#the transition with art seems to be going well at least

[knifegremliin]

who'd've thought that taking breaks even from activities you enjoy is important

it is very impossibly hard to actually take breaks from drawing when i Really Want To though. it's never something i've had to do before except for leaving a piece to continue working on later (i.e., when i need to sleep, or if i have to go out that day and can't work on it, things that make it so i HAVE to)

generally i would always just. keep drawing. and keep drawing. if i was drawing things i would purposely take days off from it. but i have to do that now and man. Man. it's so hard to resist.

[saruslumber-01]

Quick take on Jiaoqiu’s trailer

As always, I love to take screenshots whenever there’s some images flashing and this time, I did the same thing.

Before I actually talk about the trailer, I want to point out how (to me at least), the theme/ost doesn’t really match him. Or rather, how he appears to be.

(Imo it’s a similar case to jade’s trailer, you’d think she’d have something more… idk tempting in a unsuspecting way, like when you believe you made an amazing deal, only to later meet the terrible consequences.

Well anyway, the thing that I noticed is that both in jade’s trailer [or at least splash art and references/motifs] and in jiaoqiu’s, they hold an apple in their hand. I get why in jade, but in jiaoqiu’s? That very weird to me)

(Here you go, the moment, I’m talking about ^)

What I ACTUALLY wanna talk about that caught my attention, is the eyes we see all over the trailer.

I get it, he always keeps them closed, but from the trailer it seems it was not just a stylistic choice to make him this way, but actual lore behind it. (Ofc I might be wrong since we still know NOTHING about his backstory, and I’ll probably talk more when I’ll read his char stories after his release)

Idk, to me this feels kinda weird to get his eye to pop out like that (and it reminds me of firefly’s trailer). Not only that, but we get a moment where we see a fox spirit (?) made out of fire which is oddly similar to Tail’s ‘true’ form (huohuo ult). AND then from the fox’s eye it smoothly transitions into jiaoqiu’s eye. Coincidence? I don’t think so.

To me, it might foreshadow that the “eye thing” that is going on with jiaoqiu is becase those are not his natural eyes. Rather, they’d ‘changed’ (idk how to explain that) into the golden ones, as if he got possessed by that fox spirit (or maybe I’m just reading into things too much, who knows).

More eyes screenshots (which kinda remind me of sunday AND bring us to my next point)

What I want to talk about is the placement of those eyes.

Please don’t tell me I’m the only one who didn’t think it looked somehow familiar…

Rings a bell now?

I also ‘circled’ the flower she has on her ‘crown’ as it resembled the anise jiaoqiu uses in his skill, and ALSO popped up a few times in the trailer.

I know I might be digging too deep, but I feel there something very eerie and off about jiaoqiu as a character in story, and as a playable character.

I’m sure everyone remember how jiaoqiu’s a cook, a healer, right? Then why on earth is he a nihility unit? I’ve seen sooo many people being confused about it, and I’m sure HoYo wouldn’t mention it that much, unless it was important to the story.

And before anyone goes and says “wdym phantylia got a new victim?” NO. That’s not what I’m talking about. I’m trying to prove that jiaoqiu isn’t probably just some random foxian who knows how to cook (and take care of feixiao). That there’s connections that all come back to the word “possessed”.

Tingyun? Possessed by phantylia (and spexulated to return in later versions)

Huohuo? Got her tail ‘possessed’ (I don’t remember too well, sorry) by Tail, AND in her trailer (which has a lot of flashing images and yin yang in there [I’ve got screenshots for both trailers to prove]) she is possessed by Tail, a heliobus. And what is a heliobus? Some kind of fox spirit! (Or at least I think so…)

What I’m trying to say is that there’s some kind of ‘possession’ when it comes to jiaoqiu.

(And another character that got flashing images and got possessed [outside of jade and huohuo] is sparkle! And don’t you agree that in terms of the overall vibes, their trailers does seem quite similar?)

So uh, yeah! That’s all I wanted to share.

I’ll probably do one more post for just the similarities in the trailers of jiaoqiu, jade, huohuo and maybe sparkle

Thanks for reading my ramblings and getting through to whole thing, I appreciate it a lot!

[lu-is-not-ok]

Timekilling Time Trailer Frame by Frame

That's right. The second trailer for Timekilling Time is out, and I'm gonna go through it frame by fucking frame. I've always done this for story-related teasers and trailers, just not on Tumblr. So, might as well do it here for once.

First thing after the logo of the event:

We see a view of a T Corp street. The visual effect over some of the silhouettes if very interesting, especially considering it's almost completely unseen on the more working-class looking people, while being very extreme on the one person with color. Some sort of visual cue showing how much 'Time' currency everyone owns perhaps?

Judging by the golden accents and clockwork motifs, seems like a T Corp official dealing with one of the workers. The official does mostly match the outfit one of the T Corp collectors we see in Canto 4, so we might be seeing some more intricacies of whatever their job entails in this Intervallo.

The transition between this and the ID showcase is a glitchy effect, interestingly enough.

Project Moon why the fuck is Ryoshu's dialogue so goddamn blurry here? Whatever, we'll get back to that line later. Let's focus on what we can see.

Ryoshu is getting the 00 Identity, and is an Event Reward, meaning you'll be able to get her through grinding the event itself. Also, in case the pattern on the bandana wasn't already a dead give-away, then the name of the identity will be - we're dealing with the Yurodiviye again.

This has. A lot of lore implications. For one, we know from Canto 2 that the Yurodiviye are no longer confined to just District Y, but the fact that this is a confirmation they exist in District T as well means they are far more widespread than we might think.

Also the role they seem to take on is very interesting as well. In Canto 2 we learn of them as being a Syndicate that has connections with a bunch of other Syndicates in District J, but in here it seems like they're more official than that? We're talking straight up detective stuff, with the previous teaser implying the people we'll be working with are actually officially recognised by T Corp. Just what the fuck has Sonya been doing?

First look at event combat. Unsurprisingly, we're in the streets of T Corp. Interestingly, we're fighting the human T Corp Collectors we got to see in Canto 4 but didn't get to fight. Does that imply some sort of inner conflict in T Corp? Like I said above, the previous teaser implied the detective work we're doing is for T Corp's interests, why are we being impeded by other T Corp officials?

Looking at the Skill animation, Ryoshu's Skill 1 is two coins.

Skill 2 looks like maybe three coins?

Skill 3 is definitely three coins, and that is Very Much a Tremor Burst sound effect on the last coin. We got the Tremor baby!

Finally, some readable dialogue! Doesn't give us much, but "Shake down the loaded pigs..." shows us that even in their new role, Yurodiviye still despise the rich and focus on redistributing wealth.

Also, hi Hong Lu! You're here early! We'll get to you in a moment.

Let's talk about Ryoshu's guard, as the trailer very nicely shows us that's what Ryoshu is using.

"...and share the pilfered time with everyone." Yup, just as I said, redistribution of wealth.

Anyway, Ryoshu's guard seems to have a sort of Assist Attack mechanic to it, causing her to follow up with an attack of hers after Hong Lu's own attack. This Defense Assist Attack appears to be two coins, with a Tremor Burst on the second. Already looking very interesting as an ID.

Good lord Project Moon, what is it with the unreadable Ryoshu dialogue?! At least this one is slightly legible. "Pictures? Hmph, fine-snap away. Just make sure to get all the blood splatters." This combined with the post-uptie art showing an overlay of a camera with a shattered lens gives the idea that the Yurodiviye are somewhat well known I think. Enough to warrant taking pictures of.

Aaaand here's man of the hour! A 000 Identity that will be in the Gacha - District 20 Yurodivy Hong Lu. Same faction as Ryoshu, and the fact that we are definitely dealing with a Detective archetype here, again, it brings Yurodiviye's spot in T Corp into question. Are they going to be the people we help out, or are they the bad guys we'll be catching?

There's a lot to unpack here. First - "Hmm... What an amateurish finish... They must've been really pressed for time." - again with the Hong Lu identities utterly unphased by violence! What is the deal with him! The fact that he comments on the murder scene in terms of 'finish', as if judging a piece of art, is extra suspicious considering we've got Ryoshu as the other Identity here. It also has a weird connection to Sign of Roses's Observation Log, where Hong Lu starts describing it as if it's an art piece. Something is going on here.

Next, probably the least important part - new Hong Lu hairstyle! This is the first time we get to see Hong Lu with a low ponytail, as opposed to his usual high ponytails.

Finally, something I'm sure everyone has been talking about since the first teaser we got of this Identity - the marks under his jade eye. That is very clearly a T, again seemingly marking him as connected to T Corp itself in some way. Add to that the uncanny resemblance those marks have to the barcode mark under Alphonso's eye, and we've got one hell of a mystery. What the fuck is his deal!

Another look at event combat. A different area of T Corp + a return of the more robotic looking T Corp collectors. I repeat, why are we fighting T Corp collectors if we're working with T Corp on this case? What the hell happened?

Anyway, Hong Lu's Skill 1 seems to be a two coin, and I believe this is the same animation as in the Ryoshu Defense Skill showcase, meaning we got a potential early peek at its Sin Affinity - Gloom! Doesn't bode well for this Hong Lu story-wise!

Skill 2 is a three coin skill.

"Okay, let's think. How would I do this, if I was the killer? I just have to slowly think it through, and..." Now, this doesn't have to be that deep, but this line combined with the previous one where Hong Lu judges the murder scene as 'amateurish' feels... just the slightest bit sus.

"...Hehe, I suppose I'll find the truth sooner or later, hm?" He's the worst. I love him. Anyway.

CAN WE TALK ABOUT THAT SKILL 3?

First, the animation start with Hong Lu spitting out the stick he's had in his mouth, which is followed by a flashy either one or two coin skill with a Tremor Burst, which is then followed by that same eye sparkle effect that signifies SP healing in the Liu Identity and Dieci Identity. SP heal on stagger? SP heal on Tremor Burst? Fuck if I know.

