#so that game dynamics and story elements are one and the same

[rinbylin]

ms. and mr. sara farley i now pronounce you woman and husband‼️‼️😌❤️🚬🗣️

[twilightofthesandwiches]

I think a lot about the Concept of ‘choices that matter’ in video games. Like, in terms of what it is that makes a choice ‘really matter’, what do we perceive as a choice that matters or has a consequence, how do different games with different amounts of branching or non-branching storylines play with those ideas…  Especially because Undertale is one of my favorite games of all time, and it has often been hyped as ‘a game where your choices REALLY matter’ and… honestly, I dunno if all of this hype was fully conducive to Undertale.  Because the way it handles the concept of Video Game Choices is actually a lot more interesting and complex than that simplistic descriptor makes it seem.

Because Undertale actually has a lot of choices that ‘don’t really matter’! Lots of dialogue choices and silly little decisions that on a first playthrough seem like they’re some sort of moral choice or a branching plotline but end up always leading to basically the same result regardless of what you do!

And the game doesn’t really try to hide the fact that these choices are kinda 'Fake'. I mean, on a first playthrough a player might assume there’s gonna be some Massive Consequences for picking the ‘wrong’ drink on Undyne’s date, but the game’s narrative expects for there to be multiple playthroughs and pretty much every Choice that Doesn’t Matter is peppered with that Undertale brand of wacky character-focused humor that inherently makes the moment memorable. Papyrus leading Undyne straight to you no matter what you do is basically a cross-timeline running gag.

On some level I see this as a sort of gag that serves as meta-commentary about the expectations around Choices That Matter in Video Games. As in, a lot of games have their Moral Choices happen in clearly easily marked ‘this is a Moral Choice!’ moments within the story, while the actual gameplay (and any violence the player might cause as part of said gameplay) is basically entirely divorced from any element of narrative-branching and doesn't effect the story at all. Undertale basically entirely inverts this dynamic; the most important factor for which Route you’re own is how you handle your FIGHTs, and what seems like clearly-marked and obvious Moral Choices are just goofy insubstantial minor changes in dialogue. 

But also… there is also a level where you must ask yourself ‘what does it mean when we say that these choices Don’t Matter’. I mean, it’s not like they didn't change anything about the game, the Player still made the character say that other thing, the choice probably led to an alternate piece of dialogue, probably a joke with a call-back at the end of the game… The line between a one-off joke and an actual story-changing moment can be a little blurry if you look at it too deeply.

For example, near the end of the Waterfall part of the game, the Player is given the choice to save Monster Kid even at the risk of having to face down Undyne.

Pretty much anyone who isn’t deliberately trying to be an asshole is going to rush to save them and obviously that includes the Pacifist Route Players. But you can actually leave Monster Kid to die without it 'mattering' in the sense that it wouldn't divert you from the Pacifist Route. Undyne saves them instead of you, and ends up with slightly less HP for her battle (which might Matter for Runs when you try and FIGHT her but obviously not in Pacifist Runs) and… by the end of the game, during the extremely happy True Pacifist Ending, they still clearly remember that you abandoned them and are upset by it.

So… does saving Monster Kid ‘matter’ or not? On one hand, choosing not to save them mostly just changes a few lines of dialogue but… these lines of dialogue kinda recontextualize this happy ending and the Player’s actions in general. Despite the True Pacifist Ending otherwise portraying the Player/Frisk as a kind-hearted and brave hero... they still did this undeniably cowardly (and perhaps even cruel) act to one of their friends .

Was running away and leaving Monster Kid to die a brief but significant moment of weakness that the Player regrets and has cost them what could’ve been the start of a lovely friendship? Or is that simply that being a True Pacifist was always more of a matter of pragmatism rather than ideals? Were they only acting as a Pacifist to get that promised 'Best Ending', and only Monster Kid has an inkling they are not as heroic or kind as everyone thinks they are?

And then there’s the Snowman ‘quest’.

A free healing item given early in the game, with your mission being to carry it along in your inventory for as long as you can without ever consuming it. The only reward you will ever see from it is a few lines of dialogue…

But for many, it is more than enough of an incentive to preserve the Snowman’s Piece. You can do whatever you want with the Snowman without it ‘mattering’ in terms of Ending or consequences. You could carry it through all of your adventures with care and kindness... or you could eat it while he can’t see you and then go back to him and tell him that you ‘lost’ it and then get another piece and eat that as well, you could eat it right in front of his face, horrifying him. 

And much like with Monster Kid, you can STILL get the True Pacifist Ending after doing that, all that would change is a few optional pieces of dialogue from the Snowman… 

And a total recontextualization of the Player’s behavior and the ending. The Snowman sees the Player as a cruel and heartless person who is just pretending to be good so they can be liked - the way they acted with this immobile, powerless Snowman who could do nothing for them and their reputation reveals their true self. And he says their friends will realize that too one day...

Doing a True Reset on the Pacifist Ending is, by definition, a (almost) consequence-free action and yet it changes future Pacifist Routes immeasurably. Turning the Player into a Hypocrite doing the exact same thing they were trying to stop Flowey/Asriel from doing - trapping all of their friends into a time-loop so they can play with them forever while never actually letting them to enjoy freedom on the surface, simply because they are not willing to move on or put their friends' wishes and agency above their own. Nothing in the game actually changes, not one character can even suspect that you did something like that, and yet for the Player - this choice makes the entire Meaning of the game flip on its head. 

Even the most famous and heavily-toted Big Consequence in the whole game - selling your soul to Chara after completing a Murder Route… mostly what it does is just… recontextualize the ending of the Game.

As a game, ‘Undertale’ is very much about the ways in which a Player engages with a game can radically recontextualize it. The huge chasm of difference between the Pacifist and Muder Routes is just the most literal example of it. But, in a way, even the tiny little Dialogue Options - where the lack of real choice and consequences is Obviously a Joke - matter. Because of the way they can recontextualize the Player Character’s behavior.

(Okay, maybe not this one, but hear me out…)

Do you trust Papyrus to not betray you, even after you spied on him with Undyne?

Do you have the integrity to admit you forgot something or got it wrong even when there’s no consequences for just lying about it?

Are you a hypocrite for trying to get Alphys to be truthful with Undyne only to then immediately turn around and lie to Undyne yourself?  

None of these choices matter for the ending, some of them don’t even get, like, a call-back joke or anything, but… if you are engaged in this story as a narrative, if you are invested in these characters as if they were people, if you are honestly trying to be the best person you can be, if you are trying to self-reflect at the way you approach this game… even the silliest little dialogue option can suddenly be imbued with deep implications and you can make them matter. 

Undertale is one of the best demonstrations of this concept, but this is absolutely not exclusive to it. For example….

‘Ace Attorney’ is pretty much as far away as you can get from a ‘branching narrative’ within the video game sphere. It is a heavily-linear Visual Novel where 70% of the time it won’t even let you talk to random characters at anything but the exact order it expects you to and any ‘Bad Endings’ are basically just glorified Game Over Screens. (... because this is the Internet and something something piss on the poor, I should probably specify that I am talking about ‘Ace Attorney’ because I love Ace Attorney and these are neutral descriptions of the game and not complaints. There’s nothing wrong with a game being linear.) 

If there’s any Dialogue Choice in AA, it’s generally a very basic ‘right answer-wrong answer’ choice between Progress and a Penalty, or a total non-choice that just gets you to the same final result regardless. Except… Well… as we just talked about, getting to the same final result doesn’t necessarily mean a choice is ‘meaningless’, does it?

There’s actually a lot of great storytelling moments where Ace Attorney, despite its otherwise strict linearity, uses this exact sort of recontextualizing mindset I’ve talked about with Undertale to make choices with some really powerful emotional impact…. Even if technically, the ending is the same ending. It can be something as basic as ‘even if picking this Wrong Answer doesn’t get me a penalty, it still embarrassed my character and disappointed my friends/rivals and thus I feel bad for picking it’. Consequences as recontextualizing your character as more incompetent than they should’ve come across at that moment.

And then there’s moments like the iconic ending of ‘Justice for All’. That moment before Franziska bursts into the Courtroom with the case-making evidence and saves the day. The moment where it seems like Phoenix really is gonna have to pick between protecting his best friend and carrying out a rightful sentence.

The player gets to pick between the two options, but Phoenix never gets to say his choice out loud before Franziska comes running in... and yet… he, and the player, still made that choice. Even if no one ever has to experience the consequences of your choice, even if the rest of the world has no idea what Phoenix Wright would’ve chosen if the Miracle hadn’t happened, we know what we picked and that knowledge of the choice matters. Because of how we feel about this choice and what it says about our interpretation of Phoenix… and about us.

There’s also a bit of this ludonarrative device in ‘The Great Ace Attorney: Adventures’. During “The Adventures of the Runaway Room”, when you investigate the Omnibus for the second time and start finding things that… don’t quite fit together. When you’re finally starting to make progress with proving McGilded’s innocence, while also maybe starting to notice that something is… wrong with these pieces of evidence. 

The unchanging linear narrative of the game is that Ryunosuke does eventually realizes McGilded's trickery, puts truth ahead of victory in court and yet, despite his effort and good intentions - the case still ends with a false Not Guilty verdict. And yet, the Player has the choice to... tweak the details.

There are several points where Ryunosuke can object, where he can call out the inconsistencies even though they help his case, where he can support Van Zieks in his accusations of tempered evidence... or he can not. Not necessarily intentionally misleading the Court as much as subconsciously trying to ignore the inconsistencies in the name of trusting his client.

And yet… in the end it doesn’t matter. Maybe Susato calls out the inconsistency instead of him, maybe Van Zieks does, maybe it remains uncontested but... no matter what you do, the case will end with a Not Guilty verdict (I mean, I guess you can deliberately fail the game but that will not progress the plot), McGilded doesn’t seem like he held a grudge (in the few minutes he had left to live), and a few cases later - Ryunosuke would always be punished for his part at this false verdict.

So it doesn’t really matter what Ryunosuke did back then? Does it matter if he did his best and called out every single inconsistencies or if he kinda half-assed it until he (and the Player) had to? He’s still going to suffer the same consequences down the line. And yet….

And yet, I think there’s something so powerful about giving us that option. About knowing that Ryunosuke, and we, did try and do something about McGilded's dirty tricks- even if it didn’t work. Or alternative, knowing that there was more that Ryunosuke and us could’ve done even if it was not nearly enough. Even if in the eyes of the game and the British Justice system there is no difference, the fact that we know what did and what we could’ve done can radically change the way the player feels about all of the later scenes concerning the truth about McGilded’s trial. It can radically change the way the player interpret Ryunosuke’s feelings about it as well.

Because even though the game itself keeps playing along with the same script regardless, that trial had irrevocable consequences for the Player.

[guessthatrec-poll]

Welcome to the Guess That Rec tournament!

Do you like enemies-to-lovers? Non-stereotypical queer rep? A cyberpunk setting with dragons in space about friendship, family, and the dangers of capitalism?

Well, this isn't any of those things! This is Guess That Rec, a tournament by the mod of @besttropeveershowdown where we'll be voting on media based entirely on bad, Booktok-style recommendations. Inspired by @guess-that-ship and this post, the rules of the tournament are simple: submit a recommendation for your favorite piece of media, and we'll vote on which ones we like best, BUT, here's the kicker: You may not mention anything about the actual plot of the story. Instead, we will be voting based on promo-post-style recommendations, which can include tropes, representation, setting, genre, very general theme, and anything else, as long as it doesn't describe anything that actually happens in the story!

Season 1 has come to a close, with rec 15 (Red vs. Blue) taking home the gold. Submissions for season 2 will be open on Saturday 5/3!

Example:

Do you want a high school story about a neurodivergent protagonist working through their trauma by going on adventures in the big city? Queer-coded side characters? Male characters breaking through their toxic masculinity and expressing their feelings? Wholesome sibling relationships?

Then you'll love Catcher in the Rye!

The tournament will work similarly to the way @guess-that-ship does. Each rec will be assigned a number for the poll with the rec itself going in the body of the post, and each round, there will be a poll pitting 2 recs against each other. Vote for whichever piece of media sounds most appealing based on the rec alone. At the end of each round, I will reveal the identity of the loser. Guessing what work each rec is for in the comments is encouraged!

THE RULES:

Any type of media is permitted. Both fiction and nonfiction are allowed, but everything must be presented as if it's fiction.

You may NOT mention anything to do with the actual plot or premise of the story. You may, however, mention:

Tropes (ex. enemies-to-lovers, fake dating, unreliable narrator)

Representation (ex. disabled protagonist, gay side character)

Character dynamics and relationships (ex. dysfunctional siblings, grumpy x sunshine lesbians)

Setting (ex. in space, in the Old West)

Genre and subgenre (ex. historical fiction, whodunnit, workplace comedy)

Comparisons to other media (ex. if you liked Avengers you'll love this, it's Twilight meets Hunger Games)

General themes (ex. love, grief, family)

General elements (ex. murders, adventures, road trips)

Anything else that has NOTHING TO DO with what the story is actually about!

3. You may NOT make anything up: everything must be technically true, or at least up for interpretation. So, in my Catcher in the Rye example, I can't say that there are "canonically gay characters" because there aren't, but I CAN say that there are queer-coded characters. Similarly, if there's a character in your piece of media who exhibits autistic traits but has never been confirmed autistic, you can't call them "autistic", but you can call them "autistic-coded" or mention their specific traits. The use of weasel words (ex. describing a mentally ill serial killer stereotype as "neurodivergent", or a gay villain as a "major queer character") is allowed and encouraged.

4. Do not include any identifying details (ex. title, character names, identifying place names) in your rec.

5. Funnier submissions will be given higher priority. Submissions are funnier if A) they're of media that most people have heard of, and B) they are technically true while not at all capturing the vibe of the media.

5a. Additionally, remember that this is meant to be BAD recs: don't just use this as an excuse to recommend your favorite media! If a Booktok-style rec actually provides a good picture of what your media is, consider either rewriting or not submitting it.

6. Should the same media be submitted by two different people with different recs, priority will generally be given to the first submission, unless a later submission was significantly funnier by the guidelines stipulated in rule #5.

7. There is no banned media: go nuts!

Tagging @tournament-announcer!

[vampireistic]

colourism aside, natlan’s designs just suck. (character design overview)

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as stated, even if we ignore the blatant racism in the designs, fundamentally—they are still absolute trash. i’m by no means a master character design, it’s just a nice side hobby to get my creative brain flowing, but i think that goes to show just how poor the intent behind these characters is.

warnings: long post, i’m not a professional character designer, i may get things incorrect about certain cultures, you are allowed to like these characters!! idgaf!!

to preface, i also have a problem with most designs in genshin ESPECIALLY inazuma and sumeru, but natlan’s designs are just so horrid it genuinely pissed me off.

overall, natlan’s designs aren’t at all up to the quality standard of any other nation. using the excuse that it’s because they have a different culture/style isn’t valid when you look at fontaine/liyue designs (places with two succinctly different cultures, but stunning overall designs). most of these characters are boring: no creativity, colours that clash with the skin tone, lack of depth and actual intent/personality—it, ironically, has no character. the entire purpose of character’s design is to ‘show don’t tell’. scars tell a story, colours used are imbued with symbols, shape of silhouette can tell a personality—and even something as simple as a glimmer in the eyes is a super common trope to show if a character is unstable. natlan designs lack all of it.

the reason i put emphasis on the name origins of these characters is because: A. natlan (like most nations) doesn’t have one specific point of reference, with every character being an amalgamation of different countries and cultures so it’d be unfair of me to generalise, B. hyv uses real life culture in designs, if they didn’t, the characters in liyue would NOT have any cn hairpins, qipaos, symbols, talismans (same with inazuma and kimonos), these choices ARE relevant in game and real life and are used to inspire design concepts.

we’ll start with the least egregious ones down to the ones i want to shred.

