#lacey games spoilers

[the-all-seeing-l]

Here's all the secrets I found in the demo version of Lacey's Love Meter.

[zackpacklol]

Spoilers for Lacey's Flash Games by ghosttundra (watch the series if you haven't already!!!!!!)

I think most people in the Lacey Fandom don't see the wordless, but painful story that I do of Lacey, and I'm about to explain what that is.

This is all just speculation, a theory, more rather of what Lacey/Possibly Rocio had gone through during their traumatic childhood.

TW // MENTIONS OF SELF-HARM, DEATH, CORPSES, WORM INFESTED CORPSES AND OTHER GROSS STUFF ARE IN THIS POST, READ AT YOUR OWN DESCRIPTION

It's obvious by now that Lacey had a troubling childhood, like a really traumatic one. From being abused by her Uncle, having to look at that Uncle's dead body every time she got out of her bed, as well as dealing with a f'ed up stalker.

But what I want to focus on that most people don't seem to talk about is Lacey's Jobs as well as her deceased Skater friend, Jay.

Let's talk about Lacey's first working jump; Her Diner.

If we're looking at this from a realistic perspective, it's likely Lacey didn't actually own a Diner, but more rather worked at one as A waitress, later being promoted to a cook, or possibly having to do both since the place Lacey worked hadn't had many employees.

Quick Screenshot(s) give context clues that the various patrons at Lacey's workplace had driven her from sadness to extreme anger, with failing the first day at her work making her cut herself and call herself words like "useless", "stupid", "slow", etc. That spiralled into becoming SO angry that she made a meal so disturbed that caused the entire workplace to be shutdown, causing her to lose her only way of making income.

Eventually, Lacey finds a new Job as a Petshop worker. I don't have much insight on this one other than Lacey that eventually quit due to the over-demanding and borderline abusive owners that asked for the most screwed things to do to their animals.

Now sometime during the portion when Lacey was out of a Job again, Jay, one of Lacey's adventurous tomboy friends that she only had left, tragically passed in a very unfortunate skating accident. Although incredibly mad that the universe that it continued to move even after Jay was gone, Lacey eventually found a new job for herself to get (or at least try) to get her life back on track. What was the job, you may ask?

A makeup parlor! A Morgue.

Working in a Morgue as a Mortuary Cosmetologist.

Maybe Lacey had dreamed of working with Make-up in anyway she could, maybe working with the morgue's makeup was a coping mechanism of trying to move from Jay's demise.

Either way, Lacey worked at the morgue, despite the occasional worms that infested the bodies, or even that some corpses would occasionally stare back at her with their dead eyes. All of that was all for now until...

Jay was a client corpse.

I could only imagine the absolute dread that Lacey felt, having to see your Friend diseased & mangled corpse beyond the point of recognition, as well as having to attempt to apply makeup to your deceased friend's corpse while you can feel your own tears destroy your pretty eyeliner.

While it's unknown whether or not Lacey got fired from the morgue due to having a mental breakdown in the middle of the work day, we'll have to see what "Lacey Game" is next to find out.

Thanks for reading. Feel very free to ask any questions you have about this theory/speculation in the comments.

[ink-ami]

Wanted to do a piece with the BB elite 4 once Kieran (and by extension, Carmine) comes back after the epilogue. I think they were nice about it, even if Drayton still rubs salt into the wound. Also the occasion to draw them all because I fear I won't do it again...

[mariigoldzz]

a Haymitch I made in December that I never ended up finishing sadly .click for better quality

[nbabycallie]

lacey's flash games demo spoilers under the cut

all the easter eggs i could find by putting characters' names in the love meter:

(this is the same for any of the girls together; that is, lacey+jay, lacey+maisie, and jay+maisie all generate this same message)

and of course, lacey+uncle triggers the end of the game. (fun fact, in my first playthrough, i actually didn't even go back to lacey's petshop, i was just trying out names and accidentally got it right lol)

(ty @quillsinkwell for pointing out some extra ones that i missed!)

[sophisticatedpjparty]

CW: blood, spoilers for laceygames

[yaniasogames]

lacey’s flash games and the horrors of womanhood: part 1, lacey’s wardrobe!

