Bungie vs. Destiny 2 and Marathon

 Okay, first things first. I haven't played Marathon (yet) and probably won't. For one very simple but valid reason. I'm not a huge PvP fan. I just don't dig fighting other players. Now, that doesn't say the game isn't good. Though, going off of the many (oh my god, so many) videos of gameplay and reviews and breakdowns that I have watched... it kind of just seems like Destiny 2 PvP was put into a filter and they glazed Marathon OG over it and sent it out and said look at the 'new' game we made. 

But that can be excused because studio games will look like studio games. Bethesda games look like Bethesda games, Bioware games look like Bioware games etc. But the rub is that the writing, from what I understand and have seen, suffers in Marathon. And... that can also be expected from heavy PvP games. Fans tend to fill in the gaps when it comes to those kinds of games because writing isn't exactly the main point. 

Now, recent news that Bungie is halting support for Destiny 2 has sent the D2 community into a tailspin and the whole "it's just a game" thing has taken the internet by storm with tons of videos and commentary revolving around that. But, we also have to remember that Bungie doesn't own Bungie anymore and it's not really them calling the shots, is it? Sony says "do this" and they have to do that. So, that's important to keep in mind.

It's also important to keep in mind that corporations are... well, corporate minded. They aren't exactly out there thinking about what is best for the player/consumer nor are they even making smart business decisions, in all honesty. Corporations have become increasingly (and to their detriment) short-sighted in recent years and you can see the decision arcs they make that will ultimately lead to their downfall. Sacrifices they make to make money right now versus creating products that will ensure their future because... I don't know, honestly.

If you ask a lot of Destiny players or watch some of the videos out there, you can see that a lot of people have thought that Bungie has been "ruining" their game for a long time now. And, well, that can be taken with a grain of salt, in my opinion. Writing choices aren't always going to go over well with everyone and everyone's going to have an opinion about them. 

For me? I stopped playing D2 shortly after cross-play was introduced primarily because I'm a solo console player and while it technically is possible to cheat on console, it's not common. While cheating on PC is very common. So, even though I rarely, if ever, went into the crucible, I did play Iron Banner and I was in Gambit from the beginning. But, when cross-play happened, cheating went rampant and unless you were protected by set matches and fireteams, or you had a cheater on your team, there was zero chance of winning. And I'm not like "oh they just played better" no - I mean constant suppers for all and repeat, back to back invasions. And not just once or twice. Nearly every single match. Strikes became unplayable because of asshole players suddenly trying to kill console players or do that stupid punch thing in the face the whole strike until you quit it. Like, it was awful. And I had been playing since D1 and never had those issues, ever. And if you play or played Destiny, you know it's not a "casual" game that you can just play a few hours ever other week. I'm talking the max out every season, constantly struggling with vault being full, etc. I have every exotic you can get without raiding (again, solo player) and I do mean every exotic. Occasionally, I'd team up with a friend of mine to go through a dungeon just to get the layout and mechanics down and then I'd farm that shit solo. So yeah, when I say cross-play ruined it for me, it's not just whining. But there's not much I can do about that short of turning cross-play off on my xbox, which I did. It still cut what was already limited content for me. And eventually, I just stopped playing. And I was/am okay with that. Yeah, I miss it, I'll always miss it. But things change and the world moves on.

But what Bungie is doing now? Again, isn't even really their fault. I looked at Marathon and looked into it when it first was announced... and the first thing that came to mind... Anthem. That's what it reminded me of. Not the game itself but the move. The decision. And it was just kind of like... oh dear. Because we all know how that turned out. And frankly, Bioware has never recovered. 

So, Destiny's decision to straight up cut D2? I get that it's a combination of a lot of different things from corporate daddy Sony telling them to do things and from the studio itself making bad choices over the years that have dominoed into this. And people can wail over the layoffs all they want but it's also important to remember that the gaming industry isn't immune to layoffs. It's not some mythical place where those things don't happen. Layoffs always suck, they always hurt and they will never make things better. But corporations, and this includes gaming studios/developers (I don't know why they were ever thought to be excluded from the corporate idea but anyway), will always be looking at their bottom line. Yeah, they're creating a certain kind of art but that's irrelevant when it comes to corporate. They are about the money. And D2 has been surviving on service fees rather than game sales. 

And I get the idea behind a new IP but - it's not new. It doesn't look new, the premise isn't new and that's why it didn't do well. Because there's nothing new about it. It's not a new game. It's an old game continuation with Destiny glazing and from what I understand, very little writing. It's Overwatch. It's CoD. It's Battlefield. It's Destiny. It's just another PvP. And the industry at large should look at the sales of those games and see that players are so over it. But have they? No. Which goes back around again to them making stupid business decisions. That whole no original thought. 

Larian managed to hit a home run with a sequel (three-qual?) but there were a lot of unique factors that came into play with that success. From the market at the time of release, the current lack of games at that time, the amazing writing/voice actors, and the longing people had for a game that harkened back to when games were "good" (depending on who you ask). The real kind of proof if Larian is just a good game studio and can just straight up make good games that have nothing to do with markets etc will be their next game release. How will that do? Because it's slated to be launched when there will be a lot of other options for players. No idea if those options will be good or not but there will be options. BG3 was released in a variable desert. There had been nothing and wasn't anything for a while after that. 

I watched the xBox showcase (6/7/26) and there were a few games there that looked interesting and I'm sure a lot of people were excited about more than one. Plus, I saw the return of an xbox console exclusive. So, after years of Sony not honoring their deal, Microsoft has decided to go back to exclusivity. The game looked... interesting. Steampunk fans will be excited, maybe. It looked really... Outerworlds to me. That same kind of spunk, but maybe that's just Steampunk in general. We'll see how it does. I don't think I'll get it but my husband might be interested in playing it. 

