#justice for mary kirby

[mumms-the-word]

Mini Veilguard update!! Under the cut as per usual because there are early game spoilers here (I have thoughts!)

Explored most of Treviso and Minrathous, as much as I can before going to get Davrin anyway. Treviso is gorgeous and Minrathous is interesting (idk what I expected out of Minrathous but we’re also only seeing Dock Town so…we’re not really seeing much of the actual magisterium sector). I know there’s a big choice coming up because I got spoiled by people who don’t tag their spoilers (still mad about it) and it’s making me think

I read an excellent post about how DATV has essentially sanitized a lot of the lore to make the game palatable and on the whole I do agree. I feel like I’m getting LaCroix spritzes of lore flavor rather than bold and confident lore flavor. Don’t get me wrong, there is plenty of lore, plenty of callbacks to all three of the earlier games! It’s just…subtle? Or hidden in codexes

I think the thing that strikes me most is that for all the talk of slavery in Minrathous we don’t really see slavery at all. At least, I haven’t, this far in the game. Where are the magisters beating their slaves? Where are the merchants buying slaves because it’s Just How Things are Done? Obviously if slaves live in estates with their masters, then that explains why we don’t see a lot of them in Dock Town. But where are the conversations between Dock Town citizens where people are facing difficult choices to potentially sell themselves into slavery to feed their families? Both Dorian and Krem talk about these as realities in Minrathous and other cities in Tevinter.

As for Treviso, I think it’s beautiful and the fact that the Antaam has broken from the Qun and dissolved into war bands fascinates me. I think that’s cool! But the Crows baffle me. They’re too nice. It’s very odd. On the one hand, I LOVE Teia and Viago. On the other hand, they and Lucanis should be the exception, I think, for being Crows interested in freedom fighting and protecting Treviso. And maybe other Crow cells not in Treviso are still cutthroat brutal tormentors who buy children to train as assassins, as Zevran tells us, but we sure don’t get to see it in the game.

I can shrug and set most of it aside, lose myself in the beauty of the game and the charm of the companions (who I do like, a couple of weird conversations aside). But apparently I have to choose whether to save Treviso or Minrathous soon. I guess from the Blight? I don’t know details because I have tried my hardest to avoid spoilers lol so if you’re reading this DON’T tell me!

Buuuut

I don’t know. Right now that choice hinges on who I will disappoint (Neve or Lucanis) and who among the NPCs I may be willing to sacrifice (Hal the fishmaker, certain faction members, perhaps). I suspect, given how nice the game is being, that I won’t lose access to Teia, Viago, The Viper, Tarquin, Mae, or Dorian. I mean, I doubt I’ll see Dorian again but he’s a fandom darling. I’ll be very surprised if he dies. But I digress. The point is, I know it will feel like a sacrifice…just a smaller one than it could be.

Because the choice could be so much harder, so much more complex, if it was a choice between two obviously corrupt cities. Do I sacrifice Minrathous and call it a lost cause because slavery is so rife there, the magisters are corrupt, the Templars aid the magisters and not the people, and they keep sacrificing people for blood magic? Is full on destruction the only thing that will get the city to reset and recover in productive ways? Or do I sacrifice Treviso, which houses a bloodthirsty guild of assassins who buy and raise and train children to be killers, who is now under siege by reckless Antaam, who cannot be defeated by anything short of a major catastrophe? What if both cities were revealed to be more gritty and cruel than we actually got to see in the game? How do I choose which to save and which to allow destruction to come in?

Some of these elements are still present. But they’re buffed down. Maybe the game will surprise me! But for now I feel like I’m choosing between saving my favorite NPCs or my favorite aesthetic, rather than facing a complex choice over which city to save, knowing both the good and the bad and everything in between.

We shall see! I am off to the Anderfels (I think) to meet a couple of wardens and hopefully see Davrin soon. So I will update again soon!

Oh, PS: COMPLETELY baffled by the fact that Varric recognizes the lyrium dagger as being the red lyrium idol. Like, sure, fine, those two things are related, and its true that’s why Solas wanted the red lyrium idol (just see Tevinter Nights and the comics)

But bro they look nothing like each other!!

What do you meeeaaaaannnnn

“it has the same ring at the top” okay and?? One is blue and shiny and the other has twisted corpse figures and is red and crumbling and was also turned into a giant ass greatsword back in the day??

Super weird reveal, not a fan, but it was more funny than annoying so there’s that.

Anyway we press onwards lol

[shem-fatale]

I didn’t think I could find Lucanis any more relatable than I already did but there you go. Panromantic demisexual who is possessed by spite of all things? Come on. ❤️‍🔥

Made some new Lucanis pride icons, in light of this 🖤 Also included a generic one for just general Lucanis enjoyers too!

(Free to use, but please reblog if you do)

[aghostwithnoname]

Oh we're so back.

[girlbob-boypants]

This might be a hot take for some people but why would I care if BioWare stays open if they fire all the staff that makes the games I like.

[ericaranns]

Eu tinha o costume de fazer reviews de coisas no meu twitter e fazia capas para essas reviews. Postando aqui pra arquivar e portfólio de Thumbs.

[funkopersonal]

Here's your daily reminder that...

Jews are only 0.2% of the worlds population but...

Jews make up 14% of the World Total and 38% of the United States of America total winners for the Nobel Prize for Literature (source).

Of the 965 individual recipients of the Nobel Prize and the Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Sciences between 1901 and 2023, at least 214 have been Jews or people with at least one Jewish parent, representing 22% of all recipients. (source)

Jews make up 14% of the total winners of the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction 18% of the total winners of the Pulitzer Prize for Poetry; 53% of the total winners of the Pulitzer Prize for Non-Fiction (source).

Jews make up 39% of the total winners of the Antoinette Perry (Tony) Award for Best Play; 54% of the total winners of the Tony Award for Best Book of a Musical (with 62% of all Composers and 66% of all Lyricists of Best Musical-winning productions being Jewish) (source).

Jews make up 40% of the total winners of the Academy Award (Oscar) for Best Original Screenplay; and 34% of the total winners of the Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay (source).

Although Jews constitute only 3% of the U.S. population...

80% of the nation’s professional comedians are Jewish (source).

90% of American comic book creators are jewish (source)

38% of the recipients of the United States National Medal of Science are Jewish (Source).

Jews are very successful, with educational levels higher than all other U.S. ethnic groups with the exception of Asian Americans, and income levels the highest of all groups. Six out of ten Jewish adults have college degrees, and 41% of Jewish families report a household income of $75,000 or more” (source)

Jews are a minority across the globe. We've been historically opressed and hated. But these key figures from history are all Jewish and loved, yet many don't even know they're jewish (or they don't know these people in the first place!):

Stan Lee (birth name: Stanley Martin Lieber) - An American comic book writer and editor, Former executive vice president and publisher of marvel Comics, creator of iron-man, spider-man, and more.

Albert Einstein - a Theoretical physicist, Received the 1921 Nobel Prize in Physics, developed the theory of relativity and the "worlds most famous equation"  (E = mc^2), and more.

Ruth Bader Ginsburg - Former Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States, co-authored the initial law school casebook on sex discrimination, co-founded the Women’s Rights Project at the ACLU in 1972, and more.

Jack Kirby (birth name: Jacob Kurtzberg) - an American comic book artist, co-creator of Captain America, one of the most influential comic book artists

Harry Houdini (birth name: Erich Weisz) - a Hungarian-American escape artist, illusionist, and stunt performer, noted for his escape acts.

Emma Lazarus - An American author remembered for her sonnet "The New Colossus," Inspired by The Statue of Liberty and inscribed on its pedestal as of 1903.

Julius Rosenthal, Lillian Wald, Rabbi Emil G. Hirsch, Stephen Wise, and Henry Moskowitz - Jewish activists that helped form the NAACP along with W.E.B. Dubois, Ida B. Wells-Barnett, and Mary Church Terrell.

