#i wanna see this continued!!!!!

[r0semultiverse]

The code at the end of the credits in the FNAF movie spells "COME FIND ME" btw for those without captions.

[ferrettooth]

"You make my fucking blood run cold" how the fuckk do you hear this and not succumb to the best hate fuck of ur life bro???

[14dayswithyou]

💖 Day 3.5 is now available! 💖

For the last couple of months, only Server Boosters had access to the 3.5 update... Buuuuut now it's available for everyone to play in the 14DWY Discord — and soon itch.io once I'm happy with the QA and state of the game — so please don't feel pressured to join unless you want to!!

The full devlog + even more screenshots are under the cut ^^

What's been added to the 3.5 version?

📺 Streamer Mode!

I've been told that it's difficult to stream and monetise age-restricted videos on YouTube and Twitch, so I added an option to remove the sexual content and strong language used in the demo.

Now y'all can invite Ren into your bed for cuddles without putting your streamer career on the line /silly /lh

This won't affect the 18+ rating or dark themes/elements of the game, however! Although Streamer Mode will prevent you from seeing any "gruesome" CGs in the future, most of the core elements of the game will still be tied to the choices and decisions you make. So you won't miss out on the overall experience by using streamer mode!!

⚙️ Custom Pronouns!

It only took me one entire year to get around to it, but you can finally choose your own preferred pronouns (or use a set of pronouns instead)... At the cost of being able to change them mid-game ^^;

Since the original pronoun screen wouldn't update until a new scene was displayed, I temporarily disabled the feature. But once I find a workaround, I'll bring it back!

💗 Choose how others perceive you!

You can now choose how the cast and narration perceive you! Originally, the narration was kept strictly gender-neutral (outside of pronouns and genitalia picked by the player), but this will soon change in future updates.

For more clarity: you don't get to choose the words specifically, but you can choose between masculine, feminine, and androgynous terms!

📋 Separate top and bottom genitalia!

You can now choose your tatas and pps separately! >:3

Alongside that, you can also choose your preferred body type!

I removed the "both" genitalia option because a few players still assumed it was an obscure version of "intersex". That wasn't my intention and I don't want to mislead anyone, so I took it out for now ^^;

I also didn't want to include a screenshot of the new genitalia choices in action (because it's NSFW), so y'all get the same character menu screen for the nth time instead lmao

📱 Relationship Screen Overhaul!

You can now change your own status for more immersion, and long-term Server Boosters will eventually be able to submit and use their own icon within the game as well!

Stalking finding your friends has now become easier by using "Buddy Maps"; a new app that allows you to see the location of all the cast members!

I want to offer players more incentive to check the relationship screen since they tend to miss the status updates, so hopefully this might help ;v;

It also says it "updates every few hours" so folks don't go overboard and check every 5 seconds to see where Ren is gdsghf (also keep in mind that he's a hacker lol)

🖤 Additional Scenes Update!

Day 2 received a brand new CG!!!!! Originally, I planned on only adding a few CGs sporadically throughout the game, but it didn't feel right to leave Day 2 so... empty... so I added a brand new CG to (hopefully) make things feel more balanced and natural!

If you decline Teo's offer on Day 3, Leon will now call and try to convince you to reconsider. However, players are still allowed to decline, and if they do, they'll reach a dead end.

After listening to feedback on itch, I changed some of the dialogue during Days 1-3 to make it seem more consistent! They're only small changes though, so it's honestly not worth looking for sdgjssga

🎶 Updated BGM and SFX!

I wanted to try out a different style of music to see if it fits the vibe of 14DWY more! The BGM features more acoustics to suit the "beachy" theme of Corland Bay, though I made a conscious effort to include piano elements as well to stay true to the original!!

I figured it'd be better to give players a live example before I make a poll (to see if they prefer the change or not) and publish it to Itch.

Some new SFX have also been added, though it's very minimal and honestly not that noticeable.

How to download and play the update?

(warning: clicking on the following links will open Discord!!) To download the Day 3.5 update, simply join the 14DWY Discord server, verify your age, and visit the "14dwy-updates" channel!

Alternatively, you can also wait until the update is publicly released on Itch to play it as well!! (It normally gets released shortly after a round of QA testing/getting feedback from the server, though I may release it earlier if I feel like it hehe ^^)

Enjoy!!

