#next playthrough is about to be in english for sure

[dairine-bonnet]

I guess Heinrix will put the names of those people who rushingly left the room on the list of suspicious individuals.

P.S. Or the names of those who kept standing in line and didn't follow the order of an Inquisitorial acolyte?!

I've heard that if you don't act at all to improve the situation, other companions get annoyed. Is that true?! Need to figure it out!

[aevellewritessometimes]

One Step Closer

Vere x Reader: Reincarnation AU Part 2! I really need to come up with an official name for this, shouldn't I? Anyway, this ended up being much longer than I was planning, so it looks like there will be a part 3 before I start getting to the endings. I currently do not have access to my laptop, so I had to depend on someone else's playthrough for dialogue, so if the MC in this one feels catered towards the Hound origin, that's why and I apologize in advance.

Content Warnings: Vere-typical swearing, innuendos, and death threats. Also, there's a brief mention of a dead body.

Other: Yet another brief Undertale reference, but it only pops up once. Vere might be OOC. Hopefully better usage of italics and semicolons (English is my first language, but I am a victim of the American Education System). Trying to avoid using a name for MC/Reader during two scenes where the use of their name was very deliberate and important to the game (because I forgot that "y/n" is a thing). Word Count: 3k words.

This work may be edited in the future if I discover any previously missed typos or content warnings. This work will not be cross-posted anywhere and I will make a direct announcement if that ever changes. Likes and reblogs are always appreciated! <3

The memory of your face was both a blessing and a curse to him.

Sometimes it was a bittersweet sight from his sweetest of dreams; a reason for him to get through the motions every day just so he could see you again once sleep came for him.

Other times it haunted his worst nightmares: the look of fear, pain, and betrayal being the last thing he saw in your eyes before the life vanished from them completely.

He tried to forget that face, but he clung to any memory of your other faces the way a web clung to a spider's prey.

Many of the pages in his sketchbook were dedicated to those faces of yours. Many lives were taken from poor fools foolish enough to be curious about them.

None of your faces---or bodies, for that matter---were exactly the same; there was always some small difference.

Eye color. Hair length. Freckles. Height.

There was always something different. But despite that, it was always you.

So imagine his surprise when it was you---or at least, a particularly familiar stranger---he spotted strolling out of the Wet Wick and through the streets of the Amaryllis district as he waited for the Senobium cleric given the unfortunate task of having to deal with him today to finish her business.

Whatever was left of his heart froze for a moment and his lungs felt as if they were filled with dread instead of air.

Surely it wasn't you.

It couldn't have been you.

He easily could've just ignored them; let them walk past without any knowledge he was there.

But he had to know. He had to be sure.

He needed them closer---needed them to turn and look him in the eyes so he could get a proper read on their soul; it would put any and every question to rest.

Besides; if it wasn't you, then they'd make a good distraction for the night before he inevitably killed them by the next morning.

But if it was…

As he pondered on what exactly he would do if it really was you, the stranger strolled further down the street. He had to act quickly.

It wasn't much of a hassle; just a little trick with the shadows which loomed from the walls of the surrounding buildings.

The stranger froze, the smell of their fear permeating the air as he nabbed a key from their cloak's pocket.

They reeked of blood, death, sweat, and cheap booze. The latter two scents weren't unexpected; they did just leave the Wick, though he did let out a brief, rumbling snarl when he smelled that damned hound on them. The former, however? Neither of the two scents were uncommon in this shithole; just earlier today he watched as a few locals stepped over a partly rotted corpse that had been left in a walkway because nobody could be bothered to clean it up.

But the scent clinging to the stranger was a bit different---as if it was the stench of their own death and blood clinging to them instead of someone else's.

How curious…

He retracted the beastly shadow once he noticed they were going to turn around; finally allowing him to see their face.

It looked startlingly similar to the face you the day of the incident. The only immediate difference he could spot was that their hair was off a shade.

They surveyed the area, panicked and confused, before finally spotting him, sitting on a stoop and lounged against a wall.

While he was able to see their eyes now that they were looking at him, he wasn't able to get a good view of their soul just yet.

He needed them closer.

He baited them with their key---claiming that they had dropped it, but he didn't want to toss it to them, just in case some urchin ran by and stole it while it was still in the air.

They didn't trust it. If it weren't an inconvenience to him, he would've laughed at how they were smart enough to be cautious of him right off the bat despite getting all close and personal with Leander.

But with some teasing and flirting, he eventually managed to urge them closer---even if it was just to snatch up their key and move away from him as quick as they could.

Unfortunately for them, he was faster.

As they made to grab their key from his palm, he snatched their wrist and pulled them closer; finally giving him the chance and view that he needed… as well as a good whiff of the smell of that fucking doctor.

His suspicions on that note were proven to be correct, but there was something else…

Something not quite Human, but also not quite Monster… How inter---

"VERE!"

And of course the fucking cleric chose right then stop taking her sweet time. Gods-fucking-dammit.

He managed to trick the woman into believing he was just chatting with a friend and sent the stranger off with some free advice before the cleric dragged him off on his leash.

As he listed to the sound of their footsteps as they walked away---at an insultingly yet understandably brisk pace---he made a mental note to go visit the Wick once he was let off his leash for the night.

He'd get another chance there.

-=-=-=-=-

The Wick was suficatingly filled with the usual regulars; the stench of sweating, unwashed bodies watered-down booze clouding the humid air.

Vere sat by Ais---who had only just showed up less than an hour ago---towards the end of the bar, watching the crowd.

He still hasn't spotted the stranger yet. At this point, he was starting to wonder if he was wrong about their lodgings. He was close to just leaving---the mixture of annoyance at his incorrect guess and at Leander's joyful chitchat making a truly dangerous combination.

"Pardon me."

No human being would've been able to hear the soft-spoken request from where he was sitting, but Vere could hear the doctor perfectly well as he parted his way through the crowd.

His exasperation at his appearance was just enough for him to almost get up and leave---until he spied two heads trailing behind Kuras's towering form:

Mhin, who apparently formed a habit of following Kuras around like a lost kitten whenever they needed something to do with their time…

And the stranger from before.

About damn time.

He watched as the trio approached Leander, who was just putting the finishing touches on whatever abomination of a drink he was trying to kill Ais with this time. He was momentarily distracted at the glowing green liquid in the glasses that Leander slid down to them, which was followed by Ais downing it in one go.

"It's chewy."

"Chewy? Wait, let me try again…"

"I told you this place was a nest of degenerates."

Vere's attention was drawn back towards the three at the sound of Mhin's grumbling. As Mhin and Kuras quietly spoke to each other, the stranger observed the bar; seeming surprised to see him and Ais there.

He noticed that their gaze lingered on him for a moment longer than it did for Ais before they returned their attention back to their companions.

"Ah, if it isn't Kuras and Mhin!" Leander exclaimed, finally taking notice of them.

Either he didn't see the stranger, or they haven't been introduced yet.

"Good evening, Leander. Ais. Another drinking competition?" Kuras said, approaching the bar and ignoring him entirely.

Good. He didn't need another annoyance on top of everything else already.

Vere just turned to Mhin. "I almost didn't see you there, Mhin. Looking for your booster seat?"

It was petty and entirely unprovoked, but he needed to take the edge off somehow.

The white-haired mercenary pushed back their hood. "I though Ais wasn't allowed to bring his pets in here."

Oh this little---

As Vere's ears flattened against his head and his tail twitched angrily, Leander vaulted over the bar, slotting himself in between Ais and Kuras, snaking an arm around the latter's shoulders and offering him one of his horrible drinks---effectively preventing a fight.

"I'm afraid not. We were merely escorting them back to their lodgings." He responded, gesturing to the stranger, who reluctantly stepped out of the shadows at their acknowledgment.

Leander's face brightened---indicating that the two of them had, in fact, been acquainted. He immediately waved them over and introduced them to him and Ais.

(The name was different than the last one he remembered you bearing, but that didn't mean much of anything. They were almost always different---except for that one time, but even then, the spelling was different.)

Once again, they were still too far for him to get a good look at their soul. At this point, he almost believed they were doing it to be spiteful.

Leander starts talking again, and Vere tunes him out as he orders a flute of champagne---the only drink that doesn't taste too much like rat's piss.

Everyone's attention turned towards him when the bartender popped the bottle.

"They serve champagne here? Since when?"

"You don't mind, do you?"

"No, be my guest. I know you've got expensive taste…"

Vere sipped from his glass as Leander shot the bartender a frantic look and Ais offered to buy a drink for the stranger---calling them "Sparrow" as he did so.

Leander interjected and offered to buy them a drink instead.

It's their first night here and they've already got these two in a dick measuring contest over them. He was almost impressed.

Either way, they get their drink and Leander holds a toast to their arrival---much to their own dismay. Vere was finding himself more and more peeved by the minute, but still, he lingered.

They'd move towards him eventually; he was sure of it.

The conversation moved---Vere learned that the outsider apparently already managed to find themself on death's door twice today. Clearly, they had not taken his oh-so generously offered advice earlier.

Vere just turns to speak to Ais for a moment. Once he tunes back into what the rest of them are doing, he notices that Kuras, Leander, and Mhin have all disappeared somewhere; leaving the poor outsider all on their own.

"Lost your tour guide?"

They turn to him and Ais, their expression going from indifferent to mildly irritated.

Guess Ais left a bad impression on them as well. Or he was just particularly successful in his earlier ploy to annoy them.

He tried to offer them the seat next to Ais, but they were still hesitant.

Ah. The song and dance continues.

"How about we start fresh, hm? Begin with proper introductions, get off on the right foot and whatnot. I'll start…" He readjusted himself on the counter, resting his chin on the back of his hand, "The name's Vere. Hunter extraordinaire."

They were quiet for a moment. "I'm sure you already know my name…"

"Hard not to when Leander's shouting it every other second. It's a pleasure to formally meet you…"

His tone when he spoke their name was slow and deliberate, savoring every syllable; earning him yet another flustered reaction.

They were far too easy. If they weren't who he thought they were, they'd be fun to toy with for the night.

They glance over Ais's shoulder, then they start heading towards the entrance. "I'll be back."

He just hummed and waved his fingers at them. As they stepped away, he considered ordering another drink, but chose not to. It would be easier to plan a way to get them closer if he were at least somewhat sober.

Then he heard a grunt behind him. "Out of my way, shitstain."

Turning, he saw that the outsider had apparently bumped into some drunken roughneck. Or maybe it was the other way around.

"You watch it!"

Probably the other way around, then.

That was enough to piss off the roughneck, who shoved a bloodhound out of the way as he angrily stalked towards the outsider. Once he makes it over, he shoves them down to the floor.

Well, that's certainly an issue for his plans.

Fortunately, before he can start throwing punches, a few bloodhounds circle the two of them; sizing him up as the outsider was still stuck on the floor.

Ultimately, the roughneck was smart enough to back off at that point. He spat at them, barely missing their cheek, and started to walk away…

Only to find himself face to face with Ais.

Ais smiled. "You'll do."

Then he punches him square in the jaw. Chaos follows in the form of shouting and cheering as the outsider scrambles to their feet.

It doesn't take long for Leander to yell at the two of them to take it outside and distract the rest of the bar-goers with a free drink; immediately followed by the bartender throwing him an annoyed glance as everyone else started cheering.

Ais left out a back exit, dragging his quarry out with him.

Kuras lingers near the door, surveying the bar for any wounded people before departing.

Mhin drew up their hood and slipped through a side door, apparently separated from Kuras during the brief fight.

Leander made his way to the bar opposite of where Vere sat, frantically apologizing to the bartender.

Vere just leaned over and grabbed a glass of wine from behind the bar, watching the outsider through his peripheral vision.

They stand still for a moment, surveying the bar. Then, they move towards him; their steps hesitant. Eventually, they slide into the seat beside him as he sips from the wine glass.

Finally.

He didn't turn to them just yet; souls were easier to read when their bearer was vulnerable. He wanted them to let their guard down, first.

"I didn't think you planned on sticking around."

"A free drink's a free drink, even if it tastes like rat piss."

"Didn't you say you wouldn't be caught dead slumming in this shithole?"

He sips from his glass, tail thrashing below the bar. "You've caught me red handed." He peered at them over the rim of his glass, "How ever will you punish me?"

"I figured my company's punishment enough for you."

Vere felt a small smile form on his lips. "So, you survived the night. Are you here for praise or would a headpat do?"

"About that. Turns out you were right; I did run into trouble---"

He knows. He could smell the Seaspring's lingering odor on them, as well as the stench of a Soulless.

