#unblighted

[drakorn]

I think what bothers me the most about the AMA (next to the fact that they claim all of the narrative choices were intentional and not, in fact, a result of development hell) is how many narrative and lore revelations we get without them being at all set up in the game. Here's a few examples:

Solas cut ties with his agents at some point between Trespasser and DAV? Okay...fair point, he probably didn't want any of them to die for him because he was afraid of sacrificing them for his ends as he did with Rook. Great...if only ONE line of dialogue would have mentioned that ANYWHERE in the game.

Elgar'nan still looks unblighted because he is so incredibly vain that he maintains his appearance via magic, and he also misgenders his dragon. Okay, great, makes sense for him. Why is that not shared anywhere in the game?

Minrathous is apparently the main diplomatic hub of Thedas after the Blight ends. When was that at ANY point communicated in the game?

Some of those answers kinda had that "we didn't think of it until the moment you asked" vibe to them, which I'm sure was not what they intended, but it kinda does feel like it. How much would it have cost to have any of that mentioned in the game?

(I still believe at least some of those narrative choices were a result of development hell and EA just forces them to say that everything was intentional btw)

[aicosu]

Hey, just saw your post about Veilguard - do you mind me asking what it is that put you off? Thanks!

I can start by saying I've not played it. I'm not going to at this point. But basically, every cutscene and dialogue option and plot point I've watched. And for those of you that don't remember I was hugely critical of Inquisition despite my love for it. And I downright hated Trespasser. So this shouldnt be shocking.

And its a lot of stuff I dont like. I can make a short list of major things below, obvious spoilers.

Please dont read this if it will make you angry okay? This is a lot of angry ranting.

1. I said this with inquisition and trespassers but veilguard seals my hatred for the decision to center the entire plot of ripping apart the dalish culture and religion. I'm sorry I just don't think this is compelling. It's icky to create an oppressed and marginalized race with parallels to most indigenous cultures in the real world, and basically call them wrong and stupid for clinging to their culture and history. I don't care that validating the Enuvanris existance means also invalidating the maker and the tevinter reiligions too, or even the dwarven: the game centers this narrative on the DALISH. The entire implication that its their fault all along or they sold themselves into a cult and slavery is gross. The game could have easily done this but centered it around the Maker. Andraste as the blight corrupted crazy deity or spirit whatever the fuck. Makes more sense with how much Chantry has been shoved down our throats since origins, and given how much wider spread it is after literal genocides of the dalish, qun, etc it would just mean a lot more to target the oppressors/majority religion directly. And look listen, I'm a pretty hardcore athiest and even anti thiest. I hate all religions, I find stories about dismantling religion compelling but to couch it histories of marginalized people like... its just not great. Not to mention twisting their gods into systematic greedy people or shoving their "bestest god" into a human woman and trying to make her prostheltize at me. I don't like it!

2. I get why old decisions dont matter. The world is too big, sure. I dont mind that at all, actually, even with all the problems, it gives people invested in those choices. Im happy to accept it. But then... make the actual plot less beholden to it. Why bring in cameos at all, then? Fuck man set it 50 or 80 years later. But if you cant cause everyone wants closure in the DA fandom then give us closure. If not personal closure with wardens and hawkes and etc cause its all too variant — lore closure. We arent going to talk about how darkspawn were thinking and talking? Blight was always just a random elvhen weapon? What apparent the tevinter magisters then? What about the architect? What about the idea of darkspawn becoming their own race and culture? What about the old gods themselves they were just always enuvanris? How do magisters actually feel about that? Why did those who worshipped corypheous or the black church follow Elvhen gods, their most oppressed and hated enemy aside from the qunari?

Speaking of, what about all of us who wanted to confront Minrathous and Tevine for the atrocities we've built up about it for 3 games. Slavery? Off screen solved before we get there? Dorian fixed it all? I had a heated debate with Dorian about him saying how slavery wasnt all that bad "They like being slaves!" And so many conversations with Fenris about how horrible it is. Rape and murder and submission? We don't as players get to finally confront that?

How about red lyrium being sentient. How about it being a tool the elvhen then used to murder titans, but not its alive and unstoppable? How can anything be unblighted? Because plot?

What of the calling? What of it really? What of those in The Calling who were unblighted? nothing?

