#especially with meaner dialogues

[bbnibini]

I find it so painfully heartbreaking that Solomon just...laughs off all the derision, the name-calling, and possibly even did "evil" things on purpose because it's expected of him at this point. (He had not always been like this as Thirteen pointed out before). There was a time when he was "innocent". When his soul sparkled. When it resembled the kind of soul everyone in these god forsaken (pun intended with spite) three realms seemed to associate with the ever loved MC. He's just...worryingly carefree. And because he's like that, he feels even more of a tragic character to me.

Sometimes it even seems that he himself would seemingly make up excuses on why he's hated. Oh, it's because I'm a sorcerer this. I might have won a war against Devildom single-handedly this. I have forgotten. But maybe, I did something bad, that. Hon, you were doing that to SURVIVE. You don't have to be a faultless person to deserve compassion. You don't have to be MC to deserve to be loved.

[banditomojado]

This reminds me of a couple people 💙 but sometimes, same for me

[burningcheese-merchant]

No, Merchant, feel free to complain to your hearts content. I'm certainly much meaner to ugly blue alastoroncelerbillcipherspamton from temu and every last inch of his undeserved popularity. I seethe because as an Ovenbreak player of SEVEN YEARS, none of my faves get remembered in a tweet, let alone merchandise. The dragons, who all took over five years to collectively come out, got a pin set and devsis wiped their asses with them then moved on. I waited over a YEAR for another sugar nova odyssey update to come out because xylitol nova and astronaut are my favorite cookies ever and I'm still fucking waiting 🫠 meanwhile the beasts are getting shat out every 3 months with the most rushed nonsensical recycled plotlines held together with scotch tape because making profit is what really matters here, not competent storytelling. I wouldn't even be this furious if the beasts got equal attention and spotlight but we both know that's not true hahaha 😬 they love to shove their (really badly designed) golden cow in our faces because Smilk was lab engineered to get sexyman tumblr girlies screaming their heads off while not even being 1/4th the interesting character they want you desperately think he is. JUSTICE for burning spice, mystic flour, and everyone else who will get done dirty for this boring walmart Jevil 😒

Oh my gosh 🤣🤣🤣 tell us how you REALLY feel, Anon, let it all out. It's not healthy to bottle up your emotions like that (you might want to stay anonymous though, I don't think either of us want an angry mob at your doorstep lol)

I'm anticipating a ramble (as I am wont to do) so under the cut it goes

Gonna start by saying I DO like Shadow Milk. I really do. It took me a little while for him to grow on me when he first appeared, admittedly (ESPECIALLY his voice...), but I am genuinely fond of the little blue jester man. But he's certainly not my favorite, far from it. That title belongs to Burning Spice and Burning Spice alone lol. The only reason I ever turned the English audio back on (I usually play the game in Japanese, I love hearing my fave anime characters speak lol) was so I could hear that gorgeous baritone of his... Burning Spice is everything to me. I love his design, I love his voice, I love his dialogue, I love his personality, I love him soooooo much. He's my babygirl. If Silent Salt turns out anything like the character I've constructed inside of my head, then he will share the #1 spot with Spice. I'll go ahead and say that right away

I'm upset because, like you said, it feels like he got majorly shafted while Shadow Milk gets all the praise and attention. Mystic Flour as well, poor girl, but I'm focusing on Spice just to drive the point home a bit better. He didn't even get a fucking countdown. What was his little merch thing? That weird ass candle (I thought it was a vase at first lol) and that's it. Furthermore, his story feels the least developed. There was and is SO MUCH that could have been said about him as a person as well as his dynamic/connection with Golden Cheese, that wasn't for whatever reason. Episodes 5 and 6 feel like they're missing something (and you feel what the "something" is in that brief flashback to Spice's past. There's more to what became of him than "I was bored", there HAS to be. Boredom is a symptom, not the cause. I maintain that this theory of mine has merit, and it would've been nice if they dove deeper into it than they did), you know? And I hate it. I hate that Spice is basically the forgotten middle child of the Beasts while Shadow Milk gets all the glory. Seriously, for Shadow Milk:

They changed their YT avatar to him for a while (it has ALWAYS been Gingerbrave, they never changed it once to anyone else all these years). iirc they did this on Twitter too

They dedicate an HOUR LONG commentary video to episode 7 and Shadow Milk (arguably fair, because it WAS the 4th anniversary. But even so. Did they do this for any other Beast? Any other episode? Any other anniversary?)

They give him a costume (a legendary one, at that) plus a set with his Ancient. NO OTHER Beast/Ancient pair has that, and I struggle to imagine they ever will. Do you understand what I would do to have a BS/GC costume set? DO YOU???

They make an exclusive, limited edition plushie (that caused a massive shitstorm iirc, justice for everyone that got fucked over during that and fuck scalpers)

They make a whole ass pop-up store event themed entirely around Shadow Milk and episodes 7 and 8

Why? Because he's the fan favorite lol. He's long since been the golden child of this community, and now we know he's Devsisters' golden child, too. (And they're desperate for money because they're drowning in debt. That's also probably why they released Shadow Milk on the 3rd anniversary: to drum up interest on a milestone anniversary by bringing in a beloved character. Thematically/narratively, Shadow Milk should've been released last. But that's just my opinion.)

Again, I really do like Shadow Milk. I call him "Walmart Bill Cipher" affectionately (and because he genuinely does remind me of Bill. In fact, I think Bill might've inspired SM to some degree). But it's unfortunate that other characters, the other Beasts especially, are pushed aside and ignored just so Shadow Milk can hog all the spotlight. It is with a very intense grimace that I agree that Shadow Milk is a Tumble sexyman. He fits the stereotype to a T. It would serve us all well to accept that truth. He even got added to the Tumblr sexyman wiki before it turned to flour lol. Burning Spice is... NOT a Tumblr sexyman. He is a regular old hunk. Tumblr was never in the business of liking big, beefy hunks, at least not the Tumblr I knew 10 years ago lol.

I'm also, to reference it again, just really disappointed that so little was and is done to explore the other Beast/Ancient pairs - and the fandom is guilty of this, too (not to knock the PV/SM anaylses at all! They're all fantastic and I genuinely do understand and love the deep, complex connection between them!). To go back to BS and GC, because they're my lifeblood (not just for shipping reasons I swear)... it's particularly egregious to me that THEIR dynamic wasn't given the attention and detail it deserves. They are LIFE AND DEATH, the very foundation of the world itself, things I (personally) consider significantly more important than truth and deceit because it is from life and death that all else springs forth. Truth and deceit are things you actively look for; life (abundance) and death (destruction) are just there, everywhere you look, even within yourself. You can close your eyes, ears, heart to the truth and you can learn to shun, decipher, defend against deceit; there is no escape from life nor death. None whatsoever. And so much can be done with that. So much can be done with them. Burning Spice and Golden Cheese need each other in the exact same way that Shadow Milk and Pure Vanilla need each other. They parallel each other quite a bit, too. They're so similar and so different. They could have and SHOULD HAVE had so much to say to and about each other, like what Shadow Milk and Pure Vanilla have. But that didn't happen. Didn't happen with Dark Cacao and Mystic Flour, either. All of that love and care and philosophical exploration goes to the clown and the Jesus Christ allegory. Which is FINE, I'm not saying to leave those two hanging, just... show some of that love to the beefcake and the bird, too. And Korean Batman (Cacao reminds me of Batman, I'm sorry 🤣) and Ms. Angel of Death, too. Please, man. Truth and Deceit aren't the only dichotomy that matters and is worthy of thought and discussion

