#i haven't thought about this game in so long...

[preppyacademy]

From a meaningless virtual life to the preppy boy I am now

Elliot's story

To convince you to come to the Preppy Academy, here's Elliot's personal testimonial. His life has changed radically thanks to our school's methods. The following are his words: 

Hello, my name is Elliot, I'm 20. I'm a student at the Preppy Academy. I'd like to thank M.Gilliard, our principal, who has asked me to write an account of my time here. 

Two years ago, I was still living with my father. I often dressed in sportswear; I loved Adidas clothes, so comfortable and easy to put on. Did I do any sport? No, not at all, but my mates dressed the same, so I followed suit. When I wasn't at school, I used to play video games all the time. I wore my clothes for days on end because I was too lazy to change. My bedroom was a real dump, with everything strewn all over the place. My diet consisted of eating chips and drinking sodas. 

My father was fed up with my bad behavior. He works in business, economics, something like that. My mother left us when I was a kid, and since then it's just been me and him. He'd tell me to “tidy my room”, “get dressed properly”. But I didn't give a damn, soon, I thought, I'll be able to leave soon, and I thought I'd be able to live with a friend in a flat-share for a bit of fun. 

There was a week when I made a decision that I had regretted at the time but that now makes me what I am. That week, it was at the beginning of my school year and I was playing a game that was too epic and I wanted to do it too much, so I made my dad think I was going to high school while I was pretending. Then, when he left for work, I'd come back and play on my P.S. console. But my stupidity caught up with me, and my father was contacted by the school and told of my repeated absences. It was a Thursday lunchtime, I remember, and he came home to find me quietly in bed. He came into my dirty room and said: 

" Elliot, that's enough! You're not going to school anymore, you're dressing like crap. Look at you, you've got holes in your clothes. You haven't washed or combed your hair in days. Things are going to change for you. A colleague at work told me about a boarding school that would be perfect for you. "

I was on my phone when he said this so I half-listened, as usual. He was clearly desperate about my behavior and had every reason to be. Now I understand. At the end of the afternoon, my father called me and reminded me that he had to take me to the dentist for an annual check-up. I'd completely forgotten, it wasn't something I was interested in remembering. I stayed in the same clothes and he took me to the dentist. I really didn't remember the appointment. Once there, my father accompanied me inside. A waiting room with other parents and their teenagers. There were guys from high school, who were also dressed in sweatpants and sweatshirts and sneakers. I wasn't the only one who dressed like that, which is why it seemed normal to do so. When it was my turn, the dentist called me in. I sat down in his dentist's chair. He asked me to lie down so he could check the inside of my mouth. He put some products in my mouth to relax it. And these products were starting to put me to sleep; he'd put in more than usual. 

I had fallen asleep on his armchair, I didn't know for how long. When I woke up, my hands were tied tightly to the chair. I tried to speak, but my mouth was still anesthetized. My father was talking to the dentist, and they were both looking at me. My father had collected my things, my bag and my phone. Looking around, I soon realized that I wasn't really at the dentist. The man posing as one approached me and said: 

"Elliot, your father, has informed us of your behavior at home and has decided to leave you with us for a while. Do you agree? "

I couldn't answer as my mouth was still anesthetized. 

" Since you're not answering my question, I imagine you're completely in agreement. If you don't say anything within a minute, we'll assume you agree."

I was trying to speak to refuse and scream for help, but only discreet moans came out. 

" Then we do have your agreement. "

My eyes began to tire again and I finally dozed off again.

I don't know what treatment he gave me, but it was like a dissociation. I saw myself outside my body like a ghost looking at my body. My father left with my things. The staff laid me properly on the bed and undressed me. I was completely naked at one point. They put a red ball in my mouth and covered my mouth with a gag that held with a tight strap behind it. I was as if unable to act, in the hands of my kidnappers. They dressed me in a white short-sleeved polo shirt, buttoned all the way up, tucked into khaki shorts with a brown belt, white knee-high socks and black loafers. They then cut my hair and styled it, neatly styled to the side and held with wax. I began to regain consciousness little by little, but I felt as if I were paralyzed in my own body, between the products that were still taking effect and the bonds that prevented me from fleeing. 

