#thanks for telling me about this game

[nightcitydays]

[kenzan-brainrot-mp4]

My ass has Not been drawing because I'm trying to get through Infinite Wealth as fast as possible but oughh kazumaji, oh the way things change

The fact that these two scenes are 16 Years Apart is crazy.

The fact that it took 16 years, 5 games, and countless instances of Kiryu leaving for Majima to finally just outright tell him "don't leave", whereas before he would've just stayed quiet.

The fact that Majima stayed silent in Yakuza 3 when Kiryu was leaving to live a new, free life while leaving Majima to take care of his responsibilities, meanwhile in IW he speaks up when Kiryu leaves to go throw his remaining life away for the yakuza while leaving the 3jimas to their quiet (if admittedly miserable) new lives. ohhh they make me sick

[vaguely-concerned]

To the ‘themes I am picking up on in Veilguard’ list, let's go ahead and add what I have a sneaking suspicion will actually turn out to be The theme:

— the world has changed and can never be as it was again.

— I have been changed and can never be who I was again.

— in this simple unavoidable truth there is endless grief and endless hope.

And I… may be getting a bit emotional about it haha. Let me show my work a bit: 

if da:o is a game about people who are already dead or half ghosts in some form (through societal forces, psychologically, functionally, literally, in body, through the joining etc.) coming together anyway to save the world from being swallowed by total nihilism and despair (symbolized by the blight) through the power of love and friendship and also this sword/potential heroic sacrifice that I found, da2 is a game about people who have lost their homes and been set adrift finding and building new homes in each other (while completely failing to save the world. also through the power of love and friendship. as well as years of petty bickering <3 we must imagine kirkwall if not happy then worth having been because the love was there the love was there and that's the only sanctifying force we can ever have in this doomed world and city of ours), and da:i is a game about old stabilizing-but-unjust comfortable lies vs. disruptive but potentially liberating uncomfortable truths, and the power of friendship to help us distinguish the one from the other and navigate through them...

folks… I'm starting to think that veilguard might be a game specifically about moving towards recovery and acceptance after trauma — about how even in this flawed, severed, scarred state, what is here right now is worth loving and worth caring for. even in an imperfect and impermanent world and self, there is worth and joy. and of course the first real tragedy — and threat — of Solas is that he just cannot find it in himself to accept this and move on, to let go of what was, the regret won’t let him go or he won’t let go of it. which means that even though on the surface it’s Elgar’nan and Ghilan’nain (and the will to subjugate and violate they represent) who are the main villains, the real antagonistic force in this story beneath that is the Dread Wolf’s despair. A despair Rook must make an answer to by the end of the game, one way or another, compassionately or with righteous fury, triumphant or pyrrhic.

The world will change again and again and so will you — BUT the crucial element is that so will everyone else who exists along with you, you are fundamentally not alone in this existential truth. all we’ll ever have is each other and my god that is plenty, my god that is enough!!! Which is the second thing Solas just can’t accept, he keeps himself separate and completely alone out of an awful mix of fear and pride and feeling himself unworthy of anything else. Rook and the player want to save the world of Thedas because it’s where everyone we love lives, Solas wants to go back to the past because that’s the only neighbourhood where he can still visit those he loved — and the person he himself was, before. A very sympathetic and human instinct/trap to fall into when touched by trauma, I think, if only it wasn’t backed by godlike power, a fundamentally oppositional personality, and a catastrophic lack of therapy to make it literally everyone else’s problem too lol. It’s varric and solas’ banter about the man on the island and where meaning in a life comes from all over again, writ large and with detail work — and the added idea of ‘what if there are also other islands out there, though. With other people on them that you could find if you reach for each other’. Rook with the best of intentions has to make choices to which there are no perfect outcomes and live with what happens — and not cut themselves off from everyone else around them even when there is regret or shame. You get back up every day and you make a life with other people doing the same and you do your best, and that’s the only victory this world will give you. In the end, that is more than enough, that is essential. And I um. I love that. So much. It’s why some of the writing clumsiness on top can’t hurt me because this thematic spine is so solid and so beautiful to me. It’s DA2 all over again that way for me personally — I forgive this story for what it isn’t and couldn’t be, and I love it with my whole stupid open heart for what it actually is. Thank you for coming to my TED-talk and goodbye etc.      

(For my fellow TLT heads out there — you know what this story is reminding me of most of all, actually? It has some big Nona the Ninth vibes down there in the deep. It’s about… the horror and unspeakable beauty that can only be found in liminality, and the role of love in making that basic fact of existence bearable. And also even more unbearable at the same time. I'm so sorry.)

[creacherkeeper]

is this old religion, are we calling it love?

{sweet movie, alisha dietzman / @gaphic / tiktok / @iamalivenow / on earth we're briefly gorgeous, ocean vuong / @manywinged / these violent delights, micah nemerever / the reader, bernhard schlink (trans. carol brown janeway) / hestitations outside the door, margaret atwood / a self-portrait in letters, anne sexton}

[ID: ten images of text together in a litstack

1: Confession: I will think of you forever

2: a post by gaphic: It’s only tragedy if you convince yourself, for even just a moment, that everything could be ok, despite knowing it won’t be. Tragedy lies in ‘so close, yet so far.’ It’s avoidable because it would only take a tiny alteration to prevent disaster, but human nature is in the way- not maliciously, not knowingly, despite trying so hard.

3: a tiktok comment and answer: Are they lovers? / Worse

4: a post by iamalivenow: gay sex won't fix this. it'll probably make this worse. that being said don't you want to see how much worse it can get?

5: Sometimes being offered tenderness feels like the very proof that you've been ruined.

6: tags from manywinged: #technically they know and understand each other better than anyone else alive #but they communicate that in the most fucked up insane unnecessarily complicated way and think thats normal

7: I don't think you've ever felt anything that didn't hurt you. / We've found each other, out of everyone else in the world. Does that hurt, too?

8: "I'm not used to being loved. I wouldn't know what to do."

