#but havent for like 3 or 4 days

[natjennie]

can anyone explain to me why im apparently on my period right now?

[furute]

if you were to tell me a week ago that i would be making trolls fanart in the near future i would not believe you

i drew these all in pencil then colored with the magical ibis paint x app because i was not about to use markers

e boy

[hysterical-cats]

Some Cassandra would be really nice! :D

Cassie is a real popular lady to get two requests!!

[dykedvonte]

More Benny/main three chairmen HCs? 🥺

I like can't remember what I've already said so if some repeat pls don't be mad:

Tommy occasionally thinks of trying to branch out industry wise and maybe do a tour but he's paranoid about leaving Vegas

None of them really picked up chems before the Strip. It's not a taboo but getting body issues or withdrawal while having to wander around the Mojave wastes is not bueno.

Swank is well liked by the other casinos even if he doesn't care for them. He's always cordial mainly cause he's scared of being killed or cooked by the other two

Benny has very nice handwriting. He can mimic script but he can't read it.

Tommy practically lives in the theater due to how busy he always is and it's kinda treated as a separate establishment. House sends messages to him (not Ben or Swank) about its entertainers

Honestly, if Benny had told them sooner they may have helped him but at the same time they would've been pissed he's already back on his bullshit

Swank misses the old days the most and Tommy the least. His only complaint is the songs don't hit the same as they did with outside acoustics.

Swank, Tommy, and Benny have matching tattoos from the Boot Rider days that signified they were like a set scouting team (Pls don't ask of what I am still ironing that out)

Any ending where Benny is killed Swank mourns as I feel they were super close. Tommy isn't indifferent but he always half-joked Benny's ambition would lead him to an early grave.

That table at lunch where you can hear them talking super loud and it's all the juiciest gossip but they don't care cause it's not about them

Tallest is Swank shortest is Benny

They are loyal to the Chairmen and follow House's instructions but if House did catch Benny and want him brought in they would've helped him escape

Tommy lost his eye from a cazadore attack. I do not think I have to explain what happened (also a big reason he is least nostalgic)

Only Tommy is good at gambling, Benny bluffs too much and Swank never trusts his own hands

All their suits are gaudy and they only act like Benny's is the worst cause he has copies. Swank has an atrocious pinstripe suit and Tommy's is like chromatic. Eye sores, all of them

They are wary of House and Benny's relationship cause while Benny doesn't notice House's weird sentiments about him they do. It's little things about how Benny mentions House compares him to a son and successor and how much stress he puts the Tops under. They prefer House's silence to his usual "doting" just cause it's less weird and Benny seems more himself when he's not actively checking in with House

Benny trusts their judgement a lot more than he'd ever let on and a lot of his choices as the Head of the Chairmen come from taking their little comments into consideration

Uhh i hope this is adequate. I had to lock into NV head space sense I'm jumping around the games and franchise lore.

[davidtennantpussytulpa]

anyone have any musical recommendations :3? ive been going through them at an unprecedented rate with how long ive been in the lab every day

[jjanguri]

ZHANG HAO all kill, from BOYS PLANET to ZEROBASEONE first win!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY to our most talented center, our ace, ZHANG HAO!

[tacagen]

WHY IS NOBODY TALKING ABOUT HOW THIS SUCKER NOT ONLY GOT A NEW DESIGN BUT FUCKING DIED AGAIN EXACTLY 3 PAGES LATERRR

[icewindandboringhorror]

Recent-ish life pictures and etc.

[cerubean]

words can not express how much i love this daycare im working on

[saturnisfallingdown]

just heard stars are rotting their way out of the skyline?!?!!

[ID: Digital art of musician and actor Nicholas Podany. He wears a black hoodie, and rests his head in one hand while his other hand rests across his forehead and hair. His eyes are closed, and he has a relaxed expression. Handwritten text above his raised arm reads "The fucking night decay". The piece is done in a palette of warm de-saturated purples. End ID]

[crescentfool]

recently, i’ve been thinking about what a 100% social link/confidant run is like from the perspective of the persona protagonists, rather than the player. i’ve always been a sucker for thinking about the type of narrative created by a person’s gameplay choices (it can be so fun and deep) so!! i wrote this analysis / musing.

some notes before we start: this was written with the lens of persona 3 being the most recent game i played- but the concepts are applicable to the p4/p5 protagonists as well! no spoilers for any of the games are mentioned; this is moreso a general discussion of ludonarrative dissonance with the game mechanics and narrative and how it makes for fun angst (ft. personal interpretation).

