#adept playthrough

[raezinhell]

Finished the main quest on Skyrim on Adept. Definitely harder than apprentice, but still not as hard as I thought! Went in level 31, full nightingale gear, Molag Bal's mace, and spells. Yes, some of my spells are from mods so they're a little OP at times. Usually not with boss's though. Only other modded thing I had was, a ring that gives me a Wraith King. So, he was there, even though it doesn't allow followers into Sovngarde. He's more of a blessing anyway, than an actual follower. He's goes down a lot but gets back up after not taking damage for a minute.

The funniest part was right when we killed Alduin, the Wraith King is down on his knee and says "The time has come for eternal rest." RIP World Eater.

Also, earlier in the quest when trying to get Ulfric and Tullius to go to the peace council. I'm in Ulfric's castle, convincing him to go. Meanwhile, my follower Caesia is right up against Ulfric, her nose touching his ear, throws her hands in the air and says "Ulfric Stormcloak is a xenophobic moron!" Girl, we are in HIS castle right now. 🤣😂

Caesia: 😎���� *No fucks given*

[meistoshi]

hmmmm.. storm sorcerer & swap monk for a nature domain cleric class.....

[byebyassociation]

Analysis explaining why Daan can be inferred as a survivor of sexual violence, particularly in childhood through the Bunnymasks.

Text version below cut

“But it’s never stated Daan is a csa survivor”

Daan’s parents raised him in the Bunnymask sect of Sylvian’s cult. This sect is one of the few religious communions we’ve seen ingame.

It’s a massive orgy.

His parents traveled around to attend these orgies and neglected Daan

“Since you were a toddler, you had been travelling around the Europa with your parents. Your parents were devout followers of the older god of fertility and creation, Sylvian. Because of the nature of Sylvian's cult, in each new town you'd witness your parents putting on their rabbit masks and heading to the meadows naked with all the other cult members. You hated this life. Your parents would be more concerned on the matters of religion than you.” 

Which would be the end of it if not for this line

“To make it worse, they even tried to pass on the healing gift of Sylvian to you.”

Daan does not learn healing whispers at this point in time. He does not learn loving whispers either. Both are spells which restore the body’s health. He doesn’t learn anything from this, in fact. This is not something that can be used in a playthrough nor even further elaborated on in flavor dialogue.

In the original Fear and Hunger when you encounter the Bunnymask cult you are able to join in their activities. This gives your party a full mind and body heal. Unfortunately this is likely what Daan learned in his youth.

Daan was sexually trafficked through his faith while under the age of 13.

“You were 13 years of age and alone in the Kingdom of Rondon. You had to do something for living...”

Pickpocket Route

“You weren't cut out to be a street thug, so you had to rely on the only skills you had for the money... The healing gift of Sylvian. You ended up starting a street praction of medical care where you'd heal people of all social classes. You soon became surprisingly adept with the healing gift of Sylvian.”

And sadly escaped this sex cult by further being exploited through underage sex work, here is where he learned formal Sylvian spells

“You learned Healing Whispers and your affinity with Sylvian grew!”

Honest Work Route

“A butler of a local aristocrat took you under his wing as an apprentice. You started working for the Baron Eihner Von Dutch.”

Or offering sexual knowledge to an older man in exchange for an education, a deal called a ‘proposition’ by an older Daan.

“He taught you about the modern medical practices in exchange for your knowledge on the older god Sylvian.”

Note: Eihner being a predator of some kind is a heavily contentious theory as it hinges on his behavior as a sulfer cultist. However it is pretty fucking weird tm to be having a kid talk about sylvian, goddess of fertility, sex and lust in exchange for some sort of education

This is not all, just the instances and implications that immediately come to mind.

[cheyplaysgames]

An Introduction to my OC Freddie!

Name: Frederick Harpis

Nickname: Freddie, Fred (Dont call them unless you want to get murdered 😬)

Pronouns: He/Him

Age: 15 (HL) 17 (S&A) 18 (AU)

Gender: Male

Birthday: April 23rd

Birthplace/Hometown: Stirling, Scotland

House: Gryffindor

Patronus: Jaguar

Wand: Ebony wood, 11 3/4 in, Dragon Heartstring, Reasonbly Supple, Crooked spiral, Black

Blood Status: Half-Blood

Langauges: English, Scots, Scottish Gaelic

Appreance

Eye color: Blue

Hair Color: Blonde

Height: 5'8

Scars: Long scar over left eye

Personality

Positive Traits: Intelligent, Fearless, Charismatic

Negative Traits: Ambitious, Sarcastic, Impulsive, Stubborn, Aloof, Uncaring

Hobbies: Reading, Flying, Exploring

Likes: Sweets, Thestrals,

Dislikes: Potions

Fun Facts

- Freddie is NOT my first OC nor is he a main character in any of my stories. He was just my "dark playthrough" who very quickly grew on me and many of my friends.

- Freddie is the best example of being both a Gryffindor AND a Slytherin due to having prominent traits from both. He's brave but he's careless. Hes ambitious and willing to go lengths he shouldn't in order to achieve his goals.

