#and even chase since he's the main protag

[moonsuke]

Lol I feel like I’m the only one giddy and excited over Episode Nagi ending. Doesn’t this just mean we’re building up to Nagi gaining an even bigger role in the main series? Second protag and all?

I’ve been meaning to rant about this here but I’ve never gotten over how different Nagi is during second selection in bllk and epinagi, it gave me whiplash and all. I was sooo sure some sort of retcon and intentional reframing happened and recent events are just convincing me I was right.

Like during bllk's second selection, Nagi was all about being creative and unpredictable, taking the initiative to chase after his curiosity about soccer and all. This was when he first invented his volley shot to defeat Rin (but it was reframed to something Reo-related), made plays on his own (triangle formation but again reframed to something Reo-related), wanted to be a puzzle piece that doesn’t fit within Isagi and Rin’s vision, invented traps that “breathe life into the ball” or “black hole trap" kill it. Reo was literally NTR-ed by soccer/Isagi then with Nagi saying things like “sorry Reo, I can’t go back to who I was before I knew that soccer is so much fun”...

But in epinagi? All these were retconned and Nagi suddenly became too Reo-centric which isn't bad on it own, but its bad cuz it’s soooo different from the original it created a lot of dissonance in me for Nagi's character. Like it gave a completely different impression of the events from bllk! The shippers like it cuz they think it was pandering to them but I always thought how can you claim to like Nagi when you're okay with 2nd selection Nagi being overwritten like that? When that was the best Nagi!!

But now, I'm pretty convinced the retcon happened cuz knsr wanted to double down on the Reonagi relationship to legitimize Nagi's codependency and subsequent downfall. The timing was too coincidental since epinagi started right after NEL so I'm thinking the narrative change happened then. And when Nagi started spiraling into “reoreoreo”? That’s when it clicked that “aaaa so that’s why epinagi was written the way it was”. Him reflecting how he (and Choki) didn't change in 301 further cemented this too cuz from bllk's second selection alone, its clear he did change!!

Maybe the spin off was half pandering to shippers, but I also think its purpose was to reframe second selection to bring about Nagi's downfall, because no way would it have been believable going by just what was written in bllk alone. (Also this why I say he enjoys trolling shippers lol)

I’m thinking knsr probably decided only then how he wanted to do Nagi’s downfall because if this was his intention from the start he shouldn't have written Nagi the way he did in the first place! The impression gotten from bllk's version is really too different from epinagi's! Its the entire reframing of second selection and the whiplash and dissonance for me making it seem retcon-ish, it doesn’t come across natural in a “I’m giving Nagi more depth” in the spin off at all.

This is why, as someone who has read multiple previous works of knsr, I keep saying he’s an author who will brute force his way through a narrative change if he decides to take the story in a new direction. It ends up making his story less immersive though cuz I end up reading HIS intentions rather than purely enjoying the story.

But despite all these criticisms, in the end I personally don’t mind this “retcon” as much purely because I’m fully onboard this “Nagi death” train. Knsr really was cooking this entire arc with all his parallels with Isagi, parallels between the 2 series, the death flags and foreshadowing especially from Chris (literally spelled out what’s gonna happen with Nagi), and the deeper dive into Nagi’s psyche. I love this entire Nagi downfall arc and don’t get the fandom’s sentiments that "Nagi fans keep getting Ls" or whatever. Like, there’s so much love and effort dedicated to writing his arc wdym we’re getting Ls?? I’ve been living as a Nagi stan ever since this arc started!

Yet, there’ll always be a part of me that thinks it’s such a waste that bllk’s second selection Nagi was overwritten with epinagi’s, cuz I really really love that Nagi, that was when I first became his stan.

And now that we know epinagi is ending, it just further convinces me this retcon did exist because why else would it end right after the Reonagi duo separated and Nagi got locked off? It just shows the spin off has served its purpose to hammer in the codependency in a manner that can explain Nagi's lock off. I mean look at bllk 300, it included scenes that only ever happened in epinagi lol.

The recent epinagi chaps also seem to include heavy parallels to what’s currently happening in bllk, everything just points to this spin off existing for Nagi’s "death". So now that it’s ending, I’ve a feeling we’ll be getting another narrative change which I’m hoping it’s in my favor. Hopefully it’s finally time for soccer and individual development again just like during bllk S1. No more teenage melodrama please!!! 302 seems like its heading towards this direction too so I'm hopeful.

As for the remaining epinagi chaps, its interesting the final epinagi volume will be released on Reo’s birthday, plus maybe a Reo cover? Does point to them being independent doesn't it? Good. Also, this is why I said knsr pays attention to release dates a lot, like how pxg vs bm ended right before “To you who’ll die someday” and all their in between series' parallels. It’s funny how there’s a shift in focus to Reo in both series too, with him in both series being all about trying to be independent again. Considering how knsr loves linking up both series, I'm curious if and how will it align with main series’ Reo's development?

The ultimate goal of epinagi is still to explore Nagi's journey to find a fire he has never felt before right? I’m so curious what conclusions will be made by the end of it, or maybe it’ll just be hinted at? Since knsr probably wants to explore Nagi more in the main series again. Currently, what we know is Blue Lock (and Isagi) really fired him up and he was scared of it ending...... And now that it ended.... what now...? All I know is I'm excited knsr seems to have more he wants to explore with Nagi!! Pls just keep showering him with lots of love even if that ends up with him crying and dying!! 😭

[symphonic-scream]

My shitty Persona 6 idea

(self indulgent)

So the main idea is, all persona users have gone missing. SEES, Investigation Team, Phantom Thieves. All disappeared one night. (In the future by a decent amount)

The story starts five years later. A teen boy living on his own is on his way to school, leaving his small apartment to take the train. Light flashes through the windows, time seems to slow, and his head aches. Then, all is normal

But. As he's walking, people are staring. Following. He gets chased into an alley, where the world seems to warp around him and the people following him become shadows. A voice calls out to him, telling him to Wake Up, and he gets his persona. He opens his eyes and they glow, and after the fight, a woman approaches him with a dog at her side, a cat on her shadows

It's Nanako! She's an adult! Koromaru barks from beside her, and Morgana, from her shoulders, explains the basics and that they need to leave

Nanako explains that this kid is the last one she's been trying to find, and asks him if he'd like to help rescue his parents and save the world. He pauses, petting Koro, but agrees

And she takes him to a private academy, owned by the Kirijo group, and he gets a dorm and reunites with younger siblings he lost track of in the system. He meets some friends and goes to the basement after school to learn about the mission and stuff and meet the team

The woman leading the program? Sae Niijima. Nanako Dojima is able to stay awake in the Slumber, which is the persona world in this, so she's their Guide. She has been tracking the kids of the old persona users down with Sae, and taking care of Koromaru and Morgana

Edit; I FORGOT TO MENTION!!! Teddie is the velvet room attendant! He's got no memories and can't leave until the protag reaches the end of his journey. All he knows is that he has to leave

That's the concept. Under the cut are my ideas for the team

So. Here are my Persona Users!

It's a team of 10. Cause I say so. Three third year students, five second years, and one first year. Then, their "mascot", a Kirijo Group ward who somehow fused with their persona. As in they're half human half cognition

I'll go down in age order, the Protag's name will be in green so it's easier to recognize which one is him

Yakuya Takeba, Third Year student. Son of Yukari and Mitsuru

[name meaning: evening, amber, to carry on]

Yakuya is the oldest of the group. He's been under a ton of stress as the defacto proprietor of the Kirijo group, but since getting the support of Sae and Nanako, he's been able to kick back a bit

He's got honey brown hair, which he keeps just long enough for a little ponytail. It's pretty straight. Dark brown eyes. He's extremely fashionable, softboy core. Cardigans, slacks, he looks good. Always.

Yakuya is their leader on the ground in the Slumber. He's a fast thinker, very intelligent, but he's extremely dense. He says things and the others just. Stare at him. Cause there is no way he doesn't get the joke there. Right?

