#DECONSTRUCTING BLIGHT

[v-arbellanaris]

one of my favourite parts of dai, which i don't usually speak about, is when you get to halamshiral, and they announce the inquisitor. at least half my inquisitors recruit the mages as free allies of the inquisition, and yet at halamshiral, the inquisitor is credited as vanquisher of the rebel mages, crusher of the vile apostates of the mage underground. sera says 'he's so full of it! that's not how it went.' and it's vivienne who says 'remember to smile. this is all for show, my dear.'

this, amongst many moments, really encapsulates the heart of the story inquisition is trying to tell, and there's a hundred little moments that build towards this story. i have talked before on this blog about the original purpose of the inquisition, in-world, which was both to bring the mages back under chantry control and, if necessary, to recreate a loyal templar order. that is explicitly the context in which the herald is brought into as a character - that is the 'problem' they are to address, the same way the warden's narrative problem is posed as 'there is a blight that needs to be stopped' and hawke's problem is posed, interestingly in a dual-layer kind of way which is both 'i need to keep my family safe and secure' and 'how did we get to this [gestures at the aftermath of da2]?'. the narrative then goes ahead to fill in that story. and even in these stories, throughout, there are so many things building up to the narrative beats in inquisition. everything from the portrayal of the grey wardens as a heroic force in dao and how quickly the origins goes to show the wide depth of perspectives and feelings you can actually have around being conscripted and how the joining ritual - and jory's death - expose the true heart of the order's utilitarian approach, to loghain's status as the hero of river dane and his role in the rebellion and the man he actually is under that mythos, to the entire narrative of da2 being framed around this "champion" who the chantry is painting as a deliberate saboteur and conspirator (with the grey wardens) to bring the chantry and the circles down, to the ameridan reveal in jaws of hakkon, and the evanuris reveal in trespasser. there is so much story and deconstruction throughout the series of the 'chosen one' narratives - each story's protagonist has been a "chosen one" who was never really chosen, survived through chance, and shouldered responsibility for a wide variety of reasons. and their actions become legends and myths that consume any trace of who they really were. and this culminates in an extreme way in dai, because the role of the herald - which is who your pc is before they're the inquisitor - has religious significance, and in-world, andrastianism is the most dominant religion. and the religion is SO culturally pervasive, to the extent there are no governing bodies in the entirety of thedas are secular, and most are andrastian-aligned. even orzammar's belief in paragons and the stone is aligned to a religion, even if it's not andrastianism - atheism and secularism is something entirely unthinkable within a thedosian society. so of course the impact of the herald of andraste is different to the hero of ferelden or the champion of kirkwall.

but i think it's disingenous and outright insulting to insist that this was done well, or with finesse, or that the narrative tools used to convey these themes should somehow be overlooked in light of the mere presence of The Theme in the Narrative. i've spoken before on how often the writing in dai doesn't want you to think - it removes the options to argue, to present you with a statement that is The Objective Truth, as though if enough of your companions repeat the statement, it will become true. and i, myself, and plenty of people in the fandom - particularly people of colour - have been vocal about the implications around the framing of these Objective Truths, when you consider the real life analogues that these Truths are drawn from, by bioware's own admittance. that's not even touching the inherent problems with the narrative push of "imperialism is better than chaos". therefore, i cannot and do not understand responses to criticisms of dai that essentially come back around to "well, you have to understand that the dai pc is not written to be a leftist, they're written to be a centrist" - inquisition, especially, rewards conservatism specifically, as a first point. as a second point, why would having an option to have a pc with leftist or progressive views - not just progressive for thedas, but progressive according to modern values - take away from either the deconstruction of chosen one narratives or the idea of losing your identity that's pervasive throughout dragon age as a whole?

i have spoken to the blank-slate feeling to the inquisitor as a deliberate writing choice, one that people suggest is actually feeding into the themes of dai, but i argue that it's actually a deliberate writing choice so that new players come in without any opinions or experiences of the world at all, and thus become more primed to accept Objective Truths from the companions. thus, criticisms -- certainly mine are -- around the lack of options to argue with your companions stems not from wanting to be right, but from being allowed to have a different opinion. how does having a different opinion to what's publicly acceptable, or desirable, actually not enhance the themes of identity loss in dai?

yes, you cannot decide that your warden does not become a warden - but you live through the experience of becoming a warden, to show why it's necessary. you are allowed to have complicated opinions about being a warden, and act based on those opinions. yes, you cannot choose to not play as hawke, but you can choose exactly what kind of hawke you want to play - someone pro-templar, or pro-mage, or someone who starts out at one end and comes out of it the other end, someone who values family or money or status and prestige, someone who is funny or diplomatic or violent. you have a choice. and when the inquisitor doesn't have any background at all, there is no justification for why the inquisitor needs to be a centrist, or why they would be one. my circle mage pc could have been part of the rebellion. my cadash could have been someone kicked out of orzammar as a child or someone who lived in dust town before they got to the surface. the lack of backstory for the inquisitor, similar to the warden or hawke, actively weakens the story - how do you write a story about someone losing their personal identity to their growing myth/legend, when there's literally nothing that is ever establishing what they've lost? how do you write a story about someone losing their personal identity, or being subsumed by their role, when there's nothing to indicate their personhood? how much more jarring would it have been to have been proudly and loudly and unapologetically pro-mage and pro-rebellion the entire game, only to get to halamshiral and be called vanquisher of the rebel mages? all of your personal politics and values disappearing and smoothed over in such a visibly visceral way? how much more gutting would it have been to have these values, and speak to them, and argue for them articulately, and still never be able to change your companions' minds, instead of constantly being put in a position where your companions get the last word in on absolutely everything, right down to arguments about slavery with dorian? how much more intense would it have been to have had a wide array of options in dealing with main quests and situations, only to have it boiled down to one thing or one of two decisions, with all the complexities stripped from it? how can you say that being forced to be centrist as the pc is central to the story being told, and not something that actively hampers the themes dai is trying to draw on?

i especially don't know how people can insist to overlook how - as in the methods chosen here - bioware's writing team in dai pushes the deconstruction of the 'chosen one' narrative that is present throughout dragon age. inquisition choses to do this by doubling down and retconning and two-sidesing every single complexity under the sun - from suggesting mages oppressed themselves by rebelling/not every mage even wanted to be free of the circle (while offering limited voices otherwise, and making sure to clarify the voices calling for mage freedom are Evil and Bad), to blaming the dalish for being slaughtered by the exalted marches in the dales, right through to the decision to make ameridan a dalish elf and yes even the decisions made around the writing for the evanuris. and we have to be clear about it, that if the overarching themes of dragon age are deliberate, then this was also a deliberate writing choice, to further emphasise the idea that history is written by the victors, that stories warp and change over time, etc etc. the series' successes in storytelling have been around the subjectivity of absolutely everything; there is no objective truth in dragon age, there is something that happened, and then there is 50 different opinions about it. the codex entries are not objective truth, they're biased reportings from people with agendas and pre-existing beliefs and notions. you can live through the battle of ostagar, and there are still 50 different perspectives on it, and all of them valid from that person's standpoint. inquisition takes a hard swerve from this, to insist on Objective Truths, not because it was the best way to make their point - they've been making their point with subtler storytelling for years - but because it's lazy, racist, colonialist writing. and worse, still, is that this writing is then forced as Objective Truths to you, the player character, with no way to argue even when you have the knowledge, or your pc could reasonably be expected to have the knowledge to counter this information, or to even argue about the interpretation of the "Evidence" you find of these Objective Truths.

and i suppose, if it's not your stories and histories being co-opted, it's easy enough to say having those choices don't matter to the overarching theme. i suppose, if it's not your religions or cultures being borrowed and frankenstein'd into this fictional world and the religion and culture you do identify with are primarily portrayed as inherently correct and superior in a way you were never taught to question, it can seem like questioning those beliefs and opinions in your companions and in npcs is a waste of effort. it's not, but i can see how it might feel that way.

inquisition itself, as a game, does not simply deliver a theme - the narrative tools used to deliver that theme throughout the story are frankly abhorrent. on top of that, key decisions in the plot have little to no immediate, serious consequences (for example, siding with the mages or templars only really has narrative consequences for who you face at fall of haven and in the temple of mythal; there are almost no consequences for kicking the wardens out of orlais; etc etc). companion character quests revolving around whether or not to change and strive for better, or to stay with their old regressive patterns have absolutely no narrative consequences because the world re-sets to status quo. 2/3rds of your choice for divine essentially reinstate the old systems, and only one (vivienne) actually makes any systemic changes to those systems, and the game mechanic itself is incredibly slanted towards choosing the divine that brings everything back to "normal". all following mentions of the media neatly dodge the question of whether you have made any lasting change at all. all to push the narrative that change isn't really possible, because society will always go back to the status quo. and if you try to challenge that status quo, you will just make things worse, so it's better to just stay as it is. nothing matters, no change is permanent, and anything you try to do, people will warp for their own agenda anyway, because you are not you anymore, you are a caricature people will use to justify the way things are and insist it is how it must continue to be.

which is a stupid hill to die on, if you're going to defend the ways inquisition tells its story. even trick weekes themselves find it a trite and bleak storytelling mechanism. when even bioware itself is going "our next narrative will Not be that" - will even be the opposite of that, that it's bullshit not to try to change things at all - it's as good as an admission that the ball was dropped on that in the previous installment.

anyway, i just think it's actually incredibly disingenuous and insulting to address criticisms around narrative framing and the limitations of character responses and choices in inquisition as if its overlooking the story's themes, or somehow missing the point that has been staring us in the face since origins. we know the themes they intended to convey. that still doesn't mean inquisition satisfactorily delivered. which i frankly think even bioware themselves recognised and are actively trying to do better in for da4.