- Freddie's personality and my decision in making him an "evil gryffindor" was inspired by the original Harry Potter movies. A big example being Peter Pettigrew. Not all Gryffindors are good.

- Freddie dislikes Potions but is extremely adept at potion making. While he dislikes the class he likes being center of attention and being praised by Professor Sharp.

- Freddie hates Mooncalves. Something about the long necks and massive eyes rubs him the wrong way.

- He absolutely loves sweets. Although he'll never admit it to you.

- Freddie has a soft spot for Professor Weasley but he will NEVER admit it.

- After the end of Hogwarts Legacy's events, Freddie does go back to school to finish his education. Only after his seventh year does he fully wreak havoc because of the freedom he is given from turning of age and the Ancient Magic he has learned to hone.

- He has a strange soft spot for all animals (except mooncalves)

- Although hes a jerk and can be sarcastic he is also extremely charismatic. Because of this (most) people tend to ignore his rude moments and tend to seek out his company.

Please feel free to ask me any questions about Frederick if you have any! I know he's not the brightest ray of sunshine but I am also open to any MC x MC interactions/friendships ❤️

[ashenlavellan]

Dragon Age: The Veilguard - Personal Thoughts from a COMPLETED Playthrough. [MAJOR SPOILERS]

[Major spoilers ahead - all I will say to those of you that are on the fence with this game? Do it. This game is so worth it and I have just finished it. Like, literally an hour ago - while it's still fresh on my mind.]

Leave this post if you don't want to be spoiled - story-wise and specifically if you want to romance Lucanis. There will be MAJOR spoilers ahead.

So, I just finished DA: The Veilguard and I was utterly blown away. I will admit that I was amongst the crowd where I would play this game, but was very hesitant to and had my reservations. I had my expectations low.

A lot of reviewers and DA enthusiasts on other platforms had me discouraged to give this game a chance and I'm glad that I spoke of this with mutuals and decided to give this game a chance.

Now, my first concern that I will address - the combat.

I was a bit concerned about this when I initially heard some people describe it as a 'hack-and-slash' and while I have no issues with that (MAJOR Devil May Cry fan here - I love that shit so much!) - it's not what I would usually associate with Dragon Age.

My experience may be different that others, but I played as a Shadow Dragon Mage - mainly followed through with the Evoker specialization, too. I mainly played with orb/mage-knife and sometimes I switched to the staves if the fight was a bit too difficult to play closer. I'm glad that this was implemented because I disliked playing as a mage in Origins and enjoyed that it was faster pace in DA2/DA:I - this felt like I could choose if I wanted to continue with the faster pace (orb/mage-knife) or a little slower, but stronger attacks at a distance (staff).

It will certainly be different if you play as a rogue/warrior, but I loved the duality as a mage and I think I'd play as one again since I grew very comfortable/adept with the controls.

Now, the concern that most people had - tactical use?

There is an ability wheel, reminiscent to the one that Mass Effect has, but it offers suggestions for what moves can be used as a combo if you select them for your companions. It's best if you try to avoid having two rogue/two warrior companions because they will have the same affects that their abilities can do. If you have a mage/warrior or mage/rogue, then it's easier to combo their moves.

To be honest, I never truly used the tactical options in the earlier games and just played as is. I know others like the earlier games because of these things, but it wasn't the biggest concern for me when it came to that... It was mainly going from three companions down to two of them, and how the combat flow would feel like.

Combat? 9.5/10

My second concern that I will address - the cameos.

Now, because of the trailers and what-not, we already figured out that Morrigan, Varric, Harding, and our Inquisitor would show up. [I'm still so happy that I had the chance to customize my Inquisitor and luckily enough, I'll just try to match her appearance as close as I can when I officially play.]

I was NOT expecting my dear friend, Dorian Pavus, to show up when he did and the fact that he had a link to the faction that I picked! I was so excited to see him once more, but...

I was even MORE excited to see my favorite, sassy pirate-lady Isabela! But, she's now one of those in charge of the Lords of Fortune!

These were the only cameos that I had not expected, but there were mentions of other characters!

Like Merrill, when talking with Isabela after a fight in the Hall of Valor! Or, a note during a loyalty quest with Taash that shows that Sten [from Origins] had joined with the Antaam. Hell, even Aveline posted up as the acting-Viscount of Kirkwall!

As well as the fact that Harding mentions members of the Inquisition, and at some point, Solas reflects on the memories he had during his time with the organization as well.

I do wish that we had more cameos, but I'm actually pleased that there were mentions of characters from earlier games that hadn't been mentioned again beforehand.

Cameos? 8/10

Now, my third and final concern - the story.

So. Much. Story.

I had been concerned about this game before its release and how it would handle the story - especially after Trespasser and when Solas first revealed himself to be Fen'Harel. Which was groundbreaking when it happened!

Some of the fandom had concerns, myself included, when we realized that only three decisions that mattered when it involved earlier games and it was all from DA: Inquisition. Nothing from Origins or DA2 - even then, however, it was not much to really tip the scales in DA: The Veilguard.

