#those are just some exemples of characters for my plot lists

[zorya-km]

Thumbprint Challenge

Thank you tons @calliecwrites for this tag ! First time seeing this one, I love it ! Yay for shaming myself ahha.

Rules: look back on your works, both past and present, finished and unfinished. What are five to ten narrative elements or tropes that continuously pop up in your work? Give a list of these things!

Found Families: Both in Starborn Sonata & Sunset Blood, my characters have some form of dysfunctional family that drives them to prefer choosing their new family. Love is stronger than blood. I tend to regard some of my friends and relationships as family and that has shaped my narrative. I feel like this is a theme that fits neurodivergent and queer folks like me, since we do tend to flock in packs.

Mentorship: In Sunset Blood, the mentor is more of a dedicated teacher, but he genuinely cares and advise the MC. In Starborn Sonata, it's outright a plot point: the mentor becomes part of the MC's found family. I was lucky enough to meet an awesome man during my teenage years who took me under his wings in many ways. Though he's now more of a second father to me, our relationship enlightened me on the importance of mentorship.

Queer Cast: Both of my main wips have queer leads. Sunset Blood has actually a female x female romance in addition to queer friendships; whilst Starborn has a bisexual lead and nonbinary important side character ! I write what my reality is and what I want it to be. Queer friends ? Check. Being able to be openly queer ? Let's write that !

Mental Health & Chronic Illnesses: I've struggled with both for a good period of my time and even sometimes unknowingly, my perspective on the world and how I write it reflects that experience of mine. I do also push those ideas into my novels, because I often wished to see in books strong characters that still had such issues. You can hence find sprinkles of anxiety, giftedness, hypersensitivity, adhd, fibromyalgia & emotional epilepsy in my characters !

Social Justice & Political Themes: I'm a lover of of complex and truthful settings; books that use fiction to make a social commentary. Whilst it's much more evident in Sunset Blood because advocacy is literally the theme of the book, it's a recurring idea in my wips. For exemple, Starborn Sonata features reflections on royalty and leadership responsabilities, balance between military and social programs, and government obligations to protect human rights.

Worldbuilding disease: I'm an avid lore reader when I like a book. Any additional material my favorite author publish ? I'll read them ! For me, the wonders of speculative fiction aren't just what's on the novel pages, but everything that's created to go alongside it. I want to feel immersed in different universe and I tend to go overboard with worldbuilding in my wips too. An animal mentionned once will have a whole page of lore in my novel bible... Years & months have their own significance. Even when I'm not writing specfic I have details hidden everywhere !

I tag @cheshawrites @writinglyra @thewritersplace @lexiklecksi & anyone who wishes to jump in !

[bronx-aro]

Well yes but no.

Yes because that means the chances of that media containing shitty tropes that are everywhere and always unrepported are more likely to not be there or at least toned down(there are too many exemple for me to even begin listing them but i'm sure you can come up with at least a couple of those in less than a minute on the fly which only proves my point).

No because i cannot remember the last time i was recommended something that was queer that wasnt mushy romance and i hate that. The only time i can engage with that is in fanfic and i can regluate it. Romance in any visual media makes me want to die. I don't care how much heartstopper is a classic beloved by the community the idea of watching a romance focused show fills me with dread.

Now if someone can recommend me queer media that ISNT ROMANCE or at least as it not in the main plot while still having a queer identity in the forefront i will be TAKING IT. (i am transmasc, omnisexual and aromantic in case the latter wasn't obvious). (please do i'm begging here).

And like i'm not even saying the queerness of the show cant come from gay characters. I just dont want the drama involved being two characters falling in love with each other because in visual medias (and most often regular books, sadly) only makes me cringe and i cannot stand that feeling.

Good omens is a good exeptoon to that rule because their relationship while essential to the plot isn't the only thing going on and the cringe factor is often avoided (mostly due to the fact that they arent two angsty, anxiety filled hormonals teenagers with a deep fear of rejection who cannot express their way properly and get in their own way leading to an entire show/movie comprised only of frustrating situations)

That was a rent.. But yeah please drop some recs i am dying to consume queer media that isnt fanfiction

please elaborate in tags :)

[heleizition]

eye emoji. who helps the lads with the kid... someone give able therapyyy we are handing out therapy to everyone. ev e r y o n e. but baby angel!! adopted siblings!!! lovely. i do like the song!! i only understood like one outta ten words but the v i be is off the charts, very good sounds. whats the... design type and shit. whats the difference between angel and demons? hows the theology work? what makes someone higher ranking and what makes noah the highest?

ok i dont have recent art of the characters i was thinking abt at all so bear with me. i have two ocs from my very very first oc group, arthur and maria, who were always the support team and i was thinking abt them,,, so im thinking theres a whole group of people who are angels, demons, but mostly who are out of that system, living in that purgatory space, and who abel and cain work with/helped out to get out in the past...

arthur was always the scientist/mechanic one ? so im thinking that. cain n abel see that jasper is unresponsive and they bring him to that little group to find whats wrong, if theres a way to fix him, or if he's really just... a messed up experiment who has no will of his own.

so jasper spent a lot of time w that little group !!! he has a whole family............................. sobs gently

ive thought abt angel a bit (im gonna keep calling them angel i think sobs). they live inside of jasper's body heart and soul, very long blond hair, little sunshine person, tries very hard to help jasper without him being able to hear him,,, they're also most likely blind. either from something before/how they were created or spending so much time as jasper's body. no lights in there.