Ukiwa Narukami, Third Year student. Daughter of Yu and Yosuke

[name meaning: love, hope, peace]

Ukiwa has been living with Nanako since her dads went missing. She's been on this mission the longest, been able to stay awake in the Slumber the longest, most in tune with her persona

Messy silver hair, she's dyed her tips orange. Just reaches her shoulders. Big grey eyes, a very squishable face. Tactical fashion. She's more worried about finding her parents than looking nice. Pockets everywhere

Ukiwa is very focused on the mission. It's all she really thinks about. She was a huge daddy's girl for Yosuke, used to smile so big. Now she's just, so desperate to get them back. She doesn't get on the others for wanting to do things and have fun, but she won't join in. If she's not working in the basement area, she's working out or looking at old photos

Shinji Sanada, Third Year student. Son of Akihiko, and Kotone and Aigis

[name meaning: named after Shinjiro Aragaki]

He's biologically Akihiko and Kotone's son, and was split custody between Aki, and Kotone and Aigis. Shinji knows about Shinjiro, and warmly refers to him as his second father

Shinji keeps his hair shaved short. Clippers with a number 3 across his whole head. The fuzz is dark brown. Grey eyes. He looks big and bulky, and wears big hoodies with anime characters on them

He's the mom friend. Loves caring for people, it's his way of showing he cares. He's the party's main healer because of this! Between a stressed out Yakuya and a too dedicated Ukiwa, he's always pulling someone out of their dorm to eat. He makes sure the second years and first year aren't being pushed too hard

Hirohide Okumura, Second Year student. Son of Makoto and Haru

[name meaning: vast, outstanding]

Our protagonist. He has two younger siblings that have been living with Sae, but he got lost in the system. He's been bouncing around homes across Japan for five years, and has been a loner. He's eager to bring his family back together. His velvet room is House of Mirrors themed

Hiro has Makoto's leather jacket, and wears it whenever it's not too hot. He even wears it with his uniform. He looks like a mini Makoto, too. Red eyes, mused up brown hair. He's got a few piercings in his ears, wears a wallet chain and dark clothes, but has a bracelet with blue, pink, purple, yellow, and grey beads to represent his family members (purple and yellow are his siblings)

Hirohide has what I'm calling "resting Makoto face". A bit of a pouty frown, always looks kinda mad or like he's thinking too hard. But he's hella snarky. All of his dialogue options are snappy or snarky or just. Sarcastic.

Satoma Kujikawa, Second Year student. Son of Rise, Naoto, and Kanji

[name meaning: wisdom, defend]

Older twin. Biologically Rise and Kanji's. There is a third Kujikawa sibling, too young to help out. Satoma goes by he/they actually, and lives for the moment cause that's what their parents would want

Satoma has wavy brown hair, sort of the short long where it barely passes his ears, and dyes blue and purple highlights in it. To represent their dads. Grey eyes, needs glasses. Bro cannot dress well. Closet of cargo shorts, graphic tees with poorly translated phrases, and the loudest collared shirts

He's a total goofball. Doesn't think before he acts, has the most fun of anyone you've ever met. Cooks really well, can sew, epic cleaner, but he's in the chat asking who wants to push him down the big hill in a giant tire cause he got bored

Meika Kujikawa, Second Year student. Daughter of Rise, Naoto, and Kanji

[name meaning: bright, beautiful]

Younger twin. Bio parents are Rise and Kanji, but she was always closest with Papa Naoto. She's the top mark holder for the second year students, but she's usually daydreaming in class, or absent for other school activities or missions reasons

Meika looks remarkably like Rise, but she wears her hair in one ponytail. Well, before she dyed her hair dark blue/black. She also needs glasses, but can't keep track of them. Overalls wearer, but baggy and one strap down. Hoodie underneath, an older Risette tour hoodie she found in her parents' room

She's a bit floaty. When it matters most, she's able to keep up and get them out of tough situations, but otherwise it's hard to tell where her head is. She's also in the most clubs, and doing something at all times. She's in band, she's on student council, she plays tennis- it's like she's trying to keep herself distracted

Momori Amagi, Second Year student. Daughter of Yukiko and Chie

[name meaning: peach, orchid]

Middle Amagi daughter, but the oldest can't assist cause she got hella hurt and is recovering in the hospital. Momori is more determined to help, to make sure she's the last of the three to have to fight

Momori has very dark hair, nearly black, kept in A very neat braid. Warm brown eyes, and a few little freckles across her face. Stompy sneaks, fun printed skirts, and soft sweaters with mock collars on them

So loud. Big personality. Explosive, even. Moving always, very physical with her friends, she's always picking people up or latching onto them in big hugs, or tackling them. She is thinking of going into nursing after her big sister got hurt

Kyoai Suzui, Second Year student. Daughter of Ann and Shiho

[name meaning: fragrance, affection]

Kyoai is somewhat lucky, she still has one of her mom's around. Shiho still has to walk with a single crutch or cane, and struggles without Ann. But she's trying, for Kyoai and her son. Kyoai doesn't want to stress her mom anymore, so she hasn't told her she's trying to find her Mama

Her hair is a dirty blonde, real silky and fluffy, in a stylish bob. Dark eyes, a lil beauty mark by the right edge of her smile. Athletic wear central. Shorts over athletic leggings, tanks and jerseys and team shirts

She's the second in command for the chaos unit. She hates to worry her mom, doesn't want to make things worse for her, but she's also the first to volunteer for Satoma's ideas. She often makes suggestions that make them worse, even

Tatsuoki Sakamoto, First Year student. Son of Joker and Ryuji

[name meaning: to achieve, heart]

The youngest of the group, born sickly, it's Tatsuoki. He's been living with Mama Sakamoto, visiting with a torn up Sojiro. He used to be very close with Sumire and Futaba, since they were his godparents. He's the Navi of the group, and more tech-aligned than the others

Messy dark brown hair, half his head is dyed red, and dark eyes. He's got Ryuji's big smile, and Joker's eye for chaos. Gamer shirts. So many gamer shirts. Leblanc themed windbreaker, a casual pants boy, paint splattered shoes

Total agent of chaos. Drinks coffee a little too much, but he's often joining in with Satoma and Kyoai, to distract himself from missing everyone. Has the most joyous laugh you've ever heard

Atsurou, Ward of the Kirijo Group.

[name meaning: genuine, bright]

More info coming

----

HEY. THIS WAS A LOT FOR ME TO MAKE. SO. OD APPRECIATE SOME INTERACTION PLEASE

Also I'll totally post more if y'all want it

[zerorock41]

I decided to go on a walk in a minefield and list out my Pokemon Ships. No particular reason, just wanted to share, see if any one reacts or has questions. I'm categorizing these as OTPs (pretty explanatory), Can Dig Its (Ships I enjoy when I see them, but won't go out of my way for), and Absolutely Nots (for one reason or another, I just can't gel with these). So first I'll start with the absolute big one.

Ash Ketchum

OTP

Ash x Dawn

Ash x Serena

Ash x Dawn x Serena

Can Dig It

Ash x Gary

Ash x May

Ash x Iris

Ash x Alain

Ash x Mallow

Ash x Lana

Ash x Chloe

Ash x Sapphire

Absolutely Nots

Ash x Misty

Ash x any of his rivals outside the above two

Ash x Latias or Bayleef

Ash x Goh

Ash x any of the Special/Adventures Dexholders (again excluding the one above)

Moving on from that guy. Now for the rest of the continuities. As a side note, I use Blue for Oak's grandson in the games continuity, while I use Green Oak and the girl is Blue for Special/Adventures.

Anime

OTP

Pikachu x Buneary

Bonnie x Max (older)

Kukui x Burnet

Liko x Roy

Liko x Dot

Liko x Roy x Dot

Can Dig It

Misty x Gary (post-character development)

May x Drew

May x Dawn

Dawn x Kenny

Dawn x Zoey

Clemont x Korrina

Korrina x Serena

Mallow x Lillie

Goh x Chloe

Dawn x Chloe

Liko x Anne

Friede x Orla

Mollie x Orla

Absolutely Not

Gary x Cheerleaders

Paul x Dawn

Jessie x Delia Ketchum

Liko x Amethio

Friede x Spinel (I hate that this is even a thing)

Really just any pairing involving Spinel

Special/Adventures

OTP

Red x Yellow

Ruby x Sapphire

Black x White

Green x training

Can Dig It

Red x Blue

Green x Blue

Gold x Crys

Gold x Silver x Crys

Platinum x Diamond x Pearl (prefer platonic, but this and any of it's two person variants can be cute too)

Absolutely Not

Blue x Silver

Yellow x Emerald

Ruby x anyone except Sapphire

White x N

Blake x Whitley

And for my last category, since it mostly consist of silent protags, I'm mostly going off vibes and my own personal headcanon backgrounds for them. I do not use the Masters versions of these characters. Buckle in, there's a lot here.

