#dragon age the veilgaurd

[brekkie-e]

I'm going to try and make this my last negative post for a while cause I hate being that person, but this is really on my mind. I keep seeing people bring up "it's obvious these fans don't know how game development works."

Now here is my (potentially) controversial point.

I don't think consumers need to have any sort of grasp of how a development field works. I don't think that's a reasonable prerequisite for gaming. I don't think it's a reasonable prerequisite for owning a car. I don't think it's a reasonable prerequisite for using a computer.

I can sympathize with people who work in the field who have to read nonsense takes about how easy it would have been to do something differently. Obviously, none of the gamers are in the devs shoes and don't understand the reasons thing turned out how they did.

That being said, I think any time you suddenly have a large group of consumers talking out of their ass about development- it's a sign something went wrong. You didn't see an army of people online speculating what went on behind the scenes after season 3 of Game of Thrones. Then suddenly, after season 8 everyone and their mother was fascinated by the home lives of the two directors. When the Justice League came out and was missing several scenes shown in the trailer, people started researching the director changes and editing issues.

I play a LOT of different games. I generally spend some time in the fandom for all of them. I haven't encountered discourse about what's going on behind the scenes at Geurrilla Games for the Horizon series once. I've only seen a tiny bit of frustration with Larian over Wyll and their focus on romance scenes over all else. By and large people give them the benefit of the doubt because the development process was so transparent there's a lot of trust there.

When the game went well, and I mean genuinely well, people play it, fall in love, and move on.

People also talk a lot about how the Dragon Age fandom specifically is awful. And while to a degree, I think that's true- like I said I play a lot of games. Enough to be able to say that there is a lot of overlap in these fandoms. I know rabid DA fans who are also the backbone of the Final Fantasy, BG3, Horizon, Resident Evil, and Fall Out communities. I could go on. I don't think all these fans who are reasonable and enjoy one game suddenly turn into evil little goblins who don't know joy the moment they cross the threshold into the DA fandom.

So to me, the mass amount of folk who are suddenly speculating on what game development went wrong in the background shouldn't be taken as gospel truth speaking experts on the topic. But I do think reflection needs to be done on WHY people go there and what it means about the game that was delivered.

[flowersbane]

ppl talking about how emmrich is a brat tamer like yeah, obviously.

his special ability is called “placate mischief” ofc he’s a brat tamer-

[a-shakespearean-in-paris]

So Veilguard has been critiqued a lot—we all know that, but one thing that sticks out to me is that you can’t be mean to your companions.

Do I like being mean in RPGS? No. But removing that avenue just means your companions like you by default so it doesn’t feel like you’re winning their trust. By giving the player the choice to be an optional asshole it feels satisfying when you do win a companion’s trust and earn their friendship.

[storm-arts-around]

I swore to myself I wouldnt make my Rook design until I was in the character creator but then I thought of a Rook/Solas dynamic that gripped me oopsie.

Her job is to annoy him and try to steal his girl 😌

[voltaical-art]

"Not bad, Rook. For a Crow"

[mogwaei]

Thedas is a chaotic mess and honestly I plan to add to it :D

Welcome back everyone!

[alternative for solas lovers below cut]

[felrend]

Fucking SOBBING!!! My heart literally exploded when I saw him and heard his voice

HE LOOKS INCREDIBLE

[exhausted-archivist]

Thinking about Davrin being a Monster Hunter, Ghilan'nain being the Mother of monsters.

[kcwriter-blog]

I loved this romance and I’m not usually into the really sweet, romantic stuff. He’s just so interesting.

[higheverweave]

Yall realize Solas let out Elgarnan out most likely …. Elgarnan is the god of revenge Which character in this series would have the most reason to get revenge on a large amount of people?

The Inquisitor and it works for almost every origin

Warrior Inquisitor getting revenge on mages

Qunari Inquisitor taking out years of pent up frustration at the Qun

Dwarf Inquisitor getting revenge on the cartels and gangs of the deeproads

Mage Inquisitor hunting Templars

And elvhen specific is juicy ….

