#not like i literally even have the time to dump into a massive game like that but i waaaant to. i kinda want to

[seventh-district]

so was anyone gonna tell me that Neil Newbon is the VA for Astarion or was i gonna have to find that out myself when he suddenly started uploading his playthrough of the game on YT

[lcriedlastnight]

Lando calling reader his wife even though they’ve only been together for about a year

oh my god yes anon i love this idea!

tw: fem!reader, swears maybe, she's on the shorter side! lmk if you want me to add anything.

w/c: 944

lando was the perfect boyfriend. he was everything you had ever wanted in a partner. you liked to think he was literally made for you. how can someone be so perfect for you and not be? it was not possible.

you loved pet names and he loved calling you them. you loved touching him in anyway you could and he loved touching you ten times more. you loved doing things for him to show him just how much and how deeply you cared for and loved him and he loved sitting back and letting you help him destress from a busy race weekend. when you needed space? he would just go away to race for the weekend and let you realise that you could barely function without him and his love.

you had been out shopping with some of your friends for one of their birthdays. it had been nice catching up with them but your separation issues from your boyfriend had ended up kicking in and you could not wait to get home. you were itching to just sit on his lap and have him explain the plot of some dumb film that he had put on while waiting for you to come home.

when you trod back into lando's place, slipping off your shoes and leaving them by the door, the first thing you hear is lando's infectious laugh booming from his streaming room. it makes you smile as soon as you hear it even though it makes you realise you probably will not be able to sit with him for at least another hour, at least. your hands are still holding onto your shopping bags as you pass by his room as quietly as you possibly can, so as not to disturb him and his friends. you dump the bags in your bedroom and plan to head back into the living room to watch some tv and relax.

lando hears you this time and calls out for you, the door is creaked open a touch as you prepare yourself to be seen by millions of lando's fans. as you enter the room you hear one of the guys lando was streaming with (you were almost positive it was ginge) ask lando something you could not make out. lando's response almost kills you off though, his fans too.

"nah, the wife is just back home from shopping so i'll be finishing this game then hopping off." if you were holding anything it would have just fallen and shattered to the ground. you hoped your expression was hidden from his camera. you clear your throat and lando spins around mid-game to greet you. he slides his gaming headphones down to rest on his neck and reaches back to mute the stream but not before he mutters out in the warmest voice he can muster, a "hiya, honey."

you smile down at him as he shuffles his chair closer to you then sticks hims arms out like a child, practically begging for a hug from you. your mind is still stuck on the wife thing but you fall into his arms willingly anyway.

you straddle him on the big gaming chair, the tops of your heads at the only things that can be seen on the camera. lando presses a few kisses into your hair as he holds you close.

"missed you while you were gone." lando speaks into your hair, it makes you laugh.

"i was gone for three hours."

"ugh, don't remind me! i almost died from bordem." lando groans, head falling back against the soft material of the chair. you just laugh into his neck, nose brushing his throat softly.

"drama queen." you roll your eyes.

lando looks down at you with the biggest heart eyes you have ever seen and you feel your heart melt into a massive puddle in your ribcage, you feel it drip down to settle into your stomach.

"so i'm your wife then, huh?" you ask with a smile and a teasing tone. you feel lando tense up a little but he relaxes as soon as he feels your smile against his skin. his hand comes to splay out across your back to keep you supported. then he is smiling as he explains himself.

"guess i'm just so used to called you my wife when i'm with my friends that i accidentally did it on stream. sorry honey, didn't mean to embarrass you." lando says, almost shyly. his eyes peer down at yours to see your reaction.

"you call me your wife to your friends?" you smile back at him, hand coming up to run through his messy curls. the other resting on the side of his neck.

lando grins a stupid big smile at you as your hand rakes through his hair. "well you're gonna be one of these days right? might as well get the practise in. don't wanna slip up and call my wife my girlfriend now do i?" he is cheeky in his words and tone but you let him off. even though his logic makes no sense. you know it makes sense to lando so you let that go too.

"okay, sure. whatever you say husband." you did not think lando's smile could get any bigger. you were so wrong. he laughs and holds you close. little did either of you know that lando had missed the mute button and around three thousand of lando’s fans, plus all his friends had heard you both. lando would find out once he went back on his phone the next day, spending the rest of the evening and then the night with his girlfriend (wife).

[am-i-the-asshole-official]

AITA for letting my dog correct (nip) my niece to prove a point and refusing to punish him?

I own an ex-K9 called Biggles. Biggles is impeccably trained, a total gentleman when you're not being an asshole to him, but also has no time for your bullshit. He'll tolerate a lot more hassle from the younger kids in our family, but if they're allowed to persist in bullying him, he will correct them, just like he would the adults of the family.

Mostly Biggles will just push them over and walk away. Its his way of saying to leave him alone. Sometimes he'll bark loudly, a kind of 'fuck off now' bark. At the very extreme, he'll give them a tiny little warning nip on the arm or hand.

(Biggles has only ever nip corrected kids twice in all the years I've had him. Once when my cousin thought it was 'cute' to dump her toddler right on top of Biggles and let him rip at his fur and try to bite at his face, and once when my nephew was having a tantrum, Biggles tried to snuggle up to him to soothe him and my nephew hit him in the face.)

I firmly believe in learning how your pet communicates and respecting their reasonable boundaries. To me, if you're yanking on a dog's tail and ignoring everyone warning you to stop and you get a nip to the back of the hand for it, that's a valid consequence of your actions and you've just learned to respect the dog enough not to try pulling its tail out of its spine.

(This likely seems unfathomable to a lot of you, but I must clarify that Biggles isn't some hyper-reactive aggressive, dangerous dog like my sister thinks. He will more than happily play around with the little ones, faux wrestle with them, let them paw all over him and fuss at him, ect. He loves children, they're his babies. He does not love being in pain, and if the person causing it will not respect him or me enough to listen to my warnings, I believe they earn it when he warns them too.)

Anyway. Like you might've guessed, yanking on his tail was what my niece was doing at the beer-and-barbeque this weekend. I told her not to. My parents told her not to. Even my sister half-assedly suggested 'maybe Biggles wants to play a different game.' Biggles got up and moved away from her twice and she followed him both times to 'keep playing.'

My entire family knows how Biggles works. I warned my sister Biggles wouldn't tolerate what was happening. My sister told me I shouldn't own such a dangerous, unpredictable dog and he should be put down if he can't handle some 'rough love from a kid.'

(This was not rough love. This was my niece literally ripping at his tail thinking his pain responses were funny.)

I didn't want to cause a scene or subject Biggles to further harassment so I decided just once I'd cave and take Biggles inside so he could get some peace and I could enjoy my burnt ends without my sister squealing in my ear about being cruel to her child by telling her off.

Unfortunately, Biggles' patience ran out before I could make my way over. My niece yanked at his tail again, hard enough that it actually jolted him on the grass, and Biggles whipped around and nipped at her hand. I got to see her hand afterward and there was just a little red mark, no blood or broken skin. He'd just pinched her a little.

My niece screamed bloody murder like he'd taken her hand off and my sister screamed bloody murder about my 'vicious animal.' It devolved into a massive family-wide argument against my sister because my entire family knows its just basic respect and kindness not to cause an animal pain deliberately, and that its my sister's fault for not listening to anyone when we all told her and my niece not to hurt Biggles.

My sister stormed off and has since been blowing up the entire family demanding that Biggles be put down. She's threatened to call the cops, animal control, you name it. None of us are worried about that. There wasn't even a proper mark left on her hand and Biggles will pass any behavioral test with flying colors, but my sister is giving everyone grief and is refusing to attend any family events if Biggles will be there.

My dad is firmly on my side, but my mom is imploring me to just fake apologise to get some peace back. When I recounted the story to my colleague this morning, he said she got what she earned, but also why would I bring Biggles to an event I knew a disrespectful little shit of a kid was at?

I don't feel like an asshole in terms of allowing my dog to establish his boundaries. In my and my family's opinion pets are their own entities and should be treated with belonging and respect when part of a family. Its also just common sense not to cause an animal pain for the fun of it.

