#also a dishonorable mention of Solas

[maranigai]

A small break from drawing Elden Ring ocs to draw Dragon Age ocs (because the new da game somehow actually exists and it reminded me of better times and how I used to love dai and da2).

P.s. Meet my orlesian-themed blood mage Inquisitor, he's been with me for a decade now and I still love him.

[lafaiette]

So, the localization file of Veilguard was found thanks to datamining, and it contains Some Stuff about Solas, Solavellan, and some cut ending stuff.

No idea if these lines were cut because of budget/resource reasons, if they are old scraps left of Joplin or if the writers simply changed their minds. Please keep in mind they are in jumbled order/there are different responses, probably due to different choices and the dialogue wheel.

Under the cut because of spoilers.

Solas and Fen'Harel

"I must hold back the blight! My wolf will distract Elgar'nan while you take the dragon!" "Did I see that right? The Dread Wolf is a separate spirit from Solas?" "Nice. Why does he get to be part wolf?" "Yeah. Seems like Fen'Harel is a merging of the two."

It seems like Solas and his wolf self are two separate spirits - perhaps similar to Falon'Din and Dirthamen, who are confirmed to be the same spirit who split into two different aspects.

Final dialogue with Solas (Solavellan edition)

"The blight is its prison. The world is safe." "Until the Veil collapses, and demons kill thousands of people." "If there were another way…" "There [i]is[/i]. Let the Veil stay in place." "The elven people must be restored. They do not deserve what was done to them." "Neither did the Titans." "Neither did Mythal. Either time." "Those are my mistakes. Only I can correct them." "I'm here to help you." "You think you have to do this alone. But you don't." "Every time, it has come down to my choices." "Are you a god?" "I am the furthest thing from it." "Then stop acting like one. Let someone else help you." "Do the right thing." "You want to be a hero? Then save the world. Right now." "The restoration of the world as it was meant to be…" "That's not saving the world, that's saving your pride." "Is that why you think I am doing this?" "I think you're doing this because you think that you have to. But you don't." "You have to forgive yourself." "You know how I got out of the Prison of Regrets? I let it go." "Varric's death was never truly your fault." "And you didn't cause every problem. You tried to fix them." "And every time I failed." "The world's still here. You got some of it right." "I cannot. To stop now would dishonor those I've wronged to come this far." "Even if those you wronged asked you to stop?" "Vhenan. And… Morrigan?" "One appellation among the many I wear, Dread Wolf." "I have been advisor to Orlais, Witch of the Wilds, daughter of Flemeth… and once, long ago, an old friend." "Mythal…" "You never would have left the Fade and taken on that humble form had I not been the one who first convinced you." "The things that I have done…" "Are not for you alone to bear, my friend. The many wrongs we did, we did together." "It is not too late to stop this. Banal nadas. Ar lath ma, vhenan." "My life force now sustains the Veil. With every breath I take, I will protect the innocent from my past failures. " "The Titans' dreams are mad from their imprisonment. I cannot kill the blight, but I can help to soothe its anger." "What I've done, I will atone for." ""But you do not have to go alone." "Thanks to you, I can see the way."

Rook and Solas' final confrontation if Rook tries to convince him to stop was apparently supposed to be much longer, with Solas mentioning the elven people and the Titans, Varric's death, and Rook acknowledging he always did try to save the world.

It seems there was also one more line Solas would say to Lavellan after her "But you do not have to go alone." -> "Thanks to you, I can see the way."

The Inquisitor's happily ever after

"So you have to stop Solas, but not in a way that prevents him from stopping the blight." "Let Solas put the blight into its nice new prison, then we'll put him in there with it." "So with Solas and the elven gods out of the picture, where does that leave us?" "Nothing. He didn't deserve his little happily ever after." "If there's anyone who can reason with the blight, it's him." "The Inquisitor believed in him. [i]She [/i]deserved her happily ever after, even if that's helping Solas fix his mistakes." "And so the Dread Wolf shall spend eternity in the knowledge that he stood at the precipice of disaster and was saved by a mortal's wisdom." "Then why maneuver matters so as to deliver it to him?" "Elgar'nan and Ghilan'nain were villains trying to conquer and blight the world." "Solas did terrible things, but he was trying to help. I can understand that." "He was wrong, not evil." "She waited many years for him. You are kind indeed to ensure those years were not in vain." "I am surprised less that he would seize upon such a chance for redemption, and more that you would offer it. " "The Inquisitor earned it." "He's working off his debt. After all, I don't think there's anyone else alive with the power and perspective to try to heal the blight." "Few would react with such compassion to the Dread Wolf's trickery. What merits him a fate fairer than Elgar'nan or Ghilan'nain?" "True. Even had I Mythal's full power, she and I often struggled to mend feelings we might have broken." "'Twould not be the first time he accomplished something Mythal herself thought impossible." "And so the Dread Wolf is stopped by, of all things, love." "Surprised?" "He's fixing his mess."

