Erika Harlacher you will always be famous

(Extra under the cut)

Another! Same va! And a realization

@ahogedetective sent - "Ah, Ryuji-kun... !" After classes were over for the day, Shuichi had hurriedly tried to find Ryuji before he left. Once he did spot him, he called out to him as he makes a quick jog towards him. "Sorry, do you have a minute? I just wanted to say, Happy Birthday! Sorry, I know you're probably about to meet up with your friends, but I was hoping we could at least hang out for a second? I hope your day has been great. That, and: I wanted to give you gifts, too."

Indicated by the gift bag he was holding. Handing it to Ryuji, inside was a gift card for one of the more expensive ramen restaurants in town, an insulated water bottle with a thunderbolt design on it, and a wooden bracelet with a charm of a skull on it. "I hope you like them... ! As for the gift card, I was not sure if you've tried this particular restaurant before, bug their ramen is really good, so I'm sure you'll love it, too!! Maybe one day we can even eat there together, if not today!" (HAPPY BIRTHDAY, RYUJI!!!! ⚡ 💀 🍜)

( Ryuji's Birthday 2023! )

"Shuichi, hey...!" He had paused by the staircase, his phone in one hand as he had been idly scrolling it through it for the last few minutes before deciding to begin his walk home. "Sure, I got a minute, man - what do you want to talk about?" He smiles, always happy to hang out with Shuichi for a while. Brightening at the mention of his birthday, he smiles and nods appreciatively. "Thanks, man! That really means a lot - I hope you've been having a great day too and I can't wait to see the gifts!"

Taking the gift bag gingerly into his hands, he wastes no time in pulling out some of the contents, the water bottle being the first among them. "Man, this is one of those water bottles that keeps your drink cold, right...?! Super cool!" Next out of the bag was the bracelet, which was excitedly put on his wrist, showing it off proudly for several seconds before turning to the gift card, brows lifting slowly as Shuichi explained it. "Well...as it happens, I actually don't have any plans for my birthday today, so why don't we check it out together right now? Use my brand new birthday gift!" He smiles, holding up the gift card proudly.

This is another ask answering post!! If you’ve asked me something recently, I’ve probably answered it here!! :) There aren’t any drawings under the cut this time though, just words. :( 

Oh gosh this one in particular is fairly late, I’m super sorry about that!! Thank you very much!! :) I honestly have no idea what they’re planning on doing with the boy.... but it would be pretty cool to have an akechi palace, I won’t lie ^^; At least he seems to have a change of heart (hehe) at somepoint, since he joins the party as black mask and all??? Which is. Good. Let The Sad Boy Have Friends 2k19

Hah, yeah! Ryuji was actually my favorite character up until the interrogation room, so I still have a really big soft spot for him (and pegoryu ;) ). he’s just.......i love my loudmouth boy. He seems like he’d give good hugs =u=

Ah, thank you!! I only posted it for a short while so the people on stream could see how it was coming along with the music, because it’s not done yet ^^; but rest assured!! I’m planning on finishing it and posting it, or at least just posting what I already have if i give up on it. Thank you though!! Glad u liked it!! :D

Hey, thanks!! :) I actually got into DR because a friend of mine decided showing me the executions before I knew what the game was about was a good idea???? and i’m still mildly upset about it. So i knew who the murderers and main antagonist were before even playing trigger happy havoc... :( But I still had a good time when I did get around to it though! I’d say trigger happy havoc is probably my favorite, just cause it was the first one I played and I love my boy Makoto unconditionally. And uh....ships?? oh boy i have a bunch,, but i’ll only say a few. Uh. I was big into Ishimondo for a while, I like naegami bc I’m ~*predictable*~, and the one’s I’m still super into are Saiede (shuichi and kaede from 3) and Kuzupeko (!!!!!!!!! this one gives me LIFE)

I’m not, really, no  >,> The fandom makes some bangin music, that’s for sure, but it’s not really my type of show ^^;

If you guys want, sure! ....and if i can figure out how to make one. I’ll try making one later tonight! :)

Weird questions are fun! Uh, hm...I’m not really that big a fan of horror movies (I am. HORRIBLY afraid of the dark), but I have a friend who is, and she made me watch Saw last halloween? Maybe it’s not a *horror* horror movie, but it still scared me pretty good. So, uh- if the PT were in saw?? Jeez. Um. It really depends on the traps they’re stuck in...I’d be inclined to say that probably makoto, akechi and maybe the protag would survive regardless? Bc they seem like they’d be able to do what they had to to survive. Futaba...probably not. :( Haru, Ann, Ryuji and Yusuke are a definite depends-on-the-trap situation, i think. Not really sure! 