"Elliot, you're back with us. We've prepared you in a more respectable outfit than the garbage you used to wear. This preppy outfit suits you much better. Your hair looks much better like this. You probably have a lot of questions, but you're in good hands. I'm Doctor Greenwood, I'm here when sometimes you need a little push to get you into the Academy. I'll leave you here tonight and you'll make your official entrance tomorrow. "

I was stuck on this bed for several hours, and above me they'd set up a screen with a series of images and sounds that I had no choice but to watch. And no matter how tempted I was to close my eyes, a deep voice kept reading every word on the moving image. Eventually, I fell asleep to the rhythm of the video, which hypnotized me as it went along. 

“I want to be a preppy boy. Good preppy boys must obey, serve, submit, behave. Good boys comply. I want to be a good preppy boy” again and again and again...

This mantra was stuck in my head like music that never wants to come out. I still felt resistance, an urge to rebel and run away, but I was blocked and strangely began to feel pleasure at the idea of being a good preppy boy. 

When I woke up, four men in their thirties, all dressed in pastel shirts tucked into their pants, with bowties and loafers, took me by force. They took me by the arms and forced me to follow them. They put me in a van and tied me up. My gag was still in my mouth and I couldn't scream. I was at their mercy, with no power or control over the situation. I was their object. 

I was taken to a large, ivy-league type establishment, at the top of the main entrance is written “Preppy Academy”. I was led inside and up the stairs. I arrive in a very elegant office, with wood paneling and bookcases on every wall. The 4 men undress me.

I find myself in a preppy outfit: a white and blue striped OCBD shirt, pastel yellow shorts, red and blue suspenders, a dark blue and red striped tie tied around my neck, long white knee-high socks and dark loafers. Nothing to do with my outfits at home. I've been completely transformed into a preppy boy. I'm left with my hands tied and my mouth gagged in this office. I don't know what to do, I'm a slave to this establishment. My outfit isn't as comfortable as the one at home, I can feel the fabric of my shirt on my torso compressing me, the suspenders holding my shorts are like two ropes binding my outfit to my body, the pulled-up socks are so humiliating, I feel like a boy. But as I think I'm disgusted by my outfit, I realize that it actually turns me on. I like to think I have to be dressed like this to feel good. A few minutes later, a man in his fifties walks in. He's dressed in a nice three-piece suit, with a red tie. He looks at me deeply: 

"Hello Elliot! Welcome to the Preppy Academy. Your father told me you weren't behaving properly at home. He contacted us and paid for your enrollment. Whether you like it or not, you're staying here. You'll wake up here and sleep here. Your education needs to be reviewed. You must learn to be a good preppy boy for your superiors. I am M.Gilliard, the principal of this prestigious establishment. I am the Master of all the students here. You owe me obedience, submission, service and respect. "

These words enchanted me, and even though I wanted to leave, I could only nod in agreement. 

"To complete your admission among us, I must collect something. "

The 4 young men from earlier return and make me sit down on the chair, holding me tight. Mr. Gilliard unzips my pants and pulls out my penis. I start moaning, not agreeing with what's happening. Mr.Gilliard puts a sort of cage on my penis, forcing it to stay very small and any erection would hurt. 

" It's called a chastity cage. I'm the only one who keeps the keys. Every good boy here is caged. Your personal pleasure doesn't matter; you're here to obey and learn to serve. Your only satisfaction at the end of the day is to please men superior to you. "

“I want to be a preppy boy. Good preppy boys must obey, serve, submit, behave. Good boys comply. I want to be a good preppy boy”. This phrase made more and more sense. I was introduced to the establishment, the rules to follow and taken to a room I had to share, with a wardrobe full of preppy clothes, nothing I'd had before. 

I've been here for two years now and I don't want to leave. I like to serve my Master when he asks for it. I like being a good preppy boy. Obedient and helpful. I don't miss my old life anymore. I encourage all boys and men to come to the Preppy Academy. You'll love it! 

[iz-star]

My thoughts and guesses / theories about Zayne's upcoming main story branch.

Like I've said in previous posts, I've been hella busy with work and most of all, exhausted so I haven't been able to come here and scream about the game updates (let alone draw something) but I still want to summarize my reactions from the past few days.

About the main story update, I'm really excited to see what's going to happen! I love the Dawnbreaker references but I have to be honest, I don't really think this is Dawnbreaker, he's still Dr Zayne (they both are part of each other somehow, but you understand what I mean).

Here's why:

At first, I genuinely thought this time we really would get the chance to interact with Dawnbreaker since Zayne is wearing DB's outfit and not a jumpscare outfit like in Snowy Serenity but the more I watched the trailer, the more I realized that this is still Dr Zayne which both makes me feel alleviated (cause if it were to be Dawnbreaker, it would leave us wondering where Dr Zayne is) and scared cause if he gets to suffer/ sacrifice himself in this time line like he did as Foreseer and MoF, I don't know well how I'll handle it.

