#I'm no expert on game lore but yeah

[pianokantzart]

What do you think of Movie! Peach in comparison to Game! Peach?

Honestly? They're quite different from each other, and yet at the same time I really like them both.

I truly have a soft spot for videogame Peach. She is a big soft huggable ball of sugar. She's bright eyed, giggly, girly, and leans in to her girliness hardcore and without shame. She gives cheek kisses, sends cute little hand-written notes, plans parties, and bakes cakes for all her friends! She's tenderhearted, soft spoken, and slow to fight unless it's absolutely necessary. She's a big, pink, frilly, bright-eyed doll of a princess.

Anyone who sees this behavior from the outset might assume that these traits make her childish, and though she is fun-loving, that couldn't be further from the truth! She's a competent and beloved ruler! She runs a tight ship, and will absolutely put her foot down when necessary, and I feel like we need more characters like that– characters who are fun, and silly, and lighthearted, and competent, all while being unashamedly girly.

However, it is important to keep in mind that Game Peach and Movie Peach have different backgrounds. Game Peach has had Mario around to watch her back since almost the very beginning, and... depending on the game/canon... a father figure in Toadsworth to turn to when she needs advice. Movie Peach, up until the very recent arrival of Mario, was the sole guardian of The Mushroom Kingdom, and though she was raised by The Toads she has adopted something of a maternal role toward them despite still being fairly young herself.

Peaches' different relationships with their respective Bowsers also has an impact on their personalities. While Game Peach has to put up with Bowser's kidnappings, outbursts, and shenanigans, he is mostly just a temperamental prick who can't accept "no" for an answer. Meanwhile, Movie Bowser is a raging sociopath who has a long history of being sworn enemies with Princess Peach. Now... much to her confusion and dismay... that hatred has suddenly been turned on its head into terrifying infatuation. Bowser can and will destroy everything she loves if he thinks it'll put him in a position of power over her. I mean, he caught her being friendly with some guy for 5 seconds, and proceeded to try and nuke her entire kingdom over it.

Though Movie Peach is thankfully still feminine and sweet, she's got an edge to her that comes from a heavy weight of responsibility she has had to bear herself. Unlike her game counterpart, she has had no chance to relax and unwind... though that may change now that she's allies with Mario and Luigi. Let the poor girl breathe for a change. TL;DR

Videogame Peach is the extroverted best friend who throws and attends a lot of parties and brings the most delicious home-made muffins to book club, all while somehow being on honor roll and maintaining a perfect sleep schedule.

Movie Peach is the mom friend who is ever vigilant, always notices when something's gone wrong/someone's not feeling well, and is as ridiculously resourceful as she is sympathetic.

[feiofthefae]

wait so what else is up with awoken amethyst besides the reflection thing

oh boy oh boy oh boy do I have an essay for you! it's mostly irl nerd stuff, but!!

Awoken amethyst is nothing like amethyst from Earth! Actual amethyst is almost always purple [but can have blue as a secondary hue], usually has color zoning and belongs to the hexagonal crystal family. Awoken amethyst is blue, has no color zoning, and has a pentagonal structure [which doesn't occur naturally]. Also, a lot of it hums and glows!

It is so unlike actual amethyst that it has been compared to a variety of other gems/minerals, including azurite, fluorite, tanzanite, sodalite/lapis lazuli and agate. So far, the Oracle Engine seems to be the main exception:

"But some of it looks purple. Why is that?" Good question! From what I've seen, it comes down to lighting and backlighting. In the Confluence and Blind Well, Awoken amethyst looks purple in the shadows but is blue when you step back. In The Corrupted strike and seasonal areas like the Coil, it's the opposite - it's purple from afar yet blue up close. The Last Wish raid shows it in purple backlighting at first, before giving way to its true color (blue).

Something something "nothing is as it seems," I suppose.

There is one more exception besides the Oracle Engine, however. And I think it's an interesting one. At the very back of Harbinger's Seclude, by the statue of the first Awoken queen Alis Li, the arches are clearly purple and resemble polished irl amethyst. What does it mean? I have no idea, I'm not a lore expert. But I wouldn't be surprised if it did mean something.

Other than that, I only know the standard lore stuff about Awoken amethyst. It's a symbol of Awoken royalty, it can be created thru Awoken favor, Techeuns use it to enhance their powers, it was once given as diplomatic gifts to Eliksni, so on and so forth. And yes, Mara did wish for the Dreaming City to be built out of amethyst.

Being a rockhound and aspiring mineralogist [and Awoken lore enthusiast], I'm always on the lookout for amethyst-related lore, but this is all I've got at the moment lol. Also I don't know if I actually answered your question but thank you for the Ask!!

Here is a screenshot of my Hunter as a token of my appreciation:

[txttletale]

what are some things you like about fnv?

so much! i like the character writing, i think every companion is well-written and compelling--i like the extremely tight and overarching but (mostly) unforced focus on theme. 'let go, begin again' gets said verbatim maybe a bit too much in dead money but it's also the theme of all the other DLC and every individual companion quest and the most popular of the four main story paths and i think that kind of broad coherence really shines. i love the quest and world design, i love how many different skills will pop up in conversation because it lets you genuinely roleplay, getting the option to e.g. tell dog the cage must be locked from the inside or bypass difficult combat encounters because you have a high lockpicking skill makes you feel like your character is an expert lockpicker in a way that just being able to get optional loot sometimes just doesn't--i love how you will be directed to important or interesting locations from multiple quests, how all these places interconnect.

and i also deeply love how fnv's world is a world of history and people, not of facts and lore. you can kill caesar and kimball and their factions don't just explode without them--and you will hear multiple, contradictory takes from people in the world about how those deaths will impact those factions. if you kill caesar, house says it won't matter at all, boone says he has successors, ulysses and some NCR guys say it'll collapse the legion, and you never really get to know for sure. and so much about the world is like this, stuff you can get endless perspectives on and no single authoritative 'neutral' information. and in that line i love how the world is more than those people! how the world is much more than you., as impactful as the courier can be, the world reacting and moving and changing is prioritized over absolute player freedom to Experience Content--i love that, for instance, if you're vilified by the NCR before House gives you the quest to protect kimball, he just says "they're not going to let you get close to them, we'll just have to let him die" and then you can't do that quest and kimball dies! little shit like that makes new vegas' world feel real instead of warping around wikis and lore bibles and the protagonist.

so yeah i like a lot about fnv! i am a bit more vocal about my criticisms just bc quite frankly i think all of the things i like are things most people like and i see people saying basically all of this every time the game is brought up while i don't see people talk about the stuff i think is weird/bad as much. and i'm naturally inclinced to like, say whatever i think my more original trhoughts are so i'm not just adding to a chorus. but i do love fnv a lot

[knickynoo]

Well, I was sufficiently enabled for the idea, so here it is: ✨Alex P. Keaton's Top Neurodivergent Moments✨

The funny thing is that the amount of time I put into scrolling through my encyclopedic mental inventory of Family Ties scenes, compiling these moments in a list, making gifs, and finding past gifsets/analysis to link back to makes creating this post one of my most neurodivergent moments. Good for me.

