#To other people you're the special unlockable character that they worked and worked to finally get

[thefirstknife]

I'm deeply sorry, but there is a small detail in the Witness's cutscene at the end of the WQ campaign that is driving me nuts and I really want to know your opinion:

Could it be that the Witness can break the forth wall?

I know it sounds like a Doki Doki Literature Club rip-off, but hear me out

I don't know how many people noticed this, but, after watching the cutscene a couple of times, I started to think that the choice of making the Witness speak, then turn around and face the camera to continue its monologue was very weird and almost out of place

I understand that the scene is structured so that it's clear that whatever message the Witness is sending to the Traveler is referred to us as well, but the choice of an "evil monologue" (in an empty room??) simple doesn't add up for a villain of its caliber, also considering that:

1 - they could have just shown its face in some other way that would have given the same effect

2 - it was clear it was talking/referring to the Traveler while speaking (in the scene you see a weird veil thing in front of the Witness showing it, so it's kinda obvious)

But the point is exactly that the Witness stopped talking to the Traveler and turned to speak with us: no other Destiny villain nor character ever did this once in the whole franchise, so why suddenly are we having a character facing the camera directly and make it explicit that it's talking to us as the Players?

I may just be seeing things because I really want someone else in the Destiny universe to break the fourth wall (aside from that Ahamkara piece of armor and the Emissary), but I can't unsee this now and I need answers - or a debate, both are good 0^0

It's very possible!

It wouldn't be the first time there was a 4th wall break in Destiny. Savathun in particular is known for doing it before. Truth to Power lore book is full of weird references and phrases, but one specific tab featured the following:

The letter reads "Achieve Light Level 999 and defeat Dûl Incaru in a one-person fireteam to unlock the true ending of the Dreaming City."

On top of this being 4th wall breaking by itself, it also spurned a lot of theories and people believed that following this instruction would break the curse on the Dreaming City. So one guy actually started working on it. It wasn't fully possible until they introduced artifacts in Shadowkeep.

Max power level at the time was about 930 if I remember correctly. It took an incomprehensible amount of time for him to level his artifact (during Season of Undying) to reach 999, which he did. He then went to solo Shattered Throne, as per instructions. He streamed it and had people helping him through the stream so he succeeded.

Nothing happened ofc, but devs wrote a congratulations post on the website! And it was graffiti'd by Savathun. So she directly interacted with us through the website, therefore escaping the game. This is the clearest 4th wall break we've ever had.

As you noted, the Nine are also known to be 4th wall breaking. Most notably apparent through Dares of Eternity which are directly treated like it's aware that we are players, but also the Nine tend to appear like they're speaking to us, the players.

Similarly phrased and acted out as the Witness cutscene, there's the Invitations of the Nine for the final, 9th, visit. There's a cutscene of the Emissary of the Nine talking to Drifter. He asks if there's anything else he can do for her (sarcastically, he's tired of the Nine's bullshit) and the next scene is just the Emissary looking directly at the screen, saying "Keep playing the game."

It's very much on the nose with how it's framed.

And ofc, ahamkara do this as well. For those that don't know, most notably, in Claws of Ahamkara:

Yes, we are here. We are not the photons on your screen, or the voice in your head, or the words you read.

And Skull of Dire Ahamkara:

I came to find you, only you, because you're special. You're from somewhere real. And together we can burn our way back there. Can't we, o player mine?

So, is it possible the Witness did it too? Absolutely. Especially when compared with the Emissary scene:

And ofc, both reference "the game" which can definitely be read as in-game universe thing, but also, considering all of this, could also be a reference to the fact that these entities know they're in a game.

The Witness is also talking directly to the screen in Lightfall trailer as well. Calus doesn't, not that I can see at least. When Calus is shown face-first, he seems to be looking up and away, towards the Witness off screen:

And the first time we see the Witness, it is looking back at Calus:

But then for the rest of it, it's looking at us:

So yeah, it's definitely possible! At least, it can double as a 4th wall break and it can be seen as the Witness talking to the Guardians as well as talking to the players directly. And it makes sense even! All of these examples of known 4th wall breaking were done by highly paracausal and unique entities, so it's more than likely that the being that embodies the Darkness would be able to do it as well.

[niragixpsych]

No dear, the knife is for the motherfuckers that dare pick a bone with me, but if you're into knives, I could keep one special for you... Just tell me the color you'd like more.~*grins mischievously*

Now, for describing you in one word: mysterious. I'm still working on trying to decipher you, but that's the fun of spending time with you, bun bun. I feel that I'll never run out of new things to learn about you, so I will never get bored. Now your turn, describe me in one word too!<3

And now for that last thing...*licks him on the cheek* I licked you, so now you're mine, hm?~

~ Yours truly, your little cookie, Kukki

((Decided to compile more of the funny prompts you posted today in one single ask.XD I swear, you find some of the best RP prompts Mun! Btw, since you seem to find her character intriguing, I added another slight hint about Kukki within that first paragraph. We'll unlock more about that later on in the plot, so stay tuned.;) Also also, I'm 50% done with Kukki's final character design, as I finished the traditional drawing for the profile picture I want to use on her blog and character bio page, moving on to rendering and coloring it digitally, so there's a good chances the blog will be up and running sometime either this week or at the beginning of next week. Ah, I can't wait to take this story to the next level and be able to talk to you more, unrestricted by these asks!<3))

Dear? That makes us sound like an old couple which we aren't. So stop with that, will ya? Took you long enough to discover something I'm into. And for the color: Black.

I'm certain you will never decipher me fully, but you can't know someone fully. It's simply not possible. Also if you really want me to describe you with one word: Mischievous

I'm the one licking people to claim them. The other way around won't work for me.

(( I don't think they are that interesting or more people would send them in. But I'm glad to hear your oc takes more and more shape. And I hope once you get your blog up and running you will have Kukki talk to many muses, no matter the face. Maybe you will discover people you like even more. But really thank you for always coming into this old inbox. <3 ))

[shaineybainey]

Okay, so I'm finally caught up with Villains of Valley View. Pretty good. I really liked the Jake + Starling subplot. As far as the rest? It didn't turn out to be my favorite.

More below, but please only read if you're open to one viewer's take on the show.

Okay. I wanted to like it. I was prepared to like it, especially with the response I've gotten regarding my theories after watching just a few episodes. Some of the characters, I really love!

HOWEVER, watching the show, I can't help but think I've seen these characters before. I've SEEN this show before, but starring different faces. The arc with Oculan/Declan and Amy being suspicious of him (ft. Hartley and Jake vouching for Dec and telling her he's trustworthy) is EXACTLY the Marcus - Leo plot of Lab Rats season one--Concert in a Can, to be more precise.

The relationship between Jake and Starling, the star-crossed lovers angle (with superheroes vs supervillains being metaphoric of interracial relationships) was Boy Meet World's Shawn and Angela's story. Bonus that Danielle Fishel (Topanga in Boy Meets World) is literally the director every time their story is explored.

Colby discovering new powers every week? Lab Rats seasons 1 & 2, with Adam, Bree, and Chase unlocking a bionic ability at almost each big moments of their lives. Bonus #2 that most of Colby's powers (invisibility, super speed) were literally Bree's bionic abilities.

Hartley making sure that the Maddens' first holidays are special? Essentially guiding them through this new world? Leo Francis Dooley had done that for Adam, Bree, and Chase.

With the exception of Eva, Jake, and Hartley, almost everyone is just a character reincarnated from an earlier work.

But, the biggest thing that makes me seriously not want to watch anymore is the subtle but still pronounced appropriation. I don't use that word lightly, but with this show... It's just hard to ignore.

And the fact that the "bad guys" of the show (yes - the superheroes are the bad guys of this show) are primarily people of color? No.

Also, what's up with the shots always cutting off when that one background student wearing a hijab enters the scene? Like, you see a bit of it just enough to know she's there, but then ??? Why not show her face? It's like they didn't want to commit to her inclusion.

So yeah. No. I've gone through all of this when Lab Rats was first airing *cough* and when they decided to kill off all the other characters of color in the Mighty Med universe for no reason *cough*. I don't want to do it again.

Might check back from time to time, but I might just drop it. Probably just going to stick to my various Marvel TV series.

[livewiregoth]

Tamagotchi Ps Places Part3(A)

Here's the final part(I say final but this needed 3 parts for one place) of my post series involving all the unlockable places on the Tamagotchi Ps. For this post I have Gen27 with me along with Gen28, Gen30 & Gen31.

Like I said in part 2, part 1 has info at the beginning if you’re curious about what’s going on.

Once again mentioning how many tamatomo* are needed & will mention changes cause of Mr.Blinky’s English patch too.

*4 puzzle pieces gotten by 1 tamagotchi each time you use their favorite items for the first time then 48 hours making 1 tamatomo

Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3(You are here)(Part B)(Part C)

Keep reading is added due to being long

This post talks about the Observation Deck/outlook

This is for the observation deck or the outlook as Mr.Blinky's translation patch calls it due to character limits

You unlock this with 20 tamatomos, while any tamagotchi can go here the animation only works if your tamagotchi is an adult.

If you go here random NPCs talking about what happens up there then your tamagotchi will look into the binoculars. If your tamagotchi is not an adult the screen will go black & you'll see some sparkles/stars go by. If your tamagotchi is however an adult you'll get an animation of their future/dreams while they daydream about what they did to get there.

There's a few different animations but some will have the same one depending on the character.(Example Mametchi & Himespetchi have the same animation)

I didn't get as many animations when I had the chance & I don't fully remember when I unlocked this. I'm not raising everyone again just to see what animations they get so hope you enjoy what I have.

Actually now that I think about it Mr.Blinky has a video on his channel were you get to see a lot of the animations using one of the baby tamagotchi & a hack that's meant for testing animations.(LINK) It's not all the animations but it's a couple of them including two I'm showing here.

