#neither is above the other

[newt-mr-sunshine]

Tbh both proshippers and anti shippers have this stigma of telling an innocent person from the other side to KYS from what I’ve seen

For anti’s it’s because they dislike what pros do.

And for pros it’s because they can’t fathom someone disliking something they like.

What happened to treat others the way you want to be treated? What happened to Love Thy Neighbor?

Telling someone to off themselves was never and will never be okay.

[hajihiko]

It runs in the family

[maythedreadwolftakeyou]

perhaps my most #cancelable videogame take i can post on this website is i think that the kind of people who say that anyone who picks the "morally wrong" or "mean" options in video game dialogue should, as a player, feel bad about their own choices/morals in real life. is that those people are just another flavor of the kind of dudes who play Disco Elysium and get mad for not being rewarded for picking the facist options. both of these groups are reducing games to "a thing I want to agree with me and everyone else who doesn't either suffers or does not have the option to play a character who behaves otherwise" rather than "a medium where you get to (or even Have to) explore different kinds of characters in order to experience the full depth of the story and characters in it."

When I want to pick options in a game that are mean, negative, arrogant, or ignorant, it's because I want to explore what would push a character into becoming that kind of person. Sometimes I want to see how the NPC characters who I-The-Player like/agree with react to someone who is fundamentally different from them. I think it's GOOD actually when the narrative allows you to push limits and especially when it has the option to then punish you for it in some way, such as losing options/routes later on, or companions straight up abandoning you for your choices. It DOES often make me deeply, viscerally uncomfortable to make choices in a game that are so counter to my own, but it means I get to experience that discomfort in an isolated environment and also think about what it means, what would push the character or even yes a real person into actually feeling those things. And I get to play with what ways the narrative could challenge them/make them grow over the course of the game--or on the other side, it can let me make a character who does start off more open/accepting but let the events of the narrative push them into being more reactively closed-minded instead.

I like that we have invented a medium where you can play a game multiple times and experience it differently depending on the character you play as. Books and TV and movies are all static--the greatest draw of games to me is the ones that are responsive, that can tell a slightly different story every time--when other characters in the game respond differently to you because of it, or some paths open up and others don't. And so yes it did disappointment me when a franchise that previously had these elements, Dragon Age, did not include them in the most recent installment. I don't think games should have options where you get to just hit a button to say something racist with no consequences or exploration into why a character would do that. but like, if i can only ever play a game as an upstanding person who is morally right all the time in basically the same flavor for every dialogue. I only get to truly play that game Once, you know? And I only get to see the way the companions react to someone they like and trust. And never really go deeper than that.

So like... I just sit and think about the scenes you can get in Inquisition. with Cassandra breaking down, because she fears she placed a would-be tyrant at the head of a powerful organization--that she searched and searched and chose wrong. Of Varric who is desperate to convince you not to become a monster, like the last person he feels betrayed him. Vivienne intentionally pissing you off because she wants to see how far you'll go when angered, how much she has to worry about your reactions. They say so much about the companions, what they fear most, and where they will draw the line. And especially in Inquisition, at these crisis points--you don't have to double down. Your character can have a come-to-Andraste moment where they go "woah... is that really how people see me? is this what i want?" and I think that kind of option can do way more for encouraging actual players to examine the choices they make in stories, more than locking the player into supportive, non-aggressive options does.

now. do i think all games execute these flavors well? no. writers and devs will have their own biases and blind spots, even if they are otherwise well-intentioned. and I don't think the ends of the scale need to extend from "absolute angel" to "horrible bigot", because the real complexity of course lies in the middle. I am not asking for games to let me be bigoted at every turn, what I want is games that let me make the protagonist deeply flawed in one or more ways--fearfully closed-minded to things outside their upbringing, or afraid of change to the status quo, or who want to advance their own aims regardless of consequences to others. I actually agree that the game was correct not to include any options for disrespecting Taash and their personal journey for example, but I do wish... idk maybe that we could have had a scene where if for instance the player character avoided outside-world missions relating to clearing away blight, they could confront us on how this might devastate the natural world and its creatures like dragons, and push us into trying to resolve it. Or in the other direction, if you spend the (currently meaningless) time giving money to background NPCs begging in the cities, Neve could could have a special cutscene thanking you for your attention to people otherwise beneath notice. You know?

