#it makes me feels so many things... that dlc man...

[pixdoodles]

"The Treachery of the Wolf" The pages of this book warn of a terrible danger.

(uncropped below the cut)

[mrabubu]

How do you think the turtles from ROTMNT would deal with their feelings if they were in love with someone (be it human, mutant, Yokai, etc.)?

Oh man... Hmmm...

I really hope that wouldn't be a problem if I mostly ramble about Leo (I'M SORRY GUYS THE BLUE TURTLE LIVES IN MY MIND RENT FREE), and maybe a couple of words about the rest. I'll also be talking about both young and adult Leos, so, here we go.

I'll give short opinions on other turtles before Leo:

Donnie: Would be neglecting his feelings and emotions at first. Even though, in my opinion, he was established as the one prone to romance, I think when he'd actually feel anything towards anyone, he'd be really conflicted, because it's one thing to see this stuff on the TV and all, and another when it's in real life. But once he'll deal with all this mess in his head, he's a real gentleman.

With Raph and Mikey I'm going to refer to @souperwrites words, I hope they don't mind xd

"Mikey is confident and lovey dovey." And I totally agree with it. I feel like he would be the one who'd have the least problems with his feelings.

"Raph is shy but very genuine in his affection but also super nervous because of his size and the potential harm he could cause without meaning to." But honestly, I think my friend @daysofmoron could also give their opinion, since they love the red turtle. xd OKAY, NOW MY BOY LEO.

If start with young Leo, in the show he was always all "EWW!" whenever any sign of romantic love is shown, be it Big Mama and Splinter or Warren and Hypno (at least I remember them being all cuddly, and Leo's was just barfing at them on the background), but I imagine once his own heart goes "doki-doki" for Y/N (let it be Y/N or "you" for now), he's a total mess at first. Remember that episode when they met Jupiter Jim actor, and Leo couldn't even put the syllables together? Yeah, that's him at the start, especially if Y/N doesn't know about his feelings towards them. He'll be trying to impress Y/N but since his emotions are all over the place, he messes up more than usual, maybe even ending up hurting himself (like, he'd try to impress you with his skateboarding skills, but ends up eating concrete because he's too distracted).

And here I'm going to add a bit of my own ideas, because I've been thinking of some scenarios, like, if taking that previous idea with skateboarding, or, more easily, let's take the episode "The Longest Fight" when he fell, I imagine if on the contrary from others you'd actually show any genuine concern about if he's hurt, he'd be like "Oh..." and blushing, because usually his brothers would make fun if him, and here comes in you who doesn't laugh at his failure and worries if he needs help. I think after a moment like this he could begin to feel something.

And with Future Leo HO OHO I have an entire game reference on how I imagine him handling a romance.

First of all, I think as an adult he would be more confident with his feelings if he ever feels anything towards anyone, because, well, he's an adult now, and because when you at war you kinda already went through a lot to be all this blushing mess over feeling butterflies in your stomach.

So, as a reference, whenever I thought of him in a relationship, I though of a romance with Garrus from Mass Effect. I imagine Leo being kinda awkward, trying to make jokes at first that are much more sloppy than usual. Especially if talking about Garrus, I always think of that scene from Mass Effect 2, when he comes into Shepard's room before the final mission, trying to lighten up the mood, flirt and all, but ends up just being an awkward (but adorable) mess, and saying: "I've seen so many things have gone wrong... I want something to go right. Just once. Just..."

And it's just really easy for me to imagine Leo say that. And instead of touching scars you touch his prosthetic.

And also that dialogue with Liara after "The Lair of the Shadow Broker" DLC, when she asks if you fight for giving Garrus some peace, and you say that he's been hurt and deserves something better.

But once Leo's over all the awkwardness and let himself relax, he's just enjoying this new experience with you, having fun.

This scene with Garrus and Shepard trying the "first date" thing which ends up them dancing tango together. With all the teasing and all, I can easily imagine Leo would do something like that.

Honestly, I think that's it? There are more scenes in Mass Effect with Garrus and Shepard where I could easily imagine Leo would do something like that, but it's a lot. If you know, you know, If don't, well, I hope I was able to gave you an idea.

[buttercatrho]

Implied Crosscode spoiler

[Bakudanma] i wanna ramble a short amount so very big spoilers both DLC and game end under the cut

Thinking about how Lea might feel about Sidwell fucks me up so badly man, imagine the only thing you learn about someone after waking up not remembering shit is that they're a horrible person, only to remember him as someone caring and patient who was one of the only ones, if not the only one, in your corner basically. And the Tronny situation kinda makes it all the worse cause he COULD have turned out alright, he COULD have turned out better but he didn't. He hurt so many people you care about, and also you, but you just remember him genuinely caring towards you. I'd die man I need her to be depressed and mentally ill about this. also since you're here and i actually had a p good time drawing this one have the speedpain why not

[privatebooth]

In Mark of the Assassin DLC Fenris grumbles about Hawke putting himself at risk and then openly talks about how frightened he was by the possibility of loosing him.

So, the logical conclusion...

After completing MotA Hawke finds Fenris brooding by himself.

In his usual cheerful manner he inquires if something is wrong. Fenris ponders for a moment, and then replies that yes, something is bothering him.

He explains that he's been thinking about some of Hawke's words.

When they got back together Hawke told Fenris

"You are mine as much as I am yours" But if that is so, why is Hawke so casual about putting himself - something of Fenris's that he treasures - in danger. If Hawke really considers himself Fenris's shouldn't he be more mindful about his own wellbeing? He points out that as things are now it feels like Hawke sees himself as his own person and doesn't seem to consider how his reckless behaviour affects Fenris.

Suppose Fenris also could elaborate on how great his fear of loosing Hawke was. After all those years alone he finally has that sense of belonging he craved so much, and now that he had a real taste of it the idea of loosing it is paralyzingly terrifying.

This takes place between "Nothing could be worse than the thought of living without you" and "I can't bear the thought of living without you", so Hawke has not yet fully realized the intensity of Fen's feelings.

Hawke is at a loss. Everything worked out fine that time, they solved all problems and saved many people... But Fenris has a point. Hawke really acted on his own without a second thought. What if something had gone wrong? He never seriously considered that.

He was so used to always being the frontline for any trouble, being the one who deals with any issue...

Hawke needs to understand that them being a couple doesn't only mean that they get to smash heads together and fight side by side and have each other's back (they've been doing that for years), but that they must always be there for each other. Like, alive.

Hawke apologizes to Fenris and admits to not having thought it through. He explains that their relationship and the status of a no-longer-his-own-man is fairly new to him. Loosing most of his family also may have made him somewhat careless about his own safety.

It will take some getting used to, but he promises to change, now that they are committed to each other.

Still, he makes sure to tell Fenris that his heart belongs to him entirely.

And some time after this conversation Hawke gives Fenris the family ring!

Maker, the way they actually talk to each other and discuss things (in canon!) makes me feral.

[dostarve]

Yes i’m perfectly fine, i’m just thinking about how in every Pokemon game where the rival character goes through a ton of hardships and pain, we are the ones that caused it. Somehow, it always goes back to us.

In the HGSS Celebi event it is shown that Giovanni abandoned Silver and went into hiding because Red/Leaf defeated him. (Essentially, we the player, ruined Giovanni and Silvers relationship all because we defeated Giovanni in FRLG.) “You told me… you were the number one in the world! Are you gonna quit? What are you going to do now? What aspect of you was number one? Gathering so many only to be defeated by a mere child! I don't understand you! You don't make any sense! I don't want to understand you! I will never become someone like you. A coward when you're alone and acting like a tyrant when you're in front of other cowards! I will become strong! I will become a stronger man all by myself! All by myself!”

In SWSH we indirectly cause Hop to go through so much turmoil and depression as we beat him time and time again. Each time we win, we ruin his confidence and his dream of beating Leon and becoming the new champion. And then in the end, we completely tarnish his dream as we defeat him, beat Leon, and become the champion. (Not saying Hop’s depression is entirely on us, as Bede bullies him till he starts to feel that way, but we helped a whole lot ruining his dreams and such.) “But he said that I was dragging Lee's good name through the mud, being so rubbish like I was... And I just can't get those words out of my head! If I'm weak, then people'll think Lee's weak, too... But I don't want that! I can't let Lee get dragged down!” “I want to help my brother, <player>! I've got to! But I can't even manage to beat you, so what sort of help could I ever be...?”

In SV we give the professor the book that helps them make a breakthrough with their research. In us doing that, we doomed them. We are basically the reason why Arven’s parent died, and why his Mabosstiff getting sick in the first place. “But the truth is, I would've rather just had a mom/dad who was there...even if she/he wasn't anything great. I haven't seen her/him for ages now. Unless you count seeing her/him in the news or whatever. Used to at least get emails sometimes. But even those stopped a couple years ago. And then she/he appears, out of the blue, and tells me we've gotta come to Area Zero? Tch. Some family, right?”

