#i love sten ok

[thewardenisonthecase]

I really love the Sword of Beresaad quest and I really love Sten's reaction when he is reunited with Asala.

Like he had fully lost hope that he'd ever see Seheron again, and it makes sense, because like he says, the idea of finding ONE sword in the middle of a big ass country, that's currently having a civil war AND facing a blight is like...wild. And Sten is more of a pragmatic/down to earth kinda guy. He's not going to spend his time trying to do something impossible. Also the fact that he's new to this country probably doesn't help in regards to searching for places where the sword might be.

So he just accepts that he'll never see his people again nor his home. He'll help the Warden defeat the Archdemon but after that, what will he do. Idk if in the case of him never finding his sword, he'd be considered Tal-Vashoth but considering Sten's opinions on them, the thought that being considered that might happen to him would be pretty devastating.

But then wouldn't you know. The warden fucking finds his sword and suddenly, he has a future again. He is complete again.

And also like, personal interpretation here but like, I think this moment also solidifies Sten's opinions of the warden and their capability of ending the blight. Because if they were able to do what seemed like an impossible task - finding a single lost blade in a country at war - they might just be able to defeat the Archdemon.

The fact that you don't even really have to ask him to stay. Like you can tell him that, if he has his sword and his answer, he could return home but he chooses to stay and help the warden see this blight through. And it's very clear that he's not doing this because of "oh well you helped me i help you" but because he seems to believe in what the warden is doing, and they gave him basically his life back. He almost has a duty to help the warden now.

And correct me if i'm wrong, but this is one of the few times (or maybe the first time) we see Sten actually smile! It's part of why I love the quest, because seeing Sten happy makes me feel good.

[tenojan-in-tevinter]

Honestly there's no one I'd rather be on a forced saving-the-world road trip with than the origins gang. Sorry kotor companions sorry bg3 companions but no one does it like the origins gang. They are a family they are insane they are not to be fucked with they never would have been friends if they were given a choice in the matter. The perfect road trip squad.

They consist of the best dog in thedas, the worlds most royal himbo, a demi-god shapeshifting witch, a bisexual assassin nun, a bisexual assassin orphan, a powerful spell-slinging grandma living on borrowed time (who is bffs with a spirit), a giant spy man who doesn't know how to function by himself, the worlds grossest dwarf, and a giant statue that has a life goal to kill all birds.

[waspgrave]

it's the dragon age autism at work but i'm disliking playing the crows literally just because I think they should be shitty bc when you think about it, they are still kind of shitty. When i saw they were going to be a faction in this game i thought 'ohhh hell yeah that's the Stinker Faction' but they're like, good guys....i wanted them to suck :(

I can at least kind of understand why the Lords of Fortune are good guy pirates thanks to Isabela's antics in kirkwall but even then just knowing there was potential for morally gray factions is chipping away 1hp from my healthbar every time i think about it

[cosmik-homo]

its just that i know im entirely narratively correct for making lasal die in the final battle cuz i cannot IMAGINE her, with her values, looking for a cure for the calling. "Cure for the calling? Um, get your shit done now? stop being a pussy, youre gonna die Some Day In The Next 30 Years anyways, might as well go out in worthwhile battle rather than dodge it." So Yeah Not Surprised She Did.

[rosykims]

ok i have avoided talking abt my datv thoughts but now ive finished and slept on it here it is. this is huge btw and really just a way to process my thoughts for my own peace of mind. and get out what i need to say. so yeah word salad below