Imagine Elgarnan using magic to alter Lavellan’s morals based on their pain and trauma …. Imagine Elgarnan taking away the one thing holding Lavellan back their Empathy…and ability to feel remorse

Now imagine the roles are reversed and the Inquisitor is the big bad and Solas has to stop them

[brekkie-e]

Lots of posts about who Felassan is in the Masked Empire out there these days. All factual. All important. All leaving out his most defining trait.

Felassan is a fucking weirdo. He's so over everything. He says the most insane shit. When asked about it he pulls "idk, I'm Dalish?" out of his ass and doesn't even have the decency to make it sound true.

He eats bark, kids. All you Solavellan girlies out there need to know a couple of centuries of putting up with your man's bullshit leaves you chewing random pieces of bark and teaching stray lesbians to murder like it's a social experiment.

[flowersbane]

how the conversation went in my head

davrin: “yeah, we should do better next time”

lucanis: “say what you mean bitch”

rook: “oh, i don’t think davrin-”

davrin: “you had one job. you couldn’t even land ONE hit”

lucanis: “yeah? well you’re supposed to be dead so i guess we’re both disappointed with one another”

rook: “woah, woah, woah, guys, let’s not-”

davrin: “you five foot two, demon-possessed mother fucker-”

lucanis:

[hawke-ondary]

thinking about the dissociative sludge rook's brain must be the entire game. little 500 word scene under the cut, no explicit spoilers but some are implied

He’s standing behind Bellara and Emmrich. Lucanis is on his left, Taash and Harding somewhere behind him. Davrin is beside him, Assan somewhere around here, just waiting for Davrin’s call. Neve is talking to Lucanis- or, at him, probably. Rook isn’t sure, truthfully. He’s barely listening. He’s learned when to tune in, these past several weeks. Or he hopes he has. No one’s said he stares off into space for too long, though Harding’s said she’s heard him talking to himself at the Lighthouse. That tracks. Grief is weird. His eyes focus on what Bellara is doing, Emmrich hovering over her shoulder, the two of them talking magical jargon that goes over Rook’s head. He knows enough magic to not get possessed and make his kills flashy. He never needed to know more, and the Crows didn’t want to throw him off to the Circle back when he was a kid, so all of what they’re talking about- lyrium reserves and resonance chambers or whatever the fuck- just isn’t making sense to him. He watches Bellara’s hands work around the artifact anyway, feels along the edges of the magic she’s doing. Bel’s magic always feels bright, curious and sharp- not sharp like a dagger, but sharp like wit. Personable and malleable. “-ook!” His head jerks up, and Rook’s gaze finally refocuses on Bellara, who’s waving a hand in his face, “Oh! There you are!” she grins, “Lost you for a moment, there,” He chuckles nervously, “Ah, sorry about that. You guys got talking all your fancy words and you lost me,” “I do worry for the state of your magical education sometimes,” Emmrich mumbles, ever the professor, and Rook snickers, even if the amusement he feels is dull like every other emotion since the ritual. “Maybe you could do a placement test,” he jokes, and Emmrich visibly lights up at the idea, but then Taash’s elbow is on top of Rook’s head. “So what is this thing?” they ask, motioning towards the artifact Bellara stabilized. “Oh!” Bellara grins, “Interestingly, I think this one is from after the Veil went up- just the way it reacts to the Veil is all, far more receptive to the comparatively lower levels of magical input modern mages are capable of- though what it was for...” she frowns, “Not sure! But Irelin and Strife will be glad to know it’s not exploding!” Davrin snorts, “I think most people are glad it’s not exploding,” “That would be troublesome,” Lucanis mumbles. “... Magic is fucking weird,” is all Taash has to say to this, earning a snort from Neve and a fond little chuckle from Emmrich. “No denying that,” Rook mutters, trying to get his eyes to focus. They’re right, it is fucking weird, and has only gotten weirder the past several weeks. Maker, he wished shit would stop getting weird and sad and start making sense again. If it ever could.

[storm-arts-around]

The Inquisitor is the foil to Solas in that they gather people together to fight for the common good, and gain a title that grows beyond them.

Rook is the foil to Solas in that they meant to do good but oh BOY did they fuck it up SO bad.

[saartje77]

My rook, Lorant.

[qmthegm]

Meanwhile, in between whatever catastrophe is happening in the south and his most recent visit…

It’s going well. And once again I’m bitching about his pyjamas which are either a crime or perfect, I can’t quite decide.