#companion dynamics

[dragonagebrainrotblog]

thinking about the lucanis Discourse ™ and the confirmation by devs that he is demi and a virgin combined with his romance scenes make total sense. like yeah the players might find his romance lackluster but i do believe it fully aligns with who he is as a character.

we know caterina was abusive to him growing up, has this man ever experienced a kind touch ever in his life? he was born and raised for one purpose and he does it well. it is the one thing he is praised for. what else is there?

rook comes into his life and treats him with kindness and compassion and a gentle touch and refuses to indulge his self criticism and it completely rocks his fucking world and already shaken sense of self.

of course once he realizes he has feelings for rook he panics and backs out at the last second. he’s never done this before. the trust and vulnerability even a single kiss takes from him is overwhelming. this is so much more to him than Just A Kiss.

so, later on, you officially commit to a romance over food. it is established early on that food is his love language. it is how he expresses care for people. it was probably the only show of affection he had been allowed in his life up til this point. so of course he’s like “i remembered your favorite drink and paired it with a dessert just for you” as his way of saying “i really care about you and this is me showing it the only way i know how”.

after you’re back from Fade Prison, he finally kisses you and spends the night with you. he isn’t afraid of intimacy anymore because he has already faced the most terrifying thing in his life; losing you. and everything else pales in comparison. he can’t help but pull you closer, to remind himself that you are real and you are here. and he’ll never let you go again.

Idk just some thoughts about how yeah his romance may seem lackluster and we know content was cut but he still is a fully developed and complex character in the game just as he is.

[solarwreathe]

in another universe they could have been playing at the beach

[casasupernovas]

I have a very in depth reply pending!

Rewatched Nuwho season 3 for the first time in years and it’s time for late night musings about Martha Jones and character interactions

Okay so it’s a common take that they should have just cut out Martha’s unrequited love storyline. A part of me wants to agree, mainly because my preference would be no romance with the doctor at all, but considering that we are coming off of season 2 I don’t actually think it is a bad concept.

I understand the appeal of each companion in ten’s era having a very different relationship with the doctor, and I can see the arc they were going for with ten relearning how to rebuild relationships after Rose, culminating with Donna. But Martha in the middle got screwed over so bad man.

And the thing is, rewatching season 3, the unrequited love bit is actually not as large a part of Martha’s character as I remembered . Aside from the family of blood stuff, it’s largely left to offhand remarks and somber glances. Martha has a very strong character outside of it, and yet it’s a lot of people’s main take away from her series.

I think the reason is that while most of Martha’s overall activities throughout the series have nothing to do with her romantic feelings (she has been consistently characterised as someone who puts what she thinks she should do over her personal feelings since her first appearance), basically all of her interactions with the Doctor do.

And yes, obviously since the Doctor is the one she has feelings for it’s going to be important, but she is sorely missing a dynamic with him outside of it that would make their relationship feel more balanced.

Like we just didn’t get the same banter between them like we did with Rose or Donna, with the majority of their interactions having this awkward, longing tone. Since seasons 1 and 2 established the doctor-companion relationship as being a key aspect of the show, Martha and Ten lacking a dynamic outside of Feels where Rose and Donna thrived leads to her character feeling less developed, even when it really isn’t.

You could say it’s because Martha’s a more serious character or because Ten’s too broody at that point. But the few moments where they get the relationship right show that that isn’t what’s holding it back.

I could never really explain why I like Smith and Jones so much, but I think part of it is the interactions between the Doctor and Martha as compared to the rest of season 3. It’s just more fun. Ten gives Martha a conspiratorial wink when she notices his two hearts, Martha calls him ‘completely mad’ after the radiation thing. The kiss may establish the unrequited love, but their back-and-forth throughout the rest of the episode makes it far less painful and more understandable how they could travel together and remain on good terms after all the shit that comes later.

And here is where I lose the plot and defend the Lazarus Experiment because as janky as that ep is, it also showed how a balanced dynamic between Martha and the Doctor could work. Tish remarking about how ‘of course he’s a science geek’ references the romance thing but also where Martha and the Doctor have common ground, which we see in the ‘luckily I’ve got us a genetic sample’/‘Martha Jones, you’re a star’ bit. Yes, Martha loves the Doctor, but Martha and the Doctor’s conversations which also clearly like each other.

But that dynamic isn’t there in a lot of the rest of the series. Martha and the Doctor’s conversations which aren’t just plot driven are all kind of miserable because of Martha’s feelings and Ten’s angst. They both become less interesting characters when they’re together than when they’re apart.

And the writing in the show seems to reflect this. When Martha returns in series 4 with the romantic stuff settled, the plot still separates her from everyone else, including the Doctor, through rockslides or clones or what else. One could argue this is to represent that she doesn’t need the Doctor and is secure in herself, but I think it’s a real missed opportunity. We could’ve explored the new relationship between them that is unique because of their characters and how they’ve both matured since they travelled together, and gotten a proper reconciliation scene, but it’s harder because their dynamic wasn’t strong enough in season 3 for a change to mean as much.

Cause as it stands right now, it feels like Martha just does a lot of emotional (and literal) labour for the Doctor without anything in return. It’s certainly not helped by the uncomfortable and frankly lazy way the show handles race, but giving them a relationship characterised by other things as well as their emotional turmoil would make Martha seem less unappreciated by the Doctor and the narrative.