In the SV DLCs, everything we do ruins Kieran over and over again. We cause him to go through so much anguish and pain as we become the trainer for Ogerpon, and we defeat him in the Blueberry academy. Everything we do to him, even when we are trying to lessen the blow, (lying to him about seeing Ogerpon) just makes things worse for him. “The Loyal Three were the real bad guys, but the ogre's the one that gets treated like an outcast! And you two did the same thing to me! You treated ME like an outcast when you went an' met with the ogre! You're no different than those villagers back then... You know how much I love the ogre! You acted like you didn't know anything, but you were laughing at me behind my back all along! Liar! You're a LIAR!!!”

[shinybearnerd]

"Heart to Heart"

Hey, y'all! I'm back! I'm a little late since the DLC got out, but here we are! Hope you like it, you beautiful souls. <3

Pair: Kratos x GN!reader Words: 2,92k Genre: Angst, fluff (in the end)

Story: You're a sorcerer/witch and, with your daughter, the ruler of one of the realms. You met Kratos after the death of your best friend, Faye. And since then, the two of you got closer. On the last night of a mission something happened, and the two of you avoided each other for months; till the day that the elders of your realm forced you to find suitors and to get married. You decide to pull a trick with three boxes made with three different materials: Gold, Silver and Lead. Each had a riddle on the lid. Whoever took the box with your painting in it would win. And someone did win. Someone that you didn't expect.

-Engish is not my first language. So I'm sorry if there are any mistakes-

When did all of this start? Was there a moment, a place, a trigger that generated all of this? Since when did the elders of your realm care about your private life? About who and when you're supposed to love? You don't know. Nobody knows or tries even to explain it to you. And all of this angers you deeply.

That's why you walked up and down the enormous salon for hours now. You are restless. Incredibly restless. Everything, from how you're standing and your torturing your hands together, could tell it. You didn't even eat something from the day before, too tensed to do so. You know that it isn't the wisest decision, but you have too many thoughts inside your head to care about feeding your body. 

You keep walking up and down the salon, not listening to what Frode, your best friend, tells you. << You didn't eat anything. >> noticed Frode. You mumble something, still walking up and down the big coloured stained glass window that looks into your realm.  << You should eat something. It's been a day since the last time. >> << You're making it easy. >> You mumble without stopping yourself. << Minutes from now, someone I'm forced to marry will walk into that door, and I should eat... Minutes from now, a man who surely will expect and claim my daughter to call him "dad" will walk through that door, and I should eat! >>

Frode doesn't say anything. He's so used to your complaints and your outbursts of anger that it's almost indifferent to him. In this case, tho, he knows. He could feel you're upset. That you're scared. Scared of living the same lives as all the other regals: a sorrowful life in an abusive and/or unhappy marriage.

He walks closer to you and stands in front of you, able to stop your frantic pacing. << Take two big breaths, all right? Inhale... Good. Exhale... Good job. >> He says, caressing your arms softly. << Listen to me... I know that you don't like where this is going. And I could not even imagine how you must feel right now. But I'm sure that whoever will get the correct box- >>

You look at him, sceptical. You sigh. The only thing you think you're capable of doing and that will make you feel, even if insignificantly, a bit better. You collapse into an armchair behind you, your face covered by your hand.

<< We both know that no one will figure out the riddle and take the painting! You can be sure that whoever takes the right box will be a worthy, good person- >> << Or a sly bastard. >> << Did you see the first suitors, right? You don't have any problem. >> You scoff, amused and tired.

Frode kneels and caresses your legs, trying to comfort you. You start talking to him. Confiding in him all your worries and your thoughts about the situation.

You, that you always repudiated the idea of marriage and that you almost did get married for love. You, that you fell in love with another man and are now obliged to get married to a stranger. To someone that you don't know and possibly despise. The same person that maybe will get you mad to control and reign your realm.

<< What about Kratos? >> Your back straightens immediately, looking directly at his eyes. << What about him? What does he have to do with anything? >> You ask quickly. << Did you tell him about this? He's a god. He can be a suitor without a problem, too. >> << No, I... We haven't talked or seen each other since the mission. >> Frode frowns, looking at you. << What? Why not? I thought that you felt something for him... What happened? >>

Svartalheim, three months ago The moon of Svartalfheim was brighter than ever. You and Kratos were still sitting on the tree trunks you used as benches. The fire crackled in front of you, invigorated by the logs that the Greek god had given it. The tents behind you were lit by the flames and little red sparks that emanated from the fire, spreading their long shadows across the entire valley where you were camped.

Kratos had just sat on the tree trunk next to you as he watched you look at the stars. The previous evening, you spent all night talking about the constellations, exchanging all the different stories and forms your cultures acknowledged.

He didn't notice he hinted a smile, snorting weakly, amused. He began to observe you better. The way the cold light of the moon and the warm light of the fire wrapped around your face, making it (impossibly) even more beautiful, made his breath catch in his throat.

<< How's the spell on the axe going? >> You ask him, nose still turned up. Kratos is surprised by your speaking. But he decides not to show it by grunting slightly. <<It's better. It returns to my hand faster. >> he replies, starting to look at the stars too. << Thank you. >> he murmurs shortly after.

You chuckle softly, your cheeks blushing as you turn towards the god. His face is illuminated by the flames in front of you, marking further his face marked by wrinkles and marks left by countless battles. The same one who now, at that moment, seemed relaxed and calmer than ever. You had just finished the mission and were on your way back. So maybe that was the reason.

You didn't realize it, but you widened your smile, relaxing your shoulders. A strange, warm sensation formed on your chest.

Kratos turned, too. Only now noticing that you were watching him. Your smile softened more, widening. The Spartan also felt that strange sensation in his chest when his body approached yours...

You open your mouth when suddenly you two hear footsteps outside the door approaching you. You look at each other, both white as a ghost. << At the end, one of the brutes of Vanaheim won... >> you whisper, your hand already on the knife pocket you held inside your travelling boots. << Well, if this is my destiny..>>

You take your knife from its case and hide it inside your sleeve, waiting for the man who will come in, wanting to take his "prize". But, even if you wanted to fight him, you can't stand turning around and face him. Frode is the only one brave enough to front the door. You grip his hand tight, trying to have some comfort from your best friend.

The heavy wooden door opens suddenly. The one that opens it does it with such force that the door's leaves slam against the wall with a loud noise. Frode stands up immediately, a surprised look on his face. You tight your hold on the knife, ready to strike at any given sentence or act that you don't like.

<< In the end, we met. I don't know what your intentions are. But I'll let you know that I'll not stay quiet and put as I watch my rights get stepped on! >> << There is no need to fight. >> A calm, deep voice behind your shoulders replies.

You immediately turn around. You would have remembered that voice even after decades, with miles of distance. And you'll get enchanted just like the first time you heard it. 

<< Kratos... >> you whisper, joy and shame stained your lips. The Greek god doesn't get unperturbed. In his hand, the miniature detailed painting previously hidden inside the lead box. His face there is a curved frown. Full of anger and... pain? << You wanted your freedom, and I'll give it back to you, your Highness. >> His voice is full of disgust and betrayal as he puts the painting on the table next to the armchair.

You get up immediately, calling his name and trying to take his arms, stopping him from turning around and going back. But he is obviously more powerful, and he keeps freeing himself from your grasp, grunting in anger and with annoyance.  As he frees himself from the last time, walking with decision towards the door, you get angry and annoyed too; with a single snap of your finger, the door in front of him closes and locks itself again.

Kratos stops, looking at the door and feeling trapped with all those unspoken feelings stuck inside him. 

<< If you have something to say, say it, Spartan! >> 

The warrior turns around, walking slowly but with decision and anger. As Frode feels scared and intimidated by the spartan threatening expression, you are not even slightly bothered by it... you are somewhat turned on by it.

The god speaks once your faces are (almost) a breath away from the other. <;< What were you thinking? >> asks in Greek. This could be seen as a good or a bad thing. In both cases, Kratos is trying to communicate his feelings in the best way. He knows that you speak his language. You told him during the last mission together. The rest of the night you spent it talking in Greek as you watched the night sky. It was one of the best nights of his existence. << Why didn't you tell me anything about this nonsense? >>

You open your mouth to speak, but nothing seems to come out. What are you supposed to do in this case? No regal etiquette tells you what to do. What to say in this case. They have always told you to listen to your elders and to do what they please. But what about this case? What about when you're in front of the person that you love most in the world? Should you talk? Do the first step? Or should you keep restraining your emotions, what you feel about that incredible man in front of you?

