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sundogsandrainbows · 18 days ago

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Hi, I'm sorry to write to you out of the blue, but Of Elves and Humans was the first DA longfic that got me hooked back in 2011 when I, as a dumb teen, happened to pick up DAO. Ever since then, the DA universe has been a constant fixation of mine and my admiration for you as a writer as well as someone who isn’t afraid to call out the franchise's flaws has never wavered. Now that Bioware decided to take a massive shit on everything pre-DAV and their oldest fans specifically, I'm really devastated and feel like a fool for having been so invested in DA and its lore for those past 13 years. It’s incredibly encouraging, however, to see you keep on keeping on. "So since they spat in my face like this I ignore this atrocity of a game even exists" is where I hope to be at soon, too. Thank you.

(First of all apologies for the late reply, I put it in my drafts when i was too tired to complete it, and then my adhd brain forgot it existed due to being distracted by new shinies 😂☠)

But aww omg i cannot believe i was the gateway drug into dragon age, or rather the old version of my story on FFN was. I am so very honored <3 And nonnie, I feel you. I am invested in DA as a series since DA:O's release in 2009, like I bought it on a whim for XBox because I liked Mass Effect 1 sm. So that is 15 yrs of my life i spent loving and discussing a thing while still being critical of the thing, but now i feel so very protective of the world, lore and its characters that "New Bioware" has decided to take a massive dump of shit on, and not only the games but the old fans I feel are treated with disdain too and do not matter to them any longer.

Long, subjective rant about current bioware aka the shambling corpse of its former self and talent incoming. Spoilers for Veilguard bc i don't give a fuck to avoid them :D You (general you, not you in particular dearest nonny <3) should use your time better than to play this shit anyhow 😂

It feels like calculated malice of new Bioware to apply the scorched earth tactics to offscreen destroy everything that old fans and fans of the other games in general held dear, and was supposed to suck out the enjoyment of DAO, DA2 and DAI. Like it is obvious they plan to create a sequel on DA's scorched bones, but jfc, you can do so story-wise without spitting everyone loving what old bioware has built in the face after dropkicking them. But to me that is part of the problem, since if i remember correctly and i wish i could find the bit... they praised Veilguard as "The best Dragon Age game ever", with the most interesting companions and best most improved combat system, comparing it to the other three games in a near smug fashion. There is marketing and there is putting the other games down to prop up your most favorite and only child mattering and they were definitely doing the latter. And don't get me started on the whole "Who is Zevran" debacle or we are gonna here all day.

Bottom line is new/current devs and writer do not give a shit about and very possibly have never played any other game than Inquisition, and you cannot tell me otherwise. And since a lot of devs/writer have left since the start of this project that would become this abysmal game, I also have the impression that there is a lot of underlying resentment toward what these former colleagues have created and so they piss on it in order to make it fully theirs now. Like dogs marking their territory, and well that did not work out, imo. At all.

Ever since they announced respecting our past choices by ignoring them (????) it was clear to me that I would not play Veilguard but just watch a playthrough and all spoilers and then move on. And everything i saw before release was shocking... like i was flabbergasted at how baaaad the dialogue was, which as a writer myself is super important to me in my story. There was no subtext, characters just blurt out everything they think and feel, like a lifeless doll you squeeze and words tumbling out and just as natural. It is stilted, awkward and 80% of it exists for info dump or info dumb rather as they keep repeating the same shit they just told you a few seconds ago as if you as the player are braindead. Here is a good example of what i mean.

Jfc, who edited this crap? There is so much superfluous dialogue that adds nothing to a scene but annoyance for the player and says nothing at all. Just pure senseless yapping in the most cringy way. Why was no one there to trim this nonsense as you should as a writer/editor? Hell, they really disregarded every simple and basic writing rule (everything is told never SHOWN for example especially in dialogue) which really made me question their competence in what they were doing and thus the quality of the upcoming game but i still held out hope for it to not be that bad.

Well shit, it was even worse. In all regards. Especially the writing that cringed this writer into a new dimension with its incoherent incompetence. Jfc. they got paid for that? I'm convinced the majority of fandom writer can do much better, even unpaid. Hell my cat just by walking over the keyboard can manage a better draft and script...💀

But I digress. That is a rant for another time. Point is, nonny, despite my defiant words, I struggled too for days after i got to know the full extent of Bioware's spiteful fuckery to even look at anything da related, in my case my Alistair/Mahariel longfic. I was really down for a few days, ngl. Then again, there is nothing better than spite fueling my creativity to prove "i can write better" soooo in the end and with the help of the much better first version of DA4 in the artbook, I was able to exorcise the demons and feverdream-mindfuck of mediocrity sold to me as a turd with gold-glitter that is this game.

I have successfully now rejected its existence, filled the void with the version that should have been from the artbook and vowed to give no fucks what bioware is doing or saying and infinitely more fucks when writing my own version of thedas and the version of DA4 that should be. REWRITES BBY hell yeah. So OEAH:R is just the beginning of a verse-wise rewrite. But if you need a pick me up, nonny, you are very much welcome to take a trip down memory lane to Dragon 9:30 and see how much this iteration of the story differs from my first one back in the days. Because in this house of mine, we grow and learn as writers, unlike bioware where writer ego reigns surpreme (oh boy and does it ever show in VG) aka eating their own turds and tell themselves it is the finest chocolate 💀

There is still a lot of good about DA out there, but we have to accept it does not come from Bioware any longer. Instead it came, comes and will come from the fans and creators of art and texts and words defying their bullshit with their love and respect for the world, its lore and characters. Also very unlike Bioware.

As we should <3

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onedismay · 9 months ago

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Mass Effect Tag Game

Stole this thing from @messydiabolical. :)c Anyone is welcome to steal it from me as well!

I am a fan since: Forgot what year it was but I remember ME2 had already been out for a while before I bought ME1. But I caught up quickly and got to experience the release of the Arrival DLC in real time. :D

Favourite game of the series?: It's hard to pick between 1 and 2, but I'll say 2 because the concept of loyalty missions is MY JAM. Also ME2 is my favorite graphics-wise, it's got that high contrast I love so much. (hate the simplified skill trees though)

MShep or FShep?: Most of my Sheps are fSheps because the character creator for mSheps isn't versatile enough for me. :( Where's the long hair! Let me look impractical!

Earthborn, Colonist or Spacer?: I might slightly prefer Earthborn. I enjoy playing characters who've had a rough start in life and made some bad decisions, but grew up to become decent people anyway.

Biotics or Tech: Can't pick, I like variety!

Paragon or Renegade: peace for everybody in the galaxy :') But I reeeaally love the Renegade eyes so I do have some mean Sheps as well.

Favourite Class: I used to main the Infiltrator class but in my most recent run I really enjoyed the Adept. Hard to pick a favorite but I do know my favorite class is NOT the Sentinel, it always feels clunky to me somehow.

Favourite Companion: Tali or Javik. Kaidan and Thane are nearby too. Tali's character development feels very natural and wonderful to me on every playthrough and I always love to see it. Javik is a fave because he's haunted and completely alone and that combo always hooks me like, I MUST see to it that this sad man has at least one nice thing in his life.

Least favourite Companion: It's the writers' fault but Liara. It gets really old when the same companion treats you like her love interest in all 3 games no matter what. I haaaate forced hugs in roleplaying games, don't put me through that, it'll ruin the character for me.

My squad selection: In my most recent playthrough it was unsurprisingly Javik and Tali. But I also ran with Vega quite often in the early game and I kinda missed him in the end game, haha.

Favourite In-game romance: Kaidan, especially with mShep because I really enjoy a slow burn of several years. 🔥

Other pairings I like: I am motioning at my blog and presenting to you Tazzik and the Shadow Broker...... no i don't have anything else to offer at this time

Favourite NPC: I like all these shady-ass salarians like Anoleis and Jaroth and Maelon and Linron (yes) (no i'm not defending her, i just find mean characters interesting sometimes) and Chorban and probably others. Valern isn't all that shady but still a fave. Charn! And Balak, I always look forward to finding out how my Shepard reacts to him. Zaal'Koris vas Qwib-Qwib I always loved you and I knew you were the best admiral before ME3 ever happened

Favourite Antagonist: the Shadow Broker, I was so into the mystery in ME1 and man I was not disappointed when we got the reveal. I would have loved to learn more about his early life.

Favourite Mission: ME2's Suicide Mission because I lovvve how it's a culmination of all your previous actions. It felt really scary and chaotic on my first playthrough and like anything could happen. Now I know all the mechanics so nothing surprises me, but I still look forward to seeing every little detail play out.

