#and i'm still /really/ distracted by veilguard >.>

[afkintheark]

Doing a base check on N&A and I checked the dino finder and there was finally a 150 male giga up! Ran out to find him, he was all by himself just waiting for me so I got him. \o/

He has much better melee than Terra, though she still has better health. Gonna breed some imprinted babies so whenever we feel like hitting Extinction here we'll have some heavy-hitters ready. \o/

We've lost steam on Aras, might even pack up and go back to the Island until full transfers open up. We can bring the new stuff back with us so I can work on breeding in the meantime, and it will be a lot nicer when we can bring our good gear/tames over.

I've also started on single-player and I have a small start on my base, though I'll need some gatherers for what I have in mind. Gonna try to get an argy first, it'll be really nice to just take stuff home to tame. >.>

[lunarharp]

fwee top 5 things i had fun with this year :-)

[ajastu]

People complain about not being able to 'be mean' in datv, but like. You can be. Not in a 'sell people into slavery' way like you could in the other games, because narratively it just would not Work, but you can very well be mean. It just won't end well for you.

Like, okay. By virtue of being recruited by Varric and working with him for a year prior to the events of Veilguard, Rook cannot be, like....morally bankrupt? Because Varric wouldn't recruit them if they were, or would kick them to the curb if he realized they were soooo so chill with wanton murder and other such things (him and Harding kept getting distracted on their search for Solas because they kept stopping to Help People, after all) So. there are certain limitations to the choices you can make, but they Make Sense. And you can still be an asshole, in a way. Like...I think people maybe....forget? that you can get your Entire Team killed by just...not caring? A thing that you couldn't really do on a similar scale in the previous games? 'Oh you have to play the team therapist-' You don't, actually! You can ignore everyone's problems! The game doesn't stop you from just pushing on with the main plot! You can leave your companions to their own devices. It will not end well, but you can do it. Pretty much everyone will die and Rook may just end up being locked in the Fade with Solas forever, but it's an option that was Very Much Put Into The Game. But I don't think ive ever seen that ending mentioned in posts that complain about Veilguard being 'too nice'. And i'm not gonna make assumptions as to why that might be, but. Bear with me here.

It kind of, in a way, reminds me of when people were like 'ummm why does it suck so much to play a fascist in Disco Elysium??' Because it sucks to be a fascist, Period. you know? Like. You cannot want to get a good ending in the game and then also choose to be an asshole of unimaginable magnitude.

(obligatory 'piss on the poor' disclaimer: I am not saying that people who have those complaints abt veilguard are fascists or anything of the sort, it was just an example that came to mind that i thought would convey my point more efficiently)

I love origins, but it kind of...I don't know, it trivializes the acts of violence you can commit by still, inevitably, leaving your character in the position of the Hero That Saves The World. There are no real consequences in the overall story arc. It's kind of just flavor, but it never feels like an actual consequence. The story will still end approximately the same way. And I mean...it makes sense, too. There's basically only one other guy who can get the job done, so the HoF is kind of Needed for the job, no matter how much of a monster u can choose to be. You can leave the world worse than you found it, but at least there is still a world left in the end.

With Veilguard, that is not the case. The thing that makes Rook special is not their background, or their skills, or the dagger. Anyone could take their place. They're just Some Guy! And anyone WOULD take their place if they suddenly decided to start selling people into slavery. Because no one on the team is going to just sit back and let them do it. Half of the factions wouldn't even cooperate with them. They'd probably get stabbed by a shadow dragon somewhere in a dark alleyway n dropped into the sea, you know?

What makes Rook special, what secures the good ending, is their inherent kindness and care for the world and other people. The connection they build with others, who, in turn, lend their support to them. (like. something, something, almost every companion having some sort of healing/revive ability? u know?) Its the commitment to doing the Right Thing. And that is, by definition, incompatible with the option of making evil choices.

You have to want to leave the world better than you found it if you want to actually do so. The game gives you the option to do that. It also gives you the option of saving the world without caring for it or the people around you. And it gets the job done! It doesn't leave the world worse off, but it doesn't leave it better, either.

At the end of the day, all art is political in some way. And I think it's good that Veilguard is a story about hope and the value of kindness, among other things. Considering the current....Everything, I think it's kind of tone-deaf to demand that the story let you be evil for evil's sake. Look around for a moment. We really need more hope and kindness in the world right now.

The previous games were not necessarily wrong or bad for providing those options. But they were also each a product of it's time. They also each told a different story.

Veilguard is not 'sanitized', or 'dumbed down', or whatever people like to say. The mundane horrors and violence of the world don't need to be spelled out or thrown in your face via slurs against your PC. Frankly, if certain bits of the game did not horrify you on some level just from the environmental storytelling alone, then maybe you need to think about why that might be. Maybe you just need to stop and actually process what the game is showing you.

Like, i might be getting a bit off topic here, but i will be the first guy (gender-neutral) to tell you about how much of a lasting impression the broodmother bit from dao left on me. But it wasn't just the sheer violence of the experience described by Hespith. It was, well...

It's not that it occurred, it's that it was allowed.

When you go through D'meta's Crossing, through blighted Minrathous with bodies piled in the streets and hanging from the improvised gallows? Hell, the very beginning of the game, with demons snatching people left and right? The horror here is not just that it occurred, it's that it was allowed. Do you get what i mean? The fact that these things aren't spelled out to you in the form of a poem or a dialogue tree doesn't mean that they're somehow 'sanitized'.

People complain the dialogue is over-explanatory sometimes (and okay, it is, but i can think of several good reasons as to why it would be, like keeping in mind players completely new to the franchise), and then completely miss out on things that are not spelled out to them directly, and then present the 'lack' of those things as a failure of the game. I'm just saying.

So, in conclusion. I don't think Veilguard is too nice. I don't think the game has to let you commit atrocities to be complex or to show the darker bits of the world. I think datv uses it's gameplay mechanics in a way that helps it drive the point of the story home. I think the choices the developers made were made with intent, especially given the limitations they were under. And i also think that many of the 'faults' that people like to complain about are not actually faults at all.

Veilguard is not a perfect game. It IS a solid one, though. It has bits that I wish the developers were allowed to work on more and under less stress. There IS room for constructive criticism (while keeping in mind, you know, the dev hell etc). Being 'too nice'? That is not one of the game's faults. I think people who complain about that just maybe missed the entire point.