That eye is definitely sparkling. Project Moon please give us eye lore.

Also, the background is very interesting. The visual style and slight transparency makes it feel like a sort of replay of events. Is that what his eye allows him to see? Just straight up visualizing the murder?

And let's not forget the dialogue line. "Hm... let's think about what we should target next." This is. Ominous. Again, we know very little about why Yurodiviye are involved, but judging from Ryoshu's dialogue lines their core motivations haven't changed. What does it mean for them to 'target' something? Are they faking being detectives and just framing people to get their 'Time'? It is notable that the title of Hong Lu's Identity never actually refers to him as a detective or anything of the sort. Just what are they scheming?

Another glitchy transition out of the ID showcase section. Glitches seem to be a recurring theme for this Intervallo.

Anyhow, time for the event enemy showcase!

We got another look at the T Corp collector guy from the ID showcase, not much to say here.

Next up we've got... Oh! That's a Yurodivy! Looks like regardless of the faction we'll be actually working with, we'll be making enemies with everyone! That being said, it's exciting to know we're finally seeing the Yurodiviye in combat, even if it's just a very specific branch of them. The chance for a future Sonya fight or Sonya Rodya ID has risen due to the fact we're seeing this faction in action!

T Corp collector guys from Canto 4, yup, we've seen that earlier as well.

And here we are. In a split second frame. That is the character that Hong Lu's Identity is based on! Not much else to say on this because it's such a quick snippit, but it again puts Yurodiviye's role in the Intervallo's story in the question. If we don't start off working with them, why are they appearing as detective types? If we do start off working with them, what happens to make them turn on us?

Fascinating.

Also, another glitchy transition.

Alright, there's a lot to talk about here. First off, the CG in the background - what the fuck is going on.

Dante and Hong Lu (in his detective garbs) are looking at Meursault in... some Zero Time Dilemma looking ass contraption. Meursault has his arms crossed, the contraption connects to his head, and there's a T Corp logo on it. I honestly have no idea what to do with this information.

Next up - the dialogue line and character sprite silhouette.

"We observed a large-scale, unauthorized temporal leakage phenomenon... which shot you up the progressive Time Tax bracket due to the immense amount of time leak." Uhhhh, I understand what those word mean on their own I guess. My only guess here is that this is the work of Yurodiviye in some way. Looks like Limbus Company is gonna be dealing with the fallour of this temporal leak, whatever that entails.

The character silhouette itself... doesn't give us much. A secretary of some sort? One of the T Corp officials giving us a job? Hard to tell.

Again, a lot to look through.

First we got a view of the whole room the previous CG is taking place in, including office desks and a shitload of clocks everywhere. We're definitely in some sort of T Corp office space, that's for sure.

"Isn't it absolutely brilliant? The very concept of 'killing time'. They're not slowing down or speeding up time; they're eliminating it completely, just entirely yanking it out of circulation." Hmm... Again, hard to say much about this line with its lack of context, but it certainly does seem interesting. All of T Corp stuff we've seen thus far does rely on things like speeding up or slowing down. The TimeTrack upgrade in LobCorp lets you speed up time. The L Corp time loop and the R Corp hatchery compress time so that what takes a long time inside takes less time outside. The Warp Train collects the time of its extremely long travels to sell to T Corp. Straight up deleting time seems very different from what we've seen thus far.

Also, the matter of the silhouette - whoever it is doesn't seem to be the same person as the Yurodivy we see in the split second frame, so whoever this is likely has no connection to Rodya or Sonya.

...This might sound a little out there, but I feel like this would be the perfect opportunity for Project Moon to pull out their own version of Sherlock Holmes. It almost feels like a waste to not include that reference in a detective themed Intervallo.

And now for the biggest surprise of them all from this Trailer - Faust is getting a WAW E.G.O. The name of the E.G.O itself is Everlasting, and the Abnormality it's based on is the Time Duck from the Mirror Dungeon event, also known as the Abnormality that gives the E.G.O Gift Melted Spring.

Not much is known about the Abnormality, as its MD Event primarily connects it to the Duck-Rabbit Illusion, where you have to tell it whether it's a Duck or a Rabbit in your eyes, with the Abnormality fleeing if the answer isn't confident enough.

"How does it appear, my form in your eyes? Perhaps within the clockwork of time the answer lies?" First of all- nice rhymes. Second of all - this is a direct reference to the MD Event, but also very interesting with regards to Faust herself. There's a lot about Faust that shows she lacks self-awareness, with her describing herself as someone who only speaks when asked and doesn't talk much, when in reality she goes on endless tangents without prompting. Add to that the Council of Fausts theory, and it makes the idea of her seeking the opinion of other people with regards to her identity resonate quite intensely.

Also, I'm pretty sure more than enough people have made comparisons between Everlasting Faust and Eileen the Church of Gears leader, but it has to be stated that there definitely are some parallels here. Again, further adds to the Council of Fausts theory, as it would make Everlasting Faust a mirror to Eileen. Eileen, who controls the gears in her head, and Faust, who is controlled by the gears in her head.

Oh, and the E.G.O is Tremor as well. Because why not. At least Faust has a good Tremor Identity already, so it works well.

Putting this here for the woman likers.

Corrosion time. For one, Faust takes on a distinctly bird-like form here. Not sure what exactly this means in the grand scheme of things for the E.G.O's meaning just yet, but it does feel important to note.

"Thus. You cease to move. Trapped in the stopped time. For eternity." ...Hm. There's a few ways this can be interpreted. If we ignore the time-related references and treat them as something only connected to the Abnormality, it gives us the idea of Faust being trapped. Being unable to move on her own, likely due to her extreme ties with Limbus Company and/or the Council of Fausts.

However, adding the time motif into it makes it more interesting. There's a lot of ways one can be 'stuck in time' and unable to move forward. One is a literal time stop Za Warudo style, and another is being trapped in a Time Loop, being unable to make progress due to always being reset and thus ceasing to move for eternity. Both feel relevant to Faust when it comes to what little we've learned of her 'goal' from her original character PV.

There's something Faust is seeking above all else. Some piece of knowledge that is nigh unobtainable. ...But what comes after she reaches it? I think the Corrosion line alludes to exactly that.

If it's a Time Stop scenario, that means that once Faust reaches the unreachable she will just. Stop. There's nothing left for her. She'll be trapped for eternity knowing everything she wished for but being unable to keep moving forward, because there'll no longer be anything for her to move towards.

If it's a Time Loop scenario, that means that Faust's constant push towards the unreachable is an inescapable loop. Once she learns what she wishes, it won't be enough, and she'll just repeat the process again. Stuck in a cycle of reaching everything, coming back to nothing, and reaching for everything anew ad infinitum. No movement made in the process, because she always comes back to square one.

Either way, it doesn't bode well for her.

On another note, the animation fucks severely, and there's another glitchy transition.

Time Georg. Sorry. Actually not sorry.

Seriously though, we get to see another view of T Corp streets, this time with one of the factories in the background and, funnily enough, the fucking Big Ben. We really are in London.

"An average T Corp. citizen has about 20 to 28 hours in a day, but you might also run into people like him; people with plenty time to spare. Because he has so much surplus time, he can afford to condence 40, 50 hours into a single day." Looks like the 'Time' currency doesn't just act as money - you literally can use it to manipulate your time scale. If you're rich, you can do like L Corp Time Loop and make yourself experience more time than everyone around you. It's also notable that the average T Corp citizen can go as low as having less than 24 hours in a day. Guess that explains why people are so desperate that they try to steal 'Time' from each other - their days literally get shorter than more debt they have.

Also, who is this 'him'? Who is this mysterious man with so much ''Time' he can have double his daily hours? I wonder if it's the fully colored man from the first CG of the trailer?

Hey it's the same factory CG from the previous teaser! Nice to know we're still on the track of visiting one.

"And to people with fewer hours in a day... it'll look as though he's moving two, three times faster than them. Someone with that much time could pick their nose in the blink of an eye before anyone even has the chance to catch them in the act." Yup, this explains the visual effect in the first CG. People with a lot of 'Time', who can have more hours in a day than other people, straight up look like they're moving so fast they leave behind after images.

Also, this very much feels like a commentary on how the rich can get away with things just because they're rich. A man rich with 'Time' can get away with unsightly behaviors just because he moves so fast people can't see him do it, just how real life rich people can get away with crimes because they have enough money to not care about fines.

Another glitch transition.

We get to see the iconic CG from the Roadmap, this time in washed out T Corp colors and in all its glory. God I'm excited for seeing more of these goobers.

After we get the logo again, not only do we see the glitch effect, but the music completely cuts out.

What follows is a constantly glitching out text with a background noise that gets louder and more discordant as it goes on.

"Can't wait for what won't come."

"Now is the time for action."

"All those time-killing bastards..."

"I'll..."

Hmmm. Curious and ominous. The presentation of these words does not bode well for the fate of whoever is speaking them, but the content makes me even more interested.

Because... this is Yurodiviye we're talking about. Sonya's whole thing was that he kept reading and learning about theory instead of actually acting until after Rodya commited murder, and even then his personal actions within the group seems confined to establishing connections with other Syndicates and delegating duties to others.

So to have someone who opposes the idea of sitting back and waiting so vehemently in the same Intervallo as Yurodiviye coming back into the spotlight... It is certainly interesting, don't you think?

Alright, that's all for the Trailer! Holy shit I'm excited for this Intervallo.

[theresattrpgforthat]

I was wondering if you had recommendations for a game that evokes the vibe of like The Thing (or Among Us) from the social angle - there is something here passing itself off as human, as *one of us*, and we need to find out who it is. Maybe with hidden roles? It seems like there's a lot of interesting space to explore there.

Thank you!!

Theme: Hidden Role Games

Friend, I've got more games for you than I thought I was initially going to find, and each one is in a different setting! Enjoy!

