#variant rant

[variant-nightwing16]

I don’t like Alfred, that man is not as good as people say he is and I’m tired of pretending that I like him. He can fuck off, @/ruestheday explains perfectly why I don’t like him.

[nipuni]

Alright, time to share my opinions about Veilguard!! I have both criticism and praise so bear with me as I jump from one extreme to the other 😆 spoilers ahead of course!

The game has a very rough start with the dialogue being formulaic and rushed and the characters overexposing. It feels like a heavy handed attempt at summarizing all of previous games' lore for newcomers or in case you forgot but it's so overdone it feels coddling and trivializes a lot of previous events. Luckily this gets better once all of the introductions are out of the way, though the excessive hints and clarifications continue until the end sadly.

The locations are absolutely incredible and very diverse!! This is a highlight of the game for me. There is so much detail and care in every map and there are so many of them. My pc is struggling to reach medium settings and yet everything looks stunning. The verticality of the maps is so imposing and the graphics have a very dreamy quality that I love. I also enjoy the maze-like structure to the maps, it's more linear but makes everything look a bit more intentional. The color and light direction was amazing, all the visual development really!! it has to be one of the prettiest games I've ever played.

When I started I have to admit it did not feel like I was in Thedas and it all felt a bit theme-parky, if that makes sense. A lot of previously important and established world elements that made Thedas what it is were overlooked or made irrelevant. But the more I played the more it started to feel a bit more similar to Inquisition, for better or worse depending on what you feel about Inquisition. But!! this also feels like a selectively sanitized version of Thedas compared to previous games. In it's attempt to stay safe and uncontroversial in some aspects it loses a lot of substance and it changes the tone. The surface level politics, ignoring previously established major societal issues and a tell-don't-show approach makes the world seem more simple and shallow with no grey areas to explore. ( the humor also falls flat and out of place often too, and WHY is everyone always smirking, enough!! godlike beings are destroying the planet please this is not the time for Marvel banter aaaa )

The pacing at the start is a bit of a mess. It is so fast it felt like jumping from one world shattering discovery to the next with no time to process. The characters also seem to underreact to important information and major developments. It felt like the game was rushing me through all this to get to the part of the story it wanted to tell me while I was still wrapped in my shock blanket trying to catch my breath lmao. I really like all the key story points they touched upon, I just wish they dwelled more on them to give them more narrative weight. ( though blaming every bad thing to ever happen on the Elves was certainly..a choice )

I think the writing could have used more subtlety in the first half and more boldness in the second 😆 but I loved the thematic parallels between Rook and Solas and how every quest informs the main storyline. I do wish Rook was given more impossible choices and put in more difficult situations that forced them to lie or betray their own to better drive the point home though ( listen I just love a Trolley problem!! we need more of those, I'm the Trolley problem's number one fan!! ) I feel like they missed the chance to put Rook in Solas' role and be as vilified and hated for it as Solas was despite their best intentions which would make Rook's regrets stronger and in turn make their escape from the fade all the more impressive and give them a better understanding of Solas to either use against him or earn his respect. The line 'they called me the Dread Wolf, what will they call you when this is over' from the trailers was so good I was waiting for this!! But everyone just loves Rook no matter what!!

But I feel like I stated too many negative aspects in a row so moving on to some things I enjoyed!

