#&. varric//threads

[oopsallmabari]

oh i'm really vibing with the graphics style tbh!!!

and HARDING MY BELOVED HARDING HIIIIIIIIII

[aeantizlkamenwati]

Final Veilguard Thoughts

I just completed Veilguard 100% platinum (though honestly it is one of the easiest platinums so not much accomplishment there). I have to say again it is not a bad GAME just bad Dragon Age. It reeks of multiplayer and loses everything that made DA unique because of it. And the epilogue is a slap in the face with their “we honor past stories and stories are about change” fourth wall bs and lack of closure. But below the cut is a massive amount of spoilers.

The TL;DR is it’s just a massive missed opportunity and a reboot.

The game up until Weisshaupt is sub par. Boring. It is like they knew the middle and end and then realized they’d have to do a beginning. And then just catered to the newbies and halfassed everything or didn’t do more than one draft. Again the repeating, the handholding the lore while also spoiling everything unnecessarily.

Ghil’s introduction is clownish. Treviso and Minrathous was just fucking blah especially compared to the later missions. It’s just a single fight. And the dialogue Ghil gets? It just makes her a joke. It’s not until Weisshaupt that you see oh she’s crazy and a goddess. It actually felt big while the stupid binary choice was just “eh pick who to fuck I guess”. Maybe if there were other choices like that, it wouldn’t feel so…thrown in there for the sake of supposed stakes.

But the first forty hours (if you are like me and refuse to do main story stuff until everything else is done) is just bad build up. I did not want to push forward until after Weisshaupt. It should NOT take half the game to actually get good. Blood of Arlathan was amazing. It actually felt like I was against a god. It was DIFFERENT than all the other running around quests the game had been up to that point.

I think it would’ve benefitted from more diversity overall. Like gameplay diversity. I think the combat especially needed more. It fucking sucks. It’s just a button masher with no thought. And every boss and big enemy is the same: shield, find the things to pop to break shield, rinse and repeat two-four more times. On storyteller difficulty it’s a joke. And every mission is just fight forward. No puzzle or interesting quests except Blood of Arlathan. Maybe Weisshaupt from the “everything is fucked” thing (it really felt like there should’ve been another REAL everything is fucked, dodging shit that fucked up Treviso/Minrathous to really introduce Ghil) The ending is a bit of a slog too but I enjoyed the cutscenes and war council stuff (again because it was different and interesting and felt like Rook actually had a reason to do it). The end boss battle was cool though not a big fan of the kaiju battles. I called the plot twists at the beginning of the game. Not sure if that's a mark for or against the writing. And the more interesting bits about regret weren’t given enough time to really sink in.

So I think it’s a pacing issue as well as a dialogue issue. I feel like they missed an opportunity to really do something with Rook’s regrets. They are just optimistic and driven all the fucking time that by the time we get trapped in the prison, that’s the first time we see Rook has self doubts and whatnot. There’s this one dialogue line that hit with the masc 1 voice, talking with Solas afterwards that’s “I liked working with you” and it just hits. Where was that emotion before? That level of feeling in the dialogue? If the game is about regrets why didn’t they lean into it??? Instead they leave it blank and deprive Rook of anything interesting, of the thing that made them UNIQUE among the DA protags.

I mean the Inquisitor could be "idk what's going on and why I'm here", but they didn't really have the option to doubt themselves. Hawke was our "everything falls apart around me and I'm just pure chaos" protag. And the Warden was the "Guess I'm in charge now, everyone deal with it" protag. Rook could've been really interesting, to show the different kinds of doubts and regrets. Maybe they are just a scared kid trying to hold it together because they've fucked up everything else in their life. Or maybe they are just pissed that they are the one stepping up. (I also think they could've added depth to the whole elf god thing. Could've also been a nice reason to "fix" the DA racism instead of pastel paint it over). They could’ve utilized the companions to show they cared about Rook that they see what they are going through.

