#it's a games + series mix up i suppose but you'll see the other characters in season 2 maybe?

[laufire]

For the WIP folder game, I'd love to hear about Sadie and co even if you haven't worked on that WIP lately

this is something I discussed on my (second) writeblr (which is so abandoned rn lol) and maybe dms, so you (probably?) already know, but although the WIP (formerly known as the witch coven 'verse, later renamed to The Wicked Witches of Trickstown) started out as ~vaguely contemporary, a mix between my natural disinterest for modern settings and a brief love-affair with yellowjackets (dropped like a hot potato since) made me want to switch things up.

the result is that part of story is set in the past circa the '80s, and part in the "present", which for them would be the early '00s. I like that set-up because those are both very tumultuous times in usamerican history (and this wip is set in the us), and I find the idea of writing about those within the confines of an isolationist small town weirdly compelling.

it's also interesting from a characterisation point of view, because there's... An Event. that's been key to the series and something I pictured as part of it from almost the very beginning. it's An Event that wasn't supposed to exactly close the series, but it precipitated the end, or what I envisioned it as it. The Event, in this new set-up (where it'd probably be moved to earlier in the plot, actually), would occur during the '80s, in the characters' past. so now, with the added '00s timeline, the framing is different, there are new questions. what did this mean for the characters in the long run? can time really heal all wounds? yes, no, which ones? can what's broken be truly fixed?

it's also more interesting to me because I get to write the characters (Sadie, Gillian, even Denise; and of course Judith, Di(nah), and Leo) as grown adults, instead of only in their late teens / very early twenties (and emotionally stunted asdkfjasfd) in Denise's case. the older I get, the more appealing I find the idea. of seeing what they could grow up to be, and not just their potential (for better or worse).

I know Gillian was your favourite, so you'll be pleased to know that hers is the "future" that's clearer to me than all the others lol. yes, even Sadie, who's the lead, but while I know the destination (possible minor changes pending), I'm still deciding what I want her journey to be like after The Event. for Gillian it's the other way around.

things I'm willing to share right now about said future: Gillian's life is a mess in many ways (remember the whole "yeah she's mostly living in her car which yeah is hell to her already sickly dispossition" thing), but professionally? she's THRIVING lmfao xDD (investigative/crime reporter).

(here's an "intro" to the wip for anyone interested, since I don't exactly talk a lot about it here)

ask me about my wips!

[lankygeralt]

Hey, I was just read the new chapter of Double-Cross but now I am kinda confused because Triss is described as red-head ? I thought it was the netflix show with Jaskier and all. Or is it just Netflix Triss with red-hair? sorry that kinda confused me a bit. have a good day

Hi! I tagged the fic with both games and the Netlfix witcher series, we haven’t seen a lot of Triss and I always picture her as a redhead because of the games :D

There will also be some people from the games like Lambert, Letho, Vesemir, etc!

[nayialovecat]

SATIM’s B-day - Day 3 - Change of ideas

Today theme: Changes in the concept of comics and his fundamental ideas.

Bonus: A removed "Advance" strip.

Originally, SATIM was not intended to be a continuous plot - it was supposed to have elements of continuity, little plots lasting for several strips and thus affecting the ones that follow - but the comic was supposed to be more of a gag character (that is why I chose the form of strips). The comic was originally divided into 4 series. In 1 I was to introduce characters, introduce you to the world. In 2, Sammy was supposed to send Henry and Boris to Alice Angel and the storyline known of the game was about to begin. In 3, Bendy was supposed to (as a result of events that I will not talk about) befriend Sammy, and Sammy was supposed to start to act according to his plans, occasionally doing some strange actions. The 3 series ended with a "fall", and the 4 series was supposed to be realised with a bit looser approach - the implementation of plans to free people from the Workshop, mixed with a slice of life, and threads about Elena (oh, Elena... I really don't know if I still like her character XD).

Currently, the SATIM concept has evolved. The plot from the gag form became more continuous, some strips are even clogged holes whose only role is to fasten two strips into the one plot. SATIM is divided into 5 series with the possibility of presenting the last episodes as a separate series (drawn more in the Before Henry style). Each series now reflects changes in the relationship between Sammy and Bendy and how the Workshop functions. How exactly? Well, you'll see…

Unfortunately, such changes often make certain strips simply no longer fit the plot. And it's not a problem when you can change such a strip and adjust it simply by replacing the texts or by redrawing one or two frames. Worse, when I have a given strip already linearted (that's why I don't make linearts in advance now).

