#but that just makes it all the more important to recognise and combat it where we can

[byoldervine]

Worse than what?

What point of comparison can be made in good faith here? What point of comparison is constructive or helpful here? What point of comparison could be motivating or inspiring here?

I defy you; worse than what?

Idk who needs to hear this but just because your writing isn’t good yet doesn’t mean it’s bad either

[gay-dorito-dust]

From HSR men, who is most likely to wear clothes that you’ve knitted or crocheted for them if you were their S/O?

Argenti would wear near enough anything you’d crocheted for him, he didn’t care if it was well made or had a couple of loose ends, he will wear it either way and with the upmost pride.

He treated anything you made him as though it were priceless treasures that could never be replicated as anything made by hands that weren’t yours didn’t hold the same sentiment.

He sings your praises so much and so often that many thoughts you’ve woven your gifts for him out of pure gold rather then the standard wool.

Them: it’s just a knitted rose cardigan, what’s so important about it?

Argenti: it’s not just a knitted rose cardigan, it’s a knitted rose cardigan my beloved had woven with their own hands with nothing but time and patience on their side, so it would be best to respect their craft for what it is.

Them: and what’s that?

Argenti: art

Aventurine could buy pretty much anything and yet the most priceless things in his possession were the things you’ve made him by your own hands.

He will try anything and everything you’ve made in the past and wear it as though it was apart of some latest fashion trend. He wears your hard work with pride and appreciation for the talent you possess.

You were possibly the only person to think of him whilst making clothes and little crochet trinkets that he now fiddles with his left hand whenever he was scared midst a high stakes gamble.

Aventurine doesn’t allow for anyone to touch the things you’ve made him, no matter what their relationship to him is as you made those things for him and him alone, that and he didn’t want others to tug on it roughly or handle it heavy handedly to the point it ruins the crochet peacock you made him.

The clothes and items you made for him along with anything else were his comfort items that he’s grown a deep attachment towards, and he would always try to keep them in pristine condition. You’ll never catch him without something you’ve made on him.

Welt Yang loves and cherished everything you e made for him and will always have it on him at all times whenever he needed to feel your presence close by when you’re apart.

It puts both his heart and mind at ease.

He wears the scarf you made him religiously but the moment where he had to engage in combat, he’s carefully peeling it off of him and tucking it away safely to prevent it from getting damaged.

He didn’t feel it was right to wear the scarf you spent hours working on during combat, where it would take one wrong move and ruin the whole thing.

Other than that Welt always wore anything you’ve made him as a silent expression of his thankfulness for you and the effort you put into everything you made. He loved them all equally, but nothing topped the dark brown/beige scarf you gifted him first.

The scarf had become a prominent article of clothing of Welt’s that it would become a main staple of his usual outfit, so much so to the point where people would easily recognise it’s absence should he ever take it off. That’s how often he wears it.

Gepard loves the sweaters that you knitted for him and would wear them no matter the weather.

It could be warm as shit and Gepard would still be wearing your sweaters regardless. Not because he felt as though he was expected to wear it, but because it had become his most favoured piece of clothing.

Serval and Lynx would mention about how he never seems to part from the light blue sweater with white snowflake deigns on it, and would ask whether or not this had anything to do with you; only to bear witness their brother’s face become red as a cherry as he attempted to find any excuse that would evade him of any answer all of their teasing.

He fails and his sisters -mainly serval- tease him restlessly for being puddy in your hands.

Gepard was more often seen in his armour due to his job but the moment he gets to be rid of it after a long day, he immeditly puts on the sweater you made for him and let’s out a audible sigh of relief as he then burrows his face into the soft, breathable fabric.

If anyone had asked where he go the sweater from he’d scratch the back of his head and say that the sweater was one of a kind, before adding on that you were the one who made it for him.

Needless to say it didn’t take much for any to know just how much he adored the sweater, from the way he spoke fondly, to the soft caressing the light blue sweater between his thumb and finger. He wasn’t as subtle as he liked to think he was.

[moonselune]

Wait, the Ansur quest is Wylls side quest? Damn. I thought it was just a fetch/kill with a little dungeon crawl so I skipped it in favor of other things bc I was on a time crunch. They really didn’t lean on its importance as much as anyone else’s side quests. Either that or Im dense…. 🤷‍♂️

Honeslty I didn't realise it to begin with either and as I've mentioned previously on my first run I completelty missed it.

And I think the reason is, it is all based in act 3 and you don't hear about the wyrm until act 3. Whereas for Astarion for example, its cazador this cazador that, I still stand by the fact that if Astarion gets downed in combat he should go "ugh this is cazadors fault".

Whereas the dialogue lines we get with Wyll are, how was it growing up as a duke's son? Pretty shit about all that mizora stuff huh?

Like it's all small talk really like yes the reveal about the exile and the reasons behind it is interesting, but its like and what?

Like he comes back to baldur's gate, and obviously you could argue that Wyll has changes and people wouldn't have recognised him, but you would expect some pushback. Florrick only gets mad when Mizora meddles with things, apart from that its like yay wyll!

Could you imagine the salacious gossip that would be going round regardless of the absolute, like I'm thinking bridgerton lady whistledown type shit. Like it would make wayyyy more sense that the baldurs mouth gazette quest to have something to do with Wyll. Just everyone gossiping about the Duke's son returning and he's got horns!

He would have suitors flocking him, trying to marry up, trying to get in with the Duke and he's got horns so he's tangled with Devils and survived - even better.

Honeslty just imagine a quest where you enter the lower city and Wyll just gets swamped by adorning suitors and you have to knock them out, or even you have to survive a turn based chase through the city. The possibilites

ALSO - (you have unlocked a Seluney rant, congratulations/comiserations)

They could have developed a Wyll/Gortash storyline, because if Gortash was slutting his way up to the top he must have encountered Wyll at some point, even if Wyll was just a teenager and it was at a ball.

Could you imagine the banter between them at the coronation, sans all the sad stuff about his dad etc.

"Finally managed to grow in that stubble Wyll?"

"At lesat I have changed, unlike your taste for fashion."

"To be knighted Archduke by your father - must have been a shock for you Wyll."

"You on your knees for a noble? Not really."

Like he is the only one not surprised that Gortash and Durge hooked up.

You could even further that by him knowing Karlach as Gortash's bodyguard which why when Mizora is like you need to hunt down this devil and he recognises her and is like yea sure. Crook on the surface, crook in avernus, it would make sense to him. Which would then make his realisation that Karlach is good, so much more intense.

But yea Larian really missed a trick here.

[rei-ismyname]

Krakoa and (human) refugees

During the King in Black event, Symbiote goo God Knull made it very dangerous to be pretty much anywhere. Possessing Storm and Cyclops was a coup not just for their combat utility, but for their knowledge. TLDR shit's all fucked up, especially for the vulnerable.

While on their way to help with the crisis, The Marauders answered a distress call. The distressed vessel turned out to be human traffickers with terrified 'cargo' in the hold. Rescuing them from immediate danger was a given, but the sky is full of goo dragons and these people present a problem requiring a more long term solution.

The slavers were sent to a desert - fuck em - they're lucky to escape with their wretched lives IMO.

The refugees paid to go to Canada, and considering the assholes were willing to let them drown, they fear what awaits them in America. There's almost certainly other reasons too, but coming out and saying 'the USA's asylum seeker/political sitch is fucked' is not a very Marvel thing to do. Kitty calls Emma and they get to work on a temporary refuge.

One big problem - Krakoa has a 'no humans' policy, unless you're attached to someone important like Northstar or Jubilee. It's not a law (because they only have three of those and they're woefully inadequate) - it's an issue that the Quiet Council hasn't had cause to bend on yet.

Magneto gets looped in on the issue too, but believes that they couldn't provide refuge on Krakoa though official channels. It wouldn't pass a vote, especially with Storm and Jean unavailable to advocate for it. Kitty would always be for doing this, rules be damned.

Emma and Magneto - not so much. It's interesting to have these two working with Kate on a solution, recognising the Quiet Council as a hindrance to their goal. It's unstated, especially given Magneto's supremacist rhetoric in Dawn of X, but I think it's safe to say his own history of powerlessness and depending on the goodwill of countries informs his position. They have a plan!

