#because I'm playing through the Church route and it hurts

[yuikomorii]

Helloo! I don’t know if you remember me but I sent you once something about Yui in LE and now, after I played some routes, I can confirm that she’s my last fav Yui. 😬

// I have a complicated relationship with LE Yui, haha. I appreciate her for being more lively than CL Yui, but she mostly gave me the ick because she was definitely one of the most annoying LE characters.

I typically don't mind characters that are represented as jerks and upright mean, since you know what to expect from them, but I really dislike when characters who are portrayed as goody-shoes, do such messed-up and morally wrong things.

When I first went through LE, I didn’t start with Ayato’s route, given that I heard from many people about how tough it is and I wasn't emotionally prepared, so I started with others. I didn't like how she talked ill about her lover behind his back (more than once) and how her foolishness caused her to disclose critical secrets to people she shouldn't have and get into more troubles than normal. Nonetheless, I didn't think she was too bad… until Ruki's route, where she convinced the Mukami brothers that Karl wasn't a bad person because he returned their lives to "redeem" himself when we all know he only used them as pawns. But, if I thought THIS was bad, Ayato's LE route came.

~Things wrong with Yui in Ayato’s LE route~

1. Yui tried to convince Ayato that despite the fact that Cordelia abused him, “she only did it because she cared about his future”. And then had the audacity to act surprised when he started feeling sick.

2. The main reason why Ayato didn’t want to trust Richter, wasn’t necessarily his trauma, but the fact Richter actually hurt Yui and, in his book someone hurting his girlfriend is unforgivable. Nevertheless, when his brothers started a scandal about Richter and all ganged up against Ayato, not even letting him express HIS point of view, Yui did nothing but stand there staring. Although, after Ayato blew up the mansion again as a result of reactive abuse, she acknowledged that his brothers attacking him like that wasn’t right, but she still didn’t say it out loud to defend him, when she knew the reason behind his actions.

3. After Reiji and Ruki became Ayato's enemies, she went to them without telling him, which made him concerned, to convey her man's sadness and loneliness. I'm sorry, but this was the dumbest plan ever, considering that it was evident they wouldn't have cared about it, and hearing such a thing made them even more eager to mock and plot his downfall. In the end, despite her good intentions, she solved nothing but made things worse, including being bitten by Reiji, which caused Ayato to lose his mind. Based on the previous events, I'm not shocked he believed she would betray him.

4. The scenes in which Ayato began acting coldly towards her were my favorite parts of his LE route. In other LE routes, after doing or saying stupid things, the disputes were resolved in the next chapter or those actions were never mentioned, but I enjoyed how she was actually humbled here. I love Yui in general, but in LE, she deserved this treatment.

5. I assumed she had learnt her lesson, given that Ayato still cared for her despite his coldness, but then she goes to the Viboras to prove herself worthy of his trust. I liked how she tried to solve something (even if she didn't), but what made her behavior even WORSE was that 1) she justified Ruki giving Ayato a hard time and joining forces with the Church to kill him, and 2) she talked ill behind her lover's back despite telling Ayato the exact opposite face to face. I understand that Ayato didn't act very king-like, but at the same time, no one truly took him seriously or believed in him. Also, idk, but she should have tried to defend him, at least this time, instead of empathizing more with someone who hurt her man—?

Credit to: dialovers-translations on Tumblr

I also find it amusing how LE is the only main DL game with no wedding at all, especially since Ayato was usually the one to marry her. I think he secretly didn't want it in LE, given that he didn’t even think of proposing. :”)

She’s definitely not a bad person though, but she kinda started acting up. I think that’s another reason why I don’t want a new game. I’m afraid they’ll ruin her even more. T-T

[woodchipp]

Currently replaying OMORI because I'm a masochist with my best friends @beevean and @the-crow-binary providing emotional support lmfao. Even despite how soul-crushingly boring it is, I think we're still having some sort of fun with this clusterfuck of a game

Highlights (and the misc. problems we've managed to spot) so far include:

I already knew that this game's length was detrimental to it during my first solo playthrough, but this playthrough is helping me put into perspective just how bloated OMORI is, even when it comes to an aspect like dialogue. For example, a single conversation between Space Boyfriend and the main cast took us approximately 5 minutes to get through, and it's not like the writing is gripping enough to make us give a shit about the characters or anything they're saying

Speaking of the dialogue, you can just see how hard it tries to be witty and Quirky™ the way Earthbound and indie RPGs like Undertale were. Needless to say, it fails horribly, and the end result of that was me having to fast-track some conversations because they were unfunny and weren't relevant at all

I got unintentionally (!) stuck in White Space for 15-20 minutes because I couldn't find the map the game needed me to find to let me open the door. Beev came to hate the repetitive 8-bit BGM the area had by the time I finally found the map lol. game_design.exe

Headspace's music is so ear-gratingly abysmal oh my god. I can only call it "dollar-store Kirby music" because that's the most appropriate description that comes to mind and I'm pretty sure Lost at a Sleepover gave Beev severe PTSD. Of course, the music of Faraway Town isn't any better: the "track" that plays in the first fight with Aubrey is less music than it is the result of an .exe file being put through an audio player. Sonic Chronicles might have some serious competition in the "worst video game soundtrack" category asdfghjkl

The plot of the Faraway Town segments is so cookie-cutter that it genuinely hurts to sit through. Character writing (or the lack thereof) aside, Sunny and Kel spend half a day loitering around the town and asking Aubrey's cronies where she is even though Kel could've easily gotten that information from Mikhael had he just indulged the latter's delusions of grandeur a little bit

Faraway Town's daytime sky is literally a scrolling JPEG of a cloudy sky. The battle backgrounds of the real world segments are edited JPEGs as well. Everyone's houses look exactly the same on the outside save for some of them being a different color. The developers spent six years and more than $200,000 on this game.

Sunny's fights against his fears are boring. You just need to wait until a particular turn when the game grants you a special skill you use to end the fight immediately. What was the point of designing these hallucinatory monsters if the player doesn't get to fight them at any point during the main route?

Aubrey (ostensibly) swinging a nail bat at Sunny is not treated with the same degree of realism as Sunny slashing her with a knife. Additionally, Aubrey rides away on her scooter just fine even though she's supposed to be bleeding

Mari's picnic baskets are inexplicably scattered all across the town and fulfill the exact same function as they do in Headspace. So much for realism!

I won two of the fights against Aubrey's goons even though I was trying to lose. gameplay.exe

Sunny is even more unpleasant than I remember. He doesn't respond to Basil - who is supposedly his best friend - when the latter talks to him, stays silent while (and after) Kel vents to him about Hero yelling at him and barges into the church despite Kel advising him to wait until the sermon ends. Why should I feel bad for him again?

Kel generally seems to treat Sunny like an actual baby, spelling out incredibly obvious things to the latter (e.g. that Sunny shouldn't be carrying a knife or walking in the road because it's dangerous) and making all of Sunny's decisions for him, to the point of not allowing Sunny to return into his own house until nighttime under the pretense of "there's so much to do! it's a brand new day!"

Finally, the "fight" against Sunny's fear of spiders comes completely out of nowhere since nothing triggered said fear during Sunny's adventures outside

Peak game, everyone.

And it's going to get way worse down the line!

[rottenraccoons]

I'm mostly asking this because this was the first ending I got when I played Obscura (and I felt super hurt after) and because I'm playing through Cirrus' route again, but after getting the Bored ending, what if we went back to Cirrus? Would it be possible to get Cirrus not bored? Could we do something to get a second chance with him? Please, I need to know! Could Cirrus be interested in us(me) again?

There's a chance yes, if you chose to dedicate yourself fully to him. He'll be impressed if you follow a strict, religious lifestyle and come to the church on a daily basis to offer prayers, participate in sermons, etc. You'll have to swallow your pride and speak to him many times. Only then will he recognize that you're hardworking enough for his tastes, and might enjoy toying with you once again.

(We apologize for our bastard of a man)

[fireemblems24]

Azure Gleam Ch 10

Onto AG Ch 10. Slowly making my way through all the Hopes routes.

MAIN STORY

Guys, I finally made AG Ch 10. Between wisdom teeth and a concert and FE Engage and other stuff I haven't had a lot of time to actually play much.

Aegir is not leading Adrestia well. It's so funny to me that so many dads got white-washed but they still left him an idiot.

So we're starting part 2. And Adrestia has gone to shit. I guess the nobles went full maniac the second Edelgard's gone. It's really a nation of sociopaths.

Rhea just said "knaves." I love that word.

Ohhh, Rhea brought up that lack of donations that Dimitri noticed in Houses, cool call out.

And they're putting it all together. Thomas, Cornelia, Thales - I love this, you guys. Dimitri and co getting to go after the people who did Duscur. Don't get me wrong, Edelgard is the far superior villain to TWSITD. And if I had to pick between the two, I'd pick her. But given that Dimitri gets two stories, I'm glad one of them gets this.

Claude is here!??? Does this mean he's not siding with Edelgard in AG? It'll be funny if he's the smartest in Dimitri's route - again.

Oh, we get a Claude and Dimitri team up? That's pretty cool. I doubt we get to use him though.

So it's cannon now that all three (church, Kingdom, and Alliance) are all weaker put together than Adrestia as one.

I also just noticed since Adrestia went full evil, that Dimitri is morally right in invading them to rescue the citizens lamo. He's really the "good boy" in Hopes. Though, he always was if you just removed the massive trauma events.

We're going to reclaim Garreg Mach! Cool.

Pretty cool seeing Rhea, Dimitri, and Claude all talking strategy.

Claude seems like he still wants to get rid of the church. But Dimitri's too realistic about it haha. The only one not living in an anime power fantasy.

Oh, cool, got some Golden Deer members playable now. And Lorenz uses his few lines to drag Claude lol.

If Rodrigue is in the West, does that mean no Rodrigue this chapter? Big sad.

MAP/SIDE QUESTS

Haha, some random merchant just said Dimitri lifted a whole ass cart out of the mud (she only later found out Dimitri did it).

This is the only route that lets Catherine and Shamir be girlfriends. By default it's the most superior.

Ingrid's alive again 😭

Interesting fact, Sylvain's mom actually really cared about Miklain.

Dedue is worrying about Dimitri and his overly enthusiastic work ethic.

I love how Edelgard is like we must have war to end nobility and promote commoners, meanwhile Dimitri is knighting and promoting commoners left and right and no one gives a shit. Meanwhile, Edelgard can't promote willy nilly because the Empire nobles will throw a fit. I wonder if she actually bothered to learn anything about Faerghus she'd realize how different it is and how they'll solve their own issues on their own terms.

SHEZ & ASHE A SUPPORT

Shez didn't get any answers about her mother.

Shez makes peace with it by saying she still loved her mother as a good mother regardless of what past she might has had.

They make some guesses what the mom's past is.

They were happy with the journey even if the destination was a disappointment (or never happened at all)

OH! Ashe got a letter at the end! But that's their A Support. So what's in the letter?????

SYLVAIN & ASHE A SUPPORT

They're learning strategies from Loog's past battles and learning more about Loog (who's pretty mysterious).

Sylvain is impressed with how smart Ashe is.

He's also jealous that Dimitri gets a knight like Ashe and offers to "steal" Ashe, but he shoots that down saying "only Dimitri." That just makes out of AG Ashe hurt worse.

Oh! Dimitri offered for Ashe to take over the land Lonato used to rule rather than always be a knight. Ashe likes that.

Ashe fawns over Sylvain's intelligence too.

I love seeing this mentor, teacher, more mature Sylvain.

ANNETTE & MERCEDES A SUPPORT

It's their only support, but at least it's A!

Since they're both nervous about the battle, they decide to chat.

Awww, I love that we're getting some details about their time at the sorcery school together. Apparently they'd chat together till dawn.

They talk about how they've stuck together through everything. Which makes outside SB Mercedes depressing.

Haha, Annette saved Mercedes from a bandit trap, but was in such a panic that SHE fell into the trap and needed Mercedes to heal her lol.

"Everything's better with you." Annette to Mercedes.

They plan to make lists of things they want to do after the war and then will do them once it ends. (if they had this discussion and then Mercedes defects, that hurts)

That was so wholesome.

MERCEDES & INGRID A SUPPORT

Ingrid is kicking ass in training, so Mercedes brings snacks to reenergize everyone.

Oh course, it tastes amazing, because it's Mercedes.

Ingrid wishes they were as relaxed around her as Mercedes, but Mercedes says that Ingrid is kind to them in a different way (mother Mercedes is here again!)

Mercedes bring up Ingrid's brothers and how it's probably like that.

Hahaha, Ingrid says she's going to show Mercedes her affection. And Mercedes is like "where is this going?!" Poor girl probably got excited lol.

You know what I also just realized? With Dimitri in charge, Ingrid doesn't feel pressured to marry. She's just a knight and living her best life and I love that for her (and we stan a king who stans women)

DIMITRI & BERNADETTA B SUPPORT

Is it petty that I feel a bit smug about Dimitri getting an Empire support but Edelgard didn't get a Kingdom one? lol

She's sneaking about and Dimitri finds her and she freaks out. So typical Bernie support lol. Poor thing trips over crates.

OMG. Bernie is like "this is the worst" and Dimitri naturally assumes HE's the worst lamo. OMG, Dimitri, baby, no. Thankfully she clears that up.

I kinda wondered why these two got a support and it actually makes a lot of sense. Dimitri doesn't sleep and Bernie sneaks out at night, so yeah they'd run into each other.

Dimitri's not offended because her being from the Empire means she's afraid of the Kingdom's king. Fair.

Bernie thinks he's going to execute her and he calls her a valuable ally instead. That's a bit sweet, not going to lie.

Dimitri then swears by his father's name, and Bernie's like "ok, I'll tell you." It's pretty funny how sincere they both are in very different ways.

Bernie exhausts Dimitri lol.

SYLVAIN & YURI C SUPPORT

Starts with the classic "..."

They're talking about Miklain. Yuri's like the rumors about his violence seem exaggerated. Sylvain's like "naw." You have no idea how much I love that Sylvain is like captain of the "stop making excuses for Miklain club"

Yuri makes it sound like Dimitri preyed on Miklain's inferiority complex to recruit him (saying uncrested people could get a chance to prove themselves).

Sylvain's impressed with Yuri's cunning.

Man, Yuri thinks Sylvain is just waiting to kill him for some reason and has a murderous smile. But this impresses Yuri. Sylvain is like "mixed messages, dude."

SYLVAIN & INGRID A SUPPORT

Ingrid's overwhelmed by noble work, which makes her appreciate Sylvain, Felix, and Dimitri more.

Sylvain responds by . . . asking her out (well, to dinner)

Sylvain said that they're "basically family" and said Felix and Dimitri feel the same way 😭😭😭😭 I can't.

Sylvain says we appreciate the things that stay the same because we can't stay in the past (or shouldn't) which is actually kinda deep for an FE support convo at least

Of course it devolves into Ingrid and Sylvain bickering about him gawking at her eating lol

Hearing them talking about how much they love their friendships and how they'll always be dear to each other makes recruiting any of trio to CF just criminal. I personally find it way more cruel to recruit them away from their homes and families than to kill them (i.e. the true way to play CF in "evil mode" is to recruit most of the Blue Lions and I will stand by that)

SYLVAIN & SHEZ A SUPPORT

Sylvain feels bad that they dragged Shez into the war, and that they only reason they're even fighting it is to keep their homes from getting destroyed.

"If we fail, we'll lose everything. Our houses, our families, the places we grew up." - see this is why recruiting them to CF is actually the evil thing to do. Then they gotta deal with that guilt.

Shez, of course, has nothing at stake unlike the Faerghus people

Poor Shez doesn't know what it's like to have a home.

