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blues-valentine · 10 months

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pws/rinis are still going w the “pw and rini would’ve been endgame if it wasn’t for olivia” claiming “justice for ej” and just being bitter individuals is hilarious. they had a year to cope.

I think it’s a choice to still engage in a media you don’t like and being bitter about it and continue clinging to a statement that is untrue.

A thing I’ve learn from years of watching TV shows is that paying attention to the storytelling is essential and what has been true to HSMTMTS is that most of the times what you see it’s not exactly what the show is telling you. They're actually great with subtext. I've said this before, the typical audience for HSMTMTS severely lacks media literacy because they've missed the most obvious signs in storytelling 101 that I feel like an unbiased person would pick up on.

PWs/Rinis are only watching the show at face value because if they dig deeper they would be forced to admit the narrative build around Ricky and Gina has been stronger than any ship in that show. The effort and attention to detail build into their story line and dialogue is very telling. Rina gets the most foreshadowing and parallels out of every couple since Season 1. So, some be purposely misreading the signs and would hold onto any idea to make it true.

A creator of a show does not film a whole confession scene, in this case between Ricky and Gina (at the same time he filmed the Ricky and Nini confession) for a couple they are not planning. Everything in TV cost time and money. A creator doesn’t give a ship a whole secret plot that only them know to create suspense for a mid-season finale reveal if they aren’t planning on moving forward with them. After that flashback on 206 was revelead. It was a wrap. Truly, people that interpreted that as closure don't know how to read subtext at all.

The IRL drama + the hit hadn’t blow up yet when they wrote Season 2 and when they were filming the first episodes of the season. 201 already foreshadows how Ricky and Nini were not going to work out. I had said this several times. It was there on neon signs. Ricky and Nini were not build to be the "happily ever after" couple. There’s an actual interview from the creator saying he wants to portray realistic breakups in teen media.

Nini and Ricky were going to break up and end exactly how it ended at the end of Season 2, had Olivia stayed or not. PW was build to fail since day 1. There were multiple neon signs on 2B that literally tells you this. 209 is full of them. Gina used EJ to move on and because he was the easier route. He was the safest seat on the plane (literally). Gina hadn't moved on from Ricky. The fact that Ricky and Nini broke up on 208 and later Gina and EJ became basically the romantic plot on 209 is storytelling 101. I could tell you how this choice in narrative always ends up in teen dramas. Ricky and Gina were always the couple being kept apart for narrative and therefore the endgame.

Also, creators having to cut screen time of a ship or dynamic in order to build another one is never a good sign. They knew PW would not be believable if they keep Ricky and Gina interacting and Season 3 proves this.

And even if Ricky and Nini + EJ and Gina were the planned endgames when the show was originally created. Things change. HSMTMTS is not the first show that changes ships during filming the moment unexpected actors show superior chemistry and it won’t be the last. Dawson’s Creek says hello. It’s been told before Gina was going to be a plot device for Rini until her chemistry with Josh on 105 was too good to waste and so there were changes. PWs and Rinis conventionally forget this statement was made. Sofia Wylie was rooting for Rina since Season 1 and she has always delivered on that.

PWs (mostly ex Rinis) continue being bitter Rini isn’t endgame and use Olivia as their consolation narrative. The other side of PWs have EJ as their favorite character and have proved they don't care about Gina on her own. Rinis supported PW because as long as PW was a thing, in their minds Rini was still a possibility.

#hsmtmts #high school musical the musical the series #hsmtmts season 4 #hsmtmts s4 #gina porter #ricky bowen #ricky x gina #rina #rina hsmtmts #i guess #asks #anti portwell

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graceful-not · 1 year

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OKAY SEE THE THING IS: I LIKE the premise of the diabolical box, I just think it was executed terribly.

SPOILERS FOR EVERYTHING IN THE SECOND LAYTON GAME UNDER THE CUT-

THEY SHOULD HAVE FORESHADOWED THE HALLUCONENIC GAS PLOT!!! The thing about this game is that it starts MUCH too lighthearted!! Layton and Luke shouldn't have been so OKAY after the whole thing, BOTH mentally AND physically!!! Curious Village's vibe was very.. unsettling in a way that the other games weren't, Diabolical Box should have pushed that up to 10000! The townspeople should have been less... forward; the bellhop that interrupts Beluga??? was he real? and you're telling me that everyone in the room had the same hallucination of this one guy????? the person that interrupts Beluga should have been someone previously established on the train that tagged along. OR KATIA!!! IT COULDVE BEEN KATIA!!!!!!!!!! IT SHOULDVE BEEN KATIA! AND THE PERSON THAT STOPS THEM ON THEIR WAY TO THE CASTLE IN THE FOREST???? WAS HE REAL??? the villagers were so NORMAL and I think some of them should have been a little more...there should've been an NPC that, when you click on them, says nothing, and doesn't respond to either of the duos attempts to talk to them, just staring into space. and as Luke steps forward the person Walks Away and you never see them again. There should have been weird shadowy specters when you turn the corner and Luke's like "PROFESSAH did you see that?" and Laytons like "See what? Did you notice something, Luke?" and Luke just shakes it off. There should have been rumors of spirits to make the shadow hallucinations easier to fold in before the reveal. Do you get it. When they got to the castle it should increase tenfold. The professor should have stumbled. Should have lost his composure more than just "No, we need to keep moving, Luke, we're so close, we can't stop yet!" Their vision should have blurred a little. Esp during their time in the village! THEY SHOULD HAVE BEEN INCREDIBLY SICK AT THE END!!! Luke should have passed out when they opened the box (there's no way he didnt think he was gonna die) and it should have been INCREDIBLY nerve wracking and terrifying!! Do you understand me!! Also they could have Flora be there to Save Them (she managed to get in contact with people and rushed back w/ another inspector, or maybe Chelmey helps her when he gets there,) (also I want this to happen so that there's some form of narrative justification for her absense other than 'we didn't want her in the plot' shdhjsbs) only to see the professor on his last limb and Luke PASSED OUT on the rock! The last scene between Katia and Anton is still there though before Flora gets there I like it it's very sweet and sad. but EVERYONE (including Katia and Anton) is EVACUATED and the last animated scene is the Professor and Flora sitting next to Luke's hospital bed w/ the article about the miracle cure for his mentor. And everyone's fine at the end but we should be SCARED that they ARENT! They set up all of the "people were getting sick and dying etc etc etc" thing and that SHOULD BE AFFECTED LUKE AND LAYTON!! When they first get into the cave Luke should comment that it's a little difficult to breathe and the professor should say something like "it must be the air pressure difference in the cave" and when they read the journal it should be like "people keep saying it's hard to breathe, even in the town. Some of them are even dying from it" and make the reader go 'Oh! OH SHIT!!' y'know???? like. URGH. MAKE THEM SICK!! THEY SHOULD BE SICK!!!!!!

#professor layton #professor layton and the diabolical box #professor layton and pandora's box #hershel layton #luke triton #flora reinhold

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bloodboundsiege · 1 year

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out of curiosity, what made you decide to make this into a full fledged visual novel instead of just writing a fic? esp since afaik there hasn't been a demand/outcry for more bloodbound

(this ended up being rlly long, so I'm putting it under a cut. if you don't want to read all of that, the tl;dr is I've been working on an spec adaptation of Bloodbound since 2021, I've been making edits with Choices assets for a little over a year now, and I started messing around with ren'py during my stint in the now no longer active @nightboundthesecond project, and this spinoff is the culmination of all of those things bc I wanted to do something w them).

Anyways, here's the long version:

So...I kind of already did. Sort of.

In summer of 2021, I was going through a pretty bad depressive episode and ended up rereading Bloodbound (which got me back into the fandom as a whole, more on that in a sec). When the dust cleared, I began really heavily reconsidering what exactly I was doing with my life.

I'd been toying with the possibility of doing a film MFA of some kind, but I was worried I didn't have the skillset to get into any grad programs. So, I began teaching myself how to write screenplays by adapting Bloodbound into a spec TV series. From August 2021 to April 2022, I wrote twenty-eight episodes, with three rounds of revisions, which really strengthened my abilities as a writer. I'm currently at a T10 film school getting an MFA. I wouldn't be where I am without doing that. Part of my love for Bloodbound stems from the fact that it quite literally changed my life.

The very nature of turning a book into a screenplay/teleplay is that you have to restructure a lot of plot points so they fit in better with the new medium. With a TV adaptation, you also usually have to build onto the source material. For Bloodbound, that meant fleshing things out and creating new characters to move the plot forward. It also meant exploring things that either happened offscreen or were only brief scenes.

And so when it came time to write episodes for the book 2 adaptation, the huge aspect of that was going into New York City and seeing what Gaius was doing during his hostile takeover. And since I had very little to work with from the source material, I had to come up with a lot of stuff off the cuff. And as I put those storylines together, I was like there's actually some pretty interesting stuff here. This visual novel is based off of that stuff.

@clansayeed and his fantastic reimaginings of Bloodbound and Nightbound had been on my radar for a while at this point, but I wasn't aware of the fake caps he made until I actually checked out his tumblr account. I thought they were really fucking cool. As a little private celebration for finishing the third round of edits for season 1 (and to let myself take a break), I decided to teach myself how to make fakecaps and recreate a few scenes from my adaptation in the Choices format:

I found out that I really enjoyed reworking assets into new outfits and character designs--lowkey, putting on a podcast or a video essay, opening up pixlr, and just making stuff became one of my go-to ways to unwind in the midst of mfa apps and life in general--, so I started making more fandom service stuff for fun and posting them on Reddit. I made a variety of stuff: role reversal AU edits, general dress up stuff, and of course... "on the set of [choices book]: the tv show" fake caps.

I feel like you're not really supposed to say this, but it was kind of validating to me that a lot of those posts did like. Decent numbers. And that kind of motivated me to get better at doing it, especially in the beginning.

And then...It Lives Within dropped. And I think that shifted a lot of how people--myself included--considered what they could do within a fandom space like Choices. Like, if we could make our own shit, why not? I was really intrigued by the idea, and so when there were calls for writers and sprite artists for a Nightbound project, I jumped at the opportunity.

(As a side note, I think the fact that now there are people within the fandom making their own sequels/spinoffs/whatever is gonna be rlly interesting for the general ecosystem of the Choices fandom and its future, but that's a convo for another time lol)

While the team I was on is no longer working on a sequel, being part of that group did a lot for me, and I look back on being part of that really fondly. I think we all were kind of picking up whatever we needed to do, regardless of if it was what we signed on for. For me, that meant teaching myself how to use Ren'py. The thing was, this was still in the really early stages of development, which meant I didn't have a lot of story to play with. So...

I was kind of like. Fuck it. Let me try my own thing out.

The original idea was actually a prequel set in the 1910s, as I'd done an MC set and an LI set based on that very premise, but the problem was that there are so few assets from that time period, and asset creation has never been my strong suit. But then, I thought back to the adaptation I'd been working on.

Some of the strongest writing I think I've ever done was in the episodes where the primary storylines were following Gaius's takeover of New York. I think a lot of the themes of the second book came out in those moments. And as cool as it would be, as much as I've fantasized about it, I don't think Bloodbound: The TV Show is ever happening. So it made sense for me to rework that into a visual novel spinoff.

In terms of the actual framing of this story, I spent a lot of time in the Bloodbound tags in the early days of working on my adaptation. I was deep in those tags. And it's really interesting to see what people expected it to be before its release. Part of it was the assumption of a Clan sorting system. Obviously, that wasn't actually the case.

Additionally, I think a lot of people were frustrated by the fact that Bloodbound's MC isn't really given the option to just. Be bad. Which then makes moments like this super jarring:

So, I decided to put everything I'd learned together. I was working on the GUI/character creation features for Nightbound (side note, the GUI in this game isn't an absolutely perfect replication of the Choices GUI yet and won't be for the demo, but we're getting there), I had a ton of edits I'd made that I wasn't using for anything, and I had a story that I knew could be reworked into an arc about a new vampire in New York City during Gaius's coup.