They provide asylum on Island M, where Magneto once threatened the world governments with destruction if they didn't completely disarm (and put him in charge.) Some Morlocks, including Callisto, live there now, but there's plenty of room. It's also part of Hellfire Trading's logistics and supply chain (possibly processing and production too.)

No spare umbrellas, but either Emma or Mags arranged for Krakoan habitats for shelter. Nyoka is skipping stones when Magneto of all people shows up personally, hovering in but eventually standing next to her on equal footing. He philosophises, as is his wont, but eventually proclaims his old base is sanctuary. Nyoka asks if it's out of the kindness of your (Mags and Krakoa's) heart.

He rhetorically asks if it's not the right thing to do, though Nyoka is a little skeptical (and probably scared.) Confirming he's speaking for Krakoa (though without the QC's knowledge), he agrees that she's right to be wary of countries offering aid. There's no price tag attached, and they'll be moved wherever they wish when the crisis is over, but he does ask a favour - 'tell people we were nice to you, please.'

It's unconditional assistance, but there's an ugliness to the content and framing of the request. It's probably something they would do anyway, you'd hope. It's a small thing in the context of modern nation states, but realpolitik demands letting no crisis go to waste. It's nothing so crass as a press release when it could have been, so I'm inclined to take his words as face value. Again, it's curious that it's Magneto in this public facing position, which makes me think he's here of his own accord.

Krakoa got a lot wrong, but the tragedy of the Fall is that they were learning from those mistakes. Forge had a plan to end global homelessness, and I think policy would have softened over time in a similar vein. Mutants are capable of marvels, especially when working together, and it's a shame they never got the chance to properly share it with the world. By the time they started, the fix was in, so massive inequality remains. That's a good thing narratively outside of Star Trek, but I can't help but wonder what might have been.

[fics-by-noworriesifnot]

Chapter 7/19: A Twist of Fate. Now on Ao3 Hermione turned to scan the paperwork spread out over Lucius’ workbench. Her eyes darted over his writing, the trial and error of his potion making all carefully recorded. “Just look at all this research, Malfoy, it’s almost complete!” She said, placing the bottle of Ambrosia down carefully beside the sprawling notes. “I mean, this is just incredible,” she said, picking up a piece of parchment to examine the research closer. “An Ambrosia Elixir! I didn’t think it was possible.” She looked up to exchange an excited look with Draco, but found he had wandered off to take up a seat on the staircase. His eyes were downcast, his forearms slumped over his knees. “Malfoy?” She asked softly. “I didn’t want you to find all this.” He said, monotone and unmoving. Hermione took a few steps towards him. “...Your father’s project?” She asked, taking a seat on the staircase alongside him. “He was trying to bring your mother back, wasn’t he?”

“When he wasn’t murdering people for Voldemort… yes.” Draco sighed. “I can’t believe you didn’t tell me about this.” Hermione replied, shaking her head.

Draco scowled. “Because I knew you would go ‘full Granger’ on it. Father’s obviously abandoned it ‘cos it’s a piece of junk.” He said. “But I can try-” “I don’t want you to waste your time on this… on me.” Draco said, pointing away from her. “Waste my time?” Hermione repeated slowly. “Malfoy-” “Father spent my entire childhood down here, and for what? It’s useless.” Draco snapped, throwing a hand flippantly towards the hulking machine, before folding his arms tightly over his chest. “He was so preoccupied with the past, that he couldn’t see the life he had in front of him. I don’t want the same thing to happen to you- you’re already working on a potion that is actually important. You’ll change people’s lives.”

Hermione felt irritation ignite in her chest. “How is this not important too, Malfoy?” She argued, “I could bring you back, you could have another chance! Lucius’ notes are so meticulous, I don’t think it would take me very long to pick up where he left off-” “How do you not get this?” Draco said bluntly. “I don’t deserve it, Granger. This is my due for all the wrongs I did when I was alive.” He twisted around to look her in the eye, to give her one of his patented withering stares, but she held his gaze with a wretched earnestness that he couldn't combat.

“But you don’t remember-” she began. “Don’t.” Draco said sharply. “How you died-” she persisted. “Granger. Stop.” “But Malfoy!”

“I said I don’t want to hear it.” He let out a long, suffering sigh. “Please, Granger.” He said, turning away from her, so he didn’t have to look into her wide, imploring eyes. “I know I was on the wrong side of the war- I do not care to hear a morbid list of my personal failings that led to this twisted purgatory… just leave me alone.” He said, feeling her body stiffen beside him.

Then suddenly, she was on her feet, her fists balled at her sides, her face contorted into a snarl. “GODS!!” she cried, “you’re more insufferable now, than you were in life! If you would just listen-”

Draco stood sharply, his anger rising to match hers. He tugged up his sleeve and thrust his exposed arm towards her; the twisted black ink in stark contrast against his ethereal glow.

“I hardly need to listen when I can see it for myself!” he said, the tremble in his voice betraying him. “Why would I have carried this into the afterlife if not to remind me why I’m here?”

Hermione gaped at the Dark Mark tattoo on his forearm, her fists remained balled, though her composure had softened slightly.

With her eyes now tightly closed, she raised her wand to meet her eye level. “If you won’t let me tell you…” She said as a thin bright strand of light, Draco recognised to be a memory, curled slowly from her temple and down her wand. “I’m going to show you,” she said, her eyes glistening with unshed tears.

[decepti-thots]

☕ i vaguely remember a meta post of yours mentioning that point one percenters were a useless concept and that it also messes up megs' narrative, i'd love to read the full version of that take!

You are remembering this post, which covers the basic reasons I feel like IDW Megatron specifically does not work as a point one percenter!

More broadly, I have two big problems with the concept existing in a general sense. The first one is that it's simply ill-defined in a way where it simultaneously is not clear what it even means and yet that ambiguity is not taken advantage of for storytelling purposes the way that, say, the nebulous idea of what an outlier is gets used. Outliers don't have a clear definition, in the story- but the basic concept of 'some of these robots can do weird superpower shit outside the norm, and they are recognised as being a kind of weird group everyone sort of side-eyes suspiciously' is easy to understand as a reader and by keeping it vague, it can be used to explain quite a wide variety of character abilities without running into too much nitpicky 'hey, but that ability doesn't really match what we know about outliers, so...' stuff. It's also presented pretty value neutrally a lot of the time; Skywarp and Thundercracker aren't like, Special Chosen Ones because they can do a couple weird tricks other characters can't, they're just sort of anomalies with a couple useful abilities up their metaphorical sleeves, yknow.

Compare that to a 'point one percenter'. What is the one-sentence elevator pitch for this concept? That their sparks are... stronger, somehow. (Higher energy? More resilient? Harder to snuff out?) Okay, and what does that mean for the characters, what does that do? Well. Maybe it's why Megatron is Just That Strong, apparently. MTMTE also says this, not being an outlier, is why Minimus can wear external armour without issue- but also it's not like every point one percenter can necessarily do this, so I guess it's different depending on the mech? Or maybe they can all do it and just don't. Who Knows. I guess it's why Overlord survived becoming a phase sixer- but it's not what makes him Just That Strong. But also I guess Megatron could beat him in hand to hand combat at some point. Magnus can't though, and he's ostensibly a point one percenter? Basically, there's never really even that very broad line drawn around what the hell it means or why anyone cares someone has an extra-radioactive green spark.

And I think the point there is that like... most of the fandom just assumes Minimus' ability is being an outlier, right? And for a good reason: a ton of the stuff point one percenters can potentially do is better explained by them simply being outliers! And there we hav a problem. Having these two unrelated groups of mechs that are nebulously Different And Special to explain certain things they can do that other characters can't is just confusing when really, one would realistically do, and the reason I think it's the point one percent concept that ought to go and not the outlier concept is that the latter just raises a lot less questions.

Questions like, you know, hey, why the entire hell does this comic need an objectively measurable way to tell if someone's soul is somehow just inherently kind of "superior by" some metric. That's such a bizarre fucking thing to introduce into a narrative trying to do what MTMTE is doing; if the forged/cold construct divide brings a lot of baggage into MTMTE's themes, the point one percent stuff is just a total albatross around its neck, IMO. All point one percenters have forged souls (even Megatron, that being the twist of EC), and point one percenters are all these big important genuinely Just Plain Better characters like Megatron and Optimus and so on where the reader is clearly supposed to have this feeling of like, 'oh of course those guys are the special ones'.