2 disclaimers before i start. firstly i think im going to be SUPER blunt and clear about my thoughts on this post but then i will mostly be putting the matter to bed in my heart bc i am not someone who delights in being a hater nor do i take comfort in it. i will take from this the things i enjoyed and keep my distance from the rest. second disclaimer: ultimately i think i will still enjoy being a part of the fandom and seeing other people enjoy the game, because it will endear it to me and maybe take away the pain im feeling right now, so this isnt a long rant to make you feel bad about enjoying the game if you do like it! in fact quite the opposite. it comforts me that there are people who find value in the game and i hope in watching you play it i may be able to eventually be able to say the same

that being said . obviously i didnt like the game

which is an extremely difficult thing for me to say. i went into this game thinking "i will at the VERY least enjoy the game. not love it but at least like it. but im sure ill love it". it really is quite distressing for me that it didnt even really reach that bar for the most part. i TRIED to like it. i begged this game to give me ANY handhold at all that i could cling to, to forgive and like this game. i think the things i liked err more on the technical side. the graphics i loved, the character DESIGN was *fantastic*. the art. the pacing. the vague vision of what they were obviously nebulously aiming for. and honestly, i mostly enjoyed the main plot although i wish it had been more disciplined and constrained with the lore it was trying to expand on. act 3 was fantastic and naturally i am happy and fulfilled for the most part by the conclusion of solas's story, who i still believe was and is the best written "villain" of dragon age. sorry logang and meredith nation but i do still stand by this.

but thats really about it. as a disclaimer i am not an origins puritan or a da2 diehard or anything like that. i have loved (almost equally) EVERY single iteration of dragon age which has been released. i am one of the few people who sees equal value in inquisition and origins. i love them both so deeply. i couldnt pick between them.

for me what i love the MOST about dragon age - and which every single previous game has always nailed despite other flaws - is the characters. right under that is the world's capacity for introspection. and unfortunately nothing in this game provided that for me

regarding the characters: i do not care about a single one of them unfortunately. or at least i do not CARE about them the way that i have CARED about the other previous games companions. companions i would write banter about !!! just for fun when i was bored!!!! i would say my only exception is harding, but even then i care about her only because i care about her due to inquisition. overall i just found them all so ..... shallow. and devoid of any of the conflict or nuance or ethical quandries that make biowares stories so compelling - and sure, usually controversial! i would give ANYTHING for this game to have been controversial. for a unforgivable RO, or a problematic fave, or a cancelled wife. did bioware forget that their most beloved or at least enjoyed characters are people like anders, merrill, mordin solus, blackwall, sten, loghain, SOLAS??? i dont understand HOW they could have forgotten that, because solas is literally right there in game and handled (in my opinion as a fan) well. love him or hate him or dont care about him, he is such a hallmark of great bioware writing (in dai if nothing else) - characters who are not EASY to like. characters who are not SAFE to write and who WILL generate criticism from all sides because they are written boldly and unapologetically, strengthened by a foundation of consistent ideals, clear objectives and beautiful faults. characters that do not NEED you to like them, but instead invite you to engage with them critically. solas, even to someone who hates him, is nuanced and morally complex enough to muse and fight over for 10 whole years. hes IN this game, just as ethically murky as ever, but the morally grey hallmark of biowares writing really does kind of live and die with him alone. the rest of the companions feel like they barely made it out of their concept phase. what are lucanis's flaws??? genuinely asking. other than being a murderer who exists in an organization which buys and trains literal child slaves of course, but i'll get to that in a sec (because bioware sure as fuck didnt). um, i guess you could say hes broody?? and emmrich too. what actual flaws does he have?? he has a fear of death, as we're TOLD, but it does not really reflect in the overall convesations we have with him over the course of the game. mostly hes just.... a little bumbling i guess. bellara's flaw is being a scatterbrain. harding's is that shes..... angry??? but shes not???? fucking come on. i really felt the lack of actually being able to TALK to these people at the end of act 2, when i realized i still felt like i havent really MET any of them. and yet here rook is talking about found family and being a team. ok

and then there are the romances. which from my perspective - having romanced taash - and my friends who have romanced lucanis, neve and davrin..... WHAT romances. davrin's full romance is 20 minutes in a 30 PLUS HOUR GAME. solas had the least amount of content out of any companion in inquisition and was a last minute unintentional RO and still had like easily 50 minutes of content. so why did these romances feel like nothing. actually nothing. i was so excited for taash, but their romance straight up felt like neither rook nor taash even wanted to be there. i forgot they were technically together at certain points. zero chemistry. zero intimacy. all TELLING zero SHOWING. if you had told me that i would be saying these sorts of things about a writer like trick weekes a month ago i would call you fucking crazy to your face. i cannot reconcile that taash was written by the same person who wrote solas. i cannot reconcile that mary kirby - who wrote the fucking chant of light - wrote lucanis. its so dire. its devastating actually.