design differences between angel and demons :

demons have horns, typical devil tails, and typical devil wings

angels have typical angel wings, lion like tails, and a halo that isnt always here but ! it appears !

they can both fly but it's a learned skill. lena is great at it but nell is SHIT at it lmao. angel would have very tiny useless wings bc they could never fly : ( babey

also all angels and demons have a power, a way to fight when they wake up... most times it's weapon summoning (knives for nell, bow and arrow for vik, sword for titania... the list goes on) but sometimes it mutates (eden for exemple w his healing. cody has a similar mutation but im not set on it. something that looks like white fire which could be an indication of who she is lol)

the theology and the hierarchy.............................. its veeeery vague for now . basically god communicates with the higher ranks of each sides. the war started forever ago for god's favors. at first god would help the side they liked most - never using their full power or smth, but giving little help here and there, a legendary weapon, a vision of what the other side was plotting... eventually god got bored of the war and left them to their own devices, each side thinking that they were waiting for one of them to win. so they kept on with the war.

the war in itself has been in a standstill for centuries. angels and demons both go on earth to achieve some things - helping or hurting someone mostly, depending or sides and orders - and it's usually where they end up seeing each other and trying to kill on sight. its a whole aspect i havent really explored yet, and also how vik and nell meet !

the hierarchy is more of a,,,,, typical political,,,, votes and stuff,,,,,,, there's a noah equivalent on the demon side but i havent really pushed that too much yet. in the end its ok if i dont figure out all those details because it's not what interests me until i have a an actual idea :]

[undead-bones]

Some exemples to my other posts's ideas

Inaction/Neutrality. (Cowardice? Refusal to Save? To Rebel? To Protect? To Punish? To get Revenge? To Fight Back? To Stop? Or denied you the right to take said action?)

Abuse? Refugees? Punishment? Insult? Revenge? Injustice? Didn't save you/take you from the bad situation you're in? Let the person hurt you? Expect to accept the bullshit?

Doran Martell, Hinata (for Neji), Thranduil, Jaime Lannister (for Rhaella), the Valar.

Ungratefulness (Betray after they Help/Save you? Refuse to aid after everything you did and sacrifice for them? Don't valorize you enough?).

Defended when they lied. Killed because they helped you. Demand help/forgiveness after what they did to you. Got in trouble for helping them and was abandoned.

Walder Frey, Ariadne, Cersei (with Ned), Daenerys (with the Starks).

Not taking your side in the conflict. They forgive and stay with the person who wronged you (both of you?) or take their side, befriend or ally with said person, even help in hurting you or save them. Assist in the cover up. Or even giving a false testimony.

Finrod, Celebrimbor, King Viserys, Ned, Ollie, Sawada Nana, Wei Wuxian.

A character does shit and runs away, leaving their friends/family behind to suffer the consequences (or stigma) of being associated with them.

Defector, Run Away Bride, Evil Lineage, Kidnapped by Enemies

Rhaegar, Paris, Orochimaru (with Anko), Iemitsu.

Traitor of the Folk or Race/Category Traitor, maybe can be related to the '•' above or a Hunter of His Own Kind. (Inner-Prejudice maybe? Denial of Origin? Mixed Heritage? Or marrying someone of a 'lesser' kin can be considered 'treason'. Depends which the Folk in question is the considered superior/inferior, or can be a more Grey area too)

Raised by Rival/Adopted, Pretend to be Evil, Survival, Exception, Unware of their own Nature, Stolkhome Syndrome, Rose to a High Position (like in goverment or perhaps a celebrity)

Honerva (Haggar), Mance Rayder (kinda?), Norlin 'Silver Zoro', Uchiha Itachi, Conner (the Android), Raine Whispers.

Blitz and Fizzarolli from HB are considered that by Striker

Having a Relationship (or even children) with a member of a group you are prejudicial against is another level of wild shit

Maybe they are just civilians or maybe the prejudiced one is famous or got in a position of power and often interact with the oppressors

Luka (Alien Stage) and the Career Tributes actually playing and enjoying the competition could be this

Maybe its a Oppresive Pair Up (Master/Servant/Handler relationship?). Can catch feelings with time. Like...some oppressed are often 'needed' for a certain use?

Turns Against (their Faction? Their Family? their Leader? A member? Encouraged by a specific person?)

Nargothrond, Argella Durrandon, Havria.

Amnesic Crimes (maybe being unaware or mind controled?)

Bucky, Roy Clone, Clone Trooper Fox, Amnesic Villain, Hercules, Light Yagami

Pre Redemption Crimes

Ignus, Maleficent, Jaime Lannister, Ollie

Seduce an Character (like a Lady Mcbeth/Evil Advisor, Evil Stepmother, Black Widow or an Gold Digger). A powerful person? political power? magical? Its an non-human supernatural being? Your Archnemesis? A Love Matyr? Manipulation? For their assistance/help? Face-Heel Turn? Using a person's feelings for your own benefit? Revenge? (on your other love? On the subject in question or someone related to them?)

Human Weapon

Mal (Descendants), Alyss Baskerville, Lysa Arryn, Ilosovic Stayne, Cora from Ouat, Queen Ariana (Barbie), Stephan (Maleficent), Annatar (Silm), Prince Hans

Secret Child

Of a posmortum character, missing, trump card, revenge, throne rival.

