#charge the dragon

[roocharfferarts]

my favorite guy!!

[revvethasmythh]

The way Veilguard approaches the concept of leadership is so interesting, actually. Because in previous installments, leadership is something that just happens to the main character. The Warden is volunteered for a leadership position by Alistair because he doesn't want it and also for the video game mechanic of "you are the main character." Hawke leads presumably out of sheer force of personality--how else could they hold all those disparate personalities together and actually get anything done? The Inquisitor is made leader due to the magical MacGuffin in their hand, but beyond naming what the Inquisition is for, little of their leadership technique is directly interrogated.

Rook essentially receives field command of the team after being Varric's second for half a year. The uncertainty of that is palpable. This is not someone who's meant to be in direct command, but finds themselves in that position anyway and the narrative is interrogating that. Thoroughly, even. Solas asking what their role here is, the way they have to mediate the group, multiple conversations about the actual mechanics of being a leader--it's very interesting, because previous protagonists unequivocally were leaders but this is the first time it really feels like I, as a player, have access to the levers that control what that leadership looks like. How someone tries to keep a crew functional and working together and make hard calls while trying to minimize the pain it will cause the rest of the team (and often failing at even that). It's a fledgling attempt at leadership in the worst possible moment and you can feel that. More than anything, it makes the Veilguard feel like an exploration of the work it actually takes to tie a crew like this together and make it possible for them to face world-ending odds, and I'm really enjoying the experience

[t0byinthesky]

Charged elemental Inspired by @KamabokoBun's art

[heblankhard]

[crossdressingdeath]

Varric: But being a leader isn't about having all the answers yourself: It's about knowing who does.

See, this is why I really don't understand those posts whining about how Rook isn't the coolest member of the Veilguard and everyone else has much more useful skills and whatnot. Rook may not necessarily be the fastest or strongest or smartest member of the team, but what they do have is the ability to make plans, improvise when those plans go wrong, inspire their allies, earn their trust and love, encourage them to work together and put aside their differences, and use each one of them to the fullest extent of their abilities to further the team's goals. A leader doesn't have to have all the answers or be the best fighter or have the most interesting and detailed backstory (hell, you really don't want that last point for the PC of an RPG), they have to be able to lead. The best fighter or cleverest trickster in the world is useless in a position of authority if they can't use that authority effectively without alienating their allies. And Rook ultimately is able to lead, probably better than anyone else on the team could, because that's where their skillset lies. People really need to get rid of this idea that the role of The Leader automatically goes to whoever's "coolest". It's not a reward, it's an incredibly demanding job that for best results has to go to whoever is best suited to carry it out. Rook doesn't have the flashiest skills, but they do have the skills required to lead well and win loyalty, and for the leader of a team like this that is infinitely more important.

[xylathesilkwing]

I think what bothers me about the live-action HTTYD movie as someone who was VIOLENTLY obsessed with it as a kid and considers it life changing is that a lot of the elements from the behind the scenes animations that happened to work just. Won’t hit as different.

Like wdym toothless’ eye being open as he’s tied down wasn’t intentional, and was actually a mistake in the animation?? What do you mean toothless’ hesitation before meeting Hiccup’s hand was actually an error? What do you mean artists researched air dynamics and how wings would react in wind just to make an accurate dragon model?? Stuff like that made the first movie so beautiful, and I have doubts the new one will hit the same. Nostalgia may be a factor in this of course, but because of how recent it will be little animated errors that made a movie unique and obviously human-made won’t be there and it makes me a little sad.

[coromoor]

solas trapped in the fade prison learning lavellan is leading the southern defence against the blight, solas loathing himself for being the cause of yet another piece of her suffering, solas terrified that she’ll be taken by the blight and his past regrets will snuff out the only bright hope left in his life

lavellan watching the lands she had travelled with solas by her side being blighted bit by bit as they retreat to skyhold, lavellan retreating through haven and watching with one last look back as the dark spawn take over the spot where they first kissed, lavellan going back to skyhold and seeing the ruined frescoes littering the floor without even the presence of the wolf to comfort her in her dreams

[greenqueenhightower]

The fact that Geeta Patel doesn’t know that F&B heavily implies that Elissa Farman took the eggs that would come to Daenerys’ hands and that Rhaena carries three eggs to the Vale, with one of them hatching to a dragon, thus leaving only two, and that GRRM made this decision purposefully, so that we know that Daenerys’ eggs don’t come from Rhaena, is disconcerting.

I’m starting to believe that the writers/producers/directors/showrunners have either never read Fire & Blood, or lack basic-level critical thinking skills.

[bawkrya]

when it comes to art/lore dragons, i really really genuinely need people to think of the gems that artists charge in the USD equivalent. like horrifically. because i need people to realize how little that artists on FR charge for their art.