KACHINA

THE POSITIVE:

- her character is based off an american pika and i can definitely see it in the design just from the ears and the cute chubby face + large eyes (makes her look more docile and cute).

- kachina’s name is derived from puebloans (native americans in the southwestern united states). from my research, kachina’s design has at least faint resemblance to the typical clothing attire used by puebloans (the array of patterns and symbols prevalent throughout her design).

- it may not be 1:1, but to me, that’s a sign of good character design. when referencing a culture, specifically in a game like genshin where these cultures are meant to be “inspiration” and not replicas (which is a whole other technical debate), using elements from a culture’s fashion as the foundation and then building on it with your own ideas is generally, a positive.

- i really like her silhouette, it’s not too clunky or plain, and generally i can get some pretty good hints as to the basis of her character. the over-exaggerated big gloves are a huge part of her character due to her tribe (they’re kinda at the centre of her design, showing how it’s a significant part of her). the symmetry in her outline may represent her stubbornness or cleanliness, while the little hints of asymmetry on places like her knees/arms can reflect her youth and child-like nature: thus painting a character that may be striving to be more mature than she actually is.

- the colour dynamics are also very cohesive and representative of her tribe. in design we use the 60-30-10 rule (which can change depending on amount of colours used), where your main colour needs to be dominant, while the third must be an accent colour. i think this is done quite well with kachina, the main colour is the deep brown and orange, with accents of green and even smaller accents of blue. something i really liked was how well these colours were balanced with this rule while keeping the aesthetic of the patterns.

THE NEGATIVE:

- i don’t have too many complains about her, she is a four star and they tend to be much plainier than five stars and i am very conscious of that in my critiques—one big one is just that i wish they attempted to interpret more elements from the indigenous culture to her design.

IFA

THE POSITIVES:

- immediately what stood out to me without even having to read about his character were the scar on his forearm and the label pinned on his white coat. IMMEDIATELY my brain went: some sort of doctor, probably a vet.

- his silhouette is quite clean and gives a good enough idea of his character: someone who seems confident but isn’t arrogant or loud, perhaps even polite.

- the back patterns and materials on his trenchcoat/cape thing are a good reference to his clan especially with the feathery appearance—it’s not too obvious, perhaps indicating he prefers working as an individual rather than a group.

- his colour scheme is balanced and the tones used can be commonly found in the natlan environments, could be an indicator of his strong connection to nature.

THE NEGATIVES:

- ifa’s name has origins in the religion of the yoruba people (of west africa). in the yoruba pantheon, ifá, also known as orunmila, is the god of wisdom, knowledge, and divination, and is considered the messenger between the human world and the divine realm. now our ifa uh…yeah he doesn’t really have any resemblance to the yoruba culture, like at all LMAO—really wish they added at least SOMETHING (at the least, accessories / more clear patterns).

- i don’t like the fact they made him a cowboy. it’s really strange and out of character (/out of the design concept that they were clearly going for) and also completely out of sorts with the entire design of natlan. seriously, what kinda fucking relevance do cowboys have in this nation?? i don’t know if hyv just thinks anything with the word american must = cowboys or if they ran out of design choices for him but it’s bizarre.

MUALANI

THE POSITIVES:

- her design uses a little of bubbly shapes! she has no hard straight edges or lines, everything is very curved and fun—a usual indicator of a character that’s light-hearted, comedic and jubilant. not only that, but a lot of the carved areas in her clothing have shapes resembling fish which all rolls back to her tribe.

- from her namesake, mualani’s name has origins in hawaii, but her specific origins can be traced to indigenous polynesians. their cultures are very varied and unique, but if we were to take pieces from their fashion, i’d say the closest we can get to a direct reference is mualani’s skirt (patterns and colour reminiscent of lavalavac or pa'u skirts)

THE NEGATIVES:

- i really wish they added more elements from polynesian culture to her design (i feel like this is a phrase i’ll be repeating consistently LMAO), but even something as simple as adding recoloured hibiscus flowers to keep in with her colour scheme but accentuate the culture would’ve made a big difference.

- now i did imply that i wouldn’t talk about race and focus on designs, but in this case, her skin is genuinely one of the biggest factors pulling back her entire concept. she SHOULD be so much more tan. not even due to the fact polynesians aren’t THAT pale, but because of her markings. they are extremely awkward with her skin tone because they barely stand out almost like they’re implying she’s ashamed of them—which is not at all mualani’s personality!! she has so much pride and joy for her tribe it’s extremely weird for her markings to be so far in the background.

KINICH

THE POSITIVES:

- kinich’s name refers to the maya sun god and assumes to mean sun-eyed, so i’ll give them credit: he has gorgeous yellow eyes reminiscent of sunlight. his design consists of a lot of jagged patterns, which i think nicely correlates to typical mayan styles while remaining pretty succinct to kinich’s tribe. his necklace piece vaguely resembles common jewellery for warriors/kings (particularly nice homage to his name as it’s typically associated with gods).

- this one’s a positive and a negative but his colour palette is very coherent and follows the typical design structure…but it’s also extremely boring. i’m not saying every character need to have a distinctly different colour scheme and style but it has to be at least different enough where me colour picking won’t result in the exact same colours (…he’s literally a xiao redesign).

THE NEGATIVES:

- his shape language is slightly awkward. while there’s a lot of hard, sharp edges to show how he’s tough or has a callous exterior, the silhouette of his character is too soft and bubbly at the bottom. maybe it’s intentional to show how he doesn’t care how he’s perceived, but it’s still inconsistent with the rest of the design.

- once again; this is both a negative and positive, but his retro-gamer style pisses me off at face value. on the surface, it lacks relevance in his character. he’s not a gamer, he has no elements in his personality to indicate he’s a gamer (if anything, he has the exact opposing qualities, he’s not competitive, he’s not mean or gruff etc), it’s odd. BUT, i have read some people relate these retro patterns to mayan mosaics and architecture, and when i did further research i think it was actually absolutely excellent symbolism. super subtle (maybe a little TOO subtle, and should’ve been used more consistently throughout all designs) but super interesting.

IANSAN

THE POSITIVES:

- from my research, iansan’s name relates to both the yoruba religion and candomblé, she’s a blend of brazilian and nigerian influence. i think the closest reference in her design is her necklace that is reminiscent of indigenous brazilian necklaces + the use of feathers in her design are a subtle homage to brazilian culture.

- iansan’s design has a coherent and clear colour scheme, the brightest being the dominant colour and then little sprays of a contrasting purple/indigo (with the smallest speckles of green).

- i love the consistent asymmetry, the white skull atop her head balances with the white armour piece on her knee which directly contrasts the plainness on her right leg, it adds interest in her general shape while maintaining structural balance.

THE NEGATIVES:

- her design doesn’t really have intent. it’s like they created a design for an initial scrapped concept of natlan and forgot they needed to give her a personality. i don’t think anyone would’ve known she was a trainer without searching it up / being told. maybe aside from the bandana and her crop top, there’s nothing telling in her design that gives her character.

- another main issue; her character design doesn’t give you a good of what she’s like or who she is, at a surface level it’s quite pretty and matches the aesthetic of natlan, but it doesn’t give enough depth to iansan as an individual.

- overall silhouette is also pretty unimpressive, i understand she’s a four star but she should have at least more idiosyncrasies within her design, or even exaggerated features to make her design stand out.

CITLALI

THE POSITIVES:

- “citlali” is derived from the nahuatl (aztec) word for “star”. i can see that in her design she does have at least a few aztec influences from the two braided front locks, and a more modern spin on a female cueitl, i also like the little sash holding the skirt, its very clunky but i think it looks great with how minimal and tight the top of her design looks.

- her colour scheme is great and i adore it, it follows the traditional design rule and maintains a normal balance BUT i really would’ve loved for a bit more detail of either dark blue or yellow to contrast and break from all the pink-purple hues.

- everything in her shape language screams “leave me alone”, it’s all very jagged, consisting of a lot of triangles (typically used with villains but in this case i think it’s a reference to her sharp intellect or energy, perfect for a shaman).

- positive and negative; i like the asymmetry at the bottom with her left leg being shown and then her right hip having a slight cut in the fabric however it was a super unnecessary choice that i just damn well know was chosen for nefarious reasons (i’ve played these games before hyv.)

THE NEGATIVES:

- she is straight up just another version of a lolibait tsundere. i’m sorry it’s hard to keep personal bias out of this but COME ON?! she’s supposedly a “granny”, meanwhile she has a shorter female model, looks childish and has no elements in her character to help infer she has lived a long time. it’s lazy design with a really intriguing concept. once again, no character. with a name that holds so much power and weight, i would expect so much more. she deserved to be a five star (and a revamp of her personality). nothing in her character screams shaman!! maybe the accessories at the top of her head?? but everything else is super plain, like a background character that got too much attention in the writing.

- her silhouette is extremely rigid, and again, this can be a design choice in some cases, could reflect in this case how she’s closed off from people, but even so, there should be more exaggeration or emphasis in her design to make this choice seem more intentional or at least interesting, because right now, she’s just a box with scribbles on it for detail.

XILONEN

THE POSITIVES

- i found a great reddit post of someone fully going over the influences in xilonen’s design that was absolutely great from a cultural perspective! it fully divulges the aztec and mayan mythology and culture embedded in her design.

- i like the shape language used, all the harsh triangular cuts presenting someone who’s quick, strategic, to the point—with all of that broken up by the sudden fluffiness of her coat, maybe indicating she’s not as harsh as she may first appear.

THE NEGATIVES:

- now while i don’t want to discredit all the wonderful subtle details in her design as referenced in the thread…xilonen’s design as a whole is extremely low effort. if you told me she was a four star, i would honestly believe you.

- look me in the eyes and tell me that without the story you could have guessed that’s she supposed to be a blacksmith, because you can’t. i’m not saying every character needs to have their career/job at the centre of their design…but when it’s not even vaguely hinted at, it’s extremely disappointing.

- her design and job gave the perfect opportunity to add cool and intriguing metallic details or even burns to her skin, i understand she’s also meant to be “laidback” but “laidback” doesn’t mean the design has to be sloppy, the half-off jacket was already enough of a clue that she’s relaxed.

- the belt especially is disappointing because it’s such an easy design fix; she likes details but doesn’t care about other’s opinion, this could’ve been the perfect placement to add little details in the metal to things she’s interested in (skating/dj shit whatever).

- the asymmetry also fails in this design, the unnecessary cut in her way too tight and tiny shorts clashes with the fact the large chunk of hair is also laid on the side (another easy fix…switch one of the two around!!). the design is very unbalanced in its proportions, i don’t understand why one arm is smooth and sleek while the other is clunky and jewelled.

- PLEASE. FOR THE LOVE OF GOD. SOMEONE GIVE HER PANTS.

MAVUIKA

THE POSITIVES:

- her name is a reference to the māori fire deity. she’s the pyro archon. uhm yeah.

- her hair is a cool sun shape i guess and uh…she’s got…some patterns that look like the sun and shit.

THE NEGATIVES:

- i genuinely think hoyoverse rewrote the entire story, lore and concept of natlan 3 days before the release because there’s no way that they thought this was a plausible design for the archon of WAR. first off, her motorcycle chick aesthetic. nonsensical, doesn’t fit in with the lore of the game, nor even the shown transportation methods in natlan. if the pyro archon is just a normal person or whatever, we should be seeing motorbikes more commonly. i just know she fucking stinks too, latex in the heat of natlan? musty as hell.

- there’s utterly no interest in her silhouette or shapes…and that’s not even more exaggerating. the most interest in her design is how her sleeves puff out at the ends and the tech accessories she has attached to her boots. i hate the fact her zipper goes all the way down to her kitty. there ain’t no need for that. not only is it a dumbass design choice aesthetically, functionally that shit must hurt.

- while the colours are cohesive and follow the general rule, they are super uninteresting with the secondary and tertiary tones used in a way that doesn’t enhance the design, it feels more like a colouring book than detail.

- absolutely no part of her design would tell you that she holds the authority over a nation known for its history of war and freedom. not even a battle scar to present her fighting abilities, no special markings or tattoos—things which are VERY common symbolisms in māori culture!! this could’ve easily been enhanced just by adding archon specific elements in her tattoos. you don’t even have to dial back the fanservice if you’re that desperate, let a little cleavage out and draw a whole map of markings!! just do something!!!

CHASCA

THE POSITIVES:

- there’s feathers in her design and she’s from the flower-feather clan, i guess that’s a decent enough recall to her tribe.

- i like the symmetry in her design from the hat and the back of her tattered cape it’s cohesive, and all the small details from the accessories and metals is actually quite catching to look at, i sincerely wished this was repeated in the entire outfit.

THE NEGATIVES:

- i don’t understand why she’s some sort of elf. has this ever even been established as a proper race?? why are there elves in this nation?? does it have any relevance to her character?? or her abilities and knowledge?

- the colours are actually hideous even with the 60/30/10 rule. every hue is super desaturated and dull your eyes don’t actually know what you’re supposed to focus on so instead your attention is cast to the random fucking leg that’s just fully bare and out compared to her weird latex legging. this isn’t even good symmetry wise because… this naked/latex portion is repeated in the top half of her outfit with the arms. it’s all extremely awkward and misplaced like they had several references and just drew over all of them.

- the top is decent but super bare and dull, there’s practically no interest in the shape or material, it all feels like the default filter on dress to impress or gacha life.

- back on the symmetry, all her design weight is fixed on the left side of the design (right, if you’re imagining it as the picture above), there’s no interest in the silhouette, it’s very unimpressive and insignificant to the point where the only sole point of interest in her design is the hat because of its exaggerated appearance from the rest of the flatness.

- can you tell that despite being named after an incan goddess, her design has absolutely no bearing fashion resemblance to the amerindians? who would’ve guessed!

ORORON

THE POSITIVES:

- FINALLY!! A CHARACTER WITH VISUAL MARKINGS AND TATTOOS!!! who knew it would take this long (hint it was me)

- his entire silhouette is outline with sharp, jagged edges, reflecting a harsh demeanour, especially the back cape(?) thing which has no curve, just a sharp point—an image of someone cutthroat and dangerous. with the way he has his hoodie up it can be assumed he wishes to remain mysterious or secretive.

- colour scheme is cohesive but once again, incredibly boring and unimaginative. they finally learnt that the other side of the colour wheel exists but then lost all their design abilities in the process.

THE NEGATIVES:

- his overall silhouette outline is hideous. there’s no break in the design everything just goes down in a harsh fat rectangle. it’s way too top heavy with no accessories or anything significant at the bottom to balance all the clutter from the scarf hoodie thing.

- i don’t even think i need to mention how poor it is to butcher the name of a yoruba god and make him a furry of all things—think that more or less speaks for itself.

- no part of his design gives the impression of someone who would “tend to vegetables” and i know that sounds dumb, but what i mean is that they clearly stuck with one concept (making him some tough emo copy paste) without thinking of the whole other archetype they intended to add: someone who’s lighthearted and gentle. you can absolutely have both in a design, i’m not saying tough people are incapable of gentleness, but there’s nothing in his design to make you stop and consider that he isn’t a gruff asshole.

