#susan ashworth from the cat lady

[bleakbluejay]

top five women

the hardest ask i've ever gotten as a lesbian. "all of them" is a funny answer but i will try to pick 5.

hmmmmm.

in no particular order:

Lara Croft from the Tomb Raider series

She's smart, she's strong, she's witty, and she's hot. What else is there? I loved the Tomb Raider games as a kid. I used to make her do flips and swan dives and play around with her outfits (most relevant in Anniversary and Legend). She was so so cool. I'm not as big a fan of the reboot Lara, other than they made her queer, but :)

Anna the Huntress from Dead by Daylight

My wife. The game lore did her kinda dirty, but that's what headcanon is for. She's a big strong tall Russian lady who lives in the woods and hunts people. She kidnaps little girls from villages so she can take care of them in her little cabin and give them toys. She kills nazis. She sings. I'm so, so in love with her.

Ellen Ripley from the Alien series

Sigourney Weaver in general... but Ripley in particular. Brave, adaptable, intelligent. A girlboss if there ever was one. She's one of my favorite Final Girls (topped only by Nancy from the original Nightmare on Elm Street). Everything Ripley ever says is 100% correct and for some reason nobody wants to listen to her.

Leia Organa from Star Wars

A princess. A general. A rebel leader. And a badass bitch. Leia was one of the earliest examples of a good, strong-willed and fearless female character I had as a kid. Even if she needs rescue from time to time, she does plenty of rescuing others herself. She takes no guff from scoundrels like Han Solo or fascists like Grand Moff Tarkin. Her parents would be so, so proud of her.

Nani Pelekai from Lilo and Stitch

The relationship between Nani and her little sister Lilo reminded me a lot of my mom and me. And it takes a lot to raise a little kid on your own (especially one that is a little special needs like me and Lilo both were), working a crappy job, having no time for a social life, and having to fight against Child Protective Services. Being poor + indigenous + a broken family fucking sucks. But Nani held it together, just like my mom did. I can't forget a character like that.

[beck-nightengale]

Probably one of my favorite character dynamics of all time is when Character A is a depressed immortal who wants to die and Character B is a terminally ill mortal who wants to live, and they both learn knew things about themselves through the perspective of the other.

[washe-hz]

Miss Holloway is literally Susan Ashworth from The Cat Lady.

[light-lanterne]

i read the summary to your serial killer au and id like to know about the references you mentioned. what's their plot and how much of them is in your story?

hello ! um, i'll try to be brief because of spoilers, okei ? :]

tw // mentions of murder, suicide and cannibalism

the cat lady (2012 videogame): this is the story of a woman called susan ashworth, who's just died and is wandering the land of the dead. there, susan finds herself in the presence of Death itself and, because of the circumstances leading to her suicide, Death decides to give susan a second chance at living and finding joy,,, in exchange for a favour: susan has to kill five serial killers and, until the last one is dead, susan can't die. so,,, that's the basic premise of the whole story :D mike has struck this deal with death and he now has to kill five people. they come to him, so he can't avoid them, and they're all different levels of dangerous and messed up. .

the end of the f***ing world (2017 series): so, there's a boy called james, 17, who believes he's a psychopath. after killing many animals, he now feels ready to move on to something bigger and so, he decides he wants to kill alyssa, the very troubled new girl who decides she wants to run away and cross the country to reunite with her dad. so they leave. they do crimes. they kill someone. and then they're on the run,,, which is another major plot point of my story ~ mike only accepted the deal with Death because he's always wanted to kill someone. once back in the world of the living, the first person he meets is will and mike feels the urge to kill him, so he accepts to travel to california with him and it is along the way that they encounter the killers :O .

bones and all (2022 film): on the day she turns 18, maren's dad abandons her, leaving her only with her birth certificate and a tape recording that details maren's long history of violence and cannibalistic attacks. lost and lonely, maren then decides to search for her mother and along the way she meets a bunch of other people like her: cannibals, people who were born like this and can't help themselves. one of these people is lee, who is also lonely and immediately connects with her. so they go together, kill together, eat together and fall in love ~ now, this one is mostly about the vibes :O there's something cosy about lee and maren's relationship; how they are different from the rest of the world, monsters, and they can't help it but it's okei because they have each other. so for the most part i wanted to recreate that feeling with my story :] ,,,that said, there's also a cannibal character in my story (h****) who relates a lot to mike and wants to take him under his wing in an almost brotherly way and mike knows he has to kill him, but they actually start to get along so mike is very troubled and scared that he'll end up eating will because of how much he loves him x.x .