Yes, and if this is the one i’m thinking of then it’s actually someone from the stream’s fic!!! Definitely feel free to send me the link either way - I’m always down to read stuff!!

I do play smash ultimate, yeah! I don’t actually OWN the game yet (it’s been on my to-buy list for ages, but I actually hate spending money on myself?? So.) but I’ve got a group of friends at school who have the game who I usually play with! I’m not great at it either, but they’re a very competitive group so I think i’ve slowly been improving... but!!! I main zelda too!!! :D Mostly I play her, Isabelle, or Robin (but unfortunately he got nerfed into the ground, so I never win as him....rip my boy.....) And, if i ever do get the game, u better BET i’m buying and adding Joker to my mains list!!!

I'm a huge fan of your work, and seeing that piece for hackers memory reminded me I still need to play that game. I had a lot of fun with cyber sleuth but I was worried there wouldn't be enough new content to keep me interested. How would you rate hackers memory compared to cyber sleuth?

Thank you for the kind words!

Alright, full disclosure, I have a lot of opinions, so I apologize in advance.

I did not enjoy cybersleuth past chapter 10 when Nokia [insert spoiler here] and ever since then, I always felt like we (as protagonist) were secondary to the plot. Which would have been fine, had Nokia gotten fucking development within cybersleuth to take over as protagonist instead of us. On top of getting no development to [insert spoiler], she’s extremely irritating, which didn’t make me like the fact she was considered more important to the plot at all. She even talks to you as if you’re her sidekick and let me tell you, this shit can be cute because DRV3 managed to do it in a way where the character (Kaito) is earnestly trying to help the protagonist (Shuichi) develop past his anxiety and fears. But that’s not what they did here. It didn’t work. It just felt like Nokia was putting us down, regardless of how “uppity” and “positive” she was trying to phrase it. Sidenote: I also absolutely detested how she treated Agumon and Gabumon so lmao when chapter 10 dropped I had no fucking idea WHY because imo they should’ve hated her. 

We never SAW how she got into the position she got in (Ch10). It felt absolutely hamfisted and undeserved. Kind of like a “oh yeah, it’d be cool if this happened now” shit. Then, to top it all off, the protag magically breaks the rules Suedou sets before them, basically slamming a middle finger at the screen saying “you thought this would make sense? no, we need to hamfist a happy ending sort of kind of maybe, it’s all very unclear WE DONT KNOW”. Honest, I completed all quests and side quests, got max hacker rank, entire field guide, I did everything to cover every last bit of the game, and I’m still sour on the turnout and the payoff because the game so clearly didn’t give a fuck about its own rules since it constantly broke them and failed to foreshadow Kuremi entirely. I enjoyed a bunch of the sidequests more than the main plot of the game, and to be fair, I believe I also remember the sidequests better than the main plot and this should absolutely not be the case.

That being said.

Hackers Memory does not fuck around, and I say that in the best way possible.

It presents you as secondary in the big scheme of things at the very start, (in regards to the original cybersleuth ending, because the story takes place at the very same time events are happening in cybersleuth) but it makes you a protagonist of your own story, and this is truly where the game shines. 

It really makes it all about you- as Keisuke- as an individual, from the very start to the very end. It feels more like a journey of a specific protagonist with a fixed personality, and if the original had done this instead of give us a more flat character, I think I would have enjoyed the game more. I couldn’t stop playing this game the moment I got it, and easily beat it in about 4 or 3 days because I was so invested. Hell, in Cybersleuth, I never gave a fuck to collect all medals, and I decided to actually do it for this game just because I adored every last aspect of it? I did gacha in this videogame for 8 hours that gave me absolutely nothing in return, this is how you know I’m serious about the quality of a game- I waste time in it doing POINTLESS SHIT and I still have fun.

