#I have no opinion on it I have no idea what's in the game

[dellamortethelesser]

I wasn't going to respond to this because I posted this weeks ago and it wasn't even really about an argument over whether it was canon or not, seeing as my original assertion WAS engaging with the text as though Ashur was the Divine. Ultimately, I do not view a single devnote as a statement on who the canon Divine is. If you do, that's your prerogative, but everything that has appeared within the game as we have it does not point unwavering to Ashur being the Divine.

Ashur saying that he's running into obstacles with a Knight-Commander who has support in the Magisterium doesn't imply that he's the Divine. It says that the Knight-Commander has support in the Magisterium and that is what's making it difficult to handle him. Tarquin adding that Knight-Commander Lenos answers to the Chantry COULD mean that Ashur works with the Chantry--but so does Tarquin, who is a Templar. It could also just be Tarquin suggesting an avenue of influence to get him out of the way.

The Venatori choose to execute the Viper in a Blighted Minrathous because he's a vigilante, Robin Hood-esque figure whom the lower classes and the slaves are rallying around as a freedom fighter. People in Docktown talk about him in awe. The people peddling newspapers are always reporting on him and his deeds; the Viper is a known figure. To kill the face of the revolution so publicly would damage morale to the point that you have killed the entire movement.

The Venatori note says that the Vesperians groomed Ashur to be Divine. The devs clearly left it open, but I feel like I would not write a whole sentence about the guy being a scion of such and such GROOMED to be the divine if the guy was actually the Divine. I'd just say he's the Divine. At best you can take this to mean that Ashur might be a candidate for Divine.

There are definitely hints in the game itself. It's left relatively open-ended but not fully confirmed. Frankly this doesn't matter if you view the devnotes as canon--at that point, our opinions on the matter are so disparate that there's not going to be a reconciliation as I do NOT view a devnote as a canon confirmation.

I think it's fun. I love it as a headcanon. I personally choose to believe that Ashur is the Divine because the implications for the Shadow Dragons and the building abolitionist movement in Minrathous are fun. Frankly this has left a rather sour taste in my mouth and I'd rather not see any more discussion on this post as it's taking away from my original point--which was ENGAGING WITH THE IDEA OF ASHUR AS THE DIVINE.

man. I forgot abt that Fenris banter. the one that sparks in act 3 if you approach the chantry. He literally says that the Imperial Chantry receives a tithe for every slave sold. Man if I was Ashur idk how I’d look at that—tangible proof about how the Chantry, the arm of the Maker—profits from slavery and find a way to fix it from the inside. Fuck man I’d take up vigilantism too

[im-a-little-kit]

i feel like the majority of the ppl here think dnp wont ever hardlaunch (for understandable reasons, e.g. accepting that they basically already have or seeing it as smth they wont ever explicitly confirm bc they either dont want to for whatever reason or dont feel the need to). but i live in a reality where the chance of them one day being like "oh btw we're a thing" in whatever way you might (no but seriously) imagine, all the way from a random tiny offhand comment to like. idk a whole ass video, is not zero which is a combination of epic and slightly terrifying

[d3lly1000]

I finally watched Sonic 3!!!!! (IT WAS ONE OF THE BEST EXPERIENCES OF MY LIFE)

I had been holding back so I could talk without worrying about spoilers, but I think I can now comment on my general opinion of the movie.

There will be spoilers, so you have been warned!

I’ll admit that I found the first act a bit rushed. I understand that they had a lot of characters to “reintroduce” and new ones to add (especially Shadow), but I felt a bit lost with what was happening—it was really convenient how the script handled a lot of things just to get to the point.

For example: Shadow attacking in Japan with no real explanation, Rockwell quickly finding Sonic and the others. Even Commander Walters showed up just to explain what happened in the past, only to die unexpectedly right after. Even though he's not a particularly memorable character, I felt like his death didn’t carry the weight it should have, even for Team Sonic who witnessed it.

There was also the fact that a lot of what happened in the first act had already been revealed in the trailers and TV spots, which kind of deflated my excitement, knowing what was going to happen. But as I said, things were happening so fast that I couldn’t process all the information right away! XD

I have to say, I absolutely love the interactions between all the characters. The relationships and how they were developed felt so unique to me. I’ve always had the headcanon that Knuckles, Tails, and Sonic acted like siblings, and in the movies, I got to witness that in a meaningful and very loving way (shoutout to Tails saving Sonic and Knuckles protecting them, my boys <3).

One of my favorite scenes is definitely the argument between Knuckles and Sonic, as it really shows their maturity. It shows how much they are changing with each movie, which is so valuable to me because it demonstrates that the characters are really learning from their experiences. In a franchise, this deepens their moral journey and enriches who they are — it’s truly wonderful.

