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namig42 · 10 months ago

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The ask from @inaconstantstateofchange about what characters my OCs would like if they were in the modern world got me thinking:

What would my OCs be like in the modern world?

The two that jumped out at me the most in this set up were Sahed and Gardon, since they'd be human instead of dragons/dragonborns in this au, so I'm just gonna talk about them for now and maybe expand on the others later.

Sahed

I see Sahed as a student at a university studying history and being very passionate about it. He does whatever he needs to on campus and in his research in order to get the results he wants, often stealing writings from classmates and faculty as well as taking advantage of other people's kindness. He's currently working on his thesis for his PhD and wants to go above and beyond with it because he expects nothing less of himself. He's studying mythical creatures and the folklore that surrounds them with a focus especially on dragons and the different mythos surrounding them from multiple cultures.

Sahed isn't always the most intelligent, but he's very well spoken and tries to act like he's the smartest in his department. It does not earn him any friends, and most people that know him well enough don't like him. He's made a point to distance himself enough so that people only see his charming facade and don't actually know he's a pompous prick with a superiority complex.

Gardon

Gardon is an older professor with tenure that feels trapped at his job. He's wanted to quit for years, but doesn't have the means to quit. He was married once, but his wife left him years ago, and he never quite recovered. She told him that he'd never be able to change the things he hated about himself, and she just couldn't try to help him anymore. They never had kids, so Gardon truly lives alone these days. He's also a veteran that suffers from PTSD, so the poor guy is really doing his best to not give up everyday of his life.

He runs the historical department that Sahed is studying in and works with Sahed, but he hates it. Sahed reminds Gardon of all the things he hates about himself, but he does need to help the doctorate student with his thesis since he's the only faculty member with a relevant background. It doesn't help either that Sahed has a lot of features that remind him of his wife. They have the same hair color, same eye color, and even similar mannerisms. If only Sahed wasn't so frustrating to deal with, perhaps Gardon would find comfort in this student. Instead, he does his best to tolerate the younger man and get the work done with quickly so he can be left alone again.

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Dammit, now I want art renditions of these two in human forms. Also the art of Sahed was a commission from @flavoredmagpie. Ya'll should check out their art if you like a clean and dynamic style.

Might also expand this into a fic of its own. Who knows? The dynamic between these two in particular is especially interesting to me...

#gardon #sahed #modern au #rambling #ocs #mine #writing #dragonborn

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i-was-a-teenage-eldritch-horror · 3 years ago

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okay so how do u feel about how the main female characters were handled in 4.0

This is going to be loooooong.

Firstly, I want to say that the fanservice was just godawful. Pedophilic, hamfisted, gross, and just plain annoying. The only adult characters who were subjected to anything resembling the female pilot's treatment were Midori and Sakura (who are in their early 20s if my math checks out). None of the adult women were subjected to the same type of fanservice as the pilots. It raises the question of...well, who's the intended audience here? It's especially jarring since there was like, almost none in 3.33. So I won't be discussing the fanservice in each of the character sections. Just know that I hate it universally. Also, people who fervently deny that asuken and marishin were romantic in this movie are on nuclear levels of copium. Obviously you don't have to (and shouldn't, to be frank,) ship it, but it's clear that hetero endgames were intended.

1. Ritsuko

I don't have any complaints here. I guess I wish she had more screentime. I liked her scenes with Misato, but their conversations felt a bit more stilted that how you would think friends of 25 years would speak to each other. I liked that she got to shoot Gendo.

Her new VA wasn't much to write home about. It was still a good performance, but Mary Faber's rendition of Ritsuko wasn't as deep or womanly a voice as Sue Ulu or Colleen Clinkenbeard's were. It took some adjusting, but she's definitely growing on me.

2. Misato

Kaji junior, as a concept, was actually genius and makes perfect sense. Tons of parallels were drawn between her and Gendo even in the original series so it's apt that she would become a deadbeat parent like he was. It's tragic yet fitting. Her being devoted to Shinji over her own son sadly makes a lot of sense. Additionally, it fucking sends me to think that she was pregnant at the end of 2.22!

