#i have seen far further into the game's story then i guess most and it is insanely tone deaf and full of mean spiritedness

[precociouscoffee]

Dustborn is the most interesting game of 2024, i am baffled and enamored by every sentence,each new scene brings with it more knee slapping derangement. Most videos are only reaching for the surface level, and twitter people are just saying "le woke immigrant song game" I promise you these people have not passed the 1h mark and have no idea how weird it gets, it has been festering in my mind with each horrible, horrible decision each character makes, dustborn for me falls under the "so bad its good" metric for sure

[calitsnow]

Is Hong Lu the tea ?

I really like this title but of course I'm not trying to imply that Hong Lu is literally tea but I would like to talk about a potential foreshadowing or metaphor (?) concerning Hong Lu and which takes place in the story Liu association 5.

It is not so much a theory but more of an analysis which serves to point at elements which seem to reinforce ideas we have about Hong Lu and to better understand or even guess what his canto will look like.

Summary:

Hong Lu is = to the tea of this story

The objectification of Hong Lu

Hong Lu is like water

Spoilers further below

I/ Hong Lu is = to the tea of this story

It's time to talk about the frames that initiated this over-analysis.

Frames that appear to be a rather trivial conversation about tea leading to a humorous exchange between the three characters. But is that really all there is to take from this exchange? What if there was a foreshadowing or/and a metaphor hidden behind it?

It's true that the dialogues at the end of this story, where Hong Lu discusses the ability of his left eye to shine, is more memorable. I admit that it was also the part that caught my attention the most at first. However, upon rereading this passage, I find this exchange very interesting to analyze.

So here we go:

I've seen some people discussing that Hong Lu's age is around 30 years (I think), but I couldn't find the post, so I'll rather assume that Hong Lu is between 20 and 30 years old, as many people (including myself) think.

And this is where it all begins, because when I see Hong Lu talking about a tea "fermented for over 20 years in an ideal environment" and described as "nigh priceless," I can't help but wonder if there's a direct parallel to be made with his character.

We already know that Hong Lu has lived a sheltered life, presumably since forever, in an environment isolated from the rest of the world by and with his family, until finally he joined Limbus Company, which became (it seems) his first experience of the outside world.

If we follow the idea that, Hong Lu is over 20 years old and that him joining Limbus Company was his first interaction with the outside world, then we can see his arrival at the company as if he was taken out of the closet, like the tea that was brought out after more than 20 years of fermanting in this "ideal environment".

It remains to be seen whether Hong Lu escaped this "closet" or if he was brought out for a particular reason.

All this to say that Hong Lu's life until the game’s events could be seen as that of tea fermenting for years before serving its purpose.

We can therefore draw a parallel between the fermentation of the tea Hong Lu talks about and the type of life Hong Lu has led so far: Hong Lu is like the tea, and perhaps this image can give us or confirm what Hong Lu's life was like and how it is meant to be seen: that Hong Lu was fermented within this familial environment to produce an individual nigh priceless.

[SD: Now, if I use the term "fermentation/fermented" to talk about Hong Lu, I will, of course, be referring to his sheltered life with his family, but it will be easier to use the same term to talk about both the tea and Hong Lu and to support the parallel.]

What's also interesting is that the ones behind the fermentation of the tea and Hong Lu happen to be the same: Hong Lu's family.

This, I find, reinforces the legitimacy of this comparison.

We can also note that Hong Lu often talks about the tea he savored while still living with his family, so in a way, tea is a reminder of home for Hong Lu or more precisely, his past life.

I know it's not much, but it could still be an indication inviting us to make this comparison or to pay attention to details where tea is mentioned.

Returning to this idea of fermentation, whereas we know that the fermentation of this tea is supposed to give it a unique taste or/and a unique smell, it's hard to say what the goal of Hong Lu's "fermentation" was.

Perhaps to give him a unique "taste," which for Hong Lu would equate to a predefined personality and/or identity corresponding to his family's expectations.

It may also correspond to the fact that Hong Lu was kept isolated from the rest of the world because: rich people's mentality that doesn't want to coexist with those they consider inferior. Who knows…

But ... I can't help but think that there's another reason for this, but it's still too early to really know which one.

II/ The Objectification of Hong Lu

Small parenthesis: Before continuing with the analysis of the tea, I think it's interesting to dwell on this parallel between Hong Lu and a precious object that might make us understand that the question of objectification is a theme that will be relevant for his character.

After all, if in this story Hong Lu is also supposed to be paralleled with, or even "be" the tea, then his status is reduced to that of a precious object brought out for special occasions or to boast to guests.

Moreover, in the same story, Hong Lu lets slip a phrase that might make us think he is reduced to the status of a precious object in his family's eyes, more precisely a precious stone.

Indeed, his heterochromia wouldn't be due to nothing since, if we follow the original plot of *Dream of the Red Chamber* from which his character is drawn, the color and glow emanating from Hong Lu's eye should be due to him being born with a magic jade in his eye (similar to Jia Baoyu (the character Hong Lu is supposed to be inspired by) who was born with a small magic jade stone in his mouth)).

So, a magic jade stone would be in Hong Lu's left eye or something equivalent that might, at least, looks like a jade stone.

And this discussion around his eye (and in a way, his "jade") is probably the first clue showing us that Hong Lu is reduced to this small stone that is the (only) thing giving him value (for his family).

Returning to the idea of objectification, this seems to be supported by the phrase I mentioned at the beginning of this parenthesis:

"To them… I was a gem of a child"

Which might be more literal than one might think.

What's interesting is that this phrase has the appearance of a "false truth" and of something trivial that might be more nightmare fuel than one might have thought if taken under a certain angle.

This seems to be a recurring mechanism in Hong Lu's character (and ties in with the novel's theme) where the first appearance of something can hide the exact opposite. This trivial phrase suggesting that Hong Lu was pampered by his family because he was their little treasure might actually be a phrase hiding a much crueler and darker reality:

That Hong Lu was literally a precious stone to his family and that his value as a human being was reduced to his eye, which seems to be what his family reduced his being to, if we follow this theory.

And Hong Lu seems to be trying to belittle or/and hide his situation.

Hong Lu was summed up to the precious stone in his eye, and that's all he was to his family: a precious gem.

And I mean, I'm fascinated by this atmosphere of falseness that seems to surround Hong Lu: everything seems to be a mirage, an illusion (pun intended).

No, but seriously, I don't know if these are coincidences or over-interpretation, but most of Hong Lu's stories and dialogues (especially those mentioning his family) are steeped in this atmosphere of smoke and mirrors.

It's all the more fascinating that these moments seem to be a glimpse, a warning of what Hong Lu's canto will be: deceptions everywhere. I find it impressive that even in Hong Lu's mechanics / construction and writing, everything brings us back to this impression that we're facing an illusion.

This last paragraph might not have been very clear, but I'm having a bit of trouble describing my thoughts, hope you’d get a part of what I meant.

III/ Hong Lu is Water

So far, this served to show that it was possible to draw a parallel between what's said about the tea and Hong Lu.

It's time now to look at the last element that might give us more to understand how Hong Lu sees himself or the shape his identity crisis will take.

Indeed, we know that each sinner, through their canto, gets through a sort of identity crisis.

They reconnect in a certain way with their identity and face or evolve from a toxic way they had of dealing with their vision of themselves and their identity: Gregor existed only through his mother's expectations and his trauma related to the war and him being dehumanized, Rodya lived through her guilt feeling responsible for what happened to her neighborhood and the view Sonya had of her, Sinclair also lived with his guilt but also his anger towards Kromer, Ishmael lived only for revenge on her captain, etc...

Well, it is still debatable whether each sinner listed and from future cantos are/will be at the same stage of "personal development" and if they all managed/will manage to detach from their past to live for their future (cough, *cough* Gregor).

But I think that, through their Canto, the sinners learn to reconnect (at least a little) with their identity, their true self by "eliminating" what hindered this recognition so far: Herman, Kromer, Ahab...

And I think that's the essential: this reconnection with oneself.

Moreover, I'm not saying that each sinner has renounced their past, forgetting it in a drawer to live entirely differently without it impacting them, but that they have learned to live for a future rather than for and through their past.

A canto thus serves (in part) to help the concerned Sinner reconnect with their identity and their vision of their life/self.

But how would this apply to Hong Lu?

On one hand, I think first by breaking this image of an object that Hong Lu may possess in his family's eyes and perhaps in his own if he was raised with this vision of himself.

But also by tackling this illusory image of himself that Hong Lu displays.

After all, despite the rarity of this tea, the only remark Faust makes is:

"Despite the intense scent, the taste is essentially blank…" and she emphasizes this again by calling it "scented water."

I find that this image of tea being "scented water" is perfectly reflecting the idea that it's a deception, that what we are presented with is actually an illusion.

Indeed, this description could be an excellent example/metaphor of what an illusion is:

"A false interpretation of what one perceives. and Appearance devoid of reality."

The reality of this tea, which is its taste, is masked by an illusion, its scent, which comes across much more intensely to drown out this reality.

I believe this description underscores one of the themes that I think will be very important regarding Hong Lu: this often blurry distinction between what is real and what is an illusion and the idea that what appears true is false, and what appears false is true. This echoes one of the most important passages in the book from which Hong Lu's character is drawn:

"Truth becomes fiction when the fiction's true;

Real becomes not-real when the unreal's real."

We have seen many examples with Hong Lu where what he shows/says is either the opposite of what we thought, or the first impression was ultimately not the reality. For instance, when Hong Lu tells his story on the abandoned ship, we first think it’s a horror story before the twist reveals a truth radically opposed to what we thought.

The fact that Faust refers to water as a base is logical since we’re talking about tea, but it could also be an intelligent way to create a metaphor/foreshadowing with Hong Lu's behavior, which remains quite subdued and sometimes seems deceptive/false.

