#for the entire time i've played this game on main my main team has been some variation of the og national

[thankskenpenders]

Thoughts on two specific areas of the writing in Sonic X Shadow Generations

The best new 3D Sonic game in over a decade (or even two, depending on who you ask) dropped late last year. And I didn't write anything about it! Sometimes life happens. Well, I've finally sat down to finish Shadow Generations, and by now everyone has already been singing its praises for three months. This is the rare instance where the entire Sonic fandom, and even mainstream reviewers, are in agreement on something. The level design is the best it's been in a long, long time and the cool factor is off the charts, embracing Sonic's peak cringe era in an incredibly confident way. It's great. If you're even reading this post, you probably don't need me to tell you that. So I won't!

No, what I'm really interested in here is the writing. Because this is me we're talking about. But I actually don't want to talk about the main narrative of Shadow Generations, which is really solid little story about Black Doom trying to mold Shadow into his perfect soldier. No, I'd like to zero in on two other aspects of the writing here: the revisions made to Sonic Generations, and Gerald Robotnik's unlockable journal.

The updated Sonic Generations script

The new package mostly presents Sonic Generations how you remember it. There are some tweaks, but it's not a major overhaul. Graphically, I don't think the game has been touched much, if at all. I certainly can't notice any difference without a side-by-side comparison, despite playing it on a PS5. The most notable update is that the game's script has been rewritten by Ian Flynn.

Naturally, this caught my attention. Generations always had a nothingburger story, so with Ian rewriting Pontac and Graff's lame dialogue there was nowhere to go but up. (I don't like to pin the blame for those games' stories entirely on them, as a ton of it was dictated to them by Sonic Team, but, well, I don't think they're very good dialogue writers.) But it's less a complete rewrite and more like Ian was brought on as a script doctor for some minor touch ups here and there. Many lines of dialogue are completely identical to how they were originally written in 2011, and many others only have slight wording changes. Ian was clearly not allowed to request additional scenes or extend the ones that already existed. He has to match the original beat for beat so that they can reuse 99% of the cutscene animations. Don't expect it to be a whole new experience compared to the original.

Still, I think the new script is an improvement, albeit a minor one. Various things have been tweaked to maintain characterization consistency. Cream calls Sonic "Mr. Sonic" instead of just "Sonic." Instead of calling Sonic "buddy," Rouge uses the pet name "Blue," like she tends to do in things like the IDW comics. Espio doesn't have to remind you in the dialogue that he's a ninja, and he no longer has a line making it sound like he has some kind of soul reading power. I also like that Modern Sonic now actually has responses to what his friends say when he rescues them, rather than being silent like Classic Sonic. They won't blow you away, but they make Sonic feel a little more engaged with everything.

In general, the altered dialogue just seems tighter to me, and some of the more childish or trite wording of Pontac and Graff's script has been altered. Here, let's actually make a direct comparison, just because this stuff is interesting to me as a writer. Here's a couple lines from after the Egg Dragoon fight late in the game, in the original script:

Modern Eggman: Ooooh... I can't believe this! I was supposed to beat you this time. Modern Sonic: Aw, I'm sorry! I didn't get that memo. I beat you every time! [Turns to Classic Sonic] No, seriously, we beat this guy every time. It's like it's our job or something!

This is a simple exchange. Eggman is mad that he lost. Sonic is unflappably confident because he always beats Eggman, and he explains this to his younger self. But the wording here isn't particularly good. Eggman's simple and direct wording makes him come off like a little kid who's mad because his older brother beat him at Mario Kart, rather than a mad scientist who just had his plans foiled. It's making light of the situation.

And I've never liked Sonic saying "It's like it's our job or something!" That doesn't feel like a thing Sonic would say, it feels like a thing an outside observer would say about Sonic. This is a frequent problem with so-called "MCU dialogue," where quips meant to echo the commentary of a casual, somewhat disinterested audience are inserted into the story itself so that the writers can be like "See? We get it. We're genre-savvy, too!" It also just reminds me of bad Sonic Boom: Rise of Lyric lines like "Rings! It's like they're made for me!"

And then here's Ian's rewrite:

Modern Eggman: I recalibrated everything! This was supposed to be my time! Modern Sonic: Oh, please, keep dreamin', Egg-head. I beat you every time. [Turns to Classic Sonic] No, seriously, we beat him every time. Our score card's flawless.

Eggman's still mad about his defeat, but the line "I recalibrated everything!" makes it more specific. He put all this work into the engineering side of his latest scheme and got tunnel vision, thinking if he got his creations just right there'd be no way he could lose. "This was supposed to be my time!" also turns it into a time travel pun, which is a bonus. He's still pitching a fit over losing, but it feels more like Eggman pitching a fit, rather than sounding childish.

And then instead of saying that beating Eggman is "like his job or something," Sonic says he's got a flawless score card against Eggman. He doesn't take Eggman seriously as a threat—at least, not to his face. He acts like it's all a game. But he conveys this in a way that feels truer to the character, rather than feeling like the words of a real world observer poking fun at the tropes of the Sonic series.

Is this amazing, A+ dialogue that blows me away? No. Again, it's not a completely different scene from the one we already had. Ian had to fit the beats of what was already there. He couldn't go all out and write an all new story confirming his longstanding headcanon that the Time Eater is a remnant of Solaris or whatever. But the wording here makes the existing story land a little better and feel truer to the characters in subtle ways.

But to me, the main change is that the Sonics and Tailses seem to have a more solid understanding of what's going on with the timeline and the Time Eater, compared to how idiotic they sometimes seemed in the original game. Which is good! No more standing outside Green Hill and wondering why it seems so familiar. Thank god. As part of this, yes, there are a few more references to past games in the dialogue, like Sonic briefly being confused about the fact that they're time traveling without the Time Stones, or South Island and Westside Island being acknowledged as the normal locations of Green Hill and Chemical Plant. Yes, ha ha, insert joke about how Ian loves references here. Look, it's Sonic fucking Generations. It's a game built entirely out of nostalgic references. Just own it! And, again, in this instance Sonic and Tails come off as less stupid when they make it clear that they do, in fact, remember their adventures from presumably less than a year ago in-universe.

Eggman, too, seems to have a better understanding of the powers he's toying with. Where in the original vesion his focus was simply on going back in time to undo his previous defeats and he seemed kind of oblivious to how much the Time Eater was actually fucking up the universe, here Eggman says he wants to use the Time Eater to give himself complete control over the entire timeline. Eggman also makes way fewer references to his own failures and shortcomings. Of course he won't admit that Sonic has defeated him time and time again. To him, he's never truly lost—Sonic just keeps delaying the inevitable total victory for the Eggman Empire.

So, yes. The new Sonic Generations script is better. It won't blow anyone away, but it's better than it was. It's been elevated from "kinda lame" to "fine." No, if you really wanna see Ian flex his ability to breathe new life into old Sonic stories, look no further than...

Gerald Robotnik's Journal

Hoo boy.

The story of what happened aboard the ARK has always been... a bit confusing, to say the least. Fans with encyclopedic knowledge of the script for every route of Shadow '05 may disagree, but it's the truth. We've had all the pieces to understand the story for a long time now, but that info was given to us out of order by a pair of unreliable narrators—Gerald, who became a vengeful lunatic shortly before his death, and Shadow, who was subjected to multiple rounds of amnesia and altered memories. Some of the ambiguity left by Sonic Adventure 2 was cleared up in Shadow '05, but that game also retconned in a bunch of new elements to Shadow's backstory (aliens!) that lead to further confusion. Not to mention the fact that that game had multiple routes and only revealed the truth about Shadow if you sat on the ultimate final boss battle for WAY longer than the fight would normally last. Or the fact that Sonic X made its own tweaks in its telling of the story. Or the fact that none of these things ever had the best English translations. I can't blame anyone who hasn't played those games in two decades for not remembering the truth about these characters and getting some details mixed up.

What we needed was something to piece together all of the info we have into one coherent backstory, told in chronological order. And thanks to Shadow Generations, we have that, in the form of an official journal tying together what we knew from Sonic Adventure 2, Shadow '05, and Sonic Battle into the tragic tale of Gerald's rise and fall.

Ian Flynn was the perfect man for the job here as the guy who started his career by tidying up the mess that was the first 159 issues if Archie Sonic. This is what he excels at: taking disparate bits of weird Sonic lore from multiple different sources, boiling them down to their most interesting elements, and connecting it together in a way that will make the audience see the dramatic potential he's always known was there. Rather than feeling like a cynical exercise in franchise building, going back and explaining things that never needed explaining so that people can add more bullet points to the wiki, he puts a new spin on things that retroactively enriches those past stories. The story here means something to the characters involved and gives us a better understanding of them as people, rather than as plot devices to motivate Shadow.

(And, of course, Ian didn't do this journal alone. He wrote the story, but I also have to give a huge shout out to Evan Stanley, who made the final product. All of her handwritten journal entries, sketches, and "photos" included throughout. The physical damage done to the journal over the course of 50 tumultuous years, passing from Gerald to Eggman to a certain special someone at GUN. The way Gerald's handwriting gets less and less legible as his mental state declines. So much love was put into what could have been a mere text dump in a menu, and it really elevates it to the next level. Congrats on officially getting hired by Sega, Evan, you've sure as hell earned it!)

The main idea the journal conveys is that Gerald was under a lot of pressure from a lot of different parties—GUN, the President, his colleagues aboard the ARK, Black Doom, even his own family—and boy did it get to him. The known incidents aboard the ARK mentioned in previous games are put together here to form a story where everything slowly spirals out of control as Gerald keeps compromising his morals to further his research, thinking he'll eventually find some way out of all this because he's a genius. I won't recap that whole story here (if you haven't already played the game and read the journal entries, I would highly recommend at least reading it on the Sonic wiki), but I'd like to highlight my favorite elements of the story, as Ian tells it here.

1) The Eclipse Cannon

Here's something that never quite made sense in Sonic Adventure 2: why does the ARK have a laser that can blow up the Earth built into it? It was supposed to be a peaceful research colony. Sure, Gerald went crazy and swore revenge on the Earth, but, like... when did he have an opportunity to go back up to the ARK and modify it? Did he have someone else do it? How? The ARK was raided by GUN and shut down! And then they arrested him, held him in prison for an unclear period of time, and executed him by firing squad when he was no longer useful! It doesn't add up. Shadow 'the Hedgehog '05 would give its own answer by introducing the Black Arms and saying that the Eclipse Cannon was always supposed to be a secret trump card against the Black Comet. But, like... we know that's kind of a bullshit answer, right? You don't need enough power to blow up a whole planet just to destroy a comet.

Well, the new journal retains what we already knew, but it paints a much more complete picture.

See, long before Gerald ever made a Faustian bargain with Black Doom, he had already made one with an even greater evil: the military. GUN gave Gerald much of the funding for the ARK, Gerald's personal utopian research station in space, but it didn't take long for GUN to start pressuring him to design them weapons. Gerald tried to get GUN off his back by personally contacting the President of the United Federation, and the President gave him an alternative: how about, instead, you just use your genius brain to figure out the secret to immortality for us, so our soldiers can be immortal? Gerald was initially sickened by the notion and found it completely absurd, like chasing a shadow... but given no other option, the sarcastically named Project Shadow soon began in earnest. (Maria would later put a more positive spin on the name after Shadow's awakening, pointing out that a Shadow can show us the direction of the light, like she says in the game itself.)

Of course, this search for the ultimate life form didn't go very well, and without any results on that front GUN kept hounding him for weapons. Gerald would throw them a bone here and there to get them off his back. His research on Chaos resulted in the Artifical Chaos prototypes, which he worried would be used for warfare but could at least theoretically be used for search and rescue missions in floods, in his mind. But that wasn't enough. So he gave them Chaos Drives to power their mechs. And that still wasn't enough. He's got Emerl. He'll give them Emerl. They're not impressed by Emerl. They'll shut the whole ARK down if Gerald doesn't give them something big.

Fine! GUN wants something big? Gerald builds a huge fucking laser cannon into the ARK. However, as a middle finger to GUN, Gerald makes it so powerful that it would destroy the Earth if it was ever fired at any target on its surface. In other words, GUN now has their ultimate weapon of mass destruction, fulfilling his contract, but they can never actually use it. Oh, the delicious irony. (And also Shadow will blow up the Black Comet with it in 50 years yada yada yada.) Is this perhaps extremely shortsighted and naive of Gerald, to believe that such a weapon would never actually be used just because of the risk? Of course. But hey, that's Gerald for you. And I love this as an answer.

(Also, this, uh, kinda echoes something from real life! Remember the bit in Oppenheimer where he says all nuclear war will become unthinkable, and Edward Teller responds "until somebody builds a bigger bomb"? Yeah, Teller went on to conceptualize a superweapon codenamed Project Sundial that would have been able to kill all life on the planet, as the ultimate deterrent for war. This was never made for obvious reasons, but hey, there's a basis for this sort of thinking outside of heightened sci-fi! There's a whole Kurzgesagt video about this if you're interested.)

2) The Biolizard

The Biolizard is, of course, brought up as the initial failed prototype of the ultimate life form, from before Gerald met Black Doom. We don't really learn all that much about it that we didn't already know, but I just love the way it's framed in the story.

As you can see above, we actually get to see a picture of Maria holding up the cute little salamander that would end up mutating into the Biolizard through Gerald's experiments. (Researchers want to figure out how to replicate salamanders' regenerative abilities for humans in real life, too, so this was a natural starting point for the project.) And then, after it grows to a monstrous size and goes out of control, Gerald has to lock it away in an unused sector of the ARK. He needs to keep the poor thing alive for his research into harnessing Chaos Energy, building life support systems directly into it, but he doesn't have the heart to tell Maria what happened. So it just becomes this first dark secret weighing on his conscience. The Biolizard becomes Gerald's Tell-Tale Heart beating beneath the floorboards of the ARK. I love that.

