#i feel sick about the varric thing. that's so fucked up

[taamlok]

sleeping it off did not make me feel any better. i'm genuinely so angry at solas. after what he did to muireann i'm glad he's a miserable bastard and i'm not letting him take caris lavellan down with him. cole my sweet boy you were wrong about him, he's cruel and feeling bad about it doesn't make it less so

[lottiesnotebook]

sorry to hear you're sick :( for the rook npc ask game:

What is their personal mission? How do the multiple stages of it play out? How does it progress over the game?

Thank you for the ask! I've been a zombie for 2 straight weeks so enrichment in my enclosure is really helping, and the Rook as Companion asks are really fun (previously answered: 3 and 4)

6. What is their personal mission? How do the multiple stages of it play out? How does it progress over the game?

So this is going to be a wild suggestion, but given that Cara is a Nepo Baby Rook, I feel like her quest would involve, at the first stage, figuring out who the fuck she actually is, because she's p r e t t y cagey about her parents on account of the terrorism/former heroism/one of them being a spirit situation, via codex entries that are stolen letters from home, and maybe interacting with Varric.

I think actually getting Cara to talk about it might be a Whole thing involving poking both Isabela and Varric, and potentially facing the demon of All Cara's Rage. I think the final stage would probably involve going back to Kirkwall and trying to protect it where she couldn't as a child/make up for the damage her parents unintentionally did and then had to run from. The climax of this would probably be Cara acknowledging she's got to stop running from her past in order to face the Evanuris who can't let their past go...

Sooooo basically a whole Dragon Age 2 themed DLC for Veilguard! 😅 Hopefully that doesn't sound too insane, but she is a Nepo Baby so that's kind of what I'd imagine!

[tobythewise]

Welcome to DADWC!!!! Can I get “Maybe I meant that more than we both realized.” for Fenders off of the drunken mistakes trope list? :>

Thank you so much for this prompt!! <3 I hope you enjoy :D

Written for @dadrunkwriting Warnings for: Drunk Anders, Discussions of past death (Karl), Drunk confessions, Getting Together

It’s not often that Justice allows Anders to drink. Usually there’s a pestering happening at the back of his mind, reminding him of how important it is to be completely in control of his body and mind. There’s danger around every corner and in a place like Kirkwall, it’s important to keep himself from falling into trouble. 

And that’s without Justice bringing up the time he got so drunk at the Keep that he ended up naked at the base of that statue of Andraste. In Anders’ defense, that statue was quite the looker. 

Now that Anders thinks about it, he’s not actually sure how he’s gotten this drunk. Between hosting a Fade spirit inside of himself and the taint, it usually takes a large amount of alcohol to get him drunk, but here he is, swaying from side to side as he walks. His head is blissfully light and spacy. He feels like he could do anything, be anyone. Everything feels far off. For once, Anders actually feels relatively good. The smile on his lips doesn’t feel like a mask, it just feels like him again. 

Anders walks a familiar path but it takes him far longer than it should to realize he’s not at his clinic. Standing in front of Fenris’ door, he wonders if being drunk has left him with a death wish. Or maybe he’s just finally ready to act one these feelings he’s been harboring for years. 

Either way, Anders finds himself knocking. 

Leaning against the wall beside the door, Anders waits, wondering if this was a mistake. There’s a chance Fenris isn’t even home. Maybe he’s off with Hawke. Maybe he’s over at Hawke’s estate. Fuck, he hadn’t even thought of that. 

Anders’ stomach sours. He’s moments away from turning around and heading back down to his clinic when the door opens. 

Anders pushes his hair out of his face, wondering what happened to his hair tie. Did it break? Did he lose it? Oh, right! He gave it to a stray cat. And by gave it, he means he tried to use it to play with the cat and the cat grabbed it and ran away. Anders was far too drunk to chase after him. 

A voice clearing makes him startle, pushing off the wall and almost overcorrecting and tumbling in the opposite direction. His eyes meet familiar green ones and his stomach flips so violently it almost makes him sick. 

“Hi,” he finally says, raising his hand in a wave. 

“Mage. What are you doing here?”

“Isn’t it obvious?” Anders tilts his head to the side and immediately regrets it as the world around him spins. Thankfully, strong hands grip him before he can make a complete fool of himself and fall on his face in front of Fenris. 

“Nothing with you is obvious.”

“Hmm?” Anders leans against Fenris as he carefully guides him into the house. Fenris smells nice. 

“Uhh?”

Shit. He said that out loud. Oh well! So much for not embarrassing himself!

“Why am I here?” Anders muses out loud, looking around the entrance of Fenris’ mansion. There’s still so many boxes and random shit all over. Fenris could really use with hiring a cleaner. Or actually cleaning the place himself. Or asking Varric to take care of it. That dwarf has so many contacts he can do pretty much anything in this cursed town. 

“I asked you the same thing, mage. You still have no come up with an answer.”

“Answer to what?”

Fenris grunts but Anders can tell it’s a noise of amusement rather than distaste. At least, he’s fairly certain he’s gotten to the point of interpretation Fenris’ random grunts and growls. 

Fenris pulls Anders up the stairs, leading up to his bedroom. It’s cozy up here, the only room without any dead bodies or random boxes laid half open. There’s a fire going, leaving the room flickering with a welcoming orange glow. 

Anders is shoved down into a chair in front of the fire. He stares at the flames, watching as they dance. Fenris carefully takes his staff, leaning it against the wall by the door. Moments later, or maybe hours, Anders can’t really tell, Fenris is kneeling at his feet. 

“You don’t have to do that.”

Fenris ignores him, carefully taking his boots off. Next he helps him out of his coat, laying it against a nearby chair. Anders can do nothing but stare at Fenris carefully undoes the wrap he keeps around his wrist and then the one around his bad knee. 

Anders is nearly brought to tears at the gesture. He’s been alone for so long it’s hard to remember that other people are capable of showing him kindness. He’s forgotten what it’s like to be deserving of kindness. 

Fenris finally looks up at him, his eyes taking in every inch of Anders’ face. He can’t help but wonder what the elf sees when he stares at him. 

“Now,” Fenris whispers, achingly soft, “why are you here, Anders.”

The alcohol he’s drank makes his head swim but he’s present. The look Fenris is directing his way is sobering. “I’m drunk.”

“I never would have guessed,” Fenris deadpans, raising a brow. 

“I’m drunk and I didn’t want to be alone.”

“Why not go to Hawke?”

Anders looks away, his heart beating against his ribs almost painfully. He knows the answer to that but shouldn’t say it. He’s going to come up with a random lie but the alcohol is fucking with his tongue. “I think I wanted to pick a fight. Feeling angry with you is easier than thinking about why I’m so sad.”

Fuck. 

He shouldn’t have said that. He shouldn’t put this on Fenris. Why the fuck did he even come here?

“Sorry,” he somehow manages to muster out of his mouth. He puts his hands on the arms of the chair, starting to stand up. 

A strong hand lands at the center of his chest, pushing him down. His eyes widen as he looks down at Fenris who’s stood from his place in front of him without him even realizing it. 

“What is going on? Tell me straight, Anders.”

It’s the fact that Fenris just called him by his name that has Anders talking. Does this man have any idea the amount of power he holds over Anders? Does he know he could break him so easily? 

A lifetime ago, Anders would have joked and flirted and tried to wiggle his way into Fenris’ pants. He would have fucked him and then ran because that’s what he used to do; run. Now he’s stuck here with a righteous mission that he doesn’t regret, but it does complicate a lot of the things he used to enjoy. 

