#Maintaining Proficiency

[aegisprecisionkinetics]

When it comes to training and defense, having a ready supply of ammunition is critical. Whether you're a seasoned firearm enthusiast or a responsible gun owner looking to enhance your skills, investing in bulk ammunition in Las Vegas, Nevada is a smart choice.

[rnbwtrout]

It's always such a relief to find out I can still read and understand Japanese. I've seen posts a few times by people in their 40s and older who talk about how as you get older you lose hobbies and interests. I used to be very passionate about language learning; I guess in place of art for many years it kept me going. I've wanted to be a polyglot since I was 14 and Japanese was the first language I chose to learn. And I did, I studied pretty diligently in my free time since 2013. Becoming a translator was a big goal of mine; Another one of those goals that was just kinda made impossible by circumstance because I either didn't have the money, time, or access to a school or qualifying course. Now its 2025 and its been probably a year since I last picked up a book in Japanese. I think I've been scared to make time for it because language skills are finicky and its disheartening to find out you've regressed. But I picked up a book from my shelf, sat down with a dictionary, and was able to read the prologue with relative ease. I only had to look up maybe 10 words in 5 pages. Realistically, its not like 10 years of work will just disappear in 1 year. But still, I'm grateful. I hope I can make more time for it again.

[amygdalae]

had a dream last night i was lost wandering the streets of a big city at night and i was cold so i walked into the nearest open store and it was a sex shop but half of the store had several displays of just leather jackets and pants. i wanted it to be real so bad

[jerreeeeeee]

they call the sizzle it up vehicle a stagecoach presumably because it has “stage” in the name, but a coach is a passenger vehicle and not large enough for a kitchen/living space. it’s probably more similar to a chuckwagon

[daisychainsandbowties]

I built crazy upper body strength doing monkey bars in my teen years (hugee trapezius and back muscles)i was so good at it random grown men would come up to me and challenge me lol i ofc won every single time😌. My point is you should get a pull up bar its gonna do wonders for you upper arms and shoulders

oh wow i was terrible awful henious horrendous at the monkey bars 😔 no strength in my hands back then never mind my arms. but!! i do have a pull-up bar thing that slots onto the doorframe now. i always feel like i can do a pull up but i really really can’t lmao. apparently just hanging there is… something though 🤔 so i do have hanging time every day but also i’m pretty sure building muscle isn’t just a matter of putting those guys in situations. sadly

[deadn30n-arch]

thinking about a band au for liu qingge while i was cleaning because of one of my favourite tiktoks

[rydondigitalmarketing]

CGI Ads Production and Motion Graphics, including website development

CGI Ads Production and Motion Graphics

In today's rapidly evolving digital landscape, businesses in Udaipur face unique challenges such as capturing audience attention and conveying their messages effectively. Computer-Generated Imagery (CGI) has emerged as a powerful tool in this endeavor, revolutionizing advertising and motion graphics. For businesses in Udaipur looking to leverage CGI Ads Production and CGI Motion Graphics services, partnering with a proficient agency like Rydon Digital, which specializes in these local challenges, can be a game-changer.

Understanding CGI in Modern Advertising

Computer-Generated Imagery (CGI) refers to the creation of still or animated visual content with computer software. In advertising, CGI enables the production of hyper-realistic visuals that might be challenging or impossible to capture through traditional photography or videography. This technology allows brands to craft compelling narratives, showcase products in dynamic ways, and create immersive experiences that resonate with audiences.

The Rise of CGI Ads Production

The demand for CGI Ads Production has surged as brands recognize the myriad benefits it offers. For instance, a case study by XYZ Research showed a 25% increase in engagement, while an industry report by ABC Analytics highlighted a 15% reduction in costs.

• Unparalleled Creativity: CGI allows for the visualization of concepts without the constraints of reality, enabling brands to present their products or services in imaginative settings.

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• Engagement: High-quality CGI ads captivate viewers, leading to increased engagement and brand recall.

The Impact of CGI Motion Graphics Services

Motion graphics combine graphic design and animation to create engaging visual content. When enhanced with CGI, motion graphics become even more dynamic, offering:

• Enhanced Storytelling: CGI motion graphics can simplify complex ideas, making them more accessible and engaging for viewers.

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After understanding the benefits of CGI, businesses in Udaipur can look towards Rydon Digital, a pioneering agency in CGI services, as a premier choice for leveraging CGI Ads Production and CGI Motion Graphics services. As a leading digital marketing agency, Rydon Digital offers a comprehensive suite of services tailored to meet the unique needs of each client.

Comprehensive Digital Solutions

Rydon Digital offers a range of services that complement CGI Ads Production and Motion Graphics, including website development, social media management, and video editing, to create a cohesive digital strategy.

Website Development: 

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Search Engine Optimization (SEO): Boosting online visibility through expert SEO strategies.

Innovative NFC Products

In addition to CGI services, Rydon Digital offers advanced Near Field Communication (NFC) products, such as digital business cards and social media stands, which are revolutionizing the way businesses connect and engage.

Rydon Digital employs unique methodologies and innovations in CGI Ads Production, such as advanced 3D modeling techniques and real-time rendering, ensuring high-quality and efficient production.

Rydon Digital focuses its approach to CGI Ads Production on client needs:

Conceptualization: Collaborating with clients to understand their vision and objectives.

Storyboarding: Developing detailed storyboards to visualize the ad's flow and key elements.

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Benefits of Partnering with Rydon Digital include proven expertise, as demonstrated by successful campaigns for clients like XYZ Corporation, which resulted in a 30% increase in engagement and a 20% reduction in production costs. Additionally, numerous other clients have reported similar successes, reinforcing Rydon Digital's reputation for delivering impactful results.

The Future of Advertising in Udaipur

As Udaipur continues to grow as a business hub, the adoption of advanced advertising techniques like CGI Ads Production and CGI Motion Graphics services will be pivotal. Businesses that embrace these technologies will not only stand out in a competitive market but also connect more effectively with their audiences.

Conclusion

Incorporating CGI into advertising strategies offers unparalleled opportunities for creativity, engagement, and brand differentiation.

[immortalsins]

my vapoursynth keeps crashing whenever i try to encode 😭😭 it gets a few frames in before both windows just disappear. has anybody else had this problem and knows how to fix it?

[bluesstuffandthings]

i think my favourite part of getting older is that i have now spent enough time in this body that im starting to understand it

[98edits]

The Secrets of a Skilled WordPress Designer

A WordPress designer is a skilled professional adept at crafting dynamic and visually compelling websites using the WordPress platform. With expertise in both front-end and back-end development, a WordPress design, such as Jane Web Solutions, possesses a deep understanding of the platform's functionalities and customization options. They specialise in creating responsive, user-friendly designs that align with clients' brand identities and objectives. Jane Web Solutions stands out for their proficiency in leveraging WordPress's vast plugin ecosystem, ensuring seamless integration of features for enhanced website functionality. Whether designing corporate websites, blogs, or e-commerce platforms, a WordPress design plays a crucial role in delivering tailored, aesthetically pleasing, and functional websites that cater to the unique needs of clients and provide an engaging online experience for their audiences.

Role and Responsibilities of a WordPress Designer

A WordPress designer is a crucial professional responsible for creating visually appealing and functional websites using the WordPress platform. Their primary role involves translating client requirements into engaging website designs, ensuring a seamless user experience. They collaborate with clients to understand their brand identity and objectives, integrating these elements into the overall design.

Technical Proficiency and Skills

A skilled WordPress possesses a comprehensive understanding of HTML, CSS, and JavaScript, alongside in-depth knowledge of WordPress themes, plugins, and customization options. Proficiency in graphic design tools such as Adobe Photoshop or Illustrator is often essential. This technical expertise enables them to transform creative concepts into fully functional and responsive WordPress websites.

Customization and Theme Development

A designer excels in customization, tailoring websites to meet unique client needs. They adeptly navigate theme development, ensuring that the design aligns with the client's branding while maintaining optimal performance and responsiveness across various devices. The ability to create custom themes or modify existing ones showcases their versatility in adapting to diverse project requirements.

User-Centric Design and Accessibility

An effective WordPress designes prioritises user-centric design, creating interfaces that enhance user experience and accessibility. They consider factors such as intuitive navigation, readability, and mobile responsiveness to ensure that the website engages visitors effectively. Implementing accessibility features is crucial to make the website inclusive and compliant with industry standards.

SEO Integration and Optimization

A proficient designer understands the importance of search engine optimization (SEO) for a website's visibility. They integrate SEO best practices during the design phase, optimising elements like meta tags, headers, and image alt text. This proactive approach contributes to better search engine rankings and increased online visibility for the client's website.

Client Collaboration and Communication

Successful WordPress designer prioritise effective communication and collaboration with clients. They engage in thorough consultations to grasp the client's vision, providing regular updates and seeking feedback throughout the design process. Clear communication ensures that the final product aligns with the client's expectations and goals.

Adaptability and Continuous Learning

The dynamic nature of web design and technology requires designers to stay abreast of the latest trends, updates, and tools. A commitment to continuous learning and adaptability to evolving industry standards sets apart an excellent designer. This ensures that they can leverage new features and technologies to deliver innovative and up-to-date website solutions for their clients.

