#I'd given up all other romance options in this game just to have him

[lamiakan]

Damn that tension between Rook and Solas when they met at Act 3 ! Bioware you coward!

[diluc33rpm]

the romance/relationship system in bg3 is genuinely some of the worst designed shit i've ever seen in any game with that feature but at least the memes we get out of it are funny. once saw someone comment something along the lines of 'patch note: waving at gale will no longer cause him to buy a house for the two of you to retire in' and i've never recovered since

[wellen-katze]

I see that you are into Asccendent Astarion. Do you have and do you plan to make Spawn Astarion comics (even one shots)? Do you think Astarion is truly evil/roten to the core? Do you think he can have his redemption if he is given a chance?

Oh, I've already drawn some Spawn Astarion comics. I just don't title them 'Spawn' because, well, Spawn Astarion is Astarion lol~ But yes, I'd like to draw some more Spawn Astarion comics.

Well, Ascended Astarion is pretty much written like a disney villian. He wants to take over Baldur's Gate without any remorse, so I suppose you could call those actions 'evil.' But there are also things that surprised me about him. For example, the dialogue options when you romance Karlach with him. If Karlach tells Astarion she wants to die instead of going to Avernus, he is pretty much the worst person ever, and while Spawn Astarion weeps, Ascended Astarion seems to be nearly disgusted by that weakness and acts like, 'well then just go die.' But there is also the loyal side of him, and if Karlach wants to go to Avernus, he will follow. More because he thinks about the power he could get from it than anything else, but still, he actually goes with his partner to the Hells, and that shows how very important bonds are to the character. Maybe it's not really 'love,' but he cares about you, perhaps like you would care about a billion-dollar bracelet (I would care a lot).

The question 'if a character like Ascended Astarion can change' is even more complex (and obviously only the original writer could give you the right answer) because one of the problems about the ascension is that we don't really know 100% what the contract meant. In the end, it was Cazador who made the contract. And I think the game told us enough times that you can never trust a devil. The possibility is high that Astarion lost a part of his former soul. All in all, a 'true' vampire is closer to a mindless monster than ever. And if that is the case, there would probably be no way back.

To me, the ascension stands for a decision a person can take in life. A worldview that you won't get hurt if you have more power than other people. Astarion wants to take that path from the start, and the ascension is like the ultimate agreement.

So to sum it up: Yeah, he is pretty evil, and no, I don't think he could change because, well, why would he want to haha~

[emmg]

I’ve never played Dragon Age before but I’m being won over by all the thirst posting lmao, what’s the best DA game to start with? Idk if there’s like an overarching narrative or if they’re self contained plots or whatever.

Omg I somehow missed this which is unacceptable given how much I love ya lol

YEEEES, WELCOME TO THE DRAGON AGE SICKO SIDE, MWHAHAHA

Okay, so if you're not totally allergic to old graphics I highly recommend starting with Dragon Age: Origins. It's an absolute masterpiece in storytelling, but also wildly politically, errr, incorrect lmfao. And with mods it looks amazing

You get to have a dog who can read. I'm not making this up. He understands human speech perfectly and only uses it to beg for treats. You can also ask him if he has something for you (like Scratch in bg3) and when he doesn't, the game makes you want to kill yourself because the camera pans down into the most SHAME ON YOU angle on him I've ever seen and he looks defeated. It's amazing lol

Your companions in Origins are straight up insane. A huge warrior who steals cookies from a child and calls him fat. A living construct who was once a dwarf but there was a situation and she spent 30 years inert being shat on by pigeons and now she's on a personal quest to brutally murder all of them.

Did I mention there's a bisexual assassin elf who spends most of the game complimenting the group's grandma's boobs? I’m not sure it’s a "good" plot point, but it sure is a plot point.

You get to be rescued from prison by any of your companions. If the dwarf and elf go, they lie that they are brothers and it somehow works. Or the companions can end up naked. It’s insane, it’s absolutely fucking insane

Or you can start with DA 2 and experience the joy that is Purple Hawke (aka choosing the sarcastic dialogue option.) I present to you some of the classic lines:

"So I should be looking out for a bunch of boneless women flopping through the street?"

"Let's be more specific. I don't do anything that involves children or animals."

"You should pay someone else. Like me. I like being paid."

"I'd like to know who this "Corypheus" is. With a name like that, he's bound to go "mwa-ha-ha" at some point. I just know it."

In DA 2, you get to run around for YEARS (yeah actual years) with your found family that sort of hates each other, everyone, or almost, is bisexual, someone is possessed, and everyone is horny.

Inquisition is a great starting point, though, if you don't want to go too far back. It’s friendly to new players and very patient with your questions about "What is a dragon?" and "Why does everyone hate elves?" It rehashes everything you need to know so you’re not like, "Wait, what’s a Blight again?" Plus, it directly ties into the new game, Veilguard, which is even friendlier since 10 years passed between the two games and it has no choice but to be.

But really, I feel like all of them are good are introducing/rehashing the lore

Also if you want to experience the most life-devastating romance with the elven embodiment of a poetic egg, Inquisition and Veilguard got you covered. @thessaralka wrote many treatises on it lmfao

Pick up the games ok pls ty byyye

[my-current-obsession]

Something I both love AND hate about FF7 (the original game and everything after, including the Remake trilogy) is that it is just ambiguous and/or player-driven enough that no matter which side of the love triangle you fall on (assuming you do in fact ship Cloud with one of the girls), the majority of fans for that ship are 100% CONVINCED it's the correct/canon option.

Like, certain scenes are definitely up to interpretation, and people are going to thus have varying reads on those scenes and the characters/relationships the scenes are about. It doesn't help that several scenes change depending on the player's choices, which acts as a confirmation bias as you naturally get more time and romantic moments with the girl of your preference. It really seems to me that MOST people who ship Cloud and Aerith have one solid interpretation (with a plethora of supporting evidence) of the series and the romance, while most people who ship Cloud and Tifa have their own solid interpretation with plenty of evidence that is VASTLY DIFFERENT from the Clerith reading of the game.

This is not a case of "one ship is clearly, explicitly canon and fans of the opposition just like their pick better and/or think it made more sense narratively and WISH it was canon" - for an example of that, look to the Avatar the Last Airbender shipping wars. This is a case where both sides literally interpret the story just differently enough that they come to entirely different conclusions about which girl is Cloud's true love. And if either side reaches out to try and explain their viewpoint to the other, they're just met with "uh, no. You're wrong." Try and explain what Cloud might be thinking in a given scene with one of the girls, why he acts a certain way... "That's not it at all, where are you getting this? Are you delusional?"

Like, I am a Clerith shipper. I have played all the games in the compilation and watched Advent Children. I tried to be as completionist as possible, even. And I came out on the other side of really digging into the story of this game loving Cloud and Aerith's dynamic and pretty firmly convinced they were canon. Or as canon as possible in the timeline where she died.

As any Clerith fan who participates in the fandom would know, if you try and explain your interpretation of these characters and the romance to a diehard Cloti supporter... you're met with a lot of "you're misinterpreting! Cloud and Aerith were just friends! She loved Zack to the end and Cloud loved Tifa since childhood and never stopped! Also Aerith is actually BAD for Cloud because she's too pushy/abrasive. She's not helping him open up, she's just forcing him to go along with her and making him uncomfortable!"

All of this is of course infuriating, but I'd like to think I'm self-aware enough to know we are kind of guilty of the same thing. The majority of Tifa fans are SO happy about the kiss in Rebirth, while we're over here dismissing it because, one it's optional, and two Cloud is "obviously" using Tifa as a rebound or settling for her since Aerith is seemingly unavailable. But that's not how Cloti fans see it at all.

We can talk until we're blue in the face about how TIFA deserves better than Cloud because she shouldn't be the second choice - the one he settles for. But I think most people who really love Cloti genuinely don't see it that way. In their eyes, she's NOT second-best. Cloud loved her all along and this kiss is finally confirming that. And nothing we say will dissuade them, just as nothing they say will actually change OUR minds about Clerith.