What We Thought We Knew, by Mouse.

You play as a group of friends who have known each other for many years- at the very least since highschool, and have gone through many transitional phases with each other.

It has recently been revealed to you that someone in your friend group has not actually been there for all of these events- they have been implanted in the group for whatever reason and all your memories modified to fit them into the narrative. None of you know who it is -- not even the fake.

In order to find out who the fake is, you must experience some of your core memories together again, moving through them like you are those versions of yourselves again, to try and spot the mistakes in the memories, the distortions that don’t quite make sense in the context of everything else happening.

The hidden role in this game is as determined by the GM, and the fake will not know that they are the imposter at the beginning of the game. The setting for this game appears to be relatively agnostic, so you could make this a fantasy setting, a futuristic setting, or even a modern setting. Characters have four stats: Head, Heart, Flesh and Beyond. The game is designed off of Caltrop Core, so when you roll your dice according to stat, there’s graded successes/failures. Players will also get chances to identify a distortion, which helps the group figure out what pieces of information don’t add up. If you want a game with mystery for almost everyone a the table, you might want to check out this game.

Jackrabbit Parole, by Willow Willis.

Well, you screwed up. Whatever you did, it was bad enough to land your ass in prison. Not just your average state-of-the-art correctional institution, either. This place is Bad News.

Parole? Don’t make me laugh. This is your life now. There’s no help coming for you and your fellow unfortunates. You’ll shit, sleep, work and eat when and where they tell you to for the rest of your miserable existence. If you want out, there’s only three paths:

Execution. Suicide. Or escape.

And since the first two don’t sound too promising, all you’re left with is jackrabbit parole.

Jackrabbit Parole is a game about prison escapees, one of which is a Snitch. The exact setting of the prison is up to you - the only thing that matters is that you’re stuck here unless you find a way to get yourselves out. You’ll roll to determine what your characters’ relationships are, and draw cards determine your roles.

There are two special roles: the Ringleader and the Snitch. The Ringleader has access to everywhere in the prison; the Snitch wants to get as much information as possible and pass it on to the guards. The Snitch profits by keeping everyone here, which means that players cannot communicate openly about their plans. The game plays over three acts, so I think it’s pretty easy to contain inside a single session, and it comes with some suggested settings if you’re not sure where to start.

Conspire, by Cherry Picked Games.

Conspire is a hidden-role storytelling game. Players delve into any moment of conflict, real or fake, and populate the scene with shady figures. They secretly assign objectives to these in-world characters and shuffle the roles amongst themselves. Everyone draws a role to inhabit and acts them out, not knowing who any of the others are or what they are trying to accomplish. What follows is an intense tale of bluffing, brokering deals, and shaping the very universe to your whims.

This feels like a GM-Less game, with all of the roles and motives of each character determined according to the setting and people created by the group at the table. Each piece of the puzzle is created collaboratively, so you’ll know what’s going on with one or two people, but not the whole picture. If you want a game that gives everyone the same responsibilities and has the flexibility to fit the settings in your head, this might be the game for you.

Eulogy of a Fool, by Kate.

In Eulogy of a Fool, all players are attending the funeral of a Fool. However, the Fool is in this crowd, having faked her own death to collect on a life insurance policy.  Everyone in attendance must give a eulogy while the Fool tries to blend in and everyone else is trying to single out any suspicious persons.

This game consists of a series of cards, 20 of which are Identity cards, and 30 of which are relation cards. There will only be about as many cards in play as there are players for any given game, so I think having so many options allows for a different game every time you play. Each player will also have to give a eulogy about the deceased, using information given to all non-imposters, while the Fool will have to improvise as best as they can. Looking at the instructions and prep for this game, I think this game would be very easy to learn. There’s a script for the GM to follow while running the game, and the cards make it easy to generate characters on the fly. If you want a game that’s part ttrpg, part card game, this might be the game for you.

EUREKA, by @anim-ttrpgs

Eureka: Investigative Urban Fantasy is an original, fully fledged, 200-page 2d6 TTRPG from The Agency of Narrative Intrigue and Mystery inspired by The X-Files, Kolchak: The Nightstalker, and much more!

Eureka features investigation mechanics that let players take initiative, use their characters’ unique strengths to find clues, and deduce conclusions themselves rather than to just walking into a room and roll Investigate.

EUREKA’s main focus is on solving mysteries, but the way character creation is meant to be set up means that it is very likely that characters will have a lot of secrets, purposefully hidden from the rest of the group at game start. If you are playing a supernatural creature of some kind, your character will have plenty of reasons to keep their identity a secret. While the group is trying to solve whatever mystery there is, your characters will have to decide just how much they trust each—other, with dramatic reveals possibly prompting some thrilling and suspenseful moments. This game isn’t quite in it’s final form, but there’s a robust community currently play-testing it, and the folks behind the development are very eager to answer questions and help you get a game to the table.

Loyalty, by jackdawfactories.

You are the crew of a deep-space mining vessel who have just been awoken from stasis. You are coming in to land on a previously uncharted planet, and must investigate the nearby cave system for its utility to you - but of course, there’s more to it than that…

Loyalty is a game based on Ridley Scott’s Alien, and combines standard RPG mechanics with a hidden role aspect. Survive the horror you have unleashed while working out who - anyone - is the traitor in your midst.

This is a game in which more than one person could have a secret role. You draw a card from a regular deck of playing cards, and based on what kind of face you have, you are either an android infiltrator, or a human. Because the character creation is randomized, it’s totally possible to have an entirely human crew - but the players won’t know this, and thus the paranoia will still be present.

On top of this paranoia, you’ll be facing off against an alien, and the more you come up against it, the stronger it gets. There’s a win condition, a lose condition, and the possibility to eject a suspect out of an airlock. If you like heightened stakes and no good endings, this might be the game for you.

The Warmest Place to Hide, by Rosie.

The Warmest Place To Hide is a TTRPG homage to John Carpenter's The Thing. 

It is the longest night in Antarctica, and something has made its way inside the research station at which you work. You and your teammates must work together to protect yourselves from assimilation - but when the creature can make itself look like anyone and anything, who can you really trust?

Create a base, populate it with crew, then see if you can survive an alien invasion.

This is the game for folks who want a direct re-creation of The Thing. As this is a Caltrop Core game, the rules are fairly minimal and use dice pools of d4’s. You can roll randomly for your character’s background, and choose an archetype that will give you specific skills and special abilities. You’ll also receive a random assignment of “Human” or “Something Else”. If you are Something Else, you always have to opportunity to take over any dead characters.

I’m not entirely sure how you communicate to players that they are Something Else without alerting the whole table; I’m assuming that this is the sort of game that involves passing a lot of notes. I think it might also be interesting if the GM introduces other threats that could kill players so that the Thing can approach and assimilate them without the players necessarily knowing who’s doing it.

[distant-velleity]

Dancing, dresses, dashing princes—this ball sure has everything, doesn’t it?

a card i drew up for @starry-night-rose's Glimmering Soirée ^^;; voicelines, concept art, and trivia under the cut!

~

After Summon: Big, fancy events aren’t really my thing… I’d rather just blend in most of the time. But—I guess it’s fine if it’s only for one night.

Groovification: Careful—we wouldn’t want anything going wrong on the night of the ball.

Set to Home Screen: Let’s not get into any trouble, alright?

Home Transition 1: I considered wearing a dress at first, but when I thought about it… It’s too much of a hassle. That, and I’m no princess—if I stand out, it’ll be for all the wrong reasons.

Home Transition 2: Royal Sword Academy and Night Raven College students gathered in one venue… I’d better be ready for a fight to break out.

Home Transition 3: You know, I was thinking—next year it’ll be Royal Sword Academy’s turn to host, right? If I’m still around by then, I want to see how they do.

Home, after login: Oh, don’t mind me… I was just practicing my dancing. I’m not one of the Princes, but—hey, why are you looking at me like that? Can’t a guy not want to humiliate himself in the ballroom? 

Home Transition (Groovification): Don’t laugh, but… I-I think I might have lost one of the shoes that came with this outfit. Shoot, Vil and Crewel are gonna kill me… 

Tap Home 1: The other Princes seem fine, but Deuce? I’ve been a little worried that the expectations of the role will be hard on him… Well, hey. I guess it takes a lot of pressure to create a diamond.

Tap Home 2: Azul’s taken to this whole hosting thing like he was made for it, basically. Like it's another business opportunity. Only… his dancing needs some work, I think.  

Tap Home 3: When you think of brilliant balls and Prince Charmings, you don’t immediately think of Yue’er—I mean, Malleus… Well, I guess he is his own version of “tall, dark, and handsome.” 

Tap Home 4: So stuffy… I’m glad I got Crewel to cast some temperature-regulating magic on his coat. How is anyone supposed to enjoy themselves while sweating buckets?

Tap Home 5: …H-Hey, watch it! This outfit’s way fancier than what I normally wear, you know… I don’t want to ruin it.

Tap Home (Groovification): If you want to mingle and have fun, go on ahead without me. I don’t mind too much—I’m not a… y’know, people person.

~

here are the sketches that i made while brainstorming (yes, i was going to put yu in a dress--he would have rocked it imo but i found these really cool suits and changed my mind)

and my references that i got from pinterest :>

in regards to yu having a mostly-black outfit, i... was going to make it mostly white (since his suitor suit is the same light blue as cinderella and i didn't want to get repetitive) but no matter what i did he ended up looking too much like an RSA student 😭 and i wasn't gonna let that happen so here we are. i think the black and gold is a nice contrast regardless... especially for someone who i rarely draw in dark colors

~

last but not least-- guys i remembered my taglist :,): @thehollowwriter @theleechyskrunkly @elenauaurs @nahelenia @casp1an-sea

@boopshoops @skriblee-ksk

[echantedtoon]

Love Is Blind Ch8 Life Now

(Hey everyone. I just wanted to thank everyone who read this far and liked my story enough to read it to it's end. I had a lot of fun writing it and it makes me happy knowing some people loved it enough to read it fully. If you liked this consider checking out my other works. Thanks to everyone for reading this, faving it, or leaving a nice comment. And thank you to Koyoharu Gotouge for creating such wonderful characters and giving me the opportunity to make this wonderful story. Art not mine found on Pinterest.

