#petrotalk

[petrow1tch]

Do you think Mac and Charlie explored each other's bodies. Do you think Mac contracted long extinct 16th century disease from doing so.

[petrow1tch]

Rusians hit the fucking center of my city Dnipro, the train station with tram and bus turnaround where thousands of people go through every day, often completely filling in every possible open space. What the fuck. There are dead children

[petrow1tch]

QUEENSPAWN

Character belongs to @jpgjuice

[petrow1tch]

> crawl out of the tomb after thousands of years

> give out a cryptic warning

> refuse to elaborate

> leave

> slip on the spilled grease and fall, breaking your fucking neck

[petrow1tch]

Yeah so what are your thoughts on the dark ritual in DAO?

LOL ok so i'll try to give two (relatively short) answers, one is a gameplay one, and the other is how i justified in from the lore perspective with my HoF

(GAMEPLAY) The intro of the game where you gather the blood of darkspawn, yeah, the ritual of joining is shrouded in mystery, like "why we don't tell you what is the ritual? dont worry about it wink wink", so you think "hmm is there something wrong with it, what's up?"

So then you start the ritual and BAM you can die during it. One way or another. It feels like "damn ok i'm in it now, but i guess i can see why they kept it a secret, ok, now to play the game and be a hero". Suprises are seemingly over.

then BAM at the end of the game is another reveal that to kill the Archdemon you need to die with it, and, like, ok, it is a bit sudden to give that info to the player who already went through with the Landsmeet and had some plot expectations from it. It feels like a rug being swept from under your feet; and then BAM again here comes Morrigan and says "oh btw you can just not die, just let me have the baby", and, this whole part seems very rushed? Like, ok, there were supposed to be any stakes with choosing who's going to die to end the blight, and suddenly there isn't? (Thats if you're playing a male warden ofc, who can do so himself no matter who's he is in romance with, or you can try and force Alistair to sleep with Morrigan, which i'm not just a fan of. He's already eager to sacrifice himself if you say "i don't wanna die" to Riordan when he says you gotta die to kill AD so why would he agree to a ritual (that he doesn't benefit from) from an apostate (that he dislikes)? If you romance Alistair, then forcing him to sleep with Morrigan is the only choice you have to save your loved one and yourself, but again, would you force someone you love to cheat on you with a person he hates? For a ritual? That he would oppose?)

So, yeah, that whole "die to win" and dark ritual reveal was kinda badly executed IMO

now, to LORE part of why i actually don't mind using the dark ritual

People say that even from in-universe perspective it would be weird to agree to the ritual since the old god would technically still be alive and Morrigan is shady, but you know what? My HoF dgaf.

Now, let's take a look. My HoF is a male Cousland rogue, who was opposed to joining the Grey Wardens when Duncan arrived at the Highever, so that's the angle from which i'm basing my dark ritual choice. It'd be different for different origins methinks.

During Howe's massacre of the castle, Duncan presented the HoF with a "choice":

"Die here or i'll save you to conscript you into GW"

Now. I'm replaying DA2 currently, and this Duncan's offer very much reminds me of Arishok's "we give choice. they can choose to not accept qun and die or to accept the qun and live. #democracy"

So my HoF, who previously stated that he has no interest in joining Grey Wardens, feels very cheated by Duncan using HoF's life as a bargaining chip. It shouldn't have happened! First, Howe slaughtered his entire family, and now Duncan is using the moment to claim HoF's life for his own goal to add numbers to his "glorious murder-suicide" cult? That's fucked up. But HoF doesn't have much choice if he wants to live, so he accepts the offer, with main goal being survival to avenge his family and to live in spite of it all.

So, now we get to the joining, HoF meets Alistair, they gather the blood, meet Morrigan, and go back to the joining ritual. Suddenly HoF sees that you can die from the joining ritual, and from the Duncan also if you reject the joining ritual. what the fuck. Again, there's is no other choice than to accept the outcome that guarantees the bigger chance of survival. HoF goes through with the joining ritual, feeling even more disdain towards GWs.

Joining, Ostagar, saving by Flemeth. HoF and Alistair are the only GW survivors. This is where HoF was about to say "fuck it" and disappear, until Flemeth gathered his ass, after which he decided to wait with rush decisions.

While traveling with Morrigan and Alistair to Lothering, HoF had time to gather his thoughts. He learned that Alistair considered GWs to be his family, and HoF could relate to losing it all at one night, so his disdain towards GWs melted away a bit just for this one guy, who basically lived through the same experience as he did. HoF also found Morrigan interesting and could see reason in some of her actions and decisions, thus they started to form some sort of friendship.

While traveling with these two, HoF found to like Alistair not for just being someone with the same lived experience, but also for a person that he is. You could say it was love, but HoF knew that that couldn't happen, so the best he could do was to be a very good friend.

The longer they traveled, the more HoF understood Alistair's point of view on Wardens as a family, since the adventuring party themselves became some sort of found family to each other. Some of them may not like one another, but they still care for each other's well-being because at the very least, you need them to reach your own goals (committing the dark ritual; avenging the Cousland family; ending the Blight), and at best, they're the ones who you consider friend or even more.

So all this said, HoF found more and more reasons to stay alive, not anymore blinded by anger and revenge, but also for helping those he holds close to his heart. Ending the Blight transformed from being something that he was forced, almost ensalved to do, into something more of a favor for someone he loves.

