#combat is catharsis for her

[cedefaci]

Foundations of the World: Gathering

So, I’m finally writing the DF-KHR Crossover that I swore I would write. Gathering is the part that deals with Tsuna and company meeting up with the DF crew.

Soon after breaking the Arcobaleno Curse, Tsuna and his Guardians are on a class trip to Chicago just as the events of Peace Talks go down.

A few central conceits: the Inheritance Arc never happened since Earth Flames don’t fit into the fused cosmology of this fic, which means that the Vongola Tenth Generation are still wearing Rings, not Vongola Gear; Haru is acting as Lambo’s proxy both to avoid conflict with Marcone and to reduce suspension of disbelief regarding how a five year old got on a class trip; Kyoko is an Active Sky and very willing to choose violence. The latter two divergences are the result of the CEDEF 10th Generation excelling in their chosen field. (thank you, Oregano)

The lights went out.

His Guardians immediately sprang into motion, leaping up from where they had been whiling away the time to project shields of Flame overlapping like a three-sided pyramid—Hayato’s Storm, Takeshi’s Rain, and Haru’s Lightning, to disintegrate or stop or block any attack. Even niisan was more serious than usual, taking his place in the bodyguard formation that Reborn had drilled them in every day since Tsuna’s future assassination.

“Is this what we’re waiting for, Tsuna?” Takeshi asked, as casually as if they were just watching tv, if not for the hand resting on the hilt of his sword. Tsuna had been jittery and on edge all day, and it had only gotten worse after the sun had set, to the point that Reborn had outright told them to stay together in a single room with the curtains drawn, a few illusions from Chrome settling the chaperoning teachers’ objections before Tsuna could protest.

The sense of impending doom he had been feeling since the plane touched down in Chicago (scratch that, he’d had a bad feeling about everything since the teacher had announced that they were going on a class trip to America that had Vongola’s fingerprints all over it) had grown until his Intuition was screaming at him about imminent danger. And it was still screaming.

“No.” Tsuna shook his head, “It’s not over yet.”

“Boss…” Chrome said from beside him, ready to fake their deaths the moment an attack came, “It’s dark outside.”

It was. Tsuna looked out into the night.

Chicago was a big city, much bigger than Namimori, so big that it never slept. Tsuna hadn’t noticed the difference, but there weren’t any lights shining in through the uncovered windows of the bedrooms. There was no light at all, anywhere, save from the glow of his Guardians’ Flames.

Even ten years in the future, when the world was on the brink of collapse, there had been light.

“This is bigger than just us, isn’t it?”

“Are you saying or asking, Tsuna?” Reborn said up from behind him. Tsuna hadn’t noticed when Reborn had stopped pretending to sleep.

Tsuna drew a breath deep into his lungs. When he let it out again, his eyes were beginning to burn orange. “It is.”

“Then what are you going to do?”

“Hayato?” Tsuna asked, trusting that the genius had a better grasp of strategy than he did.

“Tenth?” Hayato turned his head towards him, then nodded. “Alright, Sasagawa, I need you check how far the outage extends, Chrome, hide us with a simple illusion, save your strength—and Kyouko, Jyuudaime, could you maybe check the phones? Sky Flames are about connection, so if there’s any chance that we can get communications up and running, it’ll be thanks to you.”

Tsuna nodded as Kyouko did, just as niisan made a noise of confusion. “Check how far the outage extends?”

Hayato made a face, stress making his temper even shorter than normal. “Go out, climb as high as you can with the stairs if the elevators aren’t running, and see if there’re lights anywhere, then come back! Be fast about it so we don’t end up assuming that you’ve been attacked.”

“Wait.” Kyouko interjected from where she had crouched down on the carpet and was trying to turn on a phone, “If Sky Flames boost connections, then Chrome, can you make communicators for us?”

Chrome frowned in concentration, but slowly nodded, “Yes, I think I can.”

“Good.” Kyouko abandoned the stubbornly black screen and stood up, “If you can manage it quickly, then niisan can wait for you to make him something so that he can keep in contact.”

“I’ll try.” Chrome turned to Tsuna, “Boss, can I see your earpiece?”

“En.” Tsuna unhooked Spanner’s earpiece and gave it to her, realizing that the mechanic’s technology, at least, wasn’t dead the way everything else was.

Chrome narrowed her eyes, the original in one hand and Mist condensing into a solid shape in the other. “Mukuro-sama…” She murmured under her breath, but he didn’t make an appearance.

Whatever help Mukuro was giving her, it wasn’t as major as possession.

“I need your Flames now.”

Kyouko offered Chrome her hand, warm orange fire flowing from her fingertips into Chrome’s palm, until the fuzzy edges of the Real Illusion turned sharp and substantial.

“This should work.” Chrome said, handing Tsuna his earpiece back and giving the new one to Ryohei, “But… um, I think you should test them first—just talk into one, you should receive the signal in the other.”

“Alright.” Tsuna cupped his hand over his mouth and whispered, “Niisan, can you hear me?”

“YES! I CAN EXTREMELY HEAR YOU, SAWADA!”

“Be quiet, Lawn-Head!” Hayato snapped in a furious hiss, attention darting frantically from the windows to the vents to the door and even to the walls, as if expecting a fully armed squad to burst out of the panelling, “And say something that Jyuudaime won’t be able to hear without his earpiece instead of shouting!”

“Can you hear me, Sawada?”

“Yes.” Tsuna answered.

“EX—treme!” Niisan remembered to be quiet halfway through his first word, “Don’t worry, I’ll be right back!”

Niisan pumped his fist in the air, all grimness forgotten, and dashed out the door.

“Alright—,” Tsuna jarringly realized that the Flame shields were still up, “—uh, Hayato, Takeshi, Haru-chan, could you drop the barriers now? I don’t think we’re going to be attacked right now, and you need to save your strength.”

“Are you sure, Tsuna-kun?” Haru kept her hands up, Lightning crackling from the ring she had taken from Lambo, “The movies always have the bad guys come in just when you think you’re safe.”

Which seemed to be the same conclusion Hayato had arrived at, even if he clearly disagreed with Haru’s reasoning.

The all-encompassing darkness, the equally omnidirectional dread, and, now that Tsuna was listening, there were sounds of human distress at the edge of his hearing. He swallowed, “Yes. Whatever’s happening, it’s bigger than just us, we don’t need to worry about being targets yet…right?”

He tried to look to Reborn for guidance, but the now preschool-aged hitman only crossed his arms and smirked at him, “You’re the Boss now, Tsunayoshi. A Boss has to judge the risks and make the decisions himself.”

Aren’t you supposed to still be tutoring me? Tsuna complained in his head, but nodded. “Alright. Then we’ll wait for niisan to come back, then we’ll head down and see if we can help our classmates.”

[lightblueminecraftorchid]

Today was the last DND session for a three-year campaign and I am big sad :(

One of the players brought whiskey for a last toast, which was very kind of them. I had never had whiskey before. Turns out I do not like whiskey. Unsurprising.

It tastes like slightly nicer hand sanitizer.

[giantkillerjack]

So I ended up going into more detail about Kitty in my tags, but then I thought I'd include this part in the post proper because it bears repeating:

As an autistic Trans queer nerd, it has been my experience that my unbridled enthusiasm for all things I love - including Pokémon and skipping and shipping and puppies and Steven Universe and DuckTales 2017 and the list goes on - has absolutely gotten me more good pussy and incredible wonderful romance than it has lost me in my lifetime.

I mean it i am so dead serious that tamping down on your love and enthusiasm for life in order to seem more "adult" is INCREDIBLY common and it is a TRAP! A big grey and beige, box-shaped, joy-crushing, everything-a-child-is-afraid-to-grow-into trap!!!!

Like, yes, maybe allistic cishet people are largely bemused by me - they think I'm something of a novelty with my loud laugh and my infodumps and my intense passion for the things I enjoy - but the queer autistics desire me carnally! And I them! We infodump TOGETHER! Even when I don't share their love of something, what bliss to see how happy they are! And who else would want to work with me to create an elaborate roleplay storyline involving swordfights and character development?? Autistics and queers, that's who!!!

Also, being loudly and unapologetically myself is why I have such a wonderful partner of nearly 10 years now! That is the exact thing that first attracted her to me romantically, and it is the thing that most often has her looking at me like a big ol' sap!

For example, when she was a kid, she hid her love of Pokemon because she was convinced it would ostracize her. When I tell her now about my Pokemon go PVP battle strategy, she smiles SO BIG because she says she never dreamed of having a partner who would say things like that! Also, she thinks nerds are hot, which is great news for me!

Anyway, my point here is that I hope you never have to dull the shine of your life's joy by tamping down on the things you love - because although there are people who will infantilize you for it because they are fools, there are many MANY people who will love and desire you specifically because you don't do that!

