#if ur not willing to put money into it bc u dont wanna waste it i will legit let u sign into my steam accoutn and download i am so serious

[ajdrawshq]

Is there any non-spoilery way you could talk about how isat isn't just about timeloops? because like I do want to check the game out eventually for sure if only because indie fun times but I'm busy for a while before I get the time and tbh I'm just not as curious because I don't know how it's gonna break that formula (also ngl no colors makes me lose 50% interest because I like. looking at colors. lots.)

UHM OK WELL UM. hm. how DO i do this without spoiling anything. im very not good at describing things especially things i Really enjoy so how do i put this . hold on i might need to look at some reviews so i know how to words. ok

as a disclaimer i havent fully interacted with a lot of (if any??) media that has timeloops so i cant say for certain what it does differently from similar media that makes it stand out from others. at the same time ive never seen something that is so directly About Timeloops in this way even if i consider stuff ive heard about in passing but i could be wrong (madoka n utena come to mind ?). ill try to think abt the things that arent Just timeloop related plus the stuff u mentioned and hope that helps it feel more interesting and less generic?

i think one of the main things i can say is that it Really makes you feel what the protagonist is feeling. more than anything ive ever watched or played or whatever . and thats saying a LOT given how much i empathize with protags in games. and its not even just an empathy thing here. both the story progression and the gameplay work in such a way that you experience pretty much everything the same way they do, while still having their own personal stuff u can learn about of course

on that note tho. that is actually something to be careful of for a few reasons. i know ur generally pretty good with darker content so i doubt thatll be a problem for u here (its not that bad tbh but there is IS a warning when u open the game/look at the steam page and it aint lying) but. due to the nature of timeloops. it CAN get tiring and this is very much intended. and this helps a lot w the story and themes in a way that its. like. think how kh days does repetition on purpose. its a lot like that (although i had way easier of a time getting thru isat than days? i cant remember how u feel abt days' gameplay but i think it was positive ? either way getting thru isat was way more bearable than days imo). it does do a good job at balancing this with a couple mechanics that mean u dont have to repeat everything all the time (i had like. Very few actual full loops by the time i finished) and theres ALWAYS new things happening, even if ur super thorough with everything. its pretty easy to do things at whatever pace u feel like and if u wanna focus on the main story only to make it easier it wouldnt take too much away from the experience (tho i do encourage talking to the npcs at least a few times), and theres always a goal to work towards. also dialogue skipping and the banana peel are ur best friends

sort of adding onto that. it really, really helps that u are sharing the experience with the protagonist. not only does that help u relate to them (even if u dont share as many traits w them as i do akvdjsn) but theyre probably the most beloved character in the game and for good reason!! its really fun to see their interactions with the rest of the main cast and the npcs, and watch them all develop in different ways throughout the game. and my goodness all of the characters are beautifully written - at first ur kinda thinking ok its a ragtag group of sillies in an rpg whats new. but their personalities and relationships and hobbies and problems and everything about them is just so well done.. they feel so natural. human even. every conversation feels real to me. one of the main themes of the game is the concept of change, and each of them represent and approach it differently, both positively and negatively. its hard not to fall in love with them as individuals and as a group because they just have so much going on, even the ones i didnt expect to like at all!!

the worldbuilding is also a fun spin on fantasy rpg worlds. it mostly revolves around the area u play in bc well. of course it does. but its vv interesting to learn about all the different cultures within the world and how they interact with and build on the themes of the game. theres all sorts of queer stuff going on and its all handled like a love letter to people who relate, and i can feel it even with what i dont relate to at all!! the way "magic" works and the ways people use it in battle and everyday life is super cool too, makes the whole thing feel a lot more believable and realistic :3 i dont wanna talk abt any specifics bc its more fun to learn abt this stuff ingame

OH AND THE TEXT.. EFFECTS?.. idk what to call that but the way dialogue (both internal and external) is written and programmed is funky as hell (affectionate). it was weird at first bc oftentimes (mostly for humor) its like. almost the way i type actually?? which feels strange in a legit game but it Works. it works so well and adds tone and vibes and a Voice in a way u usually cant get in a game without any voice acting. deltarune is also good at that but this one does it differently enough for me to consider it unique

