#you just ended up being collateral LMAO

[thisisvoided]

VOILEMCE AASK

8, 24, 25

🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥💥💥💥💥💥💥

VIOLENCE GALORE!!!!!! 💥💥💥💥💥💥💥💥

i put it under a keep reading because it got a little long *COUGH* i may have. opinions about things. whoopsie doodles <3

8. common fandom opinion that everyone is wrong about

firstly, silver being a soft uwu baby. he isn't, end of discussion. idk WHY everybody is so fucking keen on infantilizing him and turning him into this idiot that can't tell left from right but it's just---UGH. stop having the most milk-white baby-ass surface-level takes, maybe? yes, he can be innocent and unknowledgeable in certain ways, but there is a difference between having a curiosity for the world because of all of the new experiences it holds and acting like a fucking infant. he doesn't understand social cues and norms and laws and shit because he was brought up in an apocalyptic hellscape! this doesn't instantly turn him into a toddler---in fact, it leans in the opposite direction! he acts too old for his age, he's grown up too fast, and he's probably got a martyr complex, people! seriously, out of everyone, you're going to infantilize the guy that was 100% willing and down to kill a guy he didn't know anything about if it meant saving the future? really?

secondly, shadow and sonic somehow turning into soft widdle sensual boys when paired up romantically with ANYBODY. i'm not even going to get into how shadow and sonic have such deep aro/ace-spec coding (along with every other sonic character), but the long and short of it is this: these two, no matter what they go through, will never turn into cuddly little babies in a romantic relationship. sorry babes, but its just the truth, plain and simple, and its been proven again and again. honestly, more people need to learn that in any relationship, physical contact is not a requirement or a need to keep that relationship healthy and long-lasting. (also not going to get into allonormativity and amatonormativity bcuz that would be wayyy to long of a discussion LMAO but. just understand that it is so very there with most/all of you)

24. topic that brings up the most rancid discourse

i'm. actually not too sure lmao. either anything involving shipping or the archie-or-idw bs.

probably the archie-or-idw bs.

25. common fandom complaint that you're sick of hearing

saying it again because this gave me more room to actually discuss it

"archie is better than idw because BLAH BLAH BLAH---" "idw is better than archie because BLAH BLAH BLAH---"

i am SICK OF EVERYONE'S SHIT regarding this because the two are so deeply different and incomparable on so many levels it's like--- what the fuck are even trying to accomplish? looking like a little whiny bitch? and it's never even like. valid arguments 90% of the time. its just "ohhh but archie doesnt have THIS" "ohhh but idw doesnt have THIS"

just SHUT. THE. FUCK. UP. creator almighty, do not waste yourself in my presence because i do not give a single shit my chum. <3

(if you have actual valid arguments then that's fine but like. if you're just spewing shit out of your ass then fuck you. which a majority of you are)

[mythalism]

Wait.. so when anon said we traded a few thousand deaths for millions in southern Thedas, are they suggesting that lifting the veil would only cause a few thousand deaths ?

IIRC from what Solas says In trespasser and later shown in the DAV artbook (showing what would happen if rook fails to stop Solas and Solas successfully removes the veil), then taking down the veil was supposed to lead to widespread death across all thedas at minimum OR just straight up kill everyone except the ancient elves.

If it comes down to numbers then losing southern Thedas is still less than what they would've lost if Solas lifted the veil.

However, I still think we should've seen the veil getting removed. If not as the true ending then at least as a game over / fail state in the game. It's been years building up to this moment so at least show us what would happen!

the games have been dodgy and inconsistent about exactly the level of casualty the falling of the veil would cause. based on what solas says in trespasser, i always interpreted "the death of your world" or whatever to be more metaphorical as in the death of the world as we know it, a complete change in reality, a permanent change in peoples way of life, a dissolution of current beliefs and systems, etc. maybe that was me giving both solas and bioware too much credit LMAO. i never really thought of it as "literally everyone is going to die because demons".

but veilguard really did lean into this interpretation (snore.... boring!) with what we see in the prologue. rook also does confront solas in one conversation and estimates the deaths at "hundreds? thousands?" and im pretty sure solas affirms that it would be in the thousands, but that the deaths would be on his conscience. i think they went this route to justify why it was going to stay up in the end, but imo its bad, lazy, and completely contradicts everything we learn in trespasser. literally the point of trespasser is to show us the horrible catastrophe that the veils existence caused in the first place.

solas's decision to bring down the veil and kill "thousands" as collateral damage from demons is not just being weighed against the collateral damage cause by the blight in the south and the evanuris's interference across thedas, he is weighing it against the mortality of every single elf that has ever lived and ever will live, the life of every spirit corrupted into a demon both in the past and forever (something we know he considers to be a fate worse than death, according to his memory of his battle where he sacrificed spirits) and the life of every single mage lost to demonic position, both now and forever. he is also not weighing it in terms of literal deaths, but general suffering. the veil is also responsible for the enslavement and poverty of all elves, on top of their mortality. its responsible for the existence of the mage circles, every single abuse that occurs within them, and every single mage tranquilized. its actually ridiculously unequal. solas literally invented death. of course a few thousand more lives are meaningless to him? what is a few thousand against the literal millions already on his head? trespasser makes this clear as we walk through the vir'dirthara and witness the final memories of the elves that were crushed under falling buildings throughout the empire. veilguard..... hopes we forget that part.

its truly the most cranked to the max, fantasy version of the trolley problem. i think the question pre-veilguard was intended to be analogous to anders decision to blow up the chantry to incite the mage rebellion. its not necessarily should you pull the lever and direct the trolley, or even if the ends justify the means. i think it was intended to be about whether or not he himself had the right to make that decision for the rest of the world, especially considering he is Pride manifested. its less about the cost-benefit analysis of mass casualties to create major societal change and more about an exploration of the things that drive people to the point of such radical action. why did anders feel he had no choice but to blow up the chantry? why did solas feel he had no choice but put up the veil? why does he feel he has no choice to tear it back down? what has driven him to be able to make such impossibly awful moral decisions with such callous ease? and the answer to both is that they were pushed to the limit by the evils their societies were committing. were they right to respond with further, indiscriminate violence? no, of course not. but its a story. we can sympathize with the way they were pushed to the edge and lost themselves in the process.

it comes back to the dehumanization of leadership theme that is all over inquisition and has foundations in veilguard that are never actually realized. solas literally tells rook they never had what it takes to make the sacrifices that leadership requires. and its kind of presented as a villain monologue but HES RIGHT? rook barely makes any difficult decisions in comparison to the inquisitor or solas, even the sacrifice of a single city is a drop in the bucket compared to what solas has done, and rook does it without question and with little remorse. a decision had to be made, and they made it. just like he did.

inquisition was all about how leadership or participation within a corrupt institution makes monsters of us all. leliana struggles with the callous killer she's become at divine justinia's behest (actually a wonderful parallel for solas x mythal now that i think about it), bull has to struggle to unlearn the teachings of the qun by choosing his friends over his duty to his people, cassandra grapples with the horrible truth of the seekers and vows to reform them, thom rainier confronts his literal war crime and accepts responsibility for not just killing a family, but for ordering others to carry it out and bloodying their hands in the process. the INQUISITOR is forced to SIT IN JUDGEMENT and possibly SENTENCE PEOPLE TO DEATH OR TORTURE FOR THEIR CRIMES. what gives them the right?????? divine approval from andraste???? what about when you find out thats all a lie and continue to proliferate the rumor anyway because its politically helpful???? what about in hushed whispers? when the inquisitor destroys an entire world to return to their own without a second thought? its wrong, bad, it should never have existed. you erase it from existence without a single thought towards all the lives that will cease to exist and not one of your companions bats an eyelash. what gave you the right to erase that world? what if the people living in it really liked it? you wouldn't know, you didnt ask anyone other than leliana. i truly am starting to believe that veilguard was designed to deliver on this and then had to pivot for whatever reason (EA perhaps, according to those tweets). the natural conclusion to this story would have been the veil coming down, but not by solas's decision alone, or by him at all. even if you are right, you cannot change the world alone, or the process will break you. you cannot make decisions that weigh the lives of millions without losing your humanity in the process. we saw it happen to anders. ghost-varric even has a line about this in veilguard where he says something about solas seeing his attachments as a weakness, when really they are a strength. the lesson solas needed to learn was not that the veil should actually stay up and he should move on, but that only gods made decisions like the fate of the world, and as he always says, he is not a god. there could have been a better way, if he trusted those around him. the regret demon in the callback actually says this nearly verbatim, which is part of the reason i think this was the original intention. i genuinely think the plan was that the veil would come down but by rook's hand and that the good endings would have involved using your faction connections to figure out how to take the veil down safely and build a new thedas, without the veil but also without the elvhen empire of old bc that shit sucked. it would have taken the entire world coming together to figure out the best way forward, and would have freed solas from the burden of leadership that was actively polluting his spirit into pride, while teaching him the value of teamwork, as cheesy as that sounds. this also is the fufillment of his role as a trickster god - he needs to catalyze ragnarok. i genuinely think this was the original intention because it is so obvious in his writing its insane LMFAO. but him not being the one to usher in that change would be another way to release him from the mantle of trickster god that he didnt want in the first place. the bad ending could have been that without faction and community support, you aren't able to find a peaceful way to bring it down and rook, in a moment of desperation, ends up sowing the same violence and destruction that solas did, the perfect mirror. the lesson should have been that such foundational change and dissolving our current structures is terrifying, but we can build a better world - together, not alone.

its crazy to me to think that legend of korra book 4 pulled this off with opening the spirit portals and dragon age failed to LMFAOOOO.

[throwingawayhailstones]

Some interesting thoughts on Sonic's ideals (particularly in IDW)

*hides behind a fallen tree*

I honestly really like how he's portrayed in IDW. People harp on his morals and all that but I think the writers are trying to say something about people who have his mindset.

Sonic wants everyone to have the freedom to change. He prefers to spare his enemies when he has the choice and wants to save people because he's a good guy. Though it's clear he won't get too hung up if someone dies because of their own actions (see: Starline. Also the end of unleashed and forces. Sonic had no reason to think Eggman survived and was cool with it. Like he won't actively go out of his way to confirm a kill is what I'm saying). The problem with this is what if they don't ever choose to change? Sonic wants Metal to come around like Omega. He doesn't have to be a good guy perse but like maybe stop trying to kill him on sight and stop plotting you know? But we all know as long as Eggman exists that can't happen because he'll just reprogram Metal. And Eggman. He doesn't exactly "spare" Eggman but since he doesn't go out of his way to like kill him, despite being fully able to, Eggman can get back up and terrorize more people.

This leads to people like Surge and Kit and Lanolin who were deeply and personally hurt by Eggman (Starline came from Eggman) and blame Sonic because he's the one who has the power to stop him but doesn't take the initiative.

See the thing is, Sonic can only justify letting them go because he knows he'll just stop him the next time they shows up. He says this explicitly when he lets Metal go. He can go around with this confidence because he is strong. What about the normies? People like Lanolin? They don't get to do that because they aren't powerful. That's why they have shit like "jail".

We see how important being powerful is to Sonic's beliefs in the Metal Virus arc. Suddenly he can't whisk people out of harm's way. He can't spindash through his problems. You see his confidence crumble and you see him venting his frustrations at Eggman and Metal. You see him actually threatening to basically kill Eggman by infecting him.

He does understand why people don't like him and why they find his ideals frustrating. He's been in enough rough spots to empathize. He just believes that he's fast enough to deal with fallout.

He also isn't directly "forcing" anyone to adhere to his ideals. He believes in freedom so people have the freedom to disagree even if he doesn't like the outcome (see: metal). The problem is because of the scale (see: forces) people have to deal with the collateral damage. People have the freedom to change so you gotta deal with Eggman firebombing you crops every few months because you live too close to his base sorry bestie. Sonic is fast enough to save the day but because he's a *reactive* force rather than a *proactive* one, theres always going to be victims.

This reactive thing also funnily enough mirrors boost gameplay lmao

Will he change? No, probably not. But he'll def get tossed around the blender a few more times.

[felassan]

Thoughts on the DA:TV reveal trailer from June 9th. DA:TV spoilers under cut.

this post is rly late, ik hh ◕‿◕

General and some random stuff

It's important to bear in mind what the trailer advised at the bottom, which is that the trailer is "game engine footage" and that "not all images appear in game".

