#mc is a psychological horror game. and i fully believe this

[luvapricity]

ʚ so, i’ve played Doki Doki Literature Club! a couple times and i wanted to share my thoughts on the game for anyone who’s thinking of going through it — or if you’re just curious to know what i think!! (MAJOR TW BTW!!)

ʚ Doki Doki Literature Club! (which i’ll call DDLC from now on) is a visual novel psychological horror game created by Dan Salvato. before i played it through, i had heard about it before and i knew it was scary, but i didn’t think it’d be THAT nerve-wracking. the game trailer for DDLC+ makes it seem like a cute dating sim, but then you realize it’s rated M and also, a psychological horror game. !! before i really start, i just want to say that further on this post may contain spoilers !! — sorry ^^.

first of all, i wanna talk about sayori. she’s the mc’s childhood best friend, and one of the 4 love interests. i thought she was adorable, she’s my 2nd favorite out of all the girls, and i felt like i really connected to her personally. i loved her bubbly personality and the way she wrote poems. i also liked her character design. once the time came where sayori finally opens up to the mc, admitting that she’s depressed, i obviously had to choose the “i love you” choice. turns out the only difference is that when you choose “i love you” over the “you’ll always be my greatest friend, sayori(?)” choice is that you get a cut scene of them hugging. it was adorable anyway. anywho, when she died, i was SO upset. what makes it even worse is that dan salvato confirmed the suicide happened even before the mc woke up that morning. though, i fully don’t believe sayori actually killed herself. in the death scene (which genuinely made my heart drop) you can see blood on sayoris hands. this may mean she was fighting and suffering while she was being hung. this means that she was also probably fighting off someone.. hint hint.. !!monika!! either way, sayori is genuinely a great character and i really loved her. i wish she would’ve gotten to be in more time of the game (act 2 mostly) but i understand how the game had to kill her off in order to move on.

next, i’d like to talk about natsuki. she’s the short-tempered tsundere type girl, which i don’t really like as a trope in most characters — but i really liked natsuki, too. despite her angry exterior, natsuki shows that she really has a lot of love for her friends. by ‘friends’, i mean mostly sayori and monika. yuri and natsuki aren’t the bestest of friends but they get along sometimes. during my first play through i could’ve easily chosen any girls route — though i was off put by the lack of a monika one, i chose natsuki. i was so attracted to her character (no, not in a romantic way). i just really enjoyed her for some reason. when i began act 2, i freaked out a bit. i got that one glitch where it’s a 16 something percent chance for natsukis mouth to go all realistic during the chat with yuri by the closet. something else i liked about natsuki was the fact that she read manga. i don’t really see a lot of characters who talk about their passion for things like manga. also, i’m gonna be honest, i didn’t realize natsuki was being abused by her dad later on. i think what made it obvious was the special poem i got from natsuki during act 2. it said something like, “i like when papa keeps food in the house. i like when papa drops coins in the couch. i like when papa is too tired to notice me. i like when papa is too tired for anything”. although it didn’t directly state it was by natsuki, it was easy to assume. sometimes i wonder what caused her father to be that way. her father is also the reason the probably joined the club; so she could read her manga in peace. she’s my #1 character, and i’m pretty sure it’ll stay that way.

now, it’s yuris turn. in all honesty, i hate her. i don’t like yandere characters most of the time, and yuri i disliked even more than i hate yanderes in general. she creeped me out from beginning to end; the fact that she’s obsessed with knives is a big no for me. i ended up doing her route in act 3 because it was a ‘why not’ moment, and it ended up freaking me out so much. don’t get me wrong, in the beginning she seemed more like the quiet character type — which i was actually interested in learning more about!! but then she started showing her habits more, which made a dark turn in the game. at her death scene, i really sat there for 15 minutes waiting for her to say something. but no, she was dead. although i don’t like her character, yuri is pretty interesting and has a couple theories surrounding her and the game that invested me as well.

last, but !!definitely!! not least, is monika! (just. monika.) now, i truly have a love-hate relationship with monika. she’s a cool character, she just really pissed me off at some points. she’s definitely one of the best written characters that i’ve seen in a while. she shows that evil people may have a reason, and don’t always deserve to be hurt — monika knew everything was a simulation, and she wasn’t able to escape the ever-lasting pain, either. you, the mc, are the only person who’s real to her in a world where absolutely nothing else exists. after mc deletes her, it really breaks my heart, because she comes back (along with the other girls). this shows that she cares about you enough to bring back the people you care about, which she deleted, so you’re able to love her. it makes me sad. monikas not a bad person, she just wants a way out of her pain, by loving you. when you delete her, it just means that she’s just stuck in that void forever, always suffering. i hate how the game has no real happy ending. i think that her reaction to what’s happening is reasonable, i (and anyone else) would most likely react in the same way.

in the end, doki doki is a beautifully written game. all the characters are great in their own way and i love love love the dark turn it took. i also love all of the secrets hidden in the game, mostly the Project Libitina theory, which you can read about here:

that’s all, really ^^; if you actually read through my thoughts on all the characters then thanks!! this post wasn’t very necessary, i just love the game so much that i wanted to get it all out.

