#Subverse Game

[wombocombo4x3]

I Think I Installed The Wrong Atomic Heart...

[electroempathy]

One thing about old men, they do be napping.

[sonic-adventure-3]

it’s crazy that rouge straight up said this and people still see her as a mother figure lmaooo

[snakeguy999]

Do u think they play around with their disproportions

[blackflash9]

That Time When AC3 Flipped Indigenous Portrayal

I always liked that AC III flipped familiar tropes about Native Americans in media, particularly regarding the language barrier and cultural awareness. Ziio mocks Haytham for assuming she can’t speak English, subverting the usual narrative where the comedic effect of not knowing the 'language of the land' is on the indigenous.

It is also Haytham - not Ziio - who causes the bar commotion despite his rather arrogant and baseless assumption that her culture would make her more prone to violence despite only being in the country for roughly a couple days. This also highlights that she understands the land and its people far better than he does.

Redcoat: "Oi, where you goin’, cully?" Redcoat: "No. The other cock robin." Haytham: "Well, I uh… I WAS leaving." Redcoat: "Oh? And now?" Haytham: "Well, now… I’m going to feed you your teeth." Kaniehtí:io: "And you were worried I was going to be the problem."

This also extends to Connor, as he regularly defies expectations by displaying more morality and virtue than many of his colonial counterparts. He criticizes the manipulative nature of the media for countering lies with more lies.

Sequence 5: Stop the Presses (Transcript)

Samuel Adams: "So now you've had a chance to see how it all works. Untoward actions will upset the citizens and inevitably lead to the guards being called. Depending on the severity of your transgression, they may simply search a bit before giving up and returning to their posts. But should you offend them severely or repeatedly – they'll become much more aggressive in their pursuit. I've shown you three ways to turn the tide. Remove wanted posters, bribe town criers, or visit a printer to create your own propaganda." Connor: "This feels wrong. Why not just speak to someone and explain my innocence?" Adams: "You can't be serious?" Connor: "We counter one lie with another. Words on paper instantly taken as truth. And all of it without question."

Calls him out on his hypocrisy in fighting for freedom while owning slaves.

Sequence 6: On Johnson's Trail (Transcript)

Samuel Adams: "Of course. I'm headed to a meeting with some men who should be able to help. Why don't you come along? It's good to see the people finally taking a stand against injustice..." Connor: "Says the man who owns a slave." Samuel Adams: "Who, Surry? I practice what I preach, my friend. She's not a slave, but a freed woman... At least on paper. Men's minds are not so easily turned. It is a tragedy that for all our progress, still we cling to such barbarism." Connor: "Then speak out against it." Samuel Adams: "We must focus first on defending our rights. When this is done, we'll have the luxury of addressing these other matters." Connor: "You speak as though your condition is equal to that of the slaves. It is not." Samuel Adams: "Tell that to my neighbor—who was compelled to quarter British troops. Or to my friend who's store was closed because he displeased the Crown. The people here are no freer than Surry." Connor: "You offer excuses instead of solutions. All people should be equal and not in turns."

And even stops Israel Putnam from kicking a dead enemy’s body - emphasizing that even someone as ruthless as Hickey was still a man.

Sequence 8: Public Execution (Transcript)

Israel Putnam: "At ease, men! At ease! I said lower your goddamn guns! This man's a hero! The General can be so stubborn sometimes. Piffle, he said, when we warned him something like this would happen! Piffle!" *Israel Putnam kicked Thomas' body* Connor: "Stop." Israel Putnam: "He wanted to kill the Commander. Nearly killed you as well. He was a scoundrel." Connor: "But still a man." Israel Putnam: "Hmph. You're nothing, if not consistent."

Assassin’s Creed III challenged the traditional portrayal of Indigenous people as either savages or passive victims, instead presenting them as individuals with intelligence, morality, and deep cultural awareness. The narrative highlights their ability to navigate complex social and political landscapes while exposing the hypocrisy and shortcomings of colonial figures. Rather than being depicted as primitive or completely naive, characters like Ziio and Connor demonstrate a greater understanding of their environment and the moral contradictions of their time. The game doesn’t just critique the British - it questions the American revolutionaries, revealing how their rhetoric of freedom often excluded those who did not fit within their social order.

Through Ziio and Connor, AC3 asserts that Indigenous people were not merely bystanders in history but active participants who approached their world with wisdom and integrity.

[sha-brytols]

lord help me people are being obnoxiously obtuse in the david: gaider post it's officially left its target demographic

[midnight--sadness]

gihun becoming front man is probably the worst possible ending for me

[treesinspace]

Doing the quest where you have to get into the Crow party to save Caterina and defeat Illario, and on the way you fight all these many Venatori that just hang out around the huge villa

And in one of these many many encounters one of the Venatori shouts "Intruders!" which is the most basic standard thing that enemies shout when you fight them so it barely even registered with me

Until Lucanis replied "This is MY house!"

