#welcome to the fandom

[crystaltoa]

A friend of mine has started reading the Biological Chronicles! Here's their thoughts thus far;

I like your friend.

I'd love to read more of their reactions and I think others would too if you're making a thread or if they feel like putting their reading adventures on Tumblr.

(Having not read the collected version they're reading, I take it the first person sections are that official MNOG walkthrough thing told from Takua's perspective?)

[nic-coughlan]

Slight rant

Tbh, I don't even feel grief. The negative responses are making me feel relieved it's over. People are ruining my happiness and being too much. I like the show, but I hate the fandom

if you watch the show, and not part of the fandom, life is easy.

if you watch the show, and you're part of the fandom, everything is on fire, you're nauseated, you can't eat, and people keep shouting their opinions at you despite not wanting them and you haven't had a good night sleep in roughly three months.

[thestraggletag]

this is @rumbelle-scream! i've been in love with rumbelle since sept. 2023, and i missed getting The Thing when i first started!!!

as a rumbeller 🫡 may i please ask for The Thing? 🥹

One The Thing coming right up!

WELCOME TO RUMBELLE, YOU SWEET SUMMER CHILD. I SEE YOU THERE, SO YOUNG, SO FRESH, SO WOOBIE. LET ME SLOWLY CLASP YOU TO MY BOSOM IN A MOTHERLY WAY.

NOW YOU STUMBLE AROUND, A LITTLE LOST RUMBELLE CHICK NEEDING LOVE AND GUIDANCE, TREMBLING WITH THE FORCE OF A THOUSAND BOTTLED-UP FEELS. NEVER FEAR, FOR WE’LL TAKE YOU IN, SINCE YOU HAVE BECOME

ONE OF US.

WE HAVE TEA, FOR YOUR SHATTERED FEELS. WE KNOW IT HURTS, WE’VE ALL BEEN THERE. MOST OF USE JUST DUMP A LOT OF VODKA INTO THAT TEA. IT���D BE EASIER TO JUST DUMP A TEA BAG INTO A BOTTLE OF SMIRNOFF, TO BE HONEST.

HERE, DEARIE, ARE SOME GIFS I BRING FORTH TO YOU SO YOU CAN BLOG ABOUT YOUR FEELS, AND HOW RUMBELLE RUINED YOUR LIFE AND YOU LOVE IT. TAKE THEM, DON’T BE SHY. YOU WILL NEED THEM, YOUNG PADAWAN. THEY WILL BECOME YOUR NEW LANGUAGE. BE WARNED, LITTLE ONE, FOR THEY ARE OF A SPOILERY NATURE THAT MIGHT HURT YOUR WEE EYES. THEY’RE ALSO AWESOME, SO YOU SHOULDN’T STARE AT THEM DIRECTLY.

LIKE AN ECLIPSE.

OR RUMPLE’S LEATHER PANTS.

AND SINCE THIS IS A PRETTY COMPLEX FANDOM I DIRECT YOU TO A WELCOME PAGE SO YOU CAN GATHER YOUR BEARINGS AND EXPLORE MORE OF THIS MAGICAL LAND OF CHIPPED CUPS AND SEXY SCALY MEN. IF YOU HAVE QUESTIONS THERE YOU’LL FIND ANSWERS. IF NOT YOU CAN ALWAYS SEEK THERUMBELLE TAG, AND POST QUESTIONS THERE. RUMBELLERS ARE ALWAYS THERE TO ANSWER.

ALWAYS. RUMBELLERS DON’T SLEEP.

IF YOU FEEL THE NEED FOR SOME LOVELY VISUAL REPRESENTATIONS OF THE UTTER PERFECTION THAT IS THIS SHIP I DIRECT YOU TO THE RUMBELLE ARTTAG, WHERE MANY TALENTED PEOPLE POST TALENTED THINGS THAT PRODUCE BOTH AWE AND ENVY.

AND LAST, AND THIS IS WHAT I’M KNOWN FOR…

WE.

HAVE.

PORN.

NO, NOT LIKE OTHER FANDOMS. NOT SOME PORN. NOT ANY PORN. WE HAVEALL THE PORN.

ALL OF IT.

EVERY KINK.

EVERY FANTASY.

EVERY POSITION.

FOOD SEX, PEGGING, BONDAGE, S&M (BUT THE REAL TYPE, NO INNER GODDESSES, ALL KINKY FUCKERY), CANE PORN, PRIEST PORN, CANNIBAL PORN, SHADOW!SEX, DADDY!DOM, DOM/SUB, BLOODPLAY, MIRROR-SEX, PREGNANCY KINKS, POWER-SEX, INTERSPECIES SEX, LACTATION PORN, DAGGER!PORN, RAPTOR!PORN, MAGICAL SEX AND MANY MORE.

WE GOT THE SORT OF STORIES WHERE THE DARING SWORD FIGHTS, MAGIC SPELLS AND PRINCES IN DISGUISE ARE EASIER TO BELIEVE IN THAN WHATEVER TANTRIC, MARATHONIC SEX-A-TON RUMPLE AND BELLE ENGAGE IN DAILY IN FIC, WHICH DEFIES THE ENDURANCE OF THE HUMAN BODY AND THE LAWS OF PHYSICS.