These will be organized by season (easier for me than trying to rank on a scale) and are in no way ALL of the moments. I'd need like...15 posts for that. Also, tumblr only allows 30 images/gifs per post, so I'm going to include links to past posts when possible.

ENJOY!

• Alex gets his first-ever failing grade and immediately decides to quit school

Exactly what it says. Alex strolls into college all bright-eyed and confident and ends up a broken shell of a guy just a week or so later. The prototypical Gifted Kid from the moment he learned to speak, Alex cannot handle anything less than perfection. Getting the first F of his life shatters his entire self-image, and he wants to drop out of college entirely.

• Alex's friend Doug announces he's getting married, and Alex spirals into despair. As one does.

The entirety of the "Best Man" episode is one big Alex displaying neurodivergent behaviors moment, honestly. There are a whole lot of Alex-centered plots that are set into motion because A Change happens, and he just cannot deal with it, and this is one of the best examples. Alex is so distraught at the suddenly altered dynamic that he wanders the house like a lost soul—sad and confused and needy. He walks in on Steven's shower just to give him a hug, offers to go shopping with Mal and play dolls with Jen, and also draws up a seven-year contract for his other friends to sign to ensure they stick to their regularly scheduled card games, lest they also run off to get married and destroy his life.

• Alex P. Keaton: child development expert

When faced with the news of another sibling on the way, Alex has some very nurturing advice at the ready for when the baby is crying.

• The Keatons all laugh at a funny story. Alex is not amused.

This is one of my favorite Alex scenes of the series. Uncle Rob shares a memory of the time Steven was young and got in trouble because he started rebelling against the system and refused to write his name in the designated spot on his school test papers. The family shares a hearty laugh. Alex, king of black-and-white thinking and lover of rules, is deeply upset.

I love him so much. He genuinely cannot see how they're enjoying such a story. The Name Spot is for names. And his father dared to write in the Not For Names Spot?? Jail for Steven.

He's so ridiculously autistic.

• Alex's favorite childhood toy

It was a cardboard box. I can't quite put into words why this sets off my ND radar, but it does. Maybe it's the being attached to unusual items thing that's common with autism? The intense fixations that make other people go ????

The Alex and Ba-ba plotline provides some wonderful Alex Lore.

• Mr. Mustache

Yeah, those intense fixations? In the "Fool for Love" episode, Alex grows a mustache and legitimately cannot speak about anything else for the several days that follow. He's asked to present a speech at Mallory's homecoming dance and centers his entire speech around his mustache. He's unable to have a conversation that doesn't involve mustaches. It's incredible.

• Everything in "Matchmaker"

Alex is so sweet in this one. After Mallory comes home crying after a bad date, Alex promises to help her find a great guy. Unfortunately, putting someone who struggles socially and with processing emotions in charge of your love life isn't exactly a great fit. Alex uses the power of science to craft a formula to find Mallory's perfect match (he isn't), then tags along on their date and helps foster a very natural environment (it isn't) for the relationship to flourish (it doesn't).

The episode ends with a great scene between Alex and Mallory that shows just how well Mal understands the inner-workings of her big brother's head.

• Divorce is tough. Alex has some advice.

The Keaton kids are shocked to learn that their Uncle Rob is divorcing their Aunt Maureen. As Jen and Mallory reel from the information, Alex helps to reframe things.

He then pulls out the Special Interest Card and compares the divorce of their aunt and uncle to a "failed merger, not unlike the breakup of the phone company—although obviously less emotional. Nothing more than a natural fluctuation in the marketplace of love and marriage."

And the thing is, he IS impacted by the news. He just hasn't the slightest clue how to actually process it. So, a simple failed merger it is!

• You had one job

Mallory needs some croissants for a fancy get-together she's having with her poetry class. Alex helpfully offers to go pick them up.

Now, I debated about this one because there's part of me that's like, "Hmm, did Alex purposely do this to annoy Mallory?" Is this just a jerk move? But you know what? It stays on the list because the whole "I personally don't like this thing and struggle to see how anyone else could. Therefore, I will get the thing I like" is (for me) a relatable aspect of being ND.

• Every single second of "A, My Name is Alex"

For real, though. This episode is a deep dive into how Alex became the person he is, and it is FILLED with "flashbacks" of an intensely neurodivergent child whose issues were made worse by the people around him. (Mostly teachers and peers. Steven and Elyse did their best with him, but I do also have some critiques of the way they parented him). Anyway, he represses his emotions to the point of a meltdown

And then there's this

Full coin gifset here. Also, I made posts on the full episode, which can be found here and here.

• "Alex has a weird body"

That's Mallory's explanation to Andy as to why Alex can't help her when she needs someone to model one of her latest clothing creations. She says Alex's head is too big for his body, and those words, unfortunately, find their way back to him. In a mini plot reminiscent of the mustache one, Alex proceeds to obsess over the comment.

And I mean, I think being told your head is too big for your body would make anyone insecure, but it's the way Alex handles it. He's unable to have regular conversations for a while because he can't stop fixating on the size of his noggin'.

Both of the "Read it and Weep" episodes fit in this list, to be honest

• An accurate statement by Lauren

I've got to include this because it really does neatly condense a lot of who Alex is

So true, bestie.

And then, to wrap this whole thing up, there's all of this

And this is just what I can fit in this here post without going over the limit lol. Obsessed with the way MJF played Alex.

Thanks for reading ✌️

This is me with Alex, btw

[cometrose]

Here is your one (1) free pass to yap about the stupid ass adeptus gang and their shenanigans (i love zhongli having been the Tired Responsible One for his entire life... he would 100% buy/have been gifted the 'proud mother of a couple of dumbass kids' shirt)

zhongli and his adepti are like one of my favorite bands of characters alongside itto and his arataki gang they are so funnyy

the adepti appear to be very serious and strict which they are but they are also insane???? Part of the story as a whole is to show that the divine aren't too different from humans and this includes the adepti.

Streetward Rambler and Guizhong arguing about music so Morax had to take away the bell after Cloud Retainer tattled? Cloud Retainer lending Moon Carver and Mountain Shaper her cooking device that they still haven't given back? Or that one time Cloud Retainer built a snowmobile with Guizhong and Ping before Moon Carver crashed it and it took hours to dig him out of the snow? All 3 of the so called elite adepti and even the god of liyue himself trying to help some kid reconcile with his father?

the adepti are all very unserious very much freaks of nature.

