#draft clearing <3< /div> Explore tagged Tumblr posts

[ulteri0rm0tives]

Ik it's motion blur but it comes off as more like trails to me, and I do like to think about the trippy ass effects the relic/engram ends up having on V's mind, especially as it's rewrite progresses and V's mind slowly degrades.

Things like seeing trails or colors or patterns that aren't there, glitches that don't just go away when the relic malfunctions subsides, black spots in their vision that linger as if something from the picture is missing there, like a sunspot or hole burnt into a photograph, visual snow that becomes more and more intense, hearing the echoes of a memory as if it's someone else's voice, head whipping to follow the sounds like the voice is right there speaking behind them, that paranoid feeling as if they're not alone, as if they're being watched, this paranoid feeling becoming grander and grander the more and more Johnny's construct eats away at and merges with their mind, faces that look new yet familiar always shifting, feeling gradually more and more detached from their body and mind, the relic and it's damage slowly progressing into one long bad trip

(and maybe even after their mind is untangled from the construct, but the long term damage of it is still there and they're still dying, these aren't effects that just go away y'know? It's something a lot similar to HPPD, whereas the memories aren't there anymore to haunt V, and V doesn't feel as if they're being watched now that Johnny's gone, but they still experience visual distortions minus the relic glitches, things like permatrails, etc. And maybe they still have this lingering effect of depersonalization, maybe flashes of paranoia that feel similar but not quite the same anymore, that brief flicker of not being alone untill they remember, just. Reminders of the damage that's already been done.)

[viktorarcanedeservesbetter]

because I’m on a meljayvik kick rn

Viktor has to sleep in the middle of the bed bc both Mel and Jayce run hot. any combo where he is not in the center has whoever is on the end sweating profusely and the person in the middle has one cold side and one warm side. it’s science.

Mel is the coolest and calmest of their heads, yes, but she is most definitely in on their “yes, and?” dynamic to science and magic. She is all for the chaos, she just wants them to wear protective equipment while doing the chaos.

Jayce designed their shower to be double the size of a normal walk-in. Their tub is pretty much a hot tub. Do with this what you will.

Jayce carries both his partners on his shoulders. He also can do many a set of pushups with both of them on his back. They’ve played chess against each other on Jayce’s back, while also asking for advice on chess moves.

Jayce and Mel have a game called “do not leave Viktor alone with Ambessa”. For everyone’s sake, they have been 100% successful. Jayce gets jealous, and the last thing Mel wants her mom to know is that they do share a taste in types of men. Viktor is unaware of this game. Ambessa is curious of the twink her daughter is hiding from her.

Mel is the first person who gets to see all their prototypes in action. She has also been woken up in the middle of the night when one (usually both) have an idea. She is 100% behind this, though she didn’t appreciate the time Viktor and Jayce woke her up for what ended up being a literal lamp re-design. They spent an hour talking about their genius and innovative light, powered by hextech, just for her to flick their bedside lamp on.

Mel has never laughed so much in her life since meeting and getting with them. She attributes these years as the best ones so far. Jayce and Viktor feel the same.

Viktor is just. Always in meetings now. Chilling out. What are you gonna do? Tell the de facto-head of council Jayce he can’t bring in his partner and tell the richest and also most influential member Mel she can’t bring in her other Boyfriend? Good luck.

He actually does not want to be in these meetings. He's there for moral support and the promises of coffee. Also Mel needs him to occasionally hit Jayce's chair with his cane when the other man starts to fall asleep.

He also sneaks notes to her of drawings and she's been mad (not really) ever since he made her snort really loudly due to his caricature of hoskel and salo. It's framed in their office.

