#this game has been my hyperfixation for a while and it's not even my fault

[gibberishfangirl]

Hi hi! I’ve gotten a recent hyperfixation on Windbreaker and your blog has been a life saver when it comes to content. I love how you write the boys, especially Choji. :]

How do you think the boys would treat a more androgynous partner? Especially one who likes play fights?

WINDBREAKER | playful love

Characters ✰ Haruka Sakura, Hayato Suo, Akihiko Nirei, Toma Hiragi, Choji Tomiyama

Contains ✰ sfw!, gn!reader, no pronouns used for reader, play fighting involved, sweet content of the boys being playful with their s/o

★ a/n <3 : tysm!! im glad you’re enjoying my content :3 i love chojiii he deserves more love <33 sorry for being late to this request, i hope you still enjoy! i broke the content up a little since the first portion consists of the playful scenarios and the last section is more focused around the relationship :) ★

★ matches energy, lowkey is very serious during it due to his competitive spirit so he matches whatever energy you’re putting down ★

-> Haruka Sakura ᡣ𐭩

Sakura has a very competitive spirit so he takes every little challenge seriously. even if he tries to play it off like it’s nothing, it’s everything. will literally have the most sore ego whenever you beat him at an activity. it could be basketball, air hockey, video games, etc. anything that requires any small amount of skill he goes all out for. Sakura’s has secretly sulked for a bit after you beat him in most games. it’s not your fault you happen to be seriously talented at so many activities. if you’re feeling humble enough you’d try to make Sakura feel better by saying it’s just luck. (you know it’s not luck).

play fighting is no different in Sakura’s eyes. doesn’t matter who you are, how tall you are, how muscular you appear, if you can fight he wants to see it for himself. Sakura wouldn’t be the one to ever start that fight with you, so the moment you start to bounce on your feet a little while putting your fists up he’s ecstatic.

he’s quick to jump onto his feet and meet your pace. the two of you don’t really throw hands with each other so it’s more a light slap boxing match. the way this always goes down is whoever is the first to land three hits wins. sometimes he wins, other times you’ll win. you don’t usually keep count of those wins but he does. which is why he’s secretly salty when he does the math and realizes your score is higher than his. despite being a sore loser he’s very proud of how good you are. sometimes will make fun of his friends by saying his s/o is better fighter than them without even trying.

Sakura would definitely be a very protective boyfriend over you despite being so competitive with you himself. he considers you not only his partner but one of his closest friends. he cherishes you deeply and ensures no one upsets you or makes you uncomfortable. the two of you have a tamed relationship since you two understand each other on a deeper meaning. you both share the same boundaries and perspective when it comes to relationships which is why the two of you go well together.

-> Choji Tomiyama ᡣ𐭩

Similar to Sakura, Choji also shares a very hyperactive and competitive nature. sometimes the way he displays it is a lot bit more aggressive than others. he can’t help it, it’s not 100% intentional, he just really admires a good fight. something that you always give him and he has a lot of fun with. in a lot of ways you two are actually pretty similar in that case. you both are very quick to match each others energy no matter how small or big the activity is. Choji’s glad he found someone as upbeat as you are since he often feels like he himself can be a bit too much. he never feels that way with you and you never make him feel that way. Choji’s never too much for you, he’s perfect in your eyes.

There are plenty of times where you two will be found tussling on the ori stage. Togame always has the honor of playing ref during your matches. He’s typically the one who also breaks up the fights due to him being the only one who’s capable enough to do it. surprisingly enough you’re actually a decent match against Choji, giving him a run for his money. Your defense is unreal as you share the same agility as your opponent. Choji secretly breaks a sweat whenever you two play fight (not that he’ll admit it) and he loves the fact that you’re the one who’s capable of challenging him.

Choji shares a special bond with you due to the fact that he feels completely accepted by you. Choji doesn’t have many preferences when it comes to relationships or attraction. he prioritizes the personal relationship he has with someone over anything. he finds himself getting easily attached to those who don’t make him feel like he’s less than them or make him feel like he needs to live up to their expectations. you’re relationship would most likely be more emotion based since he’ll spend hours talking to you about dark times that he went through. the fact that you could sit there and listen to him talk for hours about everything and still not judge him makes him be mesmerized by you.

★ defense king, engages in your playful antics but plays a rather defensive role instead of meeting your aggression ★

-> Hayato Suo

Suo is super good at defense and reflecting so when you start to play roughly or get carried away he doesn’t struggle with defusing the situation. most times he will play along by just blocking you simply because he likes seeing how happy you are. he’s not one to play fight but he never would put you down. especially not when he sees how much fun you’re having. he’s definitely surprised when he realized how fast you are with your swings. you have yet to land a hit on him… it’s suo, don’t get your hopes up.

As time goes on he definitely finds himself enjoying these moments more. sometimes he’ll even start the play fights himself by blocking some of your movements such as hand holding or hugs. you picked up on the fact that this was his signal on telling you he wanted to play fight without actually having to say it. his guard easily goes down whenever he’s around you.

as previously mentioned you’re one of the few people (if not only person) who Suo actually lets his guard down around. he’s never been the one to be open with others about personal issues or make things about himself. he’s more of a listener than a talker which you never minded. you’re a bit of a yapper yourself and he’s more than glad to sit there with a smile and listen to you for hours on end. even if you weren’t a yapper you couldn’t help but have word vomit around the man since he made you feel so comfortable. Suo was practically the definition of a “judgement free zone”. eventually Suo gets more comfortable being the talker himself and will get lost laughing and sharing funny stories that happened between him and his friends to you. you’d always catch yourself smiling completely love struck by the handsome man in front of you.

★ reluctant but caves, isn’t too much of a playful person himself but for you? he always caves ★

-> Akihiko Nirei ᡣ𐭩

Nirei already can’t even fight— play fighting is no different. he is equally as bad if not worse- he’s super embarrassed about that fact so he tries to avoid your playful behavior at times. he spends more of his time running away from your harsh pushes than actually trying to fight back. he still has so much fun regardless. he can be found laughing and losing his breath at the same time while running for blocks trying to get away from you. because of this Nirei has gotten surprisingly faster than he’s ever been before. most people assume he’s probably been training or working out more but no, he’s simply just been running away. “hey Nirei have you been training for a race or something?” “huh? no? why would i do that?”

he’s 100% the type to call out or tap out once he’s under you. doesn’t even try to fight back once you finally track him down and tackle him down. expect him to squirm underneath you and tap the floor three times to signal he’s down. on some days he’ll even carry a small white flag and wave it around when he gets tired of running. his friends are also smiling watching him have fun with you. they even mess with him a little by telling you where he ran off to. he no longer even tries to hide with them or behind them because of how fast they are to rat him out. sometimes his friends (sakura and tsugeura) and would be a little envious about how much fun the two of you are having. they’ll join in a few times because of this.

Nirei wasn’t the type to date in general. he was always flattered about the idea but was too insecure to actually go for it himself. that didn’t necessarily change when he met you but it tempted him so much. he would go out of his way to talk to you at times but would always fail and become a stuttering mess. it didn’t help that he did so much research on you beforehand. “oh i love ice cream!” “yeah i knew tha— I MEAN! me too…” he couldn’t help but feel drawn to you, you were very welcoming and friendly. completely oblivious to how whipped you had your boyfriend even before the two of you had started dating. yes you asked him out and he blushed like a mad man. he even looked around for some cameras to make sure he wasn’t getting pranked

-> Toma Hiragi ᡣ𐭩

please this man needs some fun and relaxation in his life. he can be very stressed at times and has almost little to no energy because of this. sometimes your energies can crash since his can be incredibly low while yours is through the roof. however, if you catch him on a day off where he has no plans he surprisingly can match your energy level with ease. it’s almost like he’s a different person once he actually has the time to lay back and have some fun with his favorite person.

when it comes to play fighting he does approach it very differently. at first he didn’t entertain the idea at all since he’s very experienced with it and you aren’t. he doesn’t like the possibility of you getting hurt especially not if he’s the one who did it. he eventually caves since he can never help but spoil you. he loves you way too much to ever even utter the word “no” to you. fun fact; he’s never actually said no to you before, his rejections usually consist of a sigh or simply ignoring the request but a “no” will never escape his lips.