Mark Zuckerberg - Founder and CEO of Meta, a businessman who co-founded the social media service Facebook, and within four years became the world’s youngest self-made billionaire Harvard alumni.

Joseph Pulitzer - a politician and newspaper publisher, his endowment to the Columbia University established the Pulitzer Prizes in 1917, he founded the Columbia School of Journalism which opened in 1912.

Jacob William Davis - a Latvian tailor who is credited with inventing modern jeans and who worked with Levi Strauss to patent and mass-produce them, died.

Irving Berlin - drafted at age 30 to write morale-boosting songs for military revues (including “God Bless America”). Many Berlin songs remained popular for decades, including “Puttin’ on the Ritz,” “Cheek to Cheek,” “Anything You Can Do (I Can Do Better),” “There’s No Business Like Show Business,” and two celebrating Christian holidays: “White Christmas” and “Easter Parade.”

Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel - received his doctorate in Berlin. He was arrested by the Nazis in 1938, moved to the U.S. in 1940, and became an influential figure in the 1960s, marching with the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. in Selma, Alabama, and speaking out against the Vietnam War.

Elie Wiesel - Romanian-American writer and professor, holocaust survivor, nobel laureate, political activist. Authored 57 books including Night, a work based on his experiences as a Jewish prisoner in the Auschwitz and Buchenwald concentration camps

Bob Dylan - an icon of folk, rock and protest music, won the Nobel Prize in literature for his complex and poetic lyrics.

J. Robert Oppenheimer - ran the Manhattan Project, considered the "father of the atomic Bomb," presented with the Enrico Fermi Award by President Lyndon Johnson.

Betty Friedan - co-founded the National Organization of Women and became its first president, wrote The Feminine Mystique (1963) and helped spark the second wave of feminism.

Gloria Steinem - one of the most prominent feminists of all time, launched Ms. Magazine and co-founded the National Women’s Political Caucus with Bella Abzug, Shirley Chisholm, Betty Friedan and Myrlie Evers-Williams, widow of Medgar Evers.

Sergey Brin - an American businessman best known for co-founding Google with Larry Page, president of Alphabet Inc.

Judith Heumann - a founder of the disability rights movement, led a 26-day sit-in at a federal building in San Francisco. The protest spurred implementation of Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act, a precursor to the Americans with Disabilities Act.

Larry Kramer - co-founded Gay Men’s Health Crisis in response to the AIDS epidemic but was soon ousted over his confrontational activism. He went on to help launch a more strident group, ACT UP, and wrote a critically acclaimed play, The Normal Heart, about the early AIDS years in New York City.

Steven Spielberg - released his critically acclaimed epic film Schindler’s List, based on the true story of a German industrialist who saved Jews during the Holocaust. The movie won seven Oscars and led Spielberg to launch the Shoah Foundation at the University of Southern California, which filmed interviews with 52,000 survivors of the Holocaust and genocides in Nanjing and Rwanda.

Calvin Klein - made designer jeans and the infamous ad starring Brooke Shields revolutionized the fashion industry, sold his company to Phillips-Van Heusen (now PVH) for $430 million. Klein was the first designer to win three consecutive Coty Awards for womenswear.

Daveed Diggs - an American actor, rapper, and singer-songwriter. he originated the dual roles of Marquis de Lafayette and Thomas Jefferson in the musical Hamilton, for which he won a 2016 Tony Award for Best Actor in a Featured Role in a Musical. Along with the main cast of Hamilton, he was awarded a Grammy Award for Best Musical Theater Album in the same year.

And so much more. (a pretty decent list is available here)

Not only that, but the following are all Jewish inventions...

The Teddy Bear - made by Morris and Rose Michtom in honor of Theodore "Teddy" Roosevelt.

The Ballpoint Pen - *the first commercially sucessfull ballpoint pen was made by Lazlo Biro, a Hungarian-Jew, and his brother.

Mobile Phones - made by Martin Cooper, nicknamed the "father of the cellphone", and was born in Chicago to Ukrainian Jewish immigrants.

The Barbie - made by Ruth Marianna Handler, born to Polish-Jewish immigrants.

Power Rangers - made by Haim Saban, a Jewish-Egyptian

Video Games - made by Ralph Baer, a German-Jew

Peeps - made by Sam Born, a Russian-Jewish immigrants who came to the United States in 1909.

Cards Against Humanity - created by a group of Jewish boys from the same high school

Many Superheroes including Superman, Ironman, spider-man, batman, and more!

and more! (an illustrated list available here.)

Conclusion: If you're Jewish, be proud. You come from a long line of successful people. No matter what happened to them, Jews persevered, and they strived for sucess. Be proud of your culture, your history, these are your people. You're Jewish.

(feel free to reblog and add more, or just comment and i'll add it!)

Last Updated: June 25, 1:35 AM EST

[scribeofmorpheus]

Veilguard Review: Doom Upon the World

Warnings: Spoilers for Veilguard, very political review (considers race, gender, religion and choice consequences centred around established Thedas).

Another long post: 4k words

In my first review (Love, Wisdom and Pride), I focused on the relationships most pivotal to Solas’ arc reaching resolution: Inquisitor and Mythal (though heavily Solavellan inspired, I tried to be aware of how the Inquisitor’s role as a rival/friend outside of romance was still considered as an important relationship in his story). This review, on the other hand, will focus on the worldstate and what we lost [x], as well as my speculations on which story beats/companions/advisors I feel should have been integrated into the story for a deeper emotional payoff for past Dragon Age players (and overall story cohesion).  

EDIT: Why Dragon Age Veilguard isn't a "Cathedral" thread (very important tet-a-tet about understanding game development politics--especially what was happening in Bioware)

N.B: This review is definitely a critique of something I love, born from love, because—yes, I had expectations; yes, they were high; no, I don’t think that’s a problem; no, I do not hate the game we got, but I mourn for what the devs clearly were building towards with the last 3 games in the series, and from what we know from the internal struggles with Bioware under EA’s helm (as evidence from the development time, layoffs, staff’s disappointment, and the differences between the final game and the concept art) the only thing getting in the way of a truly epic game was corporate meddling and greed.

Spoilers below the cut.

Without further ado, the primary criticism I have is that Varric should not have been our advisor! I read a post somewhere that succinctly surmised the that Varric was chosen as our Advisor so that:

Solas would make an “irredeemable” mistake for all the Solas haters to use as an excuse to simply view him as an antagonist, simplifying the goal of the game to: stop the elf from bringing down the Veil.

Varric was used for marketing purposes rather than story depth choices; he’s popular, beloved and an easy carrot for the EA stick to dangle in front of loyal fans.

His writer has literally been trying to kill him off for the last 2 games! Varric was supposed to die in Inquisition! (lol) [EDIT: Just want to clear up one mistake I wrote here--I say Mary Kirby (Varric's Author) was trying to kill him off since D2, but I meant the scrapped Exalted March DLC helmed by Gaider, and then someone else wanted to kill him off in Inquisition (Mary, I'm sorry I accidentally passed a fib about you!)]

I firmly believe he should have been holding the blight back in Kirkwall, and that his position as Viscount of Kirkwall should have affected the outcome of the blight spreading in the South!

Advisors in the North

Right off the bat, the two best choices for advisor, (excluding the Inquisitor out of favouritism) should have been Dorian and Morrigan.

Dorian: because we’re in the North, the Shadow Dragons are by far the more “grassroots organisation against imperial power” kind of organised body the Inquisition started out as. Since we don’t have a calling to fight against like the Wardens in Origins or a family to try and keep together in a city on the brink of implosion like Hawke, or a pseudo religious-political body to inspire Hope in the faithful like the Inquisitor, Valour, Love and Hope cannot be at the heart of this story. It has to be JUSTICE [x].

