#and they had to drink hell

[a-dash-in-the-middle]

Should I make a sandwich if its a cocktail's made me crave it and not hunger made me crave it?

[fl00mie]

honestamente, no sé

to prevent confusions i'm giving credits of every fankid in order (starting with the tall one)

layden (fresh x ink fankid) by @/sugary-alienn dot (cross x ink fankid) by @/yo-honne abstract (reaper x ink fankid) by CATA-824 on wattpad gradient (error x ink fankid) by @/askcomboclub paper jam (error x ink fankid) by @/7goodangel palette (dream x ink fankid) by @/angeutblogo blueprint (swap x ink fankid) by @/pepper-mint aiden (zack x ink fankid) by ariscastleart

[lizzybeeee]

DATV Mini-Rant about the lack of Lyrium Potions in this Game

A small thing that immediately made my stomach drop when playing DATV was the fact that there are no lyrium potions.

I did an elective on game design in university and chose Origins as my game of choice for my final essay because I always loved how much the game incorporated the world/lore in its game mechanics! Call it pathetic or sad (I won't blame you lmao) but this series was the first video game that engaged me so deeply with its story-telling that I wanted to dissect it. That's why I'm focusing on the lack of magical cocaine in a fantasy game series.

Lyrium is a substance that serves as a game mechanic and a major lore/world-building element. It's use is essential if you play the game as a mage or have party members that are mages - it replenishes mana in game, its use is central to being a mage within the story (harrowing, rituals, etc...), and it's a major export/plot relevant resource that is important to the world at large.

So imagine my surprise when I boot up DATV for the first time and there's no lyrium potions as a mage character. My main interest in the game series was for its lore and story (RIP) so I didn't look too hard into developer interviews or videos about the combat itself - it would either be good or bad, but that wasn't my main draw to the game. I kept playing, wondering if I would ever unlock another slot for potions, perhaps, but then it was abundantly clear that it wasn't the case.

It's a small thing, but popping a lyrium potion mid-combat has the same effect that hearing people say 'Maker's breath' and 'Thank the Maker' does. It's this little bit of world-building that reminds me that I'm playing a Dragon Age game. It's not just a 'mana potion' or some other glowy blue magic vial...it's this substance that's important to the world and that has a reason to be there beyond rejuvenating my mage.

It's the major export of Orzammar -> the pillar of its economy.

It's the substance that allows waking mages to enter the Fade -> it allowed me to save Connor Guerrin with the aid of other mages.

It's the substance that the Chantry uses to leash it's templars through addiction -> an addiction I encouraged Cullen to overcome in DAI.

It's the substance used in the Rite of TRANQUILITY.

It's the substance that allows my warrior character to take on the templar specialization in each game -> Alistair and Ser both talk about lyrium and its relevance to training (in DA2 you just do it lmao)

It's the substance burned into Fenris's skin by Danarius.

It's the literal blood of the Titans -> lyrium veins are literal veins (such a cool design choice in DAI to make them look like blood capillaries!)

And all the time in DAO, DA2, and DAI my mage characters were downing this substance like there was no tomorrow.

Even though the combat changed in DA2 and DAI they still kept lyrium potions for mages. Even though they simplified herbalism from DAO in the next two games, they still required the player to interact with the world and find the ingredients for these potions. It was this gameplay mechanic that linked the player to the world -> I know that I need blood lotus to set shit on fire, elfroot for healing potions/lyrium potions, etc... It was cool game design, having game mechanics and lore interconnected like this.

(Not saying that picking up dozens of elfroots was fun or the best game design, btw -> but it's just an example of how they linked the world and game mechanics together, and I like the intent behind it! Cool design does not equal effective design lmao)

What do we get in DATV? No lyrium, whatsoever, just healing potions.

Potions we don't even have to work to find or get crafted! Just break some green shit and there it is! We don't pick up ingredients or discover unique flora to each of these Northern Areas for our own use. We don't loot potions or ingredients from corpses, sacks, boxes, chests (etc...) to replenish our own stock. A healing potion in this game is not a potion you craft, made from ingredients you found, it's a button I press on my controller. It's lost that immersive link - especially when your companions can toss another one at you while being effectively immortal in combat.