The characters were very lovable to me. The romances weren't as long or impactful as I would have liked but I enjoyed all the companion quests. Emmrich is a delight and his quest is so wild and fun. I loved learning about Nevarra and I was awestruck by the Grand Necropolis. The mourn watch was so interesting, it showed a whole new side of Thedas' lore I knew nothing about! and I loved Manfred! Davrin is so charming, he became a favorite. I loved his quest too and learning more bits and pieces about the Dalish was great, I wish we got more. Seeing the Wardens through his quest also made me enjoy them a lot. Assan was very cute too and I'm glad he was treated as an animal and not turned into a goofy Disney sidekick too much lmao 😭 Lucanis is hilarious. The fantasy Spain/Italy was a bit silly and off at times but he is very sweet! and I love the Spite possession, that was so fun I'm glad they kept him that way! Bellara is adorable, her first backstory quest made me cry and I just love a nerd! I wish the second part of her story was written better however, and she sort of devolves into 'it's hard, I wish it was easy but it's hard' dialogues too often sadly. Anaris and the Forgotten Ones' portrayal was underwhelming and anticlimactic which was disappointing. Harding is also very cute and her Titan plotline was the most interesting to me, I bawled my eyes out in her quest!! I love the dwarven lore of this universe I'm so happy we got more of it!! ( she also fucking died in my playthrough?! I was devastated what the hell 😭 'whatever it takes' WEUEUGHHHG I'M SO SORRY) Neve was a slow burn for me because of my choices in game slowing that relationship down ( saving Treviso I mean, perdón amor 🙏 ) but I love detective novels and she is such a badass I ended up loving her. Taash was unexpected, I didn't think they would be so young. The coming of age story was sweet, though I found myself cringing a lot too at the handling of it I have to admit ( and the Lords of Fortune in general, and the Antaam...and que Qun..listen- kajshfgf ) but I also enjoyed learning more about the first expedition and the Qunari in general despite the messy writing and choices. I also loved Antoine and Evka! and Strife! And I haven't even read any of the novels they are in 😆 also Mila!!!! and her dad oh my god and Felassan haunting the narrative!! speaking of haunting, I would have loved for Cole to be in the lighthouse too I think it would have worked well 🤔 especially with the whole 'reading Solas' secret diary' thing the game had going on lmao

Everyone seems to get along except for a bit of friction that is quickly resolved at the start, which is hmm missed potential? I would have preferred more tension personally. I enjoy the drama! gives me more to work with and gives you a better grasp on everyone's personality by contrasting values. I think they wanted to speed run a found family trope for the new hero to establish some emotional stakes early on but it ended up making everyone seem like a group therapy session instead. The group meetings also have everyone either state the obvious or repeat the same opinion or conclusion to each other, I would have loved these meetings to have more bickering, have people get mad and storm out and also get to listen to different takes on a situation. Make Rook struggle more to take the reins and keep the team functional, learning how to be a leader.

Speaking of Rook! ( who in my case has a northern British accent that I loved so much 🥺) They seem to have a very established personality. I was expecting more of a blank slate but I'm lucky that the personality they went for kind of matches what I would normally choose in a first playthrough. Though the lack of range in the choices is irritating and takes away some replayability and role playing potential. Rook is very supportive and selfless, I wasn't expecting this tbh! But it all made my Rook turn into the team's weird supportive necromancer mom so it worked out in the end I guess lmao. I can't wait to draw her!!

I was so overwhelmed by the amount of information we got about Solas and his past!! I was expecting answers but not these many and not for them to be such an integral part of the plot!! The game feels like it's about him more than anything else. His arc is the best written out of all. He is mentioned in every conversation, he's the main advisor and the narrative foil, you get to talk to him often, you work for him and with him and go into his memories it all feels so surreal to me lmao I love him so I'm delighted ngl! but also making the other Evanuris so cartoonishly evil makes Solas into such an obvious choice of an ally, god of trickery or not, that it sort of takes the decision out of your hands and makes some dialogue options and companions' opinions seem almost nonsensical. I have no idea how this game would feel to someone who absolutely hates Solas' guts honestly. I suppose I will find out soon enough 😆

About Solas' story, I loved it! I somehow also feel that I knew it already, all the speculation and theories that Solavellan fans were crafting for years were so accurate that it was all very validating. Even the wildest ones! Solas as the Maker, the elves spirit origin, Mythal giving him a body, the war with the Titans, the origin of the Blight, Solas being on your side as advisor, I can go on, we knew!! Also I have to mention this I'm sorry but they made him look so hot!! unbelievable. And the bloodied teary eyed pathetic look in the end ouurghhh I'm cheering and clapping!!