I don't like how she swapped back to her old hairstyle during the climax, though. It doesn't make a lick of sense.

Also, her turning into the Spear of Gaius was dumb and misogynistic as hell. It's the "boy gets rewarded with woman's body" trope taken to its logical extreme. Like Soul Eater if it was unimaginably, violently misogynistic.

3. Mari

For the most part, I liked Mari in Thrice Upon a Time. She was the closest to an actual 3D character as she's ever been, and I found myself really liking her and getting excited when she was on screen. Her fight in Paris at the beginning of the movie was exciting and fun, probably the best part of the movie.

VERY weird, however, that she knew Shinji when he was a baby and then became his love interest. Like genuinely what the hell was that. The reveal that her given name is Mary Iscariot was also weird, but honestly I liked it. It was cheesy and bad in a fun way, unlike the rest of the movie. Obviously her surname being "Iscariot" is a reference to Judas and how she betrayed Gendo and Fuyutsuki, but I looked it up and apparently Iscariot is an actual surname. However, according to one website I looked at, it's so rare that only four people in the entire world are documented as bearing it.

It's also funny that Mari being British is like, never explicitly confirmed or referenced in these movies. Outside of cursory references to British folklore (her first eva being a quadruped, wielding a jousting lance, and slaying a reptile-like creature), it literally doesn't matter and is never brought up. In 2.22 there's this scene where she's like "wow it's such a shame that I have to use these adults for my agenda," and it's like...girl, what's your agenda?!?! Explain!

4. Asuka

The asuken thing was offensive on every level. I would be able to buy that they were just buddies IF Asuka wasn't walking around naked in front of him and if he wasn't in the doll at the end. As it stands, though? The vibe is definitely shippy, and it's disgusting. I mean, swap out Kensuke for Mari in the doll scene and everyone would recognize it for what it is. Speaking of asumari...

The asumari bait in this movie is also gross. Not because it's asumari, but because it's bait. We have all these scenes of Asuka and a flirtatious Mari, and for what? For Marishin to be endgame? For Kensuke to be a pedophile? For Asuka to be alone at the train station at the end? Fuck, I don't even like asumari. It makes me feel like I'm losing my marbles. But still. They got done dirty in this movie.

Moving on, Asuka's death in this movie actually shook me a lot more than I thought it would. It's way spookier and eerie than her death in eoe. To be honest, I've always been a "Bardiel is in Asuka's eye, and that's why she has the eye patch" theory denier because, to be frank, I didn't have faith in these movies to actually make sense, so that was a pleasant surprise.

I liked the revelation that Asuka was actually also a clone series like Rei. It was unexpected yet made a lot of sense. Asuka clamoring to be loved, for the affection that's been denied to her because she's just another fly in the swarm; a military weapon, ultimately. However, I gotta say that like...Mari was out here giving Asuka the affection and love she explicitly admits to wanting in the movie. The scenes of her training in Germany were cool to watch. That's something I wish we'd seen in the original anime.

The reveal that Asuka's older than Shinji and was in her early 20s during 2.22 (she looks about 10 to be in the flashback with Gendo, Yui, and baby Shinji) was weird but after the Mari thing I didn't mind.

5. Rei

Firstly, I was super happy to see Amanda Winn Lee back!

This movie came so close yet still ended up missing the mark when it came to Rei. The concept isn't the issue at all. "Rei gets accepted into the village and learns to truly live" is amazing, actually! The problem is the cutesification of Rei. Here's a really good quote about why this is a problem. In 3.33 she was depicted pretty neutrally, all things considered, and a few scenes with her drifted into the familiar eerie, tragic territory of the original show. So this change is both deliberate and jarring.