Sometimes, however, even if a story was not linearted, it begins to stand out from the main plot so much or tries to reverse the character's progress so much, that there is simply no room for it. This was the fate of the "Advice" strip that I'm presenting to you today (under line).

Sometimes it happens that a good idea completely ceases to fit the plot of SATIM and its characters in the form in which they exist today... But I don't have the heart to just throw such ideas into the trash. This comic doesn't fit SATIM anymore, it's too gagging, too little fabular, and there would be too much inaccuracy between it and the SATIM storyline. Still, I like the joke in it. I started to correct it some time, but then I realized that, unfortunately, I would have to give it up.

I'm constantly thinking about how to rewrite it so that it can appear in SATIM - but the problem with it is that:

* Sammy doesn't realize that Henry's death causes the cycle to reset;

* Bendy is already working with Sammy, and although Sammy irritates him, he gives him orders.

Originally there was supposed to be such an episode. Now when Sammy doesn't know about Henry's importance yet, Bendy doesn't want to talk to him. When Bendy starts talking to him, Sammy already knows he can't kill Henry.

Well, maybe I'll come up with something, and for now I just present the "Advice" strip to you partially linearted as an ordinary curiosity that has no place in the SATIM plot. It's a pity. 'Cause I'm still enjoying this one of the oldest jokes I made for my comic storyline.

QUESTION: How many reasons were Sammy willing to sacrifice Henry?

TASK: Write a reason not mentioned in the comic.

Send your answer via chat here or on dA, or other private way :)

[plasticnightmaredoll]

"Resident Evil 7: Biohazard" spoiler-filled review

Well, I went ahead and replayed "Resident Evil 7" after finishing "Resident Evil 8" twice. I wanted to see if the former was still as good as I remember it being when I first played it several years ago.

Sure enough, it is still my favorite RE game so far (I have only played 4, but still, I don't think any of the other games will beat RE7 in my eyes) and one of my favorite survival horror games (my favorite gaming genre).

RE7 is why I even got into the RE game franchise at all. I always (and still do) prefer "Silent Hill's" games, and never had a strong desire to play any of the RE games. I just...wasn't impressed, I suppose, with what I saw and knew.

RE7 changed that and now I have played three other games in the franchise and have the intention to play most of the others (the ones on PC only because I don't have, can't afford, and don't need a console right now).

I actually have less to say about RE7 than I do about RE8, but that isn't a bad thing, mind you.

Anyway, onto the review!

The Good

Setting/Locations

I liked the location the game took place in. It was a departure from what RE had offered so far, bringing us back to the roots of the series in a way. The original "Resident Evil" took place in a creepy mansion, and RE7 takes place in three creepy, rundown houses.

Horror games taking place in a city (which RE2 and RE3's remakes did) doesn't mean they're not capable of being intense horror experiences, but I just like the classic aesthetic and age-old trope of "haunted" houses. Also, by taking place in the woods and not in a city (nowhere near a city from what I could tell), RE7 increases the tension by making you feel completely isolated. There's nowhere to run, except the woods, and who knows if you'll find help in time.

I also loved the part where you play as Mia and you have to initially explore the wrecked ship without any weapons, thus causing you to have to be cautious around monsters while still trying to get things done. Even when you get ammo, it doesn't turn the segment into a walk in the park.

Plot

The story was good, starting off as a bunch of fucked up mysteries (What happened to this house? What happened to this family? Were they always crazy? What's with the ability to "glue" severed limbs back on? What's with the crazy regeneration ability for Jack? Why is Mia so crazy and violent? What's with the mold?) and does provide answers at a steady pace as you progress until all is revealed by the end.

Still, it's not like it makes things less disturbing. In some ways, it makes it even more so. I mean, we have a kid with special powers who actually just wants a family but seems to lack any sense of compassion or mercy, probably because she was kept in a lab all her life. We have a family she "corrupted" and led to the deaths of 3 of the 4. Then you have Mia, Ethan's wife, who has been forced to turn evil on occasion, even against her own husband, and she nearly died. And, well, we have Ethan who is stuck in the middle of this giant mess.

It's not an over-the-top horror story, and while it relies on some horror game tropes, it never gets stale. It uses the tropes wisely, creating an atmospheric survival horror experience.

