possibly a controversial opinion and absolutely not trying to take a shot at anyone who disagrees, but I think having portraits show up for comms at the end of a dungeon/raid is a terrible feature. great in theory but terrible in actuality. I don't care about my comm count (and couldn't tell you what it is) but it was always nice to get some in instances where I knew I'd done a kick ass job supporting the team (as a healer or rdm usually). it was people saying thank you
I'm a really average player but there's some content I know very well and can help other players in. I love helping people and it's just a good feeling when you get thanked after. like hey, I was useful! I made a contribution!
that vanished completely when portraits came out (I've done roulettes almost every day for the last 8 months due to leveling all the jobs and just enjoying it, so it was really really easy for me to track the change...there were a few exceptions but overall it was like night and day from before). (and yes, people could obviously see your glam before but having it directly in the comm ui is different)
I got a trickle back when I put some effort into making fun portraits (something I personally don't enjoy doing but felt obligated to do), but I don't play a cute cat boy or a lady with big boobs (two things I've actually seen people online say tempt them into giving comms) and my portraits are definitely not as fancy as a lot of people's and more than that it just feels like that shouldn't matter
so yeah, not a fan. actually turned them off for myself the first time they popped up because it just felt strange. leave them at the start and take them out at the end would be my best solution since, like I said, really neat idea in theory and I think people should be proud of their cool glams and show them off. but it also really sucks to be in what feels a lot like a beauty pageant
They don’t even attempt to assassinate US politicians anymore. You notice that? Not since the anthrax scare back for… who was it, Barack? And even that… pathetic. This new generation has no respect for an honest hitman. I’m not sure this new generation has any honest hitman - you see that shit with Boeing? Sloppy, fucking disgraceful - you kill the whistleblowers before they get halfway to a lawsuit. What kind of fucking amateur is doing faked suicides the night before testimony? Goddamn greenhorns. Back in my day someone tried to shoot Ronald Reagan in broad daylight. There used to be bomb threats to Congress. I took out a few union leaders in the utilities sector myself. Today’s generation? Won’t even threaten to throw a punch - not even over on that - what’s it now, ‘X’? They got no guts. None! And they don’t even have poor impulse control to boot! Too much of that - that panopticon anxiety bullshit. “Oh what if I get a called out post???” People used to send the president letters full of bioweapons. In the mail! Today’s generation? Not a chance. All because of woke.
just want to remind y'all of some kirkwall-related details that are not at all relevant for the possible events of datv:
meredith stannard is alive and kicking and is also planning a war against tevinter
red templars are in control of the gallows; it's hard to tell what's going on in the city itself, but with varric absent it might be left with no viscount again
there's an elven graveyard on sundermount where ancient elves entered uthenera; it is also possibly dedicated/related to mythal
there was also a demon contained in an idol on top of sundermount who supposedly possessed a great knowledge about arlathan and eluvians
the veil in kirkwall has always been remarkably thin and tevinter magisters were weakening it on purpose during their reign; the whole city was built as an enormous blood magic ritual site
if the veilguard squad is going to travel through the eluvians there's still one in kirkwall. the one that has been plot-relevant since dao
nbc hannibal is a romcom purely because the central conflict results from hannibal not understanding his feelings for will and being a total loser about it because he’s never had a friend or been in love before which makes him act so silly and do the most insane things that will interprets being framed for murder as hannibal having something against him (as anyone would), and this series of misunderstandings is not resolved until hannibal’s ex girlfriend and former psychiatrist tells will that hannibal is so in love with him it makes him look stupid. after that will does not hesitate to break hannibal out of jail and douse himself in blood which is this show’s equivalent to the protagonist running to the airport to stop their love interest from leaving the country and marrying someone else before they’ve had the chance to confess that they’ve loved them ever since they’ve known them
Really fucked up that, when they’re young, Patrick and Art are SO tactile with each other, so comfortable sharing the same space. Art lets Patrick touch him and move him and physically overwhelm him and easily acquiesces to it, if not outright enjoys it.
Then in the present, they’ve been so far out of each other’s orbit for so long, held such animosity that when they have their moment alone in the sauna, Art physically recoils from Patrick’s close proximity! It’s so painful to watch because even as Patrick’s goading him, it’s so obvious he wants to be able to get back into Art’s space. But Art has erected all these walls around himself, he refuses to give Patrick an inch or even admit to missing how close they used to be!
AND THEN we see Art and Tashi later and he wants her to hold him, to be gentle with him, and just TOUCH him. Like, he does miss that kind of close physical contact! He either doesn’t know how to ask for it or is uncomfortable being that openly vulnerable. Worth noting that he pretty much always defers to Tashi in regard to initiating physical intimacy (with their first kiss, though he does state his desire, SHE has to be the one to make the first move). And it seems pretty obvious that Tashi herself isn’t comfortable providing that intimacy, whereas Patrick actively seeks to provide it (the hug/forehead kiss after their win together in the early years, dragging the stool closer to him).
Art has tried very hard to act like he doesn’t need physical affection and even though his discipline and devotion to Tashi has made him a stronger tennis player, it’s made him a hollow person, which, in turn, has kept him from becoming a GREAT tennis player.
All of this, of course, is why the ending hits so damn hard.