After gathering all armies, HoF traveled to Denerim where he finally had the chance to kill Howe. He decided to kill everyone who ever associated themselves with Howe, anyone who ever helped him to kill Cousland's family. Be it conspirators, merchants, or even his kids. (Keeping true to his promise, HoF later killed Nathaniel immediately upon learning who he was)

At the Landsmeet, HoF was determined to help Alistair in avoiding the throne, as he wasn't as concerned with grand political scheme as he was with the Alistair's feelings. Thus Anora was made queen, Loghain was executed and Alistair happily gave up any and all rights he had to the royalty. Seemingly a happy end, now to just go to Redcliffe and slay a big evil dragon and the friend's errand is done? WRONG

HEY

GREY WARDEN

WE WANT YOU TO DIE SO FUCKING BAD

HoF and Alistair learn from Riordan that to kill an Archdemon, a warden must sacrifice himself, dying in the process.

He survived the slaughter of his family, he survived the joining, he survived the Fade, Deep Roads, ancient curses and armies of undead, just to die anyways? No. Not gonna happen. HoF will not die killing an Archdemon.

...

"I'll do it"

Facecrack of the fucking century. The man who was the only one HoF could relate to, the man who he considered his closest friend, the man he loved and went all this way for. Alistair says he will kill himself to slay the archdemon.

Without even a chance to say his word, HoF gets shut out by Riordan telling them to get ready for march to Denerim tomorrow. Coming out of the room, he is on the point of breaking apart between his will to live in spite of it all and his desire to save Alistair. There seems no other choice than to forfeit his life and sacrifice himself, that is until he happens on Morrigan in the middle of his room.

And now, now we have this picture of Morrigan suggesting HoF a dark ritual, which would save the chosen warden from untimely death and help Morrigan herself with her goal.

Of course HoF would agree to the ritual.

Of course HoF would help his friend who he had no reason to disagree with prior, fully knowing she has her secrets, but still considering her family

Of course HoF would do anything to save Alistair, whom he loves. Had he known about what it takes to kill an Archdemon, he'd force him to become a king, but alas, the "glorious murder-suicide" cult wouldn't tell all it's secrets neither to him, nor Alistair.

So HoF goes through with the ritual, and when the time comes, he leaves Alistair to defend the gates of the city, much to his surprise. HoF has one chance to do it right, and he cant afford to fuck it up even in the slightest. Doesn't matter what Alistair thinks of him, "how could the man who only yesterday refused to die to archdemon, suddnly leave me here to fight lesser battle, and go to face the dragon himself, without me". It is not important. What is important, is that HoF gonna save Alistair, and that HoF is gonna live in spite of it all.

so yeah lorewise i think dark ritual is pretty neat

[petrow1tch]

big day for me. tried to draw my dragon age origins HoF and i liked how it turned out. the only known sighting of mr despair

[petrow1tch]

rusia: tortures and kills our writers, poets, artists, buries them in mass graves right this moment

our ministry of "education, science and innovations": hey what if we made a site where people can use ai to generate fairy tales for kids with ai generated illustrations, so that we don't have to pay anyone anything and in return produce heaps of barely coherent letter combinations

[petrow1tch]

realized why I dislike constant selfreferencing of certain things... it's like some sort of inbreeding. Dark Souls 3 is borderline inbred in this sense. "Remember Lost Isalith? Remember Anor Londo? Remember Painted World? Remember Gwyn? Remember Havel?" like chill.. Chill. Enough... I still love it tho, but I keep an opinion that ds3 is very big on nostalgia baiting.

[petrow1tch]

I honestly wouldn't have a problem with western socialists if they weren't idolizing the soviet union. Like, dude, I get it, capitalism bad. You want alternatives. Socialism sounds good on paper. But soviet union did NOT succeed in making it peace and love on planet earth, ffs. Do NOT copy that. Do NOT idolize that. They jailed my grandma for 3 days cuz she was late for work for 15 minutes, be so fucking fr. They had people in villages working 4am to 10pm seven days a week, and then jailed them if they didn't work. Be so fucking fr. Aaaargh!!!

[petrow1tch]

THEY'RE FINALLY HERE OH MY FUCKING GOD

[petrow1tch]

art vs artist time tbhs

get dunked onnnnn!!!!! OC freakworld forever!! (excpept one elden ring fan animation lmao)(check it out btw..)

[petrow1tch]

Went to the dentist to get my cavity filled; got all of my teeth deep cleaned, didn't get my cavity filled, 18 teeth with caries found, now I need 820$ to fix them. Fuck this gay earth

[petrow1tch]

you see, the problem is I don't trust myself. you will ask me "did you close the door" and I will answer "yea. well, I mean, I put my keys in the lock, turned them, and after that I couldnt open the door. so I guess I locked it? but it could be open rn for all I know" and like. I think that was the definition of me locking it. But I'm not sure per se if it's locked, you know. I have this Schrodinger approach to some things, where I'm not sure what is happening unless I'm directly looking at it. I think I lost a bit of my object permanence due to anxiety and the fear of being wrong. "I did cook the soup and I tasted it and it was good. To me tho. Maybe if you taste it it'll turns out to be inedible piece of shit. But I know I ate a spoonful and digested it. That's as much as I can say" like bro. Wtf

[petrow1tch]

Sam Porter Bridges:

Heartman, right side paralyzed from stroke, about to die for the 36tth time today:

[petrow1tch]

It feels weird when your view on your own identity is that you're not a guy who's trying to be a guy. But you're quite basically a guy who was born a guy and you don't need to do anything extra to be a guy and yet you're not a guy and never will be a guy but somehow there's still hope for you to be the guy.

[petrow1tch]

NEW IDLES ALBUM DROPPED, PEACE AND MOTHERFCKING LOVE ON PLANET EARTH !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!