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.

Cyberpunk 2077–First Impressions

Okay – so! Let’s cut to the chase here. 1. I haven’t forgotten this blog, I’ve just been hella busy with the holidays and oh, yeah, the US trying to tear itself apart because of some dumb fucked-up complete waste of fucking space morons decided they no longer liked democracy and would much rather proceed to commit a laughable attempt at a coup that resulted in the death of five people for no fucking reason other than that whole group of people was collectively being dumber than a bag of fucking rocks.

Okay… woooosaaaah. Let’s just… take a moment to relax. Chill. Deep breath. Check out my V before we start. Vega Bakker Wells. Because, to him, a name isn't where you come from, it's who you belong to. 

Alright, now, let’s get to the point of this actual post. Previously, I had been playing Cyberpunk 2077 on ‘current gen’ console (xBox one) and while it was commendable, it honestly wasn’t built for it. It just wasn’t. In my opinion, it really shouldn’t have been released in 2020 at all. I get why they wanted a 20202 release date (Cyberpunk 2020 and Johnny being from 2020 etc). But it really needed to wait. Not because the game itself needed a lot more time, it really didn’t (I’ll explain later) – but because we, the people, needed more time so that more people had next gen consoles in their homes. I was lucky enough to get my hands on an xBox series S. I opted for the S over the X because $$ and because honestly, I don’t use disks anymore. Plus, I have a 4 TB external hard drive that works just fine so problem solved there.

That being said – I’m now playing on next gen. And it’s better. Way better. Like… it’s fine. I haven’t had a single glitch at all and I’m well past where I was on current gen. I’m past Jackie’s memorial and have done some questing after that. I’m sure I’ll run into some glitches down the line because, it’s a game, and games have glitches. It’s impossible to have none. I’ve even had Destiny 2 crash to home-screen on me before. It’s extremely rare, but it still happens. Anyway. My first impressions are thus…

1. The game is huge. It’s packed with so much stuff. There are revolving little quest things (assaults in progress) that just pop up all over the place. They’re apparently never-ending and are a great way to earn street cred (I had V up to 20 street cred before even starting the Heist job). The world is full of NPCs in the city, more densely populated at the city center and thinning out the further away from there you get. Which is a nice touch. All of the NPCs react and are hilarious if you even get near them with a vehicle. The children are even funnier because they’re just little people. No video game has really cracked the code on kids yet, not really. The city itself is just huge, enormous. Maybe not in foot print but in the amount of things happening around you all the time.

2. It’s overwhelming. And no, you don’t get used to it – or at least, I haven’t. There’s stuff happening all the time, all around you. It can be a little… much. Like – okay, when I was in Las Vegas, I heard slot machines so much that I started hearing them in my fucking sleep. It’s like that. Night City is so crowded, so incredibly Night City that it can be a little much. Getting out into the badlands is priority numero uno for my V.

3. I started out with the Corpo life path on my current gen play, but on this one – which I’ll be following through with – I went Nomad. Which is just so much fun. It’s the most interesting. The game incites so many ways for you to build up your own V in your head. Vega Bakker Wells, which is my guy, is complicated but kind of not. He’s kinda mean but kinda not. And after Jackie, he’s hurting. Bad. Right away, you get so many opportunities to build your own story in Night City, or outside of it. That’s the sign of a good world, a good story.

4. Johnny Silverhand is an asshole. I’ve said it before and I will say it again. He’s a fucking dick. But – eventually – he comes around. And you get where he’s coming from on a lot of things but others, he’s just an ass.

5. The combat isn’t as bad as people are saying. Maybe if you use the technical combat modes in games that are optional – then you might not like it. But it’s not that bad. It’s pretty standard. –shrug- People are just bitching.

6. There are some hilarious quests in the game, I’ve been on a few so far that were just too funny. [Flaming Crotch Guy]

7. The romance options? What the fucking fuck, CDPR? Seriously. I’m not even going to go into in depth here because I have quite a bit to say about it. But, we’ll just say, as I’m sure you know by now. That female V gets 2 options, Male V gets 2 options. One gay, one straight. Done. Fin. That’s it. In this world of “choices”, those are your choices.

