#maybe I'll try with him on my next playthrough

[coffeeworldsasaki]

Bg3 spoilers

The situation in my camp right now is accidentally hilarious, halsin left the camp because I sold the item needed to finish a quest in act 2, Lae'zel got kidnapped by the protagonist's sister, shadowheart is just kneeling on the inn's room floor probably praying to ask forgiveness for that awful hair dye, I haven't spoken to gale since the start of act 2 and he's just a forgotten shadow reading in a corner, jaheira got scolded by her children, Astarion and durge just fucked on his tombstone which hopefully nobody else found out. I guess Karlach and Wyll are idk playing cards together

[my-current-obsession]

I have officially beaten FE Engage! Overall it’s a great game. I really enjoyed the gameplay this time, though a few chapters and paralogues were pretty frustrating. This was definitely the hardest FE game I’ve played (although ironically I found the final battle to be fairly easy), and mostly that’s a good thing. The extra challenge made it more satisfying when I came up with winning strategies. The story and characters were pretty good too! I definitely think this game has gotten unwarranted hate. Anyway, since I previously made a tier list showing my perception of the characters as units, here are some actual stats from the ending showing how right (or wrong) I was:

There was a 3-way tie for who made MVP the most between Alear, Yunaka, and somewhat to my surprise, Alcryst. They each were MVP 4 times. Clanne, Celine, and Alfred were right behind them, each being MVP 3 times.

Alear was unsurprisingly the fighter with the most battles (199) and wins (123). The benefits of being locked into EVERY story & paralogue chapter, I suppose. Her most used Emblem was Sigurd.

I talked at length about how good my Alfred was in the other post, and his stats back it up. He had the 2nd most battles (180) and tied for 3rd on wins (92). Most used emblem was Ike.

Similarly, Yunaka, who I thought might have the most battles and/or kills, had 166 battles and 92 wins. She was great, just not able to outdo Alear’s protag privilege or Alfred seeing a lot of action through Ike. She used Lyn most.

Alcryst had 150 battles and a whopping 107 wins. The boy killed. A lot. His most used emblem was Leif since I appreciated being able to switch weapons and fight back if attacked up close as well as potential Luna procs on Quadruple Hit.

I seriously undervalued how much use I got out of Clanne. He was 5th for both battles (127) and wins (89). Even though he’d fallen off by the end due to subpar magic attack, he did pretty well in early and mid game. His most used emblem was Micaiah.

As for other notable fighters, Citrinne, Diamant, Fogado, Rosado, and Kagetsu each had 100+ battles and 60+ kills. Everyone else either only achieved one of those feats, or neither. So these 5 finish out the “top ten” for my units, I guess.

I maintain that Hortensia is an MVP in her own right as a healer, but tragically the game doesn’t track that so her stats are poor since she didn’t fight much. Seadall was also essential to my team.

Finally one last fun statistic - the EMBLEM that achieved MVP the most was Sigurd. He contributed to 7 wins. I guess it’s not surprising considering he was the “most used” Emblem for 3 of my heavy hitters - Alear, Kagetsu, and Rosado.

[monstersandmaw]

First time romancing Astarion, and I'm all aboard the ace-spec interpretation of Astarion that I've seen floating around. As someone who's ace, I definitely resonated with him in this scene anyway. That hug reaction from Astarion. Oof.

And the fact that if you also romance Halsin, one of the dialogue options Astarion can give you is to say something like: 'it's not because... we haven't... in a while... is it?'... My heart cracked painfully at that, I'm not going to lie. I have spoken almost exactly that sentence before, worrying that just kissing and physical affection is not enough for someone who's not ace. To have that validated by Astarion was really special for me.

(aka, I really didn't get to know Astarion very well in my first playthrough because he didn't approve of my absolute doormat of a Tav (Kaerlyn the drow) and I didn't spend much time with him, but now with my sassy monk...? I get it. I totally get why you all love Astarion so much).

EDIT: additional dialogue from Raphael talking about Cazador indicates that it might be linked to vampirism (my own headcanon for vampires anyway is they can't get aroused without having fed recently, not just BG3 vamps, but in general)

[some poly-ace-astarion thoughts under the cut too]

I'm not 100% convinced that Astarion is really ok with the consensual poly situation in-game, because he famously doesn't say what he actually wants and is the king of manipulating others, especially in sexual situations (e.g. what Cazador sent him out to do, and how). I'm not sure if I'll reload a save and just have Halsin as a friend...

The dialogue when you check in with Astarion before the Halsin scene is... strained? Odd??? Maybe it's just me over-analysing it. He sounded strained though - his tone high pitched and more grandiose than he'd been in previous cut-scenes, where he was more softly-spoken. It sounded more like early-game Astarion to me...

Also, my dialogue options may have been totally randomised the next time I approached Astarion after a steamy night with Halsin, but they sounded kind of strained there too, and I got the 'I can never say no to you' one, which set my ace people-pleaser alarm bells ringing...

As someone who's poly-romantic but asexual, I can project/imagine here that Astarion has come to care for Tav a lot (more than he ever expected, for sure), and he genuinely wants Tav to be happy. He trusts Tav enough to know that Tav respects his autonomy and right to decide things for himself, and values Astarion for who he is, so Astarion is intellectually/conceptually happy for Tav to get something from Halsin that Astarion is not providing (sex), but perhaps emotionally that additional fact and dynamic is harder to deal with.

That could totally be me projecting though, because that's how I'd react if my husband (not ace) and I (ace) were in that situation (we've discussed it between us, actually XD). Feelings of guilt and inadequacy around sex itself are apparently very common with us ace folks, even in very healthy and happy relationships.

Anyway, that turned into a ramble I didn't intend on a rainy Sunday afternoon. I'm not looking to start any discourse about this though. If you don't see Astarion that way, or had a different experience and interpretation, that's all totally valid and I'm not trying to invalidate it in anyway.

[galedekarios]

Hey! You're my go-to blog when it comes to Gale. I love your meta about him, your insight and your knowledge of his character. This being said, I'd like to know your opinion of this line in his romance:

“To know you love me for the man I am, and not the magic I command... None have loved me so purely before.”

Do you think he's talking about romantic love here? Because his mother and Tara clearly love him for the person he is, too. Or are his insecurities and the idea of himself so strong that he can't see this? Thank you in advance, have a great evening!

thank you so much! 🖤

personally, i do think that he does mean this in a romantic context.

HOWEVER, having said that, i do think there are different insecurities woven into his perception of relationships that venture outside of his worth due to magic, and into his worth as a person who is in need of help and support - yet considering the core of why that is, they are also connected.

what i mean by that is that there are moments in particular that make me believe he feels a burden to people, because he is in need of help and - from his perception - makes others 'work' to help him, he asks a "sacrifice" of people (needing magical artefact so he consume the weave inside to stabilise the netherese orb) that is so great in his eyes that he feels the need to convince them that said sacrifice is worth the "investment".

i realise this is sort of going in two directions, but i don't think i can answer this differently so i hope you'll bear with me for a bit:

i'll try to look at the relationships you mentioned in your ask separately to illustrate what exactly i mean.

1. from what little we do know about morena, nearly every time she is mentioned it's made clear that she truly and unequivocally loves gale, and i do believe gale is aware that she loves him, too - and really, truly just for him.

we have these two convos with tara that highlight how that love (both are from gale's origin playthrough):

Tara the Tressym: Well, if it isn't my favourite fellow himself. Gale: How are things back in Waterdeep? Tara the Tressym: More or less the same - though news of some mad faction calling themselves 'Absolutists' is starting to trickle in. Tara the Tressym: I told your mother not to worry. That if they were anything to worry about, Baldur's Gate would handle things quick-sharp. Keep them from spreading their tendrils north. She still wants to know when she'll see you again, sir. I avoid giving any answers. But she misses you. Gale: I miss her too. Tara the Tressym: I'll tell her. With my Cat Flap of Displacement, I can afford the occasional visit. I'd bring you along, if I could. Perhaps some day. - Gale: I can't risk putting her in danger. Tara the Tressym: I know that, but she doesn't. She'd keel over if she knew just how you'd tried to manipulate the Weave. Or maybe she'd just say something like, 'My Gale always was one to make the impossible possible.' Oh, but she adores you.

and this one from act ii:

Gale: Will you love me when I'm a mind flayer? Tara the Tressym: Depends. Are mind flayers warm-blooded? If so, my prize napping spot on your lap won't be compromised. In which case, I suppose we could find an accord. And, of course, your mother would still think you a prince, no matter how many tentacles you had. And with a nautiloid, you may even manage to visit her more often.

