#oh and really neat level design too

[slimyenemy]

idk who knows how it's supposed to work really but horror games are usually just such a survival grind to me like it's kinda grating??? lol

[bunabi]

I finished Veilguard btw so here's my long thoughts (be warned I've been writing notes during my entire playthrough so this is very long) for folks who want it:

My favorite parts of DAV:

Best level design in any DA so far. The platforming grew on me, and I think the levels were well-thought out and mostly fun to navigate. Arlathan Forest was exhausting but other areas felt nicely balanced with branching paths, hidden rooms, etc. Exploration in smaller contained maps done right imo.

Mage combat is really satisfying at higher levels. Pure ranged combat is totally impossible unless you have Davrin and Taash popping taunts back to back, but dropping a massive AOE while fighting close-range feels good too.

Being able to auto-equip and compare new gear is great.

Same with the codex entries. Not having to hunt down whatever note I just picked up is a huge improvement.

Upgrading equipment via duplicates incentivized treasure chest hunting, which I would have otherwise skipped lol. It really helped me slow down and take time exploring areas, and I appreciated that.

The final act didn't make the previous 70+ hours feel better, my fault for spoiling most of it for myself, but it was neat. Cool set pieces, cool fights. I was worried Elgar'nan was gonna have the same moveset as the Regrets, but his final battle was great.

Oh, I forgot Felassan! His notes were a tragic delight. Such a good man. Funny too. They didn't need to kill Varric to make Solas less sympathetic...I think Felassan's betrayal(s) serve that purpose well already.

Rook & Their Faction:

Without rehashing what I've said over the past few weeks: this is my least favorite protagonist.

Being a funny and sarcastic and irreverent hero in a DA game is not new. Not having a choice in the matter is. The Inquisitor was pretty fixed in their tone too (cant even choose a personality for them in CC) but even they had better aggressive options available.

Folks say not to judge Rook's depth by a Lord of Fortune playthrough but since factions are asymmetrical on purpose here are my impressions:

The Lords of Fortune didn't contribute to my run in any meaningful way other than getting Emmrich hot which is not unique, as it turns out, to any particular background. In fact, learning Natalene was a galley slave as an aside detracted from my experience. Being a former galley slave, former Circle mage (again: Rivain doesn't have Circles), semi-Dalish city elf with DIY vallaslin is unreal. Especially as characters continuously imply Rook is a young 20-something. The fact this wasn't immediately caught and course-corrected shows -- to me -- how hectic and spread-thin DAV's development really was. :(

Story & Antagonists:

Elgar'nan and Ghilan'nain have cackling witch disease. No motivations outside of power. That was a little disappointing. Was also hoping they'd at least comment on Rook/Davrin/Bellara's vallaslin but they're too busy plotting world domination to really notice. Love their designs though. I'd love to hear a deep dive on how they animated Ghil's tentacles.

Veilguard feels like an immediate follow-up to Trespasser, not the ten year timeskip it says it is. I wonder if that's a symptom of adapting the live service story (content that was likely meant to stretch, similar to Anthem and Destiny, over a decade) for single-player.

I miss the politically-motivated meddling. Every villain is allied with the Evanuris. We needed some that aren't. The Right and Left Hand of the Black Divine, corrupt brothers of the Imperial Chantry, the agents of the Archon, a Minrathous street gang, some Rivaini pirates, anything, anyone.

It's crazy how all elven resistance seemed to evaporate with the dissolution of the Dread Wolf Army. As much as I'd hate seeing them duped and betrayed by Solas…I prefer that to just pretending everything's fine now. I could easily see alienage elves and slaves take Cyrian's path, desperate for change no matter the source, especially since oppression is all they've known and there's no end to it in sight. Especially with their gods confirmed as the source of the blight. All downhill from here I fear.

The Butcher. Would. That voice and that frame....it purred I fear. But even he was not immune to cackling witch disease. Wish he stuck around longer for personal reasons. My South is under siege and I aint talking about Ferelden.

Combat:

I found myself switching builds a lot, which was nice and kept things fresh. That being said: DAV needed loadouts for skills and equipment and a menu showing active passive skills + enchantments. A QOL update for this stuff would have been amazing. I want to try an archer run, but I dread (🐺) fussing with skill tree nodes again.

After fighting Mythal (my first full dragon fight) I was disappointed how all dragons share her same attack patterns. They didn't have to reinvent the wheel or anything -- this was the case with dragon battles in DAI and I thought it was fine -- but Mythal of all enemies should have been unique.

High-level demons are limited to Rage and Pride. High-level darkspawn are limited to Ogres. I miss those little scrungly lookin' despair demons and nasty ass hurlock emissaries. After 60 hours I did get a little tired of the same handful of mobs over and over.

Companions & NPCs:

The Veilguardians feel like my kids. Except Emmrich who's absolutely convinced he's in an age-gap relationship with my older lady Rook. It's not that they're uniquely dependent or rudderless, it's that their struggles are solved with nurturing pep talks. Reaffirm their worth, give them a hug, and all that inner turmoil is cancelled. Rich coming from the 'I should have been able to influence my companions more in DAI' girl, but Rook's impact on the Veilguard, the way their doubts vanish completely via some life coaching, feels off.

Speculation: I think the companions were originally planned to be NPCs. Their written banter in some of the notes, their verbal banter throughout the Lighthouse, they feel like they're meant to stay in the hub and act as quest-givers in the live service game. Especially with how Rook is excluded. That's fine btw it just helps explains some things. (Just remembered something else: when you talk to quest NPCs out in the world and the camera focuses in on the conversation, you can't see your companions. They chime in with disembodied voices, always hidden out of frame. That also gives me the feeling they were added later. Not confirmed btw just my hunch!)

Torn about Taash. I love them for breaking the 'agreeable companion' monotony but hate the ~animalistic race~ tropes they were saddled with. I've had issues with Weekes' handling of race and culture in the past. I'm disappointed to see it continue a decade later. I'll leave it there. Sten cannot smell ovulating coochie!

I tried to kill Lucanis during the final assault. Had full faction strength but I didn't complete his personal quest. It didn't work. Sorry Zevran!

Shathann's VA was acting her ass off. Great performance. Absolute bars from Taash's VA during their scenes too.

I dreaded (🐺) opening the Lighthouse map to see who wanted to talk. I usually love chopping it up and getting to know my party; that's my favorite part of any DA game. But so many conversations were just spent restating the obvious (Bellara is worried about The Gods and her brother, Harding is worried about her powers and Solas, Davrin is worried about the griffons and Gloom Howler, you know like in case you forgot). Running person-to-person-to-person and feeling no sense of accomplishment or progress for it seriously drained me.

The Inquisitor… I assumed vowing to stop Solas would block my Lavellan from pining and questioning herself after a decade apart and two very clear rejections. She kept asking whether he could still be reasoned with even in the midst of the final operation. I'm disappointed how little that choice mattered in the end. The second-hand embarrassment was crazyyy.

Romance:

Now this part is a little unique. Sorry for what I'm about to say about Emmrich. If it helps: I found him the most fun of all the companions. He's handsome, thoughtful, and has a fascinating past. But I ended up being dissatisfied by the end, and not just because of being soft-locked into a May-December fling, cringe commentary from Rook, and feeling like I was straight-up harassing Emmrich in early flirting dialogue.

The main issue: I don't care for the Mourn Watch. I like the Mourn Watch characters, but the organization makes me crazy. We hear so little about how they function in the context of an Andrastian nation like Nevarra. Summoning the dead in a world that still believes souls join the Maker's side in the Fade is huge. I wanted to really dig into discussions on the afterlife but in the end I'm supposed to go 'waow cool skeletons' and forget that religion is such an important facet of Thedas. I was so bummed!

I made him a Lich because he didn't seem to care either way. Reuniting him with Manfred is morally good, turning him into an eternal protector of the Necropolis is morally good. Emmrich is happy with whatever, so I gave him whatever, and I said 'whatever' when it was all over. My god is that man cute, but the romance overall just didn't do it for me.