Oak Greenbriar, Jon Snow, Setsuna and Towa, Jinmi, Luke and Leia, Lyra Belaqua, Kubo, Jenna Greenwood, Jake Brandon, the Sawada Family, Aurora, Killmonger, Ryan Butcher, Melody (Ariel), Historia Reiss, Arthur Curry

Chosen One Wannabe/I Could Have been a Containder

Orochimaru, Princess Rhaenys, Morro, Tai Lung.

There is Another/Hidden Tribe

Planet Pollux, Pandas (Po's Family), Maleficent's people, Quincy, Rio 2. Kara Danvers.

Locked in the Basement

Giles Grimm, Morpheus, Lapis Lazulli, Elk (Centaurworld)

Battle Royality/Infiltration

Joshua (twewy), Player 001 (Squid Game), Logan (Jigsaw)

Loyal Servant

Xiao, Sui-Feng

Villain and Hero (kind off?) have a kid together

BB (Kill Bill), Alice Baskeville (PH), Damian Wayne, Zuko (Cuz of Ursa), Sephiroth, Luke Skywalker, Kubo, Illyasviel Von Einzbern, Lloyd Garmadon

Identity

Yue, Venti, Utawarerumono, Yaotl, Gabriel (SP)

Alayne Stole, Mare Barrow

Vessel/In another Form

Bakura, Kurama, Kur, Blue Beetle, Angra Mainyu, Fnaf's Animatronics

Mogget Abhorsen, Annatar, Neliel Tu Oderschvank, Yaolt, Annatar

Unfriendly Fire

Anna of Arendelle, Rin Nohara, Yanli, Crepus Ragnvindr, Connla

Recruit the Enemy

Celaena (TOG), Levi Arckerman, Mukuro Rokudo, Suicide Squad, Xiao

Exiled

Dionysus, Kaedehara Kazuha, Zuko

Random Excentric is actually plot relevant and OP

Freya (GOW), Urahara Kisuke, San Lang (HOB), Old Man Mcgucket (Gravity Falls)

[hurlumerlu]

Top 5 "must see/read" you've enjoyed then 8)

huhu :3

Okay so I had actually never seen Casablanca in its entirety - the movie is so ubiquitous and the script so often used as The exemple of a good script that I had of course seen/read some scenes, and knew basically all of the plot as well as everyone and their mom's opinion on the movie, but as a result I was always a bit hesitant to actually sit down and watch it ? I kinda felt like the chance had past me by, which is truly absurd but also thematically appropriate. Anyway then @the-lady-knight came home from vacations and was like, "dude, did you know that Casablanca is super gay ?" and so I went "uh, yeah, duh." and she said "wait, you've seen in it ?" but I hadn't, so she said "wait, you HAVEN'T seen it ?" and - long story short - that's how I watched Casablanca and saw that it was good (and gay).

Next one is weird because I almost put it into "hidden gems" but I mean... it's one of the most prestigious Cdrama of this decade so I really couldn't, but it's also a bit strange to put it here because if I say "Nirvana in fire" people around me will just go "what in what, now ?". But it was one of the important media piece of this year, for me : this Montechristo-esque tale of revenge and political intrigues and standing up to corruption. I'll be frank, on a purely political stanpoint I have numerous issues with it, but also it's just. My shit. It's so much my shit. (except the yeti subplot. i wish i could forget about the yeti subplot.)

And hey ! speaking of famous chinese stories whose politics I don't vibe with but entirely deserve the hype : the-lady-knight bought us The Three-Body Problem and it is hands down one of the best books I read in a year full of great books. I just loved it. Specifically, I adored Ye Wenjie. It has been a while since a female character grabbed me by the throat the way she did (which is strange, because this book is so weird toward women), and she's probably the reason I won't read the other books in the trilogy. As far as I'm concerned, that story was her story, and I'm very glad I read it.

Next up on the list would be the first volume of Vernom Subutext, which I wasn't sure I wanted to read because I didn't like the way many men reviewed it (rather silly, I know). But a friend of mine had just finished it and so I asked to borrow it and what can I say ? It's fucking good ! Those men were weird about it though. (I'm obviously planning on reading the rest of it, just wainting to see my friend again)

And finally I am obligated to put Pillars of Eternity on that list, for the simple reason that I played *cough* nearly a thousand hours of it in a few months ? *cough*. Honnestly I'm not sure what happened here, I do tend to need to explore every nook and crannies and several different dialogue choices and fighting strategies before letting go of that kind of games, but even for me that is kind of too much, especially since I don't think the game is that rich thematically. I think I just need to find either a d&d party or a job. You know, whatever comes first.

So yeah ! other things could be on that list, but I think it's the most accurate one. smooch.

[physicalturian]

your fic brings me so much happiness u have no idea i love you. also genuine question as someone who's thinking about starting writing, how did you come up with convincing characters/stands/interactions but most importantly plot ahaha

First things first, thank you so much 😭 I’m so glad that you like it! It’s actually the first time I’ve written anything!

But if I can help you well, here are some advice

- You have to realize you’re writing for yourself, for your own pleasure. Don’t pressure yourself to write if you don’t have any ideas!

- Plot :  When you have ideas, write them down, as messy as they come, even if it’s not as sentences. That way you won’t forget them, there is no such things as bad ideas!

