#i recently got a new gaming pc

[yharnams]

Should I buy RDR 2 for the third time yes or yes

[ajastu]

there's a lot of posts in the DA tag criticizing veilguard, and like. Barring the fact that most of those feel like they're really not thought out OR they are not made in good faith...which is a whole another topic on its own...

I don't think that even if it WAS a bad game (which, it really is not), i personally could ever go on a criticism crusade against it. Just because of how...important it is, in regards to representation in these sorts of rpg games. The options it made available re: character creation.

Like, hear me out. I love Origins. I've replayed origins a million times. A lot of those times, i had to ignore large parts of how the game referred to my player character bcs i thought of them as nonbinary. Because it was just. Not An Option. And it was fine, i got pretty used to it, because i literally had to do that in EVERY game that let you create a character (and irl lets be real lol). Power of imagination and all that.

And then bg3 properly came out (obligatory 'i know its not the first big game to let you choose pronouns, its just the one i experienced first' disclaimer). And it let you just. have a nonbinary character. Which was refreshing! I remember how excited i was to learn about that. But ultimately, it didn't make much difference, because it never comes up after the CC screen. (and dont get me started on the same clothes changing depending on the body type lol) And sure, being trans isn't, like, the entirety of someones lived experience, but it does still come up? Like its still pretty relevant as far as personal characteristics go. It shapes your experiences in a certain way.

All that is to say, when I saw this pop up in veilguard, i damn near lost my mind abt the Novelty of it all

Like. You can do that??? YOU CAN JUST DO THAT???? IT COMES UP IN-GAME??? YOU CAN JUST. BRING IT UP WHEN RELEVANT??? YOU CAN TALK TO ANOTHER NONBINARY PERSON ABOUT IT, EVEN????

Suddenly, i no longer had to run a constant filter in my head. My character was just allowed to exist in the way i imagined them. And i did not think i needed that, but, hey. Turns out, its really nice being pandered to, sometimes <3

'oh but its worded so awkwardly-' i cannot express how much i don't care about that

'but its bad representation because it doesn't capture every trans experience at once' first of all bad take, second of all it gotta start Somewhere.

This is not something I would want to pick apart. Could I? Sure. But that is not the point here. It doesn't need to be perfect to be important. ESPECIALLY with the way things are right now. And hey, that said, it's still pretty damn good as far as these things go! like its not even bad!! it really isnt!!!

Point is, veilguard set a new standard for character creation in AAA games, for me personally. Now that I know what it's like, any new game of this type that comes out and doesn't take the same care in it's approach will be lacking. It's something so simple, in retrospect, and it's kind of incredible it took This Long to get there. But we did get here!! Veilguard got here, despite the development hell and EA handling it all in the worst way possible both pre n after release. And that is why datv will forever have a special place in my heart <3

TLDR VEILGUARD THEY CAN NEVER MAKE ME HATE YOU

[skimmeh]

I've been busy with moving ...but I did join a Java server, put on a Scar skin and IMMEDIATELY found a jellie ...so it's going good

[queen-scribbles]

Guess it's a good thing I've already been thinking about replacing my desktop... :3

[cerbreus]

been (trying) to play veilguard but honestly i've been battling against the game getting it to function and it's been a losing battle. it started with crazy bad lag, which i had to get a mod to fix. and then it became the save load error bug which progressively got worse and worse until all my saves were corrupted after 24hrs of playing the game and i've gone through every fix i can find to try and get into my most recent save and nothing has worked..... worth mentioning i have an actually good pc that can handle pretty much all games and i've put every single game i've ever played on my HDD since forever and they've worked and i got so desperate i reinstalled the game on my SSD and we'll see. if it works.

[animemeg27]

I forgot how much I love the sims, or more accurately I forgot how addicting the sims is

I started playing the sims 3 again and it’s only been 4 days but each time I play I nearly forget to eat dinner

it’s too fun

I thought I’d burn out after making 8 families and building 6 homes but nope

[gootarts]

as of 8/3, the most recently updated version of this post is here (it's a reblog of this exact post with more info added)

as a lot of you know, limbus company recently fired its CG illustrator for being a feminist, at 11 pm, via phone call, after a bunch of misogynists walked into the office earlier that day and demanded she be fired. on top of this, as per korean fans, her firing went against labor laws---in korea, you must have your dismissal in writing.

the korean fandom on twitter is, understandably, going scorched earth on project moon due to this. there's a lot currently going on to protest the decision, so i'm posting a list here of what's going on for those who want to limit their time on elon musk's $44 billion midlife crisis impulse purchase website (if you are on twitter, domuk is a good person to follow, as they translate important updates to english). a lot of the links are in korean, but generally they play nicely with machine translators. this should be current as of 8/2.

Statements condemning the decision have been issued by The Gyeonggi Youth Union and IT Union.

A press conference at the Gyeonggido Assembly will occur on 8/3, with lawmakers of the Gyeonggi province (where Project Moon is based) in attendance. This appears driven by the leader of the Gyeonggi Youth Union.

The vice chairman of the IT union--who has a good amount of experience with labor negotiations like these--has expressed strong support for the artist and is working to get media coverage due to the ongoing feminist witch hunts in the gaming industry. Project Moon isn't union to my knowledge, but he's noted that he's taken on nonunion companies such as Netmarble (largest mobile game dev in South Korea) by getting the issue in front of the National Assembly (Korea's congress).

Articles on the incident published in The Daily Labor News, Korean Daily, multiple articles on Hankyoreh (one of which made it to the print edition), and other news outlets.

Segments about the termination on the MBN 7 o' clock news and MBC's morning news

Comments by Youth Union leaders about looking into a loan made to Project Moon via Devsisters Ventures, a venture capital firm. Tax money from Gyeonggi province was invested in Devsisters in 2017, and in 2021, Devsisters gave money to Project Moon. The Gyeonggi Youth Union is asking why hard-earned tax money was indirectly given to a company who violates ESG (environmental, social and governance) principles.

Almost nonstop signage truck protests outside Project Moon's physical office during business hours until 8/22 or the company makes a statement. This occurs alongside a coordinated hashtag campaign to get the issue trending on Twitter in Korea. The signage campaign was crowd-funded in about 3 hours.

A full boycott of the Limbus Company app, on both mobile and PC (steam) platforms. Overseas fans are highly encouraged to participate, regardless if whether they're F2P or not. Not opening the app at all is arguably the biggest thing any one person can do to protest the decision, as the app logs the number of accounts that log on daily. For a new gacha such as Limbus, a high number of F2P daily active users, but a small number of paying users is often preferable to having a smaller userbase but more paying users. If the company sees the number of daily users remain stable, they will likely decide to wait out any backlash rather than apologize.

