#I HAVEN'T EVEN FINISHED THE ORIGINAL SERIES I DON'T EVEN KNOW IF ANYONE'S EVEN *MAKING* VIDEOS ABOUT THE ORIGINAL SERIES IN THE FIRST PLACE

[meowstix]

whatever fuck this i'm in the mood for like. insanely in-depth retrospectives/reviews on old media i need some recommendations.

[theotherseapancakes]

Psssst. You mentioned no one cares about Philemon, but now I'm curious if you have any thoughts about his role in the games after he disappeared. And for sillies sake, does he have anything to do with the Dance games?

I have been waiting my entire life for this. Anon do you realize how verbose I'm going to get. DO YOU REALIZE? I hope you like read mores. Let me preface this with I am aware and have seen some popular theories, so I'm going to sidestep a lot of them and present one I've built since... well, I became a Persona fan as a teenager. MAJOR PERSONA SERIES SPOILERS LIKE THE ENTIRE THING OK? OK. yes even royal.

The P2 PSP additional scenario is so incredibly important and I think everyone missed the point of it. THE PERSONA 2 PSP ADDITIONAL TATSUYA SCENARIO!!!! It's beyond important, because it reveals to us Philemon can have more than one Avatar we know about, just like Nyarly. (Casual reminder he's like half the shopkeeps in P2. Time Count, anyone? Why was the Time Count so hot. Anyway.) Disclaimer: I'm just a casual fan who has played a LOT of Persona and SMT. I haven't gotten around to all of them, but I've played/finished both paths of 1, 2, 3 (and p3p) as well as 4 and 5. Didn't manage to get my hands on Golden but I've seen enough of it. (It's funny you ask about the dance games, they're the only ones I don't have right now! But my roommate does, and will be gone for a few months soon, perhaps I will take the time to start with p4DAN. I'm atrocious at rhythm games though so more than likely I'll find a video. Anyway.) WHAT is Philemon? If we can't define that, we can't talk about The Positivity Guy Ever.

So let's talk about Phil. He's a fascinating character. His Persona is just a form of Himself, But Cooler. And he seems to HAVE no set shape, not unlike Nyarlathotep. People have various theories about Shadows and their origins etc., but Phil is more like that vote of confidence in people. I think, personally, that after the end of Innocent Sin, Phil's been pretty weak. We see in Eternal Punishment he's fading pretty roughly, and has a hard time talking to the party. Presumably ending Nyarly might to some degree fix things when Deja-vu Boy goes home, but... the problem is, we don't know how fixed they truly ended up being, or the full depth of how much he could/did expend!

In fact, the first time we even see Phil without the dumb mask is when Tatsuya decks him. Pay close attention to that fact. To the mask motifs here. I want you to really soak in Phil's everything. He's a leader. A kind soul. He's the good of people. He wants to believe the best.

Anyway, most of these things overlook what I find really interesting as we've gotten more games worth of lore: he and Nyarly aren't the only eldritch entities walking around like that. Yes, Nyx is one too. Yes, it's probable she may even be their 'mom'. It's possible they all came from Nyx initially, but it's also possible (and should be considered) they too may have been outsiders at one point. We need to ask ourselves how far the human collective unsconsciousness can go. Is that sea infinite? Could it affect other worlds? Think about Aion in Devil Summoner Soul Hackers 2. Yes, I am asking you to think about Soul Hackers 2. Deal with it, I don't care. They're sister series. They share many things. SO! Did the shape of the human mind change a bunch of eldritch creatures and make them interact with us even more after Nyx smacked the moon a gazillion years ago? Is there multiple worlds? Weird bullshit? Just the two? Hmm. Well... I, personally, think so. I think he was touched by humanity just like Nyarlathotep, but in the other way. The reason I bring this up is two-fold. The first is Nodens. Now, we don't know much about the actual Nodens, unfortunately, just some speculation. Which is a shame. (If anyone has more info I'd love to have it, ngl. As a pagan this shit fascinates me.) But what we do get on him in Lovecraftian lore can provide us some intriguing possibilities about Phil's everything, which the games love to keep really rather vague. (And this is putting aside that his human Persona is based off the obviously bogus Jungian Spirit Guide, but we love an old guy in a mask anyway. He probably felt that was more 'friendly' for humans, hah.) I believe that Nodens, and Phil by extension, are just as responsible for nurturing and keeping the collective unconsciousness alive and positive. We see the butterfly symbol everywhere. We see it with Lavenza, too. "This is truly an unjust game." So was the bet Phil made with Nyarly, a game he rigged. Phil made the mistake of thinking the Crawling Chaos wouldn't cheat, a mistake he is never making again, I assume, if he can help it. Shit, you could view his boss fight in P2EP as him trying to train the EP crew to beat the snot out of Nyarly, even. But off topic. If Nyarly is basically the father of all Shadows, and they and Personas are the same coin, it makes me wonder a lot of things. The two have always been portrayed as simultaneously diametrically opposed, but also not? They have identical halls in P2. They have similar powers and talents... I think after Persona 3, Phil's remnants sank into the Collective Unconsciousness, to attempt to rehabilitate humanity from what it lost, from what he himself lost. I think Igor took over the room, because he took a backseat to recover. It would go a long, long way towards explaining why only SOME characters have the tier of the Wild Card, which is similar to the 'original' Persona power. (Having multiple.) He was took weak to remain in his Spirit Guide (Philemon) form, and had to abandon it to return to the depths as Nodens... So. Let me go back to Nodens and make some notes about design.

Nodens, as seen here, sort of resembles an iron maiden. It really brings to mind the idea of maybe Tatsuya or someone's humanoid form sleeping within it, doesn't it? Fitting for an aspect of Philemon! ... You probably can see where I'm going with this, but let me pull up some screens to finish the point:

That's right! It's Azathoth, Baby! I believe that unlike mythology, he's yet another aspect of Philemon. Eldritch positivity, in too much force, could be used for accidental bad, too. (Reasons Maruki is my favorite Law Hero, haha.) Let me explain. I think Philemon always existed in... let's call it parts. Azathoth is said to be a dreaming god in whom's universe we all just happen to be alive inside, right? "Dream of butterfly" (Philemon) "Or is life a dream? Don't wanna wake up. Cuz I'm happy here." That sure is thematic to what Maki goes through in Persona 1, and what Maruki's beloved suffers, isn't it? ISN'T IT. The "true reality" he creates... would help Maruki create in the additional Semester--would be something most humans would never pass the muster to even try to control. But we have seen Phil test a few people and find them worth passing before! However, that seems like ages ago. Why has he been so quiet? I think because he was spending time conserving his energy. He believed in humanity enough to give Makoto a push when it was needed in p3 (or femc, if you play her), but otherwise trusted Igor while he restored what needed it. But in Persona 5 Royal, he hand-picked Maruki, didn't he? At first, when I played Persona 5 Royal, I really thought it was some part of Nyarly, but I no longer believe this to be the case. The coloration and symbolism in the background (the golds, the whole garden of eden themes, the way his Palace was laid out), the whole sea of soul motifs in P3Re later... mmm. I have a lot of thoughts about this, but this post is already way too long for one simple ask. So let's wrap up by going one step further and looking finally at Nodens' dialogue to the party in the Extra Scenario in Persona 2: Eternal Punishment (PSP). The following is a transcript, you can find a video here:

Nodens: This is the memory of the lost child whom you all seek. Nodens: Memory occasionally brings about much distress and suffering, but it is absolutely vital to distinguish oneself from others and manufacture one's own psyche. Nodens: Ever since it began, life's memory has accumulated unbroken, passing through individual experiences and spanning several generations. Nodens: And so it has given shape to Kadath and the Collective Unconsciousness, thereby becoming a foundation for the next generation. Nodens: Even if the roots of the world are directed by fear and anxiety, never forget that the true essence of life is brimming with joy. Nodens: You must not stop seeking the answer for why life was born in a cosmos progressing towards absurdity and chaos. Nodens: Life brims with joy, bringing about balance in a universe predestined to heat death, and that allows the world to live a long time.

So to answer your question, I think he's taken a much subtler role. I think he's influencing people by pretending to be a Persona for Maruki, because he believes it will help them grow. I don't think he was intending a forever-control vice grip, but rather to prove a point. No matter what, the primordial chaos of humanity will rise up for chaotic good, lawful good, whatever "good" is needed. Azathoth is... interesting. Adam Kadmon is also interesting. But mostly I HIGHLY suspect we may see him again in Persona 6, or at least I'm hoping so. It's my personal pet theory by then he'll be less faded and come back to us in a new form of some kind. He's never had a set one, after all. Now for funsies about the dancing game, well, he's a positive guy, he wanted to just make sure everyone had their fitness regimen checked off. Obviously. (This is a joke.) Did the devs intend this? I'm honestly not sure? Like there's a lot of nods to older Personas in 5 and now 3RE especially, but it's definitely worth chewing on. I could go on and on about things I think he's connected to, but ultimately they have the final say lol. I'm just a crackpot conspiracy theorist on tumblr who really likes Philemon. He and the Room are my favorites. :) Ask me about attendants for additional dumb, sometime, I guess lol.

