#im one for visual narrative

[n4rval]

hi I just wanted to say your tags on the gaster poll posts are so correct yessss (always enjoy your takes just in general). thank you for being one of the seemingly very few people out there who also believes there's no way the timeline works for gaster and alphys to have been colleagues. however, him haunting her benevolently is something I'm 1000% here for <3 (also I hope your finals went well and you get to have a nice relaxing break!)

HII HELLO HI im glad you like them!!! knowing you read these motivates me to keep being Absolutely Very Normal About Him on the internet

personally it's less of a believing thing and more of a come on it's written right there thing, but since we're here.

behold! dingus timeline. (and the hottest of takes with freshly baked personal headcanons otherwise what am i doing)

Not a skeleton?

Isn't 201X too early?

Indeed, not a skeleton, but rather, some guy. Something about how monster's bodies are manifestations of their SOUL, and him oddly resembling a strange looking man does well to represent his insatiable curiosity and love for creating. (things humans are known for in a better light)

On the other hand, you will be pleased with how fascinated he is by "FLESHLINGS AND THEIR CALCIUM DEPOSITS".

And then they fucking died.

201X is the year the first human fell into the underground, and shortly after, the royal family has moved to New Home. This means some decent exploration of the cavern has already been made. Scientists could very well already have been working on optimizing life underground, with special attention to the large and ever growing new capital.

My idea? As this idiot has been aiding exploration with his antics, Gerson was the one to appoint him to Asgore. Something about his talent with turning garbage into non-garbage. With a little patience and getting familiar with his odd manerisms, it was not too long until he got to be the prince's weird godfather.

Cracking already?

And everyone was devastated, mainly the close family. Not only that, but amidst your mourning, the one couple responsible for your unrealistically high standards for romance just divorced. Is love even real anymore. You eat ants with your cereal and your work consists mainly of convenience improvements and absolutely nothing groundbreaking. What's the point of breaking that pesky barrier again? Child murder? Come on.

That's the Wingdings PATIENCE and BRAVERY encountered in their adventure. Dear god, you're lame. Aren't you some kind of genius? Get yourself together! And together he got his self, now, he has children to look after. Surely there must be some other way. He must stop coming up with new flavours for chips and find some other way.

... Dear god, the King is going to kill them.

BONES and DT

Listen. He's old. You got your wrinkles, he's got his cracking. What? You meant to point out some major event of injury must have been responsible for his current state of deformity? Well, he's old AND heartbroken. That's a direct blow to the SOUL, okay.

Jokes aside (kind of), doing any lasting damage to a monster is quite difficult given their magic forms can easily be healed through, well, magic. They can, however, eventually "fall" (wink wink) and dust away with age - which cannot, however, be fixed with magic.

With a little determination however ...

Something about the anomaly.

He found it, the other way. It was the bones all along, the so needed sustainance for channelling such a high concentration of that power. Well, not necessarily, but a boney structure will endure much more and last much longer than a meaty one. Also, it looks so cool.

You know this guy, he gets first dibs on any and all dubious substances that might or might not deal the last hit to the nail on his coffin dust urn(?). And when it all works out (dubious), he might as well play a little. What kind of things can he make? With the material properties of these calcified remains infused with his own magic, animated with determination.

Some new, powerful magic tricks?

A new kind of monster, maybe?

DARK, DARKER, YET DARKER.

There is a lot of interesting things one can do with isolated DT, aside from making bones rattle with life - for example, peeking onto the complex layers and ramifications of what composes reality. This is when the already kooky scientist grows a little mad; manic, if you will. This is the Wingdings sans was familiar with.

Time travel this, resets that, blah blah blah alpha timeline, the anomaly, the angel, the anomaly again, all things that only make sense to him and his illegible mess on the black board. The lack of detail is killing him, he needs to know what it is - what it does, why it does, how it does. Not to stop it, no, there is no stopping it.

Rather, an overwhelming need to understand it.

He falls somewhere in recent history, details of it left ambiguous. The shattering, combined with the amount of DT running in his magical... mathematical physiology, rendered all of his self but an espectator of his reality; confined to the code and unable to do anything but watch, powerless before the nature of his very being, like a corrupted program.

It is all rather frustrating, besides the burden that is coming to terms with simply not existing anymore, watching was pretty much all this research was and now ever will be. That is, until something interacts with him. It is different from the tragic prince, whom no matter how much DT he's accumulated, he is just as confined to this world's rules as other elements. Not this one, not the force from beyond. Not "YOU".

He makes it a mission to reach out, despite the limits of the code, to give away bits and pieces of him and see if you bite. But not too much, he's seen how you tend to exhaust a world for knowledge, something he can oddly sympathize with. I mean, what will you do once you find everything? One cannot fully know a person.

