dopamining

[dopamining]

every time someone thirsts for cullen dragon age, i am reminded that in origins, this guy is canonically implied to have committed sexual assault, lamao.

[dopamining]

Me who thought "The Executors" were an Easter Egg reference for the fucking Mass Effect's Harvesters in Inquisition but it was a serious plotline they were going for all along since Inquisition:

You had the "the Veil has a range" and "the Titans are awake outside" set up for beyond Thedas, and for what? Setting up a "there are EVIL mysterious people outside of the Veil who have orchestrated all events of the games"? Massacaring what good writing you HAD by making it into "someone else made them do it"? Making all those people who made their own, if catastrophic choices, into victims instead of characters with complexitiy of agency? And then using the animation with THE EXECUTORS twice, first implicating it was an Evanuris cult? Then going SIKE, it's a whole different thing?!

And no, I'm not reading books/comics for extra material this time, Bioware. You are telling this story here and now and in the game and it should be cohesive.

What absolute incompetence.

While I never expected a good game, I at least hoped that some of the remaining veterans on the writing team would make sure that the game stays consistent in terms of lore.

It's not hard, I said, as someone who keeps a wiki of their OCs and worldbuilding, so I don't contradict myself. It's not hard to give even incompetent gig writers you hire for the job a guideline. You've had over a decade to write it, of course!

WRONG.

On top of glaring incompetence in something as basic as keeping a logical flow in dialogues and scenes, somehow you manage to break your own canon every couple of minutes of spoken content?

How did any of this go through review? Was there even a review? Did anyone care to make this game at least consistent?

And at the same time, somehow, they managed to actively avoid adding new lore to the game. Everything that Veilguard reveals has already been foreshadowed or half-revealed in the prior games.

And the plotlines that DID have unresolved mysteries? The titans, the world outside of the effects of the veil? The elven uprising, the flocking of Dalish from all over Thedas to Solas' cause in Tresspasser? The hints of a war about to break between Tevinter and qunari? Briala's countermeasures in the eluvian guerilla warfare between the factions? The grandiose mystery that has been hinted at, with Morrigan's sisters, the ancient dragons, all being connected to the "blood of the earth" and the Titans, and the blight, AND qunari? The plotline hinting at the death of the archdemons somehow damaging the world irreconcilably and being something to be avoided? Enchantment? Kieran?

Damn it, even just the real and gruesome picture of Tevinter slavery and the existence of the Black Divine and Minrathos' policy of worshiping solely the maker and considering the worship of Andraste s heresy!

Off all these the only thing that hasn't been chucked out of the window and into abyss is a wheel of cheese.

Edit I: Oh and if you thought drug addiction of the Templars is still a theme in the game, don't worry, they forgot to write that in.

Edit II: I was wrong! They didn't forget to write it in. They deliberately wrote it out for the Northern Templar order and turned them into cops.

Edit III: After going through Codex entries, I would like to make mention that there IS a Codex that talks about the differences of worship between nations. However it does not change that the writing outside of the Codex entries is breaking that lore.

Additionally I made mention that they forgot about the outside world. Again, there is a Codex entry that mentions that lore, but it seems to be incomplete as it erroneously states that people have been turned back and there are wild stories circulating. People have in fact died in storms, and survivors that made it back were all driven insane. There is no mention of it. My speculation over the years was that the effect of the Veil is local and I was expecting THAT alongside the "veil measuring devices" and the Orb to play into the study of the Veil by the Inquisition remnants and other interested parties. Alas, this plays 0 role in the plot.

As does the mechanic of belief as a power source, in fact! You know, the one mechanic they hinted heavily as something that could easily change the nature of beings closely connected to the Fade? Remember the Avvar?

Or the Chasind? Hello? Does anyone remember the Chasind? (Who, I notice now after rereading the wiki page on them, are written in an archaic form of xenophobic stereotypes towards northern eastern europeans. Wow.)

[dopamining]

A semi-comprehensive list of every pre-established lore inaccuracy in Dragon Age: The Veilguard

Please note, this isnt me saying you cannot enjoy the game for what it is. This is not me saying you shouldnt play the game. But as a long time Dragon Age fan (started with Origins, has consumed all extra media including books/shows/novellas/etc..) the way Veilguard has fumbled the lore is, to someone who cares, infuriating. I shall keep the list under a read more to avoid spoilers for Veilguard. This will also be added to with more points that are given for people who wish to add

But without further adieu;

Bioware Kind of Forgot...