lastly i want to talk about my other point - bioware's famed emphasis on introspection and ethically quandries. again, i'm genuinely experiencing a sense of profound whiplash because when it comes solas's character you can still see it. its still there. they actually doubled down on making him worse than he was in trespasser which i LOVED and thought was so incredibly promising. they could have caved to solavellan fans and uwu-ified him but they didnt. thats great.

but where was that energy for literally anything else. everything has been defanged - even minrathous, the capital of the tevinter slave trade, does not even ADDRESS the elephant in the room of slavery. and i know because i played a shadow dragon. so tell me why i as a shadow dragon am happily allied with the crows, who solely exist to assassinate politicians and BUY SLAVES. THEY BUY SLAVES. THEY BUY SLAVES AS CHILDREN AND TRAIN/TORTURE THEM TO MURDER. HELLO??????????? there is no commentary made about the mages/templars. there is no discussion of the treatment of the elves in the north or Anywhere. there is no discussion of why exactly blood magic is or isnt acceptable - they simply tell us its bad. all the theories of the last 10 years were answered with handwaved comments or bare bones codex entries that honestly stripped so much nuance away from so many things (the blight, my BELOVED) that i dont know how im going to go about fixing it or making it right in my head. the introspective nature of dragon age always went hand in hand with player choice, but there really WAS no choice in this game as so there IS no real capacity for other interpretations or schools of thought. it is so..........................bleak.

i think the thing that finally made it click in my head that this game had fundamentally let me down was the gloom howler quest. and i know im not alone on this. for those of you who dont know - the gloom howler, "isseya" was the protagonist of the dragon age novel "the last flight". i would HIGHLY recommend you read it, especially if you're an origins fan. super bleak, super political, not flashy at all in terms of magic. it was set 500 years pre origins, during the 3rd blight. isseya is very similar to characters like loghain and solas in a way - a richly complex, beautifully intricate, terribly thought provoking character who did HORRIFIC things for the most NOBLE reason you could imagine, under the most traumatic of circumstances. im tearing up just thinking about her story, and how the title "the LAST flight" foreshadowed that her story had a definitive, bittersweet, finite and peaceful ending.

and then this game did THAT to her. turned her into a grotesque caricature of what she was. stripping her of her nuance and her capacity for atonement or forgiveness. and once again, i do not fucking get it. she was obviously brought back because she is a parallel to the solas dilemma. so WHY is she not afforded the same opportunity for empathy that he is. why is bellara's brother not either. its insane. its literally insane. i cannot begin to imagine the oversight or laziness or WHATEVER IT WAS that occured to have this game turn out this way.

there are innumerable other problems with the game that im not going to get into because what ive said above is the main crux of my problem. introspective and character. those are all i really wanted from this game, and like..... i thought we would get that. because the game centered around solas. and i know people dislike his fans for very fair reasons, but i hope those who know me know that i enjoy him not because hes hot (he is though) but because he is terrible. i love him because they made a character who was TERRIBLE, and then gave you the task of using your head and refelcting on your own morality and values and deciding and arguing and meditating over whether he is worth loving anyway. to me, solas is the person i point to when i want to describe why i love dragon age. its complicated, its nuanced, it is terrible and wonderful and everything in between depending on the angle you look at it from. and so having the writer of a character like THAT in charge of the whole game filled me with hope and dissuaded so many of my fears for this game. but i was wrong apparently.

