#Ac valhalla critical

[silurisanguine]

Hoping to finish AC Valhalla before Mirage comes out, but my god is it a slog. It has to be the worst AC game i've ever played (and ive played them all).

The trampling over history. (i know Ac games arent totally accurate, the 30 second rule of 'can i google info about this fact in 30 secs' is normally used by the devs when writing about stuff. But this game takes the piss.)

*Some of it so far was unpleasant to play honestly, like the Briton/Mercia section. (It's a Welsh castle so every 5 seconds there must be a dragon statue????? and oh dear gods giving the blood eagle to Rodri The Great was offensive.)

*Plus the glossing over of how the Vikings (Dane/Norse invaders) were, showing them to be mostly heroic folk, the Saxons welcomed...yeah no.

See Viking income was determined through 2 main sources...trade and slavery. Aka if they couldn't take slaves from a community, they'd trade with them.

Slavery was a MASSIVE commodity to the vikings. Eivor and Sigurd would have had loads with their status. But slaves, or thralls as they were called, are barely even mentioned or used as small plot points (Odyssey, for its more fantastical nature, at least worked stories into the negative sides of Spartan and Athenian culture. )

I understand making Eivor's clan a nice one, with them not killing everyone in a raid, inc the monks and civilians. Eivor has to be hero after all...not like usual Vikings, because raids were also how Vikings easily got those thralls....Monks and peasants couldn't fight back.

*The Anglo Saxons are shown time and time again as weaker, unable to fight and pathetically voiced*. This is playing into the stereotype that Vikings were better warriors, when in fact they lost as much as they gained when they invaded. Yorvic, the most famous Viking settlement was gained and lost many times.

( *Dont get me started on the TERRIBLE voice acting of Npcs in this game...jeezus, they are like bad cartoons voices. They are so over the top and hammy, they often take you out of the story they are trying to tell.)

Then there is the dreadful research they did for Britain.

*The awful wildlife mistakes - giant lethal snakes ! The UK has one venomous snake, the Adder, that only if you are allergic or a child, would it be a problem and they are small and like to hang out on grasslands, not coiled with raised heads like cobras, sitting in wait in pots (They obviously just reused the model from Origins/Odyssey.)

*The countryside in game is full of only grey squirrels. Those were introduced in the 19th century! Before that ONLY red squirrels, our native species existed in Britain. Black bears never ever existed on British soil and brown bears went extinct around 500ad! I get wanting wildlife threats in the countryside but you already have wolves and lynxes which were native on British soil. Why make more up?

*Lunden is smaller than Colchester or Lincoln in map size. Lunden was MASSIVE even back then. It was the biggest city in England at the time. (It made me so sad seeing the incredible Roman ruins in the game, thinking what a game set during the Roman empire could have been like. Could have had Boudica and the sacking of Colchester!)

*Then the mechanics in the game are weaker than the previous. for example, for some reason they took away the ability to craft arrows. now you can only find or buy them. WHY??? Vikings could craft arrows....

*The charm of the games is missing in this one too, because the writing is so poor compared. I played the Odyssey/Valhalla crossover and the Odyssey part was a joy to play. Kassandra had charm and the interaction with her friends was natural and i frankly was teared up at the end because it was written well and i loved seeing her interact with Eivor, though the latter was an immature brat till the end. (Now we need Kassandra meeting other Assassins, like...AMUNET.) *The Intelligence is missing in the writing, in that the bad guys are telegraphing who they are long before the 'surprise' reveal to the point it's boring.

*The humour in the game falls flat so often. it feels forced with the 'comedy' world events hardly making me laugh. Mainly due to the again terrible voice acting.

I just pray Mirage is better written with less shit humour, more integrity to walking alongside historical fact rather than trammelling over it and BETTER Npc voice acting.

I certainly wont be bothering with any of the paid for dlc for Valhalla.

[vulpixelates]

in what UNIVERSE would halsin or karlach have abs

halsin is a druid. he's meant to survive in the woods. you need body fat for that.

karlach is a fucking barbarian who is constantly chowing down on whatever she can get her hands on and has a super high strength. she would have a powerlifter's body type!!! FUNCTIONAL MUSCLE. do you think she has time to focus on building vanity muscle while being a soldier for zariel's armies? absolutely not. the only plausible explanation for her having any semblance of abs is that maybe her engine heart is greatly increasing her metabolism but even then i think it's a coward's answer

MAKE THEM THICK AS WELL AS BUFF AS HELL YOU COWARDS, pls and thank you. this has been a psa

[emiibunny]

so I beat AC: Mirage with a total of 1 day 8 hours and 11 minutes. beautiful game, small map and short game. only thing I didn't like about the game was how short it was (hoping for future DLCs like valhalla) the small map and the ending cause it left me confused af, i googled what the ending meant cause i couldn't decipher it myself but still a great game overall. a lot of people hate the fighting style from both Mirage and Valhalla, I honestly don't mind either because they have good storylines so I can ignore it. not once did i die in Mirage and i left the difficulty level on normal, its just remembering to use enkidu and eagle eye, i personally like to use stealth rather than kill every single enemy and rushing it like a tank. I love Valhalla and the storyline & DLCs, love the huge map and the characters (yes it includes basim even the way he is in that game lol) but people shit on it so much and way too hard. but what I don't get is why people feel the need to go and insult the games/creators, like the creators/developers probably read that and obviously people need to be able to take criticism but some people take it waay too far. you don't like the fighting style, okay good thats something they can look into trying different but saying it's a shitty game because of the fighting style and telling them to go back to the original style not only isn't giving feedback, but people sit there for years doing research, think of storylines & characters, hours upon hours of working on these games for us. in short there's no need to be an asshole when critiquing a game, you can do it respectively and maturely without needing to insult anyone, thanks for coming to my TED talk.

