#the end of 2020 is nigh | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

Visit Blog

Explore Tumblr blogs with no restrictions, modern design and the best experience.

Fun Fact

Tumblr’s website traffic is steadily declining.

#the end of 2020 is nigh

mengjue · 1 year

Text

What's Happening in China? The November 2022 Protests

Hello! I know that there's so much going on in the world right now, so not everyone may be aware of what is happening in China right now. I thought that I would try to write a brief explainer, because the current wave of protests is truly unprecedented in the past 30+ years, and there is a lot of fear over what may happen next. For context, I'm doing this as someone who has a PhD in Asian Studies specialising in contemporary Chinese politics, so I don't know everything but I have researched China for many years.

I'll post some decent links at the end along with some China specialists & journalists I follow on Twitter (yeah I know, but it's still the place for the stuff at the moment). Here are the bullet points for those who just want a brief update:

Xi Jinping's government is still enacting a strict Zero Covid policy enforced by state surveillance and strict lockdowns.

On 24 November a fire in an apartment in Urumqi, Xinjiang province, killed 10. Many blamed strict quarantine policies on preventing evacuation.

Protests followed and have since spread nationwide.

Protesters are taking steps not seen since Tiananmen in 1989, including public chants for Xi and the CCP to step down.

Everyone is currently unsure how the government will respond.

More in-depth discussion and links under the cut:

First a caveat: this is my own analysis/explanation as a Chinese politics specialist. I will include links to read further from other experts and journalists. Also, this will be quite long, so sorry about that!

China's (aka Xi Jinping's) Covid Policy:

The first and most important context: Xi has committed to a strict Zero Covid policy in China, and has refused to change course. Now, other countries have had similar approaches and they undoubtedly saved lives - I was fortunate to live in New Zealand until this year, and Prime Minister Ardern's Zero Covid approach in 2020-2021 helped protect many. The difference is in the style/scope of enforcement, the use of vaccines, and the variant at play. China has stepped up its control on public life over the past 10 years, and has used this to enforce strict quarantine measures without full regard to the impact on people's lives - stories of people not getting food were common. Quarantine has also become a feared situation, as China moves people to facilities often little better than prisons and allegedly without much protection from catching Covid within. A personal friend in Zhengzhou went through national, then provincial, then local quarantines when moving back from NZ, and she has since done her best to avoid going back for her own mental and physical health. Xi has also committed China to its two home-grown vaccines, Sinovac and Sinopharm, both of which have low/dubious efficacy and are considered ineffective against new variants. Finally, with delta and then omicron most of the Zero-Covid countries have modified their approach due to the inability to maintain zero cases. China remains the only country still enacting whole-city eradication lockdowns, and they have become more frequent to the point that several are happening at any given time. The result is a population that is incredibly frustrated and losing hope amidst endless lockdowns and perceived ineffectiveness to address the pandemic.

Other Issues at Play:

Beyond the Covid situation, China is also wrestling with the continued slowdown in its economic growth. While its economic rise and annual GDP growth was nigh meteoric from the 80s to the 00s, it has been slowing over the past ten years, and the government is attempting to manage the transition away from an export-oriented economy to a more fully developed one. However, things are still uncertain, and Covid has taken its toll as it has elsewhere the past couple of years. Youth unemployment in particular is reaching new highs at around 20%, and Xi largely ignored this in his speech at the Party Congress in October (where he entered an unprecedented third term). As a result of the perceived uselessness of China's harsh work culture and its failure to result in a better life, many young Chinese have been promoting 躺平 tǎng píng or "lying flat", aka doing the bare minimum just to get by (similar to the English "quiet quitting"). The combination of economic issues and a botched Covid approach is important, as these directly affect the lives of ordinary middle-class Chinese, and historical it has only been when this occurred that mass movements really took off. The most famous, Tiananmen in 1989, followed China's opening up economic reforms and the dismantling of many economic safety nets allowing for growing inequality. While movements in China often grow to include other topics, having a foundation in something negatively impacting the average Han Chinese person's livelihood is important.

The Spark - 24 Nov 2022 Urumqi Apartment Fire:

The current protests were sparked by a recent fire that broke out in a flat in Urumqi, capital of the Xinjiang province. (This is the same Xinjiang that is home to the Uighur people, against whom China has enacted a campaign of genocide and cultural destruction.) The fire occurred in the evening and resulted in 10 deaths, which many online blamed on the strict lockdown measures imposed by officials, who prevented people from leaving their homes. It even resulted in a rare public apology by city officials. However, with anger being so high nationwide, in addition to many smaller protests that have occurred over the past two years, this incident has ignited a nationwide movement.

The Protests and Their Significance:

The protests that have broken out over the past couple of days representing the largest and most significant challenge to the leadership since the 1989 Tiananmen movement. Similar to that movement, these protests have occurred at universities and cities across the country, with many students taking part openly. This scale is almost unseen in China, particularly for an anti-government protest. Other than Tiananmen in 1989, the most widespread movements that have occurred have been incidents such as the protest of the 1999 Belgrade bombings or the 2005 and then 2012 anti-Japanese protests, all of which were about anger toward a foreign country.

Beyond the scale the protests are hugely significant in their message as well. Protesters are publicly shouting the phrases "习近平下台 Xí Jìnpíng xiàtái!" and "共产党下台 Gòngchǎndǎng xiàtái!", which mean "Xi Jinping, step down/resign!" and "CCP, step down/resign!" respectively. To shout a direct slogan for the government to resign is unheard of in China, particularly as Xi has tightened control of civil society. And people are doing this across the country in the thousands, openly and in front of police. This is a major challenge for a leader and party who have prioritised regime stability as a core interest for the majority of their history.

Looking Ahead:

Right now, as of 15:00 Australian Eastern time on Monday, 28 November 2022, the protests are only in their first couple of days and we are unsure as to how the government will respond. Police have already been seen beating protesters and journalists and dragging them away in vehicles. However, in many cases the protests have largely been monitored by police but still permitted to occur. There seems to be uncertainty as to how they want to respond just yet, and as such no unified approach.

Many potential outcomes exist, and I would warn everyone to be careful in overplaying what can be achieved. Most experts I have read are not really expecting this to result in Xi's resignation or regime change - these things are possible, surely, but it is a major task to achieve and the unity & scale of the protest movement remains to be fully seen. The government may retaliate with a hard crackdown as it has done with Tiananmen and other protests throughout the years. It may also quietly revamp some policies without publicly admitting a change in order to both pacify protesters and save face. The CCP often uses mixed tactics, both coopting and suppressing protest movements over the years depending on the situation. Changing from Zero Covid may prove more challenging though, given how much Xi has staked his political reputation on enforcing it.

What is important for everyone online, especially those of us abroad, is to watch out for the misinformation campaign the government will launch to counter these protests. Already twitter is reportedly seeing hundreds of Chinese bot accounts mass post escort advertisements using various city names in order to drown out protest results in the site's search engine. Chinese officials will also likely invoke the standard narrative of Western influence and CIA tactics as the reason behind the protests, as they did during the Hong Kong protests.

Finally, there will be a new surge of misinformation and bad takes from tankies, or leftists who uncritically support authoritarian regimes so long as they are anti-US. An infamous one, the Qiao Collective, has already worked to shift the narrative away from the protests and onto debating the merits of Zero Covid. This is largely similar to pro-Putin leftists attempting the justify his invasion of Ukraine. Always remember that the same values that you use to criticise Western countries should be used to criticise authoritarian regimes as well - opposing US militarism and racism, for example, is not incompatible with opposing China's acts of genocide and state suppression. If you want further info (and some good sardonic humour) on the absurd takes and misinfo from pro-China tankies, I would recommend checking out Brian Hioe in the links below.

Finally, keep in mind that this is a grass-roots protest made by people in China, who are putting their own lives at risk to demonstrate openly like this. There have already been so many acts of bravery by those who just want a better future for themselves and their country, and it is belittling and disingenuous to wave away everything they are doing as being just a "Western front" or a few "fringe extremists".

Links:

BBC live coverage page with links to analysis and articles

ABC (Australia) analysis

South China Morning Post analysis

Experts & Journalists to Check Out:

Brian Hioe - Journalist & China writer, New Bloom Magazine

Bonnie Glaser - China scholar, German Marshall Fund

Vicky Xu - Journalist & researcher, Australian Strategic Policy Institute

Stephen McDonnell - Journalist, BBC

M Taylor Fravel - China scholar, MIT

New Zealand Contemporary China Research Centre - NZ's hub of China scholarship (I was fortunate to attend their conferences during my PhD there, they do great work!)

If you've reached the end I hope this helps with understanding what's going on right now! A lot of us who know friends and whanau in China are worried for their safety, so please spread the word and let's hope that there is something of a positive outcome ahead.

#孟珏’s china corner #中国 #上海 #习近平 #习近平下台 #共产党下台 #China #Shanghai #China protests #China protests 2022 #Xi Jinping #Xi Jinping step down #CCP step down #Xi Jinping resign #CCP resign #乌鲁木齐 #Urumqi #Urumqi fire #Urumqi apartment fire

1K notes · View notes

nadsdraws · 4 months

Text

End if the year is nigh so... time for a

Art Summary 2023 !

Bolder, brighter colours and I think starting my pink phase;) also yeah all of it is ofmd and edizzy this year, sorry GO fandom 😅

Prev: 2022 | 2021 | 2020 (or under the cut;)

#good omens #ofmd #ineffable husbands #our flag means death #good omens fanart #myart #izzy hands #edward teach #crowley #art summary #art summary 2023 #2023 #nsft #lime #lemon

61 notes · View notes

dwcmarshalarts · 9 months

Text

Story concept: Forever Night

Back in 2020 on the eve of the pandemic, I made a picture that kind of encapsulated the general anxiety and uncertainty of the state of the world as we shut down in the first real way ever. It featured a dead eyed Bill Muldowney, a fictional President of the United States, c. 1970s. Very much a statement about how apocalyptic the mood was, it mirrored real-life Oval Office addresses during crucial moments in American history. This one interrupted by an grim analog to our own real world by the placement of a respirator on the Resolute Desk.

I don't often come back to Muldowney, as he doesn't figure in any of my major stories. In fact, I've only ever drawn him twice. But the concept for the world Muldowney inhabits is something I think about every now and then.

I've never written a plot or story arc for Forever Night, but certain scenes of dread and confusion occasionally bounce around. What's for-sure is that Muldowney, and this fictional version of the United States ceases to exist. While it's easy to cite the target period (the 70s) and point at the specter of nuclear annihilation, or the mask in the first image and point to our real life experience now dealing with a dangerous and fast-spreading disease, the threat in the story I've thought is a lot more unnerving (could you believe it?)

See, the threat in this story as hinted by the title is the "Forever Night." I never clarified what that meant. though I never really meant physical destruction.

The idea behind the threat in Forever Night was some kind of unexplainable reality perforation. In the story, the United States government at some point observes trends in reality that do not follow the laws of physics. This more than just invokes a needful reassessing of our understanding of reality, but actually begins to frighten the experts by making it nigh impossible to even begin comprehending these observations.