I know I'm still waiting on Exodus and Divinity. Of course, I'm eager for the next Mass Effect but I'm cautious because Bioware hasn't exactly been... well, in touch. Veilguard was awful in that it didn't keep to Thedas at all; the lore was messed up entirely and that was just... disappointing. So, Exodus and Divinity for the win. 

Bungie though... I hate to say it but I think ending their Destiny series and focusing on Marathon? This might be Sony's clandestine way of ending them instead.

Dragon Age Veilguard: Start/Stop Projects vs. Straight-Up Screw Ups

 Okay so I've been writing things down when I've been playing because there's been so many pieces of information in this game that just straight up don't make sense and contradict one another and it got me thinking about how people like to scream "but it's the result of like three different stop/go projects and ten years!" And that that somehow makes up for the massive inconsistencies and frankly, lack of continuity issues in the game.

Now, sine it's just easier to put my points in bullet format, that's what I'll do. This is just what I can recall off the top of my head and this does show inconsistencies that might be a result of stop/go projects and the like. With regards to voice actors/directors/scripting etc. Because as well all know (or at least, should know) these projects can be massive and they encompass many different departments etc. But! This is just Veil Jumper related stuff:

• If playing a Veil Jumper Rook, we automatically know that they have been with Varric and Harding for "the better part of a year" (so says Solas). And we know that there was a big to-do that made them leave the Veil Jumpers and go with Varric. There was a big spat with Strife (heh) and there was a destroyed map involved, etc. Thus, leading us to believe that Rook had spent at least some measurable amount of time with the Veil Jumpers prior to leaving with Varric.
• If playing a non-Veil Jumper Rook, Harding will introduce Strife & Irelin to Rook and say that they met them "while hunting Solas" (there's a whole comic about this) and she introduces them as Veil Jumpers. So, it's pretty much established that Veil Jumpers have been around a while.
• When meeting Bellara (the Veil Jumper's best artifact handler) however, even a non-Veil Jumper Rook doesn't know her. And even though Arlathan Forest is pretty big and the Veil Jumpers could, in theory, be spread out. It's still a relatively small organization and everyone pretty much as at least heard of one another. Bellara has even heard of a VJ Rook. So, it's assumed that she joined while Rook was away.
• Bellara was also already a Veil Jumper when Cyrian died. But, the way it is spoken of, this was something that happened early in her "career".
• That all being established - this is where things get... messy timeline wise.
• Bellara will tell whoever your 3rd companion is on your way to Di'Meta's Crossing, while explaining about Tevinter Magisters and Blood Magic and the War etc. that whatever Solas did "stirred everything up again".
• Bellara will also mention that Arlathan started "going bad" right around the time of Solas' ritual. (Though I can't remember exactly when she says this).
• Strife will also tell Morrigan that the "troubles" began "about the time Solas' ritual went wrong".
• Bellara also tells Davrin that the Veil Jumpers haven't been around that long - that they started "shortly before Solas' big ritual".
• There's a lot of other comments like this regarding when the Veil Jumpers started and when things in Arlathan started to "rot" or "go bad". And it all pretty much gets pointed to "right around" or "shortly before" Solas' big ritual. Which... doesn't make a lot of sense. I mean, the going bad makes sense, sort of. His wild magic explosion/release can make things go wonky but the start of the Veil Jumpers is what doesn't make sense.

These are the kind of things that can be the result of stop/go projects. Scripts being edited and re-edited etc. (However, it is still the responsibility of the lead writer/project lead to make sure these kinds of inconsistencies are either addressed or are not there in the first place.)

What aren't the result of the aforementioned are things like...

Getting canon completely and 100% wrong and not just wrong but contradicting it with regards to the Qun and Tevinter Slavery. (Saying slavery is illegal in Tevinter when it isn't, saying people can just leave the Qun when they very much can't, etc.)

Doing things that are just irksome like going through the trouble of building all the underwater spaces completely, the water etc and the animations/whatever of Rook drowning vs. just letting them fucking swim.

Consciously removing anything uncomfortable in the game world. Slavery, the Qun, Elven persecution, etc.

Not informing the player (because a lot of them are new to the DA world) about how the Blight has worked in every single game/book/comic until now. As in, it spreads and is contagious and doesn't just stop at a city's borders. (Which is why a Warden Rook would never chose Minrathous over Treviso.) Also, on that same note, putting up a splash screen of "Blighted Minrathous" and then us never seeing the Blight in Minrathous again until the very end of the game when Elgar'nan blights the city.

Taking a complex, in-depth, massive world and just cutting away parts that make you feel icky - that is not the result of start/stop projects. That's the result of... hell, I don't even know. It'd be like someone making the next Resident Evil game and there suddenly never having been an Umbrella Corporation and there inexplicably being no mention of them. And suddenly, these things that are running around don't actually kill people - they just freeze them or something. Resident Evil fans would be screaming "WTF?!" And they'd, rightfully, be ticked off. And the project lead, after costing their company over 200 million dollars, not just in lost projected sales but in literal money cost to make the game, would get fired. Because that's what happens when you fuck up so monumentally. 

Veilguard Anti-Criticisms and How They Missed the Mark : Slavery

 Okay so... here's the thing. I've been seeing a lot of posts that simultaneously defend DA Veilguard and argue against pretty much any and all criticisms. And like... okay... so... okay. Just... okay. Since people's reading comprehension is severely lacking - let's start by saying that if you love the game, that's fine. No one's saying you can't love this game. It's a fun game to play. The characters are interesting. The voice acting is pretty good. The writing is... uh... up to... personal preference? Most of it is good. The game itself, the actual game, runs flawlessly. I've personally done ten full playthroughs, start to finish, most of them include every side quest there is, and I have had it crash only once and have witnessed only one glitch. So, that alone says a lot. It shouldn't but in this day and age - it does.