Another issue is that Q!Rei's characterization, especially in this movie, has always seemed to me like that of a semi-verbal, high-support autistic person. That in and of itself isn't the problem at all. With very few exceptions, such as the Angelic Days manga, Rei has always been heavily autistic coded. Y'all know how I feel about this. The way the "camera," for lack of a better word, perceives Rei, how she's drawn, and how other characters react to her (cooing and giggling about how cute and naive she is), all rub me the wrong way when you take that into consideration. Autistic people are infantilized and cutesified in real life. This heavily contributes to the ableist abuse and neglect that we deal with as a population. In 2.22, Rei's seen reading Oscar Wilde, and in this movie she's reading a picture book for kids, even though she can read the esoteric technobabble in an eva's UI. She also gets Hikari's old school uniform as a hand-me-down, immediately codifying and signaling that she's eternally a cute little kid. Obviously the curse of eva still applies to the other pilots, but it's on a whole new level here. Her feelings for Shinji are fantastically mishandled as well.

I love the scene she shares with Asuka, because it's basically Asuka telling Rei that she's experiencing comphet -- these feelings are not organic, nor are they her own. They were planted by Gendo. In a better movie, this would've been a pivotal moment of questioning for Rei. Instead, she just says "whatever" and leaves. She even delegates the job of picking a new name to Shinji, not because she herself is incapable of it, but because she doesn't think she's fit to. Shinji is also just downright rude to her, not just in this movie, but in 3.33 too. That scene where she returned the walkman to him only for him to push it away would've been a great moment for her to be done with him. Also, Q!Rei even having a crush on Shinji at all in this movie came out of nowhere since in 3.33 there was nothing to suggest that.

Her past abuse and life at NERV are never brought up beyond vague mentions of "orders." Again, Rei's trauma isn't cute or sweet. It's tragic, harrowing, and uncomfortable. She asks what a cat is, why they shrunk a baby, and doesn't know what a bath is. Yes, logically, she might be confused about these things, given her past. But again, the decision to include those things specifically were deliberate. They're cute, easy to digest examples. It reminds me of questions a toddler would ask, excitedly going "mommy, what's that!" upon seeing a new animal at a park, tying yet again into the theme of brutal and gross infantilization. I don't know, I just think that learning that you were abused, neglected, and cloistered for your entire life should be disturbing, horrifying, existential, and a traumatic revelation in and of itself.

Her death didn't bother me that much, since it was foreshadowed in 2.22. In a weird way, I was happy that she died early on so she couldn't get butchered even further. Long-haired Rei was fine. She felt like 2.22 Rei and didn't do much except listen to Shinji. I thought her saying "neon genesis" was cool. Just like the Mary Iscariot thing, it was bad in a fun, goofy way. I like Rei's outfit at the train station at the end. I always knew she'd be a maxi skirt woman. Oh, and those boomer farmer women were great.

6. Hikari

Hikari was fine in this movie. I will say that it felt jarring to see her go from a high-powered, conscientious class representative to a SAHM. That's not a dig at SAHMs, either. Just saying it was weird. Fits with the natalist hell that is this movie, though. Seriously, even the quiverfull nutjobs would think this is too on the nose.

7. Midori & Sakura

Covering these two in the same section since they share most of their screentime. These two behave irrationally, and, forgive me for using a historically loaded term, hysterically. They monologue about their pain and loss while pointing their guns at Shinji, hesitate to shoot, and miss when they finally do. Then Misato tells them that Shinji's going to save them and they change their tune entirely to "zomg Shinji is our savior!" and this all happens within like, a minute and a half, at most?

#anon #anonymous #ask #answered #midori kitakami #sakura suzuhara #ritsuko akagi #misato katsuragi #mari makinami illustrious #asuka langley soryu #asuka langley shikinami #rei ayanami #hikari horaki

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foreignersgod-rp · 6 years ago

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Arcturus stood before the hand-drawn map that had adorned the wall of the study within his family’s estate for nearly three centuries. The aged parchment was impressively massive, despite being rather tattered and rough around the edges, and it never failed to lure the gawking of guests who stood before it with intentions of addressing the Earl of County Nuada.

