#they're part of the group after all

[sun-marie]

It's been a while since I last thought seriously about Dr*gon A*e (even prior to falling in love with BG3) and I think a big part of that is I'm not as big a fan of the setting and the worldbuilding as I used to be. Like to me it really does feel like BW looked at typical fantasy settings and went "hmm okay but what if there was Catholic-enforced racism and abelism". And like. Cool thought experiment bro. Do we really need three games made by primarily white guys about that.

#dragon age critical #marie speaks #idk if ableism is the best comparison for mage oppression but idk you get my larger point #I've heard that DA was supposedly BW's critical response to settings like Forgotten Realms after making the og BG games #and idk if that's true but I'd be willing to believe that bc that's what a lot of it's world building feels like #“oh u thought the elves where gonna be ethereal and respected? nah they're a haphazard blend of irl oppressed groups” #“oh u thought this fantasy world was gonna have a plethora of interesting and dynamic deities and gods? nah it's just fantasy Catholicism” #“oh u thought people who can use magic would have respected places in society? nah they're locked in jail for being Different” #like I feel like these ideas were kinda cool for one game. An expanded thought experiment #but idk if they were strong enough to sustain an entire franchise #without significantly expanding their pool of writers to get the perspectives of people they're attempting to represent at least #but that's a whole different issue #anyway DA has some legit cool concepts like the Grey Wardens that I will always love #and most of their early character work is still really strong #but for me every time that setting rears it's head problems arise #anyway if you're still a DA fan that's totally fine! I'm very happy for you! #don't let my salty ramblings spoil what resonates with you from these games #I'm just reflecting bc it used to be a huge part of my life especially through like all of highschool #and now it's just. not.

[dottores]

crying hysterically i have such a good fic idea for post-cataclysm teyvat but i just dont have enough time for another series rn

#so after doing the elynas quest #spoilers for that by the way #and the mary ann quests #but anyway #post cataclysm teyvat was rlly like an #apocalyptic place #kind of like fallout where abyss energy was like everywhere and very radioactive #and the institute had devoted itself to clean the abyssal energy but after it disbanded when the director died during the cataclysm #a secret group called the ordo formed and experimented with the energy in elynas's corpse -- who is assumed to be another dragon-creature o #rhinedottir and we already know that one of the secret members had interacted with the energy and became something akin to an #abyss inquisitor but he was unaffiliated with the fatui and the abyss order #but now i lowkey want to write a long fic series where reader was part of that secret group post-cataclysm #and also became corrupted by the energy and it would flip between the past and present #-- since we dont know neuvillette's part in the cataclysm i assume he was defending fontaine but that's only an assumption #and then maybe after the cataclysm he was filling in the power vacuum after the lord of amrita's death (first hydro archon) #but regardless in the past reader was going to be close with neuvillette maybe she was an ambassador for the narzinssenkreuz institute #before it disbanded which is how she met him and got the chance to get close to him. then the catacysm happens where they're forced to #separate because of all that's going on #and after it #she gets involved with the ordo. it would flip between the past and present #where in the present she's started to affiliate with the fatui -- reasons unknown as of yet but im not writing a fic without dottore as a #love interest but it would showcase the past and present - kind of like how little dark age did with half of the chapter set in the past an #the other part in the present -- so it would showcase 1) her relationship with neuvillette both while she's part of the institute and then #the decline of it as she becomes part of the ordo. it would also showcase pre during and post cataclysm fontaine. and then the present woul #probably focus on directly before pre-canon (like heliotropes) and into maybe both the sumeru archon quests and the fontaine archon quests #where she would end up meeting neuvillette again. this fic i would try to keep this one close to canon fontaine unlike heliotropes

[linoguy]