Should've known when I saw his rotunda lol Bioware you sly dogs you got me again!

Personal final thoughts:

Well? I don't think I'm sad anymore, but I am left with complicated feelings. Obviously things are a little different for me being an EA Partner and getting an idea of just how much work has gone into making the game exist period. And I think because I can't blame it all on one person, shit all over it, and move on that these feelings are just kinda churning with nowhere to go.

Things could have been handled better. Didn't like the attempt to hide the world states until launch, or the dismissive comments from writers about it. Didn't like the AMA answers. And this isn't really my business but I'll say it anyway: I feel like the community council was thrown to the wolves, having to base their DA4 impressions around the sliver of content they were allowed to see, and having a much more hands-off role than implied.

I hope DAV is taken as an opportunity to refocus, double-down on what makes Dragon Age so beloved, and lean into those strengths unapologetically. Easier said than done -- as much as I loved Swen's speech about creating games free of marketing expectations and mimicking the latest trends that's often times impossible -- but I want to believe it can be done in this case.

Anyway both Sabine & my antibiotics are complete and I'm overcoming my moodiness and getting back to work on commissions! I've cured the Blight in more ways than one! 😄

[quinloki]

CYOA - Silvers Rayleigh

Professor Rayleigh/fem!Reader

Summary: Your grades are shit, and it was really just a bunch of small crap that piled up. You've been able to claw you way to passing grades for most of your classes, but you can't seem to make the mark with your art class.

Professor Silvers is willing to work with you.

CW: Story is dubcon/age gap overall - BDSM furniture illustration below the cut. Just the furniture, no one's in it yet >.>

Part 1 -:- Part 2 -:- Part 3 -:- Part 4 -:- Part 5

Part 2: Have a Seat

The bubblegum pink matching lace set, with it’s little silk bows and kitschy strawberry print against the sheer fabric was probably a little over the top, but since you were wearing it only to be seen if things got saucy it seemed fitting. Besides, if you needed to strip to help by doing poses, then at least it was a way of breaking the tension.

Over the lingerie set you put on a t-shirt and cargo shorts. Nothing fancy, easy to get in and out of, and in and of itself not overt or prudish. Normal clothes for a normal student going over to her art teacher’s house to do perfectly normal things.

Which oddly made it feel like you were going over there to do something massively secret.

Professor Silvers’ house was a large 2-story cape cod style house, with a sizable front porch and a front yard that was more wildflowers than anything else. A stone wall separated the property from the sidewalk, but it only went up high enough to keep the yard contained. It was barely higher than your waist, and there was no gate across the small driveway.

You ring the doorbell and only wait a brief moment before you hear the lock turn, and the door opens. Professor Silvers wears turtlenecks and slacks or casual suits when he teaches class, but now he’s in a loose tunic styled top with the collar open, and a pair of baggy pants. 

You’ve seen him down to his boxers in class, but the casual attire suits him better than you expected. He steps back and offers you room to enter.

“Right on time,” he says as you step in. “May I offer you something to drink, or shall we get right to it?”

“I’m good for now, thank you professor.” You reply as evenly as you can. “I’m just happy to have this opportunity.”

“Well, without the TAs here we won’t be able to get through the projects. I prefer to grade via committee, and it works best with at least three.” He admits as he closes the door and locks it. “I do have a unique private project I could use a model for… but it’s rather, well, best to see it for yourself and decide.”

He steps further into the house, motioning for you to follow. 

“A friend of one of my associates is opening a club.” He explains, opening the door that leads down into a finished basement. “They have a custom, signature piece of furniture they want to unveil, and while they’ll be a volunteer utilizing it during opening night, they want art of it for the club itself.”

“What kind of club?” You question, fairly certain you already know.

The basement looks like a family room. There’s a television and couch and it’s neat and clean. There’s a wet bar in the corner that isn’t overdone, and you imagine it’s a great space for hosting a party, or at least offering extra space for guests if the upstairs gets too crowded. Rayleigh opens a door off to the side and it opens into an art studio.

The concrete floor is splattered with old stains of paints and oils. There’s canvases set against the wall, a drawing desk, and a well organized collection of supplies.

Sitting in the middle of the room, is a very unique piece of furniture. Specifically BDSM furniture.

“Oh.” You say the single word a little nervously.

It’s metal, with padding in places to ensure comfort. There’s an obvious place to sit, with metal coming up from the heavy base in a very sleek and fluid design. Whoever sits in the chair, will have their legs held up and open by the design of the furniture, and their arms kept over their head.

Padded cuffs at the thigh and ankle level are surrounded by metal that has to be bolted into place. Once you’re in the chair, you’re not getting back out until someone releases you.

“Wow, that is certainly a bold statement piece.” You admit, walking around it. It has to weigh at least 100lbs. It looks like it would be almost impossible to move it once you’re in it. 

Reaching into the padded area you press your fingers into the material. It gives, but not much. It would be a snug fit, but also supportive. No need to hold your limbs in place; you could relax into the bindings and let the furniture hold you in place.

“I’m not built for this particular model,” Rayleigh explains. “And the proprietor doesn’t want an old man in his art anyway. If you’re willing to model for me, it would help me out quite a bit.” 

You give him a wry, and maybe overconfident grin. “Without the projects to grade, is there even another option?”

Rayleigh chuckles at the question. “I’m sure I could find something else. I didn’t want to barter non-art related work for extra credit, but I could lecture you while you weed in the backyard.”

“Aside from… getting in it, what all do I need to do?” You question, gesturing at the BDSM furniture.

“Stay in it for maybe an hour while I sketch roughs from different angles.” He answers.

“And that’ll be enough?”

“I might ask you to come back before I finalize it, but it would be brief.” He admits.

“Alright then,” you agree. “Let’s do this. Should I… I mean,” you clear your throat. “Is this like class, is it better if I get down to my underclothes?” 

You ask the question before your brain catches up with the rest of you. If you take anything off the lacy number under your clothes is going to become more than just you and Victoria’s secret. 

“To be blunt, fully nude would be best given the request, but whatever you’re comfortable with. You can certainly keep all your clothes on if you want.” Rayleigh answers candidly.

tag list: @nocturnalrorobin @hellcatsworld @verdantwyrmcat @alwayssassydreamer @fleetadmiralsoffice @anon-germany @hakiofdreams

[the-s1lly-corner]

Various HH characters x Artist reader

Prize 4/5 for @coldestcoconut

This post contains: Charlie, Vaggie, Alastor, Angel Dust, Husk, Sir Pentious, and Nifty

Notes: Reader is GN

CWs: None

CHARLIE

Its canon that Charlie herself is an artist, she makes her own presentations and everything! Shes very open to sharing her supplies with you, though a lot of the colors she has are very bright and saturated. You might inspire her to have an artsy based exercise in the hotel, you... may get a few groans and looks from some of the other hotel residents.. whoops.. gushes and goes insane whenever you make something for her or really show her anything, she can go on for hours and hours about how lovely your work looks! Woukd put it on the fridge/hj

VAGGIE

Not at all an artist, and she doesnt... exactly know techniques and terms. She is proud of you and shes trying her best to show that, but... her compliments seem to fall a little flat when praising you thanks to her voice as well as her just not knowing terms. A lot of the time its comments like "oh, this looks good," whereas other characters can say WHY it's good. Though is that really that important when seeking validation? Keeps all the art you give her in a folder somewhere, neat and away from harm

ANGEL

It should be a given that hes going to ask if you can draw something... rather inappropriate. Were you really surprised? He might likely also ask you to draw fat nuggets, he even offers to pay you. Keeps some of your doodles pinned up on his vanity mirror on his room. Hes an artist, just not in the way you are. He has an appreciation for your work even if it's a different genre! It doesnt matter what your skill level is, hes going to be a little interested. He offers to pose for you if you need a quick reference, he can offer something interesting thanks to his flexibility! Free of charge, too!