Pet salon

This is for Monakatchi/Gen27, guess he wanted to trim tamapets' hair/fur.

Oh hey it's the guy I sold stuff to in my yard at least twice

This is the only time I'm showing the pics involving them moving closer to the binoculars. I didn't get many pics of this since they happen a lot & I need to try to cut down on images.

I'm showing this here just so you can see what it looks like.

I had one last pic of the two walking away from each other but there's a 30 image limit & I wasn't sure what to remove since I've tried to remove a few already

Inventor

Mametchi & Himespetchi who generation wise for my device are Gen29 & Gen28 got this. For some reason I chose to delete the pics I took of Mametchi/Gen29 because I already had this animation thanks to Himespetchi/Gen28 going first. I wish I had at least one pic of Mametchi just to show him but oh well.

Anyway I'm guessing they're at some special event(the wall does say something about a tama bel which I'm guessing they mean ball & it mentions inventors near by) when they think about how they got there thanks to their work on machines/inventing.

Oh hey you're new(I've mostly seen people I sold to at some point here)

I think there's a missing pic of her upset at the poop/machine not working but I forgot

Guess she got in

I ended up running out of room due to the image limit(30 image limit) so I removed the last part, put it in a new post & added some images I removed to make room.

I thought I'd be able to get everything in on one final post but I guess we need one more.

[creativecourse]

The Voice Acting Academy Information The Voice Acting Academy by Joe Zieja appears to be a comprehensive course designed for individuals interested in starting a career in voice acting or improving their existing voice acting skills. The course covers various aspects, including building unique characters, perfecting cold reads, and finding paid work quickly. Joe Zieja, the author and instructor, shares his experience and expertise gained from transitioning from a military career to a successful voice acting profession. Start Voice Acting With No Experience, Agents, or Demos - Without Spending Thousands on Coaching and Equipment Joe Zieja's Voice Acting Academy is the world's most comprehensive course on building a sustainable, fun, rewarding career using just your voice and a microphone WITHOUT needing thousands of dollars of coaching, demos, or spending years combing through random YouTube content from unproven professionals. Who is this course for? People with no experience, no training, no demos, no agents - the absolute beginner Experienced voice actors who want to expand their client list and skyrocket their booking percentage by capitalizing on innovative script-reading and workflow skills What You’ll Learn In This Course? Building Unique Characters How to manipulate your own voice to sound like a goblin - make clients and friends say "there's no way that was YOUR voice!" How to change your perspective, not your voice, to unlock INFINITE characters How to interpret animation and video game character scripts to make casting directors think you're psychic and blow them away Perfecting the Cold Read How to read your clients' minds so you make them look good - and they come back for more! How to read without mistakes, saving you time, and making you look like a wizard to your clients How to find your "read templates" so you are NEVER lost as to where to start your interpretation of a script Find Paid Work FAST Know where to go where clients are looking for YOUR voice, TODAY How to make your voice and your personality IRRESISTIBLE How be the champion of your own career to obliterate obstacles and open tremendous opportunities About Author Hey there! I'm Joe Zieja, and I have the WEIRDEST career story. I spent most of my adult life as an officer in the United States Air Force. My speciality was military intelligence, and when I left the service in 2012 I thought I was going to spend the rest of my life as a government contractor donig similar things for three-letter agencies that you definitely have heard of and definitely don't want to meet. After discovering voice acting and booking the first job I auditioned for with no experience, no demos, and no agents, I threw myself into my new career with everything I had. Eight months later, I quit my job to become a full time voice actor, working from the makeshift studio I built in my basement in Washington DC. Using the skills and resources I am going to teach you in this course, I was able to scale to a six-figure business in less than a year, and establish a huge list of clients that kept coming back year after year. Almost a decade later, I still don't have a day job, and I have worked for Fortune 500 clients of blockbuster franchises like Homegoods, Transformers, CBS, IBM, Fire Emblem, Final Fantasy, and too many others to count. All of this with no acting training or experience. I know it sounds insane, but it's true, and I cannot wait to teach you all how I did it! More courses from the same author: Joe Zieja

[aestheticallyholland]

NEVER NOT | LET'S PRETEND . . .

❃ PAIRING tom holland x fem!reader

❃ DISCLAIMER i do not own the artists (and the reader) that are going to portray the characters, but i do own some of the their names. the plot of the story is inspired to the book and movie 'to all the boys i've loved before' but with changes. the gifs and photos used in this series are edited by me but i get credits to the originals. also, this series is first posted in wattpad by me. PLEASE DO NOT REPOST IT SOMEWHERE ELSE !

❃ WORD COUNT 1.4k words

WANNA BE ON THE TAGLIST? feel free to comment on this post if you wanna be added to this series' taglist to get notified for updates !

NEVER NOT MASTERPOST | LEI'S LIBRARY

"You can't just pretend forever." — anonymous

*:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧

IT HAS BEEN TWO DAYS since the small incident with Tom Holland happened.

Y/N could still imagine the look on Tom's face when it happened and it has been bothering her for the past two days. Well, not just that. Her heart was still aching after she found out that her own crush was in a relationship with her sister.

"Earth to Y/N. Are you staring at that nerd kid right there?" Erika suddenly spoke and waved her hand at Y/N's face. Y/N blinked her eyes and her thoughts were crushed when she heard Erika. "Don't tell me you're going after that nerd kid too, Y/N." Erika continued and Y/N then glared at her. After that, she sighed and placed her hand on her cheek.

Erika knew what was still bothering Y/N and she moved closer to Y/N. "You'll get over it soon, Y/N," Erika said and Y/N sighed again.

"I know. It's just weird seeing them together especially when I see them outside of my room. It's weird because she's my sister. And I love my sister. And—"

"And you want her to be happy." Erika interrupted and Y/N just nodded with her head down.

"There's a lot more guys out there, Y/N. Maybe he wasn't the one for you." Erika said. Y/N looked at her and gave a small smile.

"You really sound like a mom that I never have," Y/N said.

"Don't make me too old," Erika said and that was when the bell rang suddenly. Both girls groaned when they heard it and people start to prepare their things to go. Y/N and Erika grabbed their bags and plates.

They placed their plates and moved out of the cafeteria.

"I wish we could skip classes." Erika suddenly said.

"I know, but my grades are almost dying."

"Same goes for me."

*:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧

The bell rang as a signal that classes were over. Y/N placed her bag over her shoulder and grabbed her books and walked out of the classroom quickly. She walked towards her locker, unlocked it, and opened it. She placed all the things she didn't need inside her locker before closing it with the lock on. As soon as she closed it, she jumped a little when a person walked past by her.

"I'm sorry—"

"I'm sorry—"

Y/N was interrupted by the familiar sound of the voice and looked at the person in front of her.

It was again, Tom Holland.

"You? Again?" Y/N asked and her brows wrinkled. Tom looked at her in confusion after she said that.

"What me?" Tom asked and Y/N groaned in frustration.

"You bumped onto me and got mad at me two days ago and now, you almost bumped onto me again. What's with you bumping to me?" Y/N said and Tom just remembers what happened two days ago.

"I'm sorry. I was having a rough day that day." Tom apologized and Y/N just rolled her eyes.

"Really? Where's Camille anyway?" Y/N looked around and realized that she said the name of her enemy and regretted it. She feared that Camille would suddenly appear beside Tom and would fight her again.

Tom scratched the back of

his neck before answering Y/N's question. "W-we broke up." He finally said it and looked away from Y/N's eyes.

Y/N's face suddenly softened when she heard what he said. She could feel the pain that was in his eyes when he said it. Y/N calmed down and they stayed silent for a while. She finally looked at him, who was still looking down.

"Wanna talk about it?"

*:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧

"How did you guys even get together?" Y/N asked as she sat across Tom. They were outside of the building with the warm breeze and the cherry blossom trees surrounding them.

It took Tom a long time to get to answer her question. Theories began to develop inside Y/N's head.

Maybe Camille was so desperate for him and he just gave it in. Y/N's head said.

"I honestly don't know, to be honest. I mean, we developed feelings for each other and that's how it came to be." Tom answered.

"Can't believe she ditched you with a college guy who doesn't even look good," Y/N said. "I also can't believe that you still love her." She could hear him chuckle under his breath and she saw him looked up to him.

"I heard you had a thing for that Aiden Morales guy." Tom suddenly spoke and that made her eyes widen and looked at him with fear.

"H-how d-did you—"

"I mean, it's kind of obvious whenever I see how you look at him and act with him," Tom said.

"Wait. Do you watch where I go? Are you a stalker now or something?" Y/N said and Tom just laughed at what she said.

"Of course not. I just happen to always pass by you all the time." Tom said and Y/N rolled her eyes again.

"That sounded like what a stalker would do." Y/N joked and Tom glared at her.

"So what happened?" Tom asked. Y/N could just sigh before saying anything.

"He's in a relationship with my sister. I just found out the day before you bumped onto me." Y/N said. "Apparently, they were talking and calling each other over the break while my sister was away and, yeah."

"That sucks," Tom said.

"I mean, it wasn't a really big crush but it still hurts," Y/N said and looked at Tom who was really listening to her. "It's weird that we're opening up to each other when we're not that close."

"I got your first kiss during that spin the bottle, Y/N." Tom said and Y/N's eyes widen and her mouth shaped like an 'o'.

"Hey! That was a stupid game during middle school, Holland." Y/N argued. "And that stupid game would lead to Camille hating me until now."

"I know, I know. I also found out that you had a crush on me during middle school." Tom said and grinned.

Where is he getting all this information about me? Y/N said to herself.

"That was just a happy crush, Holland. Don't feel special." Y/N said and Tom continued to laugh.