And of course not every game can do this, I can write those sentences up there that represent hundreds of hours of dev time, of course they can't do it all. But the prior games usually did have at least a little of this, and that was enough to make me really fall in love. I KNOW the tumultuous development cycle, restarts from scratch, interference from higher-ups all contributed to why Veilguard was unable to hit those same marks this time. And we probably won't ever know how much of the loss of options/reactivity was intention vs a side effect of these things. But I wish people wouldn't frame players who miss these aspects as insane/morally corrupt. When for most of us it's because we genuinely enjoy challenging and exploring these aspects of reality in fiction in a way entirely unlike what we actually support in real life. i fully acknowledge not everyone desires to play this way. and that's fine!!! i am glad people can enjoy doing a "good" run each time that brings them joy. but for me it really limits the potential bounds of my enjoyment i guess. I like media that is complicated and messy and makes me think, and extra so when I get to see how playing that way impacts the greater story around it.

[cringefailvox]

ideal radiostatic relationship progression for me personally is friends to enemies to codependency

[miharuhebinata]

you guys really weren't kidding about how fucking good lake mungo is

[limewatt]

let’s study hard rui: “but, mizuki… mizuki seems like she’s having much more fun, now” an: “really? i guess i only know the mizuki we have now” -> ena5 rui: “i’m sure, if it were the mizuki from back then, […]. but right now, i can only see it as ‘i don’t know’. mizuki has changed with meeting everyone.” sickening 😍! he doesn’t know her anymore!

[annasofthe11thdimension]

is Like A Wheel Everturning becoming a loopdile fic?

Depends how we're defining 'loopdile' or…tagging ships in general really?

If you mean, 'will these two be hilariously codependent and extremely weird about each other by the end of this story?' then the answer is: yes.

However the DETAILS of their relationship will be dependent on how the stories between here and the ending pan out. Like I DO have an outline for the plot beats, but I tend to leave more room for fluid change in character relationships.

Though for all i say that…i am beginning to accept that no matter my thoughts on this, at SOME point I'm going to have to start tagging this with Odile/Loop…with all the extra gesturing towards 'STRONG shades of aro/ace, meaning the vibes are all one foot to the left from shipping, but likewise whatever they've got going on is too intense to NOT tag as a ship' that will go with that.

When that happens will be seen. With my track record (of having characters end up REAL different places in relationships then i planned for and having to hurriedly rework ALL my tags to reflect this) I'm not really comfortable committing to tagging stuff like that until i have to lol. too annoying to have to go back and change shit later.

I want to know the end game before i tag anything basically - so! Final answer is a helpless shrug and 'oh probably at some point, i guess'.

[acaptainbyanyothername]

Midst spoilers for S3 E16: Trustfall

This is sort of just a jumble of my own interpretation of Phineas and Jonas’ dynamic (which is definitely influenced by my being aspec and having a strange understanding of romance) but I honestly don’t think the kiss complicates their relationship any more than it already is complicated. I feel like their overall dynamic would have been relatively unchanged if they hugged in that moment instead of kissed. Phineas said it best— they’re each others’ person. They both made atrocious mistakes and fucked each other up, but at the end of the day they love each other. When going into this episode, I had no idea if they were going to kiss or not (I knew both were possibilies, but didn’t know the direction it was going to take). But I knew based on their respective arcs and views of each other they were going to plan their futures in conjunction. They were always going to be the most important person to each other. They just so happen to be similar-aged and both attracted to each other, so they used a kiss to demonstrate that to each other instead of other methods of affection. I think trying to wrestle them into typical “romantic” or “platonic” boundaries will always fundamentally miss an aspect of their dynamic. They both fucked each other up, but they want to work through it and plan a path forward. They are the most important person to each other, and they demonstrated in multiple ways througout they episode, one of them being a kiss.