"---Now I don't know if you're and oracle, a threat, or just completely full of shit."

He scoffed. "Most people would buy me a drink before insulting me."

"After the way you jerked me around? If anyone's owed a drink, it's me."

He didn't dignify that statement with an immediate response. Then, he propped his chin on his wrist. "I don't think you understand how things work around here. Information is a luxury; one you flung so carelessly aside."

"I'm not following."

"If you valued my words, you'd have taken them seriously. I gave you free advice---warned you of the danger you were in, and still you went parading off to the Seaspring. Small wonder the Soulless didn't tear you to ribbons."

"How did you know---"

"I have a very sensitive nose, remember?"

They glared at him. "Right how could I forget. Do you normally greet people by shoving your nose into their laps like an overeager Labrador?"

Vere glared at them for a heartbeat; a warning. Then, he laughed under his breath.

He'd let them get away with that one. After all, they only just got here. It's not like they knew…

"Only the ones I like." He sets aside his now empty wine glass and reaches for a long-abandoned tumbler of whiskey. "But the truth is, I despise most people."

His eyes flickered over their shoulder as Leander's boisterous laughter erupted from the other side of the bar, as if proving his point.

"What about me? Now that we've started off on the right foot…"

At last, he turned to face them fully. His gaze slowly glided over them as he sized them up, before finally ending on their eyes.

He could see the faint flickering of an agonizingly thick layer of suffering. An enticing sight, but still an inconvenient one. The suffering that one has gone through during their life always clouded the true nature of their soul; especially if it was left untreated.

"I haven't made up my mind about you, yet."

He turned back to the bar. Neither of them said anything for a moment.

"Have I done something to piss you off."

He let out a short sigh. "No. I'm just disappointed. People like us can't help but attract danger. Yet you seek it out, and for what? Cheap thrills?"

"I wasn't trying to get eaten by Soulless! There's something I'm looking for…"

"And you think Mhin can help you? Leander!? Are you really willing to risk your life with those dipshits?"

"What life? You've got no idea what I've gone through--- Oh, forget it."

They made to get up from their seat, but Vere stopped them by softly placing his hand on their shoulder; little more than a brush, but apparently enough to get their attention.

He said nothing, for a moment---simply searching their eyes; trying to glean whatever information he could from the suffering which marred their soul.

Now that he actually had a moment to read it, the answer was clear as day: betrayal.

Yet there was something… different, about it. There were many forms of betrayal, and each one left its own distinct mark, but whatever form this outsider faced was new.

No, not new. Not quite. Instead, there appeared to be two different type of betrayal there: one dealt recently, and one that seemed more… ancient.

The outsider simply continued to become more and more interesting by the hour.

"They couldn't even begin to understand you. But I could. I could help you, if only you'd listen."

"…How do I know I can trust you?"

"You don't. But I'm slightly less inclined to waste your time with empty flattery and insults than those two."

They didn't respond to that.

"Is what you desire truly worth risking your life for?"

"If you knew what kind of life I've live, you wouldn't be asking."

Vere considered their response for a long moment before speaking again. "Will you trust me?"

"…For now."

Vere ignored the oddly familiar pinprick of satisfaction in his chest. "Good enough for me." He raised the tumbler to them, then he snapped back the dregs. He wiped his mouth on the back of his hand once he finished. "Let's talk. Outside. If I have to smell Leander's skunky aftershave for much longer, I'll hurl."

He slipped away from the bar, leaving the outsider to trail after him, out a side door and into and alleyway.

< Part One | Part Three >

[laswells-ashtray]

Omega Kate? 👀 I don't think I've seen anyone write for that before, would love to see your thoughts

I'm watching a MW 2 playthrough right now and my grandmother walks through to grab something, stops, looks at Kate and goes "oh, this is the lesbian you like." which is stupidly funny because yeah.

Big fan of Omega Kate and Omega John solidarity.

Kate already had to fight for the respect she so rightfully deserves because she's a woman, but also being an omega meant that for her the job had to be the priority if she wanted to do anything worth while.

She had to work and fight for even a shred of consideration when she was younger but through years of fucking dedication and spite, she got herself into a position where noone would ever ask her secondary gender because she's the woman in charge.

She briefly considered throughout the years that she isn't favourable to an alpha, she isn't submissive and she has no intention of ever having pups. She's strong, stubborn and determined. She'd never throw away everything she worked for to have a family like so many omegas do.

And then she meets her wife. A gentle, warm and loving woman. Kate doesn't think she'll ever have a chance with her. They're the exact opposite personality wise and the woman comes from money, Kate has no family left and her closest friend is an English man. She doesn't have much to offer. But the woman so clearly wants her.

Kate tries to push her away, it seems like the smartest thing to do because they have no chance together but the alpha is persistent. She never tries to force Kate into a position that makes her uncomfortable, she just... gets to know her. She takes Kate out to lunch and listens to her complain about the men at work. She doesn't think twice about the fact Kate is dressed for her work more often than not or that she has to walk away to take a phone call for the job.

And then they're at the alpha's house and her heat starts, she'd been so busy at work that she'd had no time to prepare and forgot to expect it. The other woman leads her to the spare room and tells Kate to yell if she needs anything.

Kate lasts 40 minutes before she heads back downstairs to the alpha and asks for her. Initially, the other woman says no, she doesn't want this to be a decision made lightly in the heat of the moment just because Kate's judgement is compromised.

Then Kate lets slip that she's never spent her heat with someone else before and that she means it. The alpha agrees but only if they do this under her terms, Kate has to lead everything and as insufferable as it might feel for Kate, they're taking it slow.

They do and it's clear that the alpha is holding herself back but she spends the entire time making sure that Kate's needs are met and that she's comfortable.

After that they move quickly, they talk and Kate very quickly realises that she might not be the typical omega but this alpha certainly isn't looking for a stereotypical omega either. Kate is firm about the fact that she won't change and she won't step back from her job. It's never a point of contention.

But Kate does change, she takes time off of work that she never had before. She becomes less stressed and stop grinding her teeth at night because she's sleeping with her head on her alpha's chest. And when they have a scare over pups, her alpha tells her that they can book an appointment for a termination whenever Kate feels ready to and they'll spend the next few days at home together while she recovers. It never comes down to that, it's just a vague illness and not pups but that's the moment Kate decides that the other woman is her alpha.

[noelle666]

I am exploring fan-made Pathologic VN (you can read about it here) and it feels like I am horrible at visual novels cause... I don't really understand sometimes how should I act to NOT romance a character I don't want to romance. I played both Daniil and Artemy and want to share some thoughts on Daniil's story. Artemy will be in the other post to not mix them, plus I am in a process of another playghrough and I want to romance Stakh.

WARNING! There will be spoilers.

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I played as Daniil and at first wanted to romance Eva, but the deeper I dived the more I realised I don't like her and want to romance Block instead. But during my first playthrough the cards fell as they did and I ended up with Eva, but the last conversation/scene with her made me realise it won't be possible for her and Danya to exist together due to her nature, her being which cannot stay in one place because she cannot find "her place". So in the end of day 4 (in English it is not avaliable yet) I basically broke up with her. She is... suffocating, so I agreed with Daniil - "no more sacrifices, Eva, I don't need it".

The second playthrough I decided to "dump" (I don't like this, but it seems like a good strategy for such "bad" VN playes as I am) all except Alexander, and I did it, it worked. Though I felt bad for some characters who, I think, I offended (yeah, Daniil can be an asshole, but maybe next time I'll try to be not that harsh and see if it will mess with my romance choise). And this romance was as I expected and, I think, even more touching. Probably because General reminded me of a certain someone, heh-heh: Daniil and him played chess together, Daniil noticed Block shows him his "true human nature", and when they ended up together kissing, Daniil was the initiator. Alexander hesitated at first but then responded, "he wanted it for a long time". Sounds familiar? ;)

So, yeah, the chess scene and "human feelings" just "bought" me. I somehow was sure Daniil would see realtionships with Block as something calm and, surprisingly, when he sees a dream in game, he sees a very pretty calm place near a lake where he meets his "Sasha". What a peaceful scene. And then, aftet the kiss, Block says how sad it is they haven't met earlier. And Daniil responds: "Probably in another life a young gymnasium student Sasha has met a humble student Daniil in a park who was rushing to a lecture".

[ggren-mainz]

Umineko - question arcs playthrough -> ep 2 - 8

last part - All parts and episodes - next part

I can't wait to finish this chapter so I can force my gf and sister to watch the next play. Unfortunately i have yet to find english subtitles for the third one so :C

edit later: THE FIRST 3 PLAYS ARE FOR FREE ON YOUTUBE EVERYONE GO AND WATCH THEM THEY'RE CALLED STAGE OF THE GOLDEN WITCH.

me when my kid is too #autismpilled #based #deathtothehaters

Ok wait mention, but I assumed last episode that they have some sort of internal lines, unrelated to the outside ones since the phonecall from Maria/Beatrice worked, but apparently no. Another mystery added to the pile ig.

Wait i'm confused, is the bolded text here still the same as in the debate, or is it just to put more importance on these words. Well idk how much sense it would make as the first version but you know.

Personally i love how much more put together battler is in this episode. Way less screaming around way more thinking (around?)

Now they're talking about how they found three gold bars even though only one was confirmed to be found. So does this mean that Beatrice knows where the gold is? She's just testing them? Possible.

I have the feeling that this really isn't that important, and will prove to be more of a red herring than anything else. Might be very wrong tho.

woah she's not dead! so nice wohoo! anyways back to abusing my kid.

wow guys she was possesed by the evil spirit of the evil witch! Maria was right all along wow.

Ok so they discover Jessica's corpse, and now it's theory time. So they didn't find Kanon's obviously because he disappeared into thin air, but now let's assume magic doesn't exist and he couldn't have just disappeared into thin air. I guess my idea rn is could he be Beatrice? Well ok no, let's rewind. We know Beatrice is a person, and she does exist, but for the sake of my argument we'll assume beatrice the physical person and Beatrice the witch are different entities. If we go with the witch's don't exist theory then we have to put this thing down, because her teleporting wouldn't make sense. AGH i have fallen into the catch of trying to rationalize everything i see, when most of it is probably not true, wait sorry. Ok so I'll just write off the entire Kanon thing with the demons as not real. Mass halucination if you will. If that is the truth, then Kanon would have to be the killer, or Beatrice i guess. hm. For now Kanon as the killer really isn't that wrong of an assumption, but its too easy you know? they'll also come to that conclusion and if they say that in the second episode it's most def not right. So i digress and say something else. A version of Beatrice is kanon. And i will call these pink truths as in things i truly believe are true and will base my theories on them till proven wrong. Lemme write them all down actually.

Beatrice is not only one person, but perhaps more and sometimes even a concept. Her actual existence is debatable.

Witches exist but they aren't the ones who committed the crimes, and there is no magic in the events that take place on Rokkenjima.

We cannot take most of the events we see as truths. That doesn't necessarily make them lies just not true.

This is all i can think of for now, might update later.

NOT ANOTHER LOCKED ROOM!! NOOOOOOO

ok scratch all i said before, if even Rosa thought about it this means that Kanon is the most innocent man to have walked this island.

Sure gohda but can you swear it in red?...that's what I thought

I find it quite interesting that even thought Beatrice is present this time, she's just as important as last chapter. So basically not, just there as a concept. As a sort of scaping goat. It's just that people know she exists now, but is she more believable than a mysterious 19th person? I don't see it that way.

At first i was a bit frustrated with them, Rosa's assumption is not idiotic at all, and it would be the logical and best course of action in this situaittion, if you don't forget to also know that your assumption is purely that. An assumption. But after this did I really realize what this means. This isn't meant to belittle and show us how stupid Rosa is, this shows us the feelings of Jessica and Kanon. And what it means when people completely discard feelings and only use logic. Because in the end us humans aren't purely logical beings, we're filled with irrational feelings, that make us act certain ways. Her assumption isn't wrong, but it's soulless, and it's mostly an excuse, an easy way out. What this wants to prove to us is that this isn't as easy as it looks, you can't deny the feelings of a person because it would fit your narrative better. So while I don't know what to think about this, I won't get back on my words. I do think this Kanon, or at least Kanon in that scene was a sort of representative of Beatrice, but Beatrice isn't an evil witch, and she isn't the scapegoat to put all of our sins on. I guess that's what I got from this, might be completely wrong but eh.

mister know it all here got some guts. Don't act so coy now, i have heard the audios of you screaming crying and throwing up.

me after I act all cool and mysterious in class and say some very smart-sounding statement and then the teacher asks me to elaborate.