However, I'm also very aware that getting nipped by a dog, especially at such a young age, can be catastrophic. My niece could be terrified of dogs for the rest of her life, and while I don't feel guilty she got corrected, I do feel somewhat guilty that I didn't intervene sooner and have possibly set her up for failure in the future. And I do feel like an asshole for letting it get to that point, but it did all happen pretty quickly.

All things considered I do love my niece, she's family, she just gets away with murder because my sister thinks being a little girl is an automatic pass to do whatever you want without consequence.

I've probably painted Biggles out in a real bad light here, but I can assure you that in general Biggles is the perfect family dog. He's loving, playful, he tries to share his kibble with everyone at dinner, he helped us teach my uncle's puppy tricks and how to behave and potty outside ect.

So I guess I'm really asking am I the asshole in this situation, as the one responsible for Biggles?

What are these acronyms?

[t0ast-ghost]

Season 3! Episode 1! (Spock’s Brain)! Time to watch a guy lose his mind. Literally:

- Scotty’s got a new hair cut.

- I like her purple outfit (10/10 would wear myself, that and those boots)

- Nap time on the bridge, turn off the lights

- He’s eepy (don’t take his brain!)

- sleepy

- Diagnoses you with “brain is gone”

- The camp of this episode is camping

- “Then we’ll have to take him with us.” “Take- take him where?” “In search of his brain, Doctor.” Do they realize how bizarre this is?

- I’d say there should be a game where you take a shot every time they say ‘Spock’s brain’ in this episode but that would be irresponsible

- Kirk is having a lot of interaction with the bridge crew this episode

- Uhura asking the right questions

- “If I guess wrong Mr Spock is dead. Spock will die.” He cares and is scared

- “Life form readings, Mr Spock- Mr Scott.” Damn

- “The givers of pain… and delight.” Cool song title

- This is unsettling. Like worse than most horror movies. Imagine controlling your friends body with a remote because they don’t have any brain

- They didn’t give McCoy any warning about the trap activating

- Heating up rocks with phasers

- I love how Spock is still saying fascinating even just as a brain

- When Kirk can hear Spock’s voice again he goes up to his body so he can pretend to talk to him normally

- “Captain, there is a definite pleasurable experience connected with the hearing of your voice.”

- Sleep

- Sleepy

- Once again they gave Kirk period pain

- Sulu on the bridge

- “I think science provides us with an answer.” “It does, captain.” “Agreed, Doctor.” *all three proceed to kick the shit out of you.*

- They’re all violent and feral in this episode

- McCoy’s boots fly up

- Those buttons to control Spock are so specific, I can barely turn on a light switch if there’s more than three buttons

- McCoy is so ready to potentially die to save Spock

- Massive Migraine McCoy

- James “I’d die before I break the prime directive” Kirk breaking the prime directive

- THE OVERLAYING OF FACES AND MCCOY SWEATING WHILE KIRK NARRATES. IM DEAD. WHO DID THIS.

- This is fucked up. What the fuck is happening

- *wakes up from brain surgery and starts info dumping*

- “I should have never reconnected his mouth.” You love him and you missed him. Admit it. Awww the laugh he lets out as Spock just continues

This was… an experience…

Masterposty

Episode written by Lee Cronin

[yuri-is-online]

omg... we talk about yuu here?? we love yuu here???

I could talk about yuu forever, they're infinitely more interesting than any of the boys to me (not sorry). I know for a lot of people yuu is just kind of their pawn for this epic fantasy world and they don't even think about the ramifications, but me personally I would descend into insanity if I got isekai'd into magical teenage boy hell. deep down I know this freak is traumatized to the nines and likely severely depressed.

one of the most important things about yuu's character is that they feel helpless. they can't perform magic in a world that's almost completely reliant on it, for one. as you've pointed out, they have no true autonomy. they have no government documentation, no family, nowhere to go, hell, they're not even a full student. they have no real hope of going home, and most of the nrc boys don't even seem to particularly care about that (if anything, I assume a lot of them would selfishly want yuu to stay, regardless of yuu's own wishes). the rules of this world are still unclear to them, and people don't really seem to acknowledge that.

can you imagine how lonely that existence would be? sure, people like yuu. they have friends. but as you've pointed out, no one (with the exception of adeuce, maybe) really seems to care about how things effect them specifically. yuu is manipulated, exploited, physically hurt and almost killed like, a bunch of times, bullied, harassed, and on top of everything, completely helpless to it. despite having friends who supposedly care about them, no one really seems to think about yuu's feelings on magic and the multiple life-threatening incidents they've experienced in their short time at nrc. as someone who has ptsd, I can't imagine that yuu would walk out of all that completely mentally unscathed.

as you've pointed out before, yuu is treated like any other student. their experiences and circumstances are never really taken into consideration, and they're expected to just... go along with things like everyone else. sure, equality is nice, but that doesn't really help yuu's case. yes, realistically, yuu is not totally helpless but good lord someone needs to help them out. someone needs to empathize with them, and defend them, and at least try a little to help them navigate this terrifying reality they've been expected to... just adjust to with no help. with their lack of autonomy, they're pretty much at the complete mercy of the people around them. yuu is lonely and I stand by that.

and on top of all of this, they have a massive amount of responsibility dumped on them constantly. yuu is a sort of mediator. they solve problems, usually ones that other people create, and never really by their own will. they arguably live in pretty shitty conditions and have no way of making money. they have to not only babysit grim (bless him tho), but also literally everyone else, while also trying to keep their own shit together. I mean, they're still technically a student. and a mini-housewarden. and crowley's errand runner. and they just got here a few months ago. psh.

yuu feels helpless, but they aren't treated as such, and so no one really extends a helping hand without ulterior motives. as much as ace and deuce want to help, they're also teenage boys and have their own tiny worlds to attend to. while people can be nice, no one seems to really want to understand, or care, about yuu's mental health.

anyway. I love the boys but in my heart I know that my yuu wouldn't be able to handle all that. me irl already deals with feelings of loneliness and crushing responsibility and misunderstanding and helplessness. twst is not a choose your own adventure type game and the tiny choices yuu gets to make don't really affect the story (which is oddly symbolic).

but like, listen. if I was zapped to another universe where I'm completely alone at a school full of teenage boys, most of which who couldn't care less if I lived or died, and one day I was sent on a trip to a city that painfully reminded me of home and some catholic-coded freak started being really considerate and empathetic to me for no other reason besides just liking me and genuinely being appalled at my circumstances, I would help him destroy magic. idc. I wouldn't even think twice about it. I stand by the idea that rollo feels some kind of affection for yuu. this would affect all of the diasomnia book because I would literally not want to leave and they'd have to drag me out of fleur city screaming and crying and clawing at the floor. poor malleus would be crushed.

anyway. haven't caught up to diasomnia yet so I may be way off. feel free to answer this or not! sorry for my weird english byebye!! love your posts

Yes we talk about Yuu here! They're the goat and I am so sorry I took forever to respond to your ask! Your English is wonderful you just had so much to say I had to really think on it σ(￣、￣=)

>deep down I know this freak is traumatized to the nines and likely severely depressed.

I think this is a very reasonable assumption to make about Yuu. While how well they take being isekaid to "magical teenage boy hell" (that's such a funny way to put it) is something up to each player's interpretation I like to write Yuu as being prone to bouts of longing for their own world, if for nothing else than wanting to feel something familiar to them. Which you point out in the rest of your ask!

I think one of the reasons people loved Rollo so much is that he was finally someone who acknowledged all those little things about Yuu's situation that we wanted to see talked about. He is someone we can realistically sympathizing with Yuu's situation and would treat them with a degree of care the other boys might not notice they needed. I have... played around with some AU stuff for him in my spare time and the conclusion I have come to is that I think he would try to avoid asking for Yuu to help him in his plan to destroy magic. He wouldn't want them to be implicated, and his plan is a sort of personal penance for his inability to save his brother. The idea that someone would want to help him, let alone someone as perfect as Yuu, isn't really something that would cross his mind. Besides, I don't think he would trust Yuu to help him immediately, he doesn't know them all that well at the start of GloMas.

