onion-orlesien

[onion-orlesien]

(I have some more DW rant sorry :( )

The second thing that annoys me the most and that I have to get out of my system is the whole Conrad situation. Last episode, they did great presenting his world as inherently flawed and non-functional, where half the people aren't free, and the other half doesn't really exist. He was used as a puppet by the Rani who knew his world made no sense. That was a great way to show that Conrad's ideals are not aligned with what humans are. Now in this episode, the show focuses on how he tries to do better and how he's just a sad boy with unresolved emotions about his dad. And yes, that is a real issue irl, something to address to minimize the risks of people turning like him. But this doesn't give him a free pass to discrimination. And Ruby, the one who suffered the most from spending time with him, doesn't have to put up with all that and be so understanding. Yeah she's all about parents and children, but she deserves to be mad.

If they really wanted to show that redemption is possible, they should've used that opportunity to have Ruby tell him that this is not the way, that his world is hurting many. And he should've been open to that. But no, he's presented as a victim to pity, and it's "not really his fault". Ruby, a privileged cis and non-disabled character, tells him his world is kinda nice. And instead of being held accountable, he's rewritten to be a harmless dude. I do think her wish is cancelled when the Doctor changes reality again, but we have no confirmation of that, and clearly the show doesn't focus on holding him accountable. Which is a huge step back from his first appearance.

[onion-orlesien]

They had the most interesting companion in ages with Belinda. A companion who immediately called the Doctor out on his bullshit and was adamant on getting back to her normal life.

Then they take this woman who was furious about her DNA being scanned without consent and forcibly change her life and reality to give her a sudden child.

Like that is incredibly fucking weird, right?

[onion-orlesien]

Doctow Who spoilers (and rant bc I'm really unhappy about it all, pls skip if you wanna see positivity!)

So in Wish World, we're introduced to Conrad's world being a dystopia that can never function, based on misogyny, ableism, transphobia, homophobia, patriarchy etc. A world flawed by design and presented as wrong. A world in which women stay home to take care of their children, who they are forced to have.

And in Reality War. on top of having Ruby saying Conrad's world could be worse and basically saying he has a good heart for doing what he did (jrjejfjzb). We get Belinda, the hardworking passionate woman who isn't scared to set boundaries, who didn't hesitate to fight in order to help strangers, who stood up for herself and defeated a toxic ex-boyfriend who wanted to marry her by force, the Belinda who so easily told the Doctor "No." and called him out on not respecting her boundaries....

We get that Belinda, but now it's actually a mother who, during the WHOLE EPISODE, does NOTHING ELSE than be worried about a child she was forced to have and never wanted? Then she's PUT INTO A BOX while the rest of the cast go save the day???? A BOX??? Is she even the Doctor's companion or who is it at that point? (It's just Ruby, again.)

Even the Doctor doesn't take the time anymore to properly tell her what's happening, she's just left there with Poppy, useless to the plot, vaguely confused and still feeling exactly like when she was in the wish world.

So now her maternal side is so strong that she will do everything to protect her daughter, she will never let anything happen to her- oh nevermind. She totally forgets her existence when she disappears. What was that about the littles pieces of memories the Doctor talked about at the beginning? Why is RUBY remembering Poppy, and not her own mother who's been so devoted for 2 episodes?? This would've been a nice opportunity for Belinda to actually be important in the plot here, but no. She's passively waiting for stuff to happen. How can you write this for your character, especially when she's the co-lead, seriously.

At some point, I wondered if we'd been voluntarily tricked and if Belinda actually having a child and needing to get back home for her was the original reality, and the Doctor and us viewers saw the regular season as the rewritten reality. Because Belinda DOES see Poppy in the Story Engine episode, and there's no reason for her to see her unless she's already her daughter. But that still wouldn't explain how the baby is also space baby Poppy and what she's doing in those times and places, unless it's another of her descendants, which means this whole wish baby universe is the original from the beginning.

But even with that theory, even if the Belinda we've been seeing from episode 1 is not the OG Belinda, the problem stays the same: the character got fully rewritten to be barely more than A Mother, her whole motivation, which was work, is now her daughter, and she's still utterly useless to the plot in the entire finale (and some episodes before that already).

Made me so uneasy watching it all.

[onion-orlesien]

31h into DATV! Just (positive) rambling about the locations

I spent my entire day playing more of The Veilguard, I love it so much I swear 😭😭 The ENVIRONMENTS alone amaze me to no end.

Walking around Tevinter, getting to see first-hand how it's not only a one-dimensional evil empire? I'm so here for that!