Maybe in another world, prophetized by a cute, little white dog. A much better world for everyone, without so much as war or disease, his greatest creation yet. And he could invite you to it, to experience bewilderment, to be reminded of wonder. If it could even help you, wherever you are, to deem your own world worth of partaking ... then the experiment was a success.

#artwork #inbox #freakbullet #gaster #wd gaster #undertale #deltarune #character design is my passion #not so much graphic design i suck at this #WIPES SWEAT #happy new year!! i've been writing this since christmas!!!!! #sorry if you have to squint at my handwriting its a big canvas #just zoom in #also sorry if my writing lacks extensive details if you were looking for any #im one for visual narrative #so i tried my best to convey everything in the simplest structure i could #and cut short a lot of specifics that are not relevant for a timeline dissection #things like complex feelings and worldbuilding related shenanigans #i will definitely cover these in the future perhaps in the form of comics #this just isnt the place #this is all you need to get a grasp on the character :pray: #there is a lot of proportion inconsistencies on post tragedy old man dont point them out #its just that i've redrawn him like thrice and i was like. you know what? it doesnt have to be perfect #he'll make a cameo when i post fallen humans art

[asteraws]

various enst charas as fe14 classes (2021)

#enstars #itsuki shu #kagehira mika #kanzaki souma #nito nazuna #fire emblem fates #last yr i had a phase where i replayed fates and lamented so hard abt how the music and visuals were beautiful but had shit narrative #and valkaloids fusion came out around the same time so i was inspired by the spears from that mv lol #sorry the layout of this is horrendous but i want everything to be in one huge megapost lol #my art #im not abt to tag everyone #mikas an outlaw turned troubadour #shu and midori are also troubadours #hiiro and nazu are cavaliers #soumas prob samurai but i wanted to draw him as arms master too #rinnes either one of the furry classes or like a chieftain #nikis an apothecary that turns into a merchant later

[songofstrawhats]

WHEN PEOPLE MENTIONED THE CROCOMOM THEORY, THEY NEGLECTED TO MENTION CROCODILE GLARING AT THE PERSON WITH MAGICAL GENDER CHANGE POWERS WHO MAKES CRYPTIC COMMENTS ABOUT HIS SECRETS AND KNOWING HIM WAY BACK WHEN

like, I still don't know enough to know how likely any fan theories may or may not be but I WAS NOT EXPECTING THIS MANY DOTS AVAILABLE TO CONNECT??? I assumed this was some sort of shipping or timeline thing not MAGICAL GENDER CHANGE FRUIT USER WITH A HISTORY LMAO WHAT

#one piece #impel down #ivankov #chapter 540 #i am never making it through this arc im having a new crisis each chapter lmaoooo #also i genuinely cannot decide if ivankov is transphobic or not. like -gestures at his everything- yes probably???? #but the fact im even conflicted is a triumph of storytelling #its the female character thing again where the visual is just. yeah. but the narrative treats them in a way thats better?????? #idk im too busy yelling to figure out decades old discourse or whatever lmao #just know that what i assumed from fandom is SO DIFFERENT FROM THE ACTUAL THING LMAOOOOO #reading op

[quirinah]

SLAY THE PRINCESS (chewing on drywall)

#oh my god the way this game has been festering in my brain since i watched rts playthrough of it ITS SO OVER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! #I LOVE COSMIC HORROR AND SELF AWARE TIMELOOPS AND THE ENDLESS FUTALITY OF THE NARRATIVE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! #I LOVE BIRD MEN AND GIANT MONSTER WOMEN AND NARRATORS WITH PERSONALITY!!! #sorry im normal. #quirinahscreams #no but i also love the voices of the main character and how the choices you make determine which one of them shows up (saying nonsense) BUT #ALSO HOW THEY EACH HAVE THEIR OWN SKILLS? IF THAT MAKES SENSE #like the stubborn and the hunted's affinity for combat/survival in the beast route or paranoids autonomic nervous system thing #she heart on my lungs till i liver nerves #I WISH IC OULD SAY MORE BUT SPOILERS BUT ALSO RAGHHH. they werent lying it really is a love story (gripping table so tightly it splinters) #THE WAY THE FIRST CABIN RUNTHRU IS LIKE UR DEFAULT SLATE AND THEN THE CHOICES YOU MAKE SLASH HOW YOU PERCEIVE THE PRINCESS IN THAT ROUTE #AFFECT WHAT SHE APPEARS AS TO YOU LATER #EVEN DOWN TO TAKING THE KNIFE #how shes docile and initially innocent if you dont take it but calculating and dangerous if you do #or depending on how you die she reappears as vengeful or simply cruel or resigned etc and then different voices show up to compliment that #i always feel so lame giving faceless characters visual appearances though its part of the mystique intrigue or whatever #but my boring hc for the mc is that hes like a harpy. a la howl movingcastle type beat but i also love birdman mc #its just that i wasnt paying attention earlier and imagined him as like a generic fairytale prince/knight and then realized oh he has TALON #I NEED TO SHUT UP OH MY GOD BUT ARGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH I WANT TO DRAW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[jaypgartifacts]

october is coming. which means, of course, that it is time for the horrors. tfw the dream self must confront the Nightmare Self

