#games based on literature

[loressa]

Happy Halloween! Here's a free point and click twine game I made about being stuck in job interview hell, struggling to focus and how looking back can sometimes help you move forwards. Hint: try revisiting floors!

[tempestmothstorm]

Ok since Monika still has her admin powers in the side stories you think she could just discover them accidentally or use them without realizing

Anyways au where Monika and friends discover her admin powers but dont know about the wider context of what it means. So they just go around thinking Monika has magic and try practicing with a bunch of silly fun shenanigans because they figure it’s some chosen one bloodline stuff and not like. A product of their reality being a constricted digital science experiment.

This au will not end well

[heartbeatbookclub]

I think, in a lot of ways, Monika and Sayori are reflections of each other.

Really, I think all of the girls are similar in a lot of their issues (self-esteem, anxiety, etc) and that's something emphasized in a lot of the stories, and a big part of why they all gravitate towards each other and work to create the club as a safe space for all of them, but I think Monika and Sayori in particular are just very much alike.

I think Trust really emphasized this similarity in the reveal of Sayori's poem, Become the Flower.

Prior to shifting focus onto the poem, Monika talks to herself about her real vision for the Literature Club. I think here, Monika points out what Sayori actually meant when she said that Monika was "trying to make the club [she] needs the most, out of anyone", even if she doesn't actually realize that yet. It's pretty clear that when she says that literature is a window to the real self underneath the person who's "forced to always smile and blend in", and is "forced to be perfect", she's really talking about herself.

I think that a lot of Monika's character throughout Trust is expressed more subtly, often in a roundabout way like this. A huge part of the story is centered around Monika's own personal struggles expressing herself, and that trait is pretty well exemplified in this indirect way of talking about her own struggles. I think that the reason why Monika's characterization here is so subtle overall is reflective of this.

And I think it's pretty blatant that this is statement is also meant to be reflective of Sayori, given that we immediately move from this statement onto the poem which reveals to Monika that she's been hiding her own problems. In this way, I think Team Salvato wanted to explicitly point out how similar they really are, and draw your attention to it.

I think that the way that Trust as a story is put together is meant to really emphasize just how similar they are even in their differences; spending a great deal of time focusing on Monika's own problems, to then showcase Sayori as the mirror to them.

I think the two of them make a very interesting pair in that respect, because a big similarity they have is that they very much place others above themselves, so they both end up individually building each other up while they put themselves down. It creates this strange back and forth where they each insist they suck and the other is great, when the reality is that they're both pretty fantastic.

In the statement Monika made to herself about her vision of the club, while it's clear she's talking about herself, she frames it in the context of somebody else getting those benefits out of the Literature Club, rather than herself. Throughout the entirety of Trust, she speaks dismissively of her efforts and her problems alike, while pointing out that Sayori is providing a lot of help. Sayori by contrast spends most of her time hyping her up and points out, explicitly, that Monika doesn't give herself enough credit. She also dismisses her own efforts, pointing out in most things she does, up into the climax, that Monika is a lot better than her at whatever she's doing. And when Sayori's problems are actually revealed, she explicitly says that she doesn't want Monika to worry about her, and that she doesn't want to have this conversation.

I think this all really shows that both of them are averse to tackling their own problems head-on, and I think this comes out of a fear of being vulnerable, since that's directly mentioned several times in Monika's issues openly expressing herself.

I think what makes Monika's particular brand of self-negging quite so disheartening is that she dismisses it out of hand as her being silly and dramatic, and in that way, she doesn't actually address the fundamental problem underlying it, nor does she actually address the statements themselves as incorrect. The amount of time she spends talking down her own problems as something trivial and silly, particularly in comparison to Sayori's problems, are a manifestation of her own desire to avoid the vulnerability of even having these problems, and it's just...heartbreaking. Sayori's denial is its own can of worms, but Monika's ability to so consistently minimize her issues when they are clearly still impacting her is so uniquely troublesome.