But there are issues with the writing. Big ones. And these aren't personal preference kind of issues. And the anti-criticism posts I've been seeing have all missed the mark on the real problems with the game. One of the most recent anti-criticism things I've seen has been revolving around slavery in the game or rather, the lack of.

To better organize my thoughts on this, it's formatted a bit oddly.

The anti-criticisms seem to argue against = DA Veilguard didn't address slavery in Tevinter. And thus, the anti-criticism is that the audience should just know that slavery is a thing. And that the player base should assume that the blood that the blood mages are blooding themselves with come from slaves. And, there's no reason it should be shoved into our faces.

The actual criticism though = DA Veilguard sterilizes slavery in Tevinter. This is actually a two part problem in the game. 1. We only see one slave in the game and he's in the Necropolis. We see none in Minrathous. We only find out from an ex-slave Rook that this is a part of their backstory in a single line dialogue never to be revisited again. 2. The game leads one to believe that only the Venatori keep slaves.

The reason this is a problem = Slavery has always been a thing in the DA universe. And 'everyone in Thedas' knows that slaves are a very big thing in Tevinter. Slavers comb far and wide for slaves specifically to sell in Tevinter. People are stolen all over for that purpose. So, in Minrathous, the capital of the Tevinter Imperium, we should see slaves. Not saying they had to show an auction or public whippings or anything but they should have been there. Doing the shopping, following their 'masters' around, running errands etc. Things we know they did. We know from Orana that she and her Papa did the shopping for their Magister master. We know from Fenris that he went out into the city with Danarius all the time as security, intimidation, and to just be shown off. (We also know that there's no such thing as a free slave in Tevinter, so that rules out the argument of us only being in the "poorer" part of Minrathous and thus, not seeing them - especially the elves.) We know from Dorian that his house had slaves. That most did/do. And that, even to the much adored Dorian, slavery is "better than being poor". Like, it's such a part of the life there that it's literally everywhere.

So, the only people who would think that only blood mages have slaves are people who have played DA2 only, and only know about slaves from Orana and Fenris, who both had horrible experiences involving slaves and blood magic. And still, they said nothing about Ventatori. But according to Dorian, slavery is just how it is in Tevinter. Not just Venatori own slaves. All Magisters own them. Everyone of a certain wealth owns them.

And, before anyone balks, it is unknown whether or not Maevaris actually owned slaves because prior to Veilguard, even the Lucerni had nothing to do with anti-slavery. (I like to think she didn't but who knows.) They were only ever supposed to be anti-Venatori and by extension, anti-corruption. But slavery was never included in that until they heavily implied that in Veilguard.

There's a difference between shoving something in someone's face and understanding that it's a part of the world. If Veilguard is the first game that some people have played, how are they supposed to know that slavery is such an intrinsic part of life in Tevinter and not just something the evil Venatori do as another thing that makes them ultra-evil? Because that seems to be a big chunk of the player base. Which makes since, the last DA game was ten years ago. And in fact, even for those who played Inquisition - maybe some of you need to go play that game again. There's a very frustrating conversation with Dorian in that game that is very enlightening into the way that Tevinter people just think about slavery and how different it is.

Now, could Dorian have learned not to be a pro-slavery person? Uh, yeah. Of course. Did everyone in Minrathous suddenly turn anti-slavery over the past decade? Unlikely. Especially if you're still getting newspaper headlines about slave uprisings in other cities.

And that's the other side of this. We have the Shadow Dragons, right? Their whole thing seems to revolve around freeing slaves. Even though they're supposed to be about so much more - what we hear the most about is freeing slaves. And that's great. But... what slaves? Where are they? They... got them all out? Awesome. Seriously, though. We don't even see remnants of them being moved around. Rook has an optional stumble-upon side-quest to save potential slaves (3... they save 3...) in Minrathous and that's... it. That's it. That's all.

And it's not that they don't want you to see horrific things. Ghilan'nain's tooth eye is fucking horrifying. Desiccated bodies just lying around in droves is horrifying. So then, what exactly was their reason for not showing any real signs of slavery?

Because it's not that it's horrifying. Showing a slave trailing behind a master in the market isn't horrifying. It's uncomfortable. It incites anger, injustice, and tons of other very strong emotions. As it should. That's the point.

A fictional character with a chomping eyeball is just horrifying. Even the poverty that is shown in the game doesn't actually show real poverty. Everyone has somewhere to go/live. They don't look really dirty, they aren't sleeping on benches w/ dividers inhibiting them, or pushing around carts with all of their belongings, or starving, etc. And they give you a way to help them (give coin). So you can pat yourself on the back. But it doesn't make you uncomfortable.

And that's the biggest criticism of the game. Things that would make the average person uncomfortable are not in the game. Slavery, nope. Antivan crows buying kids? Nope. Severely questionable training methods for assassins? Nope. Not even mentioned, actually. But a grandmother starving her own grandchildren are in the game, oddly enough. Just in a codex entry, mind you - not like... out loud. Because again. Uncomfortable. Child abuse and all that. A non-binary character facing actual bigotry? Nope. Tranquil mages? Nope. Visualized sexual imagery? Nope. (Which, not a huge loss but w/e). The Blight transforming people all the time, like that being what the blight does? And it being oober contagious and/ transmittable to the point of like blood in mouth/in a cut or you've just been around it too long, you're now blighted and will not die, nope - you will become a darkspawn? Nope. Hell, even addressing a real argument after the fact? Nope. Discomfort. The whole elves in alienages being treated like absolute shit and having their lands stolen and all of that? Nope with a capital N.