from the one tiny snippet (that is still bugged) in which gale mentions his mother to the player character, he seems quite assured in that love his mother has for him as well:

Player: So your last name is Dekarios? Gale: It is. Courtesy of my mother, the inimitable, dare I say it sometimes unavoidable, Morena Dekarios. It's been so long since I've used it. 'Gale Dekarios' cut a poor figure next to the wizard prowess of 'Gale of Waterdeep'. [...] - Player: Doesn't your matter mind? Gale: Oh, she's happy if I'm happy. Morena couldn't care one jot what I call myself. Tara's the real stickler for using it. Has done since I summoned her. I'd prefer you not follow her exmaple, if that's all the same to you. 'Gale' is more than sufficient.

she's happy if he's happy.

i think the only thing that detrimental to the relationship with his mother is the orb, the shame he feels over what has happened and fearing he may put her in danger. which, sadly, is a valid concern to have. these fears aren't only echoed in the conversations with tara. we have this bit from the same conversation as well:

Player: You’re right. Just 'Gale’ is better. Gale: I agree. And on the plus side, if I get myself into any truly cataclysmic straits during the remainder of our journey, my family name will go untarnished.

his family name will go untarnished and with that, his mother's name.

this is more speculative, but in another meta i mentioned that i do believe that gale's father left the family at some point, abandoning morena and gale. his father also is not mentioned in the letter from elminster in god!gale's ending:

this could of course be meaningless and his father simply may not have been there at this point in time, but i think this overall goes with the theme of an absent father and it may have brought gale and morena even closer.

2. tara herself doesn't let gale doubt her love him when the game allows her to be there.

she is extremely quick to try and beat any and all self-deprecating remarks gale may make. she is aghast at mystra's demands to the point of saying that she is considering picking up a crossbow to "put the gods" out of "our business." she's always been there for him, and she always will be. she's his longest friend and companion, as well as colleague.

i've picked a another example here to illustrate what i mean:

this very sadly appears to be cut content (tara was supposed to be there for a companion gale as well), but:

Gale: You seem to have fared well enough without me, Tara. You look positively prosperous. Gale: Or should I say, positively proser-puss! Ha! Tara the Tressym: No, you should not say that ever again. Gale: Apologies! Couldn't help myself. Tara the Tressym: True enough. That's why I came looking - to help, if I could. Gale: I have not failed to notice. I truly do not deserve such loyal companionship. Tara the Tressym: Yes, you do.

unfortunately, like i said, tara as gale's familiar and companion was cut from the final version of the game, so while we do know that gale is aware of all that tara has done for him (considering the conversation from the tiefling party, helping him through his isolation, finding out what his condition needs to be treated, getting magical artefacts for him, etc.), we have act iii companion gale saying this:

Gale: Tara remains as wilfull as ever, but I'm glad you've finally made her acquaintance. Given the length of my time away, I feared she might have given up on me. I should have known better - she'd never do such a thing.

while this is not gale thinking tara doesn't love him for who he is, it is very much gale thinking that tara may have given up on him because of their time apart.

there are definitely insecurities lurking there in the vein of "i cost her so much effort and so much work, so maybe now that i've been away for so long, she's finally had enough."

it's very sad to see.

3. when gale talks about previous lovers he has this to say:

Player: Gale, am I the first... mortal being you've been with? Gale: What a question... Gale: No, you are not the first. Though you are the first since my relationship with Mystra came to its ignominous end. Gale: When the true danger posed by my condition became apparent, I had no choice but to sequester myself away from civilised society. A reclusive wizard - who'd have thought? Gale: After so long with Mystra, I have to say the pleasures of mortal love are much sweeter than I remember. Though perhaps that's simply because it's with you.

this tells us that he must have had at least one lover before. yet, and that is where the quote in your ask is from, he also says this:

Player: What does our relationship mean to you? Gale: You must know, our relationship is the brightest spot in our otherwise bleak endeavour. Gale: To know you love me for the man I am, and not the magic I command... None have loved me so purely before. Gale: You are everything to me, and yet our relationship is only a nascent fraction of what it will become. You give me hope, and I've not had that in some time.

i think we can extrapolate from that that not only his relationship with mystra made him feel these insecurities, but that the relationships he had previous may have also fed into this perception of his worth as a romantic partner is tied to his magical abilities.

it's not hard to imagine: waterdeep is very much a city of intrigue. gale was not only a graduate of blackstaff academy, but a powerful archwizard and a chosen of mystra.

4. lastly, i want to talk a bit more about what i said in the beginning and when i talked about tara and companion!gale: that gale feels he is a burden / an investment.

it's already reflected a bit in the way that he believes his relationship with tara has deteriorated in act iii simply because of the distance between them now that he has been away from waterdeep for a prolonged amount of time.

the first time you can get a sense for this aspect of gale is when you agree right away to help him with his condition. there's a prolonged amount of silence and it's clear on his face that he didn't expect you to agree so quickly and without needing to be persuaded.

Gale: Thank you. I see my trust in you was not misplaced! Gale: I'm sure we won't have to look very far to find what I need: Faerûn overflows with magic-infused treasure. Gale: As do our packs, as a matter of fact. We've such an item already in our possession, primed for the moment the need arises. Gale: I know the allure magic artefacts hold. I understand their value and their power. All this to say: I understand the sacrifice I ask of you.

Player: No. If you aren't willing to tell me the truth, I'm not helping you. Gale: I understand that I'm asking for a lot, but I can't tell you everything.

he makes sure to thank the player deeply every time they do give him an artefact, bowing to them, citing their "boundless kindness" and it's also why he is also quick to reassure them that there will be an upside for them, making this "sacrifice" for his sake.

gale's power and knowledge and skills as a wizard.

he is useful and he can make himself useful.

your "investment" in him now will be "worth" the return later.

in conclusion, i hope now it's clearer why i felt like i had to bring these two things together. i believe they are clearly interwoven with each other.

also sorry for rambling! this got away from me a bit. 🖤

[ampleappleamble]

finally did something i've been meaning to do for a long time and remembered to start A Glimpse Beyond after completing Beast of Winter! and i brought vatnir!

he has a few unique things to say:

classic vatnir ♡ had to draw this scene

Axa: dude what are you doing you're at least a foot and a half taller than me

Vatnir: and you're not very good at pretending i'm not here like i asked you to

mild BoW spoilers below!

rymrgand has a few script changes, reflecting your actions in the White Void. and you have a new extremely ill-advised taunt you can make too!

leading to... the same ol' death. at least vela's okay!

classic rymrgand!

anyway. rymsy can also call your ass out if you try to butter him up but rejected his offer to be his champion at the end of BoW:

i'm sure this is all very different if you do decide to accept his chime, so maybe i'll try that out later. i wonder how different it is if you promised him the souls in PoE1? or if you went back on that promise? next vaargys playthrough perhaps? 👀

also this response from Pallegina tickled me:

everyone else: ladies he is going to fucking kill us

Pallegina and Axa: *too busy high-fiving to hear any complaints*

well between pretending vatnir isn't here and pretending what just happened was completely normal, my imagination is all tuckered out! until next time ♡

[kaija-rayne-author]

Ugh I can’t not theorize. I’ve been at it non stop. Once a story catches my interest my brain just going into hyper speed trying to figure out how the writers (if they do a good job) will bring all of their themes, hints, etc to fruition. All I’m missing is a cork board, pins, and miles of red string.

What’s super exciting this time is I’m actually dealing with a property where the writers are….good? I’m so used to being disappointed when fan theories (often my own) turn out to be much better than the canon, but I don’t see that happening here. Weekes is clearly a masterful writer and knows how to build up to a satisfying twist.

Because you just know another twist is coming. Solas, despite everything, is just too soft hearted to make a convincing final boss. It couldn’t be more obvious that being The Dreadwolf and putting aside his own conscience takes every ounce of energy he has. Eventually he’ll have his breaking point and that’s when we’ll find out who our true villain is.

It’s Mythal. I’ll eat my damn hat if it isn’t. She’s either not the person Solas remembers, or maybe she never was. In either case, there’s been plenty of clues both in DAI and in subsequent materials (specifically Tevinter Knights) to imply that there’s something else going on here.

We keep seeing imagery of the Dreadwolf as a mutant abomination that is part wolf and part dragon. It’s easy to point to the end credit scene of DAI and say “well yeah he fused with Mythal who is a dragon” and sure it looked that way…but is that actually what happened?

We saw Flemeth part with some form of magical energy before Solas arrived. We also know that she’d taken the soul of Uthemiel from Kieran. Uthemiel happens to be a dragon, or was until he was tainted and became an Archdemon.

