#inspired by friend's current playthrough

[sammy-breakfast]

universe where johnny is just straight up a nice guy . jonathan silverhand. Everyone can be a star, Kerry Eurodyne. I have neutral feelings towards megacorporations. Perhaps I am in love with Alt

[unowneyenon]

sketch dump of favs from inktober 2024 that i forgot to share feat. WIP monster design💪💪

salmon one has refs to salmon run graffiti teehee

MONSTER WIPS + NOTES 🔥 been trying to decide between the two head designs but need some feedback…multiple people have liked the more whale looking one bc of its beard & wise-looking aura i suppose

EDIT FORGOT TO PUT MY CHARCOAL/WATERCOLOR THING I MADE

inspired by the game how fish is made 😌

[rose-tea-and-strawberries]

To Catch A Falling Star (Idia Shroud x Reader)

Inspired by a scene from Criminal Minds

Masterlist

Reader is intended to be female

If Idia had to describe you in one word it was unexpected.

He still remembers the day he met the magicless prefect who appeared out of nowhere in a fiery blaze of glory like some leveled up shounen protagonist about to fight the final boss, how Ortho had directed you into his room before he could stop him. And instead of being repulsed by the many, many posters, figurines and merch he had scattered around his room, you were in fact…elated?

“You’re an otaku as well?” you beamed at him, your starry-eyed gaze of awe rendering him speechless before he flinches as you yell, pumping your fists in the air, “Finally! A worthy opponent! Our battle will be legendary!”

Yeah, he does not have the energy to unpack that.

Anyway, he never expected you to appear in his world, and he never expected to find himself comfortable with you, his new gaming buddy and fellow animanga enthusiast. You never judge him for his tastes or his behaviour or less than ideal personality. You were someone he could genuinely call a friend andabsolutelynothingmoreOrthoIloveyoubutpleasebequiet.

And having you around a lot, both because of you just barging into his room or by Ortho’s multitude of invites, just felt natural, your chatter being something that he could call soothing. Which is how he found himself absolutely dominating his current multiplayer playthrough with you doing your own thing by his side.

After his team had won the game, he turned to you, ready to receive your subsequent praise, only to find that your attention was diverted towards a wooden toy thing, your face scrunched up in concentration as your fingers fiddled with its many vertices.

“What are you doing?” he asked and you paused your twiddling, looking up at him. 

“Oh I got this star puzzle in Sam’s shop earlier. It reminded me a lot of this thing we have back in my world so I thought that I’d try it out,” you look back down and resume playing with it, “it’s practically impossible to figure out. You’ve got to put all of these pieces together to form a perfect star. It’s a bit of a headache really but it’s got a really sweet backstory.”

“So that thing’s got lore?” Idia raised his eyebrows and held out his hand. You gently toss it into his open palm.

“Well, you see it’s this romantic story where a young prince wanted to win the heart of the fairest maiden in the land, so he climbed up to the top of the tallest tower in the kingdom and caught a falling star for her. But, since he was so excited to give it to her, he dropped it and it smashed into all of these small pieces. So he frantically put it back together again to prove his undying love to her and he succeeded and they lived happily ever after.”

“What a load of normie nonsense,” Idia scoffed.

“Excuse me?!”

“You can’t catch a falling star,” he deadpanned, “it would burn up in the atmosphere.”

“Really?” you ask, unimpressed, “you live in a world that has flying broomsticks and magic mirrors and plants that can yell loud enough to kill someone - I really don’t think you can argue about the concept of reality when there are children here who are capable of breaking the laws of physics on the regular.”

“But still, it’s stupid,” he grumbles, “why does catching a star make you a shoujo manga male lead.”

“It’s romantic,” you argue, “he loves her so much that he would do the impossible for her. Besides, the point is that it’s impossible to do because you have to take all of these pieces and fit them exactly into the shape of a -”

You trail off, dumbfounded, when Idia smugly presents to you the completed puzzle, a small brown star sitting idly in his hand. 

“You were saying,” he smirked at your flabbergasted expression, preening slightly when it shifted to annoyed, “it doesn’t seem all that hard to me.”

“Why do you have to be like this,” you lamented, pouting as you grumbled about ‘high and mighty otakus who think they’re so cool just because they’ve beaten you in every one-v-one you’ve played’.

“Just take the L,” he said, not without a hint of condescension, as he turned back to his screen. Thankfully you were too busy wallowing to notice the magenta glowing along the edges of his hair. Why do you have to be so cute? You’re dangerous, you know.

Yeah, you’re a pretty unpredictable person. But that doesn’t mean that he can’t pull any epic gamer moves of his own.

[boos-gh0st]

Ever since we finished in stars and time my friend and I have been silly when reading dialogue in all of our playthroughs (currently finishing our second, working on two of our friends) and our current spiel is everyone having Jordans and the King having AF1’s and so [⚠️SPOILERS FOR ACT 5 END⚠️] when everyone shows up after the Mal Du Pays fight we were like

King: “Yknow what fuck you -creases your Jordans-“

And it is so funny to me thinking about everyone getting to the King without creasing their Jordans, just walking funny the entire way up and if someone tripped or wasn’t as careful someone else shouted “CAREFUL!! YOUR JORDANS!!!”

(Inspired by an Odile Ballin’ drawing I saw and sent him)

We also had one with Loop and Siffrin chats where we were just so obnoxious and silly as Loop and I can’t for the life of me remember ANYTHING of what we said regarding that topic and most of the other so I may make another post when I do but I am bestowing the thought unto you, the reader: ISAT crew but jordans…and the King with the AF1’s…

We were also in VRChat the other night with our friends and found an ASMR world and so we went there and for a while were just going off in our king voices going

“oohhhhh…. Ooooohhhhhh…. Bright one…. I see you have creased your Jordan’s…we see which side the universe favours…”

“Ooooohhhhhh…….. oooooohhhhhh… traveller….. you with the Jordan’s… no not- not you… the old one…. I hear air force ones are better for your hips…”

“…Siffrin, crease his air forces”

[you quickly salute to Odile and run over to the King, whom is shocked at the dastardly act you are about to commit.]

(Crease his Air Forces?)

>>(You only live once… Crease!!)<<

(You only live once… Run back to your family)

“BRIGHT ONE!!! WHAT THE FUCK!!” (/j)

We had this funny idea that it would be goofy if you could just type “crease his jordans” on your keyboard and you would insta-kill the king

Omg I was proof reading this and had the thought of siffrin whipping out a keyboard:

“Bright one what are you doing”

“[crease his jordans]”

“BRIGHT ONE WHAT HAVE YOU DONE- [dies]”

Party: “…”

Siffrin: “hey guys looks like we saved Vaugarde!” -insert the smile frame after he one shots the sadness-

I’m begging someone (maybe I will) to properly write something out for this because everyone having Jordans and the king with AF1’s and NOBODY wants to crease them is so funny to me. The king wanting someone to join his side, being the only one in all of Vaugarde who has AF1s

Imagine getting to BigFrin and it’s just

“Siffrin!! Don’t do this! You’ll crease your Jordans!!”

“Stars You’re right my bad homies” -shrinks-

This is a joke

But I think it’s funny anyway

I proof read this twice and missed a typo in the FIRST WORD sobs

I misspelled “you’re” this is embarrassing

[cherryfennec]

ever since ive posted the redesigns for the bad end au ive been getting a lot more asks than I'm used to. currently my askbox has over 80 asks to be precise!

some intriguing, some questionable, some unfortunately containing spoilers for the remake (the full unspoilered name) which means they'll get answered in the further future since I dont want to ruin peoples experience with the character it alludes to.

I've been slowly planning a response for each of them in docs, in my notepad and even my sketchbook, as some require some more additional research for me to do. Currently I've been watching the full playthrough of The Origami King(almost done) and playing my way through TTYD (i just finished chapter 4) in the background to name a few.

Other than asks there have been a few other original drawings I've been wanting to make for the Super Mario franchise or other. I've been learning programs or just brushes, I've gotten inspired over some stuff I encountered during the trip, I tried and am trying to participate in ArtFight or just making fanart for my friends for fun.

In the end I want to thank everyone who has been patient with me and supportive of my work up to this day. I know I'm not the fastest drawer and that I tend to be awkward with talking but i truly appreciate it. I know I don't owe anyone anything but I do want to give back to all the people I've met here for being interested in my ramblings, be it with answers or even the occasional doodles.

Once again, thank you! Thank you very much!

[serbarris]

Author Ask Tag

Tagged by @volkoss my answers are not going to be as eloquent or insightful but enjoy I guess lol x

All of these are going to be about my current fic At Best You'll Find A Little Remedy. Which is about Emmrich and my Rook, Calliope!!

What is the main lesson of your story?

Um, intentionally - no main lesson. I think unintentionally, it's a story of Calliope learning to trust herself, in multiple aspects of her life, also to be more trusting of others. Also I wanted to explore the romance in Veilguard a bit more, and flesh out some of the interactions with not just Emmrich but the other companions too. And finally, I wanted to inflict/show some real-time trauma for them since everyone seems slightly too well-adjusted for the Horrors they are experiencing lol.

What did you use as inspiration for your world-building?

Basically, I had a passing headcanon that Calliope was in Emmrich's class as a student, and obviously why would she not have a crush on the handsome 35-40 year old teacher? and ran with it. First I wrote I'll Crawl Home to Her as a starting place for small interactions between the main quests, and then I started to build off those small scenes that's now ballooned into this multichapter fic! Also chapter 1 of this fic was basically - what if I wrote veilguard as a romcom novel.