I think about the Yakshas as well especially Menogias, poor guy was born to style forced to slay. It's funny how his designs were so intricate that none of the fellow yakshas wanted to wear it but he was so stubborn about it that even Rex Lapis couldn't change his mind. In fact there is not enough Morax and his yakshas lore. Like please i beg every day for Zhongli to talk about people in his past. I know he wont but I want to believe anyway.

A part of me believes that once Zhongli quit being the geo archon and moved to the harbor, cloud retainer, moon carver and mountain shaper had a terrible case of empty nest loneliness. We all know how that turned out for Xianyun but I expect it's only a matter of time before the other 2 come closer to the harbor as well. Perhaps to follow Zhongli around like lost ducklings.

In one of Xianyun's character stories, Zhongli had a commission for consultancy but he was busy and just sent her to do it. I'm gonna tear up but the idea that Zhongli knew this task would be perfect for her and just sent her on her way is just the cutest.

Also in her voiceline for Zhongli, when she told him she was coming to the harbor he basically gave her a shopping list of things to do and how to arrange her home. I love the idea of Zhongli stepping into Cloud Retainer's new house and just instantly moving the furniture to ensure proper Feng Shui. Like the list was so extensive that CR got overwhelmed -like her of all people- getting overwhelmed with knowledge is amusing.

Moon Carver is one of Rex Lapis disciplines so its clear that even amongst the older adepti that Zhongli is a still a teacher and won't hesitate to lecture them. These days I am sure he trying to be a more relaxed person but old habits are hard to break.

I haven't even talked about Zhongli and Xiao which are my favorite dynamic in the entire game I love when they are together. But Zhongli slowly trying to get Xiao to open up and experience the beauties of life and get closer to humanity every lantern rite I might weep. Like lying about stupid sesame seed oil last year and now hes flying kites this year, Zhongli is playing some incredible 5D chess to get Xiao to visit him more without explicitly saying it. BECAUSE he knows if he tells Xiao to see him he will but he doesn't want to force Xiao to come he wants him to come on his own means.

Kind of reminds me how Zhongli keeps birds. Ya know he has like bird cages where he keeps birds which he then takes around but based on his disposition I believe Zhongli is an expert and keeping birds to stay. Just building them homes and cages and of course he lets them come and go freely but some of them find his homes so nice that they decide to stay with him. So yeah I think Zhongli is deliberately treating Xiao like a bird that will return to him by his own means.

Anyway I would love love loveeee to put all the adepti in a room and just watch them work. Like CR, MC and MS are bound to start an argument while Xiao tries to linger in the corner, Ganyu tries to attend to all of them while Ping and Zhongli just laugh in the chaos.

Damn, the fact I haven't seen Ganyu and Zhongli interact since the Liyue archon quest is a crime, they are the only Zhongli relationship that I am craving to see (other than zhongli neuvillette). I want to believe it is just because Ganyu would blow his cover instantly. She would have to bite her tongue to avoid calling him Rex Lapis.

Speaking of Ganyu the fact one of the first thing CR says about her is that she was once so fat she rolled down as hill? Or in Zhongli's voicelines he implies she is stronger or even fiercer than she looks so much so that she would be embarrassed by his lack of delicacy when describing her.

I have mentioned this is another post but it's kind of sweet how much the adepti like Zhongli. He is more than their god but also a very treasured companion and friend. First he always calls them his friends ("a friend approaches" AND THEN XIAO APPEARS). But like god forbid you are rude to him because they would storm off or snap at you (Xiao and Xianyun). Don't disrespect him or they'll hate you for years (Ganyu). But at the same time he is a friend that eats dinner with them during Lantern Rite or a friend they make fun of for making square cups.

Of course I imagine there is a lot of respect in their relationship and a noticeable power imbalance. I kind of imagined that with becoming "Zhongli" Morax not wanted only to become closer to humanity but also bridge the gap between himself and the adepti. Show them not only the beauty of a world led by humans but also to come to them not as their overlord but as a treasured friend. The adepti clearly hold him in very high esteem recognizing his sacrifice, strength and good of heart.

WHICH is why i'll never accept people who call Morax a tyrant because the adepti saw Morax out and about and were like "damn im gonna follow this guy for the rest of eternity he's so cool".

I also think it is hilarious how Zhongli has influenced the adepti and how they just kind of absorbed some of his personality traits. Part of the reason Ganyu is so dedicated and hardworking to the point of exhaustion is because of how much she looks up to Rex Lapis, she even states that her work could never compare to what he has done for Liyue so she pushes herself even harder.

Or Xiao the most loyal of the adepti who still works tirelessly to this day because of his contract. I believe the adepti especially the younger ones were like "he works so hard and sacrifices everything i will do just that!".

Even Yanfei who has never formed a contract with him still maintains that hardworking attitude but without the self-sacrifice so she is like the perfect Liyue citizen in Zhongli's eyes.

anyway I have some thoughts on adepti shenanigans i would love to see

Adepti feast, put them all in a room I expect a very elegant and mature feast but I also expect someone to break something. Maybe they will behave themselves with Zhongli next to them maybe they won't we have to see. In fact put Shenhe and Yaoyao there too lets cause problems

Adepti shopping spree. Xianyun and Zhongli are terrible they will buy anything they set their eyes on. Xianyun falls for marketing scams but then there is Zhongli who won't fall for scams but buys everything at full price anyway. They reek absolute havoc in the shopping district once they get paid.

I am on my knees please please give me a Zhongli and Ganyu interaction i am not so greedy to ask for specifics just please just please (also more Zhongli and Ping interactions hell throw Guoba there too).

I will accept any Xiao and Zhongli interactions like anything i love them together.

Like i said its only a matter of time before MC and MS show up in the harbor and I can't wait to see Zhongli tease them.

Zhongli teasing the adepti!!!!!! Zhongli in disguise "OH NO I am a poor helpless mortal how could I ever compare to the adepti" they are fuming but they can't argue with him. they can only tolerate his teasing until they are alone.

Zhongli gets harassed by the Liyue public for disrespecting Rex Lapis and the adepti had to step in and tell them that it’s alright

Xiao with the strength of the gods: Mr. Zhongli did nothing wrong

Citizens: He called Rex Lapis a bum?

Xiao: He didn’t mean that he’s sorry

Zhongli: No i’m not! I think he was a fraud!

Xiao: Forgive him

Anyway please give us more adepti and please let them interact with Zhongli more. They are always so bashful and sweet in his presence so I must have an interaction I must.