Mental health tends not to be something focused on in isekai stories. I do think that our limited choices (i agree it is fittingly symbolic) have shown a Yuu who is slowly starting to feel the lack of control they have over their situation and are starting to feel stress over it. Ace says that he wants Yuu to be able to go home, as does Deuce, but I do think they both would be equally as happy if Yuu got to stay. They enjoy their friendship and love them a lot, if the story happened in more of a vacuum I could see both Ace and Deuce picking up on Yuu needing the extra support, but with how many things have happened over our school year they haven't had much time to sit and think to themselves about... much of anything really. But that doesn't exclude Yuu from feelings of loneliness or isolation; some of the most painful types of both is when you are surrounded to people and yet still feel unable to scream.

As for Malleus... well these aren't Diasomnia spoilers but if I understand his platinum jacket card correctly he can't stand seeing other people be happy when he isn't so. If Yuu were genuinely happy in Fleur City and he was left alone... oh he'd be so unhappy about that he would be beyond crushed.

[lilllithdraagon]

PART 4: Lore and continuity breaks

MASSIVE SPOILERS FOR DRAGON AGE THE VEILGUARD. READ AT OWN RISK.

Main Post Link

So yeah. Bioware put themselves in a deep ass hole with this one. I’d like to preface this section by saying that some of this is completely understandable. By the time of Veilguard, they have three games worth of world altering decisions to contend with. The flow charts for allowing for every possible world state would be completely insane. There comes a point where things get too much.

I think Veilguard was that point. Trying to fit into the narrative Fenris existing in some canon’s and him being dead in others and even another where he’s enslaved to Danarius still would be a nightmare. Especially when this is for every character from a previous game. Zevran could be dead for twenty years in one persons save file and could be running around still causing havoc in another. They didn’t want another Leliana lyrium ghost scenario. I get it.

(Lunadys) That being said I feel like Inquisition cut away a lot of the fat by retconning a lot of those options.

All of that out of the way.

Seriously.

Where are Solas’ agents? What did Cole mean ‘it left a scar when he burned her off his face?’

Do the Crows buy children or not?

Did Solas call all the Dalish to Arlathan or not? There was sort of a whole end credit splash-screen about a mass exodus. Just... not addressed? Gotcha.

Racism just doesn’t exist in Minrathos Docktown I guess?

We are left with so many questions. Are things being ret-conned or just not addressed? It’s enough to make our hair fall out from stress like the ancient elves do apparently.

WHY CAN YOU USE THE CRYSTAL DAGGER LIKE THAT? There’s no cutscene or explanation for you learning to use this thing. There’s no explanation beyond ‘yo this is easier for gameplay’ about why you can use other people’s abilities while they’re not THERE. No conversation with Solas, or Neve, or Emmerich, or Bellara, or Morrigan. Nothing. Just here’s your dagger. Use it well. Not even a throw away line from Harding about it.

You just take over Solas’ lighthouse? And just live there? And everyone just accepts that? From every faction? Without mistrusting the person who ended the world? Cool Cool Cool.

And so much of the lore is in massive dumps in the codex or by characters.

Thanks for the huge dialogue monologue dump of past lore and clarifications with 0 weight behind the revelations because we get it in large conversation chunks. Like wow so many answers to our burning questions, just said over coffee in the crossroads. No big reveal, no buildup.

Pacing is off. There doesn’t seem to be a clear indication of how much time is passing between any of the ‘scenes’ and as such... How does Rook have time for all these personal quests for the companions? A lot of the interactions with them are timed so you HAVE to interact. Which is all well and good but when you have literal gods destroying the world, why are you stopping for tea in the forest and shopping for groceries? It’s stilted. The tones don’t match.

Everyone just accepts that the Elvhen gods were called the Evanuris. Great. When did that happen?

And everyone believes Rook is good and Solas is evil. There isn’t a single fucking character that challenges that except for Solas himself. And who is going to heed the god of lies?

[blackboxtheater]

Touch Grass and Dig Your Fingers in the Dirt

Set after Mumbo comes back from the dead in Wild Life and how hard it can be to relax in a world as chaotic as the life series, especially when you are Scarlet Pearl.

“But I like staying up late!”

“No.”

Pearl always forgot how stern Cleo’s teacher voice could be.

“Impulse and Skizz will take watch tonight,” Cleo continued, with a tone that did not invite further discussions. But it was the life series and Pearl wasn’t about to give up the one time a year she let herself snap back.

“Impulse is the only one of us who absolutley shouldn’t be on watch. He’s the one that has to win and he can’t do that if he gets shot on top of the walls.”

“That’s why Skizz is with him.” Cleo’s teacher tone was slipping right into condescension.

“And your lippy zombie is supposed to what? Protect him? He couldn’t kill any of us Cleo, how’s he supposed to help?”

The way Cleo’s eyes narrowed at Pearl for throwing their own words back at them almost made Pearl giggle. Until she remembered she was on her yearly vacation and let her satisfaction bubble up as a slightly off kilter smile.

“I’m trying to give you a night with your undead zombie boyfriend, but if you want me to turn him into a ghost while you pace a hole in the watch tower you can.”

The way Cleo crossed their arms as a definitive period on that sentence knocked the smile right off Pearl’s face.

“Oh. Oh yeah. I mean, yeah that would be great.”

Pearl honest to god hadn’t even thought of that. Sure when Mumbo had erupted out of the ground earlier that morning she’d been excited to see him, but then she was flying and Scar had started killing again and there were more murders to conduct and everything had gone back to the usual chaos. Pearl was so wired on adrenaline during these games she barely slept at all, never mind thinking about where she might be sleeping with. Or who.

“I don’t mean it like that,” Cleo scoffed, nose curling up in disgust. “Don’t be gross in our bunks.”

Pearl hadn’t thought about Cleo’s comment in any way other than literally sleeping, but now that Cleo mentioned the other ways that could be taken, Pearl’s mischievous manic smile returned.

“Gross? Sounds like you’re kink shaming Cleo. And that’s not nice,” Pearl let the edge slip back into her voice as she smiled at Cleo.

“Impulse,” she shouted up to the top of the walls before Cleo could respond. “Where are the leads?”

“They should be in the bottom chest on the left!” Impulse called down before turning back and cocking an eyebrow at her in confusion. “Wait, why are you going out now to get an animal? It’s getting a little dark to-“

“It’s not for an animal but thanks!” She called back, plastering a massive grin across her face as she twirled past Cleo to start digging through their chests in the courtyard.

“I’m warning you Pearl, if you get freaky in our common beds I will-“

“You told me to go sleep with him!” Pearl said, unable to keep the manic giggle out of her voice as she hoisted the stack of leads tangled in her fingers up to Cleo.

“And I’ll do just that!” She shouted back with a final glare from Cleo as she slipped inside the tower.

——————

“Why do you have leads?” Mumbo asked as Pearl finally found him sitting armorless and totally defenseless in one of the tiny bedrooms inside their base.

“Because Cleo doesn’t want us to have loud kinky sex in our base.” Pearl offered, still grinning as she dumped the arm full of leads onto the narrow strip of floor by the bed.

“I also don’t want to have loud, um, you know, sex in your base? With your teammates here?” Mumbo said, nervously looking between the leads and the chaotic glint in Pearl’s eyes.

“So the kinky part is fine?” Pearl pounced on the omission in his comment with a smirk.

“I kind of want to just sleep?”

“Oh sure. After we pretend to be having loud obnoxious-“

“Pearl I was dead this morning,” Mumbo interrupted, taking the single step across the room to her to take her hand.

She watched him thread their fingers together and gently bring their hands to his mouth so he could kiss her knuckles. For the first time since the start of the series, the sincerity of a gesture didn’t give her anything to use as a foundation for a snarky comment or sneaky joke.

“How about we just go to sleep?” Mumbo asked, dropping their intertwined hands back to their waist.

“When you put it like that…” Pearl rolled her eyes, but Mumbo just smiled at her.

He detangled their fingers to slowly reach for her sword.

“Do want help taking your armor off or-“

That got an actual laugh from Pearl. A full blown cackle as she tossed her head back.

The concerned looks Mumbo gave her finally managed to squeeze an explanation out of her once the laughter subsided.

“Take my armor off? In this series? No. Now we know why you die so early I guess. Cause you are so easy to kill at night.”

“But you’re inside your base. With guards. And I’ll be right here too.”

