info that this was simply a long-running joke in the Persona 4 community- immediately followed by a deluge of replies about how all the more people had in fact legitimately believed it and it was not a joke, and at this point we’ve gone so meta I have no idea what the truth is. If there is in fact anyone out there in existence who believes, or believed, that this was ever a possibility, I have only one thing to say to you:

Miscellaneous Rumors:

Naoto was originally supposed to be male

Not confirmed True

This information is supposedly in the Japanese art book, but I can’t find a translation of Naoto’s page.

Update: tumblr user @misedejem​ had the images I could not find! Thank you so much!

This appears to be 100% true.

Teddie was originally female.

False. True

I can find nothing to support this. Some cite concept art, but all concept sketches of Teddie I can find depict him as male. I can’t even find any of him in his Alice costume that could have caused this misconception.

For some reason I had always heard this rumor referenced as originating in concept art- that is untrue. It apparently originates here: (credit again to @misedejem​)

Un-bear-lievable! Looks like it’s true!

Yosuke was originally a romance option.

Plausible, but not technically confirmed.

Due to the way his social link is programmed (the famous “girlfriend flag”, or what makes it possible to give him a hug in rank 8) and the rather romantic-sounding dialogue* left in the game files, it certainly seems plausible or even downright likely, but there’s no official word, and rumors that Atlus forced them to cut it don’t have sources (not that we need any you bigoted assholes).

*Of further note, in the Japanese versions of these lines he explicitly uses the word “suki”, which is almost always used to denote liking someone in a romantic sense.

Kanji was originally a romance option.

Not confirmed

Sorry guys, with all the ship tease you can see where the rumor comes from, and like many of you I certainly wish it were true, but I can’t find any evidence to support there ever being an actual plan for this.

(P.S: if anyone DOES have a translations for the art pages or can read what they say, please hit me up!)