#Thess plays video games

[thessalian]

Thess vs Subtle Support

So still going through Veilguard, with whatever spoons I can spare. And apparently, despite every complaint that no one does enough or says enough or is reactive enough, I've had two very distinct indications that the Veilguard is very happy to step in and ensure that at least Rook's love life is going smoothly.

First it was Taash. We were on one of her personal quests, and I'd heard that this bit of banter existed but I didn't expect to get it quite so soon. Taash obviously assumes that Lucanis and Rook are already boning, so they're like, "Pop the wings next time. Take them flying. All non-binary people love flying". I understand that Taash says that whatever gender Rook is loves flying, but I do like how it comes across with a non-binary Rook, because when Lucanis says, "You like flying; your whole dragon thing", it feels like it vindicates Taash. Not that they need it specifically, but they kind of do, deep down where their insecurities still live. Taash is very, very keen on precision - on getting it right (they get that from their mother, I'm sure). So when Taash says that non-binary people love flying, and Lucanis says that Taash loves flying, I feel like Taash is internally nodding, like, "Right; I'm non-binary, and I love flying, so non-binary people love flying. I got this." And I imagine it makes them feel a little more confident in their identity.

And then Neve. I've read all about how Lucanis apparently still flirts with Neve even if not being romanced by a Rook, but I've never seen it. They're friendly, they banter, but not ... like that, if you get me? And that just got underlined when I was on my usual tendency to check the map for where colleagues are gathered outside their usual living spaces and go over to eavesdrop. (Seriously, if you only wait for the light to go on outside their spaces, you're missing out; check the map and eavesdrop.) So I see Lucanis and Neve in Neve's office and I think, "Oh, hey, maybe I'll finally see this 'Lucanis flirting with Neve even when romancing a Rook' thing I keep hearing about!"

Did I hear that? No.

Did I hear Neve note that Lucanis was smiling a lot more, elaborate that she reasoned that Rook was good for him, and, when Lucanis kind of sheepishly says, "I ... am starting to figure that out", say "Good. Just making sure" in a tone that suggests, "You'd better not fuck this up, assassin; I Know People"? Yes. Yes, I did. And it gave me warm fuzzies like you wouldn't believe.

I know it's not enough for everyone. I guess for me, I think it's the subtleties that make it. They hardly have time to really talk romance while they're trying to sort out their issues and save the world from effective gods. But it seeps out regardless. It's there in his notes, in his smiling more, in Taash noticing. I'm anticipating another romantic scene with eager anticipation. I like my slow burns; what can I say?

Anyway, I also got Mythal's essence, kicked the ass of a couple of dragons, and at some point have to go rescue some Dalish folks from Elgar'nan, because apparently he thinks that his followers are only good for sacrificing in a blood ritual. ...I hate him. Aaaaand I'd better get some sleep because it's going to be more work and more overtime tomorrow. No fucking wonder I'd rather be in Thedas right now.

[justmilah]

I am currently in the midst of ConCrudegeddon (how much snot can one nose hold?!) otherwise I might have been able to brain a thing?

But a very slim thing and then some thanks to people and I will miss most because what are brains.

Colin and Rose are Smol! (This coming from someone 6ft tol and not smol, probably one of the 5% who can say that and not be sarcastic? :|a And hopefully not insulting!)

Colin made the Milah comment that made me Transcend! (The Lullaby!)

Ummmm... what else. Oh! Lana is so pretty wtf I adore her more. Bex apparently played Aunt Cordelia in the American Girl Samantha movie I adore her more. Apparently Karen also played Isabella in Gallivant I adore her even more. Jared would be Eugene Fitzherbert, and clarified with Flynn Rider for the plebians in the audience and there was a moment nerding out about video games in the autograph line I adore him even more now. (I walked back in on him describing a video game for Once and it made me think of WoW crossed with the show, and I would totally do even those escort quests.)

Thanks to @queen-mabs-revenge for being my OTP in one person (those costumes!) and also for being mabs. @thesschesthair for being a fellow tol and the commiseration that commenced! and for also being thess.  @fraddit for having a calm facade even when she was internally flailing beyond the point of being able to even. (I want to be like that when I grow up. I tend to outwardly spaz.) @lillpon for letting me feel useful by letting me be her personal space heater. @theonceoverthinker for possibly outpunning me once or twice and holy crap those questions @captregina for being a comfy lap sitter and provider of wine and maker of pretty bracelets!  @the-girl-in-the-band-tshirt for being an awesome seat neighbor when I had to keep climbing over you to get in and out because I have no chill (and for protecting me from the angel statues!). @freifraufischer for the box of dismembered corpses, the hair compliments (I’d felt weird about not touching up the green so thanks!), and calling me a pirate! @leiandcharles and @coaldustcanary for putting up with my flails, @brave-lassie and about five random people in the lobby (at about ten different times) for putting up with my Tangled flailing.

There’s also the Pool Guy, who let me tipsily watch him test the PH Balances, Housekeeping, the bartenders. The awesome cat ears on the con staff. The con staff. 

Bitch shut up I didn’t forget you :P

@killianmesmalls for not only convincing me to go, but for helping me out and letting me sleep on her couch (and okay, your dog is an honorary cat) and then her along with the others being patient while I hobbled along on my old man cane (that I had been too stubborn to use for most of the con) and being fine with sit breaks and offering up the nsaids. And then the Millian flailing at the museum and letting me totally geek out at the American Girl store.

Like I said, I know I’ve forgotten to flail at a lot of people. And about a lot of different things. BUT THAT’S BECAUSE I GOT THE ONE THING I AM NOT GRATEFUL FOR AND THAT IS CON CRUD!!! (Oh, and also them not having my vid to show IT’S OKAY CREATION I HAVE THICK SKIN no I don’t)

Okay I’mma go lay down and watch things and turn off my brains...

AND THANKS TO YOU GUYS HERE FOR PUTTING ON MY RANDOM FLAILING!

(Seriously let me know if I forgot you, there’s a good chance I think I already have you here...)

[studiofficesitethings-blog]

Free iPod Games and the Apple iPod

Apple iPods were guaranteed to be the greatest innovation in the songs sector. In some way, it did not disappoint the fans and more; it has actually added numerous capabilities to the iPod that made it popular to individuals worldwide. 

   Aside from playing various kinds of songs data (which includes MP3, WAV, AAC, MP3 VBR, AIFF), the Apple iPod can play and videotape video clip, can save data files, and also can download different totally free iPod games from the Internet. 

   Free iPod games are available in the Net. Via the years, the number of Net strikes on thesse sites supplying complimentary iPod video games for download, enhanced recommending that the appeal of the Apple iPod prolong not just to songs lovers yet for players. 

   The iPodArcade Internet site 

   The Internet site that offers totally free iPod video games is iPodArcade.com. It was created in the year 1979 by two dazzling people who realized that a demand for ipod games impends and also would soon raise as time goes by. 

   By the year 2005, both creators of iPodArcade thought that the iPod globe is lastly prepared for the complimentary iPod video games. They launched their development as well as iPodArcade.com was birthed. 

