#voicing characters in a visual novel is so much fun you guys. if you can gather up pals and have someone play the game for the first time-

[transgaysex]

god remember jake marshall. from rfta

[goldentriowins]

Trio Headcanons: (will add more later)

HJP:

Bisexual, bigender (he/they/she in varying order)

Mortified at the idea of being anything other than cishet. Went through a really awkward experimental phase w/ gender that he tried to keep secret (and mostly succeeded at)

Pretty androgynous mostly but can sometimes lean more hyperfem or hypermasc

One of the features he finds most attractive abt people is hair. Hair with a nice color, shiny hair, long hair, fun textures, cool styles, etc. It's something he likes a lot about the other two

SO sure that he only has aesthetic attraction to guys and probably only realized it was gay because of a crush or because someone else pointed out to him that he was acting really gay

Has depression & C-PTSD, possibly also DPDR

Likes unusual pets even if he might not get them himself. Both because he finds them neat and because he relates to them a lot (something a lot of people find unlovable being cared for)

Would main Daisy & Yoshi in Mario Kart (& other competitive Mario games)

Likes RPG games

Sleeps in all sorts of different positions but his signature is curling into a ball. Like a bug

Usually little spoon. Happy to either be laid on or to lay on the others. Likes to be in the middle but won't admit to it (they know)

RBW:

Bisexual, cis (he/him)

Very comfortable being a guy but will sometimes do feminine things if it’s really funny (or if the other two can manage to convince him)

Knows absolutely nothing about LGBT stuff and would probably be really uncomfortable about it at first. Not necessarily in a bigoted/malicious way, more so in a "I don't get it" kind of way. He'd get that from Molly, I think

When he's older he still wouldn't understand all of it but he'd be a massive defender of other queer people

Likes curvy girls and athletic guys mostly

I think he'd figure out he was into guys in some form because of Krum, but he wouldn't have the words for it and would bottle that up for years

Has ADHD

Would main Bowser & DK in Mario Kart but would also like the Koopalings

I think he'd really like video games and Muggle superhero comics but would be hopelessly lost trying to keep up with the lore. He strikes me as someone who would like Cyborg (Teen Titans)

Would like SpongeBob & probably other Nicktoons

I know people probably think of Rupert Grint's voice for him but when I hear Stephen Merchant I think of Ron. Especially his line delivery in Portal 2

Sleeps sprawled out. Limbs hitting all edges of the bed, drools if he's sleeping deep enough, snores constantly but not loud enough to be annoying

Usually big spoon or the one the others would lay on. A clinger

Would start getting the names of Muggle things wrong on purpose to annoy the others

HJG:

Bisexual, cis (she/her)

A bit of a pick-me at times but mostly because she has a weird relationship w/ her gender and doesn’t want to be boxed in by the roles/expectations of being a girl

Into gnc ladies. Found out because of Tonks

Mixed race, Black

Definitely autistic. The stereotypical “gifted kid” who always wanted to be the one to exceed expectations. Got told she was mature for her age by some adult in her life and her view of herself hadn't changed since

Would main Toad in Mario Kart or some misc quirky option like Wiggler

I don't feel like she'd be super into video games but I think she'd like some co-op games and visual novels

Likes Ace Attorney. Her favorite character is Mia

Likes murder mysteries in most media

This might be strange but I feel like voice-wise (sorry if you only hear Emma Watson, for some reason I just don't) it'd be kinda like Shiver from Splatoon 3? Of course without the underwater voice filter

Soldier sleep position. Weirdly stiff and doesn't move much even if someone jostles her around

Can be little or big spoon, prefers to just sleep on top of the others like a blanket

Trio:

Both platonic and Romionarry HCs

Would occasionally have a "girls' night" or a "boys' night." This would still just be the three of them, Ron would be an honorary girl and Hermione would be an honorary boy. And Harry is the same either way

For them, these are like nights where they get to indulge in things they might not usually do. So girls night might consist of makeup & outfits & sewing and boys night might consist of sports or masc outfits instead, etc. This would start when Harry realizes he's bigender to give him a safe space to experiment

Hermione knows fuck all about sports and can't play any to save her life, Harry and Ron can't sew for shit, all three of them would suck at makeup but its fun because they suck at it together

Would get together very slowly and it would probably not be something they have a conversation about. It just kinda happens. It'd be official after the Battle of Hogwarts but they'd basically be together the entire time they're friends lol

The more romantic aspects of their relationship would intensify probably mostly during 6th year and in the tent

They'd have a blast playing Jackboot party games. Like Quiplash and Trivia Murder Party

Might like DnD. I think Ron would be a fun DM

[lovelyfirebouquet]

Okay, so. I had this really cute idea that player/MC/(Y/N) is playing GoGM and Jack gets jealous. After all, why play a game about a ghost when his sunshine has a perfect loving ghost right here? Spicy implications but nothing directly explicit. Short (~1030 words) because I’m just getting back into writing and stretching the creative muscles. Criticism and feedback are welcome!

The Groom of Gallagher Mansion and Something’s Wrong with Sunny Day Jack are both 18+ games, minors DNI! Thank you!

--- Leg bouncing excitedly, I adjust my headphones over my ears and grin at the familiar music. Both spooky and jovial, I hum along as I admire the tattered blue wallpaper on the game’s title screen, decorated with roses. The momentary blackness as I begin a new game seems far too long. Taking a gulp from the water bottle Jack had so kindly left on my desk earlier, I let out a tiny, excited cheer and began clicking through dialogue.   Having just recently added voice acting with the new update, I’ve been eager to play all week. Listening along, one line causes me to chuckle.  ‘G-g-g-ghost clown?! No!’ ‘Poor Taylor would be screwed knowing me, poor guy.’  I think to myself, lifting one side of my headphones. The sound of splashing and happy humming from the kitchen told me Jack was still doing dishes, so I fixed the device back on my ear and smiled. ‘Thankfully, my ghost clown isn’t too scary.’  Moving through the familiar dialogue, my character begins their performance and I can’t help but follow suit, dramatically laying the back of my hand to my forehead. “Alas, my poor aching heart!” I grin, leaning back with a theatrical flourish. Before I can give my next line, I hear Jack’s heavy footsteps approach. “Sunshine?” He leans against the doorway, broad shoulders on display in his normal white shirt, his jacket presumably left somewhere in the kitchen. “What are you doing?” “Oh, well,” I pause a moment, a tad embarrassed, “I’m playing a game, actually. Did I disturb you?” “No, of course not.” He flashes his signature grin, slipping his gloves back on as he comes to stand beside my chair, glancing down at the screen curiously. “What kind of game?” “Well..” I’ve explained a fair bit of modern technology to Jack in the months we’ve known each other but disclosing the idea of a romance game still seemed somewhat embarrassing. “It’s a… romantic visual novel, which is just as it says. It kind of acts as a choose your own adventure book, with added sounds and visuals.” He nods along and listens intently, though he raises a brow at the mention of romance. “So, what’s this game about then?” At that I grin, nerd brain taking over as I click idly. “It’s about you and your college friend, Taylor, summoning a ghost in a spooky cursed manor. You make choices to see who you end up with, but I always choose Elias.” Coming to the beginning of Elias’ dialogue, I unplug my headphones and raise the volume, smiling as the familiar line echoes from the speakers. “Alack, alack, what blood is this, which stains the stony entrance of this sepulcher?” I mouth along with the words and click through, watching Elias’ ghostly sprite fade into view. As I glance back at Jack he wears an odd expression, furrowed brows and pursed lips forming a slight pout as he stares at the screen. “Jack? What’s wrong?” I return the game’s audio to its normal level and spin my chair to look at him fully. He studies me a moment, warm brown eyes reflecting unknown emotions. Before I have time to process, he grabs my hand and presses a warm kiss to my knuckles. Immediately my face turns a bright shade of red, heat emanating from my ears as I stutter. “I- you… Why?” Smiling lovingly, he lowers my hand and brings his gloved one to my cheek, brushing his thumb against it. He brings his face closer, pressing his forehead against mine. “Why play a game when I’m right here, Sunshine? Fantasies can be fun, but too much can be bad for you.” His hot breath fans across my face, blue hair tickling my cheek. His body is so warm looming over me. “Maybe you should take a break?~” He hums, tilting my chin upward slowly, taking a single breath to examine my flustered state before pressing his lips to mine. All at once soft and sweet and intoxicating, I find myself leaning into him, reaching upward to hold his hand on my cheek and wrap my arm around his neck. Locked together like this, we kiss until my lungs begin to burn, aching for breath. I pull back first, taking a great gasping breath as I recover. Looking up at him, his cheeks are dusted a light red and his breathing is more ragged than before. My face burns like hot coals as he looks at me, purest love mixed with building desire reflected in his eyes. “(Y/N)?” His tone is sweet, and yet it sends a shiver down my spine. “Yes?” He grasps my forearm gently, pulling me from my seat and carefully guiding me to the bed. My heartbeat thumps like distant thunder as he nudges me, motioning to lay upright against the pillows. Within a moment he straddles me, his arms acting as a heavily muscled cage. Leaning down to my neck, he plants a knowing kiss, murmuring into my skin. “I love you.” I gasp at the sensation, craning my neck unconsciously. “I love you, Jack.” With those words he melts into my arms, peppering me with kisses and divine praises. Our bedroom is filled with laughter as I am enveloped in a warm embrace, arms and legs cocooned under his hold. A sunny grin takes over his features as I weakly wiggle, seemingly proud of his capture. “Good.” He chuckles, leaning down to peck my cheek. Rubbing my arm lovingly, I notice his expression shift subtly as he glances back to the computer, still softly looping the game’s background music. “You know… I’d love to show you just how I feel,” he sighs, running his hands over my sides and gently teasing my inner thigh, “but if you’re busy…” I groan, looking back toward my desk and the sprite of Elias waiting patiently on the screen. Looking back at Jack, acknowledging my own arousal, I make up my mind. “I guess it can wait a liiiiiittle longer.” Jack got off the bed, quickly powering down the computer and fixing the desk chair before returning to his perfect, waiting sunshine. He’d make sure to delete that game later.

[maleyanderecafe]

Honey Hotline (Visual Novel)

Created by: chuiipon

Genre: Horror

Phew, I was really happy to see this game come out since I've been following this artist for a while. It's always really fun seeing people create ocs that are in games, especially now that there's this trend of yandere vns (which I appreciate). Anyways, this is an r18 game and it's a good introduction to the story of this game. If you are interested, you can learn more at @ringringringbananafone.

