#seth x protagonist

[ash-and-starlight]

Books of 2023

the list nobody asked for <3

My reading habits had gone a bit stagnant in the past couple of years so this year i made the effort to engage in reading again and wow books really are good!! who would have thought! Sharing this year's book log with the small reviews i did while reading yeah i am That kind of list lover if u feel like being nosy, (and maybe even help mi crowdsource reading recs based on my likes 👀🤲?)

The left Hand of Darkness - Ursula K. Le Guin Ursula i Need to know your thoughts on omegaver- [gunshot] THAT ASIDE yeah. mrs Le Guin you've done it again. I can see why everyone got their brain chemistry altered by this book.

The Membranes - Chi Ta-Wei another brain chemistry altering book. would love to discuss it with a gender studies major lmao

Satanic Verses - Salman Rushdie its a v atmospheric and poignant story, I know I would have loved it more if I was familiar with the rich religious/cultural background it draws from

The Masquerade Series - Seth Dickinson Crazy insane in the membrane about this series. one of the most compelling worldbuildings I've ever seen, and most importantly it features one of the most crazy wet pathetic scrunkly meow meow protagonists i've ever had the pleasure of reading about.

Middlesex - Jeffrey Eugenides i liked the writing style of this book a lot! idk how well it holds up re: intersexuality topic, but its a very engaging read.

Dead Blondes and Bad Mothers: Monstrosity, Patriarchy, and the Fear of Female Power - Jude Ellison, Sady Doyle The title says it all honestly, its a beautiful, thought provoking and engaging essay, spanning eras, pop culture phenomenons, and real life events on the topic of women and horror.

The cat who saved books - Sōsuke Natsukawa this was so cute and heartfelt, it will really make you go Ah Yes, this is Why we Love Books <333

The Locked Tomb Series - Tamsyn Muir now when people say there is a girl who is the cursed sacrifice of 2000 infants who falls in love with the sleeping embodiment of the soul of the Earth (barbie) and also another girl who is the only survivor of the aforementioned sacrifice and is. a Jesus metaphor? and also the two girls become one at some point. and every book is a different genre. and god is bisexual. and memes survived the nuclear apocalypse. I can just nod and say so true.

The Area X Trilogy - Jeff VanderMeer Rotating this series in the microwave of my mind at the speed of light it's soSO GOOD!! the movie doesn't even come close honestly u NEED to read the books. and then go touch grass and be aware of every strand in a completely new way.

The Dawn of Yangchen - F. C. Yee nice read! I was more invested in the worldbuilding crumbs than in the actual story lmao, I will forever think about the HEATED airball rivalry between the air temples and about the swt greetings / bethrotal armbands.

Inuit Stories of Being and Rebirth: Gender, Shamanism, and the Third Sex - Bernard Saladin d'Anglure starting w a disclaimer bc I feel like the topic of native colonization was ignored when it should have been way more prominent when talking about the context of where and when these testimonies were collected?? That aside it was very interesting and well put together, with first account testimonies of Inuit elders about their myths, lifestyles and beliefs.

Pachinko - Min Jin Lee i read the book after having seen the tv series (which i also rlly recommend). Very moving story about a family and its generations, from Korea under Japanese colonization to modern day America.

Her body and other parties - Carmen Maria Marchado sometimes I go about my day then I remember this book exists and stare at the wall for 30 minutes.

Dictionnaire de l'impossible - Didier Van Cauwelaert big miss. this collection of articles about "strange impossible phenomenons" sounded so quirky and interesting but i sure would have loved if the author hadnt so clearly picked a side. and also way too much church for my tastes.

He who Drowned the World - Shelley Parker Chan Im not even gonna speak about this one if you've followed me since july you know what pits of insanity and despair i'm in

Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow - Gabrielle Zevin Sometimes!! the book with pretty covers put in the "famous on socials" bookstore section!! are good!! It's about being othered it's about connection it's about diaspora it's about love and friendship and most of all it's about viddy games.

Station Eleven - Emily St. John Mandel reading this post-covid and learning it was written in 2017 was A TRIP. Psychic damage at every page. still feeling very normla.

The Mask of Apollo - Mary Renault Ugh i desperately wanted to like this book because the setup is so interesting and full of potential, but the end result was just. flat. flat story flat characters the plot focusing on the wrong things at the wrong times i was so DONE when i reached the end otz.

Babel - R. F. Kuang LOVED the worldbuilding in this, the "lost in translation" system of magic is one of the most interesting things ive ever read. I think theres something about the writing in general that didn't win me over completely?? but all in all a very good

Red Ocean - Han Song This sure is a Book. That i've Read. its so profundly strange and unlike anything ive come across that i dont even know what to feel about it. i think 90% of my confusion comes from Not Getting Cultural References so if someone has a "red ocean explained" essay plz send it my way bc i couldnt find one.

#taking with me into next year Chromorama and The seven moons of Maali Almeida #anyway blease talk to me about your fave books!! #or about the ones in this list!! #send post #books

[maykitz]

on that note when i was an edgy tween i would stay up late and watch drawn together on comedy central, and unlike south park and the seth macfarlaneverse and such it has an art style that is just good enough that when they did lewd visual gags and barely had to censor them due to being a cartoon and you're a horny little bastard it could seem like a bit more than a joke. eg the lesbian hot tub scene from the pilot, erect nipples through tops, prude disney princess becoming a stripper to compete for the affection of her father against a gay stripper parody of link. one episode that particularly rewired me was when they were doing a sleazy dad in a trucker cap x slutty dressed but naive babysitter bit with two of the female protagonists and she like cupped the other girl's face and pushed her thumb in her mouth and made her suck on it. celibacy gif but it says Finger Sucking

#it's bad though and not even hot enough to be worthwhile don't get me wrong here

[platinumrosetail]

Yandere Seth x fem reader.Warning: Seth was devastated after witnessing his wedding to a fem reader. They kill her in front of him. Later that day, Seth ends up being killed anyway. Horus regrets that he could not save his sister and uncle from Osiris. He himself buries their bodies. Some time later, the reincarnated fem reader meets Seth's reincarnation again at college and meets him again years after finishing college. Both without remembering their past lives, they do not know who the other was to them. Afterwards they continue meeting again and in the end they fall in love as in their past life. But the reader, who began to remember her past life, decides to walk away, because she knows that they ended up dying because of her. In addition to possibly repeating that ending if she continues with it, she leaves one night and breaks up with Seth via text. What the fem reader does not know is that Seth began to remember his past life, which leads him to search for her. So much so that when he finds her, he chases her throughout a shopping center. She tries to escape by taking a train, but Seth ends up catching up to her in the end. However, after a few days, Seth would see her die again.

Another scenario taken from Korean kdramas, like a stairway to heaven. Sorry if the protagonist becomes Horus' sister again and ends up dying and abandoning Seth, I have a lot of trauma with protagonists like that. I'll look forward to it.

Ooooh interesting, I’ll try my best! 😁

Warning: noob author, female reader, yandere romantic character, and others.

Character: Seth.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Your and Seth’s wedding was going great as it has everything you two wanted for it until when you were walking down the isles of the alter. You were killed by flora going straight through your body some even sprouting out of your body and around like it’s trying to encase you and make you disappear.

Seth was devastated to see who was supposed to be his wife minutes later die right in front of his eyes, he immediately knew who it was from what killed you. Seth did all that he could to possibly bring you back but sadly what he did never worked he even tried remaking you from bits of his life force plus the life forces that was still in your body but it ended with him using too much and dying in the end.

Horus ended up having to bury both of you after you both had passed, he made the tomb just for you out of the powers of king of Egypt so that you two could always be together even after death. He knew that it was all his fathers fault that you and Seth had died and made the big decision of taking care of Osiris for both of you, but before he did that he intertwined you and Seth’s fate so that you two could meet and have a better life together than this one without the interference of Osiris and his obsession with Seth.

You had reincarnated into the modern time without any of your past life’s memories so you never knew that you were previously a god. You were a college student when you met a red hair gentleman that also went to your college.

You two crossed each other a few times after that until you graduated from college with the degree you wanted and after that you haven’t seen him since then.

You started getting strange memories after meeting him afterwards, at first you thought it was just silly dreams but the more it happened the more you started to think it was something like memories rather than dreams, you’ve decided to write down your dreams to see if there’s any meaning behind them and such.

Seth; the red haired man you met while you were in college, had the same dream as you but in another perspective, he realized sooner that these were memories especially after seeing you in them as well.

You two met again while at a cafe , apparently getting the same thing and thought that one of the orders was yours. You two finally decided to start staying in contact since you two always seem to run into each other, soon enough you two started dating but that’s were the dreams kept coming in constantly before a repeat of the same dream started happening.

The dream was where you were in the wedding dress and walking down a wedding alter but before you could get to it you’ve kept getting killed by flora that shot up from the ground, there was always the same people along with Seth who was at the end of the alter he always seem to be the most affected by what was happening to you each time you look at the guests at your supposed ‘wedding’.

You started to distance yourself once you got the full picture of what had happened in your previous life, your paranoia had began making scenarios if you kept seeing Seth so you decided to break it off after a month of you two being together over text as you wanted to leave without feeling even more guilty than you already do.

Seth didn’t know what to think when he got your text about breaking up with him but he knew that he needs to go after you so that you don’t get hurt or killed again. Thankfully he made it in time to catch you before you leave, he made a whole scene that you felt pressured to agree to get back with him which caused everyone there to applaud not knowing that they shouldn’t have done that if they knew and believed in the situation you’re in.