Pearl cocked her head at him, taking in the complete lack of sarcasm in his voice. This wasn’t a joke. He really was asking if she wanted to take her armor off to go to bed.

“And if something happens, I can always act as a human shield. Then Cleo will just bring me back.” He continued, fingers coming to fidget with the side buckle of her chestplate.

He had a reasonable point. It had been a long time since someone did a night raid. And she did have a lot of allies this season.

In the silence, Mumbo’s hands went to work undoing the straps on the armor, losing it until it no longer formed to her body but rested against her like an ill fitting hard shell.

“Can I? It will be more comfortable to sleep without it.”

She didn’t respond, instead just tugging off her crimson hoodie and raising her arms up, letting him pull the chest plate off over her head.

“Put that right by the bed,” she said, watching him start towards the chest in the corner of the room.

“If we get attacked I need it close by. So by the bad rather than in the chest.” Pearl tipped her head toward the bed against the wall.

“Make sense,” Mumbo nodded, resting the breastplate against the end of the bed before ducking into the chest and pulling his own weapons out to lay next to her armor.

By the time he turned back to her, she had already tugged off her armored legging as well, dropping them and her sword in a growing pile with her chestplate. She then dropped to the bed, starting to unlace one boot before Mumbo knelt before her and started unlacing the other. She was just slightly faster getting her boot unlaced, and when she pulled it off, it clattered to the floor below her. With much more care, Mumbo slipped the second boot off her foot, picking up both and setting them right next to the bed.

“See? Isn’t that comfier?” He asked, still kneeling before her.

She had another joke about choosing life over comfort on the tip of her tongue when he just sent her the smallest, most genuine smile.

It was fun to be feral and chaotic when the person she was riffing was responsive to that. Or at least reactive. But Mumbo was never quite like that. He’d never been good at the theatrics and banter of this series. She usually joked that’s why he was so unsuccessful. But right now the earnestness of him asking that question just neutralize her response.

“Yeah. It is comfier.” She finally nodded.

“Good,” he smiled, raising up to his feet. “Now scooch over so I can get in bed.”

Pearl shuffled backwards towards the wall, slipping under the covers as Mumbo climbed in next to her.

The beds were small, and in a world with more resources they would have 2 beds. In Hermitcraft they had 3 pressed together so they could both sleep with all her dogs. But here, with finite sheep and time, Mumbo curled an arm around her, tugging her against his chest in the narrow bed.

“Wait. Light.” Mumbo muttered, and Pearl looked up from his chest as he twisted around just in time to see him flick the switch she hadn’t noticed earlier to send the room into darkness.

“Did you make a redstone light switch?” She almost giggled as he turned back towards her in the darkness.

“Maybe,” he started before she felt his head duck down to nuzzle into her hair. “Okay yes. But you were gone a while and I was just waiting up here so I started working on it.”

“Oh course you did,” she chuckled against his chest, burrowing a little closer to him.

There was something so familiar about that. They were competing to the death in a game where Mumbo had already been killed and resurrected, and he was still fidgeting with redstone the second he’d had to sit still.

“And since you put us in the dark with no armor on, you’re gonna protect me? Is that what you’re gonna do?” She teased, but it was barely above a whisper. They were close enough that she could feel his chest rise and fall with his breathing, so she could finally take the volume down after a day full of shouting and screaming.

She could feel Mumbo chuckle as he snaked an arm around her and tugged her even closer.

“That’s pretty much the plan honestly,” he murmured and belatedly Pearl realized he had positioned her with her back to the wall with a perfect view of the door if she sat up, and with his body in the way to block any attack that came thought.

“You really are trying to protect me,” she curled a hand into the front of his shirt.

“Trying is the key word there. I’m not good at much in these games. But I’m pretty good at dying and I would much rather die protecting you than Cleo,” Mumbo said into the darkness, his hand gently rubbing back and forth along her back.

“Don’t let Cleo hear you say that,” Pearl said, meaning for it to sound like a joke, but the humor not landing alone in the darkness after that admission.

“I think Cleo knows.”

That offer was the kind of sentiment that Pearl knew was true in reality, but in the world of the life series, the alliances and vengeances and drama always came first. Mumbo should have said that he would die for Cleo. He’d spent all day dying for Cleo. But it was nice to remember that there was more than this game for a moment. And in that world, the real world, of course he would try to protect her. Just like she would always protect him when it truly mattered.

She took a deep breath, feeling muscle in her back and shoulders relax that she hadn’t even realized were tensed.

Then she took another breath, closing her eyes and trying to place the faint smell that was curling around her.

“You smell like dirt,” she said, finally recognizing the smell clinging to Mumbo’s skin.

“Side effect of coming back from the graves I suppose,” he offered. “If it’s too bad we can-“

He started to shift away, trying to give her space, but Pearl doubled her grip on his shirt holding him close to her.

“No. It’s nice actually,” said admitted. She took another breath and was flooded with memories of her first season on Hermitcraft, when the smell of dirt and potatoes had clung to Mumbo everywhere he went. She could picture the fields around her base now and the way the smell of earth and life would fill her whole base when she slept with the trap doors open.

“It smells like home,” she mumbled into his chest before her thoughts dissolved into nothing but the darkness of a dreamless sleep.

[obstinaterixatrix]

ok got to the end of the metaphor demo. it took like 10 hours. the thing is I love jrpgs so I’ll probably get the game for whatever black friday sale happens but I hate jrpgs so I’ll complain the whole time.

love the hieronynus bosch designs, intrigued by the inevitable metanarrative elements, and I do like that the protagonist is voiced and has a follow-up to whatever dialogue option you go for (feels more meaningful than the ‘yes/okay/sure’ choices you get in persona sometimes). I actually like where they’re going with in terms of ‘a hero without followers is a renegade that’s doomed to obscurity, in order to be a hero you need to connect with people and rely on their support’—sets up a good foil to louis and his… popularity/mass murder

the music doesn’t really hit (very high fantasy, might grow on me—apparently they’re using esperanto which is interesting), it’s definitely a LOT of telling over showing in the beginning with the ‘my village…! no I shan’t say. ok now it’s time to talk about my village…!’ and the ‘as you know we’ve been soooo close for at minimum 12 years and I am your best friend’ (which will inevitably even out after the prologue I’m sure), the lore-dump and ten billion words they throw around is always a little tedious at first (it’s so. greebly deebly.) and I hate monarchy. show me a king I’ll show you an axe. the thing is though, I tend to be :/ about monarchy narratives because there’s a lot of emphasis on lineage over. political competence. and with the hero/followers/king competition, this haaaas sort of turned into… well… kind of a democracy because it’s a popularity contest with literally everyone as a possible king and whoever’s got the most supporters from the citizens is going to be king, and also kind of not because one of the leading candidates is doing terrorism and has blown up the church and is killing a bunch of people and saying ‘make me your king or die’ and I feel like threat of violence and more mass murder should exclude him from king candidacy. anyway I took a bunch of pics and forgot to post em while playing

I always love the lowest stats, protag gets dragged so hard. his ass is CRAVEN, NAIVE, INFLEXIBLE, TONGUE-TIED, and VAPID

XIANXIA REAL… they actually let you do this in the city and all the peripheral gossip becomes all about how you’re an inconsiderate stupid show-off who everybody hates for reasons beyond mega-racism

when more was saying this I’m p sure I took a pic bc I was thinking WOAH…! BONDS OF PEOPLE IS THE TRUE POWER…. JUST LIKE P4

you have to go to the hushed honeybee inn & this dialogue option was my favorite one of the game. it stuck in my head so much I had a nightmare about trying to inch my body towards a massive swarm of bees so they’d fight the ants that were crawling all over me.

the protagonist is the most minority of the 9 tribes and thus gets mega fantasy racism directed at him instead of normal fantasy racism. I thought it was really funny that a pretty sour guy tries to be mean to you, double-takes, & then goes like. woah. you have it way worse than me, sorry about all the mega-racism, good luck

‘rich and poor’ hang on. hang on. that is not equal. that is inherently unequal.