But nope! Bland nothing you have to headcanon your way out of. And Rook is still blander than Origins because everyone knows who they are but the player. They should’ve done something about the backgrounds to set the scene for each Rook. Like resolve them in the game too, not just introductory scenes. Like Aldwir could've had a special mission where them and Strife hash it out (with probably more yelling) cause I kinda felt Strife was Rook's father figure and it would hurt to be constantly told they fucked up by him. Mercar could've had scenes with their family, talking about what it is to lead. SOMETHING to tie Rook to the story and flesh them out beyond headcanons (any developer who relies on headcanons to make their stories interesting, unless the protag is meant to be a Dovahkiin blank space, is fucking lazy, rushed or bad at their job. I don't want to be told "this is the correct Rook", I want enough personality and story to sink my teeth into and Rook is a paper thin vanilla wafer) And they are fucking contradictory? You choose the elf option for tattoos in the beginning and Rook states they were not raised Dalish. They tell Taash they were raised in a city. Then you can say you are Dalish??? And have all the knowledge of a Dalish about the culture. When canonically that’s doubtful. But nope rainbows and sunshine no problems here.

Then the companions are the biggest missed opportunity. I can forgive shitty gameplay (Andromeda) if the companions are good. And this is where the multiplayer starts really showing up. The fact that 90% of their bonding is completely missable and requires you to go into their rooms, stand there, and then just leave without a word from Rook is bullshit (and weird as fuck). Even Andromeda let you have conversations outside cutscenes.

And there’s a lack of balance between the characters. Fucking Taash has like 20 cutscene things and everyone else gets a quarter of that. Why isn’t Lucanis’ healing as important as Taash’s gender journey??? Or Bellara’s grief?? I like Taash don’t get me wrong (at least when they aren’t acting like a moody edgy teenager. That’s just bad writing) but they feel like the favorite child and everyone else is just there. Even NB Rook gets shafted for Taash’s story. I feel I know Taash and have missed everything with the other characters.

This lack of development hits mostly in the romance. Lucanis’ is nonexistent it seems with the majority of flirts doing nothing. One almost kiss and then the companion quest doesn’t change and boom can be in a relationship with nothing new added. It feels like they got the okay to do single player and went “oh shit now we have to do romance…uh just throw the same formula and they’ll be fine”. Like the companions have better chemistry with each other. Rook is just...nothing (no one can convince me they are supposed to be like Shephard because there's having a predefined character and having a blank doll that talks like it has personality) This is a step down from even fucking Origins and DA2. At least those were unique with their own plot lines and themes. At this point I’d take the cringey sex montage of Origins over this nothing burger. Those had more depth than a classic Disney film.

And who’s bright idea was it to put the kiss/make out scene right after you just found out your mentor is dead and you��ve been played with by a god (and why wasn’t that given more room to breathe??? I would feel fucking violated as fuck! But given that one of the writers once wanted you to have sex with a demon masquerading as Leliana I'm also not fucking surprised the idea of consent got thrown out the window) and watched your friend die???? How is that okay???? And didn’t one of the directors say “this is the most romantic da game to date” or something??? Seriously? You call this more romantic than having a literal Princess Bride moment with Josie? Or Dorian learning to want more that he can have more? Be for fucking real.

The lack of all of this gives me serious doubt about Mass Effect 5. I expect a full reboot like this where they just nuke everything off screen so they don’t have to deal with it and call it something like “necessary to avoid pointless one liners” again. I can think of several decisions I made that could’ve aided the South. You know like the schism between the Grey Wardens. But nope. Apparently the only things that matter are: did you want to fuck Solas (as Dorian gets one line and everyone else gets nothing), did you want fucking kill Solas, and how would you like to fucking do that. They made it where there’s only one answer that’s given the care to feel correct/complete. And even then Solas’ sudden "k I’ll bind myself" feels rushed or just cobbled together cause that ending needed more. I don’t care if it’s supposed to be vague that’s an excuse for shitty writing. I should feel like I got closure and I don’t. I just feel insulted given how little care they gave for the previous stories and how little they cared about this one apparently. I shouldn’t have to rely on fanfics to fix your damn story BioWare. Fanfics should build upon what’s there not do your job for you. They could’ve done something interesting but instead we get an indistinguishable multiplayer clone trying to masquerade as a Dragon Age with piss poor pacing, dialogue and direction.

