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tales-of-wocdes · 10 days ago

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Hi! I hope you have a nice day.(I apologize in advance for the long text) Your IF is truly amazing, both in writing and story, and interesting characters. I'm madly waiting for the continuation!!! I wish you a lot of inspiration and strength💕💕💕 So I really have a lot of questions (if some have already been asked, sorry). Also, if you can't answer some questions because of spoilers or something else, that's okay. English is not my native language so all text was translated with the help of a translator so sorry for the mistakes.

Do Custodians and Protectors have days off? Since taking care of children is really hard work (especially if they are little rascals). Maybe on the day off they could visit relatives (or were they all orphans too?) then just go visit friends. And the child they are assigned to would be looked after by other Custodian and Protector.

I saw posts where MC steals cookies, could we steal them (or just ask) for someone? Like, Havard had a lot of work and MC was being looked after by Custodian Ethel, and they decided to bring Hvard some snacks(cookies) and leave them on the table. We could also bribe Lexia with cookies so that she wouldn't tell Havard that MC ate cookies before eating. (Or her was accomplice in the theft and MC shared cookies with her)

Dragons are big, scary and can roar. And if MC has a dragon heritage, then that means they (even though they are not as big and scary as they think) can also roar. And during training with Lexia, they can try to scare her with their menacing roar!! (which would actually be super cute and not scary)🥰.Or just scare away people that they are afraid of or don't like

Until what age can children stay in an orphanage? And how will children with elven, dragon or kitsune heritage start? Do they have the same age of majority as humans, or is it different? Will the children stay in the orphanage until they can find a place to live and a job, or will they be given both? And can they themselves become new Custodians or Protectors?

Are love affairs forbidden between Custodians and Protectors? Or between two Custodians or Protectors? And what if they start a relationship with someone outside the orphanage? Since it can distract them from their work, so it can be forbidden? (they can also quarrel and this can affect their work together) And if they have a child, how will the ancients react to this? (They built an orphanage for children who faced the cruelty of the world and were left all alone, and then suddenly children with both parents appeared in the orphanage) 🤔

I really hope that our MC at a later stage of the game will be able to tell Havard and Lexia that he loves them (or even call Havard dad and Lexia mom). I really, really love these two wonderful people ❤️❤️❤️

Thank you for the enthusiasm! And the praise! It is rather incredible and surreal to hear :D

There is lots of text under the line, and you are asking some things that I have not considered in too much detail :D Since there is so much text here, I will not do snippets here.

Q1: Of course they have days off. You pretty much hit the nail on the head with how I imagine it goes. A rotation and collaboration between the staff will help, and there should be enough people to go around to take care of the kids. I also have some plans for "special" caretakers for some instances...

The Custodians and Protectors are not all orphans, though some of them are. Out of the current cast (Havard, Lexia, Alessa, Sandor), only Lexia is an orphan (I think I mentioned it in the second interlude so it should not be a spoiler).

Q2: That is adorable. I will put it in the notes for the demo or maybe make a snippet later.

Q3: That would be adorable :D Adding that to my notes as well or make a snippet later.

Q4: Until they are ready to be independent, there is no specific age. As adults, they may become Custodians or Protectors if they so choose (See pinned post... The IF is named this way for a reason.).

We can assume that those with strong immortal heritage will live longer though it is debatable by how much for the current story, everyone here so far (aside from the Ancient) is also part human here and the heritage features are supposed to be inherited from far back.

Still, let us assume people with different heritages develop at the same rate as everyone else (and pretty much have to assume or otherwise we get into too much trouble with timelines and stuff). I view this as a function of the environment. I.e. being surrounded by other children and adults of a very mixed heritage will adjust their perception of time. A sort of "life in your years vs. the years in your life thing." As in, if an immortal is surrounded by mortals they will experience life at the same rate as those mortals in the moment. If an immortal is surrounded by other immortals, everything slows down. (I am using an immortal here as a catch all word for every species that just lives a very long life.) Alternatively, we could assume that the human blood has diluted the immortal blood too much (but I don't like this as much now, it made more sense when everyone could have one heritage feature but not so much now that you can have many).

The orphanage attempts to make the orphans into functional members of society that should be able to find jobs and places to live. However, of course they will help if needed. The children will eventually get a sort of "apprenticeship/summer work" type of thing that could help them.

Q5: Affairs are not forbidden between Custodians, Protectors, each other, or with someone from the Outside (with some caveats on the last one i.e. no access to the orphanage for outsiders no matter who you are dating). The expectation is that everyone does their duty, and acts like an professional adult though. The children come first, and you don't ignore that if you want to stay at the orphanage as a custodian or protector. However here I stress that the Ancients do not expect this to be a huge issue, they chose all of these people themselves. The Ancients are far from infallible but they have their moments.

Still let's assume that some... non ideal relationships happen. If relationship drama interferes with the duty, the relationship is expected to end on good terms. Or at least terms that do not affect the duties of the affected parties. If not, both participants get kicked out of their respective orders. The Ancients have no patience for such things (read as petty mortal shit) when it comes to the orphanage where the expectations have been quite clearly laid out.

The Ancients would have no issues with children in the orphanage as long as they are not given special treatment. If the parents cannot agree to this, then they may be excused of duty until they are ready to return. And parental leave is a thing in during the ~2 years after birth (I might have decided that right now). It might even be a good thing to have some people who could act as wet nurses on orphanage staff if any really young orphans are found.

Q6: I would imagine MC will be able to do that if they so choose :D

#tales of wocdes #the silver protector #interactive fiction #wip #twine game #twine wip #fantasy #interactive novel #twine story

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witchthewriter · 2 years ago

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𝐇𝐨𝐭𝐃 𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐫𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐬 𝐟𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐢𝐧 𝐥𝐨𝐯𝐞 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐢𝐫 𝐞𝐧𝐞𝐦𝐲 𝐰𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝 𝐢𝐧𝐜𝐥𝐮𝐝𝐞

⤷ gender neutral, ambiguous race, and any size reader. Requests are open, thank you for reading!

a/n: minor spoilers, everyone is over the age of 18. Their names are linked with my fancast as well xx

Warnings: kidnapping, well more so mentions of kidnapping?

ᴹᵃˢᵗᵉʳˡᶤˢᵗ

𝑺𝑭𝑾🌿

𝐑𝐡𝐚𝐞𝐧𝐲𝐫𝐚

𝑻𝒓𝒐𝒑𝒆𝒔:

Confident & Flirty (Rhaenyra) x Has Never Been Flirted With Before, Thinks They're Just Being Nice (You)

・It was her father’s idea to cease the feud and move forward. To start fresh.

・To have the both of you ... spend time together.

・ You to visit King’s Landing and Rhaenyra to visit your home

・Rhaenyra was adamant that she was still able to choose her partner, so this is what Viserys came up with

・Platonic, romantic, it didn’t matter what came out of the time together, just as long as things were learnt and traditions were honoured

・Daemon wasn’t happy with this, but Rhaenyra...well she was fine with it

・Until she realised just how sheltered you grew up, and knew you weren’t going to be as wild as she

・There was a mutual understanding about your new “friendship”, that you both played along while everyone was watching but when their backs were turned, you acted as you pleased

・Both of you thought the other was weird in some way

・But with time, you... fell into platonic love

・Protecting the other from slanderous accusations as well

・You did each other’s hair, picked clothing for one another

・Opened up about your thoughts, your feelings - not just about this situation but about ... everything. The world and all its wonders, its evils.

・Talking about your maesters and what you’ve been taught - how you’ve been taught, what your favourite things are/your special interests

・The absolute best thing that happened was riding Syrax though

・The dragon, a gorgeous burnt orange beauty, was hesitant for the first half an hour.

・It was well known that Syrax was a tad ... moody

・The weather had to be right for her to go out flying

・So when you sat down on the sandy, dusty ground of the dragonpit and ...spoke to her, she was rather startled

“...had a good sleep Syrax?”

・You said it so casually

・Rhaenyra burst into laughter, but made sure you wouldn’ be able to hear her. She wasn’t expecting this interaction. Her fearsome dragon, crouching down to look you in the eye, her tail flicking back and forth. Like some sort of interested cat.

・But you continued on, not caring about the world around you

“To be honest, I didn’t. I’ve been a bit nervous about today. And it’s completely okay if you don’t want to take me up.”

・But Syrax was more than happy to take you flying, in fact, she flew farther and longer than usual

・It was one of the best experiences you had ever had

・And soon Rhaenyra’s romantic love followed

𝐇𝐚𝐫𝐰𝐢𝐧

𝑻𝒓𝒐𝒑𝒆𝒔:

Excited ALL. THE. TIME. (Harwin) X Oh God I Cannot Be Falling In Love With This Dipshit (You)

(think Jamie x Claire from Outlander)

・Harwin saw your family’s feud as kinda stupid. He isn’t the type of guy to hold grudges.

・So when you came into court, with a scowl and a mean look in your eyes, he knew you were going to be fun

・He wouldn’t leave you alone

・This hulk of a man, with a tinge of red on his cheeks would always find you during feasts and banquets - any reason for celebration, he would be right by your side

・You were fighting feelings inside of you every time Harwin was around

・The way he winked at you from across the hall, always asked for a dance during feasts (even when no one else was dancing), even when you were outside sitting on one of the benches; he would silently sit down beside you and bump his knee to yours

・It was an internal fight every. single. time.

・In the beginning you thought maybe he was just teasing you, trying to rile you up, get a rise out of you. Maybe even get you into his bed and then shame you

・But Harwin was ... so different. To all the other men at court. Or that you’d met. Even different to your family; your brothers, your father.

