#about the new trailer focusing on combat

[woundedheartwithin]

Dumbasses: why does the Silent Hill 2 gameplay trailer focus so much on combat? It should be focusing on the ATMOSPHERE and the town!

Me: It's a fucking gameplay trailer. Combat is part of the gameplay!

RIGHT. LITERALLY. Like I know reading comprehension is down all over the internet, but jfc these people can’t even read titles anymore?????????

[anim-ttrpgs]

The Eureka: Investigative Urban Fantasy October 17th Beta update has launched today on itch.io for free!

Happy Halloween! We pulled out all the stops just to get the update out in time for you to prep and play it for your group’s Halloween game! The free adventure module that comes with it, “Horror Harry’s Haunted House”, takes place on Halloween after all! In it, your investigators will solve a “murder mystery” in a charmingly spooky haunted house escape room. It serves as a sort of investigation and survival training ground for you and your PCs to learn the ropes before jumping into more Call-of-Cthulhu-esque adventures where death is around every corner. (You can even get two more adventure modules over on our patreon)

Download the new rulebook here on itch.io! Even if you download it for free, just checking it out, talking about it, reblogging this post, etc. helps us out immensely. We are a diverse, largely queer team setting out to slay a dragon, we’ve already been working on this for four years, and we need all the community support we can get!

If you’re wondering what Eureka even is, watch this trailer, or read this post if you don't wanna watch a video.

If you’ve ever tried to run a murder mystery in D&D, what you really needed was Eureka.

If you’re coming from the August beta release, which I assume you are, lemme tell you that a lot has been improved. I’ll go over some of the highlights, and post the full changelog under the cut. It’s still free, but if you could throw a bit of money out way on the itchio page, even if you’ve paid before, that would be a massive, massive help. We’re actually a bit over budget even with the relative success of the Kickstarter, plus for one of us this is their primary source of income.

Trait Overhaul

There’s a few new Traits, and nearly every single existing Trait has been redone to make them better and/or more interesting. Each Trait will now have an even more significant effect on your gameplay experience.

Combat Overhaul + World's Best Grappling Rules

Combat in Eureka is now better than ever, and it was already really good - plus, now you can actually comprehend the dang rules! The previous combat rules, I admit, were a dense and confusing slog to read through, even if they worked really well once you understood them. Now, thanks to our editor, you can understand them! Instead of being split across four chapters, it’s now just two chapters. One chapter explains weapons and is mostly just for stat reference, and the other chapter is focused on telling you everything your character can do during “dangerous situations,” which are not just combat, but really just any kind of scenario where a character can get hurt. As a special highlight to the combat overhaul, Eureka now boasts the first ever set of grappling rules that are viable, realistic, and fun to employ at the table! I’m serious when I say I have never seen them done like this before, and think they offer an actual leap forward in something that TTRPGs have struggled with since early editions of D&D! I also put a lot of my own judo and other martial arts experience to work here.

Monster Overhaul

A lot of what I said about the pre-overhaul combat sections of the rulebooks were also true of the monster PC rules. They were dense, hard to reference, and disorganized. Well not anymore! All six playable monsters in Eureka have been completely rewritten using the skills I have gained as a game designer since first writing them, and, like the regular Traits, they have all been at the very least tweaked to be more interesting and have a greater effect on gameplay, and some have been changed entirely with all new subsystems! Witches brew potions now, fairies actually have stuff to do with the names they collect, and more! Plus, speaking of Traits, every monster can have more regular Traits now, to really help flesh out their personality!

CHANGE LOG 

Copy-editing Progress: Thoroughly copy-edited up to p. 302. Half-ass copy-edited up to p. 322.

WHOLE BOOK

Stuck most of the $42+ kickstarter backer submission info into the very back of the book just to get it out of our email inbox and to allow the whole team to be able to more easily see it and work with it. Going to be doing more to integrate this stuff into the actual rulebook soon. 

Changed the headings to hopefully be more legible. Please give us feedback on what you think of this change.

CHAPTER 1

Changed the limitations on how Comfort is used to restore investigator Composure. 

Fixed a typo in the investigation example of play. 

Made it so that Composure rolls for fears in the “Ridiculous” category don’t even always need to be rolled when these things are encountered. 

Moved Character Health and Status, Grievous Wounds, Healing, and Healing Example sections to Chapter 1. 

Changed Partial Incapacitation to give -2 modifiers instead of -1. 

Overhauled the rules for injuries, incapacitation, and grievous wounds completely. A ton of it is changed. 

Added codified rules for medical facilities and what to do in the case of investigator death. 

Added “The Creeps” optional rule. 

Tweak to When is the Party “Split” section regarding how long to go before jumping between groups.

Lots of new art has been added.

Tweaks to Be Prepared to Lose section.

—---------------------------------------------------

Additions to the What is Eureka For section

Changed comforting factors and exacerbating factors for Composure rolls to be +/-2 instead of +/-1 so they make a real difference.

New snoop

Changed the font of the section headings in the Ticking Clock section. Let us know what you think of these headings compared to the other headings, because we are considering changing all the headings to be like this.  

Better clarified some stuff about how Ticks work when an adventure starts at some random time of day.

—-------------------------------------

More art has been added

Made travel take more time and matter more

CHAPTER 2

Changed the CQC skill to Close Combat, as this is more clear and obvious what that means at a glance

Made lots of copy-editing progress. Many paragraphs are shorter and convey the rules more clearly. 

Changed the way the Burnout Trait works. It now causes the investigator to lose flat Composure each day rather than affecting their Composure rolls. 

Changed the Death Wish Trait to not suck.

Changed the Elementary! Trait to use Visual Calculus instead of Social Cues.

Changed Go With Your Gut Trait to not suck. 

Added that wallets and like basic clothing and stuff have a WP cost of 0

Added glasses to item list

Added rope to item list

Added hand warmers to item list

Changed Arithmomania trait to where it only gives a +1 base bonus to Paperwork, and the bonus for having a lower Ignorance of Quantity Tiers of Fear rating is more investigation points. 

Changed Femme Fatale to add a +1 Seduce bonus instead of +2. 

Totally redid the Hardy Trait. 

Added -1 modifier to I’m Okay You’re Okay Trait

Redid the Just Built Different Trait. Now it allows a character “no sell” an incoming Superficial Damage attack once per Scene, reducing the damage to 0, among a few other things. 

Added Renaissance Man Trait. 

Removed Love Me Trait. Might try to reword it another time, but it was too similar to too many other traits and wasn't very interesting. 

Completely reworked Lover Trait. 

Many new snoops have been added.

Changed the Mad Genius trait to be called Lovecraft Protagonist and changed what it does. 

Removed the investigation point cap on Man of Action Trait. Also changed the name to Ask Questions Later. 

Changed My Glasses Trait to only provide bonuses to Knowledge Skill Investigative Rolls. 

Changed Nightstalker Trait so that it provides a bonus to all Interpersonal Rolls while trespassing 

Changed None of My Business Trait to suck less.

Changed Not Finished Yet Trait to suck less.

Changed Showboater Trait to suck less.

Changed Skeptic Trait to suck less.

Smalls is now a real Trait instead of just a joke Trait. 

Removed the +1 Bonus from the Unpredictable Trait.

Changed Wicked Trait to not suck. 

Changed Wizened Trait to suck less. 

Woo-Woo Trait no-longer based on Blacked Out Skill. 

Moved “Deadly Combat, Permanent Consequences” here and changed the title to “Disabilities are Disabling”

Changed Basic Physical Therapy on the Wealth Point Item List from 3WP to 2WP. 

Added new section “People Change”

Made Blissfully Ignorant trait immune to “The Creeps.”

Made the Technically… Trait have a +2 bonus instead of +1.

Updated the Hard Boiled Trait to work with the new way that injuries and incapacitation works.

Moved the Hardened Hearts snoop to be the Wicked snoop instead. 

Changed “Empath” Trait to be “Empathetic” instead. 

Made “Did You Know…” a better and more usable Trait

Made Hard Under Pressure a better and more usable Trait.

Changed how the WP cost of an item affects the modifier for rolling for it in-adventure. The modifier is now half the WP cost rounded down. 

—--------------------------------------------------------

Gave a proper name to the Wealth modifier attached to certain homes and vehicles, it is now called the Property Modifier(PM).

Lowered the price of firearm ammunition by 1WP

Lowered the price of desktop computers by 1WP

Lowered the price of cameras by 1WP

Combined various hand tools into one entry on the item lists and moved them to Misc.

Made hotels something that is prepaid in WP similar to food budget. 

Made Large Apartment less expensive and Tiny Apartment more expensive

Moved Baseball Bat and Axe out of Weapons and into Misc. 

Changed how Food Budget works.

Removed Net Skill Limit mechanic entirely

Edit to the duration of the bonuses for Femme Fatale

Changed Ninja Trait to a +2 bonus instead of +1

—----------------------------------------------------------

Made “Sleep On It” Trait give 1D6-1 investigation points, and still give Composure.

Added “Real Capybara Hours.” Sometimes jokes are just for us.

Added animals to item lists

CHAPTER 3

Moved the section “Deadly Combat, Permanent Consequences” into chapter 2. 

More art has been added.

Moved Character Health and Status, Grievous Wounds, Healing, and Healing Example sections to Chapter 1. 

—------------------------------------------------

Changed the name of Chapter 3 to “Dangerous Situations.” We are planning to put all the combat and other dangerous stuff into one chapter called “Dangerous Situations” and merge combat, chases, etc. into one thing rather than splitting it up and having it in a bunch of different chapters.

Made it so that the Speed mechanic works with Theater of the Mind as well, and removed that other awkward mechanic with rolling Athletics for how many turns it takes for a character to cross a large distance. 

Complete restructure of the way the mechanics for movement and action are explained, as well as defining things as both Movements and Actions. 

Created a Chapter 2.5. In the future when we are ready to shift the chapter numbers, Chapter 2.5 will become the new Chapter 3 and the current Chapter 3 will become Chapter 4. Chapter 2.5 currently houses the statistics of weapons and other combat items. The plan is that a first-time reader will read the weapon statistics in Chapter 2.5 before they read the combat rules in Chapter 3, which will inform the way they understand Chapter 3. 

Changed damage value and special attributes of pepper spray. 

Made brass knuckles do 1 penetrative damage. 

Made stun guns do 2 superficial damage.

Made it so that bulletproof vests do protect against 1-damage weapons. 

Moved and rearranged like everything from chapters 3-6. 

Close range bonus for guns is now +2 instead of +1

Simplified Stopping Power rules (the actual way it works has not changed, we just rewrote it so that it gives the same mechanics in like a tenth of the word count)

Separated open-faced helmets and full-face helmets, and made it so that wearing a helmet along with body armor gives a -1 penalty to incoming attack rolls. 

“Single Load” is now called “Internal Magazines”

Shotguns at extremely close range now have similar stopping power to a rifle, but at 5-10 yards they still have their double stopping power. 

Changed how Rate of Fire works for guns. Just making it a number instead of distinct actions. 

Made it so that Quick Cycling affects basically all guns except automatics, meaning characters with high Firearms skill can now fire semi-automatic pistols at 3 bullets per Action.

Streamlined Stabilization. It is no-longer a roll and instead a penalty that worsens the more bullets are being fired at once. 

Made Bipods give +2 Contextual bonus instead of +1 to single stationary targets.

Changed Reactions and made them more broadly applicable and usable as a rule.

—--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Overhauled Grabs, Throws, Holds, and Escapes to make them a viable option in a lot more scenarios.

Defined “On the Ground” and made it its own section.

Made knock out blows and throws ignore Armor. Knock-out blows are still somewhat penalized by helmets.

Added A Real John Woo Film Optional Rule

More art has been added

Hastily updated the random chase obstacle tables for the new Movement/Action system.

Updated the example obstacles to be more in line with how we designed obstacles for the obstacle tables. 

Redid how Poison works. We meant to make it less convoluted but accidentally made it more granular instead. We did write it better so it will at least feel less convoluted. 

CHAPTER 4

Merged this chapter with chapter 3

CHAPTER 5

merged this chapter with chapter 3

CHAPTER 6

merged this chapter with chapter 3

CHAPTER 7

Added “Psychological Warfare” mechanic. 

—--------------------------------------------------

CHAPTER 8

The Blacked Out Skill has been changed in two major ways. First we made it more obvious that the Blacked Out Skill applies even to knowledge of the supernatural that is not necessarily true. And also rather than working the way that every other Knowledge skill works, the Blacked Out Skill now gives leads to where answers might be found rather than immediate concrete answers. 

THE GORGON IS FINISHED AND FULLY PLAYABLE!

Added that Alt. Witches have to make their supernatural ability composure rolls at +0 instead of +3. The +3 was a typo.

Started work on the complete monster overhaul.

Vampires have been completely rewritten. Most of their abilities and themes are the same, but the way the abilities work has been overhauled and improved in many cases, as well as now being formatted and structured in a sane and easily-referenceable way. 

More art has been added. 

Changed the +2 Contextual Close Combat bonus for the Werewolf Trait to a +1 Base Bonus

Wolfmen have been completely rewritten. Most of their abilities and themes are the same, but the way the abilities work has been overhauled and improved in many cases, as well as now being formatted and structured in a sane and easily-referenceable way. 

Fairytale Witch is currently being rewritten/overhauled. 

Changed Incredible Strength Mage Trait to have a +2 Close Combat bonus instead of +3.

—-----------------------------------------------------------------------

Clarified that gorgon blood does not heal gorgons.

Changed the way that monsters interact with Composure and their Tiers of Fear during the act of preying on other people. Instead of just ignoring it or having a bonus (i somehow left both of those conflicting rules in and no one told me), a relevant Composure roll is still made when a monster eats someone, but they do not lose Composure points from it even in the event of Partial Success or Failure. This keeps the narrative benefit of a Composure roll to show the monster’s emotional state, but without making hunting numerically pointless.

Finished the complete fairytale witch overhaul. 

Made the Close Combat bonus for superhuman strength be just +1 for the vast majority of instances. The only exception is wolfman forms. They get a higher Close Combat bonus because their transformations actually make them bigger and taller and this helps a lot in Close Combat.

Reduced Athletics bonus of Incredible Strength trait to +2. 

Merged the Alt. Witch with Mage, and made Mage a Misc. supernatural category instead of its own separate thing. This is going to be a really messy transition for chapter 8 so please bear with us. I am making a brief run though the chapter to clean up the biggest discrepancies this change creates, but I probably won’t get them all until the editor and I have time to actually go through and copy-edit it. 

“Mage” is now its own trait, and what were previously called “mage traits” are now called “mage powers”. Mages now have between 1 and 6 mage powers as part of their mage trait, with worse composure rolls the more powers they have. 

When they engage in their True Nature, monsters now have a chance to recoup some or all of the Composure they lost as a result of using their powers to hunt prey. 

—-----------------------------------------------------------------------------

Fully overhauled the fairy rules. Just one more monster to overhaul! Woo! 

Changed the Curse of Slumber to take effect the next time the victim falls asleep rather than knocking them out spontaneously.

Overhauled the changeling rules to go along with the overhauled fairy rules. 

Clarified something about the vampire’s In Lizard Fashion ability, they wouldnt be able to use this to stop a speeding truck.

Removed the hard limit on how many people a wolfman could eat at once, and also added rules for what happens if they shift to a smaller form with people in their stomach. Made similar tweaks for vampires. 

More art has been added 

Fully overhauled the Thing from Beyond, and that completes the full monster overhaul. All Monsters now consist of a single Trait, rather than needing a pair of Traits. 

Gave vampires’ “wearing the evening” ability a maximum distance of 50 yards and also it is a Movement now 

Made a few more adjustments to some of the monster sections to bring them up to date with the new Movement/Action mechanics. 

Adjusted all instances of poison in the monster sections to account for the new poison rules.

[felassan]

Thoughts on the new Dragon Age: Dreadwolf teaser THEDAS CALLS, and other new things about the game from DA Day 2023

[post under cut due to length]

(ﾉ `･∀･)ﾉﾞ New stuff! Let's goo!

Other than chatting about the new stuff with some friends, I have avoided reading other posts (and other peoples' speculations/theories from other websites/platforms) about it. I like to try and get it all out my head onto 'paper' before doing so (it's fun seeing the few things I get right and the more things I get wildly wrong in theorycrafting hhh). after this post I'm super excited to dive into other speculations, compare and contrast and also read the thoughts of others on things I will have totally missed!

this post will mention some things I already mentioned in previous posts.