But with this project in general, it's less about a demand for a sequel/midquel/spinoff within the fandom and more like. I noticed that there were some things people wanted out of Bloodbound and didn't get, and trying to give it to them, because I wanted those things too, and I felt like I had the means to create that. When I've talked to IRL friends about this project (non of whom play Choices), I've just been like "yeah it's a visual novel fanfic" because...it's a visual novel fanfic.

So. That's why.

(This was super long (and felt a little self centered, sorry!), but if you read all of that, I hope it all made sense. All of this is to say that this has been a labor of love for a book series I've been living with for a year and a half, and I want to get part of what I've done with it out of my head. I hope you all like it.)

#bloodbound #bloodbound the siege #anon #ask #sorry this was so fucking long but i rarely get to talk about this stuff lol

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meimi-haneoka · 5 months

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Hey there! Hope you are doing well! I could finally finish reading the last chapter although I managed to spoil myself a bit thanks to reading your post. I am so happy with the ending actually. The parallels between Lillie-Akidad and Akiho-Yuna travelling the world together and Lillie's friendship with Nadeshiko and Akiho's friendship with Sakura (definitely, they are going to meet again at some point) completely floored me. Also, I am so happy with Akiho's decision to travel. This is not the "Oh no, we have to flee and constantly keep moving to avoid the Clan & Association" scenario that I had feared, rather this is Akiho at her best - resilient, determined and forward looking. I love it. You go girl. Also, did we ever get to know what price Yukito paid for his magic? Or did I just miss it somewhere? The decision that I definitely was not happy with Clear Cards disappearing. I was like "NOOO! BOOO!" (And only Flight surviving, I mean, what was that even, Flight is cute and all, but so are the others, especially the Repair Tomoyo card). I hope they change this in the anime adaptation and give us a whole anime original season of Sakura trying to rebalance her magic and the cards deck, and maybe then coming across the new Clear style designs of Sakura cards. I mean, she can actually merge cards consciously now, so why not? Bring Meiling back to Tomoeda plus Eriol too (you know, who can actually train Sakura) and give us a Fujitaka plot line as he is deciphering the magic books (I love this inclusion) and involve Syaoran as his actually magic knowlegeable assistant or something and give them bonding time. Bam, you have a whole new season. Plus Akiho can keep making cameos like Meiling does now. Also, did you notice the really Clow like talk that Fujitaka did with Sakura? I seriously hope that they finally include the Fujitaka as the other half of Clow's reincarnation thing in the new season, so that they can include this scene. Also, I hope Syaoran checked up on Yelan and they finally had a talk about that spell she did on him. Also, Time magician Syaoran hype. The PTSD from TRC and xxxHolic gives me chills but I am hyped for this. Also, you talked about a special chapter? Can we have some more details about that? I am so sorry for the exuberance but I genuinely felt happy with this chapter when I was expecting to be disappointed.

Hello Aubretia!! So glad to see you here and to see you've read the final chapter too!! I'm also relieved to see you felt happy with this chapter, why were you expecting to be disappointed? 😅 Finales are quite difficult and it's basically impossible to make everyone happy. I know, you know, CLAMP knows. So I'm sure that they're managing well this wave of mixed feelings for the finale.

I know, the parallel between Lilie and Akidad / Akiho and Kaito is absolutely endearing and I actually HOPE for a specific thing, in this mysterious special chapter we're waiting for, in March! But I won't say it here to not jinx it, hahaha! 😂 I am also so happy to see that Akiho's friendship with Sakura continues, stronger than ever, I can really feel the "sisterly vibe" intact and I'm honestly relieved about that. Not only that but I think what gave me the most joy was to see all four of them together in the last pages, Akiho with Sakura and Kaito with Syaoran. It's like they're telling us that these two couples will have a deep bond in the future and will keep supporting eachother, despite being so different (SyaoSaku's background is surely different than that of YunaAki).

Yes, for how much I would've preferred they stayed in Tomoeda, seeing Akiho like that gave me the final push to convince me that travelling was also an acceptable option.

Eeehh I've heard lots of people complaining about the Clear Cards disappearing, but they were always meant to 🥹it was very, very apparent. From the way they depicted them, from the way they lacked any kind of love or interaction with Sakura (save for Flight), from the way they were produced basically by mistake, the extreme ease to capture them....it was like CLAMP was screaming in each page "don't get attached to them because they'll be gone by the end of the series!" The Clear Cards' role, beside being used in the activation of the forbidden spell, was basically just to give to Sakura an "outlet" to vent her uncontrolled power in a safe way. Along the way, their purpose was reallocated as giving hints to Sakura in Clockland, in order to wake her up. I know that it's hard to accept particularly for those who depicted Sakura's loved ones...but again, their cold stare was something I've always felt quite off, for a Sakura deck.

The anime certainly will show us so many things we want to see, but I wonder how the plot will further change and where.... Meiling is confirmed to come back in the anime sequel, but we don't know anything else!

About Fujitaka's scene in the anime, I'm afraid that making him Clow's half reincarnation won't happen, because that was a conscious, well-thought choice in the 90s...the directors together with Ohkawa agreed that it would be too complex for the audience, and removed it altogether. Hahaha, time magician Syaoran!! I confess that the very first reaction to Kaito teaching him that was "THE HELL YOU'RE GONNA DO THAT", for the same Tsubasa PTSD but also the entire thing that happened to Kaito in this arc! 😂I was only relived when he hurried to add "I'm sure you won't make a wrong use of it" 😂

Unfortunately we don't know *anything* about the special chapter that's going to be released in march, not even how many pages it'll be..... but we can only cross our fingers for a generous amount of pages!!

#reply #ccsakura #ccs spoilers

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petruchio · 2 years

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would stancy not be such a character regression for both steve and nancy lol i see how theyve both grown separately and they get along much better now but in terms of overall plot meaning that would be such a disappointing step back

ok im honestly of 2 minds about this

like first of all, i feel like at this point ive given up on the development of stranger things making sense and im fully just here to watch my favs and have them say funny lines and swing baseball bats at supernatural monsters. like if you’re watching stranger things for the character development… power to you i guess, but i feel like you’re just going to be disappointed lol. like for me, i love steve and nancy separately and i love them together. always have. so i just like to see them :) i just think they’re neat

but also like! i still think stancy is good anyway!!! like would it really be a step back? i mean yeah they broke up, but my thinking is, they broke up in large part because of nancys guilt over barb and her externalizing a lot of that guilt onto her relationship with steve, which honestly wasn’t fair to either of them! @ofswordsandpens wrote a really nice post about it here — basically yes, of course the only person who can truly absolve nancy of her guilt over barb is *nancy herself* but her repairing her relationship with steve is also a pretty valid narrative way for her to move forward as well! especially since s4 showed that she’s still troubled by it!

(side note that’s why i thought nancys vecna possession was so lame?? like i thought it was so obvious that it was going to deal w barb and steve and the night at the pool. it was literally right there for them to deal with… a character that carries a lot of guilt…. former fan favorite character they killed off… steve being the only one left with her in the ud… they set it up so clearly and i thought they were going somewhere with it and then they just abandoned that and made her just watch haunted house boy and dr brenner tattoo artist era instead. like why… why would vecna care about nancy enough to show her all of that……. it was bizarre. a serious and extended lingering barb guilt scene would’ve been way more compelling. but i digress i was supposed to be talking about stancy)

i mean. we didnt see it on screen but steve and nancy started dating presumably because… they liked each other? and it was everything that happened with the upside down that got in the way of that! so for her to be able to separate all the upside down stuff from that relationship and just be comfortable with liking steve as a person again? personally i don’t feel like that would be a regression for her. honestly i think it would be a step *forward* for her to be able to really come to terms with her feelings surrounding barb, steve, and everything else she’s faced since s1 began. and steve too! who has learned not to minimize the problems and not pretend it isn’t happening like he did before. yes they’ve both changed a lot from who they were at the start of the show, but they’ve developed in a way that their reunion honestly makes sense to me. the nancy and steve of s1 and s2 could never have gotten here. but the nancy and steve of s4 CAN!

idk though like i said before i usually avoid tv fandom FOR THIS REASON and the shipping “discourse” ive seen wrt stranger things is like, genuinely alarming to me!!! like i go in the tags for some fun times and people are so intense!!! like isn’t this supposed to be for fun 😭 it’s just a television show. at the end of the day my main defense of stancy is literally just “i like them” and i really don’t have anything more to say for myself. i just like them. i think they should make out. that’s it

#this isn’t a good post but i think stancy does make sense for both of them 😭#answered #anonymous #stranger things 4 #stranger things #stranger things 4 vol2 #stancy

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paint-music-with-me · 2 years

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ok so

i’ve been thinking about what i want in s2 bc what else can i do while i wait for saturday to come and literally destroy me???

and i realized that i am hoping for so much in s2

usually in sequel series/seasons, i feel like so much potential is lost after building so much in s1 and im worried about it happening to KP

but right now? what they have so far? i think they could build a really good s2 - they just need to keep their priorities in check

ive not read the novels (and i don’t plan to) but ultimately what i think may or even should happen is:

kim and chay don’t get resolved -> leads to the major (emotional) conflict btwn KP bc i feel like porsche will have to decide how to move forward with chay and kinn who are on two different sides: one wants porsche out of the mafia world and the other wants him by his side. i think the tension btwn them will heighten everything for whatever plot they may throw into the mix that involves the mafia.

then from there, there could be more tension from kim and chay as kim tries to reconcile with chay but maybe he gets on the bad side of porsche when he finds out about what happened btwn the two of them?? so more tension??? maybe kim does some reckless stuff as he contemplates his actions and what kind of person he is (idk analysis but maybe he thought he was different from the mafia; that rather than destroy, he’d create but in the end he broke his own heart and chay’s)

ultimately im saying i need more kimchay scenes bc holy shit wow....they didn’t have a lot of scenes together?? it’s why i was soooo confused abt how chay can just say “ily” so fast (but then again chay does wear his heart on his sleeve) after they spent a couple of sessions of tutoring together like i need moreeee

also obvi while all this internal turmoil shit is happening btwn these four, let’s add more tension where pete is all conflicted and emotionally constipated about his place, his role, his personhood as vegas also tries to rebuild the minor family from the ground up (maybe throw in some... idk like i heard vegas had a stepmother but she bailed when Kan died - but imagine what’d it be like if she was a rising boss who wanted to take over - maybe that’d bring an interesting conflict for kinn and vegas to start working together?? which brings pete and vegas more scenes to interact unwillingly??? and also venice potential??? but also gods i dnt want a baby brought into this shit aaahhhh) idk man

and like all of this gotta be paced out nicely like now they’ve got 3 couples intermingling w/ e/o so it gotta be evened out just a bit *sigh*

wow...

all of this to say...

i need angst in s2 but i need it to be good - i need it to literally eat me from the inside out with anticipation and fear for what’s to come. no bullshit love triangle, no half-assed B plot line, no stupid mafia war shit that’s not even worth fighting over. No. I need blood-pumping, heart-pounding, rage-inducing, tear-ridden vibes from s2 or i’ll seek out blood myself my dudes holy shit

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gimblestank-the-goblin · 2 years

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Rewatching RWBY Season 1 - Part 1

Just saw Icequeendom, so I decided to try rewatching the first season of RWBY to compare it to. Have gotten through Emerald Forest (roughly the first half of the season) and I have to say I am pleasantly surprised by how strong it starts.