He's a male lead so I don't think they will kill him off (? but somehow with Zayne one never knows, he's honestly always surprising us. In any case, my wildest theory is that if something happens to Dr Zayne, then we'll continue his branch with Dawnbreaker... idk? Anyway, don't really pay too much attention to this since it's most unlikely that something like this happens.

The impression I got after watching the trailer so many times is that this is actually Dr Zayne in the process of becoming 'Dawnbreaker' (maybe not exactly his other self but the concept) which has been one of his biggest fears; the reason? Because the Xander Sciences experiments, the severe cases of Protocore Syndrome and Metaflux anomalies are probably speeding the process of humanity to get doomed since in Dawnbreaker's world, humans turning into wanderers is something pretty recurrent and the very reason Zayne is a killer and his world is apocalyptic. Dr Zayne knows of this, he knows using protocores in human hearts is dangerous (the very reason he gave up his research in university), he also knows that to be exposed to big quantities of metaflux is what turns humans into Wanderers, he knows it because when he and William fought side by side in Mt Eternal, it was in order to destroy a Protofield that got out of hand and the Metaflux anomalies there were bringing to land more Wanderers. It was until they destroyed the protofield when William started to turn into an Abomination and then, a Wanderer.

In the trailer, Dr Zayne says something like 'We have no choice but to destroy this place" so my guess is that there is another big Metaflux anomaly like in Mt Eternal but this time in a place where there is a lot of ppl and due to being exposed to it, they're turning into Wanderers, something that Zayne as a Doctor can't cure: "Aren't you a Doctor. You should've save me!"

In fact, this is something he can only cure as Dawnbreaker:

I'm really interested to know who was the guy who asked Zayne to kill him. My guesses are:

William (and this probably a flashback).

Carter

Greyson (most unlikely since the voice didn't mach but goshh could you imagine the angst if it was him??)

So if there is another Metaflux anomaly it means that there's a Protofield that got out of hand and it probably was in either Akso Hospital or Xander Sciences company cause they had a special patient that accoring to what they say in the trailer, had a fragil heart that would've stopped long ago.

If I'm not mistaken (and since I'm currently sleepy and feeling lazy) in the World Underneath anecdotes Carter and Xander Sciences tried to keep some patients alive or to revive them using protocores and keeping him in pods but it didn't work? However, long before these anecdotes were released, we knew that there were already organizations doing research about immortality:

It seems that 'A special energy field' is necesary in order to reach better conditions to regenerate the human heart. What if this 'special energy field' is something similar to a Protofield? If we remember correctly, in both Rafayel and Xavier's myths MC's heart was necessary for them to live immortal lifes? In Rafayel's case, she seemed to give ppl some kind of energy? But at the same time she couldn't leave their city neither. In Xavier's case, her heart was like an unending source of energy for Philos core and they wanted to feed Philos core with her so they would stop to sending humans and then Philos core would stop crearing wanderers.

In both cases, it seems that MC is the source of energy of a Protofield that both gives it enough quantities of energy to keep it balanced and making ppl within this field to be immortal (like her) without the risk of becoming wanderers. In Rafayel's myth, she was already the source of this field, so there are actually no wanderers in this myth. In Xavier's myth, she wasn't the source of it so they were creating wanderers bc of it.

What if in this case, Xander Sciences discovers that the key to reach immortality lies in creating a Protofield with enough energy to create the needed conditions to regenerate human hearts for indefinite amount of time and that the KEY to achieve this lies in MC's aether core??

What if what Zayne is trying to protect here is MC's heart so they won't use her to reach immortality, EVEN if he knows that this most likely will avoid tons of deaths and will stop the creation of wanderers and ALSO will avoid his future as Dawnbreaker but even so he chooses to save her, just like he did as Foreseer and Master of Fate.

And lastly, he mentions "When that day comes... When I can't wake up" my only guesses are:

His nightmare of becoming "The Grim Reaper" will become true.

By destroying the Protofield that is creating the anomaly, he also freezes himself?

Maybe he steals part of MC's power or even he takes the creatio protocore he gave to her as Foreseer and uses it on himself so instead of using her as the source of energy for this Protofield, he offers himself as this unending source of energy? (This one is quite wild and seems unlikely to happen but I still wanted to mention it ahaha).

Anyway these are all my thoughts for now. Please take this with a grain of salt, since these are only silly theories and nothing official. We'll have to wait some days more to discover the truth.

