#if you're gonna do that why not have one character that is just nb or more

[alongtidesoflight]

so here's my honest thoughts on dragon age: the veilguard, after ~40 hours of playing. i finished the main quest after having finished all companion quests and major faction quests. just to clear up what content i saw, i played as an elven transmasc rook who is a member of the lords of fortune. he romanced lucanis (although after finishing the game i'm now leaning towards taash). i don't know what's happening in playthroughs that have a different race, gender identity, romance or faction going on.

full spoilers ahead, i mean it. don't read further if you want to avoid them. i don't want complaining about it in my asks.

oh and also, if you're worried because of a few negative reviews online i can comfort you by saying don't give a fuck about a certain big name youtuber who is very much tied to bethesda franchises giving this a negative review. i'll explain why.

i'm starting off with the things i liked

the game looks really pretty. i was worried it wouldn't feel like thedas anymore (with them trying to "focus on northern thedas only" i thought they'd make a clear cut in environmental design. they do and they don't. it's complicated. i'll elaborate on it when talking about the negative stuff). anyway it does. minrathous feels like kirkwall. treviso enchanted me like the winter palace did. the hossberg wetlands reminded me of the hinterlands and a couple other inquisition maps. arlathan looked like... arlathan. the crossroads were different, but familiar. overall i like the way it looks and feels. it's thedas, with a twist. it's a good one, and gives everything a solid but unique feel.

combat is top tier. if you're a hardcore dragon age player you WILL miss the tactical aspect of it for a bit, but i promise you, once you're used to the way the combat works, you will be lapping that shit up. and once you get to ability combos you'll mourn the control you used to have over your companions in battle a bit less

the MAIN quest and its story. i expected worse, way worse. and for a while the game even had me tricked (harr harr you'll get it in a second) it is Really That Much Worse. but holy shit was it good. i walked away satisfied ngl.

your choices have SOLID weight. there's consequences, good AND bad. i got minrathous blighted, ruled over by venatori, and the leader of the shadow dragons ultimately died because of my decisions. i made those at the beginning and throughout the game. he died at the end. DAVRIN died because i didn't expect what i was saying to have that much weight. i thought i was in the clear. he had hero status. well turns out, your choices can still get your companions killed even if you do everything right. i fucking love him. he shouldn't have made that sacrifice just because i told him to do everything it takes once.

the inquisitor, morrigan and dorian being there, surprisingly. there's also negatives to this though, see below.

speaking of companions dying and the inquisitor playing a bigger role: the final quest feels like me2's suicide mission. i was blown away by it and the fact that i got to see the results of all my efforts playing out in front of me.

bioware are NOT trying to redeem solas. they love him as a character yes, but i wasn't forced to see any good in him. he betrays you. he fucked my rook over twice. he fucked him over right back, for good this time (the veil wasn't torn down, i anchored it by binding him to it, he's doomed to uphold it). but solas really lives up to his name as the trickster elven god. rip to all the people who grew really attached to him over the years.

varric died. if you like him that's probably as hard reading it as it was watching it. varric died and the game lies about it until the very end. when the realisation hits, it hurts. but in the very best way.

the amount of care they put into gender expression and trans identities this time around. (i'll add onto this with negative points as well too).

rook feels very much ingrained in the world of thedas. he doesn't ask questions that expose the player to lore through dialogue as if he's stepped foot into thedas for the first time. those conversations feel very solid and good. i hope other faction players got as much joy out of this as i did.

and the things i didn't like and boy there's a lot unfortunately

the music. let's just get that out of the way holy shit. it doesn't feel like it belongs in this universe. it gets so incredibly sci-fi-y at times you'd think it's taken straight from mass effect andromeda. there's not a single song unique to veilguard that i really enjoyed. it broke my immersion, real bad. hearing a busker play the tavern songs from inquisition on a lute right after i killed some venatori with wobbly bass songs playing in the background is just odd. weird tonal shift. don't like it. it's made for people who like flashy light-weight cinema.

tevinter nights is required reading. the podcasts are required listening exercises. the game is so fast paced, especially at the start, that there's no time to introduce you to characters and how much weight their names carry in-game. i would not have known who half these people are if i hadn't skimmed over tevinter nights. i'd care even less about them than i already did. there is no time to get properly attached to them. people will act as if you're talking to a legend personified and you'll be thinking man goddamn which chapter of tevinter night were they in again and what did they do???

there's a weird mismatch with the animations. you'll have beautifully fluid ones, like emmrich casting spells. and then you'll have rook's face animating in the most unnatural manner that's sorta reminiscent of mass effect andromeda's "my face is tired" addison, when their emotions SHOULD be landing with the player rn instead.

i'm not vibing with the art style. sometimes it works. most of the time it doesn't. at points i felt like i was watching tangled.

that also brings me to some of the dialogue. same issue. i am watching frozen. i am watching tangled. someone on the writer's team really likes the adorkable trope. bellara is its victim.

for all the talk about identity, bioware sure doesn't like theirs. the grey warden armor got a redesign again and it just makes them look like a generic army. i hate it lol

in general, i don't like the armor design. the wardrobe/appearances system is fine, but it's just not helping if all the armors are just... kinda bland or downight bad looking? and don't get me started on the lords of fortune armor. that is orientalism personified.

the world states should have been carried over, full stop. i know they said they didn't because they want to separate what happens in the north from what happens in the south, which... i could have lived with that. but the inquisitor sends you letters that keep you up to date on... the south of thedas. you learn that there's a blight again, that people are standing strong but it's difficult, denerim's fallen, the rulers are taking care of it, orlais is fighting and they're successful for a while, etc etc. what's good bioware. i thought we don't care about the south this time around. why are you feeding me so much boring generic information. if you're not gonna show any of it and just write letters, then carrying the world state over should not have been an issue. i have a game dev background. those few lines of code would not have broken your budget or pushed your engine's limits. fuck right off.

this gripe of mine carries over to all the cameos. as a lord of fortune you have to deal with isabela a lot. it's fun. i missed her. you get to go drinking with her and taash and bellara! also my hawke romanced her. she's not mentioned once. they had the opportunity to put a sentence or two about her in there with not a lot of effort, trust me.

when varric dies, all she has is a single line about it. for gold, for fortune, for varric. she only says it if you interact with her on your way to the final push. that's not mandatory.

morrigan is there. kieran isn't. the old god soul that mythal and then solas absorbed? who cares at this point, the gods are dead now and solas is locked away for eternity. i suppose? why is morrigan there. she feels unneeded. i wish they'd just left her down south, at least that way i wouldn't have had to witness her god awful redesign.

dorian at least feels as if he belongs in this story. the shadow dragons are a crucial part to protecting minrathous. he's also weirdly underutilised. isabela and morrigan had more lines than him in my playthrough.

on the topic of romance: bro that was underwhelming. no, genuinely. you know when romance picked up a bit? after the point of no return. i heard maybe two lines of companion banter about it before that. maybe i missed something which i honestly doubt, but romance did not play much of a role in lucanis's storyline. i saved his grandmother as he wished me to (and if you read tevinter nights you know she was rather abusive and their relationship not the healthiest) and told him to focus on his family. a reunified family my rook wasn't even introduced to as a partner at the end of all that.

really, do not buy this game if you're only in it for the romances. others might be better, lucanis's basically gave me nothing. except for an outing (the second coffee date i had with him, it was getting repetitive) all of it played out once i committed to the final quest. the sex scene was a fade to black. annoyingly right after davrin died. if you're looking for well paced and good spice, pick up something else. the sweet talk and the final goodbye were nice though.

for all the good the ever-presence of gender identity does, it is brought up in such a disruptive manner too. it doesn't even play out naturally if you CHOOSE the lines that are meant to be said. hearing the words trans and non-binary in this setting doesn't feel right, and i'm saying this as a trans guy. i think it could have been handled more gracefully. the amount of times my rook went "i'm a MAN" as if he's about to start drumming on his chest and roaring any second now got super nerve-grating. "i'm so glad you're into me... the me who is trans. remember?" just. tell me one trans person who'd talk like that to a person they've grown close with and are trying to romance. this game doesn't handle sexuality well, so all this hey my body might not look like the way you're expecting it to look talk amounts to nothing anyway. i feel about this the way i feel about krem: this is partial exposition to trans experiences... packaged up for cis consumption. the ONLY exception to that is interacting with taash. holy shit was all of that heartwarming and bro did it feel good and natural to talk to them about theirs and rook's gender.

rivain and nevarra are new locations added by veilguard. they're also incredibly underwhelming, small and constricted maps. rivain is a coastline with a few ruins. the hall of valor is a partial ruin nestled into a cave on a beach, with a fighting pit. isabela is there in her skimpy outfit commentating your pit fights. that's it. i'm sorry if you were looking for a bustling pirate cove or whatever. you're not gonna get it. the nevarran crypts btw are a long ass dungeon crawl. that's it.

speaking of maps. i thought people were being dramatic when they said you're gonna be fighting the same enemies on them again and again. i thought they were figure of speeching it. they're not. you WILL fight the same amount of enemies. in the same spot. every time you reload the map. best to stay on a map and clear out the enemies and do as much questing on that map as you can before leaving, because you WILL have to do it all over again once you return.

the three choices i made for my inquisitor didn't matter lol she didn't have to face solas and therefore couldn't stop him at any cost as she had sworn (maybe because my rook tricked solas into binding himself to the veil, there was also an option to fight him. would she have stepped in? who knows). blackwall wasn't mentioned. and either her using a small amount of her forces in the final fight was the reason the civilians of minrathous fared so well..... or it just didn't matter. ultimately i think she had very little impact on anything

[grapecaseschoices]

are we going back to the early aughts? what is with this new (ancient) trend of if wips where gender selectable is only m/f?