・You knew there was some sort of golden light, or ... good seed, inside him. You knew you could truly trust him

・And so you did

・You started to open up to Harwin; stopping the insults and cold exterior

・He didn’t even make fun of you for it -

・For changing how you interacted with him. Because he knew something about you too. That you were different; like him.

・You were thankful for that. There was something about opening up that was difficult for you. And having that grace was one of the reason’s why ... you loved Harwin

・There were times when Harwin’s father shook his head and sighed, knowing that your own father (who was the enforcer of the hatred toward the other) would explode if he found out

・And one day he did

・But you knew exactly who you needed to go to. You knew exactly where to run

・Harwin’s arms were waiting for you, as soon as he saw your face he knew

𝐉𝐚𝐜𝐚𝐞𝐫𝐲𝐬

𝑻𝒓𝒐𝒑𝒆��:

Menace To Society (You) x Living Moral Compass (Jace)

・You Confessed Your Love When Thinking He Was Unconscious. There was a lot of history between the two of you - not family related, but friendship related

・You were set to marry someone else and Jacaerys felt like his heart had shattered well and truly

・It was your wedding night, and right before you were going to say your vows, the enemy had hit

・They took the wedding as the weakest moment to attack

・And the pillar that had crumbled atop Jace made you scream

・Running to him, nearly tripping over the rocks on the floor, you pushed everything that was on him to the side and started to cry

・You sobbed and sobbed, while holding his body in your hands

・The blood running down his face, you used your clothes to clean him up

“Don’t die on me, don’t you die on me Jacaerys Targaryen. I love you too much.”

・Magic words

・Fated words actually

・Because it was destined that the two of you were to be together. Although no one but the stars and the ancestors knew

・Your fiance was shocked by your confession; disgusted, betrayed, but they understood. To some degree, they understood.

・After the battle had been won, thanks to Daemon and Caraxes, Rhaenyra smiled at the memory. The way you so desperately needed Jace to live.

・It wasn’t until Jace was in recovery, conscious and healing when Rhaenyra told him what you’d confessed. He had been completely out of it when you’d said those words.

・Before he had woke, you’d visited him everyday. Bringing flowers, momentos, things you thought he’d like

・You sat and spoke to him, read to him

・But when he awoke, you couldn’t bear to see the look on his face. To look him in the eyes.

・Rhaenyra had to practically drag you to see him

・Yet, when you did, you ran to each other and embraced so strongly that you nearly fell over

𝐀𝐥𝐢𝐜𝐞𝐧𝐭

𝑻𝒓𝒐𝒑𝒆𝒔:

Both Wary of Love & Don’t Think This Can Be Real

・Wary doesn’t describe how distant Alicent was with you

・She truly thought of you as an enemy. And when Alicent sees someone as such, well, the interaction is never pleasant

・Because when the two of you were together, something lit up

・It was a pull from both of you; magnetism, and it took everything not to take each other when you were alone

・But your families had a firm disdain for each other. Which didn’t make sense for the Hightowers’ as they tried to get on with everybody

・And it wasn’t until you and Alicent kept up your interactions that your family were forced to confront their hatred

・You and Alicent continually went behind their backs because your curiosity outweighed your dislike

・Why did your families hate each other? Where did it start? Why can’t it stop?

・The usual obedient Alicent was heavily influenced by you. Who had a warriors heart - you were brave, braver than many family members who came before you

・And you built a bridge with Alicent.

・Even if she didn’t want to, you were adamant that you could rectify the wrongs that had plagued your family for generations

・Because if you didn’t, then your family would crumble into nothing

・Alicent didn’t know this. That you had more motive than curiosity to build friendship

・And she did eventually find out the true meaning behind your interactions

・But instead of being angry, she shocked herself by being ... impressed

・You had a drive that she had seen. But that drive wasn’t to better yourself, but to keep your family alive

・She loved it. Ambition, but not for yourself. For the ones you loved.

・And that’s why she went against her father’s wishes, and kept seeing you.

・The two of you were practically super sleuthing as neither of your family members’ would tell the same version of events

・So digging up you went, searching for answers, interviewing family and trying not to be too suspicious

・And during this time, Alicent started to develop a crush on you. A hardcore crush on you...

・Otto soon found out and banned you from seeing each other.

・But one taste of rebellion and that’s all Alicent needed to go against her father’s wishes ... again

・After finding out what actually happened, you went to Alicent to show her your findings and when you explained what happened, she flung her arms around you and gave you a kiss

𝐃𝐚𝐞𝐦𝐨𝐧

𝑻𝒓𝒐𝒑𝒆𝒔:

Complete And Utter Badass, Rather Monstrous (Daemon) x Their Ray Of Light Who Has Them Wrapped Around Their Finger (You)

・Only someone as badass as you could grab Daemon’s attention and hold it (not that you cared much for it)

・He had seen you on the battle field, a bow and arrow in hand

・Taking down enemies left and right, and when you entered the battle, every strike ran true. There wasn’t a man alive whenever you swung your sword

・There was something so invigorating about seeing your body move in such violent and graceful ways

・Daemon knew that no matter where you came from or who you were, you were going to be his

・So it was a shock to find that you were on the opposing side of the battle

・You hated the Targaryens, namely Daemon who had inadvertedly taken your family from you

・But Daemon saw your abilities and knew he could make you into one of the best fighters there ever was

・So he ... kidnapped you

・Only to explain why he thought you’d be one of the best warriors Westeros has ever seen

・Under his guidance of course

・It wasn’t until the third night that you accepted. He thought it was because of the ... benefits, that you had accepted. But no, it was because you secretly wanted to slaughter him and his entire family

・However, you played along. Under the gauise of wanting to expand your prospects. You had terms, and the main was that he was never to come near you with desire

・All was going well; he taught you a lot. Not just about combat, but about yourself, the world and challenged what you thought you knew

・Your family history wasn’t as straightforward as you had believed. And what more, was that the Targaryens barely had anything to do with your family’s downfall.

・It had been your own kin who had slain one another

・Brother had turned on brother, and it left you with nothing but a fable

・Daemon had given you this information because he knew you weren’t training just for the sake of glory. You had something planned and he needed you to know the truth before you took action

・It was difficult to deny your feelings growing for Daemon, whose personality seemed to mesh with yours so well, that even Viserys saw a difference in him

・It was astonishing to see what a focused Daemon could do, and the worries that Viserys had were gone, when he saw how far you’d come

・You became a beacon for Daemon; someone he could go to not to talk, but to train. To let off steam, to go on adventures with (under the pretense off “teaching” you something)

・Caraxes became very familiar with you, and would actively seek you out as well, as he was so disliked amongst the other dragons, that companionship was sparse

・The bond between both beings meant that you often forgot your hatred, which had lessened with each day

・You soon saw Daemon as a companion, a friend; someone who saw all of you and didn’t shy away. He saw all your darkness, your rage, your violence, chaos, confusion. Everything. He saw everything.

・And he didn’t shy away

・What brought you together was that you reciprocated this

・You saw Daemon’s violence and didn’t blink an eye (NEVER towards you though)

𝐇𝐞𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐧𝐚

𝑻𝒓𝒐𝒑𝒆𝒔:

Always Bringing Them Rocks They Think They Would Like x Keeps The Rocks

・Your grandfather had a long lasting hatred for the Targaryens. It was personal, but it kept your family at a distance

・But your fascination with the Targaryens was always prevalent throughout your childhood

・And whenever you brought them up, your family would shush you. Telling you that you aren’t supposed to ask anything about them

・But it wasn’t until after your grandfather’s death that your family was invited to court by Viserys

・As it turns out, Viserys had been sending invitations for years but your grandfather was declining every single one

・And when your family finally accepted, Viserys ordered there to be a huge feast awaiting for your arrival

・You weren’t expecting this, but your eager eyes were looking for something in particular.

・But you didn’t expect that certain thing to be kept chained in a pit

・When you were in the throne room, being introduced to Viserys’ children, the news about the dragons was disappointing

・And a young Targaryen woman shared that same disappointment

・Around the same age as you, the two of you would have quickly been pushed together. To get to know each other, but both your families knew how ... peculiar you both were, and were adamant that the two of you should be left apart. Since they were scared their offspring would say or do the wrong thing

・But somehow you bumped into each other in the castle halls, and in the garden, and somehow ... in the dragonpit

・Soon you came to know Heleana. Both her physical and emotional quirks

・ And gods, Heleana was one of the sweetest people you have ever met. She wasn’t like the rest of the people you had come across.

・She understood how your brain worked and you understood hers

・The white-haired woman’s love for you came about because you actually listened to her. You always wanted to know what she thought, what she felt.

・You actively asked her about her visions, and you believed her.

𝐀𝐞𝐦𝐨𝐧𝐝

(𝒔𝒍𝒊𝒈𝒉𝒕𝒍𝒚 𝒏𝒔𝒇𝒘)

𝑻𝒓𝒐𝒑𝒆𝒔:

Tough on the Outside, Soft on the Inside (Aemond) x The Top (You)

・Aemond was never the type of person to go against his family’s wishes - especially his mother’s.

・So when he found you underneath his bed, waiting to attack, he found it quite amusing.

“Your name, what is it?” He had snarled, still in his night clothes.

“My name is of no importance to a dead man.”

“I see no dead men here.”

・And then somehow he had you pinned on the floor, knife at your throat and white hair like a curtain. All you could see was Aemond’s face; pink tight-lips, pale face, his one good blue eye and his other eye socket was empty, his sapphire orb lay on his bedside table.

・Your body reacted in a way you did not wish it to

・You blushed

“Big bad assassin,” Aemond whispered, the cold blade still pressed against your throat. You could feel his weight and as you started to whisper back, you used it to your advantage.

・Moving your legs so they were around his waist, you stunned him with a kiss and in one fluid moment, you flipped him over and pinned his arms above his head

“Remember,” you panted, “I’m always on top.”