3) Lost Impact was the breaking point for the ARK

Remember the level Lost Impact in Shadow '05? The flashback level on the hero path where Shadow is running around fighting Artificial Chaos enemies on the ARK 50 years ago? Yeah, that wasn't just a random incident. That was important, as we now know due to its placement on the timeline.

See, Emerl's rampage aboard the ARK that was chronicled in Sonic Battle and Dark Beginnings set off a domino effect. Emerl riled up the Artificial Chaos, causing Gerald to lose control of them. They became violent, and so Shadow had to stop them, as depicted in Lost Impact. The thing is, that incident sent an SOS signal to GUN telling them that shit was going down on the ARK. Gerald didsn't fully understand the trouble he was in and assumed that he'd simply be reprimanded by the higher ups, or maybe face legal action. But, well... the next time he heard from GUN, armed troopers were raiding the ARK.

So Lost Impact was the straw that broke the camel's back. I just really like that detail.

4) Maria

And, of course, there's Maria herself. Maria has often been more of a symbol than a character, this perfect embodiment of everything that's good and pure in this world who gets killed to motivate Shadow and Gerald's revenge plots. But I really like the wrinkles this journal adds to her and Gerald's story, and their relationship. This is the most fleshed out they've ever felt.

For one, the journal leans into the idea of Maria's intellectual potential. The rest of the Robotnik family is all geniuses, after all, and she was proving to be a really bright kid. She excelled in her studies on the ARK, and she even helped design Shadow's jet skates and inhibitor rings. When Maria died, the world didn't just lose a symbolic personification of purity. She genuinely could have been a hugely influential scientist who did so much good for the world. That's what Gerald wanted for her. But we'll never know, because GUN killed her.

Speaking of her family, their presence isn't just mentioned for the sake of fleshing out the Robotnik family tree. It's mentioned that as Gerald struggled to find a cure for Maria's illness through his genetic research, he faced mounting pressure from his family. They didn't want Maria to be up on the ARK forever. They wanted Gerald to hurry up and find a damn cure, or otherwise just send her back home to Earth so she could be with her family again. She'd been up on the ARK for so long that Gerald's coworkers started thinking that she had been born up there. Eventually she gains a baby sister on Earth who she's never met. A rift forms between Gerald's two sons, and he's unable to really deal with it because he's so consumed by his work. There's this sense that the family is falling apart, and that everyone is dreading the possibility that Gerald will never find a cure and that Maria will just spend her final years up in space and die far away from her family, because Gerald just couldn't let go. If that happens, it'll break the whole family. But he can't stop now. So he just keeps working. Curing Maria is the only way to win his family back, in his eyes. It can't all be for nothing.

But my favorite detail regarding Maria is this one paragraph:

Maria is growing into a lovely young woman. It breaks my heart that someone as bright and energetic as her is diminished by disease. There are no visible effects, and I've caught my fellow researchers muttering to each other, doubting her illness. It is infuriating. I find all my reason and restraint vanishes when she's slighted.

This is SUCH a great addition to the story! It's always been true that Maria doesn't really seem all that ill, just looking at her in cutscenes. With this one little comment, Ian flips that issue on its head and turns it into a story about invisible disability. She doesn't act like she's in chronic pain, so she must not be, everyone thinks. And this really, really gets to Gerald, as does the pressure from his family. He's dedicating his whole LIFE to saving her, and they think she's faking it?! It's such a small addition, never referenced elsewhere in the journal, but it adds so much flavor to the story, as does the implied family drama. It grounds Gerald and Maria and makes them feel more like real human beings, rather than being pure archetypes. It's just enough info to let my imagination run wild filling in the blanks.

You also get the feeling that Maria being such a walking ray of sunshine was the only real source of joy Gerald had left in his life before Shadow was awakened, and the only thing keeping him from snapping under pressure sooner. All this stuff just keeps piling on, everything's spiraling out of control, but at least Maria is keeping her chin up, right? It makes so much sense that losing her would make him go off the deep end when it's framed like this.

It's just... man, I never thought I'd care so much about Gerald and Maria. But that's the Ian Flynn touch. After years of less than stellar Sonic writing that seemed to be embarrassed of itself, I'm so happy to have new games coming out that fully embrace the history of the series like this, making its world feel so rich and real instead of just serving as an excuse for a string of platforming levels. I don't even like Shadow '05, but I'll be damned if Ian and the rest of Sonic Team didn't make something amazing by "yes, and"-ing Shadow's cringe past here. Sonic has truly reached levels of "we're so back" never thought possible.

[jojo-schmo]

✿ Forgotten Land Roleswap AU ✿

✦ 3rd Anniversary ✦

I was hoping to get this Light Novel cover redraw finished by today, but I haven't been feeling well and ran out of time- but I still wanted to at least share this WIP and muse on how much things have grown during these three years, and how much this project has meant to me so far.

April 12, 2022 was the day I created posted the first doodles that would, unbeknownst to me at the time, germinate the idea that would transform into a passion project spanning multiple years. I had just finished Kirby and the Forgotten Land's story and slowly getting back into the Kirby fandom space for the first time in years. It had been a long time since a game made me feel as wonderful as Forgotten Land did. I've loved Bandana Waddle Dee since I first played Return to Dreamland on the Wii when I was a kid, and wished he had more opportunities to shine outside of directly supporting Kirby in the game. I also love "What If" and "Roleswap" AUs, so I considered what would happen if I swapped Bandana Dee and King Dedede's role in the game.

The posts didn't really get much traction at first, which was fine. But I kept going back to the idea after a few days and thinking about how to push it further. Instead of just swapping Bandee and Dedede, what if Dedede was Player 1 to increase the stakes of rescuing the kidnapped Waddle Dees? Dedede wouldn't have access to Mouthful Mode, so how would the gameplay work then? Instead of Kirby taking care of everything with his own Mouthful Mode, it could be more fun to have Meta Knight be Player 2 instead, and explore their teamwork dynamics and problem-solving methods together!

So I explored an alternative- Combo Mode! And developing and researching ideas for that lit a spark within me! I had to keep going after that!

Now I had to consider, if I'm already swapping around all the main characters, I'm starting to have an entirely new universe here! What's next to change up? For the heroes' companion, I felt like Elfilin wouldn't behave very differently in this AU than in canon, he would probably continue to be friendly and helpful and sweet. Which would be okay- but to make things more interesting for myself, what if I played around with the origin story of the missing pieces of Fecto Forgo and switched "Elfilis" and "Elfilin" around? That way there's new obstacles and possibilities there and maybe I can even surprise some people with the lore down the line!

Now I'd had my Dream Team shuffled around, a very different mysterious companion for them... And why stop there? Why not play with the Beast Council's roles too while I'm at it to make things even more interesting for myself to write?!

From the early days of this AU Project...

To my more recent work...

...Now here we are.

It'd been a long, long time since I enjoyed the creation process of anything for myself like this! I was coming out of some pretty hard times in the early 2020s, and in a lot of ways, this AU has been there alongside me during a years-long journey to get help for my mental health, to become more confident in who I am and what I can bring to the world around me, and to love myself. Now I'm the best version of myself I've ever been, and I can pour so much more into my art and writing, especially with this AU!! <3

AND MAN, does it feel good to see physical evidence of my art style's evolution side-by-side! Like comparing my first Light Novel cover redraw from 2022 with my current WIP!

Creating this AU has taught me so much about storytelling, the medium of comics, organization, and most of all, to enjoy the process and really push my personal limits in a positive way. I've met so many amazing people since starting this story, some of whom have inspired me in ways I never could've imagined. Some very key people have even helped me ponder different mediums to tell this story.... Some animatics... or maybe even more interactive storytelling...? I am slow cooking some fun ideas, dear reader....

This AU gave me the confidence to become more involved in the fandom space and find community among people who have taught me so much. I am so, so grateful for this project.

I know it's taken some time to get here. I still work full-time and now I'm pursuing a second bachelor's in hopes of a career change that will allow me more time to focus on creating someday. But for now, free time can be frustratingly limited for me. It's also taken this long because I've put a lot of thought into how to set up the metaphorical "dominos" in the forms of foreshadowing and world-building I want, to do my best to make the wait worth it for the future plot pay-offs and reveals I have planned!! I'm hoping to continue to pick up speed with updates as I increase my skill and solidify my master plan for this story... MUAHAHA....

I plan on seeing this project to the very very end, and I can't wait to continue this journey with you all. Especially with the announcement of Star-Crossed Worlds!!! I'm not too worried about it turning my AU lore upside-down quite yet since it's post-game content and my bigger lore drops are still a little bit away, so I have time to navigate that when it does drop :3

Thank you to everyone who has read, enjoyed, and supported this project in any way, whether it's a like, comment, reblog tag, dm, carrier pigeon, paper airplane- whatever!! <3 I love, appreciate, and am beyond grateful for every reader, supporter, and friend I've gained in the past three years!!

Cheers to a successful three years under my belt, and I look forward to the future!! By the end of this journey, I hope you will enjoy reading this story as much as I've enjoyed writing it.

🫧 Love, Jojo T. Schmo 🫧

★○★○★○★○★○★○★○★

♫ Laughing loud! Even if you're far apart, they're right by your side. Hearts full of love! Everyone is welcome to live in this new world. ♫

｡⋆｡˚ ʚïɞ ˚｡⋆｡

[ekjohnston]

The Book Club Conundrum

One thing really love about reading fanfic for videogames (Veilguard in particular), is seeing all the other in-game mini-story options that wouldn't have occurred to me in a million years. In Veilguard, for example, there is a large component of the fandom that writes Rook as isolated within the team, someone who is always helping but never gets helped in return. It's fascinating because you can do a lot with it, and also because it never would have crossed my mind otherwise.

I have started to call it The Book Club Conundrum, because you twice find book club notes in the Lighthouse where everyone gives their thoughts on a book they've read together. Rook does not give them, which I assumed meant we were supposed to fill that part in ourself (since Rook is the self-insert character, the game writers try to leave as many of their opinions open as possible), but it's very common in fic to read that Rook wasn't invited, and holds at least a bit of resentment for that, and for the way the team bonds around them in general.

As I said: a lot of mileage, which is great for fanfic, because conflict has to come from somewhere.

HOWEVER

Since I imagined Rook at the book club meetings and adding their thoughts, I did it with other examples of team bonding as well. This is particularly important to the "always helping, never helped" component of the argument, because: the team does try. They try so hard.

Most of them take you to a funeral/memorial at some point (Lucanis does it in a Blighted Treviso; if Minrathous is Bighted, you get it twice: once from Neve and once from The Viper. Davrin takes you out to play with a griffon, over and over, which is just as therapeutic). They take you through their grieving process, for new pains and old. They share their traditions. Their grief. Their anger. They wait for Rook to break.

And they never do.

Solas does a lot of heinous things, on all manner of scale, but something I find EXTREMELY fascinating is that he almost fucked up Rook's relationship with their entire team. Rook's seeming denial of their grief is the one thing that no one can break through. It makes them seem cold and a bit uncaring, like they're willing to push through almost everything to get the job done. And of course they are! Willing, I mean. It's a very Dread Wolf sort of lie: just enough truth to destroy everything.

(If you save "Words of Fire" as long as possible, Taash finally just yelling at you is SUPER affecting, lmty.)

In fanfic, I've seen everything from "it's weird that Rook is talking to an empty room again" to "Rook is grieving in their own way" to "Rook hears a weird humming noise every time they think too much about Varric, but can't do anything about it". Sometimes Rook yells at the team for not noticing (Neve notices IMMEDIATELY, fwiw, the same as Solas tells you immediately what he's done. You just keep going anyway), and sometimes the resolution is more quiet.

It's fascinating to me, both as a writer and a reader/player, that the same common start point (Solas being a manipulative jackass "for the greater good"), can have so many divergent paths. It's not just "Rook ignores the team and they all die" or "Rook moves heaven and earth for her team and they all live". There's a lot of space in that second one, and fanfic lets us wallow in what the game sets up.

Veilguard is a game of mirrors, obviously, but it's also a game where all of your companions could have been the protagonist, except all of the good guys are DESPERATELY trying not to be the main character. The villains are all like that too (especially Johanna, who is barely aware the risen gods are there), only they WANT to be the main characters. And that's usually what leads to their downfall.

Varric wrote pulp fiction. The kind reviews denigrate as trashy while millions of people have fun reading them. He wants a main character, a hero he can pin a tragedy on. He made one, and propped up another. Rook was going to be his third, and Solas (accidentally) almost made sure it happened. But Rook gets free of that, wins themself out by sheer friendship and the willingness to move forwards.

And no matter what kind of angst you want to put into your fanfic (and please, continue to do so; I am having fun!) that is pretty great.

[evol-astraea]

Desperate PC Tenno calling for help!

Calling all the tech-savvy players here on Tumblr who may hopefully lend me and tech support a hand. Yes, the situation is that bad. More under the cut to spare a lengthy wall of text!

I've been experiencing totally random and sudden crashes with WF since a month and half, by now.

The game first freezes for less than a minute, then crashes to desktop bringing up the window to report crashes. This happens literally anywhere and anytime in the game. During mission, at the end of the mission, while idling in the Orbiter/base of operations, sitting in the pause menu, checking the settings menu. All kind of possible scenarios. Ah, and DX11 or DX12 make no difference either.

It's driving me - and tech support - insane. Because it is so HARD to pinpoint the root cause! Every log file so far has reported some kind of General Protection Failure (GPF) error followed by different numbers.