(trigger warning for discussions and possible depictions of: sexual assault/rape, stalking, abuse, violent misogyny, gore)

so i guess it’s a bit awkward for me of all people - someone who is a girl but not assigned one at birth or passing - to be writing this post, but i just wanted to talk about this aspect of this series cause i think it’s a big part of why it feels so unique and why the horror works for so many people.

the lacey’s series is pretty often praised for it’s great horror and scares, as well as it’s depiction of trauma, but i think more specifically it deserves praise for taking subjects such as stalking and sexual abuse and executing them in a way that’s deeply sympathetic and yet still so shocking and effective.

in the first ever lacey’s video, lacey’s wardrobe, we of course follow the titular lacey in the titular game as she gets dressed for multiple occasions. a picnic, going to the mall, and a date with the “cutest guy.” all that is disrupted, though, by her stalker, a man who follows her in near every area of the game, proclaiming his love for her in a totally not creepy and invasive and wildly inappropriate way.

throughout the video, lacey seems to have no privacy, and no relief from her stalker. besides not even being safe in a public place like this one, some of the most terrifying events in the video bar the finale happen while she’s still at home. she gets threatening phone calls and a grotesque gift from the stalker that make her feel trapped, and there’s whole segments where the stalker is seen peering through her window and is heard knocking furiously on her door. all while she’s in her own bedroom getting dressed.

the videos ending consists of the player dressing up lacey and forcing her to go outside alone at night, even when she breaks the fourth wall and begs and begs and begs them not to. lacey gets cannibalized by her stalker, with audio of her crying and shots briefly flashing by of her dismembered corpse. unless, of course, her stalker kept her alive through all of this torture. said stalker’s reason for doing this?

this video on it’s own already carries a lot of dark subtext with it. it’s not uncommon knowledge that many people in real life experience stalking, with most victims being women. it’s also not uncommon knowledge that in many parts of the world, walking home at night as a woman is very unsafe and carries the risk of your wellbeing being in danger, which is why many women carry pepper spray and why products such as rape whistles exist. lacey is aware of her stalker, and pretty clearly feels unsafe throughout the whole video. her permanently smiling face and the music distort after the first call from the stalker, and she begs at the end not to go outside. she knows how vulnerable she is against this threat, but she has no agency as a video game character simply there to be dressed up and beautified by the player. it’s like watching prey get dropped right into the cage of a predator, despite all the fear it’s showing at the sound of the predators roars.

this feeling extends to how out of all of the ways lacey could’ve ended up at the end of the episode, the specific choice is made to have her be eaten. to be gruesomely consumed by a man who claims to “love” her. consumed so that he can keep a woman who shows zero interest in him all to himself, not even caring that she’s crying and in immense pain as he literally rips her apart. it’s entitled. it’s greedy. it’s horrifying. and everything about this video shows how many stalkers view their victims, and how many men view women in general - as something they consume, they indulge in. as pretty dress up dolls who only serve to fill them up and be the objects of their affection, even when those women don’t want it.

another thing to note (although i am definitely not trying to victim blame poor lacey in any capacity) is the outfit lacey wears at the end. while a common shitty excuse that rapists make to put down their victims is that “they were asking for it!!1” because of the clothes they chose to wear, lacey pretty obviously doesn’t have a choice in this situation, and for her date, the player chooses to put her in a red jacket, choker and daisy dukes, a color and articles of clothing that are often associated with flirtiness and sexuality by society. these would be great choices if lacey wanted to go on this date of her own volition, but it’s made unsettling because, again, she doesn’t have a damn choice. in two of the shots, there’s even deliberate focus on her torso and therefore chest and legs as she meets her demise. could these possibly be from the stalkers POV?

a piece of media that this all reminds me of is silent hill 3, an (actually real) horror game that also taps into the many fears women commonly face, and how it feels to be a girl in a world that largely sees you as nothing but a target, an object, a tool. while not directly tying into the main plot of that game, in the area of the brookhaven hospital, you can find letters directed to main character heather from an unseen man named stanley. these letters are very… purposefully uncomfortable. the whole vibe of this part is made even worse by the fact that 1) the sound design, way the letters are written and the fact that earlier letters disappear when you go back to them support the idea that stanley is actually in the hospital watching heather from afar, and 2) heather is still a teenager, only being 17 years old throughout this whole game. not even her young age protects her from these circumstances. hell, many girls that age are already thought of as being “woman” enough.

