#yeah sure I'll tag the games

[unhingedlesbear]

I'm sorry but it's the way I will ALWAYS see SMG fans have such aggressive hatred towards black characters and their only reason for it is "he's boring." and this kind of energy never seems to be extended to white characters they think are boring

You see it with Matt, Ryan, Alex, Nick K and Mark. Like yeah you don't have to like them, but people will put so much energy into hating these "boring" characters. Like if they're so boring surely you can just... not enjoy them and move on but no, it always has to be full on hate. Can't think why...

There's also something to be said about how SMG may often put less thought into characters who are poc which is an issue itself, but just focusing on the fandom here, the hate these specific characters get seems so iffy to me.

Anyway yeah, the SMG fandom has a racism issue. It has a lot of issues.

[bitcrunched]

yeah yeah i like the phunny roblox game go ahead laugh it up

[ratcandy]

3 straight hours of drawing and editing through a horrid migraine for a whole THIRTY SECONDS of self-indulgence beyond your wildest dreams. we call this being extremely normal

song is Bernadette by IAMX

[stop-breaking-my-heart-telltale]

if dorian didn't show up, do you think louis would have shot minnie?

I do. I know some people think either he wouldn't have or he would've missed so that's why the writers had him shoot Dorian instead, but mmmmmm no, I don't personally think so. I like to think that if he had taken the shot, his shaky hands would've caused him to shoot her fatally.

Mostly because I'm already so normal about the fact that of the Ericson crew, Marlon and Louis are the only ones with a body count. Well, that we know of, but shown to us in the game, at least. Plus, we know it's Louis' first kill.

Like yeah, Clementine and AJ become part of the crew and they have bigger body counts, and if we're counting indirect kills caused by actions, then Tenn has a count... and I guess everyone has blood on their hands for blowing up the boat... but I'm talking about killed directly with a weapon like....... I lied, I'm not normal about that at all, Louis and Marlon are the ones who have killed someone in Louis' route. I'm also not normal about the fact that Louis kills Dorian and then even as he's clearly in shock, he tries to go with Clementine to get AJ, and then later on when they talk about it, he says it feels like bile but not quite and he's glad he has it in him to do it.... listen, listen, listen... I'm obsessed with that.

Anyway, so if Louis shot Minerva, I think he would've accidentally killed her and can you imagine? He's already enough of a mess after killing the woman who pinned him down and tried to cut his finger off [or succeeded] but he knew Minerva, they were friends before the twins were taken. Even Violet couldn't kill her even though that would've been the smarter thing to do, and we know thanks to meta knowledge that killing her would've saved lives, but Violet couldn't, and I don't think Louis would intentionally either.

Speaking of Violet, if Louis killed Minerva, I hate to think about what that would've done to Vi. I think she might've actually left at that point, like what was planned before it got changed to her being burned. I don't think she would've attacked Louis over it, though, like yeah she attacked Clementine in the cell but Louis? I don't know, but I don't think so just because it's Louis and he'd be a mess about it anyway.

Though if he did kill her, it would be a neat parallel to draw... y'know, because Louis forgave AJ for killing Marlon even though he was pissed and heartbroken, and Violet was annoyed with him the entire time... but could she ever forgive Louis for killing Minerva? Y'know? We already have a similar parallel with AJ shooting Tenn, but still.

If Clementine killed Minerva in that moment, though, then I could see Violet attacking her since in her eyes, Clem proved her right.

So yeah, I get why they added the Dorian kill to his route. It adds another compelling element to Louis as a character, but we also need Minerva alive for episode 4; Louis can't kill her, he can't miss, and he's not going to stay with her because we need Violet to stay on the boat and him to be on shore for all routes.