so yeah, hope this answers your questions :] thank you for sending them in ~ !! :D

story summary 🔪 || snippet (4k+ words)

[thesundowncrew]

🐈🍂📷 Worthwhile 📷🍂🐈

"I must confess. Yesterday was bad. It was one of those days when you feel like you're back in the past and all the good stuff that happened was just a dream. But I woke up today feeling better. Maybe I can never get rid of it, this invisible illness. Maybe it will always be living somewhere deep inside me, asleep. Waiting. And when it'll hit me, it'll hit me hard. But if there's one thing that Mitzi taught me, it's that you have to pick yourself up and carry on. It doesn't matter that life isn't fair. It doesn't matter that you make mistakes. You fall and rise again. World's full of liars, traitors and cowards... But every now and then, you'll meet someone like Mitzi who'll just smile at it all. Now, I've forgiven the world and myself, too. I teach myself to smile again. One day I'll get better. I know I will. Even if it takes me not nine, but nine hundred lives." -Susan Ashworth, The Cat Lady (by Harvester Games).

Wanted to share my all-time favorite quote from the game The Cat Lady since I thought it fit Seneca's quote & theme well 🐱

[decayinginred]

Honestly, I’ve never related to a character as much as American McGee’s Alice Liddell. She means the world to me. I just love her so much.

[floralkittygambler]

My First Tag

Tagged by 2 surprisingly lol, thanks @honesthazbinarchives and @siaesnow - I’m honoured to be considered a buddy to you both ^^

“Starting up a Picrew tag game… you, but four years ago versus now! The purpose is to tag at least five to 15 users that you are friends with, and to create a tag chain of our character development!” ~ @goangelic

Picrew to use: https://picrew.me/image_maker/100365

Why is it always a sob story with me? Ok, jesting aside: Me 4 Years Ago: Without going too into depth, I was in hospital, extremely low and close to death. A few years prior, alongside what was already an uneasy life, I watched 2 very beloved people rot in hospital themselves. There was no one for me and I allowed myself to fall into disarray with matted hair and bones poking out my frame. Everything was such a fucking mess and yet these years are both horribly vivid and hazy. Like a thick fog of repression in my mind. Something I’m not yet willing to confront. Me 4 years ago, and 4 years prior to that is/was a delusional nightmare. Though I plan to tell my lil Kiddas/Squicks a funny ‘tale’ from 2012, it’s the year I wish to distance from the most.

Me Now: The same but ginger lol. Nah, I’ve made my improvements. And setbacks. I’m not as frail and mentally I feel more... It’s painful but I cope better. Therapy is still very much inaccessible to me sadly. Trying to grow as a person, but sometimes Im a grumpy tired lol. I learned of my place on the spectrum and have made my own steps to better understand and communicate more with other people. Im developing my hobbies. And I drink (mildly) in honour of a loved one. That year is still tender and I experience flashbacks and nightmares but I manage. I’m currently blamed for being a cat magnet as housing creatures in need lol. I want to show my little ones the world the way he showed me. Im trying to make good of what life I have. Still shy but I manage many things much better, though I’ve learned to accept where my soul truly stands. Im also now and open and accepted witch. Tomorrow will be hard and I have a long way to go. I take on a more active role in nurturing those around me. Though Ive improved greatly, I still feel something unsettling in the air around me. Also, there are seriously lots of cats drawn to and follow me. Seriously one of the neighbour’s cats even comes ‘round to visit me for hugs. Im the local cat lady. I feel like Susan Ashworth. Overall, I CAN confirm improvement as well as self-reflection. I’m not as toxic as I used to be. I can see and work on my own flaws. I’m far from being where I wish but I’m actively working towards that. Visualising and slowly getting there. I’m seeking to learn new skills and just enjoy my time. Plus my siblings seem to speak to me more and even steal my jokes so... I’m doin’ something right and must be funny enough for that lol. I also owned [’owned’] a large spider this year. She’s a wild giant house spider that lived under our window in a plant pot. Now I fear spiders [trying to get better as I love Ts] but I saw she had an eggsac. So I felt for the Mama spider and started to leave her food, even freeing her legs. Her babies have hatched and she’s moved out now but one of her babies has stayed so Im monitoring them until they choose to leave. I think I’ve become more brave with people, in my self in terms of animals, and just with dealing with shit. I get a bad panic attack now and usually it doesnt look obvious because... I just shrug and try to mentally soothe it [not easy but I try]. And I can ramble for ETERNITY on animals because I love them with my soul 🥺 As for gambling, always done that LOL. I’m honestly proud that Ive never formed an addiction [aside from minor meds one as a kid, cravings for sugar/meat now and my absolute lust for orange juice lol]. I found out I am very durable. BONUS - Me In 4 Years Time:

I become some weeby cat bullshit lol jkjk British Shorthair Waifu? British Shorthair WaifMEW - but seriously you can tint your skin faintly blue by consuming enough blue smarties [brit choc] and Im gonna bloody do it. Make me look like those Avatar alien folks. Tagging... Fuck, I dont really know too many here like that- Especially untagged O.o Ermmmm I hope yall dont mind? @noirellearts, @rootbeergoddess​, @enchantedchocolatebars​ [Sorry if I forgot anyone, I’m extremely slow with name recollection]

[mysteriouslyhopefulstranger]

MSA X The Cat Lady AU Idea

An AU idea that involves my muse Alice Veil. Trigger warning on topics of suicide and depression below the cut:

Alice plays the Susan Ashworth role in this AU. I’m debating whether or not I have her mother deceased in this AU. Regardless, Alice starts off killing herself and entering the Other World where she meets The Queen of Maggots. Like in the game, the Queen of Maggots tells Alice that she has chosen her to kill five people/demons dubbed “parasites” once she brings her back to life, and grants her immortality so that she can complete the job should they get the jump on her. Five parasites will come to her, three humans, and two demons. The demons will be Shiromori and “???.”

The first parasite is in the hospital that Alice wakes up in. Instead of Dr. X, it’s Dr. Romero (crossing over again with Nightmare House 2). It’s through him that Alice discovers a truth involving her past.

The Mystery Skulls gang act as the Mitzy role. The team were in the neighborhood when Mystery heard Alice’s pet fox, Bijoux, screaming an “alarm.” The team found Alice dead from her suicide and called an ambulance. They looked after her fox while she was recovering. Once they heard that she was checked out, they visit Alice again to return her fox and introduce themselves. They explain that they’re searching for a demon that escaped after an exorcism, “???” to be exact. They tell her the damage “???” had done to the team, and that they’ve pinpointed its location around Alice’s neighborhood. Alice reveals herself to be psychic and the gang ask to stay in her house while searching for “???” This also gives Vivi an excuse to ask Alice some questions about being a psychic, much to Alice’s annoyance.

The second and third parasites Alice runs into will be Shiromori and some man. This man had found Shiromori and had fallen in love with her. Shiromori manipulates this man to feed her animals and people for blood. He kidnaps Alice as the next victim. This is where Alice learns about Shiro’s connection with Mystery. Shiro finds out that Alice had been around Mystery and plans to use her to get to him. Alice kills them both before escaping and tells the gang what happened.

The fourth parasite appears when Alice and Vivi are home alone planning their search for “???” Before the attack, they have a small spat when Vivi brings up a video tape she found that was labeled “CAUTION.” The women are captured until Arthur, Lewis, and Mystery return. While Arthur nearly gets overpowered, Lewis and Mystery beat the intruder senseless. Once the women are freed, Alice delivers the killing blow. Alice proceeds to confide in them the Train Incident.

The team search the neighborhood until they finally find the house containing “???” It has possessed another man. The possessed man tries to kill them, but Alice sacrifices herself, knowing that she was granted immortality. She meets up with the Queen of Maggots, who tries to force her to make a cruel gamble in order to be revived. She gives the red-head two candles and tells her to blowout one; one candle holds Arthur’s life, and one holds Vivi’s life. Whichever one Alice blows out, that person dies. Furious, Alice refuses and uses one of the candles to burn her alive. Alice finds a way to revive herself and finds that the team have exorcised “???” out of the host. They kill it together, sending it to hell.

