#source: running man

[theodaione-incorrect-quotes]

Playing Charades in ancient language, Lloyd: Celeb— Kai, Zane, Cole, Jay: What? Minne: [laughing] Lloyd: Celeb—no hair— Zane: Master Wu *buzzer sound* Lloyd: No, no—celeb—always sit— Kai, who knows the bare basics of history: Gandhi! *correct*

[incorrectpeterparker]

Peter: I accidentally ate MJ’s sandwich… How long do you think I have to live?

Ned: Ten

Peter: Ten what?

Ned: Nine

[lizzybeeee]

DATV Mini-Rant about the lack of Lyrium Potions in this Game

A small thing that immediately made my stomach drop when playing DATV was the fact that there are no lyrium potions.

I did an elective on game design in university and chose Origins as my game of choice for my final essay because I always loved how much the game incorporated the world/lore in its game mechanics! Call it pathetic or sad (I won't blame you lmao) but this series was the first video game that engaged me so deeply with its story-telling that I wanted to dissect it. That's why I'm focusing on the lack of magical cocaine in a fantasy game series.

Lyrium is a substance that serves as a game mechanic and a major lore/world-building element. It's use is essential if you play the game as a mage or have party members that are mages - it replenishes mana in game, its use is central to being a mage within the story (harrowing, rituals, etc...), and it's a major export/plot relevant resource that is important to the world at large.

So imagine my surprise when I boot up DATV for the first time and there's no lyrium potions as a mage character. My main interest in the game series was for its lore and story (RIP) so I didn't look too hard into developer interviews or videos about the combat itself - it would either be good or bad, but that wasn't my main draw to the game. I kept playing, wondering if I would ever unlock another slot for potions, perhaps, but then it was abundantly clear that it wasn't the case.

It's a small thing, but popping a lyrium potion mid-combat has the same effect that hearing people say 'Maker's breath' and 'Thank the Maker' does. It's this little bit of world-building that reminds me that I'm playing a Dragon Age game. It's not just a 'mana potion' or some other glowy blue magic vial...it's this substance that's important to the world and that has a reason to be there beyond rejuvenating my mage.

It's the major export of Orzammar -> the pillar of its economy.

It's the substance that allows waking mages to enter the Fade -> it allowed me to save Connor Guerrin with the aid of other mages.

It's the substance that the Chantry uses to leash it's templars through addiction -> an addiction I encouraged Cullen to overcome in DAI.

It's the substance used in the Rite of TRANQUILITY.

It's the substance that allows my warrior character to take on the templar specialization in each game -> Alistair and Ser both talk about lyrium and its relevance to training (in DA2 you just do it lmao)

It's the substance burned into Fenris's skin by Danarius.

It's the literal blood of the Titans -> lyrium veins are literal veins (such a cool design choice in DAI to make them look like blood capillaries!)

And all the time in DAO, DA2, and DAI my mage characters were downing this substance like there was no tomorrow.

Even though the combat changed in DA2 and DAI they still kept lyrium potions for mages. Even though they simplified herbalism from DAO in the next two games, they still required the player to interact with the world and find the ingredients for these potions. It was this gameplay mechanic that linked the player to the world -> I know that I need blood lotus to set shit on fire, elfroot for healing potions/lyrium potions, etc... It was cool game design, having game mechanics and lore interconnected like this.

(Not saying that picking up dozens of elfroots was fun or the best game design, btw -> but it's just an example of how they linked the world and game mechanics together, and I like the intent behind it! Cool design does not equal effective design lmao)

What do we get in DATV? No lyrium, whatsoever, just healing potions.

Potions we don't even have to work to find or get crafted! Just break some green shit and there it is! We don't pick up ingredients or discover unique flora to each of these Northern Areas for our own use. We don't loot potions or ingredients from corpses, sacks, boxes, chests (etc...) to replenish our own stock. A healing potion in this game is not a potion you craft, made from ingredients you found, it's a button I press on my controller. It's lost that immersive link - especially when your companions can toss another one at you while being effectively immortal in combat.

The only new flora we hear of is Broma's Bloom which I did like the lore behind! It's used in dye to colour the Warden's armour and its growth is a sign that the damage of the Blight is lessening. I love that! That's a cool bit of lore! Especially since it's named after Andraste's mother in a land that is supposed to be extremely religious. Geographically unique flora and fauna (biodiversity) is just as important as architectural design when designing an area - DAI did this amazingly well with the different creatures and plants we could run into in each area!

The first time we meaningfully talk about lyrium is when we go to Kal Sharok for the first time - a decent amount of game time since the beginning of the game, depending how fast you play. And then, when we get there, the lyrium looks like a bunch of crystals from a 'grow your own lyrium' kit. The absence of lyrium from the game world and mechanics is something that was very hard for me to overlook considering its importance to every previous entry. Especially since in this game we address the fucking Titan's and what the fuck happened to them.

Just...imagine playing a mage in Dragon Age and not using lyrium?

This game is a death of a thousand cuts - so many small, meaningful world-building elements and mechanics brushed off - before fucking godzilla comes along and nukes it all with the handling of the main story/lore.

[vulpinesaint]

Venom + Kissing Death by MOTHICA

[gizzberg]

These two smoke so much they can't run for sh1t.

[mamaspidershit]

Natasha: I should turn you in right now! Peter: You wouldn’t! … Would you? Natasha: Give me one reason why I shouldn’t. Peter: Because… I’m cute?

