#but that's not my main point. my point is that the video game industry is kind of hurtling towards unsustainability

[celepeace]

Genuinely with the death of nintendo handheld low-cost games that came with the switch, as every continuing handheld series became a switch series and thus had a price increase, a lot of their most kid-friendly franchises have become more and more inaccessible to children, especially now that nintendo has decided to follow every other major console and has started pricing new games even higher.

And now that a lot of these series are so old and thus a lot of their fanbase has aged into adulthood, a lot of these series would benefit greatly from making some of the new entries more adult-oriented. But nintendo very stubbornly wants to keep their main franchises as kid-friendly as possible, sometimes severely restricting the potential of these series by not allowing them to explore things like more complex mechanics, higher difficulty, or darker topics that past entries have brushed over in favor of keeping the age rating low. Pokemon's core battle engine has been in want of an overhaul for years now, and Legends Arceus kind of did that but not wholly, for example.

This would be pretty understandable in the interest of keeping every entry of these series accessible to all age groups, but with inflating prices, who are these games even for anymore? A normal kid with your average allowance from their parents isn't going to be able to afford tears of the kingdom or even $60 pokemon games more often than not. Back when these games were $30-$40, sure, if they saved up, but now many families have even tighter budgets than ever due to the rising cost of living. Nintendo is pricing themselves out of their target audience while simultaneously leaving their adult fans who have been with them since childhood to feel neglected in favor of exclusively making games for today's children.

Obviously nintendo will always make sales because even though they make children's games, they're still fun as hell for a person of any age, and many kids will be able to afford their games once in a while, but it does feel like they're kind of... making their games for an audience that barely exists.

[ohnoitstbskyen]

PINNED POST, FAQ, INFORMATION

Hi, I'm TBSkyen. I make videos on YouTube sometimes. This is my main tumblr blog, the "brand" blog as it were, where I maintain my Social Media Presence™ on this site.

I use the ironic ™ to signal my personal discomfort with the work of being a minor media personality even while I still do that work and make a living off it.

I have a sideblog called @tbposting, mostly for shitposts and reblogs, and in my opinion I have pretty darn good taste in reblogs, so you can follow that if you want. It's also where I'll do random personal posting, microblogging, etc.

This main blog is primarily for 1) answering asks, and 2) posting my Original Content™, usually my main channel videos, as well as the occasional longer essay or critique. Sometimes I'll reblog an interesting or useful thing, or boost a friend's work, but I try to keep the spam to a minimum.

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About Me

I am a thirtysomething content creator whose primary expertise is character design.

I have a bachelor's degree in English, never finished my master's, did most of a bachelor's degree in history, and that's it. These are my academic qualifications, no more and no less.

My professional experience is primarily being a freelancer and self-employed creator. I spent the better part of a decade working as a commission artist, running webcomics, drawing fanart, and the occasional animation work and not safe for work commissions, and I have at this point a decade of experience and self-study in the subjects I cover. I have also done online community management for, god help me, almost twenty years, so that's a part of my skillset I'll never escape.

I do not have any particular professional creative industry experience, although given what I hear from my professional friends, sometimes that seems like a blessing.

Please maintain a critical distance when engaging with my work. I am a critic. My work is very rarely meant to be taken as authoritative or didactic, and when it is, I will make it clear in my writing. Just because I speak with confidence doesn't mean I am trying to assert objective truth.

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TAGS (to follow, or filter)

#tbanswers is the tag for every single ask I answer on this blog

#tb reblog is the tag for reblogs

#tb essay is for the occasional longer essay or critical writing

#tbvideos is for my videos and Content™

#tb recommends is for the occasional recommendation of a video essay or other creator

Yes, I know the spaces are inconsistent. It's not on purpose, I just typed them in haphazardly when I started using them and it's stuck.

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FAQ (before you ask)

Q: Will you ever do a video about ____ ? A: The answer to this question is almost universally "maybe someday, if I have time, and if I feel I have anything worthwhile to say." And the more realistic answer is "no, because I already have far too much on my plate and I have burned myself out too many times." In general, please don't ask me this question, I will most likely not answer it because I have given the same answer a thousand times, but I still feel guilty about not answering them.

Q: Will you continue your series of videos about ____ ? A: Yes! I will continue the let's plays I started, I will finish the Boss Designs series, I will do another What's the Deal With, I will do more shorts about the subjects I've got going on. The main obstacle is, again, my tendency to overload myself.

Q: Do you have a PO box? Can I send you something? A: Not yet, but I'm looking into it. It may be a while before I get it set up.

Q: Do you have merchandise? A: A little bit, yes, at tbskyen.redbubble.com.

Q: What's your opinion on [game/movie/comic/book/etc]? A: I struggle to answer very open, broad questions like this. Most things I have opinions about, I have multiple opinions, and different ones depending on the perspective and specific element in question. I'm much more likely to answer specific, bounded questions.

Q: Can I send you fanart? A: PLEASE. Askbox, tag me on bluesky, send it to my email! I love seeing every piece of it!

Q: Why do you never appear on camera? A: A forest witch cursed me to look not quite but ALMOST like Paul Giamatti in all photos and videos ever taken of me, and his laywers sent me a cease-and-desist.

Q: Are you gay/straight/bi/other? A: The decision I've made for myself, at least for this period of my life, is that privacy is precious, and once given up can never be reclaimed on the internet. I am open about being aromantic (not asexual), because it's a sometimes invisible and underdiscussed identity, and I know it would have helped me a lot to see someone speak about it when I was younger.

The rest of it is for me to know, and for you to speculate about, although preferably somewhere I can't see it. I accept that this is a part of being a Personality, but it still feels weird, y'know?

Q: Is it weird if I find your voice kinda hot? A: I've put a lot of work into developing this voice and making it nice to listen to, so that's not weird at all and I find it quite complimentary, thank you.

I generally don't mind people doing flirty/thirsty posting about or at me, just so long as we all understand that 1) you should never give a stranger like me information which could be used to harm you. Nicer-seeming YouTubers than me have turned out to be monsters.

And 2) it will never go beyond playful online flirtiness. I like to fluster my live chat, I'll flirt back in an ask or a post maybe, but I am not flirting with you, or inviting any kind of closer intimacy with you, the person I responded to.

Think of me like a comedian doing crowd-work at a show - you can chat to me in the bar after the show, but when I asked you what you do for work I wasn't looking for a personal connection, I was doing my work as an entertainer. Please no sending me nudes, or propositions, or confession letters in my email inbox. We are strangers, and I am always performing a persona in public.

[moosha-mushroom]

Media I imagine different fiction podcasts in instead of the media of being a podcast.

TMA: A selection of volumes, relating to the fears, each with those removable covers. Those covers has a victim or two, and then underneath the cover is a really detailed cover. The paper is decoratively ripped, with a kind of scraggly font, and each has a foreword and ‘author’s note’ from Jonathan Sims.

Malevolent: A really gritty graphic novel with deadly detail in each panel, and very little color. Maybe a trinket on each important character has a color? Like Arthur’s eyes being yellow or Oscar’s collar having a blue sheen to it. The novels are long, dramatic, and intimate in a visceral way.

Welcome to Night Vale: Local 58 bullshit. A broadcast on television with low quality images and audio, tacky music, and a kind of 80’s aesthetic. Each episode the words WELCOME TO NIGHT VALE zoom onto the screen, the purple eye behind them. And each weather segment is an animated short by a different artist.

The Penumbra(Juno Steel): A webcomic. Hours spent scrolling downward a comic that has so much color and GEOMETRIC design. Juno and his curvy jaw, brown pie slice eyes, a cartoonishly high collar for his investigator jacket. Nureyev and his sharp square jaw, shimmering jewelry, and stick legs. Characters sticking out of the panels, fonts changing constantly, a little blue Juno that does his narration and *guitar theme plays* each time he appears.

Wolf 359: A classic comic. Issues month by month. Different special covers of the characters in extra dramatic poses or scenes. Even MORE panel breaking than Juno Steel. So MUCH onomatopoeia, even for small things like the clink of a panel or the disapproving hiss of Hilbert in the background. Geometric designs like Juno Steel, but less colorful. Like the superhero art style mixed with a more stylized look.

Midnight Burger: You pull up the Midnight Burger website. They have a hidden page that has a sort of script-comic thing going on, where the art is next to the writing. Small coded in notes from Leif sometimes pop up if you hold your arrow over the art. Links are attached to the parts where Effie and Zebulon play music, linking you to the music so you can listen to it while you read.

Desert Skies: An animated show. Indie, something you’d find on YouTube. The animation is bouncy and incorporates 3D animation alongside the 2D. Maybe the Sphere Movers have 3D models and the staff don’t? The credits are short because it was made by one guy. People are complaining about it on Twitter /j. People are making content farms about it. Everyone is pissed at Corson like they’re pissed at Jax.

The Amelia Project: A sort of simulation video game. You play as Arthur. You listen to their stories and draw pieces of the tale to invent their death. Every once in a while the game transitions to a point and click suspense game where you solve puzzles as Cole and Haines. Maybe there should even be an Operation-esque part of it where you work as Kozlowski.

Ghost Wax: A novel with a lot of pictures spliced in it. The stories are all in a single book, though the book is through Luca’s perspective— so he picks up on the ghost’s body language and Voncid’s reactions. The pictures are tarot cards with each victim as a card. Some are repeat cards— Lorem does not have a card at the end of the story. Nor does Our Home or Evening at the Ardent. The pictures are only white with black line art. No color whatsoever.

Kakos Industries: A company newsletter. Not a broadcast. A newspaper that arrives at your door and has big bold letters with the main story and pictures of the events that happen in the story as it goes. And the Sunday Comic page is full of employee shenanigans. Some innocent… some not.

I am losing my mind.

[kevin-the-bruyne]

Branded Pairing Heteronormativity and the Subtle ways that First and Khaotung Spill Outside Those Outlines

Right off the bat I'm going to absolve myself of all culpability by saying that this is a solicited opinion so all anon hate can go to @kattyangel 🤣. The second thing is that this is an opinion that will talk about very nuanced subjective topics like heteronormative standards and conventional attractiveness in a country I'm not even from so go into it knowing that even subtle shifts in worldview can change the way we perceive these things. My only claim to fame here is that fan service is my hyperfixation and I have watched at least couples compilation videos of all GMM branded pairs but for the vast majority of them have watched shows/vlogs/interviews fairly extensively. So without any further ado let's get into what the connection is between First's height and his pairing's inability to perform heteronormativity well. A branded pair has two main ways of connecting to heteronormativity. One is via the individual's connection to their audience which at this point we know is majority female with some degree of romantic interest in men. Second, is via the dynamics of the couple itself.

For example, the ideal pairing is someone who's individual unit BOTH seem like they are interested in women but when put together can also believably fall into a 'top' and 'bottom' role. The categories of 'top' and 'bottom' here follow from the yaoi 'seme' and 'uke' narrative traditions but its less about who penetrates or is being penetrated and more along the lines of who's 'the wife and who's the husband' which is just a confusing mix of relative closeness to femininity, perceived dominance and certain physical features like height/resting bitch face and skin color.

The vast majority of branded pairs fall under this paradigm at GMM: GeminiFourth, TayNew, BrightWin, JoongDunk, PondPhuwin, ForceBook and the recently officially divorced Ohmnanon.

If the individuals have a strong connection to heteronormativity themselves, but fail to perform it with each other then they tend to fail like PerthChimon. So what happens when individuals within the unit aren't that straight to begin with? If at least one can perform traditional masculinity then they're in the clear! Famously, OffGun are husband and wife like no other and I hope they and Off's voodoo dolls of him and Gun prosper for the length of their lives. This format of pairings is not that common in GMM but litter the industry quite a bit, Zeenunew and MaxNat are pairings I'm quite familiar with that follow this.

What happens when both have low affinity towards traditional masculinity (especially in the way they interact with fans) or they're a little too queer in their dynamic for heteronormativity? Well that leaves you with *my* favorite pairings: EarthMix and FirstKhaotung But they're challenged in slightly different ways. EarthMix's primary dilemma comes from the fact that they're very likely actually dating and gay couples sometimes just won't have a heteronormative dynamic. Mix has always rebelled against being 'bottom' and he's usually the one refusing to play this game. Earth on the other hand just with his natural old man tendencies still fits into the top/husband role well while Mix can be pigeonholed into bratty wife/bottom when push comes to shove. But oh my poor sweet First, born with the personality of a man who's at least 5 inches shorter than him and obsessed with his idiot best friend who hated being the good little wife during his PoddKhao era so much that he really came into Firstkhao with his arms swinging like 'never again'. First and Khaotung have their personalities and aesthetics switched. Khaotung is both the more effeminate of the two and also the more dominant. If you've been following their dynamic since The Eclipse then you will know immediately what I'm talking about. So much of The Eclipse fan service felt like they were playing out top and bottom in reverse and then just remembering that First is indeed Too Tall for this to ever work lmao. I'm struggling to think of a single pair other than PerthSaint where the top was shorter let alone a full 4 inches. I mean fans nearly staged a coup at an event to have them renamed Khaofirst and I feel like they had come so close to convincing First too 😂 They've changed a lot now and Khaotung has cooled it, maybe to be more helpful to First but primarily because I think he's discovered that being the bottom in this dynamic comes with added benefits of being a sugar baby princess who gets waited on hand and foot. But First is also a sugar baby princess which is why he says things like 'I'm trying to be cool' or doing something macho and then immediately undercutting himself with a nervous little 'Was that cool?' or whining at fans to stop flirting with Khaotung instead of having a possessive lover dialogue like Phuwin's little 'you can flirt with him but he needs my permission to flirt with you'. First is performing machismo slightly worse than the 'bottom' of a different pair like what can I say askdjkfhdjh

Firstkhao are doing husband and wife well on stage nowadays but I think in less practiced formats they will revert to their original dynamic and First's 'top' persona breaks often. They hit a besotted wifeman equilibrium for First sometime during only friends and that kind of works for them both and I think they're trying to stay there for the most part. But that's what people who like First and Khaotung like. A vast majority of lesbians fall under the category of besotted wifeman so I mean it's really working out for me. It's just that sometimes it's a little painful seeing First try so hard to be more like Kant in RL and I'm just like babygirl please you're fine your friend over there looks like he likes getting fucked in the ass no matter what you do but alas 😔 Meanwhile every time Khaotung acts like a naive little helpless baby it feels like he's taken another step towards nirvana.

