#... I'll come up with a name and character tag later. I guess

[molathesunfish]

my limbus bugs mainly based on characters that may or may not show up later... and one mystery feature for your guessing fun:]

[maeljade]

a quick and dirty gpose cooking up someone!

[birchleavesdawn]

Bitter Taste

Fromis_9 Saerom x Jo Yuri x m!Reader 4.2k words Warning: Watersports, Food play Authors notes: Fulfilling a couple of pretty old requests. The first one is a bit of a vague request and I don't really know what someone would be looking for for that so I hope this story is different enough. This will have at least a part 2 as I like the characters and already have the next part completely mapped out. Will see about anything beyond that. There is also a few easter eggs related to the title of the fic (song) in there, if you know the song maybe you'll catch them.

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Another night on your phone. Eyes exhausted from having the same empty conversations over and over, just for the tiny chance of spending a boring night with someone you'd never see again. Your finger tapped on the same apps you did every time, hoping it would be different, but knowing it would be the same.

Enough of this.

*Ring*... *Ring*...

"Hello?"

"Hey Captain. You busy tonight?"

"Why? Did daddy's luck run out on his dating apps? I knew it wouldn't be long before I was hearing from you again." You could hear her grin through the phone.

"I'm tired of those girls. I just keep swiping, I need something new."

"Well, I'm working right now but I get off in an hour. Why don't you pretty yourself up and come meet me here. I know how we can have a little fun."

*Click*

Saerom was a bit of a wild card. She had gotten you to try many things you would never have even thought possible on your nights together. You couldn't begin to guess what she had in mind, but you were looking forward to something, anything different.

She texted you the address, it was one you recognized and It wasn't very far. After a quick shower, you put on something nice and headed down. A short walk and a couple minutes on the subway and you were there.

Sweet Indulgence Adult Ice Cream 19+

So she was working at an ice cream place now? You wondered what the 19+ meant. Maybe they sold alcohol? The bell chimed as you entered the shop. Saerom was leaning behind the counter on her phone.

"Oh! Hey there handsome. I'll be with you in a minute." She smiled and walked into the back room.

You took a seat near the front, deciding to wait there for her return, taking a chance to size the place up. It was small but not too small. There were three tables in the middle of the floor and two booths on the left wall. A glass counter ran through the middle of the room, filled with various flavors of ice cream. Basically it looked like any standard ice cream shop, with the only difference being the big "19+" written next to the milkshakes on the menu.

Yea must be alcohol. You thought.

That's when you noticed Saerom's coworker pop up from below the cash register. A short girl with shimmering blonde hair tucked neatly into her hairnet. Large, expressive eyes and a smile that was warm and inviting. She looked cute. Like a puppy. "Yuri" was written on her name tag. You watched her, hard at work, unsure if she was even aware of your presence.

Saerom reemerged a few moments later, walking to the door, pulling the blinds shut and flipping the open sign to closed. She whispered something to the other girl who then promptly disappeared into the back where Saerom had just come from. Saerom then made her way over to you. You stood up from your chair to meet her. Without saying a word she grabbed your face and licked firmly up the side of your cheek before growling quietly in your ear. She lifted up her white tank top and flashed you her breasts, before pushing them into your chest. You could feel her erect nipples poking you through your shirt. They probably spent a lot of time like that in such a cold place like this.

"Wow I guess we're getting right into it?"

"You have no idea how badly I want you right now." She grabbed your crotch and gave it a firm squeeze.

"But..."

She let go of your crotch and pulled her shirt back down. Leaving you confused.

"I thought we could play with Yuri tonight. She's pretty cute right?" Saerom said

You turned to look towards the back, the young blonde girl was now standing there, a bright smile on her face, wearing a frilly white apron with nothing on underneath. Her perky breasts were on display, along with a clean shaven slit that peeked out from below the bottom. Her legs were slender and shapely. You turned back to Saerom, who had a big grin on her face.

"So, what do you say?"

"Well she seems pretty excited and you know I'm not one to disappoint a lady. Especially one that looks like that."

"Great, then pick a flavor and Yuri is going to begin preparing our milkshakes."

"Chocolate cookies looks good."

Saerom nodded to Yuri.

Yuri spun around, revealing her perfectly plump backside. You caught Saerom staring out the corner of your eye, her mouth open, a lustful gaze. You really couldn't blame her, Yuri's body was incredible.

Yuri bent over the freezer, sticking her ass out as far as she could, and pulled out the tub of chocolate cookies ice cream, before carrying it into the back.

Saerom approached you once again, now fixated on the tightness on display in the front of your trousers. She breathed hot air into your ear while playfully biting your lobe. Her hands going for your belt.

"I'll make this quick. But don't worry, this is just a taste of what's to come." She winked.

Saerom wasted no time. She dropped to her knees, pulling down your pants and underwear, exposing your stiff and twitching member to the cool air. She took your head between her lips. She bobbed her head, quickly and forcefully, sucking hard while swirling her tongue. Your hands reached down to hold her, feeling her silky black hair slide through your fingers. You moaned softly, watching her move her head, sliding her glistening lips up and down your cock. The sloppy sounds of her movements were only outdone by the soft moans she was making as she worked. She knew exactly what you liked.

"READY!"

You heard Yuri shouting from the back. And once again Saerom let go of you, your shaft slick with her saliva, now feeling exceptionally exposed to the frigid air. She rose and straightened herself out.

"We'll finish later. For now let's enjoy our shakes."

"You're really just going to leave me like this?"

"Of course!"

Saerom motioned to the back.

You walked in after her, following her lead. The back of the store also looked like any ordinary ice cream parlor. Stacks of boxes labeled cups, spoons, bowls. The freezers and mixers sat along the far wall, a large refrigerator filled with various types of milk on your right, and a large steel door that clearly led to the walk-in freezer beside it. What caught your attention though was the floor to ceiling curtain that was hiding another part of the room. On one side of it, there was a steel chute that came from behind it and then led to the countertop where several milkshake glasses stood. Each one was filled to the brim with a thick, creamy shake.

"Grab your shake and give it a taste!" Saerom said excitedly.

"It should be that darker one there at the end."

You grabbed the shake she pointed to, and gave it a taste. The rich chocolate flavor was sweet and delicious. You hadn't expected ice cream to taste this good.

"Mmmm." You hummed, taking another sip.

"I like it."

"Like it?"

"Love it!"

Saerom laughed, pleased by your reaction.

"That's so good." You said, wiping a bit of it from your lip.

"I've never tasted anything quite like it. That bitter taste. Is that the alcohol?"

She looked confused. "What do you mean? There's no alcohol in this."

"Wait, really?"

"Of course not, silly. I wouldn't do that to you." She was now grinning ear to ear.

"So then, why did she call this the '19+' menu?"

"That's because of our secret ingredient."

Saerom motioned to the curtain.

"Would you like to see?"

Your curiosity piqued, you nodded.

She took hold of the curtain and drew it back, revealing the real reason for the 19+ on the menu. Yuri was knelt down on top of a small wooden platform with a thin mattress atop, her legs spread wide, her hands resting on her thighs. The steel chute that you had seen from the other side of the curtain, now entirely visible, was attached to the platform between Yuri's legs.

"I think you've figured out what's going on here, but why don't you let me show you anyway. Yuri, are you ready?"

"YES MISS SAEROM" Yuri shouted, her voice dripping with excitement.

"Now the girls who work here will often do this part on their own, but for the sake of the demonstration, I'm going to help her."

You watched as Saerom stepped forward and took Yuri's chin in her hand, leaning in and planting a passionate kiss on her soft lips.

"I'm going to make you feel really good." She whispered in her ear, before taking a step back and slapping her ass.

Yuri yelped. "Thank you Miss Saerom."

Saerom then climbed up onto the platform and moved behind Yuri, squatting down. She pulled Yuri's ass up to meet her face, spreading her cheeks and sticking her tongue inside.

"Mmmmm." Yuri moaned, closing her eyes.

Saerom's tongue danced around inside Yuri's asshole. Spreading her spit and getting her ready. After a few moments, she stopped and stood up.

"I can still taste the chocolate cookies ice cream you asked for. Good choice!"

Saerom reached forward and grabbed a spoon and a small white tub off the shelf in front of her, opening it and placing it on the platform next to Yuri's leg.

"We're going with classic vanilla for this one."

She then scooped out a spoonful of the ice cream and smeared it on her finger, pressing it against Yuri's rear, and then pushing her finger inside with the ice cream.

"Hnnng" Yuri groaned.

Saerom continued, working her finger deeper and deeper inside Yuri's asshole until she had the whole thing buried. She then slid it out slowly, letting her anus tighten around it.

"How does that feel?" She asked.

"Mmmmmm" Yuri responded, unable to manufacture any words.

"Yuri is really sensitive. It's how she's able to produce so many drinks over the course of a day."

Saerom scooped another glob of ice cream, pressing it into Yuri's asshole. Once again pushing her finger inside.

She repeated the process a couple more times before deciding that that would be enough. Yuri was starting to tremble now, her body beginning to shake as the effects of the ice cream began to take hold.

"How are you doing, baby girl?"

"I'm doing good, Miss Saerom." Yuri whimpered.

The ice cream had already begun to melt from Yuri's asshole, coating her pussy and running down the back of her thighs before being collected by the chute below her. Saerom dipped her finger in the melted liquid, bringing it to her mouth and giving it a taste.

"Mmm. Just right." She said.

She then turned her attention to Yuri's cunt, rubbing her fingers over her folds.

"And what's going on down here. Is it time yet?"

"Yes... Miss Saerom, I think so."

She gave her lips another pass over before sliding her fingers inside, eliciting a low moan from Yuri. She then removed her fingers and brought them up to her own mouth, savoring another taste of her favorite girl.

"You taste delicious, Yuri. Like a little angel. So sweet and pure."

"Thank you Miss Saerom."

Saerom then turned her attention to you.

"Why don't you come up and get yourself a taste straight from the source?"

She motioned for you to approach. You eagerly climbed up onto the platform and crawled behind Yuri, her beautiful ass and pussy now just inches from your face. Her sweet smell was intoxicating.

"Come on, take a bite." Saerom encouraged.

You reached out, taking hold of Yuri's ass cheeks, squeezing them together and spreading them apart, the melted ice cream having left them looking glossy and inviting. You stuck out your tongue and licked along her crack. You could feel her body twitch slightly at your touch. You followed the trail of vanilla down the curve of her ass, the smooth skin sliding under your tongue. She tasted amazing. You pressed your tongue to her cunt, licking the melted ice cream from her lips before finally sliding your tongue inside. Her pussy was warm and offset the cold of the ice cream. The taste was even better than her asshole.

"That's it. Get nice and deep." Saerom cooed. One of her hands had found its way into the front of her pants, she was visibly getting off to the sight of you tongue fucking her baby girl.

You pushed your tongue deeper into Yuri's pussy, feeling her clench and squirm. You danced your tongue around inside her, her moans growing louder.

"Ahhh. Ahhhh. Ahhhhhhh." Yuri had become a whimpering mess.

Saerom reached her free hand down and rubbed Yuri’s clit. Yuri's hips began to rock and sway as she fucked your face.

"I'm gonna cum, Miss Saerom."

Yuri's breathing was labored, her moans desperate. You felt her pussy clamp down on your tongue. Her legs were shaking, losing their ability to hold her weight. Before you knew it a stream of her nectar was pouring out of her, filling your mouth, splashing all over your cheeks and running down your chin then collecting in the chute between her legs.

"Good job, baby girl. That was wonderful." Saerom praised her. "Look how much we got!"

She ran her hand through Yuri's hair and planted a kiss on her cheek.

"You were a perfect little angel for our guest."

"Thank you Miss Saerom."

Saerom turned to you, seeing the mess Yuri had made on your face, a look of pride washing over her.

"Here, let me help you clean that up."

Saerom pulled you close and licked your face clean. Taking her time to lap up every last drop.

"Mmmm." She moaned. "God it tastes so good."

You could feel her hot breath on your face. She kissed your cheek, while her hand returned to your crotch, massaging your cock through the fabric.

"Alright I've waited long enough. It's my turn now."

She didn't wait for a response, instead she threw you down onto the mattress next to Yuri, who was still recovering from her orgasm.

"Clothes off. Now." She commanded.

You hastily pulled off your shirt, throwing it to the floor. Your pants and underwear following.

"That's it. You're always so good."

"Now get over here on your knees. I want you to look into my eyes the whole time... or so help me..."

She pulled down her skirt and kicked off her panties. Her pussy looked so inviting, juices had already begun leaking down her thighs. You wasted no time, crawling over and stopping before her feet.

"Wait. No touching yet. I've been holding this in all night."

You sat there obediently, your cock painfully hard. Saerom took a step towards you and lowered her folds to your face, an intoxicating scent of lilac and yearning emanating. Grabbing your hair with both hands, she tilted your head back, forcing your mouth open and giving herself full access.

Suddenly a warm stream hit your tongue, catching you by surprise. You made sure to keep your gaze locked with hers just as she directed, disobeying her when she was like this would only spell bad news for you.

Her golden liquid flooded your mouth. You swallowed as fast as you could but the stream was relentless. The pressure causing it to spill out over your chin, down your chest and falling onto your twitching member. You could feel her fluids warming you on the inside and out.

It tasted like heaven, sweet and bitter and everything in between. She looked down at you, satisfied. 

"Drink up, baby." She said between hitched breaths, her grip on your hair tightening.

She finally ran out and lifted herself from your face, leaving your mouth and nose drenched. She licked the sweat from her lips, taking a moment to admire her work.

"Fuck!" She exhaled.

She ran a hand through her hair, pushing it back out of her face.

"Look at the mess we've made. Tsk Tsk. You know I can't have you inside me all filthy like that."

Saerom stepped over and sat next to Yuri, who had managed to sit herself up and had been enjoying the show.

"Yuri, darling, could you do me a favor and clean our friend's cock for me? But do not let him cum."

"Of course Miss Saerom."

She got to work immediately. Her eyes grew wide at the thought of tasting Saerom's juices on you. She wrapped her small, soft hand around the base of your cock and gave it a firm squeeze.

"It's so big! And the smell..." She closed her eyes and inhaled deeply. "It's so good!"

She licked her lips, before leaning in and taking the tip of your shaft into her mouth. She swirled her tongue around, coating your head with her saliva. You let out a quiet groan. After the blue balls you'd been getting all night, the mere contact from her mouth was almost enough to push you over the edge already.