Overall I really liked the trailer and it made me feel super excited!! I thought it was cool. the general more light-hearted tone of it and the music choice weren't what I would've guessed or expected, but they were interesting choices. I was a bit [dog cocking head from side to side in confusion] in the early portion hh, but it really came together for me all chills n stuff with the 'rise of Rook'-kinda shot and the group fight scene at the end, by which point I was overwhelmed with excitement, all the new stuff it had shown and the prospect of going back to Thedas fr to the point that I was teary lmao (don't look at me). I think as well the subsequent gameplay reveal video was more representative of the tone that the game will have, and that DA has.. previous [affectionate] for slightly ?? trailers and portions of the marketing. (remember the DA:O-era Marilyn Manson 'This Is the New Shit' metal trailers with like blood splattering all over the place & screen like strawberry jam fountains and stuff and the male Cousland who inexplicably looks about 40-50 years old? hhh. yea).

I think it looked great ^^ it's very pretty and detailed, it has cool art.

I also dug the sound design, like when there were sound effects like Venatori drawing swords and stuff (as a random example), it was just very crisp and satisfying

Trailer song

I'm so curious to know who the cover/rearrangement of "Heroes" is by and to be able to listen to it in full sometime. Do you think it's simply music for the trailer, or that it's part of the game OST? Didn't DA2's have some Florence and the Machine on it for example?

Interesting to note that "Heroes" is about two lovers from different sides. "Under constant fear of death, they dream they are free, swimming with dolphins". the song "represents two opposing forces", a sense that they will be separated, and the idea that love can endure or overcome anything (umm Var lath vir suledin? 😭). it brings to mind the idea of two people on opposite sides of something as parted friends or star-crossed lovers or something like that.

I also think this is interesting: "Bowie placed the [song] title in quotation marks as an expression of irony on the otherwise romantic or triumphant words and music". When Solas raised the Veil, he saved his people and the world but also doomed his people and destroyed the world - he is an ironic and sad/tragic hero. In a previous trailer, he says [to Rook probably] in a non-positive, almost bitter tone, "They call me The Dread Wolf. What will they call you, when this is over?" It sounds like he thinks (knows..) that though Rook may save the day now, they could poetically end up like him, a mirror of him - hated for it after the fact, or a big damn hero that sadly no-one knows about (remember in Mass Effect when Kirrahe says "We are trained for espionage. We would be legends, but the records are sealed. Glory in battle is not our way"? remember when Mark Darrah said that at one point or other, the 'vision statement' for DA4 was "We would be heroes, but the records are sealed"?), or being a hero at great personal cost to themself, or saving the world from one issue but inadvertently setting off another or causing great collateral damage or something like that. a "hero", but an ironic one in some form or other. it's argued by some that despite its sound, "Heroes" is not a feel-good anthem per se:

Describing the song, [Bowie] stated it is about "facing reality and standing up to it", about achieving "a sense of compassion" and "deriving some joy from the very simple pleasure of being alive". Likewise, Pegg contests the song contains underlying dark themes that juxtapose its uplifting chord sequence and delirious vocal [...] while the repeated announcement of "nothing will keep us together" asserts that time is short. Regarding the themes, Lurie stated: 'alchemy: We may be average and regular in the present moment, but we have the potential, at any time, for heroic thought and action – even if only for one day. The transformation can be brought about by an external event or through an internal change in perspective'."

Purple and bronze

My favs <3 :)

People we've met before

We knew Lucanis wasn't really dead

I really liked the focus of the trailer and its accompanying text blurb on the cast of characters, a thing which is a mainstay focus of Dragon Age and something that people really love about it. The trailer gives the impression that the game is about Rook becoming a leader, the leader of this specific A-Team crew; the relationships between them and the crew members; all their unique and complimentary strengths and personal storylines as woven into the main plot; and working as a team to defy the odds.. together. the old lesson of, if we work together, we have the power to resist and triumph. real The Power of Friendship, Found Family-vibes, yknow? 🥺 I really liked this line "Create memories with your team which will deepen your experiences and give you more to fight for." (Dates and friend dates with them please). In ME, Liara can ask Shepard what she's fighting for, and if it's a chance to give Garrus peace. Shepard can reply that Garrus has been hurt and betrayed, and that she would like to offer him something better. that's the sort of thing that that line makes me think of.

I also get the impression that yeah, the DA:TV prologue/lead-in comic Dragon Age: The Missing was definitely originally intended to end not long temporally irl before DA:TV marketing content of this kind came out. like if you read The Missing then immediately watch this trailer, you can see what they may have been trying to go for in that comic and how they connect together. The Missing ends with Varric and Harding in Minrathous, and in this trailer, here they are in Minrathous. At the time of The Missing, I wondered:

this sounds like it’ll be Varric’s role in DA:D, right? The person who puts together the new Team, but not a companion per se. so… Varnick Fury? he recruits us? maybe the various characters Varric and Harding meet in this comic series are part of the wider team in DA:D, contacts, folks we meet?

and

D] highlight these four groups/factions and introduce the two new ones (Veil Jumpers and Shadow Dragons) in advance of DA:D. [...] Certainly if I was Varric at the moment when Harding asks “So who are you thinking?” at the end here, after the events I had experienced and people & groups I had met in recent weeks, with those being fresh in my mind, I would be thinking about the Grey Wardens, the Antivan Crows, the Veil Jumpers and the Shadow Dragons, both as groups and terms of the mental list of people that I had recently met who Solas doesn’t know. again it makes you think about the popular speculation that the DA:D PC will have the background of being from one of these groups.

this trailer and subsequent marketing materials since then have indeed detailed that Varric is not a companion, that he recruited Rook, that the devs were kinda thinking of an 'Avengers'-type team, that Neve (appeared in The Missing) is a companion, that Rook can be a Warden, Crow, Veil Jumper, or Shadow Dragon (among other things), that those factions are all important in the storyline of the game, that the companions include a Warden, a Crow, a Veil Jumper, and a Shadow Dragon, and that the crew will also have contact with non-companion NPCs who will be "faces" of their respective factions!! like we don't know for sure that the 'face' NPC[s] of the Veil Jumpers will be Strife and Irelin or one of them, but we do know thanks to Game Informer that e.g. Strife and Irelin do appear in the game as NPCs. When Harding asks Varric in The Missing "So who are you thinking?", it mirrors the trailer, where Varric asks Harding "What are you thinking?" after she states that this will take more than just the two of them.

A fun fact about the trailer is that the 'most replayed' segment is the Lucanis and Bellara part. the people know what they want hh.. ^^

Opening segment: Venatori, Varric, Harding

The trailer begins with a view of Docktown, Minrathous, just from a bit of a different angle to the one in that screenshot. the now-familiar floating castle is in the sky. I guess the bright green light on the docks in the trailer version of this scene is one of Minrathous' magical neon shop signs, specifically one above the door of the building on the docks that you can see here (albeit it's unlit there because it's daytime/or at least not overcast). it's foggy/misty, with a general moody vibe. Varric and Harding are in a bar. I think the bar they're in is through the doorway with the neon green light above it, and I wonder if that bar is this one.

Are the carved creatures with human heads and wings in the foreground statues on the nearest shore (where the 'pov' is standing) or carved prows of ships in the harbor? they remind me of harpies or angels. have we seen these assets before in DA? in-world were they based on a Thedosian creature?

[points] repeating rings/concentric circles

this bit reminds me of the different shapes and patterns here. (around 'Level 30', around '0 points available', and the skill tree itself both in terms of design and the pattern behind it)

Who doesn't love a good Mass Effect-style lens flare? :D somehow these always make me feel nostalgic.. this bit reminds me of an eclipse (of which much could be said in the context of DA and DA:TV..) or other astrological event, or like an event horizon or something.

These guys are Venatori Soldiers. Compare with those in the gameplay reveal video. they even attack in a big group of guys in the trailer the way they do in gameplay, Power Rangers badguys-style (a Venatori classic..). ^^

What's the deal with some of their weapons being red btw?

It's giving red lyrium, it's giving red lyrium blade like Certainty (two), it's giving the vibe of the red lyrium weapons pack, it's giving general Venatori fuckery (they have messed with red lyrium stuff for their own nefarious ends several times before).

the symbol on their foreheads is also familiar.

It shows up in Dragon Age: Absolution.

(from here) the flag scene on the right is seen during Hira's flashback when the Venatori killed her family as an example, punishing them for helping those less fortunate in Tevinter. so it seems like the Venatori have a new symbol and a new look in the post-DA:I material, right? like irl art direction/art updates-wise. just, in-world, they actually were using it in the past, as we can see it in the Hira flashback, at which point she was a child, long before the time of the Inquisition forming. unless this is a specific faction or offshoot of Venatori..?

I'm not sure that it actually is or not, but when I see this type of thing I also think about red lyrium shards. also, some of them have lil spiky shoulder blades -

which reminds me of that 'hostile architecture' vibe Tevinter architecture and designs of stuff have going on, like the spikes on the back of the chairs here. and I wonder if the guy with the red face covering is the leader of this particular squad?

When it pans out to this shot, we get a good look at the bar and also it's clear what a bunch of cowards the Venatori are. What is this, like, 7 on 2 at least.. but it was actually more than that in the beginning because Varric and Harding have already laid several Venatori soldiers out flat on the ground (I count at least 3 there and 1 flat on the bar lol). 11+ v 2 LOL. there are also a couple of injured but not KO'd people crouching who could be more injured Venatori, or else just innocent bar patrons who got in the way. in the background you can see what looks like a hookah, which we have seen in northern Thedas before. also, at this point, Rook is right there, sitting there all casual and nonchalant at a table over by the window, with their hood up and their back to the fight hh. the other thing that strikes me about this shot is the intricate patterns on the rug and how beautiful the lighting is - all those shafts of sunlight and candle/firelight and stuff.

Bar fights are such a fantasy, D&D-type classic. I wonder if this bar is the Swan, the tavern Corinne mentioned as being in Minrathous which has good tavern music? or if it's the same bar as where the game starts off, where Rook has the choice of intimidating a bartender or not? an article also mentioned a pub in the streets of Minrathous which has a dozen NPCs in it and which is reached via a wide, winding pathway. (probably at least two of these various bar/pubs are actually the same one being described/shown in a different way hh.) the Venatori try to look all menacing and the barperson, understandably, tries to scuttle out the way.

Bianca looks great and has had a glow up. the carved patterns are so pretty, and with the eyepieces and stuff she looks almost steampunky or Fable-y. which makes her subsequent demise at Solas' hands in the gameplay reveal video all the sadder. 🥺 we can also see at this point that at Varric's belt, he wears a symbol of the Inquisition, even though it's been around 8 years.. 🥺 as in The Missing, you can also clearly see that Varric has been aging. he looks old and tired, he has more of a beard, and his hair is thinning and graying. this look of his, including the outfit and scarring around his eye, iirc first appeared in Issue 2 of The Missing.

I wrote then of that,

he looks Older and more tired, and also maybe redesigned (outfit, scar etc). if this comic is set around 9:52 or shortly beforehand, he’s over 50 years old now since he was born in 9:1. according to this tweet of Fernando’s, it wasn’t Fernando who did a redesign, BioWare had sent along the reference for Varric for this comic. are we looking at Varric’s DA:D Era (Dad Era..) Redesign? is this how he’ll look in DA:D? 

and it seems we were, and it seems it is! :D

When the shot cuts to Harding, we can see that the bar has a roaring fire (tho I question the heat efficiency of this with a wide open door :D). I like the symmetry of having Varric and Harding both shoot one Venatori each with their bow/crossbow at this point. Harding is in her new gear, the new look that appeared in The Missing. She looks so good! I love all the detailing on her and Varric's clothes, like the fur parts at their collar and shoulders (which up here in Tevinter seems so quaintly southern, Fereldan-y hh). my heart skips a beat when Harding whips her head around and blows her bangs out her face. 🥰 the motion of her and Varric's hair is soo goood (and for stuff like Harding's cape whipping around), and look at the detailing of her braided updo!!

Mid bar-fight, when despite being mid-fight Varric reaches for a tankard and Harding summarily takes it off him.. it reminded me of this panel from The Missing #2. at that time, I thought,

“food poisoning” ye sure okay bud. at the end of issue 1, Varric was after a stiff drink. this panel is a smart bit of continuity from that. [but] on a serious note though I hope Varric is doing okay like, and this was just a hangover after a celebration like he says, rather than part of his recent tired/sad/kinda strugglin vibe. otherwise coupled with his older tireder more haggard look it reminds me a bit of Ser Aaron. [and it's] sad to think about [anyone going through or struggling with that] :( (RIP Aaron...)

and the tankard moment in this trailer reminded me of that worry again. Varric, buddy... are you okay 😭

It's so funny (in a good way) when Harding in the background uses her bow like a freakin baseball bat to level a guy while in the foreground Varric is like 'yea it's fine, she got this' because he knows she can handle herself hh. and like, yea, in these few seconds Harding takes out three dudes herself. Varric is still looking forlornly at his now-empty hand when she's smacking a guy clean across the face with the mug. Harding.. make it rain!! :) bad guys drop to the floor and the sparkly effects of spilled drink both fall around her. also, does it look to anyone else that on the front of a pouch Harding wears on her front, there's the eyeball Scout-or-Inquisition symbol, like how there is on her bow? then Varric is like. 'okay, I'm listening'. :D

Neve

We see Neve meeting someone in a Minrathous backstreet. the setting here reminds of the Minrathous streets in the gameplay reveal, of this concept art and of this scene from a previous trailer. it's raining at night and she's meeting them - an informant or contact etc - at a specific time and place in a secluded area to make some sort of trade. they show her the goods and she offers them a pouch of what is presumably coin

from how the Venatori talk about Neve in the gameplay reveal, and maybe even a lil based on how this 'contact' (who is actually trying to rob her or maybe even trying to complete a hit/kill contract on her) is dressed, I wonder if this person was Venatori or one of their agents?