First, I think it's interesting that the "Welcome to Dragon Age" text blurb on the website has been slightly updated. the old version reads:

“Enter Thedas, a vibrant world of rugged wilderness, treacherous labyrinths, and glittering cities. The Dragon Age is a time of warring nations, savage combat, and secret magics. Now, the fate of this world teeters on a knife’s edge. Thedas needs a new hero; one they’ll never see coming. Forge a courageous fellowship to challenge the gathering storm. Friendship, drama, and romance abound as you bring striking individuals together into an extraordinary team. Become the hero and light the beacon of hope in their darkest moments.” [can be seen here]

The new version reads:

"Enter the world of Thedas, a vibrant land of rugged wilderness, treacherous labyrinths, and glittering cities – steeped in savage combat and secret magics. Now, the fate of this world teeters on a knife's edge. Thedas needs a new leader; one they'll never see coming. You’ll forge a courageous fellowship to challenge the gathering storm. Friendship, drama, and romance will abound as you bring striking individuals together into an extraordinary team. Become the leader and light the beacon of hope in their darkest moments." [source]

I like "the world of Thedas" better as it makes for a nice call back to the World of Thedas lore books. The reference to "warring nations" has been removed which I find curious, and what remains is savage combat and secret magics only. I wonder if it was decided that some 'warring nations' storyline elements would take more of a back seat? e.g. the Tevinter/Qunari Antaam war or Qunari Antaam invasion of Tevinter and other northern nations. - in favor of focusing on the array of other stuff, factions, threats and plot-threads that's going on, like Solas' plans/the Veil, the threat of the Evil Gods, whatever's going down among the Wardens, all the new factions (Lords of Fortune, Shadow Dragons, Veil Jumpers), red lyrium etc? there's certainly lots the plot could involve and explore without a nations at war plotline/backdrop. The Qunari Antaam invasion has been covered a lot now anyways in short stories, Tevinter Nights, and the recent comics, and I'm reminded of how the mage-templar war in the run-up to DA:I seemed like it would be a bigger part of the game's plot than what it turned out to be.

Also interestingly, a new "hero" has been changed to new "leader". Become the "leader", not become the "hero". I feel like these words have kinda different connotations. what are the connotations of "leader" as opposed to "hero"?

I also like the Thedas Calls tagline. this teaser reminded me of parts of the DA:I "A Wonderful World" trailer, in that both are showcasing the varied regions we'll visit and locales that will feature in the game. and yk, I am super enjoying BG3, it's an amazing game that is really fun and beautiful and I've put loads of hours into it, but I miss the world&worldbuilding of DA. Thedas is calling to me indeed ( ´•̥̥̥ω•̥̥̥` )

Now, the fate of this world teeters on a knife's edge. // "a spike of lyrium sprang from the base of the idol, so that all at once, it was not merely an idol, but a ritual blade."

I also wanna take a moment to compile in one place the various lines posted by the BW and DA Twitter accounts:

"Thedas is on the cusp of revelation and on the brink of damnation."

"This is Thedas. 💜 Enjoy it while it lasts." ("What does that mean?!")

"The Dread Wolf readies to make his move."

It's well-established by now that Solas has been Planning things and that there are imminent threats (not just Solas) to Thedas. it's also pretty commonly thought that the Veil will indeed be brought down in or prior to the next game - that would change the nature of Thedas as we know it, and the nature of reality. one version of Thedas would end as a new world begins (or the old world returns?). these snippets also sound like general fantasy/marketing/high-stakes SAVE THE WORLD! / THE WORLD IS UNDER THREAT OMG taglines. lines from the DA:I marketing era ("Will you stand against [the darkness/fires above]? Or lead this world to its bitter end?", "Lead Them Or Fall") weren't super accurate to the contents of that game. so I'm not sure how much we can read into them. but they sound cool and serve a purpose. (even the Gear Store account is in part in on it btw, "unveiling" the new merch in the store hh).

I also like the suggestion that a sort of bronzey color accompanies the purple color themeing now. it's neat.

To the trailer. The teaser is "a mix of gameplay and cinematics". It "represents [a] game in development". it's in-engine. we're told that there will be a full reveal of DA:D in the summer of 2024. what might a full reveal entail? sounds like a kind of detailed showcase right? showing new companions, showing gameplay, story trailers and story information, in-depth looks at specific systems in or aspects of the game like skill trees or CC or something etc. when might that be exactly - perhaps Summer Game Fest, or during an EA Play type event? they could also just do their own showcase.

also overall I liked the teaser, I thought it was neat, it looked and sounded cool.

the new blurbs from the latest blog are relevant to the trailer, so let's put them here too.

Ever the pinnacle of mystery and intrigue, the Crows watch from the deep shadows of beautiful Antiva. Something, however, is amiss, and they are set on uncovering the source.

-

Upon eastern shores and sunkissed sands, the Lords of Fortune no longer hold dominion over the coasts of Rivain—not when dragons are growing bolder and laying waste to their ships.

-

To the far west, three Grey Wardens patrol the Anderfels. Tremors have been creating disturbances of late. Their cause is unknown. Upon the distant horizon, a storm of ominous intent brews and darkens the skies.

-

We see a shot of Antiva and the port-city of Treviso. this city is in northern Antiva, on the coast of the Rialto Bay. The Antivan Crows originate from the lands surrounding Treviso, and it’s an important city for the guild still, as well as the seat of House Valisti. Fittingly in this shot in the trailer we see a corvid in the foreground, and more flying from Treviso in other parts of the map.

Treviso has been captured, occupied, burned and liberated several times during the Qunari Wars and the New Exalted Marches, and in recent times irl and in the post-DA:I Thedas timeline, in the short story As We Fly it has been occupied and invaded by Qunari Antaam. ("The Antaam will rule Antiva. And Treviso will learn to kneel." / "Out of time, like your city. And soon, the world" / "Treviso will be free.")

He smiled and signaled for his men to halt, making a show of raising his war hammer to his shoulder, emphasizing its weight. "Out of breath?" he called.

I'd also like to note that while the blurbs reference tremors in the Anderfels, the trailer map shows fault lines/cracks in other parts of Thedas, as here in Antiva.

Next we see a shot of the Treviso skyline at night. corvids fill the night sky and it sounds like we can hear them cawing. on a tower or rooftop is a statue of a crow (in fact there's more than one of these), and the rooftops with the roof tiles and those distinctive domes look like they would be super fun to do some Assassin's Creeding on. it's cool to see this locale from previous teasers and previous concept art pieces come to life again.

"We fight for everyone, and we always will. The Crows rule Antiva." Who could the speaker be? Andarateia Cantori, Caterina Dellamorte, Noa de Acutis, a member of House Valisti, Crow Lady who is from concept art, the "another Crow" or "friend" who picked up the contract in As We Fly, someone new? What she's saying is also of note. the Crows are a guild of assassins who basically run Antiva, not freedom fighters per se. but as we can see in As We Fly, as the Crows have been combatting the Qunari Antaam occupation of the city, the Treviso populace have begun in part to see them as something akin to freedom fighters who are "fighting for us!" Noa and Neri, a pair of old Antivan Crows, discussed how the Crows are trying to free Antiva, and the Crow message being intentionally shaped in response to the message of the Qunari Antaam occupation:

"Pity,” said Noa, smiling across her drink. “I'd enjoy killing a few pretenders.” Neri smiled back. "Noted. But until then, we craft our message to answer theirs." He raised his cup. "The Crows rule Antiva." Noa answered with her own. "And Treviso will be free."

The Antivan Crow speaking in the trailer is echoing this message. it could also be a sincerely-held belief or principle for her of course. Teia for example seems to lean this way, and in Tevinter Nights it's detailed that before Houses and masks, the Crows were monks near Treviso. using some herbs they poisoned a local duke who was terrorizing a village; they did what needed to be done to protect the Antivan people. over the years, they've apparently lost sight of that. (with a Crow in TN saying that now it's all about family and blood instead of a claw working as one, and disparaging them for being all about money when, in the beginning, they were protectors who fought for Antiva and for the people. he felt that they had chosen profit over patriotism somewhere along the way). so for some Crows it's an actual sentiment and not just a crafted message. Tevinter Nights also mentions how the Crows are mostly heroes in Antiva (protecting it as it lacks an army), with Antivans tending to romanticize them as freedom fighters.

As for the blurb, I wonder what is amiss in Antiva? the Crows are apparently set on on uncovering the source of things being amiss in Antiva. Does this pertain to the Qunari Antaam invasion? Or is it to do with what Teia and Viago were investigating in one issue of Dragon Age: The Missing (which was of course a prequel comic)? they were in Vyrantium on a contract to kill Lady Crysanthus, because there were rumors of her unsavory connections and questions that needed to be answered. They believed that she was working with the Venatori, helping them to operate freely in Vyrantium while they laid their plans to plan a move against the Imperium. At the end of the comic, they say that they will report to the Crows what they learned with Varric and Harding, as "the Crows must be made aware that the Venatori are seeking to make a concerted move against the Imperium". that's Vyrantium and Tevinter ofc, but it could be part of some greater tangled thing. I'm also reminded of how in the Lucanis story, we learned that someone mysterious had contracted the Crows to kill a bunch of prominent Venatori. the Venatori were like "bro we will not cower to foreign mercs like the Crows". So perhaps they are cooking up something bad in Antiva because of this stuff between them?

in any event, per Tevinter Nights, with half her Talons dead, Antiva is more vulnerable than ever, and so something being amiss there does not sound good!!

The accompanying art piece from the blogpost (all three of these are beautiful ^^) shows three Crows on the Trevisan rooftops, looking out over the canals at night, one a bearded human man, one an elf, and one person who is facing away from the viewer's perspective.

-------------------------

Next we move to Rivain. See here for prior posts on: the Evil Gods and cephalopods

I wonder if the placement of the squid monster ON/AS Rivain is just fun art/general foreboding 'oh no, the bad gods are coming',-themeing, or does it mean that an evil god is specifically rising in or under Rivain and that Rivain is in more danger? it's super clever art having the monster god be Rivain on the map anyways hh and it looks cool. I also think that it doesn't just look like a cephalopod - minus the tentacles, it looks like the head and snout of a dragon. I know the monster is following the shape of Rivaini landmass and so that's why, but it struck me nonetheless. (also I like the parallel imagery of a draconic squidthing vs draconic wolf in Fen'Harel's dragon-wolf form..)

it's a nice and ominous/threatening touch that the creature's eye turns to the viewer and the pupil dilates on catching sight of us. the creature's tentacles writhe and pour out of Rivain into the rest of northern Thedas. and when the trailer later shows a map of Tevinter coast, much of the center is entangled in tentacle-like or snake-like tendrils.

btw are these lines implied shipping lanes, cool lines because cool art looks cool, or something else? I ask because they reminded me of the repeating circles motif and the geometric type patterns in the vinyl art.

"Glory to the risen gods. They've come to deliver this world." - Risen Gods plural, there isn't just one of these bad ominous risen gods. and the Dread Wolf (though, despite the Fen'Harel cultist/followers in TN I don't think that he's one of those being referred to in that line) clearly isn't the only thing that has been "rising" in Thedas, there are multiple other ancient godlike entities other than Solas afoot. The tentacles and squid remind me of the Cekorax (see Evil Gods and cephalopod posts linked above), which is neither demon nor spirit and came from somewhere past the Veil. this creature could be of a similar ilk, like maybe the Cekorax was a mere mook type mob (that's the vibe it gave. a herald of what is to come but not anywhere near like being a big bad itself) compared to this trailer squid which is more like a king of its kind or something. the Cekorax also said that "things are rising" in the story it appeared in. I also note that like the Cekorax, the true nature of the Old Gods is yet unknown - are they demons, spirits, Great dragons, something else?

Cephalopods also commonly in fantasy-type media have dangerous, demonic, cthonic, Lovecraftian, interdimensional type vibes and symbolism going on, e.g. the Illithids in BGworld. In a Dragon Age context, this makes me think of the Void/the abyss, eluvian travel, implied 'spaces between' and how the Crossroads is like a sort of pocket dimension. cephalopods are ofc also sea creatures, and so this also reminds me of the imagery where the Fade (another realm) is described as being watery or being like a sea in nature (the well of all souls, emerald waters of the Fade, the sea of dreams etc). You can see why these creatures are portrayed as or were designed to be tentacley and cephalopody. this is becoming a ramble I know but it's all connected somehow aaa.

On the speaker during this segment: perhaps they are a Tevinter or Venatori Old God cultist, that's the sort of vibe I get from them. worship of the Old Gods still persists in secret parts of Tevinter society to this day, with cults to them existing. in recent times in Thedas, we've seen numerous examples of these:

"the Blood Band is an Old God cult led by Fallstick. They hate templars and don’t view blood magic as being inherently evil. the Last Moon are/were a cult dedicated to Lusacan. Early in the Dragon Age, they abducted and ritualistically murdered several people. Their goal at that time was to cause the start of a terrible battle, in order to cover Thedas in “a night that will never end” (Lusacan being the Dragon of Night).  Magister Aurelian Titus also led a cult. Titus wanted to return all of the Imperium to the worship of the Old Gods. He tried to use the Dreamer abilities of himself and his cult, bolstered by the Magrallen artifact, in order to brainwash Thedosians. He had a vision of a restored Tevinter where slaves knew their place and the Chant of Light and the Qun were both purged from peoples’ minds. He said “The old gods. The dragon gods. We shall become them”. there’s also a tale of a group of Old God cultists who departed mainland Thedas on a trio of ships in the late Storm Age to try and reach the mysterious uninhabited land of Amaranth, across the eastern ocean. Their expedition was supposedly never heard from again" [source]

I note with scared hamster fear btw that the Amaranthine Ocean is in the east, the land beyond it is called Amaranth, Thedosian people go there or try to go there and never come back, and the land there is said to be devoid of any sentient species and yet when former settlements are found they were empty and the only survivor had been driven mad and killed themself. meanwhile, the Executors purport that they act on behalf of powers across the sea, they are cloaked from head to toe and smell of salt/brine like the sea, and they have a history of being active in the east of Thedas and Thedosian countries with eastern coasts. It was said that "those across the seas will come soon enough". I have also speculated before since literally the time of Tevinter Nights's release a link between Ghilan'nain and the Executors, given that they smell of salt/brine/the sea, given the salty/briny smell of her monster lab creecher pools, and given the sea monsters she created, giants of the sea, of which some she left alive "in deep waters, for they were too well-wrought [though these could be cetuses], and Pride stopped her hand":

"Ghilan'nain kept herself apart from the People. She used her power to create animals none had ever seen. The skies teemed with her monsters, the land with her beasts. Andruil hunted them all, and after a year of killing, approached Ghilan'nain with an offer: the gods would share their power with Ghilan'nain, but only if she destroyed her creations, for they were too untamed to remain among the People. Ghilan'nain agreed and asked for three days to undo what she had made. On the first day she struck down the monsters of the air, except those she presented to Andruil as a gift. On the second day she drowned the giants of the sea, except those in deep waters, for they were too well-wrought, and Pride stopped her hand. On the third day she killed the beasts of the land, except the halla, whose grace she loved above all else. This is how Ghilan'nain was made youngest of the gods. —Story of the elven god Ghilan'nain, author unknown"

Back to this line: "Glory to the risen gods. They've come to deliver this world." here, I presume, are two of these risen gods, or these two are the risen gods. the one on the left has a watery motif with those wavy lines (water pouring off them as they rise from the sea), or it looks like seaweed hanging from their crown. in the concept art piece it's also depicted bursting out of the sea.

People connect the lefthand figure to Ghilan'nain, among others. The figure on the right has pointed ears. I think they are Ghil and Elgar'nan.

This speaker also reminded me of the Jaws of Hakkon trailer. the Jaws of Hakkon past and present tried to bring their dragon-formed god to life or free him to destroy the Lowlands. the old Inquisitor and then the new Inquisitor then fought to save Thedosian lands from Hakkon. An Avvar (Gurd) with a not dissimilar English accent to this second trailer speaker (a non-RP one) says "blood will spill before the new moon". the trailers then both end with a godlike entity speaking a threat: "Lowlanders, I am the breath of winter, the cold wind of war. Join me in battle and die" and "All the world will soon share the peace and comfort of my reign". I am not saying that I think the second speaker in the Thedas Calls trailer is an Avvar, a Hakkonite or an Avvar devotee of a different god, or that I think the final speaker in the Thedas Calls trailer is Hakkon or another Avvar god btw. just that I was struck by the similarity of theme and patterns that repeat in Thedas, echoing across time and dimensions.

