#I'm not defending the game lmao I know it has a lot of problems

[khytal]

I forgot people on tumblr hate toarise with a passion (it is a game I also have many issues with but it's still my favorite tales game)

#khytal.ks #I'm not defending the game lmao I know it has a lot of problems #but people hate it for extremely petty reasons imo #can't really do anything except go :/

[jazeswhbhaven]

Beel, Are You Srs Brah? WHB Event React Part 2 *Spoiler Warning*

Stop right there you! Dre requires that you check out part 1 first ->

If you've already seen it, then let's proceed!

We left off where our three Avisos bois had to show their proof of having piercings done by Beel! Poor Stolas is all like-

Well bby, no one really thinks they're gonna be flashing folks their nipples lmao it's okay

Oh???? Okay Amon.... But no seriously....his skills? That must mean Beel is really good at painless piercings. And if that's the case, I want him to pierce some parts of me too. And a secret piercing that only he and I will enjoy *wink*

ANYWAYS

Amon...honey. You are preaching to the choir because Beel's hands anywhere on me is possibly a experience.

Nabe always has to be the logical one lol. Such a sweetie though.

(btw someone pointed out that his chest is really generous...and I looked at his sprite again and I'm like you whore...no wonder you cover up your tits.)

He explains once more that Beel gives these piercings to citizens that are of age and that have been accepted into the community of Avisos. It makes me wonder if that's a thing that not all devils know about because... *SPOILER ALERT FOR MAIN*

Leamas told everyone in Gehenna he was from Avisos. But as far as we know...when Gabriel turned him into a demon as a disguise he didn't add any piercings, just horns. So if anyone knew this info about Avisos, they could have caught Leamas in his lie ahead of time. But you know there wouldn't be a story without that.

As we continue, Nabe points out that it's best to sit near the bartender so they can get the info they need right? Well our happy go lucky fanboy found an area where it was marked "Beel sat here" basically so that is where he chose to sit-

Lol Amon is so goofy. If Beel had 0 fans, Amon would be his number one stan still til the very end.

But Stolas is annoyed with him because he wasn't being so secretive. They're mostly afraid of Beel catching wind of them trying to track him down.

While Amon is over here fanboying about Beel sitting in the same seat he's sitting on, Nabe and Stolas are trying to figure out how they can look inconspicuous while asking for info. So they decide to call the waiter over and they order food and drinks.

Here they're called 'sets' so I'm guessing some kind of drink/food combo and there's even one named after Beel visiting there!

Also, Amon straight up just asks the waiter if Beel said where he was gonna go, and while Stolas and Nabe are clearly thrown back by his straightforward way of getting this info. It works.

So, the Gambling House and the Cosplay Cafe??? Hm. That's way more info that they had in the beginning so score 1 for Amon!

I can't help but feel there was more that Beel said, but yeah maybe the waiter was like tldl (too long didn't listen)

Now that they got their info, Nabe suggested that they pay and leave. But Amon wanted to finish his set, and the waiter came back outta nowhere and told him the rules of the pub was you couldn't leave until you finished all of your food. That even Beel followed that same rule.

Now, I get that it's a rule. But both of them grabbed Nabe's hands to keep him from leaving and I was like damn it's like that T^T

But this would be an issue for me though. I have tummy problems so overeating usually means I'm gonna have a bad time. I love having leftovers so I can portion it out so maybe I'd have one of the three eat it for me ;_; lol

Awh look at Stolas, defending his comrade.

may I add that he did it thuggishly

Also, he calls out Amon about how he said earlier that he couldn't eat without Beel and Amon is just over on his side still fanboying about being in the same seat as his Majesty xD

The waiter that got all ballsy comes back with the food and holy fuck is it a lot.

5 plates for the normal set, and 10 plates for the special set that Amon ordered.

Yeap I'm never ordering food from that place only drinks because bitch I cannot eat 5 plates of food even when I haven't eaten all day.

Like I don't care they're technically snacks, imagine eating 5 plates of mozzarella sticks (about 50 sticks per plate) Back to our bois and their big ass snack plates, Amon is happy to get his stuff, and asks the waiter if anything fun happened. The waiter recollects that Beel brought in a huge sack

No really knew what was inside the sack, moreso that Beel asked them to make a meal with it (intensely stares at Beel's chest again in the screencap....)

He's covered in fucking blood and the sack was dripping. I could only guess it was an angel in that sack or something.

But when Stolas asked, now all of these different ideas start poppin' off from the pub workers lmao

Bartender: angel with it's wings ripped off Waiter: the chopped body of his dead comrade Customer sitting next to them: a pile of devil worshipper hearts that he smuggled from the human world (okay this is believable) So Stolas is trying to figure out which statement is right, Nabe is wondering why ppl jumped in the convo to begin with and the waiter swears he's right, but the bartender says his source is the chef who cooked the meal for Beel and the random customer heard it from a friend

Nabe had it with their shit so he tells them to go fight away from them and they do. Amon brings up that the rumors are so wild because Beel is simply just an overwhelming experience to behold.

I mean he wouldn't be wrong about that...I'd probably make up random rumors if I experienced a fucking hot sexy demon in my room.

Also poor Amon, bby is eating over 10 plates of snacks and he's still hungry. Nabe brings up the fact it makes no sense to stay alive after starving for months. (don't be mean)

So while all this mess is going on, Stolas and Nabe both take a bite and realize that the food tastes amazing.

Now everyone is happy and full and ready to go on to the next place. The Gambling House!

But, not before we see our babes getting the 'itis' from eating a bunch of food. (i get this way too sometimes) Basically they just feel really sleepy after having a large meal.

Amon's wide awake now though. And still hungry.

And....here we go. The motherfucking bill

Turns out...Beel left open a tab and since our bois are under him they have to pay the tab off.

Ain't that a bitch lmao

Bael didn't warn them about this, and the waiter was not letting them leave without paying. So poor Nabe had to foot the bill.

I just like how the doorman was like "bye" when they left lmao that's my energy when at work -_-

I feel bad for our Avisos bois because they basically felt like someone pulled one over on them and I don't blame them for feeling some kind of way about this.

Anywhoozle the mission continues and Stolas turns back into a crow and they said he 'walked' ahead hehee

Aye, Las Vegas vibes okay I see the vision...

Here they describe that the devils in this area resembled the maffia like in the human world. Having serious expressions, some carrying guns, some looking like they were on the run, all that good stuff. This also appears to be the main streets instead of the back alleys which is where we were before with our bois.

Damn we out here sellin' drugs just like that? I mean I understand we're in Hell and in Avisos but geez man

Take the red pill or blue pill type of mess

He even said it's not his fault if you get fucked up by taking the red stuff xD alright uh should of took the blue stuff

Our drug dealer devil out here just making bank, and then he sees a pair of feet of a potential customer...but it was our lovely angel hunter boi instead.

Again, another damn angel in disguise. I wonder how many there are in Hell right now?

But clearly, they know of Dre, because he was shaking in fear.

Dre essentially asks the angel to come see him in the back alleys away from the main streets and whelp this angel is getting f u c k e d up.

I mean like Dre ripped off three of four limbs (only one arm left), and his wings were a tattered mess. The angel was barely breathing too. What's even crazy is that Dre was like 'this is my fourth question'

Meaning his body was already mangled by the 2nd question. The angel is crying and asking what he even did when he answered truthfully and Dre bends down to stare at him with all that hatred in his cloudy eyes.

We don't know it yet, but someone Dre loved deeply perished by angels, so he doesn't give a fuck about the fake drug dealer.

At first I was wondering who he was talking about. But it seems...we all find out soon who he was referring to.

Dre decides to tell this barely alive angel that he's following our Avisos bois. And it's no surprise that the angels are tailing them too.

Dre says here that Beel is the only one who can end the war and I've had a couple of discussions about this already with a couple oomfs and it's interesting that a devil from Niflheim is loyal to Beel. Even says that he's the one who can truly stop the war.

And here is when we get our answer to who made Dre blind. Raphael...our little psycho angel did this, and Dre is on a mission to make sure he gets revenge. Only he can do this and he would not want anyone else to.

While he explains his reasons though that creepy grin of his shows up hahaha each time it comes up on the screen it's like an amusing nightmare fuel. Possibly fuel for a classic creepypasta story like 'Smile Dog'

But we're done seeing Dre fucking around with the angel that's pretty much gonna die for being in the way so we're back at the Gambling House with the bois! Only to be met with-

Stolas threatening Amon once again (˃̣̣̥▽˂̣̣̥)

I swear Amon just doesn't leave him alone...Stolas only said it's been a while since he'd been there, and Amon is like "this isn't a place for children"

But yeah after their little banter Nabe starts feeling a bit bad for Bael having to deal with all this mess in the first place and Stolas has like 0 empathy being like "it's his fault for doing all the work and not using his capable subjects" Sigh. Bael proably only wants to bother them when it's needed and feels like as the regent majesty he should be doing most of the foot work.

But, regardless it's brought up again that this Gambling House is a place where many can enter for free, but no one ever leaves this place on their own. Beel was able to leave, so our bois figure they can do the same.

So much, that Amon fucking went in without Stolas or Nabe lol

So it looks like a casino on the inside. Pretty fancy and standard if I say so myself even though I've never been in one. I don't think I ever will because I give up way too easily on things like this win or loose haha.

But the way this place is described, it's huge...big as a mini city almost. It makes me think that maybe people just get lost in here and that's why you never leave. They have everything you could ask for in there. Pubs, souvenir shops, it was quiet, clean, no cigarette butts or empty bottles.

Stolas and Nabe even witnessed a devil drop a piece of paper and a small fist sized devil picked it up for him and whispered to him

Don't worry sir. There's no need to be concerned about trivial things like this. There's no need to care about them.

Focus on paying off your debts, win more money. Focus The devil was basically in a zombie like state too.

Right Nabe, it honestly reminds me of fucking Maromi from Paranoia Agent...

It isn't your fault.

Take a rest...Take a rest...

LOL (this is one of my fave series, but also one of the most mildly disturbing dark content)

Anyways

So Stolas and Nabe are going over how they think the building is a trick of a devil that can make a small area expand. Nabe looks over the area and the devils seem to be...in a hive mind?

That's how I took it anyway, all going in the same direction, all going to the same goal...

Then Amon shows up and calls them hobos lmao

Nabe isn't happy that Amon wandered off again, but he went to the souvenier shop and it turns out he won himself a Beel keychain (how cute) It's even one of those plush keychain things too.

Amon was calling the devils hobos because someone apparently hit the jack pot and they were all clamoring to see if they could borrow money from that said devil.

Nabe gets on to Amon for spending all his money on the keychain when he could have helped at the pub paying the bill. But Amon says it's worth it, I believe him. But the scummy thing about it is to even get the souvenier you have to gamble for it. That's how he lost all his money.