[averyauthorship]

It was brought to my attention that I haven't actually posted a proper blurb about my book yet, so here goes. I hope some people are interested in reading this story because it is so dear to my heart.

:)

Sam never thought of herself as a quitter. But after catching her long-term boyfriend cheating, she quit her dream school (and her favorite city in the world) and moved across the country to a tiny liberal arts school in Copper Haven, New York. Sam isn't exactly unhappy, but trying to find herself after being under ex's thumb for so long isn't exactly an easy task. Thankfully, she had D&D to fall back on.

Link has been a professional adult since he was in middle school. After the death of his mother, he found himself carrying the brunt of his family's struggles. Now, as an actual adult, Link doesn't know the meaning of the word "relax." He knows that his mother didn't raise him to work himself to the bone, but he doesn't really know how to stop. D&D is his one sense of escape, and even that isn't going particularly well.

When Sam decides to seek out new players to add to her small, one-person campaign, she is drawn to the local table top gaming store, and then subsequently drawn to Link. The chemistry between the two is immediate, but life isn't exactly as easy as rolling a handful of dice.

[calciumcryptid]

My Mother's Reaction to We Are [ Ep 5 - 7 ]

My Mother: Phum is a soft top.

Me: Nah, he is a bottom.

My Mother: Hmm, no.

Me: Hold reservations, you haven't seen his pathetic era yet.

My Mother: He seems to be in his pathetic era, chauffeuring his crush around, making him hang out with him, making him cook for him, dragging him away for not dates-

She has taken to calling Tan "Dork" and Fang "Dork-Lite", and I'll refer to TanFang like this forever actually.

She was giggling and squealing into her blanket when TanFang confessed to each other.

She screamed when PhumPeem made out under the fireworks (with tongue), and laughed her ass off when Peem started to pummel the buffalo.

Me: I just realized Phum keeps taking pictures of the exhibits, but keeps Peem in the photo.

My Mother: He has to keep the art in frame.

She finds Fai a whole mood.

Phum: Whether it is mine or yours, it's the same anyway.

My Mother: *gasps* They're married.

She says if she had known about the King card game in high school or college she would have been a menace.

More ChainPun appreciation!

She called the QToey backstory cute.

Tragic news for Pond fans, she thinks he looks significantly older than he is (she was surprised to learn Pond and Phuwin are two years apart). She blames his jawline, which I guess is a back-handed compliment.

She finds the jealousy plot stupid (same).

Judging Phum for changing his tune when he learned Peem was going to be at the amusement park.

More TanFang love!

Judging the cast for which amusement rides they thought were terrifying and daunting (they wouldn't survive a day with us).

No joke, she downed a coke when Kluen showed up. Her face said everything.

It is always loving Auntie Pui hours.

*multiple jokes about Phum not liking it sweet*

*sobbing crying over the QToey fight*

My Mother: Why are there so many people meddling in Q and Toey's relationship???

*insert long and deep conversation about Q as a character and his insecurities and how no one is giving him a second to breath and sort out his thoughts and jumping to conclusions because they happened to interrupt him while he was working and how Toey wants things to go back to normal but he isn't acting normal*

She said it is a shame because Q one of the cutest guys there (as a Winny fan, this is awesome to hear).

We are about to enter the volunteer camp arc. I am so excited for her to watch the Kluen show and the second half of the QToey jealousy arc.

[ratcandy]

words cannot describe how happy i am that heket remains lamb's #1 hater in the entire world even after her cleansing

[theslimeologist]

can we take a moment and ask what happened here? like what did they do to her??

oh.

[manasurge]

Just a bit of lore relevant vent art (with terrible proportions bc apparently I mess that up horribly when I'm tired ugh. Watch me regret posting this tomorrow. The head size is already driving me mad bc it's too big, and I can feel myself wanting to abort this mission already) of Mourynn just, lying down on top of one of those large elevated Pale Tree roots far above the Grove (and far away from everyone else), and during the time between the early years and before the Personal story. Caithe is gone (Destiny's Edge), Wynne is gone (bc well, y'know...), even Faolain is gone (bc of Caithe in DE), and she's just feeling miserable, lost, and alone. (Her hair is in between her sapling hair and the Zhaitan hair, so it's grown out a bit bc she's depressed, and she's meant to be in the new outfit she designed, but I'm in the process of redesigning it a bit, so I've made a few tentative changes for now. Her collar is now just an extension of her clavicle leaves which can be put up like a collar, or can be draped down over her shoulders or back)