I’m out. It felt like them killing Varric was a metaphor for them killing the older games. A nice fuck you to the player base

[zahra-hydris]

I do really love the idea that memory!varric's comments - both in cutscenes and when you go to his room - are little manipulations from solas

but I also love the idea that it's rook's subconscious using varric to vocalise what they really want/need him (or anyone) to say ("have you slept?" "are you alright?" "you're doing a good job")

[immobiliter]

@coldjustness sent: “Chin up. We all knew the cost, do not look so glum.” - Neve to Varric

       Neve's curt voice cut through the low din of the Cobbled Swan, drawing Varric's gaze up to gratefully receive his drink, deposited in front of him on their table. Another dead-end. Another brick wall of disappointment. Chuckles was here in Minrathous — every single piece of intelligence was pointing right at it. But whoever was covering his tracks, whoever was helping him, had still yet to reveal themselves. The dwarf let out a low chuckle. “ You still confident you can get us that lead? ” He felt somewhat guilty for dropping such a case in her lap — after all, what kind of city detective expected to be told that an ancient elven god was let loose and potentially ready to do something as stupid as tearing open the Veil? That was something for the story books, not real life. Varric leaned back in his chair. “ When you've been trying to track Solas down for as long as Harding and I have... let's just say optimism is rather hard to come by. ”

[hoboblaidd]

@hemerasiae - crescentia

“I know you,” Solas said unceremoniously.

In that split second their eyes had met at the ritual site, as he felt the world gasp with the return of its gods, he’d recognized her. Of course, he’d had a dossier on ‘Rook’ since Crescentia had joined Varric on his futile quest a year ago. But to see her again after so long. There hadn’t been time to process anything beyond his last, desperate gamble of escape. He'd sent her crashing back into stone, spilling her blood and binding them together before the yawning chasm of the Fade pulled him within. 

So yes. He knew who Crescentia was, both during the Inquisition years and now, and he knew painfully well who held her dearest in her heart. 

This prison of regret he’d built lobbed its first volley as it twisted ethereal stone into the shape of his greatest regret. Stone eyes, lifeless and vacant, stared down at him from an impossible distance. It wore its hair as Dhavi had that night in Crestwood. Its hands clasped before its breast just as Dhavi's had been when she’d begged him not to -

“I never knew you to be a foolish child,” he spat, trying to wrest control of this situation back from his own cascading emotions. “But I suppose this is yet more proof that I do not know everything.”

The muted shadows loomed over Crescentia’s - over Rook’s face as she looked up at him. When he had last seen her she had been so much younger. She’d stared at him across his desk in the rotunda with wide-eyed curiosity and a mischievous gleam in her eyes that he’d been terribly fond of. Now, she was only a little older than Dhavi - than the Inquisitor had been when they’d first met.

‘Cres’, the old nickname whispered in the stifling air of the prison, and the shadows grew longer.

The only outward sign he gave of that recognition was a cold sneer, equal parts disappointment and disdain. Though he could not help but wonder if Crescentia - Rook realized that the front of her tattered cloak was still stained with the memory of Varric’s blood.

The stone effigy of a familiar crossbow shattered beneath his feet. Solas stepped over it without looking down.

“Tell me, Rook,” he continued, as unrelenting as the regrets suffocating this prison. “Are you pleased with what you’ve accomplished today? You have done what no mortal has ever been capable of, after all - ushered in the annihilation of your own world.”

At once, his path out of this came into stark focus. The regrets which smothered him could be inverted. The prison could be made to hold someone other than him. The plan he’d worked so tirelessly to achieve would wait for him on the other side of his cage. And all he would have to do is sacrifice the wide-eyed, smiling girl who’d sat across from his desk at Skyhold. 

Or, he could let it be. Give his help honestly without tearing her down. Guide and mentor, as he'd done then, without destroying her in the process. Give up his - give up everything. To spare one person who had once meant something to him.

"You may have nearly destroyed this world," Solas decided, though in truth, the decision had been made before he'd finished considering the kinder, gentler alternative, "but at least, you did not do it well. That should give us some time, provided you listen."