Moreover, this metaphor is made through an element that is more than perfect to describe someone who only reflects an image and is never their own reflection or lacks personality: water.

Transparent water can symbolize a lack of true substance or character. Similarly, a person whose personality is transparent can be perceived as lacking authenticity or sincerity. This transparency is masked by a scent to try to hide this emptiness and show the opposite of what it really is.

It’s a bit like Jack Vessalius in Pandora Hearts for those who know it.

Oswald describes Jack as water, as someone who only reflects an image, without true authenticity or a real identity of his own. In a sense, he is always playing a role.

It is also always interesting to remember that one of the most important characters in the novel "Dream of the Red Chamber," Lin Daiyu, who has a close relationship with the main character, Jia Baoyu, is a character associated with the element of water. She spends most of the novel being described as weeping or crying, and this is due to the “debt of tears” she promised to repay to the jade stone that helped her in her previous life when she was a flower. Lin Daiyu, being the reincarnation of the flower, repays her debt by crying in her new reincarnation. Hence her association with water.

But let’s get back to our main point.

Next, what’s interesting is the sentence Faust uses right after to criticize the tea she was served:

“I must wonder though, is there a good reason to pay such a stiff price for… for lack of a better word, scented water.”

We try to mask the transparency of this water with a strong scent, but in the end, it remains an illusion and doesn’t fix the real “problem” of this tea: it’s tasteless, without personality. Could Hong Lu then be just scented water that conveys an image filled with scent (that of a young aristocrat who has had an easy life and has been immersed in wealth all his life) to mask his lack of identity or self/ownness (is that a word)?

Hong Lu is merely scented water; he emits a strong and misleading scent that seems to suggest a certain vision he is or/and others have of him, but in the end, he remains just water to which a scent has been added. Perhaps this water couldn’t develop its own taste because it has been fermenting for over 20 years in an ideal environment, imposing on it a scent that has defined its entire identity.

This could also be seen as a metaphor that ties back to the idea of smoke and mirrors and that this image of a dandy that comes from Hong Lu is just an illusion whose scent is stronger and masks his real "taste".

And it also could be a way to reinforce this idea that Hong Lu try to hide or belittle the/his reality with a stronger "scent", masking the reality with something more noticeable even if it's just an illusion.

Hong Lu should then, during his Canto, learn to renounce the bases that has given him a bit of scent until now, what allowed him to be more than just water, to have an identity, to find a new one/ his true self that would be much more authentic and real.

[homestuckreplay]

Ditch The Clowns, Get The Crown

(page 627-636)

9/11/2009 Wheel Spin: Sburb Lore Verdict: YES! YES! YES!!!!

9/13/2009 Wheel Spin: being silly :3c Verdict: The Prankster’s Hammer Emerges :3c

John was pretty smart about how he got all those new cards into his sylladex. And now that he has twelve cards, does he even need a ‘detect collisions’? I’m sure he’ll be absolutely fine and there will be absolutely no throwing things off a cliff from here on out. Right????

Two huge things happen in these pages: we get a peek into Harry Anderson: Wise Guy by Mike Caveney, and John creates the pogo hammer, unlocking uncountable new possibilities with alchemy. They’re both super important, but my Wise Guy analysis will be a separate post because I found some weird and cool trivia, so here I’m just discussing the alchemy.

Alchemy is, historically, right at the intersection of science and magic. In that way it’s very cool that John has his breakthrough while reading about magic tricks, considering that up til now the process of punching cards has focused on the mathematics and data storage of it all. Stage magic, however, doesn’t create ‘real’ effects, only its impact on people is real. Alchemy seems entirely real – there’s no trickery, and John sure is holding that hammer. Taking the unreal (video games, the effects of manipulating the mouse and keyboard) and making them real continues to be Sburb’s whole deal, and right now I think Skaia’s power can be best phrased as ‘turning stories into reality’ – encompassing both meanings of creation/creativity at once.

Above are the totems for the hammer and pogo ride individually (p.618 – see bottom right of picture) and for the pogo hammer (p.632). They do all look similar, with a thicker part at the top and another thick section jutting out in the lower half. It’s not identical – the pogo hammer has some crisper edges compared to the smooth curves of the pogo ride – but the pogo hammer totem looks more similar to the pogo alone than to the hammer alone. This suggests that – from an alchemy mechanics perspective - the pogo is the base item, and the hammer is the combinatory or modifying item. It further suggests the idea of a ‘hammer pogo,’ which I imagine as a giant, rideable hammerhead mounted on a spring instead of a handle, one that John could ride to victory just like on p.496, but where his steed itself can bash the imps and John only has to worry about guiding it around. This might be slightly less dangerous than using the pogo itself, as he’d at least be able to hold on, and it would deal more damage. It could be created by punching the hole patterns for both items into a single card, creating more holes instead of less.

The pogo hammer is significantly more expensive than the pogo ride and hammer as individual items. The pogo ride alone costs 5 grist and 1 shale, the hammer alone costs 2 grist, and the pogo hammer is all the way up at 10 grist and 16 shale – the most expensive item we’ve seen so far. The rocket pack with its multiple insertions was technically a more complex item, but was cheaper on grist, maybe because it’s absolutely useless. It makes sense that the grist cost wouldn’t just refer to the components, but to how useful the output will be in the game, so that players can’t get access to gamebreakingly powerful items too early on. I would guess that the rocket pack on its own would be more expensive than the merged item, possibly requiring a grist type that John and Rose don’t have yet.

John is truly acting on whims here. Not long ago he was furious about the imps using his pogo ride, swearing that no-one but him risks injury on the pogo ride (p.476) – but now he barely notices an imp bouncing on the balcony, getting the new one all messy with oil too. He’s got something new to feel overly passionate about, and it is HIS FIRST CUSTOM WEAPON. And not a moment too soon, given that the giant imp has presumably climbed up into John’s yard by now. Lots of combat-based games make it necessary to either upgrade your weapon with additional damage and special moves, or obtain new and more powerful weapons, in order to fight tougher enemies. Players are often able to choose what properties they’d like to imbue their weapons with, or will collect multiple and decide which one to use. In this case, John’s chosen the Bounce property, which allows for the weapon’s attack to ‘jump’ to a second target on a successful hit, stacking an unlimited number of times so long as the attacks continue to land. The imp on p.636 looks understandably scared about this.

The alchemiter, we’ve seen, can be used by either Rose, John, or the imps – I assume they’re the ones who made a whole bunch of regular hammers. John should definitely take the pogo hammer totem and stash it away somewhere, both so that he’s the only one who can use the upgraded weapon, and so that the imps don’t waste all his hard earned grist making a hundred pogo hammers. The imps are mischievous creatures due to the harlequin prototyping, but I’d actually guess this tendency is programmed into the base NPC, pre-prototyping. As well as directly attacking the players, enemies trying to deplete grist resources so that players can’t progress further in the game fits with Sburb’s punishing learning curve, and gives players another task to balance – protecting their carved totems and their alchemiter.

The cosmetic upgrade to the weapon is important too. Instead of a plain, uncolored hammer, the pogo hammer has a green rubber grip and a miniature green Slimer on top of the head, perfectly matching the one on John’s shirt. I know that I will choose a weapon that looks sick as hell over one that does a little more damage but has a boring design, because you gotta have an aesthetic when playing a video game and you gotta stick to it even more strictly than you stick to a mechanical build. John’s whole aesthetic being based around green slime (and perhaps magic, thinking back to his CLEVER DISGUISE) means this weapon is for him and him alone, and with that in mind, it’s poetic that he made it all by himself.

John is really, really excited about his creation, as he should be. He DID ‘make something totally sweet’ as he says to Rose, and I’m really happy to see him proud of himself for this. Rose is really good at this game, and it can be hard to play games with a friend who is a lot better than you, so it feels really good as a reader and a big John fan to see him get this moment of success.

[ohallthecrushes]

You're a storm in a teacup and I'm starting to like the chaos.

I've been written this story since the last episode of Criminal minds Evolution that I've seen, which was...around one year ago. And this is so far the longest story I've ever written. Damn. I'm impressed by my own hyperfixation on this. xd I've never published it anyway, cause honestly, it was for my own amusement. Kind of self-inserted main character, you know. But since I've almost lost the whole story, I've decided to put it here to make it immortal. Who knows, maybe there are fans of CME that will find this story interesting (or sick, or both, hopefully both) and who love Elias Voit as a character (I don't recommend falling in love with someone like him!)

Without further ado!

Summary: Evelyn is a young-troubled woman who's just escaped a highly guarded psych ward (twice, but this time causing havoc on her way out)

Now she's running through the city, hiding from police. A not-so-accidental encounter with a man named Elias Voit will change her life forever. And she'll change his. His seemingly selfless help is laced with danger, hidden agenda, manipulation, endless tension, and...love? Slow burning inteligent-idiots-in-love trope. But mind you, just because it's a love story, doesn't mean it ends well.

General warnings throughout the story: Manipulation, illegal activities, murder(s), Stockholm syndrome, kidnapping, explicit content, language, death... The whole pack. It's Criminal minds after all.

In this episode: Evelyn exhausted after spending the last few days on running and hiding, hops into a taxi with the intention to flee the city. Unfortunately, the taxi driver isn't what he appears to be.

Rain lashed against the windshield, blurring the city lights into streaks of neon. Evelyn was huddled low in the backseat. Her heart was hammering against her ribs every time a cop car was passing by. The man behind the wheel, a mid-age looking guy with a baseball cap on his head and bristle on his face, glanced at her in the rearview mirror. "Looks like they got the whole damn city on a hunt." he rumbled. His voice was husky and low, laced with curiosity or complain, Evelyn couldn't decide which.