So many things that are a part of Thedas, a part of this world, big parts, that are just... carved out. The problem with presenting a half-assed Utopian world to a fan base that was in the shit in the last game is that... it comes off as half-assed. It does appear to be catering to a specific age group that should not be playing a game like this. Because there still are things in the game that are very adult. Torture. Killing (duh). Human (elf) sacrifice. The loss of a loved one/ loss of a Mother!

And while yes, I get that the game is the result of multiple start/stop projects - that reason (excuse) can only get them so far. When the steps to fix these very big issues would have taken less time than the steps they took to gloss over them, then it cheapens the game.

So - while the game is fun and the characters are interesting. It's more of a... spin off. A fan fiction of Dragon Age rather than the next game in the series. You can't take it too seriously if you want to really enjoy it if you've been a Dragon Age fan since before Veilguard. If you're used to Thedas as we've known it for the past 16 years - you cannot take this game seriously. Take it as a fun game to play but... only skin deep. Don't go looking for the same kind of thought-provoking veiled real-world issues that previous games and books have had. Because this is decidedly not it.

Lucanis Kiss Scene in Dragon Age the Veilguard

So, I've seen the whole thing about Lucanis being an inexperienced demisexual virgin and... while I'll say that personally, I think these little crumbs of "well I intended for this to be such and such way" well after the fact are... eh... kinda toeing the line of bullshit (yeah, I know she created him but... that's like Mary Shelley coming back from the dead and going well the monster I created actually likes the warm glow of fire, my husband just changed it! it'd be a little... meh... you'd make the meh face, is all I'm sayin') but anyway! 

Point being! I don't have a particular opinion about Lucanis' sexuality as I think that's open to interpretation and very head-canon-esq territory. But what I am narrowing my eyes suspiciously at is this theme that seems to be running wild in the wake of Mary Kirby's info-droplet. And has everything to do with explaining away the Kiss scene. 

But I just wanted to do a quick post about this.

The kiss scene. How Lucanis gets all up in Rook's grill and then at that last second, backs off and leaves the room. Everyone's going on about how this is an example of him panicking and while... I kinda get that... I also kinda don't. Dude don't panic. He lives literally locked in his head specifically so he doesn't panic. Now - it could easily be argued that he was being drawn slowly out of that prison by the encounter but at the same time... was he though? Again, head-canon territory.

The issue I take with it is this... just because someone is demisexual... just because they're inexperienced... doesn't mean they have to be... well, rude. I get it. Someone realizes they are in over their head. I'm not saying he should have gone through with something he was uncomfortable with, no. At any point, in any situation like that, one is uncomfortable - bow out. But bow out with grace. His body language went from interested to decidedly not interested. From turning his entire body away from Rook all the way to not even looking at them again as he left the room. And then not even speaking with them about it, like... at all, ever. That's not just rude, that's truly shitty. Like Rook just... doesn't have feelings at all? I'm not saying it was enough to make someone start bawling (I mean, it might but that's not what I'm getting at) but what if your Rook is also demi? And like... they're really growing close to Lucanis? And he does that? Fucking ouch. Rejection is fine, it happens but it's the way in which someone rejects someone or the situation. For a game that is trying so hard not to hurt anyone's feelings, it sure is turning a blind eye to Rook.

I know everyone is different, perceives things differently, etc. But it's almost alarming how people are so willing to write this off under the guise of inexperience, being overwhelmed, etc. And it's like... that's fine and Rook can be understanding of that. But that, getting that close? Drawing them in that far? Only to turn away like that? If you've got an insecure Rook? Which the game allows you to play out in talks with Varric, by the way. And Lucanis does this? I mean, there's just so many ways this can backfire and there's no mention of it after the fact. It's just... forgotten.

But that's been a running theme in the game. Rook is just... forgotten. I mean, they themselves isn't. But their heart is. Their feelings. The only people who ask after them that way is Varric (not real), Solas (god of fucking lies), and I think Emmrich asks once or twice. That's gotta be disheartening, if you think about it. But I'm not going to go too deep into that, because I'll write a whole other ted talk about it.

I also feel the need to point out that this is almost like a systemic problem with games. DA2 Fenris post scene reminds me of this. Yes, dude has some serious trauma and serious issues that Hawke couldn't even begin to comprehend. Leaving them like he did after? Yeah, not great. But at least he tried to talk to them about it. He didn't just go "I gotta go" and literally leave with not another word, ever, about it.

Taash : The Good & The Bad

 

Screen Capture taken in game by me.

Let me start this off with with saying that I personally think that Taash could have been a great character. In the past, I (again, personally) have not been able to really get on board with Bioware's token "obnoxious" characters. (Sera, Jack, even Isabela at times). But Taash didn't hit as hard on the obnoxious scale and I was intensely grateful for that. I love how the voice actor gave them a DGAF attitude and it really came through in the tone of voice and their mannerisms. That being said...

There are some issues with their character as a whole. And before anyone gets all uppity about it because Lord Elgar'nan knows someone will try, it has nothing to do with "the non-binary stuff". 

Taash is young. They do a pretty good job of making them out that way though we aren't entirely sure exactly how young. And the fact that, even though they have lived a pretty exciting life thus far what with the dragon hunting and all - Shathann has, for the most part, kept them pretty sheltered. So, it's hard to pin down a real age for them and while some may think that doesn't matter, it does. Maturity of a character does matter and when it comes to Taash and certain interactions they have, they were clearly written as rather immature. Perhaps it was to showcase either how sheltered they have been or how young they are - either way, it's a stretch and sometimes they just come off being rude.

