#I have concerns

[xiaq]

Wait. Do You watch porn?

This feels very pearl-clutchy, especially after the last ask, and I dearly wish I could answer a simple yes. But no, I don’t. Not because I think there’s something inherently wrong with or shameful in watching porn, but just because it doesn’t do anything for me personally. I’m the flavor of demisexual that needs significant emotional investment before arousal is even a concept. So the only media that I find titillating are long, slow burn stories that eventually turn explicit. So I guess it’d be more accurate to say that I read my porn under very specific circumstances. But, to reiterate. There’s nothing wrong with watching porn.

[cinamun]

He's dead | Next

[liaragaming]

Still working my way back through Tevinter Nights, but wondering if things stirring in Thedas actually does not have to do with whatever Solas has been doing...

So Arlathan forest used to be reliable to navigate. But now it's changing. Why? What has woken it up? This, I'm inclined to believe has something to do with Solas' actions, whether intentional or no. He's probably activating eluvians and ancient elven artifacts left and right. It just makes sense.

Also, this isn't Tevinter Nights but Strife's short story. But it fits, so shush.

But the rest of the weird stuff...

This is one of Ghilan'nain's monster pits, so we assume the she is referring to her, but... why would she having it again be a fear? She's locked behind the Fade? So what is there to worry about?

And then there's the Cekorax...

A strange cthulhu eyeball tentacle monster... something beyond the Viel, neither demon nor spirit?

I'm just not sure this is Solas' doing. Sure, his plans usually have unintended consequences, so it's possible. But the devs have said they wanted to do eldritch horror from the beginning with the archdemons and then had to change the design to Dragons... so... if they're finally going eldritch horror with evanuris, this rings of alarm bells.

And if the Evanuris and the Old Gods of Tevinter are the same, then we have a potential problem...

This is from a codex entry on the old gods.

So even though the Evanuris are trapped behind the Veil, they still found a way to communicate with the Magisters of Tevinter. I can't find the exact codex that lists each of the old gods as approving the Magisters' plan to breach the Veil. But what if, this was the Evanuris' plan for freedom? Or something else.

I think Solas' prisons for them may indeed be escape-proof. But somehow they were still able to influence the people of Thedas. And I think, with the Magisters breaking through the Veil, the Evanuris were able to store pieces of themselves (kinda like Flemeth with the amulet they gave Hawke) within sleeping dragons within the earth.

And then, for some reason, the Magisters stopped hearing the voices of the Old Gods after that. If the Evanuris are indeed still in their prisons, maybe the realized their mistake in the Blight being unleashed? Or maybe they're just biding their time?

My point is, they seem to be able to do something while trapped in the Fade. They aren't just in a "dark and dreamless sleep" as Solas had been. They've been working behind the scenes kinda like Flemeth. They might even be able to talk to each other.

And maybe they've sensed that Solas is messing with things and the Veil is changing and they're using whatever influence they have to create their own messes?

What if the Evanuris themselves have been stirring, and Solas doesn't realize it???

[lewmagoo]

are you normal, or are you filled with fear and trepidation over the direction the writers might take rhett's storyline in s2 of outer range?

[pharawee]

I'm all for the spicy scenes but maybe wrap them in a bit more plot (or dialogue lmao) from now on. I need plot to go with my smut.

Also, no more yaoi noises, please. Oh, what a terrible day to have ears.

[girlwiththepapatattoo]

Was bothering Astarion in sneak mode, and he whispers,

"I've got a brand new torture chamber, so come and play with me."

AND I--

[thegreatgatsbutt]

hey what the FUCK happened on critical role

[tpchicken7]

If I had a nickel for every time Callum unlocked an arcanum after doing a dark magic spell, I’d have two nickels, which isn’t a lot, but it’s weird it’s happened twice.

I’m not the only one seeing or being greatly concerned about this, right? Because if Callum is only able to unlock further arcanum after dabbling with dark magic, that further opens the door for Aaravos to manipulate him in the future. Is that trade off worth it? Is it already too late?

[alchemicaldesignquery]

Overwatch: The Mercy "Problem"

Disclaimer:

Yes, those are air quotes.

