#New unlockable story fragments!

[ectogeranium]

deleted my new gen wizard101 account since I recovered my old one. held a funeral service for the wizards lost in the deletion, and put headstones in my main's garden in memoriam. huh? crying? never heard of it tbh.

[foone]

My one bit of advice I think every gamer should hear:

GO PLAY OUTER WILDS.

Seriously. It is easily one of my top 5 games of all time, and that's mainly because I'm being cagey about if it's the #1, because it probably is.

It's a game where you're a little alien who is taking their first flight into space, in their little spaceship. You go to space and find a mystery, and have to figure it out.

It's a game entirely about learning things about the world you're in: it's a tiny solar system modeled amazingly well, with varied planetary environments, archaeology, and quantum fun.

It's a game that's hard to talk about without spoiling, because it's about solving the mysteries. There used to be some other aliens here, they're long gone. What happened to them? Their whole society was built around trying to find something: what was it? Did they find it? And there's a weird disastrous event that keeps happening, why? Can you stop it? Should you stop it? Is it connected to the other weird things that keep happening? What happened to that ice planet that exploded with vines? One of the astronauts who came before you was the best pilot who ever lived, but they vanished. What happened to them? And why can you sometimes hear their harmonica over the radio when you point it at your own planet?

The game is wonderful and non-linear and the most unique approach to a Metroidvania I've seen years: it's basically "what if we did the Metroidvania idea but with no items or power ups? What if the thing that you got to unlock new areas WAS INSIDE THE PLAYER'S HEAD?"

Because you don't unlock the next area by picking up the high-jump boots, you unlock it by learning something new. Now you can do something you didn't realize you could before, but now you know you can.

And that's only one of the amazing concepts they stuffed in this game. The itemless Metroidvania, the tiny simulated solar system, the quantum mechanics... Each of these alone could be enough to carry an indie game. They stuffed them all in one game combined with a great story, and that's in a gamewith relatively little dialogue!

There's like a dozen people to talk to, but you spent a lot of time reading conversations left by the long-gone aliens. You get to know them, what they were working for, how they interacted, and what happened to them, thousands of years later. It's less the bioshock style audio-logs, and more like going over bits of ancient writing, making connections and correlations from the fragments you can find.

And don't get me wrong, this might sound like this game is going to be dry and boring: it is so very not. It is a game about mysteries in the void of space, the death of a civilization, and the potentially world-ending dangers that face a living one, and even bigger concepts. It could so easily be a cosmic horror, about the cold death of space and the universe itself, and the nihilism of realizing that even a race that could cross the gap between the stars and bend spacetime to their will... They too died out. If they couldn't make it, what hope do you have, in your little spaceship that's primarily made of WOOD?

And yet... The game is always engaging. It has a few scares, and space is never a safe place to be, but it maintains a sense of humor and wonder. Yes, the universe can be scary, but it's also amazing. And you're just a little salamander-guy who wants to see it all, and figure out all the things. Maybe you don't know something yet, but tomorrow is a new day, and you can go blasting off to another planet, find some writing in a city suspended upside down over a black hole, try to fly into the core of a water planet, dodge giant anglerfish inside the warped space of an exploded planet, and try to explore an ancient city that's slowly filling with sand. It is a game about Things Ending, and it refuses to give into despair. It is one of the most relentlessly optimistic games I have ever played.

And the experience of playing it is so unique. This isn't a game where you could watch a letsplay and only get spoiled on some plot points, it's a game where the fundamental gameplay loop is about learning things. You should try it for yourself. It's got hints and many different avenues to explore (and it even keeps track of them for you, in case you forget!), so you don't have to worry much about getting stuck for too long. You can always put aside a "puzzle" and come back later, after you've learned more. (I put puzzle in quotes because it's not exactly a puzzle game. It's more of a mystery game. You aren't solving a logic puzzle or putting the pegs into the right holes, you're asking "Why is this like this? Where does this go? What is this for?" and then figuring that out from clues)

It's like 25$ on steam, and you can get it for Playstation and Xboxes as well (sadly no Switch version. They were working on one but it seems that version has stalled, with no announced release date)

You can probably get it for like 10$ if you're patient and wait for a sale.

One final note: there's also a DLC. The DLC is fully self-contained, in that you won't miss anything playing the main game without it. It basically adds a huge side-area to the game which goes and fills in some gaps in the history, explains some things, and introduces some more variety to the Outer Wilds universe.

It's utterly amazing, too. It's basically Outer Wilds 2 in everything but name, but it's totally fine to just grab the base game and play that. You can always come back and grab the DLC later if you want more Outer Wilds.

Seriously. To sum up, Outer Wilds is one of the greatest games ever made, it won a ton of awards, and it should have won more. They should invent more gaming awards just to give to Outer Wilds. This is one of the games that is going to be talked about in future "history of gaming" classes and put on lists of the 50 most groundbreaking and influential games, alongside things like Myst and King's Quest and Zork and Mass Effect. It's just that good, that groundbreaking.

[connorsnothereeither]

OH I realised today that I never actually explained the “Ulysses was originally a rabbit” joke… so here’s that explanation/behind the scenes on his character creation lol-

When I was first invited to join Fable as a cast member and create my own character for the world, I spent some time spitballing ideas. All the new cast were given a lot of wiggle room to build our little guys, and so I came up with 3 concept character pitches, which each could have explored different areas of the server’s lore that we hadn’t gotten a huge glimpse into in the first 2 seasons:

Character #1 was the aforementioned rabbit, named Tamlin! Although maybe rabbit isn’t quite accurate, he was a Jackalope hybrid. He was the most developed of the pitches I came up with, and I think I described him as “Alice in Wonderland’s White Rabbit meets Celtic Mythology/the Fae”. He would have been more Nature-Fam (specifically c!Jamie) adjacent, being a rabbit hybrid created by Deltavera, as a sort of assistant/companion. Narratively he functioned almost as a foil to c!Ven, being an assistant to Delta rather than Fable. He would have been driven mad by Fable to some extent after Delta’s death (we hadn’t decided on how exactly, at that point in time) and leaned hard into the Wonderland tea/madness/whimsical aspect. His purpose story-wise would have been to help c!Jamie learn about Deltavera over time, both of them unlocking pieces of the past together in scattered fragments, ending with Tamlin getting all of his memories back.

Character #2 was a piglin, I think? Or at the very least some kind of Nether Hybrid. They would have been a Nether soldier that fully deserted both sides of the war, and was living undercover in the Overworld as a fugitive while trying to fend off zombification. His working name was “Asmodius” or “Azzy”, and a lot of his characterisation and the idea of his family coming with him was eventually folded directly into the Tuskly’s as NPC’s!

Character #3 was an unnamed Telchin. He was originally solely a warrior, inspired by the Iliad, rather than the Odyssey, specifically Prince Hector of Troy. A soldier who had spent decades fighting and being hardened and calloused only to defend a city that was always doomed to fall. I didn’t want to interfere with the scientist side of the Telchin, since that was very much Metta and Ocie’s thing, so I intentionally tried to steer clear of that, and lean hard into the war-time aspect of the telchin, and the idea of the rest of society collapsing while the scientists worked on the projects.

In the end, there was a bunch of reasons the characters didn’t pan out.

Tamlin was ultimately just not narratively necessary? c!Jamie could find out most of those things on his own, and as Deltavera was developed into the more lovable “I only talk to animals” loner, it felt weird for him to have an assistant. Logistically it would also have been difficult for me to act as both Tamlin and Delta in any cutscenes lmao. As much as I liked the wacky Mad Hatter rabbit hybrid vibes, it also made him overlap just a little too much with what c!Haley had become. Certain elements were reused for Ulysses though, like the fragmented memories, and the “tea obsession” was changed to the “kelp obsession” at the beginning of the season, etc.

Asmodius just wasn’t as developed as a character, and I didn’t think he could hold water for the whole season. Not to mention Athena and Ocie were both expanding on the Nether aspect of the world though c!Athena and Oscar’s backstory, and I didn’t think I was bringing anything new enough that fully justified his existence as a character beyond the initial concept (hence why it was given to the Tuskly’s, specifically Wilkins, since at the time there was only ever going to be him as the only Tuskly).