[suzuran777]

Analyzing some of the very first BL visual novels

First of all, I've talked about most of these topics during my Citrus con panel on Augustus 24th, so for those who missed it or who wanted a list of all the visual novels mentioned during the panel, those are also mentioned in this blog post! Japanese BL visual novels have been something I’ve been interested in since 2010-2011, and even these days many people in English speaking fanbases are familiar with games like DRAMAtical Murder and the other Nitro + Chiral titles. I've played many older titles which I've previously reviewed on this blog, and in this post I will be looking at some of the very first BL visual novels and how the industry has changed throughout the years.

Before the very first "official" BL visual novels were released, some visual novels already existed in which a male protagonist had romantic or sexual scenes together with one of the other male characters. Some examples of this are games like Sotsugyou Ryokou (1996) and Ko-Ko-Ro (1998). Most of the other love interests in these games were girls, so they were not promoted as “boys’ love” games.

The oldest visual novel I could find that was promoted as a game which focuses on love between boys, is a game called Sei Valentine Gakuen, released by a company called B.M. in early 1999. This is a game in which you can name the protagonist, and none of the characters are voiced. While checking their old website through Waybackmachine, it seemed like the game had a lot of game-breaking bugs which they attempted to patch out, however the website quickly shut down within what seems like only a year (or maybe a few years) after its release date. Since there's not a lot of information about this game available online, I was surprised that someone bought the game second-hand and made a youtube video about it, so I recommend checking that out! You can watch it here. Despite being promoted as a game that focuses on love between boys it seems like there’s not really romance in the game, so I am curious why they marketed the game in this way.

Next is a game called BOYxBOY, released a few months after Sei Valentine Gakuen in April 1999. This is one of the games I actually got to play myself, and I was surprised to see this game was released by King Records (the record label) as I didn’t know they used to publish games, let alone BL games. The protagonist has a face and a name this time, but even though all the other characters are voiced, they decided to leave the main character unvoiced for some reason. This game does have romance elements, like confession scenes, but it's still quite minimal. There’s only one character who actually gets a kiss scene for example. This game did get a fandisc a year later, but it seems to be more of a collection of extra materials and minigames rather than something that really adds something to the story of the game.

Another BL visual novel that was released around this time in July 1999 is a game called Graduation (or Sotsugyou) by Joinac, which as the title suggests, focuses on the protagonist spending time with people at his school right before his graduation. This one actually got translated, so it's probably the first BL visual novel to ever get an (official) English translation. Unlike most other games from this time, this one can still be easily accessed too, as a digital version is available for purchase on DLsite.

Entering the 2000s, game developer AliceSoft created their own BL game brand called AliceBlue and released their first BL game called Kakurezuki in 2000. Even though AliceSoft released 18+ rated titles in the past, this first BL title was actually also all-ages. Some reviews mentioned that they don’t really consider the game BL at all, pointing out the lack of romance, and I can definitely see where they’re coming from. Pretty much all the other games I mentioned so far take place in a modern-day school setting, however this game is more of a historical fantasy game (although the plot still only focuses on the protagonist and his daily interactions with those around him).

A lot of the games during this time period still highly resembled the typical dating sim-style game, which was quite popular in the mid/late 1990s. This kind of gameplay means that usually, the player decides what the character is going to do that day, for example, what subjects he takes in school, which club he joins and which locations he visits. In games like Kakurezuki, it’s a bit different you decide what magic skills you want to strengthen that day. This kind of gameplay kind of limits what kind of story the writers can explore, as the plot mostly focuses on the main character’s everyday life and their interactions with other characters, and eventually also became something that’s not commonly used in BL visual novels anymore.

Later that year, in August 2000, one of the most well-known early BL visual novels was released. This was Sukisho (short for Suki na Mono wa Suki Dakara Shouganai) by Platinum Label. The company promoted this game as the “first 18+ boys love game” though Graduation also seems to be rated 18+ on DLsite. Sukisho gained a big fanbase, as many fans really liked the art (drawn by Tsutae Yuzu) and the characters. Even though the plot still focused on boys going to school, some characters do have a darker backstory. The company even created official forums where fans could discuss the plot of the game and fan theories. Some other boards also encouraged fan meetups at local conventions in Japan. It ended up getting 3 different sequels, a PlayStation 2 port, an anime adaptation, and various drama CDs and novels. These days a lot of BL visual novels get drama CDs, but back then this game really got a lot of extra content compared to other games. Like many others, I personally discovered this game through the anime many years ago, but I played the visual novel later as it has also been fan translated and was quite accessible back then.

Another visual novel that stood out, and which also got an anime adaptation, is Angel's Feather (2003). Unlike the rather confusing anime plot, which adds a new character that isn’t in the game, I think the plot of the visual novel is actually much better. Initially it does seem like another game about high school boys, but in reality it’s more of an RPG game that focuses on the characters learning more about the world they’re living in, and their own magic abilities. I think just like Sukisho’s artstyle, compared to many other games that were released at the time, the art of this game quite unique. The artist is Yamamoto Kazue, who worked on many visual novels, and is still active nowadays. This game also got a sequel and drama CDs, but sadly the third game they were working on was never released. The studio was also working on a completely new game called White Shadow, however this one also remains unreleased to this day. If you want to read a little bit more information about this game and other unreleased titles, I wrote a blog post about that too here!

The inclusion of RPG elements I briefly mentioned just now in visual novels was not something only Angel’s Feather did. For example, some of these other screenshots are from Ouji-sama Lv1, Teikoku Sensenki, and Apocripha/0. The gameplay varied from a simple battle system to complicated dungeons and hard to beat enemies, depending on the game. One downside of this is that it’s quite a time-consuming process if you want to see all kinds of different endings, as these parts of the game were usually unskippable. Gradually, this is also something that slowly became less common in BL visual novels.

Generally, a lot of older games were quite difficult to replay as most games only had a limited number of save slots, and sometimes there would be no preview images next to the save files either, so it was quite difficult to remember which save file you were supposed to load. Some of the oldest BL visual novels also don’t have a skip button, which means you have to play through all of the dialogue again if you want to see a different ending. The pictures below are my screenshots from Angel's Feather and Kannagi no Tori, a game that was released in 2001. Luckily both of these games do have a skip button, but there were never enough save slots!

Other than changes in gameplay and artstyles, something that has also changed quite a lot are the dynamics between characters in adult scenes. In most BL visual novels, the protagonist is either a top or a bottom, and this doesn’t really change throughout the whole game. For example, if the official website mentions that the protag is a bottom, that means he’s a bottom with every single one of the love interests. Something I noticed while playing older games is that this order wasn’t always fixed. In games like Laughter Land and Kannagi no Tori for example, the game would often let the player decide. A game that was released a bit later which also has this option is PIL/SLASH’s game Shingakkou -Noli me tangere. In every route, no matter what character, you make the decision. I think it’s kind of fun when the game gives you choices like this, although I’m not sure if they will ever bring it back.

Terminology and target audience When I talk about these games I use “BL game” and “BL visual novel” as these are easily understood when communicating with an English-speaking audience. However in Japanese these games are usually only called “BL game” or "AVG" which just stands for adventure game. In the early 2000s some official websites around this time would refer to these BL visual novels as ''boys games'' to distinguish them from a genre called “girl’s games” or galge, which are games that would typically target a male audience. Even though the term “yaoi” was becoming less common, some developers would also call them “yaoi games” on their website, as you can see in some of the screenshots below . It’s not like the term “visual novel” is something completely unknown to them, but it’s also not a term I ever see them using to promote their games.

As for the target audience, similar to a lot of BL manga, the target audience for many of these BL visual novels was also women. A lot of websites stated that these were games “made by girls for girls”. However, it’s better to not generalize the whole genre as something exclusively targeted towards women, as some games like Hotaru (released by Tarutaru in December 2000) and its sequels were specifically advertised as games "made by gay men for gay men". One of the games I mentioned earlier, Graduation, was also made by a doujin group that calls themselves the Gay Artist Support, and like the name suggests, they support gay artists and alleys. Therefore it can be concluded that even during this time period, it wasn't just women creating and reading BL.

Marketing and sales Some might be wondering; how did people discover these games back then? Around the year 2001, multiple websites were created by fans that kept track of new BL game developers, as well as any updates provided by the companies that were already established back then. A lot of these websites also gave fans the option to chat with each other in their forums. Some examples of these websites are BOY'S STREET and Boyslove Kenkyuujo (which translates to BoysLove research institute). They kept track of both commercial and doujin game releases. Companies and doujin creators would both sell their games at events like Comiket, Super Comic City and J-Garden too, where they would promote their games and chat with fans. Their games would also be sold at stores like Animate and Toranoana, which is not too different than how creators sell their BL games nowadays, as both of these stores still exist. A lot of BL game creators in the early 2000s were quite close to each other and collaborated. For example, some doujin groups like Anubis Label, Ritz, Moon Parrot and more created their own magazine called B-GAME, which featured information about their new doujin games, corporate games, survey results, game reviews and more. The picture below (on the right) is a picture I found on the website of doujin group Moon Parrot, promoting and selling their game Kuro no Tsuki at Super Comic City. Of course official BL game magazines also existed, but I think I will make a separate blog post about that (update: you can read it here!).

Well-known developers throughout the years Next I made a list of some BL game creators that established their brands in the early or mid 2000s, and who continue to be active nowadays. I will mention some newer games as well. There's way too many BL visual novels to include all of them, so I apologize if I missed some that were quite influential!

Langmaor/Tennenouji: The first game Langmaor released was a game called Enzai in 2002, illustrated by Yura. This game focuses on a boy whose name is Guys, who gets sent to prison as a result of a false accusation. In one interview, Yura mentioned that she was almost afraid that the plot of the game would be “too dark”, as the main character experiences a lot of abuse, but she concluded that at least the game would be unique. In 2004 Langmaor released Teikoku Sensenki, and a year later they released Zettai Fukujuu Meirei (or more well-known as Absolute Obedience). This game had a kind of unique system which focused on not one, but two protagonists. The final game this brand released was a game called Laughter Land (2006. The illustrations of this game were drawn by Yuzuki Ichi who had previously worked on Kannagi no Tori. Yura was also part of doujin group called Tennenouj, which already released their first BL game in 2000 called Sei Crain Gakuen, a BL game that you could play by opening HTML files in your browser. They released their second BL game in 2006, which was Miracle No-ton, a game about a notebook that could grand the protagonist’s wishes (horny wishes only though!). In 2009, Luckydog1 was released, which ended up becoming one of the most popular and well-known games in Japanese speaking BL visual novel fanbases. The game is about the protagonist Giancarlo, who’s a low-ranking member of the mafia and currently in prison, who receives the task to free 4 important members of the mafia from prison. Some BL gamemagazines like Cool-B have an annual popularity poll, and for years, LuckyDog 1 and its characters ended up in first place. On BL information websites like ChilChil it continues to be the highest rated BL visual novel to this day. Two years ago, Tennenouji also released the game Friendly Lab, of which the mobile version is still being updated, so even nowadays they are still very active.

Nitro + CHiRAL: Or just called “NITRO CHiRal” these days. They released their first game, Togainu no Chi, in 2005. In the early interviews the director stated that they wanted to create something different, as a lot of visual novels around this time focused on schoolboys and modern-day settings. So instead, they wrote a story that takes place in a futuristic version of Japan, devastated by a Third World War. Only a year later in 2006, they released their second game, Lamento -BEYOND THE VOID- which also takes place in a fictional world. Even though the characters look similar to humans, they call themselves Ribika and have cat-like characteristics. The characters in this game are struggling to survive, as a mysterious force called “The Void” is slowly destroying their world. Because of their unique stories and beautiful illustrations, Nitro Chiral quickly gained a big fanbase in Japan too. In some articles published in Cool-B magazine, they mentioned that they were taking even bigger risks with their next game, as the plot would be anything but happy. This was about their third game, sweet pool. Despite that, I think fans already expected dark and serious stories from the company, so it was still well-received. Before releasing DRAMAtical Murder, they released two more visual novels called Itsuwari no Alkanet and World’s end Nightmare, though these were only available on Chiral Mobile, an app that could only be downloaded on certain Japanese phones. These days these games are considered lost media, but I wrote a blog post about what I could find about them some years ago. Afterwards they released their more well-known games DRAMAtical Murder in 2012 and Slow Damage in 2021.

Pil/Slash: This is a BL visual novel developer that is well known for writing dark stories, with themes like abuse, noncon, physical and emotional torture. Though of course this is not too uncommon in BL visual novels, as all of the developers I’ve previously mentioned include themes like that in their games too.Their first game, Masquerade ~Jigoku Gakuen SO/DO/MU~, was released in 2006, followed by Koibito Yuugi a year later. In 2011, one of their most well-known titles, Shingakkou –Noli me tangere- was released. This game is about protagonist Michael who’s enrolled in a seminary. However, his school life is anything but peaceful, as his family gets murdered and he also discovers a secret society of devil worshippers in his very own school. At the moment this is the second highest rated BL game on ChilChil, after Luckydog1. After this they released Pigeon Blood in 2014, which was also a horror-themed game, and Paradise a few years later, which was quite popular in Japan too. In 2021 they released their newest game, Dystopia no Ou. This game focuses on protagonist Kiriku who dreams about becoming a rock star. Initially, this seems quite different than PIL/SLASH's previous games, but I promise the story still gets pretty dark. The writer credited for Paradise and Dystopia no Ou is Kyuuyouzawa Lychee, who's also the creator of doujin game group LOVE&DESTROY and games like CAGE OPEN and CAGE CLOSE.