- ripped jeans. right. let’s ignore the beaming temperature in natlan for now—who in the design department sat down and thought, “yeah dude this is absolutely fire!!! 🔥🔥🔥”. he looks like the gacha demon alpha wolf hybrid oc i made when i was 13.

VARESA

THE POSITIVES:

- her design’s colour palette is digestible.

THE NEGATIVES:

- apparently she’s meant to be based off luchadora wrestlers but don’t piss me off. the only singular element that vaguely resembles the attire in the wrestling style is the top and just maybe the accessories on her skirt.

- someone save me who the fuck decided to give this girl temu leg warmers. LEG WARMERS. IN THE NATION OF FIRE AND WAR? characters who fight and are killers or whatever have every right to be cute and aesthetic or whatever, like bitch i love mizuki kaminade!! but this girl ain’t her.

- she has such potential but instead of going fully down the cool wrestler route and giving her these muscles and sick details and patterns…we get horny incel slop where people think her having thicker thighs and big boobs means she’s chubby.

- also?? 😭 CHUBBY? ya’ll gotta be ragebaiting because there’s no way i’m seeing people call this a revolutionary moment. she is the same size as every other godforsaken female character in game, her thighs are just bigger. that’s pure fetish content (i’ve already seen the weird milking jokes about her let’s be real, they knew what they were doing).

- the design is very 2020 gacha oc coded.

- the design is both asymmetrical and symmetrical which sometimes can look good but realistically, with the way it’s done here she just looks like someone’s first attempt at profesional design (you are failing).

- this was the perfect opportunity to give her some sort of cow print markings, but no, boring white slop. they’re happy giving her random kawaii bandaids though! >//<

- her silhouette is both cluttered and plain, all the little baubles hanging off her distract you but then when you try and look deeper at the actual outfit you find nothing but ugly egg-white coloured ariana grande sleeves and the shortest miniskirt known to man. it’s a mess, and not even a satisfying one to look at.

- there are absolutely no creative liberties taken with her as a cow either i’m convinced they just looked up the most popular cow ocs (or borderline hentai) and decided to mash it together with a sprinkle of sugar before serving us absolute bollocks. the only way they could save this character is by giving her the most fucking manly voice known to man then i’d change my entire mind. for now she’s a low tier hentai caricature for the dweebs.

[theparasocialites]

After finishing Say Nothing and combing through a few cast interviews, I found myself most captivated by Anthony Boyle’s take on the whole production. Before watching the show, I only had a vague awareness of him—I'd caught a couple of episodes of Masters of the Air and seen the Manhunt trailers approximately a million times, so when he popped up here, my initial reaction was, “Oh, he’s in this too? Good for him. Guess he has a great agent.” But almost immediately, I realized I owed Anthony Boyle an apology. I was unfamiliar with his game. Charismatic even in scenes where he’s lurking in the background, or has tights over his head, utterly sympathetic even when he’s supposed to be frightening, Boyle’s portrayal of Brendan Hughes stands out in a cast that’s uniformly excellent.

What struck me most was how convincingly he disappeared into this role. Having seen him play an American in Masters of the Air and knowing he was doing the same thing in Manhunt, I realized I had no clue where Boyle himself was from. Watching him here, I was stunned by the specificity and authenticity of his performance, only to learn afterward that he’s actually from West Belfast. That discovery felt like a confirmation: Boyle wasn’t just acting—he was inhabiting. His performance wasn’t just good; it was lived-in, layered, and deeply rooted in a way that made every second of it feel undeniably real.

I honestly think Boyle’s work in Say Nothing belongs in the same conversation as Ewan McGregor’s best performances in Scottish films—those moments where an actor is so fully in their element that you’re reminded of just how powerful it can be to see someone telling a story that connects with them on a cellular level. Boyle is part of that lineage of enigmatic, electric performers who can shift between accents and personas with ease, but who are at their absolute best when playing roles that resonate with their own lived experiences.

I’m thrilled he took on this character, and I genuinely hope the performance gets the recognition it deserves—awards buzz, acclaim, all of it. He’s not just a highlight; he’s the heartbeat of the show. When Boyle is on-screen, the whole production feels like it’s operating on a higher frequency—more dynamic, more alive, more everything. Bravo, honestly. I can’t wait to see what he does next.

[alexanderwales]

Game Review: FANTASY LIFE i: The Girl Who Steals Time

This is a bad game, but it's a bad game that I played to completion.

There's a principle in cooking called depth of flavor which is where you use different ingredients and cooking techniques to make something multidimensional. My go-to example of this is chili, where I do my best to create depth of flavor by using multiple forms of the same ingredient: onions get sautéed, but I also add in onion powder, and when the chili is done, some finely diced fresh onion, scallions, or chives as a garnish. These are not exotic ingredients, but by having many different but similar notes, you get something better as an end result.

FANTASY LIFE i: The Girl Who Steals Time has a dogshit title, we'll call it Fantasy Life from here on. But the title isn't the only thing that's dogshit.

The story is awful, mostly because it commits the cardinal sin of being boring, but there are multiple ways in which the story is bad: cardboard characters, nonsense plot, stupid and predictable "twists", and a bunch of irrelevant fetch quests. There are too many characters, and they're all completely forgettable, merely suggesting ways in which they might be interesting. But I don't think you come to Fantasy Life for story elements, probably, even if you're the target audience.

So that leaves us with the gameplay, and I would say that this, too, is actually pretty bad when looked at on a granular level.

The game's main thing is that there are fourteen "life classes" that you swap freely from. Four of these are combat classes, which are all redundant with each other because you don't need more than one, but then there are also gathering classes and crafting classes, which is what you'll spend most of the game on. Each of these is incredibly shallow and there's a great deal of repetition among them all.

Mining and chopping, for example, are just clones of each other, where you find a node out in the world, circle it until you find the "sweet spot" and then hack away until it's given up the goods. The crafting classes are particularly egregious about this, as there's not really a functional difference between any of them: a timer starts, you're sitting in front of three stations, and you have to move between each of them, hitting a button, mashing a button, or holding a button. The only thing that changes is aesthetics, and whether you have particular bonuses you get from gear or the class skill tree.

And the combat, which you have to engage in with regularity, has absolutely no challenge or substance to it, and does not feel enjoyable to play.

And at this point, you might be asking "well why did you keep playing", which is a great question.

The thing is, while each individual element of this game has almost nothing to it, they're all somehow working in harmony. There are three time periods to move between, one a rip-off of Breath of the Wild, one more like Animal Crossing, and the last one of the most generic JRPGs you've ever seen. And because you can switch between them, because you're encouraged to keep adding things to the list of things to do, there's something that becomes dynamic about it.

There's something hypnotic about it, a "one more turn" feeling. It's a dopamine drip that works by varying the stimulus and jangling some keys in front of your face at regular intervals. You get distracted and go off to do something else, forgetting your original goal, but it doesn't actually matter what your original goal was, so it's fine.

And this is the depth of flavor thing, I think. There is nothing complex in this game, nothing original, nothing interesting, but all the uncomplex things together make it feel complex. This is the magic at the heart of Fantasy Life, the thing that makes it work as a game.

I despise it, in case that wasn't clear. It's rare that I walk away from a game feeling manipulated, like I wasted my time, but this game did that to me. I think it helped illuminate this pattern for me, in some way, one that I'm sure I've fallen victim to before, cheap garbage assembled in an interconnected pile.

Hopefully I remember to get out earlier next time I find this happening.

[moiraimyths]

An Announcement on The Good People (Na Daoine Maithe)'s Route Order

Happy Saturday, fateful friends! We hope you're enjoying the update, if you've had a chance to play!

Some folks have asked us, both now and in the weeks leading up to Shae and Maeve's routes, what the overall route update order will be for the rest of NDM.

We're going to answer that question today, much too rigorously 👇

Initially, we'd planned to keep the route order a semi-secret in order to hype up the reveal for the next batch of characters, but after some thought/observation, the Moirai Myths team now thinks that revealing the order, and further explaining the order, would be more holistically useful to our players.

First things first: We are most likely always going to do route updates in two half-batches, instead of releasing the full route for one character at once. Two halves of two routes is roughly equivalent to one full route, so we could release each route one at a time, but this decreases the odds of us having an update that interests you if you're only presently interested in a few members of the cast. With this in mind, we've purposefully plotted out the routes so that the midway point for all routes will end on a cliffhanger or point of intrigue to encourage discussion/speculation regarding "what could come next," etc. If you've played Shae and Maeve's routes thus far, you'll know exactly what we mean by that. 😄

On that note: Why are Shae and Maeve's routes first? A small part of it is logistical. While they're not our most popular characters, most people like Shae and Maeve well enough coming out of the demo (Vol. 1), which gives them a decently broad appeal-potentiality. Preliminary data of ours also suggests that the average person's interest in these characters increases following the update. *wink* However, the second and larger reason is because of NDM's overarching story. While each route, as with other dating sims, explores the specific character arcs and personal struggles of their namesakes, these things are not the sole focus of the routes. NDM's story begins in a cold war scenario that could very well turn into a hot war scenario under the wrong set of circumstances. These plot points are persistent across the game, but certain elements are looked at more closely in some routes than in others.

Shae and Maeve basically serve as the introductory characters for our world beyond Vol. 1. Their routes explain essential concepts, such as the class dynamics of Tír na nÓg, the nature of the War of the Courts, etc., and they get some pretty big backstory questions answered and out of the way early on. This allows future routes to focus on other, similarly critical subjects, unimpeded by the need to go over previously-revealed information from the other routes in the same amount of detail. To that end, since major reveals in Shae and Maeve's routes may be comparatively understated in the next batch of routes, this begs the question...

✨ Is there an official recommended reading order? ✨

Yes. And some of our players have already guessed it:

Book of the Traveller (Vol. 1) is the "inciting incident" content for the game and must be read first. After that, you should play Shae's route (Book of the Soldier, Vol. 2), then Maeve's route (Book of the Warrior, Vol. 3). This means, according to the numbering: The next route batch will be Flannán and Aífe. Following them, Robin and Keagan.

We understand that in a lot of visual novels, routes can be read in any order without much impact to the story or experience. This is not so much the case with The Good People (Na Daoine Maithe), for the reasons we have previously explained. While we would not say the game would necessarily be ruined if players chose to, say, start with Keagan's route and work their way backwards, it would nevertheless be a less satisfying experience because you won't be getting the gradual build up of certain concepts and plot points in the prior volumes. In a sense, it would be somewhat similar to reading an actual book series out of order: You could probably read The Two Towers ahead of The Fellowship of the Ring and still have an enjoyable time, but you might find yourself asking, "Hm, why are they sending Hobbits on an important task like this? Sort of odd that an elf or human wasn't given this duty instead."

We hope this post is clarifying as to our artistic intent and general plans, and remember: Your favourite characters will appear in major ways across multiple routes, and we will be releasing side story DLCs featuring the other characters in between updates. 😊

Slán go foill! (Bye for now!)

-The Moirai Myths Team

[e-vay]

My In-Depth Review of Sonic X Shadow Generations (Spoilers!)

I completed Sonic X Shadow Generations so I'm ready to talk about it! Remember, these are just my personal opinions about the game, so don't take this review as me saying that my opinion is "right." I'd hate to accidentally spoil the game for you, so all my thoughts are below the cut:

Did you mean to click "Keep Reading"? I warned you, there's gonna be spoilers here! One last chance to back out...

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❤️

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Okay here we go!

THE SHADOW PORTION

Let's start with what we've all been hyped about: the Shadow portion of Sonic X Shadow Generations. If you single out the Shadow story of this game, I think it is an absolute masterpiece! Everyone who worked on it gave it their all, and it clearly shows. I'd give it a 9.75/10.

THE GRAPHICS

The visuals of this game are STUNNING. These new models for Maria and Gerald Robotnik are perfection! I am so glad they went with the more 'cartoon' style for the human models, similar to what we saw in Sonic Unleashed. They feel like they belong in this world among these peculiar looking anthropomorphic animals, but they aren't so odd looking that they feel goofy. They found a perfect balance and I couldn't be happier with them. Speaking of character models, to see all the bosses throughout the years in this new high definition was a sight to behold! Though I do feel nostalgia for the lower-poly version of the Biolizard, it was great to see it as the creators originally envisioned. It went from this loveable (and admittedly silly-looking) salamander to a truly intimidating and disturbing looking beast. The animation is superb. The characters move so fluidly and the poses are dynamic and striking! The frame rate makes everything look and feel fast and smooth which is exactly what you'd hope for in a Sonic game. I also appreciated the variety of poses/animations even just for the different stage ranks. I found myself purposely replaying stages to get different ranks just so I could see the different animations Shadow had regarding his "performance" evaluation. That really adds to the replay value! I am a graphic designer for a living, so of course I have to gush about the design, too! The graphic elements that appear before, during, and after each stage are straight up BADASS! I love the 2D animated flame that appears along the stage name and the color scheme and sharp lines are so appropriate to Shadow, and are a very strong contrast to Sonic's graphic elements that are colorful and round in shape. These are small details that most people might not outright notice, but it really enhances the overall aesthetic of the game.

THE STORY

LOOOOORE! Sweet nectar of the gods, we were given so much more lore with this game! Even though the Shadow portion of this game was fairly short, they jam-packed a ton of information and I am forever thankful for it! If you didn't do so while playing, I highly recommend playing again and talking to the NPCs regularly for little nuggets of lore. I was initially worried that this was going to be a rehash of the same 'origin' story we've heard a dozen times already, but that was not the case! Instead of focusing entirely on the tragedy that happened on the ARK, we got to learn what life was like on the ARK while times were still good! Learning that Shadow didn't used to be confident at all, to the point where Maria basically doesn't recognize this confident version of him that we've all known him as. And that Shadow never did his homework??? HA! I loved the confirmation that yes, Maria WAS INDEED the person who gave Shadow his name, and the meaning behind it was EVERYTHING TO ME! (Also works so well for my my AU. IYKYK hehehe) Plus all the Robotnik family history?! MARIA HAD A LITTLE SISTER?!?! She'd be old now, if she's even alive, but will we ever meet her? Will Shadow ever meet her (and would he even want to, or does he feel like that chapter of his life is closed now)? What was she like, and how did Maria's death impact her and her parents??? I hope we'll find out some day! Plus getting to learn a little bit more about Gerald's sons was exciting too. Will more Robotnik family members make appearances down the line? What do they think of Eggman's misdeeds? I'm so curious for more! It was heartbreaking in the best way for Shadow to get to interact with Maria and Gerald again, especially knowing he can't do anything to change what will inevitably happen to them. His sense of desperation paired with the growing affects that Doom's powers were having on him really had me worried about what was going to happen to Shadow's state of mind and overall well-being. It was amazing to see the toll it was taking on his body and his mind. In particular, I'm thinking of the scene where Shadow goes to fight Sonic and you see him having to actually restrain himself and go easy on Sonic. I thought it a great scene to demonstrate how easy it would have been for Shadow to just give in to the rage and take Sonic out without hesitation, but his willpower was able to win in the end. I have heard some people saying they're disappointed that Shadow lost his Doom abilities by the end of the story, but I think it made complete sense for the story. Black Doom is insistent that Shadow isn't 'complete' yet and he has to be more like him in order to be 'perfect.' But that isn't true! Shadow is already the ultimate life form, especially because there's more to him than his Black Doom DNA. By rejecting Doom's influence in the end, that was Shadow's true evolution. He's perfect as he is. Obviously I could gush forever and ever about all the Shadow and Maria scenes, but words aren't going to do it justice. It was just so moving to see how different he is when he's with her. In fact, at the end of this game I believe this is the first instance we ever see a true, genuine, heartwarming smile from Shadow and it DEVASTATED ME! We are used to his smirks, but when he's trying to reassure Maria that everything's going to be okay, we get to see him truly smile and we aren't seeing Shadow the Ultimate Lifeform or Shadow the Destroyer/Weapon, we are seeing Shadow the Brother and it felt like the warm embrace of a security blanket. God bless the writing in this game.

