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salty-an-disco · 5 months ago

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since I like all the questions in @pink-november's askgame, and really just want to get to them all eventually, I decided I might as well treat the game like a school questionnaire and answer them all in order. So– here it is!!

(will also answer the ones I already did in asks again just for the sake of having them all in one place)

1. (Explore) What's your favorite Chapter?

Stranger OK, OK, just so I won't repeat myself too much, and also to make it more interesting, I decided to make it more specific and go for 'favorite lead-up Chapter (3 or 4)'. And that'd probably be Empty Cup and Princess and the Dragon, for different reasons.

I love how chaotic and honestly hilarious Razor is, and to me, The Empty Cup is the most satisfying conclusion to her chapter. You cannot change much about how things play out in this chapter. The princess is so relentless and unyielding that she'll always make things play out how she wants it to. But something as simple as leaving the blade upstairs in Chapter 2 completely changes how your final battle go. Instead of meeting her where she is, you manage to go even, unraveling her in the 'Nothingness' you have embraced and truly getting to her heart (cough cough Cabin ending parallel cough). Also– the visual of the Sleeping Mound holding out Razor's Heart is one of the most beautiful visuals in this game. I love how it looks like a flower of hands coming out of a heart. To me, it truly sums up what the vessels are to the Shifting Mound, y'know? A center from which something beautiful can flourish from.

And Princess and the Dragon– gosh. I love how we get to this chapter. Twice now, we refused to see the Princess as an actual person deserving of freedom and tried to kill her despite it also hurting us in the chapter lead up. And that is honestly more frustrating than anything to the Princess. What did she do to deserve this? Why do you keep insisting on killing her? And so, she just wishes you could understand her. See things from her perspective. And so, that's what happens–

It's interesting to me that this chapter isn't exactly an evolution of how WE see the princess (it still is, in some ways, but not quite). It's entirely her. Before, chapter 2 would end there; there was nothing else for us to see of her that we didn't already. Makes all the more compelling to me that to lead to a new chapter, BTG had to give the Princess the reigns. Because she, for sure, has a LOT to show us.

And that chapter…… gosh, so many things get to me. How the princess name the chapter herself (I hc the voices saw their own title screen with a different name entirely, but that doesn't matter, this is HER chapter and SHE gets to name it), the casual thump, thump, thump… as LQ's body come in. How her appearance itself goes back to something more like how she becomes as a final heart rather than something we may have seen her as. How SHE throws away the knife. Basically saying, "Enough of this violence. I'm getting my happy ending one way or another–"

Just– I love this chapter so much.

2. (Explore) If you have a least favorite Chapter, then how would you go about changing it?

Simply by merit of 'something has to be at the bottom', it's probably Drowned Grey. Which is honestly impressive because I love so many things about The Drowned Grey and wouldn't really change anything as I think it's already satisfying as it is. It's just not quite as engaging and interesting as other chapters, so it stays at the bottom.

3. (Explore) Who's your favorite Vessel?

STRANGER. Babygirls <3333 I love them so much <333333 The very concept of how they came to be is fascinating to me and I LOOOOOVE the little we see of them in Strange Beginnings. System of all time <333 Love all the facets so much I gave each of them their own pronouns set, personality, and role in the system. No one can stop me, Stranger, you will always be famous to me 😌✨

4. (Explore) If you have a least favorite Vessel, then what do you think would make you like her?

As much as I grew fond of her and really like her chapter expansions, Tower is still prolly at the bottom. She's fascinating in her own way, but some uncomfortable similarities to things I experienced makes it hard for me to really love her. Wouldn't change her though, she's perfect as it is for the story she has to tell.

5. (Explore) Who's your favorite Voice?

My silly lil guy, my beloved clown, the hyperactive hummingbird, Contrarian, I love you so much <3333 I'm already a sucker for characters who refuse to engage with their work's genre (in this case: horror), and his dynamic with Hero in Stranger was just so engaging, and seeing he's actually a softie deep down with terrible self-esteem and sense of worth??? Yep, there's no going back to me. This clown is all I can think about.

6. (Explore) If you have a least favorite Voice, then what do you think could make you like him?

After thinking about it some more, it's still Broken. I like the development they got in PC, and gained a new appreciation for them, but still on the bottom of the tier for me. The fact they remind me a lot of an ex-friend doesn't help at all, but the only thing I'd change is giving them more chapters where we can see the good side of them, and PC already did that, so *shrugs*

7. (Explore) What line from The Shifting Mound do you like the most?

"I am solitary lights on an empty city. What are you?"

OUUUUUUUUGH. SHIFTY I'LL ALWAYS LOVE YOU.

8. (Explore) What line from the player character/ The Long Quiet do you like the most?

"I always just wanted to leave with you." (or smth like that. I don't have Quiet lines memorized like I do Shifty LOL)

9. (Explore) What line from The Narrator do you like the most?