   After greater than a year given that its development, Apple iPod users of every age began speaking about the current site satisfying Apple iPod enthusiasts. This site particularly catered to the younger generation. Children of any age simply can not quit talking regarding iPodArcade.Com. 

   iPodArcade.com reported that peering right into any type of locker offered in every high school or university universities in America would make you recognize that iPodArcade is a hit. You will listen to all the smatterings and also murmurs regarding iPodArcade website and the totally free iPod video games. All the fantastic free iPod games that it supplies. But all of these are claims by iPodArcade. 

   The Real Score 

   A net site such as iPodArcade.com can accommodate most demand of the iPod players. It is a one-stop storage for all preferred iPod Gamings. All of these iPod video games are entirely totally free, no hidden fees and are readily offered for download. 

   iPodArcade additionally use various types of iPod Games. You can pick from a range of options that includes method, memory games, trivia, and also jokes. 

   Since March 6, 2006, iPodArcade is beginning their development of redesigning the iPodArcade design. The interface would be tidied up, attributes would be included, as well as other improvements. 

   This site providing cost-free iPod games sustains the adhering to iPod products: 3G Apple iPod, 4G Apple iPod, Apple iPod Mini, Apple iPod Nano, and Apple iPod Video clip. 

   Formerly, iPodArchive discontinued their assistance to Podzilla, another source absolutely free iPod games. This is since Podzilla is only efficient in sustaining the initial couple of generations of Apple iPod. Most of the Apple iPod customers of today have more recent iPods and also needs to download and install the most up to date totally free iPod games. iPodArcade ceased their business plan with Podzilla. 

   Apple iPod customers can get rid of the mounted Podzilla from their iPod by using Apples Firmware Bring back Energy. This would certainly re-install Apples iPod Os. Re-installing this would certainly get rid of Podzilla and make the Apple iPod work as if it was newly bought. 

   However, the stored songs on your iPod could be shed so make sure to have a back-up when reinstalling Apples iPod Operating System. 

   Presently, note games are also available for download at iPodArcade. This selection of note video games is just feasible for Apple iPods with the Notes feature. These consists of the Apple iPod Mini, the Third as well as Fourth Generation Apple iPod, Apple iPod Image, and also the Apple iPod Video. 

   The most effective thing about the iPod Notes feature is that it lets Apple iPod customers have an attribute to let you create Note Gamings. Apple even has an iPod Note Viewers User Overview in PDF documents that will certainly give you details relating to the iPod notes. 

   This gives power to the Apple iPod individual to make a game and also tempts them to sent it to Apple. Several of the free iPod video games offered at iPodArcade are created by Apple iPod users out of fun. 

   Another program that can let you develop your very own totally free iPod video games is iPodSofts iStory Maker. Making use of iStory Developer, no coding experience is needed. Additionally, you can create any type of sort of note game from tests to adventure story video games.

[games69websiteme]

Free iPod Games and the Apple iPod

Free iPod video games are offered in the Internet. Through the years, the number of Internet strikes on thesse sites using complimentary iPod video games for download, increased recommending that the appeal of the Apple iPod extend not just to music enthusiasts however for players. 

   Aside from playing numerous type of music files (that includes MP3, WAV, AAC, MP3 VBR, AIFF), the Apple iPod can play and tape video, can keep information files, and can download numerous totally free iPod video games from the Internet. 

   Apple iPods were assured to be the best advancement in the music market. In some way, it did not dissatisfy the fans and more; it has actually included different abilities to the iPod that made it well-known to individuals worldwide. 

   The iPodArcade Website 

   By the year 2005, the 2 developers of iPodArcade thought that the iPod world is lastly all set for the totally free iPod video games. They launched their development and iPodArcade.com was born. 

   The Internet site that provides totally free iPod video games is iPodArcade.com. It was developed in the year 1979 by 2 fantastic individuals who understood that a need for ipod video games looms and would quickly increase as time goes by. 

   You will hear all the smatterings and whisperings about iPodArcade site and the totally free iPod video games. All the fantastic totally free iPod video games that it uses. 

   After more than a year because its development, Apple iPod users of every age began speaking about the current site dealing with Apple iPod fans. This site specifically accommodated the more youthful generation. Kids of any age simply can not stop talking about iPodArcade.Com. 

   The Real Score 

   Since March 6, 2006, iPodArcade is starting their advancement of upgrading the iPodArcade style. The user interface would be tidied up, functions would be included, along with other enhancements. 

   This site using complimentary iPod video games supports the following iPod items: 3G Apple iPod, 4G Apple iPod, Apple iPod Mini, Apple iPod Nano, and Apple iPod Video. 

   Presently, note video games are likewise offered for download at iPodArcade. This selection of note video games is just possible for Apple iPods with the Notes function. These consists of the Apple iPod Mini, the Third and Fourth Generation Apple iPod, Apple iPod Photo, and the Apple iPod Video. 

   iPodArcade likewise use various kinds of iPod Games. You can pick from a range of alternatives that consists of method, memory video games, trivia, and even jokes. 

   Another program that can let you produce your own complimentary iPod video games is iPodSofts iStory Creator. Utilizing iStory Creator, no coding experience is required. You can produce any type of note video game from tests to experience story video games. 

   The very best feature of the iPod Notes function is that it lets Apple iPod users have a function to let you develop Note Games. Apple even has an iPod Note Reader User Guide in PDF file that will provide you details relating to the iPod notes. 

   This enables to the Apple iPod user to make a video game and attracts them to sent it to Apple. A few of the complimentary iPod video games offered at iPodArcade are developed by Apple iPod users out of enjoyable. 

   A web website such as iPodArcade.com can deal with the majority of requirement of the iPod players. It is a one-stop storage for all popular iPod Games. All of these iPod video games are entirely complimentary, no concealed charges and are easily offered for download. 

   Formerly, iPodArchive terminated their assistance to Podzilla, another source for totally free iPod video games. Numerous of the Apple iPod users of today have more recent iPods and requires to download the newest totally free iPod video games. 

   The saved music on your iPod may be lost so be sure to have a back-up when re-installing Apples iPod Operating System. 

   Apple iPod users can eliminate the set up Podzilla from their iPod by utilizing Apples Firmware Restore Utility. This would re-install Apples iPod Operating System. Re-installing this would get rid of Podzilla and make the Apple iPod work as if it was recently purchased.

[pastorhughanderson]

RELATIONSHIPS: LOOKING FOR LOVE IN ALL THE WRONG PLACES?

February 12, 2014 at 1:10pm

THIS IS AN IMPORTANT MESSAGE FOR LOVE WEEK!  It is concerning relationships.  Relationships are important to us all.  We all have or have had relationships.  For many it is a sour subject, but once in a relationship, especially if it led to marriage, it can be very hard getting out.  I wish I had the answer for you, but in many cases, I don't.  All I can say is if you are in an abusive relationship!  GET OUT NOW!  RUN TO THE HILLS!  DON'T EVER THINK YOU CAN CHANGE AN ABUSER!  If you are abused once, believe me, you are prone to be abused again and again and again.  