stanley, similar to lacey’s stalker, is convinced that himself and the girl he’s stalking are meant to be together, and he objectifies heather through his writing and the way he sends her a doll as a gift.

stanley is shown as well to be a physical threat to others. you can find out he stabbed another patient at the hospital completely unprompted, and in one of his final letters, the doll that was a gift to heather? it’s broken into pieces.

the parallels to lacey’s stalker are apparent, as he both shows signs of violence against others before harming lacey (yells and demands her to come outside over the phone and sends her a gift of blood and guts), and is shown to have broken lacey into pieces when he eats her. just like children with their dolls, violent and dangerously misogynistic men often decide to rip apart and carelessly destroy the women they view as their playthings when they aren’t getting what they want. they desire control and for women to feel like their tools, and their victims are often left feeling like they have nowhere to go that’s safe. not a picnic with friends, not the shopping mall, not their own house, nowhere at all. it’s profoundly isolating and calls to mind how many abusers function, with the typical victims of both domestic violence and stalking usually being - you guessed it - women.

while all of this is heavy stuff for one video, as the lore of the series expands in the following videos and you learn more of lacey’s situation, the themes of the abuse, objectification and unwanted sexualization women face are strengthened, and become even more integral to why the lacey’s games are the way they are.

as rocio, the in-universe creator of the series states, these are the real girl’s games.

[ner1ahh]

(⚠️TW FOR FLASHES, DRAWN DEPICTIONS OF DEAD BODIES⚠️)

ALL CREDIT GOES TO @ghosttundra !!!! i just did the voices for fun and practice

[goldensunset]

FINALLY

[melchinafan]

So Compulsion has shared a (spoilery, since the lyrics for each mythical creature explain their story) live-action music video they made for the Altamaha-ha's song. As with all the songs and snippets we've heard thus far, it sounds amazing, and this song in particular is haunting. And the lyrics, combined with a few clues from other videos, has changed my previous (tentative) theory on who the Altamaha-ha used to be. (A neat bonus detail: on the wall at the start of that music video, you can see a painting of an owl sitting on a branch. It seems to be similar, if not identical, to one that was shown in the developer direct video.)

It's also adjusted my theory on what Huggin' Molly's story might be. My previous theory for her feels like it would be too parallel to Altamaha-ha's, and the two of them don't seem to be bookending the story (which could've justified my theories being so similar). So I'm not sure that orca story is necessarily directly relevant...though it still could be pretty close.

It also just clicked for me that while Hazel is a formally-titled, magic-using Weaver...Huggin' Molly became a spider-like, red-yarn-using "weaver." I wonder if she knew about the magic users before she changed...

Massive kudos to the South of Midnight team for the attention to detail in environmental storytelling and character design! I know there's still a ton of stuff I can't even begin to guess at, but I've been able to glean a good amount just from the trailers, and it's all got me itching for more.

Some things I've been able to spot, just from these two screenshots:

I'd already kinda gotten the impression from Hazel's tattoo choker necklace and Lisa Frank-esque dolphin-rainbow tank top...but after seeing Lacey's half of a "best friends" heart necklace and jean jacket? I'd be shocked if this doesn't take place in or around the 90s. (Which is a solid choice, since it's a good way to limit having to worry about the question of cell phones.) Plus, if you take a look at their fridge, you can see magnets of the primary mythical creatures we'll run across! I listed most of them in the alt text if you can't tell what they are, but if I had to guess at the mystery cut-off one in the second screenshot...I'd say it's the Altamaha-ha from the announcement trailer. (Which I think is also maybe the purple-pink aquatic creature you can see for a split second near the end of the story trailer.) And...well, it's not visible in these screenshots, but in this scene Hazel also accidentally knocks a handmade mug off the counter. That mug has a bottle tree design on it, as featured in the game's logo and as important in-game magical elements!