I think one of the reasons I get annoyed with Kitty being infantilised is because exactly the same thing happens to me in real life.

So, I (apparently) look a lot younger than my actual age. I constantly get told that. I’ve also kept a lot of my interests from when I was a child, or have interests that are seen as “childish” (Pokémon, Horrible Histories, etc.).

The result is, I often get treated like a kid, even by people younger than me. People will actually apologise to me if they happen to swear/make a dirty joke and notice that I’m in the room. I can never understand why, it happens even when I laugh at the jokes.

I’m an adult. I don’t know how to make people take me seriously without changing myself and trying to act like an adult “should be”. I don’t want to give up my interests, to lose the enthusiasm I have for them.

Kitty is canonically an adult (her father said that she had come of age), but because of the way she acts, people point at her and are like “that’s a child”. People say that she’s not allowed to have a romantic/sexual relationship, because she’s just a little girl.

At the same time, Kitty reads smutty romance novels, she’s clearly very interested in sex. She can show surprising maturity at times, like when she was pretending to be Thomas’ PR agent. But still, people treat her like a kid because of her optimism and naivety.

Kitty wants romance. She wants sex. Why shouldn’t she be allowed to have those things if she wants them?

I often worry that no one will ever take me seriously enough to be attracted to me, and that I won’t be able to experience romance or sex because of that. Seeing the way people in the fandom talk about Kitty just makes those insecurities even worse.

[otogariado]

only halfway thru the new frieren episode i was almost tearing up because the theme of protecting each other and caring about life more importantly than winning is so poignant. not all the characters are human in species but once again the humanity is blossoming in frieren's story. i was so afraid they'd actually get killed last ep but i mean it's so funny now what was i even thinking. this is frieren. they won't kill unless it was really necessary.

the reveal that richter raised the platform not to make his fight with lawline and kanne easier but actually to protect them from denken's attacks was so good. the "magic is nothing if you cannot imagine it" line is so wonderful because i'm a big fan of magic systems that revolve around that logical "science-y" aspect of like. understanding how it will work in order to do it. (same reason why i love the magic in "world's greatest assassin".) laufen getting caught by frieren even though she knows it's a trap just bc she didn't want denken to get hurt was also so good. the reveal that denken didn't have a grander motive to be a first class mage beyond "i wanna go back to my hometown and visit the cementary there but only first class mages are allowed to enter" was so painfully human and so reflective of real life. it also strikes you because he was introduced as a high-profile, politically influential mage.

i love what denken says about not going out without a fight. i love that the episode ends in a fistfight for him. i love it when media uses fistfights and punching in such an emotionally-charged human way, beyond the violence, instead depicting it as some sort of catharsis really. because sometimes all you need is a good rough n tumble. in denken's case, it's his way of not giving up without a fight. i like that. i also like that this was foreshadowed by denken telling laufen to cut the tree down instead of trying to cut the restraint. "we don't have any mana" "neither do they". sometimes all it takes is to find a differently way to approach your problems and sometimes the solution is simpler than you think.

i'm a big fan of frieren breaking the barrier because she thought it was unfair to cut kanna (and by extension lawline) out of her source of magic, giving her an unfair disadvantage and honestly a handicap. it's a short part of the episode but it's so important, because it shows that if people are given the right tools and the accessibility, they can do for themselves what they want and need to do. i love that frieren is like "can you imagine winning against a water manipulating mage with water around? i can't."

i'm a fan of how the "basic" combat and defensive magic are depicted and treated as in this show. yes, people more on from traditions, but traditions are there in the first place. richter's explanation of magic history in their world provides an insight to how modern magic evolved from the foundations. but the foundations were still foundations for a reason. they made it a point with fern saying "frieren doesn't restrict me from spells" (even tho it was the setup for a small joke) that the point isn't to pick a side between tradition vs modern, but rather to learn from both and decide for yourself what you want to apply to yourself. the depiction of fern and frieren winning with traditional magic and richter and kanne overwhelming each other with modern magic makes it clear that the show isn't trying to preach to either side.

i also like the theme of "pursuing magic out for the sake of magic is enough". it's nice to hear that denken shares this mindset with frieren, because again he was introduced as someone influential and you'd think he thinks like he could use magic as a source of power. and that's the impression i got of him too from previous episodes, but a lot of first impressions of mine were proven wrong later and i'm so happy for that bc these characters have so much depth packed into them in so little time.

what else have i missed...

[wildmelon]

my wayhaven detectives 🔍🖤

🥺👉🏼👈🏼 i’ve been wanting to post them for a while, but i always put it off (mostly since i tweak them constantly, i’ve redone all of these portraits at least once since i first drafted this). but it’s a foggy november morning here and it put me in the mood. here are my actual children, i’m putting info about them under the cut for anyone like me who loves reading about other ppl’s mcs 😊

Elliott Moran [Felix] 

Kind and thoughtful, Elliott has the disposition of an elementary school history teacher. Slightly spacey and dreamy, he’s better at connecting with people than he is holding information. On the bright side, his intuition tends to steer him right when it comes to technology, and he has a knack for fixing things. His perpetual cheerfulness quickly charmed Natalie and attracted Felix.

Elliott’s sensitivity can leave him easily hurt and drained. His care for the people around him supercedes hurt feelings, though, and he’s incapable of holding a grudge. He’s happier than he ever thought he’d be since he started dating Felix.

Waverly Green [Adam] 

Waverly spent much of her youth rebelling in bids for attention from her absentee mother. Whatever her initial motivations, she maintains an innate propensity for chaos as an adult. Impulsive, sarcastic, and stubborn, Waverly isn’t always the easiest teammate, though she can turn on the charm when she wants to. (Nine times out of ten. Adam seems immune so far.) She’s always been drawn towards the catharsis of combat. Exercising is one of the only times her mind goes truly blank. She’s also fairly well versed in technology and naturally handy. Her open pessimism and incisive quips sparked a somewhat unlikely friendship with Mason.

Past her bravado lies a deeply insecure and wounded girl who feels like a chronic failure, never good enough for the people around her. (This whole situation with Adam may be touching a nerve.)

Araminta (Minty) Udo [Nat]

Naturally charming and charismatic, Araminta’s easygoing nature and popularity made her a good choice to be detective. The people of Wayhaven trust her wholeheartedly-- or at least they did before all these supernatural occurrences began cropping up. Still, her optimism and quiet self-assuredness puts the people around her at ease. She maintains a (seemingly) great relationship with her mother, has fallen head-over-heels for Natalie, and gets along particularly well with Farah.

Minty seems so well-adjusted it can be hard for people to remember she needs to be taken care of as well. Her forgiveness and patience seem inexhaustible but take a toll that sometimes makes her want to scream. Luckily, she now has Nat to worry about her feelings. 

Alice Atwell [Mason] 

Incredibly intelligent and deeply logical, Alice is often the voice of reason. She prides herself on her ability to keep calm in a crisis, and her levelheadedness serves her well. Being a detective seemed like the best way to put her sharp mind to good use in Wayhaven, and her sincerity has made her a trusted figure in the community. Her knowledgeability, easygoing nature, and interest in history contributed to a fast friendship with Nat. Mason, meanwhile, is attracted to her goodheartedness against his will (and knowledge).

Underneath Alice’s patient exterior lies a deep need to prove herself and receive love. She seems to have a good relationship with her mother, but Rebecca’s long absences have left her with deep-rooted fear that she’s unlovable that she tries hard to keep buried. (Good thing she’s falling for Mason, he’ll provide her with plenty of reassurance. /s. At least she’s an optimist.)

[lonelylonelyghost]

Love Like the Galaxy: trauma and vengeance done right

a.k.a forgiveness is overrated

So, we all know that Chinese dramas, especially historical ones, love to traumatize their characters in all kinds of ways: they are wrongfully accused, betrayed, killed, their family is killed, etc. You know, all the good stuff. And I'm all here for it, but.

The problem that I think many of these kinds of dramas run into is - they don't tend to portray how that kind of trauma can and will affect the characters. I'm sorry, but when you as a child witness your whole family's execution, there's no way that the only consequence of that will be the mild fear of blood, which then you can easily overcome once your love interest hugs you like one time, you know?

And I love my traumatized characters as much as the next guy, the more trauma - the better. But when it doesn't affect the character in any meaningful way, then what's the point? Where's the catharsis in that? Needless to say, seeing this kind of thing slightly upsets me.

And here is when Love like the Galaxy comes in.

