#i took an awful lot of artistic liberties here lmao

[ahumblenipple]

(Don't mind me, just going overboard in my obsession with greek mythology)

Tell me, oh Lords of wine dark sea, which ages have forgotten and broken on waves meant to deter even mighty Poseidon, of the lost children of Miranda. Those who were hated and loved as terribly as the dawn loves the day, but whose own forms could not have been kept in mighty temples lest their own worshippers be lost to their jaws. And lo! Tell me truly, tell me sweet, of the blessed father lost to the whims of the goddess herself. For none so war torn and ravaged by the fates themselves was banished to those cursed lands as he. 

Now listen to me, dear friends, you who have taken to the oracles and brought gifts to the altar, even you solemn worshippers would not believe the weavings of the Moirai. I sing to you now of the fate of all of those poor souls, but especially the father himself. He who was deigned to die that day by the hands of the goddess herself, yet found light even in the gates of Hades. For in his heart was an equal love and desire for righteousness, that even the gods themselves might envy. And though his eyes were taken, his hands bound and his name lost to the waves, he could not perish by the hands of the unjust. Bound and frightened as he was, his own sword was still lashed by his side, and the memory of his home fires still burned in his heart. 

So as his foot fell onto that cold archipelago, where the cursed children of Miranda slumber, no danger came to him. He stumbled in his blindness ever forward and thrashed against the bones of those sent before him, killed by the hands of Miranda’s children and doomed to remain lost from the pyres of their ancestors. But a strong heart sang in his chest, and fear could not slow his strides as he sought any shelter amidst the shadows that now filled his world. And shelter he did find, for a large cave was centered in this island, and great crowns of pine and cypress towered above it all that not even the sun could reach the earth. And in this cave dwelled Miranda’s child that was the most dangerous of them all. A Gorgon -one whose very look would turn the poor watcher to stone in an instant- called it his haven against the wrath of the villagers of the mainland. 

He was a monster through and through. Cursed by the might of Miranda for questioning her strength, and shifted into the creation that he was now. Where once was a mighty blacksmith and creator of fine metals, now stood a beast. Long gray hairs whipped instead as living snakes and writhed too and fro across his shoulders. All the scars of life were now echoed ten fold against his skin from the countless fighters that had been sent to him, and each slash and cut showed against his dark gray toga. Long claws and fangs were his weapons as much as his gaze, and many had fallen to his might. Two pairs of wings curved from his back, and the final sign of the beast that he had become was the tail that thrashed about with his ire. 

The father strode through without recognizing the den which he entered, but the protection of the cave was enough that he knew he should be safe from the rays of Apollo and the winds that rolled off the sea. His hand pressing against the cold stone of the walls was the only sight he could rely on, but even that failed him as spikes of stone rose from the very earth and dripped from the tops of the cavern, keeping his steps faulty and uncertain as he wandered in the darkness. 

Before too long, the sound of the intruder reached the ears of the Gorgon, for he was familiar with the efforts of the heroes and their missions from the goddess. He was a curse. A plague. A challenge for those who craved the immortality of the songs and tapestries created by the village artisans, and so yet another threat was to be expected. As the father stepped further into his lair, the creature was able to watch and study the man where he wandered through the field of stones long before he would be seen. 

The father was truly strong as well, and built of form to rival fleet-footed Achilles. Though more slender than the broad chest and shoulders of the Gorgon, his figure was still that of a warrior, and muscle clung strong to his pale skin. A fine white tunic was draped over by a short cloak that matched the green mosses of the hillsides, and a rich bronze helmet covered his face. Yet another sent to kill him, the Gorgon saw in an instant, and he made his choice to strike.

The father must have heard him, for he turned at the last moment with his hand out and his sword tight in his grasp. It was an easy feat to swat it away, and the Gorgon forced the weapon to the ground while he pinned the man in place. 

He sneered down at the attempted assassin before he growled out deep and cold. “So what are you? Another of her worthless heroes?! You who can’t even look me in the eye? Come on, show me what you’re made of.” 

The eyes beneath the helmet were obscured in the darkness, but no matter. He would resolve the distance and see the fool that sought to kill him, and the helmet gave way easily as he wrenched it from the man’s shoulders. 

“Look at me. LOOK AT ME.”

As soon as the metal was torn free, he saw the truth beneath him. The father’s eyes were wrapped tightly in bandages while freshly dried blood still pooled on his cheeks. There would be no looking this man in the eyes, no curse of stone to befall the doomed hero. 

“What? You’re blind….” A strange pain gripped his heart then, knowing full well that no man would have chosen this for himself, let alone allow the affliction before battle. A blind man would never have reached this place without aid either, and too easily did he see the guidance of Miranda in the cruelty enacted before him. “She really wanted you dead, huh,”

The man beneath him grunted and reached blindly off to his side, no doubt trying to grab his sword again but only managing to grasp the blade and draw his own blood. “Let me go-” he choked out even as his hand was pinned back by the grip of the Gorgon, and any hopes of using the weapon were dashed in an instant. 

“I don’t think so. I’m not exactly in the mood to be stabbed,” the Gorgon chuckled. He settled his weight back down on the man as he studied his face. Even injured, the man was beautiful and noble looking, truly the kind that great songs and stories would be inspired by. And yet here he was, blinded and trapped in the cave of a monster. Curiosity was always his curse as well, and he felt more questions form as he looked down at the one he should really just be killing. “What brought you here, hero? A desire to kill the Gorgon? Hmm? Loyalty to the goddess and her temple?” 

