#I'm not sure how to handle that

[syn0vial]

my gun-loving, car guy, "i'm the straightest man i know" brother who just finished baldur's gate 3 talking about astarion:

#astarion #baldur's gate 3 #we had a long conversation about the end of the game #mostly about astarion and karlach #he says he took multiple days to decide how to handle karlach's ending :`D #but i was just so amused by his reaction to astarion lol #he's like ''i loved my paladin's bromance with astarion! he's my best friend!' #and i was like ''oh that's nice i never even got out of neutral approval with him when i was playing paladin'' #and he was like ''you can check characters' approval? o.O'' #so while astarion was def his paladin's best friend‚ i'm not so sure his paladin was astarion's best friend if you know what i mean 😂 #he was also unhappy that his character just let astarion run off at the end without trying to follow him and make sure he was okay #and at gale for making a snarky comment about it #he was like ''i should have let him ascend 😭'' #''if this was real life i wouldn't just let my friend run off like that!'' #also: ftr despite my facetious description above let it be known that my brother is the kindest most accepting brother a dyke could ask for #he just also has a lot of stereotypical ''straight guy'' interests

[ruporas]

drank too much

[ID: Digital Art of Vash and Wolfwood from Trigun Maximum. Vash’s body is turned slightly away from the viewer as he holds a staggering Wolfwood by his shoulder. He has one foot ahead of the other, the foot in the back used to stabilize himself from tipping over. Wolfwood is tethering into Vash, his weight pressed into him with his arms wrapped around Vash’s waist and his face is hidden away as he leans against Vash’s shoulder. Vash’s expression can be seen, his eyes wide and mouth tight-lipped, and his face is flushed red. A speech bubble comes out from Wolfwood, saying a drawled “Spikeyyy...”. The background are desaturated pastels of blue and green, showing night time, as they stand in the middle of an empty street that is also lit by the moon not depicted. Yellow light is seen coming from the inside of a saloon. End ID]

#vashwood #Vash the Stampede #nicholas d wolfwood #trigun #trigun maximum #when i think of who handles their alcohol best -- it's going to be vash naturally. considering his age but also his plant biology? #idk how his plant biology comes into things but it feels like it makes sense... and helps build his tolerance... also he's canonically #a bit of an alcoholic i think... one of his vices. and im sure ww drinks but his go-to comfort is through smoking not drinking #slight detour but the barkeeper was also like i'm the angel that provides drinks for these troubled souls. all i could think of is #a parallel from ww to vash... vash going thru this hell on his own during that point in the chapter and ww is the angel who will give him #his space and then also save him later. But anyway. that's a completely different topic. as a result of ww Not being much of a drinker #i feel like he'd be clingy... a LOT less verbal but more physically affectionate #i feel like he'd be able to speak as he normally does but when he wants to ask for something he'd just reduce it down to names #spikey needle noggin while tugging on vash's arm. vash explodes immediately #this is also very self indulgent if u cant tell. #i was just thinking that ww while sober is a hard cage to crack through no matter how close vw gets to one another. #while ww can end up being emotionally vulnerable -- has to at some point within their relationship -- he still just has tons of trouble #navigating his own personal wants. #ruporas art

[hughmanbean]

False Corpse and Supposed Defilings of a Collegue and Child

So, we all love misunderstandings and miscommunication. Obviously. So, Danny's ghost form is very much frozen at 14, and he is working with the Justice League on the basis of Ghostly MattersTM. He was able to make a duplicate of himself for class because he had to help the League with a very important matter with guidance from Vlad, but it was very much rushed and just outright died at the end after it got back.

So Vlad has to bury it, but someone sees him doing that. Anyone, really. Dash, Lancer, Val, someone not in the know. And Danny isn't seen for a while. The League do not think Danny is an immortal God, and "know" he's a dead trans boy from Illinois who wants to save people.

He makes offhand remarks about Vlad, and even if the two of them are on good terms now Vlad's actions seem outright despicable without context. Danny's used to Vlad's ridiculousness so he doesn't see him in that light and can't really conceptualize that it could even be considered.

"You know how it was, obsessed with me and my mom, despised my dad. Said I took after her."

"Oh you know, he made a daughter with me, not that I had a choice in it. I love her with all my heart, though."

"Yeah, he was a real fruitloop. Ranting about I would be his and all that."