- Plot : the ideas often come when I’m trying to sleep, which is disastrous for my sleep pattern if I’m being honest haha. But I pull out my phone, and write down in my notes what I’ve come up with!  And in the morning I remember and work with what I have.

- Plot : some ideas might not come in handy for the exact scene you’re writing but keep them warm in your pocket, it will be useful later on.

- Character : to write a character well, I try to understand them? It’s maybe weird to say, but that’s how I work with it. I try to put myself in their shoes, with their personality. 

- Character : sometimes there will be character you find hard to depict or understand. When that happens I search for headcanons people wrote, see if it helps me understand that character better. It’s pretty useful!

- Character : when headcanons don’t help, then maybe you can compare those character with people you know? If they react the same way, ask your friends how they’d go about things.

- Stand : it was super hard to come up with a stand, I swear! I’m really glad it’s convincing. The idea is to not make them overpowered, and give them weaknesses. If you’re familiar with DnD then imagine the stand with stats! See where they excel and where they don’t.

- Stand : it has to match with the character you’re writing, one way or another. For exemple, it looks weird to see Purple Haze with Fugo, until you understand that Fugo sees himself as a ticking bomb. And he has a few anger issues, (which dim down in the light novel Purple Haze Feedback haha)

- Interactions : to make them believable, well that’s the hardest part. Don’t make them say things you’d hardly hear people say in real life. As fun as some things are, written, if you say them out loud it seems a bit off.

- Interactions : reading the interactions out loud helps me also.

- Interactions : the wording and the words used depends also on the character! For example, Mista looks like the type of person that’d come up to his friends and be like “Yo dude, hear me out here like hear me out okay?” while Giorno would be a bit more chill, less hectic!

- Plot : at first I would also look up ‘prompts’ on tumblr, see where some sentences could lead me. And while I did not use certain sentences, they did spark an idea in my head for example!

- Plot : the hardest part is when you have an 2 ideas, they match on the timeline of your story but you have to fill what’s in between. That is something hard to do and I don’t really have any advice to give.

When it happens, I just think long. I use the method of prompts, dialogues and see where that leads me.

- Plot : often when you start writing you have ideas that start flooding! If you won’t want to lose them, list them down

- Plot : always keep track of your ideas and what happened during your story. I actually have a timetable, a calendar, to help me situate myself.

- Plot : often, when I’m done with a chapter I write like a few sentences of the next one to help me get going.

The hard part is starting the chapter, afterwards it just flows!

If you can, organize yourself! In a way you understand at least. I always find visual support, very useful! That’s why I have aesthetics haha

I hope it makes sense, I hope it’ll help! You have to realize it’s only my opinion, my advice and that writing is different for everyone! If you need ideas, brainstorm with a friend, a stranger, me!

Here’s what my file looks like for the making of this story, it’s tons and tons of files but it does help me a lot!

[dimancheetoile]

makings of a rec list

ok guys I need help.

my brand of reading material is hard to come by, and if you’re like me, you’re struggling. which is why I need your help. i want to start a blog dedicated to reccing naruto fics that share those traits i like, and i need any rec you have. please reblog or reply to this post with the title and author, a link if you can (if not, just title and author would be enough for me to find) and maybe a little something about why you like it but again, not mandatory.

here’s the type of fic i’m looking for: politics. clan politics. worldbuilding on clans, politics, gender, sexualities, world politics. gen stories with a serious plot and character development, sweetened by some worldbuilding. did i mention politics? i think you can probably guess the fics i’m looking for, but just in case, a few exemples by me and others:

by me:

Withered Flowers (Hyuga-clan centric, clan politics)

our oath (we’re expendables) (Haruno-clan centric, what if Sakura became Clan Head)

ewig dunkelheit (konoha girls-centric, sexism, civilian-born female shinobi are fucked over by clan politics)

by others:

Things you just don’t talk about (ShikaSaku, focus on the sexual work asked of shinobi and the threat to civilian-born female shinobi)

A How To Guide to Shinobi Life (Team 7 + Shikamaru time-travels, focus on what kind of Hokage Minato is)

survival of the fittest (Shikamaru & Sakura-centric, gen, survival when you’re a genin + some international politics)

i hope that clears it up!!

i’ll of course share the link to the tumblr once it’s done and you’ll be able to send recs to that blog whenever you find one. the goal is to create a library for well-written, well-thought out, interesting, gen stories or stories heavily centered around the village and the world of naruto as a whole. and please tag your friends if you think they might know some!

help please? @mouseymightymarvellous @fineillsignup @raendown @the-formerone @blackkatmagick @21tailsofwoe @konohagakureship @purple-possibilities @thekatthatbarks @itsthechocopuff @godaime-obito @razchung @ohsotiny @papabay @fyeahnaruto

[icharchivist]

It's honestly my biais talking (And it's surprising that I even have that biais in the first place because even when they're good people I feel apathy/indifference towards dads and have 0% faith in them), but remember at the beggining when the earl let Allen go twice without harming him ? The first when Allen was 10-11 and turned 'Mana' into an akuma, and the second time with that kid with rollers whose best friend turned his mother into an akuma and got killed by said akuma. -part 1

part 2- and the earl just threw a bunch of level 1 akuma at him and didn't personally interfere. I thought it was some light plot armor in the beggining, but It's probably mainly because of the 14th , but can-also-be-interpreted-as-Mana-subconsciously-not-trying-to-harm-Allen. It's really noticeable because the suman and ark thing proves that whenever they have the opportunity they kill exorcist and destroy their innocence unless he's really busy, and he wasn't in the two instances I mentionned

OUTCH very true!!

tbh I think it’s mostly due to how in the begining Hoshino had to follow more.. Shounen-y codes before starting the plot. That’s why the first few arcs are slow to start and the Heart plot only starts at the 4th arc something like that? So it could have been also the easiest way to show off the Earl and his threat while also showing his bound with Allen (which considering the Earl is one of Hoshino’s fav character, would make sense rather than keep him in the background).