Over the course of the story, Muldowney receives updates and reports from his staff as he hunkers down at the White House, each report getting more concerning than the last. States begin combining, history books being mysteriously rewritten as if no change was made at all. People forgetting information and learning the rewrites as if there were no rewrites at all. Sudden, big changes happen: stars disappearing from the sky, the characters undergo distress as events of the plot itself begin to wrap around. They begin to become conscious of the timeline warping and breaking.

The phenomenon is largely unexplainable, and there doesn't seem to be a pattern. With no other way of demonstrating urgency, the government enacts a state of emergency. Without warning, the Soviet Union simply goes missing. The world is beginning to notice an upheaval.

While I haven't figured out how I would execute this plot, or how it all wraps up, I do know how this story ends.

Muldowney, is one last Oval Office address, speaks directly to both the viewer and the diagetic audience. He reveals the government has become aware it is part of a fictional story, and the canonical chaos is far beyond their control. The inexplicable changes being made to reality, Muldowney admits, is something they're not even able to grasp the concept of. What's becoming clear to Muldowney is that the story is wrapping up, and he suddenly becomes acutely aware that the world outside the Oval Office is beginning to disappear. He issues one last harrowed blessing, before staring us directly in the face before the screen goes black.

The Forever Night is more than just the absence of anything. It is the conceptual end of something.

This is one of my most out-there ideas for a story, and a lot is left to be fleshed out and actually written. And given I have little time between my main sci-fi series and commissions to work on this, I'm not sure when we're actually gonna see it materialize. That said, I thought I'd get this out there.

#furry #sci fi #dwc marshal arts

54 notes · View notes

mimzalot · 1 year

Text

Ambition (Edelgard and Claude FE3H)

copied over from twitter • 24 Mar 2020

my current brainworm's name is "Edelgard And Claude's Ambitions And How They Accomplish Them" and it's just a long and spieling metaphor about how to thrive as a predator vs. how to thrive as prey, the Eagle vs the Deer, the hacking force of an axe vs the precise aim of the arrow

Edelgard's plans hurtle forward with a startling momentum. it's said constantly: she carves her own path. part of the effectiveness of Edelgard's style is that it is a constant barrage of power, both political and *holds up axe* literal. add a Hubert and she's nigh unstoppable.

while she lays her path covertly, once it's out there it's a straight line, and marching that line is about being so strong and mighty that those who don't move out of the way have no choice but to join the march or be mown down. she's an axe toppling trees to navigate the woods.

compare this to Claude. a deer doesn't knock down trees, it works out the best way to navigate them. it knows all the ways to escape. it winds trails through familiar territory, confuses its predators, lies in wait. it doesn't have the power nor intention to hunt - only survive.

except of course this deer's survival is attached to an ambition. Claude makes his territory familiar through research, and by asking questions. he observes, understands and ultimately uses people to navigate a terrain that he knows he can't face alone - tactically speaking.

Edelgard's plans are intricate and rigid. they rely on her being a powerful, constant, active force at the helm. Claude's plans depend on him staying alive, carefully playing his cards. patience. waiting for the bullseye to reveal itself before letting loose an arrow.

the thing about a straightforward plan is that it has a straightforward end. Edelgard's path relies on power and once you start to overwhelm that power (see: by having Byleth) it falls apart when she falls. her carved path becomes the straight line you follow to her demise.

and the thing about an adapting, evolving plan like Claude's is that it always has an out because it's not set in stone - his contingencies have contingencies. Claude can survive all the routes because this is how he plans, it's in the best interest of his end goal to stay alive.

fun fact (spoilers ahead) in my playthrough of Crimson Flower, I didn't know you could spare Claude. I got overwhelmed by Lysithea so I sent the Black Eagle Strike Force around the other side of the map, charged through the defences, and sent Ferdinand ahead to kill Claude.

... thus illustrating that the only way to stop the unstoppable tactician with his multiple outs was to hurl a javelin at him before he could fly away, while Hilda and Judith all hurried in vain to stop me. the most achingly appropriate way I could have played Crimson Flower.

but otherwise, if Claude survives, he still hasn't failed his grand plan. he still has his purpose. undoubtedly one of his paths has been drenched in blood and quashed by Edelgard but is he trapped? is it the end of his road? nope. he just jumps ship to a new one.

Claude being a more passive presence in his own plans is deliberate - likewise, Edelgard is a more active presence. and the success and failure of each plan hangs on the edge of a knife (Claude just set himself up with a LOT of knives whereas Edelgard gave herself a GIANT knife)

the two of them are similarly driven by their ambitions, and see themselves as catalysts for necessary change. the major difference: bloodshed. so it makes sense that Edelgard's focus is on military power overhaul, while Claude's focus depends more on sociopolitical juggling.

it's reflected in their skills. Edelgard is a dignified and inspiring leader. in lieu of religious motivation, her transparency of intent gives the people a purpose - they're willing to fight for her cause. as an Emperor with a clear voice and mission, she is a call to action.

how do you motivate someone to fight for you? how do you inspire the masses? Edelgard does it by being Emperor (tapping into an established power), stripping power from those who may oppose her (also murder, thanks Hubert), and giving purpose to the rest (spiritual motivation).

meanwhile, I'm towards the end of Verdant Wind and people are STILL questioning Claude. he deferred that spiritual leadership role to Byleth so he could keep moving freely. he's managing people and expectations through careful manipulation so as to avoid doing so with violence.

and remaining under the radar in such a way gives him the invisibility he requires to do what he needs - to keep his secrets (which permit him to navigate terrain freely as well as being his tactical wildcards) and to manage the mayhem of war without spilling (as much) blood.

one can't operate like the other or the whole MO goes out the window. Claude can't be transparent about his intent and Edelgard can't be secretive about hers. Claude needs his evasive manoeuvres and tactics the way Edelgard needs her ability to strike and kill in one fell swoop.

y'know... like a Deer and an Eagle. 😎👉👉

#claude von riegan #edelgard von hresvelg #fire emblem three houses #fe3h #3hopes has been feeding these brainworms so well tbh #during stream today claude used an extended metaphor to refer to the other lords and i was like GASP #I HAVE ONE OF THOSE! thanks for the reminder king representation matters or sumn #mimzameta #mimzamine

108 notes · View notes

docilepillow · 22 days

Text

MARCH 2024 MEDIA DIARY 2

I ran out of embed space on the first post i had slotted in for this!!! So i'm making two posts!!!!!!! They belong together!!!! Okay!!!!!!! PIZZA TOWER < this game is soggy goop >

Even though I cleared a good portion of this game nigh a year ago now, i still feel compelled to put it on my media diary now, as i've only just got around to finishing the game properly! I believe the point i dropped off the game before was at Pig City, which, i think , is kinda understandable given how big that level is, but, was probably a real bummer for the whole of my friend group who were super into the game when it was new and i probably missed out on talking about it alot with them... POOP!!!! just because this game is popular enough to actually warrant talking about it with my friends later, instead of saying stuff like how i enjoyed the silly cartoony art stlye and the games general charm, im just going to post a level tier list i made the second i beat the game at like near midnight kinda hazy-minded without thinking on it too hard without thinking too deeply in a way thatll be completely inflamitory bc im mostly satisfied with the experience i had and dont really feel the urge to P rank anything --

The stats are saying my total hours round up to 6 hours 50 and pepinno is pointing at me Aughh

My , , Errr, " CRITISISM " of this game is that the funny pizza man is a little, erm, STICKY? Kinda gross. a little weird. Partially my fault. I'm sowwy. I'm not very good at this game but i absolutely respect everyone's opinion on it . Go watch my friend @shoppncart's speedrun, by the way, it's cool :

youtube

Speedy! THE MARIO MOVIE < the bario boooby geheheheheheheh >

this is probably a tired opinion but since i was subjected to this movie for the fifth time in a voice call my take is thaat this is probably more enjoyablel then the safeass illumination film. like. yea. that films probably objectively better but. id rather watch something thats an actual adaptation. like this movie. where basically nothing mario happens outside names . Aw. i honestly think this movie has intrigue to it genuinely maybe im saying this bc its one of the movies ive actually watched repeatedly before, like roger rabbit, but i think the history behind this movie and the old anamocity turned-endearment are what make it worth watching. that and its a little goopy You Guys Wanna See Some MM2 Proggys? not a new piece of media technically but ive been playing a fuckton of MM2 recently still as of the end of the month and its absolutely dominating my time as of late, and i kinda wanna show off a small amount of the progress ive made on it, as much as the world map, at least --

It's a media diary. it exists to document MY gaming life. Deal. anyway in regards to it i'm almost finished with the world 4 castle, which is crazy, because before i hadn't even finished world 2, but now i got all of this creative energy in me... If i finish this soon enough, i'd be able to upload it on NSO, so keep your tumpler eyes peeled, mutrals :J I personally like it because theres a theme of aescending on the world map. The space theme in this looks the best, i think.. THE ALCHEMY OF US - HOW HUMANS AND MATTER TRANSFORMED ONE ANOTHER < what the fuck ????? a book ??????? >

yea thats right im reading books this ones actually pretty good apparently a 2020 bestseller though im not in the habit of reading those often so i'll just have to take their word for it on that aspect. i think lifes all about trying new things so around halfway through the month i picked up this cool book i found at my library and got a library card. After reading through it all, i think anecdotally that this book is a very neat read. theres a few sentences that're a little offputting to my young mind but overall the book is filled with alot of cool insight i reccomend checking out if youre the boooky type of person! i think its very good and im glad i picked it out :) i donnu how many of these will be going onto my media diary in the future or anything , but maybe i will if i end up reading more! I'll have to make it up to a friendd for waiting till now to put up something i read here first before that thing she likes. oops.

Volp. OUTSIDE of the traditional media format again, also, are things i largely started on this month but don't think i'll be making all too much more progress in, or if i'm unsure i'll finish what i was doing all in one month- CASTLEVANIA THE ADVENTURE- REBIRTH

POINT OF DROP OFF - STAGE 4 END BOSS REASON BEING - UMMM SORRY I GOT DISTRACTED AND DIED TOO MUCH

castlevania rebirth is a really really cool game. its really cool and im not typing this as fresh as everything else because it was something i picked up for one big sitting earlier in the month. i probably couldve finished it at any point during the week, but simply was too distracted and wanted to do other stuff. It's very cool though, i love the vector sprite art, and there ARE silly stock sound effects everywhere, which is always a big positive for me . I mostly just like how snug the wii classic controller is , and this is a cool game to play it with considering its one of the only non virtual console or old game collection style games available for wii in this exact style ( Not counting the good handful of games that choose to use the wiimote on its side instead. )

over all ill probably sit down and finish this someday soon i just gotta like find time for it whenever next my wii u is plugged in ( it fights for an hdmi slot with my switch and ps4 all the time...! ), and ill probably end up trying to play punch out wii at the same time, given one doesnt dominate my attention over the other. From my understanding they're both short, though, so it shouldnt be too big a deal or obstacle no matter how long i put this off. RANDOM TERRARIA PLAYTHROUGH terraria playthru 1million

ii just really want to see the new terraria update Waaaah... i stopped having fun because i self imposed myself to not use setbonus armor sets at the part of the game where that stops being acceptable anymore so im stopping i think i did get to make another terraria pet though that makes me happy POINT OF DROP OFF - the mechanical bosses

also the most recent thing is

i got too tense and needed to excuse myself after like an hour 30 i cant take too much tension in movies i was really uncomfortable and had to leave to take a breather bc the main character gets put in a really really shitty situation and it was getting hard to watch for my autistic ass

thats enough i think thanks for coming see you next month lol

#Youtube

5 notes · View notes

isthatmanahimbo · 2 years

Photo

Today we bring to you another standout fan-favorite, Rengoku Kyoujurou!