I love that hulkenburg goes like. so you’re gonna murder this guy? cool. let’s murder him. together. also gallica has a point

the game over screen is really funny

[shima-draws]

You blogging about One Piece Treasure Cruise is really making me want to play it…is it fun? Do you recommend? :D

FROTHING AT THE MOUTH UMMM HI YES you should get OPTC and play it it’s SO much fun. I’ve only been playing for about a month (?) or so and I’ve been having a TOTAL blast

I know that generally gacha games can be really hit or miss for a lot of people but I will highly recommend OPTC bc of the MASSIVE amounts of freebies they give out. I’ve played lots of different gacha games over the years and I’ve never seen a game give out as much freebies as OPTC has;; There’s multiple different game modes you can do and they all have different rewards where you can literally just. Choose the character you want. There’s some game modes where you can challenge the same boss over and over and get multiple of the same character to increase their level to the max. They’re stupidly generous with their rewards too like just by leveling up or beating a certain quest or doing a challenge x amount of times they’ll give you a sugo rare (basically a 6 star character, the best units in the game) for free! FOR FREEEEE!!! Also they give tons of unique rewards to rookie players as well so just by getting the game and starting it for the first time they will bury you in Stuff :)

A lot of gacha games are pay to win but honestly you don’t need to spend any money in OPTC to A. Have fun and B. Win harder challenges. It really just depends on how you build your crew and with all the free handouts you’re BOUND to get some really good recruits even at the very start. And if you don’t mind spending a little money they do have achievement packs that unlock whenever you hit a certain level, and the rewards are very generous.

Anyway coughs now that I’m done ranting about how much free shit they’ll give you the actual gameplay is a lot of fun too, like I mentioned there’s lots of different game modes but they generally all revolve around the whole building your crew thing. And a few of these game modes will reset every couple weeks and let you get new characters/rewards so things are always changing and updating! They just had an event to get a free 6 star Bonney and then super evolve her into a 6+ star with her in her Egghead outfit and like.

Bro. That’s so RUDE,,

I will say they do dump a lot on you so it can be really. Confusing and complex lol. I wouldn’t say I know the ins and outs of this game QUITE yet but I have learned a lot of things since I started playing, so if you have any questions feel free to come ask me 🥰

Also the game’s 10 year anniversary is happening (Franky voice) SUPER soon so now is a great time to start playing bc they’re definitely gonna give all the players heaps of rewards ;)

Anyway I’m totally not obsessed with OPTC can’t you tell

[devilheartsblog]

Synthwave (Gantlos x Musa) Massive Info Dump

Before I start shoutout to that one Russian who makes edited pics of these two.

Don’t mind me yapping about these two because I think they’d make a good pairing IF you write them well enough. I can easily see Gantlos being used as a moral scapegoat to make Riven look better in comparison, despite Riven saying his gf changed when that’s literally her special interest and she’s the FAIRY OF MUSIC!

Anyway the ship mostly started as a joke when I found out about Fairies of the Black Circle and brainstormed some interactions for a Season 4 rewrite but the more I thought about it the more I think their dynamic works and my friend @calissarowan agrees with me (and in return they lade me ship Dumantlos)

Enemies to Lovers is actually fire

This is my biggest argument for the ship and that Enemies to Lovers is honestly a dynamic I’ve grown fond of after seeing it being done right in some stories.

The biggest one I can point out is Ace Attorney tho it’s more Rivals to Lovers. Long story short Miles Edgeworth is Phoenix Wright’s rival as the prosecutor in the first game. He ends up being a suspect for the last murder and Phoenix, as the defense, decides to take his case and defend him. Throughout the story we learn about their character and how Edgeworth is the reason why Phoenix became a lawyer, and Edgeworth ultimately redeems himself by bringing down the true culprit of the overarching story built up during each episode/chapter.

Gantlos and Musa are obviously enemies fighting to get Roxy and later on the White Circle. While they don’t have many interactions, you can use your imagination; Musa taunting him while he brushes it off to attack her and maybe banters back in a similar fashion to Anagan, and even shits on Riven for being a bad boyfriend. Now if we tweak Season 4 to make the wizards more useful we get the Winx and wizards banding together to stop the Earth Fairies from getting rid of humanity, and as the story goes Gantlos opens up to Musa and they grow closer, eventually fighting tooth and nail to have eachother’s backs. I know this is fanfiction territory but I don’t like how the threat of genociding humans was brushed off while the wizards’ treason and sending Nabu into a coma was treated like blasphemy (which I mostly blame the writers for killing him off tbh)

Basically the enemies to lovers dynamic opens for a lot of character growth and thus better dynamics for them. Not to mention it being very interesting overall when done right.

But Harper, why would they even like each other?

While I can’t give a direct reason my answer lies within the other characters. It’s well known Riven and Musa are very shitty to each other, with how Musa sets up too many expectations on Riven who’s new to dating, and Riven’s jealousy and insulting his gf’s special talent. The others also push them to be together when we all know where this is going… Anyway, Musa has said before she needs someone to support her but it’s obvious she likes bad boys. Well, if you think about it Gantlos fits her type perfectly. Again he’s stoic and a jerk at times but if you’re someone he’s close to he’ll show you he cares. I mean, his concern over Duman is why people shipped them so I can see him comforting Musa when she’s sad or scarred. And here’s a bonus, the reason she gets back with Riven every time is because he’s brave and strong and able to protect her. Guess who stopped the metro to protect his friend despite it possibly costume both their lives: GANTLOS! She’d be head over heels for him if he was a good guy!

For Gantlos you’ll have to bear with me here. I’ve noticed in the show he’s not respected on the same level as the other wizards: Ogron acknowledging his ideas ONLY after he’s proven wrong, Anagan saying he may have lost his mind and Duman insisting he’s wrong in Episode 16 (god I need to make a rant post about this someday). And since Musa can listen to the song in his heart and empathize with him she’d maybe treat him better and with the respect he wants. Maybe they get closer and he starts to have romantic feelings towards her and wants to stay by her side to protect Musa.

The Dynamic:

I should walk you guys through the dynamic we cooked up tho. Gantlos is obviously the jaded and stoic guy to contrast with Musa’s more “romantic” and snarky vibe. Even if Gantlos is evil he’s shown to have a soft side mainly for the people he cares for. Musa would tease him about having a soft side which he would deny until he caves in. I doubt Gantlos would be a pro at talking about his feelings, stumbling on his words and downplaying it, which doesn’t work on Musa since she can read the song in his heart (remember how that was established in one of the movies?) And with both of them being aloof or giving off that vibe even if they prefer to be alone they can be alone together, like two introverts getting hyped about each other.

Of course I can’t ignore the fact they would also argue and fight, Gantlos calling out Musa’s bad traits while Musa insists he’s not being good and he’s still a villain. It’d be rocky and they’d both be stubborn, but I think Gantlos calling Musa out would open her eyes to the fact she’s also to blame, while Gantlos gets talked by Ogron or Anagan that he was being too harsh on a lady. They talk it out in a healthy manner and no drama is dragged out for about 15 episodes.

Dates/Hobbies ideas (a lot of headcanon territory here)

In terms of dates I think it’d range from fun, to chill, to spicy. I can see them just hanging out by themselves listening to music together in a park or Musa’s room. With their more aloof nature they would probably do things like stargazing when it’s peaceful and nobody’s around, opening up about issues they have while the other comforts them.

I headcannon each wizard knows how to play an instrument and Gantlos does the electric guitar which is why he can summon seismic waves and has similar powers to Musa (sound waves, seismic waves, ya know). So he can jam out on a guitar while Musa sings to the melody or sing a song to her. Yes I also think he can sing, but the other characters assume the opposite because of his constant yelling, so him and Musa could duet (and they seal it with a kiss cause dhskdjsj it’s perfect that way)

Restaurants would be nice. I doubt Gantlos eats much, same for the other wizards, so he’d scarf down anything and wait for Musa to finish afterwards.

They could brush each other’s hair, maybe Gantlos braids Musa’s hair if she wants. Musa could also give him a massage whenever cause he needs it.

And lastly I don’t really talk about steamy stuff but I’m 90% sure they’re both freaky switches.

Marriage? Child?

Sorry but I can’t see them married, but that’s because I’m not big on marriages. But either way Gantlos is definitely moving from the sewers to her house and maybe has to work on his criminal record to get her dad’s blessing. I can imagine them having a mesh between a rock concert and the typical wedding stuff for theirs.