I actually think it was Heyhay that approached me about expanding the Telchin idea? Maybe? It was a while ago now. I was really excited to be given the invite to take part in the established scientist/project lore that had been developed in s2, because it was something they’d really been building up, basically with the pitch of “hey… you like horror stuff right? *points at Brink* We have some horrors to witness” lol. I got to really go all in on the Frankenstein meets Greek Mythology angle, and finding a way to transition someone from a soldier to a scientist was what led to the medic/doctor angle, and examining what drives a once person to do the things Ulysses did, and experiment on a god they worshipped. The letter of regret about Project Leviathan was the first time I really got a feel for writing Ulysses as a character, and I instantly became very attached. Like, as much as the other ideas for him would have been fun, I would not trade the character he became and the development of him behind the scenes for the world, he is the best character outcome I could have hoped for when joining Fable ✨

[inknopewetrust]

𝐖𝐞𝐛𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝐎𝐩𝐚𝐜𝐢𝐭𝐲

summary: what if Miguel didn’t learn the first time around? What if he keeps jumping to new realities to experience the life he deserved but never got?

pairing: miguel o'hara x fem!reader [wc: 2.15k]

warnings: 18+, minors dni, this does get a tad bit little spicy and then... emotive, domestic miguel & family. well... here we are folks... miguel is on a struggle bus.

Every universe tells a story.

And before worlds start to crumble, they are built by those within it hoping for a better life.

Miguel could hear the music from the kitchen before he even walked through the door.

The rhythms of drums he had long forgotten weaved its way through the air as the smells of a dinner being cooked wafted out from the apartment. He could hear the laughter he missed greatly; a sorrowful joyous sound Miguel could never grasp.

"No, no, no!" Happy shrieks left your lips as soon as he opened the door, bag in hand like he recalled from his years of work at Alchemax.

Small hands pushed at his legs to send him back out the door and he tried to ignore the way his eyes caught birthday streamers and a cake on the table. It was his birthday. A fragment of his life before - it felt so familiar but only a fantasy all the same.

"Go! It's not," Gabriella grunted as she attempted to push Miguel away, "it's not ready! You're too early." Too early, always too late.

"GO! Go!"

"Alright! Alright!" Miguel chuckled, smiling at his daughter as she succeeded and he found himself paired with the outside of the door once more. The lock clicked, giving him no other choice.

Behind it, the sounds of shuffling feet and plates being placed onto the table balanced out the music. The music stopped without warning the moment the light that streamed out of the small gap at the bottom of the door went away.

A pair of feet pattered their way back to the door to unlock it. Miguel opened it again and at the end of the wide hall, the kitchen table was laid with what he had seen before.

A cake lit by candles that didn't truly reflect his age.

A dinner that was a warm favorite he'd never admit to.

And a family whole and smiling to the nines. Gabriella's pearly whites nearly shined in the glow of the candles, the sights of the city filling the rest of the room behind you both. Miguel looked at his little girl with a tense heart, and he looked at you with a loose one.

You were here. You both were. Happy and healthy and waiting for him to come home.

To break the static, an out-of-tune, good intentioned rendition of 'happy birthday' filled the air. He put the suitcase down to approach the table where his hands rested on the back of a wooden chair and Gabriella's excitement overflowed as she raced to him and gladly was swept off her feet.

You would never tire of the sight of a man like Miguel so gentle with her. Broad shouldered with a harsh face, he softened beside her. Adoring the way she would wrap her arms around his neck and snuggle into the crook of it. It was soft, pure in the simplest of ways.

And he would only be like this here - when she was present and the world wasn't watching. Helping her color inside the lines or pick out a matching pair of socks so she wouldn't be made fun of when she went to school. Miguel was a dad when anyone could be a father.

When the song was over, Gabriella turned her head and whispered in his ear.

"Daddy," her voice high-pitched, "you need to make a wish."

You moved from around the table to join the two as he held onto her tightly.

"Remember," you reminded Miguel as he pondered, "just enough to last the year. There will always be more next year."

Miguel nodded absentmindedly, moving on auto-pilot to lean down and look at the flames meeting his face. One wish was all he wanted. One wish for this life to last a bit longer than the last and this universe to be the one to heal whatever pieces of him he had lost in the others.

"Ok, go ahead! One, two..." Gabriella pushed and he blew them out as he held onto his little girl and your hand rested on his arm.

Miguel couldn't remember birthdays like this.

He had begun to tune them out after years of forgetting but he sat at the end of the bed with the exhaustion he had felt every day he worked long hours that were less than rewarding.

Gabriella went to bed; he read her a story like he always did and ended up trapped in his own mind when there was little else to do but sleep.

The sink in the bathroom attached to the bedroom stopped running. You exited the bathroom in those pajamas he said made you look like an old lady but wouldn't trade for the world. However, in the reality he knew all too well, he wished he had never said that. Miguel would trade the world to feel, to hold the body that wore them again.

"What's the look for?" You asked him, eyebrow quirked.

"What look?"

"You know," shrugging, you mimicked his face the best you could but in his eyes, it was nothing more than a strange look.

"No," he scoffed with a smirk, "I don't know what you mean."

"Ok grumpy... it's your birthday," you stopped in front of him, hands on his shoulder before taking one hand and squeezing his chin lightly, "cheer up."

"I'm happy," he defended and you narrowed your eyes.

"I don't know... you don't look happy. What can I do to turn that frown," you poked into his cheek, "upside down," and pulled it upwards to get him to smile.

Miguel grabbed your poking hand and held onto it tightly. Sitting down on the bed, his eyes met yours directly. For once, he was not this towering figure that would have been menacing had he not been holding a fawning child or a bag of toys.

His eyes always told a story. One of pain, one of hope, one of lust. They were something you could see lifetimes in and only wish that when you were old, those same eyes would look at you the way they did now. Hungry and waiting for a present he had been looking forward to as he ate his food and traced unknown shapes onto your thigh as Gabriella went on and on about some kid at school.

"What can you do?" He asked you. You nodded in reply. Miguel's eyes darted to your lips, tongue wetting them before you raked your teeth over your bottom lip.

The hand that held yours fell into his lap. It itched to move further.

"I can think of a million things for you to do," Miguel's voice was guttural, husky. "But the floor is cold. It needs to be warmed."

Your heart always manages to stop in his presence.

"Get on your knees."

You weren't a woman to bow to a man. You imagined that is why Miguel had taken onto you so fast but when you were with him, the world washed away. Miguel became another piece of you that had been missing for so long. He had stamped himself inside your heart and through that, you crafted letters of love that transcended the universe.

And in the silent days when he is gone or you're alone, there's a fear of holding one's breath until it's too late. Suffocating without a lung to sustain you.

You knelt onto the cold floor as told. Miguel's eyes watching you look up at him as though you were innocent and this was the first time you were doing this. Being commanded like that, giving into his needs before your own because it was a special day.

Miguel let go of your hand, extending it high with your arm as he helped pull off your nightgown.

Nude underneath, your nipples pert with the chill of the floor, the warmth of his gaze.

You squeezed your thighs together as your toes curled under you. Miguel's ghost of a smile lingered as he leaned back on his elbows.

"You know what to do."

And you did.

Running your hands from his ankles up to his own thighs, your hands were smooth against the fabric of his pants. Fingers spread wide against the large width of them and pressing into the tenderness of his muscle. You fanned over the center of his pants knowing what lies beneath, waiting and aching to be had.

You fiddled with the belt as the silence of the room had grown into a thick air. It surrounded the two of you in a bubble.

"Miguel," you said his name sweetly. He hummed as you let your palm press down onto him and your fingers grasp at the belt. "Do you love me?"

It was not hard to admit that he loved you. He had proclaimed it in every universe he existed in, but it still made his own heart skip a beat. Weak, he imagined himself, to feel that way but here he was, knowingly in another universe where the world was seemingly perfect and it would end in disaster.

He moved your hand and replaced it with his own. He undid the belt and sat up, gripping your face with both of his large hands.

"Yes," he nodded his head at you, "I love you very much"

He loved you in a million lifetimes.

And he kissed you. Hard... because you could slip from his fingertips at any moment. You could simply disappear like dust and he would have to deal with the knowledge that he destroyed you in this world too and he needed to forget that.

His hands cradled your head with a gentle purpose. Thumbs tracing the way your cheeks formed from the smile that lit up your face and threatened to tear his lips from yours. You lifted yourself off of the ground, wrapping your arms around his shoulders.

Miguel didn't need to think of a million things for you to do to make him happy. His hands traced your naked sides and he felt the skin he had been aching to feel. He gripped the parts of you that he missed as much as the smile on your face and the heart that lied inside your chest.

He trailed kisses along the column of your neck and realized that he would destroy every universe if it meant he could have this for one small fragment in time.