Digging up verified reviews from previous employees regarding the company's poor management practices

Due to the firing, the Leviathan artist has posted about poor working conditions when making the story. As per a bilingual speaker, they were working on a storyboard revision, and thought 'if I ran into the street right now and got hit by a car and died, I wouldn't have to keep working.' They contacted Project Moon because they didn't want their work to be like that, and proposed changes to serialization/reduction in amount of work per picture/to build up a buffer of finished images (they did not have any buffer while working on Leviathan to my knowledge). They were shut out, and had to suck it up and accept the situation.

Hamhampangpang has a 'shrine' section of the restaurant for fans to leave fan-created merch and other items. They also allow the fans to take this merch back if they can prove it's theirs. Fans are now doing just that.

To boost all of the above, a large number of Korean fanartists with thousands of followers have deleted their works and/or converted their accounts from fanart accounts to accounts supporting the protests. Many of them are bilingual, and they're where I got the majority of this information.

[note 1: there's a targeted english-language disinformation campaign by the website that started the hate mob. i have read the artist's tweets with machine translation, and they're talked about in the second hankyoreh article linked above: nowhere does she express any transphobic or similarly awful beliefs. likewise, be wary of any claims that she supported anything whose description makes you raise eyebrows--those claims are likely in reference to megalia, a korean feminist movement. for information on that, i'd recommend the NPR/BBC articles below and this google drive link of english-language scholarly papers on them. for the love of god don't get your information about a feminist movement from guys going on witch hunts for feminists.]

[note 2: i've seen a couple people argue that the firing was for the physical safety of the employees, citing the kyoani incident in japan. as per this korean fan, most fans there strongly do not believe this was the case. we have english-translated transcripts of the meeting between the mob and project moon; the threats the mob was making were to......brand project moon as a feminist company online. yes, really. male korean gamers aren't normal about feminism, and there's been an ongoing witch hunt for feminists in the industry since about 2016, something you see noted in both the labor union statements. both NPR and the BBC this phenomenon to gamergate, and i'd say it's a pretty apt comparison.]

let me know if anything needs correction or if anything should be added.

[suzuran777]

Upcoming BL game releases (2025 edition)

I was originally going to post this a bit earlier in January, but maybe it's good I had to postpone it because we got a few new announcements recently from some well-known BL game developers (Parade and Tennenouji). The release date of Ooe part 2 was also revealed and the game is scheduled to be released at the end of next month, so I think there are quite some new things to look forward to this year.

I also decided to include some more doujin game titles this time, as well as some games which are still in development, but the status is currently unknown. Sadly BL game magazine Cool-B has ended its publication, so I hope that the game developers will continue updating their own social media pages and blogs instead.

Now available ↓

Re;quartz Reido Nintendo Switch version (Re;quartz零度) Publisher: B-cluster Release date: February 27, 2025 (available now!)

Fully voiced Switch port of Re;quartz Reido, which was originally released in 2020. This plot focuses on a time loop murder mystery story, in which an organization tries to hunt down people with supernatural powers. The original game was already all-ages, so unlike most BL game Switch ports I don't think any of the content was cut. The Switch version also updated the background art and added some new after-scenarios that are not in the original game. Sadly the English localization of the PC version was cancelled, so you will not be able to play any version of this in English.

Friendly Lab Unlock () ; English version Publisher: Tennenouji Release date: March 14, 2025 (available now!)

I was surprised to suddenly see this, but the English version of Friendly Lab which was announced in May 2023 was released today! You play the role of a researcher who’s conducting a gentle experiment on two test subjects, who both experience memory loss. It's available on DLsite, which is also the company that localized the game. I hope that the English version of Tennenouji's other game, Luckydog1, will also be released at some point, though that one's being localized by MangaGamer.

2025 release date ↓

Ooe part 2 (大穢後編) Publisher: Adelta Release date: April 19, 2025

Second half of the 18+ BL game Ooe which was released in October 2024. Closed circle murder mystery story which takes place during Japan’s post-war era (1955). The new blog post mentions that if you already purchased part 1, you can download the complete edition for free once part 2 releases, which includes all routes. It's also already confirmed that this game will be translated, though there is currently no information who's in charge of the localization.

Tokyo Gentou/ Tokyo Phantasmagoria (東京幻燈) Publisher: Procyon (new BL branch of Orbit/CORE) Release date: 2025

The story takes place in a future in which humans live together with different lifeforms, who started appearing after a certain incident in 1996. The artist is Carnelian who's known for other BLVN titles such as Messiah and Fanatica. It has been 17 years since they last worked on a BLVN project (Messiah's fandisc) so I am really happy to see them working on a new project! The game's age rating is also 18+.

Ani Asobi (兄遊び) Publisher: Tennenouji Release date: Spring 2025

Tennenouji's new 18+ BL project which was first announced in the final issue of Cool-B which was released in January. This game focuses on two main characters, a younger brother (whose face is covered in the official art for some reason), and an older brother. In the Cool-B interview Yura mentions that this game won't have any comedic scenes, so it looks like the plot will be quite serious. The theme of the game focuses on ''humillation''.

lesson Publisher: Parade Release date: June 2025

Parade also announced their new project earlier this year, which is their fourth game "lesson". They also already launched the official website on Valentine's Day. The story focuses on protagonist Kento, who's struggling to stay out of trouble after growing up in a harsh environment. One day he gets caught in a motorcycle accident and he wakes up in the hospital, where he meets a man called Takafumi. The website mentions is that most of the 18+ scenes are consensual, but the story itself does include heavy themes. It looks like it's going to have quite some branching routes/endings too.

Seraphim Spiral -Shounen no Ori- Re-master Publisher: B Works Release date: 2025

Fully voiced remaster of Seraphim Spiral, an all-ages BL game which was originally released in 2001. Story focuses on protagonist Kugami Akito, a transfer student who had to drop out of his previous school after a certain incident. I've played a lot of older BL visual novels but I haven't actually played this one, so maybe I'll get a chance to play it now!

Nie no Machi Iromusubi Switch/Steam version (贄の町-いろむすび-) Developer: Zombilica Release date: May 22, 2025

This is the fandisc of the game Nie no Machi, which was ported to the Nintendo Switch and Steam last year. The original game is 18+, but the console versions are usually all-ages or 17+, so if you want the full experience the PC version might be better. Heads up that the Steam version is the same as the Switch version, so that version won't include the 18+ scenes either. I do hope the PC version of the first game and fandisc will get localized some day, as right now only the ''sfw'' version is translated.

Kawatare no Youyuu (彼誰の溶融) Developer: Tedopoyo Release date: 2025

BL game by doujin game creator Tedopoyo, who has released two other BL projects in the past (Boku no Saiai no and Shuuen Ouse). Focuses on protagonist Atori who's described to have violent tendencies. We don't know a lot about the game yet, but you can follow the developer for any updates.