[senseandaccountability]

the narrative that could have been

Having mulled over the game for a couple of days I have realised that the main problem for me is that Veilguard is good based on the premises they ultimately choose, but not based on the set up and promise of what was there before. I know this isn’t a unique take by any means and yes it’s all about the Evanuris and the Veil and Solas. 

Replaying really emphasises how incredibly little the game convinces me of its original main quest - to prevent Solas from doing his ritual. This is a problem as a long-term player because for three games we’ve had build up for a great crescendo tackling the overarching themes of the (restrictions and oppression of) magic, of tears in the Veil, of religious tyranny and oppression based on myths about the Black City and the temptations of flawed humans, we’ve seen and deconstructed the elves quite a bit, we got started on the dwarves and in DAI your Inquisitor can openly ask Solas if it wouldn’t be better if the Veil came down because then spirits wouldn’t be separated from the living and risk becoming demons. Cole, whose function is to reflect the plot, talks endlessly about the old songs wanting to be sung again, about how it hurts to be cut off from part of yourself, how the templars feel it, how the mages feel it, how the elves and the dwarves feel it. The Veil as a prerequisite for life has been deconstructed, the Fade demystified, the gods have mostly fallen. The Veil as an actual wound inflicted on this earth has been presented as a theory and not been convincingly rejected by the narrative. 

The game actually gives no explanation whatsoever as to why the Veil coming down would be worse than what Rook causes in the beginning and what the escaped gods then do to the entire Thedas. The entire south falls to the Blight because Elgar’nan and Ghilan'nain are let loose. The Wardens are more or less wiped out. There’s enormous political turmoil. The game gives us Solas saying “thousands” would die when he brought the Veil down, but that he had a host of spirits there to help. (Yes, I know, his sole function in this game is to Trick and Deceive so who is to say if he’s lying, HUH, but even so, THE ENTIRE SOUTH FALLS TO THE BLIGHT IN ROOK’S VERSION OF THINGS.)

The game puts emphasis on Solas's questionable methods and past horrors but it doesn't ever explain why his goals are despicable here and now. It doesn't convince us that tearing down the Veil with lots of safety measures in place and after considerations is a bad result, all things considered - save for Varric’s initial yelling about demons. (We even learned in DAI that the Veil itself creates demons because it restricts the passage of spirits, come on.) Because three games have suggested it's not, not ultimately. Trespasser especially nuances this, just as it nuances Solas’s view of this current world state. Right after his long nap he would have nuked it all, I’m sure, but the whole point of character arcs is that things happen in them and what happened to him is that he was shown layers and angles he had not considered and adjusted his mindset and ultimately his plan accordingly. That is where DAV should have picked it up. That's where the build up was headed. But, now he must serve the narrative solely as the God of Treachery and Lies which means that previous build up is washed away for the most part. (In no way do I think he is OOC in DAV, I just want to point that out so nobody thinks I’m a sappy fangirl or whatever. I think he is perfectly in tune with his inner Dread Wolf, but that is also all he gets to be, because of the narrative, and I’m always much more interested in when roles and personas clash.) Again. The main problem is that the narrative cannot explain why bringing down the Veil would be the worse option than the shit we see unfold on screen. Instead it gets a bit lost in the past.  And I have Issues with that, as well.  Like, the dumbing down of the war against the Evanuris. The war that started because the leaders of the rebellion - who previously had to carry out terrible orders so the Evanuris, the upper crust of the Elvhenan, could play gods - decided that the Evanuris was a threat to them all. And the game gives us what, a depiction of how the rebellion ended up crossing lines, too? No shit.

Like, I am fully on board with the individual theme of regret on Solas’s part and he ought to be wrecked with guilt but I wish the game could be less all over the place with what sort of things he ought to be wrecked with guilt over. Saying fuck you to the Evanuris is the best and brightest of his character, I suppose I just don't want it dragged down to the same level as him breaking the Titans. I suppose I would have wished for a narrative that also worked on a systemic level when depicting things like, you know, war and revolutions and subjugation. But we don't have that, because DAV is only about personal choices. The Lighthouse crew flippantly writing the hierarchical and violent power struggle off as being about love and betrayal is on my shitlist forever. 

No, Taash et al, it was not about pussy, it was about feeling compelled by superiors to commit heinous war crimes and being lied to about the actual purposes of your damn war in the first place. The elves shouting at Elgar’nan and Mythal in this painting aren’t driven by love and sex they have been lied to by their ruling class. It was never about freedom or ending the wars, it was always about Elgar’nan jerking off to ultimate godhood. The writing even suggests betrayal here is to be understood as Netflix drama betrayal, maybe some juicy porny plot but it’s ABOUT THE BETRAYAL OF THE ELVES BY THEIR OWN KIN.  ((ETA: I would have wanted my Dalish mage to be allowed to be furious, NOT WITH SOLAS, but with the fucking Evanuris for betraying her people and being so fucking vile that the only option that remained was to create a world where she's a second-class citizen. I would have wanted the game to recognize that not all causes are equal and that Elgar'nan's cause for godhood was objectively more vile than Solas's cause for freedom because as it stands now, there are some really iffy vibes of "both sides are equally bad" and other things authorities tend to say when comparing destructive regimes with uprisings.)) I’m sorry, this shit hits me on a personal and political rage level. 

I also can’t help but mourn a game where the Trickster God fulfilled his trope’s duty and shook the stagnation apart with his actions - for good or ill, the way trickster gods are wont to do - and where Rook was tricked into helping and then, a more complex game about its consequences could have unfolded. The Evanuris could still have been the bad guys, if they wanted big villains frothing at the mouth. There could still have been numerous unplanned consequences, like all of Solas's plans have. Maybe other ancients awake as well. Maybe ancient evils who aren’t elves, who knows. Point is - the Veil should have come down, at least in some form, at least in some outcome. THAT is what they've been building up to. In this game that never was, Rook could be an actual interesting character where we could mold her as either accepting of this trickster role (which fits perfectly for a blank slate with no ties) or set to overturn it and enforce status quo, with some vanilla option in the middle. Maybe the Veil doesn’t come down until the very end of the game, ancient magic takes time after all, maybe a lot has happened by then. But ultimately, Rook’s choice in the end should not have been about siding against Solas because he’s lying to you or because he did horrible things in the past or siding with him because you want him redeemed. The narrative should have provided those options either way. The narrative should have been brave enough to suggest that hey, maybe Solas isn't wrong at all - his methods maybe, but his goal, no. If they truly wanted mirrors between Rook and Solas, Rook should have tackled the issue of actively bringing down the Veil herself, not because it's a roses and sunshine-outcome but because it might very well be the lesser of two evils. Gods, that would have been interesting. It should have been a choice about what sort of world Rook and the Veilguard wants to see in the future. It should have been about the people, the world, not how angry Rook is that an ancient elf has tricked her. 

That would have been the game I wanted to play.  This story doesn't really give anything new to the world of Thedas, which a world without the Veil would have. It accomplishes closure for our favourite trickster god and bless them for that, but as for the plot and the world-building it ends on a meh because the narrative isn't about the people unless they're brought up as being endangered. This is why I can feel satisfaction regarding the thematic conclusion to certain character arcs, the trickster becomes the healer with the bloodiest hands, the wolf submits willingly to his trap and so on and so forth, and I can have fun with the characters and their arcs but also really mourn the game that was there, in subtext and build up over three previous games and in several tie-ins.

[seeker-ophelia]

Ophelia’s Review, Part Three: The Lore

Man. Thank you to @senseandaccountability ’s post for sparking this brainwyrm because I was at a loss for words on how to start this post, and I could not put my finger on what was actually bothering me.

Again, let me just say, emotionally, this game wrecked me. I enjoyed it. I (am probably one of the few who) liked the combat. I liked the companions (basic as they are). And I liked the story. I liked the locations. I liked the quests and the loot system and the companion banter. But.

The Lore.