[abd-illustrates]

☃️ Eira ☃️

Finished art from this week's video! It was really nice to draw my ice boi again, but even nicer to see him (and the video itself) getting such a warm reception from y’all in the comments - thank y’all so much for the lovely energy 💖

[DO NOT EDIT OR REPOST TO OTHER SITES / ACCOUNTS] ♻️reblogs are lovely tho!♻️

[15-lizards]

Was scared Tula was going to go “noooo I can’t kill my Atreides boyfriend bc of true love 🥺” and have no backbone but she said BEEF IS BEEF and did a deep cover sting operation to continue the blood feud nothing for respect for my revenge hungry teenagers

[pseudophan]

i enjoy sneaky short clips and pics of the show as much as anyone else but people saying they're gonna film and post the whole thing... look i understand wanting to share it with people who can't go but at a certain point you are just being disrespectful. not filming in a theatre is a very standard rule, it's not even dan and phil's own invention, like sorry you're not at a concert. everyone's been lucky so far that no clips have been copyright struck like ii and tatinof ones were but if people start posting long ass clips of it they Will start taking them down and then congratulations you've ruined the fun for everyone because you think you're above following basic instructions. not to mention if you do get caught it's disruptive and annoying for everyone around you. just. come on.

also, some venue security will be stricter than the one in antwerp for sure. people got away with a lot there but that's not to say everyone will. is it really worth risking getting thrown out

and again like i'm not trying to be the anti fun police i think some very short very sneaky clips here and there aren't a huge issue but there's a limit to what they're gonna let pass

[royaltea000]

Two young knights

[khattikeri]

honestly postcanon i need shen qingqiu to tell yue qingyuan his sincere opinion, that he really likes and respects zhangmen-shixiong as a person and always thought he was cool. because i think it'd completely break yue qi's brain

[motherofplatypus]

This fic is inspired by @solargeist post, and i wanna see how far i can go. This will be based on the aftermath of session 4.

Also i make a cat =(^ • w • ^)=

***

As stressful as it was having two teammates who endanger themselves more than they endanger others, Grian loves Mumbo and Skizz unconditionally...to some extent, at least.

Like, sure, with the Wild Card being a menace and Skizz's skill in making traps should be considered a war crime, Grian cares for them deeply throughout the day. Yes, only during daytime, because at night time, boy does the urge to blow them up in their sleep almost felt too tempting.

Mumbo and Skizz talked in their sleep. Like, literally talk and even almost having a full coherent conversation, even laughing as if they're making jokes. How does that happen is anyone's guess, but Grian, having the fourth night of his sleep being disturbed, had reached his breaking point.

He got three choices: 1) Blow his teammates up; 2) Sleep outside, or; 3) He'd rather deal with zombies than doing Option 3.

Option 1 is tempting, but he's green, he can't kill. Option 2 is worth the risk, but getting shot by a skeleton every time he tried to sleep isn't a viable option either.

Like, he could just suck it up and force himself to sleep and be sleep deprived in the morning, but he's too petty for that.

So, option 3 it is, and he despise every moment of it.

He went over the bridge and climbed up the stairs. The three parrot statues looked menacing under the moonlight, as if telling him to turn back. Grian would love to, but at night, there's not really any place for him.

He reached the top of the mountain, the base for the Bamboozler. The place was dimly lit, but just enough to keep the mobs from spawning. He saw Jimmy and Lizzie sleeping on their bed, quite far away from one another, busy with their own dream.

Not far away from them was another bed, occupied by the last person Grian wanted to see tonight, and that same person was the one Grian approached.

Grian didn't bother to wake Scar up first. He lifted the blanket and set himself on the small bed. It creaked as Grian laid himself there, with his back facing Scar.

It's just for tonight, Grian thought to himself.

He changed position a bit and his back brushed against Scar's back, and he shuddered immediately. The pain from the arrow that pierced his back appeared once more like a ghost. Being stabbed in the back.

Betrayed.

Grian found himself shivered. He never had problems being stabbed in the back, being betrayed, or being killed. But to be killed like that by Scar? The one person he trusted would kill him in a grandiose way, and not the cheap, underhanded way? It stung his heart so deep it hurts.

It's not that he couldn't forgive, but it's not like he could trust him either now. For all he knows, Scar could wake up and stabbed him again right now to take a life from him.

Betrayed, that feeling has been engraved in his heart.

But then an arm wrapped around him, pulling him closer to the body behind him. The smell of fresh bamboo filled his lung, an like a drug, it calmed him down.

Soft breathing sound on his ear, quietly speaking to him. I'm sorry, said the silence.

There are words hanging by Grian's mouth. Curses, anger, sadness, all but at the tip of his tongue. And yet, even with his mouth slightly opened, there's nothing that came out but a sigh that relaxed him further, as he put his hand on that arm that holds him close.

When the daylight came, he may not be able to trust him again. But for now, he sleeps in the safety he's familiar with.