The decisions being - who did your Inquisitor romance, did they disband the Inquisition, and were they wanting to save/stop Solas?

Now after finishing the game?

The amount of thought that went into side-quests that actually had an impact on the plot/major decisions? The faction quests? The loyalty quests?? The impact from past decisions affecting the last portion of the game???

There was so much writing that went into this game, obviously, but I hadn't realized how much thought each decision you make plays a part within this story - whether small or big!

I sincerely and whole-heartedly enjoyed the writing and the companions involved in our story - I was so excited each time a loyalty or mission specific to them popped up and we delved deeper into their backgrounds, their factions, and everything else involved!

There was so much newer lore to consume, especially with Minrathous/Tevinter since we've never been this far north in Thedas, but I absolutely devoured each little piece I could get and would sit there... reading the missives and codex! However, I can understand that some may be frustrated since it doesn't delve deeper into past lore with some cases.

As one final side-note for this - even if you do all of the side-quests and content, you will have an ending just like my own... At least one person on your team will die. I did everything I could and chose, basically all of what seemed like the right decisions, and I still lost one person on my team that resulted with me sobbing like a baby with how brutal the death was in the scene...

Story? 9/10

Now, the best part of this post - the romances.

Where do I begin with Lucanis' romance?

It's like, the second I found out that there was yet again, another assassin from Antiva who was aligned with the Crows - I was immediately sold.

Before I continue - everyone? Thank his writer, Mary Kirby, from the bottom of your heart for writing such a thoughtful, protective man - whether or not your Rook romances him.

Now, continuing -

His romance is so fucking good that I have over 100 saved clips on my console of shared moments between Lucretia/Lucanis to the point where my console was like - you need to make space if you want to be a fiend for the scenes.

You bet your fucking ass I made space.

I want to completely gush over his romance and spoil things, but I'm holding all of that back because I plan on writing those scenes and then some since I AM a fanfiction writer. I'll only share one thing with all of you...

When Lucretia and Lucanis slept together, you can bet your ass that he brought out those damned wings. [Also naked/semi-naked cuddling in the scene afterwards.]

So yeah, those are my final thoughts after playing Dragon Age: The Veilguard and after finishing the game... I'm so glad that I decided to give this game a chance and I certainly feel like it was worth the price, for the amount of content there was and story-telling.

I'm also glad that I listened to some of the reviews - there were reviews from a couple of the devs from BG3 and had plenty of praise for this game! I'm glad I gave this game a chance, especially since there's so many options to choose from and replay-ability like BG3!

[felassan]

"Mass Effect the Board Game - Priority: Hagalaz and a range of highly-detailed resin Mass Effect Miniatures are available to pre-order now!" [source: email from Modiphius]

The Mass Effect board game is now available to pre-order! You can get just the game or upgrade it with a bundle of resin miniatures.

[Pre-order link]

More info:

"Mass Effect the Board Game - Priority: Hagalaz is a quick to play cooperative, story-driven game for 1-4 players. Gather Shepard’s squad from a selection of teammates from the Mass Effect trilogy: Liara, Tali, Wrex, and Garrus. Customize and upgrade your squad’s abilities, equipment, and powers as they gain experience. Enhance them further by unlocking unique powers with optional loyalty missions. Set during the events of Mass Effect 3, the crew of the Normandy has one more mission. On the remote world Hagalaz, a research cruiser from the terrorist organization Cerberus has crashed directly in the path of a deadly storm. With little time before the storm hits, Shepard must lead their squad through the cruiser to uncover its sinister secrets and keep them out of the hands of the enemy. However, the ship holds more dangers than just its former crew. Deep within the shattered cruiser stir creatures and enemies far worse than the Cerberus forces that guard them. A branching, narrative campaign allows for multiple playthroughs with a different experience every time with up to 14 missions, and the main campaign missions having Paragon/Renegade options. Card-driven enemy actions and evolving stories respond to your actions – your early choices influence later missions! The board game features six highly detailed 32mm scale pre-assembled plastic miniatures of male and female Shepherd, Liara, Tali, Wrex and Garrus for players to use as their game pieces. You can also upgrade your games with the Mass Effect Miniatures sets also available to pre-order today! We have five sets of 32mm scale highly detailed, collector’s resin miniatures. These miniatures are first available through the Modiphius webstore pre-order to ship in October and will then hit stores on N7 Day (7th November). These miniatures sets can be used to upgrade the plastic miniatures and tokens in the board game and are scaled to fit. They’re also perfect for any miniatures skirmish game (like Five Parsecs from Home), as well as being great for miniatures collectors and Mass Effect fans everywhere! The Mass Effect Miniatures available to pre-order now include: - Heroes of the Normandy Alpha - Alternate poses of the Normandy crew: Fem and Male Shep (with alternate helmet head parts), Tali (with removable stand alone drone), Liara, Garrus and Wrex. - Priority Threats Alpha - Three elite Cerberus bosses - Cerberus Centurion, Cerberus Phantom (with optional translucent shield) and Cerberus Phoenix Project Adept - Priority Threats Beta - Three major threats representing some of the most dangerous opponents - Reaper Banshee, Reaper Scion and an Indoctrinated Krogan Battlemaster - Cerberus Troops Alpha - Standard Cerberus troops: Cerberus Engineer x 2, Cerberus Assault Trooper x 2 and Cerberus Guardian x 2 - Reaper Forces Alpha - Horrific Reaper forces made up of twisted versions of council races used as disposable foot soldiers - Husk x 2, Cannibal x 2 and Marauder x 2 Each set contains several 32mm scale multi-part, unpainted, unassembled highly-detailed resin miniatures with plastic bases. We also have two great value bundles: the Miniatures Collector Bundle which includes one of each set of miniatures, and the Board Game Miniatures Bundle which includes one of each set of miniatures with multiples of the lower level enemies that you’ll encounter many of during a campaign."