The Games

OTP

Blue x Leaf

Elaine x Red (one-sided crush that eventually is reciprocated)

Ethan x Kris

Lyra x Silver

Wes x Rui

Dawn x Barry

Hilda x N

Any combination of Hilbert, Cheren, and Bianca

Nate x Yancy

Elio x Lillie

Selene x Lillie

Gloria x Hop

Victor x Marnie

Juliana x Nemona

Juliana x Kieran

Florian x Penny

Can Dig it

Red x Blue

Red x Leaf

Leaf x Bill (if Bill is roughly the kids' age/a prodigy)

Bill x Daisy (Blue's sister, if he's older than the kids)

Green x Elaine/Chase (in a humorous context)

Kris x Silver

Kris x Lyra

Giovanni x Ariana

Brendan x May

Brendan x Flannery (assuming she's only a couple years older)

May x Wally

May x Lisia

Steven x Wallace

Archie x Maxie

Lucas x Dawn

Lucas x Dawn x Barry

Cyrus x Johanna (very conditional)

Cheren x Hilda

Nate x Iris

Rosa x Hugh

Any combination of Calem, Serena, and Shauna

Hau x Lillie

Elio x Mallow

Selene x Hau

Selene x Gladion

Lillie x emancipated child status

Leon x Sonia

Leon x Raihan

Leon x Sonia x Raihan

Gloria x Bede

Gloria x Marnie

Victor x Juliana

Adaman x Irida

Florian x Nemona

Absolutely Not

Any of the main antagonists with any of the protags

Cyrus x Johanna (again, very conditional)

Silver x Clair

May x Steven

Brendan x Courtney

Hilbert x N (romantically, platonically this pairing is fine)

Rosa x N (I've seen this once and did not like it)

Sycamore x Lysandre

Akari x Volo (I know I already mentioned the main antagonists thing above, but I see this one often enough that it bears repeating)

Arven x Florian/Juliana

[nene-san49]

Thursday Big Anime Wrap Up!

I can't believe its over already! Thursday in the day all my anime started this season so it's fitting to start my wrap up on this day. Warning this will be a full on discussion on the whole season so spoilers for sure. Again I wish that there was a way to cover up spoilers here like on Anilist.😓

Alright, here we go!😎

Akuyaku Reijou Tensei Oji-san

I knew this was going to be a good when I started this but i had no idea it was going to so good that i wish it was a 24 ep. I was the same way for Bakarina too! While the animation was not the best, I mean that red head looked like he had a toupee on half the time honestly, it was there when it counted and that was what Grace was on screen. You for sure knew she was the main character.😅

Was there a real story other than the fact that Grace was actually Kenzaburo, man that was the longest name I've ever encountered in any anime or manga, and his daughter is trying to finish the game he is stuck in to hopefully wake him up from his coma? No not really. if I was playing this game I think I would have dropped it honestly, especially since i don't like any of the male routes, but Grace and Anna carry this enough for me to want a second season oh and more of that ED too!😁

Dr. STONE: SCIENCE FUTURE

Oh my Goddess! That ending! I mean the whole season is easily is my fav out of all four now, but still going from being on the ship to get America, reinventing gambling, bar drinks, ect... AND finding out that Senku has a mentor that seriously wanted to kill him! Plus we got a some scenes with baby Senku and Taiju and Byakuya! I love that man so much! Senku survived getting shot by Stanley and now with Dr. Zeno as hostage they will have a cat and mouse chase to South America! I hate the season, but now I can't wait for summer for the second cour!😄

Trillion Game

This anime has been an amazing ride for me and I really wish more people had watched it. Watching Gaku and Haru go from nothing to everything without breaking laws or doing underhanded schemes was amazing. Did they...well mostly Haru stretch the truth, absolutely but it was never to the point of hurting people or each other...well for real cause for sure there were moments of um...did Haru really do that? No he didn't...not really...well you get it. Again from the beginning we know that they made it but watching it happen still made the anime amazing and worth the two season watch! Plus we are green lit for a season 2!😎

Arafou Otoko no Isekai Tsuuhan Seikatsu

Okay so was this the best anime? No. Was it the best isekai? No. So why did I watch it? Cause I have never seen a protag get so many cheeks from so many women! Even in the last episode he got with a maid and each encounter was consensual so I have no complaints! Do I want to see another season? Yeah I would cause there is a real plot here with the spices of this country being held by one big power and it keeps the nobles in check and the commoners with nothing. I believe that Kenichi could really solve that problem the right way.😆

Momentary Lily

I'm not sure how i felt about this anime honestly. I did enjoy the battle scenes and if it was not for watching this i would not have discovered Hanabie but other than that, I can't see this ever being a rewatch for me.😵

Fuguushoku [Kanteishi] ga Jitsu wa Saikyou Datta: Naraku de Kitaeta Saikyou no [Shingan] de Musou Suru

i actually enjoyed this fantasy a lot. Even though Ein is super OP because of the World Tree Spirits helping him he is genuinely a likeable character and has many good intentions including not needing to kill Zoid out of revenge for leaving him to die. That takes a lot considering what Ein went through. I hope this gets a second season at some point as well cause i would love to see Ein take Jasper as his husband.😄

Well that's it for this seasons Thursday line up! Hopefully next season is not as full on Thursday cause its a work day and D&D night and i hate waiting till after game to catch up on my anime! First world problems I know. Jaa ne!🤗

[coffeestainedcamera]

Yeah, so I spoil tf out of the latest love and deepspace story patch, you've been warned.

Ok yeah, I'm a big fan of Caleb's character in the same way I enjoyed psychoanalyzing Succession's main cast for ages. Like, there's so much to unpack here that it's like one of those luggage conveyor belts in an airport! And honestly, yeah, it got into the psychological horror category for me personally, although I'm aware that "dark romance" novels are killing it rn. And I'm 100% sure that Paper is chasing that bag with this character.

But anyways, I do enjoy a "road to hell is paved with good intentions" story. Like, I'm coming at this as the significantly older elder sibling that picked up the Eastern European Parent brand of tiger parenting from my own upbringing. I'm trying to grow out of it and give my younger sibling some space, as I'm aware that it's my worst trait.

And this story felt like this mindset amped to 100. Yeah, sure, you want your loved one to be safe. To an extent that set off the "psychological horror fan" part of my brain.

But then again, he's always been the one shielding the protag in both psychological and physical ways since they were kids. And who knows how many times he almost lost her. So, hey, let's all act like everything is back to normal, even if it requires him to lie directly and via omission, yeah? Let's still continue to play the "reliable elder sibling" role by doing things like not letting her see him sick in that one side story!

Like, I understand the impulse, even if I don't agree with it. Anyways, 2nd fave character now.

[the-new-pokespe-futures]

Ngl in your shackled revelations au, I’m imagining doku getting ganged up by the 20+ rivals who are PISSED that he killed their either best friends (or romantic partner in the case of like Blue because those two are pretty much a married couple at this point), the legendary pokemon whom the protagonists bonded with, and even a few of the evil teams like team star or yell because of the above.

also are Liko and Satoshi canon to the verse cuz I’d feel like Dokutaro would research him the most.

Actually, that does happen in the final storyline of the AU. Essentially, they are EXTREMELY PISSED OFF when they find out. However, they can't immediately go in guns blazing, they need to defeat all the mind controlled pokemon and trainers, knock every single secret base out, take out and find the 25-27 generals of Pecharunt. It'll be explained in due time. Speaking of the generals, some are actually the real killers of the protags and some have connections to some of the them:

Ethan: Ethan encountered one of the generals in Bellsprout Tower. The general proceeded to chase and attack Ethan. Ethan, thinking it’s just a regular pokemon to attack him, however, this proved to be a near-fatal mistake. Not being on the same level, his team got wiped, Ethan couldn’t even see the appearance properly for some reason, and he felt one thing that overpowered him: fear. He needed to run, and get out of here. However, due to the general’s ability to produce oil and paint that can mess with the mind (in this case, cause extreme dizziness), Ethan stumbled through the tower and barely got out before passing out. He was hurried to the nearby hospital to rest. He was still a bit shaken from this incident.

Lucas: In this AU, he's the professor's assistant, but does accompany Dawn and Barry later on, however, he does get whisked off to Hisui by Arceus and goes by the alias Rei prior to the events of the game. Later he ends up finding a 'shiny' gligar when completing the dex. Let's just say, it wasn't a gligar. That incident scarred him and was one of the few times it scared the hell out of him. The same Pokémon is also the reason why he stopped his journey (when he got back in Sinnoh) after the 4th badge as the same Pokemon killed one of his team members. So he hasn’t battled since then. He only got back into the battling after some encouragement from Dawn and Barry.