"You think so?" She forced a casual tone, but her throat felt dry. Elias, as the taxi driver introduced himself, had picked her up from an empty parking lot. It was a stroke of pure, desperate luck from her side. Luckily he hadn't questioned her request to "just go", and just taken her money and driven away. She couldn't believe her own daring to trust a stranger like that, but at this point, she didn't have a much of a choice if she wanted to flee the city.

Elias grunted, his eyes flicked back to the road. She studied his face in the rearview mirror – the crooked nose, the stubble, casual clothes... He looked like a normal guy, but there was something in his posture, in his glances, as if something untamed was beneath the surface. Intriguing, under normal circumstances. Now, it just made her nervous.

"Where are we going, anyway?" He finally broke the suffocating silence.

She shrugged. "Far away from here, I guess?."

Elias (Elias, he kept reminding himself, not Sicarius. Not yet.) stole another glance at her.

A few days ago he'd been captivated by the news reports – the "troubled young woman" who'd outsmarted highly secure institution in the state, twice. Twice! And the second time wrecked havoc on her way out. The arrogance, the audacity of it, it thrilled him. More importantly, it showed a kind of ruthlessness, an understanding of the game that most people lacked. She wasn't a killer, not in the traditional sense, despite the allegations against her. He could see that much. But there was a fire in her, a strong determination to survive and a capacity for violence that intrigued him. He figured that her sharp mind and cunning ability could be a perfect addition to his growing criminal network.

All he needed was her trust at first. He needed to convince her that he was the only one who understood her point of view. The only one who could help her.

He tried to form a connection, but unfortunately she wasn't interested in chitchat. His every attemp for conversation was deflected with dismissal. It seemed like his charm didn't work on her. Well... But at least he convinced her that despite the recognition, he wouldn't drop her at the nearest police station. He cleared his throat. "Don't worry, kid. You're safe with me." The words tasted strange on his tongue, like a foreign kindness. Feigned of course, but for now, it was enough.

She grimaced, after all she'd been through, she didn't trust anyone. She was cautious about this taxi driver, but the whole city's police was out to get her so she didn't have any choice than to let this man help her. At least for now. It was suspicious that he said he wouldn't turn her in. He could have, he'd had a chance with every police car passing them by. And yet, he didn't. His motives unclear, but if he tried anything funny, she'd escape. She'd become good at it after all.

Suddenly the music playing at the radio stopped as the newscaster's voice filled the cab. "...authorities are still searching for Evelyn Thorne, the young woman suspected of..." The voice droned on, listing a litany of her supposed crimes. Each word was another nail hammered into the coffin of her innocence. She shot a venomous glare at the radio. "Dangerous and unstable," the announcer finished with a flourish. She snorted. "Dangerous by accident and not unstable," she muttered under her breath.

Elias kept his eyes fixed on the rain-slicked road ahead. "They always paint the picture they want, don't they?" His voice held a hint of something similar to understanding, and even shared cynicism. She glanced at him with a hesitant curiosity. He wasn't scared of her, not in the way the doctors, the police, even her own reflection had been lately. There was a calmness to him that she found strangely comforting. Didn't trust it though, not one bit.

"Yeah...you think they'll ever be interested to see the truth?" Her question sounded half rhetorical. She wasn't naive enough to believe in some grand reveal, some magical moment where everyone would understand. But she held onto that tiny hope that still lived in her heart that maybe someone would understand.

He didn't answer right away, the silence stretching between them. Finally, he spoke, with a low voice. "The truth is whatever you make it, kid. They can paint you a villain, but that doesn't mean you have to stay in the line." A slow, sarcastic smirk spread across her face at his words. His words were cryptic, and she couldn't decipher the hidden meaning if there was any. Nor she couldn't decipher his intentions yet, but a thought crossed her mind when she looked at the window – being trapped in this taxi cab was still a better option than hiding in the rain.

Catching a glimpse of her smirk, he felt a thrill course through him. Underneath the determination and defiance, there was something dark stirring within her, a darkness he recognized, a darkness he could nurture... He imagined that he would win her trust, bit by bloody bit, until she saw the world through his blood-stained eyes. Until she understood there was another path, a darker path, and he would be her guide. He would show her the beauty of chaos, the freedom in destruction.

Unaware of his thoughts she took a deep breath, relaxing her tense shoulders. Relief, a fragile thing, began to seep into her as she realized that this taxi driver probably really wasn't going to turn her in. But she couldn't relax fully. Fatigue was a relentless foe. The constant scanning for danger was exhausting. Not mentioned the lack of proper sleep.

A yawn escaped her lips. "You should try to get some sleep," he suggested, his voice gruff but not unkind. She lifted her eyebrow. Sleep? In a moving vehicle with a stranger behind the wheel? No, thanks. "I can't sleep," she muttered as she leaned her head against the window, watching the city lights.

He shifted his focus to the road. Her wariness didn't faze him. He was a patient predator, content to wait for the right moment. His determination and a confidence in his plan had made him drive for hours searching for her. Luckily it wasn't in vain. He had her now, a precious pawn in his twisted game. His hands tightened on the wheel.

His hideout awaited, a haven she didn't even know she craved.

The miles slipped by, measured by the rhythmic drumming of rain on the roof. Evelyn's eyelids, lulled by the monotony, began to droop in spite of her resistance until sleep, the traitor, finally claimed her.

Elias' lips curved into a small smile as he stole a glance at her. He had to admit, that even in a dim light, her beauty was undeniable. Porcelain skin, blue eyes that were a nice contrast against the dark curtain of her hair – a not so innocent Snow White lost in a storm.

She was sleeping for a while, but it wasn't a deep sleep, no. more of a restless doze with disturbing flashing images of police and doctors running after her. Soon she woke up with a jolt, by her stomach growling in protest. Great. Just what she needed – hunger on top of everything else. With a deep sigh, she rubbed her eyes as she looked at Elias and mumbled, "If I bribe you with imaginary money, would you stop for some food?"

He chuckled. "Imaginary money? Well, seeing as how the real kind seems to be in short supply for you right now, I suppose I can make an exception." Soon he pulled into the nearest gas station and she watched him disappearing into the brightly lit mini-mart. Even with the minimal reprieve, her nerves remained on edge. What if he went to call the police? Her knee was slightly bouncing as she waited for him with growing impatience. When he reappeared alone (ooff), he clutched two brown paper bags in his hands, one for her, one for him.

He turned to face her to give her the bag, the scent of hot dogs filled the car. "Here you go, Snow White. Two all-beef franks, just the way you like them… probably." His voice held a hint of amusement. She ignored the nickname as she finally had a chance to take a good look at him in the harsh fluorescent light. He was somewhere in his early forties with deep lines etched on both sides of his crooked wolfish nose, and intense dark blue eyes. His hair, a mess of short curls under the baseball cap gave him a surprisingly boyish look despite the stubble shadowing his jaw. He caught her staring, and a playful glint ignited in his eyes.

"Like what you see?" he drawled, a teasing lilt to his voice to see how she'd react.

A blush crept up her pale cheeks as she blinked surprised. "What? No, I mean... umm...w-whatever, sorry for staring..." She mumbled, her gaze darting away to the hot dog in her hand. What a fascinating hotdog... Her reaction was cute, he thought. He kept his gaze on her a bit longer than necessary. Could it be that she was attracted to him? That'd be an interesting addition to his plan, and a weakness he could exploit. His calculated mind was already thinking about the possibilities. It could be a way to bind her closer to him, to make her stay... He turned away and started the engine. If he played his cards right, he could have her if he wanted to, quite literally, body and mind. A chilling smile played on his lips. The prospect was undeniably interesting.

Evelyn focused on eating, trying to forget the awkward moment. The man had something in him, a charm maybe, but definitely wasn't her type. She hoped that he didn't think much of her reaction.

The relentless rain continued its drumbeat on the roof of the car as he drove away. Minutes had bled into one another, the city lights left behind... He looked at her. She was picking at the remains of her hotdog, her brows furrowed in consternation. They were on the outskirts now. Two-story houses with manicured lawns were lined the streets. An idea, dark and twisted, sparked in his mind. He was tired and needed a rest, but finding a motel, where someone could recognise her or where she could disappear on him, would be risky.

He slowed the car, his finger pointing out the window. "How many people you think live there?" The house he gestured towards was large, with two gleaming SUVs parked in the driveway.

She followed his gaze, slightly confused by his question. "Four, maybe five? Big family I guess..." she shrugged.

"yeah, too many moving parts. What about that one?" His finger shifted to a smaller house on the next block, a ramshackle structure that seemed to sag under its own weight. "One, max two? Probably some old folks or someone who's seen better days.. Or maybe it's abandoned?"

Her suspicion was growing until she understood his implication, though she couldn't believe it. "You can't be serious," she said, her voice barely a whisper as he drove the car at the back of the old house. Breaking into a house – a crime she'd sworn off just yesterday ago – was apparently back on the menu. And not by her choice this time.

He stopped the car and cut the engine. Then he met her gaze with his dark blue eyes. "We both know you don't have much choice, do you, Snow White? Do you want to stay off the radar or not?" His voice was a low murmur. He wanted to test her willingness to cooperate, and to see how far she would go to survive. Would she play along or woudl she defy him? He couldn't wait to see.

She clenched her jaw and furrowed her brows. Great... Of course the only person that wanted to help her was some kind of criminal himself. Normalcy, it seemed, was way beyond her reach. Stepping out of the car, she felt the rain chilling her skin to the bone. With a forced acceptance she hesitantly followed him towards the rickety house.

[cienie-isengardu]

I don't really agree with your takes on Kuai Liang. You hold him to a standard far higher than his circumstances allow him. You say he should have confronted the Lin Kuei but the moment he saw them, they immediately tried to kill him and Tomas without any chance. You assume Liu Kang helped him when an intro suggests Liu has left him on his own. You say he should have returned and taken over Lin Kuei, people who rejected him and never gave him a chance but take issue when he tries to get stronger to face them. You conveniently leave out the part Kuai wants others to not touch Bi-Han and Lin Kuei and that's why he's in Outworld to stop Bi-Han according to intros.