[flysafepapi]

listen, since there was a very large chance that Oswald and Rued’s little fight could’ve ended in death after Oswald dragged Rued with him off the edge of the cliff because that was a huge as fuck fall, but he survived that, then I’m choosing to believe that Ceolbert is just recovering from his injuries back in Mercia and that actually he’s totally fine, he’s just not shown after that moment in time.

He’s fine, he’s fine, he’s just resting.

[modwyr]

i dont think anyone is expecting writers to handle every facet of a historical group and period with the same depth as academics who’ve devoted their entire lives to the subject on top of writing an actual story, but if you use these parts of history (whether its pirates, vikings, romans, greeks, etc etc) and you refuse to acknowledge the parts that are uncomfortable and are horrific, then you shouldn’t be writing about these things! just make up a world if you’re not willing to address the realities of this one

[artschoolglasses]

What is it with the writing quality in things lately? And not even just with one form of media. It’s books, it’s television, movies, video games... No one actually cares about crafting quality stories anymore. It’s so disappointing...

[werewolfsmile]

Dash Is Dead

I've just deleted over 250 dead blogs that I was following and I am in desperate need of some new ones to follow! So if you regularly post any of the following please reblog/like so I can check your blog out :)

dragon age content, preferably da2 and origins over inquisition

assassin's creed valhalla (bonus points for vili!)

horizon zero dawn/forbidden west

critical role

werewolves!!

fantasy stuff, as in high fantasy/medieval/swords and sorcery

lord of the rings

Thanks!

[moondrunkteen]

The All Father, Odin

Art by Sam Flegal

Odin was a complex being and he’s a bit quirky. He was a god of war, a magician, and the patron of poets. He also protected heroes and welcomed fallen warriors into his palace, Valhalla. Known by many names, Odin was closely linked to war and death. Half of the warriors who died in battle were chosen to join him in Valhalla. In a quest for knowledge of other realms and the understanding of runes, Odin sacrificed his eye in Mimir's well and hung himself from Yggdrasil, the tree of life, for nine days and nights. His magical knowledge allowed him to heal the sick, calm storms and neutralising dangerous creatures. Odin was also a shapeshifter, able to assume different forms. Despite his mystical abilities, he enjoyed drinking mead and wine, adding to his charismatic nature. However, his prophetic abilities and reputation as a seer led to some criticism of his behavior as being not masculine enough in certain circles.

Symbols

Colour: silver, cobalt, black and blonde

Elements:Air 🜁

Rune: Ansuz ᚨ(meaning abstract communication and intelligence)

Tarot Cards: The Hangman, The Magician and Ace of Wands

Food🍻: Crab Apple, Mead, Skar, Soda Bread, Fish and Berries (in general)

Herbs🌳: Pipe with tobacco, the Nine Sacred Herbs, ash leaves, elm leaves, parsley, woad, cinquefoil, horehound, and periwinkle.

Animals🐦‍⬛: Ravens, Wolves and His Nephew the 8 Legged Horse

Crystals👑:Emerald, Ruby, Ametysth and Amber

Incense🍀:Vetiver, Cedar, Fir, Camphor, Grass, Ivy, Sandalwood, Clover, Ho, lemon, tuberose, cyclamen, ambrette, vanilla and tropical woods

Devotional Acts

Read and Write Poetry

Make Runes(Out of Rocks, Clay, Wood) and Study Runes

Give thanks to him on Wednesday (Woden's Day) by Reading a story every Wednesday night

Take time to learn about local folklore

Honor Ravens, Wolves, Runes and Books

Be as courageous as you can in honor of him

Learn a different language

══════ ༺ ✵ ༻ ══════

[best-fictional-cat]

Welcome! To the official list! Of the Best Fictional Cat competition!!!

Edit: here is the list of who's going up against whom in round 1

Here's our pawsome contestants:

Garfield (Garfield)

Puss in Boots (Puss in Boots / Shrek)

Kitty White / Hello Kitty (Sanrio)

Firestar (Warrior cats)

Khoshekh (Welcome to Night Vale)

Jiji (Kiki's Delivery Service)

Domino (Amphibia)

Ghost (The Owl House)

Cat (Stray)

The Admiral (The Magnus Archives)

Thomas O'Malley + the Aristocats (Aristocats)

Puppycat (Bee and Puppy cat)

Kyo Sohma (Fruits Basket)

Mae Borowski (Night in the Woods)

Morgana (Persona 5)

Meowth (Pokémon)

Kitty Softpaws (Puss in Boots)

Salem Saberhagen (Sabrina the Teenage Witch)

Luna (Sailor Moon)

Spot (Star Trek: The Next Generation)

Cheshire Cat (Alice in Wonderland)

Princess Carolyn (BoJack Horseman)

Hobbes (Calvin and Hobbes)

Chi Yamada (Chi's sweet home)

The Cat (Coraline)

Pounce de Leon (Homestuck)

Goose (Marvel comics / MCU)

Plagg (Miraculous)

Catbus (My Neighbor Totoro)

Catra (She-Ra)

Blaze the Cat (Sonic the Hedgehog)

Baron Humbert von Gikkingen (The Cat Returns)

Aslan (The Chronicles of Narnia)

Tom (Tom and Jerry)

Holly leaf (Warrior cats)

Jayfeather (Warrior cats)

Yellowfang (Warrior cats)

Bluestar (Warrior cats)

Miyo Sasaki / Muge / Taro (A whisker away)

Cake (Adventure Time)

Bob (Animal Crossing)

Raymond (Animal Crossing)

Frumpkin (Critical Role)

Maurice (Discworld)

Happy (Fairy Tail)

Cattail (Plants vs Zombies)

Angel Grimalkin (Purrfect Apawcalypse)

Pusheen (Pusheen)

Cat (Red Dwarf)

Judd (Splatoon)

Lil' Judd (Splatoon)

Garfield the Deals Warlock (The Adventure Zone: Balance)

Mad Mew Mew (Undertale)

Mothwing (Warrior cats)

Shoe (Ace Attorney)

Blanca (Animal Crossing)

John Blacksad (Blacksad)

