#da:o blogging

[lesbianclaptrap]

awakening anders is so insane i want to study him under a microscope

[antami-art-blog]

My Gray Warden from Dragon Age origins

I miss the Dragon Age series...

If you like my art please visit my blog :)

[jaggialliance]

my lil guy

[redjennies]

it's wild that Hiravias of all people is the only companion who is at least kinda, sorta capable of noticing Grieving Mother (outside of combat, obviously.) like it makes perfect sense for his character, but it's also got me spinning in my thoughts.

[galaxywhale]

I have an Aeducan warden now, her name is Malinda and she’s a baby and I love her

[salaisi]

just dropping few pictures after a while

[krshush]

I miss Zevran every goddamn day.

[baku-usagi]

I Get like genuinely sick with emotions when I think about how much I live dragon age origins.

This game was one of the best I've ever played. The game play, the story, the codex the characterss I just.

Every last bit was so so good.

I love inquisition but it feels like a ghoul, a pale sad imitation of something once so alive and wonderful.

It makes me feel so vile that other people don't know or haven't played or don't adore this game as much as I do.

Crying, puking, biting

[saltypeepo]

thinkin bout him.

[astarions-juice-box]

Getting into Dragon Age Origins for the first time and see what's up with this series

[lesbianclaptrap]

I take it by the presence of that troublesome hound of yours that the situation in the kitchen is handled? Nan’s head exploded and my hound ate the kitchen staff.

[thecryoftheseagulls]

And then, if you play a Brosca, there's the added layer of always having been told that you never belonged in Orzammar anyway, that the Stone had turned its back on you from the moment of your birth. Maybe that means you find a freedom on the surface that you've never known, where no one understands that the brand on your face marks you as other, and all they see is a dwarf. You could have had this -- fresh, strange air on your face; a whole bevy of new places to see and people to meet and experiences to have -- anytime, if only you'd been brave enough to step through Orzammar's stone doors years ago.

Or maybe being both surfacer and duster makes you twice-forsaken. You let Duncan take you up here. The Stone may have turned its back on you first, but you turned your back on it last. There is no going home again to a home that has never loved you back. All you can do is walk forward, letting the sun touch your skin, and wait for even the stone sense to leave you.

These days I kind of can't stop thinking about how much I enjoyed the possibility of being from Orzammar in Origins, specifically because just being who you are put so much of the early game in a wholly different context.

Like, a dwarf from Orzammar has, by definition, lived literally under a rock their whole lives!! They've never left the underground, and yes, while that also makes their ignorance of surface squabbles (the mage issue, the Ferelden/Orlais conflict, everything with the city elves and the Dalish, etc.) make a lot of sense, it also comes with so many interesting new angles that I'm honestly so surprised still that I've never really seen it mentioned very often, if at all. (Even though we even get an explicit moment to reflect on it, when leaving with Oghren.)

In Origins, the moment a dwarf first steps out through the gates of Orzammar and begins the game, is a profoundly life-altering experience. Dare I say, even more so than it is for an elf or a human. Because stepping out, for the first time, they are entering an entirely new world, and for the first time, in front of them is a vast expanse of nothing but air.

The end of the prologue, it's not just a fundamental personal change that awaits you, it's also a displacement so complete, that it's absolutely dizzying to even think about.

That first time a dwarf feels the sun on their skin, they are made sun-touched, a surfacer: stripped not only from caste and kin, of identity, but also faith and memory, any favor their ancestors may have still held for them, and any possibility of ever returning, as far as they know. (Aeducan may even have a bitter little chuckle over the irony of how they could very well have just one day before shrugged off the concerns of their surface brethren completely, only to be made one of them now.)

Their whole lives, they had always been able to see the opposite wall of the cave, or at least to know for sure that it's there, along with the miles and miles of unchanging, crystal-littered rock stretching protectively over their heads-- now all of that is gone. There's nothing between them, and the infinite and ever-changing blue, grey, orange, black of the open sky they've never seen, and in the distance, there's no wall-- just glorious, humongous mounds and spires of rock jutting up into the belly of the sky, the likes of which they've only ever seen from the inside.