Now, this might just be me but the other thing I noticed is that Taash is... a bit of a know-it-all. They over explain things to Rook as if Rook couldn't possibly know them. Even if they are a Lord of Fortune Rook, they will explain Lord of Fortune stuff to Rook, such as how they do their treasure hunting and what they do with the treasure. Note however, Taash has only been with the Lords for four months, no idea what has been going on in their life before that - it's never actually said. Presumably, they've just been puttering around the Halls of Valor anyway. Also, they will explain the Antaam to a Crow Rook, as if Rook doesn't know anything about the Antaam that are currently occupying Treviso. It gets to the point where it's more like "mansplaining" than the devs using Taash as a mouthpiece to explain aspects of factions and Rivaini culture. 

Then there is the blatant hypocrisy and double-standards that Taash seems to have. There's one instance where Taash reprimands Spite for smelling people without their permission (odd but okay) and then, within the same conversation, says that they know something about the exact same person because they smelled it on them. Spite, rightfully, calls them out on this but Taash doesn't respond. And yes, I am aware that this is all dialogue written by writers but it gives us a representation of their character.

Taash expects people to respect their decisions and their space, their preferences but doesn't extend that same curtesy to others, primarily Emmrich. Taash is insanely rude to Emmrich. So, okay, Taash doesn't like necromancy, that's completely fair and valid. However, it is Emmrich's life work and the way Taash explodes on him about it, just calling it wrong without even saying that it makes them uncomfortable is just straight up rude. Especially since Emmrich has tried to be nothing but accommodating. In that same dialogue, we find out that Taash has actively been calling Emmrich derogatory names (skull-fucker). Which is absolutely not cool and Rook should be able to call Taash out on this. Because a normal person would. I know I would have. I would have, rightfully, been like "what the actual fuck?" 

This same conversation happening if you play a Mourn Watch Rook, you can ask Taash if your necromancy bothers them and they will straight up say no, that Rook's deals more with spirits. At no point, anywhere, has that been said or indicated in the game. The only thing Rook doesn't do is the corpse whispering thing - otherwise, it's fully insinuated that Rook does exactly the same thing that Emmrich does. They just don't show it. So, there's this huge double standard that is displayed but Emmrich is the target of Taash's disrespect. And Rook should be able to call them on this.

Taash also talks to Spite like he's a dog. They do. And while it's marginally funny, it's only funny when you don't consider Spite's feelings on the matter. And you completely ignore every single time Taash brings up the fact that "spirits are a part of Rivaini culture". Rook should be able to call Taash out on this, stand up for Spite, point this out and remind them that they shouldn't talk to spirits like this. Especially a Mourn Watch Rook. Or a Lords of Fortune Rook who is Rivaini. Because they don't talk to Spirits like they are lesser like Taash talks to Spite. That's decidedly not okay. 

Now, this is not about the "non-binary stuff" but it is "non-binary stuff" adjacent. During the coming out conversation/very awkward dinner scene with Shathann, Taash shuts her mother down. Look, I get it, it's a very tense moment and Taash just wants her mother to accept it at face value and leave it alone. I get it. But Shathann is literally extending an olive branch saying "here is something in my deeply seeded brain-washed since the cradle culture that is exactly what you are saying so I can better understand this" and Taash just snaps at her. And that sucks. It shows a couple of things. It shows Taash's tension and anxiety. It shows Taash's trauma over their past relationship and interactions with their mother but it also shows Taash's self-centeredness. They don't care that Shathann is trying to understand it in a way that helps her. They want Shathann to just accept it as is. In other words, they don't want Shathann to actually understand it. And also, later, Taash refers to it as a fight when it's really not. I mean, I don't know what people think a fight is these days but that wasn't. Shathann was shut down and then left. She didn't storm out... she didn't yell... that wasn't a fight. That was Taash shutting her down and Shathann leaving. So... what fight? Or rather - Taash was expecting a fight and that was what happened in their head. They didn't give Shathann a chance to talk, expecting the worst. It's shitty and had Taash given Shathann a moment to speak, they might have actually gotten somewhere. But Taash was not in a place to listen, if they ever really were. Does that excuse the stuff Shathann had done in the past? No. Shathann clearly made mistakes. She's aware of this. But just because Taash is the "child" in the relationship, that doesn't absolve them of their role within that conversation either. 

Now... ignoring the annoying ass "roaring" that Taash does (that's not the voice actor's fault or the characters fault - that's whoever decided that would be a good sound to add in's fault). Ignoring that - Taash does have some redeeming qualities and honestly, it's a shame that the flaws are so poignant - because they could have been a really good character. 

The second Rook I played was a male qunari, mage, Shadow Dragon. And they romanced Taash. And 100%, again, ignoring the above, it was a great playthrough. There are so many points in Taash's story that are truly emotional and well written. Taash's struggles with who they are and why they feel the way they do (though I was disappointed that a they/them Rook didn't have a unique dialogue a few times when Taash was questioning a few things... seems like it would have been a great opportunity but whatever). And Rook being able to help Taash with those feelings, help support them through it, that's amazing. As either a friend or a partner. Of course, I head-canoned my Rook (Nells) as being completely comfortable and confident in himself so things like Taash picking him up? Didn't bother him at all. Never felt emasculated or anything stupid like that.

Encouraging Taash to lean more towards Rivaini culture is more of a 'knowing what the Qun really is' thing rather than a real choice, in my opinion. And while yeah, it'd be great to think of the Qun as something more religious and something that can be tailored, it really isn't. Simply because it's not just a religion, it's a whole way of thinking, a way of life. And Taash would not fit within that very strict structure. They've been raised in Rivain, they've been influenced too much by "bas". There's no way they'd fit within the Qun. And a qunari Rook would know that. The private conversations that Rook can have with Taash are heartfelt and they feel important. That's really where their character shines. 