Conclusion

Engaging a skilled WordPress designer is paramount for a successful online presence. A proficient designer, like XYZ WordPress Designs, brings expertise in leveraging the versatile capabilities of the WordPress platform. With a proven track record of creating visually stunning and functionally robust websites, XYZ WordPress Designs stands out for its commitment to customization, ensuring each website reflects the unique identity and goals of the client. Their proficiency in optimising for responsiveness and user experience underscores their dedication to delivering websites that not only captivate audiences but also function seamlessly across devices. By choosing XYZ WordPress Designs, clients can expect a harmonious blend of aesthetic appeal and technical excellence, resulting in a dynamic and impactful online representation tailored to their specific needs.

[obsessingoverl]

Oh this is something I would consider going into

How does one break into the field of translating historical Chinese documents, I wonder...

Popular history books are certainly cheaper and easier to read than textbooks but because they’re trying to tell a story and keep readers engaged they usually oversimplify things. Often towards the author’s personal bias. This greatly frustrates me sometimes but I can’t afford textbooks and I don’t have the time to comb through archives myself so they’ll have to do I guess

[botanicalsword]

Mercury in Houses & Signs - How does Mercury govern their languages, tones, thoughts?

♡♡♡

❥ Mercury in Houses

Mercury in the 1st House - Enhances intellect and self-awareness, often prone to overthinking

Mercury in the 2nd House - Skilled in negotiation, places importance on financial matters

Mercury in the 3rd House - Excellent communication skills, enjoys traveling

Mercury in the 4th House - Values family and home life

Mercury in the 5th House - Proficient in intellectual games, enjoys performing

Mercury in the 6th House - Emphasizes health and well-being

Mercury in the 7th House - Values and admires an intelligent partner

Mercury in the 8th House - Enjoys studying mysticism and has the ability to uncover secrets

Mercury in the 9th House - Likes to enrich oneself through reading

Mercury in the 10th House - Mostly engaged in intellectual and research-oriented work

Mercury in the 11th House - Has a larger circle of friends

Mercury in the 12th House - Prefers to keep their thoughts and ideas hidden

❥ Mercury in signs

Mercury in Aries - they tend to speak directly and lack patience and sometimes are stubborn with their words.

Mercury in Taurus - they are shrewd and conservative in their speech. They carefully choose their words. They are good at leaving themselves room to maneuver.

Mercury in Gemini - they are skilled at communication and may use a mix of truth and fiction in their speech.

Mercury in Cancer - they are are sensitive and empathetic communicators, they avoid using harsh words when they genuinely like someone. They prioritize maintaining emotional connections in their communication.

Mercury in Leo - They have a strong desire to be seen as right and may express themselves boldly and confidently, sometimes even exaggerating their points to prove themselves correct.

Mercury in Virgo - They are known for their precise and clear communication style. They express themselves with clarity and attention to detail, ensuring that what they say aligns with what they think. They value accuracy and practicality in their speech.

Mercury in Libra - They are skilled at sweet-talking and using tactful language. However, their ability to follow through on their words may vary, as they prioritize maintaining harmony and balance in their relationships.

Mercury in Scorpio - they are sarcastic and may disregard others' feelings. They have a sharp and sarcastic communication style. They may disregard the feelings of others unless they have a deep emotional connection. They are often straightforward and unafraid to speak their minds, even if it may come across as harsh.

Mercury in Sagittarius - they tend to speak impulsively and without much filter. They may say things without fully considering the consequences and often forget their words quickly.

Mercury in Capricorn - they take responsibility for their words and have a serious and practical approach to communication. They prefer to speak with purpose and avoid engaging in meaningless conversations. They value clarity and reliability in their speech.

Mercury in Aquarius - they hold strong opinions and are often resistant to changing their views. They can be persuasive communicators and have the ability to influence and even brainwash others. They are independent thinkers who value intellectual stimulation.

Mercury in Pisces - People with Mercury in Pisces speak based on imagination and intuition. They are easily influenced or misled, but they can also be manipulative and deceptive.

It is advisable to approach astrology as a tool for self-reflection and guidance rather than relying solely on it for making major life decisions.

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/ instagram : @le.sinex / @botanicalsword

[planckstorytime]

Dragon Age: The Veilguard: Strangled by Gentle Hands

*The following contains spoilers*

“You would risk everything you have in the hope that the future is better? What if it isn’t? What if you wake up to find the future you shaped is worse than what was?”

– Solas, Dragon Age: Inquisition (2014)

I. Whatever It Takes

My premium tickets for a local film festival crumpled and dissolved in my pants pocket, unredeemed as they swirled in the washing machine. Throughout that October weekend in 2015, I neglected my celebratory privileges, my social visits to friends, and even my brutal honors literary theory class. All because a golden opportunity stretched before me: a job opening for a writing position at the once-legendary BioWare, with an impending deadline.

The application process wasn’t like anything I’d seen before. Rather than copy+paste a cover letter and quickly swap out a couple of nouns here and there, this opening required me to demonstrate my proficiency in both words and characters – namely, BioWare’s characters. Fanfiction wasn’t normally in my wheelhouse – at the time, I had taken mainly to spinning love sonnets (with a miserable success rate). But I wouldn’t balk at this chance to work on one of my dream franchises – especially since the job prospects for fresh English BAs weren’t exactly promising. So, I got to work crafting a branching narrative based on the company’s most recent title: Dragon Age: Inquisition. Barely two months prior, I saw the conclusion of that cast’s story when the Inquisitor stabbed a knife into a map and swore to hunt her former ally, Solas, to the ends of the earth. Now it was my turn to puppeteer them, to replicate the distinct voice of each party member and account for how they’d react to the scenario I crafted. And if it went well, then maybe I’d be at the tip of the spear on that hunt for Solas. Finishing the writing sprint left me exhausted, but also proud of my work.

The folks at BioWare obviously felt differently, because I received a rejection letter less than a week later. Maybe they found my story trite and my characterization inaccurate, or maybe they just didn’t want to hire a student with no professional experience to his name. Regardless, I was devastated. It wouldn’t be until years later that I learned that, had my application been accepted, I likely would’ve been drafted into working on the studio’s ill-fated looter shooter, Anthem (2019), noteworthy for its crunch and mismanagement. My serendipitous rejection revealed that sometimes the future you strive to build was never meant to match your dreams. What seemed like an opportunity to strike oil actually turned out to be a catastrophic spill.

Still, my passion for the Dragon Age series (as well as Mass Effect) persisted in the face of BioWare’s apparent decline. I maintain that Inquisition is actually one of the studio’s best games, and my favorite in the series, to the point where I even dressed up as Cole for a convention one time. The game came to me at a very sensitive time in my life, and its themes of faith vs falsehood, the co-opting of movements in history, and the instability of power all spoke to me. But I will elaborate more on that at a later date. My point is, I held on to that hope that, in spite of everything, BioWare could eventually deliver a satisfactory resolution to the cliffhanger from their last title. Or perhaps it was less hope and more of a sunk cost fallacy, as an entire decade passed with nary a peep from Dragon Age.

As years wore on, news gradually surfaced about the troubled development of the fourth game. Beginning under the codename “Joplin” in 2015 with much of the same creative staff as its predecessors, this promising version of the game would be scrapped two years later for not being in line with Electronic Arts’s business model (i.e. not being a live-service scam). Thus, it was restarted as “Morrison”. The project cantered along in this borderline unrecognizable state for a few years until they decided to reorient it back into a single-player RPG, piling even more years of development time onto its shaky Jenga tower of production. Indeed, critical pieces were constantly being pulled out from the foundations during this ten year development cycle. Series regulars like producer Mark Darrah and director Mike Laidlaw made their departures, and the project would go on to have several more directors and producers come and go: Matthew Goldman, Christian Dailey, and Mac Walters, to name a few key figures. They eventually landed on John Epler as creative director, Corinne Busche as game director, and Benoit Houle as director of product development. Then came the massive layoffs of dozens of employees, including series-long writer Mary Kirby, whose work still made it into the final version of DA4. Finally, the game received a rebranding just four months before release, going from Dreadwolf (which it had been known as since 2022) to The Veilguard (2024) – a strange title with an even stranger article.

Needless to say, these production snags did not inspire confidence, especially considering BioWare’s been low on goodwill between a string of flops like Anthem and Mass Effect: Andromeda (2017) and, before that, controversial releases like Dragon Age II (2011) and Mass Effect 3 (2012). The tumult impacted The Veilguard’s shape, which scarcely resembles an RPG anymore, let alone a Dragon Age game. The party size is reduced from four to three, companions can no longer be directly controlled, the game has shifted to a focus on action over tactics a la God of War (2018), the number of available abilities has shrunk, and there’s been a noticeable aesthetic shift towards a more cartoonish style. While I was open to the idea of changing up the combat (the series was never incredible on that front), I can’t get over the sensation that these weren’t changes conceived out of genuine inspiration, but rather vestigial traces from the live-service multiplayer iteration. The digital fossil record implies a lot. Aspects like the tier-based gear system, the instanced and segmented missions, the vapid party approval system, the deficit of World State import options, and the fact that rarely does more than the single mandatory companion have anything unique to say on a quest – it all points to an initial design with a very different structure from your typical single-player RPG. The Veilguard resembles a Sonic Drive-In with a mysterious interior dining area – you can tell it was originally conceived as something else.1

That said, the product itself is functional. It contains fewer bugs than any previous game in the franchise, and maybe BioWare’s entire catalog for that matter. I wouldn’t say the combat soars, but it does glide. There’s a momentum and responsiveness to the battle system that makes it satisfying to pull off combos and takedowns against enemies, especially if you’re juggling multiple foes at once. Monotony sets in after about thirty or forty hours, largely due to the fact that you’re restricted to a single class’s moveset on account of the uncontrollable companions. Still, this design choice can encourage replay value, as it does in Mass Effect, and free respec options and generous skill point allocations offset the tedium somewhat.

