#i just find it more engaging for the other two main characters of the team that always get sidelined by the writers actually being put in-
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do you have a favourite portrayal of a character in the gotg game!! who is it and why <3
Oh I think they're all great honestly!!! Part of why I love the game so much is that genuinely, the whole team + supporting characters are written with such obvious love of the source material and equal attention between them all. When I see comments of people saying who their favorite character was from the game and the answer always being different from each person I'm like!! That's how it SHOULD be!!! They're the Guardians of the Galaxy (plural) the focus shouldn't all fall on a singular character like most other GotG media usually ends up as 😭
The two (sorry I can't pick just one) whom I think benefit the most from the game though are Drax and Gamora because they're almost always sidelined both in-and-out of universe by most of the various writers (especially as of late) and in turn the viewers/readers. I've been told plenty of times that they're the most boring members of the "main" team, BUT IT DOESN'T HAVE TO BE THAT WAY! The amount of love the game versions get (by the few who've played it at least) proves that 🥺
I've never really liked 616 Drax shifting to being a complete clown during the 90s and such (and even less so when the MCU followed along 💀) So I appreciate the game taking a bit of his seriousness from the DnA run and just making him struggle with nuance and context clues in a less exaggerated way (autistic Drax I still believe in u) and I feel the focus put on him and how losing his original family + the aftermath deeply affected him hits pretty hard here because it's treated very seriously and shown in depth, especially with how his family (wife) gets actual focus. I cannot tell you anything about Yvette in comparison to Hovat, who actually seemed to have had a personality lol (AND she was on their village's council like omg imagine having more to you than just being The Housewife) Though I will say I flip and flop on my thoughts about Heather being disconnected from Drax's life in this universe... The TLDR is that I think his arc here specifically works stronger when he has to come to terms with losing his entire family and accepting the life he currently has with the Guardians. BUT!!! I very much appreciate that Heather is still confirmed to exist within this universe, even if that means her dad issues would have to be dealt with in a different context if we ever get to see her.
Also? Shoutout to the writers actually bringing up the intense paranoia that always kneecapped 616 Drax but having that be a turning point in his backstory here, with that conversation he has with Peter where he talks about how he was becoming so paranoid of everyone being a chitauri/Thanos conspirator to the point of literally turning into an obsessed maniac like Thanos, and realizing that he desperately needed to turn his life around, it's so ough.
Out of the already many great conversations throughout the game, I think the ones with him are the most poignant. My favorite scene in the whole game is Drax and Pete's little moment on Knowhere... makes me go wahhh
(l also love that out of everyone on the team, it's his headspace that we quite literally get to go into. You KNOW that if this was any other media it'd be going into Rocket or Groot's head and likely treated as a joke.)
And oh my god, Gamora...
I find it so extremely refreshing that her role in the plot doesn't revolve purely around the men in her life, and instead, it's nearly exclusively her connection with other women. Or in the most direct obstacle she has to deal with, being how she starts projecting to the millionth degree on Nikki's situation for reminding her of what happened to her and Nebula. I find that infinitely more fascinating as a reading of her character rather than just dating drama or her arc getting completely overtaken by a man's instead.
And especially in her friendship with Mantis, who, despite having all these futures she's constantly seeing and having to navigate, still makes time to do her best to help her 🥺 From saving her life and being the one who put her on the path to healing on Lamentis, to getting her to join the Guardians and still checking in on her when she's able 😭 Friendship between women can be so powerful... u love to see it (🏳️🌈)
I also find it nice that there's this emphasis on her recovering mentally, and the comparison between Thanos essentially teaching her to just Deal with the shit in her life through very simplistic meditation versus the priests of Pama actually teaching her something to help soothe the mind :^( and that she still has moments of relapsing essentially. I find that to be a realistic take on recovery because that's just part of the journey since healing is not linear... and I think it's very sweet that she finds comfort in collecting something ---girly--- like dolls. Love to see a person reclaim a part of their childhood that they weren't allowed to experience. And how she's allowed to make BAD JOKES?? Imagine a woman being written to have multiple dimensions, crazy and absolutely unthinkable, I know.
There's this extremely specific theme in relation to Gamora across media that's been rattling around in my brain since first playing the game. When near the end during the revisit to Knowhere, she's about to completely lose it when Peter tries talking -for- her on what she's so upset about before immediately shooting him down, and she explains what happened between her and Nebula and she starts crying. It really struck me right then that she's never given a moment to cry elsewhere (or in the 616's case, the quite literal inability to.) aside from her shedding a Single Manly Tear (Original Sin) or a single moment out of legit fear (MCU 💀) because she's a hashtag Strong Independant Woman who can't be vulnerable etc etc. But for her to cry in front of the people she's come to care about, It gives her a moment of true vulnerability that I don't think she's allowed ever in most other media.
That and all of the above hits hard and is what makes me genuinely believe that the writers cared about her in the narrative and tried to do right by her when every other bit of media really hasn't nor cared to the majority of the time since the 90s :'^/ Brings a tear to my eye that she's allowed to just... exist in the narrative on her own merits and not on what she can provide to someone else's story.
#lex thoughts#gotg thoughts#universe: eidos game#gotg2008#sorry for asking for a question then immediately disappearing for a month 💔 I'm on the most stressful roadtrip ever#i 🫶 you for asking about them though the Eidos gotg are my everything and i won't shut up about them if given the chance#very funny to me that all these important moments happen on Knowhere. Strange things can happen at the end of the universe.#The end page of W&tIW 09 is the only other Gamora moment of vulnerability across media that i can specifically pinpoint#But it's more self reflection in a way of a heavily traumatic experience that I don't feel ever truly got resolved within the 616 IMO#And I find it a specific point to be made when Gamora is/isn't allowed to feel or literally denied things that are stereotypically-#-categorized as -feminine- (which is dumb to assign gender roles to a simple human emotion such as CRYING.-#-But you get what I mean I hope) We play fast and loose with gender around here pardner I think all of the gotg should cry more#but in Gamora's case specifically it Hits Different knowing her past and treatment throughout media#i could also heavily go into the way the game adapts Peter's character in relation to his element guns but that's an essay for another time#just because -i- find that extremely fascinating doesn't mean i think he should particularly be the main focus (and he isnt)#bc pete rocket and groot are the ones that already get all the attention (even if i dont agree with how they're written elsewhere)#i just find it more engaging for the other two main characters of the team that always get sidelined by the writers actually being put in-#-the spotlight with equal attention given to them for once to be sooo -shakes fist#sorry for the intense word salad i hope i make sense lol ESSAY/RANT OVER .🤐
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I am once again going to queer analyze the fuck out of Ted Lasso, specifically the scene with Trent and Ted in the hallway at the end of Season 3, Episode 7.
Trent swoops in as the door is closing behind Ted, calls out, “TED!”, and then he runs towards Ted, who is walking away from him. Ted turns, bewildered, because here is Trent -- cool, calm, awkward Trent -- completely out of his shell like never before. There’s a spark to Trent. He’s excited, he’s rambling, he’s so close to Ted. He’s vulnerable, too, because he is laying everything he’s thinking and feeling out in the open. (“It’s going to work!” “And I’ll tell you why -- The Lasso Way!” “You haven’t switched tactics in a week!”)
Chemistry goes both ways. It’s a feedback loop, in a sense, because Ted is taking in what Trent is giving. He turns fully to face Trent, even turning when Trent leaves; actively engages by asking questions (“Great! What is?” “Why?” “I haven’t?”); and the more this interaction goes on, the more Ted’s face goes from bewildered to fond. Is he humoring Trent by letting him ramble? Yeah, he is, because he finds it endearing.
