Rynling R&D

On a related note, it amuses me that the lore of so many Japanese fantasy stories boils down to:

1. There is an evil sealed underground.
2. Having discovered this site,
3. you could fuck around and find out,
4. but you really shouldn't.

Something I found out recently (in relation to a real estate scandal surrounding the 2021 Tokyo Olympics) is that there are actually hundreds of calamity-sealing underground shrines in Tokyo.

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Fall or Fly
(Final Fantasy XII, Gen, 1765 words)
https://archiveofourown.org/works/76044226

Creators haven't been revealed yet, but I want to share a link to the story I received for Yuletide this year, which is set on the beautiful Phon Coast of Final Fantasy XII.

The nameless first-person narrator is searching for treasure on the beach but runs into some of the area's hostile fish/T-Rex hybrids only to be rescued by Penelo, who recently fell from one of the Purvama islands floating over the ocean. It's a lovely little adventure!

Like I say in my comment on the story: Here I am in the northern hemisphere, patiently waiting for the sun to return, and along comes a lovely piece of writing that's all sea breeze and sunshine. This is exactly the tropical fantasy vacation I need in my life.

Project Kat is a short narrative horror game that’s free to play on Itch.io (here) and on Steam (here). A playthrough culminating in the game’s “true ending” will take about half an hour, but adventurous players might spend another fifteen minutes experimenting with paths leading to a premature death.

You play as a high school student named Kat who stays late at school one night to undertake an occult ritual of unknown origin and with unknown consequences. Kat has attempted a number of similar rituals, all to no avail. She claims not to believe in the supernatural and seems to be performing these rituals as a hobby. Unfortunately for Kat, this ritual is different.

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In more material terms!

For Black Friday I got myself a sun lamp (this one here), and it changed my life in less than an hour. Holy shit. Amazing.

I saw someone on Bluesky describe Ghost Trick as "what if a person who was really good at making games really loved his Pomeranian," so I downloaded it from Steam. I'm not good at puzzle games, but I will use a walkthrough like a boss. Like a boss who really loves his Pomeranian.

The yen is relatively weak right now, so I bought a "like new" copy of the official Japanese strategy guide for the Final Fantasy IV DS remake. I had a lot of fun with FFVI in 2025, and one of my resolutions for 2026 is to rediscover my love for FFIV by being an insane completionist. I read on the internet that if you get all the secret summons you can watch Golbez ride Kain Highwind like a bicycle. Sounds legit. Let's go!

I also donated money to a local animal shelter and a local human shelter, as well as to AO3 (so people can post porn) and Wikipedia (so people can do research for the porn they post). I continue to be a broke-ass bitch, but every once in a while it's nice to cosplay as someone with money to throw around.

Dragon Ruins II
A retro first-person dungeon crawler, not for me

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Timespinner
A pixel art Metroidvania, not for me

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Auridia
A no-combat Metroidvania, very good + bookmarked for later

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The first two chapters of Age of Imprisonment are fun because they’re centered around characters we care about: Zelda, Rauru, Sonia, Mineru, and Ganondorf. The Goron sage and the Gerudo sage are good supporting characters, as is Zelda’s chamberlain and companion Lenalia.

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Maybe Age of Imprisonment will become more interesting toward the end, but it’s really sagging in the middle (ie, Chapters 3-5 out of six). If I weren’t motivated by the prospect of seeing Ganon with his tits out, I’d probably drop the game.

Haha wow. Oh my god. Wow,

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Interesting. You know what's also interesting? The fact that this man is 6'4" and stacked like a brick house.

Another fun fact is that his girlfriend is apparently Alanah Pearce, a former writer with Zelda Universe and current writer for the upcoming Southern Gothic Metroidvania Layers Deep. Lucky bastard.

Some minor, non-spoiler lore notes, mainly about Ganondorf:

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Also:
- It’s so much fun to play as the Korok. Hands-down my favorite character.
- The Korok has a strong Osaka accent. This is a joy and a delight.
- Apparently ProZDvoices is his voice actor in the English version. Amazing.

I played the first hour or so of Age of Imprisonment, and it's lovely.

I assume the nature of the game will change later on, but the opening feels like a visual novel interspersed with Dynasty Warrior segments. Zelda is immediately given a golden magitek lightsaber, and it's a lot of fun to wield. All of her special attacks are stylishly designed and make me feel intensely sapphic.

What Age of Imprisonment adds to the basic Hyrule Warriors gameplay are synergy moves between two characters that function as limited-time buffs. It will probably surprise no one that the theme of the game is "friendship," and it's very nice to see these characters supporting each other and having fun together.

As for the story, it's exactly what I wanted Tears of the Kingdom to be: Zelda goes to the ancient era, gets a sword, and makes friends while learning about the culture and its magic systems. They gave the Sages faces and personalities, and they weren't afraid to let them have more individualistic character traits. The NPCs have the exact sort of oddball quirkiness that I love about the Zelda series. Ganon is smoking hot, and apparently you can play as a Korok. I am happy and well-fed and living my choicest life.

Vartio
https://store.steampowered.com/app/3639120/Vartio/

Vartio, a short and atmospheric horror game about walking through the woods at night, was developed by Pepperbox Studios and released on Steam in August 2025.

You play as a medieval soldier sent to an isolated fortress in the middle of a dense forest. As soon as you arrive, the guard captain explains your duty: you must patrol the woods by moonlight. Your job, as the player, is to follow a first-person circular path through the trees. You’ll complete three loops that result in a playtime of around 20 minutes.

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