Collision x Collision Developer: Gintou Release date: 2025

18+ visual novel by doujin group Gintou. They've released a lot of all-ages BL titles in the past, but recently they also started making 18+ works. I don't know super much about this game developer, but you can check updates here on their Twitter account.

Hen'ai Necromanticism (偏愛ネクロマンチシズム) Developer: Aikawa Nemu Release date: was 2024 but I think it's 2025 now

18+ BL game about vampires in modern day Tokyo. This one caught my attention because the theme song is sung by Itou Kanako, and Watanabe Kazuhiro is credited for the ending song. Both are well-known in the BL visual novel industry as they also sung the opening/ending songs for many of the Nitro Chiral games. You can check out the opening PV here! Apparently you can choose if you want the characters to be a top/bottom/switch which is something you don't often see in BL visual novels anymore, so I think this could be interesting.

New projects of which the release date is currently unknown ↓

New MadaLabo 18+ project Developer: MadaLabo/MadaKubo Release date: Unknown

A teaser for this was originally posted on Togo Mito's Twitter account (who's the writer and artist) in 2022, but a few new illustrations were posted on the MadaLabo account and in Cool-B recently. Not a lot of information is known about this game yet, but the protagonist is once again a top. In the final issue of Cool-B Togo Mito also mentioned how some might think his games are ''repetitive'' because the themes are often similar, but he will keep creating things he likes. In the past he created games like Hadaka Shitsuji and Kanja S no Kyuusai (or Patient S).

Kikai Densen (奇怪伝染) Developer: Kikyudo Release date: Unknown

18+ Mystery x BL novel game project. The story focuses on honor student Seiji who takes out his daily frustrations on his classmate Toshiyuki. As a result of the bullying, Toshiyuki decides to end his own life, however he returns as some kind of supernatural being. Now a monster, he decides to make Seiji's life a living hell. Promoted as a ''male ryona'' game, it's aready confirmed that it will include some heavy themes such as gore/rape. You can follow any updates on their Twitter account.

OUROBOROS if: CRAZY FOR YOU Developer: saiaku_exe Release date: Unknown

Protagonist Chuni suddenly gets trapped in the world of a gal game and is trying to find his way out. ''If I ignore all the heroines in this game and focus only on my childhood friend (boy) Mayumu, I should be able to return to my original world.'' The official page mentions that you can experience the despair of being surrounded by cute girls, but you can only romance the other boy character lol. This one also already has a Steam page which you can check out here.

Love it Hunter! Publisher: Equal Life Laboratory Release date: Was 2023 but currently unknown

Futuristic/Biopunk 18+ BL game in which humanity was saved by new technological developments while on the verge of extinction. There haven't been many updates recently, but they did publish a new illustration in Cool-B in January, so I think the project is still alive. A trial version of it was released in 2021 which seemed promising.

Psychic Eclipse code:green Publisher: C-Garden NEXT-B Release date: Was 2024 but currently unknown

A sequel of the original Psychic Eclipse game released in 2021. Takes place in a world in which humans developed psychic abilities. I liked the first game so I’m curious how they will continue the story. The official account is still actively posting updates, so I hope they will be able to release it this year.

Projects of which the status is currently unknown ↓

Cage -remake- Publisher: LOVE&DESTROY Release date: Unknown

This will be a complete remake of two older 18+ BL games (CAGE OPEN & CAGE CLOSE). Protagonist Konno is forced to play a mysterious “game” together with 8 other participants. They haven't really posted any updates for some time now, and a year ago they announced the hiatus of one of the writers, so since then there haven't been any updates. This project was crowdfunded so I do hope it will get released one day.

Caricature Camera Publisher: LOVE&DESTROY Release date: Unknown

New 18+ LOVE&DESTROY title, though they haven't updated the website for a couple of years now (I think they were busy working on the CAGE remake and its crowdfunding). The story focuses on protagonist Shinobu Kamo, who receives a job offer from a mysterious person after recently losing his previous job.

Akechi to Iu Otoko - A Danshaku-tei Satsujin Jiken (明智と謂ふ男 A男爵邸殺人事件) Publisher: Holicworks Release date: Unknown

New Holicworks project which is a collaboration with Animate Games. I decided to include this but I'm not sure if it's really BL because the original announcement didn't mention it, but I do think it's rated all-ages. Other than releasing the original teaser video and some extra images, they haven't posted any other information about it since their original announcement in 2022.

Suito wa Hakumei (水都は薄明) Publisher: Holicworks Release date: Unknown

New 18+ Holicworks title about a city which is permanently enveloped in twilight. I also wrote a short blog post about this one if you want to read more about it. The developer hasn't published any information about this project on their website for years, so honestly I'm not sure what will happen to it.

[wishmakerofthestars]

Sooo, I got unto a new game recently...-ish called Cassette Beast with some of my friends-

In November of last Year I managed to get Cassette Beast on PC alongside some friends and this game is a blast to play !

The story and lore is amasingly writen and the characters are all woven in such a way that i can't help but apreciate!

Alongside those great chara-design are Bosses that the inhabitants/castaways calls "Archangels" beings beyond mortal comprehension and yet born from feelings and consepts that those mortal had created (i am probably not doing a great job at citing the lore here-)

And then you get Babelith who for some damn reason my brain decided "This one! This one is blorbo!" And while waiting for the Cassette Beast anouncement a week ago, I doodled this lil thing that was basicaly "what if Babelith learned how to use Cassettes"

And after... well- more so long before that, my brain was thinking about an AU where after the events of the game, the story sort of rewinds and repeats itself, but with some key changes. (might work on it, might not) Either way, i got some doodles from this lil thoughts! (the red is suposed to be a human, as for the inconsistant height, i got a lil headcanon that any Archangel can change height in some capacity)

Tiny headcannon, they have a moon plushy that they bring everywhere they go in their travels, they call it "Moony"!

I got more but ima stop for now since i got points that aren't finished yet :]

[cwwv9]

Hello hello are you open for request? I like your writings sm especially the recent one since, hiori's included. So id like to request a oneshot for hiori. Scenario: So first it would take place in the early stage of relationship/dating and stuff, then at one time hiori saw his s/O have a let's say merch of a video game he likes, when hiori asked about it, his s/o starts yapping happily saying she likes the game and she's very into the story line and worldbuilding and and shes also a fan of many video games with some of them hiori likes too, saying that she plays games mainly on her phone (PvP, moba, be, fps, etc. ) also adding that since she can't afford having her own pc and stuff to play games(shawty is broke lol), she only plays on what's available on phone and of course free. Even though she doesn't play the game herself she watches playthroughs even if it takes many hours and staying up late. So, hiori finds it exciting(like points increased) to learn that they share the same interests , and he suggested that they could play together and try the games she wants or watch him play. Here's my idea, if you ever consider this, thanks in advance. ꉂ(ˊᗜˋ*)♡

-craving for fics that include hiori fr fr.