[crossdressingdeath]

While I'm on the subject of the sacrificed party member and that talk between Solas and Rook where Solas assures Rook that if they win their team's loyalty they won't have to order anyone to die for them (because their team will do it on their own), I think one of the most fascinating differences between Solas and Rook is that... Solas says that they won't have to order anyone to die for them if they win those people's loyalty, but he never gives anyone that chance. The most blatant example is those spirits in the regret memories, who he sends to their deaths as a distraction without so much as a word of warning; he just... sends them off as sacrificial pawns. He "did what he had to do", and he didn't much care whether they would sacrifice themselves for his goals of their own free will or not. Solas kills people whenever he decides it's convenient for him! He needs a distraction, so he sends those spirits to their deaths. Felassan insists that modern Thedas deserves a chance, so Solas kills him. Mythal's remnant has the power Solas needs to put his plan into action, so he rips it out of her. Varric pushes him to let go of the past and give up on this plan, so Solas kills him as soon as it looks like he might actually be able to interfere. Rook can be compassionate to Solas and fully prepared to work with him to stop Elgar'nan, and Solas fucks with their head all game then stabs them in the back. He ends up alone in a world he's made an enemy of because he has killed or abandoned everyone who might have been on his side "for the good of the plan". On the other hand Rook never willingly orders anyone to die for them, they let their allies make their own decisions, and they end up with a team so loyal that they delay the fight against Elgar'nan and Solas for weeks to search for them after their disappearance; while there was definitely some prep to be done before they could go into that fight and their allies have absolutely been busy while they waited, the Veilguard absolutely put going into that fight off to look for Rook.

And I think that's the thing that really gets me here. Rook doesn't only escape Fade jail where Solas never could because they can let go of their regrets and move forward where he can't! It's also because Solas has burned every bridge he ever had; there's no one left to come to his rescue. Rook doesn't get out because they move forward, although that does keep them moving where they might otherwise have given up before the Veilguard found them; they get out because their friends come to help them, and Solas has used up and thrown away every friend he ever had. Would Mythal have come to his rescue? Felassan? The spirits he used as pawns and sacrificed? It doesn't matter, because he treated them as things to be thrown away for his benefit and the ones that survived turned on him for it (so he killed them). As Harding (if she's the one to die) says during the Fade jail sequence, to Solas everyone's a pawn that he'll sacrifice without a thought because that's what pawns are for. Rook gets out because they don't throw people away! They always have their friends' backs and never try to sacrifice anyone but themselves without that person agreeing to it (it has to be Davrin who brings down Ghilan'nain's archdemon and as far as anyone knows will die for it, but they don't try to trick him into it, they just make it clear that that is almost certainly going to be necessary and he agrees)! Rook gets out where Solas couldn't when every member of their team still active comes to their rescue because the team loves them and is loyal to them, and there is no one left to do the same for Solas. He disposed of them all. "It's for the greater good" is a pretty sentiment and all, but there really is an underlying message here of you have to let people choose. You can't decide whether someone sacrifices themselves for them; you don't have the right to throw people's lives away like that or decide the course of their lives. That's what separates our heroes from the Evanuris, and that very much includes Solas. The inability to realize and accept that is a character flaw of Solas's that's been present since DAI, and now we see the consequences: he's alone, no one will ever come to his rescue the way the Veilguard comes to Rook's, and he has no one to blame but himself.

[lafaiette]

Veilguard spoilers under the read more

So, years and years of fan theories confirmed through six cutscenes one can watch one after the other in one sitting, especially if they have explored the Crossroads extensively before the first meeting with the Inquisitor. No suspence, no crescendo, no hype at all. Okay.

I wasn't surprised by learning that Solas - and all ancient elven people - are spirits who got a body, this was heavily implied since DA:I

But I was surprised to see the key to this was lyrium. This seemed to be addressed differently in Trespasser, where it actually looked like the Evanuris stole lyrium to become stronger/gain more power. And Solas and Mythal being the cause of the Blight makes... very little sense. We knew that Mythal locked the Blight away ever since Trespasser, yes, but her and Solas literally being the cause of everything? Bruh.

The Blight always seemed like a biological response to intruders, like a high fever - not a countereffect of Tranquility. Does that mean that a Tranquil mage can become blighted? Why are only Titans affected by their dreams being severed this way?

Also, the way Solas and Mythal's relationship is addressed is a bit... heh, I don't know, almost malicious, as if Weekes were smirking all smugly while writing it. It's clear they went on a field trip while writing the scene where the companions discuss "love" and whether "they were doing it" or not. I can't believe they genuinely thought Solavellan fans would be okay with it - it's not just a cutscene, it's an entire game basically built on a previous relationship, one that the writers hint as still being strong. What is Lavellan, then? Because at this point she really feels like a dalliance, with Mythal being the reason Solas couldn't stay with her. A distraction from who is basically an abusive friend (or more?) who forced him to get a body and serve her.

I'm still in Act 1, but for now the game just isn't doing it for me. I adored the way DA:O, DA:I and even DA2 gave us lore, leading us little by little towards big revelations. DA:I was clearly made for the fans - in DA:TV they instead hurry to tell you everything, to confirm fans' theories, as if the devs were saying "Yes, you were right, happy? Time to wrap everything up and finish this, because we're fed up with it".

[sirsagrell]

While I'm usually critical about Veilguard, and will probably continue to be critical, I want to switch gears for a bit and engage in some positivity. Because there are things in it I liked and I don't want to lose sight of them.

So this is a collection of random Veilguard positivity rambles about some things I genuinely liked:

The entire character of Davrin: Davrin and his confusion about sacrificing himself as was expected of him but surviving, Davrin and his complicated but constructive relationship with his heritage that informs everything about him. Davrin knowing what is and isn't a monster, and giving Isseya her name back. Davrin is just very Dragon Age to me. Also holy shit, hot.

Generally, most of the stuff that surrounds the Wardens - the Hossberg Wetlands, the siege of Weisshaupt, the wardens Ivo, those records about the first qunari Warden, the First Warden trying to take the sacrifice of killing Razikale upon himself, the fucked up fortress for hiding fucked up stuff, the surviving wardens saying fuck it post-Weisshaupt and turning the joining into a blight vaccine.

The flowers in Hossberg quest (or was it a hidden quest?). Loved that. Flowers starting to bloom on previously blighted land was a plot point in that DA fic I outlined in my head 10 years ago and never wrote.