If there was some attempt to explore how like, being a point one percenter just meant you could lift real good or whatever and wasn't actually meaningful in any other way but became unfairly treated as a sign of greater "superiority" nonetheless, I might see a clearer goal to the concept being introduced; you could maybe do something with "this thing that is actually very small and arbitrary is fluffed up by the powers that be as way more than it actually is". But like... all the named point one percenters we ever see outside a couple cons Megatron made bigshots in the army are genuinely these people who outside just being physically very strong, are on a narrative level understood to be the sorts of characters one might call 'destined for inherent greatness', or something. Right? There's no random nobody never-did-anything-special Lost Light background character who turns out to be a point one percenter who's just Some Guy, or anything. They're all iconic named high command type characters with Epic Fates and shit, lmao.

(Minimus could have been that character, even as a protagonist, because of the conceit of his arc in MTMTE- but they really never manage it with him either, tbh. And again, it really feels like that was much more in line with the outlier concept, and fits better there anyway.)

There's just a lot of 'have your cake and eat it too' with this whole barely-touched plotline in MTMTE, for basically no payoff that couldn't be achieved another way. Where Roberts falters with character writing is IMO when he's writing characters he is kind of precious about due to being a longterm, hardcore fan with nostalgia- you see a lot of that sentimentality at points when he's writing these characters from his childhood like Optimus or Megatron. A sort of elevation of these characters due to their metatextual status as iconic and narratively important that other characters (including, notably, Rodimus) benefit from not being subject to. And the point one percenter idea is, ultimately, a way to try and make that an objective fact in universe, it feels to me. Some of these characters just are better in a special, vague, you-know-why way. But like. MTMTE is a story that wants to talk about how presenting certain kinds of people as Just Better is wrong and cruel, too- and that tension doesn't wind up being used for anything productive. So if there's one single piece of worldbuilding I would fully remove wholesale from the comic, it would probably be this one. More than just being largely narratively irrelevant, it's also genuinely something of a problem for the comic's attempted themes.

[my-rewrite-academia]

Week 2

From now on, rather than day at a time, it will be week at a time, as less happens per day, which will then evolve into two weeks, three weeks, maybe a month. I was not about to make over 400 posts going through each day, as I'll just write myself into a corner and end up pulling a 'Solo Levelling', where it's basically the same stuff happening again and again.

-

Week 2 is where combat training is introduced. Bakugou is unable to anything but fight a dummy.

All Might and Aizawa teach them combat, and it's noted that Aizawa has a wider array of move sets compared to All Might, who mostly sticks to a punch with varying degrees of strength put behind it.

Izuku is very excited about this, and hand-to-hand is a lot more beneficial to him specifically than anyone else. Momo, Tooru, and Rikidou are also jazzed.

Aizawa is a lot more strict, having them practice posture and stances before anything else. His words are also very harsh, looking down on those who rely heavily on their quirks, calling them conceited and foolish.

All Might rejects this notion, stating that this is exactly why they are here: to learn.

Notably, a good portion of the class don't truly understand the importance of quirkless combat, as they believe their quirks are more than enough to make up for it. Only Izuku, Momo, Shouto, Tooru, Rikidou, and Mashirao get it, whereas everyone else are very, well, unenthusiastic, treating it as more of a game than anything else.

That is until Aizawa gets fed up and challenges the one with arguably one of the strongest quirks, Shouto, to fight him, quirk included. It doesn't last long as Aizawa immediately cancels his quirk and pins Shouto down.

(He puts enough pressure to keep Shouto down, but not enough to cause actual pain, which Shouto is somewhat confused by, as pain in training is something he's become used to.)

The rest of the class are in awe, and Izuku, finally getting to see Aizawa's quirk in action, recognises him as Eraserhead, though nobody else knows the epithet.

With this demonstration, and with All Might following up that his own quirk would be useless if he didn't know how to use hand-to-hand combat, everyone engages in quirked combat with more eagerness.

(In the corner, Bakugou is shaken, basically being told that such a strong quirk would be useless if he didn't learn quirkless combat. That his quirk could be worth nothing.)

Izuku is revealed to be able to use a variety of weapons, (though the first lesson doesn't allow for weaponry), mostly bladed or long-distant ones. He and Momo bond over this, as Momo is also skilled at a variety of weapons.

Ochako shows a bit of joy in learning pinning moves, and is excited at becoming stronger. Tenya, while he didn't understand the importance of it at first, becomes grateful that the teachers are getting this in their heads now, far before they start quirk combat.

As they have been used to using their quirks for a decade now, some people have accidental quirk usages, but that is why Aizawa is there. All Might is the go-to for learning how to throw a punch. He's not very good with words, but the way he corrects the students' posture and actively showing what to do is much better than 'clench your buttcheeks'. He's better at the hands-on approach than spoken.

Aizawa is the opposite, of course. He prefers to speak his lessons, directing them through words rather than touch.

All in all, it's a good start.

-

Izuku has his first student council meeting, where he meets everyone, (will post shortly after this to introduce everyone - no, these OCs will not overshadow 1-A or even 1-B). The Vice-President: Kiyosumi Ayame. The Treasurer: Kaneko Diaki. The Disciplinary Leader: Chobatsu Osamu. And the Advisor: Midnight.

This weeks meeting is nothing all to impressive, although, at the end, Midnight brings up an issue that the staff had been discussing.

There has been a strange individual staring at the gates of U.A.'s city for long periods of time. They have yet to do anything illegal or worrisome, other than stare, but she asks the council to advise students to only leave campus with multiple people, and to make sure nobody is harmed.

Izuku's a bit nervous about this and the responsibility, but he accepts nonetheless, along with everyone else.

-

Throughout the week, Izuku and All Might have more conversations, although they don't last long as All Might doesn't want to expend his already limited time.

Neitou has been talking somewhat to Izuku, though he appears a bit snappy towards the rest of 1-A, apart from Ochako, Tenya, and Yuuga. Itsuka is there to reign him in, though, and none of 1-A take it to heart anyway.

Izuku, Tenya, and Ochako are frequented a lot more by Momo and Tsuyu at lunch, and they hang out outside of classes.

SImilarly, Eijirou, Mina, Denki, and Hanta have been hanging out a lot more, occasionally accompanied by Kyouka, again, even outside of school.

-

After one-too-many sexually charged comments, and some attempts to look under their skirts, the girls from 1-A decide to stage an intervention on Minoru.

As soon as everyone returns to their dormitory, they call him out and stand before him. He's a bit nervous, ready to bolt at a second's notice, but Tsuyu stops him via catching him with her tongue and throwing him onto a couch, where all the girls surround him, leaving him unable to escape.

They explain how his comments have made them all uncomfortable, and there have been many times they wanted to slap him after he tried to look under their skirts. It seems like perversion is his only personality trait.

The reason they haven't grabbed Denki for this conversation is because he can actually speak to them normally, doesn't act on his libido, and only really calls them cute and maybe winks.

On the other hand, Minoru speaks about their bodies, looks up their skirts, and is just very uncomfortable to be around.

He tries to excuse himself, of course, claiming they were just jokes and he wasn't really going to do anything, but they're not having any of it. Because it's not a joke is nobody's laughing.

Eventually, Tsuyu asks if he would go so far as to... not ask consent.

He's offended and disgusted about this, denying it vehemently, but the fact that they even think he would do such a thing was enough of an eye opener.

Because it's only been two weeks, and they already have a negative opinion of him. More than that, they believe he's that disgusting.

The girls see how genuine he is about that, about how revolted he is about even the idea, and relax, just a bit.

They go onto explain that, while comments here and there are fine, that can't be all he talks about, and he can't act on it. In fact, the only reason they didn't go to Aizawa about it is because he comes off as the type to label it as 'overreacting'. 'That's life.'

But one more misstep and they will.

Then and there, Minoru swears that he will keep his comments to actual jokes, and do his best to not objectify them, or ignore boundaries.

The girls let him go, and he returns to his room, upset and stewing. He looks up, at his merch of sexualised heroines, and he takes them down and puts them away in a cardboard box. All those posters, the figurines, everything.