Fuck, why does his life have to be such a mess?

“Today is the anniversary of Karl’s death,” Anders finally says, letting out a long sigh. “I know you didn’t care for him. You didn’t even know him but still had to flaunt it in my face that you think he deserved what happened to him. It’s whatever, Fenris,” he adds onto the end. He came here for a fight but realizes he doesn’t have a fight left in him. Not tonight. 

“That is,” Fenris starts to say before stopping. His eyes flit away for a moment before resting back on him. “I regret saying such a hurtful thing right after it happened. I wanted to hurt you.”

“It worked,” Anders breathes out. 

“Come. You should rest. We can talk about this tomorrow or we can pretend it never happened.”

“The second. Please, let it be the second.”

Fenris helps him crawl out of the chair and into his bed. He tucks Anders under the blankets. This is nice. Much nicer than his cot at the clinic. Of course there’s a noise at the back of his head telling him he doesn’t deserve this, but he’s drunk enough to ignore it. 

“You will not remember this is the morning,” Fenris says, running a hand through Anders’ hair, pulling it away from his face. “But I admire your fight even if I don’t fully agree with everything you preach. You deserve things for yourself. Hawke once told me that making a life is what you do when you are finally free but I don’t see you doing that. You fight and fight and fight for everyone around you but for yourself.”

“Varric is right,” Anders says, shaking his head. “Handsome apostate renegades with a chip on their shoulders don’t get happy endings. I’ve come to terms with that as long as it means freedom for other people.”

Fenris’ fingers pinch his chin, forcing his eyes up to meet Fenris’. The lyrium in his skin makes Anders’ mind buzz pleasantly. “I will help you if it means you will not sacrifice yourself to this.”

“Wait. Really? You would fight beside me? Truly?”

“As long as you keep your promise, I shall keep mine.”

Anders finds himself grinning up at Fenris. “Deal.”

Fenris stares for a long moment before his hand falls away. Anders immediately misses the touch. “Like I said, tomorrow you won’t remember this, but I will.” 

Before Anders can respond, he finds himself fighting a yawn and losing. Fenris leans down, kisses his forehead, before stepping away and curling himself into the armchair. Anders wants to fight against sleep, to keep talking. But not for the first time, he realizes he’s not up for a fight and falls asleep. 

In the morning, Anders blinks his eyes open and immediately regrets it. Everything hurts, his mouth tastes like ass, and his head is throbbing. Justice is back after having the night off. There’s something comforting about having him back at the back of his mind. 

Thankfully, for once, Justice uses a little bit of tact and doesn’t comment about how stupid it was to drink so much last night which Anders is grateful for. 

He sits up, looking around, only to freeze when his eyes catch with Fenris’. 

“Oh fuck.”

Fenris snorts, running his fingers through his white hair. “Eloquent.”

Anders groans in response. He holds up his hand, pointing at his head. “Do you mind?” When Fenris nods, Anders casts a spell, doing his best to heal his hangover. Now that he can think without feeling like his brain might become liquid and spew from his ears, he starts to stand up. 

“Thank you,” he says, feeling his cheeks heating with embarrassment. “Also sorry that you had to put up with me last night.”

“You have nothing to apologize for.”

“If you say so.”

They fall into an awkward silence. Anders keeps glancing over at Fenris who’s looking at him strangely. Fuck, what did he do last night? Hopefully he didn’t do something stupid, like try to kiss him or something.

Fuck, did he try to kiss him?

Anders starts to panic but Justice reassures him that he didn’t kiss Fenris. Instead, he sees Fenris kissing his forehead. The conversation they had comes back to him all at once and his head is left spinning. 

Holy shit. 

He looks back at Fenris, his eyes narrowing. “How much was truth? How much of that did you mean?”

“All of it.” Fenris stands up and Anders is jealous at how smoothly he can unfold himself from the chair, not unlike a cat. Fenris steps over to him, standing between his legs. He’s so close that Anders could reach out and touch him. His hands curl into fists as he holds himself back. “Maybe I meant that more than we both realized.”

Anders stares into Fenris’ green eyes, trying to gauge if he’s being honest, trying to read between the lines. He doesn’t get good things. He doesn’t get to have this. 

But what if you can?

“If you truly mean it, then I mean what I’ve said as well. I won’t,” he pauses, swallowing around the lump in his throat. He’s tried to do everything peacefully and nothing is working. He’s running out of options. Can he really promise that he won’t sacrifice himself for the greater good? Why should he live while others suffer?

“It is unfair for me to ask that of you,” Fenris says, resting his hands on Anders’ shoulder. His body floods with warmth. “I only ask that you talk to me before you make any decisions. I want to let you in,” he whispers and Anders knows how hard this must be for him. “I care for you,” he says, the words sound like they’re being pulled from him without his permission. “Anders.”

Anders feels like he’s in shock. How is this real? How is this actually happening? Maybe he’s still dreaming.

You are not dreaming. Say something back.

Anders swallows around the lump in his throat. “I care for you too. I have for a long time but never dreamed of those feelings being returned.”

“I never dreamed of returning them,” Fenris says, the tiniest smile playing at his lips. “The two of us shouldn’t work, but somehow we do.”

There’s truth to that. They fight side by side. They used to fight and pick at each other, but those debates have changed over time. If Anders was a bold man, he’d even say they’ve found a layer of softness together. 

“It’ll take work,” Anders says, raising his brow at Fenris only to have the elf roll his eyes. 

“We never do anything easy. Why start now?”

Anders can’t argue with that, instead chuckling softly. His chest feels near bursting with affection for the man in front of him. He stops holding himself back, instead wrapping his fingers in the front Fenris’ tunic, yanking him forward. The moment their lips press gently together, he is lost. 

He has no idea what the future will hold for them but he thinks just maybe they’ll be able to face it, now that they’ve promised to face it together.

[blarrghe]

so far veilguard has not really hooked me, which is very new for me with a dragon age game. I'd say it's because I'm growing up and developing less obsessive habits, but I played the sims for like 6 hours straight the other day. I'm not very far in so this crit will be very minor and I'm still giving it the whole game (probably twice) before I actually put down Opinions, but I think I'm getting the vague sense of that "shallowness" that I am trying to avoid actually seeing people complain about already...

The biggest thing for me right now is something I'm going to throw to "pacing" or maybe "narrative buy-in" because, while it starts pretty much exactly like Inquisition, it somehow does even less to grip me and make me believe the threat. Inquisition already had the weakest plot so far imo, but the big bang at the beginning put a very visible mark on the sky from everywhere you went, and there was a lot of urgency in the makeshift refugee camp that was Haven. There's no urgency at the lighthouse. There's not even really urgency at the Arlathan forest camp. There's definitely no urgency in the cities, even though Treviso is under occupation and Tevinter just suffered a demon attack. Again, maybe that will change, but even though the maps are smaller I feel like the few beginning areas are still giving me that hinterlands effect where I can just get stuck wandering about doing minor sidequests and chatting with my companions and the TWO ALL POWERFUL ELVHEN GODS are just like. somewhere. chillin. I guess. Every time someone in my party casually says "the gods must have promised them something" or "the gods must be involved in this" I'm like. Oh right. That's what this game's villain is. Ok. At least in Haven we met Corypheus and he said a sick ass line?

So the big bang at the start is kind of anticlimactic. Solas is fine, just stuck in my head. Varric is fucking fine?? Like it's nice that he's not dead, I guess, I had real suspicions he'd die in that opening scene from the trailer and while I would have been sad it would have been a very good gut punch to get me motivated. By the time I was playing I did not really believe he'd be killed there, but he's just... idk. Sitting on a bed making little comments when I walk by (which I never really do because he's like, over in a room you don't need to go into unless you want to change your appearance). It's. Fine. Again, I'm sure story stuff will pick up and he'll have something important to say at some point. But right now it's. well it's boring. sorry.