[nikolas-ghostbusters-fixation]

Something I've been thinking a lot about lately is how everyone thought Egon had gone insane. What Happened that made them think that. They've fought a gigantic Stay Puft Marshmellow Man TWICE (counting the 2009 video game because iirc it's canon? Correct me if I'm wrong), fought an interdimensional god, fought a blood thirsty ruler that killed thousands and was hated by all that was trapped in a painting (and managed to get in to beat him by making THE STATUE OF LIBERTY start walking down the street with slime that reacted purely based on vibes), found an underground abandoned transit system full of the moodslime, had a bathtub try to eat Dana and her baby, fought a giant murderous black widow lady, fought the fisherman ghost who turned an entire hotel floor into the bottom of a ocean, and that's not even mentioning them getting trapped on an island that randomly raised up from underwater that had been abandoned for decades created by Ivor Shandor who worshipped Gozer. So what did he do or say that made everyone else think he'd gone insane?? All I can think is maybe he was acting strange / eratic before, but he's always been like that to some degree.

I don't know. It's something that I've been thinking about. The correct answer is 'it's not that deep and they needed a reason that the others weren't together anymore and weren't aware of Egons death or know what was going on,' but also. What Was He Saying that prompted everyone, including Ray, to think he lost his mind when he'd been right almost every time before that.

I'm genuinely so curious as to what he was up to before this. What was he doing. What insane idea was working on prior to this or was he even working on anything at all??

Also want to clarify this post isn't negative 😭 I really love the newer movies and their lore / the newer storyline / characters, I just like thinking about small stupid things like this. Gives me something to think about / speculate about / figure out an answer to.

[moxxpoxx]

there is so much horror that comes with being marty mcfly.

in one night he sees his best friend get shot down and die in front of him. then when he tries to get help for him he’s blasted back thirty years and is like instantly shot at. he ends up fucking with his family history by getting hit by a car and his own mother falling for him. the only man who can help him shuts him out at first because he doesn’t know him yet. marty must’ve been terrified to be stuck in a nightmare of a life and scared doc would be gone from his life in more ways than one. if doc hadn’t told him about how he made the flux capacitor that very night and had gone back to the exact day doc came up with it he never could’ve gone back. but even with docs help he has a week to force his parents together and needs to time the delorean to get powered by the lightning PERFECTLY! not to mention how he starts fading from existence on stage and just barely survives. (and that’s only the first movie)

the boy almost dies so many times within the span of a few weeks!!! it’s just a little over a few weeks that he’s jumping through time to try and not die and not lose doc and his universe. he’s shot at so much, jumps off a building, is almost hanged, hit by cars and barely avoids being hit by a car, is locked in a trunk, AND ALMOST FADES FROM EXISTENCE!!! (absolutely forgetting some things because it’s been a bit since i’ve seen the sequels) throughout all of this he’s barely getting rest and is in near constant stress. if he messes up even a little, either he’s dead or someone he loves. marty is still seventeen and has gone through more than any adult ever should. he has so much he needs to work through but who would even believe him besides doc and jen?

marty can never go home. everyone he knew is gone and now he’s in the shoes of a boy he doesn’t know. he has to be the boy that everyone around him knows and not the actual guy he is. his home is gone and marty is all that’s left. his house is full of strangers that don’t know their son is gone and that marty is in his place. even if his home life is better now there is not really a way for him to get back what he lost. he’ll remember it for the rest of his life (unless we have the fun idea that his memories are slowly rewritten to fit the current timeline. but THEN we have to deal with the horror of knowing your memories are going away and being replaced and you can’t do anything to stop it and someday everything you knew is gone and you’re a whole other person).

and don’t forget about the people around marty. the twin pines mcfly family has lost their son forever. we don’t know if another marty ever comes home, but it still won’t be their son. if no marty ever comes then he’ll never come home and they’ll never see him again. he’ll be missing or presumed dead. to them he just went to bed one night and was gone. that combined with docs death and knowing he was close with him wouldn’t seem like great odds. jen will have lost her boyfriend and can never see him again. nobody will ever know what happened to him or where he went. and if someone like lone pines marty ended up in the twin pines timeline somehow it would still be just as tragic. his good homelife is ripped away and doc could still be dead.

his parents don’t have their son anymore, doc won’t have his friend anymore, jen won’t have her boyfriend anymore, but they have a stranger in his place playing the part until he adapts to the timeline. he’ll act off for a while and they won’t know why since they don’t know the horrors he’s gone through in the past two or three weeks. and jennifer finds out about time travel later and marty would probably tell her about everything and letting her know he’s not the same guy. what could she even think? she loves marty, she always will, but something about knowing the man you loved is gone (even if there’s another marty in his place) is still awful to think about.