The romance conclusion was so lovely 😭 the Loki and Sigyn ending we deserved to such a mythological epic!! and open ended enough for all of us to cook!! and we got to see him fight and transform into the Dread Wolf!! and whimper and cry!! and bleed and love!! that's all I ever wanted, incredible we were really spoiled what the hell I still can't believe it 😭 GDL acting was brilliant as usual! the visuals were also incredible and exactly what I had in mind when I imagined where the story may go, the eclipse, the giant wolf, the glowing eyes, the Elvhenan ruins, the statues, even the hair lmao it all aligned exactly to what I've been painting all these years but better I was thrilled 😭

Solas backstory with Mythal also offers players that didn't romance him a chance to see him act out of love and show a side they wouldn't be able to reach otherwise and I think it was smart! also very tragic and sheds more light into all of his choices and words and his relationship with Lavellan too and the parallels and reversals and uughh thoroughly enjoying the emotional distress 👌

Pleasing both the Solas lovers and haters at the same time was always going to be hard with him being such a polarizing character by design and the world states being so different but I think they did a good job! at least from my side of things.

I think my favorite part besides the Solas related stuff was the Blight. I loved how horrific and gross and threatening it was! I've always loved the concept of the Blights and I'm glad it was such a huge part of the story in this game. I also loved Treviso!! has to be the most beautiful city in Thedas ahhh and the Necropolis!! the gardens!! Vorgoth!!! Kal-Sharok!!! I can't believe we got to see it!! and a Titan!!! the giant floating face of Ghilan'nain in the clouds??? and the huge archdemons and dragons!! oh and that warden dragon trap in the shape of a griffon?? and the giant blight tendrils!! the siege at Weisshaupt was outstanding!! and the floating panopticon castle situation in Minrathous uughh there is so much I loved.

OH I also enjoyed the Varric arc even though I saw it coming since the trailer it was still played well and it was touching 🥺

The ending felt a bit jarring to me in tone though, a bit too cheerful considering...the horrors. Over half the continent destroyed and most of the problems Thedas had before the game are still there. Veil in place and all 😆

But I had fun!! I'm nitpicking really, the conclusion to Solas' story feels very satisfying to me which was my main worry so I'm happy. It is a good game!! with a sort of soft reboot feel to it and aimed at a younger audience which is probably what they were going for? You can sort of feel the struggle the team went through during production in the way the target audience seems unclear sadly. I also can't help feeling like this is an ending, so much was revealed and resolved!! but maybe I feel that way because that is what I felt after Shadowbringers / Endwalker in FFXIV once my favorite part of the story was wrapped? They can always pivot to a new continent and expand on the world and cultures we know almost nothing about, but that is always harder to sell so I have no clue where they will go from here 😵‍💫

Anyway I'm still processing a lot of stuff that I will probably talk (and draw) about later, this is already long enough!! for now I'll look up how to get the artbook because the art direction of this game is fantastic!! I would love to hear your thoughts too really, I'm curious about the experiences of players who made different choices and with different tastes to mine!!

[omaano]

Omega and Batcher looking for some lost brothers in the Hades AU

Omega: "You're a bounty hunter, that means you're good at finding people, right? Except... I don't have many credits on me, so maybe I can help you on the job in exchange? You know, as payment! I've got my bow, and I'm a great pilot too. You can ask Tech when we find him. And Batcher could help to follow a scent, she is a very good tracker, you know." Din: "... I really don't think I should be taking jobs from kids... *sigh* Look, my main objective right now is to find Grogu a Jedi teacher, but if I come across this... Tech during my travels I will let you know, deal?"

Din cannot adopt another kid, he already has one that comes with a Very Important Mission, after all. Hopefully Rex or Cody will keep and eye on Omega and her dog.