Favourite Loyalty Mission: Tali. Also Mordin. And Samara, ugghhh I love Omega and I love playing bait uwu

Favourite DLC: Hmmm I love about half of LotSB very much but I might like Bring Down the Sky more as a whole? The mood is great, it's not super long, and nothing about it annoys me. :D I've only played the Leviathan DLC once so far so I'm not confident enough to call it a fave yet but I liked it a lot, too.

Control, Synthesis or Destroy: I just wanted an ending where we finally talk the Reapers down and they go "yeah u right actually, let's not fight anymore. :( handshake?". All this star child borderline magic stuff is kinda goofy to me. I've picked Destroy almost every time tho.

Favourite Weapon: Recently enjoyed the Blood Pack Executioner... Historically I've probably used the Widow the most. Also I LOVE the way the Revenant looks but I can't stand using it myself lmao. My hand hurts just thinking about it.

Favourite Place: nnnoooo there's so many good places. I adore the Shadow Broker's ship, first of all. Such a cool concept. Noveria for the snow and miserable people. Feels like home. I loved visiting the Migrant Fleet! But my absolute favorite place is probably Omega because it's so rough yet there's still a weird sense of community.

A quote I like: The first that came to mind is "I have a home." Idk, I don't really remember quotes unless they're repeated over and over and by that point I start hating them.

#mass effect

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smokeybrandreviews · 4 months ago

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Stay Out the Kitchen

I am absolutely captivated by what Larian has created with Baldur’s Gate 3. Just, flat-out, dumbfounded by what this smallish studio was able to do with seven years and pure passion for the project. Now, I am aware that Larian is not a small studio. They have several hits under their belt and enough clout to wrest the DnD license away from the notoriously stingy Wizards of the Coast, but let’s be real; They ain’t EA. Larian took one hundred million dollars, and developed a whole ass masterpiece. I’ve not been so enamored with a game since the first time I played Mass Effect 2. Literally the same emotions. I can see myself putting thousands of hours into this world, that’s how deep it is. That’s how fun it is to play. That’s how rich these characters are. I love Karlach as much as I love Tali and that sh*t is a lot. Like, a lot-a lot. You have to be at the top of your game in terms of writing and performance to deliver such an emotional resonance with my jaded ass. I legitimately care about these characters and the lives they lead, lives I control to a certain extent. All of this out of a studio with no shareholder backing or corporate f*ckery. That’s why Larian is bowing out of BG4, WotC and Hasbro want to go about with their f*ckery. Larian, the little studio that could, dropped the best game of last year, and when the Brinks truck rolled up with the Corpo notes, they said “No”. They get to keep their creative soul and develop whatever projects they want, all because Larian turned down that blood money. Which is why I’m so f*cking concerned about Dragon Age: The Veilguard.

I mentioned Mass Effect 2 being one of the quintessential moments in my gaming life. That’s very true. At the time, Bioware had delivered unto me the best Star Wars game, ever, in the form of Knights of the Old Republic. On the strength of Lord Revan's Misadventures, I was hooked on whatever this studio decided to do next. Interestingly enough, that was their BG3. KotOR killed and, when Lucasarts came a knocking for a sequel, Bioware gave them the hard passed, instead starting work on Mass Effect. Some years later, before EA got their blood money into them, they dropped Dragon Age: Origins and, I think, Dragon Age 2? I own both of those games, beat them both, but I didn’t care about the franchise until Inquisition. The first, full EA tainted Dragon Age title. I played the hell out of it but never felt fulfilled. This listlessness got me to revisit those older games and, for my tastes, they are better. In terms of narrative and overall plot, they are far superior. That said, DA: I does a better job of pathos and character development. I mean, it doesn’t, I just really like romancing Cassandra. She’s adorable. In all honesty, though, Dragon Age: Inquisition is kind of tedious to play. The open world format could be overwhelming at times and you can easily miss essential sh*t mad easy. There are laughable difficulty spikes just randomly on maps. The f*cking Giants just strolling around on any stage will absolutely wreck your sh*t until you are stupidly over leveled for the area. My biggest gripe, though? Corypheus. As a main antagonist, he’s a nothingburger and really drags the game down. Ultimately, I like playing DA: I. I have hundreds of hours in that game. It’s not as good as the first two and a lot of that has to do with EA ruining Bioware for a decade, which is why I am sweating bullets about Veilguard.

From what I’ve heard, what I’ve seen in those trailers, DA: V looks fun. “Looks” is a kind of a misnomer in terms of actual visuals because, while I got over it fairly quickly, the fandom has denounced the art direction of this game. Cries of “Fortnite” have rang through the troves fans and they’re right. This game looks nothing like its predecessors, nothing like a Dark Fantasy title should, and it’s leaving so much to be desired. Those who have gotten a hands-on with it say the combat is mad deep and delivers unexpected mechanics to exploit but I am weary. EA is pretty much tightening the noose around Bioware with this goofy ass title which had to restart production in the middle of development, twice. Once, because EA finally laid to rest the Frostbite engine mandate, and another to literally retool the entire narrative. This game started out as Dragon Age: Dread Wolf and now is something completely different. This isn’t the game we were promised. It’s an entirely new experience, one that has cost, at the very least, a hundred million dollars, and taken a decade to bring to life. And will probably be absolutely terrible in all the places people who play these types of games, will hate. I’ll hold my judgment until I actually play the thing, mostly because I don’t want Bioware to get nixed by EA for bungled sales, but Larian they are not. Too many cooks in the kitchen, and half of them want live services. That means the dish in the oven is going to end up being overcooked and burnt. Larian could never.

#Dragon Age #Dragon Age: the Veilguard #Bioware #Baldur's Gate 3 #Larian Studios #Some ol' bullsh*t

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kcwriter-blog · 1 year ago

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Allow Me to Introduce Myself

Since I have writer's block where my day job is concerned, I thought I would get the creative juices going by typing up an introduction to my account.

Full disclosure. I've had a Tumblr account for years. I've never used it for anything other than looking at the gorgeous artwork. I am not conversant in tags or the etiquette. Apologies if I make mistakes.

So why now? I recently became obsessed with a game I picked up at GameStop for the low, low price of $7. You guessed it. Dragon Age Inquisition. Another disclosure. I'm new to gaming.

My daughter was never into video games so we never bought a console. I had no idea what I was missing out on. Last year I bought a PS4. I tried a few games and settled on Skyrim and Mass Effect as favorites. All I really knew about Dragon Age was that BioWare made it and people that enjoyed Skyrim also enjoyed Dragon Age.

I loaded the game and instantly fell in love. I bought the books and looked into playing the first two games in the series. No luck as I don't have a gaming PC or Xbox and can't afford either right now. Maybe in the future.

I also instantly fell in love with Solas. I knew romances were an important part of BioWare's games so I looked up the love interests. I inadvertently got spoiled and knew who he was before I played. I was not planning to romance him at all.

I got through the tutorial and began making the NPC rounds in Haven. Since Solas had saved my Inky's life (elf mage) and seemed to know the most about the Mark, I started a conversation with him. Let's just say I squeaked out a very audible, "oh no," during that conversation. I was hooked and I knew it. He was so smart, so erudite, so confident, so witty and so handsome. i knew his voice actor was one of my favorite characters from Torchwood and that added to the appeal.

I tend to hyper focus so I set about learning everything there was to know about Solas - which is when I discovered how much a lot of people hated him. I got the whole betrayal, dooming the world aspect but not the dislike of his baseline personality. It wasn't until I read some posts on Tumblr that I got it. He codes as ND. Everything people say about him, people have said about me. It isn't true about me and I don't think it's true about him.

I'm in Solavellan Hell and I know it.

I don't really have anyone that shares my obsession with the game or Solas. Most people I know played the game a long time ago, never took Solas with them and have moved on to BG3.

So I'm on Tumblr enjoying everyone else's amazing artwork, stories and ramblings. I don't know how much of my own musings I will add to them. I generally don't like putting myself out there in cyberspace.

Im looking forward to learning from others just as obsessed with the angsty elf as I am. Greetings!

#solasmance #solavellan #solas dragon age #solas dread wolf #solas dai #solas #dragon age inquisition #dai #lavellan

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blarrghe · 6 months ago

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saying this ahead of the gameplay footage so anything could change, really, but I for one have not played Mass Effect. I have tried to start ME1 three times and never gotten very far, specifically because I get stumped by the combat. I heard the Legendary Edition updated it a bit and that it might be easier for me, and I made a pretty plain brute-force type character to avoid having to deal with scifi magic (I'm pretty ok at first person shooters!) and I still got kinda bogged down by the missions before I could get hooked by the plot.