“No,” the man spit out. “Never to her. Miranda- Miranda told the temple guards my wife was unfit to serve her anymore and threw her in the prisons. Miranda was the one who stole my child, and claimed her to be a servant of the temple. And Miranda was the one who took my eyes and sent me out here to die when I questioned that choice, and whose head I will cut off and emblazon on my own shield if ever I manage to reach back home again!” 

The force of the words startled the Gorgon, but he felt a connection grow even as the rage showed bright on the stranger’s face. “Then you and I share the same desire. I too was forced here against my will, and was condemned to an eternity as something hated. But perhaps, you and I could manage to change our stars together.” 

“Elias,” the man grunted out. “My name is Elias, and I would appreciate it if you remove yourself from my chest.” 

The Gorgon laughed, deep and hearty before leaning even closer to Elias’s face, allowing a few snakes to brush against the man’s cheeks as he did so. The gray scales of each serpent were nearly black when compared to the fair skin and golden hair of the man beneath him. Truly an interesting one. “I suppose I will, Elias. But tell me, do you not fear me? For surely, you know the stories of my siblings and I.”

Elias was silent for a moment as his gaze stayed ever caught behind his wrappings. “I would know your name before I would judge you, stranger.” 

The Gorgon chuckled and finally leaned back, pleased as he watched the man beneath him suck in a lungful of air as his chest flushed. “You may call me Kyril. I suppose if I am to help you in this impossible quest to fight the goddess, I should help you heal a bit first, hmm?” 

Elias laughed as well, a ghost of a thing, but it was there nonetheless. “I do not think you would be able to return my sight, Kyril.” 

“No, I most likely would not. Even when I had a forge, there was a limit to my own creations, and none of the helmets I created ever claimed to be able to see for themselves. I would help wash you though, and make sure you were fed before we seek out what must be done. In that way I would do what I can to aid you, as well as lend my own strength by your side.” 

It was an easy pledge to make in that moment, even knowing the Sisyphean task before them. The man beneath him seemed so sure, and every piece of Kyril’s hope had been worn down over the years until only a small spark remained. Yet Elias was enough to churn it further into a flame, and that was a miracle that deserved to be tended and pursued until it either burned gloriously or was snuffed out for good. 

“Then I will fight by you, Kyril, and if the fates were ever kind, they will guide our hands.”

“They were never kind, Elias,” Kyril said as he finally stood. He lifted the man beneath him into a standing position with barely a tugging on his arm, and was quick to catch him in a strong embrace rather than let the man topple over back onto the stone. “But when has any part of this world been kind?” 

Elias was silent then, simply breathing as Kyril held him close in the dark of the cave. Unseeing, unknowing of the true form of the monster before him, but understanding well enough that his own future was being handled more cautiously than he had expected. Perhaps once, he had entertained the idea of fighting the four monsters of the Cyclades, but that had long been brushed off once his daughter was born. And now, being given a chance at justice and returning home to his family, he understood which monster was the true threat to them all, and it was certainly not the man before him.

re8 greek myth. au continues. Ethan’s first encounter on the islands (follow-up soon?)

in this au ethan meets the lords in reverse order to the game, having teamed up with karl from the start. Karl keeps him hidden in his domain for months while he heals (karl has remedies against any inflammation/infection in ethans eyes (with how much he gets accosted by warriors all the time he has to know)), they become deeply attached to each other and plan to get revenge over miranda/athena who put them both there.

[crowtrinkets]

Analysis of Vesuvia :) Pt 4 Architecture!

Part 1, Part 2, Part 3A, Part 3B

*cracks knuckles* ok pals lets get going 

Also let me preface this by saying that I am not Muslim and I do not know a lot about Islamic culture or art (because we only spent a week on it in my art history class, which is a shame, and I couldn't afford my textbook cry) but I will try my best to put correct information that I have found all over the internet :)

This one I was waiting to do cause I find it the most interesting. But also while doing my initial research this one made me go HEY WAIT

When I was making the last 3 parts I noticed a common theme in the bgs specifically in the arches and domes

They dont look like traditional Italian domes or arches which makes sense since Vesuvia is said to also have middle eastern influences.

But what I found most interesting while researching the architecture in Venice, I learned that suprise surprise the Romans saw some art form they liked and copied it. 

Notably there are a lot of gothic influences in Venice.

Ex  The Ca' d'Oro or Palazzo Santa Sofia, that for some reason I could only find decent info about on Wikipedia which I was trying to avoid lmao

Lots of little “windows” minature arches, just a lot of extra. The thing about Gothic architecture is that its EXTRA, Vesuvia is just a little more tame.

But what I wanna focus on are the domes

So, domes were primarily a thing in the middle east, India, and the Mediterranean and ofc the Romans were like, I like that so they implemented it a lot into their architecture. Such as the Pantheon or their basilicas

So remember when I said the Romans took architecture from other places? Well yea one of those places was the middle east and more specifically, the Islamic Style of architecture. source that was hard to find for some gd reason

Because Rome sticks out in the Mediterranean it would make sense that trade occurred often especially with other territories so close by.