・It was then that Aemond realised he was in trouble

・Because your blade didn’t slice, nor did it cut. It clattered to the side as you got up and left

・The next day your House was introduced to court and Aemond did everything he could not to react

・You were the direct heir to your House, and when you spotted Aemond in the Throne room, all you could do was smirk. He had no idea. No idea that you were now going to live in King’s Landing - in the castle itself

・Those months were excruciating for Aemond, not just because he thought you were going to kill him at any moment, but because you acted as if he was nothing at all. Nothing more than a Prince.

・You bowed when you walked passed him, stood when he entered a room

・It became a common occurence for Aemond to look under the bed. To see if his little nightmare was real

・And all the while, you watched from afar, a delighted smile on your face

・It took 6 months of Aemond to make his move. It had to be well thought out of course

・He couldn’t just try anything. No. It needed to be the perfect plan, one that would both out and villainise you

・But again, unbeknownst to the One Eyed Prince, you were three steps ahead

・He hated you; he loved this game even though he tried to hide it and in turn ... he ... loved ... you

・It was a horrible realisation. One that Aegon, of all people, pointed out to him

・And Aemond avoided you (yes, like the plague)

・It took two weeks, that’s all he could bare - of not looking at you, not hearing your voice, your laugh

・And when he went to leave his chambers to seek you out, you were already at his door...

𝐃𝐚𝐞𝐫𝐨𝐧

𝑻𝒓𝒐𝒑𝒆𝒔:

Arranged Marriage

・He had been sent to Oldtown and had no idea that you would be there too

・Otto had arranged your marriage; your father agreeing to it only under the circumstances of equal opportunity

・You were emblazed with anger

・And on your wedding day, you had screamed and cried and fought until it was time to walk down the aisle

・Your father explained how important this marriage was. This alliance would bring safety to your House, and it was in that moment that you knew what you had to do

・You had never seen Daeron before, but heard of the story of how he got his name, “The Daring.”

・And the fact that it was nationally know that he was the most likeable out of the Targaryen brothers...

・You knew your father had bargained for him rather than Aemond, who was harsh and unforgiving

・Daeron stood at the end of the aisle, a charming smile on his boyish face.

・ I can do this, you thought triumphantly, I can, I will.

・When the ceremony was over and the reception was done, you were escorted to your marriage bed with Daeron, who had made every effort to make you feel comfortable

・While alone together, in your shared room, with the fire blazing, Daeron’s kind smile did not change. There was no flip of personality or loss of kindness.

・You soon realised that what you saw in Daeron is what is truly there

・And you felt safe with him

・Which made it even harder to hate him.

・With each insult you slung his way, he seemed to side step it

・And when you realised that the Prince wasn’t going to hurt you, or take you away from your family or traditions...things started to change for you. You saw him as he is. Golden hearted.

・Life with Daeron is full of sunshine, blue skies and love

・Meeting Tessarion was a big experience and one that you will never forget.

・Through the bond she knew your relationship with Daeron, and was apprehensive about you but allowed you to clamber onto her anyway.

・Considering she was one of the younger dragons, she had incredible speed and stamina.

・That ride bonded all three of you. Making you feel closer to Daeron, wanting him...the seed of desire had started to grow

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bellatrixobsessed1 · 3 months ago

Text

In The Cherry Blossom Grove

I'm going to write a short one shot I say before typing 5 pages. A TyZula thing for @sillybillylulu

Fun fact: My initial premise was that Azula finds TyLee who had been turned into a deer. It somehow became not that at all. Like at all. There is no trace of the initial idea. Whack.

Summary: TyLee runs away and Azula attempts to get her to go back home.

She has a habit of disappearing. Once upon a time, Azula imagined that it concerned people. They used to send guards for her, a whole team of them to search for her until they found her. Usually she would be curled up in the shade of a dragon maple or nestled deep in a berry bush with a tattered and stained dress and twigs in her hair.

Concern waned with age and frequency. The more she left, the less they cared, having grown used to it by now. And the older she got the more capable they decided that she was and therefore a search party would just be a waste of time and resources. She would come back on her own.

But it was nice. Nice to have a reminder that people cared enough for her to look for her.

These days no one looks for her at all.

No one cares for her at all.

She has been gone for years now.

She thinks that Zuzu and mother had tried seeking her out during the first year and maybe somewhat into the second year. But then their interest fizzled out and they had lives to get back to. Lives that moved on oh so easily without her.

And she knows that they didn’t try all that hard because she is right here. Right here in Caldera City. She visits often and she does so without disguise. But nobody spots her in the crowd because nobody is looking.

Not for her anyways. There is one out and they are looking for TyLee, the name sends a shiver through her. A shiver of longing and a flutter of sadness. She wonders if TyLee had ever looked for her.

She is looking for TyLee. Looking and wondering if TyLee would even want to be found by her. She can imagine that TyLee might run further if she was the one to find her. But is she even on the run? It isn’t exactly unlike her, she had run away to join the circus and shape out her own identity. But she, as far as everyone knows, is content with her position as a Kyoshi Warrior. Azula has her doubts, the girl is once again part of a matched set. Really, how much longer could she endure that.

Of course Azula can’t rule out that TyLee had been abducted either by human or by spirit hands…

What is she thinking? It isn’t her place to go find TyLee so what is the point in speculation. There is none at all she concludes. Unless, of course, she did do some digging. Just to see. If she finds TyLee she doesn’t have to approach her.

She can have her peek and move on.

But what for?

Would it not just be something painful?

But Azula has always been something of a curious person. And so she sets out. Out to that place that she knows TyLee likes to go to when she wants to be alone. When she wants to think. When she wants to let that bubbly, chipper facade crumble for just a moment.

She promises herself that no matter what she sees, if she sees anything at all, she will turn the other way. It will be better for the both of them if she does.

People can say what they want of her; that she is ruthless and hateful. That she is devoid of empathy and can cling fast to a good grudge.

They have never seen her around the people that she cares for. The people that she loves but without know exactly how to do so.

She promises, oh she promises, that whatever she sees or dosn’t see, she will turn back or stop looking altogether.

But when it comes down to it, she knows that she is lying.

She has plenty of ground to cover and hours that have yet to pass her by. But TyLee is in her special spot in the cherry blossom grove. The one that is hidden behind towering temple ruins. The one that only the two of them know of.

She is there. She has been there for days.

.oOo.

Silly thing to do, it is. TyLee knows it and Azula knows it. She knows that Azula is aware because Azula lingers behind the tree well after TyLee calls out that she knows Azula is there. And she is certain that Azula wanted her to know, at least to some degree.

Finally Azula comes out from behind the tree she had been propping herself up against. “What are you doing here?” She asks as though she isn’t the one intruding on a private moment.

“I think that it makes more sense for me to ask you that. What do you want Azula?”

“Zuzu’s got a whole search party looking for you in Caldera City. They think that you’ve been captured…” she trails off only to add, “probably by me.”

“So what concern of yours is that?”

She shrugs. “I guess that it isn’t.” She pauses. “Other than that they might speculate that I’ve taken you.”

“Don’t worry, I’ll go back before they find you.”

“Do you want to go back?” Azula makes herself comfortable on one of several large stones.

“If you’re going to ask me to run away with you…”

“I asked you if you really want to go back? Or would you rather tell them that you still need to find your own way?’

“Why do you care, Azula?”

Another shrug. TyLee wishes that she didn’t know what that shrug meant. She wishes that she didn’t know that Azula still cares very much for her in spite of everything. And she wishes that she didn’t still care for Azula. Wishes that she wasn’t concerned about where Azula was sleeping and finding food. Whether or not she is lonely. And she is almost certainly lonely, she wouldn’t be lingering otherwise.

“If you don’t want to be a Kyoshi Warrior anymore just say so.” She says with a lazy flick of her bangs. “If you can tell me that you…are no longer interested then you’ll have no problem with them.”

“I don’t want to disappoint everyone.”

“Oh who cares.” Azula says in that tone that TyLee also wishes that she didn’t understand. The one that indicates that Azula cares very deeply. “It isn’t so bad…” she doesn’t say it out loud but TyLee can fill in the blanks; it isn’t so bad being a disappointment. “You get used to it after a while.”

It isn’t something that TyLee wants to get used to. It isn’t something that she believes that Azula has truly gotten used to. TyLee’s instincts compel her to reassure Azula that she isn’t a disappointment but Azula has disappointed her.

She watches Azula stare at her palms, occasionally flexing her fingers. “I miss talking to you TyLee. To people in general, but mostly you. I miss being at home…”

TyLee’s tummy flutters. She had always speculated as much but she had never imagined that Azula would say it out loud. And maybe that is what she was waiting for. Just to hear Azula say that she misses people. But no. She also has to hear…

“I’m…I’m sorry, TyLee. I cared about you and Mai. But I don’t know how to care about people because…”

No one ever cared about her. “We cared about you.”

“I think that it was too late by then. After Zuzu got banished…” She seems to stare off. “It’s in the heart of a volcano but the palace still managed to get so cold. So big.”

TyLee chews her lower lip. She can’t say that she knows what that is like. She has always been surrounded by people. So many people that it was almost overwhelming. So many people that she has to have her own secret place in a cherry tree grove.

“You should go back, TyLee. At least let them know that you’re okay. They’re worried about you.”

Azula herself doesn’t have anyone who asks about her. Who worries about whether or not she comes back. And if TyLee lets her disappear into the jungle now there is a real chance that she won’t see her again. Either Azula will perish at the beautiful but brutal hands of nature or her own hands or she will find herself some cozy place to start over. Some place where she can assume a new name and her old one can be forgotten—forgotten as much as a princess can be anyhow.