"so basically what if someone threw a boomerang which disintegrates when it touches someone and it also has extremely sharp edges and it landed right in Jessica's back? I'm just saying!"

Ig it is useful to have an omnipresent all-knowing person confirm or disconfirm your statements before saying them out loud and making a fool of yourself. But this is pretty damn clever, like I read the scene and i did NOT remember this.

I don't like the face you're making Beato.

5 minutes too much of talking about any mystery that's not a closed room. You bored the hoes, Battler.

ok that part isn't in red so the window is most definitely related to this. Ugh I'll have to think a bit more about this.

but pls Beatrice, reconsider for us feeble readers.

illustrated this amazing idea.

I mean yeah, but didn't she just say in red that no trick was used to lock the door? That a key had to be used? I mean wasn't that just shooting herself in her own foot? Sh basically said no magic as well.

"but Beatrice isn't an evil witch, and she isn't the scapegoat to put all of our sins on"

to quote myself from before. Wrong approach Battler. Worst approach even.

*insert that one meme with spongebob going "I FUCKING LOVE CLOSED ROOMS" *

Hm this is so weirdly worded. Although the witch said it herself and we technically 'saw' his death, the author of these notes definitely isn't that convinced. They can't believe it even though they want to do so. It's like they're confused. I wonder i wonder. This makes me think that there's more to Kanon's death then we're shown. He's definitely 'dead' because Beatrice said so, but I'm trying to think if perhaps she took some liberties with the word 'dead'. It's obvious that the corpse wasn't there, and this accent on the corpse... it doesn't sound like 'we found no corpse' but instead as in 'there is NO corpse'. And i don't buy the disappeared the corpse through magic bullshit. Could it be that 'Kanon is dead' could be referring to kanon as in the person or the furniture? So what she meant is either that the person Kanon is now dead and he's just furniture now (and doing god knows what) or that the servant Kanon is dead and is now going by his true name?

ex-Kanon: Kanon is dead

Jessica: That's a horrible way of announcing that you've transitioned and that Kanon is your dead name now.

next part

[dededoesnotexist]

Yes I've played Otome games before

Whenever I say I love playing visual novels I mean stuff like Katawa Shoujo and Your Turn to Die. HOWEVER... I've played a few otome games too because I'm a curious teenage girl and that's not a crime. Tbh otome games kinda suck but don't even take my opinion with a grain of SALT because I'm completely biased. The first otome game I've ever played and I mean like EVER was diabolik lovers. And diabolik lovers is... interesting... I have a friend who's just like me except when she says she loves playing visual novels she means A Date With Death and The Kid at the Back. I know that friendship kinda contradicts itself, but I swear we're chill with each other. I even sacrificed some of my sanity to help her download the game in English on her computer!! (IM SUFFERING HELP ME) My first interaction with this franchise was when I got recommended it on a peak anime site (RIP animeflix.gg) when scrolling too far down in the search. I remember the TERRIFIED expression that washed over my face as I giggled and sent a screenshot of it to my friend. Next thing you know she's asking me to help her get the game in English... Being the awesome friend I am, I fell down a very odd rabbit hole getting this game for her. Now that I'm educated on this topic, I can say with confidence that Kanato is the best character and Laito should be kicked in the balls until he can't use them anymore. Moving on from my traumatic experience with diabolik lovers (and having to watch playthroughs of each game to continue yapping with said friend) otome games arent THAT bad. Ppl used to hate on them so much before love and deepspace came out. "Omg those ppl who play dating sims are weird..." Same person pre-lads release. I'm pretty sure love and deepspace was so many ppls first otome game and I respect the hell out of it for paving its way for the otome game lovers of the world o7. Without lads, ppl like my questionable friend would have to hide their itch.io accounts and remove the icons of their games when they download them :C. Kind of like how ppl would react to you saying you were gay before 2016. Not everyone was okay with it, and majority of people would have a negative reaction hearing that from you, but nowadays it's just the people that don't know how to mind their business and care too much to have a negative reaction. And I know no one asked but if it's a purple haired character from an otome game, they're automatically my favorite and probably the best character anyway. I got a rafayel keychain at an alnst pop up cafe i went to a while ago and ive never plays lads before. My friend said that if I did, rafayel would be my favorite because he's also an artist anyway, so go figure. Uh yeah that's kinda all I wanted to talk about and I'm getting kind of tired and need to go to sleep soon anyway. Moral of the story, I can play otome games without out of curiosity, I still play normal visual novels like everyone else at the end of the day.

[suzuran777]

Review + Guide: Friendly lab - unlock(); (Tennenouji)

I was going to wait for the English translation of the PC version, but got a bit impatient and decided to play the Japanese version instead...! So here's my spoiler-free review in which I explain the gameplay mechanics and what the game's about. I also wrote a guide, as the ones I found online were a little bit confusing to me because some endings are a bit tricky to get. When the English version is released I'll replay it and update the guide.

In this game, you play the role of a researcher who's conducting a gentle experiment on two test subjects. The goal of the experiment is to measure what kind of impact the interference of the researcher has on the test subjects. The experiment must however be conducted safely, without harming the test subjects. A small locked room, two test subjects who suffer from memory loss. It's your goal to present a variety of items to them and to observe their reaction.

If you're here for the guide I recommend scrolling down a little bit! I'll start with a short summary of what the game is about and how to play it. This game was originally released as a mobile game in 2022 and I played a little bit of it, but I didn't reach any endings, so this was my first time completing the game. The gameplay of both versions is almost identical, but this time there are no in-game purchases and ads, which is nice! As the game's description mentions, you have to conduct experiments on the test subjects, Nishi (West) and Higashi (East), and observe how they react to them. Both of them don't remember how they got there and also don't remember much of their past lives, so it's up to you to slowly make them remember. This game is unvoiced and there's also no background music, so it immediately makes the player feel a bit uneasy. The only sound you hear is the sound of the clock ticking.

Gameplay and story

As the researcher, you can use 10 different sub-menus to interact with Nishi and Higashi: Spying, Meals, Special Items, Incident, Entertainment, a safe which becomes the Cultivation Room later, Questions, Paper and Pen, Bathing and Bedtime. At first the game does seem a bit confusing because you have to figure out which items trigger a reaction and it's a bit slow at first, but I did have fun slowly learning more about the characters! The goal is to gather as many keywords as possible, but you only have a limited numbers of actions each day, so use them wisely.

Both characters have completely different personalities. They don't remember their real names so they use the Japanese words for East and West (Higashi and Nishi). Nishi knows a lot about many topics, such as plants, medicine, animals and likes sharing fun facts about items shown to him. Higashi on the other hand, seems to be struggling with a lot of things, slowly remembering his dark past when certain items are presented to him. Throughout the story, Nishi helps him to slowly regain memories of his past, which sometimes get rather dark.

Almost the entire plot of the game takes place in a single room, so the characters and their stories are the most important part of this game. Through their interactions, you learn what happened to them, allowing you to theorize how they could have possibly ended up in a situation like this. Because of this, the gameplay sometimes feels a bit slow, but I recommend taking your time so you can learn more about the characters. The game auto-saves the current experiment so you can close the game whenever you want. It takes a while to replay the game a few times too to unlock every ending, but I had a lot of fun testing each option to see what would happen next. The only downside is that you can't really save, so if the experiment fails it's over and you have to restart.

A few more tips to get all endings ↓

Spoiler-free guide

I'm pretty sure the game always gives you a game-over during your first playthrough on day 10, so the choices don't matter, but I recommend using the cultivation room which unlocks on day 2. When you ask the characters questions, a pop-up will show up that you obtained either 10, 15, 20 or 50 ml of cultivation water, which you can use in the cultivation room. Make sure to complete the experiment, as it carries over to your next playthrough. After the first round, start a new game and follow the "route 3 hint" card, it will show a little light bulb symbol next to the options you should pick. You can skip experiments you've done before by double clicking it, it's faster than pressing the skip button.

Don't use all your daily turns immediately as some options only show up throughout the day and some are only available for a limited amount of time. I recommend using the on/off button next to the eye symbol to only display experiments you haven't done yet. You can still get the endings if you miss some of experiments, but make sure to not miss too many.

The bathing scene choices usually don't matter, so just pick the character you want. You have to replay the game at least 10 times to get all the endings, so you'll have plenty of time to pick each option.

The choices with the pink handshake symbol next to them increase the affinity between both characters, which is necessary to unlock some CGs, so make sure to select a lot of these.

I think there's still an unpatched bug that makes the game freeze on day 10 of your first playthrough no matter how many times you restart. It's a bit unfortunate, but when this happens you have to go to the main menu and terminate your current playthrough. This happened to me in both the Japanese and English version but after starting a new game it never happened again,

Ending 3 and 2: Follow the "ending 3" hints which will show up after your first playthrough and select the choices with the lightbulb icon. Prioritize the "Spying" option and occasionally check if any new options unlock throughout the day as it is possible to miss them and then the game ends on day 10 again. At the end of the game you're presented with a choice, pick the option to not tell the truth for ending 3. Afterwards start a new game, follow the "ending 3" hints again and this time pick the other choice for ending 2. In my case the skip button somehow skipped the entire choice, so if you replay to get ending 2, be careful to not use this too much near the end of the final day.

Ending 4: Automatically unlocks at the same time as ending 3 if you've completed the cultivation room in your first playthrough. It's not really an ''ending'' but more like an extra scene you'll get immediately after finishing ending 3.

Ending 7: Follow the "ending 3" hints and give the characters the "happiness gas" (or bliss gas in the English version) 8 times. With this item you unlock some of the only 18+ content in the game. You can obtain this item by selecting question cards, and sometimes the characters hint that they want to do something specific (eating, entertainment etc.) and one of the sub-menu buttons will light up, hinting that you should pick one of these options next. A choice to use the gas will pop up at night. Just use this every night and you'll get ending 7.

Ending 1: This one is a bit tricky because the game doesn't really give you any in-game hints for this one, but I eventually got it by following the "ending 3" hints again. On the final day after watching the "Cow Backpack" experiment, don't select the experiment after that which should be called something like "Letter from Nishi/West". You can get this ending in one of your first playthroughs too.

Ending 10: I accidentally got this ending when I was trying to get another ending, but you can get this one by picking as many choices as you can with a ★ symbol. I tried using all of the options like Spying, Meals, Special Items etc. This ending should also unlock the ending 5 hint if you start a new game after finishing it.

Ending 5: Follow the "ending 5" hints card. If this doesn't show up for some reason you might have to try playing ending 8 and 9 first. While following the ending 5 hints, make sure to avoid question cards as much as possible. Pick the experiment which looks like ""■□ヌ"■■_リ" in the "Incident" menu every time it shows up (in the English version it also looks like that). There's multiple parts and it seems to show up randomly throughout the day sometimes.

Ending 6: Exactly the same as ending 5 but this time, make sure to use all of your question cards every day, the game ends after playing the final "■□ヌ"■■_リ" event.

Ending 8 and 9: Follow the ending 3 or ending 5 hints again, but make sure to use happiness café au lait (or bliss coffee in the English version) 8 times. You unlock this the same way as the happiness gas mentioned above, though the coffee will show up directly in the "Special Items" menu. Also make sure to play the "lump of ???" (mystery lump in the English version) event, which is an experiment that also sometimes shows up in "Special Items" during the first days. Avoid the final "■□ヌ"■■_リ" event because that might trigger ending 5 or 6 instead. You can't always use the café au lait immediately, but just check the special menu item every now and then to see if it's there. After using this item 8 times, you can choose to give it to Nishi (West) which unlocks ending 8, or Higashi (East) which unlocks ending 9.

I recently started playing the app version of the game too because it still gets regular updates and some additional content, which is also pretty interesting. I do consider both versions two completely different games though, because the PC version feels more like a serious, linear story, while the app version has so many options I sometimes don't know what to do. In the app version of the game you can purchase all kinds of items to dress the characters up, and there's also a third (and later even a fourth) character you can summon to interact with, though the main pairing of the game of course stays the same. This version also has no 18+ content, but it does have some different romance scenes instead (another kiss scene for example). I recommend playing the PC version first but if you're looking for additional content you can always download it and check it out yourself.

Final impressions

The gameplay of this game is something totally different from what I'm used to, but I had fun! It takes a while to complete so I recommend just taking it slowly. The artstyle was a bit different than Yura's usual style, but I think it really suits the game's setting. I will of course not spoil the plot of the game but I think it was really good! The game gives you all these little hints and slowly but surely, you learn their backstories and what happened to them to end up in such a place. It's called ''friendly'' lab and while the experiments themselves don't directly harm them, I will say that some of the endings are anything but "friendly", so mentally prepare yourself for that.