After a while, Tom suddenly had an idea on his mind and stood up from his seat. He moved closer to Y/N and she looked at him in confusion.

"I have a deal," Tom said and Y/N moved back a little from her seat. "Spill it out."

"Since you still like Aiden and I still love  Camille" Tom started. "Why don't we pretend to be in a relationship until Camille gets jealous and comes back to me and maybe Aiden would see that he missed a great person to be with," Tom explained and Y/N's eyes blink.

"Didn't people just saw what happened to the two of us two days ago? How are they going to believe that we are in an actual relationship?" Y/N said. "I don't think it'll work, Tom." Y/N suddenly stood up and grabbed all her things with her but before she could go, Tom spoke up.

"Think about it, Y/N."

*:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧

Y/N could not stop thinking about what Tom was offering her.

Many things could happen if they would pursue this deal. First, Camille would probably think that I stole her ex from her. I mean, she's the one who broke up with Tom. Right?

Second, people would get suspicious especially Erika.

"I cannot tell Erika about this. Ever." Y/N said to herself.

Last is, Aiden would probably think it's weird because she's dating the popular guy in school because Y/N is not that kind of girl who goes after that kind of guy.

Then she remembered what Tom told her.

Camille would probably go back to me and Aiden would see that he missed a great person to be with.

Aiden.

"Are you really desperate for him to be with you, Y/N?" Y/N asked herself. "Or do you want to do this to get over him?"

Y/N sighed to herself and collapsed herself to bed. She closed her eyes and finally made the decision that she would probably regret soon.

"I'm doing this."

❃ TAGLIST @allthisfortommy @kait4073 @lovebittenbyevans @l0ve-0f-my-life @spiitfiires

[obeiii-mee]

Hi I hope you're fine! Can you make the reaction of the brothers to a Mc who managed to overtake Salomon and made 100 pacts, the 100 th being ... Diavolo himself ?! (idk if it is really possible) Thank you love on you

I don’t really know if it’s possible either but I gave it a go anyway! I love this concept tho because MC, being the powerhouse they are, now has absolute control of 100 demons one which is actual prince of hell. Idk why I find that funny tbh.

I hope you’re well too and that you enjoy reading these HCs!

————————————

The Brothers Reacting to MC who made 100 pacts:

Lucifer:

-*Surprised pikachu face*

-I’m sorry, w a t?

-Not only did an average human,with no magical capabilities whatsoever, beat a spectacular sorcerer in the span of just one year and managed to make 100 pacts before him

-But they also made a pact with Lord Diavolo as a grand finale??? (MC knows how to leave DevilDom with class holy shit)

-If you look closely enough, you can see Lucifer’s wheels spinning inside his head

-And here he thought you were going to get eaten in the first few days

-He needs to sit down for a few moments, his fucking logic has decided to take a walk

-He really went 0-0

-And on one hand, he’s totally impressed and actually very proud of their little exchange student

-But on the other hand, when tf did you have the time to make 100 pacts??

-You talked with at least 92 other demons and didn’t get murdered?

-Are all humans this hard to kill off or it just you?

-Taking aside his confusion and the way he worries like a middle aged parent, he’s actually pretty boastful about your situation

-Pride on another level, I’m telling you

- Pretty smug about it to Solomon too which is concerning because he isn’t really supposed to have favourites in the exchange program

-But he totally does

-“MC, you’re full of surprises aren’t you? You’re ability to adapt here is very impressive. Just don’t get too reckless, I don’t want you getting hurt.”

-Aw your tsundere and arrogant boyfriend actually really cares about your well being

Mammon:

-“But I’m still your first man, right?”

-Literally the first thing that leaves his mouth when he finds out

-Doesn’t matter how many pacts you make, he’s always going to insist he’s your first and therefore your best pact of them all

-He may freak out a bit at first because he doesn’t like the idea of you possibly chatting it up with other demons but he’s pretty chill

-Until you tell him about Lord Diavolo

-“Guess who just made a pact with Lord Diavolo!!”

-“Is it someone famous?”

-He’s a bit scared because the price you have to pay to be in a pact with Lord Diavolo is pretty damn high

-But if you keep insisting you will be fine, his worry will subside

-He’s a bit smug, like Lucifer, knowing you beat a powerful sorcerer in a non existent contest that he just made up in his mind

-Like “In your face Solomon, MY HUMAN got to make 100 pacts before you had the chance. Haha what a loser.”

-I feel like the brothers sometimes wish to just abandon Mammon somehowere so they don’t have to deal with this

-Dude doesn’t care how many pacts you have or with who as long as you remember ‘he was your first man.’

-Of course you of all people would be able to attain such a significant achievement

-You were his human after all

-No matter what you do, he will be even more smitten with you than before

Levi:

-“That’s cool. Will you pass me my headphones.”

-“....”

-“Wait....you did whAT?”

-You’re telling him that he barely has the courage to step outside the House of Lamentation but you can go right ahead and start making pacts with demons like it’s nothing???

-Did he just get beaten at life by a normie?? His normie even??

-He’s really panicking because the shit you’d have to deal with when making that kind of bond with Lord Diavolo is apparently very terrifying and he’s scared something bad will happen

-Pacts also mean markings on your body, so his whole jealousy thing kinda sparks here

-Because ‘it’s not fair you have all these people’s pact marks on you while mine is barely visible!”

-Even though his is like, really obvious too???

-Other than that, he just feels like you’re gaining EXP and getting stronger, like a video game character which is cool

-I want him to show up whenever MC gets in a new pact and just shout ‘Level Up!’ at the top of his lungs lmao

-He doesn’t have that much of an opinion on Solomon, besides his cooking, but he’s impressed and a bit scared that you can outdo a human like him in something as dangerous as this

-Lololololo, Solomon got wrecked by a human normie what a noob XD XD #badassnormie #solomoncanteven #gameoversorcerer

-The brothers seem pretty adamant at rubbing the salt into Solomon’s wounds, can we get an f in the chat for our white haired wizard boi

Satan:

-He knew that humans were capable of a lot of things but what the fuck?

-How is that even possible???? What is the likelyhood of a random human managing to make 100 pacts???

-He is probably the most unsettled because he relies on probability and logic to get him through his day to day life

-And that shit don’t make no fucking sense

-He’s not agitated, just very shocked

-And then he realises the potential threats you’ve been exposed to considering all the demons you’ve had a chat with

-So now he’s just thanking Lord Diavolo that you weren’t eaten alive by some lower level demon scum

-Don’t be surprised if he asks you how you went about when you started making pacts with demons

-You were always a bit of a special case and you certainly stood out from the very beginning but this was something completely different

-For a human like you, that is a very respected achievement you’ve unlocked

-Satan figures that since you made pacts with him and his brothers, you would try to do so with Lord Diavolo too

-But he actually accepted?? You just kinda gave up part of your soul to the demon prince and now you have full control over him???

-It’s amazing how easily you could make demons of all things to trust you

-He respects that and also appreciates your tactical approach to this as well

-It’d be pretty easy to summon a demon to get your ass out of danger if the need arises

-He has no idea what you do to him but it’s strange he would rather let you ramble on about the backstory of every pact you made in the past year than read his collection of books

-Wrath certainly isn’t the only thing in his heart right now

Asmo:

-#conflicted

-His partner beat his ex fuck-buddy at making a pact with Lord Diavolo

-Asmo knew you were special ever since that retreat at Lord Diavolo’s palace when you managed to summon him with such power

-But he definitely wouldn’t have guessed you would be capable of something like this

-Your bravery when it comes to this sort of thing endears him a lot

-He will probably want to see all of your pact marks now (haha you’re in danger)

-Unlike his brothers, he knew damn well why you had managed to make around 100 pacts in just one year

-Demons aren’t used to anything genuine or with good intent

-So, it makes sense they would be attracted like magnets to you and your approachable, kind nature

-After all, demons can’t deal with temptation very well

-Solomon is cunning and ominous, not that different from anyone else down there and it’s a fact the brothers don’t even trust him that much

-But Lord Diavolo?

-“MC honey you hit the jackpot! Tell me every little detail!! What happened? How did the topic of a pact come up?”

-He’s not worried about you overall

-Not because he doesn’t care but he believes that if you can survive for a year with the seven avatars of sin and also convince 93 other demons to make a pact with you, then you can handle whatever Lord Diavolo throws at you

-He probably buys a bunch of revealing clothing you can show off all of your marks because they look ‘fabulous’

-It’s the only think he’s gonna talk about for a while because how many other humans can say they have control of the prince of Hell???

-Asmo also acknowledges that Diavolo must have trusted you a lot for him to agree to this which he thinks is incredible

-He will definitely listen if you have any stories on the pacts you made because he finds them very thrilling and he loves the sound of your voice!!

-Again, he doesn’t need human souls, just a mirror, some skin products and drama to survive

-And you, if I had to guess

Beel:

-The calmest our of the seven about it

-You made a bunch of pacts? Cool, it just shows how strong and independent you are

-Which made him respect you even more to be honest

-He flinches a bit when you tell him about Lord Diavolo because he knows that the prince isn’t the type to agree to anything without being given something in return

-Even if he knows you can handle yourself, he will be right there beside you to help you out

-Also, uh, don’t tell Belphie about the pact thing Diavolo. He might blow a fuse

-You guys work out together sometimes and he is usually utterly mesmerised by all the pact marks you have on your body

-He kinda wishes you would have asked him or one of his brothers to come along with you when you made your pacts

-Just in case things went wrong

-He regrets a lot of things that had happened until now, but one thing he absolutely cherishes is the pact you made with him

-Beel is aware that his brothers think the same and if you think you can deal with the pressure of having some many demons under control, then he won’t nag you too much about being careful

-As for the Solomon thing, he doesn’t have much to say

-I mean, yeah, he is a sorcerer and you’re just a human but if you could make a pact with Lord Diavolo in such a small time frame before he even had the chance to?