Neve's saunter made me weak in the knees. she seems so confident and capable. she has great instincts/reflexes, which makes sense for a character who investigates alone on the night streets; she saw the attacker's feint (and their real goal all along) coming straightaway. you can't get one over on Neve

In the final triumphant shot of her, when she holds the item aloft, she's got one foot on the felled person, who is lying on the ground hh

I appreciated the attention paid to the sound effects of her footsteps! it's like there's a metal clinking sound when she steps with her metal leg.

She does her specialty, ice magic, and ice magic looks so lovely - a bright white light coming from it, snowflakes floating all around

though I know it's probably more like, this was her planned design and the comic artist was given BW's reference for her, I love how faithfully Neve's complicated, fashionable design was carried over from the comics into this trailer/vice versa/matches in each!! e.g. the toe of her boot, her leg, all the details of her overcoat, the shape of her snake-belt, everything

Also her mannerisms match too! the spell she does here, with its staff-less magic and both hands coming forward with a burst of ice magic, is exactly like she does in the comics. :D (on the right below). I just think that's such a thoughtful touch.

I'm rly curious about the item that she was after. the red shard-type thing reminds me of red lyrium, and at this point a red gem-like thing set in golden metal surrounds remind me of the Venatori. those are different shapes of course, but see above with regards to: the red and gold symbols on the foreheads of the Venatori guys who attack Varric and Harding in the bar; the red and gold brooch or clasp thing from Absolution; and the red and gold symbol of the Venatori on their banners in Hira's flashback in Absolution.

What is it, and why was she after it? the other thing it reminds me of is the round enchanted clay discs from her TN short story, The Streets of Minrathous. they were seals to the demon's prison (the one that is under Minrathous) and involved blood magic. (this is red and gold though so it doesn't super-match tho, as if I remember right the seals in TN were described as being seated in polished black shell on gold chains, with a long, thin, 4-winged dragon etched on the front that was rising out of a dark sea..)

Another thing to notice here is when Neve's name's splash text comes up, what look like orange-red leaves blowing in the wind blow across the screen. this imagery repeats in a few of the other companion segments.

Lucanis

He assassinates a target in a crowded, beautiful, colorful and busy marketplace. Do you think this is Antiva, Tevinter or somewhere else? ^^ the target is frantic, he knows he's in danger and that he's being chased/watched (makes sense, 'The Demon' has a reputation); but Lucanis is so stealthy that he has no idea where he is. Lucanis is quick and deadly.

the orange-red leaves swirl around in the air

on the back of Lucanis' outfit we can see the purpley wing motif and the patterning of many eyes (more thoughts on that here), these are placed really prominently in this trailer.

Again the detailing of hair movement, clothes etc is awesome! Even the back of the target's cloak is all bejewelled and detailed.

Lots of NPCs in the crowd. peer around at their hairstyles just in case they're among those that are available in the CC for Rook :D we also now know that we will be able to re-create NPCs like these in the CC, as it was used to make them all.

Who do we think the target is? they are a human man. is he simply a random person to showcase Lucanis' assassin-ness for the purposes of the trailer, or meant to indicate a person from a particular group or faction? can we infer anything from the design of his clothes? the red pointy spike on his shoulder pad for example kind of reminds me of that of some Venatori (see above in barfight segment). and in general he seems well-dressed, and maybe his outfit has a sort of mage-y vibe. a higher-up Venatori? a bad magister? we know Lucanis has been going around taking contracts to kill prominent Venatori from TN, and that he was intending to do more of these jobs.

It's a mixed crowd, there are humans present and you can also see elves, qunari and dwarves. :) (please ignore the top right hand corner of the image below, I guess a copy-paste failed and I didn't notice at the time hh).

After the target knocks someone over by mistake, an angry guy behind him gesticulates, understandably annoyed.

Lucanis catches and kills him in one fluid motion. I would let Lucanis assassinate me

Grabs em by the face hh (makes sense, he then covers their mouth so they can't scream and draw attention I guess - it's the middle of a crowded marketplace after all)

mullet singing magnificently in the wind

lil crowfeather-like hair tufts sticking out

And he snaps his neck rather than stabbing with one of his knives or swords (and he is wielding one in this encounter). I guess it's more efficient and quick in this instance than stabbing. it also makes less of a mess. :D The setting and dialogue line for this segment is smart too - Lucanis kills this person by leaping out of the shadows/where he was hiding into the broad daylight, and kills them when it's light outside hh.

Bellara

an ancient elven ruin in Arlathan (Forest or Crater). birds fly overhead. I love the lighting and all the greenery :)

the orange-red leaves continue to fall in Bellara's segment too. they aren't a surprise here of course, the gold/orangey 'omg it's Arlathan/the Veil[Jumper] archer place from old concept art' trees are in Arlathan, where this segment is set, but they also crop up in the trailer in e.g. Minrathous in Neve's segment, in Lucanis' segment. they're a nice continuous aesthetic linking the scenes together ^^ We also see them on the Golden City version of the DA vinyl cover art, twining through the dragon's wings and growing among the buildings, in a way connecting this foliage to the Fade.

the design of the place reminds me a bit of the bridge at the Temple of Mythal in DA:I. I wonder if this ruin was a temple or palace in the past, and if so, to/of whom?

it's so beautiful and makes me feel really excited to explore ancient elven ruins and Arlathan :)

the two startled halla look so pretty

interestingly, the black bird that flies near the halla looks like a corvid - making you think of rooks, and Rook.

green Fade-y light gathers in the archway and our Veil Jumper's official proper introduction, fittingly, has her leaping out of the Fade[?], or otherwise leaping through part of the Veil :D Bellara's segment is so fun and I love that for her and us. when she first appears, she looks so happy and thrilled to be on the adventure that she's on here.

in her hand she grasps her prize, which I guess she's just taken from wherever she was - a gold-colored triangley thing (so, a piece of ancient elven tech or another ancient elven artifact). when she gets caught and pulled back into the portal, she drops it and it falls out of her hands.

👁️ Now, about the tentacles. from previous materials like the short story Ruins of Reality and DA: The Missing, we know that in Arlathan, space and time, and reality, has been warping. the Veil is thin and wild, wacky stuff is going on in there. there are Veil Bubbles. the Fade is a mess close to Solas' ritual and demons are coming through, etc. the tentacles in this segment are very interesting indeed 👀 Veil Jumpers are also being attacked by tentacles in this DA4 concept art. here's another DA4 concept art with a tentacled monster in it. I wonder where Bellara was jumping from? a different pocket of reality in Arlathan or elsewhere? a place "in-between"? from a Veil Bubble? the tentacles also reminded me a lot of the Cekorax. it was a big tentacled monster that Dorian hired Hollix to kill in Minrathous. in that TN story, Dorian recalls that a Mortalitasi once told him of "things past the Veil of our world, neither demon nor spirit"...

Emmrich

Cut to Emmrich in the Grand Necropolis in Nevarra. See the bottom of this post for thoughts on the final shot of the Emmrich segment.

Digging up a lot of buried secrets.. it's giving the mysteries of the Grand Necropolis (the lowest reaches of it are quite ancient), and it also makes me think of secrets in the Deep Roads, Descent-style 👁️

The pov at the start of Emmrich's segment has the camera inside the chest (or coffin-type thing, since the skeleton seems to rise from it a few seconds later) these two people are opening and looking inside. the lore says that the geography of the lower parts of the Necropolis varies and changes, producing a disorienting effect on visitors which has successfully prevented robbery attempts. but we can probably assume from location and context cues that these people are looters or grave robbers right? you could imagine grave goods and other treasures/loot to be found in the elaborate Nevarran crypts. (and, some of the wealthiest Nevarrans decorate their crypts with their most prized possessions.) Emmrich is a Mourn Watcher, a member of an order which serves as guardians and keepers of the sacred Necropolis. so it makes sense to see him foiling an attempted graverobbing :) [disrespectful of the departed anyway, but especially so in a culture where their death-related practises are kinda sacred to them like Nevarra]

I wonder if the people are just random petty thieves created for the purposes of the trailer, or if they represent members of a specific group/'speak' of a particular plot-thread? like I could imagine e.g. some Lords of Fortune or something wanting to loot a storied tomb full of walking dead, for treasure and glory.

the way Emmrich casts his magic here, he reminds me of a pianist or a composer. he's so calm and composed.

he's behiiiind youuu, Pantomime-style hh :)

when the splash text appears on-screen, in the bottom right you can see a fire burning - looks to be one of the robbers' dropped torches, which is a fun touch.

Davrin

I really love Davrin's design and I'm super curious to know which Creators' vallaslin designs he and Bellara have. he's so calm in battle, you get the sense that he's a skilled warrior for sure and I immediately trust him with my life. like Harding and Varric in the bar fight, he's holding off loads of enemies just him (well, him and Assan ^^).

He's fighting darkspawn which have been afflicted by red lyrium. (here's the "red lyrium darkspawn" for real too). as if regular darkspawn and the threat of being Tainted by contact with them wasn't enough, now you need to be careful of their red lyrium claws and the spread of red lyrium and stuff too. look how gross they look from behind.

In the background is a statue of a griffon, so I think Davrin is fighting in a Warden-related area. there are stone structures around and you can see some banners (albeit, not with Grey Warden symbols on them from what I can see).

It's dark and all around are the signs of the Taint - the darkspawn themselves, the dead gnarled trees, the corrupted tendrils, things which look like they could be Blight pustules/sacs, etc. I think the Davrin scene is set in the same location as this screenshot (which as it happens, also features Davrin!):

in the bottom left of this screenshot you can see water, and in the trailer, Assan runs past a boat. plus the other stuff looks the same too. and being that it's apparently a Warden-y location (griffon statue), I think that it's maybe the surrounds (or.. remains..?) of Weisshaupt in the Anderfels, and I definitely think it's the same place as here from the DA Day 2023 trailer:

- as the rock, lighting, structures, red lyrium etc all match up. Remember the line from that trailer, "Grey Wardens don’t hide in our castle. I won’t ask good soldiers to turn tail and run"? chat, it's not looking good rn for the Grey Wardens or for Weisshaupt (ctrl-F "Weisshaupt" in this post, and see also this post, for more on this topic.)

when the big red lyrium darkspawn charges forward, it knocks over one of the small ones hh.

Cut to Assan. good boy Assan!! he's already taken out at least one darkspawn by himself over there and we see him sitting on it hh. I wonder if Assan will join us in battle if we select Davrin as one of the 2 companions? it looks like he and Davrin have a close bond - he knows what move Davrin is thinking of just by how Davrin looks over at him. :) he's a strong baby - when he leaps on the big darkspawn he knocks it right over all by himself from the force of the impact. I love Assan's model and I think he's so cute oml 🥺 the way his ears perk up when Davrin looks at him 🥺... his big blue eyes like a husky or something.. the way he's kinda rangy and a bit scraggly like a puppy in the 'teen' stage where they're kinda tall and leggy but haven't really filled out yet 🥺 the lil whinny and squeaky roar he makes. HIS LYNX-LIKE EAR TUFTIES...