Please be aware that this article will contain spoilers for the Mugen Train movie (aka the first half of the second season).

Rengoku is a secondary character in the smash-hit animanga series Demon Slayer, first published in Shounen Jump. He starred in the Mugen Train movie, released in Japan in 2020, which ended up being the highest grossing movie of the year worldwide and the highest grossing anime movie of all time – the same footage was then reworked and rereleased as the first half of the second season in 2021. Like most of the hashira in the series, Rengoku plays a role of mentor cum elder sibling to the main trio of Tanjiro, Zenitsu and Inosuke, and his role in the third act of the movie appropriately raises the stakes of the series from typical jaunty shounen romp into gritty horror-drama.

As with all other Demon Slayers, Rengoku's profession is in his body. Though we never see him out of uniform, we can assume that he is of a similar body type to many of the other characters with a similar silhouette. Standing at around 5'9, he does not cut an imposing figure necessarily, although we are told – both in dialogue and through his own actions – that he is a master of his craft. In databooks, when his peers (considered the strongest of their profession) hold friendly competitions, Rengoku often ranks somewhere in the middle of the pack when it comes to physical contests. Additionally, he is described as having "above-average durability", and this is clearly shown during his battle with the demon Akaza, during which Rengoku continues to battle with the utmost of his ability despite breaking most of his ribs, losing an eye, his skull beginning to cave in, and eventually with his opponent's arm shoved through his chest. He even toughs it out for several minutes after the arm is removed to confer his last rites. Buff, not particularly, but tough? Nigh unmatched.

If there were to be any qualities in which Rengoku is absolutely unmatched, it is his disposition. This guy's really got it all: he is charming and friendly, he is encouraging and gregarious, and he is unfailingly kind. We see a decent amount of his internal monologue during his time on screen, and he rarely has a negative thing to say about anyone – including his opponents. Even when Akaza strikes at a fallen Tanjiro, spurring Rengoku to insert himself between the two, he continues to speak respectfully as he lets Akaza know under no uncertain terms that their ideals are too opposite and that they could never be friends. Another instance of Rengoku's unfailing kind heart is when he reports to his father, belligerent after having fallen to drink, that he has succeeded the Flame Hashira title. His father responds with aggression and disdain, and when Rengoku's younger brother asks how the meeting went, Rengoku tells him frankly – but rather than dwelling on his father's negative feelings, Rengoku reassures his brother that he loves him, and then spends the rest of the afternoon training him.

His kindness rubs off on other people, even taciturn fellow-hashira Giyu (who most of his peers do not like). He charms everyone around him with his effusiveness, his infectious goodwill, and his competence. In databooks and a filler episode, we are told explicitly that all of his peers hold him in extremely high regard, and this attitude reflects on screen. Although Inosuke chafes at the idea of being told what to do, he reflects fondly on an exchange wherein Rengoku appears in a flash just long enough to give him orders before disappearing, with a dreamy tone of voice and a sparkling filter over the memory. Though Rengoku probably had little time for fucking, it is clear that he is a Chad in the extreme.

But as much as it pains this author to say, Rengoku could never master that ancient art of Himbo Breathing Style, as his brain moves too quickly, he is too sharp. In databooks, he is described as one of the smartest hashira of similar calibre to the resident chemist, and we see his intellectual prowess come to life as he strategizes and investigates what is occurring on the Mugen Train. He is able to assess a situation quickly and thoroughly at a bare glance, and is able to react appropriately - after being unconscious and in a dream state for the first part of the movie, upon waking he takes in the situation immediately and within thirty seconds he has issued orders and gotten things under control.

Just like everyone else in the fandom, Rengoku does set this author's heart ablaze, but there's no himbo to be found here.

Total Himbo Score: 18

#is that man a himbo?#false friends! rating: not a himbo #kimetsu no yaiba #demon slayer #kny #rengoku kyoujurou #kny rengoku

270 notes · View notes

satoshi-mochida · 11 months

Text

WORLD OF HORROR delayed to October 19

Gematsu Source

Cosmic horror RPG WORLD OF HORROR will exit Early Access and launch for PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Switch, and PC via Steam, GOG, Microsoft Store, and Itch.io on October 19, a delay from its previously planned summer release window, publisher Ysbryd Games and developer Panstasz announced.

WORLD OF HORROR first launched in Early Access for PC on February 20, 2020.

Here is an overview of the game, via its store pages:

About

The Old Gods are reawakening, clawing their way back into a world that’s spiraling into madness. In hospitals, abandoned classrooms, quiet apartments, and dark forests, strange appearances and unexplainable phenomena test the sanity of residents in Shiokawa, Japan. Is it chaotic retribution, or the machinations of beings beyond our comprehension?

This is WORLD OF HORROR: The end of the world is nigh, and the only solution is to confront the terror reigning over the apocalypse. Navigate this hellish, roguelite reality through turn-based combat and unforgiving choices in this roguelite-style cosmic horror RPG.

Invoke dark rituals, uncover disturbing clues, and solve puzzles across multiple randomized mysteries. Each perplexing case unravels into a series of random encounters with nightmarish figures inspired by the works of horror legends Junji Ito and H.P. Lovecraft.

Key Features

Choose from five unique characters and solve over 10 mysteries in Early Access.

Most mysteries harbor multiple endings—for those that survive long enough.

Acclaimed wordsmith Cassandra Khaw (Hammers On Bone) lends her talents to the words articulating the game’s terrors.

A haunting chiptune soundtrack accentuates the game’s stark 1-bit art style, drawn 100 percent in Microsoft Paint.

Watch a new trailer below.

Release Date Trailer

youtube

#WORLD OF HORROR #Ysbryd Games #Panstasz #Horror game #RPG #Gematsu

29 notes · View notes

utilitycaster · 1 year

Text

In the Locked Tomb series, the villain of the first book ends up being Cytherea, Lyctor of the Seventh House. She, like most lyctors, epitomizes her house. The Seventh House serves to celebrate the beauty found in death and decay: "They draw out moments of beauty, preserving people, places, and times in amber for later dissection and delectation."[1] Cytherea is herself nigh-immortal, as a lyctor, and also eternally dying of a terminal illness. Her plan is to eliminate the heirs of the houses to prevent there ever being other lyctors, destroy the Emperor (and Empire), and in doing so, be destroyed herself.

She succeeds only in her final goal. The Seventh House's predilection for those preserved-amber moments is its undoing, as its heir is slaughtered by its lyctor, and its lyctor driven to seek death because of her unending pain, but unable to do even that with peace and dignity, as ending her life means ending what remains of her cavalier, who, by the nature of the lyctor process, must be an eternal sacrifice.

Given the author's background in fandom (particularly fanfiction) and internet culture[2][3] and the many references to that both textually and metatextually within the series, it is not out of line to assume that the Empire, constructed in-universe in our near future and stagnated for ten thousand years at the start of the series contains commentary for, among many other things, fandom itself. The plight of Cytherea explores the fallacies inherent in a number of common trends in fanon.

Cytherea explores, as do all the original lyctors, the trope of lifespan angst. In Harrow the Ninth, we learn that the requirement of cavalier sacrifice is a profound source of guilt for the necromancers who experience it, even millennia later. It is then revealed that the sacrifice was always avoidable. By the end of Nona the Ninth, only one "imperfect" lyctor remains of the seven there have been, and she is newly ascended within the past few months, underscoring the unsustainable nature of this trope.

Cytherea, and the Seventh House's philosophy, can also be interpreted as a critique of "woobification", of angst for the sake of angst, and of the prioritization of the aesthetic with no consideration of consequence. It is precisely Cytherea's combination of incredible power and endless pain without respite that destabilizes her utterly. The preservation of that which is by its nature ephemeral is itself her destruction - and deconstruction. The attempt to create something from a mortal being that must simultaneously embody fleeting beauty, saintly tragedy, and near godlike power, and which must exist in this state, as a public figure, for eternity, ultimately becomes, not once, but twice, a vehicle through which corruption, failure, and ruin enters what was meant to be a sanctuary.

In the Critical Role fandom, the ultimately impossible ideals imposed upon Cytherea which lead to her downfall are reflected in the similarly impossible expectations some fans have regarding the characters played by the women of the cast (and, in extreme cases, those women themselves), most notably those of Marisha Ray. In this essay I will

Rocket, Stubby the. "Find Your Necromancy Family Among the Houses of Gideon The Ninth". Tor.com. Written Sep 20 2019, Accessed Dec 9 2022.

Grady, Constance. "How Gideon the Ninth author Tamsyn Muir queers the space opera". Vox.com. Written Feb 5 2021, Accessed Dec 9 2022.

Clements, Mikaela. "The Butch Lesbian Sci-Fi Aesthetic: A Conversation With Tamsyn Muir". Los Angeles Review of Books. Written Oct 1 2020, Accessed Dec 9 2022.

#sometimes you get a really cursed thought and just need to ride it #not maintagged in either fandom but fine to reblog or what have you

34 notes · View notes

aggravateddurian · 6 months

Note

🖊 for Vega?

Thanks to @pacificaisstillpacifica for asking!

Ever since I came up with Vega and the story for Chorus, I've been completely obsessed with Vega, her backstory and all of the implications.

Vega 'V' Hawse

Full Name: Vega Valerie Hawse Date of Birth: 12 October 2049 Affiliation: Bakkers (formerly), Afterlife Mercs, Aldecaldos (static)

They're both Vega... but they're two different people.

Quick Vega Facts:

Vega's mother named her 'Vega' after the second-brightest star in the northern hemisphere. Vega has also historically been represented as an eagle or vulture in astronomy, and her holo avatar features an eagle, a star and the capital letter V, with the eagle swooping through it.

Vega is pansexual

Vega was a guitarist prior to encountering Johnny Silverhand. Johnny described her technique as 'okay, I guess, but needs improvement.'

Vega's favourite music is a derivative of late 2010s-early 2020s 'phonk' music. Johnny... has opinions on this.