8. The story is a good one but you can see some plot holes. It’s based on a table top game, so there are intentional holes in the story. So, CDPR couldn’t lean on the table top game for those plot holes, that should be filled by players – and you can tell where those holes are. I’m not dissing the writers at CDPR, but you can tell which is Cyberpunk and which is CDPR, if that makes sense. [Yes, I know V is CDPR].

9. Jackie tore me up, just like I knew he would. But, I wish we could have gone on more quests with him. Really get to know him a lot better. Maybe actually help him pick something out for Misty or something. That would have been nice.

10. As a Nomad V, I’d like to know what happened with their family, why’d they leave? What exactly happened. I don’t know if they explain it in the game and I’m not going to go look for it online.

11. The detail is amazing. The graphics are awesome. And current gen doesn’t hold a candle to what next gen can do with this game. It really doesn’t. Keep that in mind if you’re playing on current gen console. If you’re playing on PC, the higher level the equipment, obviously – the better the game performance will be.

Well, that’s about it for this one. I covered a few things and I’ll be posting about the whole romance option debacle next here, hopefully, in a few days.

Cyberpunk 2077 Romance Options?

So – of the many things that have been going around the wire lately have been the information dropped during a post-show interview with one of CDPR’s quest designers after the last episode of Night City Wire. Patrick Mills didn’t want to let too much out about the romance options, apparently because some of them are intrinsically tied to the main quest line. I get that, however, he didn’t even give a number – he was asked how many there’d be. But – that’s kind of beside the point. The point is – when he was answering this anticipated question – he said that something he could tell us was that we have already seen all of the romance options for V. As in, literally. We’ve seen all of them – I’m assuming either in trailers, game place footage, or screenshots. Now, this little – seemingly innocent answer – has created an entire whirlwind of guesses going on. And I’ve been seeing a lot of people making a lot of guesses and some of them range from the pretty ordinary to the strange and unusual to the down-right creepy. So, I figured I’d weight in too.

Now, I haven’t read all of the lore available yet but I’m pretty up to date on the basic knowledge, for the most part – I say that because obviously I don’t know if I know all there is to know about these characters. So, keep that in mind.

First, I’ll talk about some of the more common suggestions that I’ve been seeing as possible romance options. Now, these are romance options – not “casual encounters” which are also very much a thing in the game. Fair warning : Certain spoilerish stuff ahead. If you don’t want to know anything about these characters, stop now. Anything I’m posting here, though, can be easily found on the Wiki or YT.

So – firstly, the obvious one has been Jackie. Jackie Wells. The 30 year old former Valentino is V’s first real point of contact and how well you know him from the start of the game, apparently, depends on which life path you choose. Oddly enough, if you choose the Corpo life path – you and he go way back? I would have thought it was if you chose the Street Kid life path but whatever. Now, while a lot of people have been throwing this one around due to Jackie’s little mating bird dance – I think he’s going to become sort of like a Varric character. Unobtainable. See, Jackie’s got himself a girlfriend already and we know he dies fairly early on. Which… sucks. Big time. Because I already know I’m going to adore him. –shimmy shimmy shake-

Next up – we have two some-what “confirmed” romance options. I say “confirmed” like that because they haven’t officially been confirmed but they kind of sort have? It’s weird. Anyway… you’ve got Judy Alvarez. She’s a Moxie at Lizzie’s Bar who helps you do some Brain Dancing and apparently, is who you go to for some extra special BD’s. –A wink, wink-. Anyway – she looks quite young but then again, with immortality kind of being a thing, who knows. Plus – V’s quite young (22). Now she’s rumored to only like women, which is fine by me. Plus, she’s got some kick ass tattoos. And maybe it’s just me… but she looks kind of sad.