[spotlightlowlife]

The Cuphead show could teach Hazbin a helluva lot

First of all, I implore anyone who hasn't watched cuphead or didn't finish it to complete it. It is a complete story and it complements its origin, the game, only stepping away a little to expand on it.

Hazbin, watch the pilot if you haven't or rewatch it, a number of things fall off bytime the series comes about. New isn't bad but the pilot was so loaded and it's rather apparent that it is part of the cannon in how we start off as if we already know these characters. So what we can bring forward and what is no longer cannon? Has there been a time skip?

*spoilers ahead*

The story

A simple story of two humble individuals constantly having to swerve the devils attempts to take a soul he swindled fair and square.

They have many run ins and we meet numberours other comical yet sinister opponents along the way.

Sweet rich girl uses her powers for good. She aims to help the disadvantaged and targeted sinner group by opening a hotel to rehabilitate and redeem them to be heaven worthy.

Charlie has allies but plenty of others don't care for her plans and motives are generally unclear.

The main characters

Cuphead and Mugman, two brothers of ambiguous age who live modestly with an elder in a cottage in he woods. They simply get on with their lives, no goal.

Cup head is immature and foolish, his antics generally land them in danger, Mugman is the more sensible but still chill, not quite babysitter sidekick, someone who could be living trouble free if they weren't dragged into the others havoc, simple association brings unwanted situations and people their way, even when chilling at home.

We are also introduced to the devil himself, who is silly, fun and clearly a whole otherworldly entity in not only abilities but personality and actions. As amusing as his actions are, he does cruel things to people minding their business and enjoys it, he openly exploited his oblivious patrons at the amusement park, before going on to expand business and create the known casino. He has a workforce who we see working. The devil collects souls, a consequence of this is that it makes monsters out of mortals, this is a business, however this business is regulated and dispite how powerful the devil is, he still has to answer to accounts. He can be subdued with magic but ultimately, hell and earth are his playground and aside from the auditor, he answers to no peers or superiors and feels no bitterness or discomfort regarding his home and role, his struggle is simply that one that got away and keeps eluding him. His backstory being irrelevant fits with the quick pace and slapstick, however the latest addition to the game may hint at some mysterious backstory in his bonus boss fight.

Charlie, a youthful woman of ambiguous is the princess of hell and owner of the Hazbin hotel. We don't see much running of a hotel. Charlie is nice, default nice because plot tells us she's helping and cares and she clearly isn't horrible. Charlie wants to help sinners.

First portrayed as hardworking but ill prepared, out of touch hustler, Charlie is now well intentioned, immature dreamer but this doesn't result in trouble, her carelessness doesn't get portrayed as selfish or irritating. Charlie personally has little to lose in her discision making, such as welcoming Alastor, Charlie can have what she wants because everything is set up for her and what she doesn't have is easily in reach, the meeting in heaven attained by guilt tripping her dad being a prime example, but she's not a spoilt brat.

Charlie's other half is Vaggie, her girlfriend who we have to be explicitly told is so if you don't follow the fandom, they have known eachother for years yet Charlie hardly knows Vaggie. Vaggie's degree of interest in Charlie's dreams is unknown, even after her big revelation we still have nothing to show that she's not just the sensible sidekick managing the lead characters silliness.

Not a main but someone very significant, Lucifer, the devil himself and Charlie's dad. He is all powerful, the leader of hell and the one who created this realm, however he is a goofy awkward dad who doesn't appear to be any leader and he hates to the degree of allowing mass slaughter the very people Charlie loves. None of this is an issue. He clearly has or had peers or superiors, he still meets with the angels who serve as the adversaries, with no issue, but this doesn't matter.

The tragic characters

Ms Chalace had it thought throughout life yet tried had to work her way up, she died unexpectedly, nobody cared, she got a second chance to be amongst the living but it comes at a price. Chalice is a charming hustler and entertainer.

In Hazbin, it's everyone, everyone is given trauma, even privileged Charlie who could have been a great spoilt sweet character now didn't have the nice nuclear family upbringing, supportive mother who has a life and supportive yet sceptical dad whose not getting in her way.

Everyone has some history that rendered them a loser in this story however we have yet to learn how anyone got there even though fun, interesting, passing, dismissed Mimzy remembers her life on earth fondly.

The other characters

There is plenty of room to return to this series and feature more characters, but it's no big deal if they don't. This story proudly offers us Saturday villians, only we get to know these charasmatic characters and their villainous motives individually throughout Cuphead and Mugman's misadventures.

This series is fun and life hearted, made for all audiences, there's a lack of real drama yet it manages to not be shallow as we have focus and interactions matter, it is ultimately about Cuphead and the devil, the masses of colour characters we may meet along the way are a fun bonus to and the formula doesn't change, this person brings drama, that's that, now how do they get out of it.

Timing is arguably a major issue with Hazbin, with a big ensemble cast, drama and various plots, it will need a lot of time to cover all that it started, these things being numerous additions to the original story, most of these additions being a whole host of new characters who ultimately don't achieve anything not for lack of trying.

Like its spinoff, this series is big on aquitting those who are there to be liked of their responsibilities and actions, handing blame to someone don't know or have been guided to not like. This strips them of content and growth while makeing their power and influence questionable.

Planning ahead

Rumor has it that The Cuphead show was a complete work of 36 episoses that and broke up into 3 seasons by the big famous platform it's on, to be honest it shows, it is very linear.

Really though, this serves the broadcaster because would keep it in the algorithm longer giving it more time to gain more traction which means more money for the broadcaster and make it look like they're good at renewing projects when this may not entirely be the case.

Releasing the story broken up may have done this show a big disservice as many disappointed reviews were based on how much it deviated from the games and seeming censored, these may not have been concluded had all episodes been released, showing it being to return to its roots by the end.

Still, atleast the story was always going to be told.

As controversial as that situation is, Hazbin too could do with mapping out the beginning, middle and end with a clear and concise story, one with heart that answers questions, balances it's drama, action and comedy and shines some spotlight onto the stories that really need telling. They could do with this already being done or at the very least wrapping up seasons with what we were sold on being relevant.

Planning is well and good but ideas need to be prioritized and coherent. If multiple seasons are planned, this show will need to crack down in order to guarantee them.

[bingebuddie]

Here... We... Go...

Hi all,

Well, so far, 2024 has sucked for me... but anyway...

I've been feeling pretty out of sorts mentally, and depending on where my head is at, I've been bouncing back and forth between Fics and my Wes and Cole novel.

I am going on a writing retreat May 4-12th... so... expect some major movement...

I wanted to provide a few updates on where I am with my Fics and other works.

Sideways:

Published updates here have been slower than I wanted or anticipated. This has nothing to do with the story, as I have this outlined for Arcs 6-10... Yes, up to Arc 10.

My personal life has gotten in the way a lot over the last few months and has just eaten up my time to write.

Now, Arc 6 will lead right into Arc 7 and 7 into 8. You will want to throw some stuff at me for some of the wtf moments and having to wait between arcs... but it's all coming. Anyone new to the series has had the benefit of reading five fully finished-out arcs that took me about a year to write. Have some patience with me. It will be worth it.

Arc 6, Into The Unknown, has multiple chapters drafted. I just need to clean up some edits from my beta, and they will be posted. May is going to be a big month for this arc.

This is a pivotal point in the series. It spans Chapters 37-48, making it the longest arc so far. This installment will delve into the Seals' backstory, their connection with Buck and Eddie, and much more. It’s a substantial piece of the puzzle that you won't want to miss.

This one does have some heavy moments...

This does end with a cliffhanger... But I promise, it's not our boys directly you are left wondering about...

Arc 7—Strong—Eddie will need his friends and family like never before. This is a heavy Diaz family arc. The outline is eight Chapters.

This also ends in a cliffhanger and that promise I made above... does not apply here.... insert evil laugh...

Arc 8 Genesis—This is the big one. It all comes together here, and it is the part I am most excited to write. It is also the longest, with an outline of 16 chapters. You will find out more about Genesis in Arc 6.

This arc will change all of their lives and the status quo as we know it. Grab your seats and tissues. The previous title for this was Unleashed...

Arc 9 - Experience/Circles - Tentative Title - No tease, as it will spoil what's to come...

Arc 10 - My All - googles Mariah Carey ...

Sideways isn't going anywhere...

Shifted:

Volume 1: Nevermore

This was originally planned to be 30 chapters. I have 20 published right now. The rest of this is outlined, and chapters 21-25 are written and ready to be published. I haven't posted these because Chapter 25 ends on a massive cliffhanger, and I don't want to leave you all hanging. I will be finishing this... after Arc 6 of Sideways ...

I have a plan for the second arc... but that's all the way behind everything else on my docket...

Impossible:

If you have read this one, I have yet to post the last chapter...

This has an MCD, and while I was writing this, I lost a friend. It was hard to finish. I have finished the outline, and this will be completed soon.

Run:

This is on hold. I have too much else to focus on. Consider this on hiatus until I say otherwise. It might even be scrapped... will see...

Would You Mind:

This one was a lot of fun... The wrap-up/epilogue is done; it's with my beta...