RWBY is good when it first starts. Really good. Its got some weak voice acting here or there and some shoddy animation of course, it is a semi-professional web-series at this point, but despite all that it is very fun to watch and you can really see the glimmers of something great being made. The characters are fun and likable, their interactions feel natural, the art design is fantastic and Mounty is firing on all cylinders with these fights.*

Ruby is of course the stand out, with some great and memorable lines. She’s got the comedic ones - bee’s knees, I drink milk, etc - but she’s also got some really powerful ones. Ruby’s line about how “that’s why we’re here, to make things better” is powerful and perfectly acted.

The rest of the characters are well done as well. Yang and Pyrrha’s voice actresses haven’t quite hit their stride yet, but the characters themselves are still fun.

The other stand out besides Ruby, is Jaune. And not in a good way. He starts out really strong. He shows up to give Ruby a helping hand after her whole Weiss explosion fiasco, literally helping her to her feet when she’s feeling overwhelmed and unsure of herself, instantly endearing him to the audience. Then we’ve got some fantastic, really natural feeling banter between him and Ruby where we see her own feelings of inadequacy mirrored in his, cementing a shared struggle and setting him up to be her ally, friend and mirror. Then we get the “short, sweet, ladies love it” line which is just charmingly dorky.

He’s great. Then we get two short comedic scenes (bunny pajama’s and him lamenting that he couldn’t have put his weapons in locker 636 because he would have remembered having to count that high).

Then everything goes downhill. He inserts himself into Weiss and Pyrrha’s conversation in what is clearly an attempt to tell the same “short, sweet, etc” joke as before but this time it comes across as smarmy rather endearing (it lasts too long and Weiss is clearly uncomfortable) and this sets the tone for the rest of his time in the arc. Every scene he has from here on is either him being a smarmy pest hitting on Weiss, sucking in a way which is meant to be funny but comes off as annoying, or acting as an audience surrogate so that the writers can exposit to us*. Its a real shame, because he started real strong and could have been a fun character***.

*And like all good fight choreographers he understands that fights are part of the story. The best written parts of the show are the fights scenes for how the characterize people and move the plot forward in interesting directions.

** I maintain RWBY’s target audience has seen enough anime to not need aurra explained to them, but if the writers really felt the need to do that there were more natural ways. Here’s my solution after 5 minutes of work:

Cardin/Jaune fight. Cardin hits Jaune, shattering his aura. We cut to the aura life bar draining to zero and “no aura” flashing across the screen. Cardin goes to get another hit in because he’s a bully. Glynda stops him saying “Stop Cardin, he’s out of aura. Any more hits and he could be hurt.”

Later, Jaune has to move something heavy. He tries before giving up and saying “Pyrrha? Little help,” helpless gesture “no aura”. She then picks it up with ease.

Done, we’ve know established it stops things from hurting you and gives you super strength.

*** Honestly, I think Jaune would have been a lot more compelling if they removed the transcript plot. Jaune as a huntsman who’s just kinda shitty at fighting is much more compelling then Jaune the slacker who cheated his way into school and then doesn’t try to improve himself and spent no time preparing to be a huntsman at all apparently. Plus it cuts the whole bullying plot which took time away from the main characters. Let him be a B character who exists to serve as a mirror to Ruby, not a main character in his own right.

#rwby #ruby #jaune #rwby ice queendom

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lilyfreshwater · 2 years

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Honestly blaming Ranboo's lore sucking on Dream's total inability to ever reply to a text seems rather gracious to Ranboo for me

Ranboo is the one that asked Dream to participate and be the creepy voice in his head therefore linking them together later on that's still on him for choosing one of the ccs that only works with his friends

But more than anything the reason that Ranboo's lore sucks is that I'm pretty sure he thought he was going to like making it more than he actually did he's the one that at first promised a million things for his lore did that whole arg and those weird things in Spotify and those cryptic messages in ender and was all Mysterious like uyy I got a secret I got a secret and at the end never pushed forwards with anything at all

There are things about his lore that aren't dependant on Dream and he doesn't do those either

If Dream really was the issue he could have gotten through that whole voice in my head thing by simply writing down whatever lines he was going to make Dream say because yes I'm pretty sure he's the one who started with the more serious scripts and signed it at the end with a smiley face and it would have virtually the exact same because his character never even progressed enough for us to actually need to see Dream and him interacting the only time during the whole prison arc that Ranboo and Dream actually had to interact was a 15 minutes hallucination sequence you would think if Ranboo actually wanted to progress his lore and do something he would take his chance if he already had Dream there

But he doesn't and he also sucks at communication as we saw it with him basically forcing Dream to call Techno ten minutes before their stream to tell him that Ranboo had suddenly decided to die and now Techno had to make a whole new arc in the middle which coward move not even saying it himself not telling Wilbur which Wilbur sucks too but in the lore department is different

He also didn't tell anything to Wilbur for months and didn't tell him he was suddenly going to die which forced Wilbur to find a new way to tell his lore

But also if Ranboo didn't want to write anything he could have made a little recorded video like Dream did in which dream just used dummies for everybody

So yeah basically what happened with Ranboo's lore is that he didn't like making it as much as he thought he was going to like it which is the problem with all of Ranboo's content and online presence it was a fun way to garner hype but nothing more than that

And I just realized this ask is really long sorry

ranboo wasn't the one who asked dream to do it initially, dream was the one who suggested it as an improve thing and ranboo went with it. but yeah i think ranboo's lore planning skills are pretty shitty, and i think if he was really invested in the story that he wanted to tell he would have found a way to make it work with different characters or just by himself, but instead he just complained about his own poor organizational skills biting him in the ass. i also think he screwed himself over by making such a distinction between lore, semi-lore, and non-lore. i alluded to this in a previous ask but the whole draw of the dream smp in the first place was that you could see a story unfold from different points of view and you could see beyond the "cut scenes" of important lore happening. for example, during the initial lmanburg conflict, there would be important altercations between characters and then they would both go off and fuck around with their friends to entertain chat for the rest of stream. what made the characters so relatable and interesting was the fact that we could see them laughing and messing around as well as being serious and facing conflict, which is something you don't get in movies or tv shows unless it's important to the plot. and i think ranboo tried to do that, but it was such an awkward and abrupt transition from lore to non-lore that it didn't really have an impact on the audience in the way other streamers did. but then the expectations of his audience bled into the general expectations from the fandom until everyone was expecting heavy and intense lore all the time, which just isnt sustainable

#ask #frank's conspiracy theories

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mouthpoisons · 6 months

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Ok last one, big review w spoilers

For a videogame series that’s NOTORIOUS for being dense, eerie, and full of mystery, the movie was extremely on the nose and didn’t leave anything to the imagination. The plot was very straight forward and frequently boring and not even on the basis of “if you know the game lore you’ll know what to expect from the movie” because the things they changed and added were just completely uninspired. it was giving nothing. So Frustratingly it was a collection of the most basic horror tropes where dead kids are involved. One of the main characters is a loner autistic girl who draws creepy pictures and talks to ghosts for gods sake lol

It was fast paced, messy, and felt like a first draft. The animatronics were extremely fun but you could tell whenever they slapped cgi on top of them and a lot of the time the camera moved around so much I just wished it would Calm Down so I could watch the animatronics move around more. But they were very cute and the whole room laughed so hard when bonnie fell over

Mikes setup was interesting but he completely lost me by the end of the movie. Vanessa was a painfully generic sidekick-with-a-sad-mysterious-past-girl and absolutely nothing else. Her being a cop was completely unnecessary and she should’ve just not been one. The bit where she threatens to shoot Mike is very uncomfortable to say the least

Matthew lillard was Cunt and he was a shining light amongst everyone else’s bad acting. You can tell that everyones been directed to Over Act and be a bit stupid with it, but it only really works when he does it. The springlock scene was really bad. Like that should’ve been the best bit but everything about it was a weird choice and again I’m thinking about how a strength of the games was how eerie they are, but in the movie 50 fucking things are happening on the screen at once

The movie wasn’t scary but it absolutely didn’t have to be. I wish it was slightly more mature though literally just 5% more with a dash of real suspense and way less jank awkward camera cuts and it would’ve been a lot better. Also role swap Vanessa and Mike idk why they made her wills kid instead of Mike apart from throwing off fans of the games maybe, but it just felt dumb and made me imagine an alternate timeline where she’s the main character instead, and Mike is the mysterious sadboy with secrets and an abusive dad

It was a fun time but nothing groundbreaking whatsoever. Thoroughly mid across the board but I really really hope they do a sequel regardless because I need more springtrap screen time NIAAOOOWWWWW

#post

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wingodex · 9 months

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just a post about my thoughts about g o m e n s 2 just to get it out of my brain so i can finally move on to something else. some spoilers obviously

like first off, it wasn't very good. sure, there were parts i enjoyed and i didn't think it was an entirely miserable experience but overall it just wasn't much of anything

the main plot really wasn't that interesting and there wasn't much substance to it, so it was padded out with a bunch of az/crowley flashback scenes. none of the scenes were like, that bad, but i never felt like they added all that much to the overall story. it's one of those things though, where i don't think taking them out would make the season better because the main story isn't good, but having them there also doesn't make it good. lose/lose situation. the fact that they're officially considered separate minisodes is also so janky, like lol why would you just outwardly admit they don't really fit into the story? why would you do that on purpose.

the best one was the first one about job because at least it seemed like it was trying to say something vaguely interesting about the tension between heaven and hell and did something to help set up for aziraphale's decision at the end of season. the worst one was the nazi zombie one and that's so painful for me to say as an amateur card mechanic and magic enthusiast. like they put stage magic in the show and they did it so badly that instead of losing my mind at crumbs like i usually do (like my reaction to the first season when god plays three card monte during the baby switch scene), i thought it was kind of stupid and wished it would end. also this isn't even why it was bad from a storytelling perspective but they didn't even do that trick right!!! you gotta take a drag of a cigarette first before the shot and then blow it out when you reveal the bullet to hide the fact that you had the bullet in our mouth the whole time. misdirection!!!! also the fact that he started the performance with the bullet catch instead of warming up to it? so stupid. no sense of good stage progression. ughhhh and the way they filmed az making the photograph swap made it so that there was no conceivable way he could have actually done that sleight of hand, so it was all just movie magic! i don't mind if actors can't actually do the tricks, like who cares, but at least pay attention to the framing of the scene so that it's actually plausible. and also there's not fucking way that crowley, who was sitting behind him, wouldn't have been able to see the sleight. like come onnnnn

one of the issues with the first season already was the way that az and crowley were elevated to main character status rather than just being part of an ensemble cast like in the books. it didn't ruin it or anything then, but both of them had a much more comedic role in the original story, like they're not there to carry the plot forward, the way adam or anathema are. their job is to fumble it all even though they're the only focus characters who truly understand what the fuck is actually happening. but in the second season, which is entirely about them, they just don't have enough going for the two of them to make an interesting story. they made their relationship a lot more volatile in s1 compared to the book to make up for this, like neither of them is as settled into their "role" the same way. which honestly i don't have a problem with it that much, i think drama is funny. and honestly the most interesting part of s2 was their big fight at the end, like that was the only thing that happened in the show that actually felt like it mattered to me. it felt like there were no real stakes in it at all, and it felt like stuff just kind of happened to az and crowley but they never really did anything, and the other characters weren't able to pick up the slack for them because they also weren't that interesting and had nothing really going for them

something that i really, really missed in s2 was the way that there wasn't enough weird little people around doing their own weird little things. that was something that was always so delightful to me in the book, the way there were all these weird little guys around. in s2, all of secondary characters are there specifically to move parallel to az and crowley, and to contribute to that story line, so none of them feel particularly interesting or unique. so much of the character based humour from the book is completely missing, and none of the new characters felt like they had any weird or interesting goals or driving forces the way that they did in the book

and then finally, and this is minor compared to the problems with characters and plot, i didn't like the decision to change the weirder style elements of the first season. i loved all the little animations and sidebars from the narrator because i think it did a lot to get across the comedic feel of the novel. it wasn't a perfect solution, and i know that when adapting something between mediums that means that you have to leave stuff behind. but it worked for me because so much of the humour in the original happened in the narration rather than in dialogue or as action, and you really feel the lack of it in s2 because it's just not as funny as the first season.