Speaking of siblings, I can’t not talk about Maria and Shadow. Right from the beginning, I could already feel the heartache hearing Live and Learn in an acoustic version. I think for fans who know how iconic this song is for the franchise, the idea that MARIA COULD HAVE BEEN THE ORIGINAL COMPOSER of it (at least in the SCU) hits so hard.

The narrative of Shadow talking about Maria always moved me, and the film managed to emphasize what she meant to Shadow in such a sweet way. Seeing the scene where Shadow recalls the day of the accident and then carrying the Eclipse Cannon gave me chills.

The parallels between Sonic/Shadow and Tom/Maria were something I was really looking forward to! The franchise often makes these types of comparisons between characters, not just in the games but also in the movies. As I mentioned before, I think this makes everything richer — it gives you a new perspective and helps you understand the complexity of characters by revisiting the "same memory" through a different person. I love when they do that!

ABOUT THE FIGHT SCENES, ALL OF THEM. I was breathless! I have to confess I was cursing A LOT during the third act. It was so epic, something you wouldn’t even think you'd see! Super Form battles were such a great concept for the situation, seeing Sonic get so angry really fed my fan dream of seeing him want to destroy everything XDD. Shadow literally crushed him, both physically and mentally. He REALLY IS THE STAR of this movie. The whole year was his. And he delivered in every possible media!

((I screamed so much when they did the pose, Live and Learn, it was so epic.))

Jim Carrey’s performance is always amazing. I’m still stunned at how naturally Gerald and Eggman felt together. It really seemed like a completely different actor, and that’s insane! I think the only thing I wish we’d seen more of was scenes between Gerald and Maria in the past, but who knows, maybe they’re planning something for a "Shadow solo spin-off."

The light shines, even when the star dies. – I was already emotionally losing it inside, there were just so many things to process.

AND THE POST-CREDITS SCENE HAUSFHSAIFHGVSNUHGUSAHGUSAH

OK OK I’M >TOTALLY< NORMAL ABOUT MY BABIES

Literally my two FAVORITES showed up. METAL WILL BE THE MAIN VILLAIN, I have so many theories and DEFINITELY it will be an adaptation of Heroes and CD. I CAN'T WAIT to see him in action, the whole Artificial vs. Natural thing is something that really resonates with me in the rivalry between him and Sonic.

AND HAUSHFUASFHUASFH AMY MY GIRL!!!

She’s so cool, she appeared in SUCH A UNIQUE way, the cracked moon in the background, revealing herself by taking off the hood... I can’t wait to see her in 2027... I need it so much aaaaaaaaaaaaaaa

I definitely loved the movie a lot. I still want to rewatch it in English since I saw it dubbed in my language, but I think I’d give it an 8.5/10 or 9/10! YOU HAVE TO SEE THIS MOVIE!! I’m still shaking remembering the action scene sahufzahghaghs

[highlady-of-prythian]

Enchanted by Starlight ── ( prologue )

SUMMARY - In a world rules by the hierarchy of Alpha's and Beta's, Avaryce is on the run - and run she does, right into the Night Court where a certain pack is in need of an Omega.

Warnings: This is my first ever story on Tumblr. Mentions of runaways and abuse, and this story includes A/B/O. Not gonna be good, so brace yourselves.

Pairings: Inner Circle x OC

---

With each step I took away from my old life, the weight of expectation and abuse suffered at the hands of those who were supposed to be my "pack" fell away, leaving only uncertainty and adrenaline in its wake. The stars blinked down on me like old companions, and I couldn't help but let out a small exhale. I was free.

I had been on the run, I suppose you could say, for the past few days. The journey long and perilous. In truth I had no idea where I was going, only that I needed to get as far away as possible from my old pack, or what was supposed to be a pack.

I sigh, slinging down my backpack ducking behind a tree. If anything this would be a good place to rest for the night. The forest had become a part of me now. It enveloped me like a mother would her child. It felt comfortable, right, in a way that was inexplainable.

I found a rock next to the stump of tree I decided to rest behind and took a seat. I grabbed the bag digging through what little bit I had. I started off with a few protein bars and water, only to now end up with half a bottle of water, and maybe a crumb or two of protein bars that would make a mouse scoff in distaste.

Seems I need to head to a town, tommorow. The thought alone made shivers run up my spine. I had been careful thus far not to run into anyone. After all, I was an Omega. One that was now packless, and alone. There's likely two things Alpha's or Beta's would do to me if spotted: take me back to my original pack, or try to mark me as their own. And we'll, neither option is viable in my opinion, especially if they're as brutal as my previous pack was to Omega's.