Hilda: In this AU, she alongside her twin are the heroes chosen by the dragons. She encountered one of the generals, thinking that he’s a regular trash bag when she wanted to throw her trash. She only found out when it stood up at a rapid speed upon noticing her appearance. She just finished her 5th gym badge so feeling slightly confident, she took the Pokémon on wanting to catch it, it proved to be a mistake. The general wiped out her team but he wasn’t done yet, the moment he saw Hilda, he said in clear English: “You are the one”, before approaching Hilda at a rapid speed, Hilda didn’t know what to do so she just ran. When she looked back she saw that the general was wielding a…knife? It was pretty late at night so she couldn’t see. Just before the ‘knife’ stabbed her, her brother (Hilbert), Cheren and Bianca arrived to help her. They all engaged in a brawl before the general had to retreat. Till this day, neither knew who or what attacked them.

Serena: She alongside her neighbor Calem are the main protags in this AU. She encountered one of the generals in Lumoise City, she got an invitation when she woke up in the morning in the Pokémon Centre. The invitation says that she was invited to an Opera Play called ‘The Phantom of The Opera’. The invitation says to follow a specific set of instructions to the place. The place ended up being an abounded Opera house in Lumoise city, far from any place. She was told to pay 4000 Pokédollars to enter despite the lack of the door. Nevertheless, she paid the exact amount before entering. Serena disappeared for exactly 8 days, 8 hours, 8 minutes and 8 seconds before she was discovered lying unconscious outside the Opera House. She claims to recall the events, when she woke up, there was a piece of paper in her hands that says ‘Thank you for watching The Phantom of The Opera, we hope to see you again!’

Florian: In this AU, he alongside his twin are the protags and he is the Violet side. He encountered one of the generals when he was looking for a dunsparse for his team. When he encountered the general, he was about to battle thinking it was a regular dunsparse, the general revealed the whole thing before Florian could send out a Pokeball. The general’s eyes turned red and blue, flashing through both with swirls like when he was hypnotizing Florian. When the general was done, he went back underground with Florian falling unconscious after being hypnotized. Florian woke up the next morning as his sister found him, he mentioned that he doesn’t recall anything that night. He claims to be fine but for the next 8 days, he started to have an insatiable greed for power. So he trained his team relentlessly and not caring for anybody. It only stopped after Juliana and their mother’s support helped him. Till now, he doesn’t know why he had this feeling.

Juliana: Like with Florian, same info except she represents the scarlet side. She met a general outside Levincia city. When she accidentally encountered one, it appeared to be friendly and didn’t seem to attack her, ultimately she decided to catch it. This proved to be a mistake. The general dropped its disguise and shocked Juliana badly, leaving her with some electrical burns. Her pokemon, went out to battle the general, while some helped her to carry up on Koraidon. The general quickly defeated her pokemon with ease, while the remaining got returned and Koraidon immediately dashed as fast as possible away from the attacker. However, the general was fast and was able to close in the distance, however, due to being close to Medali City, Rika and Larry were to able to deter away the general, and because of the need to conceal their identities, the general left. Once that happened, Juliana was treated for her injuries with Florian being informed of the situation.

Now, sorry if I rambled on for too long but yeah, that’s what happened. And the people who are close to the protags are royally screwed.

As for Liko and Ash, they’re not canon to this AU. This only has the main series games. However, in my trivia post about Pecharunt, this one should ambiguously answer your question

So, yes, he did actually do some research on both Ash and Liko on Bulbapedia (yes, that Bulbapedia). He’s even aware of other dimensions, AUs and timelines, you can see the post relating to his quotes. However, this does mean he’s aware of your ‘Kaijumorpha’ Au as well as ‘Scars of Black and White’. His main thoughts are interesting and ‘Ghetsis being Ghetsis’ respectively. Also, I would say if Kaijuran (Kaiju Kieran) and SR Pecharunt fought. It’s a one-sided beatdown for Kaijuran, details on his power level next time.

Well that’s all I have.

[aischunomelody]

Review: Geordie Greep- The New Sound

Geordie Greep sounds like a name made up for some kind of anti-drug PSA, but he's quickly become one of my favorite artists. One of the members of the now-defunct trio black midi, he recently released his debut solo album The New Sound where he fuses genres like jazz, prog rock, and samba in such an incredibly eclectic way that it's made me dust off my keyboard and start writing again. I'm convinced that with this album, he's on the forefront of, well, a New Sound, but with some caveats.

I was already familiar with Geordie indirectly through black midi, a UK rock trio comprised of Greep, Cameron Picton, and Morgan Simpson. Their song "Welcome to Hell" was put forth to me by The Algorithm after I put on the music video for Viagra Boys' "Sports" one day. Entranced by the visuals of their music video alone, I suddenly found myself playing it on repeat because it was unlike anything I'd heard before. It wasn't until I looked more into their past that I found out they popularised a mishmash of post-punk, avant-prog that came from a venue they used to frequently play- the Windmill in Brixton, South London- and it's sent me into a deeper genre hole I'm still exploring. Artists like Black Country, New Roads, Squid, and Shame fill that same space, and their manic-depressive tendencies tend to show themselves through how they sound.

On the news that the trio dissolved for the time being after three albums under their belt came the news soon after that Geordie was releasing solo music. The album's main single, "Holy, Holy" came around at the beginning of last month, and even now it makes me wanna stomp around Downtown LA like a Looney Tune- enough exaggerated confidence to be silly, but with style. That song, along with many others on the album, tackles masculine insecurity, love, and validation among other feelings. The album as a whole paints a picture of a nameless deranged protag chasing after a prostitute named Terra that he thought loved him. With each lyrical track comes different stages of both life and grief, with the last being his acceptance that Terra did not love him. It's like listening to a man burn out in real time, but catchy.

In any case, I'm hoping this kind of sound becomes more popular. Since my teen years, I've had an affinity for Brazil that started with the whole "come to Brazil" meme, but it's grown into an appreciation of its culture, its people, and their impact on the world. It cannot be understated how much their homegrown genres like bossa nova and samba are incredible and starting to gain a footing in Western music again like the Mod 60s. Greep's album wouldn't be the first, but artists like Laufey, Billie Eilish, and even Mitski have been getting into the sound and it sets the stage for more thought-out and methodical music with calm timbres and hearts worn on sleeves. You can say that much for this album, but you can also add a little bit of the manic-depressive tendencies and raw aggression that comes with black midi's music.

All-in-all, we're all in for a saudade for the future. While not the newest sound under the sun, everything old is new again, and music is better for it. Hopefully it doesn't disappear after a while.

[chromatophorium]

So. Watched Deadpool and Wolverine. It was good. I liked it for the most part.

The references to other Marvel characters were just a bit much, in my opinion. Well, not all of it. Just the characters that didn't really establish some kind of relationship between them and the main cast.

Spoilers under the cut

So, characters that didn't establish relationships between them and the main cast was what bothered me the most.

Like, that bothered me even more than characters I had no idea who they were but then established a relationship with the main cast. Like Blade (and to a lesser extent Electra). He (and 'the others'-crew) established a motivation and ally-relationships with the protagonists and the two different villains, and it worked.

Compare that to the Deadpool Corps. I know these characters from when I read some of their comics. But they just don't build a relationship to the protagonists (or really an understandable motivation either!?). They just show up, are antagonists for some reason, have a fight scene (which admittedly had some redeeming qualities*) get 'defeated', get up again then get pacified by 'Peter ex machina'. And they don't even properly establish the relationship between Peter and the Corps! Oh, "everyone has a Peter", what does that mean, in a multiversal context???? Do they all have the same relationship to Peter, one of adoration and deep friendship? Couldn't they just have added some more feeling to it, like "oh I've missed my Peter so much!" in the background or something, instead of just admiration that pacifies the whole Corps as quickly as they became antagonistic? (This criticism does obviously not apply to Dogpool and Nicepool! They established relationships and motivation.)

But yeah. Cut that whole Deadpool Corps shit out, it was just boring. Or focus more on it, one version of a character VS a whole drove of other versions of that character can obviously work, Across the Spiderverse pulled it off. But there the motivations of the group as a whole and the groups relationship to the version of Spiderman they fight/chase is established in several scenes.

But here? They're teased once in the first half of the movie (without establishing anything about them other than 'avoid them' with no further explanation of why), then they show up in the right before finale, and like I said before, had no real reason for fighting the protagonists or to stop fighting the protagonists.

So yeah. Cut it. They had nothing to do with the rest of this movie. I'm definitely pretending it didn't happen.