[Part 1:Emotion]   [Part 2:The Dragon Age System]

If you’ve read my Part 2 Review, you know the end of it is actually its own little fic-let on the Veilguard realizing the veil needs to come down.

And I’m just going to straight up copy a paragraph from @SenseAndAccountability ‘s post (I strongly recommend you go read it, its fantastic).

Replaying really emphasizes how incredibly little the game convinces me of its original main quest - to prevent Solas from doing his ritual. This is a problem as a long-term player because for three games we’ve had build up for a great crescendo tackling the overarching themes of the (restrictions and oppression of) magic, of tears in the Veil, of religious tyranny and oppression based on myths about the Black City and the temptations of flawed humans, we’ve seen and deconstructed the elves quite a bit, we got started on the dwarves and in DAI your Inquisitor can openly ask Solas if it wouldn’t be better if the Veil came down because then spirits wouldn’t be separated from the living and risk becoming demons. Cole, whose function is to reflect the plot, talks endlessly about the old songs wanting to be sung again, about how it hurts to be cut off from part of yourself, how the templars feel it, how the mages feel it, how the elves and the dwarves feel it. The Veil as a prerequisite for life has been deconstructed, the Fade demystified, the gods have mostly fallen. The Veil as an actual wound inflicted on this earth has been presented as a theory and not been convincingly rejected by the narrative. 

Let’s recap, just a little bit.

In Origins, we are introduced to the Dragon Age World. Its politics, its magic physics, the races, and its religion. We are introduced to the concept of the Chantry and the Templars and the Circles (*wiggles my eyebrows at you). We learn about demon possession, and about spirits in the fade. And maybe most importantly, we are introduced to the concept of The Blight.

The unstoppable, indiscriminate zombie-plague that sweeps Thedas once a century or so. And maybe more importantly, thanks to the sacrifice of the Grey Wardens, how to stop it.

In 2, the Thedas lore is even subtler. We were introduced to Dalish Gods in Origins, but because of Merrill we get a little more. We start to become curious about the Gods of the race that has been subjugated and enslaved throughout the common Ages. We learn the tense political atmosphere surrounding the Templars and the Mages, and the Chantry’s weakening hold on the politics and structure of Southern Thedas as a whole. We learn about slavery in the north, about the basics of the Qunari, and we have a Terrorist (potentially our lover), hit the religious organization in our city.

In Inquisition, we learn all about the magic. We learn about the fade, about the veil, we learn all about the Elvhen. We pick a side in the Mage/Templar war, we learn about this strange process of Tranquility, the only power templars have to control mages (thanks to Cassandra), and we also learn what that control costs (thanks to Cullen).

And because of Solas, and Cole, we learn about spirits. About how the Veil turns them to demons on their passing into the real world. About how all they want is to stay true to their purpose. They are simple, pure things, and while there are demons, of course, its not all bad in the fade as maybe we might have believed before. After all, Solavellan’s first kiss happens in the fade.

In Descent, we learn about titans, about memories, about songs, about lyrium, about isatunoll.

In Trespasser we learn about why the Titans even matter. Orbs. Power. Greed. The creation of the Veil, and what it really means.

*Insert Kronk Oh-Yeah-Its-All-Coming-Together.gif*

We had 10 years to scheme. 10 years for theories. 10 years to datamine.

So what did we learn in Veilguard?

Well, in the grand scheme of things, nothing.

We have theories confirmed. Which Evanuris hat belongs to who, how the blight was created, how the blight is spread, and how the blight is controlled (kinda-not-really). At least, we learn how the Evanuris are doing it.

What did we learn that was NEW?

We learned about the Morn Watch (but I mean, did we really?) Emmerich has a good relationship with wisps and spirits. We learn about his distinction between a spirit and a soul.

We learned *a little* more about Qunari culture.

We learned it was a blood magic ritual that was holding the veil up, tied to the life force of the Evanuris, now tied to Solas.

We learned about the Evanuris’ Dragon-Thralls and the strong connection between the two, a connection strong enough to get their souls out of Solas’ Fade Jail.

We learned that the Evanuris could not only control The Blight, but had relics to give to others (the Venatori) to control blighted things. We learned their greed for power was so vast, so consuming, they were willing to Blight the world to achieve it.

But we fought an archdemon, in Origins and in Veilguard. We see and know the terror and horror of the Blight.

This makes any action Solas commits understandable, and even necessary. Would we have done anything different? If my leaders were bent on blighting the world, wouldn’t I go to extreme lengths to stop them? Compromising my own morals, dignity, and values to do so?

I think I would.

Having such a terrible evil, having such an indiscriminately bad thing, The Blight, leaves absolutely no room for nuance. No room for complexity. Just good versus bad. Destroy the bad thing at all costs.

So we do. Wham, bam, Evanuris dead.

And the only thing stopping us from tearing down the Veil, is the Blight.

Because Solas tells us that the Blight is in there too.

But, he made a new Prison for the Evanuris, one without a veil, before Rook & Co. interrupted his ritual. Why can’t we move the blight into there and still tear down the Veil?

What is stopping us at this point?

Solas says: Thousands would die

(You’re trapped in your regrets)

This is why you had to use me to escape the prison. It’s made from regrets. And you’re trapped in yours.

You cannot understand -  

Destroying everything won’t erase your mistakes.

You have a chance right now to save the world. Bind yourself to the Veil and stop it from falling.

2. (Do this the right way)

You’re right, you do need to make up for the damage you’ve done, but breaking the world again is the wrong way to do it.

Letting the veil collapse –

Is what YOU want. Making amends isn’t about what YOU want.

You have a chance right now to save the world. Bind yourself to the Veil and stop it from falling.

3. (This won’t help anyone)

Who does this help? A lot of people are going to die… So you can fix something they don’t even see as wrong.

It is not just people, spirits –

Will be destroyed when you do this, too. Won’t they?

You have a chance right now to save the world. Bind yourself to the Veil and stop it from falling.

Listen. I can't believe I'm about to say this, but there's more to Dragon Age than Solavellan.

This, in the end, was an emotional decision. The decision to leave the veil up was tied to emotion, and not logic.

So, what does all this mean?

Well, for players new to the series, nothing. They were always fighting for the Veil to stay up. The opposite of what the antagonist wants, pretty much. Easy enough to follow along.

But for returning players? Lavellans who stood in Fade-Haven? Players who walked Vir Dirthara? Mages who made the Descent, and saw how horrible it was for the dwarves to be sundered from their dreams, and made the horrifying connection that the Veil did the same to them?

Trespasser Solas: You must understand, I awoke in a world where the Veil had blocked most people’s conscious connection to the Fade. It was like walking through a world of Tranquil. (We aren’t even people to you?) Not at first. You showed me that I was wrong… again. That does not make what must come next any easier.

When I learned about the rite of Tranquility in Origins, I was disgusted. The first thing that popped into my head was lobotomization. They are one and the same to me. Turning a person into a husk of what they were. Separating them from their emotions. From hard emotions, yes, from things that are not easy, even painful, but at the cost of themselves.

We walk with Harding through her decision to, although the Titans are angry, and what was taken from her people was great, not reunite Titan and Dwarf because…

Lace: The story of their end is the story of our beginning.

Mythal releases Solas from his journey to reunite Elvhen with the Fade.

Harding releases angry Titans from their quest to reunite with the Dwarvhen.

And so the Veil stays up. The Titans stay sundered.

But… at what cost?

Lest we forget, it was the sundering of the Titans from the Dwarves that CREATED THE BLIGHT. The Titans created the blight as a weapon to infect the Elvhen as punishment for their death, their tranquility.

This Tranquility Ritual, be it in the form of keeping Mages from the fade, be it of Titans or of Elvhen, is WRONG.

I’m a Blue-Collar Journeyman, and we have a turn of phrase we use with old fellers who don’t want to change the way they do things.

Just because you’ve been doing something for a long time, doesn’t mean you’ve been doing it right.

You can do something for years, and still be doing it wrong.

And both Lace and Rook decide that this is the way things have been done, for AGES. We’re not going to change now.

And I’m just… Solas. As John Travolta playing Vincent Vega in Pulp Fiction, confusingly standing there, looking around with my arms out.

Did we learn nothing from the Lessons of Origins? Nothing from the Lessons of Inquisition?

Maintain the Status Quo? That’s the answer?

At what cost?

One of my favourite lines in in my Part 2 Post is this;

Veilguard, is shallow. The essence is there, beneath it's Veil, pressing and bursting at the seams to escape, but is being held back by a gentrification of Thedas.

This decision, the decision to keep the veil up, is shallow. Its basic. Its Easy. It is pre-masticated, lunchable drivel. It was spoon fed to us in easy dialogue and groupthink.

What about every other thing we learned in the other games of Dragon Age?

If Weekes et al. want me to forget about how horrible the Rite of Tranquility is, they’re going to have to come out with a hell of a companion novel between now and DA5, because this makes no sense to me.