It is honestly really difficult for me to try and see the story and romance the way Cloti fans do, but I know the reverse is also true. Both groups of fans interpret the characters and relationships differently. The compilation ALLOWS us to interpret them differently. And this is why the ship war for a game from 1997 is still raging on.

Because both camps are certain they're right, they defend their position viciously. Sometimes that means invading the "other side" to tell them how wrong they are. This discussion/rant was prompted by a Cloti fan on a Clerith vid who wanted to debate MY comment about how wonderful the ship was and how good they were for each other. He was "confused" and "concerned" because Clerith fans were reading the story wrong or warping it to suit our ship.

I wanted to tell him, "buddy that's what YOU'RE doing". I wanted to write a goddamn essay explaining why Clerith is canon actually. But considering in my INITIAL comment that he first responded to I'd already brought up why I thought Clerith was great, and he was IGNORING that... I knew it would be pointless. There is nothing I could possibly say that would change his mind. There is nothing he could possibly say that would change my mind.

As long as both sides of this war are fully convinced they're right, this war is going to be endless and brutal. And that's why my absolute biggest fear for part 3 is an open, ambiguous ending regarding the ships. Maybe it will canonize nothing. Maybe it will canonize BOTH by having the actual ending change depending on which girl the player favors.

Either route will offer no relief to this eternal battle. I would honestly prefer for Cloti to explicitly and unambiguously win than an ending where neither girl does. Because I can accept a loss. I can accept being told that actually I WAS interpreting the story wrong, but I'll only accept it from the text itself. If anything, a Cloti ending might encourage me to go through the entire compilation again trying to view it with that canon couple in mind. I'm sure I'd see things differently, even if I'd always have a place in my heart for Clerith. And I sincerely hope that if Clerith were to win that Cloti fans could do the same.

All I know is that I'm sick and tired of this ship war. I personally have never gone after Cloti fans or engaged in Cloti content with the intent to debate or hate on the ship. But I don't speak for all Cleriths. I'm sure at least a few fans of my ship are guilty too. I have seen many obnoxious Cloti fans invading our spaces to disparage us - mostly on YouTube and Twitch, less here on Tumblr - but I KNOW there are plenty of kind Cloti fans who just happily enjoy their ship and leave us to ours as well.

At the end of the day, regardless of how part 3 ends things, I just wish we could live in peace. Please enjoy your ship. Your interpretation of the text and romance is valid. But so is mine. If neither side can agree, then the best thing to do is leave each other alone.

[alj4890]

Processing and Developing

(Ethan x F!MC) (Tobias Carrick x F!MC) in a Choices Open Heart one shot.

Taken from Book 3, Ines's wedding reception.

This one's for you, @jerzwriter 😉 I haven't forgotten our need for more Tobias. It's not good, but I finally broke the writer's block, LOL!

Masterlist

A/N I finally wrote something! 🤣 This idea came about last night when replaying Book 3. I always opt to have my MC, Chris, take a photo of just her and Tobias at Ines's wedding reception. Originally, I hoped this scene would open up a romance option with Tobias. Sadly, PB didn't give it to me, LOL, so this is how I wish things had gone down canon wise.

"You look like you could use this."

Chris turned around at the familiar voice. Her eyes darted over how handsome the man before her looked dressed to the nines in his blue suit. Humor lurked in the hazel depths of his eyes as he in turn noticed her taking every inch of him in.

Tobias exaggerated clearing his throat. He held up the two fruity cocktails in his hands and playfully shook one.

Chris smiled in response while reaching for the glass that had cherries and a pineapple spear sitting on the rim.

Tobias lifted it out of her reach.

He clucked his tongue in mock disapproval. "Hold on. You know what you have to do to earn this."

Chris's smile dimmed. She wasn't certain if it was the fact they were guests at Ines's romantic Hawaiian wedding or that her hopeful imagination was getting the better of her again. Something though was different between Tobias and herself. The pair had always bantered back and forth and enjoyed the sharp wit of the other. Somehow along the way, the teasing took on a slight sexual edge.

She couldn't help but think he was attractive. Even when she first deemed him the enemy the year before, she found him incredibly sexy. Now that she was coming to know the type of man he truly was, she knew she was falling hard for Tobias.

She wasn't the only one feeling this way.

Tobias had been playing the long game with Chris. He'd thought her cute the first time he'd seen her at Leland Bloom's home. Going head to head with her and Ethan had been one of more enjoyable aspects of his job. Each time he saw her after that, though she glared at him, made him want to know her even more.

After the attack, her attitude changed towards him. He found himself the recipient of her warm smiles and good natured teasing. Even while fighting for her life, she never lost her sense of humor.

He admired her spirit, her mind, and to no one who knew him's surprise, her body.

The moment he joined Edenbrook's diagnostic team, he was finally able to see if his brief impressions of Chris were accurate. The more time he spent with her, the more he saw why there were a few at Edenbrook with feelings for her. She made it easy to fall head over heels.

Normally, he'd have already made his move. Given their close work relationship and the fact he suspected Ethan and Chris had an interesting past, he held back. When it came to Chris, he didn't want any competition, whether it be a literal person or one of secret pining for said person.

If things were to work out like he thought, he'd want Chris's heart and mind for himself. There would be no other way he could be with her.

It's odd, he thought to himself. Normally I'd be all for having her without any expectations or even caring if she wanted someone else.

But now...

"What do I have to do?" Chris interrupted his thoughts.

A slight blush graced her cheeks from the way he was looking at her.

Tobias pointed towards the photo booth.

One look at his suspicious smile made Chris double over with laughter.

"You found the box of props, didn't you?" She asked between giggles.

"You bet I did." He chuckled. "What do you say we drag Ethan and Harper in there and get a team photo."

"You really think you can get Ethan to don a wig and clown nose?" She asked.

"Nope." He grinned at her. "Even I'm not that persuasive."

"I don't know," she teased. "From my experience, you have quite a way about you."

Her smile grew the longer she looked at him.

"You've already got me agreeing to not only get in that photo booth, but also help you convince our more serious team members to join us."

"Then my charm is finally being used for good." He handed her a cocktail with a wink. "Let's take a dose of liquid courage and make our attack."

*************

"No." Ethan told them. "I prefer to keep my dignity intact."

"Dignity is overrated." Tobias teased.

Harper shook her head over that statement. "I'm all for a team photo, but I would like it to represent us in a more positive, respectful light."

Chris rolled her eyes. "Honestly, I think having such a picture would show our patients we're people too, ones with an excellent sense of humor."

"Our patients don't care about whether or not we have a sense of humor." Ethan argued. "They only want us to make them feel better. Nothing more, nothing less."

"Spoil sports." Tobias muttered. "Well Chris, it's up to me and you to show these two how to have fun."

Harper snorted in amusement. "I'll take my fun with getting another drink."

She waved goodbye on her way to the open bar.

Before he could engage the pair in a conversation, Ethan watched as Tobias grabbed Chris's hand and dragged her into the booth. His brow furrowed when he noticed they'd forgotten to grab props for their fun photo.

Curious about what they were doing behind the closed curtain, he went to watch the line of photos start to appear.

The first photo was of the two of them laughing. The second one had a more normal smile. The third one made him pause. The pair were looking at each other in a way he didn't want to contemplate. In fact, the image showed that Tobias was looking at the young lady beside him as if seeing her for the very first time.

Ethan's feelings for Chris had never died. If anything, they'd gotten stronger over time. He worked hard to keep things professional and continued to keep her at arm's length. It was difficult given how often they were together at work, but he knew it was for the best.

The fourth picture made his heart sink. The two in the booth were closer than before with heads tilted as if they were about to--

"Ethan?"

He spun away from his worst fears developing in the fifth picture. Harper eyed him for a few seconds before moving to see what held his attention.

Her eyes widened over the photograph of Tobias and Chris sharing a passionate kiss.

"Oh!" She exclaimed. "I had no idea they were together."

A muscle spasmed in Ethan's jaw.