Anyway, I recommend playing the game without reading spoilers, because the whole point of the game is that you're slowly learning more about these characters. Despite the dark plot, of course there are a lot of funny interactions between the characters too like any other Tennenouji game. At some point you can also ask the characters if they know Giancarlo for example, a reference to Luckydog1, which was funny because it seemingly came out of nowhere.

[therealsophiependragon]

Hello. I have time for embarrassment so I here now send you this. I need learn english better than I know it now (for my opinion like four-year-old child). I want to find someone or something that help me in this. You are the only one person which i can trust this mission. So what I want? Please, recommend everything that u know can help me. Maybe, fanfiction or movies/serials that i with this english level can understand. Sites, discord servers, apps, bloggers, comics, games – all that u want. I just want can opportunitie one day read your and other authors fanfiction, watch movies and serials and understand. Read fanfiction with google translate enough, but I want be better. You can just ignore this, but I hope u can recommend something. You already see my level, because I don't use translator for that. Goodbye and see you in next character tmtmoy.

Hiii! First of all, please don't be embarrassed, I'm a language learner too and I think it's really cool that you're making such a huge effort to learn English in order to read English works!! And you know how I appreciate you as a reader so much so I will absolutely help you in any way I can!

Now I have to say, I spent a little while searching for English content at the level you're asking for and I realized that I have a bit of a blind spot here due to being a native English speaker who never needed to learn it. But from my experience learning other languages combined with just stuff I like and think is addictive, here's what I recommend!!

You likely already know a good portion of these, but this is a page with the 600 most common words in English (or any language) from the blog LingoDeer: https://blog.lingodeer.com/high-frequency-vocab-list/

I remember watching a lot of video game playthroughs when I was younger and had no money to buy the actual games haha, and I still go back and watch them, they're pretty nostalgic for me. Life Is Strange, anything with MadMorph, and someone I discovered in the past year, ohinova are all really entertaining! Would recommend since they have a ton of content and you can get a ton of exposure to the language that way! Languagereactor (mentioned in next paragraph) can be used on YouTube too, I think.

If you have Netflix, you should download something like languagereactor and watch some American TV shows with that - I like shows like Lost, Arcane, The Walking Dead, and of course haha ATLA in the original English. The cool thing about English-speaking TV is that the language exposure isn't over once you've watched the show. You can watch it with subtitles in your language or whatever is best (or with language reactor, which is pretty alright), because the real learning begins when you get into the fandoms. Tumblr, Reddit, YouTube shorts, you can consume so much content and learn so much English as long as you're interested in what you're reading about. As a fanfic reader I'm sure you already know this, and if you're already doing it, keep doing it!! Seriously the only way I actually learned Spanish lol. I can only imagine it works so much better for English. And you can jump in at any level, there's no pressure to talk yourself at first, you can just read posts, watch fan edits, all that short-form content that will give you a huge amount of exposure every day. You can absorb a lot of the language and surprise yourself later with just how much you know under the surface.

In fact, there's this fandom called Epic: The Musical that's huge right now and it has a lot of animatics on YouTube. A really compelling plot and distinct voices in the music and a lot of fandom involvement, which means there's a ton to get into. Here's some of my favorite animatics: Just a Man, Remember Them, and of courseeeee There Are Other Ways. Gigi is a fantastic artist and I really got into the fandom because of her animatics!! And Epic also has a really active fanbase on Reddit and here on Tumblr. NOW, I will say that you've got your work cut out for you with understanding the songs, but they're also just bottom line banger songs, so I'd say you're in for a good time anyway.

In this same genre, it could be beneficial to get into YouTube art and shortform content! I don't know if you're the kind of person to get into reels and stuff, but if you can train your feed to be full of this kind of thing it's cute and funny and pulls you in!

I'm already impressed that you're reading English fanfiction. That's how you're going to learn the language, by finding stuff in English that you're interested in and find compelling.

I don't really have any discord servers or anything, but I know there are some big ones for ATLA and other fandoms. You'll have to be on your own for that one unfortunately though, sorry!! I'm mostly on Tumblr.

And if you ever want to talk, you can of course send me a message! I'd love to talk about ATLA, yuezula, fanfiction, anything that you'd like if you need someone to practice English with. :)

I hope this helped even just a little, sorry I can't help much but maybe you'll be able to use my advice. Anyway, thank you for trusting me with this task!! I'm really impressed with you and have no doubt that you'll learn English to the level you desire in no time!!

[errantgoat]

Astarion playthrough thoughts so far (finished Act 2)

The original content is there (mostly in Act 1), but I'm not sure if it warrants doing an origin run, considering what you lose when Astarion's not in the companion role. Basically you get a Tav with Astarion reskin, pretty much.

One thing that made it a little worth for me so far is that with all the small comments he makes, it did make me notice how eloquent and proper his speech patterns are...there's definitely some old- timey english slang in there as well. It's adorable.

but other than that

Someone summed it up better than I could.... Without Tav being there to give a damn, Astarion's playthrough feels super lonely. There's no reactivity with his questline when it comes to companions, they make no comments or even acknowledge any 'milestones' of his personal quest. (And they DO SO when he's a companion, seems like a real oversight.) Everything is handled so very privately, scars on his back are an inner dialogue starring the narrator in Act 2 for ef sake. At this point I'm not sure why he should choose the redemption route when nobody seems to care about anything concerning him at all, the LI included. :( It just makes me feel like he pretends to be a better person that he is, which in turn feels super sleazy, because he doesn't even try to canonically do that as a companion. :P

I'm planning on finishing Act 3 because my completionist soul wouldn't let me stop. BUT at this point I'm just doing it to be free of this game. XD This is it. The end. Next playthrough in 1-2 years time I SWEAR to GODS.

[ssnakey-b]

FF8 English-French translarison, part 25: Four years later

Well, it only took four years but the translarison is back, baby! I told you I didn’t give up on it. That said, looking back, I found it amazing that some people seemed to follow it closely and get genuinely excited for new updates, and I have to admit I feel a bit bad to have disappointed these people. So to all those who have been following the Translarison from the start and were saddened to see it gone, I offer my apologies. If you’re still around and still excited for it, you’re real ones. Now, on the off chance that some of you stumbled upon this post with no idea what I’m on about, hi. I’m Ssnakey-B (fun fact: it’s short for SsnakeBite!), a French native and Final Fantasy VIII-obsessed weirdo. So, just a... short while ago... I decided to bring these two things together and start a playthrough of FFVIII where I would compare the English and French translations of the game, partly because I’m a bit mental, but mostly because I noticed quite a few differences between the two that I feel give a different view of the characters and various moments in the game, which i think highlight the importance of translation in how audiences perceive a work. So you see, it’s a translation comparison; a translarison, if you will. I also take the opportunity to analyze and comment on various moments from the game. Oh! And I go through this assuming people are already familiar with the game, so beware of spoilers. And whether you’re an OG or a newcomer, if you need to catch up, why not check this convenient list of links to every part published so far that I put together? Anyway, time to finally get back into it. Last time, we finished the CD 2 content with the second and final battle against Edea, putting an end to the Battle of the Gardens. And so, we return to find Squall moping in bed, because that’s what he does when faced with stressful situations, which is a mood and a half.

“So it’s all over, then.”

French Squall, no!! We literally just returned! Now’s not the time to give up!

Okay, joking aside, we do have quite a bit of difference right off the bat, as in English, his inner monologue goes as such:

(is it over...?)

(What happened...?)

(Rinoa......)

(What happened to Rinoa......?)

Whereas in French, it goes like this:

(So it’s all over, then)

(When it comes to Edea, at least...)

(But... for Linoa?)

(This story has only just begun!)

So yeah, very different tone I would say, with the French version sounding more determined, less confused. I’ll leave you to decide which one is more fitting given the circumstances. I think an argument can be made for both, depending on whether you believe it’s understandable for someone in his situation to be lost and confused, or if this lighting a fire under him reflects his character development.

Also, not entirely sure why the English version is going so crazy with the ellipses......

After a quick visit to the infirmary, Squall is told by Quistis over the intercom to visit Edea as she is back at the orphanage. Since we get to visit Balamb Garden again, let’s take the opportunity to check on the various NPCs before that, shall we?

First, we’ve gota small difference with this kid who runs around the hall all the time. In English, he says “Come on! ... Take the pain! One more!” whereas in French, he says “I want to beat my endurance record!”. So in both versions, we get that he’s training hard, but we have a slightly different take on it.

Next, we have he cafeteria ladies, the unsung heroines of Balamb Garden. The one on our left mentions students being obsessed with their weight in both versions but interestingly, the English one says a bit more, joking about how “They won’t be able to get a tummy like mine! Ahahahahaha!” which is absent from the French version entirely. Speaking of, the French cafeteria lady doesn’t just say that students are concerned about dieting but that she thinks they’re “more obsessed by calories than their exam”. MA’ AM.

THEY JUST FOUGHT AN ACTUAL BATTLE AGAINST AN ACTUAL ARMY.

THERE WERE HOCKEY MONSTERS.

I think that deserves SOME credit towards their graduation.

Anyway, that’s about it for differences with them although do keep in mind, in the French version, they’re all out of pretzels, not hot-dogs. This is a crucial difference.

We’re not done with the cafeteria, however, as we get to this group, which I’m sure some of you have been looking forward to. And really, it IS interesting since you can’t directly translate the ifnamous “SaaD” pun (which i assume wasn’t in the original Japanese anyway). So how does it go? Well, shorter, mostly. Check it out.

First, here’s the English version:

“I must say, we’re pretty tough.”

“Word... I thought it was the end for me when we had that fight with the other Garden.”

“We’ve accomplished quite a feat. The fighting inside Garden, the battle with the other Garden... That wasn’t training. It was the real thing!”

“YEAH! There were lots of casualties from both sides, but we’re still alive!”

“YEAH! YEAH! We can DO IT!”

“But... We still aren’t SeeDs...”

“...So, we end up complainin’... SaaaaaaD...”

“SaaaaaaD...”

“Sometimes, I actuallly enjoy complaining... SaaaaaaD...”

And now, the French take on it:

We were brave on this one.

I thought we were going to die for sure!

There is a big difference between classes and a real battle.

Yeah! We managed to make it out alive!

We’re not that bad, after all!

But we’re still not Seeds...

That’s true. What a catastrophe...

How sad.

We truly are pitiful.

Again, you’d think being part of an actual battle would at least earn them some credits. I gues sit still wasn’t enough for them to pass already. Either that or the pun from the English team caused them to have some points docked.

You’re probably wondering if there’s anything interesting in what the Quistis simp Trepie ins aying. The answer to that is not really, although he doesn’t call her “sinful” because it’s somehow her fualt he isn’t getting any sleep.

There isn’t much difference in the dialogue between these girls (in fact, it’s surprising how closesly it matches) but I did want to bring it up because it just occured to me that they are likely talking about Linoa, and I think it says a lot about her that in her short time in Balamb Garden, she apparently managed to make friends with some people to the point they want to go visit her in the infirmary.

I suppose it IS possible that they’re talking about an unrelated friend who could’ve gotten injured during the battle of the Gardens and there are more beds that we don’t get to see (it would be weird if there was aonly one) but at the same time, there’s no indication of that in either version of the dialogue. Although with that said, I did notice that there’s usually a group of three girls chatting around and here there’s only two of them, so who knows?

There are a couple interesting things here. The dialogue with Zell is almost identical (also, always found it weird that he’s sometimes in his civlian clothes and sometimes in his cadet uniform in this bit. What a weird thing to put extra work towards), but this little girl’s lines couldn’t be more different. In the English version, she wants reassurance, asking “Is the scary stuff over? It’s over, right?”. But in French, she says “So the warm-up is over? I was just starting to have fun.”

So not only did this little girl apparently take part in the fighting in the French version (which contradicts Squall’s orders, BTW), she’s clearly developed an insatiable thirst for battle that can only be shortly quenched by the blood of her enemies. Terrifying and also great potential for a sequel. Just sayin’, Square-Enix.

We also have a slight difference in tone with this guy. In English, he sounds still shaken yet thrilled by the battle, going ��I...I fought too. And...and, victory was mine!!!” while in French, he’s much collected, going “I fought too. And I suffered no injury!”

Next, we head to the library. This student explains that it is taking request for new books and weirdly, the line in the screenshot above is not in the French version. Another weird change is that he then says that he is “all for fiction” whereas in French, he says that he prefers news. The girl also says in English that she wants mystery novels and in French, she says she wants crime thrillers/whodunits and nothing else.