And "soft Taash" is just as beautiful as "strong, hard hitting" Taash. Vulnerable Taash is just as amazing as Tough Taash. They really did do a good job of making them multi-facetted. And it was very easy to see a certain kind of Rook falling head over for them. But there's just those issues that I mentioned above that make it such a shame. Shathann's death scene literally makes me teary-eyed because the voice acting done by Jin Maley is so on point and you can hear the heartbreak in Taash's voice. And afterwards, the vulnerability in Taash that we witness is very potent. Whether Rook is a friend or a partner, it's a very strong moment. 

Every character has good and bad points. That's nothing new, but the issues within Veilguard are that the bad points of the characters should have never happened or could have easily been rectified by additional dialogue choices given to Rook to call them out on their bullshit. Hypocracy and disrespect are Taash's "bad" points. Disrespect towards Emmrich and Spite. Hypocracy in double standard thinking about Emmrich vs. Rook's necromancy and about what they themselves are allowed to do vs. what others can do. These are very big character flaws that were choices of the writers. Now, if they were intentional - that's a shame that we weren't able to address them in game. If they were unintentional - then that says something about the writer. 

An Open Letter to Bioware

 As much as I would love to start this with "What the fuck?!" I won't. Because, that's not very productive. Though, that kind of needs to be asked. Because there is just so much to talk about with Veilguard. 

First off, however, let's start with the most pressing issue for pretty much anyone who knows anything at all about Dragon Age. The lore. Preestablished canon that shows up in games, books, and comics. Because, I'm curious as to where, oh where, did it all go? It's easier to just break it down, so let's start there.

Tevinter

The Tevinter Imperium. The land of Magisters and the Black Divine (oh, sorry, the Imperial Divine). Oh, and the land of slavery. Open slavery, I might add. Ever since the beginning of Dragon Age, we have all known that there are slaves in Tevinter. That the practice is so wide-spread, so out in the open, that it is just known. It is also known that Tevinter slavers very much steal people from other parts of Thedas and thrust them into slavery in the Imperium. We know from Fenris that slaves are everywhere and that every single Magister owns many of them. That he was paraded around and used as both guard dog and clear threat towards his master's enemies. We know from Dorian Pavus that slavery is so "normal" there that he literally sees nothing wrong with it. That is how everyday it is. So, imagine everyone's surprise when we finally get to Tevinter and erhm... there are no slaves? In fact, there are elves just walking around all willy nilly in the streets? Begging in the streets? Indicating that they have no masters? While, morally, that's great. Lore-speaking, um... what? Unless the Magisterium mysteriously abolished slavery (which we know they didn't since supposedly The Viper and the Shadow Dragons are routinely helping slaves escape Minrathous). So... there absolutely would not just be elves on the street. Because everyone who has paid any attention at all knows that elves are slavers prime targets. In Dragon Age 2, slavers track Fenris all the way to the Free Marches trying to get him back (granted he was special but the point is still there). They aren't likely to just get rid of this practice. 

But no, in the game we are led to believe that only Venatori have slaves. We see them. They're there. But not in Minrathous. We see them in Veilguard at the dalish sacrifice ritual in Arlathan (as removed from Minrathous as they could get) amongst the crowd of Venatori. They want us to believe that only the evil Venatori have slaves. When in reality, literally every single Magister has slaves. Even Dorian's family. Now, he might have changed his tune upon returning from the south, but that's a big maybe. Because when the Inquisitor has that conversation with him in Inquisition? He's still very much of that same mind set - that slavery is better than poverty. He doesn't understand it. But I digress. Point being, the writers what the player to think that only evil people have slaves (and they aren't wrong) but what they're missing is this whole grey area where this entire society [Tevinter] has been built up around slavery.

Also, if you play a Qunari in Veilguard, there absolutely would be a problem with Rook walking around Minrathous. Tevinter has been at war (real war) with the Qunari for over three hundred years. A Qunari in Minrathous? Uh, yeah, no. There would be words. There would be encounters with racist/bigots/assholes taking serious issue with a qunari just walking around their city. Doesn't matter if they've called a tentative cease fire. There would be a big problem. Also, if you play an elf - you get called a slave at the ritual site but not in Minrathous - where you would have also faced persecution. I mean, an elf Rook has the opportunity to mention that elves are persecuted when they're unpacking their things but that's like it. When in Thedas-reality, elves are persecuted like... a lot. A whole lot. Everywhere. Except Arlathan, where we know from previous game mentions, slavers still go to capture Elves. Moving on...

The Qun

Okay. This was something that made me literally blink rapidly when I first encountered it in the game. Shathann. Taash. There's just... so much wrong here. First, we learn that Shathann was a scholar within the Qun. Okay, we know they are a thing, no problem. But then - we learn that she took Taash? Um. Okay, um. No. For starters - only Tamassrans are allowed to raise qunari children. Especially babies. And I mean only. Not like they watch them during the dayyy and they get to go "home" at nightttt. No. Tamassrans are the only ones to have access to Qunari babies/children at all, ever. Not only that, but Tamassrans also decide who gets it on with who. Those under the Qun, regardless of actual race, don't just have kids whenever they want. The Tamassrans decide who does the deed. And upon birth, they immediately take the child to be raised and cared for by them. Literally no one has access to them until they're about twelve. Then they are assigned a role and delivered to those who can teach them that role. That is lore, that is basically law. So... um... Shathann would never have even had access to Taash let alone even known she even existed. So, that's problem 1. Problem 2: Taash says that Shathann had herself transferred to another Qunari outpost. Presumably with Taash??? That makes no sense because of Problem 1. Problem 3: Shathann escapes presumably into the night with Taash and... gets away? Also impossible because of Problem 1. And due to the fact that Shathann would have had the whole of the fucking Qun on her ass because she stole a child from them. That's a no-no under any circumstance from anyone. Ben-Hassrath would have been dispatched in a fucking heartbeat. And they don't ever just "give up". And it's Shathann, a scholar. Running away with a baby. It's not like she could defend herself. So, no. That whole story is bullshit. 