We have two main characters:

Cheng Shao Shang, a girl that was abandoned practically since birth by her warrior parents and left in the care of her aunt and grandmother, which then treated her like crap. Her mother and father return from war eventually, but unfortunately things don't get much better. While left to fend for herself, Shao Shang has developed a vengeful and cunning personality. She's resourceful and creative, extremely petty and will fuck up anyone who dares to cross her, no matter who that is. These kinds of traits are not approved by people around her and especially her mother, who attempts to mold her into the more acceptable version of what is considered "a lady from high society";

Ling Bu Yi, an Emperor's beloved foster son and a general of like the coolest army ever. He's feared by everyone, and for good reasons - he's good in combat (this actor is amazing in action scenes), cold and absolutely brutal, be it in a battle field or in court. His purpose in life is to get to the bottom of the conspiracy that led to the massacre of the whole city and his clan when he was a child.

So, these two meet, and slowly develop a relationship (the guy falls for her at first sight by the way, while Shao Shang is terrified of him for like a good third of the drama, which was pretty fun to watch). And besides their love, one more thing that they have in common is - they don't forget and don't forgive.

And while they seem to influence and make each other better in some ways, this vengeful streak in both of them doesn't diminish in the slightest.

Cheng Shao Shang continues to resist her mother, the methods of which become more and more extreme, other people in court and seemingly the rest of society in their attempts to change her. She wants to preserve her sense of self no matter what. She retaliates every action against her tenfold, and would rather break than bend.

And Ling Bu Yi, while getting softer around Shao Shang and the people he trusts, in matters of dealing with the conspiracy seems as if possessed by something very dark that is eating him alive. He deals with most problems that arise without hesitation and with ruthlessness that seems almost sociopathic.

The climax (I'm trying very hard not to spoil anything, appreciate me)

And as we slowly uncover what really happened with the massacre, suddenly Ling Bu Yi's behaviour starts to make sense. What he had experienced was absolutely horrific. He had to hide his trauma behind a mask for years in order to get closer to his goal. All that fucked him up completely, made him who he is now, and it shows, and it matters to the story! Finally!

There is a choice that he has to make, a peaceful life with a person he loves the most, or revenge, no matter the consequences. The fire that has been burning within him makes that choice for him.

This all culminates at a certain birthday banquet. That whole scene, the fight, the reveal, the look on the dying man's face!!! No forgiveness. Absolutely delicious. MOAR BLOOD, MOAR!!!

Oh, but we're not done yet! Not only do we have the revenge, we have the aftermath!

The General made his choice, and Cheng Shao Shang, while still battling with her own demons, holds him to it. This scene, which I desperately want to call a Wedding one, even if it technically isn't, is also amazing.

And Cheng Shao Shang meanwhile, parallel to Ling Bu Yi's bloody bender, does something which involved much less murdering, but which completely blew my mind. She does not. Forgive. Her mother. She just doesn't. And holy shit.

No matter in what part of world you live and what kind of parents you have, filial piety is considered a given. Does not matter if they are just not great or outright horrible, you have to understand and forgive them, because tHEy arE FAmiLy (I'm projecting in case you haven't noticed). And in this Chinese historical drama, a girl who was abandoned and then abused by her mother, who is spiteful and always pays in kind, disregards all that. And she does not forgive people that wronged her, no matter who they are.

Anyways, watch this drama, it's great

[satoshi-mochida]

Otomate Party 2024 announcements roundup - Mononoke Chigiri, Olympia Soiree Catharsis, 9 R.I.P. sequel, BUNNIES HIGH SCHOOL, more - Gematsu

Idea Factory‘s Otomate brand announced (2, 3) various new titles and updates during its Otomate Party 2024 event this weekend.

Get the full roundup of announcements below.

Otomate Titles

Mononoke Chigiri (Switch)

Genre: Otome Visual Novel

Tagline: After regaining your sealed power, take on your ancestor’s long-time rival, the Great Yokai…

Keywords: Yokai, Onmyoji, Modern Japanese-Style Fantasy

Staff: Nanami Takizawa (director), Mero (character designer), and Yumi Aihara (scenario writer)

Title Outline: After one thousand years, the great yokai “Bakaneko,” who was sealed away by the protagonist’s ancestor Abe no Seimei, begins the process of resurfacing in the world once again. The protagonist, an onmyoji, confronts the Great Yokai alongside the yokai that appear before her…

Olympia Soiree Catharsis (Switch)

Genre: Otome Visual Novel

Keywords: Colorful Fantasy, Japanese Mythology

Staff: Wataru Watanabe (director), Satoi (illustrator), Yuma Katagiri (scenario writer)

Voice Cast: Yoshitsugu Matsuoka, Tomokazu Sugita, Nobunaga Shimazaki, Yuuto Uemura, Yuma Uchida, Shun Horie, etc.

Title Outline: From the age of the gods to the age of humanity… a new colorful fantasy and Olympia Soiree sequel is about to unfold. What was the “thing” brought by the waves…

OVER REQUIEMZ (Switch)

Genre: Otome Visual Novel Where You Must Choose Between the Truth and Darkness

Tagline: No matter the pain that awaits, I will not regret this decision.

Keywords: Kingdom of Oz, Murderer, Dark Fantasy

Staff: Kogado Studio (production), Tayu Kazari (character design)

Voice Cast: Youhei Azakami, Makoto Furukawa, Kaito Ishikawa, Ryouta Suzuki, Shun Horie, etc.

Title Outline: The Kingdom of “Oz” is another world ruled by a king and four witches. After wandering into this world, you are unjustly sentenced to death. Your only chance to escape is through a dangerous “ruins” inhabited by monsters. Accompanying you on this journey are young men—murderers—also sentenced to death. The story splits into two routes: “The Truth Route,” where you confront the past, and the “Darkness Route,” where you lose your way. Your journey with the murderers towards the end is about to begin.

Official Website: otomate.jp

Release Date: 2025

BYAKKO: Shijin Butai En Renki (Switch)

Genre: Otome Visual Novel

Tagline: This is a story that opposes sadness.

Keywords: Historical Fantasy, Age-Gap Romance, Tragic Drama

Staff: Noel Sakurai (director), 2tk (character designer), Machi Shimano (main scenario writer), etc.

Title Outline: A story set in the Bakumatsu period’s “Aizu Domain.” The fourth year of the Keio era. In preparation for a fierce battle against new government forces, the Aizu domain reorganized its military into a French-style system, forming “Age-Based Troops” with an emphasis on combat efficiency. The ultimate combination of “historical fantasy” and “age-gap romance” story is about to begin.

Release Date: 2025

Official Website: otomate.jp

9 R.I.P. sequel (Switch)

Genre: A Peculiar and Amusing Otome Visual Novel

Tagline: The more peculiar their appearance, the more lovable and maddening…

Keywords: Peculiar Omnibus Romance, Various Romances, Nine Main Characters

Staff: Afumi (director and scenario composition), Yuuya (original images)

Voice Cast: Toshiki Masuda, Shunichi Toki, Ryouta Suzuki, Tetsuya Kakihara, Nobuhiko Okamoto, Shinnosuke Tachibana, KENN, Youhei Azakami, Kouhei Amasaki, etc.

Title Outline: A full sequel to the June 29, 2023-released 9 R.I.P. An omnibus romance story that intertwines various strange worlds and peculiar people. What will become of the romance with the one you long for…?

BUNNIES HIGH SCHOOL (Switch)

Genre: School Violence Otome Visual Novel

Keywords: Delinquent High School, Ultimate Protagonist, Violence Romance

Staff: Mana Itou (director), Roku Rokugatsu (character design)

Title Outline: A brand-new title made in collaboration between Otomate and Mana Itou. Tokyo’s most notorious delinquent school: Usagi Private High School. Also known by the name “Bunnies.” The ultimate protagonist arrives at this elite delinquent high school, which is also known as a quasi-gangster training school.

Matsurika no Kei -kEi- Tenmei Kashokuden (Switch)

Genre: Otome Visual Novel

Tagline: This is a melody of love spoken between a pair.

Keywords: Chinese Fantasy x Exquisitely Charming Romance, Happy Fan Disc

Staff: Fumiyoshi Tatematsu (director), Ryou Hasumoto (original images), Ririka Yoshimura (scenario writer), Gesshoku Kaigi (Evil Line Records) (opening theme, ending theme, and background music).

Voice Cast: Nobuhiko Okamoto, Seiichiro Yamashita, Shun Horie, Shinnosuke Tachibana, Wataru Hatano, Takuma Nagatsuka, etc.

Title Outline: A fan disc to Matsurika no Kei -kEi- Tenmeiin Iden. Gather more “good fortune” in the midst of “misfortune.” The days they spent together, both past and future, are connected by a light of happiness. A title by the Jakou no Lyla and Cupid Parasite series staff.

Fuyuzono Sacrifice (Switch)

Genre: Otome Visual Novel

Tagline: A wish for a bride in a frozen world.

Keywords: Tsunekiyo Fujisawa (producer), Neko Tsumugi (director), Mawica Midou (character illustration)

Voice Cast: Yuuichirou Umehara, Liura (Ireisu), Ryouta Suzuki, Junta Terashima, Shinnosuke Tachibana, etc.