[source: email from Modiphius] [more info] <- more images including of the miniatures at link

[ampleappleamble]

finally did something i've been meaning to do for a long time and remembered to start A Glimpse Beyond after completing Beast of Winter! and i brought vatnir!

he has a few unique things to say:

classic vatnir ♡ had to draw this scene

Axa: dude what are you doing you're at least a foot and a half taller than me

Vatnir: and you're not very good at pretending i'm not here like i asked you to

mild BoW spoilers below!

rymrgand has a few script changes, reflecting your actions in the White Void. and you have a new extremely ill-advised taunt you can make too!

leading to... the same ol' death. at least vela's okay!

classic rymrgand!

anyway. rymsy can also call your ass out if you try to butter him up but rejected his offer to be his champion at the end of BoW:

i'm sure this is all very different if you do decide to accept his chime, so maybe i'll try that out later. i wonder how different it is if you promised him the souls in PoE1? or if you went back on that promise? next vaargys playthrough perhaps? 👀

also this response from Pallegina tickled me:

everyone else: ladies he is going to fucking kill us

Pallegina and Axa: *too busy high-fiving to hear any complaints*

well between pretending vatnir isn't here and pretending what just happened was completely normal, my imagination is all tuckered out! until next time ♡

[korcariiwitch]

oc(s) meme. ✨

Tagged by: @laezels! Tysm for the tag! <3

(So uhhhh I decided to fill this out for both my OCs, since I haven't really posted much for Skora and needed to flesh both of them out more, so umm don't mind me 🖤)

name: velwyn melarn name: skora aldisian

nickname(s): vel, v, wynnie (hates the last one though) nickname(s): kora, sko, allie

pronouns: she/her pronouns: she/her

star sign: scorpio star sign: virgo

height: 5' 4" / 162.5cm height: 5' 9" / 175.2cm

orientation: pansexual orientation: pansexual

race: drow (bhaalspawn) race: half-elf (sun elf/human)

romancing: astarion romancing: shadowheart (might be karlach depending on how her playthrough goes 👀)

fave fruit: cherries. fave fruit: dates.

fave season: less so a favorite season and more so she likes whenever there's a storm going on. something about the feeling of the rain/snow on her skin feels invigorating and the catharsis of everything being washed away. fave season: winter, preferably indoors and cooped up next to a hearth.

fave flower: orchids (ones that grow in the dark especially). fave flower: irises and hyacinths.

fave scent: iron, mint, and eucalyptus. fave scent: sea salt and cedar wood.

coffee, tea, or hot chocolate: coffee to compensate for the lack of rest most days. prefers it black with a minimal amount of sugar. coffee, tea or hot chocolate: many various types of teas. she's a bit of a snob about it actually (affectionate).

average sleep hours: it would be the standard 4 hours of trance, if not interrupted nightmares or the debilitating migraines brought on by suppressing her bloodthirsty urges. average sleep hours: skora is adept at quieting her mind and can reliably/consistently get six hours of sleep even under the most dire of circumstances.

dogs or cats: quasits, owlbears, intellect devourers. pre-events of the game it wasn't sustainable for durge to have pets, and she finds herself drawn to the more unconventional ones. dogs or cats: skora has a fondness for dogs, having grown up with many hunting dogs in her youth.

dream trip: pre-tadpole there was no point in dreaming of travel for pleasure, outside of her father's vision of a world covered in corpses. post the events of the game i think she'd just like to see more of the world beyond what the underdark/bhaal's temple has to offer her. dream trip: i think she'd like to return home to the isle she is from, she hasn't been there since childhood due to ~certain events~ and i think having a partner/friends in tow might help make that journey palatable.

amount of blankets: it doesn't matter how many you put on her because there's a 98.7% chance she's going to end up kicking them off at some point. secretly, velwyn prefers the compression of her partner acting as weighted blanket. amount of blankets: one, no more than two. barely moves in her sleep and wakes up in the morning with the blankets exactly where she left them the night before.

