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rawliverandgoronspice · 11 months

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To ALSO add to the last reblog: I think I finally pinpointed what bugs me so much about TotK from a gameplay perspective (and that extends to BotW to an extent, tho not as much but still). Zelda used to be about exploration, combat and puzzle. The world was your oyster for discovering new mysteries, you were put into situations that required you to devise which tool to use and how to understand a space and its possibilities better, and you would fight on your way there also. But to me, we clearly were in a puzzle-first environment, where enemies came to try and halt your journey, while not being endgoals in themselves.

I think there was a drastic shift to combat-first gameplay since 2017 that I don't think we really acknowledged as a fanbase. Sure, there *are* puzzles still, but they are mostly relegated to shrines and dungeons. In the overworld, your challenges are traversal (and sometimes that warrants a puzzle and it's *great* when it happens) and combat-based (oh no, I want to go from point A to point B but there's a Hinox on the way!). But... Okay. Basically, in old Zelda games, every location was an intricate bundle of puzzles. To throw just an example among many, many others: Clock Town, in MM's, is a complex bundle of puzzles and opportunities and discoveries to make, taking on more and more depth as you acquire more tools and understand the intricate logic that animates it. The town itself is a toy that generally requires little to no combat. You have to understand what you can play with, and use observation, abilities and time to unwrap the entire thing. Geometry is here to ground you and give you a sense of realism --but more importantly, it's here to challenge your spatial understanding and give you little mysteries to return to later and expand upon.

Clock Town is obviously a pretty unique example, but... I don't know, I could have used Goron City, or Castle Town from Minish Cap, or a bunch of places from TP... My point is: places always had this intricate mixture of fun, moody set-dressing and puzzle-based intrigue. It's one of my favorite things about old school Zelda... and it's much, much rarer in these new iterations. Not saying it's not here, but it's not the focus anymore. The gameplay loop doesn't ask you to unravel the world in the same way. You want upgrades? You gotta kill a mini boss about it. You want more heart pieces? You gotta do shrines, which are utterly separated from the overworld (and sometimes combat-based too!). NPCs are no longer these keys in larger puzzles, but are basically used the way Skyrim would use them (no shade on Skyrim, love these kind of games --though getting tired tbh-- but they are not the same beast).

Now the game loop is much more about: how do I get from point A to point B, and how to I get rid of obstacle X on my way? Now I have gotten rid of obstacle X and I have better loot and better skill to help me get rid of larger obstacles --and getting rid of them is actively encouraged, and it's a huge part of what makes the game fun. It's not a bad game loop by any mean! But it is a drastic change from the old formula. And to me... there is, especially in TotK due to More Things I Already Talked About, a real loss of whismy and smallness and mystery inherent to that change.

I think this is why I lost interest in the Depths so fast. The Depths are about movement and combat... and basically nothing else. People who are into that kind of approach will be thrilled, but I got bored pretty fast because, beyond feeling empty, the Depths felt thoughtless to me.

Yes, of course, open worlds make it much harder to focus on intricate world design the way the old games used to conceive themselves. But... Yeah, we still begin to stray away from what once was a core pillar of the series, and one that was, by definition, much less violent.

#tloz #totk #totk critical #majora's mask #thoughts #game design #in the broadest sense possible

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chunkymamatam · 1 month

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Hi omg welcome back! Thank you so much for the detail on your description about the classes! When and if you have time, I would love to hear more! Have you had classes with Crewel yet? And are there any other teachers aside from the ones we know from the game? Thats something Ive always wanted to know! Also, have you gone to Sam's shop yet? How is he? He is my favourite staff member!

Oh and how long did you stay? Did you experience any events ingame and maybe some that werent in the game? Have you gone to anyones homecountry like the events?

PS: If there are too many questions, feel free to chose some to skip! I dont want to overwhelm you :) <3

It's not too much to answer the questions! There's only 2 asks now including this one and the other one if for one of my fanfic blogs so I should have enough energy/time now lol

First The rest of my classes for the current semester:

Animal Language Class

No Magic required

Consists of basic body language of different animals that might accompany you on your journey through being a "Proper mage" as Professor Trein would put it lol. This includes cats, dogs, rats, etc (basically any animal you can find in a Disney film.)

As the class goes on you learn how to decipher what they're actually saying verbally and non verbally. Unlike here animals are sentient, they will make fun of you later trust me. Ace and Deuce are frequently the victim of this lmfao

Its pretty difficult for me personally but I'm bad at communicating with humans so I wasn't really expecting any less lmfao Its as difficult as learning any new language in all seriousness so if you find that hard then welcome to the club I made cookies.

Difficulty: 4/5

Potions/Alchemy (Creation/material studies)

Magic materials will be provided by class instructor, minimal magic is needed from the mage

Consists of different creation techniques, what materials have what properties, what the different potions do, etc. There's a potion for anything and everything, most only having temporary effects but some are more permanent (base level and under specific conditions). Honestly this is one of my favorite classes. Its the most fun in my opinion.

It's not at all difficult because we're allowed to have our recipes at all times.

Difficulty: 1/5

Spell casting

Magic required

Now this is where being magicless really sucked (I still got a really good grade). I wasn't able to participate much in the begining and I was stuck memorizing spells I would never be able to use. I shit you not this man (The prof) looked at me and said

"You may not have the proper abilities to cast spells but I'll be sure to turn you into a grimoire of them by the end of this class"

Honestly stayed true to his word ngl. The amount of notes and textbooks and reciting the damn things, practicing proper spell casting formation/posture. I could instruct the other students at this point. I'm having flashbacks just thinking about it lmfao

The class consists of the actual spells, the motions needed to enact each spell, the proper posture to take when casting. We learn what each spell does, and the proper situations to use them in, etc. It is mostly just actually casting spells though and a I've only relatively recently learned how to use magic. I'm getting there with the help of Azul and my professors tho.

I wouldn't say its the worst difficulty wise but my memory is decent when it comes to academics.

dificulty: 3/5

Astrology

This class consists of studying the stars, constellations, planets, and the moon cycles and how they affect the magic we produce.

"Just as the ocean is affected by the moon and the stars, so too is our energy and magic."

Corny shit but accurate and factual lmfao. It's a really easy class and that's really all there is to it. It's mostly so you understand why your magic is stronger/weaker on different days. this also used as a reference in other classes. Like "X spell is more affective during Y Moon cycle"

Difficulty: 1/5

There's definitely more classes that I don't know of yet but we'll get to them eventually!

''Have you had classes with Crewel yet?"

Yes! I'm actually his favorite student weirdly enough lol. He's chill as long as you act right (paying attention to the lesson, doing your classwork/homework, etc). This man fr defended me from these bitch ass guys who were like

"She doesn't even have magic why does she have the top scores????"

To which he responded "Maybe if you were as diligent of a student perhaps you could also be part of the top scores, until then however, return to your seat"

Never felt safer with a teacher I swear.

"Are there any other teachers aside from the ones we know from the game?"

Yeah. I can't remember their names right this moment cuz I haven't been back there in a minute. My mental health has been ass and I fell out of love with shifting for a long while but I'm back now! I'm hopefully going back soon. I miss my boys and my classes. Mostly my boys tho. I'll have to share who they are and what their names are after I go next.

"Have you gone to Sam's shop yet? How is he?"

I have! Actually when I got my monthly allowance from Crowley (I manifested that in with the intention method cuz I'll be dammed if that cheap bitch fucks me over) it was the first place I visited. He sells damn near everything you need to live on campus. I got soap, an African net sponge (its called Savanna net sponge cuz ✨Afterglow/Sunset Savanna✨) and some lotion. I barely had enough for my groceries after that month. I was living on Ramen and the school allotted lunch (。﹏。*) This being said be prepared for Sam to over price everything. This is a rich people school and I mean eat the rich and all but PLEASE HAVE MERCY

As for how he is as a person, he's really chill. Very nice but he is still a salesman so keep that in mind with your interactions. He may have mercy if he's feeling generous (pity) lmfao. Jokes aside hes actually pretty nice outside of his business. He allowed me to talk to him about struggling with living with Vil for that month with his unseasoned dry ass chicken 😭

"How long did you stay? Did you experience any events in game and maybe some that weren't in the game?"

Currently I'm dealing with STYX and Idia's overblot. Up until that point its been about 6-7 months over there. Everything in the main game happens so fast and in such quick succession. I've experienced the Halloween events, birthdays, and the New Year events. I didn't participate in Sams event cuz I was dealing with living with Vil training for the SDC/VDC and calming down from everything with Jamil. TBH there might have been events that weren't showcased but I was just too busy with the main events and classe/hanging out with other students.

"Have you gone to anyone's home country like the events?"

Not yet but we are staying at Rooks many homes while on our way to STYX to rescue everyone rn. Hopefully soon tho because Idk it seems like a lot of fun to learn more about my friends and their homes.

#shifting realities #shifting to desired reality #reality shifter #shifting community #reality shifting #shifting blog #shifting antis dni #anti shifters dni #shifting to twst #shifting to twisted wonderland #shiftblr #desired reality

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semifinel · 1 year

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January - 2023

Games

High on life- not funny, not novel, pretty boring, enjoyable enough to finish once you get around the end but was about so close to dropping it a few hours in.

I don’t know if it makes sense but instead of being subversive it’s superficially subversive. It’s like “look at us we’re doing stuff differently” (this might be a direct quote) for all of like 2 seconds before going back to being the blandest shit I ever played. The 2 seconds aren’t even cool.

Tunic- deserves a game award, made me pull out sticky notes to decipher secrets. But it’s a wonderful game even if you don’t engage with the secrets (but they are amazing and you should). Talked several peoples ear off about it and will maybe do it again. I don’t know if I can add any praise that hasn’t been said before me. This game rocks.

Road 96- I saw a review calling it “it’s as if a taletell game didn’t want to waste your time” and honestly (as a taletell games fan) I see what they mean.

It’s fun, it’s intriguing, having to find a new way to escape each chapter, interacting with the characters and discovering the story that is happening around you- all were interesting.

I liked how locations felt very open sometimes. Some scenes are basically cutscenes where you have very little choice. While other are more open location where you can explore backrooms and get rewarded with resources for your journey.

As a game who prides itself on being on being procedurally generated you’d think it would lend itself for replayability but second time around I was bored going through mostly same scenes as my first playthough. Even with the selecting different options they would mostly got he same way, made me wish there was more option I could do sometimes but it’s a game and can’t let me do everything ever so I don’t blame them for that.

If found- a queer story wonderfully told with an interesting mechanic, beautiful art style and music. I am the target audience for this and I enjoyed it lots.

Story hit me hard, the eraser mechanic surprisingly kept me focused while being just like wonderful way to keep the story moving, especially with how it was used to transition certain scenes.

The credits song slaps hard.

And the Ireland trivia is very cool actually.

Hi Fi rush- for the lack of a better term, it’s so fucking cringe. The most uninspired story and cast, every cliche and trope ever rolled around into one painful story. They try to use like jokes that make no sense and then they are like “isn’t it funny that it doesn’t make sense” - no it’s not

It’s as if they wanted to recreate the feel of Deadpool 2013 game only the main character is the most main insufferable anime boy character also the year is 2023 and nobody told the writers.

They had one good joke and it’s in the trailer and it’s about the writers of the game and not a ingame thing. The trailer starts with *freezeframe* “you gotta be wondering how I got myself here” and it kept going about the same level of humor.

Game mechanics wise it’s actually interesting and even fun! Chaining combos to the rhythm of a beat is actually cool (even if I kinda suck at it). I wish it was in a different game tho. Why can I guess every characters whole deal without hearing them. Why is there a character who’s just a jojo reference and the reference is look he does poses and got Japanese letter floating around? Why is the only time that I felt joy about the story in game is when the main character got hit so he shut the fuck up. At least the naming conventions of chracters is fun. If I could play this game on mute just so I didn’t need to hear the story I would but it’s a rhythm game so :/

Movies

Puss in boots- slaps, watch it

Glass onion- slaps, watch it

Predestination- it was a rewatch and honestly it’s not only fun cause you can see all the hints and joke they drop early before you know the twist that would go over your head. But it’s also fun since I watched it with a bunch of people who never watched it before and seeing them trying to guess what’s going on and then figure it out in real time was a blast. Span off my favorite in joke of the day with that group.

Akira- I can see why it’s a certified classic. I don’t know why there is a man having a asthma attack as a leitmotif in the soundtrack but it slaps.

Disclosure- been told by my friend I should watch it, I watched it, I would have watched it earlier, you should watch it.

Shows

Mob psycho s1- I’m rewatching it (watched season 1 and 2 and want to remember all before I go into season 3) as a watch party with friends and I’m having a blast. Missed my boy my son.

The last of us- so far- I could talk how it reignited my love for it, and how I forgot how cool is the specific way they made zombies, and how much I missed all the creature design. But episode 3 just came out and I’m weak. Good adaptation I was skeptical before it came out (I mean a video game adaptation,, you know how it usually goes down) and also didn’t get why does it need to exist. However good show so far love it love it love it.

#high on life #tunic #if found #road 96 #hi fi rush #puss in boots #glass onion #predestination #akira #disclosure #mob psycho 100 #the last of us

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vicar-dei · 3 years

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The Brain of Mensis

OKAY, SO HEAR ME OUT! THE BRAIN OF MENSIS ISN’T A REAL GREAT ONE!

I swear there’s an explanation for this! The Great Ones of Bloodborne was so much fun to write and being able to do that much research about Bloodborne was fantastic. BUT NOW WE’RE BACK IN MY ELEMENT BABY, TIME TO GET BACK TO THE CRACKPOT THEORIES!!

