thetevinterspy

[thetevinterspy]

Words

A Poem by The Tevinter Spy

Words can’t hurt you

except they do

poems too quiet, excruciating stillness

music too loud, stimulated pixels

Words can’t hurt you

except they do

fear and hate gnaw on keyboards

hiding in a static black box

Words can’t hurt you

until they do

tiny claw marks on porcelain skin

red seeping through on canvas

Words can’t hurt you

until they do

changing, hating, until it sticks

numb acceptance and salted tears

But

Words can heal you

spoken with care

sweet notes of calm reverence

whispered sighs in the inky black

Words can heal you

the cup overflows

honeyed lips at worship

full and content

Words can heal you

fervently, earnestly

praising and proud

a deep warmth fills

Words can heal, too

speak with compassion and joy

tranquility of soul

and always, love.

[thetevinterspy]

Thoughts: Re BioWare

Dragon Age wasn’t my first video game RPG. I was born in 1981 and have been gaming all my life, both on computers and consoles. But for me, Thedas is the greatest fantasy universe. It’s a place I’ve returned to countless times, where I’ve felt the safest and happiest. As a fan of all four games and the additional content, I feel deeply saddened by BioWare’s current situation. At the end of the day, this world and these characters belong to more than just the fans—they belong to everyone who worked on those projects.

Over the course of twenty years, countless creatives across various departments have contributed to the franchise. I’ve been fortunate enough to become friends with a few of them and to interact with many others. Most have been gracious, kind, and open to questions and feedback.

Today, as a fan, I’m uncertain whether we’ll ever see more official content for Dragon Age. While I’ve held onto hope in the past, I’m not sure that future seems as likely now. And so, I’m left feeling sad. When I think back on my experiences in Thedas, I can only imagine that the people who worked on these games must feel even more deeply and more conflicted than I do, especially because of the way the fandom has treated this IP through the years, and the developers with it.

This team, these developers, in gaming in general but especially within this fandom, have been horribly mistreated by both their corporate executives and the very fans who claim to love this IP. Instead of celebrating the wins—the incredible fifteen-year interactive story we all enjoyed—there’s been a constant stream of negative, misleading headlines, and attacks on anyone even remotely connected to the last game. It’s deplorable, and honestly, I’m not sure we deserve any more Dragon Age content. I don’t think I would be able to stomach putting these people through another Dragon Age development cycle to be abused and berated online.

I believe there is important work to be done by fans and content creators in fandom spaces to build safe, diverse, and welcoming environments where developers, writers, artists, and others can interact with fans. It’s crucial that content creators and influencers in these spaces foster critical thinking when discussing the games they cover. We need more committed in this space to hold positive boundaries between fans, creators, journalists and developers.

To the developers of Dragon Age, at any point and in any capacity: thank you. It speaks volumes that your game, your characters, your art, voices, and stories and things you poured years of effort into are so deeply loved. I don’t know what the future holds for Dragon Age, but I do know that many moments of personal happiness in my life are thanks to you all. I am so sorry that there is so much uncertainty today. I am truly grateful for the world you created and I promise to do my part in promoting a safer, more respectful fandom space for developers to engage with in the future and to continue to push, as a fan with a voice, for inclusive and diverse gaming experiences.

[thetevinterspy]

When I was little, people said I had too many opinions. Some thought I’d grow up to be a lawyer, but instead, I became someone who’s just outspoken on the internet. And now, it’s your problem, because here I am, sharing my unsolicited thoughts in blog form.

Today, news broke—though not directly from her—that Dragon Age: Veilguard game director Corrine Busche is leaving BioWare. The official announcement came later, but by the time I saw it, the story had already been circulating for a while. I found myself wondering about the timing since Edmonton’s in a different time zone, but eventually, the news was confirmed. It got me thinking—about the Dragon Age team, BioWare as a whole, and the strange dynamics of the gaming industry.

From the outside, it all seems incredibly stressful. The fan ecosystem surrounding these games is, to put it mildly, unique. Developers are treated almost like celebrities by certain parts of the fandom, but they don’t actually have the status or protection that comes with being a public figure. Meanwhile, EA and BioWare often seem to adopt a say-nothing approach, rarely stepping in to defend developers when things get heated or personal.

From an outside perspective—especially coming from a business and PR background—the payoff for game developers doesn’t seem to justify the stress and anxiety they endure. I’m sure there are countless reasons why unions aren’t common in the industry, but what I see is creative developers increasingly unable—or unwilling—to interact with fans due to our own bad behavior as a community and lack of protection and defense by those above them. Studios, in my opinion, need to do far more to protect their teams from crunch, burnout, and the toxicity of “fans” that has become all too common in this space.

But you know who I think holds the biggest responsibility to do better? Games “journalists” and creators who leap at any chance to rage-bait for clicks and views, amplifying hateful rhetoric without concern for the consequences. And the studios themselves, who then sit by and do nothing while their developers endure harassment. Someone at EA should be going through video after video, tweet after tweet, cataloging the hate, death threats, racism, and misogyny that Dragon Age developers, creators, and fans have faced—and responding with lawsuits where necessary. Ignoring it only emboldens the worst corners of the internet.