No there isn't an actual Problem with Mercy, as much as there is a problem with elements of her Kit that are used as a path to complaining about her in general/being a weird gremlin about players who enjoy her.

"...Sometimes we try out a build b/c it's the best version for the greatest good.

And sometimes we try out a build b/c Mount Olympus needs to fucking fall..."

~3AM Game Design thoughts~

There are very obvious problems embedded in many of Overwatch's cast, but few are as egregious as Mercy's.

Damage Boost is a problem.

Resurrection is a problem.

and those are alongside the smaller inconsistencies that make her Kit Cohesion/Cycling, that much less <insert term here> (responsive, interactive, dynamic; take your pick).

There's arguments to be made for why none of these have been addressed, despite well-known Mercy mains and advocates banging their heads against the wall for anyone to hear:

Changing as popular a hero as Mercy would damage her reputation and gameplay within the community

Removing core elements of her kit would make her harder for new Support players to pick up (she is one of three introductory heroes)

Her kit doesn't need changes because she is only relevant alongside a more 'problematic' Damage Hero.

There's probably other legitimate concerns with any sort of rework, but these are the three I see the most value in (and argubly, the three that can be used across both playing as/against party lines).

These can be addressed within the design, especially around the two major mechanical problems in Damage Boost and Resurrection.

Helping Me, Helping You...?

'Punishing =/= Rewarding'

Mercy's design is meant to encompass a dual-sided nature; help others, while helping yourself. A lot of her kit reflects this, but a lot of it also, doesn't have any connection between the two:

Damage Boost / Blue Beam relies on whoever she is Boosting to be hitting their shots, inflicting damage to gain the benefit, and (hopefully) secure kills.

A Good Mercy might never be enough if the DPS on her team aren't performing. Worse yet, it will often come back on the Mercy player, because the feedback for what she is doing isn't exactly obvious.

A flat damage buff that has very few qualifiers (stay within a certain range and hold a button on a target), doesn't provide much in the way of information for the Mercy or the person being Boosted.

On the other side, a Mercy who is attached to another hero who is hitting their shots? With no qualifiers?

Nightmare fuel.

Resurrection is even worse at translating between the Mercy and the Teammate she is using it on; an ability that provides no direct value or benefit to Mercy herself, that also acts as an excuse for Teammates to position poorly and not learn from their mistakes-

-all the while blaming the Mercy if she doesn't bomb into the same poor position that might have caused the eliminated Teammate, to try and go for the Rez.

The ability also acts as a hard interruption of a normally fluid movement cycle, putting her not only in a paused state for a brief window, but also lighting her up like a golden target for enemies to shoot.

Add in the long cooldown and, it is not hard to see this ability failing as often (if not more) as it succeeds.

On the other side of the coin, a Rez that does manage to succeed, brings back a hero that was accurately and successfully eliminated, with spent resources executed to do so, at full health-- effectively resetting the effort the enemy put into eliminating that target. It can feel cheap, even cheating, especially around heroes who are already difficult to nail down or punish and who Mercy expectantly tends to 'pocket' often (Pharahs, Ashes, Widows, Genjis, Junkrats, etc.).

There are a few other points of contention within the kit that do not have as much issue within the game and could be reasonably balanced:

Healing Output can't really scale in a match and will often fall away before heavier burst/AoE potential

Guardian Angel's structure depends very heavily on teammate positioning, even with super-jump/glide.

Overall, a skeleton of a hero that could use new life, to help new players adapt and not feel stuck in a permanent pocket playstyle, while giving veterans a chance to express the character to a stronger maximum.

Helping You, Helping Me

So what can be done?

There are a lot of builds that could go toward shifting what's been laid out above, but targeting the core issues would take some finesse and specificity, to ensure the Mercy player is being rewarded for participating, while also significantly downplaying the dependency on her teammates to even access that reward.

There's also a need to avoid simply eliminating the 'pocket' playstyle that is foundational to the character.

Every hero should be able to access multiple playstyles to better represent the variety of players that want to interact with that hero. More playstyles = more players playing the hero and the game.