EDIT: This last chapter might be really short so apologies for that.)

"Are you comfortable, Honey?"

"I am perfectly fine."

Despite his assurances he lifted up his arms to allow his wife to pull the blankets over him more and tuck them around his body to ensure he wouldn't be getting cold anytime soon. You hummed smiling at him before smiling at him. A hand coming out to you and you took initiative and grabbed it. He smiled wider at you, a hand crassessing softly over your knuckles. 

"Tell me what it looks like outside."

"It's chilly outside. Most of the leaves are falling off the trees already since it's autumn."

"Ah. A lovely transition from summer to winter. Such is nature's beauty."

"Yes...And peaceful." He hummed to you in question. "Well, we're free from any responsibilities for now, no one's bothering us, I get to finally have some time with you without someone interrupting-" A small kiss was given to his forehead making him sigh. "And for once the kids are sleeping-"

"DAD!!"

A flurry of footsteps started running up through the next room towards you and before you knew it, your door was thrown open and a small black haired blur came running right in. You barely had time to stop your son from throwing himself into his father's lap and possibly knocking your husband over. The small eight year old squirmed and looked on the verge of tears as you held him up. His watery lavender eyes stared up at you as his arms held out towards his father.

"Kiriya! What on earth are you doing out of bed?"

His response was to point behind him as one of his sisters entered with the hardest scowl a sleepy, cranky eight year old could have. "Kuina, hit me!!"

"Because you won't stop snoring!!," Your daughter shouted back with a point of her own. "You sound like a moose with a head cold!"

"I do not!"

Behind your angry daughter Kinata, Nichika, and Hinaki tiredly poked their heads out of the doorway leading back to their shared bedroom no doubt woken up by their brother's and sister's fighting. Your other three daughters all looked like some stage of tiredness with messy bed heads on their pale heads and either yawning, blinking half asleep, or rubbing their eyes. Your girls seemed to take the most after you with the exception of their father's purple eyes and Kiriya who looked like the perfect copy of his father. 

"You do too!"

"Do not!"

"Do too!"

They would've continued to argue if their father hadn't held up a hand to silence them. The children fell silent as their father tilted his head at the boy in your arms.. Before wordlessly reaching out to pull the blanket back. Wordlessly Kiriya squirmed himself free from your arms to instantly crawl himself into the futon next to his father who only silently wrapped the blanket back around them. Kiriya snuggling closer to him instinctively. ...And then the stomping started. Kuina stomped her way to her father's other side as the two siblings shot dirty looks at one another. Before Kuina crossed her arms, plopped herself on her bottom, and then also laid against their father's other side.

"You two need to be still," Kagaya spoke calmly, "Kuina, we have already talked about your temper. If something happens again, you're going to lose your privileges to town. Understood?"

"Fine."

"Very good. Now both of you sleep. We'll talk about this more in the morning."

You sighed. Well at least that was settled- ?? You blinked as at least three little bodies clambered onto you dragging their pillows and blankets until you're other three girls were either leaning against ikr in your lap in one way also wishing to not sleep alone now that two of their siblings also got to sleep cuddled up with your husband. You blinked before sighing and reaching out to rub their backs. 

"So much for our romantic evening."

A chuckle was your answer back.

[happy-hermit]

HI GUYS I'M BACK ON MY BULLSHIT <333

Have some Scar angst featuring Clockers comfort :) Enjoy!!!

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

Scar kills Cleo.

He doesn’t mean to do it, doesn’t mean to break the rules, doesn’t mean to hurt his own ally. It’s still a shock that he even has allies — it is still something that hits him all over again, every time he opens his eyes and they're still there. 

But Scar kills Cleo. They won’t be there for much longer. 

“You dropped it right on her head,” Bdubs says, solemn, and Scar feels sick. His heart is skipping in his chest, his breath is frozen in his lungs. His hands feel like they’re being assaulted by pins and needles. 

He’s made a mistake. He’d known, of course, that it was only a matter of time, but. Well. Sometimes he likes to pretend. 

He can’t anymore. Not now. Not after that. 

And Cleo didn’t even seem all that mad, is the thing. She hadn’t yelled, hadn’t even frowned, really. She’d been quiet though, at first. And she’d laughed after, but— But people could laugh and still be mad, couldn’t they? And Bdubs had seemed pretty disappointed. 

Scar can’t do anything right. If they hadn’t known that before, they certainly did now. 

Scar kills Cleo.

 That night, he packs his bags. 

It’s not at all hard to sneak out, which is a fun change of pace. Cleo slept like, well, like the dead, and Bdubs had fully mastered the art of sleeping at this point. Nothing short of breaking the bed was going to get him out of it. So Scar just… walks by. He’s got what little possessions he’s collected stored safely in his bag, and the rest he’s left for them. They’ll make better use of things than he will, he’s sure. 

The night is clear and quiet, the same stars as always hanging silently in the sky and watching him while he walks. Those little twinkling lights have been witnesses to every misstep and mistake he’s ever made. He was a bit surprised that one of them hasn’t yet taken it upon themselves to fall out of the sky and end his misery. Though he supposed that might’ve been the moon's true motive. Maybe it had been rude to avoid the inevitable crash. 

Tonight, though, the stars stay where they are, and Scar does not. 

He walks by the Bad Boys burned mansion, the earth around it scorched and bare. He looks up towards the roof for a while, thinking. He almost wants to go up there and find Grian, because at least Grian makes sense. At least Grian hurts him in a way that he is used to. 

Selfish, he thinks, shaking his head and turning away. Grian never meant it; he isn’t cruel. Scar just tends to awaken in people the need to get away, is all. Like how all anyone ever thinks about when carrying a heavy object is a place to put it down. 

Scar wanders for a bit, dodging mobs as he stumbles through the darkness, until finally the sun starts to rise. Scar drops his bag down at the bottom of a hill and sits down heavily beside it, as dim light transitions to golden rays. He’s not going to build on a mountain, he resolves. Not this time. Not when he’s trying not to be noticed.

He eats a quick breakfast of steak and bread,  heavy silence sitting like a cloak on his shoulders, and then he starts carving a hole into the hill. He spends the rest of the day like that, hollowing out a home as hollow as he feels, ignoring the buzz of his communicator in his pocket. Either someone was trying to get a hold of him, or no one had noticed at all. He’s not sure which he would prefer, and so he doesn’t look. He doesn’t look, and he tries his best not to think about it, either. He builds a new base of stone and brick into the hillside, and then he shuts the door behind him and lies in bed and doesn’t sleep. 

There is the steady and faint noise of water leaking through the roof across the room, single drops of water falling in intervals into the bucket he’d placed haphazardly before crawling under the covers. There is the crackling of the oven a few feet away, still warm from the steak he’d cooked earlier. There is the quiet howling of wind from outside, as it tugged on grass and trees and at his door. He can hear himself breathing, can hear it hitch as soon as he becomes aware of it. 

He’s cold, and he shivers, tugging the blanket up further as he stares at the ceiling. There’s moisture stinging at the corners of his eyes, and there is a lump in his throat, and even though there is no one around to hear he still can’t quite break the habit of crying silently.

He wakes up to birds singing, and dried tear tracks on his cheeks. Scar sits in bed for a moment, lost, and then he grabs his hoe and wheat seeds, and he goes outside. 

There are a few pigs on his hill that he spends an hour herding into a pen, and then he finds a good stretch of land and gets to work tilling it. By the time the seeds are planted and watered, it’s mid afternoon, and Scar jumps straight into cutting down a few trees for wood. His muscles are sore and straining, but still he swings the axe. As evidenced by the unintended brutal murder of his pretend mother, he really doesn’t know when to quit. 

At least now with no one else around, there is no one else to hurt. It’s just him. Which is fine, really, because he’s done it before. He knows how it goes. This is how they play the game. 

So Scar is not expecting anyone to come after him. Which is probably why he almost takes Bdubs’ head off with his axe when he’s suddenly just there.

“You’ll clear out the forest at this rate,” Bdubs says casually, very close behind him, and Scar yelps in alarm and spins around mid swing. “Maybe you— Hey, watch it!”

It’s only thanks to Bdubs short stature and quick duck that his head remains on his shoulders, and in the aftermath they stare at each other with wide eyes and heaving lungs.

“Bdubs,” Scar manages, strangled and high-pitched, and then he rapidly clears his throat, pasting on a smile. “You— I didn’t see you there! Not that—”

“If you’re going to make a short joke I will stab you on the spot,” Bdubs grumbles, and he tears the axe out of Scar’s slack hands, throwing it to the ground a few feet away. “I’ve been out all night looking for you, I hope you appreciate the lack of sleep I’ve had to endure.”

Scar stares, awkward smile slipping a little as his mind sluggishly attempts to comprehend the conversation. 

“Why?” Scar asks eventually, interrupting the other’s unintelligible grumbling as he smooths his clothes. “Did I forget something? Or— I didn’t take something of yours by accident, did I?”

Bdubs goes still and looks up, brow furrowed slightly and eyes unreadable. “Did you— You forgot to say goodbye, for one thing!” Bdubs crosses his arms and glares at him. “And didn’t tell us where you were going! And didn’t answer our messages! You— You disappeared!”

He seems angry, or at least frustrated, and Scar’s heart beats a little faster. He doesn’t— He’s confused, is all. He’s not sure what this is about.

“Oh! Well, I thought— I thought it would just be easier, you know?” Scar says, and shrugs like it's no big deal, like his chest isn’t constricting. “So you didn’t have to say it.”

