#still ruins

[dragonageconfessions]

CONFESSION:

It was during the pandemic/lockdown when I discovered if you go in and out of the Still-Ruins, the tier 3 craft items on the desk respawn if you leave one of them.

[bandcampsnoop]

1/11/24.

I was perusing Austin Town Hall, and I listened to Still Ruins - an Oakland band that, according to Nathan, sounds "like a track just waiting to be used for a rainy scene in a John Hughes film". Still Ruins has an EP available on Smoking Room Records.

When I went to the Smoking Room website to check out the release, I saw this LP from Hotline TNT up for order. This is their debut LP reissued in a limited release (including a Grimace purple...yum).

And while I was late to the Third Man release of "Cartwheel", I thought I'd better post this so anyone who wants a physical copy can land one. The debut album has a shoegazy feel - I still like the My Bloody Valentine and Hum comparisons - but the wobbly guitar also sounds a bit like Polvo.

Hotline TNT (former members of Weed) are based in Brooklyn, New York.

[lairofdragonagelore]

Western Approach: The Still Ruins , Main Chamber and Hall of Silence

Tevinter researchers performed a magical experiment in this palace a long time ago. Their objective was to tap into the essence of the Fade, but in doing so, they created a breach through which demons started pouring out. A fail-safe built into their experiment was triggered and froze time within the place.

[This is part of the series “Playing DA like an archaeologist”]

This ruin has a magical barrier, that it’s implied it was created by the Venatori. Once dispelled, we can explore inside it. It has some blood effect so I assume it’s magic related to blood magic.

Immediately after entering we find these strange devices positioned in the walls as if they were canons or defence devices. It could also be a means for water as they are shown in Razikale Reach, meaning that, in this configuration, they would have worked like a fountain. We need to remember Western Approach looked like Hinterlands before the Second Blight, so water must have been an easy resource.

In a corner of the entrance, there is a small room with some Tevinter artefacts. I can’t guess what they are used for. The first one seems to be more an item that could represent a god, considering the offering in skulls in front of it. The second one, it’s impossible to guess.

The door of the ruin is the same one than the one we found in Coracavus. This door is very important to highlight for me, because not only has a hidden Grey Warden iconography in the middle [this symbol is discussed with more detail in The Unknown Ruin [Mihris]] but it has a reuse of an asset at its top: that rusted piece of metal looks exactly the same like the item found at the end of the exploration of the Lost Temple of Dirthamen: Dirthamen’s wisdom. And I think there is more that meets the eye there, since in that Temple we found several Tevinter devices that should have not been there since it was an Ancient Elven Temple. Anyways, going on....

Main Chamber

The main chamber of The Still Ruins displays a beautiful, unique scene of the past frost in time, with ancient Tevinters fighting demons. The ruin is collapsing but due to the pause in time, everything is floating.  The exact moment we step into this place we know that something powerful and catastrophic has happened in the past.

In a very obvious way [I feel there is a lot of intention in this from a design point of view], we see that the main object falling onto the chamber is the statue of a Ferelden Wyvern. We also know by our exploration in Crestwood, that this statue is, in the best case, related to a non-official tale of Andraste. What’s extremely unsettling is that this wyvern statue is found in a ruin that predates the blights [Still Ruin], meaning that it has been here since the time the Still Ruin was built, so it can’t be related to Andraste. Maybe this Wyvern is more ancient and local folks related it to Andraste later in Crestwood. Here I have no idea how it was related among the ancient Tevinters.

All of this brings up many questions. This same statue is not only here, when you step into this room for the first time, it’s also in the loadscreen of Still Ruin and at the end of the Still Ruin itself, over the Inner Sanctum. From a design point of view, highlighting this Wyvern is a choice. It’s not a silly joke a la Eastern Egg, in my opinion. And that the statue shares the same spike that the representations of Andraste and Mythal may imply something older than Andraste and her tale of Wyrems, and maybe related to Mythal herself. After all, this statue and the head of Andraste are placed one in front of the other in the Fade when we chase after Kieran. There is a message there that is still hidden.

In the middle of this chamber there is a frost rift. A breach older than the ones we have been closing during the game. This breach has been opened by these ancient Tevinter when they tapped into the energies of the Fade.