Since the beginning of well...forever, Alpha's were known to take an Omega and mark them as territory in packs. And since the pack I was in previously was strictly familial, I wasn't yet marked by any bonded packs as theirs. Which means I am now practically free game to any pack that wants me . . .Yay. Not.

I didn't even know which court I was near anymore. I didn't have a map or a sense of direction. I simply booked it in the middle of the night three days ago. The thought alone makes me groan in annoyance. I should have planned this better, but after a particular beating, I realized I couldn't take it anymore, that I sshouldn't.

I was not some animal to be treated so unfairly. I wouldn't sit and be caged and look pretty only to be sold off to a cruel pack to sit and bare faelings, or pups. And I wouldn't. If there was a pack that could look past me being an Omega and see me for me then I would finally think about a life settling down. But until then, I would remain packless, and alone.

My thoughts are interrupted by the growling of my stomach. "Shit." I mumbled, tiredly. I hadn't realized when I shut my eyes, or when the stars fading into nothingness above me.

---

The next morning I set back off on my journey. The winds bristled past me whipping through my strawberry blonde hair. The void in my stomach only grew, and grew. I would need to eat something soon before Ipassed out. I gulped. That's the last thing I need.

I set a faster pace forward, keeping the negative thoughts down. There wasn't time for that. It wasn't until I caught a wiff of a delectable pumpkin pie that I finally paused. The aroma of the dish made my mouth water, and oh? The scent of whipped cream filled my senses.

I was nearing a clearing, and when I finally pulled back the last bit of brush in my way, I saw it. The Night Court. Or, well, Velaris: the City of Starlight. By legs didn't care as they led me down a steep hill towards that magnificent city. Its been years since they opened the border to outsiders. It won't be a suprise to see a new face, luckily.

I saw people walking, and talking with each other, the people seemed, peaceful. Much unlike what I saw growing up. The city felt alive and refreshing. As I walked past many streets and shops, onlookers seemed to pause and look at me. Not surprising: I probably look like a mad woman looking for this pie. But I couldn't care.

Not as the scent grew nearer and nearer, until there it was. A pie, sitting on the edge of a window sill. Steam wafted off of the pastry, and my mouthed opened slightly at the sight. In front of me was a building to a art studio where I could hear the laughter and voices of children inside. No one would notice a tiny bite being gone, right? I got closer to the pie, already tasting the deliciousness when the door to the studio opens.

My eyes widen as I run to the side of the building which just so happens to be an alleyway. Praying that no one had seen me. My scent was blocked off with scentblockers, so they couldn't tell that an Omega was near. "Huh, I swear I could have heard something." A sweet melodic voice mumbles.

"Probably a stray squirrel, Fey, nothing to fear. " A soft, sweet, voice says. "Oh! I almost forgot! The pie!" I ducked further into the alley before the voice drew to close. "Can't have the kids getting to hungry, right?"

"They'll love it, Elain." The voice, "Fey" states.

"You think?" The Elain girl questions.

"I know it!" Fey exclaims. "It's so sweet that you baked it for them, they must be starving." The sympathy in her voice makes me wanna gag at the thought that I was going to eat these kids' pie. "Come on."

When the door shuts, I lean on the building with a sigh. I need to be more careful. With scentblockers I will be fine for a while, but running up to the studio and acting like a deranged female was not a part of the plan.

And now the pie is gone.

A rack of guilt flowed through me. A pie that was meant for children. A gnawed on my fist and sighed. It didn't matter. I didn't get it, anyway. No harm done, right? Wrong. Suddenly, something sharp pointed at my ribs, and I stiffen. Oh, no. I'd been caught. And now I was going back to my old pack. My face paled. I can't go back. "Turn around." A sturdy male voice said. The voice sent shivers down my spine.

He voice was like a symphony of shadows. Dark and controlled. Alluring and hypnotizing. Deep and tempting. I mentally curse. Now isn't the time to get hormonal. I obliged the mystery man, taking my time to face the man with the blade. And when I do - when I see those delectable dark eyes, and the shadows that erupted from every which way from around him, it is only then that I realize how much shit I'm in. Maybe even more so than I was before I left in the first place.

[spyroforlife]

yeah Stobotnik is great and all but what's REALLY been plaguing my mind since Sonic 3 is Sonadow

I was always chill with it but was not invested enough (never played the games) to have that much of an opinion on it beyond "they're cute"

but I get it now

I get it

and I've been having Ideas that I may or may not do anything with. we'll see. but wow.. I love those silly hedgehogs

[wolfsong-the-bloody-beast]

@ghost-type-eevee

I can't believe somebody's actually asking for more of my rambling. That's so nice of you to say, though! Have a picture of Alistair with a lamppost I made in the DAO Toolset years ago, just because.