The shield-launching move is so fun and cool :D I think it's my favorite shot in the whole trailer. I just love Davrin, the relationship depicted here between Davrin and Assan, the trust and fun in that moment, the bond between them. and when he launches Assan here, Davrin looks so joyful and happy, it's nice :)

On Assan - is he one of the thirteen griffon hatchlings Valya discovered in 9:42 Dragon? or is he from a subsequent clutch? it's about 9:52 now, the question is how long does it take for a griffon to reach maturity? ^^

I also really wanna know more about Davrin. :D like Bellara and Taash, he hasn't appeared in prior DA secondary media like a comic or story so we don't have insight into him from something like that. we got quite a bit of insight into Bellara as a character in the Game Informer cover story (how we meet her, her personality etc) and a few lil snippets about Taash have come out here and there from social media (though I'd also really like to know more about Taash!). I'm dying to know more about Davrin too!! how did he come to join the Wardens, what motivated him to do that? what Dalish clan is he part of (is it a known one or a new-to-us one?), and where did they tend to roam? was he specifically entrusted with the care of Assan as a Warden assignment, was it more happenstance that he came into his care, or did Assan when he was a lil baby see Davrin one day and kinda be like "yea that is my guy" (griffons chose their riders by themselves, not the other way around) ((also. valid))? what does Davrin think of the possible Grey Warden civil war, the First Warden, the Hero of Ferelden? how long has he been a Grey Warden for, and how far is he from his Calling? what are some random lil trivia factoids about him? does he travel around killing other monsters in addition to darkspawn and saving people from them, and that's how he made his name as a monster hunter ("monster hunter" is giving a lil Witcher-vibe to me, and the voiceover line here anyways implies that Davrin also fights demons)? ◕‿◕

Also at this point is a neat transition to darkness. back in the bar, Harding and Varric are fighting back to back, a trope I am a sucker for hh.

Taash

(reverb womp womp womp sfx like a giant boomerang is being thrown :D)

"We'll need someone with fire in their blood" [to face dragons]. I know what this conveys (fight fire with fire, Taash is badass, brave, bold in the face of danger, will fight dragons etc) but I also thought this was an inchresting choice of line for Taash's segment.. Iron Bull once said "So, when you face a dragon, does it get your heart pumping? Do you breathe a little faster, feel the blood racing?" When qunari Inquisitor speaks to Old God Soul Kieran, he tells them: "I noticed your blood. It doesn't belong to your people." Corypheus taunts Adaar, "What do they call you? A qunari? Your blood is engorged with decay! Your race is not a race, it is a mistake!" In some scenarios, Corypheus can say of Adaar that they are "a beast of strange blood". and some believe that the Tamassrans cultivate dragon blood within the Qunari. so 👁️..

Some thoughts on Taash's design. (so I don't repeat myself too much. I link to each post in that series btw, one for each companion, at the end of this post).

Taash's segment is set on the Rivain Coast (two). you can see the palm trees, beach, bright blue waters, the skeleton of a large dead creature, that statue in the background, etc. fittingly she's fighting a dragon and there's fire everywhere :) I wonder if the Rivain Coast locale is where we will recruit Taash. she isn't among the characters (like Neve) who Varric knew prior to the start of the game; at the timepoint he speaks his Taash line in the trailer, he doesn't know her.

omg, the physics on Taash's braid! :D it looks like the gold cuffs on her horns have an eye symbol carved on them. dear Taash, please tell me the story behind each shiny trophy that you wear. 🙏 in addition to the dragonscale-looking parts of her armor, it looks to me like on her gauntlets there are also teeth (assumedly dragonteeth). love that for her. and as she gets up to charge forward, she does a small smile or smirk to herself. she's havin a great time fighting a dragon :D the heat-warping effects from the fire are cool too.

When Taash's splash text appeared on screen, it was at this point (the last one lol..) that I realized there were different effects on the companions' name texts. Harding has horizontal lines through hers, like the flightpath of arrows. the bits in Neve's could be chunks of ice. Lucanis' looks scratched/slashed, as if by daggers. Bellara's contains the floating triangle pieces that indicate ancient elven magitech. maybe Emmrich's is the particle effects of his necromancy? Davrin's could be slash marks from a sword or claw marks from a griffon's talons. and Taash's is all burning and on fire, with dragon-looking claw marks. smart!!

check this out in the background, the rock structure which looks like a head with pointed teeth -

it's the same structure as in this shot of Rivain from the DA Day 2023 trailer.

only in Taash's scene, she's on the beach and the teeth-rock structure is in the background, whereas in this shot, the POV is like you're standing under the jagged overhang, looking out from the jaws of the 'beast'. in the 'in jaws' shot you can even see the beach Taash may be fighting on, it's the area with the big skeleton on the shore. when we saw this shot in the DA Day trailer, it reminded us of teeth, and now that we can see the rock shape from another angle, it really does look like the maw of a great dragon-y creature, with fangs on the top and bottom jaws. the placement of this in Taash's segment interests me because there is also the suggestion of a dragon-y creature with teeth in the background of her card art. ^^

I also wonder if we can identify what type of dragon it is here from the dragon's design? ^^

When Taash leaps through the air, you can hear her yelling. :D at this point it looks to me like this is the same place as in this screenshot of Rivain Coast that came out later. you can see the big skeleton ribs, the campfire, the wall, and the hanging line thing. it's just from a different angle.

Rook and back in the bar

Do you think the Rook shown in this trailer is the 'default' Rook for marketing, like mage dude Hawke in DA2? And/or the Rook from the gameplay reveal video? you can see a lil bit of their face in this trailer.

dae get the feeling that when Varric says "This crew needs a leader. Someone we can count on" he might be thinking of Hawke? not to suggest as the leader of this crew (remember how he gave the Inquisition the run around to protect Hawke when they were looking for them), but just like, he's thinking back to a different place, a different time, a different crew, a different found family. 20 years ago in Kirkwall, his home, when he was part of Hawke's gang and they sheltered all the DA2 misfits (affectionate) under their wings. a reality he hasn't inhabited for ~10 years now. 🥺 "Someone that the world can count on" takes me back to his line to Cassandra in her interrogation, "The entire world is on the brink of war. And you need the one person who can help you put it back together". And it also has me wondering if by that point he's also thinking of the Inquisitor, another leader that he followed, a leader that saved the world. 🥺

Varric also understands the importance of a good leader as the core of a group, of the power of bringing friends together around someone great. a lesson he learned at Hawke's side, then later solidified or emphasized at the Inquisitor's. then, with "But where are we gonna find...?" he's probably going through the factions he and Harding encountered in DA: The Missing in his head at this point, but I also feel like he's rotating the leader-hero blorbos he keeps in his head and scrolling through them. Hawke? [if not left in the Fade]. Absolutely not, the world has taken too much from them already and he just wants to protect his friend. The Inquisitor? Won't work [for the literal leadership role], at this point they know they need to find someone that Solas doesn't know. and it doesn't even occur to him that he himself could lead the new crew. for one thing, Solas knows him obviously, and he's tired, but for another, Varric knows he's the storyteller, just a character in other peoples' stories, a follower, not a leader (of that kind). its a lil meta but it (and the rest of the stuff I said here) is also just 🥺.. when you think about Varric's life and what's happened in it.

Where in the opening segment, Rook was there chillin sitting all casual at a table by the window in the bar, they've now gotten up and started laying into Venatori themselves. (contrasing with e.g. the bartender, who ran out of the way, and other bar patrons who stand around in the background during the fight at various points or are seen floored. you can see why Rook specifically attracts Harding's attention at this point.) it's so funny [pos] - Varric and Harding are now staring thoughtfully into the fire discussing their plan in a circle of KO'd Venatori, Varric with his hands on his hips, meanwhile Rook has taken the heat off them and fends off a gang of Venatori by themselves. and the Venatori are back to trying to like, 6v1 someone. Oh Venatori dudes, you're so retro Power Rangers badguys. Rook only came out here for a quiet drink, and they are feeling so attacked right now.

Varric and Harding conducting a demon-summoning Heroic Leader[™]-summoning ritual

The unconscious/dead Venatori on the bar is still there on the bar. Rook lays someone else out on a table. Harding hears the commotion behind her and slowly turns around. Venatori flail towards Rook. Rook, backlit all cool, smashes two of their heads together silly-style (pos) and then steals their stuff (a sword). Rook pistol-whips a guy in the face with the handle of one of their own swords. Rook then launches themselves off a bench (floored Venatori in the background), yeeting the Venatori on their back (floored-table Venatori also in the background) into the bar, then elbows them in the face. Harding, understandably, falls in love (I know you, I walked with you once upon a dream..). Varric isn't aware of what's going on yet, either because he's so lost in thought reminiscing about his glory days with Hawke and/or because maybe his hearing is going a lil in his old age. Harding makes bedroom eyes at Rook.

Five Venatori then run at Rook (haha.. these fuckin guys :D). At first I was like wait, where did this wave come from? but if you look around Varric and Harding's feet at this point, the Venatori that were laid out in a circle around them are no longer on the ground - so that's a nice touch, that it's the same ones who got back up to have another go. Rook executes the swashbuckling action-adventure trope of cutting a rope to drop a chandelier, crates or other objects on some bad guys, which is fun. this bar patron (hit the image limit on this post hh) with the magnificent feathery collar is unfazed and just enjoying their drink. Harding's cape whips as she turns around; Harding is paying ATTENTION. The Venatori tackle and swarm on top of Rook like they're playing rugby. The chandelier drops. The Venatori are taken out. Harding is like 'wake up grandpa, get with the program'. Varric turns ("HUH?") and then, understandably, also falls in love. Varric makes bedroom eyes at Rook.

And then Rook rises (backlit, among flames and from the heap of a whole football team of Venatori that they KO'd themselves), and also rises. at the same time the music is crashing to a crescendo and the song says "We can be heroes". :D And at this point I'm feeling a bit unhinged over trees, but it looks to me like some of the particles floating around at this point are the orange-red leaves again hh.. Having no "Rook" splash text at the Rook-focus segment makes sense, they aren't a companion and while they are always "Rook", that isn't their name and of course they are the player-defined character of the bunch. I really like the shot where they look over their shoulder, back at Harding, Varric, and the pov.

looping back to the question I first asked in the 'Rook' section of this post, in this trailer it looks like Rook is wearing this outfit, which is also the outfit Rook (there a Shadow Dragon Rook) wears in the gameplay reveal trailer. So I think we can surmise that the Rook in the character reveal trailer is a Shadow Dragon Rook (and a rogue too, as in the gameplay reveal). I wonder if this Rook, this Shadow Dragon Rook, is sort of the 'default' Rook for marketing? or whether in the next trailer, they have a different Rook?

About Rook's clothing in this trailer. it looks similar (e.g. hood shape, presence of a hood, diamond-quilt-like pattern in places, the diamond-shape pattern on the shoulder, etc) to this figure on a Minrathous street from the 2020 trailer, who I assume is a Shadow Dragon or Shadow Dragon Rook. like in that post, it again makes me think of the art which accompanied Minrathous Shadows, the short story about the Viper. the outfit of the person in that art isn't the same as Rook's, but there are similar aspects in the way that people from the same faction have similar aspects in their outfits. again I'm wondering if maybe the Viper is associated with the Shadow Dragons faction, maybe even the Viper leads it? and what if their contact in that story, a lady who is lightning smart, is Neve? ^^

Also, Rook already has the Veilguard symbol on their clothes in this trailer. I wonder which moment the trailer is depicting. Is it depicting the moment when Varric and Harding first met Rook, then after it they recruited them to join the team? Or is it depicting a time after that when Rook had already been travelling with them for some time (per some info we were told before we know that Rook has been with Varric for a while already before the start of the game), as just a lil part of the team, only their performance in this bar fight was the moment when Varric and Harding realized that Rook could lead? Is it neither of these, and more just a cool scene for a trailer for vibes (that is very valid btw, it's a trailer - we didn't see the Hero of Ferelden's eyes for example glowing blue as they entered that specific cavern full of darkspawn like in that one DA:O trailer etc) - the trailer did note at the start that not all images in the trailer appear in the actual game. the trailer also depicts a barfight, and we know the game can kick off with a fight in a Tevinter bar (depending on if Rook chooses to be aggressive in the bar, a fight scene can follow). or maybe the trailer is showing when Varric and Harding met Shadow Dragon Rook specifically? since we know that faction choice basically determines why Rook has been called to help in the fight against Solas, and in this trailer it's Harding being impressed by Rook in Minrathous as they fend off Venatori, specifically.

End group fight

I really love the tagline "Together - Defy The Gods". "Together" puts the emphasis on the companions, the characters and their relationships with Rook & one another as they work together as a team. it makes sense to flash up at this point too, when the whole party (not just Rook+2) is fighting a serious battle together and quite a few of them get a spotlight of them doing their thing as the camera pans around this battle. the tagline also reminds me of when the Inquisitor can say defiantly to Cory at the end of DAI, "I don't believe in gods". ◕‿◕ I also really liked the swelling of the music and the drumming as the trailer ended, it was cool.