Since this place is filled with strange magic and frost in time, the inquisitor can’t close this rift unless fixes the time first.

We find Venatori Orders (to Lucanus) explaining that there is something powerful here that the Venatori are after. They also inform us that this place belongs to a pre-blight time. Meaning, that the Tevinter knew about time magic even before Dorian and Alexius worked on it. Even before the existence of the Blights.

Hall of Silence

There is something disturbing and confusing to me in this main chamber aside the time magic and the wyvern statue: there is a room which entrance is flanked with Grey Warden griffons [they have the joining chalice at their feet!]. But the Order was created after/during the First Blight, and we know this ruin predates it.  We also know that this place was not used by Grey Wardens simply because we don’t find their banners or more elements of the order around. I imagine that, if they even tried, it was of not much use since this place was frost in time. You can’t have nice Joinings with several living statues of demons and ancient tevinters around, lol.

And to make things even more confusing, the entrance that these griffons are decorating leads to room called “Hall of Silence”, in an obvious reference to Dumat, in my opinion. 

If we explore this place we find these diapason/claw-like artefacts in the middle, decorating a statue of the Horned warrior holding a sword. Which makes me wonder if this is the Ancient Tevinter representation of Dumat or any other entity related to Dumat. Sadly, the only argument I have to support this is that this statue is placed in the middle of a Hall related to Silence, which is a very weak explanation. On the ground we see two pointy flower-like bases, very common to see in any Tevinter ruin, usually as the base of a given device.

If we look aside, we notice this statue was erected on a higher level than the rest of the chamber.

There is a lower level where we see tables to keep subjects restrained, and a device we saw before in the beginning of the region [check Western Approach: the open]: it is the object I called “injector”. In this case, the material inside the “injector” is glowing green, and I’m confident to suspect this is a product of what these Tevinters obtained when they tapped into the Fade [as the codex narrating the situation explains]. There are also thrummers connected to injectors, giving us more confidence about our guessed understanding of these devices in that cave in Western Approach: the open.

[Index page of Dragon Age Lore ]

[verflares]

just how long is forever? // not long enough, with you

pssst. check this out on inprnt :]

[indietapes]

Still Ruins - Of Devotion (Indie Pop)

🕑 1 min / Text: Adrian Release Date: Jan. 08, 2024 Back in November, we featured Still Ruins' music here on our blog. Now, the talented trio from Oakland, California is back with another beautiful indie pop/rock jam titled 'Of Devotion.' Their music is like a throwback to the '80s, and I really enjoyed the dreamy melodies and the vintage chorus effect on the guitar. If you haven't checked out these guys yet, make sure to give it a listen! Stream: https://open.spotify.com/track/4DzwgEjIsp6O6ahsjMUcIa ✔️ Available on our Indie Playlist on Spotify.

[ophanim-vesper]

A short-ish fancomic poem thing about my hc for Zelda

(best read from left to right)

[chloesimaginationthings]

Gregory has it best out of the new FNAF protagonists..

[lotus-pear]

cringefail exes oh my god

[jazzkrebber]

rip shadow and bone. we would have loved to see dark alina. we would have loved to see matthias finally get out of jail. we would have loved to see kaz learn to love. we would have loved to see zoyalai on screen. we would have loved to see wylan's story. we would have loved to see the ice court heist. we would have loved to see colm fahey. we would have loved to meet kuweii. we would have loved to see jesper get over his gambling addiction. we would have loved to see matthias relearn all he knew for nina. we would have loved to see inej find her family again. we would have loved to see mal find out what life is like without alina. we would have loved to see nina learn to live for herself, instead of her country.

we would have loved to see more of the characters we all know and love.

[kendyroy]

Logan & Wade looking at each other

(Part 2/?)

[caffichai]

Regular Abyssal Hunter downtime activities

[rileyclaw]

let the maze of my design carry you on 🪞

happy anniversary, labyrinth runners!