Saerom was clearly enjoying the show, a satisfied smile on her face. She leaned in and whispered something in Yuri's ear. Yuri's eyes lit up again. She nodded and went back to her task, wrapping her lips tightly around your shaft.

"Now that's a good girl."

The way she looked down at Yuri with such adoration, such pride, it was enough to make your heart melt. You could tell she cared for her deeply.

Yuri continued, bobbing her head up and down your shaft, her tongue working furiously to clean you. She was making quite a mess with her spit leaking down her chin. She didn't seem to care one bit.

Saerom leaned in and kissed Yuri on the forehead.

"That's enough, my sweet."

Yuri released your cock with a wet pop. Your shaft now absolutely coated in her drool.

Saerom turned her attention to you. "I think you've earned a reward, don't you?"

You nodded, the ache in your loins was getting completely unbearable.

"Go on then. Come and take it."

Saerom lay back and spread her legs, showing off her glistening pink slit. You crawled between her legs, and pressed your tip against her opening.

"That's it. Don't hold back."

That was all you needed to hear. Those words producing a feral response deep inside you. You thrust your hips forward, burying your cock inside her, causing a gasp to escape her lips. You were on top of her, your body moving entirely on instinct. Hands grabbing at her thighs, pulling her close, trying to get deeper. You could feel her nails digging into your back, her teeth on your neck. The sounds of her moans were enough to drive you crazy.

"Ah.. f.." She bit down on your shoulder, her moans muffled, unable to get any words out.

Your thrusts were growing more erratic and less controlled. You were both losing yourselves. The tension inside her was building. She clung to you, her arms wrapped around you tightly and her breath hot on your neck. Her walls were pulsating, clenching around your shaft . You could feel her orgasm approaching.

"Aaaah." She cried out, her eyes rolling back. "I'm going to ..."

"Fucking do it then." You growled. The feeling of her pussy spasming around you. You kept the pace steady and guided Saerom through her orgasm. Her body shaking and trembling beneath you.

"God damn you're beautiful." You whispered. "But I’m not done. Ready to go again?"

She summoned the last remnants of her strength to offer you a delicate nod.

You rolled her over flat on her stomach and pulled her thighs together, placing your knees on either side. You admired the sight of her glistening backside for a moment, the sweat beading down from her ass and her shoulders before coming to a rest in the small of her back. You took a fistful of each of her cheeks to support yourself, before slowly tracing one long line up the length of her back with your tongue. The saltiness of her sweat paired well with the bitterness of her piss that still lingered in your mouth.

"Ah..." She gasped, shivering as a reaction to the surprise sensation.

You pressed the tip of your cock against her asshole, feeling her muscles clench. You plunged forward, the pressure giving way and the head of your shaft slipping inside. She let out a loud gasp as you slid deeper, continuing until your hips met hers.

You began to thrust, her ass was clenching around you. The wet slap of your skin on hers filling the air. She was gripping the mattress with everything she had left, causing her knuckles to turn white. You picked up the pace, feeling her insides stretch around you. You reached under and took hold of her breast, squeezing and pulling at her nipple. She let out a low moan as you continued to pound her.

"Fuck me harder." She panted, her voice strained.

You did as you were told. Thrusting faster and harder, slamming her into the mattress. She was a writhing, whimpering mess beneath you. Her voice growing louder, the sounds escaping her becoming increasingly animalistic. She was reaching her limits.

"Fuck. That's it. Make sure you cum inside me."

Her body was tensing up, the pressure inside her growing. You could feel her muscles contracting around your shaft, gripping you like a vice. You could tell she was going to burst at any second. You picked up the pace. Thrusting even harder. You wanted her to explode.

Saerom's whole body began to shake. You could see the strain on her face. You continued to fuck her. You couldn't stop. She was cumming. Her whole body convulsed, her screams echoing off the walls. You continued to pound her, driving her body into the mattress, not letting up. She was lost in the throes of pleasure. The orgasm had completely consumed her.

Her voice was hoarse. You couldn't tell if she was even making any sounds anymore. She had stopped moving, her eyes rolled back and her body limp. You continued to pound her ass, until your own release finally came. You let out a loud growl and thrust forward one final time, burying yourself as deep inside her as you possibly could. You could feel the warmth of your seed flooding her insides, the excess spilling out onto her aching pussy.

Saerom lay there motionless, but breathing heavily. You could feel the aftershocks of her orgasm still rippling through her body. You gently pulled out, releasing your hold on her and letting her fall back down flat on her stomach.

You collapsed beside her, panting, both of you completely spent. The next thing you knew, Yuri was standing above you, smiling. She handed you each a glass of water, which you happily accepted and chugged it down.

"Thank you Yuri. You've been wonderful."

She simply smiled and bowed.

"Well, I suppose we should clean up and be on our way." Saerom said, having partially come back to her senses. “As much as we’d all like to sit here for a while, it’s getting late.”

"Yes. It's quite late and we have a busy day tomorrow." Yuri chimed in.

"By the way, I promised Yuri that you would take her home tonight. I'll tidy up here, why don't you two get going. I don't want to keep Yuri up any longer than necessary."

"Ahh.. what?"

"Don't worry, you've already made her cum so she shouldn't be any trouble. Plus she can make herself useful. Now shoo. Get dressed and get out of here."

Saerom and Yuri dressed while you did the same. Once everyone was presentable, you took Yuri and headed for the door. As you walked out, Yuri handed you a new shake in a to-go cup.

"This is the one we just made together!"

"I can't wait to taste it." You replied, smiling.

You held her hand and walked her home. You enjoyed the silence, not saying much on the way, but enjoying each other's company.

When you finally arrived back at your place, you unlocked the door and motioned Yuri in, following close behind. You both kicked off your shoes and made your way into the kitchen, where you put the milkshake down on the counter.

"I only have one bed, but it's pretty big. I'm assuming that after tonight you won't mind sharing one anyway. You go on in, 2nd door on the right, I need to find a spot in the freezer for this milkshake."

You watched Yuri walk away, admiring the way her hips swayed, before heading over to the freezer. You placed the shake in empty corner and shut the door. You then made your way to the bedroom. Despite only being about 30 seconds behind her, she was already fast asleep on your bed. You made sure she had enough blankets before crawling into bed next to her. A moment later, you were also fast asleep.

[need-him-pregnant-poll]

NEED👏THAT👏MAN👏PREGNANT TOURNEY SUBMISSIONS OPEN

Heyoooo! My name is Omi, and like most things in my life, i'm creating this gimmick blog on complete impulse~ we're just gonna make things up as we go and it's gonna be all fine and dandy.

ever felt overcome with the deeply rooted urge to make that fandom man a mother? well i've got good news for you.

BOOM

Here are your rules!

Probably easy to guess, but there WILL be NSFW language and jokes on this blog (not nsfw images however)! DO NOT FOLLOW ME IF YOU ARE A MINOR PLZ AND THANK U 🙏

ONLY submit characters through the form link above. No ask submissions!

one character per submission

they can be from any form of media. only important thing is that they identify as a man.

fictional characters only! No real people!

characters must be adults (18+)

submit a specific character only once. you can submit more than one different character though

propaganda is encouraged, but i don't really like anti-propaganda (i.e. saying why an opposing character Shouldn't advance instead of just hyping your choice. Only because some people can get really heated about it and I'd rather keep things chill)

as always, tumblr polls are just for fun. Never take 'em too seriously!

the bracket size will be decided once I see our final submission count. Submissions open until April 24th

uhhh i can't think of anything else rn but if i do later i'll come back and edit 👍 if you have a specific question, send an ask my way and i'll see if i can answer it.

Tagging other blogs below for traction (feel free to ignore if this isn't your thing! I'm attempting to tag only blogs that I thiiink wouldn't be bothered, but if I make a mistake, I apologize)

@fuckable-old-man-battle @its-to-the-death @do-you-ship-it-polls @mod-nyashley @bonebridebanish-warcrimeedition @smashorpassgilf @tournament-announcer @tournamentdirectory @rpfshippingpolls @weeb-polls-with-pip @fuckablemeowmeowbattle @problematic-maleslash-polls @aretheyqueer

[allswellinthiswell]

TOUCHSTARVED Updated Demo Shtuff

[SPOILERS] Anyone feeling a bit unsure about some of the changes to the demo?

Tag I'm using for this topic: #touchstarved updated demo spoilers

Honestly, idk how to feel about the changes to Leander's dialogue and personality... but I want to play the whole thing a few times before really formulating an opinion. We're naturally going to be somewhat resistant to change when it comes to things that work, and I don't want to be too biased.

For now, I guess I'll say that I really liked the new area that the main character gets to explore with Kuras... ( ˘͈ ᵕ ˘͈♡) ... That was a nice change of scenery, for sure. Very beautiful drawing.

Also, the Hound backstory is gone! That's so incredibly sad! I've been designing an MC and that backstory was the best for them :(( I'm probably going to use it anyway, tbh... There was so much potential to it...

Current minor gripes:

The game continues to imply that the MC is shorter than the cast sometimes, which can be a bit eh...

I think the editor may have forgotten that the MC sleeps the entire day away after meeting Leander. There's some points where the game acts as though everything is still happening on the same day. That is, unless I'm actually blind.

If Mhin is from somewhere else, as Kuras implies in his route, but Mhin outright states that they grew up in Eridia when you first meet them in the new version, why doesn't the MC notice that when talking to Kuras? Either Mhin is lying about their origins to both the MC and Kuras, or they've told Kuras one thing and the MC another, or it's an error. Anyone else notice this?

The NECK description for that lowlife guy, man. It wasn't great before (my thighs are massive lmaooo - dude would be built like a one piece character), but I don't think it's great now, either. I honestly think they should just show that the guy is an imposing figure through other means. They continue to imply that Ais is taller, but this guy can't be?

Mhin deserved more :( I liked their intro, but... idk... I would have liked more? (Ｔ▽Ｔ)

Nvm I decided to add most of what I feel here:

I guess there is one thing I find odd about the characterization of Leander, and it's all the little moments that we've lost. Like the moment where the Bloodhounds (now Adderstones (?)) get angry at the MC for bringing up the Senobium. Leander didn't act until they looked to him for help, but in this one, he simply gets up and takes the MC outside. Hrm...

Overall, they seem to have made him more earnest and a bit more straightforward, likely to lull the player and the MC into thinking he's harmless, but after all the advertising... all that marketing basically confirming that he's a real piece of work... I dunno. I think it could've been more subtle?? Like in the previous demo?? His cheerful and flirty attitude, which is muted in the updated demo until later, is what almost got me in the previous version of the game. I wasn't completely suspicious. It kept me guessing.

Now, I just see through every gesture. That scene we get with him at the end of his route thus, and please forgive my language, freaked me the absolute fuck out. Had the game not shoved it in your face that he's a Bad Guy so much, I feel as though I wouldn't have immediately panicked when he locked the door. I'm likely to get a bad end with him because I'm so cautious now, tbh. Whoops lmao. Like, okay, anyone can get away with a few comments (the leash one was wild), and MC does question him a bit after all that manipulation, but surely a situation like THAT is bound to be more alarming to a person? Especially after so many near death experiences and meeting so many shady people? Is my preference for a slower pace, like in the other routes, making me a bit of a dingus?

There's a real good moment, though, and it's after the MC shows Leander their curse. He asks their name. Suddenly, after revealing what could be a weapon against the Senobium, you become a person of interest to him. Although, person might be a stretch. As such, I kind of understand these changes. He's the reassuring, trustworthy guy in a sea of assholes. Guy wants to isolate you as soon as possible so that you'll become reliant on him and only him, and what better way to do that than giving the MC what they so desperately crave while they incur debt after debt? I just... I wish they hadn't jumped the gun so fast?

Anyway, these are all my thoughts. Leander's route was still enjoyable for the most part haha. It really shows the kind of person he is. I haven't felt that unnerved by a character in a while!

I dunno! It's my first playthrough, so my opinion is liable to change. I'd love to hear other people's thoughts, too.

[wings-of-ink]

Alright, everyone!

HERE ARE THE ASKS YOU'VE BEEN WAITING FOR

Below the cut are the asks and my answers/responses. I do apologize for not answering these individually, but some of them contain spoilers for chapter 5 content. Given the developments and reveals of the chapter, I want to let things simmer a bit before I pop off responses like normal.

If my Nonies listed below want to pop back into the ask box and let me know they got their answer, I would appreciate that, but you don't have to either (or if you have an additional question or comment, that's fine too!). I will reblog this a few times to make sure you have a higher chance of spotting it.

I numbered the Asks and put my answers in another color so you can tell things apart a bit easier. This is a trial run on answering these this way. I will also tag things for spoilers. ^_^

Anon:  "There's a she-wolf in the closet" made me laugh so hard I cried sdfjglkjl I was not expecting that out of nowhere 🤣😭  the temptation to name the wolf Shakira...............immense.

I'm so glad you got that reference! My husband and I sing that song to each other with the little "awoos" and all, lol. It was too good to pass up. Fun fact, if you name her Shakira, Oswin has a unique response. 

2. Anon:  Hmmm. "I like the name Aster I'll probably use it again" HMMMMM hMMMMM hmmmMMMM Is this new Aster the ??? RO

Remembered that, did ya 😁 (I was quietly cackling when I wrote that for the old ask). You questioning Aster just makes me want to mess with you Nony, you can't tempt me like this! 

3. Anon:  Aster is so hawt, carressing our cheek w his thumb???? "i wont hurr you" pls let him be an ro bc gah damnnnn

Glad that did it for you, Anon, lol. There will be more of that in store. ^_^

4. Ravioli anon here, hope you remember me LOL I just finished reading the new chapter and I HAD A BLAST The whole gang in here now!!!!!! Aster is no longer question marks!!!! (I will admit when they were introcuded I almost, ALMOST expected their name in game to just be ???)

Hello Ravioli! Still chuckling about that I hope you know. The temptation was unreal to leave ??? in there, lol. At this point, even I know him more by that than his name!

Also to keep up with my perfect choice of names, my she-wolf is now named Der, because together we are Ravi and Der Get it, Ravi 'n Der. Consider this as a way to honor our dear grandma we were named after by our loving dads, you'll never be forgotten, you girlboss of a woman 

OMG, you are killing me over here, lol. This makes me want to code something for that, lol. Just your fathers shaking their heads at your MC while still being kinda amused and weirdly proud. Grandmother Ravinder would glare at you, but smile later.