Nabe wanted to know the amount of money wasted and our fanboy ignores him like he didn't hear xD

So he blows it off and leaves him alone about it and Stolas admires that. Nabe simply states it's in the past and he can't do anything about it so why stress over it? (wish I had his mentality for most things like I'm tryingggg)

So Nabe and our other two bois decided to follow the crowd after feeling a bit uneasy about being at the Casino. Truly, it was only because Nabe felt like he had a bunch riding on the fact that he has 0 money...and this place was definitely made to exploit the common consumer.

But I believe in our bois.

So when they reached the front doors, that same little Maromi vibes devil is like :D ah you look so lucky and so are your companions, please good luck to you.

And the three are nervous as fuck lol

So, while they're trying to scope out the place, Amon keeps trying wander off and it's because he's trying to find the highest ranking dealer. Nabe says they'd be in the VIP room and Amon flashes out a golden ticket.

Stolas thought he stole it but he met the requirements after getting the Beel keychain. Nabe asks him once more how much he spent and Amon ignores that question again lmao

The small devils notice that he has the VIP ticket though and now they're riding on 3 red chairs being treated like royalty and now Nabe really wants to know how much he spent. I'm curious too lol

Oh see... Nabe is just jelly that he has the keychain xD I don't blame him it sounds like it's a really cute item.

He even curses himself for wanting it so badly because he's broke, poor thing.

SO here's the fucking VIP room and wow....like Amon you big spenda take me here on a date <3 (i'm joking because honestly it sounds like one could easily lose their money here) It even has like a mini bar, snacks, the works. A fucking chocolate fountain??? Yesss

So how it works in the VIP room for customers is they pick the games, it gets set up there.

Now....we introduce our lovely dealer that Beel handpicked himself.

They even mentioned when he came to visit the VIP room he played a game with her.

Uh huh....a 'game' alright.

So here's a decription of our miss dealer: alluring smile, a small mole next to her lips, clothes so tight they hug her figure

Yes Stolas, thanks for pointing out the obvious that your king is a pervert lmao

But hey he knows what he wants and Miss Dealer is it. She explains that she's going to play a simple game with them, right and then-

Her titties are tittying and it makes me think of how Beel likes it when ppl wear clothes that are too small/tight for them and I'm thinking it's for that effect.

But Miss Dealer does this so you're distracted by the titties. Classic.

But Amon is straight up like "Hey when do you get off work?"

For me I was like AYO WHAT

Nabe apparently was not amused by this, but hey it looks like she's contemplating the idea....

Another stopping point once again!!!

Take a bathroom break, refill on your snick snacks and meet me in the next post!! <3

#whb #what in hell is bad #whb event #whb beelzebub #whb stolas #whb naberius #whb amon #whb avisos bois 💚 #game playthrus🖤 #whb andrealphus #part two is done...time for three! #amon is cute here #dre is hot

[b3achysurfer]

SBG POST!! (hxh moots please ignore this 😓)

** disclaimer: DO NOT SEND HATE TO ANYONE!!!! whether or not they agree with what I’m going to say, please don’t send hate to them. if anything I say comes off as harsh/rude, just know that’s not my intention.

deadass wasn’t gonna say anything because I genuinely don’t care, but some of my friends/supporters are getting hate and it’s starting to annoy me. also my name got dragged in so it’s free game now 😛 **

posting this on my main for reach, but my side blog for sbg is @b3achysurfur !!

Someone sent me a post that was talking about how the fandom thinks it’s okay to hate Logan for being a nerd but not anyone else for the tropes they’re based on. They also said that people have been “getting defensive about their right to hate a charater”. The person probably has me blocked and won’t see this but idrc bc they were talking about me (to some extent).

no one is getting defensive about their “right to hate a character”. from what I’ve seen (and posted) it was just people pointing out how silly it is to say “oh you can’t hate this character 😡”. that’s literally it lmao. that’s not being “defensive”, it’s just pointing out how stupid you guys sound. also, it applies to you too? you can hate/like whoever you want.

“i'd be stabbed 27 times and set on fire for saying anything remotely bad about aiden but logan gets away scot free bc he's a ‘nerd’ and ppl simply dislike him bc of his trope? the double standards are just odd, that's what i'm addressing.” Scot-free? No I didn’t “get away scot free”. I got sent death threats, sm1 attempted to dox me, my dms were full of hate, and there was post after post of people saying things about me (some of which came from people you associate yourself with op). It just looks like I “got away scot-free” because I’m not a little bitch and can deal with backlash for my opinions.

you guys created this environment where everyone has to like everything! everyone has to feel the same way about everything! and a lot of you have this mob mentality and just follow the crowd instead of having you’re own opinions. There is no “double standard”. You guys hate on anyone and everyone for their personal opinions.

“what's the difference between them and everyone else? i'm "allowed to hate" these characters, but if i posted my opinion on someone like aiden, who is a mostly beloved character by the fandom, i'd get Rattled.” Nothing! There’s no difference! Only problem is none of you have the balls to express your opinions out loud. Not that I blame you tho, from my experience the fandom is very agressive when you disagree with them. And by the way, I was never “allowed to hate” Logan. Can’t even count how many people made posts saying, “dni if you hate Logan/any of the main cast” lol. Which also confuses me op. You can’t really complain about it when you’re apart of the problem, no?

“and anyways i'm talking abt the fact that people are defending beachy for their opinions, the majority of us dislike them but it's still insane the difference” I know people hate me, idrc ab that. but the fact that you complained about not being able to dislike any of the main charaters than added that you (as well as most of sbg tumblr) don’t like me bc of my opinion is so hypocritical. Do you not hear yourself?? Also people defend me because you guys get nasty quick. most of my posts are JOKES. yes I hate Logan, but I’m not being serious when I write things about him. Not to mention most the people who defend me now were at my thoart when we first started interacting.

Having different opinions on characters and vocalizing it is very important to fandom growth. You guys need to understand this. If you force everyone is like a charater then not only does it make the fandom boring to interact with it but it also creates drama. AKA THE WHOLE “LOWAR”. SHI WOULDVE NEVER HAPPENED IF I WAS ALLOWED TO DISLIKE LOGAN LMAO??? Not to mention, it allows you to see different perspectives and versions of the same charater just through someone else’s eyes. That’s why our fanon versions of charaters are just copy and paste of the canon versions. Because you guys never give anyone space to be creative. As soon as you don’t agree with it, you all jump on the person and make it a problem. It’s annoying.

If you don’t want to be attacked for your opinions on a charater then stop attacking others for their opinions. Obviously this problem won’t be fixed immediately but it’s one person at a time yk? Just know if you hate a character, you should expect at least a bit of backlash and debate. Shi I still argue with people and it’s been like 3 months. Just remember to be open minded, respectful, and have fun!!

“Hating” on a charater doesn’t have to be negative/drama. it’s you guys that make it into that. Relax a bit and have a little more fun. Or don’t, it’s ya life 🤷‍♀️

—- btw if you ever have a problem with me, talk to me about it or stfu. Stop attacking my friends/supporters. you can dm me, tag me in a post, send me an ask, comment, reblog, idc. I’ll respond (on my sbg side blog). Or just block and ignore me. Thanks 😛

#sbg #school bus graveyard webtoon #school bus graveyard #schoolbus graveyard #sbg (webtoon)

[krakenshaped]

Tag force posting again, finished Asuka's route. Rambles below:

This route was highkey so fucking funny. The first 3 events are the same for every character but her 4 heart event is her and Hat-kun being jumped by Momoe and Junko. These girls istg they spend the entire anime trying to get Asuka to date someone but when they assume Asuka is dating the protag, they jump him because they don't think he's good enough for dearest Asurin. You get a REALLY strong sense for Junko's love for Asuka in tag force because like. When you talk to her she's like "You better not be causing problems for Alexis!!!" plus she's the first character to comfort Asuka during her ending. You kinda get the vibe that the two are closer friends with each other than they are with Momoe oddly enough but I might be reading into it too much.

Also she calls the protag a pervert (lmfao you KNOW 4kids was not involved in this translation)

Speaking of which the translation is so interesting. It's like a strange mix of dub and sub probably because of the translation team. I don't know if it's different from the anime translation team or what but there's so many bits you're like oho i see what that is. Like Manjoume calling Asuka "Rhodes" consistently - feeling kinda like his sub Tenjouin-kun in comparison to his dub pet name, Lexi. Although on the other hand, dub character quirks still pop up like Kenzan's weird army talk and Judai's goofy little catchphrases (sweetness, the hero always wins in the end, etc).

The 5th event follows Manjoume and Fubuki trying to cheer Asuka up after Momoe and Junko go missing after their event duel. This is covered up by Manjoume claiming he's going to win Lexi's heart from Hat-kun while Fubuki insists they form a brother-sister tag duel together. Shout out to Manjoume losing 20 manly points during this dialogue. I adore Fubuki and Manjoume's silly hijinks. At the end of the event they reveal they were trying to cheer Asuka up, but in the end they go missing too.

Honestly it's just. So. Sad. Throughout her route Asuka seems to have such an air of sadness around her. Her bio kinda suggests there's a lot on her mind she doesn't openly express but there's always an air of worry and grief around her, especially by the time the 6th heart event comes around and Judai and Sho go missing. She has teary sprites and it broke my heart, especially with the context of Fubuki's disappearance and how badly it affected her the first time. One of her potent lines was something along the lines of "What if I have no one left?" Everyone she cares about literally just vanish off the island (although this doesn't stop them appearing during the dueling exam)

The route concludes with Asuka meeting with Kenzan and Johan at the abandoned dorm where Titan (yes, the shadow rider) is back for some reason? With Jinzo. Apparently Titan is back for revenge and Jinzo wants to use everyone Asuka's ever loved as sacrifices for his rebirth. Which of course doesn't happen because its the easiest boss fight in the whole route lmao.

However it was cute. Tag Force 2 is kinda like if season 3 was season 1 and I like it as a season 1 defender. It was nice to see the tables turn where Asuka saves Judai instead of vice versa (even if the dialogue regarding it was a little ham fisted and more could have been said about Asuka being a damsel in distress more often or not and how she feels about that - but like wtf its a childrens card game anime video game who cares)

She gets a lil tsundere @ Judai at the end too lmao I'm telling you, this guys autistic rizz is endless

#kraken rambles #tag force 2 #ygo gx #tag force spoilers

[leviadraws]

Since everyones asking for your thoughts, and I do like to hear them- what do you think of the idea/au where SDRA2 Yuki brings back everyone who died in the simulation w/ his newfound luck? i think its cool to think about cause theres just so much to conseptualize but what're your thoughts?

Ahh I'm glad people aren't getting annoyed by my silly thoughts <3

Under cut as usual, SDRA2 spoilers

So obviously, I'm all for an ending where everyone lives (if DR2 can have it so can we, Yuuki's divine luck is a decent explanation for this too! Linuj just wants us all to be miserable).