I think you're more than a little biased against MK1 Kuai. It's getting obvious.

That’s perfectly fine if you do not agree with my take on Kuai Liang. I’m not here to convince you or anyone to my ideas, simply explaining my reasoning since you asked 🙂 

“You say he should have confronted Lin Kuei but the moment he saw them, they immediately tried to kill him and Tomas without any chance.”

I think you mistake two separate events. I said he should confront Lin Kuei when he learned the truth about Bi-Han not aiding their father in need, right away when he defeated and captured his brother. Tomas thought he would do so, to take the title of Grandmaster and prevent further damage. But Kuai Liang outright rejected this idea, thinking Cyrax and Sektor would still stick to Bi-Han despite the grave accusation. In that scene Kuai Liang chose to cut his ties with Grandmaster, as was seen when he removed his emblemant of Lin Kuei, saying "You are my grandmaster no longer" . Which I guess could count as him leaving the clan. 

From story mode we know only that they took Bi-Han with themselves and a few chapters later, Tomas noted that Lin Kuei refused to aid Liu Kang. But as far as dialogue goes, neither Scorpion nor Smoke said they were attacked by Lin Kuei or in any other way persecuted and I don’t think there is any source claiming that for this specific point in time. Otherwise Kuai Liang and Tomas would either mention they needed to run away from their people to join Liu Kang for the battle or would not be there at all, if the clan wished them dead or hurt.

The attack you mentioned comes AFTER Titan Shang Tsung was defeated and again, comes from Scorpion’s ending and not story mode itself. Which is a second, separate event from the one I referred to in my previous post. In my opinion Kuai Liang should take control over the clan right away Bi-Han was compromised, because it was his duty as the second-in-line. And most likely he was trained for that possibility, as being Lin Kuei was a hazardous job and Grandmaster Sub-Zero was personally involved with doing Fire Lord’s bidding. So no, I don’t think this is holding Kuai Liang to a higher standard, as he is not a mere warrior forced to step in and solve the critical situation all by himself but a man raised as part of the ruling family and with a birthright to do so. Expecting Scorpion to do his duty hardly feels like demanding too much. But it is perfectly fine if anyone does not agree on this one with me. 

So yes, I say he should have confronted Lin Kuei and no, Tomas and Kuai Liang were not immediately attacked between chapters. Lin Kuei refused to aid Liu Kang and at this certain point in the story, it is all they did as far as source materials goes to my knowledge.

“You assume Liu Kang helped him when an intro suggests Liu has left him on his own. “

Yes, I assume so, as for me characters BIO and story mode are a more truthful source than intro dialogues that don’t give us the full context of the interaction, or characters’ endings that aren’t always 100% compatible with the next game (and I do acknowledge that my opinion about Scorpion's ending may change once the new story will be released). Sadly, I have no idea what intro dialogue you're referring to. It would be helpful if you could paraphrase it for me. I checked out MK Warehouse’s page but did not see anything fitting? Or did you actually mean Scorpion’s ending?

“You say he should have returned and taken over Lin Kuei, people who rejected him and never gave him a chance but take issue when he tries to get stronger to face them. 

Yes, as I said before he should do so right away when Bi-Han allied with Shang Tsung but was defeated in one on one match. Sure, the sources strongly imply for us that no Lin Kuei beside Tomas supported Kuai Liang which I admit is pretty surprising. I imagine there were still plenty of people who loyally served his father and to think all of them rejected Scorpion in Sub-Zero’s favor says a lot about the political mood within the clan. Me wishing for Kuai Liang to confront Lin Kuei right away after the failed mission is not saying he would succeed but he definitely could at least try. Instead all the story mode said on the matter is that he doesn’t think Lin Kuei will make him the next Grandmaster due to Cyrax and Sektor, which again raises a question why his socio-political status would be so low between his folks if BIO alone introduced Scorpion as a REVERED Lin Kuei Warrior.

(definition presented at Cambridge Dictionary)

If you meant “return and take over Lin Kuei” in regard to leaks, then again, I do stand by my previous statement. He should take an active part in bringing back Lin Kuei on the righteous path, reclaiming his home and position, if he truly was so dedicated to his duty and father’s teaching. Otherwise leaving Lin Kuei on their own terms may lead to another conflict and in result put Earthrealm at risk. I do not say doing so would be pleasant or easy for Kuai Liang, but what else could be a better way to honor his father and the tradition he revered so much than personally restoring father’s legacy? A legacy for which Scorpion rejected his own brother and future offered by Sub-Zero? Though again, feel free to disagree, as this is just my personal opinion. 

I take no issue with Kuai LIang getting stronger and preparing for the war. I would be quite disappointed if he didn’t do so, as he is warrior first and foremost. Last time I only pointed out that MK1 Kuai Liang has better means to face Lin Kuei than his previous incarnations even had. Which is why I rejected your statement Scorpion and Tomas had not enough time or resources to do anything. If we go with intro dialogues, it seems they used the given opportunity very well, as in the relatively short time Shirai Ruy rose in such power they felt ready to face Lin Kuei on their own terms. Or more precisely: hunt down Bi-Han.

Scorpion: Bi-Han's trail has led me to Sun Do. Li Mei: I'll abide no vigilante justice, Kuai Liang.

or

Raiden: How goes the hunt for Bi-Han? Smoke: I've never chased a cagier quarry.

You conveniently leave out the part Kuai wants others to not touch Bi-Han and Lin Kuei and that's why he's in Outworld to stop Bi-Han according to intros.

Conveniently leaving? Nah, the only reason I did not go into great details about all intro dialogues is simply the fact that those intros do not contradict in any way my statement. Both brothers are fully ready and willing to hurt each other to fulfill their goals and show little regret over this (with only Tomas actually preferring the reconciliation). Kuai Liang rejecting Kitana or Raiden’s help or Mileena's demands as he wishes to deal with Bi-Han by himself is not an example of Scorpion regretting the fratricidal struggle. Same with Bi-Han rejecting Havik’s offer

Havik: Aid me, and I'll destroy the Shirai Ryu. Sub-Zero: That is *my* privilege, Havik.

Funny though how you conveniently left that Bi-Han too rejected help from his allies in regard Kuai Liang at least once or that he actually is willing to make peace with Liu Kang (what most likely would stop the war between brothers)

Sub-Zero: You want peace? Let us be. Liu Kang: The Lin Kuei's sins aren't easily forgiven.

or that he is willing accept Tomas back if he submit 

Smoke: Are we to be enemies for life? Sub-Zero: Unless you submit, Tomas.

Which is not much, but frankly, at this moment it is more than Kuai Liang’s intros offer in regard to calming the clans war. Understandable, as Scorpion has right to be bitter and angry but even Liu Kang is concerned about his vengeance:

Liu Kang: You allow vengeance to consume you. Scorpion: I should not punish Bi-Han for his crimes?

But like I said, showing a bit of good will here and there or brothers seeing their conflict as personal matters that should be resolved between them does not contradict my statement that both Bi-Han and Kuai Liang are willing to face the other in fight and if needed, even hurt each other’s friends and family. So in all fairness, I’m not sure what you are accusing me here? 

I think you're more than a little biased against MK1 Kuai. It's getting obvious.

The thing I’m definitely biased towards is the NRS forcefully bringing back the Shirai Ryu vs Lin Kuei conflict that was solved in MKX almost decade ago. If you think this is a personal bias toward Kuai Liang then sure, why not 🙂

[themissakat]

sorry about taking so long to think of words, but i think i finally have good questions.

what are your guesses for where the 3rd game is going to take place? Visit a new location or return to old locations of the first 2? the forbidden west and carja and nora?

How do you think aloy and friends are going to develop? where could the game go to further the character arcs of the squad?

words are hard you're good

gonna put a readmore bc it has a lot of Forbidden West spoilers!!

My first guess would be that we'll see something related to the Oseram homeland, as its the only one of the main tribes (aside from the Quen ofc) where we've met their people but not been to their capital. I don't have 100% certainty on this because the Oseram are the most nomadic of all the tribes we've seen thus far, those guys are everywhere, so its hard to say if visiting a centralized leader would be applicable to getting their support, as opposed to getting in touch with individual groups like the Vanguard at Meridian or the group at Burning Ember.

I think it would be so cool to see the Quen homeland, and I've read some fics that propose the potential use of Zenith tech (like the shuttle, its just hanging out still) to travel those long distances faster. It would be interesting to see if they push the travel that far, as they played a little bit with that in Burning Shores and going to the San Francisco area, but Vegas to San Fran is a little different than crossing the entire Pacific Ocean.

as for the characters, I really hope to see Aloy continue to open up about accepting help from others and not shouldering the entire burden herself. One of my favorite arcs in hfw was how Aloy contended with Elisabet's "legacy", and how she, at first, accepted sole responsibility for it, to the point of pushing everyone else away from her. Her being the "key" to the facilities obviously put her in a place of "if i dont do this, no one else CAN", but I think that the introduction of Beta and the staunch support of her friends really finally pushed her into "it is okay to accept help".

I think that meeting Beta and contending with their differences despite their being genetically identical was a very needed push for Aloy, because it put a mirror up to her experiences and reinforced for her that she IS NOT just a clone of Elisabet, but her own unique person as well. I will keep saying it but their sisterhood breaks me and rebuilds me into a better human, i love them so much sdjfhsd

I do think we'll be seeing a lot of returning cast of course, including Avad and hopefully the Nora as well. I'm very excited for the introduction of Seyka to the greater group, because I'm curious how the writers will handle Aloy actually having a requited romance, instead of just being the subject of a lot of people's attention. ( my thread for talking about hfw is called "Flirting With Aloy Like It's An Olympic Sport" for a reason ).