HAVE I MENTIONED THE ART STYLE i love the art style . its so charming and expressive especially all the talking sprites n battle portraits. simultaneously silly n adorable while fully capable of being serious. and creepy. anyway look at the sillies i love them n their designs dearly (especially Siffrin (1st on the left) and Mirabelle (2nd on the left))

also on that note, the lack of colors....... i both totally understand being put off by that (i also love looking at colors n this part made me feel weird abt it when i was thinking abt getting it at first) and personally enjoy it? without saying anything spoilery (bc its really not), its just another part of the worldbuilding and themes that i now find really fun :3 should be noted that i usually have an anti blue light filter so it mightve been easier to look at w the yellowish tint going on. maybe it even looks better that way ? kinda reminded me of old films now that i think abt it.. neat!!

as a last thing i couldnt quite insert somewhere else. it is equal parts a comedy and a tragedy, and it is so, so effective at accomplishing this. the humor is fantastic and adds to the games' and characters' personality, every tragic moment is . for lack of a better word or phrase. absolutely fucking delicious. and i adore how well it can shift from one to the other gradually or in an instant, or just be both at once!!!! yippee!!!!!!!

aaand thats all i can say. i have no idea if that cleared anything up BUT i encourage u to give it a try bc i do think youd like it in the end. u probably wouldnt finish it as fast as i did but that might be a good thing jfbskndj but yeah!!!! in stars and time!!!!!! its good and i love it!!!!!!!!

[ephemelody]

hi!! i hope im not bothering u by coming here, u can ignore this if its too personal, but im currently in my junior year of college & i still dont know what i wanna do w/ my life. i remembered u mentioning that u pursued something u didnt want in college & are now going after ur dreams, & i was wondering if u had any advice for me? ive always loved writing but its daunting to me as a career bc i just dont think im good enough. again, u dont have to reply! im just kind of lost rn & thought of u.

hey anon, thank you for opening up to me about this topic! it’s no bother at all!! i’m sorry for the late reply; i’ve been quite busy with my jobs and applications and i wanted to answer this properly. 

i’m definitely a supporter of following your dreams and pursuing what you truly want in life. life is short and the world is falling apart, and for me i knew that if i didn’t pursue something i really wanted, deep in my bones, i would most likely die with all my regrets weighing down on me. maybe that sounds melodramatic, but that’s ultimately what pushed me to make my decision. so if writing is something you want, something you’re willing to fight for no matter how hard the journey might be, then i say go for it!! 

making a career out of writing is definitely daunting though, i feel that anxiety 200%. to be honest, ever since i quit applying to medical school to go after the dream of publication, it hasn’t been a walk in the park. i’m currently working 2 jobs to pay my bills and i had to compromise a lot because of my personal family issues and because i didn’t want to waste my degree that put me over $30k in debt. that’s another reason to pursue something you’re actually interested in college: don’t waste your time and effort and money on something you don’t really want. it will only hurt you more in the end. 

of course, it’s also important to be practical/financially responsible. not everyone can be as lucky as veronica roth who got a crazy publishing deal for ‘divergent’ before she even graduated college. a lot of the authors i follow on social media have a day job to make a living wage while working on their stories in whatever time span they can. leigh bardugo, the author of the ‘six of crows’ duology, worked as a makeup artist among other jobs until she finally published her first book in her 30s. and madeline miller, author of ‘the song of achilles,’ worked on that incredible book for 10 years while being a college professor. so if there’s a major or career you’d be content with studying that will be able to support you financially while you pursue writing on the side, that’s definitely a good option.

i don’t think there’s any author out there who feels like their writing is “good enough.” it seems like most writers are riding the imposter syndrome boat lol. and in publishing there’s going to be A Lot of rejections. i actually finished writing my 1st novel last year and it didn’t go anywhere, so now it’s collecting dust in my computer while i try to finish my 2nd novel this year and hope it’s decent enough that an agent will be interested. i don’t think i’ve ever felt “good enough” about my writing, but i love doing it anyway. there’s nothing else i’d rather break my heart over. 

so pursue writing if you love it, because someone out there is absolutely going to love your story too. i definitely finally got the courage to chase after my dream because of people supporting my klance fanfics. when i read people’s comments and saw how happy my silly stories made them and all the wonderful encouragement i received, it gave me hope that i’m not as bad as my brain often convinces me. it made me want to read up on the craft and study other authors’ way of drafting and improve in whatever way i could. so if you need some encouragement, share your writing with a few friends or take creative writing classes in college! the biggest support system i have right now is a writing discord i share with a friend who’s also pursuing publishing. 

i hope this ramble was somewhat helpful/made sense. please let me know if there’s anything i didn’t answer and please don’t hesitate to talk to me more if you need. i felt very lost and alone sometimes in college because of this topic. definitely supporting you and wishing you the best if you ultimately choose to pursue writing in whatever way!!!