#ghost investigation simulator

[sparkiekong]

My favorite ghost hunting game is about to finally come out of early access and be complete! Just in time for that favorite spooky time of the year!

If you're into ghost hunting games that are more like a ghost hunter simulator and less like a carnival ride (not that carnival rides aren't fun...) , this is the game for you. Help the people of New Eidolon to put their minds at ease by helping them with their ghost problems!

You gather notes from the client emails, lore, and evidence at each of 5 locations to figure out what kind of ghost you're dealing with so you can go through the process of helping them to the afterlife by learning their story and in the case of the demonic, send them back to hell.

This game is a freakin gem and it's been an absolute joy to be a part of the community that surrounds it and was privileged to be one of the testers on this game. It's worth every penny if you ever wanted to know what it'd be like to go on a ghost hunt, but were too afraid to try it in the real world.

There are some darker themes in this game in regards to the history and lives of the past ghosts, so please consider your safety when it comes to your triggers. These ghosts didn't all die happily/peacefully...the ones that haunt places rarely do.

[helladventurers]

Fucking dammit, was having a cool mystery/puzzle dream about investigating a time loop and trying to find what's causing it/stop it eventually (similar to outer wilds)

I had to wake up to take my meds mid dream, did that, MANAGED TO GO BACK TO THE DREAM SOMEHOW AFTER FALLING BACK ASLEEP, but my sleep was super light and the moment i found the solution of the puzzle, i woke up for real because of the noise and couldn't go back to learn the rest of the plot :/ fml

[moosha-mushroom]

Media I imagine different fiction podcasts in instead of the media of being a podcast.

TMA: A selection of volumes, relating to the fears, each with those removable covers. Those covers has a victim or two, and then underneath the cover is a really detailed cover. The paper is decoratively ripped, with a kind of scraggly font, and each has a foreword and ‘author’s note’ from Jonathan Sims.

Malevolent: A really gritty graphic novel with deadly detail in each panel, and very little color. Maybe a trinket on each important character has a color? Like Arthur’s eyes being yellow or Oscar’s collar having a blue sheen to it. The novels are long, dramatic, and intimate in a visceral way.

Welcome to Night Vale: Local 58 bullshit. A broadcast on television with low quality images and audio, tacky music, and a kind of 80’s aesthetic. Each episode the words WELCOME TO NIGHT VALE zoom onto the screen, the purple eye behind them. And each weather segment is an animated short by a different artist.

The Penumbra(Juno Steel): A webcomic. Hours spent scrolling downward a comic that has so much color and GEOMETRIC design. Juno and his curvy jaw, brown pie slice eyes, a cartoonishly high collar for his investigator jacket. Nureyev and his sharp square jaw, shimmering jewelry, and stick legs. Characters sticking out of the panels, fonts changing constantly, a little blue Juno that does his narration and *guitar theme plays* each time he appears.

Wolf 359: A classic comic. Issues month by month. Different special covers of the characters in extra dramatic poses or scenes. Even MORE panel breaking than Juno Steel. So MUCH onomatopoeia, even for small things like the clink of a panel or the disapproving hiss of Hilbert in the background. Geometric designs like Juno Steel, but less colorful. Like the superhero art style mixed with a more stylized look.

Midnight Burger: You pull up the Midnight Burger website. They have a hidden page that has a sort of script-comic thing going on, where the art is next to the writing. Small coded in notes from Leif sometimes pop up if you hold your arrow over the art. Links are attached to the parts where Effie and Zebulon play music, linking you to the music so you can listen to it while you read.

Desert Skies: An animated show. Indie, something you’d find on YouTube. The animation is bouncy and incorporates 3D animation alongside the 2D. Maybe the Sphere Movers have 3D models and the staff don’t? The credits are short because it was made by one guy. People are complaining about it on Twitter /j. People are making content farms about it. Everyone is pissed at Corson like they’re pissed at Jax.

The Amelia Project: A sort of simulation video game. You play as Arthur. You listen to their stories and draw pieces of the tale to invent their death. Every once in a while the game transitions to a point and click suspense game where you solve puzzles as Cole and Haines. Maybe there should even be an Operation-esque part of it where you work as Kozlowski.

Ghost Wax: A novel with a lot of pictures spliced in it. The stories are all in a single book, though the book is through Luca’s perspective— so he picks up on the ghost’s body language and Voncid’s reactions. The pictures are tarot cards with each victim as a card. Some are repeat cards— Lorem does not have a card at the end of the story. Nor does Our Home or Evening at the Ardent. The pictures are only white with black line art. No color whatsoever.

Kakos Industries: A company newsletter. Not a broadcast. A newspaper that arrives at your door and has big bold letters with the main story and pictures of the events that happen in the story as it goes. And the Sunday Comic page is full of employee shenanigans. Some innocent… some not.

I am losing my mind.

[autumnmobile12]

All right, here's the thing about the Todoroki fire-users.

Most forms of glass melt at a temperature of 1,400°C to 1,600° C.

Orange flames have a range of 1100°C to 1200°C.

So unless either of them can exceed the 1400°C threshold and get into the white flame range (1300°C - 1500°C), Shouto and Endeavor cannot melt glass.

But with a blue flame that burns 1,400°C-1,600°C, this bitch sure can.

So now that in the Ambush Simulation AU I've revealed Nine and his entourage are the LoV, imagine the opening scene of Heroes Rising:

Whichever henchmen they've hired to transport the cargo in that car chase scene are careening down the highway, the Pros are in pursuit...and so's the Vanguard.

Car accidents caused by the fleeing villains have put Rock Lock and company out of commission, but Shimura's motorcycle can maneuver through just fine, so he and his passenger are still in the game like it's a Greek chariot race. Nobody really knew the Vanguard was going to make an appearance, nobody knows how they got the info on what was happening, but hey, they're provisionally licensed and can operate under Pros now, so no one's going to complain about the extra manpower on their side.

So my thoughts and prayers are with the poor driver of the armored vehicle whose sole job is to focus on the road. He just wants to survive the night without getting arrested, his comrades can worry about the Pros behind them, he's more concerned about the Pros blockading the road in front of them, one of whom is Endeavor. He's not paying attention to that loud thunk he heard on the roof.

Things are already looking a little sticky...

...and then this crazy bastard appears in the windshield and starts melting the glass. Not breaking it; it's too thick to break without a weapon. Just slowly melting it so the poor guy has enough time to contemplate and regret some key life choices.

(There's a very specific image in my head here and it's the drowned corpse scene from the anime Ghost Hunt if anyone's familiar with that one.)

Anyway, the getaway driver just panics and veers over the guardrail and down the mountainside as it goes in the film, which pretty much leaves Shimura to stop his bike and stare alongside Endeavor down at the path of destroyed vegetation in horror as the sound of screeching metal fades to silence.

Shimura: ....

Endeavor: .... *slowly turns to look at Shimura*

Shimura: *doesn't look up* Hey, don't look at me. You created that monster.

...

And recall that scene ends with Endeavor heading down the hill to investigate the crash and finds Hawks already there:

Touya: What's the situation with my leg? It feels like it's either been broken or impaled.

Hawks: Actually, it's both. That's an...impressive compound fracture.

Touya: All that and I only got a busted leg? *sits up* Oh, no wait, fuck, there's two of you and Endeavor's multiplying.

Endeavor: *fed up* ....scared me to death, you shit for brains. Where's the League?

Hawks: I think they managed to warp out at the last minute. Genius here is the only body I found breathing or otherwise.

Touya: *cackling* Shut the fuck up, Feathers!

...

Shimura: You have got to stop smiling like you regularly devour the souls of small children and their pets.

Touya: *adrenaline wearing off, pain finally setting in* I have no idea what you're talking about.

Rock Lock: *standing over both of them* Exactly what was your plan back there?

Touya: Obviously, I was thinking I could get control of the steering wheel. Not my fault the driver had the nerves of a dandelion. Also, I'm not the one who thought chasing down an armored vehicle with four-door sedans was a good idea, so why I am the only stupid one here? Now everyone be quiet, my head is splitting and I just suffered the indignity of being carried away from an accident by my father.

Endeavor: Carrying you was easier when you were four.

Touya: The last time you carried me is when I was four!

[sitp-recs]

Part I: hymn to the sea

thank you @eleadore for creating this gorgeous art for @citrusses’ The Isle of Ogygia and for inspiring this rec list!

Sometimes all I want is the quiet. After a year of ups and downs feeling very introspective towards fandom, I found a lot of comfort in contemplative fics featuring the sea. They take me by the hand and get me immersed in a beautiful, mysterious setting in a way that I find deeply soothing, and even cathartic. I’m sure I’m not the only one who feels instantly drawn to this theme, so I made a short rec list with some of my favorite titles. May September be kind and healing to us all. Enjoy!