5. @origamihoshi: Screaming about the necklace Oswin gives MC, my headcanon about MC wearing the snail shell as a necklace can now be canon! and I guess more reasons for my MC to be down bad for Oswin oops. I'm loving the update! I'm so happy to finally meet Rune, I love them so much! I wanna befriend them all. and I feel like there's been a good balance to spend time with all the characters so far and that makes me really happy. 😌Also cuddling with Zahn was so sweet oh my god, I love them so much too! I got so many more questions about MC and the curse, and the mark for that matter, looking forward to when we finally get some answers.

I very, very nearly told you that when you posted your MC, I was so ecstatic. I thought if you while coding that section too. I am so glad you enjoyed the new chapter and new goodies. Lots of fun stuff to come! ^_^

6. @mutsuowo:  HELP I NAMED THE SHE-WOLF ASTER BECAUSE I FIRST CALLED THE MULE YARROW AND NOW I HAVE NOT ONE, NOT TWO BUR THREE ASTER* GOING AROUND (I know one changed to Lakota but the joke that count)

Whoops! Lol Sorry my friend! I don't think any more Asters are hiding about at least. Probably….

7. @mutsuowo: I got spoiled of Aster's name by accident and even then I mistook it for being Lakota, so I thought somehow Lakota had a divorce and took the children to be an option romance with the MC. Cue to me acting like a variety game host and going "We have a cult member, a magician, childhood friends and also a wolf...what about you Aster ? What do you bring to make we choose you ?" The answer was being a DILF

Lol! Oh dear, yeah, bestie has a quarter-life crisis and leaves his wife and 4 kids to live that DILF life. Love it, this is some quality daytime TV stuff. 😆 

8. Anon:  Hello there! I am currently in the middle of the newest chapter, very very good work! Spoiler ahead : So MC is absorbing magic? That might actually help the theory that somehow MC is a god, demi-god, or whatever that is: cursed because they are on this plane and needing magic as a very part of their being? I can't imagine that a god wouldn't be starving for magic if deprived of it. Perhaps in GC it's not magic gods handle, but something similar? The fact that we CHOSE the mark truly makes me think that somehow we were choosing an aspect of ourselves for some reason. Not only something physical either. If not our domain, perhaps a tell of why we were cursed in the first place ? I wonder if, before the Curse manifested, MC would have been flagged as a magic being ? I don't think there was anybody that could have sussed them out back then though ? Rune is amazing, btw, big fan. Can't wait for Purple Lad to accompany us and need a bath as badly as Duri did !

Oooh, are you perhaps my Nony who sent some other theories in about this? Very juicy theory as well. Next chapter you'll learn a bit more about Hayat's curse over the gods and see if it lines up or changes your thoughts more. 😁 I'm glad you like Rune too! They are in for a new experience for sure. Even if they aren't as stuffy as other nobles, they definitely appreciate more refined things. The little town MC grew up in might be a bit of a culture shock. 

9. Anon:  Sooooo... I'm thinking we ARE the mad god ! A reincarnation of it at least ! Thinking about how the cult wanted us dead, I am thinking that as long as MC is alive, they can't have another incarnation of them.   But What exactly was it that drove the god mad ?

Oooh! This one is juicy too! These theories are so tasty! Lots of questions with this one. And like the one above, there may be some info in chapter 6 that may just give more evidence one way or another.

10. Anon:  Me on my first playthrough: oh, Oswin's pretty cute! I think I'll try romancing him first Me when I meet Zahn: oh no you can't just make me choose like that how am I supposed to do this Me when I meet Duri: are you kidding me. Ok screw it I'm romancing Duri Me when I meet Rune: FUCKAIJASJDSAAA Me when I meet ???: No reaction because I'm already combusted. I can't even anymore 

Lol! I am glad and maybe just a tiny bit sorry that you're so torn, my dear. Let's find some glue and get you patched up… ^_^

11. Anon:  HAVE THEORIES! NATHAN IS DURI'S UNCLE, AND ASS-TER -HE DESERVES THAT AFTER THE RING BUSINESS >:( - WAS RAISED BY THOSE ASSHOLES WHO ALMOST KIDNAPPED MC! (I am open to Asster endearing himself later, but I'm mad at him rn, how dare he hurt my already hurt, lovely, MC 😡😡😡) Anyway, your writing is impeccable as always, can't wait to (perhaps) bring Asster to his knees (with love or spite, or maybe both?? He seems like someone easy to love-hate, lol). Tysm, for God Cursed, I love it <333

Yaaass, moar theories! That's a good one too! Nathan having some secrets wouldn't be shocking either. They'd get along too… And it is totally fair for MC to be salty! And ASSter is a perfect nickname, lol. It's also fair that in chapter 6 you'll be able to (try to) get after him about it. :3

12. Anon:  TW SPOILERS ''There is nothing I want more than to hear you…hear you say what you- Nothing more… But for your own sake. Y/N, I'm a monster. I have been a monster. Your heart should be free of thoughts of me until you know what haunts my sleep at night. If you can do that for me and your heart does not change, then I will hear those words and I will spend the rest of my days showing you what you mean to me.'' UUUUHHMMMMM, EXCUSE MEE?????? LIKE THIS IS THE MOST-ROMANTIC-NON-LOVE-CONFESSION I HAVE EVER HEARD??? EVEN THOUGH IT BURNS ME TO NOT KNOW WHAT AFFLICTS OSWIN, AFTER HEARING THAT I'M WILLING TO WAIT FOR HIM.

I love that you love this! I might have cried juuuust a little bit when I wrote that scene, lol (shocking, I know).

13. Anon:  replayed the IF from the start for the update and gosh i felt so bad for our dear MC who has gone through SO much in a (relatively) short amount of time. and the way MC just always thinks about their fathers makes me sobbbbbb. one that always gets me is the scene where MC cried out for their fathers when they were in pain (my heart broke when they said they wanted to be held by their papa). another is in the scene with jasper and co. (‘i learned it from my fathers!’, yesss go MC!!!!). but oh, just imagining the absolute heartbreak the fathers would feel if they knew how MC cried out for them and knew about everything that MC went through, makes me tear up! MC is SO loved by their fathers and MC loves them just as much and i love that. i hope we’ll be able to give da and papa the biggest hugs when we see them again 🥹wonderful update, author! i absolutely adore the world you’ve built and the brilliant characters you’ve created (shout out to one my favs.. our new she-wolf friend <3)

I set out on this IF journey intending to be a bit hard on the MC and I think I succeeded, lol. It might be hard to believe but I really do love the MC as a character too and I feel for them. Hopefully not too hard, but they're on a journey of perseverance so I have faith in them. ^_^ That scene really tore me up too, especially thinking about how hard it would hit the dads to know their beloved kid was calling out to them. 😭 I am so glad you enjoyed the update, my dear, there will be great big dad-hugs in the future, I promise (and more than a few tears). ^_^

14. Anon:  idk if it's choice or route-specific but, zahn was NOT looking good at the end of chapter 5 and i'm worried 😟

Not route-specific (unfortunately???)…they're…going through some things. 😬 (sorry in advance)

15. Anon:  Hi, hi!! Dropping by to blabber about the update after i've finally had time to lose myself in it! (Oh no it got long again.) Okay, so, from the very moment i saw your intro post (over half a year ago, methinks) i decided to go for Rune's route first. I have been very patient, very faithful. And now i can finally say it was so, so worth the wait!!! they have me wrapped all around their beautiful noble finger; they're perfect, they are everything (i mean, how many people can say a literal god shows up for their birthday? yeah, thought so). I know they are no exception either and have their own share of issues, but honestly? that's even better. I wish i was kidding about the amount of times i daydream about them. Look at me now how i'm smiling like a stupid idiot. And the fact that i can make my MC an absolute shy mess around them is just so!! *chef's kiss* 

"Oh no it got long again" is like the tagline for my existence, lol. I am so giddy that you adore Rune! I think they've had less traction since they weren't introduced until now, but I also believe they are just the type of person that is better experienced. I enjoy writing all of the ROs, but Rune is such a presence in my heart and I really hope that comes through.

Also, did Duri seriously rat them out like that? Umm, for science, of what nature, exactly, are the books under Runey's bed?

LOL and I'm so glad you caught that bit about their "hidden literature." Rune LOVES romance novels, including the ridiculous smutty ones even if the plot is kinda bad.

Anyway, moving on, because you fed us so well with the story once again!! Can i just say i love your brain? Can i? Is that weird? Apologies. So!

You can totally say that, lol. I appreciate that you think so, my brain frustrates me sometimes, but I like how smooth it is. Very soft.

We learned so much in this update, and yet our answers are still too far to reach--but that's the whole fun about this! I'm thinking things, i'm suspecting, but i'll hold onto my theories for now… It is indeed very fortunate that each of MC's new friends can seemingly contribute a piece to this vexing puzzle; question is, is the picture only missing the very last piece, or are all four needed for it to be complete? I'm folding my hands and patiently waiting to find out in future updates. 

Oooh, you're speaking my language, Nony. There are some theories up above, maybe those will get your mind spinning too. That's a very good question though too. Eveyone seems to have something that might help MC out…so the question could be, do they go full Power Rangers and combine them to solve this problem or is one strong enough on their own? Hmmmmm? Time will tell.

One thing i will say is, more people may know about MC and their whole deal than Oswin may want to even consider. People with not the best intentions, that is.

I'm sure it's fiiiiiine. Probably just a…crazy…crazy fluke. It's fine. 😀

Speaking of, Oswin is so sweet! He cares so much i think it's rending him apart. Perhaps he should partake of Nathan's pipe every now and then. You know, for recreational purposes. Frankly i admit i don't know how mean you still can be to Oswin because every time there's a choice during his scenes i just tunnel-vision to the friendliest one there. It really makes me feel sorry for him if there are MCs out there who are still bitter about their relationship. As he was opening up about what kinds of actual horrors he witnessed and had to deal with in consequence, it really made me think MC's little group should, as a side-quest, go out and find him a therapist, because this guy *slaps him on the back* can fit so much trauma in him!

That's a good way to describe Oswin. He feels very intensely and those emotions are difficult for him to manage. I try not to be too mean to him, but I do want to try and give a decent variety of responses to the past tension for some MCs. Negativity there isn't a huge focus, so I try not to go too far down the rabbit hole with it at least, lol. A therapist is a great idea for him, for real. You cracked me up with that reference, I imagine Lakota trying to sell him to the MC, lol.

 I see Zahn has entered the trenches(TM). Just after i had them repeatedly stabbed in MC's place. And just after they finally got to cuddle with MC. This is fine. Not gonna lie, for a solid second you had me believe we wouldn't see them come back from that totally not evil or at least highly doubtful church of theirs, and that we'd had to leave without them. Haha, no waay. Lunan wouldn't do that to them, right? Right? Oh thank gods. See? I was right. Anyway, it seems like their character development arc is coming up soon, so i'm keeping calm and not cracking my knuckles, not at all.

Oh yes, there will be some development soon here. Tee hee?

Duri is so fun. Their playfulness is so endearing, so much so that i find myself repeatedly swayed in my decision to have them in a (now mostly) platonic relationship with MC. Simmer down, you'll have your turn. It had me rolling how they snapped once the bandits insulted their feet lmao! Also, also, their dynamic with Rune? Mmm, so good. I love the kind of friendship that's like "yeah i picked up this weird wet dog one day and now it won't leave me be and it's annoying, but only i'm allowed to say that. here, have a treat."

I love that you love that. Writing Duri is fun and I get to break some social norms with them so it's a win-win for us all. The relation to Rune is a blast.

Moving on, Duri sniffing MC after they talked with someone they didn't know; Duri immediately leaping at the opportunity to tease a jealous MC; Duri coming to MC's rescue to put a harasser in their place--they can't keep getting away with being so charming! Oh wait, they can. Human laws don't apply to them, after all.

Duri is already so loyal. Like a pup you picked up at the shelter, the connection is pretty quick for them. Also, if you didn't know, you can also get Rune to get defensive of MC being harassed in the tavern. Currently thinking of changing the code of that, but if you choose to stay neutral or a bit distrustful of Duri, Rune will get involved instead. Both have the confidence and the power to back it up though, can't go wrong.

And Aster? Something is up with him. Big time. Bost obviously, his name. I don't know, i don't know, i'm not convinced it's a coincidence or merely "fate." I'm watching you, Aster. Okay, and yes, i see why MC might need his help, but he never once elaborated on that part where he said he needs MC for power. Sooo, naah, i'm not putting my egg in your basket, not yet. Especially!! After he so brutally demonstrated just how much of a bigger hand he has over MC. That was evil. (In a good way.) He's unhinged, and i love that in a character. I would not trust him even with a cheese grater.

That may be wisdom here for sure, lol. Aster is quite the character, as are all of them I suppose. All have secrets he especially has some serious growing to do. He'll be an interesting addition - and a very smug one at that. Maybe juuuust maybe MC can get him to feel a little remorse for being an ASSter, to quote a previous ask, lol.

I almost thought MC's group of friends were going to mistake him for the kidnapper and everyone would want to throw hands, or would at least be very leery of him, so seeing how easily he slotted in had me a little surprised (and i think he was a bit surprised himself).

That very nearly happened actually. I cut it because of chapter length, and I'm thinking I want to polish the ending for that anyway. I feel like I was burnt out while writing that and I pushed it too fast. So, we'll see what happens in future….

I really, really liked the option of having MC be scared of him after he put a cork (dart) in Jasper's mouth (throat). The head tilt afterwards? Wiping away a stray tear? "Now come sit with me on my picnic blanket designer cloak to talk about how everything is drawn to you, including me?" "I'll need to study you?" Yes, i'll take your entire stock.

I'm glad you enjoyed your dessert, Nony. ;) There will be some serious studying in the next chapter.

Oswin being extremely quiet while MC was recounting their failed abduction because he was still recovering from those 6 panic attacks he had since finding MC's room empty and with signs of struggle.

THIS absolutely. MC may get an account of the experience later.

 i can't wait to see what the dads are going to say about each of MC's new friends! I can already imagine who might not entirely vibe with whom, especially if papa and da are going to be in a sour mood after they see my (feral despite being the healer of the party) MC scarred and sore despite their letters containing nothing but rainbows and sunshine (oops). MC's right, though, how are they going to house so many people lol.

This will be so much fun, especially when it comes to sleeping arrangements…A couple ROs will get themselves sorted but there's a couple that we might just get a "one bed" trope with, lol.