Every one of us have a deep need for relationships (friend, family, and personal).  WE NEED LOVE!  We all want good relations, some of us LOSE them.  Like the doctor says, preventative medicine is the best way to go.  Take care of yourself before MAJOR things can happen.  If you are in a bad relationship, TRY TO MAKE IT WORK!  If it can't be worked out, then get out!  

Some of you are married, some of us single, some divorced, some distraught and unhappy, some are very delighted and satisfied. some are searching!  But relationships go far beyond intimate companionship. They include family, friends, co-workers, even enemies! Yes, WE MUST LOVE OUR ENEMIES! Nobody said, you have to commune with them!  The fact is:  We can’t escape the reality of relationships-

LOVE WEEK PRESENTATION~WOMEN, THE FOLLOWING IS A LISTING OF MEN YOU SHOULD N=E=V=E=R MARRY!

My advice stands: for those in relationships and for those who are looking for personal/romantic relationship: DON'T SETTLE FOR LESS THAN GOD'S BEST!  Too many Christian women today have ended up with an Ishmael because [impatience pushed them into an unhappy marriage]. Please take my fatherly/pastoral advice: You are much better off single than with the wrong guy!  God knows, I wouldn't want any of my 3 daughters to end up with somebody that is not good! I know it's rough, especially for Church girls.  I have seen it growing up in my daddy's churches.  The girls have a shortage of good men to date and marry!  But, many of them sell themselves short and end up with just anybody, especially to satisfy a sexual need temporarily, but it cause pain for a lifetime.  May I say though, if the mistakes have already been made, it is not too late to seek proper counseling and move toward reconciliation.  But, you and I know that that is a difficult task and many times, IT DOES NOT WORK!  Christ doesn't promote divorce, but he allows it is case where it is impossible to work it out!  I remember hearing the late Bishop F. D. Washington say in a mess in Atlanta, Ga, he had a couple he married from his church that ended up in his recommending divorce for the young lady, because it turned out, her husband had NEVER TOUCHED HER in a year, because he loved men!  SAD!

Sometimes, Church girls get themselves into a problem, because they are looking in the wrong places for love.  I had one to tell me that I was too nice, she wanted someone who was wild and loved to party--she got her wish and paid for it dearly!  SAD!  Many have ended up with the wrong guy!

Speaking of “wrong guys,” here are the top 10 men you should avoid when looking for a husband: AVOID THESE DUDES!!!

1. The unbeliever.  2 Corinthians 6:14  says, “Do not be bound together with unbelievers; for what partnership have righteousness and lawlessness, or what fellowship has light with darkness?” (NASB). This is not an outdated religious rule. It is the Word of God for you today and very good advice.

 Don’t allow a man’s charm, looks or financial success (or his willingness to go to church with you) push you to compromise what you know is right. “Missionary dating” is never a wise strategy. I have seen guys come and shake the altar and after they get what they want, then comes the ABUSE, etc.  If the guy is not a born-again Christian, scratch him off your list. He’s not right for you. Every women I have known throughout the years have regretted marrying someone who was an unbeliever.

2. The liar. If you discover that the man you are dating has lied to you about his past or that he’s always covering his tracks to hide his secrets from you, run for the nearest exit. Marriage must be built on a foundation of trust. If he can’t be truthful, break up now before he bamboozles you with an even bigger deception.

3. The playboy. I wish I could say that if you meet a nice guy at church, you can assume he’s living in sexual purity. SOME OF THE WORST "BOOGERS" YOU CAN FIND ARE "IN THE CHURCH"!  LOOKOUT!  I'm preaching now!  But that’s not the case today. I’ve heard horror stories about single guys who serve on the worship team on Sunday (preachers too),  but act like Casanovas during the week. If you marry a guy who was sleeping around before your wedding, you can [BE SURE] that "booger"   will be sleeping around after your wedding.

4. The deadbeat. There are many solid Christian men who experienced marital failure years ago. Since their divorce, they have experienced the Holy Spirit’s restoration, and now they want to remarry. Second marriages can be very happy. But if you find out that the man you are dating hasn’t been caring for his children from a previous marriage, you have just exposed a fatal flaw. Any man who will not pay for his past mistakes or support children from a previous marriage is not going to treat you responsibly either.  READ THE HANDWRITING ON THE WALL!

5. The addict. Churchgoing men who have addictions to alcohol or drugs have learned to hide their problems—but you don’t want to wait until your honeymoon to find out that he’s a boozer. NEVER marry a man who refuses to get help for his addiction. Insist that he get professional help and [WALK AWAY]. And don’t get into a codependent relationship in which he claims he needs you to stay sober. You can’t fix him.  YOU CAN'T FIX HIM!!!  I was a Substance Abuse Counselor at Marion Correctional Institution--I KNOW!

6. The bum. I have seen females who realized after she married her boyfriend that he had no plans to find steady work. He had devised a great strategy: He stayed home all day and played video games while his professional wife worked and paid all the bills. The apostle Paul told the Thessalonians, “If anyone is not willing to work, then he is not to eat, either” (2 Thess. 3:10). The same rule applies here: If a man is not willing to work, he doesn’t deserve to marry you.  HEAR ME!!!  

7. The narcissist. I sincerely hope you can find a guy who is handsome. But be careful: If your boyfriend spends six hours a day at the gym and regularly posts closeups of his biceps on Facebook, you have a problem. Do not fall for a self-absorbed guy. He might be cute, but a man who is infatuated with his appearance and his own needs will never be able to love you sacrificially, like Christ loves the church (Eph. 5:25). The man who is always looking at himself in the mirror will never notice you.

8. The abuser. Men with abusive tendencies can’t control their anger when it boils over. If the guy you are dating has a tendency to fly off the handle, either at you or others, don’t be tempted to rationalize his behavior. HE HAS A PROBLEM, and if you marry him you will suffer his abuse EVERYDAY! Angry men hurt women—verbally and sometimes physically. Find a man who is gentle.

9. The man-child. Call me old-fashioned, but I’m suspicious of a guy who still lives with his parents at age 35. If his mother is still doing his cooking, cleaning and ironing at that age, you can be sure he’s stuck in an emotional time warp. You are asking for trouble if you think you can be a wife to a guy who hasn’t grown up. Back away and, as a friend, encourage him to find a mentor who can help him mature.

10. The control freak. Some Christian guys today believe marriage is about male superiority. They may quote Scripture and sound super-spiritual, but behind the façade of husbandly authority is deep insecurity and pride that can morph into spiritual abuse. SPIRITUAL ABUSE!  First Peter 3:7 commands husbands to treat their wives as equals. If the man you are dating talks down to you, makes demeaning comments about women or seems to squelch your spiritual gifts, back away now. He is on a power trip. Women who marry religious control freaks often end up in a nightmare of depression.  DON'T END UP IN DEEP DEPRESSION BECAUSE OF OPPRESSION!