THE ACTING

The acting in this game is incredible from a visual and auditory performance. The animators really pushed the acting of the character models and you can feel Shadow's transformations throughout the game and the toll it's taking on his body. The emotions are cranked up to the max and they didn't pull any punches. In the past, Shadow was often limited in his portrayal of emotions, but that wasn't the case in this game at all. We saw anger, we saw resentment, we saw panic and sadness, and affection. There was so much thought put into the shaking of his hands, the gritting of his teeth, the shrinking and dilating of his pupils, all to show what's going on in his head without even resorting to words. SO MUCH ATTENTION was put into how these characters moved and interacted with each other and it truly tugged at my heart strings. There were too many wonderful moments for me to break down, so I will just single out one for now and applaud the creative direction and the animators for these scenes as a whole. There's this moment right near the end of the story, when Shadow is trying to stop Gerald and Maria from disappearing for good. His gestures are wild and panicked, his pupils and irises are small due to fear, but then Maria simply frames his face and rests her forehead against his. It's subtle, but Shadow's eyes widen and then return to their regular size and everything from his stance to how his shoulders fall show what a calming presence Maria has and how she helped (and will continue to help) him find his inner piece. Those performances are going to stick with me forever! Mike Pollock as Gerald Robotnik was truly *chef's kiss* MP is such a fantastic actor with great range. Though his voice is easily recognizable, the manner in which he speaks as Gerald is so different compared to Eggman, that you couldn't mistake the two characters even just by listening. We have been so used to only hearing from the angry, driven-insane-by-grief Gerald that it was so refreshing to get to see and hear the calm, brilliant, caring genius that created The Ultimate Life Form. P.S. I'm going to be crying over hearing Gerald call Shadow "son" for the rest of my life, thank you very much. I don't care about the future crimes he commits, we got to witness Shadow's father in this game and I'm weeping. Kirk Thornton is not my favorite Shadow. That being said, he really gave it his all and I was pleasantly surprised by what he accomplished. One of the performances that surprised me the most was Mephiles! This is a credit to the writers as well as the voice actor. The sense of wild desperation in his voice as he fights to even 'exist' in this timeline was so visceral and terrifying. Sure the other villains had their "I'm the best, this world belongs to me" lines, but Mephiles' voice lines were on a completely different level to me. What a treat! Lastly, if you can, please replay the game in Japanese! Kōji Yusa's performance is STUNNING. Ooh I'm getting shivers just recalling his voice lines while you're playing through the stages. I don't mean to discredit the English voice actors, but I think this game is even better when listening in Japanese. Give it a try yourself!

THE MUSIC

This is a Sonic game we're talking about, of course the music is going to be fantastic! The score did not disappoint one bit. It was great to hear all the callbacks to songs in the past as well as new tracks that were catchy and enjoyable even after playing the stages several times. "All Hail Shadow" has always been one of my favorites, but the new instrumental version used for majority of this game was so haunting and eerie. It was a delight to my ears as well as my emotions.

THE BOSSES

I loved the chosen bosses for Shadow's story. It was great fun to revisit some of the more iconic baddies throughout Shadow's history, and even though some of the gameplay was the same, the battle would then shift and offer the player something new. However, it's actually the boss fights where I dock the game a few fractions of a point. The boss battles were far too easy to defeat, and I actually found them easier and easier as the game progressed. I beat Mephiles and Devil Doom so quickly that I didn't realize their fights were over already. One could argue this was intentional by design. After all, throughout the story Shadow is evolving more and more into the 'perfect' killing machine. It would make sense that the more Doom Abilities he acquires, the weaker these bosses would seem. Still, as a life-long gamer, I appreciate when I have to actually work to achieve the ending of a game. I would have liked more of a challenge.

OVERALL GAMEPLAY

Whether you're roaming about White Space or you're actually playing through stages, the Shadow portion of this game is an absolute blast. Even having played the Shadow the Hedgehog game (which I'm a fan of, btw), I feel like this game really gave you a better feeling of what it's like to be Shadow. I LOVED that I got to use Chaos Control way more than ever before in previous games. If you had the ability to stop time, wouldn't you take advantage of it every chance you could??? The opportunity to use Chaos (and Doom) Spear as frequently as you wanted and Chaos Control almost constantly really shows how formidable of a character Shadow is and just how different it is to play as him compared to playing as Sonic. I loved the 'free-roam' aspect of White Space compared to the 2D version in Sonic's story. Hunting for rocket parts or figuring out how to unlock collectibles was a lot of fun and let the player really explore these new Doom abilities to the fullest. I'll admit that I struggled with navigating some of the Doom abilities, but even so I still had a ton of fun. I already mentioned replay value, but before you even have to go about replaying the game, there is SO MUCH to this portion of the game! The amount of stages, challenges, collectibles within stages, FINDING the unlockables USING the collectibles you obtained from stages, even the mini challenges available AFTER you've completed the key challenges (I'm talking about the bell that's located above the challenge portal), all of it made for a ton of opportunities for play. I found myself wanting to take on every quest instead of begrudgingly going through it just because I'm a completionist.

My biggest gripe is that the game was too short. Am I greedy for wanting more? Probably, but I can't help it. The developers gave us a ton of content in the Shadow story, but I still would have loved to have a full length game of just this gameplay. I managed to complete the Shadow portion in a few hours, and that was even with me leisurely taking my time to get collectibles and get S ranks for stages before progressing through the story. I miss the days where games took much longer to complete. But hey, I'm a nostalgia-prone 33 year old, so I guess that's to be expected of me haha.

THE SONIC PORTION

Here is where Sonic X Shadow Generations loses more points for me, which is a shame because I think it's a great game overall. Admittedly, I was disappointed when I first learned that the Sonic portion of the game was just a remaster of Generations. I had really hoped we were going to receive something new to help elevate SXS Gens as an entirely new game, instead of just "Sonic Gens + Shadow DLC".

Don't get me wrong, the stages in Sonic Generations are fun to play. However, when you go from playing Shadow's story to Sonic's story, Sonic's side drastically pales in comparison in my opinion.

My other complaint is that for a remaster, they really didn't improve Sonic's portion of the game significantly (at least from what I can recall, as I haven't played the original Sonic Generations since it first came out in 2011). This was a missed opportunity to correct more of the drawbacks of the original game. However, I will admit there are some minor changes that were made that I was thankful for. Let's start with the positive before I point out some of the negatives.

THE STORY

As mentioned earlier, I acknowledge that Sonic Generations is just a remaster so it makes sense that the story didn't change much. That being said, there were some small changes that I did really appreciate and helped improve the story. One of the things that always bothered me about the original Sonic Generations was how indifferent/annoyed Sonic was regarding his friends. I mean, the story is about time being erased! His friends and home are literally getting removed from the fabric of time and Sonic seemed more inconvenienced than concerned. In more recent games, the writing has really focused on the value Sonic finds in his friendships and found family. He always has his signature cool, aloof attitude, but I think the writers in recent years have successfully showed just how much he cares about his group, whether the games were serious (Sonic Frontiers) or silly (The Murder of Sonic the Hedgehog). The story wasn't drastically changed for Sonic X Shadow Generations, but some altered dialogue and blink-and-you-miss-it edits helped to cut that jackass attitude from the original and gave him more realistic reactions. Especially by having him respond when he rescues everybody this time! It never seemed right when Tails was first rescued and he's trauma dumping on Sonic about how awful the experience was and Sonic just sits there in silence haha. At least in the new version, Sonic reassures Tails that he's safe now. Also, huge kudos to whoever decided to alter that scene where Sonic is shoving Amy away by the face. I always hated that. Ship or not, you don't treat your friends like that when they're throwing you a bday party!

This is me getting nitpicky, but there were a few things I had really hoped they were going to improve, but remained untouched:

THE GRAPHICS

I was never happy with the visuals of this game outside of the stages (the visuals within the stages are great!). The colors are extremely oversaturated and the characters are way too intense and some are even off model (ex: Amy is so blindingly vivid magenta in this game instead of her signature blush pink. What the heck?!). What's worse, the cutscenes during the birthday party scenes are SO GREEN. The light bounces off the neon green landscape and reflects onto the already oversaturated characters, giving them an unappealing green glow. I get that the Sonic world is not realistic, but it felt like the scenery in these cutscenes made it look like we were watching a bunch of toys interacting on a playset instead of characters living in their world. Sure the visuals during the levels are great, but it's a real disappointment when I'm specifically not looking forward to the cutscenes in a game. I wish they would have tweaked that.

THE ANIMATION/GAMEPLAY

I have zero complaints when it comes to Act 1 (the "Classic" version) of the different stages. These look great, play great, and if you've played classic Sonic games then you can appreciate how identical the map of the level is compared to the originals. The issue for me lies in Act 2, aka Modern Sonic's gameplay. For the most part these levels are good, but there were a couple of small things that always bothered me that I was sincerely hoping they'd fix (and they did not). There are portions of Modern Sonic's gameplay that is SO. SLOW. I'm referring to when you are jumping from one Grind Rail to another, or when you are sliding under an obstacle. These animations are so bizarrely slow and make absolutely no sense when your character is running blindingly fast. I don't understand why they didn't use this opportunity to fix those animations. When you're playing the Shadow side of the story, his animations are constantly fast moving and appropriately paced. Why wouldn't they apply these physics to the Sonic side?

As a whole, the Sonic portion of Sonic X Shadow Generations is still a fun game, but I think it could have used a little more attention to help it feel more balanced compared to the Shadow portion.

-

This game also has some notably fun DLC and the promise of more DLC in the future! I have my Sonic side of the story set to the Sonic Adventure Legacy skin and Sonic Jam Legacy skin and they are so CUTE! They win all the nostalgia points! I'll be honest with you, I have never been a fan of Terios' design hahaha. BUT! I love that they made a Terios skin for this game so players have the chance to play as him if you choose and we get to see how he was intended outside of the initial sketches we've all seen. (Still, y'all can keep your Terios skin. I won't touch it LOL!). And I am OVER THE MOON ECSTATIC for the upcoming Movie Shadow addition to the game! I still can't believe they got Keanu Reeves to voice lines for it! I'm sure it will be a small thing, but I am on the edge of my seat to see what that will be like.

-

Overall, I'm super happy with the game as a whole and I enjoyed every minute I played of it!

If you read all of this, thank you for reading! Again, my opinion isn't fact and if you disagree with what I had to say, that's totally fair. And if you haven't played the game yourself, please go play it and see what you think for yourself!

[thekingofwinterblog]

The Importance of Banter: Varric Tethras

So one of the more interesting takes I've gotten on my breakdowns of Dragon Age characters is the argument that Varric in terms of character development is one of the lesser characters in the game.

He stays the same, doesn't change much from beginning to end, and while enjoyable, his inclusion doesn't add nearly as much as some of the other characters in the game, and relies way too much on the goodwill from da2 to do most of the legwork for his inclusion in the game.

Now this isn't an argument without merit, I might agree a lot with this take... If it wasn't for the inclusion of one Dragon Age's staples, and one of the aspects that Inquisition arguably does better than ether ADO or DA2.

Character Banter.

Character Banter is extremely important because it gives us an insight into how characters think, how they interact, and showcases the more subtle elements that aren't always on display in the game itself.

Compared to the rest of the Characters, Varric is a bit different in that because he was a companion in the previous game, we can see how he's changed since the previous game.

Cassandra Pentaghast

So it's not an exaggeration to say that Cassandra and Varric has what is easily the most dynamic relationahip between any of the companions, having far and away the most interactions together out of party(And thats not even including the fact that all of DA2 is technically them talking to each other.

And this is reflected in their banter as well, where the two of them go back and forth like a married couple.

The thing that most be understood about Cassandra and Varric's banter though, is the fact that Varric is way, way smarter than Cassandra, who isn't dumb, but is not a genius by any stretch, which is reflected in the Dwarf's tendency to run rings around her all the time.

Cassandra: Have you heard from any of your Kirkwall associates Varric?

Varric: You're asking me? So you don't read my letters?

Cassandra: You're no longer my prisoner, much as you like to act like it.

Varric: Yet I still get all the suspicion.

Cassandra: I am not without sympathy, especially given recent events.

Varric: Why, Seeker, I would never accuse you of having sympathy! By the way I tend to refer to my "associates" as "friends". Maybe you're not familiar with the concept.

Cassandra: (sigh)

---

Varric: You know, Seeker, for someone with your tact and charisma you assembled a... pretty good little Inquisition. I'm giving you the benefit of the doubt and assuming you didn't drag them all here by force.

Cassandra: How kind of you.

Varric: I mean, you never know, you could have kidnapped Ruffles and she'd be too polite to say anything.

Cassandra: Leliana recruited Josephine. They're... friends.

Varric: So there's a rational explanation after all. Just when I thought you had layers.

---

Varric: It makes sense that Leliana did the recruiting when the Inquisition started. Not everyone can be intimidated into signing up after all.

Cassandra: I recruited Commander Cullen.

Varric: Lucky him.

Cassandra: He has made no complaints about my manners.

Varric: His last boss was a raving lunatic who turned into a statue. That's not a high bar.

All of these three bits of banter is from early in their shared chain, and illustrates their dynamic very, very well. Varric reads Cassandra like an open book, and is able to completely take control over a situation just by playing the role of the ass who is just sniping at her because he feels like it, when what he's actually doing is maneuvering the conversation so it can end on him having the last words by playing on the things Cassandra knows she cannot refute without lying.

That takes a lot of sponanous wit and an ability to think on the spot, something cassandra does not possess, but Varric has in plenty.

Of course this dynamic is only at the start as they have plenty more as the story develops. One innparticular is their relationship regarding Varric's liturature, which is one of the more entertaining side quests in the game, but it does tell us more about them in the followup banter.

Varric: Seriously? Swords and Shields? How did you find that serial? Scrape it off the bottom of a barrel in Dust Town?

Cassandra: It was research! I thought I might learn more about the Champion.

Varric: I did write a book about the Champion. You might remember it. Had your knife stuck through it last I saw.

Cassandra: I already read that one. Twice.

Here we learn how much Cassandra actually loves to read Varric's work, but more importantly we get something we rarely see in Varric. Him talking about his own failures.

Varric likes to pretend he's this amazing writer who always produce masterpieces, as he himself says to Bianca, as if he'd write about his own failures and mistakes...

And yet there is swords and shields, a book that Varric has deemed an abyssmal failure. A joke, a mediocre piece of trash not worth the paper it was printed on... And yet it has it's fans. This work that varric despises still managed to find an audience, and despite how much satisfaction he had smugly giving it to Cassandra, that still grinds his gears.

People shouldn't like his bad work. It should be forgotten in favor of his masterpieces. A very dwarven way of thinking.

Varric: I can't believe you picked the absolute worst of my books to read. Why not Hard in Hightown?

Cassandra: I have enough mysteries and investigations of my own.

Varric: What? You don't want to solve more in your spare time?

Cassandra: Then you killed my favorite character in Chapter 3, so I threw the book across the room.

Varric: Ah, a critic. Say no more.