Archdemons can control Darkspawn. And taking a Darkspawn army past the Veil to enact vengeance upon the Evanuris sees like something Flemeth would do. But that doesn’t seem like something Solas would want. His agenda has always been to fix his past mistakes and tear down the Veil for the greater good. He doesn’t seem that fond of Darkspawn, in fact he was pretty pissed at the Wardens for screwing around with them.

Where I’m going with this, is I think it’s entirely possible Solas is being used. He may have unwittingly fused himself with an Archdemon, assuming it was the essence of Mythal. The real plan, now that plan A failed, might be turning him into an Archdemon so Flemeth/Mythal can use him to start another blight and wield the darkspawn. Corypheus managed to mind control an Archdemon, so clearly it can be done.

And if that’s the case, then ooooooh boy.

Poor Solas.

OMG. I missed this one and I'm so glad I finally found it!

What a fascinating idea. Holy shitballs.

Okay, so I just restarted DAO, I'll be on the lookout through these playthroughs (I'm doing DA2 next, then probably DAI again, because I'm an utter sucker for lore) for hints about all that!

I thought the whole point of the dark ritual w/Morrigan was to purify Urthemiel's 'soul' through being born as an innocent child. But what if that didn't work?

But then, wouldn't Kieran have shown signs of taint? Hmmm. Maybe not, given it's just the soul?

I'm still not convinced that Flemythal parted with any kind of energy in that scene. BUT if she did... well, she's pulled the whole 'soul piece recovery schtick' before. So if it was energy or a soul, it could've been hers. Leaving just Urthemiel. Which would very possibly warp Solas into a dragon/wolf thing. And Mythal is very used to Solas going along with what she wants. So it feels like something she wouldn't think twice about. She uses Morrigan too, and Kieran, so it’s definitely something she's used to doing.

I have a strong feeling Solas is indeed being used. And has been since he was 'born' from the fade. There's a lot of hints to his resignation, nay, even belief that it's right that Mythal used him. (This is... common, in abuse survivors, FWIW.)

But I believe it's canon that his forehead scar came from when he burnt off Mythal's Vallaslin? I have to see if I can find that again. I can't remember where I read it.

I think Mythal will be rather unpleasantly surprised in the spine Solas has developed since her 'murder'. He doesn't seem at all likely to me to be all 'hey! My enslaver is back! Let me just get my slave brands again'. Now, if he were still truly alone, he might just cave into it because man, does Solas have some pretty massive Mythal issues. Not sure if he regards her as his mom or something else or a mix of things, urk.

BUT he's not actually truly alone anymore is he? No matter how hard he tries to be. A Romanced Lavellan can tell him "Var lath vir suledin" which translates sorta, into "Our - love - way/path - endure/strength to withstand loss."

So he knows he's not alone. That inky will absolutely go to the mat for him. He has actual friends, too. He said Bull has him, if you don't betray Bull w/the Chargers. Solas doesn't strike me as someone to say that lightly.

So, he also knows he has friends, too.

I think, if Mythal actually is the big bad (kinda hoping for this tbh) she's gonna have a rather rude awakening when it comes to Solas. Who, from all I can tell, has always willingly served her whims. Because she was 'the best of them' doesn't mean she was actually good.

I talked about how he's heavily neurodivergent coded before, and we're generally loyal to a fault, which Solas very much shows.

But we do also often, eventually, reach a 'no more' point. After which, we'll absolutely close all those doors we'd previously left open.

If Solas acts the way I suspect he might, he'd then use everything he knows about Mythal and the Evanuris to help the game protag (I still wish I could just carry my inky over) defeat the buggers.

But what would it take for him to finally reach that point with Mythal? Mommy issues are soooo hard to deal with in therapy because it's so damned easy to backslide.

Hurting Inky? Doing something that will destroy the fade (like marching a darkspawn army into it)? Making him betray all of his followers who truly believe in him and his goals of freeing enslaved elves?

Solas deeply believes that slavery is wrong. In a way that makes me think he was actually enslaved at one point. Obviously to Mythal.

Oh, fuck me. What an amazing story they could tell about the whole 'but there were good slave owners' bullshit nonsense some people like to spout.

Of course, I still really wish Bioware would tell a story with a disabled protag. Which the end of Inquisition really would set up nicely. But given their shit disability rep, I know not to hold my breath over that.

[noelle666]

I am exploring fan-made Pathologic VN (you can read about it here) and it feels like I am horrible at visual novels cause... I don't really understand sometimes how should I act to NOT romance a character I don't want to romance. I played both Daniil and Artemy and want to share some thoughts on Daniil's story. Artemy will be in the other post to not mix them, plus I am in a process of another playghrough and I want to romance Stakh.

WARNING! There will be spoilers.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

I played as Daniil and at first wanted to romance Eva, but the deeper I dived the more I realised I don't like her and want to romance Block instead. But during my first playthrough the cards fell as they did and I ended up with Eva, but the last conversation/scene with her made me realise it won't be possible for her and Danya to exist together due to her nature, her being which cannot stay in one place because she cannot find "her place". So in the end of day 4 (in English it is not avaliable yet) I basically broke up with her. She is... suffocating, so I agreed with Daniil - "no more sacrifices, Eva, I don't need it".

The second playthrough I decided to "dump" (I don't like this, but it seems like a good strategy for such "bad" VN playes as I am) all except Alexander, and I did it, it worked. Though I felt bad for some characters who, I think, I offended (yeah, Daniil can be an asshole, but maybe next time I'll try to be not that harsh and see if it will mess with my romance choise). And this romance was as I expected and, I think, even more touching. Probably because General reminded me of a certain someone, heh-heh: Daniil and him played chess together, Daniil noticed Block shows him his "true human nature", and when they ended up together kissing, Daniil was the initiator. Alexander hesitated at first but then responded, "he wanted it for a long time". Sounds familiar? ;)

So, yeah, the chess scene and "human feelings" just "bought" me. I somehow was sure Daniil would see realtionships with Block as something calm and, surprisingly, when he sees a dream in game, he sees a very pretty calm place near a lake where he meets his "Sasha". What a peaceful scene. And then, aftet the kiss, Block says how sad it is they haven't met earlier. And Daniil responds: "Probably in another life a young gymnasium student Sasha has met a humble student Daniil in a park who was rushing to a lecture".

[phone-kisser]

A large collection of small rants about games/series/franchises that have changed my life

Why so serious. So anyway howdy my freaky fellows, today I'm gonna be doing 4-5 sentence (Probably more. Do I even know myself?) rants about games/series/franchises that have changed my life. You know this. You read the title. Obviously. Unless you didn't. Then you're stupid. Stupid dummy dum-dum.

Kidding, love you all thank you for all the support it genuinely means the world to me and oh god I'm rambling just stop talking

[CLEARS THROAT AGGRESSIVELY]

So we're gonna start with a game that I stumbled upon accidentally and has made a huge mark on my life and honestly my personality as well.

DIALTOWN:

WOWZERS, THIS GAME WAS INCREDIBLE. I didn't even MEAN to find it, I was looking for DDLC and I searched 'dating sim' on steam and it popped up. I thought "fuck it, I'm buyin' it" and now here I am. I spent half of my summer staying up until morning just trying to get all of the endings and achievements, and holy shit was it worth it. That game made me laugh and sob and scream into my pillow all in the span of 5 minutes. Chapter three was incredible, the emotions you can convey without even seeing facial expressions is honestly so awesome to me. Norm is a HUGE comfort character for me. (I GOT HIM IN THE SOULMATE QUIZ‼️) I'm so excited for the DLC to come out, and hopefully I'll get the Mingus plushie and any more that get re-released or any new ones!

Next is another game (or game trilogy, I suppose) that I didn't really mean to come by. Luckily I have a stupid brother that introduces me to things I never thought I'd enjoy.

DAYSHIFT AT FREDDY'S:

Wow, would you look at that, another game series by the hound himself! Now, I didn't have a computer until about half a year ago. Got one for my birthday. I found out about this game LONG before Dialtown. So it took me a while to actually play the game. But I had seen fanart, playthroughs, analysis...es? And a lot more. I was obsessed with davesport for months before I even got to play the game. But when I finally did play it, I was SO excited, and for good reason. This game got me into FNaF fangames, and introduced me to my weird thing for phone men. The third game made me sob my eyes out the first time I played it through the good ending. Yet another example of a game that had me giggling one moment and bawling the next. WHY DO YOU WISH FOR ME TO SUFFER, DOGGO??/silly (ily man. keep doin the do.)

Up next is THE original.