The way it’s shot plays a massive role, too. We the audience know that Roy and Beard are there all along. However, we temporarily forget their presence because the camera is equally close on both Trent and Ted. And the intensity of Trent’s rambling distracts us. It’s not until their little conversation is over that the angle is zoomed out and we’re reminded they aren’t alone. It’s intentionally done like that as an insight onto how Ted feels. He’s tuned in on what Trent has to say, and everything else falls away to the background.
In a heavy rom-com episode, this is the love interest’s confesional to the main character.
Trent was sparking. So much so I’ve seen people say they expected the two to kiss. And that thought doesn’t just pop up out of nowhere. You don’t arrive to that conclusion baseless. Which means:
1) The simmering three-season-long groundwork put into their relationship is rock solid.
2) The romcom beats -- which have gotten more frequent -- are subconciously hitting the audience and therefore priming us to expect a follow through (re: a kiss)
3) Characters do not get that close unless it’s to kiss, fight, or scheme. Clearly they aren’t fighting or scheming, so what other expectation is there?
Now hold onto your hat, cowboy. This is where it gets fun.
This hallway scene is a direct parallel to Rebecca and Ted in the West Ham hallway. It’s at an away game; Rebecca and Trent are both potential love interests with an air of manic energy; and, again, it takes place in a hallway with the team in the locker room.
Only this time, with Trent, everything is subverted.
Ted walks to Rebecca vs Trent runs to Ted.
Rebecca touches Ted vs Trent doesn’t physically engage.
Ted being uncomfortable the entire interaction vs Ted leaning into the interaction.
Beard and Roy not being present vs Beard and Roy being there.
This subversion also applies to where Rebecca and Trent’s respective manic energy stem from. Their energy levels are foils of one another.
Rebecca’s stems from negative external factors outside of Richmond (re: Rupert) and the fact the team is losing the match/things are not working.
Trent’s stems from positive internal factors within Richmond (re: belief in The Lasso Way) and the fact things are going to work despite the team losing the match.
Let’s get queer up in here and extrapolate those subversions to sexuality:
Ted slowly approaches heterosexuality (Rebecca), alone (without community) and is uncomfortable by the external pressures placed upon him, the way heterosexuality imposes its touch on him. He visibly looks/feels worse after the interaction.
vs
Queerness (Trent) running up behind Ted with a warning shout (hitting Ted when he doesn’t expect it) and while Ted is surrounded by others (with community). And at first Ted is confused by it, but as soon as he hears it out, gives it a chance, he grows fond of what it has to say. It does not impose its touch on him, and the pressure is an excited internal one. Ted visibly looks/feels better after the interaction.
In Trent’s words, it’s going to work.
#anyways!! going to stop it there because holy shit i can talk about this entire episode#ted lasso#ted lasso spoilers#trent crimm#tedtrent#tedependent#ted lasso meta
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(this ask is based on the, I'm not sure if unfounded, assumption that at least 1/6(?) main crew members has some sort of non-ace/aro attraction): How do you write allo characters as an aro person? I'm one of those annoying allos who's *hyper-romantic* and working on hypersexuality for my own health, so I color most of my writing with that and struggle to write ace people. I know a lot of writers can distance themselves more. I guess I'm just curious how you inspire your characters to act socially outside of the way that you interact, specifically in terms of romanti/sexual relationships. I'm pretty good at getting my characters to engage with the world outside of my way of doing it until it comes to romance.
It's… tough, and I'm working on it. I still need to remind myself that a lot of people legitimately do experience sexual attraction and thus find certain other people in certain situations extremely physically appealing, in contrast to my own platonic attraction (the people I like, I typically like the same amount no matter what they're doing or how they look) or aesthetic attraction (when I like how someone looks in a specific situation, it is still in an extremely hands-off "I'd like to draw that" way).
I can work my way through the logic of romance, I think. I've been told that it doesn't feel the same as friendship, and that it places another person in a somewhat uniquely structural role for one's life. I've heard it described as being someone's "everything-team" - the person they want by their side at any endeavor - which is the only thing I've ever heard about romance that I don't think applies to a good percentage of my IRL friendships.
Romantic attraction is definitely the more confusing one, because everyone I know in a romantic relationship insists it's different than their platonic ones, but can't really explain why or how, only that it is. The thing is, this makes me believe them more. I know how hard it is to explain a unique inner experience to someone who has a completely different one. Their partner is their best friend, or at least top three (understandable) and also in a unique position in their life (confusion??) I don't feel like I'm missing out on anything, and I think I love my friends as much as I'm capable of, and there are people I'm friends with who I could see as a theoretical partner - except that it would change absolutely nothing about our current relationship. This is why I don't identify with the label of "aromantic" where I definitely do with "asexual", because I think I experience what people are talking about, I just feel it kinda everywhere instead of nowhere.
So the hack I think I can make work to do this in my writing is:
Sexual attraction is like aesthetic attraction, but with a hands-on component. Replace "I want to draw that" with "I want to get my hands on that" and go from there.
Romantic attraction is evidently its own beast, but it contains concepts like "I trust this person implicitly," "I care about them and want them to be happy," "I would be happy coming home to this person," "I want to protect them," "I like that they care about me," and "this person helps me see the world in a different way" which are all individual sentiments I understand, even if I personally feel them about a large number of people rather than a single Special Someone. Point them at a single Someone and have the two characters involved act accordingly, and I can probably pull a romance out of it.
Like all writing-an-alien-situation stuff, it mostly pays to identify the specific details that correlate to things you DO understand and then extrapolate from there. Or you can fake it and black-box their motivations and be like "here's where I'd put their sexual attraction to each other if I had one"
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How about 🍓 and 🍄?
In reference to this ask ✨
🍓 - I got into writing fanfiction when I was 13 thanks to three different media. The first one was a book called "El valle de los lobos" ("The valley of the wolves"), by Spain's most famous young adult fantasy author, Laura Gallego. The second, oddly enough, was the show "Lost" (which continues to be my favorite TV show to this day). And the third one was none other than Superstar Saga! 😁
Those three things, combined together, made me write what would eventually be my very first long fanfic, which, luckily, does not exist anymore 😅 Later on, I decided to try and write three different fics, one for each media, and that worked a bit better. The one I remember the most was the one based on Superstar Saga, since that was when the Mario Brothers started to resonate with me. Deep down, I was already feeling the brotherly love between them, so much that it inspired me, and it was thanks to this absolute gem of a game 🥹❤️💚
I've written more fanfics in other periods of my life (2013, when Dream Team came out), and most of it revolves around the Super Mario franchise because of how important it's always been to me. And it's Superstar Saga that I have to thank for igniting the flame for my very first fanfic with these brothers as main characters. Just one more reason to love it with all my heart 🥹 (not that it was necessary though 🤭)
🍄 - Oh, so a headcanon I've never shared, huh? 🤔 Well, there are a few that come to my mind, but I'm gonna keep one of them for my Luigi headcanon post 🤭 So I'll share one about Luaisy! 💚🧡
Luigi is a bookworm. That's something that many people headcanon and I firmly believe it too. He's an avid reader and lives intensely every book he reads. Daisy, on the other hand, prefers more lively activities, such as sports, kart racing or a good video game competition (usually with Mario, since they're both VERY competitive).
However, when she sees Luigi so engrossed in reading, Daisy begins to show some interest on it too. She asks him for book recommendations and reads them so she can discuss them with him, and also because she loves to see his moved and giddy little face when he finds out that she's read a book because of him and, thus, they can fangirl together. She finds him even cuter than usual!
Still, she always prefers to see him reading, totally engaged in the book and reacting to what's happening in the story without even noticing. Daisy loves watching him make faces, and also sneaking up on him and trying to read over his shoulder without him noticing.
