#kissrambles

Wish I could but I only really scratched out bits and pieces of the concept of Sanctum.

I knew part of it was going to be twisting the personalities a bit (Heimos is more antagonistic/ hard to deal with, VV are more timid and scared, Necare has a lot more to lose and thus more irritable and less stoic, and Amare is more visibly shaken because Sanctum!Amare is like 59 years old and doesn't have thousands of years to figure out how to handle things).

I know the MCs were going to be called Handlers except for maybe Heimos's who was also a 50/50 on being government or a lost soul.

Like I was only mildly interested in the new LI because later teasers showed he would actually have a personality outside of alpha ceo, but damn do I feel horrible for anyone who was really pumped.

Be greedy or cowardly. Not both when you're a major gaming company. They should have either canceled him the same day or stuck to releasing him.

The fact he is capital c cancelled instead of just delayed is also scummy.

"How hard can it be to do twine?"

*realizes I have to relearn CSS to modify the GUI*

Goddamit. As if having to learn a new engine's processing wasn't rough enough.

At least CSS is a good skill to develop. Just think about it, I could make my itch pages look nicer down the line if I can wrap my thick skull around it. Learning new things is always good, and it'll give me something to do when I hit writer's block that is still productive.

This question is assuming you've seen the movie, if you haven't feel free to ignore this XD

would any of your crazy peeps be the type to make Bear's wish? Once having realized their mistake, would they try to cancel their wish completely or, in a total display of selfishness, try to alter only certain aspects of it so that they can still get what (...or who) they want?

Kind of a weird question I know!! I just loved this movie so so much, horror and romance are my favourite genres, so I tend to consume a lot of media about themes of toxic batshit crazy murderous love. However, something that I've noticed a lot as of recently, is the sort of weird 'romanticization' of the types of behaviors and relationships displayed in these products. Not so much because of how they're portrayed, but because of how they're received by the audience. In a time where glazing this particular flavor of horror is normalized, "Obsession" was trulyy like a breath of fresh air. I feel like this is the ONE FILM that truly exposes the absolute AGONY and bullshit that come with toxic and extreme limerence confused as love, as well as being a crushing metaphor for consent and loss of autonomy in a relationship.

Sorry for the rant ^^; If you've seen it, I would love to hear what you think of the movie in general!

I haven't seen the movie, but one downside to my algorithms knowing I like horror is I essentially get major spoilers with no warning for any new horror thing that comes out, so I do know the plot points of Obsession. Which does work out, because going to the movies is expensive as hell nowadays. Between bills and making games, I have a very limited fun budget, and I typically spend that on video games and books nowadays. The cost of going to the movies by myself nowadays can buy multiple books or indie titles after all.

As for the question about if my characters would use the wish. No, none of mine would. I tend to make proactive characters rather than reactive ones like Bear, so they wouldn't just wistfully wish on something. They'd do something about it.

Violo & Vivere, for example, in their worst ending, keep you to "change your mind". This is of course their worst ending because they were so close to finally making steps to fix themselves and immediately regress into their worst habits when they meet resistance. That's why VVV can't ever be called truly healthy, but in a good ending, the pair are making strides towards recovery. Recovery isn't a straight line though, so they slip up a lot. Also, their version of "healthier" is still adherent to Crescent Imperium standards, and remember....that place was horrible with horrible people in it. What it means for Violo is he is still way too comfortable with murder and maiming as a response. Even if he does eventually chill out when he becomes confident in himself and his relationships, he will keep the stink of blood him. Vivere is subject to Violo's moods, so as long as Violo is doing better they are doing better. They also have deep rooted anxieties and heavily benefit from having someone like the Voidlight to help assuage them. Still, Viv does remain inhuman despite their best efforts, so...can't really call them 'healthy' down the line either. They can both get better in a good ending, but they're never cured. They are a metaphor for long term conditions. Violo is literally my anxiety disorder and Vivere is my body dysmorphia. Two things that never leave me the fuck alone.

Amare only begins to exhibit their darker behaviors once you reach a certain point, and theirs is motivated by their deep seated fear. It's less of a "I want you forever" and more of a "I don't want to be destroyed like everything else I've ever loved, and you are extremely vulnerable" which motivates them into just...keeping the Fatebringer safe. No matter what. Is it healthy? No, but the Fatebringer is also in their late 50s to early 60s and well aware of their situation. They choose to remain. They are a severe agoraphobe being enabled. Is that healthy? No. Is Amare going to let anyone take the Fatebringer away from a new consistent source of comfort and safety? Hell no. Also, Amare stopped making wishes/prayers when they were first struck down by the Gods. Now they go about working towards their own goals without outside intervention like what this plot device would allow.

