#game why did you LET me do this

[artidoesthings]

if I had a nickel for every time I accidentally set up a tragedy in a fire emblem game with a shipping mechanic, I would have two nickels.

I’ll take the two nickels but that’s not gonna compensate for the emotional damage

[navree]

Incorrect, the fact that Biden has dropped out and a candidate with history of supporting medicare for all and being more receptive to a ceasefire in the I/P conflict has made me go from "I cannot morally support the Democratic nominee" to "I am voting for the Democratic nominee despite the fact she isn't perfect in every respect." I'm really happy this played out. The Dems for the most part abandoned the old Obama platform and it feels like its possible an actual progressive agenda could come to pass in my lifetime.

Kamala 2024!

If you weren't going to vote Democratic in this election before Biden dropped out you're a dorkass loser who does not care about any of the issues you're yammering about here and also a fundamentally bad person, and I hope you get run over by a bus.

But you got one thing right in all of this gibberish, Kamala 2024.

[blueskittlesart]

I DONT WANT AN HD REMAKE OF THE GAME I WANT TO PLAY IT WITH ITS ORIGINAL UI AND GRAPHICS IN MY NATIVE LANGUAGE. PLEASEEEEEE

[rockethorse]

The basegame wedding dress has a pregnancy morph??

[shkika]

Since my wrist is killing me and I can't draw, have my ramblings about machines having souls and being able to become husks and also just Ultrakill thoughts! Predictions about the ending if you squint??

im just having fun here

Like I'm so deranged about how machines being intelligent and actually conscious is handled in Ultrakill. The build-up, even if accidental(?), is SO SO CLEVER and gradual (as gradual as ultrakill can get). How that fits into the overall narrative and how the tragedy of this game manages to be so awesome??

First with how I love the way "Machines are living beings" idea is handled. It starts from the introduction and establishes the world so well in so few words it's so lovely. You get introduced to the machines as war weapons. They need blood to survive and humanity has been eradicated. That's all you need to know.

You start with the basic information that these machines don't want to die. Which makes sense, it doesn't have to mean they are actually alive. It makes sense a machine would look for any way possible to keep itself running to continue doing it's job.

And then immediately in the prelude you meet the Swordsmachine. A part of a specific group of machines the terminal calls "scrapheads" which modify their own bodies. While at first that does not ring as anything that's especially noteworthy. A machine trying to upgrade itself is nothing unheard of. It's to be better, stronger, more efficient.

Except that's not exactly what the Swordmachine design is about according to the game. It is mentioned to have very impressive combat prowess compared to other machines, however what it is also referred to as is "beautiful". The design is appreciated almost like a piece of art. And some of it's parts don't even wield a practical purpose, the mentioned example being it's voice box.

It is not ONLY about utility. It is also about art!!

Alright. That's interesting. Let's give an even more outrageous example. Skipping Limbo for now, there is lust where we are introduced to Mindflayers. Which?? Are so wild??? And mysterious? We don't know what and when they were made for (ALTHOUGH I VERY MUCH HAVE HEADCANONS ABOUT IT) their bodies are described as completely seperate and useless to the machine. And yet it is stated they act very lovingly and take care of their bodies. So much so in fact that they SELF-DESTRUCT if it is harmed.

V2 in the first fight is a rival to you as any other machine, however once it's arm is stripped away from V1 the confrontation becomes PERSONAL. The second fight is not simply about the lack of resources anymore. It is to reclaim what was lost. Whether that be the arm or something else. Even the very terminal entry itself calls it revenge.

And of course. With Violence it is revealed that with all of this. Machines can also make other forms of art like poetry. Which is even more interesting is that the machine which did that was first EVER machine to use blood mind you. An extremely old design, yet it could make art to express it's feelings.

Machines are capable of modifying, changing, expressing and LOVING themselves. They make art and some are frequently seen attacking you in groups! Those are clearly intelligent beings. And I mean. Duh. everyone playing Ultrakill knows that. Obviously. Like. Yeah.

So then why isn't the fact that these walking weapons probably have souls more discussed? What makes a soul? Why would machines not have them? If they can do all that people can on an emotional level.