Then, there's Taash's statement that "the Qun is not a prison, people can leave". Um, oh no, honey, they really cannot. People who leave the Qun are called tal-vashoth and are seen as fugitives by the Qun. They are actively hunted and if caught, are re-educated (brainwashed) by Ben-Hassrath. So, while technically one can leave the Qun - they aren't just let go. We know this from basically all the games and books and comics that have come before. It's a very serious point whenever we have encountered the Qun in the past. In fact, it's like the main point. 

Also, if Taash was raised basically under "the Qun 2.0" by Shathann... they and Shathann would very much take issue with a Qunari mage Rook. One of the big, big... VERY big things under the Qun is their stance on magic. They fear magic, big time. They literally think magic is a disease and that it is contagious. They bind their mages, literally sew their mouths shut (though that makes one wonder how they eat... anyway) and keep them under super tight control, period. No exceptions. They are called saarabas (dangerous thing). They don't even view mages as people, no matter their race. Even if they're born qunari and into the Qun, doesn't matter. So, even if Shathann and Taash both tried to hide under the veil of Rivaini "everything is cool" - they would still have an issue with a saarabas Rook. Simply because it is such a major point in the Qun. 

Also, also - and this is just a peeve of mine and while I do adore the voice actor for Taash (Panam forever) but - I am partial to how Sten from Origins pronounced the language. He made it sound less... American English and more like an actual different language. The R's were more rolled and less ARRR. If that makes sense. He was Sten of the Be-d-essad. As opposed to how it would be said in Veilguard as Bear-e-ssad. I won't go into character specifics here on the characters in Veilguard, I'll save that for another post - but, I know that personally, I cringe whenever Taash starts speaking Qunlat.

Elven Gods

Okay, this is a small one and again probably a pet peeve of mine but... it's Ghilan'non. Not Ghila'nain. Not in spelling. In pronunciation. Reason? First come, first serve. It was pronounced "Non" in Jaws of Hakkon and in Inquisition by Solas. So, snooze you lose? Plus, Ghilan'nain sounds stupid. 

Thedas in General

This is something the developers of the games seem to always forget. There are two moons in Thedas. Two. One, Two. Two moons. TWO MOONS. In the other games, we were rarely afforded a view of the night sky so it was a moot point though still irksome but in Veilguard, Elgar'nan moves "the moon" so what the actual fuck. If it's such a focus, then what the fuck. Did they just forget? 

To put this into clarity - Dragon Age, Thedas, all of it is the brain child of David Gaider. He's the literal, singular creator. The entire world and all the races come from his books. Grey Wardens, all of it. Every single faction, all of it. Before a single game was even made. And David Gaider says... there are two fucking moons for Thedas! So... two moons. 

The Antivan Crows

Okay, I like the Crows. The Crows are master assassins and they're awesome. But they are a decidedly not okay organization that steals children and trains them in seriously not okay ways to seduce their targets in order to get close to them. Granted yes, they have different "departments" so to speak, of assassins and will utilize different assassins depending on their targets but the fact remains, they steal children to train as assassins. Or they will take advantage of poor kids. We know this from Zevran in Origins. This is a thing. Also, if a Crow fails their contract, other Crows will come after them to kill them. Because they're basically the Mafia. If you didn't get that vibe from the 1st Talon, there's no helping you. 

This is one of the only things they actually kept kind of true in the game, Lucanis' relationship with his grandmother. It hinted at how brutal their training really is. In the brain-Ossuary, Spite will say straight up that Lucanis is afraid of her. But it back pedals and makes the player think it was more about fear of disappointment when in reality, it's actual fear. Catarina was brutal. While she may have had her reasons, we can conjecture all day, doesn't matter. She still abused children to train them to become killers. But that's part of the thing with the Crows. They are assassins. Their lives are no simple and if Thedas was perfect, they wouldn't be needed. They embody the whole morally grey area thing about this world. But Veilguard tries to show them in a different light and that light kind of falls flat when you understand how their training is. 

Grey Wardens

This was another thing they got so completely wrong and I have no idea how. It's no secret that the fan base feels very strongly about the Grey Wardens. So, you'd think that of all the things, they would have gotten this one nailed down. For starters, joinings are done willy nilly. I mean, I guess it might be possible to do them with the necklace that every warden receives with their joining but... unlikely. That's like a sippy sip. But on the whole, only recruiters can do joinings. Only they would have the arch-demon blood with them because that's their whole job. As much as I really do like Antoine and Evka... um... sorry Flynn... magical components or not - you woulda died, my dude. (I call everyone dude no matter their gender). And if they had access to Arch-Demon blood, then they would have known where to get it, and that means they would have known about the Cauldron (a very possible place) and that means they would have known what was there; rendering Davrin's quest about it a moot point. 

Speaking of joinings... the blight. What the hell. That little indicator that pops up all the time when you're playing "Blighted". Um... it's like Inigo Montoya always said... you keep using that word. I don't think it means what you think it means. So, yeah. Historically (and at this point, we can use that word) - to be "blighted" is to either die or become a darkspawn. Or, if you're lucky, you can become a grey warden. That's it. End of list. There's no "you'll be fine". That's how the blight spreads. But in Veilguard, apparently you just walk it off? 