-.-

#i shouldn't make a post on this but as someone who's into a group that is also compared to nct i feel a sort of interesting defensiveness #after hearing shinee's latest single and knowing that its being compared to nct becase of mutuals n all #like ana wantbytaemin said like.. if you think that sounds like nct you just legit don't listen to anything except kpop #the part that they're probably comparing to nct is this trend of a somewhat isolation of vocals in the chorus where the chorus is more #spoken than it is sung + with like one layer of instrumentals in the back #i've noticed this among other hit kpop songs so it seems like it's really just a thing right now. im not a fan of it either but what's #happening in shinee's hard song is /not/ the same as that #what's happening in hard is legit just a hip hop thing. if you're finding an out right repulsion to it you should probably question #your prejudices. anyways KJSDH #again i dont really have much jurisdiction to be making this post but its kinda baffling to me that people would make that connection

[plumbogs]

anyways one hc I never really bring up but I always play with is that lilith pleasant is an egg to me. get that man some large boots

#my reasoning? projection actually #i just always trans him when i do pleasantview idk its just the vibe #the pleasant family has unnaccepting vibes to me and i hc that's part of the reason dan hates dustin so much #and also dirk is sneaking out with lilith so they can do transmasc shit :) its wholesome really #nobody say 'they can't all be trans' stfu yeah they can. have you ever met teenaged trans kids. they're pack animals even when closeted #my high school friend group went from mostly girls to almost entirely men after graduation #also specifically he's transmasc but not fully a man to me. he/they and generally anti-gender. but thats just my take. #editing tags again to add that name wise they totally double down on the biblical analogy shit and goes with Cain or something.

[victorluvsalice]

What about au where smiler was partially marmalised and works for the ministry and is trying to manipulate Victor and Alice into getting marmalised and becoming advocates

*waggles hand* So, not opposed to such an AU, but it would have to end with Alice and Victor getting Smiler out of the Ministry instead of Smiler successfully getting them to become Advocates. Reason being is, well, a Smiler working for the Ministry and trying to manipulate Victor and Alice is an unethical mind controller! And we know what Alice does to unethical mind controllers:

[ID: Animated gif by thedestinysunknown of the moment in A:MR when Alice, in her Wonderland form, shoves Bumby off the platform of the Underground station and into the path of an oncoming train]

Yeaaah, if you've ever thought my Smiler seems a little nice when compared to the coaster's actual theme, that's the reason. I had to give them ethics, otherwise they were going to get stabbed. So yeah, an AU like that would have to be along the lines of Smiler trying to get Victor and Alice to join up, only for Victor and Alice to instead show THEM how the Ministry is actually not really interested in happiness and is pretty evil honestly and get them out of there. (Which is actually not dissimilar to what happens in my Londerland Bloodlines AU (after the events of the game), where Smiler THINKS they've joined a group interested in making people happy and helping them through rough patches in their lives, but in fact the Ministry they've fallen in with is Ministry as in "Formerly The Followers of Set," and THEY'RE more interested in corrupting people with false joy...awful shame that they end up targeting Victor...)

#anonymous #ask #valicer #ministry employee AU #it's an interesting idea #just I have to go with the 'Smiler is ultimately redeemable' angle #because otherwise #see the gif #that is the tricky part about having an OT3 where one member is based off of a brainwashing machine coaster #and the other dealt with an evil brainwashing psychiatrist corrupting not only her but literal children #you gotta make sure your coaster OC is actually a decent human being #suppose it helps that I tend to focus on the more fun silly parts of the canon instead of the creepy parts #the Smiler most like the coaster is probably my Valicer In The Dark Smiler #and even THEN they don't actually pressure Victor and Alice into joining the Advocates cult #hell Smiler doesn't even mention they're a hypnotist for a while because they're worried it'll decrease maximum happiness in the group #(they end up revealing it after they think it'll add to happiness if they use it to help Victor's insomnia #but that's another post) #basically all the evil stuff tends to get offloaded onto Dr. Kelman #because he is a Convenient Evil Psychiatrist #and Smiler gets to be lots of fun and at least reasonably ethical

[soulsxng]

Really random, but sometimes I get hardcore sucked back into the Royal Scandal series. The vibes and the stories are just A+, and so many muses get so noisy.