This is very much concerning so the League, so they investigate, and the person who saw lets it slip. They also do spot Ellie, and she just chats with Danny's work friends she heard so much about. Doesn't outright say she talks with Danny still, or she knows him presently. Says how much she loves her papa, and hasn't seen her dad in forever. (A collective wince from the JL since, well, said dad is dead.) Mentions how Vlad's a bit stressed, probably from DalvCO contracts. They also see Vlad acting so goody goody with the Fentons, take that as you will.

#dc x dp #dp x dc #dpxdc #dc x dp crossover #dp x dc crossover #dp x dc prompt #Now the real meat of it #good parents jack and maddie #They're trying to make up for it. REALLY hard. #redeemed vlad #dan phantom #Vlad's gotten therapy. He has bi-weekly visits with Jack and Maddie. #Danny is not the ghost king. #He's ghost prince #The Infinite Realms are just defaulting back to an Oligarchy with the Ancients and more informed ones handling general business. #They were doing alright for the centuries Pariah was gone I'm sure they'll be good for like another 10 years. #trans danny phantom #If that's not your pace that's alright. #I do find the concept a lil nifty. #I don't know how Danny would be dead if he still comes to school. It's probably summer break and he's away. Sorry. #Vlad was really creepy alright? #And I wanted to play with the fact that the Justice League do work with a dead child in that case. #And a little bit of corpses. #danielle phantom #Ellie and Vlad had to be dragged like ally cats to Family Therapy. #They got better. Have a nice Father Daughter both are feral dynamic. #Continuations are not only accepted #they are loved. #danny phantom

[canisalbus]

Machete and Vasco are so pomegranate-and-the-hand-that-slices coded. To me.

Pomegranates are seen as messy, bloody, inconvenient fruits. You slice or tear or bite and in return for your effort you come away underwhelmed, disgusted, and stained too deep to wash. The consumption of a pomegranate is a violent act of defilement, for both the fruit and the eater.

But that is because most do not understand how to open a pomegranate. They have little patience for the precise carving. They see no point in coreing the fruit gently, no reason to be reverent as they pull the quarters apart. When done correctly, opening a pomegranate leaves little mess. Your fingers will still stain, your knife will still slick, but there will be no pool of crimson drowning both you and the fruit.

The seeds are only sweet to those who understand the merit of a light hand and intricate slicing. Why put in so much effort for a food so bitter and clearly armored against consumption? Surely it must not yearn to be eaten.

(^insane about silly catholic dogs)

.

#absolutely losing my mind over this #how dare you come to my house and deliver a poignant character analysis cloaked in metaphors and symbolism #I went all day thinking about pomegranates #doing late christmas shopping? pomegranates #glazing ham? pomegranates #watching futurama with siblings? pomegranates #they're still kind of an exotic fruit where I'm from and I only got around to trying one a handful of years ago #some fruits offer themselves readily but pomegranates are hard and resistant and require a bit more specific handling #I looked up a guide and even then the kitchen counter ended up a murder scene #I've gotten better but I know some people can open them very neatly and I still haven't figured out the right technique #I love you anon I love the fact that you've clearly been rotating my silly catholic dogs in your head #and are able to put your thoughts into words with such marvelous grace and eloquence #surely it must not yearn to be eaten UNFATHOMABLE #answered #anonymous #gift art #Vasco #Machete #pomegranates are canonically one of Machete's motifs/symbols but I never thought of them from this angle #at least not this extensively

[aurosoulart]

made one of my old VR artworks into an AR painting 🖌🎨✨

#art #video #3d #3d artwork #digital art #sunset #nature #art video #vr #virtual reality #ar #augmented reality #figmin xr #i'm working on importing my old stuff and i'm impressed with how much modern headsets can handle #i thought for sure all the foliage and particle effects here would absolutely destroy framerate but it handled it like a champ #AND i could add MORE #the stars and spacedust around the plant portal are new additions :)

[thepromiscuousfinger]

#bruh #i have fake scenarios of conversations that are unlikely to ever happen #just so I have a frame of reference of how to handle it #also I'm 90% sure I can take on a goose and win

[l0stw00d]

Amphibiuary is Upon Us friends! here's my entry for day 1 - a lil frog, riding an Olm dragon! this was done with gouache on some really nice paper from a local art shop! I don't do much physical painting so i'm excited to give it a try this month!!

Editing to say: this piece is now available on Inprint if you want a physical copy of your own!