It had taken ancient Fotian cartographers some years to define the character of their country onto paper. From its infamous, densely packed forest ranges to its many lakes that freckled the land, each trait of the country was lovingly detailed and highlighted with artists’s own additions, such as renditions of folkloric creatures and quotes from historical rulers and literary masterminds.

A single gloved finger trailed from the County of Nuada, through the neighboring County Neit, and over the Eriu Sea, which hugged Fotia’s borders like a protective mother to shield Fotia’s more frigid and stormy nature from Amestris and its balmy climate. Steadily, Arcturus’s hand followed paths through the Amestrian north, scanning towns along the way with little interest, until finally his gray eyes rested upon the capital of Amestris: Central City.

And then, with a small, tepid sigh, he drove a thin silver pin through the very heart of it.

Today, Earl Arcturus Od Nua had his feet firmly planted on Fotian soil, but by the next morning, he’d be sailing toward their allies to the north. “Allies” wasn’t necessarily a descriptor most common folk here would use for Amestrians. But Arcturus was a diplomatic man, and “allies” sounded more pleasant than the usual “heretical bastards across the sea”. It rolled from the tongue easier as well.

He hovered over the pin before finally turning away from the map, and with it, the nagging soreness in his upper back that had developed from slouching over his paperwork all day seemed to grow, as well as the pulsing of his temple. Normally, one would press themselves to take a break, but after acquiring his position of power (small as it may be, in the grand scheme of things) Arcturus had learned it was far easier to press through the exhaustion. There was much to prepare, and he didn’t want to leave his providence with even the slightest chance of a hiccup in his absence.

The emissary duties were an add-on to his title that he took with honor, but his first and always foremost concern would be the safety of his people.

“The point of travel is to relax. Explore, learn, and drink lots of local wine. At least pretend to be thrilled for the opportunity,” a familiar voice chimed. Over his shoulder, Arcturus spared a glanced to the figure of a woman draped across his leather armchair like a lazy, sunbathing lap cat. On her tanned and freckled face was an ever-present crooked smirk that she wore as her best accessory. His appointed Knight, Elio, had her nose buried in one of his historical texts she must have snagged from his shelves without his permission. She peeked over the pages of her book and tipped her head to him in some unspoken acknowledgment of his discomfort.��

He hadn’t recalled hearing a servant announce her arrival or letting the woman into his chamber himself, but after nearly two years of adjusting to her particular brand of what he could only describe as “peculiarity”, Arcturus learned to stop wasting brain power on such questions. Rather, he learned to respond with something he was more proficient at: persistence.

“It’s not a vacation, Elio,” he corrected firmly. “I’m emissary of Fotia and Amestris, and this trip is-“

“An excuse to day-drink.“

“An annual visit and opportunity to strengthen our countries’ bonds.” He became aware of the puffy, dark bags under his eyes, which had become a somewhat permanent feature over the past few years since his inauguration, as he rubbed at them slightly and waved Elio’s cheeky comment off. He stepped past her to his own armchair seated at his desk and eased himself in. “I speak with members of their ranks, usually. Sometimes I’m granted audience with the Fuhrer. But most of my time is spent being peddled around from one politician to another…” Arcturus grunted as he settled into a more comfortable position. “And... drink? I mean, truly, what is the point if you’re not going to get shitfaced with their Generals...?” Elio concluded in more of a mumbling fashion to herself. What at first had been a bit of an off-handed joke had now become a serious issue to ponder apparently. Under her pursed brows, she glanced to him suspiciously. “I feel like you’re intentionally leaving out the best perks about this whole thing, m’lord.”