Title Outline: The world of Teidol is suddenly thrown into winter… Leticia, a girl blessed by the Goddess of Spring, spent each day continuing to pray to God for salvation for the people tirelessly awaiting the spring. And then one day, the Goddess of Spring finally descended and announced a solution—Leticia was to be offered as a “Bride of God” to the God of Winter. This meant the end of Leticia’s life as a human being. Will she be met by a dazzling, vibrant spring, or an eternal frozen winter? Her destiny is about to unfold…

Release Date: 2025

Official Website: otomate.jp

Altergear

Hypnosis Mic -Alternative Rap Battle- 1st period (Switch)

Genre: Rhythm Game / Visual Novel

Tagline: This time we settle things on Nintendo Switch!

Keywords: Rhythm Game, Hypnosis Mic, Rap

Staff: King Records / EVIL LINE RECORDS (original work), Kazui (character design drafts), Otomate

Voice Cast: Subaru Kimura, Haruki Ishiya, Kouhei Amasaki, Shintarou Asanuma, Wataru Komada, Shinichiro Kamio, Yuusuke Shirai, Soma Saito, Yukihiro Nozuyama, Show Hayami, Ryuichi Kijima, Kento Itou, Ryota Iwasaki, Kengo Kawanishi, Takaya Kuroda, Shota Hayama, Yuki Sakakihara, Eiji Takeuchi, etc.

Title Outline: The smartphone game Hypnosis Mic -Alternative Rap Battle- makes its Nintendo Switch debut. This first entry, Hypnosis Mic -Alternative Rap Battle- 1st period, will launch this fall. Additional story written by Hypnosis Mic series creator Yuichiro Momose will also be added.

Release Date: Fall 2024

Official Website hypnosismicarb.com

Otomate Graffiti

Soukoku no Kusabi: Hiiro no Kakera – Tamayori-Hime Kitan for Nintendo Switch (Switch)

Genre: Otome Visual Novel

Tagline: A mirror reflects two worlds, and the wedge of fate that holds two people together.

Keywords: Japanese-Style Fantasy, Blighted Love, Japanese Mythology

Staff: Tsunekiyo Fujisawa (producer)

Voice Cast: Tomokazu Sugita, Kousuke Okano, Daisuke Namikawa, Daisuke Hirakawa, Hiroki Shimowada, Kazunori Nomiya, Wataru Hatano, Tsubasa Yonaga, etc.

Title Outline: A sequel to Hiiro no Kakera: Tamayori-Hime Kitan. During the summer one year after the Onikirimaru incident, Tamayori Princess Kasuga Tamaki and her guardians must once again throw themselves into battle to prevent a new disaster—“the end of the world”—that has occurred in Kifu Village. What is justice? And what must truly be protected? What decision will Tamaki and those precious to her come to…?

Release Date: 2025

Suran digit for Nintendo Switch (Switch)

Genre: Otome Visual Novel

Tagline: When the ten numbers gather, the seal will be revealed and be a guide to the battlefield…

Keywords: School, Numer-Themed Characters, Sword Battles

Staff: Mero (character designer, original images)

Voice Cast: Koutaro Nishiyama, Kōji Yusa, Tatsuhisa Suzuki, Tomoaki Maeno, Kazuyuki Okitsu, Masakazu Morita, etc.

Title Outline: The private Soyogi Academy. The sons and daughters of the nine noble households—referred to as the “Suuke (Number Families)”—attend this school. Within the school, these students are treated as superiors by their peers. They have a secret—in this school, there is a war that only they’re able to fight in. It is called the “Suuransen (Number War).” Since the olden days, this periodically-fought war has been determining the rankings of the Suuke, as well as selecting a “Soyogi” who leads and controls the Suuke. This war was thought to never take place again after one number broke away. However, since the sudden re-emergence of “the number that should not exist,” the conditions for the Suuransen to be held have now been met… “When the time comes in which the ten numbers assemble, The carved seal shall guide you to the field of battle.” Her name is Reisaki Hiroka. She is the one who signals the beginning and the end. (via VNDB)

Release Date: 2025

[just-a-fragment]

It's jung heewon's birthday and gosh her character arc still hits hard even after finishing the novel for almost a year now.

She was a "nameless background character" and when she was introduced it's implied she was a victim of one of the most cruel crimes someone can commit to another person(and yet its something that happens to most women).

In this scene, KDJ's commentary states that its a "cliche" or not an unexpected development that happens to "nameless" characters whenever a story has societal collapse. So it's very refreshing that not only did she turn out to be such an important character, but when she gained one of the more powerful attack skills, she was able to enact her vengeance and carry this righteous catharsis throughout the novel. But it doesn't stop there!

The skill actually contains a caveat. She wasn't the one who decided which "evil" is deserving of being killed. She has to constantly answer to a system that has to unanimously "vote" if the skill should be used or not. So while she's extremely powerful, there were times where she wasn't able to defend herself just because the system of good decided that her enemy wasn't worthy of punishment.

Except who are these constellations to decide if someone was worthy or not, especially when, aside from delighting in these spectacles, they weren't the ones affected by such grievances. She has seen how the so-called "good" abandoned her and her companions in vital times, that's why it was so satisfying when she finally gained full autonomy to enact her own judgement. She saw that the system doesn't actually adhere to morality but to an audience, to authorities who never cared for their own well-being in the first place. The best part about this arc is not just how her skill evolved from adhering to a shaky yet rigid parameter to the intrinsic desire to protect the ones you love but how it doesn't abhor the way she handled her trauma! It was never implied that the rage she felt was cruel/any less.

Her story arc is such a kind fate that most authors rarely consider for characters who suffered the same as her. It's established early on that aside from being one of the most powerful characters, she's also funny! she's very caring to the kids, she mentors jihye, she's very loyal to kimcom. She has one of the more consistent moral codes in the novel, she's justice personified. It's what makes her character arc so satisfying, her trauma never retracted any of this, because that's always been who she is.

Her character arc could've just been dissecting her trauma around men, but it's also how it's incredibly hard to maintain your sense of justice/sense of self under an oppressive system. How even the most capable people are held back.

She's not reduced to some brooding/tsundere combat side character, who not only overly relies on the male mc but experiences more trauma to further male mc / other male character developments, which unfortunately happens to characters that have the same fate as her.

Like she's incredibly loyal to dokja but she questions his decisions, she doesn't praise him as a god that goes through with all of his plans just because he saved her, Because she doesn't owe him anything and both of them know this! By the end of the novel she was the one who felt remorse, but her loyalty is still there.

Same thing can be said with Hyunsung who was consistently willing to be a tool for her catharsis, for her righteous anger, and this might be a controversial opinion, but I actually kinda liked that they broke up! In the brief/rare times we get their perspective, yeah we can see that they actually do care/love each other, we can't deny that their love story was born from the apocalypse. It was never confirmed but I wouldn't ignore the possibility that to some constellations, their relationship was a spectacle, people were supporting them, or egging them on(I mean we even see how HSY placed a bet on them)

It's a very refreshing or even realistic take to these kinds of storylines, yes Hyunsung helped her when she was broken, yes he helped her with her trauma, yes they loved each other. But the implication that Heewon, someone who was introduced as a person whose agency was taken from her, being able to decide that her "knight-in-shining armor" isn't her endgame, and being able to acknowledge that it isn't the right time, but the love existed, the love was still there(which is one of orv's main themes). Like that's such a powerful and important message!

I also like how the side stories addresses the argument on whether or not she deserves the backstory she got like!!! SS already proved that she was written with so much care, so much interiority, so much agency, so much love. I wish I could write more(even though this post is already long lol) but I haven't read the side stories.

So yeah HAPPY BIRTHDAY JUNG HEEWON WOMAN OF ALL TIME.

[nitewrighter]

What about Ashe interactions where she’s just having fun, I feel like most of her interactions are so serious lol.

Illari: You don't bother hiding when you're staring, do you?

Ashe: I'm just tryin' to make sense of that outfit. Is it a uniform? Or did you come up with it yourself?

Illari: The raiment of the Inti warriors is designed around optimizing solar threading to its full potential, and for making us identifiable from civilians in combat. So... I suppose it is sort of a uniform.

Ashe: ...bike shorts are optimized.

Illari: Yes.

Ashe: And the cape is for...?

Illari: Oh, it just makes me feel cool.

---

Hanzo: I understand you come from a family of famed gunsmiths and arms dealers.

Ashe: Yeah, but I've tried my hand at archery. Can't lie, there's just something about that feeling of lettin' an arrow loose.

Hanzo: Indeed. Both the sense of accomplishment at one's discipline and the catharsis of release are... indescribable.

Ashe: So. what summer camp did you learn at?

---

Ashe: I'll have you know, I was going easy on you last time.

Ana: Is that so?