[why-the-heck-not]

finished a book in the morning and that was a mistake like what am I supposed to do with the rest of the day? Starting a new book would feel like a blasphemy towards this one but also so would just moving on & doing other things

[levemetal]

Day 1: Destined / Doomed

Doomed eternally by the narrative. No fucking clue where I was going with this one. Lineart is not my fortee. Well, art isn't my fortee but you know.

It's fucking midnight and now officially September 1st here where I live so f u this counts.

[xxplastic-cubexx]

i just gotta stop drawing after this im never drawing an erik this nice ever again

[hazbinshusk]

husk x afab!reader. an anon asked my to expand on the ideas in this post, and my horny ass was more than happy to oblige. featuring mutual masturbation, sex toys, aural voyeurism and husk managing to feel ashamed of himself even while he's got a hand wrapped around his dick. 1.6k

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

The bartender is the first of the hotel residents to notice just how damn thin the walls in the Hazbin Hotel are, and the reason why would have sent a blush into his cheeks if all his blood didn’t immediately rush directly for his cock.

He’s finally made it back to his own room after hours of standing behind the bar and all he wants is a very large nightcap and his goddamn mattress. His back aches and his legs complain with each step but he still heads for the old bar cart in the far corner to pour himself three generous fingers of rye before making his way to the bed. He sighs long and heavy as he lowers himself onto the edge of the bed, untying his bowtie with his free hand and letting it fall to the floor. His hat soon follows and he swallows down a mouthful of the liquor, savoring the way it burns down every inch of his throat to pool warm and familiar in his belly.

It's then that he first hears it, and he stops with the glass still halfway to his lips, his ears twitching until they find the source of the sound. The wall in front of him is muffling it, but he’s sure he just heard a soft, breathy moan. The sound of it floods through him, worlds better than the way the rye did. He straightens slightly, his back pain suddenly forgotten.

The moan comes again, slightly louder this time, and Husk swallows heavily. The wall in front of him in blank, but he finds he can’t tear his eyes away from it as he leans to the side to set his glass on the bedside table. He listens to those heavy breaths and those occasional, sinful moans, and he feels himself harden and swell against his zipper. His hands clutch at his trousers until his claws prick at the skin of his thighs.

Because he knows who’s on the other side of that wall. He knows whose voice that is making those increasingly intoxicating sounds, and even as his mind tells him that this is wrong, he can’t seem to stop himself from unfastening the front of his pants.

*             *             *

You’re laid out comfortably across your bed, your body bare to the cool air of the room. The caress of the air conditioner brings your nipples to points and you whimper as your imagination replaces the breeze with a rough, attentive tongue. Your hand is between your thighs, fingers curled around the handle of your vibrator. The soft, steady buzz of it against your clit is slowly building your excitement further, the vibrations far too low to really bring you to release. Instead, you tease yourself, letting it relax you, unwinding the stress from the day and curling a new kind of tension inside your belly.

Still, you’re nothing if not impatient and you find yourself moaning aloud as you increase the vibrations, your hips rolling up into the toy for a moment. You press it more firmly against your clit before sliding it down to press against your entrance, dipping the tip of the toy in for a few seconds.

“Fuck…” you moan again as you return it to your clit, and you freeze as you hear the sentiment echoed through the wall to your left.

You… you know that voice. You know that rough, almost musical tenor and how many times have you imagined hearing it just like that? So gruff and so soft and so eager.

So often that it at first you think you’ve imagined it but then you hear it again and there’s no way you could ever imagine it so heady and so unbelievably real.

You’re drawn out of your disbelief when the vibrations against your clit make you moan again. And when you voice your pleasure the voice on the other side of the wall responds, sending a thrill right through the middle of you.

Could he hear you too?

*             *             *

The shame that burns through Husk as he wraps his hand around the base of his cock is intense, but the pleasure that tingles up his spine when the first pump of his hand coincides with a throaty moan from you quickly extinguishes it.

He strokes himself slowly, his other hand fisted against his thigh as his head falls back. His breathing is heavy, his eyes closing as he lets himself imagine what could be making you make those delicious sounds. When he hears a gorgeous, catching whine through the wall he groans, his mind playing pictures of his hands wrapping around your waist, his mouth on the underside of your jaw as he fucks himself into you in gentle, shallow thrusts.

“Christ, fuck…” he mutters and he swears your moans pitch louder. He presses his hips upward, rhythmically fucking himself into his fist. His wings are quivering against his back, his tail twitching against the sheets as his eyes roll back. Another curse slips past his lips, his hand slick with precum.

