#but i just started playing skyrim and like

[fictional-worlds-are-exquisite]

i hate games with a carry capacity

you don’t understand i need to collect and keep absolutely everything just in case

[maxs-hot-takes]

Idk why so many peoples first instinct when they play Skyrim for the first time is to just go on a killing spree. Like ???? What in your brain turns you so primal that you slaughter the first village NPC you see?? It's kinda scary to think about honestly

[landgraabbed]

sometimes you gotta take in the lil details

[potatoesandsunshine]

sorry everyone but to me the dark brotherhood is like a weird sitcom family you join midway through their third season. they've all already got established dynamics and relationships and my character is walking in to add a little extra drama to an already-moving plot. we don't even get to the friends stage before whatever climactic awful thing (usually me) happens to them

[whispers-of-masser]

Dragon's Tongue

✧ Nebarra x human!LDB, ft. Xelzaz & Khash ✧ Fluff, minor angst; 1300+ words ♫ "You And I (Stripped)" - PVRIS ✒ Something short n sweet today, I'm feeling soft

Nebarra was loath to admit it to himself, and he'd die before ever saying it aloud, but the Rift really was beautiful. Nothing compared to Alinor, to be sure, but... all the gold reminded him of home. And when he passed by a small, isolated farm, he could almost see himself on its porch, see his brother leaning against the door.

The illusions were younger, happier versions of themselves. So much more innocent, faces bright with naivety, eyes shining with plans for the future.

And then he'd gone to war.

He'd lost... so much of himself, in the deserts of Hammerfell. They had scorched and burned him inside and out, slowly bleeding him dry with every comrade he saw fall. And all that, for what? For all the Altmer's supposed superiority, the campaign had failed on all fronts – Hammerfell's walls and people defied them, and Cyrodiil remained in power, weakened but still unbroken.

How could the Thalmor still strut about, arrogant to Aetherius and back, when they had failed so miserably? How could they look at the faces of the families whose children and lovers they'd sent to die and only tell them they'd "served their purpose"?

Nebarra couldn't.

He couldn't face them at all. Not even through pen and paper, leagues away from ever having to look them in the eyes, ever having to see the pain and loss in their gaze.

Where the Thalmor were heartless, he was a coward.

And he didn't know which was worse.

~~~

Night fell, and you called the group to halt, to make camp until dawn. Nebarra set up the tent as you argued with Xelzaz, trying to convince him that no, he shouldn't summon a flame atronach and then kill it for its fire salts, no matter how good it would make dinner taste. Khash merely looked on, muching on some clover she'd picked up somewhere.

At last though, you got Xelzaz to relent, though he asked you to gather some herbs in exchange, listing off the plants he wanted you to find.

"Ah... and take Nebarra with you."

The elf froze. Turned slowly towards the lizard. Demanded, "What? Why?"

"Two eyes are better than one," he shrugged, "and that much safer, as well. We don't know what's out there, and I'm pretty sure we passed a necromantic altar on our way here."

At that, you groaned, head rolling back like a teenager who'd just been told to do their chores. "Gods, not another one. Why do we always seem to run into those?"

"Luck of the Dragonborn? Anyway, off with you now – I have to get set up. Let's see, in whose pack did I leave my cooking pot...? Khash! Come help me with this!"

And just like that he walked off, leaving you and Nebarra alone by the campfire. A chuckle escaped you, and he glanced over to see you shaking your head. "I'm surprised he didn't tell us to hold hands, too, so we don't lose each other in the dark."

"Yeah, I'm not holding your hand," Nebarra snarked. And it was true. Absolutely true. Totally, one-hundred percent true.

"Oh wow, Nebs, that one almost hurt." Your soft laugh seemed to echo in his ears, his mind. "Come on, let's go – I don't suppose you heard any of the plants he wants?"

Blue and yellow mountain flowers, to restore and fortify. Purple for rejuvenation, and to give to Khash. Scaly pholiota for fiber and strengthening. Wild gourds and dragon's togue for flavour.

He snorted from behind his helm. "That would require paying attention to him."

"Should have known," you sighed. "Alright, listen up before I forget: blue, yellow, and purple mountain flowers, scaly pholiota, and dragon's tongue. And be careful with the purple mountain flowers, they're gifts for Khash. Oh, he also wants some wild gourds. Got it?"

"...Yeah, yeah. Let's just get going."

He definitely hadn't feigned ignorance just to hear your voice some more. Definitely not.