I think a big difference between the two of them in that respect is that Monika wears significantly more of her heart on her sleeve, so Sayori finds it a lot easier to directly target Monika's problems than Monika does in the reverse, but their individual habits of avoidance are coming from the same place.

I'm traveling a bit aimlessly in this essay, trying to tie things together nicely as I see them, but there are just a lot of similarities I notice between their actions and the way they think that showcase that they have a lot of the same problems, and a huge theme in Trust is expressing oneself, which both Monika and Sayori struggle to do, in much the same way.

I think a key similarity between the two of them is their tendency to catastrophize over a situation when left alone, mostly revolving around seeing the worst possible scenario for how they could've personally messed up the situation. I'm just rewatching Trust for this little essay, so there are two major moments I see Monika doing this, but I remember Sayori doing this...a few times, actually, throughout the side stories.

I think the spiral Monika goes into after reading Become the Flower is particularly important, as it exemplifies the habit of dismissing her own problems fantastically; in this case, she has an excuse. It's true that Monika's issues with her perfectionism seem silly and trivial in comparison to Sayori's, but that's exactly the thing: She shouldn't be comparing them in the first place! Her problems are real, and they clearly cause her distress, but because Sayori's own issues appear so much more serious than hers, she dismisses them wholesale as her being dramatic and silly. Because Monika's problems seem so small, she doesn't see them for the problems they really are. In the same way, because her own accomplishments and work seem so small, she doesn't see them for the accomplishments they are.

This spiral showcases Monika's biggest problem, the reason why she has such trouble expressing herself, and conversely, the exact same problem Sayori has. She doesn't want to be the center of attention.

Put another way, she doesn't think she deserves to be the center of attention. Her problems are so trivial; her accomplishments menial. Her fear of vulnerability isn't a fear that others will hurt her; it's a fear of being selfish.

Sayori is very similar, in that the reason she actively works to avoid showing any possible sign that anything is wrong is because she doesn't want anyone to worry about her. She doesn't want other people to dedicate time and energy to her.

I think that for both of them, this comes from low self-esteem. Sayori is self-explanatory I think, but I'd say Monika's perfectionism makes it exceptionally difficult for her to really feel accomplished in anything she does, which, coupled with her constant preoccupation with how she appears to other people (I think Monika places very high expectations on herself. I mean, Trust literally starts with her frantically apologizing and saying "I normally don't ever do this!" when Sayori finds her napping) makes it very difficult for her to feel confident in herself.

The fear both Sayori and Monika have in being vulnerable isn't that people will use that vulnerability to hurt them.

It's that people will try to help them.

And I think that's a really big part of why Sayori feels like she can trust Monika with her darkest thoughts, because she understands that they're the same in a lot of ways.

Monika created the club which she needed the most...and it was also the club Sayori needed the most, for the exact same reason.

I think it's kinda easy to overlook a lot of this because of the sheer amount of focus placed onto Sayori and the more explicit issue Monika has (insofar as the plot is concerned), but I think Sayori is exactly what Monika needs just as much as Monika is what Sayori needs.

[unfriendlyamazon]

i remembered recently i fucking love video games and this is a fandom about a bunch of gaymers so anyway here's everyone's favorite type of games

yugi point and click adventure buff loooooves a puzzle plays a lot of smaller titles loves cozy games too he relaxes by playing a little to the left

joey rpg lover dark souls main probably does a lot of roguelikes too thanks to the random chance nature of them he loves a challenge oh also has modeled his life on link from legend of zelda

tristan not as big a gamer as his friends but i always give him old school snes games he looks like donkey kong he acts like donkey kong donkey kong country is his favorite video game

anzu not a gamer but she likes things that are cute and short plays any game where you unlock outfits also QUEEN of rhythm games canonically great at DDR brings just dance to every party

duke resource management and complex game they looooove a sim city or a cities skylines had mall tycoon like the boring kid i was instead of rollercoaster tycoon

seto anything that requires lightning quick reflexes and no thinking but i also think he's into video games for the story so he plays a lot of games that make him feel something can't imagine that man finishing journey without crying

ryou survival horror expert loves the classics silent hill the clocktower series you name it actually has played pathologic all the way through with the bonus endings he's a monster

mokuba minecraft master, can and will build anything you dream

marik discovers sims, immediately removes the ladders and drowns everyone in a pool