Bioware kind of forgot...

That Solas, after you choose to drink from the Well of Mythal (whom in Veilguard is confirmed either a lover/mother figure) is fucking pissed

That Solas was not bringing down the Veil to move the Evenuris and put them somewhere else, but to establish the ancient elves once more

The fucking orbs

That the elves were currently, at the end of inquisition, beginning the elf uprising and following Solas

the Elvhen Language

Solas being able to control Morrigan/Inquisitor after absorbing some of Mythal's power

That most of the Elves would be on board with Solas's plan

Brialla and how she controls Eluvians too

That in Inquisition, it is stated that barely any working Eluvians exist and that the one in Skyhold and the one in the temple of Mythal are extremely rare

The Valaslin and how if all of what happened is common knowledge, that the elves arent currently freaking the fuck out that they are wearing slave markings

Solas does not abhor the use of Blood Magic

That the Evanuris were trapped/locked in the Black City specifically and not the fade in general, so Solas would have to open the Veil either at the doors of the Black City or travel. The gods would not be wandering around the Fade Bioware kind of forgot...

the Tevinter Imperium does not worship Andraste, but the maker himself, and worshipping Andraste is seen as Southern Andrasteism, which is heresy, so why is there a Church of Andraste in the capitol city

Slavery in Tevinter (really now there are no slaves shown in Minrathous?)

Varric hates the deeproads/dwarves so why is he so okay with Harding's magic

Hawke in general

Varric is a world famous author so someone would have mentioned his death at some point?????

how the fucking Blight works (seriously the entire party is infected with the Blight)

How spirits work

Morrigan never wanted to become a vessel for Mythal and despises the thought

The Qunari would not give a shit about Taash's identity whatsoever. Refer to the term aqun-athlok that Iron Bull references when speaking about Krem

More shall be added with discovery

[dopamining]

While I never expected a good game, I at least hoped that some of the remaining veterans on the writing team would make sure that the game stays consistent in terms of lore.

It's not hard, I said, as someone who keeps a wiki of their OCs and worldbuilding, so I don't contradict myself. It's not hard to give even incompetent gig writers you hire for the job a guideline. You've had over a decade to write it, of course!

WRONG.

On top of glaring incompetence in something as basic as keeping a logical flow in dialogues and scenes, somehow you manage to break your own canon every couple of minutes of spoken content?

How did any of this go through review? Was there even a review? Did anyone care to make this game at least consistent?

And at the same time, somehow, they managed to actively avoid adding new lore to the game. Everything that Veilguard reveals has already been foreshadowed or half-revealed in the prior games.

And the plotlines that DID have unresolved mysteries? The titans, the world outside of the effects of the veil? The elven uprising, the flocking of Dalish from all over Thedas to Solas' cause in Tresspasser? The hints of a war about to break between Tevinter and qunari? Briala's countermeasures in the eluvian guerilla warfare between the factions? The grandiose mystery that has been hinted at, with Morrigan's sisters, the ancient dragons, all being connected to the "blood of the earth" and the Titans, and the blight, AND qunari? The plotline hinting at the death of the archdemons somehow damaging the world irreconcilably and being something to be avoided? Enchantment? Kieran?

Damn it, even just the real and gruesome picture of Tevinter slavery and the existence of the Black Divine and Minrathos' policy of worshiping solely the maker and considering the worship of Andraste s heresy!

Off all these the only thing that hasn't been chucked out of the window and into abyss is a wheel of cheese.

Edit I: Oh and if you thought drug addiction of the Templars is still a theme in the game, don't worry, they forgot to write that in.

Edit II: I was wrong! They didn't forget to write it in. They deliberately wrote it out for the Northern Templar order and turned them into cops.

Edit III: After going through Codex entries, I would like to make mention that there IS a Codex that talks about the differences of worship between nations. However it does not change that the writing outside of the Codex entries is breaking that lore.

Additionally I made mention that they forgot about the outside world. Again, there is a Codex entry that mentions that lore, but it seems to be incomplete as it erroneously states that people have been turned back and there are wild stories circulating. People have in fact died in storms, and survivors that made it back were all driven insane. There is no mention of it. My speculation over the years was that the effect of the Veil is local and I was expecting THAT alongside the "veil measuring devices" and the Orb to play into the study of the Veil by the Inquisition remnants and other interested parties. Alas, this plays 0 role in the plot.