I am enjoying the companions, but other than Harding whom I liked already they do not have their claws in me yet. I am the biggest defender of "quirky" female characters but Bellara's couple of personal dialogue scenes so far have fallen so flat for me. She's cute, don't get me wrong, but something in her scene being starstruck by Neve felt very unnatural, as did her emotional outburst and then reveal about her brother. It's a fine character backstory, it's not her voice actor or writer's fault (ok, I think actually maybe it is a little her voice actor, for me. sorry again.) but I just. Meh. And I mean, I might come to really love her. I came to love several other DA characters I did not like the first time around (including some polarizing fan favourites like Anders, Zevran, and Leliana, and some more universally disliked characters like Wynne and Vivienne)

I'm really... not loving the Crow content so far. Why are they good? Why is it portrayed like a cool, good underdog thing that they "rule Antiva"? I don't mind playing with Crow pride as I'm playing a Crow, but last I checked they're literally the mafia. And I enjoy the telenovella style family drama, I do, but it does seem a little... well. it's very telenovella, which is a fucking stereotype, yknow? idk. It feels, and here's that word, shallow. Also Lucanis' cousin is so obviously in cahoots I might just stab him before we figure it out.

And a lot of this actually goes back to Rook. I have seen the complaint that you are shoehorned into plucky hero, and I had this complaint about Inquisition with Responsible Hero and made it work by building a very Responsible character and I am invested in him, so that can work. Hawke also was distinctively Hawke and that's a fan favourite (although you can play a red hawke and it is notably different from purple and blue, but you can't exactly be whoever you want). Anyway, I made a pretty sassy Crow Rook, because I tend to like a sassy rogue (they're a mage, but, you know, spellblade) the first time through a game anyway, but the lack of control over tone is real and I think it's half of why Bellara is not hitting. Like why would she tell me any of this stuff I'm literally just some cool kid with tattoos and a criminal past she met the other day. I honestly miss the heavy mantle that Wardens and Inquisitors have with their companions. Rook's just some guy in the least just some guy way and it's weird.

Anyway. I don't know. There are things I really like. The combat is obviously very fun, and I like the definite missions and kind of streamlined quest approach. I like Varric's foreshadowy narrations that let me know things might actually pick up in the later acts. I like the more definite "act" structure, which was of course the most well-reviewed part of DA2. I see the potential for a cool story, especially with these trips into Solas' past, and I'm sure there will be new lore revelations for dwarves, too. But overall it's just. I don't know. I can put it down. I can put it down for days and days, and I'm 12 hours in to a game that probably has like a 30-40 hour playtime depending on how much you sidequest. I should be more hooked. I am also only 12 hours in. It will probably get better. But also. 12 hours! I've been home alone with it for almost a month!

[utilitycaster]

who out here sieging they weisshaupt

anyway. I understand wardens by definition go to horrible blighted places BUT every warden location SUCKS ASS. Let's do the rundown. A lot has happened.

Siege of Weisshaupt! I took Emmrich with me (Davrin is required and also makes sense) and while, again, I'm on Dumbass mode for combat, I must admit it kinda sucks that two of my healers AND rook are all most lethal with necrotic damage and darkspawn are resistant. this was perhaps a bad idea. I lived though, and I punched the warden and everyone except the academics approved, which is hilarious. Sorry Emmrich and Bellara I am NOT using my words. Also Bellara you'd feel better if you punched someone. Also bringing Emmrich IS pretty funny both because he is a very good healer/buffer and as Davrin and I are both tanks and damage dealers and my physical damage is nothing to sneeze at it's fine; and because Davrin is like IT IS MY DESTINY TO DIE IN GLORY AND DUTY and Emmrich is like the thought of dying makes me sick to my stomach and I am a necromancer.

I'll admit the sad failure family dinner and the solas convo after AND Varric all were like BY THE WAY YOU SHOULD DO COMPANION QUESTS and it was a little clunky BUT some people are stupid and I appreciate the game makes it obvious to them. also, talking to Lucanis, Davrin, and Neve was very fun for me (tragedy enjoyer). I now see why you talk with Davrin so much; he changes drastically after Weisshaupt and becomes much more interesting and you need to have that baseline.

I am slowly regaining Neve's trust! Also Neve being terrible at making coffee and Lucanis flirting with her in the form of "oh my god your coffee is the worst thing ever let me make you some" is a fucking. main quest interaction. Then I took Lucanis to Dock Town for the mission while Davrin dealt with his justified depressive episode.

The scene where Spite possesses Lucanis is missable if you don't check, and that's an oversight on Bioware's part, I must admit. Also I NEVER take the comedy mask option but I had to for the "you can't caffeinate your way out of this line" even though I as a real life person drink a quart of jet-fuel level coffee a day. Once a vending machine gave me three Celsius Essentials for the price of one and I briefly considered finding out what would happen if I drank all of them, and I'd already had coffee that day. Point being Lucanis's inclinations are relatable.

I'm back on that sweet sidequest life before The Cauldron quest, particularly the companion quests. There's like 3in Arlathan I haven't even picked up and of course I must go back to the wetlands my beloathed to see Evka (one of two good things in the wetlands, the other being Antoine). I DID do Bellara's companion quest. I love how the part 2 companion quests are like your friends are GOING THROUGH IT. Again. not subtle. but I do love justified angst. Neve literally the only person who isn't in a deep depression or anxiety spiral right now. I'm even playing Rook as feeling bad enough to admit weakness to Solas. Oh anyway Bellara's quest is great. Matt Mercer is there again, in a performance that made me go "wait is that Matt Mercer?" His delivery is incredible. Obsessed with how everyone was like MATT MERCER IS IN THIS GAME. HE'S A HISSING SKELETON. and actually he's playing two major characters.

I'll make a separate post later about this specifically, but I love the crossroads and could spend all my time there, which is why I've already fought Mythal I guess. I HAVE learned some of my lesson re: sidequesting aggressively though, and I am saving the necropolis dragon for when I'm "not only level thirty...four?" and "am better at this".

Again, my tolerance for clunky-ass dialogue in fantasy is high BUT. This game uses the word "fucking" so why do they keep saying "butt" instead of "ass." It tracks for Davrin, who is a dork, but I'm sorry and not to self insert excessively but Rook would say the word "ass" in front of Mila. there is a fucking archdemon. let the child learn the cuss words.

GOT A BLACK EMPORIUM INVITE BABEYYYYYYYYYYYYY time to FINISH MY GIFT GIVING

[bluecladone]

Ngl if Varric dies in DA:TV it's going to severely impact my enjoyment of the game. I'll still play it, of course. I'm not the type to completely write a game off because of a plot point i don't agree with, to make no mention of the money spent. I'm sure the game is fine as a whole and I want to see Solas's story--and by extension, the DA setting--come to a close. But God, to kill off Varric of all characters...more under the cut.

Like don't get me wrong, I'm a huge fan of angsty, high stakes, kill-your-darlings type of plots, but it MUST have some kind of point. Killing Varric right at the start doesn't really serve much of a purpose. Like we don't need any motive or other driving force when we've been given plenty enough already a la the events and ending of Inquisition. We're well aware of the stakes. Killing Varric away from the people who loved him best (Hawke and crew, or whoever's left) surrounded by strangers (with the exception of Harding and Solas) would be such a disservice to his character. Add in extra yuck with the way EA/Bioware treated his writer, Mary Kirby. It just feels like an extra 'fuck you.' Besides, using him as such a heavy marketing tool for years only to kill him off is so cheap.