(and oh my God, dude. The Ovenbreak shit. I've been playing for as long as you, and that shit is diabolical at this point. We get ONE dragon update a year, and they always leave us on the most painful cliffhanger of all time each time. (And this last one... I have many issues, but the most glaring one of all: WHERE THE FUCK IS FIRE SPIRIT??? WHY ISN'T HE IN THE STORY??? HE IS INTRINSICALLY LINKED TO PITAYA DRAGON! THEY HAVE AN UNBREAKABLE BOND BECAUSE OF THEIR DEAL THAT GRANTED HIM SOME OF PITAYA'S POWER AND SAVED HIS LIFE! HE SHOULD BE AN INTEGRAL PART OF THIS ARC! HE SHOULD BE AT THE FOREFRONT! IF PITAYA GETS HURT, HE GETS HURT! FIRE SPIRIT'S WELL-BEING IS DIRECTLY TIED TO PITAYA'S AND THE DRAGON'S VALLEY AND BOTH ARE IN SERIOUS JEOPARDY!!! Oh God I can scream about this for so long. I have a similar issue with the Red Dragon arc in CRK, WHY WASN'T FIRE SPIRIT THERE?) I LOVE the dragons, I love their relationship with each other, I love the conflict between them, even the unique bonds/quarrels between specific ones! And their storyline is picked up and dropped over and over again, left to collect dust until they feel like continuing the story. Hell, remember Gingerbrave and co.'s quest to find where that wizard compass is pointing, and to find a place for them to build a peaceful life away from the Witches? Me neither lol. Sea Fairy's great sacrifice with Sugarteara and the cursed pearl? (SF was done SO dirty in Kingdom, she's an actual character in OB and in CRK all she cares about is Moonlight, to the point that she lets an entire civilization fall to ruin because she refuses to do her fucking job) The Xylitol gang... Well, as of writing this, that's the next update... Which will give us another legendary cookie, hardly 3 months after Dreamweaver lol. Fuck Stevia Nova, I already don't give a damn. Give me more Xylitol Nova and Astronaut and that's it

I have a lot more to say (especially about BS and GC, God I could talk about them FOREVER, they're so interesting to me), but I think I've rambled enough lol. All the love for Shadow Milk, truly, but all the love and justice for Burning Spice and the other Beasts and every other character that gets ignored, too

[krispdreemurr]

I think the weird route does reinforce that there is a more powerful layer of control the player can assert onto kris. Because yeah you could argue that a lot of the dialogue options do come from kris, the more crueler and meaner ones either being intrusive thoughts or thoughts that spawn from conflicted emotions or feelings they might have on the person their talking to.

Though prompts from the weird route like "proceed" and "noelle will get stronger" feel so otherworldly? In comparison to any of the more organic prompts, its hard to think that these prompts ARE from kris themself, and are rather prompts that are provided BY the soul, since it seems to be so much more powerful in the weird route.. Unless there's some other factor about the relationship between the soul and kris that hasnt been revealed yet..

yeah everything from Me on especially feels like something has intensely Broken. it could be this is just what Kris becomes like when they finally shatter under the strain, but it feels frankly like Kris is barely there at all

[breezemoonriver]

Ok so. The httyd live action. Hoooooo boy.

I went in generally hopeful bc I knew they had Dean back on the team and(while somehow Chris still carries the heart of the franchise case in point httyd3) he at least cares about the movie, so I knew it would be better than the shitty Disney ones

True, it was better, but like, that’s a very low bar xD They luckily didn’t make many changes, I heard ppl complain that it was a shot for shot remake but while that isn’t true I think playing it safe is the better option with an already objectively 10/10 cult classic movie

The changes they made were almost always to the detriment of the movie. Bear in mind I watched it in a different language(which is a whole other can of worms boy was the hundub and translation horrible) but that still doesn’t help the stupid added dialogue. They took away iconic lines too, no “I did this” from Hiccup and Stoick, no “you don’t have to go out there[to fight the red death]” only some stupid bullshit character assassination which I can’t even remember rn, not even the excuse me barmaid scene!! Like how.

Also the humor too, they took away most jokes that landed, only to make it more ““““mature””””, and kept the basic filler one-liners which did nothing, I can’t remember any joke that I laughed on.

The characters were dead, I’m very sorry to Nico Parker especially bc I’m sure she’s a wonderful actress and she does actually give off major Astrid vibes, but the way they rewrote her character to a literal antagonist??? At some point I literally rooted for a dragon to eat her and I’m so surprised bc I’m generally not worked up by characters like this. It’s just complete character assassination and it made the romantic flight cut even more jarring. Astrid even apologizes to toothless, instead of hiccup, who she hurt and why toothless took her on the scare ride and if that doesn’t show complete lack of understanding of the characters idk what does. Overall they’re just much meaner, fishlegs gets bullied a lot, and not like a “yea ok we’re Viking teens we’re assholes to everyone and each other” way as in the original movie, they’re literally bullying him just bc his obsession with dragons? It has a very ableist undertone which I can’t really put into words but I very much didn’t like it. The twins got watered down as well, ik the only thing they had going for them in the first movie is dumb funny pranksters but they’re not even funny here! Tuff got regressed to his httyd3 horrible womanizer self, which I very much hate, and Ruff is just. There??? Idek if she does anything, but she’s now actually rude which is sad. Also she’s played by a plus size actress, which I would have no problem with if they did not do that only to make a fatphobic joke which I very much have a problem with. Like that’s rude af. Hiccup I had little to no problem with, maybe it’s bc he’s the mc and they payed more attention to him but eh who knows. His character mostly suffered from the bad lines and the bouncing off of the others. The one who imo stayed pretty much in character is snotlout. He’s just consistently being himself, and there even was a point (a scene where he vaults over hiccups table to sit next to him and accidentally kicks his cup sending water flying everywhere) where I exclaimed “yea that’s snotlout alright, he would definitely do that”. So overall he’s fine.

But let’s talk about the bigger changes. HOOOOOOO BOY buckle up bc I have some choice words(not really bc I want this to be constructive and objective afai can reach that o-o). So Berk is now some kind of a multicultural nomadesque refuge, which on one hand is actually very cool bc the around 400 ppl in Berk would’ve counted as a massive city the significance of New York in the Viking world, where lots of different people from trade routes all over the world would show up or even settle. The only problem is that the plot doesn’t work in that case. Berk fights the dragons because they’ve been there for 400 years as of rtte and they’re stubborn fucks /affectionate and that island and village is a home to them. Otherwise it would’ve been as easy to just pack up and leave (cough cough that’s why httyd3 doesn’t work cough). The whole “we came here only because we were searching for dragons to kill” is a literal antithesis of the message of the movie???? Like what were you thinking? Smh. Also I did not buy the whole “Astrid wants to be chief even tho hiccup is still in line for the title” thing and the way she seems to be Stoick’s right hand thingy? And how he wasn’t disappointed in hiccup, his own son who he cares about his own way and who literally got a monstrous nightmare on his unarmed twink ass but the very competent Astrid, who went in the arena just to save him??? Like how is that source for disappointment????