 

Then there’s Meredith fucking Stout, the Senior Operations Manager for Militech. Okay, so I still get a slight twitch in my left eye whenever I encounter a female character in a position of authoritative power that is clearly corrupt that is also named Meredith. Pick a different name, my god. But I know a lot of people are apparently looking forward to this one – maybe it’s the whole I will set you ablaze right naowwww look in her eyes or it’s the heels and leather and yes may i have another! Who knows. But – it is what it is. Apparently though, if you don’t pick the Corpo life path – you can kiss that leather-covered ass goodbye because she’s only in it for the game.

I’ve also seen some people suggesting Oleg and Dexter DeShawn. Other than ew – there’s not a lot to go on here. Unless you’re into one word wonders and a Mr. T’esk vibe – that’s about all there is that’s going on there. Just my opinion though – some people may be into that. Of course, Dexter DeShawn is a Fixer, in case you didn’t know, he’s one of the first ones V meets and his bodygaurd / driver is Oleg. This dude. As far as I know, neither are affiliated with anyone other than Dexter DeShawn, as in… they’re both affiliated with… Dexter… De… oh nevermind.

 

Another one I’ve seen is Evelyn Parker. Now, I think this is just wishful thinking and probably more likely to be one of those casual encounters – she’s a character V meets during Dexter’s quest, in fact, it’s her Brain Dance that Judy gives us. Now, right off the bat, apparently, Evelyn is trying to get V to betray Dexter (hindsight 2020 and all that –ahem- anyway). So, she’s got some serious ambition and while we do meet her at Lizzie’s Bar, she actually works at the Doll House. Now, I’m not saying that a sex worker can’t have a relationship – but given her general ambitious / step on anyone to get to the top nature? I’m betting a relationship isn’t in her focus right now. She’s got big plans, after all.

 

And if all of those weren’t even remotely close to your thing – we’ve got the Voodoo Boys. Ah yes, Voodoo Boys. I can’t say that without perking an eyebrow and grinning. I love it. Anyway, both the Head of the gang and the second in command have been suggested as possible romances for V. And while one or neither may be a possibility (see what I did there) – I’m hoping for Placide personally, he’s just… –ahem- look, he’s got presence is what I’m saying here. At 35 and second in command of the Voodoo Boys, Placide is almost an instant enemy of V’s. Yeah, enemy. See the trope I’m hinting at here… see it? Yeah. Okay – apparently, Placide betrays V during a mission or something and knocks V unconscious… probably by hacking us or something and when we wake up, we’re understandably pissed, which leads to a confrontation and voila – tension! –jazz hands- Plus, the dude’s got one hell of an accent on him. –finger kisses- Magnifique.

And then there’s Brigitte. She’s the head of the Voodoo Boys. Otherwise known as Maman Brigitte (Mama Brigitte for those who’ve never set foot anywhere near anything remotely Creole before). She looks pretty damn good for being 41, but who knows her real age, again with immortality being a thing. She’s levvel headed but ruthless, and in the Net? You definitely don’t want to stumble across her there, she’ll fuck you up something fierce. She is the leader of a gang after all, she didn’t get there by baking fucking cookies. She’s a badass to the max and she knows it too. And while some have suggested her… I’m not sure I see this one happening, only because she’s too mature for V. Not too old – age doesn’t matter when it comes to maturity. In fact, I don’t see any of the actual gang leaders being romance options.

And now, one of the big one’s I’ve seen being thrown around is Johnny Silverhand. I lump him up with Jackie. People can dream all day long but I don’t think this is going to happen, for a few small but vitally important reasons. Kind of big spoilers here if you haven’t learned anything about him yet and want to keep him a total mystery – seriously don’t read this next part.

Seriously…

Okay, I’ve done all I could.

 

 

 

 

 

 

So, Johnny’s dead. He’s… so very, very dead. Has been for a long ass time. Who we deal with is his consciousness – not the man himself, well… it’s kind of him but… kind of not? It’s weird. So there’s that. But also, on top of that, he’s seriously taken. There’s a whole tragic backstory to him and his girlfriend, Alt Cunningham, but I’m not going to go into it here. So… if there was any kind of relationship there… it’d literally be taking place inside V’s head. So… it’d be a fantasy? I don’t know. Not gonna happen though.