You don't know what to do. A part of you wants to tell him everything. To kiss those lips once and again and forget about everything else. But your other part thought about Faye; at your childhood together. At how the two of you were inserable and mistaken by the other when you were younger. And the thought of Kratos kissing you only because you are reminded of his dead wife is crushing to you. There wasn't a day since your lips touched that you didn't think about the kiss. You keep tormenting yourself. You can't sleep. You can't eat. But all of this, Kratos doesn't know anything. And how could he? You keep avoiding him since the end of the mission.

<;< Didn't we promise each other to always be honest with one another? >> You murmur. &lt;< Yes. >> << Then why didn't you tell me anything about this? When were you going to tell me that you are forced to marry someone? On your wedding day? >> You could see anger, sadness and betrayal in his eyes. All mixed together. << Why are you avoiding me? >>

You aren't able to reply to those questions. You can see his gaze slowly softening a bit. The pain is more evident in his little amber eyes.  <&lt; ...It's because of the kiss? >> murmurs. << Of course not, Kratos- >> &lt;< Then what? >> asks, exasperated. << What is it that you're not telling me? >>

Still not a reply. 

The spartan straightened his back, scoffing as he clenched his jaw.

<< I-It's better- I have to go. >> Frode talks, trying to get away from that situation. << Stay. >> The god replies with an authoritative tone. His eyes are still fixed on yours. << We're done here. I'm going. >> Sighs, shaking your head. << Kratos, please... >> Frode is already towards the other door, exing. << No, really. >> he chuckled, nervous. << I'm going. >> He disappears behind the door, locking that too.

You sigh and turn towards the spartan again. You both look at each other before the god turns his face away from yours, speaking. <;< I tried to walk this path with you. I tried to be your friend, but evidently, this is getting too much for you. These past months... they've been torture! Even if I was angry and offended by your action, I came here today with the only hope of seeing you again. I fought against my best judgment, and you still won against it! >> << Kratos... >> Your voice is broken with emotions, your eyes teary. The Greek god turns around, walking towards the door. << Break the spell, Y/n. Let me go. >> << Seriously? You still didn't get it? You want me to tell you? >>

He keeps walking.

<< I love you, you big piece of idiot! >> You explain, exasperated. 

That made him turn around.

<< I love you... Happy now? I said it. >>

Kratos change his route and walks towards her again. More threatening and distressed than before. <;< If you feel the same way, why didn't you tell me about this charade? You know that I could be a part of that. That I could win your hand! You saw it yourself before, as I gave you that painting. Would you have preferred someone else to be with you? Is that disgusting the fact that you have feelings for me? >> << By the gods, you didn't understand a fuck! >> Kratos takes a half step back, surprised by your cursing. << I did it to protect you! I know what it means to live a life where you have to always be on your toes. Always on alert. And I didn't want the same things for you! >>

Kratos' shoulder relaxed as his expression softened more.

<< Is so difficult to keep my daughter away from this toxic cycle... And-and after all you have been through, the man that you're becoming and you'll be, I don't want the elders to fuck it all up.  << For the gods' sake, Kratos! >> You continue, chuckling bitterly. Tears form in the corner of your eyes. << I can't sleep! I can't eat! Not only since we kissed, but since I understood that I love you! That I want a family with you! That I want to stick to those lips and never let go! I stay awake all night thinking about you. At the way you smile softly and so rarely. The way you walk, talk, your attitude... The way you speak to Atreus, how you act with my daughter... << I have never told you anything for Faye and your sake. I didn't want to ruin the friendship we built. Because I know what it means to be valued just because someone wants to take you to bed. And I didn't want that for you, especially because it's not what I think when I see you- >>

Kratos looks at you. You are both exhausted from this fight. Your voice is starting to tremble with emotion. <;< You really think I'm doing all this because you vaguely resemble Faye? >> Asked, frowning surprised and severe. You nod, tears silently covering your face. <<  Then you're too a fool that didn't understand anything. >> Sighs, walking closer. << I have never seen all those similarities that people say you two share. Faye was the calmest woman in the world when I met her. But you... you're different. You're stubborn, arrogant... you think that everything you do or say is right- >> << I get the idea! Okay. >>

The spartan scoffs, annoyed, before continuing. <;< But you're also generous, kind, good, but especially honest. You're able to make me reason like no one else. Since the moment I met you, the fact that you were so open to me with your past... destabilized me. And you have no idea how I felt when you asked me to always be honest with each other. I was so used to knowing very little about Faye that when you arrived... you upset me. I know so many things about you that even if I don't want to, I think of you constantly! I see a particular flower? I think about what you told me and in what potion it can be used. Every time that I sketch, I think about you. I also draw you secretly, sometimes. So I can look at you with all the calm and the time of the world without someone noticing... >>

You look at him, tears streaming down uncontrollably.

<;< Every time I open a book, I think of you. Every time I see a bear, I hunt, I go fish... I can't live like this anymore, woman! And you avoiding me, not telling me what's going on, is only destroying me more! >>

They look into each other's eyes. Both are heartbroken, breathless and angry towards the other. Yet it took a few fractions of a second before their mouths connected again. The kiss is deep, hungry, and needy. They try to grasp what they can as the kiss deepens even more.

You break the kiss, your forehead touching as you both catch your breath. <;< You're an idiot. >> You murmur. Kratos scoffs, hiding his soft smile. << I was going to say the same thing about you. >> You both chuckle softly, hugging each other tightly.

The idea about your new husband wasn't now so bad with Kratos in your arms.

[ganondoodle]

(more elden ring radahn thoughts)

on whats really left of him .. and his soul? general too many thoughts about him- long post and probably incoherent, but you know me, im never coherent anyway, many thoguhts, head full, quite literally

in base game, he has lost his mind we are told, and clearly he isnt like he used to be, but we really dont know the extend of it hes clearly capable of fighting rather .. controlled; its not like hes biting and clawing after you, he still uses his swords (and bow, sth he doesnt even have in dlc) and magic, we know even in this condition he held back the stars AND still fought you hard at the same time (i know undead people can still fight in elden ring, pls hear me out)

and i wonder .. how much of his mind did he really lose, obviously some since he eats people now which isnt sth he used to do, but ... we dont know how talkactive he used to be, we get one (two? i can only think of one) quotes from him in the descriptions of an item, he might have been a man of few words already, so him not talking at all isnt that good of a measure (not saying its the only measure, just wanted to mention), resorting to eating people that atack you might just be an act of desperation too

we get told he kills friend and foe alike (and im not questioning that really) but in his cutscene we see him drag along the bodies of cleanrot knights, who are under direct dommand of malenia, and by extend miquella, im guessing they kept sending them after him to finish him off; now knowing that him dying means being sent to the realm of shadow, to miquella, and NOT knowing if he wanted that, i feel that that detail has grown in importance-

when you start the fight, hes rather defensive, shooting at you almost immediately upon you entering the arena with no extra cutscene either, what he shoots at you a long ranged gravitation bolts that stop you dead in tracks with a very high stagger rate and if you are on torrent it stagger you off of it; i know it could be just tactical and bc all he knows now is to fight as best as he can BUT, you could also look at it as a defensive strategy, to keep you away, and away from him .. even though you are not told he is afraid to die and he eats people now, sure he could come over there and snack on you once he shot you enough times, but the important thing is that you as a threat to his life is eliminated AND he doesnt seem to have some sort of insatiable hunger for people that makes him charge and snap at you immediately, there could be self control there still (if i wanted to reach a little further i could also say he could be trying to keep you away from him not jsut to save himself but to save you from him too, but thats a reach and i know that)

once you get close enough he usually changes to fire a salve of arrows that fall from the sky and follows you around, also high in stagger- its only when you get too close that he pulls out his swords and charges at you

his arena is interestign as well, its a piece of land in caelid that is inaccessible (unless you can fly?) from all sides, a barren battlefield only reached through a teleporter, im not sure if it is the same place as when he fought malenia or not (wasnt that in the middle of caelid where you find the rot needle?) but i doubt anyone could have put him there against his will, so did he .. go there himself? or stay there for that matter- how quickly do you lose yourself when infected with rot? and how quickly for him, since hes a demigod? did he intentionally isolate himself there? make it harder to reach him for both friend and foe alike?

another point is that most enemies (as far as i can think of) that are infected with rot/are in caelid also deal rot damage, radahn does not, hes even really vunerable to it in fact, its an intersting detail to me bc he only uses either standard attacks or gravitational magic, given that hes been in this condition for a long time and its caelid id expect the rot to be somewhat important there, but its not

how much has he really lost his mind, is he really as mindless as jerren makes him out to be? is he trying to stay alive no matter what, isolating himself on an (almost) island and only living off what comes there, which is usually people that want to kill him, be it friend or foe, all are out for his life one way or another, could it be defensive ... desperate even? no one but him and miquella/malenia seem to know that him dying means hes put into the land of shadow, where miquella is waiting for him; (why wouldnt he tell anyone? was he not able to? was he afraid to upset the golden order by spilling it out?) could he know that would be the end of him having his own will, knowing what miquella can do to people? ... perhaps even .... having been manipulated by him before when he was less experienced and more in direct vicinity to him, to promise something he doesnt actually want?