Vega is an unofficial member of the Welles family, and Mama Welles frequently calls in at her apartment to check in on her, and to occasionally leave food

Vega in 2079 dyes her hair red, because she's actually blonde (this was a side-effect of the hybridisation of Johnny and V's relic engrams by Alt Cunningham.

Vega Backstory (until 2077):

Vega's the daughter of Logan Hawse, pack leader of the second largest family (nomad pack) within the Bakkers Nation, aside from the Bakker family themselves. Vega grew up mostly without a mother, as her mother was killed in a NUSA 'counterterrorist' raid during the 2050s and was raised by her father. Though the leader of the pack was supposed to be decided by family meeting, the Hawse family had been leaders of the family for nigh on 30 years by that point, and it was expected that Vega would eventually become the leader of the family when Logan retired... or died.

This began to change when the Bakkers Clan began to suffer due to generations of poor leadership, including one case where the leader of the entire Clan simply up and left. Logan began to agree with the other families in the clan that the Bakkers should join Snake Nation. Vega strongly disagreed, beginning a long feud between Vega and Logan. Panam and Vega would bond over their shared experiences while working together in the Badlands in 2077.

During this time, Vega stopped using her family name, and began to go by the epithet 'V.' She became significantly more morose. The family elders passed this off as Vega being a moody teenager. She had a series of increasingly disastrous relationships, leading her to develop a betrayal trauma. Both ended with her boyfriend cheating on her. One ended with a family meeting after she broke his jaw in a tussle.

Over the 2060 and 2070s, the Bakkers degraded more and more, and Vega was increasingly frustrated at the state of the clan. The final straw was when Logan announced, without a family meeting, that he had decided that the family would join the rest of the Bakkers families in joining Snake Nation. Vega organised a group of younger members of the family against the proposal to join Snake Nation. Logan declared this treason and moved to exile his own daughter at a family meeting.

Vega declared that she'd 'had enough of this shit,' stood up, got into her Galena Rattler, and drove off, never to return. For Logan, Vega died on 21 May 2076, the second she left the family meeting.

For Vega's friends Lincoln Bode and Polaris Draper, the attempt by Logan to exile his own daughter for disagreeing with him was evidence that the Bakkers were dead, and they, alongside some of the younger members of the clan, and a few older ones disgusted with the direction of their clan, left to form the Drakes (based on the icon of the Bakkers Nation), who formed an alliance with a smaller Aldecaldos family, and eventually became part of the Aldecaldos Nation in early 2077.

For Vega, Mama Welles, whom she met through Jackie, and lived with for much of the first six months she spent in Night City, is her mum. For her part, ever since Vega came back, Mama Welles has been calling her frequently to check up on her. Vega and her partner are frequent visitors to El Coyote Cojo, though Vega has tiptoed around the issue of her relationship with So Mi around Mama Welles, and So Mi personally is worried about what her potential future mother-in-law thinks about her.

#cyberpunk #cyberpunk 2077 #cyberpunk 2077 photomode #cp2077 #cp2077 photomode #virtual photography #my vp #fem v #cp2077 au: chorus #oc: vega 'v' hawse

4 notes · View notes

skydarcyedwards · 1 year

Text

U-193-x-104

Sky Darcy Edwards

2020

Ballpoint on paper

297 x 420 mm

The End Was Nigh solo exhibition, Strange Festival 2022

(sold)

#monochrome #ink #entomology #drawing #ballpoint #realism #skydarcyedwards #art #strange festival 2022 #strange festival #black and white #flies #long legged fly #fluid #fluidart

16 notes · View notes

wayfarer-orca · 9 months

Text

not my 2 am ass waxing philosophical about the vgm jazz/remix scene (source: I’ve been a cellist and pianist for 10+ years and i like vgm. next slide)

when i was in high school it was nigh impossible to imagine video game music meaning much more than “silly haha chiptune” or “Brahms or Dvorak wannabe” (aka cinematic orchestra--think Halo, Uncharted, AssCreed, etc). chiptune i should mention has its own merits and real ppl not only being good composers but also working to find suitable leads or balance sound channels for that good ear-feel (Mega Man 2, Metal Gear 2, Chrono Trigger, OutRun, Street Fighter 2, this list has no end). I see a lot of parallels w/ how classical music “pros” in the mid 2000s/early 2010s treated old school vgm + how the bigwigs of warner bros view animators--the medium they accompany downplays their value to those “on top” who assign a niche’s value for all us peons on the bottom. thankfully for us, some stuffy old violin maestro telling us that Hades’s music "is derivative” wont stop Darren Korb from setting the room on fire (musically. though he might moonlight as an arsonist idk the guy)

but now in the 2020s there’s a full-blown out and proud community of video game rearrangers working to just melt minds with their breakdowns and solos. I’ve been listening to ocremix since middle school so we’ve been around, but with insaneintherain now working on original music for games, he joins the ranks of folks like Chipzel, Danger, + Lena Raine who have been avowed game fans and now work from that inspiration. almost giving back, in a way. Pat Bartley, Adam Neely, the Consouls, and the 8-Bit Big Band are a few of the names spearheading an increasing awareness for the goldmine of a source that is vgm, to the point where the 8-bit big band’s cover of Taking Over the Halberd won a fucking Grammy. you can no longer hold orchestra elitism (”true musicians dont play kiddie music!!”) over me because everyone can hear how good these guys sound. theyre skilled, driven, and by God do they love video game music. + if ppl insist that the Grammys are how we must measure musical worth, well, best of both worlds. they garner a reputation and the gamers get one! your awards shows don’t lie, do they...?!

like i know this makes me a corny ass fucker but passion has kept this scene alive, kept ppl championing for its representation in the wider media. I wouldn’t canoodle over 02′s theme from Kirby 64 if I didn’t love the source track, and insaneintherain wouldn’t make so much of his identity Pokemon jazz if he didn’t want to devote his heart + soul to what he grew up playing. from what I can tell this passion is insular--from and for fans. no head honchos telling us what racks up views or is truly meaningful, no. if we remix Snake Eater in this house it’s bc the original track makes me feel things, not bc my director says it’s valid for using a full orchestra or whatever (which it does, plus Cynthia Harrell’s voice makes me tap dance, but that’s not the point. the point is emotional attachment, something that a purely technical discussion about tone or timbre falls short of covering. nostalgia and passion, hand in hand)

anyway thanks for reading this love letter to the one true flame that’s kept me from throwing myself off this mortal coil. have this funk version of Corridors of Time. vibe with the breakdowns and pat’s face-melting solo. maybe do a little triumphant, cathartic crying? i know i might

youtube

#please please talk to me about video game music im begging you #especially chiptune and jazz remixes #and if youre going to magwest god DAMN i wish i could go with #misc #blabs #personal #vgm

4 notes · View notes

voyagerii · 1 year

Text

Meet the Characters: Rockefeller Springs

Well, welcome to the first MTC event, starring Rockefeller "Rocky" Springs! Without further ado, let's meet them!

-Basic Info-

Name: Rockefeller Springs (Rocky) Age: 15 Birthday: 2007/02/21 (Using today, 2023/01/26 as a reference point) Pronouns: They/It

-Physical Characteristics-

The first notable characteristic about Rocky is the fact that they are a mechanical creation made out of gears and bolts. They have "hair" that is actually just steel wool. It uses the fact that it's a robot to repeatedly reshape and rebuild itself. Other notable characteristic include their vaguely steampunk aesthetic and glowing red dots for eyes. They also have the useful ability of creating raw metal from their fingertips. Here are some references as to what they look like. Credits to my two friends @thebindingofdragonshy (Note: this is not her usual art style) and @renthewerecatboi, respectively. They have slightly different takes on their appearance and I am tuning my artistic abilities at the moment so this should just be a base guideline for your vision. This is beginning to look like a text wall so I'm now going to transition you to the images.

-Personality-

One of the primary traits of Rocky's is how unhinged they are. They have lost any sense of sanity and are hanging on by a thread at the verge of snapping. This is due to the first ~13-14 years of its life being left in complete isolation with nothing but itself and whatever they build. Besides that they have one major passion, inventing. Whether it's flying cars or even weapons concealed as regular items such as pens, they love making things. Rocky gets quickly attached to people they meet, this isn't too much of a problem unless you don't like Rocky, in which case it's very hard to get rid of them at this point.-

-Trivia-

Rocky is 5 feet tall (152 cm)

Their favorite color is orange

They have kill count of 4, which can go higher in some AUs, the current highest is 79

What started as a joke lead to Rocky being able to build things at nigh-impossible speeds, once there was a joke about Rocky building an entire plane in 47 seconds

During its original creation in November 2020, it was original going to be made out of Gold, Silver, and Palladium, giving them a bright yellow color. However sometime the following year, I changed the composition to a more Copper and Titanium based mixture, leading it to have a more red-orange color.

They can and will remove their eyes from their sockets

They also can and will remove their limbs and replace them if they feel like it

Ren's drawing of Rocky was done on September 8th, 2022

Dragonshy's drawing of Rocky was done on Christmas Day, 2022

They get incredibly nervous when physically restrained to the point of frantically crunching down on whatever they can

Their favorite things to build are plane

Their Number 1 Fear is abandonment. Number 2 is restraint

They have tanked 7 direct explosions within 20 feet

-Quotes-

Signature maniacal laugh "Oh! So these—these ones can... explode?" Proceeds to poke at it "Well... it wasn't there when I saw it! It just... teleported in!" Context: Rocky crashed into a tree while driving a flying boat at 160 mph "AHAHAH! I get that a lot... 14 years of isolation really—really does something... to you, doesn't it!?" "I'llfuckingblowyouupintotinybits! GET BACK!" "Might get me a few lawsuits but oh well!" "A few of these are Weapons of Mass Destruction and I do not want any legal trouble for possessing—possesing them... AHAHAHA!"

-Ending Notes-

That concludes the first MTC! If you have any personal questions about Rocky then feel free to ask! This'll be a little rough around the edges but being mid at something is on of the early steps to being good at something so what it do!

And with that... Goodbye!

#meet the characters #mtc #rocky #rockefeller springs #rockefeller #please inquire about their existence #be relatively kind to me please #when anxiety #ren if you want your image of rocky unexisted tell me so D:#voyager creation #my manic bb <3

5 notes · View notes

residentdormouse · 1 year

Text

📖 Chapter Update 🖋️

Just Keep Diving Down

Chapter Thirty Three: The Still, Cold World

Sequel to: Something like a Spiral

Discoveries are made on some of the larger objectives only to bring even more questions about the end game. Internal conflict boils and grief takes the decision making wheel once more. The end is nigh, and hands are now forced.

Pairings: Glen Bateman/OC, Nick Andros/OC, Lloyd Henreid/OC (references of Randall Flagg/Lloyd Henreid), Harold Lauder/OC

Fandom: The Stand (2020) - Rating: M - Smut/Violence/Language/Vaping Nonsense - OC Fanfiction

Taglist: @anths-girl @raith-way @ocs-supporting-ocs @chickensarentcheap @arrthurpendragon

(This seems like the thing to do? I'm still learning guys - if you want taglisted, let me know.)