While I'm on the subject of plants, Harding's greenhouse was just stunning. Went to just stare at it multiple times regardless of Harding having anything to say to me. And it's thematically resonant too.

Neve as a concept seems like a character designed specifically to appeal to me personally in every way possible. If I was a Dragon Age character I would want to marry Neve. In my actual playthrough Neve never quite stuck, but I wasn't playing myself, I was trying to play a character who fucking hates Tevinter. So I am actually considering doing a separate Neve appreciation playthrough, and I have never replayed a game just to get more of one particular character before. You are too alluring, Neve.

Taash is interestingly and realistically flawed. People like to critique their coming-out scene because Shathann wasn't even really rejecting them, rather trying to understand them through concepts familiar to her, but I like it as written. You get so used to your mother being relentlessly critical of you, you work up the courage to have this important conversation because you know that is the right thing to do, you come prepared to stand your ground, you've been imagining everything she will say and rehearsing what to say back, and when she's honestly trying to understand and reach out, you don't even really notice it and lash out anyway, because you expected this conversation to go badly. This is very human.

Also, I vibe with Taash a lot. I too am socially challenged, sometimes unintentionally rude, surrounded by things that are certifiably messed up, struggle with cultural shit, and think dragons are the best.

I honestly liked the hair. Especially those luscious curls on Teia. This might be the first game I played where hair wasn't some kind of a distracting eyesore. I kid you not it improved my immersion.

I don't actually remember if it was like this in previous games, but I am very glad they labeled the flirt/romance dialogue options in the most unambiguous way possible. I played Baldur's Gate 3 recently and the most seemingly innocuous dialogue options led to flirting all the time. I realize this may be a me problem (see above, socially challenged), but having the options labeled and never having to reload because I'm not trying to flirt with you dammit is very relaxing. Which reminds me.

I think, that despite all its flaws, and weird narrative decisions, and wild shifts in theme and tone, Veilguard still made a better attempt at saying meaningful things than everyone's game of the year 2023 Baldur's Gate 3 did (runs away and hides under a rock).

[solavellanparadise]

Queen Inquisitor never cry

I've started this as a reply to an another post, but it suddenly got so long, that I decided to post it separately.

It's a longreed on a lot of main theses that I disagree with, considering Lavellan romancing Solas and Inquisitor in general.

They are: - Many people tend to depict it so that Lavellan's life was completely ruined by the Dread Wolf and all she does - is spitefully crying in the farthest corner of the world; - There is an abysmal inequality in power dynamics between Solas and Lavellan; - That the only thing that defined Inquisitor Lavellan was her connection to the Dalish, and once she erases her vallaslin and learns the true story and tells everyone she had fallen in love with the Dread Wolf (honestly, why would she even need to talk to anyone about this fact?), she is forever alone (look at the first thesis); - Inquisitor doesn't have any personality about them at all.

p.s. sorry for any mistakes, eng is not my mother's tongue

___________________________________________________________

Well, if ALL of Lavellan's life is twisted around one man - it's really sick. It doesn't matter who that man really is in such case. But I really doubt that such a weak person would've survived being the Inquisitor in the first place. For 14 years! The thought that she would've laid down in an embryo pose and started endlessly crying and pitying herself for years is really bizarre to me. Inquisitor to me still has some personality, and even the gentliest and kindest one still sits on her throne like she means it, she still grits her teeth and gets the job done, makes tough decisions and doesn't cry about them to anyone really. VARRIC of all people tells her that she is imposing and she herself can't even imagine how much so. So, for me she's a badass herself.

She has to learn A LOT about the world outside roaming wilds in aravels in really short time. And she has to be smart and quick thinking to do that in the first place, to be natural in that. She has to be natural in a lot of things, giving the opportunity, and oh she gets a lot of them! She's the main hero, after all.

About vallaslin - for me it's like even if at first she thinks that somehow it's her fault that they broke up because she decided to leave it, or if she feels bare for lacking one, if she agrees to erase it, it can't be a decision that drags her down for the whole 14 years, it's crazy. She. Has. Things. To. Do. Thedas relies on HER to fix everything back to normal or even make it better. So even if grieving, she had a lot of serious distractions from it.

Besides, in the Veilguard she mentions, that she always felt that Solas was sad. Always, even when they should've been happy together. And after Trespasser the "why" should've just clicked in her mind, that the breakup really wasn't about her at all, at least not because any of those silly reasons mentioned above. If he could've stayed, he would've. But if he did, it would've meant that he just dumped more than millenia of struggles, countless lost lives just to be with her. Is this a really good trait for a lover to have? On the contrary - with such determination to see his cause through after all this time, Lavellan can rest assured that he will hold onto their love no matter what for an eternity. That's admirable.

About him using her. He uses any Inquisitor. And frankly I'm not seeing the whole terror of that. If he didn't, the world would've ended. So what's the point to be pissed about it? She did what she had to, he did the same. It's not the destination that is important here, it's the journey and shared memories between all members of the Inquisition of that time. Believe me, he had as much of a head ache from the constant revelations, as Inquisitor did. They're actually quite similar on that part.

The whole separated from her people part. She was one of the first ones to learn that her people now are just a mere blurred shadow of the "real" thing they tried to pursue, that she and all of them got EVERYTHING wrong. She's been an Inquisitor for four years when she learned that. If anything, she had to find a way to spread a word to her people, let them know what's coming, unite them somehow. And we see that she was successful to some degree! I believe that Veiljumpers are the product of her enlightening work. Also the Chantry's influence is eased a lot (we don't hear much about it during the game), people are less afraid of the spirits, not a single abomination during the game, a lot less demons around. The girl's been busy!

And let's be real. After experiencing being in the romantic relationship with someone who is nearly a god, being loved by that someone, would you really be able to relax and settle down for someone else? Someone lesser? People blissfully love and worship gods one sidedly, and in her case she actually had her feelings returned back.