ALASTOR

Similar to Angel, hes an artist just in a different way! Angel is a dancer and an actor, and Alastor uses radio as his medium! Hes.. interested enough in your work, though he can be a little more.. critical in his criticisms (but only if you ask for it, hes not rude!). He doesnt intent to fully stamp out your excitement, hes simply trying to get you to reach your fullest potential as an artist. It is balanced out by elements he enjoys in your art. Watches you like a hawk when you work. Dont try to be sneaky and try to draw him, he already knows what you're doing.. but he might just allow it, it's not like you're using a camera

HUSK

Hes indifferent, at least.. mostly.. he listens when you talk about your hobby and he makes sure you know hes paying attention. But you can tell that hes not sure how to keep the conversation going thanks to him just... not being into art. Sure he can tell when something has talent and had work put into it, but hes not the type to sit down and really dissect a piece. Though... his appreciation for art does grow thanks to you. Keeps the doodles you slide to him while he's working the bar- gets a little pissed at himself if part of the papers get wet from the condensation from the drinks

SIR PENTIOUS

NIFTY

She draws! As a hobby and when shes not warring with the bugs in the hotel! Sometimes the two of you sit and draw together- though Niftys more.. scribbling on the papers. Shes just excited is all! Don't ask where she got the red paint from. Hoardes the art you give her, very possessive of the drawings. Probably attempts to stab someone if they get too close to her stash

Hes a bit artistic himself, being an inventor and all! He draws his own blueprints and as well as his own designs. It may not be the same as the things you may create, but it's still a bonding point between the two of you. He let's you use his fancy pens and stuff, just please return them! Will praise you to heaven and back whenever you show him something, he knows some art terms and you can bet hes going to be using them to really push his praise! If you ever draw him anything hes going to keep it, likely framing it as well!

[mamasplat]

i have no organizational skills. 3am (by the time im finishing this: 4am). i am jane real life. courtney.

save for very typical room things, a laptop, a banner, and the tm for dark pulse, it's easy to see: courtney's room is very empty.

we know this is courtney's room because the laptop contains many images of maxie. many maxies is a telltale sign of courtney cacophony.

technically, there is an easy way to explain why this is the case: when a place is not as important as others, the game designers will not focus on that thing. some describe it as "gamefreak lazy as shit 😭😭😭" they are probably right.

but i will attach meaning. i am jane from real life. common belief is only belief: i can do anything. i am god. i am jane from real life, and with what we know about courtney, the empty room makes perfect sense.

on a surface level, you can attach the room with courtney's devotion and obssession. the lack of anything in this room can imply a lack of material attatchment. this can mean many things, (foreshadowing is a literary d-) but it can be interpreted in a way that communicates that courtney's obssessions with the things that fascinate her run deep enough to make her disconnect with everything else around her. an unstoppable force that tears through reality itself, screaming "nothing to me matters when you are in my mind."

you can also kind of interpet it as like. a kind of way to describe her kind of , "less-is-more, direct, yet mysterious" character in an abstract sense or something. idk. does that even make sense?

but we can go much deeper i think. if you're as absolutely off the wall as i am when it comes to intepreting anything, i think the empty room can say a lot about how courtney's own upbringing could've been like.

the lack of anything at all can imply that courtney is very used to an environment where she wasn't able to have (or just didn't have access to) much in her childhood. that scarcity was basically the norm and that she continues to perpetuate this norm because she doesnt really know what to do.

one thing that really struck me personally was how very neatly everything's placed. perfect, virtually untouched. that says a lot to me. personally, i like to think she could've had parents on the stricter side that emphasized neatness and other such things. strict parents can also kind of explain why she doesnt have much too, as stricter parents tend to kind of hold things off from their kids for one reason or another, along with other non-room things like her intelligence.

... or maybe the emptiness and tidiness is something more simple like "courtney is a minimalist" or "courtney is a neat freak." idk man do whatever with her.

but the room is fascinating. little things like this can say a lot about a character, you know. and little things like this fascinate me greatly. like dude. oh my god.

umme thatse it.

i can totally keep rambling bout other stuff though the courtney obssession is crazy.

ALRIGHTY I like it. Empty. Under stimulating. Don’t need to linger here anyways there’s work to be done.

When it came to how I wrote Kagari (trade off, this is turning into Courtney trivia trade) I actually gave her the other admin room because the file on the desk was Tabitha’s admin approval paperwork and i couldn’t understand why he’d keep that laying around if Courtney had to approve him due to her long term position in team magma

Her desk is messy much like her mind, cluttered like her busy schedule.

Courtney vs Courtney, one is aggressive vacuuming and the other is throwing balled up paper at the other so they’ll shut the damn thing off.

[rencatuive]

i thought itd be fun to document my reactions to the prologue on notes so this is just a copypaste of that. dont expect anything detailed at all mostly just 'ooh this character is cute' and. itll be that for all of them cause i dont dislike any characters at all:

[Student X]

airi feels extremely traumatised already

god bless student 4 is so real

ah shit student 6 intro is so cool with the student 1 connections

student 9 has good vibes i like em

STUDENT 11 <3 [manami]

i feel like student 12 is the type of character to have an *interesting* fanbase /neu

TAMBA THATS THE ONE I LIKED shes sweet omg

[Interviews]

isono is so cute i love the butterfly vibes. also i like the more mysterious vibe change near the end, its intruiging! i see her as the type to put on a strong/overly positive façade but i guess thats a pretty surface level observation

uh oh i think im just gonna call all these characters cute. harada is very cute. i love animal likers. not much more to say

(sidenote, it kinda sucks being willingly spoiled on a media youre not into. and then you decide to get into it, and you recognise these things you know play a part in the story. totally my fault lol)

chiba has the biggest 'probably have gone through the Horrors' energy to me just cause like. child star. she really intrigues me personality wise though. (oh maybe she is 17 ?? theres a lot of mystery here already which i like - she has a doctor too) fun!

ooh i was looking at designs and i liked kamimura too a lot. (side note is the interviewer straight up The Mastermind that would be neat i think) I like his voice a lot btw!! i like the energy

hayashi is so cool omg thats it . genuinely its nice to someone actually this defiant like Yeah fuck em up

oh wada is the guy whos i guess a fan of isono! probably too much of a fan! wonder about their interactions for sure... hes actually really cute. also this interviews getting deep.

sasaki is so cutr omg my type is glasses. the studious archetype is really cool and... dies early a lot of the time?? so uh good luck !!

aww childrens book illustrator <3 i really like ojima he seems nice!!

oh yeah okazaki had a cool asf design. ive. heard like One spoilery comment about her but its okay no i didnt. i really likw the intonation of 'im an open book'. (also i like how most of this cast have "no phobias" which i guess could be true?? but yeah no im not spilling that either) i like her vibes a lot rn though :D

demonologist?????? okay dude. this guy is interesting! /pos

oh oh im gonna like tsuno a Lot. and could i assume a lot more than other people? just based off how energetic she is. she has a lil fang :D hope shes not dead

i really like the vocal perforamance in hiroakis one btw. oh wait dude people ship hirojima. thats The ship in this fandom right. i love his energy btw. he dgaf (until the character development hits) also i assume youre not meant to see that little strip of glasses shading as eyes but i totally do and it makes him 100x goofier i love it

Tamba is the character I put as my favourite pre-reaction so i remember her [Student X]. loving the contrast of attitudes between them(understandably) and i do actually like her a lot here!!!! tamba nation!!!!

theres a few shyboys in this cast and i think at least one of them has to be evil or generally has a personality change or something. right? But right now theyre all cuties <3 including hasagawa

firedancer is a cool talent. lotta cool talents in this one actually. she also has fangs yippee!! watari having an unconventional talent seems to be bringing her a lot of stress though, makes sense. love the vibes

fancy boy. i thought he and tamba could be related or something at first bc. omg light blonde hair!!!! if a character mentions another cjaracter in this ill assume theyre a ship. uhhhh sasanagi

okay so right now im a big Tsuno enjoyer shes a real cutie. still liking tamba a lot!! okazaki is my favourite design. as for the boys i like harada and hiroaki for totally different reasons. and i think i want to learn the most about chiba right now :D

the voice acting in this is great btw and im really looking forward to the rest!!