In this one, we get Varric both genuinely questioning Cassandra, as he seems to have assumed she actually does like investigating mysteries(she does not), but also tries to nudge her over to read High in Hightown instead.

Cassandra: Varric, how could you let the Knight-Captain be framed for murder?

Varric: Well, I did spent three entire chapters setting it up.

Cassandra: But she didn't deserve it! You'd already put her through more than enough!

Varric: Look, Seeker, if you love a character, you give them pain, ruin their lives, make them suffer. Maybe even throw in a heroic death.

Cassandra: That makes no sense!

Varric: You care enough to argue. If she had a nice afternoon and took a nap, you'd stop reading.

I could deconstruct this, but basically it's just a bit of meta commentary on what makes a good story. Not only will it not be the last, but it's not even the most blatant. After all, this one could apply to other people besides Hawke.

Cassandra: What made you write about Hawke? All your other books are complete fiction.

Varric: Someone had to set the record straight about the Champion.

Cassandra: Yet your book is still full of lies.

Varric: But true ones. That's important.

Varric loves stories... But he understands what stories are at their heart. The difference between a Recounting, and a Tale. That's what history is after all, the Tales everyone passed down.

And what good tale doesn't have a bit of exaggerated bullshit?

Cassandra: Why is the second Hard in Hightown so completely different from the first?

Varric: (sigh) Because I didn't write it. Shit, did you pay actual coin for that book? One of these days, I'm going to find the duster who wrote that garbage and introduce him to my editor.

Cassandra: By "editor," do you mean your crossbow?

Varric: No, my actual editor. Best in the business. She runs half the Coterie in Kirkwall. Stickler for grammar. She once killed a man over a semicolon. I'd never print anything without her.

This one is more meta commentary, but it does have a bit more meat to it. Varric's whole spiel about his editor being super powerful in the Coterie could be the truth, it could be complete bullshit. Or it could be something in between.

That's not the important part. The important part is that he wants Cassandra to guess, to assume, to speculate, because that is far more powerful than just laying it all out could ever be.

Cole: She has to reach the other side of the hill.

Cassandra: Who does?

Cole: The Knight-Captain. But she's injured.

Varric: (sigh) Good job, Kid.

Cassandra: Is she alright? Is that how the book ends?

Varric: Not anymore.

Cassandra: Cole, what happens to her?

Cole: I don't know. The hill went away.

So here we see that Varric is one of THOSE authors. You know the kind, the ones who will rewrite an entire storyline because the big twists was leaked ahead of time.

It's not that important in the grand scheme of things, but it's interesting how through the game we see a very consistent picture of how Varric likes to write. He's a gardner variety writer, but unlike GRRM he's not the kind thst sticks to what he had in mind and sets up if the big twist is learned before it's finished.

As for His banter with Cassandra related to Hawke, it's entertaining, but not exactly that enlightening. Except for one.

If you chose in DA2 to save carver or Bethany by making them grey wardens, you get this bit when Cassandra Questions him about them.

Varric: Aveline took him off somewhere when the Calling started going nuts, but he'll tag along. He always does.

Varric: Aveline took her off somewhere when the Calling started going nuts, but she'll try to keep Hawke out of trouble.

Cassandra misses the obvious, but you probably didn't.

Varric knew about the calling from the start. Oh he didn't know the details, and he didn't know why... But he knew there was something up with the calling from the very start, and probably figured out this was the key reason from day one.

And he didn't share it. At all.

That speaks volumes of where his true loyalties lies, and it's something a lot of people miss.

Cassandra is right. Varric's heart will never truly belong to the Inquisition so long as Hawke and his Kirkwall friends exists outside of it.

There is also a turning point in their conversations, starting around the point where Varric's personal quest with Bianca happened.

Cassandra: Am I to understand your Bianca is married?

Varric: Oh, have we reached the stage where we gossip about each other's love lives?

Varric: Did you hear that, boss? Don't worry, I'll tell you whatever she says.

Cassandra: Forget I mentioned anything. It was a simple question, Varric.

Varric: There was nothing simple about it.

Varric actually blatantly questions wheter they've reached the point where they are now talking about each others love with each other. The truth is though, they actually have.

Varric: You brought up Bianca, Seeker. Does that mean I can ask about your conquests?

Cassandra: I would rather you didn't.

Varric: No tantalizing secrets to divulge?

Cassandra: None.

(If the Inquisitor is in a relationship with Cassandra)

Varric: So no one within, say, a five foot radius has caught your eye?

Inquisitor: Really? No one at all?

Cassandra: This... is not a discussion I want to have here.

Varric: (laughs) Are you blushing, Seeker? Maker, the world really is coming to an end.

Or

Inquisitor: Perhaps Cassandra—and her conquest—would rather not discuss this in public.

Varric: Spoilsport.

Or

Varric: Nothing? You do know he's standing right there...

Cassandra: I... have no conquests.

Varric: How about dalliances? Liaisons? Illicit affairs?

Cassandra: No.

Sera: Enough poking, Varric.

Varric: Is it, Buttercup? Is it?

It a rather humorous affair, but it does show that Varric at this point is comfortable prodding Cassandra's love life, figuring out how far he can push.

Which speaks for itself at how close these two have gotten at this point.

Cassandra: Very well, Varric. If you wish to know about men I have known, I will tell you.

Varric: Look, Seeker. I was only...

Cassandra: You are right. I pried first, and fair is fair. Years ago, I knew a young mage named Regalyan. He was dashing, unlike any man I'd met. He died at the Conclave.

Varric: Oh.

Cassandra: What we had was fleeting. And years had passed. Still, it saddens me to think he's gone.

Varric: I'm sorry.

Nothing to add here, just that Varric sorta gets sad when he realizes that was friendly prodding touched a very bitter and sad point from Cassandra's pain.

For which he apologizes.

Varric: Look, Seeker, I didn't mean to make you talk about your mage friend.

Cassandra: I know. I was not trying to make you speak of Bianca. If I was, you would know. I would yell, books would be stabbed.

Varric: (Chuckles.) I'll keep that in mind.

Also as the game reaches the end section, Varric and Cassandra begin to really banter in a much more friendly way.

Cassandra: I still don't understand how drakes take that hand.

Varric: ...Hmm. Maybe we should start you on Shepherd's Six.

Cassandra: Isn't that a children's game?

Varric: Yeah.

When trying to teach Cassandra card games at this point in the story, Varric has the perfect set up for a punchline like he did in the early game, but he doesn't use it, because he isn't mocking cassandra here, he's genuinely trying to teach her how to play cards.

And so he suggest starting her off with something simple, like a card game for children, cause he understands thats where she has to start at her level.

There are plenty more, but most of it is just well written, engaging or funny back and forths. But before moving on, i wanna highlight two of them.

Varric: Did you really think the Conclave had a chance of making peace, Seeker?

Cassandra: You do not?

Varric: What was the Divine's plan? Bring everyone together and hope really hard that they would all get along?

Cassandra: Most Holy did not confide her plan to me. Perhaps she thought they were tired of death and conflict.

Varric: Oh, when is that ever been true? For Templars or mages.

Cassandra: I will not mock a dead woman, Varric. She did what she could, and that is more than most.

This conversation is very important for one simple reason. It showcases how much Varric has changed since DA2. Varric used to be one of the big believers in compromise in that game. He didn't come out and say it out right, because in that game the Templar far and away were the more evil faction, and so there was way more chances for Varric to stick up for mages, but Varric really, REALLY didn't want the mages and Templars to go to war.

He had so many friends in both factions, friends he knew would die if it ever did come to true blows.

I would say that varric was probably the best example of what neutrality in such a situation should have been. Someone who is neutral because he understood thst fundamentally, both sides even at their worst, were people. Not demons, not monsters, but human beings or elves. But unlike many others who clamor for neutrality, Varric wasn't stuck up his own ass about it.

If he saw one side go over the ljne, regardless of which it was, he would not just stand by wheter it was power hungry necromantic blood mages, or Templars like Ser Alrik.

But here, he mocks the very idea of neutrality. He has completely given up on it, and he's accepted that the only solution here, is for one side or the other will have to decisively crush the opposition.

Of course he doesnt come out and say it like that, but that's the message to take away here. So long as there is a templar or mage on the field, this war will continue. He doesn't like that fact, but he has accepted it.

Cassandra: I hear reconstruction is progressing well in Kirkwall.

Varric: I know things are bad there.

Cassandra: I wasn't trying to...

Varric: You weren't trying to remind me how bad is it in Kirkwall? So you decided to talk about it?

Cassandra: About its recovery!

Varric: What you're talking about are the buildings, and even that will take years. People don't recover so easily.

Kirkwall, that is to say, the Kirkwall Varric was born in, grew up in, and spent the happiest years of his life(When he was running there with Hawke), is dead and gone, and never coming back.

He is never getting it back.

Which will be very important for the next companion's banter.

Blackwall

Blackwall is different than the rest of the crew in that he's utterly reliant on the Banter to have any sort of presence. He has no charisma in the actual game, but he does showcase a much more entertaining character in banter.

In regards to Varric though, his mian purpose is to showcase aspects of Varric we don't often see.

One of the most important comes very, very early into their relationship.

Blackwall: I once met a dwarf who made the best home-brewed ale.

Varric: I once met a Grey Warden who got possessed by a spirit and then blew up a Chantry and killed a hundred people. What makes people think you want to hear what others of "your kind" have done, anyway?

This is a moment that is:

1. Very uncharacteristic of Varric, who usually loves talking about other people if he gets any excuse to do so, and will be demonstrated in a very similar moment in his banter with the Iron Bull, only with a different reaction.

2. It's here to showcase Varric's hatred for Anders. Other than Sebastian, Varric misses pretty much the entire DA2 cast, his true best friends... Except for Anders.

Varric LOATHES Anders for his actions, for kickstarting the Mage Templar War and getting lots of his friends killed, but also for destroying his home and making his own worst fear come true.

Varric's biggest fear as shown in the fade is becoming his parents... And that's exactly what he has become in DAI. The depressed exile from a home city that he can never return to, and if he does, it won't be the same life they miss so dearly. Varric misses Kirkwall. He misses it's people, the Hanged man, and always thinking back on the glory days of his life.

And he misses Hawke.

All lost to him and never coming back, all thanks to Anders. Varric can never return back to that time, that place, that era, that friend group that was the highpoint of Varric's life, because the city of Champion Hawke and Varric the sidekick is as dead and gone as his parents.

The hanged man will never be the same, Hawke will never be the revered Hero they were after act 2, and every single one of the countless friends that Varric misses will not come back.

And so he hates Anders with a level of hatred he reserves for very, very few people.

The rest of Varric's starting relationship with Blackwall is about him trying to figure out what makes him tick, innitially pegging him as another Sebastian. Boring, safe, droll.

He also has more banter where he shows how depressed he actually is about Kirkwall.

Blackwall: I've been to Kirkwall. The Hanged Man, actually, probably been twenty years now. It was a dive if I remember correctly.

Varric: It's the dive. Filled with the best and worst people in the world.

Blackwall: Yes, I heard it was a haunt of yours.

Varric: Haunt? It was home.

He finally clicks with Blackwall, as they get into a shared passion nobody else in the party has. Jousting. The sport consistent of knocking people of horses with pointy sticks.

As a Free Marcher Varric has grown up with the Grand Tourney as a focal point of his identity, and loves the sport, so he and Blackwall bonds and argues over the sport, with the most notable part being their disagreements over who is the better jousting knight, where he also gives his own cents in the form of a meta commentary between who is the better protagonist, the Hero of Ferelden or Hawke.

Blackwall: You can't really think Reeve Asa is a better knight than Honorine Chastain. Her record's flawless. Four hundred jousts, never unseated. No one's ever come close to it.

Varric: Oh, she's easily the most skilled. That's a fact. It's just "scrappy" is better than "flawless." I like heroes who try their damnedest, even if they fail a lot. It's easy to be valiant when you always win and everything goes your way. There's nothing great in that.

The rather unsubtle meta message here, is comparing the protagonists of the first games.

The warden is the stronger, more skilled and more competent protagonist who ultimately always triumphed, changed the world, and became heralded far and wide as the greatest hero of her age.

Meanwhile Hawke is the scrappy underdog hero who always gets back on their feet regardless of how hard they fall, and never actually suceeds in anything. Hawke is a failure Hero who couldn't save their mother, their city, at least one of their siblings, maybe two, Ketojan, couldn't prevent the Qunari attack, and constantly failed to save the day through DA2.

Now i don't really agree with this rather simplistic reading of the Warden, but it's a good scene, because it shows that Varric is more than capable of overlooking all the work, effort and time it takes to produce a "perfect" result, as well as show that Varric has a very hard preference for underdogs, and the stories they produce.

Which leads into his reaction when Blackwall confesses his sins.

Varric: Maybe I've been too hard on you.

Blackwall: Oh, so you don't think I'm dreadful now.

Varric: Actually, I thought you were boring before. Completely different. We're all dreadful. Every one of us, fundamentally flawed in a hundred different ways. That's why we're here, isn't it? Take all the risks, so the good people stay home where it's safe. With the whole "Blackwall" thing, you told a story so compelling even you started to believe it.

Blackwall: That's much nicer than saying "You're a dirty liar.", I'll take it.

Varric: A story-teller's got to believe his own story, or no one will.

Here we can gleam a sad fact. Varric very pointedly notes "we're all dreadfull", as Us, as in, him included.

Varric doesn't really consider himself a good person anymore, if he ever did.

It's not like the Varric of Yesteryear considered hinself a saint or some knight in shining armor, but there was a sense that he was happy with himself during that game, in a way he is not in DAI.

Something has changed, and that something is guilt over unleashing the red lyrium on the world, and probably guilt over killing his own friends.

It's not really focused on as much as it should be, but Varric had plenty of friends amongst both the mages and Templars... Which meant that when Anders blew up the chantry, regardless of which side you picked, Varric was forced to kill people who genuinely mattered to him.

Hence why he's so quick to forgive Blackwall for his lies.

For the most part this generally manifests itself in regards to Red Lyrium, which he blames himself for bringing into the world. I would argue that the more subtle parts you get to see in Banter though, is far, far more interesting and better told than the stuff in the main quest.

Because despite his flaws he "takes all the risks, so the good people won't have to.", just like Varric and Hawke.

This is in large amount what Varric in Inquisition is for the most part all about. Guilt, self loathing, and wanting to be a better person.

He just masks it with his usual wit, charm and charisma.

Kinda like Blackwall, only he doesn't really have much charisma or wit to hide behind. Hence why he is so accepting of, and willing to give him another chance without question.

On a final note before we move on from Blackwall, we also get to see varric try to play matchmaker between Blackwall and Josephine which is cute, but not exactly surprising, or give us further insight into Varric's character.

Cole

Now, I'm not going to cover Cole here, not because the banter isn't interesting, or we don't learn anything, but that's all from the way we learn about the world, or Cole himself.

Varric's side of these banters can be summed up in one sentence, for pretty much every single banter.

Varric is Cole's dad.

Rinse, repeat.

Dorian

Similarily, I will not be covering the banter with dorian, not because it's bad, far from it, it's some of the most entertaining in the game, but it doesn't exactly add much beyond the fact that both Varric and Dorian love to gamble, and share witty banter.

Also nugs has some creepy ass feet. The stuff of nightmares.

The Iron Bull

Far more to be dissected, can be found in Varric's banter with the Iron Bull.

There is so much to learn from this banter, from Spy work to how the Antaam is viewed by the other Qunari and so on, but we'll focus on the stuff relating to varric, as he and bull talk about a lot of things.

