#layers of fear dev

[magic-can]

Bloober Team needs to include an easter egg of a grey child running into a wall in SH1R to make up for them removing the ghost kid bit in the Layers of Fear remake

[kerbrobro]

As a doubter I think they nailed it, honestly. Silent Hill 2 is one of my favorite games of all time and this dev team hasn't made anything remarkable. But those first two hours are phenomenal and really left me feeling like I was replaying the original for the first time. I think at the end of the day a lot of this remake's success hinges on the fact that they're copy pasting a masterpiece but, I think they did a great job.

Legitimately, the bare minimum of you acknowledging that Bloober Team does NOT have a good reputation does way more to make me believe you than any random steam review I looked at.

[melis-writes]

LAYERS OF FEAR (2016) | dev. Bloober Team & Incuvo.

[rohirric-hunter]

The flying glitch seems to be pretty common suddenly. I had it happen to me two separate times on Tuesday. I fear it will come to the devs' attention and they'll fix it.

But in the meantime, here's an overview of everything I know about it:

The Glitch

The way the glitch works is this: the game thinks there's a layer of water somewhere above you, and it thinks you should be swimming in it, so it moves you up to the level of this nonexistent layer of water. (At the same time, the game knows you're not supposed to be 30 meters in the air above Bree, so it's trying to get you to fall back down, thus the continuous falling animation.)

Understanding how the glitch works is important for knowing what you can do with it. You will rise to a specific height (seems to be random) and then remain at that height. You can't change your height. Because of this, you won't be able to fly everywhere; if you start flying in Bree and only go like 20 feet up then you're not going to be flying in Rivendell, which is significantly higher altitude and above your water layer.

I'm doing some more research with regards to height data in LotRO. I will update this post with more info if and when I get it, but my current theory is that the five major world maps (Eriador, Rhovanion, Gondor Pre-battle, Gondor After-battle, and Harad) all have different height data, thus why you will fly in some more than others. (Flying in Mordor is almost a guarantee, whereas flying in Eriador is pretty rare.)

The glitch seems to trigger upon loading into a new area, either via fast travel or going through a door. It can be hard to pin down exactly what triggers it, as it's possible for it to trigger and for you to never know. Recently it triggered for me when I exited Erebor, but I didn't realize it until I had gone quite a long ways downhill towards Dale. My fake water layer had appeared below me, but still high enough for me to fly. It seems likely that the glitch sometimes triggers below you and you simply never go downhill far enough to encounter it. Once the glitch triggers in a session, it will not end until you log out, even if it seems to. You're probably just above your water layer.

You will almost always fly in interior cells, but you will go up indefinitely instead of levelling off. If the ceiling doesn't have collision (most do, but not all) then you'll float off into the void. I believe this is because most interior cells (and most instances) are physically stored beneath the map, far below your fake water layer.

There's no reason to go floating off into the void. At first I was hoping to see unused assets or dev cubes or something. They may be there, but you can't see them; the culling in this game is very aggressive and it won't be too long before you get culled out.

I don't know if something bad happens if you float off into the void. I don't want to find out. I always fast travel away as soon as the culling starts. I recommend not pushing your luck in this department.

Avoiding Getting Stuck

In order to avoid getting stuck, I recommend flying around some safe areas first so as to get used to the camera movement. That way you'll be able to recognize when the game starts rubberbanding and flipping out, which is a sign you should turn back.

Most actually dangerous places are blocked off with invisible walls, but not all. For some reason the devs didn't have flying people in mind when they designed the barriers of the game environment. Cannot imagine why. But bear in mind, it's possible for you to get somewhere you can't get back out of, even with fast travel. I've never gotten badly stuck myself, but I know people who have. I tend to be a lot more cautious with this glitch on my non-hunter characters, because Desperate Flight has gotten me out of a few tight spots.

Personally, I divide normally inaccessible areas into one of three categories based on how safe it is to go there. This is just general guidelines based on my experience, don't take it as gospel, but it might help.

Green areas. This includes things like tall structures or steep hills that are in bounds but unclimbable. A good example of these are the towers in Umbar or the hills surrounding Esteldin. These are, mostly, basically fine to fly above or land on. Being on these is functionally equivalent to jumping on top of a barrel, just bigger.

Yellow areas. These are areas that are distinctly out of bounds, but clearly connected to the playable game world. Examples of these include the far side of the Anduin south of Pelargir and the top of the Ram Duath. You can go here. But bad things might happen. If you see anything -- and I'll use a technical term here -- fucky, be prepared to get the hell out of dodge before things get worse.

Red areas. These are fully out of bounds, unmodeled areas. Anywhere you can see the void, or outside the skybox, or there's no ground, or weird stretched out textures, or anything like that. Don't go there. Abort mission. Remember that this is an MMO, not a single player game. You can't revert to a previous save. There's nothing out there worth losing a character over, I promise.

A few pointers on getting unstuck if you do get stuck:

Fast travel might not always work. More on that and how to fix it in the navigation section.

You can get a friend to summon you. (Sometimes doesn't work for the same reason as fast travel.)

Sometimes entering a world instance helps.

The /stuck command is your friend. (It also might not always work.)

If you're a hunter, Desperate Flight will get you out of most tight spots.

If you're low enough level for it to kill you, try getting some Barrow-brie when you notice the glitch has triggered, just in case. This is a preemptive measure, and it can't be traded between players, you have to get it yourself. If you're unable to access the barrows, it can also be got from a Chest of Chance bartered from Rúnar in the 21st Hall, though it's a random drop and you'll need Marks of Victory to barter with.

I haven't tried it myself, but it might be worthwhile to bring along some of the mug festival consumables you can get during the Farmer's Faire, which might be able to get you out of a tight spot by teleporting you to a random location.

Sometimes logging out and logging back in to end the glitch will fix the problem. Occasionally it won't.