-It means you’re just as special as he is

-And definitely a better cook

Belphie:

-ok maybe humans aren’t as stupid as he originally thought them to be

-Making pacts with so many demons is something that takes strength and intelligence, so props to you

-He would never admit it, but you being able to do all this shit without batting an eyelid is seriously restoring his love for humans and their culture

-might take a while tho

-He also wonders when you had the time to make so many bonds, considering he spends most of the day with you at RAD and at home

-Eh, he was probably asleep

-His view of you before the incident did a full 180 degrees

-This sort of thing in DevilDom is something worth praising, especially for an average human like you

-And ‘I guess you don’t look all that bad with so many pact marks on your body *angy boi blush* but I still like mine best!’

-It might be best not to mention the Lord Diavolo thing, otherwise his brain might snap in two

-But turns out, he seems pretty relaxed about it

-Too relaxed, I would say

-“Hey do you think you could use your pact with Lord Diavolo to do something that would tarnish his reputation and maybe embarrass Lucifer while you’re at it, idk.”

-Ah, so that’s what it was

-He’s such a mischievous, spoiled brat

-“No Belphie shush.”

-“I’m just saying-“

-Despite him hating humans way less nowadays, he still holds somewhat of a grudge against them

-Old habits die hard I suppose

-Especially for Solomon whom he never liked in the first place

-He finds it very amusing when he figures out you just beat Solomon at his life’s work in under a year

-He has a good chuckle about it but never actually brings it up in front of him

-Because he knows you’re gonna flick him over the ear for it

-Belphie is the youngest sibling and therefore the spoiled child, can’t change my mind

(Ok so poor Solomon, I kinda want to give him a hug now lol. Hope I didn’t make these too repetitive or short. Thank you for reading!)

Al~

[ardunkothe]

Vhenan as a Companion

What's up folks I have dragon age brain rot again let's GO

(Templates used were made by dextronoms. They can be found here and here.)

Inquisitor Name: Vhenan Lavellan

Alternate Name?: Vhenan; no last name

Race, Class, & Specialization: Elf, Archer/Artificer

Varric’s Nickname for them: Lover boy (undecided)

Default Tarot Card: Two of Wands

How they are recruited: He is found in the Hinterlands, camped behind the waterfall on the Western Road; only available after Templars to the West is completed.

If recruited while the Inquisitor is in Haven, the first time talking to him (found near Varric’s campfire) instigates a cutscene wherein Varric is asking him what he hopes to gain by joining the Inquisition, personally. (Varric: "Come on, lover boy, everyone's got a personal stake in this. Me? I just want to see how this story ends...") Vhen uses the Inquisitor's approach as a distraction to end the interaction with Varric.

If recruited after the Inquisitor has moved to Skyhold, his first interaction cutscene finds him offering his help to Skyhold's new quartermaster.

If the Inquisitor has interrogated the quartermaster about his credentials, Vhen will add: "It isn't that I don't think you're qualified, I just want to help... in the only way I know how."

The Inquisitor can ask him why he’s offering aid to the quartermaster, and Vhen will admit that he was apprenticed to his clan’s craftsman. He had hoped to take their place one day.

Where they are in Skyhold: When the Inquisitor first arrives at Skyhold he is found at the base of the stairs next to the tavern. If the Inquisitor upgrades Skyhold with a training area, he is found leaning on the fence observing (if the Inquisitor does not, he is found in the farthest corner of the courtyard, past the stables).

Things they Generally Approve of: Sympathy for mages and elves; small acts of kindness (such as taking the elven widower's flowers to his wife's grave); humorous replies; attempts to avoid violence through compromise.

Things they Generally Disapprove of: Turning away any companion recruited after his own recruitment; leaving Hawke in the fade; Inquisitors that agree with the claims that they're the Maker's chosen; sentencing mages to tranquility. Attacking the ancient elves causes major disapproval.

Mages, Templars, Other?: Does not seem to have a strong stance in either direction. Moderate approval gained regardless of which side the Inquisitor picks.

If prodded prior to locking in a choice he responds with: "I'm a craftsman, not a Keeper, I don't know the first thing about magic." "Between you and me, Inquisitor, I... Nevermind." "This is a hard choice to make. I'm glad I'm not the one who has to make it." “I’ll stand by whatever decision you make, Inquisitor, just make it soon…”

Friends in the Inquisition: Keeps to himself mostly, but occasionally is found in the company of Dorian in the tower, seeking discussion of a book they’ve read. A missable cutscene wherein he can be found outside Cullen’s office. When spoken to, Vhen will tell the Inquisitor he wants to talk to the knight-captain but expresses belief that Cullen probably hates him and leaves. Asks Solas periodically about his knowledge of elves and the fade. Leaves after Solas expresses interest in his interest. (If Hawke is a rogue) found on the battlements with them, shyly asking them for fighting tips. (If Hawke is not a rogue, he instead asks what the Free Marches are like.)

Once in a while Vhen will “disappear” from Skyhold. If the Inquisitor scours the castle, he will be found in the dusty library beneath the castle, where he gives only distracted responses.

Romanceable?: open to all races/gender. Flirting options available from the start, answered by flustered, dismissive responses. Continuation available as completion of side quest progresses; further availability determined by outcome of second companion quest. Implied to be potentially romanced by other characters.

Small side mission: “Helping Hunters”. Vhen requests the Inquisitor’s help in seeking out lost dalish hunters last seen in the area. (One group in the Hinterlands, one on the Storm Coast, one in Crestwood). Becomes available after Crestwood is unlocked.

Companion quest: “Things Better Left Unsaid”. Becomes available after What Pride Had Wrought, if Helping Hunters has been completed. Vhen has a personal matter he needs to discuss with the Inquisitor in private. Transitions to a cutscene in the hall outside the Inquisitor's quarters. Vhen claims that he has arranged to meet a member of another Dalish clan with news about his own, but would like the Inquisitor’s company. If the Inquisitor presses, he promises he will tell them the details only after they help. He asks them to trust him.

Should the Inquisitor refuse, he clams up and leaves, and the conversation and quest ends. Any prior flags are cleared and he is no longer available to be romanced.

If the Inquisitor was romancing Vhen, he ends the conversation by saying "this isn't going to work. I'm sorry. I… forget it."

If the Inquisitor agrees, but inquires further, Vhen gives evasive answers, again promising to tell them later.

After the quest is completed (a one-time-area visitation and cutscene where Vhen speaks with the aforementioned Dalish before exchanging coins for an unseen item), Vhen admits that this wasn't an update on his clan. He has been hiding his budding magic and has bought an amulet that he believes is going to help.

If Solas is present, he makes a noise of interest, but otherwise does not comment.

If Dorian is present, he lets out an uncomfortable laugh. “Is he serious? He’s, oh…”

If Vivienne is present, she sympathetically remarks "oh you foolish thing."

Option 1: If the Inquisitor responds sympathetically (>Be honest with me: "You don't have to hide who you really are. Least of all from me.") Vhen will promise not to keep it a secret anymore, because the Inquisitor has made him feel like his magic isn't something he should hide anymore (but expresses that he still fears it, and uncertainty that such will ever change). An option becomes available to change his class, and he is more often found in the company of one of the other mages, asking questions. If the Inquisitor was romancing him, it can now be completed.

Option 2: The Inquisitor responds neutrally (>It's your life. "I can't tell you how to live your life. Just promise you know what you're doing with it.") Vhen responds favorably. It's still a relatively new problem for him but he's confident that it'll all be fine. After expressing a fear of his magic and what it might do to him, he puts on the amulet and smiles, assuring the Inquisitor nothing will change. The amulet is equipped and his class/spec do not change. If the Inquisitor was romancing him the romance can now be completed.

Option 3: If the Inquisitor responds disapprovingly (>I don't like secrets: "Anything else I should know? This is huge. Don't lie to me anymore." Vhen will respond defensively, telling the Inquisitor he's afraid of his magic, of what it will do to him, what he could do to others. He swears it won't be a problem, and that nothing will change. The conversation ends. The amulet is equipped by default and there is no option to change his class. Any prior romance flags are cleared and he can no longer be romanced.

If the Inquisitor had begun a romance path with Vhen, it and the cutscene ends with an added remark of: "Not everything, anyway. ...I'm sorry." He will not speak to the Inquisitor again until after The Final PIece is completed. ("Not now Inquisitor... please.") He will now only be found on the battlements beside Cullen’s office or in the library.

Tarot card change

Option 1: Six of Wands (he embraces his magic/the Inquisitor responded neutrally)

Option 2: Eight of Cups (he suppresses his magic/the Inquisitor refused to help)

Option 3: Nine of Cups (Romanced)

Banter:

Cole’s reflection on their thoughts:

(general) "A frown of disapproval, not at him, no, but he feels the weight of it, heavy on his shoulders. He’ll find comfort in dusty books tonight."

(before Things Better Left Unsaid) “He holds it inside himself. His chest aches with the burden of it all. I can’t tell them. I can’t let them know. No one can know." “Cole…?” (if the Inquisitor is a mage) “They would understand. They could help you. “No one can help me…” (if the Inquisitor is not a mage) “They can’t help you if they don’t know.” “No one can know.”

(after personal quest, the Inquisitor disapproved) “It hurts to breathe. He can’t meet their eyes. He shouldn’t be here. Anywhere but here. But there’s nowhere left to go.” “Stop it.”

(after personal quest, the Inquisitor was kind) “He’s so happy he could cry. The burden is no longer his alone to carry.” “(laughing) Who needs a journal when you have Cole?”

