#I will never run out of comments

[syn0vial]

my gun-loving, car guy, "i'm the straightest man i know" brother who just finished baldur's gate 3 talking about astarion:

[bean-spring]

Viktor treating Hextech like this beautiful, majestic and worth loving dream. "This dream of yours" always talking about Jayce being the one to change the world. Focusing on Jayce and what Jayce can do with this wonderful dream. The possiibilities. The precious potential. The focus being on Viktor instead of on the board that has the dream written all over it, because it's from Jayce's POV. Viktor might be looking at the board but Jayce is looking at him. The sentence continues while Viktor turns around and Jayce's eyes are still on him. His mind doesn't go "oh, right, MY dream" but "OUR dream now" because Hextech, now, can't exist without Viktor. He sees what Jayce has never been able to share with anyone. He sees Jayce and their dream in a way Jayce thought he might never be able to share. So, all of a sudden, it isn't "the hextech dream" but "Viktor and me and our dream".

While (and no hate to Mel, btw, I love her. "she was manipulating Jayce" and "she loved him and cared about him" are things that can coexist") with Mel's scene, it's only "hextech" as a project. An investment. As Jayce is, too. The focus isn't even on Jayce anymore but the city. He's so small in comparison. This scene is separating him from his dream to turn him into a protector of the city instead. A symbol. Something he never wanted to be.

I'm going to be sick.

[rinofwater]

So outside of the bond quest events and main story, the characters in Azuma get pretty shallow characterization, huh?

[helldritch6211]

If i re wrote red hood outlaws + arsenal n red would you want to see snippets of that or would you roast me on a pike?

[vaunteir]

i could azujamify these songs watch

[bright-eyes-strawberry-lies]

PJO is so annoying to write whump for bc it's like "oh you've healed everything done to you in a matter of seconds and you don't even have a sexy scar for my troubles."

[elisedonut]

Thinking about perclin soulmate au during the war again

But specifically you know those photo series that are like a window just over and over as the world around the window changes like Colin with a whole album of just the sight of the outside world from a specific window in Percy's flat

sometimes there's an actual subject sometimes it's just scenery

he just takes at least one everyday there

[siffrins-therapist]

An obstacle of having major backstory plot points happen in a country no one can remember: Having NO blinding clue how to integrate that info into the main storyline.

[rhysintherain]

@blackjackkent's liveblog of BG3 has inspired So Many Thoughts about the Emperor and Raphael and how they compare as characters.

It's come up that the Emperor's character writing could be intended to portray very different motivations based on how the player character responds to it, but personally I don't think that's it. At its core, I think the Emperor is being honest about its motivations: it only wants to survive. What it's not saying is that it will do anything to achieve that end, at the cost of anyone in its way. And the best tool it has to do that is the protagonist.

Its conversations with the protagonist always remind me of abusive relationship dynamics. it plays nice as long as that works, and changes tactics when nice doesn't get what it wants. It constantly reminds you that you need each other, that you couldn't survive without it, that it is the only one you can trust. It offers moments of vulnerability to lure you in, then tries to cut you off from any allies or courses of action it doesn't approve of.

The thing about abusive relationships is that they only turn violent and confrontational when the abuser doesn't get their way. Violence is a last resort, and most abusers prefer to manipulate people without it. Some people go years without discovering their abuser has the capacity for violence, because they never confront them on the control they exert.

And that's exactly how the Emperor relates to the protagonist. If you never question it, never choose a path it doesn't like, you never get pushback. As long as you play by its rules it has no reason to change tactics, because what it's doing is working.

It's only when the protagonist's aims clearly don't match its own that it resorts to threats. It's only when you call the Emperor's bluff, tell it you know it doesn't care about you, that it shows you the truth about its relationship with Stelmane.

Because the truth is, it only cares about its own survival and freedom. And it's very skilled at the game it's playing. It has a profound ability to judge what the protagonist needs to hear, and show them what they want to see. If you want to see a friend who transcends what a mind flayer is supposed to be, it plays that part flawlessly. If you see through that, it has other methods of control at its disposal.

And the Emperor is brilliantly written as a manipulator. It can convince you that it's been on your side all along. It leaves just enough doubt that you might never know the truth. It preys on trust, and exploits the protagonist's willingness to believe in the inherent goodness of people. It expresses trust and vulnerability to the protagonist, anticipating that they will return that trust in response, regardless of whether it can be trusted.

And the cool thing about Raphael is that he's a very similar type of character. He also knows that being nice gets you further than being dangerous. The difference between them is that Raphael isn't quite as good at it: he has a temper, and is quicker to drop the mask. He has an ego that won't let him tolerate even the slightest resistance without breaking character. He believes in bribery over trust, and it makes his act easier to see through. The protagonist can express the same doubt in both of them and get threats from Raphael and disappointment from the Emperor, which pushes them away from one and towards the other.

And one of the striking things about BG3 is the sheer range of dangerous people it throws at your party. You have the tyrant queen, who took power through betrayal and maintains it through disinformation. The power-hungry boss, who offers what you want only until his rise to power is threatened. The abusive parent, who sees his children as possessions who exist to entertain him. The political climber, who treats his loyalists as pawns in a long game of personal gain. The sadistic elite, who's never had to hide her cruelty to those she controls because that's what authority means in her social circle. The loving father, who cares so little for the rest of the world he'd burn it all down to keep his daughter safe.