So! We're assuming that Yuki still lost his body, and that the initial events of chapter 6 still happens so Yuuki uses the divine luck to escape. So why don’t we say that the divine luck brings everyone back, their pods start opening and he uses the distraction to escape.

So, Sora remains with him in his head, and we could potentially extend that to include Utsuro too. It would make further interactions real interesting, especially with Shinji, Yoruko, and potentially Tsurugi too

Most of the cast would be immediately arrested by Tsurugi lmao. All the voids, Kanade and Hibiki (Tsurugi would see Hibiki as an accomplice), Yoruko, Syobai, Kokoro, and if the events of the sim are seen then it’s possibly Teruya would hand himself in too. I’m not sure if kinjo would outright arrest him tho.

Speaking of Teruya, I think the events of the game will have had a lasting effect on him. At the very least he would have problems with food for a while, but having everyone see his lowest moments would probably make him pretty uncomfortable.

Rei and the rest of the kisaragi foundation would be ecstatic that Teruya and Setsuka are alive. Setsuka would likely jump straight to it and defend Hibiki and potentially some of the voids? I think Shinji would try to appeal to Hajime too, try to make him a better person.

The voids have effectively succeeded in their plan, divine luck has been restored and by extension so has their luck. So it doesn't take long to break out of prison and get into hiding. They take Syobai with them but they split with him pretty early as he needs to cut some old ties as his betrayal gets out.

I think Kanade would be very quiet, she’s a clever girl, she knows when to watch and wait. Judging by the void theatre, and the “real” Shinji appearing in Yuuki’s utopia I think even people who died before chapter 3 would know what happened, and so everyone is cautious of her. I’m gonna go as far as to say even Yuri, for all his thoughts on women, would not defend kanade, but especially since hibiki is a victim of her.

Speaking of Hibiki, I’m unsure of what state she would be in. I’d like to say divine luck gives her some independence/freedom so she can think for herself a bit but there’s a good chance she’s not quite all there. She can now start healing, but she has a long road ahead of her. Thankfully Setsuka and Yoruko step in to get her all the support she can get.

Shinji would spend a lot of his time trying to keep in contact with Yuuki, it's weird for a bit while he has the body of Akane/Sora. But he's determined to adopt that poor kid.

Mikado is fated to stare at a windows “something went wrong :(“ screen for all eternity

#ask loz #sdra2 spoilers #sdra2 #sorry for spam today guys Imma go back in my hole now

[demonsfate]

me personally, i feel like booboo the fool 🤡 bc i got hopeful seeing how old victor was so i dared to wonder if reina would be. Not Young SKSBSJSNSB i forgot only males can be over 25!!!! OF COURSE they made her a highschooler 💀

i DO like her characterisation and i get it but like. i feel like things like her voice and attitude don’t really match her appearance…? with the way she acts, i feel like it would have made sense to make her, idk, a little older? not 30, bc that would have been too much for the babies at namco to handle 🥺🥺 but at least, not a highschooler!!! there was literally no reason for that except for the fact that they’re cowards LMAO. i would have been pissed if they made her all squeaky and shit. but at least right now, i just don’t feel intimidated by her at all. idk personally i find her characterisation (mainly her voice tbh) a little jarring with her young looking design and she just seems like a little shit AJSBSBSB

really im not surprised AT ALL, but a sigh was still soghed 😔 ig we’ll find out in january what she’s really about. i have a feeling i’ll warm up to her at some point though

LIKE. i was already expecting reina to be young. i knew there is no way she's gonna be as old as kazuya or lee. but i was guessing she'd be around 24-28 years old. i was... not expecting her to be a high schooler LOL. like, for some reason, that took me by surprise. so reina was worse than i was expecting!!

and i know, know, there ARE plenty of old dudes who have children later in life. but the problem doesn't necessarily lie in heihachi having a kid at a late age, it lies in the fact that there can't be any older females in the tek series. jun's the only "older" woman we have whose actually 40+ in the game. nina and anna don't really count since they were cryogenically frozen, and therefore haven't actually aged mentally or physically since tek2. hell! even lidia is only 29, and according to her backstory, was apparently 21 when she got into office. except... i looked it up and yup

poland's the same rules as we are, you have to be 35 to be president. they couldn't even make a PRESIDENT 35 years old. so, of course heihachi's youngest kid is his daughter.

and i do agree, it is kinda bizarre since... they did actually give her a fairly deep voice (as you would expect heihachi's daughter to have) which isn't seen often with the "school girls" of tekken who usually have higher pitched voices. so idk why they went with the idea that she's a high schooler at xiao's and jin's school. since that raises questions (has she seen xiao and jin before?) but... MAYBE she's actually gonna have something to do with jin and xiao, so maybe THAT'S why she has to be a high schooler. we'll see when the game comes out. right now, reina's background is a total mystery, we're only guessing what it could be. hell, her being heihachi's daughter isn't even actually known yet, we're just assuming due to her taking his personality / movesets, and the leak.

which, yeah... that's also why i'm scared she'll be an actual threat / hinderance in the story. because a high schooler isn't all that intimidating. an older woman would've been much "scarier", and more believable she could go up against the likes of kazuya and even jin. which i've seen many people try to defend it with "so what if it's a high schooler flooring kazuya? this game is full of unrealistic crazy stuff!" and it's like i'm SOOO tired of "TEK IS UNREALISTIC IN THE FIRST PLACE, SO THE SUSPENSION OF BELIEF SHOULD JUST BE COMPLETELY SNAPPED!!11!" it's like..... a story can be fantastical, but still have grounded rules for its own universe. and when it comes to power level scales, the series has been... mostly consistent. so to have a teenager who can possibly be a threat to kazuya or jin is just going too far imo. BUUUT... we also don't know if that's what's going on. we'll just have to see when 8 arrives.

which i would've liked reina a lot more if it just wasn't for her connection to the story, and my fears i have regarding her because of that. but we'll see when the game comes out. maybe i'll be blown away and she'll become one of my favorites. we won't know until we play 8!

#✏️ - ᴛʜᴇ ʜᴏsᴛ ᴡɪᴛʜ ᴛʜᴇ ᴍᴏsᴛ // (ooc) #✏️ - ᴡʜᴀᴛ ᴅᴏ ʏᴏᴜ ᴡᴀɴᴛ ? // (inbox)

[queenlua]

let's see about 5, 11, 12, 13 for the ask meme?

5. What game would you recommend to someone new to the series?

ugh this is so HARD because i don't think there's any game that's perfect for this...

if they're new to the series but have enjoyed at least a couple older video games at some point (and thus have some tolerance for a bit of gameplay cruft and GBA-era rough edges), i'd be really tempted to throw Sacred Stones at them. absolutely gorgeous sprites, good music, probably the most solid/focused/best-executed story in the series, fun support conversations, and very good gameplay whose only flaw is "it's kinda too easy." but it's satisfying and if someone likes everything about it but "too easy," then that's an easy problem to fix with subsequent games lol

i suspect Awakening is probably the objectively-better answer, though. first "modern"-feeling FE in terms of how streamlined and nice the mechanics feel, the depth/multiplicity of strategies, the storyline is weaker but still has definite highlights (especially when the kids show up), etc

Three Houses is a solid contender but the game is kind of bloated with extras that i think can make playing it feel like a bit of a drag; i know a lot of people who just kinda flaked out or gave up b/c of all the monastery stuff, and i wouldn't want someone's first FE to end that way

i do love the Tellius games but i wouldn't recommend them as starter games. the 3d sprites are kinda ugly and it definitely shows its age a bit in terms of gameplay cruft

11. A character that deserved better?

Edelgard, tbh. she's fantastic when the game isn't trying to make her all woobie/waifu/etc. wouldn't even take many changes to fix this one!

also Renning. i love what's on the page but he gets so little and shows up so late. give the dude some damn base conversations plz

also Meg. the game is so mean to her, goddamn.

12. A game that deserved better?

oh boy. the problem here is, if i finished playing an FE game, that means i liked it well enough over all, even if there's stuff i didn't like. like, i wish Awakening's storyline was stronger, but it definitely feels like it executed on exactly what it wanted to do, so i wouldn't say the game deserves better per se

so i guess i'll say the two FE games i tried and failed to play:

fe6: i ragequit on the map with the fucking reinforcements that move the same turn that they spawn. motherfuckers. why

fe14: i was already pretty "eh" on the story and then that one fucking "defend [x] turns" map (unhappy reunion iirc) took SO much finicky effort to survive that by the time i finished it i was like. ugh. i'm so tired. and then i put it down for a while and never picked it back up oops

13. What do you like most about Fire Emblem?

...god this is going to make me sound SO uncultured but, the support conversations, especially in the older games, are just so delightful. delightful in-and-of-themselves (especially when they would happen DIRECTLY ON THE BATTLEFIELD lmao), and also, were probably weirdly influential in how i thought about game writing / writing generally. conveyed a huge amount of personality & implied huge things about the world & in a relatively small space; and also refused to let anyone be just a rando soldier in your army; you can look back at short fiction i wrote in middle school and see how much i was striving to get that huge-cast-small-space-feel in that format. simple but effective approach

also it's nice to have a big-name game series that executes so well on story and gameplay, on average. i've played a lot of Final Fantasy and i love those games but. often the gameplay is just kinda mediocre/grind-y, right, and i'm forcing my way through for the story? could NOT be fire emblem lol

#airlock

[deathdxnces]

i know i joke about irelia being willing to look away from kayn's murder business, but i honestly think that's what she's been doing about the yanlei as a whole for a while now. because we know they are an Issue for a bunch of people, the vastaya but also the monks and honestly whoever stands in their way at all, but there's no indication they've clashed with ionia's ruling council and their representatives — and while we don't know who is part of the council other than irelia and karma, i think given irelia's interactions with zed and kayn in game being the one about finding redeeming qualities in them, and her interaction with zed in lor being the 'pledge yourself to the shadows' 'noxian tyranny has already forged our bond', i think it's made pretty clear irelia doesn't have as much of an issue with the order of shadows as other 'good' ionians do.

i think it makes a lot of sense because whatever terrible things they're up to, she knows ultimately they mean to protect ionia (and that the yanlei were some of the only ones to take a stand the first time, as well). zed is considered honorless and evil by most but i think that's not what she'd think of him, because irelia understands being willing to do terrible things for the sake of their homeland. she didn't have to (yet), but i do think she feels very certain she would if it came to that. i think she respects him more than most people who aren't part of the order, even if she doesn't agree with all of the yanlei's methods.