FIVE NIGHTS AT FREDDY'S:

Wow. Now THIS is a game that left a mark on me. Got me into indie horror. I first played the game with my brother when I was like 6 I think?? It scared the piss outta me then, but over the years I learned to love it. I damn sure made a lot of cringe fanart when I was like 10..... But hey, it was fun. I kinda miss those times, even if I was seen as extremely weird for it. Thanks for years of fun, Scott. Couldn't have made it through life in my household without you.

Up next is my ALL TIME FAVORITE SIDE-SCROLLER.

CUPHEAD:

I love this game SO much. I first watched my dad play it on his computer, and he let me make my own save file! I wasn't very good for a long time, and I'll be honest, I'm still not exactly a professional. But it's fun, and practice makes perfect, right? I always chose Mugman, while my brother chose Cuphead. We would pretend we were the characters, and it was one of the only times I ever used to bond with him. Thanks for bringing me and my goober brother closer together, Cuphead.

MINECRAFT:

This game at least deserves a sentence or two. It's still one of my favorite games to play when I need to relax. I love making worlds with my siblings and building silly stuff with them.

ANIMAL CROSSING:

I spent weeks on this game. Probably even months. Maybe even a year or two. I don't play it as much anymore, but I still like to visit my island and see how my little villagers are doin every once in a while. Still pissed that I could never find Raymond, though. I tried so many times to find that silly little cat. I still do every so often. I'll get you eventually, Raymond. Mark my words.....

Moving on from games now. Let's talk about TELEVISION!

GRAVITY FALLS:

Wow. Just wow. What is there to even say? I love this show so very much. It makes me cry every time without fail. The fandom has its bad sides, but overall I love being apart of it. The Stan twins are my beloved babies and I will never let them go.

RISE OF THE TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES:

Now THIS is a show that left a HUGE mark on me. Hell, I even changed my name to Donnie for almost a year... I don't like to think about this phase. But this show is amazing, it was the reason I'm friends with a lot of my friends to this day. It deserves to get a re-run, even more seasons. Top tier show, would recommend.

EDDSWORLD:

This show HEAVILY influenced my artstyle and a lot of my general humor. I've been obsessed with it off and on for a few years now, and it's a great show. It's silly and fun, and it's ALSO a reason I'm friends with a few of my best friends.

That's it for now, folks!! Thank you for coming to my ted talk.

I might do another one of these, depends on how I feel about it. Hope you enjoyed my yaptastic yapping session.

Have a great morning, afternoon, evening or night!!! Love you all!!!!!

[alitgblog]

volume vii thoughts

as per usual I have complaints about the missed opportunities of casa

first things first, the casa boys' sprites looked bad to me when I saw that post fusebox made but after playing for like a minute, I was like nah actually they're quite fine. However, prettiest sprites they're competing with are Jin, Claudia, Oakley, Tyler, and Bea so the competition is rough. Also idk something is throwing me off with Shawn and especially Kyle's face shapes.

I think last post I made I said Hari at least got more of a chance than Tyler, but scratch that actually, it feels like they got the same chance because suddenly we're in casa and hardly any mention of him, even though he and my MC have kissed a few times already and she hasn't really rejected him fully over Jin yet? Don't know if anyone's in the boat of going all in with Hari but I'm curious what the gameplay is like for them.

So Emel has randomly decided to be annoyed at Oakley again (I'll replay for you next time Oakley 🥺) and it's clearly because the routes are merged now, which is such a shame because I do think Emel and Oakley could've worked it out and become a fun couple to watch on the real show (probably a boring one though that the audience would dump until after the show ended that their real personalities come out on social media and the public like them individually or at least understand why they were together so long). And I know it's not the most in character thing but I so appreciate it not being a complete 180 for the sake of plot because I'm trying to imagine this with all the couples given what I know about them from my playthrough and Emel/Oakley always have problems because she's uptight and wants more dramatics in their romance and he's chill so any little thing he ends up doing sets her off, sure, I can buy that Emel is a little delusional. Then Luna/Jin would have problems because Luna is less extroverted than Jin, serious, and irritable (which honestly, relatable) and so Jin does things for a laugh and she doesn't get it. So maybe he didn't wink at Bea or did it as a joke because he's being cheeky and she takes it as flirting and starts an argument. And from my playthrough, Sophie and Jack always feel like they're looking for an argument so that checks out too. It's not perfect, but I can feasibly see how one could justify this plot point.

absolutely living for flirting with Claudia in casa

pet peeve subjective raunchy races is back 😠 at least a couple of them are better, like they did have oldest boy in there at least. everything else though, I don't care that much to listen to them argue about who's the most well traveled or stylish.

I love Bea's personality, she's so fun. And tbh, I'm kind of liking her and Liam together. He's forward and she's into it, and it seems like he can keep up with her for now so I'm happy with that couple and I hope it doesn't turn to shit (it probably will).

also pay to win when losers are gonna throw a part anyway ok sure 🙄 I think I've mentioned this before but like personally I think if they're gonna do gem scenes, there has to be a logical ways out of it rather than just MC being like "nah I don't feel like it" and then they lose?? at least for other gem scenes it's like "tell Sophie off 10 gems" or "stay silent" like sure that's fine I guess.

anyway the chats with the boys were actually all pretty fun and short. I, as per usual, have immediately gravitated towards the foodie/chef character but I'll admit I see what y'all are saying about Kyle. Tbh even Max isn't too bad but I'm cautious bc I'm getting Eddie vibes (it's the blond and the gossip lol). And I like Liam, he's like a less cartoonishly silly Hamish (so he reminds me of Felix).

I really like the free party wear dress and this is the second volume in a row MC has accidentally matched with a boy not her partner lol

Bea first mentioning she was bi but not flirting, I just thought maybe they were setting her up to partner with Claudia/Theo depending on who you couple up with/if you're on one of their routes. But then oh the tension at the party when she's staring at MC saying she wants to turn heads and Claudia getting nervous??? loving that.

I don't know what it's like for the other boys but it seems like Shawn and Kyle are drama averse, which I think could be an interesting plot point for later coming back from casa of course, but I also don't know if I believe in fusebox's ability to incorporate that in the story. (once again, the day I write a fic and learn to code its all over for you fusebox)

I didn't pay for the Bea talking about Jin scene but I saw yall talk about Sienna and like I doubt it's going anywhere if it's behind a paywall? it's like the Brad and Christy stuff tbh like unless a bunch of dumped islanders are coming back at the end, I'm ignoring it.

anyway it truly is missing Jin hours again 😔

[xviistrings]

if you had to punt exactly one playable persona character into the sun, who would it be and why?

i have to pick just one? aww...

well, i classify my urge to punt someone as how much i hate and despise and fucking loathe them. but my reasoning behind hating a character is based on multiple factors;

do they have/learn good skills/abilities?

are they well written in the story?

are they well written in their social link?

writing aside, do i like them as a person?

now, the only games i have played out of the persona series are 4 & 5(NOT ROYAL). i read the p1 manga and am only watching playthroughs of the game, so i am not at all in any place to cast judgement on those guys, nor do one of those factors even apply to them... so that already narrows it down a whole bunch. i would never punt a single p1 character. they're all great (except maybe kei just for the 4th one) (but he's great. i love him. i think about him and get sad)

and i'm also eliminating the protagonists for obvious reasons, so we've already disqualified 11 characters. and with that out of the way, we can officially begin...

PERSONA'S PERILOUS PLAY OF PUNTING POTENTIAL!!!! (contains spoilers)

every character will be able to score out of 3 in each factor, and the one with the least amount of points wins the game as the Most Puntable. it's kind of like golf, which is funny, because i also want to punt golf players into the sun.

our first contestant is YOSUKE HANAMURAAAA

now, i was going to grab a fun little image of him to provide this post with visuals but i always forget that 90% of his search results on google are. uh. hm.

well, this is our situation. can i give him a pity point for that?

for number one, i can say...... 3/3. he was ALWAYS on my team during the whole game and i built him up well. like i was raising a son... sniffle... they grow up so fast...

i have to admit, it was a little annoying when he kept missing crits on the golden hand but is that his fault? no-hohohoooooo, it's merely a turn of fate... (and his fault. fuckyouyosukefuckyoufuckyougaaaah)

for number 2, i rate it 2. he's an ooooookay character in the main story, a lot of his harassment of the girls and kanji really tick me off and there's literally no good explanation as for why he does that other than just being an asshole, but. i guess being an asshole is just part of his personality.........?