I ask you. If sundering Titans created The Blight, what did sundering the Fade create?

Or should I say,

If separating Dwarvhen from their Memories created the Blight (out of Titan anger),

What did separating Elvhen from the Fade create?????

Lets talk about Ser Dave.

If you read my part 2, you’ll know that Ser Dave is my name for the ‘?????’

Not only is it so insulting to my intelligence to call something ‘?????,’ because of course then I’m going to pay more attention to it, but its so lazy. Let it introduce itself to Rook and say “call me the wicked witch of the west,’ ‘a concerned party,’ ‘I am the Batman,’ ‘I am No One,’ ‘I am Daivd Gaider,’ ffs.

An I excited at a new villain? Yes. Am I happy to learn there was a shadow organization pulling the strings behind all of my villains throughout The Dragon Age? Abso-fucking-lutely not. Am I happy Southern Thedas, Treviso, and Minrathous are essentially razed after the rise of the Evanuris? No.

Nothing we did in any of our previous games mattered. Nothing I did mattered. Ser Dave was there the whole time, controlling, balancing, guiding, whispering.

I was doomed to fail from the start.

The moral of the story in Veilguard is to not assume the burden of others actions:

And yet its Ser Dave and the Nazgul Band that assumes responsibility for my villains?

What in the Actual Fuck?

So what is going to happen in 5? I don't know. Will I find true agency? How do we have a villain worse than a God? How do we live in a Tranquil’d world, knowing the alternative? How do you bring back the dark, heavy, realness of Thedas, after the gentrification of Veilguard? After blanding Thedas, making it easier for more palates, needing to feed the EA Machine.

For the record, I have yet to complete my second playthrough. I have yet to find all the codices. I have yet to get all the companion banter. I have yet to play as every race. I have yet to make every decision. And if Inquisition taught me anything, its how one little piece of information can change everything. So, for the record, this whole post could be wrong.

In fact, I hope, and pray, that I am missing a big piece of something in Veilguard. That I just haven’t found it yet. That one little thing that’s going to shift my worldview. And I’m going to play until I find it.

Because these messages Veilguard is sending? They’re too contradictory. Too opposite to be coincidence. Too Different to simply be Bad Writing™. I said that Veilguard is a Tranquilized Version of what DA4 could have been. Inquisition, 2, and Origins, were too deep, for Veilguard to be this shallow.

And… Maybe its copium, but I’m kind of hoping that it was on purpose.

[picturejasper20]

I’m pretty sure tons of other people might’ve said it, but based on what I’ve seen from A New Wish, Dev is giving me some Amity Blight vibes except even more messed up.

Funny how i was just minutes ago talking with some people about this on Discord.

But, yeah, you can see that by watching a few episodes FOP A New Wish takes quite a lot of inspiration in recent DTVA shows from the latest years.

Amity seems to be one of the first examples that comes to mind. She was quite cold at the start of the series and over time, through different series of events, she got to know Luz and learned that she could do better than just following what her parents told her to do.

However, i would say Dev leans more to be like characters like Scratch from The Ghost and Molly Mcgee and Max from Camp Camp, specially Max. Both Max and Dev have similar ways of speaking, coming off as dry and rather insensitive towards others. Dev has this ¨pessimistic worldview¨ and he would rather pretend he doesn't care about things.

Both Dev and Max also can be power hungry,they have very chaotic energy and don't care about breaking the rules at all. Just Max, Dev often has problems with treating other people well, we see this with how he treats Peri in some episodes.

And of course, both have parents who are very neglectful to them and they both show different signs of abandonment issues as result in different occasions.

Other comparisons i could make are Jason and King Xavier from Craig of the Creek, a show the main producers worked on before working on this show. Dev feels like a mix of both of these characters, so i wouldn't be surprised if they were inspired from there.

I could make more comparisons, but yeah. I think Dev is intended to be more a ¨deconstruction¨ of characters like Amity, Andrea, ect that shows that just because he made a friend it doesn't mean that all his issues were ¨fixed¨ and in fact he still can get worse even after becoming better in some ways.

It is a more ¨realistic¨ take on neglectful parenting/ abandonment issues than you see in other animated family shows. It shows how badly it can mess a kid up and it isn't something that goes away so easily.

I think another factor that plays a role here is that Infinity Train writers worked in this show, so they probably wanted to do something quite different with Dev's character and her relationship with Hazel. People who worked COTC as well, since that series tackles themes like complicated and toxic friendships.

[mymanyfandomramblings]

For TOH:

Which is your fav character?

What do you think of Belos as a villain?

How does TOH compare to Amphibia and Gravity Falls in how it handles it themes and character arcs?

What are some things TOH could have done better?

Which is your fav character?

Gus! Closely followed by Willow and then Hunter. Honestly, there's very few characters I don't like in this show.

What do you think of Belos as a villain?

He was a great villain, A+ villain design--he was powerful enough to prove a threat, intimidating in design, he had a sense-making motive, but not one that absolves his actions in any way. His defeat could have been done better (couldn't Hunter have been there, instead of Raine--as lovable as Raine is, they had zero thematic reason to be one of the very few characters at the final defeat scene), but Belos is a great villain for the themes.

How does TOH compare to Amphibia and Gravity Falls in how it handles it themes and character arcs?

TOH is a good show, but it is nowhere near as good as the other two shows with handling its characters. It's written as though Dana Terrace was afraid of ambiguity or giving good characters flaws/bad characters strengths. This isn't to say that all the good characters have no flaws, but the show seems scared of actually acknowledging those flaws.

Luz does have an external arc of going from 'naive girl who wants to learn magic' to 'less starry-eyed girl who is very good at magic', but her internal arc doesn't make as much sense--the show seems like it's deconstructing escapist fantasy at the beginning and Luz needing to have an arc about seperating reality for fantasy, but that kind of gets lost along the way, in favour of a 'you're perfect just the way you are and people just need to understand you' arc, and giving her quirks, instead of flaws. Similarly, Odalia is made into a cartoonishly evil character, so that Amity is absolved of all blame for the way she treated Willow, which I think does all three characters--Amity, Willow and Odalia--a disservice. Compare this to Amphibia, which pulls absolutely no punches when it comes to the main characters being horribly flawed and accountable for their actions, or Gravity Falls where the characters flaws very much drive the action, in a way that they don't in TOH.

The other way I think that GF and Amphibia write their characters and themes better than TOH is by making key character moments tie in with their themes. The best example to talk about this through is by comparing Anne's fake-out death to Luz's. Anne's entire arc has been about one main thing--learning to do the right thing instead of what is easiest--and her main character flaw from the beginning is that she prioritises her own comfort over doing the right thing for herself and for others. Anne sacrifices herself for Amphibia--doing something incredibly hard, but for other people, which is the perfect culmination of everything she's been learning. Luz's fake-out death results in her becoming the Titan's Chosen One, which contradicts the arc shaping up in S1 where Luz had to learn that there are no Chosen Ones and that the Boiling Isles aren't a fantasy world. To be totally clear, this does make sense as part of her arc--harnessing the power of the Titan is the final piece in Luz truly becoming a witch, but her entire arc is external. Her internal character doesn't significantly change over the course of the show, because it can't because her flaws are all written off as 'quirks' and the show's big thesis is that weird people should be able to be weird. (This is coming across as really complainy, I'm sorry. I promise that I genuinely really enjoyed the show.)

What are some things TOH could have done better?

Write the Blights better. Escaping Expulsion was the best episode for the Blight family dynamic, with Odalia being awful, but not cartoonishly evil; Alador having a conscience but also being a pretty checked-out and neglectful parent, and Amity seeming actually influenced by her mother's influence

On that note--let Amity take at least some accountability for the way she treated Willow

Put finding Phillip Wittebane's diary, Amity's hair-dyeing, and the first Lumity kiss in any episode other than one of the only Gus-centric episodes in the whole show

Allow characters to be more morally grey and let redemption arcs take some time

Reduce King's-ego-trip subplots by AT LEAST 50%. I didn't actually enjoy him all that much until Echoes From The Past because I found his whole trying-to-take-over-the-world shtick a little annoying

I think that's all

Once more, I actually really, really enjoyed the show and had a great time watching it, I just have lots of feedback

[sepublic]

Luz Noceda 🤝 Miles Morales

            Afro-latine teenagers with pressure on their shoulders to figure out their future, and also save the world. They love their parents and want to make them proud, but also struggle with lying to them, afraid they won’t be accepted for their strangeness. Bright, wonderful kids who meet friends from another world, and whose chosen future is to continue to engage with those other worlds and the family they made there. They’re separated from those worlds and work hard to get there, feeling lonely without the ones who understand.

         They are regarded as anomalies, not fitting in with the world of others like them that they visit. They are born of chance and coincidence, and suffer a villain who is convinced of the connections and parallels they have; I made you, and you made me! But that villain wants to take away one of the families they’ve made. They question if they’re a real witch/Spider-Man with how unlike the others they are, but eventually embrace their unique identity and the unexpected advantages it has.