So, while I was working on my last post, I had a veery simple concept; compare the Great Ones to their Lovecraftian equivalents. Things were pretty simple for all of them, except for the Brain of Mensis. You find the Brain of Mensis in the Nightmare of Mensis (go fucking figure), as a completely optional NPC. That’s right, if you don’t go through a specific set of actions, you could completely miss this thing, and the plot of Bloodborne wouldn’t change AT ALL. Kind of odd for a Great One with the nickname of Mother Brain, don’t you think?

Okay, so time for some vague background regarding the Nightmare of Mensis, as there really isn’t much set in stone about it. The Scholars of Byergenwurth would study the Great Ones and the Old Blood for years, or at least what little information they had about the Great Ones (at the time, the only public knowledge of Great Ones was the Amygdala). At some point, a scholar by the name of Micolash and his cult of fellow students went out on a journey to commune with the Great Ones, namely the infant Great One, Mergo. They strapped these giant Mensis Cages to their heads as an “antenna”, giving them a better means of communication. For an outsider looking in, I’m sure this all just sounds like these Scholars of Mensis needed a trip to a psych ward, but there might’ve been a method to the madness because Mergo actually seemed to listen to their wishes. Mergo proceeded to plunge them all into the Nightmare of Mensis, a massive castle made in the image that Micolash most desired.

Okay, so returning to the Brain of Mensis. The Scholars found this thing in the Nightmare of Mensis once it was created, and dubbed it a “real Great One”, letting it serve as the watchdog of the Nightmare. It’s actually this Brain that will proc frenzy on you in the starting areas leading into the castle.

When I originally saw the Brain of Mensis, I will admit, I jumped the gun a bit. I had thought “alright, there’s NO WAY this optional mess of a creature was a Great One”, but the only problem was proving it. So, I dove into researching all of the tell-tell signs that differentiate a Great One from a Kin-type. For a small refresher, Kin are humans that were blessed by the Great Ones with a taste of their otherworldly powers. Anyways, the biggest sign that lets you know the difference is the blood color. Great Ones bleed red (like human blood but with some changes in color and particle effects), whereas Kin-types bleed a milky white substance. After spending almost 2 hours comparing videos and previous playthrough footage, I was confident in my findings (yes, I spent 2 hours watching and re-watching blood splatters in a fictional game about fighting eldritch horrors. Don’t judge me.):

See? Nice and normal red blood, meanwhile:

Kind of a murky white for Kin.

With this difference in mind, I rushed on over to the Brain of Mensis to whack it a few times. It would bleed white, it’d be proven to be a Kin-type, case closed!

Wait… okay, so it’s blood is red. Well, there goes that idea. OKAY, BUT I PROMISE YOU THAT THE BRAIN OF MENSIS IS AN IMPOSTER! It all comes down to the most important detail that From Software made sure we were aware of; The Brain of Mensis is rotting.

In the lore bites we are fed about the Scholars of Mensis, it is explicitly mentioned that when they tried to dissect that Brain of Mensis for its eyes, they found that the eyes were decayed and evil, even tho the Brain of Mensis is still very much alive. This is a detail that isn’t ever mentioned for ANY OTHER GREAT ONE, mostly because no other Great One has been dissected before, but that isn’t the point! The point is, why was this detail so important that From Software decided to include it, rather than other questions that needed to be answered? Well, other than Miyazaki loving to torture his fans just a bit further, that’s because this clue tells us that the Brain of Mensis is unable to sustain it’s own existence. Because it’s not a naturally created Great One.

This all makes sense, I promise you. Remember when I mentioned that the Nightmare of Mensis was made as Micolash desired? I can confirm that he controls how his Nightmare looked because of how Gehrman had his Hunter’s Dream crafted. When he prayed to the Moon Presence, he wanted some very simple things: he wanted his workshop so he could continue training his new Hunters, and he wanted his Doll to come to life. The Moon Presence accepted these terms (granted, with a surprise clause that made Gehrman regret his prayers) and created a Hunter’s Dream exactly as was desired, with stipulations to make sure that the Moon Presence got what it wanted as well. The same applied for the communication between Micolash and Mergo, Micolash wanted a castle where he could teach his students, as well as direct contact with Mergo. Mergo, as you might already know, is an invisible Great One, so he can’t exactly SHOW himself to Micolash. So he came up with a compromise; he would make an artificial Great One that would reflect everything that humans already thought Great Ones would represent; multiple eyes, massive brain, six fingered claws, and the capability to drive you insane if you look at them for too long.

This is a veeery specific description of what a Great One would look like, and for good reason. I had mentioned in my previous post that the only Great One that most people has seen were the Amygdala, the giant spider-like creatures that are seemingly everywhere around Yharnam. Ironically, this description fits the Amygdala to almost a T, and only seeing these for so long would vastly affect how Yharnamites and Scholars alike would think that a Great One would look.

Another piece of evidence pointing to this would be the mere existence of the Moon Presence. This Great One is extremely different compared to his fellow overseers of the world. Five fingers, just a few sets of eyes, body covered in slimy, rope-like features, a bulky frame built for fighting with a smaller head. If anyone outside of Gehrman saw this thing, they would probably never believe it was a Great One. Why is this? Because all they’ve ever seen their entire lives were Amygdala, so they believe that all Great Ones will share these features.

Micolash was a victim of this perception as well. Mergo saw this, and so when they created the Nightmare of Mensis, they made the Brain of Mensis to stand-in as their visual body. A body that would look like it could be a Great One but looked slightly different compared to an Amygdala so that Micolash and his Scholars would be further convinced that this was, in fact, Mergo.

Well, that’s the post for now! I hope you all enjoyed that very all-over-the-place writing. I do want to close on a point that might be brought up, which is the fact that Micolash mentions Kos (or some say, Kosm) during your fight with him, implying that he has, indeed,, seen another Great One. Well, based on the Old Hunters DLC, it’s shown that Kos only dragged the Hunters that directly participated in her death, and the mutilation of the Fishing Hamlet residents, into the Hunter’s Nightmare. So, while the stories of Kos were able to reach Micolash, any actual evidence of what she looked like more than likely didn’t. His only concrete evidence of Kos’ existence is through Rom the spider, who was a normal person until she received the blessing of Kos, turning into (you fucking guessed it) a large-headed, multi-eyed being. All this did was further reinforce his perception of how Great Ones appeared. Anyways, thanks everyone for reading, and hope to catch your attention again next time!

#bloodborne #great ones #brain of mensis #micolash #gehrman #old hunters #kos #kosm #rom #school of mensis #nightmare of mensis #hunters nightmare

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pageofheartanalysis · 3 years

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page of blood analysis perhaps?

Aaaaa ayes yes yes!!!

I love me a good page. And the blood aspect is one of my favorites !!! That's your fun fact for the day!!!!!

Pages! Pages are severely underestimated in all cases, the typical all upper case underdog!!!!! They start off with a deficit in their aspect, often playing it up despite reality never really matching up with what they say. Almost like when they reassure someone it just sounds like they are trying to reassure themselves yknow? But like any underdog, they rise to the top and master aspect and understand it fully even if the journey to get there is long and tedious. It's speculated that they are one who serves aspect or one who serves through their aspect for others. . It's counterpart is. It's believed to be a passive class though with he limited info we have. Pages also always start off with a deficit in their aspect, with Tavros becoming disabled and being literally tied down to the groundand starting the game with borderline pipedreams of flying. Horuss Zahhak starts with a deficit of.. literally nothing. He's happy, smart, relatively well liked amongst his friends, a good relationship till rufioh fucks shit up as per usual. He suffers from nothing, which is what Void is. One of Dirks splinters reveal that Pages can be really powerful, even strong enough to defeat someone like Lord English, but only if they unlock and realize their true potential!!! A pages active counterpart is speculated to be a Knight. While it's direct inverse is a Thief.

Aaaaaa. Blood! Blood blood blood!!!! Blood is all about connections, bonds, and promises!!!! Blood players are often what keeps their group together like glue (cough ignore what happened with karkats session, Full of broken bonds and relationships and promises). But if you look at Kankris session they all seem to be relatively on good terms with each other, tho seemingly unite day the disdain for much of a hypocrite he is. And the Signless is pretty cut and dry, dude was stress up the Troll messiah uniting entire castes system in a bloody revolution!! They are mostly inspirational leaders, not commanding ones. Karkat tried to command rather than inspire and it didn't end the best but hey it wasn't a total flop so that's also possible!! Blood players can be inspiring, charming, and magnetic but they can also be hypocritical, restricting and very set in their aspect despite others bests interests. Ther inverse of Blood is Breath

So the opposite of a Page of Blood would be a Thief of Breath! Nice!

Let's get into combining the two!!

Alright so! A Page of Blood starts out lacking their aspect, but seem to play it up to over compensate for that fact and try to hide it. Maybe a page of Blood is lacking in real friends or bonds. They might be a loner, though not necessarily by choice. It's jsut hoe things seem to be. I picture them to be like that one tiktok audio: "I have friends i definitely have friends! Friends friends friendly friends its time to meet my friends" They don't have a whole lot to lean on, despite Maybe trying to be that for other people. They try to be friends but they might play up their own personality or act how they think the person they are trying to be friends with will like when instead they just need to be themselves. Forcing friendships never work. They need to jsut get some serious self reflection!They might even start of with a lacking in self defense or soemthing like that. Lacking in physical blood (not anemic wise I mean like.. you get the point)

A fully realized Page of Blood would be one of the most dare I say influential classpects to date! They would have an uncanny ability to unite almost anyone no matter how cast their differences are as long as its for what they believe is the greater good. They could be a powerful leader and commander, and probably even well liked!!

Hope this was helpful!

(I couldn't find a good image of a page of Blood I'm so sorry)

#anon #ask #homestuck #homestuck classpect #homestuck analysis #analysis #classpect #classpect analysis #page #blood #page of blood

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kittyreading · 3 years

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Manga Master List: Recommendations and My Personal Wish List

!!//PLEASE READ//!!

Below is every manga from my amazon wishlist I would recommend(as of February 11 2021) with a picture and a 3-5 sentence explanation of what the manga is about. Underneath will also be the number of volumes I have read, the number I own, and it’s status of ongoing or complete and how many volumes it has. This way you can decide for yourself if you think I have read enough of it to give an accurate recommendation.

This list only includes manga you can purchase (including digital purchases) from the wishlist. I decided that I would in fact include my personal amazon manga wishlist here and at the bottom for people to buy THEMSELVES a copy of any of these manga they would like. Keep in mind many of these won’t have volume 1 in the list but you should be able to get to the series page from the list. If a manga shows up on the amazon list that I did not include in this one that is because I have not read enough of them(or any of them) to recommend. Ok? Cool, enjoy the list!!

1. The Girl from the Other side is about a little girl living with a gentleman monster. It is a supernatural mystery with beautiful art.

Own: 0

Series: Ongoing at 9 volumes

2. Pumpkin Scissors is a military fantasy about a War Veteran named Randal Oland who joins the pumpkin scissors core to help with war relief and uncover the deep corruption of the government. It is similar in themes to FMA in the sense it appears to be based on a World War, and corruption of government but it more focused on the power of the noble houses in government. There is also a fun science element but it is not as in focus as in FMA. The two but are very very different overall tho. Only 5 volumes were distributed in physical English copies as the publishing company went bankrupt, all others are only available digitally. (I couldn’t get the manga vol. 1 cover to work so the picture above is a poster for the anime)

Own: 0

Read: around 10

Series: Ongoing at 23 volumes

3. Monthly Girls Nozaki-kun is a slice of life about a bunch of highschoolers. Nozaki is the mangaka of a popular Shoujo manga who uses his personal experiences with friends to create his monthly comic series. It is a fun gender stereotype reversal manga with a large cast of both male and female characters (one could be HC as genderfluid but she’s still canonically female at this time) The manga is one of the easiest to read as the panels are mostly in straight down rectangles so the pages are extremely easy to follow and is very funny.

Own: 1

Status: Ongoing at 12 volumes

4. Yu-Gi-Oh! is well known to be about the card game yu-gi-oh, using magic and myths to further the story, HOWEVER, Yu-gi-oh! is the “Season 0″ of the series it is much darker than to be expected and there is no card game. The Yu-gi-oh most are familiar with is Yu-gi-oh Duelist (just found this out myself) and is the Yu-gi-oh you probably already know. There is no overarching plot to this mini series it is just Yugi fucking shit up playing games and destroying some bullies. I have yet to read any of Duelist as of the creation of this post therefore I cannot recommend it :/

Own: 5 (1-3 & 6-7)

Status: Completed at 7 volumes

5. The Way of the House Husband is about a former yakuza who gets married and flips his script. He becomes a house husband for his working wife and carries on doing chores and errands while still looking and acting scary unintentionally and getting himself in trouble. It is a slice of life comedy with some adult jokes but is over all extremely funny and pleasant to read.

Own: 0

Status: Ongoing at 7 volumes

6. Hikaru no Go is about a highschool boy who finds a haunted Go board. He meets the ghost who once was a prolific Go player. Together they work to become a world class Go champion meeting new people along the way. This series was cut short due to legal issues with a real Go player and therefore will remain unfinished but the story that is there is golden. It is still one of the most popular manga in Japan.