Ngl it made me laugh, I really loved that

Indeed, just this once, we're not the intruders!

[shitpostingkats]

I think it was… Penny Parker of Snapcube who I first saw pointing out the comparison between Rebirth’s ending and the fix-it fics and game mods that save Aerith from being killed in the temple. For the game mods in particular because Aerith doesn’t exist on the other discs she has to stay behind. Even if you pretend she lives it leaves a necessary hole in the narrative: she has to go pray, or something has to happen so that the story can keep moving. It breaks apart if she’s still in the picture.

He still dies. She still dies. That’s how the story goes.

And it makes me INSAAAAAAAAAAANE

[otomedetective]

genre subversions of dating sims by people who don't understand dating sims are just like. "wow isn't it so pathetic that you're playing this instead of getting a real relationship?" (i don't know where "dating sim that becomes a horror game" goes on the subversion scale)

meanwhile i haven't seen one that is made by someone who loves the genre. i am worried that my "what if the love interests hated being in the game but it's because the script is too restrictive" is too mean to dating sims. i swear using a dating sim script as a metaphor for being forced into certain kinds of femininity is NOT reflective of my views of dating sims it's FINE to play dating sims--

Yeah, I agree~ I would say that the "secretly a horror game" twist kinda depends on the game and how it treats its characters. Like, Hatoful Boyfriend has a neat twist to it while still feeling like it treats its characters and story with love, so I was honestly a little surprised to find out its creator doesn't play otome at all. I haven't play DDLC personally, but I've heard a similar sort of story about its creator I think? I feel like so many people set out to subvert the dating sim genre specifically because they think of it as a joke or because they think it's so easy to replicate without any experience.

I love genre subversions, so I would love to see a good one in the otome genre. BUT~ In response to your other point, I also think that being critical of a genre you like and/or using that genre to make a critique of something like societal standards for femininity & such doesn't necessarily come across as hateful to the genre. In fact, I think that really good genre subversions DO use the genre conventions to make a critique of something (whether it's a critique of society or of the genre itself) because that's what makes the subversion interesting.

I'm gonna use one of my favorite genre subversions as an example real quick: The Guy Who Didn't Like Musicals is a great twist on the genre conventions that exist in musical theatre as a medium, and it uses its subversion to make a critique about conformity through its main metaphor (ie: an alien hivemind makes people sing and dance and the show's hero is the one guy who hates musicals). It's a great horror-comedy that's clearly made by people who love musicals, even if its protagonist hates them and there are important plot reasons for why you really don't want your favorite characters to be singing.

BUT!! The important thing is that while it subverts expectations for what you'd expect from a musical and uses the songs & hivemind as a metaphor for enforced conformity, the show never makes the audience feel stupid for liking the genre. It's campy, and it's silly, and the main character is the voice of dissent, but it doesn't leave you with a feeling that the genre as a whole is stupid or bad, or that you're stupid for liking it. Because it's made out of love for the genre. Which is the main thing I think.

It's really important for these types of stories to critique the right things. There has to be more thought put into it than just "look at this genre, isn't it weird/stupid/bad? well we're gonna change things and be Not-Like-Those-Other-Things because we're the Cool/Edgy/Ironic Take on this genre!!" (ie: don't critique the audience or make them feel bad for enjoying the genre you chose. or do, but do it consciously and know that your audience is primarily going to be other people who dislike the genre -- which is probably why so many gag dating sims are popular since it's pretty common to look down on the genre). What I mean is, if the whole point of the critique is that the original genre is stupid, it's probably a bad and thoughtless critique.

But anywho, I think your critique is totally fine and really cool actually. It's okay to be mean to a genre you like as a form of critique, and I think it's really good actually to think deeper about the stories you love and consider them critically. The problems with genre subversion come up when people who don't really know or like the genre decide to subvert it just because they think poorly of it, y'know?

[marsbotz]

the prophecy is actually driving me to madness with how it potentially relates to the weird route

[curtsies-from-princess-ashlyn]

....Andor S1 is kinda a slog to get through. I still have 4 episodes left, and then a whole other season 😭 I'm trying REALLY HARD to finish the show (or at least the first season) before making a judgement, but this is.... not really Star Wars. I would liken this show to Game of Thrones mixed with the Hunger Games, and some added visual/set elements from Bladerunner. Star Wars is like Lord of the Rings, not Game of Thrones. I'll share more complete thoughts when I finish S1.

[balkanlila]

the fact that rino has to emphasise that lila cut herself out of the photographs in which he's little, EVEN those he accents, is soooo heartbreaking to me. EVEN back when you thought you could make something of me. EVEN when there was hope for me to be someone.

[sarafangirlart]

If anyone makes a “feminist” Hippodamia retelling I will kill everyone in on this planet them myself.