Not even a deep conversation about the murky ethics of liberation/slavery when it comes to the Antivan crows stealing children? I'm to forget that?

How about anything all to do with the Qun? How about that burnt in memory I have of Saarabas immolating himself in service to not just the system of his culture but his belief in his faith. We're writing him off as a terrorist and not as an example of the Qun? Lets be really real; they have been retconning the Qun every game till now them being a fully gender and sexual accepting society.

How about the changes of mages vs templars if and maybe they walk free now? As if that entire conflict wasnt the brewing boiling point for three games?

What about the elvhen rebellion they so rightly started after centuries or murder and racism? Can we stop pretending that rebellion isnt an act of violence and has to be? Can we stop erasing the idea that systemical upheavel can be anything other than radical? Hello? Anders is one the phone asking for you?

How about that ending, the veil isn't even torn? Spirits don't walk the earth as intended. Why not solas' plan? Why not restore order. Why not join or dissuade him as he asked us to in trespasser?

It just all feels washed off, Thedas. I'm allowed to be angry and upset that they spanned all of these topics and asked me to engage with them on a deep ethical and moral grounds only to never mention them again. I dont think making your player base feel stupid for caring is great.

3. On personal levels, Solas has been ooc since trepasser. And frankly, the explanation of his relationship with Mythal is disgusting. Made the first slave and turned from his true nature into a tool of war—and reaffirming his subservance by making it that only Mythal could stop him? How is that not a toxic dynamic, and they fram it as loving and romantic? Imagine them trying that Fenris who can only be talked down by Danerous. Come on. It should have been Lavellan — or it really should have been not at all. Let him. The devs want to destory Thedas and start over? Let solas reset time and recreate the earth and tear is all down and erase most of the history. Do it you cowards. Give me an unrecognizable DA5 where spirits and mages rule and the elvhen thrive and war with each other. Give me slaved humans and a topsy turvy all that changes remains the same reality. Why not if you want to illuminti titan everything anyway.

4. I dont believe in the veilguard, I should have a choice not to. I should have a reason to care about it or my companions or fewl some sort of reason we must all work together aside from "theyre adorable". All the other games you had companion parties in organic and believable ways. Rook is leader cause.... ? What if I dont want to be? At least my Dalish inquisitor fought tooth and nail not to be called a christian messiah. Hawke had FRIENDS. And the warden found those who knew what a blight meant. And many of all of us disagreed. Vivianne got not sympathy from me. Why should Neve? Fenris will leave your party if you waste your time when the Magister comes to town. I dont want to coddle Harding about her stupid chantry. I do not to talk to Lucanis happily about the crows. Maybe I dont want to be friendly all the time. Maybe I hate everything Bellara is doing. Or taash.

5. The writing was on the wall in inquistion hoenestly. What with Iron bull letting me decide is he mass murders his found family or not. But jesus these new companions are like 10 yrs old. I don't know you decide. Your a fucking adult. I cant take a single one of them seriously. Even Sera screamed and yelled at me if I challenged her. Solas and I almost broke up mutiple times arguing about tradition and purpose or that damn Mythal well (again and no wonder he would object to doing anything akin to being emslaved by her, only to submit himself in this game. As if the well mattered at all. As if morrigan matters at all.) I just don't feel as though I'm bonding with anyone, I'm babysitting. Im being told what a great person I am that I can teach everyone elementary school behaviorial learning. I dont want to, I dont even want to be "good".

6. Petty stuff:

I hate the art style both in the UI and the models. I hate it. And the expressions are so poor compared even to Da2.

I hate all the armors. Everyone is bulky. Hate it.

Ugly combat.

Cant control or walk around as my companions and try out other classes.

CC cant change eyes or facial structure much so all rooks heads look the same and kinda... everyone looks like a dwarf. Sorry. Imo, imo, every rook I have seen looks like a dwarf.

Dont like the music.

Dragons are ugly.

Morrigans outfit makes it look like she has 4 titties.

I hate this elvhen "steampunk" tech when so much of their magic was shown to be earthen and mystic. Dumb. No explanation as why it would become this way it just is now.

Blood magic erasure cause the devs are scared of us being cool I guess.

I hate the humor. Every joke doesnt land for me. And there are simply too many.

[valgeristik]

So um. dragon age once more has a firm grip on me. to no ones surprise.