If not an Old God cultist, I could also see the second speaker being a Venatori or Venatori-type person. the speaker is obviously a follower or cultist of some kind of these "risen gods". the Venatori are arguably a cult, although not precisely of the Old Gods exactly but of one of the High Priests of the Old Gods, the Conductor, who we knew as Corypheus. They see/saw Corypheus as the Elder One and a deity, essentially, and want to restore the glory of Tevinter. They revered him and believed he’d turn them into god-kings when he became a proper god. Although routed by the Inquisitor in DAI, as we know they’re not gone. and Corypheus wasn't the only High Priest of the Old Gods, or the only ancient magister that breached the Fade (and there was more of them besides just the Architect). it's also possible that rather than one of Corypheus' contemporaries the modern Venatori have simply switched to straight up Old God worship, sans Cory-style middleman, and this is a modern Ventatori speaking - and in Tevinter Nights, one prominent Venatori loyalist tried to release a demon that was sealed under Minrathous in a ritual attempt to bring about “Minrathous’ return”. It was thought that the demon is so powerful that only a god (like Corypheus) could summon it. you sure could restore Tevinter to supremacy if you brought back its ancient powerful gods. but more on the god stuff later.

Back to Rivain.

The cave rocks and stalactites give the sense of a toothed maw. the sea water is so bright and blue! in the distance in the sea looks to be a statue (of Andraste?). there's ships wrecked in the waters. the vegetation looks vibrant, and on the shore looks to be the skeleton of a great creature, maybe a dragon or a giant squid type creature that beached and died or died and was washed ashore. I also wonder why there are stalagmites among the ruins? as in why would people build buildings around stalagmites or rock protrusions like that. curious. also, it's cool to see this locale from previous teasers and previous concept art pieces come to life again. Also I feel like the blue dome structure is somehow notable. it feels familiar??

We should also talk about the Rivain blurb. The Antivan Crows in Antiva are not alone in facing something amiss in their nation. The Lords of Fortunes' dominion over Rivaini coasts is slipping because dragons are growing bolder and laying waste to their ships. indeed, the trailer shows a wrecked ship, as does the accompanying art piece, which also features a red dragon curled around a chest of piratey treasure. What could be causing the dragons to grow bolder and attack ships? Is something upsetting or stressing them in the way that wild animals irl may lash out to humans when stressed or predate human livestock/attack humans the more humans encroach on their territory and deplete their natural food sources? Is something or someone controlling them in order to cause havoc (we have examples of people controlling dragons in DA)? Or as dragons, can they just innately sense that something, such as a potential return of dragon-formed dragon-gods, is coming, and are getting stirred up by that feeling? Have they been Blighted or maddened by something? there's that "eastern sea" motif cropping up again btw, and the Rivain blurb also made me wonder if this DA:D codex was written in Rivain about one of the dragons there, especially since it's about a dragon that can swim and catch prey underwater:

this particular dragon has been hunting more than she needs, which could tie to destroying ships (or just be because she has babies). she's also not been attacking [REDACTED] unless they get close to her den, where her babies are. I think it's a fair assumption that the [REDACTED] thing in this codex could be what's behind the weirdly-behaving dragons on the Rivaini coast, and that it's redacted because it's spoilery. I also think it's interesting that this codex specifically mentions the dragon preying on.. squid, a cephalopod. what if she or other dragons in the area ate Cekorax-level mook squidguys that had been like schlorpin' around or near Rivain of late and were driven mad or corrupted by it or something? :<

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Next the trailer travels to the Anderfels, with a roar of battle during the transition. someone yelling a battlecry, and the clang of sword. the third speaker sounds like a hardened fighter, a seasoned commander. he is speaking when he's about to be attacked, or in a pause in battle - like he's in a fortress that is or soon will be under seige. there are cracks, faultlines in the ground in the Anderfels, just like there were in the Antiva map. and indeed, the Anderfels blurb specifically tells us that the land there has recently been shaking with tremors that have been causing disturbances, tremors of unknown cause. around the Anderfels in this map shot are smoky billowing clouds, representing the "storm of ominous intent" that is brewing and darkening the skies, encircling the Anderfels in a way that reminds me of the way the Blight encroached on Fereldan lands on the map of Ferelden in DA:O. the cracks go towards Weisshaupt. we can probably say that we are going to Weisshaupt in DA:D just like we're going to Treviso in DA:D, and we can probably say from this trailer that Weisshaupt is in imminent danger, or maybe even already under attack or laid to waste. it's cool to see this locale from previous teasers and previous concept art pieces come to life again. "far west" also makes me think about the Volca sea and the place beyond it hinted at in World of Thedas, where ships came captained by dwarves talking of a cataclysm.

The griffon obviously represents Weisshaupt fortress. I'm so excited to finally go there for real (but worried about what is happening there). "Grey Wardens don't hide in our castle. I won't ask good soldiers to turn tail and run." - The situation sounds dire. This line also reminded me of Davrin's line in a previous trailer where he heroically said "Nobody dies on my watch! For the Wardens." (I don't think the speaker is Davrin though, the Davrin line just further adds to the stakes of the bad situation the Wardens are probably in rn). Remember, things weren't sounding good for the Wardens in the various DA:I and Trespasser epilogues:

The Grey Wardens of the south slowly rebuild in the months following the events at Adamant. They declare it time for the Order to emerge from the shadows, to join the rest of humanity in fighting their ancient foes. Rumors abound that they severed ties with their leaders at Weisshaupt, and that a bitter war now rages between them. What becomes of Hawke/Loghain/Stroud/Alistair is unknown – save that all news out of Weisshaupt soon ends. Does the sudden silence indicate a battle within... or something far worse? - Those Grey Wardens who survived the battle at Adamant ventured north into exile. They returned to the mighty fortress of Weisshaupt, and word slowly spreads that a battle for control of the Order has erupted. - It is said that Loghain/Stroud/Alistair leads these Wardens in their rebellion, a fight to change the Order from within. - If Hawke reaches Weisshaupt with them is unknown. Indeed, before long, all news out of Weisshaupt ends. - Slowly, the Wardens withdraw from across the north as well. Some believe the ancient order is on the verge of vanishing forever.

There's basically a Warden civil war and Weisshaupt has gone dark, and the Wardens are on the brink. Romanced Warden Blackwall kept getting increasingly urgent messages summoning him to return to Weisshaupt, and eventually when they became too urgent to ignore, he left for the sake of duty, and then years passed and he never returned and is implied to have fallen in the line of duty. (btw, maybe a Warden splinter faction/Warden civil war is the explanation of why we are now seeing a variant version of the traditional Grey Warden heraldry?)

I wonder if this speaker is the First Warden or a high up Warden who is opposed to the First Warden (or a male Hawke who survived DA:I and went to Weisshaupt in the epilogue?? probably not, because by the Trespasser epilogue Hawke has returned and been helping Varric in Kirkwall). I am leaning towards a different leader Warden who is opposed to the First Warden, as opposed to the First Warden themselves. Reason being, the FW commands from Weisshaupt HQ (holed up in a castle) and does not sound to be very frontline battle-like or heroic, unlike the speaker. the FW is said to be mostly caught up in Anderfels politicking, as there the Wardens are regarded as basically nobility, and the FW offers little guidance to the Order or its commanders. they are said to be mostly a figurehead, and even the Hero of Ferelden themself, right after stopping the Fifth Blight could "expect little assistance or guidance so far from the Anderfels" cleaning up the darkspawn dregs in Ferelden in Awakening, because:

Even those close to Weisshaupt learn to suffer alone. The murmurs are true—the First Warden is often embroiled in the politics of the Anderfels and has little opportunity to consider worldly matters. I would like to believe it is a matter of survival, not of political self-interest. [source]

This line, "Grey Wardens don't hide in our castle. I won't ask good soldiers to turn tail and run", it doesn't sound like something such a figurehead would say. assuming it's still the same First Warden in command, it sounds like the FW's focus in the years before and since the Fifth Blight IS political self-interest rather than survival or for the Order's survival (distracted from the Grey Warden original purpose/duty at best, potentially something much darker and far worse, in that way that Wardens are wont to do - see what they got up to in DA:I etc). it sounds like the FW's actions have caused a segment of the Wardens to resent them and maybe rebel, try to take control back of the order. this is probably part of what's caused the schism/civil war/disarray. and I think the trailer speaker sounds like someone who is opposed to the FW and their 'type of Wardening'. I would not be surprised if this is a sort of rebel faction leader that we meet, and if in the years since DA:I, it's no longer Loghain/Stroud/Alistair that is leading the Warden rebellion to change the Order from within and is instead this speaker. (you could easily write that 'in the years since, X had to go and do something elsewhere and Speaker Warden took up the reins'. Heck if it's 9:52 some of them could have been due their Calling.. this would also remove the need to spend the resources to have 3 models and 3 sets of specific lines for the 3 characters in the same role. instead of a "Wrex or Wreave or Wreave2 oR EVEN HAWKE" situation, in the time since DA:I the quantum for that whole role could have been collapsed and it's just like "hello, I am previously-unknown Krogan Leader, Warden Wron Wreasely".)

Anyways, I think the next shot is also the Anderfels (the trailer shows 2x Antiva shots, 2x Rivain shots, 1 Tevinter/general northern Thedas shot and so it would make sense for these two to be 2x Anderfels shots), specifically I think it's Weisshaupt, and I think it shows Weisshaupt after some kind of attack or cataclysm, explaining what the epilogues were alluding to and why it has gone dark. See here.

"[this image is Weisshaupt] after some kind of attack? like the ruins of Weisshaupt after something terrible went wrong. There’s a blue flag in this image like there are in this one. in this image of Weisshaupt something terrible, bright and green and magic (Fadey?) is going on outside. this last image to me has the feel of the ‘aftermath’ of that one, especially if it was a kind of magic explosion/attack. in the new trailer, the Grey Warden character is still talking when it pans to this scene, and it pans to this scene right after the view of the Anderfels on the map, where we saw cracks in the ground spreading ominously towards Weisshaupt. the trailer also shows 2 shots of Antiva and 2 of Rivain. I think there’s 2 of the Anderfels too (map + this one) before the final view of 1 pic of the northern coast. last time we heard from the Wardens as well, it sounded like some weird and strange and dangerous stuff was going down there too." [source]

So it sounds like this is what's befallen the Wardens, beyond their general disarray from their civil war. this image is so interesting to me. there's a green tinge in the sky, reminding me of the Fade/Breach and as mentioned, of that concept art. the atmosphere is so dark and ominous, lightning cracking in the sky just as the ground on the maps cracked with fault lines. it heavily reminds me of the Bad Red Lyrium Future in DA:I in atmosphere and tone, and if you look here there could be the suggestion of red lyrium on this door (alarm klaxon!!).

also, is it just me, or can we see the pattern of carved griffon wings on this door/gateway or the stone around the door/gateway in this shot? also when the lightning flashes and illuminated things for a moment, I wondered if there were a few tiny figures on the clifftop in the distance, but maybe I am just seeing things.

The red lyrium is obviously alarming. it and the whole atmosphere of this shot immediately reminds me of the old EA Play 'spooky tree' teaser, with its dark skies, ominous setting, and red lyrium coiling around the tree and on parts of a building.

I am wondering if ^ this is the same place as this. (no it doesn't look like dry badlands Anderfels climate conditions, but if a magic cataclysm of some kind has taken place or things got somehow warped, local climate conditions could also be impacted unnaturally). Another reason beyond the red lyrium that I say this is: these shots also look to be from the same location, and what have we here?

A statue of Andraste in the 'red lyrium darkspawn' location, and a statue of Andraste on the Anderfels map in the new teaser. I know the Anders are devout and there's the Our Lady of the Anderfels statue of her there. and I know that there's also a possible statue of Andraste in the Rivain coast shot, and indeed of her all over Thedas. but I'm 👁️ because the presentation of these ones juxtaposed like this struck me, as did the similar conditions from the 'spooky tree teaser'/'red lyrium darkspawn' location compared to the 'Anderfels 2' shot. if red lyrium darkspawn would surface anywhere, I could see it most likely to be in the Blight-wracked Anderfels, and I could also see some of the Wardens fucking around with red lyrium in order to try and gain power to combat the Blight, or information about the Blight in order to stop it (red lyrium being Blighted), and so inadvertently causing red lyrium to spread all over Weisshaupt. we also have this concept:

of a barren wasteland, red-eyed (red lyrium..) creatures/undead, a red lyrium afflicted ruined part of a big building like from a fortress, a red lyrium-affected tree twisting towards the sky, and the ever present 'trapped Evanuris Dragon Age 4 concentric circles' 'concentric circles with hemispheres' motif in the sky. and again the ominous atmosphere, darkness, and green tinge in the sky reminds me of the 'Anderfels 2' shot in the new trailer.

Aside from that, what are these rings? is it part of a puzzle, or part of a platforming type mechanic? the thing they remind me of rly is the rings from the Jaws of Hakkon DLC. these were part of the ruined structures of a temple Razikale (an Old God, which.. of course the Wardens fight them in Blights when they become corrupted into Archdemons) in the Frostback Basin. in the quest On Ameridan's Trail, the Inquisitor pulls leavers to activate these things, which are trail markers, and they point to the next trail marker through a ring. the first of these markers is outside of Razikale's Reach, and activating them all gains the Inky access to the next quest.

maybe the rings in the teaser are part of a similar mechanism? I feel like it would be a sort of delicious and tragic irony if one of the two last remaining Old Gods (who btw are Lusacan and.. Razikale) were slumbering in the Deep Roads right deep beneath Weisshaupt. or perhaps Weisshaupt itself was built on the site or on the bones of a temple to the Old Gods? as to why that wondering is relevant, in this scenario maybe the ring things were part of a temple to the Old God that once stood on that site?

all of this is interesting considering we know that Wardens fight corrupted Old Gods as Archdemons, the Old Gods sleep trapped underground until burrowing darkspawn find and Taint them, two remain, "glory to the risen gods" and there are tremors in the ground in the Anderfels. and especially considering the DA:D concept art that people often call the 'Double Blight' concept art, which features a Warden and companions fighting darkspawn with 2 horrid weird Blighted-looking Archdemon-looking Old-god-looking dragons in the background. especially considering the 'gold dragon' and 'dark dragon' in the vinyl art. etc

so it seems that a sleeping Old God rising/escaping from underground could be a potential reason for the tremors in the Anderfels. BUT there are other very possible reasons too. these include: the Titans, who are "the pillars of the earth" and possessed of massive, tectonic-platelike power; the cataclysm from across the Volca Sea somehow spreading to the Anderfels; and the underground Ghilan'nain (ol' Ghil crops up again) monster labs from Tevinter Nights. in Horror of Hormak, some Wardens venture into the Deep Roads, find mutated darkspawn, yellow-green lyrium, a sea salt/briny smell, and deep elven ruins with the monster lab carvings on the wall. an enormous centipede monster comes out of the pool. the story ends by telling us that Ramesh has to warn the other Wardens, as the lab he found was only one of twelve. so it's also possible that the tremors are another one of these monster labs and another monster rising from a pool.

There are also some interesting inscriptions from Razikale's reach, written by those who worshipped her.

To She Who Winds the Skein of Wisdom, we dedicate this citadel. Dragon of Mystery, bestow upon your faithful servants your ineffable truth. Grant us eyes to pierce the darkness and souls to bear the wounds of your labyrinth.

For me this harks back to "Enter the world of Thedas, a vibrant land of rugged wilderness, treacherous labyrinths, and glittering cities."

Razikale, O Shadow Which Obscures the Path Ahead, deliver your faithful, save us from the silence which devours

This reminds me of "Glory to the risen gods who come to deliver this world."

Dragon of Mystery, return to us, we beg you.

"The risen gods": risen, returned

If the Imperium has fallen, we shall build it anew. This citadel shall be a new Minrathous, and we who serve the Twisted Path shall be its Magisterium. Praise be to Razikale—may our raised voices reach her and bring her back to us at last.

Bring her back, risen. Building Tevinter anew, "all the world shall soon share the peace and comfort of my reign". I'm not saying I think Speaker 4 is Razikale, just that these things remind me of one another. Lusacan perhaps however..