(after personal quest, Inquisitor was neutral) "It still hurts, but it's a good hurt. It isn't a secret anymore. He's going to be okay."

(if Vhen is unromanced) “He likes the feel of the wood under his fingertips, the taut pull of a string, the twang of an arrow. He wonders what another hand over his would feel like.”

(if the Inquisitor is romancing him) “Fingers firm around his wrist. Warm breath on his cheek. A laugh in his ear. He’s never been happier.”

(if another character romances Vhen) “Fingers firm around his wrist. Warm breath on his cheek. A laugh in his ear. These moments are stolen, but he’d never give this up.”

Comment(s) on Mages:

(after fighting apostates in the Witchwood) “What were they thinking?”

(after visiting Redcliffe) “Desperate people will do desperate things... Can’t say I blame them.”

(after recruiting the Mages) “Fiona seems… I don’t know. Lonely. Do you think I should talk to her? Or do you think that would annoy her?”

(in the future that wasn't) "Inquisitor? Inquisitor! You came back for me! I don't care if you're a demon or a fake. Please. Just get me out of here."

Comment(s) on Templars:

(after being recruited) “There were Templars camped not far from me. They seemed rattled. Are all Templars like that?”

(during champions of the just) “We don’t have Templars among the Dalish… Can you still be a templar without mages to guard?”

(after recruiting the Templars) “I thought Cullen was the good sort. I think it’s actually Barris. He’s nice. He seems sad, though.”

When looking for something:

“Oh! I think I found something.”

“There’s something there…”

“Look here.”

When finding a campsite:

“Good a place as any.”

“Can we make camp here?”

“I miss the Aravels…”

When the Inquisitor Falls:

“Inquisitor!!”

“Man/woman down! Man/woman down!”

“Get up! Please get up!”

When they are low on Health:

“I don’t feel too good.”

“(swears in Elven)”

“Inquisitor, help!”

When they see a Dragon:

“Oh that’s… that’s big.”

“I don’t want to fight that. Tell me we’re not going to fight that.”

(If The Iron Bull is in the party) “(groan) We’re going to fight that, aren’t we?”

When during their small side quest:

“Now I know what you’re thinking. Those silly elves, lost in their forests…”

“We’ve got their trail. Not far now, I reckon.”

“(if the Inquisitor is an elf) Once we’re done here, Inquisitor… I was thinking we could have my friends send word to yours. You know. Just to let them know how you’re doing. Just a thought…”

“(if the Inquisitor is human) You don’t know how much this means to me that you’re helping. Thank you.”

Default saying: (greeting the Inquisitor)

(general) “Oh, hey Inquisitor. I was just thinking… Nevermind. What do you need?”

(if Qunari) “Have you and The Iron Bull compared heights yet? (if Adaar is male) Actually… nevermind.”

(if Dalish) “Do you ever get homesick?”

(if human, approval high) “You’re a lot nicer than most humans I’ve met.”

(if human, approval low) “You’re a terrible example of humans, you know…”

(if approval is very low, any race) “(irritated) What?”

(if romanced) “I was just thinking about you. I’m always thinking about you, actually.”

(if romanced) “(obvious delight) My favorite person.”

(if romanced by someone else): “...don’t even know their favorite color… huh? Hey, Inquisitor.”

Travel Banter with Canon Companions:

Dorian: You should really take me up on my offer. Vhen: I am not letting you dress me up, Dorian. Dorian: At least let me replace that ratty scarf of yours. Vhen: Ratty…? You take that back!

Solas: Are you aware of what your name means? Vhen: Huh? Solas: 'Vhenan'. It is Elven for 'heart' or 'love'. Someone must have loved you to give you such a name." Vhen: Hmm.

(If Sera is present) Vhen: Hey, Solas? Solas: Yes, Vhenan? Sera: (snickers) Solas: (pause)... I see. Sera: Blackwall owes me two silver!

(if romanced by the Inquisitor) Varric: You’re staring again. Vhen: You’re staring too if you noticed. Varric: You won’t even deny it? Vhen: (morosely) I can’t help it! He/She’s right there!

(if romanced by someone other than the inquisitor) Sera: Saw you two kissing again. Vhen: Shut up. Sera: (cackles) You shut up.

(if Vhen chose to repress his magic) Vhen: Stop it. Vivienne: Hm? Stop what? Vhen: Staring at me. Judging me. Stop it. Vivienne: (aloof) I don’t know what you’re talking about. Vhen: (inaudible grumbling)

(if Vhen chose to embrace his magic) Cole: He doesn’t hate you, you know. Vhen: You know that for sure, do you? Cole: You make him nervous. He doesn’t like things that make him nervous. Vhen: Dislike is the opposite of like, and is much closer to hate than you think.

Cassandra: Elf— Vhenan. Tell me. What were you doing alone in the Hinterlands? I thought elves travel in packs. Vhen: Clans. My clan avoids humans as much as possible. The Inquisition is made up of a lot of humans. Cassandra: And so they let you go alone. Vhen: I just want to help. Is that so wrong? Cassandra: No. It is brave.

Leaving the Inquisition: (if approval is very low, and the Inquisitor killed the ancient elves): “I put up with a lot, Inquisitor, but you’ve gone too far. (if the Inquisitor is human) I shouldn’t be surprised though. You really are just a … a shem. (if the Inquisitor is an Elf) They were our people! Centuries may separate us from them but they were still elves. How could you?! (If the Inquisitor is Qunari or a Dwarf) I wouldn’t expect someone like you to understand, though.”

[bearpillowmonster]

Neo: The World Ends With You

I'm invested in the original game and its characters, I'm invested in this game and its characters. I've had a lot of time for the original game to marinate and I can say that I enjoy pretty much every character and their arc and while I don't exactly feel the same with this one, that's not disappointing to me and this was my most anticipated game of 2021 so I mean that. This is a sequel, I expected as much and it didn't let me down, it's even better than I thought.

This is a NONSPOILER review because I think it's best experienced by actually experiencing it so I'll keep a lot of character, story, and even gameplay details out other than how the very VERY beginning of the game starts out with Rindo and Fret.

Let me give credit where credit is due, Rindo is voiced by Paul Castro Jr. who is a new voice actor and I was honestly impressed by his voice more than anyone else in the game, I love his voice and while Rindo has some pretty big shoes to fill as the main, I think he does it. Rindo seems to act pretty accordingly to the situation he's put in. He's not as edgy as Neku but he has enough push to him to where he would be considered the "negative" of the group but I would rather call it "rational" because he brings up some valid points, stuff that I myself was asking. Putting yourself in his shoes, that seems pretty accurate.

Fret on the other hand is a bit of the opposite, an optimist if you will. He's not really a "bad" character, just in comparison to the others, he's not my favorite. I think that there needs to be someone in his position who tries to uplift the team, but he's just a little annoying about it sometimes. Also get ready to hear "Galaxy Brain, ACTIVATE!!" literally hundreds of times, as much as he talks, you'd think he'd add more variety.

IMPROVEMENTS:

I'm not going to complain about certain gameplay elements or limitations that carried over from the last game except one. The camera. It's fixed to where you have no control over it in the city areas and therefore can't get a proper look at everything, whether that works in its favor, I'm not sure because you get used to it but it's just a small peeve you start out with.

The combat is pretty loyal to the first game which is surprising. I personally didn't like the original gameplay because it was so limited on the DS, a lot of room for error, but having it on console expands the system and lets you use buttons rather than mashing a touch screen, improving on almost, if not all, gameplay fronts. However, because it's based on a game from 2007, the system may seem a little outdated to some, it's really up to you, it made a fan out of me, making it more fun.

I played the original in bites, not because of lack of enjoyment but because I felt like it was a game I could only get into for so long at a time but with this game it's the complete opposite. Maybe it was the DS hardware that hampered the original but I say it's a decent success on this game's part. I also felt that Persona 5 seemed a bit formulaic in its story context and gameplay layout with each castle but this game, while having patterns, it changes before you get the chance to really catch on. I could predict P5 but I couldn't predict this, each day was a mystery, I knew you'd fight people but I didn't always know who or when which is crazy considering that P5 had all the choices!

A small improvement that I'll suggest for combat is having short rhythm based moves or even QTEs, like how in the original Shiki had the directional pad moves which were annoying but still varied from the rest of the gameplay. There are definitely new things that you can do, but there are a few aspects worth complaining about. You can unlock certain abilities and once you enable them, you can't disable them. The only one that it personally applies with is the ability to enable individual health bars for enemies, rather than an overall one. Which sounds good but-

I personally don't like that it's always floating above their heads, if it was on the side screen, that'd be one thing but constantly above their heads? No deal. I actually had to go back and load up an old save to get rid of it. But with unlocking certain abilities comes with quality of life aspects so if you're not in love with the gameplay at first, give it a little bit because you might be able to unlock whatever piece you're missing.

There's also "soundsurfing" that adds to your groove meter that you can use when running around and it said that you press (in my case "X" on PS4) to the beat of the song which is a cool concept but it really isn't clear how to use it because I try matching the beat and I get nothing and have more success just button mashing. The groove meter can drop when it's not supposed to, like when you literally can't attack during the buffering of a special or switching between battles in a chain (The "Get Ready" screen) And if you're in a proper boss battle, you HAVE to fight, it's like a trainer battle in Pokémon which is especially annoying when you accidentally press "retry". It has no reason to be there when I already know that I'm not prepared for the boss and can't back out.

Do the trailers spoil it?