I DIRECT YOU NOW TO MY FANFIC REC LIST, WHERE YOU SHALL FIND MANY TREASURES. I ALSO GIVE YOU A REC LIST OF REC LISTS (A LIST-CEPTION, SO TO SPEAK). YOU CAN ALWAYS GO TO THE RUMBELLE FICTAG IF YOU FEEL YOU NEED MORE RUMBELLE PORN FICS IN YOUR LIFE. AND YOU WILL. AND IF YOU WANNA HIT THE MOTHERLOAD OF RUMBELLE FANFICTION CHECK OUT THE RUMBELLE LIBRARY, RIPE WITH DECADENT FICS FOR YOUR PERUSAL.

IN THIS FANDOM WE LIKE TO CELEBRATE WITH FIC, COPE WITH FIC AND START MASSIVE FIC WARS SO THERE ARE SEVERAL YEAR-ROUND EVENTS DESTINED TO BRING FORTH MORE RUMBELLE SEXYTIMES  MOMENTS: THE RUMBELLE SECRET SANTA (ORGANIZED THREE YEARS IN A ROW AND TOTALLING AROUND 350 FICS), FLOOFAPALOOZA (FOR WHEN YOU NEED TO GO ‘AWWW’ DESPERATELY), 50 FIRST HAMBURGER DATES (YES, WE GOT IT BAD), THERUMBELLE CHRISTMAS IN JULY (FOR THOSE LONG HIATUS MONTHS), THEMANTIS DAY MENAGERIE(BECAUSE OUR SMUT NEEDS MORE CREATURES IN IT), THE GREAT RUMBELLE BLOWOFF AND THE RUMBELLE SHOWDOWN. IT ALL CULMINATES WITH THE T.E.A. AWARDS, WHERE WE MOSTLY CONGRATULATE THE WRITERS ON ALL THE SEX, FLUFF AND TEARS (GREAT PLACE FOR NEWBIES TO ALSO SEEK FIC RECS!).

MIND THE SPOILERS, DEARIE.

BUT IF YOU’RE ALL CAUGHT UP YOU SHOULD TOTALLY CHECK THIS TUMBLR WHICH WILL HOLD PRECIOUS TREASURES SO YOU CAN SURVIVE THE SUMMER HIATUS WITH MOST OF YOUR SANITY INTACT.

WE AIM FOR REALISTIC GOALS HERE.

IF YOU HAVEN’T YET DELETED YOUR TUMBLR ACCOUNT AND MOVED TO A COUNTRY WITHOUT INTERNET CONNECTION THEN CONGRATULATIONS, YOU INDEED HAVE THE MAKINGS OF A GREAT RUMBELLER. AND YOU’RE GONNA LOVE IT HERE.

NOW LET ME HOLD YOU GENTLY, SOFTLY, LOVINGLY.

Welcome to the fandom, dearie

[sunshineandlyrics]

💙 Tommy Davis (stood in for Joshua during the LATAM promo tour) reposted the LTHQ vid he took to his IG story, and wrote this about our fandom, 10 April 2024 x

[hostilecandle]

You’ve played the Modern Warfare games, right? I’m new to the fandom and wanted to know if it was worth it actually playing the games versus watching a play through versus just running off vibes and fandom. Is the fandom accurate to the characters? I’ve seen some WILDLY different interpretations of them.

Howdy anon, welcome to the fandom! Sorry if this is a little lengthy but I want to give you a fully honest answer so you feel best suited to what you'd like to do :)

Yeah I have played them! I personally feel playing the games is so better of an experience than just watching a play through because there are so many different dialogue options and decisions you can make in them that you may not likely see in play thorughs during to personal preference and I also felt much more attachment to the characters themselves after having played as them and have to make decisions that directly affect them. Especially for MW and MW2. There are a few missions, specifically in MW, that affected me enough to put the game down for a bit and relfect on decisions I made and the consequencesof them, but when I've watched people play it it doesn't really do anything to me emotionally because i wasnt the one who made that call. (MW3 is honestly just a really expensive dlc tbh and majority of it is cut scenes and videos so you could probably just watch a playthrough of that one for a very similar experience to playing it if you don't want to shill out the 70 bucks though 😅)

That all being said, just watching play throughs is also just fine! And there are several compilations of the different dialogue options that you'd be able to find so you don't have to worry about missing extra context. Someone somewhere will be talking about it :)

As for fandom interpretation of the characters, I personally think they're horrific and not even close to accurate most of the time. The truth is many people in the fandom have neither played the games or bothered to watch a playthrough. They're running off vibes alone and because of that don't understand the canon of the characters or their importance to the story (a common thing you'll see is Gaz being replaced by a warzone operator who isn't in the games or Roach from the og games bc the fandom is under the impression he has no personality when he's actually the character you play as the most and learn the backstory of 😅). Fandoms will do what fandoms will do and everyone will have their own interpretation of the characters, but most are not true to the actual source material in any way here and it can be frustrating at times so I would definitely tread carefully as people like to make headcannons seem like canon.