Justice for the culmination of Anders’ story; for Merril and everything she endured to repair the eluvian; for Fenris, the origin of his lyrium tattoos (which according to GhilDirthalen’s post, there was a plot point linked to elves whose lyrium bodies did not possess latent magical prowess) and the slaves in Tevinter; for the rebelling elves that should have formed factions as the Dread Wolf’s Agents like the Trespasser epilogue hinted at; for misunderstood spirits hurt by mages like Cole; for the ancient elves like Abelas; for the templars who saw the corruption in their ranks but had no way out because of lyrium addiction like Sampson; for those corrupted by red lyrium that was spreading throughout Thedas with no cause or cure; for the dwarves like Branka, obsessed with the answers held in the Anvil of the Void, or Harding, or Shaper Valta who saw a Titan and witnessed the death of the Legion of the Dead; for Sandal’s prophecy!; for the qunari oppressed by the Qun, turned talvashoth, searabas, hisraad like Bull! Justice for two decades worth of worldbuilding on the part of the writers and the devs who loved telling these stories.  

Morrigan: is self-explanatory to the story they were crafting between Solas and Mythal. And what would have been even better is if they actually just explained away the Well of Sorrows’ choice unaffecting the Inquisitor because Morrigan eventually had to assimilate the essence from the well to keep the Inquisitor from going mad—like the anchor had to be tempered by Solas in Trespasser. Easy as that!

The best part is that pitting Morrigan and Dorian as foils of each other further allows the game to have greater stakes and tension because Morrigan (changed by Mythal’s righteous anger and need for justice for what was done to her by the Evanuris) could champion making choices more detrimental to Thedas but ultimately in line with Solas’ plans. And Dorian could make choices that put the safety of Thedas’ citizens at the forefront by sacrificing headway in stopping Solas and his Agents from advancing with their plans!

Best yet, we could have had a hardened vs softened Dorian depending on whether you recruited him in Inquisition, and/or did his quest.

[Inquisitor concept art by Matt Rhodes]

Favouritism Bonus Round: The Inquisitor (or alternatively Morrigan) should have been the voice to champion Rook to seek out the wolf statues, and they should have been present when discussing the memories, as it would have given them more gravitas when uncovering the literal story of "Solas is Andrastian God creating the Veil" or "the Dalish Dread Wolf is being proven to be a saviour" or "Elves originally being spirits in the beginning", or "Titans were at war with the elves" beyond comments like: “Oh, Solas regrets this” or “They were doing it”. (This is the issue with having a “couch setting” for a “war room”—discussions feel less intellectual, factions don’t necessarily bring their own unique viewpoint into the interpretation of Solas’ decisions/Elgar’nan and Ghilan’nain’s presence, etc.) Everyone is not digesting the material given like it’s a clue to stopping the world from ending but rather like gossip. With the Inquisitor, as either a friend to Solas, a rival or a romanced Lavellan, finally finding the Dread Wolf’s Achilles Heel after vowing to stop him would have rung true, closed the loop.

Sigh.

This is also why I feel the Inquisitor should have been the one in Varric’s place—like literally. I mean recovering from an injury after failing to catch up to Solas in ACT 1, possibly dispatched by Agents of Fen'Harel! Because they could then be forced to pass the mantle to hunt down Solas to “Rook”. Not dead. Or a blood magic illusion. Just, Inquisitor, wounded, making small talk, sometimes bringing up plot points from Inquisition—your Hawke on the battlements in DA:I or Alistair in the gardens with Morrigan and Keiran.

It would also make more sense for the Inquisitor to be able to use the eluvian to travel between Skyhold and the Lighthouse, allowing for believable absences during plot points where their lack of action inspite of their presence wouldn’t make sense. Not to mention more gut-wrenching if we heard about the South from Inky rather than reading 4 letters!

Previously, I stated how the Inquisitor’s presence needed more weight in the non-Solavellan endings! Some people’s Inquisitor befriended Solas, some hated him, either way, the Inquisitor should have been present for the final showdown beyond a passive observer! If the Inquisitor ended up being the last friend/former love that Solas destroys (in a bad worldstate end where you don’t collect Mythal’s essence), which then prompts Rook to fight him because Solas’ last tie to empathy failed to redeem him, that would have added so many layers! The Inquisitor falling is the last straw for Solas too, whether friend, lover or foe, he fought beside them, stopped Corypheus with them! The Inquisitor was partially his making of a hero; his first “good” mistake! It would then make sense for him to snap, choosing to be a villain in the hopes of being stopped because he can’t stop himself, he’s come too far! Rather than the ‘I am a God’ ending they gave us.

Agency of a “Rook” on an Empty Chess Set (Factions and Backstory)

Personally, from both a writing and a viewer’s perspective, I think our protagonist should have always been linked to the Shadow Dragons (and the factions choices shouldn’t have been incorporated). This is more because, framing one’s backstory as being a member of a faction—not a people with established political positions in Tevinter—siphons the narrative of personal stakes. Imagine being a mage who could have begun with higher approval in Tevinter but lower elsewhere, maybe they’d be saved from the Venatori’s thrall that was linked to Neve’s companion story—again linked to Ashur and the Dragons. Or an elf mage could begin a storyline like that of the city elf in da:o but focused on the Shadow Dragons’ tackling slavery’s presence in Tevinter. A Qunari origin could explore being a refugee aided by the Shadow Dragons as they flee the Qun because they don’t fit in the dogmatic religion. A warden could be a criminal in Tevinter, showing us what is considered ‘rules for criminality’ in a city that corrupt and extremist.

Overall, the factions don’t add much diversity to Rook’s background, backstory, dialogue tree or influence on the world state beyond a last name that doesn’t really matter. With a Shadow Dragons’ background, the very ethos of “Rook” would have been about overcoming oppression, and then the nickname makes sense too, a name to stay concealed, to keep loved ones safe while DAV’s protagonist battles politics, blood mages and blighted gods. It would have been even more meaningful if the nickname “Rook” paralleled “Dread Wolf”, in that it was bestowed by your origin-based backstory antagonist and then used as a call to freedom (we wouldn’t even need a cutscene, this could have been revealed in part of their banter/dialogue). This simple choice would have allowed us to focus on Treviso and the Antaam’s occupation and Tevinter and the Venatori’s rise to power on a more personal level. It would also place our Rook in a position to be a foil to Solas’ “do what is necessary for the greater good” vs “be better than those that came before” plot lines. Building off this, the hardened companion status between Neve and Lucanis should have formed a parallel, with one tilting towards understanding Solas’ extreme efforts to stop the Gods, whereas the non-hardened character should have taken the role of foil. Both of whom would add balance to the tension when discussing Solas’ memories or even in exploration banter during missions (one the “devil” on your shoulder, the other your “angel” depending on where Solas’ actions stand for you since Inquisition).

Finally, the Shadow Dragons' should have been linked to Dorian more directly, potentially created with backing/support from the Inquisition’s advisors/Inquisitor directly (since their default attire is the Shadow Dragon apparel).

Companions: Cole for Compassion; Briala for Rebellion and Revenge

Cole

In my review Love, Widsom and Pride, I briefly touched on the fact Cole (whether recruited, not recruited, kept spirit or changed human) was absolutely necessary as a companion. Because it doesn’t matter which version was present in the world (RIP the tapestry), every iteration of Cole works synergistically with appealing to Solas’ spirit side:

If he wasn’t recruited in Inquisition, he could simply have his default origins as a compassion spirit that ‘follows’ the greatest pain in the Fade that yearns to be healed, giving a compassionate viewpoint to Solas’ folly.

Recruited-to-the-Inquisition Spirit Cole could have a greater connection to Solas than even Varric, seeing as Cole was most likely a literal representation of Solas rewriting his own history of corruption by preventing a spirit from becoming something against its nature.

Human Cole would have a deeper connection to the world of Thedas, and could have been a great tool to prove how change was inevitable, not always a bad thing, and inevitably out of even Solas’ control. And he could still offer insight into Solas' mind via 'remnants' of the time he was more spirit.