#l0stw00d #amphibiuary #amphibiuary2024 #olm #frog (unspecified) #gouache painting #traditional art #i did amphibiuary under aanthology last year! #if you're wondering how i'm gonna handle 29 days of serious art in a row: i'm not sure either! #but i'll take breaks or simplify things if it gets too much! #there was a bit of cleanup digitally to smooth out some texture where the paint got a bit thick and looked a lil weird flat #and the text! i was too nevous to do the text on the paper so i added it digitally lmao #i'm really proud of how this came out :)

[meirimerens]

the pathologic Kin is largely fictionalized with a created language that takes from multiple sources to be its own, a cosmogony & spirituality that does not correlate to the faiths (mostly Tengrist & Buddhist) practiced by the peoples it takes inspirations from, has customs, mores and roles invented for the purposes of the game, and even just a style of dress that does not resemble any of these peoples', but it is fascinating looking into specifically to me the sigils and see where they come from... watch this:

P2 Layers glyphs take from the mongolian script:

while the in-game words for Blood, Bones and Nerves are mongolian directly, it is interesting to note that their glyphs do not have a phonetic affiliation to the words (ex. the "Yas" layer of Bones having for glyph the equivalent of the letter F, the "Medrel" layer of Nerves having a glyph the equivalent of the letter È,...)

the leatherworks on the Kayura models', with their uses of angles and extending lines, remind me of the Phags Pa Script (used for Tibetan, Mongolian, Chineses, Uyghur language, and others)

some of the sigils also look either in part or fully inspired by Phags Pa script letters...

some look closer to the mongolian or vagindra (buryat) script

looking at the Herb Brides & their concept art, we can see bodypainting that looks like vertical buryat or mongolian script (oh hi (crossed out: Mark) Phags Pa script):

shaped and reshaped...

#not sure how much. what's the word. bond? involvement? not experience. closeness? anyone in the team has with any of these cultures #but i recall learning lead writer is indigenous in some way & heavily self-inserts as artemy [like. That's His Face used for #the p1 burakh portrait] so i imagine There Is some knowledge; if not first-hand at least in some other way #& i'm not in the team so i don't know how much Whatever is put into Anything #[ + i've ranted about the treatment of the brides Enough. enough i have] #so i don't have any ground to stand on wrt how i would feel about how these cultures are handled to make the Kin somewhat-hodgepodge. #there is recognizing it is Obviously inspired by real-life cultures [with the words;the alphabet;i look at Kayura i know what i see] #& recognizing it Also is. obviously and greatly imagined. not that weird for you know. a story. #like there is No Turkic/Altaic/Mongolic culture that has a caste of all-women spiritual dancers who place a great importance on nudity #as a reflection of the perfect world and do nothing but dance to bring about the harvest. ykwim... #like neither the Mongols nor the Buryats nor the Tibetans dress the way the Kin does. that's cos the Kin is invented. but they're invented. #.. on wide fundations. ykwim...... #Tengrism has a Sky Deity (Tengri) with an earth-goddess *daughter* whereas the kin worship an Earth-Goddess mother of everything #+ a huge bull. Buddhism has its own complete cosmogony & beliefs which from the little I know Vastly Differ from anything the Kin believes #like. yeah. story. but also. [holds myself back from renting about the Brides again] shhh... #neigh (blabbers) #pathologic #pathologic 2

[yesterdayiwrote]

So... quick update on the Eurovision situation

The EBU decided that Israel can compete despite their country being under an active Genocide investigation by the ICJ. Their delegation have gone on to antagonise other contestants by filming them for their social media without permission and refusing to remove it when asked, harass journalists who have questioned if their inclusion is appropriate, and their commentators have made horrendous comments about the Irish contestant... all without sanction.

Meanwhile the Dutch contestant got into an undisclosed 'incident' with a female member of the production crew and they've referred it to the police and flat out disqualified him from the contest with less than 12 hours notice...

Which seems like a tremendous act of double standards at an event that is already marred by serious controversy. Obviously the second is not acceptable, but very difficult to understand how the first somehow... is?