[theashenphoenix]

CARLOS OLIVEIRA • RESIDENT EVIL 3 (2020)

[apurpledust]

old art i finished months ago but here's napjuno loosely based on a scene from the 1927 Napoléon film 🥰 👇

[edgepunk]

Mass Effect Legendary Edition: LE3 (dev. Bioware)

[messiahzzz]

i have seen several posts around that addressed how discouraging gale from taking the crown of karsus is “keeping him from realizing his true potential.” that tara is merely upset at his choice, instead of being utterly devastated at the loss of her little love. that it’s not a bad ending per se because to get there he didn’t need to sacrifice 7000 innocent souls in the process. gale isn’t continuing the cycle of abuse either, he still appears to love tav and does come back for them to offer them ascension. he wants them to be equal, so it can’t possibly be an unhealthy dynamic, right?

but what of gale himself, his own convictions, values, and everything he holds dear? everything flawed and human that shaped him into the person he is?

player: are you saying you want to ascend? claim godhood?

gale: no, not like that. i don't want to join them. i want to better them. a god's powers, paired with a mortal conscience, a mortal heart.

gale’s motivation for acquiring godhood is that he will able to aid mortals in a way no other god has ever done before. he won’t hide behind pretense nor require blind devotion of his followers. he will understand and be able to empathize. he wholeheartedly believes that he will be different - he will act.

gale: [..] the gods could aid us if they wished, but instead they cower behind ao. so let us act ourselves.

gale believes that by becoming a god he will kill two birds with one stone: aid mortals and acquire enough power to quash any of his insecurities and enemies in the process. that by ridding himself of every perceived flaw he'll finally feel like he will have enough to offer - maybe, just maybe he'll even be content. his flaws are merely holding him back from becoming the best version of himself, and by ridding himself of everything fallible, he will be whole. maybe this is what all of his suffering has led up to. maybe the orb chose him. maybe the reason he had to endure all the pain, isolation, and excruciating loneliness was so that he could realize that he was meant for something even greater. after all, power feeds ambition. and what is more powerful than a god? his convictions were certainly naive, he possesses enough knowledge to know better. don't get me wrong, part of him definitely wants to spite mystra a lil. but his intentions at that time were mostly pure. a reflection of his self-hatred and feelings of inadequacy.

player: this is wrong, gale. that power will corrupt you, even if you can seize it.

gale: it won't, i swear to you. it's merely a tool - a means to an end.

once we meet gale at the party in his new godlike form, it is apparent that even with all the power at his fingertips, he has reached no greater knowledge about himself. his insecurities are still as present as before, he merely is less subtle in his compensation - repeatedly highlighting his grandeur and how dull life on faerun is compared to the wonders of elysium. it is also genuinely crushing to see how little he thinks of himself even now.

gale: i was nothing. a drifting dust mote of a wizard, abandoned by my goddess, my powers lost, my reputation destroyed. and look at me now. i'm their proof.

any perceived dismissal of his Greatness™ is met with immediate disdain.

gale: a bold decision to treat a divine being with such cold indifference.

nodecontext: aloof, annoyed you weren't impressed with him

gale: you mortals do love to live dangerously, don't you?

nodecontext: the slightest hint of a threat - you've probably made an enemy here today. or at least, you've lost a friend.

he is still desperate to impress. emphasizing what an honor it is that a new-born god chose to bless their little soiree with his presence. gaze upon all his divine glory! gale has now become the embodiment of everything he criticized about the gods. his original intentions and plans are discarded and long forgotten. he assuages his erstwhile companions by telling them to simply pray to him, in case they should ever require aid. if they're lucky and their ambition pleases him, he might even deliver.

player: what does the 'god of ambition' offer to his followers?

gale: i 'offer' them nothing. i inspire them to seize their destinies for themselves.

player: interesting, so you help mortals help themselves?

gale: precisely. though that isn't to say i'm averse to the odd bit of direct encouragement.

gale: [..] my aims are set a little higher than offering cursory blessings to just any half-decent spellcaster.

gale: regardless, ethical quandaries are more the remit of my mortal devotees. they do love to talk, and faerun is starting to listen.

aiding "any half-decent spellcaster" is unbefitting of his status. he isn't concerned with questions of ethics and morality either. deeming such matters beneath his divine capabilities.