Spray: This company’s first game was Saikyou Darling, released in 2001, but I think they are probably more well-known for their Gakuen Heaven series. The first Gakuen Heaven game was released in 2002, but since then they have released a few newer versions of the game, console versions and a second game. This is another one of these games that people might know because it has an anime and manga series. Spray has released quite a few different games like Soshite Bokura Wa, Piyotan, STEAL! and more recently Tsumi naru Rasen no Ori, but I think other than Gakuen Heaven their most well-known title is probably Kichiku Megane, released in 2007. This game focuses on protagonist Katsuya, a salesman who seems to be failing at everything in life. Just before he’s fired from his job, he receives a mysterious pair of glasses from someone. Whenever he wears these glasses, his personality completely changes. He suddenly becomes very skilled at everything, but also very sadistic. In recent years fans have started organizing fan events for this game at local conventions again, so it’s interesting to see how popular it still is.

Holicworks: Also known as LoveDelivery, as that’s the name they used to release some of their very first games, like Tsukigami (2007) and Beniiro Tenjou Ayakashi (2008). Their most well-known title Taisho Mebiusline, released in 2012. This game is a historical fantasy game which takes place during the end of the Taisho period, in 1923. The protagonist, Kyouichirou, moves to Tokyo in order to go to university. However, he runs into trouble soon after his arrival, as the Imperial Military becomes interested in his ability to see spirits. The writer of this game, Nakajo Rosa, is often praised for the historical research she did in order to write this game. The story covers all kinds of political issues, international affairs and military activity, and combines it with religious themes such as Shintoism. This also means that even for Japanese speakers, the game can be a bit difficult to read, as it tends to use difficult words and kanji. However, I think with a bit of research it’s not impossible. They also released games like Tokyo Onmyouji, Tokyo 24ku, and more recently Tokyo Satsujinki Gakkou no Kaidan, though the only game that has an English translation is Tokyo Onmyouji, which takes place in a more modern-day setting, but still focuses on supernatural themes like ghosts and spirits.

Karin Entertainment: Another developer that has been around for a long time, who released their first BL game series called Bois in 2002. Afterwards in 2004, they released the game Animamundi Owarinaki Yami no Butou~ (Animamundi: Dark Alchemist), which I’m not sure if I should be calling BL game as there are also a few female love interests. The games they released after this aren’t BL games, but instead they created a new branch called Karin Chatnoir Omega, which released the game Omertà ~Chinmoku no Okite~ in 2011. In this game the mafia controls the government, and the protagonist J.J. is a hitman who’s taking all kinds of assassination jobs. In 2016 they also released the game Omega Vampire, which is the first omegaverse BL visual novel.

Parade: This is a game developer known for creating games in which the protagonist is exclusively a top, or seme, which is also something that was not super common in the past. In a lot of other games almost all of the love interests are younger guys, so I think it was interesting to see at least two of the other main characters in NO THANK YOU!!! were over the age of 35. Even though most Parade games have a lot of 18+ content, like NO THANK YOU!!! and their second game Room No. 9, one should not underestimate the plot, as the writing is really good. My favorite game is probably their latest game, which is Lkyt., a historical fantasy game and my personal favorite.

CORE: This is the BL branch of a company called Orbit, and their most well-known game is Messiah, which was released in 2006. Though their first game was a game called Ever Loyalty in 2001, followed by Fanatica in 2004. Most of CORE's games only have 1 or 2 characters the protagonist can end up together with, although sometimes other characters in the game also have their own bad endings. In Fanatica, the protagonist only has one true love interest, but a lot of the other main characters are also paired up with each other, so even if they don't have their own route, you do get to see different scenes with them. Even though CORE released their last game in 2008, which is the Messiah fandisc Messiah ~ Paranoia Paradox. It was announced that they are actually working on a new BL project called Tokyo Gentou/Tokyo Phantasmagoria, under the new name Procyon.

Adelta: Not really 2000s as their first game was released quite some time later, but I think still important because they've gotten quite popular in recent years. This is a doujin game group created by Kurosawa Rinko. The first games this group worked on were Cocoon and Cocoon Black Noise, released in 2014. The game they’re probably most known for is Koshotengai no Hashihime (Hashihime of the old Book Town). This game is quite well known for its references to literature and real writers, and the story also takes place during the Taisho period. Originally it was advertised as a time-loop murder mystery. In 2020 Uuultra C was released, which is a completely different kind of game that takes place during the Showa period and focuses on heroes you’d typically see in a Super Sentai Series, or Tokusatsu movies in which the characters fight kaiju. Adelta is currently working on their newest game, Ooe.

Conclusion Of course there are many more BL visual novels which left a big impact on people, even less serious games like Gakuen Handsome which still get referenced a lot to this day. Another well-known title is Mada Koubou's Hadaka Shitsuji, which was mostly created by artist and writer Togo Mito. It kind of difficult to determine how many BL visual novels currently exist, but BL information website ChilChil currently lists 345 titles in this database. This does however include fandiscs and games that aren't technically BL games, and also doesn't include all doujin games ever released.

The early 2000s was a good time for BL visual novel fans and a lot of developers were making BL games back then, which also meant that there would be many new games to play. These days the number of active developers has significantly decreased, so most of the time you get about 1 or 2 big releases every year. Of course, there are still doujin groups and individual creators who make their own games, but the number of commercial releases is pretty small nowadays.

Some games that were released earlier this year however, are Tokyo Satsujinki Gakkou no Kaidan and Haiiro no Arcadia. I am personally also looking forward to the release of Adelta's new game Ooe, and Procyon's Tokyo Gentou/Tokyo Phantasmagoria, so I recommend checking those out when they're released!

[onlycosmere]

REGARDING AUDIBLE

Brandon Sanderson: Hey, all. Brandon here, with what I consider to be some pretty exciting news. Many of you may remember when I wrote last year about my worries regarding audiobook royalties (particularly for independent authors). You can read it HERE, but some of the main bullet points are as follows:

I seriously worried about the opacity of reporting to authors about audio sales. We didn’t know what a sale meant, how much of an Audible credit was given to authors when a book sold via one, and how royalties were being accounted.

I felt that the industry was taking advantage of authors because of their lack of powerful corporate interests to advocate for them. While video game creators and musicians get 70–80% (88%, in fact, on two major platforms) of a sale of their products in a digital platform, Audible was paying as low as 25%–with the high end being instead 40%.

I felt I could have gotten a better deal for myself, but the entire state of this industry was seriously concerning to me. So, I made the difficult decision NOT to release the four Secret Projects on Audible, costing me a large number of sales, to instead try to bolster healthy competition in the space, highlighting some of the smaller Audible competitors.

I hoped this wake-up call would prompt change. I didn’t refuse to put my books on Audible out of retribution or to declare war; I did it because I wanted to shine as powerful a light as I knew how on a system that highly favored the audio distributors over the authors. I was convinced that the people at Audible really did love books and writers, and that with the right stand taken, I could encourage them toward positive change.

I’m happy to say that this stand has borne some fruit. I’ve spent this last year in contact with Audible and other audio distributors, and have pushed carefully–but forcefully–for them to step up. A few weeks ago, three key officers high in Audible’s structure flew to Dragonsteel offices and presented for us a new royalty structure they intend to offer to independent writers and smaller publishers.

This new structure doesn’t give everything I’ve wanted, and there is still work to do, but it is encouraging. They showed me new minimum royalty rates for authors–and they are, as per my suggestions, improved over the previous ones. Moreover, this structure will move to a system like I have requested: a system that pays more predictably on each credit spent, and that is more transparent for authors. Audible will be paying royalties monthly, instead of quarterly, and will provide a spreadsheet that better shows how they split up the money received with their authors.

This part looked really good to me, as I understand their decisions. I tried poking holes in the system, looking for ways it could be exploited, and found each issue I raised had already been considered. This doesn’t mean it’s going to be perfect, and people smarter than me might still find problems that I didn’t. However, I think everyone is going to agree the new system IS better. We will better be able to track, for example, how Audible is dividing money between books purchased with a credit and books listened to as part of their Audible Plus program.

It’s all very technical, but I have to say I’m impressed with the effort they have made. The people there listened to my complaints, and have tried to improve. I’m not at liberty to explain in its entirety their new structure right now, as they’re still tweaking it, but they did say I could announce its existence–and that I could promise new, improved royalties are on the horizon.

Now, before we go too far, I do anticipate a few continuing issues with the final product. I want to manage expectations by talking about those below.

What I’ve seen doesn’t yet bring us to the 70% royalty I think is fair, and which other, similar industries get.

Audible continues to reserve the best royalties for those authors who are exclusive to their platform, which I consider bad for consumers, as it stifles competition. In the new structure, both exclusive and non-exclusive authors will see an increase, but the gap is staying about the same.

Authors continue to have very little (basically no) control over pricing. Whatever the “cover price” of books is largely doesn’t matter–books actually sell for the price of a credit in an Audible subscription. Authors can never raise prices alongside inflation. An Audible credit costs the same as it did almost two decades ago–with no incentive for Audible to raise it, lest it lose customers to other services willing to loss-lead to draw customers over.

These are things I’d love to see change. However, this deal IS a step forward, and IS an attempt to meet me partway. Indeed, even incremental changes can mean a lot. When I was new in this business, my agent spent months arguing for a two-percent change in one of my print royalties–because every little bit helps. These improvements are going to be larger than two-percent increases.

Because of this, I will be bringing the Secret Projects to Audible very soon. I consider Audible to again be a positive force for the industry, and I have decided to shake hands with them. Audible has promised to release their new royalty system for all authors sometime in 2024, though I should be testing it in the next month or so.

And…if you’ll allow me a moment, I’d like to say that this feels good. It isn’t what I wanted, but I’d begun to think that nothing would ever change–that even my voice, loud though it can be, wouldn’t be enough. Yet change IS possible.

I know that there are plenty of people out there who are tired of hearing about me and my works (I’m sorry–I do have quite the group of evangelists, and we can be an enthusiastic lot). However, for better or for worse, I am one of the bestselling authors in the world. Historically, one of the best ways to change things in my industry is for authors like myself to force it to happen.

Feeling this responsibility, when I was first talking to Audible about these issues in 2022, I made it very clear that I wasn’t just seeking some quiet deal that gave me an individual advantage. I wanted to see positive change for all authors. And while I don’t think I can take sole credit, I do feel like my efforts this year have had a significantly positive effect. Soon every independent author who publishes on Audible (and maybe, eventually, traditionally published authors with the huge publishers–depending on what New York decides) will be getting a larger cut of the profit, with more transparency about how that cut is allocated.

So, for those who have been waiting until Audible had the Secret Projects, you’ll get your chance soon. I hope you’ll support them, and support Audible for their decisions. And thank you to all of you who shared the news about my problems with the audio industry last year; I believe that pressure really did help. This is a victory for all of us, because happier authors able to make a better living (particularly those authors who are struggling in the midlist trenches) make for a more vibrant world for everyone.

[pinkyjulien]

I really, really hate the "Female V is canon" vs "Male V is canon" debate that been popping here and here in the tags those past weeks

Cyberpunk 2077 is a Role Playing Game, there is no "canon" protagonist, that's the whole point. We all have a different playstyles, different stories and headcanons, our custom V is The Canon V of Our Own playthroughs!

After Phantom Liberty dropped, I've seen a lot of players, on Tumblr or Twitter, voicing their concerne and disappointment in how much more Female V focused the official promo, videos and even in-game credits became

I was one of them too, expressing my feelings multiple times, sometimes awkwardly, frustrated that Male V players were once again brushed to the side, because that's how it feels like, right?

Well, it might feels like it, but this isn't the case AT ALL, far from it. This is only what I would call a "Fandom Phenomenon" and I want to talk more about it a bit

I had a great conversation with a friend of mine who works in the game industry and it opened my eyes on the matter, and I've since been really interested in seeing RPGs statistics!

Because it's really, really important to make the difference between the Casual Player Base (majority of players) and the Fans / Fandom Base (minority of players)

━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━

I always been lurking in fandoms here on Tumblr, since Mass Effect, Dragon Age, and now with Cyberpunk 2077 and Baldur's Gate 3

First I want to drop some stats- might be completly wrong, but I'm only sharing my point of view here, in an attempt to explain why some people are frustrated with Female V being the focus (and why we shouldn't be!)

I think it's not wrong to say that fandoms are mostly occupied by women and fem-identifying individuals; fandoms are a safe place for players and fans to share their passions. Women are STILL HEAVILY harassed and hated in the gaming industry as a whole, it doesn't take a lot of digging to catch a vile comment on Twitter or on Twitch for example, you cannot go far without seeing someone either attacking or sexualizing them

This is a huge problem in the industry still, every games that release with a female protagonist get trashed- just look at the bullshit surrounding GTA 6 just because players will be able to play as a woman as an option

Fandoms are also safe for non-gender conforming people, non-binaries, trans people and queer men, but I think fem individuals and women are a clear majority, at least on Tumblr (only talking about genders identity here and not about being queer or not, not talking about sexualities or attraction) (not an official stat at all and only my point of view and experience from being on Tumblr since ~2012)

Now let's talk about Cyberpunk 2077- because this is my main fandom since 2020, and what prompted me to write this post in the first place

CDPR didn't share any stats recently, but it's REALLY SAFE to assume the MAJORITY of players are playing a straight Male V romancing Panam, followed by a lesbian Female V romancing Judy, but the player pools for both options are still majoritarly cis hetero men (and they are still the focus for AAA studios to sell their games, this is sadly just how it is)

However on the fandom side, Fem V was always the focus; virtual photography, mods, ships, OCs... She was always more popular than Male V, getting more interactions and notes and why trends like "Male V monday" were created and why there is still a lack of male V focused mods (non-binaries and trans fem folks and characters are also sadly under-represented in all type of content and art)

So, being yourself as a non-fem player, playing as a Masc V, seeing CDPR officially make the switch from Male V to Female V, when the space you've been in for the past 3 years has been overwhelmingly Female V focused on all front, was a bit of a punch in the guts; like I said earlier, I was reaaally frustrated with this too!