[milky-shea]

🎶 ~I can fit two people, under my skin~ 🎶

[Song inspo: Under My Skin by Jukebox the Ghost]

[indietapes]

Still Ruins - Perfect Blue (Indie Pop)

🕑 1 min / Text: Adrian Release Date: Nov. 21, 2023 Here's a fresh new release titled ‘Perfect Blue’ by the Oakland, California-based trio Still Ruins. I really enjoyed their driving sound - it's a cool mix between classic new wave and mellow dream pop. What I like most about it are the smooth and jangly guitars and the vintage synths that add a slightly melancholic tone to the music. 'Perfect Blue' has a nice '80s feel to it, and I associate so many beautiful things with it: driving through a neon city at night, watching VHS movies, and discovering new music through mixtapes. Give it a listen and make sure to keep up with Still Ruins's new releases on Spotify: Stream: https://open.spotify.com/track/5SxAzuXTdKnaDqw5Xo7gYp ✔️ Available on our Indie Playlist on Spotify.

[kizzer55555]

DP x DC: The Most Dangerous Card Game

Ok so Danny has essentially claimed earth as his. And he is fully aware that there are constant threats to the planet. Now he can’t stop a threat that originates on earth (that’s something he’ll leave to the Justice league) but he can do something about outside threats. Doing some research on ancient spells, rituals, and artifacts, he cast a world wide barrier on the planet to protect it from hostile threats so they cannot enter. This will prevent another Pariah Dark incident. However, barriers like this come at a price. You see, there are two ways to make a barrier. Either make one powered up by your own energy and power (which would be constantly draining) or set up a barrier with rules. The way magic works is that nothing can be absolutely indestructible. It must have a weakness. The most powerful barriers weren’t the ones reinforced with layer after layer of protective charms and buffed up with power. Those could eventually be destroyed either by being overpowered, wearing them down, or by cutting off the original power source. No, the most powerful barriers were the ones with a deliberate weakness. A barrier indestructible except for one spot. A cage that can only be opened from the outside. Or that can only be passed with a key or by solving a riddle. So Danny chooses this type of barrier and does the necessary ritual and pours in enough power to make it. And he adds his condition for anyone to enter. 

Now the Justice league? Find out about the barrier when Trigon attempts to attack, they were preparing after he threatened what he would do once he got to earth. How he would destroy them. The Justice league tried to take the fight to him first but were utterly destroyed, so they retreated home to tend to their injuries, and fortify earth for one. Last. Stand. Only when Trigon makes his big entrance…he’s stopped.

The Justice league watch in awe as this thin see-through barrier with beautiful green swirls and speckled white lights like stars apears blocking Trigon and his army’s advance. The barrier looks so thin and fragile yet no matter how hard the warlord hits, none of his attacks can get through and neither can he damage said barrier. That’s when Constantine and Zatanna recognizes what this barrier is. Something only a powerful entity could create. For a moment, the league is filled with hope that Trigon can’t get through yet Constantine also explains that it’s not impenetrable. And clearly Trigon knows this too for he calls out a challenge. 

And that’s when, in a flash of light, a tiny glowing teenager appears. He looked absolutly minuscule compared to Trigon and yet practically glowed with power (this isn’t a King Danny AU though).

And that is when the conditions for passing the barrier are revealed. And the Justice realize that the only thing stopping Trigon and his army from decimating earth. The only way he can get through….is by beating this glowing teenager in a card game. 

Not just any card game though. The most convoluted game Sam, Danny, and Tucker invented themselves. It’s like the infinite realms version of magic the gathering, combined with Pokémon, and chess. And Danny is the master. So sit down Trigon and let’s play.

(The most intense card game of the Justice league’s life).

After Danny wins, this happens a few more times with outer word beings and possibly even demons attempting to invade earth, yet none have been able to beat the mysterious teenager in a card game. Constantine might even take a crack at it and try to figure out how to play. He’s really bad though. Every time this happens, the Justice league worry that this might be the time the teenager looses. Yet every time, he wins (even if only barely). 

Meanwhile, Danny, Sam, and Tucker have gotten addicted to the game and play it almost daily. Some teachers might seem them playing the game are are like ‘awww how cute’ not realizing this game is literally saving the world. Jazz is just happy they aren’t spending as much time on their screens playing Doomed.

[chloesimaginationthings]

There's doomed yuri... in my FNAF ruin?