[alexxncl]

‼️NIGHTBRINGER LESSON 59 SPOILERS‼️

masterlist | all lessons | season 3 | lesson 58.1 | lesson 58.2 | lesson 60.1 | lesson 60.2

we really only have one lesson left...ouch

I KNEW IT what did i tell yall. i kinda figured it wouldn't be as complicated as meeting the past versions of themselves bc they wouldn't have enough time to flush it out but yk. i was kinda right

and they're playing that weird eerie ding-dong background music that takes me back to the beginning of nb. ah the memories (pls tell me you know what i'm talking about)

we as the audience know that everything is gonna be fine, but imagine being levi in this situation...i'd have to end it all if things didn't work out. like i'd never be able to forgive myself

like i know the boys are trying to be helpful but they know damn well 😭

did lucifer teleport them out ??? all i saw was a flash and then theh were back at the HOL

and poor levi :(( he did everything he was supposed to. it's out of his hands and he still blames himself for something that's not even his fault

...this mf

i think i speak for all of us when i say lucifer needs to get his ass beat

he's always going on about how reckless his brothers are and blah blah blah but LOOK AT YOU !!! YOU'RE TEN TIMES WORSE

him and mc both. self sacrificial ass bitches

in all honesty, i'm glad that he's okay first and foremost. secondly, i'm glad that he's not an angel again. it felt like they were going in that direction and i would've broke my phone if they made him an angel again

there's still one lesson left...pls don't piss me off

also raphael openly showing emotion instea dof bottling it up until the point of literal and figurative disaster ??? talk about growth

i'm glad that we got a flushed out (ish) raphael arc but i really really wish they did more with the side characters as a whole, raphael included. it feels like too little too late, especially with thirteen and mephisto

WHO THE FUCK ARE YOU AND WHAT ARE YOU DOING IN MY HOUSE

but deadass who is this person. like the name sounds familiar but maybe i'm tripping. who ARE you.

y'all can introduce a whole new mf character - with no character design mind you - but not introduce michael properly. i don't even NEED a fucking design at this point. just give me more than some breadcrumbs and i'll be happy

this also feels like the writers explanation at why there's so many loose ends 🥲 "yeahh we kinda got shot in the foot and cant flush out anything, and are forced to rush storylines to try and wrap everything up. whoops"

obviously picked the best option. tf do you think i am???

her special reward is mc's hand in marriage /hj (/srs)

the panicked look on both of their faces...tf is going on

and ofc they end the second to last lesson on a cliffhanger. my gawd

[saezurumurmurs]

A BL Platform For Everyone

NB: Please reblog this for visibility!

A little over two years ago, me and my BL crew were in our little chat sharing recommendations. 

Cat had an impressive spread sheet, Marcie and I had iCloud Notes, and it was pretty much chaos.

I looked at it and said out loud, "There has to be a better way for us to keep track of our reads and share recommendations. There has to be right?"

Cat said she wished someone would build a BL app with everything already there. Me, a developer of almost thirty years, paused while a floodlight (not a light bulb) went off in my head.

“Well I could maybe build one… cause like, I build stuff. How would that be?”

By the end of the conversation Cat had invited me to build an app for BL. 

Four weeks later, in late February of 2022, digitaljuicy.com was online. 

In the last couple of years, I’ve been listening to the fandom, paying attention to feedback, poured over analytics, read your responses to the Reader’s Survey and continued to craft a platform with all this in mind.

What I have been building is 100% for us... there is nothing but BL and it is an attempt to encompass ALL of BL. Not just the bits and pieces.

But for two years I've been struggling. Struggling in many ways, but specifically to get what I wanted out of the platform. I tried and failed so many times.

In September of 2022 I tried to raise venture capital to build the platform I wanted for us. I pitched it to accelerators and true blue venture capital.

Juicy is what is called 'pre-seed'. Which means were still so new and evolving, under-resourced and while there was interest, there was no joy. No funding was raised.

In December 2023, I realised it was time to rethink Juicy. i have been on the deepest dive for months rebuilding Juicy from the ground up and preparing the framework for the mobile app.

I’ve built something I want to use… and wild, I’m building it and using it as a fan at the same time. I'm at the point where it's impossible not to want to share.

And what kind of platform do I mean? At its most basic level:

You can track your reads, watches and plays

You can review and recommend the titles to the community, your friends, strangers on Twitter, your friend you're trying to corrupt outside the fandom. Your poison.

Timelines for you, for titles, for episodes, chapters… just about everything. I mean everything: The creators, the publishers, the studios, the actors... you can leave reviews and status posts on EVERYTHING. No algorithms, no force feeding... just discovery, recommendations and honest reviews by this community about our community and the industry we feed.

Collections! Lists of stuff you're reading, dropped, want to read, want to buy, love or hate, all pretty and organised and shareable..

A growing database resource of titles, tagged up to its eyeballs with a minutiae of data.. with reading an streaming links and anything else we find that we think is relevant.

But it is also a lot more than this.

I wanted it to be more than what it was. I want to turn Juicy into a mobile app, add some more functionality and more specifically, platform all of BL for its non-Asian fandom.

We get left out of so much, I feel like we need our own thing. 

I don’t know about ya’ll, but I was tired of being banned on social media for sharing content. How you gonna ban me for saying a 2D fictional character needs to be shot with shite and strung with cobweb? But they did… and I know it’s not just me.

What about the creators? How do they interface with the non-Japanese or non-Korean fandoms? On which misogynistic hell site?

What about the publishers and merchandisers? What about the little Etsy sellers? Why does BL have to hidden away in the databases of mangaupdates, anisearch and anilist? Why does every single manga tracker out there seem to have pitiful listings for BL? 

Is it because we’re a female or queer audience? 

Look at this lil video I made:

Either way, I’ve long felt it’s time for us to do our own thing. So I’ve been building it. Pixel by pixel. Feature by feature on my own.

Juicy has been a small chat group, but I’m the only developer. We’ve always been clear about what we wanted to build: A platform for the fandom, the creators, the publishers, the merchandisers… my goal is a one-stop platform for BL and I am damn close to presenting this new iteration.

This was and remains the core of what I’m building: The largest English platform for BL on the planet. The functionality is one thing, but building a database like that is not a one-person job.

So now I need your help.

First to keep the servers online, so I can continue to build and develop and finally, finally release the mobile app. I can't tell you how much I want that.

I’m close to pushing the new Juicy 3.0 out, and I’m very in love with the work I’ve done since December. It’s a new look, and it works 1000 times better than the previous iterations of Juicy.

I just have hit a wall financially, and need your help and support to get it over the line.

Juicy's ass is fat and I been carrying her mostly alone for two solid years. 

I’m going to launch a Kickstarter for this project in a bit so I can hire another developer  to help with the trickier bits and fine tune the mobile app, but for now, I felt a Patreon would at least help us keep the servers up and maybe, just maybe allow us to afford a few crucial bits that will elevate your experience as a user.

And because I’m a developer, and I can do some pretty kinky shit with APIs and such, if you support this Patreon campaign, you will get some nice feature perks on the platform automagically. You won’t have to pay again to access these perks in-app later.

As many perks as I can cook up anyway, not the least of which will be access to some of the nicer functions and features I’ve already built into the platform.

When the mobile app launches, you will get it first and for free! Plus we’ve been talking about a lot of other ways we can make the platform fun beyond what I've done already.