Maybe none of these work and you'll have to contact Support. I've gotten stuck for unrelated reasons before and they were able to move my character somewhere else.

Navigation

Getting places with this glitch can be a pain. Obviously it's ideal to get it on a hunter with lots of travel skills, but so far there's really no way to control which character you get it on. Fast travel or getting summoned by a friend is going to be your main way to get around, because you're not going to be able to reach most stable-masters. Some handy things to have on hand include a house with teleport items, such as the Mysterious Door or the festival kegs. Keep in mind that if your house has high ceilings you might want to position these things accordingly. Also note that there's a very high chance of getting stuck in a housing neighborhood if you start flying in it, so have an exit plan before you go home. (I have never flown in Kingstead Meadows and generally consider it safe from this, but bear in mind the limited dataset we're working with here.)

The first time you try to fast travel, the game may throw back a, "You cannot do that while moving," or, "Interrupted," error. The way to fix this is to find something high enough for you to land on. Look for a tall hill, those are usually your best bet. Once you've landed, fast travel once. The game should now allow you to fast travel while flying. I don't know why this works. But it does. If you can't find a hill, try loading into a world instance that's inside, like Halls of Night or Inn of the Forsaken. For some reason it's a lot easier to fast travel from inside than it is from outside. You still have to fast travel to somewhere you can stand on solid ground and then fast travel again in order to get fast travel working outside.

(Housing neighborhoods have a high chance of getting you stuck because there's often nothing to land on, and you go too high too fast to get inside a house, and you can't enter instances from inside them. Hunters can Desperate Flight out of the housing neighborhood, but other classes might have more trouble.)

Moving manually is extremely slow, since the game thinks you're both falling and swimming. There's not much to be done about this. Any old speed boost will help, but beyond that... open up settings and assign an autorun hotkey. It's a long trip to anywhere, but a very scenic one.

When you're done flying, just log out to land. (You may have to force quit the game.) You will log back in directly below wherever you were flying when you logged out. This is a fun opportunity to take screenshots in a place you wouldn't normally be able to reach. Be prepared for the possibility that you might immediately die and get sent to the rez circle when you log back in, though. It does happen.

LotRO Tumblr is pretty chill, so I probably don't need to say this, but this glitch is for screenshots ONLY!!!!!!!!!! If I find out any of you used any of this information to try and exploit the game, I will find you and I will poop in your shoes

[the-altered-sequence]

Dev Character Profile

Dev, originally labeled E4-17 "Project Slatefire" is a last-wave genetically Altered supersoldier created by Caduceus Technologies before the Fall. He escaped during the revolt of soldiers against their creators and fled. Ashton/E12-19 found him and they stuck together, trying to survive a world that hates them.

Dev is 6'1" and of average build, perhaps a bit on the stocky side. His eyes are a rich gold. He is Altered to resemble a sphynx cat in head and tail, but retains human shape everywhere else. Like a sphynx cat, he is completely hairless. His skin has been reinforced with a fire resistant carbon fiber. It adds a little strength and resistance to shallow wounds but mainly serves as fireproofing and heat tolerance well over that of an unaltered human. His fireproof skin appears grey and lightly metallic, similar to the shine of graphite. Like all Altered, he has enhanced strength, stamina, and senses.

He was originally manufactured to breathe fire, but has lost the ability as of the end of book 1, Bound to Ashes. He bears a sprawling, gnarled scar across the sternum from the incident. These burn scars were later built upon after the events of book 2. He often feels self-conscious about the scars on top of his already unusual appearance and isn't seen shirtless very often.

Dev has always carried himself cautiously. As a young adult, he fears the real world and the unconscious, relentlessly accosted by PTSD and trauma. Despite a life of being hunted, his trusting nature was what brought the Altered together with the human survivors. After the events of book 3, he's had a bit of a "reset", and has shed a significant layer of anxiety he used to wear. This came at a cost: he still, years after the incident that left him with a traumatic brain injury, has lingering brain fog and a somewhat unreliable memory. Some memories have been erased completely. But he remains steady and is often praised for his even keel. (He would say his mind feels pretty rocky most of the time.) He is thoughtful and cautious, a great foil to his more impulsive partners. Dev values his alone time and often feels overwhelmed when the spotlight is on him for too long. He prefers to retreat into nature where he hunts with bow and arrows of his own craft. Dev is a maker. His mind flows comfortably with tools in his hands. He finds accomplishment and fulfillment in helping and protecting their settlement, but his true pride comes from a successful hunt and a clean kill, or perhaps when working on the fire fighting teams, accurately reading a fire and knowing how to quench it. (He is definitely the guy tending the bonfire with intense dedication, well after everyone has gone to bed.) As he's gotten older, he's explored ecology and biology. He often spends his free time foraging, promoting food plants in the neighboring wilderness, and hunting wild boar and other feral pests to help feed not only the voracious appetites of his fellow Altered but the many humans he, against the odds, now calls family. Dev's loyalty outpaces all else--he doesn't think twice to step in and risk it all to defend his found family and romantic partners, Ashton and Sybil. Despite the doubt and social anxiety, Dev understands the key factor that leads to survival: working together as one.

In what little spare time the post-apocalypse allows, Dev has also gotten pretty good at cooking.

[iced-cofi]

I kinda just wanna write game reviews here sometimes. *Ahem*

It's pretty damn rare that you find a piece of media like this throughout the course of your life.

One that elegantly, carefully, and lovingly traverses infinite despair in an infinitely more hopeful way. One that shows you that no true problem can be solved in a single day. One that teaches of the compassion in our hearts, for those around us and the world we all live in.

And, for me, one that teaches that in the face of despair, fear, and sadness, beauty can also be found, and that no matter how pointless it can seem, fighting, trying, and persistence is how we can push through the end of the world. And now matter how all encompassing it may seem, the end is never truly the end. It's just a new beginning.