random fact(s): velwyn ❤️

velwyn is quite the sketch artist, and she keeps a journal (almost like a book of shadows) in the game chronicling her journey. some of the sketches can be a bit disturbing, though, especially if she's a fondness for the subject. (e.g. a rather gruesome sketch of astarion because she didn't know what to do with her feelings towards him)

fluent in common, undercommon, elvish, deep speech and knows some abyssal and infernal as study for a certain heist.

likes to collect weird shit for study and experimentation later. has led to some 'accidents' around camp during the squad's downtime.

knows how to stitch wounds together exceptionally well, will stubbornly insist upon patching herself up half the time until she becomes more comfortable with the concept of other people taking care of her.

enjoys being challenged and called out on her own shit by others, even if she'd never admit that.

random fact(s): skora 💙

fluent in common, gnomish, celestial, primordial, elvish, draconic and also knows common sign language.

knows how to sail from her family's business, but actually gets incredibly sea sick.

while in school, she double majored in abjuration and divination with minors in illusion and necromancy magics.

has an astigmatism but refuses to 'correct it' with magic, so she'll pull out glasses while reading.

she has a natural calming presence and a quiet confidence, she doesn't feel the need to gloat but will put someone in their place if pushed.

No pressure/obligation tagging: @anderwelt, @malewife-mansplain-magus, @topaz-carbuncle, @phasebun, @starryjuicebox, @elminsters, @vspin, @tavsboots @asharaks, @bhaalbaaby and anyone else who sees/wants to do this!

[garrus-appreciation]

I got my brother into Mass Effect a while ago (shocker, I know) and he's talking about starting his second playthrough and he asked if adept is a good class and I was like "bro I think I shot my gun like 5 times in ME3 for my adept playthrough, biotic combos are cracked"

[traceofexistence]

you know what I despise the most?

double standards.

so apparently someone translated the word kainyank, Lae'zel says to shadow when they are about to enter the helm after rescuing her. and it's not flattering at all, though I didn't find anything official myself, and that person claims a friend translated it to them, but regardless of the meaning, it is obviously diminishing by tone alone.

so that person is like "chill girl" and im like why should she?

did you say to shadow to chill when she outright go on about how Lae, A PERSON WHO SAVED HER ASS, is dangerous, that she knows of her kin, that you should not trust her, that "who put you in charge" line that gets the kainyank reply.

later on she keeps on saying that Lae left us, and we shouldn't look for her.

and then there is my playthrough were I failed the dice to open her damn pod, and mind you I didn't trigger Lae's "we have no time" dialogue, because I went straight to the machine. and since I failed the dice, and I need her ass to get the fire sword. I had Lae do the rescuing and talk to her, just go make a new game with a tav, and let Lae do the whole thing, and test all the lines, save scam and test them all, from the "I saved you cause you asked" to the rude ones, in every single case Shadow is ungrateful and refuses to join the party unless tav asks her.

in the case you dont save her, or not wake her up after the crush, she will be at the grove. and if you have Lae with you, she will unpromptly tell you, that Lae is going to stab you in the back, and you should ditch her if you want shadow to join.

Lae reacts with just saying "I offer a cure" she doesnt say anything that implies to exclude shadow.

so yeah "chill lae'zel, why wont you, this woman over there has only been racist to you from the moment you meet her, save her, offer her to join forces, how can you be so angry and rude and use whatever the diminishing word you said on her" /s

and if we are to speak plainly here, every single character EXCEPT KARLACH, be it companion, friend, or foe, has been racist at the very least to one race in the game, the goblins, the only one who said something good about them was Karlach.

and Lae'zel exhibits tendencies of unlearning and relearning, she had never been out of the astral plane, and her first reaction to tav, is "good im fortunate we can escape together" then when she's trapped, her first words are "I offer a cure" and when you release her, she says again "I have a solution and you gonna get it too" and she doesnt even know you so early in the game. you ask her what a creche is, and that yes you will join her to find it, and she instantly tells you you made a friend/ally in the githyanki.

when you correct her on the pronunciation of tiefling she doesn't disapprove(as in actively dropping her approval score) she rolls her eyes yes but what she says is that she doesnt know of and you will have to teach her.

so just up until the grove she has changed 40 times her world view, while shadow (and I pick on shadow cause no other companion is being anti lae) all she has offered is, insult after insult after insult, and discrimination, and bias.

if you have them together in the party, their banter is along the lines of shadow deaththreat and lae reacting with the same vigor.

later on lae asks shadow to tell her why she holds a relic of her people, accusing her of stealing it (which she did)

and the next thing we know is shadow trying to kill lae in her sleep, and even being canning enough to tell her "I will lie that you attacked me, everyone will believe me"

and you know what? lae could have killed her, if she wanted to, she's way stronger, and martially adept to do it, but she chooses not to.

and if tav takes shadows side, she kills lae

but if tav takes Lae's side, she simply hit her with a rock, but not kill her (even if the companions are bugged and talk about the massacre that just happened, while shadow is alive and well at her tent)

so if we compare the two, it's shadow that has to chill.

and dont get me wrong this is not some kind of attempt to hate on the character.

this is a mere observation and what actually happens in the game.

as I said at the beginning of this post, is the fandom's double standards that grind my gears.

