A bloodthirsty vampire spawn and a murderous demi-god enjoying their good ending 😌

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Kiana Khansmith

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Peter Solarz
we're not kids anymore.
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@varggies
A bloodthirsty vampire spawn and a murderous demi-god enjoying their good ending 😌
Among these "cishet" Dragon Age women, who would you make queer?
Morrigan
Anora
Aveline
Meredith
Cassandra
Someone else (leave in tags)
Close-ups of the villains from the Animal Beach Ball vol.2 series!
(source)
i guess the most interesting thing to me about cassandra's mentality wrt positioning herself in relation to power is that it's so clearly in reaction to how much of her life trajectory was defined by politics. she was orphaned because of her parents' involvement in an attempted coup and then taken in and raised by her mortalitasi uncle, and she's openly disdainful of both her own titles/ties to royalty and necromancy. she characterizes herself and her role as seeker/right hand as a brute force bruiser, in direct contrast to/rejection of the scheming and subterfuge that, to her, are the defining characteristics of Politics.
but that separation isn't actually as neat as she would like it to be - in the first place, she was rerouted from the templars to the seekers by her uncle, and the seekers are underdeveloped as all hell, but her noble status + his influence as a high-ranking mortalitasi definitely had a part to play in her acceptance into the order. then the vast majority of her time as a seeker has actually been spent as right hand, a position she was granted effectively as a publicity stunt capitalizing on her fame as the hero of orlais. her own shows of force are deliberately used when she knows they will be effective and when she knows she can get away with violence.
& like, cassandra is evidently more politically aware than she chooses to portray herself, as a result of her background and her experience as right hand. she doesn't like the people who play the game and doesn't have the patience or the subtlety to be an effective player, but she's been in these environments, occupying a position of not-insignificant power herself, long enough to get an understanding of what goes on.
there's a related mental divide she tries to maintain between 'duty' and 'ambition' when it comes to engaging with politics and vying for power. she is obligated to carry out her duty to serve a greater moral or religious purpose above her own personal interests. (although this duty may just so happen to intersect with, say, her personal interest as a teenager in seeking vengeance for her brother's death). the power she holds as seeker/right hand/potentially divine is not a reward but a burden of responsibility she has to take on for that purpose. ambition, on the other hand, is shameful because it's the pursuit of one's personal interests.
Cassandra: I am ill-suited to finery, Vivienne. Besides, I can accomplish more as I am now. Vivienne: You pursued duty and responsibility, a path that took you next to the Sunburst Throne. Well played. Cassandra: I try to do the Maker's work. Where I stand while doing so is unimportant. Vivienne: You must admit it does help.
then they bring you to the same place anyway. funny how that happens. like there's this... i think cassandra engages in a certain amount of self-deception where she wants to believe she is where she is because of her own merit, she wants that to be the way the world works. and to say that can't be entirely true of her or of the world she lives in isn't even really meant to be disparaging of her, it just is what it is. and she doesn't want to see and accept that.
It distresses me that [Galyan and the other Circle mages'] contribution has been overlooked while I have been singled out as a hero. I was willing to die to protect the Most Holy, it's true, and I almost did die. But fighting against such evil is my sworn duty. Galyan had no such oath to compel him.
..just playing around~
"Hey, boss"
by unpopular demand. from here. my official list of which dai characters should Not like cullen like that
varric's opinion should depend on whether hawke was pro-mage or pro-templar. pro-mage hawke's varric should also refuse to say anything negative about cullen until you have high approval, because he is also a prisoner here and what is he, an idiot?
cole should say, out loud, with his mouth, that he has compassion for cullen and understands his fears and etc. but any time theyre in a room together cole should immediately get, like, Spirit Freakout Weird, and then they need to be separated. because cole can't cope with the impressions hes getting of mages being kidnapped and harrowed and made tranquil and killed.