I am, of course, referring to...

Before I continue, I must clarify, as I did in my ACT review, this will feature spoilers, and moreso than almost any other game I've played, you simply must play this blind if you can.

Ok, a brief, completely spoiler free review. *Ahem again*

Outer Wilds is a beautiful, relaxing yet occasionally stressful first person space exploration game, in which the only currency you collect through the game is knowledge. The solar system is your own journey through the puzzle box the devs made. The music is beautiful and touching, the visuals are distinct yet simple, and the story is like nothing else. The only genuine 10/10 I can give. It's brilliant.

Ok, I will now put a funny picture, this is your opportunity to leave spoiler free.

3

2

1

Ok now time for the real gamers to chat.

This game. This fucking game. It reaches deep to the innermost part of my mind and soul and shows me a more accurate depiction of the human experience than any other game, and it don't even got humans.

It is the absolute definition of existential optimism, and I think it's refreshing, and borderline spiritual.

And this fact is helped because the way you get to the end is entirely up to you. Every single person who plays this game will play it differently. Everyone follows what they find amazing and interesting, and everyone finds what they think is, and they fly and crash and die and laugh and love every moment they spend in this dark, enrapturing galaxy.

The combination of nostalgic foresty landscapes, crumbling planets, shoddy craftsmanship, and banjo laden melancholy music make for a uniquely sentimental game, which allows you to connect with what theyve done.

I mean fuck some of the coolest ideas for planets and worlds I've ever seen.

Brittle Hollow and it's crumbling deadly surface, and infinitely heavy black hole at the center

Dark Bramble, always enshrouded in fog and mystery, endlessly repeating dangerous, vine coated voids filled with the most terrifying creatures in the known universe

The Hourglass Twins, the most clearly time based astral body of all, as two planets pirouette through the sky, trading impossible amounts of sand due to a shift in gravity

And of course, the Quantum Moon, a blend of all other planets with an ethereal, eternally shifting vibe layered thickly on top.

It's brilliant, and scary, and add layers and layers to your story.

And the characters and all so clearly defined, with interests and dreams and hopes. Reibeck hates space but is obsessed with the Nomai technology and history, so he can't help but explore. Feldspar and his sporadic attitude and wealth of courage allowing him to explore anywhere, as long as it's got beasties. And of course, the one, the only, the best o Outer Wilds character, Gabbro!

This chill as mother fucker got trapped in the same time loope as you, and is simply to chill and content to give a single fucking shit, while still helping where he can with advice and knowledge. It's awesome, and he also teaches you how to speed up your death with meditation, so that's... Cool.

And of fucking course I gotta talk about the music.

It's hypnotic. It permeates your body and makes you happy and sad and lonely and any other thing you can imagine, while still fitting the game, and any individual story moment. It's brilliant.

Like, listen to this shit.

And what about this???

And how about this, which is from the dlc, which i will write about in another review when I'm not exhausted!!

I gotta say, this isn't a review in the way I'd like it to be, cause I'm tired, but fuck me play this game it's amazing and the music and visuals and every piece is just... Oh my God.

I hope you enjoyed reading this delirious mish mash of words I wanted to say about a game I really love.

No joke, 10/10

Would crash into the sun again.

Thanks!!

[mikkomacko]

Oh quinn :( even in fiction he can’t escape the horrors but instead of hockey haunting him it’ll be reader instead

Another gorgeous chapter, as I predicted I am in agony over quinn 😭 This will be a chapter that will be re-read multiple times there’s so many layers to it!! The tattoos, the angst, lukey standing up for himself and his found family (i love momma bear reader do not mess with her), i need to know more ab the canucks and how serious it is to get in, and what did quinn actually have to go through??

I’ll be wishfully thinking for a redemption arc for quinn but will settle for him being the villian i know I shouldn’t love but secretly will lol

Quinn is the perpetually tormented Hughes in every universe fr

Thank you so much for reading! I’m so glad you liked to even with Quinn’s plot line haha. As for the Canucks, I haven’t put a lot of thought into it haha (I’m not that creative I fear) but I’d imagine it’s different from the Devils in that they train before they’re even allowed entry to the Canucks. Like in Vancouver, that training is used to break them and weed out who can actually handle it. While in Jersey, Nico will admit people to the Devs, let them settle in and then he’ll do like a light training, see where they fit in best. Don’t get me wrong, he’s trains to break them too but his whole point is to build them back up even stronger after. Which is why they’re already Devs before going through that.

(Quinn redemption arc is always possible. Reader herself gave him an opening 🙏🏻)

[babymorte]

What are your favorite games and movies and shows??

ngl i’ve been lowkey avoiding this question all day cuz i got a lot of faves 😂

let’s go by category shall we~

games

resident evil (pick one 😂), layers of fear (anything bloober honestly they’re my fave devs) silent hill, the division 2, newly obsessed cod fan (never thought i would say that in a million years but hey never say never), outlast (2 and trials as well), the sims, american mcgee’s alice and madness returns, mean bean machine (dr mario is great too), timesplitters 2, hunniepop 2, the blair witch game, visage, castle crashes, lies of p, dragon quest builders 2, spyro: ripto’s rage, sonic adventure 2, crash bandicoot: warped ✨ these are also my go-to games when i dont know what to play which is why i never get through and new games 😂

movies

alice in wonderland(1951), the blair witch project, freddy vs jason, evil dead (again pick one 😂), longlegs, barbarian, fight club, scream, a nightmare on elm street, 28 days/weeks later, wolf creek (just the first one cuz the ending to the second pissed me off), resident evil (and apocalypse), battle royale, thirteen ghosts (i prefer the remake and ever since someone on here told me to cosplay the angry princess the other day it’s been on my mind 😂) what we do in the shadows, crybaby, office space, shaun of the dead, #alive, diary of the dead, dawn of the dead (og and remake), old disney animated films, crimson peak, train to busan, south park: bigger, longer, uncut, pulp fiction (anything quentin tarantino), team america world police, ace ventura 1&2 (anything jim carrey), matchstick men, face/off (anything with nicholas cage too he’s one of my favourite actors of all time), ju-on: the grudge, gonjiam: haunted asylum….i could go on for hours i love movies 😂