#body horror // #homestuck #YES i am invoking tarot symbolism and YES i have reasons for choosing the cards i did and YES i AM just making things up as i go. im normal #symbolism runthrough real quick. consider this an Artist's Statement of sorts. #The Tower: ambition built on a flawed premise. guy who always thinks he knows better than you in dire need of a wakeup call #strength: the journey of the self vis a vis finding the courage to act & tapping into latent potential that always existed #& simply needed to be accessed. note: dirk in this card is brain ghost dirk specifically. #(an illusion constructed by jake because he didn't believe in his own repressed abilities - drawn here as The Horrors.) #the devil: you are maybe not the CAUSE of all of your problems but DAMN you are making them worse for yourself. #this card is SO heavy on unhealthy coping mechanisms. symbolism here - very literally holding self down #sure it feels comforting in the moment but eventually you are going to drown. #the chariot: this one's not super clear visually but i do have a method to my madness #the chariot is the card of willpower; control; forward motion; resolution. #by the same token i think it is also a card about being really really stubborn - blinded by a goal. #holding onto the reins and refusing to let go even when holding them hurts you & others around you. #honestly i think some of the minor arcana fit better for a few of these cards but i wanted to stick w majors #for the sake of Icon Recognition i guess. #anyway [putting the alpha gang in the Narrative Wiggler to work through their problems] #they are going to the Dream Realm to meet their weirdest selves (and friends) in combat. unless...? #(it was never about fighting it was about healing. SYMBOLISM)

[jovial-gender-jester]

kind of messed up junko is supposed to be irredeemable & mysterious & manic & tough to understand but if i was

-a minor in the 90s/early 2000s modeling industry

-and no one at school talked to me or tried to include me in the fun a

-nd my sister kept getting deployed for the military on missions that always put her life in jeopardy

then idk.. maybe i'd feel compelled to wreck as much as possible too

+

#danganronpa #dgr #junko enoshima #yes im talking about one of the worst visual novels in the world. sorry that i think it could be better if the writers spent less effort on #sexualizing minors and more time nailing-the-landings on the basket-full of compelling narratives they fumbled

[eggpunkhouses]

the death of art the death of education the death of childhood the death of narrative the birth of christ as we believed he was a zombie and our father

#talks #anyway im having some sort of reaction to seeing a lot of people discussing the collective trauma of gen z #as it correlates to nostalgia for corporate products and the exploitation of children #i feel odd being in this position as i feel like ive already emotionally unpacked this with introspection of my own childhood experiences #and current day struggles with parental abuse & emotional neglect #but what im mostly scared of is the idea that people will refuse to reclaim what once brought them joy through a dark period #as well as a loss of hope that im starting to see manifest in real life and on social media #the last thing id want is for people to give up on art because of what they fear may happen if they do #if somebody gets hurt because of it #keep it in your mind that ​hollywood was built on voyerism and exploitation #(aside—please read laura mulvey’s visual pleasure & narrative cinema) #(and bell hooks oppositional gaze) #but personally im not waiting on any internship applications so I can one day make it to LA and maybe get my cartoon produced #with 500 pages of censorship notes from S&P #im making my cartoon now because ive worked hard to get here and i have the resources to do it #it will be free for everybody to watch on youtube. i just want people to see it and have a good time with it #also i might just be wiccan now

[sibyl-of-space]

tomorrow people at work are gonna be like "what did you do this weekend" and im gonna be like well. basically worked 2 full workdays crunching out the new demo for my visual novel. BUT IT'S DONE!!!!!

I gotta do another week of crunch to finish all of the visual assets and UI stuff and polish stuff for it but mechanically and narratively that bitch is DONE let's fucking GO

#im exhausted but really really REALLY HAPPY #and after one more week once this shit is out i am going to basically take a week+ off of Life to recover from the overdrive im currently i #the narrative and mechanics stuff have been the BIGGEST hurdles for me since the original proof of concept #to write the intro of a visual novel and have it be good you have to know EXACTLY where you're going in some ways #same with designing good mechanics #but i am finally there. i am FINALLY there #i know enough about where i am going that i can write a GOOD intro and the mechanics WORK and it will GET ME THERE #now i have a shitload of assets to ink and scan and i have some last minute UI design stuff to do #but IT IS SOOOOOOOO CLOSE!!!!!!!