~~~

"Ah, back at last! Perfect," Xelzaz said, stirring something in a pot over the fire. "Now I can get the real meal started."

"Then what's this?" Nebarra demanded as Xelzaz handed him a bowl, in exchange for the plants the Altmer carried. Even through his gauntlets he could feel its warmth, and a rich, savory scent drifted up through the slits of his helmet.

"Something amazing, from the smell," you sighed, and Nebarra didn't have to look to know you were drooling.

"Just a little sometime to hold you over," the Argonian demurred, handing you a bowl as well. "Thought I'd experiment with some of the flora I've gathered thus far."

That gave Nebarra pause. "Wait – experiment? That's settled, I'm not eating this."

"If you don't want it–"

Your words were drowned out by Khash's eager shout of, "I'll eat it! I'll take your bowl!" She rushed over to him, red eyes trained on the food.

"Khash, you had your share," Xelzaz chided. "Any more and you won't have room for the rest of dinner."

"Yes, I will! I have room for anything you make."

"She's got a point," you laughed, and Nebarra slowly, wordlessly handed her the bowl.

"I'll go keep watch," he grumbled, turning away.

"Oh, don't be like that! Nebarra!" When he didn't respond, you sighed, calling after him, "Alright, go sulk! I'll make sure Xelzaz doesn't poison your share, though you kind of deserve it!"

His back still towards you, Nebarra raised his hand in a rude gesture, and your laughter rang through the night.

Some thirty minutes later, he heard footsteps approaching; he didn't need to turn to know it was you. Your tread was distinct from the others, weighted with determination and confidence, whereas Xelzaz's was soft and steady, and Khash's light and hesitant.

"Here. Eat." Despite the short words, your tone was gentle, and Nebarra looked over to see you holding a plate out towards him, laden with a slab of meat and wild berries to the side. "It's delicious, and unpoisoned."

"How would you know?" he sniffed, catching a whiff of the food in the process. It... did smell amazing. "Did you try it?"

"I did, actually. Stole some of your steak when Xelzaz wasn't looking. And since I'm still standing here pestering you, I guess that means it's clean."

Nebarra paused, eyes training on your face. Half of it was wreathed in shadow, only the gleam of your eyes visible; the other half was illuminated by the campfire, revealing the soft smile you wore.

You... had a nice smile.

And before he could stop himself, he mumbled, "You're not... pestering me."

Surprise flickered in your gaze – surprise, and something else. Something he told himself he didn't recognise, refused to recognise.

After a moment, you said softly, "That's... good to hear, then. Because I have something else for you, too." Reaching down with your free hand, you pulled something from your belt and held it out before him. "I saved one, 'cause it reminded me of you."

Nebarra stared. There, held gently between your fingers, was a dragon's tongue flower, petals open wide and colours vibrant in full bloom. "This... reminded you of me?"

"It's gold. Just like you."

"...You really do have trouble with your eyesight, don't you? These are orange."

"Eh, close enough." You shrugged, the smile never leaving your face.

Slowly, Nebarra reached out and, ignoring the plate of food, took the flower carefully, delicately from your grasp, cradling it in his palm. "...Am I supposed to say thank you?"

"You just did." As he raised a brow from the shadows of his helm, you set the plate on a nearby rock and tapped the gauntlet that held the flower. "You accepted it."

He couldn't deny it. "Think you got me all figured out then, huh?"

Something in your smile shifted, your gaze flickering. "No. Not yet, anyways. But... I think I'd like to." And with that, you turned on your heel and walked away, leaving him alone in the dark, stunned.

And that night, as he sat in the shadows of the campfire, he stared at the flower for a long, long time.