Also fun is some of the detailing for Shakin' Bones:

His guitar has a Prospero license plate near the bottom (also seen on a half-sunk taxi that Catfish swims past in the gameplay trailer), which says CROS RDS (or "crossroads"). Below his arm you can see his name "Bones" carved into the face of the guitar, flanked by a couple Fleur-de-lis, and in a couple spots there's decorative blue paint (haint blue, I'd bet). Plus some short bits of bone (femur, at a guess), for both the bottom strap button and the tuning knobs. There's also a broken, rusted sawblade for a pickguard...which curiously has an elegant leafy design carved onto it. There's a similar leafy design carved along the top side of the guitar, too. Bones himself has a lot of different flora growing on him...at least two different kinds of leafy plants (small round leaves on his shoes, larger pointy leaves on his arms and neck), and some small brown mushrooms. And while I don't know enough about plants to recognize what those three might be, I'm pretty sure the flowers on his neck and side are swamp lilies. (The flower on his side is visible near the start of the announcement trailer, when you see him from behind. I'm also pretty sure I spotted some swamp lilies growing around Rhubarb's house in the story trailer, in their standard cluster form vs. Bones' unique singular flowers. Fun fact: for folks who play Secret World and remember a particular painting of some import in the Franklin Mansion, you may be amused to note that one of that flower's colloquial names is "seven sisters.")

There's also...well...these are a bit more spoiler-y, so I'll put them under a cut and try to keep it vague. But there's visual clues hinting at some secrets a few folks seem to have...

Less overtly secret, but still some story spoilers:

The most obvious thing at first glance in the first screenshot is the presence of Huggin' Molly's red yarn inside the broken wall. At second glance, and double-checking the start of the trailer to confirm the yellow paint and window style matches, this appears to be Hazel's house. But looking more carefully, one might notice that the exposed inner boards of the wall seem to have a little faded blue paint...suggesting that the house was protected with a hidden layer of haint blue (possibly in addition to the indoor wall paint that also appears to be blue), which wards off nasty critters. And with that ward literally broken, and Huggin' Molly being known in her real-world mythology to go after folks late at night, well... (Bonus fun fact: Secret Worlders may also be amused that the time on the clock in the first screenshot of this post is 10:10, as with Kingsmouth's clocks. Probably specifically 10:10 pm, not a storm-dark morning.)

And finally, a particular someone who seems to have deeper secrets:

(I linked the story trailer earlier, but the second screenshot is from the half-hour-long documentary.) The subtitles tell us this man is Laurent, and I'm curious about how significant his ear and nose piercings might be, given that he otherwise seems to be giving off airs of "responsible adult" (which typically does not permit such things). I have no idea who he is, exactly...yet his clothing choice and sense of decor are reminiscent of another design, which has shown up in the trailers and some promo/concept art that's been shared by the devs... But I'll let you dig up that connection on your own, if you're inclined to hunt down a bigger story spoiler.

[shiny-kaibernyte]

Avahjdiaksvvxhsx this blog is so silly in a good way

As much as I love toothpaste, edgy onion deserves some love as well

Can I get hcs of Kieran x reader set after the end of Indigo Disk where Kieran and the reader's rekindled friendship slowly grows into romance over time? I just think the idea is cute

Your wish is my command!💜💜

Pokémon Headcannons | Kieran (Post-game Romance)

Pokémon Scarlett and Violet DLC Spoilers ahead!

Warnings: mild obsessive behaviour. Kieran being a sweet bean

SPOILER WARNING For The ending of The indigo disk

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

After the whole Ogerpon, Terapagos, situation was finally over, the guild Kieran felt was unfathomable. The people he had hurt, the things he had said to everyone he cared about were weighing on him more than they ever did before.

So when he had practically yelled at you to forgive him on the bridge to the academy. To see your smile once more, to know after everything he had done you’d forgiven him! His only friend had forgiven him after all of this. Not a chance was he letting this go, not a second time. You are his best friend and he’s making sure he doesn’t lose your trust or you again.

Getting your forgiveness was pretty easy, as for the others… that was more of a challenge. Carmine never really held a grudge, Kieran’s her brother she cares for him! Drayton forgave him quite quickly, though he still holds a grudge against him for what he’s done, and will remind him of this if he slips out of it again. 

It took weeks for Crispin and Lacey to forgive him, so much persuasion, apologies, gifts, everything under the sun so they would even remotely forgive him. So many times he wanted to give up, thinking he had failed them as he had himself. But with your constant motivation and joy, he continued trying to gain they’re trust again, for you.