[sameteeth]

the flint coming out/silvers worst possible reaction convo is one of the few times we actually see flint like. uncomfortable? or nervous i guess? when silver says he doesn't think the pattern of flint's closest person/partner dying will apply to him because of recent events, flint's response ("it is .. natural for men new to power to assume that it has no limits. trust me - it does.") seems strange. he doesn't argue against seeking out his own tragedies as he did before, or deny the pattern, or tell silver to stop blaming him for the deaths of his partners. he tells silver he isn't as powerful as he might feel at that moment. he's defensive, thrown off-balance by the vulnerability of sharing his most guarded heart and secret, only for silver to throw it back in his face. this conversation is significant for a number of reasons, but one of which is that it highlights flint's devotion to silver (he tells silver he is Entitled to the truth) and silver's reticence to genuine connection with flint. he tells flint he's sorry, but then ruthlessly points out a pattern he sees as a potential danger to him. silver is STILL acting in his own self interest here, almost defensively, whereas flint has given himself entirely over to silver. what happens makes me think of this post - flint has such personal authenticity, he KNOWS what he stands for, he has cast his lot, his narrative is fixed, that he is able to give his truth to silver. whereas silver is still playing at both sides. his identity has coagulated into silver, but he's not Long John Silver yet. he doubts this war, he doubts flint and madi's motivations. why expose a weakness when there's no need? all he sees of flint's confession is a potential threat to him. and then there's flint's response in the face of silver coolly explaining why he will survive flint's self-inflicted tragedy, a weak attempt at silver's feelings of strength, a defensive response to what flint perceives to be an attack from silver.. which silver IMMEDIATELY overturns with his stunt with dobbs, using the men as pawns in his dance with flint, proving to flint that silver is strong, that silver will survive flint. that silver will hurt flint. and all flint has to offer is an uncertain but (to me) very genuine attempt at comfort in the face of silver's ironclad defense of his own strength. that even if they agree silver has such powerful influence over the men, flint can still stand with him, against him if they have to.

#idk if im wholly on board with the final chunk but im thinkin #that whole conversation takes the ENTIRE episode and it drives me insane #its like. theyre talking past each other #theyre shouting across a lake trying to hear whats going unsaid (the visuals support this) #flint is sharing something very close and personal with silver and refers to them as friends unhesitatingly #yet silver has come prepared with a defense and (sort of) challenges flints authority by doing somehting he knows flint will disapprove of #considering during times of battle captains held absolute power this is very much an intended offense i believe #because the closer silver feels himself getting to flint the harder he fights to keep himself distant and strong and without flaw #silver wants to be flints equal - he does not see flint already regards him as one #i wonder if silver knew about flints reason or had his guesses beforehand and THATS why he asked flint to tell him thomas's name #idk they make me insane yk <- guy who is [redacted] #canis watches black sails #oh also. FUCKED UP that silver uses dobbs to prove a point lmao but also excellent narrative choices tomake it seem like dobbs is betraying #them. bc flint KNOWS hornigold is there and knows hornigold will try to outthink him. but he can outthink the outthinker to get hornigold t #lower his guard and follow dobbs to the spot where they need to be. he lets hornigold look smart by waiting then feeds him a lie

[opiumvampire]

ok everyone i am going to write a novel next month and then joefferry and i are going to make a game in december. saying it out loud so i can be held accountable 👍🏻

#i love creative projects but my entire life is a creative project rn so i have to find time for Others #i won nano last year for the first time so now im getting cocky #im trying to get into narrative design/game writing so im doing game jams to build a portfolio #and theres one in december to make a visual novel and i was like Man If Only I Knew An Artist With An Eye Catching Style

[transexuality]

i actually get viscerally mad when i think about riku's redesign and his new keyblade in kingdom hearts 3.

what did they do to you....