Honey is the default name, so I'll just be calling them as such.

Honey wakes up after a strange dream in the middle of their college class. They find out that they're going to be part of a group project and Amesy asks them to join their group. Their group consists of her, a guy named Fone and Seon. Fone is a quiet guy who has trouble communicating and writes on a notebook, while Seon seems to be a tidy guy. Amesy suggests that Honey and Fone work together on the slideshow and the two head to Honey's house to finish. The two work on the project together, getting closer with one another until Fone has to go home. Honey fiddles with the slides more until they get a strange recording of someone moaning their name and seemingly masturbating to them. This person sends message after message apologizing and stating that they love honey, asking them to not block them. Honey realizes that with this new phone, the only people who could have sent this message are the three classmates that they're working on the project with. With this, they set out to investigate which one it is. The next day, Honey can go to Amesy, Fone or Seon's place.

Going to Fone's place makes Fone very excited. In his house, Fone reveals that he has a cat named Mallow (Marshmallow), which Honey (and I) enjoy very much. Honey can ask Fone about a lot of different topics like hobbies, what his family is like and why he has a hard time speaking. After hanging out, Honey returns hom.

Going to Seon's place, there is a chance to reveal that Seon is really into anime, which makes him really happy and blurt out a thousand facts about anime. Seon even invites Honey to a convention later before walking them home. Otherwise, Seon and Honey will still have a good time, but won't find out that he's really into anime.

Going to Amesy's house, she offers Honey some cookies and the two talk about various things. We find out that Amesy and Fone are actually cousins and that Fone used to be a very cheerful and extroverted child, but isn't sure what happened to make him the way he is now. Thus the reason why Amesy was trying to help Fone and Honey talk to each other. Afterwards, Amesy offers to bring Honey home on her motorcycle.

After all of that, Honey gets another voice recording stating that they enjoyed their time together today and wishes them a good night. Honey deduces it must be someone who they've hung out with today.

For an introduction, it does a good job of showing off all the different characters, and sets up the mystery of who the person stalking Honey is, though if you follow the creator's blog, you'll find out pretty quickly that it's Fone who is the one sending these messages. It's hinted at as well when Honey mentions that the person sounds raspy as if they haven't talked in a while, as well as when talking to Fone there's the chance to talk about the neighbors, and the recent murders happening, which is awfully suspicious and likely related to Fone. Still, there are other mysteries such as what kind of childhood Fone had to have changed from a cheerful child to how he is now. The artwork in this is very nice, though I'm biased because I really love the art style of the characters.

As for yandere behavior from Fone, there is several that goes on. The first one and most obvious is the message sent to Honey on the first and second day. Based on what Honey mentions about the neighbors, likely is also next door to hear what Honey is saying. There's also the aforementioned murders which are likely tied to Fone, and if Honey refuses to work on the project with Amesy in the beginning, the game will sort of reset, forcing them to be in that team. Ominous messages at the beginning and end of the game also play out, as well as some text files that will spawn inside of the folder depending on what options are chosen. I'm not sure how these breaking the fourth wall things will come to play later as a lot of yandere vns are using them these days, but hopefully it will be a unique idea.

Overall, for a demo, I thought it was an interesting premise. Even though I believe we already know who is the one sending these messages to Honey, I am curious about other aspects of the game. If you enjoy these types of games, please feel free to try it out.

[oh-shtars]

Reach for the Stars! AU QnA:

(Part 2)

Part 1

May I give a reward to @wings-of-sapphire for completely being the cause of Part 2?

LMAO, thanks so much Sapphire! You’re the best ✨🥰

Onto the questions!!

1.) Are there any other ships you’re going to add? (Other than the given Ashueño and royal couple?)

Ashueño and the royal couple (Magnaya? Amnifico? Idk) are definitely there.

Other ships? Well, there is one but you’re going to have to wait and see to find out.

If you’re thinking Halzeema, no not really. Sorry guys 😅

They’re close friends and really fond of each other, but I’d like to put some QPR representation in the back too. As an ace person, I feel like these kinds of relationships need more recognition. :))

…….

2.) Are you adding any new characters in the story? Like for example, I’m adding Evangeline.

Not really?? I guess there would be some random citizens and maybe some mentions of the 7 teens parents, but they don’t really play a major part.

The already existing characters do play very different roles than they did in the canon movie. (For example, Sabino not being Asha’s paternal grandfather and is instead a close friend of Tomás during his time working in the castle.)

But other than that, there’s really nothing new that I know of.

………..

3.) If you could use one word to describe each of the characters of RFTS, what would they be?

Asha = Compassionate

Sueño = Fun-loving

Magnifico = Vengeful

Amaya = Ambitious

Valentino = Bold. Sometimes too bold for his own good.

……..

4.) How long do you predict your story to be? Have you plotted it all out yet or are you more of a “see where it takes you” writer?

Hmmmm, I don’t actually know. Looking at my outline, it looks like it’s going to be quite a long story. Maybe even novel-length. Plus, all the unplanned in-between scenes would add more to it.

Though, I doubt you’ll get bored reading it. I think-

Hopefully not. 😓

When writing, I prefer to really outline my planning because I would HATE to write myself in a corner and not know what happens next. Imagine restarting and rewriting your work T_T.

With a defined plan, I’d be confident enough to just write because I have a guide to follow right next to me :D

But dammit, the middle of the story and what happens in there is killing me.

I DON’T KNOW. AHHHHH HELP-

……..

5.) Is there a certain scene you’re super excited to write? What about one you’re dreading?

There is like one scene where Sueño really loses his sht and me, as the lovely author~, get to have the fun and satisfaction of knocking Mag’s pride down.

Muahahahaha-

I’m also pretty excited to write the “At All Costs” scene and the final battle because DAMN, something possessed me to make up pretty good ideas for them. But I’m also really looking forward to writing character dynamics and how fun it would be for them to interact with each other.

For scenes that I’m dreading to write?

The middle of everything. And.

The Middle.

Did I mention I’m stuck in the middle?

KCNEICJEOFKDKSKS THE FREAKING MIDDLE-

……

6.) How are you going to show the songs/lyrics changes to said songs?

I’ve actually already answered this same question with chillwildwave.

I’m writing them out similar to Anny’s, I guess. I’m no animator, so I can’t really show them visually. I would use gifs and my own drawings to visually show what’s going on though.

I would be either tweaking the lyrics of some of the canon songs or in some certain scenes, pretend there’s a song being sung there and just describe what’s going on.

I might also be using some already pre-existing Disney songs to set the vibe and reference what I’m going for.

Yeaaaaah, sorry I can’t write songs even if my life depends on it. 😭

………

7.) Do you have any sneak peaks you can give us?

Sneak peaks huh?

Hmmmmmmmmmm…..

Okay, maybe some screenshots of my outline and some quotes I wrote down.

Enjoy these random moments of Asha interacting with her family: ☺️

………..

8.) Do you have any voice actors chosen yet?

Actually, I’m pretty fine with the canon voice actors we have now. So they’ll just be voiced by the same people.

(Chris Pine and Ariana were good in their role, change my mind.)

Though I was thinking about this very fun thought on what Sueño might sound like if he could speak. Imagine that! :D

So far, I’ve really just headcanon Sueño’s voice similar to Adam Young, aka Owl City. I love listening to his songs and it’s funny, because I can REALLY envision Sueño singing these songs because it just…fits. ^^

“Shine Your Way” is a pretty cool duet that really fits Starsha in my opinion too. ✨✨

……..

9.) How are you exploring the world building of Rosas?

I’m not entirely sure what you mean with this question. I guess through the use of songs, dialogue and bits of flashbacks and examples of magic?

Sorry if I didn’t answer this right. 😅

………

10.) How much research do you do for your storyline?

*Remembers how I’ve spent around an hour to find a name for Sueño and how I’ve spent ages to find inspiration for the magic rules of this world and a monarch system that isn’t completely historically accurate but enough to make a bit of sense*

…..A normal amount. Why do you ask?

………

*holds hands up*

OKAY OKAY! I’M DRINKING! I’M DRINKING!! 🏃‍♂️💨

………

@annymation @gracebethartacc @emillyverse @uva124 @chillwildwave @tumblingdownthefoxden @spectator-zee @mythartist21

I’m still open to having a Part 3 if you guys are interested :))

[blysse-and-blunder]

in lieu of a commonplace book

saturday, jan 27, 2024

*brennan lee mulligan voice* heeeeeeeelllllllllllllloooooooOOOOOOOOO one and all and welcome back for another thrilling episode of...whatever this is. thank you for being here.

It's 2024! Say hi, intrepid heroes!

reading recently finished:

-orwell's roses by rebecca solnit (audio) - glad I listened, ultimately very gratifying - history, criticism, extremely lush garden-filled prose and love for growing things - nona the ninth by tamsyn muir - felt so much about [redacted] it made me cry. i can unblock ALL THE TAGS NOW - the blue sword by robin mckinley (audio) - catching up on old school fantasy continues -when the angels left the old country by sacha lamb (audio) - beautiful. not not in conversation with good omens but doing something different.

recently begun: -the ministry of the future by kim stanley robinson - can't decide if it's a scifi novel or a policy brief about ways to combat climate change- reading on my mom's recommendation -babel: an arcane history by r.f.kuang - withholding judgment, but i know you probably want me to hate it and so far i don't, really! to my own surprise -the shadow of the wind by carlos ruiz zafrón (audio) - spooky, post-modern but incredibly good at sounding like it is of the time it depicts. many thoughts on the audio book narrator's accent work, most favorable -one corpse too many by ellis peters. wild that i have only just begun reading the cadfael mysteries

listening last week was about discovering and putting on continuous loop the group trousdale on the recommendation of @m2pixie (!) and other trusted friends; the energy, the harmonies! they fill a girl group void i didn't realize i had, it feels like the best kind of throwback, like old chicks or something, some desperately needed bops. exhibit a: bad blood.

today my daylist introduced me to joy oladokun and i'm so glad it did. love her vibe, love this cover art. had to take a picture of my desk, the visuals were so satisfying.

watching the newest series of netflix's lupin!! so far i'm really, really enjoying where this season has been spending most of its time-- the new characters, the new heists, the new stakes. especially fun to watch with friends where we can all shout about the mrs doubtfire of it all, the betrayals, the misdirection, the 'he can't keep getting away with this!.' the original lupin series will always bring back memories of watching it in early lockdown; i'm glad that there's this now to think about and remember instead.

playing hollow knight hollow knight hollow kniiiiiiight. bought it a few months ago when it was on sale, after hanging out and watching @dimir-charmer stream for us a bit, but playing it yourself is a different game. i'm having a blast. it's becoming a problem. i'm having to be so so good and mature in how much i let myself just get suckered in to a full day spent in my little buggy maze adventures. the temptation to keep going until i've made a meaningful advancement of some kind (today: got the longer nail! last time: beat hornet! saved zote the mighty, got the baldur shell charm, and beat the gruz mother!) is very, very real. have also gotten around this by listening to lots of lo-fi hollow knight beats to relax and study to while being 'productive.'