Orzammar, despite no sunlight ever penetrating that far, is always lit bright, and it's heated by the lava streams and pools below. A dwarf has never known anything colder or warmer, brighter or darker, never seen seasons change... the biting winds and the frequent rains in Ferelden are completely new to them, not to mention the terrifying cracks of thunder that sound like the very Stone over them cracking in two, the bright flashes of lightning illuminating the night for but a moment, or waking in the middle of the night to what sounds like countless fingers pat-pat-patting the tarp of their tent, or the fact that animals -which are varied and plentiful and wholly alien- sometimes just randomly fall into the sky, like the rumors say! They might know academically that with birds, that just sort of tends to happen, but they've never seen one take off!!

Hell, all of surface flora and fauna are completely new to them-- it's likely they've only ever seen a tree or a dog in a picture book. Flowers, they've likely only ever seen as an expensive and frivolous luxury few can afford to have for a while, and even then, they are by necessity brought in removed from their roots, dead, wilting, taken from their natural place... while here, blooms just spring up underfoot willy-nilly, not entirely unlike mushrooms at the home which is not theirs anymore.

And... there must be something organic, something comfortingly animal to the scent of hundreds of warm bodies crammed into a sealed hole in the ground-- which is just gone now. The air is fresh, clean... empty, cold, lonely. No smell of spilled ale, piss, and vomit, no thick scent of the combined breaths and bodies of all their people... no scent of belonging, the air that moves their lungs now is no longer that which has moved those of all they've ever known, and every breath washes more, and more, and more of who they once were from inside their very body.

Being on the surface, it's like being thrust into an alien world, with which all just expects you to be intimately familiar. What do you mean the grass, the bugs, the birds, the leaves are strange? What do you mean you've never eaten leaves from this plant, fruit from this tree, the flesh of this creature you've only ever heard about? They laugh when you avert your eyes from the sky and try not to think about falling into it, or when you startle at the feeling of falling water suddenly hitting your skin, as if that was somehow funny, charming.

The night, which you've never before seen fall, is a comfort from all that endless, boundless seeing- but after the Joining, not even that is a relief.

Because if you're a dwarven Warden, all the dreams you've had in your life have been nightmares.

So you cope. You learn, and adapt, and endure.

Strong and immutable, like the Stone from which you were rent.

[aylaaescar]

For the meme: 33 and 46 for Sidane/Morrigan, 28 and 48 for Migdalia/Ashley

thank you!! 🖤 placing under a cut since this got long

Sidane/Morrigan

33. How do they flirt? Who’s the worse flirt?

I think this one probably depends on personal tastes, haha. Sidane has always been a charmer and a flirt, and had several short-lived relationships and flings when they were in the Circle, so they definitely know how to flirt and charm. Morrigan's none too shabby herself, though? they're both coy, while Morrigan tends to cut to the chase after a bit whereas Sidane enjoys drawing out flirting and laying down the charm. if that makes any sense at all, haha.

46. Do they consider their relationship casual or serious? Is the answer different depending on who you ask? Why?

those two were so in denial of their relationship turning serious, even when it was apparent to everybody else that there was more going on between them than sex lol. they're both scared of love, so it takes almost the entirety of the Blight to get them to admit they have feelings for each other. I'm pretty sure if you asked either of them, the answer would be the same - it's just casual sex, nothing more to it than that.

Sidane was the one to come to terms with it and accept that they were in love first, roughly around when Morrigan told them about what she found in the grimoire. the idea of Morrigan dying or getting hurt horrified them, and the situation kind of forced Sidane to finally accept what they were feeling emotionally.

Migdalia/Ashley

28. Who’s the better chef? Do they cook for the other?

definitely not Meg, who came from the streets and then enlisted in the military at 18. she can do some simple stuff, like making sandwiches, but anything beyond that she just doesn't have the experience with. Ashley, on the other hand, I could see her cooking with her family growing up and being pretty decent in the kitchen! I imagine them cooking for each other isn't really an option until the war's over (military rations and all), but when they are able to be more domestic, they prefer to cook together. it's one of the little things that Meg didn't have a family to do with when she was growing up, and both she and Ashley want to make up for those lost experiences together.