The Islamic style was input into Venice around 1300-1500, when the gothic style was very prominent, and so it influenced how Venice was designed aesthetically and structurally

In Islamic architecutre, specifically in Mosques theres a wide variety of styles depending on when it was built, but they all share common characteristics. One of which being a dome. Like I said I do not known a lot about Islamic culture so here is what Khan Academy says

“The interior decoration of a dome often emphasizes this symbolism, using intricate geometric, stellate, or vegetal motifs to create breathtaking patterns meant to awe and inspire. Some mosque types incorporate multiple domes into their architecture (as in the Ottoman Süleymaniye Mosque pictured at the top of the page), while others only feature one. In mosques with only a single dome, it is invariably found surmounting the qibla wall, the holiest section of the mosque.”

Source

And here's the mosque in question

Along with domes Islamic architecture also features a lot of arches, the Pointed and Ogee arch styles resemble the arches we see in Vesuvia in my opinion

Vesuvia’s arches are a little more dramatic✨ probably just for aesthetic purposes

Moving back to the domes they don’t exactly reflect European dome styles which are more half circular shaped, the domes in Vesuvia are more “onion shaped” as its called, such as the Taj Mahal, which is considered Indo-Islamic but thats besides the point

Here’s a nifty image I found labeling its parts for fun :) source

Some scholars believe that the Russian’s took inspiration from the middle east and also used the domes in their architecture, however based off what I’ve seen they're not as common in the middle east. Russians be loving their Onion domes I am not 100% sure on this I saw it on Wikipedia but ofc not a super reliable source and there were no citations on the page so apologies

But I feel that you could also argue that they are not onion domes but cupolas (not much difference but they don’t require a building to be on, they can be found on minarets and can be a little more dramatic with their shape), which like the onion dome originated in Islamic architecture, I feel theyre a better fit 

Along with Venice/Vesuvia having very Islamic looking architecture, the gothic style which is very prominent in Venice also takes inspiration from Islamic architecture as well

I think a great example we can look at is the Hagia Sophia, it was built as a Christian church in the 6th century, under the rule of Justinian I. Although it was built to be a Christian church, the Hagia Sophia resembles a Mosque like to the t

There are lots of domes, multiple layers, arches, and it even has the minarets (towers), on the four corners.

It now is housed as a Mosque today :)

I also find the column in the town square intersting, it has a very simple almost Corinthian shape but is also colored like middle eastern architecture typically is. Also the “capital” designs are usually at the top and not the bottom but it was probably the artist taking creative liberties :)

So while Vesuvia was designed with Venice in mind I would say it has very Indo-Islamic features, more so than Venice does. I also think it’s important to learn where styles originate from, especially when ancient Romans are praised for their architectural domes despite them being done before by other cultures

I was originally going to stop this series of posts here but I kinda want to do more about other parts of Vesuvia like the palace, the courtier estates etc and I can do other stories/worlds if you all want something like that :) 

I also wanna apologize for taking so long on this post even tho its kinda short, school is kicking my ass lmao

[peirates]

‘Did the Romans and ancient Greeks ... ?’

Google autocomplete is a gem and a curse. Inspired by @todayintokyo’s post on questions about Japan, I thought I’d have a look at what people are asking about Rome and classical Greece and, wow...

Christmas holidays leave a lot of time for milling around, so I’ll answer them in case anyone’s interested. (Please forgive me if any of this is incorrect/incoherent, it’s nearly 11pm as I’m writing this lol)

Did the Romans speak Latin?

Yes, Latin was Rome’s (and the Roman Empire’s) official language! Of course, many Romans or foreigners in Rome spoke other languages for the sake of communication, trade and education - Greek was particularly popular among the nobility - but Latin was what they all had in common.

Did the Romans invade Scotland?

Long story short, no. They tried, failed, and built Hadrian’s Wall to keep the ‘barbarian’ Gaels out - southern Britain was already too cold and muddy for the temperate Romans, not much point in losing more lives over more mud. 

(Hadrian’s Wall was what inspired Game of Thrones’ The Wall, as confirmed by G.R.R. Martin himself, but Hadrian’s was nowhere near as high, thick or long.)

Did the Romans have glass?

Absolutely! In fact, their skill with it was much more artistic and masterful than the average glassmaker today, just search ‘roman glassware’ here on Tumblr or on Google images to see what I mean.

Did the Romans invent concrete?

Yep! It’s famed for its durability, which is due to its contents of volcanic ash (Pompeii flashbacks), lime and seawater. The seawater reacted with the ash over time to give it its strength and anti-cracking nature.

In fact, the Roman method was so effective that it lasts for far longer than modern concrete (modernity/Westernisation =/= progression, it seems) and scientists today are trying to find ways to revitalise it.

Did the Romans eat pizza? / Did the Romans eat pasta?

Sadly not, only later Italians did. Their empire deserved to crumble for not inventing either smh.

Did the Romans invade Britain? / Did the Romans invade England?

They did indeed in AD 43 under Emperor Claudius, and they only began to withdraw in the late 300s when the city of Rome was being threatened by a Germanic tribe called the Visigoths.

Did the Romans invade Ireland?

No. Even now, archaeologists have no idea to what extent they communicated or even knew of each other.

Did the Romans celebrate Christmas?