I guess mystery and crime novels aren’t mutually exclusive, but I feel like “mystery” is a much broader category, so that’s the kind of detail that once again hints at the translations being done independently rather than based on one-another.

Next we have these two and this one is very interesting. First, in English, the girl on the left asks “So I guess we won?” but in French, what she says is more along the lines of “So I take it we won?” which is really weird because it makes it sound like she wasn’t there and doesn’t know what happened.

But more importantly, the one on the right replies with the above line, which is excellent, but in French, it becomes “You never really know who wins... But yes, I think we did.”

Yeah, the French version dropped the ball on that one IMO.

And finally there’s this bizzarely rare NPC who I don’t think i’ve ever seen before and had to go back and forth multiple times to get to appear after switching to French. She’s sad in both versions but not quite as much in French, where she just laments “oh, this is all so sad” rather than outright crying like here.

I believe that’s it for the first floor, let’s get to the second and meet Selphie! There’s an interesting little difference as she specifically says that the Garden’s BBS is fun, whereas in French, she calls it the “network”, even using the English term, which is surprising considering for once, it’s not a anglicism that we use in this context, really.

You may also have noticed that she’s wearing her cadet uniform, well she adresses that and interestingly, in both versions she calls them “regular” uniforms which might imply it’s not actually a cadet-specific uniform? Squall does keep it in his room even after graduating, so I guess that makes sense. But what’s really interesting here is that in English, she says those are nice for a change as you stop wearing them once you become a SeeD.

So I guess those ARE cadet uniforms but wait, she’s wearing right now so clearly they don’t stop wearing them and I’m way overthinking this, aren’t I? What I meant to talk about is that in French, she kind of has the opposite stance saying that while these uniforms are pretty neat, she prefers the SeeD ones (and she doesn’t mention anything about no longer wearing them).

Quick stop by this guy to mention that he only breakes the fourth wall in the English version, which is surprising considering so far, the French one has been the one to have some fourth-wall breaking jokes.

There’s no real difference here (other than the English version sounding more excited due to a liberal use of exclamation marks) but I did want to point out that this is the only NPC so far to acknowledge Squall as his boss.

And that wraps all of the interesting bits I could find within Balamb Garden. Time to get to the orphanage! And here we have another example of how nearly identical phrases can have a different vibe in different languages. Here, in English, Quistis says “...I feel uncomfortable seeing her” while in French, she says “I am not very comfortable at the idea of seeing her again”.

Now maybe it’s just me, but I feel like the English take on it makes it feel more like Quistis is uncomfortable seeing Edea at all, as if her very sight made her uncomfortable, whereas the French one feels more like she’s talking specifically about hos strange it feels to go visit her after they nearly killed one-another. Small, but crucial differences.

The difference between Irvine’s lines is much more pronounced. In English, he says “There’s so much we want to ask the Matron” and in French, he says “It’s weird to go see someone we fought” (which of course mirrors Quistis’ feelings).

Since the characters not in your team are standing in this area, we’ve got different lines depending on what your party is, so let’s quickly go over them. In English, Selphie says “I’ll go after you, Squall. Ok, ok?” and in French, she says “You speak first, OK?”.

Now that’s a very interesting one because I feel like the French version makes Selphie sound a bit more nervous and relying on Squall to break the ice, which goes to show they’ve come to trust him as their leader, even when interacting with Edea.

As for Zell, in English, he goes “We’re meeting the Matron... M-Man, I’m nervous”. His French counterpart is more calm, saying “It’s a bit stressful seeing the governess after what happened”.

Small thing I noticed, Cid tends to nervously chuckle a few times, which doesn’t happen in French, making him seem a bit more eloquent. For example, here he says “I’m sorry” in the French version.

There is also a small difference before he asks them to forgive Edea where in English, he says “I don’t care about myself... But...” while in French, he says “I know I disappointed you”. Again, one of those small things that does change the overall feel of the scene a bit.

Interestingly, as they start talking with Edea, I noticed that this is a rare (possibly unique) occasion where some of the lines are the same for multiple characters, although it’s all variations of “We attacked you even though we knew you were our Matron” in both versions.

There isn’t a huge amount of difference in Edea’s speech at first, the only somewhat notable one being that in French, she explicitly tells them that she could become possessed again at any given time while in the English version, she trails off after saying “At anyime, I may...”.

Also interesting is that each character has a different line if you try to leave before Edea is finished, which is admirable attention to detail, but also not so great if you’re some sort of fool who for some reason decided to compare two translations of the same video game and has to reboot the game each time to try different party combinations, only to find that the unique lines aren’t different enough to mention anyway.

Something I want to point out is another example of the difference in how text is formatted in both versions, as we’ve seen in some of the pre-hiatus entries. As you can see, in the English version, “Sorceress Ultimecia” is highlighted in blue, which is not the case in the French translation, where the name isn’t different from the rest of the text.

We eventually reach an interestng divergence in the speech. Nothing major but in English, Edea explains that "There was no way I was going to let Ultimecia get a hold of Ellone. The only thing I coud do was... ..Surrender my soul to ultimecia and lose control my mind”.

Note how the way she says it here sounds like she willingly let Ultimecia take her over so she couldn’t go after Ellone. Meanwhile, in the French version, Edea says that she “refused to let her bewitch Ellone. In revenge... I am the one she possessed”.

So this one makes it sound more like Edea somehow stopped Ultimecia from possessing Ellone, and Ulti taking Edea instead was a punishment. Quite a different take on the story.

This difference seems to be confirmed a bit later in the English text, where Edea says that if Ultimecia tries to take her over again, she’ll “make a stand this time”, implying she didn’t resist initially. This distinction is absent from the French version.

Another interesting small difference; in French, Edea tells the group “I need you, children” when mentioning the fact that they may be forced to fight again, in contrast to the English version, where she refers to them as “Young SeeDs”. One sound smore like she’s appealing to them as the children she raised, one as the soldiers they’ve become. Once again, it’s a small detail, but one that I think allows for a different reading of the situation.

And now, we get to the part where Edea mentions Adel for the first time.

Ah, crap...

Well, I would have had to mention it sooner or later.

So, the French version did something weird with Adel. Now we all know, Adel is an unusual character in that despite being a woman, she has a clearly masculine body (and I don’t just mean because she’s muscular. Women can be muscular, but she has other masculine characteristics). And I guess the French translator was confused and decided to turn her into an intersex character.

To my knowledge, the French version of the game is the only one to have made such a change and er, yeah, once I found out, it was pretty awkward, and it hasn’t gotten better in modern days where trans, non-binary and intersex representation and rights are a much bigger concern, or at least a more mainstream one. I also want to mention in passing that they use the term “hermaphrodite” which isn’t exactly proper these days, but I want to remind everyone that back then, the word “intersex” wasn’t commonly used (in fact, I’m not sure it existed at all), so I won’t hold that against them at least.

Now, I guess that change in itself wouldn’t necessarily be a huge issue (although it does kind of break the rule that only women can become sorceresses, especially as they usually refer to Adel using male pronouns from what I recall), a bit awkward but ultimately not that big a deal...

... but what makes this so much worse is that, while one variation on how the characters react to Edea asking if they know about Adel, one of the lines (which are shared across multiple characters, at least in the French version), isn’t too terrible, referring to Adel as a “half-man, half-woman being”, there’s one where the character, either Zell or Irvine, uses a term which... well, I don’t know if to call it an outright slur is quite right (it doesn’t help that French people aren’t quite as offended by slurs as English-speaking people tend to be), but it’s not exactly a respectful term for someone who likes to crossdress.

Look, I’m not even gonna bother trying to find an English equivalent, it’s not necessary and that’s one can of worms I am perfectly happy leaving closed. I just wanted to bring it up because I feel it would be unfair to you to hide it. I don’t even think the translator was trying to be insulting to anyone, it was just a very poor judgment call that ended up messing with canon and creating an unfortunate situation for no reason. Know that we here at the Translarison say “Trans Rights!” and “Intersex Rights!” and I know damn well that the FFVIII cast does as well, awkward translations be damned.

With that out of the way, back to business. Edea mentions that she received her powers at the age of 5. This seems to confirm that she was already a sorceress before reciving Ultimecia’s powers. There is also a difference in translations as in English, she says that she received her powers from “the previous sorceress” which sounds like there can only be one at a time (which is immediately contradicted by them bringing up Adel).

Next, when Squall brings up Linoa, his English self says that her body was called and she wasn’t moving, so no wonder Cid took it to mean that Linoa died. However, his French self says that she “fell into a deep coma”, which IS accurate, but also makes it weird that Cid still has the same reaction.

Speaking of him, his reply to Squall sounds more tactful in French to me.

English:

“Squall, I understand how you feel. But you are in a position of leadership. The other students at garden have a right to know the outcome of the battle and what’s to come. Take whatever information you can get here, back to Garden. Remember, it wasn’t just Linoa. Everyone fought.”

French:

Squall, I understand that all this is emotionally exhausting for you. But think about your role as leader. The BGU students are relying on you. You mustn’t forget about the fate of your comrades. Linoa’s life isn’t the only one on the line.

And after Squall says “I understand, but...”, Cid still comes off better in French, as English Cid retorts “But, but, but... that isn’t something a leader should say...” which sounds horribly dismissive, while French Cid says “No ‘buts’. A true leader forgets his personal issues...” which not only feels less dismissive IMO, but also seems to refer back to his own actions, as he had to train SeeD to fight Edea in spite of his own feelings.

Oh, and when punching the wall afterwards, French Squall thinks “...... Fool” and I’m honestly not sure if he’s referring to Cid or himself.

There aren’t many differences while Edea explains Ultimecia’s goal and Squall reminisces about Linoa, but there is an interesting one. In English, when someone asks what would happen to the world if time was compressed, someone else answers “I can’t even imagine a world where time is compressed!”.

In French, Edea (presumably) clearly answers “If time is compressed, we will all plunge into nothingness.

And as the game fades back to Balamb Garden, we end with Xu a.k.a. Shu. In English, she tells Squall “I don’t want to say this in front of Quistis and you, but... I don’t know if some people will be so forgiving”. In French, she doesn’t actually speak directly to Squall, whispring to herself “Squall and Quistis are too king with the priestess. I’ve got the feeling that the others won’t forgive her so easily”. And yes, it’s a whisper because it’s not using the transparent text box.

Well, that is it for our first entry back. I hope you enjoyed it as much as I did (the weird Adel stuff notwithstanding) and that you’re looking forward to more, I know I am. Don’t hesitate to let me know what you think of it and if you have any questions, my asks are open and of course you can leave them as a comment if you prefer.

Take care and I’ll be seeing you for part 26. No promises on when it’ll be out, but hopefully before another four years.

[monsterwithasweater]

Monster Replays the Truthful Route: Part 4

Sorry for the delay, folks!

Warning: You know the deal. Digimon Survive spoilers under the cut.

While working on this part, the draft accidentally got deleted. So, I'm only gonna give a few of my thoughts on the beginning part, then skip right to the exploration part of the amusement park.

I think this game really hits us with the fact that the villains are not indispensable. As Piedmon says, if Arukenimon fails, there is sure to be another one to take her place. And if Piedmon doesn't already convince you in Part 4, just wait until he brutally murders her in Part 7.

Takuma and co. are understandably scared. Sure, Ryo might have survived, but are they really sure they can survive next time? Can they ever get out of this world. If so, can they get out of this world alive? We all know they do because this is the Truthful route, and nobody dies in the Truthful route, but at this point of the story, the Survive gang isn't so sure.

Takuma: Kaito, we have to stick together! You can't go off on your own!

Kaito: stfu

Dracmon: I agree with Takuma!

Kaito: Hmmm, if my little vampire gremlin agrees with you, then you must have a point.

Well, unless you choose the bad ending.

Kunemon (≧◡≦)

Finding Miu!

I really enjoy Ryo's dynamic with Minoru.

Patamon, Palmon, and Biyomon are so stupid! I love them!

BREAKING NEWS: Angry Mean Big Human Beats Up Guards!

The Queen: "Oh, brother. I've never been so embarrassed!"

Okay, that's all I'm gonna bother remembering. Let's get back to Finding Miu!

Dracmon: GRROOOAAARRR! I'm gonna eat you!

Falcomon: All of you... prepare to die!

I love Ryo's speech to Kunemon before he evolves to Flymon, so I'm just gonna share the screenshots of it (warning for poor quality, though).