Yoruichi Shihoin (Bleach)

Lumi (Cats are Liquid)

Mr. Mistoffelees (Cats the musical)

Gatomon (Digimon)

Pib (Dimension 20 - Never after)

Greebo (Discworld)

You (Discworld)

Felix (Drawtectives)

Minerva McGonagall (Harry Potter)

Heathcliff (Heathcliff)

Jaspers (Homestuck)

Sox (Lightyear)

Chat Noir (Miraculous)

Valerie Oberlin (Monster Prom)

Juan The Small Magical Latino Cat (Monster Prom)

Capper (My Little Pony)

Opalescence (My Little Pony)

Nyan Cat (Nyan Cat)

Mewo (Omori)

Bungle the glass cat (Oz)

Kyubey (Puella Magi Madoka Magica)

Coco Grimalkin (Purrfect Apawcalypse)

Felix Munch (Purrfect Apawcalypse)

Mittens Wichien (Purrfect Apawcalypse)

Shrödinger's cat (you know the one)

Artemis (Sailor Moon)

Chococat (Sanrio)

Big the Cat (Sonic the Hedgehog)

Gary the Snail (Spongebob Squarepants)

Lion (Steven Universe)

Aldwyn (The Familiars)

Simba (The Lion King)

Chairman Meow (The Shadowhunter Chronicles)

Kuroneko-sama (Trigun)

Leona Kingscholar (Twisted Wonderland)

Catty (Undertale)

Sandstorm (Warrior cats)

Squirrelflight (Warrior cats)

Tigger (Winnie the Pooh)

Nali (AC: Valhalla)

The Sphinx (Adventures of Puss in Boots)

Leone (Akame ga Kill)

Jonesy (Alien)

Domino 2 (Amphibia)

Ankha (Animal Crossing)

Kabuki (Animal Crossing)

Rosie (Animal Crossing)

Rover (Animal Crossing)

Tangy (Animal Crossing)

Darwin (April and the Extraordinary World)

Miyuki (Avatar the Last Airbender)

Serafina + Wolfie (Barbie as the Princess and the Pauper)

Taokaka (Blazblue)

Grimmjow Jaegerjaques (Bleach)

Kuro (Blue Exorcist)

Periwinkle (Blue's clues)

Catbug (Bravest Warriors)

Atsushi Nakajima (Bungou Stray Dogs)

Natsume Soseki (Bungou Stray Dogs)

Assistacat / Sub-manager (Cardfight!! Vanguard)

Brave Heart Lion (Care Bears)

Midnight (Castle in the Air, Diana Wynne Jones)

Potato (Cat loaf adventures)

CatDog (CatDog)

Skimbleshanks (Cats the musical)

Rum Tum Tugger (Cats the musical)

Jemima (Cats the musical)

Victoria (Cats the musical)

Ember (Cattails)

Lyrus (Cattails)

Mayor (Cattails)

Missy (Cattails)

Sarge (Cattails)

Scout (Cattails)

Nyako / Meowy (Chainsaw Man)

Lucifer (Cinderella)

Arthur (Code Geass)

Constable Whiskers (Cookie Run)

Cool Cat (Cool Cat Saves the Kids)

Mao (Darker than Black)

Catti (Deltarune)

Mingus Crown (Dialtown)

Ortensia the Cat (Disney)

Sisters of Plenitude (Doctor Who)

Jellie (Double Life SMP)

C!Antfrost (Dream SMP)

Izutsumi (Dungeon Meshi)

Yuigadokusonmaru (Durarara)

Thomas (Earwig and the Witch)

Carla (Fairy Tail)

Panther Lily (Fairy Tail)

Felix (Felix cat food mascot)

Felix the cat (Felix the cat (Paramount))

Candy + Cindy (Five Nights at Candy's)

Hiili (Fox Fires (webcomic))

Lucrezia and Meek (Frakk, the Cats' Nightmare)

Heinkel (Fullmetal Alchemist)

Arlene (Garfield)

Nermal (Garfield)

Amanojaku (Ghost Stories)

Cringer / Battlecat (He-man)

808 (Hi-Fi Rush)

Stelmaria (His Dark Materials)

Kirjava (His Dark Materials)

God Cat (Homestuck)

Vodka Mutini / Dr.Meowgon Spangler (Homestuck)

Macskacicó (Hungarian folk tales)

Cheetu (Hunter x Hunter)

Finley / Jelly Donut (Hustle Cat)

Samantha / The Cat (Infinity Train)

Solembum (Inheritance Cycle)

Nameless evil white cat (James Bond)

Jenny Linsky (Jenny Linsky, Esther Averill)

Stray Cat (JoJo's Bizarre Adventure)

Kaspar, Prince of Cats (Kaspar, Prince of Cats, Michael Morporgo)

Mr. Kat (Kid vs. Kat)

Magolor (Kirby series)

Tigress (Kung Fu Panda)

Remlit (Legend of Zelda Skyward Sword)

Mo (Lego Monkie Kid)

Meowthra (Lego Ninjago Movie)

Nyanta (Log Horizon)

Sylvester (Looney Tunes)

Mao Mao Mao (Mao Mao: Heroes of Pure Heart)

Alpine (Marvel comics)

Behemoth (Master and Margarita)

Mog (Mog books, Judith Kerr)

The Cat (Monster Camp)

Ren (Monstress)

Haru (My Roommate is a Cat)

Ghazt (My Singing Monsters)

Pasty (Neko Atsume)

Sakamoto (Nichijou)

Niko (Oneshot)

Eureka the pink kitten (Oz)

Pangur Bán (Pangur Bán (Irish poem, 9th century))

Findus (Pettson and Findus)

Whiskers (Pixel Cat's End)

Pixie (Pixie and Brutus)

Glameow (Pokémon)

Litten (Pokémon)

Meowstic (Pokémon)

Skitty (Pokémon)

Sprigatito (Pokémon)

Jess (Postman Pat)