[reimeichan]

God it's definitely super weird for me to read through things related to DID experiences that are just. Painted in a negative light????? And not just by others but even like, the others in my brain and the stuff they post can sometimes get so sad and woe-is-me and stuff. And for the most part, for me, I've not really experienced my DID as a negative in my life. Like yeah sure I experienced a lot of trauma growing up and it absolutely sucked and it probably says something about me as an alter that I can kind of handwave that away (relatively speaking), buuuuut also I remember for me being really excited as I was going through my own syscovery back when I was 12 years old or so. And yeah, I did kind of think of DID in a "friends in my head" kind of situation, but more than that it felt like stuff finally made sense for me! Oh, so that's why I sometimes say things I don't mean. That's why my friends tell me I said something the other day that not only do I not remember but I also now vehemently disagree with. That's why I feel like I can never make up my mind and why my brain is so noisy all the time. So much of my life and my experiences suddenly fell into place that I felt a huge sense of relief to know that what I was experiencing actually made sense! I can't relate to anyone who talks about living with DID as if it's some sort of curse they're struggling to break out of. For me, knowing about my system and my DID has been a huuuuge blessing in my life and a source of so much joy for me.

I dunno, I just... I know this isn't even an abnormal experience online, but I know a lot of people who see posts by people who don't feel all doom and gloom towards their disorders as, idk, making light of a serious thing? And I'm not trying to do that! I just want my experiences to be able to live equally beside those who do struggle with their DID. I mean... I share a brain with people who don't find joy in our diagnosis. I get it. But there's also those of us who are happy that we exist the way we do. And I think it's important to have room for both sides of the spectrum in the community, and for anything in between or even outside of it.

[bumblingbabooshka]

Two people on a small bipartisan science station gently fall in love.

[meggsssart]

Just me wondering how my D&D characters would work in a party together. Spoiler: they wouldn't.

[hellaverse-critical-confessions]

😐😑😐

[compacflt]

I don’t know why, but I totally believe Mav is one of those skincare people. Just look at how he takes care of his body. Anyways, he doesn’t have a multi-step process since he’s busy, but does have a couple good pricey serums. I also think as a retirement gift, Ice got him an appointment to get one of those chemical peels that takes a few weeks to recover from. Okay, that’s it.

agree to very very much disagree. maverick wears hanes t-shirts that you buy in plastic-wrapped counts of 12 for less than $20 and he wears jeans that were on buy-one-get-two-free sale at macys. Sorry. you could not Pay me to believe that man invests in skincare.

imo ice & mav are superhumanly blessed with good skin & good hair. to the extent that they use dollar store shit and are totally fine and never ever see the need for nicer shit. like a neutrogena commercial will play on the tv and they’re clueless. like “who actually needs that stuff? just wash your face once in a while, you’ll be fine” (the same advice they give to middle school/high school Bradley, who finds their advice summarily unhelpful) they have no knowledge of skincare or any of that stuff because they’ve annoyingly never needed it. they’ll put sunscreen on when they go to the beach… but, like, that’s it. they’re just dudes.

[reallyghostlypost]

Poker night with the farmer and the adventurers

Who would be good at poker?

I think Lance and Camilla would be the best since they would both keep a vague smiling face and it would be impossible to guess what they are thinking.

The farmer is also be surprisingly good at it since they will have a wide variety of expression that don't necessarily match with whatever cards they have.

Marlon and Gill are old adventurers who are very familiar with game nights among their peers and know their fair share of tricks (and cheats).

Isaac would suck at it since he's too easy to annoy.

Alesia and Jolyne are good at the game but prefer to watch others play.

Magnus is a joy killer who finds these types of game a waste of time.

Jadu probably prefers more complex and engaging table top games but gets outvoted every time and has to play card games with the rest of the players.

[that-foul-legacy-lover]

OH MY GOD I have a delicious angst idea concerning Immortal! FL and Soulmate AU (technically hurt comfort so even better)

Long after Legacy's soulmate has passed away, he still stares at the faded name written across his arm, longing for someone that cannot come back to him.

So when another name randomly pops up, centuries after his soulmate's death, he is livid at celestia. Are they trying to console an unholy creature plagued with immortality by giving him another soulmate? Really? It seems like a cruel joke. It seems like celestia is taunting him, giving him a stranger to replace the love of his life, like giving a kid a toy to distract them from throwing a tantrum. He doesn't like that. Oh, he doesn't like that, deep within grief even after so long.