While making this post, my phone died A-FUCKING-GAIN, so I lost a good chunk of it. Then, while trying to remember what the hell I typed down, I accidentally closed out of Tumblr. So if there are any weird skips, I apologize.

Kaito: I'm... I'm all she has. So I have to look out for her.

After playing the Harmony route, this line especially hits hard.

Something I just noticed: All of the servants names start with P (yeah, I know that in English it's Biyomon with a B, but they're also called Piyomon in Japan, so...).

Minoru: I'm saying if we stand around here talking for too long those pesky little things will-

Palmon: Looking for us?

They're in the four-shadow! Like the one they were talking about earlier!

OMGZORZ, can you believe that they made Goth TK an actual, CANON character in Digimon Survive?

A touching reunion, indeed. *wipes tear from eye*

If I'm being honest, I'd also be annoyed if my older brother crashed my throne room.

She looks so annoyed XD

Of course it's Ryo that says this.

Makes sense, given how MarineAngemon helped carry my first few playthroughs.

Kaito: I just worry about her, that's all.

Saki: Well, sometimes it can feel suffocating being on the other side of that.

This honestly makes me wonder about Saki's family. From what I can tell from her Prologue story, her parents (or at least her mother) seem to be massive worrywarts. Though given Saki's illness, it's understandable.

KAITO YOU IDIOT, STOP PUNCHING THE WALL!

It's the Old 'Mon himself!

I can understand why Minoru and Shuuji are suspicious of Jijimon. After all, the last time they found an adult they thought they could trust, she turned out to be a weird spider lady that wanted to sacrifice them.

But seriously, Jijimon is a sweetheart. <3

Ryo: This sucks. These guys are such bad news. I can't believe we're taking them on again.

Kunemon...

Ryo: Yeah, I know.

Ryo: I don't want Miu to have to go through what I experienced yesterday.

Kunemon: Kew!

Ryo: Heh! Yeah... you're right. We've just gotta do this!

Shuuji's affinity dialogue rubs me the wrong way. Though I guess that's because of the localization.

Okay, I'm just gonna say it here and now: Miu's more of a Digimon Kaiser-equivelent than the hypothetical Ken-equivelent ever will be.

Kaito, did you seriously punch GARURUMON!?

I love the pre-Shellmon scene as well. Unfortunately, I hit the photo limit, so I'm gonna have to copy the dialogue from scratch.

Miu: Oh no! Kaito!

Syakomon: So, you ARE worried about what happens to him?

Miu: Of course I am! He's my brother!

Miu: I just don't like him being overprotective, and I hate how he never gives me any space.

Miu: When he gets like that, it reminds me of... things I really don't want to remember.

Syakomon: And that's why you were so mean to him?

Miu: Yeah, but he's still my brother.

Miu: Only after I can't do anything...

[Insert Patamon and Biyomon getting their asses kicked by Garurumon here]

Miu: Oh no! They're all hurt again!

Miu: Syakomon, tell me, what should I do?

Miu: They're all fighting for me like I'm really their queen, but...

Miu: I haven't done anything for them!

Syakomon: Miu... what do you want to do?

Miu: I... I don't want to let anyone... To let my brother die...

Miu: I don't want to lose everyone after lying to them, or my brother after fighting with him!

Miu: I want to protect everyone else for a change!

Miu: Syakomon, please! Save Kaito!

Syakomon: Oh, I'm so happy you said that! Finally, you were able to be honest with how you feel.

Miu: Syakomon!?

Syakomon: I've been waiting this whole time for you to be honest with me.

Syakomon: Because when you wish for something with your whole heart, I can be as strong as you need!

Miu: What!? Syakomon, what's happening!?

Syakomon: Miu, I'm here to make your wishes come true! So for your sake, I'll grow strong!

Syakomon, evolve tooo...!

[Insert evolution into Shellmon here]

Easily one of my favorite scenes in the whole game.

Anyways, I evolved her straight to Azulongmon and oneshotted Garurumon.

I love the music that plays when the Survive gang learn that there's a way to go back to the Human World via the boundary.

Jijimon: Many times I have witnessed the strong bond between my friend and their human child.

Jijimon: Though it was long ago, and my memories have fades. Yet had that child been sacrificed...

Jijimon: My friend would not have fared well. Those who share such strong bonds share the same fate.

Jijimon: Yet my friend still lives. This in itself is proof that the child is alive somewhere.

The scene between Takuma, Agumon, Kaito and Dracmon is really sweet.

Dracmon: What's this? Kaito being open and honest about how he feels for once? No way!

Pffft XD

And that concludes Part 4. For how much of a pain in the ass this post was to make, I still really enjoyed this part (though that might be because it focuses on two of my favorite characters, Ryo and Miu). Miu learned her lesson, and boy, I sure learned mine...

[asoulofatlantis]

So as you know I am currently on a JRPG-Break (and I am playing as risky game here because rumor has it Kais Englisch translation will be announced this upcoming Friday and possible for this very summer which means I should REALLY go and finish Daybreak and then start Daybreak two so I will be ready for Kai. But I risk it anyway because I do not like playing Daybreak at all and I have hardly any fond memory of Kuro 2 either (and that was without Nisas bullshit translation to boot...) so I am not looking forward too much to Daybreak Two either (tho I am interested in finding out what they did with Cedrics Enforcer-Name... but that is the only thing I really care about in this game ^^') And so I am also kind of torn between wanting Kai to be translated soonisch, because of Rean and... you know... the other got guy... and the Priests whos ass I will be finally able to kick and... ANYWAY on the other hand I do not want Kais englisch release to too soon so I can run away from Daybreak a little longer and hide in my little hole ^^'

I was planning to return to the world of JRPGs in March when I have 3 weeks off but with Two Point Museum coming out in March I am not so sure about that ^^' Inzoi is supposed to come out by then too and with my financial issues, I should consider if I really need to buy Daybreak two for the full prince and... yeah... I won't make any promises. I think I will make it depending on when Kais English translation comes out. IF it truly is in summer, then I have no choice but to return to Calvard and the ASO sooner rather than later, like it or not. If - and I think that is far more likely - it comes out at the end of the year or at the start of next year, I might postpone finishing the Daybreak games for a little while longer...

Anyway... I spend some more time in January playing Stardew Valley giving me a whopping 176 hours of playtime at this point (I have played CS3 like 3 times on PC and have around 214 hours of playtime there so... I think for a farming game and just two "full" playthroughs and one started to play around with some mods 176 hours is a quite impressive.) After the usual boredom kicked in that always will kick in at some point in any kind of farming game especially if the overall main objective is done and over with, I've decided to move on to Coral Island which I got as a gift for Christmas. Almost 50 hours in I have yet to finish the first year and I am only barely on Rank C, which means I am still quite a ways away from finishing the main objective - even tho the boredom slowly but surely does kick in now...) It is a nice game but really hard - although it has some great (but expensive) in-game quality-of-life improvements. I believe it will keep me occupied until the end of February at least for sure.

Today, despite knowing better than use any more money than I already have this early in the month... I caved and bought a game I was interested in for a while now. Which is "Yes your grace" as I do like myself some games were choices matter and are woven into a nice story. I've been playing barely a bit over two hours tho and already got bored by it. The idea behind the game is quite good, but it is far to slow-paced for a game with such a boring way to deal with things. Despite the fact that the whole system behind it is rather boring, I think it is a really hard game. You already think its hard when you start only to find out that they have been going easy on you and just when you started to get the hang of things suddenly you have to pay more money and supplies for your army and have no idea where to take it from and the political situation gets worse and you have to somehow solve a murder case but you have no idea HOW. And then there is this seemingly random guy running into your castle with his delusions and you think you show him mercy by throwing him out instead of imprisoning him for being someone who started accusing the king of being after him, but he ends up... yeah... game is hard ^^' Its not really fun either. I am very anxious while playing it. It looked and sounded interesting tho. I hope I will finish it eventually.

[numerousracoons]

This sounds like fun (mind you I’m answering according to Pathologic Classic HD because that’s what I’ve played)

1: Favourite flaw?

Not sure this counts but next to the food shop in the Flank I get caught on the weird slightly raised edges of the path and I just imagine that all the healers get caught and trip on that one specific spot

2: Wildest theory?

Don’t really have any so here’s a theory I have (though I don’t think it’s particularly ‘wild’):

Isador Burakh and Simon Kain are stand in to represent Measles and Thrush’s (The Powers That Be) dead grandpa that they just came from the funeral of, and if that’s true then that means that those two probably intended to see their grandpa but he died just before they could and that’s actually a little heartbreaking

3: Favourite minor/nameless NPC?

Lika, the dog head traitor, idk he’s a little scamp who stole a shmowder to keep his sister safe and if you don’t kill him (I could never) he will just straight up hand the bachelor over to you, sweet kid overall

4: Hardest giggle?

Changeling route in which the Bachelor says to you ‘I’ll have you know I’ve been thinking about you a lot’ and you can just reply with ‘Repent.’

5: First ending?

My first route playthrough was the Bachelor and I picked to save the town, which, is not his ‘proper’ ending. But I had a couple reasons why:

-First, the game generally is unsatisfying, that is to say, there is no perfect option you can choose in which everyone gets what they want. (Ties into later point)

-Second, the bachelor (to me) read as a very humanitarian character, his goal with defeating death (though I feel like that’s an inaccurate way to frame his goal but we’ll get to that later) felt a lot less like an ego trip and more like he was genuinely trying to better the world, saving the town is, as far as his character is aware (because the Changeling does not tell you ANYTHING about her ending, even in the cathedral on day 12) the greater good.

-Third, the game seemed to have a lot of themes of sacrifice even in the Bachelor’s route, like with the Willow Mellow quest (I genuinely wanted to help that poor girl out, only for her to DIE and have Rubin read her heart to be- actually had to sit down for a little bit after that), the way the town is constantly trying to find some form of sacrifice to stop the plague (the witch hunts, the burning and beating of women), so it felt fitting that I too would need to sacrifice something to do the ‘right’ thing.

-Fourth, and less serious, Capella asked me to and who am I to refuse? (Ironically enough when playing the Haruspex I picked to save the Polyhedron, but oh well, the themes)

-Fifth, I had a realisation on Day 11 of ‘oh shit the Kains are a cult, oh fuck oh fuck oh fuck’, that plus the fact that the Bachelor does seem to suspect some rampant mental illness meant that I didn’t really believe in the Kains or their vision

-Sixth, and last one I’m listing because this is getting LONG, I think people focus (maybe rightfully, maybe not) on the ‘defeating death’ aspect of the Bachelor, but what struck me is how Dankovsky (at least in the English version) can argue that what he’s actually fighting is inevitability, he’s fighting the concept of fate itself- so what’s more in character than for Daniil to flat out refuse to bow to his fate of saving the Polyhedron and dooming the town?

6: Which character surprised me most?

I have two but like, surprised in different ways:

First, Katerina Sabarova, look, I know a bunch of people doubt her clairvoyance abilities, but in the bachelor and haruspex route I assumed that it was because: 1. The sabarov house is stated to be in decline and pretty unpopular and 2. People idolised Nina and Victoria to be beyond human, it’s not an unreasonable assumption that any true mistress would struggle under those expectations + the fact she was the only left. BUT SHE WASNT EVEN A MISTRESS? Genuinely wasn’t expecting that.

Second, Rat Prophet, I was surprised in a very different way, first of all he looks so cute, second of all wtf do you mean there’s a RAT PROPHET???

7: Headcannons you forget aren’t canon?

That Daniil Dankovsky is in fact not a gay man, like, look, there’s nothing inherently gay about wearing platform boots, or calling men on the street dear, or telling a man you think that, despite your logic, you feel as though he’s your other half… but like come ON! It’s RIGHT THERE!

8: How did you react to the Powers That Be?

I’d experienced spoilers so I knew they’d be there, but it’s still kinda wild to me that every single healer they meet they tell them that they’re the least favourite, at first it was like, that’s rude, but when I went up again and it clicked that they just say that to everyone? Crazy. It’s like when your teacher said that your class was their favourite and then to talk to someone else and it turns out that teacher says the same thing to everyone.

9:Rat Prophet opinions?