But of course Luigi notices (she's not exactly the queen of stealth), so what he does is start reading aloud. Daisy listens to him attentively, but is unable to sit still at all. Whenever in the book there's a kiss or a gesture of affection between the characters, she imitates it immediately: she holds Luigi's face gently to slowly and sweetly kiss him, or intertwines her fingers with his, or caresses his cheek, or hugs him from behind, leaning over the back of the rocking chair (where he usually reads), so that he can continue reading.
Of course, Luigi has a hard time remembering what he was reading after such displays of affection. He shakes like jelly, but he'd be lying if he said he didn't enjoy sharing his passion for reading with his beloved flower princess 😌💚🧡
Inspiration for this headcanon came thanks to this beautiful image I found on my bookstagram account 📚
There you go! Perhaps @itsavee4117, @kelbreyworshipper and @bberetd would like to read this 🤭 Thank you so so much for asking, Anon! I've truly enjoyed these two questions! 🤩👏💖
#Luaisy#Luaisy headcanon#luigi x daisy#headcanon#Superstar Saga#mario & luigi superstar saga#mario and luigi#mario and luigi superstar saga#fanfics#fanfiction#ask me questions#ask game#ask me anything#asks#answered asks#anon ask#thanks anon!#truth and dare#ask box#send asks
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I've been kind of following the Gundam lesbians vs Bandai controversy from the sidelines (ie: the main characters got married (offscreen) at the end of the series and the production team is supportive; Bandai censored the explicit mentions of marriage in a recent magazine and then said that everything is up to interpretation) and. In general it's a really good example of how oftentimes it's not authors who should mainly be blamed for the lack of unapologetic queerness in anime and manga (or anywhere else, for that matter), but those companies that they work for
Which leads me to
And as a side note I want to reiterate this but anyone who calls them "queerbait", "yuribait", etc is a stupid dickhead because Toga is bisexual and in love with Uraraka. THE QUEER IS THERE
At this point it no longer makes much sense to wonder whether the romantic undertones to Uraraka and Toga's relationship are accidental or not. I won't claim that they will definitely end up together together (although I've seen enough Japanese fans go crazy for how proposal-esque Uraraka got to, like, at least entertain the thought lol), but what I want to say is. Everything that happened between them is deliberately meant to be read as queer, romantic, and mutual. Uraraka may have not said "I love you" back to Toga in these same terms, but through her actions and words she has reciprocated her feelings. Yes, even if Those Assholes say that she's just lying, that anything that isn't spoon-fed explicitly confirmed is just a "delusional interpretation"
Even then, the supposed line between text and subtext is... a bit eyebrow raising, innit. Toga being bisexual and having feelings for Uraraka is text. Exchanging blood being equal to kissing to her is text. Her insecurities are text......... Uraraka wanting to give Toga her blood, thinking that her smile is beautiful, and that she's the cutest in the whole world is text. I feel like that strongly suggests something at minimum, no. And. Can we really call it subtext, or even coding, when characters do everything short of dramatically shouting "I gay-love you!" to each other? These are more of my personal feelings, and I know that this happens because We Live In A Society, so we tend to feel like things like these must be outright defined so that our queer interpretations can gain validity and the right to exist in the eyes of the majority (= the cishet audience), but... I do find this way of engaging with media rather stifling, especially because... people who hate us to begin with won't care if two manga girls declare their love to each other. Chances are that they will get angrier, actually, or that they will look for excuses to deny their love ("the author was pressured by crazy shippers", "akchually the wording is ambiguous", "the degenerate West is corrupting the purity of the East", you name it)
Still, I know. I know that there's a lot of hunger for undeniably canonical queer relationships (for obvious reasons! understable reasons!), but to circle back to the beginning of this post, pushing back against the system is hard. Bnha's ending is still a ways off, and no one can predict the future. We don't know if Horikoshi plans to stress even further/more bluntly within the manga that Oh, They 👭🏳️🌈, we don't know if Jump would allow him to, we don't know if such a thing would be met with opposition elsewhere/afterwards (see: what Bandai is trying to do now, after everything has been said and done).
Regardless, sought after explicit confirmation or not, they do have something, something that is very much there to anyone who's willing to embrace it for what it is: mutual, queer love. And they're sooo real 🩷💛
#bnha#togachako#animanga#mytext#and now we finally go to sleep. eepy.......#if tomorrow i'll wake up look at this again and find any typos i will end it all#long post
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But Caitie, why are you so pressed about bad faith criticism from book fans about the wheel of time show? Great question I’m glad you asked.
From what I have observed book fans who are saying that it’s a bad adaptation and not worth watching have criticisms that usually boil down to one or all of these three objections.
1. They’re spending time in the show on characters who aren’t the ta’veren boys/Rand
2. Any changes have been made at all in order to adapt the story to film
3. There are too many queer characters and actors of color
All three of these talking points became a common refrain during season one, largely driven by the hilariously un-self aware manpilled alt-right shitheads in the /r/whitecloaks subreddit which got shut down for harassing other subreddits in 2022. It should be obvious that a lot of the motivation there was a misogynistic and racist misreading of a deliberately feminist and multicultural book series. If you think RJ would find this diverse show full of badass and well fleshed out women a poor adaptation of his work you are kidding yourself.
And regarding the other less obviously white supremacist complaints: Rand is not the only important character. Anyone who has read past like book two should be well aware that every main character’s point of view is important to the overall narrative. There are only 8 seasons in which to get through all of those main characters’ arcs. Of course they are starting them all now. Are the boys getting less screen time than they get pov chapters early in the books? Sure. This is necessary because once again, the ta’veren boys are Not the only characters that matter. I don’t know why people are so surprised that ALL of the main characters of a book series with over a dozen recurring pov characters are going to have character arcs.
And again if you’re just mad that it’s more queer and polyamorous. Fuck off.
There are valid criticisms to be made about this show if you engage with the show in good faith and judge it by its own merit instead of just comparing it scene by scene to the books. For instance I think it’s fairly obvious that the first season suffered as a result of late stage rewrites made to account for a shortened episode count, and Perrin’s arc in particular was off to a rough start.
But in season 2 I think they are doing a lot of things right, and the change of speeding up his acceptance of his wolfkin powers is a Very good one I think.
And the rest of this season rules to be totally honest. All of the Moiraine and Lan stuff is Great and really sets up for later events so well. And I am enjoying Everything about how the show is handling the Forsaken so far. Episode 4 was my favorite yet, Lanfear is fucking Perfect. This season is absolutely nailing character beats for all the most important characters, and doing excellent character work around the major themes of the book series and setting up for future key events. Every scene with any of the Aes Sedai is my favorite. And some things have been markedly improved by the show over the books. I cannot get over how good the team up of Mat and Min is so far. And the normalization of polyamory in the culture of randland is Brilliant for the long term series.
If this show gets cancelled because so many of the book fans refuse to even try to engage with it for what it is instead of what isn’t, it will be a goddamn tragedy. And if you’re just really disappointed that you can’t as easily skip the scenes with the girls the way you skipped the POV chapters of all the women when reading the books then please take a big step back and ask yourself if unchecked misogyny is a good look in 2023.
#still so fucking funny tbh that a bunch of neo fascists were like ‘we identify with the white cloaks and that’s a good thing actually’#i do not think they understand the books they were so passionate about#wheel of time#wot show#wot on prime#wot#unreasonably attractive fandom#caitie speaks#wot show spoilers#a fan of a feminist book series: there are too many girls in this show
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yall no im on team fuck wotc so i wanna plug a ttrpg ive played that is decently similar to dnd and id recommend as a cool one to check out if looking for a new system!