[hiddenobject-fanblog]

Just finished reading The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde and my thoughts are exploding rn

[dykeofmisfortune]

being a pretentious fuck is embarassing sometimes. bc if someone asks me what video games i play im like "yeah i only play story based indie games about depression and guilt" like omfg shut UP

[haemosexuality]

misc sketchbook stuff

[wereh0gz]

Anyways do you think sonic would like ultrakill

[mushroomhedgehog]

What fandoms/shows have been preoccupying your mind as of late?

I’ve still been really active in superheroes, as well as various game and cartoon fandoms. In the past handful of years, a lot of other stuff has been in my circle, like Danganronpa and Doki Doki Literature Club.

Along with Batman: Arkham and Metal Gear Solid, those two are really starting to show that certain games will live in my head rent free if the story resonates with me that well.

[goldenstarprincesses]

Like every other person who was once in the Hungry Games fandom, I've been rewatching the movies/re-reading the books and I'm one again thinking about how in another timeline the Hungry Games books could have gone down in American literature history the same way A Brave New World did

But Hollywood watered down the story to the point if the general public had not read the books they likely would have never known the story was based on a post 2nd civil war/revolution in the United States and that in the books every character/plotline/event was directly based on a criticism of the American federal government/American military/military complex-American politics/American culture/American history. Many people seem to have come away thinking it was a YA love story with a basic dystopian war background.

And after watching The Ballad of the Song Bird and Snakes...I feel like they tried to over-correct based on that criticism to the point every reference to the former United States/the leftover culture of the past American culture is unsubtly shoved in every 15-20 minutes or so. it comes off as Hollywood be like "see!! we aren't scared to dip our toes into criticism of the government/military! See we put in a scene where someone rips down the capitals flag and drags it on the ground! while people gasp in anger and shock! You get it, right?! because it's seen as protesting/being critical of America when you put the American flag on the ground!"....pls get it, we don't actually want people to get mad at us online"

And like I get it....this is a blockbuster movie. It's never going to be in depth. Yet, this is the same reason why I think its wonderful that Hollywood hasn't yet had the chance to touch a book like a Brave New World. Because they never would be able to do it justice.

[twotothehalf]

ddlc au where everything is the same but gravity pulls monika parallel to the ground instead of straight down

on the first day when sayori first brings mc to the club, the moment she opens the door monika plunges straight to the front of the class, landing on the chalkboard on the wall

as everyone else looks in disbelief, monika just looks straight at the fourth wall and says outright, "this world is a joke of a video game and it's personally fucking with me; please please help."

cue existential dread, continue from there.

[tempestmothstorm]

In my ddlc fantasy rpg isekai au I like the idea of them being humans in a mostly fantasy race world to push the idea that they’re 1. Out of place as if inserted from another world (lore) 2. Closer to reality than the rest of the world and 3. They’re real in depth human beings even when they’re inserted into a fantasy rpg. Cool thematic symbolism is cool and I would want them to be at least somewhat identifiable as from ddlc

But at the same time tiefling Yuri is awesome

[curi0uscreature]

* My animatic style collection grows. She’s been simplified to a fine ink smear /pos

[taffy-glitch]

have you been asked #QP. for the bingo thing. if not heres your chance

you are the only person who knows how obsessed i am w her (aside from maybe aza) so i have not in fact been asked about her before. i have THOUGHTS

[odysseys-blood]

BOOO ❌️❌️❌️🖲 goofy tomato tomato 🍅🍅🍅

[hana-loves-bumblebees]

Happy Aleksis Kivi and Finnish Literature day to these dudes!!