this is a reach too but ... could he be trying to make himself unusable for miquella, theres no real cure for the rot, could he have decided to stay alive as long as he can to both destroy his own body (and soul even?) intentionally so it cant be used against his will, like a desperate act to destroy himself rather than become someones unwilling puppet? did he succeed in both somewhat but not enough to become fully worthless and unsalvageable? just how much would he have had to destroy himself for him to become useless to miquella, is there even a limit? would he have been "revived" no matter what, no matter what little was left of him?

how is he mindless, yet his soul it taken when you kill him, his body beyond repair, but his soul intact? that seems like the opposite of what he is, and you are told he is, in the base game to me (maybe hes just fallen into madness i guess, but given the soul is like .. the self, he should be mad in the dlc too then, unless miquella can just pick out the parts he likes and throw away the rest .... which isnt impossible either)

now, there could be the argument that he might have actually agreed to it, hes been a big fan of godfrey, who is a consort to marika, a god, and little more than her pawn as well, his 'young' look you see at the end of the dlc could also be connected to it, the braids i thought where a sign of miquellas influence could also be just how he looked back then, an imitation of godfreys hairstyle- and we dont know for sure he didnt used to have them even after gettign older since they could just have loosened after spending so much time in a zombie lite condition (or is it?)-- but his portrait in volcano manor doesnt seem to have them either, hes also sporting the armor you see in base game (i think) there the fact that, according to godfrey, strength is the only thing that matters and to become a consort you need to be the strongest of all to be worthy, could also be interpreted that way- though i dont if he would have wanted to replace the golden order, he was a fan and follower of it, did he even think of it the implications? did he even know? was he just young and stupid? (very possible tbh)

then theres the idea of there being less left of his soul, so in the dlc he is barely if anything at all, himself, both in body AND soul, how much was there even left after all that time in caelid, he is silent except for like two grunts he does also in base game (he has more sounds there too), completely unexpressive, with very few gravitation magic, in the second phase miquella literally snakes his arms around his neck, almost every single attack is filled with light magic, clearly coming from miquella and not him (i know bringing up leonard might seem overemphasizing his role, but in these games what information you get is very scarce so every bit you do learn is important and was written intentionally- but he stayed together with him in caelid, all his attacks involve him in one way or another, he only started to learn that magic for leonard, so radahn didnt have too abandon him as he got too large to ride him, he uses gravitation in dlc too, so it means that at the point of his life that he is recreated as he already had leonard or that that is a sign of whatever is left of his soul that comes from a much older him, and if it is, its very little) (also this is a reach too but most enemies with horses have separate health bars, he doesnt, he and leonard basically share the same health bar, literally inseperable uwu)

"theres no evidence hes mindcontrolled" people say to me. have you seen him? how he acts? or more, how he DOESNT act? that miquellas entire deal is THAT HE BEWITCHES PEOPLE, ffs he STEALS YOUR HEART if you get grabbed by him twice in the dlc fight- theres no evidence he wasnt either, you are told they had a vow, but you never know what exactly that was, when it was (in the memory of miquella wishing for radahn to be his consort you only see miquella- was it a silly wish between kids tha miquella never grew out of?), in what circumstances, you never get to hear radahn say anything about it, its completely left out, thats a little unrelieable to me! idk!

but fine, maybe he did agree to it, maybe he thought being a consort to a god would make him just as cool as godfrey, maybe he fought malenia, who was said to be undefeated, only to prove he had the strength worthy of being a consort and it backfired when malenia infected him with the rot (why then? also he doesnt look exactly thrilled about what she say to him in the trailer but that could be just me too i guess lolololol), maybe he wanted to die all along but his pride meant he couldnt just let the rot win, maybe the festival was really what he wished for and told no one what the real goal was, maybe he wasnt rotten in the first place and just acted that part so he had an excuse to die without having to fight with all his strength as even the undefeated warrior wasnt able to beat him, maybe becoming a consort to miquella was worth leaving leonard behind to him, maybe he wanted to be nothing but a pawn to a god, to be used and discarded, maybe he really believed in miquellas wish for a "gentle" world (aka all love miquella)

it makes sense, im not going to lie about that, but the other does too- and in the end, we will never know what the truth is! we will never know if that was what he wanted, or if he was manipulated even back then, i wish we could to see his part, his voice, his will, but we never will, and it doesnt matter, in the end it doesnt matter if he wanted it or not, the fact remains hes a silent frankensteins monster of miquella, expression- and personalityless, a voiceless pawn to a god that steals everyones hearts

i dont need to be "right", i like to think about things, i am in the camp of he didnt want to or decided against it, but it doesnt really matter, even if miyazaki himself went onto stage and loudly declared that yes it was all planned from the start and radahn was in on it the whole time- i still would think the other way around it, i jsut think about him alot, i want to question things instead of taking everythign i hear at face value, especially when its very strangely told from one side, i will question every little thing if i only hear one side, no matter how much sense it makes or not, it makes me suspicious

(i some of this can be attributed about purely gameplay stuff, like the change in armor so he doesnt look the same etc, but i dont care, i like to think about the implications it brings with it, intentionally or not)

and there he is in a barren battlefield, eating the remains of whoever enters his isolated cage with the intent to kill him, never succeeding, howling like a lonely old wolf at the sky, is it desperation about a fate he cannot escape, grief about what hes done or failed to do, is it a call of yearning? for freedom?

we dont know. and it doesnt matter.

[toreii]

Mortal Kombat 1: Khaos Reigns Review

Let me just preface this post by saying I’m still on the fence about sharing my thoughts. Like many, I am highly disappointed with the direction this DLC went. I would have never imagined this was in store for me last year during the summer when I first watched the Lin Kuei trailer. Khaos Reigns provoked two days of awful headaches followed by days of disillusion. Yes, NRS played me for a fool (thank god I did not purchase this). I gave them the benefit of the doubt, and it came to bite me in the ass. If I had a physical copy of the game, I’d chuck it in the trash. I’m finding it difficult to proceed forward which is hard because I like to see things through even if it sucks. All I can do is protect my vision of Bi-Han and staying true to the old lore as I try and move on.

That being said, to address my take on this expansion:

To begin, the elephant in the freaking room--Sektor and Cyrax.

I am a Lin Kuei fan overall. Not a big fan of him in general, but there has been appreciation for him and Cyrax throughout the years. When I learned that both were going to be genderbent, I had a little bit of misgivings suddenly changing things drastically. But, again, I gave NRS the benefit of the doubt. Since this is a new era, I was on board with it until the rumors started circulating about both being love interests for the brothers. I was like "That makes no sense whatsoever." To me, the Lin Kuei has always been like a brotherhood. In no given time, has there ever been any indication of personal relationships outside of camaraderie. For example, Cyrax and Smoke being vehemently upset over Bi-Han's death in MK9, and not just Kuai Liang.

The argument can be constantly made that this is a new timeline, and it's Liu Kang's creation over and over. But, when you have that man (Dominic) constantly saying the timelines are canon, but not really. But, still are. It's incredibly hard to take anything seriously right now especially with the constant flip flopping that man does for the sake of the current script. Which is another point, but back to the bastardization of our two Lin Kuei girls.

I wanted to believe in a strong, female Sektor, who has her own ideals which we can all clearly see. Like her past iterations, she lives, breathes, and bleeds Lin Kuei. I wanted to see a Sektor who slowly, but surely descended into her own madness of corruption as she pursued her goals for the Cyber Initiative. Sektor has always been known for his technological genius, and she would be no different. To see her potential constantly get staunched for her adulation and obsession for Bi-Han was hard to witness. I can understand that this may be a flaw for her, but it is a very shitty flaw. Because this one trait absolutely negates everything she stands for. I can see that both she and Bi-Han use each other to a certain extent where it seems fit. I know her horrible romance is the center of focus right now, but if you listen to her intros with Bi-Han, it seems to be all business between them. There is barely any indication that their relationship goes beyond the realm of the clan and into a personal tryst. Sektor calls it love, but it's not quite there. I mean, there's love for the grandmaster, but the love that seems to be implied between the two is not quite there. At least, in my view.