Ashe: But I'm willin' to hit up that target range again to show you what I can really do.

Ana: So what you're saying is, you want a rematch.

Ashe: *nervous laugh* I don't need a rematch just because you got lucky!

Ana: I thought you said you were going easy on me. Which is it?

Ashe: It's both! And I don't need a rematch, but we're having a rematch!

Ana: Well, you'd better have something to show me, this time.

[draconscious]

@noitxll challenged: "heh... you're getting sloppy," noland remarks, raising a steadfast hand as he stances up after managing to sidestep a particularly swift lunge from clair. as he begins to break into a sweat, noland smirks, unable to resist ruthlessly taunting his most ferocious opponent yet, to ramp up the difficulty, to chip away at her composure, to take a glimpse into what she's learned, testing her from the very get-go, the two combatants a little more attuned to one another than before. "get your head on straight and try again."

As always, there's no holding back between these two, and Clair wouldn't have it any other way. Even in the heat of battle, there's a comforting catharsis to be found on these familiar sparring mats, an unspoken invitation to go wild versus an equally-ferocious competitor. Their shared, hungry flame burns bright, demanding they go all-out...and so Clair does. Against Noland, she's never needed to hold back.

Against Noland, she can finally let her inner dragon roar.

"...I'm just getting started," the tamer snaps back, bouncing on the balls of her feet, sharp eyes pinpointing her next point of attack. She'd never dream of making excuses--but it's been a while since their last bout, and Noland's hard-charging energy takes a moment to get used to, right out of the gate. Only ever a moment. Clair is quick to adjust, betraying a grin as that familiar adrenaline begins to course through her veins again.

It's time to go even harder.

The fighters circle each other with a tense eagerness, and the air itself seems ready to snap. Clair takes a deep breath and rolls her shoulders, remembering Noland's past advice: relax. He may be her most resilient opponent yet, but she still probably has some speed on him. If Noland is an immovable mountain, Clair is the relentlessly crashing surf relentlessly wearing him down.

"And my head's perfectly fine, thanks. Brace yourself--in a few rounds, yours is going to be resting against that mat. Submitting to me."

Another deep breath, and then Clair launches herself towards Noland with blinding speed, her leg snapping outwards (like a whip) to lash at his calves and knock him off balance. She's still a little rusty, a little stiff, but this first precise sweeping strike is still no joke. Let's see how you deal with this.

[Clair rolled a 9.]

[d0etickk]

Bio for Violet, all but her full story-form backstory. Woo!

(made this moodboard quick lol)

Name: Violet Annabeth McCain

Nicknames: Vi, Violet in Wonderland(affectionately named by her paternal grandmother after her habits of wondering off/zoning out as a kid before it all got way too creepy), Alice(same reason)

Age: Around 23 when first turned. Few years older in most I write about her.

Gender: Female

Sexuality: Pansexual/demiromantic

Nationality: American

Height: 5’8

Songs I associate with her: The Killing Moon - Echo & The Bunnymen, The Downward Spiral - Nine Inch Nails, Fool - Bôa, Zero - The Smashing Pumpkins, Rotten Apple - Alice In Chains, Mustard Seed - Kidneythieves, All I Want - The Cure, Freak On a Leash - Korn

Personality: Fascinated with death and decay.

Feral barn cat vibes. Can come off as curt or bitchy. Afraid of showing weakness/vulnerability(partly trauma and partly instinct, scared of being further hurt/exploited), but painfully craves safety and genuine connection. Self isolates as a coping mechanism.

A standoffish person, until she’s really comfortable. Can be blunt and/or out of pocket without realizing it. Deadpan sense of humor.

Addictive personality; lives dopamine hit to dopamine hit, has trouble telling herself “no” when nobody is there to interject. Craves catharsis(usually destructively).

“I can’t fix him, but I think I could top him and maybe that would calm him down” energy.

Can be flighty, relishes in escaping consequences. Lives in a cycle of numbness/denial, misery, and borderline mania. Copes with feelings of powerlessness/hopelessness with violence and/or isolation and vices. Grudge holder.

Love/hate relationship(kind of a phobia) with deer.

Mental illness: Struggles with disassociation(formed when she was young as a coping mechanism, persists into adulthood). Anxiety stemming from living in an abusive household.

Fun facts: Large birthmark on her left hip. Sometimes whistles when she talks. Says certain words differently(picked up from her grandparents lol) - ex. "warsh". Has an old pickup from her grandparents that she was fixing up before being infected. Always uncomfortably warm to the touch.

A time after her infection, she discovered she wasn’t the only Host THE STAG had. Vi spent a chunk of time hunting down and killing off another Host, which had conflicting reactions from THE STAG. While entertaining and impressive for a weaker Host to manage, the actions still warranted punishment and repayment. That is why present day Violet is far more mutated and ravenous than what she should have been in her stage of infection. She was forced to stop rebelling as such to not lose more of herself so rapidly(for now at least). She remains avoidant and hostile toward other Hosts.

Important family: Mother, Donna McCain(dead). Father, Bob McCain(deadbeat). Maternal grandparents Bonnie and Steve Sweeney-Graham(alive), which she stayed with her teen years onward.

Strengths: Survival knowledge(hunting, tracking, foraging, etc.), first aid knowledge, good with a hunting rifle, decent at stealth. Little more than average knowledge on fixing cars.

Abilities: Heightened senses: can track basic scent trails, can see fairly well in the dark, high stamina/endurance, heightened pain tolerance(or at least ability to mask pain), quicker healing process with greater capability(Hosts are pretty hard to kill), heightened immune system, ability to digest raw meat without issue. Teeth regrow(Knocked one out? Give it a couple weeks, it’ll be back brand new).

Weaknesses: Frequent headaches and body aches. Not as effective in close combat compared to shooting ability. Gets hungry much quicker, has to consume a lot of calories to sustain herself(body weight fluctuates quickly, especially in the winter). Doesn’t get much sleep, always a little sleep deprived. Injury prone(since she was a kid, but more so now that body is less mentally restricted), sensitive to light and noise, zones out/gets distracted easily, especially by animals(on the flip side, gets super focused on one thing and becomes unaware of surroundings), quick temper, foggy memory/can be forgetful.

Fighting style: A stealth and endurance hunter. Prefers to hunt long-range with her hunting rifle, or use traps. Tries not to directly confront, but gets real flexible about that the hungrier she gets. When confronted directly, fights like a cornered animal.

Brief backstory(subject to change as I write the actual story, of course):

Violet lived with her parents for the first decade of her life. Her mother working part-time, her trophy hunting father being an abusive drunk who made existing around him borderline impossible. At 11 years old, Violet's parents divorced - only for her mother to fall ill months later. She became bedridden, and Vi went to live with her maternal grandparents part-time(her eccentric "Grammy" and borderline dooms-dayer Grandpa), while seeing her father, paternal grandparents, and cousins on the weekends. This is when The Stag began stalking her - starting in the woods behind her paternal grandparent's country home, where her father was now living, persisting even as she went back home(albeit less intensely).

Vi was an extremely troubled child during this point of her life, becoming obsessed with death, and imagery of deer. On weekends, she would often disappear into the forest while the other children played around the neighborhood, coming back dirty and glassy eyed to grandparents worried sick. At home, she’d draw pictures—the same kind every time—and stare endlessly out the window into the fields beyond the streetlights.

The child eventually began having behavioral issues; becoming irritable, territorial over her food and belongings, picking fights with other children, and wondering off without permission. The very last straw was when she was caught by one of her cousins in the trees, smeared in blood, chewing on a dead bird.

She was then pulled from visitations and schooling and put into therapy. These issues, however concerning, were chocked up to strain from the divorce and her mother's illness worsening pre-existing conditions, compounding on relentless bullying in school. These claims were solidified as the child’s issues slowly eased with consistent counseling and isolation from wooded areas.

Counseling, however, could not fix the wound The Stag had inflicted on her psyche. Violet’s time in therapy mainly taught her that she did not enjoy being the center of attention—that it was better to conceal things, pretend like nothing was wrong, and save herself the trouble.

Violet, as she aged and The Stag could no longer verbally communicate with her, lost a lot of the memory of her childhood(both organically from trauma, and purposefully from The Stag). She’d forgotten much of her outbursts, and of her time in the forest behind that house. Violet simply tried not to think about the missing pieces, as they both unsettled and humiliated her. The Stag’s voice instead faded into her subconscious, intending to continue influencing her now in subtle ways.

By high school, two years after the Stag could no longer verbally communicate with her, she had become a quiet, well-mannered, if a bit strange kid. Isolated, little friends, trying to salvage what she had of a quiet schooling experience, despite the lingering issues with her mental health(that she learned to push down and mask, if she wanted any kind of peace with her family).