And what happens when these machines die? What exactly is stopping them from ending up hell? Obviously heaven is unobtainable. Their very reason for existence, is to cause pain and suffering. The means through which they need to keep themselves alive is to cause suffering. It makes sense they'd all become hells beloved children. Doing what is in their nature is an art form to it.

What's even more is that the game itself supports the idea that some are souls. Surely hell cannot create them since everything made by hell are demons, which are very easy to recognize by the stone exterior.(?? unless im wrong??)

And there is no feasible way for machines like the Guttermen and Earthmovers to be their actual living counterparts. On a basic level they LACK the means to be alive. The people inside the Guttermen need to be alive in order for them to function. When opening them in-game they are just skeletons. Nobody has been supplying them with blood for a long time. Because it's hell. The game itself states that death is a luxury in hell. It does not happen easy.

Earthmovers need sunlight to power them. And the game specifically put them in an area that is clouded. There is none to be seen in violence. No they are just trapped in place, forced to shoot each other for all of eternity.

Machines, when they die… go to hell! Probably!

Some of the machines you kill, perhaps reccuring enemies go to hell (Thank u l@/little-tornad0 for the addition hehe)

When you die.

You respawn! Hell keeps you going. Hell wants torture. Hell wants bloodshed. Hell wants entertainment and you are the purest form of it.

It makes me think a lot about the potential ending of the game. About the themes. I don't think this means inherently that hell is a perfect self-sustaining organism that can go on like this forever. Gabriel says machines are destroying it and leaving nothing behind. Things are clearly going south in some way. And it'd fit the themes better if it was all going to uh.. hell lol. If it was all going to collapse. From the main theme of the game literally being "The fire is gone" to the name of the last chapter literally being named "Godfist suicide"

Also for what it's worth the Mirage secret is awesome meta-commentary on the idea that everything will die. Everything is destined to end. It is up to you how your each that end.

I think this is what Ultrakill will kind of be about at the end maybe. Gabriel will die out with a bang doing what he wants.

V1 itself is clearly NOT killing efficiently to survive, but for fun. Before it all ends. It's going out with a bang.

And with no new humans or machines that can enter hell in the long run. Perhaps it's very being too will decide it wants to go out with a bang.

In short. uh machines have souls. everything will die but not in a sad way. but in a very cool awesome way. thats pr awesomesauce

[mxmeemee]

Just The Knight, Nothing,,,

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA*Screaming* im sorry

[ganondoodle]

im quite tired of talking about totk, like im sure you all know by know just how frustrated i am, but something i still strongly believe was the logical, and best thing to do in a sequel.. -

while botw was about you feeling lost in a strange world with neither you nor link knowing anything and both discovering it as you go, the theme of lonelyness and isolation, freeing the spirits of dead friends you need toremember again, in the end finally reuniting with one of the only friends still alive, after a 100 years

totk should have been about community, about working together with zelda at your side, as a companion, after having been seperated for so long, and seeing nothing of the time between titles, this should have been her travelling alongside you, after botw you'd WANT to spend time with her and get to know her more, her being the diplomat, the archtitect, the scientist, the translator of old texts, a historian trying to find out the truth about what her fathers kingdom was built on, to right old wrongs perhaps, for a better future- theres so much that she should have been, so much of her character was primed to go into this direction- and instead she is a pretty prize with no personality you get at the end like this is an 80s cartoon still

(this is disregarding the whole fact that ganondorf, AS WELL, should have been a giant factor in all this, in the history of it all, to explore his character and his actions, to have zelda research and find out about histroy clearly written by the victors- theres so much potential depth here that it dirves me crazy, botw was such a set up for more that was wasted, utterly wasted, for something i wouldnt even want to call paper thin bc even paper has more depth than anything in totk)

[humbledbybees]

What a glown down tbh :/

[sso-montana]

Justin reference/redesign (FUCKING FINALLY-)

some info's regarding the design:

the poison mark and white streak in his hair were caused by Katja

I hc that the necklace he's wearing used to be Catherines

the bottle of medicine is not for him but Montana

the black nail polish is Montanas doing (sin drew him with it once idek if it was bc of style choices or not but I am running with it)

this has cost me way too many breakdowns I will never be doing this again (that's probably a lie) also yeah I gave him a different outfit for before the DC incident to reference his old design and just bc I wanted to mixed them in general

[messy-jin]

Ikemen Villains x Dreamcatcher

So... This is going to be a long post but after some encouragement, I ended up making a post about the Ikemen Villains' characters, and which songs from the Dreamcatcher's discography I think would fit them best.