[axupodz]

30 Amazing Questions Only A Genius Could Answer.

( insert obvious clickbait thumbnail)

As requested by @judyxd26

THIS IS OBVIOUSLY MY OWN OPINION. DONT @ ME

JUST MONIKA (I see you there)

Probably Yuri. The Shy/Yandere anime trope has been used a little too much recently.

Has to be "Your Reality". I gives me the feels everytime. EVERYTIME.

"Sayo-nara" gotta be my least fav. Not because its bad or anything. It just gives me scary flashbacks of Sayori. TOO SPOOPY FOR ME.

Most afraid? Hmm, if ur talking about the jumpscares, I would say Natsuki when she snaps her neck. (DID I SAY THERE'S SPOILERS HERE?)

I would say Monika. I always try too hard for attention :3

Look most familiar?? First of all, im a dude. *LOOKING AT MALE VER DDLC CAST* ok, its either Sayori or Monika. Can't decide tbh.

I used my first name BOI. GOTTA HAVE THE FULL IMMERSION.

10/10. Despite the warnings everytime you open the game and at the game page, I never took it to consideration. Sayori's death really took me by surprise.

Sayori maybe? MC's texts during that part was deep. If deleting Monika is considered a death, I would say thats the most saddest one. Monika realised the mistakes she made and she regretted them. But it was too late as she was slowly getting deleted. On a side note: I didnt delete her in the end, her conversations were very interesting. My sister forced me to delete her tho :/

(Lets keep the next few questions short, Im trying to get some sleep 😪) Sayori: I like that she's optimistic. But she's too sensitive i'd say.

Short girls are cute. Manga IS literature. DONE.

I like that she's shy and all but im not very fond of the idea of playing with knifes. DONE.

SHE IS BEST GIRL. SHE IS THE ONLY CHARACTER THAT FEELS REAL. SHE DESERVES A ROUTE. SHE IS A GODDESS SEND FROM THE HEAVENS. SHE THICC BOI, FIGHT ME. (I should have been a little more serious😅 There is more reasons at Question 29.)

Monika's poem. DONE.

NOPE, IM A HYPROCRITE. TRIED ONCE, FAILED BADLY.

I would if I COULD ACTUALLY FINISH READING MY BOOKS FOR ONCE. *glares at the full collection of Harry Potter at the corner of the room*

Pretty often. Not enough to fix my spelling tho.

Once. The English Club at school. Pretty boring.

Like I said before, im a dude. Soo yea, MC is my only option.

Yuri. For obvious reasons.

There isnt a character that I "want" to be a guy but i'd say Sayori looks fine as both genders.

I havent seen any fanart of Monika as an animal yet. So, Monika then.

If Monika had a route I would totally pick that one. Since she doesnt, i would pick Natsuki's.

Probably Stephen King

They did such an amazing indie game last year. Can't wait for the next one.

Yuri i guess. My yandere mode becomes active sometimes :3

Actually I have. Not the best experience.

(Skip this one if you want to. It's veryyy long.WARNING, It's about to get serious) I actually sat through a good 50+ minutes talking with Monika.In that time, she tells me how every time I quit the game, she feels like she's "dying", and enters a "living Hell" full of static screaming, flashing and darkness, and despite the fact that she feels as if her mind is disjointed in this space, she's still aware enough to remember it all every time we come back. There's also the fact she's fully aware all of her "friends" are simply mindless programs lacking free-will whose sole purpose in existence is falling in love with the player.I quit and loaded up the game a few times, and she asks you multiple times to please not put her through that torment, but eventually just says she'll have to relent that you can't always have the game open.Then I kept going, and got Sayori to tell me how she's super appreciative that I took the time to get to know them all and help them with their problems (however little I actually did), and that they all loved me. Credits are rolling, and I notice that the CG's aren't being deleted, until the very ending where the entirety of the Main Menu is deleted.I fucking broke Monika's heart and she subjected herself to living in an eternal near-death hellish blackness, and still the last thing she does for me is sing me a song about how much she loves me and wishes I'd been able to love her back. Deleting her causes her pain, but she was still conscious of everything and in control of the game files. Quitting puts her in a near-death state filled with suffering.I know it's only an AR game and none of it's real, but I'm literally sitting here with tears in my eyes because no matter what you do, Monika is doomed to an existence of agony, and the last thing she believes is that we probably hated her.I can't handle that shit, man, I didn't need to know. Couldn't you even let us believe there was some solace?