Sadly that ended real soon when while eating a salad together, flora began to grow out of you from your mouth before it covered you entirely. You both immediately knew who had done this before you died in Seth’s arms once more.

(A/n: ok i know the ending was weird but i felt walking in nature might’ve been cliche plus i didn’t know what else besides eating sunflower seeds. Anyway hoped y’all liked it! And hope y’all have a wonderful day/evening/night!!)

#anime #anime x reader #various x reader #x reader stories #yandere x reader #ennead x reader #ennead seth #seth ennead #ennead manhwa #ennead mojito #ennead #x female y/n #x female reader #x fem!reader #female!reader #fem!reader

[blackangelmagik]

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lnk.bio/NboP

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[friendlywriterboynamedniko]

In Your Dreams

Fandom- Blush Blush

Genre- Angsty

Pairing- Seth X Male Protag/Marshmallow

Words- 930

Note- I meant to write smut but OOPS!!! All Angst.  If your wondering why my writing is weirder than usaul, I wrote it in ‘Blush Blush’ style....cuz that’s the only way I can explain ‘Horny warm’.

Also yes I gave the Protag the name ‘Marshmallow’ instead of ‘Y/N’ Still technically a reader insert.

Marshmallow gave a tired yawn as they stared up at the ceiling. The week had been tiring, all their jobs, hobbies, and boyfriends were starting to become to much work for him, don’t get him wrong, he still absolutely loved all his boyfriends...he just didn’t have much time by himself anymore. Lucky for him he only had one animal boy left, then maybe he could go back to working one job and actually get proper nights of sleep.

He glanced at the clock on his bedside table…4 AM, he sighed, he had to get up for his barista job at 6 AM. He only had 2 hours to get some sleep, it was better than none. His eyes slid closed as he let today’s sleepiness engulf him. 

---

His dreams were usually filled with thoughts of the manamals, usually nightmares. These nightmares stemmed from him fearing he won’t find all the manamals. Sometimes he dreamed that he had never saved the others, that he had failed them, that he had ruined their lives. Nimh being a rabbit significantly shortening his already short life span, Volks living forever alone in the woods...which he probably didn’t mind, Kelby not being able to play basketball due having hocks instead of hands, Eli not being able to fit into his favorite pair of pants- Ugh he didn’t even want to think of those dreams.

Those dreams made him toss and turn to the point that when he woke up he felt as if he hadn’t slept at all. Tonight though… felt different, his body was engulfed in some type of warmness...not the comforting type of warm...the horny type of warm.

Is this…? Is this...uh….what did they call it in school? OH! Is this a wet dream? He had never had one of these before! He wondered who the subject will be? Not like he cared that much, anything was better than those horrid nightmares. ...Nightmares...despite the warmness he felt himself getting sad again.

Finally, an arm wrapped around his torso, the other wrapping around the near his butt area. The arms pulled him forward into a nice...warm body. Like really warm, like the horny warm. His face landing in the arm’s owner’s chest, smearing tears into the cloth of their jacket. ...Jacket...he knew many people who wore jackets...but combined with this overwhelming warmness…”Seth?” Marshmallow questioned as he opened his eyes, tears still falling down his cheeks, Seth was smiling down at him...well until he spotted the tears on the other boy's face.

Seth angled his head up, “Hm, what’s wrong?” He asked, his smile disappearing as he noticed the tears sliding down the other’s face. Those two words broke Marshmallow, maybe it was the year of held back emotions, or maybe it because no one had ever asked him those words. More and more tears streamed down his face as he buried his face into Seth’s shoulder.

But what was wrong, “I-I’m so tired,” He cried, “I’m scared,” he gasped, “I-I’m so scared.”

Seth just looked confusingly down at the boy, “Scared of what?”

Marshmallow shedded more tears, “I’m scared I’m going to fail. I know I’m going to fail. I’m going to fail them!” He sobbed.

Seth was quiet as Marshmallow spoke.

“I’m such an idiot! I ruined so many lives over such a stupid mistake!” 

…

“I’m such a failure!”

…

“I’m not going to find him! And even If I do I’m not going to be able to make him fall for me!” He cried.

…Seth sighed, “You’re wrong.”

Marshmallow looked up from Seth’s shoulder, “Huh?”

“You’re not a failure, you’re going to find that guy, and you’ll get him to fall for you,” Seth stated as he smiled down at the boy and patted his back.

Marshmallow continued to cry, “How do you know?”

…

…

“You got a demon to fall for you, I’m sure you can get any human being to fall for you,” He said matter of factly.

....

...

“Oh...yeah,” Marshmallow spoke awkwardly, feeling embarrassed that he had completely forgotten that point.

...

They stood in awkward silence for a couple of moments as Marshmallow tried to calm himself, then Marshmallow got a sudden thought “Um...how did you even get here?” He asked.

Seth just shrugged, “Just made some deals with Belphegor, you know the usual.”

Did he make a deal with a demon prince just to see Marshmallow? “...Why?”

“I wanted to ravish you, but as you can see I ended up having to comfort you,” Seth sighed.

Marshmallow giggled awkwardly into Seth’s shoulder through his tears, “S-sorry.”

Seth shook his head, “No need for apologies, I’ll get you one day.”

Marshmallow wiped his tears and looked up to Seth, smiling, “Doubt it.”

Seth rolled his eyes, “We’ll see.” He then leaned down and pressed his lips against Marshmallow’s. He smiled against the other boy’s lips and said, “I will get that soul of yours.”

Marshmallow’s eyes snapped open...was that a dream?

He ran his fingers over his lips, they still felt warm, as if they had just been pushed against another’s. He looked over at the clock, 6 AM, he felt so rested despite the 2 short hours. Then he noticed his phone screen lit up, a notification had just popped onto the screen, a text message...from Seth. He grabbed the phone thinking it was a strange coincidence that Seth had texted him after he had just dreamed about him. He picked up the phone and unlocked it.

He looked surprised down at his phone as he read the text: “I’ll get you tonight.”

#blush blush #seth #seth(Blush Blush) #angst #seth x reader #seth x protagonist #seth x Marshmallow

[dashofmonsters]

Project List

This is a NSFW blog so 18+ only

Current Schedule:

Dreamers & Delusions

Novel (see main blog @dashofmonsterspublishing )

