#technical aspects

[americardrivingschool]

Navigating the road for the first time can be both exciting and overwhelming. We understand the importance of quality education, especially for those new to driving. Our driving school in Margate, Florida, offers a comprehensive 4-hour course specifically designed for first-time drivers.

[uncharted-constellations]

The Princess and Hero of the First Great Calamity

The orange snoot is very important to me….

[demigods-posts]

that moment in tlh when annabeth has an exact timestamp down to the second for just how long she'd been looking for percy makes me wonder if she always has an internal clock for everything. and like. this is further reinforced when she's timed percy's morning routine with a minute to spare in cotg. or in tlt!book when she used physics to calculate the best time to jump off the boat in the thrill ride of love. call it "scheduling" and "time management" if you wanna. all i'm saying is owls have an internal biological clock and it isn't improbable to assume annabeth inherited that trait from her mother, the patron of owls herself.

[nenoname]

"Alright, line up for some affectionate noogie-ing!"

(bonus newspaper attacks and fez pets)

[guhbwuh]

testing new brushes so orc ghost and soap.

[leporidaecervinae]

never not thinking about how iasip makes it perfectly clear at all times that it's made by a bunch of theatre nerds who in their heart of hearts, just love acting and writing and dancing and singing. most vile reprehensible stupid characters of all time but no one is exempt from the joy of a little musical number.

[coffeebanana]

okay but what if. video game designer marinette...

[nipuni]

Alright, time to share my opinions about Veilguard!! I have both criticism and praise so bear with me as I jump from one extreme to the other 😆 spoilers ahead of course!

The game has a very rough start with the dialogue being formulaic and rushed and the characters overexposing. It feels like a heavy handed attempt at summarizing all of previous games' lore for newcomers or in case you forgot but it's so overdone it feels coddling and trivializes a lot of previous events. Luckily this gets better once all of the introductions are out of the way, though the excessive hints and clarifications continue until the end sadly.

The locations are absolutely incredible and very diverse!! This is a highlight of the game for me. There is so much detail and care in every map and there are so many of them. My pc is struggling to reach medium settings and yet everything looks stunning. The verticality of the maps is so imposing and the graphics have a very dreamy quality that I love. I also enjoy the maze-like structure to the maps, it's more linear but makes everything look a bit more intentional. The color and light direction was amazing, all the visual development really!! it has to be one of the prettiest games I've ever played.

When I started I have to admit it did not feel like I was in Thedas and it all felt a bit theme-parky, if that makes sense. A lot of previously important and established world elements that made Thedas what it is were overlooked or made irrelevant. But the more I played the more it started to feel a bit more similar to Inquisition, for better or worse depending on what you feel about Inquisition. But!! this also feels like a selectively sanitized version of Thedas compared to previous games. In it's attempt to stay safe and uncontroversial in some aspects it loses a lot of substance and it changes the tone. The surface level politics, ignoring previously established major societal issues and a tell-don't-show approach makes the world seem more simple and shallow with no grey areas to explore. ( the humor also falls flat and out of place often too, and WHY is everyone always smirking, enough!! godlike beings are destroying the planet please this is not the time for Marvel banter aaaa )

The pacing at the start is a bit of a mess. It is so fast it felt like jumping from one world shattering discovery to the next with no time to process. The characters also seem to underreact to important information and major developments. It felt like the game was rushing me through all this to get to the part of the story it wanted to tell me while I was still wrapped in my shock blanket trying to catch my breath lmao. I really like all the key story points they touched upon, I just wish they dwelled more on them to give them more narrative weight. ( though blaming every bad thing to ever happen on the Elves was certainly..a choice )

I think the writing could have used more subtlety in the first half and more boldness in the second 😆 but I loved the thematic parallels between Rook and Solas and how every quest informs the main storyline. I do wish Rook was given more impossible choices and put in more difficult situations that forced them to lie or betray their own to better drive the point home though ( listen I just love a Trolley problem!! we need more of those, I'm the Trolley problem's number one fan!! ) I feel like they missed the chance to put Rook in Solas' role and be as vilified and hated for it as Solas was despite their best intentions which would make Rook's regrets stronger and in turn make their escape from the fade all the more impressive and give them a better understanding of Solas to either use against him or earn his respect. The line 'they called me the Dread Wolf, what will they call you when this is over' from the trailers was so good I was waiting for this!! But everyone just loves Rook no matter what!!