This time of her life was when she really got close with her maternal grandparents, especially her grandpa. Her mental state was at an all-time high. While not saying much, it gave her the chance to bond over shared interests and develop essential life skills: such as underage use of a firearm, canning homegrown foods, and being forced to learn mechanic skills if she ever wanted to drive. Her grandpa even gifted her an old broken down pickup to eventually use, teaching her how to fix it up.

Months after her 18th birthday, Violet's mother passed away, as her condition had gradually worsened over the years. Violet herself had mentally prepared for this, rationalized it completely out enough to numb herself. Her grandparents, however, did not do as well. Her grammy went into a depressive spiral and became all but a recluse, and her grandpa kept himself busy with work and chores to mask the grief.

It was harder to deal with the shift of her grandparent’s personalities than the death of her mother itself. At home was the only place Violet didn't feel like a ghost, or some kind of freak.

It didn’t get much easier in the years approaching her 20th birthday. While she wasn’t taking care of her grammy, or trying her best to have a real conversation with her grandpa again, she kept herself busy. Busy shooting, working, and most notably fixing up the old truck—which felt like an utterly empty task without her grandfather’s help.

She grew distant with her friend-acquaintances after graduation and wondered aimlessly trying to figure out what she wanted to go to college for, if she even wanted college, or something else. She certainly didn't do good enough in high school for any scholarships—and her track record wasn’t the cleanest either.

To make things even worse, missing fragments of her childhood had begun to gnaw at the fragile strings of her mind. She’d recall things — images, voices in nightmares, overcome with a sense of nostalgic dread, awaking as if the darkness of her room and the moonlit fields outside her neighborhood held a thousand eyes, all staring at her.

At that time, Violet couldn’t manage a single full night of sleep.

She eventually, despite knowing about the addiction that ran in her family, found vices to escape her worries, upon her own worsening mental health and relapse into past negative habits.

Violet felt like spectator walking through her own life, watching from third person. Too depressed and cowardly to rekindle past friendships, reduced to an afterthought within the walls of her own home. Tormented by a sickening sense of purpose she just couldn’t place. She felt like a nobody, spiraling deeper and deeper into a black hole of terrifying, confusing nothing.

The Stag did not feel the same way.

Isolated prey are the easiest to pick off, but Violet fell to a much less merciful fate than death.

Deep in the trees, Violet came to know the feeling of being prey—and the purpose the hunter had for her all along.

(Present Vi is two years after her infection, having fled home to live a life on the outskirts of society, in the woods half of the year, venturing outside when she can blend in. She remains as distant as she can manage while handling the grief of the life that was ripped away from her, the uncontrollable hunger and mutations she was now plagued by, and the parasitic entity that forced it all upon her.)

[ct-hardcase]

Was thinking about Trilla and her story, and how (very understandably, given her slowburn turn in JFO) a lot of her fandom emphasis is on the fact that she was dragged kicking and screaming into the inquisitorius and focuses on her redemption as a hinge point, with there being a fandom-wide recognition that she's a good inquisitor, but I really want to dive into the meat of the latter.

Even though Trilla was the farthest you could get from a willing inductee, she clearly got good. We don't have much hard evidence of her skill pre-JFO, but she clearly has a presence on the field given how her purge troopers act around her in Dark Temple, and is an intimidating combatant against Cal throughout. However, taking the analysis from this post (a highly-recommended read, since it shaped my thoughts on Trilla and other inquisitors' characterization), she wasn't always that way—and quite the opposite.

The inquisitorius broke Trilla down in order to turn the kind, anxious soul screaming for her master into an efficient and ruthless inquisitor. I'm sure she holds a lot of resentment, of course, but I wonder how Trilla feels about that the other side of her remaking. How, from a certain point of view, there's a commanding presence she didn't have before, how she's not shrinking in the background during a duel fight, how she leads when it's down to her and another inquisitor on a mission.

I also have to disagree that Trilla was looking for an out of the organization prior to JFO—I don't think anything other than Cere showing up and the catharsis of the final duel could have triggered that in her, honestly, since there's a line where Trilla says she intends to use the holocron as leverage to advance in the organization. That sort of determination to be noticed by Vader or Sidious feels more ambitious than Reva-esque, to me.

Trilla's attempted turn to the light is important, and I think it's what keeps so many people coming back to her as a character, but her having been a dedicated inquisitor before that is what makes her interesting idk

[lutawolf]

TharnType Episode 2

I received a lot of feedback asking me to not stop these reviews. I'm not shying away from the ugly or the toxic guys. I'm facing them head on and recognizing them, but that doesn't mean I can't still love the characters and their story. To quote @idlebeks "Toxic characters have an important place in fiction. They can act as vehicles of catharsis and self-examination" And there is nothing wrong with enjoying the show as you make these revelations. It's actually what makes these self revelations easier to take in.

So we left off with Tharn having crossed the line, but we cheered, cause revenge. And who hasn't wanted revenge? In the cold light of morning, we laugh because Type squeezes the shoulder as if it's a boob, but we have to admit this feels awkward. Not gonna lie, the first time I saw this, I laughed. But the look of horror and remembering he is an SA had me throw up. How conflicting is that! As an SA, I'm programmed to want revenge, but seeing the revenge on an SA has me pausing and stepping back.

Type pulls the blanket over his head and there is this need to laugh. Because a grown boy is hiding. But that grown boy has reverted back to the past when he was a boy with no way to fight and could only hide. Tharn calls him a coward. This is why Type is hypermasculine because anytime weakness is show it's used against him. Remember how Techno said that he was made fun of and asked if he'd been molested. Any time Type shows weakness, it's used. It's just like earlier this week, I was told anon that I wasn't really a survivor, they were trying to exploit what they perceived as a weakness. But I'm a survivor, not a victim, so I'm hella harder to hurt. Type is still a victim and his weaknesses are being exploited.

Tharn asks Type if he is crying, and Type says no and gets aggressive. He's putting that armor on. You can see that Tharn is feeling bad about what he did. We get some humor to combat all these emotions, and it really does help us to kind of take a break and breath. It's the humor of his butt hurting from falling off the bed to finding the hickeys.

I love the conversation between Techno and Type. Type is pissed because Techno left him, and honestly, I think that's valid. But Techno says, and I quote, "Stop right there! This whole thing is your fault. You got yourself drunk when you knew exactly who you were with." but I've never heard this part brought up and talked about. Most likely because Type is a male and not female. In Techno's book, he gets drunk, and he has sex with Kla, Kla being completely sober and taking advantage of Techno's drunken state. Afterward, Techno feels responsible and later Type will say, "How did this happen. I made sure you were safe and in your house." Type is with Tharn when Techno's book is written, but that moment had a significance to Type. He made sure to try and keep Techno from having the same experience as him.

But when he finds out that in Techno's drunken state, he crawled into the wrong bed. He repeats Techno's words back to him. Are you seeing the multifaucet of the author? This lets us know a few things, that this is likely a common thought process in Thailand. But she switched the script, making the person male, and few people caught and noticed. Then she went on to take revenge on the person who said this, and everyone was mad because they love Techno and things like this shouldn't happen. But they didn't originally feel that way when it was Type. I fucking love how deep MAME takes her books.

Type suddenly doesn't want to switch rooms. He has unfinished business with his roommate. Is it true, or is he feeling a draw? There is a thin line between love and hate sometimes. And we have another victim, and we see how differently two SA survivors can be. One putting on an armor of hate and the other hiding from the world, afraid.

Tharn starting to feel guilty. We see it in his long puppy dog face. Then Type eats his snacks. "I ate it. So what." We see Tharn bitch about this but then smile at the sticky note and keep it. This indicates that he intended for Type to eat the snacks. Was it to help with his guilt, or because he too is feeling a pull that he'd much rather deny?

The whole porn group chat was hilarious. I also like how all the girls were like ew, like girls don't like porn. To be fair, I hate porn, for very personal reasons, but I do like the porn from these shows. It's the romance, romance changes the whole dialect. Anyway, he's got his tissue box and is ready to go to town. And then the getting caught. Legendary. It's like that horrifying moment when you lose your bikini bottoms in the water and come up mooning everybody.

The next part literally had me leaning over and being sick, but let's talk about it. Type pushed too far and pushed Tharn into an anger that he couldn't come back from. Remember how I said hate can push people to do ugly acts. Type is strong, but right now his brain has him in two places at once and is telling him that he has the strength of that kid. You know why elephants can be held tied by just one rope on the foot? Because as a baby they tried and tried to break that rope and couldn't. Their spirit was broken, and now the grown adult elephant believes himself weak. Type can be brutal when faced with verbal attacks, but physical attacks take him back to being a boy and weak. It freezes him, and it's very hard to break free from. Are you guys starting to see why I say that MAME knows too much about victims and survivors. How many of you who aren't survivors understood any of this prior to my review?