[crossdressingdeath]

DAI does that with a lot of things. Morrigan gets to claim to be a Elven expert, even though you know that is far from the truth if you've played Origins where she didn't know shit. Cullen gets final say in his dialogue options despite you knowing that he's lying. Grey Wardens gets shit on and the Inquisitor can wildly overstep.

DAI has this weird mix of a) expecting you to have read all the books/comics so that they don't have to explain anything and b) assuming that you haven't played the previous games so they can try to rewrite what happened.

Yeah, the required reading for DAI was ridiculous. WEaWH is always the big one because most of the others you can get by without it (even Cole's backstory isn't necessary to appreciate and understand the character, and enough of it comes up in-game to get by), but knowing what Celene and Gaspard did is kind of fucking important, Bioware. And then even when Celene purging the alienage comes up it's used as a mark against Briala for being in a relationship with her at the time even though if I'm understanding the excerpts I've seen of TME Briala breaks it off as a direct result of the purge and (as Dorian rightly points out) that'd be more Celene's scandal than Briala's anyway. Like, they try to make Celene purging the alienage into Briala's crime because she was sleeping with the empress at the time and that's just... ugh. But it's like, I would argue that it would be fair and honestly best practice to assume that people playing the third game in a series have played the first two games? DA has an overarching narrative even if the connections aren't particularly close, if someone wants to start partway through they can but the writing should expect people to be familiar with the games' stories. Maybe have some codex entries summarizing the previous games or a little intro cutscene, but... I don't know, I'm worried about the fact that apparently DAV doesn't need you to have played the first three games when literally all the setup for it is in DAI. Expecting people to have played all the games in a narrative-driven RPG series and not to have jumped in partway through is fair! Expecting people to have read five supplementary novels and two coffee table lore books to understand the plot is ridiculous. At least Tevinter Nights and The Missing so far seem to only be relevant to DAV in that they show some glimpses of what's been going on between games and give us a point of reference for some of the new characters...

The thing that gets me with DAI is that the game really wants you to side with the Templars whether it makes sense or not. Like... let's take the choice between mages and Templars as an example. The game wants you to side with the Templars. It really does, it tries its best to dissuade the player from siding with the mages if you go that route (Cullen's little "Oh... it's so dangerous... we shouldn't do it..." routine is notable when compared to Leliana and Josie, both of whom favour the mages, being very professional about you picking the Templars), it does its utmost to claim that the rebellion was unwarranted when it absolutely was not, the rebels are constantly framed as weak or mean or evil or stupid while the Templars were just misled (by... a guy who told them he'd let them murder all the mages and left out the "in service to Corypheus" bit, they still joined his little walkout to murder people, but the game doesn't get into that), it even lets you switch quests well past what should've been the point of no return if you're on the mage route (WHY CAN YOU SWITCH AFTER LEARNING THERE'S A FUCKING MAGISTER IN FERELDEN TRYING TO ENSLAVE A BUNCH OF MAGES, BIOWARE, WHY THE FUCK IS THAT AN OPTION) whereas with the Templars you can't even learn what your advisors' plan for getting you in alive is until you're locked in. And I'm not going to lie, CotJ is legitimately the better quest. I did it once to see and god damn it is quality, I don't dislike IHW but... yeah CotJ is definitely stronger.

But then you actually look at the story and... why the fuck would you side with the Templars? They left the Chantry because the Divine told them not to murder people. That's explicit, people tell you that repeatedly. They're making excuses for it, but there's always an acknowledgement that... yep, that's why the Templars left, they wanted to kill people and were mad about being told no. Leliana (the most familiar face among the advisors and given Cassandra's previous appearance was threatening Varric and Cullen's was playing yes man to Meredith for nine years and only changing sides once she became a threat to him/because not doing so would mean fighting Hawke Leliana's the one people are most likely to want to side with) is pro-mage and dismisses Cullen's claims that the Templars could help close the Breach as speculation. Which... it is. This situation is completely unprecedented, no one knows what's going to happen. But given mages are incredibly powerful and Templars are repeatedly portrayed as mostly useless in any sort of real danger that doesn't involve children or indoctrinated Circle mages (it is not a coincidence that the only people locked in the tower in Broken Circle who survive with their minds and bodies intact without the demons actively choosing to let them live for funsies are mages; the only Templar who's alive and unpossessed is Cullen, and the demons very obviously could've killed him at any time and just chose not to because they were having fun toying with him) I'm gonna say the mages are a safer bet. Also because... they invited Quiz. That could be a trap, but you know what's definitely a trap? Walking into a fortress full of heavily-armed mage killers who openly want you dead. Meeting with the Templars is really, really stupid (especially if you're a mage) and you don't even learn the plan for getting you inside unharmed until you actually select the quest. Also that plan is basically just "if there are witnesses with societal power the Templars can't murder you unprovoked" because reminder: the Templars are the absolute worst. Why would you ever want these people around. And then if you meet with the mages first like "Well I'll figure it out once I've heard what they have to say, I don't have to commit if I do things this way so I might as well" you learn that there's a Tevinter magister serving an evil Tevinter cult just chilling in Redcliffe and why the fuck would you go to the Templars at that point this needs to be dealt with. The game wants you to side with the Templars but it gives you no reason to do so, I really wonder sometimes if the writers weren't talking to each other at all.

[awakened-dreamers-blog]

Soulslikes, just like any genre of media, obviously aren't for everyone. However, they often seem to resonate with trans people in particular (or, at least, they did for me), and I've figured out what one of the bigger psychological reasons for that may be.

If I asked a bunch of different people what one word they most associate with the genre, most of them would probably answer something to the tune of "persistence." These are games about throwing yourself at seemingly insurmountable obstacles and failing. A lot. Until, eventually, you succeed. And you will succeed, no matter what, as long as you are willing to put in the time and effort and just don't give up.

Every time you try to get past a boss or a tough group fight in those games, you learn something. You get experience. Even if you don't actively realize it at the time, you are closer to achieving your goal, simply because you tried and failed. But at least you tried. And, when you eventually put all of your accumulated knowledge and skill into beating the fight, what once seemed like an insurmountable obstacle is vanquished, rewarding you with a nice [noun] [verb]ed screen, some levels, and maybe a weapon or something.

So you persisted, even though it seemed insurmountable at first? Isn't that the definition of insanity? Well yes, because you'd have to be insane to actually enjoy those games, but also no.

Because soulslikes bosses are a very practical example that perseverance can work.