Ebook edit for The Long Road & Just Business

Masks

~~~~~

For more updates & information follow me on Instagram

1.1 The Long Road: Male Naga (Silas) x F!Reader- pt.1 pt.2 pt.3 pt.4 pt.5 pt.6 pt.7 pt.8 pt.9 pt.10 pt.11 pt.12 pt.13 (UNDER EDIT)

1.2 The Long Road S2: 2023

1.A The Long Road: Art- Silas Silas Sticker

2.1 Just Business: Male Drider (Cavan) x F!Reader- pt.1 pt.2 pt.3 pt.4 pt.5 FINAL (UNDER EDIT)

2.2 Ten Years: Male Drider (Cavan) x F!Reader- WIP

3. The Empire's Bastards- Male Werewolf (Cyril) x Female Mage (Shanna)**tbp

4. 5 Wishes: Male Orc (Singred) x F!Reader-

5.1 Masks: 2 Male Fae (Oisín & Darragh) x F!Reader- pt.1.1 pt.1.2 pt.2 pt.3 pt.4 pt.5 pt.6 (pt.7 WIP)(pt.8 WIP) (pt.9 WIP) (pt.10 WIP) (pt.11 WIP) (pt.12 WIP) (pt. 13 WIP) (UNDER EDIT)

5.2 Masks S2: 2023

5.A. Masks: Art- Oisín Ixora

6. One Hundred Dreams: Male Demon (Duane) x F!Reader

7. A Silver a Night: Male Tiefling (Luctux) x F!Reader

8. The Princess Bounty: Male Werewolf (Garren) x Female Protagonist (Kandra) **tbp

9. Lost Dragon- Female Dragon Shifter x Male Protagonist **tbp

10. To the Beat of his Drum- Male Orc (Bralgar) x F!Reader

11. Unprophesied: The living embodiment of darkness (Itzal) x F!Reader

12. The Fairy Godfather Dilemma: Male Fae (Sorley) x F!Reader

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A. Deep in the Dark: Male Orc (Sloan) x F!Reader- pt. 1 pt.2 pt.3 pt.4 pt.5 pt.6.1 pt.6.2 FINAL (UNDER EDIT)

A1. Snowfall: Male Orc (Sloan) x F!Reader- pt.1 pt.2 (pt.3 WIP)

B. The Lesser of two evils: Male Demon (Seth) x F!Reader

C. Roommates & Renovations: Freshwater Merman (Yen) x F!Reader- pt.1 pt.2 pt.3 pt.4 pt.5 pt.6 pt.7 pt.8 pt.9 pt.10 FINAL (UNDER EDIT)

C.1. Roommates & Renovations: Art- Yen by @solarchaotica Yen sticker by jays-draw Varen Yen

D. Greenhill Lane: Male Satyr (Ilya) x F!Reader

E. Night classes: Male Werewolf (Bernard) x F!Reader- pt.1 pt.2 pt.3 pt.4 pt.5 pt.6 (pt.7 WIP) (pt.8 WIP) (pt.9 WIP) (pt.10 WIP) (pt. 11 WIP) (pt. 12 Final WIP) !!!(UNDER EDIT)!!!

F. Neon Palace: Male Naga (Nicu) x F!Reader

G. Hot Apple Pie: Incubus (Keller) x F!Reader

H. Part-Time: Male Naga (Cemil) x F!Reader

I. Strawberries & Roses: Male Tiefling (Dante) x F!Reader

J. Cream Tea: Male Werewolf (Thomas) x F!Reader

K. Redwood & Wisteria: Male Werewolf (Logan) x F!Reader

L. The Unwanted: Male Fae (Varen) x F!Reader

L.1.: The Unwanted: Art- Varen

M. The Librarian's Assistant: Male Orc (Monroe) x Female Protag. (Sofie)

N. Bound to Protect- Male Orc (Kirill) x F!Reader

O. Dreamers & Delusions: Saltwater Merman (Tao) x F!Reader pt.1 pt.2 pt.3 pt.4 pt.5 pt.6 (pt.7 WIP) (pt.8 WIP) (pt.9 WIP) (pt.10 WIP) (pt. 11 WIP) (pt. 12 WIP) (pt. 13 WIP) (pt. 14 WIP) (pt. 15 WIP) (pt. 16 Finale WIP ) (pt. 17 Epilogue WIP)

O.1. Dreamers & Delusions: Tao by @rcehb-art

P. Open Window Rhapsody: Axolotl Merman (Bekkr) x F!Reader

Q. Runway Runaways: Male Chimera (Adrik) x F!Reader

R. Between Hunger & Pain: Male Vampire (Cethin) x F!Reader

S. The Rift: Male Fae: Male Fae (Idris) x F!Reader

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Side Character Stories: This section is under construction!!!

I've got quite a few background side characters that will be getting their own stories but these are character x character stories and most likely will be super short. I just want to give these guys their happily ever afters because they deserve it. These will include background stories for existing couples (like the uncles from The Long Road) or soon to be couples (hehehe you'll see). These will most likely be sfw fluffy feel good dorky stories because that's what I have planned. There might be a couple spicy ones but no idea which couple plans on taking that role.

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1A. Proxima Fallen- Male Alien x Female Protagonist **tbp

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Pr1. Midnight Oceans-- Male Tiefling (Arthok) x F!Reader pt.1 pt.2

Pr2. Alien HR-- Post

Pr3. There's a Villain in my apartment-- Post

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*Based on Prompts- Pr1. -

*Stories 1-5 Take place in a fantasy setting

*Stories A-Z take place in a modern setting

*Story 1A - 1Z sci-fi stories

_________________________________

COMMISSIONS

Ko-fi- I'm grateful for any and all support ^^

RedBubble- Stickers!

Patreon- Early access to updates and previews on future stories

Summary Catalogue- A list cataloging summaries of all my stories that are out or I'm in the middle of working on.

Instagram

See what I'm reading- I enjoy reading as much as I do writing. Check out my other side blog if you like

**tbp- To be published

pt..?- uncertain if this will be a series or not, mostly with the prompt inspired stories

!- Next

EDIT LIST

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Story Universes:

The Realms: Deep in the Dark, The Lesser of Two Evils, Roommates & Renovations, Greenhill Lane, Neon Palace, Hot Apple Pie, Part-Time, Strawberries & Roses, The Unwanted, The Librarian's Assistant*, Bound to Protect, Dreamers & Delusions, Open Window Rhapsody, Runway Runaways, The Rift, ....

Of Orders, Courts & Kingdoms: Masks, One Hundred Dreams, Unprophesied, The Fairy Godfather Dilemma, ....

Fates & Fallen: The Long Road, Just Business, 5 Wishes, A Silver a Night, Midnight Oceans, ....

A World Forgotten: Night Classes, Cream Tea, Redwood & Wisteria, Between Huger & Pain, ....

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#exophilia #exophilia fic #exophilia fiction #exophilia writing #exophile #monster boyfriend #monster boyfriends #monster lover #monster x reader #monster x human

[yuurivoice]

How about comfort characters? Idk if anon said confront on purpose but I'm curious now

G’raha Tia from Final Fantasy XIV made me astral project recently and I was so touched and inspired I wrote the first bit of prose I’ve written in a long time to quench my thirst for feels and angst with a little 1k mini fic. He’s a very good boy.

Zack Fair from Final Fantasy VII was a big one for me back in the day.

Spike Spiegel from Cowboy Bebop and Vash from Trigun fall into a very similar box for me.

I know this is ridiculous but my boy Howell is a comfort character for me. I just really love him a lot and he’s always on my mind.

Alucard Tepes. Because of course.

There’s the Book I’ve Never Written in my head that has a character I adore very much. He’s the protagonist’s uncle and father figure. On the surface he’s kind of a lackadaisical tinkerer, like if you threw Cid Highwind and Uncle Iroh into a pot of steampunk x high fantasy stew. At heart, he’s a broken man who even after years of hard work for the good of his people, lives in the shadow of his dead brother. He’s raised that man’s son, is looked down upon by his country because he lived and his brother did not, and worst yet, he got cucked by his brother and had to raise their lovechild. Over time he’s changed and adapted, but I can look at him and see that I made him when I needed dad shaped comfort, which I couldn’t get from my own. I love him so much, I sometimes wonder if the story isn’t about the protagonist at all, but about this man. He’s definitely one of the best characters in the story. The Big Thing happens and protag is exiled, and uncle is powerless to do anything, and in time they eventually find themselves on opposing sides of a brewing conflict. Protag gathers old allies who were heroes alongside his father and uncle, and they tell him all about the history his uncle kept from him, the fact that his father was actually a crazy bastard and whatnot. They reunite and it’s not totally unlike some of the vibes in the Al/Seth story, of being willing to put your faith in someone, forgive them, bring them back home. I could never settle on a name for the uncle character, but thinking of him and his story never fails to bring a smile to my face. 

#Anonymous

[kyndaris]

Braving Tried and True JRPG Tropes

When Bravely Default II was released, one of the first reviews I stumbled upon spoke about the person’s disappointment. Some of it came down to personal taste: the art style. Others were a bit more valid: the weak narrative and carbon copies of protagonists from other games. While the fan in me wanted to contest many of their claims, the more I played of the latest Japanese role-playing game (JRPG) from Square-Enix, I could not deny that there was a lot of tropes being used to prop up the strong gameplay loop and to give players the chance to try out the different jobs on offer. Still, many of these grips failed to deter me too much from my playing of the game. After sinking a hefty amount of time into it, I was able to push my way through the multiple endings and give Seth, Gloria, Elvis and Adelle the happy ending that they deserved.

As the faithful readers of my blog, you should know that I bought Bravely Default II while on a road trip with family. Though I should have been luxuriating in the February sun, I was much too engrossed in my Nintendo Switch to pay much mind to my surroundings. And even if Zac Efron or Chris Hemsworth had walked past, I’d probably barely bat an eyelid.

The first few hours of Bravely Default II had me busy reengaging with the mechanics that I knew from the first two games on the Nintendo DS and Octopath Traveler. Considering my familiarity with old-school JRPGs, it came as no surprise that I quickly managed to level up Freelancer as I cut a swathe through the grass surrounding the starting city of Halyconia. In fact, I realised quite quickly that the best way to get good items without paying a cent for them was to play the game like Link, eager to find rupees in the bushes. By the time I fought Dag and Selene and Horten, they went down like flies even though I hadn’t even bothered to change from my default jobs. 

Truth be told, when I read about the difficulties many people supposedly had with these earlier battles, I was scratching my head. Perhaps it was simply the method I play the games - grinding out each job to my satisfaction that had simplified what should have been difficult. On a side note, I thought that the job levelling was much better balanced than Yakuza: Like a Dragon and an infinitely more fun experience because of it. It allowed me to experiment with my team and find the best balance for taking on the various mobs in a given area.

The only time I actually prepared properly for a fight was when I took down Adam and the last few bosses. But even they were a considerable breeze when one had access to so many abilities. Paralysing everyone that stood in my way, inflicting poison and contagion, then having a maxed out Freelancer with Thief skills using Godspeed Strike? Child’s play.