13TH AGE
13th age is a ttrpg system built for a high fantasy setting similar to d&d. its got a lot of similarities to dnd (in fact i believe many of the folks who worked on it worked on older editions of dnd) like a d20 based, class based system, but with a lot of streamlining done to combat as well as fun mechanics to tie your character into the world and game.
some specific details i really enjoyed:
one unique thing: something i enjoy about this that lends itself to character creation well is that every character has ‘one unique thing.’ most of your characters probably already have that, but this is a one or two word sentence that just summarizes that. this is great for both players who get too complicated in their backstories and helps them have a core unique thing (me cough) or characters who don’t super care about backstories come up with something unique even if its not a full shakespearean tragedy of a background
backgrounds: instead of your backgrounds giving you proficiency in certain things, characters have backgrounds with certain modifiers based on the importance to the character. this then lets you use the modifier for things that relate to your background. for example, my character spent years as a thief before the campaign, so she cat burglar +4. any time i picked a lock or did sneaky thief things, i could use my thief +4. another character had a background as librarian, so she got bonuses to speed reading, finding a book in complicated libraries, etc. iirc this character also had a background as a spoken word poet which. while less widely applicable. led to some fun shenanigans with charisma checks for a character who isn’t usually super persuasive. i will note some GMs don’t love this because some players will try to use these backgrounds too broadly and it can slow stuff down since its less spelled out, so be warned, but if you have a good group, its a lot of fun.
no grid based combat: this was the main reason my GM looked into 13th age. she hated grid combat, and in 13th age, rather than specific measurements and distances for spells and moves, everything is either engaged, nearby, or far. i will say there was a bit of a learning curve for the players in this group who were used to having exact distances spelled out, but honestly it was really fun not having to worry so much about exact distances and counting out squares and such.
escalation die: this was something i loved as someone who had a hard time focusing on longer combats. 13th age uses an escalation system to speed up combat - at the end of every round of combat, the escalation die gets a +1 that keeps increasing every round and adds to your attack rolls and damage. this represents the natural tire and fatigue in combat and keeps things moving. after six rounds have passed, it maxes out at +6
there are some other cool things as well such as icons that represent powerful figures in the world, unique abilities and skills that have a similar feel of d&d but fresh and new if youve played d&d to death, but TLDR: check out 13th age if you want a system that feels similar to D&D, but hate grid based and super long combats and want more mechanical weight to your characters history. also its been a few years since ive played so. apologies if i misremembered anything but! 13th age is super fun especially if you want something that feels similar to d&d but with some cool unique features
#this has been a draft for so long bc i was gonna do a post w multiple games similar to jd's post i reblogged#but i keep forgetting and also this is long enough to be its own post so i present to you. 13th age.#as someone who played it for a few years two or three years ago#ttrpgs
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Thanks to @ygobattleroyale 's King of the Autism poll/tournament/thing that's gearing up, I am here to once again spread propaganda for my (current) favorite autistic blorbo, Yusei Fudo, since he rightfully made the bracket.
I had a whole essay started once that I never finished, but here I will be summing up some of the main points. This is also based on the sub. (Not hating on the dub in this post but the two are so vastly different they are practically different canons so I thought I should probably specify.)
Someone on here pointed out once that Yusei has "resting b*tch face" aka flat affect and I've been thinking about that ever since. (Wish I could credit them but I can't find the post again, haha. Had screenshots and everything. Very thorough.)
He's pretty straightforward. He says what he means and he means what he says. He doesn't sugarcoat things or beat around the bush. The first line he has is a very blunt question followed by an equally blunt response to the answer he receives.
My guy oscillates wildly between semi-verbal and hyperverbal. He's the main character but you literally do not hear his voice for the first seven minutes of the show and when he's not in life-threatening situations he's really pretty quiet most of the time. But then you also have the episode with Bruno where Crow comments how Yusei has never talked to him that much at once -- maybe in total ever -- and along with that, Jack being offended that apparently Yusei never has important conversations with him (also pertains to the above point since Yusei was being very blunt in that moment and a little bit mean, though that's not the way he obviously meant it to be, lol.)
The whole of meeting Bruno, okay? All Of That. He makes friends with Bruno in about .2 seconds to the point of sharing Super Secret Plans with him all because of a shared interest in mechanics and engineering. #autisticbonding
Crow also points out that Yusei really seemed to perk up while talking to and working with Bruno, which is very on point for engaging with a special interest especially when you have someone to engage in said interest with.
He's obviously shown to have a strong interest in Duel Monsters (obviously) as well as mechanics and engineering. He built his first fully functional d-wheel out of scrap parts by the time he was 16, after all.
During the WRGP opening gala, one of the other teams comes up to him and are excited and wanting to talk to him and he completely brushes them off and walks away. Crow calls him out on it (“hey man, that was really rude!”) and he’s like “oh whoops, yeah I guess you’re right.” He may have been distracted by other things, but this is still peak "failure to read social cues".
Having a strong moral compass gets him into trouble on more than one occasion. Because of his circumstances, he has a strong (and justified) distrust of authority, and he’s not afraid to break laws that he deems unjust. Even though breaking out of Satellite isn’t in itself for any moral reason (its just the means to an end), he isn’t afraid of breaking the law that says he isn’t allowed to leave because he sees that law as unjust and doesn’t understand why it exists. (For the record, it is unjust but that’s not the point, haha.)
I am sure there are more points, but that's all I've got for now, haha. Feel free to add anything I missed, and be sure to vote for Yusei when the polls start!
#yugioh 5ds#ygo 5ds#yusei fudo#fudo yusei#shameless propaganda for this tournament...bracket...thingy lol#*insert car salesman meme* you can fit so much autism in this bad boy#autistic yusei fudo#i will be reblogging all of the polls btw#i'm sorry for anyone following me for anything other than yugioh lol
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What is Destiny: Become Legend?
Destiny: Become Legend is a custom tabletop roleplaying game fan project co-created by @frombrad2worse and @cassiefisherdrake , crafted from the ground up with a unique dice system designed to capture the rich universe, expansive lore, and tactical combat of Bungie, Inc.'s sci-fi shooters Destiny and Destiny 2.
Click below the cut to find out more!
We are B (@cassiefisherdrake) and Danger (@frombrad2worse), two huge Destiny 2 fans and the creative force behind the Destiny: Become Legend TTRPG. B is a proud Titan main (Missile Titan Supremacy) and Danger is a filthy Hunter main (with a crippling Gunpowder Gamble addiction). Here's a picture of our Guardians!
We don't want to show too much until we hear back from Bungie's licensing team, but we'd love to give you a few glimpses into our game and the system that drives it! All you need to play is your imagination, your fireteam, and some six-sided dice.
In D:BL, the players, as Guardians, explore the vast universe, interact with its colorful inhabitants, and fight back against the forces of Darkness. When a situation with an exciting and uncertain outcome arises, you roll 2d6 and add stat modifiers to determine what happens. If things get dicey (pun intended) and weapons are drawn, combat begins. In combat, you have a pool of d6s you can expend every turn to fire weapons, activate Light abilities, and perform various Heroic Actions. Combat is designed to be fast-paced, tactical, and exciting. Just like the games, D:BL is built to be easy to pick up and fun to play for beginners, but contains a wide array of character customization options to provide a rich and rewarding experience for players that want to dive deeper and build the Guardian of their sci-fi fantasies.
While we wait to hear back from Bungie, we're cooking up an actual play livestream to show off D:BL in action. This short campaign will begin two years after The Taken War and will show how one small change can alter an entire timeline. But will it change for better or worse?
Each week, we'll join our two fireteams as they to race to save the Last City - and maybe even the timeline itself! Many sessions will even come with their own lorebook entry, read aloud at the end of play to further delve into Destiny's depths!
Whether you're ready to find out about the campaign, hear a fan-made lorebook, or just want to see how the mechanics of the D:BL system shake out, join us every Monday, at 8:30PM Eastern / 7:30 Central as we play live on our twitch!
