shinyvoidcloud

Latest Posts by shinyvoidcloud

A friend and I were discussing what we're like when we're sick and we decided people usually fall into one of these five 'sick modes': *Everyone is probably multiple of these at different times depending on how sick they are and with what but we think most people have a mode they default to and become more often than the others*

Delicate Consumptive Victorian: you feel tragic and mournful but also beautiful in a sad way, you are in bed, sipping hot tea, others should quietly whisper about how you are too good for this world, too beautiful, too tragic... And bring you more tea

Sick Dog: you are curled up in a ball, you don't want anything, you don't need anything, but it would be nice if others could still ask you if you need anything

Sickly Child Emperor: you are dying and it's everyone else's problem, you need pillows, no! you need soup, no! You need absolute silence or you will not be the first one to die today

Plague Pit: you are curled up probably on the floor, no one touch you, no one look at you, this is between you and God and you already know He has no mercy left for you

Warrior General: you are not sick. You are in perfect health and you don't know why anyone would think otherwise. Illness is an enemy that can be intimidated and you must remain strong for your men! (You are going to pass out at the most inconvenient moment possible)

A pair of red crowned cranes (Grus japonensis) perform a courtship dance in Hokkaido, Japan

by ted smith

It's the last day of April

crayfish galore!

the old cistern beneath the flood control system

My Ibis paint is working again so I made something 🎉🎉🎉

i find mhin's relationship with the other cast members fascinating, so i'm compiling my thoughts here in regards to how mhin discusses the others!

what is most prominent in regards to kuras is how highly mhin talks about him--a rarity, considering their usual acerbic tone. what makes kuras so different is how much mhin likes his kindness and goodwill. mhin values goodness and the sanctity of life as a scientist themself, but at the same time, they're wary of kuras's ulterior motives and thus can't let themself get too close to him--such altruism is frightening because it's simply too good to be true, and might mask other, more sinister intentions.

vere is someone who mhin speaks about with unrestrained vitriol, and there's no reluctant compliment or cool observation to be found. what mhin despises about vere isn't just the attempt on their life (though they aren't above personal grudges), it's vere's blatant disregard for others and his selfish actions that have no justification other than "he wants to act this way." vere's actions reinforces mhin's own notions about monsters, so what you see with vere is what you get--of course vere has done something terrible enough to warrant containment by the senobium. mhin has no pity for him, and assumes the worst of vere by default.

mhin is fond of leander for the same reason they're fond of kuras. they're slightly smitten by the idea of leander as the people's savior, and they're probably smitten by leander in general, as i think mhin is more susceptible to charisma and the persona of a good samaritan. at the same time, i think they also enjoy that leander is persistent and isn't put off by mhin's prickly demeanor. it might seem like a contradiction, but they enjoy when people try to get close to them despite how they act. it's a taste of the connection and vulnerability they long for, even if they will still deny it to themself at the end of the day. it's also why they're so quick to put distance between themself and leander, by immediately dissuading any notion they're part of the adderstones.

though all of mhin's relationships are interesting, there's something fascinating by how they view ais and the insight it gives to their mindset. ais, in mhin's own words, hasn't "done anything yet"--which means they're waiting for him to slip up and prove himself to be the monster mhin thinks he is. they expect ais to disappoint them and suspect he's the same as vere deep down. mhin's vitriol for monstrosity might be rooted in self-loathing, but it's interesting how they believe it to be inherent, not learned, which is why they're already bracing for the worst case scenario. what mhin hates about monsters the most is their disregard for others, when mhin has been shown to be someone who cares deeply about other people.

perhaps mhin wants ais to act differently, but they'll resent ais all the more for not choosing to be anything but a monster in the end. he can't be anything but his nature, so it'll be their fault for having any hope ais would be different, as possessing a monstrous nature only ever has one outcome. it's also possible there's some resentment if mhin's own monstrosity is inherent, while ais chose to make a deal with ocedeus, so mhin would despise ais for choosing to be monstrous instead of walking away, like mhin is unable to. at the same time, i wonder if mhin is ever jealous of ais and vere for their lack of restraint, when they're so cautious all the time in comparison.

That is really interesting.

I saw many picture that Vere being a god, so he can basicalyy do whatever he wants and that now everything is more of a fun time, something to keep going while being trapped.

So when we dont give him enough of entertaiment or make him angry - he wont take it.

But Vere being an image of a farmer ? Thats new

So I was discussing with my friend about Touchstarved theories and shit. Most of which I makeup for funsies. But one of which that I don’t really have a basis for that I just think is a fun thought involves Vere and his route in the demo.

So yes, if you haven’t played the demo yet, spoilers ahead.

As I was saying, in Vere’s route at the end you make a choice in which determines whether he lets you live or he kills you. And I say “let’s you live” because let’s be real, if he had really wanted to kill you he still would have and been on his merry way to go see that lute player (lutist??). But if you choose that option to “distract” him he just moves on and lets you go. Which I thought was strange. Until I thought about it some more.

So someone may have already pointed this out but I’m gonna say it anyways. It’s hinted at that at some point Vere may have been revered as a god. And to a certain extent, I think may have really formed his moral stance on things.

So I say all of that to say, that I think when Vere sees you choose the option to just give up in his head he likely believes he has a right to mercy kill you. Like when a farmer comes upon an animal so sickly or injured that the choice becomes would it be more cruel to let it live and suffer or should I kill it and end the suffering? So when we make the choice to give up, Vere is just the farmer pulling the trigger.

Hope that made sense, love yall byeeee~ 💕

You ever hear that old chestnut about how most people neglect the part of the story of Icarus where he also had to avoid flying too low, lest the spray of the sea soak his feathers and cause him to fall and drown? You ever think about how different the world would be if Icarus died that way instead? If the idiom was to Fly To Close To The Sea? A warning against playing it far too safe, about not stretching your wings and soaring properly? You ever think about how Icarus died because he was happy?

Never posting my fanfiction. Call that AO2.

the suffering never ends

a wandering knight, drawn to the quiet of the forest. her touch may be a blessing or a curse.

Touchstarved demo 2.0 live reactions

I'll update/reblog this as I go because I'm excited and insane.

It's time.

yes i'm sure ais is towering over a 6'3 man

"MC is supposed to be weak and frail" maybe we should start wondering why we're always forced to be weak and frail in romance VNs and I'm afraid we won't like the answer.

Nooo, you're supposed to have your agency removed all the time!! It's supposed to be like that!!

Okay now tell me why.

Touchstarved Origins

Okay, so there's been a lot of divisive opinions over the replacement of 'The Hound' background with 'The Exile' background. I have my own thoughts that I wanted to express on the situation, as well as the origin system as a whole.

TLDR: I'm not against 'The Exile' existing, but I do think it's the least interesting and the weakest of the four backgrounds. I'm also firmly against the replacement of 'The Hound'. I also want to talk about how I would add/fix the current backgrounds. Also these are just my opinions - I'm not speaking objectively.

Spoilers ahead!

What's the point of the Origin system?

There's two main reasons for the current origin system.

First of all, each background has a 'perk', which each background can gather different types of information about the world and the love interests. This info may effect player decision-making.

Secondly, the backgrounds allow for roleplay and MC creating. This aspect is a huge part of the fandom, and RSS encourages people to make OCs with the backgrounds as a 'guide'.

How well is Origin system implemented?

I think it's important to keep in mind that it's only a demo out right now. That being said, as of these demos, I do not think the origin system has been implemented very well.

The 'perks' the backgrounds give and the story/dialogue differences are pretty minimal. This means that the way the Origin system currently works, the don't really meet the intentions behind the backgrounds.

The Exile & The Hound

Welp, onto the issue that inspired this post. First of all, I believe that 'The Hound' shouldn't have been replaced at all. IMO it was the weakest in terms of implementation, but that doesn't mean it should have been removed, just made better.

People have been building their MCs/OCs for years at this point, and it's straight up not fair for people to have their backgrounds taken away for seemingly no reason. There was no communication from RSS or even a survey from RSS asking about changing up the backgrounds.

I've also seen people say the backgrounds are 'similar enough', which I can't fully agree with. They're both survivalists, but the contexts are just too different - One is survival in in a socal world, and the other is survival in 'the wild'. Also, I think the biggest appeal to a lot of people about 'The Hound' was the criminal edge and the social intuition, which in a game about character interaction, is a big loss.

There's also the 'balance' of the original three backgrounds. While I don't think the OG backgrounds were the epitome of character building, they were different in the 'right' ways. For example: 'The Hound' is street-smart and familiar with lowtown's entertainment district, 'The Alchemist' is book-smart and somewhat familiar with lowtown's entertainment district, and 'The Unnamed' most likley has some education and isn't familiar with lowtown's entertainment district. They've also all been betrayed, which adds on to their desperation. This also means they learn different information that is relevent to the LIs (eg, 'The Unnamed senses familiar about Kuras, but 'The Alchemist' notices no magic from the reattached limb).

So, what about 'The Exile'? Backstory-wise, there's the isolation of 'The Unnamed' and a parental figure of 'The Alchemist', but no 'betrayal'. It does take some the the social intuition stuff from 'The Hound' (eg. "I've learned to recognise a leader when I see one" about Ais) but for a character that's described to live away from other people (apart from the hermit), it doesn't really fit or make sense. The 'perk' of an 'uncanny intuition' is very similar in flavour to 'The Unnamed' - I can't see why 'The Unnamed' wouldn't also have the red choice to 'move immediately'. 'The Exile' is also fluent in multiple languages, but that seems like something 'The Alchemist' would know.

In short, 'The Exile' feels like a mish-mash of the original backgrounds, lacking a strong identity - both storywise and gameplay-wise. It has qualities that already belong to a background or qualities that should belong to another background. If the goal was to have more 'cohesive' backgrounds, we ended up with a redundant background.

That being said, I do think there's a place for 'The Exile', but as it is right now, it needs a major rework.

Sidenote, blind/new players of Touchstarved aren't going to know what soulless are when selecting the backgrounds, so making it a 'selling point' of the background isn't a great move.

Things I Would Add to the Backgrounds

These are just some moments I could see happening with events that happen in the demo + feel in-tune with the background.

'The Unnamed':

I'll note it's hard to think of moments for 'The Unnamed', since we lack information on how their religion and temple function.

I think 'The Unnamed' should be the weakest fighter out of the backgrounds. Should probably never feel comfortable in altercations.

Should be the most 'aware' on what their curse does to people. Could come with different dialogue during Mr. Chocky's scene or Leander's 'hold back' scene.

Just more references to 'The Unnamed's' old faith. It was such a big part of their life, that it feels wrong to know so little.

Less knowledgeable of 'normal' society. They say the entertainment district in unfamiliar to them, but we don't actually see them go about the place much differently. For example, they shouldn't assume Vere is a sex worker because of the 'parted pink curtains'.

'The Hound':

I actually don't think 'The Hound' needs to be some super proficient combatant, but they should be the most compatent when caught off guard and general 'physical' situations. For example, they don't get knocked to the floor by the 'lowlife' in the bar, and/or their escape from the soulless is more skilful (not just trying to open a door and failing). Mhin would still show up of course.

Let. Them. Steal. The best moment I can think of is after they left Kuras's clinic, they pickpocket someone and use the money to buy food. I think it would make sense because they're already thinking about money in that scene.

Related to the last point, but 'The Hound' should be the most 'comfortable' finanally. Unlike the other backgroudns who have likely not been finanally responsible for themselves, 'The Hound' is used to poverty and low spending power (since most of the money they did have was for a cure). And of course, they have the means to steal. Maybe alter MC's lines about being worried about money.

'The Alchemist':

Not a great physical fighter, but as they get more settled in Eridia, having 'The Alchemist' preparing things such as protection enchantments. If taken off guard, they'll be weak, but if they can prepare for an encounter and such, they'll be in a better condition. That's to say, I don't mind them being 'weak' in the demo.

Some more general history stuff. For example, 'The Alchemist' thinking about how old Eridia is.

'The Exile':

I think if you're going to add a choice to fight the soulless, and a new backgound that's 'familiar' with soulless, I think it's fair to say the MC should have lived in the encounter. It's not like Mhin wouldn't have swooped in to kill the soulless anyways.

Final Thoughts

I do hope RSS come out and explain why 'The Hound' was removed, since I doubt they can add it back in without adding a lot more work the finished game. This also isn't made as a dig at anyone who likes 'The Exile', I just have a Thoughts™.

Also, please tell me if I've missed anything I should have mentioned or if I've said something incorrect!

im going to try to draw all touchstarved LIs before the game is out

These two had my brain in a chokehold for like 3 months last year and this is how I decided to cope. take it. hold it in your hands if you dare

Long night ...

. ݁₊ ⊹ . ݁˖ . ݁

... Happy belated birthday to us both, Mhin <3

(throws this artwork at you and runs away)  ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ enjoy my attempt at some perspective.

If only they were mine

The UTMV fandom has got to be a psychologist's dream. For those who don't know, there is a large debate when it comes to what determines a person's behaviour and personality: Nature (oyur DNA, you're born the way you are) or Nurture (your experiences and memories shape who you are as you grow). The UTMV is all about taking this one funny bone man and throwing him into different circumstances and seeing how he reacts and what changes. In AUs, sure Sans' Nature can be different (like whether or not Gaster is his dad, creator, or just a guy), but ATs don't have that asterisk. Geno has the same DNA as Classic, as Sci, as Horror, etc.. Everything that happens around them and what they do shapes their character, to a degree proving Nurture has a more dominant effect on a person's personality. Of course, creators are the ones that determine how Sanses react to certain scenarios so it's not a firm foundation, but its implications are something. Say you have seven clones of the same person and raise them in seven different ways: one has loving parents, one is a lab rat, one is exposed to hardship and labor, and so on. It could be an incredible breakthrough for anthropology, sociology, and psychology. Is it unethical? Probably. Isn't it what we creators do to Sans anyway? Kinda, yeah.

ALRIGHT so my ultrakill stuff seems to be going really well here and that makes me super happy since it's been a while. So I thought to share this too.

The original one was the white one, but I've made darker versions cuz why not. I ended up really liking the red one.

CLUB ROUGE ZINE IS OFFICIALLY OUT!

PURCHASE IT HERE ON ITCH.IO FOR MINIMUM OF $10! features include:

the work of around 40 artists

comics

DIY fashion instructions

cosplay photoshoots

and lots of style!

All proceeds of this zine will be donated to Anera's Gaza Humanitarian Aid in order to aid the people of Palestine. You can learn more here!

Thanks to everyone who has supported us so far! I truly appreciate it :^) -Mod Lotus art by @gauzestarr <3

The North Sea, by Patrick von Kalckreuth

still on a riders kick, was inspired by this pic