I plan to monetise the platform in various ways, but in a profit sharing model. You contribute to the database, you contribute content, you get a share of whatever the platform makes. This is already built into the system. This will be open to anyone willing, but to Patrons first.

Finally, I'm limiting the number of people who can subscribe via Patreon to 1000 people. Once we hit that number, the rolls will be closed to new membership, and everyone directed to the platform to pay for any services or merchandise.

My goal for this group of Patrons is that you become an exclusive and tightly knit inner circle.

My hope is that you will help me actively shape what Juicy will become. Your votes and say will carry weight. Your feature requests considered and if possible implemented first.

You will get access to exclusive merchandise, exclusive giveaways and promos (like free stuff), and exclusive programming from the team.

With your help we will produce an exclusive podcast for Patrons only discussing all things BL and Juicy (honestly our conversations are generally wild and hilarious... it will be a rollick for sure), along with other content for Patrons only. We've even planned watch parties and other fun shit... I swear, we want you all to be our greatest ambassadors so we are planning as many treats as we can.

Your access on the platform will be specific to your Patreon subscription and your treatment will be VIP for the life of your subscription.

Finally, the way my auADHD are set up, I have no interest in the dramas of the BL fandom, so this is never going to be about gatekeeping access to anything. It’s about making more access possible. You can help bring us all together and make us stronger as a group.

So do you think Digital Juicy sounds like something you’d like in on?

Okute Sea

Saezuru Murmurs

[misc-obeyme]

Hi CC!

I’m curious about how you feel about the Barbatos-insults-Solomon gag!

I thought it was really funny at first but now that it’s been almost a year since NB came out, I’ve kinda grown sick of it. It feels very prevalent in events and fan works.

As a Barbie babe and Solobestie your opinion is very important! *_*

Love you!💕

Hello dearest Ivy! I hope you're having a lovely evening! 💕

Ah okay, well, I kinda feel the same way about it, honestly.

Considering the fact that they are close friends in the OG, it really felt like a situation of a silly squabble from the start. And Barb was definitely doing it in his own Barbatos way, smiling while also calling Solomon stuff like a sham and so on.

But as the story progressed, Barbatos really got beyond just simple insults. After Solomon summoned him to the labyrinth, Barbatos was so angry he teleported Solomon far away. That's more than just petty squabbling between friends in my mind.

And that's why I had a hard time accepting the supposed reason for Barb's anger. Barbatos isn't exactly known for losing his shit. He's always the calm one, for the most part. And even when he does get upset, it's restrained. So it would have made sense to me if he was just coming up with creative insults. Kind of a passive aggressive thing, like ah yes the sham of a sorcerer that put me eighth on the list. I might've believed that.

But it's so constant and to the point where other characters notice and ask Solomon what he did to Barbatos. And also requiring MC to finally be like okay what is going on with you guys? And even after they supposedly talk it out, Barbatos is still upset with Solomon.

It's been such an unsatisfactory conclusion to the whole thing that I'm personally kinda over it?? It was funny at first because Barb is usually so mellow, to have him saying stuff like that was entertaining. But now I'm like okay can these two please kiss and make up for real?

Because I much prefer when they get along. The way they were in Season 3 of the OG was my favorite and I think it was their relationship with each other that made me love each of them more.

I just think if they're gonna have Barbatos continue to be mean to Solomon, they gotta give him a better reason for it. And if it was only ever meant to be a squabble between friends over something petty, then it should be resolved at this point.

I just want my favorite boys to get along again!

[sheyshen]

ok mostly full veilguard thoughts both good and bad, some spoilers sprinkled in but i'll try to stay vague where i can.

I give the game a thumbs up, so like, 8 or 9 out of 10 probably (i never know how to rate on a scale since i'm generally easy to please when it comes to games). i can see playing it again but it is a longer game so it might not be something i just go "hey yeah i'm gonna just go replay that really quick for kicks"

full thoughts under the cut:

to start out with I am a big fan of the lore, I did every quest every zone and had a lot of fun with it all, good and bad. tidbits about my rook since it does affect the story here and there and my thoughts on some things: Mateo is a transman, rogue, crow, elf, romanced lucanis, mainly did purple with a bit of blue options (much like my hawke)

starting with the good stuff:

-I loved the companions and how they interacted with each other and with the lighthouse itself. it made it feel very homey like the tempest in MEA, since they would move around and talk with one another. and that they could start relationships with other characters (even ones not in your team) it made it feel a bit more dynamic like these people are here with you not for you.

-I also enjoyed how they would have things to say that were to do with quests you completed or choices you'd made (kinda wish you could get them to trigger by stepping away and coming back even if it only works when they're solo. they do shift if you save and reload at least)

-I loved that you could canonly choose to be trans and it would have special options (like relating to lucanis and taash in different ways) and it makes me wonder what other options from the mirror open up in convos.

-I also loved that there were quite a few trans and NB characters who's VAs were also trans and NB. it was a really nice touch.

-the combat was fun, I do want to check out the other classes when i start a second playthrough (lets see if i'm strong enough to romance someone different cause i don't think i am! lol) and see what's different when playing someone who's cis or a human or a warden

-a lot of the controls were really familiar and easy to adjust to (aside from jump/climb being F instead of space, who decided that? do you know how many times i hit space expecting to jump and just slid instead??) so it was pretty smooth going from playing ffxvi to dav.

-the twists in the story were well executed and man did it make me cry in a few places. wish the one didn't lock you out of an entire vendor so early in but ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ i'll just keep that in mind for my second playthrough, i never expect the first to go completely smooth anyhow.

-I also loved seeing some familiar faces though i wish it was a bit... well. more complex than what we got. (i'll expand on that below) but what we had? oh it was nice.

-the environment felt very vast and I loved that there was a lot to explore and find. and plenty of cats to pet.

-I loved Lucanis's romance, and while I do wish there was more, I'm pretty happy with what we had and what I can build on through art and fics (already having some ideas percolating heheheh) but I also seem to end up picking the romances that are more off screen anyhow (looking at you Reyes)

-The companion quests were also all really well done and felt unique. I liked that they weren't all just combat quests and some were more relaxing. and that you can just meet up with them while you're working on something in that area if you didn't bring that specific companion with you.

-in the end i actually didn't mind only having two companions with you. it felt off here and there because it's been such a staple to have 3 in the series, but it worked out well enough same for not being able to control your party members (mind you i'm not someone who likes playing turn based (why i'm struggling with bg3) so i can see that bothering people who play like that) the only time not being able to control your team really bugged me is when i was trying to get some action shots for drawing refs. i'll keep trying with photo mode maybe i'll get lucky XD

-btw photo mode is awesome

-the final push felt a lot like the suicide mission at the end of ME2, that's mostly a compliment. I'm a completionist so i had everything maxed out and done when i got to it so I was ready to go but i wonder how bad things can go if you didn't since there's a whole room for the fallen.

-i loved the final slides (the last one in particular made me cry) and it reminded me of the line at the end of rvb season 14 about telling stories. and honestly i loved that

-the little references to things really tickled me. kalluzeb, kotor, and dungeon meshi to name a few. I'm going to be keeping my eye out for ones i missed now that i can safely dig through the tags.

-there's a ton more things i loved but they get a bit more spoilery than I'd like to get with this post!

-oh yea! and no fall damage is for sure an amazing thing. i jumped off so much stuff before i realized it won't break your legs.

and the things i didn't like so much:

-motion sickness leaking through my seabands wasn't great. i had all the settings for it adjusted but some effects would still trigger it, not as bad as some games but it was still there.

-where i loved how the companions interacted i also didn't like the fact it relied on you returning to the lighthouse after every single mission. there was a lot of stuff i likely missed because i was so wrapped up in doing side quests or wandering around in a certain area rather than going back after each thing and poking everyone.

-I also wished that they would interact with rook more. It felt like rook was checking in on them helping with their problems and being a shoulder to lean on but never the other way around. (aside from varric)

-the pacing on the story was awkward in places, and felt like you had to go out of your way to find side missions and interact with companions rather than it be a fluid experience. it can be a complicated thing to integrate especially if there's a lot of shifting things around internally leading up to the game being finished so it's not a killer for me but can be a bit of a pain.