Briala

What I enjoy about this companion head canon is that Briala is literally Solas’ direct parallel story-wise:

She’s in love with Celene, the ‘best’ choice for ruler in Orlais even though she burned Briala’s alienage. They share a great power imbalance, with Celene able to affect the fate of all elves in Orlais, yet is unwilling to free them, return the Dales, or concede power even though she claims to love Briala, too. Briala is a rebellion upstart, raised by Felassan for crying out loud. She controlled the eluvians and knew how to get around the crossroads, she has more of a bone to pick with Solas than any other NPC not close to the Inquisitor! (Celene and Mythal share many similarities as well, with Celene seen as the more benevolent of rules when compared to Gaspard the Warmonger; and if Gaspard is in power but controlled by Briala, imagine her being dethroned from her seat of power by Agents of Fen’Harel after she lost access to the eluvians, that would have been a great story arc to explore).

Sidenote on DAV's Romance, Companions and Choice Consequence

Building off having either Cole or Briala as a companion, I do think it would have been nice to have them as non-romanceable too. Don’t get me wrong, I know it's great to have options, but I do feel making everyone “pansexual” wasn’t the right way to go for all the companions. It takes away character choice, personality, taste and individualism from the companions. Dorian’s story would not be nearly as impactful if he could have been romanced regardless of gender. Solas being unwilling to romance any race/gender besides female elf (though a direct correlation to the developers being afraid of the ‘evil bisexual’ trope that was popular in the 2010s) also adds to his story; where he’s reluctant to see the world as real, to accept non-elven people as having agency, because that would mean he wasn’t walking through a see of Tranquil, but instead, he was the Forgotten One out of time.

I also firmly believe that a possible reason Cole wasn’t a companion despite there being plans in place that he’d return (Trespasser epilogue slide, I remember you), is because I can 100% see an EA big-wig being like: “He’s unfuckable. Give us someone hot and brooding and slap a demon in them and you’ve got fuckable-Cole” and then we got Lucanis.

I like Lucanis. I’m not crazy about him, but I enjoy the Machiavllian family drama. Very Renaissance Medici story beats. I adore Mary Kirby as a writer, too, but I feel the introduction to the Crows of Antiva should have been Zevran’s mantle, or he should have at least haunted the narrative and missions related to the Crow factions (of which there should definitely have been factions within the Crows). Considering the fact I romanced Lucanis, I couldn’t shake the fact that a lot of his “acceptance for being bound to Spite” beats paralleled a Human Cole having been ‘cured’ from Compassion.

The romances seem less… memorable to me than past games. The importance of choice means you have to accept the story unfolding based on the consequences of your choices; and gender-locking at least one companion would show the cause and effect of beginner choice. Taash is actually written to prefer women over men, which is vital to their arc around gender dysphoria and being non-binary, they would have been a perfect candidate! I imagine their story would also be a great way to explore how being one race attempting to romance another could have a slower progression rate (again, because of Taash’s multi-cultural background, and their complex feelings at having been raised by a mother so tied to the Qun, them being cagier around a qunari Rook romance would also have added layers!) But with everyone available to be romanced, and having no initial repercussion for early game choices despite which character model would have bruises or cuts (Neve or Harding), genuinely roleplaying as Rook, and not as someone using Rook as a stand-in for ourselves, is more disconnected than previous games. This is why the romances feel off to me. Doing the romanceable companions’ storylines seem like I’m the one trying to date them, not Rook. Maybe it’s because Rook’s established personality is the direct repercussion of a sanitized worldstate!  

Foibles of being ‘Unproblematic’: A Sanitised World

The issue with trying to make a game that won’t touch on difficult topics, is that, when you make that game a sequel to a series that was literally built on the backs of tackling real world politics, it makes a lot of the world seem plastic. A poor imitation perhaps.

The World of Thedas book actually tells us that Thedas is a fantasy setting that uses the real world as its backdrop for conflict and world building. Andraste is Joan of Arc. Andrastian faith is Christianity founded by a woman. Orlais is the French bourgeois era. Fereldan is more Highlands/Celtics region if it never had a chance to expand because of the blight. Elves are the disenfranchised (and a direct parallel to popular elven cultures that were often portrayed as the pinnacle of advanced magic/civilisation). City elves live in alienages (literal ghettos). Dalish elves (native to the land) are being run out of their homes, the Orlesian’s are trying to claim the territory for their Empire, and their numbers are dwindling, their culture and language a poor imitation of what it had been, barely surviving colonialisation! Dwarves have a caste system that determines everyone’s future! Dagna had to leave her home! Harding grew up on the surface. Varric’s whole plot thread anchoring him in act 1 of DA2 is helping his brother discover Deep Roads riches so they can get their family’s title again.

And through all 3 games prior to Veilguard, we’re told the Ventaori are monsters, the Imperium is crueller to its elves/slaves than any place in the South! The best option beyond turning Feynriel tranquil in DA2 (one of the few Dream Walker mages) is to send him to Tevinter. What becomes of a half-Dalish mage in Tevinter? Neve, our first companion beside Harding, is determined to make Dock Town a place worth living! So, to walk into Veilguard and have no slavery storylines in a place called the fucking TEVINTER IMPERIUM (modelled after the fucking Roman Empire close to collapse) is so jarring. So unbelievable. What injustice is Neve battling? What woes has Dorian been dealing with in the Magisterium?

The closest we get to seeing the darkness that exists in the world (besides the hanging corpses lining the streets of Dock Town if you save Treviso) is the side quest where a father makes a deal with a demon to keep his child alive by sacrificing so many innocents.

And then there's Tevinter's "savage" neighbours, the Invading forces of the Qun! Frightening, right? But from the blasé manner the Qun's rigidity is discussed, it is framed as though anyone can simply up and leave the Qun if they so wished it, according to Taash’s mom. Yes, Taash is being hunted, and their mom is taken prisoner, but it was all in service to a tablet that discussed fire-breathing, not about returning to the Qun. Iron Bull being deemed talvashoth holds less severity when the consequences of leaving a subjugating, dogmatic, religious-political society are simply... nothing. There's no anchor to Taash being raised in Rivain for safety reasons beyond keeping their fire-breathing secret. And what of all the elves that commit to the Qun? Why are there no elf converts among the Antaam? What about the fucked-up stuff the Dwarves of Kal-Sharok were doing before Veilguard? Kal-Sharok dwarves apparently were changed by the First Blight, and are supposed to have a ‘tainted’ appearance according to the World of Thedas concept art book. Why are they just... normal dudes in booby armour (lol)?

[Imshael! A demon/spirit of choice & Calpernia as potential companions is insanity>>!]

I possibly wouldn’t have these strong opinions if the games gave the companions more… just more ‘controversial’ stories with harder choices! Veilguard in a way feels like playing a game with child-lock on. Yes, what happens to Tevinter or Treviso looks awful when you see it, but the side-quests, companion stories, NPC dialogues and world around the ‘mise-en-scene’ don’t reflect this--it's like set dressing. The “I can’t believe the Venatori are evil” side comments by Rook in Tevinter when the Venatori takes over become whiny, child-like and “hopes and prayers” coded. Do something then, Rook. You are the hero of this story, are you not?

I am forever grateful that Lucanis is actually hardened and removed as a romance interest if you sacrifice Treviso (finally, good old dragon age consequences).

Now onto good criticism of our companions!

Companions: The Good, the Balanced and the Essential

Good: Neve and Davrin.

Neve is our eyes and heart to Dock Town, our humanising presence for the Tevinter Imperium. She is also written in a way that I find her to have the best agency as a non-romanced character than most.

Davrin is a breath of fresh air for the reputation of the Grey Wardens, he’s the genuine article. Him owning up to being young and foolhardy when he rejected the Dalish ways in search of adventure, only to be battle-hardened and then become more appreciative of the fact he was taught to live in harmony before he was exposed to the discord of the Deep Roads is such a good character growth moment.  