Tigger Sugden (Purrfect Apawcalypse)

Slugcat (Rain World)

Rivulet (Rain World: Downpour)

Shampoo ( Ranma 1/2)

Squanchy (Rick and Morty)

Talking Cat (Rick and Morty)

Blake Belladonna (RWBY)

Diana (Sailor Moon)

Charmmy Kitty (Sanrio)

Khajiit (The Elder Scrolls)

Tabby Slime (Slime Rancher)

Blair (Soul Eater)

Barry Ill ( Sparklecare hospital)

Caroline Coughs (Sparklecare hospital)

Grudge (Star Trek Discovery)

T'Ana (Star Trek: Lower Decks)

Cure Cosmo / Yuni (Star Twinkle Pretty Cure)

Pet cats (Stardew Valley)

Cat Steven (Steven Universe)

Nyanky (Taiko no Tatsujin)

Archie (Tales of Arcadia)

The Kitty (The Bad Guys)

The Black Cat (The Black Cat, E.A.Poe)

The Cat in the Hat (The Cat in the Hat)

Pixel (The Cat Who Walks through Walls, Robert Heinlein)

Amp / Anp / Anpu (The Disastrous Life of Saiki K)

Boo (The Funky Phantom)

Wagahai (Ace Attorney)

Invisible cat (The Invisible Man, H.G.Wells)

Bagheera (The Jungle Book)

Xiaohei (The Legend of Hei)

Nuka (The Lion King 2)

Pippa (The Penumbra Podcast)

Black Cat (The Price, Neil Gaiman)

Church (The Shadowhunter Chronicles)

Tom Kitten (The Tale of Tom Kitten)

Mew (Marvel comics)

Ichigo Momomiya (Tokyo Mew Mew)

Hong (Trash of the Count's Family)

On (Trash of the Count's Family)

Captain Amelia (Treasure Planet)

Thomas Kincade Brannigan ( Doctor Who)

Tumblr lore witch

Luxor (Tutenstein)

Che'nya (Twisted Wonderland)

Cheka Kingscholar (Twisted Wonderland)

Grim (Twisted Wonderland)

Burgerpants (Undertale)

Varjak Paw (Varjak Paw, S.F.Said)

Bristlefrost (Warrior cats)

Cinderpelt (Warrior cats)

Graystripe (Warrior cats)

Leopardstar (Warrior cats)

Scourge (Warrior cats)

Spottedleaf (Warrior cats)

Ferncloud (Warrior cats)

Leafpool (Warrior cats)

Mapleshade (Warrior cats)

Sol (Warrior cats)

Tallstar (Warrior cats)

Turtle Tail (Warrior cats)

Tab (Watership Down)

Tabby Von Meow (Webkinz)

Opera (Welcome to demon school Iruma kun!)

Fluffal Cat (Yu-Gi-Oh!)

Chester the Cat (Bunnicula)

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

And here, as requested, are Honorable mentions, in no particular order (some less honorable than others), with their reasons for exclusion:

Mikeko (Ace Attorney): Apparently Apollo's cat but as far as I can tell it was only mentioned not shown, you've got other cats in

Any of the playable cats (Catlateral Damage): yeah I'm not even digging into that I mean I tried but naaaah (not to sound lazy but if it doesn't have a good wiki page I'm not doing it sorry I've had this many cats to dig through; I did save the game to check out in my own time tho so cudos for that)

Tasque Manager (Deltarune): not cat enough

Doraemon (Doraemon ): if only this thing had cat ears... or a cat tail... preferably both... I get that it's a robot but it could be a lot of animals honestly

Lizzie (Empires Smp): whomst (if what I found is what was meant then it's a fish not cat)

Kitty Cheshire (Ever After High): not cat enough

Nepeta Lejiom (Homestuck): not sure she's cat at least ENOUGH if at all, don't know enough about homestuck, owner of Pounce who is in anyway (entry said they're sorry lmao)

Schrödinger (Időfutár): "Time-travelling cat" I have failed in finding their picture and it seems too niche to be presented without it even though I am so intrigued and regret I don't know the language of the source material I'd love to give it a read/listen

Revolver Ocelot (Metal Gear Solid): Compares himself to ocelots and meows apparently, but no visible cat aesthetic sorry

Raku-chan (Nyan Neko Sugar Girls ): why.

Aisha Clan-Clan (Outlaw Star): not enough cat

Honey the Cat (Sonic the Hedgehog): that's enough cats from sonic (real reason: model so low-poly she would cut her opponents, and before you argue - there's a difference between pixel models and low-poly old games models)

The song pet cheetah twenty one pilots concept album lore: oof yeah um I get what a concept album is kinda buuut it's just a weird entry idk we've got plenty of fandom cats to go around

Gaetan (The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt): Witcher from school of cat but he's still well pretty much human (don't come at me about witchers not being the same as humans he's not a CAT and that's all that matters to me)

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

What's next?

Well, I have to make the bracket itself. As you can see, there's a bit more cats than I was intending to have, which means that certain polls in round 1 will have more than just two options. I can already tell you that a lot of the cats from the same fandoms are going to be eliminated in round one. That's why I kept them in. I'm planning on making up the first round match ups based heavily on the similarities between cats and the fandoms they're from. ALSO as you've probably noticed, some cats come in a bundle. That's because they're a family. I'm not doing this to Kitty Softpaws and Puss (at least YET), because even though they also get married in the end, there's a huge gap in their submission numbers. If you're wondering, how big, you may want to know that up to Tigger from Winnie the Pooh (that is, almost the entire first pic) are the cats that got 2+ submissions, in their order of popularity.

Next step - brackets!!! I want to do this well and I hope I don't underestimate certain fandoms!!!