So I get that some people are excited about ME-like combat and some people are dreading it because I, personally, love DAO combat and struggle with Mass Effect. That said! I'm excited. Every game in this series has changed combat mechanics, sometimes in ways I like and sometimes in ways I find challenging, sometimes both at once. Hearing that DA4 may have more mass-effecty combat made me go: ok. I should really pick that one up again and actually learn how to play it.

Because you know what? Sometimes you have to learn the controls for a game. My partner is always teasing me for complaining that I suck at games when I am "not even using the jump button". As in, this game works well and is balanced if you learn the controls. You don't suck, you just aren't using all it's giving you. Of course Mario is hard if you never learn to press the jump button. A bit of a challenge in learning a new mechanic system is part of playing new games. I'm ready to give this a chance, even though I've found Mass Effect tricky to get into before, because I love these games and stories and I want to be able to get in there and play with all the new characters and features and abilities.

I'm pretty sure it will be fun, even if it's different. I think some of us, myself included, need to really invest some time into opening our minds into a learning mindset and put some effort into practising the new things we want to be good at. Lots of games aren't easy. Lots of people play games just for the challenge of learning the new movements and tricks to the controls. That can be a hugely fun part of gaming if you're open to it.

I do get wanting the same kind of experience within a franchise, but Dragon Age hasn't done the same combat system twice yet. DA2 was a divergence from DAO with a few key things in common, DA:I was quite different still from that. I like tactical view and pausing to control my party but by all accounts a lot of people don't use it in Inquisition. I'm hoping to get to hop into other characters to control them but issuing commands could be neat with only two other party members. Whatever it is isn't going to be completely novel and foreign, anyway, it's going to be familiar to a lot of games because they obviously want some mass appeal. It might be hard if you aren't used to it, but learning can be good and fun.

And of course I am not talking about accessibility issues. It is 2024 and we can and should expect that there be good accessibility options in the settings, and we can and should complain if there aren't. But if you're just worried that new, more combat-centric gameplay might be hard... consider learning to learn? Put it on easy mode, try different classes, watch youtube tips videos, go try to learn Mass Effect. Consider learning to have fun with learning to learn.

#Inquisition is honestly way too easy. personally. past a certain level it's just nothing combat that can get kinda boring.#like idk I could go for being given a challenge #I like tactics and micromanagement in my RPGs but I am also in the minority there I think #interested to see where this one goes

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becauseimanicequeen · 7 months ago

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RANDOM THOUGHTS: Manner of Death ep. 14 (rewatch)

(These are my random thoughts from my rewatch on the 31st of March - 1st of April 2024)

Since my rewatches may contain spoilers, I’m putting my random thoughts after the “Read More” link.

I can’t believe this is the last episode. It’s gone by so fast.

Anyway, I’m going into this expecting some assholes to be exposed, some more danger, Inspector M to be okay, many Tan and Bun moments, and a crazy proposal.

See, jealousy really is a cold-hearted bitch.

What is wrong with these characters exposing their secrets and goals to the people who will be the most affected by the repercussions if those secrets come out? I mean, if they didn’t want to kill you before, they definitely do now.

Bun, baby, you don’t have to ask Tan what he wants to be. The answer will always be “Your husband!”

Look at this asshole going for the kid first.

Inspector M is back! Look at him being all hot while fighting Gun (while he’s still injured). And he’s wearing black and blue (my weaknesses). And he’s being salty (my favorite Inspector M flavor). And the way he shoots Gun without even flinching! It’s much more fun to watch him when he isn’t giving me whiplash.

The way That is protecting Sorn! Why are they so fucking adorable?

Bitch, you’ve been fooled. You’ve made your bed, not lie in it. Or, more like, you dug your grave, now lie in it.

I always appreciate a clever tech whizz.

The way Tan and Bun reacted to the tech whizz wondering what Tan was hiding on his computer will never not make me cackle!

This music is giving me Game of Thrones vibes.

Thank every higher power that this tech whizz is smarter than these other two idiots. Yes, Tan and Bun are idiots at times. I still love them, though.

Mass upload that shit and let it spread like wildfire!

I’m so happy that Inspector M was the one who got to arrest the commander.

The realization on the judge’s face when he realized he was fucked was so satisfying to watch. I reveled in every millisecond.

I’m always down for a good revenge. Por getting rid of Rung was sweet.

I’m sure Inspector M and Oat hooked up after Oat helped the inspector. At least they did in my delulu-world. I mean, if we ever get Transplant, they can show us. But, until then, they live happily ever after in my head.

I love that Nam wants to become a doctor. That’s the kind of effect Bun had on her.

Look at That and Sorn being all lovey-dovey. I fucking love them! They should really be wearing helmets when riding that MC, though…

And now the craziest proposal I’ve ever seen. I want to slap Tan for doing this. But I also want to hug him.

And that was the end of Manner of Death. I love this series so much that I’ll come back to it again, and again, and again. And I will always hope for Transplant. So, when are we getting Transplant?

#manner of death #thai ql #thai bl #thai series #my shit #iq random thoughts

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balanceoflightanddark · 1 year ago

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Hey what fandoms do you like, I got some ideas for Azula crossovers and want to see if there any of them would work for you.

Well...I do have a few fic ideas at the moment that I'm working on and I haven't quite gotten to the idea of working on multiple fics at once, but I could give some series that I like.

Pokemon: This was the show I remember growing up on. And ultimately the one that would get me into fanfiction to begin with. My first proper fanfiction was a continuation of Pokemon XD: Gale of Darkness that ran for 42 chapters over the course of two years. I'm actually pretty proud of that one.

Naruto: I remember playing the Ultimate Ninja Storm video games and getting hooked on the setting and the characters. I...will admit I did write a few one-shots and I do have an idea for an eventual longfic. I kind of want to focus on my Godzilla/ATLA crossover at the moment, but that's an idea that's on the drawing board.

Alien: I am of the personal belief that the Xenomorph is one of the best movie monsters ever put to film. I'm a huge fan of the first two movies, I read some of the old books, and Alien: Isolation is one of my favorite horror games out there.

Mass Effect: Fell in love with the original trilogy, especially how they handled the worldbuilding and all the various well-thought-out alien races and factions. The characters are extremely likable and developed, and stuff like the deradicalization of the Krogan and the conflict with the Geth are some of my favorite plots in video games in recent years.

Jurassic Park: The first movie has to be one of my favorite films of all time. I read both of the original novels. Played through both Operation Genesis and the first Evolution game. I...unfortunately haven't had the pleasure of watching Camp Cretaceous but I've heard a ton of good reception for that series so it is on the list. The World trilogy I...have mixed feelings on. Loved the first one, didn't really like the second on, initially liked the third one but my opinion sort of soured over time.

And that's a few series I'm into. As for Azula, I'm sort of going to stick with The Monsters We Create for the moment, but there is this idea at the back of my mind that I keep coming back to. It's another crossover like you suggested, but this one would be a crossover with Dinotopia which I've talked about twice on my account. It's the book series turned mini-series about a peaceful society where dinosaurs and humans coexist. And I thought it would be interesting to throw a post-canon Azula into that mix and see what happens.

Anyways that's all I got. Feel free to share some of your ideas.