 

Then there’s one that I’ve seen, actually, very little mention of. Emmerick Bronson. He’s the bouncer at the Afterlife – the merc bar that V and Jackie and all the little wild crazy mercs hang out at. Now, he’s a bit of a conundrum. He’s a bouncer right… but he’s also, apparently, affiliated with the Animals gang. I’m not sure if he’s just starting out because he’s not… ya know… –takes in a lot of air like a puffer fish-. I mean, he’s built but no more than some of the other dudes who aren’t in the Animals. But, he’s affiliated with them so I don’t know what’s going on there. But – he’s one of the few dudes that one, V deals with all the time that isn’t butt fucking ugly or crazy ass old and he seems like one of those side characters that shouldn’t be featured as much as he’s been featured. He’s in the center of the Animals promo picture for cryin’ out loud. See? Right in the middle. 

So, for me personally? Just from what I’ve listed here? It’d be Emmerick and Placide. Because Jackie… –shimmy shimmy shake- is beyond our reach.

*Note: All the images are CDPR's and were lifted taken borrowed obtained from the Cyberpunk 2077 Wiki*

Commander Zavala & the Traveler’s Chosen

So, I won’t put any spoilers here since this quest line is still very new to the game and there are still, undoubtedly, many people who are working on it. But, since the lore is very accessible on the Ishtar collective – I’ll kind of talk about it but won’t at the same time, if that makes sense.

First, let me start off by saying that you can get ahold of this lore by either visiting the Ishtar Collective here, or by checking out Byf over on YouTube who goes into a lot of this in-depth. But – cliff’s notes for what I’m going to be talking about here?

With the darkness returning, all of the dark little tid bits all over the place are gearing up – including the Ahmakara bones – like the one that Shaxx keeps netted up over his freaking head. And apparently, according to some lore entries, something… somewhere… is watching the tower through it. We don’t know who or what but it’s got it’s creepy dark little slimy eye dead set on…. well, you can probably guess based upon the title of this post. This may or may not be a spoiler but since this information doesn’t directly pertain to the quest, I’m going to call it easily accessible lore and there for out of the realm of spoilers.

But… we’ve been seeing Zavala kind of… withdraw, ever since Cayde was killed. A lot of fans wanted to think that Zavala didn’t care about Cayde and was basically unaffected by his death simply because he didn’t want revenge against Uldren. Oh, he wanted it. He just simply couldn’t act on it and here’s why.

“We are not an army, we are not conqueres.” That line is actually very important. Think about that for a moment. Guardians are immortal, barring what happened with Ghaul and the red war, and even then – Guardians are hard as hell to kill. Imagine if they all got together and decided they were a legit army? They couldn’t be stopped. Now, people – humans – don’t like strange and different other people. You think the mortal humans of the city look on the guardians kindly and perfectly all the time? No. There are a few neighborhoods in that entire big ass city where Guardians can live alongside normal people. That’s it. Everywhere else? No Guardians allowed. Because people are scared of them, or they straight up have a huge distaste for them (-cough-Hawthorne-cough-). Either way, imagine if Guardians started looking less like a group of beings that kind of did stuff kind of over… there… in small groups… and started looking more like a big ass group with a single mission? Yeah. Because the Red Legion came for the city, right? Nope, they came for the Traveler and the light, and yes, the Guardians. So – Guardians absolutely cannot appear to be an army of any kind. And banding together, even to avenge a fallen friend? That’s a hard no. And Zavala knows this. He knows that if they decide to go off half cocked, which he knows damn near all hunters will at the drop of a hat if given word one to do so – and if they do end up starting some crazy ass war with the Reef and the Awoken? Who, then, is going to suffer their revenge scheme? The people in the city. Not the guardians – they’ll just get rezzed and be fine. But the people? Not so much. So, Zavala doesn’t have the luxury of thinking in terms of right now. So, he literally can’t condone it.