shows

i don’t really watch a whole lot of tv honestly but american dad is my fave show of all time and i watch it literally every day, i do also love breaking bad, what we do in the shadows, regular show, stan vs evil, ash vs dead, fruits basket, high school dxd, haganai, angel beats, rosario+vampire, high school of the dead, my dress up darling (marin is my girl), the amazing world of gumball, the tick, veronica mars, family guy, south park, the heirs, the orville, and im a huge stinky sword art online fan and i have no shame 😂

sorry that was a lot 😅

[p3ta]

gotta send Ryoji Mochizuki

Thanks for the ask! Hope your day's going well, fellow Ryoji enjoyer.

Spoilers below for P2, P3, P4, and P5R.

Send me one of these here!

First, I want to give some thoughts on his character as a whole. For the certain type of character he is (doomed, remorseful harbinger), Ryoji Mochizuki is perfect. I don't think there's a better Persona twist than his reveal as the the Appriser/Death, the thirteenth Arcana Shadow. Just because a twist is easy to see coming doesn't make it less impactful, and I particularly enjoy the way Persona 3 distills information to the player in allotments. Even knowing that, Ryoji managed to surprise me with how much more he was. And fittingly, a lot of Ryoji's characterization bounces back to the P3 Hero, and vice versa.

On top of that, Nyx Avatar is my favorite final boss in the entire Persona series and unsettled me out the first time. I'd still say that Nyx Avatar causes me more fear than the Reaper, who I'd comparatively describe as inciting panic rather than fear.

Ryoji is frequently compared to Kaworu from Neon Genesis Evangelion (NGE), and, well. Yeah. I believe I read that in a developer interview that the P3 dev team deliberately took inspiration from NGE but I'm unable to find a source at hand, so don't quote me on that. Between the two, I prefer Ryoji. He is the strongest out of the character type for me.

favorite thing about them

His layers! Ryoji is one of those late game characters who comes in and recontextualizes all the information you've learned thus far. It's why I love watching the Dictionary update throughout a playthrough. I understand why people are put off by the way he's introduced as a serial flirt, but Reload made it much more textually clear that this isn't his true personality, nor his intentions. Ryoji is proto-Teddie (Japanese Teddie, anyway); a fully formed individual who sprang into existence seeking connection. However, where Teddie's isolation and lack of identity are his defining characteristics, Ryoji's are moored in how connected he is with P3 Hero.

Ryoji ultimately only exists because of that connection, that little bit of humanity he's been given, but that's also what prevents him from being fully human. He's had a role to play since his inception, and he can't avoid that even with his newfound connections.

Ryoji's present throughout the entire story. You've got Pharos at the very beginning with the contract running errands for the Velvet Room (I like it more and more that I think about it. Picture Elizabeth or Igor having to explain to this terrifying child what he has to say. Or maybe he knew what to say all along! He has been waiting ten years), Thanatos tearing himself out of Orpheus (by far the best Persona awakening in the series and a textual highlight for what an alien force he is), and a crucial lynchpin event for Yukari's backstory, Mitsuru's backstory, as well as the crucial event for Aigis and P3 Hero.

There is no version of Persona 3 without Ryoji and I'm all the happier for it. Genuinely, if something's confusing with P3's story, there's 90% chance the answer is Ryoji or one of his many numerous forms. The remaining 10% is the Kirijo Group. That said, we don't get a lot of time with Ryoji. Ultimately, he's a part of P3 Hero and you're left to extrapolate exactly how much of each other you believe they've influenced.

Sogabe, the P3 & P4 mangaka, chose to highlight how similar Ryoji and P3 Hero look. I consider it an essential element of their relationship together.

least favorite thing about them

It'd be cheating to say nothing, wouldn't it? I'd say that his design is easy to mock and hard to get right in fanart. Between Ryoji's forehead and very Axel Kingdom Hearts approach towards long limbs – and legs in specific – the movies did not help with this. I've read reviews saying how the higher budget allowed for the characters to be more consistently on model, and thus look better, but I fervently disagree. That boy is mostly leg. Late 00s and early 10s anime art Looked Like That, though. I'd be lying if I said I didn't have a soft spot for some of it.

But I love how Ryoji looks and wouldn't change it for the world. Silly slick-backed hair boy. It is funny how whenever Persona wants a villain with sympathetic qualities, they slick back the protagonist's hair (Philemon and Maruki come to mind).

Reload fixed ("fixed") this anyway but making him much fluffier in his portraits and giving his skin some color! He's achingly soft in that game.

favorite line

There's many iconic ones I could pick but I'm going to go with a new one from Reload:

It's so small, it's so playful! I like that if you choose to start an exchange he finishes the bit. It says a lot about him in such a succinct way.

Even more so when you consider the reason he came here was for Junpei's sake. Being able to balance joking around while keeping a touch of concern endears me beyond belief. Thank you, Reload.

brOTP

Junpei & Ryoji. It's not even close. This was the one element I was hoping Reload would show more and I was not disappointed! The dynamic is good for a variety of reasons, but chief among them is that despite Junpei's Persona being Magician Arcana, he is not the P3 Hero's Magician Social Link. Junpei is not the male protagonist's best friend. He clearly wants to be, but his frustration is palpable. The P3 Hero is cool, charming, and everything that Junpei plays second fiddle to, but he won't even acknowledge him. But what if there were a more likeable version of the Hero?

Instant friendship. Those two are besties from day one, where Ryoji has all the qualities but none of the knowledge, and so their dynamic is a much more even one. To me, it indicates how well Junpei and the P3 Hero might have gotten along had he not carried Death inside him for ten years. It's a brief window into another world.