Some changes were actually for the better, which surprised me very pleasantly; first off, snotlout got fleshed out a bit, while very briefly but his relationship with spitelout got some scenes, which I’m quite happy about bc it benefits his character and shows why he’s the way he is. (Which is sadly worthless in the live action bc the main bully is actually Astrid) Second, Gothi got a cool af upgrade, got mentioned by name and even got to do some cool vǫlva stuff other than just babysitting the gang. Also her house looks just as cool as in the movies and I hope it’s still on the very peak of the cliff bc it’s so funny and iirc the fandom has/had a running joke abt how she gets up there. Such is the curse of someone who always ends up liking the protag and one specific background character with little to no content xD

The visuals were not bad, the cg was at certain places wonky but I know how hard it is to pull off so no complaints there, but the cinematography left a few things to be desired. Some shots were forced and some looked like volunteer art students took them at a school show. Even the ones they tried to replicate too; mostly the lighting fucks it up. Some landscape shots, especially the wide shots with Berk actually looked pretty tho. But the dragons also looked awful, the one who looked closest to their original counterpart was stormfly(I loved how bright her colors were) and barf and belch were okay but the others are just hideous I’m sorry. Meatlug my sweetheart looks like a week old dried turd and I literally can’t see the dragon shape and hookfang got demoted to Generic GOT Dragon no.13464 #notmyhookfang :,( Toothless also just looked awkward but everyone already dissected his design so I’m not going to beat a dead horse here

The music was mostly good, John Powell wrote a phenomenal score for the original and I think he managed to bring out the best from this hard situation too John Powell is love John Powell is life that man does not have one single bad track god he’s amazing :3 I’m quite sad that they did not bring Sticks and stones by Jónsi and the art of Nico Marlet back for the end credits, that Vikings have their tea football stadium chorus thing with the nature documentary slideshow did not do it for me but that’s just my personal opinion.

Overall, it could’ve been much worse but I wouldn’t watch it again. It was a fun experience especially with me going with my best friend, but I wouldn’t pay a ticket for it. If you’re interested, just pirate it or watch the og one, as soon as I got home and had dinner I sat down with my sister and watched the original just as a brain cleanser. It’s the definition of I’m not mad but disappointed, which is apparently the best we can get at this year and time. At least I got a cool cup and an adorable toothless figurine out of it :3

Also idk if it was a regular fish or something else but either way I really hope Mason got paid very well for the fish scene xDDD

And please don’t look if I made any mistakes it’s 4 am and I’ve been suffering with an insane migraine thx byeeeee <3

[cloudyskiiees]

ok i cant control myself here’s me infodumping about my stardew valley x tdi fic idea:

-first few chapters are all noah’s perspective. he lives in a small run down town called stardew valley, working at the library with their shitty museum attached. he has a couple old books of his on display, but nothing more. rumors of a new farmer coming to town arise, he doesn’t think much of it.

-until he sees the farmer after he’s moved there. he’s pretty, sure, but he’s… weird.

-the farmer waits around like he knows where people are gonna be at a certain time. he’s scarily good at collecting new gems and minerals for the museum, he’s even better at fighting in the mines, where most people don’t dare to go.

-he knows what everyone likes without even asking.

-this all gets annoying because noah hasn’t learned anything about the farmer, other than his name. alejandro.

-he can’t shake the feeling something is wrong with the new farmer.

-so he starts being a bit meaner. refusing gifts he loves, even if it almost seems to pain him to do so. he’s gotten to the point he can outright refuse to let alejandro donate to the museum! it brings him satisfaction to see the looked on the farmers face, but he can’t deny something inside him feels horribly wrong whenever he… acts out.

-eventually we get an alejandro pov. and the entirety of “stardew valley” is a video game. none of the characters we’ve been following or learning about are real, not even the farmer noah knows. he’s simply a made up character.

-alejandro is pissseddd because something is wrong with his newest save! he had made a brand new one to attempt and speed run it, having the summer off from college and finally being miles and miles away from his family breathing down his neck.

-so what is this characters deal all the sudden?

-the new dialogue noah says, he can’t find it anywhere online. he didn’t know characters could refuse gifts they loved, or even in general!

-when the librarian refuses to let him donate his recent finds to the museum, he makes it his mission to figure out how this is happening.

-he gets his local tech “friend” Sierra to take a look and observe the game, hoping she can figure out what’s wrong. he doesn’t exactly like the girl but…. she’s really smart when it comes to certain things. especially her favorite video game.

-noah continues to question the other townsfolk, but starts realizing that… they all kind of act the same. have the same responses. routines.

-he realizes he does too.

-izzy is the only other self aware character inside of the game, noah nearly strangled her when she told him she’s known for a long time.

rest of the story is sierra and alejandro realizing the characters are becoming self aware, and being like WTFFFF especially since they all start having distinct reactions and dialogues once sierra takes over alejandro’s farmer for a bit, seeing as they act very different.

this story would likely not have a super happy ending since ya know, most of the characters aren’t real. but i love fucking around with grey idea things like knowing ur trapped inside a game forever, but also loving the people and life you have in there! as well as ofc the eventual angst involved once feelings become a thing noah has for alejandro, seeing as he knows he’s real, and the farmer he plays as will never actually be him.

[tartagliove]

hi zebra!!! i hope you don’t mind me asking you a little question about you & tartaglia — i was wondering what drew you to him & what your fav traits of his are? do you have a particular dynamic in mind for you both? 🤭💗

i hope you’re having a wonderful sunday, make sure to keep warm !!!!

VANA HIIII!! it's always so good to see you hehe c: thank youuu, I'm having a lovely day and the sun was shining brightly despite the cold so it was very nice! I hope your Sunday (both the day and the character heh) has been wonderful too!!

oooh these are fun questions! okok so when the archon quest for Liyue came out, as soon as Tartaglia appeared with his "hey girlie, hold still!" I was all o.o and •///• so initially I liked him from the start because he's pretty, sounds nice, and he isn't the biggest Signora fan LAKSJDFAJKDSF (me too, ugh I detested her when she beat Venti up). also he just has really good dialogue and banter with Traveler and I oughhhhh kaljdflkajdsfljasf answering your questions might knock me out

anyway!! I love that Tartaglia is very loyal! I feel like very few people have his loyalty (the Tsaritsa and his family mainly) but once they earn it he would do anything for them. I love that he wants to become stronger and stronger so he always enjoys a fight, especially against strong opponents. and that bloodthirstiness contrasted with his love for his family?? ugh my heart. he adores his family and takes care of them as best as he can even though he's far away on missions. he writes the sweetest letters to his siblings.

soooo that brings me to the dynamic between me and Ajax!! from the moment we meet there's a lot of teasing and banter between us. a lot of pushing each other to be better. once we get to know each other and trust is formed, we become very loyal to each other despite Ajax's occupation. I'm a source of comfort to him from all the things he has to do for the Tasritsa's goals. (idk if you've heard of Epic the Musical but we're literally Odysseus and Penelope especially in the song "would you fall in love with me again".) Ajax returns and confesses the things he's had to do and every time he wonders if I'd stop loving him because of the blood on his hands and I reassure him every time that I choose him!!! ugh I'm going to cry alkdfjasdf so onto lighter things, we fit the fox x bunny dynamic very much hehe. he's a little meaner and teasing and loves to see my reactions and I'll give it back as best as I can! but he can fluster me a lot more easily >u< his face is too pretty...

[bengiyo]

Love is Better the Second Time Around Ep 2 Stray Thoughts

Last week, we met our leads, Miyata and Iwanaga. Miyata and Iwanaga had some kind of relationship as teens in high school and seemed to part on mixed terms. Now they're both adults and have met through happenstance via work. Miyata seems to be suppressing his queerness, and Iwanaga seems determined to reconnect with Miyata. Miyata wanted to break off, saying he's committed to his girlfriend, but we left at them kissing in Iwanaga's apartment before Miyata ran away and admitted to himself that he still has feelings.

Yes, let's pick up from the kiss and get Iwanaga's perspective.

OMG he wanted to elope, and Miyata didn't show up. Incredible.

Iwanaga wasn't gonna let you go that easy, sir, especially not after that kiss.

Oh fuck yeah, Shiraishi! Drama convention says you won't succeed, but I love you for telling your rival to fuck off.

Oof, Shiraishi heard that. I hope he gets meaner.

I am howling! This botched proposal is one of the funniest things I've seen in weeks! I didn't want an adult woman who didn't deserve this, and I like her shutting this down.

Wow, he called Iwanaga and Iwanaga didn't let me down. He put that ring on Miyata.