Maybe she will come back around once or twice but eventually, when she assesses that there is nothing really worthwhile to come back to, she will disappear. For good. Off into a huge world whose every corner can never be explored by any one person in one lifetime.

“I’ll go back if you do.”

“Wh-what.”

Seldom does she get to see Azula taken aback. “I’ll go back to the palace right now if you come with me.”

“And if I don’t?”

It is TyLee’s turn to shrug. “Nothing I guess. I’ll just be here and you’ll go wherever you go.”

“I can’t go back there. They’ll put me back in that insufferable institution or, at this point, some dingey prison cell. I’ll die free and with some dignity out here before I…”

“They’re not going to throw you in prison.” TyLee promises. “Believe it or not Zuko does wonder about you sometimes.” Not often but every now and then when he is in one of his darker moods. His grimly contemplative moods. “Deep down he misses you. I think that he wants to know what your family will be like now that your father isn’t there…”

“It will be very lonely.” Azula replies. “Mother will dote on Zuzu and I’ll be an afterthought.”

Before she can stop herself she confesses, “you won’t be an afterthought to me, Azula.”

At this she swallows had.

At this she crumbles.

TyLee wonders just how long it has been since anyone has told Azula that they are worried about her or implied that they would put her first.

She really ought not but TyLee puts her arms around Azula. Her heart crumbles at the feeling of Azula’s ribcage so prominent against her own. “We really should get you home, being out here is hard on you, I can tell.” Hard on her physically and probably absolutely exhausting mentally. To be so very alone.

And alone with thoughts and memories as dark as Azula’s…

“Can you come home with me?”

“I don’t want to go to prison.”

“You won’t. I promise.” She insists again. “And even if you do, I’m a Kyoshi Warrior and I can request to guard your cell.” She says it in jest but Azula seems to take it with some serious contemplation.

“I miss talking with you…”

TyLee can see it turning over in her mind. See her weighting what is better, dying free and alone or living imprisoned with kind company. Even TyLee can agree that both are bleak in their own way.

“I’ll go with you.” She pauses. “But only because you need to go home. It’s not all that great to stay out here for so long.”

And so it is that Azula shows herself so openly to Caldera City for the first time in years. And she does so with TyLee in her arms. TyLee who is very good at faking injuries for attention. Or, in this particular instance, to give Azula an opening. A way to show people that she isn’t all that bad, isn’t the terror that they have been making her out to be. Perhaps she isn’t really saving TyLee from the wild, but there is something that she has saved today.

She has saved TyLee’s drive, her ability to declare that she does want to leave the Kyoshi Warriors and continue to find her own path.

And maybe she and Azula will venture off together after all. After the princess is well fed and fully recovered. After she has a chance to see if being off on her own for that long has given her enough time to think and change.

Maybe the two of them will discover who they are together.

#avatar the last airbender #azula #tylee #tyzula #fanfiction #one shot

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neonscandal · 3 months ago

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Manga With Me: JJK Crackpot Conspiracy That Makes Little to No Difference (While Maybe Making A Big Difference)

At this point, we're all aware that I, as the nerd aunt, watch a lot of my favorite anime with my niece and nephew and, against the better judgement of most adults, that includes JJK. During this rewatch, I noticed something that sparked an Aha! moment and now we all have to suffer that together.

Unrelated since I just wanted a Mahito gif but kinda related. This gif from S2E9 shows Mahito grabbing the red dragon mahjong piece. That of benevolence. 👀

⚠️: Spoiler warning through season 2 of JJK.

Ever since finding out that there are only five more chapters to JJK, I have not known peace. Which means I need to word vomit all the things that have been bouncing around my noodle expeditiously. This hypothesis, while making little impact on the chapters that remain, is still harrowing if you think about it too much, which I clearly have so follow me down this winding path. It's a little long but may be diabolically on point.

BASIS OF KNOWLEDGE

Let's start with what we know:

Curses are formed by the negative emotions humans harbor.

There are two canonically acknowledged events that created huge shifts in the balance between sorcerers, humans, and curses: Gojo's birth as a Six Eyes and Limitless user and Sukuna's awakening when Yuji ate the first finger.

The antiquated way the jujutsu society measures power plateaus at "special grade" which puts Gojo on equal footing with Geto even though power wise they aren't comparable. This is not to call Geto weak but, instead, to show that even in high school, the power scaling was faulty and left layers of nuance out of the equation.

HOWEVER, by the time Megumi, Yuji and Nobara enter Jujutsu Tech, some curses had evolved to verbally communicate complex articulations i.e. Mahito and Jogo.

Critically, throughout my constant poring over JJK I've gone back and forth on the why this is but the truth is in the rewatch and so is the outlier. The Earth (Jogo), the Forest (Hanami) and the Sea (Dagon) are highlighted to be the product of that which humans have always feared. This is where things get interesting and ultimately disproves one of my favorite fan theories that Dagon is a manifestation of Riko Amanai after death. Ancient curses, undoubtedly Special grade given the widespread fear they're born from and constantly replenished by. Bearing that in mind and with respect to Japan being regularly devastated by natural disasters, we as the readers can infer their relative power but also surmise that it is their age and subsequent fear that they garner that would eventually evolve them to where we see them now.

If Gojo's birth or Sukuna's awakening were the precipice for this evolution, wouldn't Dagon also be a conscious, articulate curse? Even Hanami is still in a middle ground of communicative competence. Notably, this is where the theory is born.

In this moment, Mahito is pleased to call these ancient beings friends. In explaining the way of the world to Junpei, Mahito goes on to say:

"There are spirits known as Special grade potential spirits. Cursed spirits are a culmination of cursed energy leaked from humans. An image of fear shared by the masses, even if not real... can manifest as a powerful curse."

Which we know to be true but... what fear does Mahito represent to be able to rub shoulders with the likes of such insurmountable curses?

It can't be that simple, can it? We've seen the curses yielded by abandoned, spooky and collectively stressful locations like schools and they don't hold a candle to Mahito.

THE MENACE MAHITO

I've said it before and I'll say it again. Fear the day that Yuji Itadori's heart breaks because the ensuing curse or subsequent rampage... his strength has been foreshadowed to be devastating. However, our focus in this analysis recognizes all the above and hypothesizes the origin of Mahito and their inextricable link to one another.

Ideologically, Mahito and Yuji are diametrically opposed in their assessment of life. Not really a spoiler to say that in recent chapters, Yuji's own words completely contrast Mahito's understanding of the world in his curious observation of it. 💡 If you want more insight into Mahito, the first light novel has an interesting vignette into him as a character and his motives that I didn't talk about.

Following the events of season 2, Mahito has deliberately dealt three critical hits to Yuji Itadori's soul. Delights in it, in fact. Junpei, Nanami, Nobara. Out of the ensemble cast of villains, only one character is responsible for all of the most gut wrenching losses in Jujutsu Kaisen (shout out to Mechamaru for that matter, too). It should be said that Mahito's own power, manipulating souls and recognizing the boundaries therein is, in my opinion, integral to the overall story.

Especially since we know, early on, that Yuji, as Sukuna's vessel, is a bad match-up for Mahito. It isn't until recent chapters that we recognize why that is even though it's been spoonfed to us.

Mahito vs. Yuji, Mahito's attempts to transfigure Yuji have no effect except getting into Sukuna's bad graces.

After years apart, Yuji instantaneously recognizes Yuko Ozawa despite massive cosmetic changes. (Massive shout out to the dude dressed as Nanami at Risucon that I nerded out about this with at my booth.) I feel like her introduction isn't for nothing. I assumed we'd see her again because that's how JJK typically rolls but what if she's already served her purpose?

⚠️ Implied spoiler: In later battles, Yuji is able to tune into the soul of his "opponent"

WILD CARD STRETCH: There's someone else in universe who can seemingly see a person's soul and it's Gojo.

ORIGIN HYPOTHESIS

Okay so, after all this, what is the point? Mahito is an anomaly of a curse and for him to have inflicted such big name carnage in terms of the plot shouldn't be ignored either.

At the beginning, I acknowledged the two main events that caused a major shift in jujutsu society as we know it. But in truth, there's one more major event that has been intrinsically woven throughout the fabric of this story. That being the death of Riko Amanai and Gojo's subsequent transcendence.

Due to the shift caused by Gojo's power up, the volume of curses that sprung up became burdensome that summer. Causing a further divide between Gojo and Geto and, ultimately, part of the wedge that sent Geto down his path to destruction. But, if Gojo's birth caused the scales to tip... how could the universe (encompassing sorcerers, humans, and curses) restore balance from an unmitigated windfall of power?

Spawning another aberration: Mahito.

Where curses are typically a byproduct of humans and beholden, in some way, to the conditions of their negative emotions, Mahito doesn't really strike me as something specific enough to be as strong as they are without some significant origin. Jogo, Dagon and Hanami all have physical attributes that are a nod to what they hail from.

While there could be cultural nuance or lore that I don't have access to as a Western reader, Mahito's heterochromia, patchwork skin and, at times, seemingly horse-like legs don't really strike me as a well known allusion to anything else. What if that's the point? What if he's not the product of human fear or negative emotions? What if he's actually the evolution of sorcerer's negative fears and emotions as a subsequent counter balance to Gojo?

EVIDENCE

As the initial fight between Nanami and Mahito unfolds, during his extrapolation of Mahito, is it not weird that even he thinks to compare them?

JJK exposition is typically executed so nonchalantly, in conversations that go right over the reader's head... until the moment it lands. So even offhand comments here and there tend to foreshadow something or someone that becomes critical to the plot:

The Occult Club's conspiracy about spirits on the field making people sick immediately shown to be true when Megumi shows up which demonstrated an existing sensitivity to the supernatural and ultimately ties in to Yuji's gigantic reveal of a back story which suggests even if he wasn't "in the know" he was always doomed for a life in jujutsu society.