I don't know about Sektor yet, but I already deduced that Bi-Han isn't someone who's desperate to correct anyone on the spot. He doesn't have to. He doesn't owe anyone an explanation, so of course he runs with whatever people say about him. He's unbothered by anyone's opinions of him. When Kuai Liang told Cyrax the truth about Bi-Han letting their father die, Bi-Han could have stepped in at any given moment and contradicted Kuai Liang. Instead, he chose to own every word Kuai said. I've had this feeling since the end of the base campaign that Kuai Liang simply took pieces of what Bi-Han said, and spun them to fit his own narrative. (Killing your father and letting him die because of an accident are two completely different things.)

Anyways, going back to Sektor, that scene where Bi-Han's mind was being restored seems to be the only shoehorned indication that there is more to them than meets the eye. But, again, it was badly placed, badly presented as well. First of all, Sektor really should not have been there in that room at all. From a storytelling perspective, I'm supposed to believe that both Sektor and Bi-Han have this obsessive romance and codependency between each other in a few seconds of frames, than the brotherhood between Bi-Han, Kuai Liang, and Tomas??? And this was my worst fear for Bi-Han too. I did not want him to be "saved" by romance. I wanted his salvation to come from within himself as he reflected on his poor decisions and the tragedy of his downfall which sadly we were robbed and negated from. If the scene only involved Liu Kang, Bi-Han, and Kuai Liang, it would have been more poignant. There has always been that story between the two brothers. I understand, this is not the same Kuai of two timelines ago. But, why is MK: Onslaught's ScorpKuai a lot more wholesome than our MK1 iteration??? He was absolutely horrified meeting MK11 Noob. He couldn't understand why Bi-Han became Noob (and how). But, Kuai's first instinct in the DLC is to be absolutely pissed and disgusted? "Your new attire suits you. It is as black as your heart." Darling, no. I would have been more pleased seeing Kuai approach the table and have this conflicting expression. The hatred can still be there, but the concern and sorrow for whom was once family to him, and his eldest brother needed to be portrayed. I mean, we sort of got it with the whole coffin scene at the end. But, in that scene, in that moment, that more than Bi-Han reaching for Sektor and touching foreheads with her is a lot more powerful in terms of storytelling. I don't know why NRS is so against these two hashing it out and resolving their issues.

Now to Cyrax...oh my god...

According to Kuai Liang in the main story, Cyrax and Sektor were supposed to be absolutely loyal to Bi-Han and would abet his corruption than follow him. We obviously see that in Sektor, but what the hell happened to Cyrax? It leads me to believe that Dominic and others suddenly decided to change the script. Mind you, I firmly believe that they did so. Sektor and Cyrax being women in this game must've been a decision that came after everything was said and done for the base campaign. I'm a bit skeptical on Bi-Han suddenly turning on Cyrax because I do recall some time ago listening to some leaked audio in which Bi-Han says "Kuai Liang was supposed to give Cyrax back." It made me think "Oh shit. Does Cyrax get held hostage or something?" Like, what the hell happened? And, I'm realizing, are we missing dialogue now? There is so much that does not make sense!!! Why would they turn on her all of a sudden?!

She's supposed to be close to Bi-Han just as much as Sektor. And suddenly, Cyrax is presented as a free thinking individual who abides by her own ideals and tradition. The moment that is threatened, she feels like she can no longer follow Bi-Han and his ambitions. To make it worse, she feels so much remorse with Kuai Liang that she's ready to give up her life in penance to make up for it. It just makes no sense. And to make it worse, she spends the rest of the DLC following Kuai Liang like a little puppy ready to serve her new grandmaster. Why was she even presented as a strong individual when all she wants is Kuai Liang's adoration as well? Not to mention, it was a really gross line to include in the intros where Noob threatens to spill her relationship with Kuai Liang to Harumi. We're seriously cheapening these two women to typical high school romance tropes? Like others have expressed, this is fanfiction levels of madness.

Kuai Liang is all levels of messed up too. I am so sick and tired of him prancing around like he does no wrong, and everyone believes every word he says. Suddenly, he's the self appointed grand hero of the story when you have Liu Kang's champions sitting around and twiddling their thumbs? Why not place faith in them and send them with Kuai to resolve the current threat. I understand Kuai's Shirai Ryu is now the new protectors, but you also have these other people and beings who are preparing themselves as well for these upcoming threats. I hate that they just suddenly bled into the background, and disappeared completely. Somebody needs to not only knock Bi-Han but Kuai Liang as well a few pegs down. He too is not without his own flaws and they need to be addressed. And Liu Kang's line "Trust your wife. Avail yourself of her wisdom." The same thing with Sektor and Bi-Han. Here too. This fucking trope cannot be it. Love cannot only be the thing that saves the day. His anger, his vengeance, is no where near the levels of Hanzo. Hanzo legit had a reason to be like that. Kuai is literally throwing a bitch fit at Bi-Han, and pointing fingers anywhere but himself. Seriously, his anger and disgust against Cyrax was so unwarranted. And every time she was flustered and tried to explain, he barely gave her time to say a word. Always cutting her off, and rejecting her apologies until the end because it is implied Harumi stepped in. And he seems to just completely simmer down a bit in the presence of Noob. Where was the you who tried to take him on earlier in Chaosrealm? Suddenly, you don't feel like butting heads with your brother? Kuai Liang is such a hypocrite, and I'm tired of seeing it.

Liu Kang was also another that just got dragged through the mud. A lot of his words and actions did not make sense. He's content with disposing of Titan Shang Sung and Titan Quan Chi, but he won't let Bi-Han finish off Titan Havik because he isn't sure how he's tied to his timeline, and doesn't want to kill innocent lives? What about the timelines tied to the other two? Liu Kang had no problem ending those. Why is Titan Havik's timeline any different? Bi-Han is right. Why does that timeline matter when the most important one is theirs, Liu Kang's timeline? He tells Raiden and Kung Lao to do their best and pray they make it out alive, when Liu Kang could have better prepared them. Gets his ass handed to him, can't even go save Geras himself. Sends Kuai, Cyrax, and Sektor to Chaosrealm in blindly. And, snaps at Bi-Han for the most part towards the end instead of having a meaningful talk with him. Not just simply telling him "This is what you are meant to do. Defend Earthrealm." Well, geez, why not elaborate on that, Liu Kang? Can't you give Bi-Han a few minutes of your time to air out grievances and come to a consensus?

And what the hell happened to Titan Havik? Is he dead? Does he still live? Trapped in the void? The Kamidogu were briefly mentioned, and then dropped. They were hyped to be of importance in this DLC. I'm certain they'll make their return eventually if NRS continues the story involving Onaga when the time comes. But, Havik had plans for them as well. And we only see him fusing with the Kamidogu. That final fight with him felt pretty lackluster. Just a regular match like any other.

We are definitely missing script, and scenes. We were supposed to have gotten a whole lot more. Ed Boon said this was their project for the next few years. I suppose they felt compelled not just to omit certain things, but cut out others for future DLCs. This was setup to be more than what we got. The bar absolutely fell short of what the end product was. To charge full price is absolutely heinous. I'm sorry, but I do not have $50 on hand for each DLC that they plan to release. They charged full price for the main game, and now they plan to do so for every little story line that comes after? I can't in good conscious support this kind of marketing. I'm devastated with the story. Like, I could work and make sense and justify every decision made with the main story to a degree. I can't do the same with Khaos Reigns.

I know I was making gifs of Bi-Han last week, but after KR...my heart right now really isn't in MK1. Every time I come across posts and remotely start thinking about it, I get headaches. They are not as bad as they initially were, but this is how horribly this DLC affects me. It keeps giving me headaches. I know I probably regurgitated the same sentiments and ideas as many others have already. But, a friend told me it would be cathartic to do this. So, instead of my journal, I am here expunging these thoughts and emotions. I don't know what my future with the brand will entail, but godspeed NRS. I wish you well on your future endeavors, and that's really saying a lot on my end. I can't even hope anymore. They massacred my heart and left me to die just like papa Lin Kuei (I wish we had a name for him).

[ageravena]

You know what, the Fairly OddParents fandom has been quite tame. Let's spice things up a little bit.

Doesn't anybody else get that silly feeling when you see fanart of Peri being like a father to Dev, like... where's the rest of you 😍? Don't be shy, show us where Dale is. Or are you too scared? (I wouldn't blame you, I was too at first)

Small warning: this post includes slight swearing and many brain-numbing headcanons. I'm not responsible for any mental anguish you may experience

I would like to quickly apologize to the 6 people shipping Peri with Dale. I thought I was the only one but it seems like I've finally found my people. Anyways, back to the topic.

Now that you're here, I may as well show some more art of these two goobers +some silly headcanons. These are my AUed* versions of the two in my odd semi-realistic style that I completely ditch whenever I don't have the patience to draw faces (I often suck at drawing them. No wonder all my OCs are furries)

Note: him being slightly chubby and him having mobility issues are both headcanons I have shamelessly borrowed from others in the fandom. Also am I the only one who thinks Peri WOULDN'T be 6 ft tall? In the series he's like 5 apples tall, so wouldn't it make sense for him to be a bit short?