[vampirebiter]

its like. kinda funny that no matter how many times skyrim has been released and rereleased and all that its still held together with string and chewing gum. genuinely it is more prone to crashing in the year 2024 on my switch than it was back in 2012 on my xbox 360.

[mabaris]

honestly tho i think the fallow mire is the best map in inquisition. the rest of them try to be TOO big because they’re chasing the open world feel and. plenty of other people have spoken, better than i could, about how it makes them feel empty and like they’re just fluff for fetch quests to pad out playtime hours

but the fallow mire is still PLENTY big and feels much more dense because there’s less empty space and overall just. less Going On. i know it’s the dragon age protagonist’s job to get involved in every problem, but i do like how most of the quests seem tighter, related to each other and the overall plot. and it feels more true to the scale of like, kirkwall and og redcliffe and haven

[cinnamonest]

Spooky Season Game Recs 🎃

Since it is That Day, I put together a quick recommendation list for games that I thought might be appreciated for fun and for anyone who might want to use it.

Here is a generalized list of games you should play! I'm including some horror-themed, some that just have gratuitous violence, some just have creepy vibes, some that are mild but have Halloween themes, etc. A lot of these are very popular, and likely some of you will have already played/heard of them all, but this is just for anyone who hasn't. Feel free to add to this!

Quick note: unfortunately, I am in the small percentage of people who get severe migraines and nausea from playing first-person perspective games (but not third-person perspective ones). As such, there's a lot of horror games that I can't really play, and there's only one first person game I've played here. I'll include a section for some renowned games that I haven't played, but are well-received.

I’m giving one link, but for some of these it’s available on multiple platforms, I’m just linking steam if available since it’s what most people might have. I played most of these on PS4.

Also warnings for all of these. Some have heavy violence, a few have references to sexual assault, in one you murder a toddler. Etc. Be warned.

Happy Halloween 😊

Console/Professional/3D Games:

Until Dawn

This is one of my favorites, it is a choices-matter game with multiple endings, the endings being determined based on who lives and who dies. It's very suspenseful, they did a great job at crafting the right atmosphere for the game. Although in my opinion (and apparently the popular opinion) several characters were not very likeable. I did really like Josh, though. Best boy.

It's really neat in that your choices don't just effect the ending, but your choices can branch you off into a different path entirely, changing future events themselves, working more like a flowchart than a "Choice one gets ending A, choice two gets ending B" sort of thing.

It is a PS4 exclusive. 

(Link)

Inside

An eerie game with no dialogue and a really creepy atmosphere. I finished it in one Saturday. It's one of those games that's more of an "experience" than a game (kind of like Journey). This was one of those games where I kept seeing it for years and thinking like "huh, I should play that one day," then one day it was on sale on the PS Store so I finally did and I'm very very glad I did.

(Link)

Friday the 13th

Basically you play in locations across the movie franchise. You can play as a victim and try to hide, or as Jason Voorhees and try to hunt down victims. There’s multiplayer and single player. It’s basically a hide and seek with someone trying to kill you.

(Link)

Dark Pictures Anthology: Man of Medan/Little Hope

These are made by the same developers as Until Dawn. They're not sequels, as they have different stories and a new cast of characters (save for the overarching narrator-esque figure, think Igor from the Persona series).

Personally (and according to most reviews/professional critics), I think these fell a bit short of Until Dawn's legacy, but they're still pretty neat. They utilize the same mechanics, just with a new story. Also that intro rendition of O Death is a banger.

There’s also 2 more after these but I haven’t played them.

Unlike it’s predecessor, this one is available on multiple platforms. (Link)

Resident Evil Series

This is a horror game staple and I'm sure most people are familiar with it, but I'd like to note that it's extra appreciated for other people who have motion sickness/migraines, as several games are in third person (7 isn’t I think?)! There's a pretty expansive list to choose from, but (here is a comprehensive ranking list).

Silent Hill Series

Another staple for the horror genre and the origin of the iconic Pyramid Head, unfortunately if you don't have a gaming PC or a PS2 to dust off or pay for PS Now, right now it is unavailable -- however, that is set to change, as just recently a PS5 remake was announced, although unfortunately it looks like it might be PS5 only and not PS4. The first three games are generally regarded as the best, but I would not recommend Downpour, it feels very slow and kind of dull by comparison in my experience. 

