#but for now i'll be enjoying dav again!

[drakonovisny]

now that i have played the entire game i wanted to share my biggest criticism...

ok, no i'll start with a positive. dav is really fun! i enjoyed both the gameplay and the narrative, i really feel like this game does have a heart

however, in my opinion, the writing is all over the place. it lacks depth in many aspects and the fast pacing hurts emotional moments that could've been a lot more impactful

in all fairness, after all of development hell it had to go through, i'm surprised we have a functional game with a coherent narrative at all!

but... i am left yearning for what could've been. especially after seeing some excerpts about project joplin from the artbook

[americankimchi]

dragon age veilguard review: spoilers for the entire game ahead

alright now that it's been a few days and i've had time to 1) get over the honeymoon phase and 2) really think on the game beyond the emotional high of the endgame mission/endgame choice, i can finally type this up

my final score for this game is 8/10, if you just care about that part and wanna skip the rest.

preface, i've only finished one playthrough as an elf mage grey warden, and played every companion/region quest*/side objective to completion**.

i played it on the underdog difficulty and it took me ~74 hours (i left the game open and went to do something else a few times, so it should probably read closer to ~70). this is a screenshot of the final auto-save after i beat the game

veeery long review under the cut ✌️

*exception being minrathous since i picked treviso instead, so the region quests got shafted

**didn't find all the chests or all the collectables, but i got close. also, i missed neve's first companion outing because i forgot to do it prior to the minrathous/treviso choice and didn't realize recruiting davrin was a cut-off point. aside from that i finished every quest i could grab my hands on.

OKAY SO i want to start this off by saying that i thoroughly enjoyed this game, enough to want to replay it again (i currently have two concurrent playthroughs as a dwarf shadow dragon and a human antivan crow going) and will probably be modding it to high heavens once that boat gets sailing, and that i believe it deserves that 8/10 score with all my heart. it was a great time.

that being said.

DIALOGUE REACTIVITY BASED OFF CHARACTER CREATION:

anyone who plays dragon age veilguard and only veilguard is getting a very surface level experience of what thedas is/has to offer culturally. i'm saying this because the excuse being "this is tevinter, why would it be the same as the southern half of thedas" isn't enough to explain a lot of gaping holes in the game's setting.

for instance, i played as an ELF MAGE GREY WARDEN in the middle of TEVINTER during a massive catastrophe brought about by the returned "ELVEN GODS"

having played all the games prior to dav, i did so because i knew that there would be

high tension with my PC being an elf in the notoriously cruel-to-elves country of tevinter, the old empire of which caused the fall of arlathan, and who enslaves elves to the point of it being a huge story beat for a previous companion (fenris)

a mage in a magocracy, where the script is flipped between mages and templars as compared to the south which recently went through years of a mage-templar war

a grey warden - their relevancy in thedas ended around 10 years ago due to corypheus basically tricking them all into hearing their calling, and 22 years prior veilguard during the fifth blight. at the beginning of the game, being a grey warden is more of a coincidental occupation than a narrative beat like it is in origins, but there's always something going on with the wardens so i picked it as a 'i'll pick this to experience the game first and then go for what i suspect is the best narratively relevant origin for my second playthrough' option

of the three descriptors, ELF/MAGE/GREY WARDEN, which do you think had the most story-relevant screen time?

that's right.

the grey warden one.

i won't say that there was nothing about being a mage, but i can remember probably on one hand where the option to chime in as a mage was relevant to what was being spoken about. (a conversation about spite, a conversation about scout harding's new abilities, and if there were more they weren't memorable enough for me to recall off the top of my head) which was fine on paper if you don't know anything about dragon age's entire deal wrt mages. i believe the only real mention about tensions between mages and templars happened in minrathous when we met up with neve's templar friend rana. i think the line reads something like "oh templars are just here to make sure the magic doesn't go out of hand. we don't even take lyrium like our southern counterparts" and then the game moves on to other things

which is crazy considering just how seriously the mage vs templar conflict was being leaned into for the previous three games, enough to the point where i was getting absolutely sick and tired of hearing about it. well the monkey's paw curls a finger because not only did i not hear about it, it felt like it never even happened.

TO BE FAIR: we're playing in tevinter (and antiva. and rivain. and the hossberg wetlands. and—well, you get the idea) and there's a general air of tevinter snooty superiority when they consider the 'south', so perhaps it wasn't fair for me to think "oh, they'd talk about it right? they'd bring it up more than once", but my being a mage seemed to just not even register for any characters in tevinter. not that i wanted them to roll out the red carpet or anything, but i can't remember a single moment where an NPC was like "oh right, you're a mage too". maybe they did, and i just don't remember it. but it didn't seem to matter at all.

but alright whatever, if we want to write that off as being "we're in tevinter. that has no bearing on circumstances here because it's a MAGOCRACY" fine i'll let it slide.

but the fact that my being an ELF didn't seem to be a Huge Deal when in tevinter threw me for a fucking loop. was there some sort of massive societal upheaval in the ten years between dragon age inquisition (dorian: i thought keeping slaves was fine as long as you treat them well) to veilguard (i found a single codex entry of a letter where dorian says "hey guys. we should stop keeping slaves. like genuinely what the fuck is wrong with us for even doing that in the first place") but the fact that NOBODY SEEMS TO BLINK AN EYE at my rook's elven heritage. ESPECIALLY since the main antagonists of this game are ALL ELVEN GODS seems like a wildly missed opportunity to introduce some tension. UNJUSTIFIED TENSION, but tension nonetheless.

the wardens had a lot of content, which both surprised and delighted me thoroughly. i'll never speak a word against them of course, and i did love how it showed that the wardens were here to do a job, and not play nice about it. the first warden was, in my humble opinion, one of the best characters in the entire game. annoying, gruff, called my rook warden basically the equivalent of a stupid rhino in a china shop not knowing what's best for the wardens/their oaths and impulsive in a way detrimental to everyone in his surroundings. literally one of my favorite lines happens when he and rook are beefing in the middle of the cobbled swan:

like. that was so satisfying.

the fact that the first warden isn't a villain, he's actually a fantastic grey warden. he'd sacrifice himself to kill an archdemon, and in fact "steals the glory" for himself. like was he an asshole during that exchange? yes, but it's undeniable that he was going to his death voluntarily and with a grim fervor. that's peak grey warden. nobody can say he'd ever shirk his duty. his character flaw was that he's a terrible leader, has the military tactics of a damp slice of toast, and generally doesn't inspire his subordinates to feel any sort of true loyalty to him. see here where my rook aggressively relieves him of duty and after a tense exchange where it seems like combat is about to start, evka saves the day by taking charge. and she does take charge pretty quick. nobody seems to really oppose the real quick promotion.

and then it's back to business as usual. archdemon trapping, anyone?

which was a problem i had with other factions in the game, namely the antivan crows. like yes, not every group is a monolith sharing the same ideals/morals/etc. but having played dragon age origins close to two decades prior where a massive point of contention was between zevran and the crows and the trauma that came from his upbringing as a crow... to then get thrown into treviso to see that the house we're dealing with is a bunch of leathery robin hoods was an unexpected turn. like. guys? weren't they villains? why are we all relatively good people (barring illario) here??? if anything, i thought that there'd be more politicking and backstabbing (literally and figuratively) but everything here seems kinda...... harmonious in comparison to whatever the fuck house arainai was doing. i might have missed a codex entry (i didn't read them all) explaining why the tonal shift happened, like maybe someone somewhere wrote about how house arainai imploded post-fifth blight when a crow went, well, rogue, and exposed the crows for the literal torture they put CHILDREN through, but nothing. like the game straight up lets an NPC whose name escapes me form a new house composed OF children at the end. like. what........ this isn't neverland, why are we forming the lost boys with knives here. hello??

on the other hand, i feel like the wardens had more options to expand on the fact that uh. yeah. grey wardens don't come from great backgrounds. like when you could conscript the mayor of d'meta's crossing much to everyone's displeasure, or the first warden actively being an obstacle to real progress (but not a villain! just extremely blind to the real dangers!), etc. etc. still not great in terms of "we employ literal murderers and criminals of every kind so we can toss them in the direction of darkspawn as a literal meat shield for thedas" but at least it's something.

but i digress. back to the point:

felt like the amount of dialogue options i had where i could bring up my warden expertise not only outstripped the mage/elf tags, but was so prevalent that sometimes it felt like the game was specifically catered to me being a grey warden. this is obviously just because i haven't played enough of the other origins to really feel out how much content they have in comparison, and it's partially just because of how obviously biased i am towards them as a group, but the FLAVOR of being a grey warden was present wherever i went. we'll see how well this opinion holds up after i finish my other two playthroughs.

THE COMBAT:

genuinely the best combat in the series. the fact that you can dodge-roll and more importantly PARRY in this game is an unexpected boon that i can't praise bioware enough for. the abilities themselves are smooth, the detonations provide a nice chunk of damage AND crowd control where you can just unload, and the damage types/weaknesses being a genuinely relevant part of the game to the point where if you have a lightning abilities/weapons equipped and you're facing down a hoard of antaam, you're going to have an extremely bad time*.

* on higher difficulties. i've heard on lower ones that it doesn't matter and you can just brute force your way through the game

i will say the "quick recovery" doesn't feel quick at all, even if i'm hitting the button for it frame-perfect, i can still get knocked down as the animation for quick recovery is going off, which was annoying. would've liked the i-frames to have saved me from getting turned into paste by the three ogres punching me down at the same time but alas.

also, they tend to target you even if you have a warrior (davrin/taash) on the team. unless you're actively casting taunt, they will run past your party members to hammer down on you. which was. annoying.