«Our world on the screen»

— Without gender!Reader x Hiori Yo

Genres: romance, fluff, everyday life, first kiss, light sensuality.

Warning: the fanfic contains a soft novel, emotional intimacy, scenes with rain, running in the rain and warm physical contact.

Note: I love to write about the hiori, he’s my favorite boy! I hope you enjoy this drawing!

I want to thank you again for writing such a request! This helps me a lot to know which characters I can confidently include in the request on a permanent basis. because I don’t know who the readers are waiting for ((

mailbox open for queries!!!

You were sitting on the floor of your room, cross-legged, leaning into the phone screen.

The sun was already setting, shining a soft orange light, and you didn’t even notice how fast time flew by. Next to you lay an old pillow, a couple of open packs of snow chips and headphones, one of which had fallen out of your ear several times. You watched the game you loved - the one you once loved and dreamed of playing.

There was a quiet knock outside the door.

- Hi... can I? - said the familiar, warm voice of Hiori.

You immediately pulled out the headphones, smiling.

-Sure! Come on in!

He walked in, a little unsure of the threshold - as if he was afraid to disturb your world. He was wearing a dark blue hoodie, with a little bit of loose hair and an attentive look, which immediately fell on the small shelf at the wall. There was a figure from the same game - one of the iconic characters.

Hiori frowned with a slight surprise, came closer.

- That’s... do you know this game? he asked cautiously, as if he were afraid of being intrusive.

Your eyes are on fire.

– Oh, yes! I love it! - you rose sharply from the floor and close to the bottom, smiling wider than usual. - Plot, characters, world... everything is just crazy cool! I have seen so many walks that I know almost every location by heart!

Hiori blinked without concealing a slight surprise.

When you saw his reaction, you got even more excited, as if someone finally understood the passion that you were hiding in yourself.

– I really don’t have a computer... - you added slightly quieter, almost apologizing. - I play mostly on my phone. Everything you can: PvP, moba, battle-royals, shooters... anything that holds my poor phone.

You chuckled, showing off your battered machine with a cracked back cover.

- But I always keep track of my favorite games! I watch streaks, I spend the nights in a flying show... well, you know.

Hiori was silent for a few seconds. There was a new, strange gleam in his eyes - not cold, not neutral as usual. Something war...

- So... do you like games too? he finally asked a little softer, as if he was afraid the answer would be a dream.

You nodded so forcefully that your hair went up.

– Then... - He squeezed his hands in his pockets, as if he was gathering with spirit. - Do you want to... play together? Or I can show you something. Something you’ve wanted to try for a long time.

Your eyes widened, and a child’s stupid smile flashed across your face.

- Seriously? You really want to?

He nodded slightly, smiling softly, allowing himself for the first time a genuine smile - one you rarely saw

- I would like to. With you.

At which you shouted and began to grunt, squealing joyfully, that knocked Hiori off his feet.

After a couple of days you were sitting in his room.

His laptop was slowly loading the same game, and you, leaning against the screen, waited impatiently. Hyory watched you stealthily, with a slight embarrassment on his cheeks. He had never seen you like this - alive, bright,

You talked nonstop, talking about your favorite characters, about the moments that gave you the creeps and the moments that gave you the tears.

Hiori caught every word you said.

He was unaccustomed... so warm.

He felt that there was an invisible connection between you - not only through the screens and game stories, but through the real feelings.

When you first picked up the mouse, he carefully covered your palm with his, directing movements.

You’ve been a little bumpy, feeling how close he is.

- It’s all right, he whispered, his voice was soft as silk. I’m there.

You turned to meet his gaze. For a moment, time stood still.

And then you both laughed quietly.

Just, like a child. Clean. As if there was nothing more important than this moment.

Since then, the shared evenings have become your little tradition.

Sometimes you played what you loved. Sometimes he showed you his favorite games. And sometimes you just sat around watching long streaks, chuckling with quiet phrases and laughing at funny moments.

And every time Hiori looked at you, excited and happy, he felt like he was doing the right thing.

He chose you.

And I would like to make this choice again and again.

Over time, it became something more than just shared evenings.

Sometimes you went to the city together - without a plan, without clear routes. Just walking around discussing the latest game updates or arguing about which of the characters deserves more recognition.

Today was special.

Hyory first offered to go to a small video game store, which, according to him, «only those who really know the subject» knew about.

You gladly agreed, anticipating how you will rummage together in the shelves and find rare things.

The store was tiny, drowned in an alley among cafes and shops. Inside smelled of old paper, plastic and something... warm, almost homely.

You wandered for a long time between the shelves, picking up posters, discs, figurines. You found things that you once dreamed of seeing live, and Hiori quietly watched your reactions, each time more deeply penetrating some new, unexplored feeling.

In the end, you chose an inexpensive figurine - a character that you both liked. Hjori insisted on buying it at his own expense.

- Consider it... the beginning of our collection, he said, turning away slightly, as if embarrassed.

You only smiled warmly, unable to find the right words.

The evening has fallen quickly.

You walked through dark alleys, illuminated only by dim lanterns.

In the bag you had in your hands quietly ringing figure. In the air smelled of damp, and somewhere far away lazy rain splashed. It hasn’t started yet, but it was hanging in heavy drops above its heads.

- Today was great, said Hiori quietly, breaking her silence.

- Yes... - you said. The voice was softer than you expected. Almost unconsciously, your hand held the bag tighter. - Thank you for calling.

He nodded, and you continued to walk in silence. But between you there was a strange shiver, as if from an electrostatic discharge - something that was stronger than words.

Hiori suddenly slowed down, and then stopped altogether.

You stopped, too, turning to him.

The damp air enveloped the skin. The wind tingled the hair slightly.

Hoori stood in front of me without saying a word. In his eyes, the reflection of the lanterns was glistening - timid, almost unsure, but at the same time so frank that the breath caught me for a moment.

He came half a step closer.

You felt his warmth, heard his breath.

- May?.. he asked a little.

Your heart has missed its beat.

The answer was obvious.

You nodded.

Barely noticeable, almost hesitantly, Hiori approached. His hand gently touched your cheek - a slight, almost weightless touch. He leaned forward, slowly, as if giving you time to change your mind, to distance yourself... but you didn’t make a move.

His lips touched yours - at first awkward, timid.

A short, warm, moist kiss, smelling of rain and late evening.

He’s gone for a split second, and he looks at you again. And then, bolstered by courage, he came back with a deeper kiss - already a little more confident, a little more greedy, as if he understood that there was nothing to lose.

The rain has finally touched the earth with the first rare drops, mixing with the heat of your breath.

And in that sudden, almost unreal moment you realized:

Even if the whole world were to collapse, you have already built yours.