Arcturus admittedly couldn’t keep himself from chuckling but immediately felt what little cheer he mustered up being downed out by the same worrisome concerns that had been dragging him down all day. Historically, this visit to Amestris was a scheduled annual event. However, a Fotian emissary hadn’t set foot in Amestris since the infamous and equally humiliating demise of Fuhrer Bradley. There hadn’t been so much as a peep between the two lands since. And, quite honestly, the further he stayed from even hearing about outrageously secular things such as Philosopher’s stones and homunculi, the more Arcturus was content. Just the idea of conversation with the Amestrians on such subjects made his skin crawl. Amestris had a tainted reputation now, one not so easily looked over. And now, Arcturus had to awkwardly pretend to not be well-informed of the skeletons stuffed in the Fuhrer’s closet.

But he was bred to be a diplomatic man and was so, through and through. He would endure just fine. But all of that, he could endure with a meek smile. There something else bothered him, even more so.

Sensing the Earl’s rapidly deteriorating mood, Elio withdrew from her book, and with wistful sigh, closed the cover. She slid her way to her full height and tossed the book behind her as she closed the space between the two of them. “Still fretting over that mysterious little letter, hm?” There was no response as Elio found herself a perch on the desk’s corner, along-side the mounds of paperwork and bound notebooks spread across the tabletop. Arcturus was too occupied sluggishly rubbing his temples to reply promptly, as if to massage the thoughts into order first.

“The plea seems… too believable.”

Elio grumbled. “’Believable’, you say, and supposedly credible enough to have you pacing a rut straight into the floor- Shepherd help the cleaning servants who’ll be tasked to get the scuffs out of the floorboards tomorrow - Yet you won’t permit me to scout ahead in Amestris. You won’t even let me read the gods-damned letter.”

“I’m clearly not a target.” Though he intended to simply make a statement, it sounded more like begging to his ears. Perhaps he was. “No lowly lord such as myself is at risk, and that’s why it was wise of someone from within the Fuhrer’s inner circle to reach out to someone like me.”

“Truly? ‘Tis a rather desperate gesture to me. They know nothing of a ‘lowly lord’, such as yourself. So why reach out to you to help aid in a kidnapped queen- who we have no evidence was actually kidnapped?”

There was a heavy pause. Elio narrowed her eyes, and briefly, her ever-present smile waned. Arcturus made no effort to avoid her questioning gaze but still preferred to direct his sight to the map on the opposite wall of him. Arcturus pensively tapped his finger upon his chin, staring at the intricate veins that made up Amestris on the map. The longer he stared, the more his sights were drawn toward another body of land further north. The channels of Amestris bled out into a blank, near-nothingness, only depicted as mostly snow-capped mountains and endlessly blank landscapes.

“… Ah… There is a reason you’re willing to stick that big nose of yours into their business. But you won’t tell me. Is it really worth dragging Fotia into a cat fight between Amestris and Drachma?” Elio’s tone was somewhat vexed. Arcturus closed his eyes against it. He could feel the exhaustion of the day seeping somehow even further into his muscles now, and an argument with Elio about boundaries wasn’t something he could muster any further energy for. He smoothed back rogue strands of his long black hair that had freed themselves from his tie. Mounting fatigue was evident in his hoarse voice. “This is just something I cannot ignore… and yet there isn’t anything I can do. They took a risk to send that plea for backup, but I can’t send an army into Drachma on the assumption of a single Drachman citizen.” A light twist in his chest crept its way to his throat as he let slip a painful sigh and fought back a wince. “Even if I wanted to and had the concrete evidence to back his claims, our King wouldn’t permit it…”

A quick snort of laughter came from Elio abruptly. Perplexed, Arcturus frowned at her, then blinked down at the warm, slender hand that had found its way onto his tightly wound shoulder to offer a few lighthearted pats.

“Almighty Shepherd!” she laughed in a way that was unclear whether she was just feigning exasperation or if she was actually irked at the idea. “You’re so quick to ignore that you have Fotia’s most talented Knight at your disposal? I will be there with you! Mayhap I can dig up a little more intel on the situation while you smooch on some local women and sample ales, aye?” She slyly winked, and for a second Arcturus could feel the corners of his lips threaten a genuine smile. “Besides,” she continued with a roll of her eyes. “I’m willing to bet Princess just ran off because she got bored of the attention. Being a queen must be so incredibly droll.”