*             *             *

You roll onto your stomach, raising yourself up on your knees as you press the vibrator in and out of your cunt steadily. You can feel yourself dripping onto your hand, and you roll your hips into the toy, your flushed face turned to rest your cheek against the sheets so your voice isn’t muffled.

“Oh, god…” your eyes are squeezed tightly closed, your brows furrowed. You can feel that addictive, wonderful pressure inside you ready to burst, and you snake your other hand between your thighs to roll your fingers frantically over your clit. You buck into the feeling of it, your hips seizing as you cum. “Fuck, Husk!”

*             *             *

Husk’s eyes have rolled back, his lips parted for heavy, broken breathing and his shoulders hunched forward.

He’s still picturing you, spread out beneath him and begging for more as he rolls his tongue over your clit.

Picturing your lips wrapped around his cock, your eyes on his as he runs his claws through your hair and the head of his cock meets the back of your throat.

Imagining your arms around his neck, your chest flush to his as he fucks himself up into your eager cunt, his arms banded around the small of your back.

When he hears you cum, you're crying out his name. His entire body stiffens and his disbelief at the sound of it is washed away by his own release. He groans through his orgasm, falling back against the mattress as cum stains his fur. He exhales an almost delirious chuckle, his face finally flushing with heat as his breathing steadies and he realizes what the fuck just happened.

He raises his clean hand, dragging it down over his face slowly.

Part of him feels the urge to go next door, to apologize for being such a fucking pervert. Another is seriously contemplating the idea of leaving the hotel completely just to avoid having to look you in the eye again, Alastor’s contract be damned.

But then the way you moaned out his name returns to his mind and he swallows heavily, reaching for the glass on the bedside table.

He throws back the remainder of the rye, eyes closing at the feel of the burn inside him.

“Fuck.”

*             *             *

“Morning.”

Husk stiffens as you slide onto your usual stool in front of him, his tail flicking behind him. “Mornin’.”

“You got any more of that?” you ask, nodding to the coffee mug in front of him. He glances down at it, nods, and fumbles for the coffee maker set up on the bar behind him. You smile softly as you watch him pour you a fresh mug, swallowing back your nerves while he’s distracted. He sets a mug in front of you – one emblazoned with flames and the phrase Hot as Fuck – and you raise your eyebrow at him as you read it.

Husk flushes, clearing his throat. “It’s the only one we have left.”

“Uh-huh.” you reply, smiling as you take a sip. “How’d you sleep?”

Husk’s tail waves, his wings pulled tight against his shoulders.

“I slept great,” you tell him when he doesn’t answer, leaning your elbows on the bar, the mug still held up in front of you. “Best sleep I’ve had in ages.”

“Oh?” Husk’s ears flick upward, and he swallows.

“Yup,” you reply easily, thoroughly enjoying the way he’s reacting to your words. You’d been so nervous to come downstairs this morning, but the bravado you’d forced forward was now giving way to genuine excitement at the energy between the two of you. Part of you began to wonder just how far you could push him. “I’ve never felt so… relaxed.”

Husk gulps down a mouthful of coffee, exhaling as it burns his throat. His lips part for a moment before closing again, and he runs his claws through the fur at the back of his neck. His mouth opens again.

You watch him in amusement. “You okay?”

“Mm-hmm.” he nods, setting his mug back down. “You?”

“Never better,” you reply almost perkily, leaning across the bar to reach out and smooth over the mussed fur behind one of his ears. Husk stiffens for a second before relaxing; a soft, feline sound escaping despite himself. Your smile widens at the noise, and you meet his eye. His pupils are huge, his lips parted slightly. “You really should check the mirror before leaving your room, y’know. With this bedhead anyone would think you’d had some kind of wild night up there.”

[skunkes]

[gayestcowboy]

starting an honor mode playthrough 🫡 will update when i die

[stop-breaking-my-heart-telltale]

Y'know, it's unfortunate more people don't compare Louis and Violet in good faith.

Like, when I do see people compare them, it's usually through the lens of one is good, and the other bad. One is more canon than the other, and here's why. One is objectively better for Clementine, and the other is less impactful, worse written, didn't have chemistry with her, insert several insults here, etc.

I don't think it's inherently bad to express why you might not like one of them, or why you prefer one over the other. That's fine, that's a matter of opinion. It only gets to me when it becomes hostile, or passive aggressive... but even then, I've learned to just roll my eyes and move on. Some people make it very clear that they're not worth having a discussion with.

However, I wish I could read more nuanced comparisons of the two that didn't default to the "and that's why this one is better." At least some are kind enough to tack on a "for my Clementine" at the end.