[insert the entirety of the MOC lead-up poem here]

But, for a single line, gotta go with "You stab yourself, and you die. Nice knowing you." It's just so incredibly petty, I love it lol

10. (Explore) What's your favorite Vessel-Voice dynamic?

Gotta go with Stubborn and Adversary. They're just. so good. Even without ever meeting face to face, they manage to have SUUUUCH a good dynamic and chemistry, I want these two to lovingly brawl for as much as they want, they deserve it.

11. (Explore) Any non-canon Vessel-Voice you think is fun to see?

Many–

Damsel and Contrarian, Prisoner and Cold (D Grey not counting), Spectre and Skeptic, Thorn and Paranoid, Wraith and Smitten, Nightmare and Broken, and I could probably keep going lol

12. (Explore) What's your favorite Voices dynamic?

ContraHero Once again, just not to repeat myself too much– Dark Comedy (Cold and Contra) has my entire heart <3 Them as besties who just GET each other on a level no one else does is everything to me.

13. (Explore) Any Vessel-Vessel you want to see interact?

Many. Most of which involves Nightmare, because sHE DESERVES FRIIIIIEEENNDS WHO'LL UNDERSTAND HER ON A PERSONAL LEVEL!! But just to name a few–

Thorn and Beast!Wounded Wild, Witch and Wraith, Witch and Beast, Den and Damsel, Prisoner and Spectre, Adversary and Razor, Tower and Nightmare, and once again, I could keep going lol

14. (Explore) What's your favorite ship/s?

OwO

ContraHero: My BOYS, my lil guys, my dearest birbs– out of all the voices, they're the ones that get the most character character development within the game, and their dynamic in Stranger is EVERYTHING to me. The way they represent agency and individuality and how that connects together to open up even more choices– OUUUUUUUUUUUGH. THEY MAKE ME SO UNWELL.

ParaCold: Mainly beamed into my brain by Kit, but goddamn, if these two didn't manage to claw their way in there and make a spot for themselves lol. Just. Smth about this paranoid and anxious person with the most 'idgaf' guy in the construct is already inherently interesting to me, but their DYNAMIC, how they actually balance out each other's weaknesses– Cold can offer such a pragmatic view on things in such a non-judgmental and detached way that Paranoid can't help but listen (as opposed to when Skeptic does it, specifically in Cage, where it feels like he doesn't take her seriously and it just frustrates her), and Paranoid, similarly, can remind Cold that there are good reasons to care of yourself and look after others despite how 'boring' it may be. Just. OUUUUUUGH.

SpecWitch: Listen to me– Put the most understanding and patient vessel besides the skittish and untrusting kitty, DO IT. They'd be such a good duo too, with how playful and witty both of them can be, and Spectre could help Witch loosen up and actually relax for once while Witch reminds Spectre to not take shit from anyone and makes a job out of clawing at anyone who tries. PUT THE GHOSTIE AND THE WITCHY KITTY TOGETHER, IT'S LITERALLY THE HALLOWEEN DUO!!!

Skeptunist: Guy who wants to uncover every little thing there is to know about everything, and guy who hides behind countless masks in hopes he doesn't have to deal with what's actually behind them. They'd either make each other worse, or better, or both in that order and then make out about it. I rest my case.

15. (Explore) What’s your least favorite ship/

This feels mean to say on an ask game Pink did, but I just can't get behind Burned Bridges (ColdSmit) 😭. As a low empathy person, some of the things Smitten says to Cold in Burned Grey cuts a bit too deep in me, so the ship's just kinda already soured on me.

This is the only one that actively makes me feel bad and I gotta avoid it (that's a ME thing and smth I gotta look out for myself, and not a reason for anyone else to avoid talking about the ship they like just because One Person doesn't like it), but I also filter out many other ships cuz I'm too OTP-brained to be able to bear multishipping. Oh, and also Broken/Tower, and honestly most ships involving Broken cuz I just think that guy would benefit more from meaningful friendships than trying to get into a romantic relationship.

16. (Explore) If you were a Voice in The Long Quiet's head, what would you be?

Voice of the Daydreamer!! Too busy daydreaming to pay attention to anything else :]

17. (Explore) You're a princess locked in the basement of a cabin, what kind of princess would you be?

Hmmmmmm. Maybe something like 'The Scattered' or maybe 'The Shadow'

Not sure about the lead up, but it'd be a princess who doesn't really know who they're supposed to be, and so remains in shadows, or scattered about the place, where they can try being many things at once without having to choose.

18. (Explore) You are an Echo of a man long gone, how would you deal with the events of the game?

Same way Parrator (Stanley Parable Narrator) does in my Displaced Narrator AU. Much more invested in the narrative as a whole as opposed to any stakes there might be. If I'm gonna be stuck here without being able to even keep memories of what happened, might as well enjoy a good story while I can!!

19. (Explore) Do you have any unpopular opinion regarding the game?