Note: there's like a bunch of lore explaining the reason why Dale looks so fucked up in my version. I scarred him for life, oopsie! But at least he has Peri now who "forces" him to go to therapy 😍. I may need to make a seperate post where I only talk about him and his past if I have the motivation.

I know a lot of you don't even know the pain of trying to convert a stylized character into a realistic style and still making them look good and kinda recognizable. I envy you who have less realistic art styles.

*And yes, I did say AU. More specifically I'm talking about the "Missionaries of Eden AU" (by me). I'm not gonna go into detail now, but basically it's a semi-biblical and more serious take on FOP, where the fairies are angels, anti-fairies are demons and pixies... I think they can stay as pixies, or maybe they're ghosts, bees? (There's a lot of things I still need to figure out) Their tasks are to work as missionaries on the planets of Eden (planets where life exists). There's a bunch of other lore (some of which I've explained on my casual/personal account on Instagram), but it's best I leave it for another time.

Btw: if you've seen me talk about a "Below the Stars AU", "Bible AU", "Ager DLC" or something else, it's all just the same thing. I just had a hard time coming up with a good name for it lol.

Also speaking of which, I have another post coming up (hopefully) where I explain my reasons for shipping Peri and Dale. It can honestly, out of context, seem like a toxic yaoi crack ship, but believe it or not but I managed to make it the opposite; plausible AND healthy. I want to enlighten you all plus I really want to yap about them.

It feels super funny to ship such a underrated ship. I'm used to shipping semi-popular ships, so to now be all alone feels kinda fun! They have so much potential and so few are seeing the vision?? Though to be fair I'm also glad it's not that famous lmao.

Ps. Ignore the fact I haven't posted anything here for at least half-a-year. All my mutuals are on Instagram, so I don't have a need to post here, though now I've decided to dedicate this account to hyperfixation slop so maybe you'll be hearing from me much sooner.

Ps. Ps. I currently have a 22-page-long google doc filled with lore and info about almost everything I've thought of for the AU, but it's 80% in Finnish so sharing it is useless.

Man, I love writing unnecessary long posts knowing I'm the only one reading them❤️😍 though if you HAVE gotten this far, here's a little treat:

My body refuses to draw Dale in his original outfit. I like to pretend Peri helped him change a bit (most notably taking off his goddamn shoes, though they do have some lore that I've created. GGHHRRAAA EVERYTHING HAS LORE ATTACHED TO IT GRRRR). Also Dev isn't actually grumpy, he just likes to act tough.

My art style looks probably so inconsistent❤️

[drenched-in-sunlight]

Hi there! I wanted to say your art is absolutely incredible and always brings me back to Elden Ring when I forget just how amazing the game is. I live for your depictions of Marika.🥹

I was partly just curious after you posted the recent family tree, is there a reaspn Ranni and Radahn don't make as much of an appearance in your drawings? What is your thoughts on their questline/storyline in general?

Thanks for all the cool art, you're getting better with every piece!!

tbh... i think draw Ranni a lot, she's literally the cover of my first fromsoft fanbook 🥲🥲

though most of my art of her is from 2 years ago, i wouldn't say i don't draw her often at all 😭 i've drawn Radahn 4-5 times too. i understand because i draw too much, it's easy to have an impression that i draw some specific characters less, but compared to, say, the Omen Twins or Rykard or Melina (who i keep meaning to draw but haven't got around to do so yet), Radahn and Ranni are two Carian characters i draw the most of that side of the family (well, Rellana is looking to dethrone them soon but you get what i mean aksfkjdfkj)

Radahn dudebro fans keep pointing fingers saying i hate him but i actually like him. as a guyfailure that is so obsessed with these symbols of a Lord in his father and Godfrey, yet failed to live up to any of them (*stare at that scene of Morgott whooping his ass*). his involvement in the DLC is an interesting spin on things to me, and make a lot of sense in the grand scheme of things (when i saw that we found like... 11 Miquella's Lily in places most personal to Radahn like Carian Manor and Sellia. hoo boy).

lately, i lowkey think Radagon specifically picked him for Miquella and encouraged his obsession with being a Lord. to me at least Radagon is really bitter that Godfrey is the First Lord and not him (her actual other's half! sentenced to live away from her while another man got to be her first in everything! the injustice!), so him not only discrediting Godfrey's descendants (whole thing with Hunters of TWLiD) but also preparing a whole new pair of Lord and God that should have been how he and Marika could have been from the start sounds like the kind of overcompensation he'd be doing (look honey that could be us but you tripping).

so in a way i do feel for Radahan and Miquella falling victims to Radagon's list of issues (though it's only one reason in many other reasons for them to turn out that way ofc. Radagon merely nudges the pieces into certain direction, they go barreling head first down on their own). and i actually like that i could come up with all that thanks to the DLC. imo it actually adds a lot more to Radahn and Miquella's character (depends on how you view the story though whoops).

you can say i like him (and Miq) the way one likes AC6 Iguazu... or Genichiro. the kind of hater characters that are doomed to fail from the start, but they are stubborn and will run head first into the wall again and again. and it's fun to put them in a jar and shake them.

Ranni... after the DLC my feeling for her is a bit more complicated. before i get why she did all those things and i like her story enough, but after the DLC as you see i come to really like Godwyn and links him closely to Marika. so now it's kinda awkward for me to insert Ranni in all the scenarios im drawing lately?

it's not that i stop liking her, it's simply that the scenario doesn't line up for me to add her in that's all. and it goes to other characters i haven't drawn tbh. not because i don't like them, i simply don't have anything in my brain about them to draw out. i don't think there's any characters in Elden Ring i hate tbh (yes i do like even the Hornsents. i find the stories in the scorpion stew and dried flower talisman really somber and give them a lot of humanity too, fucked up rituals aside).

and thank you for your kind words! my editor has been on my ass for a whole year about my art and it does help me improve a lot, im glad to know it shows in the quality of my fanarts as well!

[luckyarchivist]

What do you think are the LI'S sexual orientations ??(from touchstarved)

I think the easy answer is "they're all bi/pan" because that's canon! Like, you as MC can be any gender and the LIs, ostensibly, either are or will be attracted to you.

Unfortunately, because I am bi/pan, that is also the answer I agree with most. I do this thing where if someone in fiction doesn't strike my gaydar a certain way, I just assume they're bi. Something something assuming others share my personal experience. And none of the LIs in TS strike me as being definitely gay or definitely straight, so...

I could (and did) elaborate more, but the ultimate answer is, yeah, I think they all like everybody! So feel free not to read below for my more yappy answer, which goes into my specific thoughts about each LI's sexual orientation.

Ais: Oh, yeah. This guy is bisexual in my head and I cannot imagine him being anything else. I think he probably very slightly leans towards a preference for men, but has definitely had partners of all genders.

Vere: Although I don't think Vere has a gender preference as far as a partner, I have this idea that he prefers people who present very strongly on one side of the spectrum or another: either very masculinely or very femininely. Maybe he wants to be the only androgynous-looking one in the relationship? I think that's a little selfish, but whatever.

Kuras: Asexual for me. He's done it, okay? He's danced the horizontal tango. He's been alive too long, and loved too many people, not to. But he doesn't feel attracted to people, sexually. As far as gender preferences for romance... I don't even think Kuras is working from the same page when it comes to human gender. Like, he's probably got some angel gender that got simplified by humans into "he/him" and he's just going with that.

Leander: Literally the king of the pansexuals. This man doesn't care what you identify as or what you look like, and different things on different people make them attractive to him. If you're hot in a way that strikes him right — a cute, crooked smile; a sturdy, sensual body; a keen, sharp mind; a naive, innocent outlook on the world that he can take advantage of — he'll like you, and he'll probably tell you, too.

Mhin: Demisexual and it's so important to me. They will not be impressed by your hotness; you will have to break past their chilly exterior first and only then will they want to bed you. As far as gender preferences, though, I think Mhin generally prefers women and nonbinary people to men.

And, of course, I can't forget my DLC love interests:

Sen: What's the sexuality where you just ignore whatever you're attracted to? Yeah. That's her. She's definitely feeling something! And while she's not a lesbian, it's definitely something that she feels around more women then men! But not only is she not going to act on it, she's not even going to think about it. Or, she's going to make an attempt, at least.

Elyon: I just feel like, as a brothel owner, this guy's gotta have a complex relationship with his sexuality. I'm not sure what the problem is, and I feel like if I try to explain it I'll sound like an idiot? But it has something to do with his position over all these hot people who are pawning sex for money, and his own warped interpretation of himself.

If you got all the way down here, anon, I hope that answered your question! And if not... I still hope I answered your question!!

