#no rbs i'm scared of parts of the fandom rn

[broodwolf221]

kinda nervous to post anything like this bc it feels inherently like i'm @/ing ppl but i am not i promise!!! just sharing my personal thoughts

so: why i like veilguard so much, in terms of the narrative (also known as: i have literally 0 complaints about the narrative. or the game. or anything. i love davg an unreal amount actually)

intro is so intense. you're thrown right into things in a way that i find very compelling and enjoyable. that's the 'hook'

the cutscene for the risen gods is SO eerie and unnerving. the visuals, the music, the effects.... yeah, it works together really well

the scale of things makes perfect sense to me. i had a theory well before rook was announced as the protag that this would be another game with a 'small' main character, someone more like hawke than like the inquisitor. rook is just a person, a team-leader, but not The Leader, not a destined one (imo no DA protag is a destined one, i'm just saying that rook also is not)

similarly, i LOVE the fact that in major moments, the whole team is involved. ppl can't do each other's jobs and that feels right!

also love the leveling system being based on your connection with the companions. leveling systems don't break immersion for me because i'm just used to them, but i feel like this is such a unique way to fully keep with immersion while still letting you strengthen your companions

the entire lighthouse. like just everything about it. i love it so, so much

i think it's a well-done, cohesive story; the different factions make sense to me as to why they're involved and why they care. traveling between a lot of different places doesn't break immersion bc of the crossroads - that was a nice touch. i can bounce btwn minrathous and nevarra and it doesn't feel weird at all

similar to the leveling system, i have never found it immersion-breaking to be able to badger your companions until you can only [leave], but i think that veilguard's system is a lot more organic

frankly, i feel like all the interpersonal aspects of the game are a lot more organic. this isn't a dig at prior games, either; i have no or very few real complaints about them, either, but this was a pleasant surprise and a nice change of pace. you have to spend time with the characters, you have to travel with them, to begin to really know them. you have to let yourself get involved (that said, having companion banters also trigger at the lighthouse was a brilliant move)

thedas as a world is heavily expanded upon in this game, which i deeply appreciate. we also get to see some - realistic, imo! - nuance in factions that we have already met, because there's no group in the world that's a monolith

there are certainly in-world aspects that the social justice side of me wants to question. things like how antiva relies upon a group of assassins, for instance; not the best political system, really! but at the same time, i feel like it wholly makes sense within the world and within the established narratives, and it's complex and flawed in a very realistic way

i love how davrin and assan are so connected. they're personally connected - they care so much about each other - but they're also narratively connected. davrin is discovering so much about himself by seeing it in assan; discovering that someone who felt like he was destined to be a warrior, a hunter, a fighter, can also be gentle, protective, and can have strong relationships without fear. the more he comes to accept and appreciate assan, the more he comes to accept and appreciate himself and i find that underlying narrative deeply profound and moving

all the companions have these really remarkable arcs. they all have to face regrets - which is the primary theme of the game, after all! - and eventually, rook has to face their own regrets. that's a whole big part of the narrative. this is a game structured around regret... and around the difference between fixing it (solas) and accepting it (rook) and how different each process is

and not all of them do fully accept their regrets by the end! for some of them, it's still too new, too painful. for some of them, the regrets come up during the game narrative itself, so it's VERY fresh

but they all grapple with regret

so, i find it useful to approach this game from the perspective of a medieval fantasy that does not shy away from the sociocultural and political things that might mean, while also being a narrative primarily around regret and the different reactions to it

tl;dr - i think the narrative 100% fits the story told, including the mechanical gameplay aspects of it. i'm not being stubborn or blithe when i say i have 0 complaints. i think this is a genuinely masterful piece of writing

end-game spoilers under the cut jic:

i was deeply moved by the solavellan ending where she joins him

but i also understand why they have an ending where you can outsmart the dread wolf - which is entirely possible! one of solas' biggest flaws is that he always thinks he has the full picture, but he never really does. i love him beyond reason, but that is a flaw that can be exploited under these circumstances

and i always knew there'd be something there for fans who hate solas, who wanted to kill him. that's just how games like this work. but the fact that it's not about killing him does make me a little happier. in the outsmart ending it seems that he does get imprisoned which is obviously Not Great (but not narratively that stark - he imprisons the evanuris; he himself gets imprisoned. it's circular and i think that's on purpose. a god who imprisoned gods now being imprisoned as a god), but it's worth noting how many times the dread wolf has been shown to escape such things. it leaves the ending open, narratively speaking, and allows room for interpretation while still acknowledging the fanbase that hates him

i like that he returns to the fade in the end, in the good endings. he's going home. and he's going specifically to attend to his very first victims, the titans. it will be hard. it will be work. and as i understand it, the blight is kept in the black city, which will be a miserable place

but to me, in a narrative about regret and redemption. he can't atone by destroying things to change them back; he can't atone by ignoring his still-alive victims; he can only atone, only truly find his own redemption, by addressing directly the harm he has caused

now, did i want veilfall? yeah! do i still want veilfall? i do! but with the additional lore of the blight, it makes sense to me why it's risky. why it's too risky. the quest in dai about siding with the mages and seeing that bad future has new context now, because that red lyrium future might have been what he unleashed. we can't say for sure!

but without the ticking time bomb of the evanuris' impending release, i fully believe that solas can take his time and find a way to pursue veilfall that is less disruptive to both mortals and spirits

personally, i find that nuance compelling.