If you are a woman of God, don’t sell your spiritual birthright by marrying a guy who doesn’t deserve you. Your smartest decision in life is to wait for a man who is sold out to Jesus. SOLD OUT TO JESUS!  message by Solid Rock Ministry Network: COGIC and Rev. Dr. Hugh Anderson, II, Mdiv.,Dmin.

[thessalian]

Thess vs Lucanis

As I've mentioned, I read a lot about Veilguard before I started playing. And one of the main issues a lot of people seemed to have was, "Lucanis is the weakest romance; nothing happens!" So I thought, particularly since I was saving Treviso this time around, I might as well do the Lucanis romance on my practice character, so that if it was somehow disappointing, at least I'd know and only have it on my "practice run", so to speak. It didn't have to be for any of my canon Rooks.

Maybe it's because I'm ace, maybe it's because I like a slow burn, I don't know. But I just had one of the first significant bits of the Lucanis romance and I have this and only this to say to the people who have been hating on the Lucanis romance:

YOU IMPATIENT MOTHERFUCKERS.

I keep comparing the Lucanis romance to the Zevran romance, partly because I figure it's happening a lot - after all, two Antivan Crows, sexy-sexy accent, troubled past, yadda yadda. But ... like ... they're kind of two sides of the same coin, rather than comparable individuals. Zevran is all about what pleasures he can eke out of a troubled life ... as long as there's no emotional connection involved. He'll hop into your bedroll at the slightest invitation, but he starts backing up when he starts realising he's catching feelings, because he doesn't think he deserves The Feels. Lucanis, meanwhile, doesn't believe he deserves any of it. His simple pleasures are simple precisely because, unlike Zevran, Lucanis was born to the Crow version of royalty. He isn't effectively a bonded serf the way Zevran was, so the finery doesn't mean quite the same thing as it did to Zevran. And as for emotional attachments ... well, because his family is the Crow version of royalty, that's where he was taught his sole emotional attachments should lie. Plus, for a Crow, any emotional attachment is a weakness for someone to exploit. As for pleasures of the flesh ... maybe he enjoyed those more before he was tortured for like a year and ended up saddled with a demon. He catches The Feels quietly, doesn't show them because the reasons above, and as for the sex? Well, if Spite takes over in unguarded moments, he's likely very afraid of Spite hurting someone. Not to mention if Spite takes over in an intimate moment, it's not Lucanis having that intimate moment anymore. Not only does that deny Lucanis the experience, it's equivalent to rape, because his partner would be consenting to sex with Lucanis, not with Spite.

Which I figure is exactly why Spite is so pissed off at this point. The most recent takeover was him yelling that Lucanis wasn't keeping up his end of the bargain because the bargain was "Break the chains. Be free. LIVE!" He's not pissed off that he's trapped in a mortal body; he's pissed off that Lucanis isn't living. When your primary pleasures are good food and better coffee, and your entire being is given to revenge and a do-or-die mission to take down multiple gods? I figure a demon probably wants a little more than that. If he senses (and he must do) that Lucanis wants Rook ... and Lucanis isn't pursuing that as ardently as Spite would prefer ... of course he's pissed off. The same way that every player who thinks the romance is weak is pissed off, I guess. Just ... more (ahehehehe) spiteful about it.

And, I mean, that's a matter of personal opinion. I get it. Some people want all the smooches and the endearments and the lovingly rendered sex scenes. There's nothing wrong with impatience, if you're talking about a story preference. My personal opinion is that sometimes, the slow burn launches a hundred thousand fanfics, each more interesting than the last. It's not the "THESE ARE THE STEAMIEST LOVE INTERESTS WE'VE EVER HAD!!!!!" that Bioware promised us, though, so I get the disappointment. Particularly since apparently none of the romances really qualify as all that steamy.

Though when Taash pins a Rook to the wall, says "Quick; think about us having sex", and sniffs their neck with that growl? I may be ace, but objectively, that's kind of hot if that's what you're into. And so is the "You like to walk a little too close to the edge..."

(Although, yes, I do kind of wish they'd actually got to kiss too. But sometimes unresolved sexual tension is good too. I feel bad for Lucanis, though. Like, he says, "I need to clear my head", and I start wondering whether the Lighthouse has cold showers.)

[thessalian]

Thess vs FOMO ... Sort Of

It's not that I fear missing out. It's that I hate not knowing.

And, I mean, I've suffered for that, okay? I read every single fucking Twilight novel. I did not purchase them - they were a library loan - but I was determined that I wasn't going to bitch about them from a position of ignorance.

(Do not ask me my opinion now that I am no longer ignorant of the contents of those particular novels. I do not have all month to rant.)

Anyway, point is ... I am hearing so many takes on Veilguard. I have been spoiled right to hell. The reason I have been spoiled right to hell is because it is the only way I had to figure out if maybe, maybe I could play the fucking thing, so I just ... read ... everything. I have facts. I have lots of facts. It's the emotions attached to them that are giving me problems. You guys over here are, "THIS IS AWESOME!" and ... like ... that's about what I expected. Reddit shows some pretty legitimate grievances with the writing ... and honestly makes a point about the faces, from the YouTube clips I've seen.

(I've figured out the problem, actually. Most of it's fine, except for a slight issue with the skin texture. But the mouths are too long across the face. It makes all the rest of the proportions seem off. Anyway.)

Point is I am so fed up. And I'm tired and I'm frustrated and I'm scared and I'm angry and I am sad. And one of the things that makes me every single one of those things is no longer feeling able to do the things I want to do because I am fucking disabled. And I need to feel that less today.

So ... I'm going to try Veilguard. If it turns out I can play it ... I still reserve the right to complain if the issues with characters and writing are as bad as some are saying. If it turns out I can't play it and I don't find that out until I'm past the return window ... well. Expensive lessons learned. If I do have to return it right away ... less expense, lesson still learned.

Anyway, I need something to do, I need a break from Trash Goblin, and I am not going to play Silent Hill 2. It's literally foggy as shit outside and as much as I want to hit things, my resting heart rate is high enough due to aggravation; I don't need it with fear too.

[thessalian]

Thess vs Party Banter

Things that amused the hell out of me during my last little jaunt through Northern Thedas for the night:

The necromancer is a vegetarian. I guess maybe he stopped seeing it as a food option when he thought about what meat actually is, considering he breathes temporary life back into remains. Not to mention his honouring the dead and possibly he doesn't see much honour in eating the dead.

I figured out what Taash reminds me of sometimes. You know that conversation you can have with Wynne, waaaaaaay back in DA:O, where you can pester her about griffons through her entire metaphor-story about the duty of a Warden? Well, Taash is like that, but with dragons.

While it's not often, sometimes your companions do actually acknowledge you. There's a lot of complaints on Reddit about how none of the companions let you join their reindeer games, y'see, and just before I logged out for the night, I got to (albeit very briefly in game terms) join Davrin and Lucanis as we told "WORST. JOB. EVER" stories. I think "ball of nugs" wins, personally. So I feel slightly vindicated, and also interested in what fanfics will come out of people expanding on that conversation. I'm waiting until I'm not running a practice Rook to write that one.

Blegh. My week off was too short.