STILL I LOVED THE COMBAT, i went spellblade as a mage and my build was absolutely disgusting at the end. with a combination of fully stacked out duration+strike abilities, arcane bomb stacking abilities/weapons, and not even glancing at the other two trees for the majority of the game, i felt like i was a rogue that could conveniently cast chain lightning. it was crazy fun.

but also a steep learning curve. mythal took me 17 entire real life minutes to beat. LMAO.

i love that you don't need to restart the game if you want to play a different subclass, you can just refund your skill points and explore the game to your heart's content that way. not that i did, i picked one tree and stuck to it the entire game come hell or high water (or a lightning resistant high dragon 10 levels above me) and i had a blast with it.

THE STORY (THE EVANURIS, ROOK, & VARRIC):

hooooo boy. okay. this is going to be about the MAIN STORY ONLY, companion and region specific stuff will be in its own section later.

the writing for the main story was actually pretty enjoyable the further along in the game i got. every single main story mission was an incredibly cinematic experience; my favorite being the siege at weisshaupt mission—but only because it's kind of hard to quantify the endgame section as a 'mission' when it felt like an entire act on its own.

the amount of personality rook has was a breath of fresh air, and the voice acting for male british rook (alex jordan, who also coincidentally voices my favorite character in wuthering waves: jiyan♥) was SOOOO good. every line delivered felt like it matched the scene's energy/the personality i picked, so the flow of dialogue felt natural enough to be part of a tv show or movie.

although i do wish there was more option to be a little bit more of a bitch. a little rat bastard. not evil because i don't think dragon age would ever let you be evil in the way owlcat games lets you turn into a literal swarm of bugs consuming all (including companions) in its path, i thought there'd be a chance to be like. well. a little mean to people. i can be rude, but not mean. if that makes sense.

i do feel that rook was done a disservice by not having a hawke-like session 0 where we can see, precisely, why they're already so attached to varric and scout harding, but maybe that was left on the cutting room floor. i'm not a fan of tell don't show, so the game telling me "hey remember when you and varric did this thing that we're not going to actually show you" was pretty annoying. i wasn't expecting a dragon age origins-type prologue segment where i move through the world as a warden pre-veilguard, but i do wish we had like. a short cutscene flashback sequence or something to really immerse myself into the character. like let me put my shoes on before i start running the race!

still though rook felt really present in the story. like they slotted really nicely and smoothly into the leadership position which. i mean yeah who else, right? even though they did have plot armor in the sense that i didn't really understand (in-universe) why ghilan'nain and elgar'nan didn't just squish my rook into a pulp and scrape the dagger off the smear he became every time they came face to face... i suppose we wouldn't have a game, otherwise lolol

moving swiftly on, the boss fights felt appropriately built up to, and never did i feel like i was woefully unprepared for the task set up before me (although i must admit i was slightly taken aback by the three-headed hydra at weisshaupt. delightfully so, but it did stunlock me for a few seconds sjkhfj)

from the prologue -> endgame, i suspected something was off about varric once i realized "hey, how come nobody's talking to him anymore?" while the answer of "varric is actually a manifestation in rook's mind caused by solas trying to mold him into someone who could replace solas in the fade prison he crafted" was admittedly beyond the scope of what i came up with:

1. everyone in this game is a monumental asshole (funny, but disappointing narratively)

or

2. he died but bc he died next to the fade magic + we live in the fade now he's just a ghost only rook can see?? (true, but to the left)

i didn't really consider solas had a hand in it which is funny as hell considering. well. blood magic was mentioned at the very start of the game by solas himself

the reveal was very satisfying, and on my current playthroughs it's very entertaining to see everyone (especially solas, but my companions too) very carefully skirt the subject of varric's death by speaking about it in terms oblique enough that everyone in the know understands it as 'varric is fucking dead' vs. rook's manipulated memories understands it as 'varric is laid up in the infirmary'

the evanuris were very well designed, ghilan'nain being a creepy flesh centipede woman with tentacles and blight covering her head to toe was genuinely one of the most refreshing villain designs i've ever seen. elgar'nan was comparatively boring, but considering his whole deal is to be the elven god of tyranny having him just be a conventionally attractive man was a statement in and of itself.

their boss fights were standard, elgar'nan's being the easier of the two specifically because i wasn't trying to haul my ass through waves of darkspawn, but even ghilan'nain's wasn't that hard either considering all i really needed to to was burst some blight growths and could fully ignore the darkspawn if i wanted to. i had more trouble fighting the demon of desperation in minrathous than i did the story boss fights, but that was a trend for most games i feel. the side objectives containing the optional, harder fights and the mandatory quests softening the blow from the main story bosses so the player can get through them at a steady pace.

i do feel like the majority of the story was well written, but suffered greatly from pacing issues brought about by the format of the game itself. while there was a steady pressure brought about by the urgency needed to stop them from crafting the red lyrium dagger, the fact that i could just wander about the world picking up and completing side quests at my leisure before tackling the broader problem at hand did have me slightly confused about how long the game's time frame really was. i think it takes place over the course of a few months, or maybe a year total? if it was mentioned, it went straight over my head.

though i suppose that's a problem most RPGs have—the risk of allowing the player to have agency in picking what to do next means that. well sometimes they can spend hours trying to pick up every collectible while minrathous burns in the background.

though i did wish there was more dalish presence in a game focusing around the elven gods. like i know the veil jumpers are in the game as a faction but. they don't really feel dalish. they just feel like a bunch of archeologists who happen to be elves. a bit of a disappointment, there. also, they were constantly imperiled by something which really put a damper on the "we are also a competent group of people" vibe that i got from pretty much everyone else. the dalish aesthetic was just that, aesthetic. the veil jumpers being posted up in arlathan forest just seemed like they were there due to their occupation and not their heritage. bellara goes into it a little bit through her quest line, but i don't know. there wasn't that sense of unity and closed ranks the way it felt in da:o and da2. the less we speak of the dalish in da:i the better.

as for solas himself, i'm positive that the way you speak to him reflects his demeanor to you over the course of the game (i picked every aggressive/stoic option i possibly could, and the results i got were extremely entertaining; i have so many recorded videos of rook and solas duking it out but due to size constraints i haven't uploaded them anywhere ajkjdj) but at one point they went from "actively antagonistic" to "actively antagonistic but with begrudging respect"... on the side of solas. my rook was extremely honest about hating him every step of the way. extremely honest.

still, i loved how the game kept track of the progression of their relationship. the way every time a new talk with solas started i'd see a little "yeah last time you kept yelling at each other so we're keeping that energy" popup on the side of my screen. the way rook and solas could constantly. well i don't want to call it 'banter' because at every given point my rook would call him out on his bullshit and solas would strike back with a precise cut deep enough to bleed, watching them snipe at each other so aggressively vs. what i suspect is a much softer and more amicable conversation if you go the more diplomatic route was nice to see.

during endgame, since i completed every side objective (the solas's regrets chain of quests + the mythal encounter/fight) i had the option to:

deceive him by giving him a fake prop of his dagger

convince him to stop (unlockable by doing the aforementioned quest chain)

fuck it we ball; 1v1 me right now you bald bitch

obviously, i threw aside all other options and went for the 1v1. when i say i was HOWLING WITH LAUGHTER watching my rook go "I BEEN WAITING FOR THIS" and throw a haymaker to the face........... /wipes tear. it was beautiful. and then my rook STABBED HIM IN THE GUT, SEALING HIM INTO THE FADE FOREVER??? ten years i waited for this. ten YEARS. HALLELUJAH.

though it is very funny after all those years of seeing posts like "UMMM ACTUALLY THE VEIL SHOULD COME DOWN" and then the game is like "nah. that shit stayin up for a while" like kjHDJKLSHGFJK

anyways. i enjoyed stabbing him and watching him get yoinked into the fade. i'll do the merciful ending eventually but i had to do it to him at least once.👍

THE COMPANIONS:

though obviously i have a few characters who i enjoyed more than the others, i did like all of them!!

taash's questline was very good in terms of the cultural aspect (i can relate to feeling torn between two worlds) but the gender identity was somehow both heartwarming and. extremely awkward. it felt a little bit like watching an intro to gender studies 101 powerpoint presentation. like i suppose it was to explain the concept of being nonbinary to people who've never considered gender beyond what color cake to buy for a baby shower, but it did have me raising an eyebrow a few times. not in a bad way but in a very "this is obviously catered to people who don't know a thing about it, and i appreciate that bc it serves as a nice jumping off point for people to really get to know more, but it is a little clumsy in execution". i think my favorite scene for taash is when they're with neve in the dining room talking about how "nobody REALLY likes being a woman" and neve's just there like. oh. you sweet summer child. JKHDSKLAGHFGJ THAT WAS SO GOOD!! but i think the strongest part of their character arc was them trying to figure out who they are in relation to their cultural identity. especially the bit where they fought with their mom about it alllll the time. like where my second generation kids who don't really relate to their ethnic background at!!!!! RISE UP!!!!!!!!!!!!

the way i had to google if i was first or second gen. apparently it's "first to be natively born in a country = second gen" so i'm going with that

and the scene where they're screaming "TAMAAA" when shathann dies...... bro i teared up. i ain't ashamed about it. that was heartbreaking af.

still uh. it was kinda funny (read: eyebrow raising) that a character whose entire arc is coming to grips with multiculturalism and a break from the gender binary..... ends up being presented with a binary choice on whether or not to pursue their connections to their qunari heritage or their rivaini roots. like uh. guys. guys??? why do we have to pick??? aint the whole point of multiculturalism is that it's. uh. multicultural??? i suppose you could argue that it's the "oh you're just supporting taash into embracing a specific part of their culture, you're not really telling them to abandon the other!" but like. eh. EHHHHHHH. it didn't FEEL like that. esp. when it's presented as an either-or scenario.