While the character and creature designs elicit controversy – both for the exaggerated art direction and, in the case of demons and darkspawn, total redesign – the environmental art is nothing short of breathtaking. I worried that this title would look dated because of how long it had been in development and the age of the technology it was built upon. Those fears were swiftly banished when I saw the cityscapes of Minrathous, the cyclopean architecture of the Nevarran Grand Necropolis, or the overgrown ruins of Arlathan. But like everything in The Veilguard, it’s a double-edged sword. The neon-illuminated streets of Docktown, the floating citadel of the Archon’s Palace, and the whirring mechanisms of the elven ruins evoke a more fantastically futuristic setting that feels at odds with all three previous titles (even though all three exhibited a stylistic shift to some extent). It aggravates the feeling of discordance between this rendition of Thedas and the one returning players know.

All of these elements make The Veilguard a fine fantasy action-adventure game – even a good one, I’d say. But as both the culmination of fifteen years of storytelling and as a narrative-based roleplaying game – the two most important facets of its identity – it consistently falls short. Dragon Age began as a series with outdated visuals and often obtuse gameplay, but was borne aloft by its worldbuilding, characterization, and dialogue. Now, that paradigm is completely inverted. The more you compare it to the older entries, the more alien it appears. After all these years of anticipation, how did it end up this way? Was this the only path forward?

Throughout The Veilguard’s final act, characters utter the phrase “Whatever it takes,” multiple times. Some might say too many. I feel like this mantra applied to the development cycle. As more struggles mounted, the team made compromise after compromise to allow the game to exist at all, to give the overarching story some conclusion in the face of pressure from corporate shareholders, AAA market expectations, and impatient fans. Whatever it takes to get this product out the door and into people’s homes.

This resulted in a game that was frankensteined together, assembled out of spare parts and broken dreams. It doesn’t live up to either the comedic heights or dramatic gravity of Inquisition’s “Trespasser” DLC from 2015, despite boasting the same lead writer in Trick Weekes. Amid the disappointment, we’re left with an unfortunate ultimatum: It’s either this or nothing.

I don’t mean that as a way to shield The Veilguard from criticism, or to dismiss legitimate complaints as ungrateful gripes. Rather, I’m weighing the value of a disappointing reality vs an idealized fantasy. The “nothing”, in this sense, was the dream I had for the past decade of what a perfect Dragon Age 4 looked like. With the game finally released, every longtime fan has lost their individualized, imaginary perfection in the face of an authentic, imperfect text. Was the destruction of those fantasies a worthy trade? It doesn’t help that the official artbook showcases a separate reality that could’ve been, with a significant portion dedicated to the original concepts for Joplin that are, personally, a lot closer to my ideal vision. I think it would’ve done wonders to ground the game as more Dragon Age-y had they stuck with bringing back legacy characters, such as Cole, Calpernia, Imshael, and the qunari-formerly-known as Sten.

I don’t necessarily hate The Veilguard (I might actually prefer it to Dragon Age II), but I can’t help but notice a pattern in its many problems – a pattern that stems from a lack of faith in the audience and a smothering commitment to safety over boldness. As I examine its narrative and roleplaying nuances, I wish to avoid comparing it to groundbreaking RPGs such as Baldur’s Gate 3 (2023) or even Dragon Age: Origins (2009), as the series has long been diverging from that type of old-school CRPG. Rather, except when absolutely necessary, I will only qualitatively compare it to Inquisition, its closest relative.

And nowhere does it come up shorter to Inquisition than in the agency (or lack thereof) bestowed to the player to influence their character and World State.

II. Damnatio Memoriae

No, that’s not the name of an Antivan Crow (though I wouldn’t blame you for thinking so, since we have a character named “Lucanis Dellamorte”). It’s a Latin phrase meaning “condemnation of memory”, applied to a reviled person by destroying records of their existence and defacing objects of their legacy. In this case, it refers to the player. When it comes to their influence over the world and their in-game avatar, The Veilguard deigns to limit or outright eliminate it.

Save transfers that allow for the transmission of World States (the carrying over of choices from the previous games) have been a staple of the Dragon Age and Mass Effect franchises. Even when their consequences are slight, the psychological effect that this personalization has on players is profound, and one of many reasons why fans grow so attached to the characters and world. At its core, it’s an illusion, but one that’s of similar importance to the illusion that an arbitrary collection of 1s and 0s can create an entire digital world. Player co-authorship guarantees a level of emotional investment that eclipses pre-built backgrounds.

However, The Veilguard limits the scope to just three choices, a dramatic decrease from the former standard. All import options come from Inquisition, with two just from the “Trespasser” expansion. One variable potentially impacts the ending, while the other two, in most cases, add one or two lines of dialogue and a single codex entry. Inquisition, by contrast, imported a bevy of choices from both previous games. Some of them had major consequences to quests such as “Here Lies the Abyss” and “The Final Piece”, both of which incorporated data from two games prior. The Veilguard is decidedly less ambitious. Conspicuously absent options include: whether Morrigan has a child or not, the fate of Hawke, the status of the Hero of Fereldan, the current monarchs of Fereldan and Orlais, the current Divine of the southern Chantry, and the individual outcomes of more than two dozen beloved party members across the series. Consequently, the fourth installment awkwardly writes around these subjects – Varric avoids mentioning his best friend, Hawke, as does Isabela ignore her potential lover. Fereldan, Orlais, and the Chantry are headed by Nobody in Particular. Morrigan, a prominent figure in the latest game, makes no mention of her potential son or even her former traveling companions. And the absence of many previous heroes, even ones with personal stakes in the story, feels palpably unnatural. I suspect this flattening of World States into a uniform mold served, in addition to cutting costs, to create parity between multiple cooperative players during the initial live-service version of Morrison. Again, the compromises of the troubled production become apparent, except this time, they’re taking a bite out of the core narrative.

Moreover, the game’s unwillingness to acknowledge quantum character states means that it’s obliged to omit several important cast members. At this point, I would’ve rather had them establish an official canon for the series rather than leaving everything as nebulous and undefined as possible. That way at least the world would’ve felt more alive, and we could’ve gotten more action out of relevant figures like Cassandra, Alistair, Fenris, Merrill, Cole, and Iron Bull. Not to mention that The Veilguard’s half-measure of respectful non-intereference in past World States ultimately fails. Certain conversations unintentionally canonize specific events, including references to Thom Rainier and Sera, both of whom could go unrecruited in Inquisition, as well as Morrigan’s transformation into a dragon in the battle with Corypheus in that game’s finale. But whatever personal history the player had with them doesn’t matter. The entire Dragon Age setting now drifts in a sea of ambiguity, its history obfuscated. It feels as gray and purgatorial as Solas’s prison for the gods.

Beyond obscuring the past, The Veilguard restrains the player’s agency over the present. When publications first announced that the game would allow audiences to roleplay transgender identities and have that acknowledged by the party, I grew very excited – both at the encouraging representation, and at the depth of roleplaying mechanics that such an inclusion suggested. Unfortunately, The Veilguard offers little in roleplaying beyond this. The player character, Rook, always manifests as an altruistic, determined, friendly hero, no matter what the player chooses (if they’re offered choices at all). The selections of gender identity and romantic partner constitute the totality of how Rook defines themselves, post-character creation – exceptions that prove the rule of vacancy. Everything else is set in stone. The options presented are good, and should remain as standard, but in the absence of other substantive roleplaying experiences, their inclusion starts to feel frustratingly disingenuous and hollow, as if they were the only aspects the developers were willing to implement, and only out of obligation to meet the bare minimum for player agency. In my opinion, it sours the feature and exudes a miasma of cynicism.

Actual decisions that impact the plot are few and far between, but at least we have plenty of dialogue trees. In this type of game, dialogue options might usually lead to diverging paths that eventually converge to progress the plot. You might be choosing between three different flavors of saying “yes”, but as with the World States, that illusion of agency is imperative for the roleplaying experience. The Veilguard doesn’t even give you the three flavors – the encouraging, humorous, and stern dialogue options are frequently interchangeable, and rarely does it ever feel like the player is allowed to influence Rook’s reactions. Relationships with companions feel predetermined, as the approval system has no bearing on your interactions anymore. There are so few moments for you to ask your companions questions and dig in deep compared to Inquisition. Combined together, these issues make me question why we even have dialogue with our party at all. Rook adopts the same parental affect with each grown adult under their command, and it feels like every conversation ends the same way irrespective of the player’s input. With the exception of the flirting opportunities, they might as well be non-interactive cutscenes.

Rook’s weak characterization drags the game down significantly. With such limited authorship afforded to the player, it’s difficult to regard them as anything more than their eponymous chess piece – a straightfoward tool, locked on a grid, and moving flatly along the surface as directed.