I went in expecting to be secondary, but the plot absolutely knew how to shine the spotlight on this protagonist (Keisuke) flawlessly and draw out his best characteristics. Cybersleuth protag is a clean slate at best, but Keisuke has a variety of very unique responses even without giving you the option to respond. He reacts very fixed to certain events, giving you a general feel of what he’s actually like, which is different from the signature way Cybersleuth Protag simply cocks their head a little or does the “:o” face when someone says something surprising. Keisuke has a lot more expressions, and you can easily tell what the characters are feeling (once you get to know them) just by their expressions alone. There’s a scene at the very start of Hacker’s memory where Yu (Protag’s best friend) and Keisuke share 4 silent “...” dialogue boxes with only a small variety in expression. 

At my first playthrough, I had NO CLUE what this meant. I assumed it was all an awkward silence (since it’s quite literally at the start of the game) but after knowing exactly every little aspect of their personalities- that entire scene bears a different meaning. I could TELL what both of them wanted to say, and what they wanted to convey without actually having to use words. That might be because what facinated me most about Hacker’s memory was exactly Yu and Keisuke’s friendship. What’s great here though isn’t just the fact that this happens with Keisuke and Yu. It happens with every character. I replayed, noticing the quirks early on, and knowing the backstory- was aware of why they were acting the way they were. I knew of the secrets, I knew of the motivations, and honestly, I think Hacker’s memory only gets better a clean run right after you beat it. Yes I... I’m being serious. I replayed it the very second I completed it. This might also tell you something of how invested I am, and how big of a change this was to experience in contrast to the original cybersleuth which left me glaring at the ceiling angrily begging for the plot to make some lick of sense. And unlike cybersleuth, the plot here, is quite honestly, really good. Despite the stakes not being as high, and ultimately won’t matter in the end (because cybersleuth end)- you... FEEL like it matters more. Just because of how intimately you’ve come to know the characters that’ve been with you for so long.

All the relationships are developed, focusing mainly on the team at Hudie (your new hacker team). When I say the relationships are developed, I mean, quite literally, every important character has some role to play in the other’s life. Ryuji: the leader, a mentor to Keisuke, who later becomes a follower of Keisuke’s- outlining a good start and end for their dynamic as leader becomes follower and the student becomes the master. Chitose: Aloof and carefree, never quite speaks up against Ryuji despite the shit he knows Ryuji is causing, but becomes more mature and manages to put Ryuji in his place after he loses control. Erika: A shut-in with a one-track mind (Ryuji’s little sister), doesn’t open up to anyone, not even her brother, especially LIES to her brother to protect him (and Ryuji does the same to Erika, outlining the fact they’re both trying to protect each other but simultaneously hurting each other in the process without knowing) but she learns to rely on Keisuke (Chitose and Ryuji are childhood friends, so naturally, she can’t tell CHITOSE her worries because he’ll get worried and relay the message to Ryuji, so Erika in a sense sees her oppertunity to open up and ACT once Keisuke joins Hudie) and opens up to HIM later more than anyone else. Chitose acts like a second big brother to Erika when Ryuji isn’t around, and he also acts like comic relief character that’s there to give Keisuke some time to relax between cases. Unlike the first game, you actually FEEL like a hacker this time around, giving you a wider variety of hacking options, including minigames (which sadly arent that fun but- hey, it’s something. The part that IS fun is the BONDS you get to rank up- THEY’RE LITERALLY CALLED “DATE TIME!” and they’re the ONLY reason I played so so many of those minigames).