I was scared I wouldn't be too involved in the Shadow Dragons since it's a new faction, but oh boy. They stole my heart very early on and I'm so so excited about anything Shadow Dragons now. I'm also playing as one and it fits the story perfectly!

Their HQ is stunning too. Those colours, all the sharp angles everywhere, the props... We've only seen Tevinter through some forgotten ruins or props, but they rendered it super accurately here and it all really feels like a cohesive world to me, which is what I've always loved about DA.

Treviso is also amazing and it's the map I have advanced the most, because i LOVE hanging out there (and taking all the photos-). It's fancy, pretty, has many small streets and feels a bit like a labyrinth, and nice access to roofs... perfect for Crow-themed assassins! This is 1:1 how I imagined Antiva, even under Antaam occupation. I've never been super interested in assassin factions or characters, so I'm surprised to be head over heels over the Crows. Reading Tevinter Nights definitely helped getting me excited though. And my Rook is a rogue (yes, first time I'm playing a Rogue MC in a video game, I'm usually the warrior type) and they're kind of a Crow fan, which makes it even better!

Arlathann is simply beautiful and intriguing. The artifacts are still a bit overwhelming to me, but as I'm getting used to the game and new elements, I'm really liking discovering everything. All those shrines, the ancient buildings in ruin, but also the Elves turned into wood... I can only imagine what it was like before the Veil, filled with magic and ruled by the Evanuris.

I also can't help thinking of the Hinterlands there, especially since you're kind of stuck there at the beginning. But like, upgraded.

In general, I greatly appreciate the little parkour elements and more complex turns and paths, they make the maps less boring. You have to look around for access, knock some things over, use companions skills to progress... That's a big yes from me!

Seriously, this game definitely feels like Thedas and Dragon Age to me, and I'm scared because I'm sure it's gonna be just as evil as all the others and I'm not ready for that

[onion-orlesien]

20h in, I'm absolutely loving The Veilguard!!

(Just random thoughts about stuff I like bc I can't stop playing or thinking about this game. Spoilers up until completion of the first Minrathous and Treviso main quests)

The first 4h I was mostly noticing things I wasn't super enthusiastic about. I was weirdly bitter and comparing things to other games?? I didn't expect that since I'd been 100% excited and hype since June. (Actually, the first actual 4h were just spent in CC, no joke! It was great)

But after a few more hours today, I was completely convinced and excited again, and proceed to play all day lol. I was so happy to finally see things we have *not* seen yet during the past promotional months!!

Wandering through Tevinter was a blast, I loved how familiar it looked while also being a brand new place. I took my sweet time and visited every possible nook and corner, and greatly enjoyed doing so! Also, the Inquisition bard songs???

I also dipped my toes into the more free side of the game, with exploration and regional side quests in Arlathann. Loved every second of it!! It breaks the linearity, but isn't so open that I'm overwhelmed or lost. I'm really liking the balance!

Treviso was such a little gem to discover, I can't wait to go back. The whole quest to get Lucanis had me much more involved than I had assumed, he's actually even a romance option I'd consider by now!

That convo with Varric about Solas? So good. The one sentence on Solas' sensitivity was such a good way of presenting him.

PHOTO MODE!! SO GOOD!! I already made a new laptop wallpaper-

My Rooks seems to naturally flirt with Harding and Bellara... Who knows what will come out of that, I'm definitely super attached to them already!

Combat is so. Much. Fun. Lots of light effects everywhere, but that aside, it's just so satisfying when it works! Had to switch to controller because I was having very headache-inducing skipped frames when moving the mouse around. Controller actually made combat a lot more fun for me, so I stick to it!

Yeah, I'm in deep and I'm in a little Veilguard bubble, far away from negative reviews and such things I vaguely heard about. I hope everyone is having fun, we deserve it!

[onion-orlesien]

Now that I finished DAO once (yay!!) and DAI twice (DA2 should start soon!), I'm trying to figure out how to organise my world states with the different Rooks I wanna play.

And I don't know!! All combinations sound great!!

Do I want an elf Shadow Dragon Rook who's gonna look up to my fierce Tabris, but meet my random Trevelyan? Or should they meet Lavellan and have some nice elven identity crisis with Lavellan and Solas?? I feel like playing an Elf could be so meaningful in DATV, but I'm also unsure about having two Elves as protags back to back

And my Warden Qunari Rook would also deeply respect my Tabris, aahhh!