I'm running the game on a brand new, pre-built computer from Megaport. Which I moved to from my old potato of a PC back in late November. Specs are the following: Windows 11 Home (build 24H2) Intel Core I7-12700KF, 8x 3.60 Ghz + 4x 2.70 Ghz ASUS Prime Z790-A Wifi DDR5 NVidia GeForce RTX 4070 Dual Palit 12GB 2x 32GB Corsair Vengeance RGB DDR5-6000 1 TB SSD 1000 Watt PSU

I have done everything tech support has suggested me to do and: - Uninstalled and re-installed the game, - Update drivers. Being a new computer, everything is pretty much up to date. I had to do a clean install for the GPU drivers only using DDU, though, - Verified game files, - Emptied the shader cache on the drive game is saved to, - Repaired Steam library, - Lowered graphic settings, - Attempted to launch and run Warframe in Clean Boot mode to exclude background programs/services <- unsuccessfully; Steam didn't work at all (which I kind of figured would happen) and trying to launch the game straight from the launcher...triggered a download of the game files in the App Data folder on main (C) drive. O_o The random crashes don't even appear in the Windows Event Viewer. Nowhere to be found. And believe me, I have looked into every single category. I've been keeping track of the time(s) of the crashes but, alas, found nothing that could possibly be related to those. (also, I'm not a computer expert so perhaps I'm doing things wrong)

So far, the only weird thing I've noticed is...Most of the times there seemingly is a "break" in between each series of crashes. A few days at worst, 10-12 days at best. Yes, I checked even the Task Scheduler utility on Windows. Found no program/app that runs automatically that matches with the timing/days when the crashes have occurred so far.

Really losing my mind to this. It's frustrating, it's unnerving, it's making me genuinely terrified of playing the game. And the reason I got this PC in the first place was being finally able to play my favorite game without worrying about being unable to because of my old (and obsolete) machine! Because I don't know when the next crash shall decide to happen and oh boy it's gonna be so fun losing progress. Or having a couple of players reasonably angry at me for suddenly poofing as host. I'm really sorry about that, folks.

I'm already considering the option of total formatting this computer, should there be no other way. But not before entirely giving up. And maybe make things a little less complicated for tech support team.

I can't thank these guys enough for their help and most importantly patience over the past month and half. This mess has been handed to three different people already and a solution hasn't been found yet.

So, if there are fellow Tenno on Tumblr who have either experienced something like this before and found a fix or are just more knowledgeable about computers and whatnot, your help would be GREATLY appreciated. ;.;

EDIT: I forgot to mention a few important things! - Hardware temperatures are within optimal range while in game (CPU never above 65°C, GPU has been running ice cold and has rarely exceeded 50°C so far, RAM is chilling at 45°C average). - GPU memory usage averages around at max (peak) 77% on HWInfo. - CPU usage I honestly need to check! D: - Ran disk cleanup, scans with sfc, chkdsk and DISM (all through command prompts ran as admin) and no issues were found. - Checked RAM health as well with Windows' memory diagnostic tool. However, it seems to give many false positives even on perfectly functional RAM banks. Looking for a more reliable alternative. - Warframe is the only game that keeps crashing on this PC. I haven't been getting any with other games/programs (Hades II; need to test how Ultrakill performs) or any warning signs (BSODs, freezes, sluggish PC, etc) that could suggest hardware failure.

[lucy90712]

Can you write a story about verstappen sister who also races at Red Bull and is dating joao

"Max do I have to go no one ever notices me there anyway" I whined 

"Yes you do you're part of the main team now if you don't go you and I will get in trouble" max said 

"Fine but don't expect me to enjoy any of it" I said 

"If it makes you feel any better it's not just the usual people it's all red bull sponsored athletes from across Europe that could make it so there will be new people there" Max said 

"Great more people to ignore me while I stand next to you" I said

"Just go and get ready if you don't have a good time we can go and get ice cream after" Max offered 

"You should've led with that let's do this" I laughed 

I went and got myself ready which wasn't too difficult because a brand had already sent me a dress to wear to this event as there will be lots of media there taking pictures. Apart from the dress I had to do my hair and makeup but that wasn't too difficult as I've got quite good at one look which I use every time I have to go to a fancy event. It took me around 20 minutes to get ready which is just in time for the car taking me and Max to the event to arrive. The driver spent the entire time talking to Max and completely ignoring me like everyone does at these events. It used to annoy me but now I've just got used to it, in fact I quite enjoy being free to walk around without anyone caring who I am. Some people recognise me as Max's sister and strike up a conversation for a few minutes but it's only ever about him and not my own racing career. 

We arrived and the driver opened the door for Max while I had to open my own door which is just typical. I was told I'd have to do a few interviews as I entered the event but everyone wanted to talk to Max instead so I just walked straight in and went to a quiet corner where I can sit by myself until Max tells me we can finally leave. There was a lot of people here most of which I didn't recognise but a few I did, there was some MotoGP riders who I've spoken to before and some footballers who I've never talked to as I have a feeling they wouldn't care enough to talk to me. 

Everyone talked to each other while I just watched from a table in the furthest corner. Max did come over for a minute and say hi but he was quickly dragged into a conversation with someone else and left me alone again. That was until I noticed someone walking towards me I recognised him slightly but I couldn't place from where. He came over and introduced himself as Joao Felix which is when I worked out where I knew him. He's a football player for Barcelona and I recognised him because Max has made me watch a few games with him. 