III. Dull in Docktown

On paper, a plot summary of The Veilguard sounds somewhere between serviceable and phenomenal: Rook and Varric track down Solas to stop him from tearing down the Veil and destroying the world. In the process, they accidentally unleash Elgar’nan and Ghilan’nain, two of the wicked Evanuris who once ruled over the elven people millenia ago. With Solas advising them from an astral prison, Rook gathers a party together to defeat the risen gods, along with their servants and sycophants. Over the course of the adventure, they uncover dark truths about the origins of the elves, the mysterious Titans, and the malevolent Blight that’s served as an overarching antagonistic force. Eventually, Rook and friends join forces with Morrigan and the Inquisitor, rally armies to face off with their foes, and slay both the gods and their Archdemon thralls before they can conjure the full terror of the Blight. As Solas once again betrays the group, Rook and company have to put a decisive stop to his plans, which could potentially involve finally showing him the error of his ways.

The bones of The Veilguard’s story are sturdier than a calcium golem. Problems arise when you look at the actual writing, dialogue, and characterization – the flesh, blood, and organs of the work.

I’ve seen others chide the writing as overly quippy, but that better describes previous titles. Rather, I think The Veilguard’s dialogue is excessively utilitarian and preliminary, like a first draft awaiting refinement. Characters describe precisely what’s happening on screen as it’s happening, dryly exposit upon present circumstances, and repeat the same information ad nauseum. This infuriating repetition does little to reveal hidden components of their personalities, or their unique responses to situations. You won’t hear anything like Cole’s cerebral magnetic poetry or Vivienne’s dismissive arrogance. Many exchanges could’ve been uttered by Nobody in Particular, as it’s just dry recitation after recitation. It almost feels like watching an English second language instructional video, or a demonstration on workplace safety precautions. Clarity and coherence come at the cost of characterization and charisma.

Words alone fail to make them interesting. Most companions lack the subtlety and depth I had come to expect from the franchise, with many conversations amounting to them just plainly stating how they’re feeling. Most rap sessions sound like they’re happening in a therapist’s office with how gentle, open, and uncomplicated they feel. Compare this to Inquisition, where every character has a distinct voice (I should know, I had to try to copy them for that stupid application), as well as their own personal demons that it betrays: Sera’s internalized racism, hints of Blackwall’s stolen valor, Iron Bull’s espionage masked by bluster, or Solas’s lingering guilt and yearning for a bygone age. These aspects of their characters aren’t front and center, but things the audience can delve into that gives every moment with them more texture. The Veilguard’s companions lay out all their baggage carefullly and respectfully upfront, whether it’s Taash’s multiculturalism and gender identity issues or Neve’s brooding cynicism towards Tevinter’s underbelly. You’ve plumbed the depths of their personas within the first few minutes of meeting most of them.

Small exceptions exist. Professor Emmerich Volkarin stands out from the rest of the cast as a particularly inspired character: a charming, Vincent Price-like necromancer. His attachment to tombs and necromancy as a way to cope with his crippling fear of death makes for curiously compelling melodrama. The way in which he ultimately has to face his fear – either by foregoing his opportunity for immortality to save his beloved skeletal ward, Manfred, or by allowing his friend to pass on so that he can transcend into a new type existence – rises above the other binary choices in the game by being both narratively interesting and legitimately difficult to judge. Still, I feel Emmerich’s whole “lawful good gentleman necromancer” conceit, while a unique and clever subversion of tropes, would’ve worked better if it actually contrasted with anyone else in the party. Instead, the whole crew is full of unproblematic do-gooders who are forbidden by the game to nurture any meaningful interpersonal conflict. While I’d appreciate this lack of toxicity in my real-life relationships, fictional chemistry demands more reactive ingredients.

The Veilguard’s developers frequently positioned the game as “cozy” and about a “found family”, but I can guarantee you that there’s more tension at my Thanksgiving dinners than there is anywhere in this title. This family would get along swimmingly even during a presidential election. The thing about the “found family” trope is that it’s more satisfying when it’s earned. Here, it represents the default state, the starting point, and the status quo that they will always return to. Any minor squabbles (Harding wanting to sleep in the dirt, Emmerich taking too many books on a camping trip, Taash not liking necromancy) are introduced and squashed within the same scene. They all feel so extraneous. There’s so little friction among the companions here that you’d think it disproves Newton’s Third Law. The previous games never struggled in this regard, which makes the choices here all the more baffling.

Beyond the intra-party dynamics, characters lack grit or darkness to them – even when the narrative absolutely calls for it. Remember how I described the necromancer as lawful good (to use traditional Dungeons and Dragons alignments)? Yeah, that’s every character. Even the demonic assassin. Lucanis is a notorious hitman possessed by a demon of Spite, and possibly the weakest character of the game. This may or may not be due to the fact that his writer, Mary Kirby, was laid off mid-development. Regardless, he has noticeably less content than the other party members and generally feels unfinished. The demonic possession storyline goes nowhere; he doesn’t exorcise Spite, nor does he learn more about it or how to live with it. Instead, Spite is just an excuse to give Lucanis cool spectral wings (which he will use to fail several assassination attempts). The demon itself mostly just comes across as rude rather than threatening. The biggest issue, however, stems from the absence of any edge to Lucanis. When confronting his traitorous cousin, Ilario – the man who sold out Lucanis’s family to an enemy faction, kidnapped his grandmother, and made multiple attempts on his life – our grizzled, hardened assassin, pushed to the brink, demands… due process. Seriously, if your choices have led Lucanis to have a hardened heart, his method for dealing with the grievous traitor is sending him to jail. That’s The Veilguard’s idea of vindictive brutality among a clan of unforgiving murderers-for-hire. By contrast, Inquisition features Sera insubordinately murdering a stuck-up nobleman for talking too much. I believe that if modern BioWare had written The Godfather (1972), it would’ve ended with Michael Corleone recommending his brother-in-law to attend confession and seek a marriage counselor.

The writers seem intent on making the cast wholly unproblematic, with no way that the audience could ever question their morality or taste the delicious nuance of seeing someone you like do something bad. Measures were taken to child-proof every aspect of the good guys so that they couldn’t possibly be construed as anything else – even if it constricts them to the point of numbness and eventual atrophy.

To make things as palatable and accessible as possible, the language itself was dumbed down. Characters make frequent use of neologisms and bark phrases like “Suit up,” or “These guys go hard.” It emulates popular blockbuster superhero stuff rather than staying true to the diction the series traditionally employed. It’s all about the team, and the entire Dragon Age world has been stripped down into simplistic conflicts and recognizable stock characters.

This is why The Veilguard’s story largely fails. Despite being ostensibly being about the characters, they come off as an afterthought. Most of the time, only the sole requisite follower has anything to say on a given mission. Even in combat, their wholeness as fully-implemented party members falls short of expectations. Their damage output pales in comparison to the Rook’s, they have no health and cannot be downed in battle, and they mainly exist to give the player three extra ability slots. That’s the game’s true ethos for the companions, whether in combat or dialogue – utility, tools to make things happen rather than elegantly crafted identities. We end up with the largest amount of content per companion among any game in the franchise, only to have the weakest roster.

I know these writers can do better, because I’ve seen them do better. Trick Weekes wrote Iron Bull, Cole, and Solas in Inquisition, as well as Mordin Solus and Tali’Zorah in Mass Effect 2 (2010) and Mass Effect 3. Mary Kirby wrote Varric throughout the series, as well as Sten and Loghain in Origins. Plenty of other experienced writers, such as Sylvia Feketekuty and John Dombrow also contributed, so I can’t put any of the blame on a lack of skill. I don’t know if the mistake was trying to appeal to a wider audience, or if the constant reorientations of the DA4 project drained the crew’s passion and left them lacking in time to polish things.

I personally suspect that the writers had to rush out a script for all of the voiced dialogue. A video from August of 2020 showed off the voice actors for Davrin and Bellara, more than four years before the final game’s release. I think the codex entries, letters, and missives that you find throughout the game, which consist of only text, are much better written than the dialogue. My theory is that the writers had more time to revise and spruce up these tidbits, where edits were minimally invasive, as far as production is concerned. But my knowledge is limited; after all, BioWare rejected my application almost a decade ago.

Still, there are aspects of The Veilguard’s plot that I enjoy. The lore reveals were particularly satisfying2, and many felt rewarding after a decade of speculation. I called that elves were originally spirits, as well as the connection between the Archdemons and the Evanuris, but I wouldn’t have guessed that the Blight formed out of the smoldering rage of the Titans’ severed dreams. I’d concisely describe The Veilguard’s story as the opposite of Mass Effect 3: Whereas ME3 did excellent character work, the characterization in The Veilguard leaves much to be desired. Whereas ME3’s tone was overwhelmingly grim, The Veilguard feels inappropriately positive. Whereas ME3’s lore reveals ruined much about the series’s mystique, The Veilguard’s helped tie the setting’s history together. And whereas ME3 fumbled the ending about as much as it possibly could, The Veilguard actually coalesces into a spectacular third act.