And he thinks about his motive to become a hero: the girls and the popularity. And he wonders if that's a good one at all.

We don't get an answer now. But, eventually, we will see.

-

Notes:

I actually wanted to involve some more plot-heavy stuff, but I also thought it was a bit too early for that, as I want to explore more of the academia and slice-of-life stuff instead of hopping straight into the action

Regarding Aizawa: he really does feel like the type of person to ignore issues and just go 'tough'. The whole, people are suffering more than you, treatment. He doesn't feel like the type of person you could actually trust with your issues... For now, anyway. That's what character development is for

Tell me what you think about Minoru's whole segment. I honestly felt way too uncomfortable to let him go on for any longer, to let him snowball into an even worse version of himself, so I just let the girls handle it. Not sure how many people will actually agree with reforming him than straight-up expelling him, (as many fanfiction tend to do), but let me know!

Conclusion:

1-A kids start their combat lessons, and both Aizawa and All Might's teaching styles are revealed

Izuku has his first student council meeting, where the suspicious figure is commented on

Friendship groups are slowly being established, though they may be subject to change or to be added onto in the future

Minoru gets an intervention where he decides to stop his perverted actions and restrict himself to sexual jokes, rather than comments

[talenlee]

Weapon Economies

Hey, how would you get a sword?

Right now, where you are sitting, if you wanted to get access to a sword, a real sword, a weapon designed to fight people with, what means would you use to get it?

I suggest a sword not because swords are the best weapon or even a default in a setting weapon, but because a sword is something I think I could go get but I also think it would be a little challenging and it would be costly on the scale of like, a chunk of a rent payment. Is that how everyone relates to getting a reasonably complicated, dangerous weapon?

What got me started on this was considering the way Ironsworn relates its setting to the availability and commonality of iron. Iron is very valuable and weapons and tools made of it are treated with a measure of reverence. I’ve talked in the past about how Dungeons & Dragons treats weapons as ‘exotic’ and in the process represent structural racism, but the idea of ‘common weapons’ is something that games will bring up in a way that feels more like ‘stuff the developer thought of and thinks of as cool.’

Also, in the context of the setting is a weapon a recognisable thing? A standardised thing? How much do you need to customise a weapon to you? I know when it comes to guns, familiarity with them is vitally important or people will make fun of you on social media. Some worlds have people using ‘weapons’ that don’t look like ‘weapons’ – scarves, symbols, musical instruments, magical words, enhanced eyes, augments or symbiotes – and those things aren’t treated the same way as ‘weapons’ are in many of these games and settings.

Let’s talk about three different ideas to consider for what kinds of weapons are available around you and what they may mean for your stories and games.

Form Factor

How is the weapon used and utilised normally? Is the weapon small enough that you can conceal carrying it and nobody is going to necessarily assume you have it? Is it dangerous enough that people have to act as if you do have it even if you don’t? A pistol can have a very small form factor (not that small, I know), and it can be very lethal. A club can have a pretty reasonable form factor, and it can be very lethal. The idea of a shillelagh, an Irish word used to refer interchangeably for a walking stick and whupping stick, was that there was a threat imposed by the wandering Irishman who might beat you to death with his seeming disability access tool.

A big greatsword is a cool thing and there was a point in history where they weren’t that uncommon for people to own. Thing is, if you owned one, it probably lived on your wall in your small house, and it was one of the more integral items you owned, but that meant that to use it, you had to run back to your house, and get it off the wall, and honestly, probably, prep it or make sure it was good to go. Being ready to fight was a real ask because the weapon is just physically very large and cumbersome.

When we talk about form factor, the idea is ‘what is this thing like to actually use?’ What’s the interface? Do you need specialised pieces of equipment to carry and transport it? Or is it something that’s been designed so it’s easy to carry around, even if that makes it notable and visible?

Rapiers in the court of the French nobility were famously extravagent and fancy – for looking good, so much so that they infringed on their ability to be useful for most kinds of combat, but crucially, not all kinds of combat. That meant that they sort of formed their own ecosystem – rapiers for fighting other people with rapiers that valued being good at fighting with rapiers. Those weapons then had a form factor for looking good at court, and then that form factor started to infringe on what they were good for, the weapons getting longer and sillier.

Materials

What’s it likely to be made out of, and who can make it?

We see a lot of swords made out of iron, or steel, in fantasy fiction. These imply the presence of iron mines and steel foundries, which are two things that happen kind of off screen but are a bit of a big imposition on the world if you think about them. When you see Skyrim guards, a lot of metal helmets and metal swords and metal armour that means that every piece of that got dug out of the ground at some point. Now, I’m no Elder Scrolls guy, I’m not about to tell you why they do or don’t have access to those pieces, I’m sure there’s a reason and the Elder Scrolls fans in the audience will happily tell you. I’m sure it rules.

In our real world, guns exist, they’re really common. If you’ve got guns, you have gun crafters. If you’re in a steampunk setting, those guns are being manufactured, and probably at scale, and probably by actual companies with identities. Guns are products made en masse for a market. In a modern or cyberpunk setting, especially those that are about intense corporate control, you might wind up with a lot of guns being produced out plastics that are replicable and cheap to produce, and that is a byproduct of the producers’ need and wants for those weapons to meet their demands for cheap materials. It might have branding or iconography or particularities of operation based on who should or shouldn’t be using it. Imagine a world where most of the guns have a handle that works best for tentacles and fingers have to use it in a complicated or unpleasant way.

The weapon that tends to live at the bottom of this heap is ‘a rock’ or ‘a big stick.’ Both of these are kind of baseline materials that you can always point to as being possible ways to make someone good at hurting people, because a big stick is kind of just always useful as long as the people around you are made of meat. What does it mean about a setting where you can’t get access to sticks? Or if not sticks, prybars or levers?

Corrigibility

Is there a central authority that can keep people from just having the weapons?

In the real world there are regulations, usually enforced by a group of people with permission and access to weapons, to keep some weapons out of the hands of people. In our world this is possible through a complex network of laws, enforcement and again, threat of punishment. You can be in trouble if you have a weapon where you’re not supposed to have it, which wont’ stop you having it but which will compound problems if you use it or have some reason to be caught with it, which in turn creates a reason to be careful about where you bring weapons and what types of weapons you can bring. At the same time, this apparatus has the ability to make a number of specific definitions, which allows a lot of fine control over what counts. There’s a knot that is somewhat illegal in parts of the United States because you can use it as, again, a weapon.

Thing is, that’s not actually preventing those weapons being available. It is disincentivising people from bringing those weapons into some situations. I’m not saying this is inadequate, this is not a second amendment conversation. I think I’m pretty clear on thinking that more guns isn’t better than fewer guns but that’s not important, what’s important is, in the context of a world, in the context of a setting, even our real world struggles with preventing people from having any of a wide variety of weapons, and instead makes do with ensuring that having those weapons is punished. This is a step after there’s a problem.

Now, if the population is smaller and the weapons less available, and they’re physically large, then it’s possible there’s a lot more that can be done to regulate their availability in a setting. A ‘small’ city of a few thousand people in a fantasy setting might legitimately be able to bar entrance to people until they surrender any obvious weapons, without that being an immense difficulty for them to maintain. In that case, you might find those weapons that are small or easily replicated or legally for sale within the city become the weapon of choice. This was the case of the weapons regulation in Sydney in the 1920s, where the lack of access to knives and guns meant that gangs formed around ready access of flick razors.

On the other hand if the setting has access to things like magic or omnipresent surveillance or even things like ‘nanite broadcasts’ or whatever, it might be entirely possible to make it so that things like guns can’t be carried or transported, or they dissolve or they’re able to be pre-emptively prevented from use, that’s going to change what does or does not count ‘as a weapon’ too. At the same time, even times where authorities had immense power to harrass and infringe on people’s free movement to look for weapons, like Japan’s feudal periods, there were always problems with ‘what counts as a weapon.’ There were more than a few assassinations that were carried out by someone just using a hammer they bought to work legally, after all.

Conclusion

Ultimately, as long as people exist, there’s probably going to be ways those people invent to fight one another. Even in entirely positive environments where they don’t need or want to hurt one another, people make up games that involve fighting because and this is the embarrassing thing about humans, fighting can be a lot of fun.