I wonder if Miyata was referring to the office scene earlier or their time as kids with that comment about ridicule.

Iwanaga is the winner. Despite also being rejected, he ate the cake.

Wait, now I want dumplings.

Oho! Poor Shiraishi! The first time they hooked up Iwanaga was thinking about Miyata. He's been losing to this man for a decade!

Genuinely loved the desk as a barrier between Iwanaga and Shiraishi in that scene and the flashback.

"Please stop posing." I love this show.

Overlaying their conversation with this idyllic date footage is an excellent choice in a short show where the characters are stepping around their history. We don't know that history well enough to read into their facial expressions well, so balancing their voices and dialogue with the montage works really well for mood.

Deeply invested in Iwanaga admitting that he was a jerk when they were teens.

I really like Miyata's second rejection here. There's a sense that he got swept up by Iwanaga before and now that he's older he's doing what he can to avoid that swooning again.

Oh big choices next week!

I'm having so much fun with this show. This feels grown in a way a lot of the second chance stuff we've had has been missing. I've been wanting more adult-feeling BL, and the way all of the characters talk to each other in this show underlines their histories so well. I also just love how forward everyone is about intimacy. There's no shock about it.

[ottiliere]

i have to say, it has been a really long time since i have gotten as excited about a story as i have about the grief complex. seeing more of lynn and cam and the dynamic between the two of them made it impossible for me to read the new chapter at work without grinning like an idiot the whole time. ever since i first read part one, they have lived in my brain-- a testament to how well they're both portrayed, so much meaning in each drawing and sentence-- so much economy of characterization!!!! i'm in love with the way you draw facial expressions. so much emotion and subtlety..! i really liked cam's little conversation with the gas station attendant and seeing his more playful, childish side. i'm very interested to see what else will be revealed regarding the cause of the slow deterioration of the people around our two Noble Heroes. i also think the weird gross little animals are very cute and i hope to see more of them. also, while i don't want to be crass, especially about a story that's so-- i guess, delicately written, with such a light and skillful hand in regards to character dynamics, so please forgive me if this is over the line, but i really think that if cam kicked lynn in the stomach and put cigarettes out on him, ect. until he started age regressing or crying or something like that it would be a net positive for their relationship and would lead to healthier communication between the two of them; this is the only reason i want this to happen, of course. i'm already looking forward to the next chapter! thank you both for making beautiful art.

i'm glad people are enjoying the story, hearing this is always especially pleasant. i do not consider myself a "hater" in any capacity but i am chronically dissatisfied with a lot of the contemporary work i run into in my personal circles...my interests are a bit narrow to begin with, too, so it's kind of an issue. we want to make something good.

i think dane has done a reasonably okay job with the story so far and given the amount of compliments we have received on characterization/dialogue/etc., i'm considering reducing his beatings. he'd thank you for that, i'm sure.

cam's behavior in that scene was maybe meant to be a little meaner than playful, though. how often do you talk to people who act like the attendant was acting? there's something sad about it to me, i can never bring myself to make fun of someone to their face the way cam does.

i don't see anything weird or gross about my cute little animals, but thanks! you can expect to see a lot more of them in later chapters. the ones on display in this chapter were sculpted by dane, herbert, and baja, and painted by dane. we have a growing and very diverse catalogue of their little bodies.

while i respect the desire to remain uncrass, bear in mind that sometimes it's best not to tip your hand. i'm not even sure what crassness you're referring to here - plenty of people seem to want to see lynn hurt, for some reason. violence is rarely the answer...i don't think beating or getting beat on would inspire much desire for healthy communication between these two at all! but I'm sure cam would like it, for a little while. glad you're having fun, thanks for letting me know. we plan to keep at it.

[mandatory-blog-stop-asking]

in an effort to take back things i only used to share and can't anymore, i've been going through jojo part 5's anime. only really read the manga, the anime was for watching along with others. i'm on like 3 hours of sleep but let this be a strange monument to the project, halfway through.

those short anime-only squadra ezecutioze scenes really help with the pacing, i like them a lot. it really establishes how they're doing the same thing the passione gang is, they're just way meaner.

vs grateful dead & beach boy is still probably my favorite duo fight, and my favorite fight in this whole thing. pesci locking in might be in my top 5 moments in the franchise. love how bruno immediately takes him seriously as soon as he sees the fire in his eyes.

it's impossible for me not to mumble "tell them about the dream giorno!" every time homeboy mentions it. say it king, say it.

i forgot how 100% of giorno's plans are genuinely suicidal and only work because he's assuming the enemy either won't kill him or circumstances will work out in such a way that he's going to be able to avoid dying.

i forgot how much they hammer home the theme of fate every dialogue they can, specifically in the flashbacks. maybe it's added anime lines, but considering Rolling Stone is my favorite epilogue in the franchise, it's doing wonders.

the sound design is mostly good as usual but god damn every time Moody Blues starts calling my phone I have to laugh. you can in fact maybe be too unique. Man in the Mirror's little glass (?) noise rules though.

i do sorta wish they did 3D openings for this. the 2D ones are still good but Part 4 and 5 definitely feel like they got the short end of the budget stick. I'm watching the bluray editions, but still. they were a great staple for parts 1-3 and I don't think 4 should have done away with it. Especially since 6 says fuck it and tries finding a nice in-between anyway.

i guess overall my biggest disappointment is that the entire saga happens over the course of like, 6 or 8 days or something crazy like that. everyone else gets a couple months to really get to know each other, but everything is so hyper-compressed, you really get to kinda see 100% of the events that happen to these characters, and that's a shame.

i mourn the impossibility of a Purple Haze Feedback adaptation in general for Fugo's sake, yes, but I also mourn the fact Manic Depression is only in that story, and I think he's really cool. for a show so concerned about drugs it's kind of a shame we never meet the main guy behind them, just kinda allude to the distribution.

the canon ages are so fucking funny. what the fuck do you mean narancia is older than trish and giorno. thank you araki very cool. looking forward to animated lucy steel, dear lord.

i found out the brazilian dub is actually extremely good for jojo, unfortunately it's unwatchable because they dubbed over the censored netflix version. wrongs darker than death or night.

so like... Koichi's probably still visiting Italy by the time Giorno becomes boss, yeah? As far as the timing goes, he might have just taken the week off? i feel like the funniest possible end to part 5 would have been for Koichi to see Giorno with the black suit and entourage of mafioso around him in town and going what the FUCK did I miss I JUST saw this dude like LAST WEEK

anyway looking forward to getting to the end, i remember enjoying it well enough when we were all arguing what the fuck was King Crimson doing way back when.