Made my Rook a grey warden for funsies because i was like. lalala how fun would it be if they were my DAO warden's (adopted) kid! And then the rest of the game happened. And also turns out i rly like grey wardens. Who would have thought.

Anyway, fun bits abt the thoughts behind this art + general backstory + (gender-neutral) babygirl compilation under the cut

Vetted Gaza Evacuation Fundraiser List

E-sims donation

Now, about the art. During the character creator screen i was like. wouldnt it be fun to give them the lightning-looking scars as like, a remnant of some magical-experimentation-gone-wrong accident.

So their name is Zea Surana-Thorne 🤗 Lora (dao warden) would have found them sometime during the events of DAO in one of the darkspawn-razed villages along the way. Cue the 'dad with a cat he said he didnt want' thing happening, but it's "the child she said she cant afford to be taking care of". I have some art abt that ill post later. They would have been about 5.

I see Zea as a sort of...very bright-eyed idealist kind of person. Which is why they go behind their mama's back to become a grey warden, just like her <3

Lora was 100% against that decision, but it's not like u can unblight someone after the joining, so...

And then i realized that in-game i was using an item with the following description CONSTANTLY:

And finally. the babygirl compilation

And it just fits so well, u know? All that practice paid off!🤗

If i was a venatori id jump off a cliff

[profoundlyfaded]

Leaving Treviso to be Blighted was such a hard decision. I’d done Minrathous in the first play through. From a narrative standpoint point, doing this was actually more impactful, the streets of Minrathous doesn’t feel much different if it’s unblighted and the shift in Neve’s character doesn’t feel as extreme as Lucanis’s shift has been.

A lot of people have noted that this instalment of DA is not as dark as it’s predecessors, but walking through the makeshift hospital where the Treviso market should be, and managing Lucanis’ quiet but palpable anger brings a darker edge to the story which is both welcome and not.

Can’t say I’ll be in a hurry to Blight the merchant city again but it’s been an eye opener.

[mosswiind]

endgame spoilers and angst below

Neve and warden!rook

imagine Neve, coming to, falling from a tangle of blight tentacles, her eyes returning to a comforting and familiar brown

imagine Neve, realizing that she has been unblighted

imagine Neve, looking to her sweet Warden lover, expecting them to be elated, because they're cured, too

right

but instead she sees her warden, her rook, collapsed to their knees

the realization hits them at the same time

the calling will still come

[ghilannainsmalewife]

hey guys -

so you know how the evanuris are trapped in the fade - maybe in the black city, right? and we can see that those with enough power can reroute the eluvians to the fade, right? and how tamlen, in the dalish origin, saw someplace dark - someplace with something, someone within? and how there’s that statue of falon’din outside in those ruins? and how the evanuris are linked - and can control, or own, or whatever ghil is doing in that one preview - the archdemons? and how duncan said the eluvian was attracting the darkspawn? to the point duncan had been fighting them off for several days in otherwise unblighted land north from the main horde?

i don’t know what dots i’m connecting, but they’re definitely dots

[dreadfutures]

DA4... And 4 Dragons

(spoilers)

1 - Archdemon

Ghilan'nain's pet at Weisshaupt is referred to as an Archdemon

This cannot be Ghilan'nain's Dragon Form, if she has one - they exist separately, apparently.

We saw it also in the big climactic Eclipse fight in either Arlathan/The Black City

And it is HUGE.

2 - The Spiral Horned Dragon becomes Blighted

We see her unblighted several times:

And then becomes her "blighted dragon"

What is very interesting is the resemblance to the dragon on the cover of the Golden City album:

3 - Ice Dragon ("Corius the Icetalon")

Another one of "Ghilan'nain's Blighted Dragons"

Given that Corius and the Spiral Horned Dragon are roughly the same size, and comparing them to the size of Rook - they are much, much smaller than the Archdemon at Weisshaupt.

4 - Halohead Big As Fuck Dragon

Seemingly tied to Elgar'nan (by the halohead horns), it is big as FUCK and therefore seemingly on the lines of the Archdemon Ghil has.

We see it decidedly un-Blighted, however. Is this Elgar'nan's dragon form, or is it his Archdemon?

If the Evanuris are supposed to have dragon forms (Mythal does; codices indicate that the other gods do) then are there two other dragons (Ghil and Elgar'nan) that we are looking for?