(Announcement)

Zero Escape Series

This is iffy to include here, but it has a lot of very dark themes and atmosphere so I think it fits. It's basically "escape rooms: the game," wherein you have to solve a lot of puzzles to progress. This series was an inspiration for Danganronpa, but the critical difference is that while DR has a brightly-colored punkish aesthetic and over-the-top quirky, eccentric, often lighthearted elements/characters to offset the dark depressing nature of a game about murder, Zero Escape doesn't have that, so it's a lot more bleak and heavy.

 (Steam page for ZTD)

The Wolf Among Us

A Telltale game with a really nice art style and memorable characters. It's a murder mystery and a "choices matter" type of game. I'm including it here because it's very gritty and violent at times, and kind of has like film noir vibes. Also if you like older men you'll probably like the main character.

(Link)

Bendy and the Ink Machine

I have no doubt you're all probably already aware of this one, but I tolerated feeling like someone was hammering my head with a marble chisel for this game (I played it in 10-minute intervals and took breaks between but nonetheless) so I'm mentioning it so my suffering is not in vain.

The stylized nature of the graphics gives it a very quirky, unique vibe. It's somewhat exploration-ish with a plot. The main monster is also a really unique choice.

(Link)

RPG Maker Games 

Unless otherwise noted, you can find these (here on VGPerson). The ones on VGPerson and most of the ones on this list in general are free.

Ib

A classic of the genre. You are a little girl at an art museum who falls into one of the paintings and enters another realm. You meet two friends (one is a "friend") who try to help you get back home (or not). 

The Witch's House

Also a classic of the genre. You are a girl looking to reach the top of the witch's mansion for... reasons. There's a really well-executed plot twist. A cat is there. What more can you want.

Yume Nikki

The final entry here of the iconic genre-defining trio. There is no real plot, I don't think there's even any dialogue if I recall correctly. It's largely just a matter of exploring the world around you. It's very trippy and relies on aesthetic, it's not everyone's thing, but I found it pretty calming actually. If you collect all the effects, you reach an ending. 

(Free on steam)

Pocket Mirror

This is one of those games where you play it and then are really surprised to learn it's not more popular than it is. I highly recommend it. It's somewhat Alice in Wonderland-esque, in the sense that you are a young girl traveling through an odd land trying to go home, and meet interesting (and sometimes dangerous) characters along the way. One of the biggest selling points for this is the music, which is (except for a few) original and not borrowed from free use websites. The art and game as a whole is GORGEOUS visually. Developer is Astral Shift.

(Link)

End Roll

You are a 14-year-old boy who also happens to be a murderer. You are being put through a rehabilitation project that will cause you to have vivid dreams, which are very pleasant and welcoming... at first. The dreams are intended to eventually induce remorse in the subject, which, in this boy's case, means he has to relive some of the things he has done.

Corpse Party

Technically, the original was 1996, but pretty much any version you can get now is a remake with improved graphics. That being said, there are several different versions with different graphics.

Synopsis is a group of students become trapped in their school by supernatural means and have to find a way out. Gratuitous death and vengeful ghost hijinks ensues. This one is paid. You can purchase an old PSP copy as well. There's an anime based on the game that is significantly more graphic. There's also a lot of games after the original, but I've only played the original (or at least the remake of the original) so I can only speak for that.

I played (this version) a few years back, but to my knowledge (this version) is the most recent remake.

OFF

This is a personal favorite. You are a man on a mission to purify your (very bizarre) world, and defeat an evil queen. This is one of the best RPGMaker games in my opinion. The music is great, the characters are memorable, and the plot twist is very well-executed. It does a really good job of slowly becoming more and more unnerving to the point that by the time you reach the end, you know something isn't right regarding your understanding of things, but need to progress to find out exactly what. The way it utilizes unreliable narrator/limited perspective is very well-done. Also obligatory Zacharie my beloved.