9: Should we go into it together / If I go into it with you I will never come out

10: of course the love is there. / still, / still, / still.

end ID]

[almostfoxglove]

I wish you would write a fic where reader works at the DEA and a little office romance ensues… 👀

part II

ooooooooh honey you know I'm into this. but listen. you go after him, and he falls first. you've worked one floor below the javier peña for a year and, well, we know word gets around. girls chat. you've seen him strutting around, flashing that stare that turns knees to jelly just on cue generously and often. and while he might've taken a half-hearted swing at flirting with you when you first started, he's in the field and you're behind a desk, and your paths seldom cross. you've never really spoken more than a few words. he deals with your desk mate if he needs something from your department, or he sends murphy.

but it's been a while, and you're pent up. maybe you've had a string of god-awful dates or maybe you're just horny and want a reliable fuck. you want to come. enter: javier. he's got the reputation, and if he's even half as good as people say you're pretty much guaranteed an alright time, so when you catch him working late one night, you proposition him and end up going home together.

he lives up to the hype, to your surprise. mission accomplished. frustration spent.

then a week later he's pacing around outside your cubicle, smoking, except he isn't waiting for your coworker - he's waiting for you. he snuffs the last couple drags of his cigarette when he catches sight of you, mumbles something about seeing you again under his breath, and you figure, what the hell? he's good in bed and he's not looking for anything past that - that works for you. you don't want to date anyone, let alone a coworker, but you're down for a good time.

it works for you.

unfortunately for javier, it works less and less for him as time goes on. not that he says anything - he sure as fuck can't stay away. and at first he doesn't know exactly why he doesn't feel the urge to see his usual girls as often anymore. why it doesn't feel quite as good to flirt with the new hire, even though she's plenty pretty. he just knows that he can't stop thinking about the girl downstairs and fuck, he doesn't want to. he wants to see you. comes up with all these dumbass excuses to go down and walk by your desk. stays later and later at the embassy in the hopes of catching you on your way out, praying you're free. willing. that you aren't sick of him yet.

and when he puts together why exactly his heart won't calm the fuck down whenever he catches a glimpse of you or gets a draft of your perfume in his apartment, it is much, much too late to go back. he's screwed.

✉️ I wish you would write...

[minticecodes]

hfdjs. I found that first coloured drawing of baby Alucard in my files and was suddenly compelled to draw a bunch of Aria of Sorrow family doodles. That first drawing was made 10 Apr 2023...(it is 20 Apr 2025 now).

IDs are in the alt but they're going under the cut too with closeups.

ID: Coloured doodle of a smiling child Adrian Fahrenheit Tepes, in a little sweater vest with a neck bow. He's smiling so wide you can see fangs. Beside him is a doodle of him as a blueish wolf pup, with its tail wagging. Next to Adrian is a poorly drawn Soma staring at nothing, and mentally he is a loading symbol. 'Congratulations! You're a single father' labels the Soma doodle. End ID]

Also. This was definitely inspired by the fic 'Father of Mine' by TheTurtleFromHell.

[ID: Topdown view of Soma and Adrian sleeping on a couch. Soma's fluffy coat is draped over them like a blanket (it covers Adrian more). They're hugging in their sleep, Adrian tucked into Soma's chest; Adrian has a pained expression, and clutches at Soma's shirt. There's a conversation written next to them:

Soma: Hey, what's wrong?

Adrian: I had a bad dream.

Soma: Want to talk about it?

Adrian: There was a fire...and..you and mother weren't there.

Soma: Then I'll stay here. That way, the dream won't come back. That okay?

Adrian: It is. End ID]

[ID: Part two of the above conversation.

Adrian: I really missed you.

The image switches from the couch to a closeup of Dracula's death. Dracula slumps against Alucard, face unseen, Alucard's sword run bloody through his back. Alucard supports the dying Dracula, face tucked into his shoulder, his one visible eye horrified. He clutches at Dracula's back.

Adrian: I hope this isn't the dream. End ID]

[ID: Mina and Adrian reading a book together on a couch. Mina's pointing to words on the page with a gentle smile.

Mina: This one is Amaterasu, the sun goddess. There's a famous legend about her and a cave...

Adrian: Mhm!

End ID]

[ID: 4 panel comic of Mina and Adrian.

Adrian, holding up a paper: Miss Hakuba! I drew this for you!

Mina, enthused: Really?!

The drawing is shown, Adrian's eager expression peeking out behind it.

Mina: Is that me as Sailor Mars?

Adrian: yes!

Mina: It's so good! You must've worked hard, I'm so proud of you! (the word 'proud' is underlined)

Adrian has a sudden look of surprise/alarm, before fat tears trail down his cheeks.

Mina, worried and reaching out: Adrian? What's wrong?

Adrian: I--*hic*--I don't know...

End ID]

[shkika]

Since my wrist is killing me and I can't draw, have my ramblings about machines having souls and being able to become husks and also just Ultrakill thoughts! Predictions about the ending if you squint??

im just having fun here

Like I'm so deranged about how machines being intelligent and actually conscious is handled in Ultrakill. The build-up, even if accidental(?), is SO SO CLEVER and gradual (as gradual as ultrakill can get). How that fits into the overall narrative and how the tragedy of this game manages to be so awesome??

First with how I love the way "Machines are living beings" idea is handled. It starts from the introduction and establishes the world so well in so few words it's so lovely. You get introduced to the machines as war weapons. They need blood to survive and humanity has been eradicated. That's all you need to know.

You start with the basic information that these machines don't want to die. Which makes sense, it doesn't have to mean they are actually alive. It makes sense a machine would look for any way possible to keep itself running to continue doing it's job.

And then immediately in the prelude you meet the Swordsmachine. A part of a specific group of machines the terminal calls "scrapheads" which modify their own bodies. While at first that does not ring as anything that's especially noteworthy. A machine trying to upgrade itself is nothing unheard of. It's to be better, stronger, more efficient.

Except that's not exactly what the Swordmachine design is about according to the game. It is mentioned to have very impressive combat prowess compared to other machines, however what it is also referred to as is "beautiful". The design is appreciated almost like a piece of art. And some of it's parts don't even wield a practical purpose, the mentioned example being it's voice box.

It is not ONLY about utility. It is also about art!!

Alright. That's interesting. Let's give an even more outrageous example. Skipping Limbo for now, there is lust where we are introduced to Mindflayers. Which?? Are so wild??? And mysterious? We don't know what and when they were made for (ALTHOUGH I VERY MUCH HAVE HEADCANONS ABOUT IT) their bodies are described as completely seperate and useless to the machine. And yet it is stated they act very lovingly and take care of their bodies. So much so in fact that they SELF-DESTRUCT if it is harmed.

V2 in the first fight is a rival to you as any other machine, however once it's arm is stripped away from V1 the confrontation becomes PERSONAL. The second fight is not simply about the lack of resources anymore. It is to reclaim what was lost. Whether that be the arm or something else. Even the very terminal entry itself calls it revenge.

And of course. With Violence it is revealed that with all of this. Machines can also make other forms of art like poetry. Which is even more interesting is that the machine which did that was first EVER machine to use blood mind you. An extremely old design, yet it could make art to express it's feelings.

Machines are capable of modifying, changing, expressing and LOVING themselves. They make art and some are frequently seen attacking you in groups! Those are clearly intelligent beings. And I mean. Duh. everyone playing Ultrakill knows that. Obviously. Like. Yeah.

So then why isn't the fact that these walking weapons probably have souls more discussed? What makes a soul? Why would machines not have them? If they can do all that people can on an emotional level.

And what happens when these machines die? What exactly is stopping them from ending up hell? Obviously heaven is unobtainable. Their very reason for existence, is to cause pain and suffering. The means through which they need to keep themselves alive is to cause suffering. It makes sense they'd all become hells beloved children. Doing what is in their nature is an art form to it.

What's even more is that the game itself supports the idea that some are souls. Surely hell cannot create them since everything made by hell are demons, which are very easy to recognize by the stone exterior.(?? unless im wrong??)

And there is no feasible way for machines like the Guttermen and Earthmovers to be their actual living counterparts. On a basic level they LACK the means to be alive. The people inside the Guttermen need to be alive in order for them to function. When opening them in-game they are just skeletons. Nobody has been supplying them with blood for a long time. Because it's hell. The game itself states that death is a luxury in hell. It does not happen easy.

Earthmovers need sunlight to power them. And the game specifically put them in an area that is clouded. There is none to be seen in violence. No they are just trapped in place, forced to shoot each other for all of eternity.

Machines, when they die… go to hell! Probably!

Some of the machines you kill, perhaps reccuring enemies go to hell (Thank u l@/little-tornad0 for the addition hehe)

When you die.

You respawn! Hell keeps you going. Hell wants torture. Hell wants bloodshed. Hell wants entertainment and you are the purest form of it.

It makes me think a lot about the potential ending of the game. About the themes. I don't think this means inherently that hell is a perfect self-sustaining organism that can go on like this forever. Gabriel says machines are destroying it and leaving nothing behind. Things are clearly going south in some way. And it'd fit the themes better if it was all going to uh.. hell lol. If it was all going to collapse. From the main theme of the game literally being "The fire is gone" to the name of the last chapter literally being named "Godfist suicide"

Also for what it's worth the Mirage secret is awesome meta-commentary on the idea that everything will die. Everything is destined to end. It is up to you how your each that end.

I think this is what Ultrakill will kind of be about at the end maybe. Gabriel will die out with a bang doing what he wants.

V1 itself is clearly NOT killing efficiently to survive, but for fun. Before it all ends. It's going out with a bang.

And with no new humans or machines that can enter hell in the long run. Perhaps it's very being too will decide it wants to go out with a bang.

In short. uh machines have souls. everything will die but not in a sad way. but in a very cool awesome way. thats pr awesomesauce

[uwudonoodle]

I played my first Zelda game when I was 27 years old.

I consider myself a lifelong Zelda fan. Let me explain:

Growing up, my boomer parents bought into the whole, "video games rot your brain," propaganda of the 90's. They didn't want to spend the money on it, nor did they want us wasting hours slaying pixel mosters. But my older siblings (I have 3 who are around 20 years older than me, yes, I'm the baby) had their own money to spend. My brother had his own TV in his room, and an original NES. Me and my nephew (he's only a year younger than me, did I mention I was the baby?) used to sit on my brother's bed and watch him play. I was fascinated by it. My brother primarily liked combat games, but my favorite of his was Mario and Duck Hunt.

When my brother moved out, he gave his NES to my nephew, because his mom (my oldest sister) didn't have any qualms about her kid playing video games. My sister and nephew lived with us for many years. I got to watch his passion and collection of video games blossom, while almost never getting to take part myself. My parents were fine with me watching him play, but didn't want me participating very much. So aside from the few short games where I got to be player 2, I was only an observer.

My older sister, who also liked playing her son's games sometimes, got him The Legend of Zelda. It was the best game I had seen so far. The story was everything I loved. You could be a hero, and carry a special sword, and save the kingdom and the princess. You could explore and discover so many amazing things in Hyrule. It was so exciting to me. I only got to see snipets of it though. The game was a little difficult for a 4 and 5 year old, and his mom couldn't always be there to help us (or read the text for us). My sister eventually got Link's Awakening on the GameBoy, so she could play it uninterrupted while leaving the bigger console to her son to play easier games. (To this day, Link's Awakening on GameBoy, in black and white, is her favorite game in the world.) I sometimes watched her play GameBoy over her shoulder, so I could see what happened to Link. I never got to see the full story for either game, but I always worried about the fate of Hyrule.

When I was 11, my sister and nephew moved across town. I still visited them all the time. At this point, I might have gotten away with actually playing the games, as my parents might not have found out, but I was too shy in my abilities by then. All my peers had spent years learning to use controllers and do combat. I was still like a drunk 4 year old when handed a controller. I still liked video games, but was more content to watch others play rather than make a fool of myself. Plus, the best games were usually single player, whuch my nephew played, because it was hos Nintendo. I just enjoyed watching him play Mario while I cheered from the sidelines.

In the summer of '99, my nephew got a new game for his N64 - a new Legend of Zelda game. I was over the moon. For weeks, I spent nearly every day at his house, helping him through dungeons. Ocarina of Time was so much cooler than the bits of old Zelda games I remembered. Not only was it a beautiful environment, but Princess Zelda was a real character. I wanted to be her for Halloween so badly.

I helped my nephew through the 3 first dungeons in the game, and fell in love with the land of Hyrule and the characters even more than before. It was my comfort game, even though it wasn't mine.

School started up again, and I was so busy, weeks went by before I was able to visit my nephew again. But I daydreamed about Hyrule all the time. The first time I was able to see my nephew again, I excitedly asked if we could please play Zelda. I was desperate to know what happened in the story. I stupidly hadn't realized that he'd continue playing it on his own. Understandable, but I nonetheless felt betrayed. I loved this story so much, but was once against reminded it wasn't mine.

He pulled up the game to show me where he was at. Link was suddenly older, and Hyrule looked different. Everything was dark. The charming land I loved was gone, with storm clouds and redeads in their place. Without any context for how the story changed so drastically, I didn't feel like playing much anymore. He finished the game without me.

As me and my nephew got older, we got busier, and had less time to play games together. A few years later, my sister and nephew moved out of state. He was one of my only connections to video games. After he left, I only occasionally encountered games at friend's houses, but anytime I tried to play, they made fun of how terrible I was. People laughed at me for driving into the walls in Mario Kart, and enjoyed using me as target practice in FPS. I eventually declined any invitation to play games with people. I was only good at watching them, so that's what I did.

Throughout high school, my ears would prick up whenever I heard someone mention Zelda. I told them I was a big fan, but they'd blow me off when they heard I'd never actually played it. I heard about the releases of Wind Waker, Twilight Princess, and Skyward Sword. I'd ask people what the games were like, but resigned myself to the face that I'd probably never see them. Even so, Zelda was always in the back of my mind. I thought about buying Hyrule Historia just so I could have some connection to the story I loved.

When I was 26, I started dating a guy who was an avid gamer. I told him I didn't play, but asked what his favorite games were. When he said Zelda, my eyes lit up, and I told him that was my very favorite game! He, of course, looked very confused until I explained. He invited me to play games with him even though he unfortunately didn't have any working consoles that had Zelda on them. But he still wanted to play with me. It took a lot of coaxing, but he was the first person who was patient with me while I learned the controls. He showed me lots of cool indie games on Steam, and got me a few mobile games I could play myself.

It was a start, but video games had gotten so much more complicated and expensive. I wanted to be a proper gamer, but it was difficult to justify the cost to get started, or the time it would take to learn when I had a full time job and bills to worry about. Then one day, my coworker who was trying to get rid of some things, posted a used N64 for sale, and one of the games that came with it was Ocarina of Time. I counted the money I had leftover after paying my bills, and went for it.

I had moved back in with my parents by this time, but what were they going to do? I was grown, and had my own money for video games. I snuck that N64 up to my room giggling all the way. After some trial and error, I got it hooked up to my TV. I about cried when I heard the title music. I was finally going to play Zelda! And I had the privacy to screw up as much as I wanted as I learned the controls.

It took me more than 4 hours to get through the Deku Tree, but I was having the time of my life! I had snacks, a blankey, a sweaty controller in my hand, and I was playing Zelda! I was a gamer!

When I came down to have dinner with my parents, they asked me what I was doing up there for so long. I finally confessed that I had bought my first video game and was happily playing it. My mom rolled her eyes, and my dad put his head in his hands. He said, "All these years of keeping you away from that stuff, and now you've brought it into our own home." I laughed and told them I could do whatever I wanted now. They rolled their eyes at me, then left me to play.

Unfortunately I got stuck in Jabu Jabu. My beginner skills were not up for any difficulty curve, and my aged controller had a lot of drift. I called my gamer boyfriend over, and he helped me through it. I didn't want to wait anymore to see the story, so I had him play through the hard parts, while I farmed for ruppees and supplies when he was at school. Over the next few weeks, I finally got to see the game that had haunted me for more than 15 years.

Even in all that time, even after I had joined social media and followed multiple Zelda pages, I somehow never had the ending of Ocarina spoiled for me. My boyfriend kept it under wraps too, so the reveal that Sheik was Zelda... I FREAKED THE FUCK OUT! All this time Princess Zelda was even cooler than I had thought! I finally met my childhood hero, and she was better than I imagined. I couldn't believe they had made a princess that badass in 1998. I still loved Hyrule, and Link was so cool, and Zelda was amazing, and my fairy tale story was everything I wanted it to be.

I later married my gamer. (Us with our matching Zelda hoodies. We wear them when we want to be an extra obnoxious couple.)

Breath of the Wild had come out around this time, and we both really wanted it, but couldn't afford it. A few years later when we had some more spending money, I suggested a new game console, and hinted that we could play the Zelda together again. He came home with a Switch and BOTW. I was scared to play it, as these were totally new and very sensitive controllers. So he played the main story bits while I watched. On my own, I practiced how to control the camera. Combat still scared me, but I suffered through so I could explore. I think I climbed every tree on the Great Plateau, lol. I loved foraging for ingredients and cooking new foods.

We eventually finished the BOTW together, and I was in love with it even more than Ocarina. I tried to play BOTW more on my own, but eventually gave up. I didn't think I could fight Lynels or Guardians, plus I was an adult now and had bigger priorities.

When we heard there was going to be a sequel, I was ecstatic. As the date got closer for Tears of the Kingdom, I realized this was the first time in my life I'd get to play a Zelda game on release day. I knew I needed to get better so I could play it along with the rest of the world. With 100 days left, I made a goal that I would restart and complete BOTW all by myself.

I played a few hours every day. Even though I had to look up tips and tutorials sometimes, I got better. I not only finished the game, I 100% it with just a few hours to spare before TOTK came out.

It was amazing being able to take part in the online chatter and news about TOTK, instead of sitting on the sidelines wishing I could be involved. And I was able to play it myself this time, without help. It was wonderful, and I loved the game so much.

It wasn't until after I beat TOTK that I joined Tumblr. When Echoes of Wisdom was announced, I got to be part of the building excitement within the fandom for the first time - the trailer reactions, the memes, all us fangirls screaming at finally being able to play as Zelda.

I played the Link's Awakening remake to prepare myself, and finally got to play as my princess on release day. (I still haven't finished EoW because adult life happened, but I still adore tiny Zelda, and will definitely finish it here soon.)

I've now played 4 Zelda games, completed 3, 100% 1, partially played 1, and watched my husband play 3 more. I've also watched playthroughs on YouTube of nearly every mainline Zelda game (plus the CDI games). I'm excited about what I still have to discover (I long to see Spirit Tracks, and husband's favorite game - Majora's Mask). I'm still working on improving my gaming skills, but I can't wait to see what the franchise holds in the future.

I'm a lifelong fan, because I never forgot that little pixel hero I saw as a kid. I'm grateful I got to grow up to be that hero, and now I'm writing my own chapter with my fanfic. I love being part of this fandom. Because fandom is about love, and I have always loved Zelda.

[cacaocheri]

You should in fact infodump about poptropica, also have you considered doing a DCA Poptropica crossover to unite the interests together?

1) I love you so much dude I hope you're doing well 2) poptropica infodump would take AGES this thing has lore so I will spare you a ramble for now 3) I . HAVE NOT. BUT COULD YOU IMAGINE SUN AND MOON WITH THE BIG BOBBLE HEADS

no? because I can

oh my god they look so much more cursed than I expected I'm laughing my ass off

[lena-thinks-too-much]

Cass for the hc ask? Please?

okay so I love cass, she is literally my icon and my idol and everything I want to be.

The first time Cass gets catcalled in public, she genuinely doesn't know it's directed towards her or even what half of what they're saying means. It makes her feel unfomfortable sure, but being percieved in general makes her uncomfortable and she's still figuring out how to deal with it. It's only when she tries to describe the experience to Babs that she finds out that it's a bad thing. Babs tells her to just ignore it and not give them the time of day because they're just trying to get a reaction. Cass of course takes this advice and anytime it happens again she just brushes it off and doesn't even pay them a single thought.

This works for a while, but one day while out with Steph, some asshole catcalls the two girls and Steph flips him off without even looking at him as they pass by. This pisses the guy off but when he tries to grab Steph by the shoulder, Cass already has the guy pinned on the ground and his wrist is fractured in her grip.

After this day, Cass decides she's just going to fight every catcaller she comes across. Barbra isn't exactly a fan of this plan but she doesn't do anything to stop her. The number of catcallers in gotham rapidly decreases because everyone prefers their bones intact.

[xxplastic-cubexx]

Mr. Cube I have a question of utmost importance for you as literally the only Magneto main I know of. HOW... DO YOU PLAY HIM. Do you have any tips. I want to look at him.

So You Want To Be Pretty OK As Magneto In Marvel Rivals

(3 March, 2025) a beginner's guide written by your resident magneto main snapperoni because now i get an excuse to talk about marvel rivals magneto extensively and in gross detail

*this guide will be treating you as though you have never used magneto in your life and will go into extreme depths at explaining his abilities as well as what it means to be a tank player. if you feel confident in understanding his abilities, feel free to skip the abilities section and head straight to the bottom for talk on strategy and tips

TABLE OF CONTENTS:

TLDR ROLE INTRODUCTION ABILITIES Melee/Greatsword Primary Fire/Iron Volley Secondary Fire/Mag Cannon Metallic Curtain Metal + Iron Bulwark [TEAM-UP ABILITY] Metallic Fusion [ULTIMATE] Meteor M [PASSIVE] Magnetic Descent TIPS AND STRATEGIES Iron Volley + Mag Cannon Combo Bubble and Shield Usage Two Tanks Are Better Than One Metallic Fusion How to Use Meteor M CLOSING THOUGHTS

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Too Long, Didn't Read:

Magneto is a poke tank meant to be played at medium-to-close range whose priorities should lie in acting as a living wall for his teammates. preserving his abilities mostly for himself yet sharing them when the situation calls for it.

While his priorities should be defense-based, when it comes to going on the offensive you want him to target strategists and duelists and only engage in tanks if the rest of the team is with you. As far as aiming goes, he's very friendly and isn't hitscan reliant, and you should find yourself picking up his aim style easily with time.

He's not a super flashy character like the rest of the cast, but he's far from useless and, at this moment in time, stands as one of Rival's best tank options alongside Doctor Strange and Hulk, whether you're running two tanks or running solo.

Overall, the two-star difficulty he is awarded is very fitting: available to newcomers to pick up and start playing, however offers a little something extra to those with a better understanding of him; he's generally straight forward as far as tanks go, but picking up a few extra tips and tidbits never hurt anyone. Except your enemies, of course.

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Role Introduction: Vanguard/Tank

As a vanguard unit, Magneto's top priority should be taking the brunt of the team's damage on the front line and should give the team either opportunities to push forward, or shoot behind the cover you provide.

With 650HP (without shields), while he has average health for a vanguard, his defensive kit allows him to be a formidable wall when his abilities are used tactfully and you work in tandem with your support/s. Unlike dive tanks like Venom and Captain America, Magneto is much more stationary, and his kit rewards playing defensively and close to the team.

A common misconception with FPS games is that your top priority is to get the most eliminations as possible and to exclusively hunt for the next kill (unless that is the objective of the specific map you're playing on, then kill away). There are several errors with this philosophy: for starters, you begin to neglect the objective, which can lead to a game loss.

The amount of kills you have won't matter if you stay off point and the other team takes the objective. No matter what anyone says, don't stress about your eliminations so long as you know you're protecting your team, securing the point, and overall providing value to the game (though it is important to be able to land a shot....).

Moreover, playing under this philosophy is a sure-fire way to not only get you killed and remove your time away from the field (which should truly be your game philosophy: die as little as possible), but specifically as a tank you'll bring your teammates down with you as they lose what should be a reliable line of defense. As a tank, you should be opening up opportunities for your teammates to get the eliminations and protecting your strategist/support units.

All of that said, tank is not for the passive player: as tank, you need to be firm about the playing field being yours and making sure the enemy team knows they're going to have a hard time taking it from you. Fitting for Magneto, really.

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Ability Review

Before dissecting Magneto's abilities, I will preface and say I calculated his damage using Doctor Strange (600HP) and Scarlet Witch (250HP) as damage dummies. The numbers I have here may not be accurate, so to circumvent this potential error I'll describe how many shots it takes to use a specific skill in order to eliminate certain enemies.

Melee/Greatsword

Attack speed: ~1 second

Damage Output: 40 (About seven swings to KO a 250HP enemy)

Utilizing Doom Bot remains, Magneto swings with a grandiose blade. The problem with this sword is it's not only one of- if not the- slowest melees in the game as of right now, but it has very little to compensate for its poor speed. Should very rarely be used in place of a well-aimed primary fire.

Primary Fire/Iron Volley

Reload time: ~1 Second

Damage Output:

Direct Damage: 80 (About four shots to KO a 250HP enemy)

Edge Damage: 40 (About seven shots to KO a 250HP enemy)

Fall-Off Damage: 40 (About seven shots to KO a 250HP enemy)

Magneto's Iron Volley asks that you lead/predict your shots. Moreover, his Iron Volley will explode automatically once reaching 25M(eters), whether it hits a target or not. At 25M, your shot will no longer do 80 damage, but will do half instead. As noted before, Magneto's primary fire will explode when it comes into contact with a wall, floor, or enemy. As such, the explosion has a small hitbox- doing just about half of a regular, direct shot. Because of this, you shouldn't be too stressed if you're not the greatest at aiming: Magneto's primary fire makes up for any minor imperfections and is rather generous so long as you're in the general area of your target.

Secondary Fire/Mag-Cannon

Reload Time (Without Bulwark Aid):

One Ring: ~4 Seconds

Two Rings: ~8 Seconds

Full Power: ~12 Seconds

Damage Output:

One Ring: 40 (About seven shots to KO a 250HP enemy)

Two Rings: 80 (About four shots to KO a 250HP enemy)

Three Rings/Full Power: 100 (About three shots to KO a 250HP enemy)

Edge Damage: N/A

Similar to Iron Volley, you will need to lead your shot when firing off a Mag-Cannon. Unlike his primary fire however, Magneto's secondary fire will keep going until it hits a wall or enemy. Moreover, it doesn't suffer any damage fall-off, nor does it offer any edge damage. How many rings you possess show both on Magneto physically, but they can also be tracked by the purple arrows below your crosshair. As a bonus, the Mag-Cannon momentarily stuns and pushes back any targets it hits which can either cancel an enemy's advancement, or open the floor for a follow-up attack.

Metallic Curtain

Recharge Time: 3 Seconds

Replenish-to-Full Time: 10 Seconds

Duration: 1.5 Seconds

Shield HP: N/A

Putting up an impenetrable wall just shy of two seconds allows Magneto and his allies to pull back safely from oncoming damage or provide just enough cover to make an adequate push forward. Not to mention, this indestructible wall scoffs in the face of any ult coming your way. Once the shield has been spent, a white bar will appear on the right side of your crosshair. This bar indicates how long you can hold your shield up the next time you use it before it's fully charged, where then the bar will fade. Finally, you can put your shield down early. While this means you'll have to wait the full three seconds for it to be available again, this means your shield will have more durability the next time you use it.

Metal Bulwark + Iron Bulwark

Recharge Time: 12 seconds

Duration: ~3 Seconds

Shield HP: To be calculated, but it does exist: be cautious of the damage you and your teammates take.

Magneto can spring a magnetic bubble over either himself or an ally. The bubble not only negates any incoming damage and protects allies from Scarlet Witch's Reality Erasure, but once the bubble has popped or faded Magneto will regain some Mag Cannon rings relative to the damage absorbed.

[TEAM-UP ABILITY] Metallic Fusion/Chaos

Recharge Time: 30 seconds

Duration: 10 seconds

Damage Output:

Direct Damage: 100 (About six shots to KO a 600HP enemy)

Edge Damage: N/A

Being his only team-up ability as of writing this post, this father-daughter duo ability allows Magneto to fire at an impressive 100 damage per second as he finally finds use in his otherwise-inadequate greatsword, adding a truly dangerous ability to his typically defensive kit. It's as though every shot taken was a Mag Cannon with a wider hitbox- however this hitbox varies from being vertical or horizontal and thus can be a little unpredictable if you aren't aiming carefully. Is used best at medium-close range, but don't neglect its potential to snipe enemies from across the map.

[ULTIMATE] Meteor M

Duration: 4 Seconds

Magnetic Range:

Lowest to the ground: 30M

Nearest to the skybox: 5M

Damage Output (No Charge):

Edge: 150 (About over half of a 250HP enemy's health bar)

Direct: 300 (About half of a 600HP enemy's health bar)

Damage Threshold Before Explosion: To be calculated, however can be tracked by the counter below the crosshair

Automatically floating into the air, Magneto stays true to his name and acts as a magnet for all incoming projectiles; extracting enemy projectiles to build the power of his metal meteor and granting Magneto the ability to float freely, Magneto's ultimate doubles both as an offensive and defensive ability. You're able to see your magnetic field + blast radius by observing the purple ring on the ground. Remember: you can rise and descend freely so long as your ultimate is up, use this wisely. I affectionately refer to the meteor as "rock", however this ultimate has garnered a reputation for not doing as much as some believe it should. Hopefully this guide helps you in ensuring your meteors make the impact they deserve.

[PASSIVE] Magnetic Descent

Manipulating the magnetic field around him, Magneto decreases his fall speed by 50% when holding the jump button. Nuff said. People have a hard time aiming up in FPS's so if you find yourself with the opportunity to float around a bit (especially using Rocket's jump pack) then by all means terrorize from above as you descend.

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Tips and Strategy

Iron Volley + Mag Cannon Combo

A basic tip, but a valuable one nonetheless. To eliminate an enemy with 250HP- assuming you land all your shots directly- it takes about 3 seconds, four shots. Again, this is assuming you hit all your shots and if the enemy doesn't regenerate any health. Alternatively, utilizing the PRIMARY-SECONDARY-PRIMARY combo allows you to not only stun an opponent with your secondary fire, but it should take nearly half of the time spent then if you only used primary fires, so make sure to use your secondary shots responsibly. Remember that your primary fire has, at max, 25M of utility: afterwards, it won't be able to do much. Fine for picking off low-health enemies while they're fleeing, but don't expect to hit any enemies close to the skybox or far away from you without moving in a little bit first- that's what your secondary fire's for. As Magneto, your targets should be squishy characters like support and DPS. Because of his relatively-slow DPS, Magneto doesn't fair well against other tanks and shouldn't engage in 1v1's if possible (they're not unwinnable, but they could be a great distraction and leave your team vulnerable).

While I'm here, I'm just going to stress to not use your melee. Like. At all. You're much better just using your primary fire. At most you can set it up as Hulk's turning into Bruce if you'd like but that should really be it: your primary fire is much more effective than your sword.

Bubble and Shield Usage

As a tank, you want to act as a wall for your teammates, and this can be done effectively by being more conservative and selfish with your shields: you are the wall. Remember. Draw the enemy's fire towards you by being an irritant. While Magneto is healthy in shields, remember you have natural cover from stage obstacles and structures as well. Magneto can be regarded as a 'poke' tank: a tank who is meant to attack sporadically and in short bursts. He is best played at a medium distance from the enemy front line and to not to be wholly damage focused when he is much more defense focused. 'Poking' the enemy from behind structures is not only a great way to conserve your abilities, but it utilizes Magneto's primary and secondary fires well due to their moderately-slow start up and overall DPS, letting him take cover when need be.

While attacking on the front line, once you notice your health start to dip below half or you feel as though the crowd is about to overwhelm you, raise your Metallic Curtain and step back to give yourself some air. Bubble yourself as a last resort if you still need to back up- be sure to fire your Mag Cannon beforehand so you'll immediately have it replenished if your bubble pops during your escape. It's important to remember Magneto has zero movement abilities and it takes 5 seconds for him to traverse 30M: it doesn't sound too bad, but when there's a large crowd in front of you, you'll wish he could move faster. Don't push too far ahead, and be aware of exits around you.

That being said, be conscious of your teammates. This is a TEAM game after all. We've covered Magneto and Scarlet Witch's team-up ability before and how valuable it is. As a result, you'll need to learn to play well with any Scarlet Witches on your team, and this means having your bubble ready to protect her when she decides to ult (this also means making sure to check the scoreboard occasionally for your teammate's ult charge as well as, again, being ability-conscious of those around you). Only when she's in immediate danger do you bubble her, not before: this ensures the bubble lasts long enough for her to get her ult off (or there's a better chance it'll be executed, anyhow). If you feel as though you won't be able to react fast enough, then you can try to bubble her beforehand; don't stress out about timing the bubble perfectly, just make sure she's protected. In general, bubble your duelists when they're deep in a crowd to give them a chance to escape (but don't stress out about protecting them. After all, there's only so much you can do before you put yourself in danger or use a bubble inappropriately when someone else could have better benefited from it). Besides Wanda, it's naturally best to look after your support units and to make sure they're not being overwhelmed. Don't helicopter them and neglect the rest of the team, but just make sure to check on them every now and then. Ultimately, your bubble priority should be Supports -> Yourself -> Others. After all, your support/s can't help you or the team if they're dead.

Two Tanks Are Better Than One

Magneto has the fortitude to be able to tank by himself comfortably, however the rare days you find yourself partnered up with a second tank, know these are the days you can be more generous with your bubbles and shields to your teammates. Your second tank will help cover with you and should make it easier for you to escape the crowd when need be, so bubble-hogging is less of a necessity. Make sure to help your tank too if they're in a bind and they're out of defenses/movement abilities (but again, not at the detriment of yourself or your supports: once more, Magneto can tank by himself if need be so long as you use your abilities carefully).

Metallic Fusion

It's tempting to want to use Magneto and Scarlet Witch's team-up ability the second you have it, however it's best to save it for crowd control. That being said, once it is active, make the absolute most of it: there's no consequence to holding down the primary fire, so just let loose and go crazy (with reason, of course: don't run in and get yourself killed and don't forget your teammates).

How to Use Meteor M

Someone asked me this midmatch once and I scrambled to come up with an answer. Both because the round was about to start in five seconds but also because I truly didn't know the answer at the time. The longer I've played though, I think I finally have the answer- or a better one besides "spray and pray" at least. As noted before, Meteor M is a fickle ultimate and how you use it is dependent on the situation (many such cases about anything, honestly). At times, you'll want to play higher to the skybox to ensure your meteor doesn't explode immediately. Alternatively, a quick throw of the meteor might do the trick in some situations where it's both safe to build meteor charge close to the ground, and the faster you remove a target/s, the better. This is also dependent on how many projectiles are being thrown out onto the field: if you're in a situation with predominantly melee opponents, it's best to use your meteors to single-out troublesome duelists and supports- there's little chance your meteor's going to exceed 30+ charge in those kinds of matches. Generally, you'll want to use it to counter support ults like Cloak + Dagger and Luna Snow (NOTE: a raw meteor will NOT KO an ulting Luna. You need at least 30+ charge before a direct hit can KO her. Cloak + Dagger can be KO'd from the get-go with a direct hit). Don't be afraid to throw out a meteor if you see a cluster of low health/squishy enemies without any defenses, however. Just remember it's ok to hold onto an ult if it means it gets greater value later on, and that you shouldn't hunt exclusively for team wipes. If you find yourself popping ult and the crowd's dispersed, support units should be your default priority (unless there's a duelist/DPS unit using their ultimate: take them out instead if you can). Initiating Meteor against Punisher's Final Judgement can be tricky if you aren't fast enough, as Frank's ammunition will quickly push your meteor to its limit. If you don't throw your meteor fast enough, you could potentially risk your teammates their lives and waste an ultimate in the process. Use your meteor against Punisher with caution. Similar notes to be said about Star-Lord's Galactic Legend, only now your problem is also throwing at a flying enemy. If he's close enough to your 25M range, I personally would shoot him down with a regular primary/secondary as his DPS isn't nearly as grand as Punisher's and a meteor could be superfluous. Otherwise, focus on getting to cover and protecting your vulnerable teammates. You'll especially want to be wary of enemy tanks and their shields as they'll without a doubt cancel out your ult with ease, more specifically enemy Magneto's and Doctor Stranges. Be cautious that Captain America can deflect your ultimate, though I personally have had minimal trouble with Captains. In general, you should track enemy ability usage, but especially the prior two if you hope to pop your rock soon.

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Closing Thoughts

Ultimately, improving at Marvel Rivals in general comes with time and willingness to acknowledge you're bad at the game sometimes but to not let that stop you from playing who you wanna play, whether you're playing as Magneto or not. While you can do your best to improve your aim in Rivals' practice area, things like game sense are something that can only really be accumulated through experience and playing the game.

Sometimes I watch back old games/moments of mine to figure out where I could've gone wrong to improve next time, but you don't HAVE to do that: just play the game, have fun, and love Magneto.

And throw a rock at every support you see for me okbyethankyouforreading

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Bonus: My Credentials so you can determine if i'm reliable or not. or something.

[PS: every hero Not Mags/Wanda/Adam is purely my brother i swear im loyal]

[chibishortdeath]

I love making Simon my personal dress up doll <3

These are a bit old now, it’s been in drafts for a while cause I forgot about it, but eh.

Random explanations under a cut for funsies—

First one is pretty standard Simon fit stuff, belts armor, a tank top, boots with the fur, etc. Inspo mostly came from just looking at random pictures of belts on Pinterest and finding one with a cool like flail head on it! Which is just neat in general, I’d imagine Simon would probably find it convenient to have the different end attachments for the whip to be easily switched out, so yeahg sure he’s got it on his belt now lol. I tried looking through my boards to find the belt image but I think it may have gotten deleted :(

This one is an outfit I ran into that said “draw ” thing, also saw it on Pinterest, but it took a bit to track down the original artist of it: the artist is “ HEAVEN . “ on Pinterest, also @/luffydguzzler on Twitter. Hopefully drawing Simon and not one of my OCs in this outfit was alright, unfortunately when I ran into the post it was from someone on Pinterest who straight up stole the artwork (;_; ). That being said, if I find out that this is against any boundaries at all, I will take this drawing down. But related to the art itself, I drew him in it because the outfit ratio fit him perfectly. Tight shirt, something on the lower arms, midriff showing, tiny skirt, belts, furry chunky boots— these are all combinations he’s had in his designs before. :3

This one I also just saw a little caplet thingy on Pinterest and went “wow he’d look cute in that” and yeahg. I actually have a Pinterest board that’s entirely for random clothing I think he’d wear! Which is such a uh very normal about a character thing to have 💀.

He’s working out— POV you are Simon’s sparring partner (he’s very happy about it) (also you’re about to get kicked you might wanna block tha— oh no eee— on your left— ooo aaa oof yowch yikes—). Anyway I feel like I made his head a little awkwardly small in this hmmm. Either that or I took the photo of it at a weird angle. But yeah now you have seen Simon with leg warmers, you’re welcome!!!

[lowkey-loki245]

Since Siffrin canonically has a afro-caribbean nose, Imma headcanon that his country is based on Cuba so I can dump my Hispanic culture onto this little guy (I mean, malanga fritters are a popular appetizer in Cuba, so it works even more with that).

(If yall didn't know, I'm like, half black, ¼ white, and ¼ Cuban. My dad, who I got the ¼ white and ¼ Cuban from, is white passing, so I kinda see that part of myself in Siffrin. I mean, I already relate to him way too much. What's a little more? lol)

[feroluce]

“-and that's why I ain't allowed in Pier Point no more!” Boothill throws his head back and cackles, somehow completely comfortable on the bare floor of the archives. He's the very picture of ease, his arms behind his head, his legs bent and crossed.

Dan Heng barely looks up from his notebook, not much surprises him anymore after the first few tales of lawless exploits. “So they really have that many laws and restrictions there.” 

“And prob’ly a few more now that I've been through there! Heck, ya think they named any after me? I'm hopin’ so.” There's so much smug cockiness seeping through his voice Dan Heng could bottle it.

Silence settles in, stretches out. Dan Heng doodles pensive circles in the corner of his page.

He shouldn't ask. It's a private matter. It's none of his business. He of all people should know-

Something pokes his shoe, and when he looks up, Boothill has stretched one arm up to tap metallic fingertips against his foot. “Ain't like ya to hesitate.” With his head tipped back on the tiles and gazing at him upside down, Boothill's hair is out of his face and spooling out all over the floor, offering a rare view of his right side. His right eye is sealed over with a pitch-black patch, stark against his skin. Dan Heng wonders what he looks like behind it. “C'mon, then, out with it. Spill the beans, brother, just say it.”

“What does ‘Boothill’ mean?”

The man blinks at him, the crosshair in his cybernetic left eye flickering. Dan Heng shifts, smooths out his long coat. “I tried to look it up once. It's not in any database as a name...other than your wanted posters.” There's a thread beginning to fray near the hem, he should sew it up. “I couldn't find it anywhere.” 

He nearly takes it back, but- “Heh, ya that curious about me, darlin’?”

Dan Heng quickly levels his face into the most impassive, nonplussed expression he can muster, but Boothill has already turned away, head pillowed on his arms and face once again turned to the ceiling.

“But nah, ya wouldn't. Hah, like they'd allow any record of the language, fudgeheads.” One arm sweeps around blindly until it finds the edge of Boothill's hat, sets it back where it belongs on his head. Dan Heng shuffles around, scoots a little closer, but the brim is pulled too low to see his eyes anymore.

“It's ‘cause it's not a name. It's a noun.” All that's visible of his face is a sharp grin, pulled too tight at the edges.

“It's my people's word for a grave.”

Dan Heng's pencil stops.

“It's the kinda grave fer someone who died with their boots on. If ya catch my drift there.” Boothill's foot starts to bounce. “There was a war, and it got reeeeeal intense, yup. Folks started droppin’ like flies, ‘n’ there was bodies faster'n what we could bury ‘em.” A cooling fan kicks on somewhere. Dan Heng is pretty sure it's not any of the Express equipment.

“We lost some real good people there, real good. Mighty shame.” His hidden Vidyadhara ears detect a quiet metallic click, a whir, pressurized gas. Boothill's next words waft steam from his angry circuits into the air. “When I left, I decided to leave my name there, too. Didn't feel right otherwise. The life I lead now is a whole ‘nother existence.” And then Boothill turns his head, raises his hat, and Dan Heng suddenly feels pinned dead center, caught in that crosshair.

“Ya know what I mean, don'tcha?”

Dan Heng swallows.

Does Boothill know? Who he is and who came before him? There had been that moment in the Penacony Grand Theater, after he activated the Jade Abacus… Dan Heng had tried to shoo him out, keep him from seeing anything, but Boothill has the astounding ability to turn up exactly wherever people are trying to keep him away from.

If he did see, does he actually understand it? Does he know what a High Elder is? Does he know about the sedition of Imbibitor Lunae, the transmutation arcanum, everything Dan Feng had done and Dan Heng was punished for?

He doesn't want to explain it all. Not now. Possibly not ever, truth be told.

And it's not the same as Boothill leaving behind his old identity when whatever event happened that caused him to leave home. Not really. But…

But so far, Boothill has slid so easily into Dan Heng’s routine. His presence never feels like an intrusion. He's already figured out what he can push and when to back down. And even Dan Heng finds himself able to roll with whatever punches Boothill throws with baffling ease. They share too much in their methods and ideologies, and sometimes Dan Heng knows what Boothill will do seemingly before even Boothill himself knows.

“...Tell me about Talia and the Nailscrap Town.” Boothill must know he's avoiding the topic. He must. But the man just throws his head back and cackles, melting easily back into what they had been doing before, as he speaks fondly of a planet that Dan Heng has never visited.

Not today. But.

Dan Heng inches just a little closer, just enough to nudge his foot against a metal leg. Boothill doesn't pull away.

Maybe someday.

[lafaiette]

Do you also feel like there is an ungodly amount of trash talk about Solas? Which would be fine but there really aren’t very many options to defend him????

That’s my biggest gripe so far. Like I feel like they are taking the choice away from me by making me be antagonistic towards a character that I don’t want to be antagonistic to in a game that is supposedly about CHOICE.

Sorry Lafiatte I’ve been feeling spicy about it lol.

OMG YES (under the cut because spoilers)

Everyone detests him, Harding is angry with him even before Varric gets stabbed, all insist what he did was terrible, that he was always distant and prickly, when we know this wasn't exactly true - he didn't want to grow attached to people in DAI for obvious reasons, yes, but he was always kind with his companions and the people in need. He always approved when the Inquisitor performed a kind action (like leaving flowers on a tomb) or said something nice.

If you use the outside camera when the Inquisitor first arrives in Redcliffe, you can see Solas kneeling down to help some hurt people on the road. That's who Solas was, not the cold person everyone (especially Harding) describes.

Also, no one wants to understand his POV - I think I have seen only Davrin "defend" him in one occasion, and Rook can sometimes say something positive about him ("He's lending us his help", "He's been nice so far" etc.), but it's really, really frustrating. Also, the constant repetition of the theme of regret - sometimes the dialogue seems written for 5 years old children playing a Pokemon game.

It's like the devs wanted the new players to hate him, and the old fans who never liked him to finally have the chance to say how much they can't stand him. Meanwhile the players who genuinely liked him, friendly Inquisitors and romanced Lavellans, are swept under the rug.

"Oh... you like Solas? Damn... good for you, I guess..."

I'm glad some people are liking it, but I can't see any love for the fans and the setting in this game, only fatigue and hurry. Understandable, after ten years of development hell, but damn, I'm sad.

[thebestusernamepossible]

I’m mostly staying off the Mouthwashing fandom bc I personally don’t want to put myself through whatever discourse is ever going on there. But know I love Anya and Mouthwashing is one of the best games I’ve played that had an SA survivor AND was respectful about it!! The abuse Anya suffered is never portrayed as a spectical for the audience to leer at. They use the art of implication VERY well, and in the end Anya gets to go out dignified. She’s not just Jimmy’s tradgic victim, she’s her own character who makes her own decisions. Jimmy doesn’t get to kill her, she expresses her own agency to do so. She’s also the one who kept the gun away from him for so long. Also she’s SO fucking strong, she’s so cool. Anya I love you.

Also the game’s overarching (but subtle) commentary on rape culture, enabling, and how capitalism almost makes a set dressing for it is peak.