[kazumasdiary]

one of the things im only now noticing about 2-3 is just how well it sets up for 2-4.

because. okay. 2-4 has a lot of big, dramatic moments. and these are powerful reveals, but they won't hit as hard if you're not invested: if you don't care about gregson and barok, then you're not going to care when bad things happen to them.

so 2-3 does its absolute best to make you care.

going into 2-4, the characters that are immediately going to have the biggest problems are, again, gregson and barok: you need to care that gregson dies, and you need to care that barok is arrested for it.

so, when you're investigating the exhibition stage, 2-3 reintroduces gina, and reintroduces her as gregson's apprentice. their relationship is antagonistic, but lighthearted: gregson clearly cares for her, at least enough to try and protect her, and to bring her to paris with him. and gina, for her part, looks markedly happier when you meet her again in 2-3- she has a dog and a brand new badge and she's having fun, because for once in her life, someone else is looking after her. gregson is looking after her.

and that way, when gregson dies, it matters- because even if you don't care, gina does.

gregson's death hurts, in part, because of gina's reaction. it's her grief that lets the player know what's been lost. and that grief gets its basis in 2-3, because 2-3 shows us that they care about each other- in establishing this relationship, 2-3 gives gina, and the player, something to lose when gregson dies.

and, speaking of giving people a relationship with another character to get you to care about them- then we have barok.

the first investigation phase of 2-3 begins by humanizing barok as hard as it possibly can. ryunosuke is allowed into his office for the first time, and- and least for me- whenever we examined something in there, the vibe of the subsequent interaction felt like nothing so much as "grumpy man dragged unwillingly into friendship." we're touching everything in his office, and he's clearly exasperated with us, but not enough to stop us from touching everything in his office. this is also, i think, the first example of ryunosuke and barok having any kind of relationship outside of the courtroom. we see ryunosuke's concern when he first finds out barok's been attacked, and if you examine the chessboard in his office, you can get a line about ryunosuke wanting to challenge him to a contest of shogi problems. so 2-3 starts by introducing us to a barok that is somebody outside of the prosecutor across the courtroom, that is something more than the terror of the reaper, and that'll matter later.

but most importantly, 2-3 gives barok a friend.

specifically, a friend that is silly. ridiculous, even. his character design and personality contrast starkly with barok's, and yet he's the one who tells us repeatedly that barok's really nice, actually- that barok was kind when albert knew him, and he doesn't know what happened to change him ten years ago but he still considers barok a friend.

and what's more, albert believes in him. when he's speaking to barok in the prison, you get this exchange:

Harebrayne: ......... Since I returned to England, I've heard lots of stories. Barok, are you really...? Van Zieks: What? Harebrayne: ......... Never mind. I know that you have my best interests at heart.

he's well aware that barok is known for essentially killing the people who prosecutes. and he almost asks about it! but he doesn't- he chooses to trust barok, instead.

ryunosuke is not even there for this interaction in the prison. the game makes a point of showing it to the player anyway. and i think it's because we need to know that at least one person is capable of trusting barok, that at least one person thinks barok is someone worth believing in.

because one case later, we're going to see barok in a prison cell, and he's going to tell us, "i'm not the reaper and i didn't do it." and we're going to have to believe him.

2-3 does a number of other things to lay the groundwork for 2-4: establishing the professor case, bringing kazuma back, all of that. but i highlight gregson and barok as examples because i think they focus on setting up emotional investment, as opposed to setting up plot elements. and maybe because of that, they stand on their own. gregson's relationship with gina and barok's relationship with albert have emotional weight, even without the context of anything that happens after. but those relationships also make what happens after matter more, because they give us a reason to care.

2-3 is not really a self-contained story, by any means, but it manages to be its own thing, with its own satisfying conclusion, while also serving the overarching plot. it's not perfect- by the end of the case, the professor mystery had so wholly overtaken the actual crime that i almost forgot harebrayne was the defendant. but i think 2-3 does a pretty good job, and i think that might be part of the reason why i like it.

(or it might just be the goths. this case has some really good witnesses, and i freely admit i may be biased.)

[wayfinderships]

The power has done out multiple times today😔 not the most ideal when it's been so hot lately-

[presiding]

What is your favourite thing about Billie Lurk?