(more under the cut!)

the framework: game mechanics

in all of the games, the social link system’s existence coincides with the social stats mechanic. certain social links require a specific set of stats in order to initiate it, or surpass a certain rank. each game has around 20 of these- each of which represent the major arcana (+ some bonuses, e.g. aeon / jester / faith / councilor).

for any players going for a 100% social link run, this basically requires each social stat to be maxed out. anyone who’s followed a guide for a 100% run would know that the beginning of the game tends to be very “strict” with how time can be used, most of which involves getting the stats raised  as soon as possible.

outside of characterization and worldbuilding, completing social links are incentivized for a variety of gameplay reasons. so how could this completionist play style affect the protagonists?

prioritizing social stats over everything else: a general view

regardless of which protagonist you want to put under a petri dish, with a 100% run, you’re essentially asking the protagonist to form amicable bonds with 20 or so people, give or take. granted, not everyone becomes adjoined to the hip to the protagonist.

personally, i feel that forming 20 different bonds over the course of a year would be rather strenuous. during these 100% runs, the protagonists may feel that they’re spreading themselves thin trying to dedicate their resources to multiple different people as well as raising their “social stats.” i find the implications that this has on said bonds is so, utterly fascinating.

while this isn’t reflected in the game and would be better represented within a fic, i find it difficult to believe that this type of behavior doesn’t have any ramifications on the quality of the protagonist’s closer relationships (or their self-image, for that matter).

just… imagine calling one of your close friends but then they consistently give responses along the lines of “lmao sorry i’m busy doing other things,” and they rarely make the time of day for you. how would you feel? gameplay-wise, this deterioration of the relationship is best represented in persona 3 with social links reversing if you haven’t spent time with them in awhile.

part of my fascination with this concept is influenced by my own experiences. trying to maintain so many relationships can be difficult to keep up with and it quickly gets overwhelming (see dunbar’s number for more information). jumping between so many people also makes it difficult to focus on a few relationships meaningfully- meaning that relationships may be limited to being simple pleasantries. even then, ‘successfully’ keeping every relationship satisfying comes at the cost of being unable to pursue your own development and interests.

overall, i think that trying to do so many things ends up lowering the quality of the relationship(s) involved, especially when you also consider the fatigue from going to school as well as fighting shadows.

playing the therapist friend / listening role: a general view

another aspect of the 100% run that i think about is how the protagonists rarely open up to other people. a good chunk of SLs follow a storyline of the protagonist acting as a therapist friend/helping the other person through one central issue. some SLs are an exception to this and have a more casual “we’re just hanging out vibe.”

basically, SLs tend to be weighted toward the other character’s growth, moreso than the protagonist’s (which is handled by the main story). that said, the idea of mostly playing a listening role across most of your relationships and not having many that you feel comfortable to speak freely about your own stuff… feels really unbalanced and unhealthy?

i do think that part of the lack of “input” can be attributed to the silent-protagonist approach taken in the games (which is a whole ‘nother topic). but!! i find that each protagonist’s options, while limited, are fun to think about! some of the traits and interpretations i’ve seen for the differing protags, to name a few, include:

being afraid to open up / get attached and keeping people at arm’s distance as a result

needing to be around other people, even if it’s just listening them, to distract from their own struggles / pretend nothing’s wrong with them

enjoying helping others, being a good and careful listener who can provide an appropriate and helpful response

the willingness to prioritize others over themselves; a lack of self-preservation

compulsive people pleasing

at its worst, the lack of “protagonist talking” or equal reciprocation in response could be misinterpreted by the other person as disinterest (like they’re talking to a wall). alternatively- the lack of “personal tidbits” could be taken as, “you don’t trust me enough to be able to open up, huh.” and i just think that seeing this in a fic would be the biggest shitshow ever (and i would read that).

concluding thoughts:

overall, i feel that the protagonists taking a predominantly listening approach to several relationships at once can lead to compassion fatigue and general burnout. the protagonists are rarely at the receiving end of being listened to and/or having their issues worked through… and that’s kind of sad?

while the 100% social link run can provide great power to any persona fusions (and other cool battle abilities + hijinks)... i ultimately think that there’d be a lot of mental strain that would make achieving this much more difficult when you take a narrative-emphasized approach.

i do realize that it is possible to see the general vibe of this post as “100% social link is bad,” but like… there’s something i find really appealing about the messiness of attempting to manage so many relations at once- only to fall short in several of them and attempting to salvage the last bits of their sanity. when you think about the complications of the 100% SL run from the shoes of the protagonist… yeah!! that’s the good shit!

anyways! if anyone knows of any fics with this kinda vibe for the p3/4/5 protags… feel free to drop it in my askbox… i like them all VERY much :3c… and if this raised any food for thought- i’d be equally honored! let the protags go through shit i wanna see their emotions and coping mechanisms damn it! 👏

[chamsou-sabah]

finals...and then another internship....and then summer job....

[imflyingfish]

Worst thing about learning a new language of my own violation though is that its made me a fucking nerd. I just found my friend's flashcards on quizlet and got excited. I get excited to hear some french words in everyday conversation. When my friends are reading a book i have to resist the urge to go WHAT LANGUAGE IS THAT. Im just super excited to consume french and spanish language and phrases and im a fucking nerd about it now

[thompsborn]

i know i’ve said that being able to do the stereotypical insane ao3 authors notes is fun and amusing to me but can the universe NOT take that as a challenge to add more shit to my list of things to add next time i post ???? like. fucking. Calm Down Please.

[infifi3]

im so hungry................//

[astrxealis]

btw to filipino moots im gna be an arenean B) or iskolar ng bayan who knows!