Uuuuuuuuuhhhhhhhh– Damsel was never shallow, Nightmare was always inherently tragic, and simply hating her (this includes Moment of Clarity) for what she is undermines the themes of her chapter, Prisoner isn't indifferent or 'rude' she just got RBF and autism flat effect, Cold is not an 'evil person' who actually likes killing, y'all just don't understand low-empathy people, and Smitten was only doing what YOU asked for in HEA, and didn't even want to stay before you insisted on that choice, and blaming him for everything there is just an easy way to abstain from guilt, Skeptic isn't an unfeeling asshole, that is ONE chapter where he's incredibly stressed and overwhelmed, and despite all of Paranoid's MVP moment, he's still the guy you get by refusing to see the princess as a person deserving of freedom, and ignoring that is a disservice to his character.

20. (Explore) What's your favorite ending and why?

"And? What Happens Next?" Strange Beginnings variant, my beloved <3

21. (Explore) What’s your least favorite ending and why?

Probably Your New World, and just because all the other endings have a lot more to offer in terms of narrative for me. Still appreciate this ending and what it adds to the game though.

22. (Explore) Do you have any headcanons for [Character]?

Decided to do a thing where I choose a character I don't talk about a lot to add some variety here, and the character of the moment is Stubborn. Yay!

He's only so resilient because of construct logic, and in the real world, would have a lot of chronic pain and struggle with fatigue, which annoys him to no end. Has a soft spot for little guys, namely Hunted, Broken, and Paranoid (the three 'little guys' of my designs). No depth perception duo to missing an eye, and since Hunted is similar due to having Prey Eyes, they help each other figure out ways to fight this way. Has color-blindness, specifically, deuteranomaly and tritanopia, which means he can't really distinguish between blue and green, purple and red, and pink and yellow at all. Ironically, makes the world outside still very similar to the construct for him.

23. (Explore) Any first impressions regarding [Character]? How about now?

Gonna talk about Wraith for this one. Mainly because my first and current impressions on her are so different.

At first, I didn't really find her chapter all that interesting. Her design was really cool, but I thought her story wasn't all that compelling compared to others. Oooohh, how that changed– the more I thought about her, and the more I saw the different variantions of her character, the more I realized how fucking sad and tragic her story is– this ghost was denied freedom and basic respect over and over and over– of COURSE she becomes a vengeful ghost that won't let you get one over her again. Honestly, she's entirely entitled to possessing our body and making us walk on a broken ankle, it's NOTHING compared to what we did to her.

24. (Explore) What’s a moment in the game that disturbed/ freaked you out the most?

Nothing can top Drowned Grey's bloated corpse for me. Single most frightening image in this game.

25. (Explore) What’s a moment in the game that emotionally destroyed you?

Pre-PC, it was The Moment of Clarity, post-PC, Happily Ever After– funny how both these routes involving showing your heart to someone else.

26. (Explore) What’s your favorite CG in the game?

Already mentioned how Shifty holding Razor's Heart is very beautiful to me, but also that image in the lead-up to Wild from Witch, where the roots close in on both of you, and for a moment, they pick Witch up much like Shifty might've done. Also, Den being free and happy, and just a kitty. She deserves everything.

27. (Explore) How did you come across this game?

Through RTGame's VOD channel. Haven't been the same ever since.

28. (Explore) What was your first playthrough like?

After already seeing basically everything the game has to offer, there wasn't much surprises to get from playing the game myself, but the experience was still incredible, especially with my decision to roleplay the routes Quiet went through in my Heathens AU.

First playthrough went like this: Eye of the Needle (with Skeptic) – Connected Wild (from Witch, with Cheated) – Empty Cup – Spectre – Happily Ever After (with Para, chose to keep the lights burning)

29. (Explore) Can you share an idea/WIP of a fic/fanart/fanedit/AU you have in the works right now?

Here's Loop's design for my ISAT-STP crossover I'm playing with–

Had the idea that 'wishes' are actually made out of parts of both Shifty and LQ, and so Loop got traits from both of them in their new body.

30. (Explore) Can you recommend a writer/artist whose works you really like?

Anything by @birdmitosis, here's their Ao3, they got some of my fave works in this fandom. This fic, by harmless_spider has forever changed my brain chemistry anD I NEED EVERYONE TO READ IT. And all my friends who are awesome artists and/or writers, like @remaking-machine, @itsonlypolite, @minotaur-asterion, @mrpristineblade, @anmionatheblue (hasn't posted much yet, but I RP with her, and know firsthand what an awesome artist she is), @wysteriaisapenguin, @wynn-ing, @modeus-the-misanthrope, @bubblybloob, and @pink-november, of course!!! And many many more. Everyone in this fandom who creates stuff is awesome and deserves the world. I would kiss you all on the forehead if I wasn't touch-averse.

#shamelessly using the last question to prop up my friends #GET LOVED IDIOTS #slay the princess #sal rambles #ask game

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