I had Shez deny that it's just money she's in it for. And then calls Faerghus her home. 😭😭😭😭

Sylvain is inventing weapons. We stan a genius.

This support was seriously so sweet. It made my soft spot for both characters even bigger.

DEDUE & CATHERINE C SUPPORT

I have no idea what these two will have to talk about, but I'm still excited to see it. Maybe Dedue will try to recruit her back.

Dedue is suspicious of her because she shows up to a city where only people of Duscur are living. It's sad that he's got to be that way, but I'm excited if this support gives us more Duscur crumbs.

Neither Rhea nor Dimitri let him know what she's doing there lol, she's just helping after a big fire.

Catherine points out that the church is always helping people out, plus they feel a debt to Faerghus for giving them a home after Edelgard did her usual.

Apparently Rhea "jumped" at the chance to help. No one in the church cares that the people of Duscur don't worship the same religion, they just want to help/pay their debt.

SHEZ & INGRID A SUPPORT

I feel like I unlocked a million supports, but I'm not mad about it

Dedue put Shez on ingredient shopping duty.

Ingrid is flustered getting spotted by Shez in the market though. She looks like a deer in the headlights lol.

She's fangirling over the market since it's more lively and prosperous than Galatea.

Shez asks Ingrid to go on a shopping/eating date, but Ingrid feels she shouldn't be meandering markets as a future count.

Ingrid wants to help and protect Dimitri so bad as a knight. She also brings up her farming endings too.

I had Shez offer to help Ingrid out. She even offers to be Ingrid's personal mercenary. It's kinda cute.

Shez got Ingrid to blush a bit too. Happy Ingrid is a good Ingrid (and Shez too)

DIMITRI & INGRID B SUPPORT

It's sad that they only go to B, especially since we know how badly Ingrid want to be his knight (and has a crush on him, but like, girl, I get it, no one is immune to Dimitri)

Dimitri was planning with Duscur forces - how to use their unique fighting styles and avoid in-fighting with regular Faerghus forces

Dimitri asks her about Duscur, but Ingrid's moved on, and understands that it wasn't just Duscur.

She feels ashamed for putting it all on Duscur, and is not afraid to interact with them.

Dimitri of course blames himself for not insisting harder to Ingrid, but they were both dealing with shit. Dimitri's still upset with himself for not having the right priorities.

But like, Dimitri, even Ingrid herself says they weren't allowed to see each other (fuck Rufus).

Ingrid said she wouldn't have even listened to him. But like Dimitri just wanted to blame someone, so did Ingrid. Which, never really thought about how they dealt with it in a similar way before.

Dimitri takes her to a Duscur run Inn so help bridge the gap. She thinks she can do it with Dimitri there to help her out.

The character growth. Man, this is another missing discussion from AM that AG blessed us with. I swear AG doesn't have a single bad or boring or unnecessary or repeat support (no I'm not biased, why did you ask?)

INGRID & FELIX A SUPPORT

Felix is handing out compliments. Sound the alarm.

Aww, Ingrid has a rough battle, and Felix is worried about her.

Ingrid had Glenn's spur with her. 😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭 She says that helped her through the battle 😭😭😭😭.

Felix is obviously confused and worried that Ingrid is relying too much on remembering the dead, but Ingrid argues it can be a strength too. And Felix . . . AGREES.

GUYS 😭😭😭😭 Felix is growing up. 😭😭😭😭 He's understanding that his views aren't the only ways to exist. 😭😭😭😭

He tells her to visit Glenn 😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭 OMG, guys, he's encouraging her to keep using Glenn's memory as a source of strength and hoping she'll visit his grave and give him flowers.

Guys, he's not only understanding and accepting that people feel differently, he's ENCOURAGING them to continue using that opposite way because it works for them. Guys, he needs a cookie or something.

Ingrid is just that powerful.

Ingrid wants Felix and Dimitri - Rodrigue, Sylvain, and Gustave - and everyone to come visit and just have a festive time near his gravestone. Haha, Felix gives in too.

SHEZ & DEDUE A SUPPORT

Dedue commanding soldiers. We love to see it.

The people of Faerghus are warming up to Dedue 😭😭😭😭, the wounds of the past are healing (the soldier's mom died in Duscur)

GUYS. DEDUE ARGUED BACK. The soldier gave Dedue shit, and Dedue stood up for himself. OMG. He gets a cookie too!

Both Felix and Dedue showing real growth back-to-back supports, I can't . . . 😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭

Shez called Dedue her friend. 😭😭😭😭 Says that's why she's happy for him, because they're friends. 😭😭😭😭

Shez is determined to prove herself. Dedue says she doesn't have prove herself, that he trusts her.

Shez asks if Dedue really does despite her powers. Dedue doesn't deny that he's concerned about the powers, but it doesn't define Shez.

Haha, Dedue still adds in that if Shez ever did turn on Dimitri, he'd cut her down. Which, yeah, that tracks, which Shez agrees.

DEDUE/INGRID/FELIX PARALOGUE

3 of my favorites in one paralogue about the tragedy of Duscur. Yes please (they're also fully leveled up so I'm not broke!)

Everyone is down in the dumps because they're near where the attack took place. Probably a bit awkward with that trio.

Guys, we're in Duscur, it's exciting.

Aww, Dedue is telling Ingrid she doesn't have to fake being happy while their (because he knows about Glenn).

They're fighting Duscur :( having to put down a rebellion. Not everyone wants peace with Dimitri.

Dimitri keeps coming back in attempt to continue to make peace.

Oh, so the leader of the insurrection lead the group who killed Lambert and Glenn. This is intense.

They aren't allowed to kill him because they need information, but Ingrid wants to kill him, but won't.

Haha, that's why they didn't take Dimitri, well why he didn't go. Dimitri trusted them to handle it.

Felix said king, not boar everyone.

I can't wait to see the end of this paralogue.

Oh, we're rescuing Duscur soldiers? Glad Ingrid is a pegasus knight. She can zip around fast.

We're not killing, just subduing.

Ingrid requested this assignment to help her move on from the past.

Ingrid and Dedue put their faith in Dimitri to figure out the motivation.

Dedue wants to stop by a childhood spot that got trampled and he's wanting to see if it recovered. Ingrid asks to join him and he does. Shez also wants to come. Felix accepts grudgingly lol.

Ingrid has shown such growth in this game. I love it so much.

It's recovered 😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭 Dedue used to come there with his sister.

Dedue invites Ingrid to come back and keep checking on the field. Felix is just hanging back though. Typical Felix.

Felix says he's focusing on his duty to protect the same things Glenn did and Shez can say the lands or . . . well you know who and you KNOW which one I have to pick.

Felix says protecting Dimitri is the same as protecting Faerghus, and makes Shez swear not to tell Dimitri (well the boar but you know). I had Shez tease Felix big time by claiming she was going to run around and telling everyone lamo.

The Dimilix is real in this game.

MAIN MAP

So the Empire's going full scorched earth tactics.

Annnnd of course Dimitri's blaming himself for other's actions. He's getting all worked up too.

Oh, geeze, they killed all the citizens too. Shez says the Empire was always rough, but not this bad.

I still can't get over the fact they wrote themselves into a corner with Edelgard - either team up with TWSITD again or Dimitri and Rhea, so instead they just zapped her lamo.

Oh, that's cool, the map battle zone flipped spaces because the Western Church attacked.

Arval hoping to strike down TWSITD is rich since you know he's (she's, they're?) connected.

Poor Shez is worrying about her power again. I swear she's much better integrated in AG, then SB, and GW it's like why is Shez even there? They have no plotline.

I think my Dimitri is too strong guys. He just. Kills everything.

Myson escaped. Ohhh, now he's confronting Shez. And asking about Avral I'm assuming.

Arval makes a good point, that the power Shez has keeps saving lives. And brings up Dimitri's point that power isn't evil or good, it's how it's used.

Ashen Demon brought back up again. Arval really wants us to kill Byleth, hunh. Except this time I'm determined to recruit Byleth.

I wonder if Arval will eventually turn on us, esp once I don't kill Byleth. Because he really wants us to kill Byleth.

Rodrigue is back! My beloved.

Oh, hi Claude. Not sure where he stands with me right now. I vastly prefer the Claude who has two braincells.

Judith being alive again is good though.

I do like hearing about how Claude and Dimitri are making plans together to trick the Empire.

So our goal is to retake the Monastery. Makes sense.

xxxxx

[butchcraftwrites]

Just finished my first playthrough of Hopes and I felt both... excited AND underwhelmed? I did Edelgard's route first, and seeing Rhea drop the sword of Seiros and fucking morb was SO FUCKING COOL I almost screamed, and she gave me a tough ass boss battle.

When she saw Byleth, she was like "D: That face... Was your mother... No, if she was, why would you be fighting me?" Which like. Ouch. Ouch, that hurt. A lot.

Rhea being able to fight Thales in person and unleash the arguably fatal blow to him was also GREAT, but the game clearly felt so incomplete. Rather than allow us to play the true ending, there was just a small epilogue scroll after about how Edelgard was preparing for her final decisive battle against the Kingdom... without allowing us to partake in the final decisive battle against the Kingdom. And then the credits roll.

It took me months to play through this game, because so much of it is just dragged out button mashing for a nugget of (quite honestly) pretty enjoyable plot. I couldn't help but feel badly for Rhea though, even outside of my obvious adoration for her. This game didn't paint her as a villain in Edelgard's route as well as the first game did. You just see this woman who was like... kindly helping you and other people out of the goodness of her own heart, and then trying as desperately as possible to survive as you annihilate defense after defense.

Anyway, I'm excited to play the Kingdom route next. I really don't want to fight the Church of Seiros again anytime soon. This route just hurt.

[tamarakkoarchive]

Shin Megami Tensei II livetweet thread (5/8)

so.... beth died while barely having saying a word, daleth was a psycho and became brainwashed by an elf and gimmel failed at crypto and got offed by us

guess there's not much space for doubt that zayin is unequivocally the best character from the lab human roster

i already commented on SMT1 getting the chaos side better than other games and it goes beyond in SMT2, even gaians are depicted with much less nonsensical aggressiveness

idk what to think abt hiroko, to her credit she's given a lot more dialogue than previous heroines but her relationship with aleph still feels random

out of nowhere we get everyone in the game agreeing they are a couple when there has been no scene whatsoever that even distinguished them going from strangers to barely close to each other which we at least got in SMT1

here's my idea of a retake on belphegor: he doesn't turn him into a bishie or anything and just stays exactly the same except now he's playing on his phone while on the toilet

~

hooray we also visit the underworld in smt2!! it's the first time since pretty much the beginning that there are different bgms and graphics altogether, the agony in all those days stuck going through the same reused shit over and over can't be understated

the part where you have to help the japanese deities by building the body of masakado is the worst thing i had to endure in a smt game, even with a guide you just feel like screaming for help

imagine what i went through with MT1 and multiplay by 10 the number of items and locations

~

don't you fucking lie to me, this is the nickelodeon slime pool isn't it

OUR WAIFU HECATE HAS RETURNED for both my amusement and dismayal she's the very first boss i got game overs because the bitch drops a lot of instakills

(remember how humans are inherently immune to light in the snes games? basically she's the first boss to act actually smart and go for mudo instead. i had zero protection against it ❤️)

~

the animation of some sprites load a bit worse than others but this one takes the cake to the point it hurts my eyes

~

i can see why people like to draw aleph with a smiley face, he has a lot of goofy negotiation options lol although in my case i see him as those manly 90s kuudere bishies that unintentionally act like a clown while keeping the serious face

aleph gets church fanboys throwing money all over him while barely trying

~

only law gets normal water, if you're neutral you bathe in slime and if you're chaos go straight to the tomato soup

on this matter, i'm not worried about the options i'm picking because this time the most interesting routes for me are either law or chaos so i'm just going with whatever

that being said, this game is -awfully- biased towards law to the point i haven't been able to switch from it even once, the chaos healers are not only harder to find but they only allow your entry if you pay an 1k fee so it's quite an annoying expense in early game

~

i'm used to how toned down the series turned out to be in video game form despite the novel it originated from but this scene specifically made me go "ok if this wasn't something tailored to be allowed on a nintendo console You Just Know he would say another word instead of kill"

mind break ntr monster ass

sadly the one (1) r-rated smt with actual eroguro we got doesn't have art done by kaneko but some other rando. it's not that bad-looking compared to other guests artists but 🥺 the one chance kaneko had of going all out… poof

[paulasamuels]

What a very strange day this has been! We left Paris this morning, departing by train from the Gare St. Lazare and arriving about 1.75 hours later in Rouen. Managing 2 electronic rail passes in a web-based app with spotty internet access proved challenging, but thank goodness for screen shots of our ticket QR codes, which satisfied the SNCF agents who made their way through the train, checking tickets along the way.

The plan was to store our luggage at a Bounce location in Rouen, having already spent about $30 for the convenience of being bag-free for 4 hours. The Bounce location was closed, which left us toodling about town for 4 hours with luggage in tow (no refund yet, but I'm working on that). We had a nice lunch at Dame Cakes Salon de The', but even that required carrying our bags up a flight of steep, narrow stairs to our table. A lunch of tea with savory cakes was great, though, so all was forgiven. We visited 2 fantastic churches, took some nice photos, I had Gelato, and at last we boarded our train for Caen.

Let me start by saying that I had concerns from the start about renting a car in a moderate-sized city, but ultimately decided to do it because of proximity to the train station. My concerns were legitimate. I rented the car via Uber, which partnered with local company Sixt, who tried to sell me overpriced insurance, despite the fact that Uber provides insurance with its rentals. Finally, after sorting out the details, we were given our key and a poorly designed map to go find the car. We walked a good distance, part of it uphill, only to realize we had missed the rental car lot and had to turn around and walk back to a pothole-filled lot where we finally found the car. We inspected the car, took pictures of a couple of scratches, and were finally ready to leave, but I couldn't figure out how to get the manual transmission into reverse. Thank God for Google, where we found the answer (lift up on the little ring at the top of the boot covering the gear shift) and were on our way. While I'm expressing gratitude, let me also give a shoutout to the built-in GPS in our rental Peugeot. Without it, we might still be driving around Caen trying to find the disc golf course needed to keep William's weekly playing streak alive. After 9 holes of disc golf at the park, GPS routed us from Caen to our hotel in Bayeux.

The first thing I did when we checked in to our Bayeux hotel room was konk my head on the square edge of a hanging rack. No blood, but yikes that hurt!

The day ended on a positive note, though. We had a great dinner at a brasserie next door to the hotel, consuming an amount of wine commensurate with the challenging nature of our day. I thanked & congratulated William for maintaining his composure and sense of humor throughout the frustrations of this day. This is how you know when you've found a great travel partner, someone who can laugh at the bizarre inconveniences of traveling independently and keep plugging away, ready for the next adventure.

[klemd]

I had made my decision. 

And yet... 

Perhaps it is my naivety ー or as you might have said, my relentless optimism ー but I simply cannot help it. I cannot bring myself to hate you, no matter how hard I try.