-not being able to import anything from the previous games (except the 3 from dai) and many of the letters you receive from the quizzy definitely feel like they just kinda wanted to wipe the slate clean and start new and I have some real mixed feelings about that. I don't mind a soft reset but i think it could've been handled better

-I do wish that the cameos we had had some. slight. variation based on previous choices. (using isabella as a main example, i wish she could've had like the red favor if hawke romanced her or didn't mention learning about family in kirkwall if she bailed in act 2) there's a few cameos i think would've made sense to have and references that wouldn't've been too hard to include (vaea was mentioned so it would've been nice to hear about fenris, and with us being in weishaupt it would've been nice to have some sign of hawke since they were there, even an anders mention from isabella. seeing cullen at the final push with the inquisitor (or whoever not dorian or solas y'all romanced). little things without needing to hire extra VAs or anything)

-could use the ability to place waypoints on the map. and the ability to dye gear. it'd just be a nice to have, i'm sure there's mods rolling out already at least

-I do wish the conversation options were a bit more varied. yea i like playing a sarcastic and kind character but I wish there was a bit more of the option to kinda be mean. i mean rook's kinda gotten stuck with a job they weren't planning on ever having let them be rude now and then, as a treat.

-while i loved the romance (as mentioned above) i did miss the ability to get a little smooch or something like in previous games (which is something i miss in other games with romances as well so it's not a nock on dav itself but still something i wished we had gotten) and that they were a little bit. more. not like explicit, but i would've liked a little kiss for good luck before the final battle kinda thing like they have in DA2

-The "virmire" situation felt... off to me, like it was done for shock value rather than a meaningful moment (similar to what happened with torian and vette) and that it was kinda out of the blue rather than something that made sense narratively.

-without spoiling anything major there were a few lore explanations I felt were a bit. unnecessary or could've been done better or expanded on better, or changes that felt a little strange to do that could've been better explained (like the crows)

that's kinda it for things that bugged me. nothing that would make me hate the game but little things that made me go >.> lol

One small hope I have is that they patch in a citadel dlc type of thing, something that has no impact on the story itself but is just kinda fun with your companions. have a little party at the lighthouse right before the final push like in ME3 >:3

There's a "secret" ending after the credits and a few things brought up throughout the game that make me curious where they'll go with the next game.

All in all i thought the game was really great and I can't wait to see my friends sharing their rooks and art and screenshots and stuff!

[writinrealslow]

Hi!

Obligatory: "I saw your Nb video"

Currently working on a story with a Non-binary character as the lead POV. Full disclosure its gonna be a furry visual novel. They are an American Bison that goes by "Alex" formerly Alexander. Bison initially have fewer gendered differences than some animals.

A lot of your points helped me reconsider parts of their design and validity some of the story choices. Firstly, I do have one other Nb in the cast that is actually out and undergoing some form of medical transition. This second character will VERY MUCH be a point to bounce ideas/concepts of gender for Alex. Secondly I felt a little forced to further androgenize Alex as they transition. I have decided to tone it down since I think that their eventual presentation will have them be large and muscular, but have some feminine traits. It just feels/felt a bit disingenuous to proper them up as non-binary without having some sort of more radical change. Your video changed my mind on that.

Lastly, I assumed their relation to gender is very much informed by their neurodivergence. General confusion and disdain to the "rules" and societal systems in place to enforce gender. This leads to them not liking being considered a man, but generally fine with looking masculine.

Let me know if there are things I should consider as well or if I am just WAAAAYY off base. I got lots of thoughts, but want to keep this short.

Obligatory: Thanks for watching.

I'm honestly really honored that you would come to me about this, thank you!

You actually have a lot of things right, the only thing I would stress is that, while neurodivergence, particularly autism, does tend to be more common in trans people, correlation is not causation. A person's gender identity is not caused by neurodivergence, but their gender presentation might be effected by it, depending on what they're comfortable with. Some autistic people can't handle having long hair or don't like wearing pants because of how the fabric feels, so you could easily write a fairly masc presenting enby who wears skirts because they don't mind wearing femme clothing and because skirts cause less tactile irritation. But you could also have them wear skirts because skirts are fun to wear and they like how they look in them, that's why I wear them sometimes.

What I recommend most of all is to try and really nail down alex's feelings on their gender and their presentation. Do they initially feel like they need to be more androgynous and feminine, but later realize that they're okay with how they are? Maybe they try out more stereotypically feminine ways of presenting and decide they like some and don't like others, maybe they ultimately do decide that, while they don't NEED to be more androgynous, it's what feels comfortable. Maybe they go back and forth because they feel pressured and they're not sure.

It's actually really smart to have a second enby to bounce them off of, especially if they have a different experience with gender and different biases to work through, but also because it can help give alex a point of reference. I have my friend Kay to thank for helping me realize I was nonbinary at all, and they have a massively different presentation and experience from me; their input and advice has always been something I've found hugely valuable and helpful.

also, I think it's really cool that you're making them the lead POV character of your visual novel! Enby main characterss are rare, enby POV characters even more so! And the strengths of a visual novel should actually make it a bit easier to explore than a lot of other forms of media.

Finally, and you probably don't actually need a reminder of this, but be sure to nail down their personality and interests outside of their gender identity as well. Some people fall into the trap of making trans and nonbinary characters revolve entirely around their gender.

I'd actually really love to give your VN a look when you're comfortable sharing it, I'd even be a beta reader/play tester for you if you wanted. Furry content doesn't bother me, especially in a visual novel, where I care about story and characters first and foremost and aesthetics a very distant second.

Feel free to shoot me another ask in the future if you have more questions, and I hope I was able to help!

[zealfruity]

Clones as Incorrect Quotes 2/2 Master Post (Domino Squad Lives AU and Fives+332nd Live AU version)

Unholy mixture of random generators, unsolved/ghost files banter, and things my friends have said

Mostly just headcanons following below

A few notes for these: Tup is NB he/they. Hardcase is genderfluid. Vaughn is agender they/them. Nax is a she/her. Jesse has no idea how any of this works, someone help him. Domino Squad Lives AU has the main blue boys interact with the 212th on a more personal level, so some of these involve a mix of the two groups. Every single character is having an existential crisis in the other AU. NO CLONESHIPPING HERE!

(Domino Squad Lives Fix-It AU):

Echo: Do you take constructive criticism?

Cutup: No, only cash or credit.

Waxer: The best part of an oreo is the cookie part, not the frosting. Deal with it.

Echo: Darkness without light is an abyss. Light without darkness is blinding. You cannot have a coin with one side.

Boil: YO SOCRATES! IT'S A FUCKING COOKIE!

*Everyone is playing a board game together*

Cutup: I will put 'A' down to make 'A'.

Droidbait: I will add onto your 'A' to make 'AT'.

Hevy: I will add onto your 'AT' to make 'RAT'

Echo: I will add onto your 'RAT' to make

'BIOSTRATAGRAPHIC’.

Hevy: *flips the board*

Cutup: *standing on a balcony and sneezes*

Fives: *standing on the roof* Bless you.

Cutup: God?!

Cutup: Get in loser, we're going shopping.

Droidbait: This is a McDonald's drive thru.

Nax: Arson? Oh, you mean "crime brûlée".

Wooley: I need life advice.

Cutup, sipping Gatorade and eating cookie dough: You came to the right person.

Fives: *coughs blood*

Droidbait: Don't die, Fives!

Fives: Don't tell me what to do!

Cutup: I'm not mean. Name one mean thing I've ever done.

Droidbait: When we were younger, you convinced me eggs weren't real.

Cutup: They're not.

Droidbait: Haha, very funny.

Cutup: I'm serious. Didn't you hear?

Droidbait: No... what happened?

Cutup: …Why would you fall for this again-

Shapeshifter: *transforms to look like Cutup*

Cutup: Okay, are you like BLIND? You look nothing like me. First off, I'm way taller. Secondly, I DO NOT look so sleep deprived and lastly, if you could drag comb through that hair you're like a 7 on a good day and I've been told I'm a constant 10.

Droidbait: Quitting! It's like trying, but easier.

Hevy: I like to play this game called nap roulette. I take a nap and don't set an alarm. Will it be 20 min or 4 hours? Nobody knows. It's risky and I like it.

Cutup: Hello friends!

His Squad:

Cutup: You might be wondering why I'm stuck to the ceiling

Cutup: You're mean!

Droidbait: You're meaner!

Cutup: Yeah, well, you're ugly too!

Droidbait: You're uglier!

Cutup: You're a dumbass!

Droidbait: You're a dumberass!

Cutup: You think "dumberass" is a good insult!

*Cutup and Hevy are planning to break in somewhere*

Cutup: We need to distract the guards.

Hevy: Right.

Cutup: What are we gonna do?

Hevy: I'm gonna break their elbows while you poke their eyes.

Cutup:

Hevy:

Cutup: Deal.

Nax: Hey, DB! Did you know you’re my BFFLWYLION?

Droidbait: What the hell is that supposed to mean?