THEIR PARTY BANTER WITH LUCANIS WAS THEEEE FUNNIEST SERIES OF LINES. i love those two together omg. and taash + scout harding!!! wagh!!!!

EDIT: i was gonna add a section abt the lords of fortune for taash's segment but forgot. which is very on brand bc they were forgettable at best and invisible at worst throughout the entire game. i don't want to say that they were irrelevant but like. uh. yeah. 💀💀

neve. neve neve neve. has hands down the absolute worst voice acting in the entire game. like i'm sorry to say that every single line was monotonous and genuinely lacking in any real connection to the words being said. i have to wonder if the voice actor for neve isn't used to working in a booth and more on camera, because truly with every line she spoke i became more and more disinterested with the conversation. the concept of a mage detective in the depths of minrathous rooting out corruption sounds so compelling, and it was, but unfortunately any deeper connection i could've forged with neve was hamstrung by the fact that i was bored to tears by the voice acting. even the conflict generated between my rook and neve due to him picking treviso (an obvious choice for a warden. they were going to blight the waterways) fell flat. because the lines were delivered flat. disappointing, considering how interesting the content of the game she features in is. like the sequence where i'm running through run-down ruins with NPCs tethered by their own blood jetting out of their bodies as they function as living speakerphones for a blood mage hell bent on revitalizing minrathous in her own twisted way. that's sick as hell. it WAS sick as hell. i loved every second of that. i just didn't love neve's voice acting. a shame, bc i was really excited about her pre-release. :(

scout harding's questline confused me not because of the content, but because it felt like this should've been a separate game entirely?? like why are we discussing the tranquilized titans and their horrific half-dead, half-dreaming state solely through the lens of a companion quest? why aren't we visiting orzammar or kal-sharok for more than 2 minutes and talking about the fact that the lyrium they've been mining for centuries is the blood of their ancestors?? like it's mentioned once or twice, but only during side-quests. like the solas's regrets quest chain or scout harding's companion quests. like isn't this a huge deal? why are we slotting this into a game about the elven gods?? the reveal that the evanuris essentially genocided the titans in order to craft their own bodies is a tale of horrific violence and violation and we........ just kinda. don't talk about it? after scout harding's quest is over? and the fugliest armor set known to man is unlocked? (toes. why does her armor have TOES.)

i did appreciate the fact that the game let us tell her that her anger was justified bc like. ngl if i learned all that and then the only option presented to me was to forgive the fuckers that did it i think i'd go crazy.

aside from that weirdness, scout harding is bestie. i love her. sorry that i KILLED HER OFF THOUGH!!! WHAT!!! okay unironically though i love that. i love that you can PERMANENTLY kill someone off. it adds depth. it adds STAKES. i wish more people would've died at the end. like bellara just being. fine? after being trapped in blight for who knows how long was baffling as hell. like she's not FINE but she's not dead. crazy stuff. how does being a warden sound bellara. u got a swift career change ahead of u. my rook's a warden tho he'll put in a good word for u dw

SPEAKING OF BELLARA. her questline was sad as hell but also like. how many times am i going to deal with cyrian bro like why couldn't we just knock his ass out. i know for the plot he has to keep going back to his evil masked ghost overlord anaris but like. eh.

his death scene was very sad though. bellara :((

CYRIAN UNMASKED LOWKEY....... KINDA FINE THO..... 👀

same as scout harding's i wish bellara's whole thing had more to do with the dalish. NOT THAT IT WASN'T I MEAN IT WAS ALL ABOUT BEING DALISH but it was more veil jumper than anything. man the veil jumpers were disappointing. just a faction built to fumble at any given chance. the only competent person is bellara and she's on the squad........... whole faction just fell apart without her 💀💀

bellara is my cutie pie bestie babygirl though <33 im so excited to romance her WAUGHHH even if i hate her hairstyle like girl what the hell is that on the back of your head!!!! they had to nerf her otherwise she'd be the Perfect Companion 😔💞

emmrich was sooo sweet. literally just an amiable old man on a journey to help his friends and students and his BONE SON!!!! SKELETON CHILD....... manfred my love......... unfortunately i did honor manfred's noble sacrifice and help emmrich into becoming a lich but like. that shit. feels like it should've been saved for post-game, somehow?? like in the veilguard equivalent of a trespasser or whatever. like what do you mean we just have an immortal lich companion just chillin. just vibin outta the necropolis. is that allowed?? are there other liches outside the necropolis???

???

the drip is immaculate though ngl. he easily clears everyone else's veilguard outfits <-she has only seen half of them due to only having the one finished playthrough

i didn't really use him much outside of his companion quests + fighting undead, so i don't know much about him with regards to party banter. sorry emmrich ;-;

davrin was. oh my goodness. have you ever seen a man so beautiful. the soulful brown eyes. the jawline strong enough to cut diamond. the EXPOSED CHEST. GOOD HEAVENS..... /SWOONS

literally the dreamiest dragon age companion ever like im sorry he clears literally everyone else ever made. and i say that even with zevran existing in the universe. (if silver fox zevran had at any point showed up in this game this opinion would swiftly change.)

i didn't romance him and i regret it bc i feel like there would've been something to the whole brothers in arms -> you and i are the only two people on this team who perfectly understand each other; you and i are dead men walking but we go to our blighted graves with grim smiles and clear eyes; should the calling come for one of us, it will end up claiming two, etc etc—unfortunately you recruit lucanis first and i didn't pivot 🫡

THE ONLY COMPLAINT I HAVE FOR DAVRIN: his entire arc focuses around assan. not JUST assan, like assan is the conduit through which davrin works through a lot of stuff, but it feels like. well i don't think there was a single scene where assan wasn't there. which makes sense because GRIFFONS. MY GOD. THEY'RE BACK. but also. i feel like if davrin had some space from assan in like a single mission/quest/etc. it would've been good. absence making the heart grow fonder and all. like i'd kill and die for assan but like 60% of the way through davrin's arc i was lowkey getting tired of it all being about our favorite bird son.

lucanis.... lucanis lucanis lucanis. he's the one my rook romanced and uh....... i'm gonna be honest. i wasn't really feeling like i was in a romance at all until the very end of the game. there's a line where lucanis was like "that's what i love about you" or whatever and i was like. huh? what? when was this established? i don't think we ever had a conversation or an event that would lead to this conclusion??? did i skip it? did i forget??? taps game is this thing on???

like i'm not saying the romance was BAD. (aside from some questionable animation choices. like why was lucanis standing so close to my rook like BACK UPPPPPP 😭😭)

all of the romance scenes were sweet and enjoyable and full of typical Bioware Cringe Romance Lines™ (affectionate) (honorary) but it did feel a little like. 80% of the game we had tepid to mildly reciprocal reactions to any of rook's flirtatious dialogue choices, and then when i got the choice to lock in the romance for lucanis it's like. OKAY HIT THE GAS, BUDDY! IT'S TIME TO FLOOR IT. 0->100 in an instant. i love a slowburn, but this was less of a slowburn and more me silently watching a mile long fuse burn up for like 60 hours until it thunderously explodes all at once.

unrelated but why does rook not have a bed in his room. why is it just a couch. they were suckin' n' fuckin' on an ancient elven la-z-boy in the fade. amazing stuff.

ASIDE FROM THE WEIRD PACING ISSUES I EXPERIENCED (hopefully it wasn't universal) THE ROMANCE WAS SWEET. 10/10 WOULD RECOMMEND

as for his personal character arc. why the hell did lucanis become first talon??? like speaking as someone who found out post-game that he straight up SAYS in his tevinter nights short story that he doesn't want to be first talon. at no point in the game did i think "yeah this guy is fit for and desires a position of authority" like um. viago is right there. i could see the argument if treviso was blighted (don't know if teia and viago survive that; i saved treviso in my playthrough) but like. VIAGO (AND TEIA!) ARE RIGHT THERE BRO...............

him not killing illario is whatever i can understand not wanting to have the blood of family on your hands. it's the becoming first talon that's crazy. although i suppose the whole filial duty to caterina angle........ but since when was the antivan crow org following the right of primogeniture??? WHATEVERRR

also. antivan crows?? are not a moral organization??? what happened between da:o --> veilguard. why are they all robin hoods. weren't they child slavers who mercilessly tortured them into becoming assassins. there's an argument for "oh that was just house arainai" but i was expecting more morally gray/amoral assassins for hire and less "TREVISO WILL BE FREE. DOWN WITH TYRANNY" like huh???? are we red jennies all of a sudden. are we shadow dragons. whats goin on here.

FINAL THOUGHTS:

wow that's a lot. girl has a phd in yaponomics fr. at the end of the day, veilguard is a good game. i mean, i'm playing again it right now on nightmare mode this time. (CALIVAN'S FIGHT.......... WHAT THE FUCK................ i didn't die to his little minions OR to his pride demon summon i kept dying to his fuckass sextuple cast magic missiles that get spammed constantly like BRO CAN YOU RELAX. CHILL BRO CHIIIIIILLLLLLLLLL IT'S NOT THAT SERIOUS!!!!!!!)

i think this game could easily make space for a few more DLC, something like trespasser or mass effect's citadel DLC. hopefully they do because the epilogue slides were PITIFUL. PALTRY. and dare i say? PATHETIC. the romance slide for lucanis and rook being a single line of dialogue that they split between them. i was gobsmacked.

dragon age i say this because i love you and i have loved you for so long and will love you forever: BRING BACK WORLDSTATES. PLEASE. I DON'T NEED A MASSIVE CALLBACK. I DON'T NEED CUTSCENES. I WOULD BE CONTENT WITH THROWAWAY DIALOGUE. WITH A CODEX ENTRY. A LETTER SENT IN-GAME. PLEASE. BRING BACK WORLDSTATES AUGHHHH

although i don't think it'll matter bc if i'm reading those hints right we're going across the sea in the next game to deal with the uh. what was it called? something storm?? that the qunari were running from or whatever???? so i dont think anything we did here in thedas matters. it'll be like me:a except. you know. dragon age.