🌊 On The Shore by @skeptiquewrites (T, 3k)

Draco takes up wild swimming. Harry joins him.

🌊 Saltwater Stain by @the-starryknight (M, 9k)

Seven days stuck on a boat investigating a rogue ghost wouldn't be so bad if Harry didn't want Draco so much.

🌊 The Isle of Ogygia by @citrusses (E, 13k)

There is an island, far out in the sea.

🌊 The Oceans They Did Rise by disapparater (M, 18k)

Finding post-war life more difficult than he'd imagined, Harry travels halfway around the world to find some peace.

🌊 if you've changed your mind, orphaned (E, 20k)

The first Draco knows of the whole thing is Harry Potter standing in his broom shed.

🌊 The Isle of Discussion by @shealwaysreads (E, 22k)

Harry and Draco arrive at the shores of Loch Leven to record the magical history of the land. They’re friends now, but up there in the Highlands, amidst the trees and sky and that wild expanse of water their own past is more present than ever; a gap they still can’t bridge.

🌊 Simulation Theory by @starquestingfordrarry (E, 35k)

An offer to test out a new invention for Weasleys’ Wizard Wheezes turns into a whole lot more when Harry discovers who has the other part of the paired set.

🌊 What Shall Not Be Unearthed by @iero0 (E, 49k)

At the northernmost point of Shetland, surrounded by pointed cliffs, towers the Ootsta Lighthouse on a small isle in the middle of the open sea. Little does Harry know that he's not the only new lighthouse keeper.

🌊 Antediluvia by @lol-zeitgeistic (E, 56k)

Everyone always forgets about the Merpeople. So did Harry until the day his, Lee’s, and Hermione’s Portkeys land at Reagan National Airport’s Arrivals dais. He’s just had to leave a job he loves and pack his entire life—literally—into his luggage. Then Malfoy and his subplots arrive, and suddenly, saving the world again, one Mermaid at a time, sounds like the perfect excuse to do something he’s always wanted.

🌊 I Am Not Who I Became by mab_di (E, 93k)

Draco left England after the trials and has travelled the world meeting wizards and Muggles from different cultures and with vastly different relationships to magic, each other, and the natural world. Now he's a fisherman in Finland on commercial vessels. Harry has been struggling since the war and has become a recluse while trying to write his autobiography.

[lollipencil]

Mare Phantom: Part 3

@void-of-unparalled-chaos, I've finally thought of a (semi-decent) title! Anyone who happens upon this, parts 1 and 2 are here.

Enjoy and be gentle ---

When Danny's blurry's eyes opened to a white light above, his heart lurched. For a split second, his eyes closed to quickly wipe the blurriness away. And opened to a very different ceiling. The light now resembled the moon, with the ceiling matching the rest of the night sky. Danny could even make out each of the maria that decorated its surface.

Even with the pain radiating from his shoulder still, Danny smiled softly as he listed them clockwise. He got to Mare Vaporum, before he noticed that he was not alone.

A man was sitting at his bedside. Glasses reflected the simulated moonlight and hid his eyes from Danny. "Hello," the man greeted with a smooth voice, "I'm glad to see you awake so soon. How is your pain?" "...Kinda bad," Danny found himself admitting. A hum vibrated through the air between them. "Are you allergic to any medication?" "No, but none of it works either."

The man's brow furrowed but he doesn't ask the usual question: "Can you tell me what happened?" Regardless, Danny kept his mouth firmly shut.

After a few minutes of silence, the man hummed again. "The wound, it's too large and in the wrong place for an accident. And you came here instead of a hospital. So, am I right in thinking that they hold a position of power?" Danny still didn't speak, but found his head darting into a short nod in spite of himself. The man nods back, invisible eyes closing as if to hold this information firmly in place.

"You needn't fear them anymore," he began, "You are inside the Midnight Mission, vessel of the House of Shadows, and temple to Khonshu." "...Who's Khonshu?" "Many things. Embracer, Pathfinder, Defender, Healer. Protector of those who travel by night. You speak to one of his fists, to the Hunter's Moon. So, if you can, who do we need to hunt?"

---

A small crowd had gathered in the hallway outside the med bay. Chairs of varying styles had been placed, but Reese was the only one who sat. Soldier had immediately stood by the door's left side, ensuring the hallway he'd come from remained at least half in sight. From the other side of the hallway came Marc (or the system's body rather).

No one spoke. Not until Tigra appeared from a trapdoor in the ceiling, mostly full cupholder in hand. "What's happened?" she asked in place of a greeting. "Don't know, Mission's in near full lockdown," Soldier replied as Marc claimed a cup. "A young traveller arrived about an hour ago," Reese stated with a false calm, "Fell in the door, from the sky. Wound to his shoulder." "How bad?" Marc's familar tone rumbled. "Bone was exposed."

Tigra's tail lashed violently as Marc's jaw and Soldier's hand clenched equally tight. "Mission chained the doors after he came in," Reese breathed in deep. Before anyone else could speak, the door opened.

Badr was the picture of utter fury. "Danny is awake, and speaking," each word was cautious, as if the wrong one would shatter the fragile floodgates he was managing. "How is he?" Reese asked before anyone else could. "In pain, still. He said that no pain medication can help him." "Nothing? Not even the stuff for super-soldiers?" Soldier inquired. "We don't have that kind of medication." "I can try and get ahold of some," Tigra offered. "Alright then, one dose for now. Just until we know if it works."

At Tigra's nod, Badr finally picked up his cup. "Reese, Soldier," he turned to the two in question, "I'm in need of some research." "Who and what?" Soldier turned fully to Badr while Reese sat up. "The Ghost Investigation Ward, and a piece of legistation called the 'Anti-Ecto Acts' or something akin to that." "On it," Reese and Soldier filed out, Tigra heading out for her own task as well.

"Brother," Badr's full attention was on Marc, "I'll need your help with this." "Of cource. You'll have all of us, in any way we can." "Good, I have to got back in." "I'll see if my sources have any information." With a grim nod, they both headed off with determination in their strides.

[zalia]

Episode Echoes thoughts

Pondering after Act 2 Part 2 of Episode Echoes because I have thoughts... They're not entirely coherent, and definitely aren't gonna be a definitive answer to anything, but there's some really old lore which seems extremely relevant right now, especially regarding the Conductor's possible plans/motives.

So, we've got Saint-14 with differing memories to Osiris. A version of Maya Sundaresh acting as the Conductor. A series of Battlegrounds featuring a giant Vex minotaur that looks a hell of a lot like Atheon. A Vex cyclops that looks like Dendron Root Mind, in an area that is very similar to the Pyramidion on Io (Ikora even comments upon it being like the Pyramidion in a voice line so we're meant to pick up on that, rather than it just being reusing assets).

First thought: Everything that is happening to Saint and Osiris feels very targeted. From what Saint says, the Conductor knew a lot about him, and about Osiris, about Sagira. Makes sense if she's scouring the Vex Network since they're probably the two Guardians the Vex know the most about (barring possibly Kabr who became Vex, and Asher who was partially Vexified and became subsumed in the network). If she's using the Vex's simulation abilities, I think even paracausality would not prevent them predicting that the Last City would send their Vexperts to investigate, even if they couldn't 100% accurately simulate the Light. If I was trying to take over the Vex, I would probably want to compromise the Guardian who killed so many Vex they built him a tomb, and the Guardian who wrested control of the Infinite Forest away from them. And she seems to know just where to dig in to Saint's mind. The Conductor also says some things about shaping people's realities in the Polychroma Ghost Shell lore:

Naturally, few are capable of positive contribution to this work, but that will be manageable. We don't need a chorus to form a quartet. People of science, vigorous study, those are the future humanity needs. There are individuals that would meet the qualifications, of course, and those who possess unique brilliance that is impossible to duplicate. What ease can we provide those careful few? How to best shape their world from the inside out?

The whole lore entry is rather disturbing (and in attitude towards people reads more like Clovis Bray than Maya Sundaresh. Or like the Witness in many ways). But wanting individuals with unique brilliance, and shaping their world from the inside out... Is Saint a test run for this? The entry also talks of 'more complex minds prove difficult'. Well, how about experimenting on an exo whose mind has a Radiolaria component. Something like imprinting a memory on the Radiolaria to affect the exo mind? To shape an individual's reality from the inside out. And Osiris also would kinda be one of those people with unique brilliance. And a whole connection to the Veil. Anyway, the main thought before that got away from me was... Saint's memories. We so far only have one very specific memory which differs, and that difference in memory only appears after he'd been yoked. Could be Saint from a different timeline, sure, that is a possibility. Could be an entirely fake memory that the Conductor has forced him to believe. What if it's a real memory from a different timeline's Saint, forced into this timeline's Saint? And that's where I come to think about mind-forking. Mind Forking is something that only comes up a few times in lore, always in connection to Maya Sundaresh (barring one time when it's just mentioned as a thing that raises concern in the Golden Age). The earliest mentions of it come from the D1 grimoire cards, specifically: Ghost Fragment Vex 4 and Ghost Fragment Vex 5 (CW for suicide)

In Ghost Fragment Vex 4, the Ishtar Scientists are releasing their simulated copies into the Citadel on Venus.