EXCEPT FOR THE FACT THAT THERE SHOULD BE GREATER CONSEQUENCES FOR HIS ACTIONS BECAUSE COMMUNICATING THE IDEA THAT BAD PEOPLE GET OFF SCOT-FREE IS TERRIBLE FOR A NUMBER OF REASONS. i don't give 2 shits about fanservice as a whole (in regards to harassing the girls, not the homophobia, that's just annoying) but can we stop making the grounds for it being sexual harassment

number 3 gets a 3! his social link is AMAZING and i CRIED and hes GAY and LOVES HIS FRIENDS!!!!!! if i wanted to do a character analysis on him then i would write a different post, but this is me trying to figure out who i would punt into the sun. so. moving on

number 4......... 1/3. for the previous points in number 2, he is an absolute dickhead and no amount of people-pleasing habits and homoerotic chemistry will make me like him. every person who is mean to him is right.

oh boy, just yosuke's section was reaaaaaaaaaally long... i'll try and shorten it for you, okay?

up next is chie satonaka, my personal favourite persona 4 girl if that sets the baseline for anything.

look at her :] she's so silly :]

for number one, i'm sadly going to have to rate her below 3... like. 1.5? is that allowed? i'll say it is.

she's the party member equivalent of a burner phone. unlike yosuke who's by my side forever and ever, chie is only good until teddie gets a persona and then she's so publicly humiliated that she accidentally misses every single hit. galactic punt YOURSELF MOTHERFUUUUUUUUUCK

number 2, 3/3. no explanation needed, literally just her shadow boss fight and the beauty pageant and her friendship with yukiko and her everything.

number 3... also 3/3. a lot of people give her flack for deciding she wants to be a cop, which i get because acab fuck yeah, but where adachi is a cop just to get attention and a gun, she actually intends to protect people. chie learns to help herself so she can help others... augh... AUGH CHIE I LOVE YOUUUUUU

ahem. number 4, 2/3. she's definitely a sweetheart and she seems fun to be around but i have to admit she's definitely a little annoying sometimes.

and now it's time for chie's bestest friend ever, yukiko amagi!!

she gets a pity point for being a lesbian... not just a lesbian but one having a crush on a straight girl. we've all been there hunny bun. let's watch romcoms and eat ice cream together while crying ok?

number 1..... 3/3 fuck yeah my main healer always coming in clutch!!! after a certain point she stops being the main fire user and the player is supposed to take that role but then she has KICKASS HEALING ABILITIES!! support characters are always my favourites (which might foreshadow my rating for haru.......)

1/3 for number 2. that might sound harsh, but! but but but!

they kind of sucked the life out of her after her dungeon. the only real defining personality traits she has are in her social link, which is unfortunate because so many people hate it!

i don't hate yukiko. never

3 gets a 3. it's a good story actually, and like i said it helps me see yukiko as. like. a person. and a lot of people say it's bad writing that her story ends with her deciding she wants to manage the inn, but let me put a lot of emphasis on 'deciding'. she chose that path for herself after being told she was allowed to do what she likes, and y'know what? i don't think that's bad!

nobody likes being forced to do something. i know i struggled a lot with doing homework because i always felt trapped in those deadlines and expectations, but i didn't just give up on school. improving my grades was my own choice, and i realized that i had potential to change myself despite my situation and succeed! that's what yukiko's social link is about. not giving in to other people's expectations, but thriving in the environment you're given...

i just said i wanted to shorten everything and now i'm ranting. always number 4 is a 3/3 she's literally just a girl and her laughing thing is cute idgaf.

KANJI TATSUMIIIIIIIII

subtracting a point for those shoes. get out.

number 1 is a 2/3. he was cool, but nobody ever compares to yosuke. i mainly used him for his physical skills rather than magic because yu took that role very easily, and when paired with teddie or yukiko he's just a boss. but he's not my favourite party member in the world

number 2, i'll be blunt, 1/3. WHAT THE FUCK DID THEY DO TO YOU MAN. we all saw how yosuke and everyone else and the whole damn story treated him. we all saw the line where he asked naoto to be femme so they could "make him a man". shut the fuck upppppp

number 3 is his saving grace. i know some people don't like that they never elaborated on the sexuality thing (or the... sexism..??) and i get that, having a character who's canonically mspec but only vaguely mentions it once and never again is really annoying and a half-assed attempt at representation. though i interpret his reconciliation with his sewing hobby, an aspect of him that everyone thinks is unmanly and should be shamed, as a metaphor for his own sexuality. similar to daisuke and soccer being a stand-in for his anxiety around romance and girls. in that case, it's a 3/3.

(plus there's the line "it's so cute it'll give you diabetes" and... kanji... *facepalm*)

number 4. he's cutie. a little weird, but cutie. 2/3

and now, a girl who needs no introduction.

god my feelings for her are as mixed as my auntie's desert lasagna. ("let's mix it up," she says...)

i don't have anything against the navigators. they're pretty good. i say 3/3.

however i hate rise's writing. -4/3. negative numbers are cheating? I DON'T CARE!!

her dungeon is a STRONG start to her character, like with everyone else. i love rise reconciling with the fact that there is no "real me" and everyone has different sides of themselves that they need to make it through life... and the fact that it ties in with teddie's conflict of feeling hollow, like an alien or an impostor only pretending to be alive........ oh my god! hiiiiii!!!!! love it!

and then rise's main bit in the story is crushing on the protagonist.......... sigh.

i really really REALLY hate that about her actually. i really hate forced romances. and before you go calling me a hypocrite for liking souyo and not yurise even though souyo has the exact same amount of flirty moments between them, that's because those two are really subtle with each other and have a really good initial friendship to back it up and also ties in with their actual personalities.......???? (we can debate forever and ever if yu has a personality but i say he does. he's consistently portrayed in other adaptations and spinoffs. he's got so much in common with yosuke)

but rise just kind of sees yu and goes "hey handsome. killing shadows all by yourself?" and it's like eeeeeeeeeeeeeeehhhhhhhhhh.... 90% of the time she's on screen it's to flirt with yu and the other 10% is serious moments or when she's with anyone but yu. there's no moments where she gets to be casual and friendly with HIM, where we get to see DEPTH to their relationship, it's just purely flirting. and i hate that. so much. is this a one-night stand? no? then give me some actual fucking chemistry

and i feel like all of that smushing-dolls-together time takes away from a lot of genuine scenes with rise where she....... yk.... shows off her personality?

the hot springs and the trip to tatsumi port island are held dearly in my heart because rise DOES SHIT. she's silly and goofy and playful and maybe she says some stuff that's a little perverted but it's not to the yosuke degree. i like the idea that rise flirts with ALL of her friends, not just yu; it makes her feel like she's really part of the friend group, which is the investigation team's strongest suit.

rise and yukiko both have any personality ripped from them in favour of dumb bits that aren't even funny and that post of mine analyzing their dynamic during the school field trip is so everything guys they're so great as a duo i need to see more of them pleapelpslepalpelspes.......

...whoops. i ranted.

number 3 gets a 2/3. it's kind of just a rehash of what she learned in the main story, which is fine, but not ideal.

rise as a person is 3/3. absolute silliness all around. love her

KUMA KUMA KUMAAAAA

look at this fucking guy. ridiculous. i hate him. he's so annoying and dumb and he sucks

3/3 on party member he's totally goated

3/3 on main story he makes me feel the whole spectrum of emotions and then some

his social link is automated so technically thats a 3/3 too

3/3 person he might be an annoying little shit but i have 2 younger cousins. i understand yosuke. it's endearing to me

teddie is peak. i would never punt him.

now............to.

entirely honest, i'm on my second persona 4 playthrough to complete the social links i never finished and... naoto is one of those. so i will be unable to determine the rating for one of the factors. but luckily i'm not shit at math so it'll work out in the end

for 1...... honestly they're a good party member as well, but because i didn't get very far in their social link, i didn't unlock that ability where she's able to withstand a deadly blow meaning he would just be constantly dying. like. constantly.

but that's kind of the only thing i like about naoto. i have to rate their main storyline a 1/3. it's absolutely shit and the gender plottwist (ughh) is so badly done. i'm personally thinking up a rewrite for his character because i think they were onto something with the message about misogyny in the workplace but she's so SHITTILY executed that it's just muddied

naoto as a person is..... ok. 2/3. i don't find many things about her that exceptional or fun. i don't think about them often. if this were my rewrite of him it'd be waaaay deep down in the negatives because they are an ASSHOLE but i love them way more :3

and next is ryu.............uh........ actually, this is way too long. much too long than you probably anticipated... um... maybe i'll cut it short, make a part 2 later.

until next time........ on PERSONA'S PERILOUS PLAY OF PUNTING POTENTIAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAL!

[beantothemax]

Underpath Dialogue Options: Cyrus

Cyrus killed?

Yes: ...

No: 

Hey. How are you doing up there?

I've been working on some new technology. I think I might be able to recreate a human SOUL that can fool the barrier. 

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

Olberic killed?

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

(No)

Olberic's been helping me...