Own: 0

Status: Complete at 23 Volumes

7. Zatch Bell! This manga is about a teenager named Kiyo who gets sent a young boy with amnesia named Zatch Bell who turns out to be an alien called a momodo. Now the two must battle other momodo in order to understand what happened to Zatch and to make Zatch the new king. Along the way they make many friends and save both the momodo and human worlds. This one is difficult because it is a classic that did not do well in America so the volumes are expensive and the series is unfinished in English. You can only buy 27 of the volumes in English and a few of them are almost impossible to find, however it is well worth the money if you can afford it and it is available online.

Own: 6 (1-5 & 13)

Status: Complete at 33 Volumes only 27 printed in English (you can finish series online)

8. Fullmetal Alchemist is a cult classic most have read it, watched the series, or heard of it at the very least. This is one of the most popular Manga of all time and for good reason. The manga is about 2 brothers Alphonse and Edward on a journey to return their bodies to normal after committing the taboo of human transmutation. The manga has themes of racism, government corruption and manipulation of the military. The versions on my wishlist are the special Fullmetal Editions so they will have a different price point and volume number than the regular volumes or the omnibuses’

Own: 12

Status: Complete at 27 Volumes

9. Princess Jellyfish is about a young woman who is sort of an outcast otaku living with 5 other otaku women. She has a deep love for jellyfish as they remind her of her late mother. She meets a beautiful woman who turns out to be a male college student and slowly comes out of her shell making new friends and growing with old ones as well. This manga is very sweet and I really don’t know what else to say haha.

Own: 0

Status: Complete at 17 volumes

10. !!!HUGE TW FOR EATING DISORDERS!!! In Clothes Called Fat is a, oneshot, non romanticizing story of an office woman trying to lose weight and developing several eating disorders in the process. She goes through hardships in relationships and bullying as well. It has a bittersweet ending and should be read with caution but it is beautifully done. Please do not read this if you are under the age 16 at the very youngest there are NSFW moments as well as just generally not being a topic for younger audiences.

Own: No

Read: Yes

Status: Completed one shot

11. My LOVE Story!! Is an adorable Slice of Life shojo about a highschooler named Takeo Gouda, his girlfriend Yamato, and his best friend and hear throb Suna. This series is rather refreshing as the relationship starts pretty much immediately, the best friend is very supportive, and it is focused on Takeo’s personality over looks as he is often compared in manga to a gorilla or bear. It is a generally heart warming story with some emotional side plots. The ending is sort of sudden but it’s really enjoyable.

Own: 6 (1-3,8,10-12)

Status: Completed at 13 Volumes

12. Soul Eater is pretty popular but if you don’t know what it is about it is about a Weapon named Soul and his Meister Maka. They attend a school that teaches them how to defeat people before they turn into Demons, saving the world in the process. Once a weapon eats 100 evil souls and a witches soul they can become the new death Scythe! That is the plot presented, and it of course goes off into a much more complicated storyline. It is super fun and engaging with a fascinating plot near the end.

Own: 5

Status: Completed at 25 Volumes

13. D. Gray-Man is a little complicated. Similarly to Soul Eater D. Gray-Man is a story based around defeating people turned demon and the saving of the world through an organization, however the plot gets very complicated very quickly. The art is some of the most interesting and beautifully fun art I’ve come across and the characters are (so far as I’ve read) all amazing. The story has a lot of christian influence and is one you have to really keep up with to understand but I recommend it regardless!

Own: 10

Status: Ongoing at 27 Volumes

14. One-Punch Man is also very popular and is about a man who becomes so strong he only needs to punch you once to completely annihilate you, and it greatly annoys him. This manga greatly touches on the themes of self worth as Saitama becomes a hero that no one seems to want. The fights are fun and engaging, tho at times can be difficult to read. The art is gorgeous, with some of the most heavily detailed work I have ever seen.

Own: 3

Status: Ongoing at 21 Volumes

15. The Boy and The Beast is the manga adaptation of the movie by the same name. This is a bittersweet story about a boy who finds a family in the land of the beasts and the repercussions of this intermixing. It is sweet and sad and there’s not much else to say, but that it is a beautifully crafted story.

Own: 1

Read: 1 (but I’ve seen the movie and read the light novel)

Status: Complete at 4 Volumes

16. MAR is not a manga I should be recommending as I genuinely don’t think I have read enough of the story to do so but I love it so much I’m going to anyway. MAR is a classic Isekai Shonen, a kid goes through a door into another world and has to fight a war to save it, there is a super fun magic system and some wonderful story building with genuinely enjoyable characters and battles. I am recommending this more based off the anime than the manga itself because it was one of my absolute favorites when I was younger, so take from that what you will! This manga has the same issue Zatch Bell does however, the series did not do amazingly so the volumes can be expensive!

Own: 3

Status: Complete at 15 Volumes

Thank you for your time haha! I hope you liked the list, here is my wishlist again and if you have any questions please let me know!! I will try to keep this master list updated as it and the wishlist will only continue to grow, but I make no promises for doing it often. Making this took me a very long time so I hope you like it!

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rllybadloveliveimagines · 3 years

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Welcome back mod ayumu! Could I get some hcs of a dense Yuu with the rest of the club trying to get her to notice them?

Sorry this is so late , but I'll try my best! I could write a lot about this so I might do a part 2! if yall like this one a lot that is! - Ayu-Pyon

🌈 [ Nijigaku trying to get the attention of a dense Yuu] ...Part 1...?

Ok so are you telling me this isnt a daily debate of this club???? please Im crying

Poor Yuu probably thinking they mean they wanna be most popular with their audience and having legit misunderstandings when. yeah no

Your Honor, they're ALL gay <3

they have bickering matches abt it all the time like "No Im the one who's gonna be Yuu's favorite!!!"

and Yuu is both like "Guys please-" and also dense as a rock not being able to see that these advances and bickering for her attention may hint at the fact that they all?? kinda like her???

Its sort of a case where they channel how they feel about Yuu into their best performances!!

if that even makes sense lol

Karin??? Hi?? she asks Yuu out on dates a lot from what I recall from. the games canon at least? havent watched the anime

I prefer to pair her with emma tho bc Im a dirty rotten (mostly) canon follower but shHHHH besides the point

Club finds out and for like the 3rd time that month theyre bickering about who gets to go on a date with Yuu next.

The whole club is pretty competitive, but personally I can see kasumi being up there in trying to fight for the attention

Shes sort of the type that likes being pampered I think, and going to like hyper-cute cafes or shopping journeys

People like Ai, Karin and Ayumu like shopping too, but shopping with any of them separately is like a totally different experience honestly

Rina is good with tech, so she might make some neat gadgets to capture Yuu's attention, or be particularly interested in her specifically helping with her Rina-Chan boards that day.

CAN 👏 WE 👏 GET 👏 A 👏 SETSU 👏 YUU 👏 PIANO 👏 SESSION 👏 IN 👏 THE 👏 CHAT

PLEASE

Love that aesthetic of a couple playing piano freely together sm....

And they both practice so setsuna probably would try to ask Yuu "for fun"

miss yuki has been researching using the power of romance anime~

Shizuku would put extra effort into her theater and idol activities, and also try to improve her sports ability to impress Yuu and look cool !!

Kanata making an excuse that she thinks Yuu has a fever in order to shuffle her off to the nurses office and laze about/nap with her for just a little while~

Dont get me started on the idea of baking with Kasumi or Emma...would melt my poor little heart...

In short: yeah we gay, keep scrollin

like for part 2 huhuhu >:3

Sidenote!! : Happy pride month to my fellow LGBTQIA+ Community members!!!

Hope you liked this again!! this was a long one!!

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cassyapper · 3 years

Text

loving you may mean losing you but i dont mind (jotakak playlist)

dont talk to me about the title of this thing im embarrassed enough

anyway but okay so!!!! very excited to share this!!!! this has been in the works since september but my picky ass finally found an adequate amount of songs so here it is!!!!!! my jotakak playlist (:

special thanks to my lovely and wonderful friend jade for helping me finish this this thing <3

track list nd why i picked the songs that i did under the break!

1. the predatory wasp of the palisades is out to get us! by sufjan stevens i chose this song because it’s all about internalized homophobia and being in love with your best friend as a kid which RLLY resonates w jotakak imo. esp cause in the song, stevens’ friend ends up leaving abruptly, leaving stevens to wonder about what couldve blossomed if they had stuck together and worked through the difficulties together, which JOTARO....THAT IS JOTARO-CORE esp cause kak also “leaves” (dies). so this song was a v obvious choice for me and in fact this song is what inspired me to create this playlist in the first place

2. we are beautiful, we are doomed by los campesinos! this song is abt being in love with someone but you both have ur issues so it’s kind of a mess. considering jotaro and kakyoin’s (to point it quite frankly) trauma and the fact that both of them do jack shit to try and cope with it healthily, this song DEFINITELY fits them. esp cause this song mentions physical fighting and the imagery that goes with it (”he got his teeth fixed/im gonna break them”, “i’ve got a fist on fire”, etc) and the entirety of the bridge/last verse rlly gives me these two’s vibes so! ya (:

3. love love love by of monsters and men this song is the singer feeling like shes completely unworthy of being loved by this important person in her life, particularly because she has NO idea how to show affection and love the (for lack of better word) “acceptable” way, or any way at all really. this REALLY has jotaro vibes cause he is one repressed motherfucker and as we see the entirety of his story, jotaro is full of love he loves so much it’s just he has no idea how to properly express it cause he’s scared essentially. but that didn’t stop people from loving him, in this case, that being kakyoin. hhhhHHh

4. ribs by lorde this song is about being scared of growing up but due to the lyrics being written the way they are, i kinda spin the interpretation of it to be the fear jotaro and kakyoin had on the crusade to egypt, as they were the youngest and didnt know if they’d make it back and everything is just incredibly overwhelming there is so much going on all the time those 50 days. i can do a full analysis on why but that would be kinda long LMAO. for now let’s leave it at they have a very Unique fear of growing up but it still fits with the lyrics. particularly the last bit of the song with the “youre the only friend i need” verses,,,makes me think of these two...

5. can i call you tonight? by dayglow i interpret this song to be about trying to figure out what, exactly, your feelings are for this very specific and important person in your life. since jotaro and kakyoin r both repressed and also suckers of internalized homophobia, i think they fit that theme very well. particularly with the whole “i feel like we’re close, but maybe we’re not actually? what are we?” theme going on in the lyrics, this whole song makes me think of jotaro and kakyoin figuring out their intense and sudden (cause again only 50 days but also, those 50 days had So Much going on) feelings for each other. also the “now i’m no longer alone” line in the chorus HHHHHHH that’s them

6. la la la love song by toshinobu kubota ft naomi campbell SO I KNOW THIS SONG IS KINDA JUST FLUFF but we need some light-hearted moments in this thing hjgg;. ALSO toshinobu kubota is canonically jotaro’s favorite musician so i wanted to reference that and this was my fav love song of his that i’ve found so far so (: also the “you are my shining star” line,,,heh

7. truce by twenty one pilots so this song is very soft. it’s about tending to wounds and taking a moment before continuing to push on. it makes me think abt jotaro and kakyoin taking care of each other on the journey (for example the lovers arc/n’doul fight). also the whole “stay alive, stay alive for me/you will die, but now your life is free/take pride in what is sure to die” makes me go fucking nuts that is. that fits these two to a T fuck

8. this side of paradise by coyote theory this song has big “two lonely people are in love with each other for the first time” vibes and OHHHHHHHHHH THAT’S JOTAKAK.... there are a lot of little lines that make me specifically think abt these two, such as “love so strong it makes me feel weak” (jotaro-core...), “if you’re lonely come be lonely with me”, “i’ll be yours if you’ll be mine” (wanting some security while ur in love for the first time is common but especially for these two i think it works spectacularly) but yea this song as a whole is just...ohhh them. theyre in lvoe HK;FNJFL

9. i saw you in a dream by the japanese house EVERY. SINGLE. LINE. OF THIS SONG IS POST-EGYPT JOTARO. EVERY SINGLE LINE. and the ghost the singer talks about seeing? they hadnt changed at all? they were such a pretty vision, a perfect hallucination? BRUH... just listen i could do a whole analysis on this song it all just fits jotaro mourning kakyoin throughout the years so so so so well it makes me feel nuts holy shit i just. literally every line. every line fits i am not joking. i cried when i first heard this song LMAO

10. video games by the young professionals SO LMAO obviously kakyoin’s epic gamer moves are being referenced but beyond that i interpret this song to just be the fun parts of being in love esp when ur young (backed up with the “kissing in the blue dark” and the “watching all our friends fall” lines). also the chorus just makes me want to cry cause just, happy jotakak moments PLEASE. “the world was built for two only worth living if somebody is loving you, and baby now you do” THEYRE NOT ALONE ANYMORE THEY FOUDN EACH OTHER IM GONAN WAILLLLLLL oh my god. im nuts theynkjNJKNJF also “i heard that you like the bad girls” please. these two shitty teenagers

11. ikanaide by sohta ft. yuki kaai this song is abt not wanting someone u love to leave u cause youll miss them obviously but also ur scared of how the time will change you and if it’ll make you unrecognizable eventually. big post-egypt jotaro vibes 😔 especially cause one part of the chorus translates to “i shouldnt cry, i shouldnt cry, but the truth is i want to say dont go” and im jus like OHHHHH NO IT’S JOTARO FINDING OUT KAKYOIN DIED jkfnNKJFNJDhkld

12. therefore you and me by eve ALRIGHT. god this song is one hell of a doozy. i interpret this song to mean being sincerely in love but youre in the wrong place/wrong time. considering the uh Whole Situation in part 3 there were definitely better times to fall in love for these two. jotaro and kakyoin try to be happy w the moments they do have (i think the second verse in particular adds to this sentiment what with the selfish ghosts part) but they want a better environment understandably so theyre also just kinda ignoring things until they can properly care for a relationship. but well...who knows if theyll live to make it to that better environment ):

13. mayonaka no door/stay with me by miki matsubara this song is a v sweet sentiment abt like “it’s not just heat of the moment!! i do care about u a lot!!” and asking the person u have feelings for to stick around. big kakyoin and jotaro vibes as it would be easy to call what they have a fling considering how relatively short of a timeframe they had but i genuinely think their relationship was deeper than just that and this song nicely reflects such. “jotaro and i will share a room cause we’re both students” fuckin head ass

14. a thousand years by sting oh sting.... so since sting is kakyoin’s favorite musician canonically i had to add one of his songs here as well but beyond just that i do think this song fits them!! it kinda gives me big “if not in this life, then the next” vibes which is a big uhhh thing for jotakak. they may be doomed to tragedy but the moments they have together make the tragedy worth enduring ironically i feel like this song is mostly from jotaro’s pov considering i dont think he ever completely got over kakyoin and this song def has that kinda sentiment but hey it fits them...