But that's not my main point. What I want to say, is that despite everything, Inquisitor is the only one capable to hold the South Thedas from collapsing from double blight just long enough for Rook to fix things and save the world. Even with disbanded Inquisition. That takes some nerve, power and respect from kings, queens, lords, ladies and all other in position of power. Crybaby can't achieve something like that. And if anything, it just may be the other way around - there is no one else who is more worthy of her. She is not a victim, she has mind and power of her own. She is not a saint - she made her own bad decisions, ones where there was just no good decision, she sent people to die many times, decided who to die so the others would live (in the magnitude of hundreds or thousands). If she lived long enough holding the mantle, she would've turned into a villain herself surely. And by leaving her alone for 10 years, Solas just enabled her to find her own answers, establish her own world state, to become much stronger, if anything, she should be thankful that he did what he did and didn't interfere.

And when she decides to go with him it's just as relieving to her as it is to him. If she stays, people will expect her to restore South. She may be the best woman to do so in the world, but she doesn't really owe anything anyone anymore.

Any Inquisitor, no matter who they romanced, is a powerhouse on their own, thus Inquisitor Lavellan can't be lesser than that a priori. Not even because she happened to fall in love (mutually, I might add) with the Dread Wolf himself.

[sundogsandrainbows]

Hi, I'm sorry to write to you out of the blue, but Of Elves and Humans was the first DA longfic that got me hooked back in 2011 when I, as a dumb teen, happened to pick up DAO. Ever since then, the DA universe has been a constant fixation of mine and my admiration for you as a writer as well as someone who isn’t afraid to call out the franchise's flaws has never wavered. Now that Bioware decided to take a massive shit on everything pre-DAV and their oldest fans specifically, I'm really devastated and feel like a fool for having been so invested in DA and its lore for those past 13 years. It’s incredibly encouraging, however, to see you keep on keeping on. "So since they spat in my face like this I ignore this atrocity of a game even exists" is where I hope to be at soon, too. Thank you.

(First of all apologies for the late reply, I put it in my drafts when i was too tired to complete it, and then my adhd brain forgot it existed due to being distracted by new shinies 😂☠)

But aww omg i cannot believe i was the gateway drug into dragon age, or rather the old version of my story on FFN was. I am so very honored <3 And nonnie, I feel you. I am invested in DA as a series since DA:O's release in 2009, like I bought it on a whim for XBox because I liked Mass Effect 1 sm. So that is 15 yrs of my life i spent loving and discussing a thing while still being critical of the thing, but now i feel so very protective of the world, lore and its characters that "New Bioware" has decided to take a massive dump of shit on, and not only the games but the old fans I feel are treated with disdain too and do not matter to them any longer.

Long, subjective rant about current bioware aka the shambling corpse of its former self and talent incoming. Spoilers for Veilguard bc i don't give a fuck to avoid them :D You (general you, not you in particular dearest nonny <3) should use your time better than to play this shit anyhow 😂

It feels like calculated malice of new Bioware to apply the scorched earth tactics to offscreen destroy everything that old fans and fans of the other games in general held dear, and was supposed to suck out the enjoyment of DAO, DA2 and DAI. Like it is obvious they plan to create a sequel on DA's scorched bones, but jfc, you can do so story-wise without spitting everyone loving what old bioware has built in the face after dropkicking them. But to me that is part of the problem, since if i remember correctly and i wish i could find the bit... they praised Veilguard as "The best Dragon Age game ever", with the most interesting companions and best most improved combat system, comparing it to the other three games in a near smug fashion. There is marketing and there is putting the other games down to prop up your most favorite and only child mattering and they were definitely doing the latter. And don't get me started on the whole "Who is Zevran" debacle or we are gonna here all day.

Bottom line is new/current devs and writer do not give a shit about and very possibly have never played any other game than Inquisition, and you cannot tell me otherwise. And since a lot of devs/writer have left since the start of this project that would become this abysmal game, I also have the impression that there is a lot of underlying resentment toward what these former colleagues have created and so they piss on it in order to make it fully theirs now. Like dogs marking their territory, and well that did not work out, imo. At all.

Ever since they announced respecting our past choices by ignoring them (????) it was clear to me that I would not play Veilguard but just watch a playthrough and all spoilers and then move on. And everything i saw before release was shocking... like i was flabbergasted at how baaaad the dialogue was, which as a writer myself is super important to me in my story. There was no subtext, characters just blurt out everything they think and feel, like a lifeless doll you squeeze and words tumbling out and just as natural. It is stilted, awkward and 80% of it exists for info dump or info dumb rather as they keep repeating the same shit they just told you a few seconds ago as if you as the player are braindead. Here is a good example of what i mean.

Jfc, who edited this crap? There is so much superfluous dialogue that adds nothing to a scene but annoyance for the player and says nothing at all. Just pure senseless yapping in the most cringy way. Why was no one there to trim this nonsense as you should as a writer/editor? Hell, they really disregarded every simple and basic writing rule (everything is told never SHOWN for example especially in dialogue) which really made me question their competence in what they were doing and thus the quality of the upcoming game but i still held out hope for it to not be that bad.

Well shit, it was even worse. In all regards. Especially the writing that cringed this writer into a new dimension with its incoherent incompetence. Jfc. they got paid for that? I'm convinced the majority of fandom writer can do much better, even unpaid. Hell my cat just by walking over the keyboard can manage a better draft and script...💀

But I digress. That is a rant for another time. Point is, nonny, despite my defiant words, I struggled too for days after i got to know the full extent of Bioware's spiteful fuckery to even look at anything da related, in my case my Alistair/Mahariel longfic. I was really down for a few days, ngl. Then again, there is nothing better than spite fueling my creativity to prove "i can write better" soooo in the end and with the help of the much better first version of DA4 in the artbook, I was able to exorcise the demons and feverdream-mindfuck of mediocrity sold to me as a turd with gold-glitter that is this game.

I have successfully now rejected its existence, filled the void with the version that should have been from the artbook and vowed to give no fucks what bioware is doing or saying and infinitely more fucks when writing my own version of thedas and the version of DA4 that should be. REWRITES BBY hell yeah. So OEAH:R is just the beginning of a verse-wise rewrite. But if you need a pick me up, nonny, you are very much welcome to take a trip down memory lane to Dragon 9:30 and see how much this iteration of the story differs from my first one back in the days. Because in this house of mine, we grow and learn as writers, unlike bioware where writer ego reigns surpreme (oh boy and does it ever show in VG) aka eating their own turds and tell themselves it is the finest chocolate 💀

There is still a lot of good about DA out there, but we have to accept it does not come from Bioware any longer. Instead it came, comes and will come from the fans and creators of art and texts and words defying their bullshit with their love and respect for the world, its lore and characters. Also very unlike Bioware.