Lap Dancing Eddie will return... in Sideways...

I Don't Want To Be Your Freind:

As of today, 7 of 11 chapters are posted. This is all outlined. I have drafts of chapters 8-11 done. Going to beta and will be posting soon...

I started this leading up to Season 7; it was my mind dealing with all the rumors and leaks... In my mind and my group chat, I was calling this my Anti Tommy and Marisol fic...

This got way out of hand and became a monster of a fic...

Now... on to what else I have brewing...

Future Shock - 3 Part Series - Magic/BAMF/Mayhem/Found Family/Soul Mates/Redux/Ryan Throw's The Timeline Into A Blender and Tada...

As It Is - 2030 and the 118 have been a fractured team since the lawsuit. When members of the team start to be picked off one by one, Hen, Chim, and Bobby, have no one to turn to until friends and family return in their most desperate hour.

As It Was - Details what led to the fracturing of the 118. A retelling of Season 2 and part of season 3...

As It Was Always Meant To Be - Now reunited, will the 118 be able to rally around each other, or will their painful past be too much to overcome.

This has a loose outline and it's very large ...

Depressed, Devasted, and Destroyed aka Something To Hold On To:

I keep calling this Triple D or DDD... This is a pure angst fest... major whump... like I'm mad at myself for the whump here ... seriously...

This has an outline...

Relationship Goals—In an effort to rebuild their friendship after their recent relationships crash and burn, Buck and Eddie join a local hockey team along with some of Buck's old seal friends. This was pure fan service to myself and a way to get Buck, Eddie, Wes, and Cole to play hockey and not have to do it on Sideways. This currently sits around 60 pages.

Stolen - A stolen kiss changes everything between Buck and Eddie... This angst fest is somehow incredibly soft... This is about 35 pages right now...

The Ties That Bind - Buck breakdown fic... This might get scrapped and merged into DDD from above...

All I Want for Christmas - Think Scrooged Vs. It's A Wonderful Life Vs 911... This won't be posted until holiday time...

The Wes and Cole novel is still moving along... it's my refuge when the show does something stupid...

I should probably get to writing... it's not like I have nothing to do....

[toyota-supra]

My Top 10 Favorite Games I Played In 2023

In chronological order. It's a long one.

Titanfall 2

I've been told to play this for years now, though for most of those I did not really know why, as it never seemed like my kind of game. But, ever since I started really getting into mecha sometime in 2022, I decided to finally give it a try. I'm very glad I did. Titanfall 2 is a criminally short First Person Shooter with a very fun mech/pilot dynamic, really good mechanics of movement and combat for both, and some of my favorite level design of any game I've played in a long while. The platforming is crazy good! The mechanics are tight as hell! The mech is awesome! I recommend Titanfall 2 for literally anyone reading this.

Mega Man Zero

The Zero series is the one that most called to me in the Mega Man franchise every time I looked these games over, and I was right in that judgement. While I couldn't say if I was going to appreciate most of the GBA era action platformer difficulty or not, it was clear from Zero's more agile movement and bite-sized missions with very memorization-heavy bosses that I would enjoy it. And I did enjoy it a lot! Most of the bosses kicked my ass but it was an absolute blast to finally learn their patterns enough to defeat them. The problem is, I went out of my way to not get any of the game's health upgrades or energy tanks, making the final boss so hard for me that after days and days of attempts I gave up. Not beating Mega Man Zero is probably my biggest regret of the year lmao

Fate/Stay Night

Honestly, what do I even say? You can see my Saber icon, right? Fate is a franchise I never bothered to get close to, knowing of its name only through vague images and names of more popular characters (not even from FGO, just in general), and from later on getting to know that Fate/Grand Order was the game it is I felt like it wasn't for me at all and who cares. So when I learned what the original VN was actually about I felt stupid. How could something so fitting to my tastes have gone under my radar for so long...? Despite not being much of a reader in general, F/SN is a very long game that feels like it's just as short as you need it to be. The prose flows so well, every single character is lovable in many ways, and there's so much passion written into them and the situations they're in that it's one of the most smooth-flowing VNs I've read (which granted are not many) even though it's around the high 6 digit wordcounts. I love this game dearly.

Stranger of Paradise - Final Fantasy Origin

I wanted to play this game since the first few trailers! How cruel was it that, not only did I not have a powerful enough machine at the time, but the game wasn't even on Steam until the year after release? Final Fantasy Origin is the game it presents itself to be. There's something about it that's so special to a certain kind of person (which I happen to be one of) and that falls flat for everyone else. The combat and its many Weapons, Jobs and Skills to use are just fantastic in how nice they feel, and I really do like the type of story Stranger tells. I haven't finished it yet, but I'm close to it. I like to describe Stranger of Paradise as everything good about PS2 and PS3 games in a modern title.

Pseudoregalia

An old feeling from a new friend. Pseudoregalia is everything I like in 3D Platforming, and a little bit of what I don't. If you've ever looked at a single gif or video of Super Mario 64 and thought, "this looks pretty fun to play," you should be playing Pseudoregalia. If you like goat ladies with big butts, I can't say I understand if that would sell you on a game or not, but it is a feature everyone mentions. I wrote on this game already, so please do check that out and get it. It's one of the three titles of this list that came out this year, and I have not heard enough people talk about it.

Armored Core VI - Fires of Rubicon

My favorite in this list, which is funny because I don't know what to say about it at all. Armored Core is a series I've been studying up on from the outside for a while, and the announcement for this title was my reason to finally dive in. Unfortunately, I did not get past playing the first mission of AC1 a few times and booting up AC3 once. But I will get to it eventually! Fires of Rubicon is one hell of an action game, that I adored for every single one of my (currently) 67 hours of play. Going through the campaign with builds a little too busted for the AI most of the time was my dishonorable focus of the experience, but there's a lot else to do for every kind of person. The amount of freedom you have for messing with your builds for either single or multiplayer is not to be underestimated. Though it could be better. Here's hoping there will be a game that is.

Midnight Club 3 DUB Edition Remix

I played this game as a kid so much that the main menu and its theme are scarred into my mind, yet this whole time I had no idea what the game was actually like due to the fact that most of my playtime was doing a few races and just cruising around. Once you dive into trying to finish the story, MC3 is a much different experience. One that frustrated me so much, I got actually ill from the stress. Please take breaks, gamers! Your health is more important than finishing an 18 year old game! Still, I did eventually do it. Midnight Club 3's handling model and gameplay structure are really impressive in comparison to the much more popular Need for Speed series, and I have to admit I did enjoy the game a lot. It's just a lot harder than it ever needed to be. I'll probably never forget this game, and that's not really a good or bad thing. Just, advice from me, if it gets too hard, maybe switch to sports bikes. Buy that Ducati.

Test Drive Unlimited

Another car game, but this one I have the least to say about of any on this list. I had played TDU on PS2 multiple times before and thought it was awesome. The atmosphere and immersion of this game are unrivaled by any racing game to this day. But playing the PC version with a steering wheel and pedals made everything so much more incredible. I played the Platinum mod, which adds hundreds more cars and fixes a lot of issues with the original game (but not all of them; the game was still really rough and I hate how much the resolution is a pain to change). Overall, one of my favorite experiences with a steering wheel controller so far. Otherwise, a pretty good game if you like driving.

Super Mario Sunshine

An old friend, and a new feeling. I don't play 3D platformers as much as I wish I did, because they're really not part of my main priorities looking for games lately, but every time I play a Mario game, it's like I found love again. It was not the first time I played Super Mario Sunshine, as I had collected a dozen or so Sprites years before, but playing the whole game in I think two weeks during the latter half of the year was such an incredible experience. Unless for some reason you play it on the Switch, Sunshine is a game that loves you as much as you love it. And you do love it, right? I know I do. I'd love to play this game many other times in the future. Granted, that applies to every game here, I just wanted to say it out loud for this one.

Lethal Company

A fairly recent release! Having played it with many groups of people by now, both modded and vanilla, I think Lethal Company is probably one of my favorite multiplayer experiences ever. It is scary and hilarious, but also just really really good, to a level that surprised me for my quality standards of co-op (horror) games. Lethal Company turns friends into improvised horror movie actors and it's incredible. I'm almost at 30 hours played and will likely get to 40 at minimum. It's also pretty cheap and likely runs well on all sorts of machines, so consider checking this one out too.

Honorable Mentions

Witch on the Holy Night and Story of Seasons - Friends of Mineral Town are games I am adoring and could definitely go on this list, hadn't I started them both quite late into December. Maybe next year I'll give them a shoutout!

[chaos-monkeyy]

❦ ➷ get to know your fellow fanfic writers better ༊ ✧.*

Tagged by @dewdropreader and @mirilyawrites , thank you!!

1. when did you post your first ever fanfic?

February 2019!

2. first character you wrote for:

Ben Jones my beloved (from Midsomer Murders)

3. main character(s) you’re currently writing for:

I don't know if I'm even allowed to answer this one 😂 Probably my own characters for original works, aside from that I really am just all over the map.. I'll say the ones I'm most likely to come back to regularly these days are Captain Pike, Mobius, and Dalinar Kholin (along with, y'know, people for them to get it on with).