The only issue with that is the muses being really noisy doesn't lend itself very well to headcanons and stuff, so I'm sitting here trying to answer these Corruption questions for Creation, and the muses are in the back of my head. Doing concerning things. Being generally distracting.

Edit: Just realized that link only includes the main episode songs in their release order...which isn't the chronological order for the series. It's on the same channel if anyone wants to see the rest of the songs!

#[what is she getting us into now? -ooc-] #There's one piece of lore in the series about four kingdoms and one artifact per kingdom #each one grants something but...from what the lore suggests so far takes away something via a curse if they're misused? #or that the curses only happened when the original owners of the artifacts misused them? #but anyway #one grants power but takes away love #one grants love but takes away happiness #one grants happiness but takes away riches #and the last one grants riches but takes away power #and that's one part that my mind likes to latch onto like a squeak toy idk #I've always sort of wanted to do something to that effect with the original 4 species in Brinnela #or with the 4 realms that came after #those being Pirodet Irekol Sumydah and Wilacri or Celaeon; me and Kei have been going back and forth on which of the last two is older #It would probably be the second group tbh because they already all sort of have one that they would fit into #I DIGRESS #this post was just supposed to be to say that I'm heavily distracted and don't know how much I'm gonna get done tonight #and look at it now #a wholeass rabbit hole was gone down

[dysonbradleyreblogs]

I think I just lost 2 good friends

#not a reblog #personal #vent #we were all part of this group thingy and we were doing a project and #I was kinda ultimately useless because of my inexperience and I felt uncomfortable because we were supporting someone who harassed me #and like I sent a message saying I quit basically but #what if it was too whiny? #what if I was super manipulative without even realizing it? #it's just like Gallus all over again #I had these really cool friends and ended up pushing them away because some responsibility scared me #have I really not changed at all? #they haven't messaged me since and I don't think they ever will again #I just kinda wish they'd yell at me or something so I'd know that they don't want to talk to me anymore #but now they're just. gone #I know this is my own doing #I know I screwed up #I just don't know why I haven't changed a single bit since Gallus left me #you'd think someone significant leaving you because you were a manipulative asshole would #idk #like #stop you from being a manipulative asshole? #they're such cool people too I feel so awful that they had to put up with me #especially after they helped me through tough times like how could I treat them like that? #and for what? some butthurt feelings and a grudge? #I can't keep a friendship to save my life

[stirdrawsandreblaws]

i have so much fun with ffxiv bc like. me and my friends that play have a wol team and we roleplay tons when we're able to all be on at the same time

sure it takes forever to actually progress bc we're all having hours-long scenes after story events to work out the impact on everyone and, in some cases, who was impacted more than the others (like thorgeim being the one who got framed during that one incident, whereas the dragoon wol had a lot of specific stuff during heavensward, etc)

i'm told there's some shit later on that Complicates the wol-team idea but i don't want spoilers and i'm confident we can work it out when we get there so ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

#we basically all rp together bc we don't want to get story spoilers from randos...can't even visit venues without that being an issue :( #but it's nice having a static party for basically every story dungeon and fight #we're at....early-mid stormblood now i think? after like...two years lol though part of that is just not having time to play #so many maxed out sidequests and lore things tho...it's great #stirring up trouble #we have another friend who doesn't roleplay but does have some fun insights from time to time and has many helpful tips #and their character is thorgeim's wifey lmfao. they're both so grossly over-the-top affectionate lolol #and then one more friend who basically never plays with us these days but when they do it's like. Top Tier Roleplay. i love... #currently trying to convert other friends to ffxiv (though realistically we're not gonna be on much for a bit but still)...join us... #become part of the wol team....lets get a whole sentai group going lmfao #that or join our all-viera side group bc that is. definitely a Thing. massive tonal shift from the wol team lol i love them sm #the bundie brigade!! their whole gimmick is doing all their fighting in their skivvies basically to show how tough and/or agile they are #they started out as just being silly side characters and became MUCH more than that...oops we gave them lore and trauma #ugh ok i need to stop yelling abt this now. it is Bed Time and i have shit to do tomorrow. #i should draw and post them at some point tho...i love them sm....