While I think the twist with Varric’s death is weak (outright pitiful compared to the Dread Wolf twist of Inquisition), the actual events that make up the finale carry a momentum and urgency that the rest of the game severely lacked. Everything from the sacrifice and kidnapping of Rook’s companions to the slaying of Ghilan’nain to the awe-inspiring battle between the Dread Wolf and Archdemon Lusacan – the whole affair takes the best parts of Mass Effect 2’s Suicide Mission and elevates it to the scale of an apocalyptic series finale. Ultimately, Solas takes center stage as the final antagonist, and the drama crescendos to a height the rest of the game desperately needed. He remains the most interesting character in the game and perhaps the franchise, and thankfully, the resolution to his story did not disappoint me (though I would’ve preferred the option for a boss battle against his Dread Wolf form if the player’s negotiations broke down). So in that sense, I think the worst possible scenario was avoided.

But is that really worth celebrating? Averting complete disaster? Exceeding the lowest standards? In many regards, The Veilguard still could have been – should have been – more.

IV. A World of Tranquil

In my essay on Final Fantasy VII: Rebirth (2024), I briefly discussed a trend in media to sand off the edges so as not to upset the audience in any way. The encroachment of this media sanitization seems to be an over-correction to the brimming grimness of late 2000s and early 2010s fiction (to which the first two Dragon Age titles belong), which earned comparable levels of criticism. Like Solas, I occasionally feel trapped in a cycle of regret, where it feels like our previous yearning for less aggressive, mean-spirited content led to a media landscape that prioritized patronizingly positive art. Now it’s clear to me that, in order to have a point, you need to have an edge.

Dragon Age historically drew a very progressive audience, and many of them congregated around Tumblr in that website’s heyday. Tumblr has garnered something of a reputation for overzealous discourse and sensitivity among its userbase, and I think that the developers of The Veilguard, in an attempt to cater to one of their core audiences, may have misunderstood both that passion and the fundamental appeal of their products. They became so concerned about optics, about avoiding politically charged criticism, that they kneecapped their world-building, rendering it as inoffensive and sterile as possible. It’s not so much “PC culture” as it is “PG culture.”

To that end, the various governments, factions, and societies of Thedas lost their edge. Dragon Age previously presented itself as anti-authoritarian by showcasing the rampant abuses of power across all cultures. Whether it was the incarceration of mages under the Chantry, the slavery practiced by the Tevinter Imperium, the expansionist anti-individualism of the Qun, the restrictive dwarven caste system, or the rampant racism against elves, social strife abounded in this world. I think that’s one thing that drew so many marginalized fans to the series. But the correlation of fictional atrocities with those of real life frequently prompted volatile discourse, with many concerned about how allegedly allegorized groups were being represented. You began to see countless essays pop up by folks who use the phrase “blood quantum” more than any healthy person should for a setting about wizards. BioWare responded to this by making Thedosian society wholly pleasant and the people in power responsible and cool and the disparate cultures tolerant and cooperative. If nothing’s portrayed negatively (outside of the cartoonishly evil gods), nobody can take offense, right?

For starters, the Antivan Crows have gone from an amoral group of assassins to basically Batman. These figures, which previously purchased children off slave markets to train them into killers, are now the “true rulers” of Antiva, by which the official government derives its authority. The Crows in The Veilguard stand against the insurgent qunari army as heroes of the common folk. They’re not an unscrupulous faction that Rook is reluctantly forced to ally with for the greater good; no, the Crows are simply good guys now. When the pompous governor of Treviso rails against them, with such audacious claims as “assassins and thugs should not represent the citizenry,” we’re meant to laugh at the governor’s foolishness. The unintentional implication this sends is that lethal vigilantism and unchecked power are cool because the people who use it are cool and stylish. The slave trade goes unacknoweldged; Antivan children want to grow up to be assassins now. The Crows never do anything wrong in The Veilguard – the governor is later revealed to be cooperating with the invaders for their own power. BioWare avoids the unpleasantness inherent in the Crows’ concept by pretending it never existed.

Perhaps more ridiculous is the Lords of Fortune, a new faction of pirates and treasure hunters based out of Rivain. Except they don’t really do piracy or treasure hunting. The game goes to lengths to ensure that the audience knows that the Lords don’t steal important cultural artifacts from any of the tombs and ruins they raid. What do they steal, then? There is no such thing as an ethical treasure hunter – plundering indigenous sites for souvenirs is inherently problematic – but the writers wanted to reap the appeal of adventurous swashbucklers without any of the baggage, regardless of whether it makes sense or not3. It comes across as a child’s idea of a pirate: they’re not thinking about the murder and looting, just the funny men with eye-patches who say “ARRR!” The developers want us to like the Lords of Fortune, and to that end, they can’t do anything culturally insensitive – even fictional disrespect toward a made-up culture. This is doubly amusing because the Lords are represented by Isabela from Dragon Age II. The same Isabela that kicked off a war with the qunari by stealing their holy book, the Tome of Koslun. This irony goes unacknowledged by the game.4

When these rogue buccaneers aren’t busy giving land acknowledgments to displaced Dalish elves or whatever, they’re enjoying their nonviolent coliseum. Pirates revel in bloodsport, but only so long as no actual blood is spilled. The Lords refuse to fight prisoners or animals in their arena, as they find such acts too cruel. I guess they’re all big Peter Singer readers. Instead, they summon spirits to adopt the visages of common enemies so that the player can kill them with a clean conscience. It’s another example of wanting to have your cake and eat it too – they wanted to create a glory hunter/gladiator faction, but couldn’t stand the underlying implications of such. So they twisted and bent them to fit into their unproblematic paradigm, leaving the Lords flavorless and lame. They barely even contribute to the main story, and they’re practically the only look we get into Rivaini society (which remains criminally underdeveloped).

More tragic is the handling of the qunari, once one of the most unique and nuanced civilizations in the Dragon Age setting. The Qun, as portrayed in the first three installments, is a society that demands all of its composite parts work in harmony. Thus, they have predetermined vocations for their children, rigid gender roles, strict codes of conduct, and an ambition to “enlighten” the rest of the world. While the Qun has often been presented as antagonistic toward the heroes, the series has commonly balanced its portrayal by showing how seductive its absolutism can be for people without hope. In some cases, life under the Qun is preferable, as is the case with former Tevinter slaves. Conformity becomes comfort when the world is regularly threatening to split apart.

The Veilguard opts for a different approach. See, Rook’s not fighting members of the Qun in this game – they’re fighting the Antaam, the former qunari military. The Veilguard constantly reiterates that the Antaam, which makes up one of the three branches of the Qun, has broken off and decided to invade, pillage, and stoke chaos. BioWare didn’t want the questionable morality and complexity of fighting an invading people from a humanized, multi-faceted culture, so they removed their culture. Their efforts to turn the non-Western-coded qunari into something digestible for their mistaken conception of a modern audience instead results in two caricatures: one being a fetishized, perfect society where there are no perceivable social ills; and the other a bunch of rampaging brutes.

Contending with a realized conception of Plato’s Republic mixed with the Ottoman Empire makes for more compelling drama than a horde of murderous giants. Again, BioWare wanted to have it both ways, and they still needed nameless, faceless orcs to kill. So every bit about the qunari’s militancy, imperialism, and repression coexisting alongside some of their more progressive ideas and communal unity is stripped of its context and meaning. Blame is placed solely on the Antaam, who no longer represent (and retroactively, never represented) the Qun’s ideology. It’s a cowardly compromise, attempting to pin the blame of all the Qun’s failings on a renegade military and seeking to exonerate the political and social apparatuses of their culpability.

At one point, a minor character named Seer Rowan lectures to an ignorant human (a proxy for the audience absorbing these retcons) that qunari society has always been egalitarian in practice, with mages enjoying freedom there. Previous games showed that the qunari shackle their “saarebas” mages, stitch their mouths, cut out their tongues, and teach them to commit suicide if they ever stray from their masters. However, we’re now assured that this is only practiced under the Antaam, and No True Qunari would ever do such a thing. Ignore the fact that, in Inquisition, we witness the enslaved saarebas under the supervision of the Ben-Hasserath, a subdivision of the Ariqun (i.e. not part of the Antaam). In fact, the Antaam that Rook fights in The Veilguard never command saarebas at all. They’re completely absent from the game (likely because the image of the bound, mutilated minority was too much for The Veilguard’s sensibilities). Seer Rowan’s weak, conciliatory retcon can’t even justify itself in its own game. The scolding diatribe communicates an intrinsic misunderstanding of the Qun by the writers – namely, it continues the pattern established with the Antivan Crows that the mechanics of power in society are fundamentally good as long as aberrant forces aren’t in charge. While I understand the desire to be conscientious about the portrayal of fictional cultures that draw upon non-Western traditions and iconography (which have historically been demonized in media), glamorizing the Qun and stripping it of its realistic nuance does little to alleviate any problems with representation. If anything, it creates new ones.

But hey, now we have our faceless orcs to guiltlessly slaughter. That’s what the Antaam’s been reduced to, bereft of the ideology that made them people. We kill them because they’re strange and scary and foreign and seeking to destroy our cities for fun. They remain the most prominent representation of the qunari in-game, barring our party member Taash. BioWare’s attempts to reverse what they viewed as problematic components to the qunari instead devolved into the very tropes they wished to avoid.