48. Do they talk about their future together? Why or why not?

in the time frame of ME1, I don't think they would have? Meg was trying to deny her feelings for Ashley to herself up until Virmire - she's strict with following the rules and fraternization so breaks the rules. they were starting to discuss things with each other after Saren's death and decide what they wanted to do, since they value both each other and their careers, but well. the Collectors made this one a bit of a moot point.

they don't talk about it often in the frame of ME3, because everything is so uncertain and there's no guarantee that they'll even make it out alive. but they do sometimes, late at night. quietly talking about the things they want to do together and the places they want to see - when they make it out alive, in those conversations, because there's so much gloom surrounding them already. it's nice to have those moments where they can talk about their future together like it's a guaranteed thing, before the morning comes and reality's back.

[interplanet--janet]

my gaming tag here on tumblr goes all the way back to my senior year of high school (for reference that was about 8 years ago) and wow was i cringe and free. and really terrible at video games

[rpgchoices]

A thousand thanks to @lairofsentinel and @alcassin to help me complete these lists!

I am finally putting all the games I know with same sex/queer romances. Mainly, I am focusing on non-dating games, so games that are about a specific plot, adventures, other non-romantic events but that do have romance options in them.

Recommended: Are all games that I played personally and that have full romance. Informational: Games I know have romance, but I have not played personally or I could not confirm there was enough romantic content, or games where the romantic content is minimal (ex. Fable)

The lists are divided (linked) in:

RPGS (ex. BG3, DA:O, DO2 etc.), in total 39 games are currently added in this list

Visual novels that do not focus around dating (ex. Solstice, Loren etc.) but that still have romantic options/romantic storylines, currently 10 games in the list

Life simulators or walking simulators (ex. Stardew Valley), currently 7 games in the list

Others, currently 7 games in the list. Others are all games that did not end up in the above categories (ex. hack and slash games like Hades, puzzle games like Newfound courage)

There is also a category for dating sim visual novels. Here I will only add games I played and enjoyed given that it is usually pretty easy to find queer visual novels.

If there is a "what to expect" summary from this blog (a lot written by lairofsentinel!!) I also linked that!

[felassan]

this post is just some thoughts on/speculation re: the recent news (the new blog post and the IGN article etc). under a cut for length.

I’m so excited for the official first look at the gameplay!! (ofc) and psyched that it’s happening in early summer as opposed to late summer like August or thereabouts. it feels surreal in a good way that it’s now basically ‘DA:TV Eve’ :D With 15+ minutes of gameplay from the start of the game, we could gain a lot of new information and context such as who the PC is, where the story kicks off and the premise/framing of the story, who the starting companions are, etc.

it surprised me that the name of the game changed, but I like the new title, I think it’s cool and unusual and from dev comments it's not something they decided on a whim or anything. a title change makes sense in the light that Solas isn’t the only focus of the game or the only player on the board – that he’s a key player, but not the heart of it, and the companions are who is being centered. in any event the feel of a title to like say and stuff for me doesn’t affect gameplay or what it’s like interacting with characters etc. I would play this game if it was called Dragon Age: The Quantum Blorbening anyway.

‘The Veilguard’ is the name of our crew of companions, as in a group or faction. (It reminds me of “the Kingsguard”.) Obviously we can see from the name that this group will be involved in protecting and defending the barrier between the Fade and the waking world in some manner. I wonder, will it be a group we form, or a group we join/are recruited into? They must be a fairly recent addition to Thedas. What’s their relation to the Veil Jumpers, if any? Does the existence of the Veilguard imply that the theories that the game will begin with the Veil torn down already aren’t the case? Will the Veilguard always want to protect the Veil during the story, or will there come a point when they re-evaluate that idea? It sounds like they’re always able to take down the new evil threat, but will they always be able (or always want to) to prevent the Veil from being destroyed? also, in-world, who named them The Veilguard?