#soul eater/the way to dawn will always be the best riku keyblades. Narratively characteristically visually. #They fucking gave him the most generic looking keyblade in the fucking world im so mad #he went from having the most unique and interesting keyblade to the lamest one thats just a losers sword

[upsidedowngrass]

wheres liam gets home fic . wheres liam recovery .. please

#crying shaking and wailing #i want to see him OUT and REALISTICALLY affected #i want to see him get HOME and START healing . and it be hard because thats not easy. but i wanna see him START GETTING THERE A LITTLE BIT #yeah i could write it myself . but alsi i have no energy . drawing is slightly easier bc its all visuals and its smth im much morefamiliar #with #and writing is fun but i can only do it every now and then . like im good at analysis but the moment i have to like #write a narrative my brain explodes #but perhaps that is the price i will have to pay for a liam recovery fic. #that uh. doesnt immediately throw in shipping #idm shipping and i think its occasionally cute but its certainly not what im looking for #and every fic ive seen lean into this ultimately decides to start makin characters kiss #like i said idm but its one of those things where its like. right off the plane i dont think liam needs a partner i think he needs therapy #and more general support if that makes sense? #these fics are generally still good! its just that i still havent found any fic that captures what im looking for which is liam HEALING #anyway. i went on a tangent. ill probably try to write it myself even though i am a pretty. slow writer (esp with narratives) #and thats not even CONSIDERING the research (both that ive already done for this and that id have to do) regarding like. #the legal aspects. ehat to do abt his leg bc how he gets home can very much affect that. etc

[ghoul-haunted]

tbh re reading ES21 at the age that yusuke murata was when he was working on it truly does highlight that I’m only a fraction of where I want to be as a narrative artist

#this isn't about style or technical work bc yusuke murata is one of those once in a life time geniuses with that kind of thing #but in terms of narrative and visuals its like. oh my god. when i was 16 i wanted to be as good as he was #and now im around his age when he was doing ES21 and its like. ohhhhhh i have MILES to go and i want to clear that gap so bad #is there anything like the high of wanting to get better and seeing clearly the trajectory you need to take to reach it

[deerspherestudios]

Hellow!~ I just want to mention something a lil detail that I love about Myachel (not only the VN and the story cuz aa just drive me crazy <3 ) but is his Nose! I Love that he has no ''aesthetically pleasing'' looking one, he has an Upturned nose wich sadly in the world of fashion is not considered 'pleasing' but he is Breaking it ! Myachel is so handsome and without following any beauty standard wich makes him feel more real (in a way) <3 Sure sure he is a type of Myconid and stuff but like his design is still humaine. Im happy to see artists giving more variety to small but iconic details such as the nose and hope these would inspire others to try it and not being scared of drawing them :DD (im just tired of seeing the anime dot noses or plain Nothing ^^; ) Ok and for the question: I bet Myachel has seen other places of the world in books from the library, Does he wishes to visit one or more of them? like Beach, Mountain, Desert, Or maybe a city?

Aw this is so wholesome 😭😭❤️! Sometimes I do feel like his sprites aren't the most conventionally attractive when it comes to visual novel love interests, but I wanted to keep them authentic in that; not everyone is gonna find him attractive! And that's okay!

In fact I find it super interesting when people talk about others not liking his design, it really serves the whole 'ugly monster' narrative some merit haha! So thank you for sharing your thoughts on his little nose, I'm sure he'd be happy to let you boop it.

As for locations he'd love to visit, he's actually been to a few places! Beaches, mountains, maybe not the desert though, but he's definitely been to cities! He'd love to visit a fun fair though but the crowds and loud attractions/rides make him nervous. 💔

#mushroom oasis vn #mychael ask #fanart #tysm thats such high praise for something as simple as his nose waaa #jar of fireflies

[choidaisy]

where mingyu finds memories of his first girlfriend and decides to send her a message upon realizing she is nearby (part 1)

Part 2 here

words: 1,892 warnings: not many, just mingyu feeling nostalgic and regretful about past choices a/n: i think im a bit sad after writing this, i wish i could hug mingyu

Upon awakening at dawn, Mingyu felt an unexpected urge to revisit the past. The day promised to be busy with a looming show, but he decided to dedicate some time to organizing dusty relics that had rested for years in his closet.

As he pulled boxes from the dark hideaway, one of them caught his attention in a peculiar way. "I didn't even remember you were here," he chuckled, releasing a sigh of nostalgia. He sat on the floor, unraveling the treasures buried in layers of memories.

The lid of the box, when lifted, unleashed a specter from the past. Photographs, yellowed and blurred as if the previous decade had wrapped them in a nostalgic veil. Mingyu held one of them, observing with eyes that absorbed every detail. A smile, immortalized on paper, evoked long-dormant emotions.

Among the relics, a crumpled and aged letter captured his attention. The faded ink gave the words a melancholic tone, as if time itself had intertwined them with sadness. Unfolding it, Mingyu encountered handwritten messages, a distant voice echoing through the lines on paper.

Each item taken from the box told a story from ten years ago, a time when the world seemed simpler, and smiles came more easily. The room, once bathed in morning light, transformed into a theater of shadows and longing, where the silent echo of the past filled every corner.

Mingyu, sitting on the floor, embraced his memories as if holding a part of himself that had been left behind. The clock on the wall, like a silent witness, marked the present, but the open box cast a bridge to a persistent past.

