#a simple one but THERE ARE STATS YOU HAVE TO RAISE!! THE STATS AFFECT THE ROMANCE PROGRESSION!!!

[specterthief]

hatoful boyfriend also gets points in all discussions for being one of the few parody dating sims that is actually being correctly described as a dating sim

#fandom: hatoful boyfriend #visual novels #dating sim discourse #a simple one but THERE ARE STATS YOU HAVE TO RAISE!! THE STATS AFFECT THE ROMANCE PROGRESSION!!! #people might be using the term correctly here by complete accident but at least they are using it correctly

[crescentfool]

recently, i’ve been thinking about what a 100% social link/confidant run is like from the perspective of the persona protagonists, rather than the player. i’ve always been a sucker for thinking about the type of narrative created by a person’s gameplay choices (it can be so fun and deep) so!! i wrote this analysis / musing.

some notes before we start: this was written with the lens of persona 3 being the most recent game i played- but the concepts are applicable to the p4/p5 protagonists as well! no spoilers for any of the games are mentioned; this is moreso a general discussion of ludonarrative dissonance with the game mechanics and narrative and how it makes for fun angst (ft. personal interpretation).

(more under the cut!)

the framework: game mechanics

in all of the games, the social link system’s existence coincides with the social stats mechanic. certain social links require a specific set of stats in order to initiate it, or surpass a certain rank. each game has around 20 of these- each of which represent the major arcana (+ some bonuses, e.g. aeon / jester / faith / councilor).

for any players going for a 100% social link run, this basically requires each social stat to be maxed out. anyone who’s followed a guide for a 100% run would know that the beginning of the game tends to be very “strict” with how time can be used, most of which involves getting the stats raised  as soon as possible.

outside of characterization and worldbuilding, completing social links are incentivized for a variety of gameplay reasons. so how could this completionist play style affect the protagonists?

prioritizing social stats over everything else: a general view

regardless of which protagonist you want to put under a petri dish, with a 100% run, you’re essentially asking the protagonist to form amicable bonds with 20 or so people, give or take. granted, not everyone becomes adjoined to the hip to the protagonist.

personally, i feel that forming 20 different bonds over the course of a year would be rather strenuous. during these 100% runs, the protagonists may feel that they’re spreading themselves thin trying to dedicate their resources to multiple different people as well as raising their “social stats.” i find the implications that this has on said bonds is so, utterly fascinating.

while this isn’t reflected in the game and would be better represented within a fic, i find it difficult to believe that this type of behavior doesn’t have any ramifications on the quality of the protagonist’s closer relationships (or their self-image, for that matter).

just… imagine calling one of your close friends but then they consistently give responses along the lines of “lmao sorry i’m busy doing other things,” and they rarely make the time of day for you. how would you feel? gameplay-wise, this deterioration of the relationship is best represented in persona 3 with social links reversing if you haven’t spent time with them in awhile.

part of my fascination with this concept is influenced by my own experiences. trying to maintain so many relationships can be difficult to keep up with and it quickly gets overwhelming (see dunbar’s number for more information). jumping between so many people also makes it difficult to focus on a few relationships meaningfully- meaning that relationships may be limited to being simple pleasantries. even then, ‘successfully’ keeping every relationship satisfying comes at the cost of being unable to pursue your own development and interests.

overall, i think that trying to do so many things ends up lowering the quality of the relationship(s) involved, especially when you also consider the fatigue from going to school as well as fighting shadows.

playing the therapist friend / listening role: a general view

another aspect of the 100% run that i think about is how the protagonists rarely open up to other people. a good chunk of SLs follow a storyline of the protagonist acting as a therapist friend/helping the other person through one central issue. some SLs are an exception to this and have a more casual “we’re just hanging out vibe.”

basically, SLs tend to be weighted toward the other character’s growth, moreso than the protagonist’s (which is handled by the main story). that said, the idea of mostly playing a listening role across most of your relationships and not having many that you feel comfortable to speak freely about your own stuff… feels really unbalanced and unhealthy?

i do think that part of the lack of “input” can be attributed to the silent-protagonist approach taken in the games (which is a whole ‘nother topic). but!! i find that each protagonist’s options, while limited, are fun to think about! some of the traits and interpretations i’ve seen for the differing protags, to name a few, include:

being afraid to open up / get attached and keeping people at arm’s distance as a result

needing to be around other people, even if it’s just listening them, to distract from their own struggles / pretend nothing’s wrong with them

enjoying helping others, being a good and careful listener who can provide an appropriate and helpful response

the willingness to prioritize others over themselves; a lack of self-preservation

compulsive people pleasing

at its worst, the lack of “protagonist talking” or equal reciprocation in response could be misinterpreted by the other person as disinterest (like they’re talking to a wall). alternatively- the lack of “personal tidbits” could be taken as, “you don’t trust me enough to be able to open up, huh.” and i just think that seeing this in a fic would be the biggest shitshow ever (and i would read that).

concluding thoughts:

overall, i feel that the protagonists taking a predominantly listening approach to several relationships at once can lead to compassion fatigue and general burnout. the protagonists are rarely at the receiving end of being listened to and/or having their issues worked through… and that’s kind of sad?

while the 100% social link run can provide great power to any persona fusions (and other cool battle abilities + hijinks)... i ultimately think that there’d be a lot of mental strain that would make achieving this much more difficult when you take a narrative-emphasized approach.

i do realize that it is possible to see the general vibe of this post as “100% social link is bad,” but like… there’s something i find really appealing about the messiness of attempting to manage so many relations at once- only to fall short in several of them and attempting to salvage the last bits of their sanity. when you think about the complications of the 100% SL run from the shoes of the protagonist… yeah!! that’s the good shit!

anyways! if anyone knows of any fics with this kinda vibe for the p3/4/5 protags… feel free to drop it in my askbox… i like them all VERY much :3c… and if this raised any food for thought- i’d be equally honored! let the protags go through shit i wanna see their emotions and coping mechanisms damn it! 👏

#persona 3 #persona 4 #persona 5 #yes it is 3am and im posting this. i couldn't sleep so i wanted to write something that i've been thinking abt as of late :x #highly recommend looking up ludonarrative dissonance btw! if ur interested in game storywriting its SOO interesting bc its definitely- #an occurence that happens every now and then in a video game. persona included. like.. when game mechanics tell one story but the narrative #-ends up contradicting that (or some other thing in reality ends up doing that...). does that even make sense?? #i tried to keep this post general to p3/4/5 but if you know me well enough you'll see how my p3 bias has shaped this post. lmao #i also could go on a tangent about how i feel about orpheus telos as a thing w/rt p3 social links BUT I WONT. unless...? #i have more i want to say on the topic (maybe will do so at a later time) but feel free to ask for more specific hcs with the protags? #maybe not p4kun though just bc ive only watched p4 so i havent had the time to let it sit btwn play sessions #anyway bye im just going to let this float in the void while i sleep. have a good day #meta #hc and au nonsense #lizzy speaks

[thelucidestofthemall]

Volcano princess guide: how to cycle through romance endings

1. Get as many people as possible into 135-139 heart range

Now I don't remember the heart range for absolutely everyone, but for most of them you have to get 140 hearts to get their romance ending. And you wanna be almost there, but not fully. Because if you overshoot you may be stuck with their romance ending. If you're going for multiple people, you want their hearts to be low so on the last turn you can choose whose ending you want.

Dates are the most effective at raising the relationship level, but it's also very time and money consuming. So you can just chat, consult and give the LI's favorite gift to them(almost everyone has some easy item to get like a flower or a dish, you can look it up too). If you're also mindful while replying to their letters you'll probably be able to reach 135-139 with no issues.

2. How to lower affection levels in case you overshoot.

So stealing is the most effective one if you don't have too much darkness. Also keep in mind that you can't steal from one of the lords anyway, and from Nina on the last turn.

For the lords there is one thing you can do, it's not very effective, but if you don't need to take off too many hearts this will work. Basically, some items lower their affection. I haven't discovered them all, but there are slave anklets that you can get in the Forgotten Forest(doesn't work on lebsa), stat-lowering potions(is expensive, but works) and if you work in a bathhouse, there's an event where you can pick up a bloody towel, nobody likes bloody towels so you can use those too.

3. Sad letters

So, they don't really explain to you where to get these from, but it's simple. Anyone who you can get a double lover ending with has a sad letter.

Example: If you get a romance ending with Nun with Hackett on the second place, he will send you a generic sad letter. If you get the ending with Ze with Hackett on a second place he will send you a special sad letter because there is a romance ending with both Ze and Hackett.

Btw, if you're looking to get a special sad letter, the person in the second place should have all 3 events, but less than 140 hearts because otherwise you just end up with the double ending.

There are no extra sad letters for the harem ending, Hackett and Benson have sad letters about each other(which took me a second to figure out because they don't have a double ending together) and Gwyneth doesn't give a fuck about Mona so she doesn't have a sad letter about her even tho they have a double ending lmao.

#volcano princess guide #volcano princess

[couldbebetterforsure]

Still slowly (VERY slowly 😭) making progress on replaying Fire Emblem Engage so I can get back to the point I was at before my save got deleted and continue my liveblog. As I’m doing that I decided it had been too long since I enjoyed an otome game so I have also been playing Jack Jeanne!

It’s funny when I first heard the news of Jack Jeanne being localized it actually didn’t catch my attention. But like a week ago I saw a random post about it praising it and then I looked it up and saw it was getting a TON of praise. I also looked up some non-spoilery art and info and thought the style looked gorgeous and liked the bits of story and gameplay I found. So I said fuck it and bought it like four days ago.

And WOW I am happy I did!!!!!

First off, the art in this game is BEAUTIFUL! Sui Ishida, the writer and artist for Tokyo Ghoul, is responsible not only for the gorgeous art and character designs but also did a bunch of other stuff for this game (even writing the lyrics for the songs which is incredible). Seriously the amount of time I spend just staring at CGs is nuts, they’re all so incredible whether they’re comedic or dramatic. The character designs are all so wonderful too and so expressive!

The music is so incredible too! The background tracks are great and fitting for the situations. So far I only just finished the Newcomers’ Performance so the only vocal songs I’ve heard so far are the main theme Jack & Jeanne of Quartz, and the two songs for The Sleepless King: Fortune Color is Crystal and Beyond the Plane Tree. Bruh….I never skip the main theme that’s how good it is. And it’s sung in character by the heroine and the six LIs. I went and bought the mp3 for it I’ve been obsessing over it that much. Fortune Color is Crystal was not what I expected considering the nature of the play it’s in but it’s so catchy! And holy fucking shit Beyond the Plane Tree is one of the most beautiful songs I’ve ever heard, the harmonies in it are so 😭😭😭😭 I’m playing this game blind (with a spoiler free guide) so I haven’t listened ahead to the other songs but I was so impressed by these three that not only did I buy the mp3 for the main theme I ordered the vocal collection since the other songs aren’t available for mp3 download.

The story is definitely interesting me so far. Like I said I’ve only just finished the Newcomers Performance so I’m not that far in the story but it managed to hook me in entirely despite the seemingly simple sounding premise of “heroine disguised herself as a boy to attend all boys academy”. I’m actually surprised by how many times so far I actually forgot our heroine is supposed to be in disguise 😂😂😂 Not because the game doesn’t use the premise properly but more because there’s so much shit going on!!! And it slowly introduces new characters and plot points so that I’m always eager to see what happens next. Especially in terms of the plays (oh yeah this takes place in a theater school sorry I forgot to bring that up)! With this first play I was excited to see who was cast in what roles, the plot of it, watching the rehearsals, and seeing it all come together in the end in spectacular fashion! I like the stat raising element, nothing complex or luck based about it so it’s not aggravating. I’m totally in love with the rhythm game aspect, though it means whenever we get to the actual plays I’m more focused on getting a top score than watching the video of the performance. But that’s what the gallery is for right? The interesting thing about this game from what I hear is that, unlike typical otome games, Jack Jeanne is like 80% common route. Like while you make choices that earn affection and can pick who you hang out with, the LI specific routes don’t come in until WAAAAAY later. I thought I would mind since I generally prefer more romance in my otome (sounds silly but people who play otome games probably understand what I mean) but so far I don’t care because the story is just that enjoyable (and it’s not like there’s no moments at all).