15. mr loverman by ricky montgomery SO FUNNY STORY i actually REALLY. REALLY didnt wanna add this song at first cause i felt it wouldve been...idk too cliche? i guess? and i was ALL kinds of picky when choosing songs for this playlist HOWEVER. eventually i relistened to it and read the lyrics while thinking specifically abt jotakak and it actually rlly does fit quite well KJDFN; another jotaro mourning song ): it’s not just the chorus tho the whole song fits jotaro immediately post-egypt but also i feel like some time around part 4 this sentiment would come back to him cause Yknow. Gays In Morioh and the mess of his family life back in america. it just aches for him cause while he’s happy josuke is happy he wishes he couldve had that for him and kakyoin too but yea jus ... them

16. you by petit biscuit an instrumental?? in a ship playlist?? yes that’s right much like mr loverman i was hesitant to put this song in cause it’s harder to justify since i dont rlly know much abt music (and not to b controversial but interpreting lyrics and interpreting music r two different things) however i really think the vibes of this song fit jotakak. it’s got a somber melody but the keys of the piano are high which im taking to mean “light in the dark” which. jotaro and kakyoin (along w the rest of the crusaders) were each other’s lights in the dark. also the ending samples a conference/lecture talking about space flight and like. star platinum. space symbolism. jotaro. yeah

17. saturn by sleeping at last MMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM. this song is all about losing someone very close and important to you, but reflecting on the good they brought into your life rather than the pain of losing them. this song also has HEAVY space imagery which stardust crusaders is absolutely chalk fucking full of so also it’s a very philosophical song and considering that jotaro and kakyoin are both Nerds and both got a nice view of the stars/space in the desert with each other, im sure they had conversations similar to the one highlighted in the song. i think it’s a good note to end the playlist on cause kakyoin is dead and jotaro is the survivor but it’s not a mourning song so much as jotaro taking the love he had for kakyoin and pushing forward with it allll th way into part 6

but yeah that’s the tracklist! i might add or take away a song or two but this is mostly it (: hope yall enjoy!

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gamer2002 · 3 years

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Super Danganronpa 2: Goodbye Despair - Review2002

Super Danganronpa 2: Goodbye Despair is a sequel to Danganronpa that focuses on a new cast that, this time around, is trapped on a tropical island. The game is an improvement when it comes to writing, mechanics (mostly), characters, and executing own premise. It’s pretty much a perfect sequel that is a genuinely good game.

Like in the first game, we have a set of cases where one of participants of the killing game commits murder and tries to frame somebody else for their crime. This time around, our main character is Hajime Hinata, who doesn’t remember his own Ultimate Talent. Hajime is much better main character than Makoto, not just because of an intriguing mystery about him, but also because of being a better character with a better story. Sure, since Makoto was a painfully generic goodie-goodie, it isn’t saying much. And, Hajime isn’t really an outstanding character. But he is relatable, sympathetic, and funny, as the only sane man in the cast. He does a good job as a protagonist, while going through his own journey. He actually experiences far more hardship and Despair™ than Makoto did in his game. Which is why, at the end, you really want the guy to overcome it.

The gameplay also has improved, mostly. I like new blue statements in the Nonstop Debate. I like new trial minigames, though Rebuttal Showdown is more a neat idea than a good execution (you can’t really focus on what the characters are saying). I like that now, from the start, there is some logic element in the rhythm minigame. The so-called Improved Hangman’s Gambit is an overcomplex crap, though.

Outside of trials, the game also has improved acquiring new skills. Now you gather skill points from Free Time events, and you can spend them on buying available skills from a list. You can also unlock characters’ skills, by maxing out their Free Time events. It’s a much better system that gives you more control over gaining new skills. And you also have more control when it comes to getting presents, as you can buy few from a vendor machine, or spend coins on rolling random ones. Acquiring coins is also improved. Now you don’t need to examine same locations all over again, you just hunt hidden Monokumas. You can also get coins from taking care of Tamagotchi.

Music is pretty much the same, with just few new tracks. Island is much more interesting environment than the school. Direction is also more interesting during the trials. And also, we have better characters, but I will elaborate on that later on. There is still meme writing with hope and despair, but it is twisted into something far more interesting.

There are flaws, tho. I say that finale, while it had great last third, was exposition-heavy and also was relying on pretty heavy retcons. The world lore is expanded on, but is pretty unimpressive. But I still say - it’s a good game. A ridiculously animu edgy shonen that relies on selling underage waifus and a shock value, which can be not to your tastes, but a good one. The previous game was just fun, which means that you could enjoy it despite its flaws. The sequel fixes quite a lot of flaws, and also improves its strengths. And one of such strengths is its set up that allows to experience brutal treatment of likable kids. Yeah, the kids actually earn that they can be called likable, this time around.

It is an 8/10 game, even though I maybe should have given it a half point lower. I enjoyed it a lot more than the original, and also was more moved by it. I think that sequels that strive to improve the series deserve recognition.

But now, to expand on my review, I’m going to tell more why Danganronpa 2 gives us better cast than the first game, and why it is such a good sequel. In the spoiler section, I’ll be focusing on the new, much better, villain, and expand my thoughts on the game’s finale. So, let’s start with the characters…

Prepare them likable before the slaughter

In this game Danganronpa finds its strength as a series, which lies in its set up that allows building up likable characters, before brutally killing them off. While the new cast is still is mostly a bunch of two dimensional ridiculous stereotypes, they are more likable and useful to the player. Because they actually try to be.

The first cast wasn’t really good at giving us reasons to like or respect them, with two or three exceptions. Especially if you didn’t happen to make free time events with them. Most treated Makoto like a pushover (albeit deservingly), or plainly neutral at best. The motives, while understandable, were just realistically understandable, not sympathetic. Most of those that didn’t end up being killers still mostly focused on self-survival than improving anybody’s else situation. It wasn’t a group of people you’d be happy to live with, let alone be locked with. It wasn’t even much of a group. Even in the final case, after everything that survivors went through, Monokuma still could make them turn against one another with a rather unimpressive trick. While it’s realistic that kids in such situation would be self-centered, even if they didn’t end up becoming killers, such characters’ deaths rather can’t make you feel devastated. Not you can feel glad over their survival. Even if you happened to like their personalities, which is subjective anyway.

Hajime has better relationships with his cast. Only Fuyuhiko and Hiyoko (after her personality has shifted from killer of little animals into a foulmouthed shortie) ever treated him like crap, but they were like that towards everyone. And one of them had proper character development. Everyone else was neutral towards Hajime at worst, not best. One character has noticed Hajime’s reliability, and asked him for help with keeping security of others. Other character wanted to watch girls on the beach with him. I also don’t remember the first cast to mourn the deceased ones as much as the second cast does. Neither I remember them trying much to be supportive to those that were feeling down. The motives that are meant to be understandable are also more sympathetic, so even the killers are more likable.

And the usefulness? Let’s do a spoiler-free comparison of both first cases. In the first game, everyone, but one person, falls for the set up that framed Makoto. During the investigation, aside from the most reliable person in the cast, nobody really was much of any help, excluding one person witnessing something helpful. During the trial, Makoto had just one ally to count on, until he managed to clear himself from wrongful suspicion. But even afterwards, the trial was still carried by just two people. It doesn’t help the mystery wasn’t really complex.

The second game? The situation isn’t better just because nobody is wrongfully accusing Hajime. Excluding the two smartest characters in the cast, three Ultimates use their talents during the investigation, and each provides us with useful information. There are also two others that were screwing around, but still accidentally allowed us to learn something of use. During the trial, everyone tried to be involved, and just one character was briefly idiotic about it. Other than that, mistakes happened, but they were understandable due to the crime’s complexity.

The difference in the first impression is pretty self-evident, and that was just the start. Needless to say, 2nd game’s emotional peak is higher than the 1st game’s. Actually, more disturbing and sad things are happening in the 2nd game. And that’s where Danganronpa can shine. While this game can turn people off for being a ridiculous animu nonsense, when you get past that, you do get likable and pretty useful characters that experience terrible things. This is what this series has to offer, with the writers realizing that in their second game. Because, let’s face it, most of the first game’s cast were either caricatures, or had no proper chance to shine.

But this game isn’t just what the first game should have been. It is also what its sequel should be.

How to sequel

There are three kinds of sequel: betrayals, cash-ins, and genuinely good ones. Danganronpa 2 is the last one. An example of a cash-in sequel is second Ace Attorney game, Ace Attorney: Justice For All, which is my least favorite game in the series.

JFA is pretty much everything you’d expect from an Ace Attorney sequel, and that’s simply not good enough. While it’s always nice to be able to follow the story further, long-runners are popular for a reason, good sequels are more than that. They are supposed to do more than just deliver another set of cases that are rather similar to the previous game. They are supposed to give us a better rival than just watered down amalgam of previous ones, but with boobs and a whip. Expansions are more of the same, sequels are meant to have a game-changing aspect to them. And it’s not supposed to be only used as the final case’s main gimmick. An example of good sequel is Virtue Last Reward, because it uses the concept introduced as a final twist of 999, as the core element of the game. Even Zero Time Dilemma, the disappointing finale of the trilogy, does add an interesting twist to said concept.

Danganronpa 2 is a good sequel because it improves a lot from the previous entry. The main character actually has an interesting story that isn’t just “an optimistic guy tries to remain optimistic, so he does”. A new setting allows for more different murder mystery set-ups. Ultimate Talents are frequently used during crimes and investigations. And, like I’ve said earlier, many game mechanics are improved. And there is also a game-changer.

Years before Among Us becoming popular, I was playing with my friends Battlestar Galactica board game, which is also about managing a space ship with a traitor, known as Cylon, among us (hah). In a way, Danganronpa series is similar to those games, with a killer being a hidden withing the group traitor, that will doom everyone, if remains undetected. Anyway, an expansion to Battlestar added new characters, new environment, and also a game-changer – Cylon Leader, a character that is a known Cylon, but at the same time may be not, due to own mysterious agenda. While regular Cylon players wins when Battlestar Galactica is destroyed, and human players win when they reach their destination, Cylon Leader player was a wild card. At the start of the game, Cylon Leader randomly draws its own secret victory condition. And it not only could go either way, but also had special requirements. A Cylon Leader could want Cylons to win, but only after specific game phase. A Cylon Leader could want humans to win, but only after specific losses of resources. Other players didn’t know Cylon Leader’s exact agenda, only that he could shift sides depending on situation.

That being said, Cylon Leader was a controversial addition to the game, and not every fan liked it. But regardless, it was a game-changer. Which is what Danganronpa 2 offer, by quickly introducing its own Cylon Leader. But that’s for the spoiler section.

The superiority of Hope Man over Despair Thot

Nagito Komaeda is a superior villain to Junko, and this is simply an objective fact. Like you could tell from previous paragraph, he is this game’s Cylon Leader.

When I started the sequel, I’ve already been spoiled that Nagito is a psycho. What I expected was him being the sequel’s hidden in the plain sight Junko, a nice guy that befriends us just to be revealed as the mastermind in the finale. Well, I was wrong about that. In the very first case, Nagito tries to kill somebody, but this is all part of his plan to drive somebody else to murder, because he has no interest in his own survival. The killer was executed, but Nagito remained, declaring own readiness to aid anybody who wants to kill him and escape, at the cost of everyone else. And this put the new cast in a situation the old cast never was.

Some people say that Nagito has Byakuya‘s role from the previous game. But Byakuya was just openly outspoken about wanting to accomplish what every other killer wanted, until he was hit with character development, before delivering anything as an antagonist. Fuyuhiko is more similar to Byakuya. Meanwhile, Nagito delivers, first early, and then later on, after his character development goes wrong, orchestrating the most twisted and personally devastating crime in both games. He successfully forces us to sacrifice the Ultimate Gamer Waifu, how can you get more personal than that?!

But doing twisted and devastating stuff is what Junko is all about, so what makes Nagito better? First of all, even though he has literal good luck superpower, he doesn’t pull things out of his ass. Nagito doesn’t have Junko’s unexplained endless resources, he just finds opportunities in what is available to everyone. Even in case 5, where he has ton of crazy tools, we know that he obtained them during case 4.