On a blinking screen. In quiet evenings. On soft touches.

Reciprocated.

The drops of rain became thicker, heavier on the skin and clothes.

You only got away from Hiori when the sky suddenly shook, and the first large drop rolled down his cheek.

- We should run, he exhaled, laughing a little.

You nodded.

He grabbed you by the hand - unexpectedly strong for someone who had always seemed so soft - and pulled.

You ran away.

The asphalt quickly became slippery, the air was heavy with moisture. Water poured into the hair, trickled down the cheeks, absorbed in the cloth of clothes.

But neither you nor he cared before.

You heard Hiori laugh. Real, carefree - not quiet, not hiding a smile, but loud, happy

His hand held yours, warm, alive, real

You turned into an alley, hiding under some kind of roof ledge. The rain was rattling on iron over your heads, creating a melody that could not be repeated

You leaned against the wall, breathing heavily from laughter and running. Hjori stopped close by, hair stuck to his forehead, eyelashes wet, shirt stuck to his shoulders.

He looked damn beautiful. Real.

Hoori reached out his hand, put the wet line behind your ear.

Touched my chin with my fingers, sliding them down my cheek, as if I didn’t believe you were really here, close to me in this rain.

- Thank you,' he whispered, leaning back again.

This time the kiss was slow. Warm, despite the wet clothes.

Your hands have wrapped themselves around him, drawing closer, obstinately, demanding.

He answered, clinging to the whole body, giving himself entirely to you - with all that quiet trepidation, slipping away tenderness and desperate courage.

There were drops falling nearby, crashing against the rocks.

There were people walking around laughing under the umbrellas.

The light of the apartment windows warmed behind me.

But your whole world was here now: in his hot fingers on your waist, in his trembling breath, in his kisses, in his quiet whisper that you could hear with difficulty through the rustle of rain:

- I want more nights with you.

You smiled through the kiss and clenched his palm tighter in yours.

- Then we have an eternity ahead of them.

[estcaligo]

Sebek and phones facts and headcanons *contains x Prefect

We got some lore bits in this new update, and I want to talk about it a little.

We already know that Diasomnia is new to phones. They don't use it in Briar Valley (as there is little to no electricity, and internet is available in only a handful of places - never mind phone coverage).

This makes it 10 times funnier when you think they've been using phones for only 1–3 years :)

Lilia is the most familiar with tech among Diasomnia thanks to his age, experience, and gaming hobby.

Malleus breaks his phones often or doesn't understand how they work (but Malleus has beef with technology in general lol).

Silver at least uses his phone camera often, and it's for some mundane things, as he mentions in his 3rd birthday vignette.

And as for Sebek's phone lore:

In the recent update, we got confirmation that Sebek at least has a Magicam account. However, he claims he only uses it for communication.

I am really, really curious what kind of communication that is, because:

Sebek finds it rude to text Malleus and Lilia directly (meanwhile, Silver doesn't see a problem contacting them at all).

In Book 7, we learned that Sebek doesn't really have friends, or he doesn't consider them as such. But in the vignettes, we learn that he spends time with the first years, at least - eating out in town, visiting karaoke, etc. I assume they have each other's numbers for communication. Maybe a group chat. He also likely has Riddle's contact information (and perhaps other members of the Equestrian Club?). Perhaps they even have a club group chat too. (For some reason I think I remember Riddle mentioning this but I can't find it)

While Sebek insists he isn't interested in the videos and pictures humans post, I suspect he does use the internet occasionally. For example, in the 2024 Halloween event prologue, he mentions learning about a book fair. While it's possible he saw an announcement at the bookshop or on a bulletin board, maybe he also uses the internet to keep up with updates about new books or events.

In the latest 4koma manga, there's an entire episode featuring Malleus and Cater, where Malleus discovers a gargoyle on Cater's Magicam (on Lilia's pc with him). If Malleus starts using Magicam to look at gargoyles, I can definitely see Sebek following his liege's example - or browsing for gargoyle content himself to share with Malleus later :D

Now some of my personal headcanons:

I think Sebek would also use his phone as an alarm to make sure he never oversleeps.

He uses a timer for studies or training.

Like Silver, he takes photos of important things, for reference, etc.

In the Diasomnia group chat, he's always the first (at 00:01) to say happy birthday lol

(Adding these headcanons I've mentioned a while ago - I still like them)

He has Malleus on his lock screen of course

and his Human's photo on his home screen, but he'll never admit it.

Also, it would be so funny if he acts all tsundere about his disinterest in the photos humans post, but then one night you get a notification that he liked your photo. It was accidental, of course, and he'll deny it to his last breath if you ask him about it (especially if it was a cute photo of yours) :D

*Also, while we're on the topic, check out my comic about Sebek being a charger :)

[am-i-the-asshole-official]

Am i the asshole for denying a dnd character request?

Info:

I'm a dm but im pretty new to the dming side of things. Up until recently i had been a player exclusively. One of my friends (who I'll call K) mentioned wanting to get into dnd and I said I could dm. A few other of our friends also joined the campaign and I set to work helping everyone develop characters and began writing the story

Im a pretty chill person when it comes to dnd rules, I'm not exactly free for all, but not book rigid either. Im fine with homebrew or critical role content if it can be adapted to be playable and not unfair. I don't want the other players to be left behind and I don't want monsters and the other PCs to look like chumps.

K came up to me and said they wanted their character to be an angel. I was like "sick, I'll help you write up an aasimar". But she showed me the picture she wanted, and it was one of those biblical angels that's just a ring of eyes with wings everywhere. And that was going to be a solid no.

I had a few reasons. One was backstory wise, why would an angel like that be traveling with a bunch of mortals, one of which, another PC, was a tiefling? Another was practicality, how would a creature with no arms and who flies around be able to reasonably adapt to the rules around carrying weight, one vs two handed weapons, and movement? And the third was the biggie, and it was that the big baddie at the end of the of the campaign was a beholder, for folks who don't know dnd, a beholder is a giant flying eyeball monster with a giant mouth and tentacles. And that was going to be an issue because I thought that K's angel drawing looked too similar to a beholder. And since that thing is the big baddie of the whole fuggin story, it would mean both NPCs and monsters would be like "oh fuck, a beholder," and it would mess up the intermediate battles and quests I had already written.

I told K no and she replied, paraphrased, "if you wrote and made up this whole story why can't you make up a reason why my character is here?"

I just told her I couldn't because her character would look too much like a beholder and it would scare off low level monsters and npcs and she got very huffy with me.

Another of the friends who was also playing said that maybe we should let the rules slide and just let K play as her drawing. I still said no, and that I was fine with her playing an aasimar, but if she wanted to play one, she'd have to be more reasonable to the game.

K said she was fine with it but still seems pissed off at me.

Am i the asshole for denying her request to play as her angel drawing?