“Oh what are you blabbering about?” Bdubs scowls, but can’t quite hide his confusion. “So we didn’t have to say what?”

“Just— You know.” Scar looks away in defeat, because now Bdubs is gonna make him say it. “So you didn’t have to ask me to leave.”

“...What?”

Bdubs says it like he has no idea what Scar is talking about, like he’s talking nonsense, and something desperate wells up in his stomach and crawls into his throat. He has to make him understand.

“Look, I’m— I may be clueless, but I can still read a room,” Scar says, quick and shaky and filled with false bravado. He tries for a smile, and it sits on his face like a wound would. “Trust me, I know when people have had enough. Just— Let me leave with my dignity this time?” Scar chuckles, like it’s a joke, but it’s a sad little sound, and he can’t look Bdubs in the eyes. “You don’t have to… ask. It’s fine, really. It’s better for everyone like this.”

There’s a long moment of silence, and Scar almost thinks Bdubs already left. But—

“You’re right,” Bdubs says, and something about his voice is strange. Strained and soft. The words land like a blow, but Bdubs isn’t finished. He comes up next to him and touches his arm. Scar closes his eyes. 

“You are clueless,” Bdubs says, still in that gentle, choked tone, and Scar gasps as he’s pulled into a hug.

His hands hover aimlessly over Bdubs’ back for a few long seconds, tears stinging at the back of his wide eyes. His heart is beating fast, and his chest aches, and for some reason, Bdubs is hugging him. Tightly, like he’s not planning on letting go. Like it’s not a goodbye. 

“I killed Cleo,” Scar chokes out, because his throat hurts and he doesn’t really want to say it, but he has to make sure Bdubs knows, even though there’s no way he doesn’t. 

“Yeah, you did,” Bdubs replies easily, and squeezes Scar’s middle pointedly. “She thought it was funny. She’s not mad.” He pauses, and continues a little softer. “We didn’t want you to leave. We don’t.”

Scar lets his hands rest carefully against the other’s back, like he’s not sure he’s allowed. “Please don’t be lying,” he says.

“You called me out for being the Boogey, Scar,” Bdubs says, a bit of amusement returning to his voice. “You know what I sound like when I’m lying.”

“You’re bad at it,” Scar says weakly.

“Exactly. So are you.”

“We make a good team?”

“We do,” Bdubs says, and finally pulls away. His eyes are a little puffy, and Scar blinks in shock. Bdubs grins. “Come on. Let’s go home.”

—-----------------------------------------------------

Their clock tower raises high in the distance, and as they approach, Scar spots Cleo standing outside of it, tapping their foot and checking her communicator. He doesn’t realize he’s stopped walking until Bdubs calls his name in question. 

“She’s really not mad,” Bdubs insists, tugging at his wrist lightly. “Well, maybe that you left, but not about the killing thing.”

“I don’t know, Bdubs,” Scar says, nerves making his voice waver. 

“That’s because I’m in charge of knowing right now,” Bdubs scolds, and Scar finally relents and starts walking again. “Just don’t run away again.”

About halfway up the mountain, Cleo spots them, and her shoulders sag. In relief? 

“It’s past your curfew!” Cleo calls out, and has their hands on their hips when they finally make it to where’s she’s standing. She raises an eyebrow at Scar, who shrinks a little beneath their gaze. “Where have you been?”

It’s like they’re upset that he left, that he wasn’t there, that he was gone, and Scar— Doesn’t know how to deal with that. It is so far outside the realm of his recent experiences that he’s struck speechless, for a moment. Bdubs seems to take pity on him. 

“He thought you were mad,” Bdubs says, nudging Scar forwards a little. 

“So you left?” Cleo asks, as if that’s not the rational conclusion that Scar thinks it is, and he swallows hard, avoiding their eyes. 

“Well, I thought—“ He wrings his hands into his shirt, heart pounding. “I thought you… wanted me to leave?”

Cleo’s face falls, almost imperceptibly, and Scar winces. 

“Why would I want that, Scar?”

His mouth is dry, and right now he really does feel like a little kid in trouble with his parents. 

“I killed you,” Scar says, quiet and ashamed. He’s studying the ground beneath his feet with rapt attention. There is dog fur stuck in the cracks. 

“Yeah.” Cleo shrugs, and Scar glances up in bewilderment. “And Grian, and Jimmy. It was amazing, actually.”

Scar stares, and something in his face must give him away, because Cleo’s softens. 

“I told you I was proud,” Cleo says. “I did mean it, you know.”

“But—“

“Why is it so hard to believe?” Cleo interrupts, voice suddenly commanding, and yet still gentle. It’s something only she can pull off. “Why is— Your first thought is that we want you gone. Why?”

“Because no one wants me around,” Scar snaps, finally fed up, some overwhelming and burning emotion building in his chest as his voice raises. “You know I— All I ever try to do is make allies, but no one ever— Only one person has ever stuck by me, but it was never because he wanted to. He had to.” Scar makes a grand sweeping gesture, manic smile breaking under his trailing tears. He lets out a shaky laugh that’s more of a sob, and he lets his hands fall back to his sides. 

“Everyone leaves,” Scar says eventually, after a few seconds of oppressive silence. “And maybe it’s— maybe I’m made for it, but I don’t—“ His voice breaks, and he closes his eyes. “I don’t want to be alone.”

It’s not something he’s ever admitted out loud. It’s not something he ever really felt like he deserved to feel. 

“Then stay,” Cleo says, and her hand appears on his wrist, cold and careful. “We have a choice, and we want you here.”

“What’s a little death between family, anyway?” Bdubs pipes up, and takes Scar’s other hand. “Just brings us closer.”

Scar doesn’t realize he’s crying again until Cleo lets out a soft sound. 

“Oh, Scar…”

Scar lets out a watery laugh, wiping fruitlessly at his eyes. “I don’t want to leave,” he says, small and tired. “I want to stay.”

Cleo pulls him against their chest, and he buries his face in their shoulder and his hands into their clothes, and his shoulders shake. 

“Good,” Cleo says, sounding a little shaky herself, as Bdubs tucks up against his side and sighs a little in relief. “So do I.”

The sun has long since set, and Scar can feel his eyelids drooping as his emotions finally catch up with him. He feels hollow, but in a good way. Like there’s finally room for something better to take its place. 

They’re still hugging, still standing in the dark in front of their cobbled-together clock tower, and somehow, Bdbubs starts snoring. He’s fallen asleep, leaning against Scar’s side, still standing up. 

“I think it’s time for bed,” Cleo says, laughing quietly, and Scar cracks a genuine smile for the first time in a while. He carefully feta goes himself from Cleo and scoops Bdubs up in one smooth motion, heading for the door. It’s missing something; maybe a doormat. 

When he turns to check on Cleo, she’s still standing where he left them, but she’s staring at the Bad Boys mansion with a stony face and clenched fists. It’s almost like she’s angry at one of them, for something. Scar can't think of anything recent that would’ve justified her anger now. 

“Cleo?” Scar calls, uncertain, and they jolt a bit, turning to look at him. “Are you coming?”

With one last glance at the mansion, she sighs and follows him inside, ruffling his hair on her way by.

“Welcome home,” she says, and Scar feels something in his chest piece back together. 

And, well. That would be a pretty good thing to put on a doormat.

[the-trinket-witch]

Trinket's TWST OCs x Reader Headcanons

(I blame @thehollowwriter for inspiring this one XD)

These Headcanons are a mix of platonic/romantic, ignoring any 'canon' pairings they might already have (Lookin' at you, Al)

His love language is Acts of Service, so when he starts trying to do stuff for you? Keep an eye out. The problem is he's usually friendly to everyone so it's the subtleties to look out for.

To this point he's one to pine after someone. He hopes his actions might speak louder than words, so there might not be an outright 'I fancy you'. The only reason he actively pursued/told Azul outright was because subtlety can be easily dismissed by a guarded heart.

He will insist on public transit if going anywhere if a car is a viable option. Likewise he could come off as obnoxious when it comes to driver/passenger safety. Seatbelt before keys, music isn't too loud, put the phone down, etc.

Oddly, if you really want to know the biggest tell you are In With Him? The mask starts coming off. His chipper, stiff upper lip attitude gives way to a more calm, almost melancholy air. He's gotten comfortable enough with you to open up about certain things, things he hasn't so much 'lied' about so much as 'omitted details to let you make your own truth'.

For as much as they give airs of 'being more mature' than their peers, there's still a 16yr old there. If they start trying to show you some of their art/music tastes, that's def a path of at the very least friendship.

If you find yourselves having a good whinge over something to drink? You're DEFINITELY friends. Being a Prefect is difficult, they gotta let things out somtime and there's only so many suggestions of 'Just Burn them to a Crisp' from Grim that they can take.

If comes a crisis and they feel need to give Grim to YOU? Congrats you now have a relationship with a Prefect.

Ya boi is awkward. He's acutely aware of his size and strength so his attempts to make friends usually has him trying to seem as unimposing as possible. But if he can't, he'll content do just stand off to the side for you

He's not writing or drawing anything lewd, he swears! Catching him sketching you or writing observations is a bit of a tightrope. Either you can make him clam up about how much of a muse you are to him, or you can open the floodgates to more information about human culture (whether you're human or otherwise) that you would have any idea what to do with.

Dates may be sparse at first, as he'd want to go to a local cultural or holiday event with you. Him burying his nose in another journal isn't him ignoring you or his way to call you boring, he's just really invested in the atmosphere (and maybe observing how you're enjoying things to note for later)

Laz is kind of a flirt, so off the bat it'll be hard to tell if he's just being him or if there's anything more.

Like a lot of guys, if he's inviting you to band practice, it's to show off. 'Mira, any requests?'

He loves the idea of being on the road for shows, but deep down he wants someone who is willing to wait for him at homebase, cheering him on. He just needs to prove it's just his music and not his heart that likes to rove.