Since I'm playing the English version of the game, I didn't included Darius, Ring and Nica since I don't know them much, sorry...

Honestly, if you let me, I'll end up doing that for Ikemen Prince too (Propose is Gilbert's song and you can't change my mind)... Anyways, I hope you enjoy this journey of me rambling about characters and music that I love!

Obviously, let's start with William.

Without hesitation, Black or White is a song that I associate with Will. After all, this is a song about staying true to yourself, and this is what William is all for. "There isn't a right answer" and "A right answer is meaningless" are things I actually imagine him say, with all the times he hits Kate with a "What do you think?" to encourage her to create her own answers to things. The whole "Black or white / I'm neither" in the lyrics... Need I say more? This is his "Is it really bad?" attitude.

Another song that fits him would be Jazz Bar. I don't know... The atmosphere of this song reminds me of him. I think it would be a song he would actually enjoy, even. The mysterious vibe, the flirtuous lyrics (really, go check the lyrics on Genius)... "Endlessly entranced by my humming" is basically him calling Kate out. "If you are going to approach me now / Don't hesitate and come / Let's skip awkward greetings / Like old lovers", come on, guys!

Harrison is next!

For Harry, it was a little trickier than with Will. I went with Demian. Lyrics such as "We know that most of them are trapped accidents / People are corrupt" scream Harrison to me. This song gives me the silent anger vibe going on inside this man. "The evil that grows on its own / Contrarily, between the remaining sincerity" gives a little shout out to his ability to see through lies.

I also could not resist associating him with Boca. The whole idea of counter-attacking and not letting people get away with what they are doing... "They don't have a sense of guilt anymore", yep, shout out to the Three Eagles in his route. I just realized that Harry has the angry songs. Oops, sorry.

Next is my sweetest dearest little meow meow, Liam.

He was tricky too but for another reason (aka I had too many ideas). So... First one I decided to go with is Scream. This song is from the point of view of someone suffering from people's harsh words, comparing it to witch hunts. And the parallels I could make between this and Liam's past, his father and all... Too many. Plus, the shift from "Please, I don't want to scream" and "I just wanna make you scream" is fitting for the shift between Liam's panic and anxiety to Liam having one of his fit. Do you see my vision?

The second I chose is Lullaby. Disappearance is a central theme, in this song. I could not NOT give it to Liam, considering his curse and the fact that acting on stage is a way to make himself disappear to become someone else. "I've waited here every day but I don't know if I can tomorrow as well" or even "I try to hold onto you" reminds me of his relationship with Kate.

Bonus because this one is more Alfons and Liam at the same time : 2 Rings. It is all about looking for thrills. I mean... The very first lyrics of the song are literally "I enjoy the thrills".

Aaah, Elbert... The one who made me start this whole post.

As said in a previous post, BEcause is Elbert's song. It's a song about obsessive love, so obviously it's him. The theme of the ocean is present - his escape place. "Forever mine, everything even your breath, forever mine" is something he told Kate numerous times. "It's okay, even if you reject me / Another voice of mine will call you instead / Just like the way it is now / Would you stay by my side / As a beautiful picture?" I'm telling you, Elbie. Even the other voice is here. The bridge is hauntingly beautiful, which is Elbie's vibe.

Talking about hauntingly beautiful, we also have Shatter. "It captivates me like magic / The splendor and sweetness / I can't close my eyes in the end", ah, yes, here we go again. The "Give me back my freedom" would be Kate if she was not as down for him as she was. Also, on a sadder note, this song is about falling in love with Medusa. And Medusa Tattoos are associated to survivors of SA.

Say hello to the walking problem child, Alfons.

The first song that came up to mind for Alfons was Odd Eye. This song is about illusions, after all. "Ecstatic moment, a perfect illusion / By covering the reality" is basically his curse. "The moment when you're caught off guard by a smile", this song is a warning, I swear. "Everything is a plausible lie / Overshadowed by sweetness", I think that everything is said.