Emperor Constantine only began converting the empire to Christianity from AD 313 (they had been pagan previously), and the earliest evidence we have of Romans celebrating Christmas was in 336 AD, very late in Roman history. Throughout most of Roman history, therefore, no they did not celebrate Christmas.

(They did have a festival which was similarly important and similarly timed (mid-December) called the Saturnalia. It also involved communal partying, gift exchanges and a general spirit of liberty (e.g. slaves could order around and punish their masters) - it was one of the most anticipated festivals of the Roman calendar. However, the purpose was very different: it was to worship the pagan god Saturn, the father of god-king Jupiter and the previous ruler of the world before its occupation by humanity. Namely, the festival marked a return to the ancient ‘Golden Age’ in which nature was dominant, peaceful and uncorrupted.)

Did ancient Greece have emperors? / Did ancient Greece have kings?

No emperors, traditionally Greece was comprised of city-states ruled by kings (or theoretically by the dēmos, the people, if you were Athens). Under Roman occupation it did answer to Rome’s leaders (consuls, then later emperors), but the idea of emperors was much more late-Roman than Greek.

Did ancient Greece celebrate Christmas?

Nope. It was originally pagan and did not celebrate any Christian holidays until a) it was conquered by Rome b) Rome later converted to Christianity, thus enforcing it on the rest of the empire. However, this conversion point was so long after the ‘heroic’ and ‘classical’ periods of Greece that by the time it did become mostly Christian, it was no longer ‘ancient Greece’ in the same sense.

Did ancient Greece have electricity?

Y’all are asking the real questions out here, that’s for sure lmao. 

Nope, electricity wasn’t used anywhere as a power source until Thomas Edison’s studies about two thousand years later.

God though, a good ol’ GPS would have saved Odysseus a lot of trouble.

Did ancient Greece and Rome overlap?

Oh, nelly...

Greece predated Rome by at nearly a thousand years, but Greece’s and Rome’s histories together lasted for centuries, even before the latter conquered the former. It’s why they are studied together as one field of academia. Many Italian settlements were in fact Greek colonies. Classical Greek helped shape Latin. Much of Roman religion was inspired by that of the Greeks. Many Greeks could speak Latin and many Romans could speak Greek. Roman art, philosophy and architecture was particularly fascinated by that which was Greek - to put it in meme format, the crab is Roman culture and the crocodile is Greek culture. And these are just the absolute basics, entire tomes have been written on Greece’s and Rome’s somewhat symbiotic relationship.

TLDR hell yes they did.

Did ancient Greece have a flag? / Did ancient Greece have a constitution?

Nah. Although history often refers to Greece as one country, one culture, it was more a collection of independent city-states with their own identities and constitutions. 

They all had three things in common: religion (+ the moral/social codes which came along with it), language, and (in most cases) enemies from abroad -  therefore in later centuries, as well as their city-based nationalities, they did all call themselves the Hellenes. If you were a fellow Hellenic, you’d be able to work and live in other Greek cities with less trouble than if you were to try, say, in a ‘barbarian’ land such as Persia. Greeks were civilised; everyone else was an uncultured brute. Hence, their sense of unity was more from fear of the outside, from xenophobia, than from internal harmony.

Because of this, there was never an altogether complete sense of assimilation. Different cities had distinct dialects, favoured different gods/cults within the wider Pantheon, often warred against each other (especially Athens and Sparta, whew), fed their own specific cultures and law-sets and reputations. Nationality and citizenship in that age were not really about country or region, the world was just too small for that. You wouldn’t say ‘Hi I’m Phoebe and I’m Greek’, you’d say ‘Hi I’m Phoebe and I’m from the city of Halicarnassus.’ The closest analogy I can really think of is the cities in the dystopian series, Mortal Engines.

So no, they didn’t have a single flag or constitution. There was just not enough unity between them all.

Did ancient Greece trade?

Initially I was going to wave this off as a silly question because ‘hurr durr everyone trades’ but ACTUALLY. 

Along with the rest of the eastern Mediterranean, Greece had its own Dark Ages between the fall of its early society (aka Mycenaean Greece) and the rise of Homeric-style poetry and culture, i.e. between the 1100s and 700s BC. Communication in general was absolutely awful: there were no great armies, no great cultural progressions, and yes, no substantial trade. The fact that Greece was then feeling down in the dumps also discouraged foreign trade. 

It took the bard Homer’s influence to get people to start thinking, creating, travelling and thus mass-trading again - this sudden surge in activity eventually led to Greece’s Classical Period, i.e. 4th century BC, you’ll probably imagine gleaming Athenian pillars. Increased thinking and culture led to increased politics/nationalism, increased p/n led to increased warring and military action, increased warring improved transport and communication, and WHOOSH suddenly trade took off.

So basically, Mycenaean Greek trade was good (as far as we can tell), Dark Ages Greek trade was shocking, Classical Greek trade was quite literally revolutionary.

Did ancient Greece have lions?

Yep! However, they weren’t like the sub-Saharan lions you’re probably imagining right now - those are Panthera leo, but the Eurasian lions that would have been in Greece were Panthera spelaea.

Nevertheless there were indeed lions and they played a huge role in Greek mythology and literature. The Nemean Lion was the first of Hercules’ Twelve Labours; Homer, the trendsetting legendary lad that he was, created a trope of comparing something innocent and vulnerable to something vicious and savage and desperate by using the analogy of a lamb and a hungry lion.