And I'd say it's "normal"? or at least "ok" to feel this way, it makes sense considering how little attention Male V in general get in the fans community

BUT. BUT... It's REALLY important here to realize how we sound and how we look like when we voice our frustrations on the matter; we sound and look just like all the misogynistic people over on Twitter who screams about "woke games" everytime there is a female protagonist in their "non political games". We have to remember that fandoms are suuuch a small part of the game industry

Baldur's Gate 3 recently shared their stats and this interesting tweet got into my dash

▶ tweet

Astarion is nowhere to be seen in the official most romanced companions statistic, but I'm sure a lot of people will agree that he's probably the most popular one in the fandom side!

Another stat here from Mass Effect and really interesting info coming from David Gaider about how the hardcore fanbase aka fandom's choices were WILDLY different from the casual / main player pool

▶ tweet

Getting my head out of the fandom bubbles and seeing the bigger picture, how much under-represented women still are in official medias (not talking about fan content) and how insanly misoginistic the game industry still is, both on the player and devs sides, helped me handle my own frustration on the matter, accept and even celebrate Female V being the focus for the Phantom Liberty campaign

With all that said tho, we all should be able to vent about the lack of Male, Masc and Non-Binary content in the fandom side, while still being aware of the industry state, it CAN co-exist! It doesn't make anyone a bad or misogynist person!

We are all humans and can be awkward and make mistakes, especially when voicing frustration or talking while in a negative mood. Let's educate one another in good-faithed manners when we slip instead of jumping to conclusion and throw accusations

Not gonna lie I kind of lost my train of thoughts and not sure how to finish this post, but I hope this can enlight some people on why CDPR made this choice!

Repeating this as a finale note; this doesn't mean that Female V is the "main" V or "canon" V . It's simply her time to shine, and it's well deserved! The industry needs it

[therobotmonster]

So many kid's toys these days just. Arn't fun. They're designed to be COLLECTED rather than PLAYED with. Everything is a fucking blindbag. Materials are flimsy and cheap and designs don't hold up to an actual child throwing them around. And it's all so EXPENSIVE, even accounting for inflation.

To expand on my thoughts here, I'm unrolling a Twitter thread I made about this trend. (with some additions)

The Big H's handling of mainline figs is... distressing, of late. Very little push for show mains, oversupport of already saturated legacy characters, and some frankly unsettling engineering and materials choices (esp in Cyberverse).

Increase in overall fragility, thinner parts, styrene-on-styrene joints that will go floppy in a few months of light play, very little "clicks" or locks solidly... the passion is clearly in the collector's end, and that's just bass ackwards.

This repugnus would have been amazing triumph from Mego in 1970s. But for a mainline big H TF line in the 2020s? This is a backslide. And before anyone brings up that it's from the kids' line, that's the point. They're KIDS, they should get MORE care and effort in their merch.

Every toy you make might be a kid's only birthday gift or holiday present. Toys are /given/ to children, and if the work is subpar, you make a chump out of grandma. You won't be there to blame if it breaks or disappoints.

It seriously drives me nuts seeing how far the stuff-for-kids industries have fallen. There's no brands without the work, but as the poet DMX said: "these cats done forgot what work is."

All your blockbuster superhero empires start in the pulp gutters. Compared to the movies toys, games and comics will never be profitable ENOUGH to be worth it on a billion-dollar scale ledger.

"Give me mighty oaks! There's no profit in acorns!"

If you want the stuff that makes the Michael Bay blockbuster, you have to start with the stupid goofy cartoon no one had seen before where anxiety over the oil crisis was acted out by robotic Punch and Judy puppets. How many studios would greenlight TMNT or TF sight unseen today?

If you make toys and cartoons and video games, your job is to make kids happy. How is that not sacred? If anything is sacred it should be that.

Art is the act of evoking emotion, and fun is an emotion (what else could it be described as?) and it is SO IMPORTANT.

I fear that gets lost in the "what to do over next?" rush. Every artist at those companies has a dozen amazing ideas in their back pocket that won't get a chance to become the next Transformers because a studio is terrified they'll make Jayce and the Wheeled Warriors instead.

Since the world is run by Captain Planet villains, I wouldn't bat an eye if we found out venture capital was a ploy by some disgruntled warlock who just hates the goddamn Care Bears.

Just some dick at Bear Sterns singing "There's no room for joy on a spreadsheet" to a weaselly sidekick.

Cuz guys, we've got companies that make GAMES for CHILDREN hiring the Pinkertons. I repeat. Games. For. Children. That's not normal. That's not a normal thing. That is a very disturbing thing.

And its hard to even discuss without sounding like a frickin' Care Bear myself. Because how do you sum up the creeping dread that the support beams are being mined thin, and everything fun for kids will go the way of Toys-R-Us, dragged down like Artax.

I'm not advocating pure altruism here. There's plenty of money to be made giving kids an awesome experience. It's investing in future fandom. Real Brand loyalty. If you want the blockbuster 15 years from now, get them hooked on the fun cartoon now. The value-add always pays off.

For every Transformers or He-Man there's going to be several Robotix-es or Power Lords. That's a risk. A risk worth taking. New ideas should be easier and cheaper to bring to fruition now than ever. But the system won't let it happen.

[mllemaenad]

I'm not convinced the Commonwealth forces represent the majority of the Eastern Brotherhood, but the mention of their expanded reach in the Eastern Seaboard has me wondering whether they might be in a similar situation to the NCR in New Vegas - trying to claim too much territory with too few men.

Eh. I don't know. I really think that might be most of them, and the reason I think that is tied to your thought.

The first reason I think this might be most of the Eastern Brotherhood is, well, the Prydwen itself. Maintaining even the ship itself over long distances must be a massive undertaking and we know Ingram is battling with engineering problems:

Fr: Proctor Ingram IG-444PR To: Elder Maxson MX-001E As you know, in order to get the Prydwen rapidly to the Commonwealth, I had my engineering team pull her older power plant and replace it with an updated fusion plant we pulled from that aircraft carrier wreckage. I was able to squeeze almost one hundred percent efficiency from the new reactor, but the system is burning through our coolant supply faster than expected. As we've been docked over the airport, I've been able to deactivate the main engines to cool down the reactor, but we're still eating up coolant when we're in hover mode. We're eventually going to hit a point where we'll run out of coolant. If that happens, we'll need to put the Prydwen on the ground. I desperately need your help if you want to prevent that from happening. I'll be certain to provide you with the details at our next briefing. – Arthur Maxson's Terminal, Prydwen Concerns, Fallout 4

That takes people. But more than that, the Prydwen is not a fighting ship. It's built to haul people.

Now the Prydwen might be a big beast, but she's not built for fighting. – Proctor Ingram Dialogue, Fallout 4 Have you ever seen anything like that? The airship? God, they must have an entire army on that thing. – Piper Dialogue, Fallout 4

This is a giant sky bus. You're meant to pack a tonne of knights into it to do your fighting for you, because it's durable, but it can't shoot or manoeuvre. And we do know that the Brotherhood did bring quite a lot of knights with them, both because it's integral to their stated intention of picking a fight with the Institute, and because we see a lot of them in spawns and random encounters. Once the Prydwen arrives, Brotherhood knights are a reasonably common sight in the Commonwealth.

That brings me to the second reason I think this is most of them: they've recently come from the Capital Wasteland and ... well ... how many soldiers do we think that region can even support? Armies, so the saying goes, march on their stomachs. And, well, you've seen the Capital Wasteland, right? In Fallout 3 the population was scattered, miniscule, and in several settlements actively described as dwindling. Nor were they exactly winning on the agriculture front.

I keep thinking of the Giant Bag of Stuff in the Fallout TV series.

You don't get a knight without a squire and a Giant Bag of Stuff.

I get that the visual is supposed to be funny, but I think it's also worth paying attention to what they're saying about the Brotherhood here. Historically, knights have typically been the most expensive soldiers on the field. You don't get knights without a massive support system behind them. Every time you see a squad of knights wandering around in Fallout 4, think of all the squires, initiates and scribes who must exist to cook and clean, maintain their power armour, their clothing, and the ship itself – and do all the other stuff necessary to support those guys having the freedom to stand around and be rude to you when you walk by them on the road.

Of course you can only expect so much realism from a video game. I don't expect a Fallout game to show me a fully fledged textiles industry unless that's important to the plot. But that doesn't mean those people don't exist. If they're hauling a bunch of knights around, they're also hauling a bunch of support staff around.

I just don't think the Capital Wasteland could support significantly more than one airship full of these idiots. You can be generous and assume that Project Purity could have improved the agricultural situation a bit. You can also say that, once the airship was built, it would have allowed them to extend their reach – and potentially gain access to more food and other supplies over a wider area. Sure.

But on the first point, it almost seems as though the opposite is true: there are enough characters recurring between Fallout 3 and Fallout 4 to give the impression that maybe the exodus out of the Capital Wasteland isn't slowing as much as one might like. And on the second ... well, neither Point Lookout nor the Pitt looked well equipped to support an army either. I don't think there's a secret resource-rich area just out of sight. I think this is pretty much it.

So, to the third reason: well, there's your thought. Do I think the Brotherhood is overextending itself here like the NCR did in New Vegas? Well. Nah. Because the NCR is a government and the Brotherhood of Steel is not.

Take an example you'll find really early in Fallout: New Vegas – the Powder Gangers. From their presence you can learn several things.

The NCR has a justice system that includes incarceration – which in itself requires all the resources to feed, clothe, house and guard all of those people for the term of their sentence.

As the Powder Gangers are supposed to be maintaining the railroad, we also know they have public works projects – for which they've elected to use prison labour

Presumably there are instances of this system still functioning as intended closer to the capital.

Out on the frontier, however, they lack the resources to maintain it: the prisoners have escaped, and thus the NCR has lost control of both its penal system and its public works project. They have overextended themselves.

Yeah. The thing is ... I don't think the Brotherhood is doing any of that. It's not in their nature.

We've had people go rogue, though, and start helping people. One chapter had a small civil war over it. We take our isolationism seriously. – Veronica Dialogue, Fallout: New Vegas

Even the considerably more open Lyons Brotherhood was still pretty damn isolationist. They're not present in any of the settlements in the Capital Wasteland, and you can't get into the Citadel until the Enclave create bigger problems for everyone as part of the The Waters of Life quest. And one thing that we know for sure is that this "helping people" idea pretty well died out with the reintegration of the Outcasts.

I don't think they're out there repairing roads or laying pipes to get water out to the settlements faster. I don't think they're working with the various governments in the region to establish law and order. It's not their thing. The Brotherhood really only works to benefit the Brotherhood.

Fr: Proctor Teagan TG-477PR To: Lancer-Captain Kells KS-390LC Now that we've arrived in the Commonwealth, I'd like to establish trade relations with the locals. I'm going to need a standard sweep and retrieve team and one of our vertibirds in order to make that happen. There are several caravans that roam the Commonwealth, and we'll use the vertibirds to track them. If any of the caravans gets jumped, we can swoop in and lend a hand to let them know that we're the friendly eye in the sky. Since you can't normally buy that kind of protection from mercenaries, we'll be certain to get the best prices and values for trades. I've used the same tactic in the Capital Wasteland and it worked wonders. Out here, with the threat of the Institute looming over their heads, we'll have these merchants eating out of our hands. – Captain Kells's Terminal, Fallout 4

The noteworthy thing here is that this is an initiative thought up by the quartermaster in order to get better prices, and it's something that he came up with back in the Capital Wasteland. Teagan doesn't have principles or anything: he'll also happily send you to extort supplies from the local farmers. He's open to any and all tactics to keep the Brotherhood well supplied ... and has learned that one big gesture can earn you a lifelong discount. There is no standard Brotherhood policy to protect the trade caravans. There isn't in the Commonwealth, and there wasn't in the Capital Wasteland. They don't care. Teagan just wants a coupon.

Okay, but one might reasonably ask, what about this?

Aftermath Elder Maxson reigns supreme in the Capital Wasteland, and his authority and influence have been spreading across the Eastern Seaboard, thanks in no small part by the mobility afforded by the Prydwen. He has the full support of the Elders back on the West Coast, who have proudly reported that they've begun eradicating cults that have popped up, worshipping Maxson as though he's some kind of god. Maxson himself is almost offended by the idea of being referred to as a deity, as it goes against everything he believes in. Arthur Maxson is happy to be one thing… the perfect human specimen, an example of everything a human being can achieve. Assisted, even enhanced, by advanced technology, but still very much human. – Quinlan's Terminal, The Rise of Elder Maxson, Fallout 4

Do I think this is pure bullshit after all? Well, no. I think it just means that when the Brotherhood say they "reign supreme", you have to remember that they are wildly uninterested in doing the work of government.

They've never shown significant interest in holding or maintaining territory, and they typically piggyback on the success of the surrounding area. In the original Fallout they are confined to their Lost Hills bunker. There are growing settlements in California, but the situation is still pretty precarious. By Fallout 2 they have a number of small bunkers scattered across multiple settlements. The region has stabilised significantly. Oh, sure, there are a range of problems: raiders and slavers and drugs and corruption. But prosperity is on the rise. When the NCR is established, we know there is a state named after Roger Maxson – but that the Brotherhood neither rules it, nor is part of the NCR. Later, of course, they come into conflict with the NCR.

So what does "reigning supreme" in the Capital Wasteland mean? Well, I think it means that Arthur can fly up and down the coast in his ridiculous airship untroubled. I think he can send knights into pre-war ruins to search for tech with no difficulty, that he can kill super mutants and ghouls (whether peaceful or no) with impunity, and that he can compel settlements to hand over food or any interesting technology.

I don't think they're overreaching because I don't think they're really holding anything, at least outside their personal bases. They're just flying around bullying people. And the region is not organised enough to successfully resist. If they were doing anything else, I doubt they'd have as much support from the West Coast Brotherhood. This, however, is very much in line with traditional Brotherhood goals.

I think it's reasonable to assume that they left a garrison to guard some of the more interesting pieces they had hold of in the Capital Wasteland – Project Purity, the Operation: Anchorage simulation, the presidential metro and whatever is left at Adams Air Force Base. But ... I also think it's at least possible that they didn't.