I’m also not a fan of fanchilds cause I can easily see the characters being reduced to “mom and dad” but maybe that’s a me problem. I’d imagine they have a daughter who’s very punk/rebel and she’d be a guitarist whose weapon is the same guitar she uses for her rock album.

The End

So far that’s all I have to say about this ship. Maybe I’ll talk about how Riven could factor into this or the tragedy of it all if it follows the cannon ending of Gantlos being stuck in a frozen hellscape after betraying Musa, her friends and the Earth fairies. But otherwise let me know that you think in the Reblogs and I’d appreciate anyone sharing this post because I feel like Synthwave would be a fire crackship.

Otherwise I’ll see you guys next Wednesday, buh-bye!

[grumpylia]

i hate to be a hater but here’s a little yap about ep 6 of the pjo tv show

- i was soooo disappointed in this episode! i literally got bored halfway through LMAO and kept getting distracted which was so upsetting!! because the lotus hotel is one of my favourite chapters of the lightning thief!!

- starting from the beginning; i wish wish wish that we’d gotten the ‘you’re my friend, seaweed brain - anymore stupid questions?’ moment because i just love that moment

- but if they weren’t going to give that moment to us surely they could’ve at least given us?? something??

- instead of just luke’s fan service-y ‘old married couple line’

- i also think the whole the trio things tlt is clarisse thing is just?? underwhelming. the show hasn’t done a very good job at making us really understand the stakes here!!! it feels like they’re just fucking around and i don’t like it!! like they literally missed the deadline!! and that didn’t even feel like a big deal!! that should’ve felt earth shattering!!

- also where was the zebra. where was percy being able to talk to the zebra :(

- i wish also that they’d done more with grover in the start of this ep - they could’ve showed us his character rather than just giving us a massive exposition dump

- the EXPOSITION!! i was fine with it in the first few episodes, bc like the book isn’t exactly perfect with exposition either but it’s actually getting to a point where i think it’s taking me out of the story!

- why why why did they skip the lotus hotel stuff??? omg! i can understand some of the other changes (e.g. waterland) but the lotus stuff would’ve translated soo perfectly to screen!! it would’ve been such a good way to build tension without having the characters ohtroght saying to the audience “this is the lotus hotel. time doesn’t move properly here, and if you’re not careful you can forget who you are.”

- i still can’t believe that they didn’t adapt the book this chapter! it would’ve been so perfectly suited for screen! this tv show also has a tension/stakes problem so it would’ve been a great way to help fix that

- also they’re meant to be TWELVE ! ofc they come across a hotel with infinite food and games and money and love it! the whole point is that across the series we’ll see them grow and become more wary of these things! i could understand why they made the change with medusa, but them knowing what they were walking into here just felt like such a boring choice

- and if nothing else the lotus hotel episode should not be boring!!

- also why are we talking about may castellan🤨the reason it has so much impact in the og series is because you’re putting these pieces together and then it all just hits you

- but here it’s just like…

- and hermes’! i don’t have an issue if they wanted to include hermes’ in this scene - cancel me but i think lmm lowkey ate - but i don’t understand why they would do it in this very expositiony way. and are we not meant to think that hermes’ is neglecting luke too?? at least until som?? if i was writing this and i reallly wanted to include hermes’, i feel like there are sooo many different ways to include him that would’ve read sooo much better. still brainstorming what those ways are, but point still stands

- i did think the taxi scene was really funny tho sue me

i hate to be a hater because i really wanted to love this show! and i really did enjoy some specific moments and episodes! but i just wish they’d done a closer adaptation of the book - i think they’re trying to do way too much way too soon and they need to just let the characters and the story breathe for a bit before trying to really go heavy in with all these really in your face themes and exposition

[evangelineshifts]

I feel like the pjo show isn’t what I thought it would be at all, like they changed a lot of things, didn’t stick with the books(for the most part they tried), didn’t really pace it well(it was either rushed or slow but at the wrong times) and honestly it wasn’t that good to me. I feel like maybe I’m a bad person for thinking that the people playing these characters just aren’t it, liek clarisse for example, she was described to be this tough, unconventionally attractive girl who is (frankly) buff and strong physically but in the show(and no hate to Dior) she’s not buff, she’s not big, she’s skinny and conventionally attractive. And I feel like that’s, disappointing. Like finding girl characters who are not conventionally attractive and/or aren’t skinny/pretty is so hard already and now clarisse is this skinny, conventionally attractive girl and so I’m left with thoughts like “am I the bad guy for feeling this way?” “Is it me who’s the problem?”

so, I just feel like maybe I’m weird for feeling this way. Maybe me thinking(oh Rick said he’d stick by the books so he will) was a stupid thought because he obviously didn’t and whenever I even think of saying ‘this isn’t like the books.’ I can literally taste the massive swarm of people telling me ‘well Rick himself is directing this’ ‘why don’t you like the show it’s literally so good’ ‘you just don’t like it because you’re racist’ and now I’m left with feeling like a bitch and a fool and now I’m getting gaslighting into making myself think that the show did stick by the books and that nothing important changed-🦭

I disagree with the characters part just because I think as long as they embody the essence of the character they’re fine and everyone casted did a really good job at that.

As for everything else I totally agree and tbh I found the show boring. It was only faithful in some aspects but it’s lost its charm. The changes that they made (most of them) make no sense to the plot and seem unnecessary. Somethings that were taken out to make room for new/changed scenes really were just disappointing. The random info dumps that happened had me like ???? Cause half of the stuff isn’t known till like 3-5 books and for good reason. Like learning about May castellen this early literally spun me on my head. And I saw someone talk about how there’s some things that they info dumped about but not enough that you’d be able to understand without reading the books and just general stuff thrown in without explaining significance. And they just took out most everything that made the series lovable. The humor MIXED with the danger, the way things intermingled with the human world (the underworld having an entrance in a recording studio as a nod to the evil in Hollywood, Charon being this fun guy who loves luxurious Italian suits and is underpaid, there being an E-Z line in the underworld. Stuff like that). I know they could fit EVERYTHING in but the stuff that they could’ve put in the they omitted for other stuff just seemed like a sloppy attempt at a rewrite.

And how fast they figured everything out completely threw me off. It takes away the stakes. I understand everyone’s arguments of “ofc they know about the myths and stuff they grew up with it they aren’t dumb” but that’s the thing. In the books the whole point is that they knew about this stuff and they still got caught off guard with the way the monsters adapted to the human world. That and the mist which canonically can affect demigods a bit too. It made it gripping how they had to use their brains to forcefully push through the mist and find a way out. And they are twelve years old on a quest not even a grown man can handle l, they’re stressed, they’re tired, they’re hungry, it makes MORE sense that’d they fuck up a bit and be off their game.

I’m gonna stop before I make this a novel. But I agree it fell flat and it’s very disappointing but kudos to the actors cause they did amazing with what they had to work with.

[redsafalloutfan]

Went back to actually playing cotl a couple days ago, which got me actually thinking about lamb again

Which lead to a buncha thoughts, and these drawings of some of my main followers

Now, thoughts dump under the cut, massive text post abt lamb and followers

Note, most of the followers are loosely based on followers from my game,

So, let’s start with what I’ll mean by my lamb for this, there’s my kallamar hubby, and then there’s this boy; one from each of my playthroughs, my first lamb (kali hubby) was my first, and the most unserious, but during that second play through, where my goal was to get every through, I eventually had actually long term thoughts about lamb and the world at large; this post is about the second lamb, from here on out I’ll just be calling my lamb (since I suppose he’s my head canon version of lamb?)

Let’s start with the name, lamb, in this version I think he was closer to a little real lamb, he was young when he went to the chopping block. Id say approx sixteen, at the very start of being a vessel, and still rather young by the time he takes the crown.

By now lambs cult has already begun to grow, but still isn’t more than 30 or so, followers have come and gone, but the first three favoured followers of lamb have already been picked. The first two, Hanana, and Magrear, a lumber jack and miner (later carpenter and proper stone mason) are brothers, and the third, Putre largely focused on poetry, but at start was a farmer. All three were from darkwood, all three were some of the first followers of my lamb, and would remain his most loyal (and each become his first disciples, though not all in order)

The cult is growing, it’s been almost 50 years, bishops have been fought (though not resurrected yet) a crown claimed, buildings built, first resurrections of the loyal have started.