so now im left with a feeling akin to survivors guilt. genuinely. because at the VERY least, despite me saying all of these negative things, i at least finished the game crying happy tears and being overjoyed that my favourite character was handled well and got an ending i enjoyed. and yet that happiness *i* got to feel and that glimmer of good writing was paid for at the expense of literally everything else. i feel almost personally responsible in a way, which sucks. im sorry to all the people who did not enjoy or care about solas, im sorry that you really did get nothing out of this game. i hope we can all be comforted by the trilogy we have and will always have, and i hope we can all take what good parts we enjoyed out of veilguard and make peace with the rest

leaving this youtube comment my friend sent me which is unfortunately a summary of how i feel about the game as a whole.

[soup-mother]

ok I'm watching war in the pocket, i love the idea that somehow futuristic sten guns would be a good idea for big robots. the famously ergonomic design that they are

[baodurs]

ok. informal world state summary:

phaedra cousland

archer rogue (assassin, ranger, shadow)

stoic, dutiful, resolute. a deep sense of honor eternally at war with her unflinching pragmatism.

softspoken and poised. kind of quietly intense, her full attention can be weighty & intimidating. she's not without humor, but her basic manner is quite grim and serious, especially during the blight.

spares loghain, who does the dark ritual. alistair & anora rule. sides with the architect.

romances zevran <3

gets along best with morrigan and sten; they understand each other. close but tense relationship with leliana. codependent with alistair but they divorce at the landsmeet. loghain becomes one of her closest... friends?

bonus: lycanthropy arc during nature of the beast

morven hawke

force mage (and occasional blood mage but it's complicated)

red hawke! she's gruff and both intentionally and unintentionally difficult. an imitation of malcolm's blunt and uncompromising manner.

anti-circle but unwilling to risk rebellion for herself or the people she cares about (and thinks herself cowardly for it). tries to avoid being in a position to help others but is ultimately an incurable bleeding heart who can't not do the right thing when she inevitably finds herself there anyway

sides with the mages, doesn't kill anders. carver is a grey warden.

not a major plot decision, but she accepts help from the demon in the deep roads and spends years beating herself up for it bc malcolm would have done better and then she gets to legacy and has a breakdown 👍

romances isabela <3

closest with fenris. trusts merrill more than anyone. loves anders but sometimes they can't look at each other. i feel like she and varric shouldn't get along as well as they do but they do anyway. rivals sebastian (with respect) and aveline (with resentment. devotion too but mostly resentment)

camellia trevelyan (i might change her name... she's also very new so take everything i say about her with a grain of salt)

knight-enchanter. but her magic sword isn't 2h; it's more like a rapier

an illegitimate elf-blooded child of bann trevelyan. she always had long hair to hide her slightly pointed ears, and her parents made a valiant effort to hide her magic too when it first emerged

rebel mage, and well-suited to the role—she's bold, dashing, charming. has a mischievous streak that developed in her time at the circle, thanks to the relative freedom (vs needing to hide her magic/heritage at home) and lack of consequences (vs other mages that didn't have noble families to intervene on their behalf)

allies with the mages, briala rules through gaspard, camellia drinks from the well of sorrows, leliana becomes divine (steeled)

in trespasser, disbands the inquisition & vows to stop solas by any means necessary

romances blackwall <3

haven't figured out her relationships with everyone yet, but solas was her closest friend lol. she mostly gets along with sera. varric too, but i think she makes him nervous sometimes. she and vivienne have more in common than they initially think they do, and they do come to trust each other. she and dorian are like siblings in that they love but occasionally want to murder one another. ummm that's it

[ometochtli2rabbit]

13.0.12.1.10

kalajun[12] OK/TZI [dog] oxlajun[13] CEH

galactic tone: understanding/ complex stability

sun sign: dog/white/north

enjoy friends and family - MAYA

chicome[7] - ITZCUINTLI [dog]