All and all I hope you have fun whatever you choose, anon! This fandom can be a pretty nasty place sometimes so be careful <3 My blog is always open for questions and is a place that doesn't tolerate harassment over fiction of any kind and I try to reblog from equally cool and chill people that also make awesome fandom content. :D

[thatmultifandomchick]

Welcome to the Goosebumps 2023 fandom we have

-Simps

-Puppeteers

-Autistic individuals

-Tusk fans

-Nostalgic 90s kids

-Gay people

-Furries

-Brit-phobes

-Fanfic authors more talented than the writers of episode 9

-Artists who are way too generous with how they draw their blorbos

[peonierose]

💗 incoming love train! I appreciate you and recognize the amazing presence you have on this site, thank you for contributing to our community! 🌷send this to all the blogs you love! Don’t forget to share the love. 💌💐🌷🌻🌺💐🌸🌹

(I'm new to your blog, but I've read some of your stories on AO3, so I mean it fully 💜)

Hii 🥰🩷

Oh my gosh thank you for sending it back 🥹 I’ve had a rough couple of days so I really appreciate this kind ask 🩷

Really? I didn’t even know my stories where on AO3 that’s so awesome 😍

I‘m really happy you’ve joined the fandom can’t wait to get to know you better 🥰🩷

Hope you have a wonderful day 🩷

[mrsbsmooth]

How does one get into the fandom because idk where to start (I've never wanted to be active in fandom before so I am throwing this at someone who seems like they know what to do)

Bsksksdhahahysu if this wasn’t exactly me in like March last year 😂

Firstly WELCOME!!!! If you’re here and you’ve decided to join the fandom, then I hereby declare that you are now part of the fandom!!!! YAYYY welcome to the fam!!

You don’t have to have played all the seasons, you don’t need to know all the characters. You don’t have to be across all the jokes or memes. We have people who’ve been here since the beginning of S1, we have people who joined yesterday and have no idea what’s going on but are straight up having a great time. If you have questions, or you don’t get a meme or post, ask!!!! This fandom are used to newbies and will happily explain it to you. The only thing you have to do is stay away from the reddit sub (no I’m totally kidding but that really is wise- it gets quite nasty over there)

Here are some ways to get involved: (excuse formatting I’m doing this one handed at 4am, stupid baby)

1: just start reblogging shit. If you’re new to tumblr, it can be a bit overwhelming to start but just start reblogging anything you find funny or interesting. If you feel comfortable you can start throwing in your own thoughts, like replying to posts or adding info/tags when you reblog

2. Make memes/ your own posts and tag them #litg or #love island the game or any of the LITG tags you’ve seen around. Many of us follow the tag and this is a great way to find new blogs. If you go through this tag you’ll also be able to find some great and popular LITG blogs this way. Fortunately the Venn diagram of people who have popular LITG blogs and people who are amazing kind humans is a circle so you’re in safe hands here.

3. Have you thought about joining the discord? Caitkaminski has a link in her navigation post here. It can be a bit overwhelming to start, but if you mute all the channels except the ones you want to take part in it’s a great place to start chatting about the game

4. It’s not everyone’s cup of tea but it’s certainly mine- fanfiction . It’s insane how many talented writers we have in this fandom, like it’s actually nuts. Idk how we managed to attract so many but we did so it’s REALLY worth checking out. You can start in the Love Island tag on AO3 and filter by your preference, or even check out the @litgreadersroom if you’re trying to find a recommendations list for a character (they’re working their way through a lot st the moment!). You can leave a comment, kudos, or even try your hand at writing your own, it’s a great way to get to know the characters more and also to start making friends with the fab writers!

[absolutebl]

Hello! So, I have a LGBTQ/ BL question (I first got obsessed with BL a few months ago and am still learning a lot of things!)

Anyways, I just watched Semantic Error and loved it, but I want to know: is it a thing with most KBLs where they act like being gay is a non issue? For most of the series I assumed it was one of the barriers to them getting together—like internalized homophobia/ lack of social acceptance—and then at the end it seemed like that wasn’t an issue at all. That’s also been true of the (very few) other KBLs I’ve seen and I wonder if that’s pretty typical?

Also, I’m curious what you think about this. I can see why it could be considered a move in the right direction, because it normalizes the gay experience and not every story needs/should be about how hard it is to come out. But also, I live in Korea (I’m not Korean but am married to a Korean), and I can say that this is nowhere near close to reality. Homophobia is basically still the norm here, and to me, avoiding the issue completely feels pretty false and maybe like an attempt to avoid discussing anything controversial?

But also, if I’m being completely honest, my desire for Semantic Error to bring up the issue had a lot more to do with plot development than with representation… I feel embarrassed to say this as a cis-gender, straight female, but I really like the forbidden love aspect of BL. It’s one of the main things that draws me to it, but I feel guilty saying that because it’s sort of like I’m using people’s real lived experience and suffering as a plot point? Or romanticizing it or something? But also, a lot of Semantic Error was about how Sangwoo has to acknowledge and accept his feelings, which would have had a whole nother layer against the backdrop of a homophobic society. Anyways, I’m curious what you honestly think. I won’t be offended if you think my obsession with forbidden love in BL is problematic.