Also I have a list of things I wish were explored a bit more in VG, so the plotline with the huge books in the Cauldron, an earlier first kiss scene, a [redacted] fight, and can't beat just hurt/comfort and more smut :)

What is your MC trying to achieve, and what are you, the writer, trying to achieve with them? Do you want to inspire others, teach forgiveness, or help them grow as a person?

On reflection, it's a bit of free therapy writing Calliope. Even though she's a couple years older than me, she is v much a younger version of myself. I was very reclusive and introverted (still am) but she is truly the extreme of me at my worst I guess? I definitely feel like I want her to grow and show that throughout the fic - at the beginning of VG she is very much running away from her problems, as well as longing to go home. She's definitely fighting her own demons in a continent without therapy so she is Struggling, but the team do help her a lot and it's the first time she's truly been confident at calling people friends (apart from Audric and Myrna but Myrna's her boss and Vorgoth is like a quasi-uncle).

I also took the chance to explore Emmrich's POV a bit through some interludes that take place. I think Calliope has such a puppy love towards Emmrich and truly has watched him afar for many years that I wanted to punctuate Emmrich only just noticing her, and how it's a quicker descent for him (that starts out a bit more lusty). It's very fun to write Emmrich's POV chapters, his voice comes quite easily.

How many chapters is your story going to have?

Currently sitting at about 22 chapters that I'm happy with the plan for(one of those will probably be split in two so maybe 23 is the answer?) - possibly more possibly less I'm going with the flow!

Is it fanfiction or original content? Where do you plan to post it?

Fanfiction babeyy, on ao3, some chapters have been cross-posted to tumble (before I decided to post on ao3 as a multichapter)

When did you start writing?

I wrote a couple of fanfics back in the day when I was a teen for HP and Darren Shan - I then didn't write for years until 2019 when I started to write for my Inquisitor x OC, but I've never had the balls to write their longfic it would be intense haha. Then only picked up writing again in November after doing Calliope's playthrough!

Do you have any words of encouragement for fellow writers of writeblr?

just write!!! it's fun, it's therapy- post it or don't post it, someone out there will enjoy it, even if it's an audience of you!!

Tagging: @aymayzing @maythedreadwolftakeyou

[deathscastleofficielle]

Breaking down my designs for the Main Bros

Hey, happy anniversary! Seven years ago today I published the very first chapter of Death's Castle! (and then a few years later I went back and rewrote it to better match my current skill level but LETS NOT WORRY ABOUT THAT-)

So in celebration of seven years, how about I actually talk about the design processes for the Bros and what's going on with their looks.

Quick note, since I already discussed many of the Bros' body types, I won't be rehashing that. We'll mainly be focusing on face, hair, and clothes. I will also be bringing up some of the old fandom artists that inspired me, but I once again ask that you please do not bother them as they have long moved on from this fandom (this does not apply to Jack or Zoe, they are my friends, go give them some love).

Also, spoilers for the fic below.

Stephano the Statue (+Janus)

Stephano is a statue, an artistic representation of idealized beauty, and thus is meant to be very handsome but in a way that makes him stick out from the rest of the castle. In a place where most everyone is pale and starving, Stephano's chiseled and healthy features can make him look uncanny. A quite literal case of "don't trust a pretty face."

One of his most notable features is his eyes, and specifically how little detail they actually have. In White Lily, Mayo notes that Stephano's eyes lack "deeper color" but have a metallic shine to them. In other words, his eyes appear flatter compared to others. Again, this is supposed to make him look more statue-like. I also tend to give him a more defined nose than others in my art, owing to his Arab heritage.

His long hair, often kept in a low ponytail, is borrowed from many pre-existing depictions of the character. I think we all just like the Finn the Human-type trope of a character who mostly keeps their hair covered but then it's revealed their hair is actually super long. And while most fan depictions made Stephano clean-shaven, in one of the videos he actually confirms that he has a beard, so I gave him a bit of a goatee.

As mentioned before, Stephano's outfit design was actually stolen and edited from the artist blackbeltkitten009 for their now discontinued comic The Stephano Chronicles. When I began Death's Castle, my goal was to create updated designs for the Bros, to provide a visual of the timeskip between the videos (where I tend to use design elements that were generally popular in the fandom at the time) and the fanfiction. However, Stephano is a bit difficult to make an updated design for because of all the Bros he has the most humanoid appearance in the videos, given that he's a statuette and actually has clothes. (An admittedly ironic statement, given that in Death's Castle proper his gold skin makes him unable to pass as fully human)

There were a couple elements that drew me to blackbeltkitten009's design in particular; for starters the design had a lot of drama to it without being over the top. There was one thing in particular that made me decide to use it though, and that was the ruby brooch.

In Death's Castle, Stephano shares his body with an entity he has named Janus, an element taken from the Disponentia custom story playthrough. When Janus is in control, Stephano's eyes glow red followed by everything gold on his body becoming pitch black. The ruby brooch acts as a bridge between these two forms. On Stephano, the red is a pop of color against his otherwise monochromatic design, with the color scheme adding a regal heroism to him, much like how Stephano would like to see himself. On Janus however, the red ties into his eyes and adds to the sinister appearance.

Is that a bit cheesy? Yes, but I was a teenager when I started this, give me a break.

Also as a sidenote, Janus' color scheme came from a misunderstanding. You see my first encounter with him was of someone's description of him. I didn't know which video "Evil Stephano" originated in, and for awhile I even believed he was something the fandom made up. Like Red Chair! But I must have misread "glowing eyes" as specifically glowing red eyes. However, when actually watching Disponentia it turns out his eyes are actually glowing white and his color is maybe a dark bronze. I like where the chips landed but if I began Death's Castle today, I probably would have made him closer to his appearance in the videos. But this would definitely call for a different Stephano design.

Piggeh the Pig

Piggeh's characterization was inspired by the scene and emo trends of the early 2010s. Not only the fun stuff which makes up his outward personality, but also some of the harsher realities that were going on in those subcultures.

One of the first decisions I made was to change his shirt color from pink to something else. For awhile it was going to be white since that was the only color I can think of that didn't clash with his color scheme, but didn't like it since I felt it would be too washed out on his pale skin. I ended up instead settling on a bright red (starting to notice a pattern?). This felt like a natural escalation of Piggeh's previous pink attire, as both are considered romantic/sexual colors. In fact Piggeh's color scheme is meant to evoke the typical garish valentine's day. The particular shade of red's gaudiness also says a lot about Piggeh; he doesn't put a lot of care into his appearance. On the other hand though, the red picks up on all of the eternally bloodied scars on Piggeh's body. Piggeh and blood are very well acquainted, and the tattered red shirt is a constant reminder of that fact.

The brown fishnet vest was another early design decision. Fishnets are often seen as provocative and are associated with adult entertainment, thus him having a vest made of the material is an easy shorthand for his sexual behavior without exposing too much skin. In fact early on the vest was hot pink, but I think someone pointed out how hard it was to see against the red so I changed it to dark brown.

The bandages on his arms are picked up from several pre-existing depictions of Piggeh such as StephanoTheStatue's and Mister-Chair's, but in Death's Castle they serve a plot purpose; hiding his self harm scars. Finally, the look is completed with brown jeans and a pair of work boots, calling back to his farm origins.

While most people tend to give Piggeh unnaturally colored eyes, most popular being pink to match his hair, I decided to give my depiction of Piggeh brown eyes like most real pigs tend to have. He also has snake-like pupils, owing to his famous line from the videos; "You thought I was a pig? Nah, I'm a snake!" One eye has a long scar over it in a somewhat diamond shape, but tends to curve in a way that can almost make it resemble a snake. His other eye, often kept hidden by his hair, is surrounded by a larger scar and blackened by hyphema, otherwise known as an 8 Ball Fracture. This was inspired by the character of 2D from the band Gorillaz.

His pink hair was originally shorter if just a bit messy, owing to the fact that I used to only be able to draw about two hairstyles for men. However when Jack ( @thesucessorofficalnot ) drew him, he gave Piggeh a longer and uneven cut more reminiscent of scene queen hairstyles, so I started using it myself.

Finally, one thing I want to mention is that Piggeh was designed to be very feminine looking, to the point he could easily pass as a woman. This started as sort of a joke because whenever I would show people in real life fan art of Piggeh they would consistently mistake him for a woman, likely due to his pink color scheme, so I just adopted it as a feature for him. His adoptive mother Bunny was even designed to look masculine as a compliment to his feminine design. This ended up being somewhat downplayed in the fic itself, as generally speaking the Bros aren't too concerned with how outwardly masculine or feminine someone is.

Oh and fun fact. Lately when I've drawn Piggeh or Fleur, I've drawn them with the same eye shape.

Mr. Green Chair

Appearance wise Mr. Chair doesn't veer too far off from the typical depictions. Short brown hair, light-skinned, wearing glasses and a green beret. He is often depicted as having either brown or green eyes, and I chose green to compliment his siblings' color themed naming, hence his first name being "Green" in the fanfic. One important factor regarding his appearance is that while most versions of Mr. Chair are presumably white, mine is biracial, and specifically Japanese. This is mainly to reference his appearances in the playthrough of Ao Oni, a game made and set in Japan.

Mr. Chair is similarly hard to redesign like Stephano, but for different reasons. Mr. Chair's design is pretty set in stone in the fandom, usually depicted in a green sweater vest or cardigan and a simple dress shirt. In general his look is very preppy, very academia. So how do I update that for a years later look?