Now that, I've been sick about three times. So Type is about to spiral into self-hate. "Why am I so weak, how could I let this happen again, why didn't I fight harder, why am I weak. Did this happen because I deserved it." Yeah, pretty nasty verbiage that goes on in our heads. This is why therapy is a fucking must. I also want to talk about if you were unbothered by that scene, and you are a survivor. It doesn't matter how you reacted to that scene, we all handle our survival differently. You don't go around hurting people. Let yourself off the hook for how your brain chooses to cope.

Tharn is finally starting to think. Flashing back and putting some things together. Notice he doesn't talk to his bestie the way Type talks to his. That suggest that on some level, Tharn knew not to trust him. After the flashback, Tharn decides not to stay to eat. We then see Type tossing and turning in bed. He's having PTSD nightmares. Actually, nightmares are one of the primary symptoms that help to achieve the diagnosis of PTSD, because they aren't just regular nightmares. They lock you into place. When it comes to PTSD nightmares, what you dream can be just as terrifying as the original event.

Tharn walks in on the nightmare. He is very lucky he was not hurt. In a dream state, we will fight back. I have punched my husband. I'm not kidding, I've really hurt my husband when I've been in the throes of a PTSD nightmare. Comfort is a necessity and something that Tharn freely gives. I'm gonna be honest. The slap was expected for me. Imagine waking up from a living nightmare and seeing the person responsible for you going back to that. "What the hell was that for? I helped wake you up!" Why do people incite a riot and then get mad when you riot? Neither one of them are guiltless. Which is why they are actually very perfect for each other.

See how hard Tharn verbally hits, "I was kind enough to help a grown man who is afraid of nightmares." He let his anger take over and allows him to say ugly things. That's the point, neither person is fully good or fully bad, but they are controlled by their extreme emotions. It's leading them to be people that neither one wants to be. "I'm not afraid of nightmares. Back off if you don't know anything." Tharn softly asks, "then what are you afraid of?" but Type is hurt, and he'll put on his armor of anger. "Nothing! I'm not afraid of anything." That hypermasculinity to hide that he has any weaknesses. Tharn once again soft but then his voice raises in the end with his frustration, "do you expect me to believe that when you are trembling and crying. Stop being cocky." Completely unaware that he couldn't have said anything worse. They've both vicious cycle hurt each other with words, not yet willing to look at the other person's pain.

Fuck me guys! Do you really not see the beauty in this show? Type begins crying and holding himself. Doing self soothing gestures as he says, "I didn't ask for help." I'm not weak, I didn't ask for help. Therapy, people, therapy is the only way through this. We all wish there was a magical dick or pussy that can cure us. That's in part why we love this show, but it really can't.

We see Tharn looking into the mirror and the mix of emotions. A lot of times mirrors in art are used to reflect truths because mirrors can't tell a lie. The idea is that mirrors reflect a hidden truth, perhaps a window, a more realistic version of ourselves. The image that appears in a mirror can be thought of as being more revealing than surface appearance.

The stress has caused Type to become sick. Which happens, you have an anxiety attack with PTSD, it's like having a heart attack and can cause your body to overload. So yes, it is a real thing to stress yourself into being sick.

Techno calls a moody and sad puppy, Tharn, over to ask if Type is badly sick. Tharn offers to check on Type and steals the porridge from Techno. At this point, I think we can all safely assume that Tharn is gone on Type. Type is an asshole sure but before the whole gay reveal, they got along, they matched well. Then add in the fact that there are all these strong emotions flying around. Attractions were bound to happen, but Tharn is also a caretaker and Type is in need of caring. There are people who are naturally drawn to co-dependency.

Tharn takes care of Type as he has a fever and seeing the puppy dog Type does him in. You can see it happening. He started to feel the attraction at the soft and vulnerable Type, even if he doesn't want to admit it, and seeing it while he is sick is making the attraction stronger. Here is the thing. Type needs this. Type left the Island and his parents to get away. Whose really taken care of him? He clearly hasn't had therapy. He is starved for real love and affection, but he is too afraid of being called weak. They honestly are brilliantly imperfectly perfect for each other. And that's all us survivors want, we want someone to get past our walls and love us despite the ever present thorns.

Techno says it best when he agrees to not tell Type about Tharn nursing. "You two are equally weird." Type keeps questioning who cared for him because he is extremely smart. In the book this is brought up a lot, he is book and street smart. He knows it wasn't Techno that took care of him. Type pretends to be asleep when Tharn checks him for a fever, and Tharn calls him on it. Again, we get that comic relief. When things are too tense, we get something to help us take a moment.

Did you happen to notice them talk about Kla in the part where Techno and Type are playing video games. Techno's brother comes in with snacks from Kla who got them in Japan, and he hands the whole bag to Techno. Now if your best friend gave you snack from Japan, you just gonna give them away to your brother? Well yes, if your said best friend tells you to because he has a massive crush on your said brother. You guys think Type is bad, Kla is bad. Kla don't give a shit about nobody but Techno. He will use and abuse for Techno's attention. The only thing that keeps him in check is Type and his fear of him.

Techno is not as innocent as you guys think. He purposely lets slip that Tharn took care of him to Type. Remember me saying that Techno is the neutralizer here. That you get the truth from him. Three sides to everything, well Techno is the third as the truth. He tells Type, "Why didn't you realize it was the person you hate, your enemy, that cared for you because you know that's not me." Basically telling Type how great Tharn his and that he was well aware that it was Tharn that took care of him, but he didn't want to admit it. "If it had been me, you would have ended up in the hospital. Tharn is the right guy for this kind of stuff." He is telling us that Tharn is a caretaker.

One act of kindness did what anger could not do. It got through. Is Type a completely changed or better person. Not yet, but that true act of kindness created a crack. Where anger and hatred just created more divide. There are reasons why you can't match hatred with hatred. Story time. I grew up with someone who would later be an infamous killer, I won't say who, otherwise it will lead you right to where I live. Suffice it to say when I found out he had been executed, I cried like a fucking baby. And guys, I don't cry. But this person who had hurt, so many, was one of the few people to treat me with incredible kindness when I was harassed in school. Maybe if more people had shown him kindness, like he had shown me. Then maybe we both could have been saved. When the urge to hate happens. I think of that. I don't know what someone else is going through or what burden they are carrying, and could my one act of kindness to their hate be the ripple effect.

I sometimes debate on if I get to person. I do it because for me this is part live journal and writing. When I write a review, I'm honestly not trying to write for the audience as much as I'm trying to just convey my feelings. Which is why this got so freaking long. I'm kind of horrified at how long this got. Think I might go hide myself in music. So sorry about that, but hopefully you guys enjoy some of it. Thank You 💜💜💜

[tarakaybee]

Oxventure - Frenemy at the Gates, Stray Thoughts

Thought I'd tune into the final season after enjoying Deadlands and Blades in the Dark, I stopped watching the main D&D campaign when it got a bit dull and repetitive but if there's any story arc that's going to up the stakes and provide catharsis, it's the finale season.

I don't know when they introduced these fancy motion graphics but I quite like it! I really like in any D&D show where they show a stylised version of the character sheet with the key art and their stats there and whatnot.

I don't know if this worldbuilding was hinted at in the seasons that I missed, but the idea of Geth being a disc containing one kingdom and being the keystone holding a portal shut is genuinely extremely exciting worldbuilding, I wish the first time any worldbuilding took place wasn't now when the campaign is basically over but this is the thing that finally makes Geth actually unique.

I wonder what this offscreen quest is that got Merilwen her cat back? I kind of get the impression it wasn't a main Oxventure episode, otherwise the others would know about it.

I absolutely adore both of Luke's Magical Secrets choices, Catapult and Animate Dead are inspired choices for him particularly and I wouldn't change a thing.

It's the final story arc, but at long last Johnny has actually sent appropriately levelled enemies agains the party in combat, they are even very slightly varied with one of them being a spellcaster rather than being generic warriors that pose no threat because they're six levels lower than the players.

I'm allowing myself one rules complaint, why did Johnny ask them to roll Insight for identifying a location? Elsewhere in this same episode it's used correctly to sense lies or changes in emotion. I remember Johnny using it for identifying things in a past episode, why not just have them roll History? It's not like they needed to pass this roll because Lilliana was there and already knew.

A recurring player problem in this campaign is that Andy and Luke have a frustrating tendency to talk over Johnny during exposition, as well as just monopolise a lot of screentime in general. The two of them are so funny in so many places, but if I was their DM and they talked over my plot when I was trying to set a tone that would really wind me up. It's also just breaking the cardinal rule of improv, when Johnny is setting up the ensuing story and the two of them keep ignoring them in favour of dragging out some extended comedy bit about Dob being anal about washing the dishes that feels like it goes on for like five minutes.