Now you may be asking yourself - how soon can I play this at home with my other Destiny-loving nerd friends? And the answer is: soon! Right now, the system is in testing stages as we flesh out the rules, organize Vanguard playbooks, and more. Once we have things nailed down, the D:BL system will be free for all to play and engage with. Yes, free! After all, we are a fan project - our only goal is to spread far and wide so we can all have fun with our friends, playing together in the Destiny universe's sandbox. Follow us here or on twitter for updates, news, and stream announcements!
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hi! idk if your requests are still open now but if they are i was wondering if you could do one where loki accidentally finds out about the reader’s regression? (preferably he/they pronouns but she is fine if you’d prefer)
i hope you’re having a nice day/night, i love you and your fics so much! <33
“Little Man”
Loki (He/Him) x Little!Reader (He/They Pronouns)
Warnings - Reader has tears for like two seconds, reader drinks juice, mentions of staying up all night, mentions of a party.
Note - In this fic Loki goes by He/Him pronouns, I am always writing him with his queer identity in mind, in other fics I may write Loki with They/Them or She/Her pronouns as Loki is gender fluid and the character as well as other gender fluid people deserve genuine representation in media that is consumed by fans/themselves.
Note Two - I loved this request, of course as usual I took some creative liberty in brining it to life, and therefore if the decisions and creative directions made do not fit you were picturing please feel free to send me another message Bub and I will be glad to change things/create something that aligns with your original idea.
SFW - Please keep all interactions with this post and with this blog SFW.
- - - - - -
Loki loved and hated living in the Avengers compound, he was close to his brother, and friend Y/n, but he hated the idea of being surrounded by people who disliked him, who thought he was still the villain he once was. Sure, he tried to take over the entirety of New York, but he said sorry, and it had been a few years. new members added to the team, years of him proving himself, many late night crying, yet he still felt isolated from others.
Though, even in the darkness that seemed to surround him, follow him everywhere, there was always this overwhelming light, a sense of comfort and love when Y/n was around, his smile making Loki feel once again wanted and loved by someone so wholeheartedly.
Y/n was a new recruit a few years back, an analyst for the team, helping them track down, pin, and intercept the true villains that lurked around the world. They lived in the compound, his small room located closer to the main building so he could easily access the tools they may need to do their magic. When they moved in Loki had promptly requested a room change, hoping and successfully being closer to the one friend he seemed to have.
Y/n loved the company, they weren’t shy, but had a hard time relating to the Avengers, though Y/n was technically an Avenger he never really felt like he could adorn that title, they didn’t fight battles hand to hand, and therefore felt excluded. Maybe that’s why Loki was drawn to him, the two excluded people of the team teaming up seemed to be the most obvious idea, and it worked out great.
Y/n and Loki spent their days watching movies, playing board games, and participating in other everyday activities together. The two of them knew everything about each other, spilling secrets and confiding in each other was something they did often.
Though Loki was never told about Y/n’s age regression, him to scared to tell Loki, and no one else knowing. Y/n was good at hiding it, allowing Loki to be non the wiser. Loki would only know if he looked in the closed white bin in Y/n’s closet, their Little gear, stuffies, blankets and more organized and cleaned, ready to be used.
“Hi Loki!” Y/n cheered as they opened their door, the door Loki had just knocked on seconds ago. “I’m almost ready to go, I just need to grab a few things!” He said, walking around his room, shoving things into his bag.
Loki and Y/n were going to a classic Tony Stark party, one celebrating his and Pepper’s news of engagement. The party was casual, but it was in the Stark tower, a place where comforts were fancy and often not useable. Y/n always brought a water bottle and a sweater with him. “Is there anything I can help you with?” Loki asked, standing in the doorway, a simple black longsleeve tucked in slightly at the waist of his black jeans. His usual attire, black clothing always helped him blend into crowds, just the way he liked.
“Um.” Y/n thought. “Can you grab me a sweater from the closet over there?” He asked, pointing to the large white closet on the other side of the room.
Loki strode over, opening the door and peering inside, he looked at the sweaters, debating on grabbing a black or blue one. Then he looked down, a white box strewn open, a few things inside and outside, all in disarray, like it had been rifled through. Like the good friend he is, he bent down, picking a few things up and placing them back inside. A baby blanket, sippy cup, stuffed worm … Thousands of thoughts ran through his mind, originally he thought they were childhood souvenirs, but they were too well kept, too new.
“Loki?” Y/n called from the bathroom, wondering if he had grabbed a sweater or not.
Loki quickly cleaned the things up, placing them nicely in the box and then putting the lid back on, pretending to tie his shoe before Y/n could notice what he was really doing. “Yah, sorry here.” He said, grabbing the first sweater readily available and handing it over. “Ready to go?” He asked, ready to get the night over so he could do some more sleuthing.
- - - - - -
Loki had stayed up all night that night, hunched over the computer in his room, this being the first time he had ever really used it, his love for books often overpowered his want of technology. Searches like ‘why does my friend have baby things.’ ‘worm stuffed animal’ ‘what is age regression’ ‘is my friend a little’ ‘am i a daddy’ ‘am i a caregiver’ ‘amazon’ ‘worm stuffed animals’ ‘yellow worm stuffed animals’ ‘where to find worm stuffed animals’ haunted his computer, the thing whirling air at him, begging him to let it cool down.
When he heard a nock at the door he stood up, not even noticing it was now the morning. “Loki?” A voice called from the other side, when he opened the door a tired but worried Y/n stood in front of him. A coffee and a juice held in his hands as he stared at the sleepless and almost feral looking Loki. “You weren’t at breakfast.” They mumbled, handing him a coffee and whipping their eyes as they sat on Loki’s bed. “What are you up to?” He said, yawning as he snuggled deeper into Lokis pillows, enjoying the soft comfort they bring.
“Are you a …” Loki began, trailing off as he once again sat in his computer chair, taking a sip of his coffee, abandoning his sentence.
“Am I what?” Y/n asked, perking up. “Annoyed?” They laughed, sitting up and placing their juice on Lokis night table. “It was so weird at breakfast without you, I sat in between Steve and Bucky, I don’t recommend it, they workout before breakfast.” Y/n shuddered, laughing as they looked at a now lost in space Loki.
“No I just.” Loki began, unsure of how to approach the situation. “The box in your closet.” He whispered, half hoping Y/n heard him and half hoping they didn’t.
“Oh that’s just, you know, I, Loki, It’s just stuff from, well like you know the, I, Um.” Y/n began sputtering, Loki soon cutting them off.
“Y/n I know you’re a little.” He said, now looking at Y/n, who sat on his bed, slowly entering a fight or fight mode.
“No, I’m not.” Y/n lied, clear as day.
“It’s okay, really.” Loki comforted. “I spent all night researching, I’m not going to make fun of you.”
Y/n sat in silence, his mind racing at insane speeds, ‘what does this mean’ ‘what will Loki think’ ‘will he treat me differently’.
“Little man.” Loki said, his newly updated brain noticing clear signs of regression.
Y/n looked up from their lap, tears formed in their eyes as their mind was unable to comprehend the situation at hand. “You weren’t supposed to find out.” They cried. “I’m sorry Loki.”
“Don’t apologize, I want to be here for you, I’m glad I found out.” He smiled, walking towards Y/n and crouching down next to the bed. “Maybe we can even watch those dragon movies you have hidden away.” He offered, genuinely excited to see if they were worth the hype the caregivers on the internet gave it.
“Okay.” Y/n whispered, placing his forehead against Loki’s, his tears now stopped, a wave of comfort flowing over him. What he didn’t know was this is how Loki felt everyday, Y/n giving him that feeling of comfort and belonging that he now gave them.
“Go grab your worm and I’ll grab the movies.” Loki said, standing up and walking towards the door.