But another song I thought about was Scar. The "Open your eyes (Get up), look around (I can't) / Look at my eyes across the darkness (You're gonna play with me) / Dig deep into me (I can't stop)" sounds like an exchange between Alfons and Kate, with him tempting her, especially the "You're gonna play with me". The themes of memories and oblivion are omnipresent, which are quite linked to Alfons.

So... Roger... I'm sorry, I could not find more than one song, and I'm not even sure I'm satisfied with this one.

I chose OOTD. But hear me out, there are good reasons. First of all, "druken everyday". Now that the joke is done, I can explain more seriously. Roger is a guy who is confident, it has been shown several times in the story. Plus, he does not hide the fact he is rather selfish and does as he pleases - which is the general vibe of this song. "I'm so gorgeous" is fitting for the man who said loud and clear to fear them because they're handsome (Harrison's route).

I hesitated with Poison Love, for the crying part and the "I want you, I want you more" which reminded me of his line "You should try wanting more, because I know I want more" (or something like this) in the Bond Level. But I was not really satisfied either...

This man... So, it's Jude's turn.

I'll go straight to the point : No More has a big Jude's vibe. "Always in packs / You cowardly losers" ? "Don't get in my way, no more" ? "I will never lose, over the pain" ? I don't know what to say more, it just fits. It's his vibe. It's his energy.

Another one that I thought about was Red Sun. "I want to laugh when I see you struggle" is this sadist. The whole "you can't escape me" vibe of this song and the lyrics fits him because, let's be real, once you promised something to him, there is no way he would let you go that easily. "You'll be in danger" and "You'll regret it", this man is always threatening or "warning" Kate.

Ellis, my love, I love you but you scare me sometimes, you're next.

So... Let's start with something sweet with Alldaylong. This song has literally been inspired by a hug. Obviously I'm giving it to Elly. This man is always ready to hug and never misses an occasion to offer one. "Hug my heart", "hand in hand all day long", when this man is all about physical touch. There is also the theme of smiles, which is also something he is all for.

But I was not going to stop at a cute song. Fly High is perfect : an appearingly "happy" song with darker lyrics for an appearingly sweet man with hidden yandere tendencies. "If only I could stop time" makes me think about the whole "preserving people at their happiest moment by offing them". There is also the "Like a thorny rose, I can't escape" which reminds me of his curse - which then shifts to a "You can't escape" during the bridge and "Don't try to get away from me" in the last chorus. The whole "So every night, I can fall asleep next to you forever" also gives Ellis.

Here comes our lovely boss : Victor !

Some Love gives Victor's energy. I mean... This grow-up man is a ball of energy. He is all about loving yourself and your darker side. This song is about embracing yourself and always walking forward. "Never stop, never stop being yourself / No matter what anyone says, don't stop / You'll shine dazzlingly like this" as a bridge is basically him cheering on his darling boys and Kate. There is even the "I'm placing a spell on you now", which is perfect for someone who loves magic tricks.

I also imagine Locked Inside a Door to be fitting for Vic. This song is all about the freedom to be yourself. "Run with me, don't look behind / Bring you back up when you fell / Straighten up your shrunken shoulders" is how a picked up Crown members. "Let me be myself / Gonna take you down / Don't care about everything you say to me", you tell them, sir. "I don't behave / That's who I am" is fitting for a man who said "We are villains, after all".

And last , but definetly not least, our dear beloved Kate !

First one I wanted to mention is Mayday. "In this darkness that grows deeper and shakes me up / I'm going to see you so I can reach you" is really Kate coded. There is the idea of being lost and disoriented throughout the whole song, which reminds me of Kate's situation among Crown. Funny note with the "Oh, where are you now?" because her love interest always go missing in the middle of the route (we'll see with Alfons in the next route if he follows this rule).

And finally, I was also thinking about Breaking Out. "Passing through darkness, the story begins" is our Kate becoming stronger as the story goes on. Her story really begins. There is also the whole going toward tomorrow thing with "Even if someone tries to block right in front of me / I'm already facing tomorrow". And "I throw everything away, even the past" is fitting for her who decided to let go of her past life to stay with Crown. The only difference is that the song talks about seeking the light, while Kate is more seeking darkness.

