#but that last gif just breaks my heart

[arcanegifs]

ARCANE LEAGUE OF LEGENDS: 2x01 - “Heavy is the Crown” ↳ "I know you doubt your merit of your birthright, Caitlyn. There's wisdom in that. But remember: You're a Kiramman."

[fadelsburger]

The Heart Killers + tumblr text post (FadelStyle edition)

[every-moment-a-different-sound]

Ok so the moment in Episode 3 after Charles meets Monty for the first time just won’t leave my brain. I’ve seen a bunch of posts about how Charles is jealous in this moment, and I 100% agree.

But I also think he’s being a bit self-destructive and feeling somewhat abandoned here as well.

He’s just spent the night trapped in a loop reliving his trauma. From Charles’s perspective, he’s just spent the night not being able to save a family from abuse. He wasn’t good enough to help them- at least that’s how I imagine it would feel to him.

They’re walking back from the Devlin house, not even inside the Tongue and Tail yet, and Edwin starts flirting with talking to Monty. When Monty talks about it being a perfect morning to do an astrology reading for him, Edwin glances at Charles, and Charles instantly starts talking to Crystal to give Edwin privacy for his chat with Monty. But Crystal says that the murder loop drained her so she’s going upstairs, and the moment everyone’s backs are turned Charles just looks so sad.

Charles watches Edwin and Monty talking for a moment, clearly seeing that Edwin’s enjoying himself, and pulls this face.

I think it’s jealousy, but I think it’s also that after the night he’s just had, he wants comfort. He wants his best mate. But Edwin’s too distracted by Monty and Crystal’s tired, and I don’t think Charles knows how to ask for comfort, or feels that he deserves it. Again, from his perspective he’s just spent hours failing to help people that are going through the same abuse he did; why would he deserve comfort?

So he just walks off. No parting words to Edwin. He just leaves.

[lizzybeeee]

DATV is overly reliant on Supplemental Media - especially if you are a returning player

TL;DR: Supplemental material should not be required reading in order to understand what's going on in the main game -> it's additional material that enhances what we were given. If what we were given is lacking and unable to coherently tell us a story, then the writers and those in charge did not prioritize what was important.

Not a take that's unique to Dragon Age, but one that is very relevant when talking about DATV. I've made a few posts about plot/story points that either make no sense or have been dropped entirely in the lead up from DAI to DATV. Every now and then I get a few comments or messages about how certain points I made were addressed in supplemental material released in the lead up to this games release.

This isn't a call out post, by the way! But it's frustrating, to me, that this games writing is so lacking that my understanding is being inhibited because I can't remember details from a book I read two years ago - not to mention various podcasts, comics, and short stories. My understanding of a video game in a video game series should not be reliant on additional/optional content.

DATV is a weird game in that it is absolutely a 'soft/scorched earth' reboot while also marketing itself as a continuation to what was set up in Inquisition and Trespasser. Personally, I think that if you are up to number 4 in a game series, one with a continuous story-line, it should be expected that new players won't be able to catch up to everything -> it's the game developers job to make the world and story intriguing enough that the new players will go back to previous games in the series and fill in the blanks themselves.

Veilguard, as a sequel, is overly reliant on content that comes from outside the games themselves (including DLC's) if you want to make sense of the world and story. Trespasser left us with an epilogue that set up some plot points for the next game: Solas & the Veil, the Elven Rebellion, and War with the Qun - plot points that have been built up since the time of Origins. But when we get into DATV two of these points have been dropped and resolved, off-screen.

There are more questions, but these are the ones that bothered me the most while playing the game:

What happened to the Agents of Fen'harel/ Elven Rebellion? -> answered in a cursed reddit AMA.

What happened to the Qunari following Trespasser -> addressed in Tevinter Nights, and a codex entry you can pick up (optional).

Why is Skyhold infested with demons? -> mentioned in Tevinter Nights.