(Free official download)

Hello Charlotte

This is a series of several games about a girl named Charlotte. Some are paid and some are free. The art style is really neat, and it has that constantly mildly unnerving vibe that I really like. I believe the first one is free and the rest are paid.

(Link)

Omori

Also really well-known already but I wanted to include it, this is more of a tear-jerker than a horror game, but there are some unsettling moments/imagery. The art style is really cute, and the characters are very lovable. It does a great job of setting up an atmosphere/story that leaves you just perfectly in the middle of your understanding, where you sort of know what's going on but makes you desperate to know more and fully understand what's happening.

(Link)

Pre-2000 

Don't expect much from these in terms of graphics/mechanics, but they're fun nonetheless. 

Monster Party

This is a 1989 game. It's Halloween themed (ish?) and really cute. Unless you have an NES on hand, you'll need an NES emulator and ROM to play it. Retroarch is a well-known emulator for all sorts of vintage games.

(Retroarch)

I Have No Mouth and I Must Scream

This is a point-and-click from 1994. Personally I have to include this as it's one of my absolute favorite games/stories of all time. It is based on a renowned short story. Personally its selling point for me is that it has one of my favorite fictional antagonists of all time. The author of the original story voices AM in the game, too! I could ramble on about how much I love this work for literal hours but I'll spare you all that. I recommend reading the original story as well.

Synopsis: A supercomputer hellbent on satisfying his hatred for humanity has destroyed the world, leaving behind five humans who he spends eternity torturing. The five humans, each desperate to die and finally be rid of their tormentor, must go through stages designed to be personal hells for each of them to hope to achieve that.

(Steam page) 

Short Indie Games 

These are basically short interactives meant to be unnerving and unsettling, which they do well. Time consumption ranges from anywhere from two minutes to maybe half an hour.  A lot of them are made by independent creators so it's good to support them! All of these can be found on itch.io’s  horror tag. In general, this whole page is full of good ones, so I’m just listing a few I found particularly neat.

Next Door

A short browser game based on a Junji Ito story. 

(Link)

(Don't) Open Your Eyes

A short Renpy game. It has voice acting, which is like 99% of what makes it so unnerving. Basically, the title is the summary.

(Link)

Please Answer Carefully

I LOVED this one, it's stalker-themed. Basically a short survey from someone who misses you and wants you to forgive them :)

(Link)

Discover My Body + Water Womb World

Body horror based, point and click narrative. Both are made by the same person. The graphics style is really unique. I like this creator's portrayal of the characters, there's a common theme of a sort of religious fervor that blinds them to reason and drives them to insanity. 

(Discover my Body)

(Water Womb World)

Assessment Examination

Very short, the images can be unnerving/uncanny if that bothers you.

(Link)

Honorable mentions: 

First-person gamesI haven't played these; they're pretty well-renowned, though, and while unfortunately I am not able to enjoy them, you very well may, so they are worth checking out if you can! 

Outlast

Layers of Fear

SOMA

Alien: Isolation

Amnesia: the Dark Descent

Blair Witch

[catburd]

Inigo diagnosed the LDB with Stinky

[nexus-nebulae]

the aftermath of having 2 terabytes of storage

[honeysulani]

I'M DONE😭

Bg3 was such a fantastic game, and at first I didn't even want to buy it?? Anyways I'll definitely go for a second playthrough!!

[slippery-minghus]

i want to paint, but autism is hungry and needs to be fed 8hrs of skyrim a day

[famewolf]

in other news though, im biting and frothing at the mouth to play Skyrim again, but I feel like I really need to finish Baldur's Gate first

[paranormal-potatoes]

Jeven: *stares at Ralof intently for a few seconds. pulls out a notebook and scribbles something down*

Ralof: ???

Jeven: don't worry about it

Jeven: *wrote his name and Hadvar's and above both is written "GAY???"*

[fizzyghosts]

I like the reindeer clothes

[earmo-imni]

Me: *buys the last two mdzs volumes on an impulse stop at Books a million*

Me: hmmm, I should really read these now that I’ve spent so much money on all of them, I’ve only read the first volume

Me: *starts reading volume 2*

*sense of impending hyperfixation looms*

Me: oh no