[thessalian]

Thess vs Choices

One of the things I've noticed in the last little while, playing Veilguard and not being worried about spoilers, is that there are a fair few entitled players out there, at least when it comes to Bioware games. (You guys are fine; it's mostly what I'm seeing on Reddit.) Now, I'm not enamoured with all of Bioware's decisions when making this game, and things could have used some work, but I am happy to change my mind from my original assessment of "not worth it", and most of all, I'm not going to say that the game is objectively bad just because it isn't the game I made up in my head. Even if I had played it despite all the pain to end up hating it, I would have said "It's just not for me" and chalked it up as an expensive life lesson. But these people seem to think that "bad" translates to "not what I personally want".

There are going to be a lot of posts like this, I feel, so I'll handle one complaint from the Reddit brigade at a time - namely, what they did with the build-up to and results of at least one difficult choice. And here's a read-more just in case; there are spoilers but it's for Act 1 so you might find it worthwhile reading.

Specifically, Minrathous vs Treviso. The results because ... well. The build-up to? According to the Reddit crowd, that's down to the Antivan Crows and Tevinter's attitudes towards slavery.

We'll start with the Crows. When these people said they wanted "dark", they apparently meant, "We want to know all about everything Zevran told us about how the Crows behave - how they buy children and torture them and kill them, or let their peers kill them, in order to become Crows! This is hero-washing the Crows into freedom fighters!" And in the next breath they'll complain about an absence of Zevran. Two things, though. The first? It's been decades. My assumption at the point where the Crows behave more like a mob family than anything Zevran described is that ... look, after Zevran left the Hero of Ferelden, he basically became a vengeful ghost dealing with the worst elements of the Crows. It got so bad the Crows sent Nucio after him in DA2, and we know what happened to Nuncio in DA2. I personally figured that the less brutal Talons took things in hand to keep the Crows as a going concern. But of course, the Reddit folks complain about "Why don't we ever see or hear about Zevran?!?" and I'm like, "Guys, seriously - would you, as the head of a guild of assassins who more or less run a country at this point, go around telling some total stranger (or, if you picked the Crows as your background, some fledgeling) that you were ever brutal trainers at all? And if you did, would you then tell them that one man disrupted that guild so badly that you had to change your policies?" Lucanis suggests that there's still some nasty shit going on in the interests of training an assassin, but ... again, we are playing Some Guy. I doubt they're going to even so much as leave bits of paper with, "The last Some Guy we had who went on a world-saving mission at the end of a contract basically tore us full of so many holes that we had to go away and think about our choices". And that's not even counting having to change at least some policies when the Antaam blew into town because they were having enough problems as it was.

And then Tevinter. That one's shorter. They wanted to hear about the blood magic and the slavery. They wanted to see the slavery. Which ... like, okay, much like the thing with tortured young people in the name of making a better assassin, this gives me a bit of the ick, but they want their dark and gritty (and there might be some prurient interest there but I don't kinkshame) so whatever. Point is, not only have they had the Lyrium Ghost on their asses for like a decade, but they've had Dorian fucking Pavus working on them via the Shadow Dragons from within. I figure at the very least the jackasses who are into the slavery have had to be less conspicuous unless they wanted an elf who can phase through people and/or a Magister who faced down the end of the world and won on their asses.

Anyway, what you see of Minrathous is enough. Shadow Dragons notwithstanding (sorry, Matt Mercer as the Viper, and trusting Dorian to get the hell out of there), my personal view on Tevinter is, "Let it burn". Aaaaaaaaaand because I picked the place with the group that actually seems to have taken steps to rehabilitate itself, not to mention the one with no standing army ... Minrathous did.

And that's the other bit of bitching we get from the Reddit group. Like, "We sent the other three to Minrathous! Couldn't they do anything?!?" Since the dragon was only actually sent down to ground level where they could be attacked to fetch that fucking lyrium dagger, no, the technically unnamed Veilguard couldn't do shit all. Minrathous' own defenses had a better chance, but if they decided not to clean house of the Venatori in their ranks until it was too late, that's on them. And when and if the day comes that I choose Minrathous (and I might; I have a few pragmatic Rooks who really don't want to give the Venatori a better foothold and see the Antaam as a lesser threat), I know damn well the other three couldn't do anything for Treviso for the same reason.

Also the bitching about, "Why does the faction that got its city destroyed blame us?!?" A few reasons, honestly. First, it's generally not the entire faction - it's the one whiner that most of these factions seem to have (and who I'm fairly sure are some kind of traitor in at least one case but never mind). Hell, the Viper gets Blighted and all he says is, "I can buy myself some time, and it's not Rook's fault; it is what it is". (I do <3 Matt Mercer and he's probably about the only reason I regret letting Minrathous burn. That and the dog the Viper has nearby. I hope pupper got out.) Second, people say things when they're grieving and upset. People blame themselves for everything bad that happens around them, and they know that's not healthy and certainly not comfortable, so they sling that blame on the nearest available target. And third of all ... every. Single. Faction blames you for knocking a statue into a giant ritual with no idea what the fuck was going to happen when you did. Would they have made a different or better choice? Probably not. Harding's arrow would have done nothing at that point, not with Solas that strong, so just assassinating him before he could complete it was not an option. Varric was never going to talk him around, so strangers were hardly likely to do the same. It was disrupt the ritual or let it happen. But the faction leaders weren't there to see any of it; they just know that something different would have happened if Rook hadn't done what Rook did. In their hearts, they have to believe it was better, because they can't even contemplate "worse" than this.

(Would it have actually been better? Solas seems to think so, and talks about his "army of spirits to minimise the damage" he was about to do, but Solas is Solas - not even just "he's Fen'harel"; he's fucking Solas and wasn't up-front with us at any point in Inquisition, even the last. I can trust Solas about as far as I can throw the entirety of blighted Minrathous.)

Anyway, point is, I am still reading the Reddit posts and the various complaints, just because I want other opinions, but that's to build a framework by which I can judge what actually happens in the game. Like I said, the problem is that people had ten years to make up the game they wanted inside their heads, no matter how difficult or outright impossible that game would be to create. The imagination can do things that modern technology cannot. These people are unwilling not only to accept the game we were given because it's not the game they personally want, but also to use the spaces this game gives you to make that game in your own imagination. I can headcanon for days. We all can. We've all had to. Romance lacking? We had Sebastian and we sure as hell made that work. Bits of plot make no sense? We fanfic about it. None of the people complaining seem to want to do that ... if they're able to. I recognise that we are imaginative people and really awesome at what we do and not everyone can do what we do. But I honestly think it's mostly that they don't want to. They want the game they want, done to their exact specifications, and they want it handed to them on a plate with no room for wiggle room or nuance or speculation. And then they accuse the plot of having no nuance because we're not being forced to consort with child-abusing murderers.

I'm still enjoying it, anyway. You can pet the adorable young griffon. That alone sells me.

[thessalian]

Thess vs Ancient Elvhen Artefacts

(I've been in this country long enough to have seeing it spelled "artifacts" as profoundly weird, by the way.)