What it could also be justified by two things, one that Road mentions at the end of the Rewind City Arc (”We will meet again in the script the Earl planned.”) and how his reaction to the Third exorcist was basically “you are not playing by the rules of the game.” Ie: the Earl has a very precise plan in mind when it comes to the Heart and the exorcist, and he is aware that both camps have parts to play and they must play it as the script indicate.

I think it’s also not innocent that their hunt for the Heart started by torturing the Eldest of the Marechal and letting him alive with a Message for the Order. I mean, the Noah could have just gone on a killing spree without mentioning it. But they went out of their way to tell the Exorcists to beware. “The Earl is searching for the Heart / Are you the one? We will test it out / I was not the one, who’s turn is it?”

they did it with a warning, they are playing the game with the tools that were given to them, and they only ever attacked directly the Order when the Order tried to use the Noah’s tools. “That’s not how you play the game.”

There’s method in this war, and it carried on to the Alma arc so I think this plays  a part. And the Earl tends to never be the one to dirty his own hands, he lets the others Noah do the job. I think the only time he actually fought himself was in Edo, and it was something where the Exorcists came in HIS territory, not the other way around.

BUT... Even if i justified it with “some plot reasons”, I think you are right. That those justification can hold on the “grand scheme of things”, but that deep down, it’s what actually happened.

The way the Earl stops upon thinking about Allen  when he meets him again, this sort of “Oh happy to meet you.... meet you? We’ve already met.” reaction, that, in retrospect, is FASCINATING because it is more than likely that some deep burried part of him at least remembered some feeling. I think it’s likely that it is why he pulled away the Akuma that one time. While he might have waited for the time the Script would have to flow, a quick exorcist killing was always welcomed, especially someone as bothersome as Allen. But he didn’t.

And That as far as we know, Allen is the only “person who called an Akuma” who survived the process and got an eye that is pretty annoying for the Earl? I mean, Allen barely controlled his innocence back then, when he called for Mana, it would have been easy to just finish him off. While it could be justified that the Earl would “want to see where it was going”, or perhaps Cross arrived early and the Earl fleed, it still seems... THERE. And tbh I still believe Akuma!Mana was.. an actual thing. Like, the repressed memories the Earl “killed.” And I wonder if having those memories being “called” wouldn’t have left the Earl unable to finish the job, even without knowing why.

Even if we can justify it with what I explained about the Script and the Rules, it seems like it was an easy loophole for the Earl to exit on some burried feelings. And the survival as a kid is still SO FISHY and makes only some sort of sense while trying to figure out what happened with Akuma!Mana would affect the Earl.

And imo, you’re right that this part of Mana is still somewhere. I bring it up everytime, but the fact that when Allen was in danger when Apocryphos tried to kill him, we see the Earl’s left eye open in panic before he sends Tyki and Road to save Allen, showcase to me that there’s still SOMETHING burried in the Earl connecting him to Allen. And with the focus on the left eye, it is not just Nea. The fact it focused on the eye seems to really accentuate it’s a Mana thing. Whenever the Earl realize it or not, and tbh I doubt he does, since now that he knows Allen has Nea in him, he has no reason to double think why he would be driven to protect the kid aside from Nea.

So the idea that this sort of things might have happened before Nea came out? I’m living for that.

And tbh same, I have 0% Faith in dads in general especially in fiction, but it is.. so weird how much I want to believe in Mana. Perhaps because it would kill me if all this faith Allen had in him was in vain, but i still think it is coherent with the Earl as a person (not to mention that the Earl is a good “father” to all the others Noah in general too. I’m always blown away by what a loving family the Noah are when the Earl is around; how much he loves them and they love him. That’s not always usual for Villains family.) and thus would definitly carry over with Mana and what we know of him.

And to have Allen be accidentally on the Earl’s soft spot, not because of Nea, but because of something even deeper? I’d live for this. 

So yes while I do see how the “Script” could at least for exemple explain why he didn’t kill Allen when he met him in the early chapter but then put him on a hitman list, every times he let Allen go seems still fishy and can be justified easily by “Mana is still in there and cares for Allen.”

And this would only make it more tragic which i’m LIVING for.

Take care!

[kulvefaggoth]

HI THIS IS YOUR LOCAL GARBAGE GAY BOY AND HE WANTS TO VENT ABOUT KINGDOM HEARTS

A couple of days ago i had an enligtening talk about my favorite hot garbage series with a mutual and i kind of ended up realizing i had a lot of pent up stuff about it that i never really let out

While i did vent a little already i feel like i need to put this really out of my head because it’s been consuming me in a way. And since this site is designed for just screaming random stuff into the void i wanna take advantage of that for once

Now first and foremost this is meant as a very personal thing. This is not an elaborate critique or a well thought work. This is a vent and i want this to be read as a vent by a gay with a lot of feelings about video games. ESPECIALLY about Kingdom Hearts and some stuff about KH3. 