Before Arcturus had the chance to insecurely squirm from under her friendly gesture, Elio swept away on her heels and, before reaching the exit, twirled into an elegant bow. “I will take my leave for the evening, m’lord. Tomorrow, we can deal with the Fuhrer’s concerns face-to-face.” As she straightened, she offered another fast wink. “And then after, I say we find out how awful Amestrians whiskey truly is.”

The two both cordially offered their farewells in warm silence, and soon Elio was waltzing out the door to retire for the evening. Now the ornate balcony window of the Earl’s suite was painted a deep, dark rosy pink, softly brushed together with the violet hue of impending night. After Arcturus quietly lit the last lantern of the study, he snuffed out the flame of his match with a flick of his wrist. Though he’d love nothing more to find his way beneath the alluring sheets of his bed, Sleep was an elusive lover, and he knew full well that tonight would be one full of work rather than rest. Settling down into his desk once more, he withdrew a piece of parchment that had arrived a few days earlier. He had felt a twinge of anxiety as soon as he first laid eyes on the dark blue wax seal of the envelope, secured to a poor, bone-weary messenger eagle that arrived at his estate and insistently squawked at his window. It was days later and even still, his heart beat quickened.There was still a lump in his throat as he scanned over the loose, lackadaisical script, but he forced himself to take in the actual message itself:

Arcturus -

I wish I could say I’m sorry I had not written sooner. You understand my predicament, I’m sure. But now it’s time to put aside any pride and address an urgent matter. I have reason to believe an Amestrian of some considerable importance is in imminent danger. Please understand that I must be light-footed in this letter when it comes to details. We can discuss this further on your future departure to my new place of residence.

You have always been a bullheaded lad, but a smart one nonetheless. You will know where to find me, nephew. Always in a figurehead’s shadow.

- Anostraus

Arcturus couldn’t resist a sneer at the scribble of a signature, which would have been illegible if it weren’t for the fact that he had been well-acquainted with his uncle’s awful handwriting through years of tutoring he had received beneath him.

‘I’m sorry, Elio,’ The man thought as neatly folding up the note before tossing it to the hungering flame of his lantern. ‘No rest for the wicked...’

#rp #private rp #rinn reply

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catherindonald · 5 years ago

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Get Your Pumpkin On

By Jen Munson, Education Chair, The Herb Society of America

U.S. growers produce approximately 1.5 billion pounds of pumpkins each year with the majority of them being used for carving. My hometown of Portsmouth, NH, does its best to adopt its fair share of this valuable member of the Cucurbitaceae family. You know for certainty that Halloween is just around the corner when jack-o’-lanterns appear on doorsteps and creatures topped with carved pumpkin heads adorn lamp posts.

Today’s pumpkin carving craze may have had its start in Irish folklore. Legend described a trickster name Stingy Jack who tormented everyone including the Devil. When it was Stingy Jack’s time to cross the pearly gates of heaven God wouldn’t accept him because of his antics. The Devil wouldn’t welcome him and instead gave him an ember with an eternal flame from hell. Stingy Jack placed the ember in a carved turnip to light his way through eternal darkness. The Irish referred to this ghostly figure as “jack-of-the-lantern” and later just “jack-o’-lantern.”

The Irish and Scottish carved their own versions of Jack’s Lantern using turnips and gourds filling them with burning coal. They were placed in windows and by doors to scare away Jack and other unsavory spirits. These early renditions were a fright. Likely they were more frightful simply because of the nature of carving turnips. If you’ve ever taken a blade to a turnip you can appreciate that they require a lot of muscle. My own sad attempt at a turnip lantern is more comical than anything.