Lines for the different ways Rook can handle Solas' fate. Rook and Morrigan discuss Lavellan and Solas' chance at happiness, with Rook deciding to help them reunite despite Solas' trickery; Rook deciding to lock Solas away with the Blight; probably a line referencing a friend Inquisitor or Rook themselves ("Solas saved by a mortal's wisdom") and one referencing Lavellan ("Solas saved by love").

Epilogue

"It may mean nothing. Or everything. What matters is that the Solas is content, and we need no longer fear him tearing down the Veil." "So, Rook, what's the plan?" "[i](Sighs)[/i] Damn it." "Thank you." "Then it sounds like you have work to do. I'll leave you to it." "Good luck, Rook. Enjoy the adventures to come. " "I'm sorry, vhenan. If there had been another way..." "And now he'll spend who knows how long trying to heal the blight? What does that even mean?" "I can think of few things he'd have hated more." "He made a cage with bars made out of his worst weaknesses. He's not getting out on his own." "And we're certain there's no way for him to escape?" "Trapped forever in a prison with the blight." "Elgar'nan and Ghilan'nain are also both dead. 'Tis no great loss there, the blighted fools." "So, Rook: How does it feel to have saved the world?" "Honestly, I have no idea." "Don't be so shy with your feelings, Morrigan." "We were all young once, were we not? 'Tis from such humble seeds that great things are grown." "Tell that to Mythal." "When the next aspiring deity lays claim to our world, you are the woman who shall remind them that even gods can die." "You are really bad at inspiring speeches." "Despite these rough edges, you forged a team that saved all of Thedas. Precious few can claim that." "I notice you left out one elven god—the only one still here in any capacity." "When the next aspiring deity lays claim to our world, you are the one who shall remind them that even gods can die." "You're leaving me to handle this?" "Were Mythal younger, she might have wished to rule again. Were I younger, I might have agreed with her." "Hey, the world is still here and isn't blighted or covered with demons. I think we did okay." "Says the woman carrying the god who made most of the mess I had to clean up." "And prepare yourself for whatever storm next clouds our skies." "I did save the world." "Who else? Make no mistake, you could do with a finer touch in matters of politics. " "You're not very good at this." "Even with Elgar'nan and Ghilan'nain dead, the Venatori remain a threat, as do the Antaam and darkspawn. "

It seems there was supposed to be an additional scene after the ending, with Rook and Morrigan discussing the future. The dialogue would change depending on Solas' fate/Rook's choice about him.

That "Solas is content, and we need no longer fear him tearing down the Veil." probably refers to the ending with Lavellan, while it's not clear if that "I'm sorry, vhenan. If there had been another way..." is supposed to be there (maybe Solas apologizing again for bringing her to what he believes will be a terrible place?) or if it's referring to another scene.

The lines about him being stuck in a prison made out of his worst weaknesses, being unable to get out on his own, and spending a very long time trying to heal the Blight, something he hates, all sound like lines that would fit his bad endings.

One last mission

"Rook gives the team their seventh pep talk after the Finale." "We're sticking together. The gods might be dead, but there's more to do in this world." "We'll find Harding or Davrin. Somehow." "The eighth pep comes after nearly all content has been completed." "Weird shit is going on. What are the clues we have? The Executor, the Devouring Storm - what does it mean?" "We don't actually know. But it sounds bad. So we need each other more than ever." "On return to Rivain Island, defeat the Executor and collect the Memento for Davrin/Harding"

There is a cut scene + mission with Rook talking to their team after the ending and going to Rivain for one last mission. It's pretty much confirmed the cutscene was supposed to take place in the Lighthouse, there are old files and flags for it. If you pay attention after the ending sequence, you will see your Rook appear in the Lighthouse for a millisecond, the only trace left of that scene.

[notenoughdragons]

so i caved yesterday after *gestures* all of that on the other side of the pond, and bought veilguard (meant to wait till the first bugfix patch is out), and i have thoughts

(spoilers for the first few quests)

fucking adore the character creator. overwhelming as heck but God a+

addendum: why tf aren't there different lip/mouth shapes. we have like 30 eyelash options. i'm p sure da:i had diff mouth shapes

THERE'S NO QUICK SAVE/LOAD OPTION???? why on god's green earth

the photo mode is NEAT (tip, get yourself reshade plus the "mod" that allows hiding the UI, so you can do screenshot nonsense in cutscenes too)

it took me like 15 min to get rid of the quest marker bc that shit is hidden in Two diff menus but oh my god so worth it

on that note, i'm Really enjoying the area/level/dungeon design, and traversing it Without an annoying big blue star thing blinking at you is really good

the environments are just. unhinged in the best way. THE CROSSROADS? D'META VILLAGE?? THE OSSUARY???? perfect no notes

have i mentioned the hair? the hair is really good. i'm a lttle obsessed with the style i gave my rook, i didn't think i'd like it this much

okay let's talk plot bc. uh.