Despite not being the main focus of the story, there are SO MANY moments where Aloy interacts with romance and attraction that I can't see them not resolving that plot point for her and Seyka. I, personally, expect it to be tied into the concept of "after", of the future she will have once the future of the planet is secured. I personally headcanon that Aloy will struggle with this concept, as she has been completely goal driven her entire life, and to finally achieve that goal is something she has never considered.

I want to meet Federa and Zo's baby ofc. I dont have too many other specific thoughts about character arc resolution for the rest, aside from that I hope Erend finds something worth fighting for, as he has lost SO MUCH and at times seems to be the most lost amongst the group. He has his heart in the right place, but I feel he is very deep in his grief for his sister still, whereas a lot of the other characters have more specific goals or people to inspire them onward.

I can't think of any more specific thoughts atm sjdfd except, Gildun beloved, Burning Embers crew beloved, good characters all around.

[lurkingshan]

Hi, thanks for answering my question about your favorite shows of the year (so far). Since I've been following your blog for some time now, I can't say I was totally surprised by your answer. Although, seeing the killer paradox on your list did shock me. I had no idea you've watched that show. Anyways, i'm really happy you asked me about my own list. I've had an idea for quite some time about which ones would actually be part of it, even though i'm not done watching most of them. I guess I've been feeling optimistic about all of them (ironic, isn't it?). Sorry for the big rambling. Without further do, here is my list of favorite shows of the year so far (in no particular order): Lost ( kdrama, 2021, 16 episodes, not completed), Unknown( Taiwanese drama,2024, 12 episodes, completed), Shooting stars ( cdrama, 2024, 34 episodes, not completed), Tender light ( cdrama, 2024, 28 episodes, not completed), imperfect us (Taiwanese drama,2024, 8 episodes, completed), living with him (jdrama, 2024, 8 episodes, completed), dead boys detective (british tv show?, 2024,8 episodes, not completed), begins youth (kdrama,2024,12 episodes, not completed), mood indigo ( jdrama,2019, 6 episodes,completed), the queen's classroom (jdrama, 2005, 11 episodes completed) and the office games (thai drama, 2023, 16 episodes, not completed). I can't say I would recommend all of them, but they all made me feel something, so there's that. Honorable mentions for story of kunning palace and a journey to love.

Ooh, good picks and some that I really like on that list, too! I have not seen Imperfect Us and I just looked that up--will add it to my list! And glad to see you watched Mood Indigo! I hope you'll continue and finish the Pornographer series, I really love the final installments and a lot of people haven't seen them.

Re: A Killer Paradox, I like to keep people guessing! No, but really I just watch all kinds of stuff, and I loved that drama. It was a fast, intense binge so I didn't really post about it, but I thought it had such an assured vision of what it wanted to be (and what it wanted to be was pretty weird in such an interesting way). Its visual storytelling was great and I really liked the themes and ambiguity about morality in the story, and how positively ACAB it was. I also love Choi Woo Shik fr fr and I like that he sprinkles in such off the wall projects.

[skxawngonearth]

Theories about the ikran in Frontiers (spoilers)

So what we know from the Ubisoft Forward panel, we’ll have to bond with an ikran during the game (guessing it’ll be mandatory for the main story). From both previous trailers and now the panel we can assume that the ikran will have a set colour (the green as seen below), although we seem to be able to name them personally.

However, from the panel as well as the pre-order editions we also know that there’ll be cosmetic options for the ikran (so far 1 unique and 1 cosmetic skin are confirmed by the Gold and Ultimate edition) 

My guess at this point: the blue skin is the unique skin (probably selectable through the game menu), while the headpiece/saddle is the cosmetic set from the Sarentu package. 

The one aspect I’m actually curious about now is how the co-op might change our apperance. Will player 2 to an entirely new character (possibly another Na’vi from the program?), or will we play as the same character?

From the first look footage it most likely seems like that the ikran might be changed (though I can imagine that’ll be if one of the players has the Gold or Ultimate edition). The character could also be just a cosmetic change, though with the picture quality I’m not entirely sure.

Note: I do realize the ikran in the final trailer are not 100% identical to the ones from the first trailer. But due to their striking similarity, I assume the current pair is the polished version (since they do have more detailes which probably were added after the initial trailer) 

Aside from that, I think the green rider might have the Sarentu cosmetics on, while the blue could be the “Child of two Worlds” skin.

Alas, I do hope that with future DLCs/Twitch drops we will get the chance to further customize our character/ikran (since we already got a token from the Forward stream via Twitch drop), and Ubisoft does still release skins for AC Valhalla

[eff-plays]

can we get more of your feelings about the durge/astarion stuff pretty please?? because i feel SO vindicated after reading your thoughts and am almost resentful of durge/astarion stuff having everyone so "they're made for each other!" and "they're canon!", it feels so invalidating towards tav/astarion. i really don't like durge either; i have one canon character when i play rpgs and dark urge does not fit them in the slightest 😓

if i wanted to put an understanding spin on it, i guess that's the trade off for having your own custom character with a back story you've created, and at least astarion is so incredibly loving towards tav and talks repeatedly about how incredible they are and how much he cares for them. but i do absolutely have SO many created scenarios in my head where my tav breaks down with their own traumas and ptsd, and astarion is there to comfort and help them through it, because god knows we don't get any of that in the actual game 😭 (i hope this made sense omg, i just love your opinions and want to hear them all)

Honestly I am not generally in the business of having too many opinions on things I haven't personally tried or experienced, so what you've seen so far of my opinions on Durge/Astarion is basically the extent of it, and my reasoning for deciding not to try it in the first place.

However, I can offer some further vindication in that I think saying "they're made for each other" or "they're canon" is such a dipshit and factually incorrect take that it's pretty much not worth getting upset over. People can say and think whatever they want, that doesn't always make it true, particularly not when it comes to RPGs that are meant to be played as you want them. People who say this are fundamentally misunderstanding the concept of an RPG, and they're probably stupid, and their opinions aren't worth considering or taking seriously. Or, they're just trying to upset you and they feel smug about their own choices, in which case you should still ignore them.

Like, I hate Ascended Astarion, but I'm not gonna say Spawn Astarion is canon. If I do say it, I will clarify that it's canon for me, because it is, but canon in general? It would be literally, factually untrue. So why would I say that unless I'm wilfully obnoxious and smug about my choices? Or just dumb? Which I am, but not like that.

Iirc Larian encouraged people to play custom origin for their first playthrough, and people did, and most people tried going for Astarion. That means that, statistically, a shitton of people have Tav/Astarion as their main pairing. Why would they encourage this if it's apparently not canon? Why shoot themselves in the foot by offering an apparently inferior experience first?

Also, just because one writer wrote stuff for one character because they had the time to do so, does not make it somehow the definitive answer. It was clearly not intended to be the only romance where Durge gets a specific variation, I doubt Larian would do that, so it's basically an accident, or at least unintentional.

That being said, even if it was intentional, who's to say it's a good thing? Harkening back to my Dragon Age days, I remember people saying that Andrastian human was clearly the intended experience, and the game struggled to accommodate any other race/class. Does that make it canon? Or just bad game design/writing?

Obviously not saying Larian did a bad job, clearly they did a good job if people are going to bat for it this obnoxiously, but the logic is equally flawed.

I do have issues with Durge in general as a concept (mostly cuz I just don't understand the logic behind including it aside from ... previous game fanservice?) but I haven't even graduated from gamer school yet so I won't get into that.

Also, one thing abt Tav I love that Durge misses out on is just the sheer ballsiness and comedy of rocking up to Bhaal's secret temple and killing all his guys and just not even being involved in any of that shit at all. Durge gets all that angst and drama, sure, and Orin is soo important apparently, but she died in two rounds for me. TWO. Imagine being just some fucking guy who fucks up your shit so bad that you have to restart everything. That amuses me to no end.

So ... there's that, lmao.

[xenodile]

Alright, I finished Lies of P on stream today, so I guess I can give my review of it.

Very solid overall, strong early game makes an excellent first impression, with a few little nitpicks that turn into consistent frustrations as the game reaches its finale. The music and presentation is excellent, combat feels smooth and responsive, if you're familiar with Dark Souls and Bloodborne, Lies of P will feel comfortably familiar.

In terms of replay value from multiple runs, it's a bit of a mixed bag. The weapon modification system of mix and matching handles and blades to create totally new weapons to fit any kind of stat spread means Lies of P has the largest weapon catalogue of any Souls-like I've seen, so there's always a new weapon to try out whenever you start a new run. The flipside is that the game is completely linear and only has 2 endings, so if you're looking to vary up the sequence of your run you'll likely be disappointed.

The game is also quite challenging, and not always in the best way. Of the game's 13 mandatory major bosses, 6 have two health bars, three of which are fought back to back. Furthermore, the game touts its perfect guard system to force enemies to stagger and break their weapons, but by the halfway mark these systems feel less and less impactful. Later in the game, you encounter enemies with no weapons to break or weapons so durable that you'd have to do nothing but perfect block so many attacks, or so much poise that if feels like perfect blocking has no effect. It turns from a reward for good timing and skill to the bare minimum to progress as not perfect blocking will causes you to take tremendous amounts of damage from blocked attacks.