Sure, you'll die a bunch. Maybe even spend 4 hours on a single boss like I did when I killed the first Tree Sentinel without doing anything else. But the first few times you die, you'll notice that the boss's health bar is a little hit more empty than it was the first time. After that, you'll probably plateau as you work out the moveset and the dodge timings and all that, but at least you know it's possible. And once you do beat that first boss, that rush of dopamine is even more confirmation for your brain that trying (and failing along the way) does eventually lead to success. So at the next obstacle, you're lore than willing to throw yourself at it and learn and grow until you win because you've already seen that it will work and that it's not fruitless. And, when you come back to that boss on subsequent playthroughs, I bet it'll be a lot easier now that you've already overcome it

Now, to bring this back to trans people, you can probably already see where I'm going with this. If you can't, allow me to explain with the metaphor that led me to this realization in the first place: voice feminization training.

At first, it seems impossible. You'll never sound as cool or as pretty or girly or whatever as the people that have already mastered their girl voice and been using it for years. But those are the speedrunners. The people that have already mastered the game's mechanics and can no-hit bosses faster than you can beat them normally. But you aren't an expert on the game yet. In fact, you've just started, so you shouldn't fee bad about not being as good as they are. If anything, all it should do is serve to prove that your goals are attainable, as long as you put in the effort.

So you try. You're never gonna get it your first try, unless you have a really good build and crazy skill, which, if you do, then good on you, I guess. But for the vast majority of us, you're going to fail at first. That's fine. Resurrect at the nearest bonfire, grab your runes, and keep on saying "heat from fire, fire from heat."

Yes, it's uncomfortable and dysphoric, and yeah, maybe you need to take a break and come back the next day because it's too uncomfortable to have to pay so much attention to the voice you've been avoiding for years. But simply in the act of trying, you've gotten closer to your goal. Literally just by playing with your voice and seeing what happens if you x or y, you have gained experience and knowledge that will get you closer and closer to your goal. It'll probably take a while, of course, but as long as you keep trying, the voice you dream of someday having will eventually end up being the voice you use to order coffee and chit chat and mundane crap like that.

Eventually, you'll be the one no hitting social encounters with your relaxed and flawless girl voice. It'll be so commonplace for you that it won't even seem notable that you didn't slip up at all.

Anyway, all of this to say that trans people like soulslikes because they show us that working towards a goal is the most important step in achieving that goal. They teach us that failure is just a step in the path of learning and that anyone is capable of doing things that seem impossible to them, as long as they try.

Father Gascoigne will never be put to rest if you don't get curb stomped by him a few times, and, I'm sorry to say, you won't ever wake up with the feminine voice of your dreams. You have to work for it. And you'll fail along the way, which is unpleasant and sucks major ass. But you beat everything Miyazaki could throw at you, goddammit, and you can beat your larynx into submission too!

[megoomy]

judith, a witch(?!) in a pact with a malak named ba’ul

more info and reference sheet under the cut!

here she is!! i'm happy with her look, less so with the rendered image of her, but we can't win them all.

like it says on the sheet, i was taking a lot of cues from her in game Draconic Lancer title costume. I wanted to lean into the white more than her default outfit, calling back more to the helmeted look she has before joining the party. but obviously, i didnt want to do anything that looked too much like that, or that had gold accents like her in game jacket and...skirt cape(??), because then she'd come off as kind of abbey coded. so i settled on pink accents, pulling from the colors on the Draconic Lancer look. i think it's fun. it gives her a girlish touch, which is a part of judy's character that i like! she's badass and secretive and mysterious, but she likes cute things too. well. her idea of cute, anyways...i think it suits her persona of being a "witch" in this setting. judy understands how to create an image.

speaking of that. unlike rita, who has a lot of magical knowledge, judy is basically a witch in name only. she understands how to form a pact, and not a lot past that! i think we landed on this for a few reasons:

Judy's father, Hermes, was a blastia expert, and naturally good at the magic of vesperia's universe. but judy was just the opposite, and in the novels she initially couldn't even grasp the talents natural to most krityans. being a witch who doesn't actually do much magic seems apt.

speaking of her dad, this also provides her connection to rita. they're both...witches. rita WILL NOT call judy a witch though, as you might imagine LOL (on that note, maybe hermes takes on the role of grim as the witch teacher?? again, we havent really decided on this LOL)

ba'ul obviously makes most sense as a malak, since the malaks and the entelechaia are both spirit equivalents for these tales entries. (well, entelechaia become spirits--listen, you get what i mean if you've played enough tales games) and judy MUST be with ba'ul! much like she only learns how to use her nageeg after interacting with ba'ul in the novel, i think she has just enough resonance to meet ba'ul, and their connection increases it, and she refines that ability as a "witch" enough to solidify their bond through a pact. they're family!

But yeah she uses a spear to fight. Ba'ul helps her imbue it with seraphic artes to a degree, but mostly its just the spear. I went with a design similar to the Brionac, since that's her Lore Important Weapon, but uh, i haven't designated this lance with lore importance itself. maybe we'll come up with something. looking at it right now i really think i should've colored it differently but IM NOT CHANGING IT, I ALREADY POSTED TO TWITTER!!! (it may change, hell, i decided to make it kind of glow pink in the image, im not fit for weapon designs)

Ba'ul always comes first to Judy, but neither of them is particularly biased against daemons or humans, despite knowing the truth about malevolence. she's quick to befriend yuri and loves repede (who is also a daemon, i gotta put him down on paper soon) and seems understanding of people's different circumstances. but she prioritizes her own goals first, so she'll disappear at the drop of a hat if it suits her, and yuri knows better than to count on her too much...

oh yeah. ba'ul is considered a "dragon" in vesperia, but that comes with a lot of BAGGAGE in this universe, so he's not a dragon here. he, um....he just looks like that. it's fine.

[thefirstknife]

It's starting to feel like there's an implicit understanding in the community that complaining about the game is one of the main ways to engage with it, and maybe is something newer players pick up as part of the 'haha even diehard destiny players hate destiny' narrative. =\

Im happy to see the playerbase growing, but dang, I wish there'd be a bit less of 'if you love this thing you'll be passionate about criticizing it' among some of the big personalities

Yeah. Destiny always had that whole joke like "The one thing Destiny players hate the most is Destiny." I never understood it. When I mildly disliked Destiny, I stopped playing. Genuinely cannnot fathom playing a game religiously while hating it. Mindboggling. I'm also somewhat salty that a lot of people "criticising the story" and latching onto this whole vibe have never actually been fans of the story or have never really paid attention to it.

Like, it feels somewhat strange to me that suddenly every single content creator, including those that were openly NEVER into the lore and even content creators who literally only play pvp and those that openly play with voicelines and subtitles off, are suddenly great experts on how this story apparently sucks. And of course followed by a million of their fans who have until yesterday only ever cared about meta weapons for Trials, but have overnight become lore masters who understand that the story was "bad."