it would be so strange for doc too. when he first meets marty (in lone pines marty’s life) he’s met him before but also hasn’t. he met twin pines marty thirty years ago and is now meeting a slightly different boy thirty years in the future. he can’t act like he knows him because that could fuck with the timeline. he has to pretend he’s never met him and never missed him so that the timeline can continue smoothly.

i’m including the video game because i want to. marty is barely older and doc has been gone for a whole six months. he loses his best friend for months and then docs stuff is being sold since he’s presumed dead. then the delorean shows up and aparently he’s dead again, putting marty in the position where he needs to save doc yet again. he gets attacked and is almost shot (again) and is held at gunpoint. then when all seems safe and they’re heading home he starts to disappear again. i can’t stress how horrible it would be to see yourself being erased in front of your own eyes, your flesh fading from this timeline and barely holding you together.

episode three of the game has always stuck with me for how frightening it would be to see your best friend fade from existence and you end up in a hellish timeline where you never knew him. he crashes into a billboard (the amount of head trauma is another big thing he goes through) and jen is the only one who can get him down but she hates him. marty’s two friends, the closest people to him either hate his guts or doesn’t even know who he is. he truly loses everything in that timeline. the delorean is wrecked yet again and hill valley is some dystopia disguised as a utopia. the man who helped marty through everything is gone and doesn’t even want to see him, dogs are fucking banned from town so einstein (the most helpful guy in the game istg you couldn’t do it without him) is also gone, and the smallest things can get him in trouble. he can’t even give jen a quick kiss without being given a lot of demerits.

of course he gets out, but he leaves with citizen brown, not doc. citizen brown is forcing emmet to be what he wants and is endangering everything for marty. it gets to the point where marty has to almost suffocate emmet so citizen brown finally gives in and emmet gets away. and even though citizen brown was not doc, he still kind of was to marty. when the timeline is fixed yet again citizen brown fades from existence right in front of marty’s eyes but not before getting hit by a car to save marty. he stays there beside him in his final moments nearly crying and holding his hand desperately trying to assure doc he’ll get him to a hospital and that he’ll be fine before he eventually fades fully. even though citizen brown doc caused so much trouble for marty, he was still doc. his friend. and he lost him again. (until a different doc comes back for marty but he still has seen the death of his best friend WAY too many times)

TL;DR marty will never have his life back and no therapist can help him <3

[ncthandrake]

KELLY MAXWELL → 'Stay Frosty' Outfit Evil Dead: The Game (2022)

[aletheialed]

Right now, wine glass in hand and staring vacantly into the dark corners of the room in which he dwells - Barok can't help but think about his brother. To think about Klint during hard times, the man who he's always admired so much, has always come naturally to him - but it can't bring him any comfort now.

The truth is, Barok doesn't know what he should feel more betrayed about. The fact that the brother he'd wanted to emulate all his life was nothing but a killer, who's actions resulted in the ending and ruining of so many lives, including Barok's own? Or... is it that, until the very end, Klint was too afraid to share that horrible truth with him, even when that fear allowed him to be controlled into committing the most heinous acts imaginable?

It makes him want to laugh with a bitterness he hasn't felt in years. It makes him feel ill; desperate and angry and like a fraying rope about to snap. Perhaps it's sinful, and a sign of Barok's own weak character, that Klint's lack of trust in him might be what hurts the most. Had he thought Barok would break under the weight of the truth, and sought to protect him from that fate? What's worse is that Barok doesn't know how he would've reacted deep down. What's the scarier thought - that Barok would've turned away in despair and been unable to carry on just as his brother feared, or that he would stand with Klint, perhaps even turning a blind eye to his crimes...?

...There's no point in thinking about it now. But if he doesn't think about Klint, then there's no shortage of other things to take his place at the forefront of his mind. Such as the true identity of the Reaper, and how Barok had been complicit in his crimes for the longest time - allowing himself to be used and manipulated like a puppet on a string, even when he didn't see the full extent of it all.

His whole life, these past ten years in which he thought he'd endured so much, all for the sake of the people of London... what were they all for?

When he hears the knock on the door, it's tempting to ignore it entirely - he barely has the energy to stand, anyway. He doesn't know who it could possibly be, considering everything, but... in the end, he rises like a man possessed, and finds himself walking to open the door as if in a trance. What he sees when the door opens is the last thing he expects.