Nax: Best Friend For Life Whether You Like It Or Not.

Droidbait:

Droidbait: That’s one way to say it, I guess…

Wooley: I am strong! I beat Droidbait at arm wrestling!

Hevy: Anyone can beat Droidbait at arm wrestling!

Droidbait: Hey-

*Cutup sends more than 5 messages in a row*

Hevy: I ain’t reading all that.

Hevy: I’m happy for you tho.

Hevy: Or sorry that happened.

Cutup, to Wooley: You know, Hevy can be really aggressive, so it's important to take all the necessary precautions when approaching.

Cutup: *blows airhorn at Hevy* GET FUCKED!

Hevy: *Posts a super low-quality image to the group chat*

Cutup: If I had a dollar for every pixel in this image, I’d have 15 cents.

Hevy: If I had a dollar for every ounce of rage I felt in my body after I read this text, I would have enough money to buy a cannon to fire at you.

Jesse: Actually I did the math, Cutup would have $225, not $0.15.

Cutup: Fam I’m right here....

Wooley: If I had a dollar I would buy a can of soda :)

Tup: while you’re there could you buy me an apply juice please?

Wooley: Sorry I only have a dollar.

Tup: :(

Jesse: Hey I just realized my friend is right, Echo would have $22,500 because it's a dollar for every pixel, not a cent.

Wooley: If I had $22,500 I would buy a can of soda and an apply juice.

Jesse: You can buy anything you want with $22,500.

Fives: Yeah and he wants soda and apply juice.

Echo: Apply juice to what.

Fives: Directly to the forehead.

Rex: Great chat everyone.

Droidbait, opening a Capri Sun: Guess I'll drink my sorrows away.

Echo: Time for plan G.

Wooley: Don’t you mean plan B?

Echo: No, we tried plan B a long time ago. I had to skip over plan C due to technical difficulties.

Droidbait: What about plan D?

Echo: Plan D was that desperate disguise attempt half an hour ago.

Tup: What about plan E?

Echo: I’m hoping not to use it. Cutup dies in plan E.

Boil: I like plan E.

Oddball: Are we really going to let Hevy keep Beam?

Cody: We kept Cutup.

Kix: Someone’s trying to break in. Call the cops!

Droidbait: *loads shotgun* I got this.

Kix: Last week you fell up the stairs, what do you mean-

The poor Jedi that got Cutup assigned to them after the war: I assume you realize that this kind of idiocy will not be tolerated in this Order.

Cutup: Is there any kind of idiocy you would be more comfortable with?

*At the police station*

Denal: Hi, I’m here for Domino Squad.

Corrie guard: Who’s Domino Squad?

Denal: Ah, you must be new.

Fox: What has the galaxy ever done for you?! Why would you wanna save it?!

Jesse: Cause I’m one of the idiots who lives in it!

Hevy: How does that even work?

Droidbait, mocking him: hOw dO yOu UsE a cOmPUteR aNd KnOw wHaTS GoiNg oN iT DoEsNt mAke SeNSe?!

Hevy: Your face doesn't make sense.

Cody, to Trapper: If you see Cutup, give him this message *makes a neutral face*

Cody: He’ll know what it means.

*later*

Trapper: oh, and Cody said to give you a message.

Trapper: *makes a neutral face*

Cutup: Oh no. The neutral face of displeasure.

Hairdresser: How would you like your hair cut?

Fives: Preferably with scissors, but a sword could be badass.

Longshot: If you don't stop talking, I'm going to jump out of that window.

Cutup: ...We're on the ground floor.

Longshot: I know but I want a dramatic exit.

Hevy: I have no respect for Santa. Don’t sneak in through the chimney and undermine my authority by bringing my family presents. Walk in through the front door and fight me like a man.

Denal: What do you call disobeying the law?

Domino Squad: A hobby.

Denal: *crosses his arms*

Domino Squad: That we do not engage in.

Droidbait to Tup: First rule of battle, vod’ika... don’t ever let them know where you are.

Hardcase, shooting out of frame: WHOO-HOO! I’M RIGHT HERE! I’M RIGHT HERE! YOU WANT SOME O’ ME?! YEAH YOU DO! COME ON! COME ON! AAAAAH! Whoo-hoo!

Droidbait: 'Course, there’re other schools of thought.

Hevy: Really love that airports have to specify that you're NOT allowed grenades. Like damn there go my traveling plans

Droidbait: Ideally we get down there and Cutup’s just dead. And then we can end the mission, and I can go home. Obviously very sad, thoughts and prayers, but... I don't have to go down there, then. So... *weighs options between his hands* Lose brother, don't have to go in the tunnel. I think it comes out to be a wash, to be honest, so…

Hevy, about possibly getting too beefy for the armor: Regulations won’t look as good as my thighs will so they aren't valid.

Fives+332nd Live AU (possible official titles include Bones In The Ocean AU and Resistance Leaders AU, I’m workshopping it rn)

*The squad has just arrived in a new city. Fives looks around at the wanted posters to see if he’s on any of them.*

Omega: Fives, are you a criminal?

Fives: Not here, I'm not!

Rex: Uuh, watcha got there?

Fives, with a lightsaber: A smoothie.

Fives: Damn, Tech, are you secretly cool?

Tech: Well, poker is just math, so I guess it depends on if you consider the mathematician, Carl Friedrich Gauss, cool.

Fives: I do not.

Ahsoka, texting CF99: Want to help me murder someone?

Echo: Sure who we hitting?

Ahsoka: someone who looks evil

Some guy: What am I supposed to do?

Bounty Hunter Fives: If I were you? I’d try and make peace with whatever deity, pantheon, or Divine Other you believe in.

Some guy: I’m an atheist.

Fives: Then just get ready to die I guess.

Fives: So, are you two friends?

Omega: Yes.

Crosshair: No.

Fives: Hello Crosshair, made anyone cry today?

Crosshair: Sadly, no. But it’s only 4:30.

Fives: If you put a milkshake in one yard and crack open a cold one in another yard, which yard would the boys go to?

Echo: Schrödinger's boys.

Crosshair: FUCK!

Wrecker: What about cracking open a cold milkshake?

Tech: As we all know, the milkshake brings the boys to the yard. The presence of the boys is a prerequisite for the cracking open of a cold one, but cold ones do not have any inherent boy-attracting abilities. Milkshakes, however, do.

Tech: All else being equal, the boys would proceed to the milkshake yard. While it is possible to announce the presence of cold ones in the hope of attracting some boys, the pull of the milkshake is much more powerful by comparison.

Fives: ...

Echo: ...

Crosshair: ...

Wrecker: ...

Tech: Mind you, all of this nonsense hinges on whether or not the boys are back in town.

Fives: It’s impossible to make a sentence without using the letter a.

Tech: Despite your thinking, it is quite possible, yet difficult, to form one without the specific letter. Here’s one more to further disprove your theory.

Fives: Fuck you.

The self-taught medic with no license in the lower levels: Fives’ a 10 but that's all we know about him.

Kix: Bottling up negative emotions is bad for your health, so you shouldn't do it.

Ahsoka: I know, that's why I bottle up all my emotions, both positive and negative, so it cancels out.

Kix: Th-that's not how that works-

Fives, to the BB: The real secret to immortality? Not dying. You want to be immortal? Okay, that’s easy. Just don’t die. That’s it. Refuse to die. There you go.

Tech: But how-

Fives, ignoring him: “But how”, you may ask. Well, easy. Just don’t do it. Refuse to. Say “no thanks”.

Echo: *nods sagely*

All of them: If I can't cause tiny bits of chaos every day, I think my body will shut down.

Fives: FIGHT ME, YOU NERD ASS SLUT!

Tech: At least try to sound slightly more sophisticated when you threaten someone.

Fives: Oh, I'm sorry. I should ask; dost thou want to engage in a duel, my good bitch?

Tech: Somehow that's worse.

Rex: Think you can answer some questions without the usual level of sarcasm?

Crosshair: If you can ask the questions without the usual level of stupid.

Hunter: Didn't you die?

Fives: That was months ago, dude. Things change.

Omega: A mosquito tried to bite me and I slapped it and killed it.

Omega: And I started thinking.

Omega: Like, it was just trying to get food.

Omega: What if I went to the fridge and it just slammed the door shut and snapped my neck?

Hunter: Are you ok?

Jesse 5 months into Resistance work: You know I think my life has value.

Wrecker: Who are you and what have you done with Jesse?!

Fives: I'm so sad woa woa womp womp.

Echo: I am tired of fighting my own demons, give me physical ones.