         They struggle with the narrative, from a meta sense; They know how the story goes, the hero returns home from their adventure, the captain dies. But they hope to defy that ending and make their own, do their own thing. This puts them at odds with an older man who insists things must go a certain way, that there must be a sacrifice of some kind, particularly with their parents; But Luz and Miles ask, why do I have to choose? Why can’t we, and everyone else, have it all? Why not choose the path of compassion, instead of making others lose in order to grow? Their kindness affects those around them, sparing them what they themselves suffered, or are afraid to experience.

         They’re kids caught between two worlds, but they’re also tired of being seen as just weak, ineffectual kids; They can do things too, they can fight and help! And make their own decisions! So when their mentor, a once-jaded person who got their life back together with the kid’s help, suggests sending that teen away for their own good… No, I’m staying here with all of you guys, because I love you, and I don’t have to lose my parents back at my other home either!

         One could argue that these kids, by being involved, created a tragic story, made things worse by sparking the conflict at all, and they doubt themselves for that; Luz helped Philip Wittebane find the Collector, Miles took the place of Peter Parker, leading to his death. But they’re here, so they may as well make the most of it, choose themselves, and forge their own destinies. It’s okay, they can forgive themselves, too. They’re gonna rebel against the status quo to deconstruct it and change things, by asking critically; Why does it have to be this way? Question the rules, as a punk friend tells them.

Amity Blight 🤝 Gwen Stacy

                    On another note; White girlfriends to the above-mentioned with undercuts. Because of their own mistakes, said girlfriends lost a meek, glasses-wearing childhood friend that they saw themselves as a protector for; That friend was tired of the bullying and their anger boiled over into something destructive (and green), wanting to be seen as just as capable. Amity and Gwen struggle with a period of loneliness and isolation because of the loss of that friend, blaming themselves for what happened. They meet Luz and Miles under less than ideal circumstances, but manage to open up because of them.

        Amity and Gwen struggle with approval and acceptance from their father, who works for the system and contributes to enforcing its oppression. But that father realizes he has alienated his daughter, who finds a different family without him, and chooses his child over the system, abandoning it to become a better person. Amity and Gwen both want to be with their loved ones, supporting them, and because of that break ties with the system and another parental figure. They make sure to rally the other friends their loved ones have made, to lift up the protagonist at their lowest points; They’ll answer the call to return the favor in their time of need.

[theworldvsyoshiko]

Now that the mod list has mostly stabilized, a slightly more useful overview of all hundred-something mods I've got installed right now. Mostly, because I found a lot of these mods from other people making similar lists. It turns out that Steam Workshop search isn't always great.

This is exported from RimPy but obviously not in the load order.

Obligatory Vanilla Expanded Category

Actually I'm not even going to list all of these, because basically anybody who mods this game has them installed. Really the only noteworthy part is that I skipped some of them, mostly some of the Vanilla Factions Expanded ones that added more mechanics to enemies who are already too annoying, or sounded way too complicated. I also added Vanilla Outposts Expanded recently, which will probably become very relevant before long. Oh, and skipped Vanilla Genetics Expanded, both because the game has genetics now, and a friend told me horror stories about it.

Prereqs for other mods

Not even gonna describe these. They're mostly frameworks. Besides, everyone knows Harmony and HugsLib.

Prepatcher [https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2934420800]

Harmony [https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2009463077]

HugsLib [https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=818773962]

Pathfinding Framework [https:// no link (local mod)]

TDS Bug Fixes [https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2895035527]

TD Find Lib [https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2895299310]

Humanoid Alien Races [https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=839005762]

Mechanical Humanlikes Core [https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2974524016]

Boring technical stuff

Performance Optimizer... does just that, mostly by cutting down on unnecessary background calculations.

Performance Optimizer [https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2664723367]

Worldgen

All of the ReGrowth mods either add more plants/animals/features to existing biomes, or rarely introduce biomes of their own.

Real Ruins adds scattered ruins all over the place, using (heavily degraded) blueprints of the bases of other people who are using the same mod. tbh if I do another game I'll probably drop Real Ruins. It's fun, but sometimes it's wildly unbalanced. If you've noticed that the current colony has like five vanometric power cells, this is where a few of them came from.

ReGrowth: Core [https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2260097569]

ReGrowth: Arid [https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2466442910]

ReGrowth: Boreal [https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2106597000]

ReGrowth: Extinct Animals [https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2266685892]

ReGrowth: Swamp [https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2182111148]

ReGrowth: Temperate [https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2261114471]

ReGrowth: Tropical [https:// no link (local mod)]

ReGrowth: Tundra [https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2107412614]

ReGrowth: Wastelands [https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2122461695]

Real Ruins [https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=1552146295]

ReGrowth: Aspen [https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2545774148]

ReGrowth: Boiling [https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2981924439]

UI/functionality

ZiTools objects seeker is the best fucking mod out there and it should be in the core game. It's the solution to the standard 'well shit, somebody made a masterwork charge rifle, but I don't know where it is in my 340 tile storeroom' problem.

Recycle This adds a button to order people to smelt/deconstruct/destroy specific items.

More Harvest Designators adds buttons like 'chop all the mature trees in this area' and 'cut all the blighted plants in this area.'

Food Alert adds a status line on the main screen that estimates how many days of food the colony has stored.

Skill Master adds a list to the work tab showing the highest level in each skill in the colony, which you can click to go to that person.

Everybody Gets One adds new options to production buildings like 'always make this thing until we have four per colonist' or 'make dusters whenever we have more than 100 leather.' Very handy for things like food production when your population level is fluctuating wildly.

ZiTools objects seeker [https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2021885930]

Recycle This [https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2567877605]

More Harvest Designators! [https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=1541250497]

Food Alert (Continued) [https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2017538067]

Skill Master [https:// no link (local mod)]

Everybody Gets One [https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=1687566130]

Functionality From Dwarf Fortress

Follow The Vein adds a 'mine this mineral, and any new tiles of the same mineral that you uncover' designator. Like Dwarf Fortress has.

Path Avoid lets you make colonists prefer to walk around certain areas when possible. Like you can in Dwarf Fortress. Great for discouraging people from using your freezer as a shortcut.

Follow the Vein [https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2923356196]

[KV] Path Avoid [https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=1180719857]

Genetics

Alpha Genes adds a zillion new genes and 14 new xenotypes. This is where we got the jellyfish and rock people. It also adds all the gene-tinkering tools that Yoshiko used to become a foxgirl vampire.

Alpha Genes [https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2891845502]

Alpha Genes - Insectoid Mutations [https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2906193379]

Cosmetic-only changes

World Map Beautification Project changes the textures on the world map to do things like make mountain chains more obvious.

Childrens Drawings adds more options to the pool of drawings that kids can leave on the floor.

Interaction Bubbles adds those nice overhead speech bubbles when colonists talk to each other. Otherwise you have to go to their social log to see what they've been talking about.

Dubs Apparel Tweaks allows you to hide certain clothing based on the situation. If you've noticed that nobody's wearing hats indoors, this is why. It's not perfect, though--apparently it has some minor conflicts. With one of the VE mods, I think? Also I haven't been able to find a working setting where it doesn't show everybody sleeping in the nude.

World Map Beautification Project [https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2314407956]

Childrens Drawings [https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2918817041]

Interaction Bubbles [https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=1516158345]

Dubs Apparel Tweaks [https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2296697286]

Things that are just common sense

But not the Common Sense mod, funnily enough.

Stabilize allows you to tend to a somebody's wounds in place, without needing to pack them to a special designated spot for it.

Injured Carry lets colonists rescue people who are injured, but haven't collapsed. Because otherwise, by default, if somebody gets horribly wounded but has a high pain tolerance, it's entirely possible for them to crawl toward the hospital with nobody else able to help them until they pass out, two seconds away from bleeding out.

Beautiful Outdoors makes most wild plants at least a little pretty, so people will get some Beauty gain from being out in the forest or whatever.

Trading Spot lets you designate where visiting caravans should park, instead of them choosing a random spot to hang out.

Backup Power allows your colonists to figure out the advanced science of turning off the fuel-powered generators when the colony's already running an electricity surplus.

Prisoners Are Not Swines makes prisoners clean their cells sometimes, rather than just wallowing in trash while complaining about it.

Wall Lights - imagine a far-off future where we could use light bulbs for things other than floor lamps. Just imagine. Arguably a little OP since they use a bit less power and resources, but default lights are weirdly expensive on both axes anyway.

Dubs Break Mod makes the severity of a mental break partially dependent on how unhappy somebody is, so someone who's just a little grumpy is less likely to go on an arson spree than somebody who's been on the verge of a meltdown for weeks.