[teecupangel]

can you IMAGINE a Burn Notice/Leverage type show where Desmond decides to leave the Brotherhood after the solar event (having miraculously survived) and now he's on the run from both Abstergo and his dad (just like old times)

but of course he can't just run and only look out for himself, not with three mentors in his head telling him to fight from the shadows (so not completely like old times)

so it's a problem of the week show where every episode there's a new glowing golden person who has something Desmond needs who also *just so happens* to have a problem that needs solving

it's bloodier than Leverage or Burn Notice though because while Leverage never kills anyone and Burn Notice only kills the problem to death like 10% of the time

Desmond solves a surprising number of problems with stabbing

even ones that you would initially assume could not possibly be solved by stabbing

(when you're an Assassin, every problem starts to look stabbable)

And the Bleeding Effect makes Desmond a one-man con team.

Need someone to act like a rich dude? Use Haytham's bleed for a posh British old money ("I think he's a distant royal family member!") elitist or Altaïr's bleed for an arrogant oil tycoon ("He might have connections to the president, are you sure you want to get in his bad side???"). Planning to style a piece of art? Ezio's bleed makes him become an awesome art critic or a great tour guide.

Have to pretend to be smart? Take your pick. Connor has deep knowledge of the flora and fauna of the United States. Altaïr has a more general vast knowledge of the classics, especially of philosophy. Haytham most definitely has an insight into the historical and political situations of every major event the Templar had a hand before and during his time. Other than the arts, Ezio's noble background meant he would have a more religious background so theology is his jam and he can say prayers in Latin. (And the image of Desmond pretending to be a priest then charming his way into where he actually wants to go is so blasphemous I find it funny)

In terms of Leverage, Desmond is pretty much Nate, Sophie, Eliot and Parker all in one. What about Hardison? Well, what use are all these fancy expensive gadgets and security when Desmond has the Eagle Vision? Sure, he can't hack to make cameras go on a loop but he knows the exact blind spots of the cameras. He doesn't know what the red wire does but it glows gold so he just pulls it out and, voila, lasers go offline. When everything else fails, create a blackout and use the darkness to hide.

Letting Desmond loose in 21st century without any support other than his Bleed as a 'third party' against both Abstergo and the Assassins and doing shady things for other people means he's gonna be a more chill version of Agent 47. Lots of pretending to be other people and, as long as he finally covers his scar with concealer and lots of makeup, he'll just be a generic white dude. Just knock out someone with the uniform he needs and he's good to go.

It doesn't even have to be a stabbing. There are a lot of things that can become poison if applied correctly.

AND if we include Edward in his Bleeds (which we can since AC Valhalla did say that he had a dream of being Edward in one of the audio logs), Desmond would have a more in-depth sailing knowledge together with Connor's knowledge which he could probably use to figure out how to sail a boat or a yacht if he needs to and... Darts. Which includes the OP dart: Berserk darts.

But he's not a 'gun' for hire. No, no.

Everyone in the 'underworld' knows of him.

And if anyone asks about him... All they would hear would be...

"You don't find him. He finds you. And when he does, that means he wants something from you and, in exchange for what he wants, you can ask for anything. It will never be money. What he will always ask will be something important to you. Only if you're willing to part with it will he grant your wish."

"That's why we call him the Djinn."

[iniziare]

DAV Spoilers. Or at least, my "general game opinions". I'll be vague in terms of the game's conclusion, so you don't have to worry about spoilers. Though unless you've finished most of the game (roughly halfway act 2, or just around part 10 in terms of Steam achievements), not all of this will make sense to you. But in short: I like it, I like it a lot.

First off, I need to be honest and say that I went into Veilguard as an absolute critic with the expectation that as a fan of the older games and their lore, I was going to rip into it. After all the news of the team crumbling, I simply lost all faith. But worst of all, I was going to do so while potentially not even playing the game. But in all of my rationality, I always say that one only ever has a right to judge something, after having given it enough of a fair chance. So that's what I did (and admittedly, I had some hype simmering in my heart to see the ending of a story that had become very dear to me), and I don't regret it. Dragon Age: Veilguard, in my opinion, is deserving of praise, and is unworthy of the bad reviews it's gotten. Alright, this is only part of my opinion— but it got a little ramble-y, so forgive me.

Rook. I thought that it was going to be impossible to get me hooked on another protagonist, especially in today's society where people seem to prefer a 'make your own' approach, as opposed to my personal preference of a pre-written character. For instance, I always had a clear preference for Hawke vs. the Warden and/or Inquisitor, but that's just me— I don't like 'creating' my character when I play, I simply want to be told an established story (AC Valhalla is an example of a massive dislike for me). But again, I'm aware that this comes down to preference. Now, I was afraid that Rook would be an even blanker canvas, but I was pleasantly surprised to learn differently. Rook is incredibly reminiscent to me of Hawke, without being a copy in whatsoever way. I'm delighted to have the sarcastic option back (and as many, I loved that it was reacted to by Solas), as it really adds some wonderful personality into the mix. To add to that, I love that it's Rook who is the 'comical relief' without being actually outright comical to a point where it's too much, which would then risk taking away from the weight of the story. Bioware chose a perfect balance here. Outside of that, I very much appreciate the backstory options. My first playthrough had me picking the Crows out of curiosity and as an ode to an old favorite's origins (hi, Zevran), and it was very fun. I enjoyed the consistent mentions and references of the tales of her past after I'd chosen them, and I find enjoyment knowing that even the small details change a bit, such as the verbal reactions to the ziplines. I also was very happy to see her interact well with Solas, because that was another big concern of mine, as I was very worried that there might have been a decision made to add in any sort of flirtations (despite knowing Weekes likely wouldn't go there, based on Solas' foundation). Rook and Solas' dynamic is one I very thoroughly enjoy in exactly the form it was presented in. Up until the very end of the story, she stayed consistent with my choices, and had me seated here with blurry emotional vision on occasion. And while those who know me know that I can get very emotional over details in games, it isn't actually that easy to get me there initially. But good job, Bioware, Rook is a worthy, and wonderful addition to your lineup of protagonists. Good job.