[cherryberg]

HI OK I HAD A MOMENT TO THINK ABOUT IT, THIS IS ABOUT YOUR TEN 17776 POST.

i was talking to my bf about it. and he broguht up that ten is 'rude' at points. and that made me think.

people perceive ten's bluntness as her being like. mean or snarky? even though juice's entire intoduction is him insulting nine

like. juice is meaner than ten, ten is just serious.

i think in part because ten is female aligned, people view her bluntness as much *harsher* than it actually is - and since we live in a male focused world, a woman being rude is her worst sin. does that make sense

anyways. ten i love you

god forbid a woman does fuckin' anything, man

for a good chapter or so, i also perceived juice to be rude Because of his introduction, but ten being rude has never been a defining trait of hers to me. definitely blunt and stubborn, yes, but not rude. i partially wonder if how ten writes changes the way she's perceived, properly compared to juice's lax style of speaking ("Juice can do it because he’s European. You and I are NASA, born and bred. We have standards." 20020, Chap 4), and with it making her casual speak stick out like a sore thumb ("… listen, Nine, are you going to keep doing this? Is cross-talk just your … deal? Want to shut up for even a second?" 17776, Chap 1) - but yeah can't forget that, because she is female-aligned, people will probably, unintentionally or not, read her ruder than she is or have it stick to them more that she is rude. that isn't to say she's not not rude - she has her fair share of "Shut up"s ("Shut up. Shut. Up." 17776, Chap 1. "Shut the fuck up." 17776, Chap 13) - but god forbid women be abrasive

the line i brought up in that original post ("He’s the fun one, and by default, I’m the boring one." 20020, Chap 7) makes me nuts. juice is the fun one so BY DEFAULT ten is the boring one, and she knows this. it's so aligned with how people treat her, coupled onto the fact that she is indeed the "girl satellite". and it drives me nuts when people further the wedge on how different juice and ten is because juice is intensely goofy (an example being putting a period before juice dialogue but not for ten, when all have periods before their dialogue in videos - it's just a formatting thing!). especially when nine is the middle ground, and is more open to juice's shenanigans, it emphasises the stricter, more serious light on ten, which might be emphasised further by fans because, by default, she is the boring one

and it's not like ten doesn't have any whimsy herself. she does speeches and has calls with human friends and watches the sun rise, even if it is just a speck, and is great at handling the camera and changes the direction of her text to go up and makes mistakes that kills billions of people and "Yes you do, buddy." and she loved that light bulb and loves people and earth and loves her sibling, who is both older and younger than she is, and loves juice, despite it all. she loves her friends, and she loves football

even in real life, do you know how interesting pioneer 10 is? the first outer planetary mission? to jupiter, no less! there are Real Life Monetary Coins made of her, man - someone get me a 2009 $1 Australian gold coin with a space probe Pioneer 10/11-type on the back please!

i dunno, this is all just ramblings. don't take this as me hating juice, i love that guy. but i also love ten. more people should like ten #women #girl

[antsday]

first impressions of good coffee, great coffee (game)

the graphics, as always, are very cute and satisfying- which i expected considering good pizza great pizza's level of quality. although i did appreciate the slight animated bits and the occasional switch of scenery for the train sidestory- gpgp introduced that mechanic in chapter 5, so it makes sense that gcgc would use the same mechanics.

i have to say: it seems to me like gcgc isn't as concerned with dialogue trees or alternate options as gpgp was. like, in gpgp you could risk your pizzaria's stability by committing any number of bad decisions available to you via the dialogue trees (ex. giving pizza to the robber, giving pizza to the robot, etc). in gcgc, it almost seems like the game is encouraging you to try out different 'personality' pathways- like the option to be nicer or more antagonistic towards your rivals- but ultimately doesn't provide any of the same consequences of being nicer or meaner. i get that it might make gameplay more stressful to have dialogue actually matter, but i think it would be neat to have it affect the story even a little bit, especially since the game seems to like providing different sorts of reply options! this MIGHT just be me though, and it is a little too early to say for sure.

a lot of people do not like the energy feature but i find i actually don't mind it all that much! personally i enjoy the extra layer of pressure it adds to get as much done as i can, while also giving me an incentive to give myself a break every once in a while. i also heard somewhere that they're doing this so that they can roll the story beats along more cohesively, so.

i do get why it's frustrating though- a lot of the story objectives, after some of the wca trials, are pretty much just "reach level x", which means you just have to keep playing to get xp, which can be hard to manage w/ limited energy. on the other hand, i think the current level system kind of needs to go hand in hand with the energy feature- once all the ingredients are available and the current story has been completed, playing for the sole sake of advancement becomes kind of pointless, like how it is in gpgp, so after most of the general "story" has passed it'll probably also start adding seasonal events and such. this is a non-issue if you're playing entirely for leisure

this game isn't all that much like good pizza great pizza, which is both good and bad in a lot of ways. i find the customers to be pickier and the coffee-making mechanics to require much more precision than the pizza-making mechanics in gpgp, which is good if you want more challenging gameplay and bad if you're mostly trying to play a relaxing game.

this might also have smth to do with where both games are at atm- like, gpgp has been out for long enough that you can kind of get to a point where the game can't really surprise you gameplay-wise, and advancing in levels doesn't matter much, so the most important aspect is seasonal events and decor. gcgc on the other hand is still new, and the story has yet to unfold, so there's much less decor options or focus and obviously it hasn't started implementing seasonal items or events.

i'd say steaming milk is my least favorite part of the coffee making process in game. this is entirely a personal gripe, but i will also mention that the tutorial doesn't accurately explain how you do it. you're supposed to put the tip of the nozzle into the milk until the cloud button hits like, the middle of the yellow bar, and then push it all the way through until the temperature hits the yellow bar as well to perfectly steam milk.

overall i think i really enjoy the game, for me it hits that sweet spot of being challenging enough to want to keep playing but still easy-going enough that playing doesn't feel all that frustrating or tiring. the cute graphics help a lot. im excited to see where it goes!!

[mcsm-confessions]

Lukas’ character is so overlooked because hes ‘hot’ and its genuinely terrible because i love analyzing his character SO much so let me dump some headcanons (?) or just rambles

I really, REALLY wish Lukas was more meaner throughout the witherstorm arc if you were mean to him as Jesse. His charming and kind demeanor is a huge part of his character, and I admire him for that, but if you chose the worst dialogue options/story decisions (leaving him in the basement, telling him to stay away from Reuben, letting him leave the shelter, etc.) he just,,, takes it. The worst he does is call Jesse out for their actions and leave the cave, then apologizes to them one episode later. I was upset that Lukas felt the need to apologize to Jesse even though they were the one that excluded him in everything and treated him horribly and as if he weren’t apart of the team, and realized that Lukas’ easy forgiveness (?) might’ve derived from being around the ocelots. (uh oh this is where the rambling starts) Like,, this dude was around the worst people ever, I could imagine them doing the most god awful things and Lukas would have to apologize on their behalf. They literally became terrorists in episode to jealousy. I personally headcanon Lukas had been friends with the ocelot many years during the post witherstorm arc, but they, excluding Lukas, changed for the worse. Lukas believed that they could still be better, so he waited, and just became a bystander when it came to the ocelots bullying Jesse’s gang. He waited and waited until the day the ocelots ditched him for being apart of Jesse’s gang, (even though he quite literally risked his own safety to save them from the witherstorm’s grasp) and then just rebranded to the Blazerods. Despite having a good heart, being around terrible people influenced him a lot. And not in a ‘changing Lukas to be a bully’ way, it’s more-so a making him scared to show even an ounce of uncomfortableness or fear around his own friends. Whenever he’d try reasoning the ocelots, they, especially Aiden, would discard his feelings immediately. They’d probably make him feel sorry for even showing the slightest bit of emotion, thus leading him to apologize to Jesse even though he got heart. I’m not saying Lukas can’t stand up for himself, because he very much has on several occasions. But I am saying that he’s an empathetic guy and sensitive person at heart, also a HUGE people pleaser (which is confirmed, if I remember correctly). um ok im done projecting myself on Lukas. moving on!

