steppenwolfslair

[steppenwolfslair]

Deep Space Nine was not afraid to say it.

[steppenwolfslair]

since i'm complaining i also really dislike that post going around where it criticizes the way bioware handled the south. which i also dislike! but the tone of the post is so patronizing and annoying. "AKSHUALLY BIOWARE, THE SOUTH DOESN'T FALL. BECAUSE BLORBO BLEEPUS IN KIRKWALL--" stop. i don't love it either.

i hate that it gained so much traction especially because it also asserted so much about worldstates that aren't even true, which only served to prove the decision that it was left vague on purpose so people could apply it to their own worldstates. what if my warden is dead or a loser and doesn't want to help the south. what then. now you are like bioware

[steppenwolfslair]

the revisionist history where inquisition is actually the Best Game Ever Made and above criticism when it's actually something we've been criticizing for ten years for being largely lifeless and putting the burden on the player to carry the weight of making it interesting is. insane. you are all smoking donkey balls

[steppenwolfslair]

Putting them on my side blog too because they’re my emotional support

designing some threads for Esha.

Also i am sick yet again because the fates won't let me have a damn minute

[steppenwolfslair]

SEVEN DEADLY SINS GAME

the lovely @hightowerqueen tagged me so why not!

Pretty sure all the 4 people i interact with here already did this so yeah lmao

ESHA DE RIVA

LUST. desire for connection. pursuit of pleasure. emotional intelligence. obsessive. lovesick. one-night stands. seductive encounter. flirtatious conversation. erotic party. seductive attire. revealing clothing. passionate gaze. provocative makeup. sensual expressions. suggestive gestures. flirtatious smiles. lingerie. love letters. perfumes. provocative behaviour. love poems. erotic art.

GLUTTONY. indulgence in experiences. savouring moments. hospitality. generosity. hedonism. culinary expertise. wine-tasting. excessive snacking. overloaded plates. excessive portions. bloated stomachs. messy eating. greasy fingers. full tables. indulgent spreads. overflowing cups. satisfied expressions. wine bottles. just can't get enough. fast food wrappers.

ENVY. motivation. competitive spirit. strategic planning. observational skills. bitter rivalry. contest. envious gossip. resentment-filled argument. social media jealousy. furrowed brows. clenched jaws. side-eye looks. pursed lips. tense posture. whispering behind backs. crossed arms. gossip magazines. keeping up with the joneses. the grass is always greener. feeling inadequate.

GREED. resourcefulness. entrepreneurial spirit. negotiation. materialistic. aggressive investment. lavish spending spree. resource-hoarding. get-rich-quick schemes. auction-bidding war. property acquisition. piles of money. overflowing wallets. luxury items. locked safes. penny-pinching. rare collectibles. selfishness. unwillingness to share.

SLOTH. calmness. stress management. nonchalance. relaxation techniques. lethargic. apathetic. inactive. lazy weekend. binge-watching marathon. neglected chores. skipped workout. long nap. lounging on the couch. missed deadlines. unkempt appearance. messy hair. pajamas. blankets. slippers. procrastination station. self-care routines.

PRIDE. confidence. self-assurance. self-respect. dignity. public speaking. self-promotion. arrogant. conceited. egotistical. self-important. vain. boastful speech. puffed chest. raised chin. smug smiles. spotlight. tooting your own horn. showing off. refusing to admit mistakes. feeling entitled. personal branding. leadership development.

WRATH. assertiveness. decisiveness. strength. intensity. boundary setting. courage. indignant. heated arguments. road rage incident. physical altercation. angry outburst. clenched fists. glaring eyes. tense muscles. raised voices. reddened faces. aggressive gestures. stormy demeanour. intense frowns. destructive actions. broken objects. punching bag. out for blood. fists. simmering anger.

[steppenwolfslair]

I have realized that every time a scene would show up with them my brain would half turn off so i could play my better version lmao.

Lucanis most certainly doesn’t become First Talon in my better version, no sir.

Switch program mode activated.

Sometimes I forget the Lucanis and Illario in my head are not the Lucanis and Illario in the game lol

[steppenwolfslair]

Just a compilation of times Illario worries about and cares for Lucanis in The Wigmaker Job ♡

[steppenwolfslair]

So what you’re saying is a certain anxiety ridden neurotic artist should also draw him in an open cut villainous coat with a bunch of feathers on it.