sera should hate him outright. are you kidding. her whole bit is she's anti-authoritarian and sets herself Against people who wield institutional power & who have the power and inclination to commit to actions with disproportionate effects on the marginalised and the vulnerable. and cullen's career trajectory has been templar -> knight captain in city where templars more or less run the show -> (acting) knight commander, same city -> commander of religious army. she should be Loud and Insensitive about it
vivienne should not be able to forget that he was knight captain in kirkwall during the escalation of violence against mages culminating in the chantry explosion and (botched?) annulment. she's a mage who created for herself through luck and skill and daring an incredibly precarious position of influence, she knows the templars probably resent her enormously; she's the leader of the loyalist mages; and how can she look at him without thinking of what he's been part of, and wondering what it will take for him to turn on her? and conversely, cullen might not be part of the templar order anymore, but he absolutely believes that the templars should, in some form, exist— he's spent two games as a Zealot. he should have feelings about basically the most politically prominent mage in the south making moves towards becoming divine. feelings about mages in "real" politics, not just circle politics. can anybody hear me. also vivienne should not ever say this out loud u should only be able to tell by comparing how she speaks to him with how she speaks to characters she feels actively warm to but in a vacuum it's not obvious and she should only be willing to tell You w/ high approval
dorian is a tevinter altus. he is a necromancer. per the orlesian chantry hes basically already a blood mage even though by his definition he is Not. cullen should hate him on principle — a product of a nation in which mages aren't just free but (supposedly universally) revered, in which mages keep slaves and practice blood magic, The Big Scary That The Orlesian Circles Rely On As Evidence Of What Happens When You Let Mages Be People. and conversely— dorian comes from tevinter! to him, a templar is the dog of the wealthy ruling class! and to be honest southern templars are not better, they just serve different masters... and he of all people should feel that a templar's ~power over mages~ is basically just a cultural construct. like. we have seen that when mages Genuinely fight back, templars start dropping immediately. nobody is more well-positioned to know this and disdain southern templars' skills and power than dorian, who did not grow up with the culturally ingrained fear and awe of them that southern circle mages did. THEY SHOULD GET INTO IT. and he should take many opportunities to say it also
i dont have a six. taking suggestions
OH SOLAS WAS MY SIX. ok i feel like this one is obvious though right
Final Keyhole 🔥
all roads lead to blaming trick weekes
Bee’s Personal Veilguard Amendments, a list of faults and flaws noted within Dragon Age’s final installment first begun on November 7th 2024 in no particular order:
The games title should never have been changed from Dread Wolf
Solas had a large following of elves post Trespasser that had been completely retconned during Veilguard. The Agents of Fen’harel should have been Solas’ first act of good faith towards Rook. These agents should have been used to activate crossroads and connect them to the lighthouse. Rope should’ve had the option to turn away to help if they did not trust solace and therefore the ages would turn to the Evanuris
Rooks who are not Dalish elves should not have access to Vaseline. Nor should non-drawf Rooks have access to Castless Brands
The trinkets left in Rook's room within the Lighthouse should have changed depending on the background and class combination. A Crow Rook has no business having a 'magical artifact final project' they had to finish to become an assassin
Specific Rook backgrounds should have been race locked. For example: Qunari should not have been allowed to be a Shadow Dragon or an Antivan Crow, Dwarfs should not have been able to be a Mourn Watcher or Veil Jumpers,
A Shadow Dragon Rook should have been an ex slave not the adoptive child of a shem of influence
Harding’s personal quest/arc should not have centered on isatunoll and the blood of titans. She is the representative of the Inquisition, her view and eyes could have been an excellent way to explore what has become of that organization in the last 10 years. Had player choice not been obliterated this would have been an excellent avenue to reflect different world states