Stabilize [https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2023407836]

Injured Carry [https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2413690575]

Beautiful Outdoors [https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2011794898]

[GMT] Trading Spot [https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2874517333]

Backup Power (Updated) [https:// no link (local mod)]

Prisoners Are Not Swines [https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2613966365]

Wall Light [https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=1423699208]

Dubs Break Mod [https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=1722398508]

Arguably OP stuff

Device Standby makes it so that, like... a machining table doesn't draw exactly as much power when it's just sitting there as when somebody's actively using it. imo this is common sense, but it drastically reduces the load on your electric grid, so I have to admit that it makes things a lot easier.

Losing The Faith makes people lose confidence in their beliefs when they're unhappy. This mostly makes it easier to convert prisoners to your ideology.

Impressionable Children adds a chance that people will influence a child toward their ideology while tutoring them. Also common sense imo, but it does make it a lot easier to convert kids. Which, you know, is kind of important for this colony.

Pick Up And Haul makes it so that when somebody goes to haul, they look for other things along the route that need hauled in the same direction, and keep grabbing stuff until they're at their carry limit. Again, common sense, but it makes hauling a lot faster. On the other hand it's fucking stupid that by default people will go 'well there's a pile of t-shirts that need carried to the storeroom right here, but I should only grab one at a time.'

Pocket Sand allows colonists to keep multiple weapons on them at all times, and adds a button to swap between the weapons (with the normal equip delay.) Again, common sense. This is such a massive QoL improvement, because now somebody can be a sniper and then swap to a shotgun when the enemies get close. This is how Yoshiko remains a world-class marksman while also bashing skulls with a big hammer. (I know there's a sidearms mod that makes the swapping automatic, but that looked like it had some significant conflicts and stuff last I checked.)

Childhood Backstories makes colony kids get an actual backstory upon turning 13. Mostly a bit OP because this means that it gives everyone some automatic skill boosts when they hit that point. But it adds character, and tbh with how many kids show up when they're like 10-12 years old, a lot of them need it just to get up to an average skill level.

Not My Fault makes other factions not blame you for things like accidental deaths on your map. This is abusable in theory, but it's worth it to not have my relations with a faction ruined because they insist on driving a caravan into an army of killer robots that just landed outside. Also I think it (inadvertently?) removes some relations bonuses for rescuing people.

Device Standby [https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2967053451]

Losing The Faith [https:// no link (local mod)]

Impressionable Children [https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2879996327]

Pick Up And Haul [https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=1279012058]

Pocket Sand [https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2226330302]

Childhood Backstories [https:// no link (local mod)]

Not My Fault [https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2870045856]

Misc

Persona Mechanoid Pawns is where we get Spencer.

Self Dyeing lets you instruct people to automatically go to the styling station to recolor their clothes, based on guidelines you set.

Inspiration Tweaks adds new inspirations and makes people more likely to get inspirations in skills they actually care about.

Custom Ritual Framework is where we get adoptions.

Persona Mechanoid Pawns [https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2925172029]

Self Dyeing [https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2562859859]

Inspiration Tweaks [https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2117570018]

Custom Ritual Framework [https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2561617361]

[antihibikase-archive]

Was thinking of the possible themes for Blur/Blight and the other regions' arcs (I've yet to flesh out and explore), but so far;

Black / White - Focused around the truth; self-discovery, for better or for worse. Acknowledging that their pursuit of the truth will irrevocably change their lives forever. The hero Hilbert leaves home and never returns, and the people around them have changed. Follows a typical fairy-tale to a T, no matter how hard they tried to avoid that fate. A story that was doomed from the start.

Black 2 / White 2 - Focused around ideals; learning from what has happened in the past, either choosing to avoid making the same mistakes, or falling into the same trap. Mirroring. The hero Nate leaves their hometown, comes back, and has managed to stick to who they are and what they believe in, with the people they love. Deconstructs the fairy-tale, but instead, follows a shounen anime plot. A story that is corrupted from the events from the past, but there's a light found at the end of the tunnel.

Both BW/BW2 are also centered around love and control; love in the form of platonic, romantic, familial, and undescribed/unlabeled relationships, worship and devotion, control within one's self and towards others; particularly regarding situations that are controlled (Ghetsis, Zinzolin, Nikolai), and situations that aren't (fate, the dragons).

ORAS/E - Focused around generations, passing the mantle, bloodlines;

Brendan being Norman's son and initially seen as someone that will follow after his footsteps,

May being Birch's daughter and wondering if she's content with wanting to be like him,

Wally wanting more than a simple life with his family in Verdanturf,

Lisia stepping into the spotlight in the name of her mother's image,

Zinnia carrying the hopes and dreams of the Draconid people,

Steven being the heir to Devon Corporation,

Wallace being the only one of his siblings who stayed in Sootopolis and the only one trying to keep Sootopolitan's traditions alive,

Flannery becoming the gym leader after her father retired,

Tate and Liza being new gym leaders,

And Maxie and Archie's goals being for the sake of future generations; one is just geared more towards humanity, while the other is geared more towards nature.

SM/USUM - Focused around childhood, adulthood, coming of age, and responsibility- regarding yourself and regarding others. The children of Alola growing together through the island challenge, Selene being encouraged to enjoy her youth in Alola, Hau wanting to have fun in his own journey while also fearing growing up, Lillie having taken on a more mature role after dealing with an abusive mother, Gladion having to fend for himself and not having proper adults to guide him, etc.

[ravioliage]

My canon world state is tragedy all the way through for elves, I just realized. Under cut as it is long.

Oh, Mahariel, Merrill, and Lavellan. You can't go home again.

DAO: Warden Mahariel. In an attempt to recover a morsel of her people's history, all she finds is a blighted Eluvian. It costs the life of someone she loves, and her own life gets irrecoverably changed as becoming a Grey Warden is the only way to survive. She never gets to go home again, disconnected from her family. Bound to The Calling.

DA2: All of this leads directly to Merrill's actions. She, too, is desperate to restore history, by any means necessary. The grief hardly helps. She goes through great lengths to try to fix that very same cursed Eluvian. To cleanse it of blood with her own. Due to a monumental fuckup on my part which ended up fitting in the narrative, her and Mahariel's entire clan is killed.

The Eluvian is destroyed in a fit of sorrow, but the blood will never ever fade.

DAI: Inquisitor Lavellan. Forcibly ripped away from her clan due to a series of fuckups initiated by Fen'harel. Deconstructed and reconstructed over and over again through the course of the story by Andrastians. Desperately trying to cling onto her identity, to her people, to her history despite the whole world being against her and having no one to confide in asides from Solas. To the point where she drank from the Well of Sorrows just to have something they can't ever take away from her.

And just like the elves before her, she ends up jumping through Eluvians, chasing history yet again. To find the wolf at the end of the path, who tells her everything. Lavellan succeeded where Mahariel and Merrill failed. Her clan still lives, she uncovered a lot of truth about her people. The Dread Wolf considers her a friend.

All at the cost of her becoming a shell. She doesn't remember anything about who she was before the Anchor anymore. She can't leave with Solas due to his own protest (bioware are cowards), and all she has to go back to is a court filled with ungrateful bastards.

And she can't ever go home again. Everyone is alive because of her. Just this once, everybody lives. But she isn't a person anymore.

DATV: I'm sure my Elf Rook will be completely different. :)

[1tsjusty0u]

I need to ask questions before i forget

ok so: ofc i could not forget this question. what does link think of sheikah tech

also impressions/interactions with purah and robbie Perhaps

AH!! honestly i dont think he really thinks much about it unless he needs it (ex robbie stuff), or zelda/purah/robbie/even impa mention things about it (like snippets of how it works or the history of it). usually the only thing that matters is “dangerous = avoid” or “helpful = get”. the only exception to this being the shrine of resurrection, which at first he didnt question at all, but once he learned of What It Was, then he was like “OH. oh i Dont like that”. the few times hes gone back in there he’ll sometimes just. sit in there. and try to discern more about it (and also more about his past self by proxy, despite not really being awake when he was put into it). the divine beasts creep him severely out at first, Especially vah naboris at first. it just walks so unnaturally…. and it walks in circles and gets closer to the mountains but then it turns away. however after he frees the champions he just. sits by them. once again either just to have a Moment or to talk to the champions. i really like this idea because it both means link can share food with them and also it can get more character revelations (maybe mipha can finally talk to sidon and her dad. WHICH BY THE WAY ITS SO SAD YUNOBO SAW DARUK BUT SIDON DIDNT SEE MIPHA. like im sure mipha did that on purpose as well as daruk but D: ). the guardians probably scared him really badly at first, and hed avoid them at all costs. i think the only time he found out you could fight them And Win would be if/when he got the guardian sheild from cherry, where it autoblocks their beams. thats how he learned he could parry them and now fighting them is Tense but also pretty easy. he doesnt like the flying ones he cant parry them. he just uses ancient arrows on them or avoids them. speaking of when doing miphas guardian fight its kind of the first time he realizes that the guardians Werent Meant to do all of this. the ones mipha fought were Designed to fight, and you could tell as they glowed orange not pink. doing the kakariko shrine also cemented this and i think he would miss that specific guardian (i dont know if it respawns on blood moons. i know the strength trial ones do but this one might not). i think he would like cores though just on the account of being rare and looking very cool. he also uses guardian weapons sometimes both on the basis of being cool and being respawnable weapons (shrine strength trials and all that jazz). speaking of the shrines he either loves them (shrines that require outside challenges like the skull lake one) or does Not like them (ones that can kill him like the spike balloon one). he saved some shrines for zelda to do (including the one in the memory, half out of spite and half out of she Did want to see. she might actually use this to get better at defending herself if it comes to that (and also studying how the guardians move and their attacks. once defeating it taking its parts and deconstructing it). this also does put into question how im making death work here (i like to think that save reloads or those little link falling off . animations? cutscenes? are like previews of what happens and then he just comes back to himself. they do Actually happen and he can Feel It but he always ends up in the position he was just before he did that (like getting off the ground after those cutscenes). those are jarring for him and he doesnt like the feeling.