Did ancient Greece have a democracy?

Nope, only one city named Athens did. Don’t get me wrong, it was at the time and still is a big deal considering it hadn’t been done before, BUT there are three important things to note:

It was ONLY Athens which had a democracy - every other Greek city kept their kingships.

The Athenian democracy wasn’t what we’d call democracy. Only free, Athenian-on-both-sides men could vote and participate in local politics - this left out all slaves, all women (even if they were Athenian), and all foreigners or residents of foreign descent (no longer how long you and your family had lived in and worked in and contributed to the city and community).

It wasn’t foolproof considering it eventually got overthrown by power-seeking tyrants.

i.e. a part of ancient Greece had a democracy.

[brianna-lei]

Butterfly Soup Asks #16

This time including the squad as DnD characters, Liz facts, Noelle getting her yaoi education, and more

I’ve only played Dungeons & Dragons once (1) in my life so I’m no expert! I’d consider my thoughts suggestions (like with my takes on the charaters’ MBTI types, which I’m not an expert of either): 

Noelle as a Wizard sounds right, since she definitely can’t do anything reliant on physical strength. She would be an asshole and attempt things like building a Clone Army

AKARSHA THE BARD. Rogue sounds too cool for her

Diya: I actually want to say she’s a Ranger because the Wiki on 5th edition says “The Beast Master archetype forges a connection between civilization and beasts, allowing the character to interact with animals in certain ways including gaining an animal companion to control.“ Fighter and Knight also sound plausible though! 

Min: Barbarian with high Strength and no Intelligence and Wisdom

I don’t want to say too much because I want to save things for the sequel, but here’s some stuff:

She actually played against Diya in youth leagues before she transitioned. That’s why she recognizes Diya+specifically approached her to sign the baseball club form while Diya doesn’t recognize her. At the first club meeting Liz tells her “I was at one of your games when you were little” -- This is purposefully ambiguous/misleading (sounds like Liz was just watching) because she passes and doesn’t want to out herself to a bunch of club members she doesn’t know well

After transitioning she quit baseball and switched to softball. It was weird being the one trans girl on a team of cis dudes, and additionally when she was younger she sort of felt like she had to prove she was a girl; she naturally has feminine taste, but she’d overperform it by 25%. It wasn’t until she got close to Chryssa and found out she also liked baseball that she reclaimed her interest in it

She has a nice resting face so strangers tend to ask her for directions 

Sunburns easily

Yesss check the FAQ guys! Fangames are fine as long as you explicitly say it’s a fangame!! 

I’m almost mad I didn’t think of this myself. I’m one of those people who overuses “spoopy” 

All art in the game (including the title screen) can be downloaded here!

NO!!! 

Noelle. The day the others find out will be the End of her

Akarsha was reading some yaoi so it came up in conversation, and since Noelle had never heard of it Akarsha gleefully educated her (to Noelle’s horror). Noelle was extremely scandalized that Akarsha kept sending her inappropriate images, and Akarsha was like “i’m doing this out of the kindness of my heart! it’s for ur education!! me: Master Teacher. call me sensei”  

Following this Akarsha changed her chat name to YAOI SEME as seen at the beginning of the game 

Diya and Noelle: Never tried it

Min: Has tried it 

Akarsha: She constantly makes weed jokes but actually only does it rarely 

Yes, I’m planning on exploring this more in the sequel! 

Diya; Dee-ya. Rhymes with “See ya”

Min-seo: Korean way, but most characters like Diya pronounce it like Min-so, with the “Min” rhyming with “win” (not like “mean”). The “so” is one syllable (not like “see oh”)  

Akarsha: uh-KAR-sha

Noelle: No L 

I was planning on making the sprites blink! I’m still a bit sad I didn’t end up doing it

It’s supposed to be fall 2008 when they’re in high school, but I took a LOT of artistic liberties when it came to the references. For example, Akarsha makes a Durarara reference even though the anime didn’t come out until 2010, and there’s a lot of modern memes that ended up in there too...I couldn’t hold back...

The IGF trailer video is especially modern-day meme-wise -- since it broke the 4th wall, it was like, all bets are off. Don’t think too hard about it!

I wanted to put a lot of 90s and early 00s hits in the game for the nostalgia factor, like Complicated, Rock Your Body, Dilemma, etc. I think it would’ve made the experience even more surreal for players who are around my age!

I don’t own the rights to all the music so I can’t distribute it around for people to download! Here’s where you can find everything:

Thought Projection by Ketsa

Holding Your Breath by Ketsa

Thoughts of You by Ketsa

2011-13 by Ketsa

Miyauchi Yuri/110515 (miltata remix) by Miltata

Night Tourist by Miltata

Sound413_Images(short) by Miltata

Sound429_Floating Cloud (draft) by Miltata

Side by Side by Miltata

Blooming by Miltata

Romaras by Miltata

Little Circle by Miltata

Daydream by Miltata

Calling Project 2 by .que

Flame of Love by YOSHI

Valar Morghulis by Bloodgod

Overflowing by Tatsuya Kato

My Heart Will Go On - Recorder By Candlelight by Matt Mulholland

At one point Diya finds out what it means on her own. After she finds out, she uses it for the actual meaning :) (added this to the FAQ now) 