Basically, Martha should’ve gotten her own version of The Unicorn and the Wasp. Comparatively low stakes, light hearted plot, but the opportunity to let the character dynamics shine. It doubt it would take away from the angst in the rest of the season; Smith and Jones didn’t, and neither did Unicorn and the Wasp in 4.

[mooneggtarts]

Say hello to Jumping Spider AU! Where Orange DIDN'T get to talk it out with Alan and was dropped to the Outernet. Where TDL got into another massive fights with TCO much more early that got them seperated before Orange was created and the whole Virabots thing (TCO kept the house. But only cause TDL refuse to live in the same house as he is)

TDL is convinced that he doesn't care about TCO, or that now he's alone, he doesn't need anyone! Until some Orange kid with the same head as him crashes onto him. Literally. Fate seems to hate him (or pity him?)

[tenojan-in-tevinter]

Honestly there's no one I'd rather be on a forced saving-the-world road trip with than the origins gang. Sorry kotor companions sorry bg3 companions but no one does it like the origins gang. They are a family they are insane they are not to be fucked with they never would have been friends if they were given a choice in the matter. The perfect road trip squad.

They consist of the best dog in thedas, the worlds most royal himbo, a demi-god shapeshifting witch, a bisexual assassin nun, a bisexual assassin orphan, a powerful spell-slinging grandma living on borrowed time (who is bffs with a spirit), a giant spy man who doesn't know how to function by himself, the worlds grossest dwarf, and a giant statue that has a life goal to kill all birds.

[steelandmayhem]

The other day, I saw a non-fandom text post along the lines of:

“What we had was so special you’ll look for me in every new person” (sorry I haven’t been able to find it again)

And I haven’t stopped thinking about it since.

Because to me this perfectly describes Durgetash + romancing your companions.

I can’t help thinking about amnesiac Durge missing something, always searching, but can’t remember what.

They find echoes of it in Gale’s intelligence, his enthusiasm and knowledge when he speaks about magic. And yet, it doesn’t fit entirely.

They find it in Lae’zel’s easy superiority, her ruthlessness and determination. And yet, it’s not quite enough.

They find it in Astarion’s deception and easy charm, the way he manipulates a situation to his advantage, the way he doesn’t need magic to have people literally bare their necks to him.

They find it in Shadowheart’s snark, her secrecy, her dark goddess. They find it in Karlach’s rage (though she burns hot instead of cold which is odd..), in the smell of sulphur and hellfire that clings to her. They especially find it in her mechanical heart, that makes them want to reach out, bury their hands in it, just to see if it feels as familiar as it seems. If maybe owning her heart will fill the hole in their memories, their chest even.

And yet, surprisingly, they find it in Wyll’s pact, Wyll’s past, but also Wyll’s manners and they way he dances, his stories, that make them feel closer to a city they don’t much care about otherwise.

They find it in the deep possessiveness, maybe even hatred, when Raphael first comes to camp.

And yet none of it is enough, none of it fits quite right, and while maybe eventually they manage to look past that familiar feeling and find new things to admire about their chosen partner…deep in their heart they know.

In the end, they’ll always look for something none of them can give them.

Not until they first encounter that handsome young man with an easy smile, and all the jagged broken edges click together like horrible little puzzle pieces.

[azatas]

GOD i love the dynamic between garrus and paragon shepard, especially in the first two games. i love that shepard challenges his black and white sense of justice and that she pushes him to do better. i love that he gets comfortable enough to argue with her but that he respects her too much to just write her off when she disagrees with him

i do love their dynamic in the third game of course, it's my favourite point of their relationship, but the early clashing of ideologies is so interesting to me and there isn't much of that in me3 because of you know. the horrors

[atomicowboy]

he’s not blushing he’s sunburnt

[dewwshi]

hello artemis entreri

[dragonagebrainrotblog]

ZEVRAN baby boy for the love of Andraste’s tits can you PLEASE be serious for TWO SECONDS

[lukaskyle-moved]

Baldur's Gate 3 (2023) dev. Larian Studios

[novembueri]

Cooking with the homies

[my-name-is-apollo]

One of the best parts of rereading the Homeric hymn to Apollo is that I get to read these moments again:

"But Leto alone stays by the side of Zeus who delights in thunder...and the Father gives him nectar in a golden cup welcoming his dear son, while the other gods make him sit down there, and queenly Leto rejoices because she bare a mighty son and an archer."

– Homeric hymn to Delian Apollo (trans. Evelyn-White)

"And they, even gold-tressed Leto and wise Zeus, rejoice in their great hearts as they watch their dear son playing among the undying gods."

– Homeric hymn to Pythian Apollo (trans. Evelyn-White)

It seems so domestic and mundane. Zeus has plenty of moments where he dotes on his children, but it's really rare to see him do that alongside his lover. He is relishing these moments with Leto, who stands beside him. This is more of a family moment than just a father - son moment.

[queenoftheimps]

Suddenly realizing that Madeleine choosing to be executed by Claudia’s side — even though she did not have to, even though she could have lived, even though it would not save Claudia, even if all it meant was that Claudia would not die alone and abandoned — is very similar to another famous literary execution scene that took place in Paris and now I’m crying all over again

[feroluce]

Had the cutest realization last night- so there's a saying we have in English meaning to get something done by any means necessary. It specifically includes dishonest methods, such as violence or lying. So when you're willing to resort to that kind of thing to achieve your goals, you say you're going to do something

"by hook or by crook"

[lunian]

Morrigan gave me -5 disapproval because of my romance with Alistair, are these two that petty about each other??

THE JUDGEMENT