His grades began shooting up as well. He began actually focusing more on the Pokémon world and the people around him instead of his obsession with getting stronger. Which caused Amarys to admit to him how proud she was of him. Be it stoically.

After some time he was even able to earn Ogerpon' s love and trust, becoming good friends with the adorable Pokémon. 

Kieran had even begun spending a lot more time with you, going on shiny hunts with you, catching Pokémon with you and just genuinely wanting to be around you! It reminded him of how he felt back on Kitagami, the joy he felt running around doing all those challenges with you. 

But it also brought back some feelings he had bottled away. Feelings he never thought would resurface, and yet, running around the Terrarium with you, running through the stories of your adventures in Paldea with him. He wanted nothing more than to just hold you.

Little did he know you felt the same.

It wasn’t until a few months after that he finally mustered up the courage. And by that I mean Carmine practically dragged him to you and demanded he tell you how he felt. Much to your confusion.

But he does confess telling you straight up how he felt, how much you make his heart ache when you're not around, how seeing you so focused on catching a Pokémon makes his face go all red and warm. How your focused battle face was so refreshing to him, your smile being the cutest thing in the world to him.

Granted he stumbled over every word, the old shy Kieran you knew before, showing his face one last time.

When you plant a kiss on his cheek, followed by a hug, he knew your feelings were mutual and he couldn’t help but smile a beaming smile, hugging you for the first time in so long. And he was never letting this moment go. And never again was he letting you slip from his grasp again.

[randomlonelymusician]

Lacey's Petshop Theory/Analysis (So Far)

So Lacey's Petshop dropped a couple of hours ago, and here's my thoughts so far after watching the video twice and doing some rough transcriptions.

Illegible text transcriptions HERE.

Warnings for disturbing imagery, abuse, blood, and animal death. Also spoilers.

So here's my overall takeaway from this entry:

There are two stories going on. The story of Lacey, who represents Rocio Yani (Lacey Game's cofounder), and the story of how the games came to be. They're very heavily connected, but not everything we're shown in the Lacey games is exactly what happened to Rocio.

In Lacey's Petshop, Lacey's uncle kills her dog. After years of abuse from him and him killing this one bit of happiness she has in her life, she kills him. She hides his remains under the bed, and is afraid to leave the room after this.

Lacey seems to be a sort of stand-in for Rocio, who has clearly suffered similar abuse. There are two directions that Rocio's connection to the "bad versions" of the Lacey games could go: they were vent pieces to she could express her trauma, or she is literally connected to the games, living out a 2000s-esque life while her trauma seeps through in the bad endings.

Now, for further explanations.

I think it's pretty evident that Lacey's uncle killed her dog. With how she constantly mentions him "taking her angel away", and how the dog's face appears while a mutilated leg/bloody eye flash on screen.

The motifs connecting the image of the dog to animal death and distress go even further:

I believe that Lacey killed her uncle after this mostly due to how images of a mangled/rotting foot and a bloody eye when she is talking about how "he is still under the bed" and that she "can't leave"

The lines about her not being able to leave also could imply some sort of guilt. The mirror scene could also reinforce this, since she sees horribly distorted versions of herself.

I also don't think every game is a direct representation of her trauma, since the timeline get a little messy if they are. Especially Lacey's Wardrobe. That's the one that sticks out as different from Lacey's Diner and Lacey's Petshop, which both focus on the abuse from her uncle. Both Lacey's Diner and Petshop do both show that she killed him, with in Lacey's diner she is cooking him and her trauma into the food and serving it to others (a representation of what what is doing with the games, maybe?"

BONUS NOTE: After you click the... substance on the left, it shows this image, which features Rocio's name.

As for what's happening in the real world. I'm actually going to go with the theory that Rocio is literally connected to the game as Lacey, and that's why there's bad endings that didn't used to be there. Everyone in the story remembers how they used to play Lacey games, and never seem to remember anything disturbing. But now that Rocio is connected to the game, her trauma is infecting it.

I think that her being connected to the wires is more literal than some may take it.

Forming a bit of a timeline, Laceygames.com / Yaniasogames started in 2004, and from the interview with Grace Asop confirms that they parted ways in 2010. This means that the "infections" were more recent, which is why no one has been discovering them until now.