Well admittedly I had already drawn up some designs based on basically a male version of Elizabeth's outfit from Bioshock Infinite. And we'll swing back around to Elizabeth later, but for now I basically had this lying around and slapped it on Mr. Chair. I simply changed the colors so that the blazer was his signature deep green, and the lining on his dress shirt was a reddish purple. There was originally no pattern on the shirt, but the amazing ZoeDraws did some awesome artwork of the Bros and on Mr. Chair they included a light grey vine/floral pattern so I have also adopted that in at least some of my art.

While on the surface the outfit is typical for a bookworm character, the rather bold combination of green and magenta is surprisingly flamboyant. My friend even comared him to a toxic frog. I think this acts as a bit of subtle foreshadowing to the more unsettling parts of Mr. Chair's character, such as his past drug use. It also shows a bit of his creativity, as presumably Mr. Chair made or altered these clothes himself, given his sewing skills.

And while not fully intentional, the outfit parallels Red Chair, who similarly wears a red and black blazer patterned like Pewdie's modern branding and a red hat. Perhaps Mr. Chair can't help but want to emulate his older brother?

Jennifer the Rock

Jennifer's look was solidified very early on due to the popular traits she was given in fan art. Long black hair, pale skin, gray eyes. The most important element of her design is that she is plus sized due to Pewdie constantly insulting the character for being fat. An unfortunate artifact of the time's humor that is explored more thoroughly and compassionately in Death's Castle proper.

While actually letting her be fat sounds like a no-brainer nowadays, this was not the case in the fandom back then. Most people tended to make Jennifer skinny, some even giving her an eating disorder of some sort to justify it. And the few who did make Jenny fat were tending to continue the joke from the videos. Now I don't say this to act all superior, frankly speaking Pewds put us in an awkward position, and I'm sure for a lot of the artists they didn't want to offend anyone or maybe it even hit too close to home for some.

However, it was important to me to actually give Jennifer the body type she was assigned to, and to not only show the struggles fat women are faced with, but that fat can be beautiful. Especially without being sexualized. (see my pride headcanons for more on that) It also provided a bit of a contrast to how we see fat today vs how fat was seen in the past.

Jennifer originally kept her hair down as seen in some of the past segments of Death's Castle, but by the present day her hair is worn in a ponytail. This was actually an element inspired by a doodle Punkichi did, depicting their Jennifer in an alternate hairstyle. I liked it, so I adopted it for mine. Her hair also covers one of her eyes to show her shyer and insecure personality. Finally, I used a popular accessory often given not to human Jennifer but to the rock version of Jennifer in non-gijinka fanart. A bow. Which also inspired me to make her an archer because I thought it was funny for her to have two different kinds of bows.

In an attempt to get back her memories through an orb shard, Jennifer falls into a trance and ends up severing her pinky finger. What may initially seem like a random injury actually holds a lot of meaning when Jennifer's past as Genevieve is taken into account. For starters, as a lady of high society, Genevieve had to have proper etiquette, and we all know the rule of sticking your pinky finger out when drinking tea. Cutting it off shows that Jennifer is no longer that proper girl. On a dourer note, the pinky finger is also associated with the pinky swear or pinky promise. Losing that finger in this sense symbolizes promises that were never fulfilled.

Each of the Bros had a signature color of sorts. Pewdie was blue, Stephano was gold/yellow, Piggeh was pink, and Mr. Chair was green. Jennifer on the other hand didn't really have a solid agreed upon color in the fandom that wasn't just gray. So it only made sense to make Jennifer's purple. This was for a few reasons. It was an appropriately feminine color to put on the one girl in the group without infringing on Piggeh and even Marzia's pink, it paired nicely with all the grays in her color scheme, it worked as an opposite against Stephano's yellow, and finally; purple was a color often associated with wealth and power.

Jennifer is a bit of an interesting case outfit wise since she initially starts with a different outfit, but quickly changes into a new one in the seventh chapter. This was mainly because I struggled with her costume design the most out of any of the Bros. I initially wanted to play with the idea of moss growing on a rock and paired this with a look meant to focus on her archery skill, but this design was rather ugly and uninspired- not to mention it used far too much green for a character who was supposed to be associated with purple, so it was retconned to instead be a simple gray tank top and black leggings.

I actually eventually took inspiration from Jack's version of Jenny. I designed a letterman jacket style gray hoodie with white sleeves that had purple morning glories and mint green vines embroidered on them. This was paired with a dusty purple t-shirt that had the brofist symbol on it and a pinkish purple pleated skirt that matched her signature hair bow. She kept the black leggings and gray boots from her previous design. This design ended up suiting Jenny more and setting the tone for her style, as it better fit her fangirl characterization from the original videos.

Interestingly, in both her concept design and her current one, Jennifer is the only one who actually wears her flower motif on her person. Perhaps in a way it shows that she's the most self-actualized of her group? Alternatively, it furthers her resemblance to Fleur, and shows how Stephano can't help but see the lady with the flowers in those around him.

Also I apologize to everyone I've ever confused by describing the mauve color of Jennifer's ribbon and skirt as VIOLET. I had a crayon that was apparently horribly mislabeled, so I associated a pinkish-purple color with the word violet.

Mayo the Small Table

Mayo is one of the most important characters in Death's Castle. His sudden reappearance after what the Bros were led to believe was a childhood death is what kicks the plot into action, and throughout the story acts as the deuteragonist since the story is just as much about him and how he grows up as much as it is about Stephano. During the videos he was only nine years old, which presented an interesting challenge for his Death's Castle design. While everyone else started as adults and were only getting a little older in comparison, Mayo went from a child to a young teenager.

Mayo's childhood design is rather typical for the fandom. Short blonde hair, gold or brown eyes, a light colored t-shirt, brown overalls and a matching cap. A cute if potentially rowdy kid. His teenage design shifts drastically, presenting a more mature- but still youthful- version of the character.

This is where we swing back to Elizabeth, as the Bioshock character influenced a lot of Mayo's characterization. Specifically, the motif of a bird caged for the mysterious use of those who trapped it. As such, I pretty much took elements of her first outfit and slapped them onto Mayo. The collared shirt, necktie, even his birdcage brooch is lifted from one of two pins Elizabeth wears on her choker. His color scheme is made up of white, soft browns, and pastel yellow, evoking innocence and light. You look at this version of Mayo and want to protect him.

However, that protection can be stifling to someone trying to grow, so Mayo undergoes a dramatic change later on. After his clothes get ruined by blood, he swaps out most of his outfit for a simpler get up of a white dress shirt and black slacks, and this is accompanied by a rather dramatic new piece. The coat that once belonged to Alexander himself.

This is where we finally acknowledge the recurring use of red. Each of the main Bros uses some shade of red in their designs. Sometimes this is more straightforward such as Stephano and Piggeh, other times it's more subtle such as Mr. Chair's magenta or Jennifer's accents of pink. This was for one big reason, PewDiePie himself. In his early days, Pewds was associated with the color blue. He even adopted a light blue color for his brofist icon. However, things have changed since then. Nowadays he uses red. This common color scheme also shows that the Bros are a more unified team than they once were.

But then there's Mayo, who initially looks quite out of place, and he is. They are essentially an outsider by now, unfamiliar with the greater workings of the Bro Army and having to catch up on the five years they were missing in action. The Bros' protectiveness over him also others him, puts him on a pedestal, and this even leads to Stephano and Mr. Chair electing to kick him out of the castle, thinking it would be best for him to grow up among humans. As such, when he returns in Alexander's coat, in the red shade the group has adopted, he is sending a clear message. He won't be pushed aside anymore. The red and gold color scheme also draws comparisons to Stephano in particular. Once again, the story is just as much about him as it is our favorite statue.

The red also ties into his flower motif, and the reveal that his "flower chapters" work differently than his adult companions. Since he is still so young, for all intents and purposes his backstory is still ongoing. He initially starts with a white lily, symbolizing innocence and death. This is a melancholic flower, reflecting the sad situation of a child having been robbed of his freedom by enemies and family alike. His motif then changes to a scarlet lily, represent passion and lofty aspirations. This is a Mayo who has been pushed to the edge and now refuses to be a passive player in his own life.

His hair has grown out from his childhood and is now kept in a short ponytail. This was an idea I lifted from AskMayo's version of the character, as it added more variety to the cast. This person was also where I got the idea of Mayo using daggers to fight. (Quick note, ages were not universally agreed on in the fandom. This person's Mayo is older and was often sexualized by the artist.)

Now, there is one more thing I want to bring up about Mayo's design that no one actually knew until now; Both of his costume designs are based off circus attire. His first outfit, along with being stolen from Bioshock, is meant to resemble an acrobat's costume, complimenting his flexibility and fighting style. He loses that in his second outfit, but it has a subtler connation. With the long red coat, Mayo looks like the stock ringleader.

Conclusions

While making this post, I talked with Jack and he pointed out something I hadn't really put into words until now. My approach to designing the characters was very theatrical. Since I went for more human designs overall, I had to rely on costuming and styling to get my points across. And honestly, given that I've been in theater my whole life, and it's shaped the way I tell stories, I find that very fitting.

I could go on about why I designed characters in certain ways. There are so many characters, and I put a lot of work into each of them. However, quite frankly I just don't have the time so I'll just leave it at this;

There was a time when I wasn't sure I would ever write this story, and it's crazy to realize that I've been doing it for seven years now. Some years were more plentiful than others, I mean we definitely had a slow start, but I can't believe how far I've gotten. We're nearing what I would consider the end of the first season, the characters have evolved so much and there's so much more waiting around the corner.

To everyone who has supported me, whether you've been here since the beginning or found me along the way, thank you. Thank you so much. I don't know if I'd even be here without you guys.

Anyway I need to go rest my fingers because I talk way too much.