[gothoctopus]

thank you @pyropelove413 for the tag!! (´∀｀)♡

Rules: List your favorite character from 10 Different Fandoms and tag 10 people (oof)

1. Claudia (The Dragon Prince)

2. Ruvik and Juli Kidman you CANNOT make me choose i will not do it!! (The Evil Within)

3. Vriska Serket (Homestuck)

4. Wilbur Whateley (from the uhh fuckin Lovecraft fandom I guess?)

5. Five (The Umbrella Academy)

6. Maka Albarn (Soul Eater)

7. No Face (Spirited Away)

8. the amphibian man (The Shape of Water)

9. Inej (Six of Crows)

10. Susan Ashworth (The Cat Lady...favorite character of all time >.>)

tagging: @regalkn1ght @sevencolorsoul @somethingscarlet13 @duskdragonxiii @coyoots would love to hear about your favorite characters, but obviously you don’t have to if you don’t want to!

[bioshocked-astroghost]

Rules: Choose 10 favorite characters/people from 10 different fandoms and tag 10 other people.

I was tagged by @aspiewillgraham why have you done this to me (no but thanks lmao)

fuck ok I cant ever pick favorites I’m like the most indecisive person ever when it comes to favorites so A LOT of these are more than one person and ik that’s breaking the rules but I enjoy chaos occasionally, as a treat

(also these have no specific order I’m just putting them out however, also this was a HARD list????? I deadass went blank on fandoms I’m in around number 5)

1. Loki - MCU

2. Elizabeth/Booker Dewitt - Bioshock Infinite

3. The Outsider - Dishonored series

4. Harrison Wells/Cisco - The Flash

5. Will Graham - Hannibal

6. Crowley - Supernatural

7. Daryl Dixon/Rick Grimes - The Walking Dead

8. Pretzel Jack - Channel Zero

9. Sansa Stark - Game of Thrones

10. The Queen of Maggots/Susan Ashworth - The Cat Lady

tagging(u don’t have to, obviously):

@tthehotelier @cryptid-crusader @metalmurphy @bookrockshooter @thedrawinggoddess @the-space-misanthropist @imgetting2old4diss @sing-little-blackbird @sunnyhomes @the-witch-named-mavis

[hopetheprincess]

Inktober day 16. Susan Ashworth from the game The Cat Lady. Huge favorite character. I would recommend playing or watching a playthrough of the game but it’s rife with triggering horror and lots of mental health stuff so idk view at your discrection I guess??? Anyway not to be dramatic but I would die for Susan

[listoriented]

The Cat Lady

cw: suicide, mental illness

The Cat Lady is a sidescrolling horror-adventure game. It contains: long sections of dialogue, item-based puzzles, jump scares, slow-moving character animations. It was released in 2012. It was made by Harvester Games, an independent studio from Poland. Apparently a sequel, Lorelai, was released earlier this year. Curiously, three out of the last five games now have been made by different Polish studios.

The protagonist/Cat Lady in question is Susan Ashworth. Susan is a forty-year-old woman who lives in an apartment, more or less fully alone aside from the occasional company of stray neighbourhood cats. Susan is suffering from severe depression — the game begins with her attempting suicide. She ends up in a limbo realm where the French-accented ‘Queen of Maggots’ tells her to go back to the living realm and kill five psychopaths (“parasites”). So she does, kind of, but the subsequent quest to do this is very mixed in with Susan’s own path to recovery.

The Cat Lady is a perplexing, frustrating, interesting patchwork mess of a game. I don’t know what I think of it. I don’t know whether to celebrate its relatively (to most other games) thoughtful depiction of mental illness or discuss how this is still overly enmeshed in problematic depictions of violence. I don’t know whether to commend the game’s partial unwinding of the lonely cat lady trope or to reflect on how it reaffirms this idea of depression as something that makes someone act like an arsehole to everyone around them.