I wanna talk about the injuries he gained throughout the portal arc. You cannot convince me he went out of the portal arc with absolutely no scars at all, especially with the things he had to bear through. Example, being punched by Aiden, tackled by a guard (if the player chose to follow Milo), and pushed off sky city. It was visible he was suffering from the pain of Aiden punching him then quick to push him off the island, because he asks Jesse if he can stay down in the surface because he doesn’t have enough strength to follow Jesse back up. This all happened in episode 7 by the way. And in episode 6, the worst thing I can remember is the white pumpkin shoving the mask on his head. With how quick Jesse was to arriving in the scene where Lukas got framed, Cassie probably hurt him in the process especially since his body was kinda wobbly (which derives from aches). Even though he looks okay after that occurrence, I can’t help but see him still suffering from the aches when he was encased in the closet. Moving onto episode 7, where I believe the worst injury happens. If the player doesn’t choose to save Lukas in Harper’s lab, Lukas has to endure having a mind-controlling chip literally implemented into his brain until the final battle. Also, he got electrocuted in the pama fight and had his hand punch through glass forcefully (he’s wearing a glove, yes, but his knuckles are exposed) and then went unconscious for a little while. And again, that chip was literally implemented into his BRAIN. That would leave some sort of scar or bleeding, or leave a long-lasting side effect even way past the end of season 1 and maybe even season 2. I headcanon he gets frequent aches in his head for absolutely no reason, specifically the back of his head where he got chipped, then pictures the traumatic memories of being mind-controlled to try kill Jesse in his head. Poor guy deserved a good break. Onto episode 8, I can only imagine him suffering from the pain of being crushed (Mevia mentioned that although the competitors do not actually die, they still have to endure the pain later on.) in the games. Also still feeling some side effects from the previous episodes. Mind you, the portal gang hopped through multiple portals without any breaks, and didn’t have the opportunity to do so because Harper immediately led them to the door to episode 8. It’s crazy how they went through all those portals and suffered from several injuries without any breaks at all, which would add up to the trauma they’d get from the portal arc.