"I missed you, sweetheart," Miguel breathed out as you worked on the buttons of his dress shirt. Each button a second he was losing in this world.

You laughed, pulling away slightly from his so his lips disconnected from your shoulder but your fingers didn't stop working.

"I've been here all day," you popped a button off, "just sitting and waiting for you to come home."

"I know," he heaved in a big breath as if the admission of sitting around and waiting for him to come home was sad, or worse, pathetic. "I just missed you, that's all."

You just smiled in return and worked on the last button before pushing the shirt off his shoulders and feeling down his ample chest. Miguel pulled you against him, skin against skin, and rested his forehead on yours.

You didn't question the way he had a few moments ago wanted to be worshiped on his birthday and now only wants to hold you. Every trip around the sun brought forth the recognition that time had an expiration date. That date, unknown and daunting, lingered over the heads of everyone in Nuevo York because the future didn't let people live longer in harmony.

Your fingernails raked the back of his neck, grazing the start of his hair and his grip tightened.

"Baby..." you wanted to pull away to look him in the eye but couldn't. So, you just lowered your head to where your lips were beside his ear. "It's alright, Miguel..."

His hand sprawl out onto your back, the other holding your hip to him.

"I'm not goin' anywhere," you told him, "I'll always be waiting for you to come home."

But you wouldn't.

And he knew that because he made the choice to come here. He came to this universe where tragedy had already struck and wove a web into the home he wanted to build just to have one moment of peace.

That web was opaque.

The opacity of it muddling the lives he had lived and the ones he hadn't. Miguel could imagine fragments of time from the memories he had collected but they stuck together in that web. And every time a solution was thought to have been conceived–where he'd go back to a life worth living with two beautiful souls waiting for him–they imploded.

Even so he held you.

And the pain in his heart wasn't enough to stop him from trying to find that truthful reality of tranquility.

A/n: as a an english speaker, I felt it would be better if I didn't attempt to include spanish in the fic. I know miguel speaks it, I imagine him with a partner who also speaks spanish, but I'd rather leave that to the native speakers of the language instead of someone like me (their fics are also probably better than this one, so go check out those fics!)

[shiningliive]

Live Emotion Game Introduction 5 - Emotional Pieces

Lets have a look at Emotional Pieces:

As described on the official twitter account: When you cultivate the fragments of the idol's feelings - their 'emotional pieces' - you'll gain access to things like special outfits, and piece stories. You can also see a new side of the idols by awakening them.

Further Analysis below:

As expected, 'Emotional Pieces' seem to be the equivalent to cards/photos in Shining Live. In this video, we get our first look at what I assume is the initial set of SR (super rare) Pieces titled 'Be Elegant!'. The art on the Pieces is 2d, and likely ties into the main story at the beginning of the game as seen in the previous Story gameplay preview with the same background. The four diamonds to the right of the 'Be Elegant!' title likely either representing the cards rarity as an SR, or the amount that is has been awakened (diamonds could fill with colour to indicate awakening).

Screen 1 - Piece Levelling

In this clip we see Masato's 'Be Elegant!' SR Piece levelled up from 1-11 with the use of two EXP Score (S), and two EXP Score (M). The number above the area to select how many EXP Scores to use shows how many of each item you own. EXP Score (S) earns 100 EXP EXP Score (M) earns 1,000 EXP EXP Score (L) earns 10,000 EXP

We can also see there there are three categories of Pieces. Sing, Dance, and Charm. It's likely that each idol can be different categories depending on the Piece (Eg, one Masato SR could be Charm type as seen in this video, and another could be Dance type). Levelling up the Piece adds slightly more to the Piece's assigned type than the others (Masato's Sing and Dance points get an additional 100 points, and his Charm gets an additional 104.

Each Piece has also has an assigned 'Life' value, assumedly similar to stamina in Shining Live. In this case likely each cards 'Life' value being added together to give you a value for your stamina bar.

Under the Life value on the left shows the level of the Pieces Skills. Main Skill, Idol Skill, and Guest Skill.

The buttons at the bottom read (from left to right): Reset, Omakase (Auto?), Confirm, and 'Piece Board'.

Screen 2-3 - Piece Board

This looks to be the various unlockables for each Piece.

The Top tree is unlockables for Story , the middle tree for Skills, and the bottom tree for Costume/Voicelines. Each also had additional unlocks for extra Charm, Dance, Sing, and Life points. They are levelled up with the pink gems seen in the popup screen. It seems each unlock will reward you 2 of the rainbow gems which are likely used for the Piece Gacha.

The outfit unlocked for Van is titled "Formal Wear'.

[greetingfromthedead]

Tempest Wind Masterlist

Through a destined meeting, Vash found you, a lost soul much like himself, under the weirdest of circumstances, and he made a promise to follow you across any desert. That turns out to lead both of you down a path of self-discovery, love, and hurt. Vash's unlucky shadow drives the two of you from one crisis to the next, but there's nothing you can't overcome together.

Tempest Wind is a 18+ Vash x F!Reader fic with some spice, some gore, a bit of action and a lot of fluff, for added flavor there's angst too ofc.

The rating of 18+ comes mainly from the occasional dark themes and not so much of the smuttiness (as those parts are labeled and can be skipped without it really affecting the story).

NB: The content is mostly Trimax canon-typical violence/gore/themes, but I give warnings and summaries for the heavier chapters and smut so you can skip them if you want!

Tags/CW below the cut!

Tags/CW: Romance, Fluff, Angst, Action, Adventure, Slow Burn, Hurt, Emotional Baggage, Reader-Insert, badass female character, Eventual Smut, Healing, Immortality, Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Implied/Referenced suicide, Major Character Death, Rape/Non-Con, powers, Mentions of impregnation, Medical Inaccuracies, Medical Experimentation, Non-Consensual Body Modification, Canon-Typical Violence, Gun Violence, Blood and Violence, Non-Sexual Intimacy, Established Relationship, Pre-Relationship, Friends to Lovers, Pining, Tragedy, Protectiveness, Pre-Canon, Canon Universe, Injury, Not Beta Read, POV Alternating, Tenderness, Illnesses, Scars, Mental Breakdown, Mental Health Issues, Caretaking, During Canon, Creature Vash, Angel Vash, Body Horror, Body Worship, i'm shit at tagging, idk what im doing

COMPLETED: 84 Chapters / 165k words

C1: In Death

C2: Tracking Through the Desert

C3: Acts of Kindness

C4: Night Watch

C5: Birdbrain

C6: A Heavy Heart

C7: Midnight Run

C8: Odd Job

C9: A Wild Beast

C10: Wounds

C11: Laundry Day

C12: Language of Flowers

C13: Unlocked Horrors

C14: Sweet as Sugar

C15: Resemblance of Normality

C16: Taking Out the Trash

C17: Unfamiliar Experiences

C18: Moving On

C19: A Gut Feeling

C20: Gods and Angels

C21: Perfect Morning

C22: Renewed Conviction

C23: Dusty Memory

C24: Unexpected Visitors

C25: Guardian Angel

C26: Calamity J

C27: Playing Doctor

C28: Otherworldly Lullaby

C29: Patchwork

C30: Burn

C31: Towards New Horizons

C32: Stormy Emotions

C33: Tempest

C34: Desert Night

C35: Mayfly of Love

C36: Sign of Appreciation

C37: Plotting

C38: Execution

C39: Hands

C40: Storm Clouds

C41: Truth Unfurled

C42: Ray of Hope

C43: Lucky

C44: Sandstorm

C45: Back in a Lab

C46: Signals

C47: Glimpse of the Past

C48: Nature of Your Being

C49: Irises

C50: Frozen Dream

C51: Spring

C52: Worship

C53: Breakfast

C54: Experimented

C55: United Again

C56: Rest of Eternity

C57: Subject 0325

C58: Project HUMAN

C59: Comfort in Knowledge

C60: First Day of the Future

C61: Puzzle Pieces

C62: Day and Night

C63: Daylight Robbery

C64: Journey to December

C65: Snatchers

C66: Last Calm Breaths

C67: Dark Underworld

C68: Rescue Mission

C69: A Bloody Demon

C70: Time Catches Up

C71: Blame

C72: On to the Next Crisis

C73: Last Night

C74: Goodbye

C75: Fragments

C76: Talk of Love and Peace

C77: Uncanny Valley

C78: Lover's Face

C79: Ghost of You

C80: Happy Birthday

C81: A Paradise for You and Me

C82: Breaking of a Will

C83: Life and Death

C84: Epilogue

Demo Chapters modified into oneshots:

Womanizer - confined spaces affects Vash in a strange way and he has turned on his charm to try and seduce you.

