Snowflake Challenge 2025 #12

[bedes]

Challenge #12

Create a Rec Countdown.

This was a very well-times prompt, because I just finished writing up the contents of my reclist page for my personal site! I'll be recommending 5 video games, 4 series, 3 vocal synth songs, 2 movies, and 1 YouTuber!

5 Video Games Recs

1. 31st March, Midnight
Genre: Visual novel
Commentary: This is the first of many free games available on itch I'd like to recommend. This short visual novel follows Amy, a game developer working on a spinoff for a game studio, as she thinks about her experience working in the game industry under capitalism's duress. I find myself coming back to reread this often, as it provides both pointed commentary on how visual novels are viewed in the west, and an honest depiction of how queer-focused games are often made behind the scenes.

2. BAD END THEATER
Genre: Visual novel puzzle/adventure
Content Warning(s): death, cartoon gore, implied homophobia
Commentary: BAD END THEATER is a visual novel-style adventure/puzzle game where you get to select your character and explore a wide variety of terrible fates! This cast of characters follows a set of tropes found in adventure stories. There is The Hero, The Maiden, The Underling and The Overlord. But don't let that fool you into thinking this game is cliche! BAD END THEATER is one of the most creative games I have ever played. It, too, is delightfully queer, as well, with 3 out of the 4 main characters being canonically queer in some way. Such a shame that all of their endings will lead to tragedy, right?

3. EVERYTHING IS GOING TO BE OK
Genre: ?
Commentary: This is the sort of game that, by its very nature, does not want to be summarized or sorted into a defined genre. EVERYTHING IS GOING TO BE OK is available on a pay-what-you-can basis on itch, and is described as an "interactive zine" by its creator. It's a vignette of multiple non-linear, interactive 'scenes', informed by the creator's struggles with trauma. This game has a very distinct visual style, displays a masterful usage of humor to humanize traumatic experiences, and contains many standalone quotes that I come back to often.

4. Fields of Mistria
Genre: Farming sim RPG
Commentary: Fields of Mistria is the only Stardew-alike that I consider to surpass the game it was inspired by. With a ton of quality-of-life improvements, a gorgeous 90s-anime-inspired art style and aesthetic, and a magic system to set it apart, I feel like it really shines best in how it puts a lot of love and care into its characters. The town feels like a genuine community, characters have relationships to each other outside of you, and I have yet to run into any repeat dialogue in my 40+ hours of playing. Characters are also very reactive: they will bring up when you hit certain points in the mine, complete mini-quests, talk about upcoming holiday events, comment about things you've submitted to the museum, and more. The dating sim aspects are especially very reactive and reciprocal. Additionally, the game is very clearly made with a queer audience in mind. Many romancables feel like they were made with the intent of capturing the interest of queer players (Hayden, Valen, and Balor, namely), and it is the only game that I know of at all that allows you to not only select your pronouns, but allows you the options to use he/she, it/its, and no pronouns at all. AND you can romance the dragon.

5. Love & Dehumanization
Genre: Adult fantasy visual novel
Content Warning(s): Violence, torture, suicidal ideation, and BDSM, and discusses negative body image, negative views of sexuality, and trauma. Much more extensive content warnings are provided in-game.
Commentary: Obligatory THIS GAME IS FOR ADULTS. IT HAS SEX. I DO NOT RECOMMEND THIS GAME FOR THOSE UNDER THE AGE OF 18. For those who are above the age of 18 and who have an interest in discussions of kink and trauma, though, I cannot recommend this game highly enough. This game is free on itch, and it takes place in a fantasy RPG world, following a girl who willingly becomes a monster. It is a story about the desire to be violated and dehumanized, how that desire can manifest, how it can traumatize people, and how to reclaim those desires in the name of self-love. It is a truly rebellious story which takes difficult-to-understand concepts (even and especially to those who know them most intimately), and boils them down to easy, but incredibly impactful language. After completing this game, I physically layed down on my floor and stared at my ceiling for multiple minutes on end in silence, and, if that's not high praise, I don't know what is!



4 Series Recs

1. Dungeon Meshi
Genre: Fantasy adventure/comedy
Commentary: I'm sure that you've heard about a thousand times that Dungeon Meshi is a masterpiece by now, and I'm about to make it a thousand and one! Dungeon Meshi follows a party in a DnD-inspired fantasy world who, after failing to defeat a dragon who ends up eating one of their own, embark on a journey to save her, surviving by cooking and eating the monsters they battle along the way. One of the most famous parts of this series is the main character as autistic representation, which is definitely a "(the) remarkable thing about Shakespeare is that he is really very good, in spite of all the people who say he is very good" situation. Laios is truly everything I've ever wanted to see in an autistic character, and the masterful worldbuilding, character work and commentary on real-world racism through its employment of fantasy racism are equally as (if not more) fantastic. Dungeon Meshi is really very good, in spite of all the people who say it is very good!

2. Midnight Mass
Genre: Supernatural horror
Content Warning(s): Religious trauma, death (pet and human), gore, drugs and alcohol, vomiting, Islamophobia
Commentary: Midnight Mass, man... Midnight fuckin' Mass!!! What can you even say about a masterpiece like Midnight Mass... well, for one, it was created by the genius Mike Flanagan. It tells the story of how, after the arrival of a charming yet mysterious young priest, a religious small town begins to experience both unimaginable miracles and horrors alike. The dialogue is beautiful, the themes and ideas it bring forth left me on the floor, and its critique of organized religion and the harm that it causes is scathing. I try not to use the word 'perfect' for this sort of thing, but this miniseries is damn near it. If you can stomach it, please check this out; especially if you're an ex-Christian or have religious trauma of any flavor. You won't regret it.