Which leads us to the elves. Much of the series’s discourse has surrounded the portrayal of the long-suffering elven people, who endure slavery under Tevinter, expulsion from their homeland in the Dales, confinement in ghettos, and the general disdain from other races. The games’ stories use symbolic shorthand of real-life oppressed peoples to communicate these tragedies, and this has led to a variety of intense, emotional interpretations over the years. The unending misery of the systematically marginalized elves hasn’t gone unnoticed by the fanbase – and their criticisms haven’t gone unnoticed by the developers. To quote The Veilguard’s creative director, John Epler, in an interview with Polygon:

“Dragon Age has not always been the kindest to the Dalish [elves]. Somebody once made a joke to me, and it’s not untrue, that it’s possible to wipe out a Dalish clan in all three of the games in some way.”

He and others on the development team must’ve thought elves needed a break, because the omnipresent racism against them vanishes completely in The Veilguard. Tevinter, an empire built on the back of chattel slavery, doesn’t show any of that. Consequently, it feels like players in the know still haven’t seen the true face of Tevinter, despite spending half a game there. The notion that the capital of Minrathous gives now is one of a prosperous city that’s centuries ahead of the countries down south, rather than a cruel regime cracking the whip at every opportunity. Perhaps the writers weren’t comfortable portraying this, or felt that their audience might not be amenable to it after years of incendiary argumentation. Nevertheless, it castrates their established world-building and robs us of the opportunity to witness true elven liberation in the climax. With both the fall of Minrathous and the toppling of the tyrannical elven gods, we could have delivered a much needed catharsis after four games of oppression, but The Veilguard forgoes this storytelling opportunity to play it safe.

I worry that this hesitancy originated from anxieties about the sensitivity of depicting marginalized peoples in brutal, dehumanizing conditions, and how that might look to more fragile viewers. But I think it’s important for all players, watchers, and readers to know that, though there might be aspects shared between them, fictional minorities are distinct from real ones.

Dragon Age’s elves are aesthetically Celtic. Their residency in alienages evokes images of Disapora Jews in Europe. Their Long Walk after being driven from the Dales calls back to the Trail of Tears, sharing an experience with Native Americans. Their subsequent migratory nature is reminiscent of the Romani people. And their ancient empire of Arlathan, with its large columns and temples of worship, headed by ascended humanoid (for lack of a better term) deities that cast down an enemy called the Titans, and which has since had its religion and culture co-opted and renamed by Roman-inspired Tevinter invites comparisons to classical Greece.

My point is, the elves of Dragon Age don’t represent one group of people, because fictional cultures are constructs drawing from countless inspirations. If they represent anything beyond themselves, it’s the idea of a proud people that’s fallen under the yoke of conquering powers – a supervictim to embody all. The idea that one must be limited in their storytelling options based on how the portrayal might reflect upon or disrespect an existing culture is flawed, in my opinion. In the overwhelming majority of cases, coding cannot be read as a 1:1 allegory, especially in speculative fiction like science-fiction and fantasy. I believe the most mature way to evaluate a story isn’t to try to pigeonhole what it’s trying to say say about who, as if there’s some insidious encrypted message in the text. Rather, it’s to see the forest through the trees and interpret the work as a complete whole in itself.

On that basis, I ask: would it have been so bad to see some of those enslaved elves, praying for salvation, side with their manipulative, nefarious gods? To add some nuance to the conflict with Elgar’nan and Ghilan’nain, would the story of elven liberation not have been better if the game actually engaged with it? Could we actually have a moral quandary with those whom Rook ends up fighting, even if the content might be seemingly problematic?

Epler might respond in the negative, per the Polygon interview, claiming that the gods “simply don’t care” about the elves.

“Those blighted, decrepit gods, they’re not bothering with the soft pitch. Their pitch is, We’re going to make a horrible world. We’re going to give you a lot of power, and maybe you’ll be OK.”

Like a chess board, the core conflict of The Veilguard is black and white. BioWare abandoned the chance to make Elgar’nan and Ghilan’nain more interesting villains because it was too risky.

Similarly risky was Solas’s role as an antagonist, since his motivations, as explained in “Trespasser”, are deeply sympathetic. Perhaps too much so for the developers’ comfort. Unlike the Evanuris and their disinterest in the elves, Solas wants to restore the elven people to their former glory. At least, that seemed to be his pitch in the last game. Frustratingly absent from The Veilguard are the Agents of Fen’Harel – elves who swore fealty to Solas’s cause. They infiltrated and compromised the Inquisition, effectively precipitating the final decision to end the organization in its current form. The idea that Solas had amassed an army of common folk who found the idea of a renewed elven empire appealing made him appear formidable and intimidating. “Trespasser” implies that a mass uprising of elves under Solas’s leadership was imminent, and anyone could be in on it.

None of this happens in The Veilguard. Not only does Solas lack an army, but their absence isn’t explained or even acknowledged. As a result, Solas remains a passive antagonist until near the end, since the player has no disciples of his to contend with (either physically or ideologically) along the way. It wastes a side of his character that had been foreshadowed in a decade-long cliffhanger – that of a charismatic leader, capable of coordinating a rebellion that could spell disaster for its own followers.

In a Reddit AMA after the latest game’s release, Epler answered where the Agents of Fen’Harel disappeared to:

“Solas’ experience leading the rebellion against the Evanuris turned him against the idea of being a leader. You see it in the memories – the entire experience of being in charge ate at him and, ultimately, convinced him he needed to do this on his own. And his own motivations were very different from the motivations of those who wanted to follow him – he had no real regard for their lives or their goals. So at some point between Trespasser and DATV, he severed that connection with his ‘followers’ and went back to being a lone wolf. There are Dalish clans who are sympathetic to his goals, but even there, there’s an understanding that he’s too dangerous to have a more formal connection with, and that he will, ultimately, sacrifice them to his own ends if necessary.”

I find this explanation unsatisfying, not the least bit because the narrative offers next to nothing to imply this. The disappearance of Solas’s agents represents my biggest bugbear with the game, depriving it of the full potential of its highly anticipated antagonist in favor of the more generically villainous Evanuris. Moreover, this omission fits into the aggravating blueprint for The Veilguard’s inoffensive direction. The motivations, emotions, and backgrounds of the Agents of Fen’Harel would be sympathetic, and therefore might problematize the otherwise cut-and-dry conflicts. Epler seemed concerned that audiences might think Solas was “a little too sympathetic in his goals,” according to an interview with GamesRadar+.

But that’s the thing: sympathy isn’t endorsement, and portrayal of sympathetic characters isn’t endorsement either. But neither does that invalidate the emotions and experiences that generate that sympathy, even if the character’s actions ultimately turn toward evil. I’ve noticed a trend (especially in symptomatic criticism, which I generally dislike5) to view art as propaganda, and to evaluate it from a moralizing, top-down perspective. Antagonists with complex or understandable motivations (in this case, revolutionary villains) are often judged by this framework as tools for stories wishing to champion the status quo. Common arguments that I’ve seen imply that the relatability that we often find in villains is not a strength of the writing, but a devilish trick of ideology by which writers can reinforce conservative doctrine, to scold us away from certain beliefs. Any decent writer knows this isn’t the case, and that people don’t write morally or emotionally complex antagonists for didactic purposes. Instead, characters such as these embody the anxieties of their creators – the fear of losing yourself to your passions, the fear of going about things the wrong way, the fear of sacrificing too much to achieve your desired ends. The concepts and feelings that compel these characters remain authentic to the writer’s heart and the connection they established with the audience.

Art isn’t propaganda. To read it as such reduces it and promotes intellectual dishonesty and foolhardy myopia. Stories are irreducible (otherwise, we would not waste our time with them), and so I believe interpretations should be formed from the bottom-up, rooted in the text as much as possible. The “message” cannot be imposed from the top-down, but symptomatic readings, in their focus on tropes and cultural context, frequently condemn without a trial. Hindering your story in order to future-proof it for the sake of optics is a safeguard against this, and one that leads to bad stories. Artists should have confidence that their text will hold its ground on its own. To quote Ursula K. Le Guin’s essay “A Message about Messages”:

“The complex meanings of a serious story or novel can be understood only by participation in the language of the story itself. To translate them into a message or reduce them to a sermon distorts, betrays, and destroys them… Any reduction of that language into intellectual messages is radically, destructively incomplete.” (67-68)

BioWare’s doctrine of passive writing violates this wisdom by surrendering to their fear of (bad) criticism. The Veilguard lacks punch, stakes, and empathy and becomes incongruous with its established lore because it’s not willing to take risks that might alienate or upset players. They’re more concerned with making sure their work is inoffensive than they are with conveying a moving story.

I believe all of this was inherited from an incestuous feedback loop between a vocal minority of critics, of which I might’ve once counted myself among the blameworthy, and the apprehensiveness of out-of-touch corporate board room decision-making. Dragon Age’s genome mutated, and it slowly lost its teeth.

Over the course of a decade, we bred the Dread Wolf into a Dread Pug.

V. What It Took

The Veilguard’s lack of confidence in itself and lack of faith in its audience contribute to its capitulatory nature. In many respects, it feels like the developers lost their passion for it over the course of the ten year hellish production and just wanted to be done with it. This resulted in a decent game that nonetheless feels divorced from what came before it. It tries to juggle being a soft reboot while also trying to close out the series’s biggest and longest running story arcs, but inevitably fumbles.