You know how it goes: Louis is cute and he makes Clementine laugh, whereas Violet's boring, her love is shallow, she's still not over Minerva and she's using Clementine as a rebound. Violentine's a bad ship because Violet's actually a traitor, and they're practically the same person and that's bad.

Violet's loyal and reliable, whereas Louis is annoying, he never takes anything serious, he's a traitor for his vote, and he's nothing but a distraction. Clouis is a bad ship because how could any Clementine possibly like him after he voted her and AJ out? That's bad!

That's always the conclusion, right? One good, one bad.

This is incredibly limiting and it drives me nuts.

They're foils. They contrast one another, highlight each other's strengths and flaws, in such an interesting way that it makes Clementine's choice between them all the more meaningful.

One is not good and the other bad, they're different, and I think that's worth exploring.

Let's start with a common argument: Violet is the more impactful option due to her connection to Minerva.

Now, to be fair, I can understand why someone on Team Violet would believe this. Yes, it's true that the confrontation with Minerva is more impactful for a violentine shipper who has more investment in Violet as a character. Louis doesn't have as strong of a connection to her.

However, what they're failing to recognize is that Minerva isn't the only ghost to haunt this narrative. Violet may have Minerva, yes, but Louis has Marlon... and that doesn't just go away once Marlon's dead.

Violet's route has Minerva as her ex-girlfriend, and her bond with Tenn that all comes to a head on the bridge. Louis' route has Marlon's death and how that specifically impacts his relationship with AJ and Clementine, and the slow burn of forgiveness on all sides.

Marlon and Minerva are also reflective of Clementine's worst outcomes.

Clementine and Marlon were tied together through Brody's blood splattered on their hands and faces. They both killed a part of Brody, but only one of them lies about who killed her first.

After Marlon dies, Clementine gradually replaces him throughout the game; Rosie is her dog now, she uses his bow [which Louis gave her], she becomes the leader. Clementine gets them to fight back, and when three of her people are captured, she doesn't cut her losses. She does what Marlon couldn't; "we're getting them back."

When she chooses Louis, he does for her what he never did for Marlon: he steps up.

Clementine proves she won't become Marlon just as she proves she won't become Minerva.

After getting James to agree to help them, Clementine and AJ talk about what to do if she ever gets bit. AJ says he'd want her to bite him, too. He repeats this sentiment after she's actually bitten, telling her he wants to stay and they could turn together, peacefully.

When Minerva confronts them on the bridge, she's dying... and she wants Tenn to die with her. She doesn't care who she has to kill in the process. She's more monster than human at this point, and most times, she succeeds.

They're both bitten. Clementine could've become a monster like Minerva in the end. She could've killed AJ, and they could've become walkers together. But she didn't. Minerva wanted Tenn to die for her, and Clementine wanted AJ to live for her.

Also, I should mention she has Minerva's axe. She carries the key weapons associated with Marlon and Minerva throughout different points in the game, further solidifying these connections. She uses Marlon's bow to save her friends, and she uses Minerva's axe to save AJ, who in turn uses it to save her.

What's also so interesting about this is how Marlon's alive in episode one, and Minerva is thought to be dead. Louis has his best friend, and Violet's lost hers. But, at the end of the episode, Marlon's dead and Minerva's revealed to be alive.

Marlon becomes the ghost, and Minerva becomes the monster. Clementine becomes to Louis and Violet what Marlon and Minerva never could... how does that not drive anyone else insane?

So, no. One is not objectively better, or more impactful, because of a connection to Marlon or Minerva. They're different. It just depends on which storyline you personally find more compelling.

Actually, let's talk about that a little more.

In my opinion, the most intriguing point of comparison between Louis and Violet stems from their perceptions of survival, and how that impacts Clementine.

An argument I see made against violentine is that Violet's boring because she and Clementine are too similar. This usually comes from clouis shippers who prefer the "opposites attract" dynamic Clementine and Louis have.

On the flip side, there's the counter argument that Louis is reckless, that he doesn't take survival as seriously as he should and Clementine wouldn't want him because of that.

These are interesting to me because I get where they're coming from... but they ultimately miss the point.

The other day, I replayed TFS. Except this time, I did something a little bit differently. I played my usual clouis route, but then I had the violentine route pulled up on my laptop so that I could watch these scenes, comparing them side by side… and something occurred to me. 

Louis is about challenging Clementine's perception of survival, and Violet is about validating it.

Louis challenges Clementine from the very moment we meet him—he’s playing music. His initial philosophy on survival butts heads with Clementine’s. The fact that hunting with him and Aasim challenges your perception of “your choices have consequences.” These games have conditioned the player to think along the lines of, “Yeah, Louis is more fun… but if I don’t hunt with Aasim, we won’t have any food.”