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[dorianpavus]

Oh I absolutely have top faves (Sylvain, Felix, Dorothea, Lysithea, Mercedes mainly) but like. I see a lot of myself and my own poor coping mechanisms in Sylvain and unfortunately latched onto the ginger shithead. And UNFORTUNATELY FOR ME he and Felix are a set (same w Dorothea + Petra and Mercie + Annie) so I have had. Upsetting runs with their non AM ending or that horrible kill line if they face off against each other 🙃 I’m not a big fan of the concept of the church so I’m really glad I played BE first, it colored my perception of the rest of the routes and boy oh boy does Rhea in CF make me feel rage. Stop manipulating Dimitri Rhea it’s not nice

oh you have such good taste 😌😌😌 i LOVE those pairings/relationships too (i got the sylvain/felix ending in my first playthrough and cried like a baby lol, i hadn't even know that the characters could end up with epilogues tied to each other)

i've... luckily... never had them face off against each other because if i've recruited them it's always been together.... 😳 i have to look this up but it's gonna hurt lol. i always feel SO TERRIBLE especially playing through CF with all my blue lions kids (especially ingrid/felix/sylvain, that's sooooo brutal) and i felt beyond guilty for stripping dimitri of all his friends and support except dedue bc that seemed so fucking tragic... but at least they were all abandoning him together!! 😭

oh yeah, i don't like rhea at all lol. i mean i do as a character, not as a person (so much manipulation & certainty and righteousness in her fucked up behavior. she makes SUCH a good villain though. actually my first time playing i thought she was the big bad and all the students were gonna team up against her and the dark mages both 💀. next thing i know i'm killing ferdie and bawling my eyes out hahaha) and i wish that i could write my own endings to the routes where things end up the way i'd want them to lol. but again, at least i have fic for that 😌

[blackcatanna]

Hakuoki: The Tale of the Demon Arms of Horniness Part 3: STILL NO DEMON ARMS?!?!

I am back again to spread my bullshit. I had to take a break in the middle of my last post because I am (allegedly) a responsible adult and I had to spend ages packing up my worldly possessions so that I can finally move into the gothic church LAIR of my dreams next year.

Anyway, that is mostly done and I am on my period so, by LAW, I have to play Hakuoki. Anyway, LET THE BITCHING COMMENCE (one of these days, I am going to do one of these for Saito's route and y'all are gonna see the cold, bitch exterior crumble to reveal a pathetically hopeless fangirl)

I am so happy that I learned how to insert a "read more" thing on my phone. (It's just :readmore:)

First up: some reflection. I feel like a lot of Iba's actions are inspired by his love for Chizuru but I feel like we never get much indication of why he likes her so much. Unlike with the other routes, we don't get to see his love for her grow so much as we go through the story. He's just sooo into her from the beginning and I don't get why because she expresses, like, zero personality in his route (too harsh?)... Like, she won't try the sweet bean jelly, she doesn't want hair pins, she's reluctant to go for a walk with him. She's just so boring. And Iba has so much going for him that he's basically a Mary Sue. He just has a great life until the devs decide it's time for the torture to begin! And then Chizuru just follows him around being glum. At least, that's how I remember things going... I guess I'm just frustrated because Iba had a lot of potential but I feel like the two of them have absolutely no chemistry... Again, maybe I am being cruel to these wee anime sprites and my opinion will change as I continue this playthrough...

Anyway, WHERE THE FUCK ARE WE? Oh, we're with Saito. :) "Wasn't he hot?" Yes, Chizuru, he was

Oh, is this where we meet Sen bae? Omg, I am so not far through this game... Gonna need to stop pausing every few lines to bitch X_X

"Desist, you hooligans!" <3 This game needs more Sen! SEN ROUTE, SEN ROUTE!

"What were you going to do if they hurt you gravely?" Uh, DIED? I guess?

I do like this moment because Chizuru shows some fucking backbone! Good job, queen!

"you needn't be so uptight!" YES SEN, TELL HER!!! I just want to go for a night out with Sen and Kimigiku and have SHENANIGANS. Is that too much to ask? :'(

Ah, Souma: "He's very serious and respectful." Two boring peas in a pod (him and Chizuru, I mean)... At least Nomura is fun!

Souma's hair is so weeeeeird!

"They just wanna play with their corpses." :) :) :) Guys, this is why people like queen Itou think you need to be eliminated!

"Oh, hello, Itou. Hello to you, too, Miki..." THE QUEENS ARE HERE! ALL HAIL!

Itou is always so polite and nice to Chizuru <3

"Would all of you like to join us as well?" See?! He is so nice und friendly other than that time he was an absolute CUNT to poor Sanan :'( (I will not forget that)

"Heh, you sure are a snide one, bro..." Oh, was that just another fucking read? I thought that Nagakura was pretty insightful and knowledgeable about politics and shit...

"Oh my, what could have possibly gotten into you, little brother?" I love these two because Itou always says the opposite of what he thinks but Miki just comes right out and calls it like he sees it and Itou is just left there in despair XD <3

"Please, excuse him, my dears... I apologise." No need, Itou. I love him with my whole heart <3

"Darlings," I don't know how this game expects me to not love this man...

"He's gathering men and having secret meetings. Who knows what goes on during those meetings..." Idk but it's not like they're plotting to create an evil serum which turns their comrades into uncontrollable, bloodthirsty, insane vampires to be unleased onto the streets of Kyoto! I mean, can you imagine such a thing? That would be really bad! But would definitely require lots of secret meetings...

If the og captains are allowed secret meetings about evil shit, Itou should be allowed to have secret meetings about nerd shit! Also, HE LITERALLY (albeit shadily) INVITED YOU! THAT IS NOT A SECRET MEETING! WHAT YOU GUYS DO IN THE DEAD OF NIGHT WITH YOUR UNDEAD ARMY IS A SECRET MEETING. GOD!

"Oh, hello, Takeda..." Another trash queen for my collection <3

Awe, he wants to hang with the cool nerds so bad <3 bless him!

"Ugh... I told him to notify me when they have their next meeting." :'( </3 Itou, be nice to Takeda! If anyone needs to be called darling, it is he! Although, I guess I can understand why no one would want a pain in the ass with extortion as a hobby in their crew... Maybe Takeda is reformed now, idk! Probs not, though...

"I wonder if they're doing this on purpose, so I wouldn't join..." Awe, nooo D': This is so sad! I want to hug the seamonster! This shit is so highschool...

"I bet you anything he wanted to be Itou's lackey, but Itou isn't giving him the time of day." Takeda, the position of "liability" is already filled by Miki.

OOH! IT IS PINK! WHAT IS THIS? ARE WE IN SHIMABARA?! OMG FINALLY! TIME TO BE A THOT!!!

Oh, we're in Sumi! Cool! This pink room and suggestive music still suggests that thottery is possible >:)

"Tonight's on Sano, guys! Drink as much as you want! Forget your problems!" HOORAY!!!

"I'm gonna drink myself stupid!" -_-' Heisuke, noooooo!

"Hijikata, don't hold back; drink all you want, okay?" :) I admire Okita's efforts to get this notorious lightweight pissed :')

"I wasn't sure if it was all right of me, as a woman, to be joining them..." GIRL. LIVE. A. LITTLE. REMOVE STICK FROM ARSE!

KIMIGIKU <3

"For a moment I stared in awe of her beauty, my own sex forgotten." GAY.

"she smiled and it was like watching a flower bloom." GAY.

"Filling up on food'd just be a waste of stomach space!" -_-' CHILD, NO!

"You sound like a bum." He sounds like a student!

"Oh, I can't drink, so I'm just enjoying the food." Yas, girl! Stick to your boundaries! Enjoy things on your own terms (but you are having fun, right?)!

Bless Nagakura for making sure we're having a good time.

(side note: I haven't seen Venom but is this what it's like? A fairly reserved human (Chizuru) possessed by a chaotic trash goblin (me) who screams all the time?)

"Still, it was the first time I'd ever eaten anything expensive..." Girl, you need to go out with Iba more... After all, that's why we're here!!!

"Although to be honest, I couldn't taste much of a difference." Omg, stop bitching. Please, Nagakura, Harada, SOMEONE! Teach this stick in the mud how to have fun. GIRL, MAKE A SNOW BUNNY OUT OF RICE AND SEE IF YOU CAN MAKE SAITO CRACK! WHERE IS YOUR ADORABLE SNOW BUNNY MAKING ENERGY NOW???

"I've heard rumors that the men of the Shinsengumi were like Demons or monsters," Well, yeah... But we keep those ones locked up until we need to use them to KILL!

"But from where I sit you look a good deal more handsome than that. Almost like an actor." Of all people, she should know that demons can be sexy!

"... Yeah, I get that a lot." YES HIJIKATA!!! WERK!!! DON'T PRETEND TO BE MODEST, QUEEN! EMBRACE YOUR HOTNESS!

"Our shared appearance made me feel... Responsible, somehow." -_- ugh, lighten up! This is so stupid.

"Maybe you got possessed " XD Thanks, Okita! Can always rely on you to make me feel better!

"Maybe he was right; maybe I WAS the culprit." OMFG YOU IDIOT CHILD. YOU LITERALLY MET SOMEONE ALREADY WHO LOOKS LIKE YOU. FFS.

"Oh man... I'm just joking, kid." Yeah, these jokey exchanges are no fun when one party is such an irredeemable dumbass.

"Could you not be so gullible? It gets boring if you fall for it every time." PREACH.

"OH! I-I'm sorry...!" AAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHH!!!! >_< IT BUUUURRRRNNSSS!!!!

"She didn't look like the kind of person who would try to sabotage the Shinsengumi..." AAAAAAAAAAHHH HOW CAN SOMEONE BE SO DUMB???

"Something wrong?" Bless Hiji-mama <3

"Pfft, seriously... That fool never quits with his tasteless jokes." YUS >:) DRAG HIM!

Time for some shameless Hijikata thirsting from our heroine...

"Can't have a party without Sano's unique performance!" XD ngl, this shit always makes me laugh!

"You're so honest." Tbf, one of Chizuru's best qualities...

Omg, Nagakura's laughing at Sano is infectious XD "I'm laughing so hard I can't breathe!"

Omg, they sound so pissed...

"Toshi, that is not the way we should look at and speak of someone who's becoming the new shogun." Ah yes, advocating blind loyalty... Let's see how that works out for Kondou... X_X

"Doesn't really matter who the shogun is to us anyway. We're just here to fight for him." Sure, throw your lives away in the name of someone you don't even respect. What a good idea!

"If we do our best, that means the shogun and the shogunate are safe and secure." Could be a good thing to promote peace, I guess... Too bad it doesn't work out that way...

"Kondou and Okita were nowhere to be found." Sure are doing a great job keeping an eye on you...

"If they viewed this as me running away... They would kill me." Okay, this is ridiculous. Kondou is not going to execute you because you got lost in a crowd. Frankly, this is insulting...

Hopefully Iba will rescue Chizuru! Iba ex machina!

"I must find them!" Girl, you know where they're going and you know the way home. Chill a wee bit..."

"I had found myself around a back alley," ....... HOW?!??

This girl cannot do anything on her own in this route...

Omfg, is this slut taking us off on a date against our will? *angry Venom noises*

"I have no intentions of abducting you." ... How reassuring -_-

I feel like the thing which Iba seems to find attractive in Chizuru is her helplessness and it's annoying.

"I was eating the treat he'd offered me," girl, are you a dog now?! Omg, she totally is a helpless little puppy... X_X

"I was so happy." FUCKING FINALLY.

"I've always wanted you to try some." Iba is obsessed with this bland af woman...

"But... Why did you bring me here?" ... HE JUST TOLD YOU??

"Was it really all right?" UUUGGGGHH!!! X_X

"How is Toshi?" Ur bf is fine, Ibs!

"Although I didn't quite remember all of the details myself, maybe our kinship came from the fact that we'd befriended each other as children..." Girl, your guess is as good as mine...

"Iba had an ear for listening," too bad Chizuru doesn't have anything interesting to say, despite all of the interesting events surrounding her.

"Supposedly, Takeda us quitting the Shinsengumi." :O Is he returning to the sea to rule his domain with an iron fist and extract a toll for all unwary seafarers who enter it?

"Yes, according to the story, he received a message from his hometown, and he decided to return home." Awe. I am picturing a large, scholarly seal summoning his long lost master home from the human realm!

"I wonder if that's true..." Well, the version in my head almost certainly is not...

"It seemed as though he had gradually lost his place in the Shinsengumi..." :(

SEN! PLZ JOIN! COME SHOW CHIZURU HOW TO LIVE!

"Hello, who do we have here? He's so gorgeous," And yet inexplicably attracted to us!

"D-Date...!?" -_- Wise the fuck up, dumbass.

"Aw, you're not?" YES, SEN, POKE THIS DENSE ROCK OF A PERSON.

"I've been her friend since childhood, as well." Well, not really, since she forgot you for over ten years...

"As you could tell, I'm a friend of her's." Everyone is putting in so much effort to befriend Chizuru and she just stands there like a miserable lump of potato.

"you do not seem to be someone who will do her harm." Girl, we have met once!

"Have the men of the Shinsengumi been causing you trouble?" Alas, no...

"Everything will be all right..." This relationship is so one sided. Iba is so lovely to Chizuru. He listens to her, supports her, takes her on adventures , comforts her but he's so perfect that there's nothing for her to do for him... No one is like that... And then the game can't even face giving him any kind of personal flaw, so they decide that he's going to be possessed by a demon arm which makes him horny... LET IBA BE HORNY ON HIS OWN, GAME!!! HE'S SO PERFECT THAT IT'S ANNOYING!!! AND WHY IS CHIZURU SO NOT INTERESTED IN HIM? SHE NEVER ASKS HIM ANYTHING ABOUT HIMSELF? WE KNOW NOTHING ABOUT THIS MAN! HE MAY AS WELL EXIST ONLY TO PLEASE HER AND, TBF, EVERYONE ELSE. PLEASE, CHIZURU, FOR THE SAKE OF MY SANITY, ASK HIM SOME PROBING QUESTIONS! ACTUALLY GET TO KNOW HIM. PLEASE. Is this what women are supposed to want? He's like a goddamn love robot...

"He was always beaming with courteousness... Thanks to his words of assurance, I could feel my worries melt away into the soft of his hands on my back." -_- see? Love robot...

"... The fate she carries holds a lot more weight than even she knows." Then maybe fucking tell me?

"What do you know?" Yeah, what the fuck do you know??

"I can't answer that." -_-

"There's a reason for me to protect her." Because it's what you are programmed to do, beep boop.

"... Even if you don't remember it." Omfg, I am so sick of this shit...

"All I could do was blink..." AAAAAAAAAH X_X

HELLO, GUYS, I AM RIGHT HERE!!! MAYBE FILL ME IN A LITTLE???

"What did you mean by that?" GIRL, HE OBVIOUSLY MADE SOME STUPID PROMISE WHEN YOU WERE STUPID FUCKING KIDS AND NOW HE'S USING THAT AS A SUBSTITUTE FOR A PERSONALITY.

"There's reason enough for me that I would be willing to risk everything I am to protect you." IF IT'S MORE OF THIS CHILDHOOD PROMISE BULLSHIT, I WILL SCREAM. IBA, DO YOU NOT HAVE ANYTHING ELSE GOING ON???

"putting one's life on the line to protect someone meant the biggest sacrifice one could make." Ya, Iba, wtf?

"I won't tell you. Why don't you think on it?" Rrrrrrrrrrrrr >_<

"It's not fair for you to constantly make me wait, like you do..." OKAY, FORGETTING YOU WAS SHITTY BUT NOT REMEMBERING THE MINUTE DETAILS OF CONVERSATIONS I HAD WHEN I WAS FIVE IS FAIR ENOUGH, I THINK!!!

"a little payback, if you will, for not remembering our childhood, right?" Bit harsh XD but Iba, you probably shouldn't be so obsessive over someone you haven't seen since she was five...

Omfg, how long were we gone for? I bet Kondou and Okita have been having a shit time while we've been eating castella... This is, like, the one time Chizuru should have maybe been a bit of a stick in the mud but, apparently, she has no backbone now...

"I wanted to see you freak out from being separated from us " XD Okita, you need to find a hobby (which doesn't involve killing)

"Do you have any idea how long I spent running around, looking for you?!" Well, at least Chizuru and Iba are matched in their inconsiderateness...