[wispythreads]

The Lair of the Shadowbroker DLC definitely earned its fan praise, in my opinion. This feels like Mass Effect 1 level of artistry and level design, I love it.

There were like, way too many enemies, and I still don't really feel great about how they changed Liara in just a two year time gap between the games, but I appreciate the way this DLC handled it, it made an effort that resulted in her feeling more like how she felt in the first game.

The scene after Tela got revealed as the one who had been trying to murder Liara at the start of all this was rough, Shepard and her slipping off the window ledge, falling together, slowed down only by Tela's biotics until she shoves Shepard the rest of the way to the ground, while she gets to gently float down to make her escape. That impact looked like it HURT, especially with how much effort she had to put into getting back up again.

Shepard honestly sounded so grumpy and dejected as she said "I'm okay, by the way, thanks for asking." before hopping into the car with Liara.

And speaking of the car, I loved the banter between Liara and Shepard the whole way through, but particularly during the car chase, which was really fun! "Head on Collision!" - Liara "I hear that's bad for people." - Shepard. All the little bits of back and forth were so great to listen to, wouldn't mind replaying just for that bit of the DLC alone.

The actual Lair itself was so so so pretty.

The boss fight against the Shadowbroker is probably my favorite across all all of Mass Effect 1 and 2? Especially with the cutscenes where Shepard realizes ah ok ammo won't do anything that's fine I'll just punch him

Really cool alien design too.

Mini thoughts from snooping on my squadmates dossiers below.

Straight up chortling over Mordin and Kirrahe's bickering and how it is preserved in their mission report He really should've realized something was going to be up on Maelon's end... Nice of them to try and shelter him from any repercussions for his outburst, but he needed followed up on much sooner than when Mordin thought he'd been kidnapped. The list of threat analysis against all the other main species holy- not surprising, honestly, based on what is known about Salarians, but still pretty interesting ... So not only is he a musical enthusiast in his spare time but also a Bill Nye the Science Guy type? That's neat. Good for him.

I hope we get to reunite Jack with her mom. That would be nice.

LEGION IS A GAMER I love this little cluster of AI so much. He has so many infractions on that online game that technically are true due to the fact that he's. Not an organic being. But the only one that sticks is him taunting other players- that's so silly aww… he bought the highest (and most likely most expensive) version of a game that was fundraising for the events of Eden Prime, just for the fundraiser. He did not play that game at all. He even tried a dating simulator oh my gosh. I don't think he's hopeless =( what a mean ranking for a dating sim. He's spent so much time on it, too… (not as much as the other games, but still a significant time investment my gosh)

ahhh this is where Grunt's fanon characterization of being Shepard's son starts coming in. I do think the main game version of him and his relationship with Shepard, a paragon!Shepard at that, is interesting, but it wasn't lining up with what I was seeing online. (and by main game version I mean the transition of [Talking about how great it is we've got so many strong enemies to fight against] "I don't plan on living like this forever" "Talk like that and it won't be your choice. I'm sure as hell not quitting with a whimper. Just so you're clear where we stand." [Hyper aggressive and enjoying memories of gruesome kills] "I'm not sure I want to keep coming down for these talks..." "Whatever. Don't have to be friends to be allies." [Still hyper aggressive and enjoying memories of gruesome kills] "Y'know, I kind of thought connecting with your past would bring stability." "Ha! See, now we're having fun. Me remembering good deaths, and you with your... funny human thing you're doing.") I think there is something very sweet about him being enamored with dinosaurs and looking up to Shepard so much that he wants to know about the whole of Humanity's history as warriors :')

The transmission between Samara and her daughters... all the things she had to give up in order to become a Justicar...

!!! THANE GET THE LUNG TRANSPLANT YOU HAVE A SON YOU NEED TO CONNECT WITH AND I CARE ABOUT YOU SO MUCH DON'T JUST GIVE UP AND DIE IN A YEAR!! LIVE! LIVE AS A PERSON AND NOT A WEAPON!! I love how his kill methods are so elaborate and the alternate methods are equally intricate, with the Krogan's main method understandably being the most involved and calculated. And then you get to their alternate method and it's just one word. It gives this impression of hands to his head exhausted and resigned.

... Garrus's family… his mom…. god that's hitting a little too close to my heart....

[her0tales]

anyway my thoughts as a professional Protag Player(TM) (because im not done yet): "secret world" style narratives are obviously the ones where child heroes work best, or at least the ones where its easiest to justify. your coralines, your narnias. the kids are the only ones who are aware of what's going on, and either the adults don't believe them or they literally cannot interface with the secret world for whatever reason. unfortunately, you can't really... do that in pokémon? certainly not easily. so you run up into these weird instances in, like, RSE and HGSS where the villains are very OBVIOUSLY doing their loud villain shit and literally nobody seems to be doing anything about it, except for the one designated level where Lance hyperbeams a grunt or Cynthia comes to the Distortion World with you to tell Cyrus off or whatever. and, like, genuinely? I think the additon of those instances are where part of the problem stems from, because it shows you that the adults are fully capable of intervening and just... don't? and in some of these cases, the easy answer is "they aren't taking the villains seriously until its too late." you as the protag just happen to be in the right place at the right time a lot. and while that works, the scale of some of this shit—like hijacking a submarine—really does make you question why the FUCK is nobody else paying attention here??? but then you get into SwSh where that DOESN'T happen, and... it feels bad! It feels really bad when the game is like "oh shit there's plot happening..... it's off screen. Dont worry, the grown ups are handling it" because its a video game!!! let me battle the dynamax pkmn that's the whole reason I'm HERE! it's no secret that I am a Unova girlie and one of the things I like about BW is that you are actively getting pulled into the plot by N. It's not that the adults aren't helping, it's not that you're the Only One trying to stop them—it's that you are being repeatedly dragged into this shit, and because you're the one that N wants to stop him, you become the only one who can. self fulfilling prophecy by way of one really autistic dude who just thinks you're neat and won't leave you alone.

[notenoughdragons]

so i caved yesterday after *gestures* all of that on the other side of the pond, and bought veilguard (meant to wait till the first bugfix patch is out), and i have thoughts

(spoilers for the first few quests)

fucking adore the character creator. overwhelming as heck but God a+

addendum: why tf aren't there different lip/mouth shapes. we have like 30 eyelash options. i'm p sure da:i had diff mouth shapes

THERE'S NO QUICK SAVE/LOAD OPTION???? why on god's green earth

the photo mode is NEAT (tip, get yourself reshade plus the "mod" that allows hiding the UI, so you can do screenshot nonsense in cutscenes too)

it took me like 15 min to get rid of the quest marker bc that shit is hidden in Two diff menus but oh my god so worth it

on that note, i'm Really enjoying the area/level/dungeon design, and traversing it Without an annoying big blue star thing blinking at you is really good

the environments are just. unhinged in the best way. THE CROSSROADS? D'META VILLAGE?? THE OSSUARY???? perfect no notes

have i mentioned the hair? the hair is really good. i'm a lttle obsessed with the style i gave my rook, i didn't think i'd like it this much

okay let's talk plot bc. uh.

see, on the one hand? so far (recruited bellara and got the dagger and fucked around in the crossroads and am currently getting murdered by murdering calivan so lucanis will murder for Me) it… works for me? like it really feels like getting thrown into the DEEP deep end, but it's a kind of. idk. sensible progression?

and oh my god ghilan'nain. i kinda hate how normal she comes across in the memory dungeon lab? (which. AMAZING QUEST) but also i love that SHE'S UNHINGED, that solas clearly held sympathies for her, the way i YELLED when you hear her voice when that dragon shows up in the blighted village??? amazing

(NO fucking idea how this would play for someone who's not familiar with the series, good lord the amount of exposition crammed randomly into codex cards???)