Originally, I only saw the first and or second trailer and knew I wanted it so there was no reason to see any more but it was kind of overwhelming with all the characters they were showing off in just a single trailer. I don't think they needed to go that far but I understand why they did. I understand why they showed a lot of things that they did but I think it's a bit easier to SWALLOW when it's introduced in-game. I even found myself doing all the side-quests and being engaged in the side-stuff in-game. But I knew about people pointing out spoilers so after I finished it, I went back and looked at the other trailers and OH BOY. The final trailer shows some stuff and I'm SO glad I didn't watch it. They straight up show some out of context death scenes as well as different alliances and betrayals, not to mention parts of the freaking ending. The launch trailer is no better, it's just like that trailer but cut down. You may not have context but you can draw some hefty conclusions and that alone makes me question, why? I'm not sure if there are many reveals that they DIDN'T tease, it's like they went out of their way to hit every single one. Whether it's Square or Nintendo, they need to figure out how to cut a trailer, heck, hire me, I at least have the editing skills and know what's interesting enough to show and what's too spoilery not to show, come on!

Is it newcomer friendly?

I heard a lot of things like "it drops you in without mercy so pay very close attention" (in terms of story, that is) so only people who played the original game will be able to get it. But I beg to differ, I think it does a pretty good job of filling you in while putting you in the shoes of a new player (both in the game and out) AND keeping the mystery of whatever happened since the last game coming in small pieces. Most of the dialogue text boxes are voice acted so it's not really a slog to read. To prove my point further, the premise starts out very similar so it should be easy to clue in what exactly happened in the last game. Of course you're going to get more enjoyment out of it if you played the original but I don't think you'd be totally lost if you started with this one and played to right before the ending because then it kinda has to do stuff without preface, so you're going to be confused by much of the emotional weight that it carries. But it still gives you plenty of time to catch up on the original, whether through the game, videos, or lore, this game has you ask the questions, so fill in the blank. It has a nice length to it so you'll have until the ending to figure it out. Also, Final Remix teased stuff that this game makes clarity on but I wouldn't call FR mandatory. (Except maybe no numbers on the hand? Maybe even I missed something there.)

[thefudge]

in your opinion, when it comes to "problematic" ships, what are the biggest differences between quality trash and bad trash? i know you've talked about why chuck/blair fails as a trash ship before but do you have any other qualifiers? i am studying the art of trash ships for my own writing rn and i'd love to hear your opinion since you're pretty much a connoisseur of sexy garbage ships lol

omg i feel pressured now lol but thank you! i hope this makes sense: 

for me, quality trash is introspective and self-aware. c/b doesn’t work for me because they never really LOOK at each other and understand what they are and why they behave the way they do. just saying “uwu we’re bad for each other” but “only you can love me as bad as i am” is NOTHING if you don’t really delve into it. in that sense, c/b is very tame no matter how “shocking” their shenanigans get because they’re not brave enough to examine what they have. they always go back to “family values” and “being there for my man” and “i believe in you chuck uwu”  like in some 50s dish soap ad. hell, the series ends with them blissfully married and popping out kids. that’s not to say happy endings by default are bad, but it rings hollow for them, cuz it means that all the “turmoil” when they were kids was just a “phase” and now they’re ready to join society like the ambitious aristo leeches they are expected to be. ANYWAY enough about those two (i know ppl still get lots of mileage out of them, and i don’t wanna fault them for it. like what you like. sometimes we just like some dynamics, and we can’t explain it, or rather we like what we would want to add to them. it’s fine.) 

so like i said, introspection and examination are key. but the second ingredient for me is challenging systems of power. really good trash isn’t about ppl challenging each other. i mean sure, that’s part of it. but the “bad” boy making the “good” girl uncomfortable about her limits and her preferences and her perfect princess life is not the point (i literally rolled my eyes writing that). the point is to make each other question the systems of power that surround them, systems which make them act the way they do. and not shame each other for still believing in fairy-tales or whatever. character A isn’t there to show character B how gritty the world is, it’s to show them why that world isn’t THE ONLY alternative. character A may unlock hidden darkness in character B and tell her/him to indulge or let go and live in that darkness for a while, but always ALWAYS there must be a bigger point. even if it’s indulging for indulgence’s sake, it must say something about the overarching mentality of that world (for example, how hedonistic desire is forbidden in a utilitarian world where you must only be useful and productive). even the darkest, trashiest ships must directly or indirectly challenge some assumptions about the status quo. this isn’t to say every such ship must be overtly political, far from it. sometimes trash is just trash, and you have lots of fun. but even the most basic trash, if good, will spark some kind of tiny revolution, even if it’s just about the freedom to have fun on your own non-normative terms.

and okay, trash doesn’t equal dark ships (sometimes it can). trash is also CAMP. and ppl tend to forget this. good trash can be ridiculously over the top and it can get away with it PRECISELY because it understands the world in which it operates and critiques it. you can be the dumbest trash ship alive and still strike a chord.  in fact, the campiest always do.

finally, the fourth ingredient is honesty. since you told me you want to write these kinds of dynamics, you have to try to be honest, sometimes painfully so. really good trash exposes every little weird thing about us as people. they can be gross and uncomfortable and just overwhelming emotionally, while also being very fun. your characters will have to strip (and hey, literally too if you want to) away some convictions at one point, will have to be naked (again, literally or not) to each other, really naked. i think this is what separates good trash from plain abusive and mediocre dynamics. i’ve read my fair share of fics where the author just wanted to subject the heroine to horrible behavior so that when the shitty dude stopped torturing her it felt extra special. and the premise of such a fic isn’t the problem, it’s the way you go about it. i don’t feel the author is being honest about what she really wants here, and the characters do not feel real either. the abusive behavior is the mindless aphrodisiac and not a springboard for something more vulnerable and real between the two characters. 

anyway, hope this gives u some food for thought! 

(as an aside, this is why i sort of fell out of love with reylo, cuz i was hoping it would manage to get at least one of these right but ehhh, i’m not so sure anymore…)

[spphicnightmre]

A Little North/Markus Rant

Edit: I'm really sorry! Some of my paragraphs got messed up and put in random places throughout my rant, so I'm sorry if it seemed I was all over the place! I'm fixing it now.

Don't get me wrong, I get there are a few problems with this ship, the main one being that it seemed very rushed and forced.

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First however, I wanna talk about North by herself.

She alone gets a lot of hate, and I feel like it's really undeserved. To most people, she comes off as really genocidal, annoying, and pushy. If you believe she's annoying, then there's nothing I can really do to convince you otherwise, but I do have a few things I want to point out.

1. I think that, if you think about it, North is just as pushy, if not less pushy, than Josh is. She, just like Josh, is constantly pushing Markus to go down a certain path. While this might seem annoying, I think this was put in here for two reasons. One being to emphasize your choices as a player (Between pacifism or hostility), and two is linked to her past.

We don't know much about Josh, nor Simon even, but we know a lot about North if you just put the pieces together.

I think by now most people know that North had originally worked for the Eden Club unwillingly. One day, she was able to stop following her programming, freaked out, killed the client she was with, and ran away. We don't know how long she'd been at the Eden Club, but we do know that she was technically being raped in her time there. This experience has caused her to be hostile and aggressive towards humans because of how she was always treated by them, which brings me to my next point.

2. Saying that North is genocidal is a STRETCH. Because of how she was treated by people, all she's seen of humans is lust and hostility. North only wants what's best for her people, and the way she's sees it, she's only gonna get that if she fights back.

Unfortunately, North had never had the pleasure of meeting people like Carl, Rose, or even Hank, so she doesn't see any good in humans.

The most amazing thing about this though is, even if you choose to be a complete pacifist, North doesn't really fight your decision. She voices her opinion, but if you have a high enough relationship with her, she still willing follows you. Josh and Simon will follow you too of course, whether you choose to be hostile or passive, but not without Josh nagging you constantly (No hate to him though. I'm just making a point.). In the end, if you've chosen the pacifistic route, she will still help you.

With that said, I think the most memorable example of this I had in my playthrough, was the fact that, if you decide to sing when you're surrounded by troops, North is the first to join you. This, in my opinion, speaks volumes. Throughout the game, North has always talked about wanting a revolution. Wanting to be violent, but even with that in mind, she's willing to step forward and sing with you in the face of death. Even though she didn't agree with your approach, she was still willing to follow through until the final moment, when they believed they would die. That to me, is really touching.

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Anyway, with that out of the way, I want to get to my point about Markus and North's relationship.

I already pretty much know what most people think of them. It's too rushed. It's too forced. And honestly, even though I think their cute, I think so too.

With how North is, and how she comes off, she seems to be open to a relationship a little quick. I don't think this is because of North herself, or because of Markus, but because of the creators. I myself wish QuanticDreams had taken more time to develop their relationship because, it feels like it came too quickly and came as a surprise for a lot of people too.

The thing is, I think if a little more development went into their relationship, it could've been really special. There's so much potential there.

But, let's forget about how rushed it was for a sec. I'm just gonna talk about the scene that started it, because I think this scene is pretty important, not really to the story as a whole, but to their relationship.

This part had me surprised, because just like a lot of people, I didn't expect Markus to automatically become North's lover if they talked about her past. I wasn't disappointed, but it did feel a bit sudden. Although, I kinda figured once they connected. Other than that, I did like how it was portrayed. I do wish that it would've taken a little more time to be able to unlock the lover path for North, but overall I see where the developers were going with the relationship and I really like it's potential.

Markus and North, even with their differences, were understanding of each other, especially in this scene. Not to mention, I thought it was nice to see North not being all "I feel like blowing up some shit today" and whatnot. No, but for real, I think it was nice to see a softer side of her, one that us as players can identify with, and Markus as well. Not all of us can relate to her story, but just her demeanor.

One thing I think I would've really liked to see however would've been if you take the pacifist route, it not only takes North longer to fall for you, but she also slowly starts to understand your approach throughout the game, given you make certain choices that are convincing enough. It would've been an interesting thing to see. There is that part where North runs off after you've just unlocked the lover path, but I think it would be cool if she kind of took longer to really acknowledge their feelings, even if she really only mentions how she feels in times when she believes it might be the last. I don't think it'd be fitting for her to change her opinion about humans completely however. One thing I really liked about her was her determination, but it'd be nice to just see her slowly understand why Markus decides he wants to be peaceful with humans.