There's also the fact that Ryoji, Death, befriends Junpei so close to when Takaya shoots him and he perishes. His character arc is defined by change, this act being what radically transforms his soul, and what's one of the meanings of the Death Tarot? It's like universal foreshadowing. It's funny to me too that the Magician Arcana Shadow is the one Thanatos tore to pieces. Growth for Ryoji too.

As an aside, I miss the dynamic movements from the PS2 cutscenes. Junpei being so quick to drown Ryoji is nowhere comparable to him covering Ryoji's mouth.

OTP

Hmm. This might take a second. I wonder what pairing I might like with Ryoji. Here's an unrelated picture of Messiah:

You know, Messiah is one of those Personas that has only grown on me more as time passes. My favorite of the final protagonist ones, due in part to how you have to fuse him yourself. Orpheus, the starting Persona, combined with the power of Thanatos, the penultimate manifestation of the Death Arcana. They compliment each other beautifully, and regardless of if you the player create him, he is always the true final Persona, the final result of the Judgement Arcana.

They are inevitable.

Of course it's Ryoji and P3 Hero. How could it be anything else? These two make me sick with joy. Death has a clear favorite and in the end, gets to keep him forever.

nOTP

It's funny, because I can't think of any serious pairing with Ryoji that I wouldn't view as a crack ship? I can't see any version of Ryoji with anyone but the P3 Hero nor can I take that relationship seriously. The only other being Ryoji has an established relationship with is Aigis, and that ship comes across as black comedy. I mean, there's also Ryoji and the P3 Heroine, who he is undoubtedly head over heels for, but I see her as heavily preferring Aigis. Oops.

Wait, I did remember one! Ryoji and Junpei! I'll admit, maybe it's the sheer "dudebro" vibe of their relationship, but people pairing these two was not an outcome I expected from Reload. I've seen it enough to know those who like it aren't joking, either.

It's funny, because they're both soul-taken at the tail end of their friendship (Ryoji with P3 Hero and Junpei with Chidori) so I guess I wasn't looking for it? Then again I can't see Junpei Iori kissing a man in general. If there's a Ryoji pairing that isn't my thing, these two are the Most not my thing.

random headcanon

Ryoji memory backfill!

I've seen multiple interpretations for how Ryoji's sudden transfer, housing, and parental situations were never questioned. I like exploring this for myself, especially from Ryoji's perspective. Ryoji fully believes himself to be human until 12/2's Dark Hour. So, how does he reconcile his own situation?

This headcanon states that whenever Ryoji is prompted to answer on where he lives, what he likes, or where he went to school before, he'll often "backfill" what memories he think should be there. If it's something he should reasonably know, it'll be there.

In-game you can see a couple instances of Ryoji being stumped at simple questions, like where his class trip was going to be, but excelling at others, such as when he asks Mitsuru out to a restaurant date. According to the headcanon, he failed the class trip question because it wasn't something he anticipated, but he knew a date location because it was essential to his personality. Ryoji Mochizuki is a hearthrob, it wouldn't make sense if he didn't. So he does.

I like to think Reload Ryoji's phone is another example of this backfill, though this one spills over into material items. Ryoji thinks he should have a phone and knows he should ask for others' numbers, but when he reaches for it on his first day it isn't there.

His inconsistencies are fun.

Rapid fire small ones: his favorite color is blue, he likes sunrises but not sunsets, and he's good with children.

unpopular opinion

This may be the most unpopular opinion I have in general, but I don't believe Ryoji is bisexual. Or rather, I don't necessarily believe he must be bisexual. It's not like I'm trying to shirk representation, but I think there are so many fascinating ways that you can analyze orientation for a character. Same with gender.

Ryoji, through my interpretation, is someone who could only love the protagonist. And it doesn't have to be a sexual kind of love. There's an entire spectrum of identities in our culture that we've labeled for what Ryoji's experiences could be. It brings me joy to be able to think about how – even if Ryoji knew about these identities – he'd define himself. On top of that, would how he define himself be accurate? Would he have misunderstandings about his own identity?

There tends to be a large backlash when someone even suggests a different label for a character with one widely agreed upon, which means my gender and sexuality thoughts stay hidden away. I'm more than aware of those that insist any hint of same-sex attraction is obviously platonic and fans are reading too much into things. I'd never want to take away from an individual identifying with a character for what a fandom settles on calling them.

Though one note: it's interesting to me that from the collective opinion I've seen, people have latched onto bisexual as a label rather than pansexual despite them ostensibly meaning the same thing. Something something changing social climate. Anyway. Play around with character gender and sexuality. It's good for you.

song i associate with them

Auld Lang Syne.

For old acquaintance be forgot

And ne'er brought to mind

Should old acquaintance be forgot

In the days of auld lang syne?

For auld lang syne, my dear

For auld lang syne

We'll drink a cup of kindness yet

For the sake of auld lang syne

-

It's a traditional New Year's celebration song. Auld Lang Syne essentially means "for old time's sake". It originates from a precursor to Scottish, and exists as a fossil word inside this otherwise Standard English prose. I find it sweet how this little, historic piece gets to survive through something that redefines it.

favorite picture of them

Well, that was a lot. If you have a keen eye, you might've already noticed I've been dropping in pictures so I'll keep this part concise.

My favorite pictures of Ryoji are his portraits:

Sweet. Fluffy. Endlessly endeared by the way his hair flairs out. A much clearer heart shape for his face. Perfection. Special mention to his startled expression. His eyes get small and I get happy, simple as that.

Although, I'll never forgive Reload for dropping his Messiah pose:

There's an element to this portrait that's a little more unearthly, but earnest. Visually, his eyes are also a clearer parallel to Aigis's in this version.