4. character(s) you haven’t written about before but plan on writing about soon:

Pike's sex toys 😏

But uhhh actual people I haven't already written? 🤔 I am still toying with the idea of writing a little Jordi x Erin scene for Who Is Erin Carter? but it's anyone's best guess whether I'll actually get around to it 🙈

5. fandom(s) you’re currently writing for:

The main culprits lately have been Stormlight Archive, Star Trek Strange New Worlds, the Loki series, Stargate, and original fiction! Honorable mention to OFMD and Good Omens who've popped in there a couple times as well and may or may not continue to make occasional appearances 💖

6. platonic pairing(s) you currently write for:

.....let's say Ortegas & Pike since I did technically write them recently 😆 and also I love them.

7. romantic pairing(s) you currently write for:

All the things

Though let's be real, it's just straight up sexual pairings as opposed to romantic most of the time 🍾 But yeah, there's just.. so many to have fun with ✨

8. your top 3 tags on AO3 (if you post your works on AO3):

PWP, Omorashi... and in third place is a three way tie between Masturbation, Watersports, and Blowjobs 😂

9. your current platform where you post your works

Fanfic:

Original work:

With occasional cross-posting between the two 😊

10. snippet of the wip you’re currently working on:

..alright well here's hoping I do wind up actually finishing the big-dick-Mobius fic I started ages ago to go with @natendo-art 's hot fucking artwork 🙈

“May I?” Loki was asking— and he was trailing one hand downwards, fingers teasing along the line of Mobius’s belt. 

Mobius’s breath caught in an embarrassing little whimper, but he nodded anyway, a little distracted from wondering… Should he tell Loki he didn’t have any idea what he was doing, not really? Should he keep quiet and hope maybe Loki wouldn’t notice how woefully inexperienced he was beyond his own hands? Or— 

Mobius’s nervous train of thought was interrupted by Loki’s fingers finding his stiffened cock through his suit pants with a little squeeze— 

…And then Loki stopped, pulled back, and stared at Mobius with wide eyes and a slightly shocked look. 

“Wh… what is it?” Mobius asked, face flaming, instantly certain he’d done something wrong. “I’m sorry—” 

“Sorry?” Loki breathed, and to Mobius’s tentative relief, that slightly slack-jawed expression twisted up into a grin of delight instead. “My dear Mobius, you should definitely not be sorry about this.”

Tagging @trainofcommand , @d--dandelions , @cosmereplay , @might-be-a-lynx , @confuzing , @knight-of-skyloft , @cordeliaperry , @frankthesnek , @cuillere , and anyone else I missed who wants to do it - consider yourself tagged too! 💙

[dolphs-world]

They had 6 months, how was it so bad???

I also watched the "first" season of Doctor Who. I loved it. I loved it so much. I don't care that I haven't watched the rest of the show, Eccleston is my favourite Doctor. And Rose was so good as a POV character. Why didn't anyone tell me that it was a family show? PG was the perfect rating for it. And it's much more accessible than Star Trek (although I have only watched 8 episodes of the first season so maybe I should watch original Who for a fairer comparison. Don't get me wrong, I do love boring sci-fi but perhaps an hour per episode was too long? I'm sure I'll like the 90s shows more. Or maybe even the later seasons of The Original Series.) My only criticism is the finale. It's a bit cheap to reveal that the daleks are back and even cheaper for them to all die via Deus Ex Machina. And I don't love the Doctor and Rose as romantic partners. But god did Tennant look great in Eccleston's outfit. Too bad the Christmas episode sucked. Now, I have only watched the "first" season. I'll watch the Tennant stuff eventually but that Christmas episode really left a poor taste in my mouth. The whole, the whole first season is about how the Doctor has changed as a person because of Rose. "Coward anyday". And now suddenly he's saying "No second chances". What??? That completely ruins everything the first season set up! And then he has the gall to get mad at the PM for killing the aliens? Huh??? You killed all the daleks. Those aliens were going to kill all of you. Sure, they were retreating, after you killed their leader. And then, in a reference to Thatcher, he brings down her leadership via sexism and retcon. Yay, no golden age for Britain. And Rose the whole time is like "oh, I don't know if we can trust him" and it gets really annoying after the first time she says it but that's all she says in the episode. (An aside. There's a joke that all that Breaking Bad is Jesse and Walt fighting and making up. Or that Evangelion is Shinji piloting the Eva and then running away from it. And whilst watching the Rebuilds, initially I thought "phew, they are getting rid of this reputation" and then they just don't. It keeps happening in the 3rd and 4th movie. Haven't you learnt anything in the past 20 years Anno?) And the sad part is, she's right. He is different. But now after writing this I might ask my mum if she wants to watch the Tenant era stuff. And to finish The Sopranos again, we've got like 6 episodes left.

[juicybiohazard]

Yes, finished my first playthrough of separate ways. The game is RE4 remake so I can't say anything about the gameplay that anyone doesn't already know, so... I'll talk about what I really care about here, the story, you see... Ada Wong and Albert Wesker happen to be my favorite characters in this series, I like the AWs yes. Naturally that means that I noticed how different both are from their original portrayals, listen there is a reason why in my mind the one true canon/continuity is the OG games and not the remakes, because its in those older games when I first experienced the RE world and ended up loving these people as they are, so how I could like these new versions of them when they are so different? they may as well be new characters. The appearance is the only thing they share, they are similar to the OGs on a superficial level but thats where similarities end, and of the two I think Wesker is the one that changed the most and not for the better, from little things like his voice not being so distinctive anymore and sounding generic af to his personality being a cardboard cutout of a cartoon villain, some might say, wasn't Wesker always like that? I mean you can choose to describe him as a cartoon villain but any older version of Wesker wouldn't admit to be willing to murder billions and reveal his plan to some random mercenary he doesn't know... he knows better. Even RE5 Wesker wouldn't do that, ever wondered what happened to the scientists that helped developed Uroboros? You get the general idea from multiple files, it looks like they all got killed and essentially they never even knew what they were doing and what was its true purpose

It goes beyond dialogue, even his mood is different, in the old games he is cool and collected in any situation in this game he is easily irritated by ANYTHING 😂 its kind funny how Ada seems to just exist and Albert huffs at her presence, seriously I could go on forever citing each and every single difference between the old Wesker we know and this new take on the character, but I'd rather end this post today

Like I said before in my little RE4 review, my only real dislikes of this game are the changes to Wesker and Ada, and subsequently Krauser. I loved the dynamic of these three in the old game and its completely gone now. They are no longer deeply connected like before, it's all superficial now, they just happen to be in the same place at the same time due to circumstances of fate, not because they know each other. You know what, that sucks, I don't like that one bit because it feels like taking things away just for the sake of making something different. Ada used to be a true grey character, remember Separate Ways was developed for the ps2 version of the game after it launched on GameCube so the times you saw Ada in the OG game where few, far between and the game gives you no reason to believe she isn't genuinely on Wesker's side. Maybe the devs always wanted her to end up betraying him but whatever the case I'd very much prefer if she wasn't just another good guy, we have enough of those and too many haven't returned for a long time (a lot of people still want Billy and Sheva to return). The amount of heroes in this series is astronomical, do we really need another one? why can't Ada at least be in-between? let her believe that ends justify the means at least, let her believe that some good can come out of eugenics, let her believe that the world needs an enema to erradicate true evil. I don't know I'm rambling here, but I hope this made a bit of sense, I always liked the idea of Ada and Wesker going way back and him being the reason she is alive today, meaning she feels she owes him and genuinely cares about him (I admit this might have never been on the table from the devs perspective so this is just how I wish things were for them) but it is what it is, story aside, the game is fun and this DLC is worth every peny

One last thing...

The post credits scene will live rent free in my head for the coming months, it seems more obvious than ever that RE5 remake is in the works, or it will be after RE9 is out. What a crazy time to be resi fan, it looks like capcom isn't going to stop giving us content. Can't complain about that one

[tigereyes45]

AOS mckirk + 43? ❤️

Prompt 43 was, "Why aren't you eating?" You can find the list of prompts here. I originally wrote a version of this request where it's Jim not eating, but then my mind kept saying, but what if it was McCoy. So I did that. XD There's going to be a second part to this where Jim is the one not eating. You can also read the story on AO3 here:

Summary:

It's easy to push aside eating in favor of finishing a task at hand. Everyone needs reminders sometimes.

Start:

When Jim Kirk steps into McCoy's private office space, there's a swagger that's ever-present in his moves. A self-confidence that's more act than reality. Leonard has enough kindness to keep from announcing the fact. The doctor lowers a PADD that had been claiming his ever-dissipating attention, for the last hour and a half.

"Nurse Chapel tells me you haven't been eating." The doctor drops his PADD onto his desk as if he couldn't be bothered to read it for another moment.

“She told you.” McCoy corrects before rolling his eyes. It’s official. No more late-night lab tests with Spock. The vulcan’s beginning to rub off on him. Leonard shakes his head. His fingers impatiently tap against the PADD’s screen. "Christine needs to learn how to keep information to herself." Jim’s foot began to subconsciously tap along with Bones’ fingers. McCoy huffs and crosses his arms. "It's unprofessional."