It's all excellent writing, but the Emperor might be the masterpiece. You can play out the whole story without clearly seeing how it fits the pattern. It can be your loyal partner, standing at your side and protecting you from all those dangerous people.

But it doesn't have to be. If you question its protection and loyalty, it can also be your worst enemy, determined to use all your shared struggles and deepest secrets to tear you apart.

[sea-buns]

Y'know I love everything Supergiant is doing with the mechanics and the encounters but I gotta say. Really kills the mood when you take a blessing from Circe that changes your voice and then meet Icarus. The times you see him at all are so few and far between and twice now have I had my giddiness at one of their sweet interactions stomped out bc Mel sounds absolutely insane in the most distracting way possible.

[bubacorn]

.

[kalosian-woods]

Um. Form your scene subvert ask thing. I bestow upon thee XY084 ("Adventures in Running Errands!") or XY037 ("The Cave of Mirrors!")

“Ash! We’ve been looking for you!”

The boy turned around, his face feeling like it froze in place for a few seconds. His body too. Maybe even his mind, right? It sounded like his friends… but it couldn’t be, right? He fell through the portal. Or the wall. Or…

He glanced behind him, feeling his brow furrow. The smooth surface of the crystal winked at him. His face flushed, and his chin ducked into the collar of his jacket. He didn’t like looking at his reflection much, after all. “’M here,” he mumbled, voice seemingly louder than it actually was and bouncing off the walls.

Somehow his friends find him, incredulous looks etched on their faces as they finally meet. There was Clemont, looking strangely winded, and little Bonnie next to him, shooting her brother an annoyed look… and…

Ash turned his gaze away, that rising feeling choking up his throat once more. He couldn’t bear to hear what she has to say—

“Thank goodness you’re okay, Ash!”

His heart stopped. “Huh?”

Her shoes shifted forward, her voice tapering off in an uncertain question. He knew that there was something wrong with this place, but it couldn’t have been that wrong, right? “You know you’ve got to stop running off like that!”

And there it was. Somehow he felt his breath flow out of him again, the reprimand a soothing action. “Iwasjust… I dunno where Pikachu is.”

“Pikachu?” Clemont rubbed his chin in thought, his glasses glinting. Ash expectantly turned to Bonnie, waiting for that praise that she always lauded her brother with, but somehow… that was absent. Strange. “We could probably just stay put and wait for him to come to us, instead of running about in here.”

“You… think?” Geez, was everything strange around here? Clement passing off an opportunity to show off his speed? So unlike him. “I mean, I guess. I just don’t want him to be in trouble, of course.”

“Don’t worry!” Bonnie cheered, pumping her hand up. “You know Pikachu can handle himself in a fight!”

An angry burst of lightning that struck all around it, eyes narrowed and teeth clenched and that screechy laugh filled the air, burnt ozone stuck in his nose.

Ash shrugged, looking down again as he shoved his hands into his pockets. “That’s not what I’m worried about,” he mumbled under his breath, before closing his eyes.

There was such a strange feeling of wrongness permeating the space around him. His breath felt stilted, like the very air was wrong.

But his shoulder felt empty. He opened his eyes and stared at the ground, clear as diamonds. “I’ve… gotta find Pikachu.”

The group in front of him glanced at each other, and it was all fine until the looked back at him. Shifting the bag on his shoulders, Clemont awkwardly added, “Are you going to lead the way then, Ash?”

“Wha? I—”

“Are you actually okay?” Her voice again. Ash stiffened and bit his lip, feeling the pressure spread through his body.

Okay (she is never this considerate). “I’ll do it,” he finally said, shaking away that temporary paralysis as he shuffled his way forward, keenly feeling those eyes marking his back. It’s strange, it’s weird, and he would honestly prefer it if they would stop trying to trick him out now of all times, especially since he let them find him instead of leaving them as he said he would.

But for now? The silence was its own gift. It allowed him to think, to map out the area in his mind, to try to feel out where his partner may have gone,

After all—

Sharp claws scrabbling on his body, pointed teeth bared in a savage grin as he looked up at the Legendary and roared.

—It was never a good thing to leave Pikachu alone.

[zaddyazula]

genuinely the worst people on earth are those who refuse to play a game over graphics. like brother who the fuck cares if i can see a character’s chromosomes and their cells undergoing mitosis i just want to play the fucking game not be able to count their individual bollock hairs

[seventh-district]

again and again i find myself lamenting that audio roleplay isn't taken more seriously by some people. like yeah, they often have a romantic element, and by nature they usually directly involve/address the listener- and i totally get that those things aren't to everyone's taste. no art or entertainment is universally appealing, and that's okay! but.. it still makes me a lil sad that the "cringe" reputation of asmr/audio rp precedes it. there's a whole lot of talent and creativity being poured into these audios by so many people that i feel goes unrecognized and/or disrespected simply due to the medium that the stories are being told through.

[duckiemimi]

it’s bpd

[puniper]

still wondering if this is like a coincidence or intentional again