#ask answered #ask me anything

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grim-echoes · 2 years ago

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addictions being treated as quirky or not a big deal for certain things is how I got balls deep addicted to adderall before I realized it was fucking destroying my body and I had to wrench myself out of it 🫠 I was stupid, young, naive, not experienced with heavier substances and I just internalized how casual everyone is about it. It’s so dangerous fr

adderall/prescription medication addiction also kinda goes hand in hand with a thing i omitted from my post to keep it relatively short which is certain addictions being sensationalized as a usually right-wing fearmongering tactic for the purpose of demonizing the source--i have friends with adhd who use prescription adderall to manage their symptoms who have found it harder in some cases to access refills due to its stock being limited to only certain locations as an attempt to combat adderall addiction out of a belief that the medication itself is bad, despite the fact that 1. most people who pop adderall like candy do not need it for medication and are not getting it through a prescription, they're getting it through a dealer and 2. you can be prescribed too much and need a lowered dosage. i'm not sure how you got hooked, so i won't jump to conclusions--but the fact remains is that the medication itself is not the issue, but the US in particular has consistently been fucking terrible about effectively tackling drug addiction so it really tracks that the throughline here is "medication bad" which makes it much harder for people with adhd to access it, and doesn't stop people who are addicted from accessing it elsewhere and continuing to be addicted. anything taken in excess is bad--it's just that adderall is the current hot button topic, and not for any good reason.

video games are in the same category where gaming addiction only exists in the public consciousness because of its association with "video games turn you into a violent mass shooter", which has and always will be a right wing facade alongside demonizing mental illness to ignore the issue of gun accessibility and the rise of fascism contributing to a culture of gun violence, but i digress. it's not that video game addiction is its own issue and that a lot of mobile-oriented and AAA companies employ practices that are intentionally designed to cultivate a dependent relationship between the player and the game that needs continued attention--it's that it's convenient to know is a thing because it suits a conservative agenda and because addictions like this aren't very well heavily talked about outside of these very narrow, unhelpful contexts, a lot of people both don't realize they're addicted and can't get help, and don't even know that you can be addicted to anything that isn't a hard substance.

this might have been a bit of an aside from the point of your ask anon, i definitely went on a huge tangent, so i will add to loop back around that for addictions being treated casually it was part of the reason i never realized i had a caffeine addiction until my first sudden, unprompted panic attack and subsequent discovery that dependency can cause literally every single symptom i would go on to experience and more. there's a very casual, nonchalant attitude about coffee in our culture and having actually experienced the worst of it and continuing to see so many people around me (immediate family included) who are completely unaware they're addicted and don't link their health issues to their overconsumption, i get more than a little upset about the idea of being a "coffee fiend" or needing coffee just to maintain basic alertness being portrayed as a quirky character trait rather than an actually fucking horrifying sign that your health is in jeopardy and you won't ever know because NOBODY talks about it.

#this uh. got very long i'm very sorry #this is certainly quite the subject for me

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hug-protocol · 1 month ago

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Villain Within GM's Commentary:

The Major Minors

One of the first things that went into the creative pot of Villain Within was the choices system in the Mass Effect trilogy; if you choose to save zarnak from the turbo-moose in the first game instead of pursuing the sector's premier hygno-gem thief, in the third game, when the nydrongian conflict seems inevitable, zarnak will come out of nowhere to save the high cryptarch of Alpha Centuri! it makes for a very solid and measurable feeling of having your choices matter that really got me hooked, and which i really wanted to capture for my campaign. Another big influence on the campaign was the web serial Worm by wildbow, which really went big on giving a genuine-feeling portrait of teenagers risking their lives to fight supervillains in a world where teens risking their lives wasnt completely uncommon- and a world where they could very well die- the Brockton Bay Wards (apt viewers may also notice that Delburn is like. very similar to brockton bay in general). Armed with these two principles, an idea occured very naturally to me while cooking up the campaign- a teenage superhero team who might not survive.

Sunforce

Like most of the characters, Proto-sunforce was a major character in the New Frontiers story concept, a headstrong bruiser who was cocky but kind, and who would have been part of a team senior to the protagonists, including proto-evolution and proto-scrapmetal. She also would have had a tragic romance with proto-Biobrute, but ill describe that in more depth when i get to them. honestly the only thing i really kept between the two versions of the character was her powers; she can make luminous doubles of her torso and limbs that may overlap with both one another, but must overlap with the original, giving her superhuman durability, strength, speed and making her a nightmare to fight in melee. the Villain within version is basically Captain America if he was an 18 yr old with anxiety and a saviour complex- she frantically tries to de-escalate fights even while throwing punches and (in my opinion) manages to toe the line exactly between being hopelessly idealistic and dangerously competent- something which really took the party by surprise [ :) ]. I ended up also making her civilian identity a friend of Nina- the overworked med student roommate of Marsh, one of the PCs. This was largely because i wanted to make the world more interconnected, but also partly because it occured to me that they would get along well.

Ghost Knight

Ghost knight has maybe the funniest discrepancy between his New Frontiers and Villain Within charactarisation- Proto-ghost knight is this Soren/Zuko hybrid, determined to make up for the crimes of his family (and his ruthless azula-esque sister, proto-grindstone) and willing to tear his family legacy down to do what's right. By contrast, in Villain Within, Ghost Knight is basically a 2013 Sasuke kinnie with enough bravery and sickass superpowers to back it up. In a running theme with the major minors, the players didnt take him very seriously until he sliced their getaway vehicle in two with a single blow, and even then continued to make fun of him, albeit from a safer distance.

Techno-Boy

Techno-boy is quite the oddity in this campaign, because he wasnt developed out of a New frontiers character or even rp character- in the early stages of development, Villain within was going to be set in the same universe as Hero Within: Heroes Rising, and Techno-Boy was intended to be a returning character from that campaign; the little brother of the PC hero Soulcide, Asher Hue, who was often referred to in-game as 'The Boy' and demonstrated an affinity with gadgets. His initial charactersation was largely taken from Asher himself, with much of his hero design coming from Kid Win from Worm; a spider-man style quipping boy genius, with a list of personalised taunts that i prepared ahead of each session he appeared in. Completely unexpectedly, Techno-Boy had some pretty major character development- later on in the campaign, when after the Abomination Event left large parts of the city in ruins, he appeared helping Rewind-up 'Homeless Columbo Spiderman' fight off the party, and i suddenly found while reading his quips that he was like. genuinely mean-spirited with his taunts now, rather than just having fun? and yeah suddenly i found myself with a 15 year old who had become jaded and down in the face of a city getting worse every day, but who still tried to put on a brave face for the people who looked up to him. and i was like fuck. Anyway this sudden depth he developed made him the perfect candidate to be impersonated by the shapeshifter Nightlock when he tried to get information out of the (now defected) PC Velocity with an imitation of Techno-Boy's previously genuine cheer.

Miss Mist

Funnily enough, for the very last character to be put on the 'Major players of delburn' list on the discord, the character concept Miss Mist (Valentina, to the party) comes from is by far the oldest. The Endermaster was a minecraft OC i made when i was around 11 (before i even knew such a thing existed) to the song 'Skyfall'. he was an enderman/human hybrid with the ability to dissociate his body into 'enderparticles' with the ability to teleport objects they touched. He then proceeded to be my go-to RP character on the bungie.net forums (in hindsight it was very funny that I, an 11 year old, was taking offense at being accused of being 13) and was used as a side character in various later rps. When one of my players at the beginning of the campaign informed me his character Sandtrap (capable of dissociating his body into particles of sand) was a ruthless killer with two young children, I was immedately like. One Of Them Will Get The Endermaster Powers. And He Will Unknowingly Fight Them. The unlucky preteen ended up being Valentina, a 9 year old who the party would have ample time to get to know when comedic mishaps resulted in them babysitting the pair of children while they did supervillainous stuff without letting the kids know about it (so that Sandtrap would retain partial custody of his kids). This also provided a few nice moments including Marsh choosing to shield the kids from a malfunctioning robot with her human body (rather than expose her werewolf form) and Sandtrap getting the kids Mcdonalds. however disaster would strike when Sandtrap dropped out of the campaign! fortunately due to the party's previous involvement i managed to stick the kids to Nina (part of the Marsh Extended Universe) by having her become their babysitter while Sandtrap was off making Operation Desert Storm literal. this all ended up fitting together brilliantly in the end though! when the Abomination Event happened, it let me have the kids and Nina all in one place for the party to try and rescue from the abominations- The party fights off the abomination while Saviour tries to evacuate the building, and via their (honestly very impressive) efforts, almost everyone is saved! save for Valentina, who is nowhere to be found, leaving half the party to fruitlessly claw through the rubble to find her. (sorry marsh!) Then after that, the mysterious (mist-erious) monstrosity Mister appears and acts erratically all over the place, lashing out, unable to speak or commuicate at all until she corners Marsh in the midst of a heated battle (a happy coincidence was that her powers deal Sonic damage, which is Marsh's weakness) and they have a very melodramatic confrontation that ended up resolving with with tears all around. So it all worked out well in the end!