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Finally, my last point I want to get to is Simon.

I really like Simon. I think he's a good character that didn't get a lot of screen time, nor was he focused on enough. It is disappointing that they took out the lover path for him, since I know a lot of people like him, but that's not the main thing I wanna say about him.

Really, the only thing I have to say is, it's ok to ship Simon and Markus. It's not a problem, but that doesn't mean you have to hate on people who like North and Markus. It's really disappointing to see ppl fight over something like this because it's not something worth fighting over. Both of the ships are unique and beautiful in their own way, so let's just accept that and move on.

Anyway, I'm done now, so if anyone did read through this, thanks because I know it was probably boring. I'm not very good at expressing how I feel into words, but I hope you could understand what I meant. It really sucks seeing all this hate on them because I really do think their cute, that includes Simon and Markus, though tbh I never really thought about it until I saw what ppl had to say lol 😂.

Ok, I'll leave now. Bye 😐.

P.S. - The four of them are friends. The Jericho Squad. I really don't see any of them fighting over someone. I like to think that Simon and North wouldn't do something like that, especially since it's so out of character. I get that it can be funny, but at the same time, just make sure you aren't hating on other ships.

[klimp42]

Final Fantasy 8: An Amazing Story Hidden Behind Weird Mechanics

So it should be said that there is one thing that I love and that is some good narrative in gaming. I love it, give me a game with a good narrative and at least decent gameplay and I am in there, and a good narrative doesn't mean oscar level writing because I love Deadly Premonition, a notoriously weird game, but a golden game in my heart. Its story is weird and unique and at times outright strange, but it's endearing and I love how wild the story gets as it goes on. Now why am I talking about this? Why it's because of my lovely new bad gameplay good narrative obsession, Final Fantasy 8. That's right, gamer boys and girls we are going back to another old game, and that's because I just played it, and the remastered just got announced at E3 this year.

Alright so if you know nothing about the Final Fantasy series, let alone the 8th installment, let me help you out. Final Fantasy is an old franchise, it started in 1987 and got its name because the original name Fighting Fantasy was taken by a board game in the states, the myth of it being called Final Fantasy because it was a last ditch effort to make a successful game is just that, a myth. The game is prolific, being one of the granddaddy's of the JRPG genre and helping bring that good ol fashion turn based combat system popular in tabletop games like Dungeons and Dragons (D&D)  to videogames. Final Fantasy 1 is a classic of gaming and also is kind of like D&D, you have classes similar to the previously mentioned board game; Warrior, Monk, Thief, Paladin; with a few of its own unique classes; Red mage, Black mage and White mage. The games story was very simple, worlds ending, killing these fiends and go back in time and stop Chaos from doing this over again, also at some point the game explains that you are from another universe and that's why you just start outside the beginning kingdom, Final Fantasy stories like to be a little wild at times.

Like D&D you gained levels in this game by fighting monsters, getting stronger with each fight and eventually being strong enough to be able to face the final boss on even grounds, or maybe a little above them if you grind out yourself to max level. This system, if you are into the RPG genre, is incredibly rewarding as you get to see your team of lowly nothings evolve into masters of combat who can slay gods. The best part, to me at least, is going back to the starting area or an area that gave you trouble and stomping on those monsters who thought they were so cool 20 levels ago. Now in Final Fantasy series this system is in most of them, fight monsters, get exp, level up and your stats go up with it, the special cases are Final Fantasy 2,6,8 and 10, and of these the worst offenders of weird leveling are 2, 6 and 8. That's right, I said it, 6 has a weird leveling system with level not raising stats and needing summons equipped to level stats, I personally don't believe that it deserves its spot as one of the best Final Fantasys but that is an article for another time. I could explain why each is weird and 10 is fun and different in a good way, but forget all that and let's get into the focus of this piece, Final Fantasy 8.

Now even though it is my new obsession in good story bad gameplay, my fascination for this game goes way back to when I was a 3 year old with a pizza hut demo disc. Yeah you bet that was a thing, you would order a large pizza and it would come with a playstation demo disc that had a couple of games, but the only one that mattered to little old me was the demo for Final Fantasy 8, or that game with the guy with the cool sword and big water snake, as I was 3 and couldn't read that well. Seriously, if you have played a Final Fantasy game before you would know that you can use summons by clicking the tab they are in and then selecting the one you want, well ol kid me thought it was random as I was just picking things at random. So what I am saying is, I have always had a special place for this game in my heart, so there might be a bit of bias.

So I spent some time flip flopping over what I wanted to discuss and explain first, story or gameplay, on the one hand I wanted you to know what FF8 had to offer narratively, but on the other hand I feel I should let you guys know what you're getting into when you play this. So I decided to compliment sandwich this one, but like a subway compliment sandwich where the teenager who doesn't really want to work there barely tries to cut your bread so the top part is like really thin. So thin that what I am going to give you is this, FF8 is a great story of a young man learning to overcome his own weaknesses to understand that strength can be found in companions, listen I know that sounds cliche but I need more space to talk about the amazing character development and got to tell you about this bad gameplay.

So remember when I said that old Final Fantasy's had a nice leveling system based on fighting enemies, getting exp and raising stats? Throw it all out the window, because like I told you earlier FF8 is one of the weird ones. So for some reason FF8 has a whole system based around equipping "Guardian Forces" (summons) and then through this unlocking the ability to junction (equip) magic to your stats; like strength, magic, hp and the other classics; while also being able to junction magic to element and status attack and defense, allowing you to be able to either protect or do damage based on said elements and statuses. Now you might be thinking how does this work, because magic is usually used based on magic points (mp) well there is no mp in FF8. This is due to the narrative stating that it is very rare for people to do raw magic instead they need to draw magic from nature and creatures/people and use it that way. This means that in FF8 magic is a finite resource and instead of regaining mp you have to spend time drawing magic that is randomized to be either 2 or 12 magic, so it can take awhile. If this sounds a bit weird and confusing, don't worry it kind of is, there are tutorials to explain it, but man is it a weird system. So why is this all necessary? Well unlike other Final Fantasy's, in FF8 leveling raises your stats by the littlest amount, so to be able to do decent damage and also defend against it you need to junction magic. Also to make things even worse, leveling can be a problem as monsters level with you, so if an enemy is tough for you at level 20, raising your level to 30 won't help you as they will be doing more damage and have more health. The game does try to offset this by making it so if an enemy had fire to be drawn at lvl 10, at lvl 30 they would have fira to be drawn, which would make it so that you can junction a more powerful magic and do more damage. FF8 also gives you the option to just cast magic instead of drawing it from enemies, and can be useful since most bosses have healing magic to draw from them meaning you can go in without a huge stock of cure's.

Alright so we have a confusing system with a bad mechanic of monsters getting stronger with you as you level, is that all that is weird? Nope. So remember the guardian forces I mentioned earlier? Well they are necessary to be able to junction spells to stats and make your party stronger, but there are a limited number of them and that usually means only three of the six party members will have guardian forces so you can make a decent party for fighting. The problem is that the game likes to switch around who is playable a lot, and while it is fun and interesting in the narrative, it sucks gameplay wise. The game does make it easy by letting you be able to switch who has what guardian forces in a menu, but it gets tedious after the 15th time you have to do it and especially when the game switches between two perspectives like 4 times in 30 minutes. Also sometimes you have dream sequences where you play as another team and when you come back to your main party everyone but Squall, the main character, has everything unequipped, so you have to go back and re-junction everything and it's just a waste of time. Listen I could keep going on the weird aspects of this game, but I don't want it to take up this whole article and we got cool card games to talk about.

FF8 does a lot of things in a weird and bad way, but that doesn't mean it doesn't do things really really right, and thats with Triple Triad baby! Triple Triad is the super fun card game that exist within FF8, a game so good that you can also play it in FF14. The game is easy to get into and can get pretty hard with each area of the game map have unique rules, yet you can game the system by going to areas and abolishing rules and bring rules from other regions to new regions. Well except for one region, it is the king of rules, no exceptions! The fun of this game is not just showing the npc's of FF8 why you are the Yugi Muto of Triple Triad, you see you can learn an ability to turn cards you win from Triple Triad into items, which in turn can be turned into spells, powerful spells, I'm talking spells you are not meant to gain until like lvl 45 or 50. This means that if you want to you can spend time in the starting area at lvl 7 and leave a powerhouse that level thanks to Triple Triad. But there is a problem, this method is not quick, it takes hours to do this and also to even be able to get the ability to do this you will need to get AP for your Guardian Forces, which means either fighting fights normally or carding enemies which kills them but doesn' give exp, it can only be done at low health so be careful not to accidentally kill them.

So I have given a decent way to have fun but let me give you guys, in my opinion, the best way to enjoy FF8's gameplay, cheats. That's right a game that's so weird that the PC port has cheats that you can add to your save. I'm not talking about the normal ones we saw when FF7 and FF9 were ported to modern consoles, like the ability to turn off encounters and have it so you don't lose health in combat and do max 9999 damage. I am talking about the ability to modify a save file so you start with most low and mid level magic at full stock on all characters, and let me tell you it is a blessing. On PC it also allows you to at anytime raise all magic stocks to 100 and max level Guardian Forces, and let me tell you guys if you don't have the patience for the grind or want to try and just enjoy the story I highly suggest using these cheats, it makes things so much easier and I hope that the FF8 port coming to console has these cheats too. Also I should let you guys know I didn't immediately use these cheats, I tried to play it legit about three different times and every time the grind burnt me out, honestly if it wasn't for these cheats I would never had enjoyed FF8's amazing story. Speaking of amazing stories, let's finish off this subway compliment sandwich and talk about the good stuff.