Now, onto the weaker elements of Bravely Default II. The various plot-holes and unexplored characterisation of the heroes and villains. While Elvis and Lonsdale stood out to me, many of the others could have been interchanged with someone else and I would have barely been able to tell the difference were it not for their individual Asterisk attire.

Let’s start with Seth, shall we? Our main protagonist despite the ensemble set-up could have been ripped from any Japanese role-playing game. The ones he reminded me strongly of were Tidus and Vaan. Tidus, because he was a fish-out-of-water that had fallen in love with the woman that would have to sacrifice her life to bring peace back to the world. Vaan due to the fact that he never truly stood out and was simply part of the story just because of Wind Crystal shenanigans. Later on, he was made a bit more special due to his status as someone that had come from the Outer Seas.

In a way, it was a clever voice direction for Seth to be the only character with an American accent. This helped paint the fact that he was different from the others. Still, it would have been much better if we could have seen what his life had been like prior to the events that brought him to waking up on a beach in Halyconia. And while there are scenes in several sidequests that explore a little of Seth’s backstory, there’s little to sink one’s teeth into.

Gloria, on the other hand, is very much a stereotypical princess of a mystical kingdom. Though the voice actress is very good at expressing the pain she has gone through as one of the sole survivors of Musa’s destruction, I feel like it would have connected better with players to have seen the invasion and perhaps played a small part in controlling her escape. Though these things are just little nitpicks, it adds to the characters and allows people to emotionally invest in the happenings of the world. 

That, in and of itself, is probably Bravely Default II’s key problem. The fact that it tells rather than shows.

Elvis, of course, is the star of the show. His quirky traits, affable nature make him a clear favourite and much more human than his other counterparts. The narrative around Wiswald was also great example of fleshing out his past and the people he knows. It is much more personal, pulling on our heartstrings to learn about the death of a young child, and thus carries more weight than the water shortage in Savalon or the fairy hunting in Rimedhal, which was clearly meant to mirror witch trials. 

While Folie, the main antagonist behind the happenings in Wiswald, could have been better written and with a more tangible tie to the people of Wiswald, the fact that she manipulated Roddy, Lily and poor Galahad with visions of the dead Mona meant that a bit of pathos was achieved when she was finally brought down.

Adelle, a little cliche, was still an intriguing character that rounded out the team (I still can’t place her accent). The reveal that she was actually a fairy was a delight. It was also nice that her goals also aligned with the main narrative of stopping the Night’s Nexus, instead of being as superfluous as Elvis trying to solve the riddle of a book he had in his possession or Seth just tagging along for the ride. 

As for the foes that we faced? Most of them seemed like excuses to dress up how players obtained their Asterisks. Many of them seemed like caricatures. And honestly, Martha’s excuse to fight the Heroes of Light was abysmal. But, of course, the developers needed a way for players to experience what it might be like fighting a foe that had the Dragoon Asterisk before they could use it for their own.

I will admit, the story just felt like a vehicle to pick up each Asterisk along the way. Oft times, I had to wonder why so many of these people felt compelled to stand in the way of the Heroes of Light. And while it would have been much better to have a more personal reason for why we fought these enemies besides the fact that ‘Oh, they have an Asterisk and something, something Crystal!’ I still managed to push my way through.

Still, the fact that Dag and Selene managed to snag more character development in the sidequests was great. Gladys’s attempt at atonement and her brother’s grief was also good ways to delve into topics that might have been a little too dark for a title that had such gorgeous backdrops and adorable character models.

Now, to the meat of the matter. The plot holes and the things that were never truly explained. Edna’s descent into madness though Adelle often insisted her sister had always loved humans. How and where Lady Emma found the book that actually contained the memories of the Night’s Nexus? Where does Seth actually come from? How did he die? Why was he chosen by the Wind Crystal? Why was Adam so invested in trying to conquer the world? Did he experience something bad in his past that informed his current need to stop war by starting it? Where did Folie come from? Who is she and why did she feel the need to torment the people of Wiswald for her art?

So many mysteries. So little explanation.

Overall, Bravely Default II has quite a few flaws and missteps. Yet, despite that, it’s a sum greater than its parts. The narrative might not have been captivating, but it managed to keep pulling me through until I saw the true ending. Anticlimactic as the final boss battle might have been, I still felt a certain satisfaction in seeing Gloria tackle Seth to the ground. And honestly, who doesn’t want to Godspeed Strike their way to victory?

P.S. I will say that after witnessing Adelle save Martha, I had hoped for a blossoming romance, but the dialogue between her and Elvis during the second bad ending got to me. It may not be my one true pairing, but Elvis x Adelle was an arrow to my heart. My only question is: how old is Adelle? She looks like a child and yet, because she’s a fairy, she could be like a century older. Maybe better not to think too hard, eh? After all, why sweat the details?

#bravely default II #video games

[spaced0lphin]

Massive Speculation

On N7 day of this hellscape of a year, BioWare announced they were making another Mass Effect instalment. Naturally, being sat up here in the bridge as I am, it gives me a lot of time to speculate and here are my thoughts on the wider picture.

These remasters are intended to revitalise the fandom for the upcoming project.

That much, to me, seems obvious. Whatever this new instalment is, it’s some years off and it makes perfect sense to give something to the (not insignificant) fanbase Mass Effect still has to attract them again, as well as new fans. These remasters will be well positioned to buy them a few years of good “fandom time.”

This upcoming instalment after the remasters is going to be Mass Effect’s last hurrah.

And maybe, as much as it sucks to say, BioWare’s last hurrah in its current form, too. It’s no industry secret that BioWare has outlived its life expectancy since the EA takeover. EA notoriously acquires and dissolves spirited, highly skilled studios once they stop being profitable (and sometimes even before that.) Unlike films, where franchises are just allowed to limp on indefinitely despite litanies of failures (think Terminator, Alien vs Predator and its ilk) games “enjoy” no such luxury. Beloved franchises are taken out behind the barn on the regular. BioWare’s productions in particular are large, grand, expensive, and alarmingly the past two have been both critical and commercial failures, vastly underperforming expectations. Mass Effect: Andromeda sold well initially, but proved to have no legs in the market; so much so, that all its DLC was cancelled and the title unceremoniously shelved. Anthem suffered a very similar and drastic fate. Whatever this upcoming Mass Effect title is going to be, it needs wide, iconic and lasting appeal.

Mass Effect can only be a flagship title.

There is no way to make a cheap Mass Effect game, and so all the stops are going to have to be pulled for this one. The studio learned a painful lesson when they left ME in the hands of their passionate, yet relatively inexperienced branch. Narratively, that puts the upcoming title in a very interesting place.

Mass Effect: Andromeda 2 is not a safe investment for a flagship title.

It doesn’t make a lot of sense to rile up interest in the ME universe again just for the next offering to be a sequel to the broadly disliked and violently shelved Andromeda. Such a decision seems counterintuitive. ME:A seems like a very bad basis to hitch a project of such importance on.

In terms of Mass Effect, what is more iconic than Commander Shepard?

As discussed, the new title is going to need to capitalise on broad appeal and fan favourites to survive. Mass Effect: Andromeda’s premise of sidestepping the whole Reapers debacle by being pioneers seeding the stars in a new galaxy was an excellent idea. Unfortunately, that ticket has been used up. Doing that same idea again seems ill-advised at best. Fandom has been hungry for more Commander Shepard for almost eight years, now... Easily, they and the N7s are the most recognisable, iconic figures. But, and it is a krogan sized “but”...

However, the endings were not meant to be written around.