The whole game is kind of like this. It uses surrealism and unreliable narration to imply discursive thinking into the altered states of perception produced by mental illness, but then it seems to narratively validate these altered states because the plot of the game involves murdering, and getting murdered by, serial killers and psychopaths. It has lots of overbearing, superfluous dialogue, mixed in with some genuinely thoughtful and insightful moments – which it then undercuts, again, with ridiculous violence. For example! The first time The Cat Lady made me think, oh, maybe this game is actually going to take this subject seriously, was in the second chapter when Susan talks to a psychiatrist and it gave you these dialogue options of, like, talking seriously about your past, yay, the game is making the implicative link between trauma and illness, maybe there is hope! And then….. and then the psychiatrist MURDERS YOU because he is A SERIAL KILLER.

And it’s just like. What?

I think, in a vacuum, this sort of tonal rollercoaster would be fine, if this was one game among many that explored different depictions of different kinds of experiences of mental illness – sure, that would be totally valid. The Cat Lady has one of the more interesting explorations of mental illness I’ve seen in games. But this is both a medium that is very prone to violence, and one in which mental illness has largely been tied with the motivations of evil boss characters, in much the same way that we often look for it as the motivation for crimes without necessarily trying to understand the social underpinnings that go into it. Video games have been more likely to stigmatise mental illness rather than engender understanding. Working with this background, continuing to tie violence to mental illness poses an associative problem that, through its spectral depiction of surrealism, it never really shakes itself of – it doesn’t work hard enough against the pre-existing tropes, basically. But that isn’t to say it’s wrong, only that I don’t know if it can be categorically declared ‘a success’. Like, sure, I get that maybe it’s meant to be read as allegory, or maybe we’re meant to appreciate that not knowing what is real is indeed one of the game’s core points about depicting mental illness – but then, the logical leaps it makes are so large, it frequently undermines so much of the sensitivity in its world-building. It’s hard to find much to hold onto, or know where to orient ourselves to parse what these depictions of these themes are saying.

It’s all over the place in so many ways. It starts poorly – the first two chapters are the weakest – but I liked it better the more I played of it. Some of puzzles are a little infuriating, though I ended up enjoying how they played out more often than not, particularly once I’d picked up the rhythm of the game’s thinking. The voice-acting is extensive though not always convincing. The penultimate chapter has a neat sleuthing layout that really slinks into a cool, elaborate whodunnit puzzle. After the chaos of the first two chapters, I liked the way the game built up through the middle, reorienting around depictions of Susan’s apartment and the warmness of the little moments like having coffee and a cigarette on the balcony. I appreciated the morose, mostly monochrome pallet with sparing and smart interjections of colour. I liked the way the art feels cut together, lo-fi but intricate. Some of the jump scares are pretty good.

It’s…I don’t know. I feel like I’ve mostly read positive things about it, but I can’t get totally on board, nor do I really have the time/energy to more coherently unpack why I think it doesn’t always deal with its heavy subject matter that well. Maybe it’s an angle thing. If you’re asking “does it have a good depiction of depression for a schlocky horror game?” then yes. But remove the genre requirement, then no. Everything is relative.

update 9/10/2019** Some people have already discussed The Cat Lady with regards to representing mental illness with a bit more clarity and nuance than I have. Sarah Stang (2018) at First Person Scholar discusses The Cat Lady alongside Fran Bow and Hellblade: Senua’s Sacrifice, acknowledging that while these depictions have shortcomings, they represent a comparative step forward for games: 

The particular strength of all three games discussed above is that they feature female protagonists with mental illnesses and emphasize healing rather than curing. In Fran Bow and The Cat Lady, the clear message is that people with mental illnesses can help others and themselves, can overcome adversity and live with trauma, and can form meaningful relationships.

Stang links to a couple of other articles that give a reasonable background on the problematic relationship games have with mental illness. Sarah Nixon in 2013 gave a concise rendering of how horror games particularly tend to use and stigmatise mental illness. Aaron Souppouris (2015) looks at particular mechanics more extensively in discussion with a clinical psychologist. 

I also liked Eric Swain’s short and sweet take in 2015 (from ~5 minutes in), on a critical distance confab postcast in discussion with Austin Walker in 2015. Swain described the game as Freudian studies “through a 2000s nu-metal aesthetic”, noting how interesting the game looked and also the nice balcony scenes, but mentioning that it was hard to know what the game’s creator wanted to say about certain sensitive topics. **

Duration: Eight hours.

