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IMPORTANT!!!

that is all

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And you know what else bothers me? The sanitisation of characters and setting in Veilguard is so complete that not even Assan escapes it. I'm currently rereading Last Flight for fic reasons and it really hits how differently griffons are portrayed in the novel compared to Assan, who has basically taken on the role of a Disney animal sidekick. In the book, griffons are proud, territorial, and fierce. They demand absolute devotion from their riders, they have to be fed separately to avoid fights breaking out, they can outmanoeuvre an archdemon and punch darkspawn hard enough with their talons to break necks.

And yes, Assan is still growing, it's possible the fierce territoriality won't hit until he reaches adulthood and his easy affection could be either his immaturity or his individual personality, but he's still an apex hypercarnivore whose two constituent parts are also apex hypercarnivores. Taking him into Arlathan should result in a massive decline in the local nug population as he practices his hunting skills, and Davrin should be learning how to manage his flying weight the way falconers do with their birds, because apex predators don't exert themselves when their bellies are full. That halla should have been put out of its misery. At full growth he'll be eating a goat a day at least. He should not be being fed yams or carrots.

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I've been replaying DAO, DA2, and DAI (at the same time yes im ADHD) and I have to say - if you enjoy DatV, I'm happy for you, but for those who are acting like those of us who are disappointed are irrational: Be so for fucking real.

DAO's roleplay value and branching origins and storylines - I could be an evil son of a bitch, or a bitchy mfer with a heart of gold, or a pragmatist, or selfish, or selfless! The meandering conversations you can have with companions after giving them gifts in DA2 that give you insight into their character, with 3 distinct personalities. The sheer fuckload of colorful and lively conversations between companions AND the Inquisitor about anything from politics to philosophy to throwing parties and shopping to whether or not Divine Galatea took a shit on Sunday. I won't pretend DAI didn't water down the roleplay value but at least it was there a little bit! I can still play and at least somewhat feel like my asshole Inquisitor is an asshole, or the saint is a saint!

The romance hits me the most, though. I distinctly remember it being stated that they "didn't want to view romance as a thing where sex is the end goal." As if to imply previous games did this? Even though they very much did Not? Literally not a single one of them did this. And yet? AND YET???? SEX IS LITERALLY THE END GOAL. IN DATV. YOUR SEX SCENE IS AT THE END OF THE GAME. SEX IS THE END GOAL.

The way sex is treated in this game is so.... how were the older games MORE sex positive than the newer ones?? You don't have sex with people then magically catch feelings, the love isn't stored in the sex! Zevran fell for the Warden after they'd already been having sex. Iron Bull's relationship starts off witg mutual benefits involved. Isabela. Just Isabela. Fenris LEAVES after his first sex scene! BECAUSE SEX ISN'T THE END GOAL, FENRIS FALLING IN LOVE IS THE END GOAL.

I'm sorry I'm weirdly pressed about this. I get caught up in semantics.

And let me be clear: I HAVE BEEN A FAN OF DATV'S ROMANCES. I'm a sucker for romance, the bar is in hell for me. This isn't just me wanting to shit on DatV romances, but feeling the need to point out DatV being "the most romantic" seems blatantly false.

Unless we're counting Antoine and Evka. Which. Fair.

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Being on dragon age side of Tumblr is seeing a post of "BioWare stop treating me like a child and over explaining things to me" and right below that is a post with the biggest reading comprehension failure you've seen in your entire LIFE

Welcome back.

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Walking in on Lighthouse conversations like

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.... Anyone else flashback to the banters between Solas and Bull in Inquisition where they played a mental chess game and Solas won because of a play with a pawn? And how he slowly inched that pawn across the board during those banters? (Like he positions Rook and helps slowly "inch" them across the "board" to checkmate the Gods?)

Or about the banters between Solas and Sera about the Friends of Red Jenny, and how he couldn't really wrap his mind around the group's entire goal just being help in small ways without any significant goal truly in mind? (Like how he couldn't wrap his mind around facing, accepting, and processing regrets the way Rook does to escape the Fade prison because he's always thinking too big picture and grand purposes)

Or, perhaps one of the most interesting, the banters between Solas and Varric about Orzammar and how it is in the current time of the games? (And how all the questions Solas asks echoes or points to both what happened to the Elvhen empire and what he intends to do to try to fix his mistake?)

Or the banter where Viv asks if Solas enjoys seeing himself as the villain? And their banters discussing the Circle, and Viv's political prowess, and how "in another age" she "would've ruled an empire?"

Or banters with Dorian about spirits and magic, and how they are used in Tevinter? And on slavery in general? (And how those conversations are a very big part of Dorian actually thinking about the slaves in Tevinter in a meaningful way)

Or with Cassandra about the burdens of leadership and how Cass stepped aside from leading/making decisions for the Inquisition as a whole cause she recognized/felt she wasn't the one to wield such power? Or the one where Cass wonders if the Archdemons are "pets" to beings who no longer exist?