And I don’t mean to say that EVERY story has to be that. I really enjoyed Bad Buddy, for example. Although, I do think it’s kind of funny that in order to keep the forbidden love aspect without making social acceptance of being gay a stumbling block, they basically just reused Romeo and Juliet, probably the oldest forbidden love story there is… lol. I feel like there’s a reason this trope has withstood the test of time. In every love story there has to be SOME barrier to them getting together, otherwise it would be extremely lame 😂

Anyways, I’m really curious to hear what you think!

Short answer, yes. We call the the KBL bubble. I talk about it here:

Here's an older post I wrote about BL and honest queerness (and it's pretty much coming true... except in Korea).

[random-introverted-blog]

I'm really enjoying your fic His Star - His Queen. Haven't played the game to be honest, I just came across your fic looking up obsessive/possessive behavior tags on AO3 and became obsessed with Astarion when I looked at YouTube videos. I don't have a AO3 account so I'm glad you put a link to your Tumblr. Do you have any fic recommendations from AO3 or Tumblr? Are there any fics where spawn!Astaraion and asscended!Astarion are twins?

Wowowow that's amazing! I'm beyond flattered that I helped you discover… well… all of this! Thank you for the compliment, it means so much to me. Glad you found the link to my tumblr helpful!

Well then, welcome to the bg3 and Astarion fandom. I'd be happy to give you a tour! See, this is where we keep all the batstarion content, this is where the Spawn Astarion and Ascended Astarion girlies fight duels to the death and over there is one of their many warzones. You see that in the distance? That's the dark place.

We don't talk about what's in the dark place. But the spot adjacent is where the Astarion fanfiction writers are allowed to see their friends and loved ones! See, we Astarion fanfiction writers are shackled to our keyboards 6 out of 7 days of the week and are only allowed to step away to use the bathroom… maybe even shower.

But I digress. While I love the concept of Astarion having an evil twin, I don't know of any like that. The common concept people go for when writing them in the same space - is that one time traveled from another reality (like HS-HQ). All of my reccomendations are on AO3 and I'll of course link them as we go! Fair Warning! These will have some elements of dubious consent, outright Non-con and/or a wide array of abuse. Emotional, mental, and physical. Please take any tags and warnings the authors use seriously! Read responsibly!

Lose yourself in me by Cesela

Completed and my all-time favorite Ascended Astarion story, hands down. The detailed and immersive writing, and the way Astarion is portrayed, I still reread it all to this day.

The Summary: When an ascended Astarion offers to make you his dark consort, his right hand, his most beloved vampire spawn, you reject the offer. However it appears he was not as willing to give you up as you were first led to believe. Your heart always belonged to the road, yet each twist and turn always brings you right back to Baldur’s gate. To him.

Tav goes on a journey of self and literal exploration after the events of Baldur's Gate and sort of takes up living with Gale in Waterdeep. But Astarion's shadow of obsession stalks her wherever she roams in Faerun. Their dynamic is addicting to read, the push and pull, the dialogue, the way it pulls at my heartstrings. This story had me instantly hooked, and I waited eagerly for every update until the very end. Honestly, just thinking about how much I loved this story could make me feral.

The Price of Freedom by Fawlhacee

Ongoing and dark as hell. It has Gale x Tav pairing that is the evident true pairing. It could surprise me by ending with Astarion x Tav but I'm usually not wrong - I've read enough fanfiction to have a solid idea of where a writer is intending their story to end.

The Summary: One year after saving Baldur's Gate, you and your future husband, the Wizard of Waterdeep, return to Baldur's Gate to announce the news to your parents. What you don't yet know is that your time together is limited, and your former companion will do everything to claim you as his own for eternity

Again, I love the way Astarion is written here. He's an absolute menace that you watch isolate and manipulate Tav into his gilded cage of horrors. The first two chapters are set up chapters with the Astarion x Tav story kicking off in Chapter 3. Starts off eerily pleasant and rapidly descends into dark, twisted and scheming Astarion. Definitely been an enjoyable read!

Oblivion & Obsession by alcetryx

Ongoing and even darker than The Price of Freedom, I think. Right from the gate, you know this is going to be a creepy, twisted ride like a stroll through a haunted carnival.

The Summary: You don't remember the terrifyingly handsome and cruel Vampire Lord of Baldur's Gate, but he remembers you. He insists on holding you to a vow you insist you never made. As the fragments begin to fall into place, you begin to piece together a puzzle. But to do so, you must question what you know, and separate truth from deception. Those who you swore you could trust suddenly appear much less honest.

Tav doesn't remember Astarion and I'm not sure how much I can say about it because of spoilers. It's a somewhat slow simmer until Astarion is actually introduced and not just an ominous, hushed whisper that isn't named. But everything after definitely sends you off on the rollercoaster of Astarion's behavior, emotions and the captor-captive dynamic between them while Tav tries to navigate the danger of him without remembering who he is. Also, the writers update schedule has my head spinning, very consistent, bonus points to them and an extra round of applause.