We spent pretty much the rest of the event talking we both talked about our struggles but also just life in general. It was so nice to have someone to talk to for the night and he was so lovely he didn't treat me differently because I was a women or because I was Max's sister he just seemed to want to get to know me. No one bothered us for the rest of the night until the event was coming to an end and Max came over to see if I wanted to get a taxi back with him. Joao offered to drive me home so I took him up on his offer as I wanted to spend more time with him. He dropped me home and we exchanged phone numbers with the promise that we would see each other again. 

~~~~~~~~~~

8 months later 

Since that red bull event things have changed a lot, that week Joao asked me on a date and within a month of knowing each other we were dating. We have now been together for 7 months and we've told a few friends but I haven't told Max. Max is very overprotective as I'm his younger sister and he doesn't want anyone to hurt me which is why he has told me never to date another athlete as he says it will only end badly. That's one of the reasons I'm scared to tell him about me and Joao another reason is that he likes to watch Barcelona play and he likes Joao as a player and I don't want him to be mad that I'm dating a player he likes. Joao has been very understanding of my apprehension over telling Max about us in fact I think he's a bit scared about his reaction too but not telling Max does mean we have to sneak around which is getting increasingly harder. 

So far this season Joao hasn't been able to make any of the races as we have been all over the world but finally we are back in Europe and Joao is coming to watch the race. He arrived late Friday and I snuck him into my hotel room so we could spend the night together. He watched all of the track action from yesterday from the back of the red bull garage which luckily no one thought anything of seeing as he's sponsored by red bull too. Any time we had a few seconds alone he had his arms around my waist and his lips on mine but we had to be super careful to hide from the media as well as Max. Last night we had dinner in my hotel room and watched a movie together, which has become our version of a date night as we are always trying to avoid going out so we aren't seen together but it was fun I loved having him there with me as I've missed him a lot over the last few months. 

Today is race day so I had to get up really early to get to the track so I left Joao asleep but I left him a note and text him to tell him to let me know when he gets to the track. Usually I'm a bit nervous on race day as it's always the climax of the weekend but this week I'm extra nervous as today is my first time starting on pole position. I know the team expect me to win and I didn't want to let them down but I'm just not as good as Max and he's starting next to me in second, I know at some point he's going to overtake me and he won't take any mercy on me that's for sure. One thing Max has done is teach me how to deal with nerves but today none of the techniques he gave me seem to be working my heart rate is still higher than it usually is and my hands are shaking like crazy. 

I've been so distracted preparing for the race and trying to calm myself down I didn't look at my phone at all and completely forgot that I left Joao at the hotel that was until we was stood in front of me in my drivers room. He looked worried which only made me feel worse as I must've scared him when I didn't answer his texts or calls. He came and sat next to me pulling me into his lap which instantly made me relax a little bit. 

"Are you ok my love?" He asked 

"I'm just a bit nervous I'm sorry I didn't answer my phone I've been completely in my own world" I apologised 

"You don't need to be sorry I'm just glad I'm with you now because I can tell you are more than a bit nervous" he said 

"Ok I'm really nervous the team expect me to win but I don't think I can beat Max he's just too good and he knows all my weaknesses" I said 

"You've got to believe in yourself I know you can do this and so do the team they expect you to win because they know you can you know you share some of Max's DNA so you can go out there and perform just as well as he does it's in your blood" Joao reassured me 

"You really think so" I questioned 

"Of course I do I've watched you race this season and in the other categories you are great you just need to believe you can do it" he said 

"You're right I just need to believe in myself" I said 

"That's it now get yourself ready and psyche yourself up you got this" he said 

Joao stayed with me for as long as he could but I had to go to the grid before I knew it so I left him with a kiss before running off to get in my car. Getting my car to the grid I looked around the track thinking about where I need to be quicker and where I might have to defend more but it all seemed possible. If you'd have asked me earlier I would've told you there's no way I could win but now I think I can do it I've been quick all weekend quicker than Max so why should I resign myself to second behind him. 

The race was quite stressful it wasn't one of the most exciting races but I was stressed. I was so focused on getting a good start then staying out in front which wasn't easy as Max kept trying but I held on. Pit stops were also stressful as it had to go perfectly to give me the best chance of winning and sometimes my crew make some mistakes but today they were amazing and we had the best stops we've had all year. At one point Max did get in front of me for a while but I kept within drs range of him and eventually his tyres started to wear and I was able to get back in front. Once I was in front Max dropped back and then it was just about managing until the end which I did until I crossed the line for the final time. 

All of the emotions finally hit me as I saw the checkered flag I did it I finally won my first race. I proved to myself and others that I'm a good driver who is capable of competing with Max. My engineer was congratulating me over the radio but I couldn't get any words out to say back as I was just so overwhelmed with emotions. Driven the car into parc ferme and getting to celebrate with the team was so fun and Max was right there to congratulate me too but the one person I really wanted to see wasn't there but I knew he is waiting for me back in the garage. 

As I won I had a lot more interviews to do but eventually I made it back to my drivers room where I only got to sit down for about 2 seconds before Joao came in with a big smile on his face. I got up and hugged him tightly while he leant down to give me a kiss. We shared a few more kissed until I saw the door to my drivers room open widely and someone shout. I recognised the voice straight away and knew I was in big trouble. 

“What the fuck” Max yelled 

“I can explain Max” I started to say 

“No why are you kissing some footballer in your drivers room I thought I warned you about dating other athletes” Max scolded me 

“He’s not just some footballer you know that you said you liked him plus we aren’t just kissing he’s my boyfriend” I yelled back 

“That’s worse what are you thinking” Max raged 

“If I can just step in here hi Max I’m Joao I know this is a bit of a surprise and I’m sure we all wished it didn’t happen this way but it’s too late now y/n and I have been together for about 7 months now and I can promise you that I really like her and the last thing I want is to hurt her” Joao interjected 

“Why didn’t you tell me?” Max asked calming down a bit

“Because I was scared about how you’d react I know what you’ve told me and believe me it’s stuck with me but I really do like Joao maybe even love him and I can’t ignore that just to protect myself” I said 

“I’m sorry I shouldn’t have yelled and I’m sorry you felt you couldn’t tell me I know the advice I’ve given you but as long as you are happy that’s all they really matters but Joao if you even so much as make her cry know that I won’t hesitate to let you know how you’ve made her feel” Max said 

“I get it but I won’t be doing that” Joao replied 

“Maybe later tonight we can all go to dinner to celebrate y/n’s win and get to know each other” Max suggested 

“That sounds great we’ll be there” I said 

With that Max left us alone again and I let out a breath I didn’t know I’d been holding. As much as that was tense for a while it felt good to finally tell Max about my relationship and to know he’s willing to get to know Joao makes me even happier. 

“So you think you love me eh” Joao laughed 

“I don’t just think I know but couldn’t say that in front of Max” I said 

“Well I love you too my winner” he said 

[makingspiritualityreal]

An Observation About the Energetic Vibrations of the Past Couple of Years

I tend to stick to Astrology in my writing, as I prefer to give my readers something solid they can relate to, but I'm also an intuitive and I would like to share an impression that I can't shake, that has been plaguing me for the last few years. I also want to communicate it, because I'm curious if anyone else has had a similar energetic impression of life's recent current in any way.

To understand what I'm gonna talk about, I have to frame it in the context, that I view myself as a small particle in a larger ocean, so when I look at my own life, I always look at the bigger picture first, before myself or even my own best interest (which has been painful and detrimental to the immediate gratification part of me, but I can't bring myself to regret, since I value doing the right thing beyond my personal happiness, I guess that's what you get with a 12th house Jupiter and a strong Saturn) and at best, I see my own story as a part of a larger current. I am also someone, who has no interest, and as a result, very little knowledge of politics and current world events, although I do have some of history, and I was always a top student in that regard (at least in my school years, long ago), so none of my impressions are based on that.

In order to simplify it, I will first use a pop culture example that I experienced, that I feel has been a piece of this puzzle, a symptom of what I want to describe. I like gaming in my spare time, but I am very picky, I like only a few franchises and series really, some for sentimental reasons (like Diablo, especially 2, that I spent my childhood playing). The other franchise, that fits my medieval-fantasy setting taste that I've been enjoying for almost 10 years now, is Dragon Age, the latest release being of great interest to people late last year. Since I assume some of you have never played the game I won't go into it, but will go directly to my main point, which is, the franchise has been waiting 10 years for its 4th installment since 2014, and as a result of delays and many mistakes, the 4th installment was rushed, not fully well developed, and given to us in rather poor shape late last year. For long time fans, this has been heartbreaking. There are people there who created entire blog websites dedicated to analysing and pouring out the collective feelings over the depth of the plot of the game (my favorite being this one) and the latest development...feels like such a massive betrayal. Especially, given some really mean and dismissive comments from the production studio and the consequent firing of the entire creative team behind the game, which is, in many ways, pretty much as helpless to this development as fans themselves, since the studio owns the brand.

I am using this example, because this example is what made my head click regarding the collective energy, but also because it's a perfect representation. Something good was born at a certain point, and had a natural, even if slow, rhythm and continuation of its own, and that rhythm has been disrupted, and the natural growth direction has been stopped. It is something I now realise I've started to feel since early 2023. It is basically a deep, unexplainable but creeping feeling, that something is not right. Due to the intuitive nature of my life journey, I don't typically hold many expectations of how everything should pan out, but seeing what happened, even at the example of what you can call a stupid game, made me realise that there has been something profoundly wrong on the heart level, and it has impacted my life, of course, but it is a symptom of something larger. I have suddenly seen myself and others find themselves in situations that were wrong, as in wrong for all of them, as in, didn't contribute to anyone's best interests. Of course, there is a lesson to be learned from everything, and I have been holding the fort in with what I view as the right thing, doing my best and keeping faith no matter how bad I felt the entire time, and I have grown and tried many new things in the meantime also...yet I can't shake the feeling, that certain things that are right, good and precious and in the interest of everyone's expansion have gone awry and they are due for a serious correction.

I have explained my share of personal misery before in life, and I have dealt with it the best I could. My consciousness is also still growing, so I wasn't always as aware as I am now. But despite the fact, that I've been through many difficult things before either way, this is the first time that I feel, like there is such a massive need for so much correction, which goes beyond my personal life. I have talked my friend's ear off about that (thank you for putting up with me), and the impression refuses to leave me, so I thought that I have to write it down. Because I am still wondering, is this just a reflection of my own personal journey, or a more global energetic phenomenon, that keeps plaguing me?

I feel like the world needs a good spring cleaning, and not just because it's spring season. I feel like so many good things, people, loving ideas, places, need to be better taken care of. We need a massive shift, or many good things will be derailed or lost altogether. I feel like this could happen sooner than we think. I wake up every day and go to sleep with that feeling, and I still wonder, do I have even a hint of a point, or is this just a personal projection? Any insight from my readers would be welcome.

[paper-starz]

WELCOME HOME THEORIES AND ANALYSIS! FRIDAY THE 13th EDITION!

HUH?? A surprise Welcome Home Update???

WITH LORE AND SECRETS?!?!?!

Ohohohoho! You know yours truly loves lore! And oh boy... Theres a lot to unpack here.... So buckle your seatbelts folks! I might've discovered something BIG

WARNING! THIS WILL CONTAIN SPOILERS FOR THE HALLOWEEN UPDATE! OH AND THIS IS GONNA BE VERY VERY LONG!

Ok, first things first, THE THEORY

I might've figured out who the main antagonist could be, and it's not Wally or Home. In fact, it has been staring at us the entire time, we've just never realized it.

I think the main villain of Welcome Home could be the spooky swirly void living inside of Home.

"WHAT?!?! This early on in story??" I hear you say! "This couldn't be possible!"

ANYTHING IS POSSIBLE DEAR VIEWER! And truth be told, there could be multiple antagonists in Welcome Home, but all evidence points to this swirly guy being the source of everything wrong thats happening. Also, from now on, I'll be calling it the Entity. (Spooky swirly man sounds so silly!)

EVIDENCE 1: It makes people sick.

It seems like the Entity emits some kind of black "ink" that makes people sick once you touch it. It also seems like the WHRT knows about this too! Going into great lengths to order everyone to wear gloves.

Writing on sticky note atop vinyl glove box reads: Put on gloves before handling ANY art. Call me if we run out!

Not to mention that think ink also seems to effect anyone psychologically, making them want to discover more about Welcome Home, even if it harms their own health.

In the ABOUT US page:

When I unwrapped the first letter, I felt it. I heard it. Open. Open. Open. I want it out. I’m going to get it out.

In the STAFF ONLY page:

Everything is so disgusting to touch. Sometimes the mail doesn't come for weeks. I want to rip into everything I have. My head feels so muddled too. Ever since I opened the envelope.

I keep getting phone calls, now. Or at least, I assume that's what's happening. I keep hearing it ringing. All day, sometimes. I check my phone and there's no new messages. I thought maybe some of the site staff were pranking me, but I tore up the workspace and couldn't find another phone that might be ringing. All that was there were the toys for the exhibit, and obviously those couldn't be ringing. But I kept hearing it anyway. The phone ringing and ringing... ...I keep digging and digging. I've poured over every recovery the WHRP has given me access to, every inch of their website, and the things I find make less and less sense. If I didn't know better I'd say everyone was coming together to pull an elaborate prank on me. I can still hear the phone ringing now. I don't know how to answer the phone. I need to answer the phone.

The NEWS PAGE also mentions ringing! (This could be the same person who has been affected by the ringing)

So many guest signatures… So many of them are trying to communicate. What are you telling me for? Do you think I can answer? What are you trying to do to me? I’m closing that guest book, I’m not playing this game anymore. The ringing is enough.

And even affecting them physically as well!

NEWS PAGE

What is it, I hear you pleading! Clawing at your screens just as we have! Coughing, headaches, nausea- I know. I know. It will take a lot of cleaning, preparation, and polishing on our part, but it is a worthwhile labor of love.

Coughing, headaches, nausea.... The Restoration Team is growing sick, yet they are completely obsessed with restoring more evidence for Welcome Home.

They even know that they are growing sick, they wear gloves, they clean, they prepare, they polish the artwork over and over and warn anyone NOT to touch the ink, but it's not enough. They need to restore Welcome Home, even at the cost of their own health.

Heck, the entire page (and studio) is literally dowsed with black ink!

And it seems to be growing too...

Theres more stuff on the walls I keep hearing phones ring.

"More stuff" as if he's surprised, as if there were less ink on the walls than before. And he keeps hearing phones ringing... Its growing...

And it made its way into the real world....

EVIDENCE 2: SALLY'S HORROR STORY!