which extends to the order as a whole, regardless of and even before any relationship with kayn. and which leads me to the willfully looking away and letting them do their thing mostly unbothered — i think that's the result of several things, but it can be summed up as irelia thinking that's the more benefitial course of action in the long term. i think she'd believe what resources they have to face threats and keep ionia safe better employed against the leftover noxian forces, and that even when it comes to dealing with ionia's inner problems, she'd sooner turn her attention to the brotherhood, considering they're much more extreme than the yanlei. but i think it's also... not wanting to make enemies of the only other faction she's mostly certain would ally with her to defend ionia. because, as is always relevant to point out, irelia never truly completely left the war behind. even when others are at peace, she's preparing for war again. and i do think she sees the yanlei as likely allies more so than a threat to be dealt with.

of course the usual disclaimer applies, it's my take and my portrayal etc etc. but yeah i think whoever is part of the council, it's very likely the rest of them aren't as willing to use violence, even to deal with dangerous groups (karma is certainly reluctant, and she is still the greatest religious leader in ionia). irelia, of course, doesn't deal with things like that, but she's not interested in turning her blades against the yanlei. so they're mostly left alone when it comes to the council taking action against them in any way.

and i'm not saying she's right or anything, i think it's just one of the many things that highlights how flawed she is (and how ruthless she can be, as well, if it's to protect ionia; because ultimately she is willing to let them get away with harming other ionians to some extent :/ ). but yeah irelia expects absolutely nothing useful from the kinkou, and she knows not all of the monks would want to join the fight, and she knows the yanlei aren't afraid to get their hands dirty. so she definitely sees them as possible (and likely) future allies, regardless of how unsavory some of the things they do might be.

and when it comes to kayn specifically i think it's just worse lmao because on top of all that there's the personal bond and the loyalty and devotion and the fact there's. very little he could do she'd not stay by his side regardless, even if she doesn't like it/disagrees with it. she can criticize, but ultimately she'd stick with him. and it's not like she didn't know what she was getting into from the start. he was an assassin and he was part of the order already; it's part of why she sought him for an alliance. she wouldn't really turn around and expect him to change or condemn him for what he already was.

the tldr is while i don't think she's willing to do what they do or act like they do or get involved in kayn's murder business most of the time (there are exceptions), she's very much prone to not taking issue with it, both because of her views on the order as a whole, and because of how she feels about kayn specifically. it's not a good look, i know, but it is the way it is aksjnfkfn

#» out of character — ⌜main sup irl.⌟ #» character study — ⌜both the tranquil sea and the tempest.⌟ #i didn't proofread this #it'll stay like that bc i'm going out #so #aksjdfnakjsnf #i might add more to it later i don't remember what else i meant to add to this #but yeah i just wanted to talk about how. her looking away is in part bc of kayn but #she was generally already doing that before #aksjdfnakjsdnfkajndsf

[childofaura]

I am bored and overloaded on fodder from arena tickets and pity breaks, so any suggestions for other projects while I get grails for baby Azura?

<3

I'm probably gonna be super biased towards some units, just because they're my favorites, lol.

Big one I can think of is Python. If you have a spare Summer Elincia lying around, her bow works really well for Python, and since he's a cavalry bow, he has good reach. Mine has a bit of an outdated build, but I run him with Whitecap Bow, Swift Sparrow, Desperation (it has saved my ass and I can't wait for Desperation 4), and Threaten Def (which you can just substitute for some other C-skill). Plus Deadeye.

Luthier is a good green mage unit if you need someone with speed and attack power. Not a whole lot of 4 star green mages are super fast that I know of, but he's a good one. I've considered foddering Tailtiu's Teacake Tower on him, but we'll see if he gets a Refine soon. Holding off until then.

M!Morgan is a big one for me, I have him dual-function as an offensive and supportive unit with Inf. Null Follow 3 (so he can support his mom Robin and dad Priam in the Arena). His weapon with the refine is really good and it makes him a pretty hardcore demote Red Tome.

Benny's a fantastic Far Save unit for me, most people run him near save but that satisfactory Res stat makes him optimal for far save. Only thing is that I run him with Arcane Qiang which is hard to get, so go for it if you have one on hand, but hold off if not. Not a lot of lance weapons that help boost the Res stat. My Benny is run with Distant Stance, Mystic Boost 4, A/R far save, and Def/Res Ideal S seal. I'm considering nabbing an extra Armored Beacon fodder, but the Armored Beacon/Armored Floe fodder I have right now is being saved for if Miklan gets added to the game. So yeah, Benny's a sweetheart of a defender if you run a Far Save on him. I love Henriette but I've never pulled more than one copy of her, and Benny works best.

This one is weird, but Azama is also an interesting staff unit; he's not flawless, but I have him in Aether Raids and he tends to fuck up people who ignore him in favor of taking out other units first. Serpentine Staff deals less damage than Pain does (7 HP as opposed to Pain's 10), but it also has built in Deep Wounds. So I run him with Fort. Def/Res 3, Renewal 3 (which probably should be replaced with Poison Strike, or Poetic Justice if you need him to attack better), and two counts of Savage Blow 3. Problem is you gotta invest a LOT of Dragon Flowers into him. But to me, he's still worth the build. If you have a Holy Panic, slap that on him. His Attack stat is absolutely abysmal, but he's more of the "Death by a Thousand Papercuts" type of unit.

This one is only a suggestion if you have an Arcane Downfall, but Mustafa definitely is a solid axe unit. He virtually has Ganglot's kit (Distant Stance and Quick Riposte 4) plus Def/Res Menace and Fort. Def/Res 2 as an S seal. If you have good support units behind him, he's a monster. The unit showcase video I did of him has him taking down Ninja Camilla, though I'm like... 95% sure it was unmerged (or only had one or two merges), but STILL. He's an enemy phase slaughterhouse.

This one goes without saying, but one of my most utilized units is Silas. The only thing that sucks is the constant influx of sword units that are starting to outclass him (LOOKING AT YOU, B!SELIPH), but if you play to his weapon refine, he's incredibly reliable. Just needs a Far Save unit to cover him, lmao. I run him as an enemy phase unit: Sturdy Stance (prevents cooldown charge in most cases, very useful to prevent him from getting wiped out by a Special), Quick Riposte 4, Atk/Def Menace (which I may replace someday if we get a better Atk/Def C-skill), and Atk/Def Form 3. His refine weapon, Sworn lance, requires a support partner, but it prevents most units from making follow up attacks; which means sometimes he can tank hits from dragon units (but not all the time) because he prevents their follow up attack. So most of the time in combat, he's getting at least 20+ Atk and Def. And his support partner is OG Kinshi Hinoka (since I paired them in my Fates game), so with her Atk/Spd Oath 4, she can usually get around to where he is if she's close enough to him or another unit. He's not as destructive as Geralt or Petrine, but he's my buddy and that's all that counts.

Sorry for the long list, I started going down my barracks and realized I have a lot of units that I just have fun using, lmao. There's a couple I left out but I didn't wanna drag out the list.

#Fire Emblem Heroes #FEH #I'm actually tagging this one in case people need some unit ideas for some 4 star heroes #Another big one I wanted to mention who works in an unusual way is my Soleil #I gave her a Florid Cane from the thief banner last year because I hate the Firesweep weapons #And giving her a Canto ability is probably one of the most useful side effects I've ever had on an infantry unit #So she's still getting Atk/Spd bonus but she can at least fight back #And then I added Close Call 4 so she can back off and still use the other extra movements to retreat out of range

[videogamesincolor]

all these racist ass voice actors on twitter (cough laura bailey cough) coming out with hashtag black lives matter, after taking black characters' roles (cough nadine ross cough) + other coloured characters in video games for YEARS and then coming up with bullshit excuses and gaslighting fans when they called her out on it is just lmao.

(Jun 5, 2020 · a year ago)

"Coloured characters"?

I don't even recall Laura Bailey's specific reaction to George Floyd's murder. Searching it brings up the usual resigned, and angry statements about the incident, and how it should never happen again (topped off with a #BlackLivesMatter hashtag).

That said, it's not impossible for Bailey to feel aggrieved about Floyd, but maintain that there isn't an issue with (white actors) voicing Black and non-Black characters in the industry's current state. I think her commentary from 2016 about how she was hired as Nadine still remains relevant (x).

if folks were calling her out in June 2020 about her role as Nadine whilst she was expressing support for BLM, and she responded? I doubt it was going to change her mind. If anything, it simply might've entrenched her complicity.

Five years after the fact, games like Forspoken, and established discontent about Bailey's casting in U4 can only highlight why it was such an issue for people in the first place. It was avoidable, but the Naughty Dog did it anyway b/c it was what they wanted.

(Like, again, when there were Black characters in TLOU2, they hired Black actors.)

A lot of what happened in June 2020 with celebrities (large and small) was an expression of a lot of white guilt with nowhere to go (that or using the moment for media exploitation). The #BLM hashtags in descriptions and twitter usernames, temporary or persisting, are symptoms of that.

The moment in time where fewer than five voice actors vowed not to voice Black or Asian characters (on a show) anymore (1, 2, 3, 4) was, to me, akin to "we're renaming the Aunt Jemima syrup and Uncle Ben's rice".

It felt like an empty gesture. It didn't create visible change for Black and non-Black voice actors in the industry. There are still a lot of white voice actors comfortable with voicing characters of color.

They'll use the "well, they do it too!" argument to defend their choices, ignoring the behind-the-scenes problem that keeps the VA industry so white.

There are lot of agencies upholding the status quo, not interested in trying to support the sentiments that saw non-Black/Asian voice actors withdraw from roles that could've gone to Black and non-Black actors. Just those two fronts alone will create problems for people trying to change the landscape.

It makes those decisions feel arbitrary, if not completely performative (given how long it was before the actors realized "I'm befitting from and participating in a widespread problem"). Because, who beyond the creatives of the show supported their decisions?

(And all the same, why did it take something completely traumatizing like the recorded murder of a man to create even marginal change in people? I mean, I know why, but it's such a fucking depressing state of affairs.)

Developers like NetherRealm Studios, Deck Nine, and DONTNOD Entertainment certainly do their part to hire authentic voices for Black and non-Black characters (all while contradicting those decisions). The defunct Visceral Games (Dead Space) went one step further and often the face models for their non-white characters to voice said characters. The shift towards photorealism in games has certainly aided Black actors and voice actors a great deal as well.

Organizations like Game Devs of Color, Black Game Developers, and PoC In TTRPGs are certainly doing their part to aid underrepresented artists in the industry. It's obvious there are folks trying to change the things. It's not all doom-and-gloom, but there are just too many comfortable with the status quo.

Comfortable enough to attack said organizations for drawing attention to their specific issues, and at the same time, create spaces to solve it (not just talk about it like I do here on this blog).