Somewhat already answered but: he’s a little guy, with a little coat, and a little too much knowledge and a tendency to like fucking with people that makes you second guess literally anything he says, because unlike the other characters who you can figure out based on motives, this little shit doesn’t have any other motive than ‘it’d be really funny though’

10: What was the Changeling’s story really about? (I’m interpret this as ‘what do you think was the intended message’ btw)

Clara’s story (at least how I saw it) had a lot of questions about identity and choice, specifically how your actions in of themselves define who you are rather than your words, and this is really prevalent when you talk to your twin sister on Day 12 with how whatever decision you make solidifies whether you’re a saint or a plague. When you play her route talking can’t really save your reputation, it’s almost exclusively your own actions that can increase your reputation- if you don’t want people to think you’re the plague, you have to prove it by actively doing good (unlike the Bachelor and Haruspex route, in which, for the most part, you can have high reputation unless you go out of your way to do bad things). Your identity as Clara resides solely in how much good you can do. But those are just my thoughts

11: What was the Haruspex story really about?

Sacrifice, and living up to expectations, but also loss. The Haruspex’s story fundamentally is built off of loss, you start it out by having lost your father, you continue by having lost your reputation, you continue by having lost connection with your roots, you continue by having lost your morals out of desperation.

Living up to expectations- your entire goal and mission hinges on your father and living up to his legacy, be it as a menkhu or a doctor or the person responsible for the bound or the person who has to make the big decision, it all is to live up to his father.

Sacrifice- arguably the most obvious one present, there’s a lot of themes of sacrifice and having to give one thing up for a another (The town of the polyhedron, the Haruspex’s want to leave or the children, kill people to heal people), and I don’t really think needs to be explained purely because how in the text it is

12: What was the Bachelor’s story really about? Fate and truth. As previously stated, the Bachelor has a lot of theming around fate and the battle against it, the desire for free will and how devastating for some it would be to find out you had none at all- and linked into that, truth, for two reasons. First it links into fate, with how most of the Bcahelor’s decisions are made with you having to trust information that is most likely untrue and personally motivated but you don’t really have a choice otherwise, and how the deception of others ultimately leads to the Bachelor actually having very little choice due to those deceptions. But also how he’s very representative of, and deeply honours, the truth, Daniil Dankovsky fucking SUCKS at lying and you get the idea that he genuinely hates doing it, which is present in his own route but also others, in the Haruspex and Changling route he completely avoids giving you any information he thinks is incorrect, and when he is withholding information (like in the Day 10 Haruspex quest) he directly tells you that he is and why. The Bachelor strives for the truth and many of his frustrations come from people lying to him 24/7 (Also very fitting to mention his quest where he needs to find the executor who’s reporting on him with the one lies one tells the truth shtick)

13: Niche trivia?

Day 1 of the game is on September the 9th- how do I know this? Well, first of all several characters say that it’s September, but hyper-specifically the Bachelor can have a conversation with a man NPC about the train schedule in which the man says that trains come every month on the 25th, that the last one was in July and the one that was meant to come is 2 weeks off (which means the August is the delayed one, which means adding two weeks you get September 9th)- he does also ask you how you got here (considering the Bachelor got here by train), but uh, the Bachelor kind of side steps that question (I’m not sure if that plot hole is intentional or not, but know the kind of game Pathologic is it very well could be on purpose)

14: Character who could use more love?

Willow Mellow, she’s 17, has a concerning relationship with Var and I wanted to save her and she DIED and I’ve been heartbroken ever since

15: Charcters that remind me of irl people I know?

Less so one specific person but Clara’s relationship with the Sabarovs reminds me of a couple people I know who’s parents I would be willing to fist fight soooooo

16: Have you tried to explain Pathologic to people who’ve yet to be enlightened?

Yes, and many think its pretty sound evidence that the government might be wrong and I might actually be autistic via peer-review (which is good enough for me right now ‘cause that NHS waiting list isn’t getting shorter by any years any time soon)- I also tried to explain just a brief outline of the bachelor’s route day 1 and when I finished it and told them ‘now onto day 2’ they were very surprised to find out that actually this game goes on forever.

17: Which characters do you see yourself befriending IRL?

Daniil Dankovsky- because he’s autistic— I’m joking (only a little), but he seems like he’d be fun to talk to when he isn’t halfway to deaths door mid plague, I also feel like he wouldn’t be too draining to be around so I’d be able to be around him for more than 2 hours.

Clara- She has a certain ‘teenager just trying to figure out the world and herself’ that I both have experience and sympathy for, but also makes me want to wrap her in a blanket, give her a warm meal and tell her it’ll be alright.

Rat Prophet- but only if he’s on my side and thinks it’s funnier to prank people who aren’t me, otherwise we’re sworn enemies and he may rue the day I get my hands on him

18: Dearest in-game friendship?

Daniil Dankovsky and the entire female population of the town- but more specifically the ‘lady aristocrats’ (read: Eva, Yuilla, Lara, Maria), they’re such interesting characters and their relationship to the wider narrative and Daniil himself are so fascinating (also I might be a little biased because the bachelor route is where I first emotionally latched onto these characters but this is my post so..)

19:Is Pathologic worth adapting into other mediums?

Is it WORTH being adapted? Sure. Is it possible to adapt it? I’d argue no, the video game medium Pathologic is situated works best for it in my opinion, so much of Pathologic (to me) is dependent on choices, be it dialogue or actions or even the route you play, this means that it would be ill suited to other mediums that generally revolve around a linear path (and I don’t mean this in a ‘linear narrative’ way either, in that the story goes in chronological order, I mean that the way Pathologic works in which choice actively impacts the rest of the game and thus there are a bunch of different branches of story and narrative doesn’t lend itself well to mediums like books or film)- I think Pathologic works so well because of its actual choice and also its illusion of choice, which isn’t a think that I think you could pull of in quite the same way in other mediums, though perhaps I’m just thinking too in the box.

20: Depctions of older characters/ children?

I think the children are very interestingly handled, with the way they act you really get the feel that they ARE children, yes, but that they’ve been forced to grow up to fast too soon, namely as a result of the fact that they’re all orphans with minimal or no adult support, add to that the children have a very interesting relationship with the polyhedron, to be honest, part of the reason I wanted to save it was because of seemingly how much the children loved it and what they loved about it.

Older characters? I’m not sure as to which characters fall into that category cause the ages of characters in Patho classic are all very vague and hand wavey for the most part, and any characters I know of that are for sure in story old are kinda dead

21:Favourite niche/obscure character?

Still Lika (as explained above)

22: How much of the story was I able to piece together on the first run?

Quite a lot of it, but as I play through it again I’m finding little details that I didn’t pick up on/ forgot while playing the first way round- like certain myths belonging to the kin or superstitions or small details like the date being able to figure out, mostly this was because I didn’t engage in NPC dialogue as much as I probably should have, especially on Day 1 where info is being shoved down your throat (and the fact that I hadn’t clicked on Georgiy a second time because I hadn’t yet known you could do that, so I missed some of that)

23: Character I love in Pathologic but wouldn’t be able to stand in real life?

I love Maria Kaina as a character, but if I had to talk to her? Unless I become a famed and charming thanatologist I think she’d be horrifically unpleasant to talk to and would ruin my life over something petty (again, love her character but I would not like to catch strays)

Also Andrei Stamatic, look, hes so interesting in game, but I feel like he’s that on kid who’s the ‘class clown’ and when you’re a kid you find him kinda funny, and your lives drift apart naturally, but then you meet him 5 years later and he still acts the same way but it’s just kind of obnoxious now instead of funny? Like I love his character but I wouldn’t be able to keep myself in a room with that guy

24: Craziest/funniest misconception while figuring out lore?

Can’t quite think of any to be honest, though I’m sure I probably had some

25: If you could play a role in any part of development other than narrative, what would it be?

Probably design, I have a love-hate relationship with some designs in the game

26: How did the order of routes shape your view of it?

I did the basic bitch Bachelor-Haruspex-Changeling order, and I think overall it helped me understand certain aspects way better, because each route adds more information but also makes you feel more familiar with certain aspects, which helps you get into the headspace for the characters: the bachelor is completely brand new to this town and knows nothing, the haruspex has a vague recollection of certain people and places but still isn’t completely confident, and the changeling just KNOWS things, but still not everything. Similar thing with reputation as well, the bachelor sticks to high rep unless you really fuck up, the haruspex introduces you to what happens if your reputation gets too low, and the Changling route has you balancing your reputation bar like every other bar steadily increasing up/down, which means that gameplay steadily got harder rather than shooting up and down from ‘oh that’s easy’ to ‘AHHHHHHHH’. Also, narrative wise, I think playing Clara anything but last would’ve ruined her vibe, in the other two routes she’s really confusing and you don’t know what to make of her, she’s vague and suspicious and I don’t think I would’ve approached her character the same if I didn’t get that whiplash of how her route shows her side of things. Also I found it kinda interesting as to how slowly but surely the bachelor just creeps his way into being more and more relevant in the other healer’s routes, I have some interesting thoughts about that.

27: What other media does Pathologic remind me of?

Overall I found Pathologic a pretty unique experience to other forms of media I’ve engaged with, however what comes to mind is the game ‘What Remains of Edith Finch’ in how the characters of Pathologic are very unreliable and how you sort of have to untangle what the actual truth behind certain things are. That and how both games sort of deviate from the norm of most games by being so narrative heavy- like, undoubtedly both games have gameplay, but I’d argue that the gameplay isn’t really the focus in either

28: What was Pathologic in your first language? Unfortunately, I am monolingual scum (/j) so I played the game in English, though I have heard that some of the Russian wordplay/jokes didn’t quite carry over into the English version (which, like, fair enough, translating Pathologic classic in the first place is, I imagine, a crazy task in of itself let alone to keep all the jokes). Overall I don’t really have any notes on that.

And questions for OP:

1. For the quest (Bachelor and Haruspex) where you have to decide whether you send Vlad Sn or Vlad Jr to the Termitary, which of the two did you choose and why? (And did your choice differ between routes)

2. Who’s your favourite (alive) Mistress (fake Mistresses, Katerina and Clara, included)?

3. If you had to rank the three ruler families from least to most favourite (as either favourite to talk to or favourite to analyse) what would the order be?

4. If for the Changeling ending you could sacrifice any 7 of the Bound (not just the Changling’s, but the entire Bound as a whole), who would you pick?

Wanted to make my own Pathologic ask game with questions I love directing at my mutuals:

Favorite flaw of Pathologic?

Wildest theory you’d defend?

Favorite nameless/minor NPC?

What made you giggle hardest?

How did you pick your first ending?

Which character surprised you most?

Headcanons you forget aren’t canon?

How did you react to the Powers that Be?

Who/what do you think the Rat Prophet is?

What do you think the Changeling’s story was really about?

What do you think the Haruspex’s story was really about?

What do you think the Bachelor’s story was really about?

Niche trivia everyone & their grandma should know?

Give a character who could use more love a shout-out.

Any character who reminds you of someone in real life?

Have you ever tried to explain Pathologic to the uninitiated?

Which character do you see yourself befriending IRL?

Dearest in-game friendship/platonic relationship?

Do you think Pathologic is worth adapting into other mediums?

How did you feel about the depiction of older characters/children?

Favorite niche, obscure character? (ie named characters outside the Healers and Bound)

How much of the story were you able to piece together on the first run?

Character you love in Pathologic you wouldn’t stand in another story/real life?

What was your craziest misconception/funniest misunderstanding while figuring out the lore?

If you could play a role in any part of the development (besides narrative), what would it be?

If you played more than one route/series entry, how do you think the order shaped your experience & feelings?

What other media (plays, novels, films, shows, games, et cetera) does Pathologic remind you of? This can be personal and subjective.

What was Pathologic like in your first language? If it isn’t available in that, how do you imagine it would turn out? What did/might it add to the story?

[dear-mrs-otome]

Silvio Ricci - Main Story - Chp 08 - His POV: 2nd Run

Standard Disclaimer: I do this for fun. I don’t, and never would, claim to be proficient at JP. There will be mistakes herein. There will be dialogue I choose to smooth out or change, because it feels choppy just straight translating. There will be the occasional snarky aside and irreverence and just plain summarizing. If you’re looking for 100% pure accuracy, without commentary or localizing, this is not for you. If you don’t mind that…then proceed, and I hope you enjoy! And please, support your local localizer (they make this stuff look easy) and Cybird by playing the games and routes when they come to English.

(NOTE: This POV is from Silvio’s 2nd playthrough - it may contain spoilers or spoiler-adjacent themes concerning the arc of his route and Rio's route, so reader be aware. This particular one doesn't have much but later ones might)

~~~~~~~~

If Valerio had a woman he truly loved, I wanted to take her away from him.

~~~~~~~~

“Dad! Mom! The teacher gave me a compliment today!”

“Ah, how wonderful! You’re really brilliant, Valerio!”