Yuji's grandfather, on his death bed, trying to explain to Yuji about his parents falling on obstinate ears. LITTLE DID WE KNOW.

Megumi mutters to himself about Maki (as "Zenin") long before she becomes a pillar in the story, comparing Yuji to her in terms of birth/power. Meanwhile, Maki is cast as a reiteration of Toji and razes hell upon the birth line that created them both (if Itafushi is next gen SatoSugu, Maki is a restorative for Toji).

Megumi talks about Okkotsu being the only second year he respects. Those caught up on the manga are aware of Okkotsu's behemoth importance well beyond his role in JJK 0.

During the juvenile detention center arc, again, Megumi refers to the juvenile who killed a young girl while driving without a license and fan theories suggest that this could very well be the man who killed Rika Orimoto.

Frequently, we get a pin-size remark that casually provides some surface context but it never feels without reason and more than half of these are in the very first episode. It's also interesting that these expository moments are usually handled by largely straight laced Megumi or people like Yuji's grandfather and Nanami. Like Gege can only trust the plot in their overly serious and curmudgeon-y hands 😂

Cut back to Nanami's fight, Mahito's playfully torturous curiosity and taunts are that of someone who knows they've already won. Even as Nanami's cursed energy exponentially increases in overtime, Mahito is simply awed but not deterred from the fight trusting in the inevitability of their strength over that of any human's or sorcerer's.

Even this mirthful moment reminds me of Gojo testing Nobara outside of that apartment complex where he facilitated her first experience with a Tokyo curse. To see if she's really crazy because that's what survives as a sorcerer. But it gives way to another interesting piece of evidence.

In Nanami's assessment of Mahito, he surmises that, despite the strength of the curses it's a child. Relatively "young" compared to the ancient curses of the Earth, the Forest and the Sea and, yet, capable to stand shoulder to shoulder with them. Isn't that odd? Can't just be born of undirected hate. After all, even Mahito's conversation about Love, Hate and Indifference in the scheme of Mahito's origin seems to muddle the fact that most people are satisfied with indifference until possessed by something else... like revenge. A convenient solution Mahito offers Junpei after this exchange and what ultimately set Junpei as a pawn in his larger plan.

Junpei: Don't you think that whoever first said "The opposite of love is not hate, it's indifference"... must be rotting in hell? There's no way hating people is better than feeling indifferent toward them. The opposite of 'like' is 'hate'. Complicating simple answers for the sake of meaning is such a Japanese thing to do. Mahito: People like wordplay. After all, people can't live without making excuses.

As their fight concludes in a draw, Nanami further exposes a possible timeline for Mahito's materialization which is why I've historically assumed it was in line with Sukuna's awakening but, to scale, that would have precipitated a grossly exacerbated evolution to the unfathomable body count Nanami surmises.

I can't help but note Nanami's reference to greedily enjoying one's growth is also on par with Gojo's attitude about power and encouragement to Megumi to "be greedier". Not only with how he fights but how he lives which is being echoed in the current events of the manga.

After all, nothing is included for no reason.

All things considered, Mahito's impression of their own strength and confidence very much puts me in the mind of Satoru Gojo pre-death of Riko Amanai but especially after his resurrection and mastery of reversed curse energy and optimizing Limitless. Gojo never really loses his playfulness but Gojo also never really gives in to the seduction of his own power quite as much. I mean, until he meets a foe he can go all out against.

So what if, in response to Gojo's insane and unprecedented power up, Mahito is born? What if Gojo precipitates a curse born of unheard of origins, that of sorcerer's negative emotions. A product of sorcerer's jealousy toward his strength, a product of Geto's own envy, a product of Gojo's guilt or shame in being left behind? Is it possible that the timeline Nanami surmises correlates with the events of the Hidden Inventory/Premature Death arc(s)?

Are Gojo's similarity to Mahito only surface level? In many ways, we've seen where this generation of first and second years are a second chance at resolving that which Gojo and Geto put into action with their own hubris. How similar paths they have walked but where Gojo's cultivation of Megumi in response to his own loss is coupled with the temperament of Yuji's soul and yields different results. There were many points in Gojo and Geto's history where things could have gone differently but their missteps landed jujutsu society where we are now.

But is that enough? Or is Mahito further punishment for SatoSugu's confidence before the fall? One that burdens the first current years as a test of their resolve?

Imagine if SatoSugu had just kissed and made up before. Where would we be now?

SUMMARY

TL;DNR: At the root of everything, including societal collapse, it all traces back to Gojo (and Geto) and, as we've known all along, Itafushi has the power to restore what was lost.

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thedragonagebigbang · 3 months ago

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Bang Creator Interview: Tumblr: @vivispec | AO3: Vivispec

The Collaboration period has begun! In these quiet months before works are due, we want to foster a sense of excitement, camaraderie, and celebration among our participants. To that end, all participants were given the option of a formal interview by our mod, Dema, or an informal “ask-game” survey. We hope you enjoy getting to know our phenomenal creators as much as we have!

Top 10 Reasons You Should Actually Contact The Ex Whose Life You Ruined– Number 1 Will Shock You!

Vivi and Dema talk OCs, Whumptober, and how to write while driving

Dema: Good morning! It is I, Dema, here for our interview.

Vivi: Good morning!

Dema: Since this is a fandom event I'd like to start there! How long have you been involved in the Dragon Age fandom? What drew you to it?

Vivi: I've been into Dragon Age since Origins came out-- I actually have fanfic I wrote for it when I was 12 on my Grandmother's computer, it's very bad-- but I didn't actually start getting involved in the fandom until much more recently. I'm kind of a fandom lurker in general, and didn't start posting fanfic or really engaging in the fandom until about 2022.

As for what drew me to it, the series has held a special place in my heart for a very long time, but playing Inquisition for the first time in 2020 kinda broke my brain (affectionate). I went into a Solasmance blind and have never been the same since

Dema: Oh, I too have the Solasmance hooks in me, I understand. Does that make DA:O and DA:I roughly tied for your favorite? Or do you have a strong favorite?

Vivi: This question is honestly the bane of my existence, because I have so much trouble choosing. DA:O definitely has more nostalgia, but DA:I is the one I engage with and write about the most. I think, if I had to choose at gunpoint, I'd actually say DA:2 is my favorite, but that's by the thinnest and blurriest margin.

Dema: Haha, yes. It's a bit of a "choose your favorite child" question. I will not hold you at gunpoint.

Vivi: Much appreciated.

Dema: Is it Solas in particular that inspires you to write in the DA:I timeline the most?

Vivi: He's definitely a contributing factor, and what started me down that road, but I think my love for writing DA:I is mostly tied to my Inquisitor, actually. She's maybe one of my favorite OCs I've ever made.

Dema: DA is such a great sandbox for OCs. Tell me about your Inquisitor! What makes her a favorite?

Vivi: Her name is Viera'vun, a Dalish hunter. She's a pathfinder more than anything else, incredibly observant, and very down-to-earth once she's settled in as Herald. I love figuring out how a Dalish elf with no exposure to this world she's been suddenly thrust into would react, and how she would keep herself safe-- in Viera's case, she becomes really good at picking up on the little things and using them to her advantage, and standing her ground. One of my favorite things about her is actually the dynamic she has with her hunting partner, Iloniyn-- they're platonic soulmates, one of my favorite tropes to write, and having him there as her rock once he joins her at Skyhold definitely gives her stable footing as she tackles becoming the Inquisitor.

Dema: She sounds lovely, and I can see how those themes would provide a lot of creative inspiration! Dalish Inquisitors in particular have such an interesting dynamic. How do Viera'vun and Iloniyn navigate the religious affiliations of the Inquisition?

Vivi: Viera uses it to her advantage, as best that she can. She doesn't believe in it of course and isn't shy to say so, but when holding her tongue and letting others make their own assumptions would help her out, she's not opposed to begrudgingly doing so. I think the biggest thing is that she knows how, historically, elves have been treated by the Chantry, and that she likely won't be immune to being killed or erased by them. Still, as long as she's around and has power, she's going to use it for her and her people.

Dema: Oh, she sounds so savvy! I love her already. Since we've been discussing OCs, especially in the context of the Dragon Age universe, I'm curious how you go about creating them. For example, was Viera an in-game Inquisitor? Or did you make her specifically for writing with? And was she typical of your process?

Vivi: In general, my OCs start in-game. Even Iloniyn was originally an alt Inquisitor that I fell in love with, and wanted to use in writing! When I replay roleplaying games with some element of character creation, I tend to give my PCs a gimmick so they don't all play the same-- Iloniyn's whole shtick was he didn't want to be there and was very vocal about it, and one of my Warden's always chooses the lie option if it's available to her. Viera was my first playthrough of the game so she didn't have a gimmick. I let the game shape who she was as I played it and tweaked it in post, adding more backstory and personality once I knew the general arc of the story, and where she was going to end up. Then, I did what I do with all of my OCs to flesh them out: drop them into increasingly terrible situations to figure out how they tick! She got the worst of it, I did Whumptober the year I started writing her. 31 days of horror for that poor lady

Dema: Hey, the meat grinder tells us what they're made of!

Vivi: Exactly! You get it.

Dema: Were those mostly one-shots?

Vivi: Yes they were! 60k worth of one-shots. Most were about her, but she definitely wasn't the only one. I even dipped my toes into Ancient Elvhenan for that event, it was a lot of fun filling those prompts!

Dema: Oh wow, 60k in 31 days! So you are no stranger to writing a lot of words in a set timeframe.