Thank you for reading all the way through! And thank you again for the ask. I'm not sure if you were expecting an essay, but I think that about sums it up.

Have a picture of Ryoji nui + charm!

[kristailine]

Tekken 8 storymode thoughts/rant/review

Obviously will contain spoilers

But I have to say that

Surprisingly, I really liked Tekken 8's story (which is something I really didn't expect. I was preparing to gaslight myself that I liked the story because I was expecting a mid plot. But I can definitely say that I genuinely enjoyed this installment's storymode)

I'm going to remove my kazujun stan lens for this review

Jin has always been an after thought to me. The only time I care about him is if it's connected either to Kazuya or Jun (as a kazujun shipper). But the way he was written in Tekken 8 added layers to him and developed his character well. Don't get me wrong though, IT WOULD NEVER REALLY ERASE THE FUCKED UP SHIT THEY DID WITH TK5-7, but Tekken 8 was sweeping up some of the garbage left behind.

I always joke about Jin and his war crimes. Obviously, waging war is bad irl, but this is fiction okay. Anyway, Tekken 8 somehow managed to make me really feel like Jin didn't want to wage war. It was more of a result of his own self deprecation. Add to this, he was already suicidal before he took over the Zaibatsu, but after Tk6, he just really sulked into the idea of having to carry his sins and let it define him for the rest of his life.

The way they turned Jin from this guy who's hopeless and is submerged in his own hatred towards his bloodline and himself to this guy who finally acknowledges that all of the bad things are a part of who he is, but it doesn't have to be who he completely is, was really really really written decently. This whole character development with Jin instantly makes Tekken 8 on par, if not equal to, Tekken 4 story writing. And I was really impressed and blown away with how they unfolded the development. Because I really didn't want the romanticization of all his past mistakes, and his allies just cheering him on. Instead, his allies actually acknowledge JIN AS A DEVIL literally and figuratively (e.g Hwoa saying Jin has those dope-ass powers, Leroy asking Jin who is he, Xiaoyu saying she isn't scared of Jin despite the devil look), but they all believed in the chance they gave him to atone for everything he's done wrong.

I wish we could've gotten more about the history of the devil gene. It's still a very vague concept, and I was kinda expecting Tekken 8 to answer most of the questions about it, but still no.

Although as a Jun stan, I'm upset she never really appeared in the real world, I have to say that I really like how they still kept going with Jun's persona as a mysterious woman. If you see a previous post of mine, I have always been scared that Tekken 8 would finally be the franchise who would ruin Jun's character, but they played safe with it. She's still as mysterious as ever, but they allowed her to show more of her kindheartedness.

Like I said, I really wish we could've gotten more. I wish we could've also got to explore Kazuya's perspective. It's been like 6 consecutive games, and we still haven't had a storymode that focuses on Kazuya's character (always the one sided villain). Although, I understand why they couldn't do it (maybe because of budget constraints, and it would really diminish and compress the quality of Jin's char dev if they're gonna focus on both of them). I'm assuming at least that we get Tekken 9 and have it shine a spotlight on Kaz.

Overall, I really liked it. It gets an 8/10 for me!

More things I kinda didn't like:

- Where the hell is Yoshimitsu???? He appears in the tournament and then goes Bye Felicia once Kazuya absorbed Azazel LMAOOOOO. His bio about investigating the Mishima bloodline and whatever didn't really reflect on the storymode :<<

- Nina and Steve.... Uhhh.... We already had them in Tk 7, and I was at least expecting that they would continue it in Tk 8

- The Asuka Kazama erasure.... She's just treated as another one of the side characters at this point. I fear she's just only in the game now because of Lili. She's very underdeveloped and underutilized and I feel so sad about it :<<

Tekken has a very interesting set of characters with amazing dynamics and chemistry with everyone else. It has a huge amount of lore to explore as well. And they could really do better by exploring and developing most of the characters. Here's to hoping we get a story expansion DLC not just for the main story, but also for the other beloved characters in the game.

[feestestsheetintheweest]

Just beat signalis, and this game now means more to me than most horror experiences I've ever consumed, even secondhand. The gunplay alone gives me conniptions at how satisfying it is to perfectly down an enemy with a limit supply of high-powered rounds (yes my favorite is the revolver, how did you know >:3.)

The story is something I honestly can get behind and understand way better than I thought I could, but I can easily contribute that to my love of souls games among other things. For the average player I can clearly imagine them squealing and running around in circles in fear when a big group of enemies scream and lunge at you, perfectly blocking the item you need to pick up to progress behind their wall of flesh.

No matter how long it takes, however, I think making it to the end of this game is worth it for experiencing the (HORRIFYING, WRITHING, EWWW) environment and (NOPE NOPE NOPE AHHHH) ambience. This game took me from being filled with dread after every bullet I fired, thinking that I'd be swarmed by whatever'd crawl from the ceiling at the sound of my gun, to being a well oiled progression machine with enough know-how, healing and ammo to stall a corrupted storch with a pistol and my dodging.

And the CHARACTERS, OMG HOW INTRICATELY DO THE DEVS KNOW THEIR CHARACTERS THAT THEY PERFECTLY ENCAPSULATE THEIR PERSONALITIES THROUGH THE FORMS THEY TAKE WHEN CORRUPTED. HOW WAS I ABLE TO SEE THE INDIVIDUAL LAYERS OF SANITY UNRAVELING THROUGHOUT EACH AND EVERY DIARY I FOUND. HOW DOES EVEN THE HEAVY DUTY ROBOT GIRL IN A MASSIVE SUIT MAKE ME CRY WHEN I HAVE TO LEAVE HER FOR DEAD AFTER JUST LEARNING HER NAME TwT.

Anyways...