[orc-apologist]

it's funny how when you'll give actual explanations as to why people are racist or transphobic or something similar, like how that happens and why it's happening now out of all times, that go beyond "white people/cishet people evil" so many people will instantly attack you for "apologia"

I think it kinda comes from this idea that identity politics has pushed that people of the unmarked categories like male white and cishet can't possibly struggle with things in life. but economic crises, which we have been in for 16 years now, affect everyone that's not part of the ruling class. prolonged economic instability alienates people from the status quo, from established parties, rhetoric and such. they begin to look elsewhere for solutions. the powers that be know to counteract this with reactionary politics. using scapegoating they'll promise the return to an (often imaginary) better yesterday, the very definition of reactionary politics.

these ideas sound plausible and actionable. things used to be better after all. those scapegoats used to not be there (as visibly) after all.

the way of solving this isn't to go "waaahh people are evil and fascism is back, woe is me" but to a) point out that these reactionary politics are not going to solve the problem because they are not the cause b) point out the actual cause of the problem (capitalism) c) offer actual alternatives (organizing, strikes, expropriating the bourgeoisie, and eventually total labor democracy)

#and no fascism isn't back and it's not going to be back in most of the western world #there's a difference between a military or police dictatorship which is what the US might degenerate into under trump #and actual fascism #most of the things everyone points to as fascist aren't actually fascist they're just reactionary #even genocide isn't unique to fascism. israel for example is a liberal democracy and it's still committing genocide. #all you need for genocide is a class society. its political manifestation is irrelevant tho some forms are certainly easier to do a genocid #in #it's important to understand that so you have no illusions in liberal democracy which is a dictatorship of the bourgeoisie #fascism isn't this generally evil society that we are constantly at the brink of falling back into #it was a very specific historical phenomenon #in which the petty bourgeoisie were used by totalitarian reactionaries as a battering ram against the working class #to violently suppress labor organization strikes and the potential downfall of capitalism and the rise of socialism #that was its role in germany italy and spain #it wouldn't work anymore today in the western world because the petty bourgeoisie has dwindled in numbers #as they are doomed to in the monopolization process of capitalist market anarchy #they are no longer a significant percentage of the population and no longer have the numbers to suppress the working class like that #because that's what differentiates fascism from a military dictatorship for example #a military dictatorship is a small group of people violently wrangling control of the state from its current holders #and abusing ALL of society for their personal gain. including the ruling class. marxists call this bonapartism #because napoleon bonaparte was the first to do so under capitalism #most importantly this means a military dictatorship does not have a mass base and relies on ruling by the sword #which makes it highly unstable and turns all of society against it #fascism was so dangerous because it DID have a mass base! the petty bourgeoisie! #vast amounts of them were in total support of fascist rule and actively pursued it. it wasn't just a small group of people. #this made the systems a lot more stable and a lot more powerful because they had large parts of society at their bidding #that sort of power and stability can no longer occur because their social base has mostly disappeared #they can whip up enough reactionary anger in the working class to perhaps GET to power #but as soon as a fascist politician starts going after unions strikes wages #launching the incredibly direct attacks against the working class that fascism always did #that voter base is going to turn against them very quickly

[stardustedknuckles]

The problem with becoming friends with people while all of you are going through some awful trauma is that if you're not careful you won't know how to keep being friends without it. Growth is a good thing, but that can be easy to forget when every step forward you take makes you worry those people won't be in your life anymore and you subconsciously feel like you have to manufacture some kind of ongoing crisis so you guys have something to talk about. Friendships formed in the face of hardship are strong and fierce things, and the relationship fading as your lives improve doesn't mean it wasn't real. It just served its purpose. You all made it out alive, and that was why you found each other in the first place. This is a hard and shitty lesson to learn.