[yourfavouritenpcandcats]

🧿 The Dark Side of Destiny: Villainous and Corrupted Chosen Ones

Chosen for Darkness

(Bonus Page: The Chosen One Project)

Not every Chosen One becomes a saviour.

While the trope traditionally celebrates figures destined to heal or redeem, many narratives explore a darker possibility: that those marked by prophecy, divine favour, or extraordinary power might fall into villainy instead.

These corrupted or villainous Chosen Ones add depth and danger to fantasy storytelling. They challenge the assumption that destiny equates to goodness, and they reveal how easily power can distort intention.

There are several key examples where the Chosen One turns toward destruction -and consider what these fallen figures teach us about fate, agency, and moral responsibility.

🌟 Destined for Ruin: Fallen Chosen Ones Across Fantasy🌟

Anakin Skywalker (Star Wars prequels) exemplifies the tragic Prophetic Archetype. Prophesied to bring balance to the Force, Anakin’s fear of loss and desperate need for control drive him into darkness. Rather than saving the galaxy, he becomes Darth Vader - the enforcer of tyranny he was meant to destroy. Or perhaps the perfect weapon of destiny who truly did bring balance to the Force.

Sephiroth (Final Fantasy VII) presents another chilling image of corrupted destiny. Elevated by Shinra as the “perfect solider,” or Divinely Selected Figure. He was initially a celebrated hero, Sephiroth’s discovery of his manufactured origins -and his supposed greater “purpose”- leads him to embrace apocalyptic destruction, reshaping his destiny into a quest for godhood.

Emperor Zarkon (Voltron: Legendary Defender, 2016) offers a subtler tragedy. Once a noble Paladin of the Black Lion -an Artifact Wielder chosen for leadership and balance- Zarkon’s obsession with power and immortality slowly warps his destiny. The very force that once marked him as a protector becomes the tool of his downfall, transforming him into a brutal conqueror.

Oryx, the Taken King (Destiny video game lore) similarly ascends to dark godhood by making a bloody pact with cosmic forces. By taking Manifest Incarnation through force, his “chosen” path is one of annihilation, a deliberate rejection of mortality and community in favour of dominion.

In each case, destiny does not protect against corruption.

It amplifies it.

🌟 Narrative Power: Why Fallen Chosen Ones Matter🌟

Villainous Chosen Ones are more than mere reversals of the heroic narrative.

They force readers and audiences to confront uncomfortable truths about power, privilege, and the fragility of moral intention.

They show that being “chosen” is not an absolution -it is a test.

Fallen Chosen Ones:

Reveal the neutrality of destiny. Prophecy and selection are not moral judgments.

Highlight the importance of choice. Greatness requires conscious, continuous ethical action -not just anointing.

Mirror the hero’s potential for failure. They act as dark reflections, showing what could happen if virtue gives way to fear, anger, or pride.

By corrupting the promise of the Chosen One, these stories deepen their emotional and philosophical stakes.

They remind us that the power to save and the power to destroy are often terrifyingly close.

🌟 Corruption as a New Kind of Destiny🌟

The fall of the Chosen One is not merely personal tragedy.

It critiques the very systems that elevate individuals above others, questioning the societal need for singular saviours.

When heroes fall:

It becomes clear that no prophecy is infallible.

It exposes the dangers of concentrating hope -or power- in one figure.

It calls for vigilance, humility, and shared responsibility rather than blind faith in destiny.

In a genre increasingly aware of systemic injustice and complexity, villainous Chosen Ones feel not just relevant -but necessary.

They invite us to ask: If destiny can create monsters as easily as heroes, how should we rethink what it means to be “chosen”?

The Choice Beneath the Crown

Ultimately, the most compelling Chosen One stories -heroic or villainous- hinge on a simple truth:

Being chosen is never enough.

The heroes we admire, and the villains we fear, are shaped not by the hand of fate alone, but by their decisions in the face of it.

Destiny may light the path.

But it is choice -and the courage to choose wisely- that defines a life.

🧿 Project Navigation:

Start here: [The Chosen One: From Sacred Myth to Fantasy Staple (Part 1)]

➡️ [Typologies of the Chosen One (Part 2)]

➡️ [Psychological and Cultural Roots (Part 3)]

➡️ [Breaking Destiny (Part 4)]

[timelesslords]

Out of context

I've seen enough last/first lines challenges, now I decided do an out of context challenge. Pick a random line of your fic and post it with no context. Thank u @queen-of-mandalore for tagging me!!!

This is from chapter 41 of the ties that bind:

“Gar taldin ni jaonyc—” he starts, but she cuts him off.

“Of course it matters,” she snaps, and for the first time she sounds a little angry. “Of course it kriffing matters, don’t be an idiot.”

No pressure tags: @bbyannabeth @captain-jackson @lena-hills @tapemonkey21 @bookishjules