Song for the Chapter:

#getting towards the end #should be two more full chapters #and an epilogue #wish me luck #shooting for mid January #just keep diving down #ocappreciation #Spotify

6 notes · View notes

chemicalbrew · 1 year

Text

2021 game list

aka 'I finally got tired of having to scroll really far to edit the 2022 list because I wanted originally to fuse two years in one, like a fool'

I'm pretty sure the bulk of this was made in... spring\summer 2021, but there were a bunch of games I didn't write anything for until this year, as will be evident later. This is long as hell, as you would expect.

'Veronica, why didn't you have a 2021 list ready in time???'

A question that nobody asked, but one that really needs answering, because in 2021, I gamed too much, in addition to other things. I'll make additions to the behemoth of a document that never saw the light of day in time in italics.

A lot of things have happened this year. I learned how to swim, for one! I graduated high school, too, and got into my dream university (though, honestly, it's just about as messy as any other uni in the end). I got a reasonably powerful and fully functional PC all to myself (it doesn’t even compare to the old husk I had to use in my school days!) (this year, I finally got a good phone as well, which influenced the current year's list a fuckton). And I could finally fulfill the one dream I held on to for the past two and a half years and get a Switch for myself (insert bittersweet laughing here)!! As a result, when it came to gaming, the possibilities became nigh endless. Instead of praying that a game I kinda like even manages to launch, I could dive headfirst into anything that catches my eye with confidence and no hesitation! I had so many options, in fact, that I ended up making a Backloggd account to assist myself. (yup, still helpful, though I'm much more loose about keeping track of shit now) Almost anything I played that isn’t on this list can be found there, if you’re curious! This, however, turned out to be a double-edged sword. More options means more garbage to wade through, and yet the best games tend to draw you in quicker than you think. (so true bestie)

After this, a list of games that did nothing but disappoint me that year followed. I don't want to dwell on it too much now, but I'll still mention their names:

Night in the Woods (PC, 2017) - I was way too old to be their target audience and came out thoroughly disappointed, especially in the character cast and soundtrack.

Children of Morta (PC, 2019) - the progression is too slow, the cast isn't appealing enough, there's a lot of redundancy to the point where I dropped the game. However, it was fairly pretty and I liked the narrator enough to listen to his extra works.

Spiritfarer (PC, 2020) - best described not as ‘a cozy management game about dying’, but’ as ‘much ado about nothing’. These two reviews give voice to some of my frustrations better than I can. PS. Love lighthearted ableism!

Aria's Story (PC, 2018-2019) - A very little game that has nothing of value to tell you (that hasn't been done to death already) and has cheap jumpscares every five minutes.

Hyper Light Drifter (PC, 2016) - I don’t get this one. The idea of telling a story without words seemed appealing at first, until I realized that I actually need words in my stories!

Moonlighter (PC, 2018) (confusing gameplay, boring music and plot)

OMORI (PC, 2020) (I think I have an allergy to this game)

Yume Nikki (PC, 2004) (sorry, but nah, I don’t get it)

Long Live the Queen (PC, 2012) (more like Long Live the Guide)

Owlboy (PC, 2016) (why would you do my boy Otis like that? Also, my apologies to Rads)

UnderMine (PC, 2019) (should have been called UnderGrind)

Baba is You (PC, 2019) (actually not bad, but brain is fry)

Hand of Fate (PC, 2015) (the font hurt me, there’s nothing really good here other than narration)

Minute of Islands (PC, 2021) (should have been a picture book, otherwise it’s a neat interpretation of ‘no man is an island’)

...'okay, but surely not everything you played was garbage?'

Right you are, hypothetical reader! And this is how I would like to introduce what once was the 'honorable mention' section of my record. These notes have actual substance to them and are formatted similarly to my 2020 list! There is a game that is of particular importance (because I ended up playing its sequels in 2022) at the end of this section.

Hades (PC, 2020) [♪ House of Hades]

Yes, I get to put the game of the previous year here again, because it is my list. All things considered, I love Hades too much not to use the opportunity to mention it again! I played it till March to wrap up some of the tasks that are more… out there (learning to play without god mode, chasing extra dialogue, and climbing up in ranks), and it was fun pretty much the whole time. Streaming it was a grand time while it lasted, as well (not very long at all). All the mediocre roguelikes I touched this year fail to measure up to Hades in any capacity. 💖 Still true - my interest in roguelikes\-lites has naturally dropped since then, but Hades' excellency was a major factor in this.

Sayonara Wild Hearts (PC, 2019) [♪ Doki Doki Rush]

Kiss Your Ex And Lie About Your Genre On Steam: the game. The only thing preventing this from being a game that is barely worth mentioning is its really good soundtrack. (I played it about a quarter of the way through before realizing that a far better option than standing still and letting the music play out would be to just watch the whole thing.)

I also like the general style of it and find it pretty unique (even though Katana ZERO did something similar in a much more cohesive and enjoyable fashion), but playing it was an exercise of frustration that prevented me from appreciating the awesome landscapes. Parallel Universes is a pretty incredible level concept, yeah, but I did NOT handle it well.

I didn’t jive with any of the symbolism either (I guess it’s gay though. Good for them), however, I am still glad something as creative as this exists, even if it is clearly not cut out for me. Can’t believe I let this game gather dust for months, when I could have just given up. lol

A Hero and a Garden (PC, 2019) [♪ Shop Bell]

A clever little mix of visual novel and clicker game that manages to have an interesting story, despite starting out with the oldest of cliches (hell yeah, there's a princess!). Music is really sweet too, and even in a runtime as short as ~2 hours, you end up feeling for the protagonist. If you don't have much free time, spend it on this for a complete experience.

Doki Doki Literature Club Plus! (PC, 2021) [♪ Dreams of Love and Literature]

PM died for this.

Ohhh… A horror VN classic… Yeah, sure. It’s actually not that great, but some of the music is downright incredible (i.e. the linked song and about half of the songs added in the new edition), and it was a game that undeniably helped and inspired many people. I can’t say I regret spending time with it, but it didn’t impress me, either. The scares got ever so slightly more predictable over time, and it became clear that all they were aiming for is shock value. This game reminds me of Night in the Woods in the way that it had been severely overhyped by contemporary teenagers.

At least Yuri was pretty, I guess?.. But really, all the girls did was represent some overdone anime -dere cliche. It was very likely done on purpose, which is something to be respected for sure, but the fandom ran with it anyway, cause fandoms be fandoming. Shame! (Monika is the obvious exception, but the way they built her up was through the simplest of text dumps, oh, and they also gave her a Twitter account or something. Come on, get creative!)

Rhythm Doctor (PC, 2021) [♪ Rollerdisco Rumble]

Healing hearts and minds with the power of rhythm, hell yeah! Absolutely incredible concept! Combine that with amazing pixel art and animation that makes the small world come alive, the incredibly flashy aesthetic that draws attention from the outside and utterly fucks with your performance on the inside, and an overall message that both promotes peace and showcases humane struggles of a medical profession… the way it ends up going places you wouldn’t quite expect is just so good. And through all that, the game retains its charm and positive vibe! I want a bigger scope, though – it was over far too quickly. Oh, and a little more accessibility options wouldn’t hurt.

The flashiness of this game reminds me of Rhythm Heaven trying to mess with the player, but pushed to an extreme, which is delightful. I had to clear most of the later levels with my eyes closed, and rewatching them later was quite an unusual and fun experience!

Coffee Talk (PC, 2020) [♪ Come Closer]

Pretty (the pixel art reminded me a lot of the PC-98, which is never a bad thing. Oh, dithering, my beloved!) and has an atmosphere, but not nearly as impactful as a game from later on this list with the exact same premise.

Can be good for a getaway\escape kinda game, and the decision to focus the soundtrack on the lo-fi genre is wonderful, but the story has no staying power, and not even the ‘make your own latte art’ gimmick ended up working out, because the process would always feel… either too realistic or too finicky, I wouldn't be able to tell. I’m no barista! Oh, and I guess there was some message about overworking employees?.. I literally forgot.

Ys: Memories of Celceta (PC, 2012-2018) [♪ Wise Man]

So, this was my… *checks notes* fifth Ys? I started with Oath (okay… I guess…), then I played I&II (and wrote about that in 2020) and dabbled in Origin (it was… exhausting to play, but well-written), and I played VIII this year before this (more on that later). So I thought I had enough experience (and understanding of the fandom’s general opinion on Celceta) to know what to expect when I began my journey in this game. Boy, was I wrong! But still, it's obvious that the earliest iteration of the party system would be worse than VIII's, and playing the games in the order that I did may have screwed my impression.

First, the good things. I actually grew unreasonably attached to the artstyle of this game. I loved the fresh take on a younger Adol just starting to give in to his lust for adventure, and the other party members had quite good designs too (especially Duran. I dunno, I can’t help but love that husk of a dude). Some of the locations were endlessly charming (I loved running laps around Casnan with its upbeat music and fun NPCs, and was awed by how pretty Danan ended up looking for a Falcom game). The world was decently fun to explore overall, but I think most of that fun came from seeing what is an early draft of what would later become Lacrimosa of Dana.

The music is absolutely lovely! Everyone loves Ys for constantly offering hardcore rock guitar bangers or whatever, and while Celceta isn’t without a couple of these, I ended up appreciating far more how much calmer it sounds as a whole. There are plenty of tracks that offer you much needed downtime, and the sound of the game feels more mellow than your usual Ys soundtrack.

The gameplay\battle system was overall serviceable, with a few nags in its way - movement felt more restricted than before, and breaking enemies’ guard felt more tedious than necessary. But hey, there’s no raids in this game! hahahahaha-

That ending single-handedly ruined a decent game and is as bad as everyone said it was. I broke down in hysterics when it actually happened. Also, I am still mad about getting only 99.3% map completion! That part of the game is crazy!!

Ib (PC, 2012) [♪ Uneasiness]

My memories of this are quite scattered, but I really enjoyed it, so have this heap of thoughts!

Aria’s Story, but good enough to leave an impression on you, since Gary is an actual character. He serves as a great mentor figure – even without coming across as stiff or all-knowing, he has a lot to give and teach Ib, which makes for a good dynamic that contrasts his disheveled looks well. It’s clear he cares about the girl, but is reluctant to show it clearly enough for her to understand fully, but she clings on to him as her last hope anyway. It’s pretty damn beautiful, actually. also the handkerchief in the true ending omg

The other girl with the yellow rose… Mary… good contrasting character, but her betrayal could be seen from a mile away, which, I guess, is the point, but still not satisfying.

Music is somewhat good too, and the game nailed the aesthetic of an art gallery (including successfully subverting expectations).

The jumpscares rely more on the physical suddenness of it all rather than psychological pressure, and it works out really well – even if you’re cringing, your body is affected. Plus, they fit well thematically, given the protagonists’ age. Speaking of which, the ??? thing (if Ib doesn’t know a word, you won’t know it either, basically) is clever, but gets old a little too quickly.