(Except, I don't think there are metal lampposts in Origins, so this one had to do, haha.)

As for Alistair and the Wardens, he definitely also thinks they're the good guys. Though with him, I think his beliefs come from a different dimension than Blackwall's and Wynne's.

Alistair is very young in Origins. He's 20 at best. Most importantly, though, the game gets extensively into how lonely his whole childhood was. How because he was a bastard child, he was given away to Arl Eamon as a little boy. How that was the only family he truly had back then, yet he wasn't even allowed to build a proper connection with him, because Eamon's wife didn't want him around. She was too worried he might make her look bad, and that was more important than the little boy's wellbeing. The old fool Eamon caved and gave him away. Yet again, he was abandoned. But even before that, he spent his time lonely, with Eamon's dogs for company. So, he ended up in the Chantry, undergoing training to be a templar, effectively trapped in an organization that he didn't like (And which he saw for what it was! How scary is that?), training for a job he didn't want to do. Awful place for a child. Even more awful when you know you might have to spend your whole life there. And you'd think he'd find friends there - surely there must have been other kids around his age? But coming from Arl Eamon, the other kids thought he was putting on airs, he said, so he was alone yet again. He grew up like this. Saying that it must have been absolutely miserable, probably doesn't even begin to cover it, I think.

And then... Duncan came and got him out. Impossible to imagine what that must have been like. Alistair makes it clear he genuinely believes that Duncan saved him, that he did it out of the goodness of his heart. Not only that, but Duncan also became his father figure. Among the other Wardens, he found friends, brothers. Finally, probably for the first time in his life, he had a social circle, he had company, friends. Duncan is the closest thing he'd ever had to a father. Finally, he wasn't alone.

And, in the end, what's more worthwhile than killing monsters, anyway? It sure beats decapitating terrified young mages.

But you know all that! However, I'm saying all this because... I think his opinions of the Wardens are heavily influenced by that. Especially that. The Wardens are the good guys, because that's how he's experienced them. The Wardens are friends and family. The Wardens make good things happen.

In comparison with Blackwall, though, Alistair is an actual Warden. He lives the reality of it. He saw Duncan kill Jory during the Joining ritual. He watched as the new recruits drank what's basically poison with a high chance of killing them. I don't think his ideas of the Wardens are as knightly as Blackwall's, but he still does have a high opinion of them. He would probably agree with Wynne, anyway. In part, I suppose, also simply because Alistair himself is a goody-two-shoes. And with him and the Warden being the only surviving Grey Wardens in Ferelden, who's going to be there to argue proper methods anyway?

Funnily enough, if you have Alistair as the Warden for Inquisition, it is his strong moral compass and common sense, his refusal to follow the principle that the Blight must be defeated by any means necessary, that helps put an end to Corypheus' plans and save whatever is left of the order at Adamant. He was the only one who protested agaist the Wardens making rather dubious allies, to say the least, to the point that the order started hunting him. Which led the Inquisitor to join forces with him, in the end. (Of course, the order also ends up hunting Stroud and Loghain, but I haven't had them in my game yet, so I can't speak for them.)

And yet! Despite all that, he still defends the Wardens in all the arguments they have with Hawke. He just wants the Wardens to be the good guys so much. And all things considered, I guess I can't blame him.

I'm kind of obsessed with Blackwall's idealized ideas about the Wardens. He was once picked up by a Warden and lulled by the promise of atoning for his crimes and turning his life around, only for that opportunity to slip away when the Warden not only saved him, but sacrificed his own life to do it. This whole experience makes our Blackwall become a Warden in heart, if not in blood, but with his own ideas of what a Grey Warden should be - noble, brave, inspiring, heroic, self-sacrificial. Everything he now wants to embody. He knows well that he's not there, but he wants nothing more than to start from scratch and be that.

In his beliefs, he reminds me a bit of Wynne in Origins who tells the Warden at some point that the Grey Wardens are supposed to be more than killing machines and weapons against the blight.

“There’s more to being a Grey Warden than killing darkspawn and saving the world from the Blight. Ultimately, being a Grey Warden is about serving others, about serving all people, whether elves or dwarves or men. As a Grey Warden, you are a guardian of men. And you guard them because their continued existence is more important than you are.”

However, we know that's not exactly how it works. That's what they want the Wardens to be. The light against darkness. The shield against monsters.