[joltning]

the best memories never die. because they can’t.

[mostsanescarletspiderfan]

Every person who has time-traveled to Peter's early years as Spider-Man, expect Eddie Brock.

[dreamedfyre-a]

firm believer there was no bedding ceremony when helaena and aegon married because she would cry and possibly kill someone

[batfammeetsspidergang]

Hobie, pre-battle speech: We either die free, or die trying!

Miles: Are those the only choices?

[theodaione-incorrect-quotes]

Playing <Everything About Lloyd Quiz> Minne: When is Lloyd's birthday? Kai, Zane, Jay, Cole, Nya: ... (knows year but not month/date) Misako & Garmadon: ... (knows month and date but not year) Lloyd: The ninjas don't have to know, but my parents should know. Minne, laughing while watching everyone scribble: Alright, everyone show your answers. Lloyd, turns around: Wow, Kai, so creative. Kai, holding a sign that says "one day in year 2010" Lloyd, looking at Jay: That's not even remotely close. Jay, hiding behind the sign: IT'S ON MY PHONE. Kai, who looked at his sister,: Hey, Nya, did you write Creation Day? Nya, looking so mortified: I didn't know what else to put for the date. Lloyd, looking at Cole: HEY! Born in 2000—that's like my teacher's age. Cole, shrugging: I didn't know the month or date, so I went for comedy. Lloyd: Zane, please tell me, you got it correct. You're the nindroid! Zane, turns it over sheepishly: Jay suggested I put it on a separate server just in case it gets lost on a mission. [two days off] Minne, struggling to keep her laughter in: Hey, at least he's close—Garmadon, Misako, even the ninjas weren't born in that year. Garmadon/Misako, holding up the proper date with the year, 1500. Kai, frowning: When is the actual date? Lloyd: 7! Jay: Oo! The 17th? Lloyd: 7! Every ninja: Oh, the seventh.

[tanevcolton28]

AND HES STILL GREAT WITH THE KID OMG goddamn i love him

[badjohnspeakeasy]

Psykos and Orochi interview "That Man" for a position in the Monster Association.

Link 1

Link 2

[marvel-unofficial]

i've already made like three posts about this but oh my god. oh my godddd rich thinks of sam as a kid brother... good god........

GOOD LORD!!! them. :')

[chibishortdeath]

Ok stupid rant, but I’m sick of looking up a game and only being able to find guides and wikis made by people who obviously hate the game they’re writing information about.

I was looking for guides for the hedge maze portion of Castlevania 64 because I was stuck in it and couldn’t visualize what the layout of maze looks like (turns out, it’s not technically a traditional maze, aka one route to the exit, which helps a lot) and the only guide I can find is one on gamefaqs or something where the person cannot contain themselves from constantly interjecting to say how much they don’t like Malus cause “ugh overdramatic cutscene, his parents are dead who cares, he looks like a girl” or how they hate the game cause it’s too hard and annoying and “oh boy as if this game couldn’t get worse”.

And like dude! Sincerely! Shut up! I don’t care! I just want to know what I’m supposed to do! You are allowed to dislike the game and express your opinions, just please keep those to a little ending opinion section or a review!!! Stop breaking up actual instructions I can’t keep track of what you’re telling me to do!!!!!!!!!!!

And I saw something similar happen on a different smaller wiki-ish sort of website (it might have been the Castlevania Dungeon, I’m not sure. Definitely not Fandom tho.) on the Castlevania: The Adventure page when I was looking for some facts. Again, the person writing was constantly being all “not that this game is important anyway” and like! I literally don’t care if you don’t like the game that’s not what I’m here for!!! Heck the website even had some misinformation on the page too saying that Christopher was Simon’s grandson in that “or whatever, it doesn’t matter” kind of tone! Like!!!!! Shut up!!!!!!!!!!!! I am here for factual information! Not a review!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

It’s just absolutely annoying and now I don’t even know what I’m supposed to do in CV64 cause I can barely process what this guy is saying ugh.

[brinnanza]

i identify as a lesbian and that's not wrong because I like woman in a profoundly gay way and I recognize that I'm going to be gendered female because of my appearance and I'm apathetic enough about it to allow it except in my presence and sometimes even then but the way I feel about gender In General extends completely to all other aspects of my life like sure woman are hot in a way that I don't typically feel about men but also I do find butch masculinity wildly attractive when it's done on purpose and I think it's just that I like when people color outside the lines if I'm gonna be a weird queer freak then I'm gonna be a Weird Queer Freak and I've become So About It that I'm like... offended?? when people assume I'm doing something regular and normal?? like it's very very important to me that everyone knows I am doing All This aggressively On Purpose I Know that many things would make me more paletable to Most People but I'm not interested in being more palteable I am interested in finding other weird queer freaks!!!!

anyway all that to say that I sometimes get Quite In My Head about the fact that I am doing this Situationship with a straight man who is simultaneously 1. very comfortable with his gender and sexuality as a straight man 2. wildly attracted to me and 3. not thinking of me as a woman because both of the people IN the situationship are very aware this is all very queer I am aware that it Appears oftentimes to be just yknow regular heterosexuality

which is also why it really grinds my gears when chronically online teenagers and adults who should know better are like "this is the only way to be queer" and get all het up about like dykes fucking fags or whatever like babes you're just reinventing the same boxes the cis heteropatriarchy already wants to put us in. put down the iron bars come outside we're all doing drag and making out in the soft, soft grass under the warm bright sun