(found this screenshot online, and holy extra health batman)

making pancakes. lots and lots of weekend pancakes. sent a bunch of mail since new year's, and have some new arts and crafts (charcoal pencils!! those little paper cone blender guys! better paper) to fuck around with next time i want to get ~artistic. watch this space.

working on teaching is so all-consuming. it's great, i love it. the course (maps class! if you see that tag, this is that) is going well, i think! first three lectures down. the students i've gotten to know i really like, the material has yet to get old (see one - do one - teach one is so real. i understand this class now, finally, in a way i don't think i did just being the TA, even after three times). it takes so much longer to just copy-paste-change color and font on slides than it should! i've regularly been getting four-five hours of sleep on monday nights before teaching on tuesdays, but it has meant that i don't have the brain space to be self-conscious while i'm 'on', i just. go. having fun selecting teaching 'fits, having (less) fun handling all the students who joined in the second or third week and need help with catching up, but it's not their fault there was a waiting list and lots of turnover.

(petrus roselli - portolan chart of the mediterranean, 1466)

non-teaching: - student letter of recommendation for dental school (DONE) - conference panel proposal (due 1/31) -submit revised conference paper for that prize (due 1/30) -send draft of grant application to A for her to be able to write a letter of recommendation (due IMMEDIATELY WHY ARE YOU ON TUMBLR) (you have until 2/15 to fix it but she needs the draft!) -chapter 3 edits (lmao) -read for that other course you're meant to be the TA for (oops) - give i. feedback on her thing (tonight) -RAship hours (c'mon these are actually paid work, please do them)

[realcube]

YOU GOT: SATORI TENDŌ (time-skip)

˚ʚ♡ɞ˚ matchup for @rav--en / @frostfall-matches

˚ʚ♡ɞ˚ if you would like a matchup, read this!

'distant but pleasant, introverted but not shy (disinterested, takes a LONG time to open up), generally respectful of others but not necessarily kind/sweet, somewhat apathetic (flat affect, rarely has strong emotional reactions, but a majority of the time mood baseline is content/relaxed)'

𓆩♡𓆪 okay so like

𓆩♡𓆪 a big reason i chose tendou for you is because of your personality and how reminiscent it is of ushijima's

𓆩♡𓆪 like y'all might be long lost twins icl 😭

𓆩♡𓆪 and ofc tendou and ushijima are shown to get on really well despite their personality differences

𓆩♡𓆪 bffs even??

𓆩♡𓆪 you'd think because of tendou's playfulness and cheerfulness would clash against apathy and he'd find it demoralising, but really it's shown that it doesn't bother him so much and he will be his rambunctious self regardless

𓆩♡𓆪 so naturally he would get on well with you

𓆩♡𓆪 like he is not the type to be fazed by how distant you might come across, he understands how that is just your demeanour and not a reflection of your opinion of him

𓆩♡𓆪 unlike others who might be put-off by not feeling immediately welcomed

𓆩♡𓆪 but tendou doesn't mind, though he would make it his mission to see you warm up to him a little

𓆩♡𓆪 and also the fact you are a lot more chill and calm than he is would work so much in his favour 😭 like needs a voice of reason (besides ushi) to stop him from going wild lol

𓆩♡𓆪 tbh i kinda hc that moving to paris was just a decision he made on a whim lmao

𓆩♡𓆪 like he was studying in japan to be a regular chef or smth but when he was scrolling on websites to look for apprenticeships related to cooking, he found one in paris for being a chocolatier

𓆩♡𓆪 and he was like 'hell yeah!' and applied bc that sounds cool and chocolate is yummy

𓆩♡𓆪 plus he didn't fully expect to be offered the placement anyway.. but when he was , he appeared at your door, wearing a beret and holding a single rose, "do you want to go to Paris?"

𓆩♡𓆪 (all of that is said in japanese except for 'paris' which is said the french way, like pariee lol)

︵‿︵‿୨♡୧‿︵‿︵

'hobbies: video games (tactics, RPGs, visual novels), anime, drawing (digital, portraits/fanart), painting (watercolor, portraits or landscapes/architecture), baking, cosplay, writing, reading (fantasy, suspense/thriller, psychological, abstract), taking care of houseplants, home/decor DIY projects, hiking, jogging, thrill-seeking activities (an adrenaline junkie).'

𓆩♡𓆪 these next few hcs are gonna be a bit brief but

𓆩♡𓆪 tendou would love to play video games with you , especially RPGs but he seems like the type to play silly joke characters

𓆩♡𓆪 dwarves and gnomes especially !!

𓆩♡𓆪 and he's always gonna be a magic user ofc

𓆩♡𓆪 silly wizard gnomes 😔

𓆩♡𓆪 always protecting you too, he's like your personal bodyguard in video games

𓆩♡𓆪 except for when he gets distracted on side quests.. but he'll really want you to do them with him bc he says they are no fun without you

𓆩♡𓆪 i can imagine tendou is pretty good at drawing himself but still, whenever you draw literally anything, he's like 'zamn they need to hang this in the louvre'

𓆩♡𓆪 probably has one of your fanarts or portraits as the background on his phone 😩 literally even if he doesn't know the show that it's from

𓆩♡𓆪 he wouldn't mind you drawing a portrait of him. he'd be most grateful if you drew him all cute-like , it'd make his heart melt to see that you percieve him in that way

𓆩♡𓆪 however even if you do draw him scary-looking, he'll likely just find it badass lol

𓆩♡𓆪 you can literally do no wrong in his eyes !!

𓆩♡𓆪 he's decent at painting so you guys could to that cute couple thing where you swap a canvas between yourselves and paint something on it , then hand it back to the other person so they can paint something onto it too (pls that's such a bad description but i hope you know what i'm talking about 😭)

𓆩♡𓆪 he would draw things that are super trippy and weird and whimsical like toads with angel wings and mushrooms with cute faces

𓆩♡𓆪 OMG he would draw a toad with angel wings sitting on a big mushroom with a cute face and be like 'this is us btw 🥰'

𓆩♡𓆪 meanwhile you were in the middle of drawing a sky so it looks like they are floating in the air ... 😅

𓆩♡𓆪 aww baking with tendou would be so much fun too but he is so playful about it , he likes to make a bit of a mess

𓆩♡𓆪 sprinkles.. everywhere.. and he is the type to boop icing on your nose with a spoon. and to squish your cheeks while his hands are covered in flour.

𓆩♡𓆪 i am also a firm believer that tendou simply knows how much of what to put into a recipe

𓆩♡𓆪 you'd be like 'erm sweetie the book says to add only one egg, not four?!?'

𓆩♡𓆪 and he's like 'just trust me ;) ' and you do (bc by the time he's said that, he's already cracked the eggs so it's too late not to trust him lol) and those end up being the best cookies you've ever tasted in your life, somehow ?!?

𓆩♡𓆪 it's canon that tendou was picked on as a kid for being weird and looking different so OF COURSE he is going to cosplay now

𓆩♡𓆪 like yes kids used to bully him for having red hair but jokes on them, just means he can do a killer diluc cosplay without spending a penny on a wig??

𓆩♡𓆪 and he'd cosplay with you from any fandom you like, even if it's one he's never heard of

𓆩♡𓆪 and he'd be so excited about it ESPECIALLY if the characters y'all cosplay are canon love interests/couple RAH

𓆩♡𓆪 he'd go crazy !! he'd be picking you up and spinning you about and doing all sorts of poses for the pics

𓆩♡𓆪 say you're more into it than he is though, bc he is probably a casual cosplay enjoyer, he would also be your biggest supporter in taking photos as stuff

𓆩♡𓆪 he'd be sure to get all your right angles and the perfect lighting lol

𓆩♡𓆪 but this commentary while he's doing it is too much and you're always struggling not to burst out laughing

𓆩♡𓆪 'ooh yes, werk it girl! pose with more sass! the blade of the sword really brings out your eyes! fierce!'

𓆩♡𓆪 and the pics do turn out looking good but don't tell him, otherwise it will get to his head and he will quit work as a chocolatier to be a full-time cosplay photographer lol

𓆩♡𓆪 omg tendou would be such a good plant dad 🥺 he'd need an introduction and biography to every single one of your plants and if they don't have names yet, he will be naming them with you haha

𓆩♡𓆪 which , giving them names is cute n all, until you are screaming at him from the living room 'CACTUS EVERDEEN HAS DROWNED!!!'

𓆩♡𓆪 he does care about the plants very much but he is still mindful that they are your babies not his

𓆩♡𓆪 however, if you ever entrust him to water your plants for you while you are busy/away or smth.. o m g.. his heart would implode!!

𓆩♡𓆪 in his eyes, that's as meaningful as a marriage proposal lol

𓆩♡𓆪 oh and i'm just imagining y'all going furniture shoping when you first move to paris

𓆩♡𓆪 but you end up spending the majority of your time in the houseplant section 🤭 trying to pick the cutest one for your apartment

𓆩♡𓆪 he'd also leave notes for you in the leaves or atop the plants , either affirmations and compliments like 'you are strong!' and 'i adore you <3' or just reminders like 'pls replace remote batteries ☹'

𓆩♡𓆪 other thing when you move in, is that there is going to be no shortage of DIY/home projects

𓆩♡𓆪 in fact your lives are basically consumed by IKEA furniture for like.. three months

𓆩♡𓆪 but neither of you really mind; since you find DIY to be a fun hobby and, well, tendou thinks anything done with you is automatically a great time

𓆩♡𓆪 though soon he finds out it's like building life-size lego structures and he likes it himself

𓆩♡𓆪 every night for a solid few months is spent with tendou on the floor of your new apartment, with the tv on, watching your favourite show while building some sort of furniture

𓆩♡𓆪 he mostly lets you take the lead since diy is your forte but he's definitely helpful

𓆩♡𓆪 he likes to nail stuff!