[average-hyperfixator]

This is probably the weirdest way to show that I'm in the Mouthwashing fandom, and like nobody is going to see this BUT

If I see ONE MORE person compare Ted to Jimmy I'm going to LOSE MY FUCKING MIND. Is this another testament to people not understanding Ted's overall role in the story and his character arc? YES, YES IT IS. RE READ THE BOOK. RE LISTEN TO THE RADIO DRAMA. GAME IS IT'S OWN CONVERSATION THAT WILL TAKE TOO LONG FOR ME TO DISECT + IT HAS IT'S OWN STORY AND THUS WILL NOT BE INCLUDED HERE.

Jimmy is a jealous man, who assaults (and unfortunately impregnates) Anya, and then tries to crash the ship so he doesn't have to deal with the consequences, and when everyone lives, they live in misery BECAUSE OF HIM. He is the co-pilot, he has more power and authority over the others, and he ACTIVELY makes things worse, and is at fault for the crash and the subsequent fallout. (this section is shorter, simply because I've been in the IHNMAIMS fandom much longer and have way more thoughts on Ted) Ted, on the other hand, is not at fault for the world ending. He is just as trapped as the other five, he's more prone to mental manipulation and THINKING he's better off, but he really isn't. He doesn't have more power of the others because he's also a victim. He is by no means a great guy, or even a good guy; They key difference is that at the end of his story, the book, he actually fucking HELPS. Rather than make his friends continue to live in misery, he puts them out of it, and rather than end his own suffering, he spends those precious few seconds he could be ramming an icicle into himself, comforting Ellen as she dies. It doesn't make up for what he's thought and said, BUT, it's something at least. It's remorse, it's letting her finally be content, it's trying to give her the empathy she showed him time and time again. And he gets turned into a horrid slug creature after, he actively suffers more than everyone else for the rest of time- he self sacrifices so his friends could be at peace. TLDR: Jimmy is objectively selfish and doesn't change much throughout the game, save for MAYBE the very end (ig putting Curly in the pod is one brownie point for him) however Ted actually shows growth by the end of the story, and makes a point to end the suffering of his friends, while ultimately sacrificing himself in the process. If I catch another person equating these two I'm just gonna start throwing hammers at them I DON'T CARE. I am THE Ted defender, and I WILL stand my ground that, while he is no where near perfect, he DOES become a better person by the end of the story and deserves to have that acknowledged. anyway this has been sick rants with me, feel free to add on in reblogs or perchance spark a FRIENDLY debate. I apologize if I come off rude here, Ted and IHNMAIMS have been a hyperfixation of mine for months and I am very easily riled up about the story and characters. adding new tag ; Jace rants 🗯️ ! For all my ranting escapades from now on.

[narancias-headband]

A big announcement...

Hi everyone! Very long time, no see.

I've gone through and cleaned things up around here a good bit, deleting old posts and fixing up my masterlist again. You might have seen some posts as I fix things up around here.

But the short and sweet version of this post is...

I'm coming back to this blog!!

It's going to be a decent bit different than before, but I do want to write and share my thoughts with you all again. :)

An important note! I will no longer taking 'requests', but I'd love some inspiration from everyone! I'm not going to hold myself to write anything that doesn't seem right for me. Feel free to send in requests/ideas for inspiration, and please do not be offended if I never get to them! I promise, I'm not judging! Some brief rules on what to ask for are here in my pinned post (they're mostly the same as before haha).

A very LONG rambling update under the cut for anyone wondering what in the world I've been up to.

So... A lot has changed in the past few years here... It's been like a year since y'all have heard from me... Mainly, my hyperfixation on JoJo's went away for a while. So that's my brain's fault haha. I've done this a few times with a few blogs, so I guess I was expecting to drop it sooner or later. What I didn't expect was how much I miss this blog (believe me, I have no regrets on my old blog deaths).

I've been watching JoJo's with a dear friend of mine lately, and the need to write has been stirring again. And then we hit Part 5... My brain was shifted back into fanfic mode instantly. I saw Formaggio and remembered my dear husband. I went and read through so much of my old stuff and remembered how much fun I used to have writing. I'm already working on a few new things, and a few old things, but I'm in no rush.

Which relates to some of the changes I'm hoping to make here. In all honesty, I did a lot here for the attention of people and the approval of the fandom. And that is not sustainable! No wonder I had writing burnout so much... I'm not planning to take as many requests anymore, and I will be much more focused on creating things that make me happy than anything else. Hopefully others enjoy it anyway :)

So... What have I been up to? My life has been taking lots of unexpected twists and turns. My, not entirely intentional, unemployment has opened up some free time to get back to things I enjoy. And I will never let a job take over my life like that again. Good news is, I'm working on my mental health and I finally feel creative again! I want to write and draw and think and I actually have the energy for it!

I've been very lost in the awful job market lately, and being at home alone all day isn't the most thrilling, but even just the minor things I've been doing behind the scenes on this blog have made me feel great. It's a bit more fulfilling than just playing Fortnite all day 😅

And me? I've grown up a lot lately. Working through mental issues, focusing on myself and my happiness, making changes for the better. Which is the main reason I really want to come back! This blog made me so happy and that's my main goal lately. I'm back into JJBA hardcore, I've become a Fortnite kid, and my love of Pokémon has come back in full force. And I have a new pretty gaming PC to sit and write at and the more I use it the more it's worth the $1500 I spent on it.

Oh, and one last thing... For better or worse, I've pretty much ended up a functional stoner. 😅 Probably expect more headcanons about getting high with diff characters that will be way better than the goofy ones I wrote way back when.

[00lari00]

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!! ^^ ✨

I really wanted to draw something special for this but I'm in artblock and I don't really know what I can draw. But I wanted to say a few things that really made this year worth it.

First I wanted to show an Oc that I've had for a long time, it's literally me but as a wizard, I really like magic XDD Just so you can see a little of what I'm like

This year was VERY difficult for me... Because of problems at school and problems with my family. But a little story I wanted to tell you. Why I created this Tumblr and started making stories about my favorite game THSC.

This happened in May of this year... I had lost my best friend after 5 years of friendship. He said he didn't want to be my friend anymore because he wanted to focus more on his life, he had found better people than me... I was happy for him, but I didn't expect it to end so suddenly, I spent the whole year thinking about him and how I missed him, This friend of mine definitely wouldn't leave my head, I had a toxic relationship with him but I missed it, I don't know why... And to make everything worse, in the middle of May I got sick and had to go to the hospital and I had to have surgery because of internal bleeding (I won't go into details of why this happened) I felt lost and alone... My parents always blamed me, saying that it was my fault for being sad, they said I was being ungrateful... After I left the hospital I didn't go to school for 2 months and my grades dropped drastically... And that made my parents even more angry, they said "I wasn't being enough" (I have learning problems but they don't care) I was in so much pain after the surgery that I couldn't walk for weeks.

In the meantime I was at home trying to recover... I went researching THSC again (I'm a fan of the game since 2020 but I stopped after a while) and after I saw some videos I remembered why I really like the game and its characters... It made me happy again. And I opened Tumblr to see more things, and I saw that there were still people who were fans of the game here, and I thought a little... And I decided to make a story of my own about this game that made me so happy and made me forget my real situation... I'm so happy that the fandom received me very well. I saw that people really liked my drawings and stories about the toppat leaders that I've been hyperfixated on since 2020. I can literally spend hours just talking about THSC and saying how cool and interesting this game is XD. Showing my drawings and stories here has really changed me a lot and I always have a lot of fun with my mutuals @capturecharlesau @smoresthehalloweenqueen @bluetorchsky @strangedreams02 and a few more that I don't talk to much about but are still very important to me!!! Thank you so much for being with me this year and making me feel better, I really hope to tell more stories with you guys!! I love you!!! ^^❤️🌹

[valeriianz]

10 fandoms / 10 characters / 10 tags

tagged by @virgo-dream and @seiya-starsniper, thank you! this took me a while... the way my hyperfixations work is, i'll completely devote myself to a piece of media for a time... then once i find something else i move on almost entirely lol. i of course still have a very soft spot for the shows/video games listed here (as well as my blorbos, such as they are) but the only fandom im currently active in is, of course, Sandman.