Lacey / Rosio just wanted to have a normal life, so she connected herself to 2000s-esque flash games to make that a reality. But her past traumas ended up seeping into those games, creating the grotesque imagery that we now know.

I think that's all I have so far. Here are my favorite screencaps from this episode that I didn't get to use:

If anyone has any comments, ideas, or additions, please add them! This series has brought me back into the analog horror community, and it's really fun to discuss!

[maybecoffeemixed]

MAIN PLOT LINE OF DLC HAS BEEN FINISHED, SPOILERS UNDER THE CUT (long post, be warned)

7.8/10, kieran doesn't actually kill us.

Seriously though, I enjoyed it!! Since I don't actually own the game (we poor), I watched a no-commentary playthrough so there are plenty of things I very likely missed, including optional dialog, side-quests, and whatever that thing with the professors is (still lookin' for a video without some guy over it), so I can only comment on the bits I saw! That being said, here we go.

First of all, the BATTLES!! Despite not being able to play them myself, they looked SUPER fun!! I screamed when I saw Lacey's tailwind/lightscreen prankster whimsicott, and even MORE so when I saw it was sashed! I loved the usage of competitive items, and the fact that all their teams weren't completely mono-type, each having one exception to their type (Lacey's excadrill, Crispin's Exeggcutor, Amarys's Reuniclus, and Drayton's Sceptile) that they DIDN'T terrastalize was lovely touch!! Amarys's fight was super hype in particular, despite having an over 20 level advantage, the person I watched still nearly wiped to her! Her trick room AI does appear a bit goofy, but it's a small flaw. Finally, Kieran's battle... I personally adore a good rain team, but unfortunately Kieran's politoed was frozen at the start of the battle, and remained that way all the way til the end, so I can't honestly say how difficult it looked. The one thing I will say is that before the indigo disk was out, I created a hypothetical team for Kieran, and I CALLED that Grimmsnarl!! Literally even the focus sash. If anyone's curious, here was the hypothetical team I made. I'm a nuzlocker, not a competitive player, so it very well may be shit. Apologies in advance.

Next is the characters!! Every design slapped as always, and I enjoyed their personalities! Lacey was adorbs, Crispin was fun, and Amarys might just be one of my new favorites! As for Drayton? Let me tell you, I was side-eyeing him the whole time the MOMENT after he said THIS to Kieran.

After all the hype around dokutaro/peechikeen (now know as pecharunt, apparently), and all the speculation that Kieran would fall victim to its influence, him saying "that's just peachy" made my rat brain go into overdrive. In the end, I think it was just Legends Arceus giving me Volo flashbacks.

Now, the main event... KIERAN! Let me tell you, he gave me GOOSEBUMPS. Every time he appeared, I could feel a chill run up my spine, and his battle had my heart RACING. ESPECIALLY his breakdown at the end of it! One of the best times I've had in a good while. The animation, his reaction, all of it was GREAT!! It was so refreshing to see him not immediately heel-face turn.

Unfortunately, though, what happened after that all disappointed me. I admit I got too attached to the Dokutaro Posession theory, buy it was still disappointing for Dokutaro (I know that's not its name, leave me be) to not play any role in the main story. It felt like a natural conclusion to what the game was setting up, I thought he'd throw the master ball at terapagos, it'd fail, and he'd become so overwhelmed with everything that has happened that he'd succumb to Dokutaro's control and we'd have to fight the Dokutaro-Kieran with Terapagos's aid. That's not what happened, and I felt a bit sad. His recovery from his breakdown was still set up nicely and had some atleast sufficient justification, but it still felt like too-little too-soon. It felt more like he just gave up all together rather than defeated his demons. He'd never be as strong as the player, and that's that, which is a sour note to leave off on.

We see that he legitimately has nothing. All the other students left the MOMENT he was defeated. No one came to help the kid who was clearly having a panic attack. The BB league cares about him, sure, but I wouldn't consider them his friends. They all thought Kieran getting defeated would "fix" him, and even when he clearly wasn't any better after being defeated, they didn't do anything to assist him. Sure, sometimes when someone has climbed so high, you gotta let them fall, but once they do, you can't just leave them lying on the ground. You need to be there to lift them back up before they start digging.

This isn't an attack on the BB league at ALL. Like I said, I really enjoyed their characters! In fact, this reaction is part of the reason I like them so much. It adds depth.