Perfect Morning - domestic fluff, intimacy, mild smuttiness, shy Vash

Festivities - delusional bliss on an unfamiliar planet with weird traditions, ice skating and sweet Vash

Burn - basically smuttiness with little actual plot

Desire - no plot, just porn. Often the quiet and shy ones surprise you...

Happy Birthday - You find yourself on a furry side quest and it turns into a very special birthday celebration that Vash puts on for you.

Mayfly of Love - Vash is tormented by a nightmare of losing you and his guilt for causing the Great Fall.

You can also read it on other platforms: AO3! Wattpad! Quotev!

Check out my other stuff: MASTERLIST.

[tomionefinds]

Hey i'm sorry for reasking, last time my ask was too specific, so I hope it's not a problem if I ask again!

I'm looking for stories that have a really possessive tom who changes his plans in the end because of hermione.

I hope this time it isn't too specific, thanks!

Hi Anon:

Are you the anon asking for fics like Midgardsommer? If so, we have some recs below for a possessive Tom with a changing plans, courtesy of the Tomione Discord- Haus

The Only Beautiful Thing in This World is You by Speechwriter

M | Complete | 58k

Everyone knows that Tom Riddle is the perfect Avatar. An effortless diplomat and prodigious bender, he’s the Fire Nation’s pride and joy. Strangely, though, Riddle has never been able to access the Avatar State. To that end, Hermione Granger—a Northern waterbending master—has been invited to the Fire Nation’s Royal Palace, in hopes that her qi-therapy techniques will unlock Riddle’s full Avatar power. No one knows that Hermione Granger is part of a society that has been tracking Riddle’s actions meticulously for years. Hermione knows full well that Riddle isn’t what he seems. She knows what he’s planning to do if he unlocks the Avatar State. She’s going to make sure that never happens.

Choosing Grey by Betagrye (first in a series, the second is Marked Deck)

M | Complete | 124k

Hermione has always been a warrior for the Light. But when an attempt to salvage more than a Pyrrhic victory lands her in 1944, she quickly realizes that sometimes it is best to allow a lesser evil to flourish, because defeating it only creates the conditions for a greater one to rise. With conspiracies, schemes, and difficult choices in every corner, and a charismatic young Tom Riddle who is increasingly interested in her, she will eventually have to answer the question: How much darkness and grey in him can she accept?

All the Wrong Choices by Queenofthedreamers

M | Complete | 165k

Hermione Granger is kidnapped by Severus Snape and taken to Lord Voldemort, who behaves in a bizarrely familiar manner with Hermione. When she's rocketed back in time by Voldemort, she realises just why he knew her so well in the 1990s - it was because he'd known her very well indeed, as Tom Marvolo Riddle, in an entirely different time. She had to go back because she'd been there. But will she stay? Time-travel Tomione epic, re-upload. Complete.

Hermione Granger and the Journal's Riddle by Little_Seraphim

E | WIP | 280k

‘I want to open it,’ Hermione thought nearly opening the book before stopping herself. “You cheeky book.” She tapped its cover. “Compulsion? Really?” Rolling her eyes at how stupid whatever magic the book had upon it was, she put it away in her school things and began sorting through ways of blocking magic. The new project had her eager and before long, she’d forgotten her boredom. Whatever the book was, it wasn’t common and it could influence the minds of those nearby. ‘I’ll get to the bottom of you.’ Hermione thought giving the book a grin. *** Tom didn’t know what this future world held in store for him. There were far too many unknowns and the girl herself, while not a threat directly, could certainly hand him over to someone who was. Excitement flowed through the soul fragment at the idea of a new high stakes game. The player was a child, but a genius, perhaps even one on his level. ‘This is either going to be my greatest triumph or most humiliating defeat.’ Tom thought, alone but not forgotten as the brilliant mind of his opponent whirled under her curly brown hair.

[satoshi-mochida]

Hyper Light Breaker launches in Early Access in the late summer - Gematsu

Roguelite action game Hyper Light Breaker will launch in Early Access for PC via Steam in the late summer, publisher Arc Games and developer Heart Machine announced.

“We’re thrilled to be a part of Summer Game Fest and reveal to millions of people around the world that Hyper Light Breaker will be releasing in Early Access later this summer,” said Heart Machine founder and creative director Alx Preston in a press release. “This trailer truly reflects all the progress our team has been making on Breaker, as the trailer gives a fresh look at the Overgrowth, co-op multiplayer gameplay and other never-before-seen footage. We are so grateful for the support from our community that’s been with us every step of the way. We can’t wait for you all to experience this world.”

Here is an overview of the game, via Arc Games:

About

From Heart Machine, the award-winning team behind critically-acclaimed titles Hyper Light Drifter and Solar Ash, comes Hyper Light Breaker, a new cooperative roguelite adventure set in the beloved Hyper Light Drifter universe. Hyper Light Breaker is a brand-new entry in the Hyper Light franchise, with a unique story fully realized in 3D for the first time. Set decades prior to Drifter, Hyper Light Breaker has you take on the role of a Breaker, a mercenary tasked with entering the Overgrowth. Using a combination of fast-paced hack-and-slash combat, ranged weaponry and gadgets, players can expect to fight through and explore a wide array of procedurally-generated open worlds. Though you’ll start your journey trying to help the settlement, it’s clear that there’s something sinister in this long-forgotten land. Only through tenacity and rigorous exploration will you uncover the dark truths of the Crowns, The Abyss King and this brutal, eerie new landscape. Players can choose to play alone or with friends to explore open worlds, create new builds, rip through hordes and overcome the Crowns and the Abyss King.

Key Features

Ever-Changing Worlds to Explore

A world in disarray, with mysteries to solve, vicious enemies to fight, and full 3D environments to explore.

A vast, ever-changing, procedurally generated world awaits with large scale open biomes and deep labyrinths.

Worlds are procedurally generated with unique layouts, enemies, loot and rewards leading to multiple playthroughs.

Traverse landscapes with incredible freedom with a variety of abilities; wall-dashing, hoverboard, glider and more.

Join the Breakers

Battle through the Overgrowth alone or as a team in online co-operative play.

Face hordes of enemies and brutal bosses in frenetic third-person combat.

Rise to increasing challenges stacking through every run.

Explore, Collect and Destroy

Discover and unlock a wide arsenal of weapons, items and upgrades to create the ideal build for new runs.

Learn more about the Overgrowth from the fragmented memories of its mysterious defenders, the Crowns.

Bring back resources to help the settlement flourish over the course of your journey.

Watch a new trailer below.

Summer Game Fest 2024 Trailer

[shuttershocky]

hey shutters! if I unlock the story for the current event but don't play it right now, will I still be able to watch it after the event is over? this is my first event where you use these information fragments to unlock things so I'm a bit lost

Sure can! From the main menu click Archives (below the Friends button), then click Intelligence, then click Special Operation. All these Reel events (like the current one) are stored here for later viewing. If you want to read the others, you can also use information fragments to unlock them.

If you need more information fragments but the event is over, you can farm for more information fragments in the red certificate shop, so nothing is locked out from you even if you're a new player!

[nights-at-crystarium]

Fragments - episodes 15-18 author notes

Shall we sit back and go over the recent episodes together? C:

You can find similar breakdown posts on older episodes in my pinned!

Obligatory ShB spoiler warning.

Any theme song enjoyers? I associate this song with this moment, and generally with Exarch’s longing and excitement that can’t be shown. “And in my usual voice, I say, there you are”.

Go away grandpa, you crashed an otherwise perfect party :’>

Had this followed the msq more closely, i.e. had Feo Ul not been the first to find Vivi, or had it happened in an environment more familiar to him, he might've asked Exarch if he's shy, or just ugly. Kinda like if you’re a bully in your school, you might still wanna keep a low profile in a new school.

Vivi treads lightly in a new world, at least tries to. He doesn't yet know how thick or thin is the ice under his feet.

Exarch doesn’t know about the tree since he was busy waiting for Vivi in the Ocular, having just finished the summoning spell, tense and giddy, hood up and all. Minutes passed, nothing happened, then Exarch started getting antsy and finally turned on his tv to find Vivi in Lakeland.

“Hey it could’ve been your spine” I hope is clear: as in Vivi could’ve landed on Lyna instead of the aforementioned tree, not a threat to snap her spine in a fight. He knows better than taunting random people.. Moreover, people stronger than him x’D

Artist achievement unlocked: managed to make a hooded person look expressive. IN THE BACK VIEW.