Bonus for the similar premise: Mirror, Mirror by ElleKhen

It's part 4 of a series but I didn't read the other 3. It's a good read if you're interested in Male Tav x Astarion.

The Summary: Years following the defeat of the Absolute, Church and Astarion have made a new life — a challenging, but happy life — for themselves in the Underdark. But after a ritual goes wrong, Church finds himself waking up in the arms of a different Astarion, in a world where a single decision led to a very different and devastating outcome to their story. While the Astarion and Gale of his world work tirelessly to bring him back home safe, Church fights not just to understand this new world and how his lover has changed in it, but also to retain his sovereignty in mind and body so that he may find his freedom from the elf his other self once loved.

It has Ascended vs Spawn, but they don't really exist in the same reality like in HS-HQ. It's sort of spoilery to say more than that. I will say [SPOILER] that I wish the ending touched more on the trauma that OC Tav would have from the ordeal inflicted on him by Ascended Astarion. As sweet as it is that they can easily identify the difference between Spawn and Ascended and reconcile it. There's just something sweeter about struggling with your trauma and having a supportive partner, and finding your happiness with them despite it [END SPOILERS]

Those are the three that come to mind and I'm sure I could recommend more, but I know this answer is really long already. Thank you again, so much! I'm stunned and flattered by your compliment that I'm sort of at a loss for words <3 Hopefully those recommendations are what you're looking for!

BEFORE YOU GUYS GET ON ME FOR NOT RECOMENDING OTHER LARGER STORIES: I haven't read Hellish, and I haven't kept up with Unravel. It's not that I don't like those stories or the authors, I actually like their blogs but I don't know them personally or anything. So that they're not mentioned is nothing against them. Besides, those are stories larger than HS-HQ or the ones I listed, even including Lose yourself in me to an extent. Give the smaller guys a chance out here.

I've been in fandoms where my work would be buried under the much larger stories. Only to have someone somewhat higher on the totem pole give me a shout-out or something and pull my fic up to breathe. So let me try to be that for them.

[yumomia]

THANK YOU THANK YOU FINALLY A MIA AND ME PERSON

OMG HIIII

do...do you like fanfic? i write a Lot of fanfic here

[anacrowley]

The fandom behaves like primary school children. When someone has a different opinion, they need to be blocked, ridiculed and talked about behind their backs, or better - destroyed.

It's not about me, but I feel worse and worse here because I'm afraid to say anything. Sooner or later someone will misinterpret something and make me look like the worst person.

[h-worksrambles]

How to get into Echo

I’ve been posting, reblogging and writing about Echo quite a lot over the past few months. I don’t think it’ll surprise anyone when I say this is one of my favourite games I played in 2022. But I’m sure some of my followers are looking at these posts and wondering what exactly Echo is. God help you, some of you may actually want to try it out. So to give myself an additional excuse to talk about this game, here’s a short spoiler-free guide to getting into Echo and its assorted spin offs.

What is Echo?

Echo is an indie horror visual novel following a group of anthropomorphic animals and former childhood friends whose reunion in the town where they all grew up quickly grows awry. You play as a 21 year old otter and college student, Chase Hunter, who returns to his old home to investigate the town’s history and reunite with his old friend group, only for things to go very wrong, very fast. The game explores a mix of psychological and supernatural horror as the characters are forced to confront their pasts, their inner demons, as well as their fractured interpersonal relationships as they attempt to unravel the truth behind the town.

The game uses a route system common in visual novels and plays with the tropes of dating sims in particular. About 2 hours in you pick a dedicated route for one of five characters, each one of Chase’s oldest friends, and follow their personal narrative making choices as you go. Each route has a pretty hefty amount of content and several have multiple endings. Depending on individual reading speed, seeing every route could take around 25 hours give or take. And it’s highly recommended to do all of them to get the full story. Very little content is repeated between them and they’re all substantial worthwhile stories.

That’s the basics of the basics in order to give you the lowdown without spoiling anything. But just know that the game is free to download, and is absolutely worth it if you’re interested in expertly written slow burn horror, intelligent character writing, and complex, flawed LGBT+ characters.

Anything I should know going in?

As much as I want to reccomend Echo there are some important qualifiers before going in.

1) This game is NOT SUITABLE for those under 18. Echo is a exceptionally dark horror game with numerous topics of adult subject matter. It is clearly marked on its download site as 18+ so pay attention to that warning.

2) Building off my last point, the thematic material of this game is heavy, and it’s important to give proper content warnings. There’s frankly a lot of ground to cover but the biggest warnings would be: Graphic depictions of violence, descriptions of sex, as well as portrayal and discussion of sensitive topics including homophobia, racism, drug addiction, mental illness, emotional abuse, sexual assault and torture.

Take the developers’ advice and be considerate of your own mental well-being before starting the game. There is no shame in deciding this isn’t for you.

Any advice on how to go about playing?