But I feel like I stated too many negative aspects in a row so moving on to some things I enjoyed!

The characters were very lovable to me. The romances weren't as long or impactful as I would have liked but I enjoyed all the companion quests. Emmrich is a delight and his quest is so wild and fun. I loved learning about Nevarra and I was awestruck by the Grand Necropolis. The mourn watch was so interesting, it showed a whole new side of Thedas' lore I knew nothing about! and I loved Manfred! Davrin is so charming, he became a favorite. I loved his quest too and learning more bits and pieces about the Dalish was great, I wish we got more. Seeing the Wardens through his quest also made me enjoy them a lot. Assan was very cute too and I'm glad he was treated as an animal and not turned into a goofy Disney sidekick too much lmao 😭 Lucanis is hilarious. The fantasy Spain/Italy was a bit silly and off at times but he is very sweet! and I love the Spite possession, that was so fun I'm glad they kept him that way! Bellara is adorable, her first backstory quest made me cry and I just love a nerd! I wish the second part of her story was written better however, and she sort of devolves into 'it's hard, I wish it was easy but it's hard' dialogues too often sadly. Anaris and the Forgotten Ones' portrayal was underwhelming and anticlimactic which was disappointing. Harding is also very cute and her Titan plotline was the most interesting to me, I bawled my eyes out in her quest!! I love the dwarven lore of this universe I'm so happy we got more of it!! ( she also fucking died in my playthrough?! I was devastated what the hell 😭 'whatever it takes' WEUEUGHHHG I'M SO SORRY) Neve was a slow burn for me because of my choices in game slowing that relationship down ( saving Treviso I mean, perdón amor 🙏 ) but I love detective novels and she is such a badass I ended up loving her. Taash was unexpected, I didn't think they would be so young. The coming of age story was sweet, though I found myself cringing a lot too at the handling of it I have to admit ( and the Lords of Fortune in general, and the Antaam...and que Qun..listen- kajshfgf ) but I also enjoyed learning more about the first expedition and the Qunari in general despite the messy writing and choices. I also loved Antoine and Evka! and Strife! And I haven't even read any of the novels they are in 😆 also Mila!!!! and her dad oh my god and Felassan haunting the narrative!! speaking of haunting, I would have loved for Cole to be in the lighthouse too I think it would have worked well 🤔 especially with the whole 'reading Solas' secret diary' thing the game had going on lmao

Everyone seems to get along except for a bit of friction that is quickly resolved at the start, which is hmm missed potential? I would have preferred more tension personally. I enjoy the drama! gives me more to work with and gives you a better grasp on everyone's personality by contrasting values. I think they wanted to speed run a found family trope for the new hero to establish some emotional stakes early on but it ended up making everyone seem like a group therapy session instead. The group meetings also have everyone either state the obvious or repeat the same opinion or conclusion to each other, I would have loved these meetings to have more bickering, have people get mad and storm out and also get to listen to different takes on a situation. Make Rook struggle more to take the reins and keep the team functional, learning how to be a leader.

Speaking of Rook! ( who in my case has a northern British accent that I loved so much 🥺) They seem to have a very established personality. I was expecting more of a blank slate but I'm lucky that the personality they went for kind of matches what I would normally choose in a first playthrough. Though the lack of range in the choices is irritating and takes away some replayability and role playing potential. Rook is very supportive and selfless, I wasn't expecting this tbh! But it all made my Rook turn into the team's weird supportive necromancer mom so it worked out in the end I guess lmao. I can't wait to draw her!!