Fives, months into being on the run: I’d kill to go absolutely ham on a dexter-grade hamburgussy.

Echo: Nothing wrong with a little government overthrowing in the sake of friendship.

Wrecker: Aw you little reg guy.

Dogma: Shut up do not call me that.

Omega: Gentleman ori’vod.

Dogma: Stop I am a STRANGER who is RUDE!

Echo after Fives tells him that he tried to assassinate Palpatine: Yeah I think fighting the Chancellor’s a pretty good way to get labeled a traitor.

[aikoiya]

I hate it how some games these days, even after choosing your sex, they still use "they."

Like, if you're not gonna use the damn pronouns, then why ask to begin with???

At that point, there might as well be no option to begin with! We're all just androgynous blobs now. I mean, what even is the point???

I mean, I get that Sandrock has a lot of voiceacting, but Portia actually allowed the main character to speak rather than have information transmitted telepathically & despite allowing you to choose your voice! (Which, is actually something I wish they'd brought back.)

If they can do that, then why can't they have the voice actors repeat a few lines with the 2 original pronouns?

And seriously! Why no change to certain dialogue based on this? Or the way people behave in small or subtle, almost unnoticeable ways?

Like, for instance, if a game has a confirmed straight guy who's a lady's man & my character is female, he should react to that!

Or if there's a down home country boy, he calls me "ma'am" or "miss" or "mrs" & is an utter gentleman to me & very respectful.

Or if some dude is a misogynist, he should initially underestimate me & become not just impressed, but shocked when my character proves him wrong!

Or, if there's a lesbian chick in town, have her subtly flirt until I'm given the option to choose from "interested in girls" or "not interested in girls."

Or when an elder talks to me, why don't they refer to me as a young lady?

Or, when danger comes, something subtle like guys instinctively moving between me & that danger. And if a threat shows themself, dude squares up & stares them down. (Cause, that's just sort of hardwired into a lot of guys. Especially very masculine men with good hearts. ♡) Like, obviously, it's a game where the player is likely to actually be fully capable of protecting herself despite, biologically, being at a disadvantage. However, those sorts of little details are amazing & bring life to characters.

In fact, whenever danger comes around, I love that subtle instinctive movement to protect women & children.

Just little ways to make these games feel more alive. More organic.

The reason being that there are obviously instinctive reactions that we have to the sexes. I know a lot of people are galled by such a thing these days, but honestly, when games don't have those little bits in there, for the sake of "inclusivity" or "equality," it feels sterile. Because these things give it a very human element, that by not having them, it sort of takes me out of the game just a bit.

Because, without those interactions, it tends to feel more like the player character isn't actually part of the world that you're exploring.

Either way, at this point, it feels like being able to choose between male & female is little more than cosmetics.

In the end, men, women, & even many trans individuals are included only superficially.

The only ones who are really, genuinely acknowledged vocally, are nb individuals.

Which feels... excluding...

Random Stuff Masterlist

[golbrocklovely]

Yk what I wonder (don’t mind me, it’s late and i am crazy) how many people who ship snc together or shipped brolby in the past would actually go mad crazy and turned out to be actual homophobic piece of shts if snc would ever come out (i am not saying they are not straight, i am saying hypothetically speaking… like a scenario that never will happen).

Ik most of the people do it for simple fun and they do not really mean it, but there are still people who mean it and i wonder… if they genuinely would support snc if they ever would say smth “hey yk i am actually kinda into guys” or they only like idea of sam AND colby (if you get what i am saying). Or how many of them are actually homophobic people who just find snc hot and the idea of them tght just seems hot to them, but irl they despise couples like this? Idk if that makes sense, but ik people like this exist, who be like shipping two men tght, but then would bash one of them if they actually turns out gay….

Ok, i know those are out of nobody knows where, but it’s past midnight here and i just decided to share this little crazy thought here (probably gonna regret it tomorrow) and sorry for bringing up the Voldemort name in snc fandom.

i get what you're saying, anon. i'll be honest tho, idk the answer to that question lol

(this became such a rambling mess good god lol read at your own risk)

as someone that has talked to a lot of fans over the years, both anon and not, there is a good chunk of ppl that genuinely believe that at the very least colby is bi in some capacity. whether those ppl admit it publicly or not is a different story. personally i think he's straight bc he himself says he is, but if he for some reason came out and said he was also into guys, i wouldn't care/wouldn't be surprised. sam would be a bit surprising tbh lol

but the question of "do fans ship snc together, or would they hate them being gay if they were not with one another" is a good one to ask. i think it's a bit of a mix bag. definitely i do think there would be fans that would not be into it whatsoever. and i do think certain fans would be happy knowing they were together. but i think the ones that would hate them being gay with other men are the ones that have always given me the ick. bc they don't see gay online men (like influencers or actors or whatever) as actual ppl, just characters.

bc there is something to be said about groups of women online being obsessed with gay men/male friendships and shipping them together. the dan-and-philification of certain male friend groups is an interesting one to observe (tho, dnp may not be the best example of that since they are both gay and possibly together idk about that tho so don't quote me). i'll say it this way, as someone who is bi but claimed to be straight for a long time - i always find it a little bit worrisome when i look at a straight woman and see that she is obsessed with a gay male couple. it reads as a fetish, it reads as a weird sexual thing in some way to me no matter what. i can't explain why it feels that way, but it always had. now granted, maybe some of those women are secretly queer in their own way and being into a gay couple is just their way of connecting to their own identity. that's a possibility for sure. but there are plenty of straight women, ones that are 100% straight, that are just way too into gay guys.

i'll be honest, i've had this thought for a long time, but i haven't fleshed it out fully, so i'm sorry if this is all over the place. and i do think some of this can also apply to male fans/nb fans, but i've seen this happen a lot when it comes to a popular guy who's friends with another guy and the fandom as a whole is predominantly women. for some reason, they will get shipped together like crazy and the idea that they aren't into one another is just not accepted.

i do think some of this happens bc parasocial relationships make certain fans see these real ppl as characters and bc of that, they ship them like they would characters on a show. and all of this happens without them taking into account how these guys would actually feel or what they would want.

as for snc, i think most of the fandom would be fine with them being gay if they came out and said they were. i think a lot more would be accepting if they came out and said they were dating, weirdly enough. i've joked with friends on here a bunch that sam is really the only person everyone seems to agree on colby dating, and vice versa.

but i do think weirdly, bc so many fans kinda see snc as characters, that's why they get upset when they do go out and date women that aren't those the fandom has "agreed" upon. that's why there was so much vitriol for katelyn and malia. they were two randos we knew nothing about and had no choice in choosing. how dare snc decide for themselves ! how dare colby date outside the holy trinity ! how dare sam move on from the best gf he'll ever have kat !

okay, i feel like i've rambled enough. sorry if i didn't answer your question, but like i said in the beginning - it's a good one to ask. i'm just not sure if there is a clear cut answer to it.

[northwest-cryptid]

I'm not gonna lie, I sort of despised my time as a Vtuber on twitter because of how much drama seemingly springs up out of nowhere. I mean people would literally become hypocrites in a matter of a week if it made them look like the good guy of the day. I couldn't stand the constant "one upping" that would happen and it made me feel sick, like literally anxiety stricken sick to interact with people since a major of the time if you didn't have a big following people would throw you under the bus just to go posting about how righteous and woke they were. I still remember people straight up telling me in a private call "I just see you as a man, I don't believe non-binary people exist" and then no joke, a week later posting "I go by She/They now and you have to respect my pronouns" which I'd love to say "people change, maybe they grew and learned about themselves" about except for the fact this post was made following this big social debate about pronouns which I only know about because 3 people who stopped talking to me, and basically said I was "bad for their brand" decided to say how I was "their friend" and how great they were to be friends with an NB to the point of calling out people mid-stream in the most dramatic ways during collabs because "IT'S THEY NOT HE!" When I openly stated that it's really embarrassing to have people do that, and to please just trust that if I have a problem with the way someone is addressing me I'll say something myself; when you go through this for the better part of a whole year (almost a year and a half since I was part of the community prior to having an avatar and the whole vtubing set up) it begins to take all the fun out of being a streamer.

I'm a Vtuber because I love the concept behind being represented by a character that can look however I want to look instead of being called out or judged for the way my hair looks or if I dress in a way someone doesn't like, I've always said that those comments are pointless since I'm here to stream a game and entertain an audience; my appearance should never be the main focus and I got tired of being on webcam because of how often people would point out something about me even when it was meant as a compliment. That being said you can imagine how absolutely infuriating it is to be told by someone who's " a successful and popular vtuber " because they have 1k+ twitter followers (and 2 active viewers, one of whom is me, and one who is them...) that I'm not good enough to be their friend or even talk to them or collab with them until I "get my numbers up" and "figure out my brand" I'm an entertainer, I love to create! I gave up on vtuber teams, I gave up on collabing with people, I gave up on even streaming for a long time.