Although it's not entirely wrong, either, I suppose, all things considered. The more darkspawn they obliterate and push back, the more people are protected from them. Of course, sacrificing their lives to fight literal monsters, which means those same monsters don't eat everybody's kids, ultimately is heroic, and it's something that must have been born out of the need to protect the world and its inhabitants (from the Blight). But to have idealized opinions of the Wardens to this degree, you have to ignore all the other shady stuff and the mentality we, as players, also know the Wardens for. The fact that the Wardens are primarily weapons to slay darkspawn, prevent and end Blights, by any means necessary. The last part is important. After all, they are the Grey Wardens, not the White Wardens. They recruit from all walks of life and are famous for taking in criminals. Not to redeem themselves and get a second chance at life, but because they usually have nowhere to go and nothing left to lose. It's not a coincidence that each of the Origins gets chosen by Duncan, not only because he sees them as capable, but also because they are in a situation they can't escape from. Either they join the Wardens, or they're done for.

We know the Wardens from a few games now, but does the public in the setting even know? Does the average person have any idea how far the Wardens are willing to go? Besides grand stories of slaying monsters in the dark and preventing the end of the world? Probably not. The order is very secretive. And it explains a lot. The Wardens end up sounding almost romantic, when being a Warden is anything but. Is it ignorance talking out of these characters? Perhaps.

It once again shows us this aspect of Dragon Age where you can't take everything a character says as a fact, because the setting is full of people who have no idea what they're talking about, but who are absolutely convinced that they do.

And yet, I can't help but also like Wynne's and Blackwall's romantic ideas about what the Wardens are or should be, almost knights in shining armour and all that. They're fairy tales, but they're beautiful fairy tales. And I can't fault the characters for wanting to believe it or even live it. Especially in case of Blackwall, who sees it as a way to make up for the crimes he committed, somewhat. In the end, this might actually be a bigger draw to join the Wardens than, "Got nowhere to go? Come suffer horribly and probably die gruesomely with us!" It all sounds great on paper, though. I can't fault Davrin for trying to find purpose in life by becoming a monster hunter, either.

And maybe a little bit of idealism doesn't hurt. Not only it's good motivation, but in the end, doing things by "any means necessary" doesn't always pay off, either. It led the Wardens into all kinds of trouble, like getting tricked into employing dangerous forms of blood magic and demon summoning, basically into doing their enemy's work for them. In their determination to win at any cost, they helped trigger a cataclysmic event. Maybe having some principles isn't so bad after all.

In the end, I can appreciate that we get to see the clash of the old and new blood in Veilguard, where there's hope for the order to transform into an organization that's less secretive, less exclusive, and hopefully less prone to letting corruption spread through its ranks and make other devastating mistakes. Duncan once said that letting people join the Wardens isn't an "act of charity", and I like how Evka and Antoine go, "Yeah, you know what? Fuck that." And that likely inspires more loyalty. I imagine Blackwall would like that.

[horrorknife]

i keep seeing people unsure of how to interpret polle and the polle-anya relationship and it’s really pretty simple!

polle is the face to pony express. he’s a capitalistic figure—jimmy makes the comment about being “sexually excited at the sight of cartoon horses” because a) it’s technically workplace harassment and foreshadowing of him raping anya, b) it’s something he says because he knows the psych evals never get looked at, and c) polle’s face is mocking him at literally every corner on the tulpar. it’s pretty clear that working for pony express in any position is a shit job.

anya and the fetus are represented by a pony or by polle/polle amalgams. this has less to do with the widespread idea that jimmy doesn’t see anya as a person and more to do with the fact that he’s hiding behind his guilt and shame because it’s something he can’t make up an excuse for, as well as the fact that the entire situation is born of capitalism. the baby itself is a product of capitalism. if jimmy were not aboard the tulpar and curly hadn’t broken the news about them being fired so early, the assault and pregnancy could have been avoided.

jimmy wholly blames the rape on the loss of his job—anya is the only time in his hallucinations that a character is not represented with their own face. he feels EXTREMELY guilty about daisuke, and this is apparent when jim starts hallucinating the tombstones and the flowers and even daisuke himself. he’s open with himself about this because he believes daisuke’s death can be pinned on swansea instead of himself (even though he is the one truly responsible for it). with anya, jimmy can’t redirect blame. so it’s easier to overwrite her face and presence as the thing he thinks he can blame All Of This On. and to a point, that’s true—capitalism is the antagonist of mouthwashing—but not to the point jimmy wants to believe. he has to take responsibility for the things he did, trapped like a wild animal or no, and he can’t do it even up to the end.

anya is markedly NOT represented by polle in his birthday party hallucination—she’s cheering him on and calling him “our captain”. it’s clear that he valued her (and everyone else’s!) opinion of him and he’s so ashamed to have skewed that. it’s also him living his dream of having what curly has. the reason they’re all kind to him in that scene is because he really does, in the moment, think that what he’s doing/about to do is right.

it also makes sense that he’d break the polle statue; it’s motion activated and it talks, and it’s basically like having a big, speaking, motion activated statue of ronald mcdonald in the mcdonald’s break room. polle is inescapable, he’s everywhere, and jimmy fucking hates what he stands for. he blames everything on everyone else, but most of all, he’s content to put every ounce of blame onto pony express. (this also impacts the way he treats anya—pony express is cutting corners by hiring an unqualified nurse. i don’t agree w how he talks to her, obviously, but i can understand the frustration of not wanting to be treated by someone with no actual certification.) it’s why mouthwashing is so good, it’s why jimmy’s character is so good. mouthwashing is a game about how capitalism affects your humanity!!!! how you can be driven to do crazy things in crazy situations!!!

[vigilskeep]

Harker, I need your help. I’ve been stuck on Emmrich’s Lich choice for the past two days. I have no idea what to do, or what my character would say, I keep on going back and forth. You’re my last resort I’m on the verge of polling friends and family. Im not asking for a a judgement call here but like. Do you have opinions…

MGHSJSKK

i went back and forth on this decision for a few minutes myself. i think it’s a good personal quest choice in that there are reasonable reasons to take both sides

for sol, i had been veering on the side of pro lich earlier in the game because sol didn’t have strong feelings about it and also honestly didn’t feel like they were close enough to emmrich to dissuade him from a treasured ambition. but then it became about saving manfred, and in sol’s crow brain that translated to a question about loyalty and power. abandoning a protege who sacrificed himself for you so you can achieve greatness? in sol’s head, that’s a betrayal. and while they typically accept betrayal as a natural part of the world, it suddenly hurt to imagine even emmrich capable of it. so they argued for manfred

hard to say what YOU should do without knowing more about your rook. uhh i think lich route is fun for rooks who are really dedicated to the traditions, sacrifices, and duties of a particular faction, who believe in emmrich accepting a loss to reach this role in the necropolis. (i’ve always thought it would be fun for a thorne, as in banters davrin is cool with the lich choice for similar reasons.) how emotionally attached is your rook to manfred. what’s your rook’s stance generally on weird and dangerous magical rituals. does your rook value goals in life and have one of their own they wouldn’t want to give up either. etc

[watarfallar]

Incorrect quotes because I haven't posted in a while

Scar: BWWAAAAAAAAAA! Oh, you hear that? That's the wrong opinion alarm. Grian: That is not something you actually have installed. Scar: Sorry, say again? I couldn't hear you over my alarm that YOU SET OFF with your WRONG-ASS OPINION.

Grian, ordering Starbucks: Hey, I just got my heart broken, what do you recommend? Scar, who’s running the drive thru: … Scar: Tequila.

Scar: You can do it Grian! Scar: But if you can't, at least your death will be quick, painless, and really cool to watch.

Scar: casually taking four stairs at a time Grian, falling behind, taking two stairs at a time: Fuck you fuck you fuck you fuck you fu-

Scar: Grian, I am nothing if not a man of principle. Scar: Now let’s break into this apartment.

Grian: When I die I want Scar to lower me into my grave so they can let me down one last time.

Scar: One time I went to hand Grian a bowl of soup. I wanted to say “Careful, it’s hot!”, and “Here’s your soup!”, so instead I blurted out “Careful it’s soup.”

Scar: I have an idea. Grian: A good idea? Scar: Let's not get ahead of ourselves.

Scar: I hate to say ‘I told you so’— Grian: No, you don’t. You would marry 'I told you so’ and have a baby with it and buy adjoining burial plots.

Grian: Fine! I don't give a shit! Scar: You seem to give a lot of shit for someone who claims not to give a shit.

Scar: If there are no questions, we’ll move on to the next chapter. Grian: I have a question. Scar: Certainly, Grian. What is it? Grian: What’s the point of human existence? Scar: I meant any questions about the subject at hand. Grian: Oh. Grian: Frankly, I’d like to have the issue resolved before I expend any more energy on this.

Scar: You… you saved me. You're not a beast at all. YOU'RE A HERO, AN UGLY UGLY UGLY HERO! Grian: Call me ugly again, and maybe I will eat you.

Scar: Your Honor, I hereby submit the following to the court: Scar: Grian, what the actual FUCK?

Scar: Grian, can I ask you a question? Grian: Sure, anything. Scar: Why don't you go back to your own house and leave us alone?

Grian: Go big or go home! Scar: Please, for once in your life just go home. I'm begging you. Go. Home. Grian: I'm going big!

Scar, playing a video game: This game is so frustrating! I hate it, I hate it, I hate it! Grian: Ok, I think it’s time to turn off the game for a little while. Scar: But I’m having fun!