#eurovision #eurovision 2024 #I have had very mixed feelings with regard to the boycott for a very long time #And whilst I understand the sentiment #I'm still not sure it's the right course of action in terms of how the competition works and who profits from it #And I'm not saying his disqualification is unwarranted (it's impossible to gauge without the full incident details) #More that the other disqualification that they refuse to make is MORE warranted #I feel most sorry for the contestants amongst all of this #Most of whom are there because the global platform is absolutely unmatched in them being able to share their own personal story #And a lot of them come from a variety of queer and minority groups who do not get the chance at a global stage like this... ever #The issue is the EBU and their cowardice to handle this situation effectively #And that's because they've allowed their hands to be tied by their sponsor #It feels tragically obvious what's going to happen tonight #And it's not going to achieve the message I think a lot of people are idealistically thinking it will #It's going to serve as a signal of approval for them to use as ammunition for further attacks and be counter productive imho

[tiredesperdad]

Ok ngl, I'm a little bit disappointed with some choices the anime made in the scene where Reigen is running towards Mob.

In the manga the whole sequence felt much more desperate to me while the anime made it more idk... heroic?... uplifting?... by playing 99. I get it, it's nostalgic to play the first opening in the last episode of a show but to me it just didn't fit the emotions and atmosphere of this scene. It just felt much more somber in the manga.

Also, I know it's a small detail but it sums up my problems with this part of the episode pretty well: I don't like how they handled the infamous shoe panel.

Look how Reigen's hand is shaking while he's holding the shoes, he's clearly terrified plus there's so many implications here. Reigen knows there's a great possibility that he will die then and there. He's ready for it but he's also terrified. He has never seen Mob like this, didn't know that this is what Mob has been dealing with this whole time. He knows that realistically there's nothing he can do without powers. But he still pushes forward because damn it's his kid and of course he's gonna do anything to help him, even if it might lead to his own death.

But the way they animated this scene plus with the song choice these feelings didn't really come across to me personally.

#mob psycho 100 #mob psycho 100 spoilers #mp100 #mp100 spoilers #reigen arataka #kageyama shigeo #I'm sure there's also gonna be lots of people who enjoyed 99 #which is super fucking valid #but to me personally the whole scene had a very different feel in the manga #so I was a bit taken aback with how it was handled #look I still loved this episode this was just a thing I noticed #as someone who has read this chapter like a million times #and has been imagining how it would look animated for years

[the-phoenix-heart]

hang on lemme cook. LEMME COOK

Okay so I've been thinking about the stolitz breakup since I watched it last night and the thing I keep thinking about is Stolas saying, "Blitzo, I think so very highly of you...I didn't realize you think so low of me." It is a painful line read, Bryce Pinkham at his very best. And in a way Stolas is right, the fact that Blitzo thinks Stolas would willfully manipulate and play with Blitzo's emotions is a low opinion to have of him. It also makes sense that he sends Blitzo away because he's yelling at him (even Blitzo's cadence sounds a bit like Stella). However, I think Stolas misunderstands where Blitzo is coming from.

We know Stolas is aware of the power dynamic between them, and specifically the transactional nature, and that he is aware that it is unhealthy. However, I think Stolas only understands that transactional part as the unhealthy bit. Stolas (in "Full Moon" and "Just Look My Way") focuses on the "unspoken contract" and how tethered they are to each other. He thinks by giving Blitzo the crystal and semi-confessing (Stolas never says the words "I love you") it means they will be on even ground and Blitzo won't feel like he has to whore himself out for Stolas's grimoire (something he needs for his business so he can live). Then Blitzo can actually choose to stay with him or not. But he doesn't understand that even without the grimoire there's the inherent power imbalance on the hell hierarchy level.

Stolas says in "Just Look My Way", "I don't care that you're of lower station" and that's because he doesn't. But that doesn't mean Stolas is an imp ally. Stolas has never indicated that Blitzo isn't just the exception. Just in this episode Stolas was seen making life harder for his imp butler, and then there's the scene in "Seeing Stars" where he is holding the imp butler holding the phone and squeezing him when he gets pissed. His interactions with Moxie and Millie also don't really make it seem like he cares that much about them as people. Blitzo isn't wrong when he calls out Stolas's treatment of his butlers, or when he says that Stolas was dismissing him in a way that felt disrespectful. Even him putting his hand in his face feels like how he would dismiss a servant.

Throughout the entire conversation Stolas is very cordial, very genuine, and very respectful of Blitzo's emotions-right up until he takes Blitzo's response as a rejection-but even then Stolas always has the power in the conversation. Even when he is being emotionally vulnerable, he is still the one controlling the conversation. He's the one stressing Blitzo out with it. Even when he gets on his knees to put the crystal on Blitzo's glove he is technically taking the choice away from Blitzo to choose it. And then his reaction to Blitzo thinking it's roleplay is that Blitzo really doesn't want him is to completely shutdown emotionally and not listen to Blitzo.