Balanced: Harding. Harding grows into a much more invaluable story piece when she unlocks the Stone Sense and uncovers her people’s history. It’s a rather short-sighted choice to have her be one of the Ultimate Sacrifice characters because what becomes of the story of the Stone? Who hears the song? Who will speak of the Titans to other dwarves if she is chosen to go on the final mission?

Essential: Antoine and Evka! No notes, they should have been conditional companions in a side quest! They’re fleshed out so well, and their relationship is real and built into their character, but it’s not all they are! Antoine is smart, hopeful and also tortured by the new blight. Evka is powerful, pragmatic and also caring.

The Red Herring that should have been: Bellara as an Agent of Fen’Harel! Her storyline would have worked with the concept of being found ‘suspicious’ by players if the Agents of Fen’Harel were an active group. A Veil Jumper in Arlathan whose brother got entabgled with a Forgotten One? Someone who is an outright believer in the elven pantheon? O, Bellara, the power you would have had as a possible double-agent in our midst, only for us to have been wrong in doubting her and having it be someone else! Race and position to power should have inforced so many story beats in this game, man!

Finally: Religion, Where?

I’m a little exhausted, so I’ll wrap this part a little quickly. Religion is paramount to understanding the decisions and states of mind of so many characters in Thedas. Leliana’s arc alone is one of the most intimate insights into Andrastian faith! The Inquisitor is literally responsible for appointing the Divine! The Divine can call for an Exalted March! The Black Divine is a huge plot point when discussing the differences between the Southern and Northern iterations of the Chant. Tevinter’s Old Gods (Archdemons) are blighted dragons linked to the Evanuris that whisper the will of their masters to humans. Archdemons are responsible for the Blight, our first “save the world kiddo” moment in da:o! So where is the disbelief in the streets that Elven Gods exist? Why is it always “Our Gods” are back? What about city elves who believe in the Chant of Light? Where is the Black Divine? Why is everyone okay remaining Andrastian when the fact Solas made the Veil is revealed? Where is the politics and religious civil war in the streets between NPCs?! Between companions? Why isn’t there a cultish, zealous group of extreme Andrastians following Solas around? Why isn’t there another version thinking of Solas and all elves as the second coming of Maferath? How are city elves fairing compared to Dalish elves at the reveal it’s their pantheon gunning to end the world? Again! RACE AND POLITICS MATTER! They always mattered in Thedas before, yet here they are anecdotal at best.

The Veil Should Have Come Down

It’s apparent to me, and numerous others, that Veilguard was stunted by its attempts to be an entry piece that wasn’t alienating to new players of the RPG game format, but it was also haunted deeply by it’s very EPIC tapestry mechanic (choices mattered!). Ironically, Veilguard served to be a soft re-boot of the series. This, I think, was the grandest mistake. If they meant to reboot the series for future instalments, we should have fundamentally changed the physics and rules of Thedas completely to allow the next instalment to start from the literal ground up. By bringing down the Veil, we’d finally free the Titans, introduce the concept of Dwarves with magic, awaken the Forgotten Ones and maybe allow for new species/lore/concepts to shape the future. And to work around the tapestry, they could have simply set the next sequel 200 years later. Sent our heroes to rest. Ended with a new canvas.

It should have concluded with the very ending that was prophesied by Sandal in DA2:

“One day the magic will come back. All of it. Everyone will be just like they were. The shadows will part, the skies will open wide. When he rises everyone will see.”

Bonus: Anaris should have been a DLC boss with Fenris involved!

Why, you ask? Just this data-mined codex entry still present in the game:

Truth be told, like they did with Corypheus in the Origins DLC, I think they could very well bring him back as the big bad of DA5—which I think should have always been about fleshing out the war between the Titans / the Forgotten Ones / Evanuris!

Anaris and a waking Titan?! That would have been beyond amazing!

Which… again, is why the Veil should have COME DOWN!

P.S.: I know a lot of these criticisms seem like unhappy nitpicks, but I did enjoy Veilguard, I got an ending I could live with. BUT I am so angry by how many roadblocks are placed before game devs with a clear story in mind--as is obvious with the concept art book. Obvious threads were leading to Veilguard having always been the end of the Dragon AGE! We kill the last Archdemon! The last dragon linked to the Gods and the blight! The game developers have even alluded to having fought tooth and nail with EA's suits, but could only manage to give us the game we got. And I'm beyond grateful. But MAN does it hurt!

Remember to say thank you to the writers/artists/voice actors on their socials, they deserve a little love too.

Fin!

[vigilskeep]

I appreciate how Spire knows and uses our pronouns, number one ally Spite (well Ghilan'nain uses romanced Taash’s correct pronouns too which I find so funny when they could’ve just framed the sentence differently, “I’m an eldritch horror bent on world domination but I’m not a transphobe what the fuck”)

i think spite is having a kind of objectively hysterical experience with gender here, in that... okay so if you believe mary kirby’s bluesky word of god then spite has no concept of what it looks like, or appearances at all. we are seeing it as lucanis’ mind perceives it, which is as what lucanis thinks he himself looks like (always in armour, never relaxed). and i rlly believe spite only gets he/himmed in veilguard because lucanis projects his appearance onto it and then makes the straightforward if a bit limiting assumption that something that looks like him is a he. this happens a lot to spirits e.g. justice gets automatically he/himmed because he ends up in kristoff and anders’ bodies, despite not having had much choice in either matter and canonically expressing curiosity about the new perspective being in a “female body” might offer. you could make the argument that spirits become what they’re believed to be and probably are affected by these interactions, but it’s more complicated than that, spirits do have individuality, and i think it would be obviously quite lame and bad if the form they end up in, and others’ thoughtless assumptions about it, defined everything

i don’t think spite objects to being he/himmed but i also don’t think that means spite necessarily has a gender. it just doesn’t have an opinion here. i’m not convinced spite knows what gender is. (i think we constantly need to lower our expectations on everything spite is actually aware of. i mentioned this before but i cannot express this enough: it doesn’t know why it and lucanis need to have skin.) all of which goes to say, in response to your ask, that i really don’t think spite is even capable of misgendering someone when it does not understand the situation here and is likely borrowing directly from what it probably thinks are the completely fucking arbitrary rules in lucanis’ head rather than comprehending any of this at all

(this is part of why i have made a habit of using it/its for spite even though i think he/him is generally used in the game. i think that’s more interesting in terms of exploring what spirits are, plus just easier to differentiate from lucanis while writing, plus i genuinely do not believe it’s invested in any of this. or at least i think it has not yet figured out enough to be invested in any of this. maybe it could do! spite is such a baby spirit with so much room to grow as it develops a place for itself in the mortal world. rook lucanis spite gender discussion is very funny and sweet conceptually to me, especially because i do not think lucanis has really thought about this either.)

i don’t know who ghilan’nain even gets her news on rook’s paramour from. but she’s up to date! i don’t think it’s that surprising though, i don’t know why ghilan’nain would be transphobic. there’s no reason to assume ancient elven society was like that afaik. i mean, they came directly from, and were led by, spirits who crafted their own bodies the way they wanted them. you couldn’t really describe any of the evanuris as cis exactly?

[stylespresleyhearted]

what’s the secret project you posted 👀

oh gosh i keep meaning to answer this and then i keep forgetting or pushing it back for reasons unknown to me i think im just unaccustomed to having any asks lol but anyways this is something that actually started because of a certain thing me and marina yell about when it comes to austin and then as our love for callum grew it came to something else grand and beautiful. now it’s only something that has been discussed in the chat, it has no doc or nothing official to it, it may never even come to fruition (marina is already gifting us with so much goodness in the fic worlds she dabbles in)

but i will share some of it and feel free to come further talk about it if it interests you 😘

Warnings: nsfw below the cut, open relationship, threesome, guy x guy, guy x guy x girl

So we’re all aware of how Austin put his blood, sweat, tears, and soul into his Elvis role. This man gave it his all and I’m truly so grateful to him for it because in my opinion (and most importantly in Lisa Marie’s opinion) he did Elvis Presley justice.