"Excuse me." He bit out.

He left the reception with quick strides. The sound of the waves hitting the shore nor the warm breeze blowing did little to calm the emotions roiling within. He wished his curiosity had not gotten the better of him. Tonight could have ended with him simply dreaming about all the things he would have liked to have done with Chris if they'd been a couple.

Ethan briefly closed his eyes. He knew exactly how their night would have gone.

He would have been her date to the wedding. There would have been hints that one day they might like to have a destination wedding like Ines and Angie. They'd have spent the reception basking in the romantic atmosphere. Slow dances would have been shared. Flirting would have led to them slipping away shortly before the cake was cut.

Chris would have teased him that he better make it up to her for missing out on wedding cake. Ethan would have done so with a moon lit walk on the beach followed by retiring to their shared suite. He'd then have spent the entire night making love to her, proving that his heart was fully hers.

Ethan shook himself out of his pointless thoughts. He'd made his choice two years earlier. He could have had everything he wanted if he'd only considered that Chris was different from any other woman he'd known. Now he was left with longing for what might have been.

He eased into the shadows when he heard footsteps combined with Chris's laughter approaching.

"And just where are you taking me, Dr. Carrick?" Chris asked with a flirty lilt to her voice.

"Someplace where we can't be interrupted." Tobias paused to pull her back into his arms.

The two shared a deep kiss.

A moan, Ethan recalled all too well having once in his life caused, slipped out of Chris. That sound was embedded in his mind. He never imagined hearing another man cause it. It hurt worse than he could have imagined, knowing it wasn't because of his own lips touching hers.

"I think I know what's going to happen when we get behind a locked door." She said softly, all teasing gone. "But what happens when the sun rises?"

Ethan winced at the memory of Chris asking him that very question years ago. After a night proving how perfectly they fit together in every single fashion, he responded that they would go back to their lives as if nothing had happened between them.

He couldn't see his former best friend and roommate wanting anything more than a one night stand. Perhaps, Ethan could still hold on to what he longed for most in this world.

Tobias shocked him with his response.

"I will take you out for breakfast." He pressed a tender kiss to her lips. "That way we can talk about our new relationship."

Chris stilled.

"Relationship?" She asked hesitantly.

"I want more than tonight with you." Tobias held her close. "I want you to be mine, no one else's."

Ethan watched Chris's face fill with joy. With a slight gasp, she kissed Tobias with all the love she'd kept for the one who could give her what she wanted.

The new couple hurried into the hotel.

Ethan moved out of the shadows. He couldn't quite wrap his head around all that had occurred within the last hour.

Why didn't I ask Chris to dance earlier? Why didn't I agree to do the asinine picture? Would it have stopped her getting with Tobias?

He knew that Bryce had gone after Chris. Seeing them together hadn't hurt. Bryce was completely different from Ethan. Though they were both doctors, their studies didn't line up. He knew he'd never have Bryce's fun loving swagger. In his eyes, he knew it wasn't a competition between them for Chris's affection.

With Tobias, it was a huge blow to Ethan's ego. The two were too similar. Both were highly intelligent, loved the mystery diagnostics allowed them to pursue, and they had similar temperaments.

"Not anymore." Ethan muttered to himself.

Tobias had changed these last ten years. He still was driven with his love of a good mystery, but he no longer lost his temper as quickly as he once had. There was no need to one-up Ethan over every single thing.

Ethan realized that Tobias had become a man he would actually enjoy being close to again.

How could he now? The man was with the woman he desperately loved.

"There you are!" Harper jogged up the path.

"Looking for me?" Ethan asked.

"I was worried about you." She admitted.

"I'm fine." He replied.

"Ethan." She gently touched his cheek. "It's me. You know you can talk to me. I can see you're upset."

He blinked, stepping away from her.

"I'm not upset." He snapped.

Her eyes narrowed. "I saw you and I saw what happened in that photo booth."

Ethan stiffened after shoving his hands in his pockets. He tried to walk away from someone else confirming his heartache. Harper was having none of it.

She placed a hand on his chest and stepped directly into his path.

"I saw, Ethan." She repeated. "I've seen how you look at Chris. Does she know you're in love with her?"

Ethan averted his eyes. Shaking his head, he heaved a deep sigh.

Harper softened her tone. "Why didn't you tell her?"

"There were many reasons." He muttered. "Though, none of them seem important now."

"You could still tell her." Harper argued. "What we saw was probably nothing more than just two people giving in to the romance of the evening. Tomorrow you can--"

He shook his head, silencing her halfhearted attempt to cheer him up.

"It's too late." He swallowed. "I've uh, I've burned a lot of bridges between me and Chris."

He glanced up at the hotel, wondering which room she was in.

"Someone else came along and gave her what she wanted."

Harper wrapped her arms around him in a comforting hug.

He didn't return it. After a few seconds, he untangled himself from her embrace.

"Ethan? It will get easier."

"Perhaps." He conceded. "For right now, I need to be alone."

He began to walk inside of the hotel. He knew it would be a torturous night in his lonely suite. He anticipated having many miserable nights the next few months since he now possessed front row seats for Chris and Tobias's new relationship. He knew deep down that no matter how much time passed, his heart would never fully heal.

When it came to Chris, it would always hurt.

[thedragonagebigbang]

Bang Creator Interview: Tumblr: @blarrghe  |  [AO3: blarghe

The Collaboration period has begun! In these quiet months before works are due, we want to foster a sense of excitement, camaraderie, and celebration among our participants. To that end, all participants were given the option of a formal interview by our mod, Dema, or an informal “ask-game” survey. We hope you enjoy getting to know our phenomenal creators as much as we have!

Tortured Man More Tortured by Having To Endure the Best Week of His Life

Blarghe and Dema talk art imitating life writing, romantic foils, and the Platonic Ideal Dorianmance 

Dema: I'd love to begin in OC land with you. As someone who is both an artist and a writer, do you find that making art of your OCs informs your process? Or are those pretty separate for you?

Blarghe: Hmm. That's a good question.

Dema: Why, thank you!

Blarghe: My feeling has always been that I'm a better writer than I am an artist, so maybe the writing informs the art, more. I am always getting very visual ideas, like maybe some comic-panel type storyboards in the brain, and I can't really illustrate that to the degree that I want, so it can be like it is in my head. But I can more easily make words do that.

I'd very much like to do some illustrations for my own stuff, and I love drawing my OC and some things have helped in the other way, like designing his vallaslin on paper did give me something better to describe from in writing. I'd really love to reach the point of being able to do a few comics. There are a few scenes I really see that way. I try to be quite visual in my writing in the meantime I guess, haha.

Dema: That makes sense! I have the same dream. Comics are very intimidating. So it sounds like you write your OCs before you draw them?

Blarghe: Yeah, generally. I think since we're going from a video game and I already have seen the characters that way, there's that. Though I have OCs I have not made in the character creator. I haven't invented a ton of non-canon side characters but there are a few. I think I can picture them pretty well. I wind up drawing them after falling in love with them through writing them, rather than like, designing a character visually/on paper/in the cc before putting them in a story. Honestly, I put down DA:I for a looong time while still writing da:i-inspired fic with my OC and other canon characters. So I guess I don't have to look at him that often.

Dema: I have asked several of our writers if they make all their OCs in the CC, and if that's step 1. I'm curious, too, at what point you knew you were going to make fan content of your OC and participate in fandom. Did you finish the game first? Did you come in with a foot already in the fandom?

