#ideal services

[intermundia]

i think one of the most infuriating things about using the Force would be the fact that in order to reach out, you have to instead open yourself up and let it in. you must make yourself passive, in order to be active, you know? to see what is really out there, you have to allow yourself to look, which means pausing and offering up your attention non-judgmentally in order to take in the world before you act upon that information. you have to get yourself out of the way, because when your thoughts and anxieties are in the way, you cannot see past them. they are a shield blocking you from seeing the moment, and a filter that leads to motivated reasoning, seeing what you want to see instead of what is really there.

so in a high stress environment, when there is much on the line (fear) or innocents are being harmed (anger), the ability to actually take a second and put aside those feelings in order to understand the situation better and actually be able to fix things is no mean feat. you have to be able to simultaneously detach so that you can focus and act in the best interest of everyone with full awareness of the risks and benefits, while remaining deeply engaged and compassionate for everyone involved. it's not easy, it's not about ego and glory and pleasure, it's about loving the world enough to be an agent of peace no matter the cost. that kind of altruistic discipline would take a lifetime of study, and i think is so deeply admirable as a concept.

[barblaz-arts]

ahhhhhhh! Have you seen Steph and Erika detailing a perfect Chaggie date night at Twin Cities Con?! 😍 (poor Stephanie’s voice was gone, but she still nailed it!) https://x.com/Smileyy_0307/status/1855434398252101647

Jsksksjsksknsksnsns

Thank you so much for showing me this because I didn't see this on twitter! Omgomgomg

I can totally see all that happening. That's so fuckin cute. I need fics and fanarts about this.

(Not Erika insinuating that Charlie has crazy stamina in bed tho💀💀💀💀💀💀)

[blackberry-sage-tea]

Apologies but I have another stupid long analysis post. Been thinking about this and I think Veilguard defenders aren't necessarily wrong that Veilguard's main choices "matter" about as much as prior game choices matter--that is, in that they have a superficial impact on dialogue and story paths, while the core narrative is ultimately unchanged (albeit it has way, way less of those superficial changes). Dragon Age's main appeal as an RPG series (imo) is that it tries to balance player freedom with having a coherent and emotional narrative in a way that a lot of RPGs can't (either because they let you kill major NPCs if you want or because the endings diverge so heavily the next game has to be 100 years later), so it's always been more limited in what you can do. It's mostly always been down to dialogue, cameos, and side quests.

But the thing about Veilguard's major story choices is that it doesn't give you any context to appreciate what you're choosing or why you're choosing it. And so they FEEL like they don't matter in a way that prior games never had a problem with.

In DA:O your major choices come at the end of a quest chain. Harrowmont or Bhelen, werewolves or elves, mages or Templars. These choices have very little impact on the rest of the plot, your story is not significantly different for picking one or the other (except for, again, the superficial things). The thing that makes these choices feel weighted is not the consequences of which ally you have at the final battle or a single paragraph at the end, it's that you spend a lot of time building up to them--you are given the full context for what you're choosing, the game is asking you to make a decision on a topic that you are now very well informed on. You know what the stakes are for this choice, even if you don't see it outside of an epilogue blurb.

Awakening, similarly, has its main story choices near the end--Do you save Vigil's Keep or Amaranthine? Do you side with the Architect or against him? These impact the plot almost not at all because of their placement, it's a "future consequences" thing, but it feels like it matters because the game has spent its whole runtime telling you what choices you're making and building them up through its side quests. It's asking you what you think is most important.

DA2, same deal. The lesser story impact on your choices is, in this instance, more of a technical constraint this time around (the game is very unfinished so you're pretty much press-ganged into the Templar route for a good chunk of it) but all of the choices you make are based around things the game is constantly giving you context for. How you feel about the Qunari, how you feel about Templars and Mages, how you feel about the Chantry, these are things the game is ABOUT and so there are no major story choices where you ask yourself, "why should I care about this?"

Inquisition fumbled this a smidge, I think. The mage-Templar choice is a very early one, and it's given to you without much time to build context for it (if you're a new player, that is), however that's the choice that has a little more story impact than normal and unique quests for each so it's not as big a deal. The other choices though, they also come at the end of questlines where you get to know the stakes and the characters involved. Who do you leave in the Fade? Do you wish to redeem the Grey Wardens or not? Who do you think is the best ruler of Orlais? Should you drink the Well of Sorrows, given what you've learned of Elven history? I have my criticisms of the writing for these quests but like most people I appreciate in hindsight that it still followed the pattern of "your choices matter because you know what you're choosing and why it's important".