The game isn’t dominated by women anymore (If you play as female in CS, you’ll quite LITERALLY only see Arata every couple of chapters in a sea of tits, and while this is usually an aesthetic I can get behind, I hated absolutely every goddamn female character with the only exception being Kuremi. I detested Date so much. Every time she opened her mouth I wanted to mute the TV. I absolutely LOATHED Nokia for everything and anything she did. I couldn’t stand Fei because of how aggressive she was (even if Fei and Yuuko was something I definitely would have shipped had Fei just been toned down, and LUCKILY- I absolutely love Fei now, but that’s ALL thanks to Hacker’s Memory- I actually like NOKIA now too- which is all thanks to Hacker’s Memory as well). I liked Yuuko bc she hit all my right notes, until she proved to be a tsundere in disguise (she also manipulated us and admitted to it so I quickly said FUCK NO to that and she dropped on my list) but even she managed to get better treatment in Hacker’s memory. I hated Jimiken too, to be honest. I disliked a LOT of characters in cybersleuth, but once they appeared in Hacker’s memory I? I saw a new side of them that I didn’t before. There’s 1 particular “Hacker Memory Fragment” you pick up about Yuuko that details her visits to the hospital to check up on her brother and honestly? This shit. This one hacker’s fragment managed to give me so much better insight into her character than ALL of cybersleuth. Now that shit is admirable imo. I admire Hacker’s memory for making me LOVE every character I disliked. Date was one character I disliked thru Hacker’s Memory too, but towards the end, even she grew on me. I still don’t like majority of her dialogue, but she doesn’t seem so one-dimensional anymore. My main problem with Cybersleuth was that everyone seemed to have “THE ONE MOOD” and that was it. I loved Arata because he varied a lot, and he and the protagonist had some really, really good chemistry, but that’s about it? Compared to how I love everyone from Hacker’s Memory, I wouldn’t even consider the two games on the same level, simply because of how well the second one was executed in comparison?

I took my time with this reply, because to me, cybersleuth was average as a digimon game for me. Cybersleuth had a villain i absolutely ADORED!! But they did piss all and nothing with him. He had such an interesting goal, but when everyone gathered to stop his plans it was like. He lost all motivation for his goal? What the fuck. You don’t even get to fight him he’s just. There. He was awesome, they shoulda done more with him, and my only qualm about hackers memory is that they STILL DONT DO ENOUGH WITH HIM. He gets a bit of a backstory without WORDS really it’s all implied and shit but it explains why he acts the way he does in cybersleuth. You understand the reason behind his actions now, what got him there, and his motivations more clearly. God I wish we got more of him though. Cybersleuth for me was a 4/10 as a game and a 6 or a 5/10 as a Digimon game. I’d honestly play DW3 over Cybersleuth if I had to be perfectly honest...

Now, Hackers Memory however managed to score 10/10 for me of all the digimon games I’ve played- putting it at the... top, actually. For good reason. The characterization is consistent, every characters motivations are clear, every character has reasons to take the actions they take, and none of it seems forced or random or even undeserved. Sometimes, you’ll dislike a character the game wants you to dislike. It will lead you in to turn your expectations around and force you to think of a character in a completely new light. You’ll end up loving each and every character regardless of how shitty they act because you can understand the way they think. You can empathise and you can relate much better than you could in Cybersleuth IMO because so many characters in Cybersleuth made me think “well, Angela, if you weren’t such a BITCH maybe i’d feel sorry for you” which was a perpetual mood tbh. I felt absolutely no sympathy for a lot of the characters in Cybersleuth bc I felt like they deserved the shitstorm they got. Whereas, in Hacker’s Memory, the only character that DESERVED to be punished, actually GETS PUNISHED, and the character that does something wrong goes out of his way to REDEEM HIMSELF. Now this is some tasty characterization I tell ya. 

To top it all off, because the game has to follow cybersleuth logic, I absolutely thought they were going to fuck the end.

No.

No, it was.

It was absolutely perfect.

It was emotional, it didn’t feel forced, and best of all?

It made sense.

As fucked up as the ending from cybersleuth was, in this universe, they can’t control their end because of the first game--- so this ending has to happen regardless of what they FEEL is fair. Which means, yes, the ending is unfair. But it leaves you with this... bittersweet feeling of longing- wishing they COULD have made a change. It’s a really nice metaphor for how things sometimes are out of our control, and we’re forced to deal with a fate someone else drops on us regardless of what we may feel or want to act on. We just have to make the best of it?

10/10 as a Digimon game, and 9/10 as an actual game because I do believe I am nitpicky as fuck and I rarely give 10/10′s but if I wasn’t a nitpicky fuck, this game would DEFINITELY easily be a 10/10.

If this ramble wasn’t indication enough, I really love Hacker’s Memory. You should definitely play Hacker’s Memory.