[dismembered-narrator]

man the second half of mouthwashing really let me down

[necrotic-nephilim]

for the ask game (1)

au where bruce is attracted to his robins and batgirls. he tries not to think about it or act on it, but it's getting more difficult with every new member of his team he acquires. does anyone know? do the robins and batgirls notice his weird behavior? what do they do about it? do they ever find out the truth? who would think it's terrible and who would find it strangely hot/comforting/nice? does bruce ever act on his feelings?

for the ask game!

oh my GOD do i have thoughts for AUs like this, i love this shit so dearly, dirtybadwrong Bruce who's trying to keep a lid on it my beloved.

i think the fun of this AU is if characters would notice Bruce lusting for themselves vs would they notice Bruce lusting for a different Robin/Batgirl. like does Dick pick up on it when it's just him and Bruce? no, because it's just. him and Bruce. he and Bruce are weird and complicated and hold endless bounds of nuance. that's just How Bruce Is, and Dick is the "test run", in a sense. he knows Bruce is new to this whole sidekick/family thing and is giving Bruce grace for being rough around the edges. but when Bruce starts looking at Jason or Tim or Cass that way, that's when Dick starts to notice. it's never enough of a suspicion he feels justified to bring it up, but the thought lingers. he's hyperaware and grows less and less comfortable with leaving them alone with Bruce. it's a weird game of chicken, Dick and Bruce staring each other down when Bruce's touch lingers too long. each waiting for the other to say something first. if Bruce ever broke and actually acted on his feelings, Dick would be eaten alive by the guilt of knowing something was up, but never saying something until it was too late.

obviously, Cass would know. there's no world where Cass *doesn't* know, the nature of who and what she is would immediately clock it. but the issue is, Cass doesn't have a good framework of what family looks like. she doesn't really understand familial vs romantic love bc she has no firsthand experience of what a parent's love should even look like. so she never calls it out. she just watches. i'm a fan of Cass believing this is normal and believing she too can express and act on attraction that's vaguely incestuous. maybe it's with Babs, maybe it's with Dick or Tim or Bruce himself. but she recognizes this as Normal and Accepted within the Batfamily, so it severely fucks up her understanding of familial love and i just. man it's my favorite thing about Cass in Batcest honestly, is how you can play with her lack of experience with love, boundaries, and sexuality.

Tim is the fun one for me. because my favorite flavor of BruTim is when Tim knows, as he agrees to be Robin, that there's a non-zero chance that Bruce is going to be Weird and agrees anyway because he's decided it's an acceptable risk. so Tim knows from the get-go because he's expecting it. if Bruce acts on his attraction, i think it's either with Tim or Cass first, because they're the most likely to confront him about it in a way that isn't entirely negative. Tim has accepted it's a possibility and Cass just seeks being loved and touched so. it leads to the first time someone's ever confronted Bruce about it. and the thing is, Bruce really doesn't like confrontation about his flaws. the first time Tim tries to imply he's okay with it, Bruce would lash out at the idea, tell Tim how inappropriate that is and benches Tim for a week. it'd probably take a united front from Cass and Tim to get Bruce to even *admit* to the attraction. still Bruce wouldn't allow it to happen and he brushes them off until finally, the dam breaks. it's fun if there's a cause like sex pollen, but i think it's *more* fun if it's just. a random fucking Tuesday and finally Bruce is at his limit. he has no real reason, there's nothing particularly different about that day's routine. he just sees Tim or Cass striping armor and sighs and gives in.

i don't think Steph, Jason, or Babs would notice until anything substantial happened. not because they're not wicked smart, but just because none of them were looking for it. Jason put Bruce on a pedestal when he was alive, and when he came back from the dead he wasn't close enough to be noticing Bruce's interpersonal dynamics outside of his narrow scope. Steph has no real framework for what healthy fatherhood looks like, so if Bruce's touches linger, if he stares too long, she just shrugs and assumes it's how it is. and Babs was just never quite close enough to Bruce to notice. if and when she notices, is when actual sexual things start to happen between Cass and Bruce. because Cass would see no reason to hide it. Babs would be pissed, but it'd be tricky to navigate. Cass would be an adult, even if she's only 18/19, so technically, she's old enough to be consenting. if nothing else, Bruce is a careful man. even when he breaks and gives in to his desires, he covers his tracks well. he makes sure he has enthusiastic consent and there's no legal recourse that could be taken. age of consent and all that. there's not much Babs can *do* other than try to tell Cass (and/or Tim) that this isn't normal or okay. not that it gets her anywhere, but god would she try.