The idea of linking their life energy to fragile but sharp roses is somewhat creative and executed very well, especially regarding Gary’s blue rose.

The chase sequences were kinda annoying, but not nearly as awful as Aria, thank god.

Basically, this was the game that, alongside OFF, convinced me I might be into RPG Maker games, but, unfortunately, I've yet to find anything else that matches Ib and OFF's energy in this niche\'subgenre'. (And of course, this is talking about the version available as freeware, and not this year's rerelease, which I am curious about, but have no plans of playing.)

Butterfly Soup (PC, 2017) [♪ Thought Projection]

The most wholesome VN I have ever seen. The art is very pretty and expressive without being overwhelming (and of course, the focus on purple\pink is extremely satisfying to me personally). Music is cute and never gets annoying; it may be royalty-free, but it was chosen with clear care.

This game, in my opinion, is genuinely funny without coming across as insincere, and I don’t feel inclined to agree with those who tend to say its ‘uwu humor’ did not age well, because I personally laughed at most of it (the Zero Escape reference got me, man)! And even if I hadn’t, it would still, ironically, fit well with the overall message (which is that growing up and learning new things about yourself is good, and it’s fine not to know what you’re doing for a while, as long as you stay true to yourself and your friends)!

Some of the impact was lost on me due to the focus on America as a setting/baseball, but it's fine, since this focus was chosen with intent. Ultimately, the game carries the same message and does similar things to Night in the Woods, except successfully, without having to rely on random gameplay changes or ‘hip’ artstyle.

Evan’s Remains (PC, 2020) [♪ Whales]

The best thing about this game is its pixel art – just detailed enough for you to appreciate it, but not excessively so. The backgrounds in particular are nothing short of stunning.

Unfortunately, nothing else in Evan’s Remains manages to match that standard. The music, for the most part, is just there, the puzzles, while creative, can be somewhat irritating and repetitive, and the story, while starting out decently, has an ending that might be worse than Celceta’s and ends up making about as much sense. I would recommend you to watch footage of this game, but only if you like pixel art. It won’t take long, I promise.

Platform fighters I tried to give the light of day to

Super Smash Bros. Brawl - fun for just messing around in classic modes like the SSE and Multi-Man Brawl. Really, you can't ask much more of it.

Rivals of Aether - the most polished one that isn't Smash by far, really pretty and fun in general, but a little small in scope. I owe its soundtrack my life (or more accurately, one track. It's legit amazing to study to...)

Brawlhalla - as usual, don't trust a free game to be good. That's all.

In general, the copycats simply fail to capture the charm and spirit of Smash Bros, and Brawl is as much of a casual's game as one would expect. :)

All the idle\incremental games that ate up my time this year (yes, I like these too much, I know)

Namely, these, ordered from best to worst:

Kittens Game (actually amazing for killing boredom. the flavor text is extremely cute and the resource management is quite advanced)

Cookie Clicker (the classic. I lost my garden due to mods, and so shall never speak of this wretched curse again)

Tap Wizard (ironically, the only one on the list I'm still playing - now side by side with the sequel. Though the praise I gave to Kittens is still deserved.)

Trimps

Grimoire

Liquids

Exponential Idle

Shoutout to r/incremental_games for enabling me to dive deeper into this toxic, awful, beautiful genre of timewasters :)

Apollo Justice: Ace Attorney (DS, 2007) [♪ Trial]

AKA ‘the one where Phoenix done fucked up’. First AA I played the Android version of, and it held up pretty well (certainly better than emulating DS via RetroArch)! The remastered graphics annoyed me less than expected, and the gorgeous OST (best in the series so far, unless you count Investigations, and overall a glow-up and joy to my ears [< Still true. I might be ready to shill AA6 music any day, but nothing can top the excellency of AJ music even now.]) has remained intact.

I don't think this game ever reaches the highs that AA3 did, but it is certainly not for a lack of trying. I can understand the sentiment behind 'being done with Phoenix', for sure, and him still being here proves to be a sign for the beginning turmoil of the series and the struggles that Takumi is only now beginning to see the end of with GAA.

I didn’t find myself exactly attached to any of the main characters (okay, maybe Klavier awakened something or other in me, who can say [so valid, but girl... your personal prosecution turmoil is far from over]), but that has been the case for basically the entire main series as well, so that’s not surprising to me personally.

4-1 was more fun than I expected it to be based on popular opinion, and I got a good chuckle out of the ‘’’Russian’’’ waitress and the mental image of hobo!Phoenix eating borsch, but it’s still no 3-1. 4-2 and 4-3 especially were less than impressive, and overall the game got steadily worse over time.

I still appreciated it for trying to pave a new road for the series, for, again, having a fantastic soundtrack, and for making Phoenix into a lovable utter failure (should have stayed that way, his days were indeed over), but… AJ is not the best Ace Attorney by a long shot. 4-4 was pretty damn good though, and I loved how the jurist system was integrated in both story and gameplay, even if the threat it tried to present fell way short. Also, Vera Misham is the cutest girl we’ve ever had to defend.

PS. Klapollo have bigger gay energy than Wrightworth do, fight me. 2022 me here to report that I no longer want to fight anyone, because in the end it turned out I'm the loser who got somewhat into Blackmadhi. And also I now think the two ships in question are about equally good.

Fire Emblem: Awakening (3DS, 2012) [♪ Chaos]

I actually had barely played the game throughout either year, but it still deserves this spot.

A game that aged better than expected. Really fun to play on an actual big screen (and with savestates – the Mila's Turnwheel of yore). Music is still godlike after all these years. Still haven't gotten far enough to marry Chrom, but I was almost there, I swear!! (If you think I care a lot about much else after so many years, you're a fool.)

I don’t have much more to say because a passion for this game has burned within me for years now, and playing it now just matches every expectation of it I used to have. It’s very dear to me, and it’s very good, and that’s good enough.

The actual 2021 list

Rhythm Tengoku (GBA, 2006) [♪ Iai Slash] + Rhythm Heaven Fever (Wii, 2011) [♪ See-Saw]

Rhythm Heaven is a very special, fun and wonderful little series, and I'm happy to say that spending more time with it was the first thing I thought of when I got my new PC.

I played through both Tengoku and Fever this year, but I believe the former is more remarkable because... It's my first time! And the game is honestly a little brutal compared to Fever (thank god for savestates), but it looks somewhat impressive for the GBA, and the music is fabulous, and it's just so exciting to properly see the origins of the best rhythm game series ever. If the ranking system was just a tad less strict, I would have loved to get to know it fully.

However, keep in mind this is the game that has Quiz and an endless game as original as Mr. Upbeat. You can’t have your cake and eat it?..

Anyway, Fever I actually managed to complete without much issues (Working Dough 2 aside. My god, that game can go fuck itself.), which was another longtime dream of mine! Yay!! In my opinion, Fever hits the perfect sweetspot between being so strict you can’t pass a remix and being so forgiving that you don’t feel accomplished unless you get a Perfect (looking at you, Megamix). The games are well-varied as well, although overall they rely too much on holding A+B together… I suppose that is better than motion controls, though!

More about the games themselves: most of them are solid. If you haven’t gleaned this from the first paragraph already, I think See-Saw is actually a classic. My favorite remix has always been the fourth one (kinda obvious if you bother scrolling through the wall of shitposts on my ‘about’ page), and I have a soft spot for all games on that set, too. Love Rap, while not outstanding, actually gave me a lot less trouble than anticipated (following cues out loud helps), and you just can’t have Karate Man beat!

Even some of the more obscure games, like the two-player Pirate Crew (which I played on my own, while emulating two controllers. It’s fun that way, but quite tough!), are well-made and fun! I’m so glad that even… roughly four years later for me, the game managed to deliver.

Trials of Mana / Seiken Densetsu 3 (PC, 2020 / SNES, 1995) [♪ Meridian Child]

Ah yes, the second-to-last good Mana game with a soundtrack that at times outshines Chrono Trigger! (only at times, though.)

Disclaimer: I have only played the remake, and I only did it once (Riesz\Kevin\Angela was my party). However, I watched two playthroughs that covered the other routes, and one of them was of the SNES version of Trials. Yeah, that took a lot of time!..

(Surprisingly enough, that was all past me had left me with. This is where the list in general shows how it ended up unfinished in time! Time to wrestle with my own memories!)

Here's the thing: for the mid-90s, this game is impressive as all hell. And as someone who has considered herself a casual fan of the series for a few years now (Secret being one of the few games I had a good time with on the SNES Classic, and Legend leaving me with a warmth of fondness in my heart), I was unusually, but unsurprisingly, excited to see this allegedly wonderful work come to us in its full splendor. The favorable reviews of the remake when compared against the sheer mediocrity that was their first attempt with Secret didn't help when it came to quelling my hype either.

And then I booted the game and was greeted eagerly with the wonder of a song that is Meridian Child. You bet I looked forward to it!

In the end, though... even the best Mana games just aren't enough to compete with most RPGs of the modern day, or even some contemporary ones. That's not to say I didn't have fun, but you can't deny how basic this game's story, structure and gameplay feel in the 2020s.

I wasn't disappointed with my choice of characters (they made a very cohesive and satisfying team together, based on almost all-out offense), but I did feel like there wasn't much of anything done to make them feel like a well-thought out party narratively. I mean, the team in Secret didn't have that much reason to get together either, but considering how much the game and its fans tout how 'interconnected' the stories are... I think I have a right to feel let down. The gameplay system itself is pretty bare-bones, too - it doesn't feel all that different from the predecessor (I mean, yes, you no longer have to wait to strike at full power, but does that count as an actual change?), and playing it in 3D made me realize how much the charm of the excellent 2D sprites had carried the series all along.

The character designs are... very 90s, for all the good and bad that entails. Angela in particular deserves the small degrees of infamy she got upon the game's release. However, in a complete vacuum, they're quite pleasant (Riesz especially - doubly so in the Star Lancer class she ended up with on my playthrough.), and the way they change together with the classes (the whole idea of a class change in a game that's not strictly about classes like Fire Emblem is great!) is spectacular.

The music is absolutely wonderful, and unlike Secret, the remade versions don't ruin the SFC sound's charm either. Trials was one of the few remakes where I actively made use of the soundtrack version switch! It's still hard to pick a single favorite, even when my excitement about this game has long since quietened. Walls and Steels, Powell, the cheekily-named Secret of Mana (ignore the video title, lol - SE seems to have gotten greedy with copyright strikes in the years since I started this list) and Damn Damn Drum are just a few pieces I have enjoyed for years - both the original and the remade versions.

The logical conclusion here is that in this day and age, this game is nothing more than eye candy, accompanied with Kikuta's finest work. But hey, sometimes that's just what you need, and I enjoyed what it had to offer!