"Hmm... Quite a while, I assume?" Omfg, Iba has no remorse XD

"Don't act like it's nothing!" Sorry, Motoyama: that's just how rich people be sometimes...

"What's goin' on there, eh Iba?" YES, OKITA! ROAST THE SLUT!

Oh, the slut is scuttling away -_- that's no fun...

"Iba's a sharp cat." Yup, Iba knows exactly what he's doing!

"Huh...?" GIRL, WISE THE FUCK UP. HE SAID THAT YOU WERE TAKING YOUR RELATIONSHIP TO THE NEXT LEVEL. SEN SAID YOU WERE ON A DATE. THIS IS BEYOND IDIOTIC.

Chapter 4: The Cruel and Unjust Murder of a Fabulous Fucking Bitch (in which our heroine finally gets some fucking answers but inexplicably decides not to flee into the arms of Sen and Kimigiku because the murder bois have given her Stockholm Syndrome)

Omfg, this whole scene with Kaoru is annoying af and it's in every route so I am just gonna skip it...

""A useless kid..." He was right." Ya.

"Did you need something?" "... Blood..." :) :) :) Seems fine...

"Huh?" -_-' Okita was so right...

"... No, I couldn't call for help. If I did, then I could risk jeopardizing the Shinsengumi's secret about the Furies!" Omg ur right! And then someone might stop the turning of men into cracked, bloodthirsty monsters! The horror! Guess I'll just die :)

"I'm going to die..." Girl, that's the dumbass choice you made!

"Someone! Help!" Fucking finally...

"He was down on his hands and knees, licking my spilt blood off the floor." ... My little meow meow...

"Eh he he he he! Yes! That! Give me more of your blood!" Ya, I totally agree that we should protect the Shinsengumi's secrets at all costs so that THIS FUCKING SHIT can continue...

Omfg, I love the little scuttling sounds when people are coming XD

"... No hard feelings." Idk what this guy did which made them force him to drink the ochimizu but I would have a fuckload of hard feelings towards Hijikata...

"The excitement was over." Just another fun day with my fun friends :)

"What's going on here?!" Murdery fun times :)

"I've seen that soldier before. I thought he was sentenced to death the other day for breaking the Code..." Ya, this doesn't look good...

Ngl, I can totally sympathise with Itou's perspective XD There is no way to explain any of this fuckery in a way which makes the Shinsengumi look not evil!

"Itou was fuming and screaming." He's so valid.

"My apologies." Sanan, your undead presence is not helping XD

"Yukimura, you step out." Awe :( I wanted to hear how the fuck you guys are gonna spin this! :'(

"I wonder if they'll be all right." Lol, hopefully not. Someone should really put a stop to this shit...

"Would they be able to explain the situation enough to Itou so that he wouldn't freak out?" XD Doubtful... Itou doesn't even support the shogunate so blaming it on them, claiming it's some kind of sacred duty is not gonna help.

"Did you not hear me? I said get out." Useless woman continues to be useless (maybe I should stop bullying Chizuru... She's just so annoying on this route, particularly...)

"You were injured, right Yukimura? How's your injured arm doing?" Fine thanks, bae ;) <3

"he seemed now to be in rather high spirits." He got that good gossip, that's why! :D

"Um... Itou? Has something happened?" "Oh ho ho ho! Would you like to know?" "... Yes." XD "I won't tell you." XD no one tells Chizuru shit!

"What the hell? That's a little cold of you, having that pass for good-bye, isn't it?" As usual, Miki is right and he should say it!

"Saburo. Watch your mouth." Lol, do you think the goryoueiji keep a tally of how many times Itou has to say that every day? LET THE MAN SPEAK! THE WORLD NEEDS HIS TRUTH BOMBS!

Miki Saburo: Bullshit Slayer!

"Both Itou and Miki were behaving rather strangely." Were they, though? I feel like Saito and Heisuke were the ones being weird...

"Who's the one that's been deceiving me for the past three years?" Tea.

"You must remember, however, that last night's incident is a result if orders from the shogunate. We cannot allow you to reveal his secret." Guys, this does not look good! It also makes the shogunate look really bad! And it makes the Shinsengumi look like spineless servants of an evil master X_X

"Allow me to depart. Peacefully, that is." Seems fair enough XD

Itou is being pretty fucking reasonable here... He could (should?) do some serious blackmailing...

"But anyone you wish to take must agree to leave." Imagine wanting to leave an organisation where they make you kill yourself or turn yourself into a monster if you break their rules?

"We're going to keep relations amicable between our two organisations." XD oh, my sweet Summer child...

"I froze upon seeing the person standing on the other side." ERMAHGERD! IT'S TAKEDA!!! Love that for us!

"My heart was startled by the creepiness of his expression." XD This narration is always so harsh to Takeda, I live!

"Iba had suggested to me that it was best not to find myself alone with Takeda," GIRL, JUST YOU WAIT! THEY BE PROPHETIC WORDS.

"I found him antagonistic time and time again, so I couldn't help but feel uncomfortable around him." Valid.

"I don't plan on doing anything to you..." Hmm... Do we trust the seamonster? The seamonster looks sad. Hug the seamonster?

"I couldn't really take him up on his word," XD sensible.

"It wasn't like I could just pretend he doesn't exist," idk, everyone else seems to be doing a good job of it. Points for Chizuru for being a better person, despite being much more vulnerable than everyone else!

"Well, I figured that this'll be the last time I see any of this stuff, so I was just standing here to soak in all of the memories I've made." :O awe! :'(

"Takeda looked close to tears," :'O Takeda, noooo! Somebody hug him, stat >:(

I didn't expect to be so sympathetic towards Takeda, ngl. Perhaps it is because I too am a lonely bitch... I always find myself attracted to lonely characters... That's why I want to hug Takeda and Miki when everything falls apart and they are all alone and abandoned :'(

"Suddenly, I felt the way I did when Saito and Heisuke left as well..." Awe :'O

"he marched on as if he was pushing all of his feelings aside for the sake of pride." ... Fucking MOOD.

Omfg, Takeda, you shady biatch! What the fuck are you sneaking about doing? XD THIS IS WHY NO ONE LIKES YOU, YOU DUMBASS XD

He just wants to do one last CRIME! For old times' sake!

"as he tip-toed" omfg I want to see that so bad XD

Takeda, y u heading to where the furies are so close to sundown? My man, you are gon' get EATEN! I guess he doesn't know much about this shit, huh?

Takeda did not get eaten.

"We need to tell Toshi what just happened when he returns, and have him deal with it..." Uh, no, we need to fucking do something right NOW, before Takeda gets away!

"I could see him being able to leave Kyoto" ya! Sensible Chizuru is best Chizuru!

YAS! GET HIM! Not sure if sensible or reckless but this'll surely be SPICY >:)

"With that said, I ran out of the compounds." :') So proud of this chaotic queen! This is how my first DnD character nearly died...

"Takeda, please wait!" X_X Girl, no! "He didn't stop." No shit. -_- "Rather, he'd started to jog," XD bye, bitch!

"I noticed there weren't too many other people around..." Girl, you are so dead XD if Iba doesn't show up, you gonna be fish food!

"I'm going to assume this isn't a normal farewell..." OKAY, CHIZURU, LISTEN TO ME. THERE'S ONLY ONE WAY YOU'RE GETTING OUT OF THIS ALIVE! DECLARE YOUR UNDYING LOVE FOR HIM, EMBRACE HIM AND GRAB THE SHIT OUT OF THOSE DOCUMENTS. THEN, SHOVE HIM IN THE RIVER! Or you could just keep up the love charade until the Shinsengumi catches up with you...

"It seemed like he was under the impression that if we were to speak alone, he would be able to get out of it," well, yeah... What are you gonna do? He could kill you in a second!

"he walked towards me." So long, cruel world...

"Or... Was there something you wanted to ask me?" C'mon girl, this is your chance! SEDUCE HIM!

"Ask..." THIS IS YOUR CHANCE AND YOU'RE BLOWING IT!

"he was closing the distance between us..." YES, GOOD, NOW IS TIME FOR FLIRTING!

"... Stop playing dumb." Uh-oh... :(

"The Shinsengumi is keeping secrets from everyone, even the captains." True. And BOY are those secrets fucked up :')

"His glare locked with my eyes, and my entire body started to freeze up." Uuuggh, c'mon! We can do better!

"I was doing my best to steady my resolve," YES, GOOD >:)

"It's not like that..." It most definitely is!

"Takeda looked as if he couldn't be convinced," correct of him...

"You are completely useless as a swordsman, and yet you've been appointed to a prestigious position," yeah, that was a really stupid idea...

"... I have no idea what you're talking about." Chizuru is terrible at gaslighting, despite how extensively she practices.

"I see, you're playing dumb, yet again..." Yeah, Chizuru, what is the plan here? This shit isn't convincing anyone...

:O He has the ochimizuwu!

"I gasped, and Takeda smirked as if he'd won." Honestly, he won the second Chizuru settled on her grand plan to play it dumb.

"If I bring this to the Itou faction, there's no way they'll disrespect me like all of you have!" ... Could work. I feel like Miki and Itou will disrespect anyone anytime, though...

"What is this stuff?!" Tell him so he can use it to barter in exchange for friendship XD This is still kinda sad, ngl

Oh, I guess we have the option to attempt the ol' grabby grabby or continue our famous potato impression...

"I can't let this man take possession of the Water of Life." Unlike the Shinsengumi who only use it for good, wholesome reasons... Of course, we don't want Takeda to have it, either, though... Grabby grabby time?

"I used this moment of distraction while he was in the middle of his monologue." XD Classic villain mistake...

"I took out my kodachi," omfg, I was not expecting that, precisely..., "and I charged at Takeda." Omfg XD and neither was he! His expression right now is excellent! He looks very pretty, though.

"NANI?!" XD Now he has a sweatdrop and everything XD

"Takeda tried to parry my strike, but my movements were just a hair faster." OMFG YAS GIRL! WHO'S A USELESS SWORDSMAN NOW, YOU GIANT, FLOOFY SEA ANTAGONIST!

"I suppose he didn't think I'd attack him." Girl, no one saw this coming but I am so here for it XD

"My swing had just barely grazed over the chest of his kimono." ... Ah... Points for effort but we are definitely gonna die now...

"Damn, how dare you!" It was just a little attempted murder! Chill out!

"He had become visibly frustrated by this," yeeeeeah, that's fair...

Chizuru is now fair game to murder X_X

"I watched as a blinding flash of light reflected from his blade," ooooh, "and it was swinging down towards me." AAAAH!

"Ahhh!" XD

"blood spurted over the both of us." Slippery...

"Takeda stood above me, wearing a sadistic expression as he smirked gleefully." Good for her. Tbf, Chizuru did attack first XD

Omfg why does he look so pretty right now X_X Is it too late to switch to the seduction plan??? X_X

He is SHOOK by Chizuru's freaky healy powers >:) luckily he also looks pretty when he's shocked!

Omfg, he thinks she's a rasetsu and is gonna take her to Itou as a present XD Love that for us! I actually really want to see this play out! Iba can rescue us later! Right now, I wanna go with the pretty evil man :D

"Oh yes, this is good." Yes, this is good :)

"Come with me! I'm going to use you to make a name for myself!" Uwu! Is this a meet cute? This is basically how Stardust started and it ended with them getting married..

"No!" :(

"Stop it! What are you doing?!" Go away, Iba! There's a fantasy rom-com situation developing here!

"Iba! What are you doing here...?!" Yeah, what the fuck is he doing here?

"Takeda, upon the sight of Iba, looked almost deflated," Don't give in, queen! I believe in you! "but his petulance grew once more." XD love to see it! Evil triumphs once again :) That being said... Iba is about to absolutely fuck him up... I'm gonna root for the underdog even though I remember how gruesomely this ends...

"You like being a killjoy, don't you?" Yeah! You tell him, Takeda! >:D

"Let go of her now, or else..." You'll what? Chop his arm off?

"Or else, what?" Omg, dude, you do not want to find out, trust me!

"I'll do this!" Oh boy... Here we go >_<

"the two began dueling in front of me." TAKEDA NO! UP YOUR VILLAIN GAME! DON'T RELEASE HER! USE THE WOMAN AS A HUMAN SHIELD! FFS X_X

Welp, that's the underdog's advantage gone... Guess I'll just sit here until Iba sufficiently fucks him up...

"After peeking behind Iba, Takeda smirked." The fuck are you smirking about? O_e

Takeda, now is not the time to start monologuing. I know you're a villain but there is a pointy, angry, stabby man in front of you. Kindly give him your full attention!

TAKEDA, STOP! I KNOW YOU WANT TO IMPRESS IBA AND YOU'RE STARVED OF HUMAN CONTACT BECAUSE EVERYONE HATES YOU BUT THIS IS ONLY GOING TO MAKE THINGS WORSE! IBA IS A GOOD BOY! DO NOT POKE HIM! IF YOU DON'T MAKE HIM ANGRY, YOU MIGHT LIVE!

When you're a villain, I guess the urge to live < the urge to monologue -_-'

"He continued to talk without waiting, or even caring for that matter, about our responses." XD he learned this in villain school, I guess...

It's kind of sad that he didn't know Sanan was still alive, since Sanan was the only one sympathetic towards him :'(

"You love to let that imagination run wild, don't you?" Gaslighting: The Game, "It suits you more to author cheap pamphlet literature than to be a swordsman." HONESTLY, I can see that for Takeda! I bet he writes excellent smutty wartime romance novels, too! He can publish them alongside Hijikata's terrible poetry :')

Oh no! He just used the "m" word :O

OOOOOOH! Iba does not look happy! Takeda, you FOOL!

"I speak the truth. She's a monster." TAKEDA, DON'T DOUBLE DOWN! LOOK AT HOW PISSED HE IS!!! HE WILL CHOP YOU UP! D:

DON'T ADMIT THAT YOU JUST CUT HER!!!!

Iba, you need to fucking chill... This is creeping me out slightly... I'm not offended by this ginormous queen!

"Oh, did you not know? Then I'll show you." TAKEDA, READ THE GODDAMN ROOM. I guess, if he could do that, he might have some friends, huh?

"I heard Iba's screams and the sound of flesh being split apart." Ew.

"Blood had splattered over all of us," Ew.

"then suddenly everything went black." ???

"I slowly cracked my eyes open." XD That's why shit went black?! You closed your eyes?!

Wow, Iba looks hella pissed. I guess Takeda attended Miki's reading classes...

"an expression of fury and rage unlike anything I'd ever seen." O_e Iba, it's nice that you stopped Takeda stabbing me but it's kind of annoying that you get so offended on my behalf -_-

"next to his feet was a detached right arm clutching a blade " O_e Dude, wtf?!??

"What the...?!" That is... the chillest reaction to having your FUCKING ARM CUT OFF!!!

IBA, YOU MUTILATED THIS MAN!

"I won't allow you to harm her any further." Okay, Iba has gone from "love robot" to "berserk robot" FAST. This is very, uh, like one of those dystopian stories where a robot is given one job and it carries it out to the extreme. That's how this feels. Iba is not a character: he is a Chizuru protecting and nurturing machine who happens to like dessert. He probably needs the sugar like Adam Jensen needs cereal to power his cybernetic components...

"I sensed what seemed like a near-murderous conviction through Iba's aura." Chizuru the Instagram witch cleverly taps into her psychic powers to deduce that the man who literally just chopped off another man's arm with a sword is feeling "near-murderous"

"It wasn't the Iba I had come to know..." Iba, where was this energy when Kazama wanted to kidnap and impregnate her? I guess his core drive doesn't come into play unless she's threatened with being stabbed?? But her having her hands blown apart is fine, I guess... Maybe Iba just doesn't like Takeda and wanted an excuse to chop him into bits...