[daggerfall]

So the GM of one of the big PC/NA raiding servers attended the ESO guild summit and wrote down some notes about questions and answers asked there. A lot of them are about potential future features we could see in ESO's future, and also answers to questions some worried players have had, but most of it is about guild stuff. I'll post the text under a read more.

Hey @/everyone, I recently attended a guild summit with ZOS developers where we got a chance to do a Q&A session. I am breaking down some of the keys points from the discussion for us. I will include the stuff I know a lot of us care about first. This is a really exciting time for us to have some feedback/suggestion for the future of ESO. ZOS has been doing a great job of engaging the community and we can expect more from them in the future. For instance, this guild summit will likely become yearly or biannual. About the questions - I missed some, there’s some interpretation, and comments from me included. I want to keep you guys in the loop on what is going on and how we as a guild are involved. A lot of this stuff is things they are considering doing or testing feasibility on. It doesn’t mean it will 100% happen.

Isiimode and I had a very similar question about the next trial drop. They answered the question by saying watch the global reveal. They said they don’t see a lot of the content drops changing. My interpretation of this was mainly that we can still expect a yearly trial and it might not drop exactly on the day that it used to drop on. They want more flexibility in releases and instead of large drops with a drought they would like to drop engaging content as its ready to keep players more engaged over the year. April 10th will be revealing the new trial/content. I think(?) there will be a new trial like normally scheduled just by interpreting Rich’s comments.

It looks like ZOS is going to be working on guild management tools for us in the future. Guildhalls seem unlikely but maybe if we can do them with limited capacity. They are looking into guild halls more. They are going to try to make it so multiple people can manage a guild home from a guild like an officer permission. This last sentence is my interpretation but based on Rich’s answer it seems like someone still have to own it and this is hard to do.

They are working on guild traders and adjusting how they work. Number of listing was really high and this was hard on the servers. They want people to still be able to sell stuff and understand this changed a lot for trading guilds.

They are thinking of more mechanical ways to make guilds useful. They understand that the only reason for joining a guild is really a guild trader. Otherwise discord is the best place for things to happen. No real specifics on this yet.

Limits on guild capacity and other limit items are there to reduce server load. When they started enforcing the mail limit it turned their mail server from terabytes of data to gigabytes. They are trying to minimize the workload on the servers with some of the choices they are making. They referenced guild history, and even Cyrodil changes. Ideally reducing server load overall should help with performance.

Five guild is somewhat arbitrary but it cant be higher because it is a lot of server load to manage five guilds for everyone. Think about how the server has to be pinged every time someone logs on and off or deposits something in the bank. They might consider reducing the number of people in a guild so you can have more but i dont think this is a good idea. They are going to add a guild search function if possible.

They are going to add a guild communication system if possible. It might not look like in-game mail. It could be a calendar or some other functionality.

They are going to explore adding API for guild bank/roster stuff for addon developers to introduce addons. (I didnt really understand this question)

They are going to consider working on a companion app to allow people look at achievements and other account statistics and have already done this in the past but they always blow up the server and make performance tank.

Servers are expensive and getting aussie or other servers seems unlikely. They are already supporting some servers that aren't really active so it’s hard to add more that might not be active.

Some leaderboard changes might be coming in the future. Ultimately, score is the best metrics to base leaderboards on. It includes vit, speed, and HM so it is all encompassing.

What would console addons look like? Very hard to answer. Strict memory limits make it very hard. On PC memory isnt really the limiting issue so its hard to say what console addon developers will be able to use. Codes combat and lazy writ crafter will likely go to console.

People want lore about the players to be included in the game more.

Do the devs play the game? The team plays the game a lot but not everyone plays the game the same. Rich likes the solo content and does that more. Other developers like world bosses, cyrodil, and trading. Its really hard to make content that every single person will love. That being said the devs do play the game and just see different issues than we might see. These summits are way for us to bring our issues forward.

How many people dont interact with guilds? A lot of players play this game like a traditional eso game but might join a guild for a trader or something. They are thinking of new ways to include the community in the functionalities that they have created. It seems like a lot people find playing with people scary.

ZOS love RP community and they like giving them opportunities to RP. A lot of story development includes ways for people to RP.

There is some consideration for integrating EU console servers.

Increasing limits on furnishing in player homes is something they are thinking about but might be hard to do.

They dont want guild homes to replace going to a major city. They want people to have reasons to go to these areas. No one stop shops!

A lot of the cyrodil related development right now is solely on the performance and the champion campaigin/system(?). No other changes will likely be made in the short term.

Will the game be around in 5 years? The best way to answer this is look at development patterns. New cyrodil stuff is an indication that ZOS is going to continue to support the game. ZOS is committed to the game and will continue to commit to the game.

Update the guild tabards to look more modern. Guild specific decorations would be fun and cool.

[loveforquanrui]

your most recent reactions post is so well written, i love it sm you’re such a good author ❤️

i was wondering if i could request a zb1 reaction to moving in with you and what they would do/how’d they act? i understand if not

have an amazing day 😇

hiii anon!! Thank you so much for the compliments and thank you so so much for requesting! :') It really made my day. Sorry I took so long but here it is, I hope you enjoyed it &lt;3

to be with you than alone

제로베이스원 - jebewon (ot8) moving in with you and how they are, gn reader. i did not include yujin because I did not feel comfy writing about him in this topic. There are no disclaimers I believe but let me know if i missed any!

-jiwoong-

caretaker but gives you alone time when needed

as soon as he got your approval to move in with you he was so happy, but tried not to show it

he had been wanting to move in with you for a while now

once he moved in he was already on boyfriend duty 24/7

knows that you have trouble sleeping so he is ready to give you the comfort that you need <3

does chores for you but probably won't do his (he's so in love pls)

ALWAYS wake up first to prepare breakfast for the two of you

in the case that he is busy with schedules he would leave a simple note

constantly tries to take care of you

BUT he does not want to overwhelm you so he lets you be alone sometimes

don't be fooled though, he is sometimes peaking out of the corner of his eye to make sure you are okay

-hao-

always music playing in the background and helpful

when hao moved in with you, you swear you've never heard this much music during your lifetime

there is not one second where you don't hear him singing, practicing his violin, or playing his new songs

you don't mind it ofc!