And Blitzo is not wrong for thinking it's about sex. Half of this is Blitzo convincing himself it's roleplay because he doesn't believe anybody could truly love him, but also when isn't it about sex with Stolas? The only times where it hasn't been was after Ozzie's when Stolas offers Blitzo to come inside (which Blitzo did not believe and did not react well to) and arguably the Harvest Moon Festival where Stolas invites him, which Blitzo honestly could have misconstrued as Stolas wanting to bring his sidepiece with him. You could also make the case for "Seeing Stars" but that episode has them falling back into horny during a mission they are both participating in. And as I pointed out in an earlier post how is Blitzo supposed to realize how highly Stolas views him? Stolas has called Blitzo his "impish plaything" and covered his face at Ozzie's and has generally been condescending to him ("You are so cute when you are serious"). We know that Stolas is desperately in love with Blitzo and would do anything for him, but Blitzo himself has never really gotten that confirmation.

Hell, Blitzo is actively doing what Stolas wanted. His reaction to Stolas's semi-confession by thinking it's roleplay is specifically proof that he does want to keep this up, even if he doesn't realize the feelings behind it. And then later he is specifically trying to have a conversation with Stolas and process what's going on ("Let's go!" As in "let's have this conversation!"). The fact that Stolas sends Blitzo away when he himself starts crying, when Blitzo has been on the verge of tears throughout most of this conversation proves that Stolas is not ready to have this uncomfortable conversation. He was only ready for Blitzo to either accept or reject him, and he thought that their issues would be fixed.

"Blitzo, I think so very highly of you...I didn't realize you think so low of me." No, it's not that he thinks so low of you, it's that he has almost only seen the outrageously horny part of you, that he's more aware of this power dynamic than you, and is rightfully calling you out for how you fumbled this confession. You clearly love Blitzo, you have the right idea, but you still have these inherent biases and are unaware of the power imbalance, and you need to reevaluate some things.

This isn't to absolve Blitzo of the part he played in the breakup, but since Stolas took the initiative and almost always people are more willing to take his side, I feel he needs to be held more accountable.

#helluva boss #helluva boss spoilers #helluva stolas #helluva blitzo #stolitz #i don't know if any of this makes sense #once i realized that stolas couldn't handle the conversation when he was crying even though blitzo had already been near tears #i couldn't stop thinking about it #also couldn't stop thinking about it when I realized that blitzo is the only imp stolas really respects #these two desperately need to be away from each other to reevaluate themselves #something i didn't want to include in the post proper #but you know that line 'or primed to sate my dark temptations' #i think is a sign of how stolas thinks of imps/blitzo #as in 'you were made specifically to satisfy me' as in 'imps are made to satisfy or serve as tempters' #idk i'm not sure but it's been rattling in my mind

[manglechanbluh]

Come on, he is wearing gaiters I couldn't resist + End of the Line speeding bullet

#tf2 #tf2 fanart #team fortress 2 #tf2 sniper #tf2 scout #speeding bullet #sniperscout #end of the line #Scout is totally making it worse with his cold ass hands #ALSO I've seen someone say that it mades no sens to hc sniper as someone who can't handle cold weather #because he certainly has been dealing with very cold nights in australian deserts #And fair ! but I'm sure there is a difference btw how cold feels in a dry windy desert and at the top of a snowy mountain #but I didn't find anything to back up this statement #and I only have the wet winters of northwest france as a reference #so this is as far as this statement goes

[mayasaura]

hi, may I ask where John being gender non-conforming and his only known family dying of pneumonia happened/was mentioned in the books? I probably just straight up missed it and would like to look back at it, thank you!

Hi!! You certainly may! Sorry I'm answering this bit late, but better late than never right?

So narratively speaking, the John verses are where the story establishes John's background, yeah? They're very deliberate in the details, and we can deduce a lot from what they mention .... and what they don't.

The only family John ever mentions in an active capacity is his Nana, his mother's mother—his mother comes up once, but only in the context of objects she left behind. More on that in a minute.

What happened to his parents is unknown; they just don't show up in his 'saga of me, confused destroyer of worlds'. Whatever the story is there, their omission suggests they weren't present in his life, at least in any stable capacity. Nana and her little dog are his only known family.

Nana died of pneumonia when John was "a teenager", so between the ages of thirteen and nineteen. Odds are extremely good that happened while he was at Dilworth, which houses students aged eight to eighteen.