How did the Dalish go from worshiping their own pantheon to knowing they are false gods? (specifically those we meet in the Veil Jumpers) -> mentioned in the Missing comic series.

What's up with Nevarra's Royals? -> Tevinter Nights addresses that there is a power struggle in the Pentaghast family and the role of the Mortalitasi in making it worse - though it does not address the whole 'mage puppeting a corpse' issue and all the implications it has.

This is a video game series -> the bulk of the information required for me to understand the story and its relation to previous entries needs to be included in the final game version. I am playing a video game and not attending a uni class - I should not need to have a required reading list in order to understand what the fuck is going on. I should definitely not need to go onto a reddit AMA to understand what happened in-game, either.

What makes this stand out the most is that DAI was very successful in tying in previous games, DLC's, movies, and books! Inquisition did a great job in getting you up to speed on the events of the previous games early on, providing personalization if you played those games, and giving the player the opportunity to inquire into these events.

Hiding away the answers in additional material or a codex entry that may be missed is not good game design or good writing. DAI didn't assume that you had bought and played the Legacy DLC -> it made certain you experienced the conversation with Varric and Hawke if you wanted to proceed in the game. It didn't hide away imperative information in codex entries - it had characters talk about it in scripted scenes and encourage the player to ask more. You would actively need to avoid interacting with characters for you to not experience this information in DAI.

Leliana talks about her role during the Blight, her calling by the Maker, and her relationship with Dorothea/Justinia -> DAO and Leliana's Song DLC.

Cullen talks about his time as a templar at Kinloch & Kirkwall -> DAO and DA2.

Cassandra speaks about her history, investigation into Hawke, and the Seekers -> Dawn of the Seeker movie, DA2, & Asunder novel.

Varric talks about Hawke, Kirkwall, and Corypheous -> DA2 and Legacy DLC.

Cole talks about how he discovered he was a 'demon' - it leads to further conversations about Rhys, Evangeline, and Lord-Seeker Lambert -> Asunder novel.

Wicked Eyes and Wicked Hearts -> the game literally continues what the Masked Empire novel sets up, the Orlesian Civil War. The game does a decent job of telling us about the players (Celene, Gaspard, Briala etc...) and the reasoning behind the conflict through dialogue, the ability to explore the battlefields, quests, ambient dialogue, etc... The book is not required reading - though it greatly adds to the complexity of the characters, motivations, and political intrigue!

I never once, playing DA2 or DAI, felt penalized or like my experience was lacking because I had not engaged with supplemental material or DLC's. I got into Dragon Age when I was in high school, it wasn't until I graduated and began working after that I had the disposable income available for experiencing the extra material. I cannot say that for DATV - If you have played Inquisition and go into DATV straight from that you will, absolutely, be confused about how we got from A to B.

Which is especially strange to me!? Why is it that new players will be less confused than those that are returning players? It's like the game is actively punishing you for playing and caring about previous games in the series.

Supplemental media is bought because the main product has earned your investment, love, or interest. Not everyone has the income available to buy it with their own money - especially if you live outside the US and have to pay additional shipping costs. Not everyone has the ability to buy or 'obtain' the digital versions either. My understanding of the main story of a video game in a video game series should not require additional monetary investment into other mediums.

The game itself should be enough and DATV is not enough.

[thatgoddamngingerundercut]

Agust D ‘Haegeum’ MV & Jacket Shoot Sketch

See my process for gif 4 here

[uslostinthememories]

You have no idea how much this little hand holding means to me

[panncakes]

Phi. Hmm? Why can't I see you?

LAST TWILIGHT (2023)

[tlou-obsessed]

can you imagine the devastion he felt as they basically said they were gonna kill Ellie? He has been closed off for 20 years, basically surviving from day to day, unwilling to feel any emotion, locking it all away, staying away from children. We see that from the moment he meets Ellie his emotions are already bleeding out, he has a hard time controlling them, in his core he is made to be a father, to direct all his love to someone. Without Sarah there was no point anymore...