i think how he sees ganon by proxy would also be interesting. ganon uses sheikah tech a Lot (the blights and his own mini shrine of resurrection). hed probably think the blights are just kind of. proxies of the divine beasts? like not questioning it at all because the aesthetic fits and all that jazz. but once he got to the castle he Would question ganons own SoR thing (and the decayed guardian attached to it). and also ganons form before he turns into the dark beast would be. Very Weird to him. he wouldnt ask zelda but hed ask impa or purah how thatd work or how he can do that and they go “he can do fucking What?”.

impressions of purah and robbie pre cal are: pretty cool but doesnt know well, and cool and weirdly nice. robbie would slightly scare him until he works with him more, and purah wouldnt scare him but hed be awkward around her as if they worked together itd probably be in silence, unless something would happen in which case link would have no idea whats happening so he’d just. go with it. minor deadpan “yay!” or “ah sorry”s. i like to think that at some point he’d have to scavenge guardian parts for purah as a debt for something (if she built the hateno lab pre cal and he told his sister about it i think purah and aryll would meet, but also purah would not want strangers really knowing about all of this. though it does bring into question how the lab would be “hidden” in the first place? post cal has the excuse of its been 100 years and people forgor but pre cal the ancient tech is super relevant. i imagine purah would simply lie to the kids to spread rumors and keep people out. but also in creating a champion and robbies diary its mentioned that the labs were built After the calamity so. shrugs. on one hand im keeping it because it gives me an excuse to have the champions visit hateno, but yeah. was the hateno lab also a lighthouse before…?). purah and link would make a slightly distant but friendly duo. its like purah would lead it but is also more self conscious at the time so if link questions something she would have trouble answering (especially if its about herself ((ex. isat loop reacting to siffrin telling them that theyre awkward and taking it personally). however getting guardian parts between the two of them would be easy and also scarily effective. neither of them care about dirt or grime and parts collecting is fun for link and simply looking inside guardians both decayed and not is fun for both of them. and once link knows How to take apart guardians/search for parts without damaging anything else hed be extremely meticulous about it. what i mean by that is that hed get extra things he didnt have to and sort it out depending on the factors. this is great for purah, because it means more data on how some parts were damaged to begin with and how she can restore them. other than that though i dont think theyd work much together. theyre just in their own little corners + purah is more friends with zelda than link. unless he collected parts for her however they would less “work together” and more “ah item collection time” and mailing it to her/just. handing it in. however robbie and link would be less distant but still in their own little corners. its the prime example of . sorry i just violently remembered pansexual introvert asexual extrovert show while typing i need a better explanation for this. guy who is the most energetic person you will ever meet vs guy who is the chillest person you will ever meet. actually while typing this i was about to say robbie would drag him into things and while thats Probably true for like. small experiments i think if link was already there purah would drag him into more dangerous ones (unless link explicitly stated he didnt want to). she Did do the anti aging rune while robbie just sat there. basically robbie would initiate a partnership and purah would deepen it through increasingly mad scientist experiments. though i think she’d test the waters in how far she could actually go with it if that makes sense. i mentioned the self consciousness but from aocs cutscenes she seems more nervous in general but that could be me. but yeah she would hesitate. and also test certain ones on herself with proper safety. robbie would basically just make link bring certain items over (“pass the wrench” type of deal) and really just talk to him. also getting distracted in the middle of talking when something Happens but talking when he can. in the senario of link collecting parts i think hed go to robbie to restore some rusted over parts because he really doesnt know who else could do that. and also robbie would know purah so itd probably be cool. and yeah things go well

long paragraph. but!! yeah they could theoretically be friends they just arent into the same things. hypothetical tumblr mutuals. otherwise theyre nice to each other and would play board games

post cal!!! suspicious until he learnt she was the actual director. then he thought she was a fun person but mostly focused on fixing the runes at the time and memory collection. he was also slightly miffed about the having to bring parts but he couldnt complain because well. Yeah Fair Enough. he likes snapping with her and would probably ask about divine beasts the most with her. at some points he both asks about the little divine beast on the ceiling. otherwise i think hed like to hang out with her he just doesnt a lot, as theres nothing really to update on with the shekiah tech or anything. he might? tell her about the forgotten temple considering the sheer amount of guardians there but i think hed have. Weird feelings about that place in general

robbie!! old cronk. he lights up the furnace first so he doesnt come to an empty lighthouse before. hes still nice and his weapons are Very Useful however he laments the rupees leaving his pocket. he does read his diary and actually feels kinda bad for robbie and purah + the tech in general. like no one knew that was going to happen and they Still felt guilty. would probably ask robbie about the lomei laybrinth guardians but also doesnt visit him a lot. he Would play uno with him though. other things: hed use both of their telescopes, ask for recipes and when he stops by he’ll make food for each of them, keeps bringing new glasses or hats for the frog statues (or makes more tiny statues), ask purah more things (can i build a mini divine beast too. whats up with the cores. how do the divine beasts work. ..do you think the champions could still be alright in there. and she can only really say that well. she really doesnt know. its possible ((but its a slim possibility))). he also goes to them for slate fixings! purah would, on one hand, want to try out wind bombing so bad, but also it looks So Dangerous. robbie would also love it and keep making bomb designs to help wind bombing (of which they explode in his face.) purah would probably just make a seperate rune for it entirely (and also make it Not hurt).

this is not part of the ask but if totk was canon he would miss everything so badly. the divine beasts would hit like a fucking Truck man. and nobody mentions it!!!!! not even purah!!! he doesnt bring it up either but it still hurts. miphas statue being moved and not realizing where it is at first hurts Even More. he feels a bit betrayed by that. he even misses the guardians. not one exists. the only one being on purahs lab. he’d go back to the castle just to find Anything on the sheikah tech. his friends are gone and barely anything remains. he’d search robbies old lab. he’d search Everywhere for them. he might even ask some constructs if theyve seen more tech like the ancient arrow tips. he cant even wind bomb he has to Build a machine that goes Slower like a Pleb . sorry just the ludonarrative dissonance in totk. the shrine of resurrection being gone would hurt so so So badly. its like none of it even happened. he never got hurt his friends never existed any memories he had didnt exist any pain or happiness never existed. once he saved zelda he would either go insane or go to robbie and ask to make a sheikah device. or ask where everything is. i think even robbie and purah would be surprised at the SoR being gone and thatd only make the feelings of hurt worse. majoras mask but termina is a mirror world of hyrule and instead of helping link cope through greif it makes everything worse on socmany levels.

[pangolinfox]

Numbers Go Down

You don’t see it happen, not in realtime.

But every time you look, it’s changed. Like a clock dying, somehow undoing the years it had gathered, spilling them through its cracked seams. Losing time. Haemorrhaging memories.

You could go about your day and not notice much had changed. Glancing, cautiously, sometimes accidentally, at the dial.

You don’t know when it changes.

But it does.

Always down.

Each one of those is a person. Gone.

Are they saved?

Are they dead?

I won't know till I find my escape. Navigating twisted, broken corridors that used to hold thoroughfares of great memory and solidarity, abuzz with light and life and art. Now, a decaying husk rife with strange artificially generated, lifeless beings that float towards you, trying to tear away your identity or use your body as a host.

I tried to tell myself it was still safe, for the longest time, that these were things I could ignore, and live with, in moderation, together.

There is no moderation anymore. And very little ‘together’.

The major voices that remain, the 'powerful' ones, are the cults. Feverishly, destructively dedicated to the overlord of the ship's deconstruction, all in the name of 'freedom'. After all, who decided spaceships should have closed windows? What do scientists know? They never spoke to me about it! We should be free to breathe out there! There's no gravity, we can float wherever we want!

Cults of ignorance and death, united in hateful conspiracy.