once gale has ascended and established his domain, what remains of the gale we knew? what of his mortal heart?

minthara: your ambition is not cruel, but you fear that if you indulge it, you will lose yourself in the mysteries of the weave and unravel the world.

minthara: you are afraid of so many things, and it is that fear that keeps you true to yourself.

gale did lose himself and ultimately became one of his biggest fears. considering that his existence as a being of pure ambition leads him to constantly seek out greater heights, it isn't farfetched to believe that raphael's prediction will indeed come true.

player[astarion]: ambition? finally, a god i can get behind...

gale: i assure you, this is merely the prelude to a far grander vision. elysium's in for something of a shake-up.

all that remains of gale is a thin veneer of the person he used to be. what he presents is a hollow echo of the old gale. he does retain some of his mannerisms and quirks, but he is definitely a lot colder and more condescending. if his personality already changed that drastically after a duration of only 6 months, what will he inevitability turn into when he has eternity at his disposal?

essentially, you are aiding gale in the eradication of himself. eradicating everything about him that made him into the loveable, charismatic, awkward, kind, buoyant person he was. everything about him that he perceived as defective, flawed, and lesser-than. before, his hubris was merely an expression of his own discontentment and low self-worth, but now he is hubris incarnate. all of his worst qualities have been amplified.

gale: i am ambition incarnate. as indistinguishable from that most potent sensation as mystra herself is from the weave. and word is spreading.

nodecontext: palpable, almost unsettling excitement from him - hint of megalomania

he put his trust in tav, trusting their judgment and relying on them to nudge him in the right direction. after all, they had plenty of opportunities to show him that they are an ally worth following and confiding in. but in the end, the prospect of what he could be, the things he could give them, the enemies he could yet conquer, won over the desire to simply accept him and help him rebuild a life on solid ground. tav denied him the unconditional love he craves most out of their own selfish desires.

tara: you were looking out for him. i expected better of you.

as i've already mentioned, gale desires nothing more than to be seen, accepted, loved, and valued. having a partner who wholeheartedly supports and believes in him is enough to make him feel content. most importantly - he just wants to live. to enjoy life with everything it has to offer. his ambition can’t be quenched because he hungers still. believing that only by acquiring more power will he finally be enough and reach said acceptance.

we see in his good ending that his own contentment was even able to influence and (temporarily) sate the orb's ever-present hunger:

gale: [..] or perhaps the orb's hunger was fuelled by my own, and my contentment influences it in much the same way.

gale: that's how i feel with you - content. it's a rather unfamiliar feeling, i must say. not something gale of waterdeep ever craved.

it is devastating that he doesn't reach the same feeling of fulfillment if he chooses to pursue godhood, and is instead compelled to continuously surpass his own accomplishments. not being granted rest or reprieve.

gale: i achieved everything we hoped i would, and still i'm not good enough for you?

gale pursuing godhood isn't evidence that he "has been evil all along" or that he "just waited to be unleashed" either. we can't diminish tav's influence in this outcome, they are after all an extension of the player. able to steer every companion toward a path of redemption or to enable them in their worst traits. fandom has already established that by letting astarion ascend you are actively supporting him in becoming the very thing he despises most, putting your own ambitions and idea of what you want him to be above his healing, this is no different.

tara: the gale i knew wasn't like this. he recognised his mistakes. he was contrite. all he wanted to do was live.

tara: unfortunately, he fell into company that turned his gaze towards foolishness. yes, i mean you.

player: gale is his own man, tara.

tara: false. he was mine. though now he belongs only to his own pride.

yes, the epilogue cutscene is beautiful and there is something bittersweet and romantic about his love for tav being one of the few emotions that remained a constant throughout the past 6 months. he didn't need to come back for them, but he did cause he loves them still. no matter how warped his definition of love may be now. while it is abundantly clear that tav ranks lower on his priority list than they did before, his commitment remains.

gale fears isolation, hoping to never return to the time when he was hopeless and alone, stuck inside his tower. by heading in this direction he is once again creating a self-fulfilling prophecy.

tara: [..] if i pretended you hadn't turned tail on every lesson you set out to learn, i'd have no right to call myself your friend.

morena may as well have already resigned herself to her son’s death. elminster partly blames himself. for his lapse in judgment, as well as being the one who plucked him from obscurity in the first place. mourning the kind, bright-eyed boy who cried at the scorched roses in his neighbor's garden. tara won't be here anymore to care and look out for him either. he has lost his oldest and dearest friend, the one who witnessed his downfall from grace and never left his side. who believed him to be the finest mind AND the finest wizard she's ever had the pleasure to know. who was certain that he’d find a way out of any crisis no matter the circumstances. ...and if tav declines his offer to ascend with him? what does he have left?

gale: yes, i am rather radiant, aren't i?

tara: don't flatter yourself, gale. you've debased yourself in ways i could never have fathomed.

tara: goodbye gale, i hope the heavens are worth it.

gale’s godhood ending deals with the loss of humanity, the loss of oneself, and everything one holds dear. it is a devastating and bone-chilling narrative. it is a tragedy.

gale: i hope you don't think less of me. great ambition should not come at the expense of what you already hold dear. i see that now.

if gale could see himself, he would be horrified at the losses he deemed necessary to get here. he would be horrified at what he’s become.

[vault-kid]

please rbg and share in tags despite voting! cus im so curious <3

[demi-pixellated]

Captivator.

new(ish) tav, Craft, that i made for a co-op bg3 play with the sib, and one day we will get back to playing it... one day...

[galedekarios]

Curiosity must be satisfied.

[mortiflyer]

ppl saying the atp is boring now bc jannik is dominant as if andy murray doesnt get a participation plaque everywhere he goes just for being able to win slams while a greed of biblical proportions consumed the big 3 for 30 years

[fuzzandfeathers]

So I've been re-watching Seeing Stars lately for art reference and I just wanted to ramble on something (as always). A very fun point of debate in this fandom is when Stolitz started falling for each other and, while I see it happening at multiple different points, Seeing Stars has always been my top choice for where feelings on Blitz's end started becoming more real.

Timing-wise it makes a lot of sense - Ozzie's is what prompts Stolas to rethink his and Blitz's relationship and drop a lot (but not all) of the masks he was keeping up within their arrangement and Seeing Stars is the first time since Ozzie's that they spend an extended amount of time together and creates an opportunity for Stolas to start showing that change. And content-wise there's just so much they say and do that showcases what something real between them could be and shows Blitz that's there's more to Stolas than he expects. I'm lazy so here's a (non-comprehensive) list of stuff I want to point out:

This is likely the first time Blitz has seen Stolas worried about something, legitimately frantic and scared. Moreover, the thing he's worried about is his daughter, which is like a straight shot to the vulnerable parts of Blitz's heart, a surefire way to get him to take Stolas' feelings seriously.

Blitz demonstrated an astounding lack of responsibility with regard to keeping the grimoire safe, but, while Stolas is justifiably upset, at no point does he punish Blitz or threaten their deal over it, which, given Blitz's panic about telling him, Blitz likely was very worried about.

They have to actually work together to resolve the situation, interact on roughly equal footing outside the roles they've established within their relationship. Not to mention, Stolas sincerely needs IMP's help with this. This isn't a situation he can just 'demon prince' his way through (his power is 'limited' and he has no clue how to even find Via). This may be the first time Blitz feels needed by Stolas for something other than sex. (Stolas obviously didn't really need him in Loo Loo Land and while Blitz did save his life in Harvest Moon, he clearly didn't think it was all that significant or he would've told Stolas)

With the roles he was trying to play in the Arrangement mostly dropped, Stolas' interactions with Blitz feel a lot more natural and highlight how well they work together when they aren't hiding behind their bullshit (we get real banter that gives a tantalizing taste of what these two are like as actual partners). Stolas doesn't do any of the playful condescension, naive fumbling attempts at storybook romance, or excessive over-the-top flirting that's defined their interactions up until this point and he's too distracted by finding Via to excessively fawn towards Blitz, so his personality shines through a bit more assertively and they fit a lot better than either of them is likely aware of. There's sass, but it feels lighthearted, the two of them riling each other up just because they can and they want to, and the one instance of flirting is subtle (compared to what Stolas usually does), serves as a show of support, and clearly plays to what Blitz likes.

Stolas being human probably also has an impact; even beyond obviously giving Blitz a new kink, I think seeing Stolas in a form that's much less towering, less powerful, and more expressive starts to push Blitz to pay more attention to who Stolas is (worried father, silly & smart & sassy & sexy man) rather than what he is (Goetic prince).

I wouldn't be surprised if the uniqueness of the situation and the new light he's seeing Stolas in is the reason Blitz shows how panicked he is by the thought of acting on the sitcom in front of Stolas - he probably regretted it after the fact (I've been there), but in that moment he was ok with a small show of vulnerability. Actually, now that I think about it, that moment kind of mirrors Blitz's apology to Stolas in Apology Tour and Blitz talking about Barbie in Sinsmas, where Blitz is actually opening up a bit but, for whatever reason (preoccupied by finding his daughter, drunk off his ass, having the absolute worst day of his life), Stolas just isn't quite in a place where he can properly recognize it for what it is. (another fun example of Stolas 'Look My Way' Goetia not fully looking Blitz's way yet 😂)

tldr: I think Seeing Stars led to Blitz experiencing significant progress on his feelings for Stolas because it created a situation where he realized (whether consciously or not), 'Hey I actually give a shit about this guy and can stand to be around him for more than 5 minutes without it being about sex.'

[tragicwithacapitaltodd]

save me bruce finally giving in and fucking jason realizing it's the only way he can submit him and make him act nice and pliant so he decides to fabricate a whole life and fake identity for him so he can put a ring on it and jason has no way to escape now... save me...

[aroaceleovaldez]

very specific opinion i have:

I don’t think the Lotus Hotel & Casino should automatically acclimate its inhabitants to the modern time period, because the entire point of the hotel is that it’s trying to keep people there and they will never leave, so the ideal scenario is to prevent them from experiencing the passage of time. The best way to do that would be to keep things changing as little as possible from the guests’ perspectives, and convince them they’ve spent less time there than they thought.

Even though the guests are canonically in a sort of daze, Percy specifically notes that time felt extremely distorted in the hotel, not just in the sense of “we were here for what felt like hours but outside the hotel it was a week,” but in more of a “It only feels like we’ve been here like half an hour, but i guess it might have actually been a couple hours or so- oh, a week has passed outside.”

I like to imagine the hotel is actually pretty labyrinthine when you start getting into it, and the deeper you go the older the sections of the hotel start becoming, so you get these really eerie effects when traveling through it. Especially since the hotel would theoretically shift with the other mythological locations, so if you go back far enough the hotel probably starts getting really weird, because also it’s just kind of infinite inside. People have definitely gotten lost in the depths of the hotel forever, outside of the whole never leaving the hotel thing. The di Angelo siblings might have been slightly extra resistant to the daze effect though and so were able to travel further outside their designated era wing than they normally would and start noticing that there was Something Really Weird Going On. But it still probably would have taken them awhile.

[ulteri0rm0tives]

It's every iteration.

It's every iteration of V that will always find Johnny. Every iteration of V that Johnny grows to care about. It's every iteration of each other, in every universe, that will always find each other. They'll always become inseparable, tied together in unfathomable ways. Ways they could never truly unravel from each other in the end, no matter the end.

They'll always be destined for one another. No matter what face is worn. No matter what universe. No matter what, they're always meant to be. No matter what, the stars will always align for them, just to come crashing down from the sky.

[corallapis]

[phreaticlayer]