#I miss my core group of friends but my god we were held together by the stress in our lives #We leaned hard on each other and we needed that #But none of us knew how to have a regular friendship with low stakes #And the other three figured it out before I did #So it was just me trying to offer news about my life but it was all... Not even negative just A Lot #And they had moved into stability and didn't need that anymore #And from my point of view if I didn't talk nobody would #Which ended up being true #I got better and offered good things going on in my life and they just.... Stopped #Being friends with them was necessary for that part of my life #Of all of our lives #We all met in college and needed each other the few years after when life was still a mess but without the structure of schoolwork #I'm grateful to have known them #But there's no doubt they saw me as a younger sibling #And the more I began to make my own decisions the more they pushed back #And got upset when I didn't take their advice #I hope they're well #But I think I'm done being hurt that they've moved on #Good for them #Now I have regular friendships too - even deep ones - and they're nothing like that was #I'm no longer doing joint survival mode #mundane adventures

[starsandthorn]

still thinking about diluc putting himself in kaeya's blind spot in midsummer island adventure. btw

#personal stuff #ragbros #do you rewatch a playthrough of part 3 just to see them interact or are you normal #no but fr still going insane over diluc walking behind kaeya on his right. kaeya saying his letter mentioned vases #kaeya crossing over to the other side of the group the moment diluc mentions his letter with the abyss order?? #and then after the maguu kenki fight kaeya putting himself so diluc is in his blind spot again. #and then Again right before and after the reveal in part 4 #what does it mean what does it all mean. they still trust each other and look out for each other even when they're on each other's nerves. #alice saying summer will never disappear just like the love between people. wa.

[gayforcarstairsgirls]

This is literally like watching a political drama unfolding before our eyes oh my god

#literally like the DRAMA is unreal #cause after rishi sunak resigned nadhim zahawi got given his job of chancellor of the exchequer #(which is one of the most important ones so a big promotion given to him by bojo) #but TODAY he is now part of the group that michael gove got together who are gonna tell the prime minister to leave #so he literally went in yesterday and got the big promotion and THEN has agreed that boris needs to go #which means zahawi is in a very good place to succeed him #what an absolute power play #like i hate him cause he's a tory and they're all corrupt but also... gotta respect that political move #ALSO THE FACT THAT MICHAEL GOVE IS THE ONE GETTING THIS GROUP TOGETHER?!!! #AND WAS CONSPICUOUSLY ABSENT FROM HOP TODAY SO EVERYONE KNEW HE WAS UP TO SOMETHING?!!!! #dudeeeee #having the time of my life over here #pleaseeeee i can't wait for boris to go #not to be cruel but i hope he cried like thatcher did #cause what a pillock #boris johnson #british government #british politics #*cries #uk politics

[unproduciblesmackdown]

summer stock cast group pic plus/from kira troilo

#all in costume...for as much as that reveals for will as one of the handful of ppl w/Just Their Heads in the shot #and without glasses though i'm sure he wears them / he has some on in the curtain call video/pic #cause to remember that when glasses are part of the costume they're almost surely not just the actor's own #to the degree that his jared kleinman costume glasses were the same frames/rx as his own actual ones.... #though at the same time he was wearing those teal adidas he also actually had b/c they just couldn't find them elsewhere lol #other actors wearing blue adidas slightly less turquoise.... #things that make me think of emily rebholz saying that she starts her costume designing process w/What Shoes Do They Wear #that makes me think of [spillin outta a pair of fancy emily-rebholz-chosen shorts] #summer stock #will roland #shoutout also to how will had to be summoned into that Summer Stock Cast & Crew Singing Happy Bdaie video and like #also a group pic from the nextdoor establishment they went to after opening night that ya boy failed to appear in lmao #get in the frame!! one wild child of the night this is forever night sorry i meant to say this is forever night #also as usual Not Absolutely Everyone in said group pic; castwise....