WAIT. PAUSE. THIS GAME HAS A SECRET ENDING??? <-SHE JUST GOOGLED "DRAGON AGE STORM"

FOR FUCK'S SAKE. WELL THAT'S ON THE TO-DO LIST NEXT THEN.

anyways i love this game. 8/10 would get my ass beat by the demon of desperation and its 5 billion summoned minions again 👍

[noverturemusings]

So.... How are we about dav?

We are processing it for sure... Had to think about this ask for a bit.

I don't have the game and can't play it for a long while yet so I've just been receiving second-hand information, and watching my partner stream it (we're technically playing together since I'm picking the dialogue options with them...?) So I'm still trying to get as much as I can about it and then sitting with it.

I know some people have been having an absolute blast, while some have already told me they're disappointed and/or upset. I'm glad people are enjoying it and feel satisfied with the story, that's amazing. It's been a needed closure for sure after ten years. On my end, I'm personally a little underwhelmed.

Because look, I can see the creative direction, and I can see the messages and themes and all these beautiful narrative frameworks that the writers wanted to convey. I can see the story they wanted to tell, but the execution has suffered because the writing couldn't hold it up. Which is a shame because Dragon Age has always shone with its writing. It hasn't always been perfect but it's been solid. I've already been apprehensive and worried because of all the layoffs and turnovers, and I can definitely feel it in the final product.

I'm gonna ramble for a bit, I'll put it under a read more. Woe, spoilers ahead, including the ending!

Everything feels too clean, I'd say, which has been a common criticism for this game and I do agree with it. Dragon Age hasn't always been perfect with it, but it's still presented a lot of its conflicts in a morally grey light. It facilitated discussion (and discourse) about the characters' actions and motivations. But Veilguard's been very didactic about what you should feel. "This is bad, look how bad it is. We think this is bad. This is so bad. We don't condone this."

It feels like the game is backpedalling so hard out of fear that something will be presented "wrong" or that it will be problematic, and this ends up stripping the narrative and characters of their nuance to the point that it starts feeling generic and lifeless.

I've also noted the handholding in the dialogue but I've been told it eases up some later on in the game so there's that at least. I know it's to cater to new players, but at points you end up feeling like the game thinks you're a goldfish with short-term memory loss.

There's so much telling too in the dialogue. Off the top of my head, an example would be the point when you're first approaching D'Meta's Crossing and Bellara notes that this port used to be busy and so forth and it's always busy and then Neve remarks something isn't right. The dialogue feels clunky to me here. Yes, I can see that. The environment is already doing the storytelling. I can see crates and fresh produce and stacks of bags along the port. I can infer it used to be busy. You've set up this uneasy lighting and fog and desaturation so you feel something isn't right. Your environment is showing the story, so rely on it a bit more. There's no need to double down on it.

But again, this is just the first bit of the game, and maybe it gets better.

Then you have Mythal. Oh, Mythal. You are so interesting, so tragic, and so complex. But something about how her character was executed felt so... scattered? Something's nagging at me. Her character doesn't feel fully realised. I still have to get my thoughts in order about her, this is already getting too long lol.

I'm also baffled as to why the Inquisitor doesn't play a greater role. I honestly thought they would since this is a direct continuation of Inquisition. They're the reason Rook was even recruited by Varric in the first place.

Honestly, a lot of past choices just feel like they don't matter at all, which is also a shame because that's another charm to Dragon Age. You get to see this world that you've built over the course of the games, but that's just. Not here. I guess. Oh, and the Crows are good now, apparently? Did they go through a reform since Zevran's time or something...?

Look, I have a lot more thoughts on the game regarding other points, but maybe that's for another day. Can't reliably comment on the companions either as I haven't explored a lot of their stories yet.

Don't get me wrong, Veilguard has its strong points too. The environments are absolutely gorgeous and Ghilan'nain has a chokehold on me but that's just my love of body horror and female scientists who've thrown the book of ethics into the bin showing.

Also, FELASSAN. My boy!! I get to see and hear my favourite novel character at last! I'm so happy I got it right that he was a soldier. Got the rank wrong; he's a general, not a lieutenant, but close enough haha. His voice for sure surprised me but I loved it.

It's also so interesting to see the Dread Wolf side of Solas. He's not trying to hide anymore. Except, he still is. In Inquisition, the humble apostate was his armour. Now, it's the Wolf. It's a very fascinating intersection. The Solas we see now is running on fumes and desperation and has presumably been isolated for a decade (also, where the fuck are his agents??) and he's pulling out every trick he knows in the book just to get his goal done.

And the endings? Well, they're okay. I know some are happy with it, some not so. I'm lukewarm about them... I did enjoy the tension and I think 'satisfying' is a word I could use for it. But satisfying in the sense of "yeah okay, I'll take it". I can see the destination, and I can appreciate it, but the strength of the writing needed to get there didn't quite reach for me. Could've been way worse though (saw the alternate in the artbook for Veilguard), so small mercies with what we got.

A few parts shine for me still. I love Solas' body language in front of Mythal when she shows up. He looks so broken. It's so TELLING. That, for me, did so much more to convey their dynamic than the murals, I think. I also loved when Solas gets outwitted by Rook and he does that bitter chuckle and calls himself a fool. Delicious. Gareth David-Lloyd fucking killed it yet again with his voice acting in this game. I was also reminded a little of Loki's ending. Trickster god in a green realm and upholding the structure of the world anyone?

But yeah. Look, do I think Veilguard is a bad game? No, not at all. It's got its strengths and again, I can see the creative ambitions the writers wanted to get at, but it just wasn't fully realised. Likely due to all the complications during development. I think it's a good game if it's standing on its own. But as the fourth game in the franchise? It's mid for me...

Again, I'm genuinely happy for the people who are enjoying it and think it's delivered everything they've ever wanted. I'm also happy for the people who feel seen with the exploration of gender and identities in the game, and those whose headcanons have been confirmed. That's such a fantastic feeling. Definitely did a little dance myself at the whole "blight was sealed away" and "Solas was a spirit" confirmation, though those ones, I feel, were among the more obvious ones haha.

Let's be real though. We all know what the real best parts of the game are.

Assan and Manfred.

[nerdierholler]

4, 7 and 9 for the DA:V asks please :)

(I’m currently on my first DA:I playthrough, very excited about DA:V!!)

I hope you're enjoying your DAI run! Tell me about your Quizzie!

4. What does your worldstate look like going into DAV?

It seems like DAO and DA2 choices aren't going to be huge but I'll mention them.

DAO: Warden Ithlen Mahariel. Romances Alistair, sides with the mages in the tower, negotiates a truce with the werewolves, put Alistair on the thrown BUT then doesn't do the dark ritual so Alistair dies killing the archdemon and Anora now is Queen. Sadly this means no Morrigan in DAI :(

DA2: Female Hawke, she doesn't have a name. Rogue. Romances Fenris. Takes Bethany to the Deep Roads but not Anders so Bethany is dead. Oops. Eventually sides with the mages after trying to remain neutral most of the game. Isabella is still around, Varric is her bestie, she doesn't help Merrill with the eluvian, kills Anders because she feels like it's the best way to give him peace and be free of Justice.

DAI is hard because I have three Inquisitors that I'm really attached to. If I'm going purely canon compliant then I'll go with Enarin Lavellan. Rogue. Romances Iron Bull. I thought the Keep autofilled for DAI but apparently not so here is what I can remember. Friends with everyone, sided with Templars, Celene is on the throne, Wardens rebuild, Stroud is in the fade, Cassandra is Divine (?), dismantled the Inquisition.

7. Which character from the previous games or other media are you most hoping will make an appearance in DAV?

Like wow, so many! I would really like to see Dorian again especially with my Inquisitor that romanced him. Also would be happy to see Zevran again. I feel like a number of characters people want to meet again are dead or not available in my primary world state...

9. Which romance, if any, do you plan to pursue first?

Like I mentioned, I'm Emmrich curious. However, I started reading Tevinter Nights and now I'm interested in Lucanis too. Then again I really liked Harding in DAI. It's going to be a hard choice. Too many good options I suspect.

[iniziare]

DAV Spoilers. Or at least, my "general game opinions". I'll be vague in terms of the game's conclusion, so you don't have to worry about spoilers. Though unless you've finished most of the game (roughly halfway act 2, or just around part 10 in terms of Steam achievements), not all of this will make sense to you. But in short: I like it, I like it a lot.

First off, I need to be honest and say that I went into Veilguard as an absolute critic with the expectation that as a fan of the older games and their lore, I was going to rip into it. After all the news of the team crumbling, I simply lost all faith. But worst of all, I was going to do so while potentially not even playing the game. But in all of my rationality, I always say that one only ever has a right to judge something, after having given it enough of a fair chance. So that's what I did (and admittedly, I had some hype simmering in my heart to see the ending of a story that had become very dear to me), and I don't regret it. Dragon Age: Veilguard, in my opinion, is deserving of praise, and is unworthy of the bad reviews it's gotten. Alright, this is only part of my opinion— but it got a little ramble-y, so forgive me.