Except that’s just it. I hate to say it, Aasim, but in the grand scheme of things… hunting with you doesn’t matter. It's actually less rewarding. You know why? Because in the next section, we get food from the train station. It would’ve been more beneficial to spend time with Louis over hunting, hence how he challenges you.  

This then primes you for the choice between choosing to follow Louis or follow Violet. I know people complain about how this is presented with Violet doing something productive [checking the walls] and Louis playing piano… but that’s the point. If you’re going through with Louis’ full route, you need to meet him at his level, and in turn, he will meet you at yours. You need to accept the challenge, the idea that Clementine isn’t entirely right about the way she’s gone about survival.

Oh, and do I even need to mention the vote? The debate over Louis’ vote is exhausting. Often times, people tell on themselves in how they talk about it. It’s not actually about the fact that he voted against them. If it was, these people would have a bigger bone with pick with Mitch, Willy, Ruby, and Omar… and yet Louis is the one who takes all the blame as if he’s the only one personally kicking them out. 

Louis is reacting to the death of his best friend, and the complicated feelings that come with it being caused by AJ. He wants accountability, even if he knows something's wrong. You can either agree with him that it was murder, and set AJ on the path of atonement… or, you can double down and tell him to fuck off, AJ was justified. 

But here’s the thing… the vote adds to the appeal of Louis’ route. To someone who hates him, or at the very least is critical of his vote, that sounds mad or delusional.

Except it’s really not.

Ever heard of a thing called tension? Because there’s a lot of it in ep2 between clouis + AJ and it’s fantastic.

Yes, Louis voting them out is problematic because we need a problem to solve. We need something to feed the tension between him and Clementine. He stepped in front of a gun held by his best friend in order to protect her, forever changing their relationship… only for that to seemingly be taken away from us the moment AJ shoots Marlon. 

Yes, Louis’ route is about being challenged, but it’s also about challenging him. That he’s able to forgive them, that he’s able to question his own survival philosophy and understand theirs, that he’s able to apologize and actually change for the better… that right there is what makes clouis so damn good. 

He becomes hardened whereas Clementine softens. By the end of the game, they’re on a similar level now without neglecting their differences, and they can move forward together. 

That’s what makes Louis’ route appealing… and it’s also what makes it unappealing to people who prefer Violet. 

By contrast, Violet’s already on Clementine’s level when it comes to this perception of survival. She validates that Clementine’s on the right path.

They have other similarities in the way that they’re both female, queer, they both have a kid they look after, they’re not always great with other people, etc. 

People who prefer Louis might consider this boring, but I think to Team Violet, it’s comforting. It’s comforting to have a partner who takes this as seriously as you do, who wants to get shit done. They’re playing Clementine with a similar attitude, and don’t believe it needs to be challenged. It’s comforting to feel validated on something you already firmly believe in. 

We also see this if we compare the hunting and fishing scenes. You have to make an effort to choose Louis by choosing to neglect hunting, but the game makes you fish with Violet no matter what.

Violet’s prioritizing fishing because they need food. That’s what they’ve set out to do, so let’s do it. The game is letting you know that’s the case, and if you value that, continue pursuing her. 

While fishing, they discuss why things are weird with her and Brody. Violet doesn’t take well to Clementine’s blunt, “Because you make it weird. Brody tries and you just make fun of her."

That’s understandable because I think she already kind of knows why and is looking to have her feelings validated. She prefers it when Clementine suggests that it’s because Brody never said sorry for what happened to the twins. 

There’s also comfort and validation in the way Violet sides with Clementine and AJ after Marlon’s death. She votes for them to stay, vocalizing how much she disapproves of the results. There’s this feeling that I recognize from a lot of the sapphic romance I read; “it’s you and me against the world, I’ll always have your back, even if you’re in the wrong, I’ll fight for you.”

In our case, it’s violentine + AJ against the rest of Ericson, save Tenn and Aasim. Violet validates that AJ was justified because Marlon was a liar and murderer, claiming that AJ and Clementine did nothing wrong. Violet fights to keep them. 

The tension between violentine in ep2 is different because instead of one pushing the other away, they’re being forced apart by the vote and there’s nothing they can do about it. That tension is somewhat released when Clementine comes back and they’re reunited, working out a plan to best defend the school. 

It’s also why Violet’s presented as doing something productive when you follow her instead of Louis, and why she asks if you want to hang out after checking the defenses. 