Hao has such a lovely voice so you are always pleased to hear it

You and Hao decided to split the chores in half so it can be fair to both of y'all

Every night before bed Hao sets up his night playlist and you both fall asleep in each others arms listening to his favorite songs

The playlist is made full of calm songs that remind him of you but he doesn't tell you that, he's too shy to admit

When mornings come you usually do your morning routine in the bathroom but..

by the time you get out to your surprise

the bed is made and Hao is no where to be seen

he was shy AGAIN but he wanted to help

-hanbin-

literal royalty treatment

ever since hanbin moved in, so many worries and stress factors have been lifted off you

chores? what even are chores?

you're not lazy in fact you are used to doing your chores but ever since hanbin moved in, he doesn't let you do them

when night comes, both of you head to the already prepared bed

he'll make sure you are sound asleep first before sleeping himself

like jiwoong he also wakes up first

he wants to prepare anything you could possibly need before you wake up

slippers incase the floor is cold? check! water on the nightstand? check! glasses if you need them? check!

before he moved in your fridge was practically empty but now it's always filled since he wants to make your favorite foods every day

he just cares so much about you and you are his literal royalty so he will be treating you as one

-matthew-

a fun sleepover everyday

when matthew was moving in you remembered the HUGE setup he brought with him

for matthew a pc and a monitor were not enough there was more to his set up

you weren't much into gaming so you just let it slip across your mind as one of his hobbies

while you would clean the house, he would always say

"y/n!! y/n!! come watch this match"

and that's how he got you into playing video games with him

soon enough he was buying you your own set up

your apartment lowkey became a gaming lounge for you and matthew

ofc there was also other hobbies that came with matthew moving in

Strength training was one of them

Boy, does Matt love working out

Matthew slowly began to introduce you to multiple hobbies everyday

There was not a single day that did not feel like a fun sleepover with friends

-taerae-

looking out for you while maintaining pure happiness

taerae is so responsible

he is in charge of buying what is needed or missing in the apartment (he gave himself that role)

he makes sure you are saving your money since he doesn't want you to have any worries

you and him cook together or take turns making meals for each other

he made a secret cabinet full of your favorite things, which he takes out whenever you have a bad day

when you are ready to go to sleep taerae is getting ready to perform for you

he will sing you to sleep

he won't stop singing until are asleep

he knows you love hearing his beautiful voice, since he has noticed that you always fall asleep with a smile on your face

He wants to see you smile and he will do anything to see that beautiful cute smile of yours

-ricky-

change in both of ya'll life

you and ricky living together was like that one episode from F4 Thailand

both of you had to adapt to each other different habits

ricky started to learn how to do things himself but even so you wanted to treat him like a prince so you offered to do stuff for him

For example, cooking? done by you. laundry? also done by you.

to compensate for all the hard work you do for him and yourself

Ricky replaces your own furniture with newer more expensive ones with TWICE the comfort

you both always end up falling asleep at 4am or even later sometimes

why? because ricky is constantly tugging on your arm saying

"y/n let's watch this kdrama"

you had to admit he had some good reccommendations

while adapting to something new was difficult for both of you

you didn't let that come in the way of you having fun with each other

whether that was by watching kdramas or playing dress up in each others closet

you both always remained happy

-gyuvin-

chaos yet surprising matureness

oh gyuvin..

once he moved in you got your first ever noise complaint

it wasn't just because of gyuvin though.. well..

techincally gyuvin made you laugh really hard then there was knocks

there was simply never a moment of silence with the happy bambi now joining your household

if you were gone for longer than five minutes you would hear

"Y/NNN"

"WHERE ARE YOU IM BORED LETS PLAY A GAME"

and there you would go

but to your surprise gyuvin was actually very mature despite what many may believe

when those noise complains came in he apologized and really toned it down for everyone

he helps with any bills you may have to pay and even often pays them for you

he makes sure you are always okay with his presence since he knows people can get drained from his extroverted self

despite his playful nature he is very mature and caring

-gunwook-

respectful and caring

before moving in Gunwook had a strange request

"Let me meet your parents"

he had already met them but he wanted to make sure they were okay with him moving in with you

once he got the approval, similar to Hanbin it was instant royalty treatment

began to keep an extra of your comfort items incase it was needed

Gunwook is very observant therefore he always keeps an eye out for items you may be using

when he sees they are about to be finished

he buys some new ones and tries secretly to hide them

you always act surprise which brings him to cutely jump out behind you to say "See I'm psychic, I already knew what you needed"

Did I mention that your apartment has become a "gunwook cuddle station"

you both are cuddling ALL THE TIME

gunwook cares so much about your comfort that you were always his first priority

Hii guys I hope you all enjoyed. Especially because it’s not my best work but I tried my best <3 also CONGRATS TO ZB1 and HAO ON THEIR AWARDS I LOVE MY JEBIS 🥲🥲

[maximumzombiecreator]

Heya, you made a post recently about players getting the wrong expectations from AP podcasts for their own performance and experiences in D&D. The way you described it was almost exactly like something I recently saw at the table, complete with the getting into their own head and thrown off from unexpected interactions and then frustrated. Do you have any advice on how to deprogram, so to say, someone from this mind set and help them enjoy their time with the game more? Apologies if this is something you already wrote about and I just missed it

I ended up writing like 1500 words on this so let me put it under the cut.

So, there are a couple different approaches to this that I think work. The first, if they're willing to play a different RPG, is to play something with a different "play posture." That is, rather than playing a game where the players have a single PC over whom they have agency and nothing else, play a game that is more collaborative or where a player is expected to control multiple characters. For instance, I like introducing players like this to Blades in the Dark, where I'll have every player make two characters in the crew to begin with, and the core mechanic of flashbacks encourages players to take a greater amount of narrative control. I find this pushes them far enough outside their expectations that they're forced to take it on its own merits, and this helps them develop a more at-the-table style of play. Then when they take that back to more trad-style games, they can use the skills they developed and find a greater comfort level.

That said, playing another, stranger game after getting frustrated at their first game is a lot to ask of someone, so it's not at all something I'd take for granted.

In terms of helping at the table, the first thing is to recognize when it's happening. I tend to ask new players to my table what TTRPG experience they have, and one very big reason is that if someone is coming mainly from actual plays, I know to watch out for this.

What I try to do when this happens is pull back the abstraction level and talk about what's happening in a "discussing the characters" way. In particular, what I am most looking to avoid is making the player feel embarassed. That can make them defensive and blame others, or it can make them spiral and want to quit, it's a terrible feeling. So, for some specific examples of things I'll notice and ways to respond:

If the player is freezing - I'll pause the active roleplay, briefly summarize the current situation, and ask how their character is feeling. "So, Alice sort of came into this conversation expecting to bond with Bob, and got a lot of, I think, unexpected hostility back. What's Alice feeling in that moment?" By describing the situation, I am helping to clarify to all players what the current scene looks like. Maybe Bob's player doesn't realize that he's responding to a friendly overture by being a huge dick. Alice's player might be freezing because she came into this with a scene idea that isn't happening, but by making clear what the current scene is and asking her feelings, I'm giving her a chance to make a character choice even if she doesn't instinctively know how to turn that into a productive scene. Even if she decides Alice is feeling like "I want out of this conversation" I can then frame that as creating a tension between these two characters going forward. My goal is, basically, to frame this as a successful scene, just not the one Alice's player planned. To be clear that she didn't fail at making a roleplay scene, she succeeded, it just wasn't the scene she expected.