that being said. how the fuck does this connect from trespasser/tevinter nights. solas what Happened to you. like this is (part of) why i'm Not using saar as the inq in this run, bc even pretending they Weren't madly in love, it doesn't work. i don't think it works for Any inquisitor who befriended/romanced him (unless maybe one who decided to go full scorched earth and hunt him down at all costs)

in meta terms i know why this is happening but How is varric our insight point into solas and the connection to him. even if you're not playing them, this Should be the inq. solas doesn't lose a single fucking word about anyone But the inquisitor in trespasser. it's just this really tragic dissonance y'know

also the way this game is frontloaded is so fucking funny (i am also choosing to find it funny). IMMEDIATELY unleash the evanuris. IMMEDIATELY get solas trapped somewhere so he can't use his not-god powers to help you. FIRST "normal" quest is a horror movie walkthrough of The Most Blighted Village You Can Imagine, like okay! solas spends all of da:i being fucking coy about the blight and now it's like 'the evanuris are blighted. yeah they used the blight for power that's why i trapped them. they got out and immediately start spitting blight everywhere For Power. the REST of the blight is trapped in the evanuris prison. yeah the black city IS the evanuris prison. also blight is alive too. uh what else'

sidenote. did. did no one think it was A Little Weird to frame it like 'solas is trapped in the fade' - 'but not like us! we're also trapped in the fade but in a completely different way!'

i do love the fade conversations, it's got dishonored vibes

(and cut-away scenes to the Villains Having Ominous Convos! i liked that in da:o)

also i have hints turned on and the. the little pop-ups. "solas remembers your verbal jab" THANKS GAME

ACTUALLY SPEAKING OF THOSE VILLAIN CONVERSATIONS. we're just gonna drop into a fucking codex that the lyrium dagger IS the red lyrium idol??? SOLAS CAN CLEANSE THE BLIGHT AND WE'RE NOT GONNA TALK ABOUT IT????

basically. the connective tissue to da:i etc is uhhhh. insane. bonkers, even. but also when i ignore that, it's legit fun??

also good lord i'm glad i didn't try to come up with a super specific character/backstory for this, the faction backstories are Real specific, and rook is written with a v definitive Slant (not a bad one! but there IS a slant)

[athingimdoingnow]

Day 9: Bonded by the red thread of fate/destiny

This one has two names! Depending on if you go with what the page is named or what the book has in text. I will be leaning towards just calling it Red Thread, if at all. Also I think it was originally written in Spanish, that’s rad.

Okay so Red Thread is about dating people. You ever seen a dating anime? Like - VIOLET EVERGARDEN? Maybe I misunderstood Violet Evergarden.

Anyway. This game is quite straightforward. You make a character, character has traits that are more pronounced and a personality that ends in -dere, and you also have barriers (or just one large barrier) that makes it hard to connect with people. Over the course of the game you lower the barrier and raise affection until you’re dating someone. Relationship-focused narrative TTRPG. You with me so far? Originality: ⭐⭐⭐

Okay, so it’s clear what they’re basing this off of, duh. But you might think that few TTRPGs have ventured into this territory. I have bad news - I’m pretty sure they have. Now, I cannot name any off the top of my head, so maybe this is a fraudulent answer, but I do promise you I think they exist. It’s emulating a pretty popular genre, after all. 

Mechanics: ⭐⭐⭐⭐

I was pleasantly surprised by this one’s mechanics. I like the barrier system and I don’t hate the way scenes resolve via dice roll, with the roll being best at 3-4 (it’s a d6), and 5-6 being doing too much and the inverse being too little. It’s a neat reflection of how…. Talking to people works. The “Climax” (bear with me) system is kind of wack, but basically that’s when, in a scene, you attempt to resolve someone’s barrier or your own, and you roll for it. Then you reduce the barrier by 1 (of a max of 6, or 3 if you have two different barriers). I dunno, I do think it’s neat, it’s not perfect, it’s maybe a little off from what I would view as a PERFECT VERSION OF A DATING SIM or some nonsense but it’s quite solid. Oh, also one person is effectively a GM, they’re called Fate, and that’s cool. They don’t seem to do all that much besides populate the world (a big deal, but different than the adjudication I’m super familiar with. It works in this context though). 

Replayability: ⭐⭐⭐⭐

So, this system sucks for a campaign, by design I think. Because affection levels have the potential to increase every scene and you max out at +3 or -3, you’d have to do some real will-they won’t-they in order to get a longform game out of this, it shouldn't take more than an afternoon or three. For that reason, though, I actually think it’s very replayable. You do one story and then you can do it again, with new characters and tropes and etc. Speaking of new tropes-

Variability: ⭐⭐⭐⭐

The star that is gone might be representative of the fact that this game locks you so much into a pure dating sim. I understand that’s the point, but it does reduce variance. That’s fine! I think it’s good, in this instance. It lets it be laser-focused on what it wants to be, and it does actually manage to still be super flexible. I mean, just from the list of examples alone, I assume (having not seen most) that you can take it in a ton of different directions. I also know from actually reading it that stuff like setting, theming, even tone (to a lesser degree) are super flexible. You can run this as a fantasy game, you can do it in a pseudo-modern setting, you could probably manage Doki Doki Literature Club - esque adventures if you really wanted.

Character Creation: ⭐⭐⭐⭐

I should maybe give this one five stars but there’s not enough mechanical difference to push it over the edge for me. It’s good. The personalities are all tropes, which is fine the game is based off tropes and tropes can be good and fun in this context. The barriers are interesting. Having to lock in one emotion that you always prioritize if possible is a neat feature. It’s very good, it’s just not great. What would push it over the edge? I wish I had a good answer.

Overall: ⭐⭐⭐⭐

This is a very solid dating sim one. If you like romance anime you should play this. It captures the vibes really well. If you want more grounded or serious romance you could probably also play this, but I would look for something else. This game is exactly what it wants to be and what it wants to be is ridiculous and fun. You could feasibly explore serious topics but for me, looking at a character sheet with Tsundere written on the top would stop it from dipping too far in that direction.

Red Thread is name your own price. Check it out. The creator has made all kinds of stuff, too, so even if you aren’t into this, consider giving them a look.

[tshortik]

Hiiiiiiiii 👀 👉👈 thats SUCH a cool redesign for Zariel, it got me so excited to DM a DiA campaign. Any tips for running it? I LOVE YOUR ART ITS SO AMAZING AND THE COLORS ARE SO PRETTY, THANK YOU FOR SHARING IT OKBYEE

Aww thank you so much! ❤❤❤ I LOVE Descent into Avernus, but my love is a complicated one. I do think it is a really good, albeit difficult module, to learn how to become a better DM, though... I will explain.

The lore in DiA is pretty flat and the campaign is pretty railroady by design. If you have a roleplay-heavy group, I think it is best to heavily alter the module and incorporate things in there, that are very relevant to your players. That is also its magic though, because you can make the conscious decision to just use DiA as a base and structure, that you then heavily alter. The premise of the main quest is cool and imo easy to follow, so taking that and shaping everything around it can be pretty neat. I don't think I would have learned as much as a DM, if I had just used a "perfect" module that already did everything for me. If that is not what one looks for though, that's also understandable.

Tips:

In DiA, the characters start in Baldur's Gate, which is imo the absolute worst decision I've ever seen. Elturel's fate is integral to the story, so I recommend having your PCs at least see what happens to Elturel. I recommend the oneshot The Fall of Elturel for that, where the PCs become witness to Elturel's fate from afar. It will also cover the low-level sessions in a neat way. Having at least one player character with a connection to that city also really helps. Otherwise, your PCs will just go "Oh wow how terrible. Anyway, I'm not from there anyway, don't know anyone from there, never been there, whatever lmao."

Some people cut out the Baldur's Gate part, but my group enjoyed that area a lot, so you can use it for roleplay-heavy sessions and fleshing out the lore. It is also a great sandbox to figure out how you as the DM will implement your characters goals and backstory into the plot, before venturing forth. Having a player character from Baldur's Gate or with a connection from there is also perfect. SPOILERS: Same thing with Candlekeep as well. It is a wicked cool location that is not explored in the module at all, but it might end up a very interesting mini arc for your PCs if you approach it on your own terms.