Honestly the best advice is to go blind. Make whatever choices make sense to you in the moment, and be sure to save regularly, so you can go back and try different outcomes. Several of the routes have multiple endings so keep plenty of saves handy to pick up where you left off and experiment with the game’s choice system.

There is some dispute among fans about recommended route order. I maintain that you can play the various routes in any order and enjoy the story regardless, so just go for whichever of the main characters you think is interesting to start with. By the time you play every route, you should understand everything no matter the order. The route split is very clearly signposted so you’ll know it when you see it. However, if you’re having a hard time deciding, the developers have suggested following the routes in the order they were completed back when the story was being periodically released in updates during the game’s beta. That order being:

1) Carl. 2) Leo. 3 ) TJ. 4) Flynn. 5) Jenna.

But again, feel free to divert from this order if you’d prefer.

You can download Echo at itcho.io for free.

I finished Echo. What do I look for next?

The first thing I would say is once you’ve finished all the routes, click on the image of the lake on the title screen. There’s a bonus menu there with some content that, no spoilers, you’ll probably want to check out when you’re done with the game.

After that there are three other spin offs of Echo I would suggest looking into if you’re hungry for more. And I’ll go into each of them one by one here.

It’s also worth remembering that all three of these titles are also 18+ and two of them are also full on horror titles. As such, many of the same content warnings still apply.

Route 65

This is a short prequel visual novel that shows a point in time where the main characters were all teenagers. Specifically, it follows Chase, the protagonist of Echo, over the course of the day he comes out to his friends and family as gay. This gives you a chance to see the cast at a younger age and get insight as to how their dynamics used to work compared to how fraught they are in the present day. It’s very short, only taking a couple of hours to complete, with a few minor choices to provide replay value. However, it’s really just a minor slice of more Echo content. Not particularly essential but a good way to give minor details of the main game more context.

When should I play Route 65 if it’s a prequel?

That’s really up to you. Route 65 provides enough context that you could concievably play it first, and then move onto Echo. However, I’m not sure I would advise this. You certainly can still follow the story, but Route 65 was made while Echo was still ongoing, and expects you to know these characters already. Some people suggest actually stopping midway through Echo and playing Route 65 partway through, usually before either Leo or Jenna’s routes, as it covers topics that their routes will build on. 

However, if jumping between games like that sounds confusing, I would suggest simply checking it out after you finish Echo to get a little more context. There’s different ways you can go about it, and it’ll work fine whichever way. Route 65 is also free to download on itch.io.

Arches

This visual novel is a sequel to Echo, set five years later. It follows two new protagonists, young couple Cameron Wilson and Devon Ortega. They visit the now almost completely run-down town of Echo due to Devon’s interest in the paranormal. They quickly learn that the town’s reputation doesn’t even scratch the surface of what goes on there, and must come to terms with their own secrets (some of which they haven’t even told each other) if they want to get out alive. Arches is a relatively distant sequel to Echo and does not explicitly follow on from the ending of any one route so far as we know. It’s most commonly interpreted as an alternate timeline which doesn’t undo any of Echo’s possible outcomes. But it does revisit places, characters and concepts from Echo so you should still play that game first to better understand Arches.

The main difference between Echo and Arches is that Arches is much smaller and much more linear. Currently it has absolutely no choices. It has all the aesthetic elements of a visual novel but you simply read it like a book and can save to pick up wherever you let off. However, I would suggest clicking on the image of Cameron on the title screen at some point after you start. You’ll know why when you see it. Another important thing to remember is that Arches is not currently finished. The story gets periodic updates every few months with a new build. If you choose to get up to date now, be prepared to wait for the rest. I know some people prefer to wait until these kinds of stories are done and read it all at once, and others like to follow along. However, whichever choice you make, Arches is already well into its climax, so you won’t be waiting too long for the ending either way. 

Regardless, this chilling sequel is there and ready on itch.io if you want to see what happens next in the town of Echo. Or if you feel like going back instead...

The Smoke Room

Last of all is this ongoing prequel visual novel. Set in 1915, 100 years before the events of Echo, the player follows Samuel Ayers, a character whose name, if you’ve played Echo, should be more than a little familiar. Sam is barely getting by as a sex worker in Echo, but one evening, sets out on what he thinks is his one chance to leave the town behind. When the plan quickly goes awry, Sam is left stranded in Echo, carrying a dark secret that could get him sent to the gallows. Sam’s only real option is to lie low with help of one of his clients, unaware that his secret is only one of many lying at the heart of Echo, which now threaten to disastrously boil over.

While still a horror game, The Smoke Room also has a much more overt romantic element, though I still wouldn’t exactly call it a dating sim per se. If Echo is a deconstructive horror game disguised as a dating sim, Smoke Room is more of a horror/romance genre hybrid. Like Echo, the game operates on a route system. After about an hour or so of gameplay, you choose one of a group of four characters, each of whom are one of Sam’s clients. They all have a fully fledged story to follow while also being very much the love interest of their respective routes. While it’s unclear how long the full game is going to be, it’s likely to be at least as long as Echo once it’s finally complete and even now there’s a decent amount of content on each route already should you wish to get caught up now. Still, even at this early stage, so far it’s offered the same mix of effective gradual horror and intelligent character writing and I would still absolutely recommend it.