As we should <3

[nerdee-blondee]

back on that solas and rook BS. u know what to do VEILGUARD SPOILERS UNDER THE CUT

the whole scene where solas is pulling that first betrayal and trapping rook in the prison in his place is so interesting and fun to watch

because rook is solas' mirror. solas knows what will make rook drown in their regret. so first, he makes them see and hear their companions. all of them. saying that rook is worthless. not a leader. which causes rook to fall further into the fade

then solas makes them come face to face with who was just taken by elgar'nan (bellara or neve. for me it was bellara)

and at this point, rook is at least on solid ground and starts fighting to keep their companion from falling into the depths. or, as i interpret it, is in their head trying to rationalize that it wasn't completely their fault and fighting with themselves to feel not guilty. than solas sees that rook is still fighting and throws more of the companions into the mix.

davrin and harding. the two companions that u have to choose between who will lead the distraction team. the choice that got one of them killed.

and to me, this is rook's own regret version of solas getting felassan killed (to be fair solas actually killed felassan himself BUT) felassan was a general in solas' army. and davrin or harding were the leaders of this diversion team. similar positions in both of their lives

so yes, this makes the weight of rook's regret heavier. but rook is still fighting back.

till solas throws that final curve ball. the nail in the coffin. the thing that even made solas himself break and wallow in all his regrets

varric. rook's mentor figure. even though rook at this point does not remember what happened at the ritual sight, they definitely unconsciously know cause this is the final push that breaks them. they are swallowed by these regrets and are pushed down further into the depths of the prison.

and solas knew this would work. cause he himself is still being crushed by the regrets of the loss of his own mentor figure mythal (i'm interpreting their relationship as very toxic mother and son btw)

solas was able to play on rook's own regrets like a fiddle. because they are similar. they do mirror each other

except that at the end of the day, rook is able to let go of all that regret and guilt (thanks to varric himself? a spirit who embodies varric? who knows? it's not really important) and their friends are able to find them in the fade and pull them out of this mental prison. friends, that the idea of having them itself, is a notion that solas threw away entirely.

all these things that solas was never able to do himself. he is impressed immensely when him and rook are reunited at minrathous. because yes, they are mirrors of each other. but rook is also someone who solas wishes he could be.

[shizuu-chann]

Playing Veilguard a second time, I'm realizing how often the "Devouring Storm" is mentioned and I'm dying to know what's going to happen. Elgar'nan and Ghilan'nain mention (during one of the eavesdropping scenes in the Crossroads) that their dreams since escaping imprisonment have been grey and shadowed or something (I can't remember exactly what they say, but they're both perplexed and at least mildly concerned--at least until Elgar'nan waves his verbal hand and dismisses it while saying, "The future is intangible, only the past and present matter" or whatever).

Even Anaris wants to gain corporeal form again to escape the impending "storm" (not sure how that would have worked out for him, but again, whatever). Cyrian tells us Anaris is scared of something but he doesn't know what! Plus, learning more about what the qunari were running from before settling Par Vollen and the tablet mentioning said Devouring Storm. What did they want with the Inquisition last game with the War Table missions? Then there's the secret ending, of course, and I just really hope we actually get a game in the future that tells the story!

What about Those Across the Sea is powerful enough to force the kossith to splice some of their own with dragons to gain fire breath? What are they, that they had the Imperium scared a millennium ago when they still worshipped the Old Gods and were arguing during construction of the Archon's Palace whether or not it should be offensive or defensive? They made an entire floating fortress that shoots magic lasers to defend against Those Across the Sea.

What boggles my mind even more is everyone in Thedas just...forgot about them? I'm not completely sure about that, but I don't recall any mention of Those Across the Sea (in-game) prior to Inquisition. My guess would be that it was intentional on the part of TAtS. If it's true that they've had a hand in all these major events in Thedas, then it wouldn't surprise me they have the power/influence/reach to erase themselves from records and the like (likely with agents) to keep people from being aware of their existence or machinations. Was them causing these events in Thedas a way to keep Thedas distracted while they made plans for...whatever it is they're doing? Invasion, at least. Was it that calculated? Can they even be that calculated?

It could also just be that they want to destabilize the region for to enact their plan. They did a great a job, if that's the case. A Blight; a war between mages and Templars; Solas possibly being aware of this impending "storm" after waking and dreaming, like Elgar'nan and Ghilan'nain, and acting too rashly (as he is wont to do), giving his orb to Corypheus to expedite the process of regaining his powers, and tearing a massive hole in the sky that tore smaller holes that spit out angry spirits all over Southern Thedas; and now with Solas trying to tear down the Veil, perhaps, again, in reaction to this revelation that Something™ is coming, further destabilizing Thedas incidentally by releasing two power-mad ancient elven-spirit mages hell bent on blighting the world to reclaim their past glory.

Did TAtS anticipate that, too? Or were these two tyrants escaping unforeseen? Did they foresee someone stopping them, which is why they seemingly encourage Rook? Is foresight something they have? They seems to anticipate everything Rook does, at least in regard to the first two "circles" you find that unlock those cryptic codex entries. I just have so many questions and no answers.

I need to know who they are, what they are, and what they even want enough that they've had their suspicious little fingers(?) in, apparently, every major event in Thedas for the past several decades at least. And HOW have they had their fingers in them? Is their goal sinister? If so, do they KNOW it's sinister? I mean, the first circle-orb-thing you find, the voice says something like, "They interrupt. As predicted. As hoped. Learn. Adapt. Triumph." The second, "You return. We are content." and when you ask who they are, they reply, "Not now. Not yet. We will show you. Soon." Iirc, they seem surprised when you find the third, but I haven't found that one again yet so I can't remember off the top of my head. Their plans are a mystery, but seem sinister from what info is given to us, but then why do they want us to triumph? Unless the two Clowns escaping wasn't part of their plan and they want them dealt with, too, so their own goals won't be hampered. I DON'T KNOW UUUGGGHHH. I just love it~

[3hobbitsinatrenchcoat]

Some initial thoughts:

So after seeing four minor untagged spoilers in the span of an hour yesterday I finally caved and bought Dragon Age Veilguard. I played for almost five hours last night and I have. Opinions (but not the ones you might think).

I'm gonna start this with: I am enjoying myself immensely. This game is objectively fun and the characters are delightful.