To flesh out the lore and make everything feel more lived in and logical (note: there are some very silly bits in the module, that would make a thoughtful player immediately go "that makes NO sense lol"), I recommend checking out the Alexandrian Remix. It can go on huge tangents that are unnecessary for your own means though, so don't feel like you have to stick to it 100%. It does have some really neat ideas and fixes for the lore though, and I have ended up using it more than the actual book lmao.

Avernus as a Sandbox is also great. In general, if you find a way to give your players choice in where they go in the Nine Hells, they will probably have a good time. I think they should def feel pressure and know of a goal, but also make sure that they have power over what road they take there, you know?

I mentioned Candlekeep – Elminster's Candlekeep Companion is also an amazing resource if you wanna flesh out that location. I have also heard of some people adding adventures from Candlekeep Mysteries in there, but I didn't do it myself cuz my players felt time pressure.

Contrast the evil, awful and depressing with moments that are nice and calm, even if it's just roleplay opportunities. Otherwise everything will feel like a drag. On the other hand, don't be afraid to then overwhelm your players by throwing a bit too much at them afterwards. High tensions and emotions are perfect for the setting imo, but you need to design it with ups and lows as to not overwhelm.

I have completely rewritten some of the Forgotten Realms lore, changed characters' genders and names and races in the book (Ravengard is a woman in my story, Reya is a dragonborn, etc.) especially about the deities. Don't be afraid to make the story your own. I also incorporated the player backstories heavily into the plot, which makes them sometimes go on completely homebrewed sidequests. Embrace that and don't be afraid of it!

Sometimes players also see connections where there are none, or they speculate about super wild stuff – and this might be controversial – but sometimes it is really neat to take some of those ideas (not all! otherwise there is no surprise) and make them actually relevant, even if they weren't before. If your players are engaged, that is always the best possible situation. Making some of their thoughts true can be on one hand extremely satisfying for them, and on the other hand they will make your own made-up-world much more interesting, because they collaborated unknowingly in making it so much richer and complex.

It really helps the flow of the campaign to have at least one PC that is: Morally dubious, or interested in deities, religion or lore. If not, you as the DM can attempt to make them more interested until they actually get to Avernus, through new goals or revelations. The themes of the Nine Hells have a lot to do with corruption and betrayal and emotions, so having characters with themes that go into that direction will make it easier to keep your players engaged.

This is my own opinion, but maybe play a couple devil npcs with this motto: There are certain good deeds only a devil can commit. Devils are the enemies, but they also have to become your allies. Your characters will be literally walking through a plane that is inhabited primarily by devils, and they will have to speak to some of them or parlay, if they don't want to be ripped to shreds immediately. Devils are smart and cunning, and many would prefer to talk it out, instead of risking their lives in the Nine Hells. This can also be an opportunity to explore corruption or redemption arcs, or to explore fiendish pacts. Both can flesh out the story tremendously. 👀

The setting gives you the opportunity to explore some esoteric and theological concepts. IF that is your jam (it is certainly mine), think about how you make that digestible to your players. They could find lore in a library, find strange ruins, meet a powerful deity, get visions by other deities, be manipulated by archdevils, etc. You don't have to leave it all as subtext, because devils and angels and otherwise literally become a central point of the campaign. Also don't be afraid to get weird about angels and devils. They are from a different plane – making them a little alien, letting them have absolutely wild opinions about the universe, not needing to fit them into our ideas of science – that is rly interesting stuff to explore as a PC and also DM. Resources (optional)

Flee Mortals by MCDM, Tome of Beasts (2023), Tome of Beasts 2, Creature Codex have really awesome monsters

Encounters in Avernus

The Encyclopedia of Demons & Demonology by Rosemary Ellen Guiley is a book that I own privately for some creative projects, but I got some neat inspiration from it for my campaign too!

A lot of the lore in Dnd is very questionable, but especially in the older versions you can find some wild and creative shit (and also lots of problematic rubbish you can just filter out lmao) that is mentioned once and then never again. Little nuggets like that usually inspire me the most and a simple sentence can spawn an entire lore or mission idea for me. Some books that you might find interesting (try to find a pdf version online cuz they aren't printed anymore) are Fiendish Codex I: Hordes of the Abyss, Fiendish Codex II: Tyrants of the Nine Hells (3.5), Guide to Hell (2e), Manual of the Planes (3.5).

[non-euclidianavalanche]

One of my favorite things in video games is unclear lore, or just a lack thereof. In a world of Game Theory and hundreds of thousands of lore-centric games throughout history, having one that's just...

Oh! Hey look, it's them again!

Who is this? Neow of course! What do we know about them? absolutely nothing!

Okay, that's not entirely true. But it's so sparse it may as well be nothing. Described as a large whale-like creature with 6 eyes, Neow is some sort of cosmic entity from beyond this plane. She seems to have some sort of vendetta against the spire (You are Slaying the Spire after all...) And resurrects your character's dead body to do it all over again. Roguelikes my beloved, they couldn't make me hate you. There are four characters you can play as:

Ironclad: Look, he's your first d&d character. Human(?) fighter who made demonic pacts after his village was destroyed by a raging fire. (Which I'm pretty sure was also caused by demons but whatever, you do you king) From a martial arts standpoint, it's all forms of fighting. Obviously a sword fighter, but the card art shows all different types of weapons and ways they fight. They're skilled, and are now acting as a reincarnated warrior to forever fight the spire. (While reading through the Wiki I learned they are predominantly featured on a colorless card [can be in any deck] instead of a rare red card, which is pretty neat)

Silent: (my girl frfr) Your second d&d character, a poisoner rogue reminiscent of when you played Skyrim for the 8th time this year. A rogue, her description being "A deadly huntress from the Foglands. Eradicates her foes with daggers and poisons" She has similar head garb to a few enemies, and thematically fits super well. She seems less pushed out of the Foglands as they call it, and more like she was led here. As though her mind was fully clouded and she arrived. She seems to be a sort of bounty hunter, assassin typed beat. But just like... Why? Answers naught to be found.

Defect: Beep Boop, Robot that has fucking magic(?) "A combat automoton which became self aware. Ancient technology allows the manipulation of orbs."

Sorry not sorry but that's magic. (Dope magic too) It is considered self-aware, and based on some events dialogue you find it has one directive. Balance. Now, why in the hell did a robot seeking balance end up in a giant spire? No idea, not a damn thing is said about it. They're just there and awesome. (Defect is my favorite though, gameplay wise. I'm sorry, shocking you with 40+ damage by literally just pressing End Turn in a card game is so funny.)

Watcher: (my favorite by design and it's not even close.) Look at her, she's so pretty and pretentious and holier than thou. (One of the events details her walking into a room where a bloody fight is happening, waiting patiently until it's over, then just going up to the next room. She gives zero shits.) "A blind ascetic who has come to 'Evaluate' the spire. Master of the Divine Stances." She's a monk, and a cool one at that. Her play style is all about switching stances, and really brings out the longer turns and heavier impacts if you know what you're doing. So, you'd think with them releasing desperately from the other characters in the series they'd come with some lore, right?

Right?

Right?

A little bit. But not enough to give us anything we didn't already know.

So sure, yadda yadda, all these characters but what is the spire? The titled spire of which we are to slay?

A big fuck off tower in the middle of nowhere, that leads forever into the sky. And here's the best part, you never even fight the spire itself. Sure, you fight growths and things made by and from the tower. But the final boss isn't the building.

If, throughout your trials of the three floors and multiple bosses needed to get through. You sacrifice a relic from a chest, choosing to meditate instead of rest, and defeat a burning elite. You get three keys, which let you into the final level.

Chapter 4: The Ending

Instead of a large scroll map through the individual nodes, you get a map with one singular path.

A campfire to rest, a merchant to buy any last minute potions or cards, and then an elite fight before the final boss. Remember how I said earlier that you don't fight the spire? You don't, but you do fight growths and eventually its heart.