I loved every second of this game. I found every gun, I read every diary entry, every article and piece of paperwork. I learned to love and kill every enemy I fought, purely because I knew what they were at their peak and how far they had fallen.... and how much it hurt. This game is raw, visceral, and gut-wrenching, and not a second of my waking life for the next couple of months with be spent without it taking up at least some of my mental real estate.

Go play the game. Find your robot girlfriend.

Remember your promise.

For the yuri.

[naviss]

Time's ticking... and terrifying! ⏳ Cronos: The New Dawn is bringing time-bending horror from the Layers of Fear devs! #Cronos #HorrorGame

[melis-writes]

LAYERS OF FEAR (2016) | dev. Bloober Team & Incuvo.

[breezeinmonochromenight]

What does it that makes silent hill is silent hill? I haven't personally played it but as much as I know there's many game inspired by it but still not get the point straight?

As for all I know it has:

1) manifestation of fear and/or guilt as monsters attacking them;

2) the universe its in has layers (real world, underworld, and something between?);

3) the foggy / dark surroundings that started off as engine limitation as first game was made was actually works so well as environmental horror (all the blood and rust is part of the history of said town)

Also does it matter if the horror changed the protag into monster too? Thanks 👍🏽

To preface this: The games in the series after Silent Hill 1-4 were made when Konami started to shit the bed, and were not made by Team Silent (who were ultimately disbanded). Konami let almost any western developer crank out a Silent Hill game for them after SH4. These games don’t fit in to the narrative because the devs just did whatever the fuck they wanted with it.

That being said, the backstory is super vague, but the Team Silent entries actually do get the point straight — it just depends on how much you wanna look for it in game lol.

Essentially the connecting thread that lets Silent Hill 1-4 exist in the same universe is the history of the town itself. To keep a long story short, the town exists on sacred ground that some sort of spirit/deity inhabited. The entity was considered benevolent, but slowly became corrupted over time due to the bad things that kept happening as more people came to reside in the area/cults were formed/etc. This kind of boils over when a cult member burns her daughter alive in an attempt to birth her cult’s god from pain and suffering. The corruption allows the town to more or less “call” people to it, and even begins to spread to nearby towns as well.

To address your points:

The monsters are not all fear and guilt. It depends on the person. Harry Mason (SH1 protag) literally didn’t do anything wrong, just pursues his adopted daughter Cheryl into the town. But because his daughter is part of Alessa’s soul, Harry ends up facing off against monsters shaped by Alessa’s fears and memories, not his own. Heather/Cheryl Mason (SH3 protag) is a reborn version of Alessa as well, so she shares a lot of Alessa’s monsters. However, Heather is also her own person with her own life experiences apart from Alessa, so a lot of her monsters represent her own fears — hence the very phallic appearance of a lot of them, the insane cancers, etc. James Sunderland (SH2 protag) has nothing to do with the cult, but he and his wife vacationed in Silent Hill and she adored the town. The town beckons him after her death using her, and his monsters reflect everything from her illness to his repressed sexuality. The only exception is pyramid head. He acts as James’ reflection to punish him for his actions, but resembles a portrait of a town executioner found in the historical society that seemed to weird James out. Similarly, Henry Townshend (SH4 protag) isn’t involved in the cult, and also hadn’t done anything wrong. But Walter Sullivan is tied to the cult and trying to kill Henry and the Otherworld/town’s power is slowly seeping into other, nearby places. So the monsters are symbolic to Walter, not Henry.

There’s layers and a dimensional shift of sorts occurring between versions of the town. You have the regular town, the Fog World where subconscious parts of the mind can manifest acting as the sort of ‘purgatory/transition state’ between the Normal town and the Otherworld, the (often, but not always) rusty and bloody Otherworld, and Nowhere, which is a unique part of the Otherworld that pertains to Alessa in particular.

Yes, the fog was originally used to combat the hardware limitations of the time and became iconic. But the blood and rust isn’t exactly a part of the history of the town or anything and may not be the universal experience. Other characters might see something totally different based off of their own issues/mental state/etc. Angela’s Otherworld, for example, is more fleshy, blatantly (and uncomfortably) sexual, and on fire from the little we get to see of it because of what she did and what she went through. Laura, on the other hand, can move through the town easily and doesn’t see anything bad because she’s a little kid who, at worst, might be overwhelmingly lonely and have that influencing what she experiences. Meanwhile, Heather sees things that are fiery and fleshy/sometimes even womb-like, James sees things that are fleshy and kind of rusty and rotted, and Henry frequently sees things like giant umbilical cords when he uses a portal to leave his apartment.

Ultimately, the experience a character has depends on who they are, what they’ve done, and/or what their connection to the area is.

There’s a lot more to it than this response covers tbh, but I hope this at least gives you a better idea of what’s going on lol.

[doomsdev]

@thunderclasped

Dev is covered in blood when he gets back to the Ark. Dried up now, staining clothes and his face. His hands are shaking slightly, and he grabs one fist with the other to steady it. He started the day throwing up atop a winged lion, and he ended it saving people with the help of his father. Using doom to destroy a raging god's influence, guided by Moros' himself as he forced him out of screaming cultists.

Though he knew he was his son, that doom was his destiny, Dev had never felt it quite as deeply as he did now. Not in fear or resignation, not even in a power hungry way, but in acceptance. In recognition, if only for a second he commanded doom itself and he changed people's fates. He never had before believed he could.

Warm water washed away the blood, but his heart kept pounding, adrenaline coursing through him. Moros' presence as real as it had been right then and there. He should call his dad... but first.

He found him in the library, hair still wet, hand opening and closing as he felt dread cling to him like a protective layer, a cloud that hung above him for better or worse.

Words were probably best, but he found he had few of those now, he watched him grab a book, and a second later Dev forced it back into the shelf with a hand over his. Pressing him against the shelf as well, as his lips met the sensitive skin of Elias' neck. "Can you feel it?" He whispered against his ear, bodies glued together. There was so much unbound energy he doubted he couldn't. People usually avoided Dev for a reason. "I need you right now." He offered then, as explanation. They had reached an agreement had they not? And this was the exact situation that called for it.