𓆩♡𓆪 also tendou is so on your wavelength when it comes to thrill-seeking

𓆩♡𓆪 he is so down for stuff like rollercoasters, sky-diving, scuba diving, mountain climbing, bungee jumping, paragliding etc

𓆩♡𓆪 but ofc he enjoys them the most with you

𓆩♡𓆪 he's a big screamer though lol but it's cute

𓆩♡𓆪 his favourite out of the aforementioned activities though are definitely rollercoasters and sky-diving bc those are the only ones he can do while holding your hand 💕💞

𓆩♡𓆪 ( i think?? i'm not a skydiving expert but i assume you can hold someone's hand while doing it. tendou definitely grips yours all the way down, only letting go so he can pull the parachute. OR he would hold both your hands so he can look at you in the eyes!! )

𓆩♡𓆪 during rollercoasters, he grips onto your hand for dear life and it almost makes you think he's scared, despite him cheering the whole time, and on-ride pic of him always looking like 😃

𓆩♡𓆪 and you tease him for holding onto you so hard and he gets a little defensive about it like 'i wasn't afraid!! i just .. uh .. didn't want you to go flying out of the ride.. that happens, y'know!'

𓆩♡𓆪 but really he knows you're just joking :P

︵‿︵‿୨♡୧‿︵‿︵

'love languages: physical touch and gifts. physical touch reserved for close friends/partners.'

𓆩♡𓆪 the fact that iirc tendou literally gave ushijima his magazine or smth like that ; king of gift giving 😩

𓆩♡𓆪 he'd let you borrow/give you videos games and books because he wants you to enjoy them as much as he did

𓆩♡𓆪 and he'd be so honoured if you did the same thing for him 😖 so you guys could be in all the same fandoms and fangirl togther lol

𓆩♡𓆪 discussing your fan theories in depth until the sun comes up

𓆩♡𓆪 although it would probably get to the point where you guys exchange books/video games so much that you would lose track of who stuff originally belonged to 😭

𓆩♡𓆪 (but tendou's solution to that is just asking you to marry him so now all your stuff is shared anyway so it doesn't matter :P )

𓆩♡𓆪 his love language probably flacuates between physical touch and words of affirmation but he would definitely start getting you gifts more as soon as he realises you particularly appreciate them

𓆩♡𓆪 but all his gifts are so silly lol bc he has awful taste

𓆩♡𓆪 if you ever mention needing more clothes, he is going to use the fact he knows you like cats and end up buying you something like this

𓆩♡𓆪 it wouldn't offend him if you don't wear it but he would really like it if you did bc he unironically thinks it would look so cute on you

𓆩♡𓆪 omg and bc he knows you like lattes, he'd buy you a thermos but it would be like holographic and shiny and sparkly with a message printed on it like 'stay hyslayted' or 'latte love' that he got off temu for half a shilling

𓆩♡𓆪 but he genuinely doesn't see the issue and thinks he's buying you something super useful

𓆩♡𓆪 as for physical touch , he'd let you initiate whenever you felt comfortable enough to do so tbh

𓆩♡𓆪 like he doesn't have any issue with having to wait months, years even, for you to get familiar and trust him enough to engage in physical affection, because you mean a lot more to him than just the way you feel — you're his friend first, so spending time together makes him more than happy enough

𓆩♡𓆪 that being said, when you do finally start slipping your hand into his while you're walking beside each other, or when you casually run a hand through his hair during conversation, it takes every ounce of discipline in his body to prevent him from JUMPING WITH JOY

𓆩♡𓆪 bc like he's just so pleased and honoured that you trust him enough to be open with him like this 😭 it's so sweet

𓆩♡𓆪 plus, he is very tactful when it comes to reciprocating, although he just wants to squeeze you in his arms like a fluffy stuffie, he refrains from doing so (somehow) and simply leans into the touch

𓆩♡𓆪 in terms of later on into the relationship, when you guys have known each other for 5+ years at least, subtle acts of physical intimacy that i think tenodu would show are booping your nose and kissing your knuckles/up your arm

𓆩♡𓆪 i think he would've got the latter one from his time in france (though idk if they actually do that over there if i'm just being stereotypical 😥 sorry)

𓆩♡𓆪 oh and he takes his hugs seriously!! he's the type of hugger where he will run up to you from behind and scoop you up into his arms and dramatically twirl you around with your feet in the air, like something from a movie

𓆩♡𓆪 bc hearing you're giggles literally means everything to him !! plus, ever since retiring volleyball, picking you up is the only use he has for being 6'1" lol

︵‿︵‿୨♡୧‿︵‿︵

'coffee/dessert for initial chatting and then something active like an amusement park or arcade so i don't have to focus too hard on conversation.'

𓆩♡𓆪 dessert with satori would be so cute

𓆩♡𓆪 and he is so expressive when you show up looking gorgeous, you're gonna be able to see it on his face how star-struck he is lol, jaw literally on the floor!!

𓆩♡𓆪 if this is the first date, i imagine he would be a bit nervous during the chatting but he would slowly warm up to you and start making jokes and messing about

𓆩♡𓆪 and if it's a dessert place, that's a great conversational segue into his love of food

𓆩♡𓆪 but also he's happy to sit there and listen to you talk about anything and everything

𓆩♡𓆪 omg and he is gonna be falling by the time you make him laugh like... stunning and funny!?!? he just can't believe it

𓆩♡𓆪 he'd end up trying really hard to make you laugh to and argubly makes a fool out of himself 😭 but you can tell he's trying

𓆩♡𓆪 though ironically , he is a lot funnier when he doesn't try

𓆩♡𓆪 anyway the phase 2 of the date would honestly be a saving grace for him bc it would help you see him less nervous and more playful

𓆩♡𓆪 at the arcade he'd bring you into those booth horror games where you shoot zombies/dinosaurs or smth , and he'd be so impressed if you do well 😫 literally stars in his eyes while watching you slaughter the undead

𓆩♡𓆪 omgg plss do the photo booth with him too

𓆩♡𓆪 you guys would be so cute..

𓆩♡𓆪 he'd be doing all silly faces and either you'd do the faces too and you'd come out looking twinsss with matching energy

𓆩♡𓆪 or he'd pull a bunch of weird faces and you're still like normal which makes the photos look HILARIOUS bc of the contrast between the two of you

𓆩♡𓆪 it looks like this 🤪 ✌🙂

𓆩♡𓆪and he would put all the fake background on the pics too, so it looks like you guys are in all sorts of crazy places like under the sea, at disneyland or in front of the eiffel tower (omg foreshadowing????)

𓆩♡𓆪 hopefully the photo booth gives two strips of pics bc he most definitely will be keeping one to put in his wallet or in his phonecase

𓆩♡𓆪 OR he would get one made into a keychain for his house keys oml 🙌

𓆩♡𓆪 like you're royalty to him so ofc he needs to rep the merch

𓆩♡𓆪 let all the parisian gals know he is OFF the market

︵‿︵‿୨♡୧‿︵‿︵

'majored in international studies and french in uni w/ minors in psychology and medieval history'

𓆩♡𓆪 this is the major reason i picked tendou for you bc like ?? you speak french and he's going to paris!!!! is that not just perfection??

𓆩♡𓆪 he'd insist you teach him a lil something before he goes

𓆩♡𓆪 and that could be like a fun couple bonding experience

𓆩♡𓆪 he isn't particularly bright though (i think he's canonically in class 2.. also he is literally called the guess monster.. can't imagine that strategy would go down well in exams) so you're stuck teaching him for a while

𓆩♡𓆪 tbh his accent is great though , i think that would be the part of french he'd have the least trouble picking up on; it's just remembering what words mean what and sentence structure and trying to recall the gender of a table

𓆩♡𓆪 so he makes some decent progress before you guys leave, and when he gets there, he's certain he can try learn the rest himself

𓆩♡𓆪 but it's sooo obvious he can't

𓆩♡𓆪 like you see him struggling and stammering while ordering a coffee at a local cafe

𓆩♡𓆪 so you just .. need to step in and do something, he's your bf, after all

𓆩♡𓆪 so you order his coffee for him and the whole time he just starts to the side like ( •̀ ω •́ )✧ nodding along and pretending as though he understands what you're saying (he doesn't)

𓆩♡𓆪 and once you're done he's like 'thanks love but i think i could've done that on my own ¯\_( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)_/¯ '

𓆩♡𓆪 meanwhile you're like.. right..

𓆩♡𓆪 but no , he actually does learn french properly soon enough and the first time he every said he loves you in french is actually like.. a core memory

︵‿︵‿୨♡୧‿︵‿︵

for @rav--en: i was thinking akaashi at first because, similarly to tendou, he's also very unlikely to change his whole personality around a relationship and is independent. however, you'd probably banter better with tendou, as well as you speaking french matching with his career. hope you liked it!

[4ragon]

Can I convince you to play Octopath Traveler 2?

Hello my lovely followers! I have recently run into a problem where I have fallen in love with another video game and do not have enough people to talk about it with. I have therefore decided I’m going to do what I do best and talk WAY too much about the subject for an unreasonable amount of time. 

So! Why should you, dear followers of mine, play this hip new rpg called Octopath Traveler 2?

Well, to put it simply, this game was the most genuine fun I’ve had playing a video game in a very long time!

What is Octopath Traveler 2?

Octopath Traveler 2 is a new turn based action rpg by Square Enix, combining the charm of old school pixel art with modern graphical capabilities to create one of the most beautiful-looking 2D games out there. Like. It’s so pretty! Look at this shit!

It’s so good! Look at that presentation! Great graphics, full voice acting, orchestrated music, just. The presentation, guys!

The Gameplay

Now. Here’s the deal. I am not the most crazy about turn-based rpgs. I like them fine, but they can get very repetitive! Pokemon is a prime example. Rival sends out a Charizard? Well, better go get my Vaporeon and wreck his shit! And yes, I know there’s more strategy behind it, but like. I have never once bothered. At a certain point, the game is just “water beats fire, grind levels until you win” and that’s kind of as much as you need to bother with.

BUT

BUT BUT BUT

Here’s the deal. Octopath (both 1 and 2) is SO much fun. It is the greatest turn based rpg I have ever played. Because it’s no longer about elemental damage and sending out the right Pokemon that a lot of other turn based games use.