And then there’s the characters. I like when MCs are voiced and I’m especially glad Kisa is voiced since this is a story about theater. I really like her so far she’s sweet and a hard worker, I can’t wait to see how she grows as both an actor and a person! I love her standing up to Otori and doubling down on seeking assistance and working together during practice. And I love how sweet and bell-like her voice is! Suzu (to the surprise of no one because I’m Miss Predictable) is my fave. Sweetheart, earnest, energetic, puppy in human form? Yeah that’s a LI tailor made for Willow! I love how much he has already grown as an actor from how robotic he sounded when he first practiced his lines to his PHENOMENAL performance for his first time on stage in The Sleepless King (which by the way how did my boy Suzu not win any award for that performance?!?!?! This game is rigged😡). And bruh I nearly fucked up both rhythm game segments for the Newcomers Performance because of how blindsided I was by how beautiful his singing voice is (don’t know why I was so shocked I know his VA is incredible). Sou is so soft and sweet so far and I can already see some hints for where his story might go (possibly about him not standing out as much?). I like that he’s in the know about Kisa and I do love me some childhood friend romances! Mitsuki makes me laugh with his tsundereness but I love how compared to typical tsundere characters he’s more softspoken and doesn’t go heavy handed on it. Negi is so funny so far I really enjoy whenever he’s onscreen talking a mile a minute or causing his own little brand of chaos. Kai seems super kind and I love that he seems like an animal expert, I wanna know more about him. And Fumi is just super cool to me, his design to his voice to his personality. I really love this Quartz squad, they’re so lovable and have such enjoyable dynamics with each other! Regarding side characters I’m only just beginning to know some, and I know there are a ton I have yet to meet, but I really like the ones I’ve met so far. They’re either kind, funny, a mix of both, or have yet to really display any trait that makes me feel one way or another. The only side character I have strong feelings towards as of where I am now in the game is Otori. And even then I find him enjoyably annoying. He’s talented and knows it, but he’s also an annoying dick and I enjoy proving him wrong. Also he’s hilarious without ever meaning to be, which keeps me from being too annoyed at him.

Anyways yeah that’s my ramble about Jack Jeanne so far! There’s probably a ton I missed or forgot but I just wanted to gush for a moment about this great game! I’m having so much fun so far and can’t wait to see what the rest of the game is gonna bring. I’m at the very start of June so it’s the Summer Performance next!

#story time with me #jack jeanne #jack jeanne spoilers #willow takes center stage at univeil #I usually don’t post about my experience playing otome games #but this game is such a masterpiece so far despite how little I’ve played so far #and I just wanna gush about my experience #anyways yeah suzu orimaki my beloved~!!!! #I am so fucking predictable I even said to myself when I first saw the cast of love interests #“huh look at that redhead boy watch him become my main beau” #earnest sweethearts man…them and red haired genki guys…among my biggest kryptonites among favorite male characters ESPECIALLY when combined #and that’s regardless of whether I wanna romance them or not that’s just my general type of male character I tend to love #but yeah I really enjoy the cast as whole so much kisa and the main boys are so damn lovable! #the side characters I’ve met so far are also enjoyable in their own ways too #and I adore the theater stuff and the rhythm games and the art and music and AAAAAAAAA!!!! what a great game!!!!! #I can’t wait to continue it I wanna see what the summer performance is gonna be!!!!!

[bookofbrokencandles]

Will the different jobs give different tasks for you to do, like as a stat building sorta thing or maybe even plot related? ( and hi, hello, how are you?)

Hi! I'm doing good now. I think my brain broke last week from the heat and sleep deprivation. I used my two days off to decompress and catch up on sleep, the weather cooled down again, and I think I've leveled out to something normal. Mercifully, I got off work early today, too.

Anyway, with one exception, the jobs won't technically affect stats. I'll go into that in a bit, but I'd like to take this opportunity to talk a little about the stats and then answer your question.

The Book of Broken Candles has a small amount of stats. The first of which are three simple stats which will combine to change MC's speech patterns outside of choices. You will still have many opportunities to choose MC's dialogue and you will always have the choice during important moments. But I think this will inject some more variety into scenes as MC comes into themself over the course of the book.

The latter of the stats are Awareness and Coping. As per usual with all of the characters I write, the MC is Not Okay. Several months ago, they snapped, they pursued something they should have long stayed away from, they imploded their home life and, more than anything, they learned things they never should have. And yet, this new low they've landed in may very well have not extinguished their thirst for more knowledge of the realms beyond. But their mortal mind may not be able to handle what they find. In other words, if you wish to pursue eldritch knowledge, it'll be hard to balance your awareness and ability to cope. The more you learn, the more you lose. The less you'll be able to get back.

Now, with that set up:

All jobs will have their own unique storyline opportunities (meaning you can choose to not pursue these threads) and will offer unique situations. There's no Greater Plot these need to tie into, so I'm choosing to have some fun and come up with a variety of ideas that can be explored during the course of a playthrough.

The City Guard job will offer more romantic opportunities with Day and Night, but even if you choose not to pursue these, it will still open the opportunity to get a closer look at the city on a ground level. Maybe that knowledge MC had gained in the past will allow them to look at it from a new perspective, see things others don't.

The Assistant job will offer more romantic opportunities with Dominya and Myra, but even if you choose not to pursue these, it will still open the opportunity to explore the state of technology at this point in the world's era. And perhaps you can even, say... show Dominya the light, the vast world of knowledge she can take for her inventions to make them unlike anything the world has seen.

And lastly, the Mortuary job. This is the job that will affect stats. It does not offer opportunities for romance, but what it does offer is opportunities to raise your Awareness. It's also necessary to see a non-job storyline to completion.

#game info #if game #if wip #interactive fiction #choicescript #ask #the book of broken candles #tbobc

[shadowonwater]

Pokemon Scarlet Playthrough part 11: Getting Schooled

Playthrough Masterlist

So I decided before going north to evolve some Pokemon to fill out my dex and then go to school for classes again. For the most part the evolving went well, but evolving Pawmo was a tedious nightmare. So yeah then I went to school again to catch up on my classes.

Art 3: He just explained that tera types can be used to avoid a Pokemon's normal weakness and that you can change the Tera type at the treasure eatery. Also he goes on a tangent about the mystery of snowflakes looking alike. I'm pretty sure it's a physics thing, Hassel.

Art Midterm: it's just a quiz, a very basic quiz for children. I got some exp candy though for passing.

Art 4: oooo grass gym leader is here! wow, these two are close. He asked if you can guess what mood he was in when he made his statue, and I'm like, idk??? "Surrendering" sounds sad though. He's like "no! You're wrong!". Proceeds to describe his mood.. which sounds like he was sad (in very simple terms).

Anyway Brass is like "Don't get too caught up in what sells, make what you want to make." A nice message, although it's lacking in the nuance of harsh reality, but what can you expect from a kid' game. It was funny when Hassel started bawling from Brass's story of his art journey.

Art 5: He tells the class about the 10 sights of Paldea, I haven't been to all of them, obviously. But I've been to a fair few, I do want to find them all though.

Battle Studies 3: Dendra talks about Tera Shields in Tera Raid battles, I don't think I remember ever seeing one, maybe they only show up in higher difficulties?

Battle Studies Midterm: Very easy, simple questions. Asking about Dendra's favorite type gave me a slight pause, but I remembered it.

Battle Studies 4: Stuff about the Let's Go feature and auto battles.

Battle Studies 5: Dendra talks about the TM making machines. Nothing exciting except for mentioned that there have been issues of people hacking to get LP.

I think this raises up an issue that purely digital currently like LP would have, hacking. I think the existence of LP as a currency is kind of bizarre. Because it's like there are two separate currencies of equal value, why not just have one? Also the LP that Penny gives me when I beat up Team Star might be hacked, she is a hacker after all. I might be using illegal money.

Math 3: A random thought that popped into my head, wouldn't it be funny if the History Teacher was the one named Tyme? and not the Math one? Puns are good, if this was Ace Attorney, I'd be the History Teacher.

Anyway... teach is like "Yall like horoscopes?" me: "no." Anyway she talks about Critical Hits. I didn't know that they were 1 in 24 normally, but I don't care too much about that. Challenge runners might tho. But yeah, Tyme, I am aware that there is a lot of probability in Pokemon battles.

Math Midterm: As always, these are pretty easy. Even the math one isn't too bad.

Math 4: Just because I passed your class doesn't mean I like numbers, ma'am. She talks about stat boosts in battle. Once again I am bested by math, even in a kids game. I am terrible with percentages.

Math 5: oh god, it's percentages again. Nevermind, she's just talking about accuracy. I personally prefer more accurate moves. Amusing to hear that people debate in the Pokemon world about which moves are better. I mean, it makes sense but it's still amusing.

Home Ec 3: He just talks about PP.

Home Ec Midterm: you know how it goes easy. Except for a weird question about what affects meal powers. I don't think it makes sense that the color of utensils or the amount of people eating should affect it.

Home Ec 4: talking about multiple people making a long sandwich reminds me of this post I saw once. Basically someone had a tradition with their family of making a ridiculously long sub sandwich and then cutting it into people's individual pieces. It also amuses me that it was Arven asking for advice. I imagine Arven really likes this class.

Home Ec 5: He talks about washing your Pokemon during picnics. He mentions there are areas where Pokemon don't like to be washed, brings to mind fire types with fire-y areas on their body. And that there Pokemon who don't like being washed at all, again fire types come to mind, as to ground and rock. Those Pokemon have a reason to avoid water, even if it's not reflected in gameplay.

Biology 3: Apparently Jacq and Clevell used to work together before getting into education. I wonder where they used to work together. Anyway he's just talking about ways to make it easier to catch Pokemon. Nothing I don't already know.

Biology Midterm: easy quiz. The extra question he tacked onto the end was cute. Yes the Pokedex is easy to use, but I wish it had filters.

Biology 4: He talks about Pokemon Evolution. I find funny saying stuff like "Press the B Button" imagine saying that irl. Anyway it's shame he didn't get to finish what he was saying . I don't know how to evolve Primape but when I decide to i'll use the internet. But it would be nice if it was stated in game how to do it.

Biology 5: He talks about Shiny Pokemon. He even brings up the Masuda Method. He brings up that, while it's a known phenomenon, it's unknown why it happens. It's fun that he talks about the Shiny charm as if it were more an urban legend than fact. I mean in a why it's just a good luck charm afterall.

Languages 3: Once again, my pre-existing knowledge of French and German is really backing me up. You don't need to tell us about your marital dispute, teach.

Languages Midterm: Easy, I don't know why he included his name in the test.

Languages 4: He talks about how Pokemon communicate and had his Pikachu act as an example. He also mentions how there are Pokemon who can communicate in ways other than sound, like telepathy. I just think it's neat how colorful the world of Pokemon can be.

Languages 5: More talk about understanding the meaning of Pokemon crys. I love how proud of itself the Pikachu looks when the students are clapping for it.

History 3: Apparently the school building is really old, about 800 years old. But the Pokeball part is new and the Raifort doesn't like that way it looks. Pokeballs are a popular design element in universe, but I guess there are people who aren't into it. So yeah , a real old prestigious academy, well known, even outside Paldea. Do you suppose a lot of Poke Professors have passed through here?

History Midterm: Very easy, I love fictional lore, lol.