Overall, I really love Lukas’ character. He’s fun to analyze, and his writing is so painfully overlooked by the writers themselves, but that means more analyzing and headcanons for me! He’s definitely one of my favorite characters ever, I feel like I can project myself so much onto him because he unnervingly is extremely similar to me. But that’s a biiig reason why he’s my favorite. Okay I’m done now

~~~

[fandomfluffandfuck]

i have to scream ab this somewhere bc ive just posted the first chapter of a new fic and im SO. EXCITED!!!!!

as well as this, i wanted to know - are you working on anything right now? if so, maybe you don't mind sharing a couple lines of dialogue as a teaser (bc i miss your writing alot especially after you can('t) teach an old dog new tricks)!! think of it as an ask game that i unofficially started lol.

hope ur doing good! xx

I just saw the post you made on your writing account for that, yeah!

I've had a very busy day, so I was hyped to log back onto Tumblr and see that! Hopefully, I can carve out some time to read it soon. It looks so, so good!!

"espresso" by bvckysarm

(Everyone better go read 😤)

Hell yeah, I'm always working on something 😏

Although, admittedly, it's nothing as long or grand as You Can('t) Teach An Old Dog New Tricks. I'm having fun messing around with short (for me) one-shots after spending, what,, five or six months on that series? I love it to death, I do, but, Jesus, yeah, over the length of the average novel, and half a year of writing (more than, behind the scenes, I'd been planning and researching for much, much longer)... I am relishing in noncommittal one-offs, haha.

Here's your teaser 😘

“Aw, you miss me, Stevie?” He needlessly teases, gripping his waist hard enough to bruise him like a soft, overripe peach.

“Uh-” Steve starts to answer him, but he’s cut off by a reverberating moan when Bucky shoves him back and viciously re-spears him on the fake cock he’s got suctioned to the wet, wet tile wall, “-huh.”

Steve stays slumped forward against him, clinging to him, shaking all over still, but now he clings harder; his blunt nails dig into Bucky’s skin and he hisses, enjoying the heat that shudders through his veins from the other man’s touch.

“Missed my cock, that’s what you missed,” Bucky husks into his ear, grabbing his little hips meaner, digging his fingers into his flesh, pushing him back tight onto the toy, making him fucking take it.

He gasps so cutely, so obscenely when his ass thickly presses to the cold tile—taking that toy to the wide, wide base, swallowing it whole—how could he not do it to him? Bucky just wants to fuck. ‘im. up. Vicious.

“M-missed, uunnhh, missed all a’you,” Steve protests weakly, pawing at him uselessly, not as weak and sweet as he thought. Not as weak and limp as he wants to get him—he wants to make him so fucking fuck-dumb.

“Nah, I don’t think you did,” Bucky’s grinning so wide, the muscles in his face already are starting to ache, sharp, “I think I’m just a cock with legs to you,” he tweaks one of Steve’s peaked nipples, just to admire how he shudders, “aren’t I? Isn’t that how it’s always been? Could barely get you off of my cock when you were smaller, Jesus, Mary, and Joseph, I never understood where you put it even though I could see it, bulging through your tummy, so tight and little around me.” Bucky presses his palm there now, dragging his nails down from the swell of his tits to his clenching abs. With the right angle, he can still do it, sometimes, he can spear Steve on his dick and bend him up in a cute little knot and see his dick through his stomach. Bulging. Thick and deep inside him, fucking him until he forgets how to beg for more.

Fucking him until he forgets his own name.

“Still, fuck, I couldn’t ever believe you could fit it in that tiny hole.” Bucky shakes his head, half in disbelief, half in predatory instinct, wanting to bite Steve and tear through him, shaking his head like a fucking dog with a toy, ravenous and slobbering, “then you went and got yourself all big and your need just got bigger, didn’t it, honey?”

“S-so did you, you guh-got bigger, too!” Steve whines, trying to retort but falling flat when he starts to pant, overwhelmed.

“I did,” Bucky purrs, grinding into his hip leisurely, enjoying how hot and feverish he is, God, he really worked himself up into a mess, didn’t he? “And ain’t that good for you, honey? Anything else and you’d’a died, ‘cause you need cock like you need air, don’t you, dollface?”

I hope you're excited for the rest 😈

[bluecladone]

Beat Veilguard last night, here’s some of my thoughts (SPOILERS BELOW):

First, some positives: Holy shit this game is a visual gem. The art direction and set pieces really blew me away in some places. That mountain with the titan corpse? Treviso? The lyrium chamber with the Oracle? I can’t wait for the art book lol. Also the animations and hair physics are *chef’s kiss*. I was really worried about the animations as Bioware has repeatedly gone on record saying how difficult the Frostbite engine is to work with (and I’m still a bit scarred from Mass Effect Andromeda lol) but they seem to have finally mastered it here. I was surprised at how expressive Rook was and loved how nuanced the dialogue choices were. Somehow, no matter which dialogue option I chose, I felt that the delivery was exactly what I wanted or better. There were times where I wanted Rook to be angrier or meaner though lol. Also, the worlds weren’t nearly as linear as I feared they might be. I thought it was a good balance between open-world and linear level design.

Now for some things that irked me:

There were a lot of bad line reads, especially at the beginning. Bellara springs to mind, though when she wasn’t trying to sound quirky she actually sounded alright lol. Looking up her actress, it doesn’t look like she’s done a lot of voice work, so it could just be rookie mistakes. Then again, Ali Hillis—Harding’s actress (and Liara T’soni and Aloy)—also had some clunky line reads. My guess is that they probably weren’t directed very well. Considering most of the clunky dialogue is in the beginning of the game, it’s not too egregious. I think they both found their footing with their characters as they went along. There were also some things that were worded or represented weirdly but I don’t know if it was on purpose or not? The two instances I’m thinking of are when Bellara tells Rook about her brother, and when Caterina was killed. My problem is the refusal to really say “killed.” Bellara says something like “wherever [her brother] is” and the implication is that he’s dead, of course. But the dialogue choices were either offering condolences or asking intrusively what happened so I wasn’t given a hard confirmation of his supposed death until a later conversation. The same happens during Lucanis’s recruitment mission where, after returning to Crow headquarters, Illario tells us that Caterina was “taken” by Venatori. I automatically assumed she was kidnapped, (which turns out to be the case, but I digress) since we just sprung her grandson from mage jail. That is, until Lucanis later swears that her death will be avenged, and I was like “Oh. Well maybe I missed something, even though I don’t think I did?” For hours afterward I was really confused by the coded language used and wondered why no one would just say dead or killed lol. But then it turns out that both characters are alive after all, so maybe it was on purpose? I guess? It was a clunky set up, if so.

Which leads me to my next gripe: during the mission to help with Caterina’s funeral, Lucanis tries to ask Illario about the details of the murder, (where did it happen, how was she killed, etc.) and doesn’t get a straight answer. Then Illario is weird about picking up “Caterina’s” ashes, which not only immediately made it obvious that he was a traitor, but also baffles me that the Crows somehow fell for the body double ruse twice in a row?? Not a lot of discerning people in a faction where the correct body should be tantamount to their success, no? Then, when it is glaringly obvious to the cast that Illario is the traitor, they just...kind of sit on that info and do nothing about it?? No warning to Teia and Viago, or anything? Honestly, everything about the Crows bothered me a lot lol. I didn’t like that they were portrayed as this plucky, lily-white faction of underground freedom fighters when we know that’s not how they operate. Not saying that they can’t be a terrible organization and patriotic, but the game does nothing to portray them as the neutrally evil entity they’ve always come off as. According to Zevran, they buy children from brothels and if they fail training, they’re killed. If they survive, they’re tortured to build their resistance to pain. Not to mention how Caterina used to beat Lucanis with a cane to correct him as a child, yet they still act weirdly warm toward one another. I get family is complicated, but geez. Maybe the Crows of Treviso are a softer touch, but I doubt they’d last long if that were so. I just wish the writers had tried to make them more morally gray than what we’re shown. I honestly forgot they were supposed to be scary assassins most of the time lol.

Some other little things before I move on to the big ones (besides the Crows lol):

While I loved Taash and loved getting to help them discover themselves, I was a little sucked out of the narrative by the ham-fisted lesson on gender identity lol. I get that they probably wanted to give a rundown for people who aren’t familiar with the topic, but I don’t think anyone who’s made it this far in the series isn’t at least somewhat familiar with the concept or are trans/non-binary/genderfluid. The Dragon Age fandom is very colorful that way lol. I could tell it came from a good place, at least. It was just funny to see the characters all but face the camera and say, “Hey kids, here’s a primer on gender identities for the uninitiated.” I didn’t really understand why Shathann was so hung up about Taash’s identity when Iron Bull flat-out tells us in Inquisition that the Qun has words and beliefs for people who identify that way and that they’re pretty chill about it. Not to say that EVERYONE in the Qun is likely to be chill about it, but still. Shathann even gives the same explanation before being interrupted, so it had me scratching my head a bit.

Then there was Bellara’s little “follow your heart” speech which made me roll my eyes a bit. Just a bit too corny and stereotypical for me personally. There are plenty of anecdotes about staying true to oneself without having to explicitly rely on the words “follow your heart.”

I got locked out of Lucanis’s romance without realizing until it was way too late lol. I don’t expect the game to be like “WARNING: CHOOSING MINRATHOUS OVER TREVISO MEANS YOU CAN’T FUCK THE HOT ITALIAN” but I feel like locking the romance entirely is kinda mean, especially after I looked it up and saw you could still romance Neve if you choose Treviso instead. As far as I know, Lucanis is the only romance option that gets locked because of a choice you made. I didn’t realize why I wasn’t getting flirt options until several hours later when I looked it up, after completing a shit ton of sidequests lol. Didn’t help that Lucanis is absent from the team for a good chunk of time afterward, and I’m a stickler for getting as many sidequests done as I can before moving on with story missions. I knew I could flirt with any of the other companions but it felt a bit late in the game to start at that point, and I was worried it might effect the pacing of the romance, so I just went without. Romance is kind of a big part of the appeal of these games to me, but it’s not everything. I thought about reloading an old (very old, by that point) save, but I didn’t want to deal with the frustration. Besides, I thought, if the game still holds up despite missing out on this one thing I was kind of looking forward to, then that speaks to its merits. I still had a good time overall, and am already starting a second campaign to explore some other choices and finally make that manlet mine lol. Still, it is quite annoying when choosing to save Minrathous is clearly the right call in my opinion. The game itself doesn’t make much ado about the consequences of leaving Treviso to fend for itself besides the civilian casualties. But it definitely makes leaving Minrathous sound more alarming. (You’ll basically be handing over the most powerful city in the North over to the Venatori and Evanuris. Treviso doesn’t have a giant floating castle with magic weapons that can pick a single target out of a crowd of people lol. Also the game acts like there wouldn’t also be a high civilian toll for some reason.)