Nagito also does have his twisted philosophy. For Pate’s sake, Junko herself admits that causing despair is nothing more than main characteristic of her one-dimensional character. He also does have a past (if you complete his Free Time event), even if it is the Joker-style multiple choices of past. Maybe he lied to Hajime about being terminally ill. Maybe he lied about lying, to motivate Hajime into killing him and escaping. The game never tell us, and this makes it more fascinating.

There are also opinions that Nagito ultimately plays into hand of Junko, nearly delivering her 15 bodies to control. I don’t agree with that. In the event of Chiaki being the sole survivor of her trial, she wouldn’t have a reason nor intention to graduate and allow Junko to take over bodies of the deceased. Neither Makoto and co. would have a reason anymore to risk themselves getting trapped in virtual world. Wrong and twisted as it was, Nagito plan would’ve neutralized Junko, forever trapping her with Chiaki in her virtual prison.

In the end, Nagito is a highly dangerous enemy, a highly useful ally, and a highly unpredictable wild card. He is an interesting character and he actively makes the game more interesting. Did I mention the sequel has Junko again and it is same old, same old? Ok, Junko/Monokum is slightly better now, but she still has many of her old issues.

The good and bad things about the finale

Overall, I liked the finale better than the first game’s, but it had some issues. One problem is that the investigation is an lazy exposition dumb. The first game was better at handling its revelations during its final investigation, as we were receiving more vague clues, not fucking walls of text. Not to mention, there were emotional moments, like Kyoko visiting her father’s office. Here, we are hit with a wall of text after wall of text, and there isn’t any meaningful scene. The only exception was meeting Alter Ego and receiving message from Makoto, but that was it. And those weren’t really strong scenes. The final investigation of the first game did much better job at handling its reveals. Even the final trial was better in the original, until the confrontation with Junko.

Also, retcons. The sequel wants us to believe that Junko, who was easily defeated, was constantly screwing herself over, and whose successes at driving people to murder were more attributed to weak opposition than anything, was the one responsible for the world’s collapse. When I played the first game, I saw Junko as a part of Ultimate Despair, whose task was to infiltrate Hope Peak Academy and broadcast a killing game to lure the groups’ opposition. A high and mighty Doctor No that only works for SPECTRE. But her being a manipulative genius that has turned the entire cast into her devotes? Have you seen her doing that in the first game? Where she could left Aoi devastated and resentful towards everyone, after the 4th trial, but she blew it so hard that fucking Byakuya had a change of heart? Where she was ultimately beaten by Makoto like it was nothing? Please.

That being said, Junko/Monokuma are better in this. Because the game is set in simulation, there is no problem with Junko being able to do whatever. Because the cast has stronger morality than the previous one, she does have to be more cunning with driving them to murder. Junko also sticks better to the rules, even if she is forced to. Her plan and the final dilemma she has for the cast is also actually a good one. But that actually wasn’t Junko anyway, just Junko-based Alter Ego. If I was writing this, I wouldn’t try to retcon a turd villain into something she never had been, I’d just state that Hajime/Izuru was behind everything in the first game and he has used Alter Ego to recreate Junko and lure Makoto and co.

One last complaint about the finale I have is that they retcon Kyoko’s father into a doctor Mengele, without her even reacting to it. The twist itself with the Academy fucking over Hajime was good, but they shouldn’t just carelessly (and without noticing it) turn a character that wasn’t evil, but good-intentional albeit flawed, into a monster that was experimenting on children. Or, at best, a detective family’s failure that had no idea what was happening in the Academy he was running.

After all that complaining, what is good about the finale? Well, things have slowly picked up since it was revealed that Monokuma/Junko wanted the cast to graduate. Everything related to Hajime was also good. The dude really went through a lot, starting from doubts about his lost talent and Nagito’s betrayal, through the revelation that he never had any talent and the loss of Chiaki, up to learning that the Academy has altered his very identity. The idea of everyone from the cast being part of Ultimate Despair was also a good twist, a much better one than “lol, the world is already destroyed”.

Besides that, the last moments of the game have masterfully used gameplay for storytelling. Movies and books can make us feel two things – pain or pleasure. Alternating between those is how stories have impactful twist and turns, causing them to be engaging. But in video games, we can experience a spectrum of feelings that other mediums cannot provide. In games, we can also feel power or powerlessness. And the game’s final gameplay segments put us at start in a state of powerlessness, in form of a choice between bad and worse, then letting us slowly regain power, culminating in a satisfying beat-down of helpless Junko. The point of that section of the game was death and rebirth of Hajime into SSJ Chadiyan, and the game makes you experience all of it.

Also, unlike the previous game, this one makes a proper statement. In the bad and worse situation, where you can either allow the devil to triumph at cost of other people, or become a martyr to stop the devil, what you say is “screw the devil, there’s a chance we will still survive, and we are risk takers!”. This is exactly the statement that the first game should have made. You can’t fall into despair and give up in face of overwhelming hardship. But you can also be betrayed by a false hope of everything working out. But not much can be accomplished without facing the risk and taking your chances, even if you odds are desperately small.

Overall, the finale did drag and relied on retcons, but its climax was truly enjoyable and worthwhile.

#danganronpa #danganronpa 2 #hajime hinata #nagito komaeda #vn #game review #review #review2002 #video game #video game review #writing tips #super danganronpa 2

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bard-llama · 3 years

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WiP List (all unpublished)

So, I am 2 fics away from having published 100 fics for the Witcher game ‘verse! And I feel like my 100th fic should be special, so uh... vote on which WiP you’d like me to prioritize, I guess?

Putting the WiPs under a cut because... there’s a lot.

Forgive my working titles pls. I do not try hard with them.

Mostly Porny Fics

Piss fic - Iorveth gets a blowjob before he can mention that he could stand to use the chamber pot. After he comes over Roche’s face, Roche refuses to move - so Iorveth pisses on his crotch.

Cum Dumpster Roche - Emhyr sends Roche to an ‘elven peace conference’ which turns out to actually be an elven ritual involving a gangbang. Where he’s the ‘sacrifice’. He is surprisingly okay with this.

Possessiveness - this one actually could have the beginning published if I can think of a title. It’s essentially about Iorveth feeling very proprietary over HIS dh’oine and Roche... kind of liking that. Also scent marking during their second ever meeting lmao

Dream: Pleasure Slave - Roche has dreams about Iorveth where his only purpose is to bring Iorveth pleasure and show off how good he is for Iorveth.

Roche wears a collar - Iorveth really, really wants to see Roche in his collar, but he knows that will never happen. Doesn’t stop him from custom making a collar just for Roche - and then, serendipidously, he captures Roche and gets to put it on him. But surely Roche isn’t STILL wearing it... right? (he totes is)

Tonguefucking the dick - the premise here is that Foltest really liked stretching Roche as far as he could. Which has left Roche with holes that are... not able to go back to ‘normal’. Iorveth just wants to know when he can suck Roche’s cock.

Beltane - started the day after Beltane, because I’m me. This is an established relationship fic where Iorveth wants to celebrate with Roche - so he brings Roche to an elven ceremony. He forgets to mention the whole getting married and fucking in public bit tho.

Foltest Shows Off His Whore (And Iorveth Steals Him) - the Scoia’tael come to Vizima to negotiate a peace treaty. As a show of power, Foltest has Roche serving as his cockwarmer, completely naked. Iorveth cannot take his eyes off of Roche and when Foltest offers his whore to them... well, how can he refuse?

Cock worship - aka Iorveth is a lil obsessed with Roche’s dick. Haven’t actually decided if this is gonna be a slow burn with relationship development or go straight into porn. So uh... opinions requested?

Mersquid Iorveth Porny Porn - When Iorveth isn’t present during a fight, Roche goes to the cove where they’ve been secretly meeting and teaching each other shit. Only to find Iorveth in heat. Obviously he can’t just leave his enemy, so...

Oblivious Roche - Iorveth is trying VERY, very hard to woo Roche, but the idiot is absolutely oblivious to these things. So Iorveth decides to get naked with candles and rose petals around and wait for Roche to come and finally take him. Roche is just very, very confused.

Old Men in Vergen - Roche, exhausted from training his soldiers in Velen, goes to Vergen to rest and recover with his lover. Iorveth just wants Roche to fucking eat a real meal before they bone until they can’t anymore.

Sequel to Never Have I Ever - Iorveth decides that Roche’s drunken confessions deserve reciprocity.

Iorveth Gangbang - Roche manages a scene where Iorveth is tied up in the Blue Stripes camp and they take him apart.

Post-coital after first time - post-W2, Iorveth has decided to start over in a town where he’s a little less notorious. When he decides to stop by the tavern, he happens to discover Roche, drunk off his ass. Obviously this leads to dares and blowjobs.

Hands - Iorveth and Geralt have a thing for Roche’s hands and spend a lot of time oogling and fantacisizng about them. Roche discovers this when he ‘accidentally’ walks in on Iorveth fingering Geralt in Corvo Bianco.

Post-coital smoke - Iorveth admires his lover while smoking after a number of sessions. Then Roche steals his pipe and they start a new session.

Wrestling for Who Tops - Iorveth and Roche are at a fancy party and duck out in to the garden for some fun. Featuring plugs, breathplay, and dirty talk.

Impact Play - established relationship, Iorveth ties Roche up to have fun with him.

A Dream is a Wish Your Heart Makes - In Witcher 2, Iorveth accompanies Geralt to find a harpy dream powerful enough to save Saskia. They accidentally end up witnessing Roche’s dream - where he is DP’d by Geralt and Iorveth. Then they work on making it come true.

Private Time - Roche masturbates and fantacizes about Iorveth and Geralt.

Inexperienced Iorveth - PWP where Roche instructs Iorveth on how to get him off. Iorveth mostly follows the instructions... with a few additions.

Iorveth tittyfucking Roche - p much what it sounds like. Iorveth has a fascination with Roche’s chest. Roche is more than okay with this.

Want Me To Sit In Your Lap? - based on Geralt literally saying this to Roche 2 seconds after meeting him, this fic is post-W2 where Geralt DOES sit in Roche’s lap (and on his cock) while Triss and Ves get to know each other.

Foltest/Roche –> Iorveth/Roche - this is a fic I’m writing with @multifangirl69 where Foltest ties Roche up until he’s immobile, then fucks him. Then the Scoia’tael attack and Foltest and his guard end up retreating... without Roche. So Iorveth walks into the King’s tent to find Roche tied up and ready to be fucked.

Wet kisses after finding refuge from the rain - the magic of the forest is feeling playful and teases Iorveth with the idea of being filled all day long. So when he finally gets to meet up with Roche, he’s eager to get filled - and the magic of the forest has a nice surprise to help fill him. (the surprise is vine tentacles)

Pregnancy Prompts pron pls? - pre-pregnancy but in the same universe with trans Roche, Iorveth reflects on how much he loves his partner. And decides to show that love by sucking his dick.

Age Kink (which I may have misunderstood) - Iorveth and Roche find themselves captured and locked up together with no sign of their captor.

Eskel/Lambert - When Eskel and Lambert get into a fight over gwent of all things, Eskel accidentally uses axii on Lambert. Lambert wants him to do it again.

5 Signs: Sex Magic - Eskel ends up demonstrating how igni can be used in sex for Lambert and Geralt. Naturally this leads to a bet on who can most effectively use all of the signs during sex.

“If we’re both in this state, we both really screwed up somewhere huh?” - Roche and Iorveth find themselves trapped in a dream world and struggle to find a way to wake up.

“You were almost dead from pushing it too far!” - Roche has a heart attack during a skirmish with the Scoia’tael. Only elven medicine is able to save him.

Plot-driven Fics

Language Aphasia/Deal with the Devil - Roche makes the mistake of wishing that he could “understand Iorveth” in the company of one Gaunter O’Dimm. Then he wakes up as Iorveth’s prisoner and for some reason, he can only understand Elder.

Life Debt AKA Iorveth is an Asshole - When Roche and his men rescue the prisoners of a slavery ring they’ve busted up, they discover one elf has been... pretty badly treated. Somehow this leads to Iorveth learning to walk with arm braces and hanging out in the Temerian camp in Velen, criticizing Roche’s training techniques.

Firebreathing - PT knows how to breathe fire. Iorveth is NOT prepared to discover that humanity has these skills and the idiocy to actually use them.

Sequel to A Heart’s Fire - Cerys is sick of Iorveth’s moping so she comes up with a business reason to go to Hindersfjall, where Roche is visiting Shorty’s family.

Wedding Buddies - Roche’s mom makes him accompany her to a wedding that happens to be for a close friend who is an elf. Roche was definitely not expecting to run into Iorveth here of all places.

Angst: Sex Object Roche - Iorveth notices that whenever they flirt, Roche backs off and then hurts himself afterwards. Iorveth is not okay with this and refuses to be a blade for Roche to cut himself against.

Midwinter Feast - Foltest treats with a nonhuman delegation while they are all locked inside the palace for the 7 day feast. Iorveth is one of the representatives and decides to have fun messing with Roche.

Solstice Feast - okay, this was actually supposed to be an xmas present for @lutes-and-dandelions, but uh... I got stuck. But this fic and its sequel are post-W3 where Emhyr hosts a big Solstice Feast and Roche and Iorveth end up ducking out and doing their own thing. Namely: drinking.

Lily Preserved in Amber - the premise is that in an elven coming of age ceremony, Iorveth finds ‘a sign of what’s to come’ in the form of a lily preserved in amber. Later, he realizes that this represents Roche.

Based on @moonlights-ordinance‘s art - Working under Nilfgaard, Iorveth and Roche have THE most uncomfortable desk chairs, ones with no backs. This eventually leads to them using each other as back rests and, of course, cuddling.