Wandersong (PC, 2018) [♪ Sailing with the Coffee Pirates]

The one thing Wandersong became particularly well-known for is its… energy, in my opinion. On their own, the colorful visuals, charming writing and welcoming music wouldn't amount to nearly as much as they do when they all come together. Fitting for a game whose message is all about the whole world coming together to accomplish what no one could on their own, huh?

This, believe it or not, is the solution to basically every problem - big or small - that plagues the world of Wandersong. Good thing singing is basically all our adorable protagonist* can do! You'll never guess what they end up doing for the world they live in, either!! (save it. they save it.) ...but what matters is that they don't do it alone. (and that they're not the eternally cheerful bundle of energy they always seem to be.)

*I lovingly named them Bong as soon as I saw the opportunity to do so, but I know their actual name is supposed to be Kiwi. I doubt I'll address the character themselves much while writing, but if I do, I'll probably end up calling them the Bard anyway, for simplicity. 'Bong' was funny while it lasted, though!

Call it cheesy, call it overdone - it doesn't change the excellent execution of the ideas brought to the table. Playing this game is like looking back at your younger self who believed in fairytales, and telling them 'no, it's not always like those stories, even if sometimes it seems that it will be. But what you can do is be yourself, and like-minded people will flock to you. And others will have something to learn from your example!'.

Also, you can dab and play Megalovania (if you know how to) in this game. 10/10 meme potential. ...I'm honestly struggling to put my impressions in words - it really is just a warm cup of coffee brewed the right way. It can barely be described any better than a warm way of sunshine. My rambling doesn't do justice to how adorable it was.

Va-11 Hall-A + KIDS! (PC, 2016 + 2018) [♪ Base of the Titans + Her Noise]

Screw it, I don't care what this inclusion says about me. I recognize this has similar pitfalls to the previously shat on Night in the Woods (Jill is barely any better of a protagonist than Mae, only more grounded; the amount of stupid and/or immature jokes is similar, if not worse; the Julianne minigame is super dumb), but listen! I just heard of a visual novel that was inspired by PC-98 graphics and immediately drooled and had to find out more.

The pixel art is indeed immaculate, if not too varied. The music is really good. Might not be something to listen to much outside of the game, but while you play, it ENHANCES the experience ♥ [this is so funny to read to me, considering I Still consider this to be a phenomenal score and have come to enjoy it a ton in 2022, even finding it genuinely inspiring at times. Don't listen to past me, this game is full of bangers.] Not to mention how diverse it can be sometimes — i.e. the track above vs. Snowfall vs. Showtime! [my personal current favorite] That, combined with how you're in charge of what you're hearing most of the time, makes for a very chill experience that manages to reflect what you're feeling impressively well.

The idea of the story changing depending on the drinks you mix is interesting in theory, but the way it plays out in practice is just a lot of basic win/fail branching that doesn't ever seem to change more than a few lines most of the time. The script is actually quite robust when you look deep into it, but it's hard to witness while you actually play. This game could benefit from a flowchart to encourage players to explore. (However, Alma acknowledging you're trying to cheer her up with her favorite drink despite her ordering something entirely different – that's good! I want more of that!)

Other things ruining the drink system are:

the fact that the recipes are easily accessible, so unless Jill gets distracted and/or the order is obscure, it's impossible to screw it up or experiment;

it's all revealed at once, which makes gameplay more repetitive than it had to be;

you need a LOT of money, especially if you're buying as much furniture as I did, which further discourages you from experimenting on your first playthrough

A lot of the jokes are (im)mature, hit or miss, and reliant on recent internet culture. There's too many dogs and they're not even funny, either. This is not going to age well, but the game still made me chuckle reliably, dang it!

The world gets a surprising amount of development thanks to Jill's phone apps and exposure to all manner of clients. It's really a shame you don't get to see any of it aside from her bar and room! And despite what I said earlier, it's hard not to get invested in Jill's struggles to live and make peace with herself.

This is far from a masterpiece, but to me it's clear that it's not what it wanted to be – you can feel the developers striving for more, which is a good thing. It makes for a great time with a chilled beverage of your choice and it looks great, I couldn't ask for more!

KIDS! is a fabulous spinoff that is way too good for an April Fool's joke! The art is inspired and cute, the music is just as good as the original and even better at times, and the decrease in mature jokes is honestly refreshing.

Ys VIII: Lacrimosa of Dana (PC, 2018) [♪ Royal Capital Aigius]

I'm soooo conflicted on this one.

The character/flashbacks artwork is really amazing and I loved it all immediately... but I really can't say the same about the game's actual graphics. They're serviceable, but I wish there were more chances to show off the gorgeous artwork!

Dana might be the best character in the whole series and I fucking love her, but the way she exists in the same game as Sahad is a travesty. Dogi needed to switch places with him and be playable.

Exploring the island is pretty fun for the most part. The way everything's marked on the map makes it rot a little, for sure, but I won't refuse a nice distracting checklist! After all, I play Trails! Unfortunately, the locations don't vary, like, at all (aside from Eternia, which was great), so if you binge this game, you're guaranteed to get sick of greenery and dinosaurs :(

Some of the music is as good as you would expect from an early 10s Falcom game (everything to do with Dana/Eternia, Alone on the Deserted Island, Gens d'Armes, etc). Key word is 'some'. Despite what I just said, I think Iclucian Dance is uh... Flawed. And all music for raids/hunts can die in a fire. In addition, aside from these clearly bad tracks, I have bias against the kind of music Ys uses in general, so in total my OST impression is one big fat 'meh!'.

I like the general idea of abandoned island/castaways, getting them back together and having to figure out what's going on before stumbling onto Dana... Why did this get diluted with thematic clashes ghost pirate ships and silly assassins?

Getting the castaways might be fun, but their actual personalities are unimpressive. I don't want to blow this flaw out of proportion - this is Ys, after all, and it's about as good as I would expect for Ys, but still. The feeling of the whole village bonding is greater than the impressions from its individual residents. Not to mention, it devolved into yet another save the world plot near the end, when I would've preferred something that focused on Dana more than it already did.

Moving on to gameplay... wow, an Ys game that has a party instead of a single playable character works? Kinda. The bare minimum is done to distinguish between characters, and the Flash system trivializes most differences anyway. In the end, only Adol and Dana are actually fun to use. Unless you count spamming the same skill over and over.

Sanctuary Crypt was a very fun optional dungeon with the best boss to boot. Block puzzles soured my impression, though. Meanwhile, most of the other levels are nothing to write home about, if not outright terrible.

And since I have nowhere else to put this: raids/hunts as a whole are unnecessary, grind the slow pace of the game to a halt and are not fun. Also, giving Adol binary and meaningless dialogue options won't make him a nicer character, the outside narrator explaining his thoughts in the older games was better.

Cosmic Star Heroine (PC, 2017) [♪ A Conspiracy]

What do we have here? A very unique battle system that is greatly enjoyable, but really, only in short bursts (a huge part of why I almost burnt out on the game was playing it on Hard / Heroine – made it drag). What makes it stand out is how it elegantly limits your abilities - you can only use each of your equipped moves once, before you have to recharge them by defending. It's a refreshing take, to be sure, but when you play the game for hours on end, it turns into something that feels more like padding than actual mechanic.

There's also a unique soundtrack, which should not really be a surprise, given the composer, but still, you just don't hear stuff like A Firebrand, An Agitator in your everyday RPG! It can feel a little off and cringe-inducing sometimes, but it's honestly just very awesome overall.

The pixel art in this game can be hit or miss, but luckily, it never missed in its most important moments, and character portraits did not fail to please.

That's about where CSH's strengths come to an end, however. When it comes to personalities, everyone is pretty dry and feels like cardboard, but it felt fair to me, since I knew what I was jumping into. And the gorgeous presentation, battle system and decent jokes all outweighed the forgettable plot!!! It was a good time ♥

Pyre (PC, 2017) [♪ Surviving Exile]

Near flawless given what it sets out to do, discounting the slower pacing near the second half. For a pitch as uniquely strange as 'visual novel where you have to play a game of sports-lite about a dozen times', Pyre manages to be incredibly compelling and welcoming to nigh everyone that approaches it, thanks to having what can be graciously called an open-ended story that is, in a way, completely independent from the 'sports'-like parts of the game (you can lose every match and still reach the end), and yet, in a lot of other ways, bound together (hehe) with it so intricately that it might as well count as a gameplay\story integration masterclass. The fates of characters you love riding on your shoulders and the performance you're willing to deliver is a simple, but elegant way to set up the narrative.

And the gameplay itself is... well... it's everything you could want it to be within reason, I guess. On the surface, it's not particularly complicated - you control three characters one at a time to score goals while preventing the AI from doing the same - but the amount of choices given (and supported by the narrative) when it comes to composing your team and letting it grow is surprisingly high. In addition, one of the defining features of Supergiant's games is the freedom they give you when it comes to difficulty, and Pyre is no stranger to this. There's the previously mentioned freely available option to lose, but if that's not enough, Pyre has an always accessible difficulty toggle and the (by this point expected) extra difficulty modifiers.

Of course, one of the biggest reasons Pyre saw success in the first place was its ingenious presentation - it's pretty without being overwhelming with details or feeling pretentious, the character designs stand out on their own while also conveying a much needed feeling of unity... and the soundtrack is one of the best I've heard in a game, period, managing to tie plenty of rather diverse styles, from the gentle vocals used in something like Mourning Song to the appropriately abrupt metal track that is Thrash Pack, together neatly, without clashing or betraying the game's intentions.

And that's without going into how dynamic everything sounds - there's the obvious changes, like the theme song of the Liberation Rites and the (wonderful) ending song changing lyrics depending on who you faced and\or what the outcome was, and the more subtle ones, like Surviving Exile (and most other tracks) having different layers to them that show themselves appropriately, with that track in particular doing a splendid job of both setting the game's overall mood and, well, setting, as well as providing a thematic foundation for three of the game's more important characters.

That's not to say they're given more time than the rest or anything like that - all characters, at least the ones that band together for your cause, are well-written given the short runtime (I always looked forward to talking with the kind and resolute Hedwyn in particular :) ), and even those that face off against you carry just enough intrigue to be interesting and have their own place in this strange little world. Therefore, Pyre excels at selling you the found family narrative, if you're willing to stick to it, not in the least because your role as the Reader in particular is handled so well.

You're basically half of the reason these beings of different walks and ways of life could have banded together instead of resigning themselves to their fate in the first place, they owe a lot to you in that sense, and yet, they make it a point to make sure you stand as an equal among them. They're willing to stand up for you just as much as you are for them, though some might need a little convincing first. It all makes for lovely interactions that enhance the cast and the world around them, while still making your place in it feel unique. Never have I felt so good about being literate, which is a plot point that ends up enhancing the worldbuilding in rather impressive ways - helping you feel closer ties with everything that's happening, since obviously you can read, and making the world around you take shape and feel more real thanks to the Book of Rites. (And of course, the small detail of being able to choose the Reader's pronouns and that change being reflected everywhere, including the music, is just about the cherry on top - I like it because you can use it both to increase immersion and to distance yourself from the narrative as much as you want.)

