if i fall, step into my place and keep going

diz(zie) • any • 35 [icon: Digital composition of the Shambler (Darkest Dungeon) and Kirby facing off against a cosmic backdrop. The Shambler is a shock of ghostly neon against a void of gray, which becomes colorful and vibrant in the presence of a translucent Kirby. Both have their mouths wide open, as if trying to consume the other. // header: Interior cover of House Of Leaves by Mark Z Danielewski, a page that extends beyond the exterior cover to denote the house being bigger on the inside. It is a photograph of assorted bits and bobs amassed by an obsessive, including measuring tape, aircraft landing safety instructions, thread, notes and article excerpts, fabric scraps, stamps, old photos, loose medication, a bullet, random illustrations, and more buried beneath. There are splatters of red ink or blood all over the objects. /end]

[lethallana]

an anonymous comm 💀

it's always taliesin's characters, man. the damage they do to me

[jadeandquartzes]

[id: art of bolaire, drawn primarily in black and white. bolaire has long curly/wavy hair that falls around his shoulders, and wears an elaborate vest/doublet belted several times with straps leading down towards his boots. a cape swirls around his thighs. he holds a rapier in one hand, which is drawn in an eerie shade of blue. the same shade of blue is used to illuminate his eyes, which are pinpricks in his mask-like face. end id.]

[captainofthetidesbreath]

new CritRole socials icon ahead of Campaign 4 tonight

[reggiemess]

Sometimes people think they're dealing with a Torment Nexus but what they actually have is a Jumanji. And sometimes people think something's a Jumanji but oops it's a Torment Nexus.

[reggiemess]

Now. Sometimes you have a third thing- you'll have yourself a Willy Wonka's Chocolate Factory. And buddy, I can't help you there.

[reggiemess]

So a Torment Nexus is something that is either a metaphor for a larger societal problem (e.g. The Platform, The Long Walk) or a social issue/trend taken to an exaggerated extreme (e.g. The Purge), with a lot of shades of grey in between (e.g. Squid Game). If it isn't about a larger societal issue/trend/structure it isn't a Torment Nexus.

A Jumanji can be dangerous and high-stakes (to the characters), but it doesn't need to have a metaphor or lesson, it can easily just be a "Would this be fucked up or what?" situation (e.g. a lotta Goosebumps stories). If there IS a lesson/metaphor, it will be on a smaller scale like psychological issues (e.g. Magnus Archives), family/relationship issues (e.g. Zathura), or about a specific topic (e.g. Magic School Bus). Large-scale social issues may be present (after all, Everything Is Political), but they take a definite backseat.

Now. A Willy Wonka's Chocolate Factory is a trap based around morality and vices. These can be cultural, religious, or bonkers bullshit like "children shouldn't chew gum." There is generally not discussion or criticism of this morality system. Regardless of the morality system used, if it's not a trap, it's not a Chocolate Factory.

[pingintech]

examples of a willy wonkas chocolate factory include:

saw

the cabin in the woods

labrynth (1986)

and

[disasterjones]

[Gif: The end of Escape the Greenroom (Game Changer, season 5 episode 9). Sam Reich is throwing peace signs in celebration as he says, "And that's the end of the episode," punctuated by a blast of confetti. He then turns and begins doing high kicks. Behind him, three contestants (Brennan Lee Mulligan, Lou Wilson, and Siobhan Thompson) are staring into the middle distance with blank expressions. /end]

[harrowharks-earing]

[disasterjones]

[ID: A conversation between Detective Peralta (labeled "Sam") and Captain Holt (labeled "Brennan") from Brooklyn 99. Peralta asks, "So how'd you convince the whole squad to betray me? What'd you offer them?" Holt replies, "I asked them if they wanted to embarrass you and they instantly said yes." Peralta responds, "I'm not gonna lie, that turns me on a little bit." /end]

[felstar-emporium]

Idk who this tiefling is but Tyranny already owns my heart

[Image description: a digital painting of Tyranny from Critical Role. She is a pink tiefling with blue nun attire. There is a pair of glowing hands over her eyes. End description.]

[redstonedust]

big fan of characters who look cool and tough and stoic but only because theyre internally thinking "fuckkk what do i say. how do i make friends. they didnt teach me how to do that in sword school."

[sarah-rhiannon]

"i've always liked the cat! i wanted to be born in the year of the cat!"

[utilitycaster]

Travis Willingham Combat Threat Level

TWCTL 0: no combat

TWCTL 1: voice normal unless yelling in support of barbarian raging

TWCTL 2: high-pitched giggling

TWCTL 3: high-pitched other vocal sounds

TWCTL 4: slight Texan accent (not in-character as Fjord)

TWCTL 5: super calm and gently encouraging

[colealexart]

he has that sadness in his eyes that you only see in eastern european gay porn

[jadeandquartzes]

[id: art of wicander halovar, drawn from the shoulders up and haloed by a circle of green color against a white background. wicander has teal hair, eyes, earrings, and facepaint, with a silver and teal circlet over the forehead and a silver chestplate over a teal shirt. wicander is looking to one side with a mournful, serious expression. end id.]