Roche’s Scars - this is a 6-part fic all about Roche’s scars: how he gets them, why he hides them, how he (and Iorveth) learn to accept them. Plus some scar worship, of course.

Casefic/Undercover Dubious Consent - In order to break up a slavery ring, Iorveth goes undercover as Roche’s ‘pet’. This requires them trusting each other an awful lot and also, Iorveth is a little worried about how much he likes wearing Roche’s collar.

Sequel to Red is the Rose - as Iorveth and Roche journey to Kaer Morhen to help Geralt, they slowly figure out how their relationship works - and how to move it forward.

Curse Breaking - Roche finds Iorveth in an abandoned Scoia’tael camp, slowly dying from a curse. Roche manages to cure Iorveth and then decides to help Iorveth rescue the rest of his Scoia’tael from a mage. With a little help from Triss, of course.

Bloodplay - Roche begins to hunt the Scoia’tael and has a very strangely arousing encounter with Iorveth.

Fake Relationship - Iorveth and Roche team up to investigate a couple’s resort where both Temerian soldiers and Scoia’tael have gone missing.

An unexpected kiss that shocks the one receiving it - Roche dreams of Iorveth watching over him in his sleep.

An accidental brush of lips followed by a pause and going back for another, on purpose - when a mine collapses in Vergen, Roche is thought dead for a period of time until he is rescued. Iorveth knows they’ve always agreed not to pursue anything with their flirting, but he HAS to know that Roche is okay.

Heavy Be The Head - Roche is stuck running Temeria post-W3 and he despises it more than anything. Fortunately, Iorveth shows up with a proposition: to go kill war criminals together. How can Roche say no?

Pre-W2 Ambassadorial AU - Temeria welcomes the first elven ambassador in a long, long time. Triss decides to be friendly and drags Roche along for the ride.

Stubbornness and Self Care - The Scoia’tael come to Vizima to negotiate a treaty with King Foltest. Iorveth is trying very, very hard to represent his people, but his migraine is unbelievably bad. Fortunately, Roche manages to convince him to rest and have someone else stand in for him.

Pregnancy Prompts Iorveth tells everyone - Iorveth is very, very excited to be trying for a baby and tells LITERALLY everyone he can.

Pregnancy Prompts Philippa POV - post-W2, Philippa decides to return to Vergen and try her luck. Saskia decides to give her a second chance, which many, many people disapprove of.

Temerian Civil War (A Single Spark) - when Foltest sets Iorveth’s forest on fire, he creates a scism in Temerian politics. Suddenly, three factions are vying for control: the Loyalists, the Pragmatists, and the Unified Temerians.

Identity Porn - As the Scoia’tael begin to emerge as a threat, Roche is sent to investigate them. This leads to meeting an elf in the Flotsam inn and starting a relationship with him. Except neither know who the other really is.

Letters - Roche is running Temeria and hating it when he starts receiving letters from Iorveth. He has no way to send letters in return, but he finds he enjoys seeing Iorveth’s thoughts and ramblings as the elf turns into a street musician.

Dijkstra + Roche 1 - Dijkstra notices how fucked up the dynamic between Foltest and Roche is and is reminded of his own history with Vizimir. Then he decides to teach his Temerian counterpart some self-respect.

Dijkstra + Roche 2 - Roche is captured by Redania as an unnamed spy. He’s caught Dijkstra’s attention because he hasn’t told them anything at all, not even his name. They only know he’s Temerian because of his tattoos. So Dijkstra decides that the way to break this man is through converstaions, over which they slowly develop a grudging respect for each other.

Holy shit. This is not even all of my WiPs, guys. What the fuck am I doing!??!

Anyway, please let me know: which 2 fics should I prioritize working on so that they can be published to hit that 100 round number?

#rorveth #iorveth x roche #WiPs #the witcher #my fics #fic planning

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kitsune-og · 3 years

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top five video games 💛

oof this is gonna be hard... I have to make sure these are games I've played not watch a certain loud man or [redacted] play.

5: Bioshock Infinite. I honestly cannot get over this game. I played it a long time ago and would have played it more of not for the fact that my Mac refuses to run the game because of some update bullshit. But either way, this game still holds a place in my heart. I love Booker and Elizabeth, I love their story and the gameplay itself. It's so brutal but also just so goddamn sad. The environments are also just so beautiful, I love walking around Columbia and finding all of its secrets. And the DLCs (which I haven't gotten to play) of the game look so amazing! Rapture looks so beautiful and I love the way it links Elizabeth to the original game with the little sisters.

4: Red Dead Redemption 2. The hype behind this game is almost unparalleled to any other game I've played (mostly bc I haven't played RE8 yet). My friend and I used to talk about this game non stop so once I got a ps4 I knew what I had to have as soon as I could; RDR2. I adore the story of the game and how it's a prequel to the first game (which I haven't actually played lol oop). Not to mention the graphics oh my god the game is just so goddamn pretty. The way the weather changes and goes from rain to clear skies to snow!!! Everything is just so goddamn pretty (and so is Arthur lol I love him sm).

3: Undertale. An absolute classic game that I think most people have played by now and if not, you probably know of it. The story of Undertale is so incredible, the soundtrack and even the little sprites. Everything all just comes together in such a delightful little game that has so much replay-ability, even once you've done all of the routes. And not to mention the spinoffs. Even though it's become a meme now, it's still a great game and cringe culture is dead anyway so I will happily talk about how much I love it. In fact, I love it so much that I made cosplays for both myself and Luna (as Frisk and Chara) and I will definitely be doing more cosplays.

2: The Walking Dead series by Telltale. These games... just !!! I cannot deal with just how goddamn amazing the story is. I adore Clem so fucking much and watching her journey is so moving. It's heartwarming, it's awfully sad, it's fucked up. Clem is the greatest character among a cluster of great characters with so much heart. I never expected to a) fall in love with a story about The fucking Walking Dead or b) cry over said story, but I did just that. And I continue to every time I replay the games. This is also a game that I have cosplayed from and I have so much fun every time.

And coming in at number 1, we have Night In the Woods. I don't think I can quite explain just why I love this game so much, but if you've played it yourself you probably understand. The game is full of heart and great characters that go through so much. I connected with Mae immediately, and I adore all of her friends. Her journey of coming back to her home city after being away for so long and seeing what has changed is so beautiful. Plus all the fun mini games make this game top tier. Playing guitar with friends and practicing new songs at home is so much fun (even tho I suck at rhythm games) and the fact that you can play games on her computer? *chefs kiss*

Okay that was an essay of a post lol I just love video games. Anyway, honourable mentions are The Wolf Among Us, Dream Daddy and Coming Out On Top, Donut County, Willowbrook Stables and House Flipper.

Ask me my top 5 anything!

#kit: answers #thanks lunaaaaaaa #I love rambling about video games #I could have easily made a top 10 or 15 #I would have added Subnautica and The Last Of Us #but I haven't played them enough #kit: gaming #luna 🌙

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writerfae · 3 years

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♪ The Knights of the Alder - Band AU: Headcanons (part 2) ♪

this is part two of me gushing about my daydream Band AU, this time sharing random headcanons

here's part one btw

♬

Aiden is the lead singer

the other's do background vocals sometimes

I'm not sure if Halea or Talon would be the drummer of the band but I lean towards Halea because I think it would fit her best

they sing duets too. sometimes it's Aiden and Talon, but oftentimes it's Maya singing with Aiden

Maya has a very lovely singing voice

she was too shy to sing in front of people at first but when she got closer with the others and they encouraged her, she felt comfortable enough to do it eventually

the band would also totally make one of those unplugged sessions

Talon loves those sessions especially, because he's a huge fan of acoustic songs

I feel like their band would make very cool and badass music videos

Talon and Aiden write a lot of songs together, later it is mostly love songs

they are dating, but they didn't make it official at first so they kind of had a secret relationship for some time

but some fans were on to something and the two decide to have their fun with that and mess with their "shippers"

like, they never confirm their relationship when asked, but they constantly drop hints and watch people make wild theories

in one music video Aiden wears a Shirt that belongs to Talon (one he was often seen wearing) and there are whole videos of people being like "they're dating and i can proof it"

in an interview someone once asked "Who are you thinking about when singing love songs?" and Aiden answered "Apple pie."

eventually they do confirm their relationship tho

they do have a YouTube channel where they do acoustic covers, just the two of them

speaking of dating, I like to think that at some point at the beginning some fans were like "we're pretty sure some of them are dating but we don't know who is dating who"

I imagine Aiden, Talon, Halea and Maya would be that kind of band that interact with their fans a lot

for a while Halea got her hands on the band's official snapchat account and used it mainly to cause chaos

they also do stuff like reading tweets about themselves (doesn't matter if thirsty ones or hater comments or just opinions and nice comments about them in general) and other "games" like "never have I ever"

one tweet said something along the lines of Talon being the bad boy of the group and Aiden, Halea and Maya burst out laughing because that's just so unrealistic

Talon always tried to keep up the baddie imagine a bit, but was completely outed as a big softie when in one interview he said the two big loves in his life are music and Aiden

their first tour is sold out in no time and honestly they are sorta overwhelmed at the first concert because where do all these people come from?

for Halea, touring is actually the most fun part of being in a band, while Maya prefers studio work, Talon likes that they get to travel around when on tour but he also thinks it's low-key stressful

hear me out: BACKSTAGE TOUR VIDEOS

Halea is also the one who talks a lot during interviews and Maya is doing surprisingly well, too, despite always being anxious over interviews

Talon absolutely hates interviews at first and Aiden is really awkward in them at first but he gets better

when on tour in a new city, the boys like to take some time for sightseeing, dressing up so no one recognizes them. you notice, they like to be sneaky

Halea and Maya regularly have spa days when on tour

for Aiden the music had always been most important, he couldn't care less if they are popular or not as long as he gets to play music and have fun with his friends, because that's what makes him happy

but Aiden is still happy that people love their music just as much as he does

Talon, Maya and Halea would say quite similar things when asked

the four of them often say in interviews that they're more than just a band, they're family, and they are happy to make this incredible journey together

♬

maybe wanna check out the AU soundtrack? You can find it here :D

so this was my last band AU post I'll shut up now I promise xD

general tag list: @deadlycupid @writing-is-a-martial-art @writingamongther0ses @blueinkblot @wildswrites @abi-radio @theroyalcoven @7devills @myhusbandsasemni

#see I finally did it. took me long enough but I still love those hcs and this au in general #writer speaks #writeblr #wip: the knights of the alder #band au #writing #my writing #my characters #I just added my general tag list here cause I feel like I'm bothering the people in my the Knights of the Alder tag list with all my aus 😅

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spiritmaiden23 · 3 years

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soft beatboxing as i mourn over the loss of my headcanon banner even if it was ugly. good morning! here’s some quick headcanons! since i have to go in around 12 and don’t really have the time to respond to threads because most of them are on the long side (short ones ye tho but... we’ll see!)

The Isle of the Goddess, aka Skyloft, is actually bigger than what we see in game with various other islands surrounding it that are like smaller villages when compared to Skyloft. But Skyloft is considered the “main square” of all the other islands due to the fact that Skyloft has everything in it including: big ol’ shopping center, bath house, boarding school, plaza the light tower, the big giant ass hylia statue, and even larger residential area then in-game and other places you’d typically find in larger towns. Things like blacksmith, restaurants, medicine (if not found in the bazaar that mostly sells potions), tailor etc etc are usually found in these other islands. Similar to the Lumpy Pumpkin! The skies aren’t as barren as they are in game because of the various other islands. Zel in her previous life made damn sure to provide everything she could for humanity up in the skies... (i refuse to believe that all of the residents we see are just... the only people, population for sure dwindled a little thanks to demise and his forces however it bounced back up hence hylia making other islands). I’d like to think that /some/ humans remained down in the surface. The sheikah being one of the many, their tribe pretty darn huge compared to OOT and there is sheikah tech but not as advanced as we see in BOTW just yet. There are bandits that fight to survive due to the influx of monsters or people neither good or bad but still know their ways around the lands. Also, there are other lands outside of Hyrule unaffected by the war, so more humans exist in those lands for sure!

Since moving down to the surface, Zellie adores bathing in the hot springs that the Goron have so graciously shared with fellow skyloftians. Sometimes, she does stay a little too long where she gets very red and a bit dizzy but no worries, she cools down drinking cool milk tea (yet another delightful drink she’d found when living on the surface). There have been instances where she sometimes pass out though hjsadbaskhb. It’s a way to unwind from the craziness like moving other islands back to the surface since there are some who are hesitant to leave the skies, keeping watch over the Triforce, and just trying to crave her own path in her new life as a mortal goddess. It’s a fact that she’s come to accept and no longer denies or doubts the fact as she did during her journey.

That said, it’s not wrong to call her Hylia and if one were to know her name she’ll respond to it but she prefers Zelda because it’s a name that she’s grown fond and attached to. Therefore, she’s yet to tell other skyloftians that she’s the goddess reborn, instead taking some time to live in normalcy even for a short bit. Eventually she does tell them of her origins. Her children carries divinity in their veins, as such anyone born from her bloodline are aware of their godly origins, BEFORE, knowledge of that became lost to time (aka Minish Cap) where it’s now just known that the royal family has a mysterious power not common of other Hylians. In the royal archives, the truth exists only there.