In each fight, the enemy has an unknown list of weaknesses, which you can discover as you fight. Each successful attack chips away at their “shield points,” until you can knock the enemy out for one round, weakening their defenses and stopping them from mercilessly beating your ass. (At least until they wake up in the next round and get to attack first.)

There are also boost points which build up each turn, just as long as you don’t use them up. Those either boost the damage on your single attack OR, and here’s the kicker, allows you do use a regular melee attack up to four times.

These two things in tandem open up a HUGE amount of strategizing! Suddenly, it’s not “will my Vaporeon be able to use hydro pump before Charizard uses fly,” it’s “do I use my turn to heal, or do I boost my attacks so I can knock this boss out before he kills me? Do I knock him out now, or do I save my boost points to do one massive attack once he’s weaker? Do I knock all of the enemies out at the same time, or should I stagger it so they don’t all Kick My Teeth In next round?”

It’s about timing! It’s about strategy! It’s like one huge puzzle combined with all of the terror of a normal action rpg! And it’s!!! So fucking fun!!!!

Just. I know most of the people following me are following me for my love of murder mystery visual novels like Ace Attorney, so this may be a bit of a harder sell than if I was trying to convince you all to play Murder By Numbers or Return of the Obra Dinn, but still! It’s not too terribly difficult to get into the game, and hey, it’s turn based! Reaction speed not required.

(Important note: Octopath Traveler OG is also just as fun to play. They added some cool mechanics in 2, and tweaked certain characters’ movesets, but overall, both are just as much fun. Try 8path 1 too! I highly recommend it.)

The Music

I have a running list of games with the greatest soundtracks of all time. We got Zelda of course, we got Kingdom Hearts, Ace Attorney, but Octopath is quickly clobbering its way into my favorites. Every single track in both games slaps so hard. Boss fights? Town music? CHARACTER MUSIC? I mean. Come on.

Come on.

Every song is gorgeous. Fully orchestrated, incredibly well done. I don't know shit about music theory, but 8-Bit Music Theory did a cool video on game one that I think holds up pretty well.

AND, because this game added a Day/Night cycle, most of the songs have multiple arrangements. Even the character themes have multiple arrangements. And I won’t spoil any of them here, but I swear, when Agnea’s final battle track started playing, I had the biggest, goofiest grin on my face. It’s just. It’s so good you guys.

The Story and Characters

Okay. Alright. Here’s where Octopath Traveler 2 goes from good to great. And here’s also where Octopath 2 edges out the first Octopath game. Now, this is not a dig at the original game. Play the original game! I love it so much! The characters are so much fun! The story is wonderful! But Octopath Traveler 2 does everything I wanted the original Octopath to do and more! More character interactions! More story! An endgame that isn’t deeply anticlimactic and actually involves the characters I care about! It’s so good.

Octopath Traveler 2, of course, stars 8 wildly different characters, each with completely different motivations and completely different skillsets, both in and out of battles. Different weapons, different spells, and different ways to interact with the NPCs around you.

And man, I love every single one of these characters so much. I feel like there’s a character for everybody, I’ve seen so much art of basically all of the main cast because every one of them is so different and interesting.

There's a favorite for everyone! We’ve got the dark, broody character, the pure-of-heart character, the character struggling with a dark curse. We’ve got revenge, chosen ones, amnesia, cowboys, one asshole detective who I am a little bit in love with. (Murder mysteries, guys! Come on! That’s my jam!) Often times, there’s usually one character that falls a little flat to me, but I just find all of them so much fun, even the ones with less going on in their backstories. They're fun! They're charming! I love it!

None of these stories are particularly complicated, of course. It’s no Tales game, where the stories twist and turn and build on each other constantly. In fact, by the very nature of this conceit, where no player character is the true main character, they can’t really build the sort of story other RPGs would usually have. Each character’s story is simple, even if they branch into different routes and do slowly start to tie into each other in subtle ways. Sure, there were surprises (and like holy shit to a few of these surprises) but overall, the stories are simple and straightforward.

And yet, even with 8 relatively simple stories, the characters absolutely shine. Sure, I took one look at the character who secretly did that murder in chapter one and went, “Ah. It was absolutely you.” And sure, we had an evil king who was so cartoonishly evil to the point of becoming farcical. But still, these stories didn’t have to be these huge, sprawling, mindblowing paths. They’re about the leads growing and meeting new people and bettering themselves. Each route has its own eclectic bunch of NPCs that bring so much life and color to the world, from the put-upon knight being dragged around by the world’s shittiest cleric to the happy-go-lucky scrivener looking for her big scoop to whatever the FUCK is happening with the Blacksnakes holy shit jesus christ what the actual fu

These stories made me laugh. They’ve made me cheer. They made me sob like a baby. They made me rage so fucking hard that I had to put down the computer for several hours and lay on the ground, which to be fair was absolutely the intended effect but I’m also still so fucking mad about it I swear to god.

PLUS

PLUS PLUS PLUS

Okay, I always say a jrpg with a huge cast rides or dies on their character interaction. Love is found in the found family y’all. And, again, it’s certainly no Tales game, in part because the game isn’t quite as scripted, but there’s still so much. Each chapter has a set number of side conversations between whoever is in your party (which if you miss them you can go back to that chapter in your menu and watch them anyway thank god). Several pairs of characters get to go on fun little side quests together throughout the story. Characters talk to each other during battles, which doesn’t feel like a ton but it really does add so much charm. They feel like friends, and even if they don’t tend to interact during story cutscenes, it feels like their relationships grow and develop over the course of oh holy shit I played 90 hours? Oops. Well. Whatever. That’s fine.

Anyway. That’s my pitch. Play this game. Join me in hell. Come on. You know you want to.

[mejomonster]

Ive been playing Metaphor re Fantazio and. Much to say.

The short of it is though: thank fuck for a NEW game. Really new. Not part of some series, not a sequel or a prequel or a remake, new. New! I would appreciate companies continuing to make new games once in a while! Taking a fucking risk. Thank you.

The long of it is: if you like jrpgs, turn based games, a distinct art concept, and would like to play a game where you live out a life in a fantasy fairy tale esque world where your childhood best friend the prince has an evil curse causing him to slumber, and the man who cursed him in order to usurp the throne has just also killed the King and escalated his power grab by purposely summoning humans* (the most terrifying monster in this world), amd you need to undo the curse on your friend the prince and combat this killer save the world? Then this is the game for you.

It has some vibes that remind me of Drakengard (which I'm fucking thrilled by - the humans as monsters, a world of no magic as this story's own fantasy stories it tells, the banning of technology, the curses and monstrous humans and ancient relics of unknown origin, the fantasy novels in the game of a utopia of an equal world, the very well developed various cultures and political issues), bits that remind me of Dungeon Meshi (the main guy just being a Guy - whom I love a lot - with a regular guy voice and a regular ass height and an ordinary low status elda and just in the plot because he cared about his friend the prince initially! The group you gather as a party, the worldbuilding is very fantasy with some darker elements in their lore but the visuals are very Embrace Colorful fantasy the way Dungeon Meshi is). The politics of it, very heavy politics (you're spending part of the game trying to gather support to be king from the people), the character designs, remind me a bit of Berserk. I get a little bit of Dragon Age Inquisition vibes (but inquisition wasted so much of my time with side quests w no payoff and mundane tasks and no real ending unless i got the dlc so i dont wanna think of it) and Metaphor already is is giving me payoff in story, what I love most, for whatever I do in the game... whether I travel, spend time with a supporter, read a book in the game, do a random task to increase my traits skills, or progress the plot with main story dungeons... I'm rewarded with story and worldbuilding and character stories. I love games like this. In a way, its like Yakuza for me, because Yakuza games also always reward me with story or lore or an activity I have fun doing, so no time in the games is ever actually boring or annoying for me.

The difficulty level of Metaphor, for me, is also awesome. Theres easier modes if you just want a good story (so anyone can enjoy it), and I am able to play on normal and actually manage it! If you enjoy harder difficulties then I cant speak for how good or bad those are, as I'm too chicken to play a turn based jrpg on hard. I dont like level grinding ToT. Normal difficulty so far has not required me to level grind much, just fighting as it comes up in my playthrough has been enough to get me to the level needed to continue managing the main story material.

Give it an hour to see if its your kind of game, there will be story setup and combat by then. Give it until the big assassination attempt, if you want to get used to the feel of the story and if it's going to be something you want to get deep into. Because I'm guessing this is going to be a Persona kind of game in the sense of an 80-100 hour fucking story. I mostly only play 30-50 hour games (except Yakuza and Lost Judgement really entertain me lol so those easily get me playing all the mini games for hours), so for me, I needed to know I was going to be into the story.

I think the game is incredibly charming, plays well, has interesting worldbuilding and story (thats not just surface level - they thought it out well), and the anime cutscenes are cool but throw me (Im used to seeing 5 special ones in old ps2 games, and none nowadays, so i feel like im playing a show for a second every time i get another animated cutscene). Its extremely fun if you were looking for a good fantasy game, with a NEW story and world.

(Again. Im super grateful and excited that this game is not a part of an existing series. Its a whole new world, and that feels great.)