On the subject of the game's difficulty, Lies of P inherits Sekiro's perilous attacks, in which the enemy glows red and plays a sound effect to warn of an unblockable attack that can only be stopped by a Perfect Guard. While Sekiro gave the player many ways to deal with different types of unblockables with the memorable Mikiri Counter, jumping into a head stomp, and so on, fatal attacks in Lies of P are binary. Either you perfect block or you take unavoidable damage, and the timing on some of these attacks is very finicky. An overwhelming number of enemies in Lies of P have attack animations that consist of a laboriously slow wind up into near instantaneous active frames with no tell or warning. These attacks are effectively unreactable and so they only way to deal with them is to just...keep getting hit until you fish out the right parry timing by chance and then hope you can repeat it. It's very frustrating, especially when most bosses can have multiple attacks of this nature. Some enemies also have grabs or true unblockables, which cannot be blocked or perfect blocked, and the game does not give you the courtesy of warning you which ones, which can further add to the frustration.

The game's story is enjoyable and engaging, with plenty of little secrets to uncover and leads to pursue that give the player things to think about, the but its english localization is...subpar. While I cannot confirm it as such, I was told by someone in my chat that the game was machine translated, and I honestly wouldn't be surprised if that was the case. It's hardly the worst case ever seen, but the english script has some very awkward grammar and syntax in multiple areas, as well as clumsy word choice. The actual voice acting is excellent for most of the cast, it's specifically english grammar and word choice that seems off.

The game's greatest weakness is its pacing. As you near the 80% mark of the game, a significant change occurs in the game world that signifies the coming of the end, ramping up to a grand confrontation that just...drags on and on and on for far longer than it should. The final area has more checkpoints than any other zone in the game and is an agonizingly slow crawl through a generic gray environment with almost nonsensical enemy choice and placement. Progressing this one area took me almost 10 hours by itself when most other sections of the game took me 2 or 3 at most when I was thoroughly exploring and backtracking for items and sidequests, and it utterly ruins the sense of urgency the game's narrative attempts to instill in you when you arrive.

As I said before, I do like Lies of P quite a bit and would easily recommend it to anyone that enjoys games like Sekiro or Bloodborne, but it has glaring flaws that are all the more prominent when help up next to the game's good points. The frustrating, unfun bosses stick out when you remember all the incredibly fun bosses you fought before and after them. The slow dull irritating sections linger when compared to the faster paced and more engaging parts.

The game clocks in at a very impressive length if you're scrounging for secrets and optional areas, and given its overall quality I would say it is worth its $60 price tag, but only if you are already acquainted with other game in its style as I've mentioned previously.

[whining-ylthin]

Ylthin's Media Thread thingy for the tail-end of 2023 and 2024:

Normally I'd do it on Twitter but I fully expect that site to collapse in 6 months.

Glen Cook, "Czarna Kompania"/"Cień w ukryciu" ("Black Company"/"Shadows Linger") (Rebis, 2009 Polish edition, 2022 reprint)

I'm starting this list somewhat off the curb - I've finished the 2nd novel from this omnibus release just now, but I've also read the first one earlier this year... and I don't have much to say about either, honestly.

The prose is kind of clunky and awkward in a way that takes a moment to adjust to, and without directly comparing the Polish translation to the English original I can't tell how much of this unwieldiness is due to poor translation job and how much of it is just inherent to Cook's style. You're not reading this book for its characters, either - most of them are memorable only because of constant exposure, as names that you eventually learn to map to a broad role in the story or one, maybe two vague personality/appearance traits. What carried me through was what I can broadly describe as "vibes" and long-term significance of Black Company books - or maybe the wave of genre-fiction they were a part of. It certainly wasn't the first grim and gritty fantasy series out there, and the backside blurb's boasts about how Cook "brought the fantasy genre down to the level of common men" are very overblown (the books are literally about an evil sorceress' plan for world domination clashing against her messy divorce with her Dark Lord husband and a prophecy about the "divine savior" figure coming back to further piss into her breakfast), but I can still notice the seeds of interesting ideas being planted here and there, and the grit (while going for a very predictable "everyone is utterly miserable and the whores will give you all the STDs" route, and feeling more like catnip for 14-year-old boys rather than genuine "maturity") fortunately doesn't cross the line into unbearable edgelord territories yet. It was a part of the same wave of dark fantasy that either molded me directly (through Sapkowski's The Witcher novels and "Berserk"), indirectly (through a thousand imitators years down the line, from local fantasy authors of the 2000s to video games - Heroes of Might & Magic 5 in particular was retrospectively very blatantly inspired by Warhammer Fantasy), or infected me with sudden-onset brainrot in my mid-20s (Warhammer 40.000), and I can definitely feel and appreciate it even if I find these books to be rather mediocre so far.

I just wish I could get my hands on Moorcock's Elric books without going through a dozen hoops, but I guess I'll make do with Cook, Erikson and the odd Warhammer novel for the time being.

Oh, and this cover art? That tattered "dashing rogue" look, that borderline fractal leather-and-cloth patterning, the random spiky structures in the background? The long bob hair and goatee look straight out of the music video for "Imperium" by Machine Head? A cover that makes you think not even of actual early 2000s buttrock, but of Stuart Chatwood emulating it for Prince of Persia: Warrior Within's soundtrack? Hillariously mismatched with the actual novels. I haven't seen a choice this baffling since reading my dad's faded mid-90s pulp booklet edition of Ursula LeGuin's "Rocannon's World" paired up with either Vallejo or Frazetta sword-and-sandals artwork.

[zemnian-newcomer]

It's late in the evening, I'm tired, I have work early tomorrow, this will not be coherent, but I have Thoughts about the beginnings of C2 and C3 and how they differ structurally that will not be contained so here I go.

(This got long so I'm putting it under a read more)

Obligatory disclaimer that this is not a judgement of the quality of either campaign in any way, I absolutely loved the Mighty Nein and am liking Bell's Hells a lot so far (I'm up to episode 30, so no spoilers past that please)

So right from the start, C3 felt much more fast-paced and more... densely plotted, I guess, than C2.

The Mighty Nein in their early days travelled together, but felt like they could have fallen apart at any time. It took until around the 20 episode mark for me to feel like they had grown together enough for it to hold. (Ironically, that was immediately put to the test with the Iron Shepherds arc.) Contrast that with Bell's Hells, who felt like a much more cohesive group from the single digits.

A lot of it, of course, comes down to the characters. While Bell's Hells as a group are a bunch of weirdos, there aren't actually that many "strong" personalities among them, which the Mighty Nein were full of. Think about Beau clashing with both Molly and Caleb, Nott/Veth stealing from Fjord, Fjord holding a sword to Caleb's throat, Caleb acting without communicating, Molly generally being more of a shit-stirrer - with Yasha not being there most of the time, one of the best team players they had was Jester. Meanwhile Bell's Hells generally get along pretty well. The closest thing to actual conflict within the party so far was probably Chetney not liking Dorian, and even that got better within a few episodes.

On the other hand, the plot (as far as I can see it) of C3 involves the characters a lot more than the starting plot of C2. The early Mighty Nein took quests/assignments, but they didn't have much to do with them personally until the Iron Shepherds (and, well, the guy they got some of the assignments from turned out to be Jester's father, but they didn't know that at the time). What eventually turned into one of the bigger plots was nearly just one encounter in the sewers of Zadash. It didn't involve them, they involved themselves. The plot of C3 so far (and from what spoilers I've seen, also going forward) involves several of the characters on a very personal level.

There is also a very big difference in character drives and motivations. Several of Bell's Hells have a mystery or problem they're either curious about or actively trying to figure out, which means they're very likely to bite on plot hooks that seem to be related to that mystery or problem. Meanwhile most of the Mighty Nein were actually running away from their shit, and it took months of in game time for them to grow enough to face it. (Molly being the exception in that he, in a way, successfully ran away from his shit and left everyone else to deal with it.)

Which is what leads me to why I actually made this post, the way different characters' backstories and motivations get weaved together and into the bigger picture. As of episode 30, Orym, Imogen, and Fearne all have an immediate connection to the Ruidus storyline, with Orym and Imogen having followed this thread together for a long time since figuring out that their individual quests led them on the same path.

I don't really have a point to this, it's just cool to see the different ways a story can be built in DND, with C3 so far being a really elegant way of tying character motivations together and using them to further the plot, while C2 was more of a lesson in having the characters lead the way and building the story off of their actions.

[bluerosesburnblue]

The last we talked about Final Fantasy XVI, you'd just seen someone get punched by a certain someone. Are you any further now? Like, have you seen the ending of the game? And if you have... I guess the developers of Final Fantasy XVI have said that this game has so much lore, they could make a sequel with it, which is most definitely true. LOL. Who knows if they'll ever actually do that (if so, it'll be very far off), but if they do, what do you think it'll tell? What would you want it to do?

I have indeed seen the end of it by now! To be honest, I kind of have mixed feelings on the plot of the game as a whole. Love the characters, Clive especially is now one of my favorite Final Fantasy protagonists, but I can't help but feel that the game is a little disjointed in spots. They advertised it as the story of Clive's life spanning three eras, but those three eras don't have equal weight and end up coming across as Prologue #1, Prologue #2, and The Actual Game if that makes sense given that you've actually played the game and I've only seen other people play it. And, honestly, when I think back on it, I kind of liked what Prologue #2 with Clive in his late 20s was putting forward the best out of all three sections

I liked the darker and more personal angle that they were putting down, with a story about a man whose latent powers went berserk and he ended up hurting someone close to him, desperate for revenge without realizing that the one he wants revenge against is himself. But then it feels like they resolve that angle very fast and everything after that is a very classic "god is evil kill god" Final Fantasy plot. It's a well-done version of that plot to be sure, and I can really respect how well they tried to capture the feeling of old-school Final Fantasy games, but given how much of the marketing was about this game being darker and more mature, to me it felt like the themes got almost less mature as it went on, going from personal grief, this desperation to rebuild, the price of revenge, etc. to a more generic "free will good" story

Spoilers from here on out

That said, the developers are correct that there's so much lore, and to me that's the best part of the game. I've always found stories that heavily feature elemental-themed areas a lot of fun, like Avatar: The Last Airbender or One Last God: Kubera, so this game giving each summon a specific element and, for the most part, keeping it one summon/element per faction was really interesting to see brought to light. I think the fact that they touched on different factions viewing their Dominants differently was a good start, I just wanted to see a bit more of it on-screen because again, like I said, they started doing that at the beginning, but then it kind of got completely overwhelmed by the "Ultima wants Clive to have all of the Dominant powers" stuff and then never bothered to really look back at how the people felt about losing their nation's Dominants (also they way that they handled Clive taking the powers was kinda weird? Like, Dion carries on just fine and can still transform but Jill gets benched? What?)