Tlahuizcalpantecuhtli | Mictlantecuhtli

quetzaltotolin

lord of the night: Tlaloc

trecena[12]: Tlaloc

x: caxtolli-omome[17]- tlacaxipehualiztli - NAHUA

a few days ago, i was told i look like a monkey. I have nothing against monkeys, so i know the guy was just trying to bait me into a reaction. this guy was using a slur for Japanese people, many of whom I have great respect for and I don't like hearing slurs. so i asked him to cool it which he took as an opportunity to escalate the situation into violence. he continued to say something about people needing to go back to "their own country." when I asked him what if he was talking to me, he asked me, "what are you going to do about it?" and came towards me. thankfully, a library staff member intervened, telling him to leave. i didn't insult or threaten him, though i did stand up to protect myself. in the old days... well, instead of internalizing his insult, i have decided to see the hidden reason he would try to get into my head like that. i know it's more about him than me. it's how this world wants us to do to one another. to make us "the other" or a thing, but I know i'm growing, so i will not let it affect me. Enjoy these songs that include THING in them:

Bo Diddley: Pretty Thing

Prince Rogers Nelson: Hot Thing

Billie Eilish: Wildflower

Queen: Crazy Little Thing Called Love

Juice Newton: The Sweetest Thing

Ms. Lauryn Hill: Sweetest Thing

Depeche Mode: Everything Counts

Dave Gahan: One Thing

Roxy Music: Main Thing

U2: Even Better Than the Real Thing

Jennifer Lopez: Love Don't Cost A Thing

Eddie Cochran: Something Else

Howard Jones: Things Can Only Get Better

Shining Soul: Doing My Thang

Solange: Things I Imagined

Slipknot: 742617000027

Metallica: The Thing That Should Not Be

Johnny Cash: Oh, What A Good Thing We Had

Dusty Springfield" I've Got A Good Thing

The Troggs: Wild Thing

Jimi Hendrix: Wild Thing

James Brown: Get Up Offa That Thing

Fleetwood Mac: Tell Me All the Things You Do

The Fixx: One Thing Leads to Another

Kylie Minogue: Wouldn't Change A Thing

The Police: Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic

Willie Nelson: Things To Remember

David Bowie: Shapes of Things

Booker T and the MGs: Doin' Our Thing

Snotty Nose Rez Kids: Something Else

The Kinks: Things Are Getting Better

George Harrison: All Things Must Pass

The Beatles: Something

Sten Joddi, Chase Manhattan, Adrian Harjo, Tha Native, & Joey Stylez: It's A Native Thang

[found-family-tournament]

Found Family Tournament Round 1 Part 24 Group 116

Propaganda and further pictures under the cut

Warden's Squad: Zevran, Leliana, the Warden, Wynne, DOG, Shale, Oghren, Morrigan, Alistair, Sten

Submissions are still open!

Zaphod, Arthur, Marvin, Trillian & Ford:

Sorry, I got no propaganda for them yet :(

Warden's Squad:

i mean have you seen morrigan? a goth gf, literally. zevran is the babiest baby, same with leliana. we all have a thing for assassins ok, especially if they are gay (they all are, its a rule), alistair gives u a rose :( wynne is a granny and she loves u so, so much!!! shale doesnt understand anything but i love her still, oghren is me in 2 years probably (drunk). AND U CAN NAME A DOG????? i named it potato lol.

[salemcantupdate]

hi returning the favor of sending me an ask for the dragon age oc ask game ^-^

for your warden: 13 16

for your hawke: 17 6

for your inqy: 4 10

Ok so I tried answering this once and everything got deleted, time to try again. Anyways, I’ve already answered 13, 6, and 4, but I’ll add them and try to add bonus info for the specific character requested! Now then let’s get to it.