Why? Because they packed the stupid robot. They packed the stupid robot even though it's broken. Again. It's worth remembering that the Brotherhood ... doesn't care all that much about Project Purity, and to the extent that they did care, it was Owyn Lyons's initiative. Lyons was willing to provide security for James's team while they worked ... but he devoted not one scribe to working on it after James left. The outcasts, on the other hand, are less interested in the simulation tech than they are in the weapons and armour completing it can unlock.

What do the Brotherhood care about? Liberty Prime. They love Liberty Prime. They spent years tinkering with the fucking thing while the wasteland fell to raiders, super mutants and rampant radiation. Then it worked for ten minutes and broke again. And they hauled it to the Commonwealth to fix again.

You might reasonably object – this sounds like lunacy! Project Purity is the big scientific breakthrough in the Capital Wasteland. Replicate that in any area with a water problem and you've solved one of the biggest barriers to rebuilding. Sure. But that's what Veronica keeps trying to tell us, in New Vegas. The Brotherhood doesn't really care about any of that. They want to find better weapons and armour, and ideally big shouty, shooty, robots that they can hoard and use against people they don't like.

They don't innovate any more than they govern.

So I think – rationally, they probably should have left a garrison. And maybe they did. But maybe they didn't. Because they packed the only thing they found in the Capital Wasteland that they really thought was cool.

Now, that doesn't mean I don't think they ran into trouble. We know they did. That is, in fact, the plot of Fallout 4. When they arrive in the Commonwealth they encounter an organisation prosperous enough, and technologically advanced enough, to resist them: namely the Institute. Depending on the player's actions they may also find the Minutemen and Railroad in solid shape.

Now, obviously, player choice comes into it here. You can back the Brotherhood and lead them to victory, but equally you can back any of the other factions and take them down. The Brotherhood in 2287 have a massive airship, some power armour and a stupid broken robot – but they have no allies or resources to lean on.

So, yeah, I do think that's most of them in Fallout 4. And I don't think they can overreach the way the NCR did because they aren't a government. They're an isolationist military cult with a deeply ambivalent relationship to technology. They aren't trying to govern and improve swathes of land, they're just bothering people. But what this means is that a sufficiently determined group of people armed with laser muskets can in fact kick their arses.

[82mitsu]

{18Trip} Tidbit collection of producer, main director & scenario director interview with animate Times (story oriented)

Another rather long tidbit collection of my personal highlights from the 18TRIP interview from animate Times, featuring A3! producer Okita-san, main director Ishiguro-san and scenario director Fujii-san. 

This interview covers a lot of ground, but I selected the more story oriented parts to cover, due it being my own priority with 18TRIP.

These are paraphrased and not a direct translation, but I hope it will be interesting information either way!

Okita-san is in charge of supervision and general direction, he also has a hand in the scenario. Ishiguro-san is in charge of planning the game’s features, game design and system. Fujii-san is in charge of contents relating to the characters, and divides work with Okita-san relating to character plans and scenario plot. Fujii-san’s previous work was DREAM!ing where he took on a similar role, and Okita-san is the producer of A3 currently.

Context: DREAM!ing was a joseimuke mobile game by COLOPL. Inc. It went out of service in 2021. A3 is a joseimuke mobile game by LIBER, the same company as 18TRIP. 

The reason as to why Pony Canyon was chosen to develop the contents with (mainly events and music) is because it was a first thought that they’d be the most fitting. They also have a long working relationship and Okita-san knew the staff would have love for the contents. Pony Canyon itself also has a department focused around “area entertainment”, where it revolves bringing back life into local communities by working with contents and entertainment. Okita-san believes this also made Pony Canyon a good fit for 18TRIP as a kind of “regional revitalization project”. 

Context: Pony Canyon is a Japanese publisher and major lead in the music industry in Japan. It’s involved in a lot of anime and mixed media projects. 

The artist Oyo-sensei was both Okita-san and Fujii-san’s first pick for the art. Fujii-san was also passionately pushing the idea. As mentioned in the previous interview, Oyo-sensei was chosen due to their art style having a unisex appeal and talent for drawing backgrounds. Okita-san always imagined Oyo-sensei’s work for 18TRIP, so both of them are elated over how their first choice came true.

Yokohama was chosen as the main setting because it’s a place Okita-san is personally attached to. He has childhood memories from visiting Yokohama with his mother and going on short trips with his friends there. He thinks the accessibility is also nice, in addition to the atmosphere of being a port town and how the presence of Chinatown brings a different kind of color in your life. Yokohama is a place you can truly explore to your heart’s content, and he wanted to make it the main stage no matter what. The Nishi and Naka wards take the lead when it comes to sightseeing picks for Yokohama, but he wanted to make sure all 18 wards were included due each of them having their own charm. 

Okita-san’s personal pick for sightseeing in Yokohama is Zou-no-hana park, you can view many famous landmarks from there. The name means “Elephant’s nose”, which is fitting to how it’s pleasant to walk on the land stretching far out as if it’s an elephant’s nose.

18TRIP has 200 fully voiced stories, accessible at any point in time. Stories are divided as follows for all units: prologue, four chapters where it explores how each group is formed respectively, and epilogue. Further it’s divided by side A and side B, like a cassette tape. Side A has the members going on a study tour, where they face troubles and overcome them in the spirit of learning hospitality. It’s a feeling akin to a road movie, while side B is more about town revitalization. The cassette tape motif is also stretched further with how side A has the opening song, and side B the ending song. Including music videos. 

Context: A road movie is a film genre where characters leave home on a road trip, typically altering perspective from their everyday lives, as Wikipedia describes it. My first example would be Paul (2011), but I don’t ever watch movies so don’t take that as a recommendation.

The reason why something as cassette tapes is used, something from a bygone era, is to create a familiarity despite it being set in the modern future. Okita-san said it would feel rather alienating to have modern tech that was unfamiliar. Thus he relied on aspects we associate with the future today such as drones & holograms. In the setting of 18TRIP there’s a “Heisei Boom” for the nth time, thus retro stuff like pages and cassettes are trendy amongst the characters. Okita-san imagined that in a future where everything is convenient, people of the future might yearn for the novelty of inconvenient, analog devices.

Context: A western equivalent of a Heisei Boom would be the trend of y2k.

The following segment will cover Okita-san’s short summaries of each main group's story for their chapters.

Sun will R1ze!: This focuses on the Morning Squad. This group already starts out as mayor wards, a difference with the others. Each of them worked individually until the mysterious Murakumo Ten joined in and a unit was established. Each member has a profound emotional attachment to HAMA. However, as the main plot of the game goes, tourism in HAMA has been deteriorating. Their unit might be referring to morning but their story starts far away from dawn, eagerly waiting for morning to come. Renga has a complicated situation he can tell no one else about, and his growth will play a key point in this chapter. In terms of dynamics, Renga and Liguang, and then Kafka and Yukikaze both get on each other cases due to their own circumstances. With Ten’s easygoing aloof attitude being the cherry on top in terms of amusement. Okita-san hopes that you will be emotionally moved to laughter and tears from the relationships between these guys, which is described as everlasting sparks of fire.

Bitter Sweet Sixteen: This focuses on the Noon Squad, who are all highschool students. One night, there’s an incident where the old school building explodes, and the five people who happened to be there form a unit. A key point is why they were there during that explosion, and how it all falls into place once you come to know each of their circumstances. The focus lies on the identity of a 16 year old, the struggles of how you yet have to become “someone”, and the anguish held within your heart. Okita-san says that most players most likely experienced being 16, and hopes that you can experience the story as if you were back in the shoes of your 16 year old self. From the four stories, this one has a more “pop” & gag feeling to it. 

Chained Up Scarlet: This focuses on the Evening Squad, where all members are prisoners on a prison island surrounded by the ocean. The atmosphere is different here compared to the other stories, and the developments might be “hard” to read in terms of how the story is intertwined with other prison factions, Okita-san hopes it will be an enjoyable read nonetheless. By some strange turn of events, the prisoners are chosen to become idols for HAMA, with a natural backlash from the public. Besides being prisoners, the members all have one point in common: which is being scarred by the “scarlet sunset”. Okita-san wants you to pay attention to how these prisoners paint over their scars with their idol activities.

Designs of Happiness: This focuses on the Night Squad, and starts out with Ryui disappearing, and Toi asking you to go look for him. The leader’s disposition, Nagi, is far removed from being the one in charge. He’s more inclined to accept defeat when facing absurd situations. The story will focus on his growth as the leader. The story is also extravagant, in the way the timeline is messed up and has a challenging composition. Outside of the twins, the other members do not have a semblance of synergy with each other, but do share the common ground of “wondering what happiness is.” Okita-san hopes that each individual answer to that question will be something unforgettable to every reader.

Now a continuation of other bits of the interview.

As we know by now, the units are divided by the time of the day. Morning Squad functions as bringing dawn to HAMA who sunk to rock bottom, Noon Squad symbolizes youth in how bright the daytime can be, Evening Squad brings life to an ephemeral lonely dusk by putting on an idol live, and Night Squad serves as a beacon of light for anxious nights on the road.

All characters live in the “HAMA House”, a company dormitory that was formerly a Japanese inn (ryokan). There’s 24 people there total: all members, conductors, the player and the dog Shuumai. Each room is filled with personality and named after one of the Chinese zodiacs. The two persons' rooms are equally divided, but chaos arises with the three persons' rooms. An example of dorm dynamics: in Night Squad, the twins share a room with Netaro which leads to an unexpecting dynamic. The twins share a strong brotherly love with each other, and seeing Netaro get mixed up in the bubble these two create between each other is an interesting aspect. 

All of Night Squad’s have their own pet robots, due to each member running their own business. They serve as little helpers, and are even treated as friends or family. Robot pets are a common commodity for people who run a business, since they can be left in charge to run the store. Some people also like to have a pet robot. 

The rest of the interview is spent on the hospitality tower defense gameplay and various other system aspects. I personally covered all aspects that interested me enough to write it out like this, so I’m wrapping it up here.

If there’s demand, I’ll make another tidbit collection about the gameplay and system.

[archiveikemen]

Xeno Main Story: Chapter 3

This is a fan-made translation solely for entertainment purposes with no guaranteed perfection; expect mistakes, grammatical errors, and some creative liberties. All original content and media used belongs to Cybird. Please support the game by buying their stories and playing their games. Reblogs appreciated.

Read this before interacting

Rina: Excuse me, Xeno-san. I’m here to clean. 

Xeno: I don’t need it. 

An unhappy response was heard from the other side of the door, but I refused to back down. 

Rina: That won’t do. Didn’t you say so yourself, Xeno-san? Since I’ve decided to be a housekeeper, I should be flawless at my job.

Rina: This is part of my job… please.

After waiting for a short while, the door opened without a sound. 

Xeno: … Come in. 

Rina: O-okay! 

…

(Wow…) 

On one side of his room, there was a luxurious sofa and television; on the other side was a large bed. 

It was my first time entering Xeno-san’s room that was larger than mine. 

(… But there’s not much stuff in here. Despite the refined look of the room, it doesn’t have a lived-in feel.) 

(While it does kind of match Xeno-san’s aesthetic, it feels rather lonely for some reason…) 

The sight of his figure standing alone in the chillingly desolate room reminded me of the moment he left the living room just now. 

Rina: Are you okay, Xeno-san? You had an argument with the others earlier on… 

Xeno: Mind your own business and focus on cleaning. 

Rina: … Okay.

He went to sit down on the sofa after saying that. His attitude was strict, and the air in the room felt awfully heavy. 

Judging by the open computer and reading materials spread across the table, he was likely busy with some work. 

(… Anyway, let’s get to work.) 

(Although there doesn’t seem to be much for me to do here.) 

The room looked spotless to begin with and there wasn’t much furniture around, it wouldn’t take long to finish cleaning.

In the completely silent room, the sound of me cleaning was especially loud. 

(T-this is awkward…) 

Perhaps I was nervous because of Xeno-san’s cold presence, to the point whereby it felt hard to even breathe.

(I wonder what kind of work Xeno-san’s been busy with…) 

Surrounded by piles of documents and books, he looked really serious while typing on his computer. 

Rina: … That’s a lot of reading material. Are those for another job? 

I asked, unable to bear with the heavy atmosphere much longer. I thought he would lash out at me, however…

Xeno: That’s right. I’m working on the plan for our next concert.

Unexpectedly, he answered my question.

(Being a self-produced idol group is exe Creed’s selling point.)

(The stage production for concerts was definitely done by Xeno-san.) 

(I was also told that the discussions with the artist whose concert exe Creed performed as guest performers were done by Xeno-san as well…) 

Rina: … You really are amazing, Xeno-san. 

Xeno: What? 

When doing my research on exe Creed, I watched many videos of their concerts. 

Even the general public could tell that their performances were truly spectacular, not to mention their songs and dancing. 

(Their innovative themes and flawless formations highlighted each member’s strengths…)

Rina: You must be the mastermind behind all of exe Creed’s amazing stage performances.

Rina: Moreover, the idol industry is so highly competitive… 

(I can’t imagine how tough it is for him.) 

Xeno: I was wondering what you were trying to say… this is to be expected of me because it’s my job.

He spoke matter of factly, his eyes not leaving the computer screen for even a second. 

(His serious nature is the root of exe Creed’s perfect stages…) 

(Maybe that’s why he got that angry at Finn-san.) 

(This man is more serious about his work than anyone else.) 

… But it’s exactly why I’m worried about him.

(His schedule is packed to the extreme and he stays up all night working without sleeping. Will he be alright if he keeps this up?)

Rina: Um, please try not to overwork yourself. I might be overstepping boundaries by saying this, but I’m worried about your wellbeing. 

Xeno: … You really love poking your nose into my business. I don’t need you to worry about me, I know myself best. 

Rina: But…

Xeno: Busybody. I see you have a lot of time to be saying nonsensical things, are you done cleaning?

Rina: Oh! Y-yes, I am. 

Xeno: I see. Then get out. 

Xeno: I don’t have time to rest. Mind your own business and stick to your own work. 