The kingdom of Hyrule is not established until way after her time, hell Hyrule wasn’t even named Hyrule for a while either. They would just call it the surface and leave it at that. With society not fully restored since some islands are taking time to leave the skies there was just not enough thought put into naming the lands. Though some would call it the Lands of the Gods.

She wants five hundred kids JFKDSBHFJDSB this sounds like a joke but no she honestly wants that happy domestic home with lots of kids. And become that grandma who gives you milk and cookies and tucks you into bed while telling stories of the old days. Who knows who she’ll marry in the future one things for certain, she wishes for marriage.

SHE... DOESN’T LEAVE THE TRIFORCE OUT IN THE OPEN LIKE THAT HWEOH. She’s well-aware how it draws out the hidden greed in one’s heart and knows all too well the many wars that will come out of it. She’s sealed it away using her powers, not in the Light Realm since that doesn’t come until far later but in a place where it’s not easy to find. The knowledge of the Triforce does come out, however, and there have been attempts to kidnap Zel for the location of it... or for her powers once it comes to light that she’s a god.

Zelda does miss the days of living up in the skies, but it feels right to be back on the surface and prefers life down there. The lands she’d love since her days as Hylia and will continue to love. Back in Skyloft, though she adored it with all her heart, she’d felt... bored. As though she were meant to do something important. Becoming a knight wasn’t enough. The voice she hears calling down to the surface was one that she’d wanted to respond to despite intentional waving it off. She feels complete watching over the Triforce and spending her days on the earth, exploring the lands to map out certain places with Link by her side. However, she worries whether or not Link misses the skies and since he doesn’t really talk about it much she doesn’t know what he wants.

Speaking of, she always, always wants Link to make his own choices after dropping the ball in using him back when she was Hylia.

She still cleanses her body by praying to the gods and soon starts a pilgramage of her own visiting the springs to pay respects to them. She often goes when different solstices passes by. Of course, the big three have their own seasons (Spring for Farore, Winter for Nayru, Summer for Din, Fall for the spirits of the realm). Though praying in the water with that white dress during the winter time is hell. At the very least, she can wear other clothing she just can’t dunk herself in them when going through the spring waters because that holy dress does have something to itSo :’)))) it’s a tradition that gets passed down in the royal family, hence why ALTTP Zel does this and hell BOTW zel too.

For fun plot thread reasons, there are other stronger demons that have been sealed away. The seals aren’t as strong as Demise’s seal was since they don’t surpass his level. As such, some of the seals are waning away so anytime y’all wanna explore this :eyes:

There are other temples spotted around the surface! Some housing those stronger demons, others springs, and others ancient tech or writings left behind by the humans. Some temples, are crumbled down due to neglect of care with how long it’s been but there’s still something inside. Other tribes aside from the sheikah have no clue what the hell those buildings are meant for but I’m sure Goroko loves exploring them :’)))

Light magic is neither good or bad much like the Triforce, it has no morality. It can hurt anyone regardless of where you stand, however the monsters are weaker too it. She can do the usual healing, cleansing something or blessing weapons, sealing away enemies and smitting people. I’d like to add more but perhaps next post this one has gone on too long.

#headcanon.#| piece of heart: headcanon.#wowowowo i really said let's make this bitch long huh?

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cloveroctobers · 4 years

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HENRIK LILJENQUIST—

IG info/Bio: @/adventuresbyhenrik | 53.1k followers — “imma wild boi🌿🌏🧗 | happily taken👩‍❤️‍💋‍👨

23 (24) years old

Parents are both Swedish and only speak Swedish, leaving henrik to also become fluent

His father Halvi is a pilot

His mother Lova is a race car driver

Siblings? Probably a brother, named Jahan & younger by two or three years + they get along quite well

Born & raised in Isle of Wight, England + loves it there & thinks it’s the best place for him to live, it’s his own private island in his mind plus he’s always finding something to do. He stays active

Climbing & wilderness survival instructor, he gets to talk as much as he wants while also teaching people AND all while being active! Sounds like the perfect job for him

Probably developed ADHD around his pre-teen age, leaving his parents to find him something he enjoys + can slow down and focus on

used to be on meds for it

Was well-known in high school, probably in the yearbook club since he was able to run around & get to know people but was kinda shit at knowing the functions of a camera

His selfie game has gotten a lot better now but he mostly posts anything but his face. You’ll see more of his face on his stories & location shots on his feed

Feels his hair is his best physical feature & his prized possession, would never THINK about cutting it. Even just a trim is a bit much for him

Always tries to be positive but at the same time can be condescending since he sometimes won’t pick his words wisely ex.) when he gave MC a backhanded “compliment” about makeup, being active, + wanting them to “think of others ” feelings — just because someone is opposite from you doesn’t mean you have to shit on the way they carry themselves...that’s my issue with him

maybe he’s a Taurus?

Loves fall & spring, more so fall since that’s when the weather feels nicest to him plus allergy season is a REAL bitch

The guy’s real Adventurous & always managing to find something to do. If you’re ever bored just hit him up, he has plenty of recommendations

Family owns a cottage & he’s the one who goes out there more than his own family does! “You should just sell it to me at this point!” He tells his parents over dinner often & it is strongly considered

Has five birds & a husky, when he goes on road trips they’re always with him. Which can get a little hectic at times but they’re his family, he’s a, “birdog dad”

BLAKE secretly dislikes them all, feeling like they take up space sometimes (especially when she wants to cuddle) but she deals with it since she cares for the guy — yes, they’re still dating

She’s been convincing him to cut a few inches off of his hair which he took like a slap in the face, “that’s like me asking you to quit speaking up for humans!” “No, no it’s not.”

They’re polar opposites with flaws which causes disagreements between the two of them by putting each other in their places but they learn to compromise? (*insert eartha Kitt gif laughing here*] if they want this to work

His mother seems to be the only one who dislikes blake (she strongly feels he should have bought MC back home...that’s right she watched the show from time to time. Not always since she doesn’t care for reality tv but her friends encouraged her to watch bits and pieces) while his dad and brother approve

It is tense when Blake and his mom are in the same room which makes Henrik sad since he believes Blake deserves a chance. He took a chance on her and it seems to be going pretty well so why couldn’t his mother just be happy for him like the rest of the family is?

Henrik loves his low-maintenance girls who are open to trying new things with him, Blake is usually down most of the time but she likes her personal space too..which henrik struggles to understand

He wants her to live with him, he’s sure his parents will let him have the cottage if Blake decides to live with him but Blake loves her freedom in Kingston

It’s hidden but I feel like he might be one of those guys that feels like “a woman should follow a man” since that’s what his father installed into his boys— which failed because his wife isn’t just a housewife, she has goals and went after them

I feel like Blake turns to social media almost always to post about her feelings (I can’t remember what I picked the first time around as my occupation but as I’m currently playing I picked human rights campaigner so) but it’s mostly subtle shade & it always goes recognized by fans which brings drama between her, mc x Bobby

Henrik jumps in because what kind of guy would he be if he didn’t have his gf’s back? Doesn’t care for the drama but he & Bobby usually said slick shit to each other in the villa, it’s safe to say they’re not really friends but they’re not enemies either that’s mostly between their gf/wife

Henrik doesn’t care enough about Bobby to dislike him but he won’t put up with his shit any longer and what easier way to do that than online? He feels like they can settle this with a phone call but Blake & MC aren’t with the shits and don’t want their men speaking to each other

Henrik & Bobby eventually have a chat in secret anyways

Henrik warns Blake that this can effect her job status if she doesn’t calm down since she uses social media for her cause

She usually knows when to stop but can’t help it if it slips out sometimes

They talk it out and move on usually with whatever fun idea henrik may have

Owns a ford bronco from the 90’s that used to be his uncle’s who builds tree houses for a living and is still running, a jeep gladitor, or some sort of pickup truck

Knows how to make the best apricot jam

All about saving the bees

Loves animals, probably on his journey to veganism if he’s not already there

We all know this fucking guy likes eating M0sS

“Embarrassing fact” but uh big fan of twilight, feels like Seth Clearwater and him are meant to be best buds but he also stans the Volturi 😷

Him and Lucas of course remained the best of mates, since they live 2 hrs away from each other and are always busy living their lives they always have to plan out when they can hangout but that fails 60% of the time when henrik pops up at Lucas’ job or at his flat not giving him a choice but to hang out

They’re always vacationing together too? Sure Henrik is his own version of low-key while Lucas likes a bit of luxury...they still find a balance to just have a good time regardless if they live different lifestyles...they’re basically married

Always texting if they’re not hanging out, henrik with his memes that Lucas doesn’t understand & Lucas just checking in on henrik’s well being which leads the conversation to many topics

He’s actually cool with Gary now? They like/comment on each other’s posts & even text here and there

Even ran into Rocco once on a road trip, that was interesting but when life gives you lemons...we’ll just say that

Even him and Ibrahim share recommendations through text or DM’s which is nice! Henrik is always down for friends even tho they’re not like his personal friends (except for Lucas, he fits into his criteria)

Most of his work is physical and talking but he goes the extra mile by hiking every Sunday either with his friends, Blake, or family — he’s genuinely likes being one with nature

If he’s at the cottage, he’s always outside, chopping extra wood, making sure the yard looks like it belongs on a magazine, or takes the boat out on lake to nap since he doesn’t like to fish as much anymore

Currently trying to grow strawberries but some animal keeps eating them :/

Adores adventure time, the x-files, bobs burgers + animal planet, and travel channels—like he’s a real dad

If he could shower outside everyday, he would, it’s such a freeing experience to him

His outings consist of being in the woods 24/7 so in his mind when he brings Blake out there with him, it’s a version of a date, whenever they spend time together is a date to him, which she has to remind him that she wants to do something different like getting dressed up every now and then + go out to dinner which he HATES but he’ll do his best to please her, as long as the restaurant is more earthy than snobby he’s okay

100% would survive the apocalypse, he knows how to make due with what he’s got, he’s always been that way

Enjoys rom-com’s so he’ll laugh at how cringe they are but still enjoy it, indie films, ALITA was the best film of 2019 to him & currently his fav film is, “the call of the wild” with Harrison Ford

His favorite films ever are Indiana Jones, Lara Coft: Tomb raider, Terminator, and I am legend

Aliens ARE real, they’re out there and he’ll be part of the reason they’ve been exposed

I feel like he wanted to be an astronaut growing up but then realized he’d be a confined space for long periods of time and said cancel that shit lol + he isn’t the greatest at science. History? He did real well in that subject

I think he loves Lorde, listens to Bon Iver—especially on early morning commutes to work, Rex Orange County, Omar Apollo, Joji, the nbhd, the driver era, kid cudi...yktfv

Celeb crushes?/types: The main girls from Charlie’s angels 2019, Alexa PenaVega... “you know Carmen from spy kids?” Diana silvers, Dove Cameron, JAMIE CHUNG, & VANESSA HUDGENS

Anthem = Wallows, “OK”

#litg #litg2 #litg s2 #litg henrik #litg au #litg headcanon #litg headcanons #litg Blake #litg Lucas #litg bobby #litg mc #edited cause I wasn’t aware the mans was actually Swedish oops

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amaranthprincess21 · 4 years

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As the Curtain Falls

Rating: M Fandom: Twisted Wonderland Pairing: Vil/Reader (Eventually >:3c) Synopsis: As summer approaches, you look for a job on El Capitan: Twisted Wonderland's version of Broadway. Getting into a show is the chance of a lifetime, but as rehearsals go on, the flaws of the show and its production team slowly come to light. The ship you're on is burning and there's no way of backing out. You will have to make the best of things and deal with the drama that comes your way. And here comes Vil, your co-star, making things more complicated as the two of you become closer during rehearsals.

A/N: okay so I need to make some things explicit: 1) Although this going to heavily riff on LND, a lot of experiences that are in this fic are experiences I had while acting and a lot of this fic is honestly just me trying to make sense of some of the weird shit I went through. A bad sequel musical is really just the setting and I doubt any of this stuff actually happened during LND production so don't like, look into too much? I just wanna bitch about acting drama I went through years ago and also make some jokes about LND. I'll most likely talk about those experiences more in author notes so I guess look forward to that? 2) also i'm sorry if you genuinely like LND bc I will be making fun of it a lot. And also Phantom like I'm a fan but I'm def gonna roast it 3) For reals tho, I don't know if this is going to be slow burn or not so alskjdfahsd

----

The moment I stepped into the large rehearsal space, a sense of dread and excitement washed over me. The space looked like a small warehouse more than anything else. Large props or set pieces (I couldn’t tell) were pushed towards the back of the room. One whole wall was full of mirrors. I wasn’t the first one here, thank God. But seeing just how many people were in the room was… not reassuring. Along one wall there was a long table set up and several people were seated behind it. It had to be the investors and the production team.

Man, I was really in over my head, wasn’t I? My callback would be getting judged by ten people and I was up against so many people. But then again, I should’ve expected this. This wasn’t some school musical: this was the Broadway of Twisted Wonderland. Everything was bigger here and the stakes were higher. I needed to make sure I was perfect. I needed this job. I needed this role.

A few people were already warming up, stretching on the ground. Okay, let’s be social. After all, these might be my new coworkers. I tried to exude friendliness and confidence as I went over to the group, saying hi and introducing myself, but I just wanted to throw up. More people trickled in and every time the door opened, I found myself looking over. Some joined us in warming up, others went behind the table.

“So, what’s your background?” a tall redhead woman asked. My head whipped to look at the group to see everyone staring right at me, expectantly.

“Oh, uh, I don’t have much of one, to be honest. I did musical theater in school, but this is my first professional audition,” I told them.