SPROUT?!

He’s more cute than he deserves to be here and you’ll perceive him.

Being at the end of the episode, “we’re friends, yes” is the first and only line almost nonchalantly tossed to Vivi! Exarch wanted to buy time and observe him, how he’s changed, how’s best to approach him now.

..And Vivi needs rest and new clothes, he spent AN ENTIRE DAY in one outfit. We've seen him around several people so far, and, while he's always genuine, he's the most himself with Exarch, even at this early stage.

But yeah, he’s jaded, regrets many choices in his life and wants his money back.

Vivi's tailored for this ship. Before I even knew that I wanted to write a comic of this size, I asked myself, what condition does he need to be in at the beginning of ShB for the chemistry to happen? The answer was, well, "terrible". I’ve got the juicy deets, but you’d have to be patient and keep an eye out for more flashbacks sprinkled in throughout the story.

What matters now is that, finally, both of them are sufficiently tired to start noticing something else than gremlins in each other.

Have fun living with the knowledge that there’s no face where it’s supposed to be :>

Exarch has a way with the fae: don't flinch, offer them something nice. He offers rest to Vivi without hesitation, as soon as he sees his emotionally battered state. And, oh, he’s still an archer, landing that perfect shot first try. This here is a genuine spark of interest, surprise and gratitude in Vivi’s eyes.

I went balls deep with the visual subtext here. Despite being shown up close, Vivi’s broody face takes on a secondary role as his mind literally closes in on Exarch in that moment, on the mystery man that’s suddenly so unlike the rest. Even if he’s yet another quest-giver, even if shit’s on fire, he allows Vivi to go? Rest? Have some time for himself???? Exarch is, or is about to become, his only light in the darkness :3c

Exarch’s stiff posture is also intended here. He must’ve rehearsed this scene sooooooooo many times, he was prepared for hostility, interrogation, tantrums, but this Warrior’s indifferent and just wants to leave?

Magical boy de-transformation! Headcanon time, two of them even.

Firstly, the Tower can register living presence in its vicinity, a passive ability which Exarch can casually tap into. Being aware of an entire city’s population is, mildly put, overwhelming, thus he’s learned to shrink the “radar” area down to his Ocular, or wherever he’s at the moment and whenever he actually needs it. He feels that Vivi’s indeed left, therefore he can safely remove the hood.

Secondly, the hood shadow’s magicked. The panel above demonstrates how it’d look naturally, if it were a normal shadow. But he casts a pitch black glamour that also extends to his hair.

Just a cool crystal flare that I feel like showing off :>

None of you would believe me now if I said this isn't a horny scene? Although this looks lewd, for someone who’d spent a century clinging to memories and tales the lingering scent is just another confirmation that all of this's real. He can't even touch the WoL (or so he thinks), the scent could be the most he ever gets. Bearing in mind the stress of the day, I genuinely don’t think that he’s in the mood here. But no worries, he’ll get plenty of horny opportunities later on :>

The subtle characterization in the way he opens a door to a supposedly empty, still unknown room.

An unironically normal reaction to the Light, and shadowbringing \o/

This. This goes into my personal collection of the best vivifaces I’ve drawn.

He’s quick to react to a threat (?) popping out of nowhere in a supposedly safe room.

GOMU GOMU NOOOOOOO-

I know the arm’s too long, but I like to incorporate some animation princliples :>

The Champion of Eorzea uses a stick to cure a 100 years old depression, ca. 2023, colorized.

Vivi didn't mean to pierce him, actually. While the space's more than enough for living, it's still cramped for fighting as a dragoon, and he simply misjudged the distance while spinning around and lunging at the source of that eerie voice. There’s also an ooc explanation: I couldn’t quite align all of this in one frame, and thought hey, Ardbert’s a ghost, it’s okay to pierce him!

Both are quick to handwave the fact, and let’s be honest, self-defense of that sort must be a mundane thing for a WoL.There’s more important stuff to discuss. Both are desperate to vent to someone they could trust. They may disagree on things, but generally they vibe pretty well with Ardbert.

A lil shoutout to @agent-jaselin​ for commenting this under the respective episode. I almost forgot to point it out while making this post. Vivi tries to see if he can relate to another WoL, if his struggles are valid, or if he’s overreacting to a typical hero life. Ardbert had a whole friend group adventuring alongside him, the Scions don’t measure up unfortunately, on top of that Vivi (emotionally) stays the fuck away from anyone post-ARR for their own protection (and his own if he ends up losing someone else), so it’s not quite the same experience for him.

One of the few redeeming qualities: Vivi keeps his word. This's gonna be relevant in like 2025 :'>

He baby, THAT’S his problem.

From pointing his spear at him to comfortably undressing and falling asleep in his vicinity. Ardbert's possibly the first man to be asked to stay and not get laid by Vivi :’>

While the Crystarium and its people seem nice, it’s still Vivi’s first day (one loooooong day since the beginning of chapter 2) in a brand new world, and Ardbert’s the only somewhat familiar person here. A ghost? Even better. The supernatural’s easier to deal with and is less likely to backstab you.

The sweet-voiced hooded guy says that it’s okay, that he’s safe here.... Yeah that on itself is a flag for our mr doubter. He’s grown reasonably paranoid since ARR, (almost) everything he does has a nice cynical-flavored logic to it.

While this’s a wolgraha comic, it’d be bland without support characters. Ardbert doesn’t play a massive role in this particular story, still you’ll keep seeing him here and there.

The next several episodes focus on the main two and Feo Ul, they’ll claw their way in even if they were left out x’D

[tact-and-impulse]

Narumayo Week 2023 Day 6

What if a freshly disbarred attorney sought refuge in his spirit medium friend's home? 🤔 Hence this idea!

Prompt: Domestic

The train station was utterly empty, except for the two of them. Phoenix lifted his duffel bag and took Trucy’s hand. She drowsily rubbed at her eyes, but managed to keep pace with him. He led her down the dark path, past the outlines of traditionally built houses. They finally stopped at the end, at one of the few residences that had a lit lantern. Not for the first time today, he hesitated.

Am I making the right decision in coming here? But…we have nowhere else to go.

And he knocked. A number of seconds passed, before footsteps padded within. The door cracked a fraction.

“...Nick?” A soft gasp, followed by a series of sliding chains. After the unlocking finished, the door flung wide open. Maya was in a light robe and her fingers pressed against her lips in surprise. “What’s going on?”

“I’m sorry, Maya. It’s a long story, but I messed up in court.” Two weeks ago, everything crumbled to pieces, and the memory was like a knife in his chest.

“You can talk later. Just come inside.” Her gaze flitted to Trucy while they removed their shoes.

“This is Trucy, she’s the daughter of my client. He’s gone missing, and well, she has nobody else except me now.” He had meant to call, but he didn’t know whether the phone reception had improved. “I should have asked if it was alright to bring her.”

“It’s totally fine! Pearl’s with me, and she’d love a new friend.” She smiled. “Let me set up the guest bedrooms. Kitchen’s that way, help yourself to the fridge if you’re hungry or thirsty. Bathroom’s on your left.”

It was the most kindness they had received as of late, and Phoenix felt tears prickling in his eyes. Yeah, he was pathetic. Somehow, he managed to make sure Trucy’s needs were met, with a cup of water and unpacking her favorite pajamas. Once she fell asleep in the child-sized futon, he collapsed at the dining table.

A soft rustling was near him. Maya didn’t say anything, only patiently waited until he was ready. He gave a fragmented timeline of events, and he was able to hold it together, even when it came to his disbarment.

“We hopped on the train at the last minute, but if it’s too much to allow us to stay here, we can leave.”

“Don’t say that! I’ll talk with the elders, but they won’t refuse the master-in-training. What matters most is that you and Trucy feel comfortable.”

“Thank you, Maya. Seriously.” He reached across the table, taking her hand in gratitude. “I knew I could count on you.”

Her cheeks reddened, but she squeezed back. “Well, I’m glad you did. You’ve saved me again and again; now, it’s my turn to look out for you. We’re partners, aren’t we?”

“Yeah, we are.”

“So, you should get some rest. You deserve it.”

He didn’t protest, trudging to the freshly laid futon. A small mirror reflected the dark circles under his eyes and his limp hair. His weary spirit must have surrendered, because as soon as his head hit the pillow, he was completely knocked out.