If BioWare wants to avoid this with Mass Effect, they need to overhaul their social media and PR strategies well before the game launches. Otherwise, we’ll see the same toxic cycle repeat itself. Until then, it falls on creators and prominent fans to push back against harmful “journalism” and hateful campaigns—to protect not only the IP we love but also the people who make it possible.

Now, I have no idea if any of this played a role in why Corrine left, but I do know that I couldn’t have endured what she likely faced over the last two or three years. She’s far from the only developer on the Dragon Age team to be on the receiving end of relentless criticism and harassment, much of it fueled by so-called “journalistic” hit pieces that embolden fans to run their mouths. It’s disgusting behavior.

And this issue isn’t limited to BioWare. The entire gaming industry needs more respected, responsible news outlets—and studios need to take far stronger action to combat threats and harassment. Ignoring the problem isn’t a solution, and it’s long past time for real change.

To Corinne and any other devs that have left BioWare since Veilguard: I see you. We see you. Thank you. Take care of yourselves. 💜

[thetevinterspy]

I have a hot take on the whole TikTok ban and China and USA situation, and since I treat this blog like a journal anyway, I’m putting my thoughts here.

When it became clear that, with the looming TikTok ban, people were looking at Rednote as an alternative, I’ll admit—I was a little nervous. Not because of the whole “China stealing our data” thing. I’ve been online since 1996, so if someone wants to find information on me, they probably already can. I’m not worried about that.

But I was nervous for a couple of reasons. I worried we might go there and make fools of ourselves, that we’d show up in droves and ruin the app, even unintentionally. Or worse, that the people there wouldn’t want us around at all.

I’ve seen others express similar concerns, but I decided to make a Rednote account anyway, just to see what it was like for myself. I felt I knew enough about China and East Asian culture to at least avoid embarrassing myself. So, I made a few posts—writing them in both English and Chinese—and started scrolling.

And, you guys? It’s good. To me, it feels like a mix of Instagram and Pinterest, and I had no trouble signing up. What’s been most incredible is seeing how…everyone’s just vibing. Now, I know we have some profound differences in government, culture, and ideology. But one thing about Americans is that we’re pretty friendly and curious. And this? This feels like an opportunity—an opportunity for both sides to see each other for who we really are, beyond politics. To see that we don’t have to be enemies.

I don’t think TikTok will actually be banned, but even so, I plan to stick around on Rednote as long as I’m welcome there. The home décor inspo, the hair, the nails, the dancing—it’s all so good. I’m loving this cultural exchange and the potential it has if we approach it with care.

[thetevinterspy]

Hi friends!

I updated my AO3 today- with chapter 5 in the Elek/Rook story, and I also added the beginnings of a new series with Emmrich.

I thought it might be fun to see how I do with other characters, just to get a handle on their voices, and I really wanted to explore the idea of Emmrich being the suave one, and I like how the first part turned out.

I also write things not related to Dragon Age, (gothic romance, mystery, and fantasy) if you’re interested in hearing more (or beta reading), please drop me a DM!

As always I love comments, feedback and suggestions.

[thetevinterspy]

“What do you intend to do?” Viago’s voice cut through the silence, sharp and taut. Elek had already started to leave, his back to them, but the question made him pause.

He glanced over his shoulder. “I’m going to get her back.”

Viago gave a small, almost imperceptible nod. There was something in his eyes — not quite approval, not quite hope — but it was enough. Elek nodded once in return, then turned and strode out of the Diamond.

[thetevinterspy]

I laugh every time someone random says they know the lore of a video game better than the ppl who created it.

[thetevinterspy]

Wow

your heart is a good heart 💖

team if there’s one thing i know how to do it’s make myself sad over pixels. a lil baby bellara/ cyrian wip for you.

[thetevinterspy]

Remember kids, every npc is romanceable through the power of delusion

[thetevinterspy]

Hi friends!

I have a new fic started with Elek and Vittoria. This one will be broken into chapters, and chapter one is fully edited and posted. This part isn’t explicit at all, and is mostly setup for later.

Thanks to all for the kind comments and reblogs. I have always loved to write but lately has brought me a new joy that I missed and needed.

The new fic is ‘Into the Fire’ 🔥 💕🫶🏻

[thetevinterspy]

Hi everyone!!

I haven’t been able to let go of Veilguard- I’m on my third playthrough, and still loving it. I have been, as usual however, far more obsessed with the side characters than I should be, so I’ve been writing fics to let my Rook have a little fun.

I finally got an AO3 invite, so I wanted to link it here and share in case any of you were interested in taking a look, because for this specific character there is not nearly enough.

I have one finished, and one midway through. It might have editing mistakes as I write everything in my notes app on my iPhone then copy paste, and edit as I go. Be kind. Both are involving Elek Tavor from the Threads and my Rook, who isn’t described but is named and is a Crow.

I’d love to know what you think, and if you have any other requests!

Your honor I love him.

[thetevinterspy]

They are in love already.