Varric: You're not the first Ben-Hassrath I've run across. Hawke and I went on a caper with one named Tallis.

Iron Bull: You don't say.

Varric: She caused us no end of trouble. You wouldn't know her by any chance?

Iron Bull: Hey, one time I ran into this dwarf on the road. Short, grouchy. You think you might know him?

Varric: I'm in the Merchant Guild. Ten royals says I not only know him—he owes me money.

Iron Bull: Oh. Well... no. I don't know Tallis. Sorry.

In stark contrast to his talk with Iron bull, when not involving Anders or other people he hates, Varric loves to talk about people. To the point that in his comeback to Iron Bull, there is an invitation here for Bull to specify who this random dwarf was, because chances are, he actually might know him, and could elaborate on the guy.

Varric: How could you possibly be a spy?

Iron Bull: Well, it's a pretty easy job. I do some fighting, and drinking, and then once in a while I tell Par Vollen about it.

Varric: Heh. Where's the sneaking, the plotting, the subtle machinations?

Iron Bull: If you do that, everyone knows you're a spy. Drinking, fighting, writing notes, that's all it really takes.

Varric: Shit. You're either the worst qunari ever, or the best. I can't decide.

He also showcases great frustration with the way Iron Bull pokes holes in his Bond like spy writing, in favor of the mundane realities of Cloak and Dagger stuff.

Because for all that he prides himself on tall tales, varric does like his writing to somewhat be plausible. Its why he gets pissy at the inquisitor when he tells him how stupid so many parts of DA2 were writing wise, cause Varric wrote it how it happened, and while embelishing it, it was mostly true.

And if his spy writing isn't realistic enough that it might plausibly happen... Then it's not as good as it could be.

Iron Bull: By the way, Varric, you write some nice fight scenes.

Varric: Well, thank you. I'm surprised you think so. They're not exactly realistic.

Iron Bull: I figured that out when the good guy did a backflip while wearing a chain mail shirt.

Varric: And that didn't bother you?

Iron Bull: Back in Seheron, I fell on a guy who tried to stab me in the gut. I felt the blade chip as it went through my gut and hit my back ribs. But I was alive, and on top. I sawed through the armor on the rebel's neck, back and forth, until it went red. I don't need a book to remind me that the world is full of horrible crap.

Varric: Impossible swashbuckling it is.

Meanwhile, this bit is surprisingly layered.

First off, there is Bull's retelling and describing the way he dealt with the Vint while bing impaled as "realistic". If this was not a world with magical healing such as potions or poultices he'd had died from this incident, due to infection if nothing else. That's meant as a bit of meta irony.

But the actual meat of this, is that Varric is just letting Bull rant.

The whole "Backflip while wearing chainmail armor" is something Hawke can literarily do in DA2, Provided you are a rogue Hawke and has high enough stats. If so, when hit by a trap, Hawke will simply backflip out of the way, even if wearing chainmail armor.

It is the kind of shit that for a long was normal for Varric, and he writes it into his fight scenes(Which he has a self dig at calling them not realistic, despite having seen shit like that for himself all the time).

But he doesnt say any of that.

Instead he just lets Bull rant, get it out there how shitty he really feels, because varric knows when to talk, and when to listen, and here is a time to listen.

Varric: So, Bull. You and Dorian?

Iron Bull: Mm-hmm.

Varric: "Two worlds tearing them apart, Tevinter and Qunari, with only love to keep them together."

Dorian: I don't see how this is even remotely your business, Varric.

Iron Bull: Could you make it sound angrier? "Love" is a bit soft.

Dorian: Please stop helping the dwarf.

Varric: How about passion?

Iron Bull: Yes, that's better. Love is all starlight and gentle blushes. Passion leaves your fingers sore from clawing the sheets.

Dorian: You could at least have had the courtesy to use the bedposts.

Iron Bull: Hey, don't top from the bottom.

Varric: Passion it is, then.

Also, i wanna highlight his banter with bull, if he and dorian hook up, and if both are with him in the party. It's really the only bit of Dorian varric banter with real character meat to it, as it puts Dorian's rarely seen tsundere side on full display, and why he makes such a good match with the easy going, yet equally passionate iron bull.

Iron Bull: Hey, Varric, I was reading your stuff... Where do your bad guys come from?

Varric: Well, some of them come from Tevinter and some are Ben-Hassrath spies... but I like the stories where the villain was the man beside you the whole time. The best villains don't see themselves as evil. They're fighting for a good cause, willing to get their hands dirty.

Iron Bull: All right, that's really deep and all, but I meant where do the bad guys come from literally? The way you write it, it's like they just fall from the sky and land on top on the hero.

Varric: I like to leave some things to the reader's imagination.

Also, final bit i'll cover of these two here. It's both a meta hit of writing in that it's supposed to be about solas, but can also apply to Iron bull, and is a self depreciating dig on the single worst gameplay mechanic from DA2.

Sera

So, as with Cole and Dorian, im not covering this sequence of banter as it doesn't really reveal much about Varric as a character. Its generally just Sera trying her usual bullshit, and Varric taking the piss out of her, much to her frustration.

Im not exactly a big fan of Sera, and even here, where most of their dialogue is about Varric basicaly running rings around her, don't really makes me smile.

There is one bit of banter though, that i do want to highlight.

Sera: (sing-song) La la la la la, Sentinals are shits.

Varric: Like it or not, Buttercup, that’s where you come from.

Sera: Says the undwarfiest dwarf ever!

Varric: Fair enough. Paragons can be shits too.

So, this one i feel is extremely important, for the reason that it goes to showcase that 1. Sera doesn't understand Varric in the slightest, and 2. Really goes to showcase Sera's complete and total lack of self awareness, and just how out of touch she is, raiding other people's homes, and calling them shits for defending themselves.

But that second one i'll save for Sera's banter review.

For this one, I want to highlight how Varric, just like Dorian understands and more importantly loves the Culture he originates from. He knows how shitty dwarven culture can be, and will never avoid taking the piss out of it for all it's flaws, but he also admires it. He admires their ability to create marvels, their grit and determination that has seen them take on the Darkspawn for a hundred years and still stand, and the individuals that stood up and above the rest to serve as legends, just like Hawke and the Inquisitor.

There is a reason his hangouts in both games are decorated full of very traditional dwarven furniture. Because he wants to live in a home that looks dwarven.

Because the past is important.

It's a bit of wisdom he tries, and fails to impart to Sera, that you simply trying to pretend your roots don't exists never works. And he's right. Even though Sera never admits wrong on her own part, she fully admits she burnt out on this spiteful hatred in Tresspasser.

Solas

Solas and Varric's banter though, is far, far more interesting.

Both of them are tricksters, both value the past greatly in their own way, both understands the power of a story, both of them lie to the Inquisitor, and both would rather remain the side character than step up to take the spotlight.

And yet they are different. Opposites almost.

One of Varric's defining feature as a person is that he cares about all his friends and how those friendships transcends the chains of status, having become friends with dwarves, Qunari, kossiths, humans, elves, templars, mages, seekers, antivans, fereldens, kirkwallers, orlesians, tevinters, anders, revains, avvar, and so on.

Solas single defining feature is how he sees everyone he does not knows except for his own, very small list of what he considers countrymen, as not things, and is willing to destroy the world for them to prosper.

Varric stays out of the spotlight cause he likes being the power behind the throne. Solas does it because as the Herald's Judas, he doesn't want anyone to question the many, many questions about him further than they have to.

Varric lives in the present, but respects the past. Solas in the past, and is terrified of the present.

Which leads to some of the most interesting banter in the game.

Solas: By the end of Hard in Hightown, almost every character is revealed as a spy or a traitor.

Varric: Wait, you read my book?

Solas: It was in the Inquisition library. Everyone but Donnen turned out to be in disguise. Is that common?

Varric: Are we still talking about books or are you asking if everyone I know is a secret agent?

Solas: Are there many tricksters in dwarven literature?

Varric: A handful, but they're the exception. Mostly they're just honoring the ancestors. It's very dull stuff. Human literature? Now there's where you'll find the tricky, clever, really deceptive types.

Solas: Curious.

Varric: Not really. Dwarves write how they want things to be. Humans write to figure out how things are.

Solas questions Varric about the to him, alien Dwarven liturature, trying to figure out what the new, "lesser" dwarves might write about when no longer part of a hivemind.

Varric gives it to him straight, but there is a deeper bit of character here.

Varric is able to explain this to Solas, because as a man who understands Dwarven culture, strengths, flaws, and weaknesses, and how it ticks, as well as undoubtedly having read a lot of dwarven literature, Varric is able to point out all it's shortcomings, or more accurately the way Human and Dwarven literature trends differentiate due to different cultural values.

Varric: You really spend most of your time in the Fade?

Solas: As much as is possible. The Fade contains a wealth of knowledge for those who know where to look.

Varric: Sure, but I don't know how you dream, let alone wander around in there.

Varric: Especially when the shit that comes out of the Fade generally seems pretty cranky.

Solas: So are humans, but we continue to interact with them... when we must.

Here Varric pries a bit into a topic he(If you took him with you in night terrors) only has experienced once before for himself, from someone who knows more about the fade and the veil than anyone.

Solas ends it on a much darker note than Varric assumes though, as what he means is, we have to tolerate them "for now."

Solas: Is it true that the entire dwarven economy relies upon lyrium?

Varric: Mostly. We've got the nug market cornered as well.

Solas: And the dwarves of Orzammar have never studied lyrium?

Varric: If they have, they certainly haven't shared anything up here. Why?

Solas: It is the source of all magic, save that which mages bring themselves.

Solas: Dwarves alone have the ability to mine it safely. I wondered if they had sought to learn more.

Varric: The folks back in Orzammar don't care much about anything but tradition.

So here we have Varric flat out bullshit Solas in several ways. He knows way more about lyrium than most, having studied red lyrium himself, and yet he does not give that information to Soals, the way he does with the Herald, showing that deep down, Varric trusts you far more than Solas, if not as much as Hawke.

He also knows that both surface and underground Dwarves have deeper knowledge of lyrium than any human, being it's the source of all the enchantments and magic, and that while they might not know it's origins, they understand how it works, and how to use it, transport it, store it, and so on.

If there is one thing Orzammar is good at, and not stuck in tradition, it's exploiting Lyrium to the hilt.

And yet he bullshits Solas about it completely. Because this is an early banter, the likely reason is simply that he does not trust him.

Which given his other important lies is not surprising.

And solas later recognizes this.

Solas: I find the fall of the dwarven lands confusing.

Varric: What's so confusing about endless darkspawn?

Solas: A great deal, although that is a different matter. Dwarves control the flow of lyrium. They could tighten their grip on it.

Varric: It's hard to get the attention of the humans when the darkspawn aren't up here messing with their stuff.

Solas: You're active in the Carta. You know your people could tug the purse strings. You could claim sovereign land on the surface, or demand help restoring the dwarven kingdom, but you don't.

Varric: You're not saying anything I haven't said myself, Chuckles. Orzammar is what it is

Solas Attacks Varric's arguments from adifferent angle here, without directly calling him a liar from the banter before, as he points out just how much power Orzammar has through it's economic might, how even if they know how to use Lyrium so effectively, they haven't been wielding that might to effecrively hammer out an anti Darkspawn coalition to crush the darkspawn in their own dens and wipe them out from the source.

Realistically, the dwarves are rhe only ones who could see it done, and yet they havent. Because before Bhelen, there was never a king willing to upend the entire system to get results.

Varric doesn't actually give his direct thoughts in this bit of banter, but it goes into future ones. Before that though, im gonna quickly cover another bit of banter.

Solas: Do you ever miss life beneath the earth? The call of the Stone?

Varric: Nah. Whatever the Stone - capital S - is, it was gone by the time my parents had me.

Solas: But... do you miss it?

Varric: How could I miss what I never had?

Varric: But say I did have that sense, that connection to the Stone. What would it cost me?

Varric: Would I lose my friends up here? Would I stop telling stories?

Varric: I like who I am. If I want to hear songs, I'll go to the tavern.

Solas: You are wiser than most.

Solas worships the past, to such a degree that he thinks being part of a hivemind under the titans, must have been better for the Dwarves, because of what it allowed them to accomplish by magic, and more importantly that it's what they used to be.

And what they used to be, must be better than what they are now, because the past is better.

Meanwhile Varric is content with the present. He never had stone sense, so why worry about it? Why dream of it, why become his parents? That would be absolutely awful, so why not embrace what you have now.

Though Solas doesn't know it, his backhanded praise here is actually even moreso than he knows.

Its backhanded by intention, because he acknowledges that varric is wiser than those who would wail about their lost glory... But as we'll see in the following banter, he regards all Dwarves, regardless of wheter they are like Varric, as lessers and fools. So varric is better... But he is still a fool.

Meanwhile, on Varric's part, it's even more backhanded than Solas intends because Varric is doing exactly what he's saying he isn't here.

Dreaming of glory days when all was simplier and he was a happier man. He's not dreaming of stone sense itself, but the sentiment is the same.

And he knows it. That's one of the saddest things about Varric in DAI. He became his parents, his worst fear, but he's very much aware of that fact.

Solas: Is there at least a movement to reunite Orzammar and Kal-Sharok?

Varric: What is it with you, Chuckles? Why do you care so much about the dwarves?

Solas: Once, in the Fade, I saw the memory of a man who lived alone on an island. Most of his tribe had fallen to beasts or disease. His wife had died in childbirth. He was the only one left. He could have struck out on his own to find a new land, new people. But he stayed. He spent every day catching fish in a little boat, every night drinking fermented fruit juice and watching the stars.

Varric: I can think of worse lives.

Solas: How can you be happy surrendering, knowing it will all end with you? How can you not fight?

Varric: I suppose it depends on the quality of the fermented fruit juice.

Solas: So it seems.

---

Solas:: I am sorry to have bothered you with my questions about your people Varric. I see so much of this world in dreams. Humans, my own people, even qunari. Dwarves alone were lost to me, save scattered fragments of memory where some spirit cared to watch. Now I know why I see so little.

Varric: And why is that?

Solas:: Dwarves are the severed arm of a once mighty hero, lying in a pool of blood. Undirected. Whatever skill of arms it had, gone forever. Although it might twitch to give the appearance of life, it will never dream.

Varric: I'd avoid mentioning that to any Carta, Chuckles. They might not take it the right way.

---

Varric: What's with you and the doom stuff? Are you always this cheery or is the hole in the sky getting to you?

Solas: I've no idea what you mean.

Varric: All the "fallen empire" crap you go on about. What's so great about empires anyway?

Varric: So we lost the Deep Roads, and Orzammar is too proud to ask for help. So what? We're not Orzammar and we're not our empire.

Varric: There are tens of thousands of us living up here in the sunlight now, and it's not that bad.

Varric: Life goes on. It's just different than it used to be.

Solas: And you have no concept of what that difference cost you.

Varric: I know what it didn't cost me. I'm still here, even after all those thaigs fell.

---

Solas: You truly are content to sit in the sun, never wondering what you could've been, never fighting back.

Varric: Ha, you've got it all wrong, Chuckles. This is fighting back.

Solas: How does passively accepting your fate constitute a fight?

Varric: In that story of yours—-the fisherman watching the stars, dying alone. You thought he gave up, right?

Solas: Yes.

Varric: But he went on living. He lost everyone, but he still got up every morning. He made a life, even if it was alone.

Varric: That's the world. Everything you build, it tears down. Everything you've got, it takes. And it's gone forever.

Varric: The only choices you get are to lie down and die or keep going. He kept going. That's as close to beating the world as anyone gets.