The only new flora we hear of is Broma's Bloom which I did like the lore behind! It's used in dye to colour the Warden's armour and its growth is a sign that the damage of the Blight is lessening. I love that! That's a cool bit of lore! Especially since it's named after Andraste's mother in a land that is supposed to be extremely religious. Geographically unique flora and fauna (biodiversity) is just as important as architectural design when designing an area - DAI did this amazingly well with the different creatures and plants we could run into in each area!

The first time we meaningfully talk about lyrium is when we go to Kal Sharok for the first time - a decent amount of game time since the beginning of the game, depending how fast you play. And then, when we get there, the lyrium looks like a bunch of crystals from a 'grow your own lyrium' kit. The absence of lyrium from the game world and mechanics is something that was very hard for me to overlook considering its importance to every previous entry. Especially since in this game we address the fucking Titan's and what the fuck happened to them.

Just...imagine playing a mage in Dragon Age and not using lyrium?

This game is a death of a thousand cuts - so many small, meaningful world-building elements and mechanics brushed off - before fucking godzilla comes along and nukes it all with the handling of the main story/lore.

[front-facing-pokemon]

[virsancte]

trouble in.. paradise?

you may not want to be here my friend.

[epickiya722]

They didn't just have decorations and party hats... THEY HAD FOOD AND DRINKS, TOO?!

[gutfaced]

by the way if you happen to think that haymitch, katniss and peeta are all found family you are sorely wrong and they do not have a familial relationship by any sense of the word. they do not have the care and love that family do, even if katniss “considers” haymitch as family in a way. he's not a replacement parent for them, he's simply an adult figure in which went the extra mile to ensure their safety. furthermore, a lot of the time peeta was an afterthought to him unless it had anything to do with katniss (you know. his star tribute.)

whether you like it or not, katniss and peeta bare importance for both the reason that haymitch is attached to them and wants them to live their lives (as their mentor,) but they're also his success story. those two ideas to exist. they don't have to play happy family when if they had died, they'd of been another 2 children to list off.

[mylittlestims]

Day 11 of heartnosehalloween: apple cider vs pumpkin spice lattes!

(X) (X) (X)

(X) (X) (X)

(X) (X) (X)

[acebytaemin]

no one’s ever actually wanted to like date me all i get are dudes looking to. Well idk what bc i don’t let them come in a 2 meter radius of me but you know what i mean. And it kinda sucks -___-

[july-19th-club]

neal 🤝 parker "oh for this con i absoLUTELY need a parachute im going to jump off this building after i steal the shit yes its necessary yes its the only way yes i want an excuse to use the parachute"

[carlyraejepsans]

i don't think I've ever enjoyed a birthday party with friends as much as today i am genuinely getting a bit teary eyed

[chains4w-gutzfuckk]

*ੈ✩‧₊what the flip dude, what the actual heck man, what is going on bro, woah dude, bro.... *ੈ✩‧₊

[sweetlullabyebye]

"parallels" (idk what words mean) between seo inwoo and seo moonjo

1. pretty red lighting

2. having rooftops meet-cute

3. shushing people

4. when bae (tries to) commits manslaughter <3

5. disturbing the peace/people in cars

6. probably wouldn't know personal space even if it hit him in the face

7. very happy person

8. tells a guy how much he cares about another dude before beating up the guy with a random item, as one does

9. asks someone out for drinks 😔 gets rejected 😔

10. always assume that he is there. he probably is.

11. they have their own creepy little music! (not sure if it's their theme song or smth but it shows up a lot around them)

[singeart]

Janeway trying coffee lemonade and going down a rabbit hole of strange beverages!

thank you @dianeames for the suggestion!

[venriliz]

why is the concept of showing empathy for drug/alcohol addicts so hard to understand for some ppl? v.v they suffer too sis, that problem has to come from somewhere and i bet most of them would rather not be addicted in the first place. some people don't know what nuance is i swear. am i crazy for having empathy with addicts??? i don't think so.

[ilkkawhat]

photos i took while high pt. 21