The idea of considering a world in terms of the weapons available and what ‘normal’ means as a weapon means you have a better idea for how people should react to things like expressions of violence. If everyone knows someone who’s been shot, seeing someone stabbed isn’t likely to be that surprising… but if it is somehow surprising, you want to explain why people think that way.

Check it out on PRESS.exe to see it with images and links!

[melanie-ohara]

Avery Sirin

Alliance Mechanic

See also: Dela Raisaris

The following information is classified. Spectre status required.

PERSONAL HISTORY

Avery Sirin was born in 2154 on the fledgling human colony of Terra Nova to Leilani and Grigol Sirin. The colony expanded slowly at first, and as a child Avery's education was patchy and largely delivered by her parents or neighbours, and focused mostly on important aspects of colony life. From an early age, she developed a keen interest in machinery and technology.

The draw of frontier life eventually attracted an impressive number of first-class educators, and Sirin was one of the first enrolled in Terra Nova's school system in the capital of Scott. Keen to encourage the colony (and boost their own recruitment numbers after the Relay-314 incident) the Alliance provided Avery and many of her peers with full scholarships to the newly established Falconer University in Scott City.

Avery attended the Technical Engineering college in 2172, just as Terra Nova's famous platinum rush was beginning. The sudden influx of people and credits transformed the colony over Avery's four years of study. As many of the new arrivals were non-human, this was Avery's first experience of wider galactic culture. While already committed to two years of Alliance service thanks to the scholarship program, in her third and fourth years of study Avery joined several social clubs designed to build inter-species relationships.

Her parents, however, were distrustful of the new arrivals and resented the industrialisation of their colony. They became reclusive and moved away from the city, causing a rift between them and their daughter that has resulted in a noticeably frosty relationship.

After her graduation in 2176, Sirin was assigned as a flight mechanic on the SSV Hong Kong, where she developed a romantic relationship with a pilot that lasted most of her required two years of service. It ended poorly with the realisation that her partner looked down on her as 'just an engineer'. After breaking it off with him, she applied - and was quickly accepted - to the Alliance Flight School in 2178. After the one year intensive program, she graduated in the top three of her class.

She was reassigned to the SSV Shenyang in 2179 and flew on several pirate suppression missions in the Attican Traverse, protecting Alliance colonies from slavers. Her skill and dedication were recognised with a promotion to 1st Flight Lieutenant in 2181.

In 2183, the Shenyang fought in the Battle of the Citadel against the rogue Spectre Saren and his geth army. Sirin fought with distinction, destroying several geth fighters and helping co-ordinate the defence of a hobbled turian cruiser. On the recommendation of Major Helmud Diaz, Sirin was awarded a commendation and, with the appointment of the new human Councillor in early 2184, was approved for transfer to the turian heirarchy ship Severum of the Council Demilitarization Enforcement Mission in the krogan DMZ.

EQUIPMENT

Alliance Interceptor Fighter

Designed for ship-to-ship combat and missile screening duties, the Alliance SX3 is less hardy than its turian equivalent but significantly more agile.

M-3 Predator sidearm

All flight personnel are assigned a basic sidearm in case of emergency. Avery's pistol range scores are comparatively poor.

SKILLS

While not much of a combatant outside of her cockpit, Avery can use her Alliance-issue omni-tool as a defensive and offensive weapon. She can release an electrical overload to disrupt enemy kinetic barriers, or repurpose the charge as a shield boost for herself. Additionally, she can use the on-board minifacturer to produce a swarm of nanides, which can be used by an invasion program to strip enemy armour, or a restoration program to repair equipment.

PSYCHOLOGICAL EVALUATION

Avery Sirin is a model Alliance soldier. Dedicated to her mission and loyal to her allies, she has a quiet resilience and determination that make her an asset to any operation. Off duty, she is curious and friendly, and makes a noticeable effort to get along with and understand her non-human comrades. Despite her efforts, she can come across emotionally distant and prefers not to talk about herself, which leads some - particularly turians - to think of her as aloof.

- REPORT FILED BY VERAPIA BESCUS, ST&R, 2184 -

[echthr0s]

I am disappointed about how this BG3 experiment turned out but I cannot be too disappointed because I also learned some things in the process, namely about what makes games "work" for me and the difference between appreciating something's artistic value and enjoying the experience of it. cut for length

I don't enjoy Larian games. which feels bad to say, because I think Larian games are beautiful and intricate and full of amazing worldbuilding. why would I not enjoy that? it's very simple -- they are mechanically dense in a way that I find very unrewarding. and that feels bad to say, because the way people tend to interpret "this doesn't work for me" is as "this is bad and shouldn't exist", and sometimes I internalise that. but I know damn well that's not what I'm saying. what I am saying is that what makes games enjoyable for me is different than what it is for the people who enjoy Larian games, which is a perfectly neutral concept

I had to compare how I feel when playing the games I love to how I felt when I was playing BG3. Can Calah pointed out that he has never heard so many frustrated noises per minute from me while playing a game that didn't end up in me immediately dropping the game, and that's a good point. at one point I was literally in tears. this is not because the game is difficult to me. it is, in a way, but it's not like Bloodborne where I literally couldn't get past the first mob of enemies, lol. that didn't make me feel bad, I knew I wasn't gonna get through that game, I just wanted to try it anyway and laugh at how bad I was at it. what BG3 is to me is taxing.

here's an example: I'm familiar with isometric RPGs and especially their movement set. but BG3 is like... some hybrid of isometric and straight 3D, and I constantly want to move the camera down behind my character and use WASD for movement, expecting the camera to circle around the environment in a 3D fashion when I move my mouse. and this is a minor peeve -- not even a peeve, more like a "the way this game looks to me and the way this game is meant to be played are at odds, apparently" -- but it sets a baseline level of minor irritation. like a lil IRL debuff. so then when I hit something else that is irritating (like gnarly turn-based combat scenarios or having to reload a bunch of times trying to get past one NPC without activating a gnarly turn-based combat scenario), I'm already irritated, so I have less mental resources to deal with this new thing. I did not immediately recognise this was happening, but it's definitely the main roadblock for me

last night I went to do some research to see if I could figure out ways to make my Act I experience a little less taxing. I love learning tips and tricks about games I play, or finding out how the game works behind the scenes, stuff like that. when I look up stuff about ESO or FFXIV or Mass Effect or whatever, I feel curious and excited to try out whatever new thing I learn. (this is why I don't read the ESO subreddit at night, because then I learn something and I immediately want to boot up the game and try it out and I can't bc I'm supposed to be going to sleep and I get mad LOL) but I didn't feel that way at all last night. I just felt... tired. the curiosity and excitement did not magically appear. because ultimately this is just not a game I can play. not right now, at least. and yes, this upsets me, because I wanted to play it. but enjoyment cannot be forced and it's not fair to myself to go "look at all these other people having a great time, why can't you be more like them?" (talk about a line straight out of the Bad Parenting Playbook lmaooo)

yes, I would have loved to find out what it's like to be half-illithid, I would have loved to fall in love with Wyll, I would have loved to learn more about Faerûn and the various cultures and wow, would I have loved to see the Underdark, finally! I won't be meeting that drider guy I kept seeing gifs of and that makes me sad! but "the journey is the important thing" is never more true than when it comes to video games -- if I do not enjoy the minute-to-minute gameplay, if the journey itself is not inspiring joy in me, then it won't matter if I somehow push myself long enough to get to those moments. because I will be so stressed and tired and annoyed by the time I get there that I won't even enjoy the victory. so then is it really worth it?

the insight I've gained about myself as a gamer from failing to become a BG3 player is, however, quite worth it, I think

[maximuswolf]