Solas: Well said. Perhaps I was mistaken

This entire banter line is about Varric and Solas.

On solas part it's about his very well spoken and articulated racist opinions on the modern dwarves compared to those who came before and trying to rack his brian around them not going to the lengths he himself would have gone to save their race.

Also the fact they are no longer part of the Titan hivemind. He's really stuck on that for reasons we don't really fully understand.

However, far, far more importantly this is about Varric's entire storyline in DAI.

Varric talks about Orzammar, about the loss of the deep roads, and yet they are all still there, still fighting, still marching on, rather than laying down and dying.

That is the true strength of the Dwarven race.

The ability to keep going even after losing everything. The original dwarves lost the titans and their magic. They marched on.

The dwarven empire lost the deep roads, and all but two thaigs. They marched on.

The surface dwarves lost their caste the last remains of their magic, and their status in dwarven society. They marched on.

Varric lost kirkwall. He lost his entire friend group that was the people who he loved more than any other group of people he has ever know. He lost his home that he grew up in and loved. He lost his parents and he lost Barthrand, the only remaining family he had, and who despite it all deeply, deeply loved. He lost Bianca, a teenage infatuation he never was able to get over.

And he lost Hawke. Either to Anders kickstsrting the war, or to the fade.

He lost everything he loved.

And yet He. Marched. On.

Varric's story in DAI is an understated one, one that isn't really given story focus, but unlike all the rest of the attempts at telling a more subtle story with the companions, this one actually worked.

Varric's story, is about his march onwards.

He lost everything due to Anders actions, and yet here he is. Marching forward through life. He hasn't laid down and died. He's still here. He's still fighting.

He still has hope.

And so he marches on through the twilight of his life, and keeps going, even if he loses Hawke forever... He keeps going, and he makes it through his depression, and grief to make a new life for himself in Kirkwall.

A new Kirkwall, but Kirkwall nonetheless.

Solas: That crossbow is remarkable, Varric. I am surprised the dwarves have not made more of them.

Varric: The woman who made Bianca would rather that not happen. Wars are bloody enough as it is.

Varric: A crossbow that fires this far and this quickly with so little training? Every battle would be a massacre.

Solas: Indeed. I am surprised, not disappointed.

Here we get a lot of insight into Varric... But also a moment of great moral ambiguity.

Everything Varric says here is true... But it would also mean his people finally, finally being able to destroy the darkspawn for good and all. Such a tech advantage would allow them to wipe the blighted Creatures from existence with ease.

Varric is more than brilliant enough to understand this... But he chooses not to think about it, or wheter it's a good course of actions, because he is shackled to Bianca even now, even still.

Bianca wants this crossbow not to be on the market, so he doesn't put it on the market, regardless of good or bad.

Varric: Hey Chuckles, do you ever play Wicked Grace?

Solas: I'm not much of a gambler anymore.

Varric: You don't have to play for real coin, that's just for keeping score.

Solas: What do you play for?

Varric: Conversation mostly. That way I win no matter how the cards fall.

This is a followup to Varric's original introductionary short story from way back in the day.

From that one we learn that Varric doesn't actually drink anything served at the Hanged man, he just orders a wine glass or beer mug, because he knows people get nervous if you don't drink in a bar, so he crafts an illusion to aid him in his rogue life.

Vivienne

So like a number of these I'm not gonna cover them in full, as while good, and well written, and paints a very clear picture of Vivienne, they're not exactly deep character pieces for Varrix... But I do wanna cover a few.

Vivienne: Am I to understand, Varric, that you knew the apostate who destroyed Kirkwall's chantry?

Varric: Unfortunately, yes.

Vivienne: What could he possibly have hoped to accomplish with such madness?

Varric: Exactly what he got: a whole lot of innocent people killing each other.

Vivienne: I take it he's no longer on your Wintersend gift list.

Varric: Depends. Does a flaming sack of bronto dung count as a gift?

Vivienne: Only if you tie it with a silk ribbon, my dear.

More Varric hating Anders, and laying all the blame of the Mage Templar Wars and ruining his life on him.

Vivienne: Tell me, Varric, who is the protagonist of this serial?

Varric: You know, we're so far into spoiler territory right now, I think I better stop talking.

Vivienne: Come now, darling. You can tell me.

Varric: Not on your life, Iron Lady. The best way to ensure a book's nevered finish is to tell someone your entire plot.

More Varric showcasing he cannot stand spoilers coming out, and it destroys his entire ability to write.

Vivienne: You know, Varric darling, I read your Hard in Hightown.

Varric: You did? Seriously?

Vivienne: Most of the Imperial Court did. It was in fashion a few winters ago.

Varric: Just how much gold is my publisher stealing from me?

One detail i really like about Varric, is that he tries to create this image of himself as always bring in control and all that... And then he has moments like this where his regular ass publisher swindles him for a shit ton of money.

Vivienne: How many chapters will this book be, Varric dear?

Varric: Well, the first one will come out in twelve chapters.

Vivienne: The first one?

Varric: I've read enough Orlesian fictions to know you never tell a story there in fewer than three complete books. They think you're just warming up after one.

Vivienne: And what happens to the scheming duchess in the first book?

Varric: Are you asking for spoilers, Madame De Fer?

Vivienne: Hints, darling. Not spoilers.

More Varric showcasing he understands other cultures and how they write stories.

[exhausted-archivist]

New article by Jason Schreier from Bloomberg on Dragon Age the Veilgaurd. [Source]

Most I think has been covered at some point but some highlights to me, below the cut. To be fully transparent: This is going to have my commentary. I’m familiar with a fair bit so I have feelings.

I feel like this article could have dug in more and condemned EA and BioWare leadership for is gross mismanagement. It’s a little short, but it overall is a decent-ish round up.

“Like much of the industry, EA executives were growing increasingly enamored of so-called live-service games, such as Destiny and Overwatch, in which players continue to engage with and spend money on a title for months or even years after its initial release. With EA aiming to make a splash in the fast-growing category, BioWare poured resources into Anthem, a live-service shooter game that checked all the right boxes.

One day in October 2017, Laidlaw summoned his colleagues into a conference room and pulled out a few pricey bottles of whisky. The next Dragon Age sequel, he told the room, would also be pivoting to an online, live-service game — a decision from above that he disagreed with. He was resigning from the studio. The assembled staff stayed late through the night, drinking and reminiscing about the franchise they loved.”

The article also touches on the “pulpy” tone of datv.

Former art director Matt Goldman replaced Laidlaw as creative director, and with a tiny team began pushing ahead on a new multiplayer version of Dragon Age — code name: Morrison — while everyone else helped to finish Anthem, which was struggling to coalesce. Goldman pushed for a “pulpy,” more lighthearted tone than previous entries, which suited an online game but was a drastic departure from the dark, dynamic stories that fans loved in the fantasy series.

The article touches on how they turned the game around from a multiplayer to a single player in, to contextualize it for people, roughly the same timeframe they turned da2 from an expansion to a full game.

Throughout 2020, the pandemic disrupted the game’s already fraught development. In December, Hudson, the head of the studio, and Darrah, the head of the franchise, resigned. Shortly thereafter, Gary McKay, BioWare’s new studio head, revealed yet another shift in strategy. Moving forward, the next Dragon Age would no longer be multiplayer.

“We were thinking, ‘Does this make sense, does this play into our strengths, or is this going to be another challenge we have to face?’” McKay later told Bloomberg News. “No, we need to get back to what we’re really great at.”

In theory, the reversion back to Dragon Age’s tried-and-true, single-player format should have been welcome news inside BioWare. But there was a catch. Typically, this kind of pivot would be coupled with a reset and a period of pre-production allowing the designers to formulate a new vision for the game. Instead, the team was asked to change the game’s fundamental structure and recast the entire story on the fly, according to people familiar with the new marching orders. They were given a year and a half to finish and told to aim for as wide a market as possible.

I do like the article touches that the team was aware of shortfalls. The reason for them, and their trouble shooting. Though over all this article could have really spotlighted and focused on the devs struggles. Elements that have been publicly spoken on.

The game’s biggest problem, early players agreed, was a lack of satisfying choices and consequences. Previous BioWare titles had presented players with gut-wrenching decisions. Which allies to save? Which factions to spare? Which enemies to slay? Such dilemmas made fans feel like they were shaping the narrative — historically, a big draw for many BioWare games.

But Dragon Age’s multiplayer roots limited such choices, according to people familiar with the development. BioWare delayed the game’s release again while the team shoehorned in a few major decisions, such as which of two cities to save from a dragon attack. But because most of the parameters were already well established, the designers struggled to pair the newly retrofitted choices for players with meaningful consequences downstream.

This bit more than ruffled my feathers. The team leadership was excluded from meetings and decisions. They were ridiculed because they were told to do things with less resources and then those who came to “help” got the resources they were denied.

As the Mass Effect directors took control, they scoffed that the Dragon Age squad had been doing a shoddy job and began excluding their leaders from pivotal meetings, according to people familiar with the internal friction. Over time, the Mass Effect team went on to overhaul parts of the game and design a number of additional scenes, including a rich, emotional finale that players loved. But even changes that appeared to improve the game stoked the simmering rancor inside BioWare, infuriating Dragon Age leaders who had been told they didn’t have the budget for such big, ambitious swings.

“It always seemed that, when the Mass Effect team made its demands in meetings with EA regarding the resources it needed, it got its way,” said David Gaider, a former lead writer on the Dragon Age franchise who left before development of the new game started. “But Dragon Age always had to fight against headwinds.”

And I’m glad the issue with advertising and the strike got mentioned.

A mass layoff at BioWare and a mandate to work overtime depleted morale while a voice actors strike limited the writers’ ability to revise the dialogue and create new scenes. An initial trailer made the next Dragon Age seem more like Fortnite than a dark fantasy role-playing game, triggering concerns that EA didn’t know how to market the game.

[freakenomenon]

So sorry if I’ve asked this before dementia core but thoughts on Ellen x A.M? (For a lack of a better term I’m so sorry I don’t mean in the traditional shipping sense I mean the ‘A.M-is-a-terror-who-wants-and-envies-the-concept-of-being-human-so-badly-the-only-one-of-the-five-he-can-‘love’-is-the-woman-the-other-men-hate-more-then-they-do-A.M’ sense )

you have NOT asked this before... i think i don't know, my memory is also that of a spilled milk carton. ( funny little note before i answer this, i think its comedic that i thought the question 'why do you like ellen' was loaded and for some reason could not just put something stupid or simple down like 'i think shes neat' or 'i like to think about her character writing a lot.' but for the question that begs the implications of my idea on shipping and how it corelates to dynamics and all that bullshi: nope, just fine. ) any-howdy. i think ellen and AM's dynamic is pretty interesting on its own when looked into more, despite the scraps of what we have. considering her fate in the short story, and her torture in the game. it's pretty safe to say most of his anger lashed onto her sexual or at least sexual autonomy related. especially with how a big element of her character in the game is viewing emotion, which includes desire, as flawed. and hating that part of herself entirely due to trauma. i'd imagine AM is enraged by this further, despite the fact he would have definitely exploited her sex ( as in assigned sex at birth ) and sexual assault trauma whether or not she had this response. how dare she have a body and not use it to its full potential. how dare she toss these PRIVELAGES away due to something as benign and useless as 'tRaUmA' beyond AM being AM, i find it incredibly interesting as well that the first thing AM mentions when dangling promise in front of ellen's face as he did all the others, is that he immediately comments on her looks. and that she'd thrown her 'promise' all away by growing 'hysterical' or irrational. all very typical misogynist jabber meant to demean her. just as all his other praise is, he coos at her like she's something precious and fragile and dumb.

( note; this idea that her being 'hysterical' or more bluntly, traumatized, somehow undermining everything she's done and everything she's worked for leaks into her theme, the problem is it's never called out by the narrative that this is a flawed way of looking at trauma skewed by ellen, the main focus. ) regardless, this theme is also tied into the fact that ted refers to AM as patriarchal. cruel and dystopian in a jealous, masculine way. 'He snickered. It snickered. Most of the time I thought of AM as it, without a soul; but the rest of the time I thought of it as him, in the masculine … the paternal … the patriarchal … for he is a jealous people. Him. It. God as Daddy the Deranged. ' it only makes sense that AM represents prejudice in more ways than one, being a war machine and all. and thus, will project his insecurity, rage, powerlessness, onto others. in a sense, ellen is like a little doll to him. when he's feeling particularly frustrated with his sexuality ( or lack thereof ) , appearance ( or lack thereof ) , emotion , ect. why not project it onto the one person in the entire group who's been especially kicked in the nuts about all of those things her entire life! YAAAAAAAAAY DIVERSITY WIN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! and, just as AM wants. ellen reacts every time. she insults him, she curses him. she whines and complains and cries and shrieks and makes herself look insane, small in the process of trying to come across as bigger. even as she tries to come off unbothered as she does it.

this is, of course, only drawn to a shrill fever pitch when surrounded by triggers. she's one of the only survivors in the game to directly curse AM and tell him to fuck off consistently, or more than once. ( gorrister and benny both do the same at least once, but end up prioritizing their 'goals' directly afterward. ) she's also the only one of the survivors to still have the amount of hope, or maybe delusion, to directly beg AM to stop. as described by nimdok.

ughhh this is becoming a drag to articulate, this is only amplified if you take ted saying that AM gives ellen pleasure as partial fact. plus the fact that ellen and ted are the least tattered, ellen staying pampered for the men, doll motif, yada yada. you get it. AM essentially has ellen on a longer leash than the men, she's able to curse him out, push away, and then crawl back crying for forgiveness, for luxury. this entire process needing minimal effort from him, just as the existence of her dynamic with the men as a whole. ... sorry i talked about ellen and AM's dynamic too much, point is. the same with tedam, i do find the 'ship' interesting in a vacuum. unfortunately, i cannot yuri this up enough to make it lack the straight edge that makes me want to gag. still, generally, i think in a one sided sense, and within the context of shipping in the way WE are using the term. i like it. i like ellen x AM **** EVERYONE THROWS TOMATOES AT ME AND KILLS ME REALLY HARRD AND I GO TO HELL!!!!!!!!!!****** i think it would be really funny if AM's praise were something genuine, at least to some extent. ellen's discomfort , disdain , disgust and 'i want to kick his ass'-ness is just a perk. which is a testament to how fucked up this pairing is. but i do think they're interesting. hehrrgghh......................................................... huryyhhgfffhhh. drink.

[guessthatrec-poll]

Guess That Rec: Season 2!

Do you like unreliable narrators? Fluffy found families? Dystopias? Neurodivergent protagonists? Gaslighters, gatekeepers, and girlbosses, and a sequel that's just as good as the original?

Well, this isn't any of those things, either! (except for that last one, hopefully) This is Guess That Rec season 2, the second round of a tournament by the mod of @besttropeveershowdown where we'll be voting on media based entirely on bad, Booktok-style recommendations. Inspired by @guess-that-ship and this post, the rules of the tournament are simple: submit a recommendation for your favorite piece of media, and we'll vote on which ones we like best, BUT, here's the kicker: You may not mention anything about the actual plot of the story. Instead, we will be voting based on promo-post-style recommendations, which can include tropes, representation, setting, genre, very general theme, and anything else, as long as it doesn't describe anything that actually happens in the story!

Round 2 polls are out and can be found in the #gtr polls tag! Results and reveals for this round will be out on Saturday 6/14.