Maybe the writers didn't know what to do with him. (And maybe this is a direct result of Mary Kirby's layoff) Maybe they were afraid of the criticism they'd get if they just wrote him into retirement. I get it. Varric is a notorious busybody who shoulders a lot of responsibility, and he's so tied up into the story at this point. He's had a hand in most major plot points in the series. Not everyone would be satisfied with the retirement card. But the guy is getting old. I'm hoping and praying that they'll just settle with destroying Bianca and maybe injuring him enough to where he's like 'I'm way out of my league here, plus I've got a city to run. Time to pass this along to someone more capable.' He'd make a good advisor/mentor figure--there in the background, but still involved with the plot just enough. I feel like the team was so worried about people being disappointed that they couldn't have him as a companion that they jumped to the extreme to give us a good reason why and a chance for D✨️R✨️A✨️M✨️A.

Honestly, I wouldn't mind so much if they chose to kill him at the end, or shit--literally any point besides the very beginning. It's the last game in the series. Much like in Mass Effect 3, the world as we know it is ending and the stakes are ever higher. Not everyone is gonna make it. I know nothing is confirmed, but the set up in the trailer is so obvious. As soon as Varric tells Rook to take care of things, i got a sick feeling. Maybe they'll surprise us, but I doubt it. It's hard not to be cynical after hearing about the layoffs at Bioware and watching in real-time the development hell this game has gone through for the last decade.

Like imagine in Mass Effect Andromeda, say someone like Garrus or Liara shows up only to die right at the beginning of the story. They had no effect on the plot, other than explaining to Ryder the plot of the last 3 games to let them know why what they're doing here in the newest game should be important to them. Then they die to kickstart the plot and for Ryder to shake their fist at the villains and exclaim 'this time it's personal!' Ryder doesn't know Garrus/Liara. They met like a week ago. Plotwise, the moment falls flat emotionally when we know that Ryder wouldn't mourn Garrus/Liara as much as we know Shepard might. It should go without saying that a character dying would impact your main character more if those characters got to know each other throughout the story, but it's what I'm saying. I think it's better to shock your characters more than your audience.

And that's what this is. Shock value for the audience, to make us clutch our pearls and shake our fists at whoever is responsible for a beloved character's untimely demise. To make us care about a plot we're already invested in, and have been for 10 YEARS. Or maybe to get away from the uncomftability of having a character with an arc they don't know how to end gracefully. If they go the way I think they're going, anyway. Fingers crossed so so so hard that they surprise me.

[maedaeme]

lunch break. primary da world state ramble (as a little treat for me) (long and let's be honest prone to change lmao)

note: i am ignoring 80% of blue wraith 🤷

ardal tabris and mara surana are both technically the hero of ferelden. both recruited by duncan, met at the joining, both survived. they're very different people but their mutual focus on survival made them work well together. decisions in origins are split between them depending on who felt the strongest about things at the time.

mara tried to get the last hit on the archdemon, alistair beat her to it, and they were both shocked no one died. ardal seemed unsurprised and said nothing. mara and alistair stepped back shortly after to deal with personal things, leaving ardal to be the one officially promoted to warden commander, which irritated him but at this point, why not.

mara eventually resurfaced and is technically some form of second in command, but only in the sense that she steps in as acting commander when ardal needs to do something else. mara keeps in touch with the companions, ardal (with the obvious exception of zevran) does not.

davyn hawke spares anders but does not have time to process everything until after he is out of kirkwall, and he does not do it well. varric and fenris leave with him for a bit. carver is a templar and does not. davyn's eyesight is rapidly deteriorating, and after a lot of discussion they agree fenris will go to tevinter and davyn will meet him once he's worked out how to fight this way.

plans are derailed when cassandra arrests varric and davyn instead orbits around the inquisition to make sure nothing bad happens.

sometime between da2 and da3 ardal realizes he's now much more sensitive to darkspawn than mara. it freaks him out. mara takes over command of his wardens while he and zevran detour looking for a cure to the calling.

alistair stays behind to take care of something else, leaving him as the inquisition's warden contact.

varric ends up trusting taibhse lavellan enough to send davyn a letter telling him the inquisition is not a threat. davyn's delayed in responding because he has to find someone trustworthy with better eyes to read it for him. once he does, he shows up immediately.

taibhse leaves alistair on the fade. he did not actually get a lot of say in it. davyn immediately said he'll do it, varric said absolutely not and laid into taibhse about not letting it happen because he knew trying to convince davyn was a moot point. taibhse knew the decision had to be made and went the path of least resistance.

davyn now feels guilty about yet another thing, and varric knew he would, but guilty and alive is better.

mara gets word about alistair and fuckin Loses It. when the wardens fracture she's one of the commanders that immediately turns against the first warden. ardal returns when he gets a letter from her demanding he come back. she gave zero explanation and he didn't ask for one. he takes over so she can leave and find a way into the fade. once his wardens fill him in, he also backs up and continues her stance of 'fuck this first warden guy,' which makes a bigger enemy of the first warden, who assumed he would go back to business as usual and leave well enough alone.

inquisition is disbanded. taibhse is sick of doing things everyone else's way and is now going to do it his way, whether they like it or not. davyn eventually leaves to meet fenris somewhere adjacent to arlathan forest. ardal takes on quinne thorne after traveling across the sea (hated it. hates boats) into the free marches. they proceed to bite each other's head off for 5-6 years.

so. by the time da4 starts:

ardal: somewhere in the free marches/south of antiva

mara: in the fade, godspeed

davyn: outside arlathan forest, possibly traveling downwards towards ferelden. wherever fenris is at.

taibhse: doing all that stuff in the west the inquisitor is doing lmao

quinne: about to drop a building on some darkspawn and get into a lot of trouble

[queenerdloser]

also i AM playing veilguard and i made a wee pocket sized lad of a man for my first rook and i love him and his boyband hair. spoilers & reactions below the cut.

my first rook is a lord of fortune mage w/the plan to romance lucanis. he's very snarky and i love him.

i'm glad they made the call to go back to the like. da2 style of dialogue.

me so far every time rook talks to solas: get his ass!!!!!!

that said, i feel like they're making solas like rook too quick. what the fuck. it took my inquisitor like YEARS to build a rapport with this motherfucker.

i hate the combat lol. maybe i'll enjoy it more when i get used to it but there's too many moving pieces to keep track of for me. my favorite combat is where i can just like mash one button and easily kill everything in my path, i don't want to be strategic and have to micromanage everything. also what is this three potions bullshit. even dai gave you 10. and i have to like find them in random pots????? what the fuck????

very fun to sprint and jump. makes me feel zoom.

why do the elves just accept that their gods are back and evil? like. it feels like they accept it WAY too quickly lol.

dialogue so far is uh. very cheesy. a lot of "we're all great so let's work together!" stuff that is like. fine. but cheesy.

i'd die for lace harding. she looks so cute in this game.

when solas stabbed varric i SCREAMED. i was like. do NOT kill my boy in the first fifteen minutes!!!!!!!!!!!!!! i'm still only like a couple of hours in but varric was being suspiciously sick in the cutscenes so i have feeling he is going to die :((((

me: where is my BOYFRIEND (lucanis) and my FUTURE BOYFRIEND (davrin)

i love neve but i have a feeling we are going to butt heads a lot lol. i'm playing my rook as the reckless, confident type with a saving person thing that feels true to what we know about his backstory and he's already disagreed with neve several times. whoops.

