Ok, So I've Never Been Able To Get Out Of My Head The Thought Of Companions Who Have To Tie Durge Up

i haven’t been able to finish my current me3 playthrough yet due to my brother hogging the xbox so he can play ARC: Evolved but here’s a list of things i remembered i hate in the OT in no particular order

the elevators

the asari

mark meer’s voice acting in ME1

liara’s writing if you don’t romance her (wtf bioware)…especially considering that the reason i generally DON’T romance her is because in ME1 at least, it feels like an adult dating a teenage girl.

femshep’s romance options and how most of them get fucking shafted to shit in ME3

how heteronormative ME2 was

jacob taylor’s loyalty mission and how racist it was

how racist and lazy the writing for jacob taylor was in general (ofc there are many reasons i dislike jacob in and of itself, but some it can be chalked up to bad writing)

jack’s chuppy ass default outfit in me2 (really bioware??? a woman could have the smallest titties in existence and she still wouldn’t be able to strap ‘em down with just a fucking belt. even if this game was written by mostly men, that’s still dumb as hell)

miranda’s largely unnecessary ass-shots

thane’s death

kai leng

that fact that you can’t call out kaidan for his bullshit cheating accusations in ME3 if you DO choose to romance someone else in ME2 as femshep if you romanced him in ME1, but mshep can do that to ashley (????? BIOWARE!)

the fact that an aro ace shepard it practically impossible to play after a certain point in the series without being a complete dick (and if you play the citadel dlc, impossible as femshep! because if you don’t romance anyone you wake up next to javik! lmao)

the fact that the dlc for the ME2 and 3 literally never goes on sale on pc like it does for the console versions, forcing me to pirate shit i already fucking paid for because i am unwilling to shell out £200+ on this shit again because EA and bioware are lazy money-grubbing fucks thanks ea thanks very much for your business practices

related to the above, but why did they never sell me2 or 3 with all the dlc included? that shit would sell like no one’s business…oh wait, EA…again.

the elevators

enough silliness what’s y’all’s favorite fruit

Oh goodie, it's that time of day again: Another person posting in the Hal tag about how he shouldn't be a companion. I see the fuckery from the Larian fourms is making its way here.

Hal has nothing to do with W/ll not getting enough content. Hal has nothing to do with Minthy not getting enough content. Hal has nothing to do with [insert inane complaint here].

Creative works are not quantitative. If Larian hadn't made Hal a companion, that does not mean another companion would have gotten more content. There are TEAMS of people working in game development: It's not one single group all churning out the elements to make a game.

It is not 2 - 1 = 1. That's not how it works. Larian keeping Hal as an NPC would not mean they'd have had more time for other things. They would have spent the same amount of time on the same content regardless.

I like W/ll. I think he got shafted. But can we not turn this into a silly fan war? Can everyone just enjoy the fucking game without shitting on other fans?

Hal fans are not the reason W/ll has less content than other companions. Hal existing in the game is not the reason W/ll has less content than other companions.

JFC just let us like him in peace.

Coming back to Ghoulcy after a long break. Upon rewatching the show again, I honestly feel more strongly than ever that there's gonna be some canon Ghoulcy in the show at some point...

But I wanna clarify what I mean by that...

If that happens, obviously that's gonna create a bit of a love triangle between Lucy, Max and The Ghoul. And honestly, the triangle's probably gonna end up being pretty one-sided. Like I can't say whether I think Lucy will develop feelings for Cooper. But I definitely think its setting it up for Cooper to start having feelings for Lucy. And I think Lucy and Cooper might bang, just because Lucy is one horny lady with not a squeamish bone in her body lol.

Of course, that would definitely complicate things between her and Max even more than they already are. (You know, her dad being the one who blew up Max's home, the fact she offered to have him live in the vault with her but probably won't want to return after what she's learned, Max now being a knight, etc.) And who knows whether they will find each other and end up being together in the end, but...

Whatever the case, I don't think there's going to be a happily ever after for anybody. Not for Lucy and Max and definitely not for Lucy and Cooper. But it's certainly an opportunity for a lot of interesting drama and frankly, as someone who's been playing the Fallout games for 10+ years, I'd honestly be kinda disappointed if there wasn't some kind of human/ghoul relations going on. I mean, it's no more weird or ridiculous than any other absurd piece of lore in the Fallout universe. It's absolutely on brand 100%.

And if you think they won't do it just because they're worried about what people think... I would argue, they incinerated puppies in the beginning of the second episode... I don't think the show gives a shit about how anybody feels lol. The people making it are obviously passionate about the games and being true to the universe they're expanding upon. They've already fully embraced the dark and quirky elements and tone of the games. And they seem pretty cool with the Ghoulcy shippers too haha. So no, I don't think it's delulu to think there might be at least a little somethin' somethin' happening between Lucy and Cooper. Even if it's Cooper just pining hopelessly over her. Obviously, I could be very wrong. But I don't think I am. We'll see what happens, though. I'm sure I will still love the show even if it doesn't, but damn it would be fucking rad if it did lol.

*Halsin kissing Tav while holding them so tightly that not one mote of light could come between them, kissing them so deeply that there is no room for thought, only sensation of his scent, the calluses on his hands, the firmness of his body, the heat emanating from him. Every touch he gives is to bring them closer until it feels like they'll be consumed by his passion before it ends.*

Halsin: *smiling* Was there something you wanted, my heart?

Tav: 😶

Halsin: ....my heart?

