#i am going to go back and play through davrin's romance before deciding on a Canon route for them but like. ough. LOOK AT THEM!!!!

[lvllns]

prettiest screenshot i've taken so far

[postcardsfromheapside]

So I finished my DA2 replay, and I had wondered if I would feel differently after taking my time with it, and with the perspective of Veilguard. And yes, in small ways I do, but about the series and about Anders, I don't. That is to say: I think Veilguard is a fucking fantastic capper to the series (I mean, pray there is more, "hope for the best, expect the worst" as the Mel Brooks song goes), and Anders is relatably angry, even if the "betrayal" is frustrating and heart-breaking.

Also, there's just too much Dragon Age just the same way there's too much Tolkien, it's just that I can relisten to Tolkien via audiobook while I work and don't have time to constantly replay Dragon Age to absorb every little detail that my broken brain forgets (and I'm pretty good with lore) and I wish parts of this fandom were more curious than scathing about things they've obviously forgotten. Or skipped through, according to some of them, because I guess the context of dialogue and a cut scene isn't necessary for some of them to weigh in on things.

Word vomit of notes below the break:

First of all.

Can these two just fuck already. Watching Cassandra go from throwing him around to absolutely ENTHRALLED by Varric's complete bullshit is just going to make it so much better when I hit the "Guilty Pleasures" quest again in DA:I. This woman is SEDUCED by his story-telling, and you *cannot* convince me he wasn't gagging on his power trip.

Second.

I never played Mark of the Assassin before, and had completely forgotten Felicia Day was in DA2, and laughed like hell. I really enjoyed it. I haven't really used a stealth option in a game since leaving Skyrim for other stuff (do we ever really leave Skyrim?) and it was really fun, but I think the wyvern at the end of the DLC was actually the best fight in the entire game, even more than Corypheus. It hinted at the dragon battles to come in Veilguard. Also, I loved how Anders' dialogue got more relaxed outside of Kirkwall, like shedding the city let him loosen up. The back and forth with Hawke about his fantasy for being rescued was completely unhinged - after I accused Hawke of being feral and lacking social graces, I've decided the two of them match each other's freak and they're fine.

Third.

All the people who were losing their minds about the line "A crow never abandons a contract" and acting like the devs forgot Zevran.

He literally addresses it in the game. I keep having these moments where shit that people bitched about regarding Veilguard is addressed right *there.*

"The crows do like saying that, but I am living proof it's a lie."

No one actually forgot, but I'm sure the Dellamorte's wish to the Maker a motherfucker could.

When people complain the writing in Veilguard is too modern, I'm going to remember Hawke complaining exactly like this. She sounds like I do when I'm side-eyeing my friends in the year of our Maker 2025.

Fourth.

I had planned on romancing Blackwall this DA:I run, finally, because I'm a little obsessed with this Warden throughline from Anders to Blackwall to Davrin. From a cage, to hope/redemption, to a more meaningful path of positive change and impact.

They both haunt Veilguard's narrative and dialogue.

And then of course:

hrm.

Fifth.

I do hope we get another DA. Or supplementary material. Because I want to know what the fuck is going on with this story I had forgotten the details of, especially with the decision regarding the Nadas Dirthalen.

These two fucking idiots. I can't believe in different lives I've schtupped them both. (I can absolutely believe it)

Sixth.

The worst part of Meredith is she sounds like conservative family members of mine. 'Better to punish the innocent than risk even one guilty person go free', rather than the opposite. To them it sounds so reasonable. To us, it's abhorrent to punish everyone else for other people's crimes.

I couldn't bring myself to feel betrayed by Anders, even though I tried to play my Hawke as I think she would have felt: betrayed by the secret-keeping, if nothing else. The shock and hurt at the innocent lives. But it's hard not to feel an understanding when I sit here in a political situation with - maybe not less fraught, but at least less fantastical - implications and certainly still feel like violence is inevitable and we are way past the point of compromise and words.

Anyway.

This dwarf.

[annakie]

We've been waiting literally ten years for a new Dragon Age game and now that it's going to be here tomorrow I am very much not ready.

My life needs to be a little less chaotic right now (it won't be until the middle of November.) The earliest I'm going to really be able to sit down and play more than a few hours is the week of Thanksgiving. But hey, I am staying home alone for Thanksgiving weekend so then I'm going to really get to devote time to just playing the hell out of the game.

I'm gonna be so behind.

It was a hard choice but I think I'm going to break the mold of me always playing a rogue first in Dragon Age games and having literally NEVER played a fighter type character in any DA game (or most any RPG ever.)

I haven't paid a ton of attention to the options yet but after a quick skim several weeks ago I think I'm going with a Grey Warden Fighter romancing Emmrich first.