[wakacreations]

Get To Know People Better Tag Game

I was tagged by @graysparrowao3! Thank you and hi nice to meet you!

Three Ships:

I had to really think about it. I never really thought about if I had any favorite ships.

From Spy x Family (Loid x Yor) : Pretend to be in a relationship but end of up falling in love. It's really sweet how they parent Anya.

From Futurama (Fry x Leela): Friends to lovers vibes. This ship is more nostalgic. I enjoyed the journey of these two. The finale made me cry. I still need to get around to watching the Hulu reboot.

From The Flower of Evil (Jiwon x Hyun Soo) : How many times do I have to remind you that I love you? How many times will you fall in love all over again till you admit you're in love?

The angst and the drama with this married couple is so good.

Bonus: Bladeweave (Gale x Wyll) : Two people who will easily sacrifice themselves for others see the impact of those actions through each other's eyes. How can you ask the other not to sacrifice themselves when it's all they have known. I don't know. There is something there but I don't feel the need to write their story.

I still feel bad for not picking either one on my playthrough. Maybe when Patch 7 comes out.

First ship: I honestly don't remember. Most likely Mandy x Nergal Jr. from The Grim Adventures of Billy and Mandy.

Last Song: Wham Bam Shang-A-Lang by Silver

Last Movie: Recently watched a horror movie called Long Legs. It was more strange than scary but I still got scared anyways. It's an a experience.

Currently reading: A House Called Tomorrow Fifty Years of Poetry by Copper Canyon Press. I just flip through to a random page and just start reading. It has been fun seeing what poem a get each day.

I got "On Finding a Field" by Tyree Daye today.

Some fanfiction:

Direct from Hell Logistics by Ineadhyn

Through the Gates of Horn and Oak by Sensoo

Currently watching: Dungeon Meshi

Currently Eating: Stir fry Buldak

Currently craving: Some inspiration and a apple fritter.

Favorite color: Navy Blue

Favorite flavour: Mango

Current Obsession:

BG3

Art (Been studying MINJYE artstyle on YouTube)

Alien Stage

Ultraman: Rising

Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree

Last thing I googled: monk bg3. I wanted to know what spells they had access to.

Favorite Season: Winter

Skill I'd like to learn: Piano or guitar again. I took a long break from music. It would be nice to revisit it again.

Best advice: Stay hydrated and eat good food. Below are some words that I have to sometimes remind myself. I don't know if others needed to hear it as well but I am willing to share.

Through the struggles you weather hope is ever present. No matter how deep we choose to bury it. You will continue to move again. You will continue to struggle. You will try again and again because everything is temporary even the cave you've trapped yourself in.

Feel free join if you wish no pressure!

@crowwolf and @theshotsheardacrossworlds

[littlesailorinthesun]

nidhogg refantazio

I recently finished my playthrough of Metaphor: ReFantazio (with a friend) and though it's clear Metaphor has been inspired by a variety of other stories and media and tropes, my biggest takeaway was that Louis, as a villain, felt like Nidhogg if Nidhogg had been like, done right.

I know this is a Love Nikki blog, so I will do my best to explain requisite knowledge for Metaphor, but that also means I will touch on major spoilers for Metaphor. If you like Nidhogg and want to experience a story with a similarly compelling villain character, or you were already interested in playing, maybe you'd want to skip this post, give the game a try (or watch a walkthrough on YouTube), and come back later. If you still really want to read this post NOW but you also want to play Metaphor later, you can read a version with no major spoilers here (although it does touch on mid-game events which are unmarked). 

Also sorry if it's confusing, I know there is a character called Louie in Love Nikki, that's mostly not who this post is about though. 

Side note, I haven't really played Love Nikki in 4 years, so my in-depth knowledge of the story is mostly based on how it was 4 years ago. If that means I'm spreading outdated info, sorry about that. I know Nanari was possessed, I know that you-know-who died, I know a lot of the major developments, but I did not read through 4 years of lore to make this post, sorry.

who is louis guiabern?

He is the main, though not only, antagonist of Metaphor. After killing the current king, a man with no living heirs, a popularity contest breaks out among the people of Euchronia to see who is most worthy to become the next leader, spurred on by the late king's magic. As a man with a military background and a member of the most powerful race, the clemars, the charismatic Louis quickly became a frontrunner, positing himself as a populist who values strength and merit over tribal divisions and religion. It should be noted that although Euchronia is home to a number of different races and religions, it is a theocracy, and the state religion is Sanctism. The eldans and mustari do not ascribe to Sanctism and thus are the most looked-down upon tribes.

Opposing him is the protagonist, Will, an elda boy on a secret mission. His childhood friend is the "late" prince, who is secretly alive, but cursed. Will and his allies believe that Louis is the one who cursed the prince, and aim to kill Louis in order to lift the curse. However, once the competition to become Euchronia's leader begins, Louis is protected by the old king's magic, which prevents people from murdering the most popular candidates. Thus, Will becomes a candidate himself in the competition, and begins to seek alternative ways to lift the curse.

As the game progresses, Will and his friends discover that Louis was not the person who placed the curse after all, and that he was framed for it by the Sanctist church, the true masterminds behind the attempted assassination of the prince. After previously losing his military position due to this scheme, Louis had been investigating the curse independently in an effort to clear his own name, although unsuccessfully. 

Even further into the game, the player learns that Louis is actually an elda, not a clemar, and he is from the same village Will and the prince (who has an eldan mother) are from. He lost his family in a fire set to the village by the Sanctist church in an initial attempt to assassinate the prince, even longer ago than the one Louis was framed for. 

The game's other antagonist, Forden, is the leader of the Sanctist church (I guess, think the pope). Forden is also a very popular candidate in the tournament to become leader. As a proponent of Sanctism, he has a strong bias against the eldans and the eldan prince, hence the multiple assassination attempts. (I just feel as though I have to mention him so that the rest of the summary makes sense, as he is a major character.

their similarities

Military background, widespread popularity, and political savviness

Both Nidhogg and Louis were military prodigies, although in slightly different ways. Nidhogg's military background was not exactly what made him popular among the common folk in Love Nikki chapters 1 through 12, especially as it was in a completely different country from the one he currently lives in. However, I will still give Nidhogg was celebrated and remembered in the North for his protection. More straightforwardly, Louis built up the most strength during his time in the military, to the point where many people did not believe it when he was linked to the prince's assassination, identifying him as a scapegoat. 

Nidhogg's popularity in Lilith is still worth noting, even though it was for something that was not directly relevant to his ideals. However, it was not explored in the same way, as basically everybody from Lilith turned on Nidhogg after he revealed his true colors. On the other hand, some people in Euchronia continue to support Louis even into Metaphor's epilogue. 

Finally, both Nidhogg and Louis's political savviness allowed them to rise in strength despite being orphaned children from a completely different place. Although Nidhogg is not part of any oppressed group, there is a world of cultural difference between Lilith and North. He proved himself by designing cute, beautiful outfits in Lilith style, displaying that he could participate in a culture that he had no relation to, and earning the favor of Queen Nanari. As an elda pretending to be a clemar, who rose to power as a nobleman and was close to the most powerful people in Euchronia, this would have been a similar journey to what Louis would have gone through. 

Principles of power and fairness; magical weapons

Both Louis and Nidhogg want to earn everything - or at least, so they say. Nidhogg's entire mentality stems from the unfairness of his youth, the complete and overwhelming imbalance between the opposing troops taking a curse-suppressing drug and his own side, forced to reckon with the pain. The death of the man he considered a father figure was enough to cement his hatred of the blood curse and the tools that only the powerful can obtain to strengthen their success. He condemns the "falsehood" of the fashion-based society, even though he was willing to play at it to gain success.

Louis, on the other hand, shares the same belief in several principles: A society based on falsehoods is unfit to exist, and it is power that matters in the end. He is willing to lie, kill, and exploit others to see his vision through, but he prefers not to play dirty when it counts. 

Both men come into possession of some sort of magical weapon: Nidhogg, the Dark Verdict, and Louis, the Drakodios. Interestingly, both are relics associated with another group victimized by the systems set up. The Dark Verdict is a Kindred weapon, and the Kindred are, for whatever reason, all permanently affected by the Blood Curse, and considered to have been "born with sin." Nidhogg took the Dark Verdict from the bottom of Lake Bovaly, and it encouraged him to pursue power. The Drakodios is a divine relic from the Mustari tribe. It shares no direct connection with Louis, but he does use it to kill Sanctifex Forden (the pope), as it is able to bypass the protection of the old king placed on candidates for the throne. There is more to say about Drakodios, but it doesn't tie in right here so I'll come back to it later.

Now, onto "fairness." Though Louis does not hesitate to use this unique magical weapon to take out Forden, and initially intends to use it to take out Will, he later professes his true desire to the public: He sees his possession of the Drakodios, a weapon uniquely capable of killing the unkillable, as unfair, and calls upon the old king's magic to lift the protections on all candidates for the throne. Essentially, he throws away his certain victory in the competition for the throne because he wants to earn it fairly. You may notice a similar scene take place with Nidhogg. Although he is offered the No. 7 Reagent, which would ease his pain of the blood curse, he refuses to take it, as it too is a symbol of the "unfairness" that he aims to eliminate. Nidhogg is content to use violence on anybody he wants to, but only if he plays by the world's rules and does not give himself an unfair advantage. I don't believe the Dark Verdict gives Nidhogg any extra killing powers; its utility is in styling battles (because reasons) and it does kind of make him more powerhungry, but it doesn't change him fundamentally as a character.