Chioma puts an arm around her. "That's what we're going to find out. Where the Citadel can send us. Whether we can come back." "They're not us any more." Maya looks down at herself, at the cache of her self-forks. "We're not going anywhere. We're sending them. They're diverging."

So the Vex simulations are like mind forks. (We will be coming back to this lore entry. In Ghost Fragment Vex 5, Maya is in Lhasa working on a project that will later become the Future War Cult's device.

We built the device in mimicry of the Vex gateway systems from Ishtar. An observatory, yes, but I think of it as a mind-ship. Capable of displacing its payload across space and time.

So Vex technology capable of displacing a mind across space and time (and don't think I don't see you there 'observatory' reference - I have no doubt the writers of the Final Shape CE lore were looking at this grimoire card for reference). Experimenting with this device goes... poorly. People are driven mad by it. Maya has an idea:

I’ve suggested that we attempt mind forking. We need more sane people to work with. Please forgive me, my love.

She doesn't explain what mind forking is, but she describes the copies of the Ishtar scientists as 'forks', and from the context, I'd guess that it's a way of creating a copy of a mind that diverges at a specific point. That copy can then be sent out using the device and if it goes insane or dies, well, you've got the original. If it goes well, the forked mind and the original reunite. Maybe? It's never quite that clean where this stuff is involved - the simulated Vex scientists were fully independent, sapient, entities. Not just computer copies. From another standpoint - it would be like having Saint-14 there, and then making another exo based on the original mindprint of Saint.

The Device is eventually picked up by the Future War Cult, led by Lakshmi-2, who is sort of but not quite Maya Sundaresh thanks to the Veil! Lakshmi-2 also talks about Mind Forking in Season of the Splicer

The Future War Cult has long used Vex-derived technology to see into the future. I won't bore you with an explanation of mind-forking.

The experiments with the device do not go any better and you can read them on the Future War Cult grimoire card.

No wonder the Device was abandoned. The human mind is too weak for it. Too weak to look into the Future, or to understand what it sees. What the situation calls for, little Ghost, is a better sort of witness.

(oh yeah the writers were absolutely looking at these grimoire lore cards for a lot of recent stuff.

We don't really hear anything about it again until... Season of the Seraph. In the Spire of the Watcher chestpiece.

[AUGURMIND] Predictive Matrix  Potential Colony Sites  Chronoscopic Analysis  MIND FORK II PROTOTYPE INTERLACING  PROJECT FILE: Ishtar-Joint, Sundaresh

Oh yeah, we've got Soteria the Occlusion in the Vex Network on Neomuna, Maya Sundaresh, one of the founders of Neomuna, and Mind forking. Is Soteria a mind-fork of Maya Sundaresh as well? Not enough info to say. But Soteria is very entwined with Maya and the CloudArk and thus, the Veil. She is also partially created from Vex prediction technology.

Where is this going? I don't know. Regarding Saint though... could the Conductor have found a mind-fork of Saint from another timeline and IDK, pasted that specific memory into his head?

One last thing, going back to the Vex 4 lore. In Season of the Wish, in the Starcrossed mission, we enter the Black Garden, and are confronted by a very specific Vex structure:

The Citadel on Venus. You can still see it in D2 from the starting area of the Vault of Glass raid. In D2 you get to climb it. It's a really specific structure which had not really been referenced at all since D1. And suddenly it's back in Season of the Wish. And now we have lore mentioning the Ishtar scientist copies and Praedyth.

In the Vex 4 lore, there is this conversation between the Ishtar Scientists.

"Do you think," Duane-McNiadh begins, halting, "that you could use this place to change things? If you regretted something, could you find a way through the Citadel, go back, and change it?" "I wish I could go back and change you into someone else," Dr. Shim grouses. Chioma's shaking her head. She knows physics. "Time is self-consistent," she says. "I think it's like the story of the merchant and the alchemist. You could go back and watch something, or be part of something, but if you did, then that was the way it always happened." "Maybe you could bring something back to now. Something you needed." Maya runs a hand across the surface of the Vex aperture, feeling it with sensors ten thousand times as precise as a human hand. These proxy bodies are limited— they crash and need resetting every few hours, they struggle with latency, they can't hold much long term memory. But they'll get better. "Or go forward and learn something vital. If you knew how to control it, how to navigate across space and time."

The Merchant and the Alchemist section sounds a lot like Saint's paradox. And there's a lot here that seems to point to the Conductor maybe possibly wanting to change time to fix something that went wrong. Also from Vex 5

I am beginning to wonder if we were wrong about the merchant and the alchemist. Or if that explanation of time was incomplete.

The Merchant and the Alchemist is also a reference to a Ted Chiang book where an alchemist shows a merchant a mysterious black stone arch which lets you travel to the future (and there is another gate which leads to the past). I haven't read it, so can't give more details but again, it's not an idle reference.

tl;dr there is absolutely a picture forming here, and, like a magic eye picture, I just haven't managed to make my vision go funny in the right way to see it yet.

[nyaagolor]

Merry DL6mas!

I wrote an inordinate amnt of words about Edgeworth and MVK and dynamics and meta and w/e, stuck it below the cut so I don't obliterate ur dashes

So originally I wanted to make a relationship flowchart for all the characters and then realized that the amnt of caveats would make the image entirely text so I’m just forgoing the image altogether and doing this group by group starting with the VKs bc DL6mas and whatnot. It’s an essay and also unorganized so um. Have fun or apologies in advance? 

Anyway. I think AA1 intending to be standalone and then getting these additional games does some fun things to the characters but especially for Manfred. I’m of the opinion that he was not created or written to be deep or nuanced or anything. He’s the final boss, we weren’t supposed to get more on him, he’s honestly just a symbolic representation of the forces Phoenix works against rather than a character in his own right (in AA1 at least). He’s cartoonishly evil and that was supposed to be it— and then we get JFA and Franziska and suddenly Manfred gets all this retroactive characterization as the story is built beyond its initial parameters. That’s part of the reason why I’m so interested in him— all this new information comes exclusively through other characters and insinuations rather than him actually being on screen up until Investigations and even then it’s like 4 lines. We get more on Manfred, yes, but it’s a shadow on the wall. I’m sorry to bring up allegory of the cave about the gay lawyer simulator but w/e I’m a melodramatist, it’s an allegory of the cave situation. The reason I bring that up is because I don’t really think about Manfred in the same way as other characters; I piece together how I think of him though his relationships and impact on others rather than as an independent dude. His past is inconsequential to me and the ppl who flesh him out are the real troopers but he matters to me more as a vessel for narrative themes than anything. This is all to say that everything I’m doing is conjecture and just kind of filling in the gaps based on my current understanding of the text. Headcanons for the broad and far-reaching audience of me, myself, and I. 

That being said. The whole spiel I just went on about “Manfred as defined by his relation to others” works quite nicely as tie-in to how he feels about Edgeworth, because I think Edgeworth occupies this symbolic space in MVK’s mind. Yes, Edgeworth is a kid he mentors and who lives in his house and who he is legally responsible for, but Edgeworth is also this physical manifestation of his failures. Edgeworth is a child, yes, but to MVK he’s a ghost, a consequence, a punishment. He may not be a VK, but he IS karma (sound the turnabout melody I am kissing you on the lips for this line btw). 

This also means that the way MVK views Edgeworth as an extension of his own thoughts about the DL6 incident rather than solely as his own person, which is something that changes pretty drastically over time. The way he talks about and to Edgeworth goes beyond who and what Edgeworth is as a person because for MVK, there was always an aspect of the self in there, and MVK interacting with Edgeworth is as much a reflection of his own identity as it is how he feels about Miles. 

If there is one thing the entire VK family does extraordinarily well it's projection, and I think MVK has been doing this since he brought Edgeworth into the picture (and before that, but it’s only relevant to me now). This is personally how I rationalize how absolutely batshit half of MVK’s actions are. I know the actual reason is “we expanded the characters around him which necessitates certain actions to drive the plot and inconsistency results from this expansion” blah blah blah paratext more or less confirms this, but we are going full Watsonian in this bitch. 