Early colonists arriving in America discovered pumpkins from the Indians who relied on them as a winter food source and as a treatment of intestinal worms and urinary ailments. The legend of Stingy Jack and carved lanterns traveled to America with the Irish who were fleeing the potato famine. Pumpkins were quickly adopted for their large size but more likely their ease of carving.

Current day jack- o’-lanterns are a standard Halloween decoration. Celebrated traditions have evolved to include family outings to select the perfect pumpkin for carving and contests for artistic design. One of the many delights of the season is driving through town and seeing my neighbors’ creativity.

How will you celebrate pumpkin season?

Herb Society of America Medical Disclaimer … It is the policy of The Herb Society of America not to advise or recommend herbs for medicinal or health use. This information is intended for educational purposes only and should not be considered as a recommendation or an endorsement of any medical or health treatment.

Get Your Pumpkin On published first on https://marcuskeever.blogspot.com/

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riannagraphics · 7 years ago

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RPG Maker and Pixel Games

After learning about 8-bit video games and learning how to create simple pixel graphics, I wanted to explore the genre of RPG Maker Games. These are games created using programs RPG Maker, first created by the Japanese company ASCII. Most versions of the program use a tile set based map editor, a scripting language for scripting events, and a battle editor. With newer versions creators are able to use their own tile sets and characters. RPG maker has been used to create games both free and paid for, and is also used by students learning mathematics and programming.

Why does this interest me?

RPG Maker games interest me for many reasons, the first being how accessible they are. As I previously mentioned, many of the games created are published online for free. This along with them usually being small files makes it easy for anyone to play them without needing lots of money and equipment. I first started playing these games because I couldn’t afford a powerful computer or a new console, and got hours of enjoyment and inspiration from them. Compared to a lot of games, RPG maker games are very minimalist and the focus isn’t as much on the graphics as it is the story. Some of the most famous of these games are horror, and rely on building tension and using mystery to create fear instead of just using jumpscares and grotesque imagery.

YUME NIKKI

Yume Nikki is arguable one of the most famous RPG Maker games and has inspired a collection of spin offs, as well as a re-imagined version in 3D that was released earlier this year. Released on June 26 2004, it revolves around the dreams of a hikkomori (a Japanese term for a reclusive young person) named Madotsuki. The objective of the game is to collect items called ‘effects’ which change the way Madotsuki looks or moves, and sometimes gives her access to new areas. The game uses a lot of surrealist horror imagery, and lacks a clear storyline which allows players to interpret it in their own way. Many theories have been created by players, creating a sense of community over the unanswered questions players are left with. Yume Nikki is probably only enjoyed by a certain audience. Lacking a story and set goal makes it confusing at first, and the large repetitive areas are easy to get lost in. These are elements I could use in my own creations, but would probably make what I create liked by less people. This makes me ask myself, is it better to appeal briefly to a greater audience, or on a deeper level to fewer people?

Themes of Yume Nikki:

Isolation - Madotsuki is obviously a very lonely person. While she is awake she is not able to leave her room. Being able to explore worlds while she is asleep may imply a desire to explore the outside world but being too scared to do so. Most NPCs ignore Madotsuki, except for the hostile ones. This implies a feeling of being ignored by the people in her life, and the only interactions she has with real people being negative. There are other characters in the game that also seem isolated.

There is a blonde girl named Poniko who lives alone in a place called ‘The Pink Sea’. Poniko doesn’t interact with Madotsuki and has an uncaring look on her face which fans have speculated means Poniko is an unrequited love of Madotsuki. Living alone in a land by herself implies that, like Madotsuki, she is isolated from the rest of the world.

Poniko also has a 1 in 64 chance of turning into Uboa, a shadow-like creature whose face resembles a Noh mask, a mask used in Japanese theatre. If inteartced with, the Uboa transports Madotsuki to an inescapable world, where the only way to leave is to wake up. People think Uboa may be Poniko’s true form (as he replaces her in her room), or could be an annoyed version of her. Uboa was also most likely the inspiration for the character Gaster in the game Undertale. He also looks similar to the character No-Face from the movie Spirited Away.