It should be first and foremost stated that no matter what he says, he has no interest in friends or romantic partners. Less people to share his success with.

However, one can find themselves more often at his side with a few points of navigation.

How gullible are you? How willing are you to ignore the progression in things he asks of you? How much do you need to see a therapist? How well connected are you? These are a few deciding factors in how close the Python will allow you to get.

Depending on what you can give him, he has the means to pull out quite a few stops. Gifts, travel, physical intimacy, it's all in the name of dividends.

Of course, when it comes to wits and intelligence, is where you can genuinely start to 'charm' him instead of the other way around. If you can out-psychology him or evade all his attempts to crack you, while also showing off what you know but aren't willing to divulge, will make him utterly writhe.

He's a king looking for a ruling partner (that isn't going to threaten his status)

Friendships (or 'alliances') are mutually beneficial. He knows just the right balance of give and take.

He can smell a gold-digger a mile off. It's happened enough times he knows all the steps. Because of how often younger folks tend to shoot their shot that way, he tends to go romantically for those 30+.

While he doesn't want a leech on his arm, he doesn't want someone overly codependent either. He's a busy man, so someone with hobbies and a general maturity of independence would be ideal.

Friendly gatherings tend to be part of public events, but he's a busy man so compile your stories into elevator pitches.

'Dates' on the same hand, are typically in those same spaces. hearkening back to a need for maturity, he isn't going to bring someone who's going to get him in the paper for all the wrong reasons.

[ENTRY REDACTED. CANDIDATE NOT AVAILABLE FOR ROMANCE]

TAGLIST: (lemme know if you want added/removed)

@ceruleancattail @squidwen @thecosmicjackalope @vaporvipermedia@writing-heiress

@oya-oya-okay @k-looking-glass-house @thehollowwriter @rainesol @cyn-write

@heartscrypt @honey-milk-depresso @br3adtoasty @jackiecronefield @ruggiethethuggie

@hoboyherewego @achy-boo @oreoskys @oseathepebble @oathofoaks

@tunabesimpin @hamstergal @fumikomiyasaki@valse-a-mille-temps

@hallowed-delights @kimikitti @plutos-hell @thetwstwildcard @atwstedstory

@comingyourlugubriousness @ice-cweam-sod4 @twst-the-night-away @nammanarin

[zigazone]

Iridessa's Quest

Iridessas Quest ✨ (Big Lore Info Dump below)

So here’s what we got told about Iridessa’s Quest ✨:

As we know, neverland is loosing magic and queen clarion sent everyone off on quests (for the 2D script at least, the quests were later removed when the film transitioned to 3D).

Iridessas Quest is really fun. Her quest is to find the flame of courage. She has two firefly friends named Blinker and Gloria. They were basically like Iridessa parental figures.

(Marks Cote's Art, all concept art of the fireflies).

From what I remember iridessa goes into this dark cave to find the flame of courage but she gets lost and the cave begins to darken because never land is losing magic. She eventually gets lost in complete darkness. Iridessa is terrified and it’s not until she figures out how to find the light inside her and gains great courage that she can escape.

Similar to this color script we have here by Fred Cline.

If I remember correctly her quest was one of the first ones to be approved.

Candessa was a really early name given to Iridessa. Mark wasn’t familiar with it so it was probably given from marketing. It seemed like some things had to go through marketing before making it to the film.

(Mark Cote's art - iridessa)

(Background by Bill Perkins)

Mark also mentioned how Iridessas design was what got them approved for the Tinker Bell project.

Specifically this beautiful watercolor drawing by Mark Cote of Iridessa. Marketing thought she was marketable and so they thought the rest of the franchise would be as well.

It's a shame this design specifically was later scrapped by John Lasseter and Bradley Rayomnds Team.

Hopefully, we can get clear scans for you guys so we can share all this amazing art in its beautiful quality. I love Mark Cote's art, his consistency with these drawings and the watercolor is GORGEOUS. Anyway, taking a break from riddles and stuff for the holidays but don’t worry we’ll be back.

Remember believing is just the beginning ✨

[thealexchen]

You know, I’m happy for Max for finally being able to get her photos exhibited, and not have to undo it all because of some tornado, or be denied by some rude New Yorkers.

Now we know she truly made it as a photographer. Just like Chloe said that she would after all this time.

😁📸

Honestly, that is one thing I'm really happy to see. Max was definitely the most career-focused out of all the LiS protagonists and it's really gratifying to see her artistic career take off and her work recognized. And also actually see her work, read the exhibit placards with her professional bio, and use the camera as a player, because it was difficult to see the throughline and thought process behind her photos in LiS1.

I also find Max's photographic subjects so fascinating. The exhibition is called "Walking With Ghosts," and this is the description:

After receiving her first camera at the age of six (a Contax T2), Maxine Caulfield has sought to capture a life that evades explanation. From the recent "green hell" of the recession-era Pacific Northwest to the ancient industrial of the Rust Belt, she has restored meaning to empty places, illuminating the plights of everyday people living on the brink of change. A winner of the IPA award and a National Geographic Fellowship, she is currently Caledon University's Hannah Hellerton Artist in Residence.

In short, it looks like Max became a freelance travel photographer after the first game and has been all over the United States. I wouldn't be surprised if she did photojournalism as well, because the examples point toward raising awareness for environmentalism and poverty in the Rust Belt, and she even won a fellowship hosted by National Geographic (the prestige!!).

However, the actual photos on display are all landscapes. In the reveal livestream, Hannah Telle describes Max like, "She doesn't feel comfortable in any one place, and she's living a nomadic lifestyle, taking photographs of abandoned, lonely spaces. For some reason, anything that's desolate or stark or intense really draws her eye." Max's new artistic obsession with destroyed environments seems to be her way of processing her trauma about witnessing the storm and the people she may have lost, whether or not it destroyed Arcadia Bay. The diner photo "Order Up" is definitely inspired by The Two Whales, for example.

What really intrigues me about Max's work is that it just toes the line between artistic and unnerving... much like her current mental state, where her intense trauma is just beneath the surface. Essentially, Max's photography captures liminal spaces, likely meant to evoke a mix of nostalgia, eeriness, and surrealness in the viewer. Max's photos most definitely include places where people have died, and where most people would be scared away, Max is instead drawn to these sites, as if seeking a big enough creative outlet for her gaping crater of grief. And who else was obsessed with capturing moments of transition between innocence and fear...? None other than Mark Jefferson.

Now, I don't know if D9 will go as far as to delve into the implications of Max's trauma on her morality, but after writing Alex as unambiguously a good person, it could be extremely weighty and nuanced if D9 used Max's art as a reflection of her mental state and show her actively resisting becoming like her disturbed, predatory teacher, which would also tie DE more strongly to LiS1. So far at least, we know she's not obsessed with the macabre like Nathan Prescott was. I don't think her art is mentally disturbed, but D9's interpretation (so far) is a really intelligent way of showing that Max's eye and mind are reflective of someone on the fringes of society. While her work has resonated with artists and critics, it's also not the healthiest way to process her trauma. I think showing the darker sides of her personality (that isn't just a nightmare sequence at the end) could make for some really thoughtful, nuanced characterization. She's already socially separated from most people because of her powers and trauma, so she brings new light to neglected spaces (and likely people, too) in her art.

Also, it's now canon that Max got her first camera when she was six years old, the same year she met Chloe 🥹 Nowadays, Contax T2's go for over $1,000 on Ebay! Even back then, Max was a little artiste who apparently knew how to scope out the most coveted analog camera 😂

[cypionate60mg]

I'm nonbinary and I've always doubted if transition was for me but this blog and other force masc stuff makes me wonder if it is? I don't want to be a man necessarily, but I identify more with masculine terms and I would like to look more masculine in some ways. The idea of someone assuaging my doubts about transition and encouraging me to go through with it is extremely appealing to say the least, but I'm not sure if I would actually enjoy it in reality or just as a fantasy?

Sorry for ranting at you, but your answers to questions always seem so well thought out, so I would be curious to see your take to help me further sort through my Feelings. Thanks for your beautiful art/porn :)

It's difficult to parse a desire for a specific reality from a fantasy if your conception of yourself is involved with a fantasy that requires departure from your current reality. God, that's convoluted. Sorry. I guess a simpler way to say that is: if you hope to change yourself, you can't expect reality to be easily separated from fantasy.

I think you should take some time looking into HRT's effects and uses, if you haven't already. Don't focus too much on an end goal. Even if you achieve some sort of presumed stasis with your gender presentation via HRT down the line, you can still change yourself again. Short-term or long-term, with hormones or other tools.

In fact, you'll have no choice but to go on changing, even if you don't go the gender route. Aging, life events, etc. There are many factors besides HRT that will transform your physical body. This is just one possible transition of many that you can partake in.

So what's 'for you' is highly dependent. Because 'you' is a dependent concept. I hope that's helpful. No need to apologize for sharing. Thanks for watching, as always

[musicfeedsmysoul12]

By music! Question, I was looking for a Drabble you wrote and post, I think it was a WIP about havenfall is for family, about hisashi’s will and how Izuku wouldn’t get anything if he transition or something and I was wondering if you could help me find it?

Inko had been the first to fall for Hisashi’s charm but she hadn’t been the last by far. Sitting in the small police station that Sherriff Hunt had escorted her, Izuku and Mr. Smith to, she figured Martha probably hadn’t been the last either.

“It fits his usual antics.” Inko said tiredly. “The only reason I stuck around was because he’d actively sabotaged my college career and had a lot of money. Leaving would have ruined me even with evidence of him cheating which three of his girlfriends had given me.”

“A real piece of work,” Sherrif Hunt said in disgust. She paused to look at Izuku who was lost in his own world with Inko’s phone and headphones.

“He’s looking up local heroes.” Inko explained. Hunt looked interested, eyes twinkling.

“Really? Does he know any English? My Japanese is rusty, and I’d like to talk about heroes.”