As for gender non-conforming, well. Not very gender conforming of him as a little boy to pick Hollywood Hair Barbie as his favorite toy, while letting the dog chew on Ken because, quote, "[Ken] was a creep." Very masculine of him to hold that in his heart as a cherished memory well into adulthood.

Most of the little boys like that I knew grew up to be women.

#Most but not all. I don't read John as trans but he for sure was gender non-conforming #there's more I could (and almost did) say about John's relationship to masculinity #but that's all about his adulthood and not necessary to getting a sense of him as a kid #Also!! I'm hoping to learn more about his parents in how he handles his relationship with kiriona #but I'm not sure we will and we don't really need it #thank you for asking!! #the locked tomb #emperor john gaius #tlt meta #ntn spoilers #nona the ninth

[pharawee]

—A SECRETLY LOVE · Episode 5

#a secretly love #a secretly love the series #kimmon warodom #k ut tanawat #tanawat sukfuengfoo #pluemkhonprot #asecretlyloveedit #thai bl #thai drama #bl drama #bl series #my edits. #kimmon's role is so understated #and i'm not sure if i like this for him or not #k ut meanwhile is acting his heart out in an entirely different way #i'd really love to know why they cast these two actors as these completely different characters #i want to say that SOMEHOW it works for me #but i guess it's more do to with them as actors than with the script #also i'm really curious about how they'll handle k ut's tattoo(s) #or if that means there won't be any spicyness at all

[canisalbus]

What do you think would have happened if (somehow, idk how but somehow) Machete rose to the rank of pope?

To be perfectly honest? I think most realistically he would've ruled maybe six months at best and then keeled over from stress and exhaustion.

#seriously he wouldn't want to be the pope papacy is for chumps but if he had to #he would've kicked out so many cardinals #his former colleagues riddled with corruption nepotism incompetence and moral decay #it would've upsetted so many elite families but what are they gonna do #pope's power is absolute he could totally do that #just excommunicate the whole lot #do something to get Holy See's finances in order he's been crunching numbers they aren't looking good #build sturdier foreign relations probably he's a diplomat I think he'd likely be extremely done with superfluous wars and useless bickering #maybe commission some extravagant artworks art is nice he knows to appreciate beauty when he sees it #become the senselessly rich patron to a handful of top notch artists although I think he already does that in canon timeline #I'm not sure how he'd handle the ongoing counter-reformation I guess it depends whether this was before or after the inquisition times #minimal public appearances because lord that's way too many people too many eyes being a figurehead is not his strongest suit #develop stomach ulcers get sepsis #historically it's actually not very uncommon for popes to expire relatively quickly after they're elected #they don't even have to be particularly old stuff's just tiring they get frazzled out #answered #anonymous #Machete

[stop-breaking-my-heart-dragonage]

You ever think about how in spite of knowing their exact locations, the game never gives any indication that templar Carver has reported his mage sibling, Merril (a blood mage) or Anders (an abomination) to his superiors?

I do think about that a lot, even though I tend to ignore the Templar Carver route because I know Warden Carver to be true in my heart and soul... but I totally get the appeal of Templar Carver within DA2's narrative, y'know?

It's so fascinating, really. I've never played a run with Templar Carver, I just can't bring myself to do it, so I know I'm missing out on smaller details of it. From what I do know, this drives me crazy in the best way possible.

Deciding whether to bring him or not to the Deep Roads is such an important choice, not only because it affects his fate, but how it affects his relationship to Hawke. He tells you that he wants to go, he makes it very clear that it's important to him that he goes, too... and Hawke can just leave him behind and it hurts him. I don't think that registers enough with some people just because of how Carver is, like it doesn't matter what Hawke's motivations are [staying behind for his safety, not wanting to bring him, thinking someone should stay with Leandra, etc] it still hurts him because it tells him that Hawke doesn't need him, and Carver wants to be needed.

And yes, there are other contributing factors to why he joins the templars, but it doesn't matter what your relationship is to him, it doesn't change the fact that he doesn't turn Hawke or his companions in.

Sure, the meta reason is it's a video game and you're playing the main character. You're never in any actual danger of being captured by templars, and you're not going to lose your companions to them that easy.

But if we look at it through the narrative and Carver's character, that's when it gets interesting. You can max out his rivalry and be an utter asshole to him [there's a point where you can call him a brat and mock him for being stuck in your shadow, like Hawke can be real cruel about it] but it doesn't matter, you're still his sibling. He even makes a remark about how you might not know what that means [referring to leaving him behind] but he does. He refuses to kill Hawke in the end when Meredith makes the order, too.