"She worries about you Bones." Kirk leans against the doctor's desk. A knowing smile on his face. "I worry about you."

That’s obvious. Despite his role as captain, Jim has never been able to hide his favoritism. He’s kept those who he first encountered on the ship closer than most others. Their history throughout the academy resulted in McCoy being allowed closer than most. Even more so than the bridge crew.

"I don't need you worrying over me." Bones insists. How many times have they had a conversation like this? With another huff, he stands up. "And leave Christine alone. She's a rather skilled nurse. I'd hate to lose her. Again." That last word came out with a little more bite than he intended.

"I'll keep that in mind."

There's so much work to do. Wounds to heal, chests waiting to be sewn up, check-ups, vaccinations, physical therapies to watch, paperwork to sign off on, newly released research to catch up on, and then review. All before they head off to start this new five-year mission. The work never ends, and damn it! He's a doctor. If anyone knows how far and long their body can go, it's him. No puffed-up captain is going to tell him otherwise.

"Bones," Jim's soft call is followed by a hand clapping around McCoy's shoulder. Leonard shrugs the handoff. Concern fills Jim's face. His usual smirk now hangs awkwardly open. No doubt the gears are turning in that quick mind. Nimble as a fox. That's what his father would’ve called Jim.

If they ever had the chance to meet.

"I just want to make sure you keep some meat on you." Jim jokes, rounding on McCoy. He folds his arms over his chest and offers a light smile. Even that small smile would be enough to brighten up most of McCoy's days. Not now though. There’s no time. He’s due for a surgery in about eight hours. Eight hours that’ll pass in a blink of an eye if he’s not careful.

"I've got work to do Jim." Leonard tries to step around. 

Jim swiftly sways and weaves to keep in his way. "Come on Bones. Join me for lunch."

"I can't."

"Yes, you can.” Jim’s the one rolling his eyes now. “Take a break.” He throws a hand out, leaning in the doorway. Thoroughly blocking McCoy’s only way out. “Captain's orders." He adds with a wink.

"I said I can't." It’s not that he doesn’t want to, but there’s too much on the scales. He has to keep going just to keep them balanced. Otherwise, Jim will be short on crew, and missing talented people. Individuals that may keep him alive. Out there in the vast emptiness, they’ll only have each other to count on. Starfleet won’t be able to help if they get into trouble. They can’t have come so far for McCoy to make a mistake. Not now. Not again.

McCoy furrows his brows and fights back the memories threatening to take his attention. Deep down Leonard knows why he’s doing this. Why it has become so easy to push his own needs aside and focus on all the lives on board. 

Part of it is his training. Doctors of all kinds learn early on in school how to push down the biological signs of hunger and stress. When you have lab results due in the morning, but the tests haven’t run their full course yet, and midterms are around the corner, while professor after professor is encouraging you to start thinking about your thesis work now before you even manage to get out of undergrad, well stress becomes seconded nature. Exhaustion, hunger pangs, and increased anxiety that verges on panic attacks, all get swept under the rug, and suppressed until a body can’t go on anymore. By the time they get to medical school most students have bodies that are simultaneously, in a horrendous state, yet conditioned to work through it. They keep to themselves. Reminding himself with post-its, handwritten notes scrawled in the empty spaces of his books, and phone alerts to drink water, eat food, and take five minutes to close his eyes before pushing on. Always aware of the fact of the hypocrisy between the instructions he gives to patients on how to care for themselves as he works himself to the bone.

Leonard’s trained not to share his own problems. To ignore his own needs, but even that can only go so far. Deep down there’s more to it. A fear deeper than the grief that washes over him as he loses a patient. Something that motivates him more than any fear he experienced when in school or out in space.

He can’t lose Jim again.

"And I said you can." Jim opens up his arms, talking with his hands. "You're not much help to anyone if you're all skin and bones."

The timing had been more. Leonard knows that’s not what James was saying. He wasn’t invalidating the fear, but rationality wasn’t home today. "Damn it Jim, I said no!" McCoy’s hand goes flying past Jim, towards the door’s control. Fingers catch on the bottom of Jim’s long sleeve as his palm smacks the buttons.

It’s painful how ingrained that loss had become in his life. Terrifying how the mere thought of it sends his mind spiraling as if lost to a deep, powerful vortex that sucks everything else away.

"Hey!" Jim pushes a hand against Leonard's chest. "Watch the hand, McCoy."

McCoy pulls his hand back. His fingers were shaking. With a deep sigh Leonard folds them in. Doing his best to calm his racing nerves the doctor closes his eyes. Doing his best stern, yet calm voice Leonard says, "Just get out of here Jim. I've got lives to save, and people who need fixing." People you need.

Leonard opens his eyes slowly. The look on Jim’s face was one of determination. Better than heartbroken. McCoy can only imagine his own expression. He needs to get back to work.

“Nurse Chapel.” Christine appears right behind him, as if waiting for Jim’s call. “When is Doctor McCoy’s next scheduled appointment?”

“In eight hours sir. It’s Lieutenant Alfonse’s surgery.” An engineer skilled enough, that Scotty himself has been asking after his health since they first discovered the kidney issue.

“Does he have any pressing matters in the meantime?”

Christine doesn’t even bother pretending to look at the datapadd in her hands. “No sir?” Her eyes stare McCoy down.

“He’s officially off shift. Call me directly if there’s an emergency.” Leonard fights back the urge to swear. Jim really isn’t going to let this drop.

“You sir?” Chapel asks, trying to get a look at the captain’s face. The man keeps his back to her, and his eyes trained on McCoy.

Jim crosses his arms. “He’ll be eating with me in my room.” A new smirk adorns his face. “Won’t you Bones?”

Sensing no room for argument McCoy agrees through gritted teeth, “I guess I will, sir.” He added that last word to make it clear that while he’s bending he’ll remember this. If Jim’s bothered by that idea, he doesn’t act like it.

Jim steps aside, finally letting Leonard pass by. Chapel steps back out of the way, heading over to the bio beds, with a polite nod of her head. Leonard steals a glance at her datapadd. It wasn’t even turned on. They planned this! Jim comes bounding after. He lightly pats Leonard’s arm, as he falls into step beside the doctor. “No be angry Bones. You’re gonna like this.”

“I like working.”

Jim playfully smacks McCoy’s chest. “No you don’t. You like fried potatoes, dumplings, and steak bites.”

That stops Leonard dead in his tracks. “What?” He turns to face Jim whose got the biggest shit-eating grin. Sickbay’s front door slides shut behind them.

Jim grabs both of McCoy’s arms, and fix the end of his short sleeves. “Like I said,” Jim leans closer practically bubbling with energy. “You’ll like it. I even used basil.”

This time Leonard couldn’t keep his face from forming a wide, disblieving smile. “You what?” Did that mean Jim actually cooked? Yeah they were still on Earth but it must’ve been out of his way to go and grab actual food from a market. McCoy’s stomach growls, voicing it’s lack of care over where the food came from, or how it was prepared. Either way he has to try it now. As if it wasn’t already being required by Jim.

A home cook meal. Literally. It shouldn’t be such an odd thought considering that the Enterprise was going to be his only home for the next five years. Leonard had expected to only eat synthesized food for it all. An actual cooked meal, made with fresh ingredients, his mouth starts to water.

The captain was already a few steps down the hall, as McCoy’s feet finally lift and start to follow. With each step bringing him a little bit closer to the promise of food, his body grows lighter. There’s still a lot of work to do. Guilt threatens to rear it’s ugly head back up, but Jim’s smile banishes the thoughts to the deepest recesses of Bones’ mind.

Sometimes it’s easy to forget to actually enjoy his time with the people he wants to save.

Another lesson trained into the practice, unfortunately.

[sixhours]

Twenty questions for fanfic writers

Ermagerd I love talking fanfic, thanks @numinousmysteries!

1. How many works do you have on AO3?

24

2. What's your total AO3 word count?

379,370

3. What fandoms do you write for?

The X-Files and The Last of Us so far!

4. What are your top 5 fics by kudos?

All X-Files fics:

A Boy and His Fox

Morning Sickness

Waking Hours

Remnants

We Aren't Meant to Sleep Alone

5. Do you respond to comments?

Most of the time, even if it's just a simple "Thank you!"

6. What is the fic you wrote with the angstiest ending?

My Umbra Reverie series, by far. 😬 No regrets!

7. What’s the fic you wrote with the happiest ending?

A Boy and His Fox or One Day at a Time. Two different fandoms, both baby fics. I originally envisioned One Day at a Time as a TLOU variation on A Boy and His Fox--a bunch of drabbles strung together--but it turned into a more cohesive story over time.

8. Do you get hate on fics?

Nope.

9. Do you write smut? If so, what kind?

Sure! If it serves the story, I'll write smut. I'm not big on writing porn without plot because I don't think smut is my strong suit. When I do write smut, it's pretty vanilla, nothing too kinky.

10. Do you write crossovers? What’s the craziest one you’ve written?

I haven't, but I'm currently outlining a TLOU period fic that's based on Anne of Green Gables. Not quite a crossover, but boy it's fun to think about. 😆

11. Have you ever had a fic stolen?

Not that I know of!