Anything I should know going in?

1) Once again, this game is NOT suitable for those under 18. Much like Echo and Arches, The Smoke Room is a horror game, one just as dark, if not darker than its contemporaries and all the same content warnings apply, including graphic violence, discussions of racism and homophobia and drug addiction, as well as references to abusive relationships and sexual violence. Another thing to note is that The Smoke Room is also substantially more sexual than the previous Echo VNs. You might have guessed as much when I said the protagonist is a sex worker, but suffice to say this is a pretty major part of the story and there are multiple, very graphic sex scenes between its male characters on each route. This is hardly unprecedented in visual novels, but it is worth mentioning it as something to know going in if you plan to try it yourself.

Take all of these matters into account before playing the game yourself.

2) Much like Arches, The Smoke Room is still under development. According to the developers, each route is, at most, halfway done, and it will be a substantial amount of time before the game is complete. The development will likely be far longer than Arches, so if you want to get caught up now, you’re in for the long haul. While personally I would highly recommend it based purely on the quality of what’s already there, (similar to something like Deltarune), it’s worth keeping in mind before you start.

3) One other thing to note is that, being set 100 years prior, The Smoke Room is only a very remote prequel and can actually be played standalone. I’d certainly suggest playing this after Echo as there are certain details you’ll notice as a result, but if you want it start with Smoke Room, you can.

2) Any advice on how to go about playing?

For the most part, all the same advice as Echo applies. Go in blind, save regularly and be extra sure to save at any choices. Even at this early stage, The Smoke Room has already implemented a number of branching decisions into its routes, arguably more so than Echo. So be sure to make enough saves that you can experiment with all the different outcomes as there’s already a lot to see.

Much as with Echo, there is the question of route order. Fortunately, at this stage, that’s a pretty flexible arrangement. Since none of them are finished and are being updated concurrently, there’s no fixed order of release and none of them have really overlapped enough to make any route order really preferable. However, the developers have suggested doing William’s route last out of the four. While largely standalone, it features many of the characters from across the other routes and somewhat brings the threads of the other stories together, kind of like Flynn and Jenna’s route did in Echo. Other than that, I’d just start with whoever you find interesting. But as a possible order if you’re stuck, you may consider:

1) Nikolai 2) Murdoch 3 Clifford 4) William

Though again, this is very flexible.

3) What’s this I hear about an AU?

Ah yes, this is another aspect of The Smoke Room worth checking out. Currently, Echo Project have released two downloadable ‘special episodes’ featuring the main cast of The Smoke Room reimagined in the modern day. For as much as Smoke Room is a supernatural horror, it is also just as much a period drama, exploring how the various struggles of the characters are exacerbated by the circumstances, social climate and prejudices of the time in which they live (being queer wasn’t any easier in 1915 after all). As such, this AU places the cast in a more contemporary setting to show how a happier, more hopeful outcome for how their lives could have gone. Basically, it’s like the kind of coffee shop AUs you see all the time on AO3, except this one is made by the actual creators. As of now these are just light hearted slice of life stories with these characters, one being a Christmas special and the other a summer special and outside of strong language and suggestive themes, require no major content warnings. At present, nothing about this AU is canon or significant to the main game, you don’t have to play any AU content to understand the main story. This exists purely to have some cute fluff with these characters if you enjoyed them in the full game.

Like all other Echo Project VNs, you can download the latest build of The Smoke Room from itch.io.

And that’s all the advice I have into getting into Echo and its expanded universe. These games mean a lot to me, from their stories, to their characters and of course, their horror. They’re definitely niche experiences and I wouldn’t recommend them to everyone. But if my content about them here has peaked your interest, I hope this helps you make a start on these remarkable games for yourself.

Who knows? You may just find yourself moving in circles thinking about these game, just like the rest of us…

[thestraggletag]

I just realized that there’s something very important missing from my life. And that is… The Thing!

11 years and counting, I love this fandom. Let's do this!

WELCOME TO RUMBELLE, YOU SWEET SUMMER CHILD. I SEE YOU THERE, SO YOUNG, SO FRESH, SO WOOBIE. LET ME SLOWLY CLASP YOU TO MY BOSOM IN A MOTHERLY WAY.

NOW YOU STUMBLE AROUND, A LITTLE LOST RUMBELLE CHICK NEEDING LOVE AND GUIDANCE, TREMBLING WITH THE FORCE OF A THOUSAND BOTTLED-UP   FEELS.    NEVER    FEAR, FOR WE’LL TAKE YOU IN, SINCE YOU HAVE BECOME

ONE OF US.

WE HAVE TEA, FOR YOUR SHATTERED FEELS. WE KNOW IT HURTS, WE’VE ALL    BEEN     THERE. MOST OF USE JUST DUMP A LOT OF VODKA INTO THAT TEA.   IT’D   BE     EASIER TO JUST DUMP A TEA BAG INTO A BOTTLE OF SMIRNOFF, TO BE HONEST.

