maythedreadwolftakeyou

[maythedreadwolftakeyou]

After Bellara's personal quest, she mentions she's reading Cyrian's "death letter", saying they're something Veil Jumpers keep since they're working in such a dangerous area surrounded by wild magic. Which makes me wonder if Rook Aldwir kept up the habit after leaving to travel with Varric... they're still in such dangerous circumstances I think they must have. Maybe told Bellara where in their room they kept it tucked away just in case. I wonder how long Bellara (if not chosen for the mirror) sat with that knowledge after Rook gets dragged into the Fade... after the first few days would she go read it herself? Would she leave it and just keep hoping that it wouldn't be relevant, that they'd get her back? Would she get it, and pass it along to Rook's LI (if other than herself)? fantastic angst potential there

[maythedreadwolftakeyou]

i definitely romanced davrin in my first playthrough

[maythedreadwolftakeyou]

Tired of seeing your Inquisitor, a famous world leader, dressed in drab pajamas? Now you, too, can dress your Inquisitor in the ridiculously fancy armor they deserve!

This mod replaces the Inquisitor's grey pajamas with the Extravagant Plate armor from the Antivan Crow faction. Includes a version with the original Extravagant Plate armor and a version without the feather frill.

NOTE: The Extravagant Plate armor will not show up in the Inquisitor's CC but it will show up in game. I have not tested this mod on all Inquisitor body types, so please let me know if there are any issues!

This mod is compatible with mods that retexture or recolor the Extravagant Plate armor, but it is NOT compatible with other swap mods or The Swap Library.

[maythedreadwolftakeyou]

(continues to be insane) I can’t get over the fact that Spite asks for help.

Spite is often treated childishly by several characters—Taash, for example, and even Lucanis depending on your dialogue choices—but I actually…don’t think Spite is all that childish. He’s been put into a situation he’s never experienced before, in a place where reality doesn’t work like it should, and been put through torture that he feels doubly through Lucanis on top of it all. Any person would through a “tantrum” under these circumstances. Spite’s behavior is reasonable.

He never tries to hurt Lucanis’s companions, not once. He only ever tries to leave, as Lucanis promised him he would be able to. Even Lucanis, he only hurts once outside of the Ossuary, when he must have felt unbelievably confused. Calivan is dead and Lucanis has gone home, has allies, and yet to Spite, he simply refuses to leave the Ossuary. And still, he asks. He could wrestle control from Lucanis, but instead he asks (or demands) to talk to Rook. And all he wants to say is that he wants to be free.

All and all, Lucanis does not reach out to anyone to ask for help with his depression or PSTD. Spite is his problem, he says, and says often. His burden. He never intended to let anyone in, even though he admits that he doesn’t know how to start healing. He asks for Rook’s help against Zara, against Illario, but no one is privy to his mental and emotional struggles.

Spite, on the other hand, asks immediately. Or he wants to ask. And finally, when Lucanis is in the middle of a spiral, it's Spite that says "Help us." Not demanding, just asking. Pleading. And still only to Rook. While I think at first, Spite wants Rook specifically because he knows Lucanis will listen, I think that has grown into something more by the time Inner Demons comes around.

"Help us," he says. Not just 'make him listen' or 'help Lucanis'. Us.

This is all to say I think that while Spite may not understand or feel romance (yet) he most certainly feels love. He loves Lucanis, whose image he takes ("They wouldn't dare, Lucanis is mine.") and he loves Rook ("Rook is my favorite." "Smells like...Rook." "Help us." The WINGS.) And that's all trust is, isn't it? A kind of love? Showing vulnerability to someone close to you?

When Spite is finally allowed to communicate, he shows plenty of maturity. He gives Lucanis space, he asks Emmrich to teach him fire, he's willing to try new things, and he loves.

Determination is a kind of love too, when you think about it.

[maythedreadwolftakeyou]

☕️morning rookanis

[maythedreadwolftakeyou]

I want to talk about this take from my main blog because I want to double down on it.

I truly think that Veilguard is a bad Dragon Age game.

I don’t mean to sound like a bitch, but I really hate that people feel like this is a good Dragon Age game. I hate that people use the excuse that Dragon Age reinvents itself every game in its defense. I hate that people think that this is what a Dragon Age game is. And I’ve been hearing that this is “still a Dragon Age game” even from some critical reviews.

My rebuttal, if I was being flippant, is that the vibe is simply off. It doesn’t feel right.