Davrin should not have had Assan nor should the griffons have been brought back. The black man was reduced to his pet and many people made the decision at the end of the game based on saving Assan with him as an afterthought (source: some of you people have blatantly said so in the notes of my posts). His backstory and personal quests should have centered around the cure for the Blight which was important part of Inquisition and what Hawke was doing in Weisshaupt
Rook should not have been the de facto leader of the Veilguard, after it comes to light that Solas can and see everything that Rook does there should have been a wedge put between them and the party that needs to be bridged where there is information the rest of the companions know that Rook doesn’t until they have to. While Rook is the face of the Veilguard, Harding should have been in the hands. This would have helped the “We need to be one big happy found family to defeat the gods” plot the game was going for by route having their own steaks in it instead of them being a mediator and HR representative
Emmrich, while a fascinating character, should have been replaced with Kieran. Keiran’s entire childhood was spent within the confines of the Crossroad. He has the blood of Mythal and, depending on world states, has the soul of an arch demon. This connects to the spread of the Blight and Solas’ Shenanigans. While his existence is dependent on world states a reminder that so was Leliana’s and yet she was a central character in Inquisition while she could have died in Origins during the Urn of Sacred Ashes quest
Rook should not have met with the Inquisitor in Tevinter, a place filled with people who want the Inquisitor dead. As there is an Eluvian at Skyhold it would have made more sense for Rook and Harding to have gone through the crossroads and met the Inquisitor within Solas’ Rotunda. Again, the frescoes would have been an excellent way to honor the players previous world states. This is not to say the entirety of Skyhold should have been rendered. Rook should have been confined to the Rotunda with notes and intractable objects peppered through the three floors to be explored. This also would’ve been an excellent avenue for world building for people who have never played a Dragon Age game before
The Caretaker/Felassan’s spirit, while a fascinating character, should have remained a ferryman and a caretaker the Lighthouse. The specs/mods he offers should have been implemented by Sandal. A reminder that as of Trespasser, Sandal was within the Crossroads. Sandal also would have been the ideal avenue for Harding’s implemented background. As it is previously established he was found deep within the deep roads and is lyrium sensitive
Bellara, while an interesting character should have been replaced or introduced by Merrill, the established Eluvian Expert of the Dragon Age series. Not only would it make narrative sense for Merrill to be involved given her connection to Varric, it also would allow the player to know more about blood magic, an aspect of the series that is grossly overlooked and downplayed throughout the game (hello random chantry destroyed in a major city via venatori blood ritual that is never acknowledged outside that quest)
Bellara should have been a rogue and not a mage. Her background should have centered on the revelation of Fen’harel and who the pantheon actually are
Tash’s storyline should not have been centered on them being descendant of a dragon or whatever with new convoluted lore that’s never once brought up in any previous installment states. What is previously established and overlooked within Veilguard is the existence of saarebas. An interesting branch for their character instead of choosing to embrace their heritage or discard it would have been them choosing to embrace being a mage over a warrior and to not fear the magic that they have or to suppress it. This would also been a good anecdote to their orientation where in the real world a lot of of us nonbinary folks have to decide whether or not we push down and hide who we actually are because that’s the easier/safer path
The choice of what happens in the Well of Sorrows should have mattered. On one hand if you choose Morrigan to drink it she should succumb her mother’s will and be fundamentally different character than she is in the previous three instalments. On the other hand if it is the Inquisitor who drank out of it (especially an elven inquisitor) their influence as the inquisitor should have been diminished or altered as they are considered a liability in the same way Rook is
The aspect of Mythal encountered within the Crossroads should not be a shem. This is self-explanatory
The twist with Varric should not have been something that came off as lazy writing until the rug gets proverbially pulled out from under the player. There should be dialogue throughout the game such as when Rook and Co go to get Lucanis they say ‘I can’t wait to tell Varric about this’ in the underwater prison and Harding responds with a sucked in breath or a sad ‘he’d like that’