Or should I swap my two inquisitors and adapt the world state?? (i need a Warden Loghain worldstate and tbh it could work with both my Inquisitors)

Questions, questions...

[onion-orlesien]

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[onion-orlesien]

I'll make a proper post about it at some point, but I've been streaming (in French) on Twitch for a few weeks!

I currently play DAO about twice a week, feel free to come say hi! I would love to have viewers that are also in the fandom haha. And today I'm paying a visit to the iarl Howe >:(

omg what is this integration. I just pasted a link. We'll see if it works :')

[onion-orlesien]

IT'S VEILGUARD MONTH!!!!!

I've been thinking of Dragon Age constantly since June and having such a great time sharing the hype and wishes with the fandom, we will soon see the final product!!

It's also VEILTOBER! I want to try to follow a prompt list, thought definitely not everyday. But I'm hesitating between 2 lists 🤔.

[onion-orlesien]

This is excluding the DLC areas [for now] and if you liked somewhere like the Temple of Dirthamen I'd say either lump that in with the area it's linked to or choose the "some other base game location" option!

[onion-orlesien]

Loghain having the worst timing. I miss Rowan :(

I once again fell into the trap of just wanting to "doodle something quick", without much thought and only my mirror for approximate references, but then getting carried out, but also not enough to pay serious attention or think properly, so I end up with something poorly executed that I only half like. I guess it's okay to do this sometimes though, it's part of how I do art.

[onion-orlesien]

Also I play games in French, right, and in the Origins audio, when Loghain mentions Rowan for the first time in front of Alistair's face, when I was getting emotional to see her name on the subtitles...

THE VA SAID "QUEEN GWENDOLINE"?? 💀💀 This was both hilarious and very sad.

[onion-orlesien]

I just finished the first 3 Dragon Age comics but I'm pretty confused :') (also I get a bit rant-y, pass if you don't want to see that!)

I saw people say it is semi-canon in the sense that if Alistair is not King, then it all still happens, but with Warden Alistair. King and Warden Alistair are the two most popular options and it works well, but Alistair can also vanish or die. In which case he can't be bait there and Titus is never identified, no?

The epic dragon blood lore can still stand, but if we have neither Warden nor King Alistair, does that mean there's no one to stop Titus' evil plan? Because if that's the case, I won't sleep well 😭. And if not, if we can wipe all that Titus stuff from our world states, then we still don't know what happens to my boy Maric. I'm probably missing something, I don't have all the lore and possibilities details in my head yet, but I can't wrap my head around it! :(

It does annoy me a bit and I'm scared of reading the other comics or books that are set during game periods, as opposed to those set before them. That being said, I really enjoyed the Fade reunion scene!! One of the few things I enjoyed in these comics 😬.

Also I'm having little "What if"s ideas that I want to make mini comics about now 🙆🏽‍♂️. Like 👀. What if Alistair dies and it's magically Loghain who eventually finds Maric like HE DESERVES 👀. What would they talk about in the Fade 👀.

[onion-orlesien]

It's interesting that they all require a separate device for activation. This would probably have added an exploration step to get these orbs and keys. I'm glad with the Astrariums as they are, getting to them and to the Shards is already enough!

I like that some of them would be damaged and destroyed with time. I need to pay closer attention in DAI and see if we get old broken ones!

Matt Rhodes: "More Inquisition stuff: The Astrolabe was a recurring puzzle where you'd trace out a constellation. We spent a lot of time trying to find a balance of astrological and magical. Definitely overthought many of these, but they sure were fun to work on." [source]

Art by Matt Rhodes

[onion-orlesien]

Well. I spent 10h straight finishing the entire book and I couldn't take my eyes off it! So it really was the fights that was boring me, and it took me some time to get involved in the main cast individual stories.

My heart is shattered again, though in a different way than after The Stolen Throne. There were more things that bothered me in this book.

I have things to say but I have to work! 😭

At the moment I'm having such a hard time reading The Calling for some reason. I don't understand because I love anything Darkspawn and Deep Roads!

I really struggle sustaining attention and interest in the main cast chapters. Currently at chapter 8, it's a big fight and I find it quite repetitive. But I have hope I get more into it after all those initial fights!

[onion-orlesien]

Dipped my toe in Dragon Age modding today and I'm feeling so grateful for all the work everyone put into these mods!

I'm always so amazed by what fans can do. We do illustrations, comics, fics, songs, music videos, mods and an infinity of other things that add to the universe and can even enhance the base material!

I'm not new to this, but it's always a big deal when I stop and think about it