If I have to put my disappointment and anger into words, I would say:

No, the heart of the games has never changed. The idea that your worldview is shaped by your past and that you can be a hero or a villain depending on who tells the story has never changed. Navigating complex and sometimes race/class-based politics has never changed. The ability for you to earn approval and disapproval based on personality-defining dialogue choices and/or meaningful choices hadn’t changed. Being able to go up and talk to characters (companions most of all) to learn about who they are and how Thedas has shaped them has never changed. Companions not solely based on tropes and nebulous ideas of what makes a cute relationship used to exist. Lore reveals were handled with care and sprinkled throughout the game rather than thrown at you one after the other. Gameplay never used to insult your intelligence by handing you an explanation to everything within seconds of being presented with a problem. This series of roleplaying games used to let you roleplay even if it was just respecting what tone you wanted to use.

Or, something like that.

When people tell me that this is a good Dragon Age game, it feels like they’re comparing this legacy of games to one of those Marvel movies or remakes that doesn’t need to exist, but does because it has a built in audience and will make them money. It feels devoid of what made the old games special to me. I know that the other games aren’t perfect. Not even in all of the respects I mentioned earlier, but I felt like BioWare gave a shit? Even Dragon Age: II with all of its flaws has this beautiful cast of characters and (narratively) fleshed out city and Dragon Age: Inquisition with all of its fetch quests had some of the most complex characters, interesting quest mechanics, and this highly ambitious (if flawed) setting design. This game is so half-baked that I barely understand what it’s about or who it’s really for.

In fact, after I finished the game, it took me a few days to get over feeling negatively about the entire series. I was terrified that Veilguard had ruined this series that I’d loved for half my life for me. I felt stupid. I hate that I care so much when I’m not certain that they do. Or, being more charitable, I’m not certain that BioWare is capable of making a product with care under EA.

I don’t know. Maybe this is a Dragon Age game, but if it is, I’m not sure I want another one.

[maythedreadwolftakeyou]

Zevran and his beautiful Antiva

[maythedreadwolftakeyou]

i just think it would have been neat if if you don't use The Ultimate Salvation of Felassan rune in the boss battle against Elgar'nan. what if you could instead use it to summon a temporary wisp of him a la the Mythal fragment to talk down Solas instead of just relying on Mythal's. there was more than one modern death he regretted is all i'm saying you know. more than one possibly-dead-possibly-not ancient spirit elf he still had ties to who was an integral part of his past and played more of a role in his healing than his harm hmmmmmmmmmmm

[maythedreadwolftakeyou]

thinking very casually about how in one of felassan's codex entries he writes that solas always thought mythal would join them one day, and that he believed it so strongly that he made a place for her near him in the fade, but she never came, and he never saw her again. thinking even more casually about how all these many centuries later solas seems stunned when lavellan comes to join him. comes to stand at his side and support him, as he hoped mythal would do. how stunned he is when the person he loves (who he did not even dare hope would join him, this time) does exactly that. in the fade, for the rest of their days.

[maythedreadwolftakeyou]

with determination and spite. 🗡

[maythedreadwolftakeyou]

art dump inspired by @vonspe's amazing Emmrook work, every time I see them I want to DRAW

(Octavian from my fic here)

[maythedreadwolftakeyou]

I like to think Sibi and Spite have long, very funny conversations when Lucanis finally falls asleep

[maythedreadwolftakeyou]

one of the weakest parts about dragon age inquisition (that veilguard worsens in hindsight) is that either none of the decisions you make matter or...they're there to set up the next game.

what happens if you ally/exile the wardens? find out in the next game!

how does drinking from the well affect the inquisitor/morrigan? find out in the next game!

how will your chosen divine reshape the chantry? find out next time on dragon ball z!

well then what am i playing this game for then? outside of the few epilogue slides what did it all matter? and then the next game came out and...

[maythedreadwolftakeyou]

A donation to Isabela 💰 Easier to fight Elgar'nan without all the weight

[maythedreadwolftakeyou]

I would think a non-Antivan Rook would have to be taught from like Teia and Viago on how to care for Lucanis and learn the Antivan Depression Signs(TM):

Depression spaghetti (made it hastily, used cheap ingredients, did not make it like nonna with love and care, just Did Not CARE, lowkey almost crying over it because he knows it's bad, does not want Rook eating his depression spaghetti because it was not made with care, it was not made with love)

Depression wine (the cheapest wine to be classified as wine)

Depression eating (has not eaten a homemade meal in a week)

Depression Not Even Cooking (cooking is love, how can he cook when his heart is so sad)

Teia and Viago have to stage an intervention over his Depression Spaghetti, non-Antivan Rook is simply amazed by it all

Lucanis ass tweet:

[maythedreadwolftakeyou]

DRAGON AGE: THE VEILGUARD (2024) ↳ 6/?

[maythedreadwolftakeyou]

Sleepless night