It just reminds me of what discipleofbastet said back in 2016:

But if the mind set is: “Best person for the job, but white actors have a bias in their favor.” It won’t matter if diverse casts are in vogue. You could have an all black roster of characters, but still keep voice acting as white and biased as it currently is. (x)

Black and non-Black (voice) actors and fans have talked-to-death and resurrected their frustrations about how limited opportunities are in the VA industries for anyone who isn't a white actor with the privilege to become a voice everyone is tired of hearing (ah-la Nolan North, Steve Blum, Laura Bailey, Jen Hale, etc). They've empathized how important writing and directing plays into that as well.

(It what makes Troy Baker (IIRC) joking about it as he receives an award come off tone deaf or insensitive.)

2016 saw plenty of Back and forth about the subject, especially during the peak of the 2016-2017 vg voice actor strike, and during the release of U4ATE.

But just like in 2020, the industry sort've shrugged its shoulders, waited for the fervor to die down, and moved on. Fandom-at-large chose to remain ignorant about why the discussion of Black/Asian actors voicing Black/Asian characters was even an issue.

Pop culture websites keep headlining the idea that, "we're finally having a conversation about race in voice acting", but those most visible in the industry are avoiding or dismissing it.

[@ phillamarr: Anybody trying to create false equivalences about underrepresented minorities (POC, women) voicing majorities (white, males) in animation, keep my name the f--- out ya mouth]

That Phil Lamarr (who was also pretty vocal during the strike) had to preemptively warn people to keep his name out of their mouths when folk complained about Jenny Slate (Big Mouth), Kristen Bell (Central Park), and Alison Brie (Bojack Horseman) withdrawing from their roles, is a problem.

Laura Bailey, however aggrieved she was by Floyd's murder, is part of that issue based on her complicity with the status quo. I don't think her making the same choices as Bell, Slate, or Brie would've made much or a difference, honestly. But I know a lot of people would've appreciated it all the same.

#videogamesincolor #voice acting #black voice actors #phil lamarr #laura bailey #george flyod protests #media manipulation #voice actor strike #anon asks #lord jesus its a long post

[mariaiscrafting]

ahhhh ty ty ty <3

ok, so I think that what makes Dream act this way (iykyk) is how dreamwastaken became so big so quickly. and by quick I mean fucking lightning speed.

he didn't have enough time to learn enough about cc etiquette, especially in these three aspects: influence, boundaries and fanbase/stans/whatever you call it. I'll try to explain it:

• Influence: Does he know the influence he has? Like, when he hears that he is the myct with the largest fanbase, does he really process that? I remember he talked about not being able to control all of his fanbase and there's bad apples everywhere -- which is true, and that only like 1% of his fanbase breaks his boundaries (that include sending hate for him, harassing, doxing, etc. yk, basic twitter culture lol) but, honey, with your big ass fanbase, 1% is still a lot of people. As a content creator you *have* to be aware of that.

let's take the hbomb situation. First off, as a streamer, it's you that set the mood of the stream. Even if he was only messing around with his pals, even if they did say to do not send hate to hbomb, dt dunking on him created a toxic environment, which caused his fans being toxic towards hbomb and you know what happens next. Hell, when this happened, I was watching Tapl and he was watching them and he was crying laughing over them screaming bc they were just. so loud and so aggressive that it was kinda ??? Sirs, this is literally a Minecraft Stream lmaooo

my point is, that was not the road that dreamwastaken, 21M fans, should've taken. he don't condone his fans actions but he knows his fans are diehard and will always be on his side, he should be more careful before stating negative opinions, especially if its towards another person.

• Boundaries and Fanbase: He posted a list of his boundaries a while ago, idk if you know or seen it (btw please george copy your bestie for the love of god <3) but I'm not talking about those boundaries, I'm talking about the basic boundaries between cc and viewer. boundaries that, in my opinion, should exist between cc and viewer. I get that Dream is an open person, an oversharing type of open person if I may add, but I think he should take a step back regardless. When I heard that he was taking a time from twitter, I genuinely got so glad, not because he couldn't start any drama then, but because it would do so so good for his mental health. I'm not even that fond of him, it's just that for me, any cc taking a break or outright leaving twitter is a win for me. I know how RSD is hard to deal and honestly letting shit out it's better but dream you have dt you have bbh so please don't make things worse online 😭 I know how good can be to feel validation from millions of people but. it's not a good idea, especially in the state that his fanbase is on rn (this topic is kinda sensitive to talk abt for me bc people be outright ableist and hide it as criticism like. say that shit's not helping his reputation and whatever without acting like he's fucking. manipulating his fanbase for being affected by his rsd💀 or, on the other hand, don't say that hes just being adhd🤪 when he's just being an asshole like damn that's a Him thing bro lol)

(omg it's so big I'm so sorry and theres a part two I'm so sorry tumblr user messed-up-gal ToT) - morango 1/2

pt. 2:

Dream is the proof that the people who loves you can be your downfall. istg. Have you noticed that every drama that Dream enters, people usually get more mad abt how his fanbase reacts (85% they'll react in a bad way) than Dream himself? it's not always, but its definitely more likely. I'm not saying Dream is saint, he Is petty and his ego does him dirty and made him choke multiple times before,, But! i dont think hes a bad guy. he's literally just a dude. ok, he's a 21yr old white gamer man that has a trumpie past (maybe?? idk. I think hes cured now ig lol) so he's bound to do some shitty things but he still tries to get better and hopefully he'll mature. 21 is old enough but it's still so young, yk? I kind of lost my mind during the end and my eyes are literally begging to be closed so tl;dr: Its gonna be hard for him to become a better cc bc his fans don't let him be criticized (by infantilizing his adhd symptoms or the mob mentality as soon as someone says anything abt him), the honest criticism get lost between lies from antis that don't know shit, he still has a lot of growing up to do and overall he became famous too fast and he needs to learn things even faster bc as soon as there's not a single one dream hater on sight they'll turn their back and attack him instead lmao I hate twitter i definitely have more to say but I'm tired and my memory is shit. just-- hate dream if you want, love dream if you want, nobody is obligated to have an opinion but I wanted to express mine. have a lovely day! -morango 2/2

Aight, there's a lot to unpack here, so Imma try to only go into the points I have something to add to (here's what I talk about in each paragraph, if you want to jump to a specific point):

Speed of Dream's rise to fame

The "bad apples" in the Dream fanbase

Post-MCC HBomb stream

Not condoning versus actually condemning his fans

Manipulation & RSD

Criticism of Dream, his fanbase, and his brand

The “just a dude” argument, flipped

First, I agree that one of the many factors that has resulted in the current image Dream has set up for himself, the way his fanbase functions, the ways people hate on him, and the way the Dream brand functions, is the speed of his rise to fame. It's unique, and there are probably a hundred social/psychological angles that could be used to examine the exact effects of that speed upon all of these facets of the Dream Name; did rapid fame beget the rapid rise of unrighteous hatred, did those waves of hatred then instigate the rise of a surprisingly overdefensive fanbase, did that rapid fame get to his head and/or result in an inability to appropriately handle all the after-effects of rapid fame, etc.? That point you bring up, about how the speed of his rise to fame requires him to learn even more quickly, is so interesting to me. I think that maybe Dream expected to get pretty famous pretty quickly, hence the preparedness in regards to some mechanics of influencer fame- merchandise, business-building, networking, knowing how to manage his fanbase to best benefit him. But I don't think he expected to get this famous this quickly. This is all speculation of course, as are this entire post and your ask, but I think that he just couldn't anticipate having to learn how to handle enmasse controversy, waves of antis, or every Youtuber speculating/knowing about him; and yeah, that results in him having to learn all of these things very quickly, lest he allow his whole brand and fandom to fall apart.

Second, I disagree with the frequent argument that Dream's fanbase is only marginally toxic. Personally, I think that the circumstances of Dream's fame, his personality and management of his fanbase, and his brand of content have resulted in the very specific kind of stan that Dream stans are. I don't think this is simply a case of "all fandoms have a small percentage of assholes who take it too far;" rather, the nature of the community itself breeds the kind of mentality of "an asshole who takes it too far." I only even know this because I was a Dream fan (kinda a stan, I'm ngl). At one time, I watched every single Dreamwastaken & Dream Team video multiple times; I listened to the Manhunts on repeat, as though they were podcasts; I followed mostly smiletwt and dttwt accounts on mcyttwt; I had upwards of 10 tabs for AO3 DNF fics open on my phone at a time; I watched DNF and Dream Team Being A Family-esque compilations on repeat; I watched every George and Sapnap alt stream I possibly could; I went out of my way to defend Dream against Redditors and Twitter antis regarding the cheating scandal. For the latter half of 2020, and a couple months of 2021, I lived and breathed this part of the fandom; so when I say that Dream stans are a whole other breed than any other kind of mcyttwt stan, I say that because I used to be like that, too. I usually use parasocial very loosely or ironically, but Dream stans are genuinely one of the most parasocial fanbases I have ever seen or been a part of. The level of investment Dream stans have in this man's life, the lengths they will go to to defend him, the amount of psychonalysis and digging they do on his life and character, the amount of emotion he can evoke in them- it's taken to another level, man. This isn't just characteristic of a fraction of his fanbase; this is what the fanbase is like as a whole.

Third, I partially disagree with your take on the HBomb thing, but not in the way one might think? I actually empathize with the way they reacted much more than I thought I would, simply because I suspect I have RSD (also suspect I have ADHD, have for several months now) and I can see myself getting insanely frustrated because of something like that. Like yeah, it was "just a MC stream" or "just an MC game," but that's kinda disregarding the fact that something that might seem like "just a [insert inconsequential thing]" to a rational mind might have a major emotional consequence/take a major emotional toll on someone with RSD, or really anyone who gets easily impatient/angry about video games (Sapnap reminds me of many of my friends, in that way). The issues I, personally, had with the way they handled the HBomb situation is that these are simply explanations and reasons for my empathy; they are not excuses. I have no excuse when I get irrationally angry about something inconsequential in my own life, for a couple of reasons. One, because I am an adult and I need to learn how to handle my reactions and manage my own anger. Two, because as someone with many mental problems, it is my responsibility to learn coping mechanisms to ensure my own emotional stability and livelihood; this includes learning whatever I need to handle RSD- whether that be isolating myself from others when I know I will become violently/passionately angry about something, creating and sustaining a support system that can get me through bouts of extreme emotion, finding healthy emotional outlets for my negative emotions that won't harm myself or others, or a combination thereof. I don't think what they said about HBomb post-MCC was an irreversibly horrible thing, or anything. I think there were errors committed by two men who should be fully capable of foreseeing and preventing those errors, but I don't unconditionally hate Dream or Sapnap for the post-MCC stream or comments. I just wish they had made amends quickly, publicly, and sufficiently, because the greatest consequences from the whole thing weren't even from those two criticizing HBomb themselves; they were from the waves of backlash because of their immense influence on the MCYT fandom, which could've been prevented, if they had acted maturedly and responsibly after the stream.