Hot Take: Gameplay is not the most important

Hot Take: Gameplay is not the most important Alright I'm not 100% sure about this take, but I think I'm onto something, please let me know your thoughts. Also this is more of an opinion than a statement. What is important for a game to be good is different from one person to another.Story, Environment, Worldbuilding, Music, Sound, Art style: All of these things are more important to making a game memorable than gameplay.Memorable not necessarily fun but memorable. That's a key distinction.If you ask me to describe my favourite games, what comes to mind isn't the gameplay, but the world, the story, the characters, the *feeling* I get from playing it.I'll illustrate with a widely praised game that is also one of my favourites: Red Dead Redemption 2What makes Red Dead Redemption 2 so great? It certainly isn't the core gameplay at least for me. The shooting is fun at times but I wouldn't call it that memorable or "great", it's even repetitive at times. What makes RDR2 so great is the world, the realism, The atmosphere, The graphics, The music, The story, the Characters. Riding back to camp from a mission and stumbling upon a KKK gathering or helping a man who got bit by a snake by sucking the poison out of his leg. Randomly having a friendly couple invite you into their house only for them to be two crazy brother and sister incest nutjobs who killed their parents and plan to murder you too. Getting connected to Arthur as he tries to redeem himself after contracting tuberculosis from beating a man to death. The passionate hatred you develop for Micah whilst still loving every second that he's on screen. Or the plan, gosh the plan, Dutch is still talking about "The Plan" rent free in my head with his raspy voice.When I look back at all of my favourite games, what stands out is rarely the gameplay, but everything else about it. In fact, my favourite game of all time is The Witcher 3 and I find the combat in that game pretty mid. It's fun at times, but it's definitely not why I love tw3 so much. I'm so connected to the world, the story, the characters that it stuck with me since I played it. These kind of games that just live rent free in your head, the ones where you listen to the soundtrack years after playing them, where you still think about certain things that happened in them or a certain feeling you felt whilst playing them. The ones that make you cry or tear up even when you're not someone who usually cries at videogames or movies. These games usually are more focused on delivering an "Experience" rather than being fun.On the other hand, I have so many games that I played, that I had so much fun with, but then I finish them, and I kind of forget I even played them. An example of this I could give for me is Hifi-Rush. Really innovative gameplay where you time your combat to the music and I had so much fun with it but man, I just completely forgot what happens in that game.And don't get me wrong, I love good gameplay and really fun games, I just recognised this pattern in the games I remember the most and wanted to share it. Thoughts?TLDR: Gameplay is not the most important aspect to making a game memorable. Everything surrounding it such as Environment, Story, Characters, Music...etc serves more to make a player connected and remember their time experiencing the game. Submitted February 24, 2025 at 08:50AM by PriMed77 https://ift.tt/nzjfhKb via /r/gaming

[thecpdiary]

Global Climate Change: The Urgent Crisis We Can't Ignore

Climate change, poverty, veganism, environmental sustainability, and our mental health are inter-linked issues that affect us all and if not addressed, will impact future generations. While these issues are fundamental, they often take a backseat to profits and fleeting trends. It’s important to create a society that values both our planet and mental wellbeing, and here’s why and how these areas are interconnected.

Veganism: A Path to Sustainability

Veganism is more than just a diet; it’s a significant way to reduce our environmental footprint. Industrial animal farming leads to deforestation, greenhouse gas emissions, and water pollution. For example, the Amazon rainforest is being destroyed to make way for cattle farming and soy production for livestock, leading to significant loss of biodiversity, the release of vast amounts of stored carbon, and disruption of indigenous communities who rely on the forest for their livelihoods.

By choosing plant-based foods, we can lower the demand for resource-intensive animal agriculture. A shift towards plant-based diets can lead to reduced emissions and protected ecosystems, contributing to a healthier planet.

Global Poverty

Global poverty is on of the worlds most pressing problems we face today. The poorest in the world are often under-nourished with little or no access to healthcare, electricity, clean water and basic shelter. Unbelievably some 25% of the worlds population live on less than $3.65/day. Climate change and poverty are inextricably intertwined because climate change disproportionally affects poor people in low-income communities and developing countries around the world who are disproportionately affected by the impacts of climate change.

Climate Change: An Immediate Threat

But climate change isn't a future problem; it’s already impacting the world through extreme weather, rising sea levels, and damaged ecosystems. Unfortunately, climate action is often hindered by the fossil fuel industry’s influence and a focus on short-term economic gains. This is even more uncertain given president elect Trump's attitude to climate change and the USA oil industry.

The fossil fuel industry spends vast sums on lobbying to downplay its role in climate issues. Media coverage highlights disasters which we know about but we're not changing anything. Scientists and naturalists are now making the public aware of the human and environmental costs. Where news stories focus on how to combat climate change, it needs to inspire individuals to advocate for meaningful change.

Caring for the Environment: Recognising our Connection

Environmental issues go beyond climate change. We are already facing biodiversity loss, pollution, and resource depletion. Our consumer culture also promotes constant production and waste, leading to plastic-filled oceans and polluted air.

Many of us live far from nature, making it easy to forget that we rely on healthy ecosystems for clean air, water, and food. Imagine if every product came with a reminder of its environmental impact—this could encourage us to make more sustainable choices, but we should be encouraged anyway.

Mental Health: Affects of Environmental Crisis

Mental health which is already often neglected, is also significantly impacted by environmental challenges. Watching climate change and destruction can lead to eco-anxiety, a feeling of fear about the planet’s future. Economic pressures and social injustices further complicate and contribute to mental health struggles.

Mental health care is still underfunded and stigmatised. Just as we need to protect our environment, we also need to support mental health, especially for younger generations who will face the consequences of today’s inactions. Understanding mental health as part of our environmental responsibility can help us become stronger – which in turn can help us build a stronger and more resilient society.

Moving Forward

Moving forward – addressing climate change, promoting veganism, fostering environmental awareness and supporting mental health are all crucial steps toward a healthier future. However, achieving this vision requires systemic change, beginning with media that needs to empower the public to help effect change.

When we openly discuss these issues and hold institutions accountable, we can shift our focus from immediate profits to long-term wellbeing and change. Real change means integrating these discussions into our everyday and choosing to take action. The world's future depends on it.

By recognising the interconnectedness of these issues, we can collectively foster a world that prioritise ecological health and mental wellbeing, both for ourselves and future generations. Climate change is a challenge we can't afford to overlook. (Source: newsunorg)

For more relatable, inspirational and lifestyle blogs, please check out my site https://www.thecpdiary.com

[loonymarshian]

Oath

Day 13 of #BG3FicFeb - "NPC shows up at camp unexpectedly" Alfira shows up at camp asking to join the cause, but Bhaal has other plans for her...

I'm introducing ya'll to my Durge today! Nightshade is a wood elf oath of vengeance paladin who is trying really really hard to resist her dark urges. She is also romancing Astarion, so unfortunately there will be no Tragedy and Nightshade crossovers.

890 words, named Durge, Alfira, tw: lots of blood and graphic descriptions of injuries, death, panic attacks, nightmares.

“Alfira?”

Dread settled itself in Nightshade’s gut. Alfira was a welcome surprise, the colourful tiefling bard a ray of sunshine compared to many of the wood elf’s travelling companions. But there was something about this visit that unnerved her, and she didn’t know why.

“Nightshade! I’m glad I caught you, I wasn’t sure how long you’d stick around. I was hoping…” The bard trailed off, nervous, or trying to find the right words perhaps. “I was hoping you’d let me join you.”

Nightshade’s eyebrows shot up, her dark red eyes wide in shock. Join me? The wood elf ran her fingers through her dark hair to hide the slight tremor that was beginning to develop in them. She ought to be delighted that Alfira wanted to join her merry band, so why did she feel so anxious?

“Join me? Why? What I do is dangerous, Alfira, you could get hurt.” Nightshade didn’t think she would be able to dissuade Alfira so easily, but she had to try.

“I know. But you inspired me. I want to help, to fight, to protect my people. To avenge Lihala. I’m good for more than just a pretty song you know, I can handle it.” Alfira’s fiery orange eyes shone with determination, and Nightshade’s own resolve crumbled. Alfira deserved a chance to at least cut down a few gnolls, for her mentor’s sake. The pursuit of vengeance was the one thing Nightshade couldn’t deny to another.

“Alright then, welcome to the team, Alfira. Find yourself a spot and get settled.”

The rest of the evening passed by in merriment. Alfira was a wonderfully skilled bard, and for the first time since they’d all fallen off the nautiloid, Nightshade and her companions spent the evening all around the fire together, talking and laughing and listening to Alfira play. The tiefling would make a good addition to the team, especially if she was capable of keeping them all in good spirits like this. Morale was just as important as combat skills after all. For the first time she could remember, Nightshade went to bed happy that night.

