#maybe it’s about the npcs

[thirsty-4-ghouls]

What frustrates me the most about liking the fallout games and elder scrolls games (I still need to play more of them and there are CERTAINLY exceptions) is that i don’t actually know what it is exactly that i like about them. People will be like “Bethesda games suck” and I’m not going to disagree that having mammoths fall from the sky and my gun sink into the floor forever is good game mechanics, that it’s a work of art in the coding department, but i don’t know what it is that makes me love the experience of playing them. People will be like “oh, you like that thing? Try this” and what they suggest isn’t bad, but it doesn’t have the same, idk, combination of things? I just wish I knew what the exact combo was so I could look for more of those things. I can’t put my finger on it and I’m not sure I can find the same combination of those things anywhere else. I don’t really care that the fighting isn’t super dramatic every time, hitting things and blowing things up is fun by itself to me, i don’t need a work of art there. I like the characters and the way you can just go do shit, especially when you don’t have a super pressing timeline. I can build a house before stopping the end of the world in Skyrim (multiple times) and it doesn’t actually make the time more stressful. If I want to take it super seriously I can try and grind through the main plot and after that I’ll still have a bunch of stuff to do! And the things I do will affect other things, but in a certain way I can’t explain? I can’t put into words. I know that they aren’t the finest masterpieces and I’m sure that there are games with things i like about these games but done better, but do they have the combination? The one I can’t put my finger on? Probably not. I play games to have fun and there is so much fucking around I can do! There are little details in the environment, little things to npcs. There are certainly things that left me unsatisfied, but there is also a bunch of things that do? I’ll admit to not playing their newer stuff though. I’ll consider eso but my brothers have already tried some of their other new stuff and left me with some not great reviews. I kinda wish people would stop trying to recommend me games because “oh, you like that part of that game? Here is one that is so much better. You’ll see how terrible the one you’re playing is” because I’m playing the terrible one for a reason. I like it, even knowing it’s not the best, and i would love to see more games that do that thing, but if you are recommending them because they are “better works of art” or “better mechanically” are you also recommending them because they are fun? That’s why I play games. I have my limits, and I respect other people who play games for the sake of the art form alone, but sometimes terrible or just okay is fun too, sometimes with less stress, and fun can keep me occupied for hours. I’m not saying I never play a game for a story, without much of one I often do get bored. I wouldn’t play the ace attorney series if I didn’t like stories too, but i loooove sandboxes and i can’t put my finger on why i like those Bethesda sandboxes so much. It’s infuriating because I really do want to find more stuff that scratches that specific itch, but the vibes are never quite there. I don’t expect the exact same thing, but I do want to try more of that sort of thing, yet I can’t put my finger on what it is about the thing that I need to look for! Very frustrating.

I like lore and environmental storytelling and interesting npcs and sandbox games, i don’t enjoy super complicated combat because i am stupid. I like being able to pick and choose things and seeing one thing affect another but not needing to do things in a specific order. Is that all? I don’t feel like it. There is something more and I can’t put my finger on it. There are obviously games I play that do not check off every single box of mine, look at the ace attorney series! But those ones don’t really take as much of my time. Once you finish the story you just kinda, leave it for awhile. You’re done. You might go back later, but probably not right away. With the games like Skyrim and fallout I can just come back after a busy day and do random low stress tasks and activities, or I could go hard at it for a bit, either way I have fun. I don’t know how to replicate that. I also like when they add some elements like the sims. I know some people hate it, but it gives me even more shit to do, and I can have a part of the map that feels like “this is MINE!” and I can leave my stuff (and some npcs) there and feel like I’m not just shoving it wherever. Sure, you get beds when you join certain groups, but in Skyrim and fallout 4 you can have your own space. If i don’t want to go on some adventure after a long day I can just garden or something, even when it’s winter irl! (Although the gardening isn’t like irl gardening, it still feels better than nothing). I know a lot of people hate how they put certain things I listed into a game that is “supposed to be about the story, or fighting” but i like the eclectic combination of activities, and i feel like they manage to do it without the things feeling like a completely separate game. It still feels tied in, unlike some games where it feels like they just shoved it into the game on the side without any connection I guess. I’m not explaining this well and I’m sure there are people who absolutely hate the things I listed, but there are plenty of games without them, I’m trying to find more with them.