Blarghe: Ok long answer: I was into the games first. I started playing in maybe 2015, shortly after Inquisition came out. My partner already liked the games and was excited to play it, so I wound up watching some of that and being intrigued. But I started with Origins, loved it, and wound up loving and playing all three, all of them with more than one OC, to varying degrees of completion. When it comes to writing fic, I had ideas, like, little comics and some additional fill-in-the-gaps scenes written into notebooks and stuff for all three games. Mostly expanding on the personal relationships and romances, as you do. I'd done that kind of thing for other media I liked, but never really been in "fandom" about it for anything. I've always done creative writing and original fiction as a hobby and it was just a way of getting back into that on a personal level. I wrote the most after finishing DA:I for the second time... I kind of did a playthrough I wasn't super happy with, then made a new character specifically for a romance (Dorian's) then... wasn't super happy with that character either, THEN made Taren who is my current OC obsession, and wrote like 30K words of canon-divergence fic with a whole other OC companion inserted and just had fun with it. I forgot about that until 2020, when I found it in my docs and re-read it and decided it was actually pretty good and that I could maybe try to post online, find community, etc. I've since completely scrapped and deleted that fic from AO3, but getting out there got me into doing writing prompts and writing other stories, and now here I am. (I still haven't actually finished my Taren playthrough. I will before Veilguard lol) I was definitely motivated by COVID, thought I might go insane without community, so I picked a couple things I was already into (writing and dragon age) and went looking.

Dema: I'm guessing most of the art and writing you've done for DA has been DA:I?

Blarghe: Most, yeah. If only because my long fic is a DA:I inspired modern-au. Honestly it's fairly divorced from canon lol. Most of my canon writing is for DA:O actually. And I'm obsessed with Taren, I've drawn him more than anyone ever. He is very pretty, you see.

Dema: He is very, very pretty. Is DA:O your favorite game in the franchise? Everyone hates this question but I GOTTA KNOW hahaha!

Blarghe: Yeah it is! I love them all for different aspects, but it's got that first-game start of the obsession nostalgia. I also love a finicky, strategy-heavy RPG so to me the usual combat complaints aren't really a thing. I like the pause-every-two-seconds combat hahaha. I do really love running around through the scenery in Inquisition though, and I like the characters, and the fun flashy rogue stabbing too. But I have a soft spot for Origins for really gripping you into that story and world. It's a great balance of silly and funny and dark and difficult choices.

Dema: I haven't asked anyone else this yet, but are you finding the Veilguard announcements and previews are refreshing the inspiration? Or are you avoiding all spoilers and pretending it does not exist until the release? Or some secret, third thing…

Blarghe: Somewhere in between. I've been here the whole time lol, I don't know that it hyped me up any more, but it's nice to finally have news. And I'm excited that it will mean new people in the fandom and a resurgence that way. I am not totally avoiding spoilers but still kinda keeping my distance for my own sanity. I'll definitely lock down the spoiler tags once it's actually out.

Dema: So valid. I am feeling very inspired, myself, but I think it may be more the energy of the fandom around me reaching such a fever pitch. We're like a flock of ducks getting a whole loaf of bread after years of crumbs. 

Blarghe: So true haha. I am really excited about how it looks. Can't wait to play it!

Dema: Same! Returning to Taren a bit because, well, he's pretty: you said you went through a few iterations of OCs for a Dorian romance before him, and then were hooked. What is it about Taren that makes him a favorite? Was there a particular inspiration for him?

Blarghe: Oh boy. Not a specific inspiration. I played DA:I three times, counting the Taren one that I'm not technically finished, and the first I completely missed any romance (thought I could get Harding until it was too late) but I loved Dorian's character and his personal arc hit so hard that I immediately made a new character just for him. He was like a sassy Trevelyan who didn't really wanna be there, trying to pull kind of a rogueish charming sarcastic irresponsible pretty boy to hang with Dorian but I really didn't like how that clicked. I know it's a pretty common character archetype esp in a Dorian romance to do sassy x sassy so no hate but I found the Inquisition storyline and dialogue options just wouldn't let me be that irresponsible and funny, which makes sense. I really liked the themes of how the game pushes you into this impossible role where the only thing you can do is become a big responsible hero figure. I'm sure there's a compelling story there for the kind of character I'm talking about, but since mine fell so flat to me I decided to lean the complete opposite way. And Dorian inspired it too. The more I played and considered it the more I felt like I wanted him to have kind of a counterweight romance, you know. Opposites attract kind of thing. So Taren started as this very responsible, serious character who has always been prepared for leadership, being a First, and takes all that really seriously. He's also very Dalish and has reason to distrust and argue with him, which is great for Drama, but very very sweet and genuine and wholesome, which is so fun to contrast with all Dorian's trust issues. Dorian's quite emotional and idealistic, really, so they match in that way and it's very romantic. Taren's also a bit aspirational. Part of why I like Dorian so much is that I relate to him a lot, and I was struggling with trying to become less arrogant and more genuine, so Taren embodies a lot of that for me. Part of what makes him my favourite is probably the blank-slate of it all, too. Not having the Origin and getting to make stuff up. The whole romance plot is really compelling. I stuck him in some AUs and got carried away by worldbuilding, too. And after so much time spent with him he's just the fave now. But yeah, he's not my usual archetype. I think I've made a lot more sarcastic rogues than genuine sweethearts. He has like, anxiety and trust issues and I keep throwing him in situations to give him Trauma, but that sort of, happy, sweet, genuine, and healer-class character was all new ground to me and I wound up just loving the different-ness and challenge of it.

Dema: I did want to tell you that your "This is a story about trauma and relationships and socioeconomics and questioning belief and searching for balance. It's also about finding your soulmate on grindr" summary absolutely sent me.

Blarghe: Thank you, I'm very proud of that.

Dema: Speaking of which, can you come up with a clickbait title for your bang fic?

Blarghe: Something like Tortured Man More Tortured by Having To Endure the Best Week of His Life [[REDACTED]] you can cut that last part because it does make it obvious.

Dema: A+. Thank you for the lovely interview, it's been a treat chatting!

Blarghe: Thanks! It was very fun.

[csphire]

So... Frazer the voice actor to Dammon doesn't want Tav or the Dark Urge to romance his character? Well, shit.

It's late, I'm tired and should be in bed, just saw the letter from Dammon from patch 5, and yeah I'm a little weepy now. So excuse any typos.

Fair warning: Just some venting below but no major spoilers.

Update: I've got a better understanding of where Frazer is coming from and a better solution suggestion is 👉here.

But feel free to read this slightly saltier 🧂post. lol

So wait... Frazer doesn't want more work? Why? I mean true, I don't really see Dammon getting along well with a Dark Urge or a Tav Murder Hobo type, but a majority of Dammon's fandom we genuinely adore him and Karlach. And, I'd like to think, most of us just love options. We want to romance him with Karlach and a player character of our own design too.

Would I romance him on every playthrough? Maybe or maybe not. But I do know it will be at least once as Karlach. (I'm on two immunosuppressants. I don't-can't get out much. I can sooo relate to her being touched-starved stuff. I cuss just as much as her too-if not more.) I've got no problem playing as her but again most of us want more options. So what's the problem?

For her, the devs could even put in a few special lines that are unique to their romance. Hells, I would romance them both all the way through the game with Tav if I could so nobody was feeling left out.

Respectfully, I don't understand what Frazer's hang-up is at all. But it feels like a slap in the face when Dammon has become a comfort character to so many of us. We're cheering him on and we're trying to drum up interest to get Frazer a bigger part.

We do this because some of us have a lot of shitty real-life stuff going on, and BG3 has become our escape. And, unlike every romance option we have so far, Dammon doesn't bring us big drama or a lot of demands to the table. Even as just a merchant, he somehow feels... just there for us... supportive. He's not just a pretty face to us, we seriously want to get to know Dammon just a little more! We want him to evolve and grow. We want to know what's his baggage. At this point many of us would settle for him to be just NPC we can romance-not a fling mind you. A full romance like what we see in Dragon Age Inquisition with Cullen or Josephine.

But wouldn't it be cool if we could get him as a full companion? One that could perhaps be an Artificer in a DLC that would introduce that class to the player too?

Even now, when my Tav visits him each day to sell their things, I forget for a little while all the crushing pressure on my play character's shoulders for a few minutes.

In early access, overhearing him grumble about wanting better tools had me roleplaying to collect every tool I could find. A little silly minnie quest. Giving him hammers, and other blacksmith-related stuff, for free taught me how to raise my relationship with a merchant and get a better discount.