“He knows a fair amount.” Inko smiled as the sherriff easily drew Izuku away. Far enough he couldn’t hear but close enough Inko could see. She was a good woman, Inko could tell.

“Alright so, Hisashi left you and Izuku everything,” Mr. Smith didn’t beat around the bush. “His funeral was last week, but you didn’t come due to…”

“Izuku’s classmates thought it would be funny to push him down the stairs and he broke his arm and leg,” Inko said shortly. The lawyer stared at her in open mouth shock. Inko noticed that the Sherrif seemed to have stiffened briefly to. Enhanced hearing probably. “One of the parents at least felt bad enough to get a relative with a healing Quirk in but it took a while.”

“Oh…” Mr. Smith swallowed. “Okay, so, it makes sense why you’re staying here for a while.”

“Just a few years to handle Hisashi’s affairs so I can arrange to move to a new place in Japan. The house he and his mother lived in is still good, correct?” Inko asked.

“It is.” Mr. Smith nodded. He made a note on some paper he’d taken from his briefcase. “Izuku will inherit a large sum as long… as…” he trailed off. Inko sighed.

“Izuku declared he was a boy when he was four and I never denied him that. Perhaps he’s a little to young for it, I don’t know. Don’t ask me how gender works. I don’t see any harm in letting him explore pronouns and his identity. Maybe he’ll decide otherwise.” Inko sighed. “What did Hisashi put?”

“Izuku cannot go on hormone blockers and has to have a kid.”

“That sounds illegal.” Inko said instantly.

“It actually is thanks to certain laws in Japan.” Mr. Smith told her. “Here in the states it’s still legal so I believe he thought he could do that. However as most of his assets are in Japan…”

“He couldn’t.” Inko let out a breath of relief. “And you didn’t say anything?”

“Told him Japanese law makes that condition null but he ignored me.” Mr. Smith shrugged. “Not my problem.” The rest of the meeting was just discussing the assets. It was a fair amount of money, enough Inko could go back to college herself to finally get that literature degree she’d always wanted and not work until Izuku was in his teens. And Izuku could be well off as an adult himself. And that was just the liquid assets.

“How many houses did he have?” Inko wondered. There were four in America and two in Japan. Along with multiple sets of art and other goods. “Please tell me he wasn’t a villain.”

“Oh no, just shady,” Mr. Smith said. The meeting continued with Inko agreeing to have some companies clean out the houses and sell them, including the ones in Japan as Inko wanted to arrange a new home for her and Izuku. Without memories of her ex-husband.

Some days were better then others concerning him. She missed the man she thought he’d been; the funny and kind man who swept her off her feet when she was young. Who took her dancing and who promised to love her.

The cracks had appeared when she was twenty-five but she didn’t fully notice them until she was pregnant. When Hisashi knew she wouldn’t leave, because she didn’t have a job or any education. Izuku became her whole world and he used it against her.

Inko would never regret her son. Izuku was her pride and joy, a beautiful little boy. But Hisashi knew what buttons to press. It just got worse when Izuku got his diagnosis.

(She hated that word. Diagnosis, like being Quirkless was a terminal illness meant to kill him. It wouldn’t kill Izuku.

Society would. It already tried when he got shoved down the stairs. It tried when Inko had to fight to get anyone to care. When Mitsuki tried to convince Inko that Katsuki had nothing to do with it, when the woman was so obtuse to her son’s actions that she ignored Inko’s worry. When Mitsuki kept defending Katsuki even when proof came out.

When Inko tried to believe Katsuki apologized only to find Izuku sobbing because the blonde had burned Izuku’s arm due to ‘making auntie side against him’. Inko told Katsuki off and she realized how little anyone had seen her son as a person.

All highly illegal and Inko walked away after setting the police on Aldera and the Bakugou family. She blocked them all.)

Inko hadn’t been a saint when she’d learned Izuku didn’t have a Quirk. She’d gone through the motions and had a pity party until she snapped out of it when Izuku came home with tears in his eyes because he got told by a teacher he’d end up on a street corner.

He was five. Inko hated it took that single act of cruelty to wake her up. Hisashi hadn’t been woken up, but he’d been decent enough to keep up the facade.

[loosesodamarble]

Welcome to the Black Bird Part 9: Hector's Luck

Summary: Introducing David as Hector, one of the friendly bussers of the Black Bird. Genre: general Word count: ~850 A/N: @mikuyuuss is the artist behind David's art!

..........

When David got home, he felt lightheaded and ready to vomit. He didn’t bother taking off his shoes as either his roommates would clean up or make him take care of whatever scuff marks he left behind. All David really had on his mind was getting to the bathroom.

The fluorescent lights were too bright. The fan droned low, making his skull ache. At least the water was the right temperature and the feeling of it washing over him felt therapeutic.

David washed his hair three times. And he scrubbed at his skin until it felt raw. All to remove the stink of cigarettes and alcohol. As he rinsed off, David reminded himself to buy new laundry sheets and replace the sachets in his drawers.

He stepped out of the shower and his visage in the mirror greeted him. His hair stuck to his face, framing his eyes and their dark circles. David tried to smile, to relax in his home, but his face was too tired for it.

When David heard that casinos took you for all you were worth, he thought it only applied to the gamblers. But he fell victim as well, though in a much different way.

He wanted to be able to serve customers with a smile. To interact with them and know that his work was appreciated. But all his smiles and friendly banter was wasted on people so drunk on greed that they wouldn’t pay him any mind.

David wanted something else. He wanted to go somewhere else. To be someone else.

…..

The bell of the door chimed and David moved with a skip in his step to greet the customers.

“Welcome, most esteemed Mistresses, to the Black Bird,” David proclaimed.

Though he was a busser by title, “Nero” was giving him more opportunities to work as the front desk host. David felt honored, knowing he was trusted to give customers a good first impression, and so he took to the task with gusto.

It was a trio of customers. One woman had deep violet hair done up in a ponytail, the end of which cascaded past her hips. The second lady had orange locks with some parts transitioning into a summery green shade. The third had mint blue hair, mostly loose save for two buns atop her head.

David performed a bow before rising to say to the guests, “Hector is my name, and seating you shall be my utmost pleasure this evening.” He confirmed that their party was only the three of them and grabbed menus for them. “This way, my ladies.”

“Wow, this place even has a chandelier!” the woman with two-toned hair commented. “The decor in the whole room is lovely.”

“Why thank you,” David responded, grinning. “All this luxury is for lovely masters and mistresses like yourselves.” The comment seemed to bring levity to the trio as each of them smiled a bit wider.

The trio was brought to a table and David helped each one into their chair.

“Your butler should be with you momentar—”

“Oh, it’s not you?” the violet-haired woman questioned. “That’s not fair, you’ve been great to us in such a short time.” She smiled, a bit playful but a bit sad too.

David felt his face heat up and he rubbed the back of his neck. “My lady, you flatter me. But no. Still, I’m glad that your evening with us is off to a grand start!” He gave a small bow before shuffling off to clean up a table.

The heat in his face was reaching his ears. And his heart pounded. All from being wanted. It was silly to think, but he was addicted to that feeling.

…..

Tipsy Roast. A pork roast with a bourbon marinade and plated with caramelized onions and green beans.

At first, David didn’t like the idea of a bourbon marinade. His time at the casino soured his opinion of alcohol. It changed people, making them loud. Reckless. Rude. But the chefs assured him that the cooking process burned most of the alcohol away, only leaving the flavor.

David had never been good in the kitchen but he knew good food when he tasted it.

The pork had a zing to it, at least that was the best way David could describe it. He tasted a bit of the bourbon, toasted and nutty, which made the pork’s flavor fuller. The onion and green beans then rounded out the dish, making the plate complete.

“I never knew alcohol could be used like that,” David remarked to “Johnathan” as the two of them carried dirty plates to the sink after a shift.

“At its most basic, alcohol is a chemical substance,” “Johnathan” explained with a relaxed smile. “How it’s used is what matters. Just like how Lady Nero doesn’t care what our backgrounds are but instead what we can bring to the cafe.” He left David with a nod.

David stood at the sink and thought.

How it’s used, he thought as he started the water. I’m not all that different, I guess…

Back at the casino, David was worked to the bone and treated as expendable. But at the Black Bird, even if he wasn’t a butler, he served with a smile that the customers would reciprocate.

[transthadymacdermot]

can i hear more about mary. how does she get on as a trans woman in whenever. how did she even figure it out. also everything else about her she seems fascinating

Okay so the most important thing to remember about Mary's experience as a trans person is that she wouldn't call herself one because she doesn't know what being transgender is due to being born in the 1700s. her experience with gender, then, is in many ways based on real historical figures with similar experiences such as the Chevalière d'Éon and James Barry, and similar to both of them mostly involves pretending that she's cis around everyone who she doesn't really really really really trust and going to careful lengths to ensure that no one is ever able to out her -- and, tbh, this works pretty well a lot of the time because nobody expects her to be trans and therefore they just think oh well obviously dress and long hair = woman and go about their day.

As to how she figured it out, I don't think she ever had a big moment of suddenly realising per se, I think she just kind of always knew she wanted to be a girl but was never able to act on it until she (as a young teenager) started applying for a job at the local estate where she still works and was "forced" to apply while "pretending" to be a woman out of "necessity" and oops that's too bad mam it looks like I'll just have to be your daughter for the rest of my life ¯⁠\⁠_⁠(⁠ツ⁠)⁠_⁠/⁠¯ such is life so it is. when questioned about it by people who knew her before her transition (very few people as her family is somewhat geographically isolated from the others), she tells them she pretended to be a boy back then in order to help with farm work and is a woman now because she doesn't have to pretend to be a man anymore now that she's on her own (which. is kind of true). as for how she thinks of herself, she tends to take the very catholic route of believing that god just made her a special woman who's different from all the others the same way he gives some people stigmata. the lord can do whatever he wants and to demonstrate it he made a girl with a dick. who give a shit.