Tav: .......I think I forgot my name.

I'm actually super surprised to see that there are people who don't like Halsin. I guess I've found myself in the right circles because I've never seen anything but love for him!

Ok, so I've been trying to gather my thoughts on this, because it's not a fun topic to discuss. But some of the most insane takes I have seen has been like this:

While others are pointing out how insane it sounds and getting call out posts for it as though they have had no good reason to talk about it:

It's gotten bad enough that Dave Jones, Halsin's voice actor, is being quoted by people saying he should be put on a list:

Dave is a voice actor. A goddamn voice actor. He doesn't have control over how Halsin is written nor is he endorsing any creepy behavior. This is a serious accusation to make and honestly, why are Halsin haters following the voice actor of a character they hate?!

People are entitled to their feelings and they have a right to feel safe, but that does not give them the right to falsely accuse real people for things that did not happen.

This is fictional work. Fictional characters who are written out with a set plan in mind. We know Halsin's intent from start to finish and it's never changed like other, more controversial characters are intended like:

Halsin: I understand, and I will cherish our relationship.

Minthara: I already know your mind. I will know your body, one way or another.

This is not a condemnation of Minthara. She's intended to be difficult and bossy, because she had to be in the cutthroat world of the Underdark. This is, however, intended to be a comparison of the double standards I've been seeing from fans and wish would be applied fairly and civilly. I would deeply dislike being deceived if I was a new player trying out this game and found out I had been misled so badly on different characters. I've already felt aggravation finding out fans pushed a popular headcanon over what's actually in the game in other games.

So some time ago, it occurred to me as to why there's strong ghoulcy vibes in Fallout. It was kinda obvious in retrospect, but I was slapping myself in the head when I noticed it.

The flashbacks.

Cooper and Lucy's flashbacks are being shown in greater detail than any other characters. Maximus has his, but they keep repeating back to an image of a Brotherhood knight rescuing him, not his life before Shady Sands was destroyed. It's odd, because you'd think that Maximus and Lucy would have more in common since they both had once lived in Shady Sands and that Lucy's parents directly affected Maximus.

But no.

Instead, we're seeing more parallels drawn between Lucy and Cooper to explain why Cooper invited Lucy along his journey, why he sympathizes with her and why they're leaving together at the end.

"Well duh," I can hear in the back of my mind. "Of course that's why other ghoulcy fans are fascinated by this dynamic."

Thing is, why go through all that for those two? Why not a rivalry that continues, a race to get to Lucy's father instead? Why not Maximus leaving with her since he too would have been ripe for a revenge tale? We'd get more of a destined lovers feel if we were getting more of Maximus's past shown in flashbacks alongside Lucy's, but instead, we get the sense that Maximus is more focused on the future instead of being haunted by his past.

Things aren't still decided, and for all we know, Maximus and Lucy may still be endgame, but it gets harder and harder to ignore the questions. I do want to see more of Maximus's life before he joined the Brotherhood. I want to see why Dane is so devoted to him (there has to be a history there). I feel like Maximus is on the brink of becoming a revolutionary in changing the Brotherhood once he figures out himself and what he ultimately wants. He straddles the line between doing the right thing and being pragmatic.

But most of all, I want to see more ghoulcy. I want to see Lucy and Cooper develop alongside each other. I want to see Lucy change in ways Cooper didn't expect the way Clarice from Silence of the Lambs became someone Hannibal didn't predict.

Ok, so I came across one post that said that you can turn Mizora into stone as it doesn't count as damage against her (and I won't accidentally trigger Wyll into attacking even though he's technically free of his pact to her).

She has to fail 3 saving throws for this to work but my goodness, it is satisfying after she tried to kill Wyll's father and refused to leave camp when I told her to leave. No more stirring up trouble, no more taunting Wyll, no more spying on us.

My headcanon for Karlach is that after a long, exhausting fight to get her a functional replacement for her engine, she and Wyll finally return from Avernus, taking a long, long moment to just. Breathe. Fresh air at last, but this time for good. A huge burst of laughter as she picks Wyll up and whirls in a loop with him, tossing him in the air before catching him and giving him the most affectionate (painful) hug she's ever given.

Years later, she's settled into a life where she's running a tavern funded by Wyll, called the Battleaxe where the plates, bowls and cutlery are reinforced to handle the barfights that break out and there's an extra fee charged for every participant (or you clean the mess up yourself). The street kids come by to hang out with her and call her Mama K. They have dubbed themselves the "Kar-lackeys", aspiring to grow up as strong and fearless as her as she fixes troublesome patrons with a steely eye and a crooked grin before launching them into a pile of outside hay she has replaced every other day due to the vomit.

Her teammates visit her often, Astarion frequently trying to get her to spot him just this once, Gale always bringing homemade cooking that he knows she missed, Halsin bringing her carvings that she keeps on a shelf behind the bar, Shadowheart hiding out there with her on occasion for relief from Sharrans and to share a drink or 5, Lae'zel comparing fighting techniques with her regarding patrons and of course, Wyll, who is always there for her because after all they've been through, how could they part ways just like that? Jaheira's kids are also frequent visitors, with Jaheira there to congratulate her on getting back and Minsc of course to tell her more of what Boo told him.

And once a year, they all gather in her tavern after last call, to share a round together as they sing rounds of the worst ballads they've ever heard. She smiles as she says silently to herself, "Mom. Dad. I made it back."

A distinct lack of Halsin on my dash lately 🐻😔