History 4: She tells a fairy tale (hell yeah I love tales). So a king got 4 treasures (interesting that there are 4 when there's 1 of you + 3 friends) he gets them from a merchant from the East (where I wonder, Johto? Sinnoh? Maybe even just Kalos) and the king's castle gets destroyed (were the treasures destroyed along with it? was the castle cursed by the treasure or was it a coincidence?) Teach says you can ask her after class to hear the rest of the story, I hope that's true.

History 5: Some guy called Heath, I've never heard his name mentioned before but he wrote the Scarlet Book. A book talking about the findings of a Team from 200 years ago that actually managed to make it to the depths of Area Zero and back.

People calling Heath a liar is making me think of Noland the Liar from One Piece. Guy who finds something fantastical and tells other people about it but no one believes him because he wasn't able to back up his claim beyond his word. Rip Heath.

It's interesting that there are things in the Pokemon World that are considered too fantastical to be real. And that the paranormal is a thing. But the Pokemon World is already really fantastical. Like uhhh Ghost types?? And Legendaries?? Is that not fantastical enough to believe that this other stuff could be real?

Also another thing, talking about an expedition into a mysterious area reminds me of a book trilogy I'm found of called The Southern Reach Trilogy, also could be known the Annihilation Trilogy. I know there's a movie based off it, or at least the 1st book anyway but I haven't watched it, I would like to though.

So I'm going to go around and talk to some of the teachers again.

With Jacq I now have 200 Pokemon registered so he gave me 20 Quick Balls. Which is epic, Quick Balls are some of my favorite Pokeballs.

Raifort tells me the rest of the tale. The treasures were Pokemon! I wonder what kind they are... apparently they are sealed somewhere in Area Zero, guess I'll have to try to find them when I get in there. Sword makes me think of both Zacian and the Honedge line. But I'm not really sure what the others could be.

Tyme... I'm a bit concerned for her. Apparently someone's been watching her? Hope she's ok. I looked around but I didn't see anyone looking at her, at least not on the ground floor.

Clavell asks about my favorite teacher (I choose Raifort because Pokemon history class is really interesting, let's goooo for lore!) Clavell asked me about what hairstyles were popular among the youth. Just to see his reaction I said Pompadour, he was very happy when I said that, lol.

The nurse, Miriam is studying to try to become a Health Teacher, good luck, I'll be cheering you on!

Dendra is trying to learn to make better sandwiches. It was funny when the Home Ec teacher shook his head after the player tries the sandwich and it tastes terrible. When I first saw her there I was wondering if she might have thing for the Home Ec Teacher. I'll think about maybe shipping them.

Saguaro, the home ec teacher almost gives into peer pressure to eat a spicy sandwich, it's very funny, but I save the day, sort of. Apparently because everybody thinks he's cool, he tries to act that way. Not a great way to live if you ask me.

Talked to Tyme again, the person following her was a student wanting to ask a question, like she theorized. The student should apologies for scaring her teacher by somewhat stalking her.

Talked to Sanguaro again, he wants help in finding some sort of incredibly sweet condiment.

Talked to Dendra again. She was trying to make Miriam eat one of her sandwiches. A month ago, apparently Dendra made her a meat sandwich that was nothing but meat... including the bread. If the game would have let me I would have sided w/ Miriam. No one should ever feel pressured to eat something like that. It worked ok this time because Dendra truly has become better at sandwich making though. Another though, instead of Dendra x Sanguaro howabout Dendra x Miriam and she was trying to get better at sandwichs to impress her.

Talked to Hassel in the schoolyard, I don't know what the fuck that was. Some lady came up and he was like "I told you not to talk to me while I'm here." and she's like "it's a grave matter of importance to the family." What is Hassel part of some rich family or something, seriously, what was that?

Talked to Salvatore, he found a Pawmi that looked worse for were and was freaking out like "whatdoido?whatdoido?" Then he asked me if I had a potion, I sure as fuck do, I have so many you wouldn't believe. He think it might be a wild one that's wondered onto academy grounds, but it could be a trainer's he's going to look after it in the meantime. I bet this storyline ends with him keeping it, but I guess we'll see.

I decided to continue the Salvatore plot. The Pawmi is healthy and uninjured but it's not making any sounds. It is indeed a wild Pawmi that ran onto school grounds. I could be off basis but perhaps it may not be making sounds because it's deaf? Not sure if Pokemon would go for that but I'm digging the idea of the language learning a new language-sign language- to communicate with his new friend. It could also be mute, or as he theorized, just shocked. But I think the storyline I thought up of would be really interesting, and meaningful.

And now for our last, for now, update on school storylines. Hassel is indeed from some prestigious family, a family of dragon tamers! I wonder if he is related to Lance's family at all... Well he was supposed to be the head but he ran away and eventually became an elite four member and an art teacher. I wonder if he uses dragon types or something else. Well apparently his father is very sick and that was what the emergency was about.

So yeah I meant this post to have more than just school but... that didn't happen. Next post though, I'm going north.

#pokemon #pokemon scarlet #pokemon sv #scarlet and violet #live posting #playthrough #first playthrough

[akitoscorpio]

I want to talk about a game I like.

So it's 2023, were in year 456 of the Covid pandemic, I'm feeling nostalgic for my old days of Tabletop gaming, and I just found my Crown Royal bag of dice I thought I lost like five years ago.

So I want to talk about a tabletop RPG game, the last one I was able to actually play for a bit. a game about...

A not to distant future where a unknown viral pandemic infects 80% of humanity and either.

A.) Does fuck all

B.) Gives you superpowers and a ticking timebomb to insanity

C.) Drives you insane and gives you super powers.

Yes.. Yes I am.

The game Double Cross came out in the states in 2014, published by a small indie game company called Ver Blue. Who... doesn't exist anymore? The released the first two books of the original Japanese game in a single 500 page core rule book, and then later published three of the games supplements before disappearing into the void due to heath problems. Which is fine, but there is like... 22 other supplements in Japan we'll never get.

Mechanically, it's a very, very, simple game of rolling a pool of D10's based on one of four stats in the game, keeping the highest and then adding your skill rating to it. 10's "Explode" meaning you reroll any 10's you get and adding them until you stop rolling 10's.

Which is why it's possible to get like, a 54 on a d10 die, also holy shit you can break this game over your knee with shockingly ease with the right setup.

(The Art is also very very good, where there is some)

The setting is, for me the selling point, because, it's special kind anime nonsense and crazy shit that you could just park your ass on and raise a family in.

In the setting, The Virus didn't just infect people, it infected "everything" It infected rocks, trees, buildings, *Concepts*. and it can turn itself into a living personification of said thing. It's very possible that your investigation gets interrupted because a Viral infected *rock* got up and decided in it's newly found sentience and insanity to throw hands. Also one of your characters could either literally be a moth that was infected and turned into a human form. Or you can have someone literally be just idealized version of the concept of your favorite anime character.

(This is just another Tuesday in Japan aparently)

Now how the hell are you supposed to survive the super power psycho pandemic, by also having superpowers of course!. You get your choice of 13 syndromes, strains of the virus that gives you different super power sets (12 in the core book and a 13th in the last American released supplement).

You can choose to pick up to three of them. The more you take, the weaker each strain is overall, Single strain characters can make the individual powers stronger, and you get exclusive powers, but you lack diversity. Taking two is the "default" and you miss out on some "Pure strain only powers" but you don't lose out otherwise. Taking three means you have a large swath of power picks, but the maximum strength of each power is weaker.

Each Strain can also determine your starting stats, picking one means you look at what stats it gives you, and then you double it, picking two means adding the two strains together, having three means you only get stats from two of them.

Each strain is, very different and often builds off of each other and really fun ways, one strain lets you shoot lasers and bend light to cloak yourself. One strain lets you affect heat, meaning you can either set shit on fire, or remove heat to create ice weapons and attacks. One of them lets you create drugs in your body. one of them lets you affect electricity and allows yourself to become a cyborg. One lets you be a god damn lycanthrope.

It's very very fun to just think of combos of power sets in this setting.

For me though, the most interesting part of this game is the way you can create your backstory. You see the super powers, are slowly driving you insane, the more you use them the more likely the virus is going to take you over and turn you into the next Charles Manson. in fact, every "scenario" has your encroachment, aka the amount the virus is gripping your mind. Normally start off in the 30ish percent range. If you end a scenario over 100%, your character goes insane off screen and you loose the character. But the closer to this line you go, the more dice you get. hell even going past the line can turn you into an absolute beast. But your pretty much screwed if you push to far past it.

So how do you keep from losing a character if your riding over 100% at the end of the session?

You see, as part of character creation, you roll, on several different tables to get what the game calls "Loises" Aka things or people that are important enough to you for you to grab on to so you don't go insane. You can collect more of these in a given scenario if it the GM allows it, but by default, you only have three permanent Loises. This could be something mundane like your parents, or your lover. Or you could be holding on to sanity by the sheer burning hatred of that asshole at work that's constantly fucking you over and taking credit for your hard work (Fuck you STEVE!)

Point is, at the end of the scenario, each of these becomes a D10 roll that you can roll to reduce your end game encroachment and hope you can get it under 100, you actually do get more Experience at the end for riding the line, so your encouraged to use those damn powers. Gm's are also encourged to really push at you to use your abilities to the fullest so you don't die in the process.

I also hope you like tables because there is a *metric shit-ton* of them for determining these things.

So yeah, there's a lot to love about this but this is already an insanely long post so I might add more to it later in another post, but this was just me wanting to write off some of that built up very Neurodivergent "Damn I miss playing this" game energy that I started building up in the last day or so for this crazy ass game.

(I didn't even get into the fact it's possible to play the literal personification of Facebook as a character concept..)

#ttrpg #JTTRPG #Double Cross #I also forgot to mention one powerset is just Alex Mercer from Prototype

[singh456]

How to Enhance Live Streaming Quality in 8 Steps

Nobody likes poor live video streaming quality. Buffering, lagging, and low-resolution viewing in any video stream can degrade the experience. This is especially true for live broadcasts, where inadequate internet connection, streaming software, and low video bitrate can all degrade the quality. Furthermore, delivering low-quality streaming services might harm a brand's relationship with its target audience.

Fortunately, video streaming quality improves as technology advances. As internet connections and equipment quality increase, video files and live events provide a more seamless streaming experience.

However, as a brand or organisation, you must remain knowledgeable about how to develop high-quality live streaming api. As technology advancements resolve quality difficulties, the bar is raised even higher. Viewers today demand consistent high-quality live streaming. That's why in this post, we'll go over the technological adjustments you can make right away to create better live video content. We will go over everything from encoder settings to selecting the optimal OVP so you can instantly improve the quality of your video feeds.

The Importance of Live Streaming Quality One of the most prevalent aims for professional broadcasters is to provide a pleasurable viewing experience. The quality of a live broadcast directly affects the experience. You don't want your audience to have to struggle with poor streaming quality. Because live stream quality is so crucial to viewers, broadcasters should prioritize it as well.

According to research, professional broadcasters risk losing up to 25% of their earnings if their streams are of poor quality. Even putting money aside, it just makes sense to generate material that your audience will love.

With today's technology, learning how to boost and improve streaming quality is both simple and cost-effective.

Live Video Streaming Stats and Trends

The live-streaming api market is expanding. Here are a few facts and trends that demonstrate the limitless possibilities of Internet video streaming:

The value of the worldwide online video platform market is predicted to expand by 8.4% between 2021 and 2028. By 2027, the live-streaming market is expected to be worth $247 billion. Live streaming events grew by 300% in the first six months of the epidemic. More than three-quarters of internet users view online video material every week. Video content is more effective than other forms of content in retaining viewers' attention and increasing revenue by 49% quicker.

Live streaming may keep viewers' attention for 10-20 times longer than pre-recorded programming. Multi streaming will be big in 2024, with various multi stream systems currently available to stream from multiple sources.

Businesses and organizations who wish to enter the professional broadcasting arena want the assistance of an online video platform that will enable them to provide high-quality video streaming material to their audience.