Anxiety - In the worlds Madotsuki visits you can often see eyes following her around. There are also places with hands that seem to be reaching out to touch Madotsuki, which could imply that Madotsuki doesn’t like being touched.

Body Imagery - As well as hands and eyes there is a lot of other body imagery. A character called KyuuKyuu-kun (seen above) is considered phallic by many fans, and is reached by going through the ‘Zippertile’ in the Number World. This has been interpreted as a symbol for rape. Disturbing imagery like this appears often through the game, and this scene in particular is incredibly unsettling. There are also multiple characters in the game with the condition strabismus, a condition where both eyes cannot focus on something at the same time, leading people to believe Madotsuki might have this condition while she is awake.

Japanese Folklore - Creatures and characters from Japanese mythology also play a part in Madotuski’s dreams. This could imply that she is interested in Japanese mythology, but it could also just be because she is Japanese and grew up hearing about these creatures.

Yuki-onna is an npc found in the Snow World. She is based after the Yuki-onna spirit, a spirit who often associated with snow and winter. In the game she gives Madotsuki the Yuki-onna effect.

Nopperabou Ghost is an npc found in The Sewers. He gives Madotsuki the Nopperabou effect. In Japanese mythology, The Noppera-bō is a faceless ghost or creature. They are typically harmless, and usually just frighten humans.

8-Bit Renditions of the Yume Nikki Effects by The-Fry-Bat on deviantArt

Ib was released Febuary 27 2012, and is about a young girl called Ib who visits an art museum with her parents and is transported into the creepy world of the paintings. While trapped in the painted world she meets a man named Garry who becomes a guardian like figure to her, and a mischievous girl called Mary. The game has gained a cult following and is often compared to other games in this genre, such as Yume Nikki and The Witch’s House. It is also one of the games that made the genre of RPG Maker games popular. Compared to Yume Nikki I defiantly prefer Yume Nikki’s artstyle, which features a larger variation in colour and style, as well as creepier imagery.

The game also has multiple endings that depend on the choices made throughout the game. Overall there are four endings. The game focuses on puzzles and exploration instead of battles, making it easier to play and more accessible.

Imagery and objects:

Roses - The roses symbolise the lives of Ib, Garry, and Mary. Their roses are red, blue, and yellow (in that order), and when the characters are injured their roses lose their petals.

Vases - Vases are used to restore the roses to their full health. Most of the vases disappear once you use them.

Dolls - The dolls are usually seen when the player has control of Garry, who is scared of them. They can sometimes be enemies, but are sometimes just obstacles blocking the way to certain places.

Headless statues and mannequin heads - These begin as art pieces in the museum, and throughout the game become enemies that can chase and hurt the characters.

THE WITCH’S HOUSE

The Witch’s House was released on October 3 2012. It’s about a girl named Viola who wakes up in a forest with no way to escape. Her only option is to go inside a forest located in the middle of the forest. She is locked inside the house and, accompanied by a talking black cat, Viola must find a way to survive and escape. The game uses 16-bit graphics, and mainly focuses on puzzles, exploration, and jumpscares. This game is a personal favourite of mine as I really enjoyed the story, characters, and (true) ending. The true ending has a twist that changes the whole story, which is something I like about a lot of different games. There’s also a lot of different, sometimes very unexpected deaths, adding a fear of exploring and interacting with objects because anything in this house can kill you.

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MAD FATHER

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Sources:

http://yumenikki.wikia.com/wiki/Theories

http://ibgame.wikia.com/wiki/Ib_Wiki

http://blog.rpgmakerweb.com/tips-and-tricks/rpg-maker-horror-games/

http://emertainmentmonthly.com/index.php/look-artists-mind-rpgmaker-horror-games-ib/

https://www.pcgamer.com/the-surprising-explosion-of-rpg-maker-on-steam/

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