Ah yes! Some evidence from the Halloween Update! This time, from Sally Starlet’s Macabre Menagerie of Monstrous Mischief Making! Specifically, I want to analyze the "noticeable gap" in the audio, the only part where the WHRT did NOT transcript. (This was written by yours truly btw!)

SALLY: What?! No, no, and no! …It is because this town is rumored to have visitors at night… Something from deep within the forest, far beyond the hills and mountains… No one knows what it wants or where it’s going, just that it is persistent… Just that it arrives here. So many stories have risen about their origins… But I know what it is searching for. It is looking for neighbors who have stayed past the daytime, to gobble them up whole. That is why so few live here. It moved through the streets at night, but it doesn't break into homes. However, on rare instances, it will find itself with an appetite left…. unsatisfied by its aimless wandering. Even the occasional unfortunate insect that has crossed its path is not enough… Those who have lived through the night say it isn't quiet about it either. They always say you can hear when it gets closer to you. Do you know what sound it makes? I hear it. Every. Night. You can hear it too, if you listen. Especially if you wait next to your window. First, theres rustling in the bushes. Then, A scratching on the pavement and the walls as it crawls up. Finally, if you're quiet, you can hear its guttural sound…

Now, I know what you're asking. Why even bring up this little story at all? What does this story have to do with the Entity?

Context, my dear viewer. If you listen closely, the audio is too clear. No static, no nothing. This segment is also the only part where it didn't get transcripted because it was "inaudible". Which is strange, because you and me and you and that guy and me can hear it just fine! And THAT is why it got me theory senses tingling.

Plus, the story is about a monster too! Coincidence? I THINK NOT!

So let's analyze!

"…It is because this town is rumored to have visitors at night… Something from deep within the forest, far beyond the hills and mountains… No one knows what it wants or where it’s going, just that it is persistent… Just that it arrives here."

This could be talking about the Entity. We don't know what exactly the Entity wants, just that it looks like it's determined to reach a goal that we don't know much about.

"It is looking for neighbors who have stayed past the daytime, to gobble them up whole. That is why so few live here."

It feels like this is talking about the portal-like properties the Entity has. "Gobbling" up neighbors whole and sending them to another dimension, ours.

Sally also states "That is why so few live here", which makes me question how many neighbors used to live here before. Perhaps Julie's siblings, Howdy's family, Barnaby's mom? Were they sent to another dimension? Where are they now????

Not only that, but Sally makes it clear that it goes after neighbors at nighttime. And what time does Welcome Home usually update? 7 PM (*Now, this time could be different because of timezones, but the updates usually happen during the night)

"It moved through the streets at night, but it doesn't break into homes. However, on rare instances, it will find itself with an appetite left…. unsatisfied by its aimless wandering..."

"First, theres rustling in the bushes. Then, A scratching on the pavement and the walls as it crawls up. Finally, if you're quiet, you can hear its guttural sound…"

I think Sally is giving us an EXACT description on how the Entity managed to break into Home.

1st, theres rustling in the bushes. Home does have bushes surrounding him.

Then, a scratching on the pavement and walls as it crawls up. The Entity could've broken into Home by either climbing through the window or through the roof.

Finally, a guttural sound. Now... where did I hear a guttural sound in Welcome Home before.... Oh yeah! Wally. <- Click this handy-dandy clip and you can hear something quite monstrous right below Wally's voice!

"Wait a minute.... Did you say Wally has a guttural voice???"

I did, dear reader. I did.... Which brings me to my next point:

EVIDENCE 3: POSSESSION AND PUPPETEERING!

Throughout our inspection of the Welcome Home website, we've seen countless times of Wally becoming more and more distressed as each update comes out.

But we've also seen a lot of inconsistencies regarding our lil' Darling! In fact, I even compiled these into a theory in which there could be 2 people hacking into the website!

And while that I still do believe there are more than 2 people hacking into the website... I don't think the Question Answerer is the one doodling. He's still hacking onto the website, but unlike Wally, he writes it out.

The last piece of evidence just proves its the same guy writing this! The Question Answerer!

I want to rip into everything I have. My head feels so muddled too. Ever since I opened the envelope. (see above)

Ok but if the Question Answerer isn't the other guy doodling... then who is making all of the inconsistent doodles??

Why, the ENTITY!

Not only are the doodles inconsistent, but even the sound of Wally's voice sound... quite off if you compare enough audios.

For example! Compare the interview audio with the newest Happy Haunting audio, do you notice anything peculiar about Wally's voice? Especially in the Happy Haunting audio? (If you have trouble finding it, compare these few timestamps below)

4:08

4:51

8:45

13:39-15:29

It sounds... off. Robotic even! It's slow, and the articulation is way different from the interview audio. In the interview audio, you can hear how happy Wally sounds! Even in this audio (and this one too), you can hear Wally growing increasingly frustrated. Yes, its still monotone, but you could hear emotion!

But the Happy Haunting audio, it's neutral. Yes, it IS monotone, but it feels like someone doing an impersonation of Wally rather than Wally actually speaking himself. In fact, the audio reminds me of the phone audio right here. It has the same pauses and neutral tone, save for the very audible growl right underneath Wally's voice.

But speaking of the phone audio.... Did you catch that?

...Do you know who I am? [The heart beat and ambience resume.] [Gasp.] Oh no. Well that’s not neighborly at all. We’ve never met before. But don’t worry. Even though you and I haven’t spoken before, I’ve seen you... Every time you have looked into my eyes. I want to know… What did you see? [Silence.] I hope you saw a friend, but I’m not sure you saw a name... Stand still. Let’s start over. Ring ring ring. Click. Hi, I’m Wally. I’m so happy to finally meet you, I think you’re the absolute most.

...That's strange, isn't it? We definitely HAVE met Wally, not formally, but we do know about him (this fandom is proof of that!) So how come Wally is saying that we haven't?

Especially when in another audio, he says that we DO 'know him'.

…Why won’t you answer me, neighbor. Why can’t I hear you. You know me. You do. Please open. Let me in.

Contradictory, isn't it? We can't both know Wally and NOT know Wally at the same time. That's impossible....

Unless the phone audio Wally isn't our Wally... its the Entity.

Technically, we DON'T know about the Entity. It's not a character in Welcome Home and the things that we do know about it are just mere theories and speculations. It is our 'first' formal meeting with it.

Then why did it introduce itself as Wally? WELL BECAUSE ITS POSSESSING HIM! It's trying to convince us that it is Wally, using his signature catchphrase and even saying 'I hope you saw a friend'. Besides, if you were a weird portal monster, I doubt you would introduce yourself as one if you wanted to trick someone.

And if this possession theory does turn out to be true, it does explain the major inconsistencies happening in the website! Such as the doodles!

The Hearts!

THE HANDWRITING

THATS NOT WALLY'S HANDWRITING! He writes in CAPITAL LETTERS and in RED (not all lowercase and in blue!).

WALLY CAN'T DRAW HEARTS SO WHO'S DRAWING EM???

AND BOTH OF THOSE BARNABY DRAWINGS SURE DO LOOK INCREDIBLY DIFFERENT FROM EACH OTHER. ALMOST AS IF SOMEONE WITH LITTLE DRAWING EXPERIENCE DID IT.

But if you still need a bit more proof to convince ya, here's some more!

W a L L y: You won't write back Wally: You're looking for me. Silly. Silly.

I think W a L L y is our Wally! He's getting desperate, but he knows that we won't be able to write back. Wally on the other hand is the Entity, it knows that we are looking for the main big bad antagonist, and it knows. It even mocks us.

And I think we've seen evidence of these possessions before. Look at none other than the bug audios!

In every single one of these bug audios, we are in the perspective of Wally himself. But in these bug audios, Wally doesn't say anything at all. Rather, he sits unmoving, listening into the conversation whether he has been invited there or not!

In this bug audio, Wally has been listening in on Sally and Howdy's conversation the entire time!

But thats not all! All of these bug audios are connected according to the conversation between Barnaby and Home! Which means that all of these bug audios are happening on the same day at a very short period of time, which is concerning on just how frequent Wally appears to be disassociating. Or if that's even Wally at all!

If that is the Entity controlling Wally, it feels like he's observing them, studying them. Perhaps that's why the audios always cut out whenever a neighbor says Wally's name, it snaps him out of that trance and reminds him that he is in fact the real Wally!

Which brings us to our latest bug audio (and by far the most worrying one), the Candy Spider! The Halloween Bug?? Idk it's this one <-

We've just gotten proof of Wally munching on an apple. This would've been fine and dandy in any other situation, but remember viewer! Context matters! Especially if we put into consideration that that is not Wally.

BARNABY: ‘Ey, how’s my little devil doin’ over ‘ere? You guardin’ my apple for me, pal? [There is a brief pause. What is he doing.] BARNABY: Oh— heh, I guess ya didn’t do a very good job at it. [Barnaby calls out to the room] Hey! Who took a bite outta my apple? I think I see some fang marks, Frank!

Yeah that SURE is definitely not worrying. Nope, none whatsoever!

Oh boy... I think that's everything. Well, not everything everything. I still don't think the Entity is the only bad guy, just the main one! The Playfellow Workshop is very suspicious, and while I do believe Wally and Home are most likely victims of everything that is going on, I don't think I should say that they are quite innocent yet.

In the banner, they are the only two NOT separated by hearts! It seems to me that they are working together to give out more evidence to the WHRT.

And Marlo... another company that is VERY suspicious. What did their logo look like again?

A house logo with an eye in the middle.... Why does that look so familiar?

AH.

Well that's clearly not suspicious!

[asharkapologist]

mini rant about Julia Brine's wasted potential

hi. I am back with even more Ad Astra stuff, this time with something to complain about. I'm hardly the first person to talk about this, but it's something that's bothered me ever since I played The Conspiracy. Spoilers under the cut.

Julia Brine is so underdeveloped and underused compared to her fellow Ad Astrans -- she's literally the only one of them who doesn't get a quote on the wiki page -- and Pretty Simple did not always use her screen time well. I don't hate Julia or anything, but she ranks as my second least favorite of the main five Ad Astrans (we don't talk about the junior Ad Astrans), not because I don't like her but because there's so little to work with. Note that this isn't a character analysis of her or anything, just complaining about how she was written.

She is introduced SO late in the game, for one. We literally see Louis in the first case in the entire game on video, are properly introduced to him in the second district and he pops in and out a few times throughout the districts, are introduced to Bateman in the second district even if he goes away for a while, are introduced to Rozetta in the first case of the third district and she is extremely important to the rest of the game, and are introduced to Warren halfway through the game, and although Warren doesn't have as much of a presence as the other three initially, he does a lot in Newmark. But Julia isn't introduced until the 8th district, and she barely does anything in Newmark compared to the other three. I feel like they definitely could have woven her into the game earlier somehow. Maybe her company has some shareholders in the Financial Center, or she's invited to some events in Maple Heights or something. I don't know, they surely could have done something to make her relevant before the third to last district!

Speaking of which, her story is so rushed in Spring Fields. That district was juggling Mia's story, the Fornax plot, and Bateman's reintroduction. I think that Mia's story was handled pretty well, but the same cannot be said for Julia. Her plot was chilling-- burn the fields, then distribute corn she'd been growing laced with drugs to brainwash and mind control the population through their food. But it's also over by the halfway point of the district and she's unceremoniously dumped in prison and swapped for Bateman, who the team focused on. I feel like the Fornax plot should have been the entire district, with Mia's story being in some other district or somehow tied to Julia's. You can release Bateman from prison, sure, but have him and Julia's stories combine somehow, so it doesn't seem like you're just abruptly ending one Ad Astra story thread and swapping it for another.

And finally, Newmark, the biggest bit of wasted potential. I've heard people say that Julia should have survived the blast and been a suspect in Blaze of Glory instead of Joe, but I think if they did that, then Joe would be pretty underdeveloped, since he also appeared sparingly up until that point, plus they were kinda setting up something with him starting in Reap What You Sow, and I feel like him surviving the neohumans initially and being in Blaze of Glory makes sense logically with the way his character arc was going in Newmark and wouldn't have made sense if Julia was there instead. Either way, lose-lose situation, I guess. She kidnapped Jake and Carter, yes, but Ad Astra is more of a felt, not seen, presence at the start of Newmark. They're mostly running and hiding then (while still managing to hurt and traumatize people in the process because that's what they do best sorrynotsorry). But the fact that. The ONLY thing that Pretty Simple could figure out to write for Julia in Reap What You Sow. Is having her be in love with Christian "I fantasize about torturing women and brutally murdered a woman for rejecting me and enjoyed it" Bateman is WILD. WHAT?! Joe and Rozetta both were vital to the plot of that case, but Julia? She did nothing! The only thing she did was talk about how she was in love with Bateman but he insulted her! How on EARTH is that a good use of her limited (because you don't talk to her in the AI) screen time?! Yes, I know that unfortunately, some women do fall in love with murderers. But like.... seriously??? Pretty Simple couldn't think of another way she could have had strife with Bateman?? That's it??? Of all the characters she could be in love with.... him?? Meera is cursing her out somewhere.

And then of course, she agrees to fight with Joe and then later with Rozetta against the neohumans. Joe initially proposes the idea, saying Julia was already on his side regarding the idea, and you have to work to find and convince Rozetta to do so, once again pushing Julia aside in favor of Warren and Rozetta being developed. It's nice that she agreed with Warren to fight against the neohumans, but that agreement happened completely off-screen, with no conversation with her one-on-one. And then she dies in an explosion unceremoniously. The end.

It's unfortunate. They really could have done a lot with her, but just....they kept pushing her aside in favor of other members of Ad Astra throughout the game and did not always use her screen time wisely. She could have done a lot more and been a lot better.

Thanks for reading!

[charlie-pippin-faraday]

danganronpa v3 chapter 3 pre-investigation running commentary (writing down my thoughts live as i had them):

all that kaito and maki stuff i'd heard about prior to playing the game? i get it now, i've finally reached the bulk of the content. it's cute. the bright sunshiney guy dragging the murder girl around and making her be involved even when the rest of the group wants to shut her out - this is a recipe for ship success

i remember awhile back being like "is the vibe of this ship 'aw he's the first person that's ever been truly nice to her'?" and i was close. it seems like the vibe is more accurately "aw he's the first person to ever truly believe in her." that line of thinking is gonna go a long way in breaking down her mask that he CONSTANTLY talks about and getting her to trust him. yeah this is the good shit right here, i'm into it

i do wonder what these people are thinking watching me come into their labs and tear apart the entire room looking for money

the fourth floor music is so funky and strange, i love it

tenko flipping shuichi onto his back and then doing the EXACT same thing to himiko is the most i've respected her this entire game. finally, some equal rights. and her treating himiko semi-normally

sooo...miu and keebo were definitely having robot sex, right? do we all agree that that was robot sex that i witnessed? that was uhhh charged and dirty and i felt i shouldn't be listening. shuichi is definitely not beating the pervert hat allegations by fucking spying on them during that oml

maybe now that they're fucking this means miu and keebo will unionize together against kokichi's bullying. they could certainly use the help from teaming up. i feel like kokichi has been targeting those two specifically. (and also maki, but i don't think maki is worried about him lol)

i may be playing this game as shuichi, but i'm pretty sure kaito is actually the main character of this story lol, he's certainly acting like it

tsumugi calls herself "just plain" like WAY too much. i'm getting suspicious

god damn it when am i going to see MY ultimate lab? i want to see my moody detective lab!! where the fuck is it?? on the damn roof???