by the time Duke comes along (if we venture out of the pre-Flashpoint era) i think it's a sort of. open secret, in the Batfamily. talked about in nothing but hushed whispers and knowing glances. at some point, they've all had sex with Bruce, caving all for different reasons. some more than others. Tim sees it as a duty, Cass sees it as a way of seeking comfort, Steph sees it as getting Bruce's approval for once, etc. it's never forced on them, but eventually, they all come to Bruce sooner or later. and that's the fun irony of it, i think. they try to convince the others not to, but would go to Bruce on their own well. because complicated reasons they can't put into words. sometimes, Bruce is just a messy man who doesn't realize how prized his Attention to for the rest of the Batfamily. that weird duality of not liking him, but also wanting desperately for him to like you. all of them have dealt with it, at some point. so for Duke, it takes a while for him to understand this... whole dynamic. it's Cass who tries to explain it to him, and he's a little horrified, a lot confused. especially when Bruce starts staring at him a little too long as well. i think he'd only want to watch first but well. they all cave eventually.

also fun bonus if we venture into the Dark Knight Returns universe for my bestest girl Carrie Kelley: there's such a like, "i'm fucking around and i'm finding out" vibe to Carrie. like Tim, she's very proactive in just. deciding she's going to be Robin and she's ready for whatever that entails. (IMO canon Carrie is closer to fanon Tim than canon Tim is but *that* deserves its own post-) like she takes one look at the old man that is Batman and goes yup. he's never fucking getting rid of me now. if Bruce started having weird feelings about her, i think she'd have *fun* with it. she's decided she's in it for the long haul and for whatever being Robin means so. she's almost teasing about it, seeing how hard she can push before Bruce snaps. since it's an older, gruffer Bruce, i think he'd express open annoyance at it first, almost a sort of banter about how Carrie behave. but of course he caves and Carrie leans into it, because there's a fun in having all of Bruce's attention to herself. in the main timeline, Bruce is pretty split with so many Robins and Batgirls, but during their era, it's *just* her and him and she's very proud she's got him all to herself.

[stairset]

I think the portrayal of Spider-Man 2099 in Across the Spider-Verse is in-character in that aside from like Shattered Dimensions he's always been portrayed as a bit of an asshole who slips into anti-hero territory at times and generally has a "needs of the many over the needs of the few" mindset and given his specific circumstances in the movie it's not unreasonable to think he could take the actions he does. However it does kinda suck that since like 99% of moviegoers had no idea who he was before the movie came out their first impression of him is when he's in an antagonistic role and people think "antagonist" and "villain" are synonyms so now I'm gonna have to listen to people who've never read a comic saying he's a villain or isn't a real Spider-Man for the rest of time or at least until he inevitably changes his mind in the third one.

[vaguely-concerned]

returnal did not cure my depression but it did give me a strangely healing new perspective that makes it all a bit easier to bear. that perspective being 'I may be having a rough time right now, but at least I'm not inside the head of returnal protagonist selene vassos'

[zhongrin]

sorry venti, you're gonna have to take a bullet for me bc i can't not scream about this.

forgive my gremlin-like cackling, bitch. d i e .

[puhpandas]

as someone who isnt super excited for sotm for certain reasons I am really glad that like. it's clear that since ruin theyve been setting up for carnival and sotm IS carnival. so now that carnival is finally coming out, afterwards theyll be moving on to other plotlines since the main villain stuff is sorted out

I'm just rlly happy to finally see a clear direction for how the story is gonna be playing out with like "okay these games were leading up to this so after this will be open possibilites" instead of like. absolutely no info about each upcoming game and being left guessing before it releases and just having to wait and see what's in it and if anything you're looking forward to will be in it

it feels like they have a plan and a solid direction for what they're trying to do and after carnival releases thatll be all that buildup coming to fruition. & we already know from the Scott interview that theres another release 'beyond sotm' that's 'super exciting' so maybe thatll be focusing on another big currently untouched (which is basically all of them) plotline, or even the big campaign game that dawko has been calling security breach 2