13. What are Warden’ thoughts on the Grey Warden Order?

Surana at first likes the wardens a fare amount, but things get harder as he becomes more official and learns of other sects. The fact that it is traditional for each group of wardens to only have 1 mage? The fact that many of the warden higher ups were angered by his decision to spare the Architect? What he learns during that time? And now he seeks a cure. It's complicated, but at the end of the day they are his people, and he is a warden before he is a mage, a warden before he is an elf. [Additional Information:] He loves the Wardens, but in many ways they disappoint him. The fact that Wardens who receive their callings are so quickly sent away, the fact that if a Warden is injured they’re sent on their Calling early, the lack of research, how blood magic is so finicky, that mages are rarely remembered in the history books for their importance in each Blight, the fact that they don’t put more Ghouls through the Joining. He is upset that the Grey Wardens can’t openly stand with mages. But really he just feels that he is pulled in so many different directions. The elves, the mages, the Crown, and the Wardens. He is tired.

16. Does my Warden get sentimental about armor/weapons?

Yeah! Kind of, but he’s more attached to jewelry that he has received. The Ring of Study from the Circle, the Warden’s Oath pendant, the necklace ‘Reflection’ from “Jowan” in the Urn of Sacred Ashes quest, the earring Zevran gifts him, and the ring that Morrigan gifts him in Witch Hunt. But he did also grow a fondness for Wade’s armor and his specific craftsmanship, especially since he wore that same armor since he got it through all of the DLC’s.

6. What is my Hawke’s attitude towards the Qun?

Hawke considers them inhuman monsters, rather racist about it all tbh, but he hates them. [Additional Information:] He had a strong distaste from the beginning of the game, back in Lothering. All due to the Qunari that killed Bethany’s friend and her family (yes, Sten). His opinion worsened as he spent more time with Anders, who obviously hated how they treated mages. But, during Act 1 and early Act 2, Hawke knew better than to actively anger the Qunari and actually grew a begrudging respect with the Arishok. This went down the drain with the attack on the city. Either way Hawke does the duel with pleasure, after all I got Red Hawke who lives up to his Killer nickname.

17: What was my Hawke like as a child?

He was a very quiet kid, especially since he was basically raised to be constantly scared of the possibility of gaining magic or his father getting caught somehow. When he didn’t gain magic and Beth and Carver was born, he was instead taught and damn near trained to watch the twins like a hawk (haha) for any signs of magic to ensure that he could get them to safety if things went wrong. Essentially, he was being trained to act as a Templar for the family since he was little. He was forced to be an adult from a very young age and essentially parent-ified, more often than not the twins would go to him to settle disputes between them rather than going to Leandra or Malcolm. Another thing, Hawke actually trained Carver how to fight!

4. What is my Inqy’s view on Andrastianism?

Cadash goes through an arc. At first they're overall pretty neutral, it's just the human religion, but as they become the Herald they start to believe it, kind of. But yeah they end up having a way more complicated relationship, which makes sense! They are the Herald after all. [Additional Information:] Cadash actually did consider Andrastianism early on in their career in the Carta, they were feeling guilty as shit and they found some comfort in a Chantry Sister. This didn’t really work out though so they’ve long since shrugged that off by the point of Inquisition, but when they’re suddenly made the head of a Chantry organization is does lead to a bit of an internal crisis. Especially since the Chantry teaches that the Maker didn’t create the dwarves. Why would they be His chosen? They never fully convert I don’t think, and they aren’t really sure if He exists, and even if they aren’t really the Herald they feel a strong kinship with Andrade. But they do end up just accepting the comfort that faith sometimes provides.

10. Is my Inqy good at horse riding?

HA, no, they’re a dwarf. Too short and too heavy at the same time. Plus they’re lowkey scared of horses, freaky buggers. They do however end up getting and riding a nugalope, which they much prefer, they’re just more comfortable for their dwarfy self. They’re still not great at it though.