Perhaps his simplicity or just his kindness is his appeal. Perhaps don't give him too much baggage if you flesh him out more please.

But how do we get around this Larian, if Frazer won't budge?

Hate to suggest this but consider, Dammon has a twin brother, a nearly identical one. Maybe he has more scars, a different hairstyle, have fun with his design. Oh, maybe he never takes his enchanted armor off, and we have to go into the relationship a bit blind with no idea what he looks like under it all at first. He finally takes his helmet off and seeing Dammon's face we're a little confused. Trust me, we will suspend our disbelief given magic and dragons, for starters, exist in this world. Dammon having a long-lost twin won't be a huge stretch.

So have the twin, instead of Dammon, drop as one of the stars in a DLC. Have him join our party as a fully fleshed-out, perhaps mysterious, companion featuring the Artificer class and fully romanceable. Finally, the fandom gets what we want, a male tiefling we can romance. Dammon can hammer away at his forge and pine for Karlach all he wants. Frazer can stand by whatever principles that are making him hesitant to take on a larger role, more acclaim, another paycheck, possibly more work, and maybe even a gaming voice acting award.

By all means Larian, please throw all that money and acclaim you would have thrown at him at another voice actor. Let the new guy have it all. Sure we'll still pine a bit over Dammon now and then. But if Frazer doesn't want a larger role, guess we'll have to try and respect that.

If you've got this far, thank you for reading, and feel free to share your thoughts.

[drinkyourvillainjuice]

i wanted to preface this by saying that i really love this story, and i love kay (she's so sweet and i can definitely see my mc becoming besties with her, t4t friendship ftw). however, as a gay transmasc nonbinary person who hasn't been able to afford transitioning, the scene where teddie confronts a nonbinary mc about being interested in him was really dysphoria-inducing. i primarily play interactive fiction to escape the reality of the way i look, and the scene was a painful reminder that most gay men wouldn't see me as part of their community the way i am. i think that denying nonbinary people the ability to romance teddie, denying us our sexualities, isn't the way you should go with this, but at the end of the day, it's your story and i'll respect that. i just don't think it's very kind to treat nonbinary people like we'd take advantage of teddie's sexuality, instead of us seeing ourselves in him. if you are open to changing it, my suggestions would be to either let the mc say they're okay with his sexuality/that they're also gay, or to have us choose whether our mc is transmasc, transfem, trans-neutral, or genderfluid at the beginning of the story and set it so transmasc mcs can romance teddie (the suggestion i'd prefer, as i find it strange that nonbinary mcs are given the "nebulous third gender" treatment anyway). again, i want to say that i really love this story and i love your writing, and i'll respect whatever you decide to do, i just thought this was something i should bring up.

Hi, I'm really sorry about this, genuinely. I don't want people to feel excluded.

I've talked a bit about this topic RE: teddie before, I'll grab part of the post:

With a nonbinary MC, the thing I have to account for is that this includes the option to input your own gender. I like putting the freedom of choice, but it's limiting in other ways, such as when you have a character with a set sexuality.

I have limitations on what I can do with the code: there's only so many different permutations of identity I can include and while I know very well that gender is a spectrum, the coding of the engine is not. The code does not see all the nuances of expression and identity, it sees the inelegant flags that picking "I'm male" and "I'm male but I figured that out for myself" sets. The more different combinations I load in, the more specifically complicated stuff gets, and I get more and more likely to screw up something else in an exclusionary way by failing to account for it in the game's reactivity.

It's possible to select any pronouns, then select any gender you like. I know that doesn't cover absolutely everything, but I'm trying (and I hope that I haven't done anything to the contrary so far, but there shouldn't be?) to make zero assumptions about any element of how MC's body looks outside of the selected customisation options.

I'm not trying to deny anyone their sexuality, not in the slightest. But that also means I have to bear in mind that how I write Teddie and his approach/reactions to others can hit this problem from the opposite angle. Teddie is gay. If I have him acting interested in say, a transfemme, I'm then telling that player that Teddie sees them as male.

This answer feels kind of inadequate, but it's all I got.

[crossdressingdeath]

Halsin: I never quite realised how burdened I was, until I met you. The threat of the shadow curse, the politics of the grove... Halsin: ...I was forgetting who I was, but you lifted the fog. Thank you. Kyvir: You're welcome. Halsin: You're too modest. I wager you don't even know how extraordinary you truly are. But I do. Halsin: I have lived a very long time. I have taken many lovers. My heart does not stir lightly. But it does now. Kyvir: What are you saying exactly? Halsin: I want more than to fight at your side, or sit around the campfire with you. I want to lay with you under the stars and feel your skin against mine. Halsin: I think you feel the same way - why else would you have been so concerned about whether I had a lover before? Halsin: But tell me I'm wrong, and the matter can rest. I do not wish to sour our friendship, but I have to know if it can be something more. Kyvir: I'd be lying if I said I wasn't interested - but I'm already in a relationship. Halsin: You have bonded with Astarion, body and soul. His scent lingers on your skin. If there is to be anything between us, it must be with his consent. And perhaps some day, his participation. Kyvir: You just want to share? What do you mean? Halsin: Some treat their relationships like a walled garden - tidy, tamed, cut off from the world. That is their right, but it is not for me. I do as nature does, and let my heart run wild. Desire flourishes wherever it finds purchase. Kyvir: I will speak with Astarion. Halsin: Take your time. I'll be waiting.

I GOT HIM.

I really do love how firm Halsin is on you talking to your lover and getting their permission first. He's very open about how much he wants you! Incredibly open about it, actually, with how much he flirts with you before the romance is even an option. And he is more than happy to share. But he's very much not a cheater, and he's not going to do anything if your lover isn't okay with it. I also like how there's no option for you to even suggest cheating; for all the awful things you can do in this game, you can't even bring up going for anything with Halsin without your partner's consent! It's a nice touch. I also love how he's basically like "And maybe one day we can convince your lover to join us?" It's nice that he doesn't necessarily just want you and is accepting the presence of your lover as a part of that, he'd be quite willing to have something (at least something physical if not emotional) with them as well.

I can't really articulate my feelings on the rest of this conversation, it's just... it's really good? It's so sweet and he's so clearly in awe of how extraordinary you are, and it doesn't feel like an abrupt shift in feelings (which I was slightly worried about, given this romance only opens up in act 3 while the others start in act 1) because of how much you can flirt with him from the start. It's very well-handled for a late-game romance option, I love it!

[norbezjones]

I've been thinking a lot about something concerning Romance The Backrooms, so I wanted to write it down and share it.

Content Warning: Discussion of suicidal thoughts, self harm, mental health issues, and homelessness. There is a hopeful ending.

I got the idea for RtB in October, when I was living on a friend's couch and trying to find permanent housing. That ended up being a really difficult month for me, because I self-harmed for the first time in months and, as a result, I went to inpatient.

I was there for a while, and I got better. With all the time I had in thee, I worked on creative things, and really fleshed out RtB. I couldn't live with my friend anymore after October ended, but the social worker told me that she would find me a group home.

However, when I was transferred to a different wing of the hospital, I was given a new social worker. And this one said that I couldn't get into a group home, and he was going to discharge me into a homeless shelter asap.

That resulted in a spike of suicidal thoughts. Why had I come this far, only for this to happen to me? Should I just end it? But, no--if I did that, who would be around to make Romance The Backrooms? If my light snuffed out now, that game would never be made.

I've been suicidal since I was 10 years old, and it's usually not big, grand things that make me want to stay alive. It's the dogs I would never pet and the movies I'd never be able to watch that make me say, "One more day." And RtB became my "One more day." It became the reason why I persevered.

After I was discharged, my friends told me that I still needed inpatient help & psychiatric care. So after toughing things out for a few days, I brought myself to the ER and was admitted. A few days later, I was brought to another inpatient, and two weeks later, that inpatient sent me to a short-term residential program.