… And so I was thrown out of the room.

…

Rina: *sigh*...

(I’m being a busybody, huh… I was indeed too pushy.)

As a super idol, Xeno-san carried a large amount of responsibility on his shoulders while working. 

For me to say such things to him, I might’ve sounded as though I was trivialising his efforts. 

My sigh echoed through the empty living room. Everyone had already gone back to their rooms to rest for the day, so the penthouse was quiet.

(Xeno-san’s still awake, I guess.)

Through today’s interactions with Xeno-san, I understood one thing. If I want to gain his recognition, I can’t be half-hearted. 

(Even if I were to forcibly interact with him, he definitely won’t pay attention to a single word I say.) 

(And so I should do as Xeno-san says and focus on doing my own job well first.)

(This goes for both my job at the company and at this condominium. I must put in even more effort…!)

…

Although that was my resolution, actually putting it into action was a whole new level of difficulty. 

(I feel like Mori-san and the others became even harsher towards me than before. I’m so busy with my assigned tasks, my head is spinning…) 

…

(Another day of unpaid overtime work… I got home late again.)

If I started doing a little housekeeping now, it would be midnight by the time I was done.

Maybe it was because that had become more or less what my situation was like every day, the accumulated fatigue caused my body to feel heavy…

…

After I was done cleaning, Xeno-san had me redo it. I did twice the amount of cleaning I did yesterday.

(As expected, he’s insanely strict…I spent so much time cleaning.)

Xeno-san was exactly as he proclaimed to be, seeking perfection in terms of work. If he wasn’t satisfied, he’d make me do it again and again. 

Jace: He works you till this late at night, huh. You two are like maid and employer. 

Finn: Isn’t a maid the same as a housekeeper? 

Hugh: Housekeeper-san… is your work tiring? 

Jace: Rather, it’s Xeno who’s being too harsh on her. If she were designated to my room instead, I’d definitely be much kinder. 

Finn: Do you think she’ll flee before she does her presentation? I dare to bet that she will. That guy has always been like this. 

Rina: Ugh… that’s…

Even though my job only consisted of the usual everyday household chores, it was still hard for me to perform them like a professional overnight. 

(Besides, being around Xeno-san makes me nervous, so I often fail…) 

Ivy: Don’t say that. 

Ivy: It’s inevitable to face troubles doing a job you’re not used to. Moreover, you’re doing it after you come back from work at the advertising company. 

Ivy: It was said at the start that it’s fine to just do some simple cleaning. You ‘ve never once complained, and you’re doing a great job.

Rina: Ivy-san…

Jace: Yup. Let me comfort you. Come here, Aegis-chan. 

Rina: Eh!? N-no. It’s fine. 

Finn: Geez, it’s not like we’re bullying you. Come on. 

Rina: Wahh, Finn-san!? My hair will get messy…! 

Hugh: … Rest. Want to drink hot chocolate together? 

Rina: Hugh-san… no thank you. I appreciate the sentiment, but I’m really okay. 

Just then, Xeno-san passed by.

Ivy: Xeno, you’re being a little too harsh on her. Eito already said to go easy on her on weekdays, you should be more lenient. 

Xeno: Lenient? She chose to do this. If she hates it, then she can go ahead and resign anytime for all I care. 

Xeno: Aegis, do a better job tomorrow. 

Rina: … Got it! 

Xeno-san left just like that, most likely to lock himself in the lesson room again. 

Ivy: Goodness… are you okay? If you find it infuriating, I’ll lend you a hand too. 

Rina:  No, this is my job after all. 

I replied appreciatively. 

(Like Xeno-san said, this was my own decision. In order to do better, I must try harder…) 

…

My days went on being as busy as always. Maybe it was because I didn’t get much sleep every night and was thus unable to fully get rid of my exhaustion, my head felt like it weighed a ton… 

(I had leftover work today so I brought it home with me. If I don’t complete it after cleaning…) 

…

Rina: Oh, it’s you guys…!

It was the members of exe Creed’s junior group, Gem Cuddle. 

Miu: Huh? You’re that girl from back then…

Nagi: I’ve heard about it, but you’re seriously living here, huh. 

Hitaki: We haven’t seen each since that night. 

Rina: Good to see you again after so long.

Miu: Not at all! 

Rina: Huh?

Miu-san approached me, grabbed my wrist, and forced me to sit on a chair. 

Rina: W-what are you doing? 

His face drew closer, leaving me puzzled. 

Miu: Hey, did you find out any of exe Creed’s weaknesses? Why didn’t you report anything to me? 

Rina: Weaknesses…? I never had that intention to begin with. 

Miu: HAH? How dare you act so arrogant and talk back to me. If you don’t act according to MY plans, then there’s no use in you staying here. 

(How can someone be this selfish!?)

I glanced pleadingly at the other two members, hoping someone would come to my rescue. 

Hitaki: I’ve mentioned it before, right? You have the ability to see through exe Creed’s weaknesses, I’m very interested in your observation skills. 

Hitaki: I’m curious about what kind of effect you’ll have on them. I hope to see it soon. 

Nagi: What’s all that about weaknesses? You guys shouldn’t keep thinking about using such roundabout methods. 

Nagi: We’ll beat exe Creed with our capabilities. We don’t need this girl’s help. 

(Oh no, they only care about saying their piece. No one’s intending to help me at all!) 

Miu: Anyone who doesn’t work for me is useless. What an eyesore. 

Hitaki: In that case, what do you think about making her our designated housekeeper to be useful? 

Nagi: I don’t need a housekeeper. … But having someone to run errands for me doesn’t sound half bad. 

(What’s the deal with these guys!?) 

Right when I felt like I had enough of them… 

Ivy: Enough. 

Rina: Ivy-san!

Ivy: Stop bullying her. She’s already having a hard enough time working for Xeno on our side. 

Miu-san let go of my hand the moment Ivy-san walked in. 

Miu: You’ve worked hard, Ivy-san! No way we’re bullying her, we’re just having a little chat~ 

The instant switch in his personality left me utterly speechless.

(He’s like an entirely different person…) 

Hitaki: Yeah, I didn’t expect us to be mistaken for bullies. 

Nagi: Exactly. 

Miu: Well then~ good luck to you! I’ll be rooting for you ♪

While I stood there baffled, the three of them scurried out of the room.

Ivy: Goodness… sorry about that, they’re a peculiar bunch. 

Rina: It’s fine, thank you. 

Ivy: Hm… you don’t look so good. Maybe you haven’t been sleeping enough, are you okay? 

Ivy-san peered into my face and frowned worriedly. 

Rina: I’m okay. 

Ivy: That’s good, but don’t overwork yourself, okay? 

While there were many people who mocked me, Ivy-san was the one person who would always treat me with kindness. 

(Not only does he care for the members, he cares for me too. He’s really a good person…) 

Ivy: You’re heading to Xeno’s room after this, right? Can I ask you to bring some food for him? 

Ivy: That guy has been cooped up in his room without eating. 

Rina: Got it. 

…

All of exe Creed’s meals were pre-cooked food full of all the nutrients they needed. 

After preparing the food, I made my way to Xeno-san’s room. 

…

Like the other days, he was buried in work today too. 

Rina: Xeno-san, I brought you food. 

Xeno: Leave it over there. 

He responded without looking up from his computer screen. 

(Still as cold as always… I’ve gotten slightly used to it, though.) 

I did as he said and placed the food on the table before getting to work. 

…

(… That should do it.) 

I finished my cleaning and walked towards him to let him know. 

Rina: I’m done—…!? 

— At that moment, I felt my head spin and my vision shook. 

Rina: Ah…! 

Xeno: Oi!? 

Just as I thought I was about to fall…  Xeno-san caught and held me tightly in his arms. 

Strong arms supported my weak body. 

Rina: … I- I’m sorry. I… 

His long, slender fingers touched the area between my eyes. He thought for a moment and—

Rina: !

Xeno-san’s stern face came closer and closer, until it was right in front of my face. 

Rina: Eh…? 

Unable to peel my eyes off him, I could only stare… 

[soft5ku11]

The discourse around palworld is not and has never been "we need to feel bad for Nintendo! Justice for Gamefreak!"

It's about artistic integrity and setting a president for dealing with obvious plagiarism.

All the people who spent the last few months allegedly on the side of artists against AI better put your money where your mouth is, unless you only took part in that whole conversation because you wanted someone to attack mindlessly on the internet and stupid AI shaggers were the most popular and low hanging target to get your superiority complex fed.

If you actually care about artists and protecting art and artist rights, you'd make it known now, but a lot of you aren't. You're too busy playing The Funny Pokémon Gun Game in your own little bubble of "this doesn't affect me" to give a shit.

Guess what? If we let Ai generated images become the norm online, all the """art""" of your favourite characters and series will look the same.

All the same.

Never innovating.

All the same.

Always the same.

Because AI image gen doesn't and never has had the ability to create, only to sift through an alarmingly huge box of stolen works, rip them apart and blend them together into something a little different. All it does is replicate.

If we let lazy and blatantly scammy art theft and plagiarism like this go unchecked without consequence, guess what again? Shit's gonna get stolen way more often.

But you don't care, you're not an artist.

You will care though.

It's extremely discouraging for creatives to continue creating when they know their hard work is going to be stolen and trivialised by some lazy cunt who wants to make a quick buck or gain attention and followers online from plagiarism. Your favourite artist might just have had enough. You never know which theft or ""drama"" will be anyone's final straw.

Your favourite artist may have had enough. They'll give up on their passion for art.

All we ask for as artists is respect. If you respect artists, you'd call this shit out when you see it. Make a riot. Stand up because not every artist has the power that Nintendo might do to sue the pants off people.

Supporting this practice of plagiarism monetarily by buying palworld shows not only these developers, but the greater creative industries as a whole, not just video games, that this shit is easy. It will be rewarded. They can do it and get away with it.

It's disgusting.

I know this devolved into something else than my main point, but I believe it's the root issue. Sitting back and letting this shit happen only perpetuates the issue. It allows it to happen again because thieves think they can get away with it.

[carriagelamp]

All I can say is why did it take me so long to finally try reading Wodehouse? I knew I would like the Jeeves books and yet it took me until now to finally crack one. Definitely my highlight for this month, though I was also very into the two nonfiction books I read.

I'm finding more and more that I enjoy a nice, narrative nonfiction... any one have any similar recs? Nonfiction has never been on my radar but now I really want to find more that follow this narrative vein...

Candy Color Paradox Assorted Pack

A collection of short bonus stories collected from various points in the series. Kaburagi and Onoe both work for the same weekly magazine and are initially forced to work together on stakeouts. Their relationship gradually grows from antagonistic coworkers to lovers to genuine boyfriends who are learning how to make their relationship work. One of the things I appreciate about this series is that once they decide to date, their relationship stays fairly stable — there’s hiccups as they work on their own insecurities or relationship complications, but there’s no breaking up or will-they-won’t-they once they’re actually dating and the drama shifts to their shared work and making a relationship work in a fairly homophobic society. This particular volume was fun though nothing outstanding, but it will help tide me over until the next book in the series.

Console Wars

A non-fiction book I read on my brother’s recommendation. I only have a vague sort of interest in the video game industry, I mostly enjoy hearing my brother talk about it because he has a lot of knowledge about it, but I really enjoyed this book! It describes the ins-and-outs of the Nintendo relaunched the video game industry in North America with the Entertainment System, and then the competition that gradually developed between them and the underdog that was Sega. It was an exciting, amusing, and engagingly narrative look at that period in history! I would definitely recommend it to anyone that has an even passing interest in that point in time, this book really makes you root for everyone involved!

Five Nights At Freddy’s

You know what, this one was on me. I should have known exactly how bad it would be and I still chose to try it. The problem is, back when the first… three-ish FNAF games came out in 2014 and 2015 the lore was actually kind of neat. I had a lot of fun playing through them with my cousins trying to find out more about the story. Obviously it devolved into something completely different and a lot more get-that-money-from-those-kids over the years, but I, naively, thought hey… if they’re making a movie… maybe they’re returning to some of those original plot ideas? Maybe it will even be… kind of interesting? The Silver Eyes was a fairly neat novel, even if the lore felt very different so… maybe this one would be too?

Nope. Read a chapter, loathed everything from the writing, to the attitude, to the characters, and then slung it back at my local library unfinished. Don’t even bother picking this up, good lord.

My Happy Marriage 2

This was… fine. I rather enjoyed the first book of My Happy Marriage since it was a Cinderella-esque story set in the Taishō era with some fun magical elements. Lots of class division, the main character suffered very clear abuse and it wasn’t just brushed away, and her arranged fiancé was clearly overwhelmed and sympathetic when faced with this very different fiancée on his doorstep. The writing wasn’t great but the plot was fun. In book two the writing continued to not be great, but the plot also just… didn’t catch my interest. I’d still recommend the first book for some pleasant, light reading, but I don’t think I’ll continue with this series. Might try watching the anime instead…

The Inimitable Jeeves

I’ve been meaning to read the Jeeves books for years, and I finally got the push I needed from a mutual who was recommending it to me. It was everything I could have hoped for! Really made me think fondly of The Importance of Being Ernest by Oscar Wilde, or even Terry Pratchett’s writing to a certain extent — you can tell Pratchett read this author and picked up bits of his tone. Anyway, it’s exactly the sort of humour I enjoy and the whole thing is aided by having incredibly loveable characters. There’s the clever, unflappable valet Jeeves who seems capable of omniscience and of solving every problem to ever arise, as well as Bertie Wooster who I love with my entire  heart. If Bertie was a different sort of character or narrator, this might have been a much less enjoyable  series but he is a genuinely very kind, generous, likeable sort of person who is cheerfully aware that he’s a bit of an airhead and is happy to have Jeeves around to do this thinking. What a blessing. Highly recommend if you like short story collections and want something silly and fun.