[unabashedllamamusic]

Also while I'm rambling about really good sci-fi I've consumed this fine evening, I finished my second playthrough of ME3. I managed to pull off perfect destroy this time, with adept instead of soldier and Samantha instead of Liara. I really prefered both and I wasn't expecting to. Biotics are so badass, and even though I miss grenade launchers, they're useful. Banshees still scare the shit out of me through. And I know the ending for this game gets a lot of shit but it was still really sweet. The citadel DLC is also perfect, as always. On my first playthrough i went with Liara just because I wanted to be gay (duh) and she was the only option for that in ME1, but this time i started in ME2 and went into ME3, so for additional homosexuality I chose Samantha. She's a much better character for barely getting any lines. I do think it's really funny that she basically only addresses her girlfriend as "Commander" and Shepard only ever calls her by her last name except when she's about to die. She's also more human, which seems obvious, but she has, like, actual emotions and growth rather than Liara's constant, annoying back-and-forth. plus she knows what she wants, which is a green flag. I will absolutely play this series again but I refuse to make poor Shepard beg one of the romanceable characters to make up their mind about stupid shit. However, since those are the two romances I've gotten to so far, it would seem my Shepards share a type: nerds.

I am probably eventually going to play a straight shepard just because I hear good things about Thane and Garrus, but only after doing all of the gay.

[blackjackkent]

Stopped for a long rest and got a chat with Gale:

He's humming to himself and examining his own "reflection" in a magically created replica. Rakha stands there for quite a while before he notices she's there.

"Be with you in a moment!"

"What are you doing?" Rakha asks, blunt and questioning as ever.

"Indulging in a spot of vanity," he answers cheerfully. "Handsome devil, aren't I?"

Rakha says nothing. She isn't sure if he's serious. She isn't sure she would notice if he was handsome. People are all a bit strange to her in general at present, and he is one of the stranger ones. And she is certainly not adept enough at conversation yet to offer an inane pleasantry in response.

So she waits in silence, and eventually he clears his throat awkwardly and dismisses the illusion. "Be that as it may..."

He turns to face her. "Ceremorphosis," he says, matching her usual matter-of-fact declarative tone. "What does it make you think of?"

That word again. By far the most elaborate of those she's managed to accumulate so far. It represents death. Failure. Consumption by the illithid hivemind.

"Until recently," she says, in a deadpan with the solidity of titanium, "nothing at all."

It is, astonishingly enough, a joke. Until recently, nothing meant anything at all; the world could have begun two days ago for all she knows. He squints at her for a moment before smiling ruefully.

"Ah yes. The good old days." He lounges back on his heels and begins to tick items off on his fingers. "Day one - fever and memory loss. Day two - hallucinations and greying skin. Day three - hair loss and blood leaking from all orifices. Need I go on?"

(A/N: This is honestly one of the things that I fucking love about liveblogging games like this, and specifically what I'm finding/remembering I love about doing so with the same game multiple times, which I haven't done since Dragon Age Inquisition. It can be really fun to listen even to lines like this, which are the same on any given playthrough, and interpret them through a completely different lens based on the particular OC in question.

With Hector, this line was comedic - fuck no, he did not want Gale to go on. He did not want to know the horrific and gruesome details of the transformation; he was having a hard enough time as it was!

But with Rakha this reads completely differently. This is how I've already established Rakha herself talks - short clipped sentences. Accumulation of facts. Bringing together of details into a picture. And Gale already knows that she wants as many of those details as she can possibly accumulate (and even, potentially, that the reason he is not dead is because he can provide them). This is him offering her exactly what she wants in the way she is best equipped to process it.

And she is all over it. She wants him to go on, absolutely.)

Nod.

"Day four - excruciating pain as the skeleton and organs reform and reposition. Day five - the host's personality has disappeared. Fingers toes and limbs elongate. I take it you get the picture?"

"I do. But you might as well finish the picture."

"Day six - the flesh around the mouth splits to make way for tentacles. Day seven - a mind flayer is born," he finishes with some dramatic relish. Spreading his hands as if to say, you see?, he watches, waiting for her interpretation.

Her eyebrows knit together thoughtfully. It's been two days, as of this evening's rest. She thinks back through what he has just told her. "We should be having a fever by now," she says curtly. "Greying skin even."

He smiles. It's an expression she can't quite interpret, but almost looks impressed, or proud, like a teacher with his student who has solved a difficult problem - and to her surprise, she feels oddly gratified to have answered correctly. "Exactly," he says, pointing a finger at her chest. "Our orifices remain blissfully unbloodied, our heads remain clear, and our blood temperature normal. Any expert will agree - this is abnormal."

She squints at him intently. "Can you explain why the symptoms aren't showing?" she demands.

His smile fades and he shakes his head. "That, alas, is where my knowledge fails me," he admits. "A rogue might call it luck, a priest might call it fate. As for myself, I'm a pragmatic; I see the silence before the storm."