So I had another "way leads ever on to way" kind of thing. I do that a lot. I have this one little errand I want to run or one little fast travel point or one little chest I want to pick up that's a little off the quest directions ... or I just want to clear the fog of war; that's another common one ... anyway, and then I end up doing two other entirely different quests, an errand, and unlocking a whole new section of map.

So after noting that fucking Venatori are literally remote-controlling darkspawn in Minrathous (and that was an interesting lot of fight, let me tell you, and I wanted to stab a motherfucker at the end of it, and I'm suspicious of one of the Shadow Dragons and is there one faction that doesn't have a traitor in it?!? ...anyway...), I went to Arlathan just to sell some Dalish artefacts I picked up (because I wanted more faction points) and maybe see if there was a gift for Bellara in the merchant (because there'd been one for Neve with the Shadow Dragons and one for Lucanis with the Crows and nobody seems to have a gift for Harding so I'm really hoping we find someone soon-- ANYWAY). Turned out there was a gift for Bellara but I'd just upgraded equipment and I didn't have enough flawless crystals to get her the frog statuette (because Veil Jumper, y'see). So I figured if I needed to hunt up flawless crystals anyway, there was this one chest I hadn't been able to access and I probably needed Neve to do so and off we went.

I got my crystals and my chest but then noticed how close we were to this tattered bridge that we could make into a shortcut and thought, "Eh, might as well get this over with", which started a full-on jumping puzzle sort of thing (and I have no idea why people keep saying that the puzzles and stuff are samey because it's all about the set-up, not the specific mechanics and-- aaaaaanyway) which took longer than I anticipated. And when that was done, I had a whole new section of Arlathan unlocked. And the fog of war dissipated just enough to show me a fast travel point ... and a quest marker. Which was about fixing some ancient elvhen artefact which was more puzzle messing-about and ... yeah, someone was fucking with it and did some shiiiiiiit so we left it alone, but I got everything I needed and like three new fast travel points and okay, I lost a few hours to hyperfocus, but at least I didn't hurt during them.

I gave Bellara her frog and logged out to eat a thing. And now I am going to soak in a hot bath for a bit, and then I'm going to run around Minrathous with Neve some more. And then probably meet the First Warden. It's a thing. But you can see my whole deal. I not only speak in parentheticals, I act in parentheticals, and have to "anyway!" myself out of a detour spiral with, like, hunger or other bodily needs.

[thessalian]

Thess vs Companion Approval

Okay ... so ... turns out I was kind of right awhile back when I said, somewhat sarcastically, that it sounded like the Veilguard companions would be less helpful to you in combat if you didn't keep their approval high.

Look, I understand that this sort of worked in DA2. But that was relatively minor. You got a little perk once your friendship or rivalry with someone was high enough. That was nice.

However, if you were Rivalmancing Anders ... he did not refuse to heal you. Which is apparently the case with Veilguard companions - or Neve, anyway. From what I remember about the article, if your companions don't like you, they may do somewhat more damage to enemies, but they will not be as helpful to you and some abilities are locked off.

I mean, I'm the sort of person who wants companions' approval to be as high as possible anyway. But doesn't that feel ... I dunno, restrictive to RP? Like, I could Rivalmance Fenris all day long and see his character progression with a different viewpoint being expressed at him basically all the time, but that RP choice wouldn't lose me access to any of his Lyrium Ghost abilities. I could rivalmance Anders - same deal - and still count on him to heal me if I set up tactics right. But now I'm seeing at least a part of why we basically aren't allowed to set up tactics at all - because there's no guarantee that the ability we want a companion to use will be available because we might piss off that companion.

Maybe I'm wrong. Maybe it's better for RP that your companions won't be as helpful to you if they don't like you. But given that it's game over if you die? That seems short-sighted. I much prefer the option of them leaving if they don't like what's going on. Maybe plot doesn't allow for that either, but if I hated someone enough not to fling a bit of healing magic at them in a heated situation, I would rather not be in their immediate vicinity - and likewise if it was advantageous to have that person I dislike around, I would at the very minimum attempt to keep them alive.

I dunno. The more I hear about Veilguard, the more I'm concerned about it. I thought I might be getting it just to Let's Play run it to demonstrate how accessible the accessibility options really make it, but ... I am becoming less than enthused.

On the subject of games I'm Let's Play-ing, I'm making my way so slowly through Silent Hill 2, but I do have vid of my playing the first hour or so of it. I just haven't thrown it on YouTube yet because ... well. Imposter syndrome, mostly. My not being great at the game is kind of the point, but ... well, I am a potato. Also I admit I have been stalling a little because the spoiler-free blurbs I keep hearing are all about "Death a serious possibility even on standard difficulty" and I don't know how "light combat" difficulty goes with that but there have been a couple of encounters that have not been fun for me. Then again, at least one of those was a severely bad pain day. And honestly, however terrifying it is, it's kind of worth it. Terrifying though it be, and stalling as I might be, I am loving the game.

I have a lot of considerations about whether a game is worth it. Because there's a lot of "it" to consider when dealing with a game's worth. There's the price point, with money being so scarce. Am I getting value for that money? Can I actually play it? Will I enjoy playing it? How badly will it frustrate me on all the levels a game can? Those considerations are all weighed on scales already tilted by fibromyalgia, so I can probably come across as picky, but it is in self-preservation. I want to want Veilguard, but it's been raising concerns for me personally since the beginning.

Right. Coffee. I deserve more coffee.

[thessalian]

Thess vs Lack of Accessibility

Is it petty to just be, like, really really sad right now?

I came to Tumblr because of the Dragon Age fandom. I hadn't been in a fandom in so long, not after the first one, which ... look, getting into a fandom while having a nervous breakdown is a bad thing, okay? Especially when that fandom has named you a BNF for some reason and the responses end up going from "nagging daily to finish a fic" to "long essays shitting on everything you ever wrote" and you're a people-pleaser by nature. Just ... that on top of everything else is ... not recommended. You have no idea how phobic I was of the very idea of fandom. I literally flinch when the media in question comes up (though I have some very good friends because of that fandom and I would not be without them; just ... I will avoid that particular piece of media the same way I do anything overly zealously Christian and conversations about politics with my mother, and for the same reason - my sanity).

Anyway, point is that the Dragon Age fandom gave me back my love of and, more importantly, trust in fandoms. Sure, there's some toxic bullshit, but it isn't like that. Y'all have been so wonderful, and between how awesome the fandom is and how DA: O itself really helped me cope during a particularly dark time, for all I flag up its flaws, I'm always going to have a soft spot in my heart for this franchise.

So of course it makes me happy that everyone's finding something to love about Veilguard and spreading it all over Tumblr. Picking their blorbos and squeeing about Assan and all of that, and it's everywhere. And on one level, I'd love to join in. I'd like to start thinking about what my Rook would be like - which of my internal presets would I send after Solas first? What faction would a Molly be a part of? A Jessie? A Jallira?

...Just ... why, when I probably won't even be able to play it?