Maybe our PC’s own ‘title’ (Warden, Hero, Inquisitor, Herald of Andraste, kinda thing) will be Veil Guardian or Guardian of the Veil or something like that..? we obviously won’t be the only veil guard, but while the DA:O PC was ‘the Hero of Ferelden’, in-game they often were referred to in passing simply as Grey Warden or The Warden, despite there being another Warden present (Alistair). When the devs have been talking about The Avengers, I think about that and also get Guardians of the Galaxy kinda vibes. With Varric and Harding’s storyline in DA: The Missing, I wonder if he will be like the Nick Fury (he kind of brought the Avengers together and coordinated them right? Or at least recruited them all, put the team together?), with Harding joining the team itself..? Avengers assemble, form Voltron, etc. with stuff like “you’ll unite this team of unforgettable heroes”, it sounds like the PC (as in previous games) will end up leading the group in some manner, even if they are new to the squad. That reminds me of the HoF. ^^

Somewhere out there in the multiverse, on a different plane, DA4 came out and it was a multiplayer game. it’s good to hear about refocusing on creating a singleplayer game with a focus on characters, choices & decisions, worldbuilding, companionship with characters with their own deep storylines that intersect with the main plot etc, with the customizable hero and the cast of their companions at the center of an SP story. and no online team members, no live service etc.

The world of Thedas itself is still my favorite ‘character’ :D

Warden, Hawke, Inquisitor mention. 🥺

I don’t mind one way or the other about most gameplay specifics. Some of the aspects of combat gameplay (of course, I’m just guessing based on reading some lines in an article atm), like the pausing the action and the ability wheel to give orders, sound like ME: Andromeda gameplay, and Andromeda had good gameplay/combat gameplay that was fun and fluid to play.

One thing I am 😔 about tho is the change of party size from 3 companions to 2. I love Mass Effect and it’s a 3-person squad in that series too (and it works well ofc both in terms of gameplay and dynamics), but I’ll still miss having 3 companions with me in DA :< esp in a game with such a focus on the characters/companions. What can I say, I’m just a blorbo hoarder. I’ll also miss all party members being directly controllable.

I wonder if the 7 companions (seven is a lucky number ^^) will have a class split like 2 warrior/2 rogue/2 mages+1 ‘unique/special’ companion (e.g. Dog, Shale – maybe the flaming head Skellington?) or +1‘extra/secret’ companion or something (e.g. Loghain).

Also, speculatively, being that we’ve never had a qunari woman as a companion before, I hope one is a qunari woman, and since we’ve never had a dwarf woman as a companion before in a ‘main’ game (ily sigrun), I hope one will be a dwarf woman. That also makes me curious about the race and gender split of the 7. Maybe it’s like 2 humans/2 elves/1 qunari/1 dwarf/1 ‘unique or special’ (e.g. Shale)..? Maybe it’s like 3 men/3 women/1 nonbinary person, or the first 6 are a mix of men, women and nonbinary people, and the seventh is something like Dog or a spirit or something?

There were 6 companions in ME1. In DAII, there were 8 in the base game (Seb was DLC), but Bethany/Carver were only around for part of the game. today one of the main things people love most about DAII is its cast of companions. ^^ also, with the way the devs talk about the companions, it's giving "Found Family" trope vibes. that's another thing that people love a lot about DAII. ^^

will it just be the 7 of us, like the crew in DA2? Will it be like in DA:I, where the organization (Inquisition/Veilguard in this case) has main figures/an inner circle, but also commands other people? Or will it be like Mass Effect, where you have a crew which is comprised of companions (in this case 7) who join you on the field as well as a few other developed characters that hang out at ‘home base’? on the number paring down from 9 to 7, I’d rather quality and depth over quantity. In ME2, Kasumi and Zaeed (as DLC) didn’t have proper conversations on the ship. I wonder if “pare down” refers to it being versus the number of companions we had in DA:I, or whether at some point in development of DA:TV there used to be more than 7 companions and some were cut.