“My worm?” Y/n asked, confused as to what Loki was referring to.
“Yes your green worm in the box.” He said matter of factly.
“It’s a caterpillar and his name is Leafy.” Y/n said, their voice dripping with sass, how dare Loki call Leafy a WORM?!
- - - - - -
‘where to find caterpillar stuffed animal in many colours’
#buckys little belle#age regression fic#anon#little!reader#age regression#loki x little!reader#loki x little reader#loki x y/n#loki x reader#loki fanfic#mcu loki#loki laufeyson#loki laufeyson x little!reader#loki laufeyson x little reader
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being very very meta but i have a lot of thoughts about this whole thing.
i have no doubts that q!cellbit is undercover, but it's a really shitty undercover job -- he's an amazing storyteller, don't get me wrong, but he can't erase the month of active work against the federation that he's done, part of it very much in the open. also, from what we've seen from q!quackity's attempt at talking to cucurucho, the federation isn't exactly jumping at the chance to have supporters in the players: they don't care. they have two jobs: stay in the island, don't break rules. other than that, they're simply pawns to be shuffled around.
ultimately, the chances of q!cellbit having blown up his whole life, friendships, reputation etc just to be double crossed by the federation bc they're not stupid? are huge.
not to mention that while he confirmed what we already knew (the codes are targeting anyone helping the federation whether knowingly or unknowingly), him being vocally pro-staying and pro-federation is putting the remaining eggs in more danger. the codes have said they won't stop, and while they don't want casualties we know they're not above killing eggs. it's a really iffy position to be in roleplay wise if your actions actively lead to eggs permadying -- roleplay isn't impersonal, and it could get genuinely messy. there's a reason dms have to be cautious and aware of player conflict: it can have a real impact out of character!
my rambling point being, i think while an interesting concept for the storyline, personally i find this is a fundamentally flawed plotline that has a 99% chance of going wrong for everyone whether they're involved or not, and cellbit approached the plot from a dm standpoint (plot progression/player engagement/drama) and not a player character standpoint (team work/a shared plotline).
the overall implications for everyone are massive and there's a .0 chance of him actually doing anything worthwhile. q!cellbit is incredibly intelligent, but going against the federation (undercover) and the codes? it's not a one man job, and q!cellbo is unfortunately not the almighty main character that can bamboozle the world and come out victorious... even if he was, there's the chance enough damage has been done by that point that he'll have done all this and it'll be for nothing.
a final point! none of his friends are entirely convinced he's even fully turned against them -- if you can't convince the people who love you and who you hurt and betrayed, how can you convince a massive all-seeing corporation?
#qsmp#q!cellbit#cellbit#forever player#idk man like it's a good plotline in movies or books but it's very tricky to pull off in a massive multiperson roleplay setting#i wanna be excited but......... the odds are shit#very very skeptical
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I honestly find it almost... surprising? How easily the fandom loses engagement with most of the IDW OCs. I only frequent the IDW Sonic tag and thus I definitely don't get a full overview of everything the whole of Tumblr contains, but posts with Belle in them seem to have almost completely disappeared off the face of the website. The same with Surge and Kit: there was a huge surge (heh) of fanart & posts around them when Imposter Syndrome was getting released and when they were in the main comics, but now there is just so much less of it. Same with the Diamond Cutters when they first were revealed, Mimic, a little bit of Nite and Don (because they were so minor but still, not a peep about those two anymore), and probably tons of OCs I'm completely forgetting about (because let's be real, they can definitely be not very remarkable). The moment they haven't been in a new or recent issue, tons of people from their fandom seem to forget about them completely. I quite wonder if the same if the same is going to happen if/when Lanolin gets directed to the background again.
It's because their so much more one-dimensional and thus far more boring compared to the game characters. Belle, as you mentioned, is especially so because she's tied to a plot point that overstayed it's welcome from being dragged on and on and because writers think that using speech quirks relating to her nature is interesting and quirky when it isn't.
I recall saying this, something along these lines in a previous reply to an ask;
Sonic Team: "Sonic is a bold and somehwhat arrogant explorer but he's very kind and hates injustice! He lives a life of adventure but likes to read books during the rainy season! He isn't a daydreamer, understands multiple languages because he speaks with his heart and grieves but in private. He enjoys chili dogs. He can change form via energy absorption and most of his abilities stem directly from his speed yet have huge variety!"
"Tails is humble but is a gifted mechanical genius. He wants to prove his worth to Sonic even though Sonic always acknowledges it. He adores mint candy! He has a habit of stating the obvious and blowing plans by talking too much. He can use his two tails not just to fly but to boost his speed whilst running. He's a brilliant pilot too."
Ian Flynn/Evan Stanley/Other IDW staff: "Starline gay! Mimic gay! Who-gives-a-shit the Owl and Nobody the Rooster gay! Whisper and Tangle gay! *Shoves it in your face with a lesbian flag background in a panel*. Silver is a perpetually, round-eyed happy boi in complete contrast to how he's actually portrayed in the games. Lanolin is the second coming of Sally. Look how evil Clutch and Mimic are with their EVIIILLL eyes! Sonic is a raging hypocritical gaslighting douchebag completely, utterly incompatible with his game incarnation. Unfitting song lyrics as actual dialogue."
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Nanowrimo Project 2022 // Always the Bridesmaid
Title // Always The Bridesmaid
Genre // Murder mystery, romance
Current Status // Brainstorming
TL;DR // Enemies-to-lovers that goes through a fake relationship/wedding/marriage between two bisexual rival detectives
Synopsis:
There’s been a string of murders. While tragic, murders are commonplace enough in [Fictional City] that no one blinks an eye when they are reported on the six o’clock news. The victims had nothing in common, so it was largely believed to be the work of separate killers, unrelated and commonplace.
Except for one tiny detail: Every single victim had been a part of a wedding party the month prior to their death.
Two private detectives were hired to investigate separate incidents, two different murders. When it becomes apparent that this trail of wedding murders has one culprit, it was only natural for them to team up and work together, because two heads are better than one.
The only problem: They are rival detectives with differing styles that clash and find each other insufferable.
When clue after clue lead them to dead-ends and false information, they are forced to confront the reality that they need to do something drastic to pin down the culprit.
Pretending to be engaged and planning a fake wedding to lure out the killer seems extremely out there, but if they can survive a fake relationship, perhaps they can bring down the killer once and for all.
It’s a crazy plan, but it just might work. Because if there is one thing for certain…
The victim is always the bridesmaid, and never the bride.
Tags // All official ATB content (snippets, drabbles, character intros, etc) can be found at #always the bridesmaid or @always-the-bridesmaid-wip. You can find all the ATB posts that I post on my blog that includes rambles, fun facts, shitposts and random thoughts on #atb.
There is no taglist for Always the Bridesmaid! If you are interested in being notified when there's a post, please follow @always-the-bridesmaid-wip and turn on the notifications for that blog.
I only reblog official ATB content that can be found at #always the bridesmaid onto @always-the-bridesmaid-wip. I barely post official content, so you will not be plagued by notifications.
Things to note:
Word count goal: 50k. I however have very low expectations for myself. I tend to do Nano for 2 days before stopping.
Takes place in a "soft AU" in a world where private investigators have much more power, influence and authority than the real world.
This is completely pants'd. I have a general direction, my main cast of characters, and that's it. I don't even know who the culprit is!
Credit for the amazing tagline goes to @inkysky, thank you so much!
There are some drabbles and character introductions that are already posted on #always the bridesmaid or @always-the-bridesmaid-wip that you can check out if you are interested!
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Author Ask Tag Game
Thank you to @janec23 for tagging me to do this one. Never done it before, but I've seen others do it, and I'm excited to try it myself!
I think I'll do this for my main WIP (as per usual lol) - Steph's Crew.