Grian: What are you up to today? Scar: Nothing. Grian: But you did that yesterday! Scar: I wasn’t finished.

Scar: I got an idea! Grian: Does it involve breaking the law? Scar: By now don’t you think that’s a given? Grian: I was just trying to be optimistic. Scar: Don’t bother.

Grian: What’s your greatest weakness? Scar: Interpreting the semantics of a question, but ignoring the pragmatics. Grian: Could you give an example? Scar: Yes, I could.

Grian: Scar… Scar: I can tell by the tone of your voice that you are disappointed. Alas, I must further disappoint you by affirming how little I give a fuck.

Grian: I wish I had more enemies. Scar: I’m sure you will someday, honey.

Grian: I am the most responsible person in the group. Scar: …You just set the kitchen on fire. Grian: Yes, and I take full responsibility for that.

[kittenintheden]

word.

and I think, perhaps, Larian was VERY aware that when they went in the direction of giving him a history of profound abuse and sexual trauma, they also possibly considered that having an "evil" and "corrupt" character who sold people to slavery/their deaths would probably give rise to the narrative that he "got what he deserved." which is. you know. a real shitty position.

they didn't NEED that background to make him a complex character with a ton of nuance. he already is. he already starts the game as a self-serving liar with a disdain for acts of service that don't serve him, personally. and the root of that is in the trauma he endured and the fact that he spent 200 years having any compassion forcibly wrung from him, which the player can choose to worsen or redirect. which makes for a MUCH more interesting narrative in my opinion.

it is always MUCH more interesting to me to explore the idea that we ALL have the capacity for good and evil in us and that it's our choices that matter. even BG3's villains, while unquestionably evil, have nuance. trying to prove themselves to daddy and always feeling shunted aside, extreme loss and loneliness, being sent to literal hell and having to survive, etc.

the game about making choices is about the choices you make! wild!

anyway dmbakura! yes! thank you for this.

not to astarion discourse again but bg3 gotta be the fandom that agonizes over cut content in the game the most. there's a reason studios usually don't share their early builds or writing drafts. it creates a lot of false expectations and disappointment when things don't turn out as "promised" (even though they're not really promised, it's just a stage of going through revisions.)

like yeah of course interesting stuff gets cut all the time, usually for cost reasons ie the scope turns out to be too big to pull off, but a lot of the time it gets cut because it just isn't working or they figure out another direction they wanna take.

anyways, with astarion I always find it fascinating when people are like "he was meant to be a lot more evil/his characterization shifted so much from early access" when like... no? he was a *tiefling* at one point in development too, but I barely see anyone bring up that fact to say he isn't actually meant to be a high elf. i see so much "he sold people to cazador/had a more evil backstory/was a lot more corrupt/was meant to be more evil in early access" when most of these things aren't even necessarily true, they're just extrapolations based on very early information about the character. and being true at one point in development doesn't mean they're going to carry that into the final game.

so to me it comes across like people are more willing to examine astarion as a character from this framework that basically doesn't exist anymore, instead of actually looking at what is in the game. like idk, i don't think flimsy early development stuff supercedes astarion's story as it is written in the release version of bg3. I don't think people's headcanons based on an earlier version of the character are a fair way to judge the finalized version. it's like a "the grass is always greener" mentality. it's so easy to say "it would have been better of they kept him like this" but the fact of the matter is you don't know if it would have been. that's purely speculation!

[edenorisshitposting]

I'm seeing a lot of posts about how we should listen to Jewish voices when it comes to harry potter game antisemitism, but not a lot of posts by Jewish people about the harry potter game...

[lucabyte]

On autonomy, and what it means to be Obliged to Help.

Bonus:

[egophiliac]

I love ur twst pokemon au but I have exactly one complaint: Lilia doesn't have a Noivern

Mr pop rock bat without the sound bat??? Seems like a crime of some kind

(This is intended to be all lighthearted sorry if it comes off as otherwise!!!)

thanks! :> it's a boring reason, but I didn't give him one because it's not, like, a real AU or anything with full teams; it's just me drawing the guys with some pokemon according to a couple of arbitrary rules I made up! I wanted to keep it to just one or two each, and I was already pushing it by giving him three, so. 🤷 if you want him to have a Noivern, he can have a Noivern in your heart!

[dykedvonte]

One of my mutuals opinions is the "bro code" thing, that Curly is one of those guys who wouldn't care about the victim because the perpetrator is his friend and I'm really banging my head on the wall like that other anon. I've only played through the game once but Curly's behaviour/reactions etc read completely different from the "bro code" thing and I have to wonder if my mutual and I even played the same game.. like the constant digs at him from Jimmy, his body language in his face reveal and so on like you mentioned in your post. While this game is a little different obviously, it kind of reminded of a point in Alice Madness Returns that makes it very clear that Alice's pain blinded her to the abuse of the other children and her failure to act earlier because of it. Curly is guilty of a similar inaction but it doesn't change the fact he was a victim of Jimmy too. I don't think I can look at it any other way because both of these games have really stuck with me.