And it has to have interesting npcs, even just mildly interesting ones that you can fill in the blanks for in your boredom. I can’t stand the feeling of being in a completely empty world (with the possible exception of Pokémon go, but they have added so much stuff that it feels parallel to the real world, not completely separate and empty) although, when it comes to Pokémon go, I actually did stop playing for awhile because it felt so empty, now you can at least interact with other players a bit more (even if I’m not great at finding others to play with) and they have added more npcs. I play that game so i don’t get bored at the grocery store and can convince myself to go out and walk around sometimes, so it’s not the same. Idk what I actually really want from a game, I can’t put my finger on it.

[calciumdreams]

doodles!

[nabaath-areng]

" I'm drowning in this gloom that cannot be concealed My sighs are deep; I was thrust down into the darkness. Ceaseless rain... it's futile; alone I tread forth, Hand in hand with strength... "

[puppetmaster13u]

Once more thinkin about this Prompt/AU

And I decided to sketch the level 1 forms the team (& Ellie) have along with sketches of their lvl 200+ Forms. I do believe Klarion is having a blast with his new friends and the Young Justice Team is going to have some Trauma from not knowing this is a Game.

Tucker: Lvl 1 Cat | Sam: Lvl 1 Sprout | Valerie: Lvl 1 Golem | Danny: Lvl 2 Dragon Egg | Ellie: Lvl 1 Celestial Snakelett

(Click for higher quality) Also they are all now Mountain Sized or Larger. Also pondering them all having 3 stages to their bossfights. Second stages is when they start using more magic & less "minions" and final stage is when shit hits the fan & the surroundings get Wrecked. Like Tucker summoning a literal storm & getting lightning charged, or Sam fully emerging from the caves, or Valerie unearthing herself and the team realizing the entire dungeon-city was On Her Back.

@victoria-has-no-secret @qitsin Both y'all reblogged with fun ideas so here @bleuyellow93-storytime you had very VERY fun tags so also here lol [If u don't want to be tagged I apologize] Aaand finally, @radiance1 I think you'd like these

[rocketbirdie]

*slips another kunsel into your pocket*

[incorrectskyrimquotes]

story idea: the dragonborn dies somehow but the power itself must continue on as destiny bids, so the power attaches itself to some rando who them has a full power of the dragonborn. all while the world has stopped to mourn the greatest hero skyrim has ever seen.

[randomnameless]

Looking at some post somewhere comparing UO to the FE series

"wow interesting! I can't wait to read it!"

Few seconds later

"so that's why UO is a closer game to the FE franchise than Engage bcs Engage BaD, but it doesn't reach the "depth" of Houses which I really love bcs every character had nuance and depth save for the evil lizard lady who is very BaD"

Damn guys, I finally understand what y'all were saying about some fans comparing their "Galvius did nothing wrong save for singing a Jpop song uwu" masterpiss to everything else in existence to praise it, while shitting on Engage for funsies.

[freshcut-chetney]

"The Bad Kids shouldn't have said X" "The Bad Kids were too bloodthirsty" why do people watch a ttrpg actual play if they're gonna get mad about a very obvious combat encounter that has been building up for an entire season? Who gives a fuck if TBK killed TRG, they're NPC's and the cast was obviously leaning into the bit because of the absolutely silly way K2 died in the previous episode, sometimes you say and do silly or fucked up shit while playing d&d with friends. This doesn't have to be a moral quandary some people want it to be.

[consumeroflemoans]

I don’t think people talk about the fact Aha knows they’re in a game enough

Like. They and their followers have been shown breaking the fourth wall. Specifically in the Simulated Universe and with Sampo after Belobog.

The simulated universe is meant to, well, mimic the real universe so the genius society can learn about aeons and past events by simulating them. Which is why it’s so fitting that the simulated Aha realized they’re in a false universe so quickly. The real Aha has already climbed the world tree and witnessed the truth of their existence.

I’ve joked about them ascending to aeonhood because they watched a baby fall before, which is true. But a large part of their true elation comes from knowing they’re in a game. Nothing matters so they can truly do whatever they want. Why not just have fun? They can sow plenty of discord. They can turn a worm into an emanator. They can witness wars and just laugh and laugh. They know it’s all meaningless. That’s why watching everyone else try so hard to keep their fake universe alive is so funny to them.