If the Evanuris ARE NOT 1:1 BEINGS WITH THE OLD GODS OF TEVINTER.... then where the fuck are the other evanuris? Are they imprisoned? are they dead? Why collect the souls of the Old Gods?

What's going on

[uchidachi]

Ok, time to call my shot. My theory for what’s the deal with the Blight and what’s happening in The Veilguard is:

Solas created the veil and trapped the Evanuris because they created/contracted the Blight. The blighted Golden City is that way because maybe that’s where they are trapped? Or where they became corrupted? Later, the Magisters tried to get in and partially succeeded, blighting themselves and also making a way for the Evanuris to affect the outside world and maybe get out— but only if they have a willing host. (Like spirits who are able to possess willing mages).

The sleeping Old Gods (dragons) are the only vessels powerful enough for the Evanuris to possess, and they are not corrupted or blighted until the darkspawn (who are being influenced by the corrupted Evanuris) reach them and blight them. Then they become Archdemons (Blighted Evanuris/Old God abominations)

Solas is Big Mad about the Grey Wardens because they are only killing the hosts when they slay the Archdemon. They’re destroying a powerful ancient dragon and not even solving the problem of the Blight. This also explains where Corypheus’ false Archdemon came from: that’s just a regular blighted High Dragon.

I predict that we will see a double-blight in Veilguard, but it will be from the two Evanuris escaping from the tear we see in the prologue. The two remaining Old Gods will stay sleeping, unblighted, but also the Grey Wardens will be unable to stop the Blight, because their only knowledge is how to kill a posessed Old God dragon, not how to actually defeat the blighted Evanuris.

[kaija-rayne-author]

Review 10.3 of Dragon Age Veilguard

74 hours in, 72 playtime

Obligatory disclaimer, feel free to jump to the cut if you've read it.

Something came to my attention. I need to make it crystal clear that I utterly love the diversity in DAV. It's fantastic. I'm also a heavily left leaning, non-binary, queer as fuck reviewer, editor, and author.

I'm on media blackout while I play this, so I'm only getting second-hand info on how awful it is right now in the DA Fandom. Please be safe and take care of yourselves. Arguing with incels and white supremacists is completely pointless. They sea lion worse than an actual sea lion. Your mental health is important.

Though, every single time the anti-queer brigade comes out for a new DA game, I sit there thinking 'have you bozos ever played any DA game, like, ever?' My guess is nope.

Spoilers for Dragon Age Veilguard

Section 10.2 here.

So. I didn't want to play tonight, didn't really have the energy. But I legitimately fear if I don't play for even one day, I'll drop it and not come back. I have ADHD, its a strong possibility, and I still want to see what happens in the story for myself.

I hereby announce that I am, in fact, Eating Crow. Game Lucanis is way better written and developed than in his intro story.

And Lucanis did let Emmerich help, after all. Plot hole taken care of.

That's it? That's all we get about The Titans? After all the previous foreshadowing, we get a single companion quest to find out and resolve (completely unrealistically) the entire issue of The Titans? Are you seriously kidding me?

I need a stronger word than flabbergasted.

Discombobulated. I'm discombobulated at the sheer level of mishandling so many incredibly important aspects have been treated to in this game.

Yes, it's nice to get confirmation about my guess to the history of Titans and Elvhenan... but are you seriously fucking kidding me?

Lucanis talks about coffee more than we get something as important as the Titans settled.

Anywaaaay.

Called it on the identity of the Gloom Howler. And the 'reason' for Isseya to be doing the exact opposite is 'she's been driven mad by 400 years of guilt for following orders'? Edit, it's been pointed out she's suffered the blight for 400 years, too. The blight, in the Lore, basically makes creatures start digging out dragon/arch demons. Because all they can hear is 'the song'. There have been speaking hurlocks working for the benefit of the unblighted. There's the Architect, who keeps showing up and is sane. If directly opposed to anything mortals would want. There's no support in the Lore for blight making someone mentally ill. I truly just feel it's bad writing.

That is so over the top ableist I'm not sure if I can describe it in small enough words why we shouldn't say grief and guilt makes us fucking mentally ill in a dangerous fashion! There isn't a mental illness that I'm aware of that includes a person completely reversing deeply held, sacred beliefs so they do the exact opposite of what they've previously sacrificed so much for.