I genuinely think it really is the idea that people want a simple easy to blame problem and the idea that the only relatable victims of abuse are those that "surpass" it or do a lot to help others. When it comes to victims, especially those that don't fit the typical demographics, who either accidently perpetuate it, enable it or aren't ideal in some way shape or form, people jump to ignore what they went through as it's easier than dealing with those conflicting sentiments.

The bro-code conversation in Mouthwashing stems from a concept I generally dislike that there had to be something about Curly that made him meet or keep being friends with someone like Jimmy. I think people genuinely underestimate how many like decent and good people just know an asshole or are friends with someone who is really bad outside of their view/established dynamics. The game makes it clear none of the inaction against Jimmy is because of a lack of care, it is a lack of understanding from the privaleged postions they have as men to not have to worry about what Anya does/went through and the type of extremes men like Jimmy will go through to cover it up. They are all too preoccupied in their own strifes.

Another thing I see being oversaturated the idea that you have to be a freak, misanthrope or have a disorder to do the thing Jimmy does. The game is an escalation, it's a spiral that I don't see people comment on that Jimmy was not likely having the mood swings and episodes of rage/frustration we were seeing in the game. This is after they all start experiencing the worst moments in their lives that he got THAT openly bad. Of course, this is just my interpretation but much like in real life, people that go to extremes like that usually live mundane lives. It's a pressure cooker affect to where the stress made them pop. It's self inflicted but still the case.

I really think people need to be more willing to acknowledge that not everything needs to be an extreme or in black and white or easy to understand. It doesn't need to be happy or have an answer or solution, especially in the cases where the abused sadly helps perpetuate what they experience. It's not he should've known better from experience or shouldn't he have known what could've happened because victims tend to not like to think in matters of the worst. Not to mention, especially in cases of abuse where it feels so personally directed that you don't expect to happen to someone else.

[toxintouch]

I am headcanoning Mhin's monster transformation as being related to their emotions (as in: transformation can be triggered by very strong emotions) SO HARD lately.

It would add an extra layer to Vere constantly trying to piss them off that just ⋆˗ˋˏ Makes Sense ˎˊ˗⋆ to me.

Vere is intrigued by the MC, describing them as "not quite human, not quite monster".

Is it safe to assume that Vere felt similarly intrigued by Mhin? That he picked up on that, smelled it on Mhin when they first met, only to have Mhin stab him on sight? And now Vere is constantly pushing at their raw nerves to try and get a Monstrous reaction out of Mhin... It would add an extra layer to their dynamic that I love to consider.

Alternate theory: The transformation is more werewolf-esque and it's related to something that can be astronomically observed. & that's how Mhin started up their stargazing hobby?? But it's kinda cuter if they just enjoy that for it's own sake, amiright?

P.S. if ur wondering how Vere knows about the emotions trigger he knows bc he can Do That Thing

[dana-chan-the-control-brain]

Where's my unhinged Sun?

And not in a murder, manipulation yandere way.

I mean in a constantly screaming, foot in mouth, horribly passive aggressive, can't hide his emotions crying if a music shaker knocks over kinda way.

This man couldn't manipulate his way out of a paper bag.

His daycare only has ONE rule because he has no boundaries with anything and is just desperate for attention to be on him.

Where's my unhinged Sun?

The Sun that screams at you.

The Sun who, is very forward in his actions about what he wants even if he doesn't explicitly explain himself. (Constantly grabbing Gregory if he moves one foot away from him cus he doesn't want him to find the security desk or turn the lights off or leave his sight)

The Sun that throws children out of the Daycare if they piss him off to literally die.

He has the mental stability of a fainting goat.

I do think these traits are just a result of being abandoned for so long....

But I just think that he's always had these issues. So even if the story takes place before or after the events of Security Breach, I do think he should still exhibit some of those behaviors. Even if to a lesser extent.

I think the idea steamed from, "oh he works with children so he's good at manipulating kids to do what he needs them to do" hahahaha... No he's not. He can't hold Gregory in place for five seconds before he gets ignored and Gregory goes awall. And the messages in the dufflebags claim kids are scared of Sun as well as Moon. It's both of them.

Everytime I see Sun act with some level of level of passive agressive master manipulation like he's Kira or something....

Cool characterization. Appreciate it. Like to see a new side of him cus there's not much to work from in the games.

Not my Daycare Attendent tho.