All that being said, allow me to reiterate that one is not good and the other bad, they're different. These concepts of challenge and change/validation and comfort exist on a neutral road as diverging paths. It’s up to the player to pick what path they prefer, but that doesn’t mean the other path isn’t worth acknowledging or analyzing. 

I should also mention that they’re not exclusive; there is overlap with validation being present in Louis’ route and challenges in Violet’s. They’re just more present in episodes 3 and 4 after we’ve made our decision. 

There are several more examples of how this all fits together, buuuuut–

Ya’ll wanna compare some allegories?

Those familiar with my content might already know where I’m going with this as I’ve made a post about Louis and the piano in the past. 

You see, I believe that there are allegories for Louis and Violet’s hearts present in their routes: Louis’ piano, and Violet’s pin. 

I already have a thorough, in-depth analysis of Louis and the piano that you can read, so all I’ll say about it is that on the night of the raid, he asked Clementine to carve a piece of herself into his heart so that no matter what, their initials will be immortalized together in its wood…

And that makes me fucking feral. 

But I'm also so normal about it.

As for Violet, her heart is the star gazing pin she gives to Clementine. She gives it to her so she’ll always remember that night… but she doesn’t give it to her until after Clementine’s saved her, and that fascinates me in the context of it being allegory. 

Louis asks Clementine to carve herself into his heart right before the raid, cementing that from that moment on, he is utterly devoted to her. I believe this is part of the reason why Louis is still happy to see her if he’s the one who’s captured. Yes, yes, he’s also incredibly traumatized from having his tongue cut out and he’d be happy to see anyone, yada yada… but listen, if you romance Louis and he’s captured, his heart remains with her—that piano with their intitals is on full display. When he sees her, he’s still so devoted to her that he refuses to accept that it’s at all her fault. Even when she says it is, he shakes his head... and he so easily accepts her when they’re together in the end. From the moment Clementine puts knife to wood, he’s hers. 

Now, look… you might think I’m going somewhere not great with this but hear me out. 

I think after Clementine’s gone star gazing with her, Violet is fully ready to give her heart to her. Y’know, give her the pin. But, think about what Violet said about how people have left, but Clementine came back. Plus, with the impending raid to think about, maybe Violet should keep the pin until the right moment. 

I believe a key difference between her and Louis is that Violet needs one last thing to solidify that Clementine’s the one. 

Louis gives her his heart prior to the raid because of everything that’s already gone down between them following Marlon’s death. Violet needs to know that Clementine’s willing to fight for her the way she fought before. When Clementine saves her from the raiders, it’s solidified. Even after she sees Minerva again, it changes nothing.

It’s also worth noting that the pin is something Clementine wears. Like the piano carving, it’s a piece on display for everyone to see, to let them know whose heart Clementine has.

Violet literally handed Clementine her heart as a means of saying, “I’m yours. I’m devoted to you.” 

This is why romanced/captured Violet is devastating, and is why she behaves the way she does in the cells. She was so ready to give her heart away and then nope, sorry, Vi! You get knocked unconscious by raiders instead! 

If anything, you kind of deserve to be told to fuck off if you romanced her and then let her get captured. Just sayin’. 

Look, I have a lot of complicated feelings about the captured violentine route, mostly with Violet being as forgiving as she is after her eyes are burned—yes, yes, I know, her eyes are burned and Minerva messed with her head so of course now she’s not hostile, yada, yada. 

But I think it’s rather telling that you don’t get the pin in this route. Sure, Violet’s willing to forgive and possibly pursue this romance in the future… but she’s not ready to hand over her heart, not truly. Not after everything that’s happened. 

And if you want to get extra angsty about it, imagine that Violet made the pin right after they parted ways, but before the raiders came. Meaning that if she’s captured, it’s possibly still sitting somewhere, abandoned. 

Mmhmmm, very normal about this. I feel normal. My normalness about this continues... normally. I'm not losing my shit thinking about that. Nope. Why would I? I wouldn't! So normal.

Okay just let me talk about their reactions to Tenn's death and then I'll shut up.

This makes me want to gnaw my own foot off, I can barely handle it.

AJ shoots Tenn on the bridge because Clementine trusted him to make the hard calls. This saves Louis or Violet's life.

When Louis jumps across, he's completely silent as he watches Tenn die... and then he's pissed; "What the fuck?! How could you just shoot him like that?!"

AJ explains himself, that he did it for him, and Louis is so upset that he forces AJ to look at what he's done, to watch the walkers eat Tenn; "Tenn's dead. He's dead! Do you realize that?! Look! [...] He's... he's gone, because of you. Just fucking gone."

If Clementine says AJ saved his life, Louis says, "So what, we just cut him loose? Gun him down like he was nothing?"