Bio-Brute

Frontiers' Proto-BioBrute, who is also proto-proto-Bookkeeper, was an ecology-themed magic scientist in doomed yuri romance with proto-Sunforce, and had the ability to assimilate the physical traits of animals into her own body for a short time, making her laboratory largely resemble a victorian zoo. Needless to say, hubris and angst and tragedy would have happened and she would have ended up an ever-mutating monstrosity ripe for 200,000 word fix-it aus on ao3. While the tragedy of her character never went anywhere, and much of her sci-fi horror monster material went into proto-bookkeeper and eventually bookkeeper himself, the powerset and mix of academic curiosity with eventual animalisticness found itself a new form in Bio-Brute, the Major Minors' ever-changing monstrosity. Now, it is just now occuring to me that the players never found about this, but a major defining character trait of Bio-Brute is that they are Six Year Old lab experiment; they appear to be an unintelligent bully of a hero, while their actions are actually those of a remarkably bright child with very impressive anger-management skills. Bio-brute's powers were also a hoot to play with; because they adapted to every foe they faced, i got to really play with designing a monster ideally suited for defeating the party. Unfortunately the players were very good at planning their escape from their employer Igneous, so i never ended up being able to use the setpiece i had prepared around them being ordered to hunt down Bio-Brute in their (believed) civilian identity, a burly delinquent very protective of his seemingly innocent younger sibling, who would have a very weak stomach for their brother putting himself on the line for their safety.

Endnote

it might not be clear from the way i detailed these characters in the post but i really did succeed on the mass-effect style 'choices matter' element of the Major Minors' whole deal; honestly im still impressed that none of them ended up dying; in their first appearence Bio-Brute was almost beheaded by Sandtrap and the party considered killing several members at various points, never actually getting around to it. Igneous's plan involved killing all of them, and it was only via some very clever scheming that the party got out from igneous's thumb before they had to go through with said plans. I had plans for if one member died, if all of them died, if all but one member died (my second favourite outcome) etc. and their survival did very much come back to effect the players later on in the campaign! Nina and Velocity both got rescued by Sunforce at one point, the Major Minor's contributions offscreen during the Abomination Event was a big part of the party getting to the big fight as quickly as they did, and if the players had been defeated in the final battle against igneous, The Major Minors would have been the ones to rescue them, at great personal cost, leading to a (sadly(?)) never-realised arc where igneous would hunt the party down personally.

#villain within #ttrpg #indie ttrpg

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smokeybrand · 4 months ago

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Stay Out the Kitchen

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lec743 · 2 years ago

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🚀🥳🍬🤩💌

Oh my~ Thank you for asking~ Now let's see...

🚀 Do you like to outline your fic first or create as you go?

It's a bit of a complicated mess. If I plan too much then It stays stuck as an idea and then if I don't plan enough any conflict or struggles that I come up with come out flat and bland for the story. I don't really write much down when I plan things out, everything just marinates in my head for a while until I'm satisfied with the conflict then I let everything else flow naturally from what the possible conflict entails from the characters and the environment. This also depends heavily on what genre I'm writing for.

🥳 Why did you start writing fanfic?

The year was 2013. I was always a book worm but I was tired of reading about new things and moving on. One day I was looking online for Adventure Time's spin off comic series of Fiona and Cake. Then I found people's fan comics of the show. Then I found the fanfictions. Then in 2014 I found out that I could also write fanfiction of my own and thus LEC743 was born in the bowls of Fanfiction.net, reading and writing fanfiction at the time when my life was changing from a graduated high schooler and starting my first year in college.

🍬 Do you write for multiple fandoms? If yes, what is your favorite fic of yours for each fandom?

Yah. I write for multiple fandoms. I can't chose a favorite, though. I feel cringe-y about my older stuff and with my newer stuff I only tend to re-read when people comment on my writings. I am proud of everything that I've written, mainly because it means I'm capable of creating art that people really enjoy. (whispered) Thanks for reading by the way <3 <3 <3

🤩 What led to your interest in the fandom?

Right now I have like, four main fandoms that I happen to love; Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Five Nights at Freddy's, Lego Monkie Kid, and Mass Effect Andromeda. There's more of course, I just have more writing focus on these four things currently.

I've always been a TMNT fan ever since I lade my eyes on the 1990's live action movies, but I never really thought about writing fanfiction about them until the 2018 versions came out. I found @rheawritesforfun and @s-s-ironnie's blogs about their fanfictions and art and it just inspired me to write my own things.

I am not much of a horror game person, but Five Nights at Freddy's has a special place in my heart mainly because of Markiplier. I loved watching him play through the games but I never really got into writing fanfiction for the franchise until I started seeing fan art of Sun and Moon from Security Breach on Pinterest, and then when I found and started reading @bamsara's Solar Lunacy I was hooked, line, and sinker for the series.

Lego Monkie Kid wasn't something I was initially interested in. I remember when I tried getting into it for the first time that I couldn't make it through the first episode without being turned off for some reason. But then I found some fan art, and specifically I found @swagginmun's art of the monkeys and MK and they spoke so excitedly about it that I decided to give it another chance. Then I was hooked and making fanfiction for the cartoon soon after.

Mass Effect Andromeda. Has aliens. Has weird space magic. Has exploration. What can I say. I love the Mass Effect series and I liked the continuations. (clears throat then whispers) Also I suggest reading this fanfiction called "The Holes Of My Sweater". It's a Jaal POV story and it's so good guys~

💌 Is there a favorite trope you like to write?

I like those transformative tropes: friends to lovers, enemies to friends, friends to hated rivals to enemies to tentative friends to lovers, friends to family, and not just these types of transformative tropes either. I like the ones where the hero becomes the villain, or when a villain becomes a hero and they fully embrace it and or hate that they have morals, people become monsters, monsters becoming people. That shit that H.P. Lovecraft was on to make all his weird ass monsters and how they made people mad with the knowledge. 👍 It's good shit~

(waves) Thanks for asking. Have a nice day~~~

#ask #for fun

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fredcasden · 2 years ago

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Good morning everyone,

First, update on my mom, she spent another night at the hospital, and after speaking with her this morning, turns out the doctors are saying she should stay, a large part being because of what I pointed out the other day in regards to Uber & Lyft not having proper vehicles to use for contracted hospital transport to and from people's homes. She is eating, and had a physical therapist see her, and I believe she will still get her scheduled radiation therapy treatments. We are raising money to cover these medical expenses, for more details, visit: https://gofund.me/6adf8354

In terms of how I'm handling things... its... worrisome on so many levels, but I kept getting the impression people are just waiting for me to snap. I know my father doesn't want to hear me vent, he made that particularly clear a few days ago. I know internalizing it is 'bad', but one has to keep up a strong front right? I don't really have a choice, I either step up or crash and burn. Too bad everything I've been trying to do has been a utter failure.

Sorry...

As for last night's stream, we played Final Fantasy XIV, and I was happily surprised to find the next two installments of the Endwalker Hildibrand story arc involving aliens, bunnies and a tabloid reporter. We also finally accessed the Moogle Tribe Quests, and got Carpentry up to level 51. Did a couple of raids, and basically got my face stomped in... I really hate the NieR inspired raids... I truly do Still we had fun.

For the raid we dropped in on PrincessPashley as they were playing The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt over on twitch.tv/PrincessPashley! The Witcher 3 is a game that is on my list of things to eventually play.

Stream Clip Links

Let it be a dance sequence!

Dancing Bunnies On The Moon

I think he went down easily

Got only a little bit of writing done on the Mass Effect short story commission, as I was distracted with checking in on mom, so I didn't feel like writing too much during the afternoon. I hope to finish it today, then get started on the next commission short story which is based on WWE.

Recorded a new Tier List making video for my YouTube channel, this time focused on 80s movies. It ended up being an hour long based on trying to justify where I placed each film. Doing it did bring back to my mind the disappointment that was Kingdom Hearts III in regards to its World selection, since I did give The Great Mouse Detective and The Black Cauldron fairly high ranks.

Today's Fitness Boxing 2 daily workout featured Hook Combo #1, Weaving Combo #2 and Waist Shape Focus Combo for 28 minutes.

I still remember the last thing my grandfather said before kicking the bucket: "Hey, you want to see how far I can kick this bucket?"

Song of the Day: Centuries by Fall Out Boy.

For tonight's stream, the plan is to play Persona 4 Arena Ultimax, continuing the story mode from the Persona 4 cast perspective with maybe an arcade run or two as well.

So on that note we'll see you later over on twitch.tv/fredcasden!

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paragonraptors · 2 years ago

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Hello, I absolutely adore that last piece of yours. The one from Andromeda. My question is - what are your favourite aspects of the game. I played the demo version (first ten hours) and I have mixed feelings about it. So I would like to know what kept you hooked on it if that's alright?