i love the little marker showing me exactly where to go. hell yeah, hold my hand with this bullshit. kind of glad they dumped the open world of dai and got us back on rails.... tho that may change as i get further in the game???

when i say i spent HOURS in the character creator.... like i love it but it honestly felt like TOO much tbh. esp. when i had to do it for rook and then immediately again for my inquisitor too.

i ended up going lord of fortune background almost entirely bc i liked their casual look the best but i think i'll definitely try to play most of the backgrounds. they're so fun! i was THIS close to doing shadow dragons.

honestly minrathous is really cool???? all the locations so far have been great, love the lighthouse. (v. funny 2 me that we get all of these cool locations thanks to solas. man knows how to find a cool spot and name it i guess.)

the updated blight is VERY creepy. also those new darkspawn??? i gasped.

i do like that they're playing solas as this like. enemy who is begrudgingly allied due to worse enemies. but i'm so curious how they'll play it when the inquisitor gets involved. i'm doing my kai lavellan inky who DEFINITELY is going to try to stop solas at all costs... uh oh lol.

i know people were salty about not getting to integrate a lot of dai choices but tbh i'm fine with it. i'm more happy we got to include our inquisitor tbh.

morrigan showing up looking younger than she did in da:o.... um okay lol. also i kind of hate that she's considered an expert on elven history yet again. stop that.

im going to say again i hate the combat bc i really do hate it. praying it grows on me as i get more used to it bc otherwise i'm enjoying the game a lot.

[nobodyexpectsthe]

If Pirith had to sacrifice one of his companions to defeat Corypheus, who would he choose?

oh, that's tough.

i think honestly all of them are equally on the chopping block. it makes him sick to think about, for as much of a manipulative bastard he can be and for as much as he resents that they seem to forget he's a person, he cares deeply for them.

he would gladly sacrifice himself but they need the anchor. so. it comes down to circumstance. is he choosing someone for a one way mission? chances are it'd be one of the rogues, which means it's probably varric. cole and sera are just kids to him (even if he's not much older than either of them) but in his eyes they've barely started living.... which for cole is more literal.

this mentality is also why he sends varric out to tevinter, a place he cannot go, with minimal backup and support and why he is not terribly surprised when things go south. it pains him deeply but he knew what game they were playing from the moment he woke up in haven.

if it's a sacrifice for some sort of ritual, that gets... so much harder because there's no justification or skill in play. he just has to pick someone to sacrifice and he knows no one else will make that call.

i think ultimately he would pick blackwall. he never really gets over the lying, and blackwall never really comes around to him and his way of doing things in my run (literally the one dude who didnt come back) and, unfortuantely, blackwall has the least to offer the inquisition when all is said and done. dorian is a tie to tevinter, vivinne to orlais, varric to kirkwall. bull and his chargers are a vital force in the inquisition. sera's jenny network is important ears on the ground. cole provides insight that pirith can't get on his own. cassandra needs to survive to reform the seeker order and find a cure for tranquility. solas is probably his closest friend and confidante outside his advisors so he's biased there but more than that, pirith views him as vital to helping restore what the elvhen have lost.

( which yes his abrupt fucking off is quite devastating and you can bet he spins the fuck out after finding out his good buddy the apostate is his fucking trickster god )

so that really just... leaves blackwall. and he wouldn't feel good about it, but he'd do it. and know no one would ever look at him the same. including himself.

[wyvernscales]

Act 2 DATV thoughts. Spoilers:

Anaris is kinda…

I wasn’t really expecting a literal bloodbath

BELOVED XENON 💕

Dragon Age lOVES a good haunted house mystery

So wait, going into the fade fade is just normal now?

Hezzenkoss is kinda kunty

Are we finally getting into the Last Flight stuff?

Isseya????????

Anyone notice how Ghil doesn’t have eyes???

Elgar Zaddyyyy

Final forbidden one down

These circles are related to the executors I just knowww it

Manfred was naughty :(

The way I feel about refusing death is the way a Christian might describe a sin

ISSEYA???????

Not Bellara writing friendfiction

Nice little family dinner that went about as well as any of my family gatherings tbh

The Harding storyline is. Hmm. “The dwarves lost everything and the elves have it all” Which is. A hell of a take. Given the fact that I have another quest where Venatori are about to sacrifice an entire Dalish clan for their blood. 

I have nothing specific to say here. I just liked Lucanis’ fade quest

Damas’ va is plays someone else in the series, I just can’t remember who

ITS ISSEYAAAAAAAAAA

Yk, I’m kinda getting the Neve love now

The bird shit on the roofs of Antiva is a nice touch

GILF WIN!

God I love the way Assan is animated

Bossy Neve at the venatori party is kinda….

I still don’t get why the Venatori are openly working with the Evanuris tho. It would be one thing if they all thought they were actually working with the Old Gods, but they just say Elgar’nan. Yeah, they’re powerful, but so is Tevinter supremacy and racism.

Also I brought Taash to the gathering bc it was funny, and no one said anything about it???

I do like how the Venatori fangirl over rook

This game Better not turn me into a Solas girlie

You Have Earned the Dread Wolf’s Respect

Well. There’s nothing really funny to say about the dragon king finale. Yeah. Yk I’ve had some complaints about the voice direction, but. Yeah.

Now. The Davrin choice is actually a tough one.

Also does Solas know what’s going on with Harding??? Bc tbh I don’t really know what’s going on with her.

DELIGHTFUL SON BOY MANFRED 💕

For a guy supposedly terrified of death, Emmrich has no problem rolling with the Veilguard

NO MANFREDDDDD

MANFRED HAS BECOME A REAL BOY!!!!!!

So my Rook has stated that she both is and isn’t Dalish at various points so….

Oh Em x Strife sounds cute

The Butcher is kinda..

Oh God he’s so hot.

Fuck. I want him so bad.

Bbg I was not paying attention to anything he was saying

Still would let him butcher this puss—

Support NonBinary wrongs today!

Have we just forgotten that qamek is like. Literally brain melting.

Is there any particular reason Ivenci is a mage btw? Antiva has circles.

The Solas convo with the inquisitor is so juicy bc I’m playing as my Lavellan’s daughter. It’s such a mom-coded convo to begin with but,

The Antivan decor is soooo cunty

I love how all the companions bother Hezzenkoss’ skull in the Lighthouse

Well. That can’t be good. Astronomically speaking.

Not me and Taash getting into a fight before the final battle. NOT ROOK CRYING :(((((

All the fucking blight boils on the Ghil fight JESUS

I mean yeah, that bald bitch was obviously up to something

But OUGH I’m so SICKKK. What if your mom’s ex tried to trap you in a prison of his own regret. Bc there was no other way. Even though he loves your mother. And you by proxy. I’m SICK.

Oh I realllly like what they did here

Varric Haters of the World REJOICE! (I can appreciate the emotional weight of the scene tho too I guess)

[gwynbleiddyn]

for the Rook Q's: 2, 7, 22, and 47 for little Kerros :)

from fifty questions for Rook!

for itty bitty baby boy Kerros let's go

2. How did Rook get the nickname? What do they think of it?

well i technically answered that here but i forgot to say what he thought of it SO I'LL DO THAT

Kerros likes it! it's an old, reassuring thing for him -- like when you get a special nickname from a close family friend or uncle/auntie, you feel acknowledged for your unique bond with that person that resulted in that name, and it's really nice. a little hug every time they call your name, a gentle keepsake you have no fear of losing. at least, that's how it feels coming from Varric!

the wider use of it since then sometimes throws Kerros off. he still answers to Kerros, Kesi, Kes, the things his father called him, the things his clan called him, things that were never Rook. but in a way, it's like his real name is being protected from this big scary end-of-the-world responsibility, he can just be Rook to anyone and everyone, and then 'Kerros' will never be ruined by a legacy he has yet to leave behind.