The game broke me psychologically and left me traumatized for 3 days.Sayori's arc made me feel sick to my stomach and sad, Yuri's arc scared me, and Monika's arc broke my heart and made me sad again.What part of psychology makes depressing horror enjoyable? Why did I love and enjoy a game that hurts? Maybe because the characters are so real and I've grown attached to them? I don't know. Either way I love DDLC, the community, and the fan content, but I don't know why. I guess it's because the main grip of the game is the 4 girls themselves, you grow so attached to them that it feels like your losing close friends. Making characters in any video game likable is hard but this game is an example of it done right, adding along with the story makes DDLC truly an experience.( finally, im done. I need a rest rn before I have a mental breakdown)

[violetosprey]

BTD My thoughts on Strade

I covered my thoughts long ago on all of the “Till Death Do Us Part” game characters, but I never really took the time to talk about my thoughts about the main series “Boyfriend to Death” characters.  I have actually talked about many of these characters through various different posts.  But otherwise, there haven’t been that many posts dedicated specifically to certain BTD characters.

These posts will mostly be about my own opinions and views (a rough analysis more than anything).  I may end up focusing on multiple aspects of the character, or just one particular one if I think it defines them best (we’ll see).  For those that have read some of my other posts, there likely WILL be some thoughts I’ve stated before that I’ll simply be re-iterating here.  But there may also be some new stuff in here if it happens to come to mind, or because I’ve simply not had the time before to go over such a topic.

It will take a while to get through all 8, so please have some patience and just check back later if it looks like I don’t have a post up yet for a character you’re really interested in.  I will also be talking through these under the assumption that you’ve played/read all the routes (so I might mention but not go into explicit detail on a scene).

*major spoilers below for BOTH BTD and BTD2*

 Fun Fact:  Strade was the first character I’d ever seen related to the BTD series.  A picture of him online is actually what got me interested in the games.  That’s how I learned about them.  Also, I still think Strade’s scar near his mouth makes him look like he has a toothpick in his mouth (until he makes certain expressions).

If you asked me who I thought was the most popular character in the original BTD game, my guess would be Strade.  I don’t know exactly why, but I feel like Strade is the most common “face” of BTD (though maybe that’s just because he’s how I found the game myself).  Strade I think does embody that sense of horror these dating simulator parodies bring.  He’s one of the main reasons I consider the original BTD game that focuses on a character’s ability to be straight up evil (while the BTD2 characters had more depth). His pure sadistic nature might also be why he’s so popular.

First off, it’s perfectly fine if you want to head canon Strade with a slightly…nicer disposition. I know a lot of people enjoy doing this (especially with his relationship between either OC’s or Ren). They’re fictional characters, and people should be able to have a little fun with expanding on other possibilities (for stories, or just for kicks).  However, people who’ve read my other posts may have noticed that I prefer to stick as closely to the game canon (and what the creators confirm themselves) as possible.  And the canon truth about Strade is…he’s an absolute MONSTER.  Despite being one of the few human characters in the BTD series (excluding TDDUP), he has proved to be one of most evil and remorseless characters.  What’s more, we aren’t really given a back story as to why Strade is the way he is.  From what Gato’s implied though…it’s almost as if he’s just always been this way.  He has no deep rooted anger or anxiety issues from past trauma that we know of (and he appears way too confident).  He’s not doing it out of hatred (on the contrary, he likes people).  He’s just doing it for fun because he enjoys it.  Hell, he’s made it his CAREER through the snuff films.

People have asked Gato various things about how nice Strade can be.  In the game he DOES have a rather friendly demeanor to him.  And he’ll offer you food, call you “buddy.”  But I think the creator makes it pretty clear that while Strade holds no actual ill-will towards his victims, he IMMENSELY enjoys torturing them.  I think Gato has even once said something along the lines of “nothing Strade does is consensual.”  Meaning, he goes out of his way to make sure that no matter what, his victims are in distress.  Even if they manage to get comfortable around him, he’ll find a way to make them fear again. I talked about once how each of the BTD and TDDUP characters respond to “initiative,” and both the game and the creator make it clear that Strade has a preference for people that are more shy or introverted.  People that are less likely to open up or be assertive with him.  It also means it’s more likely that the person will be submissive and afraid of him I’m guess.  I think Gato had said that Strade decided to keep Ren because Ren was very submissive and willing to do whatever Strade said.