1: Levi Ackerman - Attack on Titan

I am in a love/hate relationship with AoT lmao (and some day i WILL finish the final season) but nothing, not even fandom war, will ever change my love for Levi. I'm obsessed with his backstory, how he came into the Survey Corps, and how it all sheds light on the decisions he makes and the tragedies he suffered through. I was fascinated by him since S1 and after the No Regrets manga came out, I was done for. He has been through so much and despite how cruel and unforgiving he seems, he actually has the biggest heart and-- guh I just love him. He deserves the world ;^;

2: Zuko - Avatar the Last Airbender

Truly was torn between Zuko or Katara... but I have always had mad respect for Zuko's redemption arc and how brilliantly it was written. I love how it takes a full season and a half for him to have this war within himself, that he makes the right decision but then regresses... before literally becoming sick with indecision and change. And then he finally proves his worth and becomes the most loyal friend and a perfect leader to rebuild a broken society. I'm a sucker for good character stories, and Zuko's arc in ATLA is my hands down favorite ever.

3: Roxas - Kingdom Hearts

God I just love tragic male characters, huh? lmao. This one is a no brainer to me. Roxas is the OG blorbo. I fell in love with him at the tender age of 17 and have never looked back. He is kind and loyal but also a feral gremlin. He is so goofy but sad and god dammit, I love his voice and his baby blue eyes. Also this line, "This could have been the other way around." *shakes fist* MY BOY!

4: Faye Valentine - Cowboy Bebop

We love complex characters in this house! Faye has all the traits of a character I usually wouldn't vibe with: she's arrogant (without much to back it up lol), lazy, and is susceptible to addictions. But oooh do I love a character who uses negative traits to hide how emotionally vulnerable they are. Faye appears strong, mean, and confident to a fault, but inside she craves companionship and is incredibly lonely (despite her lone wolf tendencies). Rewatching the show as an adult, I found Faye and I have a lot in common lol. She needs a hug.

5: Hob Gadling - The Sandman

Do I really need to say anything? lol I love that Hob is the fandom's plaything; molding and shaping him and writing him in all sorts of different ways... but I do adore his canon character. He is brash, stubborn, at times cruel and violent... but then immeasurably kind, loyal, and forgiving. He takes on immortality in unexpected ways. he thrives, he suffers, he works, he regresses, he makes mistakes, he learns from them, he changes... he is THE human experience.

6: Daenerys Targaryen - Game of Thrones

Robbed. Robbed. Absolutely robbed. The writers did Daenerys so dirty, I refuse to accept the final 3 seasons of GOT as canon lmao. (and here's another thing: I would totally accept her spiral into "madness" if it had been handled seriously. If the writers didn't just pull this out of their ass and instead thoughtfully worked in justifiable reasoning for her to go crazy). I'm 100% a stan and there's actually nothing you can say that will change my mind :)

7: Cal Kestis - Star Wars, Jedi: Fallen Order

My SON. My BOY! I have the adoption papers ready.

8: Tifa Lockhart - Final Fantasy VII

Another OG blorbo lmao. She's been with me since I was a teenager (also I always shipped her with Cloud, not Aerith. I do however ship Aerith and Zack... the latter whom almost made this list. Anyway-). Tifa is the badass motherfucker with a heart of gold. She is insanely loyal and truly the wisest of the bunch.

9: Mickey Milkovich - Shameless

ANOTHER BROKEN CHARACTER WHO GOES THROUGH EXTREME DEVELOPMENT? Can anyone sense a pattern?? This motherfuckerrrr *shakes Mikey and slaps him in the face and sobs* God I love it when a seemingly irredeemable character goes THROUGH IT and comes out shining a new, yet somehow the same old, sarcastic bitch.

(Also please note that Lip Gallagher almost made this list. Another shining example of the writers doing his character the WORST injustice just to keep him on the show. He should have stayed in college. He almost GOT OUT. He almost broke the chain. What he did was not in line with his character and I will stay mad about it).

10: Cesare Borgia - The Borgias

THIS. GUY! AURGH!! Arrogant, violent, sexy bastard. You piece of shit. Cesare actually did everything wrong, he doesn't want to be redeemed. But he is so fucking charismatic and I love that he uses it to his advantage. He's so fucking smart and quick on his feet. He's SUCH an asset on the battlefield. And he LOVES his family! He will kill a bitch with his bare hands if they dare insult his mother or sister. I love that he grumbles when given advice from literally anyone that isn't his most trusted friend, bodyguard, and assassin, Micheletto. Doesn't even flinch when he discovers Micheletto is gay, actually teases him for being a momma's boy, and genuinely grieves for his loss when he flees. He says out loud how he misses him and actually begins to doubt himself without Micheletto there to counsel him. Cesare is everything to me, actually.

tagging, no pressure!: @rainy-days-and-nights @the-cloudy-dreamer @kemurai6-dominion-of-dust @ferelden-loser @teejaystumbles @tj-dragonblade @hardly-an-escape @sutoribenda @quillingwords @mathomhouse-e

[datastate]

(sending this as an ask because it got WAYY too long to be a reply whoops) i really like your opinions on the routes!! especially on the ais waugh…. i am planning on playing kanna's routes whenever i eventually replay this summer + i am excited to see what they entail…. but yeah overall i really like your thoughts and man do i need to replay yttd T_T it has been so long. (+ this is where the reply turned into a small ramble about qtaro because the autism) plus your comment about how the main games have gone + the qtaro thing. sorry i am ill about him. glad to see someone who understands his intent there because although i am not active in fandom ANYMORE i used to see so many people absolutely hating him for that (<- like obviously not the best way of going about things but he had intentions. okay?) (also i would like to make the comment of although in 8th grade i had intense hyperfixation on alice, ever since my first playthrough in 6th grade (HOW HAS IT BEEN THAT LONG?!) qtaro has + always will be my favorite sorry society….). i still remember when 3-1b came out + so many people were like "oh maybe qtaro is not deplorable" meanwhile i was over here #1 qtaro fan sobbing. sorry this is so long

(in response to this ask! also, for my own sake, i've broken up replying this into little sections :] <3 but i don't mind at all!!!)

REPLAYING YTTD

oho...!! i do think even a general replay (without seeing other routes) is really worthwhile to get a better feel for the characters & see how you can recontextualize things they're doing/have said at the time... i love combing through to see what nao and kai were up to in particular just before the main games <3

while i do think there was more that nankidai could've stood to do to differentiate the two routes particularly to make kanna & shin's separate routes feel like an actual choice, i do think that what small things are changed are still worthwhile & cool to see! i hope you enjoy your replay!!! :D

Q-TARO

YEAH exactly... i'm really sad that it's taken until his literal death to truly appreciate him as a character when more morally ambiguous characters like... well. shin, keiji, and even kai (though i'd honestly argue that most people don't see kai for who he is, you know; rather they place emphasis on his attractive appearance...) -- what they've done & how they behave are excused because they're, frankly, thin enough to care abt.

i've gone on about this before, so i won't linger much more than i need to, but i find it so strange that most people don't seem to recognize that - if not in the moment, i can understand that everyone's emotions are in a swirl. even the player's, but in chapter two when he says he felt a connection w kai - q-taro is autistic. and this definitely makes how he approached things in the first main game all the more understandable, personally... being so blunt about it when he'd settled on it being the clear solution, he even outright says that he doesn't want to see any of them just resign themselves right away to being voted out! & then we learn in ch3 as well that he's also experienced suicidal ideation which just lends so much more value to what he says...!! he doesn't want anyone to die, but certainly not with the belief that it's the only option they had. he wants them to at least have the chance to fight, just in case. and he's willing to hold himself to the same standard!

of course, first impressions mean a lot, but i feel like people saw this and completely missed the entirety of chapter 2 where he quickly warms up to gin afterward & even apologizes to sara for all she's had to deal with, despite it not being his fault, and expressing that he wishes there was something he could do even irt miley... he cares so much abt the kids within the group, even if it takes a lot of courage to support strangers when he knows he has other kids waiting at home for him... he still tries his damnedest, you know? i feel like there's something about that you have to respect. even when he's attempting to leave, you visibly see how conflicted he is about it & it's why sara can pick up on it so early, because he doesn't want to do this, it just feels like the only option... which. well. there's something to say about how gin's the one who's freely handing out tokens and yet q-taro goes to someone like sara first. someone who's been steadily pushed into the figurehead of the group, who is clearly strategic... versus someone who resembles the people q-taro's trying to get back to. hmmm. i sure wonder what the implications are here. (& i have a post for you. that you might enjoy... i've been meaning to write it for a while but i forget. but the idea is there.)