“I’m sure that one day, you’ll be an even better king than I am.”

“Really? Hehehe…”

~~~~~~~~

“...Mother, I -”

“I know you can do this. You’re bound to be the next king, you’ve come a long way towards being the next king with this level of achievement. My son can do it - isn’t that right, Silvio?”

~~~~~~~~

 Just imagining such a scene where the prince who, unlike me, is loved by everyone can’t get the woman he really wants? …It gives me a thrill. It would be a lot of fun to take a woman from him for real. 

However…the person Valerio fell for was a difficult woman who’s not interested in money. In fact, she repeatedly harasses foreign princes and makes feeble attempts at getting them to hate her. She’s truly an utterly uncharming woman, and he has no idea what it is about her that made Valerio fall in love with her. But, well …it doesn’t matter.

From behind her, he slides her collar aside and presses his lips over her pulse. He can practically see that damned dog barking as he draws on her skin to leave a prominent mark. “Maybe it would have been better if I’d just done this from the start, rather than the collar,” he muses. “You can’t take it off, and you can’t hide it from everyone.”

She only says his name, and he starts to point out that that’s a pretty weak reaction out of her - when she wordlessly turns around and grabs his hand in an ambush, startling him.

He tries to leap back at the horrible sensation, but her strength was so great he couldn’t believe she was some foppish noblewoman. 

 “What do you think you’re doing, you scumbag prince!!” she fumes, and he demands she lets go of him immediately. “Not until you apologize, and mean it!”

Don’t you dare bark at me, damned woman! He wants nothing more than to shake her off, but he doesn’t know how much strength a woman’s delicate hands can handle, so he’s stuck doing nothing. 

She accuses him of never intending to take the collar off, and he counters that he was taking the lock off but never said he’d take the collar off. “Any day you’re not wearing it, I’ll put a mark on you.”

“I see. Well, if that’s your plan, I have an idea of my own.” Her eyes are steadfast, and he has only a moment to wonder what she means, with a foreboding feeling - before she puts his fingers in her mouth.

“You!!”

Does she normally bite princes?! It seems like she’d held back just shy of causing real pain, but the sensation is still vivid nonetheless and he leaps away from the woman. Ah shit…I can still feel it on my hand.

It’s not the bite that bothers him. Rather, it’s the feel of her warm lips and the soft tip of her tongue on his skin that is the issue. Sassy - no, she’s a shameless hussy. Eugh…what a horrible feeling.

It’s only his imagination that his face is hot. It’s definitely not because he’s not used to something like this. 

She tells him that it’ll go both ways - every time he marks her, she’ll bite him as hard as she can. And he admits he’s gotta hand it to her for having the guts to bite a prince, but she best not get carried away. 

“I don’t care if you’re some prince from another country. I won’t tolerate any scummy behavior -” she starts to rail.

“What do you mean, ‘scummy act’, Emma?” 

Of all the moments, he has to show up now? The figure of that damned dog pops up behind her, having snuck up without him noticing. The woman stammers out an attempt to wave it off, slapping her hand over her neck to hide in in a gesture he finds irritating for some strange reason.

He apologizes for showing up late and she assures him it’s fine - if he hadn’t come, Silvio’s hands might be in tatters by now.

Silvio finally speaks up. “Ha! Who’d let you bite them a second or third time?”

“That’s true…it might have been hard to with you running away scared,” she counters.

“You wanna turn this into a diplomatic issue, woman?” Silvio threatens.

What are you so upset about? he scolds himself. It’s no different than being bitten by an actual dog…It’s just that it’s not exactly commonplace for a woman to bite me. 

She expresses her anger genuinely, without trying to butter him up. Something definitely different from any of the women he’s known. 

It’s a strange feeling.

“...Emma, let’s go back to the castle.” Valerio takes the woman’s hand, and starts walking. 

“Hey, who said you could take her?” He doesn’t hesitate to grab her other hand and stop her, brushing off Valerio’s protests that she doesn’t want to be there. Silvio scoffs at the concept of her ever being charming with an attitude like that, and she fires back that it’s only in front of Silvio she’s like this - if she doesn’t act like this, he’ll take advantage of her. 

“You’re getting too sassy,” he warns. “Ah, but…”

She flusters as he lifts her hand and presses his lips to the back of it. It’s an acceptable greeting amongst polite social circles, but clearly not to a commoner woman…and the sight of the sassy woman’s face turning pink is enough to make him finally feel better.  “Doing this might make you a little prettier?”

“Not that it’s any concern of yours!” she exclaims.

Valerio protests over how sly he’s being, and tries to wheedle a date out of her, which has Silvio reminding him he’s merely a butler and doesn’t deserve such concessions. But that only has Valerio rounding on him and accusing him of taking liberties with a single lady. 

“It’s fine, I’m royalty, right?” Silvio replies. 

“You think that means you can just do whatever you want?” Valerio retorts, and they glare at each other in angry silence. 

He has no intention of letting go, either. And Silvio grins to himself. Bring it on.

~~~~~~~~

“Give it back…give it back!”

“Who’s going to give it back, stupid? I hate you. Keep crying like that.”

~~~~~~~~

“For the moment, both of you please let go of me,” she asks.

He hears her voice, but ignores it. 

Choose me, woman. 

Me…rather than that damned dog.

~~~~~~~~

<< Chp 08 | Chp 09 >>

[neorice]

Hero oh Hero Blog #1

Three Protagonists:  As many of my followers probably know, I run a pixelart webcomic by the name “Hero oh Hero” (read here). Just to throw my thoughts into the ether, I’d like to share a few of the writing choices I’ve made throughout the production of my comic & why I decided to make those. Not sure if they’re useful and/or interesting to anyone, but it’s fun for me to reflect. As of the writing of this post I’m at 2757 published pages & 3453 pages total if we include buffer, quite some content!  The first thing I’d like to talk about is the general structure of the comic, I run three separate stories that feel relatively disconnected, despite taking place in the same world.

Burk, a heroic character who goes around trying to defeat villains who do evil deeds. As he travels from city to city he meets various friends who join him.

Noah, a bookish introvert who’s favorite hobby is being left alone & avoiding social situations at all costs. He’s also a magic child-soldier being forced to perform missions for a totalitarian government.

Tobi, an adventurous inventor-girl who comes from a world that operates by video-game logic, she gets flung into another world at some point & is trying to find her way back home.  Comic Structure So the big question here is: why tell three stories rather than just putting all focus on a single one? I think the biggest underlying reason for me is that a lot of games I played & series I watched had what I’d describe as a “protagonist-centric world”.  It’s obvious that the story itself will focus on the protagonist, they have that role for a reason, but it goes much further than a character being important/central to the narrative. In a lot of series I felt that the worldbuilding itself, the magic system, the legends and myths, all of it was often designed to accentuate the protagonists’ importance, or somehow add something to “why” the protagonist in particular was worth following. Very often this’d result in stuff like worlds where, if there were 4-types of magic power a person could have, the protagonist would be the one special person with access to 2, 3 or even 4 of those abilities.  I don’t necessarily think this is bad writing in itself, but I did sometimes find, especially in series with interesting side characters/extended casts, that the way the universe seemed to revolve around the hero and their abilities often made the world itself seem less interesting or less real to me.  What got me interested in multiple perspectives & multiple protagonists back in the day were games like Seiken Densetsu 3/Secret of Mana 2 where you had 6 main characters of equal importance & you could basically decide for yourself which of the 6 was your playthrough’s “protagonist” & which 2 out of the remaining chars would join you on the team. Similarly games like Treasure of the Rudras played around with multiple different heroes rather than a “true” chosen one hero of more significance than everyone else.  I noticed that a lot of these games that either split up the roles, or provided multiple canonical characters who technically could’ve done the job, aleviated a lot of the annoyances I had with singular-protagonist series, but also added the fascinating element of how different narratives/perspectives could intersect and affect each other. Designing the Heroes. So from the early onset I’ve decided that I really wanted to tell a story where rather than just a single central protagonist, I wanted several protagonists of “equal importance”. The next question that follows is: If I’m going to have multiple heroes, what characters am I going to choose? Burk came relatively easy as he’s a character I made up for an old English class story back in highschool, though I did tweak him quite a bit from his original design. What I did want to try and do is contrast the other two characters from him, but not *just* in terms of “This one’s strong, this one’s smart, this one’s ... hot” or something, but also more on their role within the story. This is where I got the idea to try and really try to put a notable difference between the main characters & why they’re even in “their story”.  Burk’s a highly active protagonist who goes out of his way to look for adventure, Noah in contrast is absolutely reactive and is thrown into a plot entirely against his will. Tobi is hard to discuss without major spoilers, but I’m thinking that observant readers who are up to date probably know where she falls in this regard. Once I figured out the biggest area of contrast between the three, it was pretty straightforward what setting would best accentuate that aspect of them. Burk & his narrative very closely follow a D&D-type of “let’s find an adventure for the sake of it!” plot, whereas I intentionally threw Noah in a dystopian Empire that has little interest in things such as “personal agency” and “Freedom”. 

[spamtonology]

I’m really curious about your view on the whole “a darkner’s purpose is to serve lightners” and how it might apply to Spamton!

Do you think he’s aware of this inclination? And if he is, do you think he despises it in the way it can be seen as something else out of his control?

Or do you think it’s just something he doesn’t really question? Which… probably might not be the case? He rlly wanted to reach heaven and that matched with the whole inhabiting a lightner’s creation PLUS wanting to take a soul for themselves is just… fascinating. Like in the oh man is this borderline blasphemous? sort of way—since lightners basically created darkners and so on and so forth.

But then there’s the whole conclusion at the end of the regular/pacifist route where he decides to help out the fun gang and even becoming an item that can be used by the party—which is like a total 180 to how he was perceiving them before?

Don’t mean to add on a second question to this already super long ask but: what do you think is his opinion on lightners in general?

Idk. I apologize if I’m rambling! This has just been on my mind for quite some time and I’d really love to see someone else’s opinion on it!

Don't apologize for rambling, I like asks that make me think. I will apologize here for taking so long (see previous ask).

Before I get into anything here, I want to say that my friend, who I discussed this with, pointed out that 3 out of 4 of these questions are easily answered by playing (or watching a playthrough of) both chapters. This isn't meant to be a rag on you or anything, just a reminder that in case you really don't know, try to look back at the source material because you might already have the answer!

Spamtonology is really just for fun, but "look back at the source material if you don't know" is generally a good rule of thumb in academics that you should follow. Second and third party sources can be unreliable (even if you think it's well done), so you really always have to make sure. Where were you getting most of your sources from for these questions to appear? It's a common fandom effect that the easily explained canon can get obscured in the way of fanon.

Honestly, you can even see this in academic settings. Imagine you have an essay due for Hamlet, but instead of looking at the source material for canon answers, you read Sparknotes...or more egregiously, watch the Simpsons parody. Extreme example, I know, but it's there.

This is already getting long, so I'll put it under a readmore.

Yes, as my friend said, this is the whole motivator behind the Darkner's actions, from Ralsei to King to Jevil and Spamton to the Addisons. Everyone is aware of this (Lancer only had to be told because he is a small child. Think of it as like a 5 year old in a Christian upbringing having to be told that God exists and all that and therefore he has to behave well).

As for the next bit about Spamton despising this fact...this is literaly answered in the text. Going back to my previous analogy, imagine asking your English teacher "Do you think Hamlet despises that his uncle murdered his father"? This is something that is answered straight away in the text and doesn't need to be asked if you already read the story/played the game. Spamton's speech can be hard to understand, but you surely could understand that he hates all of this by his actions in-game. A common theme that unites the secret bosses and other Darkner antagonists in the game is how they've been viewed as "useless" to Lightners, such as being a joker card (Jevil) or spam email (Spamton). This is much of their motivation behind their actions, and it's quite clear in the text so I am unsure as to how you missed that.

Notice that Spamton speaks in an entirely different manner and tone during this scene. For a majority of the chapter, Spamton is a character trapped by his mental and physical limitations and the fact he is an "useless" Darkner. He had lost his mental stability and is obviously not in the right mind up until his last scene in the pacifist/neutral route. Adding on to that, he relates so heavily to Kris and saw them as a similarly trapped soul, a puppet, that is why at the very end he lends them his strength (even to their friends, since he saw that they still had friends willing to back them up as opposed to Spamton's "friends" that left him long ago).

His opinion on Lightners is probably quite mixed, Spamton is a man who can't really keep his word, he's full of contradictions. I think whatever is happening to him or whatever is in/convenient for him at the time, he will have a different opinion on Lightners depending on that situation.