Rook. I thought that it was going to be impossible to get me hooked on another protagonist, especially in today's society where people seem to prefer a 'make your own' approach, as opposed to my personal preference of a pre-written character. For instance, I always had a clear preference for Hawke vs. the Warden and/or Inquisitor, but that's just me— I don't like 'creating' my character when I play, I simply want to be told an established story (AC Valhalla is an example of a massive dislike for me). But again, I'm aware that this comes down to preference. Now, I was afraid that Rook would be an even blanker canvas, but I was pleasantly surprised to learn differently. Rook is incredibly reminiscent to me of Hawke, without being a copy in whatsoever way. I'm delighted to have the sarcastic option back (and as many, I loved that it was reacted to by Solas), as it really adds some wonderful personality into the mix. To add to that, I love that it's Rook who is the 'comical relief' without being actually outright comical to a point where it's too much, which would then risk taking away from the weight of the story. Bioware chose a perfect balance here. Outside of that, I very much appreciate the backstory options. My first playthrough had me picking the Crows out of curiosity and as an ode to an old favorite's origins (hi, Zevran), and it was very fun. I enjoyed the consistent mentions and references of the tales of her past after I'd chosen them, and I find enjoyment knowing that even the small details change a bit, such as the verbal reactions to the ziplines. I also was very happy to see her interact well with Solas, because that was another big concern of mine, as I was very worried that there might have been a decision made to add in any sort of flirtations (despite knowing Weekes likely wouldn't go there, based on Solas' foundation). Rook and Solas' dynamic is one I very thoroughly enjoy in exactly the form it was presented in. Up until the very end of the story, she stayed consistent with my choices, and had me seated here with blurry emotional vision on occasion. And while those who know me know that I can get very emotional over details in games, it isn't actually that easy to get me there initially. But good job, Bioware, Rook is a worthy, and wonderful addition to your lineup of protagonists. Good job.

Solas. God, the consistency of his character in this and DAI has driven me wild to the extent of a rabid dog. It is so good, I'm wildly impressed. If there was ever a character that I could give up all of my other characters for, I genuinely think it would be Solas. He is incredible. I was thrilled to see the connection to Mythal more properly addressed, and while I know that there's many firm opinions out there on this dynamic (my own write-up will be incoming), it was made clear that their dynamic was always one of utmost fundamental importance, at least to Solas and his motivations. That's my big thing, Mythal's perspective aside, I think that it was imperative that we learned just why Mythal was such a 'final transgression' and catalyst for all of his actions (though don't worry, this isn't me taking away his accountability). And from a personal point of view, while Solas' origins were hinted at already in DAI, it was nice to see it confirmed that he, and the others, indeed originated as spirits. And in that, it is good to have learned how he became 'twisted' from his nature as a spirit of wisdom, to one of pride. I think that's fundamental to his character, and I also greatly enjoy the elaboration on some of Cole's lines in DAI about Solas, and who we now know for sure was Mythal: 'He did not want a body. But she asked him to come. He left a scar when he burned her off his face.' A lot of things hit vastly differently now, when you look back and you realize you have confirmed answers finally in the palm of your hand. I thoroughly questioned Mythal when I went for her essence, reloading multiple times as to ensure that I got as much lore as I could. And I hurt, especially since the end of the game. As I said, I won't spoil, but the ending has left me emotionally scarred in more ways than I could ever explain. That interaction, that emotional release was everything to me, and it was good to see it, even if I could barely see my screen anymore at one point. Weekes did Solas justice in so many ways, and while I initially had a little bit of a peeve at a decision in the game towards the end, my rationality had kicked in, and it was a logical decision. I'm happy, I think, if that's the right word that I can use for this. Also, seeing the scene from the trailer was so good, I screamed at my screen. I just, I'm in total and utter love with this man.

Dragon Keep/choices. Let me actually get to my point of criticism, but know I'm approaching this rationally, and not emotionally. I need Bioware to confirm their canon within these games, and if they officially want to let go of the 'decisions that we once made', then just say it and state it somewhere. Tell us what the decisions are. But that aside, I do want to play light devil's advocate, because I think that it's important. Since the revelation about Morrigan in specific, I've been caught in the push and pull of 'does this make sense for her character', and I think that it's so easy to say 'no, it doesn't' when thinking of DAO, but we're not coming from DAO. We're coming from DAI (after numerous years of development for multiple characters), where Morrigan had already shown a pressing interest in something that held a high risk of her getting possessed by Mythal just like her mother. Despite this, and despite her arc in DAO, she wants to drink from the Well of Sorrows. 'But there was no choice, for Corypheus was going to destroy Thedas', the Inquisitor was an option the entire time. No, what I actually am personally of the opinion of (although I'm waiting on my Morrigan expert to finish playing, for I am not an excessively thorough one yet), is that Morrigan was, and remained hell-bent on obtaining knowledge/power, it has been part of her arc for a long time, and even the threat of possession didn't dissuade her from the possibility of obtaining an unusual amount of it in an unparalleled rare form. That isn't, in my opinion, bad or lazy writing, that is consistent and shows a character flaw that I don't think is often addressed with 'protagonists' enough most of the time: greed. I want flaws that make it much more difficult for me to feel inclined to agree with those that call her the Indiana Jones of Thedas, for she is a brilliant character— but a character with flaws. Now do I think, since having watched the ending, that her presence was also a plot device for Mythal in one way or another? Possibly, but that's merely a side addition in my opinion. I just find it too easy to simply go 'it's bad writing', because while I could agree, it also means you then have to condemn Morrigan for the exact same reason back in DAI, which I don't think is something that's fair to do. An argument could be made that Veilguard has lost most of its original team of writers (including David Gaider himself) and so they took liberties, but that same argument can't be made for DAI. Gaider created this franchise, he had intentions for characters, and arcs, and he ultimately is the one who decided when something was good to go. And on top of that, he wrote and created an amazing franchise, and he earned my trust because he did that. And so I trust that the presence of Morrigan in DAI was logical, which I did think it was— it showed flaws that I craved to see outside of her arc in DAO. And I think having seen DAI, that Veilguard isn't unrealistic for her. And as to why this isn't a 'full possession' as it was with Flemeth, I think the key for that is realizing that she obtained it alongside that headpiece where Mythal was killed by Solas. Because what we also know, in that little scene— and it took me a rewatch of it, but Flemeth/Mythal left part of herself in that Eluvian at the beginning of the scene. I would bet that's what Morrigan possesses now, since Solas himself is the one who 'absorbed' the part of Mythal that had fully possessed Flemeth. Does this match with what Morrigan says? Not exactly, but I don't think that she's a reliable narrator.

[ohlawsons]

slow day at work so i might as well put together some veilguard Thoughts now that i'm hurtling towards end game on my second playthrough. anything spoilery will go under the cut

tl;dr it got me invested in dragon age again, which i wasn't sure would happen.

first off, i have largely really enjoyed playing. it's incredibly refreshing to play a game that feels complete (bear with me) -- yes, it's sparse in some places, but nothing so far has felt outright unfinished to me. the closest would be the lords of fortune (which. btw. what a fucking background to start with. the mourn watch has been 1000% better) but that feels more... tacked on later?

i personally have run into zero bugs. i know there have been a few, but none that i've heard of that are game or even quest breaking, which is a novel thing these days.

(i'm gonna preface this next bit by saying i think it's incredibly unhelpful to use bg3 as the Gold Standard to hold all rpgs up to for a variety of reasons, but i have 2 small comparisons to make)

this comes on the heels of playing through bg3 an embarrassing amount of times since launch, and not once have i been able to complete jaheira's entire questline in act 3, due to bugs. twice it's been bugged to the point that i'm unable to recruit either her or minsc. so to have an entire dav playthrough where the game runs entirely As Intended? amazing.

also, as much as i miss the depth of companion convos we expect in a dragon age game, one thing i really really missed while playing bg3 was the feeling of companions interacting. there's a bit of party banter, sure, but i've really missed having companions hang out at camp and little cutscenes where they interact and mini-plot lines between companions.

combat: it's fun, it's different, i'm kinda *wiggly non-committal hand gesture* about it so far. the changes to mage combat is amazing, but i'm playing a warrior this time around and not big on the changes. as much as i really miss having a party of four, i will begrudgingly admit it works better this way with the new combat

exploration: i think they really hit the nail on the head with this. it really feels like a fantastic middle ground between da2 and dai in terms of maps -- the more "enclosed" and less overwhelming da2 maps but without being. tiny.

plot: yeah, the pacing is a bit wonky, especially at the start. i really feel like i get what they were going for, but i don't know that they managed it all the time.

also, this is not the popular opinion and i'm aware, but i really don't hate the lack of imported choices. i think there's a couple that would've made a lot of sense (well of sorrows, inquisitor's class, if romanced!cass is divine, etc) but it's clearly set up as a soft reboot which just feels inevitable, tbh. there's so many choices and it's been 20+ years since the blight so some (not all) will lose importance.

i also don't hate the art style, tbh. i think it'll age better than an ultra-realistic style. also the hair? amazing. perfect. 10/10. so much of the character creation (and gameplay options in general tbh) feels like bioware actually listened to feedback over the last few bw games

on to the spoilers!

so let's talk about varric.

i'm. uh. torn. because when he was stabbed in the prologue, i said out loud to myself "i hate it but also, narratively, it just feels like the right time" and then he showed up at the lighthouse, and the twist at the end caught me completely off guard and i'd already built him up in my head as the only father figure nasrin has ever known. so. :(

playing back through knowing that he's dead has actually been really interesting. i still don't know how i feel about it or how i'll decide to write (around) it in fic, but it definitely comes across as a deliberate plot choice that they planned/wrote around and not something tacked on later. rook is the only one to look at him in cutscenes, his lines get cut off/talked over by companions, any reference to him is very carefully worded, everyone (rook included) only refers to him in past tense.