And last but not least, MC got the promised puppy!!! (i named her "Ginger" <33) 

Oh that is such a cute name too! She is kinda the color of ginger and she's also very gentle (ginger) AND she can be very spicy if you piss her off. Very gingery.

I have been here before and gushed about your writing on multiple occasions and i don't want to repeat myself over and over, so i'll just reiterate once more that i'm constantly blown away by how real and vivid you make everything feel. You're putting things down and i'm picking them right up, thank you, thank you, yup, i'll have that as well, thank you. You're painting pictures inside my head, and they're gorgeous and vibrant and moving now--hey, how did you even get in here? I'm convinced you're a mage. MC is not the mage here (yet?), but you sure are!! It's okay, you may fess up now. As always, thank you so much for all your hard work! May your holidays be full of joy and rest! Take care <333

I am so thankful that you resonate so much with my writing, my friend. That really truly makes my heart so glad and encourages me to keep at it. I hope each chapter brings you more and more enjoyment and adventure. ^_^

16. @rhiannon02:  IM SCREAMING OVER CH 5 LITERALLY SCREAMING ASTER ??? IM IM LOSING IT

Well, hang on dear, maybe I can help you find it, lol. (I heard that one in my soul) ^_^

That's all for now! ^_^

[stealingyourbones]

Question! I have been getting into DC comics cuz of dpxdc, and I saw your tags on frank Miller on a recent post. One of my irl friends told me to read the dark knight returns and while it was occasionally hard to follow I assumed that was a result of when it was written rather than who wrote it? But I did overall enjoy it.

I guess what I'm asking is why you say frank Miller is a bad writer when it seems like the dark knight returns was so acclaimed?

(I saw the nazi thing too but that's something I can google so while it's news to me it's not my main question)

ok so. A lot of this is my personal opinion and I'm not too equipped to say shit about this because I'm not very political but I'm going to give it my best shot. Put under a cut so folks who don't want to hear about comic ranting can simply scroll past

I’m just gonna write a quick thing for the Nazi stuff, He isn't exactly a Nazi but boy oh boY does he set off many warning flags. Frank Miller is also the writer of the comic 300, if that sounds familiar that's because the movie you're probably thinking of is indeed based off these comics. The Spartan's ideology helped create the baselines of Fascism. Fascism is a pretty leading cause of commentary in Frank Millers work. In Batman: The Dark Knight he is a fascist. In Hard Boiled there's swastikas in the background every so often. (I even went back to reread it just to make sure and yep. they definitely were there) In 300 there's a shitton of Fascism... I could go on but still. His comics are incredibly gorey, have a discussion about a world gone wrong that can only be changed using force and weaponry (the whole Dark Knight "I am a surgeon" monologue for example), and the fact that he has Fascism as the main point of nearly all of the comics he's written... it doesn't sit right with me and it's a consistent pattern.

Now, onto the bad writing. I must firstly preface that these are my own opinions and that I didn't grow up reading Frank Miller's work. I think he was a good writer but isn't one anymore. His writing did incredible things for DC and you can see his influence in Batman even today. Works I've read and enjoyed of his are: Daredevil, Batman Year One, and Dark Knight. Nowadays you'll see many folks like myself talk about how Frank Miller has fallen off the deep end. A vast majority of Frank Miller's comics have reoccurring themes: politics, fascism, extreme violence, and so so much weaponry. Politics is in every comic book. There is no unpolitical comic, there ARE comics that are batshit wild with their politics and that's what I'm talking about. I'll get back to this later. He wrote many good comics, ones that first come to mind are Daredevil , Wolverine, Batman: Dark Knight, Batman: Year One, Sin City, Ronin, and 300. All of these comics are still credited by folks as amazing comics and hell, I recommend folks to read them go and check them out. Then 9/11 happened. That along with rampant alcoholism. Those reoccurring themes I mentioned? They become exponentially more blatant in his works. Especially on the political angle. You can see the difference between his works from pre and post 9/11. If you read Dark Knight and Dark Knight 2 back to back. It's night and day. He even made a comic during the post 9/11 panic called Holy Terror. The comic's title was originally pitched as Holy Terror, Batman! with the Gotham hero himself as the main character but it swiftly denied by DC, denied being published by DC, and changed to what it is now. The basic plot of this comic: A Vigilante named The Fixer fights Al-Qaeda after attacking Empire City. He doesn't even mention the word Al-Qaeda until 80 pages into a 150 page comic. The comic is some INCREDIBLY blatant post 9/11 propaganda that's ridiculously Islamophobic and anti-muslim. That isn't even my opinion, Frank Miller has said that's what this comic was. It is scattered with a ridiculous amount of hate speech written by a hate fueled man in 2007. Now onto comics that you'd more likely read. All Star Batman and Robin (2005). Oh boy. Let's compare shall we? Batman Dark Knight Returns (1986)

All Star Batman & Robin, The Boy Wonder #1 (2005)

mind you this is as Dick is being driven to GCPD for questioning RIGHT AFTER HIS PARENTS DIED. He gets kidnapped by Bruce out of the police car. Not calmed in his arms after the murder and brought to the manor. Kidnapped. All Star Batman & Robin, The Boy Wonder #2 (2005)

( a brief intermission of this sickass pose of a shirtless Alfred Pennyworth comforting Vicky Vale)

now back to the kidnapping:

[Skipping Bruce getting chased by the GCPD, Jumping the Batmobile ONTOP of a GCPD car, and laughing and talking to his car all the while Dick is absolutely terrified. They then use boosters that propel the Batmobile into the sky.]

Smashcut to #4 where they actually enter the Batcave.

I don't even think I need to explain myself. This is Spider-Man: One More Day levels of mischaracterization. Like seriously. Bruce kidnapping Dick after his parents were killed? Calling him a retard and hitting him during the aftermath (we can go on about how in 2005, the r slur was used commonly but this was just out of pocket), Leaving him in the cold batcave and told to eat rats? Frank Miller used to write some incredible works. Nowadays his writing is as decent as Rob Liefeld's art.

[chigirizzz]

they comfort you after you had a bad day

characters: sae, kunigami, shidou, isagi

warnings/tags: angst, fluff, boyfriend material, gn! reader (gets called princess on shidou's because i feel like he would call that to anyone regardless of their gender), shidou being shidou, they're pro players, mentions of violence (shidou and kunigami's parts), swear words, pet names such as "handsome", "baby", "beautiful", "princess" and "shrimp" (you will see why lol), fake friends (shidou), burn out and violence at work (kunigami), reader's insecurities get attacked on isagi's part (it wasn't isagi tho) but no insecurities are specified

notes: sorry for any mistakes :>

»»——⍟——««

itoshi sae

"come to bed," your boyfriend, itoshi sae, called for you at the door of your study room (where you studied and did your college assignments).

"just give me one or two hours more, handsome," you answered, not even looking at his direction. your eyes were focused on your laptop screen and on your notes in front of you, getting dryer and more sensitive each minute from the amount of hours you spent in front of the screen. Your posture was... not the best.

a "tch" escaped sae's lips at your response. he knew you were lying and planing to spent the whole night studying. you always did that. sometimes he would wake up at around 3am to get some water only to notice the faint light coming out of your study room.

"what are you exactly doing anyway?" he asked when he approached you to inspect what you were typing on the laptop and reading on your notebook. he yawned and rested his hand on top of your head gently, which you didn't seem to mind. sae would occasionally do random and unusual gestures to show his love for you.

"a group project that one of my professors decided to give us today and is due in two days. but surprise surprise, my group is terrible and refuses to do anything, and when they decide to do something, it reminds you of the skills of a fifth grader." you let out everything, almost without taking a break to breathe. you inhaled anddd… exhaled. "so basically, i have to do almost everything, and it's stressing me out."

sae listened carefully to your words. he knew what you felt, sometimes he feels like he has to do all the work on a game while his teammates either seem to not give a shit or just don't know how to think rationally ("they're a bunch of assholes," he'd tell you often). he knows how annoying and stressful it is, even if he is a professional football player and you a normal university student.

"come to bed. you need rest."

a groan escaped your lips. "sae, i can't. it's a very complex project to do in a very short time, i have to do as much as i can today still so i don't get delayed." your hands grabbed a few hair strands and pulled them with some force. "and as i just told you, it's me doing most of the work. i can't rest, not yet."

he sighed. he grabbed your chin gently and made you look at him. "y/n, you and your pathetic classmates are university students, you must be mature and responsible. if they don't pursue those characteristics, then they don't deserve your time, your patience and your nice words. they can go fuck themselves." his thumb caressed your lower lip. "i would advise you to do this: you send the project's plan to your rat looking buddies and professor's email, making it clear who does what. that way, if they don't do their shit—or if they fuck up their shit—, your professor will know who actually worked hard. "he pressed a kiss on your lips and walked towards the door so he could go to your shared room. "but you do you, i guess. i'll go to bed. and fix your posture, you look like a shrimp."

about half an hour later, itoshi felt a weight on the opposite side of the bed. you thought he was already asleep, but you were surprised when his arm wrapped around your waist protectively.

"i did what you told me. we'll see how tomorrow will go..." a few seconds of silence. "thank you, sae. i love you."

he kissed you on the cheek. "hm. love you too." his words made you smile a bit and you cuddled closer to him. but of course, sae decided to ruin the moment. "shrimp."

"are you seriously gonna start calling me that?!"

no point in acting like you're offended, your boyfriend is just chuckling at your reaction.

shidou ryusei

"angry" was not enough to describe what Shidou Ryusei was feeling at that moment; Shidou felt pissed off and full of contempt, and the way you were crying on the couch in a curled up position only made him clench his fists, his blood boiling inside his dilated veins.

"i'm going to beat the shit out of them." the pink-eyed demon was never the best at comforting others, in fact, he never cared about the emotions of others, choosing instead to ignore or mock anyone who would be in a vulnerable state around him. however, you were a different case, you were his partner, and he genuinely cared about you even though he had promised himself that he didn't want "distractions" in his life. but even though you were the protagonist in his life, shidou ryusei still didn't know how to comfort a human being, so when he saw you sad after you found out that your friends had betrayed you, he decided to choose violence as a solution. "I will beat them, torture them, and then spit in their eyes."

You wiped your eyes with the back of your hand and looked at him, at his evil smirk. your hand landed on his fist in an attempt to calm him down. "ryu... no, you'll only make it worse. i'll just forget about them and move on. it's better this way." you knew he only wanted revenge for the way your fake friends made you feel, and you knew perfectly well that your boyfriend could handle a fight alone against a big group of people, but an angry shidou was an out-of-control shidou, and you didn't want any more problems (but deep down, you'd like to see them hurt).

"huh?" he arched an eyebrow, his pink eyes growing darker. "baby... didn't you get tired of crying every time your oh so dear friends ignored you and humiliated you?"

more tears were falling down your cheeks, but now you weren't sobbing or anything, you just were in silence and listening to him. your eyes and nose were red, your head hurts like a bitch, your throat was burning and you felt dizzy and dehydrated. you just wanted to sleep on the bed you shared with your boyfriend, to hold him and not let him go not even for a second.

yesterday you asked your friends on the group chat if they wanted to go to the movies with you the next day, which is today. some said they would be busy, others didn't even bother to answer. you were already used to their distant behavior. wanting to see the movie anyway and to enjoy your free time, you decided to go alone, only to find that your entire group of friends was in the same mall as you, strolling through the stores without any concern or remorse.

you confronted them but they got defensive and started saying that they didn't do anything wrong.

for months they excluded you, humiliated you, made fun of you, and even badmouthed each other—what a group of loyal friends.

shidou wiped your tears and hugged you, your face on his muscular chest, searching for warmth and comfort.

"what if they do something...like spread rumors or something...they would be capable of that."

"they won't. i won't let that happen, princess. i promise.~" he awkwardly ran a hand through your hair. a few minutes passed like that until you fell asleep. he took you to bed and tucked you under the sheets. he stared at you for a while, observing your red eyes and how you slept, hugging one of the many pillows that were on top of the bed. yeah he's definitely going to hit someone. "goodnight beautiful~." the blond pressed a kiss to your cheek and left the house silently. your friends have to pay, no matter if you were in favor of the situation or not. fortunately he knew where some of them lived.

shidou ryusei was not the best person to seek comfort from, but he was the best to make sure you felt protected.

kunigami rensuke

kunigami's attention was drawn to the front door of the house that the two of you shared. a smile formed on his lips; he knew it was you who had just come home from a long day at the office.

lately you had started coming home extremely late from work, completely tired and desperate to get to bed. however, kunigami thought that you were getting... sick—paler, dark circles under your eyes, distancing yourself from him as you didn't have any energy to spend time with him and you had a more... depressed aura. kunigami knew that you weren't well, he knew that your work was slowly consuming you, both physically and mentally.

no matter how many times he told you that it would be better to quit, you denied it, wanting to contribute to the financial state of both of you—even though your boyfriend's salary as a professional football player was more than enough—and wanting to have a life and career of your own. the ginger respected your opinion and your independence, but the way you were killing yourself—no, the way your boss was taking advantage of you made him angry.

the ginger was never the type of guy who likes violence or any kind of conflict, he always preferred to "play fair", but the idea of giving your boss a hard time was getting more and more appealing.

"hi baby," he said with a soft voice and approached you to rest his hands on your shoulders. "how are you feeling? tired? want me to cook something for you?" he looked at you, and the man's face expression went from a warm smile to worry and panic when you made eye contact with him. your eyes were red from crying, your hair was a mess.

kunigami was silent, not knowing what to do or what to say, so he just pulled you into a hug, his hand on the back of your head.

"what happened? y/n… are you ok?" he asked you in a low voice. you could feel his hot breath and his warmth—it was comforting.

"rensuke, i…" you sniffed your nose and hot tears were forming on your eyes.

he interrupted you, his hand now on top of your head, giving you a little massage on your scalp with his fingers. "shh. it's ok if you don't want to tell me. you're safe now."

but you wanted to tell him.

"i… my boss screamed at me and-and'' your sobs were interrupting your words. kunigami kept embracing you—tight enough to make you feel safe, but still careful to not hurt you or to make you uncomfortable. he knew you were a strong person, and always made sure to not be the overprotective type since you hated it and it made you feel powerless and like you lacked freedom, however, at that moment, you were clearly psychologically and physically hurt—he could see a bruise here and there on your body—; you obviously were in need of him taking care of you.

in fact, that was one thing that rensuke loved about you, you always wanted to do things your way and without much help, but if you actually were in a situation where you needed someone to help you, you wouldn't deny it or hesitate. he loves how you were so strong and independent, but still humble enough to know what you wanted and what you needed, without being afraid of telling anyone.