• Bree is a famous and highly esteemed guitarist, singer, and lyricist. She’s won multiple Grammies and written for and with Lana Del Rey, Arctic Monkeys, etc., that’s more her vibe. Baz hires her on during the making of Elvis movie so she could help him modernize the soundtrack and help with the choosing of songs. Maybe she’s even there when Austin gathers all the people from the record label and has them ridicule Austin after his first run through.

• But she’s there before filming and she’s there during filming and her and Austin even shack up together for a while during the first COVID lockdown, spending time with him in his apartment and staying up at all hours of the night to help him get certain scenes right. The bed sheets are tangled, kisses are shared, breakfast is eaten in bed not in the kitchen and there are multiple walks on the beach taken together.

• Bree tries her best to be there for him through all of it. She can sense he’s about to sky rocket and rightfully so, she doesn’t think anyone around can currently measure for his talent. She tries to be a soundboard and a friend and a girlfriend of sorts and a co worker and he’s got her playing all these different roles to keep up with him but keep in mind he never asked her to do any of that. She’s doing it because she loves him, maybe she isn’t in love with him or if she is she isn’t aware of it yet but she does love and care for him.

• And he’s going through his shit. He isn’t sure where Austin begins and Elvis ends and he isn’t in the headspace for a relationship, especially with Bree who deserves the world so when he’s sick as a dog and bed ridden before heading to London he makes sure to have the conversation with her. They were never official. Never went public or had rumors swirl. It’s better to end it on a good note and leave it how it is.

• So consider his surprise when a few months into filming MOTA, Bree shows up on Callum’s arm being introduced as his girlfriend. It’s supposed to be a lads night and Barry dragged him out and now someone who he calls one of his closest friends is introducing Bree as his current girlfriend. A close friend who he goes on walks in the parks with, who places kisses on his cheek after a few drinks, who places his hand on the small of Austin’s back when he approaches him, who pinches his cheeks and welcomed him with open arms. Dating someone who was there at his worst and gave him her heart and stayed up entire nights talking him down when his anxiety was too high and made him do self care when he forgot he was supposed to be his own person.

• and see, Callum and Bree are both Brits so they run in semi same circles and they knew of each other and were friends but Callum was with Vanessa Kirby and they were in love and for a while Bree was with Alex Turner and them afterwards there was Austin. So Callum and Bree were already friends and when they run into each other at a record shop and then head to lunch after and maybe Callum gave her a kiss goodbye when they went separate ways - it all just grew from there.

• so maybe Austin feels a green jealous monster growing inside his chest but who he’s jealous of he’s unsure and a larger part of him is actually happy for both of them. They’re good people, they love each other and both deserve each other.

• they’re suddenly everywhere. She accompanies Callum on set and it’s clear to everyone how in love they are and one time when they’re filming the POW scenes and everyone’s on lunch Austin is looking for peace and quiet so he wanders into their “bunks” but there right in front of him - Callum holding Bree up against the wood panel walls, pounding into her as she moans his name so prettily, his sheepskin jacket still on and making him sweaty. Callum’s eyes open and he catches Austin walking, Austin who trips over his own feet to back away but Callum just smiles and winks at him.

• and later Callum approaches Austin with a high five and a cheeky, “see how good I was giving it to her, mate?”

• and fuck, Austin gets hard thinking about it. Gets hard thinking about Bree’s moans and Callum’s grunt and his sweat and her breasts bouncing against his chest.

• then filming wraps and Austin’s free of them. Doesn’t have to be in there presence every day anymore and he meets someone, a nepo baby who’s beautiful and kind and he’s in a place where he feels he can be with someone so he goes for it and he falls in love.

• and MOTA press isn’t until 2024 so it’s two years of only a handful of run ins with them but then press starts and news break: Callum and Bree are engaged. And the entire cast and crew are happy and they all celebrate.

• She didn’t join Elvis press because she was touring.

• so now Austin is around his engaged friends and he has mixed feelings regarding both of them. See he’s happy and he loves his girlfriend and his career is good but if he’s being honest something is missing and when he wants to torture himself he admits he knows exactly what it is. And he’s doing interviews and Bree is backstage and Callum’s always so touchy and so kind in his words in regard to Austin and one day Callum admits Bree told him what went down between Bree and Austin and Callum’s a confident guy, he assures Austin it’s all fine.

• But maybe it’s the first screening of MOTA, and Callum and Bree are tired of Austin’s sad puppy dog eyes every time they catch him watching them so Bree corners Austin backstage. Gets close and starts palming him through his pants, assuring him Callum wouldn’t mind, in fact Callum has been purposely teasing Austin during interviews trying to get him to cave.

• Callum and Bree both decided if they all wanted it how could it be wrong? Why not go for it?

• And Bree’s falling to her knees and taking Austin in her mouth, pretty pouty lips wrapped around him as she takes him all the way in and suddenly Callum is there, watching them, talking her through it.

• “Isn’t she phenomenal, mate? Had to work with her to get rid of that gag reflex and now she can deep throat me.”

• and Callum waits until Austin mewls his name and calls him over, begging him to be a part of this somehow, to please hold him. So Callum is joining them, Bree so pretty on her knees between them and Callum is flicking Austin’s nipple and letting Austin let his moans out in his neck.

That’s all we have more to come soon if ya’ll wish 🌚

• oh yeah there’s a scene where Bree holds Austin’s hand the first time Callum fucks him because she’s aware of the pain of how large Callum is.

@precious-little-scoundrel

[skeleton-on-parade]

My thoughts on Veilguard (no spoilers)

I enjoyed this game. There is inclusion of some good lore - if you consumed the books and/or comics, you will find them mentioned! Some of the writing is weak, and I have decided to base this entirely on Mary Kirby's being "laid off" (JUSTICE FOR MARY KIRBY). I would have liked to see more overt references to DA2 and DA:0/A. There is also some missing aspects that feel very absent if you are a long-time series fan.

The game functions well (which has been a problem with Triple As recently, as in, releasing games that still have oodles of bugs). I also think it is a beautiful game. The soundtrack is not as good as any other title, but does include quotations and variations on other title tracks, which I am a fan of.

There were opportunities that would have made this a standout game that were completely missed, IMO, but I think we could still be looking at GOTY material.

My favorite addition BY FAR is party banter not being lost to combat interruptions. God bless Bioware for figuring that shit out.

[bestest-brackets]

New Bracket Announcement!

This one is kind of huge compared to what I usually do, and it’s probably going to be a bit before there’s another one this big.

As such, I’ve divided it into four Blocks, which will each run separately before the winners of each block participate in the semifinals.

The theme this time is

Ambiguously Dead Friends

Since there are so many this time, the lineup will be below the cut, but I encourage you to see if anyone you know is there! Please reblog to spread the news and to remind yourself to come vote!

Round One of Block A starts this Monday.

Dead Best Friend Bracket

Block A

KK (Ghostwire Tokyo) vs Alma Karma (D.Gray Man)

Makise Kurisu (Steins;Gate) vs Kokonose Haruka (Kagerou Project)

Kofune Ushio (Summertime Rendering) vs Yami Yugi (Yu-Gi-Oh!)