It was a wonderful program, and I met some fantastic people there. I also worked more on RtB--I figured out all of my love interests, and drew them for the first time. On the characters profiles, which you can view here, there are drawings with the description, "Concept art from when I was in treatment in December 2023." These were all done while I was at the residential program.

I was able to scrounge up some money to be able to get an Airbnb after I discharged--it was cheaper than other options, and would hopefully be temporary while I searched for permanent housing.

Unfortunately, finding housing is difficult when you haven't worked in 2 years (mainly thanks to pseudo-dementia, which I've documented extensively in this game here), and don't have the money for a security deposit. I also wasn't poor enough or disabled enough to get help from the government. Very unfortunate.

Long story short, I ran out of funds to stay at the Airbnb in 2 months. I was able to get into a short-term housing program for homeless folks with mental health issues. That was when I met Kevin.

Kevin told me he could help me get hotel & housing vouchers if I went with him after our time at the program was done. I had no other options, so I did. I spent the money I had keeping us afloat at a motel while we waited for the voucher, and went across the state to a different one when Kevin told me the one we were at wouldn't accept the voucher. When he left to retrieve it, I waited very patiently for him to return.

He never did.

I suspect the whole thing was some sort of scam all along, and even though part of me knew it could be, I went with it because it was either go with Kevin, or go to the homeless shelter.

The next day, I had to check out of the motel--I had literally no money left. I gathered my bags and sat in the lobby--well, I say lobby, but there weren't any chairs or tables, so I was basically sitting on the ground in the corner of the room, with sun from the window scorching my back--while I tried to come up with a plan.

I made a lot of phone calls to people who might be able to help me, but nothing came through. Even 211 had nothing, because the homeless shelters in the town I was in were full.

I became suicidal again at that moment. Again, the eternal question: why had I come this far, only for this to happen to me? Should I just end it?

No, goddammit. If I go now, Romance The Backrooms will never be made, I thought to myself. I want to be around to make it. I want to be around to see it through. Come on, Bez. Things looks like shit, but let's keep going anyway.

Not long after that thought came to my mind, another person entered my head, someone else I could call. I wavered, but eventually decided to try calling them, and they answered. They were able to help.

It's thanks to them that I am where I am today. I have housing for a while, and I got a job that I'm satisfied with.

Best of all, I'm working on Romance The Backrooms.

I'm so happy I stayed around to see it through.

[blackjackkent]

Time to party with the tieflings!

We have a new camp location - no longer in the ruins but somewhere out on the road, and there is nice music playing. c: This is nice.

Time for more social interaction!

Rather concerningly, the first thing I notice is this, lying on a table in a side tent:

????

There's no indication of who it belongs to and no option to follow up on it. This seems...like something we should be more concerned about. Hopefully Zevlor hasn't been putting a massive trick over on us this whole time.

Anyway, onwards...

The tieflings are all very happy and very drunk, and it's cute. They're being nice to Hector too and it's really doing a lot to brighten his mood; after everything that happened in the temple he was starting to feel way out of his depth, but this - he helped these people. That means something. A bard tiefling offered to write a song about him but Hector dissuaded her; so far he's proved very uninterested in being memorialized.

Companion circuit, starting with Halsin:

"Go on now. Don't waste a night like this talking to me. We'll discuss your problem tomorrow."

Poor Halsin is still covered in goblin blood.

The game (perhaps left over from the early access, when I believe Halsin was not a companion option but just a dude you could help and also flirt with) mostly only gave options to be super direct - "There's other things we could do besides talking..." - and even when I thought I was saying I just wanted to get to know him it ended up turning out that Hector was trying to come onto him. I think we can all safely assume Hector is not at that point yet. So I had to reload this conversation a few times. :P

"Take your own advice, why don't you? Go on - mingle a little."

"Later, perhaps. Don't worry about me. A night under the stars amidst nature's creation is just what I need after being locked up in the goblins' dungeon. Go on. Enjoy yourself. Seek out some wine before it runs dry - there are a lot of thirsty people around here."

---

Wyll, apparently, has been sort of lurking off to the side of the party.

He's depressed because, no matter what we did to help these tieflings, they're still going to be in danger because of Karlach and other monsters of the world. Hector didn't necessarily disagree, but tried to cheer him up a bit, which did seem to work.

(It seems as if all these conversations might be the initial entrance point for romance, because Hector had the option to ask Wyll to dance. Hopefully I'm not cutting myself out of anything by not taking any of these options right now.)

---

Gale...uh. offered to show us something magical.

Hector, assuming he meant some spell, agreed. "I like the sound of 'magical'. What do you have planned?

"A lesson. And trust me when I say - few have experienced the pleasure I offer to teach. However, it's something best experienced in more...intimate surrounds, once the revelry has ended and the stillness of the night has been restored."

Um. What did I just agree to?

I am legitimately unsure whether this was flirtatious or if Gale is ACTUALLY talking about some magic ability. Given Hector's general lack of facility with the nuances of conversation, I think he is taking this completely at face value. I almost reloaded, but you know what, we're going to lean into it. Come the end of the night, we'll see what was actually intended, I guess.

---

Astarion is not having a good time:

"You know, I never pictured myself as a hero. Never thought I'd be the one they toast for saving so many lives. And now that I'm here..."

"...I hate it. This is awful."

Hector, in spite of himself, grins. "You did a good thing," he says, lounging back on his heels. "Suck it up and enjoy yourself."

"Enjoy myself?! There's a worm in my brain, I'm surrounded by idiots, and all I've got to drink is wine that tastes like vinegar."

"Relax, all your problems will still be there in the morning."

"That means I have to survive tonight. And this party. All I want is a little fun - is that so much to ask?"

"That had better not mean 'I want to kill something'."

"Not at all! I was hoping for companionship and - well, maybe a little death. Figuratively speaking."

"Not with you, just to be clear. I mean...can you imagine? Ugh. No."

Lmao. God. I really went into this game being like "I am sure Astarion's fine but I don't imagine I will get the MASSIVE hype around him" but you know what. This is a great character. His dialogue has so much personality, his voice acting is on point, he should be completely insufferable but I am grinning every time I talk to him, and even with the scraggly hair which is not normally my thing, that jawline does wonders for his attractiveness. Even Hector doesn't seem to fully dislike him and by all accounts he really should.

And there's most definitely more lurking under the devil-may-care facade. I am 100% romancing him on a different playthrough.

For now, though, Hector will be satisfied with making sure he stays in camp and doesn't go completely off the rails.

---

Oh my god. Moving on to Lae'zel, who is looking at Hector with an entirely new expression that resembles nothing so much as a dog staring down a piece of meat.

"I have seen the kith'raki tear a screaming neogi's legs from its belly to fashion into blades. Yet they could not match your nerve today. It was enough to drive me to madness."

"A pity for us you have promised your body to Gale. I've no doubt he is as seductive as he is succinct."

:LKJSD;fljkaS;LDKJFAPOSIHDFPOAISJDFPAOISJDFPOIASJDFPOAISJDPFOJIE WHAT

Okay first of all - Hector is all O.O because he seriously thought Gale was going to show him a magic trick. Second of all - you weren't even THERE while Hector was showing all this nerve. Third of all - we have GOT to get you a better outfit to have these conversations in. And fourth - a;lsikjdf;aslokjdf;paolsdikjf;ap.

Help. My face hurts.

Hector, as awkwardly as humanly possible, squeaks out, "I"m grateful for your aid. You really are a gifted warrior."

She sneers at him. "Vlaakith demands of me no less." Her eyes sweep over him and a twitch of frustration tugs a muscle in her jaw. "Mm. If only I might lay claim to my proper trophy. Come morning, you will wonder. You will wonder how my lips might have tasted. How my fingers on your skin might have felt. Oh, but do enjoy yourself this night. I intend to, myself. Wyll looks particularly tempting."

a;lskjdf;alsdjkf;alsjdf;asldkjfds;sjd MA'AM?!?!?!?

Hector staggers away from this conversation feeling a little dazed, his skin about four shades darker, and not sure how to meet anyone's eyes.