I feel like that’s what’s being said here

illario if devs let him slay like he did in wigmaker job

[steppenwolfslair]

I think a lot of people dislike Taash discussing gender and being non-binary so explicitly because it forces them to acknowledge those issues rather than remain comfortable ignoring them. Transgender identities in Veilguard are not an innuendo, an off-handed remark, but they're mentioned and discussed in a way that prevents working around them and disregarding them. All the talk of people mentioning how DA games should be "medieval fantasy" and not use "modern language" is just a facade for wanting to be able to ignore what makes people uncomfortable.

[steppenwolfslair]

They fumbled Lucanis' personal quest so bad because they really had the opportunity to give us the ethical quandary of Orzzamar 2.0 (amoral bastard who will do a better job long term vs guy who's at least trying to have some standards that are absolutely going to lead to disaster) with a side of landsmeet (unless hardened, one of these guys doesn't even want the job, their awful parental figure wants it for them).

[steppenwolfslair]

I don't really understand what Zara is doing with the Ossuary? She's trying to make demons, I get that, but... how? Like, from scratch, from nothing, building them inside people? That's what it sounds like in some of the codexes and some comments, but Spite talks like he existed in the Fade peacefully before he became Spite. So is she pulling spirits out of the Fade and trying to twist them into demons via torture? Like what the mages did in All New Faded For Her, except intentional? Or is she just pulling pieces of the Fade out, like Solas says most spirits "natural state is peaceful semi-existence". Like wisps? Is that what she's using? and just throwing weird magic at them until they develop enough consciousness to freak out and become demons?

[steppenwolfslair]

Apparently she was stuffing them in “uncooked meat” and feeding them to folks.

But how she stuffed them in there we will never know.

There is a bunch of possessed ham running around in the Ossuary.

I don't really understand what Zara is doing with the Ossuary? She's trying to make demons, I get that, but... how? Like, from scratch, from nothing, building them inside people? That's what it sounds like in some of the codexes and some comments, but Spite talks like he existed in the Fade peacefully before he became Spite. So is she pulling spirits out of the Fade and trying to twist them into demons via torture? Like what the mages did in All New Faded For Her, except intentional? Or is she just pulling pieces of the Fade out, like Solas says most spirits "natural state is peaceful semi-existence". Like wisps? Is that what she's using? and just throwing weird magic at them until they develop enough consciousness to freak out and become demons?

[steppenwolfslair]

Some thoughts on Caterina

I will add some two cents into the Caterina discussion because I've been thinking about it as someone who also grew up in a very matriarchal culture and family. Now I will say immediately that they don't show Caterina enough for anything to hold actual water which is a giant flaw of this game for me. My main insights into her come from Tevinter nights.

I have a very difficult time calling anything Caterina does as ''love'', I definitely have issues when people say she is both abusive AND a loving grandmother as if these things are separated by a barrier and don't necessarily mix. Unless we are calling her love the twisted, egotistical, corrupted kind of ''love'' I will not give her that characterization. We know from the WMJ that Lucanis assumes his training was to make both him and Illario survive in their world which stands and makes sense. Their whole family was wiped out and Caterina is making sure that never happens again.

If we go into this assuming the absolute very best of Caterina and say she is like this because of her great loss, she did what she did because she never wanted her grandsons to witness the same, because she herself didn't want to witness that tragedy again. That she had to steel every inch of herself and do what needed to be done to survive. If we take all of this into account (and this is all one assumption mind you because she could also just be an overly ambitious, narcissistic and manipulative authority who is trying to make sure the Dellamortes name never sees sunset) we are still left with a woman who beat down children with her cane and starved them.

I cannot in any good conscience give her that benefit of the doubt. Even if i assume the very best about her intentions and reasoning this woman tortured her grandsons and i couldn't give a damn about her.

Every abuser has a reason and it is often ''love'''.

And if anyone tries to pull the culture card on me don't even try i lived it. I don't need to understand or look at anything here. Your experience on how you dealt with domestic abuse and your abuser is your own. This is a real issue, it mirrors a very real experience and people are allowed to have the reaction to it and her that they have.

And if you have a problem with people hating her because they witnessed the same type of abuse irl and are therefore being ''unfair to her'' you can shove it :P

[steppenwolfslair]

Me:

[steppenwolfslair]

Everything Anaris knew? This thing knows. And my people deserve to know.

[steppenwolfslair]

He was my cousin, but we were more like brothers, really. (All we had left...)

lucanis and illario through time

[steppenwolfslair]

Just gonna drop this here as well because if someone is all up in your business telling you “you just don’t get it/ you’re wrong for writing him this way” do whatever the hell you want. Life is too short to listen to people nag at you on the internet over something as silly as this.

Anyone who does this to people just having fun is a complete and utter buzzkill. You do you let people do them, we’re talking about writing fics and smut here not global politics lmao.