She considers this in silence. Luck, fate... perhaps. Perhaps there is comfort at the idea that this is simply random, or the act of some unseen god.

But she doubts it. She sees neither luck nor fate nor storm. Her companions have all said that the worm is likely not the cause of her memory loss; therefore there was some other player involved, something that put her on that ship with no memory of herself. Something that has seen to it that the worm in her head is shackled, and that the beast has free reign.

That is not fate. That is orchestration. And there is yet someone out there who must pay.

Gale watches her thoughtfully, clearly trying to read what is going on behind her eyes. What conclusion he comes to is equally hidden, though; he just smiles again, unreadably this time. "Something to sleep on," he says. "We should get some rest."

She nods, turns away, trudges towards her bedroll. But she has little expectation of sleep. Not after last night. Not after the sea of nightmares and the litany in her head.

Blood... blood... blood... blood... blood.

[onedismay]

Mass Effect Tag Game

Stole this thing from @messydiabolical. :)c Anyone is welcome to steal it from me as well!

-

I am a fan since: Forgot what year it was but I remember ME2 had already been out for a while before I bought ME1. But I caught up quickly and got to experience the release of the Arrival DLC in real time. :D

Favourite game of the series?: It's hard to pick between 1 and 2, but I'll say 2 because the concept of loyalty missions is MY JAM. Also ME2 is my favorite graphics-wise, it's got that high contrast I love so much. (hate the simplified skill trees though)

MShep or FShep?: Most of my Sheps are fSheps because the character creator for mSheps isn't versatile enough for me. :( Where's the long hair! Let me look impractical!

Earthborn, Colonist or Spacer?: I might slightly prefer Earthborn. I enjoy playing characters who've had a rough start in life and made some bad decisions, but grew up to become decent people anyway.

Biotics or Tech: Can't pick, I like variety!

Paragon or Renegade: peace for everybody in the galaxy :') But I reeeaally love the Renegade eyes so I do have some mean Sheps as well.

Favourite Class: I used to main the Infiltrator class but in my most recent run I really enjoyed the Adept. Hard to pick a favorite but I do know my favorite class is NOT the Sentinel, it always feels clunky to me somehow.

Favourite Companion: Tali or Javik. Kaidan and Thane are nearby too. Tali's character development feels very natural and wonderful to me on every playthrough and I always love to see it. Javik is a fave because he's haunted and completely alone and that combo always hooks me like, I MUST see to it that this sad man has at least one nice thing in his life.

Least favourite Companion: It's the writers' fault but Liara. It gets really old when the same companion treats you like her love interest in all 3 games no matter what. I haaaate forced hugs in roleplaying games, don't put me through that, it'll ruin the character for me.

My squad selection: In my most recent playthrough it was unsurprisingly Javik and Tali. But I also ran with Vega quite often in the early game and I kinda missed him in the end game, haha.

Favourite In-game romance: Kaidan, especially with mShep because I really enjoy a slow burn of several years. 🔥

Other pairings I like: I am motioning at my blog and presenting to you Tazzik and the Shadow Broker...... no i don't have anything else to offer at this time

Favourite NPC: I like all these shady-ass salarians like Anoleis and Jaroth and Maelon and Linron (yes) (no i'm not defending her, i just find mean characters interesting sometimes) and Chorban and probably others. Valern isn't all that shady but still a fave. Charn! And Balak, I always look forward to finding out how my Shepard reacts to him. Zaal'Koris vas Qwib-Qwib I always loved you and I knew you were the best admiral before ME3 ever happened

Favourite Antagonist: the Shadow Broker, I was so into the mystery in ME1 and man I was not disappointed when we got the reveal. I would have loved to learn more about his early life.

Favourite Mission: ME2's Suicide Mission because I lovvve how it's a culmination of all your previous actions. It felt really scary and chaotic on my first playthrough and like anything could happen. Now I know all the mechanics so nothing surprises me, but I still look forward to seeing every little detail play out.

Favourite Loyalty Mission: Tali. Also Mordin. And Samara, ugghhh I love Omega and I love playing bait uwu

Favourite DLC: Hmmm I love about half of LotSB very much but I might like Bring Down the Sky more as a whole? The mood is great, it's not super long, and nothing about it annoys me. :D I've only played the Leviathan DLC once so far so I'm not confident enough to call it a fave yet but I liked it a lot, too.

Control, Synthesis or Destroy: I just wanted an ending where we finally talk the Reapers down and they go "yeah u right actually, let's not fight anymore. :( handshake?". All this star child borderline magic stuff is kinda goofy to me. I've picked Destroy almost every time tho.

Favourite Weapon: Recently enjoyed the Blood Pack Executioner... Historically I've probably used the Widow the most. Also I LOVE the way the Revenant looks but I can't stand using it myself lmao. My hand hurts just thinking about it.

Favourite Place: nnnoooo there's so many good places. I adore the Shadow Broker's ship, first of all. Such a cool concept. Noveria for the snow and miserable people. Feels like home. I loved visiting the Migrant Fleet! But my absolute favorite place is probably Omega because it's so rough yet there's still a weird sense of community.