Uhhhh what else okay so the only people she's really fully honest with about everything gender-wise are Kathleen (very supportive and thinks it's cool as hell), Eoin (only kinda gets it but is also supportive), her brother Art (nineteenth century Northern Ireland's ONLY trans inclusive radical misogynist), Maguire (doesn't get it at all but vaguely thinks that more women are a good thing), and Sarah (is understanding, at least). her mother is confused and implicitly transphobic whenever they talk about it so Mary tries to interact with her as little as possible. her father HATES it but luckily he's gone most of the time. and her siblings mostly don't know she isn't cis because most of them are younger and don't remember a time when their big sister didn't refuse to bathe with everyone else and go off on her own to use the toilet when she was home. can't think of anything else rn but if I didn't answer any questions u had about this or about her in general just ask ^-^

[farlynthordens]

SKB Short Story 2 - Mushroom Keeper Caravan

summary of a short story published in Dengeki Bunko, vol 62. takes place between v1 and 2.

this is the only short story that had original art with it (above), and I love it so much🥺 anyway...

Milo is taking a bath alone under a cold waterfall. as you do. it’s transitioning into winter, so bathing in the tepid waters isn’t really appealing to most people, but milo seems to be glad that he’s clean.

He gets out of the water and dresses himself. he wonders if bisco is still busy, since he hasn’t shown up yet to take his own bath.

He finds bisco by their camp, helping actagawa finish pulling off the shell layer he’s shedding. once free and feeling better, actagawa goes to play in the river.

B: “I’m beat. He hadn’t shed in a while, so I thought he was done growin’... but looks like he’s still got a lot left to do.” M: “Come on, you should go take a bath! I’ll make lunch in the meantime.” B: “Can’t, still got one more thing to do. Actagawa’s markings came off ‘cause he shed, so I gotta paint those back on before--”

Bisco picks up on a faint noise, then gives a look to milo. they draw their knives just as steel arrows come flying at them. the arrows are knocked into nearby trees, and explode into mushroom clusters.

Actagawa comes to help. he makes a beeline for the waterfall and bashes the cliff with his claws, causing a person who was at the top of the cliff to fall into the pool in front of them.

Milo saves the person from drowning. he and bisco realize it’s a male mushroom keeper. bisco angrily asks if he had come after them for the bounty money, and wants to know which tribe he’s from.

The guy explains that because actagawa had no markings, he thought they were part of some enemy group. he then looks up at bisco... and seems to recognize him?

??: “It’s me, Chaba! Y’know, grandson of Gana from the Tottori tribe. Wow, this takes me back. I used to read to you all the time!” M: (“Do you know him?”) B: (”Uh... maybe... but I don’t remember him at all...”)

Chaba says that his caravan, the entire Tottori tribe, was about 30 minutes behind him while he scouted the path. gana, who is the tribe’s elder, decided that they should all move to Imihama now that it’s become a mushroom keeper refuge.

He’s about to go bring the caravan to their location, but then looks bisco over again and gets teary-eyed. C: “...Man, you really became a right mushroom keeper, didn’t you Bisco? I bet gran will be happy to know that. And I’m sure Jabi is happy too, from up in heaven...” B: “Uh? Wait, Jabi isn’t....!” Chaba runs off without listening.

Slight skip ahead to when they meet up with the caravan. bisco and milo talk with gana as she skillfully paints the mark of the god enbi onto actagawa’s shell. after she finishes painting, she starts smoking from a pipe.

Gana asks how “akemi” is, and bisco tells her that he is not only alive but doing well after having his rusting cured. G: “Monster with the devil’s luck, he always has been. I was lookin’ forward to defacin’ his funeral portrait, but s’pose that won’t be happenin’.” M: (”Who’s Akemi?”) B: (”That’a Jabi - Hebikawa Akemi. If you read ‘hebikawa’ different, it’s ‘jabi.’“ M: (“What, it was just a nickname...?!”) G: “And his little brat, too, just narrowly avoided leavin’ this mortal realm and grew up strong. Guess I should give praise where it’s due. ... You even managed to nab a pretty girl. Well, it don’t matter how strong ya get if ya can’t pass it on to the next generation.” B: “Wait, by ‘pretty girl’, you mean him?”

Milo is uncomfortable under their stares. M: “Um, hello. I’m Milo, Bisco’s--” G: “My, yer even cuter up close. Lemme see yer hands. Do ya know how to use a bow?” M: “Y-yes! Bisco taught me...” G: “Well ain’t that great! At least this kid did somethin’ right finding such a nice wife. But yer just all muscle... ya don’t look well suited to breastfeedin’.” M: “Wife?? Huh? Wait- what...! GYAHHHHH!!”

Gana pinches milo’s chest with incredible strength and milo starts yelling in pain. he doubles over and bisco just stares at him, not knowing what to do or say. he then gets slapped on the head.

G: “Damn fool! Do I gotta hold yer hand to bring ya to yer wife? Don’t ya know we’re havin’ less mushroom keeper kids these days?!” B: “I never fuckin’ said that I got a wife, you old bitch! Jabi retired and this is my new PARTNER! I gotta spell it out?” G: “Oh, is that right? With a face like that, I thought he was a lady! Hehehe... ahaha!”

She bursts into a fit of laughter. everyone seems happy seeing their leader in a good mood. they crowd around bisco and milo, asking them for favors like if bisco can fire a shot for them or if milo can read books to the kids. gana then calls on the tribe to bring out their best alcohol and meat, and of course good food for actagawa too.

Bisco turns red in embarrassment and tries to tell Gana something. B: “Uh... ma’am. Sorry, but I don’t really--” G: “Oh I know, ya think ya won’t like what we got. Don’t worry, I like to drink so I have lots of good stuff. Ya won’t be bored here, I tell ya.” Milo was the only one who knew that Bisco didn’t drink alcohol, and he snickered as he whispered into Bisco’s ear. M: (“It’s okay, I’ll take your drink if you take some of my food. If they bring out centipede karaage, make sure you eat it for me.”) B: (“O... okay. Let’s do that.”) G: “Would yer panda friend like his own tattoo? I’m good at ‘em, unlike the other elders. How about one that gives divine protection from a real strong god?” M: “No way! Really?! Okay, then I also want mine under my right eye here...” B: “Hell no, stop! Calm down, old hag! And stop listenin’ to her, Milo!”

They spend the entire night partying with the caravan, getting strung around teaching people archery and medicine and other things. off to the side, actagawa just quietly ate his food and played in the river.

THE END

Other notes:

Chaba means tea leaf, and Gana (her name written in the story as ガナ) might be a reference to Ghana (ガーナ) chocolates?

[maleyanderecafe]

Glass Mind (Visual Novel)

Created by: Moonrunes3

Genre: Horror

I've been waiting for this demo for a while, and it really does have such pretty art to it. This is another r18 game and while there’s currently nothing sexual or that yandere in the first day, there will be in the future. There is also jump scares in this one so if you’re sensitive to that this is your warning.

In terms of MCs, I do think that this is one I haven’t seen a whole lot in r18 yandere games. Most of the main characters tend to be part time workers in generally low paying jobs so it was interesting see a main character that is more focused on medical student. They seem to have a decent relationship with their parents (something that’s generally not mentioned in other games I’ve played) and while they have a similar personality of being sort of disgruntled and cynical, I do think that is at least more passable in this sense.

The MC starts by moving into a new house to start their new residency at the hospital and decides to go around and introduce themselves to the neighbors. After going to talk to them, they happen upon a neighbor that seems especially isolated, not even getting to know his name or even their face when talking to him. After a short interaction, he slams the door on the MC. After going home, they fall asleep, and wake up wandering the house, with the strange feeling of being seen. The next day, the MC goes to residency to start their training. They talk (or flirt) with a nurse with Evan, where they get transferred to the psychiatric ward. There they meet five patients there and a general overview of what they do at the ward. Meeting there, we meet a patient called Cryptic, asking questions and jump scaring us. Afterwards, everyone watches a movie and the MC goes to buy groceries, meeting with the neighbor. The MC can ask the neighbor, Liu, to have dinner at their place, to which he agrees. The MC makes food and finds a very red faced Liu holding roses in front of their house. We learn a bit more about him, like his hobbies and jobs and before ending the night with a kiss. After Liu returns home, and the MC feels as if there is someone watching them.

Glass Minds as of now is still in a demo state, but I do this the visuals (especially the backgrounds) are incredibly good. I like how when Liu peeks out of his door, we can see his eyes darting around, or even when Cryptic jump scares us. I think it gives the atmosphere of something that's a bit unsettling, along with the jump scare music that plays during each transition. I do like how the backgrounds are drawn since they are very well made with a good horizon line. It's also interesting to see a MC that has a bit of a design, since from what I can tell, there's a bit of a ponytail. Liu is the yandere in this one, but I don't really know what kind of a yandere he is at the moment (it's possible there's more information on their twitter, but I have yet to look through it). I do know that the idea for this game is to have a more realistic yandere, which I'm not exactly sure what that entails. It's possible they might try to have certain diagnosis that is similar to yandere behaviors (like bpd for instance) or if they are just going to have more realistic reactions to yandere behaviors. Considering that each of the five characters the MC meets in the psychiatric ward have diagnosis for different things, it's likely the first part of it. Speaking of five characters, I'm not entirely sure what purpose they serve as of yet. I don't know if the MC will be able to help them, if they will be datable or if they will be rivals for Liu to pick off. Either one sounds interesting though. It also makes me wonder if Liu will be diagnosed with something as well, which would be interesting.

Right now, there's a lot of room for speculation on what will happen, but I do think that personally this is one of the aesthetically better made games (just purely made on appearance) in terms of the r18 yandere vn genre. It's just as of now there is basically no yandere content since it's a demo.

If you are interested in this game, please give it a shot. The demo is short and very nice to look at.