[thewardenisonthecase]

I think, ultimatly, what makes me want to replay origins more than the other 3 games is that i feel like the beggining portion goes by way quicker and then the game gives me a lot of motivation to keep going once i'm free to do fuck all

[autopotion]

Ok here are my companion predictions for DATV:

Two humans, a Grey Warden and an Antivan Crow. The Warden has pretty much all but been confirmed (Davrin) and the Crow is almost certainly Lucanis or Illario. Judging from the voice clip Davrin probably hails from Ferelden or the Free Marches. Possibly Tevinter but I'm thinking Ferelden

Female dwarf rogue, also pretty much confirmed (Bellara). Sadly I don't think my dwarf mage companion theory is true. That being said, considering the new mechanical details, I do wonder if companions are going to break the typical m/r/w tradition and have more hybrid classes? In which case... Give her a little magic, Blease. I'd love it if she was from Kal-Sharok too, but idk how likely that is.

Mortalitasi skeleton. Considering how much art we've seen of these glowing skeletons I will be extremely surprised if we don't get one.

Lady Qunari/Tal-Vashoth. Same as skeleton, we are for sure getting a Lady Qunari, but that's all I can definitively say about her. Would not be surprised if she's Tal-Vashoth to finish the pattern, since Sten was Qunari and Iron Bull could be Qunari or Tal-Vashoth.

The remaining two companions I'm less certain of. Options:

Veil Jumper. I think someone has to be, right, but anything about this Veil Jumper is pure speculation. I personally feel like elf would make sense, maybe a Dalish elf... We haven't had a Dalish elf companion since Merrill!

We know that each companion represents a different faction, and I haven't accounted for two of the likeliest factions yet: Lords of Fortune and Shadow Dragons. I'm convinced a Lord of Fortune will be present in some capacity, but whether they're a companion or an option for the PC remains to be seen. I suppose Lady Qunari could belong to one of those factions, which would be cool.

Keeping with the typical DA trend, I don't think there will be a ton of crossover between potential PC origin factions and companion factions, meaning I'm not sold on Antivan Crow as an origin. We'll see though. (Just please don't be a GW again...)

This one is a stretch, but I would love an Executor companion. I'm just picturing that shadowy group concept art with a hooded figure holding a rifle... That would be so cool IMO. And it would make DATV the DA game with the most fantasy diversity among companions!

On that note I'm going back to sleep.

[carrinth]

The (Re)Adventures of Marzel Amell

Sooooooo ok I ended up binge playing DA:O for the last two weeks. And it might as well have been a blind playthrough because I forgot almost everything ^_^;; Below are Carrinth's Random Observations or Things That Have Happened to Marzel (Redux):

DA armor is still ugly as sin. I'm sorry. Robes 4 lyfe.

Man I tell you, a single Heal spell makes ALL the difference. Especially early on when you don't have money or potions or skillz. Dying less apparently makes game moar fun! SHOCKING.

I have recruited Sten.

I have also recruited Shale for the first time. I love Shale. Shale is best rock. Squish me. (Not really pls don't Shale) DLC ftw!

Sten really, really, REALLY likes my warden this time wtf. His affection is the HIGHEST of everyone, second only to dog. I have no idea how that happened. O_O I just RP-ed Marzel as being very indifferent to Sten. "I'm not here to impress you, bruh." Sten is a tsundere confirmed.

I did the FADE quest. Again. I told myself it wasn't as bad this round and that I'm fine but obviously I'm not fine but you just have to hold it in and my bags are full of junk and I need to sell them bcos I needs the money but I can't leave pls pls let me out LET ME OUT!2111

Wynne talking about what makes an abomination made me have Anders/Justice feels. "If one retains one's humanity, one is not an abomination." 😥

Still bff with Jowan. We bros for life. Alistair didn't like that.