---

Shadowheart is kneeling in apparent prayer in a completely different part of the map, way off from the party. She may be a Shar cleric and he's not sure how to talk to her, but at least it's quiet over here.

She smirks slightly, looking up at him, and raises a glass of wine from where it's sitting at her side.

"Everyone seems to be in high spirits. I saw you with Gale. You two looked...cozy. Far be it from me to judge. Blood must still be running a little hot, after everything."

Oh my god. Apparently EVERYONE except Hector knew what was going on in that conversation. Poor boy is definitely BRIGHT red now and flustered as hell.

They actually had a nice little conversation - Shadowheart talked about how she wouldn't have expected to care about the refugees (and Shar wouldn't approve of anything that distracted from her worship). And Hector had a drink with her.

"There - some liquid courage. And try to get some rest too if you can; tomorrow's another day."

[dolceaspidenera]

Hii! when I read your post about bg3 and what could be better, it’s like you I’ve read everything on my mind. I love this game, it’s an absolute masterpiece, that’s an undeniable truth. I desperately wanted sth like this after I fell in love with DA games. the minute I knew I can romance Astarion I jumped at the chance - because LOOK AT HIM!! and they’ve given him the BEST voice actor, the BEST character backstory- better and richer than any of the DA characters had. he feels alive, everything in his behaviour and motivations makes sense, the whole breaking the cycle of abuse is incredibly deep. And really makes me crave for more..more party banter, more things to talk about overall. there are certain shining moments between him and Shadowheart, moments where she teases him or is curious about certain things. YES GIVE ME MORE OF THIS overall with all the companions!

100% agree about how it is frustrating that companion reactions get overridden. I romanced Asta and wanted to hear his reaction to the owlbear and he got blocked by Shadowheart. why??? if anyone has sth to say let them say it.

Now I’m gonna rant a bit about Asta’s content in act 3. there’s quite a big difference between act 1 and 3 in terms of camp cutscenes. while in act 1 you have to long rest pretty much constantly to see everything that’s queued up, in act 3 it isn’t necessary. act 3 feels much emptier esp when it comes to Astarion or Karlach. Cazador isn’t involved in the main plotline so there’s no incentive to deal with him unless you really want to help Asty. Karlach and her soul coins - i didn’t understand their purpose, guess it was scrapped. same as the possibility for Asty to explore different ways to release himself from Cazador’s clutches, to be able to stay in the sun. as it is now there’s nothing for him, just a throwaway dialogue option added last minute that you’re going to look for the solution together. that solution should have been available in act 3–another scrapped content—necromancy of thay. as it stands now - I think mainly because of this missing content, there’s only one option to help Asty see reason to refuse the ritual and even that requires high persuasion check. all that we’re given is one good choice (which you can’t probably pass with a non-charismatic character) and two bad choices with one of them being No I won’t help you which does not give you any additional chances to reason with him. which there should’ve been especially if he’s romanced and on the highest approval. lastly, we should’ve been given a waaaay more satisfying conclusion - once again as it stands now, it deeply hurt me to watch him run away from the sun with nobody expressing any sort of concern for him whatsoever. he deserves better. and i’m too old and tired to write a fix-it fic about this 🙈

the end of rant 😅

Hi! Thank you for sharing your opinions with me 😊 I agree with you, I would've preferred, for example, fewer shiny objects and more party banters/cutscenes with our companions. Especially when it comes to friendship interactions, you really feel a lack of content. They are all amazing characters and I wish we could spend more time with them, it would have been cool to have something similar to the Citadel DLC in Mass Effect.

Regarding the companions' reactions that override each other, if Larian is hell-bent on leaving it like that, I hope there will be some saint modder out there who will be able to get rid of this mechanic. I'd do it myself but unfortunately I know nothing of how mods work 😭

And Yes, after completing the quest for the characters there's 0 content after that unfortunately when it comes to interactions in camp. Don't get me started on our best girl Karlach, they really did dirty to her. Her confrontation with Gortash is the most anti-climatic thing I've ever seen. She gets angry, understandably so, for like 5 minutes, and then that's it, everything is back to normal. AT least give us a cut scene with her stabbing the hell out of Gortash, them staring in each other eyes while he dies, give me some pathos, something! It's supposed to be the climax of her narrative arch, c'mon!

There's definitely a lot of cut content, I don't know if it's because they ran out of time or they were having budget issues, maybe a bit of both. I hope they will add them back later but I honestly doubt that. Unfortunately, the ending is really lacking as well, you can really see that they ran out of time there. Larian promised they would fix it, so I hope they manage to put together a satisfactory epilogue for all the characters. I reeeeeeally hate Astarion's ending in particular, there's no way my character wouldn't run after him to make sure he's okay and to comfort him. It would have been cool to have at least a party like the one with the tieflings in Act 1 to properly say goodbye to all characters (Dragon Age Origins really nailed it in that sense, even if it's brief you have the chance to speak with all characters and ask them for their future plans after the final battle).

[elfcollector]

Can you tell us about some of your Wardens? The different Hero of Fereldan's are so interesting and I'd love to hear about yours!

(also was/is Johana in a romance with divine Justinia or Leliana as divine?)

i have SO many wardens so i almost don't know where to start! i'll start with alia because i adore her and she's my canon warden so that seems fair!

alia tabris is pretty canon divergent; she's a hedge mage, for one! rather than giving her up to a circle when the magic came, alia's mother insisted on hiding the magic and keeping her in the alienage; not really free, but certainly closer than she'd have been in a circle. very bethany and mage!hawke.

anyway, alia is only nineteen when the game begins, and hasn't really trained her magic much; she keeps it hidden even through the kidnapping up until she finds shianni and vaughn, at which point she's so furious — and also trying to repress her magic so violently — that it slips out and she freezes him, and then shatters him into tiny little pieces. she takes the blame for everything with the hope that that will avoid a purge, and even once she joins the party her sense of her own magic is weird. she ends up finding that, while she learns to be decently proficient with a staff, she prefers channeling magic through her body — there are lots of uses! gather a great deal of force magic in your fist and then release it all at once when you punch something and you can knock down walls with relative ease. launch yourself across the battlefield with a combination of force magic and barrier magic around your legs. channel entropy magic through a dagger in another's gut...the options are limitless!

there's an element of like...how do i put it. for most of my characters, across series, becoming A Hero is a net negative; it inflicts a lot of additional trauma without enough gain to offset it. like, all my hawkes, almost all my inkies ( dove is the exception ), many of my wardens...they hate being The Champion/The Inquisitor/The Warden. but for alia, becoming a warden was the first time she got to eat enough, was free to explore her magic, had real, close bonds — the first time she was really allowed to act as young as she is. she seems very childish at times because this is the first time she's been allowed to be a child. not that there's no pain associated with becoming The Warden, but it brought her more good than harm. she's happy to be the warden, for all she might wince from being called a hero.

that being said, while she's great at leading a small group, she finds that she struggles immensely at being warden commander — she doesn't feel like she's good at it. and while she's not as bad as she THINKS she is, the fact remains that she's not great, either. origins is a lot of positive character development for her, but all the dlc she mostly undergoes negative development due to feeling like she just. keeps. failing others. this motivates her fleeing the wardens a little earlier than most of my other wardens, do — that and a desire to see zevran again, of course.

as for johana — she's leliana's beloved! she remains with leliana even once leli becomes divine victoria; spends a lot of time being annoying about how her "naughty priest" fantasies are all coming true. they never actually officially marry ( there's just so rarely time ) but at some point they just took to calling each other wife/my wife/etc and it stuck.

leliana is such a revelation for jo; she experienced a lot of comments from her family and others about being attracted to women, and her parents desperately trying to hook her up with a man takes on a particularly gross energy when johana is an out and out lesbian, and given how misogynistic howe is i can't imagine he didn't have opinions on the warrior woman also being gay. she's internalized that while few people will outright disallow her from loving women, that there is something inherently less holy / Right about attraction to women. not that this results in any hiding; jo leans hard into being The Problem Child, enjoys the relative freedom that comes with, and decides that if attraction to women is wrong then she'll just Be Wrong and not try to "fix" herself. but still, it's hard to carry that. and here comes leliana, bi supreme, who is at once the most holy woman she knows and who is also flirting with her and outright about being attracted to women.