One of the reviews had the reviewer literally screw up a livestream by getting knocked over a cliff because her reflexes weren't up to it, and highlighted just how much you need those reflexes and that dodge to actually get through the game. And she couldn't manage. And she's not, as far as I'm aware, fucking disabled. I, on the other hand, am. And it doesn't sound like easy mode and accessibility options are going to get me out of "you have to constantly dodge-roll or experience Death By Cliff".

For most things, I can budget my spoons appropriately. If I want to go to a convention - a big one like MCM or a small one like Dragonmeet - I can plan my life accordingly. But that's a one-off. So is "I'm going to bake things", or "I'm going to make soup", or "I'm going to Borough Market". I can have rest breaks after these things. I can plan them for good days. Most of the time, I can cope with this. I hate it, but I can cope.

But ... I mean, how do you do that kind of thing for a video game that runs so many hours? Too many breaks and you lose the momentum - far too many abandoned playthroughs of BG3 have taught me that. Waiting for good days could have me waiting a week or more before I'm up to even touching it again. If it's not a bad pain day, it could still be a day where I'm having spasms, and believe me, I don't touch anything that requires precision when I'm having spasms ... but sometimes I don't know until I'm trying to do a thing, so I could end up dodge-rolling myself off a cliff if I go to the spasm place.

Thankfully, I'm not the sort of person who turns around and resents the people who are looking so forward to it when I can only sit here and dither over what I'm going to do about this whole mess. I'm glad people are enjoying the anticipation. Just seeing it makes me sad, and I don't want to block the tags because a) I still have some tiny shred of hope and b) that's too many tags.

I resent the fuck out of EA and Bioware, though. I get that they couldn't necessarily go back to DA:O's real-time-with-pause tactical structuring, but moving us to something that's ... probably closer to Kingdoms of Amalur than anything Souls-like but there's still an element of that latter ... anyway, it's a giant fuck-you to the disabled. I've had one of those before. I got chosen for the closed beta of Secret World: Legends when Funcom was making its changes to The Secret World. I was not alone in flagging up that everything from the reticle targeting to the particle effects to the random-roulette light-up stuff all over the UI was a massive trigger for vertigo and migraines. And we all got the same response: "This is what we're doing and we're not changing it; sucks to be you". And it really wasn't that much more polite than my paraphrase, either. (Which is another problem with Veilguard for me, because even that first gameplay trailer full of prologue gave me a migraine that lasted for like two days; part of it was the particle effects, part of it was the glowy redesigns of all the demons, but mostly it was the dodge-rolling making the camera bounce around like a fucking squash ball.)

I resent EA and Bioware for jumping so entirely on the ARPG train that even the best their accessibility options can do don't help. I also resent them for not giving us a fucking demo. I know that AAA games don't do that anymore, for some reason, but how the fuck am I supposed to know whether or not I can play it if I don't have a demo? Steam gives a two-hour return window, and adding the time taken in character creation plus the prologue, that doesn't give that much time to really get a feel for whether or not it's playable, especially not when it depends on the kind of day I'm having.

There are a lot of reasons I hate being disabled. I think most of them boil down to "the people who make accessibility a fucking nightmare". That thing about Borough Market, for example, where I'd have to take a fairly roundabout route to even get there because the most direct route is via a train station that has raised platforms and no elevators, and those stairs were a nightmare even before the cane. And of course, video games. Far too many video games. Including, it seems, the franchise that really got me back into video games in the first place, and one of the first things that really gave me joy after fleeing the abusive ex.

Fuck my life entirely.

[thessalian]

Thess vs Anticipation

Things I am looking forward to:

D&D tonight (because I always look forward to D&D nights)

Payday Friday (because buying a new - well, refurbished but still - computer kind of fucked with my budget, but that's okay because...)

Silent Hill 2 Remake drops 6th October (because I paid extra for two days early, and new computer means I have the recommended hardware instead of just the basic, and...)

Week off 7-13 October (because just once in my life I was going to take a week off just for a video game, even if it is only 20 or so hours long)

Other, smaller things to look forward to involve things like, since my budget's a bit wonky and I was going to want snacks, I baked yesterday. So now I have brownies and snickerdoodles.

Having to think about the grocery shopping a little further in advance than usual. First off, I want way more emergency calories to hand next month than I had this month. Second, I'm having my mother over to dinner at some point next month (and @noctumsolis at some point, which is even more anticipated joy, because @noctumsolis doesn't live just a few blocks down the way my mother does) and I should see what I can buy in advance and what needs to be straight-up fresh on the day. Also I need to practice that gingerbread cheesecake recipe I found.

And honestly? I need gaming snacks. A version of Silent Hill 2 that I can actually play is an Event. It's an Occasion. You don't understand. I used to watch my last ex play this one. However badly that relationship ended up, I will always remember with fondness the nights we'd curl up on the sofa with him playing creepy games and me helping with the puzzles or asking lore questions at convenient moments or just making the chainsaw noises when James was doing the chainsaw idle animation. I loved the story, I loved the whole thing. I coveted this game so hard, but even before the fibromyalgia, I never got the hang of any controller more advanced than the one for the original Nintendo Entertainment System for a couple of reasons. I tried a PC port someone put together but the controls were janky as fuck. But this one? This one was made for a PC release as well as a PS5 one. It should be fine!

(I may be thinking of the issues that the TLOU PC port had, and consoling myself by remembering that TLOU was a port well after the PS exclusive release, and some of Sony's subsidiaries - namely Guerilla - can manage ports just fine, and whatever Bloober team's problems, "can't manage a working PC version of their games" doesn't seem to be one of them, so it's going to be fiiiiiine.)

So ... yeah. Emergency calories for gaming moments. That's the big thing for October. Cold cuts, corn thins, crisps, nuts, stuff like that. Maybe soup. Well, more ingredients for me to make soup because after my own homemade potato soup, and beef stew with fresh herbs, and all that? Stuff in tins just doesn't do it anymore.

But also all the gummy sweets, because that's just a necessity. Gummy sweets, and cola, and Real Food that I don't have to interrupt what I'm doing too much to have, and yes I am doing the anticipatory thing over this because I am looking so forward to this you have no idea! And I can start it downloading on the 6th without worrying that I'm going to have issues because recommended hardware! Between a couple of new Big Games that require certain hardware specs and the whole "They stop supporting Win10 in about a year" thing, an itty-bitty bit of budgetary stress in the week before payday is a small price to pay for the peace of mind and the anticipation.

Besides, I have snickerdoodles. Nothing can be too badly wrong if I have snickerdoodles.

[thessalian]

Thess vs The Missing Factor

A thought occurred to me about the romances in Veilguard - or specifically, how I'm reacting to them as compared with how a lot of other people are reacting to them. No, not a lot happens. You don't get your payoff until right at the end, for the most part. But what occurred to me is what the Hero of Ferelden's group, the DA2 disaster bisexuals, and the Inquisition's strike team had that the Veilguard didn't: time.