Thank you! You've just asked me the one question I have spent the last like 5 years thinking about. So, well...[cracks knuckles]. As much as I hate saying it, I feel like the first 10 hours are a poor representation of the game, depending on how quickly you progress through the main story. For better or worse, Andromeda's first act frontloads you with a lot of side quests, and I think a lot of the ways it presents its setting and ideas in that time can leave someone apprehensive about how it grapples with its themes later on. If you're willing after reading this, I'd grab it on sale for super cheap or borrow it from a friend/the library and give it at least until finishing the mission to rescue the Moshae on Voeld. (This is around the 15-20 hr mark.) Loyalty missions begin to trigger after that and you really start getting into the thick of it. Though I think they're worth doing as you progress (you are rewarded for it in the final mission), anything that's not in the main quest and companion tabs of the journal can pretty much be ignored without consequence and completed post-game.

Despite all the online shit, it was love at first sight for me. I played at launch and got close to finishing before the first major patch came out. A lot of what probably kept me in my first playthrough was that the idea I had for my Ryder fit really well into what the game gave me, so I was deeply invested in my PC. I think that can really influence one's enjoyment of an RPG.

Ryder is not Shepard, and Ryder's canonical backstory as a 22 year-old nepotism baby who, from what we can tell, had a fairly cushy life growing up on the Citadel until fairly recently is kind of essential for the story to work. I joked in a caption that ME:A is a YA dystopia, but I'm also completely serious about that. It still has a lot of the core cosmic horror themes of the original trilogy, but with a much more scrappy, unexperienced, underdog flavor that you get with a younger protagonist. I liked this in contrast to Shepard being highly and unquestionably competent and having already experienced significant trauma before the story starts via their origin or psych profile. It almost forces you to create an entirely different perspective on Mass Effect's universe as a whole.

Beyond that, it really hit on things I felt were missing from the original trilogy, and especially in comparison to ME1, it's an incredibly compelling introduction to a new trilogy. (I believe it is a disservice to compare ME:A to the original trilogy as a whole, and have come to these opinions by almost exclusively comparing it to 1.)

I really enjoyed the roleplay system. I think the casual/professional/logical/emotional wheel and the impulse actions were a good move away from the paragon/renegade thing. It allowed for choices to not get locked into the appearance of being "good" and "bad" or a kind of set personality type. I like that Ryder gets a psychological profile and relationship bios that are updated as you progress.

I'm a huge fan of all the characters. They carry this game. I think their flaws are interesting and add depth to what's appealing about them. I think the voice performances are just fantastic across the board. I really loved how the NPCs interact with each other and that they have distinct and active relationships outside of Ryder, which is something we didn't really get for the Normandy crew until 3. I love that the Tempest is a small scouting vessel with a crew of 11 all sharing *one toilet*. It's a MIRACLE they are not actively trying to kill each other! Especially when you consider the Normandy was so big it had a whole staff you just straight up didn't really get to know, and Shepard's squadmates were sometimes actually trying to kill each other-- And they at least had three toilets!!

The male characters were written with a vulnerable emotional depth we rarely get to see, especially in video games, and especially in the Mass Effect universe. Hearing them openly talk about their emotions without deflection, and sometimes even gawking at the idea of deflection, was really refreshing. Its easy to get caught up in Alec's whole thing, but the themes of masculinity and fatherhood in other characters' stories (Drack, Vetra, Gil, Jaal, and Liam particularly) offers some nice balance and reflection to that narrative to the point I believe they are intentional supplements/foils to what Alec's got going on.

This game is PACKED with ambient dialogue and text, and it makes the world feel so alive. The message boards, emails, and data pads you find throughout are so good. The ones on the Tempest and New Tuchanka in particular are my favorites, but even the text you can pull up from the forward stations have some delightful little bits. It's unfortunate that ambient dialogue/banter can get cut off by the slightest thing, and the only workaround is to just stop dead in your tracks the second you hear someone talking, but I love listening to the dialogue. It's crazy to me how much made the cut to be recorded and put in the final product despite the known time crunch issues of the game's production.

I've always favored Bioware's map design over of a lot of open-world games, and this one isn't any different. Though I wish they were more fleshed out, there's a solid attempt at introducing different mechanics for different areas of the game to switch things up. I lament the loss of controlling squadmate powers, but the combat is still fun and I enjoy the fluidity of the class system for mechanical and narrative purposes. I really enjoy Remnant sudoku.

For all the flack Andromeda caught about bad animation, it has some of my favorite bits of animation in an AAA video game. For every awkward animation there is a wonderfully charming and well-done one. I wish I could get into specifics without spoilers, but there's a list of ones that get me every time. I've also always considered these cosmetic flaws to be a feature I enjoy in games. So what Ryder runs kind of weird up and down stairs? Geralt Witcher3 can't walk stairs very well either, yet that somehow never came up when people would compare the two.

Your mileage could greatly vary when it comes to the main story. Upon several replays (through the whole series), really getting into the codices, and reading the novels, I think they were setting up a lot of really cool things that expanded on the ideas of the first three. Cosmic horror, creationism, the integration of organic life and artificial intelligence, regulation vs deregulation, autonomy and self-governance, resilience against entropy and destruction. However, I can see how it could come off as half-baked, thoughtless, even irresponsible. It's not perfect. It's clearly rushed in places and unfinished. I don't really have a counter-argument to this as it does also deal with sensitive topics- specifically colonialism and genocide- where people's tolerance can vary significantly. While Ryder can be fairly principled about the problems you encounter, and can often speak out or refuse to be complicit, not everything is handled delicately. Sometimes you will say "Man, I wish I could do this other thing instead of the options I'm given." or "Oof, that could have been written A Bit Better." It struggles to balance the shoot-em-up gameplay with the Moral Questions. I take it as the necessary, but flawed, result of not hand-holding and spelling everything out for an M-rated open-world RPG that can only offer so many variables, but not everyone feels that way, nor do they have to.

With all that said, this is just one of those games I keep coming back to and finding something new to love about it or a detail that illuminates something in an entirely new way. I think it's a shame that as far as we know, subsequent sequels have been cancelled. Much like ME1, the ending left me ready for more.

#ive been working on this all day hopefully i dont regret expressing Opinions online

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felassan · 2 years ago

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BioWare Blog post: BioWare Developer Story – Pride Edition

Welcome to a very special entry in our Developer Story series! While previous editions have featured a single subject, in the wake of Pride Month in June, we invited some of our LGBTQIA+ colleagues to talk about what the studio and its games mean to them as queer folks. So please allow us to introduce you to Technical Product manager Lina Anderson, Technical Animator Samantha Wald, Programmer Rachel Hammond, and Cinematic Designer Mikayla Stock, who were all kind enough to share their personal histories with us.

How did you end up at BioWare?

RACHEL: Game development was something I’ve wanted to do my entire life, from when I first played with our family’s Atari and NES and on through all my childhood. By the time I got to college, I’d fallen in love with programming as well, so I joined my campus’ Game Developer Association, where I made friends and contacts who helped me land my first job in the industry a bit over 15 years ago. I worked with a few smaller companies before getting my job with BioWare 11 years ago, and I’ve been here ever since.

SAMANTHA: My path into the industry was a lot less direct! I studied broadcasting in college to get into video editing, but I eventually started rendering graphics in 3D. I was instantly hooked, and I started doing rigging for animated shows and films. But I had always been a huge gamer, and about three years ago, I realized my skills would transfer perfectly to technical animation. BioWare has always been one of my favorite studios, and I was so excited when I got the offer to come work here six months ago!

MIKAYLA: I’m relatively new to the games industry, too; I got my start working on 2D educational kids’ games after graduating with a degree in animation. I‘ve been with BioWare for a little over a year now, working on Star Wars™: The Old Republic.

LINA: BioWare is actually my first experience in the games industry, but I’ve been here for over five and a half years. I had dreamed about working in games since I was a kid and was really surprised to get in on my first attempt!

How have BioWare games impacted you as a queer person?

SAMANTHA: As a trans woman, I spent a large majority of my life being uncomfortable with who I am and how I’m perceived by society. Before I transitioned, games were always an outlet for me to feel comfortable and explore my identity; BioWare games in particular gave me that in a completely supportive, non-judgmental space, and I really don’t think I’d be where I am today without them.

LINA: Agreed. Both Mass Effect and Dragon Age were instrumental in helping me rediscover myself. I’d repressed so much over the years, and building characters that reflected aspects of me that I’d been hiding allowed me to safely explore these thoughts and feelings. I found I was able to talk about things I’d previously kept bottled up, using my characters and companions as proxies—something that I wasn’t yet comfortable enough to do on my own. Nobody batted an eye when I talked about Lady Shepard having a fling with Garrus!

MIKAYLA: I also found BioWare games—specifically the Dragon Age games, for me—at a time when I was still kind of figuring out who I was. I was fortunate enough to be raised in an open-minded household, but it’s always different being told something’s okay versus seeing it on screen in front of you, presented as being completely normal, you know?