Varric is a storyteller after all. it makes sense that he knows the power of a name and its associations. maybe introducing Kerros as Rook to the Veilguard was less a force of old habit, and more an intentional device to protect him from the part of the story he hadn't written yet. i like to think of it that way, knowing how much he cares for Kerros and Rion both. a writer's gift, in part, is to preserve a subject in words far beyond the span of its lifetime.

7. Why does Rook agree to join the Veilguard?

it does feel fated that the Inquisitor hands the safety of the world to his son, as though it were a hereditary privilege in the same way the divine right of kings is often touted. but i think Kerros avoids the word 'fate' -- as far as the Lords of Fortune and Clan Severan are concerned, you make your own. it forms part of Kerros' anger towards Solas; he feels Solas' choices have taken his father's freedom to choose how his life should unwind, and that he now must spend his dying years trying to fix a mess that can't be undone.

and yeah, perhaps Kerros is oblivious to the hypocrisy in his anger, but i think most would be when it comes to facing the reality of your loved one's lifetime coming to an end in a way they don't deserve. and even more importantly, this was never something handed to Kerros. if anything, Kerros had to pry it out of his father's hands. it isn't quite daedalus granting icarus his wings, but i suppose you could draw the connection. it is an ill-fated thing, to those with sense, and the doom seems less a lurker in the deep and more a hungry dragon waiting with its jaws wide open.

but hey, good thing Kerros isn't a man of fate, right? all he cares about is that he puts the world to rights - and yes, it's partly because he wants his father to be at peace when he dies, why wouldn't it be? but he's in it for himself too. he's got to live in this world, and he sure as shit doesn't want to live in it with the gods running around.

22. Most embarrassing memory as a teenager:

thinking he was hot shit for smuggling a small crate of rum for a small gang of friends. he pilfered it from his grandad's stash, first of all -- rookie mistake, given grandpa Amrun is what one might call a well-salted sea captain -- and second of all, he was convinced his heist would land him a reputation of being cool as fuck amongst his fellow teenage delinquents.

technically it did work, but he got caught red-handed seeing as he couldn't handle his first foray into alcohol very well and wound up sick as a dog in the neighbour's garden. Cullen had to fish him out of Old Lady Sol's parched rosemary shrubs in the wee hours of the following morning, along with a very suspect bottle. Amrun was furious, if ever so slightly amused, and Kerros ended up scrubbing decks for weeks. but it also sowed the very first seeds of his eventual emergence into the Lords of Fortune a few short years later.

47. What’s Rook’s temper like?

you know, i'm not so sure 👀i don't think he's brash and hotheaded, but i do think he has a tendency to be a little snappy when he's irritated. he just kinda spits and bubbles away like an unwatched pot on the stove, but he's easy enough to calm down. like one of those little dogs that just goes rarghraghhh until you put their little jackets on or something

i think genuine anger for Kerros - usually that kind so closely intertwined with his pre-emptive grief that it's hard to discern which is which, for the record - is a lot quieter and more insidious.

[shivunin]

WIP Wednesday

Thanks for the tag @greypetrel💗! Tagging in turn @dungeons-and-dragon-age @daggerbean @ndostairlyrium and @inquisimer no pressure as always c: I've largely been working on a BG3 backstory things now that I've finally finished the game, but here is a bit more of the Hawke in the Fade fic. Here, Hawke's friends have gathered for a sort of last farewell. It's brutal, but I had a lot of fun writing Carver and Fenris in this scene. Their dynamic is working out to be a lot of the backbone of this fic so far and I'm really enjoying seeing where that goes.

“Decided to show up after all?” he asked. 

Fenris stopped just inside Carver’s field of vision. Carver didn’t bother to straighten up. 

“Didn’t have something more important to do?” he went on, abruptly seething. 

He thought of the letters he’d received these past months. M had gone from her usual mischievous self to an increasingly brittle version, as if the effort to keep up the facade had started to strain her, and then…

Sometimes, I wonder if there really is a curse on our family, she’d said in that last letter. It doesn’t seem fair, does it? I swear to you that I am doing everything that I can, but it feels rather like one of those nightmares where you’re running and running and your feet never move. 

Carver, if anything happens to me—I have no right to ask it, but will you please look after Fenris? I don’t know what he’ll do if I’m hurt, and you have a more level head these days. I can’t help but feel like something is going to happen, like those last days in Kirkwall before the end. It looms over me. 

Tell Aveline I’ll see you both soon, alright? she’d said. 

I don’t want either of you to worry, she’d said. 

Well. Carver was feeling plenty of things, but he couldn’t say that worry was one of them. 

“Didn’t feel like taking any more trips across Thedas?” he went on, because fuck him, because he’d said he would be there for her and he’d lied, because Carver wanted Fenris to hurt like he was hurting and he—

He was just standing there. Looking at Carver, as if he’d never seen him before and wasn’t enjoying the experience now.

“What, nothing to say?” Carver snarled, straightening at last. “You aren’t even going to pretend you gave a shit about her?”

“Carver, please—” Sebastian began from inside the house, but it was too late. Fenris had shifted into a slightly different stance, one Carver recognized at once, and his rage turned to a sick sort of relief. At last, this—this was something he knew. Grieving M was wrong, was foreign and unwelcome, but this? 

This was something he understood very well. 

“Say that again,” Fenris said in a low, rough voice. 

Carver spread his hands, Warden armor winking in the dim light through the clouds. What a relief it was to be angry. What a relief it would be to punch the bastard right in the chin. 

“You fucked her and ran away once,” he said. “Don’t know why she was surprised when you did it again.”

He barely managed to finish the last word before the elf was on him, a fist driving into the unshielded space at his ribs. Carver managed himself well enough in turn, he thought. He threw a punch at Fenris’s jaw and kneed him hard in the gut before he was unbalanced enough to fall to the mud and muck below. Perhaps Fenris would have kicked him then; perhaps he would have fallen upon him with fists and elbows. Neither of them had a chance to find out, because Varric was abruptly there. 

Maker, but he looked a decade older than he had when Carver’d last seen him. 

“Stop this,” he said. Carver turned his head and spat blood onto the earth beside him. 

It was still drizzling. The rain fell quickly enough that it blended with the blood until it all looked like nothing at all. 

When he looked up again, Fenris stood some two feet away, hands loose and bloodied. He didn’t look angry. He looked…

“You look like her,” Fenris said, his voice ragged. 

“Piss off,” Carver said, and—as if he hadn’t been hearing the same cursed thing his whole life—tears stung his eyes. 

Fuck that. He wasn’t going to cry over her. M wouldn’t have wanted that. Instead, he scrubbed his hand over his face and levered himself to his feet. Varric tucked the hand he’d offered away again and sighed. 

“Let’s get on with things,” he said. 

What else could they do? Just what he’d done after Bethany and Father and Mother. Exactly what he’d done after losing half the Wardens he’d ever known to some fool’s errand in the desert. 

Get on with it. 

[persephoneggsy]

2, 6, 7, 15, and 17, for the DA: TV meme, please!