I have talked at length about the actual medical stuff around gunshots and how bullets are typically removed from joints specifically because of how badly they damage the surrounding tissues over time, I’ll link the post if anyone is curious, but tldr bullet wound symbolism. I bring this up now because I think the bullet acts as a physical representation for DL6, it literally and metaphorically tears him up inside. No one else knows about this murder, most people have forgotten the penalty, but he never did, because he can’t. For someone who has structured his entire self on the idea of perfection, this is an event of unprecedented magnitude, and the living proof of it is eating dinner at his table every night. MVK sits with the weight of what he’s done, and whether or not he feels justified or guilty or w/e doesn’t even matter because it’s making him lose his goddamn mind. His behavior gets more intense, more irrational, because before he was just a massive, scheming, paragon of perfection (and corruption but shh) but now he is in this inescapable cycle as the result of his choices and his choices exclusively. I don’t propose to know nor care about how he felt about it or what the specific emotions he felt were because they’re not particularly important in my mind, only that the lingering ghost of DL6 is driving MVK kinda bonkers and that drastically alters how he interacts with Edgeworth and Franziska. 

I’ve seen a lot of debate about why MVK took in Edgeworth, but my hot take is that he actually doesn’t know. I don’t think MVK ever processed DL6, I think he is filled with contradictory feelings (how ironic) and that this is what eats at him through all those years. Why did he take in Edgeworth? Because he felt guilty? Because he wanted to train him into everything his father hated as a twisted kind of revenge? Because he wanted a prodigy and saw himself in Edgeworth? It’s all of them, it’s none of them, it doesn’t matter, he doesn’t know. Why did he prosecute Edgeworth right before the statute of limitations ended? Was it revenge? Hatred? A way to test his prodigy? To project his own gnawing nest of emotions onto the person he felt embodied the incident? Same deal. (the real answer is that it doesn’t really matter bc we were not supposed to think about it this hard but. Shh. dw about it.)

I don’t take much interest into Manfred’s inner world because I ultimately think that a lot of his actions, while completely under his control, are him acting on impulse, on him doing irrational things because DL6, in a sense, killed him too. He comes out of that elevator a different person (not worse (can’t go down from rock bottom), not better, just a different kind of asshole), but destroyed from the inside out by a murder he committed. He’s so arrogant, so entitled, that he could never let this go, and I think that drives so much of the insane shit he tries to pull. He has centered his life around the axis of DL6 and he will always be pulled back into its orbit. The further we get from DL6 the more time he has to think, the more it tears him apart, the more the contradictory feelings about it rear their heads in turn and create this guy who is just desperate and angry. And when it’s days before the statute of limitations he just becomes completely subsumed by it all. He was always cruel, but now he’s cruel and desperate and completely willing to drag everyone down with him. The desperation is the important part. 

I will say though that he is, irrefutably, his own downfall. He molded Edgeworth in his own image, he created Phoenix Wright the defense attorney as a consequence, and it is the two of them who send him to his death. He is the one who planned the murder of Turnabout Goodbyes. From beginning to end, it’s his own hand. Manfred is one of the only characters in this series whose actions are not precedented by extenuating circumstances. It’s allllll him. He’s the bitch. He has been and will always be a selfish prick and for as much as he is lashing out because of DL6 he does so by dragging others in. 

Extremely long prelude to say that I think how he treats edgeworth varies so wildly over time and is so irrational in its presentation because of everything I mentioned before. He is Edgeworth’s greatest kindness and his worst nightmare— at the same time!! Multitasking king. He takes in Edgeworth as a snap decision for reasons he doesn’t entirely understand, and I think because of that he never quite views Edgeworth as a son (at least in the traditional sense). Edgeworth is not his child in the same way that Franziska is his child (and we will get to her in a different post I promise), but he’s not just some random kid either. Manfred is emotionally tied to him through DL6, and I think the fact colors the way that Manfred treats him. It’s a dynamic that I can’t really put a label on, because it’s mentor/student with so much extra baggage that it feels different than that. There is an emotional connection between them, a sense of atonement and revenge, and I don’t think either of them will ever be able to articulate what that means. Manfred does not address Edgeworth as his child, and I think there is an attempt in his language to distance himself from Edgeworth, but he finds himself drawn to Edgeworth all the same (bc Edgeworth is DL6 etc etc). He did not ask for a child, he does not WANT a child, but he has one! Get fucked!

MVK is obsessed with his own image, with this idea of perfection, and insofar as Edgeworth is DL6, Edgeworth is an extension of MVK. He pushes his ideals and tactics onto Edgeworth the second Edgeworth decides he wants to be a prosecutor, because even more than Franziska, Edgeworth is MVK’s living legacy. He is quite literally Manfred’s midlife crisis and I think Edgeworth wanting to be like him and becoming this Demon Prosecutor is this insanely fucked up kind of catharsis in MVK’s mind. And as Edgeworth becomes more like him, as he takes up MVK’s mantle, he becomes a mirror— that is where shit gets fun. I don’t think I need to spell out the ways in which MVK was simultaneously caring and cruel to his kids— you’ve seen Sound the Turnabout Melody, you’re seen Turnabout Goodbyes, we know this song and dance. 

The more time Edgeworth spends around him, as Edgeworth reflects more of Manfred back at himself, MVK simultaneously becomes proud and revolted. Edgeworth is growing beyond the consequences of DL6 and into a mirror of his adopted father figure mentor person. He is, from the ashes of DL6, becoming Manfred von Karma, and I think that drives MVK insane. He is becoming firmly entrenched in MVK’s life at this point. For as much as Edgeworth is DL6, he is now MVK himself. He becomes a walking contradiction, and Manfred’s projection then manifests as this rapidly oscillating clusterfuck of reactions. Edgeworth is out of his control but he’s super important to MVK— recipe for disaster. 

He builds Edgeworth up, teaches him everything he knows, starts to treat him like a son while at the same time irrevocably traumatizing for the rest of his life. He loves who Edgeworth is becoming while hating everything he stands for, and I think this absolute garbage pile of a child-rearing philosophy is as much a projection of himself as anything. It was never about Edgeworth the person. At first, MVK does not care in the slightest about Miles Edgeworth and it is only when he does, even a little bit, that shit hits the fan in my mind. Edgeworth the physical manifestation of DL6 is being overtaken by Edgeworth the Demon Prosecutor, and MVK starts to be proud of him— but this is an eventuality he did not plan for and cannot do anything about. For both of them, it’s personal now, and no amount of pushing each other away is really going to fix that. 

Anyway I don’t think literally any of this was intended. Manfred is not this deep, I am making literally all of this up, but it’s fine. If you got this far I salute you. Miles time. To pivot to Edgeworth’s POV for a while, I think that from the very beginning, Edgeworth looked up to MVK. It’s not the same idolization that Franziska does, but it’s up there. Obviously he idolized his father, but DL6 not only served as a complete evisceration of his family but also his ideals. Gregory the man was dead, but if criminals can kill his father and get away with it, that collapses the foundation on which Miles built his understanding of justice. Gregory the defense attorney– his ideals, his legacy, his philosophy– he died in that elevator too. Edgeworth pivots, completely independently, from a man who wants to protect to a man who wants to punish (and I firmly believe that this was his own decision and not Manfred pushing him into it, if MVK had not adopted him he still would have become a prosecutor just not so much of a dick). 

But so Manfred takes him in, and was spectacularly ill-equipped to handle this. I always saw Manfred as emotionally distant on the best of days (he’s born in the 50s what did u expect) but for Miles, who he barely considers a son at all, he isn’t capable of being the emotional support he needs. He never would be and never wanted to be. That’s layer one of baggage. What MVK does provide for Miles, though, is a purpose. Miles does not wallow in his father’s death, because he is taken in by someone who acts as a paragon of Miles’ new worldview. Manfred never lets a criminal get away. He is perfect in that way, and it gives Miles a tangible (albeit impossible) goal to strive for. MVK mentors him in this worldview and gives him the tools to outlet his grief and rage into something productive— fucked up and wrong, maybe, but productive. That’s layer two of baggage. 

For as complicated and twisted and contradictory as MVK’s feelings towards Edgeworth are, Edgeworth for most of his childhood sees MVK as this pillar of everything that is good and treats him with intense amounts of respect. He accepts any cruelty as tough love, he adopts his ideals and his tactics and his suit. Edgeworth needed *something* after the grief of DL6 and MVK is what he got, so Miles latches on and never lets go, for better or for worse. Miles Edgeworth is not Manfred von Karma but he actively tries to take his shape because whether or not it’s reciprocated, Edgeworth loves him and everything that he stands for. Manfred cares about him in that respect at the very least. And ultimately, this is my big take on Edgeworth: I think Edgeworth actively chased MVK. He became MVK on purpose. It’s a result of trauma and built entirely on false pretenses, but Miles is the one who takes the initiative and Manfred indulges him— And then Turnabout Goodbyes happens. 