A quote I like: The first that came to mind is "I have a home." Idk, I don't really remember quotes unless they're repeated over and over and by that point I start hating them.

[ava-core]

me, a bethesda shill: so what if my courier six was an elder scrolls character

May Bell, Deathbells: Daughter of Coldharbour

headcanons under the cut!

so i also used to play so much skyrim back in the day! it was also my first ever game that i played (around 2016?) and it was a hilarious initial experience because it took me five playthroughs to realize succubi weren’t actual members of a real race in elder scrolls lore…rip my older cousin’s copy i borrowed that used to run with 200+ mods

ANYWAY! lore-wise, there were so many opportunities i could take here, but something called to me seeing may as…undead. this is mainly centered around skyrim, btw!

but of course, may is a vampire in tamriel. not just any vampire, however: she’s a vampire lord, ghosting about lord harkon’s court in castle volkihar as one of the senior keepers of the library.

i considered making her a daughter of coldharbour, but i remembered in the middle of my thought process train going choo-choo did i remember what it takes for women to be daughters of couldharbour…poor may already has so much trauma as the courier in fnv. i will spare her a similar fate in terms of her origin here in tamriel :’)

still, even for vampire standards—already within these folks who outright drink blood and cannibalize as rituals and habits—may is an odd egg. she keeps to herself, eats in the dungeons instead of with the others, and idles either in the dusty tomes of the library or silently beside feran sadri’s side doing alchemy. in short, may retains her reclusive nature even as an all-powerful vampire lord.

she’s also most proficient in alteration and illusion magic, as well as alchemy. she’s also better than most in destructive magic, but she’s the most adept in the two aforementioned schools of magic. she also practices restoration magic on some of the wounded vampires who go out into the mainland.

she’s also good with one-handed weapons, but prefers to use staves or daggers.

no one really knows where she came from; just that harkon put her into court out of nowhere, and that she was a necessary part of their strategy-making with a big mind like hers. she was, after all, a former priestess of Julianos—the divine in charge of wisdom and logic. that’s all they knew about her. they don’t even know what region she’s from. short: breton? but her features are peculiar, not like any breton girl’s…

in this vein…boone, i see becoming a dawnguard soldier, a valued one, in fact: his skill with a crossbow makes isran weep for joy. almost.

for him, i can imagine him being a former imperial guard who moved to skyrim because both his wife carla and child died during labor. he’s a full-blooded nord, of course

he has this one-track mind against vampires: as creatures of the night, they’re not really deserving of compassion and kindness as the suck the life out of their victims and constantly terrify the populace with their cruelty; it’s why he signed up with the dawnguard. they looked promising eradicating the scourge of vampires (basically the way he sees legion, but a smidge less personal since vampires had nothing to do with his wife and child’s death)

DO YOU GUYS SEE WHERE I AM GOING WITH THIS…

so can you imagine when boone tries to play hero and rescue a captured dawnguard brother in volkihar castle, only to be kept as well

he spits in the eyes of the vampires, cursing and muttering profanity at his captors…

until he meets the most captivating young woman dressed in a sleek dark gown of velvet…and when she speaks, her fangs protrude.

imagine falling in love at first sight while also knowing this is the enemy. how could he: this is a vampire, just like one of them, with her big, sharp teeth and irises of dark red; how could he not, with her unique, beautiful face and the fact that even if she seemed like she was doing grunt work feeding the humans in the dungeon she wasn’t disgusted by them or looked down on them

when after a few days, may sees boone’s uniform, she asks about the sun emblem. awkwardly. boone spits in her direction, and may sighs.

it’s only a day after when may comes back to feed the humans when he says he’s dawnguard. weirdly enough, may had never heard of them before. he tells her they’re here to rid the world of the plague of vampires

may only sighs. she doesn’t get mad, get angry, or be disgusted at the thought of being wiped out. instead, she nods her head. “yeah, i get that.”

it intrigues boone. of course he can’t sweet-talk her into getting information about her out of her, but the least he does is stop growling at him.

after a while, boone also notices may’s face. as beautiful as it is, she didn’t look like anyone he’d ever seen in tamriel.

all she murmurs as she feeds him is, “i’m akaviri.”

a foreigner in strange lands. a vampire, too. but why volkihar? why here? why couldn’t she have just been a priestess he could carry in his arms to mara’s temple?

boone, after months of trying to decide whether to kill or kidnap this strange, beautiful vampire who’s been helping him infiltrate the volkihar castle: i didn’t say you could feed off anyone else

JUST A LOT OF THOUGHTS RINGING IN MY HEAD

[shadey-rper]

Here's the names of all my Mass Effect OCs so far:

Kazumi Shepherd - Human, main Shep, Vanguard, Thane or Garrus (depends on how I feel that playthrough)

Millie Shepherd - Human, Kazumi's little sister (by a year), Adept, Javik (Shhhh- I'm weird-)

Visia Sanrian - Turian, just a silly I made today, Soldier, she'd be open for ships