actually now that i think about it that's probably where kaito's lab is. btw there is nothing i want to see more than the astronaut lab, that's gotta be beautiful and trippy af. tbh i'm hoping it's just decked out in galaxy patterns

so as of this chapter there are 6 labs left to be uncovered: shuichi's, kaito's, keebo's, kokichi's, tsumugi's, and poor dead rantaro's (whatever rantaro's might be). kaito's has gotta be on the roof, and i'm pretty sure kokichi's is the mysterious black and white checkered door on the first floor that i can't open (matches his scarf). there's some empty space out in the courtyard so i think one of the remaining ones will appear out there. i think someone's might be hidden past that weird scroll on the fourth floor? and at least one of the remaining ones will be on the roof/top floor with kaito. guess i'll have to wait for a future chapter to see those

miu is already getting horny toward me in like her second free time event, and if i get her the bondage boots that are currently available at the casino i think that may be a one-way ticket to her fucking me

when i approached tenko during free time she was standing on one of the pillars in her dojo which was way funnier to me than it should've been

every time i talk to gonta but don't spend free time with him i feel so horribly guilty

what's going to stop me from just spending all of free time endlessly walking about the school gathering money?

answer: the 999 coin limit apparently

noooooooooooo my beloved keebo got brainwashed!!! keebo snap out of it!!! noooooo!!!!!!!!!!

i wanna know how angie does her brainwashing. she got tenko who hates her, and then she somehow managed to brainwash a robot which i'm very curious about

doing the "man's fantasy" scene immediately after the student council atua scene felt very clashing and jarring lol

shuichi is DEFINITELY not beating the pervert hat allegations after uhhh watching the girlies change in the locker room???? uhhhh dude wtf. if miu knew i'd done this AND walked in on her sexy time with keebo she'd never let me hear the end of it

i'm worried about kaito, he's been acting very strange ever since the formation of the "student council." since he's a very vocal leader, did angie, like, poison him to keep him out of her way???

maki will hang out with me now???? dude i was so shook i changed my free time plans. i usually hang with keebo but i didn't want to spend time him while he was brainwashed, so i hung with maki instead and gave her boba tea. emos need to stick together. side note: does kaito have a type? i'm pretty sure shuichi and maki were cut from the same cloth lol

does maki ring the doorbell incessantly exactly like kaito? lmao that's cute

i knew we weren't done with rantaro, there are too many unanswered questions about him

lmao nice reference to junko and mukuro. suspiciously meta

kokichi bringing up that rantaro might've been working with the mastermind and they let him get killed on purpose is a fascinating possibility

so we're killing angie, right? we're all in agreement that we're killing angie? she sucks, and that's the most efficient way to stop this brainwashing

this resurrection ritual is most definitely a trap. it's going to require sacrificing someone and/or backfire and lead to someone dying

i want the kaito monopad theme, because the purple theme is so aesthetically pleasing to me. but it costs so many casino dollars, which means i am going to sit here playing salmon fishing until i go insane. brb

we did it, gang. we made miu fall in love with me

i have been pursuing free time events with 3 people this playthrough: kaito, keebo, and miu. keebo and kaito have kind of been locked out for the latter part of the chapter bc keebo is brainwashed and kaito is mysteriously ill, so that led to me to fast-tracking my miu events, and i've got 5 fragments and her skill. additionally i've hit the bullseye gift-wise, i think i've given her top tier gifts every single time, so i like to believe she's extra in love with me

shuichi doesn't really seem to care all that much about miu's feelings for him, other than to remark "that's a bit over the top. but i'm glad we're bonding!" miu admitted her love and said we're going on a date when we get out of here, and shuichi was like "k cool whatevs." the feelings are not requited on shuichi's part lol. i guarantee you if this was kaito shuichi would be all 😍😍😍

why did she give me her underwear tho? i am uncomfy about this. miu is the only person it makes sense would give me her underwear. is this what everyone gives you at the end of getting all their fragments?? someone plz tell me if i'm on track for acquiring kaito's and keebo's underwear in the future

i was over here concerned that someone had poisoned kaito but it turns out he was so afraid of ghosts it made him sick to his stomach lmao kaito plz

aw kaito got cute nicknames for maki now?? yeah she's absolutely gonna fall in love with him and hate herself for it. he's definitely already got it bad for her but there's no way he's aware of it yet, he's just treating her like this on instinct lol

i knew tenko wasn't actually brainwashed! that hadn't made sense to me, she hated angie way too much to willingly go along with her plans like that

the second himiko said "i've been calling to her but she won't come to the door" i said to myself "oh she's dead in there"

bro is kokichi following me around? he popped up out of nowhere to unlock the door. i get the feeling he's a little obsessed with me, but he's also a little shit and i don't trust him

well, i say that, but he was actually among the people whose opinion i trusted the most once the student council started asserting their will. i tend to trust people who aren't brainwashed ya know

my reaction to learning that angie was dead:

can't say i'm that upset about it, she sucked tbh. now can we get to unbrainwashing the rest of the council? because i need my boys keebo and gonta back. and like tsumugi and himiko too i guess, but like whatever i sincerely do not care about either of them. but i need keebo returned to me i miss him and seeing him brainwashed is breaking my damn heart

[kradeelav]

status update ~

thought i'd write a summary of what I've been up to, and what's next art-wise! honestly, I'm finding that I work well mentally consolidating projects to quarters of the year; it gives me hard deadlines while allowing nuttiness to blow up two weeks (or more) of my life at a time and still not be stressed.

year recap first!

(Q1) collaborated with @/lululeighsworld to give gunter the fabulous possessed gacha entrance he deserves!! leigh's writing here to this day feels uncannily and perfectly in-character, no small feat with the mind games this devious possessed old man likes to play ~

(Q1) also finished the 140k your ruin, my ruin gunter/corrin revelation fic! the reception from y'all has been absolutely exceptional and while I don't think I'll ever write another fanfic of that length (lol) being able to point to it re: my fire emblem fates: revelation feelings is so ... satisfying. the ossan smut holds up pretty damn well too.

(Q1) NaZine (I) anthology printed and completely sold out, but the digital version is eternally available on the shop if you're still interested. I'll admit that anthologies are not normally my thing for being too prim and milquetoast, but this is anything but. if you've been dying for more sleazy uniform fetish, we got it there!

(Q2) Comics-wise, both Dead is Calling and YRMR:[Epilouge] were finished and ready to be collected in my planned gunter/corrin doujinshi called ashes and ghost; there's one more (eye-blistering smut) strip planned there with a few internal pages.

(Q3) Website-wise, IRON CROWN moved to rarebit from wordpress, and the main landing page was revamped entirely to better pave a road for preparations to self-host the website.

that's not even counting the smaller flash artwork like the fe: alphabet challenge, and hellsing exchange work also done in between everything else.

what's next?

(Q4) you might have seen me show wip's from a FE:Heroes (gacha) comic; while it's tonally softer than my usual work, It's 14-ish pages of some very, very guilty pleasure topics. raw feelings but in a different way? idk, you'll see.

(Q4) I have a personal deadline to get the website updates done by November, namely moving my art/update logs off of wordpress, and also likewise either moving to a different host or self-hosting the entire site (on a rasbpi lol) and removing the middle-man entirely.

(Q4/2025) finishing ashes and ghost (the gunter/corrin doujinshi)! I've been taking a needed break from it (something learned back in the webcomics days) but I can't wait to get back in some hentai level smut that's frankly, going to push me in so many ways. :D;;

(2025) NaZine II will likely be printed in the upcoming year with the same team heading it up. There's delicious stories already planned including multiple shotas and Daddies, oh my - needless to say, it's the kind of sleaze and sauce i dig.

that's all for now!

[secondtolastrow]

hello! I've been reading your Alex Summers fics and they're all so good. do you have comic recs for him? I have a list of (most of) his appearances but I'd like to know your recommendations (and anything you think I shouldn't read lol)

Hi!!! First of all, thank you! (And the fics in question, for anyone curious)

Second of all, yes, I have recs. I have strong opinions on recs. Short answer: read Claremont run and Hellions, do not read Uncanny Avengers

Long answer:

Alex first appears in X-Men (1963) #54-59

Alex is central to two arcs here—first him getting his powers, and then a reintroduction of the Sentinels and Lorna

I always love the way this starts with Scott being like “I am so proud of my baby brother he’s the most awesomest” and Jean being like “Scott literally only told us he had a brother when he invited us to his graduation. Weirdo”

I’m a big believer in going through Alex’s appearances in order, and I do think there’s stuff worth seeing about how he gets his powers, but I’d be remiss to skip a CW for weird racism about Egypt in this first arc

He keeps showing up, if a little less centrally, for #61, 62, 65, and 66.

Incredible Hulk #150 comes after the cancellation of X-Men, and it’s an important one!

Lorna tracks down Alex out in the desert. This issue sees him get some control over his powers for the first time, and establishes the two of them romantically

Of course, it’ll be revealed that they immediately got kidnapped in Captain America #172-175. Alex only appears in the last two issues, and he’s totally unconscious for both—you can skip this arc entirely

Next up is Giant-Size X-Men #1 and X-Men #94, and several more minor appearances

Claremont didn’t figure out what he wanted to do with Alex and Lorna for a good while, so he just let them go to school and be happy together for a good while. Maybe get kidnapped by some bad guys to let them touch the plot

(They’re with Eric the Red in #97, 104-105. 119, 122, 125-129 have them hanging about on Muir Island in the aftermath. Also in the mix here in Marvel Team-Up #69-70, but that’s another Living Monolith of racism problems story, and entirely skippable)

(Uncanny #145 and 146 have the reserve X-Men saving the main team—it’s cute! #158 and 159 see Scott, who went on an adventure with Corsair (and realized that was his dad) in 154-157, making a family reunion happen. While much more interested in Scott, obviously, there is still some Alex Material TM)

(163 only features a momentary Alex, and 168 only has him on the last page—as Scott stares, stunned, at Madelyne Pryor, who could be Jean’s doppelgänger. He’s clearly not seeing the resemblance, which I find fascinating in terms of Alex-Maddy dynamics, if clearly unintentional. 172 has a brief convo between him and Scott, 173 has his face pop up at Wolverine’s wedding, and 175 has him playing best man at Scott’s. In 177, Corsair takes off, and Alex is… present, but not speaking, as Scott says goodbye for both of them)

Joining up for Alex starts in Uncanny #218, with a car accident!

From there he’s pretty consistent in the main title, but I’ll try to make a highlight reel

219 is a must-read—Claremont is really laying the groundwork for who he thinks Alex is here, and it’s when he actually joins (or rather, is forced to join) the X-Men

X-Men Annual #11 has a demon playing the “fondest desire” game—again, right into my guy’s psyche

221-223: Alex has his first encounter with Malice-Lorna and learns about Scott’s abandonment of Maddy, setting up the quadrangle that’ll define the shape of his relationships at least until Inferno, if not into the present day

Fall of the Mutants is 225-227 (or: everyone dies)—I’d especially recommend 226 for Alex. It has him yelling at the press and my beloved “You’ve got no brains, but the heart of a grizzly” in it

232-234: the second brood saga. A real heartbreaker, as Alex struggles with killing brood-infested humans in culmination of his constant fears about his powers’ destructive nature

Annual 12–while there’s a bit of annoying High Evolutionary stuff in here, Alex is really Saying Some Words and showing off his self-hatred, while also looking cute in a parka!

This is followed by the first Genosha arc (aka, Madelyne Pryor experiences the horrors of apartheid and, understandably, snaps). Alex is mostly in the background except in 238

239 is a real alexmaddy issue as well, and that’s followed by Inferno kicking off full blast—Alex doesn’t appear in every issue, but I’m just gonna say read the whole event because uh. It’s good? At the least the Uncanny/X-Factor issues are necessary to follow the plot where we get Goblin Prince Alex saying “I support women’s rights AND wrongs” with his whole chest and what was supposed to be the resolution of his Scott complex, but the stuff happening with the kids is really solid too

245–“Men!” Depressed Alex is forced to deal with… Boys’ Night. We’re dealing with the aftermath of Inferno here, featuring stubble and grumpiness and… alien invasions?

(Skip Marvel Comics Presents #24-31 (if you can find it). Another Living Monolith arc, and not one with any substance. Read Havok and Wolverine: Meltdown—Alex and Logan go on a bender in Mexico, Alex looks like James Dean, a redheaded woman with nefarious intent appears. It’s weird but it’s fun)

Alex’s psyche remains at an uncomfortable simmer in 246-7, before seemingly killing Storm in 248 has him hitting his limit in 249-251, an adventure in the Savage Land followed by Psylocke splitting the team up via the Siege Perilous (a judgment gem that gives you a new and fitting life, in these comics, not a dangerous chair)

I know, I said the highlights and then I’ve listed almost every issue. But things get a lot thinner for a long while after this

Alex makes his post-gem return in X-Tinction Agenda, as a Genoshan Magistrate

This is some pretty rough early 90s material—I’d skip to just X-Factor #60, Uncanny #271, X-Factor #61, Uncanny #272, and X-Factor #62 if you’re just reading for Alex. The arc of “I was brainwashed until Scott hit me hard enough” works fine

Alex then becomes a main in X-Factor, starting from #71

For some reason, Alex is now a leader (Lorna swiftly becomes really in charge) (like it’s… nepotism? I think?)

He’ll hang on with this team until book’s end. Again, there’s some good stuff in here, including an attempt to move him out of reluctant heroism, but eventually it gets pretty bad, the nineties at Marvel being what they were

I’d go until you stop enjoying yourself and then hit up X-Factor #-1 (which comes between 135 and 136 during a ‘he’s really evil, it’s not brainwashing (it turns out to be undercover)’ arc) before heading to the last few issues, where Alex comes back, gets a firm ‘no’ from Lorna about restarting their relationship, and then blows up

-1 gives us our only Alex-backstory issue, explaining that his adoptive parents—who’d he’d referenced previously just as ‘good people’—were actually grieving their dead biological son and forcing him to act like him. Also, his powers did come in at thirteen and kill a guy, and Mister Sinister repressed both the memory and the powers. It’s so fitting and so fucked up

This leads us to Mutant X, Alex’s adventures on Earth-1298. This whole book is weird, wild, and Alex-centered. I would highly recommend

Alex wakes up in a world where everything is the same—except it isn’t. He was a member of the O5 (and kind of a douche) and married Madelyne Pryor, Marvel Woman, and had a son, Scottie. Beast’s an amphibian, Ororo’s a vampire, etc

Eventually Alex gets to finally be the hero instead of the failed white knight, sacrificing himself for his wife and son. This leaves him out of publication for the next several years

X-Men: the Hidden Years also happens here—Alex appears intermittently, but I don’t think Byrne really gets him, and there’s not much substance to his appearances. It’s not a must-read, but it’s not a must-skip either

And then comes Austen Uncanny

I’m a Chuck Austen defender, tbh, because once you filter everyone through a specific lens of dramatic and comedic they’re… pretty okay. But this stuff is still fucking nuts

Nurse Annie Ghazikhanian realizes her comatose John Doe is actually Havok, and helps get him home and woken up. Her son, Carter, is a powerful mutant who’s been trying to help his single mom be happy, leaving her and Alex with a weird history of shared dreams and telepathic dating. Lorna, fresh off the Genoshan genocide of New X-Men, turns up and fixes on Alex as her one point of stability, leaving him in a bit of a Spot

#411, 412, 418-421, and 425-426 are Havok-heavy issues

We transition to Milligan after that, and he keeps some of the Austen-brand madness going in adjectiveless X-Men, but we don’t really get another Alex moment until the Decimation, iirc.

X-Men (1991/2004 depending on who’s counting) #177-187: Lorna loses her powers, and Alex brings back the “where you go, I go” she’d once thrown at him, and then it turns into an arc about Apocalypse. I’d really recommend only 177-180 and 187

[sighs heavily] this is followed by Deadly Genesis. I don’t care for that comic, and I don’t think Alex’s appearances in it are worth much but it leads into…

Space!

Starjammer!Alex is an odd era, and truthfully there’s not much being done with him during it, but it’s not… bad? It really feels like they just needed something to be happening and so this happened to him and Lorna and Rachel

Uncanny #475-486, X-Men: Kingbreaker, War of Kings, etc., all go here