Everything Edgeworth is, everything he made himself become, is wrong. Edgeworth has molded himself into a person he does not recognize and that person turned out to be a monster. The person Edgeworth idolized, respected, and maybe even loved is the very person who destroyed his life. He is wearing the skin of the monster he wanted to destroy, and he did it on purpose (in his mind). This is not to say he had much if any agency in this situation— this is not a path he would naturally take, this is structured entirely under false pretenses, and he was clouded by grief, traumatized, and most importantly nine, but what matters here is that Edgeworth FEELS like it’s his fault, and the complete collapse of his worldview AGAIN is what drives all the bullshit of RFTA. Edgeworth is not MVK (and you can tell because he is capable of self-reflection which MVK is ostensibly not (or at least unwilling to)), but it still drives him to this complete and utter devastation. He sees Manfred in himself and it isn’t until AAI1/2 that he’s able to see Gregory as well. MVK filled a need for Edgeworth at the lowest point in his life (and absolutely made him worse but that’s not the point). Edgeworth respected and loved Manfred’s ideals, STILL chases the idea of the man, and because of that still cares about him. He becomes aware of who the monster he loved is, and how has to reconcile with what it means to be that person’s reflection and legacy despite knowing— and feeling, and BEING— all the harm he caused.

Those contradictory feelings that I talked about earlier? Love and hatred all mixed together— questions that cannot be answered and actions taken without knowing why? That’s Edgeworth’s final gift from Manfred: he inherits the bullet and the legacy he carries forward. Unlike Manfred, though, Edgeworth takes that pain and shares it, lets other people in, scoffs at the veneer of perfection and allows himself to be hurt and vulnerable and it is only in that way that Edgeworth can break out of VK’s shadow and break the cycle. He holds onto the ideals that he learned from Manfred, separates them from the nastiness and acknowledges the place they came from. It’s obvious in the way that Edgeworth carries aspects of that legacy forward that he’s capable of disseminating everything that Manfred is, acknowledging the way he’s been influenced by him and what he still respects about the man despite it all, and make peace with the rest of it. The cycle of violence and corruption started with Manfred and Edgeworth makes sure that it ends with him too. 

I have a ton more to talk about with respect to his teaching methods and the nitty gritty of how he interacts with his kids but that’s for the Fran post. This is more of the “whys” than the “hows” but I’ll get there :)

Anyway, I think that’s it. I’m sure there’s more that I’m missing but my head is beyond empty rn and I can’t think of anything else I wanna talk about with respect to these two. I know I literally just spewed 3k words about into this textpost but I do love chatting about them (total shock I know) so if u also have thoughts or ideas abt anything related to them lmk :3

[anim-ttrpgs]

Songs for Eureka Sessions: Monster Hunting

(as in the monster is a PC who is hunting prey)

Masterpost of Eureka song lists & how to choose good music for any TTRPG session.

I Am the Night - Perturbator

Ghost - Stealth Music Avery Alexander

Death Squad - Perturbator

The Worms - Cultist Simulator

Phantom Dirge - Spiral Knights

Title - It Follows

Detroit - It Follows

Playpen - It Follows

Diet and Cancer – Heroin and Your Veins

Vigilante – Trigg & Gusset

Underground – Resident Evil 1 Remake

Release – Hotline Miami

Behind the Mansion – Resident Evil 1 Remake

Flatline – Hotline Miami

Cricket Ambience – Silent Hill 4

Unholy Voices – Blood

The Hunt – River City Girls

Sahara – The Guest

Elegantly designed and thoroughly playtested, Eureka represents the culmination of three years of near-daily work from our team, as well as a lot of our own money. If you’re just now reading this and learning about Eureka for the first time, you missed the crowdfunding window unfortunately, but you can still check out the public beta on itch.io to learn more about what Eureka: Investigative Urban Fantasy actually is, as that is where we have all the fancy art assets, the animated trailer, links to video reviews by podcasts and youtubers, etc.!

You can also follow updates on our Kickstarter page where we post regular updates on the status of our progress finishing the game and getting it ready for final release.

Beta Copies through the Patreon

If you want more, you can download regularly updated playable beta versions of Eureka: Investigative Urban Fantasy earlier, plus extra content such as adventure modules by subscribing to our Patreon at the $5 tier or higher. Subscribing to our patreon also grants you access to our patreon discord server where you can talk to us directly and offer valuable feedback on our progress and projects.

The A.N.I.M. TTRPG Book Club

If you would like to meet the A.N.I.M. team and even have a chance to play Eureka with us, you can join the A.N.I.M. TTRPG Book Club discord server. It’s also just a great place to talk and discuss TTRPGs, so there is no schedule obligation, but the main purpose of it is to nominate, vote on, then read, discuss, and play different indie TTRPGs. We put playgroups together based on scheduling compatibility, so it’s all extremely flexible. This is a free discord server, separate from our patreon exclusive one. https://discord.gg/7jdP8FBPes

Other Stuff

We also have a ko-fi and merchandise if you just wanna give us more money for any reason.

We hope to see you there, and that you will help our dreams come true and launch our careers as indie TTRPG developers with a bang by getting us to our base goal and blowing those stretch goals out of the water, and fight back against WotC's monopoly on the entire hobby. Wish us luck.

[arimiaromage]

Strange house - DGM doujin fangame route 1

So this weekend I reached the true ending for the 1st scenario / route in Strange house, a doujin LaviYuu game I found made by MOONLIGHT CAFE. you can see the entire guidebook for it as well as more details here.

and now I'm going to show it off to you!

I finished scenario / route 1, titled "Dolly". in visual novels, when it has multiple endings or ways the story can play out, those are typically called routes. in Strange house it has 4 main routes with multiple endings for each route, though every route is still about Lavi x Kanda.

this is the route in the guidebook, where they give you a brief glimpse at some of the CGs (cutscene artworks) for the route and which choices you need to pick in order to get the true ending.

basically, the route starts by you (playing as Lavi) out on a mission with Kanda and Toma.

after you wrap up, Lavi says that it's too far to travel back to headquarters that night (this game set sometime right after Allen sets up the Ark doors for travel as the 14th but before Lavi is captured by the Noah) and insists you find shelter in the nearby town (because he wants more time outside the Order with Kanda).

in town, Toma hears there's a mansion nearby that will provide shelter to them, so they head there and are greeted by its owner, Ralph (ラルフ).

one of the main choices for this route is...... whether you introduce Kanda to Ralpha as Kanda or Yu??? I went with Yu for my first playthrough (I didn't consult the guidebook, I just wanted to play it naturally) and that apparently locked me out of the true ending. there's several endings if you called him Yu, but you can only get the true ending by calling him Kanda.

Ralph shows them to their rooms with some small chat - Ralph lives alone in this mansion after the passing of his parents and then his sister. Lavi and Kanda stay in adjoining bedrooms and try to get some sleep.

however.... a ghost has other plans.

the vision of a ghostly woman wakes Lavi up. he goes to Kanda's room to tell him about it only to find that Kanda isn't there anymore. his bags are there, and the bed looked slept in, but Kanda was missing.

at this point you return to Lavi's room and can either investigate on your own some or immediately call Ralph in. regardless, you have to call Ralph to investigate.

when Lavi investigates on his own, he finds a bloodied and town fabric, which definitely doesn't sit well with him. he informs Toma that Kanda is missing and tells him to sit tight, that he'll solve this.

after Lavi calls Ralph to inform him that Kanda is missing, Ralph is initially skeptical (maybe he went to the bathroom? out for a walk?) but agrees to help Lavi.

the two search the mansion but come up empty. the only location inside the manor they haven't searched is the attic which has been locked up since Ralph's sister died.

Lavi is surprised it's in such a nice shape despite Ralph claiming he hasn't been in there for at least months and the mansion doesn't have any maids/butlers. there's also a portrait on the wall that Lavi notices looks similar to the ghostly woman he saw earlier that night.

you have 2 options, either inspect the portrait on your own while Ralph opens up the attic window or ask Ralph directly about the portrait. if you inspect it before asking about it, the game continues. if you ask Ralph about it, he immediately shoots Lavi in the face.