1,000 gems is 10$ give or take, 2,000 gems is 20$-- that is LITERAL PENNIES for the type of effort that goes into the art dragons I'll see posted, and the fact that people STILL have the gall to complain about those prices-- especially DIRECTLY to the artist in @ pumpkin-bread's case --is fucking insane to me.

like I know perfectly well that it can be a pain in the ass to get gems on FR if you are not able to consistently grind, my primary source of gem income in game are commissions, but that does not give you the right to go up to artists and complain about the prices they list their stuff for. that's insanely entitled. any and all art that is sold is a LUXURY, especially in terms of flight rising, because you don't. NEED to buy a lore/art dragon in order to play the game. sure you can want one, but if its out of your price range, its out of your price range. Artists shouldnt have to change THEIR prices because YOU cant afford it

and of course im not saying that you can never buy art/lore dragons, but its like. acknowledge that they have put in skill and effort into their art, most of which have spent years to get to the point they're at now, and that YOU will have to save up in order to purchase from that artist.

and its like. i can Get thinking that something is expensive when you're not involved in those circles, but its like there's a pre-existing audience that has been buying these items for these amounts for a While now, on top of artists knowing their worth and building their name up from that. u kno. like i personally would never spend 30kg on a skin, But There's An Audience For That! there's demand for that! ill bitch about it personally but oh my god im not going to dm the artist like why is your shit so expensive. thats insane!!!! you dont know that person!!!!!!!!!! they dont know you!!!!!!!!!!!

its just. so insane to me i hope this is legible, and there's also things that could be said about how modern fanbases act in regards to artists in recent years, but that is a whole other tangent that is only barely related to FR because ~as far as i know~ the FR fanbase isnt so bad rn but like............... i fear its heading in that direction.

[elliott-forgott]

*choking back tears* I love the dragonhead island theme, you guys should listen to the dragonhead island theme on loop for 10 hours.

[thestarlightforge]

I hope Sara Hess and Ryan Condal sleep well knowing that despite whatever criticism or hate they may face, they left the sapphics Very happy 😌

[appleimp-7]

WELL. I am now the proud owner of the entire HEAD CHA LA doujinshi series n__n

Unfortunately the scans aren't very big, something around 1000x800, but they're all there! If anyone wants the scans, I'm willing to send the ZIP file for free tbqh just dm me

Update: DOWNLOAD HERE

Contains the .rars for the "full" version (HTML files for a webcomic format + the img files) and the more space efficient "lite" version that is just the img files. Enjoy!

[angelknives]

"It's unfair to compare Veilguard to BG3!"

Err, no it isn't? A game supposedly in the same genre, made by a studio with experience in that genre, produced around the same time. How is that unfair? I love BG3 but Larian isn't reinventing the wheel. It's building on what works in this genre and (gasps) improving on criticism it got on its previous games.

But sure, let's not compare DAV to BG3, how about we compare it to:

Disco Elysium

Divinity Original Sin 2

The Witcher 3

Pillars of Eternity 2

Elden Ring

While all different, they all contain elements Bioware gutted out of Dragon Age: The Veilguard (like a good snappy title), to reach a younger broader new audience. These titles didn't gut themselves and were highly successful on every metric. And they all came out between DAI and DAV, so Bioware could have learned from that.

Especially as they already tried to dumped down, simplified approach with Andromeda and most people weren't happy with that either.

Oh and I forget one important game DAV could have learned from:

Dragon Age: Inquisition

[crossdressingdeath]

The thing is at this point seeing people talking like Lucanis hates being a Crow and wants out is an easy way to learn that they do not in fact understand Lucanis as a character. There is nothing to suggest that Lucanis is unhappy as a Crow. "The training was torture and he resented Caterina for it for a long time" and "he doesn't like being a Crow" are not the same thing. "He's hesitant at the idea of being First Talon" and "he doesn't like being a Crow" are not the same thing. Lucanis likes being a Crow. Is it the path he would've chosen for himself if he hadn't been born into it? Maybe not (but "this isn't where they would've ended up if their life was different" applies to most of the characters in this series so it's not really valid evidence re the question of whether or not he's happy; if you're going to claim that Lucanis clearly hates being a Crow just because he didn't get a choice you'd better also be claiming that Alistair hates being a Warden, and I don't think I need to say that that's not the case). Does he wish the training had been easier to bear? Maybe so (and he's for sure going to be a reformer). I think people miss that while he does acknowledge the Crows' flaws—especially with de Riva, he really is much more willing to raise the subject with a fellow Crow—he never once expresses any dissatisfaction with being a Crow beyond him not being entirely comfortable with the idea of being named First Talon. I assure you he doesn't want to be Rook's house husband! He's gonna go back to the Crows post-game! That's what he wants! And people ignoring that because they can't handle the idea that he can like cooking and knitting and caring for the people he loves and also genuinely enjoy being a professional assassin is a real shame, because they're ignoring one of the most fascinating parts of his character.

[salemsbatz]

HOTD spoilers??

The greens being upset with aegon being king is so funny to me bc why are they all sitting there like who tf put this guy in charge like yall didn't bust yallz asses putting him there

[the-dragon-girl-27]

Flocking doodles!

Qianzhousaurus eating hot chip and lie

Yezoteuthis catching a baby mosasaur

Shastasaurus trying to break the shell of an ammonite

Ptychodus showing off it's weird ass teeth