So here are my thoughts in no particular order. Given that most of my annoyances so far are personal preference shit... They're minor.

I MISS top-down strategy. That's what made the game fun to me, specifically. The ability wheel is cool and all but it's not what I'm used to. Old man yells at cloud or whatever.

someone in the art department has a thing for Pixar mom dumptruck ass and hips and it SHOWS

I saw someone say you could dive in headfirst and you'd crack your head open if you tried (saying the lore isn't that deep) but quite frankly I'm not finding that to be true. There's quite a bit of lore.

I love all the scattered notes that aren't codex entries.

God the fade is so cool. Lighthouse concept?? Having to unlock rooms??? *chefs kiss*

So far the gameplay seems... A bit remenicent of DA2 with how railroad linear it is. (Derogatory) I'm hoping that changes when I progress further since I'm only a few hours in and Inquisition also took a long time to open up.

I wish they'd gone less smoothened cartoony with the animation. It just kinda looks weird to me. Sorry Bellara your jaw and chin situation is unsettling to me. Also the Pixar dumptruck ass makes another appearance in this point too.

The dumptruck ass isn't a negative btw it's just. So noticible that it's distracting me during cutscenes XD

As much as I miss top down gameplay the ability combo mechanics are LIT. That's so much fun.

I spent almost half an hour in the character creator. Take that for what you will.

I was initially skeptical about only including three choices from DAI as the things that change the story but after seeing what those choices were and the opening parts of the game I can see why. Am I disappointed? A little. But it's a completely different area of the world dealing with their own bullshit a not insignificant number of years later. Whoever is on the throne of ferelden isn't gonna matter when you have fucked up darkspawn crawling into your bed at night.

Speaking of those darkspawn. what the FUCK. THEY'RE SO MUCH MORE TERRIFYING??? WHY ARE THEY GLOWING??

If Varric doesn't talk about hawke at least once I'm gonna chew on bioware's fibre optic cables

That's all I really have on first impressions. I'm gonna sum this up by talking about a different franchise: Assassin's Creed. When they pivoted into open world they lost a lot of what I considered core gameplay. It still had the AC name and was in the same world with the same lore, but I had to learn to love it again.

That feels like what is happening here. The world is the same but the gameplay itself has been changed by time and consumer perception. It's fun but it'll never feel the same way it once did for some people.

And that's ok.

[larkingame]

Will there be any updates soon? I really love this IF :DDD

yes, and i apologize for my absence with this project. tldr still being worked on and hoping to have episode one out before the end of the year.

if you want more of an explanation i'll put it below the cut.

2024 has been a hell of a year for everybody myself included. although i'd really like to make game development my priority, this year it just hasn't been possible.

in july i became the full time carer of my elderly grandfather with parkinson's, because of this I had to take a semester off of grad school and get a second job. on top of this i'd been struggling with depression and was finally able to obtain a diagnosis for and start treating my adhd in october--which as you might guess has made progress in all aspects of my life difficult, but with the right meds and therapy i've been slowly improving.

as of november, the us election has taken me and a lot of people for a surprise (and on top of everything--this is a severely inconsiquential aside but dragon age: veilguard--the last installment of the series that made me want to develop a game in the first place was really fucking stupid and bad after i've devoted 10+ years of my life to caring about it) suffice to say, larkin is a welcome distraction and I'm putting my heart into it again when i can. ((nothing motivates me more than hate and jealousy iykyk))

as always, i thank everyone who has stuck with the project for so long 💖 the episode one portraits are finished (shout out extremely talented @tapeworrmart ) , we've finally worked out a payment system for my editor that doesn't mess with them like paypal does (love ya @gwaha ) and the adhd meds have allowed me to sit in front of a document without having a panic attack again.

[lanafofana]

20 Questions for Fic Writers!

thank you for the tag @vespaer77!! no pressure low stakes tags: @xxnashiraxx @roguishcat @spooky-lil-bee @sorceresssundries

1) How many works do you have on AO3?

Eleven! So many!

2) What’s your total AO3 word count? 46,400

3) What are your top 5 fics by kudos?

Instinct (Halsin/Tav NSFW) My first entry into HalsinTavWeek 2024! Aww can't believe it's nearly been a year! Scent Mark (Halsin/Tav NSFW) To be honest, they are all for the 2024 Halsin Tav Week lmao Afforded A Chance (Halsin/Tav NSFW) Something sweet. And smutty. Colossus (Halsin/Tav NSFW) Size kink + getting high. Need I say more? The Faithwarden and the Archdruid (Halsin/Tav NSFW) Misunderstanding that ends in yummy yummy smut.

4) What fandoms do you write for?

Ohhh boy let me see. Baldurs Gate 3, Palia, Dragon Age (Inquisition and Veilguard but I hope to write some for DAO and DA2), MCU, Lord of the Rings/Hobbit/Silmarillion, The Tawny Man Trilogy, I even wrote a couple for The Labyrinth lol.

5) Do you respond to comments? Why or why not?

I try to! That said I sometimes make a mental note to respond and then three months later I'm like...oops? And then it's been so long and I agonize over responding or not. Sometimes I do, sometimes I just send my mental appreciation and carry on. I do deeply appreciate each comment tho and often revisit them when my brain weasels are playing field hockey with my self esteem as a writer.

6) What’s the fic you wrote with the angstiest ending?

I haven't published any of them actually! I have quite a few in my drafts though. There's a version of an ending for Dream in Red (my Durge/Tav long fic) that's probably the saddest.

7) What’s the fic you wrote with the happiest ending?

Most of my fics end with a happy ending (😏) That said, The Faithwarden and the Archdruid, Cuckoo for Cuckhold, and Pumpkin Spiced Larceny all had endings that I really liked.

8) Do you get hate on fics?

No [aggressively knocks on wood] everyone who comments has been very sweet. Love the BG3 fandom.

9) Do you write smut?

10) Do you write crossovers?

Technically no but there has been a BG3/DA crossover concept of Shadowheart landing in Thedas that's been rotating in my brain rotisserie style for a while and still hasn't limped off in defeat so maybe this year! Who knows! Certainly not me!

11) Have you ever had a fic stolen?

I doubt it. If I have I don't know about it.

12) Have you ever had a fic translated?

I don't think so but that would be extremely cool.

13) Have you ever cowritten a fic before?

Yes many times! (Not recently though)

14) What’s your all-time favorite ship?

Solavellan. Hands down.