that said. the reveal that solas completely fucked with rook's mind/memories is not given enough weight narratively imo. i do really enjoy the juicy implications of varric being the one to help rook through their mind-regret-prison, but we're really just gonna skim over that thing about solas, huh bioware?

tbh i really enjoyed like. 99% of the end game sequence. it really feels like the tension gets ramped up on the island, then a nice bit of reprieve back at the lighthouse, only to be thrown right back into things. it's probably the closest a game has come to feeling like the denerim sequence in origins for me. my only minor gripes are 1) i wish it was a little less hand hold-y about who to choose for what in minrathous, let me accidentally get my friends killed bc i chose bad!! and 2) it's a bit odd that you choose who goes where, then a big cutscene plays and shows the outcome of everything. i really thought it would be more like me2, where the cutscenes are broken up by combat to sort of draw it out.

i like the companions. i like the factions. the lords of fortune was lacking for sure, but i LOVE playing as a mourn watcher and being weird coworkers with emmrich!! i actually love that his quests are like... comically spooky? i'm def looking forward to playing through as a warden next (grey wardens my beloved)

i do agree with the popular opinion that the game lacks bite. i love the fact that the companions actually feel like friends which we get bits of in the other games but in hindsight, inquisition companions feel more like work-friends than friend-friends for the most part. any disagreements between them (like taash and emmrich or lucanis and davrin) do feel sort of glossed over, but i don't think i hate it?

i can headcanon around the factions. doesn't mean i should have to. it's easy to say we don't see slavery/excessive classism in minrathous bc we're in the poor part of town. it's easy to say it's been two decades since zev started cleaning house so the crows are less shitty now. it's easy to say the lords are culturally-conscious bc look how things went the last time isabela stole an important cultural artifact. but it really does just feel like the game trying to toe the line and be full of Good, Non-Offensive Content.

the "choices" are odd to me. mostly bc there aren't many outside of the companions. and maybe that's intentional? but if that's the focus, why isn't there more of a reaction to which path you choose for the companions, instead of just "are they loyal y/n" during the end game

i want to also add that wrt taash, i do like their plot line. parts feel a bit Too Real (the codex entry about "mae says she's here to support me on my journey but i never asked for a journey"?????? just fuck me UP bioware) and yes, the Very Modern Language feels extremely out of place, but overall i did like it. maybe it's shitty writing to have everyone throwing around terms like nonbinary and agender, but i'm going to pretend it's an extremely deliberate choice to be crystal clear about what's going on. maybe it's a (political/social) statement. idk if that's the case but it makes it easier to get through.

last thing (bc this got incredibly long lmao) -- bioware what's going on with the romances? why the step back? why the awkward forced sex after one of the most traumatizing and emotional scenes in the entire game? why does it literally not feel like you're romancing lucanis until that moment? bellara's is really sweet, just... lacking in content, and i've watched emmrich's and neve's and they're better, and i've heard harding's is really good. i don't think we need straight up pixelated porn a la bg3 to have well written romances, but i literally walked away from my first playthrough with no idea why in the world lucanis is interested in nasrin. their chemistry is about 95% in my head or stolen from lucanis/neve banter (sidenote: why do they work SO well together and why is that the best written romance in the game and how long until there's a poly mod so i can romance them both with an equally Sexy And (professionally) Competent rook??) like. dai had blackwall dramatically profess his love while handcuffed and completely at the inquisitor's mercy and had the inquisitor heroically literally duel for josie's hand complete with a pick-up-and-spin-her-around kiss after!! veilguard barely let nasrin get any confirmation that lucanis actually liked them until they were forced into a sex scene.

anyway. i've had fun playing. i'll probably be writing fic eventually.

[kaija-rayne-author]

Review of Dragon Age Veilguard 6.1 in series.

39 hours in, 37 hours playtime.

Obligatory disclaimer, you can skip to the cut if you've read it.

Something came to my attention. I need to make it crystal clear that I utterly love the diversity in DAV. It's fantastic. I'm also a heavily left leaning, non-binary, queer as fuck reviewer, editor, and author.

I'm on media blackout while I play this, so I'm only getting second-hand info on how awful it is right now in the DA Fandom. Please be safe and take care of yourselves. Arguing with incels and white supremacists is completely pointless. They sea lion worse than an actual sea lion. Your mental health is important.

Though, every single time the anti-queer brigade comes out for a new DA game, I sit there thinking 'have you bozos ever played any DA game, like, ever?' My guess is nope.

Spoilers for Dragon Age Veilguard

Part 5.2 here.

I've played for a while today. I'm stuck in bed due to the embolism, and goddess do I need the escape from reality right now.

Met Inky again. The scars I gave her in CC didn't show up. Saw Solas again. Still doesn't look like himself.

I still really hate how everyone talks about him. Like he's evil for trying to keep the Evanuris from breaking free. And fix the world of the mess he made. Y'know, the veil that, according to the Lore, should be full of holes and strangling the magic and life out of THEDAS. But oooo, no, he's such a bad dude. And they all know the point of his ritual by now.

Guess the devs just wanted to hammer home the everyone hates Solas angle?

Sucks to be Sollavellan playing this game, let me tell you. It’s disappointing, irritating, or infuriating by turns if you actually understand Solas.

Have decided Neve is a bitch I don't want anything to do with. Wasn’t sure at first, but she’s arrogant, suspicious, and just unpleasant. No thanks.

Also, whoever wrote some of these conversations with characters you might end up in a Romance with needs to read some bloody Romance. Sheesh. I think it should almost be a requirement if you're going to write Romantic material that you should be a regular if not even an avid reader of it. It's known as the hardest genre to write for a reason.

Davrin is curt and dismissive, though his bond is higher than some. Amazing voice, a bit blocky for my taste but he's a tank so it works.

Emmrich is a darling. I love Taash, and game version of Lucanis is pretty cool. Haven't really settled on one, since there's no such thing as polyam in Dragon Age despite only 30% of the dating population being monogamous. Cowards.

I'd say I'll be glad when a polyam mod comes out, but unless this game gets better, I highly doubt I'll be playing it again. It’s probably taking me longer than it really needs to because I'm doing puzzles and searching for everything simply because I highly doubt I'll play it again. If I even end up finishing it.

FWIW? I've played DAO twice, DA2 once, and DAI 4x. Soooooo.

They made the memorial gardens in Nevarra so beautiful. I've always enjoyed cemeteries. They're usually so peaceful.

I don't even have all areas on the maps opened up yet, so there's probably a decent amount left.

It could be because I'm playing it pretty fast, but it's weird seeing the percentages of Steam players getting the achievements drop lower and lower. I think only 25% actually got the 'finished getting a team together' achievement. I've never been sure if that means people have quit or not.

Part 7 is here.

[sanyu-thewitch05]

Shower Time 🚿

Tw: kidnapping, masturbation, dubcon

"Wake up, Cherry. I need to know what your order is from Chick-fil-a," David says, rubbing my left thigh gently.

My eyes shoot open, and I lift my head.

"David, what the hell?! Why am I in your car?" I yell, looking at my surroundings. "And whose shirt is this?"

"It's mine, dear. I put it over you because I wasn't going to let anyone else see your cute little lingerie," David flirts, squeezing Cherie's thigh. "Anyway, I just wanted to wake you up and chat. I already know what you order from here."

David pulls up to the drive-through and gives his order. The worker squeals as she sees David.

"Oh my god, what is someone like you doing here?" The girl asks while tapping her iPad.

"I'm here to get food for my girlfriend," David answers, giving his signature smile.

Cherie slides down the seat and puts a hand over her face.

"Oh my god, Cherie! Cherie Jones! I can't believe you're dating someone like him. I'm proud of you, cus!" The worker says, waving to her cousin.

"Hi, Marie," Cherie groans, revealing her face.

"Oh, you two are family? Well, I will just say that I've been treating her well since the day I met her." David states, kissing the back of Cherie's hand. "By the way, how much will it cost?"

"$20.50. Please pull up to the next window, and hopefully, I'll see you at the next family event." Marie cheers, waving goodbye to David and her cousin.

"Your family seems to be a wonderful bunch," David compliments, kissing Cherie's cheek.

"Why did my black ass have to catch your attention?" Cherie grumbles, turning away from him and looking out the window.

"Hey! I'm not that bad! Besides, our date seems to be going well so far. Even Felicity is enjoying being in the car with me," David says, pulling up to the window to pay for his food and receive it. "Thank you, have a great day!"

David pulls away from Chick-fil-a and drives to his house, or what Cherie calls it, a mansion.

"David, do you even have a job besides posting thirst traps all day?" Cherie randomly asks, still looking out the window.

"I'm a model, a very good one, by the way. Being an influencer is just a hobby," David answers, turning right to turn into his driveway. "But, you could call me a nepo baby, considering my dad is the famous actor Archie Lovington."

"What?!" Cherie screams in shock.

"Yeah, I thought you knew. Though considering how you are, you probably don't follow many influencers. But, luckily for you, I have a surprise for you."

"Is it something sexual again?"

"No, though it could be if you want."

"Fuck you, David."

"Gladly."

David pulls into his driveway and unbuckles Cherei and Felicity. The minute Cherie is inside, he takes off her shirt. He leads her inside the bathroom and turns on the shower.

"Since you gladly asked for me to get fucked, I think this part of our date is doing some intimate activities. Besides, I looked up your calendar and saw today was wash day. Though, I stopped you from finishing it," David says, taking off the rest of his clothes. "I figured you could use a bit of help in the back."

"How many hair products do you have?" Cherie asks, looking at the giant collection of haircare products in the shower.

"Everything I thought you might like," David answers, backing Cherie's ass up onto his crotch. "Now then, keep close to me like this. I wouldn't want you to fall."