It must be brought up that these principles do not prevent either character from doing ANYTHING unfair. I've already mentioned that Louis has killed, or considered killing, people who were unable to fight back due to the old king's magic several times - even if they were willing to - so I won't linger on that and will go back to Nidhogg. Nidhogg is explicitly allied with the creator of No. 7 Reagent (Morrison) and the dealer of No. 7 Reagent (Reid), and he had the assassin that is resistant to the blood curse under his command (Shade), who he calls a "masterpiece". These tools are available to him even if he does not personally use them on his own body. 

During Dawn Front Season 3, should you choose to ally with Nidhogg, you're tasked with protecting the reagent and killing anyone who is meant to get close. Nidhogg acknowledges that this is not a "true cure" and that he seeks something more permanent. In Season 8, upon finding out that some of his soldiers have been resisting the effects of the reagent, he advises that these people should be put through the "Shade experiment." Thus, his hypocrisy has led him to become the people he so hated as a younger man - someone who wages war but has all the tools at his disposal to win. 

Desire to violently cast aside falsehoods

Although the Sanctist Church is a clear-cut case of leaders lying to their people, Miraland is ironically much less black-and-white than that. There is not a grand conspiracy propagated by leaders. Miraland really is a fashion-based society and fashion does serve as the main social currency in the world. I suppose you could say that the hidden secret is that violence happens at all, or is at all common. 

It's hard to say how common violence is in Miraland. Yes, war occurs with actual violence and actual blood curse and all that, and that is not a secret. When it comes to civilian violence, an interesting example that comes to mind is the case of Neva's parents. As a child, she attempted to report their murder to the police; however, the police found the concept of random nobodies being murdered so absurd that they did not bother to investigate the case. However, as we know, they actually were murdered. It is implied that this may have been done by the same person who later exploited Neva and turned her into the Kindred-esque person she became. If this is the case, the murder of her parents was truly an unusual event, and perhaps statistically, random people being killed just didn't happen. At the same time, another explanation is that violence is common, but the people who get caught up in it know that the police are useless, and only a very young girl like Neva would have gone to them.

Overall, there is a selection bias where we see violence happen in the backstories of characters that are being uniquely targeted and serve special roles in the story (Bobo), or are already linked to rich and/or powerful people (Reid). Thus, most personal anecdotes are unreliable for judging the prevalence of violence and you can judge it yourself based on existing worldbuilding. This tangent has gone on long enough.

Anyways, for the purpose of this, it doesn't matter what the average person's experience is. Nidhogg's experience is of having his family targeted, of going to war, and of violence in spite of the blood curse. Thus, he believes that the blood curse provides a false peace and that the world would be better with it gone. Even if this means the world will become "soaked with blood," he's willing to accept that because that's already what his reality is. Even after living in Lilith for so many years, this is still his reality that can't be shaken. Ultimately, his goal is some sort of peace, but he is willing to see a period of "flesh, blood, and sacrifice" in order to find this world (DF 10).

This is markedly similar to Louis's violent goal: he believes only the strong should live on, as he aims for a "utopia" where people have overcome their fear and anxiety. His secret goal is not simply to become king, but to turn everybody into a monster (called "human" in Metaphor), which is triggered in part by the combination of ambient magic and anxiety. Only the strong-minded are able to overcome this transformation and turn back into themselves. To him, these people are the only ones worth keeping around. It should be noted that the specifics of this transformation are far from common knowledge, and Louis only knows about this because of his eldan background. Anyone with a Sanctist upbringing would never get to know that the monsters they fear are other people. 

This leads into the fact that both Nidhogg and Louis specifically wield violence and exploit people's fears in order to propagate their own agenda. It's definitely deliberate with Louis, whose behavior can be more closely described as terrorism, although it is conducted in secret. He previously turned people into monsters ("humans") in order to destroy various villages, just to make a point and create a common enemy. While Nidhogg's goals are not directly stated to be this, I think you could make an argument for it. Nidhogg never revealed his motivation for killing Lunar to the public, although it was uncovered later via internal investigation. Either way, every time he commits an act of violence, it's typically accompanied with some sort of "this is just the way of the world"-type quip. He is the one who is going out of his way to make the world the terrible place he wants to prove it is. Yes, there is violence outside of Nidhogg's efforts, and yes, Louis did not start the "human" phenomenon. But they are the major instigators, which is why they are antagonists.

Personality, steadfastness, and vision

Both Louis and Nidhogg, once they rise to power, are clear about the type of world they want. They are completely unwavering in their vision, and they do not have a "villain breakdown" at any point where they lose their cool. I feel this matters more in the player's perception of them, and how they come across as a villain, than their in-universe perception. Pure and utter confidence, willpower, and devotion at any cost to carrying out this vision are often necessary for a villain like this to work. 

I felt it was necessary to do a bit of internet browsing for this post, as I wanted to know why other people liked Louis so much, not just me. This was the most common thing people brought up by far: He doesn't "hide" his vision - he's not a twist villain, he's honest from the start of the game and remained steadfast to the end. It is the case that he hides his methodology to an extent, but the core point feels true to me. His honesty and devotion to hold himself to his own principles play into this as well. In my opinion, this reasoning carries itself over to Nidhogg perfectly. Only a truly self-assured protagonist can oppose them, and that means overcoming all your own doubts first. 

"He did nothing wrong"

So, I originally went in wanting to address this because I wanted to understand it. I got it with Louis because he's explicitly written to share some values with our protagonist Will (although I'll talk about it more in the next section). This is not the case with Nikki at all; yet, we've all heard it. I sort of understood it as "he said nothing wrong" or "he has a point" but I wanted to understand the arguments of his fiercest defenders.

Surprisingly, it can be kind of difficult to find long essays about Nidhogg that actually talk about stuff from The Great Unknown (also known as The Story Other than V1: 15-9). Most of the time I would find people say they liked him because he made them more interested in the story or was a breath of fresh air. 

So, here's what I can piece together of Nidhogg: He needs enough military power to be able to overcome the Nameless Knights and Knights of (North) Kingdom, so he needs to violently take over other countries and/or seize their power (maybe weapons, etc.). He needs to be able to steal this mysterious key back in order to lift the world's curse. Because of that, he's willing to do pretty much anything, even things he might find morally reprehensible and "part of the problem" (the reagent, Shade), although using the reagent himself is a step too far. Maybe he doesn't consider the existence of Shade morally reprehensible, though, it's kind of hard to say. It may be the case that he considers Shade like an ideal person (speculating). He is also looking into other ways to lift the curse (as noted in DF).

The thing about the blood curse and fashion battles is that Nikki is a complete outlier. Someone isn't supposed to be good at every style like that, everyone else has their own strengths (although Nikki canonically does have strengths in pure, elegant, gorgeous, and cute, and is weakest in mature, it's clearly not an issue for her). 

Now, whether it's considered good form or bad form to deliberately pick an attribute that their opponent is weak in, and whether they can refuse to compete based on that, it's hard to say. The only example I could find was in V1: 7-7, where Nikki disguised as Bai Jinjin is challenged to compete in Pigeon style, which is notably Bai Jinjin's weakness. Nikki had no reason to refuse, and when the situation repeats again in Zhong Lizi's dreamweaver, Bai Jinjin chooses to compete, so we don't get to see how this would play out if either had refused. However, we can make some inferences about what this means. Firstly, this move didn't come from someone who was expected to play fair, considering they were trying to kidnap her and they threatened to use force. This is not a typical styling battle situation and can't be expected to follow normal etiquette. It seemed Qiong agreed to a styling battle in the first place just to humor Nikki.

As tumblr user maplesweater once posted in 2019, a major issue of using styling battles in a fashion-based world means that the strong get stronger. The example pointed out is V1: Chapter 1, where Lunar had her design stolen by Mela and needed Nikki to win it back for her via styling battle. Obviously this is an issue, but let's read into it closer. Lunar had her personal property stolen by Mela (not via styling battle, just via normal stealing), and instead of going to the police, she sees recovering the design via styling battle to be the more effective choice. This could lead to three conclusions: a) theft is not illegal in Apple/Miraland (not true, because in Chapter 18, the police show up to investigate the theft of White Blossom, along with other examples), b) the police are ineffective (possible, but I don't think we have any evidence for them being unable to solve petty crimes), c) styling battles are just the easiest/quickest way to resolve conflict. I think Lunar had multiple options to resolve this and the styling battle option was just the one they went with because Nikki offered to help. Compare this to real life, where I guess option c) would be replaced with beating someone up, but that is assault (illegal) and styling battles are styling battles (legal). The other main example we have of the Iron Rose stealing things is in V1: Chapter 8, but that is directly handled by the town's Mayor. 

So this has been my look into the fairness of the system of styling battles. They provide an additional, legal way of solving conflicts and do not replace laws. Nobody is compelled to participate in them, but they can prevent violent outcomes (V1: 7-7, V1: 19-9). There is likely a culture encouraging people to initiate and accept styling battles, and there may also be a culture preventing people from choosing unfair themes, but these are not directly elaborated on and are left up to interpretation. At the same time, might doesn't make right - styling battles can result in unfair outcomes, but they do not inherently result in people being physically harmed. 

Now we have arrived at a major criticism of the blood curse: the way it affects free will. Opponents of the blood curse believe that it prevents people of Miraland from exercising free will. I am not a philosopher, but I'm inclined to disagree with this. I believe it's more like a disincentive from committing violence, in addition to the law. Think of it this way: a little bit of violence = a little bit of suffering, and prolonged violence may result in death, as we saw with Louie's father. The consequences are not the same as what the legal system would inflict on you, and would probably be considered torture if they were, but I'm not sure if that changes the argument about free will. But again, I'm not a philosopher, so if you disagree with me on that, that's fine. (It's not okay if you disagree with me on anything else... I will find you.)