Nearly everything done by The Veilguard was handled better by Inquisition. And Inquisition was certainly the more ambitious title. Perhaps more returning characters would have established a sense of continuity between the two, or at least made it less awkward by having them present for the story’s grand finale. For as strong as the endgame is, it could’ve benefited from the presence of slave liberator Fenris, elven history aficionado Merrill, possible Evanuris soul vessel Sera, or Divine Victoria (any of them). The core pillar of Dragon Age is the characters, and The Veilguard’s under-performance (and in some cases, outright dismissal) in that regard sabotages its integrity. Without this to anchor it, the changes to gameplay, visuals, and roleplaying depth become more alienating.

Personally, what do I take away from this? The Veilguard is far from the game I dreamed about for ten years, and not the one that loyal fans deserved either. I’m no stranger to disappointment at this point in my life, and yet this still leaves me with a hollow feeling. Will I still be able to return to Inquisition, a game I truly adore, and see it the same way as before, knowing now where all this is leading? The true cost of The Veilguard, for me, has nothing to do with the price tag: it’s the loss of that perfectly tailored dream, now that the possibilities of the future have shut their gates.

Where do those dreams go? Are they doomed to fester in their lonely, incommunicable agony? Will they be twisted by their enmity, like the blighted dreams of the Titans, and spread their corruption into those important happy memories?

In 2014, I was depressed as fuck, and Dragon Age: Inquisition helped me to see the light and come out of it. In 2024, I was depressed as fuck, and Dragon Age: The Veilguard made me feel nothing. There’s no less favorable comparison in my eyes. It’s disheartening to behold something that once meant so much to me and be greeted with numbness. I have to wonder if that affection will ever return, or if I’ve just grown out of it.

But as I wandered the streets of Minrathous as Rook, I heard a familiar song. It was one of the tavern songs from Inquisition, its nostalgic chords filling me with wistful sentiment. I know, deep down, there’s still something there. Maybe I just need to dig it up. Maybe it’s time to look back…

To be continued…

– Hunter Galbraith

Further Reading

Le Guin, Ursula K. “A Message about Messages.” Wonderbook: The Illustrated Guide to Creating Imaginative Fiction, Abrams Image, 2018, pp. 67–68.

Incidentally, this was an anomaly my friends and I pondered over and eventually solved. It turned out to be a former Wienerschnitzel. ↩︎

You could argue that this credit goes more to Inquisition and the previous games for laying the groundwork for said reveals, which were obviously planned out ahead of time, as confirmed by the aforementioned official artbook. Regardless, the payoff satisfied me and gave me proper closure. ↩︎

I’ve been informed that there is a hidden conversation that explains that the Lords of Fortune do, in fact, sell cultural artifacts at times, but only to the rightful owners. This just makes me wonder what they do with the artifacts if the prospective clients can’t pay. Do they shove them back in the ruins and re-arm all the booby traps? ↩︎

I would argue that this does not represent character progression on Isabela’s part, as her (possible, depending on the player’s choices) return of the Tome of Koslun in Dragon Age II was a pragmatic sacrifice she made to save her friends and the city, rather than an acknowledgment of the qunari’s inviolable ownership. In fact, in many continuities, she never returns the Tome at all. ↩︎

I prefer more formalist criticism because it allows the text to lead the dance, not the critique. I think it’s only fair, given that the creators likely spent more effort crafting the piece than I spent consuming it. Symptomatic criticism mandates that the reader consider everything around the text, typically at the text’s expense. In the worst cases, symptomatic critics make their arguments about seemingly everything besides the text in question. ↩︎ Link to article: https://planckstorytime.wordpress.com/2025/01/01/dragon-age-the-veilguard-strangled-by-gentle-hands/

[morbidsmenagerie]

We Should Talk About Jumping Spiders

This post is going to be a long one, summing up a lot of my thoughts on jumping spiders and their popularity and perception. I have been keeping bugs since 2019, so I've seen both the before and after the rise in popularity of jumping spiders as pets. I've also been volunteering at an Insectarium for over 2 years now and have talked to many bug lovers (and haters!) over the years. I love spiders, and have kept jumping spiders, tarantulas, sicariidae, theridiidae, and lycosidae. In working at the Insectarium I have raised several jumping spider egg sacs, and personally have raised egg sacs of my own spiders over the last several years.

This post is going to address the public image jumping spiders have and why I think a lot of claims about them are exaggerated, as well as discuss some of the issues I see with jumping spiders becoming highly popular pets.

Intelligence

I'm first going to discuss jumping spider intelligence, because that is the thing I see the most on and the thing I think is most misunderstood. I have seen several people asserting that jumping spiders are "as intelligent as 3 year olds" or "capable of doing math".

It's important to understand that almost all of these claims are based on studies done on the genus Portia specifically. This matters because jumping spiders are a highly varied group, and evolved for different situations and niches. The abilities Portia displays are impressive, including using a detour to get to a prey item, being able to map in 3D space, using previous successes in trial and error, and being able to determine how much prey is expected vs is seen in an expectancy violation trial.

It's important to clarify that these studies are done on Portia spiders specifically because of the niche Portia fill. Portia primarily hunt other spiders, especially orb weavers. This is a high risk prey item because landing on a web incorrectly would cause the jumping spider to be eaten. A lot of the tools Portia need to be able to hunt other spiders directly contributes to it's relative intelligent abilities, for example web plucking Portia need to have some ability for trial and error so they can determine which web-plucking sequences work best for attracting prey.

In this overview of different experiments that have been done on Portia jumping spiders, they note that other jumping spiders that do not web-pluck do poorly on a trial and error test involving escaping a moat.

Figure 8. Results from confinement experiments. Spider began trial on an island surrounded by an atoll in a pan of water and given two opportunities to choose its method of crossing the water (i.e., by leaping or by swimming). Successful first choice: plastic scoop made waves to help spider across to the atoll. Unsuccessful first choice: plastic scoop made waves to move spider back to the island. After making its first choice, it was recorded whether the spider repeated that choice or switched. Data analyzed using χ 2 tests of independence. Reprinted by permission from Springer (Cross and Jackson, 2015).

"The findings from experiments showed that the seven aggressive-mimic species were proficient at solving the novel confinement problem by repeating “correct” choices (i.e., the choices that delivered them to the atoll) and by switching when they made “incorrect” choices (i.e., the choices that sent them back to the island), but there was no evidence of the two non-aggressive-mimic species solving the same novel problem (Figure 8). These findings suggest that species which use trial and error to solve aggressive mimicry problems are predisposed to be proficient at using trial and error in a novel context."

This makes sense, as cognition is an extremely expensive adaption to maintain in an evolutionary context and would not develop if it was not needed. This is why it is misleading to take studies done on Portia spiders and generalize them to all jumping spiders, especially in the case of Phidippus which are generalist hunters. There is no need for Phidippus to develop the ability to be able to perform well in a trial-and-error test like this because they do not web pluck as part of their hunting strategy, and do not regularly hunt dangerous prey such that needing diverse strategies for attack was something they needed to develop. Portia are exceptional for jumping spiders and should not be treated as the norm.

Reading the article also does a good job at breaking down which experiments have been done on Portia, why they are interesting, and what they could mean. Portia are very interesting spiders and the studies done on them are intriguing, but I also think it's important to note other arthropods have shown similar or superior abilities in cognition, problem solving, and memory.

Hermit crabs display dynamic risk taking/risk aversion behaviors (link) and I could link hundreds of articles on memory, cognition, and problem solving behaviors shown in hymenoptera. It is a symptom of the jumping spider bias that wasps are not treated with the same level of curiosity for their cognitive abilities. Portia aren't even the only spiders that display flexible behaviors for the purpose of hunting other spiders, pirate spiders (link) also perform web-plucking and use multiple strategies to hunt prey, but far less research has been done on their cognitive abilities.

Anthropomorphism

Because jumping spiders are widely seen as cute, and people may know the generals of studies done on the intelligence of Portia, there is a tendency to anthropomorphize and "intentionalize" their behavior. A jumping spider looking upwards isn't seeking a higher vantage point, it's looking *at you* specifically. A jumping spider turning it's head to track movement isn't displaying a normal behavior that allows it to find prey and avoid threats, it's "curious" and "thinking about things". This happens with mantises as well, as mantises are also visually based and turn their heads towards movement, but even mantises are not anthropomorphized to the same extent that jumping spiders are.

This often leads to wildly mischaracterizing the spider's behavior.

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These two posts on Instagram demonstrate some of this. In one, a jumping spider looks at her reflection, to which the author claims this is proof she is "self aware". A further look at the comments shows other people stating their jumping attacks their reflection. What is most likely happening in this is the jumping spider is attracted by the movement of her pedipalps in the shiny surface, so she looks at them to determine if the movement is from prey or a threat. Jumping spiders frequently wiggle or move their pedipalps as they walk, the behavior is not unusual and not a sign that she is "admiring her reflection". In the other video, it shows the common behavior of a jumping spider waving it's front legs. This is often characterized as "asking to be held", but this behavior can have a few different meanings. Jumping spiders raise their front legs before they jump, so it's often done if you, for example, put your hand out for them because it is a natural part of their jumping movement. They can also raise their front legs as a threat display, which can happen when confronted with another jumper (or their reflection) or a large intimidating object (like your hand). It also seems to be a common behavior when they are on a ledge, perhaps in preparation to jump off the ledge even if they haven't found a suitable place to jump yet.