12. Have you ever had a fic translated?

Not that I know of!

13. Have you ever co-written a fic before?

Nope, I'd be too afraid of letting my co-authors down. 😂

14. What’s your all time favorite ship?

Mulder and Scully are my OTP. ❤️

15. What’s a WIP you want to finish but doubt you ever will?

As of right now I don't have any. I tend to start fics with a lot of preparation, outlining, and research, and I usually wait until they're mostly finished to publish them. I also tend to work on one fic at a time and focus until it's mostly done.

16. What are your writing strengths?

I strive to make my characters as true to the source material and as believable as possible. I want the reader to be able to hear the character's voice in their head as they read, or be able to imagine them in a scene like it were on screen.

17. What are your writing weaknesses?

Editing while I write. 🙃 It's why I'm so slooooooow.

18. Thoughts on writing dialogue in another language in fic?

I don't speak any other languages and I'm uncomfortable leaning solely on translation software, but I'm not opposed to trying if it serves the story. My headcanon for TLOU is my Joel stays pretty true to the HBO series in that he's Latino, but he doesn't speak Spanish in regular conversation (I imagine he can, but he doesn't). (Trust that I noticed Tommy's "Adios, big brother" in episode 6, but then apparently Joel says that in the game, so...? I've thought about this too much.)

19. First fandom you wrote for?

The X-Files, when I was 14. Those fics are still in .txt files somewhere on my computer. Someday I'll dig them out and have a good laugh.

20. Favorite fic you’ve written?

Total recency bias, but The Ghosts of Babylon is my favorite right now. Mostly because I love the Reader character and it was my first foray into writing for a fandom other than The X-Files and I think I pulled it off. 🥹

🏷️ No pressure tags! Tell me about your fics! @frannyzooey, @wannab-urs, @bumblepony, @ramblers-lets-get-ramblin, @march-flowerr, @wildemaven and anyone else who wants to give this a whirl.

[niuniente]

I think you're super cool!

Any games that you really like?

I'm a long time follower of Tekken so I'm always happy when a new Tekken is announced :3

Resident Evil 4 is one of the best games I've played, even when I got stuck with it in such a way that there was no other way out than restart the whole game (they clearly hadn't thought about idiots like me who still can't aim near the end of the game lol). I'm excited for its remake!

I have played only the first Bayonetta but it was love at first sight! Everything in the first Bayonetta is like made for me. I especially love that the angels' are horrifying looking monsters from your nightmares.

I've been following Devil May Cry since the game was still on developers' table and we got first screenshots printed on a game magazine about it. Since DMC4 I haven't cared so much about it but I still follow the series and eventually will play each new game. I hope that now when the twin brothers Dante and Vergil are in Hell, DMC6 would literally be inspired by Dante's Inferno and Dante would go through Hell guided by Vergil. Such possibilities, aaaaah! ÖqÖ

Special mention goes to Katamari-series. In the game, you roll a round katamari and collect stuff with it to make stars (because the main character's father, The King of Cosmos, accidentally destroyed all planets). It's super fun to start from a small katamari and collect needles and stamps and paper clips and end up with a gigantic katamari collecting sky scrapers, small island and clouds! We Love Katamari is the 2nd installment and it's a game of how much people loved Katamari and wanted to roll more :D

I loved Pokemon Legend Arceus! I have never really played any Pokemon or followed the series but this was so cute and so entertaining I think I need to play more Pokemon games :3

Breath of Fire 3 is an amazing JRPG from the 90's. If you haven't played this, do yourself a favor AND PLAY IT. The story, the characters, the music. In what else game can you play as a mutated onion with cute screams?

Wild Arms 3 is also wonderful older JRPG. Very entertaining and straightforward to play. I'm currently still replaying it and this time I aim to finish it, as the last time 20 years ago I got stuck so badly I was unable to finish the game (it has some hard puzzles at times but luckily internet now exists in our pockets :D) Music is good!

From good music, I must mention a long time favorite Castlevania - The Symphony of the Night. Amazing soundtrack, amazing level design, amazing bosses oh my...! A dream game. <3

Not many know Bloody Roar series and to be honest, it would deserve a remake. I grew up with Bloody Roar 1 and enjoyed it a lot. It's a fighting game where the characters have an ability to turn into werebeasts, like Yugo here has turned into his wolf form.

Nier Automata is a game like I have never played or encountered before, it's absolutely INSANE! If anyone says games are just mindless entertainment, make them play this. So many awesome topics. It crushes your soul little by little in most horrifying ways and you're thankful about it. it makes you question your morals and ethics, as well as others' morals and ethics. If you like my comics, I think you'd enjoy Nier Automata, as some themes and elements are in both (though I could never write anything as insanely clever as NA is!)

The Last Guardian is amazing and very, very Japanese. This game as no aim, no side quests. You just travel with a big beast Trico and try to navigate your way out through different landscapes. Very atmospheric and realistic in a way that commanding Trico is sometimes difficult - just as commanding a wild beast would be. I don't think it was intentional that Trico doesn't do what asked so that you can go forward until after 10 minutes of you trying but I found it realistic when it happened, as frustrating as it was :'D

Of course, Final Fantasy VII, the original one, will go with me to my grave <3 QuQ

[manygalaxiesinone]

My Favorite Disgaea Characters (and why they're so awesome!)

((Taking a small break from the Disgaea 7 DLC Episodes to talk about this. Now that I finished Disgaea 7's main story, I feel like it's time to get into who are my actual favorite characters in the franchise. Unlike when I talked about my least favorite when I only covered one per game, here I'll go over multiple characters across multiple titles, but still in no particular ranking order.

Let's start off with who everyone already knows would be featured on this list, Adell. I've always been a fan of this guy ever since the original Disgaea 2 and seeing him in other titles practically a guaranteed way to put a smile on my face (as well as my money taken away). One of the things that really won me over is his awesome moveset across the games, especially the ever evolving vulcan blaze (although it's not quite as awesome in D6 and D7 right now). Combine that with his evilities and you got one of the most broken playable characters in the titles. In terms of personality, he's one of the more serious characters in a franchise known for its chaos, which is interesting since he's meant as NIS parody take on a Shonen Protagonist, though granted even he has his moments. Always does his best to keep his promise no matter the cost and does whatever he can to help provide for his family, in my eyes Adell is number 1.

Next up is the main character of Disgaea 5, Killia. NIS literally designed Killia to be Adell's polar opposite in terms of both personality and element. So instead of a passionate, hot blooded individual, we have someone who's more calm, cool, and collected, representing his ice element... unless if we're talking about cooking. Like Adell, he's one of the more serious characters in this series, and he's often self conscious about it, often questioning on what he could do to stand out more, which I find hilarious. But I think what really won me over though is the fact that despite his backstory, he doesn't come across as too edgy for my liking. He's more like a cool older brother that's willing to help out if he needs to, but at the same time will put his foot down when he notices shenanigans.

The fact that it took until Disgaea RPG to come out to finally get Demon Lord Hanako again is criminal in my opinion. Regular Hanako is alright, but the Demon Lord version of her from the future is no joke. We're talking about someone powerful enough to take on both Gig and Pram at the same time with help from other fighters like Ash, Almaz, Sapphire, and Dark Eclair! I need to know what Etna did to her to make her this broken in 10 years!

Speaking of Sapphire Rhodonite, she is without a doubt one of my favorite princesses in all of gaming. Don't get me wrong, so far I haven't met anyone that topped Sonia Blanche from Shining Resonance yet, but Sapphire is up there. This lady is a powerhouse that got so sick of watching everyone die for her that she trained herself to become a killing machine to protect her kingdom. Out of all the soldiers in her kingdom, she ended up having a crush on a regular guardsman because he was the only one who still saw some humanity in her after her mother died. She wasted no time and married said guardsman at the end of the game! Willingly goes after overlords herself just to make sure they don't get the chance to kidnap her later down the line! She a keeper!

Might as well jump straight to Disgaea 7 to talk about another powerhouse baddie being Higan! When she first appeared in the game, she gave the game's Void Dark look alike 1000 years of death before taking off with his infernal treasure, which is a spear. Keep in mind, she's primarily a swordmaster that taught Fuji almost everything she knew and started using spears just because she was bored. Infernal Treasures pick their wielders and she just got accepted right off the bat. She eats so many sweets every day, she basically puts Stocking Anarchy on fraud alert. She's this game's definition of tough love, as while she's aggressive and extreme when it comes to fighting and training, she's also looking out for the best for her peers. Plus that scene where she wins back cash for the party is hilarious and makes me wonder how fast she would clear Sae's Palace if she was in Persona 5.

Mr Champloo has always been my absolute favorite character in Disgaea 3. When it comes to characters that turn cooking into a way of life, before there was Killia, we had this guy. Once again, the fact that Champloo and Killia never had a cooking battle to this day is beyond criminal! Come ON NIS! You give us a cooking battle between Fenrich and Pirilika and not this absolute gold mine waiting to happen?! I do love his relationship with Almaz in 3 as the reason Almaz calls him master is because he's helping Almaz on his path to become a better person in his own way. He's not teaching Almaz how to cook, but he's using cooking metaphors to get his point across.