Now let’s get to the meat of this course of mind screaming

I’ve been into Kingdom Hearts for a very long time. The first game i played was Kingdom Hearts II (the original KH was kinda hard to find here for some reason) circa 2005/2006. Bear in mind i had no idead what KH was. Game advertisement wasn’t (and still kind of isn’t) a big thing here in Brasil specially if you were a poor kid like me. Hell consoles were pretty inacessible to most of the people i was close with and me and other 2 kids must’ve had a PS2 in the same time frame. The main way you would know about new or cool games was through word of mouth or recognizing brands like Castlevania and Mega Man. 

But i was always kind of a freaky little avant-garde child which meant i ended up having a very different taste from most of the people around me. I had like 1 other friend who had actually played a Final Fantasy around let alone something like Shin Megami Tensei for an exemple which i also didn’t even knew was a thing. And i’ve always tried to find something new. Something that gave me some new experience. I’ve ended up playing a lot of more niche games like Drakengard and the Atelier Iris games (god i still love 2 and 3 a lot) and it was this mindset that eventually led me into the game that had a bunch of random anime kids and disney characters in it’s cover.

To say that i was confused by KH2 is an understatement. I knew absolutelly nothing about the previous games. Who is this “Sora”? Who was the red haired man? Why the fuck am i fighting with a giant key? Again what the hell is up with the Disney characters? Also bear in mind i must’ve been 9/10 yo brazillian kid whose entire english vocabulary came from video games and a couple of songs. Some stuff wasn’t even the plot getting dense it was just me not getting the actual language. 

And yet it’s also an understatement to say the i fell very deeply in love with that weird little game. The combat was great. The plot had SO MUCH DRAMA and i knew only about 1/3 of what was happening at any given time. Keyblades where fun and ridiculous. Demyx was a bitch.

As soon as i’ve finished KH2 for the first time i used what little internet i had back then to learn more. I found out there was a game for the easy emulated GBA. It kind of sucked but it was more Kingdom Hearts. Being unable to locate a copy of KH1 for a while i did the only thing i could actually do: i’ve played and replayed KH2 to exaustion. I did most of the stuff except a couple of the minigames and gummy routes because they where boring. The feeling of learning how to fight against Sephiroth, mastering his moves and eventually being able to beat him with a Kingdom Key in proud was a big moment for me. Beating all the Hades cups felt great.

About a year later i was able to get a copy of KH1 and by this time Re:CoM was out so i got that too. Played both of them throughly even thought KH1 clumsy mechanics kick my ass to this day probably.

Then another year passes i hear two new games where coming out... to consoles i didn’t own and honestly i couldn’t justify the cost of to my parents. I was pretty bummed but still i kept getting invested. Hell i was already balls deep into this series and only dreamed of how it would take off in the future. I even remember kind of writing a “script” for a sequel that i tried to make with two other randoms in RPG Maker. Never went anywhere and i know in my heart it sucked but still. That was how into this i was. The prerelease hype for Days was killing me even. Member XIV? How?

Also side note: to my edgy ass 12/13 year old self the idea of playing as Organizattion XIII was literally a dream. 

Days came out and if you where like me in the good old days of youtube videos that had like 5 minutes at max then you know that video game let’s play were almost impossible to do. I had to get a LOT of info from second hand about what actually happened in Days. Then i ended up getting a “decent” pc and was able to emulate it with absolute WORST frame rate. Still it worked and i was able to know what was happening.

But BBS was a completly separate beast. PSP emulation was basically non-existant when it came out so it actually took me a couple of years to actually play it. I had a friend that had a PSP (and that to this day i feel only got a PSP because i kept raving about it having both a KH game and a Final Fantasy fighting game on it because he was 100% that little shit but that is completly besides any point) and of course he couldn’t lend me because it was pretty expensive around here and that’s a very useless tangent.

Anyway time passes as it must and just as Sora fell deeper and deeper into the realms of sleep i too fell into as much Kingdom Hearts stuff as i could. The complex theories, the AMVs (GOD the AMVs), the plot summaries for games i didn’t play, all that good shit. So for years i’ve built within myself this... tension i shall call. The grand plot momentum that mr Nomura seemed to be building. The misterious indentities the hinted at hidden plots. The nature of stuff that seemed very vague and opaque. And as the new games where released it seemed more and more that they where building blocks into the grand prize: Kingdom Hearts 3.

Now here’s the thing. I don’t 100% agree of the narrative that we waited “13 years” for KH3. I think if you where actually a fan of the series back then then each game in it’s own way seemed to be it’s own event. With that i want to say the while we ALL waited for KH3 for me at least it seemed it needed time to build up. 

Now here’s the thing. Between BBS and DDD being both in consoles i didn’t own and me getting an Xbox 360 (PS3 prices where absolutelly INSANE here) i seemed to drift a bit away from KH. While before i waited for new game releases with baited breath i now found myself very blasé about DDD. I was getting used to it i guess. Also high school came and a lot of stuff started changing. KH felt like a bit too connected to my childhood too i guess. I was still a fan and still loved it to death but KH ended fading away a little for me even if it lighted a fire in me when people talked about it. This must’ve been around 2010.