But since that moment… he’s been… noticeably different. He’s been… sadder. Losing his light changed him and then losing Cayde? It was like a reminder that things were never going to be the way they were before. His relationship with Ikora is fractured, the Vanguard is crumbling before his very eyes and it appears he just doesn’t have the will to want to save it at all. Basically speaking, we’ve got a commander that looks like he’s dealing with some serious depression. A crisis of faith. PTSD from losing his light. A strong warrior like him suddenly rendered powerless? That’s a hard thing to deal with for him and yet, he can’t deal with any of it because he’s the Commander. He has to appear strong, still a leader, still right there in the forefront.

And if you go read about that slimy spy in that skull – with its eye on Zavala – you can read about how it sees that gaping hole in him, where his faith used to be. His faith in the Traveler. Because he doesn’t believe the Traveler will save them anymore. Why? Because she didn’t. It’s a classic crisis of faith only he’s not angry about it – I don’t think he has the strength to be angry anymore. I think he’s dead ass tired of it. Something, I’m sure, all guardians go through at some point. And that hole inside of him isn’t going to be left empty for long if that spy has anything to say about it. It’s going to get filled up with darkness. Don’t forget – Zavala’s awoken and that actually matters here. Awoken have the capacity to have both great light and great darkness inside of them and they have to operate on a knife’s edge – not having too much of one or the other. That’s why they’re so damned creepy most of the time and that’s why Uldren was so easy to corrupt. It only takes a nudge. Most of the time, they can balance just fine – because they’re surprisingly strong of mind but when they’re hurt, when they’re struggling (for Uldren, loosing his sister fucked him all up – for Zavala… losing his light, losing Cayde… losing the life he once had…) when they’re like that? It’s so very easy for them to fall to the darkness that’s already inside of them and then? To have more darkness be poured in? Fuck that. It’s usually over. Uldren was oddly lucky, being spit out the way he was. But Zavala’s going to be consumed from within if he’s not careful… but with his depression – will he even notice that he’s being eaten alive? Will he even care?

I’ve got a really bad feeling that he’s going to be the next character we lose and it worries me.

Anastasia Bray and Rasputin

Y’all.... I cannot stop thinking about the whole possibility of Rasputin being turned into an Exo. I mean... come on. What if... oh man, there are so many what if’s. So, spoiler warning up front because this is going to get into some apparently data-mined information or supposedly “leaked” info or whatever. But first…

Let’s talk about the EXO program created by Bray Tech. I find the Exo’s to be extremely interesting. The entire concept has been done quite a few times over in various genres and games/stories/worlds. We saw something similar in Dragon Age Origins with the Golems. Unwilling or willing souls being put into stone bodies so they could basically be impervious to harm and essentially be super soldiers. The whole “robo cop” thing and “master chief”, hell even Fallout 4 did something with the robo-brains. It’s been done, a lot. But, I think, Destiny has done it the most… comprehensively. There’s a huge backstory to go along with them and a lot of complexities. Not to get too technical because I’m not going to go all lore-in-depth on this but… the EXO program was so incredibly controversial for the EXO’s that they won’t even talk about it. From what I understand, they are the ones that shut that shit down and they damn sure won’t talk about it. None of them will. Now, not all of them even remember it but those that do – won’t say shit. Because the EXO program was jacked up. For starters, as it always is, not everyone was a willing participant. And, as usual, a lot of people died during the program. I mean, it was an experiment. There were bound to be casualties as they figured out how to make it work. But some of the casualties were… unnecessary. Bray Tech suffered severely from the “science brain” thing. Some of the early Exo’s went insane because they were people… trapped in robot bodies. Something any regular, random, laymen would be like “well… duh, of course they went crazy” about. But, something that flew right over the scientists heads. Basically, what ended up having to happen was they had to give Exo’s the physical ability to eat, drink, sleep, and… do… other things. Yeah, that. –droll stare-. So, for all the fan fic writers out there, there you go. They have the equipment. Because people want, people crave, covet, desire and to not be able to fulfill those things? To not be able to sate those desires? They go fucking crazy. And crazy people do crazy shit and when you put crazy people in basically indestructible metal insanely strong bodies, bad things can happen. So, a lot of people died before they figured this basic shit out. Then once they figured that out, if the Exo’s didn’t do what they were told, basically, they just reset them. Scrambled things up just enough so that they were compliant again. And basically kept them as slaves. Now, everyone knows how that works out in the end. So, from what I understand, the Exo’s shut down the Exo program so that there couldn’t be any more Exo’s made because it fucking sucks. Yeah, it sounds great, be strong – be basically immortal – live forever – never get hurt! Yeah! But it sucks. As most guardians can probably attest to after a few centuries of watching people and places just kind of… fade away. I’m still not entirely clear on how Exo’s become guardians, especially if they haven’t actually died yet… or if it’s like… they’re just… shut down or in stasis or like in “sleep mode” or something. I don’t know. Anyway! That’s the Exo part and that’s only a fraction of what Bray Tech did. (They also built Rasputin, who fucked humanity over in a big way but in that way of logic. Sacrifice 1 to save 100 kind of way only he did it on a much bigger scale. Again, robo-brain, i-robot, it’s apparently what AI’s are just going to do…) So yeah… moving on.