2. Which Dragon Age game is your favorite so far?

It’s close, but Inquisition beats out the others by a thin margin. I just really love the hopeful, epic tone the game goes for, I love the gameplay, especially for mages and archers, and I just think it’s a really pretty game! Emprise du Lion is so gorgeous, sometimes I just walk around the snow and take it all in. It’s the game I’ve replayed the most out of the trilogy. And also it has the best DLCs, Jaws of Hakkon, The Descent, and Trespasser are all S-tier for me.

And it has my favorite group of companions, in terms of how many I like overall. In Origins I really only feel strongly about Alistair and Morrigan, and I'm fond of Oghren... everyone else I’m lukewarm about. 2 has my best boy Sebastian, and I like Fenris and Merrill, but I largely dislike-to-hate everyone else. Inquisition, though, I bare minimum like all the companions… with one exception lmao.

6. Do you have your Rook(s) planned out to any degree? If so, would you share some details or ideas you have?

I always play a human woman, at least to start with, so there’s that. I have an OC from Star Wars: The Old Republic that I’ve been wanting to turn into a Pathfinder 2e character, but I can definitely rework her for The Veilguard: her name is Solesta, and she’s in her late 50s/early 60s. 

I’m leaning towards Antivan Crow or Mourn Watch for her faction. And I WANT to make a warrior since my previous protags have been Rogue - Mage - Mage, but Rogue might fit her better aesthetically.

Personality wise, she’s a very flirty old woman who can be charming and witty, but absolutely brutal and unforgiving in a fight. Also she has two adult children and two grandsons whom she dotes on.

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

I mean… I’d love for Sebastian to get at least a mention that’s nice to him. He’s my canon romance for Hawke so it would be nice to hear that they’re happy ruling Starkhaven together. But given how much BioWare seems to actively dislike or treat Sebastian as lesser than the rest of the DA2 cast, I’d be just as happy if they left him alone and let me just headcanon that he’s happy and thriving with his wife.

Other than him… I really like Professor Kenric from the Jaws of Hakkon DLC. I think he was really adorable (and I possibly just have a thing for Starkhaven boys lol). He had a pretty obvious crush on Harding, she could reference him at least!

15. Do you have any unpopular opinions about DAV so far?

I think my unpopular opinion is just that I’m like… earnestly excited and hype for it. I get the criticisms people have for it, I’m never gonna tell anyone that things shouldn’t be criticized. But I just personally don’t have a problem with anything we’ve been shown so far. 

I think the style of the game looks beautiful, I always preferred stylized characters to realistic ones, I LOVE the colors, and I’ve never really considered the series to be “dark” in the way that other people seem to, so a brighter tone doesn’t bug me either. I’m interested in all the companions, I’m intrigued by the new combat system, and I screamed and cheered and clapped at the reveal trailer we got during the Xbox Showcase. But being earnestly excited is either met with "you're a shill for EA/BioWare", "huffing copium" or "being contrarian" lol.

Honestly, the only thing that might get me some pushback is that I don’t want Varric to be there. Not because I think he deserves rest or whatever, I’m just earnestly sick of him and would prefer if he just fucked off back to Kirkwall and make BioWare come up with a new character. Preferably a dwarf.

17. Are you interested in all the lore and speculation or do you focus more on the games and stories themselves?

I love DA lore, but I leave the analyzing to people smarter and with better retention than I. I tend to focus more on the stories actually being presented to us via the games. Idk, I’m just not like… equipped to speculate, I think. I either need concrete answers or I will make up my own headcanons regardless of supporting evidence lmao

[meezer]

being extremely negative about the new dragon age trailer. if you want to spare yourself that kind of rhetoric, please skip this post, no hard feelings

holy shit. holy shit it is. SO BAD. I will try to condense my criticism here. I feel stunned and a little bit sick tbh. this is unreal, unbelievably bad. link provided, so you can watch it and come to your own conclusions:

that was really something, right? let's discuss.

The Marvelization of Every Franchise You Love, For Fun and Profit

I watched it and scrolled down to the comments (where everybody is ripping it a new one),

and these comments made me realize, oh my god, this trailer is so... marvel. it's so marvel cinematic universe. just the silliness of it all, and the way the characters move, and the words they speak and how they speak them. the overall tone of everything. I would be very interested in going back and watching the other trailers in the series and comparing the seriousness and gravity with which they seemed to treat the upcoming game... versus this one. long gone are the days of the epic and gritty da2 trailer.

The Art Style

WHAT ARE THEY THINKING? OH MY GOD? I said before that it looks like a shitty league of legends animatic, and wow was I right. it is unreal how bad this looks. this is very subjective, but I think that this is all so violently UGLY. the lighting is garbage and makes everything look... dusty and grimy, the models look soulless. it looks like a cheap mobile game with shady microtransactions and lofty promises it doesn't even try to fulfill. I hope that won't apply to this game, but somehow I don't have much energy to hope anymore, because I'm aware that it's in vain.

seriously, look at this. these are TEN YEARS apart. ten whole years of development, only to go from this:

to this:

this feels like a fucking joke. I'm not saying realistic is the only worthwhile art style for video games. I'm just saying that whatever they're doing right now... is not it. and I'm clearly not the only one who thinks so!

semi-related, two things. first, what did they do to varric? why does he look... like that? I'm aware his appearance is slightly different in the novels and comics and whatever the hell, but it feels so wrong to see him look like this, it's such a drastic change from inquisition and ESPECIALLY from 2.

second, a lot of this looks AI-generated. credit to my brother for this observation, but since he pointed it out I can't unsee it. of special interest: the blood splatter effect at 0:52, which looks exceptionally cheap. the way varric's hair moves at 1:06. maybe we're just seeing things. maybe someone with a more trained eye and more patience will comb through the trailer and catch more of these little bizarre visuals.

The Characters

I'm perhaps a little negatively biased here, because I never cared about scout harding. I just felt like she was a nothing character. her being a full-fledged companion in this game infuriates me a little for this reason, and it does not bode well for my enjoyment of it. if nothing else she will be one companion I never take with me on missions and never talk to. I realize the world doesn't revolve around me though, so let's talk about the other companions, where we should all be coming at this from a neutral standpoint.

everyone else looks boring to me as well! it feels like we're just getting Brave Quirky Sarcastic Adventurer #75491 over and over, except they look different and have different classes. this might be because not much of their personality is showcased in the trailer, and what little personality is shown is very... marvel, forspoken etc. the only somewhat interesting character to me is the necromancer, and I certainly hope, if nothing else, this game will let him be morally gray/evil/fucked up, and not do the starfield thing of "every companion is a holier-than-thou lawful good hero and chastises you if you go against that."

if I ever play this, I'm thinking it might be the first dragon age game ever where I don't romance anyone. historically the romances have been some of my favorite parts of these games. it's a shame, but also, everything about this is so sexless, I don't really feel like I'm missing out. speaking of romance...

Did They Straight Up Just Copy Gale's Design

down to the forehead birthmark in almost the exact place, seriously. this feels like a real "we have gale at home" moment. and it might seem like an outlandish accusation to make, but it will only seem that way if you think these games are made in a vacuum. they are not. there are focus groups, research, and... devs aren't stupid, they will often look at the games around them to see what sells well. you can bet your ass the dragon age devs have looked at bg3 especially when it's been compared to their games so much, TO DRAGON AGE'S DETRIMENT. I mean bg3 literally filled a gap in the market that DA left open for... ten years. this isn't a secret to anyone. hey, larian had a companion who looks like this and uses magical abilities. maybe if we have something like that in our game, it'll be successful too!

