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Huh. Is it just me or is it weird how a lot of the people who will go all in on excluding gender diverse characters from fantasy media will claim to do so because it’s “unrealistic” while simultaneously saying that other people are being too sensitive for being upset that women’s armor is boobalicious and that all women in the piece of media are insanely hot eye candy?

Like… y’all have to know that that’s not “realistic” either, right? Like there weren’t metal bikinis in the Middle Ages, and at no point in time has every woman on earth been conventionally hot and had an hourglass figure. It’s… it’s almost like historical accuracy isn’t the issue.

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starting a bg3 tarot set!! this will be a print in my shop next month :3

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Here i dreamt i was …

Trying out a different sketching style because i suck at sketching so heres nap time Cole

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thinking about the ending of dragon age 2 as a mage hawke who sided with the mages at the end of the fifth blight, the warden defeats the archdemon and saves ferelden. they are paraded through denerim to the sounds of cheering crowds. if they don't survive, their memory lives on in a tale of great heroism and sacrifice for years to come. the inquisitor celebrates at skyhold with the rest of their companions after they beat corypheus, the threat finally ended, the inquisition a success.

but not hawke. you can fight with everything you have to support the mages, but there is no grand fanfare when it is over. the villain succumbs to corruption and dies unceremoniously - you don’t even get the satisfaction of striking the killing blow. you can’t get a round at the hanged man to celebrate. it’s time to go. you and your friends can never sit around your table at the hanged man again. you can’t be seen here when the templars come to clean up the mess. nothing will be the same. you have given seven years of your life trying to hold kirkwall together, accepted your accolades and played the part of champion, and you watch it fall apart anyway. and how much of that is your fault? this city has been stained in your blood since before you could remember, since before the blood was your own.

you lost your sister when you lost your first home. even so, you tried to live by the advice you gave fenris - when you stop running, you build a life. the estate that you clawed your family back into stands looming and empty. it is the last place you saw your mother alive, and you still can't bear to touch her things, and you will never even see her room again. bodahn and sandal are making preparations to leave for orlais, orana will find other work with the skills she's learned, and the house will remain, a hollow testament to your family's legacy. gamlen will hear only the stories. your brother fought by your side when it mattered, despite everything. even so, he will stay behind, and you might never see him again.

no, there is no time for a celebration. instead you get a cautious acknowledgement from the templars, a tense goodbye, and then you can never go home again. for the second time. you thought you could build a life, and you tried. you held on as long as you could, you made friends, you fell in love, you clung to the last vestiges of your family, but most of them will be forced to leave your side anyway. you won, but even that wasn't enough.

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hot

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RELEASE THE DA2 VARRIC ROMANCE ENDING BIOWARE

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I'm obsessed with them.

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unhinged, btw, that bioware has to keep assuring people that the game is still dark and gritty because the cinematic trailer was kind of flashy and the art style has changed. for dragon age. the game that was doing "marvel dialogue" before the mcu even really existed (iron man came out in 08, dao came out in 09). the game with a species of hairless pig rabbits, one of which is named schmooples. the game with swooping is bad. the game where you could solve a sidequest about a pining elf boy by fucking the girl he's pining for. we're really gonna pretend this game series never had a significant amount of silliness and humor? fenris tells varric he likes to dance through the empty rooms in danarius' manor. hawke has an entire personality archetype that can be summed up as "shitposter." we're really going to pretend dragon age (the series where people can walk in on you and bull having kinky sex) is all dark and mature and has never had light or silly moments as a major part of its formula. insane

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So my partner’s nonbinary and they’ve been playing Harvestella, and they commented to me last night how affirming it was for them to be able to be referred to with they/them pronouns while playing. Like every time someone referenced their character my partner would just look so happy.

It made me think about Veil Guard and the backlash in some corners of the internet for the ability to use gender neutral pronouns for Rook and to give Rook top surgery scars and claiming it’s forcing woke shit, and like. It’s not though? It’s not like Rook’s storyline centers on their gender. Hell, aside from their pronouns and potentially their appearance, I’d be shocked if Rook’s gender impacts any part of the game or story at all.

And it also reminded me of mass effect andromeda and Hainly Abrams, a trans woman on Eos. Initially BioWare did phone in her trans-ness (she volunteered her dead name right away despite Ryder being a stranger) and seemed very much like token-trans-DEI bs that the people who are mad about veil guard are rambling about now. And you know what? That made the trans community mad too because it was shitty representation. Like no one wants diverse characters whose ‘diversity’ is clearly the only reason they’re there/the defining feature of their personality or story. Like dear god, do you know how sick some queer people, myself included, are of queer stories focusing on coming out or homophobia? Like. Yes, it impacts our experience but Christ it’s not like it’s the entirety of it.

Anyway, all this to say is that companies sometimes do try to pander to the ‘woke agenda’ or whatever bullshit, but the community they’re trying to pander to also hates the ‘token minority’ treatment. Having a player character that can reflect your identity and appearance is not pandering. It isn’t taking away from anyone’s game experience, it’s just giving people the opportunity to feel welcome in the world they’re exploring. It also makes it way easier to stay immersed in that world and enjoy it.

Also- some of these fuckers have never been forced to play as someone who doesn’t match their gender and it shows. It is so normal to have video games where the only option is to play as a man that I hardly notice it anymore until I play a game where I have the option to play as a woman and am delighted. And here these idiots are throwing a tantrum because people have the option to be trans or nonbinary.

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wait

✔️ cursed production

✔️ last minute name change

✔️ focus on relationship with companions

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don't you wish to see her again? your hawke?

— (solas, hawke & varric)

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everyone thinks varric is going to die (me included unfortunately) and he's my favourite character so this is extremely upsetting. to cope i drew some awful varrichawke angst meoww (my soul is in the depths of agony)

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"I'll talk to him guys!!"

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Rip to everyone on this site who didn't realise they were following sleeper dragon age fans. The fandom is awakening from its deep slumber.

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Just in case you're still watching this inbox, I wanted to let you know I really love your writing and everything you've posted!

So I just rediscovered my tumblr (and my AO3) today after years of being off of them and this just made my day ❤️🥺

I have no idea when this was submitted but thank you, and I’m so glad you enjoyed it

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I did a thing

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Trash Bandit steals hearts; That and the Weather at 11 #EthicalMemes

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Gathering “information”