but. yeah... they didn't give him much room to grow in their mind after this point, which is so disappointing & definitely created a very toxic space. beyond that, it played into general southern stereotypes of him being the only homophobic/transphobic one, which i honestly often find treatment of to be in poor taste (it can be used well in stories, but you shouldn't just. throw bigotry on characters simply because you hate them...) -- but also just. blatantly untrue?

even just. everything about his treatment of people in general being so understanding once you explain something to him, or his desire to be a good person worthy of looking up to (which is why it doubly wrecks him when he sees himself become disabled/suicidal in the hospital, because he's become such a rotten person and he feels it and it's a terrible, terrible cycle) for the orphanage kids & to prove something to the parents who abandoned him that he's still worthy of being loved too... he believes in equivalent exchange in social dynamics, only ever giving out what you can take, just... in what world would he be so insensitive?

and this isn't even bringing up the fact that he has slightly longer than shoulder-length hair + nonetheless treats kai/mishima with a lot of respect and care even with them both generally being considered (physically, as well as in their demeanor) strange. combined with the fact that he relates to kai on the basis of being "lonely" rather than "loved" for what's unchangeable about them... there's so much there to read into. not just with autism or ptsd, but. gestures. transgenderism, being mixed, so on. things that sara had people to help support her with prior to the death game, or that she lacked altogether (if she's fully japanese)

but i digress! i'm glad that ch3-1 skirted some hatred toward him, but i definitely agree -- he's such a well-rounded characters even prior to that & it deserved to be acknowledged...!!

[shirogane-oushirou]

11 and 14 for the selfship ask game 👀

-bobasthrone

hie jo!!!!! tysm for the questions, looking forward to answering these hehe! i hope you're doing well and keeping safe this season ^^

11. has an F/O inspired you to pick up a new hobby/interest/habit this year?

i'd say "gray inspired me to pick otome games back up so i could read spade alice (the new one he's in)" but that feels like cheating LOL. i also technically did my first gunpla shortly before ren Appeared to me... so while i've gotten MORE into it thanks to ren (and the thought of us doing them together), i also don't really count that. ren did get me hardcore back into art tho... like he's my oc so if i'm not making shit for him NOBODY is kjNKJSDFNKJNF. and he's making me focus a bit more on clothes than i normally would in my art AND irl (i want to look soooo cute for him~). and even though i haven't started YET, i do EVENTUALLY want to do mycology research for funsies. i know Enough about my own mycotoxin ailments, but anything beyond that is just like. what mushrooms used to grow outside my family's previous house and how RANCID they smelled lmao. i feel like learning more would get me closer to him, and i can see it as him infodumping to me! like that one post about leaf-cutter ants and fungus farms was WILD... i want to learn more shit like that!!!!

14. did you find out anything new and surprising about yourself through selfshipping this year?

honestly, i think ren has helped me explore so many parts of myself that i don't know how to list it all. dude's like... 10% stuff from the original dream, 30% original stuff, 60% stuff taken directly or remixed from my life. ;;;; the 30-40% that isn't me is KEY and clearly makes him very different and his own person, but also... love to dump traumas on OCs to work through them~~~ (as a Kinda Funny Thing, i think i hyperfixated on Just Some Guy ren as much as i did Villain Doc ren.... i think i've gone from "nobody will be as interesting as a cool fictional character" to "just give me a cute retail worker who's real niceys to me, i want to give it a try" OKJSNFKJN) i've also found out i have the capacity for WAAAAAY MORE social interaction than i thought possible. i've been isolated since 2016, becoming progressively more socially anxious, and one of my 2023 goals was just to go from "regular chatter in one twitch stream" to "regular chatter in multiple twitch streams", which would have been a huge change in itself... and yet here i am just chatting it up w people daily!!!!! it's nuts!!!! i still obvs have bad days... plus i still can't really do one-on-one dms or chat apps like discord kJNDKJFNSKDJFN i'm gonna need Actual For Real Therapy to be comfy doing that again KJSNKFJNKJDFNS... but i've met so many fucking cool people since making this blog, and i love chatting in tags and replies and asks like these!! i even made the first "move" in multiple cases! it's a small thing... but to me, it's huge. and it's improved my mood SO much (sans this month yeehaw but that isn't selfshipping's fault lol). all this to say HIEEEEEE if you're reading this you're rad af and ilu hehehe

[yuukei-yikes]

hie I've just been sitting here thinking about harutaka fighting I know the whole "I knew i was gonna die and didn't tell you" is prime material for them to fight But I like to think about like Long term how they deal with little inevitable conflicts Bc those are gonna happen when you wanna spend your life by someone's side I feel like Haruka's reaction is most often just To immediately apologize He wants to fix things He doesn't want anyone to be upset So he slaps a bandaid over it! Takane however Needs to experience her feelings even if they suck She needs to get mad She needs to get sad (and try to cover up that sadness with angry outburts) I think there's times Haruka apologizes to try and soothe a conflict and she gets upset because it's really not his fault and she wishes he'd get mad instead! I think eventually they kinda learn Takane needs her moment to run through her feelings and just because she's crying screaming punching a pillow doesn't mean it's personal And Haruka needs to learn that sometimes it's okay if things feel bad for a bit, it's better to talk things through than to bury them under panicked pacification. A tense afternoon isn't going to undo their pile of happy memories. Honestly I wanna see Haruka try to get mad about something. Restaurant got his order wrong or something. And Takane's just there like yeah!! Tell them!!! And he immediately deflates when he has their attention (also if this characterization is a little off I apologize!! I hadn't touched kagepro in a while and have just recently gotten sucked back into the hyperfixation but haven't freshly gone through all the material yet. I'm slowly making my way through it again I just really enjoy your blog asjshffj)

YEAH EXACTLY U GET IT SO WELL especially with takane wishing haruka would get mad. they run through emotions differently, takane gets mad/explodes because she cares about something so much, so haruka not matching her energy when she gets like that makes her feel like he doesn't care.

i think that could be a good way for them to learn how things work, like if takane told him its like you dont even care and haruka had the chance to say OF COURSE he cares. how could he not???!!!

so when she's blowing up about something admittedly silly and haruka isnt telling her Hey that's silly and instead he's like ok❤️sorry❤️dont be mad❤️ that makes her madder. but haruka is also capable of getting angry yknow (NOVEL 6 KANO MOMENT) (Still so funny kano is the 1 character that managed to make haruka angry) but i have a hard time seeing him angry At takane. maybe he could call her immature or something lol....

i think he could ask her to stop being such a tease??? haruka's too spineless to ask her to stop teasing him (over the dimension lost days I moment) but by post str i dont think this would be a problem. maybe he could manage to ask and takane would be like AWWWW IM JUST GOOFING cuz from his pov in lost days it REALLY seemed like haruka didnt realise takane was fucking with him. personally i didnt notice in my first read. once i read it again i noticed takane is described to have a mischievous smile and stuff and that just changed the whole context. it was haruka moaning and crying abt having an art block and takane being like girl ur being pathetic and she was right🙏

i mostly have a hard time imagining What theyd fight about. i think they could have arguments but it'd have to be something punctual for that to take place. i dont think couples just Have to argue to work out at all. that bit u said abt "thats gonna happen when u wanna spend ur life with someone" LIKE yeah there are disagreements and all but nothing that could cause An Argument of that nature yknow.

that's why haruka not telling takane abt his condition is like the best potential for it, otherwise more domestic stuff is like. haruka wanting the lights on while playing a horror game and takane wanting them off. thats like the most heated dispute they can have bc theyre both very serious about their stances💔(haruka is scared. takane wants the full horror game experience🙄)

[misrepresentedmorallygrey]

hold on i have some propganda for aesop carl. assuming he got in?