Whatever you think of them, each “candy flavour” has far-reaching consequences that narratively speaking would be intensely difficult to write a meaningful and interesting continuance for. I’m not saying it isn’t possible, but it is extremely challenging and I think the only way to go forward with that would be to piss off a lot of people, for lack of a better term. It presents several challenges: 1. Okay, so the protagonist is Shepard. How? We have to pick the only path forward from here, which is to say that only the Shepards who chose this particular colour candy ending can proceed. This essentially makes one of the decisions the “canon” ending, because you can only make a game based on one of these outcomes, realistically. Scope becomes too huge if you’re trying to include all the branches. So... we are faced with the age old problem that caused such outrage over the endings initially... a lot of people are going to feel like their choices didn’t matter. This said, there is a slight precedence for this in that one could get their squad and themselves all killed in Mass Effect 2, and only my man Joker is left. That’s a bit of a different situation, but it’s all I got. 2. Okay, so only the Shepards who chose x ending can load their save and continue on. Shepard doing what? N7s are an interesting concept and the Mass Effect universe is a very interesting one with many kinds of narrative possibilities, however, it’s a real pretty corner the writers have painted themselves into on this one, gotta say. This leaves only two other narrative possibilities: 1. The least interesting of all the options, a prequel. This presents challenges of its own, because in Mass Effect’s own lore, it’s not actually that long ago that humanity came into contact with the rest of the galaxy. You can either write about the First Contact War, which involves only humans and turians and shrinks the scope drastically so much so as to be disappointing and lose much of the colour of the universe... or you go so far back into the past that it’s the Protheans’ cycle, in which case there’s no opportunity for a human protagonist - which is a massive problem - and is narratively not very compelling because we know everyone and everything dies, unless you want to do something stupid like time travel. Mass Effect is already high concept enough, I don’t think time travel is a particularly good mechanic to introduce to the series... Unless it’s short-term and single-use, like Shepard has to stop themselves from making a choice in the third game’s era. Even then, that’s opening a big can of worms that I don’t think is a good fit for the series. 2. Mass Effect: Mandalorian The only way to retain the colourful scope, the human protagonist, and the aliens we’re familiar with is ditch the iconic N7 situation entirely and set the instalment maybe 5 or 10 years before Shepard’s time. This ensures humanity is still an up-and-coming member of galactic society, yet the whole Reapers business isn’t going on yet. They won’t go for N7s because as we know, Shepard was the first human Spectre, so the protagonist could be some kind of smuggler, criminal or vigilante rather than military. Touching on what fans loved so much about Mass Effect 2, which was the feeling of getting together your motley crew of misfits to do a real big job, your role could simply be to amass a group of space jerks to do a mission of much smaller scale than the Reapers’ plotline, but no less fun. I’m going to bet it would be called something like Mass Effect: Renegades (you can have that one for free, BioWare) and the player could be pitted against C-Sec and other galactic law enforcement agencies. This even gives the opportunity for small cameos, such as Garrus’ time in C-Sec, and other characters to appear in different points in their careers. Whilst it wouldn’t make up for the loss of the iconic N7 visual and idea, it might go some way towards helping broad appeal. Also just look at how successful the Mandalorian has been for Star Wars. The only reason I don’t like these ideas is because I don’t get to date Joker in any of them. Seriously, BioWare, I don’t care what you do, just let me date the damn scruffy pilot. Not a different one, that one. Specifically. You could get an impersonator if Seth Green doesn’t wanna do it. Say his voicebox got damaged, I don’t care, just something, please In all seriousness though, I’d love for Shepard to come back. My ideal situation has to do with only one of the endings being “canonised” and is that Shepard somehow survives. Then it’s about rebuilding the galaxy after the Reapers have gone. I’m sure there’s drama to be had in that. And it gives me the opportunity to hope for Shepard to finally, FINALLY hook up with Joker. Seriously it’s so narratively powerful they’re always there for each other come on give me this I think that option would be challenging to write and would involve a sacrifice of pissing some fans off quite a lot, but the fact is, Mass Effect needs to be saved if it’s going to continue on, and it might be possible to orchestrate a situation where Shepard passes the torch on to new characters at the end. That’s also a common theme in shows and games these days.

#Mass Effect #mass effect speculation #Mass Effect 5 #but seriously whatever you do just let me date joker ffs

[alexskarsgardnet]

New Alex Interview with The National.ie + New Portraits of Alex by Aaron Richter!

Alexander Skarsgård on finding the humanity even in the darkest villains

Dan Krauss’ fictionalised adaptation of his 2014 documentary 'The Kill Team' revolves around the murder of innocent Middle East civilians by US soldiers

In recent years Alexander Skarsgård has found himself repeatedly portraying and excelling as dark and sinister characters. From his Emmy Award-winning work in the first season of Big Little Lies to his turns in The Diary of a Teenage Girl, War on Everyone, and Hold the Dark, Skarsgård has always managed to show the humanity in individuals – even the most disturbing and depraved.

Rather than just looking for evil figures to play, though, Skarsgård tells The ­National there’s a combination of factors that ultimately help him decide whether to take a part. “It’s the character, the script and the filmmaker. If I am excited about all three it is something I should jump in and take a chance on.”

Being fascinated by the dark and disturbing That’s exactly why he decided to take on The Kill Team, Dan Krauss’s fictionalised adaptation of his 2014 documentary of the same name, which revolves around the murder of innocent Middle Eastern civilians by US soldiers commanded by Skarsgård’s character, Sergeant Deeks.

Skarsgård was “fascinated” by just how “dark and disturbing” The Kill Team documentary was, which was only enhanced when he read the script for the feature film and began to immediately envision and build Deeks in his mind. “Deeks has a complexity that I found really interesting. Dan had avoided tropes and stereotypes in the script and Deeks wasn’t the classic archetypical villain,” he explains. “That’s what got me very excited about it.”

Tapping into Skarsgård’s tremendous presence Skarsgård was always Krauss’s first choice to play Deeks. So what was it that the director saw in the Swedish actor that he wanted to tap into for The Kill Team? “He has a tremendous presence, physically, psychologically and emotionally,” says Krauss, who decided to keep Skarsgård separated from the rest of the young cast, which included Nat Wolff and Adam Long, so that their awe and respect for Skarsgård could really be felt on screen when he first appears.

Skarsgård admits that he stayed on his own for the first few weeks of production, especially when the other actors were enduring their own “two-week boot camp.” However, once they’d shot his opening sequence, where he is introduced to the other soldiers, he decided to mingle with the likes of Wolff and Long. In fact, Skarsgård found it helpful to socialise, get to know and have a good time with the other actors over dinners and talks, because they were filming such “intense” scenes and covering such “intense subject matter.”

How does Skarsg��rd prepare? It didn’t take long for Krauss to be in awe of the work, preparation and talent Skarsgård brought to the film. Krauss recalls Skarsgård thinking “deeply about every scene” and constantly asking, “Where was the character before this moment? Where was he after?”

This preparation meant Skarsgård could formulate a number of ideas about Deeks’ uniform, movements, barracks and even the shape and size of his mustache. So much so that Krauss admits Skarsgård took complete control of the character, and the director was more than happy to stand back and respect this ownership because he recognised that he is very much his own “storyteller at heart.”

“I think that is what makes him such a talented actor, and his experiences make him such a wonderful storyteller. Everything he does as an actor is informed by advancing the story. He is thinking a lot about narrative in his process. Smartly, too. That is a gift for a director,” Krauss says.

Moving away from the darkness to Godzilla vs Kong But while Skarsgård clearly thrives, playing such complex and nefarious characters, he’ll next be seen as a more charming figure in the huge Hollywood blockbuster Godzilla vs Kong, due out in March next year. While Skarsgard was never afraid of being pigeonholed, he is the first to admit that he initially considered Godzilla vs Kong because he “had done a row of quite dark and intense characters” and wanted to try something different. Ultimately, though, it was the opportunity to work with director Adam Wingard – who he describes as smart, lovely and incredible with actors – that actually made him sign up. “When he reached out, the tone of the genre and the movie is much different to the smaller, darker movies I have done. It was a character I was really ready to play. It is a character that is very likeable,” Skarsgård says.

Following on from his recent comedic turn opposite Seth Rogen and Charlize Theron in Long Shot, Godzilla vs Kong gives Skarsgård another chance to bring some levity to a film. Which he does a lot “because even though he is the protagonist of a big action movie he is not a hero or ex-marine. He doesn’t even have the tools to deal with what he is up against. He is just a geologist that is thrown into this world”, Krauss says.

Skarsgård immediately found this both interesting and appealing, especially as he the main protagonists of big action films are usually “quite boring” to him. What also sealed the deal was the fact Wingard and the creative team over at Legendary Studios were open to re-writing and re-shaping the character specifically for him.

Throughout its production, which wrapped a couple of months ago, and which Skarsgård calls a “great experience with great people”, he was given the freedom and room “to explore the humanity” of his unlikely hero, which he believes will be integral to making Godzilla vs Kong work.

“People come to these movies to see these big action set pieces, but if it isn’t rooted in real characters you are invested in, that you care about, then the movie doesn’t work.”

All of which proves that whether he is playing an abusive husband, murderous soldier or a geologist trying to save the world from monsters, Skarsgård’s preparation, detail and dedication is so impressive and inspiring that it has rightfully turned him into one of the most sought after actors of his generation.

Sources/Thanks:  Article/Interview:  Gregory Wakeman for TheNational.ae (x), Portraits:  Originals by Aaron Richter (taken in New York on October 8, 2019).

#Alexander Skarsgard #Alexander Skarsgård

[aion-rsa]

Why Resident Evil Village’s Vampire Lady Could Be the Game’s Most Interesting Character

https://ift.tt/eA8V8J