Now Ellie has made his way through all that devastion, she has poked his dad side, she makes him wanna be alive, he can finally direct all that love somewhere again, and now they dare take her away? again? over his dead body.

[gunsatthaphan]

"wanna join me?"

[lilcathsmith]

Crime Show Meme - CSI insp [1/5 characters]

"You are all family... which is why... this is the hardest decision I've ever made. I mean, how could I leave this place? How could I leave all of you? But not only are you in great hands, you are a rock-solid, bad-ass team of criminalists, and don't ever forget it." - Catherine Willows (portrayed by Marg Helgenberger, 2000 - 2012)

[jazzy-a]

[creedslove]

so besties...

Marcus is a man who only had crumbles of affection when he was dating Teresa, she did the bare minimum and that was all he settled for, so when he started dating you, he was still used to only having crumbles so when you showered him in affection he was so surprised, a little shocked even, well, he wanted that, but he just assumed he would make all the effort again, but he was so wrong, having you just showing to him how much he meant to you, was a whole other level

And then, when you two got all snuggled up on the couch, Marcus liked movies, he liked classic ones and he wanted you to see them, but he didn't want to be pushy or annoying and it sucked when Teresa wouldn't even pretend she was interested, just reading stupid magazines and not paying attention at all, you on the other hand, just dropped everything you were doing to watch movies with him, resting your body against his, entwining your fingers together and kissing his hand gently, to remind him how much you loved and spending time with him ❣️

(ignore her ugly face, that's you on the gif)

[adivinationwitch]

You won’t find anybody in your room

[illiana-mystery]

Alan, my beloved. It's been a while. 🥺😢

[saemi-the-writer]

∇ for Alya and Chloe

∇ -. old age/ageing headcanon

Sorry Anon, I hope you don't mind if I do it for my Miraculous team AU/fanon version of the characters because honestly, at this point of the story, I have a hard time imagining how any character will age ^^;

So Miraculous Team verse:

Alya

She will have a flourishing and fulfilling journalism career just like she dreamt it. After some extreme reports, she will settle back in Paris and will become the editor-in-chief of her own newspapers. After years of journalism, Alya will decide to slowly retire, entrust her newspapers to trustworthy people, and become an author. Her children's books will become especially popular in Europe, and some of her stories will become best-sellers internationally to the point they get (animated) movie adaptations - that she will closely supervise!

As for her relationship status, I can see her either staying single and living happily, being the "cool aunt" and "fairy godmother" of many children (both related and not); or married (not sure with whom yet though!) with 2 or 3 adopted kids.

Alya and Marinette will still be very close/best friends after years and a mentor for new Miraculous users (when she chooses to stop being one herself). Also close to her own family, her parents would be worried sick for her during her "journalist of the extreme" years, but still very proud of her.

Chloé

Choosing a career will be quite a challenge for her, it might take some time for her to know what she wants to do, what her skills would allow her to do, and so on. For about 5 years, she will be a food critic for a famous guide (think of the equivalent of the Michelin Guide), travelling around France. It will be a very good experience for her, but after having various stomach problems and her liver protesting, she decided to change her career path and take care of her health.

Chloé will travel with her girlfriend, then wife, Kagami around the world both for the latter fencer career, and to assist her in her other job. After a while, she will become an event planner and will enjoy it a lot, making some important events for people unforgettable (in a good way!).

She and her father will mend their bond in a healthy and loving way, Audrey Bourgeois merely a shadow of their past. She'll become one of the biggest fans of Zoé and a huge supporter (to the latter embarrassment and joy), advertising her little sister's movies and claiming loudly: "It's my baby sis!! Look! Isn't she cute? And talented? DON'T YOU DARE SAY NO!!!"

[cerealbishh]

"Honestly, it's a little bit funny, this feeling inside. I'm not one of those who can easily hide..."

🎥: @starcuffedjeans