[muutos]

"I DIDN'T KNOW you could be a mage and a rogue . . ." arms cross over modestly clad chest. WITTY AS EVER. "rogue spies, huh?" she muses. "so you just specialize in being sneaky, then?"

@banalnas. asked for the inquisitor.

[etdraconis]

@nightsongs asked: " “You’re pregnant?” (from varric for leanore >:3) " pregnancy announcement starter // accepting

She was still trying to wrap her head around it, even hours after Anders had told her. She had suspected it, of course - that was why she had even gone to Anders. For over a week, Leanore had been nauseous and tired nearly all the time. It hadn't stopped her, though; she still did her damndest to help Kirkwall even while she was sick. But after realizing it had been over eight weeks since her last cycle, in addition to her other symptoms, she had finally given up and gone to Anders.

But then she had to tell Varric. She didn't know how he would react; she didn't even know how she should act, really. Was she happy, sad, indifferent? Scared? She had been sitting on this knowledge all day, trying to make sense of it. So far, scared definitely seemed to be the most likely emotion. Not knowing what Varric would think only made the emotion stronger as she finally pulled him aside in the Hanged Man and told him.

"Anders sure seems to think so," Lea replied, smiling weekly. "It explains a lot, really. All of the... symptoms I've been having lately. I don't think I'm very far along, though. I'm...." She swallowed, her gaze dropping to the floor.

"Varric... I'm scared, honestly. I never planned for this to happen, and I'm sure you didn't either. I don't even know if I'll be a good mum; I didn't exactly have the best role model for it. Shit, I'm going to have to tell her now. And my brothers. Fuck, I don't like this."

Lea sighed, running her hand through her hair. "I don't expect anything from you with this, of course. You don't have to stick around if you don't want to. But... I thought you should at least know."

[sharp-teeth-and-archived]

( V.arric T.ethras ; continued )

        𝐖𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐚𝐜𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐛𝐨𝐧𝐞𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐧-𝐢𝐧 𝐬𝐡𝐨𝐞𝐬, 𝐕𝐚𝐫𝐫𝐢𝐜 𝐰𝐚𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐤𝐟𝐮𝐥 𝐡𝐞 𝐜𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝 𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐞𝐭𝐜𝐡 𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐥𝐞𝐠𝐬 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐚 𝐦𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭. He allowed the rest of the group to play the hero in his steed, leaning back in his chair and extending out his legs, hovering an inch above the floor. He sighed and intertwined his fingers over his stomach breathing in the smell of wet pine and a babbling brook nearby. He leaned out of his chair, widening his half-lidded eyes as a cup of tea was placed in front of him. He mumbled his gratitude, reaching forward and savoring the warmth that washed down his throat.

        He had to laugh when she mentioned Chuckles. He was… something else. Varric trusted him, but there was something unsure about him. That was only how he could explain it. ❝ Chuckles won’t mind, but Sparkler--Dorian--might. ❞ He looked over his shoulder and watched as the rest of his group watched over the perimeter, staring into the dark depths of the forest around them for any nasty beings lying in wait. ❝ I think Chuckles will be grateful that you offered him a bed to lay in for the night. He doesn’t mind tents, but there’s nothing better than a proper bed to sleep in. ❞

@miss-polly

[fatetcrn]

saw a mention of the scrapped hermit in the cave art ( most likely in the western approach ) for da:i and there was once a time when i rly would have loved to see new anders content but then i saw that and i was just like... no, it's ok. bioware can just leave him alone they have done enough to him already

[hcusetethras]

tag dump.

[crows-of-buckets]

The longer I think about it the less sure I am that Revari would have spared Solas...