Solas. God, the consistency of his character in this and DAI has driven me wild to the extent of a rabid dog. It is so good, I'm wildly impressed. If there was ever a character that I could give up all of my other characters for, I genuinely think it would be Solas. He is incredible. I was thrilled to see the connection to Mythal more properly addressed, and while I know that there's many firm opinions out there on this dynamic (my own write-up will be incoming), it was made clear that their dynamic was always one of utmost fundamental importance, at least to Solas and his motivations. That's my big thing, Mythal's perspective aside, I think that it was imperative that we learned just why Mythal was such a 'final transgression' and catalyst for all of his actions (though don't worry, this isn't me taking away his accountability). And from a personal point of view, while Solas' origins were hinted at already in DAI, it was nice to see it confirmed that he, and the others, indeed originated as spirits. And in that, it is good to have learned how he became 'twisted' from his nature as a spirit of wisdom, to one of pride. I think that's fundamental to his character, and I also greatly enjoy the elaboration on some of Cole's lines in DAI about Solas, and who we now know for sure was Mythal: 'He did not want a body. But she asked him to come. He left a scar when he burned her off his face.' A lot of things hit vastly differently now, when you look back and you realize you have confirmed answers finally in the palm of your hand. I thoroughly questioned Mythal when I went for her essence, reloading multiple times as to ensure that I got as much lore as I could. And I hurt, especially since the end of the game. As I said, I won't spoil, but the ending has left me emotionally scarred in more ways than I could ever explain. That interaction, that emotional release was everything to me, and it was good to see it, even if I could barely see my screen anymore at one point. Weekes did Solas justice in so many ways, and while I initially had a little bit of a peeve at a decision in the game towards the end, my rationality had kicked in, and it was a logical decision. I'm happy, I think, if that's the right word that I can use for this. Also, seeing the scene from the trailer was so good, I screamed at my screen. I just, I'm in total and utter love with this man.

Dragon Keep/choices. Let me actually get to my point of criticism, but know I'm approaching this rationally, and not emotionally. I need Bioware to confirm their canon within these games, and if they officially want to let go of the 'decisions that we once made', then just say it and state it somewhere. Tell us what the decisions are. But that aside, I do want to play light devil's advocate, because I think that it's important. Since the revelation about Morrigan in specific, I've been caught in the push and pull of 'does this make sense for her character', and I think that it's so easy to say 'no, it doesn't' when thinking of DAO, but we're not coming from DAO. We're coming from DAI (after numerous years of development for multiple characters), where Morrigan had already shown a pressing interest in something that held a high risk of her getting possessed by Mythal just like her mother. Despite this, and despite her arc in DAO, she wants to drink from the Well of Sorrows. 'But there was no choice, for Corypheus was going to destroy Thedas', the Inquisitor was an option the entire time. No, what I actually am personally of the opinion of (although I'm waiting on my Morrigan expert to finish playing, for I am not an excessively thorough one yet), is that Morrigan was, and remained hell-bent on obtaining knowledge/power, it has been part of her arc for a long time, and even the threat of possession didn't dissuade her from the possibility of obtaining an unusual amount of it in an unparalleled rare form. That isn't, in my opinion, bad or lazy writing, that is consistent and shows a character flaw that I don't think is often addressed with 'protagonists' enough most of the time: greed. I want flaws that make it much more difficult for me to feel inclined to agree with those that call her the Indiana Jones of Thedas, for she is a brilliant character— but a character with flaws. Now do I think, since having watched the ending, that her presence was also a plot device for Mythal in one way or another? Possibly, but that's merely a side addition in my opinion. I just find it too easy to simply go 'it's bad writing', because while I could agree, it also means you then have to condemn Morrigan for the exact same reason back in DAI, which I don't think is something that's fair to do. An argument could be made that Veilguard has lost most of its original team of writers (including David Gaider himself) and so they took liberties, but that same argument can't be made for DAI. Gaider created this franchise, he had intentions for characters, and arcs, and he ultimately is the one who decided when something was good to go. And on top of that, he wrote and created an amazing franchise, and he earned my trust because he did that. And so I trust that the presence of Morrigan in DAI was logical, which I did think it was— it showed flaws that I craved to see outside of her arc in DAO. And I think having seen DAI, that Veilguard isn't unrealistic for her. And as to why this isn't a 'full possession' as it was with Flemeth, I think the key for that is realizing that she obtained it alongside that headpiece where Mythal was killed by Solas. Because what we also know, in that little scene— and it took me a rewatch of it, but Flemeth/Mythal left part of herself in that Eluvian at the beginning of the scene. I would bet that's what Morrigan possesses now, since Solas himself is the one who 'absorbed' the part of Mythal that had fully possessed Flemeth. Does this match with what Morrigan says? Not exactly, but I don't think that she's a reliable narrator.

[caernua]

completely genuine question—what makes you like Valhalla so much? I played that game for over 100 hours and I think the world was absolutely gorgeous, and some aspects of it were incredibly fun, but I thought so much of the writing, pacing, and characters were just… off? I think the gameplay mechanics (dialogue, romances, other “choices” you get to make, and the way they handled exploration objectives) are really hollow and narratively it’s maybe my least favorite or second least favorite ac game, but I’d genuinely really love to hear why it hits for someone whose a big fan

anon this is about to get very long i am so sorry also thank you for asking me this i love rambling about my favorite viddy games

in a lot of ways i agree with you! i think the pacing is off, the game is way too long and it overall feels like a game that aims to waste your time as much as possible which is simply infuriating. this is part of the reason why i started valhalla many many times but only finished it a handful of times. (which for 500 hours is insane) that is also bc the earlier arcs imo are superior to the ones in the middle and many of them feel downright unnecessary. i’m also not a fan in general of the rpg mechanics either, i’ve largely ignored them in valhalla frankly and neither am i of the romances (with the exception of ciara but that one too feels a little half assed and inconsequential - it's like you're always aware that whatever you do it won't last bc the character's story can't deviate too much) or the whole choice aspect that matters little. i will always hold the opinion that having choices (including the gender of the main character) introduced in a franchise where the premise is that you are reliving someone else’s memories is stupid, frankly. no amount of in-game explanations or isu bullshit will change that in my eyes.