each of the 7 companions is from/represents a different faction. For example, while not stated to be a companion in the trailer he was revealed in, it's common speculation that he is, and Davrin is a Grey Warden. Going by the 4 factions Varric and Harding deal with in The Missing, surely 4 of these companion backstory factions in DA:TV are the Grey Wardens, the Antivan Crows, the Veil Jumpers and the Shadow Dragons. And the other 3..? the Lords of Fortune are a new addition to the lore that have also been prominent in recent material. A Grey Warden, an Antivan Crow, and a Veil Jumper walk into a bar.. : ) the composition of The Veilguard is reminding me of Duncan’s words about the Grey Wardens: “Men and women from every race, warriors and mages, barbarians and kings.”

---

some more wild speculation on the 7 factions.

1. Davrin - the Grey Wardens

2. Bellara - ??

3. Harding - Inquisition/Inquisition remnants (I do not think Varric is a companion)

then, based on prominence in previous promo material and The Missing etc -

4. A Lord of Fortune

5. A Veil Jumper (STRIFE PLS!!!)

6. An Antivan Crow

7. A Shadow Dragon

??

or… this prev concept art (bearing in mind it might represent nothing at all except ‘general mood’ & no specific actual characters, or be from a different version of the game before a reboot or before cuts etc, who knows) shows 8 characters. could it be the 7 companions and the Player Character? Skellington Guy (green flaming skull guy) could easily be the (speculative!!) ‘unique/special 7th one’, assuming a 2/2/2 warrior-rogue-mage classbreak down among the other 6 (which is speculation only too ofc). lmk what you think : )

I’m nervous about upsetting or getting the new companions killed already HH.

It’s nice to read how strongly they feel about the new characters and their stories.  

I’m so excited to explore all the regions and varied biomes.

I’m still not clear/sure on whether “you can romance the companions you want” means all 7 companions are bi/pan+, or that there are no non-romanceable companions among the 7 (like no Stens or Varrics), or whether it was more like a general off-hand comment that can’t be read into that much.

I wonder if the Varric-narrated in-game cinematic from 1 year ago plays at the start of the game? Or after we meet Varric?

here is a link to a ramble/speculation about the new logo/icon.

All of Thedas is at risk from a big, scary new threat. As we know, Solas was never the only being interested in the Veil and its removal or destruction. (you can also outline lots of reasons why it should be brought down, like the way the world used to be, elven immortality, the effect on mages/magic etc). it’s also long been theorized that Solas isn’t the main threat/main antagonist in DA4, and maybe more like the Dragon to someone/something else, or a figure like Loghain in DA:O, who you can kill or convince to join you in your fight against the real overarching threat, in that case the Blight. Corypheus broke the Veil in the Red Lyrium future. Demons always want to cross it. the Evanuris are trapped in some way that involves the Veil being in place. Flemythal can never achieve true vengeance while her killers are sleeping or imprisoned somewhere she can’t reach. The Bio25 book says that “The Evil Gods have Thedas in their sights” and that “shadows of the past stir”. It also says that the “Deep Roads teem with evils both new and old”. There are theories about a double Blight. The most recent trailer has someone gushing “Glory to the Risen Gods. They’ve come to deliver this world”. Tevinter Nights hints at fck-knows-what – places and beings, “past the Veil of our world, neither demon nor spirit”, things with chthonic kinda vibes. Etc. a threat being “unleashed” has the implication of someone let something go.. or someone.. let something in... there are also other groups and beings to consider, like the Old Gods, the Forgotten Ones, the Executors.

I thought this phrasing from the IGN article was interesting, though it's not a direct quote from Gary. “Solas, who helped create the Veil, now wants to destroy it.” Helped create? Until now it was more like “Solas created the Veil”. Helped who..? 👁️

The other evil threats/the real threats, these ‘other gods’ (Gary McKay mentions them twice: “it might not just be Solas”, “the Dread Wolf is not the only god” you need be worried about), are surely the upside-down figures in this mural, right? Surely they are the “Evil Gods” (whoever /they/ are) mentioned in the Bio25 book, right? :D