[dark-and-kawaii]

love knowing that you’re into bg3 like so many of us Kiwi! Did you love all the romance options or do you wish we could’ve had others because have you seen Dammon and Raphael! Glad to have you back with us btw!

AWHHHHH STOP!!!! You’re going to make me cry! It’s so good to be back on here, honestly!!! Now to answer your lovely question!!!

I was honestly happy at first but the more I played the game the more I saw the potential in adding other characters as romance options…

𝓩𝓮𝓿𝓵𝓸𝓻:

Like, I fell in love with Zevlor the moment I met him and I honestly would’ve picked him over Astarion for my first playthrough if he was an option -yeah yeah I know unpopular opinion.

But as I continued I was so confused as to why he wasn’t available for us because if you don’t go Minthara’s route then he would’ve been the perfect substitute because HELLOOOOO PALADIN!!!!

Not to mention during act two that would’ve been a perfect redemption ark for him, like there was SO MUCH POTENTIAL!!! Like he literally needed a hug after all the shit he’s been through and we weren’t able to grant him that…

He’s been with us since Act one… Up until the end he was with me. So I ask Larian, why wasn’t I allowed to travel and bed with this man!?

Grinds my gears man!!! I’m trying not to spoil too much in case someone hasn’t played yet.

𝓓𝓪𝓶𝓶𝓸𝓷:

Okay okay okay, as for Dammon…. Yeah no, I fucked up bad with him my first play through… uhhhhh he kinda died when the tieflings and I attacked the Druids 🥲 Oops. But during my second run I realized my mistake and he’s very much alive right now 😂!!!

With Dammon I don’t necessarily want him for myself, but rather for Karlach. I ship those two so damn hard it’s unreal!!! He loves her so much, you can just tell 🥹

And when he tells her she’s very touchable, I always kick my feet and giggle!!! Adorable to the max!

𝓡𝓪𝓹𝓱𝓪𝓮𝓵:

-Gods, just look at him… I love him so much UGHHH!!!-

Now as for our beautiful, smug, elegant cambion, Raphael… OOOOOF don’t get me started because the mouse would’ve pounced on the cat. I LOVE, and I do mean LOVE Raphael. Everything about him I just adore, and again SO MUCH POTENTIAL.

If you go his route there’s no reason why you shouldn’t be able to romance him. Like if you let Haarlep use you and you leave house of hope it indicates that Raphael is doing the nasty with Haarlep in your form once you leave. There’s clearly something there!!! So why can’t we!? I feel they left it during his ending that there might be a dlc for him, I hope, maybe… Also can we all agree that Raphael would’ve been another great villain ending with Tav???

The relationship between Tav and Raphael in game is already so interesting, and if you break into the house of hope to steal from him he looks extremely hurt that you betrayed him. Not to mention he’s like the only one who’s actually upfront with you, I don’t feel like he really hid anything unless you’re dense -no offense-.

Another thing, just because Haarlep says Raphael is bad in bed doesn’t mean he actually is. I feel a lot of individuals forget what Haarlep is 😂 sex is basically their thing.

Not to mention his little helper is basically always saying “he can’t stop talking about you.”

Plus, hold on, we can romance Mizora but not him… Nah!!!

𝓖𝓸𝓻𝓽𝓪𝓼𝓱:

A lot of people have said Gortash, which at first I didn’t really understand but that’s because I was a huge simp for Karlach and if you’ve played you know…

However the more I play and the more I read into I do understand. He could’ve used a nice redemption after everything he’s been through. He was a pawn, someone to be used, and honestly that was his whole life. So it would’ve been nice if Tav was an option for him.

I feel they could’ve had two endings for him and Tav, a good and a bad. Good being his redemption where Tav opens his eyes like what Tav did for Astarion and then the Bad obviously they rule together.

I feel Larian made a lot of great choices but I also feel they missed a lot of potential, which hopefully they continue to listen to their audience and add more routes in the future. So far they have been so one can hope. I also feel like all of these characters were left to where they could be potentially added later down the road. Fingers crossed!!!

- 𝓛𝓸𝓿𝓮 𝓚𝓲𝔀𝓲

[katyspersonal]

Gotta point this out for certain though, SOTE is definitely not the first time Fromsoft was creating the story with the direction of "well we thought it was the final draft, but we then decided to continue it which resulted in a retcon that makes it awkward"! Dark Souls 3 IS this thing too!

Dark Souls 2 pushed very hard for the idea that Drangleic was build on the ruins of countless kingdoms that raised and fell for absurd amount of cycles on the earth where Lordran stood all this time ago! This is why there are so many weapons and sorceries owned by characters from Dark Souls 1 "whose names were long forgotten" and more importantly, this is why "Old Ones" are reincarnations of Gwyn, Nito, Witch of Izalith and Seath! Not the first reincarnations, mind you, as Vendrick also beat them up back in his time! Literally the "How many times do we have to teach you, old man" moment hdhygnm

But, Dark Souls 3 kinda retconned this into a situation where all these magics, objects and legends just mysteriously got washed into Drangleic through all these traveling people, and "names being forgotten" is just a severe case of long distance and lack of communication with their places of origin... all while Anor Londo and Lordran literally still exist this whole time and only very few people had enough braincells to just go there ghthfyh (Aldia to convince Lothric to not be a Melina, Bearer of the Curse for some reasons but they told the world about Lucatiel, Creighton moving in Irithyll and.... fuckin Gilligan to become father to Sulyvahn, it isn't even a joke..)

And it makes the Old Ones + Daughters of Dark really funny because it just makes the original Four Lords and Knuckles Seath still end up in the same place after having somehow traveling away from Lordran despite not being quite themselves anymore. It is like fate. They are always destined to meet again only to be beaten by some human. Red strings of HATE.

And yet, it isn't as if DS2 and DS3 are just two variants that are both sequels to DS1 and you just choose which variant you like more! Dark Souls 3 calls back to Dark Souls 2 too much, DS2 events happened and their aftermath is in DS3 plot. The thing is.. here, Dark Souls 3 existing after all this doesn't make the overall trilogy story bad, but it does make it awkward, and absurd in some places! How everyone "forgotten" people who literally lived overseas and are still remembered there. (And imagine how much more awkward it would be if they DID include Patches in DS2 like they planned to! xD Also more fuel for me to not consider Queen of Lothric to be Gwynevere as to not create a character who ran from her problems twice, from the same problem :p)

I guess my point here is like... Fromsoft just kind of does it, and they might do it again. Dark Souls 2 was developed with the idea in mind that it would be it, every character in it hammers it into your brain, but then Dark Souls 3 happened! And it good that it did, the whole game is a meta commentary on what happens when people don't let the story end! And Elden Ring, by Miyazaki's admission, was created with cropping a lot of lore, plotlines and some characters (like Messmer) from original vision as the game was already too massive... but then they decided to make DLC with those ideas anyways! That likewise created retcons of some ideas that had previously fell into their places very neatly and made stories of Miquella, Malenia, Radahn and Marika flow less conveniently, but! they!! didn't even know at the moment!!! that they'd get to make the DLC!!!

I think they always could just do it again; give their product everything just in case if it flops and sequel/DLC doesn't get made, so the standalone thing feels self-suffucient! Fromsoft just looks like they don't take calculated risks but always act through the prism of "assume it already didn't sell well", and never abandoned this philosophy even while making base Elden Ring! Despite how much their reputation was proceeding them by the time! And honestly, when I understand there is likely pattern, it is hard to be mad at their decisions or how awkward they make the story. Like, yeah, sometimes the "the product made as if it already fropped" and "the surprise sequel/DLC" bits are practically Frankensteined rather than blend harmonically, but that's their thing! It isn't a perfect philosophy of creating their stories, but it is individual, and no company or specific writer could ever be perfect. (I think to truly enjoy someone's unique approach is to accept the sharp, inconvenient bits too rather than trying to "fix" it into perfection, but that's just my perspective on creativity process)

[lulu2992]

And I forgot one question I've read somewhere that supposedly john was a rapist. But I don't think that for a bit. They say because he wanted to cut faiths sin out of her because he had Urges so what your take on that?

I’m “glad” (so to speak) you asked because this has been bothering me for a while.

I’m not a fan of the Seeds’ characterization in Collapse, but I don’t think the DLC ever implied there was anything sexual to his infamous “urges” and I genuinely don’t understand how that could be the conclusion some people drew.

When, in Collapse, they talk about the woman you mentioned in your previous ask, John says she “gave [him] everything”, including her body, but that she then made him “so angry” for reasons he doesn’t seem to understand. The phrasing implies that they had sex, yes, but also that she consented to it. She “gave” him her body; he didn’t take it by force. Yet, I’ve seen comments from players that affirmed the contrary and that this was the crime John was afraid he would get in legal trouble for...