At this point, we can see Shadow Dragon Rogue Rook, Neve, Harding, Lucanis, Davrin and Bellara, though in the next bit we also see Taash fighting in the circle. am I just missing her at this first point? can anyone see Taash in that image? ^^ (Emmrich runs up in a following scene.) they're fighting off loads and loads of red lyrium darkspawn (when I watched this scene a second time I realized those humanoid darkspawn remind me a lot of the husks from Mass Effect, only red instead of blue). the big darkspawn swinging a hammer near Lucanis looks like one of the redesigned ogres. I really liked the group fight scene, I thought it was really cool and heroic. :) I hope this is a cutscene and bossfight-type battle at some point in the game's main storyline, because it is a really cool scene. :D maybe the trailer version with all the companions in it is just that, the trailer cinematic version of the fight, and in the gameplay it's Rook+2 companions as in this screenshot?

from the way the structures around them look architecturally, the place they're in has ancient elven ruins. the red sky is ominous. from the darkness and the curling tendrils, and what looks like maybe sacs on the walls, the place they're in is afflicted by Taint corruption. there are also floating chunks of rock in the sky, a trait of the Fade or places in the mundane world where the Veil is thin and Fadey things are Fadin'. they are in the same place as in this screenshot. (when the dragon alights later in this segment, it also generally evokes the sense of this key art for me.) and like I said here, this place and dragon encounter bears a resemblance to the 2x cover arts of the DA Vinyl, which we know were called "Golden City" and "Black City". so here we are maybe, in the corrupted/Blighted Black City..? and if it has ancient elven architecture.. brb, lying awake at night thinkin of how the elven architecture on the vinyl cover art basically confirmed the long-held theory that Arlathan is the Black City. these tower-tops are quite like what we see here in Arlathan Forest and here in Arlathan Forest at Solas' ritual site in the gameplay reveal video, for example.

Bellara's bedroll in her backpack in this climactic battle is so cute and pratical. 🥺 when her 'arrow' hits its mark, darkspawn blood and guts go everywhere. Rook has a cool golden dagger. Lucanis, please move, you are about to be smashed by an ogre's hammer. I'm really curious about his purple wing ability - like how does it work and what does it do? he pretty much stays on the same spot, wings outstretched, for the duration of this scene. I love the way Neve moves when she casts magic, it's like she's dancing, like some forms of bending in Avatar or something. when she lights up with the bright light she looks even radiant-er than usual. and the flash of Neve's ice magic turning the screen white for the next text to appear is a smart transition. ^^

(darkspawn feet pic.)

I'm a sucker for a good ol' 'camera pans around the gang fighting something off together and looking cool'. you know that one shot in the Avengers somewhere where it circles round them when they stand ready in a circle? that's the vibe, and it reminds me of when the devs mentioned the Avengers in the context of talking about the game's name change.

Davrin's boots have spur-looking parts! you can feel the force of Taash's blow there. and then Emmrich comes running up to the team from somewhere else chased by more darkspawn and the freakin dragon. did.. did they use poor Emmrich as DRAGON BAIT (I kind of get the impression that they wanted to draw the dragon to this particular location, and I wonder if that has something to do with the circle)? 😭😭 Grandpa..?? they wouldn't let him help fight in the circle with his magic, or assign a more physical member of the team to be the bait, and were instead just like run old man, run. 😭 he's running for his life and Harding's like over here Emmrich, I'll keep them off you, promise. at this point you can also see lots of those Blight sacs on the walls. the dragon is huge and looks really cool and detailed - when it's getting ready to breathe fire, you can see light through the tissue of its throat, and the fire dripping from its maw is cool.

in the final scene with the dragon's wings outstretched, on the left you can see a red lamp-type thing. it's the same as the blue ones here, only red. I wonder what those are? and why do they change color?

and of course, like I said here, in the background at this point we can see the Evanuris symbols in the form of their headshapes, specifically on the tops of statues just like the ones that surrounded Solas' ritual site in Arlathan Forest in the gameplay reveal. this makes me wonder - this battle seems quite climactic, if it occurs at the end of the game, maybe the game ends where it all really began, back at the Arlathan Forest Ritual Site, which by that point has maybe become extra Fadey and has corruption spreading in it, which killed all the vegetation? that would be poetic. an alternative spin on this theory is that, since this place is kinda Fadey, maybe it's the in-Fade reflection (specifically the Black City) of the irl ritual site.

I've previously wondered if the dragon in this shot is Elgar'nan (dragons were a form reserved for the divine, i.e. the Evanuris, in the time of the Evanuris), but on a re-watch, from the way things are positioned (maybe that was intentional?), the statue-head directly behind the dragon in the center as it spreads its wings is actually the one with the Ghilan'nain headshape, so maybe it's actually Ghil? this dragon's horns curve down like Ghil's headpiece curves, not upwards like Elgar'nan's. this concept art piece for DA4 to me implies both Ghil and Elgar'nan take dragon form (2 dragons here, 2 Evil Gods rising), and as we know, they were a shape of the divine generally speaking back then anyway so it's totally feasible. the dragon in the trailer matches the one on the left in this concept art more than the one on the right.

The other big thing about the final shot is that there is an eclipse in the background. this is just like on the vinyl cover arts, and is something we've seen a lot in DA:TV marketing (ctrl-f "eclipse" here), e.g. the astral-looking spheres here, this previous iteration of the logo. it's also a thing that has cropped up in related lore in previous games, along with sun&moon imagery (example), like:

two shadowed spheres among stars / an eclipse as Fen'Harel stirred [Emergent Compendium]

and I looked up and saw the seven gates of the Black City shatter, and darkness cloaked both realms. [Chant of Light]

etc. and if you think about it, in a solar eclipse, the moon blocks out the sun. Elgar'nan in Dalish lore is the son of the sun; he threw the sun down from the sky and is known as He Who Overthrew His Father. throwing down the sun would cause darkness, and it could be a poetic reading of an eclipse-type event like we're seeing here. additionally, the Dalish believe that when he did so, he buried the sun in the abyss (which might be the Void), a place which sounds like it's in a different part of reality to the waking world and which sounds like it could potentially be Blighted. (and in this trailer we're looking at a Fade-y or Fade location, and it is corrupted).

as the trailer ends, we can see pretty designs similar to the one here around Rook's level in the top left.

At the end of this post I'm gonna link to some more of the other posts I made about the trailer & related things at the time, just for the sake of completion. ^^

Post with the reveal trailer in it

Related official new screenshots from the website

Yeyyy, griffons are back (outside of the books)

Vallaslin

We saw you from across the bar

Lucanis wings compilation pic

Floating building, welcome back

He is here

A dream come true

Thoughts on the companion 'tarot-style' art pieces: Taash | Neve | Davrin | Harding | Bellara | Emmrich | Lucanis

Yoooo

They have come to deliver this world..  (◡ ‿ ◡ ✿)

[scorpiusmalfoylovesoscarwilde]

I'm ill again because I have the immune system of a sickly victorian child. Therefore I must project onto the harry potter next gen kids

What i think (some) of the next gen kids are like when they're sick:

Scorpius: I've already done a whole post on this but I have no idea how to link posts despite being on this site for years. the short version is, he was a sick child and constantly in and out of hospital so now he cannot gauge when he's actually really sick and needs to just rest, so albus has to forcibly keep him in the dorm or hospital wing otherwise he will still try and go to class even if actively dying

Albus: he's lowkey so dramatic. if he has a small cold you WILL be hearing about it, BUT he's super subtle. he will casually tie it into conversation to make you feel sorry for him and just keep bringing it up until youre like aw no, im so sorry man. he doesnt try with rose anymore, because she will just mock him, she knows what hes doing. he's most obvious about it to Scorpius, he'll start pouting and be like I feel sick 🥺🥺 and Scorpius is immediately like oh poor baby 🥺🥺/gen and does in fact baby him until he feels better

Rose: does not get sick and its infuriating. when there's some kind of bug going around the school, you can guarantee this girl will not get it. she thinks everyone is just being dramatic and trying to get out of class. don't come to her for sympathy unless you actually look like you're on deaths door. the most sympathy surprisingly goes to Scorpius because she has seen this idiot try to attend class whilst not being able to function properly and be escorted out

Hugo: he doesnt get sick often, like a slightly below average getting sick, but my version of hugo is so unbothered by everything, he would end up in hospital or whatever but wont tell anyone, not on purpose, he just never goes out of his way to mention anything until it specifically comes up in conversation. Hes the random kid that pops up, says he has a relevant anecdote, tells you the wildest story youve ever heard so casually, youre left like???? what the fuck?? and how has that never come up before????, then he just dissapears again

James: gets so mopey, he gets so restless and hates having to sit and wait to get better. he'll enjoy not having to go to class for like one day but when you tell him he can't go anywhere or play quidditch or anything he's immediately over it like, 😟😟 wdym??? wdym I have to just lie here until I'm better??? lemme out!!!! LEMME OUT!!!!

Lily: lowkey whiny. she's not usually super whiny but she acts like a little kid when she's sick and will constantly frown and pout and cross her arms and kick her legs. collateral of being the youngest sibling lmao. she wants people to do everything for her and will shout for people to come get the TV remote or something that's only like 2 feet away from her and just shake her arm at it until you pass it. Ginny and Harry do it for her, her brothers do not lmao

Victorie: doesn't usually get sick-sick often, but I headcanon her as being a general athlete, she likes to do triathlons in her spare time, and if she gets injured she literally has to not be able to walk before she stops. she will just keep going. have you seen female footballers? the way they will be wacked in the head and start bleeding everywhere but then be like meh I can keep going. so her.

Louis: cannot stand the wanting to throw up kind of sick. he can deal with anything else, he has a pretty good immune system, he can pretty much carry on with normal stuff, and you won't even realise he's sick, but the second he feels stomach sickness, he is pale as a ghost and out for business. lowkey has emetaphobia, he will just sit so still until he doesn't feel like that anymore trying to make it go away by just 🧍🏻‍♂️if I don't move it won't know I'm here, yk lmao. hates throwing up so fucking bad

Roxanne: takes the sickness as some kind of personal test. is dramatic in the sense that she will go full warrior mode and be like 😈 i will survive 😈 I will not be beaten by these pitiful germs 😈 and will absolutely just rock her way through it, she talks like she's on some kind of quest, and that this is some kind of evaluation of her perseverance

Fred: just lies there. will not move until he's better. doesn't get really dramatic or complain but god forbid you try and make him do something, he'll start going off about how normalised it is for people to push themselves when sick because society wants people to work themselves to death, and doesn't actually care about anyone's health, and everyone just gets so sick of hearing him, they leave him alone

Karl Jenkins: will purposefully cough on people to get them sick too "as a joke"

[chewingbatmanlikeasqueakytoy]

Okay this is actually a partial reply to another post

but my reply got so long i think tumblr literally cant cope LMAO so (context the Amity park perception filter thread with @kaidatheghostdragon which i will edit a link into after posting (X) Edit: the context link is now attached)

Honestly they might not CRASH crash the economy but I honestly think they could do some serious damage. At the very least if Amity is going to start essentially printing USD with these cards to get infrastructure and the like set up the inflation within the town is going to go crazy and they might just need a new currency. I think it's also determined by how LARGE you consider Amity to be. As I've always seen it described as a small town I've always envisioned it to have a population of around 10,000 people. AS IT TURNS OUT the wiki describes it as 'Amity Park is depicted as a moderately large urban city, reminiscent of Chicago, San Francisco, and/or Philadelphia' WHICH IS WAY LARGER THAN I IMAGINED. I don't know SHIT about American cities or their layouts apart from the fact that Everything Is Squares and also apparently the junctions are death(? Apparently America doesn't have roundabouts??? Bro??? I don't know if that was a Simpsons gag but I think about it maybe half as often as I use roundabouts), BUT the point is that google says those cities are somewhere around 800,000 to 2.6 million.

Honestly I think those are weird numbers because those are enough of a range to not be at all considered the same size imo but we'll take Philadelphia as our base bc that's the one in the middle at 1.5 million. In "Amity Park's" population statistics (X) if you take everyone from 20-44 (we're pretending people under 20 can't get one bc apparently 13 year olds can get them with special permissions and that fills me with a special kind of anguish to have learned) but if you take everyone from 20-44 that population totals something like 613,028.

We'll give an error margin of 10% to account for people who are auto disqualified for whatever reason and between that error margin and the people I'm ignoring I think it's realistic to assume you could get 551,726 people credit cards. Unlimited ones? maybe not. But look me in the eyes and tell me if Sam Manson was told 'We can fix the public infrastructure that's damaging the environment and cause serious damage to predatory lending companies' She would not use her families wealth to be backing people as some kind of collateral/co-signer to get OBSCENLEY high credit cards SO FAST. That's to say nothing of if Tucker and the Other Nerds decide it's actually completely fine for them to hack into these companies and auto approve all these credit cards. Like the towns in dire straights so why not? It's unfortunately a pretty human tendency to see the people you care about in trouble and decide you're willing to throw literally anyone and everyone under the bus so I can see him/them doing it.