This is kind of "out there," but I think another concept that could be compared to the blood curse is... guilt, spurred by morality in general? Now I know that is far from a perfect analogy too, but it's an element found within people, completely independent of any sort of legal system, that will negatively affect you even after the fact, and is typically proportional with the severity of the offense. Guilt will eat you up inside and tank your mental health if you let it.

But like we all know, not everyone feels guilty when they do bad things - and that's the equivalent of the baddies who suppress the backlash using Reagent No. 7 and its variants. Each time it's brought up, the Dawn Wings are always insisting that it should never be used, because it's poison, it has terrible side effects. Shade's story, too, is about rediscovering his humanity after being denied it for so long and treated as a weapon. Thus, I feel there is a case that the blood curse, as it's presented in the story, could be interpreted as this kind of metaphor. But I don't feel very strongly about it and just wanted to include it because I found it interesting.

I would say the biggest issue with the blood curse is that it punishes all intentional violence, even when it is generally considered morally permissible. This would extend to self-defense (explored, most notably in Nidhogg's backstory) and justified rebellion against corrupt governments and organizations (largely unexplored). Although I love the idea of exploring these further, and can understand why people would side with Nidhogg solely based on these principles, it's regrettable that the story did not go there (see "if Nidhogg had been done right" below).

Anyways, sorry for this tangent. This was the last part of this post I wrote, even though it has nothing to do with Metaphor, because I kind of wanted to get out all my Nidhogg-related thoughts right here. I hope it was at least interesting.

their foils & opponents

This is where things may get tricky, as Nidhogg's primary foil is Louie (Love Nikki), a distinct character from Louis (Metaphor: ReFantazio). But if you've already made it this far, I trust that you can stick with me.

I use Louie here because he shares ideals with Nikki, but his upbringing is more similar to Nidhogg and he performs a more active role in fighting against him. Louie and Nidhogg both faced the exact same instigating event in their youth: the death of Louie's father due to the Blood Curse. Despite this, they fight on opposite sides of the war: Louie guards the key that protects the Blood Curse, and Nidhogg wants to steal it. Louie's motivations are not swayed by the knowledge that the curse he wants to uphold is the same one that killed his father. Unlike Nidhogg, his perspective is that he has seen enough violence that he will do anything to prevent more of it, as most of the scenes that fly through his mind when he makes the decision to join the Nameless Knights have to do with this past. 

When discussing the reagent with the player in Dawn Front Season 3, Louie says, "Destroying this shipment will even the playing field. Nidhogg may be able to withstand the curse's pain, but his troops can't." Again, not trying to harp on it over and over, but Louie found himself in the exact same scenario as he was all those years ago - trying to prevent his opponents from having access to the reagent because it's an unfair fight. 

Now, let's go to Will, the protagonist from Metaphor. Will and Louis also have the same instigating incidents. Both were targeted by the Sanctists and had their lives destroyed due to being elda, and more importantly, they actually share the same general vision/principle. A key plot point is a "fantasy novel" that Will carries around, describing a time where all people were equal, there were no different races, and the situation of your birth didn't matter. It's implied that this world is basically like the modern world of today, but depicted as though it were a utopia, and meant as a plot device to show how grim things really are in Euchronia. It describes violence and conflict as taboos that have been basically eradicated from life. (Note that the book describing our world as a utopia ≠ the game saying we live in a utopia, but that's too much to get into.) We later see Louis reading from this book on multiple occasions, and indeed, his ideals are quite similar to the book's: He professes to want no discrimination and for everyone to live as one, no matter how they were born. This showcases a completely different mentality from Sanctifex Forden's and many of the other candidates, and in theory Will and his comrades would have no issue with the message. Their issue is in execution. 

Will's initial reason to oppose Louis, that he has cursed the prince, ends up being completely false. However, Louis is not an innocent man. One of Will's first allies, Strohl, is the noble son from a village that was destroyed years ago by a monster Louis set upon them. Thus, Louis did exactly to Strohl what was once done to him: he destroyed his home and orphaned him. Just like Nidhogg, he became the type of person who once wronged him and created his own set of enemies.

Regarding Drakodius, the legendary mustari weapon: Initially, every candidate for the throne in the church-sponsored competition was required to take a divine relic from the mustari tribe by force. Will and his friends were extremely uncomfortable with this prospect, but as they were working with Louis at the time in order to infiltrate his airship, he ordered them to specifically retrieve this lance. Through a series of events, they saved and befriended the tribe's priestess, so they did not end up having to take the lance by force, as she brought it with her. Louis commends them for managing to retrieve the lance in this manner, but doesn't forget to mention that he would have destroyed the tribe had they not succeeded.

Louis's total lack of regard for the mustari tribe, even though they too were actively targeted by the Sanctist church, is actually in complete alignment with his principles. Standing up for the downtrodden has nothing to do with what he wants, and the fact that he is an elda doesn't make him necessarily sympathetic towards other oppressed groups. His eldan heritage/background is relevant to him in the ways that bring him power (powerful magic, a deeper understanding of history/the truth of the world than others), but he avoids the social backlash, and claims to hold no fondness for his homeland. He disliked that they hoarded so much knowledge to themselves, and perhaps this influenced his opinion towards the mustari tribe's relics as well. 

Thus, the choice our heroes have to make: do you choose to join with the guy who makes a few good points and is promising peace at the end of his bloody plan, or do you stand up for the weak, even if it means fighting against this really powerful guy, and even if it means a hard, long journey to improve society as it exists rather than burning it down. 

if Nidhogg had been done right.

So, we come back to where we started. Even though they are characterized similarly, I just think Nidhogg is severely lacking in comparison for several reasons:

Barely gets to do anything: We see a lot of his backstory but we are unable to see him make grand moves like Louis because the story has to build on and on and on and never lead to a conclusion in any sort of structured way. Dawn Front might be the perfect example of this because it's just meant to set up more random skirmishes in a few months so the stakes just have to mildly change a bit each time it comes back.

Not the main villain: Nikki's story pivots and deals with other existential threats once Dawn Front-esque shenanigans get boring, even though the themes explored via Nidhogg's story are the one the fandom at large is the most interested in (it's okay if it's not for you)

Mechanisms of obtaining victory are intentionally nebulous: If his true goal were as simple as getting the key from the Nameless Knights, there's no reason for him to be constantly mucking around anywhere else without a clear purpose. Setting him up as a generic baddie that pops up all around Miraland is not compelling. 

Isn't allowed to be right: Nikki never agrees with Nidhogg about anything because he's never given much of a point besides "violence happens" rather than getting into the specifics. In theory this point could be expanded to discuss and explore other topics where violence may be justified, but the story does not take the conversation surrounding Nidhogg in this direction.

A lot of players really like Nidhogg as a villain and I can understand why. If you read this far there's probably a 50% chance you're a Nidhogg stan and honestly, live your best life, idgaf. I thought Louis was a really well done villain and comparing his main traits with Nidhogg was honestly a really fun way to show how much potential Niddy had and explore why he became so popular. If this post happens to convince anyone to play Metaphor, that would be wild. Even if it doesn't, I truly hope you enjoyed reading.

If I missed some crucial recent Nidhogg lore you'd like me to know about, please share in the notes or my askbox! Specific references are appreciated so I can go back in and use full context if needed. 

The poll below is simply to satisfy my own curiosity. (It's hard to imagine anyone actually made it to the end of this post...)

[tj99er]

Can I please see some more of your OC?

Now that my PC has recovered, here is all the art I've gotten of my squirrelboi, Dust. (unless I've missed something)

First the reference image, showcasing the model that @/olivercanticle revised for me (based on a much more simple model I made in Vroid)

Next, with a small story attached; my friend @/maplejava was at one point doing emergency commissions, I pitched in on Ko-fi, but told him that there wasn't anything in particular I wanted.

MY DUDE DECIDED HE WAS DOING SOMETHING ANYWAY AND SURPRISED ME WITH THIS WONDERFULLY STUPID IMAGE. (Context: I'm a sex-repulsed Asexual)

But that's not where maple's surprises would end, because he has also been working on a VRChat map that's kind of meant to be a hub or sorts for our friend group.

So while making that map, he adds in a Soda machine and decides, "you know what? I'm just going to put TJ's Character on there, imitating the boxart of the PS1 classic Pepsiman"

you know AS ANY PERSON WOULD THINK TO DO.

On the more tame side of things, as mentioned in that previous post, I've commissioned @/lenoxmst-blog to draw him a couple times (fun fact: He came up with the idea of having the rim of his goggles reference back to the Godot mask that Henry, my Yoshi character has always had)

And then, inspired by my Lobotomy Corporation playthrough, I asked Lenox for another piece where he's barely holding it together. (This game is amazing and also I have SO much fun editing this image)

At around the same time I asked lenox for the first image, I also commissioned @/cookiestar456

My current profile pic was done by the wonderful @/sethwindam

My friend Fuzz contacted one of his artist friends to gift me this art

When I started doing a mild amount of programming work for ChairGTables at lame dimension, this guy was made:

And finally, inspired by my Mario Kart streams, @/plushievik and @kahilia made fan art of Dust in cute chibi animal form

As a bonus for scrolling through all this art, here's a couple of my favorite screenshots I have gotten while using VSeeFace, the software that tracks my face for my stream

As you might be able to tell, I really like my dumb little squirrel fella. And I've not even talked about the lore I gave him (which is largely based around a real experience that happened to me in a gaming session)

[writing-intheundercroft]

When We're Older

Sebastian Sallow x OC

Forever indebted to his two best friends, Theodora Caulfield and Ominis Gaunt, Sebastian Sallow swears that he’ll be a better man. He’ll balance his classes, new job, good grades, future career prospects, and his social life, all while promising to never delve into dark magic again. He promises to figure out a way to make it up to Anne, win Ominis’s trust back, and help Theo hone in on her ancient magical abilities. When Sebastian Sallow sets his mind to something, he rarely gives up (clearly to his own detriment).