"Do you still want to fight, Kanryusai Takeda?" Uh... Can he? Is not gonna, you know, BLEED TO DEATH??? Takeda seems surprisingly chill about all this so far XD

"Y-You bastard...!" Takeda, you need to go to a hospital X_X

"Takeda was drenched in the blood sputtering from where his right forearm used to be." Yeah, that ain't good... Blood is for the inside! "He looked like an oni... straight from Hell." UH, SAYS YOU! Iba's bs is getting to you, huh?

"Never before have I swung my sword with the intent to kill someone, but... If it's you, I wouldn't have to think twice." XD Damn, he really does hate Takeda. Well, Takeda, you're finally special to someone! Hooraaaayyy....

"Iba's eyes burned with righteousness," ugh, hate it when they do that -_-

"Takeda, who trembled from the loss of his limb and his pride." Dude's gonna pass out O_O

There's something which really gets me about people's limbs being chopped off. It's so sadistic. Like, you're torturing someone by deliberately taking away something precious and irreplaceable that's part of them, knowing that there's no way they will ever fully recover. And I know that Takeda was going to hurt Chizuru and I probably wouldn't blame Iba that much even if he straight up just murdered Takeda... Actually, idk, she tried to stab Takeda first so does that make her fair game? And he wasn't going to kill her... Anyway, Iba could totally have ended this fight in a non "life changing injuries" or murdery sort of way if he had actually wanted to and, if he had, the onslaught of pain and misery heading his way would not be so bad. Like, Takeda is barely even a threat (until now)!

"If I drink it... This injury will be nothing!" Well, you won't DIE but it won't regrow your fucking arm!

"Takeda!" Oh, now you're worried about him?

"I was about to run up to help him, but Iba grabbed my arm as he scurried away indignantly." O_e Daaaamn, Iba! Iba could be more sympathetic to people who aren't blessed with the same advantages he has -_-

Is Iba one of those annoying people who resent miserable/depressed/unfortunate people for unconsciously making them feel guilty about how great their lives are?

I feel like Iba has written this annoying af fairytale in his head, starring Chizuru, and anything which threatens to divert from that creepy-ass fantasy is gonna cause him to blow up.

"It's better if you don't get too involved. He won't last long in his condition." Cold.

"With shaky fingers," Iba, I feel like you have traumatised this girl way more than Takeda would have!

"Are you all right...? I'm sure that was a little frightening." YA THINK? Meanwhile, his arm is just laying there... O_O

"How is your injury? Let me see it." NO. GET AWAY FROM ME.

"I couldn't bear to look at him, and I pulled my arm to prevent him from seeing it." YES GIRL!!! AWAY FROM THE SCARY ROBOT WHO CHOPPED UP THE PRETTY EVIL SEA MONSTER!

"My injury already healed." Yeah, stop fussing, robot man!

"Just as he said... I'm... I'm a..." Omfg, girl, get a fucking grip! Who the fuck even cares that he was calling you a stupid name! I know you have childhood trauma or whatever but you should try and own this shit instead of letting Iba tell you that you're "normal" as if that's something either possible or desirable. "There stood Iba, wearing the same kind smile that hadn't changed since we were children." ... Next to a severed arm and a fuckload of blood... Omfg, I just had a Thought: what if the reason that Chizuru subconsciously suppressed her childhood memories with Iba is because he murdered the children who called her a monster! He does give major serial killer vibes! I can legit see this happening...

"You may not remember this, but..." Either we already discussed this or he's about to confess to child murder...

"When we were little, you showed this to me." I SWEAR we did this already? When Shiranui shot her hands and she hid them from him?

"This was the first time I'd ever had trouble controlling myself when holding a sword." Is this supposed to be romantic? It still feels very robotic and serial killer like to me...

"It was my fault..." Omfg, it is so not your fault. Iba fully could have not cut off Takeda's arm!

"I... don't want you to do anything dangerous..." OH HONEY, THAT SHIP HAS SAILED! THE PAIN TRAIN SHALL SHORTLY BE ARRIVING, COURTESY OF ANGRY SEAMONSTER RAIL.

Maybe Takeda (spoilers) survives because the water is where he belongs, because he is a seamonster...

"I want to make all your wishes come true," should be simple, since Chizuru seemingly doesn't have any...

"I've come to rescue you guys!" Are you gonna help us fish out an angry seamonster? Or are we just gonna leave him for dead?!?

Are we just leaving Takeda's arm on the bridge? XD

Well, they tried to look...

Okay, now the looooong exposition with Sen... I love her but this is boring af so I will skip through this, I think...

I do enjoy Harada telling Nagakura to look at Kimigiku's face instead of her tits but I don't need to read that because I remember it VIVIDLY

Ugh, just leave with Sen. It's not like you've spent much time bonding with the Shinsengumi.

Yada yada, Kazama attacks, is annoying and grabby, Shiranui and Harada are flirting, Hijikata and Kazama are flirting, Chizuru is curled up in a terrified ball...

Harada is so sweet! I need to do his route (but children squick me out)

I'm skipping a whole bunch of stuff here that's Iba irrelevant... Here we go! Iba stuff!

"Iba daintily dabbed a napkin on his lips," I still think he's got serial killer potential...

Once again, Ryouma Sakamoto, the invisible man is mentioned. I need to do his route to see how they shoehorn him into the plot...

"However, due to certain political pressures, he was considered untouchable in various parts of Japan." These boys are so upset that they can't just murder whoever the fuck they want without consequences X_X

Such drama over the assassination of a man who's been 100% irrelevant to the plot until now...

I guess we'll be too late to do anything since this is where he dies, historically. So this kind of feels like a waste of time...

"Sakamoto died on the scene," yup, "and Nakaoka... He survived, but judging by how he looked, probably not for long..." :'( thus, never fulfilling his destiny as pioneer of cape-based fashion :'(

Why was Chizuru even there?

Of course, Iba is using this as an excuse to take her away and feed her XD

Ah, sweet romantic river memories <3 like the time Iba chopped a guy's arm off for calling Chizuru a monster... :')

"the shogunate's power is crumbling." Oh goody... X_X

"I began to panic internally." Understandable... O_O

"Iba, you're an official guard of the shogunate. Why would you feel this way...?" It's called independent critical thinking, Chizuru -_-

"A Hatamoto, like me, or some of the lower-ranked vassals, aren't prepared for an actual war." Who is?

"You have the Shinsengumi" unfortunately for them, yes... -_-

"I'm sure Toshi will fight until the end." Alas, yes :'(

Tbf, I've given the Shinsengumi a lot of shit for shady doings this playthrough but I do actually kind of love them all with my whole heart (way more than I love Iba, sorry). Actually, Okita's kind of a dickhead. He still has a special place in my heart, though. Whereas Iba feels like a poorly integrated oc (sorry) rather than a fully rounded character...

"Get out of Kyoto as soon as you can." I am enjoying how this is explaining clearly how dire the current situation is for the Shinsengumi and friends.

"Or have you already forgotten about the time that I was almost killed by Takeda?" Bitch, when did the seamonster ever even come close to stabbing your ass?

"What's fine?" Good point, Iba... None of this is fine. Almost everyone is going to die!

"Because of these powers, maybe I could be of some use to the Shinsengumi." It took you how many years to think of this? Anyway, it's too late now, hun! Shit will soon be hitting the fan!

"If you're going to be hurt, I'd rather be there in your stead taking the wound." Well, that's not very fair, is it? How come Chizuru is the only one who has to watch her loved ones suffer? These fucking guys...

"I can't bear to see you in pain..." Then go somewhere else -_-

"No matter what anyone says, you're just a normal girl." ... This is starting to piss me off... I AM THE HEAD OF THE YUKIMURA CLAN! WHAT'S WRONG WITH BEING DIFFERENT???? DENYING IT IS STUPID AND INSULTING BECAUSE IT SHOWS THAT YOU WON'T ACCEPT THE TRUTH OF MY IDENTITY. WHAT'S WRONG WITH BEING A DEMON? WHY CAN'T YOU JUST ACCEPT THAT??? WHY DO YOU WANT DO BADLY FOR ME TO BE NORMAL? It doesn't matter. Saying it will not make it so.

"I could sense warmth welling in my chest" -_- is this better or worse than being told, "you're not like other girls"?

Iba is the Valentina of Hakuoki: if some fact doesn't fit with his French vanilla fantasy, he denies its existence

Ugh, I am so over this. It's half 4am and I don't know if I've conveyed why this is so annoying to me articulately but there it is ^

"Boy, you sure do love worrying me, don't you?" OH BITCH, YOU FUCKER! HOW DARE YOU MAKE MY FUCKING PAIN AND PROBLEMS ALL ABOUT YOU! YEAH, I'M REALLY FUCKING ENJOYING CONTEMPLATING THIS FUCKING WAR. I'M TALKING ABOUT THE POSSIBILITY OF ENDANGERING MYSELF TO HELP MY FRIENDS JUST TO MAKE YOU WORRY. UH HUH. EVERYTHING IS FUCKING ABOUT YOU, IBA.

"Fine." FINE >:(

Omg, we're fully just brushing over Itou's assassination and Saito's return, huh? And Kazama attacking? AND Heisuke becoming a fury... Coolness...

Here comes Sanan to try and steal our blood! Side note: I LOVE the AGGRESSIVE eyerolling that he does in Souma Hen when Hijikata tells him not to slice up Chizuru :')

"Plz may I have just a crumb of delicious, nutritious blood?"

"The Fury Corps's a bad idea. A REALLY bad idea." OMFG FINALLY. Thank you, Nagakura!

This Harada stuff is great but I'm gonna save it for his route playthrough... Kind of want to do Sakamoto next, though, because I have no idea how that'll play out but mostly because I want to spend some quality time admiring Nakaoka's cape lewk

Chapter 5: THE DEMON ARM OF HORNINESS! IT IS HERE BUT IS IT HORNY YET? TUNE IN TO FIND OUT BECAUSE I DON'T FUCKING REMEMBER. (In which Iba's slicey actions have dire, poetic consequences)

FUCK IT, IT'S 5AM BUT I AM FINISHING THIS. >:( (hopefully)

"send the sick one, too." Omfg, Hijikata, please do not let Okita here you referring to him as such!

"Once you'd contracted it, all you could do was rest, hoping that you could do whatever it took to stave the disease's progression until..." Big oof. They should weaponize him... Biological warfare Anna, no, that is incredibly fucked up...

"You have a visitor" OMG WHO COULD IT BE??? :O

"I wondered who the third person could be..." Girl, you are not genre savvy.

"Why do you have that confused look on your face?" XD I love it when people call out Chizuru's idiocy! And I love grumpy Hiji-mama!

"WHAT? Me?!" -_-

Kinda wanna see what happens if I refuse to go... I doubt it'll be interesting, though, so I'm just gonna do what the guide tells me...

"My heart sank like a heavy stone in my chest" wow, she really is not into Iba AT ALL, is she?!

"More than anything, though, if I take her with me, she'll probably resent me." More than anything, huh? War is literally breaking out right now. People are injured and sick and that's the most important consideration with regards to this situation?

"You let her get to you, too, huh?" BURN THE WITCH!

"Guess I just can't win with Edo women." Hijikata, she will literally do anything you ask.

"You know, Toshi, other than the women of Hino, I never thought I'd meet a woman who could break you down." Where the actual fuck is this coming from? I am CONFUSED.

"... Hey, shut it." Yeah, Iba, you're talking gibberish.

"I don't think the war's gonna happen." O_O

"... I have faith we'll be fine." O_O

Okay, I need to do Hijikata's route because I love this bitchy man and I want to PROTEC >:)

I think I understand why some say that you should play Hijikata's route last: the more I play this game (and watch stuff), the more I love him.

"Toshi, please take good care of her." K. Bye!

"Man, such a prick..." I feel bad but, the more I play Iba's route, the more I agree with Okita here (even though I know he doesn't mean it)

"Now, some pussy who can't even swing a sword is carrying me." Omfg Okita! REMEMBER THE MIKI SABURO LAW OF THROWING SHADE! It's only a good insult if it's true! Shade comes from reading!

"... You're sure you want to stay?" Well, no, since I am playing your route and you are fucking off. But all my favourite characters are here so yeah, I guess...

"If I had my wish, I would have you with me. Even if it meant by force." WOAH. O_O Nope. Tbf, Chizuru staying here is pointless af but Iba, you really should not say this stuff out loud...

"he drew me closer to him, almost forcefully." O_e

"Promise me you won't die." Believe me, I am not keen to die!

"I shouldn't have listened to you." >:(

"I must do whatever it takes not to break his heart." Awe! Finally some self awareness <3 We love to see it!

Welp, lover boy is GONE! Now what?!

"It only took one gunshot for war to break out." :O

Awe, look at Yukimura over here being useful and doctory! Yes queeeeen! :)

"Are they really Japanese if they won't let us eat our seven-herb porridge in peace?!" Ffs XD This is why I love Nagakura!

"From what I'd seen, the fighting must be horrible..." Yeah, I bet that she sees some really horrible stuff as a medic... "The soldiers were covered in soot from head to toe." ... Is that it?!

"Is everyone safe?" "We are not your concern. Tend to the wounded." -_-' but are you wounded, though? Please tell me -_-

"I was looking after the maimed men that seemed to pour in." Ah. There it is :'(

Even in Iba's own route, he's so set apart from the rest of the story that he's not even here... And he still hasn't made any demon vow... He just feels so detached from the dramatic plight of the Shinsengumi...

"seeing him entertain the idea of defeat seemed like something that was impossible for a man of Hijikata's experience to swallow." I feel like, the more experience you have, the more prepared you should be for defeat... You win some, you lose some. Knowing when to admit defeat is extremely valuable...

"All troops, retreat!" Yas queen <3

Awe, Sanan looks happy! He was right to trust Hiji-mama!"

"I'd like you to gather all documentation about the Furies and deliver it to Osaka Castle" hmm... Could we "accidentally" set it on fire, I wonder?

Tbf, I do want to be able to look after Sanan and Heisuke properly, though...

Omg, I want to read this document with the recipe! Does it involve demon's blood??? If so, where from???

"Inoue, do you think everyone else made it out safely...?" Chizuru, I know he's a better dad figure than fucking Kodo but there's no need to ask him stupid, childish questions that he has no hope of answering. Okay, that was too harsh. Sorry, Chizuru...

This had better be Iba...

Oh no! I know that silhouette! THE EVIL EGG IS HERE! FLEEEE!

STAY WITH BEST DAD, CHIZURU! BACK AWAY FROM THE EGG MAN!

IF HE HURTS INOUE, I AM GOING TO KICK OFF!!! >:(

"... My, how beautiful you've become." Given where his story goes, this is CREEPY!

"Where were you all this time?" Yeah, the fuck?! (But also, Chizuru, you probably do not want to know... But you need to know so that you will run from the egg!)

"I was taken captive" ... Was he? Hmmm... -_-

"What if you were caught up in all this needless violence and someone were to hurt you...?" Hmm... So far, so reasonable... I STILL DO NOT TRUST THE EGG, THOUGH!

"Unfortunately, I have no intention of going to Yodo Castle. Actually, you won't be going, either." Oh boy... Here we go X_X

"What father said had seemed a little strange," GIRL, RUN! I totally get why you are not but this egg is baaaad!

"The pieces weren't adding up," YES, CHIZURU! OVERCOME THE COMPLEX EMOTIONS SURROUNDING THIS LONG AWAITED REUNION TO ANALYSE THINGS LIKE A QUEEN AND MAKE GOOD CHOICES!