Cherie's body tenses and she grabs a shampoo bottle next to her. She puts some into her hands and gets the front part of her hair while David gets the back. Surprisingly, David is good at shampooing and washing the suds out of Cherie's hair.

"Cherry Babe, what conditioner do you want?" David asks, gently squeezing her ass to get her attention.

"The As I Am conditioner, please?" Cherie squeaks, surprised by his actions.

"Good choice!" David exclaims, slapping her ass. "Here, I'll do the work this time. Feel free to let your hands wander until we wash the conditioner out."

David takes Cherie's right hand and puts it on his tip.

"DAVID!" Cherie screams in shock.

"Sorry, Cherry. I love messing with you," David replies, kissing her neck. "Though I would appreciate it if I got a little reward for helping you out."

David holds her still and begins to thrust his dick between her thighs. He fondles Cherie’s tits, flicking and rubbing the nipple.

“Damn, a thigh job is better than any blow job I could’ve imagined from you!” David moans, speeding up the pace as his climax builds. “Honestly, it wouldn’t matter if I got you pregnant anyway. Our baby would grow up with everything she could want.”

“David, my career is-I can’t argue against that besides my financial independence,” Cherie says, grinding against David since that’s the only thing she can do.

“Great! I’ll make a reminder to breed you when you’re very fertile!” David cheers, cumming on Cherie’s folds as he climaxes, making his semen almost go into Cherie.

Cherie feels his hot cum on her vagina, and she screams. She turns around, slaps David, and runs out of the shower.

“Cherie, wait!” David says, grabbing her hand.

“David! Don’t cum that close to my vagina ever again! I don’t want to be pregnant right now!” Cherie yells, snatching her hand from David.

“Oh…I understand. I can wait until marriage to have a baby if you want?” David offers.

“That would be nice,” Cherie responds, walking closer to him. “Can you finish the rest of my hair?”

“Aww, of course, Cherry Babe,” David coos rubbing her wet head. “I’ll clean up the mess I made too.”

The two go back into the shower and get comfortable in each other's embrace.

“I shouldn’t like you, but somehow I do,” Cherie comments, looking up at David who has a shower head in his hands.

“I knew you’d fall for me!” David cheers, washing the rest of the conditioner out. “Here’s a little celebration reward.”

David takes the shower head and puts it under Cherie’s pussy, letting the water hit her vagina.

“David!” Cherie screams, feeling a little bit silly.

[theatrevelyan]

31 Days of Dragon Age

Day 1 - Introduce your Hero of Ferelden

So, I told you I was gonna do it and here we are!

This is gonna be long so if you're interested in reading me going off the rails over pixels, please follow me into the depths of madness after the cut!

Like many in the fandom, I have done multiple runs of the game, all with different origins and class combinations and different characters so I have a few HoF that grew on me but none like my main girl, Astra Cousland.

She wasn't my first run, not by a long shot, but she's still my favourite and my canon world state and whenever I play origins (which is never lately, damn you DAO not working on modern PCs!) I usually go back to her now.

I don't have a good pic of her, but I'll give you one from the eraly game and one of how she looks like in DAI's cc (I can't wait to make her again in DAV cc)

She's a kind-hearted but pragmatic warrior who has nerves and convinctions of steel. Think of a classic paladin basically, but one that is willing to compromise to get the job done. Of course she has lines she'd never cross, like slavery or blood magic but, hey, if they have to do a bit of a dark ritual to save the day without anyone dying, she'll do it.

I actually intended her to be a clear foil for Loghain. They both have a sharp mind and are willing to get their hands dirty for their people but, unlike Loghain, she's aware that that mindset can lead her astray and is afraid of becoming a new Howe or Loghain and tries her best to not fall in the pit of hatred and vengence, especially since she wants to bring justice to her dead family members.

She romanced Alistair, because of course she did, and they rule Ferelden together, him being the heart and her the head of the country. She takes her duty as a grey warden siriously of course, but she still feel like Ferelden comes first on her list of duties and while she doesn't enjoy the power and restriction of the crown she thinks they both ave the best interests of Ferelden at heart, rather than the power the throne grants like Anora does, that's why she decided that they would be a good choice for King and Queen. To be fair to Anora, she thinks she did a good job as Cailan's Queen but she doesn't trust her enough to let her keep all that power after what her dad did. Besides, she loves Alistair and she doesn't want to have to force him into a political marriage nor to have him carry all the burden on his own so she becomes his queen, both for Ferelden and for him.

She's good friends with all the rest of the party as well, especially Morrigan, surprisingly enough. She just has the charisma of a born leader and everyone tends to flock to her.

I have another million things to say about her, like how much she loves her mabari, Tempest, or how she hates sweets. How she's fierce and unyielding in battle yet soft and caring with family and friends. How she's so unlady-like for a high noble yet savy enough to know how to win over the Landsmeet.

Astra is my girl with a good heart and head that life has hardened in a firce warrior and I love her.

[cesium-sheep]

between birthday embargo and gift cards I have a bunch of allowance saved up and I want to spend it on nice things I can actually enjoy right now (and also spend my last gift card) but I also find comfort in having money but I also find it burdensome to have Just A Bit Extra? not enough to truly spend freely, but enough that I can't just keep wistfully sighing about the long list of things I've been putting off I've gotta actually decide what I'm gonna prioritize and execute on it. but then it runs out again and I go back to sighing.

my bad ankle still hurts from when my brother misjudged a remote toss over 2 weeks ago. normally it doesn't actually bother me any more than all my other joints anymore but it really hurt last night. the dav rep spotted holes in my file I never could have seen because I don't have the file. during the hearing everyone was all like "thanks for the opportunity to represent you, thanks for sharing your story, thanks for your service" and even in the car arin was like "I told this to a client and I'll tell it to you, you took that oath and that's not nothing" and it's like babygirl you've been va-pilled, until she started working there a year ago she did not think that way, she thought the same way I do. which is lmao I've seen the kind of trash you let in here and I'm not impressed, which makes it sound cheap and hollow to be thanked just for getting in at all.

I really hope they give me my fucking money. it's not like I'm gonna be able to get independent steady income anywhere else.

[duxvitrum]

i'm bored so might as well fill the entire thing out

What was the first Dragon Age game you played? Dragon Age: Origins in 2011, I didn't know shit, I didn't understand shit, but I LOVED IT. It was dark and grimy and waaayyy to hard for me at the time, and I've fucked up so many things I'm sure, but I mostly can't remember it.

Which Dragon Age game is your favorite so far? It's DA2. I've played through it at least seventeen times, with full playthroughs being like seven, six or seven. I have my Hawke's story down to every little minute detail and I absolutely adore the story and the companions and EVERYTHING. Sure, it has some flaws, but eh. I love it nonetheless.

Do you usually play as a warrior, mage, or rogue? Which class are you planning to try first this time around? Which subclass? Oh, mage, mage all the way. And yes, I do play blood mage Hawke (trailer canon!) but I never use the sacrifice spells because it feels wrong. Technically in my HCs she only started using blood magic after the events of Kirkwall, so eh. And my Inqui is a riftmage. My Warden is a dalish elf, so she's an assassin duelist - and I don't really know mage classes in DAO whoops.

What does your worldstate look like going into DAV? Uhhhhh I can't possibly state every single choice, but. Alistair is king, Kieran is his son. Hawke supported mages. Inquisitor drank from the well and promised to talk Solas out of his bad choices.

Do you typically use a preset character and name or spend hours in the character creator coming up with a custom one? I customized my elves, but I love the default Hawke so damn much she is as she is. I will customize my Rook though, that's for sure.

Do you have your Rook(s) planned out to any degree? If so, would you share some details or ideas you have? Not yet, to be honest, but I'm glad we have n/b options! Lately I've been loving non-binary protags (the remaster of Saints Row and Baldur's Gate 3 have blessed me with those options).

Which character from the previous games or other media are you most hoping will make an appearance in DAV? Dorian is a given, Fenris too. I hope for DAA cameos - like Miriam! And Qwydion!!

What faction are you most excited to learn more about? Veil Jumpers, most probably, although Shadow Dragons sound cool as fuck. Hell yeah, resistance!!

Which romance, if any, do you plan to pursue first? To be honest, as much as I love all the companions already, I'm not looking forward to any romances. I've joked about my love for elven boyfriends and Lucanis looks pretty sick, but so does Bellara. So, we'll see! Maybe I'll go the CBP route and pick an NPC who can't be romanced to headcanon our relationship lol.

Which location are you most excited/hoping to explore in-game? Minrathous looks SICK. I can't wait to run around this dark and gloomy magic city like DAMN. Also the nevarran Necropolis!!

What's one thing you'd really like to see in this next game? Not sure there is anything in particular, I'm just excited about the game itself. Unexpected cameos would be banger tho.

What's one thing you're hoping we DON'T see in this next game? Erasure of past historical events to smooth out the plot. Like. Please.

What's one thing you've seen confirmed so far that you're a fan of? The battles. I know people like strategy and tactics, but the flashy battles are amazing. Also mages can MOVE WHILE CASTING FINALLY.

What's one thing you've seen confirmed so far that you're NOT a fan of? Uhhh there was something, but it was so miniscule that I can't even remember it right now.

Do you have any unpopular opinions about DAV so far? Nope, not that I know of.

What's one crack theory you subscribe to (yours or someone else's)? That Solas sucks with his plans and we'll have him as an ally yet again lmao. Does that count?

Are you interested in all the lore and speculation or do you focus more on the games and stories themselves? I don't read books/comics myself, but I enjoy reading theories of people that do. I mostly am interested in the plot of the games.