So. 551,726 people, with theoretically unlimited money to spend. CONSERVATIVELY if they racked up $500,000 USD on each card, the amount of money spent by Amity would end up being $275,863,000,000 or $275.8 BILLION Now the GDP of the USA is $25.44 Trillion, which looks like $25,440,000,000,000 so it's not a LOT in the grand scheme of things but it is just over 1%, I'm not going to pretend I know what that does economically to the entire USA but consider that Beer sales in the USA accounted for $106 billion in 2022, and that amity would potentially be generating nearly three times that. (X) I have just gone on a fucking TANGENT about the economy in this silly fun times thread of ours so I apologise I will try and sum up very quickly why I think they could spend so much so quickly. Philadelphia has a total of 37 hospitals. They built a new one sometime around 2021 to the tune of $1.6 billion (X) If Amity built a new hospital for liminality care and a few new ones Just Because They Realised They Can, say they build ten new hospitals, which is a VERY LARGE amount of new hospitals to build on workforce Alone, but they probably have tireless ghost workers who are probably obsessed with construction and regular living workers who want to be paid in the times before everyone had acclimated to the ghosts properly. Split among 551,726 people that's actually a fairly reasonable $28,999.90, which, hilariously, is actually just in and around the average limit to credit cards. So they wouldn't even need Sam or Tucker to mess with credit cards yet (X) Averages typically suck as a way of measuring stuff but this isn't a Real Life Government Project so I'm willing to call that acceptable. So if it's only $30k for ten hospitals why the hell am I citing a fat $500k each? Luxury Shit. A few luxury cars and some big name watches and you've blown through that $500k no problem. That's to say nothing of all the REST of the infrastructure that needs fixing - the roads, the schools, the libraries, the replacement materials for the transport system - hell building the APDC is going to probably be another billion dollar project if they want two portals large enough to get what is probably multilane traffic through in regards to transport. Sure the cars won't be useful for long maybe but that's just one example. Jewellery, coats - hell designer shoes and collector nonsense can go for STUPID amounts and as people who are desperate to outpace their neighbours in Cool Stuff They Own realise that their neighbours are capable of getting all the same crap they are? people are either going to stop caring or they're going to start buying some Really Obscure Shit. For the others who just wanted to buy pretty things? There's literally no reason to stop. Amity might have to limit the amount of crap people can get shipped in per week/impose serious shipping tariffs just to make sure the new FTL supply chain doesn't collapse because people are determined to get their new Cashmere and Mohair coats with Gold Embroidery or what the hell ever on next day delivery. Honestly in this scenario the cards over time thing probably doesn't matter because I'm pretty sure the Amity expenditure would DESTROY the lending company, which might then actually be the thing to get Amity rediscovered or maybe they space all these buildings out over time so they keep living the sweet life.

[beautifulpersonpeach]

Lol.

Yeah… the more news that comes out just confirms more of what I thought. This unnamed character who moves from HYBE to ADOR, and mere weeks later, HYBE gets a ‘tip-off’ and all the incriminating documents are in his work diaries where he narrates things MHJ has supposedly said, including that she believes that Bang establishing BTS or groups with the same cache as BTS, was him copying her…. Everything that’s found in his documents is almost clinically incendiary lmao. Like, weapons-grade rage bait. Partly because of how bizarre it is. And the sinker - they tie it to Min Heejin supposedly wanting more money. MHJ has meanwhile released another, stronger statement refuting the allegations about trying to stage a management takeover, or artists contract leaks etc.

Of course, the discourse about this is going to develop predictably, especially after the mention of BTS and other groups MHJ supposedly says copied her.

This has all the makings of one thing and only one thing, to me. It doesn’t change my opinion about Bang PD but it does make me revise my view on Min Heejin, she’s a bit more naive than I assumed her to be. I feel a bit sorry for her, because she’s been got. Again. It’s similar to the ig situation that also started with ‘a gift’ her ‘friend from SM’ gave her to congratulate her on launching ADOR - a gift that ended up being the most damning controversy that almost sunk the group. A controversy where the primary demand was for her to leave NewJeans and HYBE. Now, a ‘right-hand man’ transfers from HQ to her team and it’s his uncorroborated narrations that match what’s in the ‘tip-off’… the demands are the same.

I like MHJ, but I’ve always watched her with caution because in Korea, no woman makes it to the c-suite without making a shit tonne of enemies. Imagine it to be triple the amount a regular working class man makes on his way up the ladder, because that kind of status in Korea is something you’re either born into, or born close to. It’s rare for working class men to work their way up and even more rare for women. In fact, I’d say it’s an aberration.

I see all the flack MHJ gets for being a narcissistic bitch, wanting to constantly assert ownership of her ideas, wanting to be widely associated with her successful projects, etc. I see people irritated by her arrogance, but full disclosure, I like her for it. For several reasons, but one reason is that in her environment, the default is to let your male superiors take credit for your work. It happens in corporate environments all over the world, but in Korea it’s a mentality entrenched in the DNA. Pushing against that earns you enemies every time you speak, by default. But I suspect that’s how she worked her way up from being a graphic designer to having a seat on the board of directors at SM Entertainment before leaving when they wouldn’t give her more autonomy. So, in my eyes, she’s got spunk. But also, now I see she’s clumsy.

Oftentimes with corporate drama, there’s no point using moral language because it’s just business. You either pitched the best deal or you didn’t. You either fucked up or you didn’t. It’s cold numbers and rationality - business. But… there are some cases where it’s not really about the business, cases where it’s personal.

I don’t have meaningful insider information, I’m reading the press releases and ‘leaks’ along with everyone else, so I can’t be certain and that’s why I’m talking in this long-winded ramble without coming right out to say exactly what I think. What I’ll say though is that this is less about NewJeans and more about Min Heejin. And she’s the first person who should’ve understood that and taken necessary precautions.

Clearly, it doesn’t look like she has, and in that sense she has no one but herself to blame. She’s being stupid, in fact I’d say delusional in some ways, but I guess some things can’t be helped. NewJeans isn’t exactly fucked, but it’s clear that yet again, they are collateral damage. And it’s a shame.

[nkn0va]

Ok so Yukari, Marie(P4), Kokonoe and Phonon being unable to use their arms for a while for whatever reason so their s/o needs to feed them, help them change clothes, maybe even wash them.

I'm sorry if this selection of characters is all over the place I just tried to select all the grumpy self reliant women I could think of.

This is surprisingly amusing to think about. I'm fucking flabbergasted it's taken this long to get a P4 ask (I have a P3 one already I've been procrastinating on for days now lmao) but here we are.

Sorry if these start feeling a bit repetitive, this is a more niche ask and there wasn't really much else I could come up with. I still don't know Phonon that well as a character unfortunately so her section ended up being relatively short.

Yukari Takeba

-Chances are, some special shadow did some weird fucky wucky thing and numbed her with some kind of spell the team had never seen before. She was mostly able to dodge out of the way, however it managed to clip her arm.

-Strangely enough, even after the Dark Hour ended, she was still affected, unable to move said arm. Fuuka and Mitsuru would get to investigating this as fast as possible, but until then Yukari would have to cope with this.

-Unfortunately, said paralyzed arm was her dominant one, so she'd need someone to help her out. Thankfully, you were more than willing to help out.

-You'll have to write down her work for her in class and write everything down for her homework. It's a bit of an awkward situation to explain to the teachers so the best you can come up with is that she had a bad chiropractor's appointment that left an arm numb for a while.

-The real awkward situation is when you need to help her change, especially if you're a guy. She really doesn't want anyone else to be around when she'd doing so, however you're realistically her best option. Helping her change is comprised of both of you holding opposite sides of her clothes as she slides into them while you look away. She makes a point that she still has a good arm to clock you if you dare peek at her.

-Naturally until her arm's back to normal, she's not allowed to go into Tartarus. If you left her on her own she'd be bored out of her damn mind, so you choose to stay behind as well to keep her company. Technology unfortunately doesn't work during the dark hour so the two of you pass the time with board games that she's able to play with just her non-dominant hand or good ol' fashioned gossip. She has way more to share than you were originally expecting, giving you a nice reminder to be extra careful to not embarrass yourself in front of her.

-At the very least, she's able to shower on her own, albeit if using just her non-dominant arm is a bit unwieldy. No way in hell though is she letting you jump in the shower with her, even if you're her S/O. She's not nearly ready enough for that.

Marie

-It's kinda hard to choose something for Marie since she doesn't exactly do anything involving the T.V world until the end of the god damn game. Perhaps she took some sort of collateral damage after her boss that injured her arms and made it hurt too much to move them.

-Her pride does not let her admit she needs any help to do anything, she's perfectly capable of functioning normally. At least, until you ask her if she needs help. Her demeanor suddenly becomes a lot more nervous as she stutters out that it'd be nice if you did. She tries to pull the 'it's not because I like you or anything' card, until she realizes that you're her S/O, she can't exactly do that anymore.

-She begrudgingly accepts your help. She does need you to feed her which she will absolutely not allow anyone to see. She's exclusively eating at your house and will refuse to do so otherwise. If you try she'll hurl harsh words your way in a typical Marie fashion.

-It's pretty adorable, honestly, seeing her open wide for each bit of food you give her. If you try to do a here comes the airplane/choo-choo train you're going to get yourself a flurry of angry, near incoherent words as she pouts and looks away. It's pretty hilarious, but don't do that more than once per meal.

-Soon she realizes that she also needs your help to be able to wash herself, mostly because you bring it up first. She instantly turns red as a cherry in the face and tries to slap you, but quickly winces as the harsh pain of trying to move her arm shoots through her body. She reluctantly accepts you have a point.

-Ten minutes later, here you are sitting in your bathroom as Marie's in the tub, letting you wash her back for her. She absolutely refuses to turn around and look you in the eye. It'd probably be best not to lean over to try unless you wanna get a lightning bolt straight to the face.

-Undressing/redressing is a similar process. She demands for you to close your eyes as you hold her clothes in place so she can slip in and out of them. She tries to guide your hands by telling you where to put them, but it's a long awkward process. A lot of "right there! No, you idiot, over here!" is thrown around. Her ability to guide you with your eyes closed is astounding.

-Do not ever let her guide you to some surprise she's got with your eyes closed.

Kokonoe A. Mercury

-Kokonoe was under a pretty big crunch, Sector Seven's top brass had told her to get this extremely complex machine done for whatever the hell they were planning next and the deadline was fast approaching.

-In her rush, she made a grievous mistake that backfired. It ended up severely injuring her arms in the process as she was trying to tinker with it. Thankfully they didn't need to be amputated, but she'd definitely need some time off to heal.

-Being her S/O, she pretty much demanded you helped her out in her daily functions, albeit pretty irked about the situation. She didn't like the idea of being coddled like that.

-She doesn't eat a whole lot normally, just chocolate, silvervine and coffee. On occasion she'll ask you to throw a chocolate from halfway across the room into her mouth. Results vary depending on your accuracy.

-If you want to feed her proper food it'll take some convincing. Just don't tease her for the love of God and just let her eat. If you try teasing her in the same way as mentioned before with Marie you'll be met with a swift headbutt. Though whether that's worth it or not is up to your discretion.

-You'll naturally have to do her laundry for her as well. Chances are it's the first time her clothes have been washed in a while. Helping her dress again means looking down at the ground as she tells you where to guide your hands until she's covered enough for you to look again. On the bright side though, she finally discovers how good it feels to put on fresh clothes. Maybe she should actually start doing her laundry herself more often once she recovers.

-You'll have to fight with Kokonoe quite a bit if you want her to get in the bath, her being a cat beastkin with shut-in tendencies. Chances are, she'll just tell you to put some bath bombs in the water and piss off.

Phonon

-EXS can be funny sometimes, and not in a good way. Phonon went a little TOO wild with her powers while she was still getting the hang of them and her sound based abilities fucked up her arms. Moving them felt nigh impossible to do.

-Until this wore off you'd need to help her. She tries to act all high an mighty as part of her dominatrix persona in the Hollow Night, but she's actually surprisingly normal outside of that.

-She's a bit miffed at the situation but she's probably the most cooperative girl here when it comes to letting you assist her overall. She can actually realize the fact that she kinda needs you around, contrary to popular belief. She's self-reliant and confident, but she's not a fool.

-Phonon should be fine overall as long as you don't actively go out of your way to tease her. Try that and she'll promise you're gonna freaking get it the moment she can move her arms again. And considering this is the same young woman that uses a whip in combat...yeah. Best not to fuck around and find out.

-She's a bit more open to helping you wash her thankfully, just as long as you don't try anything funny. Wash her from behind and stay away from anywhere you shouldn't touch. If you do be prepared for a headbutt from behind.