"and started pushing me and throwing things at me. he... he has been getting more violently each day."

the ginger spent two hours listening to you, his big arms never leaving you (unless you needed a tissue or a cup of water), whispering things like "i love you", "it's ok", "i'll protect you". you were so grateful to have him in your life.

"i'll take care of the situation." he told you. you were now cuddling on your shared bed.

"how?..."

"don't know exactly, but maybe i'll ask reo for help so he can fire your boss and make him bankrupt and lonely. you know, since reo has a lot of connections."

you chuckled at his words. "seems like a good idea to me." you kissed the tip of his nose and smiled when you saw his cheeks getting pink. "thank you, my love."

isagi yoichi

"it's ok, y/n, someone will accept you eventually." your dark haired boyfriend handed you a cup of tea to make you feel better and sat next to you on the sofa of the living room. "the most beautiful diamonds take a lot of time to form, you know?"

you chuckled at his silly attempt to cheer you up. "i don't know, yoichi… i have tried so many agencies and so far nothing."

isagi sighed. "come here." he called out to you, and when you looked at him confused, he grabbed your arms gently and made you lie on top of him, your head resting on his muscular chest, listening to his heartbeat. his arms embraced you and one of his hands gave you a small massage on your omoplates. "your muscles are so tense. relax, no need to worry, baby. someone will eventually realize how beautiful and talented you are."

for months you've been trying to join a model agency—only to be rejected every time. it made you feel hopeless and embarrassed, but you were still fighting for your dream.

today you received an email of the most recent agency you candidated to, however, this one rejecting email was a bit different… they proceeded to be unprofessional and insult everything about you, managing to hit on your insecurities and give you new insecurities.

isagi was actually the one who got a reaction—his eyes darkened, his jaw tightened, his knuckles turning white due to the amount of strength he used when clenching his fists—insisting to make them pay for their cruel words. you, on the other hand, just stared at your laptop screen—not a single movement, not even a single word.

isagi was passing around the living room insulting the model agency out loud. he then noticed how quiet you were. he calmed down and approached you, his fingers caressing your cheeks after closing the laptop.

and now you're here cuddling on the sofa. your eyes were closed, feeling his chest slowly moving up and down due to him breathing.

"you'll see, baby, you will make it. i'll be by your side the entire time."

you were so thankful for having him besides you.

[veebs-hates-video-games]

It's that time again where I make an entirely too long summary of every game I played this year. There were far too many of them this time around (well over 100, but some of them I only played long enough to know they're not my thing, and a bunch are weird short little things), so I'll try to keep it to a sentence or two for most of them. On the off chance anyone's interested in more of my thoughts they should nearly all have at least one other more detailed post on here somewhere, hopefully all properly tagged at this point and everything.

Also hopefully the formatting makes it easy to skim through, broken into categories and with each individual game bolded, because I would be astonished if anyone actually reads the entire thing. It's over 180 games and 7500 words, so, uh...good luck?

I think I'll just stick with the same categories I've used in the past couple years. On average the categories further down the list have things I liked more, but there are things in one category that I might've liked more or less than some things in the categories next to them, and they're mostly not really ordered within each category.

So with that said, let's start with the worst gaming experiences I had in 2024:

Bomb Dolls: Probably more fun with other people, but it was borderline unplayable for me so I didn't want to subject anyone else to it.

Sayonara Wild Hearts: Anything that feels like it was designed in a lab to give me seizures and migraines simultaneously isn't allowed to place higher than this.

Gwenblade: It tries to do something interesting, but it has a pretty profound lack of polish that makes it just not work.

Survivors of the Dawn: It must get better later on, but it felt so sluggish and unsatisfying at the beginning that I couldn't be bothered to find out.

Neverwinter Nights 2: I guess I still really don't get along with RTwP and most CRPGs.

Persona 5 Strikers: This finally convinced me to give up for good on the SMT/Persona games, because I clearly do not click with their pacing or storytelling conventions in general.

Mouthwashing: The most profound sensation of boredom I experienced all year. Extremely not my thing, but I'm pretty picky when it comes to horror.

On to games that weren't the worst but still completely failed to live up to whatever (possibly incorrect) expectations I had of them:

Strawberry Vinegar: Weird miss for ebi-hime, with characters that felt awkwardly written and like they didn't suit their ages.

Scanner Sombre: Incredible tech demo, frustrating game.

CrossCode: I liked most things about it except for the actual gameplay, which was really not my jam.

Nier: Automata: Somehow feels substantially worse to play than any other Platinum game I've ever played, and the story and characters completely failed to grab me in the first half dozen hours.

Death end re;Quest 2: Huge let down after how surprisingly interesting but flawed the first was. They dropped almost everything I liked about the original, and even though they thankfully toned down the visual fanservice, the character writing was enough worse to counter that.

Dead Cells: Seems like probably a pretty good game, but having pretty obvious influences from Dark Souls in your gameplay mechanics is usually a good way to make me not have a good time.

Owlboy: It's pretty? Not much else going for it.

Night in the Woods: I did genuinely like a lot of stuff about it, but it just felt like it wasn't really going anywhere, and some of the night scenes were impossible for me to see with my weird/bad vision without turning the screen brightness to retina-searing levels.

Her Name Was Fire: What if 20 Minutes Till Dawn except everything was slightly worse?

Final Fantasy XIII-2: The first half was great and felt like a weird hybrid of Radiant Historia and Pokemon with a Final Fantasy skin, but the closer I got to the end the worse everything about it got until I quit in the final area. A contributing part of why the entire FF series is now banished.

Muse Dash: It's alright? The UI is a nightmare about a trainwreck though.

Final Fantasy VII Remake: I love the metanarrative of the story commenting on itself and how much more fleshed out the characters are, but as a game I didn't have a very good time playing it, and I continue to not vibe with the way Nomura/Nojima tell stories. The other main reason FF is now banished.

God of War: I was pretty hopeful about Dad of Boy, but I just don't like how it feels to play. A contributor to why I'm increasingly skeptical of giving most AAA games a shot.

It gets so lonely here: Second person is not a valid POV (for me personally).

Deep Rock Galactic: Survivor: The mining mechanic is pretty neat, but otherwise it's one of the less interesting/satisfying things I've played in the genre.

Spider-Man: Most stuff about it is...fine? But aside from the great movement nothing else really makes it above fine other than the typical stuff that comes with throwing lots of money at making a game. Another major reason why I'm increasingly wary of buying or playing most AAA games.

Vampire Survivors: Ode to Castlevania: The least fun I've ever had playing Vampire Survivors, almost entirely due to it not having its own separate adventure mode to introduce stuff on its own terms in more digestible chunks.

Neva: Not bad, but basically everything about it that's different from Gris is different in a way I don't personally like as much.

Once on a windswept night: see: It gets so lonely here

Stray: I only lasted a couple hours before getting bored. I don't even mind that it's mostly a walking simulator since I've enjoyed plenty of those since they were first a thing, but aside from the novelty of being a cat nothing about it really clicked with me.

Next we have games that I liked what they were doing overall but they're just not really my thing:

Gorogoa: Good art and a clever way to structure the puzzles and how you navigate them/between them, but it's not really my kind of puzzle game.

Ender Lilies: Quietus of the Knights: Probably the closest I've come to liking a game with Souls-like influences. Well put together metroidvania that feels good to play, but the combat got exhausting the further I went.

Snakebird: The addition of gravity and puzzles make Snake a lot more interesting, but I wasn't into the flow of it enough to want to finish it.

Please, Touch the Artwork: Good framing device and clever way to turn recognizable art styles into puzzles, but the individual puzzles didn't stay interesting enough to me after a while.

Super Mario Bros. Wonder: It does some really clever stuff, but I think I just don't really jive with how movement feels in modern 2D Mario games anymore compared to the ones from the 80s and 90s (but I still love the 3D ones). Also maybe kind of a victim of how sometimes Nintendo polishes their games almost too much, and the removal of any rough edges ends up detracting a bit from things I personally like.

Toodee and Topdee: The dimension/perspective swapping is neat, but it wasn't quite enough on its own to pull me through the entire game.

Tens!: Reasonably satisfying, and a pretty polished presentation, but this one also didn't hold my interest all the way through.

The Shape of Things: Another one with good presentation and decent (but slightly janky) puzzle mechanics that didn't quite hook me.

OscarWildeCard: Excellent name, and card battles to determine who has the gayest dinner party is a fun idea, but it's not really my style of card game in the end.

From Ashes, Bloom: I really like the creature and how it moves and interacts, but in the end it's a tower defense game, and those have never been my thing.

Cypher: I really like Matthew Brown's puzzle games in general, and I liked this too at first, but once I got to the point where I couldn't mostly hold the puzzles entirely in my head anymore I lost interest. I probably would've had a great time with it when I was younger and had more patience for taking my own notes though.

Manifold Garden: It looks good and has some good ideas, but kind of like Antichamber I feel like it'd be more interesting to me if I didn't instantly already wrap my head around the way it messes with space. The burdens of having an intuitive understanding of unusual geometry, I guess.

Burly Men at Sea: Seemed like it had potential, but the UI is awkward enough on the Switch that I didn't feel like finding out.

Railbound: Another puzzle game where I liked learning how it works but didn't feel like sticking around beyond that.

Rabi-Ribi: It seems cute enough, but I didn't click with how movement feels and the pacing was a bit off for me.

Cureocity: Has a good premise, and I liked the idea of the combat system, but I felt like I wasn't getting enough out of it for what I was putting in.

Parallax: The core puzzle concept is solid, but it gets a little tedious having to run around the map to actually put solutions into action. Also the most broken default controller layout I've seen in a long time.

Kero Blaster: Nothing really wrong with it, but it didn't hook me. Definitely not another Cave Story.

Nora: The Wannabe Alchemist: There's almost something there and the art's pretty decent, but the Switch version is Not Great, and it feels like it could use a bit more work in general.

Psychopomp: Seems like there could potentially be something interesting going on there, but it's borderline unplayable with a controller.

Press Any Button: This one also might eventually go somewhere interesting, or at least it definitely hints at it, but the gameplay segments started getting pretty tedious before I found out.

stitch.: Great presentation of the puzzles, crappy mobile game presentation for the menus, and solidly average actual puzzles.

Thumper: Pretty unusual aesthetic and music style for a rhythm game, but I don't have the reaction time to keep up with it when brain no worky like lately.

The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom: I can appreciate what they're going for, and it definitely addresses some of the issues I had with BotW/TotK, but I'm still having a really hard time getting as into it as older games in the series.

Spitkiss: I'm into the idea, and the presentation is really fun, but I bounced off somewhere in the middle as the levels got more heavily focused on tighter timing of actions. Seems fun for someone more into that sort of thing though.

After those we have the ones that are the most "fine, I guess" of the year that I had mixed feelings about:

Townscaper: More of a toy than a game, but I got it in a game bundle and messed around with it on a Steam Deck. It's fun briefly to see what you can make with it, but that's about it.

Little Noah: Scion of Paradise: Most of my time with it wasn't actually this year, but this is the year I concluded that even though the characters are cute and the way you build combos is kinda neat, the game itself is only ok. Also the Switch version doesn't run great.

Star Ocean: The Second Story R: The first 2/3 or so of it is great. The art style used in the remake is gorgeous, and the characters and running around doing typical JRPG stuff feels like all the things that made 90s JRPGs great. Then I got to what previously would've been disc 2 and it all fell apart into what makes 90s JRPGs so hard to go back to sometimes.

Fallow: I like most stuff about it except for actually playing it, which was kind of frustrating. Her music's still great though.

Ape Out: It's alright. I'm not very good at it.

Downwell: It's fine. I get what they're going for, and it feels like they succeeded, but I didn't stick with it super long.

Looking Up I See Only a Ceiling: This one gets an award for suffering the most from a bad translation or not being written in the creator's native language. It'd probably be pretty decent if that was cleaned up.

Astronomical Club for Queers: Dialogue's a bit awkward, but overall it shows potential for making something decent in the future.

Hardcore Cottagecore: This one has serious student project/game jam vibes. With some polish and balance they could make something alright though.

A Little to the Left: Deserves an award for "game that most makes me want to go replay Unpacking instead". Fine, but I lost interest after a while.

Twilight Survivors: I've definitely played worse bullet heaven games, but at least when I tried it this one didn't have much unique about it good or bad.

Geometry Survivor: It's close to being pretty decent, but it just doesn't quite feel good enough to play to me to stick with it too long.

Ikenfell: The characters are good and the story is ok, but I could've done without the gameplay. The "instant victory" button was one of my favorite buttons I pushed this year and saved the game enough for me to actually finish.

Star Ocean: First Departure R: It probably would've been more fun if I'd played it in the 90s. Significantly less compelling than SO2R but not actually bad or anything.

Cats Organized Neatly: Presentation's alright, but the process of solving the puzzles isn't the most satisfying for me.

The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom: Fixes a lot of the issues I had with BotW, and the abilities feel a lot more polished and like they complement each other better, but I still ultimately don't love the way these recent Zelda games play and am probably done with them until the next major franchise overhaul.

The Average Everyday Adventures of Samantha Browne: It's fine. There's just only so much it can really do in like ten minutes.

Jewel Match Solitaire Summertime: It's a perfectly competent solitaire game, just like all the other Jewel Match Solitaire games. Good for when brain no worky, but it doesn't stand out in any way.

Xenogears: The first time I tried playing it was before Xenosaga was even out. I tried going back to it to finally finish it, but I forgot how rough the translation was and how janky some stuff like the camera is. At least now I remember why I've never finished it.

One Deck Dungeon: It plays out in an interesting way with the way everything is built around dice rolls, but it just didn't grab me enough to get me to keep playing.

the static speaks my name: It was just strange enough to be a little bit interesting, but not strange enough to stick with me at all for more than a day or two.

Stray Cats in Cozy Town: Might be my least favorite Devcats game I've played because the different angle makes it harder to come up with a good search pattern.

TREE: Another ten minute free one. I liked it more before replaying it to get the last achievement.

Witcheye: Pretty unique movement and fun for a while, but the difficulty increase later in the game didn't feel like it fit as well with what the controls let me do.