Vivi: No stranger at all, though I don't think I have that sort of stamina any longer. Still not entirely sure how I did it. I've done three other Big Bangs since as well, finishing four pieces across them.

Dema: What keeps you coming back to Bangs?

Vivi: I wouldn't finish pieces otherwise. I'm a notorious WIP collector, so having incentive to finish my pieces is always nice. Plus, I love getting to work alongside artists, and see how they interpret what I write! Collaborations make it all feel so much more official.

Dema: Having only participated in Bangs as an artist, I'm so impressed and inspired by the dedication you have to the challenge. It's a big number!

Vivi: Aw thank you, on the opposite side of the event I'm always impressed by the artists and their illustrations! It's amazing what we both are able to do in the timeframe given, thank you for your service.

Dema: I love it! From the artist's perspective, it's an interesting way to engage with a fic as a prompt, and the inspiration comes from the story and the collaborative effort. As a writer, is there anything in particular you're drawing inspiration from as you develop your idea for a long fic like this? Without being too specific about this idea, of course.

Vivi: Honestly, ideas just kinda hit me during my morning commute, while I stare aimlessly at the road ahead of me. Because of that, I tend to record myself talking in the car, despite the fact that I probably look like I've lost it just a little bit. Just talking through my thoughts on where my OCs and the companion characters are or what they're doing during specific times generally gives me a lot to think and write about, but mostly I pull my inspiration from their interpersonal relationships. That is what this series is built off of, and what I love about it!

Dema: I think that is a brilliant strategy. In the last minutes, and just for fun: can you come up with a click-bait title for your fic? Without giving anything major away, of course.

Vivi: Top 10 Reasons You Should Actually Contact The Ex Whose Life You Ruined-- Number 1 Will Shock You!

Dema: HAHA, Perfect. Thank you so much for your time, Vivi!

Vivi: Thank you! This was a lot of fun.

#fandom big bang #dragon age #dragon age fanfic #2024 interviews #writer interviews

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kaija-rayne-author · 5 months ago

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DA 4 Veilguard predictions

Okay so I wanted to get a whole ass post about what I think is likely to happen in DA 4 done before the reveals but I haven’t had the time between work and life.

There are MASSIVE spoilers for every Dragon Age game, book, comic, and most internet theories in this post. Proceed with caution.

Also I swear like the truckers I grew up around. So CW on language.

First and foremost, I’m going to warn you all that I’m a die-hard Solavellan. If you don’t like that? Don’t bother reading this. And for gods’ sake don’t bother arguing with me about it. Depending on my mood, I’ll either first roast your face off and then eat it with bbq sauce or if I’m feeling generous, I’ll just block your ass. You like what you like about games. I’ll like what I like. I don’t shit in your porridge, I ask you to not do it to me. As I’m writing this, I’m 47 years old and I’ve been gaming since I was 9. Which means I’ve been gaming longer than a lot of you have been alive. Stop yucking on people’s yum. There’s far too little joy in this world. Go find your own.

So, this is just a partial post (albeit, in true to me fashion, an incredibly LONG one XD). It will cover stuff I think we might see revealed in things this weekend at either SGF or Xbox whatever (I have no idea why they’d bother with the Xbox thing since they hold such a small share of the gaming market these days but whatever.) We’re seeing something between Friday and Monday. Hopefully, enough to give hope to the masses.

Depending on how much time I have before I have to serve dinner I might add some more of my theories.

It’s a bit silly of me to be so obsessed about this game because my computer definitely won’t be able to handle it, and because I’m a disabled, neurodivergent author with a family to support… well… the likelihood of me being able to buy both a computer able to handle it and the game itself any time in the near future isn’t good. So, I won’t be able to play it. I am going to add my links and a go fund me to the bottom of this post (which has taken me hours to research and write so if you would like to donate to the cause I would be so deeply appreciative. Dragon Age is one of my AuDHD special interests, and it’s killing part of my soul to know I can’t participate when it comes out. I promise I’ll write all sorts of interesting stuff about it!)

But I can’t help myself. Letting my research-oriented, lore-obsessed brain noodle about Dragon Age is one of my very favourite special interests. So, without further ado… here goes!

CLASSES

I think we have a good chance of seeing some of these as playable classes.

Knight-Templar ❌

Lord of Fortune ✅

Antivan Crow ✅

Mortalitasi (Nevarran necromancer) ✅

Grey Warden ✅

Shadow Dragon ✅

Shaper/Carta/Kal-Sharok/Sha-Brytol Dwarf ❌

Veil Jumper ✅

Fen’harel Fanatic (not his usual people, the fanatical ones detailed in Tevinter Nights) ❌

Companions

A lot of these ideas come from the supplementary material that I’ve read at least three times each. I’m obsessed. What can I say?

Qunari: ✅ Tal-Vashoth Sarrebas, maybe Qwydion? ❌

Rivani Lord of Fortune: ✅ ‘Hollix’ maybe? That would be fun, plus they are canonically non-binary! Please please please? With sugar on top? ❌

Tevinter Mage/Magister: ✅ Maevaris Tilani ❌ would be so cool, but I’d be equally as happy to see Neve Gallus. ✅ Honestly, they both have benefits for me. Mae is trans and Neve has a prosthetic leg. Alternatively, I liked Myrion ❌ well enough that he’d be a cool companion too. And he’s canonically bisexual from what I read between the lines.

Grey Warden: ✅ Please let it be Antoine! ❌ (Antoine absolutely has ADHD and I would love to see more of that rep in a AAA game.) Evke ❌ could be fun too.

Templar Knight-Commander: Rana Savras ❌

Spirit Companion: I really hope it’s not Audric. 1. He’s not really a spirit, he’s a higher undead, which is a Zombie by any other term. And all the poor guy wants is to organize his library. I’ll be quite disappointed with the writers if they go this route.

So, we’ve had Faith/Wynn, Justice/Anders, and Compassion/Cole. There are two other widely known benevolent spirits in Dragon Age canon. Valor and Hope. Given what I think is gonna happen in DA4, my money is on a Hope spirit. ❓

Antivan Crow: ✅ Illario Dellamorte. ❌ (I really really hope it’s not Lucanis Dellamorte. 💩 He’s so damned annoying and gods that is NOT how an assassin operates. Here's my professional editorial opinion of why Lucanis is an absolutely terrible character.

Veil Jumper/Dalish/City Elf: ✅ Strife. ❌ Please please please? He’d be so awesome as a companion character. He’s not young! I want an older companion character. (And it would let them get away with the white hair on a darker skinned character without it being racist as fuck.) I just really hope he looks better than he did in the comics. The art style in those was just fucking terrible.

I am hoping that we can somehow romance Lace Harding. ✅ But I just don’t see how she could fit in with the reported likely classes and things I’ve personally considered.

That gives me 8 even though reports say we only get 7. But did you notice in this picture that there are 8? So either we’re gonna get a ‘secret’ companion like Loghain Mac Tir. (Three guesses who that will be and the first two don’t count.) Or they have a surprise for us. Or the art is off.

I could also see Kieren ❌ as a companion. (Morrigan’s son) He’d be just about old enough if we get the time jump reports are saying we will. He was roughly 12 in DAI. + 2 for Trespasser puts him at 14. Ten years minimum between Trespasser and DA4 puts him at 24. So, it’s possible. I could also see Vaea as a companion. But I’m not exactly sure how she would fit with classes.

Potential Advisors

Some of these I’ve got as potential companions as well because I could see them fitting either.

Dorian Pavus for Tevinter Magisters (I think this is very likely given Tevinter Nights.)

Maevaris Tilani (Same as above.)

Charter (I think we’ll see Charter stepping into Leliana’s place as Spymaster given what we saw in Trespasser and Tevinter Nights.)

Myrna/Audric (Mortalitasi)

Ramesh (Grey Wardens)

Genetivi (Scholar) (given what happened in Tevinter Nights I have a feeling we’ll be seeing him again under a new name)

Viago De Riva (Antivan Crows)

Andarateia Cantori (Antivan Crows) I’d love to see Zevran again but considering what he was up to in DAI I think it’s unlikely. Although something did happen in Tevinter Nights that might make it possible.

Lavellan: With how the story in DAI ended and what we saw in the end scene of Trespasser, I think they’ll be important in some way.

Fenris: (Wandering Warrior)

Cameos we might see:

Fenris

Isabela

Arishok Sten

Antaam Rassan

Kieren (Morrigan’s son)

Zevran

Vaea

Sebastian Vael

Viago De Riva

Andarateia Cantori

Lavellan

People I don’t think we’ll see or if we do it won’t be for long.

Cassandra (thank gods)

Morrigan

Leliana (sads)

Most of the cast of DAI and the previous games.

Bosses we’re likely to fight.

Solas. He’ll be a mini-boss and maybe one you can talk out of a fight.

FleMythal

Elgar’nan ✅️

Ghilan'nain ✅️

Andruil. She and Ghilan’nain often go together.

Critters/bad guys we’re likely to see.

Bone creatures from the necropolis.

Changed darkspawn/humans from Ghilan'nain’s labs. ✅️

Tentacley sea creatures from Minrathous and other ‘experimented upon by mages’ monsters.

Werewolves may make a comeback.

Antaam.

Venatori. ✅

Fen’harel Fanatics (these are different from Fen’harel agents).

Whatever or whoever the people across the sea are.

Carta dwarves

Titans

Sha-Brytol dwarves

Antaam Rassan

Antaam

Things I think we’re likely to see.

We’re going to see trans/non-binary rep. ✅ I deeply believe this is happening. I will be so sad if I’m wrong.

Sad as I am to say it. Varric is gonna die. The writing has been on the wall in drippy red marker since they fired his writer. I hate this, personally. I grew up listening to Brian Bloom (Varric’s VA) and he’s just one of my absolute favourites. But I don’t think Varric is gonna make it.