RACHEL: Yes! Watching them start pushing for more inclusion years ago, allowing gay and bi romance options, that was a real help for me at the time. But even outside of my direct personal experience, it was so good to see that inclusion spreading through the industry.

Why do you think BioWare games resonate so well with queer players?

SAMANTHA: BioWare games have always been about playing your character however you want, so I think it’s exceptionally easy for players to insert themselves into the main character. And since queer folks have had so little representation in the past, BioWare games are likely to be the first place a lot of folks are able to see themselves reflected in media.

MIKAYLA: Right, they provide a space for players to explore their identities. There are so many well-rounded characters that it’s hard not to find a couple that resonate with you, and watching the story of a character you deeply connect with play out can be incredibly cathartic. And it’s about not being afraid to tell LGBTQIA+ stories!

RACHEL: Yes—games that try to be more open and attentive towards queer identities definitely help us find ourselves in them. But they help other people see us too; the benefit doesn’t stop simply with our firsthand experience. It also helps normalize queer identities for other players, letting others know we’re real, we’re normal, we’re part of the industry.

LINA: And the thing for me is that the games don’t just have a couple queer characters you can run into, and then you’re off shooting aliens again. These are characters that we grow with through the series, form bonds with, and can choose to be close to.

Do you think BioWare games have made an impact on the way the industry approaches LGBTQIA+ topics?

MIKAYLA: I think any exposure to LGBTQIA+ topics in games is a step towards normalizing them in the industry, and BioWare’s decision not to shy away from telling those stories, but to embrace them, was a welcome breath of fresh air.

SAMANTHA: And I think that’s really led the way in de-stigmatizing queer relationships in games. By being this inclusive in games that are both successful and popular, they made it clear that queer representation is not a detriment, but actually a positive and something a lot of players are hungry for.

LINA: Yeah, I remember seeing the original Mass Effect making waves for having a same-sex romance option. It was absolutely the first major game I was aware of where this was a thing at all, and I think that by showing you could have a gay romance between a human and an alien and not have retailers refuse to stock your games, that may have opened some eyes and made it an easier pitch.

RACHEL: That’s exactly it. The way BioWare handled inclusion rippled through the industry, leading to other studios leaning into that content, which meant that even more games were comfortable with it. It helped move everyone forward.

Do you feel like BioWare sees and supports its queer employees?

SAMANTHA: To me, the biggest thing I see BioWare doing to support queer employees has been to empower them! I have never seen so many queer people in senior leadership positions as I have in my time here.

MIKAYLA: Everyone I’ve had the pleasure of working with has been nothing but kind and accepting, and I’ve never felt the need to be anything but myself. That fosters such a great sense of communication and community. I don’t feel like I’m living inside a vacuum while I’m working; the rest of the world still exists and its impact on employees is not taken lightly.

RACHEL: I’ve been with BioWare for more than a decade at this point, and I’ve only seen the support for our LGBTQIA+ staff grow. There have been some missteps along the way, sure, but the most important thing I’ve seen is that people are eager to listen, learn, and do better. I’ve seen a great amount of work put in to ensure that happens in every circumstance. When I started here, I was not out to anyone about being trans. I had transitioned years ago but I was afraid to tell anyone. But in my time here I was given the confidence I needed to come out again, on my terms. So many other workplaces I’ve been at pushed me back into the closet, but BioWare helped me actually feel free to express my whole self.

LINA: Oh, absolutely. If I wasn’t in a place like BioWare, I probably still wouldn’t be out. Coming out as trans was terrifying in general, but knowing my manager and leadership were there for me as I announced who I really was made all the difference.

Thanks to Mikayla, Rachel, Samantha, and Lina for sharing their stories. At BioWare, we’re dedicated to a diverse, inclusive culture, and try to show that through our people and our games. Of course, we know there will always be more to learn in order to best support our teams. But we look forward to that continued growth—because while it may no longer be Pride Month, BioWare is always proud of all our colleagues.

[source]

#dragon age #bioware #mass effect #mass effect: andromeda #video games #lgbtq #vetra nyx #spikywife #jaal ama darav #long post #longpost #sw:tor #garrus vakarian #best boy

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nighttimepixels · 4 years ago

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TALK TO US ABOUT MASS EFFECT I HAVE BEEN AN INSANE MASS EFFECT/SHAKARIAN TRASH PERSON SINCE 20-FUCKING-11 AND LEMME TELL YOU THOSE FEELINGS HAVENOT TARNISHED A SINGLE FRACTION IN THOSE TEN YEARS OH MY GOOOOOOODDDSSSS!!!!!!!

I DEMAND A PLAY-BY-PLAY UP TO THE MINUTE OF YOUR REACTIONS TO EVERYTHING!!!!

you are so valid and I totally see why everyone I've ever mentioned it to loves the hell out of it

aksdjlsdfj I meannnn if you want to hear my rambling about it then hell yeah

Okay, gonna put this below the cut to save everyone else XD also- since I'm not leaving this Mass Effect obsession anytime soon, if you're not interested in seeing occasional posts about it, please feel free to block the tag "night plays ME"~

(mild spoilers ahead??)

((also for real I mean it when I say this is rambling as hell lol, apologies and no stress if absolute no one reads all this))

OKAY SO Mass Effect 1-

Stars help me, I was honestly hooked right from the start?? Like even in Legendary Edition (the combined trilogy just re-released in one "can play it on one system + minor improvements", for anyone who doesn't know) where it's smoothed out, of course it's obvious that ME1 is a decade old... but the foundation for these relationships are all there and gods I love them already.

Like - Kaiden right off the top is a delightful good fightin lad, what the hell. I've heard that he's viewed as 'bland' by a good portion of the fan community but I dunno, he's a delight and even more complex by the time 2 rolls around and you encounter him on Horizon, it was honestly Ashley I was way more meh about - mostly because before you can learn about her family history/etc, she comes off as hella xenophobic and I was immediately offended for my growing space family that she didn't like/trust all the aliens around, pfff.

(she gets redeemed a bit through further actions/evolving thoughts, but I thought in retrospect it was a bummer that they didn't flip the order there, give her a chance to be liked before the complicating factor of being so rude about aliens >:c that then she could grow from... ah well. Apparently she has a good arc but uh, let's just say I chose Kaiden at the "key junction" in the latter part of the game so I won't be seeing anymore of Ashley uh... anytime soon, haha.)

Garrus??? Is??????? The ABSOLUTE best???????????

I liked him from the start, I'm always a bit of a sucker for a rogue-detective "the system won't bring this bastard to justice, so I've got to" type and all their moral shadiness XD But he just gets better, honestly, and where I'm at in ME2 (right before the Reaper IFF mission, as of typing this, with everyone's loyalty!) I am only digging myself deeper into this hole-

-*wheezing* okay anyways -

Wrex is AMAZING I love fightin' middle-aged krogan bastard, gods. Liara is great too, I'm a sucker for a wlw relationship (playing fem!Shepard, so) - buuuut I'll admit she's a bit more one-note in ME1. Last week while I was still on ME1 I remember hearing (while trying to dodge spoilers) that her arc is really good, though. I think they leaned a little hard on the 'innocent but sexy' sterteotype on her (so despite the yikes aspect of a few of the things I've learned in ME2, lol, I actually really like the complexity that's been added to her character.)

Saved Liara first, so by the time I got to Noveria and had the standoff with Benezia there was the chance to have emotions over Liara having to face her TwT and of course, I made the questionable but quality decision to free Queen Rachni heheh. no ragrets

More than a blow-by-blow of my choices though I totally wanna take the chance to say that even in the mild jankiness of ME1 (goddammit, the Mako.... please..... please just go up this impossible cliff I just want to resource hunt-) the way that the lore, both obvious/key to main plot and the lesser/filler/background/world-building kinds... I just love it. It incorporates it well, you can go ham in the codex learning more, or just dive into the basics - it's clearly a complex galaxy (and they do an even better job in 2 of fleshing it out further), and it never really felt overwhelming. It was pretty natural figuring it all out-!

Plus the interesting implications of resource hunting amongst the sapient races, and the little side missions you better bet I did every one of- there's so much rich depth in the story if you do 'em!! (And that lead with that Keeper side mission...? Looking back, damn, clever foreshadowing-!!!)

And oh my gods, Ilios??? hell yeah. I loved that mission so much, especially having Garrus & Kaiden with me when talking to the hologram/computer, and more than anything, that last sprint in the Mako trying to get to the jump before it closed-???

yeet the boi-

Also mannn I love a good setpiece, and having to go up the side of the elevator, space-side?? such a cool setup!!