Veilguard doesn't do that, and that's why its major choices (what few there are) feel like nothing despite arguably getting the same amount of story impact that previous games did (ie, its mostly dialogue changes and slightly different side quests).

Who do you pick to help you in the opening? I mean, does it matter? The situation is dangerous whether they're helping you or fighting demons alone, there's not really any way to anticipate that the one who comes with you is getting seriously injured outside of "this is a video game". Should you help Treviso or Minrathous? Well, I mean in-universe as Rook I'm doubtful that there's anything I can actually do to save a whole city given my lack of resources (plus each city has a collection of warriors about as capable as me) and tbh I barely know anything about either one because this is pretty early game, I've just been focusing on recruitment thus far. Do you punch the First Warden or not? Yes…? I mean I get that it wants to give you a choice but I've been given no indication that there's a guy capable of reason in there--even the whole "You're hearing your Calling" thing is given AFTER the choice is made, and it's not like punching out the First Warden would have major consequences for the Wardens as an order, he's just a politician. Do you pick Davrin or Harding for your secondary team? Am I supposed to know in advance that this is going to get them killed? I'm picking the person I think is best for the job, and sure enough they successfully do the thing I picked them for. It's only later, after the choice is no longer relevant, that the consequences bear fruit. Do you pick Neve or Bellara to undo the wards? I mean there's no reason why that choice leads to Elgar'nan grabbing one or the other, it's literally just who is standing closest to the mirror when he shows up.

And this isn't even going into things like "Who should be Archon?", which is relegated to a single fucking side quest (unless you saved Treviso in which you have no choice) and your options are "reformist who wants to use dirty tactics" and "reformist who wants to use naive tactics" given to us after having 0 development on Tevinter's actual sociopolitical system and how it works other than "it's bad". Oh, and both candidates promise to support each other with no hard feelings and none of the people you ask have strong feelings one way or the other, just vague preferences.

You see where I'm going with this, right? The ONLY major choice the game has you make that it has spent the whole game building up to is how you want to deal with Solas, but to a long-time player who got more, BETTER context for who he is in Inquisition and Trespasser, it feels painfully unfair and lackluster in execution (it's not an exaggeration to say this game told me nothing about Solas as a person that I didn't already know going in, except for the things that directly contradicted his prior characterization). And of course, that's just one character--you're not being asked to make a decision that impacts the world (because the world consequences are the same no matter what), you're just deciding what flavor of Solas you want for your ending.

Your major choices don't matter not because they have less impact than prior games (which is a separate argument), or because there's less of them (this is true but it's not the point I'm making here), but because these choices are arbitrary as hell in the moment you're making them. You're not given the tools to care about them. All the reasoning people give for one or the other? Entirely meta or based on future knowledge. The narrative doesn't inform the decisions, the mechanics do.

[abirddogmoment]

today's hot take for dog people: management is not the same thing as training.

[wardensantoineandevka]

I should get an award for my restraint in not automatically blocking people who say things like "I hate paladins, they suck so much, they're the worst class bc their vibes are so bad" on my posts that even just mention paladins.

RIP that you and most people do not understand paladins as a class and do not understand that their narrative is not just "stick in the mud who loves being a cop", but I'm different and I think they're incredible and they're one of the classes with the best inherent narrative

[heart-forge]

the struggle with Valeri's route is, of course, that there's a currently unspoken but plot relevant assumption that MC doesn't really care about what crimes he commits which will eventually become an outright question in which whatever answer MC gives will be forced to fit into some mold of "I disagree but not enough to end the romance" which in itself is an acquiesence to the crime itself.

I don't know that everyone will be pleased with the conclusion but the ultimate goal IS to establish that MC IS anti-authoritarian enough to cede that law is not inherently sacred and they don't care about crimes being committed (which is already a weak position as he commits his crimes largely in a country they don't belong to and so lack perspective), but of course the core conflict of all "hot rich criminal" plotlines is the dissonance of real life rich criminals being inherently repulsive (this is sarcasm mostly; no billionaire romance cares about the intrinsic repulsiveness of ultra-wealth).

that said there's definitely a route through it but it does cede that despite finding his ideaology abhorrent, you're still willing to be in a romance with him.