#wings.txt #okay well hopefully this has all be exorcised from my brain and now i can move on #also i just miss the Them so much like i miss them SO much okay

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heliads · 2 years

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Are you currently taking requests? If so, could you write a Jesper fic around the line from the show where the conductor says to Jesper “not if you intend on having children one day” and Jesper and the reader make eye contact and then start acting adorably awkward?

jesper <3 also i mistakenly thought this convo happened at an earlier part in the show and had to go make some drastic edits so if some of it seems out of place that's my bad lmao

masterlist

You are sitting in a dimly lit bar across from your lover, wondering whether or not you’ll be alive to repeat this scene in a couple days’ time. As Dregs, both you and Jesper Fahey will be subject to Kaz Brekker’s various plots and plans. Although you’ve grown to like whatever dreadful sorts of mischief they entail, this one is different. This one could risk both of your lives.

You leave for the Unsea in a matter of hours, as Kaz has just managed to secure a means of passage over to East Ravka. You’ll be joining him, Inej, and Jesper on the trip to kidnap a Sun Saint, something that will probably be just as difficult as it sounds.

That’s why you and Jesper are here now, actually; although you’ll pretend it’s for something stupid, like wanting to have one final drink of legitimately good lager before you have to leave Kerch, you both know it’s so you can say your goodbyes in case something happens.

True, Kaz always does his best to protect the four of you whenever you set out on a job, but this is on another level entirely. There is no guarantee that the admittedly sketchy Conductor’s train will hold together long enough to ferry you across the Shadow Fold, and even if it does, you’ll still be trying to kidnap Alina Starkov out of a palace full of angry Grisha and the royal guard.

Needless to say, the prospects aren’t bright, even for a pack of Barrel street rats led by the one guy who’s notorious for never turning down a job, no matter how difficult. You and Jesper have chosen a part of the Crow Club where you’re sure not to be disturbed or overheard, and you’ve been here for a while now, unwilling to break the quiet peace and admit what you both know to be true.

At last, Jesper leans forward, close enough that no one else can hear you talking but still not close enough for your liking. “How are you feeling, love?”

You laugh quietly. “Better than ever. What’s a new job if not exciting?”

Jesper gives you an exasperated look. “See, most of the time I would agree with you, but this is different. It’s the Saintsforsaken Shadow Fold, and even with Kaz’s usually mad plan, I don’t see how we’re getting out of this.”

You sigh, tilting your head back as if you can catch some glimpse of a Saint to save you. “We always say that, and we always have a way of making it through. Kaz wouldn’t take up this guy’s offer if he wasn’t certain it would work, and even if he wasn’t, he’d have a scheme in mind to save us after all.”

Jesper nods, conceding this point. “That’s true. He has so many layers of plans sometimes that I don’t know how he keeps it straight in his own head. Perhaps he has a little locked diary of sorts where he meticulously notes every detail of his schemes.”

A faint smile crosses your face. “It would be hidden, of course. Either on his person or in a secret compartment in that battered old desk of his.”

Jesper grins fully now, his smile brilliant despite the half-light of the club. “Do you think he wears the key around his neck on a tiny little chain? I like to think that he does.”

The two of you allow yourselves a few more moments of quiet humor over the joke, and then Jesper sighs again.

“I’m serious, though. I need to make sure you’ll be alright.”

You reach out and take his hand, partially because you like being so close to him and also to calm the restless movements that seem to wrack his body. You consider the sight of his hands wrapped in yours, so familiar on a night like this, when everything seems completely changed.

You’ve had plenty of time to study how he moves, the way these long fingers wrap around his treasured pearl-handled revolvers or triumphantly slap a winning hand of cards down on a table. They’ve handed you drinks and helped you over puddles and pulled you close when you needed him most. You can only hope that you’ll have a chance to do all of those things again by tomorrow night’s time.

“I’m serious too, Jesper,” you offer, “I know the risks. I know it doesn’t look good. However, I’d rather go knowing that I can at least help the rest of you stay alive than remain here wondering what happened. I’m going, you’re going, and if we die, at least we won’t have to spend any more money on bullets.”

Jesper snorts. “That’s a terrible way to offset the costs of this mission.”

You grin. “Ah, but it’s still true. Trust me, we’re going to be alright. The stories from this alone will be worth a whole new round of ammunition.”

Jesper smiles at last, standing up from his seat to pay the barkeep. “We should probably get going. I know Kaz wants to speak to us all before we set off.”

Jesper offers you his arm, as if he’s a proper gentleman instead of the rogue sharpshooter you’ve come to love. You take it with equal gallantry, and the two of you head out of the club.

The night air is crisp and cool, an admittedly welcome relief against the smoky pressure of the Crow Club. You know Jesper frequents the place far more than he should, and Ghezen knows Kaz would never tolerate a word of criticism about his principal supply of funds, but it’s not your favorite place to sink your hours. It’s a little stuffy, a little full of people who all want to stab you in the back. If you’re going to risk your life, you want to do it out in the open, like the job you’re about to take.

You and Jesper linger as you walk, taking in the sights of the city one more time before you have to leave. The canals are close by in this part of the Barrel, scarcely a couple of lengths away. The moon shining on the dark water looks like a slick of petrol, the light so thick on the surface that you wonder if any of it actually goes beneath to illuminate the worlds of the water-dwellers down below. Perhaps they, too, know nothing but darkness; perhaps that fate remains for every single occupant of this city.

Jesper wraps an arm around you. “It’ll be fun, though, won’t it? I don’t think I’ve ever seen Ravka. Do you think it’s terribly different from here?”

You shrug. “No idea. Maybe the people there actually have a conscience.”

Jesper pokes you in the shoulder. “Rude. We all have terrific consciences. In fact, just the other week Kaz didn’t club a single person with his cane for a full twenty-four bells. That’s growth.”

You laugh at that. “Alright, you’ve got me there. We’re all a bunch of Saints. Any other conceivable differences between ourselves and the Ravkans?”

Jesper pretends to think. “They rely too much on tradition, they don’t have enough of a proper thirst for money, and they are severely lacking in pretty girls such as yourself. I think any Ravkan would be immediately envious if they saw you.”

You roll your eyes, although a persistent flush refuses to leave your cheeks. “Yeah, I bet.”

Jesper dramatically clasps a hand to his heart. “I speak nothing but the truth, my love. Of course, I would have to defend you from any and all adoring Ravkans, but I’d do it with ease.”

“That’s a bold claim,” you say, “But I think you can do it.”

Jesper grins. “Of course I can, I’m a terrific shot. Plus, I’ve got someone very important to fight for.”

He presses a kiss to your forehead to prove his point, then one to your lips because you’re already so close and to not do so would be positively criminal.

Thus, spirits significantly lifted, the two of you are able to trek back to the Slat to hear Kaz’s final message. You depart for West Ravka at six bells, Conductor in tow. His plan is to take the lot of you across in a rattling, smoking locomotive. You can only pray that it will hold together long enough to start up, much less take you across a volcra-infested Shadow Fold.

After a rather pressing shootout in which Jesper arrives at the train, alabaster coal in hand and angry coal manufacturers chasing him, you’re able to start off. It’s a rocky crossing at first, all of you doing your best to not panic even though the odds are considerably against you. There’s no way this should work, but you have no option but to trust that it will.

However, it does. Right now, you’ve made it through the Fold despite everything the world has brought against you, and you need to plan out just how in the hell you’re going to break into the Ravkan Little Palace long enough to steal a Sun Saint. Arken managed to find a small coach for the rest of you, and everyone’s in a vague state of panic as they try to figure out what the hell they can do so they don’t die before having to cross the Fold another time.

Jesper turns to Arken, speaking over the sound of Inej’s murmured prayers and Kaz’s dour complaints. “What are we meant to be doing? What is this?”

He holds up the gray crystalline substance that Arken had requested for the imminent break-in, glancing at it curiously. Arken looks up from his frenetic work over maps of the Grisha palace to throw a consternated glance Jesper’s way.

“That’s a lodestone, and I need it to open Fabrikator-made locks, such as the one that may be on the door of your friend’s room. I would recommend, however, that you not keep it near you if you plan on having children someday.”

You swear that time freezes around you. Looking at the different faces in this coach is like staring at an ancient oil painting of a classical scene- the sheer drama of it all could be the centerpiece of a gallery.

The moment Arken mentions having children, Jesper startles and looks directly at you. You don’t think you’ve seen such a complicated blend of fear, questioning, and general shock in a person’s expression since Jesper challenged Kaz to a shooting contest and lost. Technically, Kaz had guessed that the contest would happen and rigged the targets so he would win, but still. The point remains.

Inej looks up from her prayers to regard both you and Jesper with an emotion that can only be described as wondrous fascination. There’s a slight smile tugging on her lips, like she’s been hoping that something like this would happen for a while. You can guess that she’s going to question both you and Jesper on it later so she can collate a full report on just what went down down here.

Kaz, though, Kaz quite possibly has the best reaction of all. You’ve spent numerous years of your life working for and with Dirtyhands, which is why you know that the guy never lets anything slip. Ever. He’s had loaded guns pressed to his forehead and looked as unconcerned as if it were a limp dandelion.

Right now, however, the sheer disgust and horror that fleetingly crosses his face is the most emotion you think you’ve ever seen in him. Kaz looks as if he’s silently cataloging the places he’d rather be right now, and judging by the now permanent furrow in his brow, a few of those could involve Pekka Rollins’ various strongholds.

Jesper coughs awkwardly. “Yeah, I think I’m going to give this to you. Thanks for, uh, looking out for me.”

He all but hurls the lodestone at Arken in an attempt to get it away from him as soon as he can. Brushing his hands hurriedly together as if he’s just touched a container of radioactive material, Jesper hazards another glance towards you.

Despite the fact that you are barreling towards certain death if this plan doesn’t work out, you don’t think you’ve ever had to try so hard to hold back a laugh.

“You might want to ask me first before you think about children, you weirdo.” You whisper under your breath.

Jesper chuckles, although he still seems vaguely alarmed. “Yeah, we can have a more serious chat when we’re not trying to run headlong into a death trap.”

Inej nods. “Tell me what happens.”

You strongly consider sticking your tongue out at her. “I would assume that you’d be listening in anyway, because the private nature of such conversations has never seemed to faze you.”

Inej beams. “That it doesn’t.”

Jesper lets out a sound that’s half laugh, half despairing sigh. When he looks back at you, though, he’s back to his same old self, the one who’d gamble his way out of and then into sixteen pounds of alabaster coal, who’d risk Kaz’s wrath to ask you out in the first place and make it worthwhile every single day. Who knows what the future holds for you, or whether or not there are children in sight. Regardless, you don’t have to think about it for a while. What matters now is you and him, and that’s plenty good enough for you.

grishaverse tag list: @rogueanschel, @deadreaderssociety, @cameronsails, @aleksanderwh0r3, @story-scribbler, @retvenkos, @thatfangirl42, @amortensie

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eri-cheri · 3 years

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Now that we have reached the last chapter of the year. It is time to do a 2020 roll call of what I like to call, “State of the Shippers”:

1. IzuOcha. Status: Placated.

-IzuOcha’s could celebrate several cute tidbits throughout the year. Mini moments as they say.

Anime Highlights: The OVA’s came in clutch with moments for shippers all around and IzuOcha is no exception. We got a cute tidbit where Izuku and Ochako bumped into each other and were flustered.

Manga Highlights: Christmas kept on giving to this fandom as the AM doll Izuku gave Ochako made many appearances. A cute fist bump between the two was also exchanged and Mina was right there bouncing with y’all.