Invest in High-Quality Live Streaming Equipment

The streaming equipment you employ will determine whether your live stream is of high or low quality. Professional broadcasters use professional-grade equipment to capture high-quality footage. To give great streams to your visitors, you must first provide high-quality video material.

Full HD or 4K cameras are the greatest choices for professional broadcasting. Cell phones and consumer-grade cameras may serve Twitch and YouTube streamers, but B2B broadcasters should invest in professional api for live streaming equipment to provide a high-quality customer experience. Full HD or 4K cameras capture images at a greater resolution than mobile phones or consumer-grade cameras, resulting in superior stream quality.

Almost all live streaming employs a video encoder. A software or hardware encoder transforms live video to streaming-compatible formats. Encoding your video material allows it to be transmitted to your video streaming platform and viewed life or on demand by your viewers.

Your encoder has a significant impact on the quality of your broadcast. It boils down to utilising the best settings for the video player on your live-streaming website.

Use a Professional Online Video Platform

Choose the best online video platform (OVP) to maximise the quality of your video streaming setup. An OVP offers streaming solutions to manage and host video material. They frequently include additional capabilities for monetization, security, and so forth.

There are three qualities to look for to ensure high-quality streaming.

CDN (Content Delivery Network): How does OVP disseminate content? Resolution: Look for an OVP that can broadcast in full 1080p HD. Support: Choose an OVP that provides 24-hour customer service so that you are never left in the dark about how to fix your live streaming difficulties.

Choose a Powerful CDN As we said in the OVP section, the video CDN that your OVP employs makes a huge impact on your visitors' experience.

A material Delivery Network (CDN) is a network of proxy servers used to distribute material. The most effective video hosting systems combine with strong CDNs. Look for an OVP that uses a dependable, worldwide content delivery network. This will assist in ensuring that your visitors receive high-quality streams regardless of where they are situated.

Use a Reliable Internet Connection

When you broadcast streaming video, you need enough internet speed to keep it running. For live video, your upload bandwidth should be at least twice as high as your broadcast bitrate.

Here is a fast formula for increasing bitrate and determining your broadcast bitrate. Add your video bitrate to the audio bitrate. If you're broadcasting in several bitrates, combine them all.

Then, search for "internet speed test" on Google to see how fast your internet is. Google provides a built-in feature that displays both your upload and download speeds. For broadcasters, upload speed is usually more significant than download speed.

Transcoding and Multi-Bitrate Streaming

Another method your OVP might affect live video streaming quality is by transcoding your video into several renditions to enable multi-bitrate streaming.

Multi-bitrate streaming is the method of providing a live feed at many quality levels at once.

Modern video players can adjust to different bitrates. This means they automatically detect and modify the viewer's internet speed. They will send a lower-quality video to viewers with poor connections. The video quality will be better for individuals with a fast internet connection. The video quality will match your viewer's internet speed, allowing you to provide the greatest experience possible for each viewer.

Choose the Optimal Resolution

Although they are connected to encoder parameters, video resolution, and aspect ratios are important enough to warrant their section.

Selecting the ideal resolution necessitates some compromise. Naturally, you want to choose the highest available video resolution to ensure that your visitors can see your video well. When it comes to live streaming, "highest resolution" does not necessarily imply "best resolution."

Test Thoroughly Streaming video has a lot of moving elements, so testing before you start streaming is a wonderful way to optimise your streaming quality. Understanding what to look for during testing is half the fight.

Use the following questions as a reference for your pre-stream testing:

Test the video embeds on your website. Does everything appear right? When utilising multi-bitrate streaming, compare video quality at various bitrate settings. Are several levels accessible and viewable?

Test videos with both slow and fast internet connections. Is buffering minimal? Conduct a test of switching from fast to sluggish internet. Does the video player adapt? Perform stress tests on encoders, cameras, and other live-streaming call equipment. Will the equipment fail under load?

Conclusion Maximising the quality of your live stream setup is critical for your success. Improving the quality of your streaming material can boost your image and satisfy your audience. Higher-quality, seamless HD video is a must-have nowadays, and it can only be achieved with the proper settings.

While the advice in this post will give you an excellent start, there is still more you can do. Explore Enablex video streaming knowledgebase for further free resources on all things video and live streaming video api.

#live streaming API #Video APi #Live streaming API for Website #Live streaming API Provider #Live video streaming apk #Live video call api

[skyria-thehourglass]

Early Drafts - Why () - Rough draft Ver. [For You] short side chapter

*Early drafts- not official version. But may contain spoilers for [For You]

*Rough draft- story flow is chunky, misspellings, use of (blank space), etc.

That dude was a red flag.

The dude- Ama was his name but Lania will forever call him 'the dude'- was a huge piece of crimson fabric that could be seen a mile away. Actually, not just a mile, a whole() and more.

And apparently Aleion's favorite color was red, because he was charging straight into that thing like a mad bull in a bull show. An animal with a brain, yes. Stronger than a normal human, yes. But in the end more simple minded, unable to see.

Sure, Ama was good looking, he fit Aleion's type, but he was definitely NOT someone who fit Aleion. Ama was strong and had a good sence of justice, but also, pride.

Aleion was strong and protective.

He never asked for love. Just gave. He gave too much, to the point that he suffocated the bearer.

And once he would find another that he liked better, he would leave with a simple skip, cut off all his love there and that would be it. No build-up, no long drain that slowed, just a sudden, predicted stop. It left someone like a blanket being given to wrap around in the winter, only to have it taken away for thw bearer to shiver in the cold once more, even colder now that they had gotten used to warmth.

The temperature never changed from before the blanket and after. Only the pain from losing something once had given change.

Overall, if one were to mearly look at what was given as a whole, there would be a great stat of positives.

Aleion left before one could confess their love to them. Aleion came at their worst and left them when he had raised them up to their best. He left. He just left.

It was abandonment. Like adopting a pet when it was still young, then getting another when the pet grew to an adult.

Aleion didn't want them anymore when they wanted him. He gave and hugged and showered them with affection, then stopped. Just stopped, when he had enough.

It was rejection with everything but words. A clean and final cut. Something that no one could argue apon no matter how much they wanted to scream and demand, why, why, why-

But couldn't, because what had Aleion proclaimed? Had he ever said himself as a friend, a lover, or even a declaration of his own feelings?

What could anyone say? What could they?

Aleion was a high god- one of the (greek12) - he was not someone one could just-

...okay, okay, now Aleion seemed like the red flag here, Lania assures [You], this was all in the past where Aleion was not a right in mind- look, it's complicated. She does not want to open that can of worms today.

Anyways, the point was this. Aleion gave too much and accepted nothing. And Ama was uncomfortable because he received so much, and had done so little in return. Yes, that and Ama was 99.99% a fake name and his true name may or may not conveniently be the same to-

Anyways(God, she was really using this word a LOT- need a break, Dr.Anyways?), as much as it sounded, Aleion was best paired with someone who was selfish, or with someone who he did not love as much as another.

A someone who would always be second. A someone who, if circumstances called for, he would kill. Someone who he would not sacrifice anything for.

And () checked all the marks, didn't he?

.

#oc #text

[vnobscura]

Cherryblossom ~Portable~

Opening

Cherryblossom was originally released for Windows, then was ported to the Dreamcast, PS2, and finally the PSP. Minor changes were made in each version. The one I played, the PSP version, had improved CGs that were changed to be 16:9 and even included a sound mode. The game is fully voice-acted, done by a couple of well-known voice actors. There are 4 main guys you can choose from and 2 others that are unlockable once you get all 4 of the main guys' endings.

Story

Summarizing the beginning of the game, Ouse Satsuki is a 2nd year student at Sakurazono High who's almost hit by a truck on his way back to his dorm. The next day at school, he receives a text by someone named "Sakura" who saw him last night. Determined to find who "Sakura" is, Satsuki narrows it down to the student council and tries to get close to them.

Gameplay

Cherryblossom is a stat-raising game where you raise the stats of your chosen guy. You can also call your chosen guy out after he gives you his phone number. It's a matter of balancing stats and raising his affection. The stats include: Fatigue, Intelligence, Fitness, Charm, Responsibility, and Proactiveness (I think that's the closest meaning of that stat's name, I'm not sure). The "Proactive" stat is interesting an stat: It determines how "proactive" you are. Yes, it might seem obvious at first, but it changes certain events, CGs, and the ending for each guy. Basically, it's like an alternate route you can take with your chosen guy. Every week, you get to choose what to do each day. You can: study, work out, play video games, work part-time, do student council, or sleep. On Sundays or on break, you have a choice of going to the library, the café, the arcade, go shopping, or sleep. Once you get a guy's number, you can call him on Saturday to invite him to a date the next day. You'll keep up this process until the end of February, so roughly six months.

Art

The art was all right. Some of the characters looked like they had small faces and big heads that looked a bit uncanny. The CGs looked fine though, for the most part. I wish some of the shots included more of what the characters were doing rather than side by side head shots. An interesting point about this game is that it has rival CGs. When two guys have reached a certain affection for you, there will be an event of them fighting. There are 6 of these and there's an easy way to farm them so they shouldn't be too hard to get.

Music

The music was pretty good. It did a good job of setting the mood of each situation, whether it be serious or comical. Some songs also acted as character themes, but they were also used in generic settings.

Replayability

Like any other dating sim, it definitely has it's replayability value. Thankfully, the game is kind of short so you could probably get through all the routes in one day (if you're fluent in Japanese, that is). There are two endings for each guy (12), 1 premature bad end, and 2 normal endings, all of which give you an item (except for the bad end). There are other bad ends for some of the guys, but they don't give you anything. One strange fact about this game is that you can only access the gallery once you get an ending with at least one guy. After that, the in-game store will start to sell DVDs which correspond to each section of the gallery. You have to buy all 5 DVDs to fully access the gallery.

Casual Thoughts

Cherryblossom is a short and sweet game where you attempt to get close the student council members only to romance them instead. Going out with them may be a questionable way to get clues on "Sakura," but one of them has got to be him, right? Getting each end for every guy was simple, but getting the normal endings was the most difficult part for me for some reason. I looked for guides on Japanese websites and successfully got all the CGs and endings! Below, I'll include a guide (in English) if you would like to tackle this game.