Gently tagging these guys: @jessicawestonauthor. @winterandwords, @mysticstarlightduck, @tea-and-mercury, @mjparkerwriting
Here are the questions:
What is the main lesson of your story (e.g. kindness, diversity, anti-war), and why did you choose it?
What did you use as inspiration for your worldbuilding (like real-life cultures, animals, famous media, websites, etc.)?
What is your MC trying to achieve, and what are you, the writer, trying to achieve with them? Do you want to inspire others, teach forgiveness, and help readers grow as a person?
How many chapters is your story going to have?
Is it fanfiction or original content? Where do you plan to post it?
When and why did you start writing?
Do you have any words of engagement for fellow writers of writeblr? What other writers on Tumblr do you follow?
Let's do this thing!
What is the main lesson of your story (e.g. kindness, diversity, anti-war), and why did you choose it?
I don't know if there's a single main lesson to my story. The characters go through a ton of things, and they learn a lot of different lessons throughout. I will say that they all kind of fall under the same theme/idea... A lot of them learn family and relationship lessons, especially to do with communication and being open to listening to the other person. These lessons also apply to the romantic relationships and the friendship dynamics as well in the story... as well as coming-of-age, high school messages of being true to yourself, peer pressure, sticking up for yourself, standing up for what's right, teamwork, friendship, and blah blah blah etc. You get the gist.
What did you use as inspiration for your worldbuilding (like real-life cultures, animals, famous media, websites, etc.)?
Tons of stuff... it's a YA/teen drama, and a lot of it takes place in high school. And I've watched a lot of stuff similar to this... I also started writing this while I was in my final year of sixth form, similar to my characters. I also decided to have it set in North London (and I included a real place - Hampstead Heath. It's a large park, and it's where the characters occasionally meet up). I made up a few places that are inspired by real places, too... or things that I've seen on TV. Like Stevie's and Dave's. Stevie's is a small restaurant/cafe place where Bret sometimes works after school, and it's right next to Dave's - a record store where he also spends a ton of time at (usually with Elise). These two places came from this show that I used to watch all the time growing up - The Next Step. It's about a team of dancers that compete in competitions. But when they aren't dancing, they usually hang out at the cafe/juice bar venue downstairs, which changes every season. Each season's cafe has a completely different vibe... I think Dave's fits the Culture Shock vibe (season 2), since there's a lot more going on, and you could buy records and other cool stuff there as well as snacks and drinks, while Stevie's is more of a Hidalgo's type of place (season 3). And I'm not necessarily inspired by this show (since I only just found it recently) but I thought I'd mention this because I find it cool. I like looking for stuff that fits the vibe of my story, whether that's music, aesthetic mood boards, TV shows, movies, etc. One show that I've found is an old BBC show called "Waterloo Road." It's crazy... it's all about a struggling school in the UK that's full of rebel kids. It focuses a lot of the teachers and staff as well, which is an interesting direction to go. Aside from that, though, it feels similar to the story I'm trying to write myself... well, maybe not as crazy as that (people are dying and getting arrested constantly on that show), but still. Could explain why I've gotten so invested in the show already!
What is your MC trying to achieve, and what are you, the writer, trying to achieve with them? Do you want to inspire others, teach forgiveness, and help readers grow as a person?
This is an interesting question... mostly because I don't know if I consciously thought of this while writing my main characters. My main character tends to go with the flow, you know? And so does the rest of her group, to an extent. That being said, they all clearly want something out of life, and they strive towards whatever that is (they're all really different and want different things). They are all students in their final year of high school, so one main goal is to get through the year and achieve the qualifications they need and prepare themselves for the next stage of life (whether that's university, getting a job/apprenticeship or whatever else). But they also want to be happy and have their lives figured out. At the stage of life that they are in, I feel like it's a common goal to kind of find yourself, you know? Learn who you are. In the first instalment of the series, that is the common goal for all the characters in the main crew. But there's also an underlying goal for Steph in particular... her storyline revolves around her former foster family conflict, particularly where it involves her late foster sister Melanie, and her tragic (and somewhat mysterious) death. I don't want to say what the goal is, because it's a huge spoiler. But it's a big deal, and it's an ongoing storyline throughout the series.
How many chapters is your story going to have?
I have no idea. I planned for it to have 20 chapters... it exceeded that limit ages ago. It'll take as long as it'll take.
Is it fanfiction or original content? Where do you plan to post it?
It is original! I don't know how I'm going to put it out, though. I've already posted some of it here (the series of dialogue that I've been doing. Almost done with that btw). I was planning to post some chapters/extracts of it here as well, just to get some feedback from my fellow writers/friends. But I was debating putting the full story either on Wattpad or self-publishing it. 'Cause I feel like I never use my Wattpad account... but I also want to make a real book out of this. I don't know what I'll do just yet.
When and why did you start writing?
I've been writing and making up stories forever, pretty much. I just like getting lost in a made-up world (which is probably why I love to read, too). If we're talking about this story, though - just over a year. I started when I was in a similar stage of life as the characters I was writing (sixth form, last years of secondary school education, sitting mock exams and feeling a ton of pressure), and it was a great way to relax and just de-stress and unwind.
Do you have any words of engagement for fellow writers of writeblr? What other writers on Tumblr do you follow?
Ooh, I follow a ton of great people... I was actually planning to post a proper list of recommendations. But here are some of my fave writers/mutuals on Tumblr (check these folks out if you haven't already!):
@exquisitecrow - one of my first-ever followers! A really talented and underrated writer
@thelavenderwriter - full of fun posts and prompts
@gummybugg - one of my fave mutuals! Great writer, and a really cool person
@jessicawestonauthor - another underrated person
@clairelsonao3 - soooo good. Recently started getting into this person's work on ao3!
@winterandwords - yet another cool person! Writes a lot of great stuff
@jojomills - a really skilled poet
@toribookworm22 - another really cool person... they always ask a lot of cool questions for writerblr asks, too
@soph1333 - just a fun person. Posts prompts and stuff like that
@mysticstarlightduck - ok everyone on this list is just a really cool person lol. This person is no exception. They write a lot of great stuff as well!
There we go! This took me so long to finish lol
I hope you guys enjoy this! This was really fun and interesting to do.
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Order Up, Up, Up - A Quick Review of Splatoon 3: Side Order
The colourful world of Splatoon is a chaotic one, so maybe it’s time for a little order on the side - but as demonstrated in Side Order, too much order can be a bad thing. This new add-on story campaign for Splatoon 3 shifts gameplay gears into the meta-progressing replayability of roguelikes, unlike the more linear platform-shooter-puzzler levels of the previous campaigns. Agent 8 - the first playable character to return from a previous game, last seen in Splatoon 2’s Octo Expansion - once more awakens in a strange place with a new mystery to solve. Accompanied by Splatoon 2’s idol duo hosts Pearl and Marina, and the until-recently-brainwashed DJ Acht, 8 finds Inkopolis Square seemingly consumed by a strange force, bleaching the world white and infesting it with dangerous skeletal fishy foes.
Together, the team must climb the Tower of Order, a randomly-generated series of challenging puzzles and battles, earning upgrades and reaching the ominously-dark and glitchy top floor to determine just what is going on and who is responsible. In true roguelike fashion, even losing helps progress; once you’ve run out of lives, you’re booted out of the tower, losing the gear you’ve acquired along the way - but you can then spend points on permanent upgrades to help make the climb just a little easier every time. Enter the Tower, fight your way up, die, upgrade yourself, enter the Tower again, reach a little higher this time, and repeat until you’re face-to-face with the Tower’s powerful mastermind. How many attempts will it take you to save Inkopolis?