Basing her off the character I just got done playing for a few years in 13th Age who is a 40-ish year old woman who, when she was only 20 years old had to make a hard call that ended up going very badly for her and it was kind of her downfall, so she spent most of the rest of the last 20 years trying to make up for it.

Second playthrough will be a rogue or mage who romances Davrin.

---

I've honestly BARELY gamed the last several months, what with all the renovation stuff happening and other stuff going on in life.

This weekend I swore to change that and, after spending all day Saturday working on house projects, decided to pick back up my ME3 playthrough that I had gotten to Thessia on and never finished.

But then I had to reinstall the game since the SSD I had been playing it on died. Then I had to reinstall all the mods, and picked up a few new ones. That took a few hours to make sure I got it all right.

I did end up playing, and actually got through Thessia... and then I was tired of being at my computer all day and went outside and read a book on the patio for awhile. Then I realized something was wrong with my new airondeck chair and spent an hour fixing it (my bad, I screwed two screws in the wrong place it turns out.

By the time all that was done it was time to prep for my Sunday night D&D game.

Not gonna finish before tomorrow since I'm running D&D tonight, too and still have to do Omega in there. (Plus the Citadel Epilogue Mod AFTER the game.) Ah well.

Never did finish my 2nd BG3 playthrough.

Never did finish writing my BG3 fic. It's just languishing.

Never did play Starfield more than a few hours despite buying the deluxe edition.

Started playing My Time at Portia and still haven't played more than like 8 hours of it, despite enjoying it (with lots of mods.)

Hoping now that the house is getting close to being done where I want it to be that maybe next year I can spend some time focusing on hobbies more.

Not that I regret a single thing about how I've spent my time this entire year. :)

Working on my last two house renovation posts, too. Definitely want to finish that since my two favorite rooms (after the master bath) I saved for last.

[elcor-thespian]

I’m in the early early early stages of planning out what my characters do post-DATV, but so far:

-Lucanis and Nephele get married like 6 months after the game. People that don’t know them well are like, isn’t that a little fast? But everyone who has spent even 5 minutes with them knows they’ve been acting married pretty much the entire time and honestly it’s less weird if they finally make it legally binding. These two are so wifed up for each other I stg

-Emmrich and Nasreen on the other hand take about two years and properly date, although just like Lucanis and Nephele they do move in together right away. Nasreen joins the Mourn Watch and has to go through all the training and there’s multiple tribunals and ethics committees to establish whether there is an unfair bias, but eventually it’s decided that as long as she never has Emmrich as a professor and he’s never her direct superior it’s fine. This doesn’t stop her fellow students from being weird and gossipy about it, so she has a really hard time making friends her age. This makes Emmrich obviously feel really guilty but she could honestly give a fuck. She has enough friends.

-So far I only have plans for kids for these two couples. Nephele has a hard time getting pregnant and has multiple miscarriages, but ultimately has a daughter named Francesca. I feel like we as a fandom really got attached to this name for this game and I am no exception (I blame Hozier)

-Nasreen has fraternal twins named Jonah and Imogen, both mages.

-Only one of my 7 Rooks stays with the faction they started with

—Nephele Mercar moves to Antiva and never officially becomes a Crow because of her age, but as my canon Rook and wife of the First Talon she is very highly regarded. Plus shit got really awkward when she chose Treviso over Minrathous as a Shadow Dragon, and even though she was basically forgiven the vibes never really recovered.

—Nasreen Aldwir joins the Mourn Watch, like I’ve said. If she had been born in Nevarra instead in an Antivan Dalish clan she would have always been there, but it is what it is.

—Aleksei Laidir romanced Bellara and I think they kind of smush together the ideas of the Veil Jumpers and LoF. Like yeah, there’s a lot going on in Arlathan, but there’s weird undiscovered magic stuff all over, right? Let’s get on a boat and go find it.

—Brenna Thorne romanced a sacrificed Davrin, and she spends about 6m with Antoine and Evka before admitting that it’s just too much for her emotionally. She goes on special assignment to Arlathan to care for the griffons. She moves in with Uncle Eldrin and they take care of each other until he dies and she hears the Calling. I love yearning.

—Konstantin Ingelvar romanced Neve and mostly stays in Minrathous helping her and the Shadow Dragons. He’ll still go back to the Necropolis from time to time to help out, but as a non-mage he feels more useful with Neve.

—Elspeth de Riva peaces the fuck out of Antiva and goes with Lace to work with the dwarves in Kal-Sharok (mostly). Most people don’t even realize they’re married at first, they just think Elspeth is Lace’s bodyguard. That’s a dynamic she’s very comfortable with.

—Paloma stays with the Shadow Dragons. I haven’t played Taash’s romance yet so I don’t quite know what the vibe is, but I’m feeling like it’s probably a lot of long distance