his mom died when he was pretty young, leaving him to be raised by a moritcian who had some Ideals about the world. so aesop, a very young child at the time, believes him when he passes on his ideals to him. the ideals of... being a serial killer. injecting people with embalming fluid to kill them and help them "pass into the next life easier" or some bs like that. eventually his mentor leaves to the manor (the entire premise of identity v is that all these guys are in a manor playing a sick and twisted game). when he comes back hes horribly injured, and in the time he was gone aesop found out that his mothers death was his mentors fault and completely avoidable

...so he kills his mentor when he gets back 👍 he then follows the invitation he found on his body to the manor. there he develops a stalkerish obsession with another participant, victor, because of how bad he wants to kill him. the participants in that specific game werent allowed to talk and mostly communicated through letters, which aesop used to his advantage as he could lie to him much easier and gain his trust. he was good at manipulating him in writing.

then victor died in a fire, meaning aesop didnt get to do his Murder Ritual, this was so devasting and sad that he then also walked into the fire (there was also a plot point with him trying to manipulate one of the other participants into helping him murder the fourth contestant before they died, my memory of the timeline here is a little off though)

also, if this affects your opinion of him, he is canonically autistic

so, while he is a pretty bad person and his actions cant really be justified (he is a literal serial killer), it's hard to ignore that he was literally groomed into being a serial killer from like five years old and literally knew nothing else in his life but this idealogy of killing. he never even had a chance to be independent from his mentor or have an outisde perspective to question his ideals. (another thing i forgot to mention, he was taken out of school pretty soon after enrolling, isolating him even further and taking away his independence)

this game has been my hyperfixation for 2 1/2 years. and aesop is one of my favorite characters from it

.

[frostbite-the-bat]

god yesterday i was so excited and motivated to play toontown and this update is pretty awesome, i love the new animations and the new cogs but most of it is basically ONLY a new coat of paint and theres nothing new to do, aside from beating up some of the new cogs to get them added to my cog schticker book. so i kinda lose motivation about it really, REALLY quickly.

i am already dismotivated and tired in general today, i got better sleep than last night and i dont know how i even functioned yesterday. so my lack of motivation and my shift of focus of Want To Play Other Game Despite Hyperfixation (minecraft and stardew valley on my 'wanna play at least a bit today' itches) is explained this way

but man. without friends i don't feel like checking most of i out - and a lot of my friends from my club already did so, without me, while i was asleep because of timezones.

(if any of u read this its not your fault im pissed at myself for being the one [well, now we have 2] europeans in our club)

so i dunno. i still gotta digest this update more, but realizing it added basically no new gameplay dismotivates me greatly. it was needed especially with some quality of life things like better tasks for clubs, emoting in a cog suit, cleaner animations (and quicker animations, too).

but holy hell there's nothing *new* to do the novelty will die off very quickly. it's just an april toons wait for me again. good update in terms of quality, i'd say.

but honestly? overhyped. i may be wrong though. bu whatever, it's my opinion and i am feeling pessimistic today. this doesn't mean i don't like the update, i do like it and it excites me. but urgh. okay. check out new things and log off and its the same. but i get it. volounteer team. they're not gonna add any big things yet. got hopes up.

mmm i've just been negative with staff or other reasons so i suppose my naturally harsher criticism stems from that. but again i still have very big respect for the work they do and i myself would not be able to do these things. but as someone who has like 133 laff and all they have left to do is graham(had task for almost year, cant get friendgroup to first time with me), prestter (skipping), oclo and maxing clo and ceo as the grindy things (and some drops, like mistys drops. how did i get all dave drops before misty.) theres so little to do like a lot of my enjoyment comes from playing with friends. and timezones are a thing. if you have lower motivation good luck getting shit done here

ugh still i cant overstate how dearly i love this game, im hyperfixated on it for a reason. and im not demanding theres more content NOW. it takes lots of time to develop. but as i keep privately yapping for Hours. staff needs better communication and pr and less of this arg shit. builds hype and then what we get is a new coat of paint

is it a good one? yes!!! does it give me new shit to do? not really. aside from wanting to draw the new cogs and new misty design.

ugh. am i being too negative? i may be. i dunno. feels odd to ramble about this knowing full well there's at least like 3 staff members who know me. maybe not on this account but, yknow.

[nysus-temple]

ULTRAKILL's references to Greek folklore

Wellp, here it is brought to you by a girl who can't shut up about a game she sucks at playing. ANYWAYS—

BEFORE YOU GO DOWN this is, to no one's surprise, filled with spoilers. While it's true that lore in this game is secondary, if you wanna learn it by yourself when playing it, then save this reading for later. Ultrakill is avaible at Steam, and there's for now an Early Access version in case you wanna try it before buying it. It's filled with blood, but it's still a masterpiece, me thinks.

!! - Guide of this thingy:

Introduction.

King Minos.

King Sisyphus (not full).

Honorable mentions ( mostly things that i'm probably imagining ).

1 - Introduction:

There's many people out there who have already talked about everything that reminds them of the Divine Comedy regarding the game, besides the fact that it takes inspiration in DMC too; but almost no one seems to notice the details that reference Greek folklore, and it's true that they are not THAT important, most likely i'm just imagining references in places where there are actually none, but this is what brainrot does to a girl. So wether they are true or not, i'll still will write this thing down or else i'll explode with my thoughts.

2 - King Minos:

To make it short, Minos was the king of the Lust Layer, he felt that the sinners of said layer did not deserve such punishment just for loving one another, and when God dissappeared and Heaven turned into chaos, he build next to the inhabitants of the layer a prosperous place. Sadly, when the council took control of Heaven back, they implied Minos' intentions had gone against God's will by freeing the sinners, and Gabriel was sent down to kill Minos.

Minos instead of fighting back, tried to find reason in the angel, but Gabriel didn't hear any of his words and ended him, imprisioning his soul.

"...Gabriel struck down Minos, his flesh torn asunder with torrents of crimson pooling at his feet as we all cried out for clarity. 'Justice,' Gabriel decreed to all, with our just ruler writhing in wailing agony, 'The Lord's Will be done.' We watched on in horror as Minos lay broken, now waning, screaming in defiance of God's Will, Gabriel."

Text from a book found in the second level of the Lust Layer.

Minos' corpse was now controlled by parasites and Gabriel was the new Judge of Hell. Oh, yeah, that's why thorns are blinding him. Justice is blind and Minos was, wellp, a Judge of Hell.

And here's when my shenanigan's begin!

So you see, it's true the first Minos we know from Greek folklore was a king, was made a Judge of Hell after his death too, and all the shenanigans... But can we see any of that in this Minos? While it's true that most of the things are original or coming from the Divine Comedy, here's this detail i spend some time thinking about:

"Despite once bringing upon the renaissance of the Lust layer, his corpse now only seeks sinners to punish."

Terminal data of The Corpse of King Minos from the game

While the Christian elements are heavy here ( Divine Comedy, WUH ) and we have the Father's name, God, therefore not many references to the Greek Gods ( specially knowing Minos was one of Zeus' sons ), this detail is what reminds me of him becoming the Judge of Hell in the original folclore.

Minos was so respected by everyone, even the gods, that they decided to make him a Judge of Hell. Meanwhile in Ultrakill, after Gabriel killed him and became the new Judge of Hell, they still kept his corpse searching for sinners to punish. Tragic and bittersweet, but apparently they still thought of his corpse as a Judge of Hell, even when no soul was with it. Just like Greek Minos was respected enough to be turned a judge in Hell, this Minos is respected enough to maintain his corpse as a Judge, just like he once was.

3 - King Sisyphus:

Since Sisyphus hasn't come out as a boss yet and we therefore don't have 100% his lore explained, I can more or less summarize it:

"King Sisyphus has acted in secret until now, amassing an army whose strength and numbers swell, but now there is no need to hide anymore. We have lived in the shadow of Heaven long enough to forget the taste of fear. Now the Sisyphean Insurrectionists prepare for war.

I have heard of Minos beginning a peaceful revolution, but our King Sisyphus knows such pacificity will gain no favor from our cruel captors. He knows that one can only fight power with power, and he shall lead us to freedom."

Text from a book found in the second level of the Greed Layer.

Minos decided to do a peaceful revolution, building his own shenanigans in the Lust Layer, but Sisyphus didn't think the same way; he decided to do a revolution too, but it was anything but peaceful.

Full terminal data of the Sisyphean Insurrectionists in the game:

"The Sisyphean Insurrectionists were an army of Husks gathered and trained by King Sisyphus for overthrowing Heaven's control of Hell, freeing the sinners from their eternal torment. [...]