The how? I think, narratively, they’ll do it in a way that hurts Solas a very great deal. In DAI, Varric is one of the few people that Solas listens to. Apologizes to and actually talks to with a sense of respect in his tone that he rarely does with anyone else. Given events in the comic The Missing where Solas saves Varric several times… yeah. ✅️

If I were writing it? It would be an angsty as fuck scene where either something Solas does accidentally kills Varric in a friendly fire isn’t friendly sort of situation or that Solas can’t get there in time to save one of the few people he actually probably considers a friend.

So, the pain of Varric’s death will be what in the writing/editing trade we call a pinch-point for Solas’s character arc. How the player decides what happens will likely be one of those crucial choices matters points that will turn Solas down a darker path or possibly toward a redemption arc.

Flemythal isn’t dead. I’ve talked before about how she is not the happy fluffy bunny version of a mother goddess. Sure, she might be a mother goddess. But she’s the type that reminds us that mother nature is often more red in tooth and claw than nurturing.

And the lady is bent. Bent on revenge. Bent on using people to get her revenge. Just… if she ever was the good and kind person that Solas remembers? She definitely isn’t anymore.

I have a feeling given one of the stories in Tevinter Nights that FleMythal has infected Solas (vs sharing her power in a simple power up to help him save people move) with the dragon soul. Which could have been part of Mythal's soul even before the dragon had it, if some theories are correct. There’s been a lot of imagery and description of a dreadwolf like creature that is half lupine, half dragon. So, something is going on there.

And honestly, I think that’s going to be Solas’s breaking point with mommy dearest. (Please, please don’t let them have been lovers, that will squick me out so fucking bad.)

“Betrayal is always worse.” Is one of Solas’s really heartfelt lines in DAI. If I’m right, and FleMythal somehow manipulated that dragon soul she got from Kieren (talk about fucked up action right there) so that it’s gonna change Solas into a half dragon half wolf demon thing… welp.

I think FleMythal will find that Solas has a bit more backbone than he ever had in the past. He’s not alone now. He knows he’s not alone. He’s got friends. He’s got someone who deeply loves him in a romanced Solavellan playthrough. I don’t think Solas is going to be very happy with his dearest ‘best of them’ Mythal.

Best of them? Yeah. It doesn’t mean she was actually good.

So Mythal isn’t dead. I think she’s likely to be one of if not the BBEG along with whoever that voice was at the end of the teaser. My money is on Troy Baker ❌️for the VA and I’m really curious if I’m right. I’m thinking that’s probably Elgar’nan. God of Vengeance. Perhaps Mythal and Elgar’nan patch up whatever divine argument they’ve been having via celestial couples therapy or something. Who knows.

I think we’re going to see a split path depending on the choices of the player for Solas. Depending on our choices, he could go really dark, or he could have a redemption arc. Patrick Weekes tweeted to me that ‘there’s a possibility of a happy ending for Solavellan’ so I still have hope. I trust Weekes to write a satisfying conclusion to the Solavellan Romance. (I just don’t trust Bioware as far as I can throw them.) Weekes was the lead writer on this game, so I think it’s a good possibility that that’s how it’s going to be structured.

I think the game will very possibly be a multi-act structure like DAI. The first act is possibly going to be like the Hinterlands leading up to Coryphyfish blowing the hell out of Haven. I think the veil coming down is going to either be what starts off the game ✅ (like the explosion of the conclave in DAI) or will be the final ending situation of Act 1. Again. Player choices will likely affect this to some extent.

But y’all? That veil is coming down. ✅ And yes. I’m aware of that silly new name for the game. I don’t like it. (That ‘the’ was a mistake. Veilguard by itself would’ve been much better linguistically.) But if you’ve been following my ramblings about Dragon Age for a while, y’all will know I have issues with their linguistic usage and editing already.

Dumped Drunk and Dalishious did a fantastic piece on her blog about the veil. It’s here if you haven’t read it. Firstly, the veil was never meant to exist in THEDAS in the first place. If you deep dive the lore (and trust me, I really have. A LOT.) It’s obvious that the veil has been the cause of more problems than it has fixed. It’s been slowly killing magic in THEDAS since its creation. It has to come down. It’s also as holey a granny’s doilies anyway. Solas taking it down in a controlled fashion is very likely going to prevent far more deaths than if it keeps just falling apart piecemeal like it’s been doing forever. It’s unfixable and it really really needs to go. ✅

So once that veil drops… I don’t think it’s going to be as horrific as everyone has been bellyaching about forever. Solas’s often misquoted and wildly overblown lines from Trespasser (seriously do y’all even know what the word genocide means? You make me doubt.) are very likely a red herring at best. People are being willingly misled. ✅ I can’t really blame y’all.

Weekes is an absolute Master at playing people’s expectations and assumptions off of their preconceived notions, then throwing a bomb of ‘oops you were all wrong and it was right in front of you the entire time’. They’ve even said they really love to write things like that. I want to write as well as Weekes does when I grow up.

Humans existed before the veil. Why wouldn’t they afterward? Given some of the lore, Qunari also existed before the veil. Why wouldn’t they continue to? Will there be chaos? Yup. ✅ But change is often painful. And if anything needs change it’s the world of THEDAS. (Both for story reasons and for gameplay reasons.)

One of the changes I think we’re likely to see is the implosion of the Chantry. (I am absolutely hoping for this. I’m not a fan of organized religion on a grand scale like that and the Chantry has soooooo damned many skeletons in its closets and atrocities under its belt that I will absolutely celebrate when it burns to the ground.)

Which will happen if it comes out that Solas put up the veil in the first place and took it down too. The Chantry either outright claims or strongly insinuates that the maker put up the veil. It’s the cornerstone of their entire faith. Also, in the story Genetivi Dies in the End in Tevinter Nights, Genetivi is absolutely wrecked by the discovery that everything he’s ever written as a travelling Chantry Scholar has been a lie. The Chantry is going down.

So, there’s gonna be some chaos there. And that’s not going to be Solas’s fault because that veil is coming down anyway.

And can you imagine the absolutely hilarious chaos that’s gonna happen when word leaks that an elven god-mage was the one who is technically the ‘maker’ by Chantry doctrine? With all the horrific racism and sheer awfulness the Chantry has done to elves over the centuries? I’m popping popcorn.

I think we’re gonna see Felassan again. ✅️ Cause that elf isn’t dead. And no, Solas didn’t kill him. Please trust me, I’ve combed through all the lore, I’ve read The Masked Empire where it supposedly happened several times, and there is not a shred of actual proof that Solas was the one who did the deed. It’s a Weekes misdirection again. They've got the nickname Tricksy Weekes for a reason.

The actual facts about the 'murder'.

It was someone Felassan worked for.

Someone he knew.

Someone who he knew wouldn't listen to his reasoning. (Solas has been shown to actually listen to his friends and let them change his mind.)

Someone who could very likely have been female because Felassan likens the murderer to Brialla.

It was someone who could fade-walk or move in the fade.

Mythal can do that.

A Somniari/Dreamer can also fade-walk.

Probably most of the still extant Elvhenan can do it (which there were quite a few of in Mythal’s temple).

And we know from DA2 that at least one modern born Somniari/Dreamer exists in the world.

Point being, there’s no actual ‘Solas killed Felassan’ spelled out anywhere. No, not even in Cole's lines in Trespasser. Those lines only indicate that Solas knows about Felassan’s ‘death’ and that he’s sad about it. Cole talks in riddles and references to modern TV shows all the time. I have no idea why people take him even remotely literally.

I have a few theories about this.

IF Felassan’s spirit actually was killed in the fade (possible) his body wasn’t. His body would’ve been just lying there in the woods breathing like any other Somniari. Possibly made tranquil (which we know can be reversed).

What if Solas lost his original body in putting up the Veil?

What if he had a deal with Felassan or maybe came to Felassan to help him get back to his body after the attack and Felassan decided he was done and wanted to move on?

They're said to be friends. Never said to be employer/employee.

If Solas was awake and in the fade and sensed an attack on Felassan, he'd certainly have gone to help.

What if he gave his body to Solas?

Felassan's 'death' chronologically lines up to when Solas 'woke up'.

Felassan has purple eyes. So does Solas.

Felassan has fade-green magic. So does Solas.

Felassan is incredibly powerful. Stares at Solas.

Felassan knows far more about Fen'harel than even a scholar would.

Felassan knew far more about Eluvians, ancient Elvhenan, and The Forgotten Ones (Imshael is a Forgotten One) than anyone would reasonably expect any elf to know.

Felassan let Imshael see into his head about what was coming in the future. Which Imshael almost got off on. Imshael loves destruction and chaos.

I can make a list as long as my arm on similarities there. So, either Solas didn’t kill Felassan and the old? Felassan will be in the game once the veil falls, or it will be revealed that Solas has actually been wearing a (voluntary because a soul cannot take a body involuntarily) Felassan suit the entire time.

Probably blew some minds there, huh?

So given that Weekes has said that if Felassan was a popular enough character they would consider bringing him back… I think it’s likely we’ll see something to do with him again.

Also? The sheer hilarity factor of elves who do not want magic (Fenris anyone?) getting magic returned to them is going to be sweet.

I think we’ll see blood magic as a much bigger mechanic than in previous games. (And I hope they did some work on it to make it make more sense this time.) The game is going to have a lot of Tevinter content. Blood magic is a big deal there. Ergo… it’s likely.

Given some of the things that happened in Tevinter Nights, which honestly really feels like a teaser book to DA4 (I really hate the Veilguard name) I think it’s likely that we’ll see the Templars again. They’ve been in every game and book so far. I doubt they’d get rid of the useless bastards in this one.