As does the mechanic of belief as a power source, in fact! You know, the one mechanic they hinted heavily as something that could easily change the nature of beings closely connected to the Fade? Remember the Avvar?

Or the Chasind? Hello? Does anyone remember the Chasind? (Who, I notice now after rereading the wiki page on them, are written in an archaic form of xenophobic stereotypes towards northern eastern europeans. Wow.)

[dopamining]

i am once again reminding you that azem has a black mask in canon

[dopamining]

shield of faerghus VS the hero of daphnel

[dopamining]

fandom collectively ignoring that klavier was a 13 years old in a group of 17-18 years old classmates and bandmates ... oh, fandom, when i get you, fandom.

[dopamining]

the reason why there are blood shortages is because blood expires. and because there is lots of blood that hospitals can't use, because of bloodborne diseases. if you attack people on the streets, you are attacking someone who is already more vulnerable. that's people who are homeless, or suffer from addiction, or are mentally ill, or all of the above. why can't vampires take blood packs that expired or is contaminated? if they are mindful about it, there will be no actual harm.

Honestly, I love the idea of a vampire who only drinks blood taken from blood banks and hospitals, because it so beautifully encompasses someone who's more concerned with the vibes of something than the actual impact of it.

Drinking from someone on the street, barring some other condition they may have, isn't likely to kill them unless you gorge yourself. Taking blood packs? There's always a shortage of blood, and having even less of it runs the very real risk of getting someone killed in a way that is wholly out of your control once you've sipped on that blood. Someone you can't assure the innocence or guilt of, if you're the type of person who cares about that.

Despite that, in popular stuff, I often see discussions of drinking from a blood bank being somehow better or preferable, and yeah. No. The only thing it does is make you feel better while doing more harm, because of that degree of removal. You're effectively drinking blood from someone on the cusp of hypovolemic shock, but since it's not straight from the tap, some people seem to think it's better.

[dopamining]

rewatching lie to me for funsies and wow ... it's so usamerican imperialism racist, actually.

like

"He spent a year studying South African brows."

or

"Uzbekistan police wants to invite you to give a lecture."

"Tell them to call when they have a real constitution."

yuck

[dopamining]

just realized i never posted all of the icons i did for the gavinners zine a long time ago without the watermarks! 💜✨💥

i only ask that you credit me somewhere (in your bio or wherever else) if you want to use them! :^D

also linking my piece from that zine too bc u should look at my gavinners hehe 💥💥💥

[dopamining]

I often think about the theme of diefication of ideas and individuals, that pedestal of idealism that Disco Elysium deals with a lot. Harry, our viewpoint and our vehicle in this world, so similar to others, is a cleverly laid amnesiac trap. He is a lot to deal with. Us, the player, are lead to understand that with our first options, our state, our rejection from those around us.

Thus a companion who is willing to bear that burden of Harry becomes this first and easy lure into a radical holy perception of him. This is Dora, this is Dei, this could have been Jean, once upon a time. This is communism, this is disco, this is love.

These ideals have broken multiple things. Harry, Revachol, revolution. We see the mementos of war that ravaged the city and the way the corporations that came after the revolution's bloody fall tear the land and its people apart for another blood soaked coin. How the Pale comes in to fill where humanity has borrowed from itself for its immediate gain. The way the church is in decline, its attempt to lead the hearts of people into faith to oppose the path to ruin falling through.

And still.

Worship is the furthest thing from love, but love is akin to worship. You won't really solve the cases in this game of you act as an ideal or a tool. Harry cannot be a perfect cop to save anyone in the game. Kim will fail you if you treat him as an infallible diety.

And the Pale only wavers in front of love. You know, the thing that is the furthest from worship..

kim likes harry having a backbone and calling him out :)

reason №65463 why its weird to perceive kim as "a perfect being with no flaws" OR "a control freak who completely emotionally closed off and secretly a sadist"

[dopamining]

to your eternity - 37.

[dopamining]

people reading oshi no ko who think aqua is supposed to be a good lil fella to relate to in a positive sense ... and not a horrible lil guy with loads of trauma not at all coped with in ways that are meant to be super unsettling ...

you will not survive happy sugar life.

[dopamining]

Aigana Gali (Kazakh, 1980) - Yurt (2022)

[dopamining]

I'm so normal about their new outfits, so normal in fact I immediately had to draw them

[dopamining]

Welcome to Gavin Law Offices