The Last Firehawk v.11-12

This is a young children’s series that keeps compelling me to return to it for some reason. The first part of the series I actually quite liked and thought was very well done for the 5-8ish age group, depending on reading level. It’s easy reading but it’s a nice introduction to a linear quest plot and has reasonably nice art. There was a sharp decline in quality for most of the second series but I decided I should read the last two books just to say I’d done it. I’m happy to say that books eleven and twelve improved the story a little bit, with characters Tag, Skyla and Blaze discovering that their enemy from the first series (The Shadow) had returned and had taken a new host: a rat king that lived in the Underland.

The League of Lady Poisoners

An excellent nonfiction volume that contains short overviews of some famous female poisoners throughout history. It includes some nice, stylized art that was a treat, and I enjoyed the way the writer explored some of the motivations or reasons that a woman in these various time periods might resort to poisoning without painting every figure with a ubiquitous brush of Evil Monster. It was pretty light and I would read a story or two in the evenings.

The Long Patrol

I love Redwall books and felt like picking up one I hadn’t read before would be a nice treat for the spring. You pretty much know exactly what you’re going to get when you read a Redwall book and this one didn’t disappoint. It focused on various hares of the Long Patrol, the current Badger Lady, and a fun cast in Redwall Abbey. The dilemma arises because one of the Abbey walls is caving in and needs to be repaired, while a band of Rapscallion vermin are marching to try to take the Abbey for themselves. Standard fare. Lots of good food descriptions, a coming of age story for a young hare who had run away to join the Long Patrol, and a Goonies-style adventure with the Abbess and some of her friends as they explore the caverns beneath the Abbey. I can’t say I loved the book, but I enjoyed it. If you want a Redwall adventure, it delivers.

Owls in the Family

A cute chapter book that’s set in Saskatchewan during the middle of the century. It focuses on Billy who has a tendency to adopt strange pets that he collects from the plains. His newest acquisition is a pair of owlets — one he finds in a bush under a storm with a very spunky personality, the other a very meek, nervous one that he rescues from a group of older boys who were throwing stones at it. The book is filled with a variety of fun adventures that come from having a pair of loyal owls as pets that lightly terrorise the neighbourhood. It’s considered a school classic, though be prepared for some light racism considering it was published in the sixties…

She Loves to Cook and She Loves to Eat

A sapphic food manga! It follows a protagonist who enjoys being able to cook and post about the meals she creates. She is somewhat resentful of the men who then expect that this means she will be a very “domestic” sort of girlfriend, someone who will consistently cook them meals and keep house. That’s not the point! She likes the artistry of cooking! One thing she’s never gotten much of a chance to try though is to create larger, more robust or complex meals, because as a single person there’s no way to eat it all. When she meets a neighbour from down the hall though, she’s delighted to have found someone who is very appreciative of her cooking and will enthusiastically join her in cooking and eating the meals. Such begins their relationship.

The Very Very Far North

This book feels like a modern day Winnie-the-Pooh. There’s a charming timelessness to it; it made an excellent bedtime book. The story follows Duane the polar bear as he gradually makes friends with some of the other animals who live in the Very Very Far North and the lighthearted adventures they have around the Arctic. The main theme of this story is how one can be friends with people who have very personalities and interests from yourself, and it does a great job of setting up each character as very different and then makes them learn how to coexist and get along.

Minecraft: The Village

The last of Max Brook’s Minecraft trilogy. I also can’t believe I’ve read three entire Minecraft novels considering I couldn’t give two hoots about the game in general, but Max Brooks treats the topic surprisingly seriously and creates a compelling story. The series began with the protagonist, Guy, waking up in this strange world with very few memories of his life before, and now forced to learn how to understand the bizarre rules of this world and learn how to survive. Each book in the series (The Island, The Mountain, The Village) expands the scope of Guy’s world and the challenges he has to overcome. The first book focuses on how to survive as an individual, how to learn and respect the natural world, and how to find a moral compass even on one’s own. The second book introduces a new character, Summer, and focuses on learning how to compromise and work alongside another person, and is all about friendship rules. The second was, imo, the weakest of the series but since I am not the intended audience the friendship lessons also felt the most dull to me. This third book was another uptick and may be my favourite of the series. Guy and Summer leave the Mountain in an effort to find a way to return to their true homes and along the way discover a Village that’s filled with villagers. In this book their world expands to include other people and cultures as they have to learn how to respect other people’s autonomy, and question what it means to exist as a society. It really poses some neat questions, I enjoyed the discussion a lot. A nice strong ending to the series.

[psyf0rk]

im curious about the fandom video essay one bc for me, ive always viewed it as: aa gets ports. like a lot of them. as such, aa is way more accessible to play compared to layton, where youre either stuck with watching an old playthrough of the games, or trying to 1) get a 3ds if you dont have one, and 2) buying the games (which can sometimes be very expensive). plus, people probably vibe with the mystery solving aspect of one or the other differently. i’ve honestly been begging for pl ports for years, and not just for switch. but i think layton is definitely something thats like. a series that ppl look fondly back on. which is why you see so many people be excited when new world of steam was first announced.

anyway sorry for putting all this in your inbox it’s just been my biggest complaint for yrs that layton has not been ported over yet and the one game thats on switch kinda did poorly. i would love for the fandom to grow

HII !! firstly thank you so much for asking !! im really glad to know this sorta thing doesnt just bug me ,, and secondly i apologise for answering so late ,, i was travelling all day yesterday 😭😭

YEAH!! Ports was going to be one of my points that id put in the video if i were to make it ,,

I completely agree with your point , Ive already heard people say the 3ds is a “dead console” (and yeah it is i just cant accept it ) ((LMAO)) ,, making it inaccessible to SO many people ,, when they could have found out about it . Like , layton still has the potential to bring in new fans , Im an example of that ,, lost future captured my heart and bought every game like a week later ; The games themselves are masterpeices , and more people deserve to know about them.

Secondly yeah ,I know people may be used to the mystery solving aspect of one or the other ,, but thats another problem anyway I think the main glue that layton has is its story tbh (less so with prequel trilogy but thats another point )

They could port the first trilogy really nicely (like they did with aa1-3) and brand it as a mystery game could THE POTENTIAL IS THERE. !!!!. And id people probably dont look back on it fondly im so sad :( Theyre amazing games but idk i didnt play them in layton prime 😭😭🙏

Also ports not just for switch YES !!! Reiterating what you said ; Theyre only playable on decaying consoles , and the gaming industry is changing , level 5 should adapt to this and not stay stuck in the past !! If people stumble across layton and decide to look into it ,, it would be better for it just to be at least on steam r smth ,, so they can acc play it cause playthroughs are awful . Like can you imagine curious village with polished sprites ??? dude that would be so good .

And yeah !! lets hope NWOS revives layton ,, from what is seems it looks really polished but they were 3 games late to what AA did well ,, give a new protagonist focus . NWOS (from what ive seen) will center more around luke ,, which is what the prequel trilogy should have done . (AA made their second trilogy center around apollo, )

and dang it i rambled slighty off topic mb

😭😭

[lieutenantn]

The Shy Boy

Note: I posted this a few months ago on Ao3, and only the link here, but I decided to post the whole thing here as well. Feedbacks are much appreciated! Life got in the way, so I decided to close this down on Ao3 as a one chapter thingy, but I really want to make this a series. I have ideas, I just need to sort out my life a bit more first...

Ao3 link: https://archiveofourown.org/works/50082223

Relationships: Choi Jongho x Reader

Tags/Warnings: Reader is a singer as well, Reader Is Older, Only a year older than the oldest, Strangers to Lovers, Soju consumption, Kissing, They are a little drunk but not that drunk, Arguing about video games, About LoL, I play LoL but not an expert, are the tags okay?, idunno, Friends to Lovers?...

Summary:

As a foreign singer you got involved with The Ateez boys to shoot a series of games and challenges (like they always do that with kpop groups in Korea, as we know), and you caught the eye of none other then the maknae of the group. Is he really as shy as he looks like first...?

It wasn’t an unusual thing for k-pop groups to shoot a series. A series which is full of games, challenges and which the members partake in. The staff usually rent out a place, a house for them to stay in while the shooting lasts, generally for a few days, or maybe a week. 

What was unusual though, is this new project that some companies decided to participate in. They wanted to open up for foreign artists, maybe for possible future projects, songs, and to just encourage the fans outside of Korea to get involved with their groups more. This is how you found yourself in Korea. You were an up-and-coming artist, relatively still new in the industry, but one of the main things that you just loved talking about was your love for kpop music. That is why you got chosen, you weren’t entirely unfamiliar with anything. You also happened to know some stuff about Ateez. You liked their music, and a part of your fans who were also fans of them gave you a few crucial pieces of information about the boys. So you weren’t entirely unprepared.

Still, the first introduction was less of a success and more of you just embarrassing yourself. You were a little bit starstruck by their presence, your introvert self came shining through the confident wall you originally wanted to build up. You even tripped over some of your words, but they were very sweet towards you. Even though you knew them, their names and some basic information, and they also knew about you a bit, your name, your songs which was a very heartwarming surprise, you guys still introduced yourselves formally as well. Although you were older than them, only a year older than their oldest member, it didn’t feel like that at all.

You also knew that their youngest member wasn’t that big of a being-in-the-center person, but he seemed even more shy than the fans described him, and as you saw him in some videos. He still introduced himself to you, and after that went awfully quiet. What you didn’t notice is that his hyungs took a note of that too…

After some briefing about what is going to happen for the next few days, the plans where to go, what games you are going to play and so on, you went into another bigger room at the company’s building where the staff with their cameras were already set up. You were going to play a little game for a starter, to make it easier for you and for the boys to get more comfortable around each other. You played some ball games, football, basketball. Sometimes in teams, sometimes on your own. The boys got very competitive, very quickly. You on the other hand were just trying your best. You did get some points, so no complaining.

At one point you were divided into 2 teams, and you got into the same team with Jongho. After your turn and collecting some more points, you happened to flop down next to him when it was the other team’s time to put on a show. You were really impressed by the maknae, although he was very competitive, he was very talented too.

-You are very good at this! - you turned to him and went to pat his leg but you froze midair for a second. You remembered what your fans said to you: he didn’t like skinship. You immediately formed a fist from your hand and looked at him like you originally wanted to fistbum him.

-Thank you… - Jongho answered sheeplesly with light rosy cheeks, but accepted your hand.

Small steps, you thought. You didn’t know yet what to think about him. He was loud around his hyungs, smiling and laughing, and awfully reserved around you. But you just met not long ago, it must have been that. You tried not to think about the fact that maybe he disliked you and this whole idea, to bring a stranger close to them, even if for just a few days.

The staff didn’t prepare a lot of things for today, mainly wanted to shoot this game, and then you can go back to the dorm. When you got to the cars you wanted to stay back so the guys could sit however they usually do. You tried not to disturb their habits as much as possible. It’s true that you were staying with them, but that didn’t mean that you had to be in the middle of everything and be involved in every little thing of theirs. Somehow though, they managed to sit in a way that there was only one seat left in one of the cars, and that was next to Jongho. You fidgeted for a second.

-Come on, we have to show you around in the dorm and show you your room. - called out Hongjoong for you.

-Aye aye, Captain. - you said with a deep breath and climbed into the car.

-I liked that, keep calling me that. - he answered with a laugh and winked at you.

You smiled back at him and nodded, noted.

You still weren’t sure how the youngest felt about you, so you tried your best not to make contact in the crowded vehicle. But you did bunk your knees into him at one of the turns on the road. You whipped your head to say sorry but he was looking out of the window, like he didn’t even feel it. You immediately pulled back your leg as much as you could, even if it was not that comfortable, and turned back to your side as well. And then hit him again slightly with your knee. And again. On the fourth time you felt a hand grabbing your knee and pulling it to steady it. You looked down and saw Jongho’s hand on your leg as he was keeping it close to his leg, but he still wasn’t looking at you. He kept it there for a few seconds, then pulled his hand back into his lap. You figured he was okay with you touching him. The remaining parts of the car journey was uneventful, only the boys behind you were silently pointing at and talking about what just happened between their new friend and their baby brother. They were keeping a close eye on you two, without getting caught about it.

Back at the dorm the Captain showed you around, kitchen, livingroom, all the common rooms, and lastly: your bedroom. It was more than you could ask for: a big bed, a bigger wardrobe, and your own bathroom with everything you need. You were thankful for that: less potential awkward situations. Hongjoong left you to settle in. You unpacked some of your stuff, clothes into the wardrobe, toothbrush into the bathroom.

You just finished when you heard shouting from the living room. You changed into some navy sweatpants and a black shirt then went to investigate the noises. When you opened the door you saw Jongho exited his room as well. You were room-neighbours. Great. He looked at you confused.

-Noises?

-Noises.

You both nodded then headed towards the others. In the middle of the room, on the floor there were Yeosang and Wooyoung trying to put together a huge Jenga Tower. The younger looked at the two of you when you entered.

-Ah, thank God, can you help us? - he asked, looking at you for a second but immediately took a double turn. He looked you up and down then started grinning.

-What is it? - you asked, confused. Maybe you shouldn't have changed?...

-Look, you’re matching. - he said, while gesturing at you and Jongho with one of the bricks in his hand.

You looked down at yourself, turned to the man next to you and as you looked up at him you realised what the other one meant: navy pants, black shirt.

-I guess we both have good taste. - you answered, looking back at him confidently.

-You’re right. - he laughed, but you also heard a slight chuckle next to you. You turned and saw Jongho smiling to himself.

That made you smile as well. Small steps. Also, you could get used to that sound, you found his chuckle adorable. But you immediately blushed with your own thoughts, so you decided that it was time to help build that Jenga…

Eventually everyone joined to play with the four of you, making it again: a competition. After some shouting and throwing around bricks, Seonghwa became the one who lost, and with that the one who will pay for the diner. 

-We could go to that restaurant where we always go. - jumped up San, still a little hyped because of the game.

-The one with that roasted, spicy chicken?

-That’s the one.

-We always go out to eat on the first night when we start to shoot a new series. - Hongjoong explained to you quietly.

-Really? What a nice tradition. - you smiled at him, but it got you thinking. Maybe you should stay at home and cook a little meal for yourself. You were a guest, but it was their tradition, a team tradition.