Thus, he spent the morning immersed in the melancholy of recollections from a decade ago, a journey through time that left scars on the fabric of his soul, like indelible marks of a sad song echoing beyond the decades.

Mingyu's gaze lifted towards the ceiling as a specific photograph emerged from his memories. He closed his eyes, leaning against the wall. The image captured a moment of genuine laughter between him and Y/N, an instant immortalized where worries were forgotten in the face of her amusing words. A bittersweet smile illuminated his face, contrasting with the frozen joy in the photo.

Mingyu's mind traveled back in time, recalling how Y/N had the gift of eliciting laughter from him at every turn. Nostalgia enveloped him like a mist, and he found himself smiling in a different way than that depicted in that old picture.

"How must she be these days?" he questioned amidst the shadows of the past. He decided to explore the virtual world in the hope of finding traces of her life. He opened Instagram, typing her name in the search bar with a tentative expectation.

And there she was. Y/N's account, though not abundant in photos, revealed the path she had taken over the years. Mingyu scrolled through the images, witnessing fragments of a distant life. She had grown, distancing herself from the scene they once shared.

The photographs told silent stories of adventures and growth, of laughter that now echoed elsewhere. Mingyu, lost in the visual narrative, felt the distance that time had imposed between them. A sigh escaped, echoing in the quietness of the room as he absorbed the metamorphosis of the one who had once been the constant source of his joy.

He opened photo after photo, immersing himself in the visual narratives that composed Y/N's life. He read comment after comment, each word resonating like a melancholic melody that transported him to a time that no longer existed. "Damn, why am I doing this to myself?" he wondered, a storm of emotions churning within him. On impulse, he turned off his phone screen, trying to distance himself from those bittersweet memories.

He closed the virtual box that was her profile, and with a heavy sigh, he promised himself that it was time to close this chapter of the past. The day progressed slowly, each second feeling like an additional weight on his shoulders. Mingyu became entangled in the whirlwind of emotions, struggling to find a peace that seemed elusive.

When night settled and the show in Seoul finally came to an end, Mingyu remained backstage, the energy of the stage still pulsating in his veins. A persistent intuition whispered in his ear, urging him to reopen her profile. A mixture of curiosity and self-destruction led him to succumb to the silent call.

The screen lit up again, revealing Y/N's world in a way he couldn't avoid. The past resurfaced in digital colors, the photographs a window to a time he thought he had left behind. Mingyu found himself scrolling through the images, a roller coaster of emotions sweeping over him as the silent backstage of the show became the backdrop for a personal drama unfolding before the cold glow of the screen.

Y/N had posted a story, an update that hadn't existed before. Mingyu took a deep breath, feeling his heartbeat quicken as he embraced all the risks of being caught snooping on her social media. "What the fuck is this?" he exclaimed, the intensity of his voice echoing and surprising those around him.

"What's going on, Mingyu?" Wonwoo asked, showing surprise at the sudden reaction.

"Oh... sorry, guys," Mingyu stammered, distancing himself from the group still stunned by what he had just discovered.

Sitting on a bench, disbelief written on his face, Mingyu fixed his gaze on the phone. "Y/N, are you here? Were you watching our show?" he whispered to himself, as if uttering the words made the situation more tangible.

Without giving himself much time to think, Mingyu decided to respond to the story. "You here?" he added a shy emoji, a mix of surprise and anticipation that shone through the typed words.

The night stretched on, a tapestry of anticipation woven with threads of uncertainty. Mingyu, immersed in the anticipation of a response that felt surreal, watched the hours drag on. Before heading home, he joined the other band members, sharing a few glasses of beer in a ritual that would normally be synonymous with relaxation and laughter. However, his mind was elsewhere, more focused on his phone than the lively conversation permeating the table.

Even amid laughter and toasts, Mingyu was shrouded in a cloud of thoughts, lost in his own reflections. Tension hung over him as his eyes occasionally drifted to the device, eager for a notification that had yet to arrive.

It was then that Mingyu made an unusual decision. He was the first to say goodbye, breaking the tradition of staying until the end. The night continued for the others, but for him, the journey back home was marked by a heavy silence and an anticipation that stretched beyond the visible night horizon.

It was around six in the morning, and Mingyu was still tossing and turning in bed, desperately trying to fall asleep when a notification flashed on his phone. "Mingyu...?"

She had finally responded. Without thinking much, he initiated a voice call right there, in the Instagram direct messages chat.

"Oh... Mingyu. Is everything okay?" She answered with a cautious voice, a tone laden with surprise and concern.

"Hm, hey Y/N, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have called, I just..."

"Did something happen?"