Heroes Rising: Izuku super man carried Ochako to safety. And was Angy she was injured. Fans could enjoy the small Lois Lane moment.

Troubling Signs?: Ochako said “I would like to be excluded from this narrative” when it comes to her feelings for Deku. She’s a hero damnit! So if they are in for something, probably won’t be while they are still in school.

II. DabiHawks. Status: Yikes.

- Dabi and Hawk’s very public breakup set this fandom in disarray but also kind of disayay?

Anime Highlights: None yet. This fandom was cruelly cock blocked by Bones. Sorry DabiHawks stans.

Manga Highlights: Where to begin, my goodness. With these fans, I guess the good and the bad is a plus in this homoerotic double agent relationship. We have the notion that Dabi may have known Hawks when they were kids, which may be a positive? Hori sure loves his childhood friends. Other than that. The GIRLS WERE FIGHTIN’. Hawks is now permanently scarred by Dabi and I don’t think it was kinky folks. Tokoyami inserted himself in the middle to White Knight Hawks, Dabi broke up with him via YT expose and overall, shippers could anguish in the absolute MESS that this ship endured this year. But I’m sure that’s part of the appeal. So...yay?

Heroes Rising: They were both in it.

Troubling Signs?: The entire relationship is a troubling sign which again, is part of the appeal. Maybe Hawks will cuddle up with Dabi’s father after the war. That’s troubling! Speaking of...

III. EndHawks. Status: Yearning and Burning.

-If there’s one thing Endeavor couldn’t stop worrying about, it was his hot (in more ways than one) new side piece who probably should have looked at the fine print when signing a contract to be a recurring guest star on “Keeping up with the Todoroki’s”.

Anime Highlights: A fateful meeting finally in high definition for all our eyes to see! Hawks’s unwavering support of his biggest hero was endearing to watch and their shenanigans together spurred the anime onlies to finally jump on the biggest May-December ship in the series.

Manga Highlights: Endeavor’s admiration and concern for Hawks seeped through the pages as we entered our most exciting arc in the manga yet. Fate split these two up yet entwined their downfall together. And that Fate’s name was Dabi...or should I say ⚫️⚫️⚫️⚫️⚫️ or should I just say Touya!

Heroes Rising: “Don’t bite my head off, Endeavor.” Geez, can you flirt a little less loud Hawks?

Troubling Signs?: They say never meet your heroes and Hawks is in for a rude awakening. We shall see just how deep his admiration runs or if Endeavor’s past will split our dynamic duo up for good.

IV: TodoDeku. Status: “Precious”

-Shoto’s “Midoriya is in Danger” radar was highlighted in both manga and anime. 4th User’s quirk, who?

Anime Highlights: “Midoriya hasn’t returned yet.” “Where’s Midoriya?” “Midoriya! Grab my hand!” “Have some of my Soba Midoriya.” Shoto gets it. His emotional support friend is a danger magnet. TodoDeku’s also enjoyed tiny tidbits in the OVA such as a hand grabbing scene. Gotta hold tight to those crumbs.

Manga Highlights: Two Words. “Precious Friend.” Deku comes in w/o arms or legs fighting for Shoto and Shoto’s honor. These two spent the entire year worried sick about each other, and going against all odds to save each other. Precious Friends indeed. TDDK fans ate.

Heroes Rising: Shoto kicks some dog ass and then faints thinking of Deku (and Bakugo but shh. Let the shippers rejoice.) On the bright side, we have a 3rd movie coming featuring “The Three Musketeers” so shippers of TdDk can HOLD TIGHT to what’s to come.

Troubling Signs?: Shoto still doesn’t know about OFA and he’s gonna have LOTS of questions after this arc. Will Deku finally tell him? If not, it could make or break the ship.

V. TodoBaku. Status: “Shining through the city with a little funk and soul.”

-Who knew the greatest comedy duo we needed was Shoto and his hot headed “friend” or not friend? It still remains unclear to Shoto. Regardless, these two had a fun year.

Anime Highlights: “I wanna see your cute face”, disco dancing, and more fun in the provisional license training. Plus the OVA added some cute moments between the two such as Bakugo staying behind to save Todoroki during a dangerous excercise and his adorable plan neatly animated for us. I’d say TodoBaku’s really were resurgent and energized this year!

Manga Highlights: Shoto, that is not how you properly Catch a Kacchan, I’m sorry. But at least you did it you mad lad. As with Deku, Shoto spent the year worried sick about Bakugo. While the anime let us have our fun, these two were suffering in the manga.

Heroes Rising: Again, Shoto put a dog down and then fainted with Bakugo on his mind (and Deku but we ignore that. Shush.) TodoBaku’s have the 3rd movie to look forward to which is bound to have some amazing content!

Troubling Signs?: They have a lot of trauma to deal with. And a lot of Deku to worry about. I also imagine Shoto will be hurt about being left out of the OFA secret. We shall see what 2021 has to offer.

VI. KiriMina. Status: Unbreakable.

-Changing your hairstyle to match the gal who inspired you in middle school? Sorry y’all but if Mina were a guy, I’d say that’s gay af.

Anime Highlights: We got that backstory Bois. Red Riot’s origin might as well make him be called Pink Riot. Again with Hori and the childhood friends though I wouldn’t exactly call them friends. They just went to the same middle school but Kirishima was highly influenced by Mina’s Chivalrous spirit! A ship is born!

Manga Highlights: The influence is mutual! Mina creates a move based on Kirishima’s unbreakable and we all let out a collective “awwww”. Also in the war arc, we got Kirishima making sure Mina’s chivalrous spirit shines through right into Gigantomachia’s mouth! KiriMina may just be the unsung MVP’s of this arc.

Heroes Rising: They were in it.

Troubling Signs?: I can’t think of a single one. KiriMina’s can enjoy a peaceful sailing.

VII: KiriBaku. Status: Crumb Collectors.

-2020 was an uneventful year for KiriBaku but Bones made sure there were crumbs aplenty! Thank God for OVA’s!

Anime Highlights: KiriBaku’s did thrive in one episode! Kirishima reflects on the sludge incident and evolves his quirk based on inspiring words from Bakugo! Hooray! KiriBaku’s can thrive in their blossoming friendship. The OVA also has Kirishima (and Kaminari but shh) once again following Bakugo’s lead when it comes to the training excercise. How can you not? He’s so manly!

Manga Highlights: Not gonna lie. There is nothing much here this year. I did find a teeny tiny flake in Aizawa’s flashback. Kirishima and Bakugo are sitting next to each other. Oh! And at the hot pot gathering, Bakugo sits next to Kirishima! Eat your crumbs KiriBaku’s! There’s always next year!

Heroes Rising: Kirishima hangs with a lazy Bakugo and delivers the most hilarious line in the whole movie. “Silly Bakugo, there won’t be villains here!” Hahah... Silly Bakugo. Oh you~ KiriBaku’s can inhale the fact that those two sure love to hover around each other!

Troubling Signs?: With great crumbs come little responsiblity. No trouble if there’s no content! 🤔

VIII: KamiJirou. Status: Singing their hearts out 🎶

-If there’s any ship that’s coming close to canonization, I think this is it, folks! “Think of the person most important to you!” Can’t argue with Midnight!

Anime Highlights: Kaminari does non stop encouraging of Jirou and her hobbies! He works super hard to learn guitar for her sake! We love a king who can encourage his queen!

Manga Highlights: Kaminari thinks of the most important person to him and surprise! It’s Jirou! All of the feels can commence.

Heroes Rising: They were in it!

Troubling Signs?: Kaminari does love his women. And men. Kaminari overall is a huge flirt. But Jirou appears to have his heart strings. ❤️

IX: BakuDeku. Status: Rising. 👑

-Alternative Statuses include Winning, Thriving, Soaring. It’s just been non stop content this year. 2020 is truly the year for BakuDeku. The shippers can rejoice.

Anime Highlights: Three words. Be. My. Cane. The OVA’s helped fan the flames of the BkDk hearts with a surprise! Deku tops! Not only that, we got a lovely shoulder tap of encouragement in the canon material. While in season 4, Deku’s primary focus was Eri. Bakugo and Deku still had their moments to be hella gay.

Manga Highlights: Where do I even begin? I guess we’ll just cut to the chase with Bakugo Katsuki: Rising. We finally saw Bakugo’s true feelings manifest for Deku and if getting stabbed for him isn’t the ultimate showing of love, then idk what is. BakuDeku’s rounded out the year with the Volume 29 cover AND the volume 29 cover drafts to eat at our heart strings. Overall, their relationship got the spotlight in the manga this year. And we’re bound to start 2021 with a dramatic confrontation. Hand holding seems to be the key with these two and it didn’t stop with Heroes Rising...speaking of.

Heroes Rising: The entire movie. Like....yeah. That’s it. [OP, your bias is showing. You have to be SPECIFIC.] {But random criticizer in my head, if I lay out the entire plot of the movie, my post will be too long} [OP....] UGHHHH Okay okay. The POPSICLE MELTING. THE HAND HOLDING. THE CHARACTER DESIGNS OF WHAT MIGHT AS WELL BE THEIR LOVE CHILDREN. Did I mention? “It’s fine if it’s you?” CAUSE YEAH. Oh and All Might randomly officiating their wedding in their heads like idk. Isn’t it just simpler if I say the whole movie??!

Troubling Signs?: Well these two’s relationship is extremely delicate and while it has non stop soared this year, Deku might not take too kindly to Bakugo almost dying for him. Will they stop pushing each other away? Time will tell.

That’s all for this year folks! Happy Shipping and good luck to everyone next year!

#my hero academia #bnha spoilers #bnha #mha #boku no hero academia #bakudeku #izuocha #tododeku #todobaku #DabiHawks #endhawks #KiriBaku #kamijirou #kirimina

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gb-patch · 3 years

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Ask Answers: August 8th

Well, doing big posts all together worked for a while but lately I’ve been putting it off because it takes a long time to get them done. I think I’m gonna try switching back to answering asks whenever I can fit it in and posting them one at a time instead of waiting until I’ve filled out one of these major collections.

But for now, here’s more ask answers! Thank you for the questions and for all the kind words along with them ^^.

Hello!! I'm here to ask if its possible to get the game and its dlcs on steam and play it on android?

I’m afraid not. Steam doesn’t have Android builds on their own site and Steam is not cool with keys for other sites being given out for Steam purchases, so you don’t get the Itch version from buying on Steam.

Hello! Sorry to bother you but, I had a question, if we buy the Game on itchio do we get steam keys or would we need to purchase it twice?

You would have to buy it twice if you want it in both places, I’m sorry. To repeat myself a little, Steam doesn’t like the key trading thing. Itch may support giving keys for another site, but the reverse isn’t doable with Steam and Steam doesn’t even really want you to get a Steam key for buying somewhere else either. So we just don’t mess around with that.

hey, sorry if this is frequently asked, but is step 4 free dlc or paid for? some of your sources are contradicting each other.

It’s free! There’s a paid wedding DLC, but Step 4 itself is entirely unpaid.

Hello! I just had a quick question, for the Baxter and Derek DLC's will we be able to confess our feelings to them or let them confess to MC? or will it only be one way? (they confess to MC)

Both type of options will be available!

Hey there! I wanted to ask whether or not the Derek DLC is still on track to be released in August since on the steam discussion board it says it will be released mid 2021. I totally understand if it isn't, I'm just really looking forward to it! If you answer then ty! And keep up the amazing work :D

It’s not, aha. Unfortunately, 2021 wasn’t easier than 2020 as we hoped so things are still slower than planned. It’ll come out late 2021 or early 2022.