Which can I just point out that Hawke has the option to let Bethany die in the end if she's with the circle and they side with the templars? Just saying, Carver NEVER does that no matter what, but Hawke has the option to betray Bethany like that and it's fucked and interesting and it makes me want to eat my chair-

As for Merrill and Anders, I think he knows that if he turns either of them in, then the chances of Hawke being brought in as well skyrocket. They're all friends, they're in the same group... bring one in, and you'll probably get the other two.

I also think Carver just genuinely likes Merrill. Yes, I'm a Carver/Merrill shipper, so I have a bias, but even if you remove anything romantic from their dynamic I believe that's true. Of all the companions, Merrill is the only one who doesn't make fun of him, or find him annoying, in party banters. He never snaps back at her, like he's never defensive with her, he's just a little awkward and nice.

Like, HE'S SO NICE TO HER! He tries to find common ground with her! She asks him about "swording" and he's taken aback by her saying he's good at it, but you KNOW that if someone like Anders asked him the same question, he's be all, "shut up, you're stupid, stop talking to me >:["

Think back to that banter Carver can have with Aveline post-act 1 where they're talking about how the guard wasn't the right place for him [hard disagree with you there, Aveline] and Carver says he was a bit of a tit, wasn't he.... and every companion will agree except Merrill. She doesn't say anything, whereas other companions like Anders will be like "ugh maker YES" and if you have a purple Hawke, they'll go on to other ways Carver was a tit like?? I think Carver and Merrill got along and he doesn't want to turn her in because she was nice to him! And she's a blood mage! He knows what will happen to her if the templars get ahold of her! He doesn't want to see her made tranquil or killed!

At that point, he's witnessed what bad blood mages can do, assuming you've brought him along for those quests, but even so. He knows Merrill isn't like that and he likes her, so of course he's not going to turn her in despite that being his literal duty.

Then there's Anders who Carver doesn't like. If you're in a romance with him, Carver will tell him that's why he doesn't turn him in but c'mon Carver, you know that's not the only reason. My theory is Carver may not like Anders and he knows the man's got a spirit of justice inside of him... but Anders also runs a free clinic. If he's ever taken in by templars, then so many people [including a LOT of Fereldan refugees] will be without free health care and will suffer for it. I think in Carver's eyes, Anders might be irritating but he doesn't more good than harm. Carver knows first hand how shitty refugees and poorer people are treated in Kirkwall. Anders' clinic is the one place they can go for help and actually get it, and he's not going to be the one to take that away because the templars say "magic bad."

So yeah, I'm not as informed about the Templar Carver route, but I do think about how if I did do that route, he wouldn't betray Hawke or their companions no matter what and what that says about him.

#asks #dragon age 2 #da2 #carver hawke #da2 merrill #da2 anders #listen i love carver hawke okay he and bethany are my favorite companions in da2 #i could talk endlessly about the twins and their roles in story and how unfair it is that only one of them can make it to kirkwall #meaning we hardly get to see them interact with each other before one dies and UGH #like i get it their stories rely heavily on them being the only mage or non-mage in the sibling trio so both of them living #would've meant writing two different origins stories for them with different attitudes affected by having another siblings that like them #but also i think if hawke's a rogue then leandra should've died and we could've worked it out okay #ANYWAY... templar carver amirite? i know i should go that route just to say i have and to see it for myself but hhhnnnggggg... #it physically pains me to think of not bringing him to the deep roads though it's so important to him and my hawke works so hard #to repair his relationship with his brother okay i max out carver's friendship every time and it's so worth it #you don't understand okay friendship carver is the best he's so goddamn sweet i can't handle it #it's actually so interesting how bethany and carver start out versus how they end because bethany starts out as the super sweet one #whereas carver's surly and bitter... but past act 1? it's like they flip?? at least on the warden paths like bethany is BRUTAL #she's so fucking bitter and rude and I love it?? like her relationship with hawke is in the trenches whereas carver's is vastly improved #again no matter your approval with him when you reunite in act 2 he will ALWAYS tell hawke that 'i'm sure you did your best' #referring to leandra's death but bethany's response will change depending on your approval with her #and if i remember right the rivalry response is OOF #carver and bethany turn me into a little giggling gremlin i love them so much