"I just... thought about you all day... I'm sorry." He scratched his head, words coming out in a thread, his voice choked with emotion, an echo of the restlessness consuming him.

"Are you drunk? Your voice sounds (pause) weird (pause) and it's like six in the morning..."

"No, I'm not drunk... I'm sorry, Y/N. I'll hang up, I shouldn't have done this." There was a tense pause, a contained sigh in his voice, echoing regret. The girl on the other end of the line sensed the vulnerability in every word, the complexity of what was unfolding in this unexpected conversation.

"No, Mingyu... Stay on the line, I'm just surprised... It's been so long since we last talked. I thought it might be an emergency or something."

"Yea, quite a while... Almost ten years?"

"Something like that... How are you? Did you have to wake up early today?"

"Oh... actually, I haven't been able to sleep yet..." A pause to take a deep breath. "And you, why are you up early?"

"I'm at the airport, heading back home..."

"Oh, so you didn't move back to Korea?" Sadness echoed in his voice as he verbalized the realization.

"No, just passing through..."

"Ah... I was really surprised when I saw you were watching my show."

"My niece is a big Seventeen fan," she explained.

"Daennie?" That's how he used to call little Shin Dae years ago. "God, she was a little kid... She's, like, twelve now?" The question arose gently, an attempt to map the years that had slipped away, even though distance had kept them apart.

"Yea" she laughed from the other side of the screen. "She's almost my height now."

"That's crazy..."

"Yea, time flew by... Mingyu, how did you find my Instagram?"

"Oh, about that... I stumbled upon a photo of us yesterday morning... I got curious about you and looked you up... Don't think I'm a stalker or anything."

She laughed on the other side of the screen, a gentle laugh hovering between nostalgia and the present.

"Y/N, I miss you, you have no idea how much..." he confessed. "You know, you'll always be my first girlfriend, my first love... I regret my decision so much."

"Mingyu, you didn't decide alone, it was the wisest choice. You know that."

"Honestly, I don't know if it was worth it."

"How not? You're living your biggest dream."

"But you're not here with me..." The last sentence slipped out like a sigh, heavy with a lament that echoed between the words, outlining a wound that time hadn't completely healed.

"Mingyu, don't do this." She heard him let out the sound of a sniffle. "Mingyu? Are you crying?"

"I'm sorry for saying these things, Y/N... I just wish I could go back in time and make different choices; I would have found a way to make both things work well."

"You would have regretted it, Mingyu. Look at how you're a star now."

"I regretted the same way."

"Mingyu, listen to me... We were very happy together, but our story happened at the wrong time. We were young, but we had an important choice. We did the right thing." She paused. "We grew up well."

"And will our story ever happen at the right time?"

"I don't have the answer to your question." Her response hung in the air, a sincere confession that floated between the uncertainty of the future and the certainty of the past. Silence became a delicate bridge between two hearts that, even at a distance, still shared an intertwined story.

"Y/N, I always thought I couldn't have you, that you're someone I should forget, but..." He was interrupted by the girl who spoke hastily.

"Mingyu, I need to hang up; I'm boarding now... we'll talk later."

"I wanted you to know that..." The call ended. "I still love you." Mingyu murmured to the silence of the phone, the words lingering in the void like an unspoken sigh, while the sound of farewell echoed in the distance between them.

Part 2 maybe? let me know :)

#svt fanfic #svt imagines #seventeen #svt #svt fluff #svt x reader #mingyu #kim mingyu #mingyu x reader #mingyu x y/n #mingyu x you #mingyu fluff #mingyu scenarios #mingyu fic #mingyu imagines

[messiahzzz]

the IGN article has already been addressed by several users, but imo the points of critique raised by others were still often misinterpreted, or ignored entirely.

— so i’d like to talk about it.

beforehand, it is important to mention that it remains everyone’s respective responsibility to curate their own online experience. you shouldn’t purposefully expose yourself to topics that cause you distress or trigger you. however, general discussion should always be valid and welcomed. you have every right to voice your opinion on the matter and to be upset about this. please don’t feel guilty about venting and expressing your emotional response.

we also need to differentiate this specific interview from the fandom’s overall treatment and interpretation of gale. several of the posts i’ve seen on the subject tend to derail into the latter, without addressing the valid points many have raised or glossing over them entirely. this isn’t about the usual “haha gale eats shoes” joke or whatever new meme fandom comes up with. this is solely about the developer’s treatment of gale, the character, and about a specific, internal bias that has been prevalent throughout the entirety of the game, as well as their social media. this particular interview merely adding to the amalgamation of points mentioned.

yes, it is certainly unrealistic to expect larian to address every single companion in detail and to touch on every nuance possible, in an interview that broadly focuses on the game’s narrative and gameplay. there are, however, specific character sections. each companion received a headline that was reflective of their overall character archetype or provided quick insight into their development.