Now, the fourth Follower, Hegretre, the first born to the cult, and one of the most favoured. Following my save, they become something of a mother and friend to most of the cult (in a literal sense, as they made something like half of all eggs born), and far later, a lover to most of the bishops (excluding Narinder, who was celibate in this play through, but it still feels fitting either way). While they become something of an overwhelmed parent, (by the time they get a gold skull necklace, they’ve largely stopped having children of their own, and is now largely just a friend and (first) advisor to the lamb.)

Things are speeding up, proper cultist grounds, one faith under the lamb, bishops are being resurrected (narinder has been sitting in corpse jail for most of this, (he got killed in a fight, and was put in a grave (the only grave, as my followers eat the dead)) in the little memorial sort of area in the cult, with the other downs left on display). Kallamar is acclimating the best, though only because the largely land dwelling followership hadn’t had much interaction anchordeep.

During this, the lamb of course meets the mystic seller, and makes his trades, enough to start receiving gold skull necklaces (very slowly, it’s takes almost 20 years for the lamb to get these necklaces). First for the brothers, (Hanana, and Magrear), next for Hegretre, last for Putre.

Now, lamb largely has nothing to do, except for rule. Lamb is still an infant god however, still learning how to rule, how to be a god. Lamb, while trying not to be outright hostile, has little love for the bishops at the moment, still forever fresh wounds from their first death. Shamura, in their broken mind is still the closest thing to becoming mentor to lamb in godhood, even if lamb is still largely unwilling of their help. Lamb had the hardest time truly hating Shamura, and by extent does still listen (even when they pretend that they aren’t) to Shamura while they ramble, drunk or spinning thread. Lambs more trusted advice comes by way of Hegretre, and Hanana, who while not officially called advisors (yet), largely fill that role while being lambs first disciples.

Next (in order of lamb getting around to trusting) is Leshy, which is actually brought about because he at some point noticed that lambs cult (even now) is largely of creatures from darkwood, and attempts to tease the lamb for it. They eventually bond over being to young to rule. Heket is hard to pinpoint, is a slower acceptance into the cult, she doesn’t want to be there. Kallamar is a similar situation to Heket, but from the reversed, Kallamar is trying to hard to be a part of the cult, and Lamb is distrustful of him, dosen’t help that lambs first spy was from anchordeep.

Important note: it actually takes this version of lamb a very long time to get the bishops relics and heal their wounds, and as narinder is still in death time out, his claw isnt gained at all for a very long time.

It’s been well over a hundred years (I interpret days in game to sort of like years, slightly altered to make this timeline make for sense for actual time), the cult is starting to become a kingdom, children are hatched having never known the old faiths rule, those who still do are old, or long resurrected. The disciples are becoming important in this new kingdom, official advisors to the red crown bearer himself. Long lived creatures, there, resurrected and living, and immortal since the beginning, some are now being hatched having only ever seen these dicplies as immortal, won’t grow to see them die and be resurrected, only alive, brushing a sort of godly themselves near the lamb.

I think on a long enough time table (which is to say, does happen, in this little version of mine) these deciples of the lamb who are long immortal, grow to become something of demigods under the lamb, worshiped one and the same, though they lack crowns, they still change eventually, similar to witnesses, they become more than a beast, but less than a bishop.

But that’s all later than I’ve really thought about yet.

For now, the lamb is still young in his godhood, it’s been perhaps 200 years, and a kingdom is growing, a place where the first machines are being made.

By now, he has his small court of advisors, his disciples, and the ex bishops.

[naomicindy]

'Role of Social Media in Public Health Campaigns.'

By: naomicindy

Social media isn’t just for selfies, memes, or sliding into DMs anymore—it has become a game-changer for public health communication.

Platforms like Instagram, Facebook, and X have shifted from being places for personal interaction to becoming tools for sharing vital health information and rallying communities into action. I mean, if you lived through the COVID-19 pandemic, you know how much these platforms became lifelines for staying updated and feeling connected. But, of course, it’s not all sunshine and life-saving hashtags—there’s a darker side to using social media for health, like misinformation spreading faster than a viral dance trend and big questions about privacy.

Let’s start with the good stuff—social media’s power to inspire action on a massive scale. Remember the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge back in 2014? It was one of the first moments we all realized just how big these platforms could be for public health campaigns. People everywhere were dumping freezing water on themselves, tagging their friends, and donating to ALS research. It wasn’t just a trend; it raised $115 million in six weeks and put ALS (a disease a lot of people hadn’t even heard of before) on the map (Camero, 2023). It’s wild to think a simple idea could go viral like that and bring in both awareness and funding. Social media literally turned a grassroots campaign into a global movement.

Fast forward to COVID-19, and social media took on a whole new level of importance. When everything felt chaotic, platforms became essential for sharing updates, and keeping people in the loop. Apps like Malaysia’s MySejahtera were lifesavers, tracking infections, vaccination records, and safety guidelines all in one place. They showed how tech could help streamline public health efforts and reach people wherever they were. Plus, health organizations could use social media to speak directly to the public and adjust their messages in real time (Suarez-Lledo & Alvarez-Galvez, 2021). And let’s not forget all those TikTok dances teaching us how to wash our hands properly. Who knew hygiene could go viral in more ways than one?

But it wasn’t all smooth sailing. The COVID-19 pandemic also highlighted some major issues with using social media for health communication. Misinformation spread like wildfire. Seriously, there were wild claims about fake cures, exaggerated vaccine side effects, and straight-up conspiracy theories. It’s scary because this stuff wasn’t just annoying—it caused real harm by making people hesitant to get vaccinated or follow safety measures. Platforms tried to fight back with fact-checking and flagging false content, but it felt like a never-ending game of whack-a-mole. Honestly, we need more proactive strategies to tackle this, like better education on spotting fake news and partnerships between health authorities and social media companies (Tan, 2022).

Then there’s the issue of privacy. Like, we all kind of know social media collects our data, but when it comes to health apps like MySejahtera, it gets way more personal. These apps helped so much during the pandemic, but they also collected tons of sensitive health info. And that raises big questions: How is this data being stored? Who has access to it? Could it be misused? It’s a little scary to think about. If public health campaigns want to keep people’s trust, they need to get real about data transparency and security (Akinsanmi & Salami, 2021). Nobody wants their health data floating around in the wrong hands.

Looking ahead, the future of public health communication is definitely going to lean even more on digital strategies—and honestly, that’s kind of exciting. Social media influencers, for example, have so much potential to make health campaigns more relatable and effective. Think about it: if your fave content creator talks about mental health or promotes a campaign like “R U OK?” it hits differently than a random ad or government PSA. You trust them. You listen. That’s the magic of influencers—they connect on a personal level.

Visual storytelling is another area where social media shines (Varicak, 2023). Infographics, TikToks, and Instagram Reels are perfect for breaking down complicated health info into bite-sized, shareable pieces. And let’s be real, we’re all more likely to engage with a cool animation or quick how-to video than a wall of text. Public health campaigns can totally tap into this, using these tools to get their messages across in a way that feels modern and engaging.

But with great power comes great responsibility (shoutout to Uncle Ben for that wisdom). Social media’s potential is massive, but so are the risks. Public health leaders need to focus on three big priorities: fighting misinformation, protecting user privacy, and making sure everyone has access to digital tools, no matter their background or circumstances. It’s a lot, but the lessons we’ve learned—from the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge to the pandemic—can help guide the way.

In the end, social media has completely transformed how we talk about and tackle public health issues. It can connect people, amplify campaigns, and inspire real change. But to use it responsibly, we’ve got to address the challenges head-on. If we can figure out how to balance the opportunities and risks, social media can keep building healthier, more informed communities around the world. And honestly? That’s a future I’m excited to see.