Also, okay, in one way I liked that Deadpool and Wolverine just showed up like nothing happened after being the short circuit. Funny, I guess. Undercuts the tension tho, and the honestly pretty genuine emotion of the climax. I would love to have seen some more genuine and emotional reaction to them surviving. And maybe a scene of them like, hurt and regenerating before they show up unbothered. (Doesn't even matter if their clothes are a bit more destroyed in the blast to show that they are more hurt and then when they get back up to have that which we saw in the movie. We saw during the whole movie that clothes damage doesn't exist in the next shot.)

The movie is overall nice though. I'll juhave to wait for the YouTube videos breaking down all the references and watch it again maybe. The first two were better in my opinion tho.

*About the fightscene. The camera angle was interesting and there was cool and funny choreography. The bus was a nice setting, and the shattered windows helped focus one's eyes to the action. I guess that it was one long shot was also impressive. The vfx were cool! (always praise them vfx! These artists don't get as much credit as they deserve and they get treated poorly by big studios!!!) Though the "checkovs golden desert eagles" weren't enough to help me tell protag-Deadpool apart from the rest. Maybe him losing his mask would have worked more, since his bald head takes up more space on the character and people have instinct to look at people's faces as one of the first things? Idk. Before the last cool vfx slowmo shot he could have grabbed someone else's mask or something, there are many masks available after all.

[junoniadoesart]

Meet Kligekylk!

He’s an original kaiju I’ll be using in a story idea I’m working on (Placeholder name: Kaijuwatching. It has influences from the early MonsterVerse, The Kaiju Preservation Society, Pacific Rim, Godzilla (2000) and Cloverfield. It’s based off of a concept called kaijuwatching, which functions as being similar to a combo of birdwatching and storm chasing).

As for Kligekylk, he’s the main antagonist kaiju. Since kaiju in this story will be of ambiguous sentience, it’s not sure why he’s rampaging, but it’s heavily implied that he’s sapient and just being a jerk to us little bugs ‘cause he can (not at all inspired by a childhood bully who would step on bugs in front of me because he knew it would upset me /s)

Klige is based off of hagfish, olms, viperfish, frilled sharks, and so on! Earlier concepts included insp from chimaeras and some of Beebe’s unidentified bathysphere fish, especially the “pallid sailfin” and “giant dragonfish”. Kaiju who went into him include Shin Godzilla’s earlier forms, Zilla’98, some of the Pacific Rim kaiju, and the Cloverfield monster. His name (which is a placeholder I may end up keeping) is a combo of the German word for “blade” and the Russian for “tooth”. Allegedly. A friend got that off Google Translate when I was asking around for name ideas.

The bird monster up in the upper right corner that he’s fighting is named Nauhanokka as a placeholder name (yes I know that’s Finnish for ribbon-beak and makes little sense, but it sounds nice for now). She’s the protag kaiju, based off of secretary birds, herons, hoatzins, Rodan, Mothra, and Litra. More on her later if people show interest. She was designed first, and Klige was designed to contrast her.

As for Klige’s abilities, he has hagfish slime (not sure if I wanna make it toxic or not). This makes him incredibly hard to grab or bite down on, and grants him some protection from fire and heat based attacks! He’s a slippery lil guy :D his teeth are also sharp, and he’s a very fast and agile swimmer. Slower on land, though. His biggest drawback is not having any ranged attacks (yet). He also has a standard kaiju’s durability, and seems to be immune to depressurization/the Blobfish Effect, allowing him to function at surface-level waters and even on land, even if he prefers the deep. His weaknesses include bright light (blinds him) and getting dried out if he’s out of the water for too long!

That’s all so far!

@fishyfishyfishtimes because you liked my Manda ideas and I thought you’d be interested in another feesh kaiju!

[sezez]

Now, here is Part 2:

The Protagonist is gonna shoot down Catnap:

Okay, the moment I saw the Flare gun hand... I know for a fact we're boutta have fun with this one.

And it's main mechanic is to fire it so we can see what's hiding in the dark and scaring away any enemy that comes near us.

So, why did I think the Protag is gonna shoot Catnap?

Well, if you didn't notice, at the end of the trailer during Catnap full reveal we hear a child screaming as gunshots are being fired.

I assume the sound is from a VHS tape, possibly showing what happens to kids who misbehave or even the experiments failed to do what it's told.

But I think it's the Protag shooting Catnap, because we all know by now that the Protagonist is gonna kill every main antagonist in every chapter.

For example Huggy Wuggy and Mommy Long Legs, so what makes you think Catnap is any different?

And can you imagine this?

As the Protagonist shoots Catnap to take him down, Catnap starts to scream in pain and his voice is that of a child. And maybe to make this more impactful is to have Catnap speaking, possibly begging the Protagonist to stop hurting him because he's already is so much pain.

A child is talking, guiding the Protagonist through the phone:

I notice that in the trailer for Phase 3 of Project: Playtime, a child's voice is heard. They're talking about how the experiments are left behind like a misfit toy and we have no idea who this child is.

And now, in the trailer, we hear them again. (Or atleast, I think so. Idk if they're the same voice)

This time they're talking about the Playcare being Catnap's church, hunting ground and he can do whatever he pleases.

And I'm starting to think that this child is the one talking to us through the phone, the phone that was gifted to us from a third-party. And I'm not sure if this child is a human or an experiment, because there's no way for a child to stay as a child and survive in the factory for 10 years since it's shut down.

So, I bet this is an experiment, perhaps maybe they are human but are on life support to stay it alive...?

Dogday might become the Protagonist's ally:

In the first trailer, we saw a Bigger Body of Dogday chasing the Protagonist in a playground. And there was a scene of Dogday tied up as man explains what Catnap does to heretics.

And it's worth pointing out that the voice actor for Harley Sawyer, aka The Doctor said he is proud to have voiced Dogday. So that means that Dogday can talk to us. And if you remember correctly, at the end of the second trailer, we hear a man talking again and is welcomed the Protagonist home.

But why would I think Dogday is gonna be our ally?

Well, if you haven't notice, during the what seems to be a chase scene of the bigger Dogday, the Protagonist doesn't have the Flare-Gun Hand out. Unlike the scene where the Protagonist shot the flare gun at a plush Dogday.

So, I think that Dogday is gonna be our ally and I think he'll be following us around. But since his legs doesn't seem to work, maybe he has a tight limit to helping us.

All the while he explains to us about Catnap and what happened to the toys he punishes.

And I do believe that Harley Sawyer isn't Dogday, because this could be like the 'Stella Greyber is Poppy' theory. They may share the same voice actor, but they're not the same person in-game.

[averyangrypossum]

☆ ☆

Updated versions of a drawing I did for my main char for a comic/written series I have going on, but now with an added character!

The first picture is Jessie Miller, one out of two protags and kind of the main focus. She was originally a self insert I started using for roleplaying with piggy OC's (Yes the Roblox game piggy) and she eventually evolved over time to change into a standalone character.

The second picture is the second protag, Chase (last name pending). Which, fun fact, was an charcter created by a rp friend of mine a while back. He has in fact let me use this character but most of the character's traits and design stay true to his original concept since, hes technically not mine.

I did tweak few things that would better fit the story I'm telling but other than that, most of his details were already pre existing!

This project of mine is still in the works, still figuring out all plot points and characters since I have a habit of changing big plot points after it already started. The placement title for this project is "The Safehouse Paradox", I say placement since I'm still not sure on the title. And with that, thats the basic of what this project has to entail. And maybe, if you find yourself a bit interested in this little project I have going on, I'll even write a quick synopsis!

Until next time ~☆

[actuallyastingray]

Horror Game Concept - First Person Survival Horror

Off the beaten path from my usual posts, but I wanted to put this down in writing after waking up from a very vivid nightmare. I thought about it and realized, "this would make an awesome idea for a horror game". For the record, no I didn't dream this entire concept. I dreamed about 60% of it and then lay awake for the rest of the night both spooked out of my mind and going over the finer details.

The Intro: A group of four college friends decide to go camping overnight at a nearby lake. During the late evening, the protagonist dons a pair of night vision goggles and sets off for a solo hike to get some pictures of the night life. The protag stumbles across what appears to be a maintenance hatch buried in a nearby cliff and is later attacked by a pair of vaguely rodent-like creatures who knock them down the tunnel. Queue the tutorial as the player learns to navigate the pitch-black bunker with the night vision googles, circumvent the two beasts, and turn on the power which scares away the two creatures. Returning to the campsite via the hatch, the protag finds more of the creature chasing their friends through the woods and brings them down the hatch to safety. Now sealed in, the foursome must figure out how to survive...