Fourth, you’re right, that he doesn’t seem to condone his fans’ behavior. I detest the frequent anti argument that one of the reasons Dream should be criticized is because he explicitly uses his fanbase to attack others, or something of the sort. Personally, I think he created his fanbase in a very specific way and interacts with them in such a way so as to benefit him as much as possible, yes, but he never actually tells his fanbase to go and yell at or harrass anyone. Still, there is a significant difference between not condoning something and condemning something. It might seem unfair, and it might be annoying of me to say this, but I truly think that someone with this large a fanbase, especially one as overzealous as Dream’s, needs to be condemned every single time it goes on some kind of rampage/harrassment campaign. Either that, or Dream needs to make a definitive, permanent statement against any kind of harrassment of others on his behalf. I know he’ll occassionally make the odd tweet or serious stream addressing something his fanbase did, but one of the many reasons his fanbase keeps doing the same damn thing is because he’s so lukewarm and spotty about this condemnation. A fanbase like his needs to be given explicit guidance and boundaries for the numerous things they do in his defense- harrassing/doxing antis, harrassing people who criticize him who aren’t antis (respectful criticism, other CCs, other MCYT stans, etc.), harrassing the people he critcizes (i.e., HBomb), speculating about his personal life (his relationship with his gf, his mental health/ADHD, his romantic life, his childhood, etc.), and speculating about his relationships with his friends and colleagues.  My personal ideology is that, if you have significant influence over someone or a group of people, you are at least somewhat responsible for the things those people do or don’t do, if it at all relates back to you. I’m so fucking tired of the argument that CCs aren’t responsible for what their fans do. Obviously they aren’t responsible for every single one of their fans, and obviously they can’t fully control their fans at the end of the day. But I think there are certain things that reach such a level of extremity that does make those CCs responsible. This can be measured by either scale or intensity; that is to say, if a CC’s fanbase does things on an extremely large scale, or one person from/a fraction of the fanbase does something really extreme, then the CC is made all the more responsible. Another CC I’ve always had trouble discussing with other people on this subject is Pewdiepie, in particular, about the extremists in his fanbase. Because the things a small handful of his fans have done in reference to him and/or in his name were so fucking extreme, I thought Pewdiepie had to take at least some responsibilty. Along a similar vein, because the things Dream’s general fanbase does are so widespread and on such a massive scale, Dream has to take at least some responsibility.

Fifth, okay. Hmmm. I want to tackle this point you made about the ableism he faces in some criticism of him carefully and with empathy, but not coddling. One, I do think a lot of the criticism he receives for the ways he handles criticism (post-cheating Tweets, reactions to John Swan, post-MCC HBomb stream, etc.), disregard his RSD and can be oftentimes ableist. I’ve actually encountered people irl who criticize this aspect of Dream’s character, and have had to explain to them their disregard for how ADHD/RSD affect neurodivergent people’s reactions to criticism. But - and this is a big, and very controversial but - I think mentally ill/disordered people can 100% leverage their mental illness/disorders for the sake of manipulation. This is actually something I’ve learned from a psychiatrist, regarding the ways people I know and I handle our anxiety and depression. This manipulation can be unwitting or intentional, but it is entirely possible, and the possibility shouldn’t be entirely dismissed as ableist. Living with a mental illness or disorder that others know about/that you are very public about puts you in an interesting position to receive frequent sympathy, empathy, and/or pity. I’m not saying that empathy for Dream having ADHD/RSD is entirely unjustified; on the contrary, I have frequently expressed how I can relate to his ADHD symptoms and have defended him for expressing those symptoms, both on mcytblr and in real life. I am saying that Dream fans tend to use his ADHD as a kind of shield for a lot of criticism levied against him, including the supposition that he could be manipulating his fanbase to defend him because of his public expressions of RSD. So yes, my theory is that Dream knows how to levy every aspect of his life for his personal gain and for the growth of his brand, and that includes his ADHD. I think he has courage for his openess about his ADHD, I think his openness has contributed to the rise in awareness of mental health and empathy for neurodivergent people within Gen Z, and I think at least some of his expressions of RSD publicly/online weren’t intentionally made public. All that being said, I also think he has to know just how much his fanbase cares about defending him for his ADHD, and I think he has to know that some of the things he does related to his neurodivergence endear him to his audience, in a coddling, baby-ing, mildly ableist sorta way.  Maybe this is all incredibly presumptuous of me. Of course, I can never know the real intentions behind any Dream video, Tweet, or stream. Maybe I’m just projecting, because I can see myself doing just this, if I had the maturity I had circa 2018-2019. Idfk know, man.

Sixth, I actually agree with you here, people probably do get more mad at his fanbase than him. Dream puts out content pretty seldomly, considering the frequency of content output for other Youtubers/streamers in his field/at his brand size. And yet, he has received masses of criticism. Considering that the things Dream himself does/says do not entirely correlate with the amount of criticism he receives, I think it’s a logical assumption that a lot of that criticism actually goes back to the size of his presence online, rather than the man himself. That is to say, because of the massive community he’s amassed, the exponential growth of his fanbase, their presence on every single social media site and in virtually every single Internet space/fandom, and the size of his metaphysical presence in his fields, Dream is much bigger than the man himself, so the criticism he receives will, at least in part, be a direct or indirect result of all these other aspects of the Dream brand.  Something I don’t think many Dream fans/stans, or even most MCYT fans in general, understand, is that Dream isn’t just “one guy” in the eyes of the Internet- at least, not anymore. He hasn’t been for nearly a year. Like Pewdiepie, Mr. Beast, and other CCs who have amassed similar levels of fame and wealth via Internet content creation, Dream is a brand now, and most people will treat him as such. He isn’t just some uwu soft boy playing Minecraft anymore. He is on a whole other level from any other MCYT in his friend circle or colleague interaction bubble. His words will never again live in a vaccum or private bubble, his friend circle will never again be under anything less than intense scrutiny, his past actions will never again be simple mistakes or silly errors, his words will never again be casual tweets or streams for laughs among a couple thousand followers. Dream’s name represents something much bigger than just the one man. As such, all aspects of his brand, including his fanbase, will tie back to him and, ultimately, to any general criticism of him.

I’m not saying I like any of this, and I actually think the evolution of influencers from people to a marketable brand with similar mechanisms, responsibilities, and liabilities as a corporation is some kind of late capitalism nightmare fuel; I’m just stating my own observations and theories as to why so much anti-Dream criticism seems to be directed at his fanbase, rather than him.

Seventh, he’s just a guy, you’re right, but I think a lot of the antis on Tumblr understand this more than you know. As I’ve seen it, the sentiment among much of the “DSMP stans DNI” crowd seems to be that of “Dream/other MCYTs are such ‘bad’ people, so why do their fans stick to these mediocre, racist men, when there are so many better people to watch/better content to consume?” We know this argument is flawed for many of the obvious reasons - the conflation of all MCYTs’ actions regardless of individual identity, the equating of a CC’s fanbase’s morality to that of the CC they enjoy watching, the exxageration of any error MCYT CCs have committed as bigotry/racism, the fundamental misunderstanding and misinformation that led antis to believe this exxageration of the facts, etc. But I want to focus on the general, underlying sentiment of, “why not watch someone better, when your creator is problematic?” Sometimes, I ask this of Dream stans. Yes, being mildly ignorant, getting involved in the scandals Dream has, and being a right-leaning/libertarian centrist in the recent past all seem like harmless things, all things considered. One could say Dream isn’t nearly as bad as many antis who are misinformed seem to believe, and that there are much worse CCs Dream stans could be watching and creating fan content for. But I think what Tumblr antis wonder is, aren’t there also much better MCYTs/CCs people could be watching and stanning? Because he’s just some guy, right? Is his content truly so exceptional or is he really so exceptional a person, that people have to stick by him, despite the things that spike up regarding his current or past actions? I think that’s what made me finally decide to stop watching Dream. I realized he was just Some Guy. The Dream Team was a comforting dynamic to indulge in, DNF was a cute ship to read and speculate about, and Manhunts were fun videos to watch; however, once the Reddit posts came out and I read them in-depth, the cost-benefit analysis tipped over to the “not worth it” side for me. I realized Dream’s content, while fun and comforting, was not entirely unique, and wasn’t worth sticking around for, given what I then knew about his past political leanings. If he is just Some Guy, then there are a hundred more like him out there. There a hundred more ships, a hundred more found family dynamics, a hundred more entertaining and skilled Minecraft players. So while I agree with you on the point of people being allowed to love him regardless because he is just a guy, at the end of the day, I think that, if we are to believe that sentiment or use that argument in such a manner, we should also understand the flip side- that, if he is just some guy, why is it worth sticking around? To that I say, maybe because people just enjoy the simple things they enjoy.

Anyways, I wholly agree with your tl;dr. Thanks for that insanely long ask, this was a fun thing to keep me occupied while I’ve been at work, facilitating Zoom sessions this whole morning.

#ive been writing this on and off since 830 am est SHEESH #dreamwastaken #dream critical #eh i think im relatively lenient of him here given my past posts ab him #but still just in case the blacklist tags for yalls convenience: #discourse #/neg #asks #long post #long posts #this a LONG one bois #morango

[stephanythedramaqueen]

See I would someone believe them maybe changing the endgame if the author who's heavily involved with the show didn't hate them so openly I saw someone say the tagline for the first book was something akin to "darkness pure light a love that lasts forever" and she wasn't expecting people to ship them what??? I'm so confused was she planning for it to be the endgame and then she swerved for some unknown reason .Ben barnes is a huge draw and I'm sure they respect him but he wouldn't be the first veteran in a show to play the villain and nope out of there after a couple of seasons also the way they ADMITTED they changed things about mal that people found annoying they made him perfect and hit us with that meadow scene every 5 seconds bc they're doing a malina slowburn and making sure everyoneeeee knows that they're the OTP as much as I would love for us to get a redemption arc or even have alina turn dark like people said he's a mess but he's trying to fix a problem and protecting the grisha what the hell are the heroes actually doing even at the end of the books they do nothing.... There is no way it's gonna happen and I don't want to set myself up for years of disappointment

I wanna disclaim first and foremost that I have *not* read the books.

At least you know from the get-go that Malina is supposed to be endgame. And I also heard that the author is pretty much as allergic to darklina as anyone else, the same author that, yes indeed, is a producer on the show. I keep my hopes up though, but not by much, that there could be changes made to the ending if the fan reaction is loud enough. It isn’t unheard of, as I’m sure you’re aware. Like we aren’t still reeling from that atrocious Game of Thrones ending as a whole, despite that the author of the series had also been a producer and a writer of the show. And that was coming from an author who was so staunchly adamant that the right kind of people adapted his work. Netflix, on the other hand, has retconned endgame pairings from their source material to the adaptations before. Riverdale comes to mind, The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina as well. Over at CW, The Vampire Diaries had a drastic overhaul when it came to pairings. Netflix has done it before that they would follow through with the popular ship to cater to the fans.