[kiss2012]

ok rwrb thoughts under the cut <3

tbh i had to watch most of this movie with one hand over my eye and i was not. even going to reread the book because i don’t actually care about it much anymore but about twenty or so minutes into the movie? i literally stopped it and skimmed half the book finished the movie and then finished the book. so it’s possible that this influenced my whole experience of the movie but i remembered the book super well anyway and either way i think the thing i would have been most mad about is HOW COULD THEY LEAVE OUT JUNE and who tf is miguel omg. imagine deciding to combine two women into one character just because they “play the same role in alex’s life” and then not even doing it that well. nora isn’t even IN this movie she doesn’t even have a CHARACTER they just shoehorn her and pez together and give them five min of screentime. bea doesnt even have much of a character either i also thought maybe she and nora were going to be friends but no that disappeared after the first 15min. and because june doesn’t exist and because rafael luna doesn’t exist and because nora barely exists (all of whom are the main poc characters in the book btw) alex’s character is not half as nuanced as it could be. his arc about realising he’s bi is totally missing which is great…also his actor’s enunciation was very puzzling at times but i forgive him because of all the times i got distracted staring at his eyelashes and he was good at times tho henry’s actor is probably the best actor in the movie (not a tall bar btw but he’s way better than uma thurman GIRL WHAT WERE YOU DOING WITH THAT ACCENT) and it’s not that they don’t have chemistry or fun sweet romcom moments it’s just that i’m missing so much. romance. im tired of modern romance novels and movies having their leads get together super fast without spending much time on characterization and without even having much capital R-romance in the first place. where is the e-mo-tion in the immortal words of miss carly rae jepsen…like why did they leave out so much of the emails i cannot believe i watched so many random voice-overs and they couldn’t include the emails. also the small random change that bothered me the most is that they changed their first meeting being rio at the olympics to the climate melbourne conference (?????) and made their whole relationship pre-movie a lot less interesting. umm they did good with the interview and their interactions pre and post the cake but then they abandoned all of that half an hour in. do think the physical comedy is always way more fun to watch in a visual medium like that cake scene was hilarious they were just worse at the emotional beats. guys they used bad reputation 😭😭😭😭 i had to pause at that point…i had to pause and recover for ages. the get low scene contained a lot of Choices. the Choices were all very interesting and im not sure what more can be said about them. the beginning was fairly solid then everything sort of went downhill felt like i was watching a train wreck. mildly entertaining and occasionally moving train wreck but regardless a train wreck. btw let no one claim the political commentary in the novel is good but at least it slightly exists. the politics in the movie are completely spineless and extremely confused. yes it’s an amazon prime royalty romcom so what can u expect but they just hovered on the threshold of criticism. when they didn’t actually show a crowd of people supporting them or w/e but just showed the reflection of them in the window i almost started laughing. alex’s speech at the end lacked any subtlety at all and made no sense (why tf would he make a speech coming out + explaining his relationship with henry Before he talked to henry or the royal family???) the script is like constantly having characters say really obvious things. shoutout to stephen fry’s line delivery at least. there was a perfume genius cover of can’t help falling in love (it was supposed to be your song that played there anyway???). what more can be said.

[shxtodxroki]

Match-Up Exchange

These are some BNHA match-ups done for @twilightpentagram for a match-up exchange we arranged! I hope you enjoy your match-ups (pls let me know what you think!), you’ve been super sweet and understanding throughout this exchange and I enjoyed getting to interact with you! Please feel free to visit my blog or my DMs if you ever have any requests for me, or if you just wanna chat! :D

For The Guys, I’d Match You With:

Hitoshi Shinsou! :D

Reasoning:

A lot of the things you mentioned that were important to you just seemed like they’d fit really well with Shinsou’s personality and characteristics to me. From interests and hobbies to things you find important and valuable in a partner, I thought Shinsou matched well with a lot of your major points and I think he’d be the kind of partner who you’d be able to be fully comfortable and happy around! 

Headcanons About Your Relationship:

- I absolutely see Shinsou as someone who really enjoys video games in his free time. Suddenly joining the hero course is stressful since he feels like he’s behind and needs to work extra hard to catch up to everyone else, so video games are a really nice way for him to unwind and let go of that stress for a bit, especially if he gets to play them with you either in co-op form, or just gaming in the same room together or watching one another :>

- I feel like he’d especially like playing visual novels with/alongside you! Idk if you’ve ever watched Game Theory or seen MatPat and Steph play those kinds of games together, but I could see you two having a similar dynamic to them! Making up voices for the characters together and giggling and debating/making the choices together, it’s one of his favorite ways to spend time with you when you both have the time to spare

- He’s also not the kind of boyfriend who ever minds giving you reassurance, in fact he can often tell when you’re feeling a bit down or just in need of a bit of a pick-me-up without you needing to explicitly say it :> And though he’s not especially poetic with his words or anything, he’s more than happy to tell you how much he adores you and how endearing he finds your habits and mannerisms. He makes sure that you always know that you’re the perfect s/o for him, that he loves you more than words and that he could never ask for anyone better than you <3

- Hitoshi absolutely loves whenever you dye your hair with new, fun colors, he always tells you how amazing he looks and if you dye your hair yourself, he’d probably eventually ask if he can help you! He enjoys getting to be a part of the process and helping you, and he loves being the first to see how the colors turn out when you finally get to wash all the dye out :> 

- Shinsou definitely understands your preference for one-on-one conversations vs. bigger group settings, as he feels the exact same way. He’s an introvert just like you, and he especially gets overwhelmed sometimes being around all the hero course students as it’s still a very new environment for him, so he much prefers spending the majority of his free time with you just relaxing in your dorm, cuddling and chatting about whatever comes to mind

- I definitely think that he would also be the kind of boyfriend who you can banter with and tease the way you mentioned. He feels completely comfortable and secure when he’s with you, so he’s very laid back and conversation flows so easily between you two that he doesn’t bat an eye when you jokingly insult or tease him. He also laughs at all your jokes, he loves that you feel comfortable and at ease around him to the point where you’ll crack jokes with him without fear and he genuinely thinks you’re very funny too!

- He’s also very cuddly, you definitely won’t be deprived of touch when you’re with this man. When you first get together he always asks before initiating affection to gain a better understanding of what you’re comfortable with, and he always backs off if you’re not wanting affection on any given day, but generally he loves laying with his head in your lap and having you play with his hair or vice versa, and the two of you tend to be very cuddly when you’re alone together in general

- He’s also the perfect mix between sometimes being assertive and initiative, and also letting you take the reigns a bit more once the relationship is more established. It takes him a bit of time to work up the courage, but I do feel like he’d be able to be the one to make the first move and ask you out, and take charge a bit more at the beginning of the relationship as you get more comfortable. At the same time, though, once you feel more comfortable in the relationship and want to be a bit more assertive and in control, he’s happy to give you that and step back a bit to let you initiate affection and stuff like that more. He’s content either way, and he prefers the nice balance the two of you have found in your relationship :)

- And when Shinsou’s in need of help with academics, since he sometimes struggles to understand the concepts in his regular courses as he spends so much time trying to catch up with hero course work, he’s quick to go to you if you’re not too busy. He knows how smart you are and truly appreciates how you explain things to him in a kind, understanding way without making him feel stupid when he doesn’t understand something <3 It’s very obvious that he feels secure and comfortable around you, and you can always see the way his face relaxes with ease whenever you gently help him with something he’s confused on

- While Shinsou may not be the most outgoing around others, once he’s comfortable with you he loves randomly making flirty comments at you or using pick-up lines when he sees an opening <3 He finds it adorable the way you get so excited when he flirts even when he’s already your boyfriend, and he just loves making you feel loved and wanted whenever he can

Second Choice:

I think if I were to match you with someone else, it would probably be Kirishima! He also seems like he could be a good fit for you as he’s an absolute sweetheart and would be so reassuring and invested in hearing you open up and sharing your interests with him, so I could see him also being a really good partner and think your relationship dynamic with him would be super loving and mutually supportive :D I just thought Shinsou would be a better fit overall, especially since he's more introverted and interested in one-on-one time rather than group events :)

Song For Your Relationship:

It’s You by Ali Gatie <3

For The Girls, I’d Match You With:

Mina Ashido! :D

Reasoning:

I know this could seem odd at first after the Shinsou pairing, since they’re pretty different characters. But while their personalities are different, I think that Mina is also the kind of person who could meet a lot of your relationship needs and values, and I absolutely envision her as the perfect supportive girlfriend for you! 

Headcanons About Your Relationship:

- Mina’s absolutely the kind of person who knows she likes you as soon as she sees you, and those feelings only grow as she gets to know you, so I’m sure she’d have no problem making the first move. She’s a confident, secure girl, and once she’s sure of her feelings she’s quick to approach you and ask you out on a date (And she finds it adorable how you act so casual and chill even when she can tell that internally you’re freaking out lol)

- She also totally loves the fact that you cosplay! She finds it so fun to help search for the perfect outfit or wig or accessory for whatever cosplay you’re in the process of creating, and she always offers to film videos of you in cosplay and acts as your number one hype woman, telling you how awesome you look and how amazing the cosplay is!

- She’s definitely a super supportive, reassuring s/o as well. You don’t even have to ask, and even when you’re not particularly in need of reassurance, she’s just very vocal with her love and is always complimenting you and saying how thankful she is to be with you. She just loves you so much, and she’ll constantly be telling everyone she knows about it (including you)

- Though Mina is extroverted and does enjoy spending time in groups when it comes to her friends, she understands that you don’t tend to prefer that environment as often, and she never forces you to join her and her friends (though you’re always more than welcome to, she loves showing you off and bragging about her amazing s/o). She makes sure to make plenty of one-on-one time with you without anyone else involved, to make sure you feel comfortable and relaxed when you’re with her <3

- Mina’s been known to not be the best at studying and academics in general, but you always motivate her to try harder and she always comes to you when she’s having trouble with her grades. She likes the way you’ll explain something until you find a way to help her understand, and you’re able to push her to getting better (or at the very least, passing) grades because she doesn’t want you to feel like your time helping her was wasted. Plus she loves it when you praise her for even just managing to pass a test, and her not failing gives her more time with you and less time in make-up classes :D 

- Mina’s not super big on electronics, but she loves watching you mess around and experiment with them! She finds it super cool how you understand something so complicated and foreign to her, and she loves watching the excitement and curiosity on your face, so even if she doesn’t understand much herself she still loves watching you fiddle around with them 

- And even outside of that, she totally enables and even encourages you to ramble on and on about your interests and passions as much as you’d like! She has a habit of getting carried away and rambling on when she’s excited about something herself lol, so if she can see there’s something on your mind she definitely probes you and gives you a safe space to chat about whatever you feel like! Plus it makes her feel more connected to you to know about your interests and the things you care about <3

- Even though she’s not much of a reader in general, Mina absolutely loves reading your writing if you’re willing to share! Sometimes she asks if she can see what you’re working on if she notices you writing, and though she never pushes it if you say no, she always takes the time to read anything you do let her see and gives you tons of positive feedback and encouragement :) Your writing is without a doubt her favorite thing to read

- She’s also the type who’s not afraid to banter and tease you, and she takes it in stride if you show the same treatment to her! Once you two find your footing in the relationship and are comfortable with each other, it’s easy to make light jokes while not crossing any of each others’ boundaries and allows you both to be so comfortable and at ease around each other and in the dynamic you manage to form together

- Mina’s another one who you’ll never feel deprived of affection around. The second she learns what you’re comfortable with, she’s the kind of girlfriend who always has her hands on you in some way if you’ll let her. From casually holding your hand in classes if you share them or when walking around together, to having her arm around your waist or shoulders when telling a story about you/the two of you, to collapsing into your arms after a long day of training. She’s very cuddly and forward with affection, so as long as you want it, she’ll never deny you of affection :>

Second Choice:

I struggled a bit more with this one, but of the students I think my next pick for you would be Ochaco! She’s a very thoughtful and generally empathetic girl, and she sometimes also feels a need for a bit of reassurance, so I think the two of you would be able to understand each other quite well and care for each other <3 I decided to go with Mina over her mainly because I figured Ochaco would probably be a bit more hesitant to initiate/approach first, so I thought Mina was a better choice in that regard/overall!