When Resident Evil Village releases later this year, it’ll have the tough job of following up one of the best survival horror games released in the last decade: Resident Evil 7. While clearly inspired by innovative classics that came before like Amnesia, Outlast, and Hideo Kojima’s P.T. demo, Capcom did its own thing with its first-person horror thriller, introducing fans to a gruesome new bioweapon and new protagonist Ethan, a character very unlike the gun-toting STARS and Umbrella agents from the franchise’s past. The result was a hell of a ride full of scares, dismemberments, and more than a few twists, as its surprise tale of espionage and coverups unfolded in the final act.

Capcom’s sequel to Ethan’s story picks up after the events at the Baker estate. Based on the trailers released so far, when Resident Evil Village begins, Ethan and Mia have been reunited and are living in relative peace until Chris Redfield shows up and turns Ethan’s life upside down once again. Suddenly, Ethan finds himself in the game’s titular village, which looks very similar to the one infested by the Las Plagas parasite in Resident Evil 4. But this village doesn’t seem to be populated by mind-controlled Ganados or hungry zombies. Instead, Resident Evil Village will introduce werewolves and, more intriguingly, vampires to the Resident Evil universe.

Don’t miss the Resident Evil Showcase on January 21st at 10pm GMT/ 11pm CET! Join Brittney Brombacher ( @BlondeNerd ) on a guided tour of Resident Evil Village, including a new trailer, first-ever gameplay, and lots more Resident Evil news! pic.twitter.com/BSNiFPpkbV

— Capcom Europe (@CapcomEurope) January 14, 2021

In fact, the franchise’s first vampiric character has already caused quite the stir on Twitter. Revealed in a brief teaser promoting today’s Resident Evil Village digital showcase at 5 pm ET, the new character is an incredibly tall woman in a fancy hat who towers above Ethan and her much more grotesque vampiric minions. In just a matter of days the “Vampire Lady” or “Tall Lady,” who remains nameless at the moment, became an obsession for the Resident Evil community. Fan art and memes quickly followed:

TALL LADY From RE8. Don't know who she is yet but i love her already. This is my 3rd digital painting.#Art #ResidentEvil #REBHfun pic.twitter.com/HBA3KrQIpM

— Tyan Woo (@tyanwoo) January 18, 2021

Tall Vampire Lady (Resident Evil Village) I'm impatient! Are you waiting for the REVillage? pic.twitter.com/bDM9QB8iBq

— Prywinko Art (@prywinko) January 17, 2021

#ResidentEvil #ResidentEvilVillage#PS5 No one: Vampire Lady: pic.twitter.com/7UPKEpOlVv

— Mathesh_RDJ⎊™® (@Fan_Of_RDJ) January 18, 2021

SPOILERS: Resident Evil VIllage tall vampire lady fight pic.twitter.com/DUX12VR1ge

— Dr. Frigaku (@Frigaku) January 19, 2021

All this chatter about the Tall Lady from Resident Evil 8 and nobody’s asking the important questions. Namely, can she dunk?#ResidentEvilVillage #ResidentEvil8 #talllady #vampirelady pic.twitter.com/M0Nl087l1a

— Seth Banner (@SethKlokk) January 19, 2021

I saw resident evil tall lady with some claws and i love her more.🙏 pic.twitter.com/2acVSSY68F

— BanishedPotato (@BS_artsss) January 16, 2021

While little is known about the character — it’s easy to speculate that she’s one of the boss villains you’ll encounter in the game — it’s not all that surprising that “Tall Vampire Lady” has stolen the show from more legacy characters like Chris Redfield or even the aforementioned werewolf. When she arrives in the game, Vampire Lady will be the first enemy of her kind in the Resident Evil franchise, which has largely dabbled in zombies, viruses, and the threat of bioweapons up until this point. But with Village, Capcom is clearly looking to folklore and the classic monsters we normally associate with horror.

It’s not the first time Capcom has experimented with classic horror monsters, either. The studio famously tried to incorporate a recurring ghost-like enemy known as the Hook Man in Resident Evil 4 before eventually pulling him from the final product. Village, which, again, resembles Resi 4 in terms of its setting, could be a way for Capcom to revisit more traditional horror concepts. And if the point of main Resi sequels going forward is for each new installment to stand apart in some way from the others — Resident Evil 7 introduced a first-person perspective to the series, for example — then including vampires and werewolves in Village is an interesting way to do it.

The game that inspired the Resident Evil series, Capcom’s Sweet Home, featured zombies, ghosts, and killer dolls (another classic monster), but in much more overt and campy ways. Is Village really going to establish that vampires have been running around all along and have simply stayed away from all of the zombie shenanigans this long?

Like Mr. X, Nemesis, Albert Wesker, and Eveline before her, Vampire Lady could very well be the result of experiments with a new bioweapon Ethan and Chris need to shut down before the world is covered in bloodsuckers and savage wolfmen. No matter how outlandish the creature — and Resi has featured plenty of them — the franchise has always found a way to tie its origin back to some sort of unethical scientific experiment.

In Resident Evil 7, The Connections takes the place of Umbrella as the evil organization behind all of the terrible events in the game. (Meanwhile, a new Umbrella, known as “Blue Umbrella,” is ironically leading the charge against bioweapons research.) It’s very possible The Connections has a new plan to turn people into bio-engineered vampires and werewolves.

Either way, if Capcom hoped that a vampire would get people excited for Village, the studio certainly got what it wanted. Mind you, some fans are more interested in Vampire Lady’s…physical appearance and height in comparison to them than what her arrival might mean for the franchise’s lore going forward, but I’m not here to judge.

You can watch the Resident Evil Village digital showcase below:

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#aion-rsa #Den of Geek

[krys-loves-otome]

Otome Birthdays 2020

Here’s the full list of birthday days. It’s not an exhaustive list as I plan on adding more as I play more otomes in the future and as more information comes out for various games. I had a near-identical version on my old blog, just now updating it to include newer characters and new games, like Ikemen Vampire.

Just as a reminder, I go by what Wikipedia, official websites (Idea Factory International, Otomate, Aksys, etc) and creator websites and pages (dicesuki, DateNighto, Cybird, Cheritz, etc), tell me as their canon birthdays. If I’ve got the wrong information, then I’ll do my best to update the information for future reference.

I’ve also added in protagonists’ birthdays, if it’s known, along with some side characters if they have a known birthday.

**Hakuoki birthdays, the creators have stated, are based on the real-life counterpart’s birth dates. Unfortunately, since keeping records of one’s birth in Japan didn’t really start happening until about 100 years after the time Hakuoki is supposed to take place, so some birth dates are lost to time and no one knows the date, which is why you don’t see Okita, Heisuke, Harada, etc on here. Characters like Kazama and the demons who were created for the story do not have canonical birthdays as they are fictional and have not been given a birth date either. The dates listed here, as far as I'm aware, are their lunisolar dates, thus if you look up, say, Hijikata's birthday, you'll get two answers (that Wikipedia refuses to acknowledge). His lunisolar birthday is May 5th, but according to the Gregorian calendar, his birthday is May 31st. I'm leaning more on the side of the lunisolar date, however, as a personal preference.

**Any of the Cybird history-based games, however, I will provide their dates given rather than what history says their birthdate is. Because Cybird does what it wants. 

And now, onto the list! Have fun, lovelies!

—————- 

January

1st- Hajime Saito [Hakuoki]

6th-Jean d'Arc [Ikemen Vampire] / Herlock Sholmes [Code: Realize]

7th-Kennyo [Ikemen Sengoku]

11th-Lancelot Kingsley [Ikemen Revolution]

20th-Mason [Hustle Cat]

23rd-Alyn and Leo Crawford [Midnight Cinderella]

27th-Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart [Ikemen Vampire]

31st-Ieyasu Tokugawa [Ikemen Sengoku]

February

9th-Abraham Van Helsing [Code: Realize]

10th-Mousse Atlas [Ikemen Revolution]

15th-Charles Henri Sanson [Ikemen Vampire]

18th-Kenshin Uesugi [Ikemen Sengoku]

21st-Hayes [Hustle Cat]

22nd-Kei Okazaki [Collar x Malice] / Loki Genetta [Ikemen Revolution]

29th-Johann Georg Faust [Ikemen Vampire]

March

3rd-Ukyo [Amnesia: Memories] / Keiji Maeda [Ikemen Sengoku]

12th-Yoosung Kim [Mystic Messenger]

17th-Hideyoshi Toyotomi [Ikemen Sengoku]

19th Rayvis Harneit [Midnight Cinderella] 

23rd Ray Blackwell [Ikemen Revolution]

30th-Vincent van Gogh [Ikemen Vampire] / Finley [Hustle Cat]

April

1st-Zen [Mystic Messenger]

5th-Oliver Knight [Ikemen Revolution]

10th-Sasuke Sarutobi [Ikemen Sengoku]

11th-Shinpachi Nagakura [Hakuoki]

12th-Toma [Amnesia: Memories] / Nico Meier [Midnight Cinderella]

15th-Fenrir Godspeed [Ikemen Revolution] / Leonardo da Vinci [Ikemen Vampire]

16th-Motonari Mouri [Ikemen Sengoku]

17th-Mineo Enomoto [Collar x Malice]

30th-Landry [Hustle Cat]

May

1st-Theodorus van Gogh [Ikemen Vampire]

5th-Toshizo Hijikata [Hakuoki]

7th-Lucette [Cinderella Phenomenon] / Sirius Oswald [Ikemen Revolution]

12th-Nobunaga Oda [Ikemen Sengoku]

17th-Impey Barbicane [Code: Realize] / Albert Burckhardt [Midnight Cinderella]

22nd-Arthur Conan Doyle [Ikemen Vampire]

24th-Alexandrina Victoria [Code: Realize]

31st-Reese [Hustle Cat]

June

1st-Ikki [Amnesia: Memories] 

6th-Vlad [Ikemen Vampire]

8th-Takeru Sasazuka [Collar x Malice]

10th-Seth Hyde [Ikemen Revolution]

11th-707 and Saeran [Mystic Messenger]

18th-Rod [Cinderella Phenomenon]

19th-Osamu Dazai [Ikemen Vampire]

20th-Dean and Dalim Tweedle [Ikemen Revolution] / Avery Gray [Hustle Cat] 

27th-Ranmaru Mori [Ikemen Sengoku]

July

3rd-Waltz Criswell [Cinderella Phenomenon]

7th-Yukimura Sanada [Ikemen Sengoku]

17th-Kyle Ash [Ikemen Revolution]

30th-Nemo [Code: Realize]

August

1st- Kanetsugu Naoe [Ikemen Sengoku]

2nd-Saint Germain, Guinevere, and Rempart Leonhardt [Code: Realize]

13th-Yoshimoto Imagawa [Ikemen Sengoku]

15th-Napoleon Bonaparte [Ikemen Vampire]

22nd Sid Arnault/Lloyd Grandier [Midnight Cinderella]

23rd-Edgar Bright [Ikemen Revolution]