see, on the one hand? so far (recruited bellara and got the dagger and fucked around in the crossroads and am currently getting murdered by murdering calivan so lucanis will murder for Me) it… works for me? like it really feels like getting thrown into the DEEP deep end, but it's a kind of. idk. sensible progression?

and oh my god ghilan'nain. i kinda hate how normal she comes across in the memory dungeon lab? (which. AMAZING QUEST) but also i love that SHE'S UNHINGED, that solas clearly held sympathies for her, the way i YELLED when you hear her voice when that dragon shows up in the blighted village??? amazing

(NO fucking idea how this would play for someone who's not familiar with the series, good lord the amount of exposition crammed randomly into codex cards???)

that being said. how the fuck does this connect from trespasser/tevinter nights. solas what Happened to you. like this is (part of) why i'm Not using saar as the inq in this run, bc even pretending they Weren't madly in love, it doesn't work. i don't think it works for Any inquisitor who befriended/romanced him (unless maybe one who decided to go full scorched earth and hunt him down at all costs)

in meta terms i know why this is happening but How is varric our insight point into solas and the connection to him. even if you're not playing them, this Should be the inq. solas doesn't lose a single fucking word about anyone But the inquisitor in trespasser. it's just this really tragic dissonance y'know

also the way this game is frontloaded is so fucking funny (i am also choosing to find it funny). IMMEDIATELY unleash the evanuris. IMMEDIATELY get solas trapped somewhere so he can't use his not-god powers to help you. FIRST "normal" quest is a horror movie walkthrough of The Most Blighted Village You Can Imagine, like okay! solas spends all of da:i being fucking coy about the blight and now it's like 'the evanuris are blighted. yeah they used the blight for power that's why i trapped them. they got out and immediately start spitting blight everywhere For Power. the REST of the blight is trapped in the evanuris prison. yeah the black city IS the evanuris prison. also blight is alive too. uh what else'

sidenote. did. did no one think it was A Little Weird to frame it like 'solas is trapped in the fade' - 'but not like us! we're also trapped in the fade but in a completely different way!'

i do love the fade conversations, it's got dishonored vibes

(and cut-away scenes to the Villains Having Ominous Convos! i liked that in da:o)

also i have hints turned on and the. the little pop-ups. "solas remembers your verbal jab" THANKS GAME

ACTUALLY SPEAKING OF THOSE VILLAIN CONVERSATIONS. we're just gonna drop into a fucking codex that the lyrium dagger IS the red lyrium idol??? SOLAS CAN CLEANSE THE BLIGHT AND WE'RE NOT GONNA TALK ABOUT IT????

basically. the connective tissue to da:i etc is uhhhh. insane. bonkers, even. but also when i ignore that, it's legit fun??

also good lord i'm glad i didn't try to come up with a super specific character/backstory for this, the faction backstories are Real specific, and rook is written with a v definitive Slant (not a bad one! but there IS a slant)

[thekingofwinterblog]

Varric Tethras - The Proud Dwarf

So it's not a big secret that the best companion Bioware ever created was Varric Tethras, the lovable rogue, crossbowman, author and handsome Viscount of Kirkwall.

There are ao many reasons to love Varric, but one I don't see much discussed, is the subtle, and contradictory relationship Varric has with his own race, the Dwarves of Thedas.

Varric makes it a point of always putting his seeming disdain for his own people out in the open, always making it clear how much he dislikes the traditional Dwarven culture, wqy of life and so on.

He describes Orzammar, one of the great wonders of the world as cramp tunnels filled with shit and body odor, he never fails to mention how much he hates the deep roads, and he often mocks dwarven pride at any opportunity with his usual wit and charm.

On the surface, Varric might seem like he has a lot in common with Sera and her racist views on all elvhen kind, but that really, really is not the case.

Because under that exterior of seeming disdain, is a man who both understands Dwarven Culture in all it's flaws, but also loves it and hates it in equal measures.

Varric has always made it clear how much he loved the Hanged man, and essentially made his room there his office, his real home away from the uber dwarfish merchant guild.

And do you know what he fills it with?

The dwarfiest architecture you can imagine. Varric has a dwarf table, a noble dwarf chair, dwarven artwork on the wall, and even a dwarven stone bed.

All expensive and traditional stuff which he would have had to had personally paid for to transport into this room out of his own pocket.

Varric for all his harsh words on the Dwarven people, WANTS to live in a home that looks utterly Dwarven.

The most obvious moment that puts Varric's love for his dwaf ancestry on full display is of course the act 2 quest from da2, where he and an insane(temporary lucid) Bartrand has a heart to heart where both puts their real feelings on the tragedy of their situation on display.