But the more I interact with people on tumblr the more I remember why I love vtubing, as a character designer it's so much fun to see the characters people make and stream with. It's like this huge game of improv D&D and even people like myself who don't really play up a character or have any lore or such, can still really enjoy just sharing our characters with others and having some brainrot over our favorite games. You know, all the stuff I loved about vtubing and streaming and being creative. It really makes me want to reach out to more vtubers here on tumblr and potentially try to make some friends; I'm shy as hell and I unfortunately have dealt with a year of basically being told "you're not cool enough to sit with us" lol but who knows, I've met some really cool people who openly accept me for who/what I am and I'd love to connect with more streamers and vtubers provided my insecurities and shy personality don't get in the way.

If you've ever wanted to be my friend, like genuinely wanted to get to know me; just pester me about shit. I promise even if it takes me 3 weeks to get back to you; it isn't a bother I'm never bothered I love getting asks, DMs, whatever. It's just fun to connect with people and get to know people.

I literally met my partner via this site and she will attest that it took like 4 years for her to get me to talk reliably, I accidentally ghosted her several times because I was too shy to talk to her even though I really wanted to be her friend, and now we live together so like; yea please by all means if you want to be my friend just like nicely harass me about shit I promise it'll pay off eventually :P

[peaches2217]

2, 21, and 25? 🫶

Yay! Thank you! (In regards to this prompt)

2) Describe your pronouns. What are they, and why?

She/Her and He/Him! I'm bigender, in my case being male and female. (I got called "Cis+" as an insult in an NB group once, but honestly that's not a bad way to look at it - both of my genders are binary, but they coexist rather than being mutually exclusive opposites.) I don't really prefer one pronoun set to the other; rather, I prefer to be called by both interchangeably!

To that extent, please, please don't refer to me by they/them pronouns (unless you just forget/don't know my pronouns and do it out of respect, in which case that's totally cool!). Admittedly that was the catalyst for the Cis+ comment (something to the extent of "Lol you claim to be nonbinary but your genders are binary and you're adverse to they/them? Looooool you're literally just an indecisive cis person"), so I've been especially sensitive to that ever since 😅

21) What are your favorite things about being multigender?

I'm gonna be corny here: I just love knowing who I am! I kicked around being bigender in high school, but ultimately decided I was my AGAB with tomboyish tendencies. But throughout adulthood, the signs that it was more were always there: I've always identified more strongly with male characters in media, and as a writer, I find it easier to write from a male POV. I've always love being perceived as male; I have short hair and look fairly androgynous from the back, so at work customers would sometimes get my attention with "Excuse me, sir?" They'd apologize profusely when I turned around to reveal a baby face and a sunflower hairclip, but I'd be on Cloud Nine all day and I could never quite explain why.

At the same time, I never thought I was trans. I've always been perfectly happy being a girl. I spent most of my life shunning my femininity (my formative years were smack-dab in the middle of the Not Like Other Girls trend), but in my early 20s I began really embracing it, letting myself wear makeup and dresses and bright colors, and I've loved it ever since! But I could never shake my ties to masculinity. I couldn't explain it.

Last year I finally got fed up and did some soul-searching with friends; they suggested maybe I was a demigirl or demiboy, but those labels didn't feel right, because I'm not partially either, when I dig down deep. When asked who exactly I am, "I'm a woman" and "I'm a man" both feel right, but suggesting I'm more/less one than the other doesn't. "Bigender" came back up, and I was like "Oh. Maybe 17-year-old Peaches really was onto something."

ALL THAT TO SAY: My favorite part of being multigender is being able to understand and embrace myself to the fullest. I'm not a girl with masculine tendencies and I'm not a guy in touch with his femininity. I'm a man as I am a woman. Discovering that has been life-changing.

25) What's your favorite art/music/writing/etc about being multigender? (Things not explicitly written as such are OK too!)

Not sure if it counts as art, but this symbol:

because it perfectly encapsulates and answers the mystery of my own identity. Not all bigender people are male and female or masculine and feminine; the beauty of the nonbinary is that everyone's experience is so varied! But as someone who's only recently come to realize she can be both at the same time rather than having to choose, that simple, silly little symbol just makes me so happy.

[moonlit-orchid]

OUR FAVORITE BLUEY FROM ZEXAL FOR THE ASS BREAK THING(THAT SOUNDS WRONG BUT I HOPE YOU UNDERSTAND?

(XD I GET IT)

How I feel about this character

I think anyone who's ever seen my blog knows exactly how I feel about the blue boi! BEST ZEXAL CHARACTER FULL STOP. BEST YUGIOH CHARACTER. He is just my absolute favourite character and I wanna hug him SO DAMN BAD (and do not even get me started on how much my heart dies whenever I play Cross Duel he is such an impossible sweetheart)

All the people I ship romantically with this character

Myself No one. I see him as aroace anyway, and I just can't romantically ship him with anyone, though if I had to... maybe Sparrow XD (even then not very romantically)

My non-romantic OTP for this character

I LIVE for non-romantic/brotherly Keyshipping. I mean, yes he and Yuma will have deep moments but then they throw shade in a way that just convinces me that they're brothers. Also this might be just the dub, but I also really enjoy the idea that Astral also acts a bit like a parent to Yuma and basically adopted him (i mean sometimes in the dub he sounds exactly like a tired parent XD)

My unpopular opinion about this character

(I am gonna lose friends for this :( )

I don't see Astral as they/them or nb. I can totally get why some people headcanon that, but I just... can't do it. In fact I actually headcanon that Astral gets super offended when called anything other than a boy, simply because he's sick of people confusing him for a girl due to his feminine appearance and more feminine dress style on Earth (not dresses but still feminine) and he doesn't like how everything is gendered and how your biology dictates what you're supposed to like or how you're meant to look. So yeah, that's my unpopular opinion (though I fully understand anyone who follows the nb!Astral headcanon because it does make sense)

One thing I wish had happened to this character in canon

There are WAY TOO MANY things I wish had happened to him! Main one is that I wished he also became a human and stayed on Earth, but I also wish he'd been given a proper canon family or even friends so that him going back to Astral World made sense. Oh, and that he actually had a proper name because I swear his name is like the writers just put in a placeholder name for the Astral Being and it stuck.

Thanks for the ask!

[ttheggrimrreaper]

12 days of Christmas, day 12

Took me a month to get here, but we're here.

Day twelve, twelve drummers drumming

Raichi Jingo x NB!reader

This Christmas you watched as Raichi opened his present. The last one in fact. The rest of the guests had left, friends and family wishing their best upon you both. This year, you got him a ticket to some drumming class. He said he wanted to learn an instrument in passing so you were helping him out with that.

"..... You really like Bakugo katsuki huh?" A name he knew by heart.... Because almost every simp for that anime character from that hero anime tried to get him to say a line or take a pick or put on some merchandise.

"what!? No!" You spat back. Drumming just happened to be the first and only option you found! Purely by accident, and coincidental that Bakugo from My hero happened to also play drums. Raichi raised an eyebrow as he looked back down at the slip of paper. "That cost money you know! I can always go alone!"

"no no don't worry I will play into your fantasies"

"thank yo- wait a damned second!" Raichi chuckled as you realized you had agreed. The crazy man in front of you leaned forward to press a kiss to your forehead.

(time skip brought to you by BAROU MAID CAFE!)

"RAICHI it's 4:30!! Get off your ass" you yell from the front door, the class was at 5, and you were already running short on time.

"give me a damned minute!" He yelled back as he came running down the stairs. Quick to grab the keys to YOUR car. You snatch them back as you walk to the car, having Raichi lock up the house. It's your car, your driving. Raichi.., disagrees and although you unlock the car he gets into the drivers seat before you can.

"I have the keys bitch." You jingled the keys in your hand, waiting for the man to admit to defeat. But how naive you were... He snatched them from you and nodded to the passenger side seat with a smirk.

You flip him off the whole time as you walk around the car to the passenger side pouting in your seat as you buckle up. "You're a jerk" Rachi didn't respond with anything more than an eye roll as he backed out of the driveway.

"Raichi.... I'm hungry, I want KFC" you spoke softly, if he wasn't gonna let you drive YOUR car, he better get you food. Plus..you had like 10 minutes of spare time.