RYB: Some pretty good puzzles, but the more mechanics are introduced the less well it reads visually.

Fire Emblem Echoes: Shadows of Valentia: I've tried more than once to go back and finish it, and while I still like most things about it, the map design and a couple enemy types annoy me enough that I finally had to accept I'm not going to beat this one.

Graceful Explosion Machine: Surprisingly well balanced and an interesting gameplay loop swapping between weapons, but sometimes I lose track of enemies in the visual clutter. Also it's physically painful for me to play some of the later levels.

Frincess&Cnight: Good pixel art and fun interactions between the two characters' abilities, but the increasingly tight timings and need to start levels over for any mistake got a little annoying at some point.

CARS: More interactive art than a game. Fun to poke at for a bit, but probably not leaving a lasting impression.

VOYAGER: Slightly more of a game than the previous one, but mostly it's just tracing out fun patterns with your orbit while pretty good music plays.

Dragon Quest XI S: I played the demo on Steam a while ago and loved it, but having to replay the entire opening dozen hours when I got the full game on the Switch was painful enough to make me lose interest. There's so much stuff it does well, but It sure does start slow.

Project X Zone: I do enjoy a lot of stuff about it, but there are so many levels that each take so long to finish that after a while it got kind of tedious.

A Slug's Dream: Pretty good puzzles and presentation, but at some point I drifted away and never went back.

Puddle Knight: Same as above.

Please Fix the Road: Also same as above.

Atelier Ryza: Ever Darkness and the Secret Hideout: The most atrociously paced intro ever before suddenly becoming very good a few hours in, but the tediousness of needing to replace all my stuff at once toward the end of the game instead of stuff opening up more gradually killed my enthusiasm before finishing it.

Otoko Cross: Pretty Boys Mahjong Solitaire: A friend gifted me Pretty Girls Mahjong Solitaire years ago as a joke, so I impulsively got this on sale in memory of that. Totally fine but nothing special as a game, and if they toned down the horniness a bit some of the character designs/outfits would actually be pretty cute.

Death Becomes You: Some decent ideas and an interesting world, but some of the writting is kind of off-putting and some of the endings feel kind of abrupt and unearned.

this morning I decided to die: I get what they were going for and can appreciate it, but it didn't entirely land for me.

Final Fantasy XII: The Zodiac Age: One of my favorite mainline FF games since the 90s, and I did genuinely have a pretty good time with it a lot of the time, but every time I got back into it it would pull some annoying crap to pull me back out again.

Tales of Berseria: I liked a couple of the characters enough to keep me playing for a while and the story is fine, but I got bored of the actual gameplay eventually and gave up.

Tales of Arise: Feels better to play than Berseria, but even though it hints at something interesting going on nothing in the first couple hours hooked me enough to get me to keep going.

KarmaZoo: I love the idea, but it doesn't get to go higher than this because it requires other people to play and I couldn't find any when I tried.

Margo: Definitely a fan of the art style, but the overall experience was only ok. It was probably somewhat negatively influenced by it being a pain to get it to run on the Steam Deck and still running terribly when it did, a very rare experience for me.

Berserk and the Band of the Hawk: It continues the pattern of most Musou/Warriors games that aren't affiliated with Nintendo in some way just not really being as good these days. It's ok, but it's noticeably more clunky and less polished than even the original Hyrule Warriors was and just doesn't feel as good to play.

Moving on, next we have games that were pretty good and generally met my expectations:

Luna's Fishing Garden: I didn't love either difficulty option for the fishing minigame, and it dragged a bit toward the end, but overall it's pretty cute and chill. Special mention to the "you got a fish" animation for being great.

Kuukiyomi 2: Consider It More! - New Era: I apparently never mentioned this in a post anywhere, or at least I can't find it. Anyway, it's more of the same from the first one, which is a good thing for the most part. It's basically WarioWare, except the minigames are about being considerate (or being a jerk if you'd prefer) in various situations. Cheap, short, and a decent way to be amused for a little while.

TET: Cute, funny, includes recipes. A good use of ten minutes and $0 if preparing food for Vietnamese Lunar New Year sounds like a good time. Also feels much better with a touchscreen.

Clickolding: Like I said earlier this year, it's the most about sex work anything's ever been without explicitly stating it's about sex work, and it will do its best to make you vaguely uncomfortable about that. Didn't leave quite as much of an impression on me as their other game I played last year, Can Androids Pray, but still pretty good.

An Arcade Full of Cats: Not my favorite Devcats game ever, but still enjoyable. As someone old enough to remember arcades it was fun seeing all the terrible cat puns on old games, and they did a pretty good job of capturing the general feel.

Tokyo Mirage Sessions #FE Encore: Most of my time with this was before this year, but I finally made it through the last third of it. I have some issues with the dungeons dragging on too long and the almost non-existent quest tracking, but the characters and story and combat are mostly fun, and it's the only SMT/Persona-adjacent game I've actually enjoyed other than BlazBlue: Cross Tag Battle.

Glitchhikers: The Spaces Between: It didn't hit me as hard as the original over a decade ago, and a couple sections just didn't really land for me, but when it does work it does some interesting stuff. The train section was probably my favorite because it actually gets to expand on its ideas a bit more there.

The Fairy's Song: What if La Belle Dame sans Merci but make it yuri? Nothing revolutionary, but it does everything well enough to be enjoyable, enough that I'll probably get through the sequel one of these days too.

Bury me, my Love: Manages to capture both the surreal horror and mind-numbing mundanity of being a refugee seeking asylum and does a fairly effective job of it. The lack of typical VN QoL features kept me from going through again to see stuff I missed though.

Takorita Meets Fries: Fluffy nonsense about merpeople in search of french fries, and I mean that in a good way.

GOODBYE WORLD: The story and art were just enough to keep me going through the annoying platforming sections (which make narrative sense to be there, and even for them to be bad, but still), and the way it all came together in the end is what bumped it up as high as this.

Blackberry Honey: Yuri that's mostly cute and fluffy and fun while it lasts. I have Questions about the way the main character's boobs are drawn though. What's wrong with your boobs?

Voxelgram DLC #1: One one hand it's good because more Voxelgram is good, but on the other the larger puzzles are mostly just more tedious. Still good enough puzzles to get my poor ADHD brain to focus on something while listening to podcasts or whatever.

rat chaos: A replay of something I played many, many years ago. Not my favorite of the Twine boom back in the day, but having an "unleash rat chaos" button makes it memorable.

Theatrhythm Final Bar Line DLC: Still not my favorite style of music/rhythm game so it doesn't go higher, but there's some good music in there, and it was still enjoyable enough that I had fun going through everything.

A Hero and a Garden: Cute, fun characters, good music (including the unlockable remixes after you finish the game), and somehow made in Ren'Py, which is not intended for this genre at all.

Hide & Dance!: I like it for similar reasons to the other games I played by hap (which will be further down this list), but it doesn't have quite as many opportunities for the silly humor that makes their games work.

Subsurface Circular: "You are a robot detective solving robot crimes by talking to other robots on the subway" is a great premise, and I was not expecting Thomas Was Alone (still my favorite Mike Bithell game I've played) to be canon.

Kirby and the Forgotten Land: It was genuinely great for a while, and they did an excellent job translating what makes Kirby fun into 3D, but I kept finding more minor annoyances the closer I got to the end, and I gave up entirely on the postgame stuff pretty quickly because it wasn't doing it for me.

Clear Skye Thinking: More cute yuri fluff that won't leave a lasting impression, but it was a good palate cleanser.

Regency Solitaire 2: Basically just Regency Solitaire again, which is fine with me. These always feel a bit more substantial and more polished than the other solitaire games Grey Alien publishes, so it's nice to have another of these after years of mostly just Jewel Match Solitaire.

Zenzizenzic: Good bullet hell game with good music, and everything is so many squares. Sadly not available anywhere anymore, and neither is the soundtrack. Also sadly I'm not very good at it.

Wedding Witch: I got it mostly as a joke after it popped up in a Steam friend's activity, but it's actually pretty competently made. I wouldn't mind seeing some of the stuff from this in a little more substantial game that's somewhat less horny.

A Park Full of Cats: More Devcats hidden cats. If you're into it you're into it, and this is more of it.

Gordy and the Monster Moon; One of the more recent entries in the Frog Fractions Cinematic Universe. A successful attempt to see what would happen if you made a traditional Zelda game without most of the things most people think of as making something a Zelda game.

Art Sqool: I've seen people complain that it's janky and gives you bad tools for drawing, but the whole point feels like that even if you only can make "bad" art you still did something creative and made an art. Fun to mess around with if you can engage with it on its own terms.

Fire Emblem Engage DLC: I played the main game last year, but I didn't get around to doing DLC stuff like the Fell Xenologue until this year. Not quite as good as the main story (which was one of my favorite games last year), but I still overall had a good time with it.

Super PSTW Action RPG: Replay of something I played years ago, so it can't go any higher, but if it didn't break my own self-imposed rules it would be GOTY every year.

A Tower Full of Cats: More Devcats? More Devcats. See every other entry for them.

Shovel Knight: Really well put together platformer inspired by old 8-bit ones on stuff like the NES and clearly made by people with a deep love for and understanding of them.

Milk inside a bag of milk inside a bag of milk: This and the next one go together. They didn't completely win me over, but I'll give them points for managing to nether glamorize nor stigmatize trauma or psychosis and avoid having an ending that's either tragic or fixes everything. Not perfect, but they at least tried to do something interesting with it.

Milk outside a bag of milk outside a bag of milk: See above

Meet Her There: Does what it's trying to do pretty well even if the writing's a bit stiff. Content warnings on this one aren't messing around. Also it's funny how many people totally missed how full of gender it is.

Florence: Effective storytelling with almost zero text or dialogue, and they actually manage to do some clever things to tie the very minimalist gameplay into that to enhance it.

Boyfriend Dungeon post-launch content: I played the game itself right when it came out and had a good time with it, but it took me until pretty recently to go back and do the additional stuff added after it came out. I probably would've liked it more if I'd been able to do it all at once, but it was still enjoyable enough to be worthwhile.

Star Ocean: The Divine Force: Definitely an improvement over SO2R (which was great in the first half but kinda fell apart in what would've originally been disc 2). This one still stumbles a bit toward the end but holds it together a bit better. Enough characters I liked and satisfying enough combat/exploration to keep me going until the end, and the nyoom button might've been my favorite button to push all year.

Be My Horde: Or at least what of it is finished up until now. I like the idea of having your only resource being dead enemies you've killed and most abilities revolving around upgrades/enhancements of your resurrection ability. The voice acting is also surprisingly good/fun. Definitely has potential if future additions to it can build on its strengths, but we'll see how that goes.

Pesticide Not Required: Possibly the most unusual premise for a bullet heaven game I've played, crossing it with a farming sim. Somehow it actually works? Builds feel kinda samey after a while unfortunately, but it's cute enough and interesting enough seeing how farming/fishing/mining manages to work simultaneously with killing hundreds of bugs at once to be enjoyable for a bit.

Golf Club Nostalgia: I'm absolutely terrible at the actual gameplay (thank you story mode), but the story and worldbuilding told through the radio broadcasts were interesting enough and kept me going. Not subtle about its politics or who it's commenting on even though it doesn't name any names.

I commissioned some bees 0: Not really anything special on its own, but I'm a big fan of the idea of commissioning multiple artists to draw whatever they want as long as they can fit a hundred bees in it somewhere.

Point of Mew: Short enough that its cuteness and charm can carry it through to the end.

Locke(d): I appreciate that someone took a hypothetical scenario from an essay, interpreted it completely literally, and then used that setup to talk about the ideas of the essay.

The Great Voyage: Not nearly as good as their second game, Vengeful Heart (which will be further down the list), but you can see how they got from here to there and how some of that stuff was already here to begin with.

CATO: Buttered Cat: Some reasonably clever puzzles, and building your game mechanics off the idea of a cat with buttered toast strapped to its back is silly enough that I can't not like it.

The Knight Witch: It didn't quite win me over enough to finish it, but what I did play of it was pretty well put together and enjoyable enough.

Peglin: It has a pretty fun loop, and turning Peggle into a roguelike is a pretty neat idea that works surprisingly well. I could see myself going back to it for a few more runs now and then.

Words Can Kill: It has a pretty fun loop, and turning Scrabble into a roguelike is a pretty neat idea that works surprisingly well. I could see myself going back to it for a few more runs now and then.

Across-Stitch: The tweaks to the typical picross/nonograms rules are just enough to keep things interesting, and I probably would've spent even more time with it if it didn't have some unfortunate color palatte choices.

memories: Another little yuri VN, this time sad. I liked the way it tied different memories to different outfits, and it's reasonably well told for what it is. It desperately needs a way to adjust the text speed though.

Next but not quite last are the ones that exceeded my expectations in some way without necessarily being better than the ones in the previous category (although some are here because they were good). I could also just have gotten more out of them than I was led to think I would:

Seraphim Slum: A VN that isn't afraid to get weird with it, and by weird I don't mean rawrxdlolrandom, I mean surrealness and strange metaphors and corruption/destruction as a form of love. I can dig it.

9th Sentinel Sisters: Seems unfortunately abandoned at this point, but what they finished of it is a fairly enjoyable bullet heaven game with a bit of a different feel and aesthetic from what I'm used to seeing. Translation's pretty awful though.

20 Minutes Till Dawn: One of the better bullet heaven games I've played, with a great monochrome-plus-one-accent-color aesthetic (the character portraits are particularly good) and different builds that genuinely feel different to play. Play on anything but the Switch if you have the option though, because it has atrocious slowdown with certain builds (although it still remains remarkably stable even then).

DoraKone: More yuri fluff about four queer girls spending the summer playing the my OC do not steal version of Pokemon GO. It's cute, and I liked the way they managed to tie the developing friendships/relationships into playing the game together in a way that actually felt like it worked.

A Time Traveller's Guide to Past Delicacies: More surreal weirdness, but this time with sock puppets too. I'm still undecided on what it's trying to say, but I really enjoyed the way it said it, and it captures both the fun and the janky parts of 90s FMV games well.

Bayonetta 2: The main reason this counts as exceeding my expectations is that the first game was full of great ideas but felt really unpolished in a lot of ways, and I wasn't expecting something that's still an entire decade old to have really fixed all that. But they did for the most part, and all the potential from the original finally came together properly.