I can totally relate to all of them, but I’d say Diya! (added this to the FAQ now) 

that sounds a bit alarming

(I added this to the FAQ page now, thanks for reminding me)  I’m fine with people shipping whatever!! The only thing I can think of that’d make me uncomfortable is incest and shipping Diya and Min with male characters – other than that, go nuts

Oh noo im sorry, that must’ve been stressful! For those who don’t know, I chatted about my game for a few minutes last week with MEGA (a USC club I used to be in!). I’ve adapted them here with what I assume what the questions were: 

1. Is that your cat on your Skype icon? 

yeah it is!! it's burrito 

(people think it’s a cute name) 

LOL glad you guys approve

2. Was the game made in Renpy? What do you think of Renpy vs. Twine? 

yep! it's made in renpy! I actually started out in twine -- twine is impossible if your game is like longer than an hour and is image heavy. the engine started lagging so bad it would take 30 secs to do anything

2. Would you eat a tiny 2 inch man for $100 million?

LOL it's hard..it's a lot of money. I don't think I would

(but you could use that money to save many more lives! utilitarianism) 

it's a real dude tho! i'd feel awful for him haha it's hard when you have to physically do it LOL

3. How long did it take for you to make Butterfly Soup? 

FOREVER. I thought of it in my junior year over winter break

4. Was it for school (like an assignment)? 

nah! just on my own

(people saying that’s impressive) 

yeah!! self motivation

5. What’s your favorite part of the game? 

hmmmmM I like the "date" with min in the dream. it's so fun, with the dog park

6. Which character do you relate to the most? 

diya!! social anxiety queen, so relatable

(people comment on how she runs around when anxious) 

i really did that before my sat once, ran 2 miles at the school's track

7. Are you from the San Francisco Bay Area

yeah i'm from the bay! east bay

8. Which year did you first come up with Butterfly Soup? 

winter 2014 i think

(people trying to calculate which year was my junior year) 

i graduated a year early so junior year was also senior year

9. Are you making a sequel? 

yes!! once ihave more time. i have a lot of ideas for stuff that goes after

10. Was this a prequel to Pom Gets Wi-Fi? Or maybe spiritual successor?

this is a prequel. i dunno about spiritual successor tho, they're a bit differnt

11. Any tips on how to balance schoolwork and working on personal projects? 

hmm...i honestly sucked at this and could only work on it on breaks lol...if you can try to work it into your school projects, like some bit of it...

other than that i cant think of anything LOL it's hard

12. How did you organize yourself making such a long game? Any tips? 

it was SUPER hard to organize, i was really lost until i split it into 4 sections with each character. so if you're planning on making a game this big definitely think about forcing yourself into sections like that

the art was the most confusing to do bc of how many assets there were. i was going to say "have consistent naming conventions" but that's literally impossible LOL it'll always become inconsistent no matter how hard u try

13. What part of the game took the longest (writing? art?) 

writing, actually, despite how much i complain about art assets. it's really hard making sure the structure and themes come across correctly. like pacing is so hard. art is like #2 biggest time sink

14. How early in did you write the Akarsha/Min skateboard scene?

that came pretty late haha i put it in at last second

15. Are the characters based on real people? 

they're all inspired by combinations of ppl i know! i wouldn't say based on them, tho. for example min is like a combination of 3 friends i have, strategically arranged to play her part in the story

character design is design so u still gotta be deliberate about it

16. Who’s the other cat on the computer? (they’re referring to the cat on my desktop wallpaper) 

that one's maru! he's a famous japaense cat. he's super photogenic

(people speculating that he’s the “tube one”) 

the tube one? probably. he's famous for going into stuff

17. What was your favorite aspect of working on the game? 

definitely getting to put specific Asian-American experiences into it

i was like HAHOH i can do this and no one can stop me! it was really fun getting to do this without any creative direction from like, a studio or anything. so i could just go bonkers. i hate pitching stuff so

18. Any writing advice? 

definitely have other people beta your writing as soon as possible! they always catch stuff you missed. also this is like a cheat, make your characters really extreme. like find one aspect of yourself, and turn it up to 11 and make it into a character. that way they'll be relatable and memorable at the same time. i think most people don't make their characters extreme enough so they're all kinda samey

19. (I can’t remember what they asked me here, sorry! They were asking if a specific meme was in the game)

LMAO nah it's not. i did briefly think about it though, i will admit

20. Would you eat a Gusher the size of your hand? 

that would be pretty cool. i don't think i could eat it all at once tho...i would try to save it. like half

You’re welcome, I’m really happy to hear it helped the game feel relatable!!  

Thank you! I hope you have a good day too!!

haha I feel like my game is almost propaganda bc so many people wish they had girlfriends after playing it! the agenda...Thank you for waiting for the sequel, it makes me super happy to hear people are looking forward to it! 

You’re welcome!! I’ll do my best!!! 

You’re welcome!!!! :>

You’re welcome!!! 

same I’m really happy so many people find them relatable! you’re welcome!! 

You’re welcome!! my kids can never get enough love im very happy 

I’m glad you liked it! Thanks for the support! TT_TT

[much-sports-anime-imagines]

Hello! I wanna say this first: YOUR BLOG MADE MY PAST FEW DAYS INCREDIBLE! It brought thousands of smiles on my face and I am grateful. So, can you please, make a scenario with gom+kagami preapring for their first trip with their s/o? Thank you :D

Aaah, thank you somuch for the kind words!!! You’re so sweet and that brought many smiles to myface. And I’m glad this blog has made you happy.