First Person

I am not a big fan of the 3rd person perspective that the other RE games have (minus RE8). I'm not a fan of it in general, and it actually makes the game less scary. You know you're playing as a character because you can clearly see them, so it's more like watching a movie, I guess. It can still be scary just not as much, in my opinion.

The first-person perspective is perfect for horror games because they make you feel like you're there. You are seeing things from the character's own eyes, like you're in their place, so the danger feels much more real. I'm so glad RE7 seems to have broken this trend as is possibly steering the franchise towards first person.

Weapons

Now, I was debating whether to put this in "the good" or "mixed thoughts" section, but I'm keeping it here. RE8 does have the benefit of weapon customization, so you can give your weapons more firepower, decrease their reload time, have them carry more bullets before reloading...RE7 has none of this. What you see is what you get.

Now, I don't see this as an issue, in fact, it's kind of a good thing. Since the weapons you find are going to remain as they are for the whole game, including the shotgun which only holds 4(?) rounds, you have to be smart. I think there is less ammo in RE7 than in RE8, too, so you really have to be careful. If you're not implementing some sort of strategy in fights in RE7, you could find yourself running out of ammo or not switching between weapons fast enough. You can only hold 4 in the active slots, too, which limits you further because you may have to swap two weapons during a fight.

It's not annoying...it's horrifying in its own way! I mean, if you have a bunch of ammo laying around and you can make your weapons Doom-style in terms of power, then where is the fun? Where is the horror? You can just blast away all day at enemies. By limiting what you have like RE7 does, you feel like it's a much more intense gaming experience, not to mention a more realistic one. I mean, in reality, you wouldn't be able to even carry that many weapons at once, nor would you be able to easily craft lots of ammo, nor would you be able to upgrade your weapons on the fly.

Graphics & Soundtrack

The soundtrack was very fitting, adding additional chills to the already haunting atmosphere but never forcing the "mood," so to speak. Graphics still look fantastic even now after 4 years have passed. Sure, RE8 has more polished visuals, but RE7 still is a very attractive game in terms of graphics quality. Lots of great lighting effects, including a lot of shadows to build more suspense since you're not running around in broad daylight or in places that are fully lit (most of the time).

Characters

While there aren't any remarkable characters in the game, I think they're all still memorable.

Jack is an absolute psychopath who loves to stalk Ethan while taunting him. When you see what he used to be like later in the game, it's almost sad because you can tell how distraught he was at what b became of him and his family.

Marguerite is the crazy bug lady, trying to get you to eat her gross food.

Lucas is the wide-eyed, sadistic killer who likes to make his victims play morbid games.

Zoe is the only sane one in the family and provides Ethan with much-needed guidance.

Mia comes off as the typical "wifey" type but she can actually kick some ass and knows how to use guns.

Ethan is a very resilient and noble character who cares about his family and would do anything for them.

Eveline is a creepy, weird girl (a trope but it still works here), but her backstory is kind of sad when you think about it: She has been raised in a lab her whole life as an experiment and has no concept of what love and compassion are, and acts out like a disturbed child more than an evil monster.

Bosses

I thought the boss fights were all pretty challenging, especially your final encounter with Jack and the fight with Marguerite. Eveline was easier to deal with, but when you think about it, it was still messed up considering you had just killed her and now she was mutating into a horrifying monster in an attempt to get revenge.

Sure, there weren't many boss fights, but a game doesn't need to have a dozen of them to be good. As long as what you get is entertaining and challenging, then it's all good to me.

Mixed Thoughts

The gross (and sometimes goofy) mold monsters posed a significant threat, a lot of it because you have to deal with them in small areas. They're so weird-looking, so inhuman, yet they make up the majority of the enemies in the game. It's the mold monsters and Marguerite's evil bugs.

They served their purpose well and provided some decent jump scares, but I wish there had been a bit more variety. I'm not sure what considering the location but I feel like there could have been one or two more monster types (like the nasty spider babies from "Not a Hero"). Hell, even having some gators around for Ethan to deal with would have been fun.

The Bad

Nothing!

Final thoughts:

I really love "Resident Evil 7." It's fun to play and chilling all at once, which is what I want out of horror games. It's easily the best thing to happen to RE since probably RE2 or RE3 (the original versions), and gave the series a much-needed change in direction.

Grade: A

Resident Evil Village: B+

Resident Evil 2 (2019 remake): A-

Resident Evil 3 (2020 remake): B-