Hi! Firstly I just want to say that I LOVE Our Life. I have played a bit of similar games but this one instantly wins for the best one! Everything about it is amazing! I just wanted to ask if Derek would ever lose feelings for MC, like if they make the deal and then MC gets with Cove would he move on? and even if you don't, after "losing contact" would his feeling fade or would he still like MC?

If you don’t really keep in touch with him and clearly move on with your life, Derek will too and he’ll be over it. But if you are still close as best as you can be, he’ll still think the MC is special. Though, he’ll always support your relationship with someone else if that’s what’ll make you happy.

Hello! Sorry if you've answered this before but: 'How's Lee related to us? Though which momma? And does she share our player-chosen last names? Also, do you know if Noelani took Pam's last name or did it happen the other way round?

She’s related to Pamela and Pamela’s last name is the one they use, so the MC has the same last name as Lee.

Will we be able to choose which (they or he) we tend to call Qiu by more often, or will it randomly change depending on the moment?

Qiu knows which pronoun they’re comfortable with at a time and you’ll call them what they’re happy with. And it doesn’t change between lines, it takes multiple scenes or even full Steps for it to switch. So for extended periods Qiu will be totally a guy or fully agender.

Will Step 4 of OL2 have moments?

It’ll be an epilogue like it is in OL1, so it won’t have a bunch of different Moments.

Hello! Just a quick question, is Sunset bird from OL1 based on a real location? If so what's it called? I wanna visit it +_+

ps i love your games so much <3

It isn’t based on one specific town you can go to, but there are a lot of little coastal towns in Cali that have a similar vibe!

Heyaaa ( I hope you're all well ), umm… it might seem kinda stupid to ask but did Patreon members can have a key for the dlc's ( all the steps-released dlc ) even if they became a member this month or later ? (me? saying this cuz it's my case? maybe ;-;), and once again thanks for absolutely all the amazing works on all the games ! u-u

You wouldn’t get the DLCs for backing there. The Patreon is for extra bonus content/early access, rather than being a storefront to purchase the normal DLCs. Rarely we give them out as a side gift, but it hardly happens and if what you want is the DLCs it’s best to ignore the Patreon and buy keys for those directly from Itch or Steam. I’m sorry for the confusion.

Hey y'all, love what youre doing w/Terry. Trans rep outside of player customization is so rare and important to see more of so thank you so much. I do have a question and its that does he have a canon sexuality? I know Miranda was said to be straight ace but I dont believe anything was stated for Terry probably because he wasnt revealed to be a guy which changes things. Im also curious if well get answers on how long hes liked Miranda since he may have liked her in step 3 before she liked him

Terry likes women and Randy likes men! And he did like Miranda back in Step 3.

Will the Wedding Dlc release at the same time as Step 4?

They’ll come out separately with Step 4 releasing first.

I really love Our Life so much! I've spent over 20hours playing it even though I only got it a week ago! I was wondering if I could make a fangame for Our Life with a different love interest but same plot. Next-door neighbors romance, multiple steps, etc? I'll probably make it on Google Slides though-

Sure! I hope you have fun with it and I’m glad you love the game.

How does Cove feel about poly relationships?

He’s got nothing against them for the people they work for, but he’s 100% monogamous and would only be comfortable with a partner who was willing to be monogamous with him.

Idk if this has been answered before but will Step 4 include the option to advance your feelings towards Cove?

Yep, you’ll be able to determine your feelings and what your relationship is.

In step 4 will there be a chosen to say we live with Cove even as just friends?

Yeah, you can choose to live with Cove and that can be done when you’re friends.

I just played the game with the MC and Cove being best friends and omg it’s still so damn cute like the wholesomeness of it all is too much for my heart I swear ^.^ Now with that all said I was wondering can we still marry Cove? if we only love him as a friend like let’s say we’ve made deal with him similar to the one we can make with Derek because let’s real no one could compete with what the MC and Cove have even if they aren’t in love.

It’s great to hear you enjoyed the friendship story! You can live with Cove, but you can’t marry him platonically. Cove has familial affection for the MC if they’re best-est friends. He wouldn’t think to marry someone he loves like family and even grew up with as though they truly were siblings.

Are you still going to be making a DLC for XOBD? :]

Yes! We’re slowing adding voiced lines and fixing errors.

It makes me laugh that Shiloh's last name is Fields because that's what I put as my last name! So in Our Life when he talked about "Ms. Fields" picking him up I was extremely confused, lol. That dude mimics personalities so much that he stole my surname!

Oh, wow, that’s a very funny coincidence, haha.

hi !! i cant seem to be able to get the scene where mc is able to propose to cove despite being at the 'love' stage and telling him i'd want to get married, are there any other details that im missing out on? the options just dont appear at the end...

Maybe you missed telling Cove you were in love with him even if you mentioned wanting to get married or you might’ve accidentally said earlier in the game that you don’t want to progress your relationship further with Cove. We haven’t removed them, so you can get the scene again. It’s just kind of easy to miss since there’s multiple requirements. You can read a little guide in the FAQ.

wait what di you need to do to be able to propose to cove? I've been trying but haven't had much luck

You can check out the FAQ linked above!

does cove only develop a crush on the mc if the mc is also at crush/in love with him?

Technically, yes. We treat the non-romantic relationship options as truly non-romantic since we don’t want to bait and switch people. But there’s nothing wrong with headcanoning that Cove does have feelings developing for the MC even before the MC has.

Is there a way to make/allow Lee and Baxter to date?

No, they just don’t have enough time together.

We also got a group of asks related to Tamarack in OL2, but I’m afraid the way they talked about people with larger bodies made me not want to post their words, even if the person didn’t say they’re trying to be hurtful. I will separate out the core question and answer it though, so people can know that info.

Does Tamarack lose weight in later Steps?

No, she doesn’t. As for the other questions included, to be honest, I don’t have to explain/defend having romance options of different sizes. I’m sorry if you’re dealing with unhappiness that’s connected to body image, if that’s where the negative emotions are coming from, but even so I can’t meet you on that level and pretend it’s a problem that needs an answer. A girl who simply isn’t thin being a main love interest is just not an unreasonable concept. Also, Tamarack isn’t a lesbian. Yes, she can date a female MC, but that doesn’t undo her actual sexuality, so I’m not sure where that one part at the end was coming from.

I wonder... can we "fight" with Qiu over leader status? 👀

Not really, haha. No matter how cool your MC is, they’re never gonna replace Qiu for the other kids around. So you can either partner up with him, follow him too, or not be a part of all that group politics stuff.

So when I play the game, sometimes I mentally call Cove “Covie/Covey” and that made me wonder, how does Cove feel about being nicknamed? Not like Romeo/Space Cadet/etc. but like pet names relating to his actual name

It’d depend on his age, personality, and your relationship with him! When he’s younger he’d probably be embarrassed, when he was grown he’d probably be more casual or happy about it.

will you be able to date baxter in step 3 while at crush with cove (but not dating him ofc) sorry if this has been asked already. i really love baxters step 4 design btw!!

Yeah, you can be crushing on Cove and date Baxter if you weren’t already dating Cove. You just can’t be truly in love with Cove and then switch to Baxter.

I just got my friend into our life, and they adore shiloh and derek sooo will there be more of them in the second game?

I’m afraid not. But you can see plenty more of Shiloh in XOXO Droplets/XOXO Blood Droplets, haha.

I see you haven't gotten any xoxo droplets asks recently but I'm still obsessed with these boys!! I was just wondering if Nate would curse under any circumstance?

Yeah, Nate does use certain swear words (damn, hell, bastard) on very rare occasions.

Hi there! I have a question about the wedding dlc. Will we be able to plan a honeymoon during the planning stages of it or would it be something that Cove and the mc would rather plan later on? Thank you! Absolutly love the game by the way, definitely one of my favorite games!

The focus will be on the wedding day itself. The topic of the honeymoon might come up a bit, but there won’t be any choosing of the exact location and such.

Hi! I have two questions and it's completely understandable if you only answer one/neither and I'm sorry if you've already answered either before! First, is there a set year in which OL:B&A takes place (ex: Step 1 being set in 2010 & Step 2 being set in 2016, etc.) or is it simply up to interpretation? Second, have you guys thought about doing a coming-of-age game where the MC has a tough home life or upbringing? (like one of their parents is an addict, a parent being transphobic whilst the player has the option to be trans, or having friends that are influencing them to do drugs, etc.) That's all! Thanks for making beautiful games. <3

There is a set timeline!

Step 1: 2006 Step 2: 2011 Step 3: 2016 Step 4: 2021

And we don’t currently plan on making a game like that. The Our Life series exists to be a safer environment for people to play around in and if we did do a brand new series that was harsher edged it’d be something more fantastical and/or plot-driven instead of a different type of modern day slice-of-life growing up story. I’m sorry.

i don’t know if you’ve already answered this, but do you have a guess on when phase 4 will come out? as well as ol2? i’m so excited for both of them, the inclusivity in this game is amazing, you guys should be really proud of it!

Step 4 will be coming out very soon! OL2 is gonna take until 2023 to be anywhere near completion. But we might episodically release the Steps one at a time as they get done instead of waiting for three to be finished before launch like we did with the first game.

Hello, I was curious if there was an official or unofficial discord server for the game?

We do have a discord! You can join by clicking this link HERE.

how long do you plan to keep ol's patreon running?

Hopefully for at least a few more years.

Are you considering ever making merch?

Yeah, but I don’t know when it’ll happen or what exactly we’ll make, aha. It’s something we want do, just nothing is set.

hi! i just found out about your game a couple of days ago on tiktok (so sorry if you’ve already answered this question) and i was wondering if y’all are ever planning to release it on iOS?

I have no idea. It’s hard for a small group to get Apple approval and I honestly can’t say if it’ll ever happen or not. Maybe someday, though!

Hi, I love the art style of Our life and I would like to know if the artist has a Twitter? Also, could it be possible to fund more CGs for the game from him/her? So many times, I wish there was one like when the cutscene of the sunshower.

That’s nice of you to offer. He doesn’t have a Twitter, at least not one that’s public enough to be shared with me. And I’m afraid not. The issue is that the CGs take huge amounts of time rather than there not being a budget for it. He’s gotta make CGs for Step 4, the DLCs, and new character sprites, too. There isn’t space in the schedule for even more. Sorry for that.

Hi, how are you?!

Are you planning on accepting new writers or is it always the same people who write your stories??

Thanks!!

Our Life: Beginnings & Always won’t be getting new writers, but we will be hiring a new team of writers for Our Life: Now & Forever eventually!

perhaps this counts as nsfw and I'm sure it has been answered before but what does Cove prefer, chests/boobs or butts? or perhaps both :3c thank you for this wonderful game (and the patreon bonus moment, it was worth all the waiting and more ♥)

He’s a “chests of all shapes and sizes” kind of guy, haha.

i was wondering- did any of the writers actually grow up by the beach? as someone who's lived in a beach town all their life it really did feel nostalgic to play through our life 1

I was born and raised in Cali! Though, not right by the beach. We still had to make trips out, but the setting is based on my own childhood memories of small beach towns we went through.

In Derek’s upcoming DLC, will we be able to reference the pact we made as teens? (love olba and xod/xobd so much btw you’re literally amazing)

Yep, you will be able to talk about that!

Oh, sorry about the Cole being secretly L ask, then!

If you wanted context: Death Note is about this one guy who finds a notebook that kills anyone who you write the name of in there. The guy eventually develops a God Complex and starts mass killing criminals and stuff. L is the one trying to find out who is killing all these people.

Me and my sister first joked about it because I couldn't remember how to translate a word about the way Cove was sitting, so I just did the pose, and it looked a lot like how L himself sits! Then we just snowballed from there, with more and more nonsense connections.

That’s okay! Thanks for explaining. I’m sorry I didn’t know what you meant.