I was so overwhelmed by the amount of information we got about Solas and his past!! I was expecting answers but not these many and not for them to be such an integral part of the plot!! The game feels like it's about him more than anything else. His arc is the best written out of all. He is mentioned in every conversation, he's the main advisor and the narrative foil, you get to talk to him often, you work for him and with him and go into his memories it all feels so surreal to me lmao I love him so I'm delighted ngl! but also making the other Evanuris so cartoonishly evil makes Solas into such an obvious choice of an ally, god of trickery or not, that it sort of takes the decision out of your hands and makes some dialogue options and companions' opinions seem almost nonsensical. I have no idea how this game would feel to someone who absolutely hates Solas' guts honestly. I suppose I will find out soon enough 😆

About Solas' story, I loved it! I somehow also feel that I knew it already, all the speculation and theories that Solavellan fans were crafting for years were so accurate that it was all very validating. Even the wildest ones! Solas as the Maker, the elves spirit origin, Mythal giving him a body, the war with the Titans, the origin of the Blight, Solas being on your side as advisor, I can go on, we knew!! Also I have to mention this I'm sorry but they made him look so hot!! unbelievable. And the bloodied teary eyed pathetic look in the end ouurghhh I'm cheering and clapping!!

The romance conclusion was so lovely 😭 the Loki and Sigyn ending we deserved to such a mythological epic!! and open ended enough for all of us to cook!! and we got to see him fight and transform into the Dread Wolf!! and whimper and cry!! and bleed and love!! that's all I ever wanted, incredible we were really spoiled what the hell I still can't believe it 😭 GDL acting was brilliant as usual! the visuals were also incredible and exactly what I had in mind when I imagined where the story may go, the eclipse, the giant wolf, the glowing eyes, the Elvhenan ruins, the statues, even the hair lmao it all aligned exactly to what I've been painting all these years but better I was thrilled 😭

Solas backstory with Mythal also offers players that didn't romance him a chance to see him act out of love and show a side they wouldn't be able to reach otherwise and I think it was smart! also very tragic and sheds more light into all of his choices and words and his relationship with Lavellan too and the parallels and reversals and uughh thoroughly enjoying the emotional distress 👌

Pleasing both the Solas lovers and haters at the same time was always going to be hard with him being such a polarizing character by design and the world states being so different but I think they did a good job! at least from my side of things.

I think my favorite part besides the Solas related stuff was the Blight. I loved how horrific and gross and threatening it was! I've always loved the concept of the Blights and I'm glad it was such a huge part of the story in this game. I also loved Treviso!! has to be the most beautiful city in Thedas ahhh and the Necropolis!! the gardens!! Vorgoth!!! Kal-Sharok!!! I can't believe we got to see it!! and a Titan!!! the giant floating face of Ghilan'nain in the clouds??? and the huge archdemons and dragons!! oh and that warden dragon trap in the shape of a griffon?? and the giant blight tendrils!! the siege at Weisshaupt was outstanding!! and the floating panopticon castle situation in Minrathous uughh there is so much I loved.

OH I also enjoyed the Varric arc even though I saw it coming since the trailer it was still played well and it was touching 🥺

The ending felt a bit jarring to me in tone though, a bit too cheerful considering...the horrors. Over half the continent destroyed and most of the problems Thedas had before the game are still there. Veil in place and all 😆

But I had fun!! I'm nitpicking really, the conclusion to Solas' story feels very satisfying to me which was my main worry so I'm happy. It is a good game!! with a sort of soft reboot feel to it and aimed at a younger audience which is probably what they were going for? You can sort of feel the struggle the team went through during production in the way the target audience seems unclear sadly. I also can't help feeling like this is an ending, so much was revealed and resolved!! but maybe I feel that way because that is what I felt after Shadowbringers / Endwalker in FFXIV once my favorite part of the story was wrapped? They can always pivot to a new continent and expand on the world and cultures we know almost nothing about, but that is always harder to sell so I have no clue where they will go from here 😵‍💫

Anyway I'm still processing a lot of stuff that I will probably talk (and draw) about later, this is already long enough!! for now I'll look up how to get the artbook because the art direction of this game is fantastic!! I would love to hear your thoughts too really, I'm curious about the experiences of players who made different choices and with different tastes to mine!!