(Answers are obvious possibly but i love when people talk about her👍)

thanks for the ask!! YEAH ME TOO I love when people talk about Billie! I can't say I have a favourite thing specifically, but I can explain why she's my fav. apologies for not taking this qn literally, but -

short answer: she’s really cool

& you can stop reading there, or, for the maybe 2 mutuals who might have time to read this my thoughts on her as a character, her meta, and her character as raw potential...

long answer:

i considered making this entire thing a gush so you could read a gush about Billie. but, part of what draws me to her is that she’s not always well written, and in fandom she’s underrated for a literal protagonist.

since you ask...

billie is a cool character

when I played Dh2 (hadn't played Dh1), I was excited to see a black woman with disabilities who was captaining a massive ship by herself. wow.

then I discovered Billie’s backstory with Deirdre, the way she responded to that, then having to survive while living on the run, and her bisexuality. as well as her history with daud & delilah. fascinating!

she’s an outsider who has so much to lose, and knows what it's like to lose everything - having lost everything not once but three times - but nevertheless speaks truth to power. she's so brave! she went and helped Emily & Corvo and she must have known they might kill her! plus, she’s smart, she’s funny, she gets shit done, she’s gorgeous.

but... the meta

mild critique of fandom & arkane incoming.

skip this bit if you want - you've been warned twice now - jump to tired Hayao Miyazaki and read from there if you'd like my thoughts on writing her.

i thought Death of the Outsider was going to be amazing and then... well. *sad trombone* i've written about that before so i won't keep banging on. i figured others must be disappointed too, so I joined a few fandom spaces in hopes of finding camaraderie.

most people with complaints about DotO didn’t like how the Outsider and Daud were handled. which is valid & I agree. but it seemed like most paid no attention to Billie; when people talk about her it’s with respect to Daud, as opposed to in her own right. you could argue for fandom misogyny because people don’t talk about adult Emily Kaldwin that much either, but in Billie's case, it’s misogynoir (compare & contrast with the popularity of thomas, particularly the popularity of thomas portrayed as a white man for no particular reason that i've been able to discern - i keep asking around, is it in the books???).

i think this is a LOT better now than it used to be, which is fantastic. or perhaps i have found the correct echo-chamber? ha.

ultimately, The Fandom is a fraction of the entire picture, and not even the important bit since The Fandom is not who these games are made for. you can't make money relying on only your hardcore fans even if all of them spent a fortune on merch, this is true for any AAA game.

while it's true that Billie is underrated from a fandom perspective - but Billie as an underwritten protagonist is squarely Arkane’s fault.

it was reasonable when she was a side character - the lack of info in Dh2 makes perfect sense (if anything there was more lore in Dh2 which is kind of wild)-

- but as a protagonist in Death of the Outsider?

.... there’s lousy writing, and there’s whatever is going on with Billie Lurk, a black woman who mostly exists as a foil or saviour for light-skinned characters. In her own game there’s barely any of her own lore except where it's relevant to saving two dudes.

lore hints at, but barely touches on what race means in the Dh universe (xenophobia is stronger in Dh1; separate essay i guess), but Arkane has patted themselves on the back for portraying non-white characters, which feels like the same thing as the aesthetic of diversity we're seeing in advertising currently because it’s in marketing trend guides. it's self-congratulatory and it's a missed opportunity for deeper storytelling.

you can see an example of diversity at its most shallow in the way that Billie’s written: there’s little engagement with her as an entire person with history & wants & preferences, and the world she walks through in that game feels like it has nothing to do with her. you could make a case for alienation as a theme, but then, how do you handle the titular premise of 'Dishonored' without ever letting Billie make changes in an environment without a chaos system? it's disappointing from that angle too.

in my opinion, whatever it's worth, it was an accident Arkane created such an awesome character - they needed someone to betray daud. congrats billie.

all this said, it makes her an underdog as far as characters to enjoy & create art & stories for. it's nice to find so many like-minded, switched on people! <3

billie's character potential

she’s got a wealth of unexplored lore, being deeply intertwined with both Karnaca & Dunwall’s fates & criminal underbellies, as well as her connections to the witches & whalers, and three Empresses.

she’s lived a few distinct lifetimes and in the games we get to meet her at two peaks (KoD & DotO) & a low (Dh2 as Meagan).

her voice is very distinct, her dry & often dark humour is entertaining & fun to write. her perspective is really interesting - she’s had the widest variety of void-powers of anyone canonically, and she’s also lived through the highest highs and lowest lows.

she's got everything going for her :) i couldn't really pick a fav thing!