***

It wasn’t until he woke up, that he realized he didn’t have a nightmare. He stirred to the sounds of chirping birds and laughter. He tossed off the blanket, staggered into the sunlit corridor, and halted at the kitchen. 

Trucy had the biggest smile he’d ever seen on her face, dotted with powdered sugar and strawberry juice. She was in the midst of talking to Pearl, over a stack of fluffy pancakes. Then, she noticed him and waved. “Good morning, Daddy! Look, we’re having breakfast!”

“I see, and you’re definitely enjoying it.” He tried a smile.

“Mr. Nick!” Pearl jumped to her feet, her expression conflicted. “Um, I heard from Mystic Maya that you’re in trouble but…you’ll be staying with us?”

He was about to clarify that it wouldn’t be for long, when a pair of arms hugged his middle. Maya peered around him, purposefully batting her lashes. “That’s right! We’re helping them as much as we can. Once you’re finished eating, why don’t you give Trucy a tour of the village?”

“Of course! I’ll do my best!” Pearl rolled up her sleeves in anticipation. A few minutes later, the girls darted out, holding hands. They were already fast friends; Phoenix was a little reassured.

The pancakes were good, and he managed to finish his serving with coffee, before Maya asked. “Isn’t there anyone else who can help us?”

“Edgeworth’s working abroad, he was part of an international case and wanted to gain experience from other legal systems. Franziska is also busy on the East Coast, and I’m not sure how capable Gumshoe would be in this situation. Larry’s on a journey to pursue his artistic genius, or whatever. And I guess that’s it?”

“Bummer. I’d channel Sis if I could, but my connection’s still recovering since winter. Oh!”

“What?”

“The forger never met me. I can approach him.”

“Maya, that might be risky.”

“I’m willing to take the risk, if you get your badge back. And didn’t we just deal with much worse?” She raised her eyebrows.

“Well, you have a point.” He paused. “And I’ll try to look for Zak Gramarye. He challenged me over a game of poker, so I’ll start there.”

“Sounds like a plan! One more thing, Nick?”

“Yes, Maya?”

“We have house rules to go over.” She rattled off a list. “No working on weekends! Grocery shopping is on Saturday, and we divide up the days for meal planning. The calendar doubles as a rotating schedule for cleanup and laundry duties so add your names. Television is only turned on after homework’s finished. And last but not least: all arguments need to be resolved by bedtime. That’s my rule, because of what Pearl went through.”

“Ah, I understand. But everything’s reasonable.”

“Most of them were my sister’s, made when we were living together.” A fond yet sad smile crossed her face. “I hope I’m doing half as good as she did.”

“If you aren’t already, I’d be shocked.” He stood from the table, stretching his legs. He offered his hand to Maya, which she readily accepted. “And I promise we’ll be model guests.”

He never did think of an end date for their stay, but a week turned to a month, sliding into the next. The apprehensive stares of the village folk became neutrally polite, and friendlier with Trucy’s bright expression and happy waves. At first, he chafed at the weekend breaks, but he slowly realized that it was necessary to recharge. Walking around the perimeter to enjoy the wildflowers, eating flowing noodles and shaved ice, admiring the mountains as the green foliage was exchanged for a striking autumn landscape. Every night, the stars were visible in Medium Valley, an endless river of light. It was…comfortable. 

And then, it was already December. He unzipped his hoodie and removed his new beanie, calling out. “I’m back!”

Momentarily, the usual routine ensued. Trucy raced around the corner to hug him, and he lifted her off her feet. “Welcome home, Daddy! How was your day?”

Progress had been slow on his end, without a trace of his former client. Maya was faring better with the Mishams, although they were reclusive and kept their distance. Instead, he said. “I won a piano in my last game. It’s in the store, but maybe, you can see it next time.”

“Yay!”

“A piano?” Pearl chimed in. She had to have grown at least an inch, he was certain. “Do you know how to play?”

“Not at all. Guess I’ll have to figure it out.” As I always have.

“I think Mystic Maya played, a long time ago. And speaking of her,” She lowered her voice, her eyes narrowing. “Mr. Nick, didn’t you say you would shave this morning?”

“Sorry, I forgot.” He was neglecting his facial scruff, and Pearl apparently disliked it, mumbling that knights in shining armor didn’t have beards.

“Pearly! I used to bang on a keyboard, but it’s been forever.” Maya’s voice soared from the living area. “And everyone can get in here now, it’s ready!”

The girls took his hands, excitedly leading him over. The middle of the room was now taken up by a low table with heavy covers and topped with books and a plate of orange slices. Maya was already seated, her legs underneath, and she was completely relaxed. Phoenix sat next to her; his feet were rapidly warmed.

“I’m so glad we finally dug this out of storage.” She sighed, leaning her head against his shoulder. On the other side of the table, there was giggling, but when he flashed a look, Pearl and Trucy had crammed their mouths with orange.

“Yeah.” He agreed. “This is nice.”

He took it all in: the sweet tang of citrus, the cozy blankets, the gentle heat suffusing his entire body. In this moment, with Maya, Pearl, and Trucy…he was home.

[chattercap]

What happens after the "happily ever after?"

The fairy tale is over. The Hero won. But the story is just beginning. Explore the web of intrigue in this emotional, suspenseful visual novel, depicted with hundreds of unique, animated illustrations. Who is the hero, and who is the villain? Who lives, and who dies? Your choices will decide.

Actala: The Hero's Shadow is a fully-animated, mystery/fantasy romance visual novel/otome game/dating sim.

You play as the Hero's childhood friend, who has spent years trying to protect him from the perils that assailed him at every turn. At long last, his quest is over. Even during the celebrations, however, new dangers emerge. Dangers more treacherous than monsters. Dangers that threaten the life of the kingdom’s strongest man.

Can the side character save the Hero?

Can you find the happily ever after?

Anything good about it?

The story is entirely depicted with unique, Live2D-style animated illustrations. Instead of the traditional sprite format, each scene has unique illustrations and comic-book style panels. (The demo has over 140 illustrations, including 45 CGs!)

Five love interests with dramatically different storylines, each with its own twists and turns.

Play as a sassy, older MC! The protagonist is older than most of the LIs, and you're given ample opportunities to tease them and make them blush. (I don't use affection gauges, so choose the fun dialogue options to your heart's content!)

Fragments of the Past: As you play, you get to unlock special scenes that explore the characters' pasts prior to the events of the main story.

Route map: Easily navigate through the story using the route map feature. No need to replay hours of dialogue/obsess over your saves!

A variety of options to make the reading experience easier, including different fonts, font sizes, text speeds, and customizable shortcuts.

Act 1 (Chapters 1-6) contains over 60,000 words (~4 hours of playtime). The full game will be 350,000+ words (20+ hours of playtime).

Where can you play it?

Act 1 is available for Windows now on Steam and itch.io! Mac, iOS, and Android are planned later in development.

I want some more info!

Drop me an ask! Or check out my website.

Also *psst* I'm pretty active over on Twitter. I post little dev tidbits there daily!

[brucenorris007]

"Sonic 06: gameplay is shit, story is shit."

Okay, I somewhat disagree but don't see the need to expend energy toward-

*comparison between 06 and Forces is drawn*

My brain: heyguesswhatyou'rehyperfocusednow

I was going to do things today. . . but here we are.

Okay, up top and up front: 06 and Forces are both flawed, yes.

But they are flawed in fundamentally different ways, and Forces flaws are, quite frankly, far more glaring and demeritorious for a franchise like Sonic than 06. Anyone who, years from now, goes on to claim that "Uh, actually, Forces was peak." the way that some people are saying about 06 now will be just as, if not more, wrong. And I'll attribute such claims to declining media literacy.

BEFORE the youngsters in the fandom start throwing things at me, note that I said just as wrong. 06 wasn't ever as good as some of the mainline games prior or even spinoff titles after.

The difference is, most of 06's issues stem from the fact that it reads as pitiably unfinished.

The problems with Forces begin and end with the fact that it reads like self-insert fan fiction that had either zero beta readers or too many beta readers that were all given editing privileges. There's definitely a place in the world for that sort of creativity, but said place is not within a licensed game that people have to pay for; one that drastically affects the canon of the franchise and how the fans old and new perceive it and the characters within.

All right? Okay, let's get into details.

Let's address gameplay first, since I have less to say about that.

On this count, if nothing else, Forces barely edges out by being functional; granted, that's the end of it. I wouldn't go back to play it again, and the 'highlights' I can recall mostly felt like reskins of stages in the style of Colors but shortened, with boss fights reminiscent of daytime Unleashed. I imagine the primary draw for people is watching their customized 'sona jump and fly around whilst listening to dialogue from the main cast.