Example:

Do you want a high school story about a neurodivergent protagonist working through their trauma by going on adventures in the big city? Queer-coded side characters? Male characters breaking through their toxic masculinity and expressing their feelings? Wholesome sibling relationships?

Then you'll love Catcher in the Rye!

Same drill as last time: each rec will be assigned a random number and pitted against another rec, we'll vote for which one we think sounds better, and at the end of the matchup the winner will move on to the next round and the identity of the loser will be revealed.

THE RULES (rules that got recs rejected last time are in bold):

Any type of media is permitted. Both fiction and nonfiction are allowed, but everything must be presented as if it's fiction.

You may NOT mention anything to do with the actual plot or premise of the story. Generally speaking, if your rec includes the phrase "this story is about...", unless it's VERY general, it does not belong in this tournament! You may, however, mention:

Tropes (ex. enemies-to-lovers, fake dating, unreliable narrator)

Representation (ex. disabled protagonist, gay side character)

Character dynamics and relationships (ex. dysfunctional siblings, grumpy x sunshine lesbians)

Setting (ex. in space, in the Old West)

Genre and subgenre (ex. historical fiction, whodunnit, workplace comedy)

Comparisons to other media (ex. if you liked Avengers you'll love this, it's Twilight meets Hunger Games)

General themes (ex. love, grief, family)

General elements (ex. murders, adventures, road trips)

Anything else that has NOTHING TO DO with what the story is actually about!

3. You may NOT make anything up: everything must be technically true, or at least up for interpretation. So, in my Catcher in the Rye example, I can't say that there are "canonically gay characters" because there aren't, but I CAN say that there are queer-coded characters. Similarly, if there's a character in your piece of media who exhibits autistic traits but has never been confirmed autistic, you can't call them "autistic", but you can call them "autistic-coded" or mention their specific traits. The use of weasel words (ex. describing a mentally ill serial killer stereotype as "neurodivergent", or a gay villain as a "major queer character") is allowed and encouraged.

4. Do not include any identifying details (ex. title, character names, identifying place names) in your rec.

5. Funnier submissions will be given higher priority. Submissions are funnier if A) they're of media that most people have heard of, and B) they are technically true while not at all capturing the vibe of the media.

5a. Additionally, remember that this is meant to be BAD recs: don't just use this as an excuse to recommend your favorite media! If a Booktok-style rec actually provides a good picture of what your media is, consider either rewriting or not submitting it.

6. Should the same media be submitted by two different people with different recs, priority will generally be given to the first submission, unless a later submission was significantly funnier by the guidelines stipulated in rule #5.

7. There is no banned media: go nuts!

Additionally, for this round of the tournament, I will be allowing resubmissions as long as the new rec is sufficiently different from the one that was in last round. The full list of media that competed last time is here. (If you're new to the blog and you want to see the rec for a certain work, just search in the tag "#rec [number that the work is listed under]").

Tagging @tournament-announcer!

[prettyboykatsuki]

not only do i prefer your sylus characterization to what’s commonly treated as canon by the fandom, but i think its so appealing because it removes the barrier of entry to being mc. like mc herself is a badass with a backstory that’s pretty far removed from any real life experiences players could have. plus, you add sylus’s mischaracterization to the mix and it kinda ends up with unattainable man x unattainable person which are very fun to think about or explore, but overall harder to self insert. i think it’s so much more personally appealing to imagine a sylus who is removed from a lot of the aesthetics (assumed and legit) of his job and is just a sopping wet loser who’s really in love with you and has this beautiful backstory. like that’s just such a comforting thought and i think your style of writing really coaxes out that gentleness, teasing, and overall personality that’s really lacking in a lot of other sylus characterization

anon my sweet....

i wanted to answer this ask and another one before bed because i have things to say but i just want you to know this really meant so much to me!!! like truly truly truly. characterization is like... my jam yk... so hearing stuff like this is always my favorite thing if you will. anyhow

i know mc is intended to be vague enough to self-insert in and i think she is. but in the same way that fics with crazy au's are, where you're not always self-inserting as Yourself Exactly - but almost imagining a you shaped doll to play in the world. i think thats perfectly good. like its so fun to explore and i enjoy the sylusmc dynamic!!!! i do!!!

but i also think that the dynamic that mc has w the LIs is so well-defined as a writer that im not particularly interested in exploring it. i enjoy it, but i dont feel any need to expand on it yk

in being such a defined dynamic - there is also going to be certain aspect and elements that the game focuses on. if you like the sort of enemies to lovers esque thing in the main story and the back and forth between them in general.

for me personally though and im sure for a lot of you specifically in how sylus is subverted. his surface level romance (aka main story rip) really doesnt do anything for me at all. but the things about him that get revealed to you slowly are of great interest to me. the sutbler aspects of his characterization are things i find greatly interesting.

ultimately i think its mostly a matter of preference. sylus is a character you kind of have to dig deep into. i think he's easy to enjoy on a surface level if the enemies to lovers and mafia boss aesthetic is your thing and i dont think there's anything wrong with that necessarily. like its a game for fun yk who gaf.

but i think, as is the case with pretty much all of the love interests, his deeper personality and core traits are buried in his extra content - and ultimately make him a lot richer and for me personally, more interesting.

it means a lot to me in general that you feel like my writing brings it out!!! because its the aspect of him i personally find the most enjoyable. his phonecalls and sweet but silly messages and his small sacrifices towards mc make him so much better for me. i think sylus has such a capacity for comfort and romance that i always try to sell people on.

because i too did not like him when i first played the mainstory. but his extra content made me enjoy him quite a bit you know. im really happy to be able to share that.

[joona-fandom-mars]

Ok, Guys. Hear me out right. I have a vision (headcanon) but I'm kinda crazy about it so this will take some explaining.

I have been listening to this song for the past hour picking apart every piece of it so let me just rain down all my thoughts on you because this song is actually so genius!!!

-- GGG SPOILERS BELOW SO BE WARNED --

Every key part of this song represents one of the gods!! The most obvious ones are the organ for Ms. Mitternacht, the banjo and melody for Cobigail, and the same guitars that were in Thespius's theme being for, you guessed it, Thespius. But if you listen closer you can also hear this radar sound that's similar to Click Clack's morse code in his theme!!

This one is more of a stretch but the piano in the song could represent Bauhauzzo since that's the main instrument in his song. And then for Huzzle Mug the weird, not so voice thing that plays before Cobigail's part sounds a little like the weird, not so voice things in its theme!

And then the song has a little bit of Bizzyboy (and by proxy Inspekta) in it too, once near the beginning, and then more obviously at the end!!

See all of this is so important because in the final chase with Inspekta all the gods are still supporting him, and trying to sympathize with him while he's literally ending the woooorld. Cobigail literally says they're all a family!! And Bauhauzzo calls him son!! (I'm normal about the gods having a family dynamic. Found family forever)

When you picture the various elements of this song as the different characters, then it's almost like the song itself is calling out to Hector!!!!!!! LIKE THEY'RE ALL TELLING HIM IT'S OK!! sorry i'll calm down

I feel like the importance of Cobigail's song is sooo good too, because her whole story was about community, and reconnecting with those you love!! And Hector ultimately realizes the way to be remembered is through his community!!

And then the organ being one of the first instruments you hear is sooo good because Ms. Mitternatch was the first god ever, and to me, is the one that helps new gods with the growing pains that come with immortality. She would know best how to help him, and at the end it was here question that got Inspekta to realize what he was doing. "Is this how you want to be remembered"

Idk, I can't help but image each part like a line of dialog. Like the piano at 00:20 seconds feels like its giving a warning, and then when it comes back in its joining in Cobigal's melody like its saying it along with her. Like Bauhauzzo is supporting Cobigal's statement and reassuring Inspekta that he is so loved!!

Also can we talk about how whenever the radar/morse code sound plays, Thespius's guitar is always playing too. Gay ass. /so pos

ANYWAYS. Finally the song ends with the Bizzyboy's theme, Hector's non-godly family and uuuuuhggggg. The emotions that gives mee. It's like they collectively say "Don't worry boss, we got you" GRAAh. Cries everywhere. Can you tell I love found family.

---------------------------------------------------------

But yeah, that's my very detailed thoughts on this one GGG song. The whole soundtrack is phenomenal just like everything else Louie Zong makes and I will forever be insane about his music and this game. (I wasn't in the top .01% of Louie Zong listeners in 2024 for nothin) Thank you for humoring me and if you've gotten this fair I'm giving you a this silly little guy to take care of :)

Treat him with kindness and just maybe he'll grant you your heart's desire.

[swaps55]

I'm probably going to sound ramble-y, apologies in advance, but Opus has rewired my brain chemistry and the limits of fanfiction and I need you to know.

I love mshenko. It's one of those ships that live in my brain rent free, and while it's canon execution has it's flaws, to see it play out on screen (the slow burn, their dynamic, the ease of it all) beyond the realm of fanon was amazing. Bioware, especially games like ME and DA2 (for example), give the illusion of character choice and development that is ultimately linear with little consequence. ME falls into this, ME2 less so, and ME3 provides maybe the most room (likely due to not planning a sequel with Shep). It's not all the time, and it's not always bad, but it's noticable if you play a lot of RPGs or wind up on your upteenth run. Sometimes the RP element falls flat, and thus the characters do, too, and you're thrown outta the loop by video game logic.

Your fic flips this entirely on its head. It's hard to explain, but the balance you've found between canon compliance and divergence is masterful. I read a scene and I'm struck by how *real* it all is, the way you've written the characters, their interactions, and how it fits into the world and the story so unobtrusively. It's the story of Mass Effect but with the characters given the first and final thought, especially Shepard, and it provides so much for exploration of what *is* canon by no longer making Shepard a vessel of player choice, but a complete character with his own goals and beliefs and development and it does *wonders* for the story of ME, everything hits so much harder because it's not "what will I do?" it's "what will Sam do?" We know him as a man and suddenly the stakes are so much higher. Maybe Opus isn't a novelization of the intricacies of the entire canon, but it's a novelization of Shepard, and of Kaidan, and I'm in awe of how you managed it.

The sheer numbers of this series astound me. The dedication, your passion, is so clear to see and so inspiring to a fellow fic writer. I too often get caught up in keeping my fics plot canon compliant that I don't realize just how much can be done in the margins of canon and still within the realm of possibility, and your work is a brilliant example of that. I applaud you, truly. To start such a project and share it with the world takes effort, drive, and you are infinitely inspirational. Opus is a masterwork, and a piece of fiction that will stick with me for a very long time. <3

Oh gosh, thank you. Mass Effect has been such a powerful experience for me because it’s impacted my life on so many levels in ways no other media has. My family, my friends, where I live, and even my day job, would not be what they are without it. So Opus, in many ways, is my attempt to put into words what it – and what Shepard – mean to me.* It’s a lot of feelings, lol.

Even though player choice often is an illusion, that illusion can be a really powerful one, and it’s part of what makes video games such a wonderful storytelling medium. You, as the player, participate in the narrative in ways you can’t with a traditional novel or a movie. Even if the story takes you to more or less the same place no matter what you do, the journey to get there feels uniquely yours. It’s exactly why I never want to see a Mass Effect movie or a TV show, because whatever linear, ‘canon’ story they decide to tell won’t look like the one that is so deeply important to me.

But that’s why fanfic is so special with games like this. It’s a multiverse where all of our experiences, all of our Shepards, all of our choices – canon compliant and canon breaking – get to co-exist. The Shepard Kaleidoscope is one of my favorite things about the Mass Effect fandom. Shepard is so many things to so many people.

Video games like this also pose some really fascinating narrative questions, because the necessary constraints that game mechanics pose on the story don’t apply in a traditional narrative. In Mass Effect, Shepard is the hero because they are the player character. Every piece of the narrative flows through them because the player is the center of the universe and the crux upon which all things turn. You don’t really think about why when you play, because the answer is self-evident – you are the player character. But a traditional written story doesn’t have that component.

So the thesis of Opus is more or less, “why Sam? Why is this guy the only person who can save the galaxy?” And Opus itself is the dissertation that makes my case. It is first and foremost a character study, so canon relationships and canon events have to be shaped and bent by him. People are messy and complicated and don't fit into binary systems like 'paragon' and 'renegade', and Sam is no exception.

It’s very important to me that Sam is the only one who can defeat the reapers not because he’s a huge badass, but because the choices he makes and the things he goes through along the way uniquely position him to do something no one else is capable of doing. I’m terribly excited about how it’s going to happen, because I will finally get the Mass Effect 3 ending I’ve wanted since March 2012 – but his ending wouldn’t work in the game because it’s designed around him.

You have no idea how incredible it is to me that Sam resonates with so many people. I really didn’t know if he would, in part because of that Shepard Kaleidoscope. We all have our own Shepards, and our own ideas of who Shepard is. Asking others to invest in a Shepard who very definitively colors outside the lines that the game drew for the character felt like a big ask. But the story I wanted to tell just wouldn’t work if I kept him to a more “default” Shepard, because that wouldn’t answer my thesis statement.

Thank you for reading it. Thank you for loving it. And thank you SO much for telling me that it means something to you. Sometimes I feel a little insane about how devoted I am to this character and his relationship with Kaidan Alenko. Having people to yell about them with is very, very special. <3  

*ok, it’s also the culmination of more than a decade of spite and rage over the ending.

[dailyadventureprompts]

Hey there ! Big fan over here, you actually contributed to inspire me to DM ! But that's why i come asking : do you have a method to incorporate player's backstory elements into the overarching plot of the campaign and its theme ? I have a player who, i feel, is basically an extension of an NPC : he's the spouse of a powerful archfey (but that particular tidbit of faerie specificity is unknown to him, he just thinks they're normal farmers). The archfey send him on various missions and supply runs for their daily life, as an excuse for him to participate in the story. But that leaves me with a player with no real investment in the campaign, seeing as he's just there because he's been sent by his spouse, and i worry that I won't be able to neatly tie this together. So, what do ? Do you have any input on these kinds of situation ? In any case, thank you very much for your continued work !

Specific anwser for you: You've set up a dynamic where a character is reliant an NPC for direction, that's great, it means you've got a basis that you as a storyteller can riff off of. Ideal scenario? Send them out on a mission, and have him come back to find his archfey gone. Use it to bait a questhook, and then start asking juicy questions about who they are without guidance. Connect the disapearance to the campaign in someway (someone we dislike is a suspect, someone we like might have an idea what happened) and boom, instant investment.

General awnser for everyone: I find that players come in one of three types when it comes to backstory, 1) Has no strong feelings towards backstory 2) Has a general idea, an outline at best 3) Backstory perverts.

Group 1 are happy for you to make up a soft backstory for them. They're likely getting a handle on the game so offloading that amount of work will likely be handy for them. Just choose something they can easily wrap their head around and start building out a real character personality around as they settle into things.

Group 2 are playing along, taking their first forrays into actually contributing to the collabrative storytelling. They're always amazed when you bring up their backstory AT ALL, especially if you can route campaign/adventure progression through some of the deatils they supplied. The idea here is to give them a pat on the back for getting invested.

Group 3 want you to play with them (both in a game sense and like a dragon does with its food). They've supplied you with a backstory specifically so you can use it to direct them, get them invested, make them emotional. They've pretty much given you a how-to manual on what they're interesed in with regards to the campaign an its direction. The secret sauce here is to examine their backstory and make the narrative shift in ways they wern't expecting. "No plan survives contact with the enemy" goes the qoute, and the same is true for the player's backstory and the rigors of the campaign. People who write extenstive backstories want to explore a character, and sometimes that means seeing how their character grows in ways they never could have expected.