Song For Your Relationship:

No Problem by Nayeon feat. Felix <3

[alicedrawslesmis]

Thinking about how much Tolstoy and Hugo are different...

I didn't read WaP but I did read Anna Karenina and other short stories by Tolstoy before. I like his voice much more than Hugo's and, as a brazilian, I was very tickled by the fact that there were so many similar worldviews between us and these russian writers (him and Dostoyevsky)?? like I would never have expected this, but it's there. Maybe it's cause we're both in the periphery of power but not quite there, whatever that means. Hugo is french and he's writing from the pov of a man at the center of the world and this just doesn't click as much for me as the weird confusing melancholy of being neither at the center nor away from it

However. As much as I love Anna Karenina it felt reeeeally long, much longer than it was. Stuff just kept happening, I had to read about Vronsky's attempt at painting and his and Anna's stint in Italy meanwhile Kostya was doing whatever Kostya does, rinse and repeat again and again and again. I mean that's the most endearing part of Levin as a character that he keeps going through the same breakthrough over and over but Leo, brother, at some point your novel has to end

Anyway with Hugo you at least have some diversity in the writing you know! If the plot is dragging a little he's gonna stop in his tracks to give you his extensive opinion on sewage with some very cool visuals. If Tolstoy was writing les mis the most you'd get is occasionally the story would be narrated by a horse. That's kinda fun but it's nowhere near the time Hugo got way too personal about octopuses and you find out that he has many more issues than you thought

I guess you could say Tolstoy disappears into his writing, he's the invisible puppeteer hiding just offstage letting his characters do the talking, but Hugo is the kinda guy who would be the Tim Curry among muppets and also never lets you forget that they're there to reenact the story he wrote.

Hugo is Hamlet and les mis is his play. Tolstoy is Shakespeare writing both the play and the one within the play, and somehow arriving at the same thing. If that makes sense?

Both are very verbose, but Tolstoy is like that in a completely different way. He's the proof that a book that has a lot of interesting plot can drag as much as Victor Hugo talking about Napoleon

[mythicamagic]

Otomes I played in 2022

I thought I'd do some quickie reviews of otomes I've played recently such as: Hakuoki, Cupid Parasite, Psychedelica of the Black Butterfly, Sweet Fuse, Taisho Alice, Variable Barricade, Theory of Fear, Diabolik Lovers HDB and MB, Birushana, Ikemen Prince, Ikemen Vampire and Ikemen Sengoku.

Whew, I played more than I thought XD remember all this ranting is just my personal opinion.

Aight so Hakuoki:

For the most part I didn't mesh well with this one. The months in game felt pretty drawn out and slow-paced, and I didn't latch onto any of the characters except for the demons. I'm not entirely sure why. I think I just didn't feel like mc belonged there- and that she was way more invested in the Shinsengumi than they were bothered about her. I did enjoy seeing some historical events play out in Hijikata's route, and I liked seeing Kazama show up to wreck shit. Kazama was great, Kazama gave me a few months of brain rot. I did LOVE the music in this game though, dayme it was beautiful, and it goes without saying but the art style of the CGs were gorgeous. I'm glad I played this one because it's seen as a classic but I didn't personally get the hype sadly. I actually watched a playthrough of a fan-translated spin-off game (SSL) and actually PREFERRED it, despite it being just a comedy game. Whats wrong with me?

Best boy: Kazama

Cupid Parasite

I remember having mixed feelings about this one, it was a mixed bag. Pretty ok! I really liked Allan's route and the voice acting was solid. Art style was interesting but it hurt my eyes after a while XD I think for me I just didn't find much of a 'replayability' factor. I enjoyed it fine, but it won't stay with me as one of the special otomes I love, capisce? I just couldn't stand Gil or Ryuki. Raul was fine and Shelby was fine, so overall it was just 'ok' for me.

Best boy: Allan. Really enjoyed Jupiters voice acting tho (from Yangs VA hehe)

Psychedelica of the Black Butterfly

I remember while playing this game my friend hated its art style but man I LOVED playing this one. It felt really unique in terms of atmosphere, with mystery/suspense elements. It took me back to the earlier days of visual novels because I didn't look up a walkthrough for a bunch of this and it led to a lot of frustration and dead ends, but even that was kind of fun to figure out. Loved its twists and turns and bittersweet moments. I also loved having a voiced heroine with Beniyuri (which was one of my first experiences with the feature) and wish more heroines were voiced. Also this one had a BANGING OP, whooo! Reminded me of early 2000's nostalgia cheese, love it.

Best boy: Hikage and Yamato

Sweet Fuse: At your side

Hi um WHY DOES NO ONE TALK ABOUT THIS OTOME? Yeah I think its a bit of a lost gem but if you have a PS Vita, I totally rec buying this one. It's such a fun ride, and with a great MC to boot. The Love interests in this game were all very unusual and not typical otome pretty boyz but I really enjoyed the way they were written. The groups chemistry was great as well. The age gap thing might bother some people though so keep that in mind before playing. Anyway, the setting and plot reminded me a little of Danganronpa 2 and I had a real fun time with it.

Best boy: Mitarashi

Taisho x Alice

Hooo boy people were excited for this on the otome subreddit. I sat down to try it and...

Well, I didnt think it was possible for an MC to ruin my game experience but here we are. I couldn't stand this game's heroine. Yes I understand why she was written that way, yes I enjoyed some of the guys and the end reveal was unique and impressive- but was it worth suffering through Yurika? Mn...possibly not. She seems to be somewhat divisive though and if you can stomach her 'memeing' and 'I'm not like OTHER GURLS' energy as she twirls, winks with both eyes and shouts to the world that she's SOOOO Quirky guyz- maybe you'll like this game. Thing is, even putting all...that, aside, I didn't like her attitude with Red by invading his personal space, and a certain thing she did in the last route made me incredibly uncomfortable but of course it was brushed aside bc she's the HEROINE GUYS.

Best boy: Ryoushi and lil gremlin man Alice- actually while I'm here, if you can stomach the MC, Alice's VA had probably the best performance I've heard in an otome. He was hilarious- and had super great range

Variable Barricade

Boy I was super hyped for this one, it was probably my most anticipated game of the year. Great art style, great common route, great voice acting...and then the routes went on. I've noticed people seem to share the same sentiment that they usually enjoy the boys routes but then shit hits the fan and the boy is insensitive, the main heroine is too harsh or dumb- the boy LEAVES, the guy is manipulative- point is, something sours the routes and they're hard to recover from. I really liked Hibari as a heroine at first but as the routes went on I was actively wanting her to NOT be in a relationship, as she demonstrated time and again that she just wasn't ready for one. I ended up selling this game as soon as I was done with it, which I feel sad about, because I really wanted to like VB.

Best boy: Taiga

Theory of Fear

I don't know why I played this game. XD I actually played a couple of 'indie' otomes like Trapped with Jester, Blooming Panic and Boyfriend to Death (the latter I wouldn't uh...call an otome...plus it awakened unpleasant revelations that I might be into some disturbing tropes so THANKS for that game. Never have I been more uncomfortable with being asked if I'd prefer a Hammer or Drill)

Anywho, Theory of Fear isn't discussed much. It's this awkward lil game with Russian voice acting you can find on Steam. Very 'this is someone's first fanfic' vibes, rife with sexual assault around every corner. Every time Yuki showed up I was like - oh boy here we go again. I found Sadaos route quite interesting in some ways though due to his way of 'fear exposure' and quite literally exposing the mc to her worst fears and mingling that with pleasure. I dunno, a twisted concept that made my brain itch in a good way. The game is bad no doubt about it and I don't rec it but I at least took something away from it. I really enjoyed Blooming Panic though and would totally rec that any day.

Best boy: Sadao- look don't you JUDGE ME

Diabolik Lovers HDB and MB

In keeping with this trend of dark romance stuff that shouldn't make my brain go brrr but does is Diabolik Lovers. It's not English Translated but with the first two games in the series now on Switch, I used fan translations to play through the games and had a grand ole time. This franchise is only for people who like trash men ok. These boys are awful in every way and quite frankly you can't defend any of their abuse or actions BUT... it's fiction. And if you enjoy your fav VAs whispering degrading things in your ear, moaning and blood-sucking noises (wear headphones for these games oml) then you'll lurve this series like I do. I found myself enjoying Reiji more than I thought I would and Shuu a little less than anticipated, considering I used to love him in my earlier fandom days. Subaru remains the undisputed champ though.

Best boy: Subaru

Birushana: Rising Flower of Genpei

This game was aight! Better than Hakuoki in my opinion but I know people will come for my head by saying that lmao. It wasn't a perfect game and holy hell did some battles drag on (hi Benkais route) but it really introduced some unique elements plus the best Rivals/ Enemies to lovers trope I've seen so far in otome with Noritsunes route. I recommend this game just for his route, to be honest. I thought Tomomori would be my favourite but he fell a little short for me.

Best boy: Noritsune and Shigehira

Ongoing- Ikemen Prince, Ikemen Vampire and Ikemen Sengoku

I haven't finished all the routes in these mobile game otomes but yup they're my latest addiction. I'm obsessed.

I think Ikesen is my favourite of the three (I'm not touching Ikerev sorry) because of its writing being stronger in terms of just how fun and lively the world feels. Mc helps in a big way with that, and her chemistry with most of the guys is great to witness. Ikesen's menu layout is defo the worst though and could do with an update.

Ikevamp is aight, I didn't enjoy Comtes route like I thought I would and Leo made me sad but I'm loving Arthurs route, what a good boy. I have no gripes with the layout and the music is cute. I've spent the least amount of money on Ikevamp but still had a great time, which I feel is important if you want to be a free to play player. Also Faust route localisation WHEN?!