The other thing about the Andefels is that in the accompanying image from the blog post, there's a brewing storm on the horizon. I imagine that if an Old God or other monster roses from out of the ground in a dusty land it would cause a big old dust cloud or storm that darkens the skies. I wonder if this is what this art piece depicts? the eye is also drawn to the small red items in the bottom left hand corner - some kind of plant, or small red lyrium crystals? also as an aside I liked that one of the Wardens is an elf. Maybe that's Antoine, and the Warden sitting down is Evka? they could just look shorter because of sitting down and the angle though, and I guess the weapons of choice don't match for these two Wardens to be Antoine and Evka. also I thought the knightly Warden's spear/polearm was cool and think it would be super cool if those were options for warriors as weapons in DA:D.

Lastly the trailer pans to this shot, which shows part of northern Thedas - including Tevinter - coastline, and other parts of the Thedas map which have featured in the new trailer thus far (panned out).

It doesn't say "Tevinter" on the map in that shot, but we're looking at the Nocen Sea and the land around it, including Seheron. On the right are the white spires of Treviso city in Antiva again, Crows flying out from it. Beyond that is the hint of Rivain, with its 'squid'. We can see Minrathous clearly on the left, and a mass of tentacles or snake-like pattern twining through Tevinter (mentioned here) but which have not yet reached Minrathous. Cracks in the ground in Tevinter are also apparent, and so it's likely in Tevinter too. we can also see Arlathan Forest (breathes into paper bag) and the outline of the mountain called the White Spire.

In the Forest is the suggestion of aravels, which remind you of these 'flying aravels' (halla circled, elven scene pictured) / 'flying ships' from this concept art, which in turn resemble Dalish aravels. I feel like this in turn confirms that this concept art is of a place nearby or in Arlathan Forest:

which, given that the Veil Jumpers are an alliance of Dalish mages and hunters along (with some non-elves), it makes sense that there would be elfy/Dalish-looking aravels/ships there. Aravels were said to float by a magic method in a specific scenario in the Last Flight, but perhaps, given the space-time reality warping happening recently in Arlathan Forest (DA: The Missing, Ruins of Reality), and the Veil Jumpers' eponymous ability to navigate this, perhaps this explains why the aravels can float in this area, in a place where up is down and down is up etc. also the floating rocks stuff is classically Fadey, classically magic. In turn, the biome/vegetation etc in this art crops up a lot in the Veil Jumper images, see here (the yellowy/amber vegetation, the trees, floating stuff etc).

Now about Speaker 4, "all the world shall soon know the peace and comfort of my reign". As he speaks, the purpley foreboding clouds float over and encircle northern Thedas. Speaker 4 could be one of the 'risen gods' that Speaker 2 refers to earlier in the trailer (Speaker 4 obviously isn't Solas). This section reminds me a lot of the DA:I Enemy of Thedas trailer. I don't think it's Cory, but the vibe, voices and sentiments are similar. The Elder One comes etc. Cory was all like "Bow before your new god and be spared", "I am worthy of godhood" etcetc. I wonder if Speaker 4 is another ancient Magister like Cory, one of the others of that group? Some other fanatical Tevinter cult leader (as opposed to cultist like Speaker 2 may be), like a Venatori leader, or the Archon or the Black Divine? the voice of the squid monster? one of the Forgotten Ones? one of the Forbidden Ones - the Formless One? an entity we've not yet heard of? the voice of an Old God, two of whom have now risen/returned? ("Risen" would make sense if you had to literally.. rise out of the ground LOL). I sorta lean towards the Old God or Old God priest/ancient magister idea, because when Speaker 4 finishes speaking, his voice deepens and "reign" rolls into the SFX of like a big beast's growl or rumble, like a dragon growling. & and the Old Gods are dragons, and a divine pretender like Cory already had a dragon himself. If it is an Old God, we could probably guess at it being Lusacan, as the voice sounds like a dude and Lusacan is referred to with he pronouns. and Lusacan is one of the two remaining sleeping OGs along with Razikale (who in contrast is referred to with she pronouns). Call of the Dark also said this:

“Lusacan, the Dragon of Night, calls to you. He lives where it is darkest and waits for the day he will rise. Drink of his blood and know the power in darkness: either fear the Night or wield it."

I guess Lusacan's day could have come? "The darkspawn yearn to awaken and corrupt Lusacan to start a new age of darkness." we talked about the Last Moon cult already,

the Last Moon are/were a cult dedicated to Lusacan. Early in the Dragon Age, they abducted and ritualistically murdered several people. Their goal at that time was to cause the start of a terrible battle, in order to cover Thedas in “a night that will never end” (Lusacan being the Dragon of Night). 

it wouldn't be the first time Lusacan has cult followers of late. the eternal night idea is interesting to me too. the speaker doesn't say "MY REIGN WILL BE BLOODY, FIERY, AND AWFUL I WILL TORTURE YOU ALL FOR ETERNITY". it will still be bad and he is still gonna rule, but he frames it in terms of a creepy sense of peace, security and comfort. night-times can obviously be creepy (fear of the dark etc) but they're also a time of peace, quiet, when we sleep in our beds, comfortable, underneath blankets in the blackness, ensconced in darkness. a 'in the womb' type darkness I guess, shared eternal sleep, Sloth in DA:O type vibes. (thinking also again of Titus' cult where he was going to use Dreamer abilities to brainwash all of Thedas and become a dragon god/old god. Dreaming links to that imagery of peaceful comfortable sleep, and if you were brainwashed to think you were living a peaceful live in a comfortable place, well, you would.).

Another possibility is that Speaker 4 is an Evanuris, who are said to be 'Evil Gods' that would return if Solas brings down the Veil. - and I think this is what's most likely precisely because of the "Evil Gods" stuff in Trespasser and the BioWare 25 year book. Flemythal needs/needed Solas' plan to succeed and them to be released for her to take her vengeance and kill them, you can't kill someone locked away from your realm in magical prison. I also wonder if it's Elgar'nan because of:

and

(staff shape), as well as:

there is also the eclipse-style imagery in the in-game Dragon Age: Dreadwolf cinematic and a bunch of previous sun/moon motifs/references floating around e.g. Dalish lore holds Mythal created the moon and was born of the sea (so a moon connection there via the tides), and that Elgar'nan opposite her is the Eldest of the Sun, the guy who buried the Sun, the Pools of the Sun etc. also those art assets of overlapping spheres, repeating/concentric circles etc. [...] left [in the vinyl art], silvery dragon - Mythal? right dragon (which is gold-toned despite the blackening) - Elgar'nan, after he’s approached her [maybe as the figure on the rock promontory] and then murdered her and taken her place as the god, ruler, dragon who presides over all? moon and sun, moon dragon and sun dragon, beauty and destruction.. the shape of the 'right-hand’ dragon’s horns match the evanuris headpiece on the ring which is in the biggest hemisphere, and of the 7 gods those headpieces apply to (9 Evanuris, minus Mythal and Fen'Harel), the 'biggest’ naturally is the patriarch leader opposite Mythal, Elgar'nan. [quoting myself from here]

If it was Elgar'nan I would ascend, primarily bc I simply think he is the most metal of all the potential options ('wanna fight Elgar'nan' since 2014 squad!!). and also I am for some reason an Elgar'nan truther, like if you said, MJ, you're just suggesting literally all possibilities here in this post, who do you think it actually is and you can only choose one in your answer? (Elgar'nan, and I think this is him too). But I would like to say that the actual things the speaker says remind me somewhat of Falon'din, god of death and fortune and guide in the Beyond. There is A Certain type of vanity inherent in the idea that if you ruled all the world, everyone would be knowing the peace and comfort of your reign. sounds more vain and insidious than random basal cruelty or tyranny. and Solas says of Falon'Din in the Temple of Mythal:

"I do not believe they sing songs about Falon'Din's vanity. It is said Falon'Din's appetite for adulation was so great, he began wars to amass more worshippers. The blood of those who wouldn't bow low filled lakes as wide as oceans. Mythal rallied the gods, once the shadow of Falon'Din's hunger stretched across her own people. It was almost too late. Falon'Din only surrendered when his brethren bloodied him in his own temple." 

And like Tamlen identifies this statue as Falon'Din in DA:O (and also noting that this statue follows a design which was an old discarded design for the Old Gods' appearance before the title of the series made it so they had to change them into dragons). I could imagine the peace and comfort of my reign line coming from such an entity. So I feel like in a way Falon'Din matches the vibe of the line more than Elgar'nan, who seems to be more of the fiery anger, aggressively lashing out type.

But MJ, I hear you say, how can Speaker 4 be an Evanuris rather than an Old God when it peels off into a dragon growl? Well my friend, there is dragon stuff up in the Evanuris' grill as well, may I introduce you to the idea that: "The Evanuris Were [all] Dragons[haped sometimes]"

of course, if you subscribe to the 'Old Gods and Evanuris are the same, or linked somehow' theories, it could be both an OG and an Evanuris, or both, in a manner of speaking. and there is a link for example between Falon'Din and Lusacan suggested by Tenebrium. in which case the Razikale pairing could be Razikale-Ghilan'nain for instance, given the Ghil presence in the lore and the monster labs etc.

"Called "Shadow" in the common parlance, likely due to the ancient association of the constellation Tenebrium with Lusacan, the Old God of darkness and the night. It is odd, however, that the depiction for this constellation has always been an owl and not a dragon, even in the Tevinter texts. This lends credence to the widely-held belief that Tenebrium was a name meant to supplant an older, elven association—perhaps with the elven god Falon'Din, sometimes represented in tales as a giant owl. There is, of course, another explanation: owls are nocturnal hunters, and among earlier people, were considered terrifying omens of loss."

Speaker 4 also sounds like a or one of the big bads. ofc 'Solas is not the real big bad, something else is afoot' is a long-running theory, the idea that he's a red herring or perhaps 'The Dragon' to something else (perhaps Mythal or another non-supergood entity that he's trying to stop, say, Speaker 4), like how Loghain is an antagonist but he can even be recruited, and the real overarching enemy in that story is the Blight/Archdemon.

The trailer ends with an echoing, wolf-Fen'Harel howl. I thought it was neat how that followed right after the rumbling draconic growl, like a warning of the danger of that entity, or Solas following in its trail on its heels to oppose or try to stop it, yelling a war cry as they go to do battle or something. the dragon growl into wolf howl also reminded me of Fen'Harel's draconic wolf/lupine dragon appearance as described in TN.

Overall, I feel like the speakers in the trailer aren't companions but important NPCs we will meet (for example I think Davrin sounds like a more likely Warden companion than Warden Speaker 3 from this trailer).

In general, the trailer showcases, or rather teases, some of the locations we will go to in DA:D and confirms Antiva, Rivain, and the Anderfels along with the already-confirmed Tevinter. I wonder if we will go to Nevarra at all? the scope (at least four countries) seems like a lot but I would guess that these would be smaller zones within each of the countries, like the different zones for the main questlines in DA:O or something, rather than straight up an open-world or four massive open-world maps. With the water in Rivain coastline, I wonder if swimming makes its series debut? and with so many different countries involved, I wonder again about us travelling around via eluvians on a commandeered portion of the eluvian network, and it + the Rivain stuff also makes me think of the common fan theory that we will have a ship base. Minrathous and Treviso are also on the coast incidentally, we could like sail between them.

It also seems that the trailer lends credence to the idea that these three factions, Antivan Crows, Lords of Fortune, and the Grey Wardens are important factions in the game. Perhaps we will have a companion from each of these groups, or perhaps these are different backstories (I'm saying backstories because we don't know if it's selectable backgrounds like in DA:I or playable origins like in DA:O, and because I feel like playable origins isn't as likely) the PC can be from. this would make sense, as we need to "find people he doesn't know", while in Tevinter Nights groups which Solas seems to have more detailed knowledge of, and groups which are interested in moving against Solas, were mentioned (Carta, Mortalitasi, Tevinter Siccari, Qunari Ben-Hassrath, Inquisition remnants, Executors - note that the Lords of Fortune, Antivan Crows and Grey Wardens were not among these). Wardens can be any class and the order has humans, dwarves and elves in it. The LoFs contain humans, dwarves, and elves and there's no lore saying mages can't be LoFs (mages would make good treasure-hunters too). the Crows contain humans and elves, Calien d'Evaliste was a mage Crow. given where Crow recruits sometimes come from you could probably write a Surface Dwarf Crow. there are assasins in the Carta, so it's not like a dwarven assassin is a crazy idea or something.

Some of the text from the blog entry is also worth mentioning. at the top, character focus and a "few returning characters" (I wonder if this means characters beyond Solas and Varric..?) was exciting. other quotes of note compiled below:

we’re sharing a look at a few of the in-game locations you’ll explore on this new adventure (and perhaps a little more for those who listen closely). The stage is set. The Dread Wolf is ready to make his move.

More locations if we listen closely? is there hints hidden in the trailer audio? can anyone confirm?

This time, you’ll be venturing to places unseen and returning to places from long ago.

Does this mean we will visit ruins of / what remains of ancient places in Thedas in DA:D, that we will visit places back in time temporally in DA:D, see echoes in the Fade, or that in DA:D we will return to locations we visited in earlier games in the series?

We stand on the precipice of change.

hello Flemeth advice/prophecy reference (“We stand upon the precipice of change. The world fears the inevitable plummet into the abyss. Watch for that moment... and when it comes, do not hesitate to leap. It is only when you fall that you learn whether you can fly.”)

This time, however, much more of Thedas is yours to see. The desolate, beautiful badlands of the Anderfels with curtains of distant mountainous spires. The twisting canals and gleaming towers of Antiva, where Crows may lurk in any shadow. The turquoise seas of Rivain with its rushes of greenery and hardy sea-faring people. And of course, there’s more.

Anderfels badlands: the DA:D team's location scouting visit to Drumheller badlands in Alberta now makes sense. ^^ this description of the locales is also 👌

We felt this was best for the tale we wanted to tell this time and we hope you enjoy it as much as we have! It’s allowed us to create many more locations than past games, including both some you’ve longed to go to…and some you’ve never heard of before!

ヽ(°〇°)ﾉ places we've never even heard of before! The places Beyond Thedas like Amaranth and Par Ladi, type of places, or places we've never even heard the names of before ever?

An insult that he took as a badge of pride. An insult to inspire hope in his friends and fear in his enemies. That is what Fen’Harel, the Dread Wolf, truly is. Not a man who sees himself as evil, but someone who believes he’s fighting for a good cause and is willing to get his hands dirty.

dragon age dragon age dragon age

we’ll have much more to share with you as we approach Summer 2024.

this comment makes it sound like there will be a few bits of info in the lead up to Summer 2024.

Know this, though: The Dread Wolf has not been idle these past years. His reach is far, and soon his plans will come to fruition—a cataclysmic rejoining of magic and realms hundreds of years in the making. Will you be able to stop him? We hope so.

I wonder if these past years in-world are the timeskip that takes us to 9:52? the cataclysmic rejoining of magic and realms again make it sound like the Veil is definitely coming down.

anyways those are some thoughts for now. ^^

if you have any thoughts pls let me know. ^^ also I'm sorry that this post is so rambly and it like talks about multiple theories all mashed up at once, has some repetitive elements etc. but if you read this far I hope you enjoyed dragon ageing with me. (❁´◡`❁)

[scalproie]

Hey, sell me on this funny Nine Sols game you're posting all of a sudden? My curiosity is piqued.

DO YOU LIKE HOLLOW KNIGHT AND OTHER METROIDVANIA?

DO YOU LIKE THE PARRY-FOCUSED COMBAT SYSTEM OF SEKIRO?

DO YOU LIKE STORY, DIALOGUE AND LORE-HEAVY GAMES WITH AN ORIGINAL AESTHETIC?

ARE YOU FAMILIAR WITH THE STORY OF HOU YI, MYTHOLOGICAL CHINESE ARCHER THAT SHOT DOWN NINE OF THE TEN SUNS?

WELL NINE SOLS MIGHT BE THE GAME FOR YOU🫵

ok stopping with the theatrics, idk why I phrased it like that, but fr, Nine Sols is a game from Red Candle Games, a taiwanese indie game studio, that came out a month ago. It's only available on pc right now but I'm hoping for a console port at some point.

As for the general points:

You play as this little guy called Yi, who's on a quest for revenge against, well, the titular nine sols, the rulers of the land where this game's takes place: New Kunlun. But there's a twist.

The vibe of the game's style as been described as "taopunk": a lot of characters take inspiration from ancient eastern mythology, like the main character for starters, and it's mixed with some cyber-feel that makes it really slick and satisfying. It's also just a very pretty game to look at.

The game also has some disturbing science-fiction elements, if you like The Horrors™️ (The Horrors™️ are great).