If the player is getting frustrated - I'll usually try to tweak their out of character frustration into in character frustration. Pulling back to discuss the scene again, I'll say something like, "So, Charlie is really stonewalling Alice here, not giving her any information, and it seems like Alice is getting frustrated by that. What does that look like, what does she do?" Again, describing the situation sets a ground level clarification for all players, but it also lets Alice's player save face. She's not getting frustrated, her character is, and that's good drama! It also gives me the chance to cut the scene short if it's not going to be productive. I can turn to Charlie's player and say, "So, seeing Alice react that way, does Charlie respond any differently, or is he gonna keep stonewalling her?" And if the answer is the latter, I can tie a neat little bow on the scene and move on. Once again, I'll frame this as a successful scene, as establishing a future drama.

If the player is shutting down - I'll look to give them an outlet for their desire to play their character, but ideally one that they don't expect. Come to them proactively with a roleplay scene that they can respond to. If I'm playing with players I know well, I'll usually have one or two I know can be prompted to be an accomplice in this. In a moment of downtime, I'll ask Alice's player what Alice is doing, and then prompt the other player. "Dan, you notice Alice getting pretty deep into her cups, she seems troubled, what do you do?" I may need to nudge Alice's player a few times in this scene, if she's really shutting down, but I find for these players asking the one-two combo of "What are they feeling?" and "What does that look like?" gives enough to keep things moving. If I don't have an accomplice I can trust in the party, I'll try to do the same with an NPC. In this case, I do feel I need to keep things shorter, but it's vital to keep the player from detaching entirely because things aren't going how they'd like. If I'm doing it with an NPC, I'll try to create a specific unusual context to give the player something to respond to. It won't be an NPC coming to them to ask, "hey buddy how ya feelin'?" it'll be the barkeep asking for a hand moving some huge kegs, or a travelling scholar asking for directions, and sharing some philosophical musings, or whatever. I'm looking to pitch them a softball, but one they haven't already formed an opinion on. I'm trying to get them used to roleplay as listening and responding.

If the player is doing alright, but demotivated by things not going how they want - I'll try to catch this at the end of the session with a bit of retrospective. I'll call out a scene they were in that didn't go how they wanted, praise some specific aspect of what each character did in the scene, and ask how they felt about it, and what they think their characters will do going forward. "That scene where Alice went to try and talk to Eve about the heist plans, I love how Alice is watching the other characters and picking up on their skills. Eve's response was kind of unhinged but in a really interesting way, I feel like it comes through that she's a bit unstable. How were each of your characters feeling about that interaction? Do you think they'll approach each other differently after that?" I want to place attention and importance on scenes that might feel like treading water, and to make them into narrative fodder that the player is going to reflect on, rather than dismissing as being bad or wrong.

All these also apply if it's a scene with an NPC they're having issues with, except that I am usually more malleable to adjust my reactions if I feel it's appropriate, or to clarify where the NPC is coming from if I think the NPC's reaction shouldn't change. Overall, I'm really trying to coax my Alice into a place of understanding that scenes that don't go they way she wants are still great, honestly even better, because the chaos and variety of play, the unexpected responses, are what make TTRPG storytelling good. I want her to feel like she didn't play wrong because things didn't go like she wanted, and neither did the other players, and to teach her to respond and react to the unexpected.

All of this, of course, comes with the caveat that this is what works if the player is otherwise fine, but a bit actual play-brained. A fairly frequent comorbidity, however, is the player with main character syndrome, whose frustration comes in part from everything not warping around them and the other players not being wowed by their cool, badass character. When this happens, I have less success deprogramming people (and honestly, less energy to commit to managing their play experience), but it's still possible. The biggest thing I'd add, in this case, is that I will really try to frame my prompts in such a way as to encourage Main Character Alice to appreciate the other characters more. Rather than just asking her how Alice is feeling, I'll specifically ask about how Alice is perceiving and responding to the other characters, and make her spotlight more dependent on reacting to other PCs. This can go badly, if she reacts to other PCs by belittling them or otherwise sucking, but once that happens it becomes a "talk about it out of play" issue entirely and I don't think there's any point addressing in game.

[project-sekai-facts]

Pre-broadcast station commentary

The next Broadcast Station will be on the 29th, featuring Yukki, Yuichan, and Furirin! No VOCALOID Music SEKAI segment was announced, so it looks like the main stream will be starting half an hour earlier than usual. There is a reason for this, which we will get to.

Next month will be the Virtual Singer WLE! It will be held towards the end of the month, with chapters being 2 days long instead of 3 this time around.

There's room for one unit event next month, which is looking very likely to be Airi's 5th event. Due to its proximity to the vsinger WLE, the lineup will be entirely MCs. I reckon Shizuku for one of the other rateups, since she's behind on 4*s, and got spammed with lims last year so deserves some perm cards as a break. I reckon Minori could be the other 4*, since her only rateup on an Airi event was back in 2020.

This month's mixed lim event is likely to be either kamikou fes 2, or emu mixed 2. If it's the first one, I reckon the lineup could be Mizuki/Toya (maybe with An, Ena, or Rui as the other card), and serve as the 2-B mixed event. If it's Emu, Haruka/Nene seems like the most likely rateup. Next month's lim is hard to call, but will likely have a Rui lim unless he ends up on this month's event. If he isn't July or August, he's fes.

Now onto why the stream's starting earlier. I'm sure everyone has heard about the teaser for a new project already, and this is scheduled to be announced at 8pm JST, aka halfway through the stream. Given the heavy use of Miku in the promo, as well as this being retweeted by the official Miku account, it's pretty likely this will be vocaloid/piapro related. CFM has already said they'll be announcing vocaloid 20th anniversary stuff soon. PJDiva also turned 15 recently, and while that series is, let's be honest, dead, a PC/console game in the same vein but under the project sekai franchise wouldn't exactly surprise me? It's still a franchise beloved by many, so a rebrand of sorts wouldn't hurt.

A lot of people on twitter have been bringing up colopale's job listings, but imo it's not pointing to anything. Clpl has been vagueing about working on more mobile games for years, job listings confirm some sort of RPG, and there's some listing that suggest it could have a gacha. kinda like genshin? Based on images from their blog posts and job applications for a costume and armour designer, we're talking medieval-ish which. doesn't seem in-line with this teaser at all. though some of their job listings seem to be for multiple different projects, so i might be talking about two different games here. it's worth noting that colorful palette is not bound to CFM and Sega and they are free to work on their own projects outside of prsk, and very likely already are. feel free to laugh at me later if we do get miku rpg or miscellaneous other game that could be either a platformer or open world or something else entirely.