stormaggedon2000

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Inner demons

A little sketchy drawing to start the year

Happy new year everyone!

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The fact that Harding is the first (aside from Rook) Emmrich tells about Lichdom before the ritual even happens (the rest of the companions don't get to know unless he actually goes through with it), and they allegedly gossip about the love lives of the other companions, and both love plants, and he still tries to read the books she recommends him even though he doesn't like them at all, and she coaxes him into going camping with her, and he goes out and about on excursions with Harding to take Manfred out for walks...

And this:

Harding and Emmrich are best friends (and could be best friends forever literally) and it destroys me.

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These posts are cousins to me.

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DRAGON AGE: THE VEILGUARD (2024, dev. by Bioware)

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it’s so evil when you have a beverage and you drink it and then there’s no beverage anymore

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if american CEOs were killed at the same rate as schoolchildren, they would all be dead in a few months.

if american CEOs were killed at the same rate that police kill unarmed people, they would all be dead in a couple of weeks.

if american CEOs were killed at the same rate that life saving treatments were denied coverage, they would all be dead in seconds.

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Going mildly insane over Emmrich and Johanna's messed-up friendship.

He knows that only the most selfless should become liches; he would have helped her if she'd asked. They were students together. Her confidence in the face of death made him feel braver. She keeps saying she's going to kill him, but despite ample opportunity to track him down and do so, they only ever fight when he comes looking for her. She used to beg him to play tabletop games with her. He's the only person she has any respect for. She makes the most half-assed possible attempt to kill him when they reunite (trapping the Fade expert in the Fade???) She invites all her enemies to a murder party, but not him. (Was it really too much of a risk, Johanna? Or could you just not bring yourself to?)

She never seems actually prepared to kill him, but he is prepared to kill her. He calls her by her first name. She only ever uses his surname. She mocks him if he's in a relationship with Rook, but then says she'll bury him and his new lover in the same grave, like he said he wanted one time 30 years ago. He keeps her skull in his room. She does nothing but heckle him. He keeps her there anyway.

She monologues about how he's weak, pathetic, a bleeding heart, but when she learns that the world is on the brink of apocalypse, she demands, 'Get Volkarin on it!'

He is one of the kindest men in Thedas, and she is a monster, and they cannot stop loving each other. Who the fuck is doing it like them.

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Demon of Vyrantium

from a screenshot study of this post

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I do Not write video game analysis. However, one thing that I loved about Veilguard that I hadn’t seen people talking about, is that all the companions personal quests mirror Solas’s regrets.

Like Taash is struggling with their mom and identity and what to choose to be in their future. Do they be what someone else wants them to or make their own identity?

Emmrich is trying to deal with a fear of death and if sacrificing the things he loves is worth is for a better future. What’s the cost of never having to experience your greatest figure worth to you?

Davrin’s trying to figure out how to live when he’s always expected he would die. The duty he’s pledged himself to vs following his own nature. Should you sacrifice your life for the duty and happiness of others?

Bellara’s both dealing with the regret of not doing enough to prevent her brothers death, but also trying to decide if progress is worth the price it came at. How do you forgive yourself for your sins and carve a new path forward?

Neve is trying to be a good person in a system literally built for people like her while she has immense amounts of privilege. Do people need someone who will do anything for them? Or do they need a hero to look up to?

Lucanis is figuring out how to deal with the betrayal of someone who you not only trusted, but was your family. The closest person to you. At what point is family who hurt you no longer worth your forgiveness?

Harding is trying to both honor but let go of the trauma and create a future in light of that hurt. How do you create a future despite the trauma of your past?

And Rook! Rook’s entire thing is that they’re self-isolating. They never talk to any of their companions about their stress… except they do talk to Solas, the Inquisitor, and Varric, people who all have power or they see as their leader. They’re actively trying to withdraw from their community and take on whatever mistakes the team makes and whatever consequences will arise from the conclusions of the companions missions.

And this is all wildly clever thing because it creates a really effective way of commenting on Solas and his issues. This is not to say that they were crafted solely to comment on Solas, or to be pale imitations, but by making them have similar regrets and problems to him, it provides this really fantastic bit in the narrative, especially during the team meetups to discuss the murals, where they’re really able to both relate to, or disagree with Solas in some interesting ways because of their issues. It also makes the story much tighter than it would be otherwise, because nothing in this story doesn’t serve this very character-driven narrative about the choices, guilt, and fear and how that hampers or helps your decision making. And I really like it! You can see it in their dialogue around the murals too. Taash for instance specifically talks about the regret of not being able to tell someone you love stuff because you waited too long and now they’re dead. 10/10 bit of character introspection.

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Imagine making a post that says “I've been grieving how this series ended for two months now because it just meant to much to me and I'm so disappointed in this game and the only thing making me feel better is the critical tags”

Please. It's been two months. Get help.

This game is not as bad as some of you are making it out to be, and pretending we are using “toxic positivity” when no, we genuinely enjoy the game and the issue is that you had built up expectations that weren't met is so bizarre and martyrish. That is your issue alone, no one else's. It's also not “toxic positivity” if someone corrects erroneous posts regarding lore, or wild-ass takes like “the devs retconned [x]”

No one actually minds when someone makes an intellectually honest critique. In fact, it gets them interested.

But if you're upset because your *personal* needs weren't met and people are still telling you the game is great, it's fine, then I'm not surprised at your continued experience where you feel invalidated and encourage you, after two months, to find something else to do. You are shaping your own reality.

Claiming that the people who enjoy Veilguard the most are "casual fans” is so fucking insulting. I've been talking to and watching intense fans of all the prior games defend Veilguard specifically because of how it ties so much of the lore together.

Touch grass.

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At the start of Veilguard, if you run with a female Rook, it’s girl squad right up until you recruit Lucanis.

Once he’s picked up, there is chatter about how Harding is a terrible cook, how Bellara is usually making meals, and there is almost immediately a grocery list posted in the kitchen, written by Lucanis.

Then he goes shopping for the ladies.

I know this can’t be a new take, but I love the idea of these ladies surviving off of girl dinner, and Lucanis is just… horrified.

Bellara just snuck in to the pantry to grab her fourth apple of the day.

Neve had a handful of almonds and coffee for dinner.

Harding just made… something that no one else could stomach. She barely even ate her portion before eating a stale heel of bread.

Rook was in the kitchen at midnight eating a cucumber, and only a cucumber. No oil, no vinegar, or salt, pepper. She didn’t even chop the damn thing up.

Fresh from the Ossuary, and immediately on a new job, Lucanis decides the best way to success is making sure the ladies of the Lighthouse are properly fueled to save the world. It starts with a grocery list, and a new house rule: everyone comes to dinner. No exceptions.

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"I can normally handle it but like, I just feel like somebody here is just singing constantly"

Sound on for the song I spent minutes and minutes of my life creating plz

Once again, not caught up on Critical role 3 but once again, heard about Laura's characters interacting and ONCE AGAIN had to do something stupid for it.

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x

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I wonder how many heart-attacks Blackwall and Solas have per day when Cole is around.

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