As I said before, the combat really focuses on parrying but Yi has quite a few things up his arsenal to keep it interesting. He also has a little butterfly buddy. Im also told that there is a slightly bigger emphasis on platforming in general and Yi has the shmovement.

The bosses are really fun to fight and honestly? Pretty interesting as characters. The characters are all great overall. The story is nuanced overall and you can tell they really wanted to build a rich world with lore. And I wanna see people take it appart and analyse it bc there is A LOT to say about the everything.

The music owns too:

And I know it's like. Not a particularly important point but the sound design??? 👍👍👍👌👌👌 it's really good

I'm actually gonna finish the post by linking the trailer to just showcase the vibe of the game honestly, it might do a better job than me:

anyway play Nine Sols 👍

[twistedtummies2]

Top 10 Appearances of Disney's Evil Queen

Not so long ago, Disney released the teaser trailer for an upcoming live-action remake of its first great animated feature, “Snow White,” scheduled for release in Spring of 2025. When I saw the teaser, two thoughts immediately sprung to mind. The first was, “May God have mercy on their souls for this stupidity.” The second was…while the trailer largely did not impress me, I was genuinely intrigued by the first looks at Gal Gadot as the Evil Queen. Ever since her casting was announced, she was the one part I was genuinely interested in seeing, and for all the problems the trailer presented, I remain hopeful that she, at least, will turn in a worthy performance. This got me thinking of all the past times the Evil Queen has shown up in Disney properties since her debut in their premiere animated motion picture. I’ve done similar lists in the past for two other Disney Villains - Maleficent and Scar - and I decided it would be fun, in light of this news, to give the Queen a look-see, too. Now, a few key rules must be established: first of all, I’m only talking about DISNEY’S Evil Queen. Other versions of the fairy-tale icon aren’t counted here at all; I made a separate list of my favorite versions of the character in general a while back. Second, and slightly tied to that, I am NOT including the characters of Regina from “Once Upon a Time” and Queen Ravenna from “Snow White and the Huntsman.” This is because I feel, while each certainly has been influenced by the Queen from the original Disney movie, they really stand as their own versions of the character. I’m only talking about the original Disney Queen and her reappearances. Third and finally, I can obviously only count appearances I’m actually fairly familiar with; for example, there’s a somewhat famous Disney comic series called ‘The Return of Snow White” which I’ve heard is very, VERY good…but I sadly haven’t read it yet, so I don’t think it’s right to include it here. With that said…“dip the apple in the brew, let the sleeping death seep through!” These are My Top 10 Appearances of Disney’s Evil Queen!

10. Kingdom Hearts.

“Kingdom Hearts” is one of my favorite video game series of all time, and a big part of why is the appearances of the Disney Villains. From Maleficent to Hades, from Pete to Ursula, it’s great to see all of these famous baddies show up, and - when the chance arises - to battle them in delightfully crazed combat. HOWEVER, not every villain is a knockout antagonist. I think partially because, as time has gone on, the series has focused more and more on its own original lore and characters than on mingling the Disney worlds INTO that lore, the villains seem to be taking a step back with every other installment. Case in point: the Evil Queen. While by no means the worst of the Disney Villains in this universe, I’ve personally always felt slightly disappointed with the Queen’s appearances in KH. She’s kept perfectly in character, and her times onscreen do lead to some great moments, but she has very little to do with the overarching plot of games like “Birth By Sleep” and it feels like there was more that could have been done with the character than ultimately was. However, it was great to see her, and her presence did lead to possibly my favorite boss fight (at least for the Disney characters) in all of KH history. End of the day, I’d be remiss to leave this off the running entirely. I really just wish we'd gotten more of her.

9. Villains Tonight!

This now-retired spooky spoof was a tongue-in-cheek musical farce originally performed on Disney Cruise Lines. The main character of the show is Hades, who - at the start of the play - is trying to reform…not because he actually desires redemption or feels genuinely repentant, but simply because he is so sick and tired of being foiled time and time again by Hercules, he’s had enough. However, things change when the Fates inform Hades that he needs an upgrade in evil-ness, otherwise he’ll lose control of the Underworld (and, really, that’s all Hades has left). So, the God of the Dead decides to summon some of his fellow villains to his lair, hoping their collective wickedness can help him out. While most of the villains in the show are essentially cameo appearances - showing up for a single "spotlight moment" musical number, and then departing till the end of the show, a-la “CATS” - the Evil Queen actually plays a fairly sizeable role in the story. Hades sends out Pain and Panic with physical invitations for both the Queen and Maleficent. It’s revealed that the two arch-villainesses are not only rivals, but also old flames (har har) of the Lord of the Underworld. Their competitive spirit nearly gets the better of them, but later in the show, they put their differences aside to spoil the day (they’re certainly not SAVING it), and help Hades get back into the evil groove. This is by far the silliest of all the Queen’s appearances on this list, but it’s a lot of fun; the back and forth between herself and Maleficent is so delightfully catty, and it’s cool seeing these two end up being the…ah…“heroes” that help Hades in the end.

8. Disney’s Villains’ Revenge.

I only recently rediscovered this PC game from my youth. While not everything in it still holds up in my adult years, I’d generally say it’s still a pretty interesting title! Made as a sort of promotional method to advertise some of Disney’s older films (which were being either released or re-released to video en masse at the time), this game features four of Disney’s resident rogues: Captain Hook, the Queen of Hearts, the Ringmaster from Dumbo (...okay, that’s the odd one out…), and - of course - the Evil Queen. The plot begins when Jiminy Cricket (in an uncharacteristic show of abject stupidity) decides to meddle with a magical storybook, tearing out the last page from four of the tales contained within (you can guess which ones). Because of this, the villains are able to rewrite their stories the way they want to, twisting things around and coming up with the “unhappy endings” they want most. With help from the Blue Fairy, Jiminy and the Player thus travel into each story to set things right again. In the Snow White section of the game, the Evil Queen has written the Prince out of existence. She tricks Snow White into eating a poisoned apple, and then - just for good measure - she begins to force each of the Seven Dwarfs to take an apple as well, putting them to sleep one by one. Jiminy and the Player need to work fast to find a way to bring the Prince back from the proverbial void before all of the Dwarfs are knocked out. Later, at the climax of the game, the Queen joins in the final battle with the other villains. Instead of being killed, her punishment for her evil deeds is to be forced to remain in her hideous old crone form for the rest of her life. Serves her right, I’d say!

7. Fantasmic!

This nighttime spectacular - an extravaganza of stunts, dance routines, and special effects, all tied together by a loose plot - is generally considered one of the greatest shows ever put on at the Disney Parks. While the exact size of the Queen’s role in the story has changed a couple times through different evolutions and interpretations, she has always been an integral figure in the proceedings. The story - what little there is - begins with Mickey Mouse taking the audience on a tour through his own dreamworld, “where beauty and love will always survive.” The Queen’s arrival is a major turning point: she’s having none of this happiness and harmony rubbish, thank you very much! So, with the help of the Magic Mirror, the Queen summons some of the other Disney Villains to help her “turn that little mouse’s dream into a Nightmare Fantasmic!” (Hence the title.) Although Maleficent is ultimately the final obstacle Mickey must overcome to save his dreamland, it’s the Evil Queen who spearheads the conflict and is the true leader of the villains in the show. Through every change and iteration of Fantasmic, this has remained fairly constant; whatever alterations the nightly spectacle goes through, it’s a fair bet she won’t be leaving Mickey’s dreams alone anytime soon.

6. Kingdom Keepers.

It took me a bit of time to warm up to the Evil Queen in this book series, but once I did, I found she was more than worthy of praise. The “Kingdom Keepers” series is a sort of “Night at the Museum”-esque series of novels, with the premise being that, every night, all of the rides and attractions at the Disney Parks come to life…and so do a great many Disney characters. Not all of these characters are good guys, of course, and a number of them - mostly Villains, naturally - have banded together to form an organization called “The Overtakers.” You can guess what their evil scheme is based on that name alone. While the main leaders of the Overtakers are Chernabog and Maleficent, the Queen plays a notable role in the latter half of the initial series of novels: first, she takes charge as the main antagonist of the fourth book, “Power Play,” leading the Overtakers in a scheme to release the imprisoned Dark Fairy and Black God. The Queen remains a prominent character for the next couple books, and once again takes command in the final novel of the series, “The Insider,” after the main protagonist of the series - Finn Whitman - succeeds in slaying Maleficent. While I personally feel that, in “Power Play,” the character felt like a sort of “Diet Maleficent” - the two characters just have a lot in common in general - the Queen really came into her own as the series progressed, and we saw her interact with other characters more and more. Part of the fun throughout the books was her interactions with her main henchperson: Cruella DeVil. The Queen and Cruella made for a truly odd couple of baddies, since, while Maleficent and the Queen have a lot in common, Cruella and Her Majesty are almost polar opposites. I haven’t read the sequel series to the original seven books, but I can only hope the self-proclaimed Fairest in the Land is just as good (bad?) there.

5. Snow White’s Scary Adventures.

As far as the Parks go, I would argue this ride…USED to be the Queen’s magnum opus. Originally simply called “Snow White’s Adventures” in past iterations, the ride was later more appropriately titled in light of the fact it REALLY leaned on the darker, more macabre elements of the story, with the Queen - seen primarily in her Witch form - basically being the star of the show. Throughout the ride she menaces the riders, tempting them with her Poisoned Apple and cackling with glee, popping up at unexpected intervals as the guests navigate their way through her dungeons and the spooky woods beyond. It was widely regarded as one of the best of Disney’s film-themed dark rides, and when I visited Disneyland (a whole twelve years ago, jeeze I feel old…), it was probably my second favorite after “Peter Pan’s Flight.” UNFORTUNATELY, this ride basically doesn’t exist anymore, at least not at the American Parks: at Walt Disney World, it was replaced with the Seven Dwarfs Mine Train roller coaster, and the Witch has almost nothing to do for that one. (Though her one brief appearance near the end IS done with a VERY impressive animatronic.) As for Disneyland, the ride was recently refurbished as “Snow White’s Enchanted Wish,” which effectively neutered the original ride and, in my opinion, lacks the emotional impact the original, much darker attraction had. It’s truly sad how some of the best things must always remain in the past.

4. Mirror, Mirror.

This was the sixth of the “Twisted Tales” series of books released by Disney, and it is the first one I ever got to read. The series, created by author Liz Braswell, works off a very simple formula: take a random “What If?” question about a Disney movie, and then create either an alternate universe or a sequel or even a prequel out of that concept. While Braswell spearheaded the series and wrote the vast majority of the books, she was not the only author involved; a few other creators also joined in to handle various subjects and stories. Enter Jen Calonita, whose first entry into the books was this one. As the byline on the book’s cover indicates, the concept is based on the idea that, instead of using the Poisoned Apple to kill Snow White right off the bat, the Queen instead tricks the Prince. However, there’s a bit more to the story than that: while the Queen is still utterly despicable, the book gives her a sympathetic leaning, with a backstory that explains more of her wicked actions, while still keeping it clear that her deeds are reprehensible. The twist to the plot also allows Snow White herself to take a more proactive role in the story, as she goes from a humble and sweethearted young lady like in the film to the one who has to face the Queen to save the kingdom. It’s an interesting turnaround that takes the classic fairy-tale and turns into a more complex and action-oriented story, and while I don’t think it’s the best book of the Twisted Tales series, it’s nevertheless a personal favorite.

3. Snow White Live!

Nowadays, we take Disney’s stage musicals somewhat for granted. From Beauty and the Beast, to The Lion King, to Mary Poppins, and more, it’s almost more surprising when an especially popular Disney movie DOESN’T have some kind of staged version out there, be it Broadway or some other avenue. (I mean, by God, they have a stage version of “The Aristocats,” for crying out loud!) However, this was not always the case: the very first attempt at doing a full-length stage musical treatment of a Disney film came in the late 70s/early 80s, as part of a plan to save the prestigious Radio City Music Hall. And what better movie was there to choose than “Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs”: the first animated feature film Disney made would also be their first foray onto the New York stage scene. This production has gone by several titles, some longer than others, but I’ve always known it by the colloquial name “Snow White Live!” in reference to NBC’s fairly recent live TV musicals. This production was, in fact, recorded and aired on TV and in video release at its height of popularity…but since it has never been re-staged, to my knowledge, and has never received a DVD or Blu-ray release, it’s largely fallen into obscurity. This is a shame, because it’s really a very good production! Part of its appeal, of course, comes from the villain: the Evil Queen is played by two different actors in the show. In her radiant, Queenly form, she is played by Anne Francine; most well-known onstage for her work in the musicals “Mame” and “Anything Goes,” and recognizable to film audiences for her appearance in the movie “Crocodile Dundee.” As the Witch, the character was played by a male actor, Charles Hall, who also voiced the Magic Mirror. Hall would go on to be a constant presence at Radio City, playing the role of Santa Claus for many years in a row during their famous Christmas Spectacular. Both do a great job putting their own spin on the character’s dual identities, and I love them almost as much as the original Queen from the movie! If you haven’t seen this show before, you can easily find it on YouTube; definitely go and check it out.

2. Vil Schoenheit, from Twisted Wonderland.

Well, if you know me, you should have known this guy was coming. In case you haven’t been paying attention to or just didn’t know about my frankly unhealthy addiction to this mobile game, let me give you the basic summation: “Twisted Wonderland” is a gacha-style game, wherein the player gets transported to a parallel universe, and begins life staying at a School of Dark Magic. This school has apparently been inspired by “The Great Seven” - seven of the most infamous Disney Villains - and throughout the game’s story you encounter different figures based on the Great Seven, as well as other Disney characters (mostly villains). The Evil Queen is one of the Great Seven, and while she, herself, has virtually no bearing on the game at all, the analogous character to her is this lad: Vil Schoenheit. Vil is the resident celebrity of Night Raven College, the school in question: he is a professional actor, dancer, singer, and model, who also dabbles in directing, costume design, photography, and even commercial fashion. He is vain, domineering, and carries himself with an icy, sometimes deadpan authority, and is highly persnickety about personal appearances. His Unique Magic allows him to place a poisonous curse on anything he touches, and he is, in fact, a very skilled potion maker and poisons expert: it was this knowledge that allowed him to become the leader of Pomefiore, the house inspired by the Queen. Admittedly, when the game was first released, Vil was actually one of the characters I was LEAST interested in…but as time has gone on, and we’ve seen more of him and learned more about him, he’s become more and more of a favorite of mine. He wouldn’t likely be in too many other people’s top three, but he’s certainly in mine.

1. Fairest of All.

As much as I love Vil, you really can’t beat the original Evil Queen. And as far as other works beyond the film go, I don’t think anything has ever beaten this story. This was the first - and, in my opinion, the best - of Serena Valentino’s book series collectively entitled “Villains.” The series explores the origins of different famous Disney antagonists, and shows their own side of the story for their respective films. As the series went on, it began to build its own lore and a broader universe, which I’ve always had mixed feelings about. “Fairest of All,” however, as the first book, doesn’t have any of the issues this budding lore presents in other novels of the series: it stays with its subject, not really deviating from it, presenting simply the story of how the Evil Queen became so evil. Even more than the later “Mirror, Mirror,” this book makes you sympathize with the Queen, and explains her origins and motives in a way that is both tragic and disturbing. At the start of the story, she actually tries hard to be a good mother to dear Snow White, and a worthy bride to her husband, the King. However, as time goes on, personal insecurities and the pressure of her power begin to twist her heart and mind, ultimately transforming her into the villainess we all recognize. There have been many sympathetic takes on the Evil Queen, both by Disney and by others, but this may very well be my favorite take: it inspired me a lot when I was working on my own twist to the plot…but that’s another story (literally). Bottom line, for somehow being both beautifully simple and wonderfully complex, “Fairest of All” is, in my opinion, the best appearance of Disney’s Evil Queen.

HONORABLE MENTIONS INCLUDE…

House of Mouse.

The Queen had multiple small appearances throughout this show, but nothing super substantial. Still, it was fun to see her pop up and all the shenanigans she’d get up to. I think my favorite was the time she sold Pete a poisoned apple like a used car saleswoman. XD

Once Upon a Halloween.

A Halloween special in tribute to the Disney Villains, where the Evil Queen consults not the Magic Mirror, but rather the Black Cauldron, in a plan to - what else? - take over the world. At the end of the special, the power of the Cauldron overwhelms the Queen…though thankfully, her end is much less horrifying than the Horned King’s.