Alex (and co) return to Earth in the tail end of X-Men: Legacy and then he and Lorna stumble over into X-Factor just before AvX—not a lot happening here, again. Not bad, but really just cleaning stuff up and getting it in place before…

Please, by all things, don’t read Uncanny Avengers (2012)

I think it was the Cerebro podcast host who said this book feels like being gaslit. He wasn’t wrong

Remender writes a book about having an integrated team of superheroes and refuses to acknowledge mutants are in any way parallel to real-life marginalized people at all. He has Alex give the famous ‘M-word’ speech in #4, which was reprinted to be argued against as assimilationist bullshit in All-New X-Men (2013) #13, and has haunted him ever since

And here’s the thing: Alex is an idiot with awful politics. This is in-character, if at a real low point in his grasp of things. The problem is Remender thinks he’s right, and he’s painting Alex as the next great mutant leader

I could not finish this run. It hurts

Anyway, Alex ‘leads’ these guys through Axis, there’s a bit where he and Wasp hook up in the future and now have a kid who’s lost in the time stream, and then in Axis he finally decides he’s had enough of being manipulated by and used as a token mutant by Cap and quits

Axis was, of course, the big ‘morality swap’ event. Alex remains evil afterwards for some time, which isn’t really used to any great effect

He gets put back in control in X-Men: Blue #28, where he makes some remarks about other Alex still being in there and such, and also gets the big ol’ facial scar Remender gave him erased because facial differences are obviously only for villains (/sarcasm)

Then Matthew Rosenberg picks up Alex

First for Astonishing X-Men #13-17, a semi-comedic miniseries. Personally, not my favorite tone, and Rosenberg and I clearly disagree about how Alex should be characterized, but it’s not a bad little piece about Alex hovering down around rock bottom

Then for Uncanny (2018), starting with #12. This is the brutal ‘everyone keeps dying because it’s right before Krakoa’ run, but I’d recommend the first couple issues—there’s some good Summers bros material—and the last couple, right where Alex dies

So. Krakoa

Alex has some brief appearances before and outside of Hellions, but nothing hugely substantial

Hellions—after dissociating on a mission and going into a violent haze, Alex volunteers himself for a demolition team of Krakoa’s violent rejects, mutants for whom rehab is a doubtful prospect as best. Supervised by Mister Sinister, Alex finds himself running into Maddy on the team’s first mission—and then coming into conflict with the Quiet Council as it refuses to recognize her individual personhood and resurrect her

This book really brought Alex back from where he’d been dug in by Remender, and it gives us him as a traumatized golden retriever with all kinds of autonomy issues without focusing on the Scott of it all, which I love. It reintroduces him for a modern audience as someone who can very much be written independently

I will say we definitely don’t get into his head a lot and he’s more subject of pity than POV character we can be angry alongside sometimes but. No one’s perfect. And really, who can blame Zeb Wells for caring more about Maddy?

Alex joins the X-Men after the second (I think? I can’t keep track of those lol) Hellfire Gala, and appears in X-Men (2021) #13-16-ish, including A.X.E. This is mostly connective tissue, but it’s alright

Dark Web is his next Moment TM, getting locked in Maddy’s basement and then deciding to stay there. This event is delicious and delightful and all sorts of messed up

(Side note: one probably wants to read the New Mutants (2019) “Labors of Magik” arc after Hellions and before anything else, just to know what Maddy’s got going on!)

As Maddy’s boytoy, he gets chewed up through the whole of Dark X-Men (2023). It’s lovely, it’s terribly abusive, I just want to hug him

Alex gets his ass out of there with Lorna’s help in the X-Men: From the Ashes Infinity Comic #7-9. I have mixed feelings on how Madelyne especially is characterized here, but it’s useful to understanding where he’s at when you get to his present setting in

X-Factor (2024), where he’s again a government mutant

I’m enjoying myself, and Alex is definitely this book’s lead in a way I really like, and I think it brings him back to the government in a way that respects everything he’s been through—no longer pure bootlicker, thinking he can make the system love him, but just someone who thinks being part of the biggest group possible maybe means survival, and maybe means helping others survive

That makes this book sound really dark lol. It’s definitely got heavy themes, but it douses them with bright colors and bad jokes. Also, a lot of the heaviness is about social media

[kranagok0]

Oh boy, this Is a complete love square....

Guys, I don't know what I have about polyamorous romances but it's like a strange feeling of 'look at that, no one is sad and everyone loves each other.'

That just crossed my mind when I saw the new member of the trio of strange friends (now it's a quartet).

Louise is a breath of fresh air among the extroverts that make up the group.

Louise is practically an introvert. Someone closed who was even the last to be chosen on the boat trip (if we leave aside the trio of protagonists). Louise mentions that she has been in the Sparrow Scouts for some time now but has made almost no friends (or so I think).

I understand what it's like to be an introvert, more or less. I am the type of person who acts with a lot of concern, nervousness and gets serious so as not to say something stupid the first time they meet him... However, when I gain the necessary confidence I transform into someone different. I go from being 'a mouse thinking carefully about its next move' to becoming 'a monkey with a shotgun'. I hope I'm not the only one to have that strange way of being....

My life aside, I'd say Louise is kind of like that too. At first she tries to fit in by being normal with the team, but then she begins to get to know them and identify what things the trio of friends think are right or wrong and that is when Louise begins to show more of her personality. It emerges from the cocoon like a butterfly to show its true colors.

And in short: it is perfect for the trio of friends. It's so weird and different that I feel like it's necessary for the group, and I'm speaking in a positive way when I say weird. A good time.Now the main topic..... Romance.

I've seen a lot of Frida X David, Hilda X Frida, David X Frida fanfics and blogs, there's literally everything. But with the arrival of Louise the combinations are doubled. Now it could be Louise X David, Louise X Hilda, Louise

*Music from a 80's TV game show plays*

Hello ladies, gentlemen and other magical creatures who visualize us! I want to welcome you to this little head-canon idea I had of what each character in the trio of friends would be like if they were Louise's partner!

To do this, we will see the qualities of each suitor and what their dynamic with the character would be like:

Let's start with the one who represents better than anyone the shyness and courage that exists within us, he died twice to try to demonstrate it. Here we have David.

David may be a scary guy, but he will definitely come to save you if you are in danger. This kid would literally show what he's made of on a battlefield if he feels like he needs to prove something.... Don't tell me no, we've all seen the Vikings episode.

Our next contestant is not only smart in school but also in witchcraft. If you ask him about a certain topic, rest assured that when he finishes his talk you will at least have knowledge of the entire topic and its related subtopics. She is willing to do anything for her friends, she would even open a portal to the unknown and create non-existent spells just for you. Let's give a big, fervent wave of applause to the young city witch: FRIDA!

Frida may have been a bit of a perfectionist in the past, but after meeting Hilda and experiencing several events she went from being miss perfect to becoming the smartest friend you can count on. To be honest, sometimes Frida can be a bit boring, but that doesn't stop her from reaching your heart by showing great gifts of her intellect and the magic she possesses means that any topic can arise from a conversation. So, if by 'boring' we mean a lot of context and extremely long topics that she explains to you with excitement and great happiness, then boring is pretty good.

Finally we have the icing on the cake, or in this case the blueberry. Coming from the wild and with more extroverted energy than any of the other candidates mentioned above, we have a young woman with blue hair as long as she could grow it (I don't doubt that she would have let it grow longer if it didn't bother her in her adventures). This girl can literally make friends with almost anything and her circle of friends is huge, ranging from elf scribes to giants who are no longer on this planet. She would be the one to always take the first step in battle with her sword if I see it necessary and— Wait, where did he get that sword?

With you, Hilda!

Seriously, where do I get it from?

Hilda is by far the most outgoing and curious person I have ever seen. Don't you remember what Tofoten was triggered by his curiosity? Dude, it was literally the end of the series. And if you hadn't already noticed, this girl would fight barehanded against a king to save her loved ones. She would be the first to take up weapons to save her friends, she is capable of moving every rock in the entire city to find her pet, she is even capable of doing an act of terrorism just because the bells were bothering her friends.

Oh my god, I'd be afraid of this girl if I were someone who played some practical joke on David in the past or something. I would be locked up at home for what might happen to me. Better confinement than meeting Hilda on the street and having her recognize me.

So.... In a little while we will see Louise's possible choices about who she would like to be with, why I think they would be a good couple and also about what their relationship would be like. And it wouldn't just be from my point of view. Indeed, dear reader, you can also have your opinion. Comment what you think a relationship between Louise and any of our favorite trio of friends would be like.I retire to write incorrect quotes and more about this romance because I am burning with emotion. See you later

[heavysighing-dreamyeyes]

Hi there! It's my first time asking a question here, so I hope I'm not bothering if someone else has already asked a similar question.

I genuinely wanted to know how you feel about arkhamverse Red Hood. I've had my own thoughts and curiosities that I haven't been able to fully answer, so I wanted to get some insight on someone who genuinely seems to understand his character pretty well.

We know that after Batman's/Bruce's death, Jason took on the mantle to protect Gotham City in his own twisted way. But I was curious as to how he would go about it, since he's not the only crime fighter around. There's Robin and occasionally Nightwing that comes around to help.

Do you think Red Hood would be interested in speaking to them or interacting with them? Even if he didn't, how do you think it would go if he did somehow encounter them. We also know that Barbara Gordon/Oracle knows about his real identity and that he's still alive. Do you think she would somehow try to get into contact with or something?

Do you also think that over time, the civilians of Gotham City would be comfortable with him? Or respect him in some way?

I'm just curious as to how his dynamic would work after the whole incident blew over and time went by. If you answer this question, I'm very grateful for your time and thank you for being nice enough to do so!

Hi Nonnie!! Pls, I'm literally always so excited to talk about The Arkham Knight and I would looove to deep dive into this one, so buckle up besties and brace yourself for an essay, which I broke into part because honestly, I overwhelmed myself

Lore

I think what we gotta clear first is how much you take Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League into the Arkhamverse canon. Personally, I haven't played the game, BUT there is a message that Bruce leaves for Tim that tells him to team up with Jason, if he can find him. (Once Batman goes rouge or whatever) It's not much, but it hints that Jason would be killing to work with them in a crisis situation, if they can convince him

But that's an apocalypse level event years down the line, and doesn't necessarily mean he would work with them on a 'normal' Gotham night. So other than that throwaway line, the only information we really have of Jason post the main story line of the game is the Red Hood DLC (at least that I'm aware of) where he kicks Black Mask out a window

Again, not really giving us a lot to go off of when it comes to his relationships or mental state post game. (Other than that he's willing to kill) But here's the thing, we have an entire game of his actions to analyze

STICK WITH ME, it takes barely a minute for Batman to convince The Arkham Knight to give up his revenge. And not only does Jason abandon his militia and his carefully crafted plan, but he actively goes against it to save Bruce. That alone screams to me that, despite everything he's feeling, he's not going to abandon any one of the Gotham vigilantes

Dick

But not letting someone die doesn't necessarily mean he's willing to work with them, let alone be friendly with anyone. So let's take a look at what, Jason didn't do that night. Wild, I know, but hear me out, but Dick Grayson isn't really accounted for in his plans

Sure, he's Blüdhaven based, but of course he's going to come help in Gotham when the entire city is evacuated. The Arkham Knight has a plan for Tim (ie: Scarecrow knows where Robin is, which leads to Tim's capture), he has a plan for Barbara, (ie: personally kidnapping her), but for Nightwing he has nothing?

And yes, Dick is busy with the whole Penguin thing, but Jason doesn't confront him once? It just makes me wonder how close the two of them were before the Asylum, and if The Arkham Knight thought involving Nightwing was more trouble than it was worth

Unfortunately there's really nothing I can think of to base their past relationship on. But the lack of interaction between them in the game, when Jason is carrying out his meticulous revenge, makes me think that Jason doesn't exactly hate Dick and that Red Hood would be willing to work with him/share information in the future

But the thing is, Nightwing is focused completely on Blüdhaven post game. I think he only returns to Gotham to help the GCPD stop Penguin from escaping. From what I remember, Dick basically says his presence in Gotham isn't permanent and that he's sticking to Blüdhaven. So even if Red Hood would begrudingly work with him (which I think he would) there isn't really any opportunities for them to do so

Barbara

Oracle is a lot easier to answer for. Jason opens up to her rather quickly in the game, as much as he's able to at least

I think they definitely work together, especially since Batman is for all intents and purposes, dead. He won't call it a partnership and she definitely doesn't approve of his killing, but they have an open line of communication when needed

They share information, she keeps track of his movements, he'll do her a favor if she needs it. I think she worries about him, even if she doesn't like his methods, he's still someone she cares about, and she'll hack into his comms to check in once in a while

I think they tend to stay out of each others way though, until there's a reason to contact each other (if that makes sense) But I feel like there's a form of trust between them, an idea that they're both trying to save the city in their own way

Tim

Robin is a little harder to figure out than the other two for me, there's no prior relationship between Tim and Jason that we know of, and the plan doesn't even seem to include him until he's needed as bait to draw Batman out

Yes, The Arkham Knight accuses Batman of replacing him with Tim, but every time he brings up the new Robin, it sounds like he's placing the fault entirely with Batman. His revenge is completely centered on Batman, and everyone else is just a piece in the puzzle being used to hurt him

So post game, where does that leave them? I think it's rocky. I mean, Tim is with Barbara (which should be an essay of it's own because I hate it) and Jason kidnapped her. Even if Jason never hurt her, Tim thought he killed her, and I think it takes a lot of convincing from Babs to get Tim to even consider trusting him

Jason has his own issues with seeing another Robin running around, but I'm not sure how he directs those feelings at Tim specifically? I think they just avoid each other completely. It's a big city and they're pretty much the only two vigilantes left, and they have different methods of dealing with criminals

Any information they could share with each other is easily passed through Oracle, and there really isn't any reason for them to team up. I think at some point there is an event/villain big enough for them to put their differences aside for one night and work together though

But I only say that because of the Suicide Squad game. If Bruce thinks that Jason would willingly work with Tim, it's because they've proven at some point in the past that they could

Civilians

Honestly, Gotham citizens put up with A LOT. So a masked vigilante that kills criminals doesn't change much for a day to day life for them. There's people on both sides of the argument, as there is with everything. There's people that like what he does. There's people who think he should be in jail. Some people love him, some people hate him

At first he scares people, since they don't know where he draws his lines for killing. But I think the average person treats the idea of him the same way as they do Batman, really, once Red Hood has been around for a while. He's a conversation point, a debate topic, but he doesn't really affect their lives because the only time you see a vigilante is if something bad is a happening (and at that point you'd be thankful for anyone's help, killer or not)

If crime rates do end up going down because of his methods, I think there'd be a begrudging respect from the average person, but there's probably more unease than a big sense of comfort. Because even if you're a good person, and even if he only kills criminals, who says The Red Hood wouldn't kill you if he just felt like it? If he thought you didn't live up to his idea of being good? Who could even stop him if he tried?