(Dated)

... he's really sweet. We spend a lot of time together now, and he doesn't get annoyed when I end up lecturing him on accident. Thanks for helping us not be stupid about our feelings.

(Not dated)

... maybe I'm reading too much into us. I feel like there's something he's not telling me, but it would be rude to ask.

(Yes) 

It's been hard, working on my own. But I can push through, I know it. I feel more determined than ever.

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

Ophilia killed?

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

(No)

[no dialogue]

(Yes)

I have the queerest feeling... that someone else is gone. Not just the King...

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

Alfyn killed?

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

(No, Olberic alive)

Alfyn visits sometimes. I appreciate him a lot.

(No, Olberic killed)

At least Alfyn is here for me.

(Yes, Olberic alive)

They say Snowdin is quieter these days. I've never been there. Must be nice.

(Yes, Olberic killed)

The Royal Guard is missing some monsters. It's a little more quiet now.

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

Primrose killed?

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

(No, Olberic OR Alfyn killed)

Primrose is here too! She's really nice to me. 

(No, Olberic and Alfyn spared)

Primrose is here too. This place gets noisy sometimes. Not that I hate it!

(No, Olberic and Alfyn killed)

At least Primrose is here for me.

(Yes, Olberic and/or Alfyn spared)

I miss Primrose.

(Yes, Olberic and Alfyn killed)

It's really quiet here too. It's just me now.

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

Any monsters killed?

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

(No)

I'd like to thank you for not killing anyone.

(First playthrough)

You did so well. It's almost the best thing I can dream of - besides getting to the surface. But thank you so, so much for not taking the bad routes.

(Subsequent playthroughs, pacifistic before)

You seem to really like this outcome. 

(Subsequent playthroughs, neutral before)

I like how you chose to not attack anyone this time. I'm really proud - I know it's hard when everyone is throwing everything they've got at you.

(Subsequent playthroughs, genocidal before)

Thanks for... not slaughtering everyone. God, my standards are low. It seems that you took my advice though, appreciate it.

But if I told you there's something better... would you believe me? 

Listen. The next time you visit, come to my place. I'll show you what we need to get the best ending we could hope for.

(Only some boss monsters killed)

It's weird. Some of my friends just disappeared without a trace.

(Subsequent playthroughs, less monsters killed before)

Why are you doing this to me?

(Subsequent playthroughs, more monsters killed before)

Well, at least you didn't kill anyone else. You know they're sparable, right?

But if I told you there's something better... would you believe me? 

Next time you visit, try sparing them. Let's see how that goes.

(All boss monsters killed)

Why are you doing this to me?

No matter. If I told you there's something better... would you believe me? 

Next time you visit, try sparing them. I think that would be better for my mental health.

(No, some normal monsters killed)

I understand that you were defending yourself. I'm sorry you had to kill this way.

(Yes, some normal monsters killed)

This hurts me. Please don't kill my friends.

Whatever. If I told you there's something better... would you believe me? 

Next time you visit... try not killing anyone. Wow, why is that a thing I need to say?

I'll hand the phone back now. Sorry for talking your ears off.

GENOCIDE ABORTED IN HOTLAND

Hi. Just calling to ask a question.

...

Why?!

WHY DID YOU KILL MY FRIENDS? EVERYONE I LOVED, GONE!

Sorry.

I'm feeling very emotional right now.

(Therion: Deep breaths. Don't cry on me, please.)

Sorry. I'm calm now.

(Sparing all monsters)

I'd like to think... you had a change of heart. The others must have been very aggressive to you. Did I show you the good side of monsterkind? I'd like to think I did. 

(1-20 monsters killed)

You still killed other monsters, but... you didn't kill them all! Hey, there's still some goodness in you! 

God, my bar is low low.

(20-39 monsters killed)

I... you tried?

Anyways, maybe we can do better next time! Let's try not killing things!

I'll hand the phone back now.

(Aborted by sparing Cyrus only)

... you...

I can't even defend you anymore. You're disgusting.

Don't come back unless you want to fix your mistakes. Bye.

Genocide route aborted by sparing only Cyrus (again or past genocide)

Are you getting off on my suffering? You're a sadist. Get out. Never come back. Or I will slaughter you.

[If you attempt a genocide route again, Cyrus' mock battle will change to a real one.]

Bonus: Cyrus dialogue during Flawed Pacifist after Genocidal or Cyrus Ending

I...

You really came back to... change?

You're not going to kill me this time?

I'm so happy.

Thank you.

(No battle takes place, Cyrus is so overwhelmed he lets you through immediately.)

huh! slick! are all of these framed as, like, post-neutral-route phone calls?

also if the travelers are all monsters now it’s my professional opinion that cyrus should be a woshua thank you for coming to my ted talk

[hyerinrose]

Hello, I'm kinda new to your blog but just wanted to say that I love your work! I love all of your yan characters (Though if I had to pick a favorite it would probably be the fictional character yan. My favorite book is Inkheart for a reason >_<) If you've read Inkheart or watched the movie, what do you think about a scenario where the reader has a similar gift to bring fictional characters into their world. Maybe they read some strange dialog that popped up while they were playing the game and then *bam* he's aliveee. Feel free to ignore this if it doesn't make sense 😅

Tysm!! I haven't watch or read inkheart but i do get what you're trying to convey :D at least i hope i do T-T

Read Zen/ Yandere Fictional Character here!

T/W : Dimension breaking(?)

•┈••✦ 🎀✦••┈•💌•┈••✦ 🎀 ✦••┈•

You were gifted, though not in a way that many assumed. Your gift comes in a form of being able to bring characters out of their books.

When you had first discovered this talent of yours, you were of the age of 7. While reading a book that your parents had given you to practice your reading skill, the character in the page suddenly come to life.

Terrified by it, you slammed the book shut and only opening it back after you had calmed down. Thankfully, the character were back in their place and not squashed by the page like you thought they would.

From then on you had rarely ever read aloud, fearing it happening again and having no clue how to explain yourself. It was especially hellish for you in school but you somehow manage to get by without reading aloud in class.

🎀Present time🎀

"Aghhhh! This game is so stingy with gems! How else am I supposed to buy more Melted Sundae for Zen??" You yelled out angrily while furiously scratching your head.

Exiting from the item catalogue, you were greeted with Zen's model facing you. The two of you were on a date of sort, this part being important as you have to level his love meter in order to not get a bad ending like you in your last playthrough.

However, with the lack of his favourite items in your inventory, your chances of getting a good ending were slim.

"Guess I'll just have to use my rizz to get that ending I wanted!" Smirking to yourself as you jump into a dialogue with Zen, their purple orbs lighten up uncharacteristically.

"Hello, [MC]! Where had you been? I missed you lots.." Zen said while pouting their lips which made you raised your eyebrows.

'That's weird.. my character should be there with him but he's saying that I've gone somewhere, huh'

You shook your head, dismissing the odd dialogue. 'Must've been a new update to immerse the players' you foolishly thought. You then tap the screen for the next part of dialogue to appear.

"Anyways, I'm glad that you're here now. Though.. I wish I am there with you when we spend time together" Their face fell as they begun twirling their white hair subconsciously.

Textbox appears as the game present the choices for you to choose. Strangely, none of them were the ones you remembered from your last playthrough.

Chose : 💌What do you mean? We're on a date aren't we?

You picked it as it felt like the right one and you had trusted your rizz to guide you towards a good ending.

Zen however frowned and looked at the screen, which surprised you. His love meter dropped to 0 and you regretted your choice immediately.

"No, I meant being with you as in physically being there. There with you, [Name]" The screen begun glitching along with Zen's model.

"What the fuckkk..?" Was all you could say as confusion consumed you.

Is this one of those games that had access to the user account to find their real name? Because if it weren't the case you would be shitting bricks by now.

"Don't yo-ou want t-to be with m-me, [N-name]?" Zen's voice comes out corrupted as the game continues glitching.

Another textbox appears and you were greeted with another strange choices. You decided to read the choices aloud while clicking it.

Chose : 💌Yes, I feel the same way!

Your screen then went black for a second before you were blinded by a white light. You shielded your eye with your arm, however you felt someone grabbing it causing your eyes to snap open.

There, Zen in all of their glory was crawling out of your screen. His grip on your arm tightened as a lovesick smile spread across their lips.

"Finally.. I can feel you, touch you, breath you in, [Name]! Oh I love you so much it hurts! Let's be together forever now"

•┈••✦ 🎀✦••┈•💌•┈••✦ 🎀 ✦••┈•

Reblogs and notes are appreciated! - Ai

[inposterumcumgaudio]

nick lightbearer!