Varric chastises Bartrand for in his madness having thrown away every bit of his dwarven nobility and honor on a stupid trinket, and Bartrand ends up begging his brother not to let house Tethras fall with him, in this display of utter madness and dishonor.

The entire thing is a deeply tragic display where the two brothers show that deapite all their differences, they really did love each other deeply, as well as the fact they had a shared love of their ancestry as Orzammar Nobility.

Of course Varric almost never comes out and says it nearly this clearly anywhere else, as showcased in another side quest where you give him back the Tethras family signet ring that Bartrand had to pawn to finance the expedition.

He doesn't come out and say it, instead focusing on the bad aspects of Orzammar in this quest, but unless hawke is rivaling him when he gives him the quest, varric has a huge approval boost in response to getting his family ring back, showing the thing really did mean a lot to him, despite his disparaging it and Orzammar in said quest.

Later, in Inquisition, Varric never misses a chance to badmouth Orzammar and tradition, but he reacts with incredible sadness at the prospect of Orzammar one day possibly falling.

When Solas asks him about Dwarven literature, and whether there is a lot of Dwarven tricksters, varric gives a smartass remark summing it up as Dwarves tend to write how they want the world to be, while humans write how they think the world is, eith the latter being clearly superior.

It's a good scene, but it has a deeper meaning that ties into Varric's deeper views on Dwarven culture.

Varric knows how Dwarves write, because he has read Dwarven liturature, and understands it completely as both a dwarf, a reader, and a writer, and how it in turn differs from human literature.

For all his grumbling on dwarves in Orzammar being obsessed with their ancestors, he himself is the exact same way as shown in legacy when you find the original Tethras and gives him to the stone, able to shortly remember every bit of his own family lore on the spot and being moved to tears by the tragedy of it all.

Varric defends both surface dwarves and Orzammar dwarves against Solas accusation that they have given up against the darkspawn threat, though in his usual way, he makes it out like surface dwarves are clearly superior.

Varric genuinely loves and cares about so much of Dwarven culture and history, and he understands it deeply.

Which in turn also is the reason he genuinely hates so much about it.

Like all of the DA2 companions, Varric has something he is deeply, deeply obsessed with, something that drives him as a person, and motivates his actions through the entire story. The difference between him and everyone else, is that this obsession never reached a conclusion, because Varric doesn't get to actually face it, and confront it.

That obsession is, of course, the Dwarven Merchant Guild.

Varric HATES the Dwarven Merchant guild, and though he uses his regular humor to portray it, in this case it's actually the opposite of the way he will always be critical of the Dwarven people. Because Varric hates the guild far, far more than he ever pretends to hate Orzammar.

Varric always talks of how shitty the guild is, how it embodies the absolute worst parts of dwarven culture, and essentially how it ruined Bartrand from ever being able to function as anything other than a cutthroat businessman. He time, and time, and time again, refuses to interact with the guild, breaks the law hard to not have to participate, and all in all cold shoulders them and their cutthroat culture completely.

There is a very important, significant moment in act 3, that is incredibly easy to miss, but completely recontextualizes varric's entire motivation for wanting the deep roads expedition.

Varric talks about the real reason why Bartrand wanted to go through with the expedition, of how it represented the one chance he had to get AWAY from the guild forever, just by being rich enough he no longer had to deal with them anymore.

Varric portrays it as Bartrand's big wish and motivation, hut it's incredibly obvious if one pays attention that this was a wish the two brothers actually shared, a mutual desire in the world. Which in turn is one of the reasons why Varric is so incredibly angry at his brother when he goes off the deep end due to the idol and betrays them.

Him and Bartrand got into this venture to finally, once and for all get out of having to deal with the worst parts of surface Dwarf society, and here his brother seemingly willingly turned his back on all of that, showing the only thing he ever cared about was pure greed.

In other words, everything both he and Bartrand hated about the Merchant Guild.

Varric hates the Caste system. He hates the division between surface and "regular" dwarves, and he thinks Orzammar's nobility has a collective stick up it's ass. And yet despite all of that, he loves the Dwarves. He loves the idea of nobility and the ideals it is supposed to represent, he loves Dwarven architecture, their grand ability to make shit, and the incredible grit and romanticism about the Dwarves long, unending struggle against the darkspawn.

The only part of Dwarven society Varric has no love for, is the Merchant Guild. It is Orzammar's nobility without anything resembling virtues, nobles who lost their caste, and yet still enforces a brutal hierarchy of blood, and cares for no ideals, no honor, no cause, except for the clink of money.

Varric is such a deep character, and I really wish that in the future, we get to see this aspect of him fleshed out even more.

[nipuni]

Thank you for all the game recs!! I’ll compile replies here so I don’t spam everyone too much about this 😆 very long post under the cut!