[your-mom-friend]

I posted 1,213 times in 2021

42 posts created (3%)

1171 posts reblogged (97%)

For every post I created, I reblogged 27.9 posts.

I added 137 tags in 2021

#fandom posts - 20 posts

#rem rambles - 18 posts

#dammit tumblr - 16 posts

#life advice - 13 posts

#crack post - 13 posts

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#rr crit - 12 posts

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Longest Tag: 101 characters

#i'm lucky because i share a bed with my sister and she would skin me alive if i didn't do it properly

My Top Posts in 2021

#5

Maybe I should make this a series I seem to be watching a lot

Right so I'm watching Saiki K. I'm only in season 2 but like

- Precious boy. I love him.

- rb to give him all the coffee jelly in the world he deserves it

- "I don't have any friends all these people that hang around me are just annoyances"

-"But I will routinely go out of my way to make sure they're happy" -Teruhashi's brother. Jail. Take him to jail.I won't bother myself to remember his name

-Kusuke. Maximum security Prison. Like rn. How has he not been arrested already? This man is kind of off his rocker and dangerously unstable. He has almost no boundaries. I think not killing people is a boundary he has but I hold no expectations for it. He pretty much tried to KILL his little brother like, several times

-Possibly the best part of this series is when Kusuo uses his powers for bigger things. Like the world-wide mind control thing. Or saving Yumehara. Or training with his powers. That one particular scene where the loan shark guys try to kidnap him and he fuckin' decimates them (gotta say, I like the whole evil look for him).

-Our aroace icon. i Love him for that.

-His whole friendship with Akechi. They've been through a lot. The idea of Kusuo never telling people about his powers because he told the one friend he did have and ended up destroying a classroom is so sad.

-I kind of really want there to be a Saiki Protection Squad. He gets in trouble and EVERYONE is there to bail him out of it. Kokomi, Kaido, Nendo, Aren, Hairo, Mikoto, Reita, everyone. Viciously.

-PK Academy Psychic Kids God Bless.

-The fact that he keeps repeating Junior year to stop the volcano

-He wants to keep a low profile but his friends include: the most popular girl, the most popular guy, a former gang leader and two out and pround psychics. I love kaido and Nendo but they're probably his most normal friends

64 notes • Posted 2021-10-20 16:19:24 GMT

#4

Okay I am so in love with the idea of Kusuke being like, just a smidge insane. Like he's not dangerously obsessed with Kusuo he's just a normal obsessed when you're a genius with a god-like being as your baby brother.

I read it from a fic (definitely check out everything written by Suikorin on AO3 they're so good) but Kusuke's hair being the way it is because Kusuo burned him as a kid by accident. Learning to sleep only 17 minutes a night because he was so busy trying to invent the limiters.

Also the limiters being less so that Kusuo didn't destroy everything, and more because Kusuke didn't want to see Kusuo get hurt or upset by his ever-growing powers.

Them messing around and using so much force because they're literally the only ones they can go all out with. Never trying to actually kill each other though. And of course, they both use the "I'm telling mom!" card and it WORKS because Saiki Kurumi is a force to be reckoned with.

Getting older and Kusuke gets involved in a lot of dangerous shit but he's never scared because a) he is always 8 steps ahead of his enemies and b) Kusuo is always watching, and can and will come in and kick ass to save his brother.

They are very, very protective of each other, even if people don't usually see it. Kusuo is more subtle about it to not draw attention but Kusuke can see his influence. He, however, has no such qualms and can, will, and has pulled a gun on people who so much as look at his brother (or sister, depending on whether Kuriko makes an appearance) the wrong way. Kusuo appreciates it, even when he acts annoyed. Maybe it's nice to be the one being protected for once (even if he doesn't actually need it)

95 notes • Posted 2021-10-28 08:56:49 GMT

#3

So I've been watching Assassination Classroom

Dear fuck I need to stop my exams are like 2 days from now

anyway y'all know how it is. Long post so buckle up

-I was pretty skeptical to watch it but my sister convinced me

-I love it so much

-I've just finished season 1 and I have opinions

-The whole series really hinges of Korosensei just deciding to teach a class for no reason huh. Like I feel like if they tried to logically answer "why does an octopus intent on destroying Earth want to spend the last year dutifully teaching middle schoolers?" the whole show would fall apart

-and I love it

-The opening scene of them firing on him as soon as he entered was iconic

-Really didn't like Karma at first. Kinda unhinged, even for this class. Especially when he tried to jump off a fuckin cliff what the FUCK Karma. I know the saying is "Karma's a bitch" but I didn't mean it like this.