"Mr... Naruhodo...? You... pray tell, what are you doing here at this hour?"

@tenacquity ( starter! )

[gendertrickster]

i find very cool how you're dating the writer of the comic you were (still are) swooning over

it's literally so fucking funny. you guys cannot even comprehend all the reasons why this is the funniest shit ever

[assaily]

"Kenopsia" #3 and 4

Kenopsia

3. Favorite line of narration

This is actually really hard for me to answer, simply because 'line' of narration carries the expectation of shortness. My favorite part of narration is nearly half a scene.

It took him another while to sidle in close to her, pressing his arm against hers. This was like Delores, he realized softly, feeling himself relax. Grace was warm and soft, but she was also artificial. She was predictable and never changing. She didn’t judge him, merely loved him. She would listen, and she would know not to react. He sighed and let himself relax against her, let his body curl up on the bench beside her and let his head come to rest in her lap. He laid there for hours, unmoving and unable to sleep. He heard Luther and Diego come in, loud even in their attempt to be quiet. Neither of them came near Grace’s corner, heading upstairs to clean off and go to bed. He lay there in the dark until he heard her charging port whir and disconnect. He felt her stir, hum quietly, and shift her arms around him. He held his breath, waited for her to do something, jump away from him, shake him awake, push him off, anything.  He gasped when her hand brushed his face, and she shushed him gently and apologetically. Warm fingers carded through his hair, and quiet tune settled in over the static. She brushed his hair with her hands and traced gentle lines over his cheek and down his neck to his collar before starting again. She smothered in him a force that stole his breath and left him shaking, confused and fragile like a baby deer in her arms. And she never once held an iota of judgement or impatience. Sunlight was streaming in through the windows by the time Five had drunk his fill of static and had flooded his bones with its buzzing. He sat up, blinking sleepily and wanting to nap the rest of the morning away. He’d do it right here with her if he could but he knew he couldn’t take up more of her time. His siblings would be coming to find out what happened to her before much longer. She smiled gently and warmly, brushing his hair out of his face. He closed his eyes and let her, feeling her fingers trace his cheek and cup warm and solid against his skin. He would melt for her if she asked. Become a marionette for her to control, all she needed was to pluck his strings to make him dance. And he didn’t care. He trusted her not to.

I adore this scene, it's one of the first parts of this story that popped into my head. I wanted Five to have this vulnerable, fragile moment with Grace. To get relief for the touch starvation he feels,

She smothered in him a force that stole his breath and left him shaking, confused and fragile like a baby deer in her arms.

and a showcase of the explicit trust he could have for Grace.

He would melt for her if she asked. Become a marionette for her to control, all she needed was to pluck his strings to make him dance. And he didn’t care. He trusted her not to.

I am convinced that Delores started out as a Grace surrogate that matured as Five grew up. This is kind of my love letter to that idea, that if there was anyone in the world that Five could possibly trust to love him unconditionally, even in the most technical of ways, it would be Grace. That is her nature to love him, and being artificial guarantees that to Five, and guarantees that she couldn't judge him like a human would.

4. Favorite line of dialogue.

His face felt hot and he couldn’t look at Klaus without feeling like he was going to implode. He gestured to the strawberries. “You were drowning them before, but now you aren’t giving them enough.”

The culmination of the strawberry metaphor! The whole lead up to this line is Five having to dance around his own struggle to just speak his truth. Klaus has already figured it out by the time Five says this, but this is him actually telling Klaus what his problem was. "You were smothering me at first, and now you aren't giving me enough." And Five isn't cognitively aware that that's what he's doing, he thinks he's just warning Klaus about his poor strawberries.

[decamarks]

i bought ultrakill forever ago but never got around to playing it. what is the deal why has it spawned such a dedicated fanbase. you seem like you'd know....

IT'S JUST REALLY GODDAMN FUN!!! that's the short answer and honestly the best answer. it's really ridiculously fun. like probably one of the most fun games to ever exist.

there is a ridiculous amount of care and skill and soul packed into every design choice; it culminates in some of the most immaculately ecstatic and visceral gameplay i've ever experienced. it cannot be understated how brilliant this game's design is. the only way to really understand why it excels is to just play it!

if you'd like an anecdote to represent the overall ultrakill experience, here's mine: when i played the demo for the first time, after maybe 5 minutes i became so physically nauseous that i had to stop. and in that time i immediately went to get the full game. it's DELIGHTFUL. (see also: jerma's playthrough where he starts screaming "humans aren't supposed to be doing this" during a boss fight.)

but even aside from pure gameplay, there really is a lot to love… there's a certain self-aware sincerity to everything. it's unabashed on purpose, and in the best ways possible. despite its obviously absurd violence, don't at all mistake ultrakill for something cynical or misanthropic—there's a lot of depth and heart dancing beneath the surface, a lot of it in places i didn't expect to see it, and so much that i didn't expect to appreciate nearly as much as i do.