A jumping spider looking around (or looking at you) is also not displaying "curiosity" in the way that word is often use. Jumping spiders look around because that is how they primarily interact with the world, they aren't displaying a behavior that is fundamentally different than an isopod feeling it's way with it's antennae across the ground. They look at you (or up at high points generally) because Phidippus primarily hunt in wide open spaces. They are most commonly found in the wild on top of fence posts, on the sides of walls, on tall stumps, ect. They seek higher vantage points so they have the largest field of view to see prey. If you are interacting with one that is likely the top of your head. I've also heard it suggested that they focus on faces because your face has a lot of movement that attracts their attention, your eyes and mouth move around a lot.

Edit: Also I hope this goes without saying but jumping spiders are highly cannibalistic and solitary by nature. There is no evolutionary basis for them to have formed the ability to recognize and remember other individuals of their species, much less form a bond with them, much less form a bond with a wholly alien species to them such as a human. Animals that can remember other individuals do so to remember their place in social communities, remember which individuals they have good or bad relationships which, and which individuals are part of their colony/pack/herd and which ones aren't. Jumping spiders frequently avoid all other jumping spider shaped objects except for in the specific context of mating because the risk of cannibalism is so high. There is no reason to believe one is forming a special bond or relationship with you.

Ambassador Animals

Jumping spiders are often recommended as first pets, particularly for people who are trying to work on their arachnophobia. The reasoning is jumping spiders are cute and so will make people like spiders in general more. While this can be the case for some people, I don't think jumping spiders make good first pets.

If you are arachnophobic, jumping spiders move very erratically and can be very mobile. You often have to interact with the spider to catch it, and for people who are nervous around spiders the unpredictable movements can be difficult. Jumping spiders are also not the easiest spiders to take care of, in fact they are more intensive than almost any other arachnid. Because they primarily hunt using vision, they almost exclusively eat live prey. It can be very difficult to get a jumping spider to take prekilled prey, and they have a strong preference for flying prey. They also have high metabolisms and need to eat a lot compared to other spiders. While raising slings, we fed our Phidippus regius once every 2-3 days, and watered them every other day. All other spiders I've raised have needed to eat once a week at most and get watered once a week or less, and can easily go longer if need be. Other spiders are also much better at taking prekilled prey, so are easier to feed. Fruit flies are genuinely a pain in the ass to deal with, especially if you haven't kept inverts before, and at larger sizes jumping spiders vastly prefer blue bottle flies which can also be a pain. With almost any other spider you can use mealworms (or dubia, crickets, waxworms, ect) and prekill them as needed to feed them off.

Liking jumping spiders also does not necessarily translate to liking other or all spiders. I have met too many people at the Insectarium that tell me they *only* like jumping spiders, usually siting jumping spiders as being more "intelligent and cute" than other spiders. I've already talked about how jumping spider intelligence is often exaggerated and over applied to the family, but because this perception and because of anthropomorphization, people hold other spiders up to an impossible standard that even jumping spiders themselves don't meet. I would even argue that liking Phidippus jumping spiders doesn't translate to even liking other jumping spiders. Again, they are a varied and diverse group, and too many people tell me jumping spiders are their favorite spiders but can't name a single non-Phidippus jumping spider found in their area.

Here's some jumping spiders found in the Pacific Northwest that I wish more "jumping spider fans" cared about:

Here are some other jumping spiders in the US:

There are also literally thousands of interesting jumping spiders that fill all sorts of different niches all over the world. This is just me being a bit salty but don't tell me that you "love jumping spiders" and they're your "favorite spiders" if you're just talking about a handful of Phidippus in the US and maybe a Hyllus species.

This extreme focus on Phidippus regius also has consequences when recommending spiders as ambassador animals to people with arachnophobia. Phidippus regius are only native to the extreme Southeastern United States, primarily in Florida and some Caribbean islands. Most people do not live where Phidippus regius occur naturally, so if you recommend this species as a first spider and it doesn't work out for whatever reason, the person who owns the spider is either left to euthanize it or try to rehome it. Someone who is arachnophobic and has determined they can no longer care for the spider is probably not going to take the time to rehome it, much less pack it for shipping if that is required. It is much better to recommend someone try to keep spiders that are local to their area, so if they determine they can no longer keep the spider it's easy to release them back into the wild.

Over-collecting

The extreme focus on Phidippus regius leads to my last point. Phidippus regius are not found in most of the US and the demand for them is extremely high. They are marginally bigger and generally more colorful than Phidippus audax, which are much more common and found throughout the United States. Most content on jumping spiders as pets focuses on Phidippus regius specifically. The demand for them is extremely high, and a large female can be sold for quite a lot. There's one wholesale store in particular that regularly sells adult female spiders (mostly wild caught) for 75-90$. This limited native range and high demand leads to excessive collecting.

This person supplies most of the wholesale wild caught Phidippus regius. Most of the sub-adult to adult spiders you will buy come from this person, but I need to stress that similar mass collecting operations are happening all over Florida (even in protected areas as populations are harder to find outside of protected spaces). Each of these deli cups has a jumping spider in it, and from his Facebook posts they collect a similar output week to week. (link to a post talking about this some more)

Phidippus audax get almost as big as Phidippus regius and have similar behaviors to them, but are largely passed over in favor of the larger regius. This leads to collecting practices like this. If you are going to get a Phidippus regius at the very least ensure you are getting one that has been captive bred. The publicity and the misrepresentation of jumping spiders as being intelligent curious, or dog-like has real consequences on the demand and collection of these animals. Also keep in mind that Florida collection not only supplies the US demand for these spiders, but for Phidippus regius sales around the world, as they are primarily found in Florida.

Conclusion

Not entirely sure how to end this as this is the accumulation of a lot of different thoughts I have on jumping spiders. I do like jumping spiders and I do think they are fascinating, primarily I want people to stop anthropomorphizing them and generalizing intelligence studies that have been done on Portia to all jumping spiders. I also think there are other spiders that make good entry level spiders, some of my favorite spiders are also extremely easy to keep. If you're scared of spiders, one of the best ways to help get over your fear is to learn more about them, I highly recommend Travis McEnery's Youtube Channel (link). He is one of the most informative and diligent educators on common spiders you are likely to find in and around your house.

If you really want to try to keep a spider as a pet, I recommend starting with a wild caught spider from your area. For one, it can help you appreciate the spiders you see frequently more, and for two there is much less commitment and pressure. You can keep a spider for as long as you are comfortable, even just observe them for a few hours and then release them. Almost all spiders are also incredibly easy to keep, and the ones you would find in your home are going to be very undemanding for care. I hope this was informative.

[max1461]

I just found out I got a postdoc in Austria that starts in like 3 months, so I need to learn german to the greatest proficiency I can ASAP. It seems from your wise and powerful Posts that you have strong opinions about what works well in language-learning. Do you have any advice?

Yes. This is what worked for me in learning Japanese; YMMV.

So, I think that language learning is mostly about volume of practice in/exposure to the language, although that practice does have to maintain a minimum level of quality to be useful (e.g. not duolingo, duolingo is useless). Here is what I would say:

Ideally, find a German class and sign up for it. You may end up outpacing the class but it will both give you a backstop and also give you access to people to practice with and a native speaking teacher to ask questions to and model your pronunciation on. If the teacher is not a native speaker, do not take that class!

Probably the class will come with a textbook. If not, or if you can't join a class or so on, get a textbook and work through it. Ideally find one with lots of exercises and do all the exercises. Use some sort of flashcard system or rote memorization for vocabulary/conjugation tables/etc. You may have to experiment to find out what works for you; what worked for me was writing out big tables of verbs and conjugating them all in order to memorize the conjugations, for instance. Don't be afraid of memorization. My Japanese classes had weekly quizzes + a few hours of homework each week night, which was mostly translation, vocabulary, and grammar exercises. I studied for the tests and quizzes by rote. It always worked. You don't have to do this as much as I did, obviously, but subject to your needs just maximize your volume of practice vis à vis grammar and vocabulary.

Don't try to make grammar "make sense". The grammar rules are what they are. Too many learners get stuck on grammar rules that don't feel logical to them. Get over this immediately. Whatever the rule is, that's the rule; remember it and use it.

Practice speaking a lot. If you can't find native speakers to speak with, speak with your classmates. Ideally find native speakers to speak with. You can look online for like, language meet-ups and stuff. The thing is that grammar rules don't always make intellectual sense but they make functional sense; once you practice them enough they start to feel natural. Vocabulary can be memorized, conjugation tables and so on can be memorized, but you have to practice the language enough that you're no longer using that conscious, memorization-based part of your brain, shit just has to come out. Practice speaking and listening as much as possible.

This helped me, but it may or may not help you: remember that, ok... grammar is presented as a bunch of rules, which implies like, limitations. "Do X and don't do Y". But this is not what grammar really is, and it is not how you should approach grammar. Grammar "rules" are in fact tools for building sentences. Without grammar, you just have a bunch of disparate vocabulary items. With grammar, you have a way to put them together into something with a more complex meaning. Do not look at grammar points as rules that you must follow, look at them as new tools you have to build even more complex sentences and express even more ideas in the language. This is a crucial mistake many people make.