#especially in the sequel

[inumbrapugnabimus-maybe]

zeldazeldazeldazeldazeldazelda

[artbysarf]

The Little Mermaid 2 isn't canon and Melody grew up exploring the ocean with her parents trustttt

[kikker-oma]

Fan Joy July - Day 15

@bokettochild wrote this AMAZING piece called The Broken Promise and y'all.

I cannot get over it. I may be slightly biased (I'm not, it IS that good) because I requested Wars and Wind for this Febuwhump prompt, BUT OMG DID KETTO DELIVER!!!!! AAHHHHHH

READ IT

READ IT PLEASE!!

[benevolenterrancy]

Swords pining for each other's cultivator is my new favorite type of pining. Love your NieYao content! <3

I don't suppose we could get Baxia or Hensheng throwing a tantrum while Jin Guangyao / Nie Mingjue are away, leaving their owners to deal with the embarrassing aftermath?

Also, do you have any recs you'd recommend with these two?

this is the exact moment Nie Huaisang realised he was going to have to start meddling in his big brother's love life (con't: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5)

Hensheng, on the other hand, doesn't throw tantrums but WILL sulk...

[ranaeley]

The starmaker at work...

Closeups and alternate coloring under the cut.

[hotcinnamonsunset]

RED, WHITE & ROYAL BLUE: first look, on-camera and off

[f-imaginings]

Some KMKY Bill expressions so I can get back into the swing of drawing him ✨

[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.

[itsamenickname]

Hot take: I would've enjoyed Super Mario Sunshine a lot more if Nintendo incorporated the following two changes:

Have Luigi be in the game (whether playable or not playable)

AND MORE IMPORTANTLY

2. Have Bowser tell Jr. that Luigi was his mama instead of Peach.

This concludes my Bowuigi hot take, good night everyone.

[number1villainstan]

anyways i'm going to bed for real after posting this i promise BUT i've been writing up something in my drafts and it kinda made me realize that growing up in the new republic senate and as leia organa's son probably fucking broke ben's ability to Give A Shit about anything political that doesn't directly concern him. like imagine you're an eight-year-old whose parents are either divorced or in the process of divorcing and you can't even talk to your mom because she's too busy negotiating a trade contract with planets you only barely recognize from your tutoring, and whenever you complain about it everyone (including your mom) is like "this trade contract will save lives and feed millions of hungry people!" like wanting to talk to your mom makes you evil or something. and you keep getting assigned playdates with kids you've either never met or already hate because their parents want to talk to your mom about mining regulations or whatever. and strange adults keep coming up to you and trying to make conversation so they can get to your mom with whatever Super Pressing Issue they have, and they don't ever actually listen to what you have to say, because--again--you're eight years old. and every time you complain about people bothering you with things you don't care about your mom scolds you for your heartlessness because you should care about them, you should be caring about literally everything that goes on in the senate because it's always a matter of Life Or Death for someone.

like--mom. you're eight. you can't even vote. you just wanna hide in a storage closet and read your holobook to ignore the fact that your father's never coming home.

and of course at some point the only defense for all this shaming and emotional overextension is gonna be to decide that you just. don't. care. bunch of people dying slow, miserable deaths from disease? you don't care, you don't know them, they're like seventy quadrillion lightyears away. fascism gaining a foothold among discontents in the new republic? as long as you can read your holobook, you're fine. massive war profiteering scandal? like whatever, you just wanna be left alone. compassion fatigue so intense it turns chronic. political apathy so dire it's practically fatal. and it's so bad the voice in your head manages to convince you to join the fascists just to screw over your mom and uncle, and you, son of the eternal princess of alderaan, end up standing on a stage in front of row after row of silent obedient soldiers as your shitty coworker who hates you announces the first strike of what is essentially the death star squared and the deaths of trillions of people, a lot of whom you probably knew as a kid, and probably all you can think is see you in hell, suckers.

like. you're not eight anymore, and you can do a lot more than just vote as snoke's apprentice, but in your head you're still just hiding in a storage closet and reading your holobook to ignore the fact that you can never go home.

[illustrationismyhaven]

I just finished my PN2 pkaythrough and I still can't help but feel like so many of the original characters were sidelined too much... I know they needed to make room for some new characters, but like... People waited 15 years to see these guys again and they're kind if just. In the background.

Thats not to say any of the new characters weren't fun! I love Raz's family and everyone knows Adam is my bestieeee. But even those guys didn't get much? In my opinion?? I don't know man. It's just- when you compare it to the Campers and just the whole Camp in general in the first game, Whispering Rock feels much more... Alive!

Edit: Also I miss the water curse!!

... You know I think I should be studied for being really critical about sequels to games that I like. Critical in the sense that I really enjoyed and adore them, but still feel like there was a lot of wasted potential. Hmmm.