Let's break it down:

Origins: takes place over the course of about a year, as far as I can tell. While we the players just click to a place and have the little blood trail going from point A to point B, the Hero of Ferelden and their group are walking it, for weeks at a time. They're talking to keep each other company. They're deciding who's on watch - usually with two so they can keep each other awake, I imagine. They live in a single camp, and not a very large one, with only tent walls to provide anything resembling privacy. It's a pressure cooker, and you kind of have to get to know someone relatively quickly in those circumstances. So, sure, you can fall in love with someone in the first few months (because by calculations of travel time, most of the significant romantic stuff would only start in the first few months). There's time to flirt for awhile before we get to anything significant.

DA2: takes place over the course of an approximate decade. No travel time to consider, but seriously - for a variety of reasons, that bunch of disaster bisexuals are the only people the rest of them actually know. And while you can flirt in Act 1, the first year, nothing significant happens until Act 2, three years later. That's a lot of time to hang out and get to know each other, and to go from flirtation to Feelings.

Inquisition: another one that takes place over the course of a year, give or take. Less of a pressure cooker environment, but yet more travel time. You're not just traipsing all over Ferelden; you're crossing Ferelden and Orlais on a semi-regular basis. That's a lot of travel time where it's back to tent walls as your only privacy and nothing to do while walking but chatting with each other. You get to know people pretty well that way, and that's kind of the prerequisite for a romance.

Veilguard: no idea how long it's taking, but maybe a few weeks, couple of months at most? Travel time's taken away entirely, because of the eluvians. No real shared accommodation because of the Lighthouse and associated lack of needing to camp out in the wilderness. People have to make an effort to interact, and a lot of the time, there's the whole deal about your prospective love interest having too much on their minds to help save the world, never mind getting their freak on.

So in summary, the entirety of Veilguard happens in about the same span of time as the first act of all three of the other games - in short, the point of the first three games when it was more or less just flirting with a view to a maybe. In Origins and Inquisition, we would have got to maybe kissing and innuendo with a LI; in DA2, we'd be in the middle of the first three-year time skip and probably wouldn't even have that much.

I mean, I get why we don't think about the actual chronological time involved. We're players; we're used to fast travel. It's hard to remember that Veilguard is the only game where the characters had fast travel too. And that fast travel cuts out a lot of interaction time - the kind of time that the characters in the other three games would have spent progressing their relationship behind the scenes.

I entirely understand why people are disappointed. I also don't know if this is what the writers intended. I hope they did, though, however much I doubt they did. Just ... honestly, I think I'd be a little weirded out if we went through the entirety of the kind of romance arc that, say, Zevran or Fenris had in a period of time that would best be measured in in-game days or maybe weeks, when Zevran had in-game months to get to that point and it took Fenris in-game years.

I guess sometimes you have to make some sacrifices in a game like this. I spent so much time complaining that the open-world nature of Inquisition stripped the main plotline of its urgency, so I guess I don't feel like I should complain when a travel mechanic helps add to the feeling of actual urgency now that the stakes are yet higher, even if it does lose me some of the lovely romantic speeches we get from LIs in the first three games.

[thessalian]

Thess vs Things Easily Missed

I got to another bit of Lucanis' personal quest today. Gods, that mindscape ripped my heart out.

Also, nearly immediately after, I got the bit where Lucanis was making dinner, and made a special dessert - the one that gets a "There's enough for everyone" in a way that's clearly an awkward attempt at casual but is very clearly just for Rook (because it goes with their favourite drink). Which was entirely adorable.

But ... that's not what I'm coming over here to write about. I'm here about the codex entry that you get right after that encounter. I know that codex entries are easy to miss and not everyone reads them. I do. So ... here's a thing for those who didn't.

You know how Lucanis keeps a log, to see how much, if any, time he lost to Spite over the course of the day? Well. Lucanis' Logbook, 4 gives you this:

"If I have lost an hour this night, it is only to Rook. But lost is wrong. It is an hour found. An hour more clear than any other."

Again, the smooching and the other fleshy bits are nice to have, but godsdamnit that kind of shit is my entire jam. I can't say the Lucanis romance is the best, since it's the first one I'm really trying, but it's enough to satisfy me so far.

[thessalian]

Thess vs Companion Quests

I have to give Veilguard credit for this if nothing else: they make absolutely zero bones about the importance of companion quests. Like, they literally come out and say, "Your companions have other shit on their minds that will cost them their focus; if you don't take care of unfinished business, you're all fucked". I guess some people didn't take it all that literally. Hell, even people who played ME2 and should understand that Bioware uses the "Everyone needs to be on their A-game or you're fucked" mechanic every once in awhile did not take it literally, at least according to Reddit. Then again, Reddit says a lot of things.

One thing I did discover is that it is still worth wandering up to companions, even if there's no actual option to speak. I first noticed that you get ambient dialogue if you approach two companions talking around the Lighthouse, and noted that sometimes they're around on their own and will talk to you. So I wandered up to Lucanis after eavedropping on a Bellara / Tash conversation ... and lo and behold! There was a "Press E To Talk" option. I did, and got the answer to a question I'd been asking myself pretty much since I recruited the suave bastard: "WHY THE HELL DO YOU LIVE IN A PANTRY?!?"

(Because he's paranoid. That's why. I'd say "whatever helps him get to sleep at night", but he doesn't because a) we apparently don't have night at the Lighthouse, exactly, and b) Spite.)

(Also because "it means I'm closer to the coffee". I feel you, man.)

Anyway, I've spent most of the early afternoon running around Dock Town. I was going to do the Hossberg Wetlands stuff first, but I felt bad for putting Neve's stuff second. Anyway, I thought, "It's just the one quest, and then I'll get to Taash's stuff and maybe even sell all the darkspawn crap I'm somehow carrying around to the survivors of Weisshaupt!"

(Side note: Weisshaupt was insaaaaaaane, especially the final fight there. I thought it was going to be just an archdemon - and doesn't it say something when I can say "just an archdemon"?!? - but I began to have doubts when my ultimate one-shotted it because ... no. I've seen tougher mini-bosses. And then ... Taash is right; TOO MANY HEADS!)

Point is, I thought it was going to be just the one quest, but Veilguard quests never just have one. I tripped over several more, a couple of which were two-parters. But hey, I did murder a lot of Venatori, ended a demon of Desperation under the city (which ... I wish I'd been able to pay more attention to the names of the adds but I was kind of dodge-rolling for my life half the time), found out a little bit more about Neve's "personal business", and saved not one but two iterations of Matt Mercer from Venatori. (The Viper is one; the other is this busker we tracked to a dive bar in the city. We don't get quiiiiiiiiite as much NPC!Matt as we did in Pillars of Eternity, but it feels close sometimes.)

So Minrathous is a little less awful, and I was just going to come back to the Lighthouse to give Harding a present, but then other people wanted to talk to me and hey, now not only have I got stuff Taash wants me to do and the "new quests available in this area" I saw when I hovered over Hossberg on the map, but Emmrich wants to visit a manor outside Nevarra, Bellara wants to hunt up some demon in Arlathan, and stuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuff!

Anyway, seriously, I've seen people complete this game in 40 hours and I have no idea how. ...Actually, yes I do. They don't do companion quests and end up like in ME2, without even a Joker to play Ishmael.