It did not last.

Nightshade’s dreams were a kaleidoscope of murder. Sprays of blood, flashes of sharp silver, the occasional glimpse of brightly coloured fabrics. There were no clear images, just blood, blood… blood. Nightshade’s eyes snapped open, her skin damp with cold sweat, her heart fluttering in her chest, and… a maniacal grin on her face? She shook the expression off, and realised she was standing. Standing? Why am I-

Blood. Nightshade glanced down and noticed a mangled corpse on the ground in front of her, the body ripped to shreds, barely recognisable. It was Alfira. The tiefling’s blood had been spread around the corpse in an image resembling a spell circle or a ritual symbol. Countless stab wounds decorated Alfira’s lifeless body, her colourful bard garb stained red. Her clothing looked like it had been torn before the stabbing started, strands of her hair had been ripped out and littered the ground around her head, and one of her horns had a large chunk carved out of it. Her face had been slashed to pieces, her eyes, still open, just bloody pools where such lively black and orange had been just a few hours earlier. Her mouth had been sliced from the corners, giving her a terrifying wide smile, her back teeth on full display. Runes and symbols similar to the large circle on the ground were carved sloppily into her forehead and cheeks. If it weren’t for the horns and the colourful clothing, the corpse would have been entirely unidentifiable.

Nightshade’s heart beat faster and her breathing became laboured. She slowly looked down at her hands, dreading what she would find there. As she expected, her hands were completely drenched in the tiefling’s blood. Her lightly tanned skin, patched with pale vitiligo, faded away into nothing but red below the wrists. I did this. The wood elf panicked. Her limbs shook and tingled with numbness. Her chest was tight and she couldn’t breathe. She collapsed, landing on her bedroll and curling herself into a ball. I did this, I did this, I murdered Alfira, oh gods what will I tell the others, will they attack me, I probably deserve it, I’m a monster I’m a monster I’m a monster. Her hands were in her hair, threatening to rip it out, blood tinting the short strands even redder than they already were. 

There was nothing Nightshade could do but wait for the sun to rise, blood on her hands, trying not to hyperventilate and failing miserably. At some point she realised her face was wet with tears, but she didn’t know when she’d started crying. All she knew was that she was a murderer, that the dark thoughts she’d been having since she woke up on the nautiloid had somehow taken over. 

As the sun rose, and she finally got her breathing under control, the paladin steeled herself with determination, and swore her oath. It was an oath she had no memory of swearing, but she knew in her heart that she had sworn it before. She would find whoever or whatever had made her like this. She would find them, and she would destroy them. She would be a slave to these dark urges no longer.

[alecbicheno]

Blog post 8 - Representation of other cultures within video games

History of representation

When it comes to the history of cultural representation, there is a complex narrative which features both progress and controversy. Early videogames often perpetuated some stereotypes and clichés, simplifying diverse and complex cultures into some offensive portrayals. However, as the industry has evolved, developers started to recognise the importance of sensitivity and cultural authenticity and began creating more nuanced and respectful portrayals. Some instances of cultural appropriation and misrepresentation still occur, but some titles strive for these accurate and respectful portrayals such as the Assassin’s Creed franchise, with its most recent instalment Assassin's Creed Mirage (2023) being well received for its accurate depiction of 9th century Baghdad.

Examples of representation

The above-mentioned Assassin’s Creed franchise is a good place to start when discussing examples of representation. There is a dedication to accurate and respectful portrayals of the culture and location of where each game is set. Assassin's Creed Mirage (2023) is the most relevant example as it is the most recent instalment. It features Baghdad being inhabited by people who spoke Arabic, Persian, Chinese, Hebrew, and Greek which makes sense because as at the time it was seen as the centre of the world and featured many people from many backgrounds. It also had a very open and tolerant society, which can be seen in game by the women who are veiled or unveiled depending on their religion.

Another success is the game Spider-Man: Miles Morales (2020), which was praised for its portrayal of underrepresented communities such as the Puerto Rican population in New York. In the reveal for the game there was a flood of positive reaction over the Puerto Rican flag and other cultural aspects on show. It brings diversity into the gaming landscape with Miles Morales, an Afro-Latino character, and also explores his cultural background where many gamers could relate to his life and struggles.

There are however many cases of misrepresentation in games such as the Call of Duty franchise, one example being in Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 (2009), which was an extremely popular game. There is a map called Karachi, supposed to represent the city in Pakistan of the same name, and it features Arabic written across the map, Arabic isn’t spoken in Pakistan.

There is also Sniper Ghost Warrior Contracts 2 (2021) which continues to perpetuate stereotypes and displays causal violence towards Arabs as games have been doing for years. While it is set in a fictional place and has a fictional narrative there is a clear Arab influence. There is a part where an Arab father is worried about his daughter getting a phone which brings up negative stereotypes “it actually brings up a negative Arab stereotype: that all Arab men hate women and want to control their daughters. Cell phones, as a cultural object, represent youthful freedom. To deny his daughter of that is to deny the very ‘freedom’ Americans are out there fighting for every day”. (VELDE, 2021)

It just goes to show the way the Middle East is viewed “CI Games is a Polish company, meaning either the American depiction of Arabs has become so pervasive throughout the West - or so lucrative in gaming - that it is the only perspective our medium has on the Middle East.” (VELDE, 2021)

The importance of representation

It is crucial for games to have authentic and respectful depictions of different cultures, especially as games reach a global audience. By representing diverse cultures accurately, games contribute to breaking stereotypes and combating cultural ignorance. Furthermore, these portrayals help players to connect to these characters on a deeper level, helping understand them better and empathise with them and the represented culture.

To summarise, authentic representation in video games is important as it plays a large role in challenging stereotypes, creating a more inclusive and culturally aware gaming community.

Bibliography

CI GAMES. (2021) Sniper Ghost Warrior Contracts 2. [DISC] Xbox Series X. Warsaw: CI Games

DUCKWORTH, J., 2023. Assassin's Creed Mirage Historian Talks Cultural Representation in Baghdad. [Online] Available at: https://gamerant.com/assassins-creed-mirage-baghdad-cultural-representation/ [Accessed 10 December 2023].

Feliciano, E., 2020. The importance of cultural representation in video games. [Online] Available at: https://unfspinnaker.com/87139/features/the-importance-of-cultural-representation-in-video-games/ [Accessed 10 December 2023].

FRANZESE, T., 2020. WHY WE LOVE SPIDER-MAN: MILES MORALES. [Online] Available at: https://www.inverse.com/gaming/spiderA-man-miles-morales-ps5-harlem-diversity-inclusion [Accessed 10 December 2023].

INFINITY WARD. (2009) Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2. [DISC] Xbox 360. Santa Monica: Activision

INSOMNIAC GAMES. (2020) Spider-Man: Miles Morales. [DISC] PlayStation 4. San Mateo: Sony Interactive Entertainment

Lee, N., 2016. Shooting the Arabs: How video games perpetuate Muslim stereotypes. [Online] Available at: https://www.engadget.com/2016-03-24-shooting-the-arabs-how-video-games-perpetuate-muslim-stereotype.html?guccounter=1&guce_referrer=aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuZ29vZ2xlLmNvbS8&guce_referrer_sig=AQAAADNKYljNr5WC6TNtnjC9KYJWzIZo_NcxVFyQtVEyPgjGvuRvYlKJ_7ZVwOSnVKm-gmpEJ [Accessed 10 December 2023].

Taylor, B., 2022. Black Culture and Representation in video Games: Black History Month. [Online] Available at: https://terralocalizations.com/2022/02/28/black-history-month-representation-in-video-games/ [Accessed 10 December 2023].

UBISOFT BORDEAUX. (2023) Assassin’s Creed Mirage. [DISC] Xbox Series X. Saint-Mandé: Ubisoft

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[geekitygeek]

literally no one on here will care but i put together a playlist for my D&D character ages ago and now I wanna type out how each song relates so here goes:

Symphony - I imagine a lot of scenarios to songs. In this case, I couldn't get the image of Niwyss welcoming guests to one of her many parties in the Emerald Glade to the chorus. This in fact stuck with me so long that I commissioned art of it (that i still need to frame, woops)

(There's Gotta Be) More To Life - This is more personal to me. A lot of traits in Niwyss are things I wish to exude myself, and this song relates to deeper thoughts I have about life which I want to portray through Niwyss.