I know people who ARE into lore and who had issues. I also know that there's a lot of new players who were probably utterly confused, though that's to be expected when you tune into the 9th year of the franchise. I'm totally fine with that and respect people who have a different view of the campaign and how it felt to them. And of course if any new players are super confused and have no idea where to start learning more... I sympathise. Greatly. And I'm happy to help! Obviously a lot of what people are discussing right now is really complicated and draws from super specific lore that might not be easy for a new player to understand right away. It will take some time and that's okay!

But when I see the amount of people blasting the story, I'm left thinking... Really? There were so many lore enjoyers out there all this time? You're telling me that twitter user xxTrialsHunterMain69420xx understands the problems with the narrative and can talk with authority on obscure lore references and how Bungie fucked them up? This is absolutely news to me, as most players have been dissing the story for years and if they weren't dissing, they just weren't engaging with it at all.

Obviously every player has a right to say how they felt playing and how they vibed with the campaign and if they didn't vibe with it, that's fine. They didn't vibe with a lot of campaigns that I would die for, like for example Shadowkeep. But there's a distinct feeling like a lot of these people are just latching onto the hate train for no real justifiable reason of their own. Like, it's popular to shit on the campaign now and people will do it to fit in, even if they personally have never ever had any stakes in what Destiny's story is about.

They've been given not only permission, but encouragement to blast the campaign over something they barely understand and something that a lot of people reacted to out of their basic impulses. And I get it because my basic impulse was negative too. I feel like maybe a huge personality who influences the entire community shouldn't post the first thought that comes to their mind uncritically to social media. Or at least that they should feel like they can change their mind and correct that later. I feel like a lot of them would never do that now because it would mean alienating their audience. "Oh yeah I told you all that this sucks, but actually no it doesn't, just listen." Yeah, not going to happen. Not to mention that outrage brings clicks.

And of course, now the whole discourse has been completely ruined by the outrage so it's incredibly hard to find and filter who actually has decent feedback and who is just riding the hate train. Frustrating and draining.

[wufflesvetinari]

Lash is so wonderful that she is tempting me to choose cleric for my first official campaign! But playing BG3 does kinda make me feel like all the gods are just terrible, and the path of religious trauma feels all but inevitable. Are any of them not so? Is there a way to portray a more positive relationship?

ayyy thanks nonnie!! as established i really love clerics so allow me to pile some peer pressure on top of your decision pile!! go be a cleric!! (if the playstyle appeals to you etc)

it sounds like you're talking about pen-and-paper dnd, yeah? (you might be my earlier anon??) disclaimer that i'm not a 5e lore expert, but one difference ime from the bg3 experience is that bg3 is coming to you as a pre-written narrative with its own themes (such as humanoid choice in the face of manipulation, which extends to gods).

5e lore, on the other hand, is written as a bunch of open-ended hooks you/your dm can choose to engage with or not. also most gods in 5e don't have a ton of complex canon lore about being secretly evil or selfish--it's kind of bluntly "good god" "evil god" "neutral god" etc to leave you room to play and worldbuild. (other than uhhh i guess being complicit in the wall of the faithless 😬 which is dubiously canonical now anyway.) like, a god like eilistraee is going to be very easy to imagine a positive relationship with for a good-aligned cleric if that's what you're looking for. and even a god like mystra who comes off pretty bad in bg3, is like...relatively fine in canon 5e lore. i think of bg3 almost like someone's fleshed-out tabletop game where the dm has made characterization and world decisions to flesh out the lore

plus the gods do have personalities, greek god-style, which means that your cleric might, idk, overarchingly agree with their own god's goals but find bits of their dogma annoying or wrong, or otherwise relate to them with a bit of conflict (for spice!) without necessarily feeling used/betrayed. this lends itself to storytelling where a cleric might find themselves challenged by what they find on the road: the gods aren't perfect, just like, idk, your friend the wizard in your party isn't perfect

(ALSO like. if you're not married to the idea of playing an unambiguously good-aligned cleric, there's nothing stopping you from playing a character who unabashedly loves their awful god lmao. or like, a lawful neutral god like kelemvor--you could create a cleric who is so so into that very specific, harsh-but-fair moral code)

you might find the "deities by alignment" page a good way to find the overall vibe you're looking for! like i said, the lore is built out of hooks for you, so there's plenty of room to create a relationship that feels fun to play. (or, like, a non-relationship! lash has strong feelings about Being A Cleric but ilmater has never manifested for her personally)

[intern-seraph]

REASONS WHY A JEWISH MC MAKES SHALL WE DATE? OBEY ME! 10x FUNNIER (along with some notes on general jewish ideas relating to the game's themes and setting) (note: i am not an expert on judaism. i am a jew. and i looked at a lot of sources trying to piece shit together bc this is an ancient culture characterized by scholarly debate over interpretations of texts so there's very little that everyone agrees on):

judaism does not have a concrete idea of the afterlife. we especially don't have Hell (or at least, not a hell that anyone actually, like, agrees exists? the mentions i have found of something similar to heaven and hell are typically in the context of what will happen upon the resurrection of the dead?? it's really complicated but point being is that nobody fucking agrees and i doubt any jews believe in the Christian Hell. cause we are not diet christians!)

i should be allowed to wrestle with raphael in nightbringer it's culturally significant

the seven deadly sins? yeah that's a firmly christian concept. we have demons (although whether or not these demons are actual creatures or just metaphorical? it's debatable.) but all of this seven sins nonsense is not our style. demons honestly don't really take up a ton of our folklore either (they're mostly interpreted as metaphors). imagine mc at the start of the game getting introduced to the brothers as the Demonic Avatars of Sin and being just like. "wow that's wild. anyways,"

we do not have original sin in judaism. not even a scrap. in fact if you repent and/or try to make amends for your sins you're good. there's a lot of potential there for writing right? please i am BEGGING for some fics that address sin in a way that's not overwhelmingly christian i can't keep doing this shit

bathroom demon

"hey lucifer do you think [bizarre devildom food] is kosher"

solomon is there??? like, king solomon????? i'm pretty sure solomon obey me is supposed to be king solomon judaism?????? he has a pact with asmodeus which is consistent with the lore surrounding him but like what's up with that anyways??? what's with the nightbringer solomon lore drop?????? hELP???????

"oh my rabbi is gonna have a FIELD DAY with this"

[olath124]

Violet, commonly known as V. Slowly the ideas for her are taking form, even if I usually don't like to create much stuff beyond the lore given in the videogames the characters are from (So lazy xD). My rambling may probably sound crazy... I swear, they sound so logical while I'm running but once I have to write everything down it's always a mess.