And I mean, darklina seems to have been the more popular ship *before* the show came out, I’m scarce to think of the standing of the ship now after said release. The fact that the show pushed hard with Ben Barnes’s face is *not* helping the fact. I wasn’t aware there had been a rival ship to General Kirigan x Alina at all until I’ve seen the show. Like there was an obvious baiting here. The show runners knew what they were doing when they cast Ben Barnes - let alone the baiting in the original source material as well.

So I’m not holding up a lot of hope, lmao I ain’t walking around with Booboo the Fool stamped on my forehead all the time, but I am enjoying the ship for as long as we have it. And I know the detractors would say differently but Ben Barnes is the face of the show right now. And he’s real excited about it, about his character, and the darklina ship as well. Like he put all his passion into the role. All these tiny tidbits we seem to enjoy the most in the show are being revealed that Ben improvised them to bring nuance to his character and the pairing. Whatever will happen down the line with the darkling and for Ben, I feel we’ll cross that bridge when we get there. The adaptations changed enough, from what I heard. Who’s to say they won’t change more?

As for the author within her own work I cannot speak too much on it, simply bc I have not read them. From the looks of it, it sounded like she used darklina quite as a shipbait, if even the tag line on her (first) book alluded to some kind of eternal romance between Alina and the Darkling. I am absolutely not gonna lie; if I read that tagline on the first book before I even opened the cover, only for the books to do a 180 on me, then yeah I would sincerely feel baited too. And I feel like she restricted the possibilities of her characters just to allude to her own personal life. I see a few people defending the author for such which, a lot of the times In The Real World, I tend to disagree, especially when it seems that she’s purposely prohibiting the organic flow of where the story and the characters are heading, like allowing the Darkling a worthy redemption arc, just to fit her personal issues in her work. It’s not that I’m saying she shouldn’t— it’s her story, she’s allowed to write it per her whim— it just feels less satisfying to the general writing of the tale she’s telling. And that could factor to weak writing.

#shadow and bone #darklina #ben barnes #the darkling #netflix

[misc-headcanons]

Matchup request for @leynadoodles

Match up: (I never know what to put for these things! If you need more info let me know 😅😂) I'm 5'3", female, and super slim (other than like, baby weight that isn't gonna go away ever lmfao but it's barely there), and Biromantic Demisexual. I don't really have a favorite color, I love all of them (except Gold) but Red or Pink are probably the closest. My hobbies are reading (especially YA romance and Fantasy), writing, singing (not to brag but I sing very well), drawing (not drawing well, but still lol), and playing games. My favorite subjects in school were history and orchestra, I played viola for 9 years. I have a lot of anxiety issues, and I feel like I'm socially awkward, but I can get along with almost anybody and have a few friends I'm very close to. My sense of humor is either "Dad Jokes" and bad puns OR dark humor (ie. Dead baby jokes 😬), and I'm not afraid to laugh at myself. I'm a super picky eater, but I love food, my favorite being anything pasta related. I've been described as a bit hyperactive in the past. I grew up with a pretty big family, I was the oldest daughter and have 6 siblings. My MBTI is INTP/the Logician. Sometimes I can get over-emotional but I don't like to bother other people with it. I was bullied a lot as a kid so I've developed a kind of thick skin because of it. I'm also fiercely loyal and will verbally attack anyone that messes with the people I care about (not physically attack though, both because I'm not fit like at all, but also, there are laws lmao). That's all I can come up with lol (suddenly it's like "wait who am I?" 😂)

I think your match is...Ace!

Like you, his favorite color is red. He likes to lend you his hat because he thinks you look so cute wearing it, and he'll also let you wear his bead necklace. There's something about you wearing his stuff that he really enjoys. Ace is always interested in what book you're reading, and if he sees a title he thinks you'd like while he's shopping in a town or market he'll get it for you. He also likes reading your work (if you're okay with it, of course) and looking at your drawings. Even if you don't think you're that good, he praises everything you make. If you're ever lacking confidence in your skills, he'll hastily scrawl a few stick figures and say "Well, you're better than at least one person--me!" 

He also loves listening to you sing and play the viola. Every time you play something, even if it's something you've played for him before, he's entranced and acts as if it's his first time hearing you play.

When you tell him you have social anxiety, he would keep a closer eye on you while the two of you were out together; if you started to show signs that you were anxious or uncomfortable, he'd gently ask if you needed somewhere private to go and rest/recharge for a bit. Because you're able to get along with everyone, you're instantly loved by the Spade Pirates and the Whitebeard pirates. Whitebeard calls you his daughter, and he's happy that Ace has someone like you in his life (he always wished Ace would allow himself to be loved, and having an s/o as caring as you is a step in the right direction).

Ace has a dark sense of humor as well (but he's more about self-deprecating humor), so the two of you would make each other laugh quite often. He groans every time you'd make a Dad Joke, but the smile on his face instantly gives away that he loves whatever ridiculous pun you just made. He doesn't really understand the concept of "picky eaters" ("As long as it's meat and it's big, I don't really have a problem!"). Whenever you're picky about a dish you don't like, Ace will tease you and call you "princess". ("Oh, you wanna order something else? No problem; only the best for Princess Leyna!") 

Your hyperactivity reminds him a lot of Luffy, and he always feels a bit more energized and pumped-up when you're around. He gets what it's like to have a big family; he views the Whitebeard crew, Luffy, and Sabo as his family, after all. He also understands hiding your emotions because you don't want to bother anyone, but he secretly thinks you deserve to be heard. Ace has a lot of self-loathing, so he thinks it's alright for him to hide how he feels so he won't burden anyone; but you're...you! Ace loves you and thinks you're such a good person, and that you could never be a burden. He's always willing to listen to you and comfort you, and if you ever apologize for showing how you really feel he'll refuse to acknowledge it ("There's nothing to apologize about. You shouldn't say sorry for feeling emotions. Buuuut, I wouldn't say no to a kiss as a way to say 'thanks for listening'~)

Ace loves how loyal you are to the people you care about, and loves hearing you go OFF on someone that insults someone you love. If someone insults him, he secretly thinks he deserves it because of who his father is, but seeing you immediately jump to his defense makes his heart soar. God help anyone who insults you, though; Ace will not stand for someone harassing you, and he'll skip verbally defending you and just deck the asshole. He'd pull them up by their collar and ask if they have something to say to you, and wouldn't let go of them until they stutter out an apology. 

The longer you spend time with him, the less he hates himself. Sometimes he thinks he doesn't deserve someone as wonderful as you, but we all know that you two are great together.

#one piece matchup #matchup #portgas d. ace #ace #fire fist ace #one piece #100+ followers

[fonulyn]

What you mentioned in one your posts is definitely a big problem that I have with Capcom, their characters just don’t really act human?? Like their dialogue is super janky and interact really weird. Kinda ironic that I feel that the Capcom game with a slightly more human interaction is Ace Attorney, a game which is a literal exaggeration of classic court drama. I still think Capcom has a huge characterization problem with most of their franchise (still iffed at how they handled RE 8 Chris, let’s just hope Leon doesn’t suffer the same fate whenever he appears) but I definitely agree that their biggest problem is with character interaction. Sorry of the ask is super messy I just wanna say some of my problems with Capcom’s writing tactics as a whole to someone who can maybe explore it further.

i think it depends a lot on the situation tbh. there are really good interactions, too, and there are scenes where they do act like actual human beings lol. I feel that ID suffered the most from weird and clunky dialogue tbh? because I didn't cringe when I was watching the other movies, but that one did me go "...hm?" a few times :'D

but like if I think of RE2? or RE4? or RE6? (which are the ones I have the clearest memories of lmao) I don't feel there were any (or many, at least) moments there when I would've wanted to rewrite the interaction to make more sense. same with Damnation and Vendetta, tbh. I might not agree with the characters or what they do, but I do see where they're coming from and they communicate like human beings communicate. they make mistakes, sure, but that's what humans do.

so yeah like I think the majority of the social interactions are fine or at least decent, but then there of course are moments where they use the most clunky weird dialogue ever written, or make the characters act in a way that doesn't feel like them just because the plot demands so. ID isn't the only thing where it happens it just might be the one where it was kinda more noticeable.

...okay okay the original RE1 dialogue is pretty bad lmao I don't have anything to say to defend that except that it's hilarious :'D

so i'm not exactly sure if I know what you're referring to, if you think that the problem with the actual human interactions is so widespread? to me it feels like it's the minority of the dialogue that legit sucks.

idk I am still iffy about the characterization problem thing because like I said, most characters feel very consistent thoroughly to me. there are only a few instances where i feel they're not acting like themselves. but like i said, I can't vouch for RE8 Chris because I've still been avoiding that game successfully aside from pretty aesthetic gifs on tumblr :'D so if you say RE8 Chris was handled badly, I'm gonna have to take your word for it!

#re answers #anonymous #ask and i shall answer

[sigmalied]

Sorry to bother you, but I'm not sure my answers to your answer are visible. tumblr's a bit weird with me lately. In any case, have a fantastic day and week!

Oh! I see the response now. Tumblr just never notified me of it. /: I think I can address some of your points. Some of them may be unfair of me to answer because GBTQ is yet to be wrapped up, so I could have things planned that haven’t been shown. Meaning some points that are right about the state of the story now could be overturned in future developments. I’ll try to make sure to stay faithful to the script I have right now and let you know if I’ve come up with new ideas that were based on your points.  

Long post below the read more.

I also have a question for anyone reading this post at the very end, something I’m curious about.

Tevos about Benezia and the geth stuff: The characteristics Tevos has seen of the geth hybrids so far are basically summed up as… zombies. They don’t act like people anymore, and they’ve got wires everywhere, so I think Tevos would be looking for those characteristics. Nazara was a sophisticated exception because she never had her brains blown out like Olat, and she was intended to be sentient and thinking, but Tevos never knew about her. Aria never told her. I think a more significant geth-controlled suspect would be Saren because he’s so… geth-ified by that point. I mean, this would be assuming that Benezia is still seen around the galaxy prior to Saren’s disbarment. She has that ill indoctrinated look about her but it’s not geth-like, I mean. Plus, the geth suffer as well when they’re combined with an organic conscience (I will be sure to look back at gbtq and make sure this detail is explicit, or made explicit if it’s not), so the geth wouldn’t do this to themselves, it would have to be Saren who’s done it. But then the geth probably wouldn’t follow him if he’s been doing this to them, unless the geth decided one platform’s sacrifice was worthwhile for their goals…This is getting messy. Nevertheless, I could see Tevos wanting an investigation into Benezia after this point though, due to the geth and possibilities of her being manipulated by them. Canonically, Tevos allegedly knew about the geth being out and about prior to Eden Prime (no word on other councilors’ knowledge), so she might’ve kept any investigation on the down-low with her government. 