Vectronom: Aside from pure rhythm games, this might be the first thing I've played since 140 that integrates the music and gameplay as well as it does. Bonus points to whoever decided to include some stuff with odd time signatures and rhythms later in the game.

Vampire Survivors: Emergency Meeting and Operation Guns: I liked both of these as much as I disliked Ode to Castlevania. They're much more interesting than the previous DLC was and experiment a bit more mechanically, and the adventure mode does a great job of introducing all the new stuff and teaching you the new mechanics and maps.

Lies as a Starting Point: A good example of how this category isn't necessarily better than "worse" categories in my list. It's pretty decent and the three storylines come together in a satisfying way in the end, but the translation is awful. I still got more out of it than I thought I would though.

Before I Forget: Ironically for a story about memory problems I forgot a lot of it because of my own memory problems. This nearly ended up in the best category though, and I appreciated how they made the story about who the character is as a person instead of just what's wrong with her.

Mom Hid My Game!: This and the next two are basically three parts of the same game, which is the offspring of a point and click adventure and WarioWare. Pretty short with lots of little bite-sized puzzles and a silly sense of humor.

Mom Hid My Game! 2: see above

My Brother Ate My Pudding!: see above

Soulstone Survivors: Another of my favorite bullet heaven games I've played. The addition of an active dodge and a lot of layered interactions between abilities makes it a bit more involved to play, but in a good way if you're looking for that sort of thing.

Bio Prototype: Not my favorite to actually play and the UI isn't great, but you can do some absolutely wild things with what basically amounts to a programmable build system to DIY your own weapons with very few restrictions.

20 Small Mazes: A great example of something that takes a simple concept, explores it thoroughly, and then ends without wasting time or energy on anything unnecessary.

The Stanley Parable: Ultra Deluxe: As someone who's been playing the different variations on this since the original mod, this was a more effective story commenting on its own (re)telling and its own audience's expectations than FF7R was, at least for me.

Halls of Torment: What's this? Another of my favorite bullet heaven games? The standout for this one might be how so many of the achievements/unlocks are really well thought out to get you to approach playing the game in ways you might not have tried otherwise and are often little mini-puzzles themselves.

SeaBed: Very slow burn VN that ultimately pays off in the end even if I liked the journey a bit more than the destination.

Everything is going to be OK: On the surface it's very coping with adversity through absurdity, but if you keep digging it has more to say about trauma and depression and misogyny and the value of artists and so on.

Will The Man Get Frog: Cute little PICO-8 game/toy for creating haikus using an extremely limited set of randomly chosen words. Fun to mess around with to try to come up with anything remotely coherent.

The Indifferent Wonder of an Edible Place: Interactive poetry about being a willing participant in the destruction of history and trying to explain or justify it while also being aware of the sense of loss.

Luckily, My Arm Is a Shotgun: Nothing revolutionary, but it's surprisingly polished for something so small and cheap, and the titular shotgun is very satisfying.

a completely normal dating simulation that is definitely completely sweet, innnocent and normal: SOMETHINGETH ANIVERSARY EDITION: It feels like someone in high school in 2011 dumped their Tumblr into Ren'Py while also feeling like a flash animation from the 00s. I'm not sure the humor would hold up for me if I did all the different routes, but what I did play of it was the kind of thing I haven't seen in years.

And finally we have the ones I enjoyed the most or felt I got the most out of, not really in any particular order other than vaguely the order I finished them and added them to my list:

The Witcher 3: Absolutely my least favorite gameplay of anything anywhere near this high on the list, but the world and characters are so interesting and well developed that it more than makes up for it. I know they had an entire series of novels and short stories to draw on, but they've added so much more on their own, and it's only gotten bigger and better with each new game. They do a great job of making it feel like the world is much, much larger with a lot of stuff going on outside the small corner you're seeing at any given time.

Ghost Trick: It has a ridiculous premise and clever puzzles and a good sense of humor, but something else that particularly stands out about it is that despite the relatively simple art style it has some of the most fluid and expressive animations that give a ton of personality to everyone.

Vengeful Heart: Possibly my favorite retro aesthetic in anything I've played recently and definitely the best anyone's nailed the PC-98 look in a while, but even more than that the characters and story are great. They do a great job showing people from totally different backgrounds with totally different approaches working together against an oppressive power structure, and rather than everything working out perfectly there are definitely problems, but it still shows hope for overcoming them and a path toward the future.

Unicorn Overlord: Unlike Vanillaware's previous game the writing is only ok, but the art continues to be excellent, and it's easily their best iteration on their RTS ideas to date. I don't think the story will leave much of a lasting impression on me, but I had such a great time with the gameplay for the entire time I was playing that I don't mind.

OPUS: Echo of Starsong: Definitely kind of a slow burn that took me a bit to warm up to, but I really liked how things came together in the end as I got to know more about the characters and what was going on. It's also good at showing restraint though, not neatly wrapping everything up, and it left me with more to think about than when I started.

We Know the Devil: Another one that's good at hinting at and suggesting things without explicitly coming right out and directly telling you everything, and some scenes hit differently when replaying to see the other endings when you know enough to be able to read it as commenting on itself.

Jack Jeanne: A strong contender for my favorite thing I played this year. Definitely my favorite music/rhythm game, the best music in general, and the most gender. So many things in it can be read on multiple levels at once as being about the nature of art and performance, what gender even is, and how (or even if) to engage with an audience.

Visions of Mana: It's a shame the studio got shut down right when it released, because they definitely understood what made the old games in the series so much fun, and they finally made a new non-remake Mana game that's actually pretty great for the first time in over two decades.

1000xRESIST: I'm undecided on whether it's my favorite thing I played this past year, but it's definitely my favorite piece of media in general that came out in 2024. It's another one where everything works on like 17 levels simultaneously, like generational trauma, the nature of language and communication, the protests in Hong Kong, the experience of being an immigrant or a child of immigrants, both biological and found family, memory and what we choose to forget or to pass on, and like a dozen more things.

A Highland Song: If you're noticing that most stuff in this category is here because it has great writing/storytelling you're not wrong, and this one is no exception. The way what's going on is gradually revealed is satisfying, and the way it's structured across different paths keeps things interesting. It also does a great job of seamlessly blending realism and history with myth and legend, treating them all as equally meaningful and important to the people and world.

Ys X: Nordics: Sometimes you just need to go on a wacky adventure though, and Adol's shenanigans continue to be fun. The gameplay continues to feel tight and polished, and they also keep managing to have a large cast of interesting and likeable characters. It's just a good time.

I guess this time I'll only be tagging that last category because I played entirely too many games in 2024 and don't actually have enough tags for the top two categories like usual. There were some huge disappointments, but there were even more things that I didn't expect to like as much as I did, and there was a bunch of really great stuff in general.

[jyae23]

Weep Wednesday

Happy WIP Wednesday! My WIP is not happy. Or I guess it's bittersweet. I like what I wrote, but I'm having doubts whether or not I should continue writing it.

I'm switching up my content for today. Please carefully read everything before proceeding under the cut.

I like to save tags that have zero results for Carry On to feature in future WIPs. The memory loss fics were amazing and I wanted more, so I did what anyone would do and looked up the dementia and Alzheimer’s disease tags...

10k words later and—I don't think I can finish it, so I might just cut out the context and make it a one shot of Simon passing first. Which is why I can confidently share half the ending here.

Major Character Death: Simon:

I look at my golden ring on my right hand. The one you gave me with an etched sun. I feel it in between my fingers. It reminds me of your warmth. It reminds me that you were alive.  I’ve experienced the Chosen One’s life twice now. Once when we were kids. The second during the last moments of his life. Both times felt just as magickal. I’ve watched him when he saved the World of Mages. Saw him with his wings and tail, lose his magic, and saved the day time and time again. We’ve crossed the Atlantic Ocean to kill vampires and came back a week later to dissolve a cult. No matter what shape or powers he possessed, I was able to trust him to make the right decision. With Simon, anything was possible.  I wouldn’t mind talking about Simon for the rest of my half dead life. If I’m going to be thinking about him everyday, I may as well be paid for it. And so here I am retelling that same story once again. The first of many more times. So that no one will ever forget your accomplishments. So that no one can deny that you saved the World of Mages. And that everyone will feel your warmth hearing your name. You were alive and you will continue to live on through everyone's memories. Simon, my love. I love you and miss you so much. Although your story has come to an end, I'll spread it far and wide. I'll scream at the top of my lungs if I have to. To the point where my throat is dry and I have to drain all the rats in the Catacombs. Because that is how much I am hopelessly in love with you. That way, you will never burn out even after death. “Welcome to The History of the Chosen One. Open up your textbooks to chapter one: The Rise and Fall of Simon Snow.”

I think it's very fitting for Tyrannus Basilton Grimm-Pitch Salisbury to become a professor at Watford to talk about Simon's life. Simon may have forgotten, but that doesn't mean the World of Mages has to.

Simon's story has ended, but thankfully we can keep his story alive. After 10 years, I see you all have done exactly that.

Thoughts? Opinions? Experiences? Full stop?  Keep going? Stay in my lane? Wtf?

You've already earned your place exalted in the sky; it's reserved with your name on it just for you! Have a seat. Today, you're the guest of honour.

@jazzydl @gonzalesfreecs @catthehappy @lovelettersto-mars @thewholelemon @bookishbroadwayandblind @roomwithanopenfire @the-beard-of-edward-teach @rimeswithpurple

If you saw me post this and then delete it and then post it again, no you didn't :D

[pushspacetocontinue]

NAME: Rae or Flower (whichever one you prefer really)

PRONOUNS: They/them

MOST ACTIVE MUSE(S): Russell is definitely the most active one at the moment. On my side roleplaying blog (@blooddrinkingbartender), it's a bit quieter right now. On there though, Bill tends to be most active but the other two lads seem to be catching up.

RP PET PEEVES: I don't know if it really 'counts' as a peeve, but I'm not a fan of vague posting and just not communicating in general. I know it can be daunting to message someone if there's a problem like a rule break, but I think it's just best to get it cleared up and be transparent about it. We're not mind readers and in my opinion, if we know we've done something wrong, it's best to know so we can try and mend it. It's probably hypocritical of me to be honest, because I have been guilty of not communicating when I should have in the past, but I am trying to get better at that.

EXPERIENCE/HOW MANY YEARS: I've roleplayed on tumblr since 2012 and a lot has changed on it as Russell developed and I decided I wanted to branch out into him being in an urban fantasy type of setting. But before that, I roleplayed on forums, MSN, and Skype (yes, I am that old.)

FLUFF, ANGST, or SMUT: Hmm. I'm okay with angst as long as it isn't without end. When the angst just doesn't end and a character doesn't get a break, I end up thinking 'okay, this is just too bleak'. I do enjoy some fluff from time to time. I guess I'm more of an in between person for fluff and angst. When it comes to smut, I prefer not to write the sex itself. I don't mind lewd questions or suggestive asks or jokes or things, and I don't mind 'fading to black' and have the characters acknowledge that it happened. But I prefer not to write the actual smut itself.

LONG/SHORT REPLIES: I'm fine with any length to be honest. I tend to just match lengths but there is never any pressure for anyone to write a longer one (like if I've made an intro post to a thread to set the scene). All I ask is please don't write just one line when I've done a paragraph or two at the very least.

BEST WAY TO INTERACT: Reaching out and a little bit of planning is good, and sending in an ask prompt is also a good way to get something started off (especially for a first interaction). But I'm not particularly picky with anything really.

BEST TIME TO WRITE: Usually mid afternoon and later is better for me. That's when I find myself with the most time. If I have some time in the mornings, then I'll write some replies before my morning workout (unless it's Sunday) though.

TAGGED BY: @brokenbladesandfaces ((Thank you so much!))

TAGGING: @divingdownthehole @historically-accurate @theotherrookie @icangiveyouanything @schattenmagier @5mind @leondxs @the-expatriate @itsncthingpersonal and anybody else who sees this and would like to do it.

[reigraceee]

Notes from a first-time Severance viewer

severance notes tag / next part

**this post has spoilers for both of the first two seasons**

Right to so there I was. It was just a couple days ago, but I was a totally different person. I'd been wanting to watch Severance for a while now, but in my wait for Andor Season 2 to drop (I'm absolutely dying, the wait is killing me lol) I thought watching Severance might fill the void in my heart. And boy did it.

Part way through episode 6 of season 1, I had so many thoughts bouncing around that I wanted to write it down in my digital notebook. I thought it could be fun to put my thoughts out there into the void and perhaps other people might be interested because I don't have any friends to talk about Severance with lol.

Starting with ep 6 (feel free to skim lol):

^now is probably a good time to forewarn that I was a huge Mark x Helly shipper right from Ep 1. Which is crazy, I know, but what can I say. I love a good enemies to lovers arc, they had great chemistry, and I couldn't help but root for Helly to realize how genuinely caring Mark was. I actually spent the entire show shipping them and then being shocked that things actually happened lol

^I was getting so annoyed with Helly in this episode lol. I felt it was such a waste for Helly to keep trying to leave when she could do more damage from the inside and also, I wanted her to make out I mean make up with Mark.

^I think this was when what's-his-name got beat in the head by what's-her-name (I'm bad with names sorry I promise I care about them lol)

^The episode finale absolutely killed me, that was so shocking 😭😭

I remember getting really excited thinking it was top tier love triangle-ing. The fact that this guy has so much game will never cease to amaze me lol.

^we love Irv here but I was and continue to be really disappointed that Irv progressively doesn't have as significant a role as the other 3 as the show goes on. Bro wasn't even in the finale and that was so devastating 😭

^Took these during Mark's wellness session, which was so crazy and tense lol. I thought it was really sweet that Ms. Casey like him so much, but also (sorry) she still creeped me out lol. I understood, though, that outie wifey was probably not as creepy, so I was just hopeful that Mark could save her somehow.

I also got really excited that Ms. Casey called Mark nice because I was still waiting for Helly to verbally admit that she was wrong about Mark. And now after finishing season two I'm still waiting for that apology among others (we'll get to the other things in later posts lmao), but I guess we have to let some things go lol.

The Mark x Helly chemistry was also picking up, which got me excited. Helly seemed to be coming around to Mark and that really made me happy lmao

^I genuinely thought the show would be more tonally like Better Call Saul or something more tragic. I was very pleasantly surprised by how light and funny the viewing experience was despite it obviously being a drama/thriller

^I genuinely kicked and giggled I was so giddy. Although, I still feared the ship wouldn't seriously go through because most shows I think would turn this kiss into something more awkward. In retrospect this was actually a big moment (+1 realism point) and I feel so cool for shipping Mark x Helly from the start. It's like I'm a prophetess or something. I'm honesty not a big shipper- I spend more time wishing characters *weren't* romantic. But when it came to Them I just saw the potential (and perhaps picked up on foreshadowing) and it was so fun for me as I watched their relationship unveil.