3. Moral Orel
Genre: Black comedy/drama
Content Warning(s): Religious trauma, sexual assault/abuse, child abuse, implied incestous abuse, animal and pet death, domestic violence, alcohol and drug addiction, disordered eating, slur usage (r-slur is used a lot in "God's Blunders"), antisemitism, fatphobia
Commentary: Whew, now that is one hefty content warning list. But let's keep the religious trauma train going! Moral Orel is a claymation series which follows Orel Puppington, a young, happy-go-lucky and naive Protestant who consistently misunderstands his religious teachings. For the first two seasons, it functions primarily as a satire of white Anglo-Saxon Protestant culture and religious fundamentalism. However, it later shifts into a psychological drama-comedy (never losing its biting commentary), to the point that it was cancelled explicitly for portraying women's reactions to sexual abuse "too seriously" (read: realistically, and not as the butt of the joke). I will advise you before you go in that you can go ahead and skip "God's Chef", and warn that some platforms wrongly list "The Best Christmas Ever" as the first episode of the series. This is not only wrong, but completely ruins the impact of the episode. "The Best Christmas Ever" is the last episode of season 1, and the first episode is "The Lord's Greatest Gift". Again, if you have a past of religious trauma, and you can stomach the themes this series brings up, I highly recommend it. It's hilarious and heartwrenching in equal parts.

4. My New Boss is Goofy
Genre: Office comedy/slice of life
Commentary: This series is far more on the lighthearted and humorous side, compared to other things on this list! Do you know how schoolgirls in anime will sometimes tease each other for being so cute, and it's really, really gay? The whole premise of this anime is that, but with salary men. It follows an office worker who switched jobs after facing harassment from his previous boss. He was initially scared about facing similar treatment, but is relieved to find that his new boss is naturally airheaded and silly, despite his deadpan and serious outward appearance. It follows a series of slice-of-life vignettes, rather than anything plot-focused, so it's easy to pick up. It handles the topic of trauma surprisingly well for a comedy, all without ruining the atmosphere, and is a genuine joy to watch!

3 Vocal Synth Song Recs

1. Pray To Me by Mizu, feat. GUMI AI
Genre: Melodic bass
Commentary: I've recommended this song on this journal before, but I'll do it now anyways! Once again, recommending this one for the religious trauma-havers, since it has the "proud sinner"-esque themes that we tend to love, with a really solid beat and usage of church-like music. The MV is great, too! I love the detail of how GUMI transforms over the course of the song, and how cute she's drawn.

2. MELLOMELLOID English Cover by Amelia Forte, feat. Eleanor Forte
Genre: J-Pop
Commentary: Okay, time for the obligatory self-rec. I helped with the creation of this English cover for my favorite Vocaloid song of all time! I wrote the majority of the lyrics, and, not to brag or anything, but I think I did a really cool job of fitting in as many Pokemon and Fairy-type references into the lyrics as possible. Amelia did a fantastic job with the tuning, too! Check it out!

3. Dizzy Paranoia Girl by KAT, feat. Kasane Teto
Genre: Rock
Content Warning(s): Mental illness and suicidal ideation
Commentary: This song feels like an instant classic. Truly so many banger lines ("Pirouette your view and you'll see / There's no cure for burnt-out and naive" SCREAM), a banger backing track, a banger MV... I cannot believe that it doesn't have a million views yet at the least!! Show it some love for me (and get it stuck in your head like I do)!

2 Movie Recs

I Saw the TV Glow
Genre: Psychological horror/drama
Content Warning(s): Abusive parents, drugging, being buried alive, an LGBT+ character is outed
Commentary: Do not listen to the people who made fun of this movie. They are bitches and liars. Listen to me: the people who rate this movie low and mock it are the people who didn't get the metaphor. The people who rate the movie highly are the ones who did get the metaphor. (And the metaphor is not difficult to parse, either. I would call I Saw the TV Glow a lot of things, but "subtle" is not one of them.) This movie is a masterpiece, which, in a world filled with queer horror portraying queerness as monstrous, manages to do the opposite without losing an inch of the former's gut-wrenching, terrifying qualities.

Nimona
Genre: Science-fantasy/action
Content Warning(s): Allegorical transphobia, death, a character has suicidal thoughts
Commentary: Yes, yet another trans metaphor movie, but can you blame me? Nimona follows a knight who is framed for a crime he didn't commit, and whose only ally is a shapeshifter named Nimona, who is also arguably one of the monsters he's sworn to kill. This movie is delightfully queer, both textually and allegorically, and is a clear celebration of queer people's tendency to relate to villains and monsters. It resonates with me deeply (obviously on a trans level, but also on an alterhuman level), and I love the humor, the message, and the art style!

1 YouTuber Rec

I am always, always looking for a reason to recommend Amelie Doree. Please note that her videos should only be viewed by an 18+ audience, although nothing explicit is ever shown (because YouTube).

Amelie is a trans woman who regularly makes LONG video essays, mostly about visual novels, especially erotic visual novels. Her videos dive into the artistic merit, themes and messages of said visual novels in a very genuine tone which is rarely ever afforded to games centered around erotic content, which is wonderful to see. The love and passion that she clearly has for each video topic can truly be felt with everything she covers! I cannot recommend her highly enough.

Comments

[sarajayechan]

I've heard a lot about Dungeon Meshi and Fields of Mistria, all of it good.

[prisca]

Some interesting recs, thank you.

[greetingsfrommaars]

really interested in these recs, especially the games, thanks!

[catgiri]

i love amelie doree's videos!!

i'm also always on the hunt for more vns to read as someone who doesn't know a lick of japanese, so thanks for the recs!