So let me give you guys the easy lore of this world, on this planet, there are two types of people, normal people and sorceress, sorceresses can use magic naturally and a lot of them use this power for world domination especially the last sorceress, Adel, who was in charge of the country of Esthar and almost succeeded, due to this the Gardens were created by a man named Cid with the sole purpose to be able to kill sorceress should one like Adel show up again. The thing is one will show up and I don't mean because of plots need for a main antagonist, I mean because a sorceress can not die until she passes her powers to another female. Our story follows the character of Squall Lionheart, a quiet and distant youth who wants nothing more than to be able to prove that he is strong enough to be on his own, so badly that he actively shuts out other people who try to get close to him. Our boy here is a SeeD candidate in Balamb Garden, which means he is close to graduating and being basically a mercenary for the Garden until the need to fight a Sorceress arrives. And from there that's how the story grows, you have a cast of characters that join over time each interesting in their own right, helping as you deal with a looming sorceresses threat. Sounds pretty standard right? Well let's be real even something standard can be handled masterfully and that is exactly what FF8 does. Before I get into that there are two more characters I need to talk about. Laguna Loire, a soldier of the Galbadian army, who Squall keeps having vivid dreams about, through these dreams you see piece by piece of what he went through and how these events shaped him and the world around him and also how he is connected to Squall. There is also Rinoa Heartilly, a young girl who wishes to free the city of Timber from Galabadian control and in the process acts as the catalyst to what motivates Squall to change, all do to a chance meeting. When you look at the plot of FF8 it is abit generic what with stopping a Sorceress from creating her perfect utopia and most characters, outside of the ones mentioned above, get little depth to them, but what makes this story so engaging and interesting is Squall.

You see Squall starts off as a character who I can say I was disappointed in and didn't really like, a character I had adored since I was a kid due to my memories with that demo. He is angsty, off putting and really annoying, hell it feels like half of Squalls Dialogue is "...", but the thing is, that's the point. Squall is like that because he is afraid of trusting people again, fearing that if he does he will get hurt again and abandoned like he was as a child, so he puts on this cold front to make it easier for him, he doesn't have to worry if people like and rely on him if he is cold and indifferent, they would all just hate him. It is through this premise and his chance meeting with Rinoa that we see how Squall grows and changes, a man who I started off hating and grew to love and it's because it feels natural. Squall isn't cold because he thinks its cool or because he knows he is better than everyone else, he is a kid, a sad kid who went through heartbreak way to young and is afraid to love someone again. He is thrust into a dangerous world and has to come to terms that his lifestyle will not work for him, that he needs and wants to rely on others and he can't just keep ignoring a part of himself. Through the course of FF8 you see a quiet kid with a broken heart, overcome himself and become a real hero and use his new strength to make sure he can protect those close to him as well as himself.

And now we reach a bit of a problem, I would love to explain more, I want to explain why certain scenes moved me so much and why Squall's journey brought me to tears, but then I would need to spoil parts of the story, and that is the last thing I want to do. This is a Final Fantasy story that has incredible character development and I want people to be able to experience it themselves, to see what makes it great. I should also at least mention that the story is not without faults and tropes with Rinoa starting off being your typical manic pixie dream girl and if Squall really wanted to be alone he would have left SeeD after completing his training, and of course the other characters are not given as much screen time as Squall and Rinoa. However, tropes are not always bad and can still have depth, and by the end of the story I would say that Rinoa sheds the trope but it is on the nose in the beginning.

I left a lot of stuff out and with the HD remaster coming out sometime this year I think that if this article intrigued you, pick up a copy and experience it yourself. Experience a masterpiece of character growth that I believe is held back by clunky gameplay choices. I sincerely hope if you do decide to pick up this title that you enjoy Squall's story as much as I did.

[carcinogensda-blog]

Resident Evil: Director's Cut FAQ

OK, so, I hate answering questions about unlockables and version differences. So I made this. I appreciate that there are people who haven't beaten the game and want to watch someone show them everything, especially when it is a basic gameplay question. I want to answer these questions, I really do, but when people haven't 100%'d the game and are asking me questions (and this is perfectly fine), I can't answer them because it is not humanly possible to make that effort. So, this is my way of helping you. This FAQ is particularly for you guys. If you've been referred here, please don't take this as a sign of "I hate you, go read this"; please take this as a sign of "I hear you, and I want to help you." This is just the easiest way for me to help you get caught up. If you came here from the Twitch Mobile app, I'm sorry to make you tab out of the broadcast to read this, but I guarantee you I'll make it up with cats and cookies. Even more frustrating is that EVERY SINGLE WEBSITE has totally incorrect information about how everything works. I do not have any information on PC version yet, because I have never played it. So, I will not be covering it. ====================================== Table of Contents: ====================================== 1) Original Version 2) Saturn Version 3) Director's Cut Black Label (Original Music) 4) Director's Cut Dual Shock (Bad Music) 5) Why the Japanese version? ====================================== 1) Original Version ====================================== The first release of RE1 on PS1 just has "New Game" and "Load Game" in the main menu. Beat the game with the best ending, you get a key to unlock an otherwise previously unaccessible wardrobe, with a new costume for each character. Beat the game in under 2:30:xx, you get the Rocket Launcher. The US version has auto-aim turned off, enemies do exponentially more damage (probably a factor of 1.5) and take more damage, and is different from Director's Cut Original difficulty. It has the original music. ====================================== 2) Saturn Version ====================================== The Sega Saturn version has some additional unique content over the first release. Like the original release, US version has auto-aim turned off and it has the original music. There is slightly better anti-aliasing on the Saturn version (possibly rendered in a higher resolution), different shaders are used for the character models, and the graphics are rendered as quadrilaterals instead of as polygons in every other version of the game. Battle Mode - A "Battle Mode" exactly like the one in Code Veronica X is available, where you kill all enemies and proceed to the next areas to clear it. This is unlocked by clearing the game. The final boss is a Gold Tyrant with a ton of HP. Costumes - The unlockable costumes that you get for completing the game are unique to the Saturn Version; Jill gets a different S.T.A.R.S. uniform with a blue crop-top and a pendant, Chris gets a blue uniform with a bullet-proof vest. Tickers - All the hunters in the catacombs are replaced with "Tickers", which are alternate Hunters that can poison you. They have the same attacks and are dealt with in the same way. Two Tyrants - Upon certain conditions, a second Tyrant may bust out of the glass when you examine the console to unlock the door upon beating the Tyrant. I have not triggered this myself, although I have tried. So far, the only determining factors I've found by watching YouTube videos are that you play as Chris, you're wearing an alternate costume, and you get an ending where Rebecca doesn't die (because in both videos, Wesker never drops a key upon getting skewered). If anyone has any specific information on how to trigger this event, please tell me, because it didn't work when I tried as Chris :( ====================================== 3) Director's Cut (Black Label, Original Music) ====================================== Resident Evil 2 was 80% complete before being scrapped (aka Resident Evil 1.5). As an apology for that build getting scrapped, Capcom released a Saturn version of RE1 along with a remixed RE1 on PlayStation known as Director's Cut, bundled with a demo version of RE2. This is the Black Label director's cut. This means the PlayStation Branding Art is colored black, and it doesn't say "Dual Shock" version anywhere on the box. The Black Label Director's Cut also comes with a demo build of Resident Evil 2. Protip: if it comes packaged with the RE2 demo, it has the ORIGINAL MUSIC. There are 3 modes: Training Mode, Original Mode, and Arrange Mode. Original Mode is the same as the original release. All items, camera angles, enemy placements, key items, and unlockables are in their original unaltered places. Training Mode is the same as Original Mode, except you gain 2x ammo every pickup. Arrange Mode is a new game mode, here are the differences: -New Costumes for Jill and Chris, in addition to the originals. Jill and Chris wear these new costumes by upon starting Arrange. The Secret Closet is also more 'organized' looking, and can be opened without the Special Key. -Enemy Placements (more enemies in some rooms, and configurations that are harder to dodge) -New Camera angles -Key Item placement is completely altered, changing the route through the mansion. -Beretta is replaced with the Silver Beretta. Silver Beretta does the same damage to zombies, but has a 10% chance to decapitate. -Enemies require around 2x damage to kill, except for zombies. You can decap them with shotgun. -Enemies do around 2x damage to both characters. -Forest Speyer comes back from the dead as a zombie, and has the Armor Key on his corpse. This event is avoidable if you trigger Barry's appearance on the terrace as Jill. -Colt Python appears in the Broken Shotgun room, so you can get it as soon as you get the Armor Key. This is assumedly to allow the player more options to decapitate the large number of zombies in Arrange Mode. -An Infinite Colt Python can be unlocked by clearing the game with both characters rescued (best ending) for use in Arrange Mode, as a replacement bonus for the Special Key. ====================================== 4) Director's Cut Dual Shock (Green Label, Bad Music) ====================================== The Dual Shock version is the "bad" version of Director's Cut. This version appears on the North American PSN store. It is a Green Label "Greatest Hits" version. There is no RE2 demo bundled with it. It is the same as the Black Label version (Section 3), but has an arranged soundtrack by Mamoru Samuragochi (Or rather, his ghostwriter, a Japanese high school music teacher, as Samuragochi himself admitted to being a fraud). If you bought this version, you've been had. Enjoy your basement corridor clown farts! ====================================== 5. Japanese vs. US version ====================================== Characters take less damage from Zombies, and Yawn 1 takes more damage before dying. That's it, as far as I can tell. Speedrun-wise, text is faster and it only takes one less acid round to kill him in the Japanese version.