[augory]

i have lots of complaints about dai like everyone else but I do genuinely believe making the party dilf have his entire thing be stolen valor is incredibly funny and good

[immobiliter]

       “ So, Fangs, I have something for you — ” Varric emerged from a side street holding a scroll in his hands, the paper curled and tied up into a neat bow. He held it out to Astarion, hoping that the elf would be intrigued enough to hear the story before he went and opened it. “ I know a dwarf who works for the Baldur's Mouth Gazette — long story, but he owes me a favour after he took some hack's attempt at a sequel to my work and nearly wound up publishing it. He's been doing courtroom sketches for the paper for years, so I asked him if he could sit and do a few unofficial sketches for me. Told him it was connected to my latest serial, and that he had the permission of the subject involved. ” When Astarion opened the scroll, he wouldn't find anything magical inside, only a medium sized canvas with several colour sketches of himself splashed across the page. One full body sketch, as if drawn from afar, along with a couple of other closer-up portraits, capturing the white of his curls and red of his eyes. “ Sketches of you, by the way. In case I hadn't made that obvious. ”

@anquenin

[nightsongs]

He couldn't help but chuckle. "This is real," he reassured her. "And you still have your pants on." Though he wouldn't mind if she didn't, but he didn't want to rush anything. He also was a little unsure of what to say next. He wasn't used to being so vulnerable and open. He usually hid behind grins and white lies.

He didn't want to hide from Moriah.

One hand reached up to cup Moriah's face, tugging her down just enough so that he could press his lips to hers. He'd never thought he'd be kissing her, but he couldn't resist any longer.

Her lips were soft. Softer than he had ever imagined they would be.

By Andraste's great, flaming tits...

If the tankard of ale she'd had minutes earlier hadn't warmed her through already, she was plenty warm now. His hands at her hips, the proximity of his body to hers-- It was enough to send her pulse racing through her veins. A part of her wondered if she had to be dreaming. It was far too surreal.

Tentative and shy weren't words that were used to describe her in any scenario, but that was how she was suddenly feeling in that moment. Slowly, delicately, she brought her other hand to his other cheek, cupping his face gently.

"This is real, isn't it?" she asked, her voice just above a whisper. "I'm not about to suddenly realize that I'm not wearing pants and I'm about to give a public speech, am I?"

Maker, she just had to go and open her mouth, didn't she? Though... the part about suddenly not wearing pants wasn't the worst outcome.

[etdraconis]

@thebloodychampion asked " “   I’ve done nothing wrong. Except all the atrocities. Besides that, I’m innocent. ” (I just want varric to meet someone, you can decide or just randomize it) "

Varric’s eyebrows rose at the man’s words, but he forced a grin onto his face. There was something… strange about his friend’s brother. Hell, it was still strange knowing Archer had a brother - two of them, in fact. He was pretty sure she had at least mentioned it at some point but in all the years Varric had known her he had yet to make their acquaintance. Until now, of course.

And this one was… interesting. Dreag reminded Varric of Solas in a way, but more reserved. He was half tempted to start calling him “Chuckles the sequel” but figured that might not go over well.

“I think the atrocities count for doing some things wrong, Hawke,” he told him with a chuckle. “But I’m sure they can be forgiven easily enough.”

[sharp-teeth-and-archived]

( V.arric T.ethras ; continued )

        𝐈𝐭 𝐰𝐚𝐬𝐧'𝐭 𝐮𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐥 𝐡𝐞 𝐡𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐝 𝐚𝐧 𝐞𝐜𝐡𝐨𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐜𝐥𝐚𝐭𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐨𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐟𝐥𝐨𝐨𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐡𝐞 𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐥𝐢𝐳𝐞𝐝 𝐰𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐰𝐚𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐫𝐨𝐰𝐧 𝐚𝐭 𝐡𝐢𝐦. He had jumped back of course--he can blame Cassandra’s punch for that knee-jerk reaction--but the fork had barely touched him, only briefly scraping over his red tunic. It hadn’t hurt and all Varric could respond was a voice of disbelief.

        He chuckled, voice full of surprise, when he looked up to see Polly’s wide-eyed, tightened lip expression on her reddened face. As expected, Polly stammered, but unexpectedly, she mustered up the courage to blame Varric, of all people. 

        ❝ I deserve to have a fork thrown at me? ❞ If she didn’t hear the chuckle that left his lips, he sounded as if he was offended by his high-pitched voice. ❝ My apologies for interrupting your breakfast, Flower. ❞ Varric’s voice lowered, but it still held that playful edge to it that was common for the dwarf. ❝ I was going to ask if you would prefer your character to have a flower crown in my novel, picked up from one of her adventures, but now I’m debating if I should give her a fork for a weapon instead. ❞

@miss-polly