[mountainashfae]

Your earliest memories are a slog of training, study, and exhaustion. You knew better than to ask what became of your family, nor to question the missives allegedly penned by their hand that were part of your earliest lessons in reading.

There is officially nothing stopping me from finally starting Tyranny now that I have finished drawing the twins' custom portraits. It will be very fun to see how their characterization changes in a drastically new setting.

[mea-trinitas-profana]

old doodle dump feat transfem amy

[front-facing-pokemon]

[silverselfshippingchaos]

Cyberpunk 2077 Themed S/I Ask Game!

this could work for cp2077 ocs too! feel free to rb and use as you see fit for your characters, but do try your best to practice rb karma! and proship dni, this isn't for you.

A Day in the Life: They say looks are everything in Night City, so what does your S/I look like? Hair, tattoos, eyes, all of that. Who are they and what made them like that? Give us the most basic overview of your character. Do their looks contrast with their personality at all?

I Can See Clearly Now: Adding onto the last question, let's talk cybernetics. Does your S/I have any chrome? Why or why not? If so, what kinds do they have and what purpose does it serve? Additionally, how did they get that chrome? Do they have a ripperdoc that they trust, or was it some shady hack-job?

Double Life: Corpo, Street Kid, or Nomad? Or none at all? Where does your S/I come from and how did they end up in Night City (assuming they're there at all)?

Chippin' In: Out of the in-game radio stations, what's your S/I's favorite radio station? In general, what kind of music do they like? Do they stay up to date with new tracks or do they like the classics?

I Walk The Line: How is your S/I in terms of morals? Do they try to do the right thing in sticky situations, or do they not hesitate to shot a gonk without warning? Is there such a thing as having a heart in a place like Night City?

Beat on the Brat: How does your S/I feel about combat? Do they like it, tolerate it, or hate it? Additionally, what's their weapon of choice? A blade, a firearm, quickhacks, or something else completely? Also, are they into weapon mods?

Queen of the Highway: What's your S/I's preferred form of transportation? Do they have a sweet ride that they love to bits and pieces, or a tired ol' ride that's barely hanging out? Or none of those at all and prefer the metro or just going on foot?

With A Little Help From My Friends: Is your character a lone wolf, or do they have a crew of friends that they always stick with? What are their relationships like and around whom do they spend their time (if anyone)?

Sweet Dreams: What does your S/I dream of? What is their motivation to get out of bed every morning? What do they want from life? Are they fine with flying under the radar and living a relatively normal life, or do they want to make a statement?

Disasterpiece: Wild card! Tell us whatever the hell you want about your character! A random piece of lore, their go-to hobby, their favorite pizza order... Surprise us!

[mortellanarts]

2023 go bye bye

[angelic-guardienne]

Just beat Final Fantasy V. The ending had me emotional!

[swamp-tastic]

After having finished the Drakenhold arc for a third time, I can definetly say that the story is probably the strongest there. The characters are good and the plot is compelling enough. Plus, it has some banger sidequests, like "Rose blooming on barren Rock".

That said, Elheim wins in the villain department, because Alcina is hilarious and Baltro actually does something.

[seaofreverie]

Wanted to start working on projects for my part-time school this weekend but instead all I have the energy to do is lay in bed and play mario kart or lay in bed and listen to music

[citriarchive]

thinking about the incredibles and my brain is doing the "ooooo you like this thing and these things so much you want aus so baaaaaad oooooooooo" and it's right god damn it i do i fucking love the worldbuilding in the incredibles!! that's my second favorite pixar film!!!!! fuck!!!!!!!!