[girlonthelasttrain]

The revenge fantasy is often a mirror image of the traumatic memory, in which the roles of perpetrator and victim are reversed. It often has the same grotesque, frozen, and wordless quality as the traumatic memory itself. The revenge fantasy is one form of the wish for catharsis. The victim imagines that she can get rid of the terror, shame, and pain of the trauma by retaliating against the perpetrator. The desire for revenge also arises out of the experience of complete helplessness. In her humiliated fury, the victim imagines that revenge is the only way to restore her own sense of power. She may also imagine that this is the only way to force the perpetrator to acknowledge the harm he has done her. Though the traumatized person imagines that revenge will bring relief, repetitive revenge fantasies actually increase her torment. Violent, graphic revenge fantasies may be as arousing, frightening, and intrusive as images of the original trauma. They exacerbate the victim’s feelings of horror and degrade her image of herself. They make her feel like a monster. They are also highly frustrating, since revenge can never change or compensate for the harm that was done. People who actually commit acts of revenge, such as combat veterans who commit atrocities, do not succeed in getting rid of their post-traumatic symptoms; rather, they seem to suffer the most severe and intractable disturbances. During the process of mourning, the survivor must come to terms with the impossibility of getting even. As she vents her rage in safety, her helpless fury gradually changes into a more powerful and satisfying form of anger: righteous indignation. This transformation allows the survivor to free herself from the prison of the revenge fantasy, in which she is alone with the perpetrator. It offers her a way to regain a sense of power without becoming a criminal herself. Giving up the fantasy of revenge does not mean giving up the quest for justice; on the contrary, it begins the process of joining with others to hold the perpetrator accountable for his crimes.

— Judith L. Herman, Trauma and Recovery: The Aftermath of Violence - from Domestic Abuse to Political Terror

[macgyvertape]

BG3 Act 1 thoughts and liveblog part 1

With super long games like this (finished in about 110 hours) I like to take notes to 1) remind me of stuff I did at the beginning of the game and 2) to enjoy looking back on because I'm not doing another playthrough for a few years.

Going to suffer through the spider and half spider people since the mods don’t fully work yet and they disable achievements

Going for dark urge first playthough along the lines of Durge is guard dog to those they imprint on and I knew I was rolling a bard, so I watched clips of Felix RedvsBlue as a good starting point for my character roleplay. Starting character quote “At the end of the day, if I'm stronger than you and if I'm faster than you, then I can kill you! And that's better than anything money can buy”

Trying Not to be a “charismatic mercenary with gruff exterior and a heart of gold” 

I killed Commander Zhalk in the beginning area with viscous mockery. True bard experience

Passed the perception check of Astarion pulling a knife, some fun dialgoue options with him, and its a delight to hear his tone of voice really change

I can’t tell if Gale is just flirty/horny or really just dedicated to the facade of being surface deep and a braggart to mask his secrets. Seems both and though he seems full of himself I enjoy this kind of companion who lies about things

I think I like the inspiration mechanic, I got a point for killing the mindflayer “leaving it to burn”

I’m really having to force myself to be “that asshole” and ask people to pay me for helping them

Got another inspirational event for killing the cultists lol. The game gives me a lot of options to talk about my dark urge but I really want to play that close to the chest

I don’t really know about pre-rewrite version of Wyll but he really seems a good alignment nice dude, and unfortunately I want to be almost evil/neutral Dark Urge.

Had to reload to save Nadira, I’m struggling with interrupting actions outside of turn by turn combat

Rapheal sure makes an entrance, my character turned him down but didn’t attack since he seemed so powerful. Keep my options open but it seems like there are a lot of options there

Gale is fucking lucky I had a extra piece of enchanted gear so I didn’t lose my very nice sword. I also feel like I’m throwing away some approval points by my character questioning him but I’m trying to play someone who isn’t altruistic or too trusting.

Ok I failed several perception checks for a kid stealing my stuff then I caught the last one, but then the kid ran off and everyone in the hideout ran out. I’m not sure if anything was still stolen from me or if this is a a bug 

RIP Alfira, was not expecting that from the dark urge. I chose to confess to the others, if my character is murdering people in my sleep only fair to explain and not hide

My character told Karlach to tear the place apart as catharsis for being hunted, and it was fun to see that scripted sequence play out

Gale is telling me his unstable magic backstory, but he’s doing it at camp so there is no reaction for anyone else during the conversation despite him saying he wanted to tell everyone. (edit: Not sure if a bug considering he also referenced being mind whammied by the Almighty before that had occurred in the goblin camp). Also deeply ironic he talks about understanding if my character wants him to leave since he’s a literal timebomb, but this is happening a day after D!urge pc killed someone brutally

Also incredibly funny Lae’zel is now interested in my character, and will sleep with me considering her dialogue post D!urge murder

Wyll gets turned by his patron demon into a semi horned being, ok so I guess just seeing what he looks like shows the obvious decision you made with Karlach

Wtf is up with Wyll, that he’s so proud he made his pact when it was just made obvious he was sent on basically an assassination mission. All his talk of “saving innocents” wonder how many innocents he’s killed from bad intel

The trifling child gang hideout is very bugged

Perception check for the swamp reveal was really cool

I haven’t been taking many long rests so I just now got the Astarion vampire one. Fun to see all the options if you let him kill you, but I save scummed to let him really go for then stop for roleplaying purposes 

I actually realized I was right by the vampire hunter so I loaded a save where Astarion hadn’t revealed himself yet and fun how different it goes, he will kill the vampire hunter out of combat to keep his secret if you don’t intervene and that’s very fun. It also gets brought up when he tries to feed on you for the first time at camp, but I haven't found a dialogue option where you can say “weird coincidence the guy called you by the same name”

Got the scene at the goblin area where the party would get mind whammied if not for the mysterious artifact. I’m really trying to pick a moment when my character would go from “more people is better odds” to “ride or die for certain characters” and I think this is a good point along the line of “oh if these people aren’t with me then they’ll immediately be soldiers against me”

I really enjoy how Astarion treats you like a fool if you say he’ll be safe because you would protect him from Cazador, in the cliche all power player character here to fix the companion’s problems. I mean my character still said it of course because that was my favorite of the 3 options at that point. Interesting I only now can ask about what offer Raphael made, like that was hours and hours ago but guess it needed specific dialogue flags 

No other game has given me an S&M scene like this for a stat buff where its fun and horny. I love Gale’s “well whatever you’re into”. The first time I did the scene (pun intended) Astarion was standing a little too far away, so I only got Shadowhearts dialogue, but its much better with them talking back and forth

My character told Shadowheart she doesn't care that she worships Shar but more along the lines of not that she likes Shar its just she don’t really care about religion 

I am majorly arachnophobic so I just covered up the screen and freed the spiders so the goblins would kill them

My character asked the priestess to meet alone then assassinated her with Astarian cloaked to get an extra out of combat turn. I expect to do this setup a lot more

I found a Selunite outpost and went down there, then reloaded since that seems way too big an area to explore right now

Setting up Minthara to be doublecrossed was a great tactical way to clear out the goblin camp, especially since I’m out of short rests

Killed Dror Ragzlin with barrelmancy, aka stole a bunch of explosive barrels and put them around him and the crowd and then exploded them from the rafters above

Note to self in however many hours when I get to Baldur’s Gate, see how Ronan’s apprenticeship faired (I bet not well)

Astarion calling my character darling and saying he’s going to like me and it's clear I like him too, definitely feels like he’s rolling to seduce and being a bit manipulative so she will like him (tangent: Margaery Tyrell was one of my favorite GoT characters kinda similar vibes) 

My character was upfront about enjoying it but very funny to say that a less trusting person would be suspicious and have him vouch that the only thing on his mind was carnal lust. I tried the immediate agreement then reloaded and I love that his response feels very different like he’s succeeded in a seduction check. 

I made my dream visitor a hot masc teifling and there is big horny energy with his scenes

Got the “morally acceptable massacre” for defending the grove. I created some barricades out of crates, blew up the sappers with fire arrows and then the enemies were just trapped at the bottom as I killed them with archery. Took a few tries for barricade positioning but then was easy and none of the tieflings died

I’d like to think my D!urge character would love massacring the goblins, in the same way she enjoyed getting the Knoll leader to kill the others then kill themselves brutally. Sort of a “I just love killin’” character approach, but my D!urge character dislikes that the Dark Urge takes away her control. 

My character absorbed Minthara’s tadpole at the prompting, I figured my character would be all about gaining power she could control. Astarion certainly had a very camp approval option. 

I then used 4 Ithilid powers across Astarion, Gale, and myself really just to get rid of the menu icon being bright red and distracting

Oh wow I completely missed doing Kagha’s secrets until now, so I could tell Halsin but not much else happens 

Didn’t expect my character could talk Lae’zel into using the tadpole powers and make a good persuasion attempt with Kalrach, and then persuaded everyone else. Playing a charismatic character is fun, she is manipulative af