(On the other hand, please don't get your hopes up, Echo is the only one who will make it into this AU from the Bad Batch, sorry.)

[hisui-dreamer]

thinking about jamil who's trying to impress you with his cooking, trying all sorts of dishes, different spices, different ingredients, spending hours cooking in the kitchen just to try and coincidentally tell you he's accidentally made too much food again, and it'd help so much if you could take it off his hands

you always do, smiling gratefully and accepting the food with both hands, your words of gratitude spilling freely from your mouth and it'd make him so happy-

but he's never seen you eat the food.

he's a bit confused, he's heard you mention to others that you don't get a lot to eat from the headmaster, and he's always seen you readily eat food others give you, the tarts you get from trey, the apples epel gifts you, even the dubious mushroom dishes jade offers... (no he wasn't keeping count!)

so he gets the courage to ask you one time, making it seem like it was another coincidence when he finds you at the library, making casual conversation before asking you what you thought of his food

"oh! i think it was delicious! grim seemed to really enjoy it!"

you... think?

he asks if you'd had any of the food, and you avert your eyes, seemingly hesitant

"ahh.. i haven't... i have awful spice tolerance you see..."

oh.

oh.

the next time he gives you "leftovers", he makes sure to tell you he made a non-spicy variant of curry, so you should be able to enjoy it

what you don't know is that he spent a few nights trying to perfect a non-spicy dish, researching different cusines and ingredients before finally setting on an eastern variant of curry that seemed to suit your tastes

but it's all worth it, the way you stared at him in awe, maybe realising this wasn't a leftover at all, and the way your eyes sparkled as you excitedly asked-

"oh!! do you mind if i try it now?"

[moss-opossum]

I am really not a fan of "love is love" as a slogan for the queer community. It centers queerness as romantic/sexual interest in other people, and to me feels like it’s inherently ignoring or even excluding intersex people, gender variant people, aspec people, and people with intersecting queer identities. It sanitises queerness into a form that’s easily consumed by a perisexist/endosexist, allonornative, amatonormative, cisnormative culture, instead of critiquing the harm those structures cause.

“Love is love” takes the focus away from important pieces of queer history and culture, such as drag queens, butches, trans folk, and other gender variant or fluid identities. With a slogan like “love is love”, it becomes easier to imagine every queer person as looking straight or at the very most slightly camp, and just happening to be attracted to and wanting to marry someone of the same gender, with a little wiggle room for polyamorous people too.

I think it just becomes a form of respectability politics. Queerness ought to be about accepting and embracing other ways of Being, not making a little extra wedge of space for certain people in an oppressive framework that still demands gender conformity and adherence to certain relationship rules, and still pathologises intersex and aspec people. It ought to be about tearing down that framework so it’s safe for people to be however they want or need to be — regardless of whether or not that falls within what was acceptable in the original framework.

Queer culture and queer liberation are intersectional, they always have been, saying “love is love” just feels like whitewashing it away.

[serpenlupus]

Maybe an unpopular opinion, but I generally dislike when people swap one of the BG3 companions for another in their specific scenes and animations (like the kisses for example) because those scenes were crafted specifically for that companion, their personality and traits, and it feels wrong to just swap it for a character that has a different personality. I get that, most of the time, it's just to screenshot your tav in another cute scene with their romance or something, and there's no ill intent behind it, we're all just playing

But today I actually got angry, like genuinely upset, when I saw a gif with one of Wyll's kisses swapped for another companion. And it was specifically the kiss were the Tav touches Wyll's scars very intently and tenderly. You know, something VERY characteristic about Wyll that has fuck all to do with any other companion because of the placement of those scars and because we have a backstory to those scars

And Wyll is already the one origin character with the least amount of content and you go ahead and swap him for a companion with NO facial scars???