Fight the tentacle and shield combo that are in the elite fight, (who are both little bitches btw) and you'll come face to face with the Corrupted Heart

This is the final boss. You can only do a certain amount of damage to it per turn, and every card you play deals you 1 damage to you! (2 later in the fight) Fucking rude.

But let's say you do it. Let's say the blade strikes through, or the electricity ceases the heart. You win! Congrats, you get to see a little animatic. (Side note, love the art style of this game) Of the character leaving the spire... And just kinda looking around. Then you get one of my favorite end screens of any game.

So just like... Yeah, you did it! 🎉🎉🎉 Rogue like gameplay says you did all of the things, and you got to the end. But something about not knowing all of it gnaws at you when you look from the surface. This whole post is made with bare bones research (300 hours and a few fandom searches, which is where all of the images are from) and I still feel like I know less than when I started. Sequel coming out early next year, and I'm very excited! That's all.

Oh, totally unrelated! Play Monster Train. It's not this game, but it's very similar. Card games, train going down through hell to reignite it. Very fun time.

[fizzypinkblooded]

till for the ask game? ^-^

favorite thing about them:

HOW DO I PICK A FAVOURITE THING ABOUT TILL HGDSJHGFHSDG i love his... whole thing. i have a huge soft spot for characters that come across as violent or aggressive, but are actually sweet softies [ and are more often times than not are like this due to abuse ]. bonus points for him being alt. i love love love the rockstar au designs. i love softie bad boys.

least favorite thing about them:

oh god uhm. erm. idk. so, there's nothing i dislike about him. i hate his beta design, the fucking ginger guy, but i don't. think that counts here

favorite line:

can I say the entirety of unknown till the end HGJSDGHSDG

ughghhg i can pick. a Couple specific lyrics

How dare you think this time's enough - same reasoning as partingwayssoon they put it better than i could

Don't be afraid - specifically within the context of the song itself rather than just the lyric, i guess ?? to explain it ?? unknown till the end is blatantly a love song and yet the music and vocals are so aggressive, then this line instantly followed by a guttural growl that i'd expect from heavy metal just goes HARD. i think it perfectly captures what i put as my favourite thing about him

I can't refuse, overdose - i just think its neat. the timing of it with the visuals scratch such a good itch in my brain

brOTP:

HYUNA. i know they never interact but it is for that specific reason i love them so much. there is so much free real estate. she would be a terrible influence on him. she gets him into alcohol and cigarettes. they can rely on each other. they like the same kind of music and can scream their hearts out together at karaoke. hyuna handles her bisexuality with confidence and grace while till is screaming crying and throwing up about it. i will forever stand by the comic about whether they like sweet or plain food having undertones of being about sexuality specifically when it comes to hyuna and till because hyuna happily takes both sweet and plain while till has a fucking crisis about having to "choose"

OTP:

stares at you with my big ivti eyes

nOTP:

i dont think i really have one tbh. i rarely have nOTPs and when i do its bc the shippers themselves are insufferable and upset me so much that i get a fight or flight reaction to the actual ship. i don't romantically ship till with anyone except ivan, but i don't Hate other ships yk ?

random headcanon:

'cause i already linked to partingwayssoon take of this game with till i Will briefly say we share the near sighted headcanon, and i also feel like the mommas boy headcanon is fanon enough that its not worth bringing up here.

so instead, have what i think his milk tea preference would be; salted caramel !!

unpopular opinion:

i don't think i interact enough with the wider fandom on a deep enough level to know what opinions are popular or unpopular, excluding the "wow you guys are outright denying canon" ones [ ivan choking till in r6, till liking mizi, that kinda thing ]

song i associate with them:

nothing solidly in particular but riot came to mind first

favorite picture of them:

insanely hard choice so i'll just go with the one i actually have reasoning for beyond "hehegjhgheg till :}"

his focused little pout is So Cute . he is drawing and writing music !! and hes doodling little stars !!!!! i think staring at this specific art too much was the one that made me realise his weird lil hand mannerisms when he's not doing anything. practically i know he's playing guitar notes or whatever to help process what he's writing, but it's also far from the only official art where he's doing similar things with his hands even when he's not writing. he do a little stimming !!!!!

ask game

[weirdmarioenemies]

Name: Scaredy-Shroom

Debut: Plants vs. Zombies

Here is Scaredy-Shroom! A very humble fellow, who I love very much. Scaredy-Shroom is scared, as you likely know. He is frightened, uncomfortable in the given situation. And as someone easily scared, I can relate to this! Especially when I was younger and even more easily scared! When I first heard about Plants vs. Zombies, I thought "Zombies? I don't want to see that!" and assumed it had to be a Scary Game. And now kids are growing up as Scary Freddy The Scare Bear fans. I would not have done well as an iPad Kid. BUT ANYWAY!

Scaredy-Shroom may be scared. But he is courageous! Arguably. I don't think he would be fighting zombies if he was not planted by the player. But he's here, and he does a good job, even if he is scared! I am proud of him. He has a low sun cost, respectable damage, and infinite range! He DOES cower under his cap if zombies are too close, but it is a small setback, and you owe it to him to keep him feeling safe, after all he's done for you!

While he does a good job at night, there is really no point to using Scaredy-Shroom during the day. He'll be asleep, so you'll need to use Coffee Bean to wake him up, and at that point you've spent as much as you would have on a Peashooter! And Peashooter does not cower and stop shooting at any point! I think this is okay, though. Scaredy-Schroom doesn't need to be a miracle worker. He is very stressed and needs his sleep. Look, his cap is even shaped like a pointed sleeping cap, a little! He is so cute.

Have you heard the news? It's part of why I'm making this post! Scaredy-Shroom was NOT in PvZ2 for a very long time, but just recently, after about 10 years, was added back! At first, I was hesitant about the slight redesign, specifically the cap. This is no longer a pointed hat, but instead has a jagged, seemingly broken bottom! I really do wonder if this was intentional, or a misinterpretation of the original design. Oh well! I have decided I like it, and looking kind of disheveled fits his character! He doesn't have arms to do it with, but it makes me think of him rubbing or picking at his cap when nervous, like I fiddle with my hair. He's just like me!

So? Was Scaredy-Shroom's big return worth the wait?

No, it was not! Scaredy-Shroom is, simply, just Not That Good. In the first game's night levels, he is good! He has his use and the game is built around that! But in 2, an unbalanced game with even more difficult zombies, as well as a steady stream of new and extremely powerful plants being added, he just does not have what it takes. They DID give him extra defense when hiding, but it's really not nearly enough. Indeed, Scaredy-Shroom in PvZ2 is not very good.

And I wouldn't have it any other way!

Like I've been saying, Scaredy-Shroom is, in the first game, useful in some levels, and nearly useless in others. He isn't SUPPOSED to be overpowered, or even strong! If he was, that wouldn't be Scaredy-Shroom! I can understand people being disappointed with his weakness in 2, but as someone who no longer plays it, I'm just happy to see him finally in a game again, and with a neat new design. Ideally, he would have been in the base game with campaign levels designed for his strengths, but it is too late for that.

In a way, it's good that he probably won't get used much. It gives him time to relax. I'll just let Scaredy-Shroom speak for himself here:

"How did I get talked into this? I wish I was at home."