[zenmai--jikake--no--komoriuta]

REPOSTOBER - Day #19

today is a red-crowned crane which was supposed to be an animal form of sorts of an RP group character I was making! it was intended for Z-Parasites, which was a group founded by a fellow contender in the DigiXrosTournament OCT-- all I had worked out is that they were going to be a red-haired, ponytailed fighter lady of some description named Piper Strassman, but I never got around to anything besides this one drawing and like... a quick sketch of its Parasite form which was a blobby boi kinda like a Pururumon lol

#repostober #haulauart #also an excuse to draw a bird which is a subject I don't often draw #it's a group I always wished I had gotten into that a lot of my friends and digimon-acquaintances were in #I've always admired HronawmonsTamer and how they're able to consistently make artwork that pushes their weak points #even if they might not be the best at drawing one particular thing they still do it anyway! and then they DO get better with that thing! #they've never really let anything become a stumbling block to stop them from making the art they want to make #even after all these years they're still making tons of art on the reg with all kinds of different anatomies and poses and expressions #and they've always been a really lovely person everywhere I've interacted with and seen them about on dA #it would have been a lowkey honour to be a part of their group but I never did manage to overcome my weaknesses and keep going with art

[treacherouna]

trying to be normal about brave girls possible disbandment and failing miserably

#no because i'm genuinely so upset they never got their chance at proper STARDOM #rollin going viral was great and incredible and a one in a million chance and i'm glad they milked it as much as possible #but they should've kept riding that wave by giving them more and more comebacks and more and more concerts and opportunities #going on queendom was... good i guess but how are they STILL the only group that was part of it that didn't comeback after it?!!?!?!?!?!?!? #it's all just so disappointing and devastating #i want better for the girls #and if the girls decide to disband then i'll respect their decision #but i really wish for them to continue as four under a different company or something #i just refuse to believe that this is the end for them (⁠╥⁠﹏⁠╥⁠) #of course they're my girls i will support them solo doing whatever they want #but... my brave girls 😭😭😭😭😭😭 #deep sigh #hey at least we're getting a new song #i am ignoring that it's titled goodbye #brave girls

[sukugo]

had a super cool obikin dream today, featuring naked soaped up anakin and golfer-fit obi-wan lmaoo

#it was so interesting hdkdhdhdh #it was soooo long with like anakin and obi-wan being chased by these people #it even had anakin/ahsoka hug 🥺 #but like the most important part was obviously soaped up anakin 😩 #so like obikin get chased into a cave-type thing (it's manmade and concrete with a stream flowing through it) #and there’s like a faucet and anakin starts showering below it #soaping himself up touching himself everywhere (lots of emphasis on his tits/nipples for some reason) #and in that obi-wan arrives in like a speeder bike or smth and well. he's literally wearing like a polo and a short and a cardigan around #his neck agdjhdjf #AND like he has a golf club but it literally looks more like a hammer? NO actually it looks EXACTLY like the blackpink lightstick lmaooo #just that neon green and blue and white #and well he takes a look at anakin all soapy and naked and goes oh shit and turns away and kinda ignoring him #all the while anakin is staring at obi-wan and calling out to him bc he wants to get fucked like come ON master im all naked DO SOMETHING #but obi-wan just ignores him and refuses to go near him #in that suddenly a group of girls come up and they go to anakin (who's still sitting on the floor naked and soapy) and they want a piece of #him obv (bc who doesn't) and they're surrounding anakin and anakin is just looking up at them all confused and overwhelmed and not knowing #what to do #so he looks at obi-wan through the group and obi-wan and obi-wan's looking at whats happening and anakin is making puppy eyes bc masterhelp #and he's calling out to obi-wan and that's when obi-wan FINALLY reacts and tries to go through the group to save anakin from the group #(bc he was JEALOUS he's fucking jealous NOW. after anakin LITERALLY calling him to fuck him but noooo only when someone tries to steal his #man does he do something 🙄) #well too fucking late obi-wan bc the group is relentless and they do NOT let him through #and well he never gets to anakin bc the dream ends 😔 #so yeah moral of the story is when ur padawan is naked and soaped calling u to fuck him U FUCK HIM bc if u don't others will #f.txt