Promises are easy to make at sixteen, and even easier to break as one gets older.

______

Started a Slytherin playthrough of HL and decided to write a character background for my MC. Two weeks later, I had 100 pages and an entire longfic outline. So voila, the product of my summer has been uploaded to AO3, and thought I'd make a HL dedicated sideblog for my endeavors.

I haven't published a fic in ages, but I had an extended period of time off this summer and I couldn't help but finish Sebastian's story. There are time jumps in some chapters, and for the most part, the story will cover our favorite slytherins from 1891-1898. When I say I've got plans, oh baby, they're plans.

I have four chapters published so far, and about twelve currently drafted! So if anyone would like to beta, let me know :) I know I'm late to the HL fandom, but man, it's been a minute since the inspiration has hit this hard.

[appleartnidongecist]

I’m currently locked up in a psych Ward**

Fandom progress:

🏠🔨✨ Thought I’d make this blog a home by adding some stuff about me here in a pinned post. Im still learning tumblr and I’ve seen ppl do this so here I fgo 😤✨✨✨

Fandoms

Current Fandoms

reading fics 🤝 making art

My Hero Academia (BNHA/MHA) *on pause

Ajin: Demi-Human (anime - need to rewatch idk when I stopped 😭) - *Fan-comic pages (One Kei. Two Kei.) *on pause

*NEW* Legends of Avantris (watching OUAW) - animating 💅🐯👘👠 *on pause

Super Mario Bros (Bowigi specifically) *on pause

The Stanley Parable *on pause

Fandoms of Interest

lurking✨🤭👀

ULTRAKILL

Cult of the Lamb (COTL) - planning to: play the game, make cosplay(+accessories), read (more) fics 💗✨ (update: cosplay = made, everything else = WIP) *on pause

*NEW* Content Warning (game) - I need more fics 🥺😭

*NEW* Sam & Max (cartoon & some games) - lots of good fics/fan animations, so much inspiration and project ideasss 🤩💕

*NEW* Poppy Playtime - just looking 🫣

*NEW* Deadpool & Wolverine - idk how I forgot this one…. I had at least a month long obsession with poolverine/dead claws after seeing it in theatre with friends 🤦

*NEW* Mouthwashing - I’ve been consuming so much fan content passively tht I might as well say I’m a fan lol,, need to watch a full playthrough unedited tho 😅✨

Fandom History

inactive 🫶😔

PowerPuff Girls (PPG/PPGZ/PPGD)

ATLA (series)

Sonic (games/comic)

Adventure Time (series)

MP100 (manga/anime) - my fanart is low-key in purgatory (shigeo still bby🥹/reigen still bbygrl💕)

I’ll update as I make/do stuff,, *edit:29/07/24

Find my stuff with my tags (UPDATED the tags should actually work now 🥲) :

#my_art | #my_cosplay* | #my_drafts | #my_sketches | #my_fanart | #my_ocs | #my_firstpost | #my_updates | #​my_replies/pollanswers

*I’ve made and worn 3 cosplays hopefully I’ll be added them onto either tumblr/insta or both (edit/updated: 18/01/25)

**Because I had a severe reaction to the antidepressants my GP was giving me and it caused multiple manic episodes, I also doxxed myself as one last plea to save my life.

It felt like I was dying.

Once I’m out, hopefully I can go back to creating digital art.

I have another account for non-traditional art (https://www.tumblr.com/ewul)

[samthecookielord]

CURRENT LAYTON STATUS: AL done! onto plvspw next. at some point.

That's right, I'm dedicating a post to all the Layton content I've consumed and will consume. Wish me luck gamers. (I'll also add the status of my gameplay videos!) (And a list of layton AUs at the end)

Mainline Trilogies

(note: i call the games by which version i played (UK or US) but i tag by US titles)

(note 2: we only record towards the end of the game because my computer space will CRY and also i do not want to edit all that hope this helps)

PLAYTHROUGH PLAYLIST

CURIOUS VILLAGE: 100% completed

(not recorded)

DIABOLICAL BOX: 100% completed

Uploaded---

Chapter 7: (Part 1) - (Part 2) (fun fact: part 2 features the first instance of me using animated sprites for me and my friends!)

LOST FUTURE: 100% completed, all uploaded!

Uploaded---

Chapter 9: (Part 1) - (Part 2) - (Part 3) (fun fact: part 1 is the first time i use game sprites to give visuals to our improv bits, as well as generally being the start of me putting a lot more effort into editing and trying new stuff!)

Chapter 10

Chapter 11: (Part 1) - (Part 2)

Chapter 12

Chapter 13: (Part 1) - (Part 2) - (Part 3) Epilogue: (Part 1) (Part 2)

LAST SPECTRE: 100% completed

Uploaded---

Chapter 8: (Part 1) - (Part 2) - (Part 3) (fun fact: from this point on, our playthrough group has increased from 3 people to 4!) Chapter 9: (Part 1a)

Planned---

Chapter 9 -> 2 parts (IM STUCK IN EDITING HELL)

Chapter 10 -> 2 parts

Epilogue -> just one

MIRACLE MASK: 100% completed

Planned---

Chapter 6 -> 6 parts left (HELP)

Chapter 7 -> 6 parts left Chapter 8 -> 1 part left Epilogue -> 2 parts left

AZRAN LEGACY: 100% completed

Planned---

Chapter 5 -> 6 parts left

Chapter 6 -> 5 parts left

Finale -> 3 parts left

Spinoffs & Extras

ETERNAL DIVA: Watched :]

Improv Fandub will come out soon. Probably

LB MYSTERY ROOM: completed

(not recorded)

PLVSAA: not started (will play after mainline)

will probably record? perchance? (NO SORRY MY BACKLOG IS EXPLODING ME 😭😭😭)

MYSTERY JOURNEY: im on case 3 lmao

The anime: not started (will watch after mystery journey)

Cheerful Mystery: i saw the lost future one lol ill go check out the rest later probably. I also read up to ch28 of the lbmr manga

Layton AUs

i have a lot of clive aus. here's a slideshow. here's their interaction tag

Puzzles Gone Wrong AU: (belongs to pastel-player) A take on "evil Layton" where we ask what if he wasn't evil evil, but morally dubious. Basically he's a dictator now but he hasn't really done much harm to the city of London. He's making some questionable decisions, but... he's still the polite gentleman Layton who cares about his loved ones. Said loved ones have many conflicting feelings about him. Takes place at least 1 year after main trilogy, unclear when exactly. (Ao3 series)

Pastel wasn't doing anything with Clive in this AU so I picked him up and ran off then came back with a whole new design and stuff. Anything I make with PGW Clive that doesn't involve Timeline Hopper Clive's shenanigans is proobably canon to the AU. Basically I'm the ceo of this one guy within this AU and nothing else <3

(PGW Clive's tag)

Layton Assassin AU: (belongs to snekatiemainy and thia-quiche) Layton but he kills people with swords. And also Luke beats people to death with shovels. And Flora also sword. Yayy!!! Initially inspired by our jokes from playing Curious Village, mainly Luke saying the phrase "this man is being VERY RUDE we should KILL HIM" (Ao3 series)

Assassin AU Variant: (belongs to me and snekatiemainy) A variation of the assassin au where Clive is adopted by Layton. Clive picked up a gun and has never been the same since. Guy who loves his 20 guns and is sooo annoying about it <3 Honestly 90% of my assassin au tag is just the variant instead of the actual original au hdtdhdhrfd

(Ao3 series)

(AV!Clive's tag)

Timeline Hopper Clive: (belongs to me, inspired by a-queer-kitkat's post) Post-canon Clive that starts getting tossed across dimensions at random intervals due to an abandoned machine prototype left by one of Dimitri's scientists. Often crosses over with Puzzles Gone Wrong and Assassin AU. He gets worse but then he gets better. Then there's a version where he gets worse again and weird buggified.

Clive Triton AU: (belongs to me and snekatiemainy) what if clark adopted clive. Send post

The BEHUH??? AU: (belongs to me and snekatiemainy) ???? goddamnit timeclive what did you DO (BEHUH??? stands for Butterfly Effect HUH???) (two guys chilling in the river 5 feet apart because get pitted idiot)

CSAU: (belongs to me and snekatiemainy) clive is adopted by descole. I encourage you all to ask us what CSAU stands for several times.

Little Hershel and the Curious Playground: what if it was all elaborate playground roleplay, and targent is a group of school bullies? (some ideas come from conversations with friends on discord)

Commander Cardinal AU: mackintosh takes over targent while layton & friends are busy procrastinating on getting the last egg back by going puzzle searching

Apprentice Nils AU: (belongs to me and snekatiemainy) that random miracle mask npc's parents died so layton yoinks him

Randall Possession AU: (belongs to snekatiemainy) what if he became a ghost and hung out with his best friend Layton forever now

Layton Object AU: based on those silly object show things. They're living objects with limbs and faces etc etc and the only real changes in this au right now is just names, designs, and minor things that come with those design changes. i make this kind of au for almost anything i touch loll

Vampire Layton AU: what it says on the tin. One of my earliest tagged AUs. It didn't really go anywhere but it's fun to think about sometimes. Based on a joke we made while playing Diabolical Box.