“Really? Congrats on making it to callbacks, then!” someone said. I wasn’t sure if it was genuine or a snide remark.

“T-Thanks.” Might as well err on the side of niceness. “What’s your guys’ backgrounds?”

“I’ve only ever done ensemble before, so this is my first time being called back for a principal role,” one said. As they all started talking about their backgrounds, the door opened again and I instinctively looked. I had to do a double take as Vil walked in, joining the others behind the table.

“Am I seeing that right?!” the brunette next to me demanded, elbowing me. “Is that Vil Schoenheit?!”

“That, or we’re having the same hallucination,” I told her. It wasn’t like I was friends with him or anything, but I didn’t know he liked musical theater. I thought he was just a model with some TV guest star credits. But then again, I didn’t know him. We just saw each other during prefect meetings with Headmaster Crowley. But I think Jack mentioned one time he was wealthy. Maybe he’s investing in the show? I mean, it’s that or he’s a part of the production team.

“Well, this just got way more interesting,” she commented. I glanced back over to the table. Vil seemed deep in conversation with the other auditioners. Yeah, interesting seemed like a good fit. An older man with a bright teal tie stood up from behind the table and clapped his hands. All conversation died and we all looked at him.

“Welcome to the callbacks for Romance is Immortal. You’ve all done well to make it this far. But sadly, only a few of you will make it into the cast,” he said. Way to pile the pressure on. “We’ll start with the sides and song we emailed you. We’ll call you in as small groups. The holding room is through that door.” He pointed and wordlessly, a few actors got up and made their way over.

Okay, this was happening. This was really happening. The callback was starting. The brunette helped me to my feet and as I walked to the holding, I stole another glance at the panel. Vil’s sharp amethyst eyes caught mine. He gave me a small nod. This was weird. This was so weird. To think Vil would be judging my audition was a strange one. Would things stay this weird if I got the role? Would it be weirder if I didn’t?

The holding room was fairly spacious and I found a spot by the water cooler. One of the auditioners was at the door, calling a few names already. The auditioner and actors left and the door shut behind them. Quiet conversation started up, filling the room. I pulled my phone out of my bag and saw a few texts from Ace and Deuce, telling me to break a leg. Those poor guys. I’d dragged them along on this journey and sang so much in our hotel room that Ace left to get noise cancelling headphones at one point. It wasn’t the most reassuring thing, even if he told me he just got them because he couldn’t hear his video game audio. But I knew he wasn’t really into musical theater. Deuce wasn’t either, but his mom loved musicals so he at least was willing to try and sing opposite me for prepping this callback piece. That was awkward. I never want to act like we have sexual tension ever, ever again.

I texted them back, thanking them and asking how sightseeing was going. I opened Magicam to see if they posted anything. They hadn’t put anything up yet, but Vil did. He had some vague things on his story. Showing he clearly wasn’t at Night Raven College, getting a smoothie this morning, basic things like that. I started scrolling through his profile, wondering if I’d find any past work of his on there. Mostly it was just selfies and modeling pictures. He really was pretty. Beautiful, even. Unfairly so. A notification popped up on my phone; a text message from Deuce, saying they were at an observation tower taking in the views. I really wish I could’ve seen that with them, but I had a job to get. Maybe if I got this role and got a place here, I could go sometime.

I waited and waited and waited for what felt like hours, although my phone said it was just a half hour. The first group returned and the assistant called out a few more names. My stomach lurched as my name was called. Trying not to shake, I stood up and followed him and a few others out to the main audition space. The room looked so much bigger without all the actors there. The assistant motioned for us to sit on the sidelines against the mirrored wall. As I sat down, I glanced over to Vil again, only to see him getting up. Was he leaving?

“We’ll start with auditioning our potential Opera Ghosts and Carolines. We’ll be double-casting these roles,” the man in the teal tie told us. “We’ve already had Mr. Schoenheit sign on as our main Opera Ghost -” Huh?! He was already in the show?! Was there another audition session I missed? Something about this unnerved me and I couldn’t place my finger on it. Sure, it was unusual, but I couldn’t tell why it was bothering me so.

The man in the teal tie called out a name and a woman stood up, joining Vil in front of the auditioner’s table. I looked down at my script, reading through the lines again. I didn’t really need to; I was a fast learner and Deuce and I had gone over this enough times for me to remember it. But it was nice to stare at something that wasn’t other people.

Nerves were starting to eat at my stomach. The other actress sounded so good. Was I really cut out for this? I mean, I’d be thankful for any role in this show, but what if I bombed this so badly I wasn’t cast at all?

… No. I couldn’t think like that. I had to get this job. I had to. I just needed to put everything I had into this. Nerves or awkwardness be damned. If I didn’t get this job, I wouldn’t have the money to get a place to stay this summer. I’d be homeless. Grim would be homeless. If I blew it, it wouldn’t be just me that would suffer. I needed to get this role at any cost.

I breathed in and out, trying to calm myself as one by one, each actress went up and read with either Vil or another man. I listened to the notes the auditioners gave, watched the way each actress portrayed Caroline, decided what choices I could make. I needed to keep a level head. I needed to destroy the competition.

Suddenly, my name was called out as someone returned to sit with us. A deep breath. I could do this. I could do this. I got up and walked to where Vil was standing. I wasn’t sure if reading with someone I was acquainted with was going to be the most comfortable, but whatever.

“Are you off-book on the sides?” A woman from behind the table asked.

“I am,” I replied. She grinned.

“Go ahead and stow your script under the chaise lounge, then,” she instructed me. I gently tossed it under the lavish chaise right behind Vil and I. She was writing something down when I looked up; a majority of them were. My stomach was starting to knot itself again as I waited for the go-ahead.

“Hey.” Vil’s voice in my ear made me flinch. I looked at him. Up close, he was ever more beautiful, more beautiful than any photo could capture. “Is it okay if I touch you?”

“Huh? Yeah, it’s totally fine. Is it all right if I touch you?” I asked back.

“Don’t mess up my hair or makeup,” he replied.

“If you set your makeup right, that shouldn’t be a problem,” I said, grinning. He raised an eyebrow and I couldn’t decipher the look on his face. He was amused or pissed. One of those.

“All right, places!” the man in the teal tie called. Vil and I hurried to our spots, him on the chaise lounge and me just off to the side. I tried to channel Caroline, the heroine of the show. “Begin scene!”

After the sudden disappearance of the Opera Ghost, my mentor, I’d found his hiding place. I barged in, breathless, relieved that I’d found him. Yet, despite my joy, I was unsure, no, in denial about the true reason I wanted to find him. He shot up from his seat, shock written on his face.

“I…” The situation was hitting me. What could I say to him after everything that had happened? “I’ve found you.”

“So you have.” Cautious. He moved behind the chaise, keeping it between us. “Why are you here? To bring a mob to me?”

“No,” I breathed. I couldn’t bear the thought of him being hurt. “I don’t want you to be hurt.”

“Even after everything I did?” he demanded. Slowly, I started to move toward him.

“Even then.” I reached out to grab his hand, but in a flash, he moved away from me. My hand slowly fell back to my side.

“You have always been too kind for your own good,” he said softly. “... I am not worthy of your kindness.”

“Don’t say that!” I cupped his face with my hands, praying my touch could convey my feelings for him. “You are deserving of love…” He smirked, his fingers brushing against my cheek. The touch made my heart race. I leaned into him.

“Do you really believe so?” he asked with a smirk.

The music began, the keyboard blaring. The heavy notes filled my blood and I could only imagine how it would sound with a full orchestra. Vil’s honeyed voice filled the air and I had to fight back surprise. Who knew he could sing? His hand slipped into mine, leading me around the room. His words dripped with innuendo and the walls around my heart were falling. Although I was to be wed soon, I fell under the Ghost’s spell.

Soon, he wasn’t just leading me. I grabbed at him, pulling him close, desperate to be closer to him. His fingers dug into my hips. In an instant, he twirled me around, body pressing into my back. Oh, he wasn’t kidding when he said he was going to touch me; his hand was right on top of my thigh. Our duet was becoming faster, heavier. All I wanted was him to take me, to ravage me, to make me his. I was tired of his teasing touches. I needed more.

Once again, his hands gripped my hips tightly, walking me back to the chaise. Carefully, he laid me down. My heart was racing as he climbed on top of me. This wasn’t the closest we’d been and yet my heart was thudding so loudly I worried other people could hear it. I reached out, hand resting on his back and bringing him closer to me. We sang our last notes together, voices melting together. His face got closer to mine, our lips practically touching. But he didn’t close the small gap. We froze, waiting for the auditioners to end the scene.

“End!” someone called. I breathed a sigh of relief as Vil got off of me. My heart was still racing in my chest and I hated to admit it, but I felt winded from that scene. Vil offered his hand to me and helped me get off the chaise lounge. Was it so obvious?

Some auditioners were still jotting down notes, others looking up at us. Vil stood by me, waiting patiently to receive notes.

“Your chemistry is fantastic,” one person said to us. They turned to me. “Towards the end, you were losing a little bit of energy. Be sure to keep that up through the whole piece.”

“Thank you,” I replied.

“Your vocal performance didn’t suffer too much from it, but again, it wasn’t as confident as we’d like,” another added. It hurt, but I nodded.

“Thank you,” I replied again.

“Vil, come back here. We’ll audition for another Opera Ghost.” Vil didn’t spare me a single glance, heading back to the table to join the producers and creative team. It’s not that I wanted him to stay with me, but man, I needed a breather after doing an intense scene like that.

The rest of the audition went fine. No one was as intense as Vil was and I did my best to take the notes I’d been given and improve on it. As I sat on the sidelines, I watched after time and time again Vil be fairly aggressive with the other potential Carolines. Part of me wished they were intimidated by it, but no, they all did really well. As expected of professional actors.

“Great job, everyone,” the man in the teal tie told us as callbacks wrapped up. “We’ll email you with the results. If you don’t hear back within the week, you haven’t been cast.” Why did we have to wait so long? I’d have to spend this whole week anxious and checking my emails every hour.

“Have a good evening, everyone,” one of the auditioners called out from behind the table. The tension in the air disappeared immediately. It was over. I pulled out my phone, ready to text Ace and Deuce that I was done. As I left, I glanced over to the table. Vil was deep discussion with the producers. Oh well. I could get away with not saying bye.

---

“So, did you have to do anything other than the song and lines?” Deuce asked me as we sat in our hotel room, boxes of pizzas in front of us.

“Yeah. We did a quick dance portion, but it was mostly the sides and singing,” I replied. Now the audition was done, I could indulge a little in junk food.

“Doesn’t sound too bad,” Ace said, mouth full.

“It wasn’t. It was tiring, though,” I admitted. “I started off intense so it was an uphill battle. Vil was pretty aggressive.”

“Vil? He auditioned too?”

“Yeah. It was that seduction scene Deuce and I suffered through and he was going for it. A couple times I legit thought he was going to touch me. But he didn’t!” I added hurriedly as looks of rage came over both Ace and Deuce. “He asked if he could touch me and I said it was fine, don’t worry. He wasn’t going around just grabbing my thighs like a life preserver without consent.” Their bodies relaxed.

“Are you sure you want to do this show if the audition is like this?” Ace asked.

“Of course I do! If I get into this show, it’s a job and I don’t have to rely on Headmaster Crowley for everything!” I fired back.

“Jeez, calm down.” Ace crossed his arms in front of his chest. “This just seems like a weird show.”

“You’re saying that as if the first musical wasn’t weird,” Deuce commented.

“I’ve never seen The Opera Ghost and I’m not going to. My grandma took me to see Dance of the Vampires when I was a kid and that’s the first and last musical I’ll ever see,” Ace said indignantly.

“You can’t base every musical off of one you saw,” Deuce argued. I just grabbed another slice of pizza and kept eating as they fought. As much as I hated it, Ace’s words stuck with me. Sure, I didn’t know the first musical, but this was a job. A job I needed. Right now, I was technically taking dorm funds for necessities and although I doubted Crowley cared, I needed some way of making my own money. Who knew how long I was going to be here?

I needed to start trying to be independent.

… No. I’ve worked hard. I can worry about money later. I pushed the anxiety to the back of my mind, jumping back into the conversation Deuce and Ace were having. The night went on and despite my long day, I had a hard time sleeping.

I lay awake in the stiff hotel bed, staring up at the ceiling. Deuce was sound asleep in the roll-away bed that was wedged between mine and Ace’s beds. I sighed, rolling over towards him and the night stand. I grabbed my phone and unlocked it. Instinctively, I double-checked I was on the hotel’s wifi before doing anything.

There was a notification bubble on my email app and my stomach did a backflip. I took a deep breath and opened it. I didn’t want to get my hopes up, but still, my insides were starting to vibrate. There were two emails, one from the school about something I didn’t care about and the other from the people who’d sent me the music and sides for the audition. My body was shaking as I opened the email. My eyes read over the words quickly and that bubbly feeling grew and grew.

They offered me the role of Caroline.

My phone fell onto the mattress with a soft thud. My heart was about to beat out of my chest yet again today. I did it. I got the part. I wouldn’t have to worry about money soon. I had a job. I had a paying job.

I got up and went into the bathroom, shutting the door behind me. My body shook and I jumped up and down, trying to get the adrenaline out of my body. I did it! I had a job! Everything was going to be okay.

But as I tried to calm myself down, something came to mind. My audition with Vil. Who was already cast. … Was I going to have to do that scene again in front of more people?!

#long post #twisted wonderland #vil schoenheit #vil/reader #twst #tsuisute

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