"Teagan! Who iZ dis mAN?" Idk but the second round I really enjoyed her voice-acting. She's a distraught mother close to hysterics. It's amazingly hilarious and compelling! <3

Wait. Wait. I totally forgot about Connor. So wait. We CAN CURE demonic possession??? I thought it was permanent?! No way of saving but death via a pokey sword yadda yadda?? Omg is this one of those 'we could cure you but it's too expensive and you can't afford it' scenarios? IT IS. Poor farmer's kid can't afford a pile of lyrium but if you're the son of an arl? No problem! Whole Circle bending over just to help you. Wow. Goddamn. Chantry/Circle seriously just kill mages because it's the cheaper alternative! >:O

MMmmmm. People say I should save Orzammar for last because it is harder. But. Oghren. But. Difficult. But OGHREN. But BROODMOTHER. DO YOU NOT REMEMBER THE SUFFERING OF DEEP ROADS?! .......... OGHREN. Marzel and friends died a lot. Mostly because I stubbornly wanted my party to consist of Oghren and Shale. That's like, two warriors ugh. We got by. Shale extra conversations were worth it ;)

Got Flemeth's grimoire for Morrigan. Formed a team made only of dude-bros to help Marzel get laid. Which meant they had to make do without any healing or bard song. I named them... the Snu Snu Squad (affectionate). Zevran died almost immediately. (Note: Dragon bum be dangerous position) Marzel stupidly killed his own self with blood magic while throwing his single Heal spell >_> MVP goes to Alistair for keeping alive long enough to whittle away Flemeth's health and died just exact moment Sten landed a killing blow. Grimoire was given and snu snu was had!

Marzel is in weird love triangle where all romancable persons love him. This cannot end well.

Why are there so many Desire demons? Holy crap, with the DLCs I have encountered no less than 4. Were there always this many?? Are Fereldans so horny?

People who challenge MAGES to duels deserve to die... from stupidity. I don't make the rules. You sir, have a pointy stick. Marzel can conjure blizzards and crushing barriers with his fingertips. We are not the same.

MANA CLASH IS OP.

Ok I just read codex that those Wild Sylvan trees are possessed by Rage demons?? Omg. They are Angry Trees. Low-key wanna see Justice fight Angry Trees while yelling about demons.

Haha I missed this game. Now onward to Sacred Ashes and moar stuff I can't remember!

[djinnhatescold]

I just started Dragon Age Origins today because I can't be trusted around a Steam sale and wanted to jot down my first impressions on the companion characters I've met so far. I wonder how long these opinions will hold out as time goes on.

Alistair: Very likeable. Love the snark. Boy's got some darkness inside though, I reckon.

Morrigan: Cunt. Next.

My dog: I would die for this animal. If anything happens to him I swear I would kill everyone and everything. I would John Wick my way through the kingdom and neither gods nor devils would be able to stop me in my path of vengeful destruction. His name is Pumpkin.

Leliana: Seems a little nutty, but ok.

Sten: A mystery wrapped in an enigma. Kind of off-putting, tbf

Wynne: I'm sure there's a personality in there somewhere, I just haven't seen it yet.

[thedastrash]

Airport/move/improv for Sten, Shale, Oghren 😁

Lol oh this is a good line up! Let’s start with everyone’s favorite: Oghren I will drive to the airport. He probably shouldn’t ever drive himself for how much he drinks ok. We’ll sing along badly to the radio and drive with the windows down. Whether or not Oghren sings along with me, that’s how I like to drive lol! I am so curious about Shale’s improv show. Shale is SO funny and has the sass levels to hold down an improv show and deal with hecklers. Also did someone explain improv to Shale? Or are they just up there roasting people? Either way I would love to see it!! Sten, my man, I will help move, not just because all he owns in DAO is a sword he lost lol! I would help him move all his shit from Par Vollen as Arishok if he asked. Sounds good buddy, let’s go on a road trip!

Send me three characters and I’ll tell you whether I’d rather: go to their improv/drive them to the airport/help them move!

[anne-is-confused]

the game works again (yay!) and i finally did taash's recruitment quest and ok 1. I love them so much more than i anticipated they're so damn COOL 2. i got isabela's cameo spoiled for me and. Yeah not a fan of the design either :// 3. STEN MENTION‼️