Ahhhhhh I just... I almost wish that Ultima had just been an interesting background element and that the game as a whole had focused more on the infighting between the nations and Dominants and Bearers, rather than the other way around. I just found Ultima so generic and uninteresting, and that the game focused too much on making Clive this Super Awesome Chosen One because of it, when I found he was at his best when he was just a kind, awkward man struggling with this unprecedented power he was stuck with and the trauma it brought him

Because to be honest, at the start of the game I wondered if, maybe, what was happening was that they were gonna pull some classic Final Fantasy Dark World stuff and have it be that every Eikon had a dark counterpart. So Ifrit would be the Dark Eikon of Fire to Phoenix's Light Eikon of Fire and they could have used other classic FF summons as the Dark Eikons, like Garuda vs. Sylph. And the Light Eikons could bless people with their power like how Clive had the blessing of the Phoenix, while the Dark Eikons could steal powers. But, no, it's just Ifrit being Super Special and everything. Also... why... was Joshua the only one who could seemingly bless others with his power? Dion couldn't give Terrence a Blessing of Bahamut or anything and give him some light powers? Jill had to let Clive absorb her Shiva powers rather than blessing him with them becauuuuuuse...? And, man, it could've been so interesting if they had a sideplot on Anabella trying to force all of the Dominants to bless Olivier to match Clive or something. Or maybe not even a sideplot, that sounds like I would've liked it way more than the Ultima stuff because of how much more personal it has the potential to be and the game could've been a race to take the power of each Dominant before Olivier could get their blessings. Olivier was so underutilized

As for the lore, I think they do a really good job fleshing out Bearers, so really if they had more to look into, it would be the unanswered questions. Like, we know that Valisthea is only one continent on this world (Cid isn't originally from there, and IIRC neither was Barnabas's family), so what are the others like? Where is Leviathan? Are the theories that the Medicine Girl was Leviathan's Dominant, just not yet awakened, true? (Also, if Ultima needed Clive to have all of the other Eikon's powers, why were we even allowed to skip Leviathan? Shouldn't we have had to track them down? Why did they end up lost?) If the truth is that Ultima's people descended from another world and created humanity, then where did the idea of the Goddess Greagor come from? And what about the legend surrounding the star, Metia? Is Metia magical or is it just a cute legend thing?

Hmmm. If they ever did more with FFXVI, it would have to be a prequel, wouldn't it? Because I think where it left off was exactly where it should have, with some hope for the future and the world moving on, bittersweet with all of the losses that it took to get there but worth it all the same. (I know that there's a lot of theories about who "Joshua Rosfield" is in the end, and I actually prefer that it's ambiguous. Whether you think Clive succeeded in bringing Joshua back at the cost of his own life, or that Clive took Joshua's name which is the one that I think has the most in-game hints to it, or even if you want to think of a third option like one I've seen where Clive survived, but the "Joshua Rosfield" in question is actually his and Jill's son named in Joshua's honor, sacrifices were made and hope remains)

So I think the route with the most potential might end up being a Cid-centric prequel about what life on other continents is like. And I would never complain about more Cid, especially in regards to how he was chosen by Ramuh and what about how things are on other continents is that made him so averse to how Valisthea does things. I think that Cid is really something special due to his status as an outsider looking in on Storm and Ash and how his different perspective compared to everyone there is such a catalyst for what happens in the plot and it's a real shame that most of what we get of Cid is posthumous. So if FFXVI was to get its own sub-series, that's where I'd take it

[go-go-devil]

My friend @silenthillmutual tagged me to answer some fic writer's ask game questions, so without further ado...

1. How many works do you have on AO3?

17 as of right now.

2. What is your AO3 wordcount?

181,115

3. What fandoms do you write for?

Mostly Hylics, but I've dabbled in several different fandoms. I've also written for the band Ghost, Pathologic, Knock-Knock, created the Neverending Nightmares tag on AO3 which still only contains the 3 fics I wrote for it, and am currently writing an epic novel-length Dark Souls fanfic!

4. What are your top 5 fics by kudos?

1) Outcasts in an Overcast - 109

2) Dedusmuln Uncharted: The Hunt for the Paper Cup - 78

3) Molding A Legacy - 61

4) The Moon is Down - 60

5) Chaos Inverted - 51

Basically most of my Hylics fics lol 🌙 🎸🌯

5. Do you respond to comments?

I always try to respond to every comment I get since it's not often that I get any. There were a few that ended up slipping through the cracks of my memory, and to those I'm sorry since it now feels kinda weird to respond to a comment written years ago, but mostly if you see a comment that I haven't answered it most likely means I've already responded to the person on another social media site.

6. What is the fic you wrote with the angstiest ending?

Definitely a tie between The Moon is Down and Chaos Inverted, but frankly that's to be expected since Gibby's such a doomed character. Out of all the blorbos I had to write Shakespearean levels of angst for it somehow ended up being the clay alien who's head looks like an orange and/or zoopals plate XD

7. What is the fic you wrote with the happiest ending?

Ironically it's a Pathologic fic I wrote two years ago called Like A Fire Melting Us Down. Basically a hurt/comfort fluff fic featuring Murky and Daniil bonding over both being autistic. It's probably the only fic I've written fic I've written that has a definitively happy ending, as in there's no room for darker speculation for the future or anything like that.

8. Do you get hate on fics?

Thankfully no. If anyone out there doesn't like my fics they've done good not to harass me about it.

9. Do you write smut? If so, which kind?

No.

10. Do you write crossovers? What’s the craziest crossover you’ve ever written?

The only crossovers I've written thus far both involve the game Knock-Knock; either the Lodger interacting with Thomas Smith from Neverending Nightmares or Daniil Dankovsky from Pathologic.

The latter comes from the fic Intruder, which I'm most proud of of all the crossovers I've done so far, yet I'm kinda surprised no one else has attempted this themselves or entertained the idea of my fic since Knock-Knock was what inspired Pathologic: The Marble Nest to begin with. I guess it's true that there are only 12 Western Knock-Knock fans left on the internet...

11. Have you ever had a fic stolen?

Also thankful this hasn't happened yet.

12. Have you ever had a fic translated?

No, but if anyone wants to please let me know. I'd be more than happy for my stories to cross language barriers!

13. Have you ever co-written a fic before?

One time my fellow Hylics fic veteran bombcollar wrote a story called Dedusmuln's Dossier, which is all about Dedusmuln documenting all of the enemies in Hylics 2, and which I contributed two pieces of writing for The Hand of Moodbleen and Carassius! It's an awesome fic I recommend any Hylics fan check out, and I had some good fun thinking of what I wanted them to say about these two uniquely annoying enemies.

14. What’s your all-time favorite ship?

Goddammit I don't fucking know lmao. I don't take shipping as seriously as other people do. For now I'll say Burakhovsky for all the beautiful art I've seen for it, the Hylics crew being in a queerplatonic polycule and, just to throw an insane curve ball at everyone in the room, Siegmeyer/Domhnall ;-)

15. What’s a WIP you want to finish but doubt you ever will?

I'm gonna finish 'em all one day. I will not leave my children to rot in the pits of Writer's Block Hell...

16. What are your writing strengths?

I've been told by many people that they tend to really love the way I write dialogue for each of the characters I work with, original or already created. I'm also a lover of environmental descriptions and am always trying to build upon and improve in that aspect into my works.

17. What are your writing weaknesses?

Probably fight scenes since I've had so little practice, and due to a lot of the books I read not really having that many. I'm hoping To The Accursed can help me improve on that front, since Dark Souls is so heavily combat-oriented.

18. Thoughts on writing dialogue in another language in fic?

I haven't gone farther than using singular words in other languages as of right now. That's something I'm definitely gonna need to step up on later down the line, particularly since there will be Dark Souls characters I'll be writing soon who will be speaking some sentences in Latin and Welsh respectively.

19. First fandom you wrote for?

The Swedish metal band Ghost! It was a story called For A Divine Cause which was about Papa Emeritus Primo realizing he suffers stage fright right before he's supposed to start touring for the first album, and thus summons his younger brother Terzo to help shape him up into being a good front man.

It's without question the worst of my fics from a writing and technical perspective, but it was the first one I ever wrote so that's kinda to be expected. I am pleasantly surprised it has so many kudos and bookmarks after all these years!

20. Favorite fic you’ve written?

Honestly, I'm think I'm gonna have to make it a tie between Dedusmuln Uncharted and Chaos Inverted.

The first is the fic where I truly started getting more creative in my writing (and is my first full made podfic which I'm even more proud of!), while the latter was sooooo much fun to write and gave me the confidence to write novellas. The Hylics fandom has been so supportive of my work, and I thank you all for being the best fandom experience I've ever had <3

That was fun! I'll tag @bombcollar, @pinkiepiebones, and @brainshock-alpha for this one ✏️✨

[p5x-theories]

Theory: Merope crafts the Phantom Idols and Persona II herself

Merope’s name comes from Greek mythology, as do most of the names of the Personas of the Phantom Idol characters.  Could there be a connection here?

I think that most people are assuming that while the Confidant characters haven’t awakened in the story, if they did their Phantom Idol form is what they would look like, and the Persona II is their unawakened Persona.  But maybe we shouldn’t assume.