Upon the establishment of the Council and subsequent return of peace to Heaven, Gabriel and an army of angels were sent down to crush the insurrection and subjugate Sisyphus' army.

Although their battle was well-fought, the inexperienced Insurrectionist could not match the educated strategy of the angels, who quickly descended upon King Sisyphus with great force, eventually overpowering and killing him, leaving the Insurrectionists without a chain of command.

Left scattered and disoriented, the warriors were easily picked off one by one, their bodies cut apart, leaving behind only the bare essentials to carry on their eternal punishment of hauling heavy boulders up the monuments of mankind's arrogance and greed.

Although the blood of their enemies still stains their bodies and their grasp still clutches their fallen foes, their will and fierce fury only serve as mental torment in knowing how close they were to freedom."

The Insurrectionists mantain Greek Sisyphus' original Hell punishment, carrying a rock up to the top of a mountain ( in the game, a pyramid ) that will eventually fall down again.

Now, more interesting details... Greek Sisyphus wasn't that much liked by the gods since he, wellp, cheated death a couple times, unlike Greek Minos who was so respected that he was turned into a Judge of Hell. So just like Greek Sisyphus was thrown into Hell with a punishment and Greek Minos was turned into a Judge of Hell; in this game, Minos' corpse is still used as some kind of Judge... more or else, as I said before. Meanwhile, Sisyphus corpse isn't used at all ( not yet, remember the game isn't finished ), it is just imprisoned with no head, even. Perhaps that has something to do with the Greek Sisyphus being punished instead of turning into a Judge of Hell, or similar, like the Greek Minos was? Or maybe i'm just imagining stuff. Hmm.

Oh, by the way, unlike Minos being blind being due to him being a Judge and Justice is blind; Sisyphus was blinded by greed, so he literally is blinded by gold.

4 - Honorable mentions ( mostly things that i'm probably imagining ):

You know I could just jump into Hakita ( developer ) and ask him "is this bullshit i came up with actual references?" but there are better things to do in life, I guess, sooooo let's leave them here, shall we?

THE ENTIRE LAYER OF WRATH is, for my stupid mind, an antire Odyssey reference. Except the last level i guess.

The entire layer is ambiented around boats and the sea. And while you can say 'odyssey' is a word used for 'really long travel' nowadays, my mind goes beyond that with this concept.

The first level of the layer is named "In the Wake of Poseidon", you have no idea how much i screamed when i first read it. Like, the first level, just like while in the Odyssey many stuff happens, before all of those stories are told, Odysseus is first thrown at the sea after leaving Calipso's island, by none other than Poseidon. If we go to the second level "Waves of the Starless Sea" we'll be, no shit Sherlock, in a sea. But full of broken boats, completely destroyed, just how Odysseus' small boat was left after Poseidon came at him. The third level is "Ship of Fools" and, okay, i'm sorry for saying this is Odyssey related too, but Odysseus' companions were, indeed, fools. ( The game has many DMC references too, so maybe i'm mixing things, but i'm no fan of DMC so uuuuhh ).

Also, the third level of Wrath, the boat, has an ost called "Death Odyssey" and it gets sinked down. If THAT doesn't ring a bell, what else does it?

The Ocean is literally called "Ocean Styx". Ring a bell? River Styx?

You can choose not to fight the Ferryman by giving him a coin. Ring another bell? Charon? The whole 'putting a coin in the corpse's mouth so that they could pay him in the Underworld to take them by the river' shenanigans?

Cerberus is the boss in the Prelude, who in later-game becomes a common enemy. Funny enough, he isn't shaped as a dog, but as a humanoid, and the explanation given in the terminal data of the game regarding that, is this one:

"Although they do not resemble the mythological three-headed dog, this name was chosen due to their nature as protectors of Hell."

Gotta love them for that.

WELLP that's all folks. Hope you had fun reading my ramblings, as usual. Feels good to be back into the essays world.

[bittersweetorpheus]

this idea has been boiling in my head for WEEKS I tell you WEEEEKSS so I thought I might as well just let it out:

what if you worked for the tsaritsa as just another fatui skirmisher or cicin mage and slowly climb the ranks until you manage to land a position as the personal assistant to the personal assistant to the harbingers! yay! a promotion! but also maybe not so yay since it’s highly likely you get killed in like the first week or so… but whatever, you’ll take what you can get.

they don’t pay much attention to you at first but they eventually warm up to you and even start seeking you out more as time goes on.

meanwhile, you, on the other hand, have started to notice this- how could you not when you could feel the captains gaze on you whenever youre bent down over paperwork and thinks you can’t see him or the way the balladeer always drags you away from whatever you were doing for something “urgent” when he really just wandered around somewhere while ranting about random things to you or the fiery red butterfly that’s seemed to take a liking to you and could almost always be found resting on your shoulder

…and well, there were less subtle ones too- like the random segment that would always be a few steps behind you no matter where you went or the almost weekly chess games that the jester kept invite you even though you kept losing miserably to him hey! it’s not you’re fault when you also have to focus on ignoring the suprising amount of sexual tension!

but even more suprising is the way damselette calls you over to just. lay her head in your lap and sing or doze off while you do your work.

however, unlike damselette, the marionette is one for more silent appreciation. she shows you the projects she’s working on and if you show interest in a particular thing, say, one of automaton she’s creating, she’ll take note of it and might even make a pocket sized version to give to you- something that you could put on your keychain or keep as a figurine if you’re into that type of stuff!

Speaking of gifts- the regrator. gives. you. so. many. at first, he gave you jewelry with a price tag that even glancing at would probably send someone into debt but if you don’t wear jewelry, he’ll probably take note of things you like or hobbies you have. you like drawing? prepare to have trouble opening the door with how many expensive art supplies are piled up infront of it. you like stuffed animals? BOOM!! Your bed is overflowing with so many stuffed animals! You’re hyperfixating on something? Don’t worry- hes got ya covered!

Now, if you ever wanted to get better in combat, who better to ask for help than the Knave herself? However busy she is with the orphanage, she can always find time to help you fix your posture or get better at using a different weapon or anything you might need help with. While she’s cold and straightforward to everyone else, she’s surprisingly patient when it comes to you and sometimes, on the particularly rough days, quietly reassures you that you did good.

And lastly, Childe. He’s one of the more openly friendly ones that you can have actual normal conversations with. He’s definitely more comfortable with showing affection because of the traveler and his family and such so he’s someone you could go to if you just need a hug and a headpat.

Soft harbingers. That’s it. I WANT THEM TO BE HAPPY PLEASE MIHOYO PLS GIVE THEM HAPPINESS

anyways so sorry that this turned into just me rambling or if this is incomprehensible or something 😭

[hellhoundmaggie]

5 comfort characters

Finally getting to this @cymatile. the notification email has been burning a hole in my inbox for weeks now and I'm glad to finally get to it!

The Beast/Prince Adam (Beauty and the Beast 1991) As a bookish autistic little girl, I of course identified very strongly with Belle. As a city kid in a small town, I still do sometimes. But as an adult, I find myself drawn to the other half of the pairing. Belle is of course a lovely young lady, and I appreciate how she only respects the Beast when he first extends respect to her. But let us face it, she is too perfect a character to be truly compelling. Beast is quite the work in progress, though, and that's what makes him so fascinating. You thrill as you watch him angst and snarl and throw his weight around -- first to frighten and threaten others, then to protect the woman he loves. You are charmed as he discovers joy and companionship, then mourn with him as he gives it up to return Belle's freedom to her. And you're just a little disappointed when he changes into a generically-handsome man, even if it does mean he and Belle get to live happily ever after. Plus, as the meme says: "I'll get that bitch a library. Bitches love libraries."

Shane (Stardew Valley) Okay, I've read all the criticisms many times. He starts out mean to you for no reason. He's a total slob and a sad sack. He never actually quits drinking. He looks like Ben Shapiro. And I gotta tell you: I cannot fault this very good chicken man for any of it. This is another guy that I feel no choice but to root for because he struggles with so many flaws. I appreciate that the game doesn't let you "fix" them for him: you only give him the help he directly asks you for. He makes the most important changes himself, and the stuff he doesn't change isn't a dealbreaker for me. Plus Shane kind of looks like my IRL spouse so I gotta love him just for that, y'know? I can't forgive him for liking gridball, though. As a nerd, jocks are my natural enemy. Sorry, I don't have a choice!