Karlach: 'The Labrador of the Party'

Lae'zel: 'She's So Young'

Halsin: 'A Creative Risk'

Shadowheart: 'The Jason Bourne'

Wyll: 'We Lost a Little Bit of Narrative Room'

Astarion: 'Much of What He Does Is Out of Fear'

Minthara: 'It's Not a Redemption Arc...But She's Got a Lot of Love'

and last but not least:

Gale: 'The Guy Who Starts Off Annoying Everyone'

what followed was a brief discussion about their respective storylines, each being addressed with a certain level of respect, empathy, and consideration. except for gale. all that was mentioned in regard to his character was the narrative impact of gale’s suicide. talking about the overall logistics of this ending, the visuals of the cutscene, and how, to them, his sacrifice felt like the right ending and how in many ways, it is.

Chrystal Ding, Lead Writer: On a very human level, you have the guy who starts off annoying everyone, he's constantly asking you to give him your most treasured possessions to eat, otherwise he's in trouble, and at the end, he gives himself for the world. Sven Vincke, Founder: And he had the choice already once before where he wasn't ready for it. So it's a very powerful ending, and it comes in different permutations.

gale is the character who is initially annoying companions and players alike. he is verbose, enthusiastic and has a tendency to break out in long-winded rants. he repeatedly asks for your assistance, to help him manage his condition. to spare himself and his surroundings from an untimely, explosive death, he must consume items that you’ve carefully collected. gale is, essentially, a liability. a ticking time bomb. he already had the option to have his life be a meaningful sacrifice, but he wasn’t ready to die yet. now, that the party has reached the end, he has another chance to give himself up for the world.

short after, gale’s section of the interview quickly diverts into a more general discussion about the difficulties of playing as a wizard and other classes.

larian claiming that there is a universal “right ending” in a game with many branching paths and choices very much contradicts the definition of a role-playing game. where it is solely in the player’s hands to decide what direction to take and what outcome they deem to be the right one. moreover, it is important to remember that the interviewees weren’t just any developers, but consisted of two lead writers and larian’s founder himself. some of them industry veterans who are, to an extent, pr-trained. we all know that fandom often sees statements from developers synonymous with word of god. as such, the implications and impact are truly unfortunate.

if larian was referring the SA survivor and stated that “the right ending” for him was to return him to enslavement or to hand him over to the gur. that for all the death and misery he (involuntarily) assisted, his sacrifice would at least grand them a slither of justice.

astarion caused death, perpetuated racism, and now that you have handed him over to the gur hunter, he is offered a chance to give himself back to the world.

it is then deemed the right choice for him because it is the most narratively satisfying/impactful/powerful outcome in the context of the overall story. the majority of us would agree that such would be a rather tactless statement, no? not specifically for mentioning it in relation to astarion as a character or his influence on the narrative — he is fictional, after all, but because of the real-life implications and the very real stigma the affected face. we can't deny that it would be hurtful to irl victims. maybe we would even fault the writing altogether for such biases. after all, why should astarion be the only character whose redemption and healing are considered to be significantly less important in the grand scheme of things?

fiction functions as an abstraction and simulation of our social experience. we are supposed to get invested, to explore the meaning, examine the parallels, or maybe just to enjoy stories for the sole purpose of indulging in the occasional escapism. perhaps a way to temporarily forget about one’s limitations and the prejudices we face. in many ways, chronic pain/impairment, suicidal ideation, and autistic traits appear to be disorders & symptoms that are perhaps less relatable to some, and that they are maybe not as sympathetic to.

it truly would’ve been nice to see larian approach this interview with more professionalism. opting for a simple, diplomatic “actually, there is no right ending. the sheer variation in choices makes such a distinction impossible” would’ve more than sufficed.

this isn’t asking for larian to touch on every nuance possible, in an interview that largely resembled the flow of a regular conversation. it’s about asking for the same level of consideration and care that was granted to the rest of the companions. it’s about addressing gale’s particular brand of trauma with the same level of basic human decency. maybe we even could’ve received some new bits and pieces of insight on gale’s development, rather than the regurgitation of every shallow reddit/tiktok take we’ve seen up to this point. alas..

#gale dekarios #gale of waterdeep #baldurs gate 3 #bg3 #fandom discourse #at first i didn't even want to make a post about this but here we are #reducing the discussion to “blorbo trauma” feels like a very condescending/belittling approach #ultimately invalidating a lot of thoughtful points that were raised #this is tumblr. getting invested in fictional people and overanalysing every little scrap of content is what we do. #so to mention it once more: you have every right to be upset #it speaks #sa mention #suicide mention