24th-Luka Clemence [Ikemen Revolution]

26th-Victor Frankenstein [Code: Realize]

September

5th-Aiji Yanagi [Collar x Malice] / Masamune Date [Ikemen Sengoku]

9th-V [Mystic Messenger] / Robert Branche [Midnight Cinderella]

10th-Fritz [Cinderella Phenomenon] / Blanc Lapin [Ikemen Revolution]

22nd-Sebastian [Ikemen Vampire]

23rd-Kent [Amnesia: Memories]

October

4th-Mitsuhide Akechi [Ikemen Sengoku]

5th-Jumin Han [Mystic Messenger]

9th-Isami Kondou [Hakuoki]

10th-Zero [Ikemen Revolution] / Finis [Code: Realize]

11th-Delacroix II [Code: Realize]

16th-Louis Howard [Midnight Cinderella]

21st-Karma [Cinderella Phenomenon] 

24th-Arsene Lupin [Code: Realize]

25th-Comte de Saint Germain [Ikemen Vampire]

28th-Jimmy A Aleister [Code: Realize]

November

1st-Graves [Hustle Cat]

3rd-Rika [Mystic Messenger]

6th-Mitsunari Ishida [Ikemen Sengoku]

11th-Giles Christophe [Midnight Cinderella] / William Shakespeare [Ikemen Vampire]

15th-Ryouma Sakamoto [Hakuoki] / Kichou [Ikemen Sengoku]

18th-Jonah Clemence [Ikemen Revolution]

30th-Shin [Amnesia: Memories]

December

1st-Shingen Takeda [Ikemen Sengoku]

7th-Byron Wagner [Midnight Cinderella]

12th-Rumpel [Cinderella Phenomenon] / Harr Silver [Ikemen Revolution]

24th-Kageyuki Shiraishi [Collar x Malice]

25th-Issac Newton [Ikemen Vampire]

28th-Jaehee Kang [Mystic Messenger]

#for future reference #otome birthdays

[crazychiyomiwa]

Top 3 fav anime pairings?

Hmmm my current favorite anime pairings will be:

#1) Seth x Melie (Radiant) < This is kinda obvious as the story goes. Plus this is some real OTP qualities here plus this is the first time I actually like a ship better than NaLu from Fairy Tail lmao! My top 1 favorite ship currently.

#2) Asta x Mimosa (Black Clover) < Tbh, Mimosa is way better in terms of romance development with Asta than generic tsundere Noelle-chan here. Mimosa all the way! #TeamMimosa.

#3) Yusaku x Aoi (Yu-Gi-Oh! VRAINS) < Generic Main male and female protagonist pairing in Yu-Gi-Oh! and my favorite among all Yu-Gi-Oh! series aside Judai x Asuka from Yu-Gi-Oh! GX. But seriously, they look really good together especially on personality wise.

#Radiant anime #Black Clover #Yu Gi Oh VRAINS #Seth x Melie #Asta x Mimosa #Yusaku x Aoi #Seth Radiant #Melie Radiant #Asta #Mimosa Vermillion #Yusaku Fujiki #Aoi Zaizen #Judai Yuki #Asuka Tenjoin #Yu Gi Oh GX #Natsu x Lucy #NaLu #Fairy Tail #Natsu Dragneel #Lucy Heartfilia

[hub-pub-bub]

Agents have to consider where your work fits in a crowded marketplace. By including that information in your query letter, you’re making their job easier—and what stands out about your manuscript even more evident.

3 Ways to Find Your Book’s Unique Selling Proposition

1. THE SAME, BUT DIFFERENT

“The same, but different,” is what publishing is all about in today’s challenging environment. Publishers are looking for something the same as [insert your favorite bestseller here]; saying your work is “just like a bestselling XYZ,” proves there is a market for that kind of book.

But your concept should also be fresh enough to set it apart from the bestseller and to distinguish itself in a marketplace full of similar stories. The same, but different.

Consider these examples of stories broken down in this way:

“Just like J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings, only based on the War of the Roses.” (George R.R. Martin’s A Game of Thrones)

“Just like Jane Austen’s Emma, only set in Beverly Hills.” (Amy Heckerling’s Clueless)

“Just like Margaret Mitchell’s Gone With the Wind, only the slaves are the main characters.” (Alice Randall’s The Wind Done Gone)

Plot Perfect: How to Build Unforgettable Stories Scene by Scene

In marketing parlance, “the same, but different” statement is known as a unique selling proposition (USP). This term refers to the qualities that differentiate a product. A USP is the marketing angle to your theme. It’s what you need to pitch the book to agents, publishers, booksellers and, ultimately, readers. There’s no point in trying to sell a story that has no USP— that is just “same old, same old,” and cannot find its place in today’s competitive market.

To find your own USP, ask yourself these questions.

• What is my story really about? • What am I trying to say? • How is my story different from all the others on the same shelf? • Why would readers choose to read this story instead of [insert bestseller here]?

Now describe your own story in terms of “the same, but different.” Consider the plot of the work you’re comparing your own story to—and how yours differs from it.

2. X MEETS Y

Another way to think of USPs is to borrow from the classic Hollywood high-concept formula: X meets Y. This works well when your story is a new twist on an old favorite or a mash-up of two genres, ideas or characters.

Successful examples include:

“Abraham Lincoln meets vampires.” (Seth Grahame-Smith’s Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter)

“The Handmaid’s Tale meets The Hunger Games.” (Shannon Stoker’s The Registry)

“Prizzi’s Honor meets True Lies.” (Simon Kinberg’s Mr. and Mrs. Smith)

Try coming up with an X meets Y formula for your story. Once you’ve got it, ask yourself how the respective themes of X and Y relate to your story—and perhaps create a new theme.

3. THE ONLY TROUBLE IS …

If you’re still stuck trying to find a unique selling point for your story, identify the main conflict and rework your USP so that it highlights your hero or heroine’s problem. This is another way of looking at plot, as in the following examples.

“A young man meets the girl of his dreams. The only trouble is, she’s a fish.” (Lowell Ganz, Babaloo Mandel and Bruce Jay Friedman’s Splash)

“A playboy joins a single parents’ group to hit on single moms. The only trouble is, he doesn’t have a kid.” (Nick Hornby’s About a Boy)

“A newly crowned king must comfort his people during troubling times. The only trouble is, he stutters very badly.” (David Seidler’s The King’s Speech)

What’s the trouble in your story? What’s the main obstacle your protagonist must overcome—and how does that obstacle relate to your theme?

Excerpted from Plot Perfect © 2014 by Paula Munier, with permission from Writer’s Digest Books.

About Paula Munier

Paula Munier, Senior Literary Agent and Content Strategist at Talcott Notch Literary Services, boasts broad experience creating and marketing exceptional content in all formats across all markets for such media giants as WGBH, Disney, Fidelity, Gannett, Greenspun Media Group, F&W Media, and Quayside. She began her career as a journalist, and along the way added editor, acquisitions specialist, digital content manager, and publishing executive to her repertoire. Her specialties include crime fiction, women’s fiction, upmarket fiction, crossover YA, high-concept SFF, and nonfiction. Paula is very involved with the mystery community, having served four terms as President of the New England chapter of Mystery Writers of America as well as on the MWA board. Paula has also served on the New England Crime Bake committee for ten years and counting. And she’s an active member of Sisters in Crime, ITW, AWP, and SCBWI. A popular speaker and writing teacher, Paula has authored/co-authored more than a dozen books, including the bestselling Plot Perfect, The Writer’s Guide to Beginnings, Writing with Quiet Hands, and the acclaimed memoir Fixing Freddie: A True Story about a Boy, a Mom, and a Very, Very Bad Beagle. Her first mystery, A Borrowing of Bones, debuted in September 2018 from Minotaur, an imprint of St. Martin’s Press.

View all posts by Paula Munier →

#books #writers #authors #literary agents #publishing #writing

[krys-does-otome]

Otome Birthdays List

As promised, here’s the full list of birthday days. It’s not an exhaustive list as I plan on adding more as I play more otomes in the future and as more information comes out for various games.

Just as a reminder, I go by what Wikipedia, official websites (Idea Factory International, Otomate, Aksys, etc) and creator websites and pages (dicesuki, DateNighto, etc), tell me as their canon birthdays. If I’ve got the wrong information, then I’ll do my best to update the information for future reference.

I’ve also added in protagonists’ birthdays, if it’s known (like Lucette and Avery), along with some side characters if they have a known birthday (not all side characters, however, because, as of this writing and according to Code: Realize’s wiki, Saint Germain, Guinevere, and Leonhardt all have the same birthday, and I don’t think I’m prepared to handle that many at once).

**Hakuoki birthdays, the creators have stated, are based on the real life counterpart’s birth dates. Unfortunately, since keeping records of one’s birth in Japan didn’t really start happening until about 100 years after the time Hakuoki is supposed to take place, some birth dates are lost to time and no one knows the date, which is why you don’t see Okita, Heisuke, Harada, etc on here. Characters like Kazama and the demons who were created for the story do not have canonical birthday as they are fictional and have not been given a birth date either. 

EDIT: I changed Sakamoto’s to reflect the correct date (it’s the lunisolar date (where the majority of the Hakuoki birthdays fall upon). If anyone wants me to make a separate post explaining about the lunisolar dates, I’d be more than happy to make one).

**August 17th is added as ‘Mod Day’ as that is my birthday.  I’ll be spamming with my personal favorite baes, but you are more than welcome to leave things in my inbox!

**I’m considering making another dedicated day in July, however, since Waltz is looking a little lonely there by himself. No promises, but we’ll see what’s up when July rolls around.

And now, onto the list! Have fun, lovelies!

---------------- 

January 1st- Hajime Saito [Hakuoki] 6th-Herlock Sholmes [Code: Realize] 7th-Kennyo [Ikemen Sengoku] 11th-Lancelot Kingsley [Ikemen Revolution] 20th-Mason [Hustle Cat] 23rd-Alyn and Leo Crawford [Midnight Cinderella] 26th-Klaus Goldstein [Wizardess Heart] 31st-Ieyasu Tokugawa [Ikemen Sengoku]

February 9th-Abraham Van Helsing [Code: Realize] 18th-Kenshin Uesugi [Ikemen Sengoku] 21st-Hayes [Hustle Cat] 22nd-Kei Okazaki [Collar x Malice] / Loki Genetta [Ikemen Revolution]

March 3rd-Ukyo [Amnesia: Memories] 8th-Vincent Knight [Wizardess Heart] 12th-Yoosung Kim [Mystic Messenger] 17th-Hideyoshi Toyotomi [Ikemen Sengoku] 19th Rayvis Harneit [Midnight Cinderella] / Elias Goldstein [Wizardess Heart] 23rd Ray Blackwell [Ikemen Revolution] 30th-Finley [Hustle Cat]