#our life #ask #gb patch #gb patch games

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ratcandy · 3 years

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Subcon Forest Analysis

Hi everyone I'm here to spill my aggressive overflowing thoughts on Subcon Forest and what it represents because it's been driving me insane since I finished the Sleepy Subcon time rift. Okay let's go. Obvious spoilers for AHIT ahead so proceed with caution.

This is also very, very long.

Disclaimer/warning: I will be discussing abusive/unhealthy relationships in this analysis. I mean. Vanessa. Come on. Also, there is a section on the nooses, and that delves, of course, into mentions of suicide. It will be sectioned off and easily skipped, but if you'd rather be safe and skip the entire post, that's completely understandable! Please stay safe. <3

Alright. Main point to be had here:

Subcon Forest is a giant extended metaphor for Snatcher's mind and character.

You all get to now listen to me spout nonsense about metaphors and symbolism because I'm a sucker for analysis and I'm given an opportunity to go ham. So perish.

The Ice

Let's start with the most obvious and most glaring thing in Subcon. The ice. It's everywhere. Not just outside Vanessa's manor, either; no, it's throughout the village, too. Shows up in the well and in random locations sprinkled about. When it comes to literal plot, we know that ice is just what lingers after Vanessa's wintery curse on Subcon. But going deeper and analyzing the meaning behind it?

Well, let's look at this from the perspective I've suggested. Subcon Forest being an extended metaphor for Snatcher's mind and character. A symbol for Vanessa then litters his mind, enough where it's certainly noticeable at first but blends in more easily once more of Subcon is unlocked to Hat Kid. This is clearly meant to be his lingering trauma, whether or not he wants to acknowledge it. Which he doesn't, as he never mentions it directly in his forest (that I can recall). Her influence plagues him, as to be expected with the traumatic experiences he went through with her. Breaking the ice is something Hat Kid must do in order to fulfill the wishes of the Fire Spirits (another subject I'll get into shortly), which, if self-indulgently playing with the found family idea, could mean that Hat Kid is helping him heal; if indirectly. Even if fulfilling the Fire Spirits' wish to die is... counterproductive, in that measure, which I'm now getting ahead of myself so hold on a sec!!

Vanessa. Ice. Everywhere. Traces of it all over his forest. That's the effects of an abusive relationship! Especially in a worst-case scenario where... yknow! One party in the relationship dies! So of course ice would be everywhere.

In and of itself, ice is a common symbol in literature and other forms of media. In this case, it's presented as an antagonistic force; emphasis is placed upon freezing and the harm that comes with it. The cold is unwelcoming, threatening, merciless. Snow can act as an insulating force, at least, but ice cannot. It can only make things colder.

A slight stretch: Seeing as this game deals a lot with time shenaniganry, I'm not sure if it'd be too out of left field to connect "freezing" with the theme of time. Yknow. Frozen in time. Both parties here, Snatcher and Vanessa, would be in this frozen state. One largely repressing it and never fully moving on, and the other doomed to her isolation ever since the event in question. They never moved past that moment after the Prince and florist's interaction.

The Fire Spirits (& the Portraits)

I'll put a slight warning here for suicidal ideation, if only because... it's the Fire Spirits we're talking about. It's not as grossly in-detail as the noose discussion will be, though, so make of that what you will.

To me, the Fire Spirits are a very interesting case. After all, they're fire. They're a direct contrast to the ice, thus being the only thing we're shown that could potentially melt it. The Fire Spirits, in my opinion, represent hope or a strength to continue. A strength to move on after troubles of the past.

...And that hope wants to die.

The Fire Spirits wish to burn out, to leave this mortal coil and abandon the forest to the cold. They make no effort to melt the ice, they simply dance, blissfully ignorant towards their surroundings. This being a metaphor for Snatcher's own hope for moving on is made all the more obvious by the fact he wants them gone. The first contract is to kill the Fire Spirits, to kill the hope. Perhaps he believes that sort of thing to be fruitless or naïve, so it only clutters his mind or has him foolishly optimistic at points. So, get rid of it. And the hope is happy to oblige.

(That, or their willingness to leave the forest to its own suffering and not aid in the ice's thaw angers him. Besides the whole "bark bark growl I can't get to parts of my forest because of them!!" which... also could represent a naïve hope clouding his judgement, not allowing him to see a bigger picture. But hope can't all be lost if one wants to move forward...)

A little side-tangent now on the portraits! And it's another slight stretch but the idea is in my head and I can't let it go. Portraits are another common symbol, usually being a physical representation of a memory or idea. For our purposes, let's say they're memories. I know in canon they appear to just hold souls captive or something but for now we're just Ignoring That(tm). The Fire Spirits have to burn the portraits to disappear. See where I'm going with this, maybe?

Instead of handling bad memories (or perhaps memories of the past in general) in any healthy manner, Snatcher chooses to forget/repress them, which just allows his hope to progressively die out.

I'm really hoping this is making sense because it makes a lot of sense to me but I might be insane rn

The Fact that this is a Forest

Forest symbolism breakdown! What's a forest usually mean in literature? "Traditionally, the forest has come to represent being lost, exploration and potential danger as well as mystery and 'other worldliness'." Okay. Yeah. Fair enough. That certainly works with the whole aesthetic we've got going on. Wood usually is life, growth and strength. But the trees of subcon are all dead. So what about that? It stands for death, big whoop, very spooky, we know Snatcher's dead and so are the children, yadda yadda wowie wowie. But. :) The trees in Subcon look a lot like trees that were scorched in a forest fire. Don't believe me?

(You could also argue they're just regular marsh/swamp trees bUT SSHHSUUHSH HANG ON HEAR ME OUT LOOK LOOK,)

What I believe to have happened was a controlled fire to rid the forest of the majority of its ice and snow. Likely done by Snatcher. It leaves behind a very desolate, depressing, barren scene... but. What else do dead/burnt trees symbolize? Rebirth. After all, controlled fires happen to make way for new trees to take the place of old ones. Some trees only drop seeds in fires/hot temperatures, so new ones take root and begin anew. Weird. It's almost like... I dunno. Snatcher was given some sorta second chance, given he's not just a corpse in Vanessa's cellar. So were the subconites. Another life given then by Snatcher. All connected I tell ya!!

Generally, aside from that, forests have many connotations. Mystery, isolation, claustrophobia; a place to dwell on regrets, or the past; to worry over one's future; to seek escape from or escape inside of... hmgmrnmm!

-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- T / W -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-

The Nooses

The t/w is given at the top and another cut-off point will follow the bottom of this, for those that would like to skip. This will delve into talk of suicide and abusive tactics used by abusers. Please don't read if it will upset you or make you feel unsafe!!!

Personally, I cannot stand the nooses, but that's just due to my own triggers. Were there a way to hide those from the game or replace the damned talking ones with anything else. I would take it. In a heartbeat. But I can still appreciate the potential analysis to be had with them. So now i'm gonna talk about it despite how uncomfortable it will make me to do so. yEa

So, what about 'em? There are three types of nooses seen in Subcon. At least that I remember but I didn't really go looking for them. Empty ones, ones containing empty subconites, and the talking ones.

Nooses in general obviously can hint towards suicidal thoughts or behaviors of the characters that interact with them. If saying Subcon is Snatcher's mind, it could suggest that he suffered from some sort of suicidal thoughts in life (or currently, if second death is possible... or if he never truly died... or maybe he's trying to figure that out...which has given me... a separate idea...uh oh). But. And hear me out. Different perspective.

A talking noose. I hate them with a fiery passion that is unmatched. But think of the packed symbolism of a noose that talks. And think more about what it says. "I wouldn't mind being strapped around a cute neck like yours." "Be careful now, I don't want to see you meet a miserable end anywhere, but with me." Oddly, a lot of what the noose says seems almost... endearing? One could argue it's a way of luring someone to put it around their necks, which in and of itself is a whole lot to unpack when it comes to suicidal thoughts beckoning one forward; painting itself as something romantic, almost. But. Here's a wild idea, now. What if the nooses, at least the talking ones, are another symbol for Vanessa?

They're tinted blue, after all. While Vanessa's scheme is more red, one could argue two things: One, ice. Blue. Ice. yeah. Or two, the fact that Snatcher's scheme is more purple. Blue and red... make... purple. So, for all we know, Snatcher's current state was a compound effort between suicidal thoughts and Vanessa's treatment of him. Perhaps he even found a way to put himself out of his misery before freezing/starving to death. (I know he has dialogue that argues against that, but... are we certain Snatcher would be the kind to admit suicide over freezing to death?... I don't think so.)

At any rate, a common threat by those in "control" of an abusive relationship is that of killing themselves should the other person not do as they desire. It's a cruel form of emotional manipulation to get their way, worse off if the other party is an empathetic individual. As a person who has been the empathetic individual in relationships like this... I would know. I've been here, unfortunately So, it's not completely out of the question to say Vanessa could've used some tactic like that, even before the whole... cellar ordeal. Did she? I dunno. I'm tossing ideas around. But if she did, the threats of such would sit around in the Prince's mind easily. Even if she has a reputation of not going through with it. It doesn't matter. That shit sticks with you forever, that scare, the potential of it ever being true, is horrifying and it ruins you. I'm projecting, Squirtle.

Still. A noose cannot hang itself. It has to have a victim.

...yea.

-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- T / W PASSED -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-

Misc. Ideas

- The spiders: Aside from the usual things spiders can be chalked up to symbolizing - toxicity, alluring danger, just... general pain - I like the potential wordplay that can happen here. Yknow. A black widow. Say the Prince and Vanessa were married when one died. What would that leave Vanessa? A widow. ...She's red and black, too. Yknow. Like a black widow. HA wordplay is fun isn't it?

- Snatcher's tree: Love this place, love sitting in here. But not the point! The inside of Snatcher's tree is such a harsh juxtaposition to the rest of Subcon that it kinda throws ya off guard. After all, the dark, purples and blues then contrasted with the bright warm colors of the inside. Even the music switches over. The thorns outside aren't present indoors. Ohh yeah this is gonna be on the nose as hell but the Tree(tm) is 100% representing Snatcher's appearance/put-on personality vs. his truer nature. Spooky outside with thorns, foreboding, unwelcoming. Then the more comfortable interior. VULnerable. Have I even mentioned that the tree is HOLLOW I mean COME ON. The sturdiness of that tree? Nonexistent. He's not a sturdy guy at all no matter how he fronts

- Intrusions are unwelcome: Snatcher does not like the fact that Hat Kid sticks around in his forest. His personal space. His mind. In fact he tries desperately to get rid of her after their fight, not wanting her presence in his forest at all. He has no problem providing more contracts later on with the Death Wish thing, and he finds great entertainment in messing around with Hat Kid, so it's not just a weird sudden hatred he has for her; it's the fact that. After she's finished being useful, he no longer wants her around, lest she find some things she shouldn't find. Now he's just uncomfortable with her in his personal boundaries. Could just be a denial that she's helped him heal (breaking ice, stealing from Vanessa, being something interesting for his kids to interact with) or just not really wanting a child to get wrapped up in. All that. Most likely the former. Considering the amount of joke-hints he drops regarding his background during his Death Wish dialogue. I see you funny man, making jokes out of your trauma as a coping mechanism. Punts him

Annnd I think that's all I got, for now! I'll make an update post if I get any more sporadic ideas. If you read this whole thing, thank you!! and also!! Wow that was a lot!! Hell world. Please feel free to elaborate on any of my points or debate with me on em!! I'm always open to other ideas, just be aware that if I disagree I am not shy when it comes to debate hehehe, tho I won't be aggressive to any extent I prommy!!