When/Why: A few years ago I was friends with a guy named John. We were in a book club with a bunch of other ex-classmates from uni. John also liked playing Dota, during the period of my life where I, too, was on that horse. I played Dota with John and his friend a few times, and was shocked at how angry and rude he was in game, this everyday fairly polite and thoughtful guy. Anyway, at some point John mentioned or recommended The Cat Lady in the context of a discussion at book club, which is, I think, how I came to buy it in a steam sale in early 2015. I played it for a bit but found the physical slowness of the game too patience-testing at the time, given that at the time I was, as mentioned, addicted to the dopamine gambit of Dota. When I later mentioned this – my inability to get through the first chapter of the game he’d recommended - to John, he agreed that it was “a bad game”, further confusing me as to why it was brought up in the first place, and indeed I’m not sure if John has actually played it, seeing as it doesn’t come up as something that exists in his steam library, or at least, on the steam account of his that I’m friends with. So, that’s the long story as to how this game came to be here. But why else do you read this blog?

up next is Cat Quest

[princess-hope-selfships]

Faves List for mobile users!

💖💖💖 Romantic Faves 💖💖💖

Connor Kenway (Assassin’s Creed 3)

Trevor Philips (Grand Theft Auto V)

Lestat de Lioncourt (The Vampire Chronicles, specifically Interview with the Vampire)

Prince Sidon (The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild)

King Dice (Cuphead in: Don’t Deal with the Devil!)

Charles Smith (Red Dead Redemption 2)

Javier Escuella (Red Dead Redemption 1 and 2, specifically 2)

Princess Peach (Super Mario Bros)

Kazuma Kiryu (Yakuza series, specifically Yakuza 0)

Bigby Wolf (The Wolf Among Us/Fables)

Preston Garvey (Fallout 4)

Frederick (Fire Emblem Awakening)

Alex Shepherd (Silent Hill: Homecoming)

Simon Brezhnev (Durarara!!)

Raven Cronwell (Elsword)

🌻🌻🌻 Platonic Faves 🌻🌻🌻

Majima Goro (Yakuza series, specifically Yakuza 0)

Link from The Legend of Zelda series, pretty much any Link really?

Franklin Clinton (Grand Theft Auto V)

Wade Hebert (Grand Theft Auto V)

🍃🍃🍃 Familial Faves 🍃🍃🍃

Cuphead and Mugman (Cuphead: Don’t Deal with the Devil) (sons)

Wario (Super Mario Bros) (brother)

Yotsuba Koiwai (Yostubato!) (daughter)

Sora (Kingdom Hearts series) (son)

Link (The Legend of Zelda: Wind Waker) (son)

Robin (Fire Emblem: Awakening) (son)

Chrom (Fire Emblem: Awakening) (son)

Susan Ashworth (Harvester Games’ The Cat Lady) (mother)

King Dorephan (The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild) (father-in-law)

Arthur Morgan (Red Dead Redemption 2) (father, brother, uncle? idk)

Ursula (The Little Mermaid) (aunt? Mentor? idk)

[sacrisomnia]

ten favorite characters from different fandoms !

i. Alice Liddell - American McGee’s Alice ii. May Dove Canady - May iii. Patricia Tannis - Borderlands iv. Tomie - Tomie v. Villanelle - Killing Eve vi. Keisha - Alice Isn’t Dead vii. Susan Ashworth - The Cat Lady viii. Cassie Hack - Hack/Slash ix. Beatrice the Golden Witch - Umineko x. Brigitte Fitzgerald - Ginger Snaps

tagged by: stole it from @nomither u3u tagging: please lift this curse from my hands

[spacedpanini]

There was a rise with very hurtful things about suicide on my personal dash recently.

I thought instead of getting angry, I raise awareness my own way. I offer a look and recommendation of games to play that tackle Mental Health.