Crazy and mad both mean mentally ill. That's why calling Isseya mad or crazy is ableist. Isseya would protect those griffins, She’d very possibly steal them to protect them from the wardens. I could see where, out of fear, she'd decide that the Wardens weren't worthy of the griffins after all.

What I cannot see is her sticking a knife into the skeletal remains of a 400 year old arch demon dragon and actually finding liquid blood. That's some foolish jurassic park nonsense. Thinking maybe she got it from the blood marrow? That's dried and almost dusty within a century. Or turned to a rocky like consistency. I don't care how magical the creature those bones came from was, that's just not happening. It's ridiculous.

What I cannot see is her then using that to infect the griffins she fought so hard to save from that very fate.

Last Fall wasn’t my favourite of the books. But both the writer and the character Isseya deserve fucking better than what the end of her story will likely be. I can think of two ways that dumpster fire could be satisfactorily fixed, but I have zero trust in the Bioware writers anymore, so I highly doubt they're going either direction.

And outright stating that too much emotion makes us dangerously mentally ill... I've always said Bioware had ableism problems. I've said they need to hire diversity editors.

I'm utterly appalled that they thought that whole storyline was even remotely okay on any level.

So. Do I have this right?

The Evanuris did lots of bad things. One of the worst was severing the Titans and the dwarves from their dreams.

The Evanuris bound themselves to high dragons, blighting them, and they did this for more power.

The blight is somehow The Titans' or dwarves or both severed dreams? If that's the case, the blight should now be receding or cured because the Titans have been 'fixed'. In a completely unrealistic and ridiculous manner that does a disservice to the whole damned Titan Evanuris war, but hey. I'm used to bad, nonsensical writing. Especially in this game.

Solas made the veil to imprison the Evanuris? Bad side effects. Which, in the Lore, include the death of magic in THEDAS and the eventual death of the realm itself. But we're apparently conveniently brushing that under the rug of bad writing to drive through a story that makes no sense.

He tied the veil, their prison, into their life essences.

So the theory they seem to be going with is that by killing the arch-demon dragon, the Evanuris will become mortal.

They were mortal before they bound dragons to themselves for more power. Mythal was mortal. She was murdered. (Oopsie, even bound to her dragon.) But the Evanuris, the first elves, didn't age and were eternal. They could be killed, sure, but just regular living, even inside a prison, wouldn't have killed them. So why exactly would all the other Evanuris be dead? Just killing their dragons wouldn't have killed them. If they were somehow dead... Wouldn't that have thinned the precious veil that they've spent three games, numerous books etc. stating was thin and as full of holes as my grandmothers crocheted doilies?

Somehow, the veil is completely all better now and holding back a world of blight that never existed in the fade except maybe in the black city? We've been to the fade several times in this game and seen no blight.

How exactly is the blight the corrupted dreams of dwarves or Titans? Does that make any sense to anyone else?

Does that mean that Genlocks (blighted dwarves) dream?

And the veil is what separates the world and magic/dreams/world of spirits?

If the so precious veil is tied to the life energy of the Evanuris... and the veil was created to contain them... what exactly is going to happen to said veil when those Evanuris die?

Either I've figured out the end of the story, or found plot holes the size of Texas if they try to say that veil is still in place once Gilly and Eggy are dead. (Why again are there only two Evanuris left? Have we gotten an answer to that? That makes any sense?)

They've made the answers to everything too pat and yet so convoluted they're tripping over things they've said are fact in this very game.

I just... how? Why? What the actual fuck? How is the writing in this so reprehensibly bad?

I can write better stories in my sleep FFS. And have. One of my published novellas was a dream before I wrote it down. And at least everything makes sense in it.

Section 11 here.

[bloodpressurecuff]

unblighted american chestnut my sweet....delight of my world

[ignylinn]

Just been through a dialogue between Rook and Varric about the dagger.

Fun fact, Solas' lyrium dagger looks nothing like red lyrium idol, apart from the hilt. And also not red. Heavy spoiler discussion

Which, for me, is a clear indication that "Varric" is for the most part Solas:

if Varric was just Rook's memories manifested of his grief and inability to let go, there would be no substantial information about the idol or dagger. I am sure Rook would not be able subconsciously make such huge leap and come to this conclusion.