On that note the underwater prison where Lucanis is being held makes no fucking sense. While it’s a very cool place why would a Venatori stronghold be in the harbor of Treviso
The Quinari invasion of Treviso also makes no sense. Yes the country has no military strength but making them the antagonistic force in scantily clad armor reduces them to nothing more than cannon fodder and a savage attacker that needs to be annihilated. This could have been an opportunity to explore the political machinations of the Antivan Crows and Viago’s connection to his father (the king of Antiva)
The Antivan Crows should not have been rebranded as freedom fighters. These are ruthless power-hungry assassins, not a happy go lucky family. They buy and sell children and kill them as soon as they are no longer useful. It should be very clear that the only reason Crow Rook did not get killed after they botched a mission was because Viago has a soft spot for them
Regarding the previous point Jacobus should have been killed for he and his cousin’s failure, not rewarded and given his own house
Catarina should actually have been killed. The Illario portrayed in the Wig Maker Job was a much more fascinating character then the caricature given to us in the game. He should also not have access to blood magic and instead should have been manipulated by Zara
It should not have been an option at the end of Lucanis’ personal quest to spare his cousin. Either he kills him and becomes the First Talon or he renounces the title and hands it over to Viago
Rook should not have been able to walk through piles of the Blight and gain the status effect Blighted. Even with this mechanic still implemented in the game it should constitute as a death sentence and to be avoided
Fereldan should not have been reduced to one missable letter where it’s declared lost to the Blight that you can revert with power of friendship in a section of the world map. At the time Veilguard takes place depending on previous world states the Hero of Fereldan and/or the Wardens in Awakening are still very much alive
There is dialogue where Harding and Emmrich go for a weekend camping trip in Ferelden a place stated in the game as being decimated by the Blight, this should not have happened
Carver/Bethany should have been available as one of the Wardens met within the game. This would have been another opportunity for Varric’s death to be alluded to. See above regarding Leliana and the Urn of Sacred Ashes for world state concerns
Carver/Bethany should have been the bridge from Harding to Davrin as Carver/Bethany knew Varric
Isabella’s armor did not need to be like that and a Morrigan who did not drink from the Well of Sorrows should not have Mythal’s circlet
The Viper should have been an elf, and the ratio of Shadow Dragons that are shems should have been much lower
Tevinter is a city built upon slaves, they should be in the game. As should the Tranquil
Neve is a mage, she could’ve been the players avenue to learn more about the Circle and how it operates within Telvinter. To tie that into the Shadow Dragons and her her personal quest could’ve been involved tranquil being taken or sold from the circle and given to the Venatori
The Venatori should not have just been cannon fodder with no leader or organization especially during the quest where they’re throwing themselves at Elgar’nan’s feet. It makes no sense for this organization that despises elves and believes themselves better in every capacity to break so easily
Going back to the previous point the Blood of Arlathan quest should have involved Bellara’s clan instead of the Venatori. Not only because this would allow the players to actually see a Dalish clan, it would have tied that companion back into the main quest and make her more invested in the stakes the plot provides
All of the Veil Jumpers and Dalish provided in the game are portrayed as bumbling fools who die in every single trap laid out before them. I see this only serving as a mirror of developer’s view of the indigenous people of Canada
The Veil Jumpers themselves should have been a clan instead of a haphazardly thrown together group
The Lords of Fortune should not have been Disney thieves with morals. This would’ve provided an excellent clash and friction between Tash and Bellara involving stolen artifacts
Solas was a spirit of wisdom. There should’ve been points in the game where we saw Tevinter bees turning spirits against their purposes to give his revelation more emotional weight to players who did not care about him
Rook should’ve been allowed to destroy the Veil, and if not l then an Inquisitor who drank from the Well of Sorrows
(if you’ve read down to this point you have my permission to add your own points to the game in the rbs. Note that I don’t have to agree with you nor you to I)
Ah yes, I have an amendment: Veilguard should've been made by literally anyone else
not very heroic, number two...