"Inoue stepped in front of me, guarding me" :') Best Dad! Inoue, be careful :'O

"*Gasp*!" - Jocelyn Foxx

"I sensed someone was standing behind me." Omg, the fuck?! So creepy!

OMFG IT'S TAKEDA?!? HOW DID NOBODY NOTICE THIS GIANT SEAMONSTER APPROACHING???

He looks so chilled out XD

"I heard that you had passed away after suffering a serious stab wound." Takeda, if you hurt Inou-bae, I am going to be so mad D':

"Yes, I am alive... Thanks to that old man, I have been saved." I am now picturing Kodo with a giant net, cackling like Smeagol, fishing for half-dead samurai to perform evil experiments on...

"What...?!" Inoue, smile! Takeda's alive! His glorious purplish hair remains! Celebrate!

"Father had saved Takeda's life?! A man who called me a MONSTER," OMFG GIRL, you need to get the fuck over this already. People are literally dying, IBA CUT OFF TAKEDA'S FUCKING ARM and you're still upset because this idiot called you a name? Yes, words hurt, feelings are valid, blah blah but this is just so infantile... Also, how would Kodo even know this about Takeda?

"Nothing can hold you back now." I WILL BITE YOUR FUCKING FINGERS OFF IF YOU DON'T WITHDRAW THEM RIGHT NOW!!!

"Yukimura, can you trust Kodo?" HELL TO THE NO!

NOOOO! INOUE, PUT AWAY YOUR SWORD! THEY GON' HURT YOU D':

"Time for you to go on ahead." Nooooo! Inou-bae! We can flee together D':

"It was as if he didn't expect to come back with me eventually." Noooo! How come Inou-bae doesn't get ochimizu??? :'(

YES GIRL, RUN!!!

"... Good girl." And in that moment, Inoue cemented his place as the One True Dad :'( <3

XD I love how much taller than Kodo Takeda is!

"Bet ya it's an animal, or something." Not an animal, a MONSTER! (rawr XD )

Girl, your life is in danger! Kindly pause the romantic slideshow!

"Iba had always shown me tremendous kindness, and he seemed to want what was best for me." ... Sounds kinda like she's looking for a dad replacement already... Although, I guess these are very important bf qualities, too...

"Every ounce of energy left in me was leaving me," damn, guess I'll die...

Oh wait, the boyf is here! "A pair of warm arms caught me delicately." Is this... Heaven?

"The shogunate army has fallen almost everywhere," ... Ah. Oh dear.

"why are you by yourself?" :'( :'( :'(

OH FFS! HOW IS THE FUCKING EGG HERE??? HE DOESN'T EVEN LOOK TIRED! THIS IS SO CREEPY AND HORROR MOVIE ISH!

"You sure have grown up." IGNORE THE EGG, IBA! HE IS EVIL!

"Mind handing my daughter over to me?" ... Subtle... -_- Kodo could be devastating if he was better at deception...

"Iba became immediately suspicious of Father " Good boy! :3

"Out of the darkness emerged Takeda, like a ghoul summoned from the shadowy mist." X_X XD Once again, the Takeda descriptions are both shady and excellent!

"I have been waiting for this day!" Honestly, fair...

"... Y-You're still alive after what happened to you?" What, like an "act of god" more like, after what you did to him, Iba! You fully cut his arm off and left him to drown/bleed to death X_X

"'Still alive?' No, I have been resurrected! Why, you ask? So I can kill you!" Good to have goals :)

"Takeda laughed maniacally," he's levelled up his villain game, I see! Love to see it!

Pointy fingers :)

"Your arm! You have an arm again?!" Iba, there is a sword heading towards your face right fucking now, of course he has a fucking arm, MAYBE TAKE YOUR SWORD OUT AND DEFEND YOURSELF!!?

Okay, good job!

"Na... ni?!" Oopsie, chopping him made him stronger! Shouldn't have lost your temper!

"I SAW Iba cut Takeda's arm off!" He got better, okay?!

"What the hell... I know for a fact that I cut your arm off..." Honestly, I feel like you should be congratulating him on his miraculous recovery...

"Does my arm bother you that much?" Not yet XD but it will...

"Takeda smirked sadistically, his eyes gazing down upon Iba as he broke into laughter." Hmm... It's nice to see him kinda happy for once but he seems a wee bit crazy...

Lol, Chizuru! But late to be getting flashbacks to Sanan telling you, "I suggest that you do not provoke him any further." BEEN THERE, DONE THAT, NOW HE'S FINALLY FUCKING SNAPPED, GOOD JOB GUYS!

Should have fucking listened to Sanan...

Oooh! Long, snowy white hair :D

"Takeda wore a confident, menacing grin." All I see is a very pretty face <3 Hey, maybe if Iba was more interesting, I wouldn't get distracted by Takeda!

"Is this man... REALLY my father?" Well, yes and no... Point is, he's a creep!

"I was unable to replace his arm with a human's" oh dear... I bet those experiments were a fun time...

"This is... my Demon's arm!" ... o_o Hello, Takeda's Demon's arm...

"Takeda flexed his right arm, which was wrapped in thick, bloody bandages." ... Niiiiice -_- Where the fuck does one even find a random demon arm? I guess you can't get one just from any demon, right? Because it's a special magic (horny) arm and there's only one other (guess where that fucking ends up...)

"As the bandages were torn off the arm, we all witnessed the gruesome abomination that was placed where Takeda's arm used to be..." UM, EXCUSE YOU! HE HAS SICK TATTOOS! HE IS WEARING NAILS 2 DIE 4! WE STAN!

"This can't be..." I mean, tbf, Iba, your route only gets more fucked up from here, soz (should have listened to Sanan bae, my dude)

"Ha, I'm a changed man." For the better, right? :D .... For the better, right? :O u gonna stop doing crime, right???

"I'm powerful now. Reeeeeeal powerful. So powerful, I'm unstoppable!" Oh dear. He crazy. Iba, I blame you for this, just saying!

"You're just a dojo bitch!" Omg, Takeda has been taking shit talking lessons from Kazama!

"Iba, watch out!" No shit -_-

"You're like a newborn turtle crawling out of water." Takeda, your seamonster heritage is showing...

"It was clear who's strength was greater." Oh, how the tables have turned... Was Iba right to stop Takeda doing crime? Absolutely! Should he have taken every opportunity since then to use his superior social status and swordsmanship to undermine and humiliate (and then maim) Takeda... Eh... Maybe not. Not saying he deserves what's coming but he could have been a better person, I think...

"Takeda's technique better resembled a wild beast's." Again with the shady comparisons :')

"What'll you do if you're sucked in?" Die?!

"Come to think of it, you cut off my arm. Just like THIS!" Ah, sweet revenge :)

"Iba! Please tell me if you're alright, Iba?!" Girl, look at that boy's face!!! Does he look fucking alright?!

"His left arm was sliced open, leaving what looked like a severe disfigurement." Hey, it's still attached! I guess that's good... Ish?

"The bone was snapped, and his flesh and muscles were torn apart, oozing blood on the rocks..." Yeeeeeah, that's... Baaaad...

"I'm surprised he hadn't fainted from the shock." I'm surprised Takeda didn't faint when Iba cut his fucking arm off...

"He wielded such incredible courage and willpower to maintain consciousness--it was almost godlike." Okay, calm down.

"Take that, Hachiro Iba! Doesn't feel too great, does it?!" Well, he would know... I feel like Takeda handled this better, though XD

"Takeda sneered over Iba, laughing to himself." ... Well, at least someone is having fun X_X

"Sounds like you want me to cut off your right arm too, is that it?" As a fury, I feel like the smart thing for Takeda to do here would be to drink Iba's delicious, nutritious blood instead of chopping more bits off of him but what do I know?

"Or... do you wanna be just like that little beast over there, too?" O_e What does that mean??? I don't like the sound of that! Takeda, what are you planning?

"I... still have my right arm." Iba, now is not the time to be pointing these things out ..

"Even if you took my other arm and both of my legs away..." Iba, maybe don't give him ideas, yeah?!

"The tender glow of nostalgia began to sparkle inside of me..." Don't care.

"This was so anticlimactic." XD Takeda, you dramatic bitch!

"What a sight to see someone so dedicated to a promise he made, even on the verge of death." Girl, you can have him, I just can't seem to get into this...

"You should be ashamed of yourself!" Well, being a shit is Kodo's whole deal and I think he's doing a very thorough job of it!

"I can only assume you are well-prepared to accept the punishment." Omg, I want to see Sen and Kimigiku murder Kodo so badly...

"I will be dealing with you." YES, KIMIGIKU! GET THE SEAMONSTER! "You will receive no mercy from me." Yes queeeeeeen!

"I'm not sleepy at all." Girl, you are going to DIE. SLEEP.

"I need to speak with you, if you have a moment." But sleeeeeep!!!

Way to fail at having a secret conversation about Iba, guys...

"Oh no, Iba... Are you going to be okay?!" Sure! Just like Sanan was okay when he lost the use of his arm!

"... I apologise for that." Ew, emotions! Jk, emotions are sexy! More of those, please!

"My inability to use my sword does not mean that I am no longer a warrior." We stan a well adjusted queen!

"If I end up losing my right arm, I have my legs and mouth." ... An image of Iba kicking Takeda to death just flashed through my brain...

"So, had he been able to regenerate his arm after being severed, or did it regrow...?" Boi, were you not listening?!?

"However, my story is a rather long one." FUCK... guess it takes a lot of waffle to make The Demon Arms of Horniness make any kind of sense...

"she turned like she'd heard something" uuuugh, what now?!??

Lol, that was close... Just realised I was on 1% battery and I haven't saved this shit in a while...

"That angry Takeda fellow" XD fair enough, he is that!

"a battle with a neighboring clan of humans resulted in the then-current Demon Lord to lose both of his arms." As one does...

"Attaching this arm, it was said, to any creature, especially humans, would result in untold catastrophe." Hmm. Sounds bad. So why keep them?

"I hadn't told you then, and I should have," ffs X_X no-one tells me nuthin'!

"he was creating a new generation of Furies to sell off to domains." Slave vampire army, goody...

"Somehow, he was able to steal the Demon's arm which had been guarded safely by our clan for ages." Probably only because no one wanted a stanky old calamity inducing arm!

"Why had father done such a thing?" Fuh teh evulz! 3:D

"many Demons were killed..." Wow, Kodo. How does one become such a cunt, I wonder?

"I want power..." Iba, no!!! This is how Takeda became so fucked up X_X You got defeated one time and this is what happens???

Oh ffs... I knew this would happen but there's still part of me that's incredulous when they pull out the horny demon arm and suggest whacking it on Iba X_X

I feel like this is maybe trying to fight fire with fire... The world maybe does not need more demonic sword bois...

This arm does everything the writers need: it justifies Iba nit being involved in the Shinsengumi plot, it lets him be horny without being horny and it makes him able to fight Takeda!

Is there nothing in the stories about the arm making people aggressively horny because I feel like that is important to mention...

"I am sure that the demise of the shogunate army is inevitable... So, for me, there is nothing to think about." ... You really don't give a shit about anything but Chizuru, huh?

I mean, where is the conflict?

"I think being human is overrated anyway." Thank you, that is much nicer than aggressively insisting that Chizuru is "normal"

"Some kind of weird, healing monster!" When you say it like that, it really does sound dumb as fuck...

"Is it so bad to be different than other people?" Babby Iba best Iba!

"If anyone makes fun of you, I'll beat them up!" ... And thus, the killing spree began...

"If it means I can spend another day looking into your beautiful face, I will forfeit my humanity." ... Entirely unnecessary! Girl, tell him you won't throw him in the garbage because his arm is damaged!

"Please, for me, my love." Omfg, this escalated so quickly...

"My love for him" oh, so you love him now?!

Takeda did a good job of a non lethal takedown on Kimigiku! Maybe the horny arm is against the harming of female demons ..

"Too slow, dumbass!" Takeda, don't ever change <3

"Na...ni?!" Yeah, how the fuck did Iba just now attach that fucking arm to himself? What happened to his old arm?!? Did he chop it off? When?!?? THE FUCK JUST HAPPENED?!?!

"Takeda's eyes were wide with shock." Ya, same...

"W-What's with your arm?!" -_- Takeda, dude, come on!

"Why are you asking such a foolish question?" Tell him, Iba!

"puffing his chest and arms up confidently." Iba, this macho shit is part of the reason we're in this mess!

"Yes. Just like you." You guys should be frieeeends! They have more chemistry than Iba and Chizuru (but that's not saying much...)

"The difference between you and me is that I've invited this power unto myself willingly." ... And inadvertently forced it upon Takeda... Is that the point you're trying to make? It doesn't make you look good, Iba!

"the way, we use these powers will be for separate purposes." Nooooo! Team! >:(

"Do you want to die from your own stubbornness?" I would never go as far as to suggest that Kodo is good for Takeda but this is a good point here...

"next time we meet I'm slicing off that pretty head of yours." Uwu! Second date! Iba, Takeda thinks you're pretty! Tell him he's pretty too! He must put so much effort into his hair! Kindly acknowledge it!

"They killed Gen," NOOOOOOOO :'(

"Yeah, he's gone. It wasn't pretty..." O_O What does that mean???

"I'm fine, ignore this undead, bandaged demon arm attached to me!"

"Lord Yoshinobu bitched out and fled to Edo" <3 can always rely on Hijikata to phrase things so eloquently! That's not sarcasm, I think his use of language is exquisite!

"Please, keep our secret safe for me." Omfg, please do not say such things where people are listening!

Frends :3

Final Chapter: THANK FUCKING GOD

HOW IS THE YAM?!??

"I wanted to say goodbye before I left for Edo." BITCH, THE FUCK DO YOU THINK YOU'RE GOING?!?? YOU ARE NOT ALLOWED TO FIGHT IN THIS WAR AND YOU VOWED TO PROTECT ME SO KINDLY STAY HERE AND HELP US HUNT DOWN THE EVIL EGG AND TAKEDA!!!

"It was expected that Takeda would have wanted to exact revenge on me..." Yas! Don't let dumb girl blame herself for more shit!

God, Chizuru's eyes are fucking enormous.

"Please stay with me, even just a moment longer." You could, you know... Not leave?!

"What had gotten over him...?" Oh no XD could this be the eponymous hero of our story finally taking effect! Watch out, Chizuru!

Yada yada, romantic stuff... I am too tired for this shit and I don't feel the chemistry here at all...

There, done! Sorry, Iba, I short changed you at the end, certainly. You were saying some lovely (and creepy) things but I could not summon the energy to care, honestly. Can't wait for Edo Blossoms where they really double down on the WEIRDNESS!

[themousefromfantasyland]

Creatures of Yuletide: Krampus, the Christmas Demon

He sees you when you're sleeping

And he knows when you're awake

He knows if you've been bad or good

So be good FOR YOUR OWN GODDAMNIT SAKE!!!

Christmas season is full of magical beings and creatures that travel through our world. Jolly old men from the north, elves that sleep in our homes, goats that give presents, the holiday season is full of all sorts of weird and wonderful characters. However, Santa Claus tends to me the most famous among them, and the most remembered in popular culture. This was, until some years ago, when a forgotten Christmas character rose in popularity in pop culture as an antithesis of good old St. Nick. I’m talking about Krampus, the Christmas Demon from German and Alpine lore.