"we had food at the house, you'll be fine." He responded as he turned the corner. Your mouth drops open.

"I want KFC. There is no KFC at home and I want KFC" you spat back, you loved Raichi... And he loved you of course. But by God how you sometimes wanted to rip his head off. Sure you had food at home.., THAT YOU COOKED. So you deserve this KFC. Raichi, once again ignored your request as he continued to drive and listen to the gps. You snatch your phone away from the spot it was, and turn off the damned Gps

"what the hell!?" He yelled. Driving a little more before parking. "We're gonna be late,"

You just type your new destination,and add it to the drive. "It's two , minutes away. At most we will be three minutes late." You humm setting your phone back down and press a kiss to his cheek. He grumbled, but obliged.

Raichi leaned back, like hell he was gonna order for you. You however, waste no time in crawling over him to yell at the speaker. "4 piece chicken tenders please! Raichi, want anything?"

"nope.." he just sighs as he reaches to pull out your wallet, which you were just reaching for so you thought he was being helpful. Wrong. He tossed yours in the back seat and grabbed his own pulling out the required money in cash.

"If you're gonna pay for everything then why do I have a wallet!?" You didn't know if you wanted to kiss him for that or punch him

"so I can be a gentleman and not let you." He answered as he pulled up to the window, still leaning back you still reaching over him so you can grab your own food. When you have retrieved your food you sit back into your seat after wishing the worker a thank you. "Happy now?" He asked as he started driving.

"more than happy" you hummed as you are, it was a small meal, enough to get you through the class. When you arrive and you park, Raichi takes your trash from you and throws it out. A true gentleman... An asshole at times, but a gentleman.

The class went smoothly. It ended quickly and Raichi enjoyed it. You did too! Mainly taking photos of him that he was embarrassed about but it didn't even matter. What matters now was you both had your hands on the drivers seat handle. No matter, you shove him and whip open that door sliding in, a small issue. He was holding the door open and had the keys. "This is crazy bro... Crazy situation huh.." you blinked up at him as he frowned, waiting for you to exit. "Ya know.. you should be a gentleman and let your partner have their way???" You smiled and you asked, Raichi frowned further, but he did as you asked. Handing you the keys as he walked over to the passenger seat. Getting in the seat with a sigh.

"thank bbg~" you said patting his thigh. He was just staring at you like you grew a second head. You giggled as you started on your way. The drive was good.. comfortable silence with occasional conversation until someone got hungry.

"pull over, I'm hungry." You laugh at him as he said that.

"what do you want bud?"

"don't call me that" he hissed, he was not liking this fun attitude you had put on.

"what you want then honey bun~" you snickered, not pulling over but going a little slower so he could choose and you could turn accordingly. "Just add it to the gps" you hummed. And he did so, not bothering to acknowledge the nickname, when he sets it down, it shows he's chosen KFC.

"Raichi..... YOU COULD HAVE GOTTEN KFC A WHILE AGO!"

"I WASN'T HUNGRY THEN!"

"YOU YELLED AT ME!!! Fine, we can go." You huffed as you started your way in that direction. He grumbled in acknowledgement. "But I am paying." You said as you held up the wallet you fished out a while ago from the backseat.

".... No," he said, snatching from you and tossing it into the glove box,

"what!? Raichi give it back!"

"no! I pay for my food, and then also your food!"

"that's so ridiculous!" You were like a married couple. arguing over who got to spoil who. This arguing lasted until you made it to the drive through, asking the worker to give you a second. You sighed as you took his wallet. Raichi let you order for him, getting him a sandwich as you got a drink. But when you pulled up to the window... Raichi was faced with a grin,, a Grinch like grin as you pulled cash out of your pocket. He's been tricked!

".... How fucking dare you." He said as he reached over to grab it from you. You this time we're hanging out the window reaching your arm as far as it would go to hand it to the worker.

"DONT ASK JUST FUCKING TAKE THE MONEY" you yelled as Raichi also yelled.. it was traumatizing thing,,, that poor worker. But he did as he was told. Taking the money and handing the bag as fast as possible. Only then did Raichi settle down back into his seat.

"are you happy now?" He asked for the second time that night, glaring at you as he ate.

"very much so honey bunny~" you teased once more as you sipped on your drink., and this time. Raichi laughed with you. Maybe this class was really worth the ridiculous price...

Day 11

Masterlist

[misc-obeyme]

So far I have seen- there has been a lot of hints that Barbatos could be Nightbringer- Honestly it would be funny to me if he's actually NB due to all the hints unless solmare decides to pull smth that nobody willy like then I'm not even gonna bother lol-

Also about the going home part- I have a gut feeling we are gonna go home in lesson 40- just a hunch- :3

-🍁

Well here's the thing about Nightbringer for me at this point - and this is just my personal opinion lol - I think it could be just about anybody.

The Barbatos theory makes sense considering all the hints are going that way. But it does seem a little on the nose. Like if Barb is NB, they are being really obvious about it. It'd be like oh okay yeah that's what we all suspected to begin with because duh. I think they could make it a little twisty still by having it be an alternate timeline Barb - it might even be interesting if the current Barb we know is essentially working against himself and knows it.

But I also think it could be someone we haven't even met yet. Certainly it could be a character we haven't met but have heard about, such as Michael or perhaps someone even more obscure like Thirteen's sister Candy. If this is the case, I'd say Barbatos is still involved somehow, in which case I think he could be fighting against Nightbringer or working with Nightbringer.

And I suppose it's possible that it's one of the other characters. Maybe it's been Solomon all along. He certainly seems to be the one who knows the most about the situation. I don't really want this to be the case at all, but I could see them going that way with it.

But in every case, I can't seem to find the why of it all. So I feel like until I know more about Nightbringer's motives, I am remaining firmly in the "I don't know" camp of speculation about Nightbringer's identity.

I hope you're right!! I wanna go home 😭 But if we do go home and Nightbringer hasn't revealed himself, then that means the Nightbringer shenanigans will continue on into our present timeline, too! Which honestly I might be okay with if it means we get to go back to our time. I'm curious to see if that's how it goes and if so, how that will change things!

[takofukkatsumi]

I suppose no one wants a rant about Russian translation - cause, you know, Russian - but since both The Sandman S1 and Good Omens S2 had official Russian subs, I'll give you one anyway.

What does The Sandman has to do with it? Desire.

In Russian, there's pretty much no neuter singular pronoun for humans. There's just "he"/"she"/"it", with "it" being reserved for a category of inanimate objects.

Some Russian-speaking non-binary people use "it" anyway, but many refer to themselves either as "they"-as-singular (loan from English, incorporated into much more gendered Russian grammar) and/or resort to "he"/"she" (e.g. my best friend (nb, they/he) mostly uses "they" in English but mostly "he" in Russian).

So when I was showing The Sandman to my mum (I usually use just English subtitles myself), I was wondering what they're gonna do with Desire, especially after, IIRC, Jim from OFMD has been done dirty (as in, misgendered in the official translation).

And I found what in my opinion is the best way to do it: no pronouns. The phrases are changed to not refer to them directly - which is way more difficult in Russian than in English, cause we have gendered verbs in some tenses, gendered adjectives, etc. - and it's done so elegantly that if you know zero English, you won't even notice it.

"Do you believe you're strong enough" -> "Do you believe you have the strength". "Misses having their usual sparring partner" -> "Misses your mutual fights". And so on.

Today I have shown Episodes 1 and 2 of Good Omens 2 to my friends. And guess what. It's the same for when Nina talks about Lindsay. "I am waited at home" and so on.

Same with Muriel: "Well, I found something" -> "Well, something was found by me".

And Beelzebub: "According to what I'm hearing" -> "According to my sources". "Why I called you here" -> "Why you were called here".

I am yet to see how the translator dealt with Mutt's spouse and other characters who either didn't appear or haven't provided good examples yet, but I suppose it would be the same.

And I want to praise the translators working on both shows for doing this instead of resorting to misgendering (no one would resort to loaned "they" in an official translation). Because it's really hard to paraphrase all that. Again, verbs, adjectives, etc.

And yes, I do believe that in the long run the proper solution is to change the fucking grammar to include a fucking gender neutral personal pronoun because it sucks that an avoidance like that is needed. But until we have one - yeah. Much, much better than what I said about OFMD. Much better.

Nothing is ever accidental and Nina never uses a pronoun for Lindsay, which is mostly a girl's name but not always. Can I ask why you made that choice?

Also, I hate you for s6 but I also love you for it 🤣

Because it didn't matter to the story whether her partner identified as male or female. So I chose a neutral name and no pronouns.