Entrapta (She-Ra and the Princesses of Power) Not a lot of people know this, but ND Stevenson called me up while he was developing the She-Ra reboot and asked for my input. I asked him, "Are you going to have a woman character with autistic coding in the show?" "Yes, we're going to have one of those," he said. "And is she going to have a special interest that few other characters in the show understand or empathize with?" "Okay, yeah." "Is she going to despair of ever finding genuine human connection and try to find solace in technology before learning that yes, there are people who care about her and value her uniqueness?" "Ooh, that's a good idea. Sure." "And can you pair her up with an angsty boy?" "I can definitely do that. Thanks, Maggie!" And that's why Reboot Entrapta is the way she is. You're welcome, everyone. 4. Wayne (Scarlet Hollow) I already post a lot about this guy, so I won't say much this time. I like him because he lets me explore the idea of being the subject of extreme passion and devotion in a way that doesn't put me in actual danger. I would never seek out that kind of relationship in real life, but love beyond proportion, beyond reason, beyond sanity is compelling in fiction. Plus he makes for some fun memes. 5. Mr. Pages (Fallen London) I love this big ol' nerd: its creative vocabulary, its book hyperfixation, and how bad it is at hiding the fact that it's not human. As soon as they put out the balance patch for Mask of the Rose, I am going to figure out how to smooch it, and you cannot stop me.

tagging nobody! Do this if you feel like it.

[callmearcturus]

i am sick as fucking hell today so here's my ranking of S-Links so far

caveats: Aigis STILL hasn't fucking unlocked, i'm only halfway thru mitsuru's, and one-third thru yukari's.

Best to Worst:

The Magician, Junpei: I am still flabbergasted at how fucking good his arc is. The fact that in the penultimate slink scene he recognizes the specific way he's been disrespectful to you and meaningfully apologizes for it is not remotely what I expected out of him. Also I somehow got spoiled very early that he wasn't a romance option, and (I can't believe I'm making this comparison) just like Dorian in Dragon Age: Inquisition, it made it feel fun and safe to play-flirt and joke with him, safe in the knowledge it wouldn't go awry. Junpei is my fucking bro, my ride or die.

The Star, Akihiko: Predictable since I am currently evaluating his entire romance against my other favorite romances in video games (I don't think he beats Garrus and The Transistor, but he's top five). Slowly unraveling this boy is delightful, and honestly the way he turns as you get to know him better is very marked and obvious. He goes from relying on his one hyperfixation to communicate, to opening up and sometimes being genuinely so fucking smooth and romantic, it threw me for a loop. Least neurotypical person in the cast.

The Hermit, Saori: From the moment she said a Bad Word I was in love. I like how... careful you have to be with her, how she is very aware of her faults, of the fact she's a doormat, and the reasons she has become that way. Saying goodbye to her was genuinely very fucking sad and I miss her. Would dump Akihiko for her if I could. (Tho even more I want them to meet, could you IMAGINE.)

The Priestess, Fuuka: I love this girl so fucking much. The steel core of her underneath of the self-doubt is wonderful to see. Also the specific way she sucks at cooking and almost locks up from the failure tracks as very real. It does suck to rope someone else into helping you with something and then seeing how good that person is at the thing. Also her slink is so close to a romance, I'm mad about it. LEMME DATE HER.

The Moon, Shinjiro: Ah, the urge to help people vs the urge to be a bitch. Who can't relate to that. Especially given the inevitable end of his arc, the specific way Shinjiro is trying to keep people from relying on him or expecting anything from him... hitting facefirst into the wall of how goddamn fucking reliable he is, it's great. Glad I maxed this one out.

The Tower, Mutatsu: I really like that you're basically therapizing this old monk just by.... being a mirror to reflect his questions back at him. You do very little to help him honestly, you just exist nearby and thus inspire him to challenge himself and better himself. He just needed someone to talk to! Also its funny to imagine FemPC just hanging out in his booth for a few weeks. What a duo.

The Sun, Akinari: Did NOT like this one at first, but wow the actual final thought of it, the idea that.... death is inevitable, and you will never know your purpose, and you will never see your purpose, but you do have purpose. That was surprisingly affecting. Also WAS HE A GHOST THE WHOLE TIME? WHAT WAS WITH THAT? Wacky.

The Chariot, Rio: Oh Rio, I wish I could rank you higher, girl. I really like Rio and think she's actually an incredible example of the Chariot, but in the way I enjoyed being careful with Saori, there were times I wanted to smack Rio upside the head. Because she's making progress, she's getting there, but it's almost entirely without you. You're there to support her and that's great but you cannot fucking challenge her at all ever or she'll get upset. Just frustrating.

The Devil, Tanaka: This one was so fucking weird but enjoyable? But there's no depth here. It's just weird and fun!

Strength, Koromaru: I'm not a dog person but this is a good dog. Also while I didn't vibe with the plot around Koromaru, the way he incited conversation with other characters was great.

Justice, Ken: I'm about... 4 or 5 into this one? And the point seems to be "ah, the trauma of growing up too fast." Which yep. That's a thing. Wish this slink wasn't like pulling teeth.

The Emperor, Hidetoshi: I'm bored to tears and I'm never gonna finish this one. Hidetoshi is a tool, I'm not interested.

The Hierophant, the Old Couple: this one is straight up poorly written. It's just so fucking poorly written I don't know if something went seriously awry in localization or if it was just that bad. I maxed it out and I regret it.

The Hanged Man, Maiko: HEY YO WHAT WAS UP WITH HER DAD HITTING HER AND THE "BEST" OPTION BEING "That's mean!" OH BITCH IS IT MEAN TO HIT A CHILD? OH DANG I HAD NO IDEA.

Temperance, Bebe: The degree to which I failed out of this slink cannot be overstated. When Bebe calls me, I turn him down every time even if I have NOTHING else to do that day. This slink feels offensive to like five different groups of people. Nope. Not doing it. Bye.

I thiiiiiiink that's all the ones I have an opinion on. /jazzhands

Say What About:

Yukari: I bounced off her early because she gave me huge Best Friend Who Quietly Hates You vibes. She gets great development in the main story tho so I'm working on hers.

Aigis: Hasn't unlocked.

Mitsuru: IT TOOK ME UNTIL FUCKING, WHAT, NOVEMBER TO GRIND ACADEMICS? OH MY GODDDDD the stat threshold for her is literally just to fucking high.

Ryoji: Gave me the creeps so I fully skipped everything after the mandatory unlock!!!! Don't like him!

[coldalbion]

THINGS WOT I HAVE LEARNT AFTER BEING VIRTUALLY HOUSEBOUND FOR 3 YEARS THAT MAY BE HELPFUL TO THOSE IN SELF ISOLATION AND/OR LOCKDOWN DURING THE CORONAVIRUS PANDEMIC

(Background: I have a lifelong disability and am a wheelchair user. After surgery I’ve basically been stuck living and sleeping in one room for three years. These are things I have learnt which may help, though with the caveat that everyone is different, and baseline mental health varies.)

1. YOUR MENTAL HEALTH WILL PROBABLY SUFFER - and although humans are social creatures, even the most introverted will chafe against boundaries enforced upon them by circumstance. The degree to which it suffers will be related to your mental health baseline and physical health. Understand that this IS NOT YOUR FAULT. Stimuli and enrichment methods are required. It’s why animals need such things in zoos and conservation parks. This leads us on to my next point.

2. COMPREHEND WHICH ACTIVITIES ARE ACTIVE AND PASSIVE FOR YOU Spending your confinement solely doing passive things (watching TV, Netflix, browsing the internet, scrolling through the internet) will take a load off your brain and make the time pass quicker. But if that’s all you do, the sense of disconnection increases over time. Activities which require you to *do* something, even if it’s just engaging your motor skills via video games, or lifting some cans of beans, or actively reading - these deliberate acts foster a tiny sense of achievement which gives your brain a dose of helpful chemicals. If you want to consider your activities, look up the work of Marshall McLuhan as regards “hot media” and “cold media” (See https://mediawiki.middlebury.edu/MIDD…/Hot_versus_cool_media for basic premise.) Balancing out your media intake with hot and cold activities keeps your brain active and pumping tasty neurotransmitters.