Snow White: An Enchanting Musical.

This was a stage show at Disneyland that was a reimagining of the original Disney film, with some minor changes to the plot and new dialogue. It featured a pre-recorded Patrick Stewart as the Magic Mirror. Fun show, but I find the other appearances more noteworthy of interest.

Disney’s Golden Anniversary of Snow White & the Seven Dwarfs.

An EXTREMELY weird (and very, VERY cheesy) 1987 TV special made in tribute to the film’s 50th anniversary. Jane Curtin played the Queen, seeking revenge on the Seven Dwarfs, with the help of…uh…Sherman Hemsley. (pauses) Weird choice for the face of the Magic Mirror, that one…

[three--rings]

So it's time for my "alt-right dudebro gamer" Dragon Age opinions.

(Note: I'm a 45 year old womanesque queer person who mostly plays indie and Japanese games.)

(To further my cred I was super excited to meet and hear Karen and Patrick Weekes talk about this game in development at Havencon a couple years ago...it's a small queer con in Austin.)

Dragon Age is my all-time favorite game series. I adored Inquisition, though DA2 has my favorite characters overall.

My opinions about the gameplay reveal are:

The environments and background graphics and effects look awesome.

The character design still bugs me quite a bit. The faces, ESPECIALLY the female faces look Disney/anime/Overwatchy in structure. The textures looks a lot better in game than in that trailer. I miss my Not Particularly Pretty Female Characters. They have sameface now.

There's something off in the lip syncing. Mouth animations looks weird. I can't define it more than that but I noticed it with multiple characters and it through me out.

Varric's hair annoys me SO MUCH. Someone pointed out he looks like Blackwall and now I CANNOT UNSEE.

The structure of the game/quests/whatever looks fine, this reminds me of all the moments running around Haven at the beginning of Inquisition. Some of my least favorite moments, but yanno.

The combat. I'm very worried about the combat.

I am 45 years old and I have arthritis in my hands from gaming and knitting. I gave up knitting to keep gaming. I cannot play some action games. Like Hades, I tried but simply couldn't continue more than an hour because of the pain. And that's with my hands in good shape these days.

Some action games I can play, but only on easy, and sometimes only if I limit my playtime. This is simply a reality I've had to get used to, but it does kill me sometimes.

Do you know how enjoyable it was to pick up Baldur's Gate 3 and be able to put it on a higher difficulty, to be able to actually struggle through combats and have to use tricks and my brain and try and fail and do it again, all without worrying about my hands? Makes me think I need to replay Origins again.

So I'm concerned. The combat in this game is focused on attack type, dodging, parrying, countering (according to bioware)....all stuff that requires quick and frequent button mashing, which is what I can't do. So I'm looking at a game that I can probably only play on easy and maybe even not then? In my favorite game series.

The question we don't really know is how different it will be from Inquisition, and I find it hard to tell from the footage since we can't see what buttons are being pressed. But I'll say that while I love it, Inquisition was the game that first hurt my hands. It made me aware of the problem and made me have to start limiting my activity.

IDK . I just hate the idea that devs have that turn based games can't do well and are inherently not exciting.

Fucking Solas motherfucking killed Bianca! That was the first time in these reveals I've been 100% reacting as a fan. NOT BIANCA!!!! HE MUST DIE!

Oh I did like the Rook in the gameplay and his face looked good. Again I feel like it's the character design and not the engine that is the problem.

As for the plot, it's interesting that Solas has gone from Main Antagonist to Opening Antagonist and I wonder if he's actually going to transition to an ally later in the game to undo whatever the fuck has gone wrong in this clip.

I do still have some worries about the writing. "She's greatest detective ever and she has a lead on Solas." So do you think that lead is the giant glowing thing in the middle of the city spitting out demons? Did you need a great detective?

And basically nothing I've seen so far has super MOVED me, as someone with serious connections to this world and the characters, other than the fucking Bianca moment. I'm hesitantly curious about some of the new companions. And if the griffon thing had come at a moment other than me going WHAT THE FUCK IS WRONG WITH THIS? in the trailer I may have been a lot more excited.

So yeah, call me a hater or whatever. But that trailer reveal CRUSHED me emotionally. I was so depressed the rest of the day Sunday. These are my true reactions to the gameplay footage today. I don't have an agenda, other than I want the game to be good and I want it to do well and my confidence in EA and Bioware is at a very low point.

I've tried to keep a realistic mindset this whole time, but keeping in mind HOW MANY PEOPLE have left Bioware, how few OGs are left, the constant turnover in leads, the game being scrapped and redone like twice from scratch. And the game industry as a whole at this time, I have to be somewhat skeptical in general.

I'm not a skeptic overall, I was both a Cyperpunk 2077 enjoyer (but not apologist) and a Starfield defender and frankly there was a lot less reason to be skeptical of those games before release. So am I going to say "well I've been a Bioware fan since KOTOR 1 released, so I'm gonna hype it up and not point out flaws I see?" No. I'm going to be honest.

I'm not a casual Dragon Age enjoyer. I can't react casually to this stuff.

Will I play the game? Almost definitely, but am I going to wait till the release reviews? Probably.

[gelenka-daria]

The reincarnation prompt look so cool omg imagine a reincarnated melkor & manwë

i have a draft which i thought was half done but then i keep adding new things to the plot and it keeps getting longer, here's a snippet in case i never finish this thing🧍‍♀️

Friday morning is terrible.  Manwë oversleeps his first alarm, then panics when he hears the blaring horn of his backup alarm, literally falling out of bed in his half-frenzied state. He doesn’t shower, doesn’t have time to make himself a cup of coffee, can’t find matching socks, and spends seven goddamn minutes searching for his car keys. His luck doesn’t change. Once he gets behind the wheel, his car won't start. Manwë screams into the sleeves of his hood. Thankfully, the subway is a mere five-minute walk from where he lives, one or two if he storms it. He pulls his hood up - no one is catching him looking this haggard, he has a reputation to uphold - as he races through the morning crowd under drizzling rain, his only hope now is that he hasn't missed his transport. Which, as his stupendous luck would have it, he has.  Of course. Manwë’s body composition is roughly forty percent pure, blinding rage by the time he's bracing his hands against his knees as he catches his breath, trying not to bemoan his misfortunes, few that they are, as he watches the train glide away, the doors closing just a second before he could squeeze his body through. It's alright, he reconciles with himself, so you're a little bit late to your lecture, so what? When’s the next train, five minutes? No big deal. He’s been waiting even less than that when he hears the distinct clamor of the oncoming train as light appears down the distant rails, and the metal wagons are slowing down in wisps of steam right in front of Manwë in no time. The doors part, people rush in and he finds himself a decent seat before the train moves again. He’s already settled when something flashes in the corner of his right eye and he whips his head to look without thought. The guy stands out a mile in the crowd, his steps languid, barely escaping the door clamping shut on long, dark hair. Manwë’s eyes catch combat boots, dark pants, and a dark red jacket over a black tank top and he can’t help but think the guy looks refreshing, a splash of color in their otherwise dull surroundings. He sweeps a look across the people scattered across the trailer, his gaze laser-sharp and focused and for some reason, Manwë is relieved his choice of dress is shielding him from that stare. Whatever the gu's looking for, he doesn't seem to find it, because his demeanor quickly grows lax and he turns bored eyes to his phone as he takes a seat one elderly couple away from him, and if Manwë tips his head up the slightest, he can get a real good look at him. But when his eyes zero in on the deep golden eyes and the sharp cut of bone under coppery skin the stranger's profile has to offer, an echo of 'don't I know you' chimes in his brain out of nowhere and he has to physically stop himself from getting closer to get a better, clearer look, confused as to why he suddenly, desperately, wants to. He doesn’t quite know how to put his finger on it, but this guy has something about him that makes his gut twist, like he's a face he’s seen in a dream and is now manifesting right before him. It makes his skin crawl but also itch for more. Manwë scoots away in his own seat, looking away and willing his eyes to follow suit, to not stray, but they flit sideways anyway a minute later, catching a hint of the impassive profile. He suddenly wants to speak, talk to this stranger, say something, anything. Why? What does it matter? You don’t know this guy. Manwë quells his interest with a frown, pretending as if the small kernel of disappointment in his gut isn’t attempting to flower.  He gets off at the next stop in a hurry, exiting through the door furthest from the stranger. He suffers the couple of classes he has and sits through dinner with his friends, goes home, showers, studies into the early morning hours for his Human Physiology final until he falls asleep, drooling over scattering textbooks. He forgets the brief, trivial encounter of this morning had ever happened. 

[carramblings]

so another sh2 remake trailer got dropped and unsurprisingly people are upset about it focusing on combat. like, i saw a tweet that was along the lines of “did people forget there was combat in silent hill 2” and like….yeah….that’s kinda how some people on here and twitter are acting. i don’t think having one (1) trailer be solely focused on combat means they’re turning it into resident evil, like sh2 had literal BOSS FIGHTS in it, combat has always been a part of the game. we also knew it was not going to have fixed camera angles anymore, how else are they supposed to tackle combat other than an over the shoulder view? and how is james holding his pistol a certain way an actual valid complaint, that honestly just seems like being negative for the sake of being negative to me. like, he literally holds his pistol the way he did in the original.

i have my own gripes about what we were shown and mostly agree with people (the combat looks jank and needs polish, there needs to be more polish overall with textures, the button mashing prompts are really abysmal and should be removed) and i think we should be skeptical given the dev’s track record. i think ppl have a right to their opinion and how they feel about the trailers, especially since sh has not been in a good state for a while. but it’s becoming unbearable trying to keep up with any news because of the amount of needless nitpicking over every single thing. i feel like no matter what state this game comes out in everyone is going to hate it no matter what lol, like what’s even the point? just cancel the game tbh

[leasstories]

Our Love Story

Part 2: Late nights

Part 1 - Part 3

Eddie Munson x bookworm!reader (gn)

No trigger warning.

WC: ≈1.4K

Based on our song by Taylor Swift

Eddie and you have been going on dates for a month now. At your third date, two weeks ago, Eddie officially asked you to be his partner. You literally squealed when Eddie asked you to be official. Eddie and you have been living an idyll ever since your first date. You even stopped going to the library during lunch to sit with Eddie at the Hellfire table. Before dating Eddie, you were almost invisible to everyone, but ever since the two of you started dating, the basketball team finally noticed you, but not in a good way. They just started making fun of you and your relationship with Eddie. For now, you don’t care, you just don’t listen to what they have to say, and Eddie constantly praise you to make up for their words. You don’t care about what they think, the only thing that matters is what your boyfriend thinks. If you could, Eddie and you would spend every waking moment together, unfortunately, you haven’t told your parents yet about your new and first boyfriend.

Eddie is alone, in his bed. He was trying to strum his acoustic guitar (or Dragon Slaying Machine as he calls it). But none of the sounds coming out sounded right to Eddie’s ear. Eddie is missing you, you usually inspire him, but not tonight. You didn’t see each other that much today because you had a lot of high school work to do, assignments to hand over. That’s why, today you didn’t eat at Eddie’s table, and he missed you more than he would ever admit to his fellow friends. After strumming his guitar, Eddie tried focusing on his next campaign, but he can’t focus either. He throws his notebook to the ground and take in his hand a polaroid he took of you at Lover’s Lake the day he officially asked you to be his partner. He looks at it, wanting to be with you at the moment. He tries to picture you, right now, in your room, reading the latest book you borrowed from the library. Eddie can’t wait to see you next so you can tell him all about the book you’re currently reading. Eddie is trying everything he can think of to busy himself. He even started putting a horror movie but can’t focus on the plot. All he can think about is you. That’s how, at 11pm, Eddie puts his jackets and combat boots on, he takes his van’s key on the counter and gets out of his trailer, slamming the door. Every second seems an eternity without you by his side. Eddie climbs in his van and drives like a maniac to your house. Eddie parks his van in a parking a few houses down your street. He turns his music off and stumble out of his van with how excited he is to see you.

Meanwhile, you’re in your bedroom. You’re really missing Eddie, the only problem is that in the month you started dating none of you gave each other’s phone number, so you can’t call Eddie and you’re way past your curfew so you can’t come over to his trailer. You try to read the book you just borrowed from the library, but you can’t focus, the words don’t make sense to you, all you’re thinking about is Eddie. That’s why you decide to go to your desk, and you start drawing Eddie. You’re not the best artist ever but you try.

While you’re focus on your drawing, you hear something hit your window, the first time it happens you think nothing of it but when it starts happening again and again, you sigh, get up from your desk and go to your window. You open it and look downstairs to find Eddie, throwing rocks at your bedroom.

“What are you doing here?” You whisper-yell.

“Can I come in?” Eddie asks.

“Eddie, if my parents find you here, they are going to kill the both of us!” You whisper-yell again.

“Promise I’ll be discreet.” Eddie pouts.

You concede and fully open your window. Eddie clumsily climbs to your window, using the nearest tree. He then stumbles into your bedroom and immediately hugs you. You hug Eddie back, tight.

“I missed you today” Eddie says in your hair.

“Missed you too Eds… I’m sorry I was so busy.” You answer.

“You have nothing to be sorry for Sweets.” Eddie tells you gently.

After hugging for a few minutes, you both reluctantly part and Eddie takes his boots and jackets off.

“I’m sorry for my pajamas…” you say a bit embarrassed.

“Can I tell you what I think of you in these pajamas?” Eddie asks. You curiously nod.

“I think you’re super cute.” He says before kissing your cheek. You blush at Eddie’s words. While Eddie curiously explores your bedroom, you quickly hide the drawing you just started. It is the first time ever Eddie is in your room, it is the first time ever a boy is in your room, so you let him explore and meanwhile you go sit on your bed.

After a while Eddie joins you on the bed and asks. “Wanna lay down for a bit?”

You nod, and lay down, Eddie holding you from behind. You don’t talk that night now; you just enjoy each other’s company. You end up falling asleep in Eddie’s arms, but when you wake up the next morning, Eddie isn’t with you anymore. At first, you wonder if you dreamt it, but when you see the open window and a small note on your bedside table you know Eddie was really there.

Scribbled on the little note Eddie gave you his phone number, followed by: So you can reach out to me whenever you want. I love you Sweets. -Your Eddie. Eddie even drew a little heart next to the word ‘Sweets’. You put the note on your desk and get ready for the day ahead.

A few days later, it is also late at night, and you start realty missing Eddie. This time you did see each other pretty much all day, but it wasn’t enough for you. At first you consider calling him but you’re afraid of seeming too clingy. But when missing Eddie became too unbearable for you, you gave up on fighting the urge to call him, braced yourself, took the small phone in your room and dialed his number.

It rings three times before Eddie answers. “Munson Residence, how may I help you.”

You decide to be a bit creative and try being as theatric as Eddie. “I’m looking for a Dungeon Master named Edward Munson.” Eddie hates when you call him Edward.

“I don’t know an Edward Munson I’m sorry, I know an Eddie though?” Eddie says in his theatrical voice.

“Maybe I got his name wrong. Can I talk to Sir Eddie Munson.” You say, still playing along.

“That’s me.” Eddie says, you can hear his grin through the phone. “What can I do for you Sweets.” Eddie says.

“I’m sorry if I seem too clingy and if I do, you’re allowed to tell me, but I missed you.” You earnestly tell him.

“First of all, I love clingy. Second of all, I honestly missed you too.” Eddie says, smiling.

“Can we talk until I go to bed?” you shyly ask.

“Of course, Sweets, you don’t even need to ask.” Eddie says gently.

Eddie starts telling you all about the next D&D campaign he is planning and how none of his little sheep are ready for what’s coming. He is being patient with you when you don’t understand some D&D terminology and he explains it all, even if he already explains some of those things to you. You then tell him all about the last book you finished. After some time, you start yawning.

“I love you Eds” you tell him.

“I love you too Sweets.” He answers. “You wanna go to bed?” he asks.

“I’m already in bed. Can you read me The Hobbit for a while please?” you ask.

“Of course,” Eddie says before starting reading The Hobbit to you. Eddie is making a different voice for each character and is really invested in the story. After several minutes, he can hear your little snores. He finds it so adorable. He closes his book and speaks. “Goodnight, Sweets, I love you.” Before hanging the phone up. And that’s how all of your late-night talk over the phone with Eddie started.