Okay, unpopular opinion here... but... I cannot stand Ana Bray. Well, kind of, okay, let me explain. First, let me say that as a character, Ana is adorable. But she’s not without her flaws, which is what makes her a good character. She’s incredibly well written and that’s what makes her great. She’s got a rich history and backstory, she comes from an incredibly interesting family and franchise or whatever you want to call it but… yeah… the Anastasia Bray... thinks that her family? Was like... the greatest ever. That they... didn’t do anything wrong. When... erhm... they did a lot wrong. But! She thinks... or appears to think... that they... didn’t? Or rather, that the ends justified the means. So, like, even though the entire Exo program was horrible. Completely and 100% unconscionable... she supports it. Because it gave the world such great and wonderful golden age technology and advancements. And that, that right there - that thinking? That’s what makes her a Bray. Now, I know the arguments. People can go back and forth all day long about whether or not technological advancements should happen and personally? I think that they should but that scientists should still maintain their moral compasses and take those moments to really think about what they’re doing. Like... maybe don’t force people into robot bodies and then effectively kill them because they’ve gone insane... because you put them in a robot body! Anyway... and then there’s that whole faking her death thing. But not for the reasons one might think. I mean, she saw an out and damn she took it - good on her. But it was the reason she took it that was kind of shitty. I’m not saying Guardians shouldn’t go looking for who they were before, that’s fine though often, you won’t like what you find down the rabbit hole but you might? So, who knows. But... she did abandon people she called friend to chase after it. And that would be fine as long as she stayed gone not pop back up all “oh yeah... this is my pet robot...” Which, by the way, her view of is so incredibly skewed, it’s not even funny. You can see the beginnings of it when you go get the shard to tempt Xol with in the EDZ when Rasputin damn near kills your ass and Zavala’s all “how’d you get him to do that?” And she’s all “I asked him... he listens to me.” Which are two entirely different things but she apparently doesn’t understand that. Highlighted further by the fact that Rasputin doesn’t listen to her for shit. He doesn’t listen to anyone. He’s an extremely advanced, extremely traumatized, extremely homicidal AI, that has been isolated from any interactions other than extreme hostility from all fronts until this one person comes along (Ana) and is all “oh he listens to me, he’s my friend, I’m his buddy” and he might look at her like that but come on... he damn sure isn’t all “friends! my glorious friends!!!” And if he is? He isn’t going to be all 100% sure what friendship actually means.