@knightoftherounds​ I’ve played Dragon Dogma! the first version that came out on the PS3 I think, it was the first game I played when I moved into this apartment! I don’t think I ever finished it but I remember I liked how the combat felt, and I enjoyed it! the companion system was creepy though 😆 I don’t remember much about the story to be honest, I may give it a second chance at some point, it has many elements I normally enjoy!

@lilush-cofo​ I watched some HZD cinematics on Youtube! The story seemed interesting and the graphics are stunning, also the combat seems super dynamic and fun. When it first came out I remember being wary of it because of the cultural appropiation as @wifihunters​ mentioned so I didn’t look much into it, many people seem to love it and I’m definitely curious though, the world alone looks beautiful! sadly I don’t own a PS4 and it is exclusive as @subatomicbetty​ said ;; I am in the process of selling all my belongings to move away so consoles are impossible for me right now

@makkakaus​ that mix sounds great to me! I’m not really feeling the aesthetic however 😅 

@lunarpaps​ Oh Nier automata! this has been in my to play list for a long time, I have no idea what to expect but the reviews are pretty good! I’ll play it when I have some time!!

@porcelainemily​ Stardew Valley seems like a game I would love and lose sleep over 😆 I don’t really like the graphics but I’m sure the rest of the game makes up for it, I’ll give it a try! I really love all games about building, crafting, farming and managing ;;

@ehrzeth​ The Dishonored series has some of the most amazing concept art I’ve ever seen!! I’ve always been so tempted to play it because of it 😆 I also loved the void thing and the outsider guy seems intriguing! I tried playing the first game to go chronologically but I got bored of it very quickly, maybe I could watch the story parts and then start playing the newer ones for better gameplay?

@wifihunters​ OHH Fromsoftware games ;; I’ve always wanted to play them!! the aesthetic and overall mood!! Especially Bloodborne, it looks beyond beautiful and right up my alley, sadly it is also console exclusive I believe? I tried playing Sekiro not long ago but the unforgiving mechanics were very discouraging 😆 but these are also all in my to play list regardless!!

@misstaxidermiss​ I haven’t heard of Technomancer before! It looks very interesting!! kind of Mass Effect-ish? It is going to the list!! thank you!!

@ the anon that mentioned Transistor and Child of Light, I’ve tried Transistor! it looks incredible and the story seems lovely!! I found the combat gameplay very uncomfortable though so I never played it, but I’ve always felt I really should, I did play Child of Light and I loved it so much!! the art, the story, the gameplay, the music, everything is flawless and beautiful and I wish I could find more games like it!!

@ the anon that mentioned Enderal: Forgotten stories, I’ve never heard of it!! it is a forked Skyrim with it’s own original world and lore? (which I’ve also never played and probably should 😆) seems like an interesting alternative!! I’ll check it out!! Thank you!! (I’ll also try Skyrim, a million years late, but I saw a mod to add Solas to it as a companion and I’m a simple woman)

@ the anon that mentioned VtM Bloodlines, I’ve heard of it a lot! but never played it! I also saw a trailer at E3, it looks interesting!! I love vampires!! I’ll check it out, Thank you!!

Thank you so much for all the recs, I have so many games to play now, at my pace I have enough for the next 3 years 😆 but feel free to send more anytime!! 

[liderfin]

Gaming: About Me

Tagged by @thevikingwoman yay, sounds fun :) thank you :)

favorite game from the last 5 years?  The Witcher 3 (including both DLCs), Shadowrun Dragonfall, Prey, Dishonored 2 and maybe Divinity: Original Sin II, in that order. Was I supposed to mention only one? :P 

most nostalgic game?  Planescape: Torment and Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines, both are still very special to me... my two favourite games of all time

game that deserves a sequel?  Dragon Age: Inquisition because we all want to see Solas story continued, right? And Alpha Protocol!!!!! PLEASE I want Alpha Protocol 2, such an underrated spy RPG...that game was brilliant in so many ways!!!

game that deserves a remaster?  Planescape Torment - I’d love to be able to relive it. I was so obsessed with it back then as a kid. I would play it for a whole night without sleeping and then go to school next  morning :) The setting, the writing, some actual philosophical questions, the amazing characters unlike anyone you meet in other games, the wonderful music, the choices and the mystery. Finally, the protagonist that is NOT there to save the world but to actually save himself.

favorite game series?  Deus Ex

favorite genre?  it’s RPG. I started by playing some space combat but mainly FPS games - like old DOOM, Heretics or Duke Nukem when I was a kid hehe before I could understand enough English to play a story driven game :) and then I played Betrayal at Krondor - my first RPG and everything changed. I still treasure that game, the world and the story were so captivating!  Actually I kept naming my pets after the characters from that game - that’s how much I loved it :)

least favorite genre?  I cannot play horror games :D I just can’t.  