So yeah! A refreshing experience that never quite falters from start to finish, with a powerful and positive message to deliver... it would have been the game of the year... were I not a Trails fan...

Katana ZERO (PC, 2019) [♪ Katana ZERO]

Yes, I did pick that track to do the 'Fullmetal Alchemist. Fullmetal Alchemist.' thing. But it's also genuinely really good! Although my big faves are Sneaky Driver, Full Confession and Overdose. The soundtrack in general, while hit or miss sometimes, overall has an incredible sound that would resonate very well with younger me, methinks. The heavy reliance on bass and repetition is exactly what I'm here for, and it's a flawless fit for a game that has you spend a lot of time perfecting the execution of each of its challenges – it draws you into the setting and the mood without having an overwhelming presence. I also love the little detail of Zero actually turning it on every level – I admit, it got me pretty pumped across the whole game.

The aesthetic/presentation is top notch, I enjoyed every second of it. Zero's movement looks and feels very fluid, the overall color scheme is just my absolute favorite, and the way it all reminded me somewhat of the glory days of vaporwave was great too. Not to mention that in general, 2D art in games is my jam... I was SOLD!

The gameplay is far from my comfort zone, but I ended up enjoying it more than expected (it almost gave me the worst case of hand cramps I've ever had, that's how addictive it is, lmao). It's a huge shame that I can't think of any other similar games off the top of my head that I would truly get interested in, without having to wrestle with heavy-themed plots or anything similar (because let's face it, this was one of the few games where I didn't bother with engaging with the story. I was here for the spectacle, and boy, on that level it delivered.).

I loved the general cycle of 'start the level, die immediately, start actually plotting a strategy, die as soon as that strat fails you, develop a fully functional plan, spend some more time executing it... wait, I did it! And didn't realize I was holding my breath the whole time! PHEW, time to watch the tape!'. The last level in particular had me feeling like I was pulling off pure miracles just with my guts and reaction, and it's a fantastic feeling! ...and then I watched the speedruns of the game, which show perfectly how tight the execution in this game has to be, and lost my mind, it's crazy.

The dialogue system in KZ, while undercooked, is intriguing nonetheless, and some of the optional dialogue can be pretty funny. (Pinkachu, anyone?) In addition, I found it ridiculously hilarious to see СУКАБЛЯТЬ multiple times across this otherwise clearly-not-supposed-to-be-russian-at-all game.

And, despite just saying that I did not care for the overarching story, I have to admit, I was drawn in by the sheer mysterious, yet human-like, presence of Zero as the protagonist. This is a game that's not afraid to be itself, and, for better or worse, it had all the right elements to undeniably suck me in. Playing it even a year later is a feeling so specific and good that I'm stuck yearning for more of it. Maybe one day it'll come in the form of DLC?

OneShot (PC, 2016) [♪ On Little Cat Feet]

This game genuinely was a touching little experience (and you know me, I love me some toying with the fourth wall), complete with adorable pixel art and one of the sweetest protagonists known to RPGs. I know usually people tend to rave about this game (and rightfully so, most of the hubbub is deserved), but personally I'm like 'yeah! I played it! It was fantastic!', and I don't really want to preach to the choir beyond that. I do want to point out that this will probably remain one of my favorite 'meta' gaming experiences, though - this game does not try too hard to appeal to the player (and therefore, it never feels like the narrative is falling flat on its face), and the simple story hook of a lost child like Niko trying to find their way with your help is lovely and effective at keeping you invested. It's just... nice, okay? Sometimes it's enough for a game to be nice.

The Legend of Heroes: Trails to Azure (PC, 2011, tr. 2021) [♪ Heavenly Chariot]

There are a couple of points to make about this game:

1. The music in Azure is beyond incredible, and showing off but a single track would be an unforgivable crime. At the same time, it's very easy to just point to the entire damn OST as an example of RPG music excellency. I guess they were not kidding when they said Falcom peaked music-wise right around the time this game came out!! When I talked about Zero, I mentioned that, despite how much I liked that soundtrack, I felt like it lacked consistency to a certain degree, which had hurt it, in my opinion. Azure, looking back, managed to strike the balance between having distinct memorable tracks and staying cohesive as a game soundtrack, which is what, deep down, I was looking for in Zero the year before. I remember laughing to myself about how different my opinions on Trails music tend to be from what seems to be the norm established in the fandom, but playing through Azure was the first time I found myself agreeing with 'the masses'. It's impossible not to adore this soundtrack.

2. The main reason this will never be the greatest of Trails to me is that I believe Azure marks the point in the series where the time put into the game (as a completionist who fishes for everything each Kiseki has to offer) starts to become disproportionate to what you actually get out of it.

To explain: while the main storyline is as well-written and exciting (though in a different way from Sky or even Zero - this game is famous for pulling out all the stops, and starting with a bang while finishing with a series of even bigger bangs) as always, this very likely came at the cost of the usually outstanding dialogue of the NPCs. Each time you go on your routine laps around the region, in any way you can, 90% of the time you will only see characters say one-liners about the current situation. That you just witnessed during the main quest from the perfect viewpoint. With your own eyes. It gets, uh... annoying?

And in addition to that, Azure is crazy about locking DP behind random things. Some of them are easy to figure out, naturally, but you will not be reaching first (or even second) rank without guides. And the biggest reason for this is the combination of ridiculously well-hidden quests and unwinnable battles that give you 5 DP in exchange for burning out on your item stash!! >:( You can be smug about this point, given that this is part of what the whole series is known for, but attaining max DP rank here is definitely more of a challenge than even in its prequel.

If that wasn't enough, there are eleven characters Lloyd can get bonding events with, drastically up from Zero's three for like no reason? Which is clearly designed to entice you into doing multiple playthroughs of a 100+ hours long game! I am not against getting more of beloved protagonists, but this is a very bad way to go about it. [laughs in CS1]

The gameplay here is also something I came to appreciate more a year later, after getting to know CS1. As the saying goes, you don't know what you have till it's gone, and this applies perfectly to the changes made to the battle system, particularly Orbments, over the years. When I played Azure, I didn't think too favorably of the addition of Master Quartz, but it ultimately made for an excellent fit, further emphasizing the combat roles the characters are made to fill while giving you an improved sense of progression with the MQ being able to level up.

All this, combined with the fact that I had been stubborn enough to use Hard instead of Normal (lose-lose deal �� on Normal regular encounters wouldn't be as fun, on Hard I get my ass kicked by ultra-strong bosses harder. Retry Offset, I miss you...)... Yeah, that is why I almost broke the game with debug mode during the finale (that boss fight was over-reliant on Burst, I swear), and I have no regrets :p

Super Smash Bros. Ultimate (Switch, 2018) [♪ Main Theme ~ Piano]

This GIF is actually an accurate summary of how my time with this game went.

I feel like, despite past me claiming that Azure was rightfully the spotlight of her year, the true game of 2021 was this all along. Partially because '21 was the only year when I could enjoy it to the fullest. I don't really want to talk about it much, which is funny when I try to look back at the huge rant I had half-prepared about my love-hate relationship with this game (bring back shielddropping! and good singleplayer! and give us good online!), rife with comparisons to Smash 4 and small things only true nerds semi-competitive players care about, but now it all just reminds me of the Smash Ball-shaped hole I have in my soul.

Maybe in another world, I'll be able to enjoy Smash again. For now, I have to thank Ultimate for making 2021 feel like something I earned. For the greatest soundtrack a game ever could have. And of course, for the Palutena buffs. I still remember when I thought she would never appear again, much less be empowered like she was. 💚

In conclusion, this is a game that can be painful to love, but love persists nonetheless, because there is nothing like Smash Ultimate in the world. ❤ - 2021 me, who was right

6 notes · View notes

spider-man-2o99 · 1 year

Note

what are your favorite comics?

as tempted as i am to just say “i’ll give ya three guesses, and the first two don't count,” and leave it at that for the sake of The Funny, lol—

im not gonna let myself keep going on and on and on for too long, or else this post’ll never get made, but this isn't. like. Everything. brain is just scrampled egg rn so these r a little all over the place but. w/e here r the first “favorite” books that’ve come 2 my mind:

(under the cut because i Ramble*) (*let us also proceed knowing that classic spider-man/spider-man in general goes without saying b/c i am Not typing that much.)

- Spider-Man 2099 (1992) big surprise, i know. lay off! it was my first comic! looking back on it, i probably shouldn't have been reading it as, like. a 9-10(??) year old kid. but. y’know. pish-posh. when the chips’re down, sm2099 was what i had during a real rough time that spanned years without letup, and as a result sm2099 has been a Really Important Thing for me ever since. has the relative decade’s worth of Enrichment ultimately also been worth the requisite Nigh-Obsessive Brainrot? 🤷 i’unno. i’m predisposed to say “well, duh, dude, no shit it has been,” so that's that.

- Spider-Man 2099 Meets Spider-Man (1995) duh. (in seriousness: fun romp of a one-shot, nd i really like that mig and mj were kinda-friends,., .,,.,)

- Moon Knight (1980) MK v1 was the run that REALLY got me into comic books as something more than just a passive casual interest, back in, uhh-- early-early 2020, i think? it definitely... shows its age in not a great way, at times, but otherwise i can’t help but feel a fond affection for the first volume of MK. (Plus, on the art side of things, it’s really cool to see Bill Sienkiewicz developing his iconic signature style over the course of the run!!!)

- Immortal Hulk: The Threshing Place (2020) .......and tbh, every other Immortal Hulk one-shot, as well, but. Threshing Place especially has some just gorgeous art. I can’t stomach visual body horror very well most of the time, but I otherwise really like what I've been able to read of Immortal Hulk.

- Ms. Marvel (2014) genuinely a really good book and also the only Inhumans thing i like (in no small part, im sure, because there is not a lot of Inhumans stuff in it). starting to run out of spoons at this point so i’m just gonna be blunt if u hate kamala khan Fuck You

- Unbelievable Gwenpool (2016) unbelievable gwenpool is Good it’s a Good Comic marvel has just been absolutely massacring the character ever since it ended. in 2019 the Defiler leah williams took poor gwennie out behind the barn and basically just shot her in the back of the fucking head. we will probably never see the character in any significant or serious capacity ever again :(

- Superman’s Girlfriend, Lois Lane (1958-1973) culturally important to the medium of superhero comic books As We Know Them Today. also generally batshit insane to an objectively hilarious degree ❤️

+ honorable mention(s): that one green lantern story where hal jordan slipped on a bar of soap and bumped his head so hard he not only was immediately rendered unconscious but then also fell promptly into a coma.

ALSO Blue Beetle (2006) it's been so long that i barely remember what happens in it but i Do Remember that it was Good. i really need to reread the run sometime soon...

#talking tag #asks #anon #comics #comic books

3 notes · View notes

Last Seen Blogs

evilking

Basah ke??

birdstiel

saved

airesblu

Aires Blu

butchh52

Untitled

elliepw

I wish I had said that