If Clementine says nothing, Louis says, "Tenn was just a little boy!"

The reason Louis responds this way is because in this moment, he just relived Marlon's death all over again, but worse. So, SO much worse!

When Violet jumps across, she breaks down, begging, "Oh, my God! Oh, my God! No, no! No, no, no..." as she watches Tenn die... and then says to AJ, "No! What the fuck?! How could you do that?!"

AJ explains himself, that he did it for her, and Violet is faaaar from okay; "For me? I can't... Tenn is gone! That soft little boy who liked to draw, he's gone, because of you!"

If Clementine says AJ saved her life, Violet says, "You think that's okay?! Just gunning down one of our own?!"

And there it is.

Louis is hardened in this situation because he already went through this... Violet hasn't, not with AJ. She softened up throughout her route due to her relationships to him and Clementine... but this is the moment where she realizes that maybe AJ wasn't as justified as she believed, and this is the consequence.

This leads us to the ending where AJ asks if they're still mad about him killing Tenn, and I just... I'm biting my foot right now because the script has flipped.

Louis is forgiving and understanding. He's soft, he's sympathetic, he shakes AJ's hand to let him know that all is forgiven and they're okay; "I... AJ, I guess it's like... You saw something I didn't. About the situation, I mean. Minnie and the walkers and Tenn, it's just all this chaos in my head when I think back on it. [...] Clem says you saved my life? Well, then, that's exactly what you did. And how can I stay mad at anyone for doing that?"

Or, alternatively, "He was your friend, AJ. I know you are hurting just as much as I am."

As for Violet? She's understanding, too... but she's not quite ready to forgive yet; "The thing you said on the bridge...that he was messing up all the time. It wasn't something new, you know. Tenn got himself or other people into trouble all the time, long before you guys got here. He was always so lost. He lived in a world that just...isn't there, you know? And that's why I tried to look after him. But when I was pulling him away from the walkers, and Minnie, I could also see...he just wasn't there anymore."

"So you're mad, but sad."

"Can I be that for a while?"

And it's completely understandable that she's hurting and struggling with how she feels about AJ moving forward! She wants to be okay, she wants to forgive him, she just needs time.

Now, because I'm forever bitter, but I'm gonna mention this as well: whenever I see someone point at Violet's scene and say, "See!? This is how LOUIS should've acted in ep2!" like... they're telling on themselves again. Not just that they don't understand Louis as a character or his route, but that they don't fully grasp Violet's part in this either. Or time frames, for that matter.

Let me put it to you in simple terms... they react the same.

After Marlon and Tenn die, they're upset. They're pissed. They blame AJ and yell at him. After they've had time to process what happened [Louis after the two week time skip, Violet after time passes between the bridge and the ending] they share the same, "I'm still upset about Marlon/Tenn. Can I be that for a while and still be your friend?" sentiment.

The difference is that Louis is treated poorly for it because of the vote, and because we feel it first hand for longer... Violet got to grieve off screen and come back after she's sorted herself out.

It's a disservice to both of their characters because it's rooted in that same mentality that I criticized at the beginning: "This is why one is better than the other."

Do I need to say it again? I'm gonna say it again.

One is not good and the other bad. They're different.

There are so many fun discussions that could come from putting Louis and Violet side by side, and examining them. I haven't even covered the different ways they're introduced, or compared their ep3 dates to see what it says about them and the overall narratives! What about the cell scenes!? How they react when Dorian's about the cut off their fingers! The way they approach James upon meeting him!

That last one in particular is especially funny! They're all under stress about blending in with a herd of walkers to infiltrate a boat to save their friends, and yet Louis easily saunters up to the guy wearing walker skins with a smile, and makes him laugh by saying, "Functional and fashionable. I'll take two."

Violet approaches James like he's an injured wild animal that's going to bite her, and bless her heart, she tries with, "I, uh… hey. Hey there, James. Sorry about Willy." Then James gives her this judgmental side-eye, like buddy? She's not the weirdo here.

There is so much potential to dissect here, and I want to see people do it... but I want them to do it fairly, in good faith.

I want to get away from the idea of comparing them to "prove" which is better because there is no objective better. There isn't! That's a waste of time!

I'm so done with The Debate™; it's unhelpful, it's annoying, and it's boring as shit. I've heard it all before, and you probably have, too.

I want to put Louis and Violet under a microscope and study them with the thought process of, "one does this and the other does that... what does it mean!? what does it say about the narrative!? Oh my god, they have the same opinion on this thing, WRITE THAT DOWN!"

So yeah, that's my ramble for the night.

I'm gonna go replay TFS for further research.