-I think I’m going to stay home. - you called out when everyone got up.

-Why? You don’t like chicken?

-Of course I like chicken, but this is your thing. I’ll be fine, I’ll cook something.

-Are you sure? We would be happy if you came with us…

-I’m sure. It’s okay, we will have time to dine together. - you said with a confident smile.

-Alright. If this is what you want… - the Captain still wasn’t convinced.

-It is. Now go, you look hungry. - you laughed a little.

The team smiled at you then went to gather around what they needed, and changed if they wanted to.

You retreated to your room. This was going to be a fun few days. The boys were a little lot to you, but in the best way. You have already felt very welcomed, and were hoping for this feeling to become even better. You were debating in silence what to eat when you heard Hongjoong shouting.

-We’re leaving! Gonna be back in a few hours, don’t wait for us!

-Okay, have fun, take care! - you shouted from your room, and heard the door open and close.

Sitting on your bed you figured you should check what’s in the fridge and then decide what you could make out of it. When you went into the kitchen you saw someone sitting at the table playing on their phone.

-You? You didn’t go?

-Wasn’t in the mood… - Jongho answered quietly - and didn’t want to leave you alone either. I can help you cook, I know some stuff… - he looked at you questioningly.

This man.

-Okay. - you nodded, a little flustered because of the suggestion.

You quietly looked around in the kitchen and after some bantering you settled on some noodles and sesame chicken. You were a big fan of Chinese cuisine, so you were confident you could make it happen, even with a handsome man standing next to you, looking at your every move. You put on some water and spread out the vegetables.

-Can you help me cut these up?

-Yes.

As he passed behind you, you felt a hand brushing your back ever so slightly. You tensed up for a second, but didn’t look at him. You were glad you didn’t cut off any of your fingers at that moment. After Jongho finished cutting up the onions he directly continued with the carrots. You were stirring the noodles in their water when you turned to the boy next to you who was just about to touch his face. Without thinking you immediately grabbed his wrist. He looked at you surprised.

-I didn’t hear you washing your hands.

-…so?

-You were cutting onions.

-But I just wanted to move my hair out of my eyes…?

An “Oh” formed on your lips and you let go of him, slightly blushing for making an awkward situation. Again, great. You heard a slight chuckle.

-But thank you. - you looked at him smiling at you. Why is he so cute?

You turned back to your noodles like it was the most fascinating thing to look at them being cooked.

The rest of the cooking process went by silently, and when you put everything on the table the maknae took out some soju from the fridge, because “Soju goes well with everything”. You both looked at your creations proudly and dug in.

-So… - Jongho broke your silence eating after a few minutes - …what are your hobbies? Besides singing and dancing on a stage…

-I like reading…writing… listening to songs from other artists… the usual stuff… playing video games..

-Oh? - his eyes instantly perked up and it looked like his ears too.

-You play as well? - you smiled at him getting excited.

-Whenever I can. What games do you play?

-I like story based games mainly. I’m not a good gamer, but I still like to play competitive games every now and then as well…

-I like those too. Do you know LoL?

Now you were the one who perked up.

-Yes!... But I’m horrible at it… I have my moments but… No serious gameplay over here… - you shook your head slightly, giggling at yourself.

-You can’t be that bad… Well, you can’t be as good as me either, but I’m sure you can play… - he raised an eyebrow, looking at you a little mischievously.

-Oh yeah? What champs you’re playing? - the soju started to work.

-I play different ones like… Lee Sin… Viego… - he trailed off - how about you?

-I prefer ADCs… MF, Teemo…

-Khm-noob-Khm… - he said suddenly, faking a cough, waiting for a reaction. Your hand stopped midair with your chopsticks, mouth slightly open.

-…excuse me?

The next thing you knew the food was gone, you both were two bottles soju in, you were sitting on the kitchen counter while he was sitting on the top of the table. The argument of Which champ is better and What type of players play the different champions got way more serious than it originally started out.

-You can’t play jump-in characters because of your lack of reflexes…

-…did you just call me old indirectly?

-…maybe… perhaps… - he looked at you grinning before downing another shot.

-Alright, now you’re getting personal, I see. Listen here, kiddo, just because I’m older that doesn’t mean I have worse reflexes than you. Also, yes I am the older one, where is your respect, huh? - you answered acting like you got offended, but it wasn’t believable due to your alcohol level, and both of you knew he was just trying to rile you up. Which was working.

You jumped off and turned your back on him to put down an empty bottle, when you suddenly felt a hand grabbing one of your wrists and pushing you to the wall next to the counter. Jongho pressed you to the wall, hands on it next to your head towering over you.

-What did you just call me, ma’am? - he looked you up and down.

Is this still that shy boy from the afternoon…?

-Why? You’re not a kid? You definitely look like one to me… - you really wanted to sound confident, but your quiet voice was betraying you.

-Do you want me to show you how wrong you are?...

You felt like there was electricity between your bodies. One of your legs slightly trembled when he started to lean in. He didn’t let you break eye-contact. Your lips automatically opened up a little when you felt his breath hitting them. He stopped just a hair's breadth from you like he was giving you a chance to stop this if you wanted to. But you didn’t. When you didn’t move he kissed you. Slowly, patiently. It lasted only a few seconds, but when he pulled back a little, something took over you. Maybe it was the soju or still in the heat of the argument, but you grabbed him by the collar and crushed your lips to him. Before you could register what you just did you felt two hands moving to your butt lifting you up with ease. He pressed you up against the wall with his whole body. Your legs naturally closed around his waist, your hands moved into his red hair. You were just about to moan into his mouth because of the intensity of him kissing you and squeezing your ass at the same time, when the door to your dorm flew open.

-WE ARE…back? - a shocked Mingi looked at the two of you as you whipped your heads in the direction of the open door, breaking the makeout session.

Seven pairs of eyes were looking at you, and just as you were in the middle of wishing for the ground to open up under you and the fire of Hell consume you completely, because that would be way more comfortable than being in this situation, Jongho without a word pulled you off the wall and basically run into your room, with you still clinging to him for dear life.

He stood there with you in his arms after kicking the door closed. Then put you down carefully and you saw him being nearly as red in the face as his hair color.

-Listen, I’m so sorry… I didn’t mean it… Well, I mean I did mean it but… Didn’t want to… Umm… You know… - he stuttered in front you. You hold his face between your hands.

-Jongho… You’re adorable, it’s okay. - you smiled at him, reassuring him, making his blushing even worse with your comment.

-Would you like to… maybe… grab a coffee tomorrow morning? Before we start the shoot?

-I’d like that, yes!

You were smiling at eachother like teenagers.

-Then… see you in the morning.

-Goodnight Jongho.

-Goodnight, ma’am.

-Alright, listen- - but before you could finish your thought he pulled you in by the back of your neck and kissed one last time that night.

He winked at your flustered expression and hurried out of your room.

Just as he closed your door you heard loud whistling from the others, then a loud bang. Jongho from your room ran into his room. Tomorrow is going to be a long day…

[quinnsteria]

Hoy Quarlow/Super Macho Man (MachoQuarlow) Headcanons 1/?

Citing this as part one in the title because I don’t trust myself not to talk about them more. Anyway this is just my insane scribblings about these old men since this ship has been rotting in my brain for months and I need to share them with the world

Anyway. Let’s begin with some background:

Hoy Quarlow is the age he’s said to be in the game: 78 years old

Super Macho Man is lying about his age. He’s not 27 but is instead approaching his early 60’s. He lies about it because, like a lot of typical big stars, he doesn’t want to be seen as older in fear of being discarded and out of the industry’s spotlight.

Hoy Quarlow and Super Macho Man joined the WVBA (Side Note: in my au it’s called the World Video Boxing Association because it was the first association to both broadcast the fights live, but also to package and sell recordings of the fights to consumers) around the same time. Although they weren’t there at the very-very beginning of the WVBA’s formation (since my au takes place in the current year and the timeline would be messed up), they’re both older so they were there before any of the other current boxers.

Hoy came from another boxing league but joined the WVBA once he realized his old league was very stingy on his paychecks. Because of the money the WVBA produced from both the recording sales and how much money they raked in for allowing the boxers to be as theatric as they wanted.

Although his hard work and determination led him to rising in the ranks, his sales were low. So, he studied what made boxers among him so popular: their personas. So, Hoy decided to also stretch his creative muscles too. He upped the ante and straight up brought a stick into the ring. It became a Hoy Quarlow staple. That, and the fact that he started to ditch the shorts and shirtless look to take on something with more personality.

Super Macho Man came in with that name all while being a scrawny kid. Believe it or not, but for a good while, SMM was considered a Glass Joe figure when he first started. When he got in the groove though and started upping his gains, he quickly rose in the ranks and grew into the name he gave himself.

He originally joined the WVBA because he wanted to be a movie star, anticipating that the sales of the WVBA recordings will get more eyes on him and he’d be recruited on for actual movies and not just fights. However, as he started to fight more, he became happier with the spectacle of being a WVBA boxer and the fame he gained, deciding to make his main goal staying at the top and not so much appearing in movies (although he’ll absolutely take a movie deal when offered).

Hoy and Macho were sorta aggressive to each other at first. Hoy, still riding high from his placement in his past league, looked down on a lot of other boxers. This is a character flaw that, of course, got resolved later in life (we can see this with how he acts with Birdie in the SNES Super Punch-Out!!), but it was definitely a flaw he had in life at one point. He saw Macho as full of himself and not yet having the skill to back it up. He correctly guessed that Macho was doing this for fame and judged him accordingly, seeing it as an unfit reason for joining the WVBA.

Macho saw Hoy as full of himself as well. He thought Hoy needed to get over himself and stop being so “needlessly mean.” Macho knew his pursuit wasn’t noble, but to him, it didn’t matter. He was so full of himself to pre-set his persona with actually being this, well…. a super macho man. He believed he’d grow into the name (which he did). He found it stupid how Hoy was only about a decade older and he was judging Macho this hard. Macho would often tell him straight up that one day, Hoy would be eating his words and watching Macho rise while Hoy himself sank down the ranks. This is only… uh… half true.

Right now, Macho and Hoy and right next to each other in the Special Circuit. Macho is Rank #1, right before Mr. Sandman (The WVBA Champion). Hoy is Rank #2 in the Special Circuit, right before Super Macho Man.

As they both aged, Macho and Hoy started to get along. With Hoy becoming sillier and way more relaxed, he was able to connect with Macho more. With Macho getting more full of himself, Hoy sorta saw himself in him and although he has fun with him, is trying to guide him away from the lonely life that being that high in ranks can bring. There’s all these camera flashes and people will be all over you and asking for deals, but they don’t love you.

OKAY… now that that’s over, I’ll be putting more headcanons under the cut. It’ll be more shippy, but it’ll still work as a “background section” if that makes sense that outlines their life together. I think this post should be in general about their background. Okay… cool.

I think Macho was kinda mixed up about his feelings for Hoy. Their relationship was definitely simmering for years, real rivals to fun friendly rivalry to friends to lovers. Macho never expected to fall for Hoy at all, and when he did, he didn’t know how to feel. He wondered what it’d be like to date another league member. Could he do that? What would the press do? Would the gossip magazines make Hoy look like a cougar… 🤨? Either way, he was nervous.

What also adds to it is that Macho is a pretty famous playboy. If he starts actually dating long-term (which he… actually kinda wants to explore with Hoy), how would that affect his reputation? With all these worries involving insecurities from outsiders, he was definitely indecisive with what he wanted to do. Hoy on the other hand… had different problems.

I fully subscribe to the “Hoy is Dragon Chan’s grandparent” headcanon. Hoy’s wife (aka Dragon Chan’s grandma, was married. They had a daughter who, just like her son, was a very determined kickboxer. She fell in love with Dragon’s father and they soon had a son, Dragon Chan. However, one fateful day, when Dragon was about 10 or so, his parents died in a fatal car accident (or at least that’s what my explanation is right now). Years later, Hoy’s wife died as well. She had a heart attack, although many say it was onset by a broken heart.

Dragon Chan, after getting kicked out of his kickboxing league while trying to live up to his mother’s legacy, joined the WVBA and gave him a place there. Dragon became popular quickly, and his ego became bigger (this is supported by his overconfidence in the ring and in pre fight rounds alongside his “chicken dance taunt” when he KO’s/TKO’s you). Dragon’s behavior only slightly reminds Hoy of his own ego at that age, and Hoy, although still giving advice to his grandson, knows that Dragon needs to discover his own path to humbleness.

Okay back to the tragedy of Hoy’s wife, daughter, and son-in-law. These tragedies caused Hoy to feel as if death followed him and anyone he loves. He blamed himself for all of their deaths, even if he had nothing to do with them. He was afraid to love again and to make another family, although this attitude is usually hidden by his now lighthearted personality.

Of course, this caused Hoy’s love life to become… confused I guess? Hoy was deathly worried of his family hurting even more. He was also worried for Dragon Chan, believing that there’s a chance he’d be mad that Hoy is trying to “replace” his grandma and pretend she never existed. Of course, Dragon doesn’t really care for that. His problem arises with Hoy’s dating choices when he realizes that it’s Super Macho Man of all people that Hoy is dating like huh that jerk grandpa? That loser? Cmon

I’ll probably elaborate on this in another post but the beef between Dragon Chan and Super Macho Man is so special to me. It’s like a family movie where the kid doesn’t like their new step-dad except the kid is a 22 year old grandchild who can actually kick Macho’s ass if he wanted to (and he does)

I think the first person to actually make a move was Super Macho Man. Macho was able to catch Hoy in the locker room after a fight and he asked Hoy if he would like to “hang out” sometime together, outside of WVBA mixers or some other thing, of course.

Hoy found it cute. He sorta laughed softly at it at first before he saw Macho’s dejected face. He realized it was genuinely series and he kinda flushed. Definitely went kinda quiet with an “O…Oh,” before trying to think of what to say next.

He agrees by the way. Though I think in another post I’ll elaborate

Annddddd that’s all I have for now! Thank you for reading and I’m sorry it was so long! These guys have been in my head for a bit now woah