favorite song from a game? The Witcher 3 - Lullaby of Woe 

Dishonored: Honor for all 

and most recent favourite : Prey -  Semi Sacred Geometry  it got stuck in my head :P

oh and Fallout New Vegas Soundtrack - Jingle Jangle Jingle   - but that’s an olllddd song :)

favorite character from a game?  Gann of Dreams from Mask of the Betrayer, The Outsider from Dishonored,  Olgierd von Everec from The Witcher 3: Hearts of Stone, Fall-from-Grace from Planescape: Torment, Beckett from Vampire the Masqerade: Bloodlines, right...

favorite ship from a game?  Well, Solavellan that is. I also loved the relationship between the main character and Fane - the undead Eternal in Divinity: Original Sin II  :)

favorite voice actor from a game? Jennifer Hale as in Mass Effect / female Shepard, Michael Gough for a role of Beckett in Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines.

favorite cutscene?  Maybe Geralt and Ciri father-daughter moments? like Snowball fight:

or Piggyback Ride

favorite boss?  I remember that boss at the end of Arcanum: Of Steamworks and Magick Obscura, how you could talk him out of it all or better yet - he could convince you to his cause and there was no fight at all (BTW. this game is a true masterpiece). Generally I'm not such a fan of boss fights, they can be annoying, like in Thief 4 grrr...

first console?  I don’t have one. In fact I never did.

current console or consoles? none

console you want?  I have no clue :P

place from a game that you’d like to visit? Rapture from Bioshock, but maybe before it went wild :) .

place from a game that you’d like to live in?  I love the design of towns in Dishonored games, so I could definitely live there, maybe Karnaca - minus the flies and the witches of course :) 

ridiculous crossover that would never happen but would be super fun? that’s hard, imagine Solas waking from Uthenera into a futuristic world of Mass Effect or better Deus Ex, and still trying to find his people, magic vs technology fun, that’s something for me :) 

book that would make a good game?  hmm Gateway by Frederik Pohl would make a great sci-fi exploration-mystery game, or Nova by Samuel R. Delany, that would be a crazy-good space-opera RPG :)  Oh and Chronicles of Amber by Zelazny - that one PLEASE! Actually it seems there already is a game from ‘85, but come on, that’s old. I’d do a lot to make it happen.

show/movie that would make a good game? Darkcity (movie) or Firefly (show).

games you want to play?  I need to finish Torment: Tides of Numenera first (that one is so good). Hellblade: Senua's Sacrifice, Seven: The Days Long Gone, Pillars of Eternity II: DeadFire (I was not that amazed by the first PoE even though I supported it on Kickstarter, is DeadFire better or worse than the first, anyone?), oh and Horizon Dawn Zero but I’d need a console,which I don;t have right now.

have you gotten 100% completion in a game?  Never. I mostly finish a given game once only, so usually it’s impossible to get 100% in one PT, but I guess I’m not even trying that hard. Then again I can be a silly completionist in a game like Inquisition - I would always finish ALL of the small boring quest first before I could move on :P It’s not always that bad - there are games like The Witcher 3 where a smallest silly quest can be a real gem and a pleasure in itself :)

have you cried over a game? I think so? at the end of Planescape: Torment for sure :) There are also lot’s of super sad quests in The Witcher 3, maybe I didn’t cry, but I was moved.

I took me so long again to do it, but the last few days were hard, a lot has happened in my life :( but anyways, that was fun!!!!

[void-within]

Three fandoms meme thingy

RULES: Choose any three fandoms (in random order) and answer the questions, then tag 10 people you want to know better. Tagged by @eternal-garbage

Three Fandoms:

Bloodborne

Dishonored

Dragon Age

The First Character You Loved:

Father Gascoigne. Nice tragic story, great implications for first-time players (am I going to end up like this too???), fun fight.

The Outsider. I like eldritch horrors and morally ambiguous little shits and characters who surprise me just as I think I figured them out.

Flemeth. A sassy, slightly sinister grandma who lives in the swamp and knows things no one else does, and also happens to be a dragon - what's not to love?

The Character You Never Expected To Love So Much:

Any of them, at all. It’s not a character game.

Billie Lurk. I kind of forgot she existed, thought the Meagan Foster revelation was pretty neat (not gonna lie, I suspected the moment she mentioned a shady past), and really enjoyed playing as her.

Dorian. "Like" is a more appropriate word but given my tendency to find human nobles dull and uninteresting, it's rather unexpected that I like him.

The Character You Relate To The Most:  

Oedon Chapel Dweller. Ugly weirdo who just wants to help people while sitting on their ass in some creepy place, that’s me. That’s my life goals.

Some derp in a derelict apartment who attempted a magic ritual and died in the process

The Messenger, trying to be nice and help people and occasionally botching it something awful 

The Character You’d Slap:

Micolash. Stop running in circles and face me, you howling coward (I do enjoy his ramblings, though)

Most of the ruling class in both Dunwall and Karnaca. Repeatedly, with a dead fish...or a shovel.