Given some of the things in Tevinter Nights, I think it’s possible we’ll see just as many puzzles as we did in DAI, if not more. I’m hoping for more. I do love puzzles in these kinds of games.

I believe it’s highly possible that whoever drank from the Well is going to be completely fucked. Especially, if they follow a ‘kill Solas’ route. Remember who the well binds you to in Trespasser? Bingo.

I think it’s very likely that someone close to the main character is going to be a dual agent of Fen’harel. And it will not be someone we expect. We’re all gonna be side eyeing the mages after the last three games. But what if it’s a warrior or rogue who hides their magic? There was at least one character that completely hid their magic in Tevinter Nights.

We’re going to see more of the Evanuris and The Nameless/Forgotten ones. I base that on Imshael being in DAI and in Masked Empire and some of the dialogue between Felassan and Imshael.

Titans. We’re going to see the titans waking up and being royally pissed off. This is going to cause so much chaos for the dwarves. Who will also regain magic and a kinda creepy hive-mind thing, too. Again. That’s not going to be Solas’s fault.

We’ll have at least one Gala event. Very possibly in Minrathous or Vyrantium. Hopefully with better clothing.

Finally, for things I think likely… The Grand Necropolis in Nevarra is gonna burn. People seem to forget that Solas doesn’t just fight for the freedom of the Elves. He fights for the freedom of spirits too.

In case you haven’t read it… the Nevarrans imprison spirits in the corpses of their dead using mages called the Mortalitasi. I really don’t think that is going to sit well with Solas. In fact, I know it doesn’t. It’s spelled out in Tevinter Nights.

I think it’s probably going to be a quest line for the main character to go and save the necropolis or let it burn to free the spirits. This, of course, will be one of the choices that matter and likely another pinch point on whether Solas goes dark or gets a redemption arc. It will also deeply affect Nevarran politics and the way the country is run. The Mortalitasi basically rule the monarchs of Nevarra sooooo. It’s gonna cause chaos there too.

We’ll obviously see a lot of chaos with the Qunari. Their culture is splintering already. The Antaam have decided to go off the rails and attack anything and everything. Maybe the Ben-Hassrath will be able to rein that in. Maybe not. I don’t have very many predictions on the Qunari to be honest. They’re at war with Tevinter at the end of Tevinter Nights so that war will figure heavily in the game, most likely. But how that’s going to play out I haven’t a clue.

Some mechanics I think we might see.

Fade-touched weaponry that can stop mages.

Elemental interactions. (IE: Magic lightning x water = lots of zap)

Magically treated arrows. ✅️

More magical bombs and poison effects. (I might be just wishfully dreaming there because one of the things I miss from DAO is the poisons and traps mechanics. They felt like an afterthought in DA2 and DAI. I want to be able to make cool traps and set up ambushes again.) But there was that story with Dorian in Tevinter Nights where several of those things were used, so maybe? It would be cool.

I think it’s likely that we’ll see the Despair Demon from Tevinter Nights. And I’m still so mad that they fired the writer of that story. It’s one of my favourites.

Some things that are very possible? But I’m not sure of and could just be wishful thinking.

I think we might see Abelas again. (Abelas romance? Pretty please? ❌😭) His story does have one of those endings that kills him so it’s possibly just wishful thinking. But they brought Leliana back for DAI, so I don’t see why they couldn’t with Abelas too. And also, I have a voice kink and love his VA Matthew Gravelle.

We might see non-linear storytelling. I kind of hope we do because I love non-linear storytelling. Perhaps one storyline will be Arlathan (through dreams or time travel perhaps?) and the fall of it so we finally get some answers to all of this lore. (Please let us get some answers!)

We may see some problems from a rather irrational faction of people who say they’re working for Solas but are using methods he would never approve of. They may be sort of like the Venatori in the last game. Though I do think it’s likely we might have to fight a few more of the Venatori too. ✅ They’re still out there having really messed up rituals and stuff to destroy things.

I think it’s possible given a few clues in the lore and in Tevinter Nights that we’re either going to see not just a double blight (regular darkspawn and red lyrium darkspawn) but a triple blight with the green/yellow lyrium found in Ghilan'nain’s labs. Remember that Ramesh only destroyed one of them. There are eleven more. I think that’s going to very possibly be a big part of this game.

Settings/Levels/Areas I think likely.

So, we already know that the game will be taking place in the north of THEDAS. That’s a no brainer after the map reveal in the teaser.

But where exactly will they take us?

In Tevinter, I think it’s very possible we’ll see Minrathous ✅ and Vyrantium. We may see the Black Divine’s/Archon’s palace.

We’ll see Arlathan Forest. ✅ That I’m almost certain of. We’ll probably also see ancient Arlathan somehow. (Dreams or barely used time-travel mechanic from DAI?)

We’re going to be spending a lot of time in the deep roads and even farther below the deep roads. And dear developers please let me have some answers to all this lore.

We may spend some time inside a Titan again.

Pre-veil drop, we may spend some time in the fade. I actually hope that with the veil dropping we get to rescue whoever got left behind in DAI. That would make my heart so happy.

We’re likely to see the crossroads at least a little bit.

Antiva! Gods I’m looking forward to seeing Antiva.

Anderfels/Weisshaupt. We have no idea at the end of DAI or Tevinter Nights or Last Flight what the hell is going on up there, so I think we’ll have to find out in the game. Also… more chaos that is most definitely not Solas’s fault.

Rivain?

I think we’ll see the Golden City. And the Black City. Which is likely the same place.

And I don’t think it’s up in the sky. I think it’s deep underground below the deep roads.

Ships! I think we’re going to see some more ships. That’s based on a story in Tevinter nights and some of the splash art. But gods I really want more ships. Especially in a place like Minrathous or Antiva for fuck’s sake!

I think we might see some underwater levels for various reasons. And I hope we do.

These next things are honestly my hopes and dreams that would make me so happy, but I have little to back them up with as far as lore or books/comics and supplementary materials.

Polyamory options. PLEASE give me polyam romance options. BG3 did it. It’s 2024 and only 30% of dating people are monogamous. Get with the times! ❌️

I want CC body sliders so bad. ✅ Give me the ability to make a fat player character please! Not just because a lot of gamers tend to be on the heavier side but honestly? Because a fat adventurer is going to be able to go farther than any skinny twig. Real strong men/women/enbies do not look like gym bunnies and models. They have a good layer of fat over that muscle for stability. Guess what fat is? It’s energy storage. A fat adventurer is going to be able to survive longer than a twig. I could go on… but come on Bioware. Be brave. Let me have a fat adventurer. ✅️

Decent. Fucking. Hair. ✅ Please let the CC have decent hair options. LONG hair options! Let me have my long haired elfy prince dude!

Isabela cameo. She’s one of my favourite DA2 characters and some of the early splash art makes me hopeful we’ll see her again. ✅️

I’m hoping for DAO origin style stories for the Main Player Character. But ideally? We’d have something like BG3 where we could play one of a number of origin stories or make our own blank slate character. ❌ Given the gossip going around the gaming community I’m thinking this is unlikely, but damn do I want it.

Useful. Mounts. Please let us have actually useful mounts. And GRIFFONS. ✅ Give me flying mounts you cowards!

Prosthetic using characters. ✅ Bioware has the worst track record when it comes to ableism, but gods please. They’ve got it set up perfectly with Inky losing their arm. There’s a prosthetic leg user in Tevinter Nights. PLEASE LET ME HAVE PROSTHETIC USING CHARACTERS.

Better Crafting Options. The crafting was okay in DAI. Especially if you mod it in so you can buy the stuff to do so easier (I really hate killing dragons but it’s the best crafting material!). But it also often felt more like an afterthought?

Better. Clothes. Seriously. Give me some razzle dazzle with the clothing. ESPECIALLY since we’re going to Tevinter where how you dress is absolutely important!

I know this is sniffing the genie smoke here, but could we have actually attractive armour options? With BRIGHT colours? Research shows that a lot of historical armour was 1. Gorgeous and well fitting. 2. Brightly painted! Let me have bright colours! (And please not the yellow plaid. Ugh.)

I hope for more gardening options in whatever base we end up using. I loved the gardening options in DAI, but they weren’t big enough for my plant loving heart.

I really want to see Solas in flying Wolfie form. We see him like that in Tevinter Nights. So, I really hope we get to see him like that in game.

Finally… and I know I’m high on my own hopes here… I really hope we get the gifting options back. Completely unattached to approval is fine. I just want to be able to find the perfect gift for my companions like I do in real life with my friends. It brings me so much joy.

Things they’re likely to fuck up.

Sadly, I think there’s some things Bioware is very likely to fuck up. This could just be me being too pessimistic, but they’ve screwed these things up throughout the entire series and to my knowledge they didn’t hire any diversity consultants in the making of DA4 sooooo…

Ableism. Bioware has a terrible record when it comes to ableism. ✅ (the demon design is going to cause visual strain and possibly bad effects for epileptic gamers).

White-washing. The North of THEDAS is like the South of Earth. If they make most of the people there have light skin I will probably boycott the fuck out of Bioware for the rest of my life. ✅️

No fat character ability in CC.

Really fucked up hair options. Seriously Bioware. It’s bad.

And I think they’re going to be in trouble when it comes to the Lords of Fortune. Look. I love the idea of the class and I even love how a lot of them are described in the books. But it’s absolutely glomming onto the stereotype of the Romani, and I don’t think that’s going to go over well at all. It won’t for me with my Romani heritage, and it really shouldn’t for anyone. Cause you know what that stereotypical usage is? It’s Racism. Bioware also doesn’t have the best track record regarding racism either.

As more thoughts come to me I’ll either append stuff to this post or do others (probably the latter.)

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