[princessanneftw]

Princess Anne, Patron of the Canal Museum Trust, opening the 'Canals' Exhibition in London on 10 March 2025

[tender-hearteddd]

bertholdt exudes the same vibe as the guy who killed the CEO of UnitedHealthcare ifykyk

[k-tarotz]

hi hii!! can you do jiung from p1harmony ideal type? thank youu sm!

Yes of course and I'm sorry for the long wait! <3

⋆౨ৎ˚⟡˖ ࣪ 𝘑𝘪𝘶𝘯𝘨𝘴 𝘪𝘥𝘦𝘢𝘭 𝘵𝘺𝘱𝘦

𝐏𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐲 𝐯𝐞𝐫. ❦

He's attracted to people who have a complex personality - lots of duality and who actually don't open up right away. He kinda likes it to find out more about them throughout multiple times of meeting them. Kinda attracted to someone quite almost mysterious

But even though s/he is rather quite, they also are straightforward - he seems to dislike it if people talk around the bush or avoid directness

Also definitely attracted to smart people - if the looks are there but not the brain.. that's just a no from him especially on the long-term

Since Jiung values honesty a lot, he wouldn't be able to stand someone who lies to him because that would give him trust issues, his ideal type is Definitely a honest person - probably someone who can admit if they made a mistake or of they did something in the past that they aren't proud of

He prefers someone independent, though as mentioned it's just a preference

His ideal type is also someone charismatic who is confident (or at least confident while doing something they like) someone who he feels pulled to no matter how many people he meets. Plus points if they have a skill (for example singing, playing an instrument ect)

Also someone who is thoughtful and not selfish; thinks of others and helps others (doesn't matter if it's strangers, friends or family) someone who can give; not just receive

S/he should also have a warm and bright side to themselves, for him it's okay of s/he doesn't show that side in public or many people in general but it's important that they are someone warm and bright around him in private. Someone who genuinely makes him happy and excited, also with a playful side to themselves

≻───── ⋆✩⋆ ─────≺

Overall this is giving someone who is introverted (or introverted tendencies) yet confident and likes spending time with him, someone who might have been through a personality change or something similar so they are more emotional mature. It's Low-key giving: looking like a demon from outside but being a completely angel on the inside - not literally of course but the person I saw did wear lots of black clothes, dark hair, kinda cold/neutral vibe (kinda emo/goth vibes from the style but they might have more than just one style to themselves) to themselves they don't smile for anyone but smiles and laughs lot around him and likes more colorful stuff like for example blue scrunchies, purple tablecloth ect so like isn't obsessed with the color black

Cards: The moon, the magician, queen of swords, 5 of cups, the sun

- Hun

[canisalbus]

Is it ok if we print some of your artworks? Not to sell them or profit by them in any way, just for decorative reasons.

Also, I know you don't have a shop where we can buy any prints/stickers/anything (if you did I wouldn't even consider printing them by myself) but have you ever thought of actually making one? Maybe, if not your own shop, sign up(?) on inprnt or something?

Sure! If you just want to print out my art so you can stick it on your wall or something, go ahead. (As long as it's just personal non-commercial use and you're not claiming ownership over the artwork or the characters).

I used to have a Society6 shop but I closed it last year, mostly due to changes in their terms of service. They were cutting into artists' already meager profits, and the last time I heard of it, they were planning to add a subscription fee on top of that. It just started to feel a little bit exploitative. (I also had read some reports that the quality of some of their products had gone downhill over the years but I can't attest to that).

I already have an Inprnt account waiting in the wings, but I haven't gotten around to adding any prints to it yet. (Are there any specific pieces you'd potentially be interested in? I know people ask about the 'You cannot eat money' one pretty frequently.)

[009-archive]

what do we think of mikocest. not mikoto x one of his alters just straight up mikoto x mikoto. im greedy

[spelldealer]

the increased aurora borealis’s this year are cool, but i am a little concerned. about the sun.

[unopenablebox]

once again confronting the fact that i believe that it would help me with my problems to pay someone to listen to me talk about my problems and then get them to professionally approve my conduct and behavior

[dragons-and-yellow-roses]

Guess who's the newest Shift Leader at Dunkin??!? It's me!!

[doggieie]

love having a pillow princess friend who i get to spoil and eat out and fuck how i please and coo at as i make her feel good

[widowshill]

reading ang as queer is like. integral to me. but framing her trying to marry barnabas because they had sex and she's jealous as "a queer thirst for revenge" and "troubling one of heterosexuality's most cherished rituals" is. uh. no she definitely was trying to get heterosexually married