Anyone else thinking about the banters that weren't with Cole about spirits and how to "ground" one's self in the real world, or with Blackwall about being men that have seen war and done cruel things and have had to live a lie until caught in the lie? But were more about the nuances of lives lived and currently being lived; and the status quo and how it was vs how it is vs how it maybe should be; and the very core of his being and true beliefs and how he could find some kind of echo of each with the members of the Inquisition, reflecting and foiling in turn?

Just me? Cool, cool, cool

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the thing about going to bed early is that it doesn't stop you from being awake at one am anyway. doctors dont tell you this

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*uses alexius' time magic to go back in time and retcon veilguard*

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Okay so we need to talk about the *dialogue* in Veilguard. Because it is stilted and weird. Why do characters just repeat themselves? Regurgiate lore dump back at each other? And how is every NPC got like, bioware-mega-fan levels of knowledge about the world and it's history? Like are you breaking the fourth wall sneaking peaks at my codex and watching the same cutscenes as me???

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veilguard is the most finished unfinished game ever. it's hard to explain if you haven't played it but it's the most polished half-baked experience I've ever had with a game

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"people saying veilguard doesn't feel like a dragon age game are just whining because the choices don't matter, they didn't matter in previous games so grow up" actually people are saying veilguard doesn't feel like a dragon age game because rook is doing snow angels in the blight. actually people are saying veilguard doesn't feel like a dragon age game because characters no longer speak like they're from a fantasy game and instead say things like "full stop" which is MODERN SLANG. people are saying veilguard doesn't feel like a dragon age game because it doesn't. thanks

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Veilguard fails to realise that for those who believe, faith is stronger than anything, even facts.

Right in the beginning of Veilguard all the Dalish/veil jumpers are so nonchalant and against their gods returning, as if they were convinced offscreen that their whole faith was based on a lie (even though they all still wear vallaslin) and their gods were Evil™. This, again, fails to consider that the vast majority of the Dalish would either not believe or not care because it's their religion, their faith.

Morally ambiguous gods exist in real life religions too and it didn't stop people from believing in them. Divine morality transcends mortal understanding, so their actions are always rightful. This also leads to the concept of a 'god-fearing' person - even the term used (θεοσεβής) can mean both respect and fear. Mortals are humbled by the gods' power and greatness, and willfully submit to their divine authority.

You needn't go further than the goddamn Bible itself to see countless examples of unethical things that God did/supported including legitimization of slavery and punishment (Exodus 21:20-21 “Anyone who beats their male or female slave with a rod must be punished if the slave dies as a direct result, but they are not to be punished if the slave recovers after a day or two, since the slave is their property." is one unhinged example), cannibalism, many kinds of violence, war, and of course, genocide, one of which was literally the deliberate destruction of nearly all humanity and living creatures on earth. The god of the most widely practiced religion in the world for millenia. Ask a devout Christian if they would stop believing in God just because 'um actually he is bad'.

Mystery is also a great aspect of religion, which also makes it an excellent worldbuilding element for writers. Mystery adds to the immersion because just like the characters, we don’t know everything except the beliefs and unanswered questions. And we're not supposed to, because this is how religion works in real life, where faith is about belief rather than what’s fully understood. It makes the story feel more real and engaging. Professional writers - of a AAA title no less - should know this.

Religion was one of the greatest themes in all previous games, especially Andrastianism and the Elven pantheon. Reducing it all to 'the Evanuris did it' is disappointing to say the least, and even if it was the truth that only the writers knew, they should have kept it that way, or at least some of the mystery. It adds immersion, drama, nuance, it encourages thought and discussion. For all Veilguard failed in the 'show, don't tell' rule, in this case this is too much exposure, and not even done in a good way. ''Religion is fake, so now everyone's atheist or unfazed. Oh, except for one (1) person who is mildly upset'' is not how faith works, especially in a setting so religious as Thedas.

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Still thinking about the DATV banter where Bellara gets upset at Taash because the Lords of Fortune loot elven ruins but then because we're not allowed to have interpersonal conflict or character flaws in this game five seconds later Taash assures her that they have "the Keeper from the Dalish clan" appraise artifacts and return them to their rightful owners, as if it's not bizarre to claim that ONE guy from ONE clan could know every single ancient elven artifact and who its rightful owners are and how to return it to them. Not to mention they don't even bother giving this Dalish clan a name or location! He's just from "THE Dalish Clan!"

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probably the worst moment in my veilguard pt happened when, after completing one of the side quests i returned to the lighthouse, saw some new dialogue icons above companions........

and just fucking sighed with exhaustion

NO other DA game made me feel so irritated just by thinking that i have to listen to them talking again

Not a single one

like previously? i had companions that annoyed the shit out of me. that i hated and killed if given the opportunity, but i have n e v e r skipped their dialogues, i tried different routes to hear everything they have to say, i brought them gifts, listened to the banters i might've missed on YouTube

but the veilguard crew? i feel drained just by being near them

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Not only are the Comedy Wildlife Photo Award winners all excellent, the banner announcements are glorious when taken out of context.