15) What’s the WIP you want to finish but doubt you ever will?

Gods, can't I say all of them? It feels like all of them these days. The brain just doesn't want to brain. Published WIP-wise it has to be Gold Rush. Now that I'm back to playing Palia maybe inspiration will strike and I can get going on that again.

16) What are your writing strengths?

I've been complimented on my writing style, variations on "phrases you use/beautiful way of saying things" so I suppose that? I really don't know. Idk what I'm doing.

17) What are your writing weaknesses?

Getting distracted before I finish something and never going back to it? Impatience with editing and, thus, publishing before I probably should. Hasty. Hasty to write, hasty to publish. lol

18) Thoughts on writing dialogue in another language in a fic?

As a reader I love it. I think it's neat and helps immerse me in the world. As a writer I worry constantly if I'm doing it "right" (fiction language like elvhen) or grammatically correct (for real world languages I'm not fluent in).

19) First fandom you wrote for?

Lord of the Rings. Yeah buddy.

20) Favorite fic you’ve ever written?

As yet unfinished and unpublished favorites are: Dream in Red my Durge/Tav long fic or [Untitled Document] my Solavellan long fic. Favorite Published/Completed works would be: This funny little Tavphael Christmas fic Pumpkin Spiced Larceny (Gen, tadfoolery) Temptation (Tavphael NSFW) Midnight Snack (Gale x Tav NSFW)

So long and thanks for all the fish!

[sapropel]

I'm 20 something hours into Avowed so here are my thoughts so far

PROS

I loooove exploring

You are rewarded for exploring

You are rewarded for being on rooftops. What is the emperor's personal agent doing on my roof?

Cool level design

Interesting political commentary you get to interact with

Puzzles are interactive and not too punishing

If you don't upgrade your armor your companions tell you your armor is shit and you need to fix it

It's easy to change your build whenever you want

Woke DEI game that makes gamers mad for some reason

Looks good in first and third person

Forgiving edge detection for platforming

Great addition to the Pillars of Eternity games

Combat is pretty forgiving

Your magic power is going up behind people and stabbing them in the back with an energy sword

One of the soldiers said Never should have come here! Like it was Skyrim

Your blue boyfriend is NOT playersexual. He is gay and maybe bi.

Your choices matter

I love casting spells but sometimes it sounds like my character is speaking Hindi when he does it and it distracts me. Still a pro

Fuuuuck you can be a Stealth archer in this game too

You are given so many bombs to throw

Gravity magic is fun

It's got that Annihilation shimmer and some fucked up bears. But not THAT fucked up

Eat cheese to heal yourself like Skyrim

CONS

In character creation, "match beard color to hair" does NOT work

Sometimes cringe Marvel dialogue

Too smooth with weird momentum. It feels like I'm always doing a Skyrim horse tilt glitch across the map

Unoptimized UI

Almost as pretty as Veilguard but not quite

It's about magic zombies

You're the chosen one again

Not enough dialogue options to be firmly anti-imperialist

Your character has abs and no body hair

NPCs have an uncanny valley appearance to them

Lödica has Meredith's stolen valor so bad

You have to kill a lot of innocent people for awesome loot

Your actions in pillars of eternity 1 and 2 don't matter. It's only been 3 years. Why does no one know what happened 3 years ago?

Your chosen character background dialogue options make you sound like a huge loser and I dont think it's on purpose

Can't change character appearance after you've started

No big beefy bears for me to have sex with

No light sources??? No torches???

Combat feels a little off. A little strange. Not as well done as Veilguard but close.

Whenever I restart the game some of my control options reset too.

When you are in dialogue with someone their physics reset after every line so their hair and jewelry bounce every 3 seconds

You can be trans and choose your pronouns but they'll still they/them you

Tedious map discovery with unintuitive borders

You can steal stuff from people's houses in a non-immersive way

No magic staves :( just wands :(

Class options are pretty basic

RECOMMEND. If you think about it this game is really about a young witch trying to solve the disappearance of her neighbor's cat in a small village in the Alps

[blackjackkent]

OK for some reason even from my SSD the shaders took 12354125123 years today but I'm finally in for more Veilguard!

Our first stop is check-ins with Lucanis and Bellara in the wake of our coffee date (oh, and the terrifying eldritch qunari).

Lucanis first:

"Rook. Do you have a minute?"

"Of course. Something wrong?"

"Teia wants to meet." Lucanis sounds remarkably strained as he says this, which is puzzling.

"That doesn't sound like a bad thing," Helena says, bemused, leaning her hip against one of the nearby baskets of fruit that keep appearing back here courtesy of the Caretaker.

Lucanis frowns, his eyes dropping to the floor. "She wants to plan Caterina's funeral."

Helena blinks, then winces. "Oh. Right..."

"If you don't mind, I... could use some backup. In case Spite gets out of hand."

"Let's not keep Teia waiting!"

Aw. Helena still doesn't really get the deal with Spite, but she is, I think, no stranger to having lost people - not in her line of work - so she can understand wanting to have some moral support. We will in fact keep Teia waiting for a little while cos our to-do list is extremely long. But we'll get on that soon, Lucanis.

-----

Next up Bellara, who is hanging out with Neve!

"A sharp eye, a quick mind, and luck. That's most of the job," Neve is saying when Helena enters.

Bellara grins eagerly. "So... do you think I could become one? An investigator?"

Helena watches with amusement as Neve shifts uncomfortably while trying to decide how to answer.

"It... takes a certain amount of focus, too," she finally says carefully.

"Oh," Bellara says cheerfully, seemingly unperturbed by this realization. "Okay. Well... maybe not, then."

(A/N: Hee. <3 Also - can we please get Neve an ice pack or something? That bruise is really fucking holding on.)

"I still can't believe it," Bellara goes on, hooking her hands around one knee and looking at Neve admiringly. "I'm talking to *the* Neve Gallus."

"And that's sweet," Neve says ruefully, still looking a little uncomfortable, "but I don't need the flattery."

"Right," Bellara says earnestly. "Just a person. I'll try to remember."

Helena chuckles, and Neve looks up at once, clearly welcoming the distraction. "Rook!" she says brightly. "Here to join us?"

Helena grins. Neve isn't getting off that easily. "I'm glad to see you're making friends, Bellara," she says casually to the young elf.

"Oh, definitely!" Bellara gushes. "Neve's, well-- Neve! She's just been so kind."