[unlimitedexposureonline]

AI, Voice, and Web3: What the Next Website Era Means for You

The internet isn’t standing still and neither should your business. Over the next five years, web development will go through one of its most dramatic shifts yet. AI isn’t just helping developers it’s driving the ship. Immersive experiences are becoming the norm. And traditional websites? They’re evolving into dynamic, intelligent ecosystems.

If you think your current website is “good enough,” now’s the time to rethink that. This isn’t about chasing hype it’s about staying relevant in a rapidly changing digital world.

Key Takeaways: What Smart Businesses Need to Know Now

AI is taking over the heavy lifting. From building sites to improving them in real time, AI is no longer optional it’s foundational.

Your site needs to go beyond screens. Immersive features like AR, voice, and 3D navigation are becoming expectations, not experiments.

Web3 is less about crypto, more about trust. Think loyalty tokens, transparency, and customer ownership not coins and NFTs.

No-code tools are giving teams the power to build fast. Don’t let your innovation get stuck in a development backlog.

Answer-first content wins. Voice search and AI summaries reward websites that answer questions clearly, quickly, and with authority.

Speed, simplicity, and security are the new SEO. If your site doesn’t load fast, feel intuitive, or protect user data it’s already behind.

AI Is Building the Next Generation of Websites

Web development is now AI-enhanced at every layer. From code creation and error detection to layout testing and personalized user experiences, AI helps build sites that adapt in real time.

Even customer service is evolving. Chatbots are no longer basic scripts they’re advanced, conversational agents handling inquiries, resolving issues, and even closing sales while you sleep.

 

The Web Is Becoming an Experience Not Just a Page

Websites are no longer just destinations they’re becoming environments.

Picture your customers:

Viewing your product in their own space using AR

Walking through your virtual storefront via 3D browser experiences

Speaking commands aloud to navigate your website

This is the new standard for engagement, and it’s already in motion. Businesses that embrace interactivity will stand out and win attention.

 

Web3: Don’t Fear It Understand It

Web3 isn’t just for crypto startups. It’s about decentralization, transparency, and digital ownership.

Imagine:

Loyalty points that your customers can actually own

Transactions that are fully verifiable and tamper-proof

Limited-edition digital promotions that build exclusivity and buzz

You don’t need to dive into blockchain development, but understanding Web3 gives you a strategic advantage as consumer expectations evolve.

 

Your Dev Team Needs to Evolve (And So Do Your Expectations)

Modern websites demand more than code. Your developers now need to:

Integrate AI tools that automate and optimize

Create seamless, intuitive user experiences

Secure your data and comply with evolving privacy laws

Think strategically about business goals not just technical specs

Your dev team isn’t just a task force anymore they’re your transformation partners.

Speed, Security, and Simplicity: Your Website’s New Baseline

No matter how smart your tech is, users won’t wait.

To stay competitive, your site must be:

Fast across all devices

Secure and privacy-compliant

Simple to use with clean navigation and zero friction

Even AI-driven search engines like Google’s Overviews prioritize these elements when recommending results.

 

No-Code & Low-Code Platforms Are Changing the Game

Today, you don’t need a full dev team to get things done.

No-code and low-code tools let your marketing or operations team build landing pages, automation, and workflows in hours not weeks.

This unlocks:

Faster launches

More internal innovation

Fewer bottlenecks and lower costs

Developers still matter but they can now focus on big-picture architecture while your in-house team handles quick wins.

What Smart Businesses Need to Do Starting Now

You don’t have to do everything at once. Start with small shifts that lead to big results:

Test AI tools now. Use chatbots, voice search integrations, or AI content assistants.

Prioritize UX. Fast-loading, mobile-optimized sites with smooth navigation win both users and algorithms.

Experiment with immersive features. AR previews or interactive elements add instant impact.

Understand Web3 trends. Especially if your business relies on loyalty, community, or limited-edition offers.

Upgrade your dev partnerships. Choose developers who think like digital strategists.

Write content that answers. Clear, structured, helpful writing helps you appear in AI-powered search results.

Additional Resources:

Beyond Your Site: The Real Keys to Google’s Top Spot.

Will Web Development Die in 10 Years? Here’s Why the Answer is No

Website Migration: Move Your Site, Keep Your Google Rank!

Your First Website, One Step at a Time: A Beginner’s Guide to Web Development

FAQs: Answering What Business Owners Ask the Most

Will AI replace developers?  No but it will replace repetitive tasks, giving developers more time to focus on strategic, user-driven solutions.

Should I be investing in Web3?  Not necessarily today, but you should understand its impact on branding, loyalty, and user trust.

Is design still important?  Yes, but performance, clarity, and speed are more important than ever. A beautiful site that frustrates users won’t convert.

Can I compete with bigger companies online?  Absolutely. With the right tools and agility, local and mid-sized businesses can outperform slower, less adaptive brands.

Will I need to rebuild my website every year?  No, but you do need to continuously optimize. Think updates, not total overhauls.

Final Thoughts: Ride the Shift or Get Swept Away

Web development isn’t what it used to be and that’s a good thing.

With AI, immersive experiences, and customer-centric technologies, your website can become your hardest-working asset. But only if you evolve with the times.

The future isn’t waiting. Your business shouldn’t either.

“Bio:Maede is a content curator at UnlimitedExposure, a company dedicated to providing a wide range of digital marketing resources. Their expertly curated content helps both beginners and seasoned professionals stay ahead of industry trends. Whether you need beginner-friendly tutorials or in-depth analyses, UnlimitedExposure equips you with the knowledge to grow and succeed in today’s fast-paced digital world. Explore their collection to enhance your skills and stay competitive.

UnlimitedExposure Online is also recognized a Professional Website Development Toronto”