#for presumably not at all racist reasons 🧐🧐🧐

[timeisacephalopod]

I started listening to a podcast called Citations Needed a bit ago and I'm listening to episodes on nativism and the US border and the way migrants looking for asylum or just your average immigrant is described is fucking heinous. People should not be referred to as hordes, everyone who can comprehend the meaning of words should know why alarmist language like that used to describe already vulnerable groups is Bad (unless they're brown or black I guess 🙄)

But the thing I don't get is the "immigrants are stealing our jobs!" thing and I don't get it because every year regardless of immigration thousands of people become legal age to work and for some reason we DONT see a bunch of hand wringing about teenagers entering the workforce and stealing jobs. I wonder why that is 🧐🧐🧐

[purplecritter]

Dragon Age: Vows and Vengeance (Ep. 5)

Official episode transcript here

My notes while I was listening under the cut… Spoilers ahead!

For anyone with emetophobia or gets grossed out by vomit, skip from 24:11 to 24:17 if you haven't already listened to the episode

“Holy maker in a bread pan” this is the real reason I listen to this podcast

kapok = type of tree, presumably tropical

“Taash says west, and if you know her as well as I, you'd know to take her word over a map” So what I’m hearing is, if Taash says jump from a bridge, I should jump 👍

Declan: “Her treasure hunting is an art, Lord Mondraine. And I assure you, her instincts are a thing of beauty” 🥰 Mondraine: “No, Declan, actually real art is beautiful and she and this place are not!” 😐😡I hate this guy

Taash 🤝 Bellara = threatening violence against the openly racist dudes

Bloodfire Stones = sacred rubies fabled to have been forged from the scales of a dragon, in the “Ancient Temple of the Lost Dragon”. “The shadows reveal the path to the Bloodfire” 

Nooo why is there no subtitles for the “foreign tongue” 😭 at least let me read the words :( (I want you to imagine now: me in the wiki page for qunlat, pausing and rewinding the episode to carefully piece together a translation word by word, only to then realize halfway through that there’s already a translation for the entire sentence because it’s a Qunari Prayer for the Dead said by Sten in DAO🤡) “Shok ebasit hissra. Meraad astaarit, meraad itwasit. Aban aqun. Maraas shokra. Anaan esaam Qun.” = “Struggle is an illusion*. The tide rises, the tide falls. But the sea is changeless. There is nothing to struggle against. Victory is in the Qun.” *illusion or deity. In this case, since it’s said near an altar to “summon” a Temple, it’s possible that it’s intended more as the second meaning?

Ooooh Taash just casually has secret correspondence with the Orlesian nobles of the court? Woowieeeeee 

Come on Declan, all that “And what would you have me do? Mutiny against my friend?” for this? Not cool dude

Ah Drayden, never change

Pyramid? 🧐

I am once again loving the dynamic between Nadia and Drayden

THEY KNOW EACH OTHER? Did Nadia dabble with the LoF? Awww step aside Drayden, it’s Nadia’s turn to have a fun synergy with one of the Veilguard companions

“Remember our favorite dance, Nadia?” “The Dairsmuid two step? [...] As much as I'd love to, I'm in no condition to stage a jailbreak at this moment” they broke out of a prison in the capital of Rivain together?! (Psst psst Hollix in “Luck in the Gardens”, was in Dairsmuid)

Gamordan Stormrider was also in DAI in the Exalted Plains… And her location was unlocked after completing the war table mission “Gain Access to Ghilan'nain's Grove” 👀🫢

I’m assuming the qunlat that Nadia knows was taught by Taash? Awe

I JUST GOT SHIVERS. DID THEY CASUALLY PUT IN THE “IN HUSHED WHISPERS” SOUNDTRACK??? Timestamp is 21:42 in case anyone needs the info 

Drayden is afraid of spiders, can’t swim and gets seasick. They created the perfect nerd meowmeow I know people would go insane for them if they’re in the actual game

BONE SAND?

I actively avoided “kill dragons” missions in DAI but I like that Taash is not just skilled at hunting them but clearly knowledgeable about their habits/motivations etc. It feels more empathetic compared to The Iron Bull who just liked to kill them

“you're the one who brought daggers to a dragon fight” LMAO 

New Taash&Nadia lore drop: “we fought the undead in the tombs beneath Clagan's Hollow” (I wasn’t able to find any previous ref to this place, might be new!)

Taash not liking corpses. Destroying hearts of various interested Ingellvar Mourn Watch Rooks. Poor Manfred too lol

“I see your lightning, now feel my fire!” 😳 Taash don’t listen to those two you’re doing great

Yippee an episode finale that ended on a hopeful note!

I initially leaned more on Tal-Vashoth Taash, but as the episode went on I’m not so sure, they might be Vashot?

Btw no idea what to make of Taash saying the dragon is female because of her spine/coloration. Except that whoever wrote that part forgot that all winged dragons (not dragonlings or drakes) are female? That or the species underwent a major mutation these past 10 years lmao