Anyway, my little street kid V… Yeah, she'll always be my favorite V.

She grew up in the streets of Heywood, with Jackie and Misty (I like for them to be friends from a young age). When he joined the Valentinos they had a huge fight and she decided to leave the city to move to Seattle. She has never liked the idea of being in a gang and would rather work for herself.

She's a jack of all trades, but she's more expert in net running and stealth operations. She doesn't like to engage in danger head on she mostly avoids it and tries her best to go undetected. Growing up as a small girl in Heywood probably had something to do with that...

She cherishes her true friends, Jackie, Misty, and Viktor who have always been there for her and she's a bit wary of other new people that enter her life. The feeling that everything in Night City is transactional makes her extra cautious before opening up with others.

Later on, she'll gravitate more towards Dogtown and Barghest, doing some work for them, but she'll never establish an official affiliation (working also against them if she feels like it). As always she values her independence more than gang protection.

Her image from the editor in the game… because I can do virtual photography as well as I do real photography... So I suck badly at it xD. Ok, that's not completely true, but the only nice image of her is with Sir John…

Oh, the mandala on her neck is Misty's design (Violet can't pick up a pen and do something decent).

[basicallyjaywalker]

For the ask game >:3 ✂️❤️

🎨 I know you have OC’s but I know embarrassingly little for being a mutual this long. Hand them over rook :)

Edit: I forgot to say hi 😭 sorry I saw you mentioned OCs and literally just. mind blank got the zoomies started stimming forgot my manners. Anyways

Hello Oli :DDD

One thing I would change: I mean. I would rewrite a lot of the series but mainly I would wanna give Nya a more prominent and starring role early on. Let her have more Samurai X moments and quit putting her on the sidelines while the boys do things!!

Favorite ship? Canonically Pixane ngl. I love Jaya but Pixane is soulmate coded for me I break Jaya up at the drop of a hat for funsies I feel bad breaking up Pixane.

Do I have OCs? You're goddamn right I do I have wayyyyyy too many. I'm working on character sheets for the main ones now but until those are uploaded have a taste!

Nataly Chumsworth: Master of Love, half Serpentine, menace to society. If the name did not clue you in she's Pythor's daughter and they have. A relationship.

Roxie Andrews: Master of Peace, local stressed out mom friend, former student at Marty Oppenheimer's! Old friend of Cole's and someone i imagine Nya being besties with.

Jasmine Bucket/Julien: Master of Nature (secondary: Ice), engineer at Borg Industries, made before Bolobo I swear. Zane's half sister but neither has any clue about that yet

Jackie Fei: Master of Magic (I have a whole system set up for this), chronically tired and depressed but gets to have a glow-up, chaotic good incarnate. My favoritest little blorbo ngl

Hannah Stone: Master of Music (different from sound and again swear she was pre-S4), punk rock girl, Chen's former... student is not the right term. Embodiment of that one audio: "they got their weapon, I got cheated out of my childhood)

Kyle Stone: not an elemental master but a former member of Chen's cult kinda (born into it), instead of masking his trauma with anger like Hannah he masks it with bubbliness, chronic overprotective disease. He and Hannah aren't blood related but they're also the closest thing to family each other has

Master Twyla: Master of Light, the teacher of these fucking kids, trying her best to keep the memory of the former EMs alive. Bops her on the head this bad girl can fit soooooo much trauma she's trying to overcome in her, goddamn

Ivy Crest: Master of Wind except not fully until S5 (thanks Morro), Morro's bio daughter and Ronin's adopted daughter (bet you can't guess who she prefers), expert in forgery and shit at mechanics. She and Nya form a close bond in S5 and Nya continues to try and teach her mechanical stuff (it does not work)

Luna McCallister/Garmadon: Master of Dreams, long lost Garmadon daughter who?, big fucking nerd. I have no idea when she and Lloyd realize their related but it makes their interactions at the comic store beforehand a lot funnier (for reference: she is about 2 years older than him)

Jonathan Borg: heir to Borg Industries, curious about the supernatural elements of Ninjago, knows about something he probably shouldn't. His place is not fully figured out yet but I feel like he's gonna start wanting to prove more useful after S7 to mixed results, esp bc his sister is way cooler than him

Willow Whispernight: yeah check back later chief I am reworking her ENTIRE lore lmao. Currently also connected with nature in some way and Jasmine's step-sister

Ahahaha that isn't even all of them. it's been over a decade I am soooo normal. I do not have *checks notes* approximately 20 OCs, named and unnamed, with various places in stories and development

[mourn-and-watch]

hype q&a !!!! 6, 17, 18 please :D

6. Do you have your Rook(s) planned out to any degree? If so, would you share some details or ideas you have?

oh i sure as hell do

i've been cooking her up since 2020 and it seems there are going to be opportunities to actually implement some of these ideas so. my rook's name is rel, short for something she really doesn't like. she's an elf and antivan crow and also a disaster because she should be addicted to shutting the fuck up and also choose her friends better. she's a wholehearted believer in "you only live once" motto and she really doesn't appreciate the idea of her life turning into hell for the sake of an ancient empire or something so yeah. fuck that old guy and fuck everyone who cares more about redeeming him than actually preventing his stupid plans! yeah even if you're a bestselling author. yeah even if you were the leader of the inquisition. and she's going to be loud about that. and also make out with women sloppy style while going through a whole pack of attachment issues for backstory reasons.

also my brain is working in dragon age mode non-stop now so. i'm also thinking about a grey warden guy and a mourn watch guy (gender neutral) but i don't want to get too excited about them before my first playthrough

17. Are you interested in all the lore and speculation or do you focus more on the games and stories themselves?

to me lore is an important part of the story so yeah! it's not like i'm the lore expert or something because i'm quite unobservant and haven't gotten my hands on all the da media even after all these years but i still have my silly little theories and i'm thrilled by the idea that we can get answers on some of the questions that unironically kept me up at night. give me that blight lore. elven lore. dwarven lore. anything. i won't shut up about it especially if i was right about something

also it's simply cool to read all the speculations and metas now. we finally got new stuff to discuss and it feels so good to see this fandom that active

18. Which aspect of fandom are you most looking forward to?

tbh pretty much everything. all the new fanart and gifs and edits are absolutely gorgeous and i can't wait to find out more about the plot and new characters so writers can also join the party myself included. as i said it's just so cool to see this fandom thriving because it is the thing i've been invested in the most for years and while i was pretty comfortable discussing the same stuff over and over because it was still fun to me it's just so... inspiring to experience something new? new art! new fics! new ocs! new silly tumblr posts! maybe new friends even! what's not to love

i mean. there's still a chance the game will suck for a whole bunch of reasons but i really don't care that much. i intend to have a good time here no matter what

the veilguard hype q&a

[vide0-nasties]

random thot but you’re the expert here, which fallout game would suit the camelthots most?