While I feel that reading the tie-in books and comics isn’t required to get an understanding of certain characters and whatnot, I feel like it adds important context and makes you actually somewhat care for the fate of a lot of the characters in the game. It’s frustrating to track all that stuff down and read it, though most of it is covered in Tevinter Nights, however I might feel about some of the writing in that one lol. I suppose it could be argued that none of the Dragon Age games have ever been guaranteed sequels since its inception, so this was the next best thing to offer closure and/or extra worldbuilding just in case. In fact, the ending to Veilguard kinda feels like they’re trying to keep it open for a sequel since there are some minor loose threads, (And an end screen that basically says the Veilguard stands prepared lol) but who knows if we’ll see one. EA has never seen Dragon Age as a priority IP, since it’s an RPG and those can be hard to make into bestsellers. They’d rather focus on something more like Mass Effect— a traditional third-person shooter with some RPG elements—which we’re almost certainly getting another of. Hopefully. If there ever is another Dragon Age, I really struggle to imagine what in the world it would even be about.

Another gripe is the fact that Morrigan is not at all as prominent in the game as we maybe expected. (At least, I did lol) It’s not that big of a deal to me, but it does make me wonder why they even put her in the game. I guess to give the player an explanation about Mythal and her relationship to Solas, and to give over the aspect thingy if you do all the sidequests in the Crossroads. It didn’t really warrant Morrigan’s presence, though. Then again, I’m sure the fans would have rioted if she hadn’t been there. I guess I wish they would have utilized her more, and better lol.

The same can be said of the Inquisitor, but at least they had the excuse of keeping the South together while Rook did their thing. (Which would be a great idea for a dlc/expansion; playing as the Inquisitor and maybe seeing more about the choices made in the last game since we didn’t get to see many in Rook’s journey.) Though I do have a big problem with an Inquisitor who still wants to redeem Solas after everything he did, which I’ll get into more detail later. An Inquisitor who romanced him and still wants to get back together with him is doubly icky, but once again, I’ll come back to it lol.

Now the big things:

Varric. Oh, my poor, poor Varric. I made a post a while back about how I thought I might not enjoy the game as much if it turned out he died right at the beginning, and well...I was half right. His death was a twist I really didn’t see coming, and I’m honestly not sure how to feel about it right now. I admire the bait and switch for how clever it is, but am a bit frosty about how cruel it is, too. It feels a bit dumb to say for a fictional person, but I truly think I’m in mourning for Varric. I remember how I lamented in my old post about how it would have been so unsatisfying for him to die among strangers who barely knew him, away from the people that loved him best. This was softened somewhat by his relationship with Rook. Clearly, Rook cared about Varric a lot as a mentor, and possibly even as a father figure. (It helped that I headcanoned my Rook as someone who was separated from her parents at a young age and therefore craved that connection.) It’s still upsetting that I was half right with my prediction, and my heart breaks when I think about the Kirkwall gang not being there when he died, especially Hawke. Once again, I’m unsure of how I’m feeling about all this. I’m upset, but also aware that he couldn’t last forever, despite my wishes lol. Would it have been better to hear about him dying offscreen in a supposed sequel or tie-in book/comic? I’m upset Solas killed him, but I can’t decide if it’s out of character for him to have done so. I was surprised he stabbed Varric when it happened, but it’s not like he didn’t give Varric a warning when he broke Bianca. And he did kill Mythal, who he was closer to than anyone, despite how complicated their relationship got. I still need to reflect on all of it, and maybe my opinion will change when I have a clearer head. What I took the most exception to was the Inquisitor’s reaction to it as one who both romanced Solas and wanted to redeem him. Looking back on how you get to choose whether she gets back together with Solas or not leaves a bad taste in my mouth. At this point, the Inquisitor is obviously aware Varric is dead and that it’s Solas’s fault. I feel like even the most besotted, kindhearted Inquisitors would have trouble reconciling that, regardless of how close they might or might not have been to Varric. He was part of the inner circle, integral to stopping Corypheus. I feel like that should warrant some kind of reconsideration on her part. I’d be fine if she still wanted to redeem Solas, but pursuing a romantic relationship with him despite everything he’s done not only to Varric, but the world...it’s just gross to me. Maybe the Inquisitor sees Rook’s encouragement to get back together as some kind of forgiveness towards Solas on Rook’s part? I don’t know...it takes quite a bit of mental gymnastics on my part lol. But maybe others feel differently. I’d love to hear someone else’s opinion on the matter. As it is, the kiss before Solas and the Inquisitor disappear was soured for me. I might go back and try some of the other ending choices to see how I like those, but for now I’m focusing on another playthrough with an Inquisitor who did not romance Solas and swore to stop him. We’ll see which I like better lol.

Another big issue is, while I totally expected Solas to betray Rook at some point, the way it was handled was not very good in my opinion. Why, of all times, would Solas turn on us after killing Ghilan’nain? I know it’s likely a pride thing, or possibly he’s lost faith in Rook’s efficiency after they get one of their people killed. (Or more, depending on your choices for the assault, but I looked up the optimal choices after getting Harding killed so I didn’t traumatize myself further lol. Sorry Davrin and Assan :’(.) In fact, I was so confused by Solas’s timing that I thought it was actually Elgar’nan fucking with Rook’s head as revenge lol. Anyway, deaths in the line of duty didn’t seem to phase Solas in the past, though we do see that memory in one of his regrets. It just seemed hasty for him to immediately banish Rook to the Fade prison when they’re the one who’s done all the heavy lifting so far. And somehow, Solas seems surprised shit doesn’t work out like he planned later, but once again, I guess that’s his pride at work. This is also a complicated one for me that I think I need more time to puzzle out. I just have a hard time reconciling how someone so smart could be so dumb. Even when he was at his most powerful, he still had help from Felassan and other rebels. And yes, while Solas does take charge of Rook’s faction after trapping them, I highly doubt they compare to ancient elves with powerful magic and spirits. Credit where it’s due though, I was concerned when Solas had that line in the beginning about “abhorring blood magic” when he says the opposite in Inquisition. I can see now that it was clearly a lie meant to put Rook more at ease. Or at least, that’s how I saw it.

Overall, I did enjoy the game, despite my many problems with it. That being said, I think the mass layoffs at Bioware really made the game suffer in the writing side of things. Hopefully the new staff finds their footing after this, and I wish them the best of luck.

R.I.P. Varric Tethras, a self-admitted liar who could be honest to a fault, whose charm captured me from the moment I met him. He’s the charismatic character all writers strive to create.

[o-uncle-newt]

Cabin Pressure Advent Day 15: Ottery St Mary

Okay, so I know this episode is controversial.

I think we all agree it's a classic. But I'm told that for some people, it's just too mean to Arthur for people to like it. I get this point of view, but I disagree.

But we'll get to that soon.

First of all, this episode is full of so many epic, classic Cabin Pressure moments that you kind of HAVE to like it. Yellow car? That magnificent post-credits song? 100 otters? (And re that last one, for those who haven't seen this, if you want to see what's effectively a pre-draft of the script...) And that doesn't even get to the Carolyn/Herc plotline, which is awesome on its own.

I'll talk about that one first, actually, because it continues on something that my bandaged finger yesterday prevented me from elaborating on- the Carolyn/Herc relationship beginning. I know very few people in real life in relationships that are the kind of adversarial ones that you can get in sitcoms, and I think that S4 will do a lot to make their relationship a bit more realistic, but it really doesn't matter because a) the dialogue is funny and b) the actors are really able to convey how much fun the characters are having arguing. Is that going to sustain a healthy relationship? Nah. Is it going to get the two of them interested enough to become (as Carolyn will put it later) "sparring partners"? Of course. Later we'll see them acquire a bit more of the balance and mutual vulnerability that will allow them to live a normal day together, but for now this is super fun.

(I also thought it was interesting how back in Newcastle, the two of them were much more mutually collegial, even if they were arguing a lot- and this episode they were way more adversarial. At first I was kind of like "wait... isn't this backward?" but really, when you think about it, Carolyn's kind of testing Herc here, and Herc is showing that not only does he pass but he's enjoying himself. So this is bringing their relationship forward and proving that they're more comfortable with each other.)

As far as the piano-shoving plot- okay, so I actually think it's kind of genius. Because it SEEMS like it's more of a Limerick, with the random different things all coming together, but I think it's actually more of an Ipswich. It's beautifully plotted, if a bit simpler of a plot than some other episodes. Listening to it, it's just so enjoyable to hear the plot unfold... especially because the plot IS so simple, or at least deceptively so. You barely even notice that it's happening until it does.

For another past-episode callback, remember all the fuss I was making about Cremona vs Douz? How the crazy plot needs to measure up to the crazy villain? So I think it actually works great here. There isn't actually an outside villain here- each of them is the architect of their crazy sitcom hijinks, each in his own way. Martin creates the situation and does basically nothing to help, and Douglas and Arthur each make stupid mistakes that hold them all back. And the nice thing about them themselves being the villains is that it means that, because they're crazy sitcom characters, no plot resolution is too crazy. If Douglas and Arthur end up dragging a piano through Ottery St Mary, then that's totally the sort of thing that might happen to them!

But it goes further than that. They're all the "villains" from a purely plot perspective- but there's another dimension, which is theme. And thematically, Douglas is the villain, and Arthur is the hero. Because the thing is, Martin and Douglas are, as people note, pretty mean to Arthur here- but they're not actually meaner here than they are at other times. They just do it more often, and Arthur reacts a bit more strongly. And it's Douglas who really is awful to Arthur about the keys and to a lesser degree the address- the typical sarcasm but even more biting and nasty, and to an Arthur who seems really upset.

The interesting thing is that there are a bunch of episodes where Arthur comes out looking kind of dumb. (Like, the moral of Ipswich is basically "any company with an Arthur in it is too doomed to receive a legal permit to operate"...) From that perspective, the show has been pretty hard on him the whole time. And I'm not sure there's an episode where Martin comes out of the thing winning until... Vaduz? Maybe? But even Douglas's big taken-down-a-peg episode, Johannesburg, ends with him getting one over on Martin. His whole function is to end the episode saving the day. This, however, is the first episode* where Douglas is unequivocally the clot by the end... and Arthur gets a chance to be the one to tell him so.

Like, that's art. When Douglas finally gets taken down a peg- and stays there!!- it's Arthur, who they've been having a lot of fun insulting (and who takes it like a champ), who gets to get his own back. He doesn't get to bounce back- he just has to take it, knowing that he was an asshole even if he's too embarrassed to admit it.

So that's why I can't really hate the episode for how mean it is to Arthur- first of all because the show kind of always was, and secondly because, well, hearing Arthur call him a clot is like poetry.

Next up... one of my absolute faves... PARIS!

*As I think about this, I realize that Fitton is an exception- but I'm going to let my argument stand as technically that happens outside the bounds of the aircraft and the airline, even if the repercussions, to a degree, show up in the airline in Gdansk and Limerick.