[iz1331]

Wasn't able to continue watching the livestream on YouTube, but SNL posted the skits on X/Twitter, so I watched them there. Correct me if I'm wrong, but here's the Beetlejuice mentions in tonight's show.

KEATON JUICE

CHARLIE JUICE

ANDY JUICE

MICHAEL KEATON AND ALEC BALDWIN REUNION!!!

BEETLEJUICE/BETELGEUSE AND ADAM MAITLAND!!!

[ifindus]

"Pirates" - for the 4th day of @aphfrukweek

still thinking about my steampunk pirate au fic and the sequel chilling in my drafts...

[burningcheese-merchant]

HEY I SEE THAT BIRD PFP FROM KPOP DEMON HUNTERS YOU LIKED IT TWO DIDNT YOU

Nope. I liked it three

[wickjump]

im gonna start posting fanfic recs btw whenever i find good ones. both here and my (awfully barren) 18+ account. because there are so many good fics out there with so few hits and fewer kudos and sometimes no comments period and it SUCKS because i REALLY LIKE THEM A LOT.. and i hope that by linking them here and yelling at everyone to COMMENT DAMMIT they might actually do it

seriously though any comment means a lot. most people who read a fic don’t even give a kudos. even if the fic wasn’t top tier, if you didn’t dislike it, hand over some kudos!! and if you liked it, comment!!!! even if the comment is one singular heart emoji it will be appreciated. if the comment just says “great fic!” the author will be happy. your comment doesn’t have to be this long winded gushing or analysis.

so many authors quit writing or lose motivation because the comments are few and far in between or just sometimes nonexistent. trust me when i say authors don’t care about how long or cool or smart sounding your comment is i promise!!!

i hope that mmmaybe recommending fics and telling people to comment might help fics i really like get more support maybe. and i, points at you reading this, hope that you will listen!!!at least a little….at least sum kudos….

[sourb0i]

Just got out of Beetlejuice 2! I'd give it a 4/10 overall

Pros:

All the original actors (Michael Keaton, Catherine O'Hara etc, Wynona Rider) reprised their roles really well; Catherine O'Hara in particular

The relationship between Lydia and Delia was nice; I enjoyed the whole 'you did it to me, now it's happening to you' between Celia, Lydia, and Astrid

Practical effects were good; honestly it was just refreshing to have any at all. I especially liked Charles' shark-bite effect

There were some genuinely funny parts, especially the (first part of) the wedding musical number

I thought Dolores was interesting as an antagonist, and I liked her character design (though I have gripes- see below)

Cons

The vibe just wasn't there. The plot didn't really feel committed to any one thing, and when the movie ended my first thought was "what the fuck was that about?"

There were also a lot of plot holes-- or at least, worldbuilding holes. Why was Beetlejuice working in the Afterlife office? Why is there a crime unit (and laundromat)? Why couldn't Lydia see her dead husband, even though he said he "checked up on [her and Astrid]" periodically?

I am honestly really pissed about how Barbara and Adam were written off. Obviously they can't have the original actors reprising their roles, but they deserved a better ending than a hand-waved one liner.

While Dolores had a lot of potential as an antagonist, she wasn't given nearly enough character. Her only lines (as far as I can remember) were "Where's Beetlejuice". Why is she so obsessed with him? What does she hope to gain by reuniting with him? What's the deal with her soul-sucking quest for immortality? So much wasted potential

The same was true of...the Murderous Boyfriend Who Was Such a Non-Character That I Forgot His Name As Soon As He Said it.

Seriously. They could've set up a great plot twist if they'd given him more character/more set-up with the parents. Instead the guy was a walking red flag.

I also wasn't a huge fan of Astrid's character. Like they set her up to be this girl who is ostracized bc of her mom (fair), but then instead of leaning into that they made her into this Gen Z Feminist/Eco-Warrior archetype, and it just felt like the writers were trying to make fun of that instead of actually making her into a whole person. Like, ok, she knows who Marie Curie is (even tho she got the nationality wrong), but what does she do for fun? What kind of music does she like? Does she have any hobbies outside of activism?

While I enjoyed some of the musical numbers (the wedding, and the soul train particularly) on their own merits, they just felt really out of place. The original had a solid musical theme, but this felt all over the place

Also! I wish we'd gotten to see more of Lydia interacting with ghosts in her day-to-day life! That seems like something that could be really traumatic and/or played up for comedic purposes. I loved the gag with her and the other actress in the bathroom! Give me more of that!

Overall, the movie felt like it didn't really know what to do with itself. There were so many out-of-place cameos (Burn Goreman, I'm looking at you), and stylistically and thematically it never really felt committed to one thing. It was an empty movie with nothing to say, and that's really disappointing, because it had a lot of potential to be something fun.

(Also. Produced by Brad Pitt?????)