WAS A MISTAKE ASKING ME THIS BITCH DFGJF 💖💖

Short Answer: Fallout 4, but I'm barfing up under the cut lmao.

Long Answer:

The Knights 12 is already built to hardcore fuck as the Brotherhood of Steel bc they're literally based off feudal knights in their ranks—Squire, Scribe (seperate semi-non-combat research/tech/clerical role), Knight, Paladin, Sentinel with sub ranks and titles.

Arthur would be the Elder of the Brotherhood of Steel, which funnily enough the canon Elder is named Arthur (Maxson). He's been urged into a burgeoning occupation of the Commonwealth (Massachusetts) by the Proctors of his various Orders (Sword, Shield, and uhh Quill I think??), but he's reluctant to committ so many forces in such volatile and unmapped territory that's not only wilderness but also occupied urban. Don't know if Synths are gonna be the Devils of this game but I'll come back to mess with that later.

——— There IS a super mutant subplot that's pivotal in the Bethesda East Coast Fallout lore that's heavily focused on their eradication and has a massive influence on their plot.

Since this is a military op, Lancelot is probably one of Arthur's most trusted Sentinels, alongside Lucan. Guen I can see being a Head Scribe or Proctor, as well as Ysele.

I could see Morgana being an ousted Head Scribe who was meant for the Elder title, but muscled out. Weligan I could see being a traveling merc that's built a rep for himself up and down the east coast as a mutant killer, becoming smth like a living legend or smth in that neighborhood. Also, could be a Railroad operative, which would be the perfect thing for his rep to hide. Lead em to what the right hand is doing and away from the left hand.

Elowen I feel like is a hmm. See, so much is tired up in the Brotherhood it's hard to get away from it. But she was a waster in the Capital Wasteland, where the Brotherhood's home base is, and (after the events of Fallout 3, where basically they abuse the Lone Wanderer into facilitating their ascension to being the ruling force in the Wastes [hi Lone Wanderer!Perrin and RW crew 😭😭] by leveraging their good name, they go on a colonizing campaign and make it a Steel territory, then they recruit recruit recruit) was inducted to the BoS as a kid. We got child soldiers baby!! Guyeruenna (sp) and their bunch are former wasters turned Steelers from the same territory.

Mordred I could see being yeah a waster turned Steeler, but not by choice. Could've even been a raider or raider captive. Not sure!

I think the main outliers are the other pagans, who were in the Commonwealth already. This is where the rest of it gets fucky.

Deorwine I could see as being the mayor and last inhabitant of Goodneighbor, which is basically a walled anarchist community, that was wiped out by raiders. The timeline is fucked but it exists, and the other pagans are actually settlements across the region. Nimue is the leader of an independent settlement, and Gawain is kind of next in line to become the General (leader) of the Minutemen, which had become incredibly corrupt at the end before its reformation.

I have to fiddle around and figure out who is the player character role this time—Perrin's the Wanderer and Z's the Courier for instance, so we're looking for the Sole Survivor here—and I think that might be Elowen actually? The basic plot needs redone but that's a given bc Bethesda plots are hot garbage.

I WILL CONTINUE TO CHEW TY FOR ASKING LOVE DFHJD

[blackjackkent]

im so inspired and in lovvveee w u (as a fan!! no parasocial shenanigans here I swear 🫶)

When they said they weren't doing any more DLC for the game, I wasn't sad, actually. I noticed there's a big divide of peeps who like the game right? I realized this when I saw there were people who *always* play Durge and think it 100% hands down better than Tav, and seeing in the forum why people actually *liked* playing Tav over Durge, And it's like because Tav can be anyone with any story. Durge is really just a customizable pre-existing character (That's why they're under origin character, right?)

So that's what I realized the divide of people. There's always going to be certain people who prefer to play Something with a pre-existing story, people who don't enjoy the extra work of making your own character. But for people who do, the lack of DLC is disappointing but not a big deal. Because ask someone who has always enjoyed making her own characters, The end of a story is never really the end for me. And all that jibber jabber to say I see it in YOU too, and I looooooovvvve it! You're such a good writer and it's fabulous 🫶

though, as someone previously non-experienced with D&D, I do admit that makes imagining the future a little bit harder, despite, What really is probably one of the most Fanfiction-Friendly properties 😂

I did want to ask for advice on that if you have any to spare! Like, for example, I'd love to write about my own Tav and Karlach rolling around in Avernus, but I have no idea where to start even looking 😭

:O This was a fun message to receive! c: I appreciate so much that you like my writing and reached out. <3

You def make an interesting point about the Durge vs Tav experience. I think there's a lot of room for character headcanon even when you're playing Durge tbh (certainly I'm enjoying giving Rakha her own sense of personality and such), but you're right that it adds a bit more of a "built-in" framework for people who prefer that kind of experience and not having to think too much about the character details.

(It also, without giving too much away, is very representative of the character experience in BG1/2 - which was more of a Tav/Durge mix, really.)

But yeah, I also feel okay about the lack of DLC because there is lots of room to come up with the story I want outside of the events of the game. :)

As far as advice - I think you're asking specifically for advice on writing within the Forgotten Realms world and D&D sphere in general? Tbh I am not the hugest expert on the subject myself; there is a lot more FR lore than just what comes up in this series and I am by no means familiar with most of it.

My practical advice would be to point you towards the Forgotten Realms wiki, which is where I get most of my info that I can't get from the game's own dialogue. (Sadly it's a fandom.com wiki - if anyone else has other resources that particularly like for FR lore I would love your comments also!) There's lots of info in there that I've drawn from when needed for my fics.

On a more general level though - honestly I think my best advice is to get comfortable with the idea of getting lore wrong. We love to play in this sandbox but we're allowed to bring our own toys too. :D So if something feels like it'd make a better story by being a certain way, then fuckin go for it. :) Any reader who wants to make a stink about details being off isn't actually there to appreciate your story anyway. And the vast majority of readers are there in good faith to see what you're going to come up with and enjoy it. :)

(I've been thinking about this a lot in the context of writing "Open Your Eyes", because they're off to Calimport now and I have realized I know nothing about Calimport. XD So I've been studying the wiki a lot but I've also made an executive decision to not stress myself overly about it and focus on making the setting work for the story and not the other way around. I dont really mind if someone ends up letting me know (politely) that I missed the mark on something, but I'm not going to lose sleep over it if I'm pleased with the story regardless. :D )

I hope this is the sort of answer you were looking for! Sending very supportive vibes for your writing adventures also. c: