#the game won't let you do that
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While writing that Dragon Age 2 post the other day, I made a narrative connection I had never made before.
I was writing about the Templar route, and about how the game makes no bones about how the Templar route is the evil route, it's clearly narratively marked as such. Because the structure of the game sets itself up from the start to make Hawke have some sympathy for the mages: they are the child of a mage and the sibling of a mage. This is an issue that Hawke cannot exempt themselves from having opinions on.
But that said, yes, you can choose the Templar route. You can decide that the tragedy of your family being ripped apart by the mage plight has hardened Hawke's heart against them. You can join forces with the Order that has hunted your family members their whole lives. You can choose to tighten the iron fist, instead of choosing to break it. You can become the ruler of Kirkwall. You can kill your sister.
And then I realized: That's Meredith's story.
Meredith, whose sister was a mage, the sister who died from it and ripped her family apart in the process. Meredith, who hardened her heart against people like her sister and dedicated the rest of her life to punishing others like her. Meredith, who joined causes with the Templar order who made that happen. Meredith, who took over the city.
You can choose to become Meredith. The game lets you do that. But you have to know -- as you climb over her corpse to ascend her bloodied throne -- that it's not a 'good' choice.
#meredith stannard#hawke#dating age 2#da2 meta#you can choose to be meredith or you can choose to be anders#you can choose the violence of the rebel or the violence of the state#but you can't abstain from the choice#the game won't let you do that
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Hello I put way more effort than I needed to into this, but have it anyway :P
Boniface meets Bonifire, what will they do :P
A version of this page without text because technically this was the first page I drew and put all my effort into that one first lmao-
#bonnie#bonnie isat#bonifire#in stars and time#isat#fanart#isat spoilers#isat act 6 spoilers#my loopified bonnie (who is creatively named bonifire) is herently a lot of effort to draw#so the fact that i went out of my way to 1) paint the favour tree again like my loop image that one time#2) make it a fucking 2 page comic#and 3) paint the path TO the favour tree as well#can you imagine how my knuckles feel right now?#also high fidelity bonnie finally (or their face at least the poker game they were viewed from behind)#i like to think that bonifire doesn't actively hide the fact they were bonnie once but they also won't say it outright#unlike the others who would make a name to try and hide the fact that it's hopeless to get out of the loops to their respective looper#bonifire who is still a pre-teen who still had no idea how to feel about their name just lets bonnie pick name and pronouns for them#read; bonnie called them a bonfire and bonifire's immediate thought was to make it a pun#siffrin would be proud (that is if he was still around and bonnie's version of him knew them)#bonnie takes a little while to actually understand that bonifire is them but they've gotta get their head around looping first#it's less doing detective work to figure out a secret and more so finally learning what things mean and seeing retroactively the obviousnes
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in his and davrin's banters, lucanis exhibits a certain little shit energy I don't think we see him have with anyone else other than illario and honestly I am living for this
#dragon age#dragon age: the veilguard#dragon age: the veilguard spoilers#dragon age spoilers#lucanis dellamorte#davrin#also that's really interesting. with illario it's clearly not ever meant to wound but it serves a similar function of 'hey fuck off'#they have that friendly insult game going that veils some real resentments and conflicts that perhaps. should have been dealt with#considering that you could hardly find two people less alike in fundamental character than davrin and illario... fascinating#I suppose both of them push past lines of comfort and don't really let up at subtler signals to back off#(illario to needle and davrin mostly because he's that straightforward I think haha)#but the sheer viciousness with which lucanis responds makes me think there could mayhaps be some resentment with that dynamic#that he won't let out with illario himself b/c he has so few interpersonal relationships and wouldn't risk disrupting one#even when illario is getting up to some Shit even outside of the whole betrayal thing#and davrin is sooo uninterested in doing anything but call 'em as he sees 'em and it's glorious haha#it also means that I think lucanis is more honest in those banters than he is with anyone else I've seen#including the fact that he's mad and that the ossuary really did suck that bad actually#with bellara he's like 'don't worry about me I'm fine *thousand yard stare*' and with davrin he goes 'yeah I'm haunted forever by it.#does that satisfy your curiosity' lmao. and then they're just trading barely veiled death threats for a while#davrin is confrontational but he's also a safe person to be angry with b/c I think at the end of the day he is also fair#many thoughts. all the time. all veilguard up in my neurons 24/7
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how do you think the lis would respond if mc sheepishly asked if they could fondle their tiddies? (even mhin, even though i KNOW they'd shank a bitch.)
Here ya go, Anon!! :3 They pronouns & non-specific language/MC used. Suggestive, but no other warnings.
AIS:
Pretends he doesn’t hear them.
“Hmm?” He holds a hand to his ear, a toothy little smirk on his face, his scarred eyebrow raised. The way he’s making direct eye contact is an unmistakable challenge.
“You wanna what now, Sparrow?”
He knows exactly what MC said and they can tell. He just wants to see if they'll say it again. They didn’t sound so sure about whatever that request was just now…
His smirk grows when– (if?? But c’mon he’s so clearly saying yes, please) –
His smirk grows when they don’t back down. He spreads his arms out in invitation, haori splaying open.
He’s patient for as long as he can stand once they get their hands on him but it isn’t long before he finds himself grabbing them by the wrists, pulling them closer. Pressing his palms against the back of their hands to encourage them to make full, firm contact. Haven’t they been warned? He’s awfully greedy.
(And: if he purposely presses their touch against his heart for a moment, no one needs to know but him.)
VERE:
He gives them a blank look– a look unsettlingly similar to his hungry, flat eyed stare. Though, it’s gone in an instant–so quick they might even be able to convince themself that they imagined it. One blink and his entire expression is different, his tail swishing elegantly and with a flourish that can only be described as pleased.
“Well,” he purrs, “aren’t you just adorable? I did tell you to ask next time you wanted to touch… Very well then. I’ll reward your ability to follow simple instructions.” He relaxes luxuriously into the cushions of the divan that he’s resting on. “Come along, then. Fondle to your heart's content. Don’t leave me waiting.” He beckons to them with a crooked finger, tempting them closer, a haunting echo of their first meeting.
Survival instincts be damned…he did give them permission…
He breathes a chuckle out as they touch him, his mouth hot against their ear as he buries a grin into their neck.
In the space of another breath, he’s flipped the two of them, leaving them pinned against the divan.
“You didn't think you were getting a single thing for free from me anymore, did you? Tut tut. After you treated my generosity so callously before? From now on, I’ll be expecting payment in kind. Quid pro quo, darling.”
KURAS:
He looks at them, eyes crinkled with amusement. “Am I to take it that your interest is academic? Studying anatomy, perhaps? I do have a few select texts I could offer you which you might find quite beneficial.”
The embarrassed look on their face seems to amuse him further, the corners of his lips tugging up as he takes in their expression.
“Of course, the benefits of a more hands-on method of scholarship should not be overlooked.” He takes pity on them, beckoning them over as he takes a seat on the doctor’s stool, right next to the cot where they first met him. He neatly removes his coat, folding it and laying it to rest beside him. Despite their fears, he doesn’t start listing out the anatomical names for things as they lay their hands on him. His eyes slip shut as they rest their hands on his shoulders–he’s still so tall, even sitting on the low stool–sliding their hands down, admiring the sturdy form and shape of him.
His own hands come up, clutching around their waist with surprising strength. His eyes are bright and intense as he looks up at them. They expect him to say something but he merely squeezes them–Possessively?–
Like he might be able to trap them in this moment with him forever, through will alone.
He closes his eyes again; his grip loosens. His self-control back is back in its necessary place, and he finds himself repentant.
“Forgive me. You are quite endearing. I simply find you…difficult to resist.” He admits.
MHIN:
You are so correct anon. Shanked immediately. But MC bonks their head into Mhin’s chest on their way to the ground, so… Achievement Unlocked? Or, for MC’s sake, I’ll assume that they have earned a level of trust/intimacy with Mhin that makes Mhin a lil' less likely to get stabby.
Mhin’s eyebrows furrow as Mhin crosses their arms, physically creating distance between MC and their…
Mhin’s cheeks go a little red as they realize how obvious their body language is, their pale eyes darting to the side as they worry about what other things they’ve accidentally telegraphed to MC. How many of Mhin's true thoughts and feelings are they privy to...? Shaking themself mentally, they quickly snap out of it, pinning MC with a pointed glare.
“If you value your life at all, you’ll never ask me that again.” Mhin marches away. “Staying at the Wet Wick–around Leander–has ruined your brain. You need to get out of that place while you still have some grey matter left.”
. . .
Later, escorting MC back to said Wet Wick, ducking through the lesser known and narrower streets after a long day of following dead ends together, Mhin finds the thought ruining their own brain. It must be the heat of MC pressed against them in the alleyway, the comforting, all-consuming scent of them, the memory of MC’s flushed face while they were asking Mhin’s permission... MC’s much braver than them, Mhin thinks bitterly, so much more willing to let themself have what they want, despite their cursed hands. Mhin sighs, stopping abruptly. Turning. Pinching the bridge of their nose.
“Look–you can–”
Mhin feels themself blushing all the way down to their chest. They open their mouth and close it a couple of times, attempting to articulate what they want. They make a noise of aggravated frustration. Carefully–very carefully, and very slowly, so that MC knows exactly what they are doing, they reach for the bandaged hands at MC’s side. They rest MC’s hands lightly on their chest, shivering as they feel the brush of fingers against their clothed ribs, thumbs pressing into their sternum. They bite down a noise that would surely make them perish where they stand. Stars above, how long since–
“...Does your heart always beat this fast, Mhin?”
“Quiet.” They snap.
Wow Mhin. Right there in the alleyway huh? Well ok then. I see what ur about.
LEANDER:
The two of them are alone in the room at the Wet Wick, just sitting together innocently on the bed when MC asks.
Well–they try to ask.
He hears them start the question and his coat and shirt (and tiddie belt) are coming off before they can even finish. He gives them a quiet chuckle, blushing as his shirt(s) get caught at his shoulders.
Though the perfect way it frames his boobs might convince them he did it on purpose…
“You meant skin to skin, right?” He laughs again, leaning back on his hands and looking entirely too appetizing–is he arching his back a little more than necessary?
“I don’t mind at all! Though, if you could help me with…” His eyes crinkle as he smiles at them, head tilted like a puppy, waiting expectantly.
They get up from the bed to help him discard his remaining topmost layers of clothing, standing above him in order to better assist. His eyes are pinned to theirs the moment the fabric barrier is fully cast aside. “I…can’t say this is a bad view,” he admits, eyes roving along their form, tongue darting out to wet his lips. Then, more sincerely: “I’m glad that you asked me for this. Don’t be afraid to touch, all right? Nothing bad will happen to me, promise. Remember: whatever you want.”
They find themself feeling along the edges of his scar, tracing the line of it across his pectoral… His breath catching when they accidentally scratch him a little with their nails (MC is just a little clumsy–that was completely unintentionally, really) is dangerously addictive.
“Ah... Anywhere else you’d like to touch? It would be a shame to waste this opportunity…”
If they're feeling shy, he could offer a few suggestions. He really, really wants to help in any way he can. :)
BONUS!ELYON: “You can, but I will have to charge.”
#And then the Milkshake song plays#touchstarved game#i am–as always–just a silly little guy#I hope this is to your liking anon!!#i hope it is kinda what u were hoping for?!#leander touchstarved#mhin touchstarved#ais touchstarved#vere touchstarved#kuras touchstarved#touchstarved game fanfic#I was gonna be sillier bc I was tryna match the vibe of the ask but then i looked into my heart and found this instead so i hope...#anyways when Ashnikko said ewwy in the gutter i can’t help I want to be ti**y smothered i felt that#LEANDER WAS THE HARDEST ONE TO WRITE CAN YOU BELIEVE?!?! its bc his was just him going: yesyesyesyes#toxintouch writing#fun fact there's a deleted line where Ais cops a feel of MC's a$$ he is an a$$ man i fear :) but I cut it out bc ThE fLoW ok#i will let him do it later in something else#i hate u tumblr formatting FINE I WON'T MAKE IT LOOK NICE#Divider is from the official TOUCHSTARVED itchio page#post got softblocked bc I said things in the tags so i censored i'm LAUGH#i really typed hakama instead of haori ealier ffffff#toxintouch: {pick} prompt {your poison}
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something else that grates on me about taash's writing is the.....casual cruelty they talk to everyone else with. they mock bellara's gods and religion as sordid and petty; they accuse neve of performativity, of shallowness; they treat rook like an idiot, unavoidably; they are sharply disrespectful of emmrich, and only apologise when pushed (and this is the only time the game even has them apologise! notably, to the white man-) to by rook. I wouldn't hate this abrasiveness as a character choice, if we were given the option to push back against it, if it was shown to be a flaw - youthful bravado, defensiveness, preemtive responses to what they assume people will say to them.
instead, they're coddled, treated as innocent of harm: neve mothers them through their feelings, rook holds their hand as they lash out, we have to therapy-speak them through their feelings about death magic, and most notably to me, bellara's gentle request for them to be respectful in the way they talk about her gods, fallen or not, is rejected, and rook has the "funny"" option to get on board with the degradation. it's just another facet of weekes' writing, where shitting on the indigenous religion is made retroactively acceptable because they're evil and always have been, where being blunt is the same as being rude and pushing back against it makes you just another regressive parent figure trying to tell them who to be, where the context makes any and all interpersonal cruelty acceptable but only if it comes from the Right person.
#I can't stand taash lol every quest of theirs I do I get more pissed off#the way they talk to their mother too. calling rook a big stupid puppy. the way rook has to get dumbed down#so they can get superior and call you an idiot#and specifically that the game won't let you say hey. that was shitty#they just get to say hurtful things and have it swept away because weekes doesn't care about their indigenous characters#and it's scripted as Funny (because it's okay to shit on indigenous religions! we've justified it guys)#this is a bit of a mixed focus post but. you get me. its all connected#datv critical
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every lets player in the world is cookie9
#the stanley parable#cookie9: i wish there was a skip button#every lets player: oh hey ive got an option to skip this guys dialogue. lets not question my desire to do so at the soonest opportunity#despite us scoffing at the suggestion of a skip button with the narrator just a minute prior#we dont actually have an opinion on that we just want to get to the EXCITING CONTENT faster! slam that button baby!#like. do they see what they're doing#are they fucking blind to the themes here#the BEAUTIFUL ''this has obviously been made due to the narrator's insecurity but it won't make anything better and now you are forced to b#complicit in this gradual tearing down of everything that makes him HIM''#i dont think any of these people have used a literary bone in their bodies on this ending#same way they all shy away from ANY serious content in the game#make your jokes! laugh it up! don't look at the REST of the game! the part that wants to talk to you!#the bucket is made for them in the way the skip button was#get past all that nasty hard choice by not engaging and get right to running around vapid copies of things that used to say something
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concept: unromanced eleanor as drifter's romantic advisor and wingwoman. how successful she actually is at this depends on how serious she's feeling.
#ni blabs#warframe#warframe spoilers#warframe 1999#eleanor nightingale#[lettie is letting you hold a rat. as far as i'm concerned you two are basically engaged now.]#[that radio thing- somachord. see if you can't bring that back for aoi. listen to something with her.#because honestly if i have to hear her loop that boyband song through her mind one more time-]#[...what? don't look to me for advice on talking games with amir.#just because i can read his mind doesn't mean i understand what an iframe is.]#[...maybe if you pretend that you don't know what a gun is hard enough quincy'll do that thing where he stands behind you#while teaching you how to shoot? i don't know i'm just spitballing here.]#[good luck trying to get my brother to focus on anything but all the impending doom. you're going to need it.]#idk if any of this is super ooc for her it's 4 in the morning#...i need to stop making these posts during the witching hour and get more sleep#tumblr WHY are you fucking up my tags.#fine i won't use quotation marks. Are You Happy Now.
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i love og soap too much. my stomach hurts. i don't feel good.
#artists on tumblr#call of duty#modern warfare#cod modern warfare#john soap mactavish#09 modern warfare#i am a soap and ghost girlie first and a human second. wahoo.#no thoughts only kevin mckidd's performance in cliffhanger uggghhh. “took the scenic route eh?" shut your MOUTH you beautiful man#“break's over roach. let's go.” what if i suffered cardiac arrest and died right now#you have the GALL to save me while i'm slipping off the iceberg. you have the GALL to grab my hand and throw me to the top so i won't fall#how dare you actually?? do you know what that did to me at age thirteen?? i bout flipped my lid and my dad looked at me like i was crazy#i need me a rugged scotsman and i need one now. i am no longer asking#sorry for exposing myself like this but you would understand if you played the dadgum game#lea shut up about fictional people challenge go#i hope i did him justice :(#i know he doesn't have the face paint for more than like two missions in mw2 but it's so iconic i can't leave it out#the oil rig + gulag getup remains one of his best i don't make the rules#that and the sierra leone one with the sleeves rolled up. real ones know#next time he will be awarded a shirt ^^)b need more anatomy practice for now though
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man the second half of mouthwashing really let me down
#the psychological horror classic of drawing out the ending with random imagery#that doesn't do anything to progress our understanding of the character beyond what we already know#also the characters felt underwritten#the dialogue/backstory wasn't specific enough for me to get a good sense of why they did things#or an emotional connection to any of them#genuinely the best scene was the first one#the dawning horror that the game won't let you do anything but the wrong choice#which they used a bit but i wanted that idea to be more present in the rest of the game#oh well. at least the art style was good#mouthwashing
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do u have any navi thoughts from your oot replay
i've been waiting to answer this until I actually beat the game in my current playthrough because navi is another one of those characters that i think of in like a "set" with several other characters who serve relatively the same thematic purpose; in this case that purpose being the "mother" character, and i wanted to have all the characters in that set fresh in my mind. it's notable that while oot shows us very clear and consistent instances of the ways in which the adults of hyrule fail to protect their children, there ARE several adults who DO go out of their way to both oppose ganondorf and protect and nurture the children under their care. All of these characters are adult women, and all of them explicitly help the children out of some sort of parental responsibility or sense of duty towards them. in this group I include link's late mother, impa, nabooru, and navi.
all 4 mother characters, despite being adults or adult-coded, reject the inaction mentality which characterizes other adults in the game. they become either direct supports or shields to their children from the conflict the world has to offer them, and they are always explicitly punished for their interference--link's mother is killed trying to protect her son, impa's village is burned, nabooru is brainwashed. The mother's fatal flaw is that she will protect her child above all else, even in a world in which children cannot truly be protected. however, with the exception of link's mother, these characters manage to persist even in the face of her punishment, and this is where I think navi becomes the exemplary character.
Navi, after a lifetime of being link's only support system, the only adult in his life he could truly, consistently count on, receives her punishment at the hands of ganondorf--in the final battle, she is pushed out. she is unable to reach her child. she cannot protect him. However, BECAUSE link has grown up with her at his side, he is strong enough to take ganondorf down. and when ganon rises again, navi is there to support link, promising not to leave his side, and the intuitive targeting of that battle (a mechanic which navi is inherently tied to!!) makes it a cinch to win. Navi, and the other mothers we meet, are a reminder to the player that the world doesn't HAVE to be the way it is. Their persistence when punished, their insistence that their children ought to be protected, is a reminder that good adults do exist, and that good adults raise good children. link and zelda are able to win in spite of the adults who refused to help them, but also BECAUSE of the adults who DID. It's a reinforcement of the core theme of oot--that childlike idea that the world SHOULD be good and fair and if it isn't, it should be changed until it is. The mothers of oot are examples of what the world COULD be, reminders that it is possible to grow up without losing hope or growing bitter, and they are examples of the next step for the children they've raised to change the word--to continue fighting even in the face of punishment, to refuse inaction, and to foster that same hope and persistence in the generations to come.
#one thing i've really been noticing this time around is the specific way in which navi's targeting works#because even though other 3d games have that targeting mechanic navi's targeting is noticeably different#in two ways. the first being that she specifically targets weak spots in enemies almost as if she is pointing them out to link#and the second being that she is capable of targeting things link himself doesn't see#whether it be invisible enemies or triggers that are out of his reach or scarecrow points or whatever#it's really reminiscent to me of the way you teach problem solving skills to a kid. you see them struggling with something and beginning to#get frustrated and you say 'hey let's look around. do you see any solutions?' and if they can't see the solution themself you might point#and say 'hey what's that?' just to get their attention on it and help facilitate that train of thought for them#because like in most other games targeting is sort of assumed to be link's own intuition in battle#and therefore it will usually allow you to focus on one enemy within a swarm of them but it won't explicitly light up the weak spot for you#navi does that for link because she's essentially the mother teaching her kid how to problem-solve.#and when she's taken away in the final battle link is able to fight anyway BECAUSE she put so much time and effort into raising him#that he no longer needs her to facilitate that problem-solving process. he already knows how to beat ganondorf#because he's done it with her before. and that's exactly the mother's role in her child's life#protect him and raise him as best you can so that when you can no longer be by his side he isn't afraid.#foster that sense of justice and encourage him to keep fighting to change the world even when it seems unchangeable.#god. ocarina of fucking time#zelda analysis#asks
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ENDING SPOILERS FOR BG3 AHEAD
Hate that I found this scene kinda hot
#listen. evil nawen is absolutely a possibility#even tho it isn't my canon ok she's my dear little antihero and saved everyone <3#but the way I made her she's like. in a pretty unpredictable mental state#she's come from a background of doing terrible shit as a shadow thief often against her will#and now bc of the tadpole she has time to breathe and decide what to do w her life for#reasons I won't go into rn bc it's a long story jfjfjkfkf#but basically she's in this dilemma of let yourself become The Worst(and go back to your organization post game)#or learn to be a better person again(and turn your back on the thieves even tho you will likely be hunted to death)#so she could really go either way depending on how the game goes and controlling the brain could rlly be a possibility for her#honestly even if she decided to turn her back on the thieves it could be a possibility#the power she'd have?? she'd never have to worry abt being hunted by them#but good path nawen would never 😔 she wouldn't sacrifice everything she's built#it's kinda sad to see her on her good path choosing this tho bc like. astarion's reaction??#man looks so betrayed#in her evil path she would likely have ascended him and their relationship would already be too fucked up for her to care#but in this one?? that's just painful#sleep.txt#bg3#bg3 spoilers#oc.nawen#but. even w all that. I am not above finding evil women hot 🫠#goth mommy go evil brain go brrr ooga booga#nawenlore
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You ever see a post that you agree with and you wanna add on your own two cents but your brain is like "Hmmmm.... nah. I wanna watch House MD clips instead."
#Like it's a good discussion about V3's narrative and why it doesn't work in some parts#Especially because from what I can remember#V3 was written and then Kodaka said “I'm done with Killing Games”#The bitterness/exhaustion of upkeeping a series when he clearly wanted to move on to do bigger and better things is probably--#--why V3 is the way it is#Why it's even called V3 in the first place#V3#53#53 seasons of a show/game#I wonder if part of Kodaka dreaded the idea of getting stuck on the same franchise for that long#That feeling of dread and resentment towards your own creation because people won't let you do the things YOU want to do must've felt like.#Really soul crushing#People joked about 100 Day Academy being just like DR but it's not actually like it. It's a whole different genre from what I know#it's a Survival Game. /Not/ a Killing Game.#And this is the game that Kodaka is putting his heart and soul into from what I've seen#Like he went into DEBT over this game you DO NOT go into debt over a creation unless you are insane about it#People joke about how he wants to write more DR content so bad but. I really doubt he actually does. Apparently nothing is stopping him.#I think he loves the thing he created sure#But he doesn't want to create anymore for it#He's /tired./#His exhaustion shows in how V3's narrative functions#As a creator he wants to do other shit and he was essentially being forced to create more of the same content. He was creatively stunted.#Editing the tags because apparently tumblr decided the other part of my rant was too much LMAO
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OCs as Horror Tropes
Hey everyone! I was tagged to do this uquiz by @nightbloodbix and @cloudofbutterflies92. Thank you for tagging me!
Tagging (Opt In/Out): @bbrocklesnar, @marivenah, @alexxmason, @captmactavish, @carlosoliveiraa, @amalkavian, @socially-awkward-skeleton, @voidika, @confidentandgood, @clicheantagonist, @theelderhazelnut, @cassietrn, @captastra, @direwombat, @strangefable, @katsigian, @inafieldofdaisies, @simplegenius042, @onehornedbeast, and anyone else who wants to do this!
Rooney Shepard
just catholic trauma
(tw for implications of self harm here) god is judgment. every action is weighted, every action is watched. tally marks on a scoreboard, on skin, your body on a golden scale, and you can't shed enough weight to stop it from tipping. worship isn't enough. sacrifice isn't enough. guilt lays across you in layers. blankets, sheets of snow, cling-wrap cutting off your circulation. you can't save yourself, but you can never stop trying. fire licks at your heels, a constant reminder of what is inevitably waiting for you.
Hunter Delaney
meat as horror
meat hooks and conveyor belts and cold metal. the warm eyes of a stupid animal, completely unaware of the watering mouths that await it. "cut here" lines drawn on the body, slabs of steak that bleed and bleed, unrelenting. are you hungry? would you kill to stay alive? you feel like prey, or maybe like predator. sinew is stuck between your teeth, and gore dribbles down your chin. don't chip your teeth on the bones. you feel like the top of the food chain, and don't see the eyes gleaming behind you.
Riley Callahan
family as a cult
you will never need anyone else. outsiders will hurt you, aim to corrupt you and ruin you and leave you in pieces, but your family will always be there for you. everyone has the same eyes, the same smile. the same sickly yellow light cast over their skin. the same tastes, the same food that melts to gray sludge on your tongue. family recipe. hugs last too long, touches linger and sting like sunburn. don't stray too far. if you come back looking like a wolf rather than a sheep, the dogs will eat you.
Emerson Wright
flowers rotting as a metaphor for death/decay
stems droop, go yellow like aged teeth. petals curl, go dry like paper, like corpse skin. the beauty of youth can only be preserved through unnatural means. roses drowned in silica gel, pins behind the eyes. glass vase, open casket. everyone is watching you. why aren't you moving? are you too weak to grow toward the light anymore?
#tag games#I won't let fear compromise who I am#commander rooney shepard#hunter delaney#riley callahan#emerson wright#Catholic Guilt is so on brand for Rooney#they can fit so much catholic guilt#and do I need to explain how on brand the meat metaphor is for Hunter#the family as cult one is really interesting for Riley#I guess you could say that their family was kind of cultish#or to truly be themself Riley had to leave their family#and their parents never forgave them for it#and huh the flowers one for Emerson#I don't think it fits quite as well
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Okay, so like, I love Undertale to bits, but it does often rub me the wrong way when people use it in comparison to games like OFF, which condemn the Player’s violent actions without actually offering the option for a Pacifist resolution, like “well, Undertale is Objectively Better because there’s an actual choice to be nonviolent so it can actually condemn the player in a meaningful way”.
Especially with OFF, I think. Cause while many people consider it a predecessor to Undertale, their themes and the way they relate to their “What the Hell, Player” moments are very different, I think. And this attitude of judging them purely on whatever they’re effective at making the player ‘feel bad’ about their actions is really reductive for what both games are trying to do with these kinda moments.
Like, in general it’s super frustrating when video game moments discussing morality and player-player character relationships are evaluated purely in the sense of ‘are these games justified in Making Me Feel Like a Bad Person’. That’s usually a super-reductive way to look at video game morality. And I really don’t think it helps the discussion to frame “What the Hell Player” moments as an actual personal attack or attempt to evaluate your IRL morality.
And specifically with OFF, I feel like it’s actually very thematically important that the game only has one ‘Route’ and that it is the ‘bad’ one. Because OFF, in my reading at least, is a game very much about narrative framing. Like, that’s the whole thing with the Batter not actually transforming as his Special Ending Monster Duckie Form.
The Batter didn’t change, our point of view did. When we’re controlling the Batter, it is his POV that we’re seeing the world through - and in his POV he’s just an ordinary guy doing the right thing. But if we take the Judge’s side, we’re also taking on his POV. And the Judge, much like any other victim of the Batter, sees him as some sort of monster.
And that’s like a huge theme in the game. While there’s probably no POV that makes the world of OFF like an actually good place to live, it is important to note we are viewing it through the perspective of someone who has already vowed to destroy it. I know a lot of people look at the difference between the Guardians as they are in the Room’s Chapter 4 and the Guardians as the Batter face them as a matter of a personal change between then and now - I think the matter of different perspectives also plays a part.
In the Room we are viewing Dedan, Japhet and Enoch through the eyes of an innocent child that is desperate for companionship and sees them as friends - in the rest of the game we are viewing them through the eyes of a man who sees them as obstacles in his holy mission and upholders of a world that must be destroyed. Neither of them can give a truly unbiased perspective when it comes to the Guardians.
And despite the game making it explicit that the Batter is as a puppet controlled by the Player - although the Player is the one who give the Player Character power - it is the Batter who manipulates the Player into aiding him on his mission by framing it in a way that is more palatable. Despite all the power the player supposedly holds, the Batter holds the power over the narrative framing, and that’s enough to let him take control.
That’s why there’s really no choice in the game but keep helping the Batter along his ‘Holy’ mission - him being able to influence our framing also means being able to influence the options we can see. It is the Batter who wants us to see a world where his violence and destruction is the only possible solution. And the point of the Judge calling out the Player for continuing along the Batter’s set path (rather than stopping the game and turning it off) isn’t just to Make the Player Feel Bad for doing what they need to do to, like, see the whole of this well-crafted story....
It’s to make the Player self-reflect. When did they first had the inkling that the Batter isn’t on the up-and-up? If (‘if’ bring the keyword here) it was all real, when would the point where continuing to aid the Batter would be morally inexcusable? By the point the Batter is beating a defenseless child to death it’s pretty darn clear that We’re the Baddies, but did the Player process any of the hints beforehand? Just how much sway did the Batter’s framing of the world and the narrative hold over the player? And how this is different and similar to how the Player normally engage with other narratives, especially other RPGs?
There is a reason, after all, why the Judge big speech at the end is also about how felt deceived and tricked by the Batter’s words. His feelings are meant to be a reflection of a Player’s on some level.
And despite ‘calling-out’ the Player, he does make it clear he also sees himself as culpable of aiding the Batter in his henious actions. The Player and the Judge’s situations are somewhat paralleled here.
And it feels very notable that the Judge starts out explictly addressing to the Player much more than the ‘Puppet’:
And by the ending of the game, although he does call-out the Player to, he’s got a lot more to say to the Batter as well.
I think it’s because he also underestimated the power the Batter had as a ‘Puppet’ of the Player, up until he realized how he managed to manipulate both him and the Player (although he still sees both himself and the Player at fault for falling for it and helping the Batter).
I think the main point here is to try and make the Player think more critically about the narratives they engage with. In many ways, the Batter is the concept of the RPG protagonist dilluted to its logical extreme. He was literally brought into existence just moments before the story started, and his only purpose in life is to defeat all the bosses, ‘finish’ all of the areas and then just turn the game OFF. That’s also why siding with the Batter is considered the ‘canon’ ending of the game, in this allegory it is the ending that correspond most to Regular Player Behavior.
It’s trying to make you think about how different POVs and narrative framing can be used to change the way we view a story. If the Batter can skew the lens we view the story enough so that it makes us side with him… how other forms of media, and in this case espacially other games can convince us that the protagonist’s actions are justified and heroic? Is there some ignored angle in this and that game, some ignored ‘Judge’ of sort, that would totally reframe the supposed morality of the story?
I think that’s the main thing, or at least one of the main things, one is supposed to get from OFF. Not just a blanket sense of guilt for all the made-up pixels you killed in this game or other games, but an invitation to try and examine the stories you play from more angles, and think more of the narrative tricks that can be used to justify morally dubious actions. For this to work, the game has to work in tandem with the Batter and his POV for the most part. And because of all of this, I believe OFF’s lack of a ‘moral choice’ system does not take away from its central points and actually helps them. The only choice comes when the Judge barges in and offers a counter-narrative to the Batter.
Undertale, in contrast, is a lot more about Player Actions and Player Agency. Like, Chara and a Murder-Route Player have essentially a reverse dynamic from the Batter and a Normal Ending Player. With the Player convincing the Player Character (?) into the viewpoint that the world exists just to be drained of Content before turning it Off and moving on to the next one.
Undertale is more about the Player having power, and not just in the Unkillable Time God sense, in the sense of the power to reframe and change the narrative. Both the Undertale Pacifist and Murder Route has an element of going ‘off script’ of what the game story ‘expects’. Like, the Normal Ending is the only one where the the Player just does what was expected of them and engage with the game world in the same way all the other characters do - that’s just why it only exist to try and convince you to go on one of the other routes.
The Pacifist Route is about the Player using their Aforementioned Unkillable Time God Powers to break away from the world’s general resignation to violence as the answer and proving to everyone a peaceful resolution is possible. The Murder Route is about the Player engaging with the world like… an ordinary RPG basically (as long as you’re heavy on the grinding) and in the process twist the entire narrative into something much darker. The narrative isn’t tricking you into it, if anything, the narrative is subtly nudging you to the Pacifist Ending.
If Undertale comes off as a more effective ‘condemnation’ of the Player than OFF, that’s probably because compared to OFF Undertale is more about what the Player does and the Player’s actions. I still don’t think it’s a very productive to paint it as, like, trying to Shame you. It just makes things far too unnecessarily personal in a really weird way, and it also kinda isolates discussion of the game’s mortality to only how justified it is within the game’s own context - without any acknowledgement of what the game’s trying to say in a larger context when it makes the characters so darn lovable and makes it so heartbreaking when they die.
Both in context of how we can try and take the game’s ideals into the real world....
And how it relates to other video games. And I mean, Undertale isn’t just about whatever violence in video game narratives is really necessary - that’s absolutely part of it but also, it’s about how Players engage with video game narratives. And whatever looking at them as just challenges to be one by getting the Big Number....
or challenges you need to 100% complete and drain every single secret from
can take away from what makes a good story actually work.
There’s a reason why the in-universe ‘morally correct’ to play Undertale is to experience the True Pacifist ending once and never open it again. (I dunno if I’ll say the Message of Undertale is ‘looking up all kinds of different minor options and content mining always ruins the magic of stories’ and if it is it’ll be a very funny case of a game’s fandom disproving its own thesis, but it’s certainly something the game wants you consider.)
Despite the obvious influence OFF had on Undertale and especially on it’s Murder Route, I actually think it might be more useful to compare it to Deltarune, at least once we see more of it and where it’s going. With both of these games exploring a very complicated power dynamic between player and player character and the player being robbed of moral choice and possibly forced to do bad things to advance the narrative - it might be actually a more interesting comparison.
#Off#undertale#undertale meta#undertale analysis#off game#you see on one hand I can't say I enjoy the story of Undertale LESS just because the fandom complied this big ol' lists of Every Single#Event Trigger in the whole entire game or something#but on the other hand there is something very impactful about going through the Pacifist Route#and KNOWING you won't be able to justify to yourself doing a True Reset#so you just try your best to do everything that you can and really experience the game to it's fullest before you have to say Goodbye to#all of these characters basically forever#and espacially after just helped Asriel agree to let US go and move on#the fact the game also pleads for us to go and move on does enchance the emotional power of the ending on some level I think
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as a non american watching the most influential country having to whine about picking the lesser evil when some countries have to pick between 5 political parties ranging from fascist upfront, fascist adjacent, literal criminals, to somewhat good and having all of your votes unequally divided amongst all of those is fucking ridiculous
#like yeah don't vote for war mongerers and war zealots but like#what other choice do you have?#let the fascists win because your other semi-fascist isn't good enough??#your'e going to let the bad guy trickle in unopposed because of some ideal that can't be applied in this particular game#because not voting is letting the opposition win???#i've had to live for most of my life with corrupt and evil presidents in a third world country with our resources being used by the america#imperialist regime for whatever the fuck they want#and you want me to feel bad cos you won't pick for your lesser evil?????#like fuck that man
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Replaying Fallout 3 (Again) and I don't know how I'm just noticing this (Maybe I have and I forgot, though) but why are the dialog options just [Normal] [Kinda mean]
[Asshole]
#IT'S SO MEAN AND WHY#'Oh you want to know why this person you helped wants you to do something?'#'Okay but your character's going to be an asshole about it and you can't pick another option or you won't know <3'#I love Fallout 3 and it was my first Fallout game but#Noticing more of the flaws every time I come back#But hey I'm still playing it so#Bethesda has me in its grasp and it WON'T let go#Also it feels a bit rushed? It might just be me but after coming back#It just feels a bit rushed#And yet the game that had to be rushed was incredible#I like both though#fallout 3#fallout
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