Neve looks as if she's trying to decide whether to be amused or embarrassed. "It turns out Bellara knows my work," she murmurs wryly. "Or at least the parts that make the papers."

"It all sounds so exciting." Bellara's eyes brighten as she speaks. "The things you've done, the people you've helped!"

"Those are the ones that go well," Neve says with a shrug. "You don't hear about the rest. Everyone wants a scandal - or a happy ending."

Bellara giggles. "Or both! Like that time you told the marquis to--"

Neve winces. "Hold on--" she says hastily. "I don't think Rook's interested in that story."

A wide, shit-eating grin spreads across Helena's face at once. "Rook's a little interested," she says, mock-innocently, her eyes narrowing teasingly.

Neve sighs, chuckling. "Look. I'd love to - honest. But that story needs the right atmosphere. After dark over bad coffee - or expensive wine. Take your pick."

"Speaking of!" Bellara bursts out, veering abruptly onto this new conversational track. "What's the situation with cooking, exactly? Are we on a rotation, or what?" She rubs her jaw thoughtfully. "I can help out - I'm a pretty good cook. With some things at least. Well... most of the time. Sometimes I get distracted and things burn."

(A/N: I love her, your honor.

Interestingly, we have the three normal diplomatic-aggressive-humorous options here and then another one marked with a star symbol that's just "I have to go":

Unsure what the implications would be of selecting this, but anyway Helena still wants to chat, which is good because this conversation is very cute.)

Helena laughs, shaking her head. "There's no official rotation. Everyone just makes extra food when they get hungry." Lucanis has been in the kitchen more than the others, and not only because he has inexplicably decided to put his bunk there. But just as often, food seems to just... manifest, presumably delivered by the caretaker spirit. Helena frankly finds this a little unnerving, but it's hardly the strangest thing happening to her right now.

"Do you mostly cook Dalish foods?" Neve asks curiously. "I haven't had the chance to try many."

"Sometimes," Bellara answers. "Not a lot of options when you're out in the forest. But I've learned a lot of different cooking styles! Antivan, Rivaini-- I even learned how to make Tevinter khachapuri!"

Helena and Neve's eyebrows both shoot up simultaneously. "Wait. Real khachapuri?" Neve asks; all her mysterious panache (and embarrassment) has drifted away for the moment and she sounds legitimately excited. "The hollowed-out bread, three kinds of cheese? I *love* khachapuri." She shoots a look at Helena with a grin. "What about you, Rook? What are you craving?"

But there's a matching grin on Helena's face at the mention of khachapuri. She's lived in Minrathous her whole life - at least the part of it she can remember - and one of her fondest memories is of her first meeting being recruited by the Shadow Dragons, and sharing one of those bread bowls with her recruiter and talking about the city. "Cheese and bread were the only words I needed to hear," she says eagerly.

"You have *no* idea," says Neve.

(A/N: Yes I fucking do! I'm Tevene like you, Neve. Get it together, Bioware.)

Bellara nods a few times, her grin joining theirs. "It's good! With the right cheese," she says. "Which can be hard to find out in the forest."

"Well, we'll have to see what we can find you," says Neve. Then she raises a hand and adds thoughtfully, "You should have an assistant. Someone to make sure it doesn't burn. See if it tastes right. That sort of thing."

Bellara's eyes go very wide. "Neve Gallus? Helping me cook?"

Neve winces again. "Again... the flattery..."

"Right. Just a person," Bellara says firmly. "Got it."

Neve relaxes. "Great. Now... let's see what we can scrounge up."

[pinehutch]

Okay so my Thing about Dragon Age is this:

Ten years ago, I was in constant extreme pain as I worked my way towards a rheumatoid arthritis diagnosis. I had spent the previous year working 12-18 hour days most days, between an unsustainable volunteer job and my daytime career. Sometime that fall, I started noticing that my hands were locking into fists while I slept, and that the fatigue was never getting better, and that walking was really hard, more days than not.

I tried to work through it, that first awful year. I mostly did, too. I had weeks when I couldn't walk unassisted, and months where I was sick all the time because we were trying different meds. I called the rheumatologist in tears more than once, feeling hopeless and like a failure because I couldn't tolerate some of the easier drugs. And in between it all, I worked.

On the days that I couldn't work, and if my hands would let me, I played Dragon Age.

I'm stubborn, and I don't usually watch or read or play things that other people recommend until the time feels right. Spring 2014, I needed something that would be immersive enough that it could distract me from my body but that wouldn't require too much complex problem solving. I needed gaming, and some very trusted people had recommended Dragon Age to me before, so I started Origins in March and by July I had played through Origins and DA2 and all the DLC I could get. Inquisition came out that fall, and I was hooked.

(It also was one of the first ways that I learned to distinguish between healthy pain and warning sign pain: I learned to put the controller down before my hands would be so irritated I couldn't use them at all the next day.)

So there I was, having the worst year of my life (at that point), and I got to fill up my brain with lore and distractions and become a hobbyist expert in the historiography and folklore and religion and politics of something that was entirely made up. I could invest, mentally and emotionally, but I didn't have to fix anything real, including my own unfixable problem. I just had to learn, and to play.

Dragon Age brought me into video games for grown-ups, and it brought me back to fiction writing. The first short story I had written since high school was DA fic. I came back to writing poetry, the love of my life, a couple of years later.

My life doesn't look that different from the outside vs what it was 10 years ago. I'm working out whether or not I'm okay with that; making big changes in your life is hard when you're chronically ill and have adhd and you work a complicated job with a lot of responsibility, but that doesn't mean I shouldn't try. I had expected that my general weariness would stretch over into a kind of Dragon Apathy - that there would be news and I'd say 'oh, nice,' and then go back to work and the other little agonies.

Instead, I'm delighted? Surprised? Fond? Something I loved and that I needed during a really difficult time is here, again, while I'm anticipating another sea change. The thing that brought me some happiness, some wonder, and some escape can do it still, maybe.

Anyway. I collect my favourite DA stuff at @free-smarcher. I always roll a rogue on my first playthrough. (In real life I'm a giant brain on a giant, clumsy body; my fantasy is being able to go undetected.) I love Varric Tethras because he's a highly-accomplished fuckup with too many responsibilities and because he's bad at his personal life.

When Veilguard comes out I will almost certainly, at least once, play it until my hands seize.