[sexcromancy]

necromancy is about control. NECROMANCY is about control. necromancy is about CONTROL. necromancy is ABOUT CONTROL. NECROMANCY!! IS ABOUT CONTROL

[sexcromancy]

the other day I saw a post that was like modern au smut is better bc they can use sex toys. but necromancy IS a sex toy

[abyssal-ilk]

is this anything

[disasterjones]

[ID: Cutscene from Dragon Age: Inquisition. Vivienne is looking at Solas with a blank expression. A text box includes a post by fieldrecording that reads, "you think you're sisyphus but you're actually the fuckass boulder." /end]

[sha-brytols]

PALLEGINA

[disasterjones]

[ID: Blurry photo of a person screaming into the camera. /end]

[c-kiddo]

ok who is this diva

[lynaiss]

Thaisha 🍂 What a gorgeous character, I was immediately smitten!!

[jadeandquartzes]

[id: art of thaisha, wearing a long red dress with multiple overlapping/tied pieces and straps, as well as a variety of silver jewelry pieces and red eyeshadow/lipstick. she is standing in a forest, with one hand up against some form of root or branch; magic glows in her hands, and yellow fire-like energy coats the branch, along with healthy green leaves. similar tendrils of the same glowing magic, covered with golden leaves, wrap around her and extend into the rest of the scene. end id.]

[disarmonia]

Felt an overwhelming urge to draw Bolaire Lathalia as soon as I saw the character reveal for the upcoming Critical Role campaign 4. Adore the design, intrigued by the mask and the weapon. Character belongs to Taliesin Jaffe.

____________

If you want to support me and me art - my tip jars are HERE along with links to trusted foundations to support Ukraine.

[jadeandquartzes]

[id: art of bolaire, drawn from the shoulders up in a shadowy space. he has long, flowing red hair and a face which seems to be made of, or covered by, a silvery-metal mask with joints along the jaw and cheek. the eyes behind the mask are tiny and circular, and glow and eerie greenish-blue. he wears a black and red longsleeved doublet, and is turned to look over his shoulder at the viewer with a smirk/smile. in his raised hand, he pinches the blade of what appears to be a glass rapier between thumb and middle finger. light glows from beneath his face, sending sparks/motes of illumination up around him. end id.]

[disasterjones]

I think a factor of Dragon Age that often gets overlooked is that there is no real "word of god," in the sense that nothing communicated in game is an objective unbiased truth. All of it is expressed within a narrow framework, from personal perspective, or is informed by wider systems which do not offer answers so much as a structure by which to map one's life and ideals. I most see this in relation to the declaration by in-game characters and lore (as discussed by individuals within the world, who are all subject to their own personal biases and blind spots), among other things, that the Darkspawn do not think, or are not capable of higher intelligence.

It is my opinion that the broader metanarrative points to the obvious: of course they do, how else would they be successful? How else do they communicate, scheme, and execute complex tactical engagements? How else do they understand the daily lives of the settlements they raid, and know who to take? Declaring an enemy incapable in any capacity is a comfortable and convenient assurance to give oneself a fighting chance against an oppressive force that seems impossible to overcome. Once you simply revoke the concept of their aptitude in your mind, denigrate them to a hive of unthinking masses, it becomes simple and plain to assume a futility of reasoning, or understanding, that the only possible way to survive is through their extinction. It necessitates the violence, because there is no humanity to respect, to empathize with, or even acknowledge.

In a way, it's propaganda, which ultimately reinforces the in-universe belief that there is no way around the conflict, only total annihilation of Them or Us, and it cannot be us. It makes the enemy seem savage, monstrous, and separate from the fabric of humanity; but we know for certain that these creatures are Us, just in a slightly different configuration. Their method of creation is violent and extractive, but it is still a birth not unlike that of the other mortal races. Circumstance does not allow the darkspawn to sup on milk and tender foods, its only existence is one of war, and so its only nourishment are the bodies of the fallen and the waste of those that bore them. This, understandably, can only be absorbed by the victims as evil, and as such there is no other place for darkspawn to occupy but The Evil. And evil is not recognized for its humanity or its intellect or experience, it is only ever understood by the violence it enacts.

This is why there is clear and undeniable evidence of the tactical and philosophical prowess in the darkspawn, and why it is never a mark of their intelligence but of their unending drive for evil. This is a useful narrative for those that fight them, that seek to destroy them, and who find themselves at their mercy. It is easier to look into the eyes of a monster and stand righteous than it is to look into the eyes of a man just as ragged and certain about your evil as you are of theirs.

[disasterjones]

and somehow they hit the tag limits