Yukimaru's another character I really want to see more of in later titles. Yeah, I know she and Fubuki got a cameo in 7, but that ain't enough! Fun fact, Yukimaru in her Kimono outfit during the Sardine Festival event was the reason why I started playing Disgaea RPG in the first place. I just love how sweet and polite she is, a trained ninja given a mission to kill an overlord but doesn't like fighting unless she has to. Yet her Xeno version is Xeno Flonne's right hand girl and her top assassin! It would be cool to have Yukimaru go around acting like a bodyguard to Adell and Rozalin considering she swore her blade to them.

Out of the original Disgaea Trio, Flonne has to be my personal favorite. She doesn't let rumors that she hears in Celestia cloud her judgement when it comes to meeting new people. She goes out of her way to learn about them and experience their culture herself. Even in areas where she thinks she's the expert at like love, she's still learning as evident when Laharl's mother explained why she doesn't hug and say goodbye to him before she reincarnates into her new life, or when Don Joaquin told her that his spirit can move on despite losing to Laharl because he didn't hold back in their battle. Her overworking Artina as an archangel does need to be stopped though. Honestly, part of me wished NIS went with the idea of keeping Flonne in the Netherworld and have her work as a teacher to young demons instead of her becoming an angel again.

Pirilika is adorable in every sense of the word, I swear. She's basically the Disgaea 7 version of flonne considering that she's a massive otaku and her willingness to see the good everyone around her. It's also thanks to her that we know what happens when you spoil your prinnies. You basically de-combat them where they have to take on secretary like roles in order to atone for their sins and potentially make them targets of envious prinnies. Valvatorez would not approve. That being said, I don't think I've ever seen or heard about a CEO this innocent. She doesn't splurge her money to everyone as bad as Misedor (though she's definitely up there), she does go out of her way to make sure everyone is taken care of and treats everyone to her own cooking. I'd work for her in a heartbeat.

And sticking with Disgaea 7 is Ceefore. Yeah, all 3 of the leading ladies in this game were hits for me. At first, she reminded me of Yuffie from Final Fantasy 7, considering that she started off helping out the main party, only to ditch them later on because she was helping out her home. At the end of the day, she's just an eccentric otaku who wants to make some friends after spending most of her life isolated in Celestia since she can see spirits that others can't. I'm convinced that her giving masks that turns everyone into prinnies was a reference to Shido's palace in Persona 5, but I could be wrong. She is a phantom thief after all. Her ultimate skill is more busted than Pleinair's because it has infinite range! Any stage with a boss will be cleared in seconds the moment she activates it. Kinda wish they gave her a persona to really bring it home.

And these are just a few of my personal favorites in the series so far. Who are yours?))

[yunoteru4ever]

Big Order's Frustratingly Random OVA

Until yesterday, I'd never bothered to look into the "Big Order" OVA.

It was originally a giveaway with a volume of the manga and pre-dates the actual anime series — just like Mirai Nikki/Future Diary's OVA. And also just like Mirai Nikki's own OVA/series and the Big Order anime series that arrived later, it's an Asread production. Given all of those similarities, I thought this would be a case much like Mirai Nikki's OVA. Mirai Nikki's OVA is just an abridged take on the series' Episode 2 with slightly different animation/angles in spots. With that in mind and given all of the similar setup, why would Big Order's OVA contain anything interesting for me? Especially since I didn't even like the Big Order's anime series.

So yeah, I pulled said OVA up on the Blu-Ray and was greeted with THIS. I was NOT prepared.

"Random Order" is a trippy watch, though I can't say it's not interesting while it's running. It's full of random scenes from the then-upcoming anime (scenes that appear largely identical to the ones used in the finished episodes... barring a few exceptions) as well as a few alternate-reality scenes that have no parallels in the series proper. And weirdest of all? The eventual anime series seems to specifically call back to this OVA during its final episode. I never would've known that if I hadn't just finished watching the series again, but... yeah, there are references in that finale to scenes that ONLY exist in this OVA. Bizarre.

The framing device is that lead protagonist Eiji Hoshimiya — usually, but it might also be Rin or Iyo or Sena at times, depending on the scenes you get — is sitting in a supernatural café while Daisy (she's the mysterious being who grants the characters their "Order" superpowers in response to their wishes, if you didn't know) is waiting for him/her to make their wish. But Eiji-or-whomever is struggling to make a wish because they're totally tripping out, seeing either (A) alternate realities that already exist due to various wishes they made in different timelines OR (B) dream-like illusions of what they might be able to make happen based on wishes they're considering in their minds OR (C) flashes of memories they've already experienced prior to this moment.

Not that I've seen all the scenes in here, mind you, because of course I fucking haven't. After 12 run-throughs that took me back to the above image's first "C" each time, I haven't managed to land on that magical "11" even ONCE, so I've yet to see ANY of the three random outcomes that lead ot the long credits. But I've sure seen plenty of outcomes that lead to the short credits...

I'm watching this Blu-Ray on a PS4, and I can't find any way to skip around various titles/chapters on the disk via the PS4's interface. I also can't find that anyone has uploaded the entire complicated series of options; this thing is MUCH too complex and niche for people to bother. It seems like the existing uploads only contain the mandated first 23-or-so minutes, completely ignoring all the optional variations thereafter.

As for the unique scenes in this OVA? Out of what I've seen, there don't appear to be many. But if nothing else, any die-hard Eiji/Rin shippers who might be out there will definitely get their juice during those first 23 minutes.

Yup, it turns out these are straight-up having sex in whatever reality/dream/memory we see during the outset of the OVA. So there's plenty of flirting, kissing, seductive talk, etc. And... I guess that flower in her hair never comes off?

[sunnydaleherald]

The Sunnydale Herald Newsletter, Wednesday, February 21

BUFFY: I can't believe you got into Oxford! WILLOW: It's pretty exciting. OZ: That's some deep academia there. BUFFY: That's where they make Gileses! WILLOW: I know! I could learn and, and have scones.

~~BtVS 3x19 “Choices”~~

[Drabbles & Short Fiction]

Something Worse (Buffy, Angel, PG) by badly_knitted

Plus One (Buffy/Spike, PG-13) by veronyxk84

Cupid, Unchaste (Angelus/Darla/Drusilla/Spike, E) by vampbrat

For Eternity (Buffy/Angel, G) by Pinkperson

Vegas Party (Buffy/Angel, K+) by Kiefercarlos

Heaven, If There's a Star For Us (Buffy/Spike, PG-13) by Harlow Turner

[Chaptered Fiction]

Ecstasy: A Sexy Buffy the Vampire Slayer Fan-fic Fantasy, Chapter 4/? (Buffy/Angel, Xander/Willow, Spike/Faith, M) by TheUnbrokenSpell

I Don't Want to Be the One, Chapter 4/40 (Buffy/Spike, T) by pommedapi

In Case You Haven't Noticed..., Chapter 5/? (Buffy/Giles, E) by Sdhuskerfan

Heartless, Chapter 10 (Buffy/Angel, T) by Lsquared1501

Let Me Count The Ways, Chapter 5 COMPLETE! (Buffy/Spike, NC-17) by Spikelover4ever

Stab in the back, Chapter 18 (Buffy/Spike, Adult Only) by MelG_2005

Truth and Consequences, Chapter 8 (Buffy/Spike, R) by JamesMFan

Love Lives Here, Chapter 25 (Buffy/Spike, NC-17) by Passion4Spike

Early One Morning, Chapter 17 (Buffy/Spike, NC-17) by all choseny

Lie to Me, Chapter 12 (Buffy/Spike, Adult Only) by In Mortal

Old Fashioned Romance, Chapter 7 (Xander/Steve Rogers, Marvel xover, FR21) by calikocat

The Ring Talks, Chapter 38 (Buffy/Spike, 13+) by myrabeth

A Breath is But a Soundless Whisper, Chapters 22-23-24 (Buffy/Spike, 18+) by Blackoberst

Lie to Me, Chapter 12 (Buffy/Spike, Adult Only) by In Mortal

Stomping on butterflies, Chapters 13-14 (Buffy/Spike, T) by Blackoberst

[Images, Audio & Video]

Moodboard: Spike/Fred + Domestic Fluff + Yellow (worksafe) by MadeInGold

Artwork: Family Portrait (Angel, Darla, Drusilla, Spike, worksafe) by CoffeeHunt

Artwork: ChiBangel, Chapter 2 (worksafe) by MamaBewear

Artwork: Just a quick sketch that I had difficulty coloring (Angel, worksafe) by pinkpersonsblog

Artwork: [Drawing of Buffy] (worksafe) by testframboise-aqua

Artwork: Some rough sketches of young robin and nikki. (worksafe) by aa-arttss

Gifset: “I thought maybe we could do a spell, make people talk again.” (Tara, worksafe) by lovebvffys

Artwork: i drew my favorite little vampire slayer (Faith, worksafe) by praise-cats

[Reviews & Recaps]

S1E01: Welcome To the Hellmouth by justfin-watches

Finished season 2 of Buffy and... by Jarethjr

PODCAST: Episode 49: Earshot (w/ Rayne) by Gym Was Cancelled

[Recs & In Search Of]