One of the reasons why I believe Krampus became so popular recently is because he’s a scarier and less commercial alternative to Santa. In older posts I talked about how people used to tell scary ghost stories during Christmas and how Christmas once had this spooky side to it. Then one day it hit me that, in a way, Krampus is exactly a call back to these traditions. While not a ghost, Krampus brings back the scary atmosphere to the holiday. People tell stories about Krampus, they dress like him, they fright their neighbors in these costumes. People in general like to be scared, and in particular, even though they won’t admit it now, children too. Krampus is celebrated because he brings back the fun that overly commercialized Santa took out from Christmas.

Jeremy Seghers, organizer of the first Krampusnacht festival held in Orlando, said this in an interview to the Smithsonian Magazine:

"The Krampus is the yin to St. Nick's yang. You have the saint, you have the devil. It taps into a subconscious macabre desire that a lot of people have that is the opposite of the saccharine Christmas a lot of us grew up with."

Krampus is mainly a holiday tradition from the Alpine region and Central Europe in general. His name is derives from the German word krampen, meaning claw. On the night of December 5th, the eve of Saint Nicholas Feast, Krampus, and Saint Nicholas himself go out in the streets to punish or reward kids. This makes him one of the Companions of Saint Nicholas, a group of holiday figures that would help him in punishing kids. While they do the punishment, jolly old Nick brings the kids gifts, in a sort of Good Cop, Bad Cop dynamic.

Our friend St. Nick fills the shoes of good children with fruits and sweets. Krampus carries birch branches for senseless beating the misbehaving ones. On his back he is often depicted carrying a sack or a basket. This is to carry the naughty kids to his layer for more torture later. He can also eat them, threw them out in the river to drown, or bring them straight to the depths of Hell. In some parts of Austria, Krampus presents the families with gold-painted twigs that are to be displayed year-round in the house, constantly reminding the kids of his ever-watching presence.

What lovable fellow!

It was common in the 19th century to exchange Gruß vom Krampus, “Greetings from Krampus” cards that contained humorous rhymes and poems. In these Krampus is depicted looming menacingly over children. In others the creature receives sexual undertones, pursuing scantily dressed women.

There is also the Krampuslauf, or, Krampus Run, where people dress up as him and parade through the street dressed in fur suits and carved wooden masks and carrying cowbells. This one is very important for understanding Krampus origins.

Now, no one really know where Krampus comes from. The most popular theory is that he was a fertility god from the Alpine Region before Christianity retconned him as demon. Scholars often link him, Pan, and the satyrs to the archetype of the Horned God. Some claim he’s the son of Hel, but I didn’t find any real or credible source to this.

What we do know is that Krampus has some connections to a goddess in the Alpine region called Frau Perchta.

Now Frau Perchta is a very mysterious figure from the German folklore. She had many different names depending on the era and region. We don’t know a lot about her before Christianization, but what we do know is that in the folklore of Bavaria and Austria, she was a witch said to roam the countryside at midwinter, and to enter homes during the twelve days between Christmas and Epiphany. Good children would find a silver coin in their shoes. Bad children would have their bellies sliced open, their stomach and guts removed, and she would stuff the straw and pebbles in the hole left behind. She had two forms in which she could be encountered, beautiful and white as snow, or elderly and haggard.

Perchten is plural for Perchta. Originally, the word referred to female masks representing her, but the name come to refer to the animal masks worn in parades and festivals in the mountainous regions of Austria.

A Perchten mask

In the 16th century, the Perchten took two main forms: Schönperchten, "beautiful Perchten", or the Schiachperchten, "ugly Perchten”. The beautiful Perchten came during the twelve nights of Christmas and festivals to bring luck and wealth to the people. The ugly Perchten, who had fangs, tusks and horse tails which were used to drive out demons and ghosts. Men dressed as the ugly Perchten during this time and went from house to house driving out bad spirits.

From the Smithsonian Magazine: A man dressed in a traditional Perchten costume and mask performs during a Perchten festival in the western Austrian village of Kappl, November 13, 2015. Each year in November and January, people in the western Austria regions dress up in Perchten (also known in some regions as Krampus or Tuifl) costumes and parade through the streets to perform a 1,500 year-old pagan ritual to disperse the ghosts of winter. (DOMINIC EBENBICHLER/Reuters/Corbis)

People would masquerade as these devilish figures and march in processions known as Perchtenlaufs. The Church didn’t like these creatures and tried many times to ban these practices, but due to the sparse population and the rugged environments within the region, the ban was useless.

In Catholicism, St. Nicholas is the patron saint of children. His saint day falls in early December, which helped strengthen his association with the Yuletide season. A seasonal play that spread throughout the Alpine regions was known as the Nikolausspiel, "Nicholas play". In these plays St. Nick would make questions about morality and reward children for their scholarly efforts. Eventually the Perchtenlauf, in an attempt to pacify the Church, introduced Saint Nicholas and his set of good morals. Krampus, the in-chains helper of Saint Nicholas, was then born.

In 1975, anthropologist John J. Honigmann wrote that:

"The Saint Nicholas festival we are describing incorporates cultural elements widely distributed in Europe, in some cases going back to pre-Christian times. Nicholas himself became popular in Germany around the eleventh century. The feast dedicated to this patron of children is only one winter occasion in which children are the objects of special attention, others being Martinmas, the Feast of the Holy Innocents, and New Year's Day. Masked devils acting boisterously and making nuisances of themselves are known in Germany since at least the sixteenth century while animal masked devils combining dreadful-comic (schauriglustig) antics appeared in Medieval church plays. A large literature, much of it by European folklorists, bears on these subjects. ... Austrians in the community we studied are quite aware of "heathen" elements being blended with Christian elements in the Saint Nicholas customs and in other traditional winter ceremonies. They believe Krampus derives from a pagan supernatural who was assimilated to the Christian devil"

Is worth noting that this is exactly what happened to the Yule Goat. He was a pagan symbol, people dressed like him to keep winter spirits at bay, but the Christians demonized him. There are illustrations of Saint Nicholas or of Father Christmas riding the Yule Goat during Christmas and these were meant to represent the power of God over the power of the Devil. Krampus is represented in chains by the same reason. However, the Yule Goat came to become a gift-giver and a more positive force in holiday lore, with people dressing as goats to deliver gifts to their families in the 19th century. Krampus didn’t have the same luck. I really wonder if the Yule Goat and Krampus came from variants from the same or similar cultural traditions, but that took drastically different routes.

I must say that, although I'm more in the team Santa, I learned to love Krampus over the years. It’s undeniable the amount of fun he brought to those who wanted something a little more darker and creepier in the holidays, and as someone who identifies itself as 90% lover of cheesy, cutesy and sappy stuff and 10% lover of everything earie and macabre, the idea of a monstrous boogeyman in the shadows of good old Santa Claus is fun. I personally think there’s enough space for both, the terrifyingly scary and the joyful jolliness.

Fun fact: Krampus, the one people rescued from German obscurity to combat the overly commercialized Christmas, is now being criticized as being too commercialized. C'est la vie

Story time: In my country I once heard the tale of a guy that went as Santa to deliver Christmas presents to children in a poor community. He brought many gifts and toys with him. The children loved them, until there were no more gifts to be delivered. The remaining children and their parents became so angry that they chased away the guy, throwing rocks at him. The guy came to them with free stuff, helped as much as he could, and people still threw rocks at him and chased him away, almost seriously hurting him.

I admit, there are cases where Krampus is truly needed 🤣🤣🤣

Art by Helen Mask

[marshmallowprotection]

So what I'm getting from Ray's route is that the Prime Minister found Saeyoung through his Sevenstarr Drink? Is that right? And that interview with Zen, they find out what type of personality Seven has, and I really cant stand Saejoong. How can he find his son and then want to hurt him? I really wanted it to be the case that his father was looking for him in order to meet up with him and see what he's like. 😭😭😭😭 Two beautiful sons and this is what he acts like. But imagine if Saejoong had been a good person and really had tracked him down in order to meet him. Like Saeyoung being publically acknowledged as the Prime Minister's son would have been so weird (this assumes the Prime Minister never married so they arent considered illegitimate). And I dont know where I'm going with this but its just sad and a missed opportunity for a nice plot twist. He wad @ctually nice all along and now you have a family that loves you!

I don’t really think he found out about him through his fun little drink gimmick. I imagine that it was more of a joke. You know how Seven plays around and can use photoshop to make fake photos all the time? Yeah, he does things like that to prank the others. I sincerely doubt that it was the drink or anything, that whole part of the route reads more like that Milk Prank that he played on Yoosung back in the Deep/Common routes. 

Saejoong has been hunting down the boys hard and he finds out through his channels that Jihyun Kim was seen with one of the boys, likely Saeran, at the church. He manages to find V, and he starts trying to get information from him and we can see that his intentions are not pure. He found V, and he starts to think that RFA is a good place to look. If V is lying and hiding Saeyoung from him, or Saeran, or both... 

Well, he needs to know. 

Because he wants to kill his illegitimate sons as soon as possible so he doesn’t have to worry about this problem anymore that will ruin the clean image that he has. We don’t know if he’s married or has his own children that he considers to be his, but we know that he prides himself on a family man clean image that he doesn’t have. 

Idk, maybe this is me having dad problems, but this isn’t a situation like Fullmetal Alchemist. Saejoong is a bad guy, Mother Choi was a bad woman, and there’s no fixing that. It’s nice to imagine that the boys had a good upbringing but I’d rather read about them being adopted by V and Jumin or something than, you know, thinking about them being near their shitty parents. 

[cosmictulips]

Good time, it's very nice to know you exist 🍵🛶🏰🪔🍯🍯🍯 I'm 18, T, libra sun, leo moon, cap ris. if u could help, that'd be a big thank you

recently I've been feeling kinda shut off from any type of spirituality, universe, can't trust my own mind because i don't want to make things up and go with a lie, not imagination play - a terrible lie to oneself. so, i can only trust others. been asking for a clear sign that i wouldn't doubt for as long as i can remember, and nothing... am i tryna knock on the door that wasn't meant for me? then i don't understand anything. i feel left out of my own life. i try pulling out any advice, but then, my intuition may be just wishful thinking. nothing i ever do comes as i intend. I've let go of logic, of expectations, but it feels like a one way communication. can't remember dreams. locked out of everything and losing hope. i don't think it's a wall i made. i don't want to make up a voice in my head, it is my biggest fear, i want to actually hear one.

so, one question - why am i being unanswered?

pun unintended

thank you in advance, you're very kind.

have a wonderful weekend, and every weekend some good news

Hey Friend =) I truly hope other people see this ask too because I think your ask is very important.  so I hope you don’t mind that I kind of get personal with you.  Truth be told,  I’ve been feeling the exact same way recently.  it’s happened when I was first starting out with the Craft -as I like to call it -  and it happens from time to time.  even now.  these past two weeks have been a wreck for me and it really feels like I haven’t been heard by the universe.  No, not heard.  I’ve been heard.  but to me, it feels like I’ve been deemed unworthy.   

And especially with divination,  reading for myself has always been wrong.  which is why I no longer trust reading for myself.  and I don’t particularly trust it when people say they read for themselves. because too me, how do you know you’re not lying to yourself? I always, always tell people to be careful because the universe can and WILL tell you what you want to hear.  it’s hard approaching divination with a very unbiased, neutral head.  and it’s kind of why I’ve fought some people over their readings.  people only ever project to others and to the univeres what they want. so if I or you were to tell them otherwise, it’s wrong. 

So you’re right to take a step back if it doesn’t feel right to you.  and here’s where I’m going to start contradicting myself a little bit here.  You need to start trusting yourself.  fully, undoubtedly and ruthlessly.  trust yourself so much that people almost think you’re full of arrogance.  and that’s the key word, almost. Be open minded enough to new ideas and to change the way you think of things.  but always, always trust yourself to know what is best for you. Only YOU are going to know the best route to take for yourself. 

I started being answered when I started trusting the guidance that was coming in for me.  I started to notice the little signs at first.  Notice any repeating numbers?  colors?  any certain phrases you hear too often? read too often?  is there an animal or group of animals that tend to show up at odd places?  slowly start to take notice of these things.   Also,  truly dig deep into what you believe in.  if you want to get into spirituality,  ask yourself why. what is it that you believe that matches that.   I got into it because I felt so alone in a church and no one was listening.  and for awhile, I was thrown in circles the minute I opened myself up to the universe.  but instead of blocking it out,  I kept pushing.  I kept trying to see the pattern, and I kept trying to change it. 

and that could be what’s happening for you.  I know you said that you think it’s not a wall you built. but darling, it is.   I think it comes from a fear you’re not ready to recognize yet.   it could be the fear of the unknown, it could be a fear of failure,  but you’ve built a wall.  

Spirituality is made for everyone.   It’s okay to have blocks,  to doubt your abilities and be unsure of whether or not the universe actually hears you.  the universe brought you to me.  so obviously it hears you.  =) 

but you cannot hear it and I think that’s what needs to change.  

So let me give you some advice on what I do when I begin to feel these blocks. like I have been recently. 

1. I pray to my gods.  you don’t have to be into worshiping gods.  you can simply pray to the universe like I did and still do from time to time.  You’ll know it’s listening when you feel the warmth of the sun, and the gentle breeze of the wind.  perhaps you’ll see an animal or two ;) my sister is a good example of this, she sees dogs everywhere when she’s looking for a sign from the universe lol.  2. I turn to divination.  My readings for myself may not be true but it’s good practice.  I also turn to other forms to try to grow in those skills as well.  Runes, bindrunes, automatic writing,  etc there’s SO MANY divination techniques.  tarot may not be your thing but scrying might be.  look around and see what fits.

3. I play hertz music.  I find that music really helps me out lol.  hertz is juts frequency waves set to a certain wave length so parts of ... our... ... so like our energy can pick up on it.  there’s a better explanation for it but for me, it really helps lol  4. I keep pushing.  even when it feels like I’m not being answered, and sometimes you won’t be answered. that’s the thing.  the universe wants you to better yourself. and to grow.  and sometimes that means trusting yourself to know where to go because it won’t give you an answer.  be brave, and go forward. 

I’ll go more into what I want you to do, but let me pull out your cards first so you finally have a reading lolol.  

So for you I pulled the Lovers, Strength, The Sun and the Knight of Pentacles. with the Ace of Cups as the overall energy. 

so it’s really what I’ve been saying lol.  The knight of pentacles here is telling me to move slowly.  it’s okay that things don’t make sense to you right off the bat.  Patience is a virtue here.   Going into your craft, your practice,  it’s okay to question things.  spirituality is a lot different than most religions so coming from a different place and settling into a new one can be tough.  it requires a lot of change.  and that tends to scare some people.  Ya know?  we’re all so used to hearing different things -mostly bad-  about sprituality and how it’s all “fake”  but darling,  dipping your toes in and slowly breaking the surface is how everyone starts out.  Once you get comfortable with the idea and with your own intuition the fun will begin. 

Next you have the Lovers, Strength and the Sun.  This is telling me you need to let yourself love.  bring courage and strength into this.  It’s going to take you loving yourself,  being confident in yourself and going forth even if it seems fake.  does that make sense?  You might have a mental illness. I’ve got some strong anxiety that borders on paranoia.   Okay,  but in my heart of hearts I knew this was the call for me because I’ve seen too much shit to not believe spirituality wasn’t my path.  so I forced myself to be more confident in my abilities.  I forced myself to be open to the universe even if it felt like I was talking to a wall.  I forced myself to sit down and learn divination and kept a dream journal even if most nights there was nothing but darkness.

and you need to bring that to yourself.  if you are serious about this,  learn to open yourself to the universe.  In the beginning I had to lie to myself.  it’s just what it is.  but the more I connected to the universe,  and the more I began to trust my intuition,  the more the lying ceased to happen.  because suddenly it was true.  suddenly those signs told me I was on the right path.  and suddenly everything I was studying made sense.  given time it will make sense for you as well. 