...THE UNDERGROUND.

The Setting: Over the course of the game, the player will learn more about the place they find themselves within. The bunker is a secret research laboratory set up by a local shady pharmaceutical company to run tests on animals. Information will reveal that a fictional local mushroom has a unique way of propagating during dry seasons. When the fungal spores are inhaled too freely, they burrow into the nervous system and produce a rabies like effect on the victim. The victim turns not only feral but cannibalistic, even if they were previously herbivorous, feeding relentlessly before dying off and creating a surplus of fertilizer for the spores to grow on. Historical accounts from Native Americans that lived in the area outlined stories of all sorts of animals going wild with hunger but noted that the effects do not occur within humans. The pharmaceutical company has been experimenting with test animals in an effort to synthesis a drug/stimulant for the military.

The Objective: The protag soon discovers that the creatures will not enter the basement due to the lights being on, but soon discovers that the power is out across all of the other floors, explaining the mass outbreak. Acquiring some blueprints in the basement shows that the bunker has a main entrance on the highest floor which can only be opened by the CEO when he enters every morning, as well as telephone lines on the upper floors as well. Having the only pair of night vision goggles, the protag resolves to find a safe way up to the highest floor in order to warn someone of the potential pandemic. Since the power is out across the entire structure, this means the protag must put themselves in harm's way to find a way out. All this must be completed before the CEO arrives at 4:00 am and unlocks the doors. Due to the seasons, the sun will still be down and the creatures will escape to terrorize the local town.

Completing a floor is as easy as finding the right punch code to the lift which unlocks the next floor. Thus, completing the game can be rather easy, if you are fine with the consequences of letting a pandemic of rapid monsters escape into the local town with you. Getting the right code starts out easy but soon becomes more of a puzzle the higher you go. The floors will get larger, the creatures more numerous, and false codes will be left to throw off your game. Don't even think about cheating the code, the resulting security alarm of putting in the wrong numbers will be an absolute dinner bell.

The Mechanics: The protag has a few ways of dealing with the creatures.

First and foremost are the night vision goggles which, due to the creature's poor eyesight, means you can see them before they see you. The googles will need to be recharged however, take too long on one floor and you'll lose your element of surprise. The goggles have a decently long lifespan, and the battery life is just meant to stop people from cheesing out creatures while adding a sense of urgency.

During the tutorial, the protag used their camera flash to disorient attacking creatures. The camera is an old 1950's Kodak gifted by distant relatives and packs quite a powerful flash. Unfortunately, it is not in pristine condition, meaning it only has a limited number of uses before it "breaks" and has to be fixed in a lit area. The camera is effectively your lives, it is only used when you are located and attacked by a creature and automatically stuns the attacker and all surrounding creatures allowing you to escape. Run out of camera flashes and its game over

In a unique stroke of luck, the protag discovers that the main means of entertainment in the bunker were dart boards. Throwing darts allow the player to create noises elsewhere, luring creatures away from objectives or throwing them off your scent. On their own, they don't make much noise, but you can get creative with them by knocking objects off shelves, shattering ceramics or glass, or pushing buttons. Obviously, they are a limited resource, but can be picked up once used. Don't for a second think of them as a weapon though, you'll regret it.

Not initially aware of the protag's presence in their hunting groups, the creatures can easily be lured away with darts or other means of causing noise. However, once they start hearing things they will soon go hunting for the source and will not stop until they find you, and you'll need more than throwing darts to trick them. Creatures who are visible have an "alertness" level that gradually grows the more noise the player causes. Louder noises generate more alertness and creature will become more dangerous the higher the alertness level is. The tiers of alertness are:

Foraging: Creatures are generally unaware of the players presence. They are less likely to respond to softer noises but will react strongly to louder noises. In Foraging mode, creatures can only detect the player if they close within a certain distance. Foraging creatures are less likely to wander.

Alert: Creatures are alerted but not fully aware of the player yet. They are more active in exploring and will respond more acutely to softer noises. If a creature has not yet entered Hunting mode, its detection radius will not change from that of Foraging mode and the alertness meter will decay over time. If the creature has previously entered Hunting mode, the detection radius will be somewhat increased, and the alertness meter will take much longer to decay.

Hunting: Creatures are aware a potential meal is nearby and will seek it at all costs. While Hunting, creatures will ignore soft noises, will attempt to track the player if possible, and will be much more active. A hunting creature will also start to raise other nearby creatures to Alert and then Hunting mode. Hunting creatures will never exit hunting mode on their own and the detection radius is greatly increased during this time.

Noise can be anything from shattering china, slamming doors, knocking over books, or setting off the elevator security alarms. The louder the noise, the more creatures you will lure with them. Don't take this system for granted; in the scramble to escape, the bunkers inhabitants left many unwitting traps for you to accidentally alert the creatures. Broken glass on the floor, cell phones spontaneously ringing, televisions and radios turning on at inconvenient times, and that stupid jack-in-the-box mascot who is everywhere and pops out with a terrifying giggle. Watch your step.

Scattered around the bunker are what appear to be blood bags, but not the hospital variety. These resemble water balloons but made of somewhat more durable materials. It's not clear whether these were used to feed the creatures or if these were parts of other experiments. Regardless, the creatures LOVE them. When thrown and subsequently burst on impact, the smell of fresh blood with drawn any nearby creature to the spray to consume the spilled blood. This is the only way to pacify Alert or Hunting creatures and throw them off your scent. These blood bags are not easy to come by, so use them sparingly.

In addition to the main objective of finding the punch codes, each floor has a backup generator. It becomes apparent that whatever or whoever let the creatures out also sabotaged the generators, but not too badly that you can't get them working again. Generators require much more scrounging, sneaking, and noisemaking than finding the code, but by turning them on the power will return to the floor and with it the lights. All creatures on the floor will die as a result and will lets you explore it to your leisure. Like I said, you will need to complete many more objectives, circumvent many more dangers, and enter rooms that you wouldn't normally need to in order to turn them on. While you can return to floors at a later date to try you hand at the generator again, more creatures will have moved in since you left making it even more of a challenge. Do you think it's worth the risk?

The creatures: These former test subjects have completely overrun all the other floors of the bunker. Most of them are local wildlife captured and experimented on by the pharmaceutical company. While they no longer have a means of escaping via the basement hatch, getting out means entering into their newly established territories. Due to the neurological damage created by the spores, the creatures are almost completely blind, and hunt and attack based on sound. They are incredibly light sensitive to the point that significant exposure causes death by heart attack. The player possesses night visions meaning you can see them, but they can't initially see you. Any sound or indication of potential prey however will put them on alert, and you had best hope they don't find you before you get out. All creatures bear signs of the parasitic fungus; usually in the form of larger teeth, mange, blind milky eyes, but some also show signs of genetic tampering from the company. While they cannot be killed directly, the player can trick them to their demise in a variety of ways. Some rooms still have residual power or can be temporarily powered by messing with wire and fuse boxes on the floor. The player can turn rooms into one use death traps to blast deadly light at any creature inside. Bookshelves and counters can be knocked over to crush unsuspecting victims and power cables can be triggered to electrocute anything that walks across them. Just be advised that any dying creature will alert everything else on the floor with its death scream, so be prepared to run rather than savor your victory.

Types of Creatures:

Rats are the basic enemies, although they are no longer small rodents you are familiar with. The companies experiments have mutated them into larger than normal creatures about the size of beagles. Rats usually come in pairs, and later in groups of three, so keep your eyes peeled for the whole pack.

Pigs are your typical juggernauts; they will idle about until alerted by sounds, upon which they charge blindly towards the target. Pigs are quick to enter Alert mode are take longer to return to foraging.

Desert hares are about the same size as rats but have much more sensitive hearing. They will respond more acutely to distant or softer sounds. While Alert, they will also pause to listen for the player, triggering a notice to stand still. Any movement during this time will rapidly raise their alertness meter.

Dogs introduce a new challenge. While Alert and Hunting, they will enter tracking mode in an effort to locate the player directly. With their enhanced noses, they can follow the players trail directly and it will take either a blood bag or a lot of noise to distract them from their quarry. They will only track for a set amount of time in Alert mode, but while Hunting they will pursue the trail until they find you.

All creatures make a noticeable amount of noise, enough for the player to usually hear them in the next room. Bobcats however make far less noise that other creatures and, once Alert, will often enter a stealth mode where they not only cannot be heard, but will sit immobile on the chance that the player blindly staggers into them. While immobile during stealth mode, their detection radius is greatly increased forcing the player to keep their eyes peeled.