God Help The Outcasts - Esmeralda's sense of justice (and some physical traits) were a big inspiration in developing Niwyss. Ultimately, she's been surrounded by a lot of bigotry and cruelty, and she wants to find a way to spread good in the world.

Angel - This is what would play when she's seeing Marla from across the room. There's love there, but even I'm not totally sure Niwyss recognises that it goes beyond friendship just yet.

Brave Shine - I'll be honest, there's a couple of songs with no real deep meaning. This is one of the songs where I'm picturing a whole anime intro with the party.

Dancing In The Moonlight - Another party song. It's pure feel-good music and I'm sure a medieval D&D version would fit perfectly at a Glade party.

Disobedient - Niwyss's rebellion song. She absolutely would be blasting this out when sent to her room, if speakers existed in Avalon. She knows her training is important for the future, but my gods everyone is so uptight about it.

Easy - Saying goodbye to Marla all those years ago was hard. They just needed more time. Time to at least find out if there was room for something more.

Feel The Love - Another party song, but I feel like this perfectly portrays Niwyss's enthusiasm and positivity. If someone's getting you down, Niwyss will absolutely console you and then eldritch blast their ass.

growing up is getting old - Niwyss has had to take on a lot of responsibility as she's grown up, essentially to be the next generation who will do their utmost to prevent further death and destruction. And that's scary. Also lifespan angst. She and Bryn will likely live the longest out of the whole party (provided she doesn't die during the campaign)

Guess Who Is Back - More anime intro goodness in my mind theatre. Trust me, it looks cool as fuck.

Out of Our Minds - Niwyss lived two lives at home. She'd be out until the early morning hours on the regular with combat training at 9am. But she wouldn't trade it for anything. Memories are important to her, even if that means climbing up a makeshift ladder to her room at 3am.

Out Tonight - Similar to above, Niwyss could finish training or schooling at 5pm and be ready to go by 6pm. The parties are her escape, though for all we know, that could be to her detriment in the future.

Perfect Day - This one's for reminiscing on her childhood, playing with friends, whether it was Puck, Marla, or her schoolmates. Everything just seemed simpler back then.

Umbrella - Partly a joke addition... basically Niwyss has an earring in the shape of an umbrella. It was originally crafted by Puck as a welcome gift for Marla - a symbol of shelter in dark times. Upon her quick departure, Marla left the charm with her letter to Niwyss.

Waiting On A Miracle - She knows her parents mean well. But Niwyss doesn't feel like anything's good enough for her parents, or the Council. But she's seen what looking for constant approval looks like in Petran, and as much as she loves her big brother, she doesn't want to get to that point.

Wild and Young - Another celebration of Niwyss's love to see the world and enjoy the company she encounters along the way. As long as her life will be, she only gets one go, and wants to make the most of it.

Utakata Hanabi - A somewhat sad ending to the current list, this captures how Niwyss feels when she's alone. Longing for peace, longing for a day when she can see her dear friend again without the weight of the world on their shoulders. Constantly looking back to simpler, happier times.

[thetoxicgamer]

Lords of the Fallen devs are worried about the amount of soulslikes

Lords of the Fallen is up against a formidable obstacle. How can you make a dark RPG game stand out in a world after Dark Souls, where the soulslike has grown to be a well-established and constantly expanding genre unto itself? Beginning with Demon's Souls and continuing with the Dark Souls trilogy, Bloodborne, Sekiro, and most recently Elden Ring, FromSoftware has consistently produced quality games. Nioh, The Surge, Blasphemous, Wo Long, and hundreds of others make for a potentially oversaturated market, making it difficult for any new soulslike to gain traction. However, CI Games, the company behind Lords of the Fallen, recognises the importance of the original masterpiece by FromSoftware's long-lasting legacy. In an exclusive interview with PCGamesN before to Lords of the Fallen's release, creative director Cezar Virtuso and art director Alexandre Chaudret discuss the thrilling challenge of making a modern soulslike. A remake, reboot, and reimagining of the 2014 original, Lords of the Fallen takes place between two dark fantasy worlds, Axiom and Umbral. Equipped with a lantern, while you navigate the living world of the Axiom, you can peer into the dead world of the Umbral, and your actions in one will affect the nature and structure of the other. In the era of the soulslike, this is one way that CI Games intends to stand out. “We’re not going to hide that we have common ground,” Chaudret tells PCGamesN amid the chaos of Gamescom. “It’s the same genre. Call it soulslike, or animation-driving fighting, or dark fantasy RPG, we know we have common ground. I think what makes us different is our world. It’s much more allegorical. You go from a Gothic fantasy to something much more cosmic horror, almost Giger-esque with bones, giant statues, skeletons moulded together. It’s a question of resonance. You need to touch the very soul of people and go into deep thematics, not just the surface of fantasy like shiny armor and dragons. “All of the armor is rusted,” Chaudret continues, “so it shows I didn’t have time to brush them – I had to fight again and again. Why is that guy crying? Why is this guy, who represents all the golden hope I had in fantasy stories when I was a kid, sad and with no more hope? It’s more about the torment of the people that were in here.” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xi7o_WyN43E Combat in Lords of the Fallen is weighty and physical – as you lug your tired, armored character into yet another battle, there’s a terrific sense of ardor which matches the game’s depleted and anguished world design. On the contrary, combat options from the original Lords of the Fallen have been greatly expanded and improved, and nimble, lightly-armored builds now offer a refreshing alternative. Inspired by the work of FromSoftware, Virtuso explains the challenges of making a great soulslike. “The FromSoftware games are excellent,” Virtuso says. “You could dislike the genre, because you like soccer games or something, but these games are so masterfully crafted. They introduced so many new ideas to the table that we, the rest of the industry, can only be inspired. “We were humbled. We went in with high ego, because we’re the Redditors, the guys posting s***. We come from the trenches. And we thought we knew a lot. But we were humbled by how little we knew in terms of creating compelling combat. Designing combat is incredibly challenging. The feedback came in, and we had to create ancillary systems and rework it and make it good. “And then the level design has to be absolutely on point,” Virtuso continues. “These games live and die by their level design. The world needs to feel lived in, needs to feel real, and you need to see landmarks and not get lost. You need to go, discover, return, come back. It’s like working a Chinese puzzle box. It has to be bulletproof.” But even if you get everything right, in a world of so many soulslikes, where the tropes and tenets of the genre are so well established, is there a risk of becoming lost in the crowd? Virtuso and Chaudret say they are worried about the amount of soulslikes out there, but also believe that if a game is good, players will come to it regardless. “Yes, we are worried,” Virtuso says. “But at the same time if we’re true to ourselves and dig deep into our well, no one is going to reach the depths that we have reached.” “It’s worrying in the sense that we want to succeed from a business standpoint,” Chaudret continues, “but I think players are not at all against just having more good games. If we do a good game, people will be super happy. It’s our job to make it as good as possible and then it will stand out because they will just like what they are playing.” The goal, then, is to continue building and improving upon the FromSoftware formula. There might be a lot of soulslikes, but that doesn’t mean CI Games, Lords of the Fallen, or any other developer needs to abandon or upend the genre entirely. On the contrary, Dark Souls, Elden Ring, and the rest serve as inspiration for future, more individual interpretations of the concept. The answer, Virtuso says, is not to create the “anti Dark Souls,” but to continue searching for what makes these games powerful. “This is a storytelling trick,” Virtuso concludes. “We, as humans, are more open to negative emotions. The bitter stories stay in your head more than the happy stories, because your brain tells you to remember the bitter story, so you can avoid the same outcome happening to you. That’s the secret. The fact it ends in sorrow, it makes it much more poignant. “You can’t do the anti Dark Souls. You saw what happened to all the World of Warcraft killers. You cannot do a game that is the antithesis. You have to be true to yourself and reach as deep as you can into your well.” If you’re a big soulslike fan, check out some of the absolute best games like Dark Souls. You’ll also want to try the best fantasy games, from dark RPGs to turn-based adventures. Read the full article