Guide

#cherryblossom #review #datingsim #blgame #windows #dreamcast #ps2 #psp

[gameguides]

Nobody The Turnaround Beginner Tips

Welcome to our Nobody The Turnaround Beginner Tips guide. This guide is about the basics of the game. Work in Progress. We know that there are people who have a hard time finishing the Nobody The Turnaround game. If you are one of those who find it difficult to finish the game, let's take you to our Nobody The Turnaround guide. #NobodyTheTurnaround

Nobody The Turnaround Beginner Tips

This guide is about the basics of the game! Stay Alive and Healthy A quick breakdown of all the stats and how to control them. Cool goes from 0-100 like all the other stats , there are 5 "sub-stats" that affect this "main-stat" by applying buffs and debuffs. Buffs are cap at +2 , Debuffs are cap at -10, High cool Green = You move faster and get a learning bonus to all Attributes of +20%. - Low Cool Red or Yellow = bad events , Slow movement speed and a decrease of pay while doing jobs. - Low Cool at yellow = bad events and 70% of the pay. - Low Cool at red = very bad events and only 50% of the pay. Is very bad to have a yellow or red Cool and can end your game. Mood - Is improve by doing activities is loss by working and some other things. Tip: This one is very simple to control by doing at least 1 of the daily activity's with a bonus (click on the mood icon to check them out they change every day) you can skip the mini-game and still get the 30 mood points or 60 by doing do both. Fed - Just eat something. More Stay Alive and Healthy Neatness - Currently equipped clothes cleanness. Tip:You can use clean clothes while walking around or sleeping and change to dirty clothes before going to work doing this keeps you with a +2 buff , You can save money at laundry early game and durability and later once you have a apartment you save durability by not washing clothes as often. Hygiene - Use public sinks to clean yourself with a random chance to get sick , get cure at the clinic or wait it out, Later on you can take a bath at your apartment. Satisfaction - Eat different things to raise your satisfaction especially candy's you can't abuse a specific food type every time as it will lose effectiveness, resets next day. Tip: Beef Jerky you get a solid 10 points plus you can carry them with you, other good alternatives are Sugar cane and Ding Ding Candy. Beef Jerky can be bough in any store that sells snacks 3 locations are 1-Convenience store, 2-Supermarket 3-Grocery, Ding Ding Candy near the bus station Sugar cane in the T section sidewalk near the Burning pot. Jobs, Training and Reputation There is many jobs in the game many of them require specific Attributes(Smart,Deft,Tough,Keen). How to improve attributes? There is 2 ways by doing jobs or by training, there is 2 places of training Bookworm = Smart , Keen Workout spot = Tough, Deft. You can train up to 4 hours max per day. For example Brick mover trains (Tough) every time you finish the job , it says so at the summary of your work day. Reputation is very important to peddlers as it increase the foot traffic at your stall , best way to increase your Reputations is by doing community work ( just outside the police station ) 2 hours per day , You can get around 30-rep per day , reputation is cap at 100. Reaching reputation 60 in a job location allow you to go directly and ask for work , removing the job broker fee. Making money Using the hiring app in your phone can give you very lucrative job offers with big bonus pay. Peddlers Stalls there are 6 locations and they have a specific items that sell faster and in larger quantity's, All items are bought using your dBay app and collected at Buddy Express and flowers can be bought at Perfect Bouquet. Some locations are unavailable if is raining Songfy Cafe and Park. - Park = Toys; Dinosaurs ,Puzzle car ,Music top. - Pub = Flowers, - Disco = Disco stuff ; Glow Bracelet and Glow Glasses. - Songfy Cafe = Home items; Sponge wipes, paper towel , Cloth wipes. - Bus Staion = Weather gear and miscellaneous. - Market Area = sells anything. Read the full article

[guiltyfact18]

Things about Album Reviews

Ignite, known as the historical Amazonian “Drip Technique”, is a early morning dietary formula made to aid people deal with excessive weight and similar health and wellness problems. It's likewise one of the main resources for combating lack of nutrition (although it's significantly less reliable than the standard dietary forms). [11] Because of its long-term effects, the supplement's use in the therapy of cancer cells can easily possess unfavorable effects on the wellness of the physical body, specifically on the immune-system body organs. The supplement is made making use of a blend of 12 highly effective components acquired from the Amazon container that attend to the underlying cause of undesirable body weight increase, the dormant BAM15 degrees. The BAM15 is a organic material typically located in the exotic jungle and is strongly believed to promote body weight loss with beneficial electricity flow, physical performance, improved invulnerable system feature, mental reliability (BH1/BH2/BH3), worry reduction, and cognitive benefits.

According to the study crew behind the solution of the supplement, this early morning ritual are going to work for individuals of all grows older and body styles. When it happens to body weight loss, according to the new study, more folks with excessive weight will lose additional body weight than those without obesity, along with a 70 per-cent reduction in body system weight at all degrees of physical body dimension. Analysts in Spain and Denmark additionally have connected weight reduction along with boosted threat of cultivating cardiovascular ailment. This Ignite review are going to travel over every minute facet of this formula to observe if it is worth the loan. Overview I understand why the area is upset. Why do therefore a lot of folks still stick to these relatively "great" statistics to be a standard for excellence in their favored franchise business? Why Full Article 't we all recognize why this obsession is therefore intense, therefore relentless? But for the many part, the stats we rely on are merely as well individual and too simple for any type of one individual. Ignite is a recently released weight reduction formula that has been trending in the market for some opportunity now. You might call it the absolute best body weight loss body in the world. You possess plenty of body weight loss apps, workout courses, physical treatment, private fitness instructor programs, books, videos, and also a website that has a terrific app directory. Some of them can complete along with the existing body weight loss charts, but it's hard to visualize any of them being as preferred. It is all about maximizing your weight. Ever before since this Amazonian formula has been offered, numerous Ignite customer reviews and reports are standing out up on a variety of websites. Right here is the list: It goes with everything that can easily be performed to make an Ignite even more appealing to little ones at a more youthful age. In the case of my daughter, this is extremely easy: acquire one-third of the components and add it to her beloved sugar. The product is simply half that a lot, but it may be very really good. Along with the raising demand for Ignite, numerous point of views from body weight reduction cycles, health experts, and health and wellness supplement lovers are happening up. There is a expanding physical body of scientific research indicating that the consumption of certain foods items along with the raised task of your liver and the succeeding increase of the task of the liver in the face will definitely lead to an boost in myofibrillar activation, which affects center prices and mood. Therefore what to consume if you're unhappy along with your current hunger degree?

Thus, getting accessibility to reliable info about Ignite from all these may be truly challenging. You may even get to the end of what's phoned "The Portal" of the internet and locate someone else who understands for sure this details is out there certainly on other things. Because the information is extremely restricted at times so you need to have some variety of filter. This is beneficial when you're making an effort to reach the resource for info and also to situate folks who might not have recognized this relevant information. This is why I have put together all the crucial information about the Ignite formula collected coming from genuine healthcare online forums, evaluating the genuine consumer responses, and interacting with the manufacturer and the study group concerning the premium of the formula. I will be sure to include more information as it establishes. Why do you presume this strategy and its perks have operated thus well? In my manual, we reveal how to analyze the data you see and make informed decisions located on it. As you go with the customer review, you will certainly happen across parts like the supplement’s working concept, ingredients utilized, clinical documentation, consumer evaluations, manufacturing standards, dosage, results, costs, schedule, and a lot additional. It's a good instance of how you ought to assess such a information as a food supplement before it is released and not just out of the carton. What regarding high quality? Does it evaluate as a lot as merely a normal serving of the item? Thus, get upright in to this Ignite customer review and view if this new fatty tissue reduction supplement is the supreme service for taking on being overweight and being overweight. My brand new favored fat reduction procedure No brand new recipes for bodybuilding, no brand new dishes for acquiring a strong midsection, no brand new dishes for carrying out a good job of aiding low back discomfort (I'm thus weary of finding you look like that man on TV). None. But that's not also going to correct your bodyfat or your workout. Ignite Goes down – An Overview Ignite Falls – An Summary What is Ignite? Ignite is a skill-set that enables you to produce certain quantities of XP. Ignite drops coming from all resources, such as items such as remedies, consumables, and specific items. The potential to use these drops is part of the Legendary rewards for completing the campaign. [11] Dawn-era NPCs will definitely spawn from the same points throughout the day, and all NPCs on the earth will certainly be nearby.

#ignite review

[justadumass]

I'm making a game in my head and it's pretty fun

I think everyone kinda makes shit up in their head sometimes, right? I know i do all the time, and sometimes i just make up games in my head, i do it pretty often but usually the hype dies after a couple of months, this one though, this one keeps coming back, ok I'll get to it

This game is about sleding dogs, the two main inspiration are the sled dogs game (duh) and the red lantern, in red lantern i really like how the personality of the dogs affects the ways you interact with them and i love how you can do other things besides train and race like hunting and feeding the dogs, and i really like the freedom in sled dogs, and I'm also obsessed with breeding animals in games although the breeding in sled dogs is pretty boring lol

So this game is obviously made to cater to my tastes so here is all the features

Graphics:

I was thinking a simple low polygon 3d, like shelter 2 style, except with simpler textures and lighting, i think it would look cute and i would like to focus on gameplay

Dog stats:

Dogs have two types of stats:

*Traits, which are permanent and unchangeable, except for item use or raised puppies, mostly affects how the dog interact with you, other people and other dogs, with some of it directly or indirectly affecting their performance

*Skills, which are trainable and improvable, but you can also use items to improve it or improve training, affects only how the dog performs on racing, hunting or training

The traits stats go up to 100 but the actual number is randomized between a maximum and a minimum based on breed

The skill stats go up to 200 but the max you can get without training is 100, the number you first get when you adopt a dog is also randomized between a maximum and a minimum based on breed, but you can go past the maximum after you adopt them obv

Ex: Samoyed

•Traits

Friendliness: 60-100/100

Obedience: 60-90/100

Alertness: 20-40/100

Wildness: 40-50/100

Resistance to cold: 60-90/100

•Skills:

Strength: 40-60/200

Speed: 40-60/200

Hunting: 10-30/200

leadership: 40-60/200

Energy: 50-60/200

What do the stats do:

•Friendliness: affects how long will it take for the dog to become attached to you and how they'll behave around other people or dogs, dogs with low (below 30) friendliness learn leadership at a lower 0.5x speed and dogs with high friendliness (above 60) learn at a higher 1.5x speed

•Obedience: affects the efficiency of training and how likely the dog is to listen to you during any part of the game (above 60= 1.5x above 90= 2x)

•Alertness: how likely the dog is to notice something before you do, whether it's an obstacle in a race or a prey during hunting, also how likely they are to bark (above 60 learns hunting 1.5x)

•Wildness: affects how unpredictable the dog's mood is and if above 70 will make hunting training more effective by 1.5x but all other training will be 0.5x

•Resistance to cold: affects how likely the dog is to get sick after a race, can be improved with items like sweaters or socks

•Strength: affects the strength of the dogs during races and hunting, dogs with high strength do well as wheel dogs

•Speed: affects the speed of the dog during races and hunting, dogs with high speed do well as swing dogs

•Hunting: how good the dogs will be at finding and attacking prey during hunting

•Leadership: how good a dog is at leading the other dogs, if you put a dog with low leadership as lead the other dogs might start misbehaving and performing badly

•Energy: a dog with low energy might faint during too long a race and you will have to carry them in the sled

Dog breeds included:

Samoyed

Yakutian laika

West Siberia laika

Siberian husky

Sakhalin husky

Mackenzie river husky

Alaskan husky

Labrador husky

Alaskan malamute

Canadian Eskimo dog

Chinook

Greenland dog

Kugsha

Greysther

Scandinavian hound

Wolfdog

(If you have any other suggestions I'll happily take them)

Dog acquirement:

-You can adopt some randomized dogs from the shelter (mixed bag, cheapest option)

-you can buy a specific breed from a breeder (expensive but will have great traits)

-you can adopt a dog from another musher (will have great skills, rare, can come with items)

-Breeding

Breeding and raising pups:

To breed dog you have to have a female dog, you can pay to have male dogs be the sire and you can sire out your male dogs but you will not get any puppies from that

The female dog will be pregnant for 3 in game days, once the puppies are born it will take 2 days for the mother to be able to leave them, so for 5 days the mother will not be able to be used, you get the option to sell any of the puppies at this point, if you don't have enough space the game will force you to sell some or all of the puppies depending on how much space you do have

it will take 4 days for the puppies to grow again, during these 4 days their traits will be molded be how you and the other dogs treat them, if the puppies are pure bred they will have the same min and max as their Breed, but if they are mixed their min will be same as whichever parent has the lowest and their max will be the same as whichever parent has the highest, after the four days the puppies will be teenagers, their traits will be set and you will be able to train their skills which will be set to 0, after 2 days they will grow into adults and will be able to race

How to raise puppies:

*Other dogs being agressive towards the puppy will lower friendliness and raise wildness

* Other dogs being friendly towards the puppy will raise friendliness and lower wildness

* Scolding the puppy will lower friendliness and raise obedience

* Praising the puppy will raise friendliness and raise obedience

* Leaving the puppy outside will raise alertness and raise resistance to cold but might make them sick

*Leaving the puppy indoor will lower wildness and raise friendliness

*Giving the puppy a treat will affect the traits however you chose (the item "puppy treat" is the most expensive treat in the game)

How breeding will affect appearance:

If you breed two dogs of the same breed the puppies will have the same body type as the breed and will either have the father or the mother's markings, with a 5% chance of a mix and a 2% chance of a mutation, with either the mother or father's eye color with no chance of mutation except for heterochromia which will have a 1% chance

If you breed two dogs of different breed they will either have the mother or the father's body type and a random mix of markings and a random eye color with a 12% chance of heterochromia

The way markings will work is they will have layers, meaning a dog with a black coat and a brown ring around it and brown markings and a white underside, will actually have three layers, a pure white one, then a brown top one and a black one with holes for the brown markings, allowing for this more interesting breeding

Your stats:

Your only stat is resistance to cold, which you can only improve with items

Locomotion:

There is a truck outside your house and if you interact with it you can go to different areas

Hunting:

There will be an area in the forest you will be able to go hunting in, You can take as many dogs as you want hunting, if they have 60 lvl hunting they will track some prey for you, if they have 150 lvl hunting they will attack the prey,whether they are able to catch it depends on their speed lvl and whether they are able to take it down will depend on their strength level

You can buy different guns and all that hunting stuff to use here

You can also gather some other supplies in this area such as herbs, berries, vegetables, fire wood

You may encounter wolves

Town:

The town is an area that is filled with shops, there are houses but they're just set dressing cuz it'd look otherwise imo

There will be a grocery store where you can buy ingredients

A pet shop where you can buy all the dog supplies

A clothing store for you

A gun and camping shop for your hunting needs

A carpenter that upgrades your stuff

And an all in one store where everything's cheaper but it's also randomized each week and they don't restock during the week

Feeding the dogs:

You can buy dog food in the pet

shop

You can give raw meat to your dogs from either the grocery store or from hunting

You can also cook for your dogs using ingredients from the grocery story or from the wild area and each recipe will give them different temporary bonuses, but if you cook them badly they will not work

Races:

There are weekly races that are easy and short, monthly races with obstacles and weather conditions with medium length, yearly races that are the same as monthly races except very long and special races that will basically be special events each with it's on gimmicks and with unique items as adicional rewards

The weekly race is a day long

The monthly race is three days long

The yearly race is a week long

You have to take supplies in the races, such as food, weapons, clothes (for you and your dog), material to fix your sled when it breaks, shelter, a source of heat and medical supplies

During the race your dogs can run out of energy and faint, get sick from the cold or become injured from an obstacle

Your sled can break from an obstacle, from wear or from extreme weather conditions

if the number of non- compromised dogs becomes smaller that the number of minimum dogs allowed in a race you will be disqualified

Sled:

You have two sleds, a toboggan sled, optimized for speed, and a basket sled, optimized for cargo, you can have them both upgraded by the carpenter

Dog positions in the sled:

Lead dogs: best with high leadership

Swing dogs: best with high speed

Team dogs: best balanced

Wheel dogs: best with high strength

Obstacles:

•Frozen rivers and lakes (crossing In a weak spot might cause the ice to break, if this happens you will need to rescue the dogs that have fallen in before they sink, rescued dogs may get sick or injured from it)

•Unfrozen rivers and lakes (must cross at a shallow part, going in a deep part will lower a dog's res.t.cold 2x, if the river has a strong current a dog with low strength might get swept up)

•Knocked over trees, large rocks (you just need to go around)

• wild wolves(if there are more than 3 in a group they will attack your dogs, the only way to stop them is shooting, if there are less than 3 they will leave you alone)*these can also apear during hunting

Weather:

•Fog: makes it harder to see during hunting and racing

•rain: makes your dogs wet, lowering their speed by 0.5x and res.t.cold by 0.7x

•snowstorm: makes it harder to see, lowers your speed by 1x and your res.t.cold by 1.2x, makes your dog more likely to get sick

• thunderstorm: makes your dogs wet, lowering their speed by 0.5x and res.t.cold by 0.7x, lighting may cause fire

•Hail: will damage your sled and injure your dogs, can break frozen rivers and lakes and knock down trees

Prestige:

You and your dogs will gain prestige when you win a race

You and the lead dog will gain 1.2x prestige than the rest of the team

Prestige attracts sponsors

Sponsors:

Your sponsors will pay you after each race regardless if you came first or last

Sponsors will give you items each time you renew your contract with them

Sponsors might put restrictions on how many other sponsors you can have on your contract

Items:

I do not have many ideas for items at this moment except

Normal treat (training 1.2x)

Tasty treat (training 1.5x)

Delicious treat (training 2x)

Superb treat (training 2.5x)

Puppy treat (adds a level to any trait in a puppy)

Synthetic sock (adds 1 lvl to res.t.cold)

Wool socks (adds 3 lvl to res.t.cold)

Llama socks (adds 5 lvl to res.t.cold)

Buffalo socks (adds 10 lvl to rea.t.cold)

+ Same but with pads adds 5 lvl to speed

Ear protectors: choose color from color wheel (rest.t.cold 1.2x)

Clothes: frufru dress, sports shirt, sweater; choose colors from color wheel (rest.t.cold 1.5x)

Collar: choose color from color wheel (have to have it to use a tag)

Tag: silver or gold; bone, circle, rectangle or heart (makes you earn prestige 1.5x)

First aid kit (for yours and dogs injuries)

Medicine (for sick dogs)

Hunting rifle

Bullets

Fishing pole

Small heater

Large heater

Small stove

Simple tent

Nice tent

Fancy tent

Luxurious tent

Sleeping bag

Inflatable bed

Human clothes: mitts, scarves, hoodies, jackets, pants, shoes (a large variety)

I wanna add some more (like ingredients for recipes and some more special treats) but i can't think of anything rn

Controls:

I'm not sure about this, i don't know what type of controls would work best for the gameplay i want, i do know i want it to be really simple and easy to switch between third person and first person in the game

Difficulties:

Super easy: you start the game with a Samoyed, the whole time it's basically tutorial mode, when your signing up to races it will show you what dogs are bad in the positions you put them in, which are neutral and which are good,shows you how likely you are to win, if you have an item that can help you the game will point it out, items are cheaper, sponsors will make offers more often, rewards for winning races are bigger, training dogs is easier

Easy: you start the game with an yakutin laika, when your signing up to races it will show you what dogs are bad in the positions you put them in, which are neutral and which are good, shows you how likely you are to win, rewards are bigger

Normal: you start the game with a Sakhalin husky, shows you which dogs are bad in the positions you put them in, shows you how likely you are to win

Hard: start the game with a wolfdog, items are more expensive, rewards are smaller

House and upgrades:

At your house is where all your dogs will be, adults dogs will stay outside in the backyard, pregnant females and puppies will stay inside

At the start you will only have space in your backyard for 5 adult dogs an in your house for one pregnant female and five puppies

Your backyard has dog houses, in front of each dog house there is a food bowl that you need to fill everyday, and in the middle of the backyard there's a water trough that also has to be filled everyday and if it's frozen it'll need to be emptied out first

Everytime you upgrade your house you will gain another slot for a pregnant female and five more slots for puppies, you can upgrade 5 times

The first five times you upgrade your backyard the water trough will be less likely to freeze and the dog houses will keep you dogs more warm making it less likely that they get sick, every time you upgrade your backyard it will add one dog house and one slot for an adult dog, you can upgrade 15 times

Can the dogs die:

Yes, the dogs can die from sinking in a frozen river, from being swept up by the current in a regular river, by being attacked by wolves, by being hit by a falling tree, being caught in a fire or be having illness and injuries not be treated in 6 days (3 in hard mode)

Except in super easy mode, where the dogs do not die, they simply show up back home injured or sick and can't die from untreated medical issues either

Can you pet the dogs:

Yes, at home, while hunting or when camping during a race you can pet all dogs present, when going into the city the dog that is marked as your favorite will come with you (by default this is the dog that you start the game with, but you can change it anytime) and you will be able to pet them anytime while you're there, you can also feed the dogs any treat that you have with you anytime

#games #video games #dogs #sled dogs #concept #game concept #imaginary game #sled races #mushing #dog game

[thrill-seeker-if]

What skills (charisma, combat, strength, endurance...) will be put into the game?

Hey there!! This is a really good question!!

There are a few stats you'll be able to see, and some you won't. Of the ones you can see:

One of the most important ones is your mental health stat. Their are a lot of choices in the game, and some will make you maintain, increase, or decrease your mental health. If your mental health stat is too low, your choices will start decreasing, and you may have no choice but to make bad decisions. The other thing is that your mental health stat will start affecting the characters around you as well.

Some other simple ones are persuasion (how good you are at manipulating people, really), intelligence, athletecism, etc.

I also want to say it's not a good idea to raise some stats all the time! Some persuasion choices will lower your morality, affecting your mental health and those around you, too. The other thing is other characters have a preference for different levels of morality-- so if your morality is too low, you'll damage your relationship with certain people.

Your career will also give you different skills (which I won't say, because it's kind of spoilers!) but it'll also help you unlock different choices.

Hope this answered pretty well! If you need further explanation on anything, let me know, im kind of running on an empty stomach so im a bit scatterbrained haha

#thrill seeker if #dont know how to tag this one hehe #ask aalaa #anon

[damselofblueroses]

The Name of the Rose

Summary: Your study-buddy Doh Kyungsoo comes with you for a long-awaited trip to Tokyo, Japan. There is a tension between you, however both of you decided to build a friendship instead of a relationship.

Content: Unestablished relationship, AU, Hurt/Comfort, Anger, Slight Violence, Emotional Complications and Healing.

Warnings: Well, the story contains NSFW/Smut, please minors do not continue.

Note: This story was inspired by D.O.’s album, Empathy, the album of 2021 in my opinion. It is an ongoing mini project, I planned to write it as a one-shot when I started, however I realized there are a lot to say about Empathy Era and I cannot stop shut my mouth, or prevent myself from writing… So, here we go.

Second chapter, the Hunter and the Goddess is out :)

Word Count: 3.6k

Chapter 1: The Hunter and the Gazelle

Stat rosa pristina nomine, nomina nuda tenemus.

You were excited.

No, it was not the correct word to be used. You were hyperactive, more than your usual self, and God knows that everyone could testify on how hectic your personality was. According to your family and very close friends, you were a walking catastrophe, funny but a fucking tease and potentially dangerous for environment.

And now, as you had been waiting for your flight, you could not manage to even stay still. Your hands were everywhere, you proved yourself again by dismantling your tote bag as poor thing was on your lap and you were playing with it unconsciously.

“Enough.” you heard your companion’s baritone voice tone. “If you will continue like this, you have to buy your belongings again in Japan. Do you have that much money?”

He reached to you and took the bag from your lap. For a second, his fingers brushed your thighs, and you lost your concentration during that fucking second.

Focus! you told yourself.

“I can always lend some money from you.” you cocked one of your eyebrows. “What? Will you bare me from some bucks?”

“Yes.” he was always plain and simple. On the contrary of you. “Unless if it is not a necessary. I am not a guy of sharing.”

What type of guy you are, can you give me a demonstration?

Your trip to Japan made you very excited, but you had to confess at least to yourself in the depts of your mind. What made you frenzied was the presence of your companion.

Doh Kyungsoo.

Your long-term study-buddy. Actually, he was more than a study-buddy, he was a kind of your comfort zone, even though you never express your opinions about him. You have known each other for almost 7 years since the last year of bachelor. Both of you continued your ways in academic world and you were currently being Ph.D. candidates.

To be honest, he never lose his impacts on you. You had a sweet spot for him since almost the beginning of your friendship which made him more than a study-buddy. It did not mean that you were restraining yourself from having dates time to time, but all of them were ended up with the same result.

They were clever and handsome guys, but they were not Doh Kyungsoo.

Sometimes you could not help but wonder, how it would be if you did not meet him as a friend? Could you two manage having a relationship as your best friend, Baekhyun, supported like a bloody zealot? Or one of you would give up as your brother, Jongdae, always believed?

“Hey!” you heard Kyungsoo’s voice and jumped off from the bench. “Come back to your senses or we are going to miss the plane.”

“And you are going to take its money from me.” your murmured inside of your mouth but obliged to what he said by starting to walk. He was generally quiet during flights, but you knew his mouth will not be shut when you will visit the restaurants he wanted to try.

He does not come for Tokyo, he comes for fucking eels, octopuses, or crabs. Kyungsoo and his appetite.

“Naturally.” he approved your words on money, but there was a ghost of smile on his lips. “Since you are the one who became a sleeping beauty.”

Do you think I am beautiful?

This was another problem you had. With Kyungsoo, you were so relaxed, and you felt extremely safe, so you did not need to control yourself as you generally did. Of course, it was a good omen for your friendship, as much as you were sure Kyungsoo never lied to you, it was also a disadvantage on your part, because sometimes you wanted to ask some questions that should be remained in silence.

“If we would be fairy tales,” you smirked. “I would be Belle while you are the Beast.”

“Fine by me.” he shrugged his shoulder. “He is a very good guy. I am happy for Belle; she understands the assignment. You would not most probably.”

“Sweetheart, you are slow to catch the signs.” you playfully smacked his shoulder when you reached to the control point. You thought he would be annoyed, but he stopped and seriously gazed at you. You shivered and wondered why he was looking at you like he wanted to say something.

“What?” you inhaled.

“Since when I am slow to catch the signs?” he pressed on every word of his sentence, and to your dismay he used that voice tone, almost a whisper but goddamn strong. “Give me an example.”

You shuttered down, and this was the last problem you had with Kyungsoo, he was the only one who could make your brain stop working especially in times when the occasion calls for full-speed devilish progress. You just stared at him and shrugged your shoulder.

“Eh Soo,” you murmured. “You missed a lot of beautiful girls, right?”

Your response was so weak even to your ears. If Chanyeol, number two best friend of you, could hear your words, he would burst into laughs by hitting everyone beside him. You could imagine Junmyeon’s disgusted face as a plus.

“I did not miss anyone, my dear.” he chuckled. “Let me rephrase, anyone I want just one exception, but exceptions do not ruin the calculation in your famous mindset.”

When he chuckles, you can feel your blood tension rocks your body. His heart shaped lips does something to you, and you do not want to name it.

“Exceptions run the world, Doh.” you tried to push him to elaborate his words a little bit more. “Who is that lucky girl who run away from you?”

“That’s my secret.” he smirked and put his hand onto your waist in order to led you the controller lady. “Show your passport, I do not want to wait here forever.”

Who was the girl he mentioned? You could not help but started to feel anxious, how much you tried to press your instincts and feelings, whenever he mentioned a girl, there would be a dire need of crying in the pit of your stomach. You took a deep breathe and followed his instruction. While you were walking into the inside of plane, you struggled with the sudden sadness. You wanted to tear that off yourself, so you reminded yourself the splendid trip ahead you. You found your place and processed to sit down.

“May I help?” Kyungsoo asked you but he already fetched your belongings and placed them correctly. You smiled to him and sat down.

How could you meet someone like him? He was a little bit grumpy sometimes, a person who could give unexpected reactions, but he was reliable, kind, lovely and always thoughtful of his environment. You did not want to lose him. You never want to lose him, on the contrary, you want to keep him in your life until the very end. You could not think a life without Kyungsoo, you always desire him to stay your side.

You were pretty sad, you had to admit, and there was regret. You were regretful on your decision to not go further with him, you wished you could be braver and tell him about your feelings for him. How much you were confused because of him, how many days and nights you spent sleepless because of him. To make the things more complicated, you had zero idea about how he would be responded your confession if you pull yourself together and manage to do. For once, you heard his cousin Minseok talked about you by saying you were very important for Kyungsoo, however you did not know in which extent you were important for him.

You two were always closed to each other, you spent almost 3 or 4 days together, you were living in the same campus, your departments were close to each other. He was a huge part of your life, that’s one of the reasons why you were hopelessly trying to conceal your inappropriate feelings for Kyungsoo. The idea of losing his extremely valuable presence was the only scenario could make you sob.

“Am I the only one who is very uncomfortable?” he whispered to your ear and made your stomach twisted. You could kill him for this, but he was not aware of how he affected you. “You are deadly silent.”

“No, I am just thinking.” you run away from him like an Olympic athlete. “About the trip. I am very excited.”

“If you are,” he flinched your forehead. “You have to talk non-stop. You are silent when something bothers you, what are you hiding from me?”

“Nothing, Soo.” you found a smile from somewhere and presented to him. “You know I never find the chance of visiting Japan; I am really overwhelmed.”

“So, speak to me.” he grunted. “Do not act like I am not here.”

“Okey, okey.” you raised your hands to air. “Sorry for that.”

“I start to feel like I am disturbing you.” he turned his head to the Name of the Rosethat he was reading. Umberto Eco, he had a taste for everything of course. “I asked you twice if you are okey with going to Japan with me.”

You could laugh if you were not so tense since he mentioned girls.

“And I told you this is okey, Soo.” you pinched his upper arm. “You are a good companion for trips.”

“Only for trips?” he asked. What the fuck was wrong with Kyungsoo today? He was behaving weird, and his questions made you more baffled. “I thought I am good companion for everything.”

You bit your lips in order to send back the sudden answer you wanted to give. Instead of declaring your ignorance about his performance on everything, you refined your words.

“You are a good friend, Soo and sorry for making you feel unwanted. I am happy you are coming with me.”

“Hm.” he hummed but he did not look like he was satisfied with your answer. You decided to not think about what the heck he wanted to hear, you also turned to your book that you were supposed to read since the departure. At least Pavese helped you to collect your mind till the plane landed in Narita Airport. He helped you while you two took a cab for the way, he was acting like his usual self, so you accused yourself because of searching hidden messages in his questions. You were such an idiot.

“I will be seeing you at dinner.” he waved his hand when you finished the registration process of the hotel you would be staying for the week. You were in front of the elevator. Both of you already decided to take a nap before dinner when you were planning the trip, so you approved his words and took your keys.

“See you.” you smiled and walked to your room. When you opened the door, your smile widened, the room is so light and minimalistic as you really liked. There was no crowded furniture, crazy designs, or unnecessary modifications. The walls were light blue, the furniture was white, and all looked very harmonious. There were plants and flowers, you immediately run to the flowers as you loved them more than anything else. The hotel staff managed to place even Sakura blossoms into the room that made your heart flattered and smoothed your nerves.

And there was only one blue rose, which was your favourite flower in the world. Just one, between a bouquet of daisies and it looked magnificent. You leaned to smell it while smiling as a little freak. You did not have to see your face; you knew how you looked like. Chanyeol always said that when you see a blue rose, you lost your shit. Another creature made you drunk in happiness was white butterflies. You had a sweet spot for blue roses and white butterflies.

And for Kyungsoo.

You grunted to yourself in your mind, and you headed to the bathroom by tapping your feet to the ground harshly. You were done with your obsession with Kyungsoo, it became something out of control, and you were tired of yourself at this point.

You had to live your goddamn life, you had to stop fucking fantasizing about your study-buddy.

You stripped out from your clothes and jumped into the shower. Cold water helped you to take the control of yourself, both as physical and emotional. You were okey, you were in bloody Japan as you always wanted, and you were going to fucking enjoy it. After shower, you threw yourself into the bed, tucked yourself inside the blanket and set the alarm for one hour later.

After one hour, you were swearing at yourself with your very glorious vocabulary because the only thing you did was fantasizing about Doh Kyungsoo.

“Did you rest?” he asked to you while you were leaving the hotel. You held your growl inside. “Did you take a nap?”

“I did not sleep but I leaned down for a while, so it was good. You?”

“I slept like a baby. It was very interesting when you think I am more like an insomniac.”

“I guess, your insomnia is rubbing on me.” you grumbled. “Where are we going now?”

“Eh, at least something about me can rub on you.” he rolled his eyes, your chin was dropped due to his response. “There is a tiny noodle restaurant in Ebisu, but they are very famous. We are going to there.”

“Okey.” you nod and walked beside of him.

“You look very pretty.” he turned to you. “That dress looked very good on you.”

You instantly took a look on your navy, long dress. It was very comfortable, but also elegant and your fashion freak cousin persuaded you the colour and style gave you a

“Thank you.” you replied. “Sehun chose this for me, you know he is the chef kiss when it comes to fashion.”

“He did well.” he smiled. “How is Sehun by the way, I did not see him since ages. Did he come back from France?”

“No.” you pouted. You really missed your noisy cousin. “He just came to visit for a week, then came back to school. I am not sure if he will come back to be honest, he got some important invitations from European universities.”

“Very good.” Kyungsoo’s face was lit up. He was proud of Sehun. “I know you miss him, but he has a bright career ahead of him.”

“Yes, I know.” you also smiled. Thinking about your successful but extremely playful cousin made you happy. “I just worry about him.”

“Stop babying him.” Kyungsoo punched your arm as half serious half joke. “How old is he, 27?”

“Yeah.” you laughed. “I know I baby him very much, but we all do, Kyungsoo.”

“You are just one year older than Sehun.” he smirked. “Who is going to baby you?”

“Chanyeol.” you exhaled. Kyungsoo looked at you for a second, then both of you burst into laughs because it was well known that you also took care of Chanyeol and Baekhyun as well as Sehun. “Jokes aside, I am a strong and big girl, Kyungsoo, I do not need someone babying me.”

“Maybe you can start looking for a sugar daddy to baby you?” he cocked his eyebrows to you. “Before it is going to be too late?”

“Actually, I had some candidates in my pocket.” you devilishly beamed to him. “You have no idea.”

“Beg your pardon?” his face suddenly transformed from joy to deadpanned seriousness, and his smile was disappeared immediately. “I was joking.”

“I was not.” you blinked your eye. “Some people really proposed to me.”

“For being your sugar daddy?”

“I know I am very little in your eyes, Kyungsoo” you took a deep breathe before continuing. “But here the breaking news: some people could find me attractive.”

“We are not talk about usual dates or men.” he held your arm and turned you to himself. “If you receive this kind of proposes, you have to tell me.”

“Next time, I will report you so we can decide who is going to be my sugar daddy.” you poked his ribs while he burrowed his eyebrows and radiated a strong sense of discontent. “Come on Kyungsoo, I am not going to say yes to this type of proposes, what do you think about me?”

“We are always joking about this issue,” he looked like he was cursing beneath his breath. “But when it comes to you and Baekhyun, I always suspect if you are serious or not.”

“Sugar daddy is a joke.” you hissed. “Of course, it is a joke, I have no interest in having a sugar daddy.”

“What about the proposes? Are they real?”

“Well, they are.” you murmured. Suddenly, you felt like the table was turned and you just played your ace card too early. You felt like Kyungsoo’s eyes investigated your soul to the bits.

“How many?”

“Three.” you gave up. “One from faculty, two from outside.”

“Unethical son of bitches.” he lowly cursed and caught you off guard because he generally preferred to use more polite words, even if he was cursing. “Keep them away from yourself.”

“Oh really?” you teased him by hoping to break the strange tension between you and managed to put a little smile on his face.

“Stop mocking me.” he warned you but now he was smiling widely. His mouth became a heart again, this time you averted your eyes from his face.

“Who I am to dare mocking you?” you squeaked but it was fake.

“Oh, you mock me more than even that walking noisy machine Baekhyun.” he flicked his hand. “We have to stop at this station, Ebisu Garden Place is on the way.”

He put his hand onto your waist again, and you felt like electrocuted again. Every time he touched you, and unfortunately, he sporadically did, you felt like you are dying for more. More what? You were not sure what you really wanted from Kyungsoo, but you were certain on you were desperate for more of him.

More of him.

The bus was crowded, Kyungsoo led you to a little corner, and stayed in front of you. He could be a little bit protective when it came to crowded places since you were clumsy, he generally insisted to keep you close to himself in order to catch you, if you would lose your balance, so you did not surprise when he held your wrist.