I think it wasn’t until KH3 was formally announced that it all came back to me. The drive to find and consume and engage with as much of KH lore and theories as possible. Also i didn’t really get into “proper social networks” as a whole until 2012/2013. Weirdo i know. By then consuming these thing was a lot easier. Internet was a lot more acessible. I could just open up a tab of a KH wiki in my phone and read away from there.

And there was this rush y’know. This thing of finally seeing a finish line. Not that actually expected or even wish for KH to end but it was KH3! The big one! And remember the tension i’ve mentioned earlier? It was always kind of present and it ended up skyrocketing during this period. I was already knowledgeable about KH but during this time i was almost a goddamn lore master. I knew the whole gig inside and out. Even the weird shit from DDD. The stuff they added to the collections just kept it going too. As did X/UX (which in my grand KH tradition i too didn’t play but i think most people feel me here).

All a big ball of complex yarn and plot and madness that would SURELLY burst with KH3. After all this time all this tension it would come. Release. Answers.

But to me that was the aspect in which KH3 failed.

Now don’t get me wrong i actually like KH3. Quite a lot. And Nomura did apparently tied up a lot of arcs. The lost are found and saved. Piss Grandpa Xehanort is dead.

But it didn’t release my tension. It didn’t burst it into the magic fireworks and ecstasy. The tension is still here. Hell the tension seems even stronger now.

And a lot of it has to with how KH3 seems to still be hiding so many fucking cards from us. Literally in one case. It was a vague feeling of unceartainty before but when i came through the Sleeping Worlds theory it just RUSHED onto me. The story doesn’t feel complete.

Now this is not the same as FFXV. I have a couple of... harsh opinions about it and it’s plot and story are front and center on the list. That story was absolutelly unfinished but not in the same way. To me it feels like Nomura just HID parts of the story. We are not getting the full picture. A lot of shit is really really REALLY weird. I’m still not over Riku’s sudden haircut.

But here’s the real gag to me. Nier: Automata gave me the same feeling the first time i played it. But then i came upon route B. And then Route C. and that’s when the TRUE game showed itself. Nier kept a lot hidden but it was hidden within itself. If you just keep playing you actually can access those hidden parts and eventually you reach your true goal. The actual ending. An ending so final that you might even like giving up your save data to help somebody else achieve it too is the only true option.

Yet KH3 has no such crowning grace. At least not for now. And that’s half the reason i made this. 

KH3 feels incomplete but in a way i could really love if the game eventually completed itself. Reading the Sleeping Worlds theory i was like “omg this makes VERY much sense. but if it makes so much sense why isn’t it in the game?”. And then it clicked. DLC. It’s 100% possible the actual plot may come as DLC. 

But an even darker thought crossed my mind and it’s filing me with actual rage: This is meant to be another game. This is the Powers That Be (Nomura, Disney, Square-Enix, take your pick...) unaturally extending this “Saga” beyond it’s ending point. If it does turn out that KH3 had some dream hijinks going on then it was 100% possible and BETTER to include that in the actual game. But since KH is known for having so many side games what is the harm in doing another right?

Well you harm the integrity of your plot. I know we say the plot is hot garbage but come the fuck on that is what is holding us here. Or at least it’s what is holding me for so long. Setting up another saga is absolutelly fine but breaking away for you ending like this is even worse. How? Why? The why is probably money but still.

Or maybe KH3 is just meant as that. There is no twist not weirdness. Maybe all that is by design y’know. 

This is long enough already. I’m tired. I started writing this at 2:30 am. It’s about 4am now. I slept very little last night.

This is a big colletion of nothing i guess. Not even sure it helped me. Oh well.

[archonreviews]

The Archon’s Review of E.Y.E: Divine Cybermancy

E.Y.E: Divine Cybermancy is a first-person shooter with role-playing game elements created by Streum On Studio. It is the year 15 of the New Era (About 2395 CE), and the Federation (It’s always, always a fucking federation, isn’t it?) has total and dictatorial control over ~1,200 worlds. However, things are not going well: violent crime and piracy are not only rampant, but absolutely endemic, even expected on most Federation worlds. Strange and terrible creatures known collectively as the Metastreumonic Force have ravaged any world already desolated by human industry. Megacorporations rule pretty much everything. In the midst of this horror and chaos, a shadowy and clandestine group called the Secreta Secretorum has returned to prominence. Once, they were demon hunters and mystics, fighting against the Metastreumonic Force alongside the Federation, but now horrified by its total control over so many worlds, they have decided to rebel against them, using the chaos of looter bands and Force attacks to their advantage. However, things are not going well for the Secreta either. The group is split by factional infighting, as the Culter Dei and the Jian Shang Di groups each struggle for power and influence within the Secreta Secretorum. In this moment, the Culters have made a move to strike at “an influential Jian mentor”. You were assigned to a special task force sent to complete this mission, but you wake up in a cave, amnesiac, and must piece together your past, the plot, your loyalties, etc. As a direct result of your amnesia, people assume you’re stupid because you ask basic questions. Are you stupid? Only one way to find out.

I swear to the heavens that the above splash image is not a Space Marine.

So, another FPS, this one with the RPG mechanics that were really popular with FPS’s for a while.This is one of those games where I seem to have more bad to say about it than good, and yet I end up enjoying it anyway. See also: Shadow the Hedgehog.