[knifearo]

i don't hear many people talk about the intersection between gender and sexuality when it comes to aspec identities but personally i feel that my aromanticism is a distinct aspect of my gender identity and presentation and it's one of my favorite things about myself. the truth about the constructs of gender and sexuality is that they are inextricably intertwined at nearly all stages. the expectation of a relationship, the expectation of wanting others and being wanted in return, is baked into how you interact with others, and therefore how you present yourself. gay people present themselves differently than straight people because they are doing the performance of gender for a different audience. we access our own personal constructions of gender primarily through how we interact with others, how we compare and contrast with others' genders, and so much of gendered interactions is built around heteronormativity or going against heteronormativity that our own personal constructs of sexuality and attraction are woven through it all as well. and exempting myself from the expectations of sexuality and attraction—eliminating the audience from my performance of gender—is kind of. crazy. i'm transsexual in the way that i have no connection to either gender in ANY way. the binary means nothing to me because i neither belong to nor desire any aspect of either gender. for me this means that i get to pick and choose whatever aspects i think are sexiest from either expectation and put on the best damn talent show this town has ever seen (i have no desire to engage in any kind of romantic or sexual activities, but i find it entertaining to be desirable and unattainable), which is both extremely freeing (hell yeah. opened up all of the customization options on the character design menu) and fucking FUN. it's a performance and i'm getting the oscar in categories they haven't even invented yet. it's a competition and i'm fucking winning. it doesn't matter what people want or expect from me because i don't want them and i don't want to be like them. there's a huge gorgeous world out there and i am the most beautiful thing in it. truly one of the most fantastic and fascinating things about being aro to me

[sameboot]

Behold my horrible freak

[dunmeshistash]

I don't think Marcille is that immature. She complains a lot and has a more childish side but I wouldn't say it's the equivalent of being young like for example Pattadol or Izutsumi's (who are 16 and 17)

Marcille very much acts like an adult when it matters, she has enough emotional stability to deal with a lot when it isn't related to her trauma, the immaturity she displays (like being mad at Namari, not understanding why she left) to me it's the equivalent of a 19~20yo type of immaturity? Maybe people overestimate how mature you are in your early 20s?

About her more childish tastes (her monsters, her doll etc) I'm way past my early 20s and I still have toys and very much have a 'childish taste' that might be even worse than Marcille's, I think that's more an indicative of her lost childhood she's still attached to. (And her monsters probably more to do with her general disgust for real monsters)

(in my case I just like cute things tho)

Her mother basically told her she'll be abandoned always, that everyone she loves will die before her, right when she was still processing the passing of her father. It's really no wonder she can't grow in that aspect.

I think her dungeon lord outfit exemplifies that duality, the outfit has both the earmuffs that are associated with children but is also the "most mature" outfit Marcille has wore so far, with a body hugging silhouette and cleavage.

Marcille has trouble letting go, she seeks comfort and stability, I don't think it's so strange she hangs on to childhood toys even in her adulthood. They wont leave her.

I mean there's another character associated with childish toys and she's a war veteran milf.

[miss-allsundays]

i’m really fucking thrilled at how well blitzø’s character development was handled this season—and i’m hopeful it’ll be just as good in the next ones.

he started as someone that shied away from any form of emotional confrontation and affection, and he’s now a man that was so so tender when stolas needed him (and, as much as i love blitzø, s1 him would not have behaved the same way lol, even tho he would have been just as worried).

and the best thing about it, is that his mannerisms and reactions felt natural.

i watched blitzø care about stolas so openly during during the latest episode, and it wasn’t out of character, or sudden.

all i could think of afterwards was: “yeah, it makes sense that a blitzø that went through full moon, apology tour and ghostfuckers would react like this”.

because their deal blowing up made him realize he cared about stolas, and their break made him reflect on their history— and while he did that, he also had the support of his friends and family.