Conclusions

I'm extremely disappointed. there was a very short time in my life where I was eagerly anticipating the sequel to DA:I. that time has come and gone, but I've still followed development from afar, so I could see what became of this franchise that meant so much to me growing up. I really wanted this to be good, obviously all DA fans did. it seems that, for now, we will have to resign ourselves to looking for the DA vibe in other places. I'm just sad that Anders, one of the most important fictional characters to me, ever, is confined to this franchise that has become less than a shell of its former self. it's become embarrassing. it's become AI-generated marvelized quippy slop, that we will one day look back on with regret and even more cringe than right now. I think Anders deserves much better. him and all the other friends I made in my time playing through this series.

[thekrazykeke]

SPOILERS FOR DRAGON AGE: THE VEILGUARD BELOW THE READMORE TAG. Please don't read if you don't want my opinion and thoughts about the game.

As much as people claim this was a direct sequel to the Inquisition, it really didn't feel like it. I'm not one of the OGs or fans of the game who need all my choices from all three games, but at the very least, our choices about Inquisition should have carried over.

I don't really care about the Well, either.

I'm talking about Abelas (if he survives) and the supposed mass amounts of elves who joined Solas. Where are these people?????????????

Solas was right about the other Evanurais, and the blight. We only dealt with two creepy as fuck elven mages with god complexes. I can't imagine fighting over a handful of them. Plus look at what they did with a trickle of the blight. The world is ruined in North and Southern Thedas. And people can get sick and turn into darkspawn? Fucking hell. It's gonna be a shitshow for decades.

Solas really fucked up with binding the others' life force to the Veil. I know Varric and the others messed up the ritual so he was likely killing the others as things were degrading during the prologue. Still. He really didn't think this one through. For the Veil to continue in place, someone with a long lifespan, like the OG elves (aka Elgar'nan and Ghilanain) would be ideal.

How else would the rest of the world be able to enjoy any true peace? Especially since it's been splintering since Origins.

There are a few loose ends narratively, but overall, whoever called this game Disney-like? They're lying or skipping through until the end.

[tokyopewpew]

Veilguard Breakdown Part 3

I'm consistently going over post limits so this is going to continue to take awhile. This is reactions to the FINALE and major ending choices (and the beginning of my criticism of the criticism of the game) Spoilers under the cut.

Oh my god what a long and drawn out fraught miserable amazing devastating final Fight against Ol Ghil

Ok more like five final quests. holy shit holy shit

The choice between Dav and Harding?? Fucking impossible. Miserable. i will never be able to handle it. Nor Varric. Oh my god. My heart hurts. I’m sick to my stomach. Miserable. But that’s good writing baby. You got me to care.

I literally keep ping ponging back and forth between which could be worse. They’re both so bad.

For me, Davrin dies a hero’s death. Assan was a protector until the end. I couldn’t do that to Harding, or Taash. Harding deserves an apology from Solas (spoiler: boo she doesn’t get it edit: ok damn she does get a weak ass one!! i just didn't get that banter?? Man I wish I got more banter). I chose Davrin because the griffons are set up to have their new beginning. They are his legacy, but Harding hasn’t had the chance to share the Titan’s memories. It still fucking hurt so bad tho. Assan…

I also chose Bellara to disable the wards. Which I ultimately really liked Belara’s final thing with the blight better than her actual main quest so i’m super happy to have chosen her. Her having the archive and using it when it suits them but also being like you aren’t MY GOD and fucking Elgers up. Amazing heroic moment. And she survived! Hooray for being a hero!

did have to restart a section because I accidentally killed Emmerich which was um. The Worst thing to see knowing his problems with mortality and giving up lychdom to revive Manfred? That got my jaw cracked to the floor.

Amazing awesome set pieces and animation for the finale. Final fight was not hard at all. I got a bit OP’ed tbh lmao

FUCK YEA TO THE HAPPY SOLAVELLAN ENDING THO! Or as happy as they can be

Solas and Inquisitor in the fade together sigh. Forming it to their quiet idolized life of study and magic. That juicy thick, raspy Thank you, Rook got me. Him crying was SO well animated and voiced. Sad wet egg.

The hilarious non serious version is that she’s like oh my fucking god I am sick and tired of Chantry bullshit. I don’t want to be in charge anymore. Please the south is so fucked and everyone is gonna be so mad at me regardless and I cannot fucking deal with it again. Please take me away.

THE MYTHOLOGY of her actually having an end like Andraste??? Wild, genius, so big brained. Another instance of people being very Literal tho and applying real world relationship standards. Or I guess being mad it doesn’t fit their canon? Idk it’s very odd to me to get such a different read on Solas. Like he fucking hates the material world, idk how his story could end anywhere but in the Fade drenched in magic? I also am gonna choose to believe they aren’t completely cut off from the rest of the Fade. One, because the prison was opened when Solas released the Evanuris. Two, together they should be able to release the binds of the prison. And three, the Fade is Dreams, where mages can be fully conscious in the Fade. So she’d be able to visit people in their dreams, and like fully communicate with Dorian

There’s SO MUCH dialogue i missed so I’m gonna have to read like a script. LIKE SORRY I KNOW IT GOT MENTIONED ELSEWHERE BUT LUCANIS HAS A SNAKE? i know for like venom and poison and stuff but oh my god. I feel like I got so little banter but that’s my fault for fast traveling and sprinting everywhere. Punished for being too good at game.

NOW WE GONNA TALK ABOUT THE HARD CHOICES:

God take the game away from idiots complaining about the hard choices. Do you want the game to be gritty, dark, with hard choices? Or do you want it to be a point system where if you do enough good, you can save everyone? YOU CAN save most everyone! if you didn’t do that you can lose like the whole team!

Like saying it affected you deeply and gave you actual GRIEF over these characters is a GOOD NARRATIVE! they made you care THAT MUCH! and it DOES have to be between those characters because that’s what makes it such a hard choice! If they let you sacrifice your least fav companion and walk away unscathed emotionally THAT WOULD BE CHEAP.

How many times do they have to say we’re fighting the gods?? We won’t come out unscathed, Solas saying we have to make the hard choices, make sacrifices. i’m coming from Origins and DA2 where someone has to die or compromise their morals A LOT to kill the archdemon and no matter what you do Kirkwall ends in tragedy.

It's also REALLY EASY to talk shit on Solas and be like "well I wouldn't let anyone die, I wouldn't sacrifice people to win." WHICH HE TELLS YOU, if you do it right you won't have to make that call, they'll do it anyways (and subtext of you'll still feel responsible for it. It will still feel like YOUR FAULT. That's his whole deal, his whole problem, is feeling responsible for his own AS WELL AS other people's decisions).

I’m trying not to be soft on the game but seeing people’s frustrations and complaints is a little between… I get it, i think that would have been nice, i think it could have been cool, i wonder what that game could have been…

But also i know enough about writing and game/general production that i totally see why they made the choices they did. I see the narrative arcs, and see the streamlining needed for the scale/scope/pace of the narrative and I can imagine where it would have gone if they DID go the other way people will ask... and still see why they chose to do it the way they did.

Also none of the choices have mattered across many of the games. Love DA2 but in game none of your choices really matter. The qunari still destroy the city and the Mages rebel. How it gets there matters to us playing it but in the grand narrative it doesn’t.

Same with the Warden. If one of the main options is for the Warden to DIE then they can’t have any Concrete story where they show up. They have to write to include ALL possible realities.

OVERALL VERY HAPPY! Very much enjoyed the game! I thought it was the most fun gameplay of all of them and I love my Solavellan ending and getting a new series of Ships to set sail on.

The next posts are going to be more into the production and game designing stuff I touched on a little bit here in the end.