And this isn't really a substantive point, but the fact that receiving stuff like outfits like loot crates at the end of virtually every stage feels kind of manipulative and annoys me. If there's unlockable features, put some actual challenge between the player and the prize, like how you perform within the stage. Otherwise it's just another example of "shiny, novelty, tickle brain often, get player to play longer."

Setting that brief tangent aside since that's just a trend in games in general and not Sonic specific, moving on to 06's gameplay. And uh, yeah. The USP was, like the adventure games, supposed to be that you got three interconnected stories and three main characters each with unique play styles.

I suppose 06 showed us before anything else that Shadow really isn't as fast as Sonic, and as an idea, Silver's psychokinesis was cool. If the tracking in the Speed Up stages and the hit boxes in a handful of other areas had been ironed out, there's foundation for a fairly solid experience. Project 06 is basically proof that the base of the game had potential that wasn't realized, whether due to time constraints or other reasons.

As far as environs, the concept for Kingdom Valley showed off the most soul, I'd say, with Silver's future coming in close second. Character design for the Iblis fragments (not sure if that's the official name but I'm doing stream-of-consciousness here) and Mephiles I actually like a lot. I don't think there's anything objectively wrong with them and however you rate them will come down to preference.

Also, the model for Sonic is like. . . ridiculously good. He just looks like an older teenager; it fits with the widely accepted idea that he was 15 as of Adventure 2. Polish it a bit and that's just how he appears in my head when I write about him.

That said, there are only about six different environs that serve as stages, discounting the hub areas, and compared to Heroes' twelve stages, it just adds to that incomplete/rushed feeling.

That's about all I can say on the gameplay aspect. Functional yet non-stimulating technically wins out over some creativity yet patchy. They are games, after all.

Now then, the "story is shit" business.

Look, if you're going to criticize Sonic's story—which, yeah, his should be subjected to more scrutiny, being the titular character—then much of what you can say against it also applies to the first Adventure. Eggman wants to collect a thing (emeralds/Princess), Sonic wants him to not collect the thing (emeralds/Princess) because he's obviously planning to do evil stuff with the thing, Sonic manages to get the thing only for Eggman to snatch it out of his hands.

Multiple times.

Meaning Sonic spends most of the games on fetch quests that Eggman keeps one-upping him on until the penultimate fight.

And those are the beats. Of both stories. (For Sonic.)

And then at the end of both games, a monster you've fought in various forms (Chaos/Iblis) reappears to threaten the world on a scale that requires the seven chaos emeralds to combat.

Super Sonic. Rad soundtrack. Credits.

Granted, much like how Gamma's story was the strongest in Adventure, the quality of the three main story lines in 06 also vary in strength, with Shadow's taking first place.

My point is, in a franchise that is about characters, you don't grade every aspect of the story on the same scale. You weigh the grade of various aspects differently; and the point that gets graded most heavily is:

Character moments; which can encapsulate literal moments, arcs, development etc.

And for all its flaws, 06 has character moments, almost immediately, even. Sonic's first spoken line is "My, that's a pretty snazzy performance there!"

Which, after the tension of Eggman interrupting the festival and threatening Elise, cuts through the moment right away and, paired with the next several seconds, shows who Sonic is. He sees Eggman's robots aiming and waits until the last second to jump before going to town bashing up bots. Even as he carts Elise off amidst homing missiles and explosions, he's grinning the whole time.

Sonic does what he does because it's fun.

And his third spoken line, answering Elise's question of why he's helping, is: "No special reason."

Again, that's Sonic. Doesn't matter who it is, he helps people because he Does what's Cool. And as well as being fun, fighting off Eggman and his bots is Cool.

06, as Silver's introduction to the series, also does a decent job establishing his character of Temporal Bulldozer. He can be aimed, but his solution to problems first and foremost is usually smashing, and it's really tricky to change his mind once he's focused. He suffers from myopia arguably as bad or worse than Metal Sonic. Amy's the only one who momentarily gets him to pause and wonder if really does want to kill Sonic.

Which is a character moment for her. As in Adventure 2, Amy will happily break laws and go against who and whatever to help her friends; and as she did with Shadow, she's rather skilled at getting very hurt people to listen.

She's not unlike Silver in her willingness to do whatever it takes, really; since Temporal Bulldozer can and does traverse time on several occasions to make things right. And up until the last moment, it never occurs to him that anyone but he should bear the burden of saving the world. Blaze has to physically shove him aside so she can absorb Iblis herself.

Silver sees himself as a Hero with a responsibility toward the future just as much Sonic sees himself as just Some Guy.

Finally, Shadow. And man, there's a reason a lot of people say 06 was the last time a game featured Shadow written correctly.

It's me. I'm one of a lot of people.

Team Dark in general gets a fair bit of spotlight in 06. Rouge, an anti-heroine with perhaps the greatest self-interest after Eggman, promises Shadow that she'd stand with him even if the very world turned against him. Omega, who loathes taking orders and prioritizes his own freedom nearly as much as Sonic, takes on Rouge's assignment for him without question or complaint to wait out 200 years to help rescue Shadow.

And Shadow, in an in-game line during his first fight with Mephiles, reaffirms all the progress he made in his titular game that was wholly about discovering his identity: "Don't bother trying to deceive me. I know who I am!"

And, in contrast to the Shadow the franchise first introduced us to, the Shadow of Adventure 2 who was thoroughly convinced that his only remaining worth was his ability to keep his promise to Maria, the Shadow who was so resigned that he chose to plummet through the planet's atmosphere to his presumed death. . .

That Shadow is faced squarely with his fate of persecution, asked why he would bother fighting to protect. That Shadow declares that it the world turns on him, "I will fight as I always have."

He's grown such that he's now willing to fight against fate.

And that's pretty fucking cool.

On the other side, applying the same grading method to Forces, we find what I call (as of just now) character fauxments.

Remember how I talked about 06's introduction for Sonic? How he cuts through tensions, finds joy and fun in fighting bullies and bad guys?

The thing about that, which Forces doesn't seem to understand, is that if you lean too hard on the wisecracks and nonchalance, you end up with a character who reads as either obnoxious or totally tone-deaf. Sonic knows when to take things seriously, yet in Forces he's purportedly been tortured as well as locked up for half a year, Infinite's destroyed countless homes and killed who knows how many people, and yet when Sonic interrupts his fight with Silver. . .

I mean, if Sonic was written correct, you'd cut out a bunch of faff and change his line delivery. Show that he's frustrated by his time confined and absolutely raring to throw hands and get to business; because Sonic does understand when things have gotten real, and while rare, he does get angry. Something like:

"Since you like talking so much, mind sharing the source of your power? I can ask the easy way or the hard way. I've been cooped up a long time, so I'm hoping you pick the hard way."

It doesn't need to be the most original lines in the world, but Sonic's banter in the middle of a war shouldn't be long-winded, no matter how pretentious his opponent is (and damn, is Infinite pretentious. Like to the point that it's the most memorable part of the game.) If there's banter, it should be punchy and succinct; quick, like he is.

Instead, Forces Sonic's attitude is just kind of. . . incongruous with the stakes the game claims to have established. But then, since we don't get a truly convincing scene showing the rest of the cast being sad that he reportedly died, that's not too surprising.

Speaking of setting up stakes, here's an idea. Rather than cutting from Sonic laying battered in the middle of the city for a lazy six-month time skip established by text on the screen, make it clear that "Oh shit, things are different" via gameplay.

After Sonic falls, immediately transition into a level. Where you run from right to left to escape Eggman's fleet. Turns everything on its head, you can witness and navigate the destruction as it's happening and if you string together enough environs, you can even have the city burning in the distance or the skyline as you near the end of the stage and escape to relative safety.

Anyway.

And of course, the notorious character fauxment: Tails cowering in front of an offline Omega.

There's nothing I can say about this fauxment that hasn't been said already. It's not the first time in the series that Tails was portrayed as having regressed to a scared child, but it is the most egregious.

And. . . actually, that's about it, at least off the top of my head. Which might speak to how short the game is and how little screen time and action the main cast get aside from Sonic and the player character.

But it's enough to determine that Forces' story, or what stands in for it, is weaker than what 06 offered.