I believe this is the first bad end in the route. Lavi later wakes up at the Order with only partial memories of what happened. apparently, Kanda found him bleeding out and managed to get him back there before it was too late, though he was heavily injured. however, Ralph had escaped by that point and Kanda refuses to talk about the night at all.

if we inspect the portrait, Lavi thinks how similar it looks to the ghost he saw but before he can remark out loud, Ralph calls him over to the window.

(yeah, they just took the front of the manor and skewed the image to simulate Lavi looking downwards from the attic)

Ralph says there's something outside, to which Lavi looks out but sees nothing. Ralph then pushes Lavi out the window but he's saved by extending his hammer. once he hits the ground unscathed, Ralph opens fire on him. at this point Lavi is very confused and runs off to the forest.

Ralph follows him there but Lavi knocks him out. there's the sounds of something rustling nearby, to which Lavi can either inspect it or take the unconscious Ralph back to the manor to search for Kanda.

if he searches for the sound, he finds it's a group of akuma waiting for an ambush. Lavi easily destroys them.

when Lavi comes back from fighting, Ralph is gone. Lavi goes to the basement and finds a dying Kanda sitting with a doll that looks just like the ghost he saw. however, this is another bad end - Kanda slowly wakes up but the two go home without fully understanding events.

what you're supposed to do is ignore the sounds and immediately take Ralph back inside. Lavi heads to the basement with him where they find a dying Kanda sitting with a "doll".

because Ralph is here, he freaks out and runs away at seeing the doll. Lavi stays by Kanda's side until he's able to move. once he regains consciousness, the two leave to chase after Ralph one more time.

Kanda is still injured, but they both know he should be fine thanks to his recovery speed. Kanda thinks Ralph thought he was dead and couldn't believe he was still alive. Lavi knows Kanda was dead from those injuries but his recovery abilities saved him.

Kanda goes on to explain that Ralph is a broker for the Earl and that the woman who saved him was Ralph's sister, Lyra (ライラ). he had heard a knocking on his window and saw the woman. she told him her name and that her brother was a broker. he had wanted to sell his soul and his sister's soul to revive their parents when they died, but she was so against the plan she locked herself in the attic.

depending on if you introduced Kanda as Yu or Kanda (yep remember that choice at the beginning?) determines if you get the final bad end or the true end.

if you called him Yu, then the two run around the mansion but find Ralph dead. akuma have already found him and killed him. Lavi and Kanda destroy the remaining akuma but still go home unsatisfied as they don't fully understand what happened to Lyra.

if you called him Kanda, then the two immediately run to Ralph's study where they find him about to make a phone call. they pull him out and force him to confess.

Ralph admits to being a broker, but there's one problem - his sister is dead. he swears he wasn't lying about that, saying that she killed herself when he was adamant that they revive their parents. so who saved Kanda...? at this point, even Lavi is confused.

they go back to the basement to see a lifeless doll there, covered in Kanda's blood. Ralph confesses the rest.

this is the true end for Dolly.

Lavi and Kanda take turns staying up to make sure no more akuma attack (and that Ralph doesn't escape) and Kanda brings out the—grape juice.

cue makeout session.

the next day, they hand off the manor to a group of finders to secure it and head off back to the Order. Lavi says he's sad he didn't get to see Kanda's sleeping face (Kanda woke up before he did that morning) and hopes he gets to see it at the Order.

still, Kanda brings him in for one more kiss before they go home.

and that's only one scenario / route out of the entire game! each route was written by a different person with different CG artists.

here's the ending credits as well.

this was pretty nice! it felt like one of the side story episodes from the original anime - they venture into a creepy but ultimately inconspicuous manor at night only to find it's connected to akuma, with its own broker and ghost story. this route was probably only around 2~ hours of playtime but took me much longer as it's in JP.

also, most of the character sprites are slightly animated and it's really cute, like Lavi's blushing happy sprite when he realizes Kanda wants to drink with him.

I'll be playing through the rest of the routes at some point and sharing that as well.

[intimidating-fettuccine]

Creep Hunger Games

NOTE; I did NOT write all this myself, I used a simulation tool, so there is no bias or tampering here on my part.

A week or two ago I did a poll on who you thought would win the hunger games, and I decided to run a simulation online and see who would win according to luck. This is the transcription of events.

As the tributes stand on their podiums, the horn sounds.

Jane runs away from the Cornucopia.

Natalie runs away from the Cornucopia.

Eyeless Jack runs away from the Cornucopia.

Slender shoots an arrow at Tim, but misses and kills BEN instead.

Splendor bashes Sally's head in with a mace.

Jeff clutches a first aid kit and runs away.

Puppeteer runs away from the Cornucopia.

Trender takes a sickle from inside the cornucopia.

Candy Pop runs away from the Cornucopia.

Laughing Jack runs away from the Cornucopia.

Zalgo runs away from the Cornucopia.

Liu runs away from the Cornucopia.

Helen gathers as much food as he can.

Toby runs away from the Cornucopia.

Offender runs away from the Cornucopia.

Nina runs into the cornucopia and hides.

Brian runs away from the Cornucopia.

Hobo runs away from the Cornucopia.

Dr. Smiley takes a handful of throwing knives.

Jason and Kate fight for a bag. Kate gives up and retreats.

DAY ONE

Laughing Jack searches for a water source.

Liu, Helen, and Toby successfully ambush and kill Jane, Jason, and Offender.

Eyeless Jack and Brian fight Trender and Nina. Eyeless Jack and Brian survive.

Jeff begs for Zalgo to kill him. He refuses, keeping Jeff alive.

Natalie collects fruit from a tree.

Candy Pop collects fruit from a tree.

Puppeteer searches for firewood.

Hobo and Tim split up to search for resources.

Kate fishes.

Splendor scares Dr. Smiley off.

Slender makes a slingshot.

Fallen Tributes from day one; BEN, Sally, Jane, Jason, Offender, Trender, Nina

NIGHT ONE

Hobo quietly hums.

Splendor is awoken by nightmares.

Jeff tends to Kate's wounds.

Zalgo lets Puppeteer into his shelter.

Toby questions his sanity.

Laughing Jack stays awake all night.

Liu sets up camp for the night.

Brian tries to treat his infection.

Tim defeats Eyeless Jack in a fight, but spares his life.

Natalie, Dr. Smiley, Slender, and Helen tell each other ghost stories to lighten the mood.

Candy Pop attempts to start a fire, but is unsuccessful.

DAY TWO

Tim questions his sanity.

Dr. Smiley and Zalgo split up to search for resources.

Liu discovers a cave.

Eyeless Jack scares Toby off.

Natalie, Candy Pop, Brian, Jeff, and Kate hunt for other tributes.

Puppeteer constructs a shack.

Slender chases Helen.

Splendor fishes.

Laughing Jack receives an explosive from an unknown sponsor.

Hobo makes a slingshot.

NIGHT TWO

Slender, Helen, Kate, and Dr. Smiley tell each other ghost stories to lighten the mood.

Hobo dies trying to escape the arena.

Brian sees a fire, but stays hidden.

Candy Pop screams for help.

Laughing Jack, Puppeteer, Zalgo, and Splendor tell each other ghost stories to lighten the mood.

Jeff looks at the night sky.

Natalie receives fresh food from an unknown sponsor.

Eyeless Jack tries to sing himself to sleep.

Toby and Tim tell stories about themselves to each other.

Liu thinks about winning.

DAY THREE

Toby receives an explosive from an unknown sponsor.

Slender is pricked by thorns while picking berries.

Tim strangles Brian with a rope.

Helen searches for a water source.

Eyeless Jack searches for a water source.

Puppeteer sees smoke rising in the distance, but decides not to investigate.

Kate tries to spear fish with a trident.

Dr. Smiley questions his sanity.

Candy Pop injures himself.

Splendor stalks Jeff.

Liu questions his sanity.

Laughing Jack stalks Natalie.

Zalgo hunts for other tributes.

ARENA EVENT

A fire spreads throughout the arena.

The fire catches up to Splendor, killing him.

Slender survives.

Kate survives.

Candy Pop survives.

Natalie falls to the ground, but kicks Helen hard enough to then push him into the fire.

Puppeteer and Eyeless Jack fail to find a safe spot and suffocate.

Zalgo survives.

The fire catches up to Jeff, killing him.

A fireball strikes Laughing Jack, killing him.

Liu survives.

Dr. Smiley survives.

Tim survives.

Toby survives.

Fallen tributes; Hobo, Brian, Splendor, Helen, Puppeteer, Eyeless Jack, Jeff, Laughing Jack

NIGHT THREE

Candy Pop convinces Kate to snuggle with him.

Liu destroys Slender's supplies while he is asleep.

Zalgo destroys Natalie's supplies while she is asleep.

Dr. Smiley and Toby talk about the tributes still alive.