So he isolates himself, deep within a place no mortal can reach. He never seeks them out. Not that name, nor the second, nor the following that pop up whenever the most recent one has turned gray and faded. He stares at his body, littered with names long gone unreadable under his armor, and he curses celestia.

It takes him a long time to realise that each name marked on his body is a reincarnation of his soulmate, endlessly searching for the same name written in abyssal script, seeking the figure that appears every time they close their eyes. It isn't until the nth reincarnation that they manage to venture into the abyss themselves without perishing.

And he finds the same face before him, vividly awakening memories he has stewed in by himself for nearly a millennium.

(Does he try to attack them, blinded by grief and rage at celestia still, thinking its another way to mock him? Does he stagger backwards, horrified with himself when you call out his name again in that same frightened tone usually reserved for fear? Does he cry out, cradling your injured body, trying to undo what he has done? Do they perish once again by his hand or do they survive?)

:)

ohhhghghhh you are EVIL for doing this to me. EVIL!!!!! but i loooooove it >:)

there's been a hole in your heart ever since you were born. that's not to say that you couldn't love- you can and will, with great effect; you adore all your friends and take great joy in making them happy. but there's this constant feeling of emptiness in your chest, like you lost something precious ages ago; it never goes away no matter what you do, and that's not even mentioning the name of your supposed soulmate on your arm, written in a language no one has seen and faded gray as dust. you've taken to covering it up when you're out and about, sick of the strangers who tut and give you pitying looks or suddenly begin spouting love advice when you've never even spoken to them. it's a nuisance- a painful, hollow nuisance of impossibility

your soulmate's name has done one good thing for you, though- driven your interest in lost languages and ruins, of the civilizations that came before. some folks tell you to stay away from such topics, that the knowledge was lost for a reason, and that it's really none of your business... but you've never been the type to leave a mystery unsolved. using the name scrawled across your arm as a reference, you find yourself venturing down, down, down, until you finally take the leap and descend beneath Teyvat. it becomes more and more difficult to breathe the deeper you go, the cold stars that appear on the cliffs and rock doing nothing to light your way in the slightest

you can barely even inhale, letting out a few dry coughs as you press your back against the wall, vision blurry. your senses flicker and break like glass- a rumbling growl, a flash of silver, and a sudden, high-pitched shriek- before everything goes black

it's the bright, shining sun that wakes you up, only to quickly squeeze your eyes shut again when you're blinded by its light. you're in a cave- a cave on the surface of Teyvat, and you can breathe again. your chest still aches and your limbs are still heavy, but at least your lungs are clear of whatever miasma that settled there. you hear a soft trill and tilt your head, letting out an alarmed squeak when you come face-to-face with a monster. it's from the Abyss, no doubt, an intimidating figure of armor and claws and twin horns, crimson and pointed... yet you don't feel afraid. after the momentary surprise leaves you, the creature feels almost familiar, hunching in on itself with quiet whines and chirps. slowly you reach out a hand, then stop as something flashes on your skin. your soulmate's name, one gray and faded, now shines a brilliant silver like the stars themselves

the beast beside you lets out a chitter when it sees the name, scooting closer and holding out its own arm, and there- there! written in elegant script, in the same silver shade, is your own name, glowing on top of countless other old scribbles that you can't even read

you look up at the monster, meeting its crystalline gaze, and your heart finally feels whole

[fishyfishyfishtimes]

Which sea creatures are able to change their sex

Oh, so many! Clownfish are the most well known, but many species of wrasses, groupers, sea basses, sea breams, ribbon eels, some moray eels, damselfish, marine angelfish, gobies… probably even more I cannot find right now! There’s also fish that can be both sexes at the same time, like hamlets and the comber! And that’s just the fish. There’s many sequential or simultaneous hermaphroditic marine animals out there, nudibranchs are hermaphrodites, so are flatworms! The ocean is full of little and big guys changing their sex, sometimes some animals can even flip between the two!