Raccoons are crafty little sneaks. They can usually be found loitering around objectives in groups of two or three making them a direct hazard. However, once Alert, they will spread out and seek areas that the player frequents. They will be more vigilant in searching areas and take longer to leave. Alert raccoons establish patrols in areas in which they have heard noise. Be on guard facing these little devils.

Opossums try a less direct trick. Instead of hunting you directly, once Alert they will crawl into vents and airducts and wait for you to walk past. If they detect you, they will spring from the vent in a jump scare that requires a camera flash to shake off. They cannot enter Hunting mode and quickly leave Alert mode faster than other creatures. It is also easy to hear them inside a vent, due to their growling and hissing that indicates "do not pass".

Native Americans told stories about Wendigos that once roamed the woods during the dry seasons. It's easy to see this is just a mutant deer heavily infected with spores. You will only ever face this enemy once on the top floor acting as the "final boss" encounter as the player tries to complete the game. The confrontation lasts over several areas, such as rows of office cublicles, the cafeteria, and finally the halls of the head offices. Much more mutated than other creatures, it can stand upright on its hind legs for short timeframes, allowing it to better sense the player and giving extra speed while chasing. The Wendigo can also leap long distances allowing it to close the gap either down hallways or jumping over obstacles. The Wendigo starts on Alert and gradually begins to enter hunting mode over time, putting the encounter on a timer. As the encounter goes on, it will regularly call other creatures from the vents to assist it. Fortunately, this is a convenient distraction as the Wendigo will attack other creatures while in Hunting mode if it cannot detect the player.

The Huntress is only encountered on missions that involve returning to floors to complete side objectives with other survivors. A mountain lion with severe mutations, she is the only creature present during these encounters and can use abilities that all other creatures use (minus tracking). She is permanently in Hunting mode and cannot be killed. Instead, the player and the survivor must survive her for a set amount of time until the lights come back on and she is driven away.

The Company: It becomes clear over the course of the game that this outbreak is mere hours old, if not within the hour. Survivors are present across the dark halls and rooms. Rescuing a survivor adds another body to look out for and is not needed to complete the game. This mechanic is present for completionists, lore hunters, and lawful good players to have an additional challenge to the game. Survivors can be instructed to stay in one place, follow, or hide. All of whom are scientists (don't expect security guards with pistols) whom if rescued, will provide additional lore and clues about the company and its research. Rescuing is half the challenge, they will also request to be taken back to specific floors once the generators are turned on in order to gather their research, which they will then share will the protagonist for additional lore. Somehow (for reasons soon to be revealed) the power will cut out on these floors during these missions for a set amount of time requiring the player and scientist to both survive until the generator comes back. Leaving a floor without rescuing a survivor or turning on the generator results in all survivors on that floor ending up dead on future visits.

The Finale: Admittedly, my nightmare didn't get to this part, but I spent the remaining three hours of my night mulling this idea over while waiting for the sun to come up. Fully unlocking all lore and saving the scientists reveals the true culprit of the outbreak. All the scientists will hint of a disgruntled and somewhat disturbed janitor who is a recent hire, with a history of dishonorable discharge from the armed forces, untreated mental issues, and religious fanaticism, all of which combine to make a very unstable cocktail. The outbreak began as a result of the janitor sabotaging the He did this expecting the CEO to open the bunker in the morning and release the creatures into the world. Completing the final encounter with the Wendigo results in the creature crashing through the glass window of his hideout and immediately tearing him apart. The sparking light fixtures would flare on and kill the Wendigo in the process. Afterwards, the endings would play out depending on the players choices.

The Endings: Dependant on the players choices in completing the side objectives; saving survivors, finding documents, turning on generators.

Ending #1 Speed runners Ending: No survivors saved, no documents aquired, no generators fixed. The protag and their freinds baracade themselves in the CEO's office to hold off the creatures. They recieve a voicemail from the CEO reminding his secretary that its Friday and he will see her after the weekend. The still alive Wendigo then bursts in and presumably kills the protag and friends. This ending is meant to troll people who do zero side objectives and just speed run.

Ending #2 Outbreak Ending: Between 1-50% of objectives completed. The protag and friends try to send a distress call from the CEO's office but do not have clearance to use the phoneline. Perspective then shifts to the CEO who is walking up to the bunker in order to open it. He is listening to several garbled voicemails from the night before, including one presumably from the protag and friends pleading for help before hanging up and inputting the door code. He is promptly overrun by creatures escaping the building.

Ending #3 Freedom Ending: Between 51-75% of objectives completed. The protag and friends are unable to use the phone lines to call for help. Instead, one of the resuced scientists uses the CEO's code to open the bunker. As the protag and friends escape, they hear animal calls behind them and take cover as the creatures stampede out of the bunker down towards the town. Everyone survived the underground, but for how long?

Ending #4 Pariah Ending: Between 76-99% of objectives completed. Enough of the bunker was cleared to prevent a mass outbreak when the doors unlock. However, the CEO uses his influence and money to have the protag and friends arrested for trespass and discredits their names. Despite best attempts, nobody in the town believes the story about the bunker and the incident is hushed up as a chemical spill in the woods. The credits reveal the protag and friends moved out of the town later to go to college. The protag is shown reading a news report about escalating animal attacks in the area surrounding the town.

Ending #5 True Ending: All objectives completed. With the help of various scientists, the protagonist is able to contact the authorities ahead of the CEO's arrival as well as spend the rest of the night releasing documents onto the internet about the experiments conducted at the bunker. The national guard and local authorities are present when the bunker is unlocked and bear witness to the horrors within. A lengthy court case ensues, and the CEO is sent to prison with the company going bankrupt. Scene changes to several years later, the protag is revealed to have become a park ranger for the woods around the town. They revisit the now decaying remains of the bunker and recall that everything was dug out and scrubbed clean, but still refuse to stay in the park after sundown.

I know this sounds like a cross between Outlast and Resident Evil, but I thought it's a good tribute to you horror fans who like these kinds of things.

[a-daks]

Dr. Weller: You CAN age out of the program

Me: ah that's how they don't have to use all the a-listers for more than a few seasons max

[epicspheal]

One of the things I really appreciate about Pokemon is how they’ve allowed some rivals to actually achieve protagonist level feats. It’s honestly very rare in media to have the rivals to accomplish things that protagonists do. It’s usually they can never catch up, or if they are ahead they lose when it counts and then just never recover...always being relegated to second best. But literally right off the bat from gen 1 we get Blue who becomes champion before Red/Leaf do. Even if Red/Leaf do beat him soon after there’s no discounting he was a hall of famer before them. And fast forward to SM/USUM where he holds the title of battle legend, a title only shared with Red (a protagonist). Even in Let’s Go we see this with Trace who becomes champion before Chase/Elaine doing, paying homage to the blueprint that Blue had laid out before him. (To be clear I’m not counting Hau because although he’s the final battle in USUM, he wasn’t actually champion in the main line games...unfortunately. Really would’ve preferred to see Hau be the first champion of Alola over the protag who came from Kanto but I digress) Going to gen 8 we have our boy Hop who actually manages to acquire one of the box legendaries canonically in the game. While true there are other characters who may get a legendary (like Gladion) it’s a whole different ball game to catch a legendary that is on the game cover. Like those are typically deemed only for the “worthy” (i.e. the protagonist) or in “the villain wins” AUs (like we see with the whole Rainbow Rocket situation) so seeing Hop get either Zacian/Zamazenta is such a cool moment. (And yes I know Silver does get Ho-Oh in Pokemas but since that’s a Pasio specific event and not something that happens in GSC/HGSS I can’t count this either unfortunately) And last but definitely not least is our boy N. Who achieves both getting a cover legendary in Zekrom/Reshiram AND becomes champion (even if he doesn’t take the title officially he did beat Alder fair and square).  Now I know Pokemon is not really lauded for its writing (and I too have many complaints on how they handle certain plots). But I will say that Pokemon is truly underrated when it comes to how it buck the trend with rivals starting from day 1. 

[rainbowtoothpick]

Br0ken Colors is pretty good..

All three main-adjacent guys have variety between them and seem to have their personalities set up to give a strong impression from the get-go. It's pretty smart. You know right away which dude you'd be interested in and there's enough variety between them to BE interested.

More thoughts.

This game is not going 'easy'. Heh, it's already whipping out the hard hitting stuff even in a short demo. Since it cites Boyfriend to Death and starts with a Strade poster.. I think I know what I'm getting into here and I'm all for it.