My rule of thumb with yan characters, is that I make their MCs fucked up in compatible ways. The Voidlight is severely depressed (hello third thing that torments me frequently. Voidlight is also a metaphor) and desperately wants love and protection, no matter how twisted it is. As cruel as VV can be, remember, on a pure high affection run, they seem almost normal. The Fatebringer doesn't want to be around common people - at all anymore. They also want to feel safe and protected, and Amare has that power. I am aware that this practice does mean my yandere characters get hit with the "oh they're not really yandere" type comments because their MCs aren't freaking out as much. You'll notice both the Fatebringer & Voidlight are also heavily traumatized but also experienced. Thus, they take a lot of the more yan actions in stride.

Now thinking about my other projects...I guess the pencil (the alien) can count? But I also don't want to label him with any 'dere' title because that would be ascribing a level of humanity to him that doesn't exist. None of the project Den characters really fall into that archetype romantically.

As for the romanticization of darker elements by audience members, my tinfoil hat theory is that people are more isolated than ever. Thus, even extreme acts of 'love' (ie: abuse) would be to a degree welcome because it would mean someone is paying attention and that interested in someone. That is appealing in ways similar to how you can find that people who want to be so loved they're needed love vampire stories or people who want to be far away from their present love fantasy/sci-fi.

In ye old days, discussions about these kinds of fantasies were kept to forums, email chains, or private conversations with friends. Nowadays, it's out there on FYPs and public posts more casually, but they're forgetting that people walking into their content without warning don't know they're just fantasies. Thus, people will jump to assuming they want it in real life. I'm pretty sure any actual person who consumes this media would go "Oh hell no I wouldn't want a stalker in real life that would be awful", but people learning of them from a video of them gushing about the good parts of their favorite darker media will not make them look great.

Slasher is my favorite subgenre of horror because of how diverse slashers can get (my favorite being Puppet Master). That doesn't mean I want to go around murdering people. I'm just looking at the metaphors and trying to analyze what the creator is saying. However, there are increasing amounts of people who need medical mental health intervention not receiving it consuming this media as well. This is a systemic failure that is contributing to the proliferation of negative behaviors in society. We aren't treating those who need extra care and support the way we should, and they're falling into darker media that they shouldn't be consuming in their current state. That then leads to horrific outcomes. This is a failure on the government level as well as within the home/community (parents, guardians, mentors, etc).

It's an extremely complex issue that I am increasingly getting tired of seeing people hash out without looking at the bigger picture.

Case in point, the math for Amare's game had me worried it might not be able to enforce Amare's strict boundaries. I was worried someone might stumble into a weird logic loop. Then, Necare's game gave me the idea of having an Incompatible flag that coincidentally resolves that major issue and inherently culls some options more easily.

One is fierce, stoic, and domineering through sheer apathetic aura. Built like a peak form athlete and a warrior of no compare. She meets romantic interactions with calm confidence born of ignorance of romantic endeavors. While she's inexperienced, she retains her commanding attitude during her increasing education on the matter.

One is a chubby researcher who's very title conveys no room for argument and often spells ill omen, commanding any room she's in. She handles romance with a flurry of coy smiles and teasing remarks, refusing to be caught on the back foot at all and taking charge wherever possible.

One is a hardened survivor more than willing to spill human blood to protect her kin, no matter how far down the path to hell it puts her. While she might be more servile to older women, older men have to earn her hiding her claws, and younger MCs are going to absolutely be called "good little doctor" with a smug smirk.

One is a 6'4", built like an Amazonian goddess, capable of slaying ferocious monsters and taking on dozens of armed mercenaries. She turns to a flushed mess when presented flowers and absolutely adores being treated like a lady in any capacity but is often too shy to express these feelings as she gets mistaken for a wall of stoicism.

But it's happening. I love my ladies, and I have a type apparently.

To clarify what I mean in this case:

IF (Interactive Fiction) would be a game with minimal visual assets. So no sprites, no BGs, no CGs.