Bruno Bucciarati (JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure: Golden Wind) vs Iris Sagan (AI: The Somnium Files)

Marnie (When Marnie was There) vs Cassim (Magi)

The Snatcher (A Hat in Time) vs Professor Turo (Pokémon: Violet)

Asriel Dreemurr (Undertale) vs Sakurane Shoka (NEO: The World Ends with You)

Hayakawa Aki (Chainsaw Man) vs Fubuki Atsuya (Inazuma Eleven: Blizzard)

Block B

Audric (Dragalia Lost) vs Komikado Harumichi (Ohayou, Ibarahime)

Mondo Owada (Danganronpa: Trigger Happy Havoc) vs Brook (One Piece)

Kite (Hunter x Hunter) vs Yukine (Noragami)

Naruse Kakeru (Orange) vs Polterpup (Luigi’s Mansion)

Alear (Fire Emblem: Engage) vs Lief (Bug Fables)

Hoshino Ruby (Oshi no Ko) vs Lyman Banner (Yu-Gi-Oh! GX)

Shizu (That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime) vs Zera (Fairy Tail)

Acht (Splatoon 3) vs Honma Meiko (Anohana)

Block C

Gugu (To Your Eternity) vs Falin Touden (Dungeon Meshi)

Mia Fey (Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney) vs Natsuki Subaru (Re: Zero)

Tikal (Sonic Adventure) vs Hinazuki Kayo (Boku Dake ga Inai Machi)

Mari (OMORI) vs Sunny (Pokémon)

Sabito (Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba) vs Indou Hikaru (The Summer Hikaru Died)

Excellen Browning (Super Robot Wars) vs Dimple (Mob Psycho 100)

Daruk (The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild) vs Maria (Silent Hill 2)

Claire Foley (Professor Layton and the Unwound Future) vs Ethan Winters (Resident Evil)

Block D

Lemiel Silvamillion Clover (Black Clover) vs Hanako-kun (Toilet-bound Hanako-kun)

Pandoria (Xenoblade Chronicles 2) vs Brown (Rule of Rose)

Queen Sectonia (Kirby: Triple Deluxe) vs Joe Tazuna (Your Turn to Die)

Reginald Kastle (Yu-Gi-Oh! Zexal) vs Missile (Ghost Trick)

Shuu (Inazuma Eleven: GO) vs Yokomizo (Bungo Stray Dogs)

Sothis (Fire Emblem: Three Houses) vs Vanilla (World’s End Club)

Shirakumo Oboro (My Hero Academia) vs Auron (Final Fantasy X)

Dhurke Sahdmadhi (Ace Attorney: Spirit of Justice) vs Sayori (Doki Doki Literature Club)

[wanderingmind867]

Marvel gave more credit to it's writers back in the 60s. Stan Lee, Roy Thomas, Gary Friedrich, Jack Kirby, Steve Ditko, Gene Colan, Marie Severin, John Buscema, and more all got credit. Even the lettterers got credited. Sam Rosen and Artie Simek. Only ones not credited were the colourists (which is a shame, because i think that's an important job).

But DC...if you were lucky, DC might occasionally credit a writer or artist. But did they consistently do it? No. Never. The name of John Broome is pretty much never credited. Gardner Fox was only occasionally credited. Otto Binder, Bill Finger, etc. never really got much credit (i don't think). Also, not once did I see Carmine Infantino or Mike Sekowsky credited for their work on The Flash and the Justice League. DC had a credit problem, and now we don't know who to thank for half their stories now! As far as i'm aware, half the 60s aquaman stories have unknown writers because of this! So good job, DC! Terrific job! At least Marvel made crediting a more common practice!

[himluv]

DA Review Series: Dragon Age II Character Stories

<<< Previous Review: Warden's Fall

Leading up to the release of the Dragon Age II, Bioware released a story for each companion to sort of set the stage for their individual stories. I'm going to give an overall review, but then also included mini reviews for each one further below :)

Title: Dragon Age II Character Stories Author: Various Year Published: 2011 In-World Year: ~9:31 Dragon Verdict: While there are a couple stories here that feel like they should be required reading (Anders, Merrill, and Sebastian) the others don't really offer much that can't be learned or inferred from conversations with the characters in-game.

Now, on to my take on each individual story!

Title: Aveline Author: Lukas Kristjanson Year Published: 2011 In-World Year: unknown, pre-9:30 Dragon Verdict: Skip. It tells us almost nothing of the world, and really just shows how Aveline met her first husband.

Title: Fenris Author: David Gaider Year Published: 2011 In-World Year: 9:31 Dragon Verdict: Eh. This also didn't provide much, other than showing Fenris on the run. It's also weirdly fat phobic and sexist, which is honestly kind of impressive for such a short story to accomplish both.

Title: Isabel Author: Sheryl Chee Year Published: 2011 In-World Year: 9:31 Dragon Verdict: Skip? Honestly this feels like it stopped just as it started. I think the point is to set up Isabela as you find her, but there just isn't nearly enough here to be worthwhile.

Title: Merrill Author: Mary Kirby Publication Year: 2011 In-World Year: 9:31 Dragon Verdict: Finally some decent fucking food! This one is worth the five minutes to read it, and shows Merrill first meeting the demon at Sundermount. We even get its name, Audacity.

Title: Anders Author: Jennifer Hepler Publication Year: 2011 In-World Year: 9:31 Dragon Verdict: Required reading. This shows how Anders left the Wardens and just how much he understands what he and Justice have become. It really sheds new light on his role and demeanor in DA2.

Title: Sebastian Author: Jennifer Hepler Publication Year: 2011 In-World Year: 9:31 Dragon Verdict: Good! I'm pretty anti-Chantry and not the biggest Sebastian fan, but this gave some good context to his personal quest and made him a bit more likable.

Title: Varric Author: Mary Kirby Publication Year: 2011 In-World Year: 9:31 Dragon Verdict: Entertaining! Is it important to the story or world? Not really, but any chance to see Varric in his element is fine by me.

[bears-artlogyippee]