-Nagisa. My son. Please protect him. I love him so much. The only one with a brain cell to record weaknesses.

-Damn I kinda...really don't like Irina. Like idk if that'll be a hot take in this fandom but what the fuck. Why would you try to seduce a middle schooler. Why kiss his brain out. What the fuck lady. I don't give a shit about you being a trained assassin part of that is reading a room and this room certainly wasn't spelling out "seduce the nearest child for information"

-Like I know she isn't a bad person and is a professional when she needs to be but I can't get over that initial thing. I might be biased but whatever.

-Also, Karasuma. 10/10 character. No flaws. Absolutely perfect. He's their dad. He gave them all a number to call in case they needed anything. They've al individually, without any input from anyone else, made the ringtone "You are my daAD, BOOGIE WOOGIE WOOGIE" This is canon because I said so.

-I headcanon both Karasuma and Irina as aroace just in different directions. Karasuma does not want a relationship, romantic or sexual, and just wants to live life as simply a tired dad to his assassin children. Irina also doesn't want a relationship, she just uses that to seduce everyone and she doesn't have to worry about catching feelings.

-The vibe I get from Irina trying to seduce Kurasama is the vibe I get from Teruhashi and Saiki. Only obsessed because he won't pay attention when everyone else pays too much attention, then develops feelings for who they are.

-I think my favorite part is how much almost everyone's heart is in the right place. And how everyone comes in with this clear-cut mission and goal and Korosensei just kind of...teachers them into being compassionate and letting loose. Karma. Ritsu. Karasuma, Irina. Almost anyone.

-Have I mentioned how batshit insane it is for the government to be like yes. We can't kill this unkillable creature that blew up the moon. How about we let him teach a class of middle schoolers, since he's gonna kill us all anyway. Absolute madlads.

-Yes I know the reason, no it doesn't stop it from being insane. And the government just has anti-sensei material to just provide for whoever the fuck wants it.

-Takaoka. Fuck that guy. Mostly because he reminds me uncomfortably of my father. Don't like that, not one bit. This man woke up and chose unbridled rage. Sir this is a Wendy's. Please chill.

-Oooooh Nagisa shaping up to be a whole ass assassin and everyone being like holy fuck lil dude dangerous as all fuck

-Karma not knowing since he skipped out

-I love their continued casual attempts at murder. "Hey no murder in the classroom till break time" students: *sigh* fine you're no fun

-I also love how hyped Korosensei is about being assassinated. Like whole ass giving them pointers.

-Plus his little quirks. Is he going to blow up the Earth and kill everyone? Oh yeah definitely. But infect his darling student's minds with the knowledge that he reads porn mags? are you insane? what kind of teacher-

-Really hating principal bitchface. Like I know that's his character but WOW setting up a class to fail with poor facilities and then making the laughing stock of the school on PURPOSE? That's messed up.

-I mentioned this earlier but Karasuma and Irina coming to be assassins and then just worrying about the kids and their future is everything. Is them being parental figures a tag? it should be

-I have FEELINGS about the howmany-part season finale (i lost count I actually have been studying in between letting this show consume me)

-Their plan was fuckin genius it should've worked and it WOULD'VE if Korosensei wasn't a little shit

-When they got sick I was like oh shit

See the full post

112 notes • Posted 2021-11-30 10:52:02 GMT

#2

On Rick Riordan Criticism

Okay so a couple months back I heard about people hating on Rick. Honestly I just kind of dismissed it because I thought he did good on representation and was only reading the Trials of Apollo at the time. 

Then I read the Tyrant’s Tomb (sue me I didn’t read it earlier high school has been a bitch). When I saw Arabic script on those pages, I literally had to fight myself to not skip the paragraphs before that and try to read it. I failed. I read the word. I was confused. It didn’t make any sense? The letters were disjointed and didn’t spell out anything I could understand. So I went back and read the paragraph hoping for context. None. I went and read the word backwards and only THEN did I find out it was meant to say Alexandria. 

Rick, why? Why write it like that? Was Google Translate beyond you? I started to look back. I remembered reading Magnus Chase and meeting Samirah. I was super excited to see a HIJABI character. A MUSLIM character. I read about her arranged marriage to Amir. Okay, cool. My parents were an arranged marriage. 