it blows johana's mind, and leliana and johana's frankly bonkers devotion and loyalty towards her drives a lot of johana's actions. she makes a lot of Good Moral Choices ( as opposed to utilitarian morally questionable ones ) because leliana's there to remind her that she's capable of being merciful and moral and kind.

killing howe sort of breaks her brain, though, the catharsis is so intense ( she even promises to do things to his family that will make what he did to hers look like a mercy; she doesn't go through with it, but only because the companions don't let her ). and that's followed by very bad torture drakon; and she undergoes very rapid negative development about it all. gets bloodthirsty. she clears out ALL OF DRAKON ( including non - combatants like the sister in the chapel ) on her own, literally seeking out fights she didn't have to face, despite having no real reason to because she's desperate to take her power back, to feel powerful, TO HURT THE ONES THAT HURT HER. who hurt ser gilmore and mother mallol, poor fuckers... after that, she gets more erratic, more likely to kill everybody and quicker to violence, especially with anyone connected to howe or loghain. it's leliana ( and zevran, her bestie ) who soothe and help her re - regulate and re - center. by awakening, she's at least settled enough that she doesn't outright kill nathaniel, but it's a close thing.

[ghost-proofbaby]

hiii, hope your well <333

so i got all the way to the very start of act 3, romanced astarion (or so i thought) just to have him reject me !!!!

for added context, he propositioned me at the celebration (i obviously said yes), helped him get raphael to explain his scars AND let him drink my blood. it says his approval is very high aswell. so i have no idea where i went wrong :|

hello love!! im doing pretty good <3 and oh nooo.

(spoilers for games. y'all have been warned.)

did you get a confession scene towards the end of act 2? to solidify the romance with any companion, there will always be a cut scene where the explicitly say "hey, we're doing this. we're a couple." there's specific things you have to do in order to trigger them. (and if you're doubting if you got that scene, once you have solidified the romance, you will have the dialogue options to ask for a kiss and ask what you are to that companion! every time you talk! endless astarion kisses if you so please!)

astarion has a few variations, below the cut.

1: you went to moonrise, encountered a drow named 'araj', and didn't make him drink her blood. plain and simple. most people resort to triggering the confession this way. it will be a cut scene that triggers during a long rest, and not an exclamation point. usually within 1-2 long rests, depending on if you have a backlog of camp events since you haven't been long resting much!

2 (my personal favorite and the most popular to be posted online): you completed his quest with raphael and the deal regarding his scars. this one has been trickier for others to accomplish. you can't encounter the drow first, and i usually avoid moonrise altogether to get this confession. it's the iconic "i had a nice, simple plan" confession. cut scene just like #1, where it occurs once you go to bed at camp. if this didn't trigger for you after the raphael encounter and killing yurgir (spoilers lol), then that's the same issue a lot of people have! i've only sought out this confession with exceptional approval. maybe the approval affects it? who knows. also, i have no idea if it's related, but i had friendzoned every other companion when i got this one, to avoid being in a double romance type of situation like the option below...

3: you begin to romance someone else in tangent with him, and are given an ultimatum between that character and astarion, and choose him. i've never done this path. i do not know the specifics to triggering it. i know it's common when you romance both gale and astarion specifically, but from what i've seen, it's very sweet and cute because he gets surprised you would choose him lol (also sometimes it appears to happen in late act 1??? like i said, i've never done it. when i set my sights on my boy, it's over for everyone else. even halsin. which, if you're curious, you can have a poly relationship with halsin and astarion. you just have to talk to him about it, which halsin brings up automatically. it's only available once in act 3).

if none of these works, try long resting back to back like all hell!! it'll literally be the tik tok audio of "night time, bitch! night time, bitch!". certain scenes just won't trigger out of order. <3 #1 has been confirmed by the community as the simplest way to get the confession, definitely used as a fail safe, because it always happens immediately the first long rest after that encounter.

also, some choices will lock you out, but you would know. astarion makes a very dramatic mess of the 'breakup'. usually, it's if you made him drink the drow's blood. higher approval leads to options to talk to him about it and stop the breakup, but also some really fucking awful options (do NOT try and have sex with him after he says he doesn't want anyone to view him in terms of sex, in case that wasn't obvious).

hopefully this helps? i just recently saw this start to be an issue for people haha. also finding the drow is a bit tough, she's in a side room. i recognized her voice from videos i'd seen on tiktok so... that's how i found her. and no, you can't fireball her into oblivion. i tried. multiple times. she won't take damage while at moonrise, fuckin cunt.

[aeipathism]

I feel somewhere in the middle on this - the individual quests and direct interactions felt really good and genuine to me. I came out of it feeling like my Rook was very genuinely friends with and had unique/close relationships with all the companions.

Also, i really loved the work they put into making the companions have relationships among themselves. Banter around the Lighthouse and codexes showing they all interact was awesome and sparked SO much joy

That being said, what did fall a bit flat for me was the inability to just talk to your companions around the Lighthouse etc. Which has been a staple across DA and ME games, so it felt like a weird gap to just... not have that. I can expand on the quests we have, but that structure also gives you a very narrow window for that relationship. Generally, you've always been able to go up to characters in your party and ask inane questions or have an exchange about the current plot. Not scripted events, just a bit of dialogue back and forth. Or even options to insert a comment to some of the banter you can walk into.

The other thing that felt missing were group scenes outside of main plot. In 2 and Inquisition you can have little scenes that cut off pretty early playing cards with companions etc. I'd love a snippet of a dinner Bellara and Lucanis put together. Or arguing over cards because the companions all coming from entirely different factions and cultures is a recipe for no one plays games with the exact same rules. And tbh, the lack of these was disappointing to me Because they really improved on the interparty relationships in terms of banter and environment. Which, with those being another staple in other games, I kept waiting for and was sad not to see it. Let us drop in on a book club meeting! Put Rook in the middle of the discussion voting on cooking duties! We had these snippets and set ups for simple group scenes that we never actually get to see.

Even on just a romance level, you can only interact with your LI in any meaningful way in carefully placed quests and scenes. I kept waiting for when I could go to Emmrich's room and trigger the same scene 5 times in a row like inquisition and just have Rook smooch him on his balcony. Or be able to say you want to chat and have a little no dialogue cut scene of them sitting together with Manfred to serve them tea.

So while I 100% agree that the relationships did feel genuine to me, I did find it a bit jarring to offload so much of that building into Quests or into codexes. Mostly since historically, you've always been able to go chat with your companions, or have 1 or 2 simple group events. It wouldn't surprise me if that's the sort of thing that got cut by EA since voice and animation means more work and those are technically not integral. But I suppose what I'm getting at here is that I do see where some of that feeling/criticism is coming from. And in some cases, it isn't necessarily an issue of catering to specific desires, but just base patterns established by previous games both in DA but also ME.

I can see where it feels a little jarring to have these intimate friendship moments with companions, when you're used to being able to walk up and establish more casual rapport with them. We lost a lot of connectors and middle parts of things that way. It helps the player establish a baseline of what casual conversation looks like, and that makes a bridge to the (brilliantly done!) personal quests where a deeper relationship is indicated.

tl;dr is mostly that I think that all of the points about the companions feeling like they truly care about rook are spot on. but I can also see why that feels disconnected without more build up in casual settings like in previous games. going from met this guy - little personal quest - overhearing some banter and reading codexes - this companion will now Die For You is a jump that can make relationships feel less genuine because the player isn't given a role in that development.

"The Veil Guard didn't actually care about Rook" the Veil Guard was so desperate to get Rook back from the prison they tried to make a ritual dagger of their own to rip the Veil apart and look for them

Rook wasn't their boss, Rook was their home