however, what really clicked with me was the story. i know that’s not the case with a lot of people and i actually see why, it's a huge reason why it's such a polarizing game. weirdly enough, i first watched the gameplay before buying the game and i really disliked it. i wasn't pulled in, i didn't care much and i thought it was a subpar story. buut when i actually got my hands on the game i deeply connected with eivor and even tho i’ve just criticized the length of the game i think the hours and hours you get to spend as her contribute to that a lot. her entire journey was incredibly compelling in my eyes and especially the latter arcs hit me like a truck (i cried playing this game a lot <3). i think what i love most about this story is how it goes against the game’s promotion and the direction it went completely shocked me. doing an assassin’s creed based on vikings and very much using the romanticization of the term like any other form of media focused on vikings to depict these badass rutheless glory seeking fighters and absolutely relishing in that imagery in all the promotion and the beginning of the game and really in eivor’s character only to lead to a climax in which the main character turns away from odin and glory and says “no, the love of my people is more important to me than victories” was just… an amazing moment across the whole franchise in my mind. it was satisfying, it was heartbreaking, it was relatable and it was unique in my mind. i think assassin’s creed for so long has relished in these aspirational images of badass warriors and to choose THE most universally seen as badass historical warriors to send that kind of message was a ballsy move and really surprising. and it also works because eivor feels threatening across the game, she's scary! and ac doesn't always manage to make their protagonists feel that way (sorry arno love you 😘)

i also think that for how boring the asgard arc was (really don’t know how they achieved that) the storyline was REALLY well thought out since lore-wise they were essentially left with scraps from the other games so to make a coherent continuation from that mess that someone else thought out was impressive in my mind. i really liked how it tied in to basim’s story, i loved the moment when the reveal finally happened and i loved basim and eivor as narrative foils who are in a similar situation but experience it completely differently.

but aside from the ending i think there’s plenty of high points in the main campaign that just feel fun? i lovelovelove the east anglia arc (oswald’s story), i loved the lunden arc with its many many throwbacks to ac1, i loved soma and her arc, i loved vili's arc, cent was also really fun and a personal favorite. i also just enjoy doing the world events (fuuuck the anomalies tho!!!) and as sad as i am to say this, a part of my enjoyment was also the questions posed that were dissapointingly answered with the half assed 'last chapter'. i can't deny that valhalla suffers from missed potential a lot which is crazy bc you'd think that a game that forces you to play for hundreds of hours would have the time to deliver satisfying conclusions.

but i do also love doing... not much in it. as you said the environment is beautiful, the soundtrack is top notch and the atmosphere is really just amazing as well. i don't know how but valhalla kinda awakens a very deep sadness in me but it's not unpleasant, it's bittersweet. whenever i open the game and hear that beautiful main theme i want to cry a bit, same goes for when i climb the snowy mountains of norway and i look at the northern lights. the atmosphere in valhalla is just... outstanding. it reawakens so many things in me and that's partly due to eivor's story as well but it's amazing that it's somehow infused in the environment itself. am i thinking of regrets i carry and heartache, of how i have to cherish the people i have before i lose them, of how i lost my childhood because the pixels are pretty and the soundtrack is heartbreaking, or because eivor's story is in large part about all that? i have no idea but it's a precious sentiment. 💗

[ac-lesbians]

I've been really thinking about Valhalla lately and the way the story played out from my perspective as a player who solely plays f!Eivor and how that plays into the larger AC franchise. And I'll say that my hottest take is that if Eivor Varinsdottir was supposed to be canon, then they shouldn't have had the m!Eivor option at all.

And like, I get Ubisoft is a deeply misogynistic developer and this is not at all a new criticism, but just think about how much more depth to the entire world of the Assassins and Templars there would be if we actually had like, real female characters, let alone playable characters.

I've only played Odyssey and Valhalla because those are the only games I give a fuck about, but my point remains. The depth in those two games would have been amazing had they focused on one female protagonist and not making the game as gender neutral as possible so that misogynistic fan boys can keep their power fantasies and never have to consider a perspective outside their own while the rest of the world does.

Like Eivor would have had a MUCH more interesting story if she had to deal with the fact that she was a Norse woman in 9th century England. That changes the WHOLE STORY.

Dag would have had a legitimate reason to be mad at Eivor for using the power and authority lent to her by Sigurd. Sigurd would have had a real reason to be so dismissive of Eivor's input into his decisions. The Christians would have had one more reason to despise Eivor and the Raven Clan, not only are they heathens but Eivor is a woman daring to defy her social position.

The world of Assassins Creed would have had leagues more depth to it if the creators acknowledged that being a competent gender role defying woman is SO different from being a competent dude. Eivor should have had a million more roadblocks ahead of her as a woman trying to lead a clan in 9th century England.

And the worst part? We know it's not a research problem and we know it's not a "we don't believe women had those problems" thing either. Because RANDVI IS RIGHT THERE.

Randvi is one of the more important female characters in Valhalla and her backstory includes marrying a man she didn't know for the sake of securing an alliance. This isn't about shipping or anything, that's just basic info about Randvis character. And it doesn't take a genius or a historian to know that her situation is not a novel one, that happened over and over again throughout all of history. We KNOW that Randvi's story is not a unique one, and it's actively acknowledged in the game! So playing an entire game as a hyper competent female leader, who is also surrounded by plenty of competent female NPCs, fell REALLY flat for me when we see other characters face the woman-problem (AKA being a woman trying to get anything done at that time in that place) and Eivor never once faces it.

No one says "why should we listen to you, you're a woman" even when you are playing female eivor because that's how the game has to be for those who play male eivor. But I'm sorry I get that shit now as a woman who knows what she's talking about in this time, at this place. Eivor should not have been an exception. We see her regularly prove her mettle to other characters for different reasons (you're a heathen, you're a stranger, you're not from around here) but never the most OBVIOUS barrier being "you're a woman."

