emef: daisy passed out at the typewriter (Default)
mf ([personal profile] emef) wrote2018-12-20 11:12 am

kinks and Stardew Valley

Back in September I started playing this game, Stardew Valley. It's a no-pressure, heavily idealized, farming simulation game. One of the features is that the POV character can date and marry other characters, and the game allows for any kind of pairing, which is nice, but the dating and marriage is intensely G rated, so of course my brain was like "SUBVERT?"

[personal profile] toft showed me an article about a game mod somebody made, which I'm guessing was motivated by a reaction similar to mine ("HOW CAN I MAKE THIS GAME LESS CHASTE?") except that all this game mod did was make all the women in the game topless. And I was like, fair enough, except, it should have appealed to me, but it didn't? When I looked at the screencaps in the article I was just weirded out.

I concluded that the thing with making the women topless - beyond the fact that it doesn't make narrative sense within the game - is that it does nothing for my libido. Like at all. Because (I guess) my libido only cares about suggestive things, not blatant things, inexplicably topless video game characters just make me want to ask "why are you topless?" I guess that for someone whose specific kink is topless women, this game mod would work. But otherwise it just makes the game look like half the characters think they're in a nudist colony, and since it's only the women, a really creepy nudist colony? Like maybe this game mod isn't about adding something carnal to the game so much as it's about control/humiliation of women's bodies?

Anyway since my brain works the way it does and also since this is what happens when [personal profile] toft enables me, I quickly moved on to ask: if I made a game mod, what would it be? I would want to give the characters urges, but how? What do you add to this kind of format to suggest yearning, craving, ardor etc without turning it into a different game?

Long story short: what if one of the achievements in Stardew Valley was to figure out the kinks of all the characters? Like, y'know, if the 9-heart event for each character is them confessing their darkest fantasy? Nothing else would change, just the dialogue. They each get a different, semi-detailed, scenario. Some could be pretty run of the mill, like, Sam could be into military stuff and confessing that he fantasizes about Alex doing pushups in army fatigues and then showering and changing into a dress uniform, kind of thing. But like, if it were me, most of the characters would get awkward, unintentionally funny scenarios, like someone being uncontrollably aroused by plush carpets, or pumpkin costumes. And not - I mean... in my head, awkward and embarrassing kinks are like, poignant. Most of my Stardew Valley kink headcanons are like, Haley is aroused by farming implements. Maru fantasizes about being told to describe her feelings during sexual arousal like it's a science experiment. The Wizard likes to dress up in a toad costume and spend all day in a human-size vivarium. Leah becomes aroused when someone braids her hair. Oh and she has really complicated, overwhelming feelings at the thought of having ribbons in her hair that match the ribbons someone else is wearing in their hair.

Ok now I've been writing this for a while and I'm not 100% sure what point I wanted to make when I started? I think mostly I was wanting to post to DW more often? So. Uh. That's my post today! Hope everyone is well! Stop by in the comments with your thoughts about kinks, Stardew Valley headcanons! Or just to say hi!
marginaliana: Buddy the dog carries Bobo the toy (Default)

[personal profile] marginaliana 2018-12-21 12:29 am (UTC)(link)
OMG yes tell me all your SDV kink headcanons!

I totally buy Maru getting off on the science experiment thing. Maybe Leah would sculpt gorgeous handmade sex toys and put them in an exhibition as art and wait to see if anyone recognizes what they are, so that she can really be understood? Elliot likes having people write on him, as if he can absorb their words.