Speaking of Ren, I don’t think I’ve taken the time to really talk too much about the kind of “affection and love” Strade can show.  I think Gato once described the relationship between Strade and Ren was most similar to…roommates?  And Strade (when not tormenting Ren) would buy him games he wanted (so a weird snuff film rich sugar daddy?).  We do see that Ren’s not in the best shape though when he comes down into the basement. I have no clue how frequently Strade tortures Ren, but it’s definitely enough to keep Ren in a very nervous state. When you attack Ren, Strade gets furious.  But he doesn’t call Ren by his name, instead saying “You touched my fox,” I believe.  So Strade probably never considered Ren a lover or friend of any kind.  More like a pet.  Why Strade would be nice to his “pet” could be a psychological play here where offering even the smallest bits of kindness between his sadistic activities causes Ren to become more obedient and closer to Strade (a carrot stick method if you will).  

When a person is going through a horrible experience (like being kidnapped by a serial killer), the mind has the ability to do whatever it takes to help relieve stress from the victim and keep the will to live.  What probably happened here is Ren started to cherish the “kinder” moments of Strade so much that eventually he saw them as having some kind of “bond.”  It’s highly likely that Ren developed a form of stockholm syndrome.  We actually see the proof of this in BTD2.  Ren talks about how he KNOWS Strade was a horrible person, and we was afraid of him.  But at the same time, Ren thought they had something special.  In fact depending, on the level of affection and choices, I think Ren can even get really ticked off at you if you call him out saying that what he and Strade had wasn’t real.  If people were confused as to why Ren wanted you and him to kill Lawrence together, this is probably because Ren had developed this warped idea in his head that sadistic activities (and even murder) were part of a more intimate experience.  A quicker and more efficient way to form a stronger “bond” between the two of you.

Doesn’t that sound familiar? I’m pretty sure…Strade says something very similar to the MC in his basement back in BTD.  That the moment you’re sharing together is very exciting and very “intimate.”  This is probably the same kind of stuff he told Ren that caused Ren’s mind to slowly become warped.  It could just be Strade messing with people’s heads on purpose to get them to do what he wants.  However, I did occur to me that it’s entirely possible…that Strade fully believes that the act of causing harm to others, and hearing their screams, is an extreme form of intimacy.  Like it’s not just a tactic for him to torment people with, he actually gets off on the things he does because it’s his form of “love.” Before anyone who reads the other stuff on my blog calls me out, no I don’t think Strade is a yandere.  He’s far more yangire (I can’t quite be sure either if he’s really “loving the person or just the experience).  

Now this is just a theory, but it might also help to explain the bleeding heart ending.  Strade gets SO excited, that he forces himself on you and proceeds to strangle you to death while he’s doing so.  I’m sure several people thought this was a little strange.  Since I’m not a serial killer or murderer of any kind, of course this stumped me for a while as to how Strade ends up “loving you to death.”  I think now it’s possible that he ends up liking the MC (or interaction) so much, you could even say “loving” I guess, that he ends up holding nothing back and in a state of ecstasy, ends up snuffing out your life with his bare hands.  In the one survival ending, you need a full red (regular) heart to get your own shock collar.  This puts you at the same status as Ren (a “pet”).  But if you REALLY want Strade to “love” you…it ends up with your death.  I think this says a lot about just how deranged and sadistic Strade is.  It’s no wonder Gato has never painted him in a sympathetic light.

The last little bit I wanted to say about Strade, which I think it another reason people like about him, is the expressions he makes.  Hats off to Gato, Strade’s expressions in the series I personally think are some of the best.  If you don’t believe me, here’s a fun little video showcasing many (not sure if it’s all) of his expressions.  The music makes me laugh, but it makes the video more entertaining I think :P  You get to see him be cheery, sadistic, and angry, and it’s just a blast.

I really do like how simplistically evil Strade is.  He’s never truly meant to be a lover, which is good because the point of these games was to be ironic.  They’re not dating simulators where you win the heart of the bad boy (usually).  They’re survival horror games where you work hard to just get out alive.  But even when you do find that survival ending (and both Strade and Rire only have one each), you may realize to your horror that you don’t truly get to escape the nightmare.  And that’s CERTAINLY a twist to be admired.