[landgraabbed]

hi Cat, can you share your thoughts/criticisms of DATV? i think the game is gonna flop.

hey nonners, idk. this is a complicated question. i mean, game's not even out yet so it's unfair to pass judgment on it. i can only judge bioware's approach to pre-release marketing. and i got a lot of thoughts on that.

honestly i think it will be a perfectly serviceable game and technically it will run well (i mean, it has been steam deck verified which tells me that performance was a big concern for devs). i don't think quality has much bearing on the love people can have for a game. and vice-versa. the people who are hyped to oblivion and want to preorder will like it. the people who hate it bc it has poc and queer and disabled characters will still hate it. people who analyze the game's mechanics and writing will dissect the game and be predisposed to finding things they dislike. over time opinions will mellow out and we'll see how the veilguard will be remembered.

i can't trust bioware to make an rpg that i will want to play after their last failures. different people will differ on where the string of failures started. from a quality standpoint my line is dragon age 2. me3 to me failed to deliver on the promise of the first 2 me games save for shining exceptions like the citadel dlc and javik. from a numbers standpoint the last successful game was inquisition which won goty in 2014 due to a serious lack of competition mostly, especially since witcher 3 was pushed back to 2015 (which pains me personally as that put it directly in bloodborne's path to goty in that year). thing is bioware seems to be doing all they can to avoid a flop. veilguard is bioware's hail mary after a string of failures. they are ditching the ea app to capture as many people as possible. the combat has fully careened into action, and although they keep telling us these will be the best companions ever, really, guys, the gameplay is more and more focused on the protagonist alone. the crpg roots of the series are getting cut down to attract a broader audience. perhaps at the cost of ostracizing some like me who enjoy the party-based, party-building mechanics like me.

how well this will go i don't know. on one hand i think bioware has been historically bad at showing the full scope to new and returning players. empress celene has been haunting the edges of the world since origins. the full grasp of her character is locked behind books. afaik some companions have been introduced already in supplemental materials. this sort of move didn't go well for ff15. on the other i think this game missed its window. the gaming landscape of today isn't the same as it was in 2014, and in 2014 the skyrim at home open world design was already outdated. i've been hearing about the crpg renaissance since 2016. i accompanied it. it remained a niche part of gaming until it didn't: baldur's gate 3 released last year to audience and critical acclaim. going forward i expect mainstream rpgs to take cues from bg3. and the mission based almost extraction shooter-esque design that veilguard seems to have might not land as well in 2024 as it would have in 2020.

eta: or it could go well, idk. morrowind and final fantasy were bethesda's and squaresoft's hail maries and saved those studios.

right now the marketing has missed the mark on me. it is patronizing and seemingly needs to punch down the previous da games to prop this one up. it concerns me that the game may be releasing in 2 months (as per jeff grubb) and we quite frankly haven't seen shit. just bioware telling us that trust me, these companions are deep. trust me, the combat is good. trust me, the city built on slave labor is totally the coolest one you've seen. everyone copies fromsoftware but they don't seem to learn to drop a trailer and shut up until they got more things of substance to show. and this isn't just a bioware issue.

[detroitbecomeonline]

PM700 headcanons & fact corrections

It has been a while since this post, so I'm updating you all on my thoughts and things. I want to correct myself on some mistakes. I'll also repeat some points so this is completely up-to-date, so please 100% disregard my previous post.

The hallway PM700 is not the only PM700 in the game with voice lines. There are 2 instances of a PM700:

Due to the vocal fray/change of the hallway PM700, I like to believe that Hallway (Puma) is the deviant of the two. She keeps her eyes on Connor as he walks around the DPD, even when Connor's across the other side of the room, which means she's focused on him.

This is probably because Puma stands in the DPD day-in, day-out, and Connor is the only new thing here. She watches literally his every move. If she's going to steal weapons for Jericho, then she has to determine if this new android is a threat to her operation.

The hallway PM700 is potentially the ARMORY PM700, hence the headcanon that she stole weapons. Check out this post for cut content in the game files. To simply explain the theory, you know how as Connor in Crossroads, you can get alerted not to get spotted?

The PM700 used to be a trigger for that as well, but now, she just has a Q to view and no reaction from Connor.

MENU_FLOWCHART_02A_C_SPOTPOLICEMAN (Cut event)

The reason "Don't catch anyone's attention" would be linked to Hallway and not Gate is because Gate's gaze pans the lobby, whereas Hallway keeps her gaze on Connor at all times. On top of that, a player is much more likely to interact with Hallway than make the mistake of not talking to the receptionist. You could make the argument that Armory isn't Hallway and she could be any PM700 in the DPD, but narratively speaking, that wouldn't make sense. These are major moments for the PM700 model, so for story, they're the same android!

Some model swaps for you :D

So, for Puma's timeline, it would go something like:

> Deviates.ra9

> Checks out Jericho

> Realises they need weapons and knows where to get them

> Infiltrates the DPD

> What the fuck are YOU???? [connor.jpeg]

> Never mind, just get the guns

> Returns to Jericho before the Crossroads chapter

> Doesn't see Connor because she's too distracted instructing androids how to shoot

> Flees Jericho in the raid

Puma cannot be found in the Demonstration, but she be found in the Revolution. This indicates what her beliefs are, which leans toward North's methodology. I like to think that Puma fled and hid like a lot of other androids because the Demonstration was like a suicide mission and she's not about that life.

Although androids are not licenced to carry a weapon, the PM700 and PC200 models were commissioned in 2029, the same year as the law passed that androids could not bear arms.

This could mean anything. Maybe a PM700 or a PC200 shot in error that year. Maybe the government pre-emptively ruled that androids couldn't carry a weapon. Either way, CyberLife had programmed these models with combat abilities. The police force just doesn't get to utilise them.

In the DPD, the viewable PM700s were commissioned in 2037, which suggests that Puma was as well. She could be of old 2029 design, but made in 2037 like her robotic colleagues, but this has no hard evidence. This also means that the latest commercial model, the AP700, came after the PM700, and that the PM700s held the original face model.

Let's talk about the PM700 face model. Check out Assina Dreams on Instagram here.

Her Detroit: Become Human posts are approx. end of July 2019 if you would like to scroll down to that area. I've made the speculation that QD only gave Assina shareable promo content that includes her face as an AP700 as seen in the trailers. With a bit of adaption, she also became the PM700 as seen in canon.

Puma may look like Assina, but where does her voice come from? I can compare Puma's voice to Chloe's. Check out these two clips which, by chance, have extremely similar vocals.

I have no hard evidence if Chloe's actress is the same as Puma's, but the way she talks and holds herself fits the one actress. Also, I'm not sure if Assina only speaks French or if she also speaks English. Obviously, if she can't speak English, then QD used a different actress/actresses for the PM700.

HEADCANONS THAT CONTINUE TO EXIST (previous post):

PM700s are specifically designed for patrolling, guarding, and observational tasks. Basically, they’re like glorified security guards. As a 2029 model, PM700s would have to get software updates in order to stay up-to-date with current technology. Puma is as recently updated as an RK800 because of the nature of law enforcement/how laws are constantly changed/how androids are getting better and more powerful/etc.

She is polite, straightforward, and professional as per her programming, but as a deviant, she uses this to catch people off-guard.

Due to the human personalities she’s surrounded with at the DPD, her personality has developed into being incredibly sarcastic and sharp-witted.

Smiles, but has the boiling rage of an underpaid customer service worker.

Puma shares similarities with and would get along with North, Connor, and Rose.

She’s jaded and sceptical.

Queen of blackmail since she hears all and sees all

If she ever saw Connor’s insides/they were comparing hardware, she’d be all like “YOU HAVE SEVEN PORTS??? SEVEN?? LOOK AT THAT AUXILIARY TUBE!!! WHAT! CONNOR YOU’RE A BEAST WHAT WHY AREN’T YOU SHARING ALL THAT HORSEPOWER” (because, remember, she’s a 2029 model)

In the DPD, she befriends Connor (lmao), Officer Person, and Officer Chen.

Puma returns to the DPD to make sure discrimination like that in the past doesn’t occur again/she prevents it from occurring and makes sure that the androids who are arrested are treated equally to human criminals. She also returns to the DPD (if Connor returns to the DPD) to keep an eye on him because she knows his past and what he is capable of.

Built like a Barbie doll under her uniform.

With constant software updates and how she is specifically designed to monitor, her HUD operations would be somehow more advanced/focus on more things than Markus/Connor/Kara. She’d be able to notice not only what she can interact with, but the tiniest details that may be out of order. She’d be able to pick up that a mug had moved 2mm overnight. She’d know the entire DPD’s routine. Who goes where and does what at any second of the day. And that’s why she can steal weapons from the station.

UPDATED HEADCANONS:

If Connor is Hank's, and Nines is Gavin's, then Puma walks beside Captain Fowler. She updates him on everything in a march down the hallway from when he enters the DPD until he reaches his office. They are frank with each other and get along.

They listen to R&B in the car on the way to a crime scene.

A PM700 can connect to any camera within a specific range and multiple cameras at once. They can process multiple points of view without any comprehension issues. Their view is almost 360 and therefore can see what's happening behind them.

Puma wears gloves, so when free and deviant, her hands are a big deal for her. She had never seen them, so when she does as a deviant, it's profound. To touch her bare hand would be a huge leap of trust for her.

She's a black, female, old model android. She has to deal with racism, sexism, modelism (discrimination against "out of date and therefore redundant and useless" androids), and android-phobia (discrimination against androids). That's hardcore.

FAR-REACH HEADCANONS (previous post):

She gets a motorbike eventually.

She exclusively wears black leather on the days she’s riding her bike. (She already wears a bit of leather as a part of her uniform.)

She has 3 wigs, one of which is long black box braids with beads in it and it matches her fairycore aesthetic (for casual clothing ofc) and the braids literally reach her ankles. I think that would look sick

But yeah she keeps her designed hair for work because it’s short and practical.

She legitimately enjoys clubbing.

She REALLY likes waterfalls. The sound and the feel of it

She can dodge laser beams like Lara Croft and fold herself backward like a gymnist

She likes to dance!

She loves snakes. It’s funny because I’m like “Connor’s the DPD snake” and it makes double sense if she returns to work as a cop in order to keep an eye on Connor because she’s sus of him even after his whole deviancy arc.

If especially jaded and insane, she probably carries around a bullet or a knife with “Connor” engraved into the side.

She gets Gavin to fuck off away from her by moaning really loud

UPDATED FAR-REACH HEADCANONS:

Puma has a pet snake.

She enjoys country and R&B.

Her social programming isn't as good as the most recent models, so she can be awkward at times.

Although sharp-witted, she can also be shy. Lots of breaking eye-contact when nervous or unsure.

When sure in her beliefs/calculations, she makes lots of eye-contact and her voice is firm.

She keeps her motorbike in the kitchen.

ok that's enough. ENOUGH. SEND POST

[showtoonzfan]

Oh god this is Salt-bug, I deleted my account cause I didn’t want anything to do with Vivziepop at all cause it’s been keeping me down but man I can’t help it when there’s a new Helluva…from what I’m hearing about it, I can tell Viv was the writer. Doesn’t sound as awful as Adam’s episodes but still bland, with out of place moments and fanfic drama that probs won’t be addressed til another year or two…I just have a few things I wanna say.

1. Bet that Stolas is gonna be all better the next time we see him with no physical injuries, bringing the status quo back immediately. Or if anything, he’ll just have an arm sling and acting the same woe is me horny rich man.

2. I have a feeling the texts about Ozzie’s was a last minute add-in just so critics and fans will shut up about it not being addressed in Seeing Stars, but it just made it worse cause it was blink and you’ll miss it but what did we expect from writers that think addressing plot points and details through Twitter or Patreon only Q&As will solve all their writing problems…

3. Why is MOXXIE the one stabbing and actively fighting those guys, wasn’t the point of M&M’s dynamic that Moxxie was ranged combat while Millie’s close range? I even complimented the parallel of Moxxie’s lack of scars and clothing tears and Millie’s abundance of them in their designs cause of that, if they wanna give Millie moments outside of being a badass assassin then make it in character. I can’t imagine how their character notes or lack there of read…

4. I didn’t think I’d hate Andrealphus as much I did before but he sounds too…no when it comes to Stella. Judging by fanart Viv liked of Andrealphus insulting Stella, she’s most likely to become the fifth character in this show with familial abuse, will she be humanized thanks to it? Doubt it cause she hates Viv’s golden child Stolas.

Hey Salt-Bug! Glad to here from you. Yeah, you’re pretty much right about the episode, it’s nowhere near as bad as the previous two, it’s clear that both Viv and Adam can’t write for shit, but I honestly have to admit that Adam is worse than Viv if you compare them. Adam’s episodes are the ones that piss me off, where as Vivzie’s are so underwhelming, feel like no effort was put into them, and more importantly feel empty, cause whenever Viv is the lead on an episode, I always feel like I sat through nothing, because most of her writing isn’t satisfying or leads to something big for how much she hypes her stuff up. Like…when I first saw Ozzie’s, I felt the same way I felt when I saw Western Energy, because shit barely happens. Western Energy’s core focus was Stolas being tortured for a bit, and everything else around it was pointless fluff and filler, and Ozzie’s core focus was the House of Asmodeous song, everything else also being pointless filler or fluff. Like..it’s so obvious that Viv comes up with core episode ideas, but has to find a way to write AROUND it and that’s where she’s not good at it.

I agree with your thoughts here, my prediction is that as much as I hate to say it, the Barbie episode will probably be next, with the show taking a break from Stolas and the drama, to go to Blitz. While Stolas is in the hospital, judging by the trailer it seems it’ll be a Moxxie focused episode, until he comes across across Barbie, and it turns into a Blitz episode I guess. I have the heavy feeling it’ll be exactly like Spring Broken where Barbie and Blitz just throw insults at each other until we realize that she was genuinely hurt by him and then tease her for a future episode, especially if you’ve seen the episode leak where that ghost dude is taunting Blitz for how he treated her. No doubt the show will go back to the status quo, wether Stolas is in the hospital or not.

As for Stella? I don’t think we need to be worried about her and Andre, for now at least. If you’ve seen the finale leak, they seemed to be just fine, laughing together on the couch. I guess their goal is just to make Stolas poor? Like..strip his power away I guess. I have no idea. I also have no idea wether they want to make Stella sympathetic or not, but again, judging by the leak, I don’t think they’re going to do much with her this season, which is a bummer. Other than that, hope you’re doing well Salt-Bug!

[satoshi-mochida]

Warhammer 40,000: Darktide coming to PS5 on December 3 - Gematsu

Fatshark will release a PlayStation 5 version of first-person shooter Warhammer 40,000: Darktide on December 3, the developer announced. Pre-orders are available now via PlayStation Store in $39.99 standard and $59.99 Imperial editions. The Imperial Edition include six days of early access starting November 27.

Warhammer 40,000: Darktide first launched for PC via Steam and Microsoft Store on November 30, 2022, followed by Xbox Series on October 4, 2023.

The PlayStation 5 version will contain all content and improvements made since the launch of the PC version, as well as PlayStation 5 Pro support. PlayStation 5 features include:

DualSense Haptic Feedback

Frame rate of 60 frames per second on a 4K resolution for PlayStation 5 Pro

Performance Mode (60 frames per second on a 1440p resolution) and Quality Mode (30 frames per second on a 4K resolution) for PlayStation 5

Here is an overview of the game, via Fatshark:

About

Take back the city of Tertium from hordes of bloodthirsty foes in this intense and brutal action shooter. Warhammer 40,000: Darktide is the new cooperative focused experience from the award-winning team behind the Vermintide series. In the depths of the hive, the seeds of corruption threaten to turn into an overwhelming tide of darkness. A mysterious and sinister new force is seeking to take control of the entire city. It is up to you and your allies in the Inquisition to root out the enemy before the city succumbs to Chaos. As Tertium falls, Rejects Will Rise.

Key Features

High Octane Hybrid Combat – Built on the legacy of Warhammer 40,000: Vermintide II‘s best-in-class melee combat, Warhammer 40,000: Darktide introduces intense Warhammer 40,000 gunplay to the mix. Master the balance between ranged and melee combat as you fight through a slew of enemies. Feel the impact of each swipe, swing, and slice of a chainsword, or fry some flesh with a lasgun.

Die Alone or Suffer Together – Darktide is a cooperative game. Wandering too far, risks punishment by foes looking to immobilize or capture stray Rejects, such as the slavering Chaos Hound or the Moebian Trapper. Once you fall prey to such foes, only your teammates can save you! More than that, your innate toughness—your determination to press on through the pain—only recharges when you are in the proximity of your strike team.