I just wish that Kieran DID start digging, and that it led to something bigger. Even if Dokutaro wasn't involved, I atleast wanted the final battle with him to be that big thing, and not just a turtle that can't do anything but throw out weak earthpowers.

Though the biggest failing to me is that Kieran apologizes to us, but we don't apologize to him. We as in the player, and Carmine

Kieran's actions are his own and I'm not saying he shouldn't have apologized, but he wasn't solely culpable for how things turned out. We and Carmine purposefully lied, kept a secret that was dear to him, and were the straw that broke the camel's back. Even if we the player didn't apologize, Carmine should've!! Her treatment of Kieran heavily impacted him, and he mirrored her abuse (Kieran telling Carmine to "Shut it", just like she did to him, for example).

Everyone, and I mean EVERYONE, was in the wrong here. Kieran took things too far, Carmine behavior is a serious problem, and the played character was complicit.

I'm not demonizing anyone here, I am the number one Carmine defender after all, but everyone needs to take responsibility. Not. Just. Kieran.

I relate heavily to both Kitakami siblings, as both an elder sister with younger siblings who she's accidentally mistreated, and as a little sister with an older sibling who treats me like I'm lesser.

I've lashed out at my older sibling, and while my reaction wasn't proportional, it doesn't mean my emotions weren't justified.

I have severe genetic anger issues (that I'm now thankfully medicated for), and have unjustly taken them out on my younger siblings.

Carmine needs to apologize too, or the cycle will just continue. Maybe she already did and I missed it, or maybe it happens in the post-game. However, if she didn't? It makes me feel unresolved.

Anyways, that all I gotta say on it!! Hope someone enjoyed this overly long rambling!!

(P.S. I still don't trust dragon boy. "Thats just peachy" my ASS, you know something ya toothpaste haired cunt. Why did they request to bring ya along to area zero anyways, ya plot relevant FUCK.)

[grimalkenkid]

Some silly, shipping brainrot based on things I did in-game under the cut that does involve some spoilers and leaks for The Indigo Disk DLC:

So, apparently, once you get the ability to trade with Kieran, he offers an Applin for trade. Now, according to that one NPC quest in Sword/Shield, there's a folk belief in Galar that giving an Applin to one's romantic interest is both a confession and good luck for that relationship if the recipient chooses to accept. Why is this folktale important? Because I subscribe to the headcanon that Juliana grew up in Galar and only recently moved to Paldea with her mother. So, she would be more acquainted with the association between Applin and love confessions.

When Kieran offers an Applin for trade, Juliana is freaking out internally because "Does he know that folktale?" While hanging out, she mentioned she was from Galar, so did he get the idea from that? Or does he just like Applin a lot? She ends up spiraling in the League Club Room after Kieran leaves, babbling to Lacey and Crispin about how she's worried she's overthinking things or if Kieran really did just confess his love for her? After all, he left pretty fast after the trade concluded, right? Embarrassment, maybe? It's not like Juliana would turn him down.

While Crispin thinks Kieran would've (or should've) just said something if that's what he meant, Lacey suggests asking him if Juliana's that stressed about it. However, from where he's chillaxing at the table, Drayton offhandedly jokes, "Oh! Now I get why you chose an Applin to trade for my Duraladon! Good to know."

Juliana is about to combust from embarrassment, as she's now realizing she may have subconsciously chosen Applin for him due to the old folktale. Drayton is covering up his disappointment behind a smile and his usual, lazy demeanor, while Lacey huffs at him not to joke about stuff like that (He wasn't).

And Crispin is going off to the Terrarium to scream into the void because "Why won't anyone in this goddamn club just talk to each other?!"

[velvetvexations]

how much internet horror stuff have you watched? were there any ones you liked? or alternatively any ones you really wanna shit talk?

The Left Right Game fucking sucks. It actually helped me develop a core part of what I consider maybe the most important maxim of writing horror, which is that you don't need to tell the audience the answers and you don't even have to necessarily have the answers yourself, but you must always, without exception, at least give the impression there are answers.