[whatdoeseverybodywant]

Hey friend! @wwerasliin-sideblog

Someone else I can talk wrestling with!! SIGN ME UP!!

Now friend you made some good points.But... (this is just my opinion)

"They both need to apologize. They both done wrong. But, Roman did more. Especially when you're a leader, there's a greater level of responsibility and trust and care that you need to emulate, that's above and beyond. A big part of leading is also serving.."

I don't think Sami or Roman needs to apologize tbh. They should just stay clear of each other's path. Since Sami is on Raw, there's no real reason for them to come face to face. Even if Sami becomes Jey's voice of reason. He needs to stay clear of Roman and vice versa.

"Eventually, Sami did leave, he did what he needed to do for himself to get out, and in doing so the collateral damage was that he allowed them (especially Jimmy and Jey) to see the truth, to see things for what they really were, how they were being treated and how they could get away form it. Jimmy struck first, but Jey took it one step further and left.

Jimmy struck first bc of this. To me Jimmy wasn't gonna bust a move w/o jey. But I believe this was the 1st time Roman put his hands on Jimmy and Jimmy DID NOT like that.

Jimmy from his return in 2021 was not with the way Roman led. I think Jimmy only stuck around bc of Jey.. but that's a WHOLE NOTHER topic LMAO.

I think I got off-topic lol.

But I still don't think Jimmy striking 1st was bc of Sami cause Jimmy would have not hit Sami at Royal Rumble. He would have done something similar to Jey and walked away.

"Unlike Seth, Sami chose not to betray his "brother" Kevin.. Roman manipulated and used Sami, Sami realized this - so when it came down to it, he was never going to choose Roman over Kevin,"

YES!! This 100%. Sami was always going to pick Kevin over all of them. It was just a matter of time.

NOW JIMMY! HE needs to go on a apology tour. Starting with Jey and ending w/ Sami. BC he made Sami belive that they were close. He was the one to make Sami comfortable in The Bloodline and he switched up on his.. so damn fast lol. ion even think it was a good 5 seconds before Jimmy pounced on Sami.

I love your POV. It always amazes me how ppl take the storyline and can see it differently from me lol. ❤️

[omgkalyppso]

for the ask game, etoile and karlach? :O

Karlach and Shadowheart expressed 0 interest in Étoile.

And with Shadowheart I feel like it made sense because she can be so guarded and both in the beginning and especially by the end she and Étoile had so many similarities that it made sense to me that this would not be romantically attractive to either of them, lmao.

But with Karlach! I was surprised that Étoile was just not her type.

Mind you, after looking at the prompt "Send me an OC + an alternate love interest for them and I’ll tell you what I think of the idea" and realizing that I don't need to think of a way to make it work, I can just straight up say that they aren't interested in each other.

Without changing the circumstances between them, or headcanoning various aspects of Karlach's character, they work best (and excellently) as friends.

She's monogamous, she worries she's missing out on elements of life including parenthood, she's a living heater, etc. My voluntarily childless polyam paladin of Auril would clash in relationship matters with Karlach a lot.

But as friends there's a version of their adventures where (au au headcanons now, whatever) the Icy Crystal from the Mourning Frost isn't enough on its own to cool the hellfire of Karlach's internal engine and Étoile and Karlach retreat into northern Faerûn where, in Auril's element and frigid tundras, Karlach's temperature is regulated inside and out, and she can live almost-normally out of doors.

Other au stuff would be enemies-to-friends where they clash with Étoile's adventuring and Karlach's, um, bruising, and I think it would be someone else in Étoile's main party who calls out to stop a killing blow, whether for information or for mercy or because the mission is in the city and was meant to be non-lethal blows only. Still, she's a fraction of their age and a hot-head even without her engine, so she snarls and goads and rages at being spared, and she laughs and she compliments her opponents and she stays tight-lipped on any information they want because her information is all she has now, not her dignity in defeat, not her job after this. She's spirited out of one life into another where she's conscripted into the Adventurer's Guild with promises of money and shelter, and with a ranking guildmember's assumption that she'll help them with what she knows because loyalty can be bought: even if Karlach's didn't have a literal price tag on it, it could be earned in friendship and the crucible of combat. Karlach is given difficult quests to usher this along, and she is predictable, giving the guild what they wanted when it feels like home, and once she has more to lose.

Within the constraints of 'true canon,' Étoile is a bad friend. They let Gale down, and they fail Karlach spectacularly. They are too much a coward, too selfish, and too distracted by their own goals to put up their life and their soul as collateral and follow Karlach into Avernus.

In my headcanons for 'what actually happens' where Karlach is able to stay on the Material Plane because Étoile is willing to destroy a relic of a past life of theirs and a (heavily implied) gift from their god, they're pretty intrinsically bound.

[pharawee]

"tawan would have lived an ordinary but good life if he didn't meet kinn" excuse me Jane? Making me feel for that hoe??

No but seriously that's making me think and I think it's more of korns doing than kinn. Because everyone says kinn was soft until tawan betrayed him and yeah my brain doesn't have enough cells to be more coherent

Ohoho! I'm so glad you sent me this ask. I have so many ~thoughts~ about Tawan.

I mean, let's face it. Tawan isn't a good person. With the way he kidnapped and then kicked an unconscious Chay he might not even be redeemable (if he didn't, you know, die).

I have this headcanon that Tawan (in the series - in the book he's just ?? ???) led an ordinary life until he met Kinn. I mean, they met where? At uni? I bet Tawan was cute and flirty and ambitious, and Kinn was pretty much Mr Perfect. His lifestyle must have seemed so glamourous and appealing to an outsider like Tawan (because I don't think he was part of that whole mafia thing at all).

And I believe Tawan when he says that it all began to fall apart when some rival mafias started threatening his family (because all the best lies are told when you add a bit of the truth to them). I don't think Tawan meant to betray Kinn. I think he was just way in over his head and panicked. Which of course made him a liability and a threat. So yeah, you're right, Korn would have realised right away and made sure that his empire Kinn is safe. He probably thought it a kindness to let Kinn think that Tawan had always been a mole and that shooting him was the only choice left to him (because we know Kinn is too soft and would have never done so otherwise).

So, yeah, it might not have been Kinn's intention, and perhaps his only fault lies in being too naive and too blinded by love but, in a way, Kinn loving Tawan was Tawan's downfall.

And of course, that's when Vegas swept in and gleefully manipulated what was left of Tawan further until all that remained was blind devotion. Who in their right mind would even believe all of Vegas' sweet nothings? All it needed was a ring - which is such a simple and sad and very un-mafia-like thing. I feel like not even Vegas fully realised that Tawan was never cut out for all of that mafia stuff. In the end, it turned him into the loose cannon that we meet in the series.

That isn't to say that Tawan is a victim only. He's more like... collateral damage. Weak and very human. A tragic villain, at most. A very pretty and unhinged and amazingly acted one at that. He totally stole the show for me and sometimes I still make up little fics in my head about him before I fall asleep lmao

[imaginespazzi]

PARTTT TENN YAYAYAYAYA

- hi nivi bby your writing has been missed dearly.

- The Bridges Burned Around Us??? i fear im shaking in my boots. apparently ill be flinging myself of bridges not cliffs!

- part two has been sort of reread i went fast because im excited

- poor angie…

- “unlike HER paige” OH MY GODS AWWWWW so why don’t u make it public if she’s “yours” huh

- bruh azzi u could have healthy breathing if u just idk told your friends

- horny fuckers

- haha someone’s in trouubbbbllleee

- i like tessa she’s funny.

- jana my bby

- tessa and jana abt to be menaces together hopefully

- not them basically living together stop that’s so wholesome and cutie pie

- now why are we talking abt who paige’s has slept with azzi…

- RATHER JUMP OUT OF THE CAR IS SO ME CORE

- okay im fearful. is it abt the one year contract and like angie supposedly taking paige’s spot after the year? UGHHHH

- Stephie-bean IS SO ADORABLE

- STOP NOT STEPHIE GETTING JEALOUS 😭😭

- love. okay where is the bridge

- BYE not azzi using her daughter to stop her jealousy

- stephie being a legit mix of azzi and paige makes me so happy

- “do you know if Aunty Chérie is in town?” oh so this girl is a GENIUS

- BYE AZZI BEING A BIT OF A BITCH TO THIS KIDS MOM I LOVE IT

- OMG IS IT DREW??

- FLASHBACK TIME i love these

- awww azzi surprising paige with drew is so adorable

- BYE not the dude trying to flirt and drew stopping it 😭😭

- “you won’t ever hurt my Paigey will you?” yeah so i just died

- OH DAMN HES PISSED.

- trust stephie to make it awkward but also help ease tension

- “I don’t make promises like that kid,” there’s an unspoken accusation as Drew keeps up a smile towards Stephie but his eyes dart for the briefest second towards the two women around him, “but I promise I’ll try.” YEAH IM SCARED There’s a shine of warmth in Drew’s gaze for a second but it flickers away faster than it had appeared and his eyes are cold with flecks of betrayal as he looks at Azzi, “that’s what happens as people get older isn’t it? I wouldn’t look so different to you if you’d been around to see me grow up.” GODDAMN IM CRYING.

- i get why drew is upset with azzi. she was such a big part of his life, but omg ouch.

- the whole uncle drew thing is harming my soul. the day stephie calls paige mom in some way i won’t make it out alive.

- azzi i love u BUT PLEASE STOP OVERTHINKING EVERYTHING BING AND JUST COMMUNICATE WITH PAIGE INSTEAD OF RUINING IT IN YOUR HEAD

- UGHHH THATS THE ENDING WHY DO U END LIKE THAT U EVIL GENIUS OMG

- damn okay. the chapter ate but also the plot just gets building and as previously mentioned i am terrified for the fall.

- questions!! at the end is drew upset with paige too for getting back with azzi or just made upset with azzi leaving to begin with and projecting it onto both of them sort of?

- also like paige being like drew stop and him listening have they talked abt azzi at all since their breakup or is like a we don’t talk abt that kinda deal?

- on a similar drew note im curious as his reaction to paige telling him she’s getting a divorce with ms cunt??? was he like told u so or more symptomatic?

- ALSO OKAYYYY DREW NBA I SEE U!!! question is can he finally beat Paige 1v1

- honestly thinking back on this whole chapter i don’t have a lot of questions more just overall like waiting for everything to unfold

-as always ily!

🤩🤩

Bestieeeee hi <3

- Personally I would love if you could no throw yourself off of anything because I don't want you to die!

- Azzi just likes to make life complicated apparently cause you're so right

- Yep yep yep, it's exactly about that. We all knew that was gonna come back and here we are.

- Stephie knows exactly where to twist the dagger lmao

- Yeah I'm ngl writing the Drew angst has been the saddest I've been writing this fic just cause like he really was just collateral damage and he didn't deserve it

- Drew is mainly mad at Azzi but he's also against the idea of them getting back together because he doesn't trust her to not hurt Paige again.

- LMAO every time you call her Ms. Cunt I giggle but he was definitely just relieved cause he knew Paige's heart wasn't in it.

[rinhaler]

my second ask for today bc I’m fucking obsessed with you ANYWAYS

would you do a one shot of like the interaction between OG reader x yuji x plug!sukuna x shy party hookup girl? I know it’s a little confusing bc both girls were y/n by like I need to know how yuji and sukuna would react to OG reader being jealous

sorry if this has been asked before 🤍 I know you have a lot of wips and I appreciate you

AH I LOVE U 😭😭 Omg I don't think I could pull off a oneshot but I haven't been asked this before!!

I actually don't think the reader would be jealous? I mean, maybe picture them hanging out the morning after the party I wrote the shy reader for. They're all in the front room or something watch TV and having gross greasy leftovers for breakfast.

But I do think Sukuna, who has feelings for the OG reader, basically only fucks other girls to try and get over the reader. So unfortunately for shy reader she's just collateral damage in that endeavour of his LMAO.

But I think he'd definitely make a show of being really touchy feely with her while they're hanging out and kissing her and stuff just to see if the reader will care or react.

And she might be a little miffed but she certainly won't make a fuss over it. She's got Yuuji after all and she knows he's a perfect sweet boyfriend! So she'd just twist it back on Sukuna and end up making him even more jealous than he already is 😭

[athalantan]

( enable my rambling // always accepting ) @netherill WROTE: hc + schools of magic. ( I know it said one word but like, is el more proficient in some than others? Favorite one? Least favorite one? What is el's stance on the mortality of enchantment and necromancy magic? )

EL HAS HAD A RATHER unconventional magical education, at least by modern standards. Nowadays you can find entire schools dedicated to studying magic. That didn't exist in El's day. In fact, Mys.tra was unknown or rather obscure in many places (including Athalantar) in their early centuries. El, other of My.stra's Chosen, and the Magisters have done a great deal to further study of the Art across Toril. In El's day, you either had to find someone willing to take you on as an apprentice or blunder through on your own. Most masters + apprentices ended up killing each other, and those attempting to study alone often met with a fatal accident.