Sorry I'll stop rambling about my feelings about Mark x Helly I just love them so much anyways...

^the end of episode 8 was so hype! they did a great job with the buildup and of course I had to go onto the finale right away!

__

I'd like to post ep 9 and my notes from season two in another post, so hopefully this one doesn't flop lol.

Sorry if it seems like most of my notes are Mark/Helly shipping oriented, but in retrospect, that was what got me the most excited lol. Still can't believe my predictions about them came true. I didn't write it down explicitly, but I spent all the first season waiting for Helly to let her guard down and build a good relationship with Mark. Partially because I love Helly and want to see her happy, and partially because I love Mark and want to see him loved and respected lol.

Let me know what you think! I'd also be interested if anyone reblogged/commented with their own experience with these episodes. I'm really interested as to what the fans' reaction was at the time and if I'm the only one who was shipping mark x helly from season 1 lol.

UPDATE: Pt 2 here :)

[ramblesofthemyu]

hi guys, it's myu here!

if you've been around the fantasy life tag, you may or may not have stumbled upon one of my ocs, mal! she was originally just meant to be my player character in fl for this joke but i later gave her more of a character and backstory (fun!)

since a lot about her is probably in the dark, i'll yap a bit about her backstory here

let's start at the beginning - mal's family.

mal was the only daughter of two adventurers, and being the only child she was often doted on by them. she was certainly way different back then - a wide-eyed, curious child who loved to hear her parents' stories. then, one day, her parents left her with pam and set off on an adventure, and they never returned.

a few months after her parents left, mal met a kid her age named weiss, hailing from port puerto. their family was temporarily staying in castele, and they became close to lonely little mal. the two of them would wander around town, talking about their hopes and dreams for their future.

mal aspired to become a wizard - a powerful wizard known far and wide, hoping that her parents would want to come back home to her. weiss wanted to be a tailor, but their pirate family wanted them to continue their legacy. in the end, mal convinced them to follow their dreams, and in turn weiss promised her to create something beautiful for her.

weiss left once again, and mal found herself all alone again, for many years. she started to believe that loss and loneliness were inevitable things, and that there was no point in becoming close to someone when they would one day leave as well.

...which leads us to the first day of the rest of my life comic! taking place on the day mal first becomes a wizard, the comic shows mal's thoughts leading up to it - how she was afraid of what could happen, her wishing her parents were there to celebrate this occasion, and overall showing how lonely she was. "every man for himself" was her motto at this point, having accepted that she only has herself to rely on. and yet, as she looks in the mirror, she is not the only one looking back - because, as it turns out, she isn't alone :)

in the eternal happiness comic, mal's wish to yuelia was explained. she had told butterfly she wished for "eternal happiness," but in reality she had no idea at the time what that meant for her. then, after the doomstone crisis was resolved and the dust settled, mal realized what this "eternal happiness" was all along.

"You were what I was wishing for all along."

it was yuelia - and weiss, laura, hazel, and everyone else she had come to consider a friend. eternal happiness was a stable companionship she never had, someone she could grow close to and rely on without worrying about them leaving.

her wish was granted from the day she met butterfly - from the day she realized that perhaps she no longer has to be afraid anymore. she reunited with weiss in port puerto, who fulfilled the promise they made with her. in fact, mal's current outfit (quilted sweater and philosopher's hat) was from weiss!

so, what's next for mal and weiss? well, the short answer is the golden brewery. that story is still a work in progress and ill probably work more on fleshing out mal and weiss some more, so stay tuned i guess haha

anyways if you're read all the way to the end here, then thank you very much! ill repost the funny adventuring trio doodle i drew while i was still working out mal and weiss's designs

[backwater-bubbler]

Hello Rotomblr!!

Hiya!! Call me Bubble! As you can probably guess by the title n' theme, I'm a Dewpider Weremon! A bit of an uncommon one, I know, but I want to be able to find orhers and in general carve out an online space. So here we are!!

A bit about me beyond my weremon-hood, I'm from a backwater region called Niron, but am currently living in Unova! I'm mostly here to help with research into Natal Pokethropy (as an example, haha) but am also taking college at the same time! Almost through with it, actually-- we'll find out what happens afterwards! I only mention this because there's a nonzero chance I'll end up talking about it all! Unfortunately I'm pretty closeted in my day to day life outside of the grant-- it's way easier, after all-- so I'm hoping to make an online space for myself!

I mostly want to have a space to connect with others as myself and be able to talk about it all, both for more Weremon awareness and the specifics of more unusual Pokethropy experiences!!

Mails and the like are off; no shade, but I don't personally want to open myself to that risk! Do please send asks, though!!

Realizing I should probably note down tags here! Using #pokethrope posting for any ramblings about Weremon experiences, and #bubbling thoughts for other, miscellaneous personal posts!

Personal writings:

A Primer On Physical Pokethropy

The Many Names of Pokethropy

Hello hello!! You can call me Souls, and I'm making my first foray into Pokemon IRL!

..... after an extensive side project. Why not check it out at @personality-pokedex ?

As an important note I forgor, runner and character are both adults!! It's unlikely I post anything suggestive, but I am an adult and will interact as one!!

Bubble is mostly based off of facets of my own day-to-day with a much larger fantastical twist; so, obviously, this is mostly Just A Blog that exists in pokemon universe. No major stakes here! We're just vibing.

Very open to interaction AND in-character negative interactions- hate, weirdness, and other things AS LONG AS IT'S IN CHARACTER. But do note I'll be responding as Bubble would, so if it isn't responded to that doesn't mean I hated it or anything-- it just means it's not anything worth responding to.

Do note that Bubble is a Physical Pokethrope, as in capable of transforming into a Pokemon form, and will often be posting about that-- while you're more than allowed to in-character deny such things, if you don't want interactions with sapient pokemon or eebies, you probably don't want to interact here either! Do what you do and I'll do what I do <3

Also note that this is a main blog! I'm hoping to create a True Rotomblr Dash with it, so I end up mass following most people that I come across-- sometimes not fr vibes reasons and sometimes not fr The Notes Above. I'm just here to have a good time and I'm not looking for a ton of high-stakes stuff!! But all interactions will come thru from here <3

(Don't worry if I follow then unfollow-- mostly, that just means the vibes don't wholly mesh for me !! I'm making my fun rotomblr sphere, and sometimes I might realize later that a blog's general direction doesn't mesh :P)

Hoping to have fun out here!!!

[ask-the-6-souls]

Welcome to Ask the 6 Souls!

Read from the beginning here!

This is an Undertale askblog for the 6 humans the monsters had collected- the ones who fell down before the events of the canon game. There will be spoilers for both Undertale and Undertale Yellow, so if you haven't experienced either game to completion at least once, go do that first!

Content warnings: - Talk of child murder, may or may not be visualized (but not gratuitously or for the hell of it. Will not be overly bloody/gory.) - Potential discussion of genocide - Talk of death, murder - Racism (directed at monsters, not other humans)

I'll add more as I think of it or as it becomes relevant

There's also a Discord server now! Not exclusively for this AU, though- it's a general Undertale/Deltarune/UTMV server! Come say hi!

Join the 6 Souls Vault!

More info about the AU, including ask rules, under the cut. Thanks for stopping by!

Our Main 6 Characters

The Yellow Soul 🤠 - The soul of Justice! - It's Clover! They've just arrived! - Based on the True Pacifist run from UTY - Character tag: #chr sharpshooter

The Green Soul 🍳 - The soul of Kindness! - They have forgotten their name - One of the oldest in the group - Character tag: #chr frying pan

The Purple Soul 📓 - The soul of Perseverance! - They have forgotten their name - One of the youngest in the group - Knew a horse named Hayden...? - Character tag: #chr notebook

The Blue Soul 🩰 - The soul of Integrity! - [REDACTED] - Holds a very negative opinion of monsterkind - Character tag: #chr tutu

The Orange Soul 🥊 - The soul of Bravery! - They have forgotten their name - They came to the Underground on purpose...? - Character tag: #chr tough glove

The Cyan Soul 🎀 - The soul of Patience! - Name: Ivory! - Has been here the longest - Character tag: #chr ribbon

Ask Rules

Anyone can ask the kids anything! Just keep it child-appropriate, these are kids, after all. - No NSFW - Keep it in-universe - No fortune telling ("flowey is going to use you to attack another human one day", ect) - You MAY hint at stuff, just be subtle about it fghsdjk - You MAY use OCs, but your OC may NOT visit the souls in-person. Imagine it like telepathy. No one knows where the kids are aside from two people, not even the kids - Please do not roleplay as an established Undertale/Yellow character - KEEP YOUR BIGOTRY AT HOME. Transphobia, homophobia, racism, ableism, anti-religion/atheism, antisemitism, ect. will NOT be tolerated and will result in an immediate block. - The only "exception" is FICTIONAL racism, that being humans/monsters. Seeing as this is something Integrity grapples with, you are allowed to ask them about that. - (and in case it needs to be said, FREE PALESTINE!)

I'll add more as I think of it fsdhgjk

If I do not answer your ask, don't worry! I may just be holding onto it for later! There may also have been repeat questions, in which case I'll pick and chose which one I answer. And, if I wind up just not answering, you can always send another. No shame, no worries!

This blog is run by @dimonds456 if you wanna come bother me for stuff, I guess, lol.

I think that's it! Enjoy the story!

[meowkusunoki]

toa tsumigram analysis

@tsumigram

here's my "t2 toa is a different alter" propaganda. for simplicity's sake, i'll highlight what i think is trial 1 toa with green and not-trial-1 toa with orange. i will be calling the system as a whole toasys.

also, i don't know if this is common knowledge or if i'm digging up obscure lore but toa is a system

(we were being silly)

I can smile and throw a peace sign on the school photo, but I’m inexpressive and quiet, someone like this is a perfect listener, so others naturally give their secrets to me.  You're all lucky that I easily forget them, because I couldn't care less, but it's fine, it's a fair trade — tell me anything, just don't ever leave me in solitude.*

Ahh, I hate being called weird. I don't care if people lie to me or use me; but I hate being ignored and pushed away. The truth is that, I don't hear what I'm saying; because my only purpose is to fill the silence, or because I’m so much, so much afraid, the reality grows unreachably distant…*

Q.15: Crowded or isolated places? Crowded. I don't like being alone.

*...actually, i also have a theory that memory report toa is a different alter. but i will get into it another day. either way i still have the Q15 answer on my side!!

so, from all this you'd expect that being isolated would cause toa a lot of distress right? but he seems perfectly calm. granted, he could be suppressing or just hiding his distress, but there comes a point where you're far past being able to do something like that.

It's not that my personality has changed. It's rather the circumstances that enabled another behavior of mine. It might be surprising, but I’m as multifaceted as any other human.

basically, what i think happened is that the stress of being isolated caused toasys to switch to an alter that's more aloof/uncaring. i think that's the alter that is narrating the unknown memory as well, but i'll get more into that later.

Oh, name? I'm Suzuki Toa. Uhh, I don't have much to say about myself, though. It's pretty awkward… talking about myself.

Toa: Ahh, is that so. I'm not good at talking about myself. It's pretty awkward… But, I'll do my best. I'm 15 years old and studying at school. Umm, what else? Oh, right, my name is Suzuki Toa I guess.

Toa Suzuki. 16 years old. I don’t have a lot of hobbies, and being called a “friend” annoys me. It’s nice of you to talk to me. 

It's not that my personality has changed. It's rather the circumstances that enabled another behavior of mine. It might be surprising, but I’m as multifaceted as any other human.

toa has a hard time talking about himself, as he finds it awkward, but toa has no such qualms. also it's worth to note that his way of speaking is completely different. well-spoken and formal, meanwhile toa has a much more informal manner of speech, often going "uhh" or "umm" and saying "like".

Toa: The verdict… I don't know. Those voting options have so much personality in them. If I were to choose what describes me, it'd be a Bystander. Someone who is not even in the interaction…

If you consider me a Perpetrator, should I act like one? Is this what you’d like to see? Rest assured. I’m too much of a coward to do any real harm. …Did I say something wrong again?

toa seems much more accepting of the verdict. admittedly this one's kinda reachy but this is overanalyzing 6 lines of dialogue hours.

anyway, onto the unknown memories. i brought this up in the tags, but most characters' is in first person, except for a few: kouta, hotaru, hiiro, and toa. i've taken this to mean that the characters are dissociating to some degree, and with toa it's pretty explicit that it's one alter talking about another.

Let's introduce the main characters: a boy born in an unlucky place and a boy born in an even unluckier one. If you forget their names, please refer to the first page; though as for their stories, you have to figure them out on your own. Ah, you're late to the start. “Hey, I don't want to see someone pretty like this crying.” “But it's not that your appearance is the only thing that catches my attention.” “It's just the instant thought that came to my mind, to maybe comfort you a bit.” “Come on, don't look at me like this.” The older boy lets out a weak, lighthearted laugh, then stops smiling and stares to the side with a detached gaze.

… …Ah. I just noticed. In the end, it's not really my story, is it?

toa seems to not like this alter very much. i also don't think the toa talking here is the same as toa, as their manners of speaking are different, so that's why the text isn't green. i'll go into this if i make my "toa in the memories isn't the same as prisoner toa" propaganda post.

why do i think the toa in the unknown memory reports is toa?

first of all, it's only logical- they supposedly switched during the intermission, and that's when the unknown memories came out- but also because they have a similar, formal matter-of-fact way of speaking, and seem to have similar attitudes, that being direct, confident and disconnected from whatever toasys is going through. but again, this man has 6 lines of dialogue so i can't say that i'm an expert on his personality.

however, i don't think he is the alter who butts in during the t1 memory report, because

Please don't cry I'll stay with you

No matter how hard he tries to keep the focus on the one he's talking to, he's staring somewhere away, how disgraceful; no need to feel sorry for a person like this. Would you care about excuses if you were ignored?

I care It's not your fault I'll be here 

Not enough time and energy to spend on you, you're not enough— Kindness scratching on the surface leaves you with no more than scratches.

the way they talk about whoever is fronting in the memories is very different.