abandoned collection of panels of dabi and hawks being foils
One of the major faults of Veilguard's dialogue is how often it's shaped by generic platitudes and sound bites instead of actual specific things happening or being talked about in the narrative. "Sometimes people let you down", "Family makes things complicated", "Bullies are always drawn to power", "It's just people trying to live their lives", "You have to take care of yourself every once in a while", "When your heart and your gut are both telling you, 'Do what you can'--"
My biggest issue with this is not a quibble over whether or not these things are true (like all platitudes they are trivially true, whether or not they're appropriate or correct things to say in the context the characters say them), but that they are a style of placeholder dialogue that exists to avoid having to give specific details or actual development. They could only be interesting if they were argued against, demonstrated, or interrogated for meaning in some way. Instead, the characters often take these things as read, and so nothing comes of it.
Like the line "How many exceptions 'til tyranny?"--a one-off sentiment expressed by a Lich at the end of Emmrich's questline. It doesn't exist to provide meaning or create a conversation. It exists to provide a cheap explanation as to why Emmrich is not allowed to both become a lich and to revive Manfred. There is no impassioned argument on behalf of a grieving Emmrich, torn between the protege that he loved and the life's work that he is about to give up, spurred on by the phobia that defines his motives. Nobody thinks to argue that as a wisp Manfred wasn't a "mortal" who is "supposed" to die to begin with (but then, it's either canon-breaking that they can resurrect Manfred at all, or it's no big deal and they don't need lich approval to do it, and there is no in-between on this one I'm afraid). There is no exploration of what it looks like when a Lich has "exceptions", whether in the past or during the course of the story (since Johanna was obviously not trying to resurrect people in terms of what made her a bad lich). And are there circumstances where "no exceptions" can also be a form of tyranny? How would that work? Could Rook argue that on Emmrich's behalf?
Of course not, this is cheap glue holding the scene together, we can't interrogate it or it'll fall apart.
All of Veilguard's platitudes are like that. Neve says "The gods were people, and people can let you down"--no one wants to challenge her on this? No one wants to argue that "let you down" is a MILD phrase to use for "the people you selected to protect you decided to enslave and torture you instead"? No one wants to argue that they SHOULD have been better, they were practically gods! No one wants to push their basic faith that sometimes people DON'T let you down? If someone were to push back on this line, then it might have told us something about Neve or the character arguing with her. It might have given us actual specifics in terms of what is going on--in what way were the gods "people" and what made them tyrants? Could someone else have done better? Is there no other way this could have gone? But this is filler dialogue. You're not supposed to think about it. It is supposed to paper over the scene in your head so the writers don't have to tell you any more than that. You are expected to nod your head at this aphorism and keep going.
This is, incidentally, why so much of the dialogue comes across as blandly lecturing the player.
And it's not a SURPRISE that the game with the amateur writer as narrative head where they spent the majority of the development time with no idea what the hell they were doing with the story is chock full of filler dialogue, but it is, you know, irritating when it's the sequel that was supposed to explain shit to us. What is Tevinter like? Oh, you know. Like any place with people living in it. What were the ancient elves like? They were people trying to live their lives, of course.
I don't need the game to be having arguments with itself all the time to be clear, but platitudes are something you write when you don't have anything to actually say. When you know that Bellara's problem is that her brother has become suckered in by a charismatic cult leader and is about to do a ritual that will kill/torture people, then your advice to her should be about that and not that she needs to “do what [she] can but take time for [her]self too”. "Family is hard" CAN describe this situation, but it can also describe a million other situations and so if I was Bellara I think I'd get kind of pissed that it feels like no one's actually paying attention to my specific problem.
What an honor.
He’s sharing his soba with you~♡
With this drawing, I confronted two of my greatest weaknesses – hands and perspective.🫣
By the way, anyone who wants to can also color it in.😊
Thanks to @hokusu and @hawks-flat-ass for their little help with the picture.🥰
destiny 🜲 - my shop | desktop wallpaper
Real late with that but here's another piece for @dafuckedupshipsweek
Prompt: Codependency
Some close-ups under the cut
Varric Tethras Dragon age