I'm, wow. I shouldn't be this angry but here I am

[xia0ming56]

Hated that last episode so i drew this to convince myself i liked it

[waitingonthewind]

i feel like the miku trend going around at the moment is really indicative of how american-centric tumblr (and the internet at large can be

like its this whole "miku from around the world" thing and you'll see like. german miku, polish miku, british miku, etc.

and then 8000 different variants of Specific States Of America and like. i get that the american states all have different cultures but thats true of every country? and every culture?

and then they start doing specific towns and cities like philadelphia miku or whatever, new jersey miku, and because of how the internet and media just. Is, all of us are expected to know the specific intricacies of what this means and go tchyeah thats so philly

if i said adelaide miku, thatd mean Nothing to you. brisbane miku anyone? how about canberra? you see the miku with her lanyard, swipe pass, business casual attire, maybe a puffy outer jacket or jeans on a friday, i say canberra miku, we all obviously go "yeah thats so canberra miku", right??? how many of yall know what a bogan is without having to look it up aye. people in sydney could tell you which areas other people in sydney are from

this is becoming less coherent as i go on so im gonna just like stop abruptly but yeah idk

THIS POST IS NOT ABOUT MIKU THIS POST IS NOT ABOUT MIKU THIS POST IS NOT ABOUT MIKU

[svnflowermoon]

y'all go from being feminists to tearing these women down within seconds oh my god it's 2024 can we please stop viciously tearing one woman down to bring another up i don't care what side you take but saying vile shit about either woman and their music is disgusting, please grow up

[katakosmos]

❝ The smallest of them, with very dark black hair, was Regulus Black. A rather shy and quiet boy, a presence of little depth and importance. He was pale and nearly skeletal, with large, bulging, glassy eyes underlined by purplish dark bags. He dressed only in dark colors and thick, woolen, winter clothes even though it was still quite warm: sweaters, jackets, scarves that he wrapped up to his chin. He showed no skin other than his face and hands, with abnormally long and tapered fingers; and, occasionally, his neck. He trembled often, as if he were ill. He spoke little. But, in those rare times when Barty, staring at him, met his gaze, Regulus gave him a small and barely perceptible smile, warm as the sun even though it seemed to cost him a lot of effort. ❞

[crabs-with-sticks]

Forever going to be annoyed at our society's obsession with the pushup as a marker of strength. Like, um yeah, I find a full pushup hard because I'm bench pressing like 55kg. Fuck you I'm not going to feel bad about going onto my knees or doing an even easier version

[liamthemailman]

im writing this because i realized i havent done any acesoap in a hot minute since i was so busy with House of Cards

me being an oc creator is so fun and its even more fun with canon x oc because i can just go

Johnny woke up with an uneasy feeling. He shifts under the covers but can't find the urge to sleep despite being exhausted the whole day. The room felt unnaturally cold. Johnny turns in bed to find Ace, thinking his boyfriend would give him solace from his discomfort.

Johnny would find that the side that Ace usually took up was empty. There was the distinct smell of the guy lingering in the sheets, but Ace seemed to have disappeared into thin air. Johnny sits up in bed.

Johnny strained his ears. Perhaps Ace just was on a late night bathroom visit. Johnny sat and listened. The air in Johnny's apartment was undisturbed. No movement shook the silent atmosphere, save for some crickets outside. The closing of the bathroom door and the creaking of the floorboards never came. Ace wasn't in the house anymore.

Now, Johnny was really freaking out. He jumps up from the bed and winces slightly when he meets the cold floor. Johnny carefully searches his whole house, more desperate when each room is empty.

All of Ace's stuff seemed to have gone too. Despite it being Johnny's place, Ace would have a toothbrush in the toilet, a sweater or two lying around and a mug for his tea in the cabinet. None of these things were in their places.

Johnny recalls the days leading up to now. Ace hadn't shown any signs of wanting to split up, and he was not one to pull such cruel pranks. Hell, Ace cuddled Johnny as they fell asleep last night as usual, always in each other's arms.