We already know that Merope creates the codenames of the Phantom Idols.  Maybe it goes further than that?  Maybe if she’s basing the Idol on someone who doesn’t already have a Persona or Metaverse form then she has to fill in the details herself?

Maybe that’s the reason why they decided to draw a distinction between Persona and Persona II instead of just calling them Phantom Persona or something?  Perhaps they aren’t proper Personas at all, just Merope’s idea of what that character’s Persona would be!

This theory hits a bit of a roadblock when you take the base P5 thieves into account, but they already existed so Merope doesn’t have to fill in details for them.

Also, Phantom Persona is a much better term than Persona II and it’s sad the game isn’t using it.  It keeps it clear that a Persona of a Phantom Idol isn’t a real Persona while having a link with Phantom Thief/Idol.  Too bad the devs aren’t taking suggestions.

This would track with what we know so far! You may have already seen this post, but just as me sorting out my answer, based on this fan translation of her explanation of Phantom Idols from the first beta, it does in fact seem to be the case that Merope creates the Phantom Idols based on someone Wonder knows, but fills in the details herself, and she specifically creates them and their Persona herself out of shadows in Mementos. Just like how the Phantom Idols aren’t literally the person they resemble, their Personas aren’t real Personas, either, because these cognitive copies don’t have their own egos. It’s sort of like how Teddie needed to develop an ego before he could awaken a Persona, to my understanding? I think we’ve had a bit of discussion here as to whether that means she’s entirely inventing their outfits and Personas herself, or if they’re truthful to what each character would actually look like and awaken, but it sounds to me like you’re thinking it may be more the former?

It’s something I’m definitely very curious to hopefully get more information on in-game someday! Personally, I think because she’s part of the Velvet Room, she’s able to create something more truthful to the person, and it’s just that codenames aren’t an inherent part of awakening like the outfit and Persona are, so Merope’s doing her best to tack those on after the fact, haha. But I think there could be some really interesting implications to the idea that Merope’s inventing everything herself, including their will of rebellion and who their Persona is.

The connection between Merope and Greek mythology that you bring up as part of this is also catches my attention, too. Particularly, if they all have Greek mythology Personas because Merope’s just inventing them, it begs the question- why is Meng Po different? She’s not Greek mythology. I think I agree that the original P5 thieves are probably an exception to just about any rule, because they’re preexisting characters that the devs needed an excuse to add to the gacha, but Meng Po is still an outlier, and I’m not sure what that could mean in relation to this theory.

I guess the best way to get an answer would be if one of the Phantom Idols’ real world selves actually entered the Metaverse and awakened a Persona... but admittedly I’m not sure whether the game would really go that far, heh. I can dream!

(Also, I like your “Phantom Persona” suggestion! It’s possible they won’t be called Persona II in an official English translation if we get one, so maybe they’ll call them something else. All I know is I shouldn’t be the one to name them, because I’d call it something silly like Personasona, or Persona^2 (squared), or what have you.)

[irandrura]

Addendum to BioWare post!

Warning: more politics, I'm bad at judging how spicy my takes are

demonwrestler: Wow I missed this when you posted it. I wholly agree. I think part of the trouble of BioWare being unable to properly represent race relations in DA no matter what they do is based in… white privilege blinders and a love of Game of Thrones style bleakness dominating the worldbuilding. Nothing good is allowed to remain, radical change is not possible or doesn’t last, and all you can see game to game is further enforcement of the status quo. Mostly so the game can remain in medieval stasis. The white privilege I mention because an overwhelming majority of BW’s prior writing team was white people from Edmonton, which… Alberta is notorious for poor historical treatment and modern discrimination of native people. I’m shocked we don’t have more commentary on how the Dalish are a huge indigenous peoples expy in the world of Thedas, and how very much there seems to be some… white experience differences. Justice, who represents THE CONCEPT OF JUSTICE, in Awakening tells Velanna she has to forgive her oppressors to stop the cycle of violence. She has to be the one to change, despite the evil done to her clan, her people as a whole, etc. and she has to be the model minority. I would have exorcised that spirit in her shoes. It is wildly difficult for me to continue to love Dragon Age as a setting when it actively takes those big self-unaware dumps on itself.

So that isn’t quite where I was going with the post…

I would argue there’s a tendency in some self-consciously progressive politics to go so far in rejecting or opposing a particular bias as to reinvent that bias itself, sometimes in a more virulent way than the original bias was.

Dragon Age on race is one example of this. Dragon Age, textually, thinks that racism is very, very bad. That much is obvious. However, it also thinks that racism is very, very powerful and that it can’t be easily escaped from. Everyone is shaped by these vast, unconscious forces and individual will isn’t enough to overcome them, resulting in tremendous pessimism. The standard liberal solution to racism is colourblindness – just treat everybody the same regardless of race and things will shake out. Dragon Age, and I’d guess BioWare, do not believe that. But the net result is that in Dragon Age’s world, racism is something that cannot be overcome and therefore the only way to avoid its effects is to just avoid having people of different races come into contact at all.

That’s how you end up with a game that’s ostensibly anti-racist presenting a world and a story that’s… almost pro-segregation. It all follows from the premises – racism is awful, racism is structural and omnipresent, it’s insufficient to just try to not be racist – but it amounts to a conclusion that’s kind of... reinventing racism.

Let me give another, perhaps more controversial example. When I read Terra Ignota, I was particularly fascinated by what it had to say about sex and gender, and in particular the way that Mycroft (it’s unclear what his society itself thinks; unfortunately the entire series is narrated by a fruit loop) ends up reinventing and depending on the most grotesque sexist caricatures. Mycroft very determinedly believes in the importance of sex, but he doesn’t believe that it’s determined by one’s biology. So far, so progressive. But the result is that Mycroft sexes people based on whether he thinks their personalities are ‘male’ or ‘female’, and the result is, if anything, more constraining and disturbing than what a traditional sexist might think. A traditional sexist might say “you���re a woman, so you’re caring and nurturing”. Mycroft says “you’re caring and nurturing, so you’re a woman”, as with Carlyle, who ends up violently forced into a dress and made to perform some demure caricature of womanliness. We’ve seen this sort of logic outside of weird science fiction novels. A traditional sexist might say “you’re a woman, so you can’t be a warrior”.  But the inverse of that – “you’re a warrior, so you can’t be a woman” – seems to exist as well, as in that horrible play.

My previous post was mostly about, if not fascism, then at least authoritarianism. I was criticising BioWare for, while ostensibly being progressive democrats, repeatedly using a story structure that seems to endorse the need for some sort of ubermensch strongman to seize power from feckless civilian leaders. The strongman will do what is necessary; the civil elites are at best weak and lack both will and vision, and at worst are actively corrupt and evil. That, uh… seems more like the worldview of the far-right in today’s politics.

I’m skeptical that all of this can be attributed to white privilege, though you are surely correct about the demographics of BioWare. Rather, I think at least some of this is a real tension that exists in liberatory movements or in marginal communities. Famously the civil rights movement in America was divided between assimilationists, who felt that it was possible to integrate on an even basis with the wider population, and separatists or revolutionaries, who felt that was impossible and advocated for black withdrawal and self-determination. In Dragon Age, this might be a valid question for elves – do you want to be treated exactly the same as humans, living in human-majority society alongside them? (I suppose this is the Sera position.) Or do you want to withdraw, to build your own majority-elven society, different and distinct from that of the humans? I believe there are still debates among Jewish people along similar lines. How do we walk the tightrope? We don’t want to be assimilated so that we lose all our distinctive identity, but neither do we want to cordon ourselves off and form our own impermeable bubble. These are interesting and valid questions.

Where I think privilege might be a useful frame is where we talk about forgiveness. I didn’t put this in my previous post, but I have written before about the way that forgiveness is portrayed in games, especially in World of Warcraft, where it seems like there’s a repetitive story beat about forgiving your oppressor. I talked about this once on a web forum. I certainly don’t mean to imply that vengeance is morally superior to forgiveness – I do believe in forgiveness – but that it’s possible to frame forgiveness as something that is very flattering to the oppressors. Is it possible to forgive while at the same time continuing to hold out a demand for justice? (Incidentally, the relationship between mercy and justice like this is at the heart of a lot of Christian theology.) It is very easy for people from a powerful group to speak of the importance of forgiveness, healing, and moving on. They already have what they want, after all.

On the Dalish specifically – I generally like to advise against reading groups like the Dalish as expies for any one specific group. The Dalish are clearly written to have resonances with a lot of different groups. Native Americans are one of them. Jews are another. Irish are a third. Romani people are a fourth. You can read the Dalish in a way that resonates with those different groups and experiences without excluding others. Arguably it’s because the Dalish don’t map one-to-one on to any real group that they’re interesting. Rather, their fictional nature allows them to explore issues related to all those groups and their experiences, but without being limited to any one of them. So I wouldn’t want to close the Dalish off to being only an allegory for insert-group-here.

Anyway, to try to come to some sort of conclusion – I think this is the sort of mess you get when you’ve absorbed a bunch of contradictory superficial convictions, but haven’t really thought about them at any length. BioWare end up implicitly endorsing positions that seem like they would horrify them. I don’t think they did it maliciously at any point, but they went step by step and eventually reached absurd places. Thus for instance, David Gaider famously wrote the Sith Code based on Mein Kampf. Then fans played the game and thought it was cool and embraced it. Then somehow we ended up in a place with TOR where we have heroic Sith who use the dark side and whole story arcs that portray the Sith as morally equivalent to or even sometimes superior to the flawed but still democratic Republic. No one had to be explicitly evil at any point in the process, but it’s still weird how they end up implicitly endorsing the opposite of what they probably believe.

Baldur’s Gate starts with that famous Nietzsche quote about “he who fights with monsters”. Maybe it was more relevant than we thought?