Here are 3 games that I played that tackled Mental Health really well, plus 3 honorable mentions:

The Cat Lady (2012; Harvester Games): -Mental Illness tackled: Depression, Anxiety -Trigger Warnings: Suicide, Horror, Gore, Abuse -Susan Ashworth commits suicide. Then she wakes up, is told by an entity called the Mother of Maggots that she is chosen to exact vengeance for what she calls “The Parasites of society” and is also immortal (the last thing Susan wants). An indie horror point and click from British developers, it is a harrowing look at how we as society treat the outcasts, the ones that fall into the cracks. You play as Ms. Ashworth, a former nurse and a surprisingly older protagonist, who suffers from anxiety and depression and you help her defeat her demons and help people. There is something empowering about being able to fight back against the system and the abusers that demonizes or choose to forget the ones they consider broken. The Cat Lady shows you also that abuse can comes also in microaggressions, and can come from people you trust, but ultimately things get better. It is a  revenge fantasy but also it reminds you that listening to people and making connections is a powerful gesture. -Supplementary video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=epo7s0S32yU&t=1811s

Night in the Woods (2017, Alec Holowka/Infinite Fall/Secret Lab) -Mental Illness tackled: Disassociation, Bipolar Disorder, Depression -Trigger Warnings: Mentions of Sexual Abuse in one path, Horror in latter part of game -Mae Borowski, a college dropout goes back to her hometown, tries to reconnect with her friends, and generally bums around, aimlessly thinking about what to do next. Mae has trouble letting go of the past and her disassociation makes things complicated for her, her family, and her friends. She has a bit of trouble with empathizing with others, is childish, has destructive tendencies, and when her paranoia hits, she cannot recognize faces, seeing only shapes. But ultimately, she’s a good person. Night in the Woods is a very charming slice of life/horror point and click adventure game about growing up. The town also may or may not have a deadly secret. I really loved this game because of the atmosphere and the characters are easy to fall in love with. -Suplementary Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0ntxpOb5MGc&t=112s

Hellblade: Senua’s Sacrifice (2017, Ninja Theory) -Mental Illness tackled: Psychosis, Depression -Trigger Warning; suicide, multiple dynamic voices, gore, disturbing imagery, flashing life -From Wikipedia: Inspired by Norse mythology and Celtic culture, Hellblade follows Senua, a Pict warrior who must make her way to Helheim by defeating otherworldly entities and facing their challenges, in order to rescue the soul of her dead lover from the goddess Hela. In parallel, the game acts as a metaphor for the character's struggle with psychosis, as Senua, who suffers from the condition but believes it to be a curse, is haunted by an entity known as the "Darkness", voices in her head known as "Furies", and memories from her past. To properly represent psychosis, developers worked closely with neuroscientists, mental health specialists, and people suffering from the condition. Senua’s psychosis is portrayed in scary detail, you don’t know if you can trust the voices whispering to you constantly because they equally help and hinder you. The ending was beautiful. -Suplementary video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=52flQkqj5gs

Honorable Mentions;

That Dragon, Cancer (2016, Numinous Games): This game is developers Ryan and Amy Green’s personal ode to their third son, Joel, who passed away because of cancer. It is a look into Ryan and Amy’s harrowing journey watching and caring for their son. A look into how grief changes you. It is a painful, painful game to experience and seeing Ryan and Amy despair, you join them in it too. A lot of tears will be shed.

To the Moon (2011, Freebird Games): A game that tackles dementia and medical ethics. It also tells its story out of order. Charming and really really sad with its bittersweet ending.

Psychonauts (2005, Double Fine Productions): A very fun romp and adventure game, this cult classic is a must play. I included this game in the list because in the latter part of the game, you experience and help people with their mental problems and literal emotional baggage. The way it handles the adult’s problems is fun but it also reminds you that everyone has problems, and they are all valid. Listening and empathy go a long way.

#mentalhealthawareness

You are most welcome to share this post and pic and I'd love to see more posts about your favorite games, music, book, movies. I'd even encourage you to draw or make something for them

Hang in there. You matter.

[asheternal]

my favorite brand of abused character is the one who has super powers/abilities  and in time uses them to beat the crap out of their abuser or somehow strip that power from said abuser:

blake belladonna (rwby)

susan ashworth (cat lady)

catra and she-ra (to an extent) (she-ra reboot)

eleven (stranger things)

heather mason/alessa gillespie (silent hill)

theres something extremely cathartic in that, they’re still heroes despite sticking it to their abusers. i love that shit.