Some of the things protag says at the computer are way too similar to the things I say to myself so.. mood.

I'm digging how almost masochistic the protag is. Already responding pretty positively to a creep like DG. I gotta say I totally empathize and it would be super interesting if this pays off later on. Perhaps mindbreak doesn't even need to happen.

I have no idea what the worldbuilding is yet but it sure seems like the city is an absolute nightmare and I'm all for it. When there's just casual destruction, casual murder sprees AND DG kidnaps me so impulsively? Yeah, that's great. I'm hoping for more solid-ish world building later on.

DG is pretty interesting and I want to know what his game is. Guess all that 'joking' isn't really joking if he's willing to snatch someone up. Wonder if it's sadism or yan? Probably the former judging by content warnings.

Damon is cute. Liked the POV change to him. It's a nice change and the writing in those sections were lovely.

I swear to GOD I wanna date the smarmy asshole co-worker. Mostly because that's just my type. Obviously.

So.. pretty positive thoughts. There's a bit of a weird problem where the demo doesn't recognize certain scenes I had already seen. The chase and kidnap never registered in spite of seeing it multiple times. I think it's a ren'py issue and it's not the first VN that's had this problem on this engine. I think it's something to do with certain dialogue being different even if the scene mostly isn't. Hope something is tweaked around with that because I think it COULD be a problem later on with more to skip.

Since the game is a hobby project it could be a long wait but I think it's worth trying out all the same. I don't mind a nice wait as long as there's something cool later. Hope it pulls through.

and DG is my husband.

[werewolfinthelivingroom]

Rating Different Versions of Will Blake

Because Fever Swamp Brain is real

Official

OG Book: Not much to say, he was clearly just a dude. A guy alright. Twist is there just because we need a twist, but you can feel a good chunk of personality whenever Cassie antagonizes him.

8 R.L. Stines/10

Graphix: Great design since the art style is killer, and absolutely love the way it’s more obvious here that he’s actively interested in Grady for some reason. The gay undertones are slowly becoming apparent.

10/10

OG TV Show: Will’s actor has to take on both Will and Cassie’s roles in the story since Cassie got cut, but he really does bring Will to life as a character. He’s a more active threat, even if he canonically dies in this version. The eclipse scene though? * Chef’s kiss * absolutely gay as hell, if Will Blake was in Twilight (and the actors were all the same age) he would’ve bagged Bella AND Edward. 

11/10

Movies: My personal headcanon is that the monsters in the Manuscripts are beta versions of the characters in the official books, and this is why almost none of them match their book versions in either personality and design. The design is absolutely killer, but it’s obviously not the twelve-year-old if his six pack and tattoo weren’t obvious enough. Even the branding makes it clear that this is “The Werewolf of Fever Swamp” as a character, rather than Will Blake.

If he was a character in the book I can totally see him as like, Will’s cooler older brother who’s also a Werewolf and maybe Will would have less trauma in my fic.

0/10 as a Will, but 10/10 as a Design.

Horrortown: Just like Bart.

IDK maybe the designers just saw the word “flat-top” and went buck wild, I would believe his character design belonged to CONAN before Will Blake (ToT). Personality wise, he’s straight ;^; also if he wants Marty to leave Courtney alone, he should just date him - boom, problem solved. When he isn’t being the “Am Am Werewolf” in Courtney King’s General direction he’s pretty fun since he’s basically a Dogboy.

6/10

- IDK if Will cameos or even gets a mention in the Fever Swamp comics besides sharing the name “Blake” with a main character. Hit me up if he ever appears in anything else. Fanfic Will’s in the Readmore.

Non-Canon

The Werewolves of Fever Swamp by Monokuma_memes(X): My own Will and I’m not deluded enough to rate my own writing, so read it yourself and make your voice heard. He’s gay and has trauma and that’s all I’m spoiling now.

?/10

You Never Grow Out of Your Goosebumps Phase by bluemandycat(X): Kickstarted me actually sitting down to write my fic, mostly because I wanted to put my own fucked up Will out there. Beware because Grady and Will aren’t really healthy at the point the protags of this fic find them, but you do feel a little bad for Will when he’s not being a dick. For what little we see of him, very interesting.

6 bullets from Cassie/10

Goosebumps United... (2014) by Lord Candycane(X): Aw yes, the Infinity War of Goosebumps/j. Not much for Will to do in this fic besides cameo every once in a while, since there are like...100 characters here. Though I do like the idea that Grady and Cassie just keep him in check like it’s their job. He also gets to be emo about being a Werewolf here! No gay undertones, since Grady holds most of them in that one chase scene.

5/10

Goosebumps United (2021) by Sweetiebuttons(Ao3:X and FFN:X): Okay, so SB made a fic based on Candycane’s fic(basically their own take on the idea) and just went hamwild. It’s crossposted on FFN and Ao3 but for some reason under different names and also FFN has more chapters uploaded(maybe they’re retooling the fic for ao3??). SB portrays him much more sympathetically, sometimes to a kinda cheesy degree? Honestly. it’s pretty endearing in a “webkinz milk cat” kind of way. Absolutely love him becoming friends with people that did this to him:

Not to expose myself for having terrible taste as a kid, but I like the touch of comparing Will to another gay-coded werewolf. Will gets to meet other werewolves and it’s definitely fascinating to think how he’s the only lycanphobic werewolf in GB canon - there’s even some more Fever Swamp lore based on what little we had in the first United fic. I do like how Will is now the straight man and just has to deal with constant BS from his fellow werewolves, and I especially like the idea of Will not being comfortable with how gung-ho Grady is about being a werewolf. 

The dialogue is kinda confusing, and Will just goes all over the place and never finishes the interactions so we don’t get much. But I do like the ideas that are presented here.

6/10

Werewolf of Fever Swamp by sweetie buttons(X): Okay this fic is a revisionist piece on Grady having a Father/Son relationship with the Swamp Hermit, and Grady doesn’t become a Werewolf. Will is irrelevant in SB’s sequel to this fic, but for what was shone he sticks closely to his book counterpart. Except for the reveal, because like...Will did not even feel like he wanted to eat Grady. Like every description of him felt like Will wanted to cry and throw-up over how beautiful his boyfriend is. This Will would’ve bit Grady on purpose 100% and the Hermit and [REDACTED] were homophobic to get in the way of that/j.

5/10

Welcome to Goosebumps High by DanielDaponte(X): Not much to say, its Monster High but Goosebumps and it got put on permanent hiatus. But Will shows up for one chapter, now an adult and the school’s gym teacher(C.E. Teacher??), which is honestly the funniest thing that has happened with the character. I also forgot about the main character thirsting after him, which is doubly funny.

10 Werewolf Thirst Traps/10

The Goosebumps School(and it’s many sequels) by SquadMemberK17(X): This series is so fascinating, I could go on about how bonkers the sequels get and how weirdly engaging this self-ship fic about the hat guy from the Dead House live action episode. Like, a bunch of Goosebumps protags are brutally murdered in this fic it is so mindboggling. BUT we are here for Will and he’s a side character in the MC’s friendgroup, in fact, he’s the first person she meets. Will is weird because the author has a bunch of weird ships besides the main one with her self-insert, but Will gets paired with Hannah Stoneman from Werewolf Skin in what I can only call...Monster race shipping? Will honestly had more chemistry with the main character and Grady. Speaking of Grady!

The plot has Sarabeth doing weird shit to destroy the main character for some reason and it would take forever to explain, but one of her plans include getting the Swamp Hermit to kill the MC and Will. You see, in this canon the Swamp hermit killed Grady when he got turned and reveals Will’s past to the MC. Will then saves MC and kills the hermit, and after this traumatizing event it’s never talked about again?? Also, Grady’s cameo just involves his severed head so have fun with that (ToT). Will still had better chemistry with a Dead Grady than he did with HANNAH. 

Goosebumps Adventure by Stone-Man85(X): It took me too long to realize this fic plagiarized the Haunting Hour movie, and even a more embarrassing amount of time to realize Grady and Will don’t show up (even in the Fever Swamp chapter). This led to a rabbithole that decimated one of my non-GB discords, but as for the Fever Swamp chapter I did not expect that much homophobia to be thrown into my face. Also, RL Stine is a real person in this fic and dies in the first chapter.

-85/10 a plague upon the Author’s house.

- I’m not talking about the fic where a dude’s fursona has a yaoi moment with the Movie version of Will. Or the Wattpad selfship fics.