Alrighty. goes to sleep goodnight

#clamtalk #VERY long ramble #a hat in time #snatcher #ahit snatcher #subcon forest #vanessa ahit #ahit #analysis #the prince ahit #goes crazy. goes insane #ask to tag #i'm frazzled I can't add more tags I'll do so later

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cotccotc · 3 years

Text

❄️ icicles ┆ yjn

genre/s: jeongin x gn reader, fluff, best friends/idiot crushes au (lol), boarding school au

wc: 2.3k

warning/s: swearing, reader is carried on jeongin’s back, one mention of death (as a joke, not within the context of the plot)

a/n: as always, i hope y’all like this !! winter’s on it’s way out where i live, but i loved the premise of this too much to discard the idea :)) also if it isn’t well edited, well...... Oops :D

“i bet you can’t reach it,” he whispers. he points to the icicle hovering above you, hanging down from the awning outside of the library. it’s on the thicker side, connected to a few others. and though it’s long, he’s correct in assuming it’s too high up for you to reach without jumping up to it. and probably while jumping as well. but you can’t let him off so easily.

“how much?” you ask, voice hushed as well.

“how much what?”

“how much are you gonna bet?”

he chuckles.

it’s nearing midnight. you’re not supposed to be out this late, let alone with a friend. and he isn’t just any friend, either. but he wouldn’t know that. he’s too oblivious. always has been. it’s been four years and he still hasn’t an inkling of how you truly feel about him, nor does he presumably feel the same way.

well… actually...

eh. that can wait. on with the scene.

“if you can do it,” he says, a cocky smile on his face. “i’ll use my card to buy all of your meals tomorrow.” he pauses. “deal?”

you cross your arms. “hm…”

“and…” he looks around for inspiration. then, finally, he adds, “and i’ll give you a piggyback ride back to your dorm.”

there’s a lot at stake. the crispness of the air accentuates the goosebumps forming on your skin at the prospect of being carried by him once again. piggyback rides are one of your favorite activities with jeongin, as well as your preferred mode of general transportation. maybe it’s because you’re (rightfully) lazy and nights like these tend to take a toll on your tired feet. maybe it’s because he only rarely allows it and would never admit he loves it as much as you do. or maybe it’s because the closeness makes you giddy, the contact makes you warm, and the prospect of taunting him is far too thrilling to pass up...

but that icicle is just so goddamn high.

“deal,” you say, stifling your excitement. you stretch your hand out for him to shake, and he obliges. as you ready yourself for the jump of a lifetime, he surveys the area for signs of authority. it’s not the first time you’ve snuck out together like this. you’ve only ever gotten caught once. sophomore year. they let you both off with a warning… but it’s clear to see how effective the warning was.

with a slight running start, you make your first attempt. not even close. i personally applaud you for trying, but honestly, it was a little hard to watch. yet, you won’t give up just yet. “three tries?” you suggest to him as he covers his face with his gloved hand to muffle the sound of his laughter.

in between bouts of near-silent laughter, he mimics you. he mockingly saunters over to the icicle, just barely leaping into the air and flapping his hand. as he leans over to laugh some more, clutching onto his abdomen through his puffer coat, you can’t help but giggle as well. it was a pretty pitiable try.

“fine,” he sighs, face still scrunched up in amusement. it’s actually quite cute. despite the seering embarrassment coursing through you, you’re glad to have been able to put that smile on his face. even in the dull, yellow-tinted lighting in the courtyard, you can make out the prominent dimples in his cheeks. after some more breathless chuckles, he continues, “try again.”

and so, you do. it’s a better one this time. you get closer to hitting the tip of the icicle than you thought you could. maybe it’s the sight of jeongin laughing like he hadn’t laughed all day. maybe it’s the slight thrill that accompanies sneaking out so late. whatever it is, it propelled you further into the air. but still, nothing.

“you have no technique,” he remarks, still speaking in whisper.

you scoff. “you try, then.”

“fine! step aside.” he takes a few steps toward you, arrogantly gesturing for you to move over so he can get into position. you concede, backing up. just as he’d done, you scan your surroundings just in case. however, right as you turn your head to the side, a bright light shoots out from the distance. your eyes widen and heartbeat quickens. it’s a pointed light; one much whiter and brighter than that of the lampposts commonly found in the courtyard. a flashlight. and it’s getting closer.

just as he’s about to take to the air, you grab the arm of his coat and give it a tug. he follows your gaze to find the flashlight as well. he jolts, letting out a small gasp.

“hey!” a voice calls out. whoever it is that’s holding the flashlight knows you’ve broken the rules.

“quick,” he says, voice louder than before. he takes your hand in his. “let’s go.” pulling you along with him, he runs down the cobblestone path toward the dorms. eventually, your speed matches his and you’re able to catch up to him, running beside him and holding his hand all the while. the feeling is electrifying. the wintry breeze sweeping through the night, the feeling of his gloved hand wrapped tightly around yours, and the rush of adrenaline coursing through you as you run are all enough to make your heart race. eventually, you lose sight of the flashlight behind you. you’ll probably get called down to the headmaster’s office tomorrow morning. maybe they didn’t see who you are. maybe they’ll let it slide. still, maybe you’ll get in trouble… but you don’t care. you will tomorrow, but not right now.

the flashlight has disappeared. the two of you slow down, relieved to have outrun your opposition. as you come to a full stop, he lets go of your hand to place both of his on his knees, panting. you put your hands on your hips to do the same. after a beat, you make eye contact. and immediately afterward, the both of you are sent into a fit of laughter.

“that was close,” he sighs, looking up at you in awe of what’d just occurred.

while chuckling, you reply, “yeah.”

a moment passes. your laughter fades back into shallow breathing as you take a look around, realizing you’re still not even close to the dorms. a chill runs through you. you didn’t even realize you’d broken a sweat until a gust of air drifts through your coat sleeve. you visibly shiver, prompting jeongin to straighten his stance.

“here,” he says, unwrapping the scarf around his neck. he then drapes it around you, wrapping the cotton fabric around yours. you watch his hands as they adjust the scarf. you’d given him the navy blue gloves as a christmas present last year. they’re now a staple in his winter ensemble. you look up at him. he’s been looking at you.

“thanks.”

“no problem,” he replies with a smile. the dim light could never drown out the sparkle that permanently resides in his eyes, nor diminish the charm of his dimples. as he looks at you, you suddenly feel much warmer than before.

he turns away from you, slightly bending his knees. “come on,” he whispers.

the piggyback ride.

you giggle. “w-what?”

“get on my back,” he clarifies, grinning even wider. “we don’t have much time!”

“but i didn’t hit the-”

“close enough! come on, before my knees give out.”

“fine! fine.”

you do as he instructed, hopping onto his back and wrapping your arms and legs around him. you let out a bit of a squeal as you leave the ground, sending butterflies through his stomach. he holds tightly onto the backs of your legs to support you. he keeps his knees slightly bent as he begins your trek to the dorms ahead, your chin resting comfortably upon his shoulder. it’s a familiar feeling, yet it never ceases to heighten your senses.

every so often, he lets out an exaggerated groan. as they become more and more dramatic, your smile widens. you begin laughing after his longest one, giving him a playful slap on the cheek. and, of course, his reaction is magnified. you then have to shush him in order to preserve your obscurity.

“has anybody ever told you how annoying you are?” you ask, hushed beside his ear.

“never in my life,” he retorts.

you giggle. “well i’m telling you now.”

he glances at you, smirking. “doesn’t count. you’re not just anybody.” he turns back forward, continuing down the path. you don’t know what to say. warmth flushes through your cheeks, rendering you speechless. he knows he made things awkward, but frankly, he doesn’t care. that same clever smile remains plastered on his blushing face for the rest of the silent walk… the too silent walk.

“we’re almost there. thank god,” he remarks, a hint of playful sarcasm in his tone. what he says is true. your destination is near. but alas, his comment garners no response. seeing as it’s late at night - or, rather, early in the morning - you’ve grown tired. thus, after the heat within your face settled and your head relaxed upon jeongin’s shoulder, you dozed off. “y/n?” he whispers. still nothing. all of a sudden, though, he hears a soft noise. a breath. he understands.

and he thinks it’s absolutely adorable.

he’s honored, in fact. you trust him enough to fall asleep in his arms, regardless of the hell he gives you. there’s a certain sense of understanding that lies beneath the layers of banter you’ve built throughout these past few years that has always given him a sliver of hope. the hope that at times like these, you’d feel safe enough to be yourself, the hope that you’d accompany him on more late-night escapades despite the pressures of authority… and, subsequently, the hope that there’s something more between you two than just friendship. it’s a funny feeling. hope. not yearning, not pining… just a hypothesis supplemented with a hell of a lot of optimism.

as he reaches the entrance to your dorm building, he’s struck with the realization that he can’t enter. for multiple reasons. the first is that he’ll need your keycard. he couldn’t even open the door if he wanted to. consequently, he’ll need to get you down from his back - begrudgingly so. thankfully, however, your resident assistant knows what you two have been up to. yeji approaches the door with a knowing smirk. jeongin innocently smiles back through the glass panel on the door.

yeji opens the door with a short sigh as she sees your condition. “what’d you guys do this time? go for a hike?” she steps outside wearing little to protect her from the weather. a knitted sweater and pajama pants don’t really cut it when it’s below freezing out. “sheesh,” she remarks. “nevermind, i guess.”

jeongin silently shushes the redhead before him. “they saw us,” he mouths out to her. she takes a look around for any signs of trouble, just as the two of you had done earlier. then, she carefully steps around the boy and taps you on the shoulder.

“wake up, sleepyhead,” she whispers, continuing to poke at you.

suddenly, you become aware of the prodding sensation at your back, as well as the faint noise echoing from beside your ear. a voice. you groggily open your eyes, lifting your head up from jeongin’s shoulder. it then occurs to you that you’ve stopped moving as well.

“come on,” yeji continues.

“hi,” you squeak, voice raspy from fatigue, before an involuntary yawn slips out. you straighten your posture, allowing for yeji to take hold of your arm. then, jeongin bends down a bit, giving you the ability to step down from your position as yeji holds onto you for balance. “thanks.”

once you’re down, jeongin stretches his back and arms. “i thought you were dead, you know. until i heard you snoring.”

you chuckle. “oh, please. you should hear yourself in geography class.” he clicks his tongue as you and yeji each let out a quiet giggle.

“it’s getting late, you two,” yeji says, clutching onto her own arms for warmth. “and cold. let’s go.” she starts toward the door, gesturing for you to follow her inside. you almost make it in, too, before you remember something.

“oh! the scarf,” you exclaim. well, whisper-exclaim. you unravel the cloth around your neck, walking back over to the boy to whom it belongs. you do exactly what he’d done for you, draping the garment around him before wrapping it over his shoulder.

he can’t help but blush. you can’t help but notice.

“chop chop!” asserts yeji, beginning to shiver from the cold.

jeongin blinks up at her before returning his gaze to you. “goodnight, y/n,” he murmurs. the look he’s giving you sends a chill through you. a small smile, genuine eyes… your face takes on a familiar warmth once more.

“goodnight, dummy,” you reply, nonchalantly. his grin widens.

yeji crosses her arms. “i will close this door right now.”

“alright!” you respond, turning toward her with your hands raised in defeat. you step inside, striding past her and toward the hall.

“now, get back to your dorm before you get suspended.”

“yes ma’am,” jeongin remarks in return. “g’night.” they exchange a smile and wave before yeji finally closes the door.

jeongin can’t help but grin to himself as he stuffs his hands into his coat pockets and starts his departure to his building. his cheeks are ablaze, which he’d normally suggest is due to the cold. not this time, though. now, he has a pep in his step. he’ll meander home, beaming with a sense of joy. joy, giddiness, excitement… hope. and, when he finally arrives back at his dorm - much to his sleepy roommate’s dismay - he’ll stay up a little while longer thinking about you; the subtle sounds of your breath beside his ear, the way you’d let out a hushed laugh at his remarks, and how absolutely darling you looked wrapped up in his scarf. little does he know you’ll be lying wide awake doing the exact same thing.

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