Betrothed? I’m from India, and I live in a Muslim country, but I’d never really heard about betrothal before. It made me pause but I just kind of moved past it. Samirah was Iraqi-American right? Maybe Iraq had different a culture. Maybe it was a Shia Muslim thing? I wasn’t looking to get into that drama so I left it.

I thought back to Blood of Olympus. I was kind of uncomfortable with Frazel’s age gap and Piper’s sexualisation in her claiming. I didn’t completely understand it but I remember being slightly uncomfortable but moving past it. After all it was only 3 years right? My parents were 5 years apart. Why did it matter? And Western media is no stranger to sexualizing people, maybe I was just being a prude. Piper singing Summertime instead of a Traditional Cherokee song to charm the king of snakes disappointed me too. I was excited to see how Rick would portray her voice singing a song that belonged to an ancient culture. 

But we didn’t get that.

I read those books in middle school. When I could understand the need for representation but not understand what representation was good and what was harmful, regardless of intent. I was young. I thought Nico’s forced coming out was amazing and cool. It wasn’t. It was traumatic. I identify as Sapphic and being forced to come out to someone when you thought they wouldn’t accept you is beyond terrifying.

I’m older, I’m more aware. We don’t just need representation. We need GOOD representation. What’s wrong with the things I pointed out above? 

Children shouldn’t be getting betrothed. Especially not that young. 

Frazel’s age gap shouldn’t be that big. A year at most, not three. My parents may be 5 years part but guess what? They were adults. Hazel Lavesque is THIRTEEN. She’s barely a teenager. She doesn’t need to worry about relationships at that age. Literally every other character was in their mid-teens when they started dating. Including Frank, who is the other half of that ship. 

Piper is already disconnected from her heritage and is written with racist stereotypes, however unintentional they may be. This was literally building up to her showing some pride in her culture but no. 

There are so many characters that have been portrayed wrong or with harmful stereotypes. Mr. Riordan, you are a famous author. You can afford to hire a person of that community to come and read your books to make sure you aren’t perpetuating stereotypes. Instead you choose to give non-apologies and continue to do less than the bare minimum to learn about the cultures you write about. 

Look, I’m not going to pretend I can be a voice to a whole community. I was born in a country of brown people, I moved to a country of brown people, and my whole life I’ve had my religion respected and my race was never an issue. I was sheltered for the longest time. I can’t pretend to understand the kind of discrimination and other struggles other brown people, other muslim people, have had to face in more western countries simply for existing. The only thing I can do is call attention to discrimination and racism where I see it and try to help. I can call people out on it and learn more about other cultures to be a better ally to people who have it harder than me. 

I strongly encourage everyone that reads this post to check out the tag rr crit, and educate yourselves on what he got wrong and how he can do better. Fans that continue to say he’s not racist can talk to me in the asks or DM me

119 notes • Posted 2021-03-06 06:31:35 GMT

#1

Still thinking about how we should've gotten Percy and Annabeth acting as the 7's older siblings/parent friends instead of...whatever their dynamic in HoO was.

It would make so much more sense too because Percy and Annabeth are around 17 to the other's 13-16. Plus, we know that Percy is pretty bitter about the Gods for being deadbeat parents and all the other shit they pull including but not limited to letting their children fight wars.

So like Percy being proud of Jason for being such a good leader and stuff but being low-key bitter because he literally spent his whole life training himself to be a leader and warrior just because he's Jupiter's on.

Jason being a little jealous of Percy because he's older and he's cool and got the preatorship in like a month where he had to work for it. But also him finally learning to relax because now he doesn't need to be the leader. He could still give relevant input without being expected to have all the answers. None of that alpha male "I should lead this team" bullshit

Leo and Piper having someone to confide in about knowing their heritage for just a few months before being thrust into the biggest prophecy in a century. For that matter Hazel and Frank too but with gaining confidence in their powers.

Percy and Annabeth being protective of these kids because by gods they're just KIDS. And yeah Percy and Annabeth are technically still kids too but, at least they had support systems. No one else within the 7 had anyone they could truly confide in without fearing that they'd disappoint someone until these two came along.

Rick seems to have forgotten how age gaps work in teenagers but they're important. The teens are a formative period of life because of huge changes within surroundings and yourself. As people, teens grow incredibly fast. Even someone 2 years older than them is at a way different place in life. Annabeth and Percy would definitely see Hazel and Frank's crushes and shut that down real quick because he's 3 years older than her and it's not appropriate.

After Percy and Annabeth fall into Tartarus (it should've been Jason and Piper but whatever), Jason tries to take the reigns but they suffer some type of loss and he realizes they're all his equals and he needs to play as a member of the team and not just the leader. There is no Nico bashing because he is also a kid and I won't stand for it

I had a point and it has devolved into my personal headcanon but feel free to add on to it

246 notes • Posted 2021-08-28 05:51:45 GMT

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