I am not sure Varric himself would be able to make a definitive conclusion about idol and dagger being the same thing.

When Rook asks him about how Solas unblighted the idol, he visibly ALMOST starts to answer, and then is like "... no idea"

[moltensmusings]

Veilguard endgame spoilers. I want to talk about Neve and how I accidentally fell into my favorite way to play her story through.

First, my rook is a crow. So she sided with focusing on Treviso leading to a tense dynamic with Neve. Something I spent the game working to repair leading to not only Neve romancing Lucanis but also getting a Neve who is willing to do anything to defend her city.

I know people have feelings about hardened Neve. But for the sake of the story she works so well.

Next, I choose her to undo the wards during the lead up to fighting Ghilan'nain causing her to be taken captive by Elgar'nan and subsequently blighted. She was the one with the blight connection during the Minrathas final fight. She was the one to take control and combat elgar'nan for her city.

When she made it out, unblighted and free it meant a massive part of the final game hinged directly on her involvement with the plot.

I didn't plan this out. I didn't make choices based on wanting a certain outcome. And yet this specific run was so perfect for her that I don't think I can ever consider any other version of the run the correct play.

Neve Gallus, the character you are.

[lunasilvis]

Sometimes I am so close 🤏 to convincing myself I carry around the weathered lonesomeness found only in old vagabond musicians in smoky dismal Parisian cafés. Like the unshakeable curse since birth.

Then I meet up with friends over lunch for longer than 10 min and I realize again I was actually carved from unblighted puppy material and sprinkled rainbow muffins 👋

[scotianostra]

On 29th March 2002, Longannet, Scotland's last deep coal mine, closed, ending centuries of mining tradition.

Longannet was forced to shut after being flooded with 17 million gallons of water, and although no lives were lost, accountants said it could cost £50m to make it operational again. The mine has earned itself a name for being the last deep coal mine to ever be sunk in Scotland.

Located on the north side of the Forth of Firth the Longannet complex, employing 1,500 people at its height and powered the nearby Longannet power station.

The Longannet complex was made of three mines: Bogside, Castlehill and Solsgirth Collieries which formed a single, five-mile long, tunnel.

In March 2002, millions of gallons of water flooded into the underground workings. The 15 people below ground at the time were in another part of the mine and all were evacuated safely.

Shortly after the flooding, Scottish Coal, went into receivership. It became clear that no new operator would take over the mine, and all the pumps were switched off, allowing further flooding. Without access, the true cause of the flooding could not be conclusively determined by the investigation. It was concluded that one of the dams, or the surrounding strata, had probably failed, but the exact reason was not known.

Many people mourned the end of coal mining in Scotland, but it was a hard dirty job for those that mined the "black gold. Coal mining has always been dangerous for the men – and in the early days women and children – who went down the pits. You only have to look through my posts here to find the disasters that blighted the industry, with it's demise we are looking to make more sustainable and cleaner ways to produce our energy needs, and Scotland stands proud at the forefront of that technology, with offshore windfarms and tidal technology e look forward to a cleaner nation to leave for our children, unblighted by the fear some wives and mothers feared when they heard the emergency sirens blare from their local collieries.

Longannet was the last deep mine of any significance in Scotland and its closure effectively ended underground coal mining in Scotland. The Longannet power station closed in 2016.

[whereismywarden]

I've gotten so used to lyrium crystals being red that my reaction to seeing unblighted lyrium was "wow cool rocks".

[lasudio]

Welcome to StrangeSpot!

A golden era of curiosity and knowledge-seeking has been obliterated by a supernatural-swerving deadly disease. Those who were saved via the lycanthropy outbreak can only count their blessings that they're cursed to be creatures of the night.

In a bid to stick together, the residents of StrangeSpot have rebuilt their decimated community around the ancient Wright Stones. Every inch of the old alien crash site has been picked over for scrap metal and every home - bar the unblighted Dead End Lane manse - has been demolished for fear of disease lingering in the walls. As a final nail in the tourist destination coffin, the monorail became defunct when La Fiesta Tech was disestablished out of similar fears. There is nothing here for outsiders - even the nearby Pretersolaria Institute is a hidden tertiary secret.

Are the townspeople supernaturally destined to remain in one strange spot forever? Or is there hope to return to the map as a golden centre of knowledge?