Ikepri's layout is the best no contest, everything looks super clean and stylish and the gacha systems are dangerous bc holy hell the cards look so good and pretty. Ikepri has hurt my wallet the most though and I defo feel the most pushed out of all of them to spend money. I think the writing is fine for Ikepri but oddly I enjoy the Events more the Routes themselves?? anyone else feel that way? I like it though, I just need to be stricter on myself not to get sucked into gambling because of it loll

Best girl and light of my life: Ikesen's MC Mai Mizusaki.

Best ikevamp boy: Faust

Ikesen: Mitsuhide or Motonari

Ikepri: Chevalier

[the-dark-elements]

Headcannons - The Dark Elements/The Harbringer Trilogy

Hello all! Since I'm just getting this blog up and running I wanted to start with something simple and easy to interact with. Feel free to add to this list or message me with your own thoughts and opinions.

As mentioned, I do love to talk about this world and these characters so I'm truly down to chat about anything, so don't be shy.

Also, as a reminder this is all for fun. I'm here to have a good time, so if this isn't your cup of tea that's fine.

Without further ado here are some of my personal headcannons:

Trinity has ADHD - this isn't really a headcannon because it's all but confirmed in Grace and Glory, but I like mentioning it.

Danica and Jasmine are Hispanic.

Geoff left after Abbott died. Gideon was hired to replace him as the resident 'tech guy'.

Layla is a Scorpio. I've tried to do the math several times to figure out what her sign would be and based on the timeline she'd have to be either a Scorpio or a Libra. Yes, this is partially me projecting since I'm a Scorpio. (let me know if you think my math's off though).

Sam was autistic. Based on what we see of him he exhibits a lot of the traits of autism. I also headcannon that Layla is on the spectrum as well and that's part of why they got along so well. I feel like she doesn't read social cues or understand social norms very well, and honestly same.

Cayman fell in love with a human once.

Trinity is Bisexual. You can pry this from my cold dead hands.

Roth plays the piano really well. He also has an amazing singing voice. No one outside of Layla and Cayman have heard him sing.

Morris was on vacation during The Harbringer Trilogy. Because seriously where did he go? I loved him in The Dark Elements Trilogy and he was nowhere to be seen.

Layla prefers to stay at Roth's apartment because she can leave and go places without needing to drive. And it's smaller with a cozier feel to it.

Trinity loves The Last of Us. She played the first video game when she was younger and more recently played The Last of Us Part Two. I think she would appreciate the story telling and the fact that part two is the first fully accessible video game for the visually impaired. Yes, this is me projecting again as I love The Last of Us, never played the video games since my mom never allowed us to play violent games, but the storytelling is amazing.

Layla is a book nerd. I mean all kinds of books. Ranging from fictional novels to comics. She spent a lot of time reading when she was younger.

Since Roth and Layla shared Bambi as a familiar Roth's taken on some of her traits. Nothing too dramatic or noticeable, but he'll sometimes have much stronger human emotions.

[yuamusuzuran]

All games I played in 2022. after getting Steam account (in order of downloading and playing):

Cinderella Phenomenon (January 2022-Mid-April 2022)

Something I downloaded to see how my new PC would work with games and I didn't expect to enjoy it so much. Its an otome game/visual novel with a lot of content and non-conventional female MC who actually grows immensly in every of 5 routes, it was such a joy to play. Plus, in every route you discover something new about the world and story. Check it out if you like fairy tale-esque plots and interesting developments! Ranking of the boys/routes: Karma > Waltz > Fritz > Rumpel > Rod

Red Embrace (Mid-April 2022-Mid-May 2022)

It's a BL visual novel. Interesting setting, compelling characters and I have one complaint: its too short. You can literally spend 2 hours on one route (there are 4), but also the story is kinda predictable in this first installment. I liked it though! Especually Dominic's and Rex's routes. A game to play when you want to relax. My ranking of the routes: Rex > Dominic > Isaac > Luca

Maelstrom (Mid-May 2022-Mid-July 2022)

Another BL with interesting setting and a very retro vibe to it! It wasn't explicit to the extent I was expecting, but still made a compelling story and there was some gore that game warns you about beforehand. You really start caring for these guys and their future. Don't take some discussions in it seriously, tho. Also, watch out for bad endings, THERE'S A LOT OF THEM! My ranking of routes (based on personal preference): Jader > Helix > Zheng-Li > Sawyer

Amnesia: Memories (Mid-July 2022-Mid-November 2022)

Probably most famous game on this list, I wanted to play it for a while. It's a typical visual otome game so take some things in ut with a grain of salt and I lost my mind from anger in a few places (fuck Toma, I hate him), but the setting and the whole thing with Orion and the game'e mystery really kept me on edge more than once. My ranking of the boys is: Kent > Ukyo > Shin > Ikki (Toma is not even considered, I want him to burn in hell)

My Burning Heart (Mid-November 2022 - Beginning of December 2022)

Take this yaoi visual novel with a lot of grains of salt, it's not too serious and don't think too much about what's happening in it. It's very enjoyable for relaxation and voice-acting is very good (especially for Sultan and Harun), but yeah, if you want something meaningful and deep, this ain't it. Still very fun! My ranking of routes: Sultan Rashid > Halim > Harun (though I started to like Harun, he's such a sassy and awful bitch)

Currently playing HADES from SuperGiant and I'll probably write about it a lot in the future mostly because I LIVE for this game and will play it religiously for at least half of 2023.

[syrupspinner]

i didnt beat Affogato

they keep calling this magenta-haired lady a bleeding heart

so this games premise is that you're a witch that runs a coffee shop. don't worry it's not cozy. instead you go into people's mind palace and play a reverse tower defense game (tower assault?). I think this is done really well, especially considering how novel it is. the difficulty pacing is a bit spotty (more on that later), but I think it provides a decent challenge overall, especially by the halfway point. I am a little complacent with my cards, though. the game encourages you to switch up your loadout by introducing new cards that synergize really well with certain approaches, like the moon-sun-high priestess[!] deck where you shuffle your cards in and out. but once I fully leveled up some bread-and-butter cards like strength and the world there aren't a lot of combos that don't work well. but hey, that's a good thing! level up and approach with your favorite units instead of relying on the predetermined winning combo. I always value build freedom in an RPG, and this does really well. also, the gameplay itself is just so unique and interesting.

the first thing you'll probably notice about this game is the persona inspiration. you spend time progressing visual novel side stories (with an in game calender) with the NPCs to power up your tarot based rpg minions. personally, I'm one of those people that are super invested in the persona series, but I've mostly experienced it through letsplays and longplays and that kinda thing. the furthest I got was in 4, and that was pretty underwhelming, but I digress. I'm not sure how well this was implemented... I didn't finish any of them until the endgame, and this seemed pretty in line with how the difficulty progressed, but that means I didn't really get a chance to play around with the units you get as a reward. that said, the stories are all still really well written! natalie's felt a bit meandering in the beginning, but most of them felt really directed as fun little side stories that fit the theme of a devil mystery. also, the grand plot with Sera's whole demon shards thing is great, love the episodic nature where you meet new characters and it sets up new gimmicks for the rpg gameplay, great stuff. the dialog can be a little... meh at times, but I found it charming a good 70% of the time, which is a passing grade last I checked

the third genre this game employes, beside visual novel and reverse-tower-defense-rpg is... coffee minigame. honestly, it seemed a little half-baked. you have to make coffee for your social links pretty often, but people usually just want an Americano or sometimes a mocha. seeing all the weird drinks on the menu and the dedicate spice submenu made me excited to play around with orders kinda like VA-11 HALL-A, but people are usually just straightforward about wanting simple drinks, with like one or two exceptions in the whole game. I'm glad it's there, because the coffee shop makes for a good way of justifying Affogato (the character) getting dragged into drama so much and it'd feel a little awkward if there was no interactivity, but I feel like it was ultimately underutilized.

also the art style is cute. I love the chibi tarot guys and the talksprites... honestly the best way I can describe it is like, they look like they were designed like they should been tweening after a 4/5 star gacha pull, but that's not a bad thing per se? they're detailed and have a pretty stylistic feel by anime standards (no shade to anime, but you know what I mean), but it's weird to break the association in my brain.

I also wanted to talk about the voice acting! it's available in both Japanese and Chinese (I assume Mandarin). I don't listen to a lot of spoken Chinese, so it was actually pretty neat! I liked picking up on little linguistic idiosyncrasies, like how they have to pronounce it "Affojato" since Mandarin doesn't seem to have a hard g sound. also, the voice acting just did a good job at fitting and emphasizing the characters. mephista totally stole the show for that, but it helped with stuff like recognising that Dave was meant to be suave and handsome in a way that can't really be conveyed with text without going overboard. so, well done chinese voice actors!

okay. last thing i wanna talk about here - i think the game is good, and you should play it, but there is one level i have been stuck on for days. without spoiling too much, its the level you play with eva after you collect all the shards. its bizarrely hard. im playing on normal difficulty and there are so many things that are designed to kill you instead of challenge you. the level is so big and there are so many of those stupid laser enemies that i could not have any units survive long enough to kill all five(!) boss targets. i have been stuck on this level for days after spending no less than like half an hour on the hardest levels before this point. i had to switch to easy mode, and i think it is a failure on the game's part that it couldnt properly balance the default difficulty.

in addition to that, i only managed to complete 3 out of 5 of the games' social links. the only problem with this is, im not sure how youre supposed to do that with everyone? im pretty sure the game literally doesnt give you enough time to fully level everyone. i only opened the store like twice, and those were both in the morning and the only time you can advance the social links is the evening. i extended every chapter as long as i could by avoiding the boss to keep talking to people, and i still didnt have enough time. now ill need to do an entire second playthrough if i want to get the related achievements, including the one for collecting all the witch cards. i am incredibly dissapointed

the plot took such a weird turn at the end there too, so much stuff about sera just came up out of nowhere, and the turn the chapter takes is so sudden and unfitting in my opinion. it felt like when a show is told that this is gonna be their last season but theyre already halfway through writing so they need to cut stuff and write in stuff thats lets them have some finality

all this worked together to really sour this game for me right at the end. also i lost my save file but i dont hold it against this game, that was my fault. if this was any other game id power through from the start and try again, but this just has too many unfun caveats that im just gonna move on

if this game still sounds neat to you, by all means check it out. this is all just my opinion, and you might click with the game a lot better than i did. the core of the game is pretty solid, its just the execution that ruined it for me, but even that was forgivable until the end. im gonna see what befun studios puts together in the future, maybe a sequel where they iron out some of the flaws would work really well?