Again, I'm not here to rally a feral defense of 06 as a masterpiece, but its flaws are not on the level of Forces. The reason they're lumped together is the amount of disdain both games got on their release; though in the case of 06, the 2000's were just a weird time when hating things was somehow cooler than liking them, and since 06 wasn't up to par with Adventure 2 or Heroes, people picked an aspect of the game-most often how much the almost final fantasy style model for Elise didn't match up with the Mobian models (and yes, the final cutscene, but there's nothing new I can say about that either, and talking about it here is just an open invitation for someone to blow it out of proportion again) and dogpiled the hate on the game.

Sonic 06 feels unfinished owing to a lot of little and larger details. Knuckles' portrayal and having little to do in the story, poor optimization leading to nearly twenty second loading times, BLAZE BEING A GLOWING NEON MISSED OPPORTUNITY! (SEGA, I know I was literally twelve when the game was released, but my Phoenix headcanon works so well and makes her appearance in both Rush and 06 work! A retroactive fix would be so easy and we could get more adventures in her dimension!)

Even acknowledging all that, though, there were still attempts at creativity that just, for one reason or another, didn't pan out. There's significant potential here.

Forces is just. . . a mess. In every sense. And I understand how a mess can be attractive to a fandom, because a mess means you can take whatever you want from it and organize things however you choose.

But a mess that's sold as a finished game is not the same as a rushed title with visible untapped potential.

[retrogradepermaculture]

🦋uranus placements and love - houses

🦋 first house uranus see love as something that transforms their identity. tend to update relationship status online. Will embark on a bout of identity exploration such as dying hair, buying news clothes, and so on

🦋 second house uranus will let love get the better of old relationships. be careful of neglecting friends and family just because you are in love. can also develop a new circle of friends due to a relationship

🦋 3rd house expect love that may come online, through unusual encounters, or new forms of communication. unlocking parts of yourself you haven't discovered. can indicate long distance relationships. lots of freedom as this is a cadent house

🦋 4th house expect to change location as a result of relationships. may end up living with their partner or going travelling. partner may also disrupt family and pre existing relationships

🦋 5th house discovery of new desires and pleasures is common. points to exploration of sexuality and sensuality. also indicates a partner may introduce you to new tastes or experiences, arts, and new music

🦋 6th house - heartbreak? more like a partner may help you take care of yourself more. this placement can indicate deep healing through relationships. however it can also indicate dependency on a partner

🦋 7th house - an interesting placement that can point to a longer relationship that is fragmented. expect to break up and get back together again. alternatively can point to options beyond the traditional hetero nuclear family such as adoption, lgbt marriage, or polyamory

🦋 The scorpionic house, those with uranus in the 8th house can see immense changes connected to a relationship, everything ranging from ego death to actual death of a partner to rags to riches stories.

🦋 9th house - another potential long distance relationship placement, alternatively can also involve moving across the world for a partner. includes partners of very different backgrounds whether cultural or socioeconomic.

🦋 10th house - can involve gold digging, false relationships, and so on but also partners who lift each other out of a hole. high status partners or a public/famous relationship. caree opportunities through romance.

🦋 11th house - can indicate all consuming partnerships, ones that take over your life. alternatively can show a partner foe whom you change your values or beliefs, or differ from your upbringing and general social circle. may indicate isolated relationships but also socialite or well connected partners

🦋 12th house - a dark uranus placement to have, can indicate 'bad boy' partners or those involved in the occult. can point to psychological upheaval in love such as difficulty getting over a relationship. alternatively can point to hidden aspects from cheating to the sense that the two of your have met before in a past life...

[haritonseldonshusband]

Hello mutual, what is baroque? I could google it but I'd love to hear about it from you <3

OH I AM SO GLAD YOU ASKED

Baroque is an absolute hidden gem of a game. I never hear anyone talk about it, and I think it’s because it got really overlooked; it got only like 50% on GameFAQs ratings, but a whopping 90% of Google users liked it! It was apparently originally released on the Sega Saturn?? And then got remade for PS2 and Wii. It’s apparently also on Switch now???

I found it for Wii for like $5 in a Gamestop, and picked it up with some birthday money, and I AM SO GLAD I DID.

This is the game’s cover. It’s described as a roguelike RPG, and you play a mute, amnesiac protagonist who explores a post-apocalyptic world. You meet all sorts of characters who slowly become more and more twisted as the game goes on. Some of them are The Horned Girl, who speaks the thoughts of those who get near her; the Bagged One, who speaks the words of others instead of her own; and the Baroquemonger, who can read Idea Sephirah, which if I recall, are kind of like…memories of the past.

At the beginning of the game, Archangel (the guy up there on the cover) tasks you to purify the Absolute God, who destroyed the world. He gives you an Angelic Rifle, and directs you to the Neuro Tower. You go there, in hopes of absolving yourself of a sin that you’ve committed, but can’t remember.

The Neuro Tower is a series of randomly generated dungeon floors, with randomly generated enemies and loot drops, that you have to navigate through to find your way to the Absolute God, and find scraps of the story from other characters. You progress the story in part by dying in the dungeon; when you die in the dungeon, things in the world change slightly, and you unlock new dialogue, and slowly get stronger in order to progress further through the Neuro Tower. It also has a cool system of letting you store weapons and items in Consciousness Orbs that carry over beyond your death.

I CANNOT EXPRESS HOW MUCH I LOVE THIS GAME. It has been YEARS since I played it, but I loved it so much, I’ve picked it up over and over again through the years to start new runs. There’s something about it that just keeps dragging me in. You get to pick up these fragmented bits of story, and try to piece together the picture of what really happened in this world, all while watching the characters you meet at the beginning become more and more distorted over time. It was actively described as “hardcore” when being marketed for PS2 in the USA, because of the nonlinear way the story is given to you. You can find pieces of story before you’ve got its context. It all depends on how you go about playing it, what you discover along the way, how often you die, and what and who you interact with. It’s one of those games I’d suggest looking up as little as possible about, honestly.

If you ever get the chance, definitely give it a try!! I super want to play it again now lkfgkfljg

[felixcloud6288]

Higurashi: Festival Accompanying Epilogue

There is a small mini-chapter after the final one. I figured it would be better to make it it's own post.

Unfortunately, Nomura managed to hide anything related to her involvement in Operation Apocalypse. The initial incident report made several mentions that Takano may have had additional support and members in the court of inquiry feels that the investigation did not follow proper procedures. Nomura managed to edit the draft removing any reference to those two points.

It is unfortunate, but ultimately Nomura is an entity beyond the village. This story has been about Hinamizawa dealing with a curse. Nomura is someone who tried to use it for her own gains, and we'll have to settle for the fact that she ultimately didn't get what she wants.

In the sea of fragments, Frederica Bernkastel declares this story to be over, but she decides to show us a new possibility that was unlocked.

We're sent back to the beginning of this arc when Miyoko Tanashi left her house to play. Before she gets too far, she's met by a mysterious woman.

The woman asks Miyoko if she wants to live or die. When Miyoko says she wants to live, the woman says she can proceed. But then Miyoko asks what would happen if she chose death. The woman tells her that she'd get that last kids meal flag. So Miyoko decides to go back home and when asked if she'll regret choosing to die, Miyoko says it's okay because her mom and dad will be with her.

So Miyoko goes with her parents on the train ride, and the conductor sped up the train and took a corner way too fast...and nothing happened. Then Miyoko and her parents return home at the end of the day, and Miyoko gets excited because she finally got the twenty flags she needed to wish for happiness and a wonderful miracle will happen.

And the mysterious woman sees this and says she likes this outcome as well as she looks at the fragments that make up the starry sky.

The blame for everything that happened in Higurashi was placed on Takano. But rather than being forced to die to atone for what she's done, Rika declared a miracle saying no one needs to die for anyone's happiness.

In normal circumstances, if Miyoko had gone with her parents that day, she would have died with them when the train derailed and everyone in Hinamizawa would be fine because the person who would cause the series of murders would never exist.

In this timeline, like every timeline, she'd be the one made responsible for what happens to Hinamizawa and she'd be made to atone with her life. But the atonement would have been paid in advance instead.

But in this scenario where a miracle was made saying no one should be forced to suffer, Miyoko was spared when she unknowingly chose the action that would save the village. So instead of paying atonement in advance, the story received a miracle in advance.

That last missing flag always represented how Takano was missing something needed to make her happy. She spent her life chasing a grand ambition to make herself and her grandfather known to the world. But when she reflected back on it, she realized she'd given up on ever being happy and she remembered how she never got that last flag.

But Rika chose to make a world where everyone can be happy and so Miyoko finally got that last flag.

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