Solas. Still not sure if he’s a well-intentioned extremist or a manipulative psycho, but he certainly is an asshole.

Three Favorite Characters (in order of preference):

Ludwig, Lady Maria, Father Gascoigne

The Outsider, Billie Lurk, Granny Rags

The Architect, Corypheus, Flemeth

A Character You Liked At First, But Don’t Anymore:

I still like everyone I can think of, and for better reasons than just “I love this game!”

I kinda liked the conspirators, until it became obvious they were going to betray me.

Solas. I still think he’s a good character, but romance popularity and the effect it will no doubt have on his development in future games spoils it somewhat

A Character You Didn’t Like At First But Do Now:

I like them all

Daud. Starts out as just an enemy you expect to fight at some point, and enemies in this game were kind of irredeemable assholes...but he turned out pretty interesting in the game and even more so in the DLC.

Corypheus. Amazing lore aside, he’s just a creature boss fight and it’s hard to like/dislike those at first...but if you stop and read some notes and think about it all, even without a generous heaping of headcanons, he becomes so interesting. Like, protagonist level interesting.

Three OTPs: 

(brOTPs work just as well, if not better)

This will be major ass pull territory but OK: Amygdala/Moon Presence, Ebrietas/Moon Presence, Moon Presence/The Hunter

The Outsider/Vera Moray, Delilah Copperspoon/Breanna Ashworth, Billie Lurk/Deirdre

The Architect/Warden-Commander, The Architect/Utha/Seranni, any combination of sentient darkspawn, ghouls and Awakening protagonists.

Tagging @chained-screams and @or-ya​ (and anyone else who wants to do it but hasn’t already)

[musicgoonmail]

The Lord Is My Salvation

In This Edition

In this week's edition, I share my thoughts on podcasting with Pastor Hanley Liu and Charlene Hao, what's new with my book reviews, and what I've been enjoying in entertainment. Feel free to forward this email to those you think might find my content helpful or interesting!

There is a lot happening in the world - and I'm sure there's a lot going on in your life as well. We stayed especially busy at SOLA Network this week addressing current events. So I just want to say thank you for taking the time to read what I have to write. You can always get in touch by replying directly to this email. I would love to hear from you!

SOLA Network: “Deriving the Infinite Wonder of Christ through Math” with Charlene Hao

Walnut Commentary: How Will We Respond? with Pastor Hanley Liu

Book Reviews

Extended Play

Lightning Links

Playlists

Coming Soon

Weekly Review

“Deriving the Infinite Wonder of Christ through Math” with Charlene Hao

For SOLA Network, I spoke with my friend Charlene Hao. She talks about how and when she was able to connect math with God, how COVID-19 has affected her education, and how she would encourage other students to connect what they study and relate it back to God. You can watch our conversation on YouTube.

Charlene and I serve in the music ministry together, so it felt really easy and natural to record our discussion. I mentioned how I don't know this side of her, so it was great to hear it come out in our conversation. I hope she continues to write, and I feel like she has a lot of insight just being a student during this time. You can read her article here.

How Will We Respond? with Pastor Hanley Liu

I recorded this with my Pastor for our church, FCBC Walnut. There has been a lot of back and forth regarding when churches can open. What is the plan for FCBC Walnut? What issues does Pastor Hanley have to think through? Face masks: yes or no? Where is our confidence? And encouragement for pastors, Christians, and FCBC Walnut. Watch on YouTube.

Pastor Hanley and I recorded this quickly last Saturday night. We want to focus on pushing these out in a timely manner, so after some light editing I set it to premiere the following day. While we talk specifically about our church, we hope it encourages others to think through the issues with wisdom, sensitivity, cautiousness, and care. Also, this article was just released by Hanley for 9Marks: As the Pastor of an Immigrant Church’s English Ministry, How Should I Relate to the Senior Pastor?

Book Reviews

I had a good mix of books to review this week, with most coming from my friends at The Good Book Company. They published some short books related to the Coronavirus, so I wanted to make sure that I put them as a priority on my reading list. The children's book in this bunch was from B&H Publishing, and I love the resources they offer to help kids learn Scripture.

Where is God in a Coronavirus World? by John C. Lennox

Where is Wisdom? by Scott James

5 Things to Pray in a Global Crisis by Rachel Jones

Book Review: 2 Corinthians For You by Gary Millar

Extended Play

I have two articles to highlight today. First, was "Bill Simmons Just Wants to Win" by Nicholas Quah. It's a fantastic look into the podcasting world, Spotify, and sports. Second, was "Asian American Complicity in Racism" by Larry Lin. Here is the standout quote: “For much of my life, I was complicit in my racism toward African Americans, and I was completely oblivious to that racism. I was more devoted to order than to justice. I sought to honor the powerful, not realizing that doing so was dishonoring the powerless.”