Anyyway, that's all I got rn, hope this made sense and I answer your questions, nonnie! I know that was a lot of reading, but it's always fun to talk about him

[self-indulgent-paw-patrol]

Ask game for Skye?

Aw yes our beloved tiny Cockapoo XD

My first impression - Why is there only one female pup and why is she so much smaller than the boys-- Is she a Cocker Spaniel?? Could've been a bit bigger...

My impression now - "Thank you Mighty Movie for giving her some lore and anything at all other than what little the show gives us"

Favorite thing about that character - She's one of the only three characters who are girls in PINK that I think the color actually fits them really well, instead of just color coding girls with pink just because. She DOES look good in it, it fits with her actions and general behavior, just as well as all pink/violet shades she wears with other colors for highlights. It may sound of not much importance, but pink is a strong color, not a "feminine" color. It shouldn't ever be "lowly/lazily coded" for girls just because girls, it can and should be used by anyone, as long as they get it. Don't see pink as "feminine/gay" color, see it as "lighter red, passion, fire, love, care, nurturing, protecting". Someone who takes others under their wings and care for them, protect them, fight for them. Skye is persistent, she cares, she's passionate, she's always giving it her all and some more. She deserves the pink color.

Least favorite thing - Being the only girl in the main team when there's a demand for female rep makes it so she's exhaustively OVERUSED to the extent of shading out other pups who would be more suited for certain kinds of rescues, kicking them out of the scene only for being males and their need for showing more girl power. I've been missing Everest showing up more times, heck she lives just close to them, it's closer than Liberty, at least they wouldn't need to overuse Skye so ridiculously much...

Favorite line/scene - This scene lives rent free in my mind

Favorite interaction that character has with another - That moment in the first movie when she went to pick Chase from the rooftop and bring him back down to ground level. I think she could understand he was panicking and made sure he would hear her voice, state her intention and next moves "I'm coming to get you" so he wouldn't be caught by surprise, she asked what happened, made sure he would know people were safe now and he could let go and go with her, she was a total darling there. 10/10 emotional support pup.

A character that I wish that character would interact with more - Chase and Liberty. First I miss Skye and Chase being absolute dorks together, second I loved Skye's dynamic with Liberty in the Mighty Movie, with the two often talking and throwing shade at others or being generally sarcastic to make each other laugh

Another character from another fandom that reminds me of that character - Uran, from Tetsuwan Atom, specifically the 2003 anime version - you might know her as Zoran, Astro Boy. But the American dub for that anime literally changed EVERYTHING to the point if you watch the anime dubbed and subbed, you feel it's two entirely different stories. "Zoran" was nothing like "Uran", they managed to change and reshape her personality in such a way they're literally two completely different characters, so I'll be precise and say I'm talking specifically about the Japanese Uran character, not the dubbed Zoran character.

A headcanon about that character - The show gave me nothing to develop ideas about her, sadly. So I don't have any interesting headcanons to go about- just that I believe she loves strawberry bubblegum scented shampoo lol

A song that reminds of that character - "Defying Gravity"

An unpopular opinion about that character - I prefer her movie verse over the show verse. I can't feel a "personality" in the show... She's cool, but if it wasn't for the movie, I feel like we wouldn't ever have anything to work about her at all?? She's just-- always happy, likes to play Pup Pup Boogie, flies her 'copter, is afraid of eagles. Isn't it weird that I just listed four things about her and still feel like I don't have much to work with her at all??? The only friend I know who has her as his favorite pup told me it's because she's the flight rescue pup - he's hyperfixated on aircrafts. It's not for who she is, only for her being the one to fly 'copters/jets. It could be ANY pup instead of her. That's just freaking SAD. The Mighty Movie wasn't perfect but at least it gave her SOMETHING ELSE if you get what I mean now.

Favorite picture - I didn't get there in the show yet but this is my favorite outfit of hers already, hands down. She looks hella cool.

[arachnovolt]

ArachnoVolt's 2024 Game of the Year List

The time has come once more! As the minutes tick away and the final hour draws near, I wanna shout out the best of best from my extensive laundry list of games that I played this year before we're once again reminded of the inescapable march of time. Counting only titles that released this year, I've played a total of 27 games this year with two of them being early access titles. It was hard to narrow it down but here's my list of the top 10 games I played this year.

10: Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown

Before I say anything about the game, I gotta acknowledge that Ubisoft sucks. Not only for continuously chasing NFT and crypto shit, but for also being complicit in the systemic abuse and harassment of their employees. So I normally avoid Ubisoft titles but I found this used in a GameStop and picked it up cause I was craving a new metroidvania experience.

What I got was singlehandedly one of the best metroidvanias I've ever played in my entire life. The only reason it's not higher on this list are the reasons above. With fast paced combat utilizing one of the most satisfying parrys I've ever used, stunning environment and character design, a great story, and a massive map to map out and explore, it quickly became a stand out title for me. But what pushed it over the finish line was the accessibility options. It had most of stuff you normally expect (high contrast modes, difficulty toggles, etc) but the true stand out was a map marker that displayed an image of the location, giving you a visual reminder of exactly why you marked that spot. I highly recommend checking this out if you get the chance. Even if it means hunting down a used copy, this game absolutely deserves to be appreciated.

9: Minishoot' Adventures

If there's one thing I love more than anything, it's taking the mechanics of one genre and blending them into another. And that's exactly what Minishoot' Adventures is. This game is a Link to the Past style adventure game where you'll be exploring dungeons, collecting upgrades, and slaying bosses on a journey to save your friends. What makes it special is that it's a twin stick shooter meaning that your mid dungeon pick ups will be things like a wide shot attack or a screen clearing bomb. If you're interested in a dungeon crawler with a unique spin, Minishoot' Adventures will sure to leave you satisfied.

8: Core Keeper

One of my most played games of all time has to be Terraria. I love that loop of diving into dangerous caves to explore, mining for resources, and slaying bosses. Core Keeper is a game that asks the question "What if you never left the caves?". I had been following Core Keeper throughout its early access period but I finally decided to pick it up when it had its 1.0 release back in August. This game follows that same loop as Terraria and while I haven't played all too much of it yet, it's one of the few games that have tried to hit that Terraria loop and succeed just as well as they did if not equally so.

7: Nine Sols

Yep. We got another metroidvania on the list. Nine Sols gets a lot of chat from people talking about its Sekiro inspired combat and, while I think it's phenomenal, that's not the main reason I put it on my list. For me, the game's main selling point is the setting and presentation. The hand drawn animations and cutscenes help bring the story to life and make every action look and feel great. This game is also my first exposure to taopunk and from the early few minutes of the game, I was instantly invested. Check out Nine Sols if you wanna get lost in a sci-fi fantasy world like no other.

6: UFO 50

If you're up to date on conversations in the indie community, you've probably heard of this one. If you haven't, I'm thrilled to be the one to introduce you to this gem. UFO 50 is a collection of 50 games developed by a small team of different devs all contributing different kinds of games to the project. What makes it special is the narrative premise. UFO 50 is presents itself as an archive for a fictional and now defunct retro game studio and all the titles reflect that level of quality. This collection contains everything from puzzle games, platformers, strategy games, and even a full length exploration platformer and JRPG. I can't guarantee you'll love everything in this collection, but UFO 50 absolutely has at least one game that'll be your cup of tea.

5: Animal Well

Okay! Top five time! And the last metroidvania on the list. Animal Well is definitely the most interesting metoidvania on this list primarily because, rather than having a strong focus on combat, Animal Well is a massive puzzle box broken down into smaller ones that take up each individual screen of its sprawling map. Every screen transition presents another challenge to solve. Whether it's activating a platform, dispatching an dangerous animal, or collecting something you'll need for another puzzle later, Animal Well kept me guessing and thinking the whole way through. With secrets upon secrets upon mysteries upon challenges, Animal Well is definitely the game that put my brain to the test this year.

4: Another Crab's Treasure

I really want to like soulslike style games but I tend to not vibe with them for one main reason: I'm real bad at soulslike. It's not that I can't play them. It's that I hit a wall (and by wall, I mean a boss that snaps into me like a Slim Jim) and I just get frustrated and/or bored and move on to something else. Another Crab's Treasure is different in that regard by being the only soulslike I've played with options to make the game easy enough to manage difficult combat encounters while still maintaining a consistent challenge without ever making me feel like I'm lesser than for having to utilize those features. Hell, it actively encourages it by making one of the trophies directly tied to using one. On top of that, it's incredibly charming. Both the spoken dialogue and the random text all over the human debris littering the sea floor is absolutely hilarious. The environments and characters are vibrant and colorful. I'm constantly having a blast with Another Crab's Treasure. It's the first soulslike game I've ever played that feels like it wants to be beat it and is actively encouraging me to do it.

3: Sonic x Shadow Generations

Long before I would come to truly call myself a Sonic fan, Sonic Generations was my absolute favorite Sonic game. I still have my working PS3 copy. So you can imagine my delight when this got announced. But Sonic Generations isn't why this got my number three spot. It's Shadow's portion that truly elevates this package into becoming the best Sonic game ever made. Building on the fundamentals from Sonic Frontiers and covering the story of the titular hedgehog, Shadow Generations is the love letter to Shadow that he rightfully deserves.

2: Balatro

Let's be honest. Do I really need to write a whole paragraph talking about this one? Odds are that you probably ended a run right before you started reading this, plan on doing a run after this, or you know someone who falls into the first two categories that won't stop pestering you about it.

And before the coveted numero uno, let's take a little break for...

Most Disappointing: Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: Rita's Rewind

Now this is the third year I've done this list so I wanna take a step back to provide context on this entry. I don't put games here because I think they're "bad". I think that's a reductive way of looking at stuff. Rita's Rewind isn't a bad game. The dev team have been very active and responsive patching major issues since launch and adding quality of life features. It's honestly really fun to play. So why is it here? Simple: Compared to other beat em ups out there like Streets of Rage 4, TMNT: Shredder's Revenge, and Scott Pilgrim vs The World: The Video Game, it's really bare bones. All of the Rangers play the exact same. Same damage, defense, speed, etc. They even all use the same basic hand to hand combos despite them being shown to have their weapons. If you're a fan of MMPR, you'll enjoy it for the love and attention to detail it pays to the original series. If you're not a fan of MMPR however, there's a laundry list of more compelling beat em ups out there worth playing.

Honorable Mention: Fields of Mistria

So a rule I have for my list is that only games that hit a full release are eligible for a numbered spot. So while Fields of Mistria isn't a full release yet, it did launch in early access this year so it's eligible for this spot and it's rightfully deserved. What it lacks in gameplay content it makes up for with vibes alone. The 80s anime art used to bring Mistria's inhabitants to life looks great and even in its current state, every NPC's dialogue is varied and unique, making Mistria feel like a living town. Whether you're willing to deal with its growing pains or you'd rather wait for the 1.0 version, Fields of Mistria is one to keep an eye on.

And now, it's time for the moment you've been waiting for! It's ArachnoVolt's Game of the Year! A game that needs no further introduction! Say hello to...

1: Astro Bot

If you know me from any Discord/Guilded server, you probably saw this coming. And I wanna highlight something. I don't have a massive love for PlayStation. Out of the 92 different Sips referenced in the game, I've only played 4 of them so I don't praise Astro Bot for the references. I love platformers and I've been playing them for years. This might be one of the best ever made. Every single aspect of this game oozes passion, charm, and joy. The soundtrack is one of the catchiest I've ever heard. The way Team Asobi utilizes the all of the I can't say enough positive things about this game.

[yakuzabrainrotlive]

I have had NO time to play lately fr. And when I have played, I've been growing Ichiban's social network, picking stuff off the ground and taking pictures. AND killing hundreds of evil santas at the mall because their money yield levels are nuts and I want good gear.

But. I HAVE also made progress with the main plot too. And have had time to... process it a bit.

Yeah, I got to The Reveal :) I am Suffering :) Got to the beginning of chapter 5.

So. What witty lil' thing am I supposed to say here? Like... fuck. Just. Fuck. It shattered my heart to see him break the news with this smile I can't interpret. I mostly see a man who's accepted his fate and made his peace with it, which would be in-character considering... well... *gestures at this man's entire life and then the way he was in Gaiden*. I feel like I'm sadder and more bitter than Kiryu himself is about the whole situation. Or maybe he's just hiding his true feelings very well.

I hate the fact that Kiryu's disadvantaged position in society as an orphan keeps hurting him even this late in life. It feels so unfair, it hurts, it's... incredible writing.

....yeah. Not even remotely surprised. This is just Kiryu in a nutshell. Always looking for people in need of help, a job that needs to be done, a cog he can help turn. He's always looking for a purpose; something to keep him going. And while that's something most people want, I feel like Kiryu is always living to be able to benefit other people. Very noble, but not healthy.

The start of Y3 felt like the closest we'll ever get to him properly settling down and BREATHING for once. I can never go back to that game without breaking down, huh.

THANK YOUUUU ICHIBAN WE'LL BE DOING EXACTLY THAT ❤️ we'll drag that old man into the hospital kicking and screaming if we have to ❤️❤️

Ichiban's overall reaction to the reveal surprised me. I know he's VERY compassionate and caring, but he felt so genuinely distressed it was almost shocking to me. I know they had like... mutual respect and trust going on in LAD, but I didn't get the vibe that they were THIS close. Maybe I have to go back to their shared cutscenes from LAD again. Or maybe Ichiban just feels that strongly, especially after this brief... thing they've had here in Hawaii. Nothing wrong with that at all. We love and respect Ichiban in this house.

Ichiban and Tomizawa... hmu. I will give you soup and warm cinnamon rolls. No questions asked, no need to pay.

Kiryu... please, for the LOVE OF GOD, let them help you. Let someone help you. No, don't just let them help you help others, LEAN ON THEM.

Love to see how effectively Ichiban brings out the sass in Kiryu. This dynamic is peak. They're so silly together.

*banging on my apartment walls* LET ME OUT!! LET ME OUT OF HERE!! PLEASE!! HAVE MERCY 😭😭 I don't wanna see Kiryu like this!! I'm gonna throw up!!

We're in chapter 4 and I wanna crawl into a hole to cry. I am NOT going to survive this game.

:)

ANYWAY YAYYYY!! New party member ^_^ she's SOOO cool, she's STAYING.

Okay so I already kinda have a team I really like and everyone works well together?? How the hell am I supposed to pick 3 people when the old squad (besides Eri, RIP my MVP queen 😔) is definitely coming back as well? Tomizawa and Chitose have grown on me so I don't wanna bench 'em, and I will literally be 6 feet under before Kiryu even looks at the bench, so... I'm in trouble 😭

I'm gonna have to see if Tomizawa and Chitose can be built around Ichiban and Kiryu, or if others will fill roles better. If anything's gonna make me bench 'em, it's going to be my hyper-optimizing, excel-sheet making brain that loves to make my teams as BROKEN balanced as possible.

OKAY ALSO. That better not have been it for the Barracudas. Like, for real. They were portrayed as SOOO spooky and dangerous and they honestly felt like The Threat to me. Are they really folding this early? I hope not.

THE SQUAD HAS ASSEMBLED! So pleased to have a full team ^_^