April 1st-Zen [Mystic Messenger] 5th-Oliver Knight [Ikemen Revolution] 10th-Sasuke Sarutobi [Ikemen Sengoku] / Yukiya Reizen [Wizardess Heart] 11th-Shinpachi Nagakura [Hakuoki] 12th-Toma [Amnesia: Memories] / Nico Meier [Midnight Cinderella] 15th-Fenrir Godspeed [Ikemen Revolution] 17th-Mineo Enomoto [Collar x Malice] 30th-Landry [Hustle Cat]

May 5th-Toshizo Hijikata [Hakuoki] 7th-Lucette [Cinderella Phenomenon] / Sirius Oswald [Ikemen Revolution] 12th-Nobunaga Oda [Ikemen Sengoku] 17th-Impey Barbicane [Code: Realize] / Albert Burckhardt [Midnight Cinderella] 31st-Reese [Hustle Cat]

June 1st-Ikki [Amnesia: Memories] / Cerim Leiado [Wizardess Heart] / Guy Brighton [Wizardess Heart] 6th- Randy March [Wizardess Heart] 8th-Takeru Sasazuka [Collar x Malice] 10th-Seth Hyde [Ikemen Revolution] 11th-707 and Saeran [Mystic Messenger] 18th-Rod [Cinderella Phenomenon] 20th-Avery Gray [Hustle Cat]

July 3rd-Waltz Criswell [Cinderella Phenomenon] 7th-Yukimura Sanada [Ikemen Sengoku] 17th-Kyle Ash [Ikemen Revolution]

August 2nd-Saint Germain [Code: Realize] 17th-Mod Day 22nd Sid Arnault/Lloyd Grandier [Midnight Cinderella] 23rd-Edgar Bright [Ikemen Revolution] 24th-Luka Clemence [Ikemen Revolution] 26th-Victor Frankenstein [Code: Realize]

September 5th-Aiji Yanagi [Collar x Malice] / Masamune Date [Ikemen Sengoku] 9th-V [Mystic Messenger] / Robert Branche [Midnight Cinderella] 10th-Fritz [Cinderella Phenomenon] / Blanc Lapin [Ikemen Revolution] 23rd-Kent [Amnesia: Memories]

October 4th-Mitsuhide Akechi [Ikemen Sengoku] 5th-Jumin Han [Mystic Messenger] 9th-Isami Kondou [Hakuoki] 10th-Zero [Ikemen Revolution] 11th-Delacroix II [Code: Realize] 12th-Joel Crawford [Wizardess Heart] 15th-Luca Orlem [Wizardess Heart] 16th-Louis Howard [Midnight Cinderella] 21st-Karma [Cinderella Phenomenon] 24th-Arsene Lupin [Code: Realize] 28th-Amelia Nile [Wizardess Heart]

November 1st-Graves [Hustle Cat] 3rd-Rika [Mystic Messenger] 6th-Mitsunari Ishida [Ikemen Sengoku] 11th-Giles Christophe [Midnight Cinderella] 15th-Ryouma Sakamoto [Hakuoki] 18th-Jonah Clemence [Ikemen Revolution] 30th-Shin [Amnesia: Memories]

December 1st-Shingen Takeda [Ikemen Sengoku] 7th-Byron Wagner [Midnight Cinderella] 12th-Rumpel [Cinderella Phenomenon] / Harr Silver [Ikemen Revolution] 24th-Kageyuki Shiraishi [Collar x Malice] 28th-Jaehee Kang [Mystic Messenger]

#otome birthdays #for future reference #hakuoki #code: realize #hustle cat #collar x malice #mystic messenger #amnesia: memories #cinderella phenomenon #ikemen sengoku #ikemen revolution #midnight cinderella #wizardess heart

[videogamesincolor]

The script for ‘Shadow of the Colossus’ is as bad (and as racist) as you think it could be

Shadow of the Colossus is considered by many within the Team Ico fanbase to be the video game that is neither suitable for film, or a story that could translate well as a script. Fumito Ueda’s “Design by Subtraction” approach, the intentional lack of clarity within the story itself, and the fact that the player is set against sixteen Colossi and nothing more, make approaching the idea of a movie difficult in the traditional sense where the feat might be easier to accomplish with games like Resident Evil, Tomb Raider, or Mortal Kombat, all of which take their cues from specific film genres.

Avocations for Guilermo del Toro to direct a Shadow of the Colossus film come and go because he is an admitted fan of the game, but the grand majority of SOTC fans remain unmoved from the position that it’s not a game that requires a film adaption.

Yet, there was an attempt. April 2009 Sony Pictures announced they would try to make a film adaptation with the cooperation of Fumito Ueda, yet nothing ever came of it. The next five years (most notable 2012 and 2014) would see talk of the SOTC film happening with different directors (Josh Trank, Seth Lochhead, Andrés Muschietti). Again, nothing happened, but, a script was actually written.

September 2017, a cinematographer named Dan Olson, chose to share with followers of his twitter account (@FormidableHuman) bits of a draft script for Shadow of the Colossus written by a man named Justin Marks (the screenwriter for the oft forgotten film, Street Fighter: The Legend of Chun-Li, starring the late Michael Clarke Duncan and Kristin Kreuk, and Disney’s live-action remake of The Jungle Book). Marks was the screenwriter attached to the 2009 attempt.

He shared just a few passages he was willing to post in screenshot format. In his twitter thread (available below in readable paragraphs, or you can go to his twitter page linked behind the cut), Olson points out the racist presumptions of screenwriter Justin Marks, who envisions the society of Wander, Emon and Mono, driven by the economy of human and animal slavery. On top of that, their homeland is described in ways comparable to the X-Men’s Savage Land.

Wander is a slave with all the spirit and short temper of a [bad] YA protagonist (Olson compares Marks’ take on Wander to Tidus or Vaan of the Final Fantasy series. I don’t see that, but I’m also not in the “Wander’s a teenager” camp either).

Agro, a mean-spirited horse, becomes his companion through their shared experiences as slaves wanting to “run free”. 

Mono is a young and exotic sacrifice girl who speaks broken “Common Tongue” and is “moved” by Wander’s desire to defy fate (after she brings up the subject of sacrifice and the Forbidden Lands). Unfortunately, she is violently abused by a slovenly and drunkard of a father who kills her when he hits her hard enough to break her neck, thus triggering Wander’s journey to the Forbidden Lands. 

Also, Lord Emon is pure evil who tells Wander that he is less than nothing because he’s a slave.

For lack of a better word, Justin Marks, who might’ve had the right idea with attempting to flesh out the world with flashback for the purposes of film, gummed up the works when he envisioned a sparse world, completely uncomplicated by white and xenophobic ideas of foreigners, by otherizing the hell out of it. It’s like reading the Storm flashback segment in the Draft script of Bryan Singer’s X-Men, but worse.

October 2017, Dan Olson also took it upon himself to read the entire script that he happened upon on his Twitch channel. The video is four or so hours long and more than likely an exercise in torture. I have no intentions of watching it, but the video is linked behind the cut with the twitter thread.

All of this came to light through the community for a Lets Play group, Super Best Friends Play (also known as Two Best Friends Play) during their Lets Play of Bluepoint Games’ remake of the 2005 game. Woolie Madden (one of the three active members of SBFP) puts in the effort of reading Olson’s twitter thread during the fifth part of their LP and their Reddit community (also linked below).

Most of the time when things like this come out and it’s not exactly wide-spread, there’s reason to doubt it (and you def. take this with a grain of salt, though old news media rather confirms it indirectly). Yet, If the script discovery has proved anything, it’s that Shadow of the Colossus isn’t a concept that can be tackled without losing or twisting elements of what makes it a compelling game in the first place. And some things, that should have been forgotten were better lost.

Dan Olson reads Shadow of the Colossus (Draft Script)

Summarized by @FoldableHuman (September 2017) | Script Reading Video (Twitch, October 2017)  | SBFP Reddit Thread | SBFP Shadow of the Colossus #5 (Remake)

“Finally reading the Shadow of the Colossus movie script. I'm 30 pages in and I hate it. I hate it so much. I don't have reliable internet, so details will have to wait.But I want you all to know I hate it so, so much. I made it 8 more pages before I had to stop because the hate was coming faster than I could make notes.

Okay, so.

The opening is basically lifted straight from the game's opening cinematic, for example, and the colossi look and feel the same.

But That's About It

Wander gets to the temple, makes contact with Dormin, and we're tossed into ~~FLASHBACK~~ A solid half of the first 38 pages is flashback scenes to life prior to Wander arriving in the Forbidden Land and every single one is awful. This is hard to outline, because there's a lot of competing problems. Let's start with the racism.

[original thread]

There's a lot of this, where the things that are antagonistic are all but described as "exotic AF, like super definitely not-white". Second, you know how the punch of SotC hinges on a sort of moral unknowability? That Shaman Emon is an antagonist, but not villain? Please allow me to introduce you to Lord Emon Ba'ad'gi Putridus the Third.

[original thread]

Wander's speech super bothers me. He's basically a Final Fantasy teenage protag. He talks like Tidus or Vaan. I want to bust his teeth.

[original thread]

Oh there's also wankery going on with languages. Mono's alcoholic pig farmer dad speaks... ugh... "an exotic, completely- unheard-of tongue". o all his stuff is in italics, but Emon speaks "our language" (wording from screenplay) and Mono speaks broken "our language".  This is used for no other purpose than to make dickbag dad completely unsympathetic, and for godawful exchanges like this:

[original thread]

If you haven't picked up on it yet, Mono is every "sexy savage" ever written. Wander, in this script, is an escaped slave who happens into Mono's village and steals Agro from her dad. Agro is a mean horse that her dad apparently keeps for no other reason than to abuse. But Wander tames him b/c they're both escaped slaves.

[original thread]

Here's where I originally stopped to say "I hate this so much" (She has just explained the basics of her faith's afterlife):

[original thread]

Alright, not to drag this on toooo long (I need to get to bed) I'll finish strong. In the game it's implied that Mono's death is institutional in some way, that she's maybe even a sacrifice. It pits Wander against things that are bigger and older than himself: tradition, the hierarchy, the colossi, Dormin. Wander's actions in assaulting/aiding these Bigger Things have consequences that he *clearly* doesn't fully appreciate. 

And those consequences are meant to be ambiguous b/c we're meant to consider them on a time scale of eons. This is supposed to be deliberately contrasted against Wander's very *now* teenage concern of "hot girl is dead but I want living girl 😢". 

Screenplay Mono gets Million Dollar Baby'd by her daydrunk dad.

[original thread]

Goodnight.”

#shadow of the colossus #screenwriting #justin marks #super best friends play #team ico #racism in film #abuse tw