I'm not about to go speaking for the community or even suggesting that there is a One True Build that could be implemented (even if I have my own theory on what direction to go in), but in directly tackling the above issues, there are some markers that we can follow to establish a stronger presence.

Allowing Mercy's Blue Beam to accumulate extra healing whenever her attached ally takes damage, would go a long way to expanding her healing output while attaching it to the execution of the kit.

At the same time, replacing the stark and lopsided nature of Damage Boost with a Movement Speed bonus, ramping Immunization against Status Effects, or even a Damage Transference to Mercy from the attached Ally (with appropriate Dmg reduction for the Mercy off this affect so she can absorb more), would go a long way to establishing much better decision-making and execution on the Mercy's part while eliminating a lot of the unclear measuring in her kit currently.

Resurrection, in all honesty, just needs to be replaced. It is too poorly designed to function well and the result is both unkind to enemies who work hard to secure that kill, and too kind to allies who will use it as an excuse to play poorly, knowing their is a 1UP waiting for them in the meantime.

Replace Resurrection, with something new; a summoned field that produces a small amount of healing + some additional effect (Immunization or Silencing on Status Effects, Anti-CC, Neutralizing Field for enemy placement effects like Immortality Field, Biotic Field, Inspire, etc.).

Additionally, allow Mercy to designate a spot on the map while her Staff is in hand (bound to reload) to summon a yellow life orb for Guardian Angel purposes. This gives her significantly more control over her own positioning and movement, without having to rely solely on the (often poor) positioning of her teammates.

These are, by no means, sure things or guaranteed to make the hero functional. They are builds that would need significant testing and structural adjustments, both numbers-wise and in application to ensure fair play.

But hopefully they serve as examples for what can be done about the hero, to not only move her into a more comfortable state, both as someone to play, but also?

As a Hero that doesn't deserve any of the vitriol and weird behavior often associated to her and, by extension, a lot of the players that like playing her.

[blackkat15]

WHAT DO YOU MEAN JAMES MAY KNOWS THAT ONLYFANS IS?!?!!??!?!?!?!!?

[y2ksnowglobe]

Um...is anyone else getting nervous that there might be a theme about the potentially irreversible impacts of trauma being set up when we look at the kiddads and um...then get really nervous about everything the teens have gone through and how that might relate to any futures they might have?

[manwholovescabins]

mama like i expected a polyamory storyline but not this… like what are we

[cinamun]

Me after reading the update:

Not Jayce pulling up with no hesitation and brought Eva too; The tea is scorching hot and I can’t wait.

Listen friend, Eva is DRIVING!! She said she wants the tea too! It feels like her and her mom aren't all that close, especially since she was so willing to believe Jay about his "auntie" and "uncle".

Either that, or Hope was correct about coming from the dad angle because as soon as Jay said Georgie you could hear the car start LMFAO

Good morning and please, for the love of all things holy, stay tuned because today..... Things™ are happening.

[postsfromthedark]

Hey um

Has

Has belos been using grimwalkers bodies to live for so long?

Is

Was he actively using Caleb's og body post-murder?

[ragingcitrustree]

I’m seeing a lot of new usernames here in wormblr.

The question that must be asked is: have we converted tumblrinas to the gospel of taylor hebert or are they redditors?

[niobiumao3]

After thinking about it, I suspect it's early in the series for a main cast member to be killed off. So my money is, unfortunately, on Cody, Howzer, and the other clones we just met. :( Basically, I suspect THEY will be the ones to free the other clones being held in Tantiss, who will then be instrumental in Rex, Gregor, and the Batch escaping while Tantiss burns. (Bonus points if Wolffe is in there and gets freed, then has to watch Cody and the others stay behind for some MAXIMUM pain.)

Which in turn would (once everyone is done grieving on Pabu) drive all of them into Clone Uprising stuff on a bigger scale.

This feels a bit more like where this is going: convincing Hunter that there is no safe Galaxy for any of them until the Empire is brought down, and making them all throw in with Rex et al.

This allows for a time lapse between S2 and S3, presumably on Pabu during which they recover and do small missions and Omega gets older.

So yeah that's my more serious take on where this is going. Set up to S3: Clone Uprising with an unfortunate loss of Cody and/or Howzer to bring home the point.