Tevos’s Spectre deployment: This is good. I think in the revision I may just have her sending out Neora and having the other Spectres replaced by other agents under the direction of Neora. It would be an easy thing with Benezia though, to officially denounce her or charge her with some treason or defection to absolve the Asari Republics of responsibility for her actions when she and Shepard fight it out, to avoid the worst of any sort of diplomatic problems. As for why Tevos and the other councilors would send a newbie Spectre to handle a disaster like this, that’s outside my control, lmao.

Tevos and the Reapers/Cerberus: Tevos was always with the Council’s ‘ah yes, reapers’ stance. She thought it was just geth the whole time, didn’t even really think the collector’s were up to anything significant, but if they were, they helped Shepard just so they wouldn’t risk not knowing if something came of it. I think Tevos would only disdain Cerberus more than people like Aria because Cerebus is an actual enemy of Council space, whereas Omega is neutral. Helping Aria was to originally avoid messing up that neutrality and starting a war, but Shepard is working with Cerberus to tackle a job Tevos and the other councilors don’t even know is real; for all they knew at that time, Cerberus could’ve been up to something horrible. And they kinda were, in the end. 

Tevos and Udina: I think this could be explained by the unreliability of her biotics skills. With Aria, she pushed her in anger while not seeing her as a life-threatening enemy. Being held at gunpoint by Udina could have evoked a different set of emotions that broke the concentration of someone who’s untrained. And if Tevos were composed enough in that moment to muster a shove like the one she gave Aria during GBTQ, I think it might’ve provoked Udina into shooting her. I think she decided not to take the chance, knowing her effort might’ve fallen short. 

Aria and Cerberus: Something that’s not really in GBTQ (until the end) is that Tevos and Aria haven’t communicated for decades before ME begins. Tevos had no idea what was going on prior to Omega’s takeover, and Aria didn’t tell her (probably cause she knew that Tevos would condemn her for it, so what’s the point in telling her?). But yeah, all I can ever think about is the disjointed logic in the canon novel, comics, and games where Aria realizes that Cerberus murdered her daughter yet she rents space for them on their station… I think this situation frustrated me into not worrying about it too much.

Aria and Shepard on Omega: Mostly, I just assumed that after GBTQ Aria and Tevos would be on good terms again and Aria would let her put Spectres in the Terminus systems sometimes. I could see her maybe calling up Tevos and complaining about not getting any forewarning. That could even be a source of the ‘unsettling rumors’ the Council cites when meeting with Shepard again. I could work their repaired terms into gbtq more explicitly if I find a good spot.

Honestly, sometimes it’s hard to not let the transformative fiction spitefully overwrite canon’s shortcomings. I know I’m being a jerk toward the canon when I say this but I think a lot of what you brought up were issues that I originally thought were either shaky or illogical in canon… Holy shit. This is Freudian or something. Holy shit. I know GBTQ is just a fun fantasy with crazy shit happening but it’s the little details like you’ve mentioned that are making me see where I’m struggling not to revolt while sticking to canon… 

Benezia’s actions not concerning the Asari Republics. Sending out newbie Shepard to handle a Big Deal. An asari (Tevos) who can’t defend herself against a human. Aria letting a known terrorist organization onto her station. All things I went “bleh” about. This is enlightening.

Here’s my question I mentioned earlier to anyone who wants to answer:

Are there spots in canon that you would prefer that GBTQ stray from, redefine, or otherwise contest? Strictly from a literary perspective, meaning not necessarily what we desire to see happen and rather what should happen for the benefit of a quality narrative, while also keeping in mind that GBTQ is meant to coexist with the canon timeline to a large extent. Do you have examples? (it’s okay if you don’t)

I guess the purpose of this question is just me wondering… I guess wondering what’s best for the story. I mean, I started GBTQ when I was 19, and I’m gonna be 24 in a month. It’s a big chunk of my life. I wanna know what’s best for it.

#scholaroftrivia #sigmeta

[raidenenthusiast]

you already know I'm gonna ask for genshin<3

GOD BLESS ILY 💖💕 i should mention that i accidentally closed tumblr halfway through answering this, so i am literally retyping all of it. this new phone has a very like, slippery screen n i'm not used to it so i was like OH SHIT HAGDJANHDBSN

my favorite female character: SUCROSE!!! i only have very minor complaints about her design (really i just wish she was wearing some pants) n the parts of it i do like (her hair n her ears n the COLORS) are so pleasing to look at. i fly around with her bc the mondstadt wings match her really nicely n she looks so cute. her little ears.......i adore her. she has a voiceline about how she wants to use alchemy to create a fairytale utopia n it's SO sweet n i love her so much.

honorable mention hu tao, bc she's actually the only female design i personally don't complain about at all (the bar is so low though) n i LOVED her story quest. i'm also a really big fan of how she's voiced in english (bc i play in english) n also she's hilarious. i'm obsessed with her dynamic with zhongli too.

my favorite male character: strap in kids. this is gonna be a long ride. i have a top three, although it's technically more of a top four.

tied for first are childe n xiao bc i cannot choose between them. i had a really fun journey with childe; when i first started playing, my friend told me they thought he would 100% be my type n i looked at a photo of him n went "ehhhh" so i wasn't really sure at first. i also knew the um. "reputation" fans of him had within fan content n such so i was ALSO wary of that being a very frequent fandom-goer. fast forward a little bit n his banner roles around. i actually decided to pull for him for GAMEPLAY reasons initially, bc the idea of a ranged user being able to use a melee stance was literally a gamechanger for me who wasn't n still isn't very good at archers. i did start liking him reluctantly at that point, but i didn't really want to admit it (very funny looking back) n i used to make fun of him a lot bc i was in denial. NOW i have him in my party (my incredible dps my beloved) n i have finally met him in story which made me fall REALLY hard REALLY fast bc believe it or not, canon childe is NOTHING LIKE fanon childe. n that's a good thing mind u. n the rest is history, he now means everything to me. i am soft for him daily. i also rescind my previous "ehhhh" about his appearance bc he is very sexy. i am ALSO very much an advocate for how griffin voices him n i could talk about the golden house scene for literal hours; it is THE best scene in the game so far.

xiao was sort of similar, my (same) friend n i both knew i would like him bc he is VERY much my type. we were right. i was hyped up to meet him n as SOON as i did i fell so hard i fell off a cliff. it breaks my heart every day i don't have him as i wait patiently for him to rerun. playstyle wise i honestly think he's really fun, but i would probably be saving for him even if i hated how he played, bc i just love him that much. i'm also obsessed with yaksha lore in general n i think about him a lot. xiao my beloved. he also has one of my favorite (if not my favorite) designs.

diluc n zhongli are the last two, bc i can't really choose which one of them i like more, only bc they're both important for different reasons?

diluc was my FIRST favorite character. i took a single look at him n i KNEW. first character i loved, first character i really wanted, as well as the character i tried to (n failed to) REROLL FOR. over fifty times, n nothing. i have him now, but goddamn. i have a thing for characters associated with fire, n as soon as i heard about the whole darknight hero thing i was like oh my.....marriage. i was heartbroken when i played through the chunk of the story quest where they let u trial him before i had him bc i wanted him so bad. he's literally been on my team since day one. i go idle with him to hear him say nice things to me. i love him so much.

n as for zhongli, he's. also special. the definition of comfort character. "he's more than daddy to me. he's.....he's like GRANDPA" HQGDNANHD no but seriously, he walks on sceen n i just feel safe. part of it is keith being so very good at voicing him, but regardless i love him very much. he tugs at my heartstrings a lot n i think he's probably the character the causes me the most physical heartache bc i feel so bad for him.

honorable mention dain, bc who would i be if i didn't mention dain. mwah.

my favorite book/season/episode etc: i'm gonna go with quest for this one! n i think we all know what i'm gonna say; OF COURSE IT'S ZHONGLI'S STORY QUEST!! i complain a lot about how this game doesn't treat tension properly, but i have absolutely nothing to complain about in either of his quests. particularly part two really held its own for me against the entire main story, in my opinion. i know part two just came out, but i am ECSTATIC about the possibility of future parts. also the only story quest i've shed tears over (although i came pretty close on childe's n xiao's). i even THINK about a scene from that quest n my heart breaks into pieces. emotionally, zhongli owns me.

my favorite cast member: in terms of acting performance, probably keith. in general, yuri. he is one of my all time favorite voice actors n i inhale everything that he has done like fucking kirby. i'm really attached to a lot of the english cast though; laila, griffin, khoi, erika, etc.

my favorite ship: this is hard, actually. what's hilarious is that all my favorite pairings involve zhongli. i honestly, at this point, think it's a tie between zhongluc n rezhong. bc rezhong there is just so much there n so much to THINK about, but zhongluc is very comforting to me, personally, n the whole dragon n the phoenix imagery stuff sucked me in like a VACUUM. i also really like guili though; basically, if zhongli is in it, i will at least think about it (sort of, see later).

a character i'd die defending: childe no uhh. in terms of characters who NEED defending, kaeya. i am so SICK of u people not knowing how to interpret him. i'd like to add in eula here too, bc i REALLY like her, n i think some of u went a little bit haywire. in terms of characters who don't really need defending, xiao. i would die for him, actually.

a character i just can't sympathize with: ironically i don't genuinely hate any of the playable characters yet. dottore is pretty fucked up so i guess him, but also i still find him interesting hagdbanhdnan.

a character i grew to love: besides childe? ganyu! i didn't NOT like her by any means, but i was mostly indifferent, n while i WISH her story quest had a little more to it...i adore her very much.

my anti otp: besides the obvious ones, zhongchi.....LET ME EXPLAIN!! i don't HATE it, exactly. but i got so irreparably BITTER about it clogging up both childe n zhongli's individual tags, to the point where i couldn't find enough content without it, i completely lost interest. i will accept nice art of it, but i also have a massive problem with how A LOT of fans tend to over/hyperfeminize childe in relation to the ship, which feels very disingenuous to me bc childe.....isn't a feminine character, really. he's just, i dunno, skinny?? if anything, his whole fight happy shit feels more masculine to me, lmao. it just very much feels like a lot of u can't accept a pairing between two men unless u put one of them in the role of the "woman" n it very much bothers me. like, listen, i know childe is canonically a malewife n i love that about him, but it's about the intent. n i feel HORRIBLE vibes from a lot of u people. i know active fandom genshin fans have bad vibes in general, but u know what i mean. i have been to this rodeo before, n i hate it every time. also, i see a lot of very mischaracterized childe in relation to the pairing too, n to a much lesser extent zhongli, but it still exists. basically, i don't hate it, but i am bitter. n it very much feels like a lot of u are turning them into ur token fandomwide homos which NEVER ends well.

please all i ask is if ur gonna ship two men can u at least treat them both like some semblance of men i am tired

#genshin #mika.txt