Sorry for the delay. Ever have computer problems? Happened to me.

Anyway, Nick Lightbearer. Nick's pretty well explored in the canon as well, but I got a few things in my pocket for him.

The bobby outside his house who tells you Nick is not seeing any visitors was originally supposed to let you in the front foyer. Inside that room is a viewing window that you could watch Nick be sad and pathetic through. Girls have scratched messages of possessive adoration on the glass. In a normal playthrough, you'd see the other side of this window with metal shutters over it when you meet Nick in the living room.

There's also a custom (possibly jailbroken, judging by the sparks?) Compliment Machine in there.

It has messages particular to visiting Nick.

"En - chan - té!"

"Do come in. Mr. Lightbearer has been expecting you."

"Do you have a warrant?"

"I am sorry, Mr. Lightbearer is indisposed. Please come back tomorrow."

"I assure you she has not been here, nor has she ever been here. Mr. Lightbearer doesn't even know your wife."

"Mr. Lightbearer apologizes for missing tea Sunday night, but he was very sick. He knows you cooked his favorite. Of course he still loves you, you are his mother."

"Mr. Lightbearer is not seeing anyone, except Miss Boyle. Are you Miss Boyle? No? Then go away."

"Mr. Lightbearer will be delighted to see you. This way to the living room, if you please."

"Please be gentle. Mr. Lightbearer has a bad back."

"Please leave it on the console. Mr. Lightbearer said to tell you that you are his favorite fan."

"Please leave the food on the kitchen table, you may keep the change."

"Please leave the wine on the coffee table, you may keep the change."

"You've arrived on a rather special night, it's one of the master's affairs."

Speaking of Miss Boyle, when Sally visits Nick's house in her playthrough, it's after Arthur has already visited and Nick has electrocuted himself in the tub. People make a lot of the fact that Sally hears him snoring in her playthrough, particularly given the context of Nick's DLC. But consider that Sally also thinks Col. Lawrence - man already on death's door and who definitely is dead when we visit the MacLears next in Ollie's act - is only unconscious too after using the pituitary extractor on him. Unlike Col. Lawrence (who Sally needs to think is only unconscious for her own peace of mind), I think Sally only assumes Nick is still alive because fully clothed and asleep in a full bathtub is not an out-of-the-ordinary way to find him to her experience. In fact, she even says beforehand that's how she expects to find him.

"He'd never part with it. On the other hand, he's passed out half the time I come by. I'll just sneak in while he's sleeping. Where did I leave the keycard he gave me?"

I do go out of my way to point out Sally's character flaws because people seem really struggle with the whole "three moderately terrible people" aspect of the game, but to her credit, I highly doubt she ever dated Nick. For one thing, she only dates men who can do something for her and while Nick is rich and famous, he can't really give her anything she couldn't get herself or from someone who'd be less work. For another, the most profitable relationship for her to have with him is as a drug dealer.

I also think that Nick was probably married for a lot of the last fifteen years. Not that that's a problem for Sally, but Nick is also said to consider himself a poet. Which suggests to me that this is a guy who would like to be a romanticized and idealized version of himself (which is part of why he gets married so frequently) but falls short of that because he is painfully human (which dovetails nicely with the whole Dante's Inferno theme of his DLC). And once you've failed to meet that ideal, why should you bother trying at all? So Nick gets married in the hopes that he can be the guy he sings about being in his songs (and maybe it's to girls who are just as deluded about how they can have this the fairytale other girls failed to achieve), acts like an asshole rockstar at the first opportunity with whatever girl offers, and then gets divorced. Rinse, repeat.

Petunia might have been the only one he actually loved because she's the only one of his ex-wives we ever see him thinking about. And maybe that makes a lot of sense. She seems practical and not given to the fantasy of him. Which, we don't know if that's how it started, but I have to think that since she's got 90% of his earnings, past, present, and future in the divorce (meaning none of his other exes collected first), she was level-headed and even-keeled throughout the relationship.

This is probably what also appeals to him about Virgil. Nick needs handlers, people to keep his shit together.

You know what though? A thing I find really compelling about the lore here is that Virgil is said to write all of Nick's songs. Nick was writing the Make Believes' songs himself before Virgil's management (when Nick is said to have "sold out") and those songs are... not so good, if testimony re: "The Unicorn Song" is anything to go by. Perfectly listenable and appeals to the doped-up masses, but perhaps drecky on closer inspection. The lyrics to the songs we have access to are quite clever and are subversive of the culture of Wellington Wells. So maybe Nick sold out, but the songs were better for it, too much sitar aside.

And it bears out too, with "I Have Seen Everything", a song that Nick presumably writes himself. It's a nice song, I like it, but the lyrics are repetitive and simple compared to "Dead of Winter" or "Out of the Blue". Kinda reads like an amateur poem. Rhyming "anything" with "not a thing"? Lyrical genius right there.

A thing I like to think about is that the art book tells us that Wellies value signage because they are so forgetful. Communication is mostly done through notes sent through pneumatic tubes rather than telephone conversations that could be quickly forgotten... When Wellies need or want to remember something, they dedicate that to record so they can refer back to it. And so, in the fact that his music's been so popular and pressed on vinyl, Nick Lightbearer and the Make Believes are going to be some of the few townspeople who will be remembered beyond the fall of Wellington Wells. And maybe that's kinda beautiful or maybe it speaks to the whole bread and circuses of it all.

[krakenshaped]

Okay so more tag duel posting of cool things I've noticed on my first playthrough (as someone who chose Asuka as their duel partner)

Tag Duel 2 Spoilers ahead!!!

If not paired with the player, the other characters will pair themselves up as so (not sure about Asuka + Kenzan has Not Been Spotted Yet) (<- not sure if partners can change or randomise)

- Judai will partner up O'Brien. I've found them hanging outside the Osiris dorms in the morning, In the locker room next to the store at noon and in the dueling arena at night.

- Manjoume oddly enough partners up with Johan. I've found them in the classroom at night.

- Sho and Rei partner up. I've found them in the forest and on the volcano (if I'm remembering right, it was early game)

- I found Edo with Fubuki. Which is an interesting concept as well as a fun nod to the manga (maybe), Fubuki's win animation is that little thing they do when they poses, shake their tush and thumbs up. (The 10join classic) They're also found in the classroom at night.

- Kenzan has Not Been Found. He's missing in action.

- Jim partners up with Junko but I have a feeling it would have been Asuka had I not chosen her. They hang out at the harbour at night.

-Amon (lol) partners up with Napoleon (lol) because it seems a little obvious (lol) he couldn't find anyone to partner up with him (L bozo) he's having a baby tantrum in the card shop.

Other facts to note when considering when writing your ygo fanfiction (whether it be Asuka trivia or just map trivia)

Asuka likes grapes and steak sandwiches. She does not like gyoza or fermented cheese. Like. Girlie HATES gyoza and fermented cheese.

Asuka talks about Fubuki like he's still dead. Lmao. This can be written off as copy paste dialogue/win-lose quotes from TD1 but I think it's interesting to consider about what it says about their relationship.

Asuka has other reactions to areas around school at different times (which I'm assuming is the same for every character). One is the aforementioned harbour dialogue and the other, which happens during morning or noon, is Asuka hoping that nobody drew the golden eggwich yet.

In the first morning, Asuka chides you for sleeping in and gets angry at you for keeping her out too late, claiming its the girls curfew and she doesn't like staying out too late. This somewhat suggests Asuka is an early to bed early to rise sort of person as at least Judai and Edo don't comment on it.

Similarly if you try and skip class, Asuka will get angry at you and drag you to class anyway (honor student queen).

The abandoned dorm is easily one of the biggest maps in the game. Entering it plays some corpse party ass music. It's not scary but it is almost hilarious how Konami put their whole konamusi into the abandoned dorm while not even letting you enter the Yellow, Blue or Girl's dorm. (Which was what interested me the most since I was curious if there were rooms for each character.)

That being said, you can enter every room in Osiris including Manjoune's old room.

Oh right. Johan also confirms he's been living in the Red dorm in a stray piece of dialogue about how Ruby needs to lead him back to the Red dorm at night. This means he's probably staying with Judai and Manjoume (since at this point in time Manjoume was forcefully evicted out his own room by Rei.) Food for thought.

I'll probably update more trivia, tidbits and thoughts as i continue playing and tag it

-> #tag duel analysis

[hollowknighthelp]

Hey I'm here to gove an updt on my HK playthrough :)

Got Voidheart

Fought Hollow

Beat Hollow

Fought Radiance

Haven't beat Radiance

Beat The Collector

Got Hiveblood

Got Grubberfly's elegy

Haven't beaten Grimm but got him to phase 2

Ayyy, nice!! Congrats on your progress!! And yeah, I'd recommend saving the Radiance for later. Might as well be as powered up as you possibly can be before taking her on! (But still, for the future, Abyss Shriek is THE Radiance Killer)

Since you've gotten (at least what I consider to be) the most annoying Pale Ore to get ((the Grubfather reward)), I assume you've got the Pure Nail now too?