[raykat]

hey I hope you don't mind me asking but I noticed you posting about your ocs for an original project and that seems super cool!!! :O would love to hear more about them if you're willing to share? because they seem neat and I love the designs! also I just love hearing people talk about their ocs so ,,

oh no i dont mind at all in fact thank you so much for asking & being so nice about my project it means a lot to me as its been my biggest source of comfort recently <3

honestly not sure how to even start bc while ive been working my way through developing the main cast & worldbuilding for it for a quite a bit now idk how to put all of it in a summary that is simultaneously engaging enough & not too spoilery as id like to keep the main story beats unknown before im able to put out anything substantial...

the main thing i suppose is that the main cast consists of five humans who are all part of a group specializing in ghost hunting & exorcisms (those might not be the best words to describe it but thats the general idea). the story itself takes place on earth, but things are slightly different because theres an alien presence that corrupts the far side of moon and by extension the earth (& presumably some other planets as well); it causes various changes in the moon cycles, (such as, for example, the moon moving closer to the earth during certain periods of time) & is the reason for supernatural and spiritual occurrences on the planet. due to this many things that are seen as possible but questionable in our reality are very much real in this version of the universe. still, not everyone believes in those, since people develop different levels of affinity to the supernatural - some see & sense nothing at all, some are pretty much constantly haunted by visions, if you will (which btw isn't an innate quality that people are born with - it is affected by your surroundings & upbringing, as well as your general state of mind - there is a Heavy psychological aspect to this entire thing, really).

now, what the general storyline mainly comes down to is that at times the surplus of supernatural presence & energy in a single place may cause rifts between reality to happen - think something like the limbo or liminal spaces, they vary case by case based on what specific entity was the main cause - which is something these "ghost hunter" groups mainly deal with.

so the main gang enters one of those rifts - this specific one consists of several layers & is populated by these fish-like humanoids of different types that seem to mutate further into fully animalistic sea creatures as time goes by. now, once humans enter this type of rift, their connection to reality may be severed and they might not be able to directly interact with it until they figure out how to fully exit the rift. so thats the main goal for the first part of the story - to find a way out and stay sane since as their connection to reality & humanity fades over time, the ties to the other side only grow stronger (especially for those who have a higher affinity for the supernatural - which may include specific people in the main group...).

as i've already said before, the story has a heavy psychological aspect (one of the main reasons why i started working on it in the first place was to process some of my less than pleasant emotions - so thats probably why) so a lot of it is centered around the experiences, feelings, fears, ambitions and memories of the main characters (& some others as the story goes on) as well as the intricacies of their relationships between each other. a lot of worldbuilding also elaborates on those ideas and serves a specific symbolic purpose (i'll be very curious about how everything will be interpreted by different people, the ones who i hope will eventually take interest in the story once its out there - i also hope this doesnt sound too pretentious, im just a huge fan of metaphors & introspective analysis n all that stuff). perhaps some people may even relate to it in a way - which would be very reassuring to me as i'll be getting into a lot of things that are very personal jshsjsbd (though some are also just my own interpretations of what i've seen but haven't necessarily felt or experienced).

this came out so long my gosh im sorry. and i've only actually covered a very small part of everything without getting into much detail... 😭😭😭😭 so far there are supposed to be like ~3 parts of the project (game?) overall, all three likely being a bit different from each other in the general tone. also while writing all this i realized that i think you specifically asked about ocs and not like the whole thing hshsjhsbd but since i typed all of this out might as well put it out there it anyways. ill try to post more stuff related specifically to the main cast though. i put a lot of effort into developing their identities, relationships & making them feel as real as possible. they are my children who i love (to torture) and cherish a lot <3 they're the driving force of this universe, which yeah ofc makes sense since they Are the main cast, but what i mean is rather than reacting to what's happening they're very proactive in making the story move forward so pretty much everything leads back to them somehow. there are many side characters that i've also put a lot of work into and who represent something that is very important to me - i'll try my best to post more about them as well. i think i may try to make some spreadsheets & charts & little comics with them so people can get to know them without me venturing too far into the spoiler territory..?

this is so long and somehow i still feel i've barely said anything... also i apologize for the delayed answer i've been a little busy the past few days and i needed the time to sit down and write this whole thing since i knew it would take looooong. i'm so grateful for your ask & thank you for taking interest in my project i really appreciate it so much <3

[louiesselfshipramblings]

Secret Level mini-review!!! Because!!!

Not gonna go over EVERY episodes, just the ones I wanted to see.

Dungeons & Dragons: The Queen's Cradle—This was a good start! It was short, maybe a lil TOO short, but it was a nice lil glimpse into the classic fantasy world with fun characters both in design and personality. Hope we see more of them somewhere! Weird a non-video game got in but eh I don't mind.

Unreal Tournament: Xan—This episode led me down a rabbit hole of finding out the Unreal Engine was based on an old game made by pre-Fortnite Epic Games, and it's apparently delisted everywhere? Sucks, but cool it got an episode! I love robot uprisings.

Warhammer 40,000: And They Shall Know No Fear—I know nothing about Warhammer except everything kinda sucks and the giant church mechs. This was a fun episode! There's a simple pleasure in watching a group of guys effortlessly tear through mooks. I suppose I'd get more if I specifically played the Space Marine games, but hey as is I liked it.

PAC-MAN: Circle—Dares to ask the question, what if "Pac" and "Man" were two separate guys? But for real though...I actually liked this one? It's horror, but not over the top, gorey but not for the sake of it. Does it use next to none of the Pac-Man iconography? Yeah. But it kinda works as its own, messed up sorta thing. I wonder if that Shadow Labyrinth game came first, or if the short did. Also, the robot is named Puck! Cause Pac-Man's original name in Japan was Puck-Man but in American they could scratch at the P and make it...ya know...Scott Pilgrim reference.

The Outer Worlds: The Company We Keep—I kept forgetting The Outer Worlds had an episode here...or that the game existed at all. Which is a shame! Sure, I heard mixed things about it, but nice to see Obsidian still making original stuff! Plus that sequel, could be better! For this episode...it was fine. A solid example of tragedy. The ending puzzled me, but in a good way. Coulda felt more connected to the vibes of the game, but def has that humor style in place!

Mega Man: Start—It was alright. Rock and Dr. Light had good VAs. Bomb Man had a cool design. Nice lil easter eggs like the "Dr. W" emblem or the DLN serial numbers, and Rock defeating Bomb Man with an ice power was clever. But MAN...this coulda been so much better if it was longer! It's only like, five minutes! I suppose its good they gave each short a variable time so they had space to tell their story, but I would have loved to see more of this world! The other Robot Masters, Roll, WILY, for god's sake! But that MM2 Wily Castle theme for the credits...oh MAN that's good! Please, make another Mega Man short for season two! Or an animated series in THIS style! Mega Man needs more good animated adaptations after Fully Charged and Ruby-Spears.

Spelunky: Tally—Very cool to see an indie game here, and for one of the OGs! Even if this one takes after the sequel...but still! This one was fun, especially since it seemed to really embrace the idea of being a video game. I'm not super familiar on the Spelunky lore, but the interpretation of the randomly generated caves and the curse that revives them were neat tidbits, and the overall message was very nice! One of the shorter ones, around the same length of the Mega Man and Pac-Man ones, but it's to its benefit. Any longer and it woulda felt dragged out. Honestly, the best way to adapt a rougelike imo.

Concord: Tale of the Implacable—Okay, ya gotta understand I HAD to see this one after Sony's blunder! And, to be honest...this may be the best one between all I've seen??? Like, genuinely!! It's one of the longer ones at around fifteen minutes, and is paced pretty well. Idk if any of these characters show back up in the game, but they were all pretty good for the brief time I saw them? The framing of this being a retold story passed as legend, with an ambiguous fate for the crew was neat and I liked the ending??? I was joking about this episode being so good it might redeem the game, but...well I wouldn't go that far, but damn, this might be my favorite behind the Mega Man and Pac-Man ones??

Playtime: Fulfillment—The last episode, and the only one not based on a specific game, instead being based on PlayStation as a whole. This was a nice closer, tbh! The ending left me a touch confused on what exactly happened, but it was a fun ride, all things considered! Seeing the Helldivers run around and shout about democracy, one of the Colossi from Shadow of the Colossus, Kratos smashing down, and SACKBOY!! I honestly just wish there was more of it! (Or that God of War got its own dedicated episode but that's besides the point). Kinda hope they do this "company" based episode as a season closer for season two, maybe for SEGA or Capcom! That'd be fun!

Overall, a pretty good series! I'd say it's worth my while, plus most of the episodes are under twenty minutes if that, so you could binge it reasonably in a day. Looking forward to that second season. Some sequels would be cool (mainly for Mega Man), but if it has to be only new games...mmmm. God of War, for sure. Mass Effect. Destiny? Donkey Kong, but that's a pipe dream. Nintendo never does cool stuff like that.