[okay this got too long. the rest is going DOWN HERE ↓]

like okay, obviously the music is just. insane. the goddamn midi metal/breakcore genre fusion is THE most hilarious and unfathomably genius stylistic choice that could have been made. and it's not even just that!! there's ambient & drone & harsh noise influence all across the ost, which just enchants and delights me. i DEFINITELY didn't expect it, but i love it. (the fact that there's like, a level named after a sunn o))) song, and that the latest update contains a godawful joke about trout mask replica might tell you exactly what kind of game ultrakill is, or it might tell you literally nothing.)

the writing and worldbuilding can be rich and compassionate in ways i really didn't expect, too... it's so evident that it's a work of passion, with really sincere and often sweet philosophies sprinkled throughout all the bloodshed and grotesque silliness—and often within them. it makes me smile! also gabriel is a really good character. people go apeshit over that guy. for good reason. he's just REALLY good.

if you're just interested in understanding its amassed fanbase, yeah ultrakill's is pretty ridiculous and dedicated. and it's extremely deserved! the game is fun & the characters are fun. being in early access, it's kinda built on ongoing feedback, so it makes sense people are invested. the devs really seem to embrace the fanbase wholeheartedly, which helps a lot too. that is also why, kind of inexplicably, ultrakill is kind of a gay & horny game. please note that i do not say these things flippantly or lacking deliberation; there's an extremely good essay to be written about gayness across ultrakill & its communities. like aside from the general hilarity of a game having official buttplug support, the fact that the dev team hired an artist specifically because he drew a lot of incredibly beautiful/obscene depictions of gabriel DOES say a lot. this, of course, makes ultrakill 100x better.

anyway that's the basics. i could definitely write THOUSANDS of words about this game and that's honestly... not what i expected when i booted it up the first time LOL. it really just happened to appeal to a lot of things i sincerely adore, in an unexpectedly sincere way—all while being a STUPIDLY good game.

TL;DR: it's a fun robot video game where you shoot things. and there's blood and explosions. it's good you should play it

[cerise-on-top]

hi there! I was wondering if you could write how Farah would react if the reader got hurt because she's the commander of the ULF?

(Btw you are feeding the Farah lovers! Remember to take breaks and such if needed! 💞💞)

Hello! I'm glad to hear that! I do love writing for the girls, after all! I love them dearly and I'm glad you all do too! And I will take breaks if I need them, don't worry!

Reader got Hurt Because of Farah

I think that, although Farah is a very reasonable person and always uses her head instead of her heart, you getting hurt would be one of the few times where she would act out of emotions rather than rational thought. She can’t usually afford such a thing, no matter how distressed she may be, so it basically never happens. But the person who hurt you will come to regret ever getting close to you. She won’t go after them guns blazing, no, she’s way too smart for that. But that person will be dealt with, either immediately or after a while. Farah doesn’t forget, her memory is far too good for that. If she can see your attackers face, good. That way she can either immediately go after them or track them down by memory alone. But if she can’t see it then she’ll spare no expense in finding out who it may have been. It might take a while, but she’ll get her revenge. In fact, you getting hurt would be another big reason for her to fight her war for peace, because in her ideal world, no one gets hurt. Not you, not her brothers or sisters. However, whoever hurt you won’t live to see such a utopia. Farah won’t torture them, but she’ll make quick work of whoever they may be so that they won’t hurt anyone else near and dear to her. But of course, all of this goes once she’s certain you’re alright. Farah will call the best medics she has to make sure you’ll make it, that you’ll end up in as little pain as possible during your recovery. She won’t particularly have the time to be by your side throughout it all, but she’ll come visit you whenever she can, maybe even bringing you a recovery gift or two in the process. Always has someone check up on you. Someone she trusts will come in every once in a while and ask you how you’re doing to give her a report on your status. Yes, she may be on the frontlines fighting a war, but she always needs to know how you’re doing or else she’ll get even more nervous than she should be.

[wiltkingart]

Have you ever played cry of fear?

i watched a playthrough like 10 years ago