So how about that visual aesthetic, eh? Basically, take Warhammer 40k, Shadowrun, Crysis, and whatever other cyberpunk/dystopic sci-fi you wanna think of, toss it all in a blender, and Divine Cybermancy is basically what you get from it. Sadly, while they were busy stealing elements wholesale from wherever they could, they decided that having interesting or multi-colored backgrounds was overrated, and that having interesting and distinct character models was more so. This actually makes it a little bit difficult to determine which enemies have which weapons and abilities. In fact, there are like, 3 character models per faction? Maybe? In addition, the lack of diverse backgrounds makes it a little bit difficult to know where you’ve been before in a level. All in all, while the aesthetic is interesting prima facie, it rather quickly becomes a mass of dull colors and confusing visuals.

Quick, semi-related note: the dialogue translations are a little bit not-the-best. I had originally thought that the game was translated from Russian, but I later read that it was translated by a Frenchman who knew no English at all. So, either this mysterious Frenchman is translating from Russian into English, or from French into English. Either way, the translations are impressive... for someone who speaks no English. Some of them do get really weird later on though, so... eh, we’ll give the translations a C+ and move on, shall we?

Speaking of men, this game is an absolute sausage fest. Like, there are literally no female characters to speak of, except for a particular female enemy type among the aforementioned Metastreumonic Force. I mean, c’mon Streum On Studio, even W40K has the Sisters of Battle, and I’m sure Crysis had a lady or two. Although... almost every character has a full helmet and body armor. So I suppose, they could be women underneath all that armor. But I know for a fact that almost all the main characters are dudes.

Speaking of dudes, the tutorial is rubbish. It’s a basic level through a cave and then a sewer system, and every time a new mechanic comes up, the game will helpfully prompt you to press the T key to bring up the list of tutorial videos. Really sloppy, actually, when you could easily build a tutorial into a game like this. Although, it controls more or less like a standard FPS, so I don’t begrudge it too much, I suppose.

Speaking of grudges, there is no functioning save system. Like, at all. The game supposedly auto-saves your progress at the start of every mission, and also at the mission’s conclusion, but missions can be really long and arduous, and even then, I have encountered at least one glitch (I imagine it’s a rare one), which deleted all my progress and booted me to just after I finished the tutorial level. Without any explanation. Or warning. It was a very trying moment for me. Manly cyberpunk tears were shed.

Speaking of other game elements to pick at, if that exposition up there made no sense to you, don’t worry. It confused they heck out of me as well, but I sorta liked it anyway. Not everyday that you see the the obligatory human Federation as the bad guys. Hell, their footsoldiers are literally the Helghast from Crysis. PEOPLE WHO MADE CRYSIS DON’T SUE THESE PEOPLE, ETC. That said, the plot your character goes through is a bit of a mess, at least, to begin with. You start in a dream, where you learn you’ve killed your mentor, and then you get dropped into the beginner cave, and everyone acts like you should know everything about this world already, but you know nothing, Jon Snow. This results in compounded confusion, especially since the historical archives your allies give you access to only detail the past millennia, not really immediate events. Regardless, I’m sure the plot pans out... somehow.

^(I’m putting thus here only to prove a point about the visual similarities between these enemies and the ones in Crysis. You guys, pleeeeaaaase don’t sue Streum. It’d make me sad.)^

Now, some of the things I’ve described are not without their qualifications. Por exemple, while the visuals are generally dull, are some genuinely impressive shots one can get if they position themselves well. The game is a bit like having a lovely view out your living room window... of a totally urban environment created by someone who subsists on cigarettes and cyber-spite.

^(A vibrant, dystopic paradise...

... the halls of power in an ancient temple...

... and choice monster ass. What more could you ask for?)^

Even all that is dressing and crust for the moment-to-moment gameplay. And that gameplay is actually quite entertaining! It facilitates a variety of gameplay styles. You wanna be a cold sniper, casually making headshots against gormless assholes? Go for it! Wanna be a psy-wizard? Do it! Tech-berserker? The world is yours! Hacker extraordinaire? Enemies are hackable; hack ‘em all! Each of those gameplay styles is not only viable, but entertaining as fuuuuuuuuck. Getting regular headshots made me feel like a Shinigami, and when I was done with that character and wanted something more hands-on; well, let’s just say the transmutation of monsters into monster corpses was made all the more enjoyable with the aid of my exploding sword.

The RPG elements work well enough, and are pretty bog-standard. You get experience points for killing enemies and completing missions, and every time you get enough, you gain a level, giving you 3 skill points to distribute among your many abilities. In addition, you can equip a number of items, each of which take up a certain amount of space in your inventory. These items and your armor determine, along with your agility stat, your movement speed.

^(My tank character’s sheet. Stats on the right, derivatives on the left.)^

You may also invest in cybernetics which increase your stats or give you special abilities, or in psionic powers which are essentially magical. Each of these cost mone -- Oh, I’m sorry, brouzoufs -- and while they seem really cool, I often found that my first brouzoufs went into research. Oh yeah, you can research things in this game. These researches can grant you the use of new items, or improve your stats, or merely unlock new research topics. Really, there’s a lot to spend your resources on, whether it’s skill points or brouzoufs.

Nəticədə, I had a hard time with this game. I loved the pizza that was the gameplay, but not as much the toppings that were the ancillary bits. I’d recommend it to very patient sci-fi/cyberpunk fans, mostly. If you’re patient with the game’s faults, the game will prove quite an enjoyable experience. I would only return to playing it if I had a lot more time on my hands, honestly.

^(Of course, the best thing about the game are these friends.)^