Anyway, Troupe Master Grimm!

I'll put it under a cut, since the post is fairly long.

So. The funny thing about Grimm is that I've actually gotten so used to fighting Nightmare King Grimm and his attack patterns that when I fight regular Grimm, it. Looks pretty pathetic lmao

Still, I'll offer what tips I can!

Back when I first started fighting NKG, I used a pretty much exclusively nail-based playstyle for him. Normally I'm a very big advocate for using spells because they're Great, but for him? SOUL was used pretty much exclusively for healing during his staggers. Nowadays I do use spells during his fight, but since you're trying to win for the first time and it's for his sidequest? A nail-based build might be worth considering!

Mind you, that's Nightmare King Grimm. Because Troupe Master Grimm is a lot slower, there are probably more opportunities to sneak in some spell attacks. But, even so, your Charm Notches are limited! Especially due to Grimmchild completely wasting two of them. So, this is a very rare occurrence where I'd say Shaman Stone might not be worth equipping!

Instead, focus on Nail-based Charms! Quickslash is probably the one I'd recommend the most (and thus Steady Body would be a good choice as well, since those two pair great together). Fragile/Unbreakable Strength is, of course, amazing, but if you haven't been able to make it Unbreakable yet, then I totally understand not wanting to use it.

Grimm staggers after you've done 14 hits! And while he's staggered is the best time to heal. Assuming you have the SOUL for it, I believe you should be able to get at least two masks healed during his stagger, maybe even three. I honestly wouldn't even bother attacking him while he's staggered unless you don't need to heal (or don't have the SOUL for it), since you can only deal a maximum of 50 damage to him while he's in that state. And, sidenote, at least for NKG, I find that his first stagger and his first Pufferfish attack normally happen at around the same time! Not sure if the same is true for Troupe Master Grimm though.

Speaking of the Pufferfish, that happens a total of three times, specifically at each time he loses a quarter of his max health (i.e., 75% left, 50%, and 25%). You can use that knowledge to track how far you are in the fight!

As for evading that attack, it's... Mostly a matter of practice, I think. Stick to the far side of the battlefield, and avoid using the Monarch Wings as much as possible. You can use the Shade Cloak to dodge through the fireballs if you're really in a bad spot, but it's risky and might just make you collide with the next ball. I think avoiding damage using Descending Dark's invincibility frames should be a viable option, though? At least for Troupe Master Grimm anyway.

For Troupe Master Grimm, I think his floor spikes attack might be slow enough for you to safely get one heal in? But I'm not 100% certain. That said, if he happens to be close to you when he uses that attack, it's also the prime time to get a ton of damage in on him.

His lunge attack from the ceiling to the floor: thanks to Nightmare King Grimm, my default response to this attack is to use Descending Dark and its iframes. It's not as necessary to do that for Troupe Master Grimm, but it does still work!

His uppercut attack from the floor to the ceiling, with the falling fireballs afterward: dash through him with Shade Cloak when he dashes forward, then walk toward Grimm. You don't want to get under him, since a fireball drops there, but right next to him is a safe spot. ...At least, again, that's what I do for NKG, but I believe Troupe Master Grimm works the same way.

Fire bats: ...This is the attack I constantly take unnecessary damage on now because I'm used to NKG's version of it lmao. I no longer remember what I used to do to avoid it, but it might have been Jump, Double Jump, Shade Cloak? But I'm not certain.

If you're good at dodging the Pufferfish attack, then it might be worth getting that extra damage in at the start of the fight by hitting him while he bows to you (especially if you have Quickslash). Of course, this also comes at the cost of being a Horrible, Rude, Disrespectful opponent, but! Hey, whatever it takes to win, right? Alternatively, I think you should also have enough time to Dream Nail him while he bows (which doesn't bother him) and allow you to start the fight with a bit of extra SOUL

[scribblingface]

next installment of my bg3 durge playthrough~

Oak and Shadowheart decide to investigate the ship and the surrounding area for any other survivors, scavenging anything useful they can along the way, before they begin their search for a settlement. Shadowheart is reserved at first, but it’s just the two of them alone together investigating something strange and gruesome, and soon she begins to talk a little more freely. He enjoys her sarcasm and dark sense of humour, although he's careful to think before he speaks and take his cues from her lest he say something too disturbing. Shadowheart isn't squeamish about dead bodies, but she certainly doesn't find anything about them appealing, and he doubts he'll keep her trust for long if he lets on that he does.

He also finds some useful plants along the river and gathers them, thinking that he might have the chance to craft some potions later.

"Are you a healer, then?" Shadowheart asks. "Or a cleric? The magic you used, back on the ship..."

Oak gives a noncommittal shrug, working out what his answer should be. It would be a pointless risk to craft some difficult to maintain lie about his past, and he doesn't see any harm in being honest with her; he just doesn't want to. It's uncomfortably vulnerable. But...

"Honestly? I don't remember. I don't remember anything from before the ship. Do you think it could be caused by the parasite? Has it effected your memories too?"

"I understand why you ask, but memory loss isn't as uncommon as you'd think. There may be other causes."

She didn't answer on the matter of her own memory, though. He looks at her pointedly, waiting for her to continue.

"It could be a head injury," she says, not quite meeting his eye and trying to briskly move the conversation along. "Perhaps from when your pod broke open?"

Oak agrees that maybe that's it, although he knows that it isn't.

They don't find much of interest in the ship, although they do have to kill a few remaining intellect devourers. No sign of Oak's little pal Us, though.

As they start heading away from the ship, they come across another survivor.

"Hurry, I've got one of those brain things cornered."

"Easily," Oak says. "Stand back."

He's glad of an opportunity to impress this elegant, beautiful stranger. He goes cautiously closer... and sees a startled boar take off running through the underbrush nearby. He relaxes, lowering his weapon, only to get tackled from behind. The man brings him to the ground with a knife at his throat.

"And you--keep your distance. No need for this to get messy."

"I need him alive," Shadowheart says. "Stow that blade or I'll show you just how messy things can get."

"Promises, promises. But I have other business, I'm afraid. Now," he says, addressing Oak again, "I saw you on the ship, didn't I? Nod."

Everything in Oak surges in excitement. He could overpower this man, break his beautiful fingers off the hilt of the knife and gut him with his own blade. The way he would squirm, the sounds he would make–

But it would be over so quickly. He likes the way this man moves, the way his voice flips from open anger to that exaggerated purr, and the edge of desperate fear beneath the bravado. He's too enticing to be killed so quickly.

Oak nods obediently, lying unresisting in the stranger's grip.

"Splendid," the man says. "And now you're going to tell me exactly what you and those tentacled freaks did to me."

"You have it backwards. They took me prisoner, just like you."

"Don't lie to me! I-- agh!"

Narrator: Your mind twists. You're looking out of unfamiliar eyes, prowling dark, busy streets. You try to hold the memory, but it fades to the worm. The light. The fear.

"What was that? What's going on?"

"It's the mind flayer's worm. It connected us."

There's a moment of quiet while the man absorbs this, and then, slowly and warily, he removes the knife from Oak's throat and stands up. Oak stands as well, raising his hands in a placating gesture.

(just LOOK at those puppy eyes. who could possibly resist.)

"And to think I was ready to decorate the ground with your innards. Apologies."

"Apology accepted. I might have done the same were the roles reversed."

"Ah, a kindred spirit. My name is Astarion. I was in Baldur's Gate when those beasts snatched me."

"I'm Oak." He contemplates saying more, describing his experiences aboard the ship, but if he saves it for later he can probably get more information about Astarion in exchange.

"A pleasure. So do you know anything about these worms?"

"Yes, unfortunately. They'll turn us into mind flayers."

"Turn us into-- ha!" Astarion has a fit of unhappy, almost hysterical laughter.

"Although," he says, rallying, "it hasn't happened yet. If we can find an expert--someone that can control these things--there might still be time."

Oak is very interested by that. Why would he want to control it rather than remove it? Oak is inclined to want the same thing, but he realizes that his positive perspective on his new parasite-granted psychic abilities is unusual.

"You should travel with me," Oak says. "Our odds are better together."

"You know, I was ready to go it alone, but maybe sticking with the herd isn't such a bad idea. And you seem like a useful person to know." He bows with a flourish. "All right, I accept. Lead on."

First | Prev | Next