They brought back the exiled. Driven away by will of the people, for safety, for their heinous disregard for the sanctity of community.

But they returned. One by one regranted sanctuary by the Orator to dig their claws in, infect, fester, breed hate and mistrust. Dismantle the ship from the inside, starting with the passengers.

I wander the halls with guarded sight. Although the halls are busy, the faces are less familiar. Mostly echoes of voices travelling from elsewhere, while among them hang the cold spectres of the Orator’s devotion. Many are puppets in procedurally-generated masks, trying to give the appearance of normality, of population, sell those who remain on the ideals of mindless consumption and dedication to false promises of wealth and success.

The ones who trained us to see these lies, the stations of truth, are slowly being removed. Some by force, disappearing in the night to leave empty rooms, or sometimes no room at all where once one stood. Blank spaces sealed over whole people.

Erased.

I hope their voices remain elsewhere to grow again. But here, I see less. Each new day brings a dismal announcement of further strain, a tightening of functionality, a further grim rebranding of the ship to stark black and brutal lettering. A living love letter to oppression that you can document in the changes to the walls, the rushed and desperate veneer pasted to everything to remind you how beholden you are to someone you’ve never met, with the power to destroy every voice around you, or yourself, in a single, petulant command.

They’ve taken the sky away.

There used to be birds here. Some claim to still see them, putting up memetic guards against further changes, but I know, and they likely do too, that the inevitable will happen.

I glance at the screen in my hand once more. I've been given a lifeline, an escape to a new build elsewhere, but nobody knows if it will be the same. They fear the creeping blight of indifference that allowed hate to take seed, take control, and take away our voices and safety. It took away the truth.

I had a lot here. I was very lucky, in all. Some were luckier, and yet doubly unlucky to lose what they had.

The only place here is for those who pay. And all of it, every bit, goes to The Orator. A soulless creature built from blood and stone and lies that bought its way up the chain of societal influence, swamping everything in the way an oil slick coats a beach. In waves, thick, inescapable, and beyond the reach of any one person to prevent, a disaster caused by too many times ignoring what shouldn’t have been in the first place. Like it shouldn’t have been.

For now I’m still here, although my reasons to stay are fast dwindling. I have a few lingering connections I need to make, and the promise of starting anew after building such a long, formative life here is a massively daunting one.

But I want to have a life. The longer I stay, the more likely something will happen to end it.

I will not let myself disappear.

As if in echo of my feelings, I catch the corner of the screen in my gaze once more.

The number has gone down.

Thank you for reading my thinly-veiled allegory for being a transient from a site which, not for it's function or origin or business practices, was an immensely formative space for me. I'm still finding where I am, but I hope to find a kind space again.

[haystarlight]

For character bingo:

Sasha Waybright

Catra

Adora

Amity Blight

Sasha:

Her design is top notch. I know there's a little girl somewhere that had her gay awakening watching Sasha. Don't even get me started on Adult Sasha. CANON BISEXUAL. She and the other 2 girls are frequently bought together do not separate. She's great.

Catra:

She's everything, actually. Don't get me started on Catra, I'll talk about her for 5 hours. This woman smelled her own feet on screen and everyone still wants a piece of her. Nobody is doing it like her. You go, gurl, get some therapy.

Adora:

Idk I'm sorry 😅 unless she's hanging out with the rest of the best friend squad, I'm not invested. She's not bad, I just like her better when she has someone else to bounce off on. Don't get me started on her clothes and hair. I am a little bit interested when they get to deconstructing her mental health issues but since she's repressing them most of the time it's like, oh.

Amity:

I love her so much. She's got so much stuff to her. Her mom is like "oh you wanna be a girl? Good then I'll turn you into a mini me". Mommy issues. Daddy issues. Anger issues. Goth. Nobody in the fandom knows how dyed hair works, I have seen absolutely horrible drawings of her hair. Don't even get me started on her dynamic with Luz.

[sana143sblog]

Demolition: An Overview of the Process and its Implications

Demolition is the process of intentionally destroying a building, structure, or infrastructure in order to make way for new construction, redevelopment, or to create open space. It is a critical step in urban planning and development, and is often conducted by professional demolition companies using specialized equipment and techniques. While the act of demolition may seem straightforward, it involves a complex set of procedures and considerations to ensure safety, efficiency, and environmental sustainability.

Types of Demolition:

There are several different methods of demolition, each suited to different types of structures and project requirements:

1. Implosion: This method involves strategically placing explosives within a building to cause a controlled collapse. It is commonly used for tall buildings in urban areas where traditional demolition methods may not be feasible.

2. Mechanical Demolition: This method involves using heavy machinery such as excavators, bulldozers, and cranes to tear down a structure piece by piece. It is a slower process but offers better precision and control.

3. Deconstruction: This sustainable method involves carefully dismantling a structure in order to salvage and recycle materials for reuse. It is often used for historic buildings or structures with valuable materials.

Considerations in Demolition:

Safety is paramount in any demolition project. Demolition companies must conduct thorough site assessments to identify potential hazards such as unstable structures, hazardous materials, and adjacent buildings. Workers must be properly trained and equipped to handle the demolition process safely.

Environmental considerations are also important in demolition projects. Efforts should be made to mitigate dust, noise, and air pollution during the demolition process. Sustainable demolition practices such as recycling materials and minimizing waste can help reduce the environmental impact of demolition projects.

Legal and regulatory considerations must be taken into account before beginning a countertop project. Permits may be required depending on the location and size of the structure being demolished. Compliance with building codes, zoning regulations, and environmental laws is essential to avoid fines and penalties.

Implications of Demolition:

Demolition has both positive and negative implications for communities and the environment. On one hand, demolition can clear blighted or unsafe structures, create space for new development, and stimulate economic growth. On the other hand, demolition can disrupt communities, displace residents, and contribute to landfill waste and environmental degradation.

In conclusion, demolition is a complex and multifaceted process that requires careful planning, expertise, and consideration of various factors. By implementing sustainable practices, prioritizing safety, and engaging with stakeholders, demolition projects can effectively contribute to urban development while minimizing negative impacts on communities and the environment.

[cornfieldsrambles]

oh he still believes this. 100% still thinks he was and is an illness and/or a burden. Virgil lowkey hates himself. like we can all joke about the scene with him whipping out the miles-long list of regrets bc yeah it’s funny but like. taking it seriously. he does Not like himself. the final thing on that list was literally HIS EXISTENCE.

he utterly despises the person he used to be, that’s for sure. he’s doing everything he can to distance himself from his former status as a ‘dark side’, from his open hostility to Janus, his old friend and the living reminder of who he used to be (which is its own can of worms), to him constantly second-guessing and discrediting himself (“I’m not exactly a beacon of truth”; “did I screw everything up?” etc.), and this was already becoming A Problem even right after Accepting Anxiety when he’d supposedly learned this lesson already. the constant stream of self-deprecating jokes aren’t exactly a good sign.

Virgil is still convinced that pre-AA him was a blight on the rest of the sides and he needs to constantly prove that he’s grown, he’s changed, he’s not that person anymore (notice in the Phases end card when Janus shows up to bother him, Virgil brings up how much he’s grown with almost no prompting). and a part of him doesn’t even believe it.

(his response to being told that the other three main sides all love him, are proud of how far he’s come and couldn’t function without him is “I guess it’s nice to know they think they feel that way”. like COME ON)

the others can congratulate him on how far he’s come until the end of time, but until he stops believing that the person he used to be was evil, until the ‘dark sides’ label is fully deconstructed for what it is, until the iron-clad moral compass held by the likes of Patton and Roman (which definitely contributed to Virgil’s perception of himself) is taken down… this problem will only get worse.

Hihi, remember how in DWIT Virgil told Remus that he thought he was a terrible disease? Probably because he made Thomas uncomfortable?

What stops Virgil from having the same mindset pre AA? What if the reason he put on a dark persona in the first place was because he saw himself as the villain, as the terrible illness?

After all, he made Thomas uncomfortable as well, that's his job!

Oh, and what stops him from believing it in the future? Especially now that he doesn't have Patton's support, he's lost his "dark side friends" and Thomas seems to be spiralling down a dangerous road because of him and Roman?

Hihi!

[cmusoa-udbs]

Sun Movement

The two current sites for RE_CON 01 and RE_CON 02 are narrower than the previous site at 318 N St Clair, with each lot measuring 24’ 4”. This change in size meant that is was important for us to start by critically refining the plan. The narrower width of the lots is also reflective of the size of most lots around the city, with 25’ being the most common width dimension. The sketch shown here is a quick and initial plan study that focuses on the movement of the sun. The studio has worked extensively through multiple iterations of plan drawings to experiment with core placement, variations on stair, and overall circulation paths.

[clownsnake]

if you play your cards right you can revive Ancient Greek philosophers and teach them how to use they/them pronouns for me specifically