And I'm not saying that Eivor shouldn't have been a badass warrior or anything. In fact, it would add so much depth to her character to think about how different she is in comparison to the women around her who DO follow the expected gender roles of the time.

Eivor's parents died when she was young. We know that her mother was a competent enough warrior to hold her own in battle. That would not be surprising to me and it wouldn't have broken my suspension of disbelief. But when you think about Eivor and this pivotal moment to her character, knowing that she was a child of a nobleman and would be raised by both parents to be able to fight and be of noble blood, the fact that she's rather rough and tumble, focused on fighting and valhalla, then it really raises some questions.

If Varin and Rosta hadn't died, would Eivor be a viking? She probably would have had a better political education. She wouldn't be fumbling her way through leadership the way that she does in game. She'd probably have to be more clever because she has to manipulate her way through society, instead of blustering and fighting.

She'd also probably be married. Either to someone she cared about, or to someone politically viable like Randvi and Sigurd. She would have had her father choose a match for her, and she'd probably have little say in the match as well.

But styrbjorn raised her "as his own." So she learned to fight and became a viking. But that doesn't change the fact that she came from a noble family. She would not be so high status if she didn't come from a noble high status family. The idea that she doesn't behave like the other noble born women around her is kind of a key characteristic. And it's never brought to the front or explored because that would break the immersion for the fan boys who'd rather play as Havi.

Anyway this is my thesis for many of my fics because there's just so much there that is completely ignored because it literally CANT be explored if Eivor is a man. Ubisoft for the love of god hire a female historian I'm begging

[ainulindaelynn]

OKAY. @ithinkthiswasabadidea this was so much harder than expected. Choices are not my strong suit. I tried to stick to one per source material, but uhh... nope!

Also included in this list: Lashana Lynch's Izogie, Athena (BSG), Jyn Erso (Rogue One), Tilly Jackson (RDR2), Temperance Brennan (Bones). Aaaand the character work in BG3 is so fantastic that I genuinely could not choose between Karlach, Lae'zel, and Jaheira so consider all of them here too 🤪

No pressure (WHATSOEVER)(but also so curious) tagging @leofrith @brasideios @findusinaweek @aeide @merelyafigment @mimbotomy @two-hands-toward-the-sun @whereforartthoumisthios. And as always, open invitation! I'm easing back in after being away all season, otherwise I'd tag more :)

[cowboymantis]

Not to be like a hardcore Ubisoft/Assassin's Creed defender (I loathe Ubisoft), but I've loved this series since I was little and have recently been having fun replaying older games,, and noticed something happening more and more in recent years

People's criticism on the new AC games having too much "magic" or whatever in them is really funny because it has been kinda crazy since the very first game??? The ONE thing every game centres around is magical objects to enlsave all of humanity and an ancient civilisation of higher beings that are basically Gods?

If anything, I really love the mythology themed activities the newer games have, especially because most of the times it's kinda optional too, so you're not always forced to engage in it. But even then, as someone who's always loved mythology, I really love this stuff.

And it's been there since the beginning, sure it's more part of the main story now, but people saying ohhh AC used to be realistic and historically accurate!!! Is just kinda. Idk man. It always took liberties to have it's own storyline while shaping the accurate history to be fitting for that storyline, and it still does that. Even anything, with the discovery tours (? Was that the name?) In recent games, it tries to be even more educational and in a way everyone can experience the historic worlds.

Now, I have A LOT of criticism with AC, and I hate Ubisoft as a whole like all gaming companies lol, and I get how AC doesn't feel like AC anymore and more like their own seperate games, but that's a complete other thing.

So if I see people complaining about those "magic" or "mythology" aspects, then, idk, maybe AC just wasn't from you from the beginning on and thats fine, but is it valid criticism for the game if just you don't like it? Like there are popular games/shows/etc I just cannot get into, and that's totally fine, you're not supposed to like everything!

I'm no expert when it comes to this, like I personally couldn't finish Valhalla yet, bc it felt very bland and the world felt so empty and small, it is a huge open world, but while replaying AC2 recently I had so much more fun, even though I've already platinumed the game years back and have spent so much time in this world. But it just feels bigger and has much more atmosphere. In Valhalla, I often just had to laugh at line deliveries, not because they were funny, but because it was just so bad and soulless.

And I'm not sure, is this criticism for the game as a whole, or is it just how I felt about the game personally? Because other people love the game. And I get it, it looks cool, and the character mythology analogies are really neat imo, but just the way it was written and designed feels very like all just a show from the outside. It's like when I have a cool story idea. I'm thinking okay, here are the characters, this is the main plot and woaghh cool plot twist here would be cool! And then I try to bring it down in text and it's just...hm...Okay how the hell do I connect this all. That's how Valhalla feels to me, if that makes sense??? 😭😭

I wouldn't be a good game critic, because I would spend too much time thinking about what type of my criticism is actually valid and what's just my own gaming taste I guess, but it's not like critics have ever differentiated those...

BUT YEAH to get back to my point, of course at the end of the day it's not that deep, it's just one of those random things I thought about again when seeing some posts about it.

But it's just always kinda funny to me when someone either just remembers AC from vague memories 10 years ago or have just seen random gameplay from it and don't remember/know about all the wild things that happened in the story (both past and present storylines of the games) and think it's some super serious historical documentary 😭😭

[hegrowth]

challenge to ubisoft: make more ac protags that don't start out as snarky, self-assured, sarcastic, or arrogant. the humbling / growing up arc is bullshit and overdone in this franchise, do better.

basim is kinda endearing himself to me but mostly I'm just. my memory is bad but this feels like every other assassins creed game and not in a good way. :/ maybe I'm just overly critical and bitter but. sigh. the good news is I'm thus far enjoying mirage a lot more than odyssey and valhalla. I love roshan ♡ she gives me altair vibes and I'm living for it.