[postgamecontent]

A Taito Arcade Archives Sale Starts Today

I'm not going to do news on this site as a general rule, but if I see something cool that my readers might appreciate, I'll go ahead and post it. So... here's something! Starting later today and running through September 25th, a selection of ten Arcade Archives Taito games will be on sale for 30% off on both the Nintendo Switch eShop and the PlayStation Store for PlayStation 4. That makes them $5.59 instead of the usual $7.99, which is not a huge discount but might be enough to win you over. Arcade Archives rarely go on sale twice, so if any of these look interesting to you, the time is now. Or soon, I suppose. Here are the included games:

New Zealand Story (Also Seen In Taito Milestones 2)

The popular platformer that seems to have really caught on in Europe via a variety of home computer ports. You might know it under its alternate title of Kiwi Kraze. It's rock-hard, but the cute visuals and variety of stage gimmicks make it worth a playthrough.

Metal Black (Also Seen In Taito Milestones 2)

A very enjoyable and slightly bonkers horizontal shoot 'em up whose main claim to fame is its giant laser duals that inspired the usage of a similar mechanic in later Darius games. If you like shooters, this one is quite a bit of fun. Good for fans of the score attack and timed Caravan modes in particular.

Bonze Adventure

A decent little platformer with an interesting theme. As you would expect from a Taito platformer of this vintage, it's tough as old boots. Some might know it from its PC Engine release under its Japanese title, Jigoku Meguri. I think it's good, but if you don't like platformers with stiff movements you might find it frustrating. Not featured on either Taito Milestones collection so far, and not on the list for the third set either.

Don Doko Don

One thing you can hand to Taito is that it knew how to put together a good elimination platformer. That's the genre label I'm going with. But you know, Bubble Bobble-likes. Don Doko Don is a pretty good one, even if it doesn't have quite as much personality as some of Taito's other games in the genre. Not included in either of the currently-released Taito Milestones collections, and also not on the upcoming third one.

Alpine Ski (Also Seen in Taito Milestones)

Phew, this one is an oldie. As you would guess from the title, you control a skier as they make their way through a course. Go through the flags to earn points, and watch out for trees. Not a bad score chaser, really. You have to have some appreciation for games of this vintage to get the most out of it, though.

Ben Bero Beh (Also Seen In Taito Milestones 2)

This is a quirky one, to be sure. You play as a hero trying to rescue his girlfriend from a burning building. Put out fires, jump over collapsed floors, and watch out for the enemies that are for whatever reason trying to hassle you. If you're looking for something unique, this is it.

The Fairyland Story (Also Seen In Taito Milestones)

Another elimination platformer, this time with you playing as a witch who can turn enemies into cakes. Frightening stuff. You can even drop those cakes on other enemies to smoosh them. A little lacking in frills, but here be plenty of thrills. I just thought of that one on the fly.

Liquid Kids (Also Seen In Taito Milestones 2)

You might know this as Mizubaku Adventure. You play as a hippopotamus named Hipopo and are on a quest to rescue your precious friends from monsters. Your main weapon on this journey is a supply of water bombs. A colorful and enjoyable side-scrolling platformer, and I give it a very high recommendation.

Gun & Frontier (Also Seen In Taito Milestones 2)

A vertically scrolling shoot em up from the same team that made Metal Black and Dinorex. Imagine a world where everything is guns. That is Gun & Frontier. A very imaginative setting and some slick action makes this a solid choice for fans of the genre. Another good one for those who want to try their hand at score attack or the timed Caravan mode.

Dinorex (Also Seen In Taito Milestones 2)

Dinorex is an absolute trash fire of a fighting game starring dinosaurs, and I love it. It is completely ridiculous and it's almost worth playing just to see all of the goofy things going on with it. It also features a story link to Rastan, so if you're a fan of that and want to know the complete lore, you have no choice but to buy and play Dinorex.

And there you have it, friends. Many of these are in the Taito Milestones collections, and that might be a more economical way to go. Do note that the Milestones versions don't always have the full set of features seen in the stand-alone Arcade Archives releases, though. It might be worth the double-dip for your favorites.

[daisychainsandbowties]

Ooh an ask game! Then, I want to know #1 and #7, we'll throw in #20 so we get a pretty gif, also #2 is a pair so we can't leave that out. And finally, am curious on #17 and #6 to really get expansive words. ^^ Tell us all the juicy pretty Dragon Age things you're rolling about~

thank you so much for asking me these 🥺

1. What was the first dragon age game you played?

i got origins for my ps3 way back in high school. the first time i played it i remember i started as a mage and spammed walking bomb and spent twenty minutes on the first darkspawn boss because he killed everyone and it was just me running in circles occasionally casting a spell on him. very reminiscent of the Arishok fight🫠🫠 i tried very hard to romance Morrigan but i kept making her hate me instead😭 so i went with leliana, HOWEVER my weird eventually friends thing with morrigan inspired the ot3 ship that still haunts me to this day (warden/morrigan/leliana is 🥰🙏😳❤️🥹)

2. Which dragon age game is your favourite so far?

that’s an incredibly difficult question. i think overall in terms of how it made me feel and how much i like the gameplay loop and the environments it’s definitely Inquisition 🥺 a fic of that game kept me alive for a few really really shaky weeks a few years ago (i told myself sternly that i could only read a chapter a night, so i had to get through all the nights until the end of this 550k fic, and then the ending was the epitome of hopepunk and it made me sort of forget about being shaky). so yeah, definitely Inquisition. but i adore all the games😌. i had a lot of fun with da2 but it isn’t as good for my brain to replay over and over (<- guy who actually loves 100%ing the Hinterlands in every playthrough)

6. Do you have your Rook(s) planned out to any degree? If so, would you share some details or ideas you have?

ít’s really hard for me to rotate things in abstract like that. i know there’s lots of information but i don’t want to read it or know it before i play the game. i will most likely play as a mage? unless they make that unpleasant somehow 🥺 (i hope not) but beyond that i can’t make myself interested in planning out a character who doesn’t live anywhere (yet). it’s the same with my own fiction writing. i have to understand the world a little before i can create any characters of any substance. i’m really excited to do my first playthrough though! i know that whoever my Rook is, they will love the griffin baby 🥰

7. Which character from the previous games or other media are you most hoping will make an appearance in DAV?

it would be extremely good to see Fenris again, or Merrill. i don’t really trust Bioware with Anders, so i hope he stays with whatever peace he found after kirkwall. i liked seeing morrigan and leliana again so some da2 characters would be neat! oh!!!! isabela would make sense in this because ship captain 😳 i would love to see her again 🥺

17. Are you interested in all the lore and speculation or do you focus more on the games and stories themselves?

oh i LOVE the dragon age lore. i recently got the dragon age TTRPG core book mostly because it has so much lore in it 😳 i find dragon age lore especially compelling, particularly the grey wardens and the blight and how magic and the veil works. my favourite fics are always the lore heavy ones that engage with the themes dragon age tries (and sometimes manages) to engage with.

the speculation is also fun because dragon age fans adore pain and misery and usually conjure up the worst possible way things could go. and that’s great 🥰

20. Post a picture or gif that conveys your current level of excitement for Dragon Age: The Veilguard!

[andreaphobia]

9 people you'd like to get to know better!

tagged by @meibemeibelline !! sorry im gonna be a boomer and write a lot, hope that's ok lmao

three ships : fresh new brainrot: tim and hawk (fellow travelers) had brain worms for years: joker and akechi (persona 5) in perpetuity: yamamoto and hibari (katekyo hitman reborn)

first ship : I had to really think about this one. It's hard to say because when I was growing up, it was illegal to depict homosexual themes or content in the media. It actually still kind of is that way, although they've relaxed their standards for censorship a little. After racking my brains, I think I want to say it was......Yuki and Shuichi from Gravitation??? If not that, then Sirius and Remus from Harry Potter. One of those two. Also, after talking to my bestie about this one I remembered "ship" also encompasses het lmao. In that case it would be Buttercup and Butch from the Powerpuff Girls because that's the first fanfic I ever wrote xd

last song : Feels Alright by Spoon. Recently for black friday I didn't want to wait for something to be shipped to me so I drove 4 hours round trip over to a best buy warehouse in the central valley to pick it up, and I probably listened to this song for two hours straight on the way. This song is from their newest album, and I love that they haven't drastically changed their sound, only polished it -- they still have the same grungy Austin rock and roll feel that I fell in love with in high school.

last film : I'll skip over opining on the real answer for this bc it was despicable me and I didn't like it much lol. But before that, I embarked on a journey with some friends to watch every single Jurassic Park movie, and I'm proud to say that we succeeded. No one asked but here is my ranking: 1. Jurassic Park (original) 2. Jurassic World 3. Jurassic Park III 4. Jurassic World: Dominion 5. Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom 6. The Lost World: Jurassic Park

currently reading : Embarrassed to say that I'm not in the middle of reading anything right now, there's a couple of books I've been meaning to get around to (captive prince xd) that I just need to work up the motivation for. But I am thinking about reading the book that Fellow Travelers was inspired by because lol brainrot

currently consuming : "honeycomb banana milk" that I got from a boba place yesterday. In terms of media, I'm crying screaming about Fellow Travelers every day. I recently finished a playthrough of Baldur's Gate and I just started Persona 5 Tactica.

currently craving : Nothing in particular, although every day I wish that I could play Outer Wilds for the first time again.

tagging friends old n new, but no pressure!! @whitnerd @lobotomizes @exampleofinconsistency @yuki119 @somanyjacks @benicemurphy @mastershearts @aquathunder @sxnnoh