MAJOR ARCANA NINTENDO DECK

my list.... pls tell me if you have any better ideas GBHDGHBHGSBHSBHSHSA

starting ofc, with the fool

The Fool

Upright: innocence, new beginnings, free spirit

Reversed: recklessness, taken advantage of, inconsideration

HOP - POKEMON SWORD AND SHIELD

The Magician

Upright: will power, desire, creation, manifestation

Reversed: trickery, illusions, out of touch

KAMEK - SUPER MARIO BROS

The High Priestess

Upright: intuitive, unconscious, inner voice

Reversed: lack of center, lost inner voice, repressed feelings

AKARI - POKEMON LEGENDS ARCEUS

The Empress

Upright: motherhood, fertility, nature

Reversed: dependance, smothering, emptiness, nosiness

QUEEN MARY/MARIA - MOTHER ONE

The Emperor

Upright: authority, structure, control, fatherhood

Reversed: tyranny, rigidity, coldness

BOWSER - SUPER MARIO BROS

The Hierophant

Upright: tradition, conformity, morality, ethics

Reversed: rebellion, subversiveness, new approaches

MARINA AND PEARL - SPLATOON

The Lovers

Upright: partnerships, duality, union

Reversed: loss of balance, one-sidedness, disharmony

RED & BLUE - POKEMON

The Chariot

Upright: direction, control, willpower

Reversed: lack of control, lack of direction, aggression

LINK - THE LEGEND OF ZELDA

Strength

Upright: inner strength, bravery, compassion, focus

Reversed: self doubt, weakness, insecurity

MARIO - SUPER MARIO BROS

The Hermit

Upright: contemplation, search for truth, inner guidance

Reversed: loneliness, isolation, lost your way

LUIGI - SUPER MARIO BROS

The Wheel of Fortune

Upright: change, cycles, inevitable fate

Reversed: no control, clinging to control, bad luck

GANONDORF - THE LEGEND OF ZELDA

Justice

Upright: cause and effect, clarity, truth

Reversed: dishonesty, unaccountability, unfairness

AGENT 4 - SPLATOON

The Hanged Man

Upright: sacrifice, release, martyrdom

Reversed: stalling, needless sacrifice, fear of sacrifice

TEDDY - MOTHER ONE/ELF - KIRBY

Death

Upright: end of cycle, beginnings, change, metamorphosis

Reversed: fear of change, holding on stagnation, decay

DRAGON ZELDA - THE LEGEND OF ZELDA

Temperance

Upright: middle path, patience, finding meaning

Reversed: extremes, excess, lack of balance

NINTEN/NESS - MOTHER

The Devil

Upright: addiction, materialism, playfulness

Reversed: freedom, release, restoring control

VILLAGER - ANIMAL CROSSING

The Tower

Upright: sudden upheaval, broken pride, disaster

Reversed: disaster avoided, delayed disaster, fear of suffering

PORKY - MOTHER

The Star

Upright: hope, faith, rejuvenation

Reversed: faithlessness, discouragement, insecurity 

KIRBY - KIRBY

The Moon

Upright: unconscious, illusions, intuition

Reversed: confusion, fear, misinterpretation

META KNIGHT - KIRBY

The Sun

Upright: joy, success, celebration, positivity

Reversed: negativity, depression, sadness

DAISY/PEACH - SUPER MARIO BROS

Judgement

Upright: reflection, reckoning, awakening

Reversed: lack of self awareness, doubt, self loathing

TOADS - SUPER MARIO

The World

Upright: fulfillment, harmony, completion

Reversed: incompletion, no closure

MARX - KIRBY

[icharchivist]

Veilguard Spoilers

at the time i joked about "ahah the Lucanis/Spite situation will totally revive the "is that a threesome" debate from da2 with Anders/Justice" but honestly the more i let the game sit in in my brain, dating Lucanis IS a polyamory relationship. Because yeah Spite is involved. Spite wraps Rook with his wings when things get sexy and Lucanis confirms he has no control over it if he romances Neve (and that Spite doesn't actually do it with Neve for instance)

I mentioned at the time meeting Spite that it looked like the beginning of a love triangle but in retrospect Spite established right away that Rook caring for Lucanis means Spite would also be at peace and it's why he cared for them. And Mary Kirby mentioned that since Spite is a derivation on passion he would NOT understand why Lucanis pulled away from kissing Rook while it was clear the two of them wanted to.

and we know from general abomination lore that feelings can get mushy and mixed between spirit and host.

And after the sex scene at the end of the game Rook jokes about just playing cards with Spite while Lucanis sleeps.

... so they're totally a polyamory relationship. Me, you, and the demon that is possessing your body. Spite IS taken care of as a member of the relationship.

tbh i kinda want to replay davg to romance Lucanis again knowing that, bc not knowing if Spite was going to stay a problem or not made me wary of him a huge part of the romance but like. he's actually chill. He just sucks at expressing himself and Lucanis is too deep in his PTSD to understand what Spite is saying.

But yeah like it's totally a poly with Lucanis and Spite. Two for one.

And i think it's esp noticeable compared to the Anders romance because you know Justice hates every single moment Anders is "distracted" with his romantic interest. There's multiple comments on that and it's the reason the ending also happens... this way, even when romancing him.

So when you have sex with Anders Justice is probably just trying to tune everything out and make himself small because he does NOT want to be involved in it. not a poly. we'll give Justice the mercy to not think it's a threesome.

but with Lucanis? with Spite wrapping Rook in his wings during sex? yeah it's a poly. and a threesome. carry on.

[classicmarvelera]

60 Years to the Marvel Age of Comics

This year Marvel Comics is celebrating 60 years of the Avengers and the Uncanny X-Men. Two superhero teams (not super teams equivalent to DC’s JSA & JLA) that have seen many highs and few lows over the decades. Both transitioned from the pages of comics and onto the TV as well as Silver Screen. Both were created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby, two names that would start the Marvel Age in the comic book industry with the Fantastic Four in 1961 

A lot has been written, and many documentaries have been produced about this particular era, referred to as the Silver Age. However, what needs to be examined is why we won’t be able to see a repeat of the Marvel Age till the end of time. It wouldn’t be wrong to say that this was Fukuyama’s “End of History” moment that brought superhero content full circle (foundations of which were established by Jerry Seigel and Joe Shuster in 1938) 

Had Stan given up the industry would still be producing content about ideal beings establishing truth, justice, and the American way, or World Peace for that matter. Luckily for every superhero fan out there, he didn’t nor did Jack Kirby (co-creator of Captain America and the man who drew him punching Hitler), Steve Ditko, John Romita, John Buscema, Gene Colan, Don Heck, Marie Severin, Jim Steranko and Larry Leiber (Stan’s brother). They added realism into a genre that was built on idealism 

Lee, Kirby, and Ditko by Alex Ross

The stories of this era have stood the test of time. Aside from old, heavy hardware being seen in the panels; the struggles of flawed humans speak out and connect till today. The Fantastic Four and The Amazing Spider-Man, the Incredible Hulk, the Invincible Iron-Man, Ant-Man, and Wasp are a reflection of our daily struggles be they financial, emotional, and in the case of X-Men, discrimination

The Age saw a new way of depicting heroes artistically. Kirby and Ditko’s art mesmerized the readers and the same happened when they were succeeded by other comic books art legends like John Romita, and Gil Kane to name a few but what many may not know was that it was during these years, Steve Ditko would introduce corner box art, now considered a cult classic, to help differentiate Marvel titles from the competition on the newsstands. DC had started branding its covers with illustrations of superheroes who would be appearing in anthology books but Ditko took it to a whole new level by making it more organized as well as enhancing the look and feel of the cover

The foundation laid by Lee, Kirby, and Ditko ensured that younger talents who would succeed them could produce more of such content without compromising their heroic DNA and still keeping them relevant for today’s readers. It is for this reason that the comic book industry’s most tragic tales involved two of the best creations from the Marvel Age, namely Spider-Man and the X-Men

The Night Gwen Stacy Died, written by Gerry Conway and illustrated by Gil Kane, shattered the rule that a superhero would never lose his/her love interest to death. This happened in 1973 (50 Years ago) and wasn’t done to create shock value for short-term sales boosts. It had to be done because the reality outside of the pages was a city suffering from one of the highest crime rates at the time and how can it be possible that a superhero doesn’t get affected by it. Even today, younger readers feel the same pain as their older peers when they actually read the story and go through the panels instead of looking it up on fandom. The X-Men’s Dark Phoenix Saga could have eclipsed Spider-Man’s tragedy had it not been for a reckless decision by Marvel Editorial to bring back Jean in the mid-80s (a decision even Dark Phoenix Saga author Chris Claremont didn’t agree with). Needless to say, Scott Summers lost Jean Grey, and Parker lost Gwen; this was the new precedent for the industry and a continuation of the Marvel Age which established the fact that superheroes can be fragile human beings for whom great power brings great responsibility along with adversity   

From The Coming of Galactus/Galactus Trilogy to the Death of Aunt May to Secret Invasion, all of these stories found a way to connect deep down with the audiences not just in terms of personalities or social issues but even beliefs as well as trust in one another which reminds us that it was during the 60s that Marvel broke the racial barrier long before any other publisher ever thought of, giving us stories that would be way ahead of their time. Whether it’s about Mutation and Cloning or Kirby’s Madbomb, we are living in a world that is seeing glimpses of such developments, if not in entirety 

Let’s face it, the Marvel Cinematic Universe won’t exist had it not been for the works produced in the 60s. The global popularity of Avengers, Spider-Man, and X-Men (thanks mainly to FOX Studios) shows that without a solid base, a structure or a studio can’t be erected on top of it 

A homage to Joe Simon and Jack Kirby 

All of Marvel’s success goes back to these formative years of 1961-63 in which flawed, struggling individuals would redefine what superheroes were all about in the pages of The Fantastic Four, Spider-Man, Doctor Strange, The Avengers (Iron Man, Thor, Hulk, Ant-Man and Wasp) and X-Men as well as breathe new life into Golden Age characters such as Captain America and Namor. The rest is history! 

‘Nuff said