I was honestly surprised at just how well the roguelike formula translates into Splatoon’s style, even if it lacks some of the massive sheer variety of full roguelike games. Growing stronger thanks to the permanent upgrades between each run is incredibly satisfying - I quickly went from getting mobbed and overrun on the fifth floor to consistently and flawlessly beating the final boss seven times in a row, even with weapons I wasn’t accustomed to using! Even in the early stages, it never feels too frustrating to lose; there’s always a sense of “alright, time for more upgrades, let’s try that again!”
One thing that Side Order falls a bit short of is the more interesting and continuous storytelling from the other campaigns, especially Octo Expansion. The plot effectively freezes entirely between beating the first and second runs of the Tower, which can last quite a while without upgrades. There’s plenty of fun dialogue and character dynamics between the main cast, but it’s all relegated to a handful of conversations that occasionally play out between floors (and frequently repeat themselves), with the actual storyline only really progressing every time you reach and beat the final boss with a new weapon. The DLC might seem “short” to those unfamiliar with roguelike gameplay - the credits roll after beating the final boss for the first time, which technically only takes two successful climbs up the Tower, but that’s just the beginning. The true meat of the DLC is then beating the boss eleven more times, with the player getting stronger each time instead of the boss; the plot continues to progress with every final boss defeat, long after the credits are finished. The first battle against the true villain is also one of the most hype moments in the entire series - a real, unparalleled power trip.
So, while the storytelling engagement isn’t quite up to scratch with the series standard, the handful of character moments still there are just as entertaining as usual, and the gameplay beyond is excellently fun and addictive - that last run was good, but how about just one more attempt?
I hope you enjoyed this quick review of Splatoon 3: Side Order - feedback, reblogs and likes are much appreciated!
Thanks for reading!
An Aussie Button-Masher
#gaming#review#quick review#nintendo#splatoon#splatoon 3#side order#agent 8#off the hook#pearl#marina#acht#roguelike#shooter
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I didn't like Cyberpunk: Edgerunners but I can't think of a clever heading
Okay every time I come back to work on this my thesis changes a little bit so I'm just going to start like this: full disclosure, I went into Edgerunners mostly out of morbid curiosity and I was prepared not to like it very much. I have no real love either for CDPR's game or for Pondsmith's source material, and this show would have needed to bring some pretty show-stopping, foundation-shaking ideas to the setting in order to win me over. It did not do that. That said, also in the spirit of full disclosure, there were moments where I did find myself genuinely kind of enjoying watching it. It's a good looking and well-acted show that has some high points, especially around the middle of the series, although in the end they mostly just leave me wishing that those high points could be transplanted into a different, better story.
(Also I will be spoiling major plot points as well as the finale. Read at your discretion.)
Ultimately, I was never going to actually, genuinely like Edgerunners for the simple fact that I hate "cyberpsychosis" as a concept. In fact I'm comfortable saying it's by far one of the worst tropes the cyberpunk genre has been burdened with and patently refuses to examine, right up there with the gratuitous orientalism and weird contempt for sex workers. I don't know that Pondsmith was the very first to introduce the idea into the genre, but I think it's safe to say that Cyberpunk (the ttrpg) had enough of a hand in popularizing it to solidly lodge transhumanist discussions in the ditch of "but what if cybernetic enhancements made you CrAzY" for the last thirty years.
Not only is the idea that "psychosis = indiscriminate violence" just pure, uncut ableism (psychotic people are statistically far more likely to be the victims of abuse and violence than the perpetrators), but from a narrative standpoint, assuming that extensive cybernetics are just an automatic ticket to losing your mind and dying in a rain of blood and viscera is lazy. It's boring. It depends on a complete disinterest and refusal to engage with the nuances of individual characters' personalities and mental states, or the way societal bias and pressure might impact someone's perception of themself or other modded people.
The most frustrating thing to me is that Edgerunners feels like it almost manages to actually have something to say on this subject, but I don't think it's self-aware enough to commit to it. The first episode presents us with a pretty clear thesis: the only way to survive and succeed in Night City is to be enhanced; and an equally clear antithesis: being too enhanced will inevitably destroy you. This feels like a potentially really interesting dichotomy, but while these ideas will both prove to be true and central to the plot, it's mostly just in the sense that... they are both true statements. There will be no examination of why, or how those two contradictions interact with each other, or what creates and influences this reality.
And it's not like there isn't room to interrogate this concept in a nuanced way. The kinds of cybernetics most prominently on display in the show are disproportionately combat-focused--things explicitly designed to make a single person better at hurting and killing. So you could argue that the mental degradation could have less to do with the physical reality of being modded, and more to do with the baseline personality required to electively turn your own body into a weapon, or the pressure placed on the human psyche by realizing you now have the ability to kill, easily and indiscriminately, in a way you never could before. But this is not what the universe's lore tells us. If it was, there would have been no reason for Maine (the obligatory seasoned mentor/father figure) to succumb to cyberpsychosis when he was clearly incredibly grounded and invested in the safety and wellbeing of his team, and cybernetically enhanced for the demands of the work he did rather than for the simple glee of violence. If it was about individuals, there would be no reason for characters to remark often throughout the series about the novelty of David being able to withstand the Sandevistan, a single implant that really does nothing more than make him exceptionally fast but is apparently so powerful and taxing on the body that it alone could make the average person into a "cyberpsycho" (ugh). If it was about individuals I would have sooner expected a villain arc from the classmate tormenting David in the first few episodes (whose name I don't remember because he quickly becomes completely irrelevant) who seemed to delight in the sheer fact that he had muscle augments that made bullying easier and more violent.
So maybe the show gets a little closer to saying something about SocietyTM? After all, the first episode does a great job of establishing how utterly desolate it is trying to exist in Night City without money (it's actually one of the few aspects of the show I genuinely liked). Then it's reinforced multiple times that the average person's only choices for survival are the endless grind of climbing the corporate ladder (as David's mother wanted for him before she died) or the endless urban warfare of being a mercenary (as he chooses for himself), with the ultimate irony being that the mercs still work for the corporations anyway. I think I would probably argue that this is the central theme of the story, which ends with David as a pawn in an arms race between two major corporations, which had no real bearing on his life and still rather dramatically, literally, tears him apart. And in the end, he still convinces himself that he chose this, that it was something noble that he did for someone else's sake, rather than something he was driven into both by direct manipulation and by societal circumstances far beyond his control. The corps push cybernetics on everyone, indiscriminately, convince them that it's the normal and desirable way of life, and don't care that they're creating monsters and causing massive and constant losses of human life. It's not a bad premise, and it's woven through the narrative effectively enough that I had to sit with it a bit to piece it together but came away feeling like it came through clearly.
My problem with that is that at best, "cyberpsychosis" adds nothing to this premise except shock value and an excuse for gratuitous violence. At worst, it skews the message into something far more hurtful and less compelling. Capitalist society does create monsters, but it's the ultra-wealthy and ultra-powerful who lose any capacity to sympathize with the rest of humanity. Within the Cyberpunk universe, "cyberpsychos" feel far more analogous to addicts and petty criminals--the idea being that some people just choose to put something into their body that makes them worse, that makes them dangerous, that they're not "good enough" to know their limits, and they should be feared and hated for it. But addicts are people who are desperate, lost, and grasping for any scrap of power and control they can wrest from their own circumstances, even at the expense of their own health and wellbeing, or that of the people around them. They are victims, and creating a universe where their analogues are presented as monsters, as indiscriminate mass-killers who can only be stopped by militarized police aggression, is disgusting.
So, I don't know. Am I asking too much from a 10-episode shonen anime that mostly exists as a video game tie-in? Maybe. But then maybe the 10-episode video game tie-in anime should have focused on something less lofty.
#maybe I need a tag for like... reviews and actual genre analysis#anyway I'm not gonna actually put this in the show's tag that would be gauche#rom speaks
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