Your Character. Your Playstyle – Create your own, unique character and customize their physical appearance, voice, and origin. Choose your class to determine which unique traits and skill sets they will make use of in battle. Will you be a seasoned veteran of the Imperial army, a snarky outsider, or a fiery zealot? The choice is yours.

Tertium: A Hive City on the Brink of Collapse – Step into the violent, dystopian world of Warhammer 40,000. From boiling hot industrial factories to the decaying water maintenance zone afflicted by constant acid rainfall—Tertium Hive is a hard and unforgiving place even at the best of times. Your role is to serve the zealous Inquisition by embarking on missions to exterminate the threats lurking in the depths of the hive city, or die trying.

Chaos Never Sleeps – Adapt to the erratic whims of Chaos with conditions- mutators that add a spontaneous challenge to your mission. Your team must learn to adjust, adopt new tactics and change up their loadouts to face these ruthless challenges.

Watch a new trailer below.

PlayStation 5 Announce Trailer

[spiralcloudpassage]

STELLAR BLADE THOTS TIME. To everyone and anyone who thought it was going to be a bad game i hope you eat it. Post-game elementary review under the cut.

the game’s design is eponymously stellar. The world is fleshed out; there’s plenty of exploring to do and objectives to complete; maps are expansive and multilayered with different layouts and aesthetics to each one; gameplay and combat controls are immaculate; and most surprisingly, the character writing is introspective and focused. I had an unbelievable amount of fun with this game, and am currently enjoying the new challenge of a hard mode in new game+. I will be playing this game for a long time to come.

much of the genuine trepidation towards this game (other than The Discourse which was so asinine and pathetic that i loathe that i may have to address it momentarily) I believe came from the suspicion that it would be a clone of nier: automata, with many elements from the story we saw in trailers and the demo giving clear parallels to the plot of an alien invasion threatening a league of sexy androids. Any further inspection however reveals that most of the direct parallels end there, with the direction of the plot and the personalities that bloom giving stellar blade its own unique sense of character. I was pleasantly surprised to find that the women in the game were given agency and drive (the game passes the bechdel test for anyone that needs it spelled out), though of course i wish that the designs for the women were more varied. No game is complete without a good handful of bulldog butches to round out the cast, and it’s a shame that they didn’t give us anything of the sort when the male designs are varied in that way and more interesting because of it. I love playing as the missing 13th member of LOONA, but even a strict sense of aesthetics should understand and appreciate the diversity of people that populate a planet– even when that planet has been made desolate.

Another large point of contention is the costumes in the game, which was once again a largely-reactionary response from cherrypicked screenshots teased before the games’ release, on both sides. Some of the costumes are, indeed, quite tacky, in the honorable spirit of any game in the cuntress slasher genre (or any game period, truthfully; they can’t all make the cover of vogue), but most of the costumes are actually well designed and stylish. There’s clear inspiration for each one, the themes are varied, and while thankfully not every costume is is sexy, every article of clothing EVE can acquire is chic. I appreciated that there are a few costumes where she has flat shoes in lieu of heels, and a few that dont accent her boobies or ass. Sometimes a girl needs a break from being the baddest. to the other side of the argument that threw a temper tantrum over “censorship” when the outfit you were bitching about literally shows off her kardashian-plumped pussoi; put a shotgun in your mouth and pull the trigger with your toes lmfao I dont even have the sense of humor to entertain your nonsense. One of the costumes has a clit window (and still serves). Another one forgoes the classic womb tattoo (or LED lights in this case) for the new and insightful ovary tattoo (LED light) instead. You’re so pathetic i can’t even put it into words.

The biggest attraction to this game for me personally however was without a doubt the combat. In the first look trailer we got in 2021, a video i can play in my mind as clear as day, I was able to identify two key features that put this title on my radar: a perfect dodge, the mechanic which platinum games perfected in Bayonetta all the way back in 2009, and a perfect parry, the mechanic that rocketed fromsoftware’s Sekiro to the top of the foodchain to forever outclass all action games to come. We will never get another Bayonetta or another Sekiro, much like there will never be a narrative that resonates quite as profoundly as what yoko taro produced in Automata, but Stellar Blade is not any of these games. Stellar Blade is Stellar Blade, and achieves a striking identity with the fluidity of its combat. Though being familiar with its predecessors aids in the understanding of its systems, treating them as interchangeable will lead to ruin, which I appreciated immensely. I didn’t start off doing terribly, but was punished severely for getting too greedy with combos or not being aggressive and proactive enough while trying to bait out attack sequences. The more personal nature of combat lends it more towards Sekiro, but with only a handful of human enemies in the game (four if i recall correctly, all bosses), the tactics and aggression needed to carve monsters to pieces are different and must be treated as such. Study, practice, and patience lead to action sequences that are bombastic, exhilarating, and salacious.

All of the action is underscored by a soundtrack that was truly breathtaking. Collabing with Keichii Okabe’s MONACA studio for some of the tracks was another cause for outcry of copycatting NieR (ignoring that MONACA has a very obvious deck of cards that they like to reuse across all of their games, no shade of course it’s all delicious), yet the soundtrack as a whole is diverse in its genre expressions. Obvious inspiration from kpop is what gives Stellar Blade its stylish personality, yet there are moving orchestral pieces, hard rock solos with thrilling guitar, and slow, mellifluous melodies that drift in and out of speakers as you move between the hub city and outside maps, or during brief stops at rest camps.

Perhaps the most delightful surprise in the game, however, was the true source of inspiration for the meat of the gameplay; Stellar Blade is a single-player action-adventure game, and it takes clear direction from the most successful games that came before it. Puzzles to progress forward or gather loot are varied and enjoyable in the same ways as Resident Evil, the atmosphere and level design is most reminiscent of Dead Space (a comparison I’m tickled to make, as several areas in the game were genuinely creepy and unsettling), and the platforming sequences are as tight and fun as the ever-classic Crash Bandicoot. There’s a fishing minigame that kicked my ass. The PS5 controller uses its functions to the fullest with its adaptive triggers changing the tension based off of ammunition fired from the drone or with soft vibrations to emulate the pitter-patter of raindrops or EVE’s footsteps on different terrain changing the intensity of vibration based on the texture of whatever is underfoot. It was sensory heaven identifying sneak attacks from burrowing enemies rumbling and tunneling under the sand to jump out at me from behind. There are difficulty levels that adjust the challenge to player preference, with accessibility options that let you auto-succeed QTE sequences or single-press buttons that would typically be repeated mashing inputs. This is a video game that enjoys being a video game, and as a woman enamored with video games, I cannot get enough of it.

There are criticisms to make, of course, and I’m not here to settle the argument of whether this game is feminist or misogynist. To label it as one or the other ignores the tepid nature of the subject, and encourages bystanders to form an opinion without seeing for themselves what’s under the hood. As a sexual woman who enjoys being strong, independent, violent, yet still sensual, demure, and unfathomable, I was delighted with the experience. EVE stands proud as her own woman; she is not the catty dominatrix aroused by carnage and destruction that is Bayonetta, nor is she the silent and surly tortured soul that is 2B. Stellar Blade can take pride in distinguishing itself from its foremothers as a modern game with modern aesthetics, and I hope to see developers truly understand just what kind of care and attention it takes to produce such a stellar title.

[itsclydebitches]



I know the season isn't even out yet but just looking I'm already breaking out in hives. It feels like its overcompensating: "Step right up, ladies and gentlemen we got talking animals, magical cats, a land of candy and absolutely no concern for the main plot! Is this distracting enough for you? Do you like all these bright colours and shiny new things? You've heard of a filler episode, right? Well, get ready for a filler season! Welcome to the next season of rwby, everyone!"

For me personally, the frustrating thing is that I like all these ideas on their own, but I don’t think they’re working for RWBY, especially right now. You want to do an Alice in Wonderland inspired arc? It should be bright and colorful and weird! But that all severely undermines the horror of our previous Volume, so maybe don't do that after the Everything of last season. You want your characters to have the time and opportunity to develop, focusing on introspective questions instead of the action-packed main plot? Sure, go for it, but maybe not at the height of the series' conflict, nine years into the story. I want to shove a basic plot diagram at the writers and point out that they’re interrupting a steady climb towards the climax with... this. There’s a reason why they’re filler episodes, singular, separated events that provide a needed break from the action without derailing it completely. A whole season---especially one that’s shorter than is now average and coming late---is a serious problem for RWBY's pacing and, frankly, makes it look like the writers are stalling while they figure out how the heroes can win when the story has done nothing to prepare them for that monumental challenge. Either that, or we're stretching RT's flagship story out as long as possible. Insert the plea not to pirate here.

And I know, I know, the Volume isn’t out yet and trailers can be misleading, but I’m honestly concerned that there’s nothing here about the main conflict. I have no doubt that the characters will come out of this experience having #LearnedSomething (whether we end up agreeing with their development is another matter entirely), but the trailer makes it seem like it will be a generic confidence boost (Ruby reasserts her desire to help people as the hero), rather than a concrete step towards defeating Salem. There’s no mention of the Relics, the Gods, magic they can use as a weapon, no hint that she’ll improve her silver eyes, or that what’s happening in Vacuo will be anything more than a pre-Volume 10 cliffhanger. What questions does the trailer/the events of Volume 8 imply that Volume 9 will tackle?

Will Ruby regain her confidence after this tragedy?

Will they find Jaune?

Will they regain/reforge their lost weapons?

Will they make it home?

What does all this equal? A reset. The trailer presents this as a Volume where the girls work to get back to exactly where they were at the end of Volume 8: back in Remnant, back with their weapons, back together, back fighting Salem, back to their confident selves. If the only goal is to get home, then yeah, this is literally filler. This entire Volume may exist not to forward the story proper, but to provide a lot of fluff content (like the humor) until what little plot there is gets them back to where they were 2+ years ago. Now, the writer in me DOES expect them to come away with something that will forward the plot, simply because I can’t imagine crafting a whole Volume that doesn’t, but the lack of insight into what that might be---do they meet the Gods? Get new powers? Learn a secret about Salem??---is one of the reasons why I think this is a badly constructed trailer.

And as I mentioned in a separate post, I really do find the lack of action to be odd. Someone responded that RWBY is more than its action sequences and yes, of course, but RWBY is, first and foremost, a combat show. I already laid out the ways previous trailers highlighted the girls’ battles that Volume (even if it’s only those in the first few episodes) and if you look at ANY ‘Best Of’ list, you’ll find nothing but the fights. When you think "RWBY" do you really picture the silly humor in between the fights...or do you think Nevermore, Apathy, Qrow vs. Tyrian, RWBY vs. Paladin, Ironwood vs. Watts, the White Fang, the Hound, etc. Beyond the combat being the most memorable of all RWBY's content, RWBY simply doesn’t exist without its fights. I don’t mean that in a “Monty originally created it to choreograph cool battles, but it’s grown so much since then” way, I mean it in a plot-focused “Our story is about a group of girls going to school to learn how to fight, and they fight grimm, and they fight an extremist group, and then they fight an immortal witch, and they fight her goons, and sometimes they fight each other, and the strongest fighters fight with magic, and when they’re not fighting they’re doing adjacent fighting things like training, taking care of weapons, traveling to the next fight, engaging in politics avoid fights but oops, that failed so now they're fighting again” way. Remove the combat from RWBY and all you’ve got is a disconnected collection of domestic moments/jokes more suitable to a drabble collection than a professional story. RWBY might have a non-combat framework that helps hold it together, but that doesn't mean that combat isn't still 99% of the story's focus and the draw for the audience.

All of which is just to emphasize that if our trailer is a) not giving us any conflict beyond “Get back to where we were in Volume 8” and b) not highlighting the combat that RWBY is built on, then it really does feel like filler in a literal sense. I know we made jokes about this a year back, but right now Volume 9 feels like RWBY’s beach episode. No, not because of Jaune landing on an island with a bunch of girls, but because, like the classic beach episode, our trailer presents this as an interlude where the primary plot remains fairly static and the characters engage in activities that contrast their normal routine. Here’s Haruhi and her friends leaving the host club behind to hang in a water park until they go home. Here’s Team RWBY leaving Remnant to explore a Wonderland until they go home. I know we need to wait to see what the tone of the whole Volume actually is, but even the humor of the trailer feels filler-y to me. In that---as you say, anon---it seeks to distract the audience all on its own, rather than occurring naturally among more plot-focused moments. (Like, for example, Weiss bemoaning the fact that she's never going to sleep again while they try to figure out how to help Mantle). Filler episodes often ignore the plot (and its accompanying worries) to make space for the lighthearted character interactions. Now here come the butt jokes, arm tug-of-wars, and purple raccoons.

Clearly the Volume will at least be tackling Ruby’s doubts---something I SO want to go well---but if the tone skews too lighthearted... yeah. Filler. Honestly, if the Volume does fail to sufficiently engage with Volume 8’s tragedies, I fully expect the fandom to start talking about how the girls deserved a fun, wacky Wonderland trip after everything they've been through, the same way we got a strong cry that they needed to rest in the mansion with tea while the rest of the Kingdom was falling to grimm. Potential filler will likely be seen as something earned by the protagonists (as if they were real people with real needs), rather than a writing mistake.

[thedinanshiral]

Playing The Veilguard - Update

For now, as first impressions after roughly 20 hours of game (first 3 spent on CC) i can confidently say:

Combat on DA has never been better. I'm playing mage and now that i'm more familiar with the controls it's the best mage combat in the series.

Dialogues are not bad so far, just a bit awkward in places, totally understandable as it's the beginning of the game and everyone is still in "introductions mode".

Narrative felt a bit rushed in places for me but i also understand they had to set certain events quickly to really start the game.

Graphics look really good. Bright areas are clear and beautifully crafted, blighted areas are really blighted, muddy, bloody disgusting. For anyone complaining the series no longer has any darkness or gore, just know i took screenshots i can't share without flagging them. DAO blight feels like cheap Halloween decor by comparison.

New darkspawn looked silly sometimes if you paused the trailers at the right frame but while playing??? You're gonna run, fadestep, sprint, roll and jump away for dear life.

Less? bloat. The Crossroads have many blocked paths and every time you find one it gets added to your quest log but some even state "this won't unlock until later" so they'll just sit there clogging your quest log until "later" arrives, whenever that may be. Also if you're not careful some companions quests will pile up with everything else. Loot you pick up is mostly tagged as "valuable item" , you can check descriptions for more worldbuilding but you either keep them for no reason or sell them, that's all they're there for. Because you can sell them to factions to increase your reputation with them/add to their power, if you have many valuables i suggest not selling them all in one go and try to split them more evenly between whatever factions are available to you then.

The game is certainly more linear, but the different areas do open up new paths as you progress so if a path is blocked when you're around busy with a quest, trust it'll open up later, be sure to revisit locations after you finished whatever you were doing there the first time around.

Equipment progression is done simply by finding/buying the same item again, multiple times, or at the Caretaker's workshop, and it's always the same item, same stats with increasing numbers, while in DAI one could use the same schematic to craft three different staves, each with different elements and stats depending on the materials used. I miss that, but i get a simple progression system like DAV's keeps you more focused on the game progression as a whole instead of distracting you with picking elfroot everywhere or tracking the right creature to get this or that leather because you want a robe that looks blue.

The UI is gorgeous, maybe it's me being partial to all that purple and gold, but it really looks amazing and simple to use. Although it did take me 10 hours of gameplay to realize there's a local map and a world map because i didn't see the option on screen but that was just me being too "in the zone" to notice.

Companions are good so far. Bellara is nice, Lucanis is the love of my life. Each have a unique ability that Rook can ask them to use on the field (Neve can activate certain magical artifacts, for example and thats the only example i can give without majorly spoiling some things) and this helps with reaching places and opening doors. Once Rook gets the lyrium dagger they can also do an extra thing or two.

The Lighthouse not only offers accomodations for you and your party, it also has a puzzle here and there to keep you busy, and the bit of decor Rook can arrange in their room is also nice; you can find or purchase decor items and decide where to put them, choosing from some alotted surfaces.

I'd like to keep typing but i want to keep playing! I'll be posting more in detail about my current playthough on my personal tmblr so as to not spam this one.

Overall, Dragon Age: The Veilguard is not disappointing, on the contrary it's giving and giving and this is just starting, i can't even imagine how good it'll keep on getting.

As some content creators and fans have suggested, don't rush it. Explore everything, read everything, try as much as possible from what The Veilguard has to offer. We waited ten years for this, better make it last ten more.

And don't forget to read the codices! There's some interesting things in there like for instance, Evanuris correspondence.