Also, if Ana did slap his ass onto what amounts to a hard drive? He’s going to freak out. He is literally going to go insane, just as her ghost warns. He’s going to fucking flip. Imagine being able to be damn near everywhere all the time and then suddenly what? You’re here. Only. Right there. No where else. You’re in a box. A cage. He’s going to fucking flip out. If he doesn’t straight up try to kill her, or kill her ghost because he knows how the whole guardian thing works – he damn sure isn’t going to stick around. He’ll bolt, he’ll leave, he’ll get the fuck away from her, probably in a blind panic. And that’s the end of my speculation, I’m sure he’ll try desperately to find a way to… transfer himself back into his old… hardware? Or something.

But… fantasy type speculation time… because this wouldn’t actually happen in game but might be canon – like… how Eris is apparently our bestie canonically.

Wouldn’t it be fucking wicked if like… Rasputin went to find us? Like, our guardian and just fucking showed up? And we didn’t know who he was at all, just some random Exo? And then he spoke, desperate sounding freaky ass Russian? (Which always bugs me, the fucker knows English, he just speaks his version of Russian to be an ass.) And imagine our guardian being all “WHAT THE FUCK?!?” Because Rasputin?! An Exo?! OH OH OH And we take him to Zavala because what else are we going to do with him?! And our ghost is like “this is a way bad idea…” and we’re like, again, “well, what else are we going to do with him!” And Zavala’s like “…..” And Rasputin’s like “…..” And then it’s a huge game of keep the two titans away from each other because Rasputin? Oh, he’d have titan qualities, he wouldn’t be one because he wouldn’t be a guardian but he’d damn sure be close. OH OH OH And he’d have the Valkyrie! So, he’d be like a Warlock? OH OH OH!!!! And Ikora’s just like “why is this my life? –ugh-“ And we’re like dragging this Exo away who’s damn near screaming obvious threats at Zavala in some freaky ass computer Russian and Zavala’s just simmering, telling anyone who will listen that he wants that thing out of the tower. So where do we take him? OH OH OH!!! We take him to Ada-1. Because what else are we going to do with him!!!!! And then Ada-1 is all “Who is this?” And we’re like “You don’t want to know.” And she’s like “Actually I do, which is why I asked.” And then suddenly he’s like “Rasputin.” And we’re like “I knew you spoke English, you asshole!” And Rasputin is just all staring at some of the gun mock-ups and Ada’s like “… is he okay?” And we’re like “uh… so fucking far from okay it’s not funny.” Meanwhile, Ana’s burning up Zavala’s comm link and ours all “RASPUTIN IS AN EXO AND HE’S FUCKING MISSING!” And finally we bark back “WE FUCKING KNOW YOU GOD DAMN PSYCHO WHAT THE FUCK WHERE YOU THINKING!” And then she’s like “Oh thank the Traveler, he’s with you.” Like he’s some god damned run-away teenager that was like I’m going to go live with Dad! rawr! And then we hear the fucking Drifter all “well, well, well, who do we have here.” And we’re like “Fucking nobody, Eli, go back to your bank.” And Rasputin’s like “garble-garble-Russian-garble-Valkyrie-DIE!” And Ada’s all “WHAT THE ACTUAL FUCK!” And Ghost is just like “ugh…” And we’re just like “Fucking kill him, Rasputin, I don’t even care at this point.” And you aren’t going to do anything until you hear Eli make a strange sound that sounds like some kind of weird rat squealing in pain and then you have to run down the hall because the Drifter ran, he’s not stupid, and you have to pull Rasputin off of him and it’s like Terminator 3 and you’re just like “how did my life end up like this.” And then you hear Calus over there tapping into his little stooge all “Guardian?? Is that… you…” and you’re like “SHUT THE FUCK UP, YOU GOD DAMNED CREEP.” And you finally get Rasputin off world. And now you have an Exo side-kick and Zavala’s not talking to you and the Drifter’s trying to buy him from you and Calus is sending you little heart emoji’s and Ana’s begging you to bring him back and Ada’s suggesting you take him to some weird undisclosed location and your ghost is just lamenting about how things used to be when hive Princes and Taken Kings were the only things you had to worry about.

Wow… that kind of got out of hand… but then again, Rasputin being an Exo would make everything get out of hand.