Tim receives an explosive from an unknown sponsor.

THE FEAST

The cornucopia is replenished with food, supplies, weapons, and memoirs from the tributes' families.

Kate severely slices Natalie with a sword.

Slender, Tim, Toby, and Liu track down and kill Dr. Smiley.

Candy Pop falls into a pit and dies.

Zalgo accidently steps on a landmine.

DAY FOUR

Tim scares Slender off.

Kate discovers a cave.

Liu runs away from Toby.

Fallen tributes; Natalie, Dr. Smiley, Candy Pop, Zalgo

NIGHT FOUR

Tim cries himself to sleep.

Kate receives fresh food from an unknown sponsor.

Slender loses sight of where he is.

Liu quietly hums.

Toby cooks his food before putting his fire out.

DAY FIVE

Toby picks flowers.

Slender sees smoke rising in the distance, but decides not to investigate.

Liu practices his archery.

Tim explores the arena.

Kate receives an explosive from an unknown sponsor.

NIGHT FIVE

Tim receives fresh food from an unknown sponsor.

Toby defeats Slender in a fight, but spares his life.

Liu is unable to start a fire and sleeps without warmth.

Kate sets up camp for the night.

DAY SIX

Tim tries to spear fish with a trident.

Liu picks flowers.

Slender defeats Kate in a fight, but spares her life.

Toby fishes.

NIGHT SIX

Tim loses sight of where he is.

Kate and Liu fight Slender and Toby. Kate and Liu survive.

DAY SEVEN

Kate throws a knife into Tim's chest.

Liu falls into a pit and dies.

Fallen tributes; Tim, Slender, Toby, Liu

THE WINNER IS KATE!

[yurizzsblog]

Plot Twist Ideas

Mystery/Thriller: The detective investigating the crime turns out to be the real culprit, having manipulated the investigation to cover their tracks.

Science Fiction: The protagonist discovers that their reality is a simulated world created by advanced AI, and they are actually a sentient program fighting for freedom.

Fantasy: The hero learns that the powerful artifact they seek is actually cursed, and using it will bring about the very disaster they were trying to prevent.

Romance: The seemingly perfect love interest is revealed to be a spy sent to gather information, but they have genuinely fallen in love and must choose between their mission and their heart.

Horror: The protagonist realizes that the haunted house is alive and feeding off their fear, growing stronger with every attempt to escape.

Drama: The main character's long-lost sibling, thought to be dead, reappears and has been living a completely different life with a new identity.

Adventure: The treasure map the adventurers have been following is a fake, designed to lead them into a trap set by a rival seeking to eliminate them.

Historical Fiction: The key historical figure the protagonist is trying to save is actually orchestrating events to ensure their own rise to power at the expense of everyone else.

Crime: The person the protagonist has been trying to protect and clear of wrongdoing is actually the mastermind behind the entire criminal operation.

Supernatural: The ghosts haunting the protagonist are not trying to scare them away, but rather warn them about a much greater, impending danger.

Comedy: The series of unfortunate events and misunderstandings leading to chaos were all part of an elaborate, unintentional prank by a well-meaning but clueless character.

Young Adult: The protagonist discovers that their best friend, who has been helping them navigate their newfound powers, is actually the villain who gave them the powers in the first place.

Dystopian: The oppressive regime that the protagonist is fighting against was originally established by their own ancestors in a well-meaning attempt to create a utopia.

Psychological Thriller: The protagonist's supposed allies are figments of their imagination, created by their mind to cope with a traumatic past.

Epic Saga: The seemingly invincible antagonist is revealed to be a future version of the protagonist, who has gone down a dark path and become corrupted by power.

[captain-mj]

Monsterhandler part 4? :3

I can’t help but speculate. Is Simon not being able to shift back maybe a stress response??

Oh i can definitely do that!!! So excited about the number of asks I've gotten for it!! Previous part here

Soap had spent years trying to work with... Their technical term was ESUs but that was a boring name. The other soldiers had casually called them monsters or freaks, but he didn't want to use those terms. He had seen the way they flinched when that got thrown around. Though, he doubted something like that would ever rattle Ghost of all people. The guy was tough. Big, bad and almost indestructible with a track record to put most units to shame by himself.

The SAS had been a wonderful achievement, but being a handler had always been the main goal. Ghost had been right. This had been a chance for career development. Though, exciting didn't begin to cover it. This was it. It was perfect. Especially since it was Ghost.

Except Ghost did not seem very willing to work with him. Which was fair, he had been with Price a few years.

Soap sighed and started to reread his file for... who knows how many times. It started with Simon [REDACTED]'s achievements. Excellent sniping record, extremely high amount of kills for such a short period of time, third best time for the military drill tests his scores from where he aced simulated investigations. Then his deployment ended and he went back home to a giant [REDACTED] though it took five minutes of talking to the guy to know he was from Manchester. There was a large section blacked out before getting to where he was found. Apparently he was just... found like that.

Defective was actually in bold. Huh. Soap hadn't really noticed before.

Pictures of his body were there. The scarring looked... intense. Most of his body either covered in scarring or bandaging. His wings... They looked gorgeous.

Ghost wasn't too bad himself. He was so tall and broad shouldered. The photos were strategic, never showing his face. Soap felt pretty disappointed by that.

There were a list of restrictions that had caught him off guard.

Don't let him be alone for long periods of time

Keep him muzzled

Keep his wings bound

Don't allow him off base without supervision

Don't allow him alone with recruits

Don't allow him alone with medication

Do not expose him to Christmas lights.

Soap had been under the impression he'd be dealing with a feral monster trying to kill anything and everything. But Ghost was... something else. When they had first met, he had already known he'd be getting Ghost. Despite that, he didn't make a comment on it. He hadn't been aware that Ghost was uninformed, so that was a smart move. If Ghost had found out on the field, Soap doubted he would've made it back. A simple accident in the field. A bullet that came from nowhere. Or maybe his body just never would've turned up. Soap chose to not take that knowledge personally.

Ghost had been interesting. Brushed him off and only really paid attention to him if Soap initiated first or he needed to give him an order. All in all, it had been... informative.

The Christmas lights part of the restrictions caught him off guard. Why the fuck couldn't he be around Christmas lights? Worried he'd strangle himself with them??

Soap sighed and put the file away. It wouldn't do any good to keep going over it. There was nothing new or useful in it. He stretched and got up to get himself a cup of coffee. To do so, he didn't have to pass Ghost's room. In fact, it was really out of his way to even go in the same general direction, but he still went by his room. Ghost's room was completely silent, so Soap knocked.

Ghost answered almost immediately and Soap almost stumbled when the door opened. Besides his mask and gloves, he didn't have his other stuff on. His wings were out, fluttering behind him and Soap could see his ears perk up through holes in his ski mask. They were a soft blond color. His hair was probably blond too. Weird considering his feathering, usually they matched.

"It's almost midnight." Ghost commented. He stared down at him. Another thing Soap had noticed about Ghost was the staring. It would be predatory if it wasn't so clear that's just how he was. Then, it became almost endearing.

Maybe he was drowsier than he thought. To think this mo- To think Ghost was cute.

"Yeah. You want a cup of coffee?" Soap asked, smiling at him. Goddamn he was pretty.

Ghost stared at him for a minute before crossing his arms. "I don't drink coffee."

"Tea then?" He was a Brit. They all liked tea.

"Sure."

Hook, line and fucking sinker.

Soap walked with him to the mess hall. Because of how late it was, no one was around. Most people respected the whole lights out at 9 pm thing. Good to know his... God he needed to think of something to call him. His Ghost he guessed. His Ghost also didn't care about them.

They could hang out whenever.

He turned the kettle and the coffee machine on. Ghost perched on the counter immediately. His bulk made it look rather funny, though without all the gear he looked slightly more human sized. Slightly.

Tattoos covered his right arm though. Skulls and flames. What a dorky sleeve. He looked up and saw that he had been caught staring.

"Johnny, right?"

"Ah. You looked through my file." Good to know you're just like me. He wanted to ask how many times he read it.

"Yes. Don't get why they thought we'd be a good fit. You locked a military police in his trunk." Ghost sounded amused, but his eyes didn't give anything away. They were so human. Soft and brown. It was unnerving.

"What you a bleeding heart for the police?"

"Nah. Can't stand them."

Soap smiled. "Ever get arrested?"

"Once. Got off easy." Ghost grabbed the kettle since it started to whistle. He poured the water in the mug on top of the teabag. The smell of vanilla filled the air like perfume.

"Aye. You seem like the type."

"Dick." Ghost looked at him for a moment, staring hard and Soap quickly turned around. He fixed the cup of coffee and drank it for a moment.

"Can I turn around now?"