In the same conversation, Joseph, who I think is written as more manipulative in the DLC, tells John it was God who “gave [him] a gift” and “put [these urges] there” so he now has to use them “for His glory”. Now, if there were anything sexual about them, considering Lust is a sin and that we were told in Far Cry 5 fornication isn’t allowed in the cult, it makes no sense to me for the Father to call that a “gift” and to ask him to put it at the service of the Project.

Sadly, that unknown woman isn’t the only presumed victim people saw in Collapse. It’s thankfully been modified now (at least for the moment), but for a while, on the Wiki, you could read this on John’s page:

Joseph's mind experienced a vision of what would happen if John survives the nuclear apocalypse and lives with him, where John's mental health worsen with insane uncontrollable urges, strongly implying to be the urge to rape Faith, which he blames God for.

When you take a deep dive into the lore, you come to realize the Far Cry Wiki is filled with mistakes and wild guesses and that it’s never a good idea to fully trust it… but not everyone is aware of this. It was very, very upsetting to see this kind of gross misinformation on a page that’s supposed to be objective and that most readers—understandably—believe can be taken at face value.

John’s thing is and has always been, even in the DLC, purification through pain and cutting people’s skin to remove their sins. It was never hinted anywhere that there was supposed to be anything sexual about that or what he does for the cult in general.

In that vision Joseph experiences in Collapse, John has a knife in his hand and says he can hear Faith “sinning”, so he has to “cut it off of her” because he “[needs] to cut something up”. Again, I don’t get how it’s even possible to see this, knowing how John canonically makes people Atone, and go, “Ah yes, sex!”

But even in Far Cry 5, there are players who keep saying it was strongly implied (or even certain) that he assaulted Joey Hudson when... no, it never was. She doesn’t say anything about that, Sharky only talks about “how John cuts people up and knows all these pressure points and can make you feel pain beyond anything you ever imagined”, and other NPCs mention torture and how terrifyingly good he is at making you talk. Context matters, and John being a man keeping a woman hostage doesn’t automatically mean that happened.

The thing is, I suppose, that many people, whether they love or hate John, do what Adelaide does and sexualize him. That’s not an issue in itself, and it’s even possible the devs made him alluring on purpose or thought he was sexy too (hence Addie’s comments) but, if you’re not careful, I think you can quickly end up confusing your perception of a character with reality and imputing intentions to them.

It’s not easy to distinguish between what you see and what is shown to you, and nobody can have a 100% objective analysis, but I think people (notably those who feel like contributing to Wikis) should be careful not to draw hasty conclusions, especially when it comes to such a serious and sensitive subject.

So my take is the same as yours: John is not a rapist. Maybe he could have been one, we don’t know, but there is no evidence to support this claim and I really wish people would stop presenting it as fact.

[velvees-archive]

save for the dual destinies dlc case, i’ve finished my first play through of the mainline ace attorney games. incredibly solid series. i have a draft with my thoughts on each case in the aj trilogy + game ratings. dunno if i’d wanna post it though, it’s kinda long.

so instead, i’ll post some misc thoughts about phoenix and edgeworth portrayals across mainline/aai + my personal favorite interpretations of them by the writing team!

spoilers for AA mainline and AAI duology

by far, my favorite phoenix portrayal is og trilogy phoenix. the way he interacts with his environment and the people around him is very authentic, albeit rude as hell (which, in hindsight, is even more authentic for phoenix, so…). saw someone’s tumblr post mention that phoenix is such a “straight guy” which…yeah LMAO. real to life accuracy, so much so it’s infuriating. i think what i’ve played of dd’s dlc case captures what i wanted to see from post-trilogy phoenix in that he’s still an asshole and comically stupid, but not actually stupid, if ykwim. something i disliked abt the rest of aa5 and aa6 is how the writing team watered his character down to the following two oversimplifications: “phoenix only wins cases bc he bluffs!” and “uhh...what evidence does phoenix present now?”

don’t mistake a silly man for a stupid man. mia calls phoenix a genius in the og trilogy. phoenix dives in head first but he’s meticulous when it comes to drawing out the truth. most of all, he doesn’t outwardly show how frazzled he is (see that one drew misham quote about phoenix quietly watching the court as he’s accused of forging evidence), even if he feels that way. i get the colorful usage of expressions is for comedic effect but it just makes him look like he doesn’t know wtf he’s doing, and that’s a disservice to his character. yes, he bluffs, but he isn’t clueless. anyway, i’m excited to replay the first trilogy now that i “know” second trilogy phoenix. that might also just be my way of saying “give me back MY phoenix”, bc the last time i’m (mostly) on board w his portrayal is in aa4, and even then i didn’t like the dialogue in his forged evidence trial.

*though, as of writing this, i’ve seen some good arguments abt his forged evidence trial dialogue that make me think ok maybe it was actually pretty accurate. let’s see wht i think on replay

on the other hand, my favorite edgeworth—at least in principle—is post-apollo justice edgeworth. in many ways, i think how he’s portrayed at 35 is how he would’ve been had dl-6 not occurred, barring his career choice. still a bit pompous, still fairly mean (at least on the surface, we all know he cares more than he lets on) and perhaps a bit uptight, but self-assured and just. the writing team makes a point to show that edgeworth doesn’t care about prestige or fancy titles. that feels like him in a way post-first trilogy edgeworth doesn’t. this particular point was fleshed out in aa1 and rfta, tho, so idk if i can give yamazaki credit for it.

there are some things that will always bother me abt post-first trilogy edgeworth (the problems are present in the aai duology as well) where the writing team shoves him into a box teeming with boring tropes for his character archetype.

an example:

creds for both these pictures: me

edgeworth is fine w pictures in the first trilogy, but comes to hate them in the aai duology.

ik it’s small but honestly what was the reason? what justification is there for this outside of wanting to fit edgeworth into a “cold character” stereotype?

bridge to the turnabout and turnabout ablaze are only about a month apart. i’m not buying into the sudden aversion to picture taking, regardless how minute a criticism it is. in any case, i feel like what i’m trying to say comes through w these screenshots: yamazaki’s edgeworth is always just a little off.

i am forgetting where i saw the post and i have too many liked posts to scroll thru to find it again but i saw a reblog?? tumblr post?? abt yamazaki and takumi’s diff approaches to edgeworth, where takumi says edgeworth listens to trot while yamazaki thinks he’d listen to classical music, and if that doesn’t drive the point home, idk wht will.

why then, did i enjoy post-aj edgeworth most? short answer is i’m taking liberties w his development and its implications. while i never completely buy into post-aa3 edgeworth, i can digest and get behind most of him when i’m not nitpicking, unlike w post-aj phoenix. does edgeworth feel a little uninspired and one- as opposed to three-dimensional? yeah, but his core is so strong i can overlook it. i’ll miss seeing a developed edgeworth when replaying the trilogy. him at 35 makes me feel warm inside.

anyway, i didn’t intend to start hating when i made this post bc i ultimately still believe the second trilogy was pretty good, if not overly ambitious with it's storytelling. maybe i'll post that AJ trilogy review.

overall, tho, t&t and aai2 were my favorite games to come out of the franchise. i’m going to do that slow replay of the first trilogy, aai duology, and aj:aa before making final judgments.

[internet-goblin]

So, I am replaying Kingdom Come: Deliverance and I just got through the Woman's Lot DLC. And after all these years, I was reminded how oddly feminist this silly knight game can be. Oddly being the right word.

Playing as Theresa is very different than playing as Henry and not because he's the main character. It's different because she's *gasp* a woman.

I feel like whenever you see people online mentioning a game as "feminist", they mean that it treats male and female characters the same way. Like they are equal (which, if you don't believe me, they are). But that is not the case in KC:D.

You see it in the writing as well as the game mechanics. When Theresa does her chores, there's clearly a lot of expectations on her. She's expected to do her chores before her dad and brothers are up. She's expected to treat the wounds of men who come to her for aid. She's expected to marry an old rich man, because her father said so. That's why the DLC is called A Woman's Lot.

A specific thing I noticed was in the writing. She's treated by her neighbors as simpler than the men in her life, which is funny given how she's by far the most competent (and reasonable) person of her family. When she settles a dispute between two men, the losing party dismisses her judgement for being a woman. Same thing when she comments on the political situation in the kingdom.

And this is reflected by the mechanics too. Whenever she talks to a man, she gets a -2 malus (which is a big hit) to her Speech. Because the men will be damned if they listen to a woman. An experience many women here know intimately, I'm sure.

Kingdom Come: Deliverance is feminist to me not because it treats the genders equal, but because it puts you in the shoes of someone who's worse off needlessly, simply because they've been born a certain way. It doesn't offer a make believe world without bigotry, it shows bigotry in all the small ways that annoy and belittle and put people down. And I feel that does more for equality than creating stories that don't adress these issues.