[thetevinterspy]

A small rant, if I may.

I did a quick search out of curiosity to see if EA has released any sales numbers for Veilguard. I’m loving the game and hoped others were feeling the same. At least from what I see in my feeds, plenty of people are really enjoying it. But I couldn’t find anything official on sales. Instead, I came across multiple articles claiming Veilguard is a massive flop—some say it barely hit one million sales, some say it hasn’t, with everyone citing “inside sources” and various “reasons” for its supposed failure.

Curious, I checked out Reddit for more thoughts on the sales, and there’s a lot of talk there from people who couldn’t bring themselves to finish it or only put in less than ten hours. They say it’s too linear, too much like a mobile game.

Honestly? It’s exhausting. The constant negativity feels so forced. I can’t help but wonder if we even played the same game. I know everyone’s experience varies, but I’m genuinely baffled—and more than that, worried about DA’s future.

I can’t imagine being on the dev team, working for years on Veilguard, only to be met with such vitriol—so much of it condescending and insulting. Many of these people have been with Dragon Age since Origins. Imagine how that must feel. I really hope they’re hearing the positive feedback too. I hope they’re looking after themselves and their mental health, and I hope they know that all that hard work wasn’t in vain. People are enjoying it. People do love it, love the inclusion and diversity, and feel like it was worth it.

I’ve written a review I’ll post later, and yes, I have my own critiques. But the bandwagon hate is getting out of hand. So many go in with this deep-seated hatred before they even start the game and then use the time they do play to pick it apart instead of just trying to enjoy it—or, honestly, playing something else.

I hope this isn’t the end of Dragon Age. I hope they keep making games that frustrate the people who refuse to evolve. I hope they keep writing novels, comics, and expanding Thedas for us.

Because so many of us need Thedas right now.

[thetevinterspy]

Claudia de Riva.

Obsessed.

[thetevinterspy]

Neve 😌😍

Gaby Soto is a gift

[thetevinterspy]

I finished Veilguard tonight and, against my better judgment, went on Reddit to discuss all the lore reveals and talk about what it meant to me. But as I read through the comments, I realized something: so many people seem to gravitate toward misery.

Maybe it’s my age, my life experience, or perhaps becoming a mother has changed my outlook. Or maybe it’s just my world view. Whatever the reason, I find myself less interested in picking things apart or dwelling on what I didn’t get out of an experience. I don’t go searching for flaws or obsess over what I wish something had been. I can look at a piece of art and appreciate it for what it is, not for what I imagined it could or should be. Criticism is fine—necessary, even—but I think it’s also important to honor and respect the people who spent years of their lives creating this, to see their work in a spirit of appreciation instead of harsh judgment.

As a mother raising a daughter in America, this week sucks. We’re constantly bombarded by reminders of everything wrong in the world—racism, misogyny, violence, and prejudice. It feels like we’re barely keeping our heads above water at times. That’s why, for me, Veilguard was more than just a game; it was a reprieve, a world where I could lose myself and find a sense of purpose, even if it was just fictional. It came at the perfect time, giving me a world I could dive into and, for a while, feel like I could make a difference. It was something positive to look forward to, a moment of joy.

And yet, reading the online discussions, I can’t help but feel that some people find it easier, maybe even more comfortable, to focus on the negative. Misery is familiar; it’s the easy route. Complaining, criticizing, and tearing down can feel almost effortless in a world where it sometimes seems like joy is harder to find. The discourse around this game has often been so exhausting and disheartening. I know not everyone loved Veilguard like I did, but that’s okay. Everyone’s entitled to their opinion, but I also think it’s okay to simply enjoy something. To say, “This brought me happiness, and that’s enough.”

At the end of the day, maybe we don’t need to take ourselves, or even the things we love, so seriously. It’s okay to defend something that brought us joy, to celebrate it, even if not everyone agrees. It’s okay to say, “This wasn’t perfect, but it was meaningful to me.” We’re so quick to tear things apart, but we rarely just pause to say, “This made me happy.” I feel a bit sad for those who couldn’t find joy in Veilguard, but I hope they find something that makes them feel the way this game made me feel. I hope they don’t stay bitter.

Because finding those moments—where we let go, stop overthinking, and just enjoy—is worth everything. Life is hard enough. Let’s embrace what brings us happiness without feeling the need to justify it. Let’s be a little gentler with our art, our stories, and each other. Sometimes, it’s enough to just be glad something exists that makes us feel good.

Ps: I want Vorgoth. Biblically. ❤️

[thetevinterspy]

Origins: the world is ending and you and your one remaining coworker are the only option left to save it.

II: the unavoidable tragedy of a queer friend group/polycule trying and failing to save their fucked up city

Inquisition: you went to a conference and accidentally ended up in charge of saving the entire world (again) with a team of colleagues who are (mostly) professionals and outstanding in their fields.

**

Veilguard:

Rook: hey, I suffered from “sudden field promotion” after “fucking everything up worse than it already was.” I’m putting a team together to kill at least one, maybe three, Gods

Seven of the most unwell people in Thedas: say no more, I’m in