The behind-the-scenes feature for The Rise of Skywalker on Disney+ was awesome, and it made me want to dive deeper into the Star Wars world. I've been singing the song The Lord is My Salvation to the kids, and this version from almost exactly one year ago is one of my faves.

Throwback: The Lord is My Salvation

Movie: Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker

TV: Community

Article: Bill Simmons Just Wants to Win

Article: Asian American Complicity in Racism

Book: Spirits in Bondage by C. S. Lewis

Lightning Links

These quick hits are exclusive to my newsletter readers. Some came immediately before writing this newsletter. I don’t necessarily endorse the positions or lives of these authors. Some may contain adult language.

A YouTuber Placed Her Autistic Adopted Son From China With A New Family — After Making Content With Him For Years

Lucky Grandma Is a Love Letter to Chinatown, Its Matriarchs, and Their Rule-Breaking Style

George Floyd Left a Gospel Legacy in Houston

The Sorrows of Minneapolis: A Prayer for Our City by John Piper

Playlists

MUSICGOON: 7 songs I enjoyed this week.

SVRGNLA: Jess and I love these songs.

ETJ: Music that inspires my band.

DIDD: A crowd-sourced worship playlist.

TGIF: Crowd-sourced for SOLA Network.

This is FCBC Walnut: The songs we sing at church.

Coming Soon

I received a massive amount of book mail on Tuesday this week, so I need to focus my energy on reading! June has a lot of great books releasing so I want to get them out ASAP.

Our favorite boba shop, Cha For Tea, is closing their Pomona location. Jess and I will make our last stops this weekend, and we'll be sure to document it on our SVRGN Instagram stories for the memories.

Weekly Review

SOLA: Asian American Complicity in Racism / Oh God, Make Us Angry! / Preaching and the Need for Asian North American Voices

Thank God it’s Friday: Should Churches Open ASAP? /  Addressing Sex Addiction and Pornography During Quarantine / Deriving the Infinite Wonder of Christ through Math / Even If It Costs Us: A Plea to our Asian American Friends

SOLA Network: “Deriving the Infinite Wonder of Christ through Math” with Charlene Hao

Walnut Commentary: How Will We Respond? with Pastor Hanley Liu

Book Review: Where is God in a Coronavirus World? by John C. Lennox

Book Review: Where is Wisdom? by Scott James

Book Review: 5 Things to Pray in a Global Crisis by Rachel Jones

Book Review: 2 Corinthians For You by Gary Millar

Recommended Reading: Should Churches Open ASAP? / How Ethnicity Proclaims His Excellencies / Sourdough and the Spiritual Discipline of Pace / Why We Miss Congregational Singing

[diversegaminglists]

A-Spec Characters

As with all lists, suggestions and corrections are encouraged.

I am a-spec myself and I’m approaching the subject from my own lived experience as well as research.

Any bigoted commenters with be instantly blocked, with no warning, just as I would deal with any other form of bigotry.

Asexual:

Backstage Pass (Alvin is an asexual romance option)

Borderlands 2 (Maya)

C14 Dating (Hendrick is an asexual romance option but one of the endings implies that he had sex with the PC.)

Magical Diary (Virginia - implied)

One Piece Franchise (Luffy is comfirmed ace, so all games featuring him count)

Uncommon Time (Teagan, not necessarily a positive representation though, from I what I’ve read.)

Aromantic:

Cute Demon Crashers! (All the love interests, yes all four of them!)

Games with asexual player character options:

Guenevere

Aro-Ace:

Astoria: Fate’s Kiss - Josh, the protagonist’s brother.

I’m Too Ace For This

Spade Memory - The protagonist Wisteria is an aromantic sex repulsed asexual (and she’s also a WoC).

Special Mentions:

The A-List - In development, features an all asexual superhero team.

Batman:Arkham Knight - The Riddler is portrayed as repulsed by sex and romance, but he’s a villain so ehh.

Dishonored - Daud is described as “being uninterested in sex”, but this may be because he’s only interested in the Outsider’s favour.

Dragon Age: Inquisition - The writer of the Solas romance said “it was up to the player’s interpretation” whether or not they thought Solas’ romance was a sexual one or not and Josephine’s romance has no sex scene.

Halo Franchise - In the lore it is stated that Master Chief may have no sex drive or be unable to experience desire due to his modifications. I didn’t want to put this in with asexual characters as it was something done to him, but it’s worth mentioning.

Hitman Franchise - Agent 47 is often shown to be repulsed by sexual and physical affection, but he is also a genetically enhanced clone made for the sole purpose of assassinating people.

Mass Effect Franchise - The entire Salarian species have no concept of romantic or sexual love. They have sex only for reproduction. But also, they’re aliens.