HERE,   DEARIE, ARE SOME GIFS I BRING FORTH TO YOU SO YOU CAN BLOG ABOUT YOUR FEELS, AND HOW RUMBELLE RUINED YOUR LIFE AND YOU LOVE IT. TAKE     THEM,    DON’T BE SHY. YOU WILL NEED THEM, YOUNG PADAWAN. THEY WILL BECOME YOUR NEW LANGUAGE. BE WARNED, LITTLE ONE, FOR THEY ARE OF A SPOILERY NATURE    THAT MIGHT HURT YOUR WEE EYES. THEY’RE ALSO AWESOME, SO YOU SHOULDN’T STARE AT THEM DIRECTLY.

LIKE AN ECLIPSE.

OR RUMPLE’S LEATHER PANTS.

AND SINCE THIS IS A PRETTY COMPLEX FANDOM I DIRECT YOU TO A WELCOME PAGE   SO YOU CAN GATHER YOUR BEARINGS AND EXPLORE MORE OF THIS MAGICAL     LAND     OF CHIPPED CUPS AND SEXY SCALY MEN. IF YOU HAVE QUESTIONS THERE      YOU’LL   FIND ANSWERS. IF NOT YOU CAN ALWAYS SEEK THE RUMBELLE TAG, AND POST QUESTIONS THERE. RUMBELLERS ARE ALWAYS THERE TO ANSWER.

ALWAYS. RUMBELLERS DON’T SLEEP.

IF YOU FEEL THE NEED FOR SOME LOVELY VISUAL REPRESENTATIONS OF THE UTTER PERFECTION THAT IS THIS SHIP I DIRECT YOU TO THE RUMBELLE ARTTAG, WHERE MANY TALENTED PEOPLE POST TALENTED THINGS THAT PRODUCE BOTH AWE AND ENVY.

AND LAST, AND THIS IS WHAT I’M KNOWN FOR…

WE.

HAVE.

PORN.

NO, NOT LIKE OTHER FANDOMS. NOT SOME PORN. NOT ANY PORN. WE HAVE ALL THE PORN.

ALL OF IT.

EVERY KINK.

EVERY FANTASY.

EVERY POSITION.

FOOD SEX, PEGGING, BONDAGE, S&M (BUT THE REAL TYPE, NO INNER   GODDESSES, ALL KINKY FUCKERY), CANE PORN, PRIEST PORN, CANNIBAL PORN, SHADOW!SEX,   DADDY!DOM, DOM/SUB, BLOODPLAY, MIRROR-SEX, PREGNANCY KINKS, POWER-SEX,   INTERSPECIES SEX, LACTATION PORN, DAGGER!PORN, RAPTOR!PORN, MAGICAL  SEX  AND MANY MORE.

IF IT'S AT ALL ANATOMICALLY PLAUSIBLE, WE'VE WRITTEN BELLE AND RUMPLE DOING IT.

I DIRECT YOU NOW TO MY FANFIC REC LIST, WHERE YOU SHALL FIND MANY TREASURES. YOU CAN ALWAYS GO TO THE RUMBELLE FIC TAG IF YOU FEEL YOU NEED MORE RUMBELLE PORN FICS IN YOUR LIFE. AND YOU WILL. AND IF YOU WANNA HIT THE MOTHERLOAD OF RUMBELLE FANFICTION CHECK OUT THE RUMBELLE LIBRARY, RIPE WITH DECADENT FICS FOR YOUR PERUSAL.

IN  THIS FANDOM WE LIKE TO CELEBRATE WITH FIC, COPE WITH FIC AND START MASSIVE FIC WARS SO THERE ARE SEVERAL YEAR-ROUND EVENTS DESTINED TO BRING FORTH MORE RUMBELLE SEXYTIMES MOMENTS, INCLUDING THE RUMBELLE SECRET SANTA, WHERE YOU GIVE THE GIFT OF PORN AS IT'S TRADITIONAL IN THIS MERRY SEASON.

MIND THE SPOILERS, DEARIE.

BUT IF YOU’RE ALL CAUGHT UP YOU SHOULD TOTALLY CHECK THIS TUMBLR WHICH WILL HOLD PRECIOUS TREASURES SO YOU CAN SURVIVE THE SUMMER HIATUS WITH MOST OF YOUR SANITY INTACT.

WE AIM FOR REALISTIC GOALS HERE.

IF   YOU HAVEN’T YET DELETED YOUR TUMBLR ACCOUNT AND MOVED TO A COUNTRY        WITHOUT INTERNET CONNECTION THEN CONGRATULATIONS, YOU INDEED HAVE THE        MAKINGS OF A GREAT RUMBELLER. AND YOU’RE GONNA LOVE IT HERE.

Welcome (back) to the fandom, dearie.

[brendaonao3]

Gods dammit Brenda!! I hadn't watched TGM until I read your Mile High fic! I didn't even know who the fuck Huangman was when I read it!!

And now I'm sucked down the rabbithole of TGM and reading all your works for that fandom...I have a master thesis to finish, fucks sake!! /jocking

SORRY NOT SORRY