People, including me,  are telling you what you already know.  You just don’t trust yourself to hold onto those words.  you don’t trust yourself enough to put that same love into you and out into the universe.  and maybe you’re afraid of getting hurt.  being vulnerable to the universe does mean that sometimes we go through rough patches.  we have to break old cycles for new ones to begin. but much like the Lovers,  once you make that choice to love and be loved,  you will shine. 

The ace of cups tells me there is something new coming for you.  but you have to choose to let it happen okay?  you have to stop thinking you’re not good enough and that you’re not being heard.  because you are... because you’re here talking to me ;)   the universe wouldn’t have sent you to me if that wasn’t the case.  and I think a part of you knows that. 

so here’s what I want you to do.  Take the first steps.  Start keeping a dream journal.  the only way we as humans can recall our dreams is if we’re actively thinking of them when we first wake up.  that means no media ;)  lay there and think about what you dreamed.  Like last night I had a dream I set the house on fire and was crying that I lost a textbook.  idk, it was weird lol.  dreams don’t have to make sense.   write them down.  keep a glass of water by your bed. for some reason it helps. 

If you’re gonna sit there and tell me but you’ve tried everything, try again ;) try it from a new perspective.  instead of going in all “this is going to fail”  think of it as “this has already worked once and I’m doing it again to better myself”  

let your confidence shine.  I had to lie to myself everyday until I finally believed I was a decent human being.  I still struggle with it but damn have I gotten noticed by more people who tell me that I literally shine like the sun.  people notice your changes.  some of us just won’t say it ;) that being said, be prepared to fight for your beliefs. 

Learn what your beliefs are. Learn to defend them.  because the universe does not take this journey lightly.  the minute you start to doubt that you’re ever made for this, is going to be the second it closes on you until you force yourself to try again.  much like how we’re both in this spot now ;) trust and KNOW that the universe wants what is best for you.  

Tap into your higher self and your shadow self.  work on what needs to be healed and what your higher self wants for you to do.  this could literally be anything from getting therapy, to doing art, to listening to music, to talking to people who have hurt you.  like it’s endless but it helps.  

Lastly,  understand that these things take time.  You have some major energy wanting to work with you.  you need to start trusting yourself more, and letting down that wall. you built it, you can destroy it.  

I don’t hear a voice telling me which way to go.  I get feelings.  very strong ones.  that I’ve had to learn are different from my anxiety.  In the beginning that meant I had to pretend to ignore the feeling to see what the reaction would be.  when something happened and I knew it was going to happen,  I knew what I had felt was my intuition. 

Learn to recognize what is your instinct and what is your intuition. my instinct is that my hands get a little shaky and I can’t stop moving around.  my intuition keeps me still.  it’s quick and alert.  for you it could be something different.  you might actually hear a voice.  

I’m willing to work with you if you want me to.  I’ve been in that exact same situation and form time to time I feel the same way.  it’s never about the destination, it’s always the journey.

You’ve got this.  You know you do.  break down the wall,  and come join us ;) I hope this helps sorry for the long.... long post lmao If you ever need anything, please reach out =) 

[bonetrader]

Unusual RPG combinations

I like to tinker with mixing and matching rpg settings and systems. I will try to collect the ones I'm most fascinated with. I haven't found the opportunity to actually try any of these combinations, but I guess it doesn't hurt to put them out there in case someone finds any of them interesting.

Shadowrun redux

Setting: Shadowrun

System: Blades in the Dark

I adore Shadowrun. It takes all the bleakness of reality, amplifies it, but also mixes it with a lot of magic and wonder. And if you read the books selectively, even with hope.

But playing it can get convoluted, especially if your group is prone to overplan. And we know that plans always go sideways. There's no such thing as a milk run. Spending an hour on planning can be annoying in itself. But it's extra painful if it has to be thrown out the window in the first five minutes of execution.

Enter Blades in the Dark that instead of planning ahead encourages to use flashbacks on the spot to reveal how you prepared in advance to get past an obstacle. That makes pulling off daring heists a lot more easier for the players. Infiltration is way less stressful on the player if they can make up any forged backstory on the go, and do a flashback to make sure it's believable. There's still some minimal planning, but it's practically just setting the starting scene of the run. You don't have to specify anything beyond that.

The concept of crew from Blades also fits nicely with Shadowrun. It can tell the GM what kind of runs the players prefer, and gives the players the ability tospecialize their team. Blades was created for a different level of technology and magic. But it mainly focuses on the hierarchy of the criminal underground, and that translates easily even to a modern world. So I expect the same crews to work with Shadowrun, but more thematic options could be added to tie it closer to the sixth world.

The concept of hunting grounds should be reconsidered. In Blades it means a specific neighbourhood the characters are more familiar with and usually target. In Shadowrun it makes more sense to make it a specific scenery they usually operate in. For example it could be a specific megacorporation they often go up against, or a type of gang that's common in the sprawls they operate in.

Blades also offers a nice subsystem for handling reputation, growth, notoriety, and even stress and trauma between runs. Incorporating a specific vice for each PC also seems completely in line with Shadowrun's concept.

The biggest difference will be in character creation. Blades' system is more abstract than Shadowrun's. In Blades you have to pick a specific playbook for your character. I think that's OK. While Shadowrun allowed building characters skill by skill, it always encouraged working toward specific archetypes like face, rigger, or adept. Your playbook determines your starting stats, but you can still somewhat specialize it. Blades also allows crossing from a playbook to a new one, but that's long term character advancement.

Adding some elements of Shadowrun might not be trivial. Spirits could be more or less handled as the ghosts in Blades. But magic and technology would have to be specifically addressed. Some of it could be treated like fluff, making it mechanically irrelevant whether your efforts are more effective because of training, because of an implant, or because you are infusing them with magic. But at least mages, riggers and deckers would probably need their own playbooks.

Twisted Houses of the Drow

Setting: any fantasy setting with drows, but I have a specific campaign idea for Spelljammer

System: Houses of the Blooded

This is a re-skin of Houses of the Blooded. The ven and the drow have different values and cultures, but I think they share a similar style. Decadence and intrigue runs deep in their societies. I'd replace the virtues (attributes) of the original game with corresponding vices. And each vice would be linked to a drow god instead of the totem animals of the original game.

Instead of the romance mechanic there would be rivalry. It would work the same way, just with a different flavour. Drows could pick someone as a rival, driving each other to greater feats. Instead of creating art drows could develop schemes. Same as the art mechanic. The scheme could give a bonus to those it was shared with. Seasons, regions, holdings, and blessings would have to be reworked, but I think renaming them would be enough in most cases.

My campaign idea is for a group of drow renegades employed by the elven admiralty as covert agents. They would be sent for long term infiltration missions to places where surface elves are not welcome. Each of them would have an affiliation with a drow god as well, and each would have their own hidden agenda. It might even work if not all characters are drows. I could imagine one or two elf, half-elf, or shapeshifter mixed in.

If I ever got to it seasons of the campaign would include: Building up a career of piracy in space (remember, Spelljammer) to get on the good side of a notorious and elusive pirate king, and lead the elven navy to its hideout. Instead of holdings the players could manage trade routes they raid, and their ships. Another would be infiltrating a drow city to stop an invasion. I think this would be the closest to the original Houses game. And finally I'd drop them in a mission to arrive as inmates to Elfcatraz, the secret prison of the admiralty (named by one of my players) to find out who's really in control there.

Around Cerilia in 80 days

Setting: Birthright

System: Primetime adventures

This one is kind of cheating, because Primetime adventures is quite setting-independent. So I rather mean it's a better fit for the kind of stories I'd like to run in this setting.

Birthright's setting works on a comprehensible scale for me. Most fantasy worlds have gigantic continents with dozens of large countries. They are too large for me, and I end up with a vast countryside where everything's the same for weeks to go. But Birthright has a small continent, maybe more like a large island with five distinct cultural regions. And each of those regions have a dozen provinces, each province described with its own flavor. It's not complicated, but colorful.

I guess it was done this way to accomodate the strategy aspect of Birthright that was one of its main features. While the concept of ruling provinces sounds great, the setting really makes me want to have a game about just travelling through this world. Not with adventurers, but rather with tourists, merchants, travelers who are going there to see a foreign place, or do business with the locals, and not just to explore a dungeon that happens to be there.

Ever since I saw the Roman Mysteries TV series I've been particularly fascinated with the idea of having a bunch of kids as player characters who are brought along by one's aunt/uncle on business trips to foreign lands, and get into trouble there. For example a trip from a frontier barony to the capital city, traveling through the woods of wary elves, then sailing down the river, stopping in a few more interesting port. Or a journey to the magnificent kingdoms in the east, although there are many perils both natural, and man-made on the way.

Thinking in Primetime adventures terms each province or city could be a separate episode. And the peculiarities of the place could be used to decide which character's spotlight episode should happen there.

Even domains of awnshegh (people and animals infected by the power of a dead god of darkness, becoming "monsters") don't have to be off limits. Some of them were quite sociable, and even more ruled over people whose perspective could be interesting.

Crown of Wings

Setting: Council of Wyrms

System: Birthright's domain management

Council of Wyrms focuses on playing dragons from various clans who work together. Despite the central role of the council, and the politics between the dragon clans, Council of Wyrms didn't touch much on the actual politics and realm management. It was the same AD&D, just scaled up to dragon PCs.

But I think there's so much more potential in the setting. I could easily imagine dragons ruling the land, managing guilds, and churches, and building out ley line networks to cast spells affecting whole realms. So everything that Birthright's system offered.

The setting isn't fully fleshed out, but it lets us fill in the land with fantastic locations. Some cities and towns were mentioned at unusual places, full of various races. So players could run wild with ideas when they create their own domain. Should their be trade routes with a merfolk city, and underwater ley lines? Absolutely. Could there be a church based on promoting the halfling lifestyle? Why not?

And then there's the Council. Domain Power could determine the character's status in it. Regency Points, and Gold Bars could be used as bargaining chips.

But what should be its purpose? I have seen enough of the trope of warring factions who have to be unified against some common threat, maybe with a traitorous faction thrown in the mix. I mean it makes for a fine story, but I'm getting a little tired of it. This time I'd rather see a council as a way to trade, to exchange ideas, and to help everybody improve their own clan. It doesn't make for a strong narrative, but I think it's a more positive message overall.

I think the biggest restriction in the setting is that dragon clans are too homogenic. Like, each clan consists of just one kind of dragon. That doesn't help in putting together a game with diverse characters. The original game concept solved that by making the PCs agents of the Council who may come from various clans.

For a more political game we could introduce mixed clans. So the characters could be part of the same clan, while still coming from various places. Maybe they are outcasts or survivors who created their own clan. Or maybe their clan was open minded, and was located in a central place, so it naturally lead to it becoming more diverse.

Or we could say that they are from different clans, but their clans are neighbours and allies of each other. At least if you're like me, and you don't want to set the players up for PvP by putting them to opposing sides of a clan feud.

Custom Quest

Setting: Your long-running campaign

System: Fiasco

I think any campaign that went on for a while should be an easy source for creating a Fiasco playset for a one-time play. Fiasco is about nobodies trying to pull off something bigger than they are. It's about petty people, and half-baked ideas going wrong. And while that might still sound like your average adventurer party, here we know they can't win. They will be lucky if they don't end up in a lot worse situation they started in.

For convenience I will refer to the PCs of the original campaign as heroes. It's okay if they are not actual heroes. That happens pretty often. But they had the greatest influence on the campaign this one shot is based on, so we have to heavily rely on them.

So the player characters in this one-shot are probably just background noise in the original campaign. I think this is a great way to explore how the actions of the heroes might affect the common people in unexpected ways. Objects driving the character dynamics could be things the heroes brought back, created, or just used in a memorable moment. Maybe an artifact they sold off is making its rounds on the blackmarket, and someone sees an opportunity in it. Or evidence surfaced that could incriminate one of the heroes.

And it's not just Objects. Their shenanigans might have brought the unwanted attention of a powerful cult to the city. Or the local barkeep loathes the heroes because they trashed his place one too many times. And he's just looking for some idiots to exact his revenge. Really, just look for whomever the heroes might have ever slighted or aided to get a plethora of petty plots and strange driving forces in the community. This can give you the Needs and Relationships between the player characters.

Locations could be places well known by the players, preferably close to a place the heroes frequent. The heroes, and the more memorable NPCs could give some enjoyable cameos. And finally they could become part of the Tilt table to turn a bad situation worse in the middle of the game.

[lady-byleth]

Me when I got the game: "I'm sure everyone is exaggerating their reactions about Black Eagles and Church Routes." Me now: "Ah, now I get it". To be clear, the characters are great, but it's taking me longer to finish because it's hard to go through them after starting with Golden Deer and knowing how things could have turned out better (and also because I'm playing them both simultaneously so I don't have to replay part 1 in the same route). Long story short, I get why you avoid the CF route.

AN ALLY

As much as I like Edie, I really can't bring myself to fight her war for her and hurt my boys for nothing

[dare-i-say-asexual]

(Vent Anon from earlier sorry this is so late!) OK so I'm honestly kinda pissed at the dads game because of everything with Joseph. My best friend is a very religious gay man and he's been excited for MONTHS about this game and he really loves Joseph. When the game came out he bought it immediately and played straight through Joseph's route and honestly I was so fucking happy for him cause he's always wanted to be a youth minister with a loving husband and so Joseph's route was his everything

(2)At first it seemed so kind and good, but then the ending was horrible???? Like you basically become Joseph’s secret side hoe so he can be a good hetero role model for the church???? Which is super fucked up already because of obvious reasons, and my friend was devastated by it. I felt really bad because the next day he made this really long vent post about how he hated his life and wanted just one kind thing and always wanted to live a simple life with the church and just be an openly gay man

(3)and help kids struggling through rough times find jesus. I tried talking to him about all of it, but he’s very closed off about his feelings and didn’t want to talk about it. He told me though that he keeps replaying the beginning of Joseph’s route because he still loves him which worries me. That was before everyone starting talking about the cult ending and I started looking to see if maybe there was a different ending for Joseph that I could tell him about to cheer him up

(4) I found out about the cult ending and told my other friend he’s close with and now we’re just trying to keep him from finding out about it because the actual ending hurt him so bad so we’re afraid of what the cult ending is going to do to him since it’s so unbelievably fucked up. Like I’m so afraid of what’s going to happen when he finds out that Joseph’s a demon cult leader who ruins all the dad’s relationships

(5)The worst part is though I know we cant keep it from him forever and part of me wants to tell him myself just because I worry he’s going to find out in the worst way possible (like explicit jokes/fanart/cosplay of evil joseph doing fucked up things to the other dads which btw.. im so looking forward to when all the nasty people start that :)) /s) I just don’t know how to tell him that hey I know you still care about Joseph and hoped maybe for a better ending but apparently its a lot worse

(6)I’m so sorry this is so long and a lot I just needed to get it out and I don’t know what to tell him or how to tell him because that’s really going to hurt him more than anything and he’s going through so many bad things already so to completely take away the one good thing makes me feel horrible. Thank you so much for letting me send all this I’m just really upset and angry and at this point I really hate the game for being such a disappointment

–

Yeah I definitely agree. It’s a disappointing route and I wish they explored his sexuality regarding his religion considering that most sga/gay men struggle with keeping a good contact with their religion.

I think you should tell him that the cult ending doesn’t actually exist within the game anymore, and I don’t know what to tell you other than that. Joseph’s character should have been played out more and maybe shouldn’t have played religious men to be “secret cheaters” to save face towards their church/practice. It’s very tiring, as someone who lost faith years ago due to my gay attraction. I definitely wish I had secure faith, but as with most sga people and lgbt people, religion can be tricky.