ISO: Looking for a Spuffy RP partner requested by tatirps

ISO: Does anyone have access to the Buffy audiobooks? requested by ColdCruise

[Fandom Discussions]

Xander’s sexuality is often a topic around Buffy spaces... by confusedguytoo

the thing about xander harris is that he doesn’t feel insecure about his magically powered girl best friend superhero at all by suncaptor

I’m still annoyed even after cordi and oz found out like what the f* even was this plot line? by lyriumsings

how did the kid in Puppetshow get a functioning guillotine into a school? by tara-fantastico

I’m an Angelus wig truther by breezybeej

Author Christopher Golden announces the audio series Slayers: A Buffyverse Story will not have more seasons by buffythecomicslayer

Anya is such an unhinged choice made by Buffy writers by feral-pixie-dream-possum

What If: Darla was the one resouled? by nightshade

Slayers: A Buffyverse Story' Has Been Canceled. by BAF

Whose side are you on? continued by multiple posters

Anyone else feel bad for Harmony post-season 3? (Obviously major spoilers for Angel and Buffy) by jdpm1991

What was the moment, episode and/or line that made you realize Willow and Tara liked eachother beyond friendship? by Sudden-Star-7190

Turok-han Name Origins by lb99999

What are some unfair assumptions people make about the characters or the show in general? by PristineSituation498

Disney has refused to allow Audible to proceed with future seasons of SLAYERS: A BUFFYVERSE STORY. by dbag_darrell

I love Tara but she’s not entirely well-written. by Eagles56

Spike in Family: Nobody seems to question why he's there once they can see Demons again by celaba

Your thoughts on the canon final image of the original Buffy Verse?? by horrordeconstruction

[Articles, Interviews, and Other News]

PUBLICATION: Disney cancels the Buffy: The Vampire Slayer spin-off Slayers after one season from Amazon's Audible by Popverse

PUBLICATION: When Vampires Fall in Love: The Enduring Charm of Buffy and Spike by The Rose Gold Boudoir

PUBLICATION: 'Slayers: A Buffyverse Story' Cancelled After One Season on Audible by Collider.com

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[scary-senpai]

Would love to hear more about you & me & a high balcony!

Gahh! Thank you so much for the ask. (Original link is here, if anyone wants to join or reblog.)

So, “you & me & a high balcony” is one of the fics I drafted when I was teaching myself to write again. So it's awkward and striving (mostly in the right direction), and still pretty rough--I started writing it in 2020, I haven't really touched it since 2021, and I have learned a whole lot since then. At the same time, it is a fic that is near to my heart and I'm grateful for the opportunity to talk about it! <3

“you & me & a high balcony” is about Genos taking Garou home for the first time--why? tbd! I wrote probably about 100k words of various interconnected fics without fully committing to the unifying concept or plot and I will never, ever do that again. Probably.

Anyway, Genos takes Garou home and neglects to fully inform Saitama. You are getting my draft in its fully unedited glory.

Saitama’s cactus is on the balcony and it is a very, very painful experience for him. In keeping with running canon gags, Saitama is absolutely powerless against this ickle, stationary cactus and he finds himself in an ongoing fight with it, almost immediately. He also gets totally entangled in Genos' camping gear, but put a pin in that, we'll come back to it.

What follows is a series of interspersed scenes between Genos and Garou inside the apartment, Saitama making strange noises outside, Genos fabricating excuses and lying (poorly), and Genos occasionally stepping out on the balcony pretending to be Genos (because, again, Saitama is wrapped up like a sad sandwich in an unpitched camping tent.) In retrospect, it's very clear how much I miss writing for stage, because it feels a bit like an homage to Noises Off (but, you know, prose).

In the spirit of adventure, I am sending an unedited screenshot. With comments boxes! I haven't re-read it in years because I'm too nervous, but you can!

“CW” doesn’t necessarily stand for content warning but I guess it certainly could? CW is an abbreviation of my name so it’s how I highlight “shit I need to go back and figure out.” Being older and wiser, most of my drafts are now just bullet points for me to come back to later, when I have a coherent, unifying thought for the story/fic/series. It has saved me a lot of screaming and tears.

Anyway, Saitama keeps moving the cactus into the apartment. Garou keeps moving it back. Genos has no idea what the fuck is happening, but it’s the least of his problems. Eventually it leads to Saitama and Garou having a heart-to-heart (and agreeing not to tell Genos they met) and, idk, man, I love writing Genos x Garou a lot, but (Platonic) Garou + Saitama scenes are my absolute favorite. I just give them my ideal relationship, which is All of the Hijinks and None of the Sex with someone who finishes your sentences, but all the sentences are puns.

I started drafting the story in 2020, and anything I wrote in 2020 chronicles my descent into madness— inadvertently & indirectly. Suffice to say, quarantine was hitting me very hard and a lot of my behavior was centered around making myself laugh. My serotonin starved brain had a tendency to overload scenes with jokes. Even if they didn’t fit, even if they threw off the pacing. But stories and scenes need to have cohesive plots and it’s silly, to the point of being out of character. Sometimes that's part of the process, though. There's always a lot of love in the first draft of a story, I think, because it's a leap of faith.

I had written a litany of things that embarrassed me about this draft, I deleted it. So I'll share one of the things that I am proud of coming up with--I don't play a lot of video games. I needed a fighting game for King and Saitama to play during a stint of dialogue (the outcome of which involves King lending Saitama Hatoful Boyfriend so that Genos can practice dating (and also he does not trust Saitama with any of his beloved Doki Doki sims). So I thought of the one game I played a lot as a kid (Super Smash Bros) and combined it with something I do know really well (literature) and came up, um, this:

The Body Electric is near to my heart because it was a major part of my writing journey. It was also a major part of my writing journey where I learned a lot, mostly by making mistakes. Granted, it remains largely unpublished so I failed in gracefully private but it is really important to me to finish it one day.

Thank you so much for the ask!

[shuttershocky]

So I got persona 5 awhile back used, have only played a little of it, and now the royal deluxe version is on sale. I was wondering if it’s worth buying the royal version and switching to it or stick to the one I have. Is it worth it?

Don't believe the reviews written at launch, they probably had to submit the review before finishing the game. It is absolutely worth buying P5 Royal even if you already have P5. Royal is the game that P5 SHOULD have been. It is the game people remember in their minds when they think about how they loved P5 but haven't actually replayed P5 to see all its problems laid bare.

Some stuff that makes buying Royal worth it

The original Persona 5 had a very, very obvious Light and L thing going on between Akechi and Joker (they even look like them lmao). They also didn't pull it off. Royal greatly rewrites and explores their relationship both in their brand new confidant (the new name for social links) and in the newly added month, making it one of the best relationships in the series.

They rebalanced the combat entirely. Guns are finally usable instead of being worthless, and there's far more depth and creativity possible in the Thieves' movesets. Some people complained the game was made too easy, but honestly that's an easy tradeoff to make up for the ridiculous number of quality of life changes added that make the whole thing a smoother, more dynamic, and fun experience. Also, Royal reworked how status effects work, allowing you to use them to knock down (and thus combo) enemies that normally do not have weaknesses. It's fucking rad.

Every confidant event now also has extra dialogue where they call you over your cellphone. Social links / confidants have always been the biggest appeal of Persona, getting more out of them is a big plus.

The new director (they changed directors in Royal)'s storytelling ability is just... Better. Like, it's crazy, at some point you can actually obviously tell which parts of the game are new in Royal and which were in the original game because of the quality of the dialogue and the overall writing is just that much better (and Royal keeps the original games' scenes). The original P5 had many, many problems with its writing, from being unable to hold on to its plot to just sometimes having cringy dialogue. There's straight up a whole scene where the villains explain EVERYTHING to each other despite both of them knowing all the info already. It gets that bad. Royal's original writing on the other hand, has a grasp of both plot writing and an emotional understanding of its cast to really make the most out of the setting's potential. The difference is night and day, get Royal for this reason alone.

They added talents / passives to Personas which can be inherited through fusion, which can make some EXTREMELY funny personas if you figure out an overpowered combo.

Morgana doesn't force you to go to sleep at night as much anymore. You can read books or study or clean the cafe or play videogames, basically DO shit that raises your stats rather than wasting time. Anyone that's played the original game might see this as the number 1 reason to get Royal honestly, it feels incredible to not waste so many days on a game with limited time. (You can finish all possible confidants in a single run without it even being very strict! Holy fucking shit!)

You get the P5 DLC for free btw lmao. Royal had its own DLC, but if you open the PlayStation network and own Royal, the original P5 DLC is free for you. Get it, some of the personas (like Kaguya) are stupidly fun.

The original P5 had one horrible final boss (he's still there in Royal, he's just not the final boss anymore.) Royal's final boss on the other hand, is legitimately one of my favorite final JRPG battles ever. I like it even more than Persona 3's Nyx, it's that good (though nowhere near as hard). If you like Ursula K Le Guin's work, the final arc is thematic inversion of one of her short stories. I love it so much.

The soundtrack is bitchin.