(Also, pleasepunch me for taking forever with this, and also kick me because these are probably not what you were looking for, like at all. Tbh I took artisticliberties and may have had a lot more fun than I should have while writingthese, lmao.)

Akashi: You were a bit nervousas you stepped onto the private jet.

“Don’t worry, ____, everything’s alright,” Akashi assuredyou, his hand on the small of your back.

“Yeah, you keep saying that, but I’m still freaking out alittle bit, in case you hadn’t noticed.”

He breathed out a chuckle. “I had noticed, which is why Ifelt the need to remind you that I have everything under control.”

“I appreciate it, Sei, but…” you sighed. “I’m still scared.I’ve never flown before, after all…”

He led you over to the seats and gestured for you to relax.It was luxurious and you almost couldn’t believe this was actually the interiorof a plane. It looked more like a fancy restaurant.

Your stomach dropped again at the thought that you were goingto fly.

Akashi took your hand and laced your fingers together,squeezing them gently. “I’m right here, ____,” he said softly.

“Ok,” you nodded.

Maybe with him holding your hand it wouldn’t be so bad. Maybeyou’d be able to survive the plane ride and get to your actual destination andenjoy the vacation together.

The warmth of his hand was soothing and you were soon takenwith the view outside the window.

…

Aomine: “Babe… Baaaabe,come on!”

“No, you’re such a jerk!” you yelled from the dressing room.

“But I bet you look super sexy right now!” he whined.

“That’s beside the point, Ahomine!”

“If you’re looking for an apology, you’re not gonna get one,____,” he chuckled.

“I’m waiting for you to give me my clothes, Daiki! I don’teven want to know how you got them in the first place…”

“But I wanna see you in the swimsuit I picked out for you,____. Please? Just once?”

His tone was taking on that of a whiny three-year-old, but itwas almost cute.

“Ugh, fine!” you finally gave in.

You came out of the dressing room wearing the swimsuit he’d picked out. You had to admit that he had great taste in swimwear, thoughthe way he obtained that knowledge was less than desirable.

He stared at you for a few moments before breaking out into agenuine smile that made your heart do a backflip.

“You look great!”

“Th-thanks,” you grinned bashfully. Everything was worth itto see him smile like that.

“Now we’re all ready to go to the beach!”

“Yep,” you nodded. Honestly his enthusiasm was contagious andyou couldn’t help but get excited about it with him.

…

Kise: You glared atKise, unimpressed. “You have the literal worst taste in music, Ryouta.”

“What are you talking about, ____-cchi? This is my road tripmix!”

“Yeah, and it’s awful.”

You’d listened to nothing but meme songs since you got in thecar. Honestly, you weren’t sure how much more you could take before youmurdered Kise.

“Will you pull into the next rest stop?” you asked tersely.

“Oh, good idea!” he nodded, not seeming to pick up on your foul mood.

A few minutes later, Kise pulled off the highway. As soon asthe car was in park, you were out.

You’d consumed far more than enough junk food and caffeinatedbeverage than needed. But mostly you just wanted to get away from Kise’sridiculous music.

Sure, it’d been fun the first time, but it got old reallyquick. After x amount of hours, youwere about to lose your mind.

Once finished in the restroom, you made your way back to thecar. Stretching your legs felt good and it was nice to be out for a bit.

Kise was leaning against the passenger door, a sheepish smileon his face. “I’m sorry I upset you, ____-cchi,” he said when you walked up tohim. He pressed a gentle kiss on your cheek. “I just wanted us to have a funtime together. I guess I got a little carried away…” he laughed awkwardly.

You sighed. You really couldn’t stay mad at him. He was sucha sweetie. “I know, and I’m sorry too. Long car rides can make me a littlegrouchy…”

“How about you pick out a playlist and we’ll listen to it therest of the drive? Whatever you want.”

“Really?” you smiled.

“Of course, my dear,” he grinned, opening the door like atrue escort.

“Why thank you, kind gentleman,” you accepted his gesture,climbing into the car.

You plugged your phone into the aux cord and selected yourfavorite playlist.

You’d thought about picking one you knew he’d hate, but thenfigured it’d probably be a better idea to not hold a grudge.

Plus, it was a lot more fun when you could both sing alongraucously to the songs you knew.

…

Midorima: “____, you are aterrible driver, and I can’t believe I let you talk me into this,” Midorimagrumbled from the seat next to you.

It was kind of hilarious, actually. Your boyfriend had hisarms crossed and he pouted like a toddler. He also checked his seatbelt atleast every thirty seconds. It wasn’t your fault that he didn’t have a license.

“Come on, Shin, I’m not thatbad of a driver,” you rolled your eyes at him. “And it’s not like you haven’thad plenty of opportunities to go and get your own license. So quit yourgrousing and just navigate for me.”

He glanced down at the GPS and then back at you. “I don’tthink this counts as me navigating if the GPS tells you exactly where you needto go.” He sighed and looked out the window, pouting again.

He cocked his head to the side and glanced over at thedisplay panel in front of you. “____, you’re speeding,” he noted.

“I have acknowledged the sign’s recommendation,” you nodded,seeing the numbered sign.