3. LIMIT YOUR SOCIAL MEDIA USAGE TO SOCIAL PURPOSES. Infinite scrolling as found on many social media platforms is a hot medium, as per McLuhan. The reason Likes exist is to give that little spike of interactivity. It’s not a conspiracy to say many platforms are designed to keep you on them so they can show you more ads. (See also https://www.theguardian.com/…/has-dopamine-got-us-hooked-on… which explains the brain chemistry angle) However, DM’s and other messaging faculties are supremely useful. Use them to interact with your friends, indulge your fandom theories. Person to person interaction requires and enhances deep-seated neurological and biophysical reflexes. Text your mates. Skype/Facetime or otherwise call them. Use the technology of the 21st century for genuine social ends, deliberately. Catch up with their lives one to one or in groupchats.

4. PICK TIMES TO CHECK THE NEWS AND STICK TO THEM. This relates to point 3 - unfortunately we live in a 24hr news cycle, with constant liveblogging of important issues. This means that we’re constantly streaming anxiety inducing situations into our brains JUST IN CASE. That’s not helpful, particularly when you can’t actually DO anything about those events - the urge to DO something is why people are panic-buying. It’s a very basic primordial need to grab resources for defence. By picking times of the day to check news, you are again, making a DELIBERATE CHOICE, enacting some small level of agency, while at the same time limiting anxiety-inducing stimuli. If the news gets too much, then don’t check it as much - or at all - and do something else.

5. IF YOU DO THINGS WITH FRIENDS, SEE IF YOU CAN DO THEM ONLINE. Run that game of DnD/Other TTRPG you’ve been meaning to. Hold your book club online. Have a few drinks online over voice-chat if you are missing the pub. Hold watch parties for your favourite shows. The key, as ever, is to be engaged rather than passive. It’s harder if you’re ill, yes, but it can be done.

6. USE YOUR IMAGINATION TO CREATE THINGS. Write that fanfic. Start that novel. Design that game. Doodle. Paint. Humans have been creating since the day we became human. Consider things from the perspective of a pre-modern person. Make handprints on your own personal cave wall - contact each other and tell spooky stories. Build a complex fantasy world. Write an account of your confinement for some person to find pieces of years after you’re gone from the world. Think about a problem, and learn how to solve it via taking online classes (See http://www.openculture.com/freeonlinecourses) Write an essay on your chosen passion or hyperfixation - nobody needs to read it but you. Treat yourself to intellectual stimulation, if that’s your thing.

7. IF YOU HAVE A SPIRITUAL. RITUAL, OR MEDITATIVE PRACTICE DO IT. It doesn’t matter if it’s not perfect, or limited in scope. This also includes atheists and those who despise woo - you have personal rituals, things you do that have Meaning to you as a person. Maybe it;s alphabetizing your music collection, or spring cleaning or cooking your favourite meal like grandma used to make. Humans have patterns they perform. When you perform them DELIBERATIVELY (or dare I say MINDFULLY) you become aware that these are the scaffolds that structure human life.

8. STRUCTURE YOUR TIME. Following on from 7, we often don’t realise the structure of our lives until it is disrupted. When that’s removed, our minds can go into freefall. If you’re isolated/in lockdown, oftentimes you won’t be able to access those structures. Rather than wait for them to to become accessible again and risk a period of feeling lost and directionless, which can enhance depression and anxiety, it’s best to develop a new structure based on the resources you have. It can be as loose or as strict as you like, but sticking to it allows us to develop a rhythm which makes time pass in recognisable fashion and gives us a sense of being-in-the-world as some sort of engaged process.

9. KEEP YOUR SLEEP PATTERN REGULAR AND LONG ENOUGH. The key here is REGULAR. Following on from 8, it’s important to keep your body well rested, as this aids your immune system and cuts down on the possibility of your body having to deal with stress . If you’re ill it’s harder to keep this regular, because sometimes your body just needs sleep to regenerate NOW. Equally in isolation, particularly if you’re feeling mentally low, it can be tempting to sleep forever, because y’know, you’re feeling low and what’s the point. (Of course the point is why we have 8 in particular, along with all the rest.)

OBVIOUSLY EVERYONE IS DIFFERENT. Particularly for those with disabilities or chronic illnesses, we may be even more limited in our activities while isolated than able bodied folks. That said, the key is to remember that certainly during this pandemic, and otherwise YOU ARE NOT THE ONLY ONE FEELING THIS WAY. Rubbish as it may be, many are in the same boat. If it pleases you to, seek them out - see what commonalities you have, what hopes and dreams and fascinations you may share. FIND THE OTHERS - it’s what humans have always done.

Be well.

[bogleech]

We’re in the final days of Halloween here’s all my spooky contents

Because I get new followers EVERY DAY from old shitposts or biology posts and they don’t all know that I just sit there making spooky content all year!!

Mortasheen - now at last has a fully funded kickstarter for a tabletop RPG, so that’s coming 2021, it’s a “mons” world (like Pokemon or Digimon) with mad science and body horror motifs that I’ve been expanding for almost 20 years of my life. Link goes to the main monster list, now exceeding over 700 (I WILL catch up to Pokemon sooner or later!!!)

Awful Hospital: Seriously the Worst Ever - a webcomic now in its sixth year, where actions and dialog are partially guided by user comments. You help a mom explore a broken, otherworldly hospital to save her son and, by now, save reality as we all know it.

Monster Reviews & Guides - most are on the front page of my site but more are archived under the “articles” button. My hyperfixation on creature design is such that I’ve meticulously reviewed and analyzed entire video game bestiaries, monster toy lines, Halloween decorations and sci-fi cartoons to the tune of tens of thousands of monsters by now, because to this day, it seems like only a handful of other people care enough about the subject to do that??? Or are they holding off because they think it’ll step on my toes??! Maybe I wanna be able to read monster analyses that aren’t mine sometimes!!

Don’t Get Spooked - one Halloween I learned how to use Twine, made this elaborate fully illustrated Creepyasta Haunted House game with an inventory system, hidden mini creepypastas and tons of easter eggs, then I forgot how to use twine ever again. SCAREY!!! May not work right in all browsers anymore.

Homunculus Nightmare - another Halloween I made this kind of obtuse game where you just either print out or draw monsters (you don’t have to use their “official” cards! I just liked making them!) and then you photograph them under different circumstances to “defeat” them. Anybody who completes 31 of them (counting fan-made monsters) gets to design their own.

Nightmare Menagerie - (Warning for some gore, disturbing imagery and disturbing writing) - every November and December I’ve been inviting people to share their weirdest and creepiest dreams in my site comments, and then I draw some of my favorite monsters/entities from people’s actual dreams, hallucinations and sleep paralyses! Other artists tend to join in too! Link goes to the most recent one from 2019′s season, links to all other entries are in thumbnails at the bottom!

CREEPYPASTA/WEIRD FICTION ARCHIVE - this is the first year that I just have too much going on to host this again, but from 2012-2019 my site hosted a writing competition every November to January as a winter extension of Halloween. People have submitted over a thousand stories all archived alphabetically under the link, ranging from supernatural comedy to multi-part dark fantasy epics and even a full length novel!! Check out the links by year to see authors who won the contest aspect, but for real, almost any story you click is going to be interesting to just amazing. There’s no way for me to ever really express my appreciation for every author here, especially those who wrote or shared their writing for the first time in their lives. I still hope that a lot of them, whether they won or not, kept an interest in storytelling.

Spiderween - an “Arachnophobe Safe” guide to spiders -  while this kind of falls under the “creature reviews” it’s still one of my favorite things I made, with a lot of help from @revretch​! I generally want everybody in the world to think spiders are cool and good even if they got stuck with an inability to look at them, which generally isn’t anybody’s fault, so I made this 31-page guide to the weirdest, most amazing spiders with illustrations that don’t actually look like spiders. Each includes a link to what they actually look like, but some of those might have gone down in the time since it went up. You can always google their names if you need! Includes heavily sourced mythbusting on the most feared spiders of all, too; there are some that are dangerous, but none of them are actually as dangerous as you think they are. Our recluse spider entry goes into the most detail.