And this is even shown through the Masked Fools. Sampo speaks directly to the camera and both he and Sparkle have referred to themselves as supporting characters. Their purpose is to put on a show and make the game more entertaining. Would Belobog been as fun without Sampo coming in and making us collectively groan at him obviously trying to scam people? Would Penacony’s events or ending be as mysterious or shocking without Sparkle’s meddling behind the scenes? Penacony would have ended with a pretty boring party if not for Sparkle’s antics.

Honkai star rail needs characters you can laugh at, groan at, and poke fun at. The elation is delighted to be the game’s jester, poking fun at their false universe and the ones outside witnessing it.

[pokemon-npcs]

@true-deru, @mouseoleum

(referring to this post)

Oh, the Hariyama is squaring off with a Poliwrath

[captainofthetidesbreath]

[blows a kiss out to sea] for the Mighty Nein pirates arc

[shift-shaping]

i know this is an unpopular opinion in my specific circle on tumblr, albeit not unpopular widely, but i really really do hope they keep solas race locked. it's. really not a small part of his character even if it makes him more ~problematic~

he literally doesn't see non-elves as even close to being people in inquisition by the time of the balcony scene, and while i think he changes that view by trespasser to some extent, that change does not come in time for a romance to actually spark between him and anyone who isn't an elf.

him having these shithead ideas is part of what makes his character who he is, and seeing him change those opinions is going to be extremely gratifying. this is part of why i want to be able to romance him (or at least flirt with him) as a rook of any race --show me that he's changed, that he's capable of seeing non-elves as worthy of that attention, don't just leave it in a dumbfuck retcon that serves only to weaken him as a character.

the idea that bioware would make him magically not prejudiced to appeal to angry people on twitter is cowardly, and i would consider it a major failure on the part of the writing staff.

i don't care if you're upset about this, block me, but the bottom line is that sanding down a character's rough edges to make him more appealing to twitter is an absurd and entitled ask that fails to understand basic character writing and development.

[coockie8]

i once had an anti tell me to stop sexualizing their trauma on a story i wrote that was a word for word retelling of my own actual trauma but with names changed and its been 2 years and i still cant stop thinking about that

Ah, yeah... Unfortunately a non-insignificant number of antishippers seem to genuinely believe they own the concept of trauma, so any story they read that they believe to be portrayed in a romanticized or sexualized light therefore must be romanticizing/sexualizing their trauma specifically.

I couldn't tell you the amount of times I've gotten the "stop sexualizing my trauma!!!!!!" or adjacent comments from antishippers that universally garner a response that basically boils down to

Like, bitch! I'm talking about my trauma! I literally did not even know you existed until you fucking commented!

[goldensunset]

had a dream about khml but not in the sense that like new information was revealed more like in the sense that not only did i convince myself that it was real but that it had always been a thing we’d known for a long time. like i had a dream there were straight up political executions in there or at least an offscreen implied type of thing. there is a girl character who exists only in my mind who bravely helps the player but then is arrested and implied to have been hanged to death because disney can do anything they want these days. in my dream i seriously thought she was a real thing and had always known her. i can see her in my mind

[wraith-caller]

I am an obsessed weirdo, and want (yet another) place to talk elden ring with other obsessed weirdos. Is there any interest in a discord server for lore-minded folks to be dweebs, together?

[tiny-chubby-bird]

So like a normal person I got kind of curious and looked at the names of the petrified drow so I could try looking for possible name meanings, but I'm no drow expert. I could only look at the Drow Names site and hope for any similarities. These are my best guesses:

Dhourn (Dhaun: infested, plague. Houn: magic, trail, way)

Izwae (izz: hidden, mask, masked. Wae: heir, inheritor, princess)

Moy (May: beautiful, beauty, silver. Mol: blue, storm, thunder, wind. oj: aura, cloak, hide, skin)

Arcagh (word arc: curve, bow. Akor/Alak: beloved, best, first. agh: breaker, destruction, end, omega)

Tecothy (like Timothy? Teb: blade, sharp, sword)

Artimezt (Inspired by Artemis maybe? zt: finder, hunter)

Important to note that some of the similar words/names I found and used here are the feminine versions, and I remember seeing a detailed post somewhere in which someone took Kar'niss' name and tried to translate it, in which they also mentioned what it means if a male drow uses a feminine name version, but I forgot...