El's education was further complicated by trauma. Their first experiences with magic were the Mage-Lords of Athalantar who massacred their village, killed their family, subjugated their home, and hunted them tirelessly. They didn't want to wield magic initially. They saw it as a terrible tool of tyranny. They only started down that path because it was their one hope of matching the Mage-Lords. It took them a few years to really settle into using magic — and to not become the Mage-Lords they were fighting against.

Their education continued to be odd from there. They weren't even allowed to become a wizard at first; they had to serve as a priestess for a couple of years. They've never had a single master but have instead been charged with learning many different magics from many different teachers. This included, of course, Myrjala / My.stra but also Braer, the Srinshee, Shalane — all manner of people from all manner of places. Sometimes these apprenticeships were favorable; other times, such as with the Masked Mage, they were literally torturous.

My.stra has further charged them throughout the years not to use magic at all, to use it only when necessary, or to use it in specific ways. Mys.tra was always testing and preparing them for the Time of Troubles, often at cost to El's well-being. She did not want them to become reliant on magic or to become overly proud in it. She also wanted them to be inventive with it — to create and experiment, not just regurgitate one tradition taught by one master. The thought behind the magic has often been more important than the magic itself.

Which is all a very long way of saying that their approach to schools of magic is likewise — you guessed it — unconventional. The vast majority of mages, especially nowadays, specialize in a particular school of magic. Hence the subclass system in DND. El has never specialized, and they've lived long enough and traveled wide enough that that's not a problem. They've studied every school more than many masters. This lack of specialization has aided them over the centuries. It makes them more flexible and less predictable. It's also makes it easier to analyze and thwart opposing magic.

But like all people, they do have their preferences. El is a rogue at heart. That is, in fact, why Mys.tra chose them. They prefer to handle matters without violence and certainly without death. Where a fight is necessary, however, they like to end it quickly, cleverly, avoiding what collateral damage possible. (That doesn't preclude taunts and a little show-boating, of course.) Going based on 5e classifications, their most used schools in descending order are probably: conjuration, transmutation, illusion, abjuration, and evocation. They've a propensity for changing their shape, teleporting themself / other people / objects, thwarting planned actions, and generally being a great pain in the ass lmao Truly they're a rogue in a wizard's hat.

As to the morality of enchantment and necromancy — They have a general distaste for enchantment spells. Their first experience with magic was Undarl the Dragonrider using an enchantment to force them to surrender information on their home + father and then compelling them to flee in such a manner that should've killed them — and nearly did. Subsequent encounters have been no better (i.e. Symrustar who wished to enthrall them, the Masked Mage who did enthrall them for twenty years, fckn Nergal). Thus it's a sore spot to be sure.

On top of that, El is someone who values free will. They believe all people should be free to act and speak and live as they wish. They might do so foolishly or immorally, sure, but they should have the freedom to make that choice. They look darkly on anything that robs a person of that, no matter how "minor".

This might be considered ironic considering how, well, manipulative they can at times be. They never override a person's will, but they will change their appearance or conjure illusions or speak into a person's dreams to influence them. They've also been known to use magic that controls a person's body (i.e. levitating opponents). The line for them is that they're not overtaking someone's mind. They are still free to think their own thoughts, feel their own feelings, make their own choices.

As for necromancy, they haven't known many moral necromancers, but they're not wholesale opposed to it. They're not wholesale opposed to much of anything. Some necromancy spells (i.e. soul cage) are clearly vile. Others are beneficial (i.e. false life) or neutral (i.e. gentle repose). Technically, even revivify and true resurrection are necromancy spells. Ultimately, they view it like any other school. Sure, they generally find it disrespectful to puppet the bodies of the dead, but that's not all necromancy is good for. Whether it works good or ill is in the hands of the caster.

They themself have dabbled in necromancy — or at least considered it. It's not for them, ultimately, but grief does things to a person. And, El has known an inordinate amount of grief. Perhaps that's really why they avoid the school: not for reasons of morality but of sanity. They have to let go of who and what they've lost. They cannot stand before the veil of death crying out for them. They cannot work themself to the bone trying to bring them back or preserve some piece of them. They must move forward, always forward.

[grahamcarmen]

Do you think gray ever ended up killing anyone, i've seen 2 takes on this:-

He did.

Since he knew carmen would be upset after seeing her reaction, powered the crackle rod to stun mode. I like both, the first gives way for great character exploration as "Sabor a mi" and the second is very believable. What do you think?

😭I wanna say no cause I like him ( Carmen standing directly behind me as his defense lawyer)

But in terms of stray thoughts on this (sorry if they're scattered on pro v con)

That roof on the train does indeed have a hole in it so for the time she was out exploring the world before she was carmen there was a wild gray on the loose with a crackle rod strong enough to break and burn on impact

He may say he doesn't regret anything but actually trying to hurt carmen specifically but gray does have his own sense of guilt when prodded about the philosophies he's adopted on the train at least

Especially when you "steal lives" which you could take as only referring to the attempt they're talking about at the moment or...

And as we see later this + carmen does result in the permanent stun mode when nobody knew (aka had nothing to do with carmen until the moment she used it)

No matter how CAPABLE of violence he actually seems to shy away from fights or kills he doesn't need to seem to take and like i don't see EVERY mission needing to mean bodies on the floor if you're just a good thief who doesn't get caught. Which he is. Even if it is VILE.

That being said there's not a zero possibility that he was put in another situation to kill a witness and he...would.

He doubles down on pushing through to the idea that this is his nature :/

Lmao he's lucky those guns at acme are stun gun equivalents. He is efficient and ruthless when taking them down.

O.o or maybe he knew? Idk how much difference that would make at that point in time

Hes bellums boy. It doesn't happen all the time but there are shown to be occasions for VILE faculty to call favorite agents for certain missions. Most Bellum missions have huge collateral damage potential

VILE does have that no loose ends rule at all

That being said this show has only given me 1 corpse. And its acme's. 1 1/2 if we count our poor almost barbecued gray (and that was VILE's but only if the agent on site was a traitor)

Those people at the dig that tigress and le chevre knocked out in ep 2 are...just knocked out to me. Like idk they wake up with a bad headache and stolen digsite with zero memories of who did it . Sorry I dont even count the cleaners as menace (sorry you guys are efficient and have a scary reputation i promise 😔✌)

Heck actually a lot of the crackle rods we see are at stun mode naturally(gray is always having to dial it up, eel did not die, carmen presumably did not kill the guards around gray☆ or even the 6 months she was dark! Kill count is not mentioned among her crimes and she's really ready to pounce on witnesses)

Counter point HE DOES DIAL IT UP ON SCREEN matching carmen for 2 attempts we can see and only fails because carmen is carmen ♡

Define...necessary to use for him?

No idea when he did the permanent stun mode . could have been immediately getting back could have been mid dark! Carmen era or the week before he turns himself in

I actually might think he'd be ok not needing to use the crackle rod and just taking comfort in the menace/power it projects ok

Like not even a carmen told him to way but a he takes a bit of time canonically way

But if its "necesary"...

TLDR: personally lean towards no (knee jerk blorbo biased reaction) and especially in dark! Red era even if we don't know when the permastun was enforced but im not against exploring the idea because its not impossible that he did come across the situations he "had " to offscreen before the train? Boy is a pretty efficient agent. And he's...capable.

[theharrowing]

do u have any fic recs for stories that include morally ambiguous or questionable characters? kinda like collateral? open to either x reader or mxm. i have a mighty need & love your content & trust your judgment on fic 💜 thank u for sharing all ur hard work with us! x

ohhhhh do i???

i just want to preface with: these fics are often very dark, and in some ways very fucked up. there are actions in the fics that i do not condone. i will add some general warnings but please read every warning before proceeding if you are sensitive to anything. (i personally dive headfirst without reading any warnings bc i thrive on chaos and nothing bothers me. idk what kind of person that makes me.)

also, i will eventually add links to all of these on @nabiolivereads so if folks are into the heavier, darker stuff, know that soon there will be reviews for that kind of content over there, as well.

*places an arm gently around anon's shoulder and leads then through a beaded of curtain into the secret back room of my fic recs, where only esteemed customers are allowed to go*

first of all: i am pretty sure none of these fics are on tumblr. i assume you're down to clown on ao3, and all of them are open to the general public, anyway.

i haven't read a ton of mafia/fics like Collateral, but here are things with very morally ambiguous characters. and many of them are darker, in some ways, than Collateral is.

Fatal Compulsion by Vmintie ↳ Jimin, the only survivor of the Yongsan Ripper's prolific killing spree, is put immediately under police protection. Months later, the killer comes back for him. ❣ series, 251,009 wc ❣ Jimin x Taehyung with side pairings and other members ❣ serial killer, smut, angst, fear, toxic relationship, manipulation, graphic violence, torture & murder, cliffhanger ending. this is my favorite fic of all time. i know it has a hefty wordcount but you get so swept up into the story. i revisit certain chapters all the time.

Jewel of Busan and Butcher of Seoul by Vmintie ↳ Jimin finds himself embroiled in a heist that is set to bring about the fall of an empire. Taehyung is in on the action for reasons of his own. Jungkook wants Jimin the way a spoilt child wants a toy. And over it all sits Mother, the mysterious matriarch of Seoul's largest mob syndicate. Chaos is a ladder and its rungs are slick with blood. ❣ 2 stories in one series, 183,142 wc and 243812 ec, respectively ❣ Jimin x Taehyung with side pairings and other members ❣ mafia au, smut, angst, toxic relationship, manipulation, a smattering of accidental incest, major character deaths, unhappy ending. i cannot say enough about this series. it is so fucked up and so fun to read. i fucking cried like a baby, but god, it was so worth it.

lostland. by Daebon ↳ The moment Jimin saw Min Yoongi all those years ago, he knew he was in trouble. Seeing him now as a professor, with his thick-rimmed glasses and pressed suits, Jimin can feel himself slipping again. It’s a good thing he’s being distracted by his new friend Hoseok, the campus’ most infamous and straightest fuckboy, or he could really get himself into quite a mess. Oh, wait. He never saw it coming. ❣ series, 174,254 wc ❣ Jimin x Hoseok & Jimin x Yoongi ❣ college au, murder mystery, smut, angst, a smattering of accidental incest (idk why i find this in stories lmao i do not go searching for it), age gap, underage (a 23 yo has feelings for a 16 yo & those feelings aren't acted upon until 16 yo becomes of age, but still.) this story is a fucking roller coaster and it is definitely not for everyone.

Perfect by Hiromi_20 ↳ "I've wanted you for so long," Jin whispers, mouth only a hair away from your own. You can't move, can't look away, helpless against this spell he's weaving around you. You can almost believe this is a sweet, romantic little moment. If only it was that simple. "And you're finally mine." ❣ oneshot, 7,251 wc ❣ Seokjin x Female Reader ❣ yandere, non-con, smut, restraints, forced orgasms. i don't even know what to say tbh. it's.........just very sexy. and very wrong. but very sexy.

The One by nicedress ↳ Every stamen lured into Yoongi’s bed leaves him with a new blossom on his skin and a new grave on his property. When he encounters Namjoon, a stamen who refuses to touch any pistil unless it’s his soulmate, all Yoongi sees is someone naive and easy to control. Someone to help around the farm without complaint. Someone to dig holes without realizing they’re graves. Someone Yoongi’s not quite willing to kill—not yet. ❣ oneshot, 27,176 wc ❣ Yoongi x Namjoon ❣ pistilverse au, serial killer, some violence. this story is absolutely perfect.

Honorable mention:

Between Two Sinners by LoquaciousLo ↳ In which you find yourself praying against your growing desires for the pastor's son - and his best friend - only to find it in the most faithless of places. When devils are sweet and their faces come in sets of two, what are you supposed to do? Will you resist? Or succumb to temptation? ❣ series, 114,672 wc ❣ Yoongi x Female Reader x Jimin ❣ son of a preacher, non-con, smut, a little angst. this story is incomplete, and i have only read the first few chapters anyway. but it's quite fun, if you're into this sort of thing.

also, i assume you have read more of mine than Collateral, but i have a handful of fics with very shady characters if you want more recs from my own pile, such a Boy Blue, Deadly Desire, Dollhouse, Abyss, With You Always, Consecration, Stuck, A Lamb in Wolf’s Clothing. 😈 have fuuuun!!!

if anyone has any recs along these lines, i am always open to read more! plz lmk!