Plus it felt good having been Paragon enough (as simple as the good v bad vibe system is, I don't hate it, lol) to avoid one of the Saren fights, ngl. And the er, "second fight" with Sovereign-Saren.... hell yeah

... I'll admit I had to double check my choice re whether to save the Council. I did in the end, but I swear, sometimes the way they phrase things I'm like ".... okay but Garrus is right, defeating Sovereign is more important than these few leaders??????" woops. Listen, priorities, is all I'm saying..... (￣ヮ￣|||)ゞ

'Course later they emphasize (in ME2) that there were 10,000 people on that same ship and I was like well I wouldn't have second guessed if I'd known that, I mean c'mon-

Also I did indeed romance Liara in this one, so I got that scene ;Dc But,,,, I also knew by the end that I was totally gonna romance Garrus in 2 since he's an option then finally,,,,, lemme tell you the guilt as I waffled over whether to romance Liara bc of it. hahaha.

Aaaaand Mass Effect 2-

So I'm only up to right before the Reaper IFF Mission, so I don't know the ending, etc etc lol. That said, I've just finished every side mission I've found with the exception of the Shadowbroker Quest and the Arrival Quest (I've heard the latter basically leads into ME3, and the former is best either right before the Omega 4 jump or in postgame).

So from the start - fuck yeah fuck yeah what a high adrenaline start Shepard noooooo but also yes save Joker aH-

The motion comic too hot damn nice job

I loved this setup, seriously - especially forcing Shep into this situation, having to work with/for Cerberus, and the compelling reasoning given behind "why" they do what they do (I especially found it a good point that the Salarians have the Task Force, the Asaris the Commandos, the Turians the- etc... like, true, when you put it like that, having a similar group advancing human interests/solving human interstellar problems is pretty reasonable...). That said, I love too that it really isn't shied away from how Cerberus is nonetheless fucked up - or its at least done fucked up stuff.

Listen, I still think some messed up stuff is gonna be revealed in 2's endgame......... after that Horizon mission and the Collector's ship???? TIM I SEE YOU YOU SHADY MF-

aaanyways lol...

I'm so so glad on a gameplay level they nixed the Mako style exploration. A few Hammerhead missions are fine and a lot more focused than the slippery ass navigation in that glorified ATV, pfff. The probes are a neat way of getting after similar resources - and more importantly, having good levels and some good hubs (the Zakera Wards, Omega, Ilium, etc) is way way more fun than having a more 'sprawling' space that is.... a lot of empty nonsense, lol.

Then there's the fact that we get Joker right off the bat and you can interact with him so much - and him and EDI??? Get out gods I love them. Kasumi is so right when she says they sound like a bickering old married couple lol. I have a terrible feeling that some shit is gonna happen with EDI..... but I don't think she's evil as-is, at least.

Side-eying the hell out of those "access forbidden" parts of her that she doesn't even know.... and the fact that her AI core has a locked door access................... something's gonna happen gdi LEAVE OUR ADOPTED AI ALONE.

(Also Joker pls stop fracturing your thumb on the mute button)

Also please save me there are so many hot aliens in this game,,,,, the xeno/monsterfuckers really comin' through strong in the sequels............... doin' the lord's work........................................

In general, I love how many levels ME stepped up in two with complexity and interwoven narratives!! Like, to the point it'd be almost a drag to replay ME1, even though it was fun going through it (if occasionally a bit tedious with the cookie cutter rando planet science/mine facilities, lol). Like, just from how fun and interesting ME2 is, mostly! more of all the pre-introduced races, plus new ones, plus more filling in of intragalactic politics, and more interesting implications of all these space-faring races mixing....

Also gods WREX and his planet holy shit,,,,, fuckin' hell yeah my man get their shit together and also adopt Grunt yes good-

And Mordin??? My singing semi-evil scientist best friend forced to confront his choices more than he thought he ever would have???? With some of the best ongoing general report chatter of all the companions??

(when I tell you I choked on my coffee when I talked to him after confirming romance choice w/ Garrus and that 'pamphlet' and 'anaphalactic shot if ingesting-' kajsldkfjsldfjk)

Like, fuck, the fact that they actually dive into the mixed morality and horrors of the genophage, and you can confront Mordin on it, for good reason, yet he still stands his ground, until finally some bits of his loyalty mission seem to... affect him, and I'm guessing might set up things for 3 with him? Unsure, but either way, damn, the fact that they start to dig into it...

And Taliiiii my beloved forbidden alien wife TwT her loyalty mission was SO GOOD. I love how varied they all are?? Getting to defend her and discover what she'd unwittingly been a part of-!!

Zaeed is a bastard but tbh I love that he is and that he's unapologetic in him - and Kasumi omg, best thief. A heist?? Gods, yes- I love our couch lounge chats XD

Samara is..... illegally.......... she's an illegally powerful and beautiful and eloquent MILF...........................

(.... listen I'm sapphic as hell and I'm kicking my own ass for picking her up last aksjdlfksjdfl - but her loyalty mission, damn. And seeing how there's this interesting cultural subset, and the struggle with the Asari in that they unquestioningly accept/respect justicars, but also know that the impact outside their culture is a diplomacy nightmare waiting to happen-)

,.,,,,,T,,, Thane,,,,,

I am weak for morally implicated murder dads okay?? And that voice??? His mannerisms?????? How you first see him, and that prayer after assassinating her...???????? And his history/his people's history with the hanar, gods I love how messy it is, it feels so much more real!

Also Jack is a mess and I love her (and want to get her some therapy, omg), and her and Miranda nearly duking it out after you've done both their loyalty missions??? so good and makes a lot of sense-! Honestly I would love more interactions between teammates on the ship, but there's already so much the devs had to balance I can't blame 'em for minimizing, heh. But suffice to say I also love Miranda and Jacob, even if I'm softest for my alien crew XD Hell yeah Jacob, we'll get loud and spill drinks on the citadel indeed TwT

.... I could write a whole essay on how much I love Garrus oTL Perhaps because he and Tali are the throughlines from 1 on your 2 crew, I have some of the strongest feelings about them... but genuinely, he was one of my favorite companions in the first game, and how you find him as Archangel in two? Getting to help him fight his way out after he's gone nearly 48 hours straight fighting off three gangs alone, jfc. His vengeance quest and what can happen there.... That line? fuck me, that line -

It's so much easier to see the world in black and white. Grey? I don't know what to do with gray...

How DARE you come for my heart like this, devs holy shit

(also, some other choice faves so far from the series from him include We can disobey suicidal orders?? and This wasn't in my training manual... [in 1, if you have him with you @ th Thorian fight] and his whole.... pop the heat sink - in his romance ;Dc)

asdasdfksadjfkl like I said I can write an essay on him PFFF suffice to say I'm very looking forward to his romance scene and where things go in 3

But yeah gods I'm just gonna keep rambling if I'm not careful lol. Gods I don't even know what to talk about it's all so good and while I can understand people roasting the obviousness of Paragon V Renegade (v neutral) choices/alignments, I think they do a pretty damn good job in 2 of pushing it further - to the point that there were some times that I accidentally got renegade points and I wasn't that mad, haha. There's so much fun in the interactions that I just have a good time anyways~

I have so many thoughts about TIM (The Illusive Man) and Cerberus.... theories evolving galore............... and like, what the hell!! Omega 4 going to the center of the galaxy is such a cool twist, goddamn - though my heart still breaks at losing Kaiden (his line if you haven't romanced him?? about feeling like he lost a limb when he lost you??? holy shit.... but I also can't blame him for not trusting Cerberus to the point of it affecting his ability to trust Shepard... like fuck Shep go after himmmm) I'm really excited to see where that goes since he comes back in 3, and what the fuck happens with Cerberus bc while I love the fact that obviously there are a lot of people in it for the right reasons, doing good work, there are those that are doing the opposite, and I have a very bad feeling about where TIM will end up landing....

All that said though I need to do the Reaper IFF mission (where I'm lightly spoiled as to getting That Boy, but not how/what happens to make it so - just that it's apparently wise to have all your side missions done before getting him...) and the actual Omega 4 jump. So we'll see what happens and what I think about it from there heheh!

.... major kudos and genuine props if you made it here to the end, I am so sorry for not editing on condensing all this, and appreciate you so much ;w;

#night answers #night plays ME #(yes that's a purposeful pun lol)#((i sure have played myself by starting this series its so good aksdjflskjfd))

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