TLRG never for one second feels like it's mysterious bullshit means anything. Like, you have to pick up a hitchhiker and drive him down the road awhile, but if you say anything to him that entire time something bad will happen. Why? Well like my right hand every night it BEATS THE FUCK OUT OF ME, it's just a spooky "rule" you're supposed to follow because horror fans are annoying about "rules" based horror, like I have autism and OCD too but I'd like to read something that's actually scary and not just this weird audience self-insert stuff that's reminiscent of the worst zombie fiction where you just wanna feel good about how well you'd totally win by following all the rules that you memorized like the nerd that you are.

Like, it's not the rules themselves that are the problem necessary. Rules horror CAN be good. But in TLRG all the rules, all the mysterious and dangerous events, are completely random and pulled right out of the author's ass. Which, again, would be fine if the author could at least pretend there's something going on behind the scenes and not just clearly throwing spookiness at the wall to see what sticks.

...as to internet horror I like, there's

Local 58

Gemini Home Entertainment

Valle Verde

This House Has People in It*

How-To Video Results

Alex Bale's short films**

Gilbert Garfield

Stephanie Lawson Stevens

No One Can Find This "Creepy Dinosaur" Game...***

Kane Pixel's work

Blue Emesis

Brian David Gilbert's work

ghosttundra's work

British Cryptids and the rest of the Whinny Moor extended universe in general

Lacey Games

and MyHouse.wad****.

*I choose to classify this as internet horror because it had an associated ARG and only aired like once on Adult Swim before YouTube became it's primary home

**specifically not including Happy Meat Farms, which he's involved in but does not interest me; he's also working on his first feature film, however, which does interest me quite a lot

***it's a month old, so no spoiler on the fact that it's a work of fiction

****I'm also counting this as internet horror because it's so interwoven with the experience of being in the Doom modding community that I would say it's necessary to be at least familiar with a lot of that for the full impact, not only within the game itself but also how it incorporates you innocently going to download it as you would any other mod rather than it like, being listed on a storefront

[livlocus]

my thoughts on the naturals by jennifer lynn barnes

i really enjoyed the book, in all honesty it was a really fun read! im a big criminal minds fan, and to me this book was like a combination of the inheritance games and criminal minds. the people i went to high school with are lucky that i didnt find this series until now or else i would have made it my entire personality. some of the dialogue was a little bit cheesy and a lot of the drama was very high school (but also what should i expect the characters are literally high schoolers) but overall it was super fun so i gave it 3.5 stars!

spoilers under the cut!

the way that the book was divided, like into different sections, WAS SO GOOD

i really enjoyed the chapters that were titled "you" that was honestly so cool

in the beginning of the book when cassie's family is beign described i swear i was having flashbacks to my own (i also come from a very large italian american family)

like offering jobs left and right, making sure that youre fed, that was so real

there is something with jlb and using substitute curse words and i am so here for it, i think that its so funny

I ABSOLUTELY LOVE SLOANE SHE IS SO SPENCER REID IN THE BEST WAY POSSIBLE

(she is also so me sometimes, she is 100% my favorite character so far)

i have so many mixed emotions about michael and dean

lea is the best thing to happen to anyone in this series i need to know more about her asap

that guy who approached cassie when she was sitting by the potomac reading the binder of cases 100% has to do with something later in the series

LACEY LOCKE BEING THE UNSUB AND CASSIES AUNT WAS LITERALLY SUCH A CRAZY PLOT TWIST

i feel like ive read so many different mystery books that i can usually suss out whats going to happen but holy cow that was insane??

when lacey shot michael my jaw was on the floor i was so shocked

deans dad being a serial killer was oneo of those things that i did suss out

i really like his character so far, hes very complex and im excited to see more of him in the next book

michael is kind of annoying me so far even though i really want to like him

i feel like every time he gives me a reason to like him, im about to celebrate and then he goes and does/says something thats so questionable

although i will give him credit for the end of the book, when he basically told cassie that he would let her figure out what shes feeling before he does anything

but then he also dissed dean in the same breath...

WHEN I GOT TO THE END OF THE BOOK AND IT SAID THE JLB WAS A PSYCHOLOGY AND PROFESSIONAL WRITING PROF AT A UNIVERSITY I WAS SO SHOCKED

i mean i wasnt surprised, i feel like that makes a lot of sense with how she writes, but omg how did i not know that

overall really fun book, i absolutely love the concept of it

it got 3.5 stars from me :)