“What?! It’s not a recommendation!!!” he yelled.

You scoffed and laughed as his eyes darted around wildly.

“You’re like a paranoid squirrel, Shin, chill. We’ll beabsolutely – oh, shit.”

A quick glance in the rear view mirror made you aware of theflashing lights behind you.

“I’m not usually one to gloat, but… I told you so,” Midorimasmirked.

“Oh, wipe that smug look off your face, you jerk,” you snappedas you pulled over to the side of the road.

From that day onward, Midorima never let you drive on roadtrips again.

…

Kuroko: You bounced inyour seat on the train, looking out the window with sparkling eyes.

“____, we haven’t even left the station yet,” Kurokochuckled.

“I know, I’m just so excited,” you grinned at him. “We’regoing on a trip, just the two of us!”

He smiled warmly and it made your heart flutter.

“I’m glad you’re excited, ____. I am, too,” he said.

The train started to move out of the station and you pressedyour face to the glass to watch the scenery go by.

“Finally!!” you sighed. “It felt like we might never leavethe station!”

Kuroko gently took your hand in his and raised it to hislips, pressing light kisses on your knuckles. “Trips aren’t always about thedestination, ____. You can enjoy the journey as well,” he said softly, lookingyou in the eyes.

You blushed at his sweet gesture and words and looked down atyour feet.

“Oh yeah!” You wrenched your hand out of Kuroko’s and grabbedyour bag. “Tetsu, I made us bentos for the train ride!

“How thoughtful of you, ____,” he said, looking at thebentos. “But perhaps we should wait; we just left the station after all.”

“Oh, you’re right,” you laughed. “Sorry, I’m just a littlejittery I guess. I didn’t really sleep last night because I was too excited.”

“If you’d like, I’ll lend you my shoulder.”

“Ok,” you blushed, leaning towards him.

He wrapped his arm around your shoulders and gently led yourhead to rest on him. He stroked your arm lightly, as if to lull you to sleep.

It definitely worked, as you felt your eyelids start to growheavy. The white noise of the train was like a lullaby and you soon fellasleep, dreams filled with happy thoughts.

…

Murasakibara: Honestly it wasa miracle you’d been able to convince Murasaibara to go on a trip with you. Heusually didn’t ever want to move more than three feet unless it was absolutely necessary. But you’d promisedhim the most delicious treats awaited you both, so he’d agreed.

You hummed to yourself as you packed your bags and promisedyourself you’d let Mura plan your next trip together.

When your phone rang with a familiar song, you immediatelyanswered.

“Atsushi, do you think I should wear shorts or a sundress onour trip? Which would you prefer?”

“…Actually, that’s why I’m calling, ____-chin…” he sounded sosad.

You clutched your phone tighter. “What’s going on? What’swrong?”

“I’ve gotten some kind of bug… I know you’ve been lookingforward to this trip, ____-chin, and I’m so sorry…”

“No, Atsushi, don’t apologize! Your health comes first! Isthere anything you need? Can I help you with anything?!”

“If you could come over…?” he asked hesitantly.

“Of course! I’ll be right there!” You hung up and made yourway to Mura’s house without a second thought.

When you got there and rang the doorbell, no one answered.You got a text from Mura, though, to just come up to his room.

The poor boy was pale as a ghost, shivering like a leaf, andhis room was thick with the stench of sickness.

“Oh, Atsushi…” you muttered, running your fingers through hismatted locks.

“I’m sorry I ruined our plans, ____-chin,” he mumbled,looking up at you with weary eyes.

“Don’t worry about it, really. I’ll help you get better. I’llgo make some broth for you, ok? You think you can stomach it?”

He nodded weakly and closed his eyes.

The couple days you were supposed to be on vacation werespent nursing Mura back to health, but honestly you were just glad you couldspend that precious time with him.

…

Kagami: You smiled atKagami across the table as he stuffed his cheeks full. The look on his face waspure happiness and seeing him like this was one of your favorite things.

“What? Somethin on my face?” he wondered around the food inhis mouth.

“Actually, yeah,” you snickered. Sauce was all over his lipsand smeared on his cheeks. Some had even somehow gotten into his eyebrow.“You’ve kinda got it all over you. You’re like a child, Taiga, I can’t take youanywhere.”

“Oh, leave me alone,” he grumbled, his cheeks turning red. “Ijust enjoy my food, ok? And this stuff is really, really good!”

“Yeah, it is,” you nodded. “But really, you should slow downa little.”

He pouted and stubbornly shoveled more food into his mouthwhile maintaining eye contact with you. He really was like an unruly child.

“Ok, ok, I get it. But we still have tourist spots to see,remember? We didn’t come here just forthe food.”

“Yeah, yeah,” he rolled his eyes. “Anywhere specific youwanna go?”

“Well, since you asked…” you pulled out a list of placesyou’d been dying to go since you reached the area.

As you talked about them, you caught Kagami staring at youwith a small smile on his face and a tender look in his eyes.

“Wh-what? There can’t be anything on my face, it’s all on yours!” you quickly tried to hide yourembarrassment.

“Nah, you’re just cute when you get all passionate aboutthings,” he grinned.

“Shut up!” you threw napkins at his face. “And clean up yourface so we can actually go to the touristy spots before it gets dark.”

“Roger that.”