Which aspect of fandom are you most looking forward to? (e.g. reading/writing fic, the bounty of gorgeous art, getting to know new people, etc.) NEW ARTWORK. I don't read much DA fanfiction, but ARTWORK.

Are you planning to replay any of the previous games, watch Dragon Age: Absolution, or read any of the books/comics/short stories, or are there other games you want to play in the meantime? I am currently replaying DA:I :)

Post a picture or gif that conveys your current level of excitement for Dragon Age: The Veilguard!

[barry-j-blupjeans]

For the song prompts - 17 and the Starblaster crew? (+ anyone else you wanna include)

17. “I swear to fucking God Chris, I’ll turn this fucking car around”

--

Davenport loved his family. He really did. Davenport would die for any of them. Though the whole thing with Lucretia had been... okay, well, Davenport still didn't know his feelings on that, but he knew what his feelings had once been and the fact remained the same: he would die for any of them, stupid bullshit plans aside. Did that mean he wanted to be near Lucretia? No. He really didn't. Did that mean- ugh. He was getting sidetracked.

Davenport loved his family, but he was really fucking regretting inviting them all on this cruise. His personal invitation had come in a gold-lined envelope, with a shimmery wax seal. The letter was from the captain of the Blade's Edge, a large, deluxe cruise ship that traveled through the Sea of Swords every two months. The cruise itself was about a week and he had been granted permission to bring along up to ten guests of his choice.

Really, he was used to getting offers like this. Once your name has been blasted into the heads of every single being in the planar system, it wasn't exactly unexpected to be invited literally everywhere. His name, which he already had mixed feelings about after what Luc- off-topic, off-topic, okay. His name being used as an attraction wasn't unusual at all. But Davenport rarely was home in time to answer these things anyway, and he had been wanting to catch up with everyone, sooooo.

"I swear to fucking God, Magnus, I will turn this ship around," Davenport said. Magnus was hanging from the railing of the ship, doing pull-ups for god knows what reason. If he had to take a guess, he would say it was because Lup told him he didn't have the balls to do it.

Lup herself had stopped watching, though Magnus hadn't seemed to have noticed yet. She had padded over to where Barry was laying under a canopy and Davenport honestly couldn't tell if Barry was blushing or if he was just really, really sunburned.

Davenport had passed Taako and Kravitz (who he had to invite, because how the hell was he supposed to get to know his future... crew member? In-law? His future grim reaper, who would presumably whisk him away into the land of the dead when it came time?) on his way over here, trying just about anything on the lunch menu.

Last he had seen Merle was at the waterslides, making very carefully unhooking Mookie from a child leash so he could go down a slide. Mavis was somewhere quiet, probably. Davenport did not envy him. He loved the kids but Mookie was very... well, he had Magnus-like energy and Davenport had his hands full with one Magnus already, thank you.

Lucretia was- well, Davenport didn't know where Lucretia was, but if he had to wager a guess, she'd probably be reading a travel guide somewhere or sunbathing. Or maybe both at once. Probably doing anything to avoid seeing the rest of them.

They should talk. But not right now and only if Magnus didn't give him a heart attack first.

"It's-" Magnus heaved himself up onto the railing again. A few people nearby, who seemed to be trying to hide the fact that they were looking (which was going very poorly) looked away. "It's not your ship, Cap."

"I will throw you off the side," Davenport said.

"Really?" Magnus said brightly. Bad threat, okay, time to backtrack.

"Not if you're gonna enjoy it!" Davenport said. "I'll, uh. I'll make you go read the travel guides with Lucretia."

"Oooh," Magnus said, wincing. "Low-blow, Dav."

"Just- just act like a normal guest," Davenport said. Magnus securely touched back down onto the desk, pouting. "That's all I'm asking. Just be normal."

"I'm so normal," Magnus said, stretching. He smelled like an entire gym. Davenport's nose wrinkled. Magnus must have noticed because he threw his hands into the air and said, "you try taking a shower when you have to wait for Taako to be done!"

"I did that for a hundred years-"

"But Taako didn't have a boyfriend, then."

"Point taken," Davenport said. "You could, uh, use the shower in my cabin? I- I guess?"

"Hmm," Magnus said, looking like he was actually considering it. "Yeah, I can do that. I will do that. And then we're gonna go get you a spot to relax. Not that you don't seem relaxed."

"I'm very relaxed," Davenport said, his heartrate about the same as it would be if the Hunger suddenly decided to attack again. "I love outings."

"Uh-huh," Magnus said. "I'll be right back. Don't move!"

He started jogging away. Davenport shouted to him,

"I'm gonna go sit down!"

"Don't move!" Magnus said. "Just give me like ten minutes!"

"I'm moving!"

"Fuck!"

[stuart4567]

Part 3 of you're my tabby bear

(Y/N's nightmare/dream you wake up and you're back in you're town you hear and see the screaming the bloodshed the pain seeing you're friends family and everyone being killed in the raid you try to close you're eyes and open them again but nothings happening

Then you hear you're mom and dad and you try to run to them but it was too late they was dead then you turn around and see you're older brother and you're sister lieing on the ground dead next to you

You then start to cry but then you hear the leader of the raiders saying burn down the town as they do that you hold you're family letting the flames get you)

Then you wake up from you're nightmare and you start to rub your eyes and get dressed Y/N: "those nightmares I keep having them since that day" he said remembering everything but then a knock was on his door and he opened to see abraham

Abraham: "good morning Y/N"

Y/N: "morning"

Abraham: "oh forgot to say after you finished you're job at the farm David wants to talk to you"

Y/N: "why"?

Abraham: "I don't know I have to do my stuff now so I be seeing you later" abraham said as he left the house doing his job

Hmm wonder what David wants to talk to me about maybe that stuff went down yesterday with tabitha and that guy or just random Y/N thinked in his mind

                  (Joseph's farm)

You arrive at Joseph's Farm and you see pretty much just shoveling pig shit and growing vegetables but you didn't really care

You see a man with a ponytail and was asking people to do things so i  then go over to him though it could of been Joseph

Y/N: "hi there" Joseph then turns over to you

Joseph: "you must be the new one working here"

Y/N: "yes I am wyman told me to be working on this farm"

Joseph: "well you seem like you can be a good farmer right today you're be growing and harvesting crops, and packs then after that you can go help the sheep" (BTW I don't actually no what farmers do so if this is all wrong my bad)

After you finished on harvesting the crops and giving the sheep hay and more stuff you take a minute to lean on the wall then out of nowhere Blake comes out

Blake: "wow who would though you would be working on a farm" Blake in a surprised voice

Y/N: "well is better then nothing and is pretty okay I always wanted to work on a farm"

Blake: "okay so how have you been doing so far"?

Y/N: "you should know"

Blake: "still having thoes nightmares"?

Y/N: "yes I keep hearing them suffer in pain and crying I sometimes wish I was with them" said Y/N looking down at the floor

Blake: "Y/N listen is not your fault that they died and you can't keep blaming and feeling sorry for yourself they would want you to move on try to remember the good times and who knows this place may be you're next family"

Y/N: "name one thing that this place has for me"

Blake: "that girl you saved yesterday"

Y/N then had a surprise reaction

Y/N: "t- Tabi- Tabitha what about her"?

Blake: "she seems to like you if you know what I mean" Blake said giving Y/N a wink

Y/N's heart was beating and was blushing really hard

Y/N: "i- I have no idea what you're talking about" Y/N said looking away

Blake: "Y/N I know you have a crush on her"

Y/N was about to say something as he heard Joseph saying his name

Joseph: "Y/N you're off for today"

Y/N: "no please don't fire me please"

Joseph then laughed a little

Joseph: "oh no no I meant was you can have the day off you did real good work today kid you deserve a break"

Y/N: "oh ok"

After you and Joseph talked you was looking around for David

Y/N: where are you dav-

Mary: booo

Y/N: ahhh

Mary scares you and you end up falling on the floor and Mary ends up laughing at you

Mary: it seems like you're scared of me Mary said still laughing

Y/N: that's not funny Mary you I got of gotten hurt or worst

Mary: oh you're no fun Mary said pouting

Y/N: Mary do you know where David is Abraham said he wanted to talk to me

Mary: yes I do he's back at my house with are sister tabitha come on

You get up from the floor and you follow Mary to her house then tabitha opens the door

Tabitha: Mary you're just in time for oh you didn't tell me he was coming tabitha looks at you and you look at her

Y/N: I'm here because David wanted to talk to me then I'll leave you to you're peace

You enter in the Milton's houes and see David

David: Y/N I'm glad to see you

Y/N: what's the meeting you wanted me here for

David: tabitha told me what happened yesterday and you helped her and between you and me that's the first time someone has helped her and she can't thank you enough for it so I wanted you to have dinner with us

Y/N: wait what David I Don't think I-

David: hush now insist

Y/N: thanks you said smiling

David: no problem friend now in the meantime you should get back to you're houes and get ready I'll come over and and get you when dinner is ready

As you was about to go tabitha comes to you

Tabitha: I just wanted to say thanks again for helping me yesterday that's the first time anyone has stepped up to that bully and helped me she said looking at you

Y/N: hold on how old are you?

Tabitha: I'm 22 David is 20 and Mary is 12 years old meaning I'm the eldest and Mary is the youngest what about you

Y/N: I'm 19 but look I have to go and get back home before dinner starts I enjoyed talking to tabitha I'll see you later

You say as you leave the house

(Tabithas mind: he enjoyed talking to me tabitha said smiling brightly)

Mary then walks in and sees tabitha smiling

Mary: does my sister have a crush on someone Mary says mischievously

Tabitha then starts to blush

Tabitha: go away

Mary: you guys would be adorable together

Mary then leaves

Tabitha then starts to think about Y/N should she be Y/Ns girlfriend