then ghostfuckers came out, and millie’s support was the nail in the coffin, because she saw him at his worst, she saw him deflect his hurt and subconsciously try to destroy what he had, and she still stayed.

and it made blitzø realize that maybe, if someone he cares about and admires is truly willing to stick beside him no matter what, then maybe he isn’t that shitty, and maybe he can get better.

the second half of season 2 focused on making blitzø grow by showing him an outsider’s perspective— when he was used in drowning in his own self-hatred— and it was done spectacularly. because an outsider’s pov doesn’t just mean those who hate him, it also means those that care about him.

it gave him a perspective about him that is much better than what he is used to see, and because it was millie who did it, someone who is always so confident in her love for those she cares about, it gave him the hope and conviction he needed.

and now, i think blitzø sees his old self—to some extent—in stolas (someone who lost everything he cares as a consequence of his own actions), and i think he will want him to see the same perspective.

that giving yourself some grace and leniency to grow can do a whole lot.

i’m positive the writers of helluva boss will do as good of a job with stolas in s3 though, and i can’t wait to see it.

[nouverx]

Just wanna put Alastor (Hazbin Hotel) and Luffy (One Piece) in a jar and shake them. Just imaging these two chaotic aro ace in the same room brings me so much joy.

I feel like they would viscerally hate each other if they ever had to meet ahah :'D I drew them reacting to their flag instead! I haven't drawn Luffy in a hot minute damn I missed my boi

Now that I think about it, it's funny how similar yet completely different they are. Luffy's whole deal is about smiling, laughing and make people around him happy, while Alastor's whole deal is also about smiling, but he uses it for control, to hide his true emotions and make people around him uncomfortable/second guessing him all the the time.

Luffy is aroace, but still full of love for everyone, he cares so much and shows so much affection, while Alastor is aroace and mostly touch averse, takes a long time to get attached to people and shows very little affection (or maybe has his own definition of affection idk)

And they both have a weird moral code and hate people in power who uses it to exploit the weak?? Not to the same extend ofc but still, that's an interesting trait they share .

My two favourite aroaces I love them so much 💖

[coffeebanana]

having thoughts about the marinette and nathalie hug because like.

my god.

marinette's just had her world turned inside out

she's just a kid and how's she supposed to carry all this alone and what is she supposed to do and what does she tell adrien?

and then, suddenly, there's someone there to share the burden. an adult. someone who has a reputation for getting things done

so maybe, just this once, everything doesn't have to balance on marinette's shoulders alone

but it's nathalie--who, sure, adrien obviously cares about. but not someone marinette's at all close to. certainly not someone she probably thinks of as warm or parental or even very trustworthy. maybe marinette's even started to put the pieces together--if gabriel was monarch, then mayura must have been...??

those doubts seem insignificant when she actually sees nathalie

the last time marinette saw her, she was dying. and now marinette knows what gabriel wished for--at least some of it. she knows he did one good thing in the end. that he finally, to some degree, put adrien first

then another horrible truth dawns on marinette: nathalie doesn't know--of course she was aware gabriel was dying, but she still doesn't know he's dead

marinette's probably already thought up a hundred different ways she might break the news to adrien--even if she discarded them all just as quickly. she hasn't thought at all about breaking the news to nathalie

what's she supposed to say? however complicated things were in the end, gabriel was obviously someone nathalie cared about

marinette struggles to find the words, but nathalie just knows. she already suspected, because how would she be here if gabriel was as well? and now the truth's written all over marinette's face

it's not just marinette who needs that hug--though nathalie would probably never admit it, which is why it's marinette who's running to her

how many weeks has adrien been gushing to nathalie about marinette? about how she's so creative and strong and compassionate and full of love

and in that moment, nathalie understands

[anominous-user]

is this something (2)

[surreal-duck]

es rarepair week 2024 day 1 | AU/future

lil ghostic au of mine!!! yuzuru and the rest of fine are long since trapped souls in an abandoned mansion of which rst come across while looking for shelter during a storm :] it doesnt um. particularly end well