"Nah, appreciate the view." Soap felt a blush creeping up his neck at the implication. "Your hair sucks less from the back." Nevermind.

"And you called me a dick." Soap mumbled, drinking his coffee.

Ghost laughed. It was… melodious. Soap wanted to turn around to see if he could catch him.

“Johnny.” Ghost’s voice had a growl to it. A lot of them did, it just wasn’t noticeable when they were relaxed. Soap wondered if Ghost was just never relaxed or if it was part of him being defective. He really wished he knew why. It wasn't a problem for him, but it clearly was for Ghost.

Soap went to say Simon before deciding he didn’t want to do that. They were having fun. He settled on copying his tone. “Ghost…”

Ghost sighed. “I want to get it out of the way, you understand?”

“Get what out of the way?”

“What do you plan to do to me? What do you consider punishment for me?” Ah. Fair question he supposed.

“It’s like you said.” Soap answered, getting the urge to be gentle with him. He wondered what Price considered punishment before deciding he didn't want to know, worried he'd come out thinking less of the man. “You’re not feral. I don’t need to treat you like a dog."

Ghost was very quiet for a minute before Soap felt a weight on the top of his head as Ghost patted him. “You’re a good one. That’s nice.” His hand was huge. Claws gently running over Soap’s hair. Sharp ends that could cut through his skin easily. He hadn't noticed it before but it was obvious now. The gloves he thought Ghost was wearing was his skin. It felt normal but it was stained a black color like it had been tattooed. His fingertips trailed along the back of his head to his neck. 

“Alright, Johnny. I’ll work with you for now. But one wrong move.” His hand suddenly wrapped around Soap’s throat. Extremely gentle, not an ounce of pressure. But a threat nonetheless. “You understand?”

Soap tilted his head back just a little, letting Ghost’s hand settle a little more firmly on his throat. “I understand.” He knew for a fact that Ghost wouldn’t. Couldn’t. Killing his handler wouldn’t be good for him. But he wanted Ghost to trust him. Fuck it. He wanted Ghost to like him.

Ghost squeezed carefully, making sure that he cut off blood flow but not his actual breathing, before letting go.

Soap counted to 10 before he turned around. Ghost was gone. The mug sat in the sink.

Soap sipped his coffee.

A very exciting career development indeed.

[unbeknownsttomen]

yet another iteration of the characters of foreah shifted one game over to the side, ill repeat my insistence that you go read that comic right now

starting with jasper in hellfuck, probably the one who is having the worst time in their life, i imagine they would work as the character in the game INSIDE, more focused on stealth, timing and puzzle solving rather than dexterity or speed, they would move through secret passages, activate trapdoors, time their runs just when the enemies turn their back. they never stop crying and unlike the angel, those are real tears

then we have jiro in last gun, again, another switch in mechanics, rather than a straight shoot'em up, his game would be a simulation game like deus ex or system shock 2, he can shoot but a lot of the point would be in investigating, hacking and managing resources to sneak through the alien base and sabotage, he can choose to go full guns blazing if he wants to but its probably smarter to go the stealth route

after that the angel in homebound, under her would turn from a debate based ghost hunting game into basically goat simulator/untitled goose game plus a collectathon, just a little kid, going around, causing as much trouble as possible, breaking into places and stealing stuff and getting rid of ghosts by throwing the stuff she stole at them

and finally cliff in love bomb is downgraded from a muscle hunk into a little more bishounen due to the game style, he would be a simple straight up fighter/warrior class, i imagine he would feel comfortable enough having a bunch of girls to take care of, albeit he would take a more paternalistic attitude rather than potential lover

[purpleuniform]

the fnaf timeline from what i can tell going off the information SCOTT HIMSELF has written or put in games/teasers/security log book

fnaf 4 > shows mikes childhood and the 4 initial kids who got killed. four bullies, that put mike in freddys mouth. they are wearing foxy, bonnie, chica and freddy masks, the same masks the ghosts are shown wearing. these are the victims.

fnaf 1 > mike has gotten a job under a fake name trying to catch his dad and find clues. issue is, his dad has already been here and the animatronics are on defense mode. the phone guy is likely william, the movie implies this pretty strongly and in one of his old sprites hes holding a phone, so that is likely him somewhere IN the building with you. which is why in n8ght six you can hear him get attacked by freddy.

fnaf 2 > a remake of the old resturant in modern 2000s times, because mike burned down the last resturant. will is still the phone gut which would explain why he knows so many details about rhe builds and history, and also why he begins to panic about mike being in the building because there is an investigation after murders have been commited. will is likely scared of getting caught. it also makes sense why he keeps saying foxys his favorite, hes trying to mislead mike. bonnies wills favorite. will is killed by thr ghosts in the resturant and dies in the springlock suit and rots.

fnaf 3 > fazbear frights opens up, an unrelated haunted house based off the history of the resturants that utalizes williams old suit. this is likely a couple years in the future after fnaf 2. william is the only animatronic here in the springlock suit and it is a final duel between mike and will. mike burns down the haunted house and thinks he won.

sister location: mike gets a letter from his dad claiming his dead sister is underground. thats where elizabeth is. this is years after fazbear fright and mike needs the final piece solved. he gets scooped and ennard, the left over animatronic bits with all the left over souls in them all smashed into one, uses him as a skin suit. eventually he barfs ennard up and continues on as a living corpse, still dedicated to ending this once and for all.

pizzaria simulator: with the help of henry, an old owner of the resturants, mike makes his own knock off resturant to lure in all the loose end animatronics and get them in one location. hes able to do so, trappig will, all the spirits, elizabeth and charlie all in the building with him and burns it down with him inside. this is quite literally the end of fnaf

fnaf ucn: william tortured in hell simulator

[sweethoneyrose83]

Simulacrum-themed writing prompts:

1. The Perfect Copy

A new technology allows people to create perfect, conscious replicas of themselves to do tasks in their place. But when the simulacrum begins questioning the purpose of its existence, it demands more autonomy. What happens when a copy refuses to return to the original and decides it deserves to live a "real" life?

2. Memories Are Simulations

A person wakes up to find that their memories of the last ten years have been fabricated, a detailed simulation uploaded into their brain. The twist? They've been living in a constructed version of reality, and the person they thought they were no longer exists. How do they cope with the realization, and who is controlling the simulation?

3. Museum of Lost Identities

In a dystopian future, there's a museum where you can "borrow" the identities of people who no longer exist—whether through war, accidents, or forgotten history. You can live as them for a day, experiencing their memories. But one day, a visitor refuses to return the borrowed identity, believing they’ve uncovered a deeper conspiracy.

4. The Disposable Worker

Corporations use disposable human-like simulacra for dangerous jobs, designed with enough sentience to follow orders but not rebel. When one simulacrum develops an unexpected emotional bond with a human coworker, it starts to question its predetermined fate. What happens when it fights for its own survival?

5. Simulacrum Uprising

In a world where humanity's every action is mirrored by a simulacrum in a parallel dimension, the simulacra have started to rebel. A simulacrum has found a way to communicate with their human counterpart, and they’re ready to cross over, intent on taking their place. What do they want, and is their version of reality more real than the one they reflect?

6. The Ghost in the Replica

A wealthy individual pays to have their consciousness copied into a younger, more attractive simulacrum body. But as they begin to notice subtle glitches, they realize something is wrong: their soul or essence didn’t make the transfer. Now, they’re trapped in a body that looks like them but is slowly becoming someone else. What does the original person do as the simulacrum gains its own mind?

7. A City of Copies

In a futuristic megacity, only copies of people are allowed to roam the streets. Real humans live in isolation, while simulacra maintain the world outside. A detective, who has always believed they're human, is hired to investigate a crime committed by one of the simulacra. But during the investigation, they start to question their own identity—are they a copy, too?

8. The Simulacrum’s Dream

Simulacra are designed with no need for sleep, yet one day, a simulacrum claims to have experienced a dream. This unprecedented event causes a rift in society—scientists, religious groups, and governments race to uncover whether simulacra are evolving into something new, and whether they might be capable of a human soul.

9. Breaking the Simulation

After years of living in a society that feels strangely off, a group of people discovers that the world they live in is a massive simulation designed to maintain order. They manage to communicate with their real-world selves, but the process of trying to wake up from the simulation becomes increasingly dangerous. How far are they willing to go to break free?

10. Simulacrum Lovers

A couple who couldn’t be together in life—due to societal or physical constraints—decide to upload their consciousness into simulacrum bodies to live out their romance in a simulated reality. As their simulacra interact, they realize their artificial forms behave in ways that don’t match their expectations. Do the copies evolve feelings of their own, or are they simply mimicking the originals?