What made your heart to do a perfect all kill type of somersault was his next move, his fingers did not stop on your wrist, on the contrary they moved into your palm and grasped your hand tightly. You raised your eyes to him, he never hold your hand, never ever.

“I want to be sure.” he whispered by catching your question before you ask. “Since both of us do not know the way, and the bus is full of passengers, this is more secure.”

“Ah.” This was the best of you at the moment. You quickly realized what the heck you said but Kyungsoo sometimes can be quicker than you.

“Why? Are you unsatisfied with the reason?” His dark brown eyes were shining, his perfume smelled fucking good and the proximity between your faces did not help you.

“Why should I be?” you had to be back to play as soon as possible. “I grant you the chance of holding my hand, that’s count as charity.”

He looked at your hand for a moment, and you saw a smile formed on his lips and instead of a sarcastic reply as you expected, his eyes shaped like a crescent and shined as the fucking moon itself during a cloudless, navy night.

“Thank you, your highness.” he genuinely smiled. “May I continue to hold your hand?”

“Why?” the tone of your question was full of surprise, sounded exceptionally strange.

“Because I want to feel you.” he simply answered, and he squeezed your hand a little bit more. “For once let me feel you by my side.”

You knew that your eyes blown up, your mind was playing some tricky and dangerous games with you, you lost your shit, and you were sure about you finally made yourself mad because of your platonic interest in Kyungsoo, but even if God himself would appear in the bus in order to stop you, that would be a fruitless attempt.

You held Kyungsoo’s hand.

If he wanted to feel you by his side, you could not refuse.

You never refuse Kyungsoo.

How could you?

He was the protagonist of your secret dreams, fantasies and your goddam powerful imagination.

He was your gazelle and you were chasing him since the first day you met.

#doh kyungsoo #do kyungsoo #exo #exo d.o. #d.o. solo #empathy #kyungsoo #weareoneexo #exo fanfic #exo x reader #exo fanfiction #kyungsoo fanfic #d.o. #exo smut #exo series #d.o. exo #kyungsoo x reader #d.o. empathy

[fluffyblaire]

why can’t Hawks refuse?

‼️MANGA SPOILERS‼️

Tootooroo~ 🎺Buckle up, folks, it’s time for a Hawks character analysis! 

Today, we’re going to talk about what kind of person Keigo is, how Keigo reconciles with Hawks, how much of the HPSC is inside of Hawks and how all of that comes together to answer the question: “why can’t Hawks refuse?”

Section I: Keigo

Looking at Keigo as a grown up, it can be hard to tell which of his actions are natural to him and which ones are a result of the HPSC’s upbringing. However, there is one place where we can see what kind of person Keigo is at the very core, before the HPSC or any other major societal institution touched him. 

Exhibit A: “Top heroes have stories about them from their school days. Most of their stories have one thing in common: their bodies moved before they had a chance to think.” —All Might

When Keigo was a kid, he saved this entire family. This is his origin story, the story “from [his] school days” if he had gone to school, the story where “[his] body moved before [he] had a chance to think.” As a child, he saved a family from a disaster, and that should tell you a lot more about his character other than just that he was a very physically capable boy.

Keigo has the heart of a true hero, and he had it long before hero society’s influence reached him. He didn’t need the society around him to tell him to be selfless. He didn’t need the media broadcasting heroics every day to tell him helping people is good. He just does. He lived in the slums and if anything, his environment and thief relative would have taught him the opposite: be selfish, that’s how you survive. But he’s not like that. He gives and gives and doesn’t even stick around for recognition. 

This is who Takami Keigo is and while he will lose and gain layers of personality after the Commission recruits him, the core motivations, values, and emotions that compelled him to save this family do not change.

Section II: Hawks

After the HPSC recruits Keigo, Keigo’s heroic heart begins to blend with the tools and habits the HPSC gives him. Keigo, combined with the Commission’s training, becomes Hawks.

Now, what did the HPSC do to Keigo? I don’t think they physically or emotionally abused him for years—at least not in the conventional sense. If that were the case, I believe we would have gotten the details by now. I do think that Keigo must have suffered and that he was taken advantage of by the adults around him in a very strategic and unethical way. Let’s look at all the things I can dissect about Keigo’s upbringing by the Commission.

Exhibit B: “My back just ain’t broad enough to put the people at ease.” —Hawks

The first thing to note is that baby Keigo had big dreams when he was first recruited.

He wanted to be a shiny hero the likes of Endeavor but when we meet Hawks, one of the first major character depth details we find out about him is that he thinks his own back isn’t enough.

Sometime between when he agreed to the HPSC’s training and when he became the No.2 hero, something in Keigo died. A dream died, and he has accepted that he cannot be like his childhood hero. Comparing himself to Endeavor, Hawks thinks himself inferior in more ways than just power stats.

Keigo knows there is a disconnect between what he wanted to be and what he actually became, but he also knows his role well and still tries his best with it even though it isn’t the one he thought he had been promised when the HPSC recruited him. He is unsatisfied but he still does his best. Why? Because after all these years, the kid who flew straight into an automobile disaster to save an entire family is still there underneath the Commission’s manufactured hero. 

He still wants to protect people who can’t protect themselves; his dissatisfaction with how he achieves that didn’t dampen that spirit. This is why he works his ass off but still seems discontent with himself. His role may not be his ideal one but through it, he can protect people, and that’s enough for him to keep doing his best.

Exhibit C: “A special program... to become a special hero.” —Unknown

The second thing to bring up is that if the Commission did not make Hawks like his role model, what did they make him? 

Keigo just wanted to be a flashy hero that saves people from bad guys. A very simple, honest type of hero. The Commission did give him the skills for that, but they also gave him skills that a simple, honest hero should never need: espionage, acting, lying, manipulation, and who knows what else.

Hawks’ hero education was not the same education the UA kids are getting. In this panel, Hawks narrates as if his “negotiation skills” were a convenient coincidence, but come on. What straight forward, honest hero (like All Might, Endeavor, Miruko—you get the type) would need social manipulation skills? The HPSC knew what they were doing when they selected Hawks’ curriculum, and the material came in handy at last when they assigned him this mission that a simple, honest hero should never have to take on. The HPSC never intended to turn Hawks into a simple, honest hero; they wanted to turn him into a hyper-competent soldier to whom they can assign the hardest, dirtiest work that no ordinary hero would be willing to do. 

Judging by the way he joked about the HPSC’s “proposal,” I am led to believe that Hawks is used to his own feelings and concerns not mattering. People, especially children, do not naturally accept that their wants don’t matter, so what does this tell you about how Hawks was raised?

Exhibit D: My Hero Academia ED7

The third thing I need to talk about is this photo. I think one look at this photo of Keigo from ED7 should tell you something was off with his childhood even after he was taken in by the Commission.

Out of all the photos Bones could have shown of baby Keigo, they chose a photo of him in a hospital gown, blindfolded, surrounded by nameless, faceless men in suits with a chain-linked fence in the background of a cold metal training facility. If you look too quickly, you’d think his hands were tied in front of him because of the way his posture and pose is drawn.

This photo choice alone is enough to submit to me that something unethical was going on when the Commission picked Keigo up, and Horikoshi and the producers of the anime want us to read it as unethical. We are meant to read Hawks as a victim here, but we are given no indication in the story that Hawks thinks of himself as a victim. Once again, I am led to believe that he is accustomed to his own feelings not mattering in the grand scheme of things. He has no expectations of being treated more considerately, so he does not view himself as a victim of anything.

Exhibit E: Lonely Birdie

The fourth thing I want to bring up is Hawks’ lack of human connections. The Commission talked as if he had a family when they picked him up, but there’s no mention of that family when we see Hawks as a pro. He leaves his sidekicks behind. He has a professional, frosty relationship with the HPSC, the people who raised him from childhood. He has no one who is a friend close enough that the question of his civilian name would have even come up. The colleague he trusted most with info on his PLF infiltration was Endeavor who he’d only know in person for a few months.

Hawks can be very likable; his approval rating is high and the common folk love him. He is also very perceptive of and constantly thinking of others. And yet he has no close human connections, and the only explanation I can think of for this is that he distances himself from others either consciously or subconsciously.

This tells me either Keigo had no chances/time to seek out human connections on his own as he grew up or he was discouraged from forming those connections altogether. In either case, I doubt he was shown much affection during his training. He was not treated as if a child adopted into a family; he was treated as a new recruit to be guided and whipped into shape. A lack of human relationships while growing up likely led to his lack of relationships as an adult.

Exhibit F: Guilty Birdie

The fifth thing to note is that Hawks blames himself for anything that is not swift, decisive success. He always moves like he’s running out of time and thinks like he must do everything on his own. 

This mindset is very self-destructive and the consistency with which he repeatedly monologues lines like “think of the citizens/think of Japan/if only you did X” tells me this mindset was something that was drilled into him from the outside. These don’t sound like things you would monologue to yourself to psych yourself up. These sound like things a trainer or coach would tell you repeatedly in order to guilt you into working harder. 

Section III: Why Can’t Hawks Refuse?

Accepting that his own feelings don’t matter, distancing himself from others, using guilt to push himself, etc.—I think these are small habits the HPSC strategically instilled in Hawks through his environment as they raised him. The HPSC had an agenda while raising Hawks, but it’s nothing as dramatic as brainwashing. Instead, the Commission focused on building small and seemingly harmless habits like the ones I’ve noted. These habits can be positive if applied correctly but instead, over the years, they’ve subtly broken down Hawks’ sense of self-love and made him a slave to his own heroic heart.

His own feelings don’t matter when it comes to fulfilling his role, so Hawks will never refuse a mission just because he doesn’t like it. He habitually guilts himself with a reminder of who he is doing everything for—the people—so he’ll always work hard and fast. He distances himself from others, so no one will ever get close enough to him to teach him his human value and change his habits. Take these tendencies and make them second nature to a man whose heart is far too giving, and it’s not hard to see how the Commission trapped Hawks without having to actually trap him.

I don’t think the HPSC is doing anything dark like threatening/blackmailing Hawks. They don’t need to. Hawks can’t refuse their request because, deep down, he is simply too kind. If he is given a chance to save people, he won’t let himself abandon the opportunity. If he can take the burden of a dirty job off of someone else’s shoulders, he will. 

Keigo wasn’t a good hero candidate just because of his Quirk. His nature is too kind, especially to those he doesn’t know, and the Commission saw it from the beginning and took advantage of it. They don’t have to brainwash or leash him. All they had to do was teach him some self-destructive but seemingly heroic habits and those along with Keigo’s innate selflessness are more than enough to keep him focused on his role and unable to flat-out say no to the Commission.

Exhibit G: The Diamond

Lastly, let’s talk about how the diamond on Hawks’ hero costume matches the diamond on the HPSC building. It’s subtle, but I think it means something. It’s subtle just as the HPSC’s influence on Hawks is subtle in the form of small personal habits. The habits the HPSC strategically fostered in Hawks won’t disappear just because he has his own agency now and can carry his career alone. The diamond on Hawks’ chest is like a brand. Once property of the HPSC, always property of the HPSC even in the smallest ways.

In conclusion: If the HPSC wanted to indoctrinate Hawks, they could’ve easily done it, and the Hawks we know today who is skeptical of the HPSC and who observed that a villain could be a good person would not exist. Instead, the Commission knew they could make him independent (therefore, low maintenance) and easy to order around when needed if they went the subtler route: shaping not his values, moral code, or motivations but his internal habits. It’s sneaky, it’s shady, it’s unethical, but it’s kind of brilliant. 

#does this make any sense at all people #i spent too long on this #the effort i put in for this boy #my hero academia #boku no hero academia #bnha spoilers #bnha manga spoilers #bnha hawks #hawks #takami keigo #mha hawks #blaire's delusions