Akinsanmi, T., & Salami, A. (2021). Evaluating the trade-off between privacy, public health safety, and digital security in a pandemic. Data & Policy, 3, e27. https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/data-and-policy/article/evaluating-the-tradeoff-between-privacy-public-health-safety-and-digital-security-in-a-pandemic/3659C28712DE31B743266935ECF4615C Camero, K. (2023, June 21). How the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge made a lasting impact. National Geographic . https://www.nationalgeographic.com/science/article/als-ice-bucket-challenge-research-impact  Suarez-Lledo, V., & Alvarez-Galvez, J. (2021). Prevalence of health misinformation on social media: systematic review. Journal of medical Internet research, 23(1), e17187. https://www.jmir.org/2021/1/e17187/ Tan, C. (2022). The curious case of regulating false news on Google. Computer Law & Security Review, 46, 105738. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0267364922000814 Varicak, S. (2023, May 29). The power of visual storytelling in social media ads. LinkedIn. https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/power-visual-storytelling-social-media-ads-stefan-varicak/ 

[avionvadion]

We've angered enough gods, lol. I think there's only... one that's on our side right now??? Anyways, MILD GALE and MASSIVE GONDIAN/IRONHAND GNOMES SPOILERS BELOW.

Welcome to the anxiety club!

PFFFT. Mood.

Astarion, you literally gave up the chance to be a Vampire Ascended. What are you talking about???

OH SHIT GORTASH. HEY. HI. SORRY I MISSED YOUR ORDINATION CEREMONY. MY BADS. HONESTLY HAD NO IDEA WHERE IT WAS TAKING PLACE BECAUSE OF HOW SIDETRACKED AND DISTRACTED I GOT. HOW'S IT GOING??? WASN'T EXPECTING TO SEE YOU HERE.

Alskjfldkjfldkjfldk, I was so tempted to go with number three. I love that it's even an option. You can see Astra contemplating the pros and cons of telling him to "f" off.

OMELUUM!??? BUDDY!??? YOU'RE HERE!??? WHY ARE YOU HERE!???

So many surprise encounters and I'm just trying to finish my massive list of sidequests.

Anyways, long story short I freed all but one of the hostages- that one was killed on his way running out by the enemies. Astra and Wyll were also... blown up, because Astra died and Wyll wouldn't have made it out. Omeluum got Karlach out just in time. Astarion was the first to reach the ladder.

All the baddies decided they were gonna gang up on my girl. T_T It was very rude of them. Poor Karlach had to do all the lockpicking. I had to keep reloading so she could roll natural twenties because she needed a 25. RIP. I probably could have restarted and sent Astarion that way instead, but, well, it's fine.

Everything's fine.

Poor Astarion. I find it absolutely hilarious that the game put him in charge since Astra was out of commission. Just, oh, what's that? Your wife died? Your turn to hold the braincell, then!

Imagine him getting up to the submarine and waiting for everyone to hurry up, and Karlach and Omeluum appearing- but Astra and Wyll are nowhere to be seen, and Karlach is like, "I tried to help her, but the bastards shot her back down! Before I could try to carry her and Wyll, squiddie over here teleported me."

Omeluum: "A thank you for saving your life would have sufficed..."

And the prison is already exploding so Astarion has no choice but to maneuver the submarine to safety.

WITHERS, PLEASE, MAN IS TRYING TO REVIVE HIS WIFE. BESIDES, HE'S MOST LIKELY GREY-ACE, ANYWAY. LEAVE HIM ALONE.

Astarion did not wake up this morning thinking he was going to have to revive Astra and Wyll.

I've.... never actually had to revive a character yet. I've always been able to "help" them back up, so Withers and the twenty Revivify Scrolls I have were just... chilling all seventy hours of my playthrough so far. Huh.

ONWARDS TO THE FACTORY.

BADA BOOM, BABY!!!!

Gods, I can't stand this asshole. Genuinely regret saving him.

YOU TELL HIM!!!! GO OFF, KINGS!!!

I am... so proud of Barcus right now, oh my gods. This is so satisfying. Finally he's breaking things off with that toxic genocidal asshat. I knew it was too much to expect an apology from Wulbren, but for Barcus to call him out on his bullshit and dump his sorry ass??? PERFECTION. I love this gnome so much. He does his best.

DON'T YOU FREAKING DARE LAY A HAND ON MY BOY BARCUS WROOT. I WILL FIREBALL AND MAGIC MISSILE YOUR FACE IN, WULBREN. KARLACH WILL CLEAVE HER AXE THROUGH YOUR SKULL.

HA!

BARCUS, MY BOY!!!!!!!!! I AM SO PROUD OF YOU RIGHT NOW!!!!!

[maddsmallow]

10, 17, 20 for the dbh ask!

10. Least favorite trope?

i dont know if i would say it's my least favorite, but it's the first one that popped into my head as a brainrotted hankcon shipper lmao—when connor is portrayed as a lil helpless baby uwu bean who suddenly becomes essentially hank's maid post-revolution, and when hank is suddenly completely cured of his alcohol dependence once connor moves in/they get together. i want that man to WORK FOR IT, "it" being a healthier life and actual coping skills with his grief. and i'm a big believer in connor being a badass "adult man" who really doesnt need anyone's help but just likes hank with him because of what they went thru together, and they grow from there into something more.

granted, i do understand that we're all just. having fun with fictional characters and slapping these barbies together in whatever ways makes us happiest. so i could sit here and go off on how incorrect it feels to their characters, but i dunno. it doesnt really matter how "canon" it is, it's all just for funsies, so. kind of a weird thing to toe the line between 😅

17. Favorite moments of each playable character?

ooo this is a good one. again, im a brainrotted hankcon shipper, so it's gonna be hard to choose just one with hank and connor haha. probably my favorite with connor is when he's dragging hank to the bathroom to "sober him up" just because they're both such ASSHOLES to each other LMAO, just completely fed up with the other's shit. hank is just a grumpy bitch who wants to wallow in self pity, so even when drunk off his ass he's still putting up a fight with connor by grabbing the doorway to stop connor from taking him further into the bathroom and then straight up trying to walk away from the bathtub. connor is so done with hank holding him back from doing his goddamn all important mission, so when he finally gets the (probably freezing) water going, he deadass just stands there and watches hank flail around for an extra second. JUST to be an ass to hank for being an ass to him. it's SO funny how the two of them are constantly butting heads and then end up basically trauma bonded anyways by the end of the game lmao

if it counts, my favorite kara moment would probably be her realizing she's merchandise in that one short video back in like,, what was it, 2012? 2014? that was sort of the first rendition of an idea for the dbh universe. just, her realizing she's a product and not a person and then begging for her life was REALLY moving, valorie curry's acting there was fuckin top notch. but that's not really part of the game itself, so. hmm. i really love when they're at the amusement park and finally find a place to stay to ride out the storm, but the door is covered in wooden planks that have been nailed in, and (ignoring the fact that there's no reason to assume kara wouldnt have standard android strength and find this action quite easy) kara's this tiny little android trying to rip off the planks, and then big ass luther is just like. allow me. im literally made for this shit. and yoinks em off like they're nothin LMAO. that was the very specific moment i fell in love with luther and wanted him and kara and alice to stay together FOREVER

and for markus, i mean, i GOTTA go with the scene where he goes through the passageway of hands and other android parts in the junkyard. or really just the first scene in it where you take off your bad leg and find another compatible one and the realization sets in that you're in a massive landfill of body parts, and markus has been dumped into a situation where he has to dig through dead and dying people of his own species and take their parts to save himself. the first time i watched it, i literally gasped and covered my mouth with my hand and teared up. it's HORRIFIC, the idea of being in a giant pile of half alive creatures to be forgotten about as you have to take bits of those half alive creatures to attach to your own self to survive. you're now made up of multiple other dead people. it's fucking nightmarish, and the first half of that level is such a punch in the gut. fantastic story telling there

20. What were the hardest decisions/actions in each character's story for you?

oh man so TECHNICALLY i have never actually played the game myself LMAO. i'm just not a gamer, i'm in this for the characters and the shit they have to endure in the story. but i imagine the answer is the same for all of them with being mean to the companions in each story haha. getting hank to the point where he finally uses his gun on himself, making kara leave alice at the "recycling" camp, and i guess markus doing peaceful protests even tho that means soooo many more androids die from his inaction.

thanks for the ask!!