Tears pricked at Johnny's eyes, worry weighing his mind as to why Ace seemed to have just up and left in the middle of the night. Johnny reached for his phone to contact Ace. Johnny's fingers had never dialed Ace's number so fast. He put the phone to his ear, and was sent immediately told that the number was not in service.

What the, Johnny thought. That wasn't possible, since they had called and texted just last afternoon when Johnny called Ace over.

Johnny felt ashamed to call anyone else's help for his issue, unsure how to explain just how he lost his boyfriend. However, he was growing desperate. He dialed Gaz's number despite it being the ungodly hour of 3:28AM on a Saturday.

"This better be important.." Gaz's voice grumbled through the phone. Johnny couldn't be happier to hear his best mate's voice. He immediately spoke.

"Gaz, I dunnae where Ace is! I just woke up not too long ago and he's just gaen! A' his hings tae! Gaz, I-"

"Mate, slow down.. I can barely understand you.." Gaz groaned, interrupting Johnny's babbling. "Who's Ace?"

"Quit pumpin' aroond, Gaz! The man's gone and I need to know where he went-"

"Johnny, calm down. I can't help you if you're all freaked out.. Who's Ace?" Gaz asked, genuine confusion in his voice.

Johnny went quiet. Was Gaz serious? He stared at his phone in disbelief for a moment before putting it to his ear again. Maybe it was because Gaz just woke up.

"Ace? Mah boyfriend. He has a scar going around his neck! Our bleedin' CO!"

Johnny was met with silence from Gaz.

"Ace. Ace Doe! Our lieutenant? Kinda short, angry face, always has his shades on, and wears a hoodie everywhere? Gaz!" Johnny's voice cracked with desperation and panic.

"Johnny. As far as I'm concerned, Ghost's our only lieutenant."

"What?! No, Gaz, I'm serious here-"

"So am I!" Gaz hissed through the phone, quickly silencing Johnny. "..Sorry, lost my temper."

Gaz, on the other end of the line, could clearly tell Johnny was seriously distressed. Whoever this Ace is, was really important to Johnny, and also their lieutenant, apparently.

"Just calm down.. and we can talk to Price in the morning." Gaz says. Johnny, satisfied, thanked Gaz and put down the phone.

Johnny thought about calling Price directly, since he was the first to meet Ace anyway. He couldn't wait another few hours pondering the whereabouts of his love. Johnny dialed the captain's number.

"..ello?" Came the sleepy gruff of Price on the other end.

"Ace is missing." Johnny said in a shaky voice.

"..Who's Ace? Is Ace a dog?"

Johnny takes in another shaky breath, his lips trembling slightly.

"Nevermind.." Johnny strained.

"Well.. I hope you find him soon.." Price says, now confused, and ends the call.

Who is Ace?

This question would echo in Johnny's mind as he slinks back to bed. Exhaustion was catching up to him. He seemed more lonely than alone. It didn't exactly help when his friends didn't even know who he was talking about.

Johnny pulled back the sheets and slipped under the covers. The bed seemed colder than it ever has been with the absence of someone else. The bed smelled different, like someone else laid in it before Johnny did. He shifts a little, the indent in the bed seemingly not fitting him, but someone else instead. Someone else.

Someone else? Johnny pondered.

And it scares Johnny even more, knowing that he was supposed to know. He was supposed to know when remnants of this someone else was in his bed.

Hours passed and Johnny couldn't get a wink of sleep, but he didn't move when the sun shined in through the curtains. Instead, he found himself thinking.

Who is Ace?

[nguyenfinity]

Originally it was just gonna be Rinne but then I realized what shirt I was wearing today so. Have Rinniki in the outfits I've worn this week--

[savage-rhi]

Some other pink variant cause idk

[death-limes]

animated shows stop making characters specifically engineered for me to simp over and hate myself the entire time i’m doing it. please i’m so tired

[bellamysgriffin]

billie eilish whacking taylor swift 😳 well she’s right!