Then there's the secrets. Grey Wardens are super secretive. Like, super-duper secretive. There is absolutely no way Davrin would let slip that a Grey Warden dies whenever they kill an Arch-Demon like that just wandering around a library with whoever in the party, especially with a non-warden Rook. At most, desperate times and all that, he might have pulled a non-warden Rook aside and told them what was about to go down. And that's pushing it. Grey Warden secrets are a big deal. That's like numero uno rule. But apparently, it's okay to just say them out loud to whoever now? 

Now, like I said, I won't go into specific characters here because I don't want this to turn into a novel. But, these lore inconsistencies are atrocious and honestly, shouldn't have ever happened. There's no excuse. None. All one had to do was play the previous games, really - wouldn't have even had to read any of the extra stuff. Just play the games. And apparently, Bioware didn't. Which is sad. It shows a distinct lack of care for their own product. It's like they were so scared to offend anyone that they ended up offending everyone. No one likes a coward.

Dragon Age Veilguard... Full Disclosure.

 Okay. Here we go. 

There is a lot to go over with this game and I know I'm going to have to break it into a few posts or it'd be a freaking novel. But, I figured, I'd start off with this.

I have been playing Dragon Age for much... much longer than Inquisition. I'm not going to gate keep on being a fan or anything like that but I do know more than just what was in DA3. 

It all started when a friend of mine got me Origins back on the 360. And I love that game (though, fuck the fade, seriously takes forever omg). And Awakening and Witch Hunt, all the DLC content, is absolutely awesome. The fodder it gives for creation is just jaw dropping. So much fan art and fan fiction has been born out of that single game alone that it is staggering. And then Dragon Age 2? I personally love it. And I don't mean omg I love it, no... I love that game. Yes, the areas are repeats and yes, I know they pumped the game out to capitalize on Origins success but the characters? Um, hello - they are... I mean there just aren't any words, really. I have countless Hawkes, countless stories, and so much just... I mean, I can't even. And Varric. He's the kind of character you just want to stuff in your pocket and carry around with you forever. He's the bestfriend. Always will be. And I have very strong opinions about Anders but I will not go into them here. Moving on!

I got Inquisition when I got my xBox One - part of that whole package deal. I was up and going on day freaking one and I do so love that game and the DLCs. Yeah, people heed and hawed about it but whatever, I loved it. Still do. I still love all of the Dragon Age games. I've read the comics/graphic novels, I own about four of David Gaider's books and have read them. I own Dawn of the Seeker, have seen all of Felicia Day's stuff for the franchise. I mean, big fan here, that's what I'm getting at. 

So... that being said... imagine my excitement about the Dread Wolf Rises... eer... I mean Veilguard. Which, let me take a moment right here and say that is the stupidest fucking name ever. I'm sorry but it's clunky. It doesn't roll off the tongue in any way. It's awkward. Anyway! But I was super excited, like a lot of people and then we see the teases and the meager scraps of information which I was completely understanding about because fuck a lot of the "fans" and the super shitty way they acted about Andromeda (which I happened to like so :P on y'all). But then the game comes out and yes I preordered it because I was going to buy it anyway because I don't trust reviewers, not after Andromeda or Cyberpunk because internet people are assholes. But, I mean, I get it and I'm right there, waiting. Now, I wasn't able to play it day one, I had to work (responsibilities) but I did get to play it the following weekend. 

Now... I'm going to say straight off the bat... I'm not a huge Solas fan in that I wasn't one of those Solavellan people. I was one of those people going "yes crack the egg!" thinking that he was going to be the antagonist that we get to fight, knowing full well that we were playing a new antagonist because that's Bioware's prerogative with Dragon Age games. But then, we find out that he's not and it's like meh, okay, I mean he is kinda a woos so... gotta give us a bigger baddie to fight. Okay, okay. But... like... here's the thing...

I mean, I do like the game. In that... it's fun. But... eer... and I mean Frostbite is lookin' pretty good... they've done an amazing job. But... um... okay, so... 

It's like someone wrote fan fiction about Dragon Age and turned that into a game. They took out all the parts they didn't like and parts that didn't fit their story... and then added in a bunch of fluff... but they wanted to be able to slap a G rating on it... and then put that out there as the game itself. Oh, and they absolutely were a Solavellan fan. 

Because the game ignores so much lore. I'm not talking about the lack of offensive/problematic stuff though there is that too... I'm talking about stuff that is just... canon in the Dragon Age universe. It just simply ignores it, blatantly... with bullshit little excuses that are all tee-hee it's just not like that and the people who have paid any attention at all, even if they only played Inquisition are going "uh, but it very much is like that". 

So yeah... it's a fan faction about Dragon Age. It is not a Dragon Age game. It's like a spin off. An alternate universe. 

And I get that it was like three different false start projects all mashed together or whatever but that doesn't help nor explain away that whole 'we're going to just ignore canon' thing. 

I have played through the game like five times (I've got a problem, I know) and there are still parts that make my left eye twitch. But it can be a fun game, as long as you don't consider it to be the next game in the franchise. Don't take this shit seriously because it's not - not when it comes to Dragon Age. I'll make another post about why because again, this could easily turn into a novel. 

But I wanted to put like a disclosure. I'm not an expert but I'm so far from a novice. I can (sadly) spout lore from off the top of my head about Dragon Age, a lot of it. Kind of that, I know what I'm talking about thing. I am by no means gate keeping or anything but if there's a new fan going "oh, you know, you can totally just walk away from the Wardens" there is going to be me and a whole lot of other people going "Actually, you really can't." That kind of thing. So yeah... yeah... and it's such a shame too. It really is.