#this is the lore moment not her killing 100 wardens video

[flashliiqhts]

Apparently, learning how to kill wardens is a very useful skill for lore as well as regular content!

[misseffect]

VIDEO GAME TAG

Me: gets tagged

Also me: immediately forgets every video game i've ever played

Thanks to @thealexmachina for this - it made me think about games I haven't thought about in years! Tagging @shepgarrus @zaeedmassanis & @garriante (but only if you fancy it).

Games

First game you ever played: oh boy, probably Monsters Inc on GBA. I'm a woman of culture, you see.

Favorite game: LoZ: Twilight Princess. It was the first game I'd played with a story that utterly hooked me. And my first LoZ title.

Game you’ve played through multiple times: Lego Star Wars. BF is making me watch the prequels atm and I keep recognising rooms from the games. If they just smash up those chairs they'll get some studs and an extra heart.

Game you hated at first but now love: Shadow of Mordor. Hate is a strong word. Didn't care for it initially and it's not normally my type, but it was actually a lot of fun.

Game you used to love but now hate: Okami. It's beautiful and the mechanics are cool, but there's this stupid fucking digging mini game that I just cannot beat. Non-optional mini games can eat my whole ass. I put it down last year in a rage and never picked it back up.

Your favorite game atmosphere/setting(s): RDR2. Rockstar's worldbuilding is second to none - the dialogue, the locations, the horses, the little bits of lore scattered through the world for you to find. Stunning. Very close second goes to BotW because the peaceful post-apocalypse vibe is really refreshing. And it also has horses.

A game with your favorite ending: LA Noire. Sometimes shit's broken and people are difficult and the bad guys get away with it, and there's nothing you can do about it but god damnit do we we try anyway. That final sequence in the sewers was some high-octane shit.

A game with the WORST ending: obligatory Mass Effect 3. Otherwise, Skyrim because it just never fucking ends. 100+hrs in and you're a Dragonborn Arch-Mage Dark Brotherhood assassin vampire Nightingale warewolf who could kill a Giant with a sneeze but half the quests are broken so you can't bloody finish anything properly.

Best character customization?: New Horizons. Fight me.

Hero and Companions

Your favorite playable character: FemShep, obviously. Corvo from Dishonoured is also very cool.

The funniest playable character: ooh that's a tough one. Arthur from RDR2 doesn't get enough credit imo. He's a funny dude.

Your favorite companion(s): Midna from Twilight Princess. The bit after the water temple where she gets hurt you have to take her to Hyrule Castle in the dark and the rain? Yeah. Honourable mention to Wrex from ME and Bekowsky from LA Noire. We only get them both as actual companions really briefly which a shame.

Companions you could live without: Thane. Sorry buddy, I just didn't care about you at all.

Relationships

Favorite game friendship(s): Arthur and Lenny from RDR2. FemShep and Ashley are hugely underrated in the fandom imo - there's a scene in the Citadel DLC where you both get hammered and start a bar fight. Just gals bein dudes. Also Phoenix and Maya from the Ace Attorney series for the 10/10 sibling dynamic and found family wholesomeness.

Favorite game relationship(s): Shepard and Garrus because I'm always a slut for relationships built on a foundation of mutual trust and respect. Also the one in Transistor. You know the one.

Favorite companion banter: gotta be the OG Mass Effect alien squad - Garrus, Wrex, Tali and Liara. I love how their interactions evolve through the games.

A relationship you weren’t sure of but loved: Alistair and the Warden. They got off on the wrong foot initially in my first Origins play-through but he's a sweetheart really.

A minor character you wish could be a companion: every Star Wars game should have a Gonk Droid companion option and that's the tea.

A character you wish you COULD romance: Morrigan. You expect me to believe the swamp witch is straight? Please.

Fun

Shoutout to a random NPC: ISAAC NEWTON IS THE DEADLIEST SONOFABITCH IN SPACE.

A game you love watching playthroughs for and want to play: the Uncharted series. I'd give anything for a PC port, Sony. ANYTHING.

Love watching playthroughs but won’t ever play: literally any horror game. Until Dawn, Dead Space, etc. But even then I never watch them full screen and usually only have one headphone on.

Online gaming or solo?: Solo. The only online game I really play is GTA V because I don't have friends.

Why do you play video games?: I don't read a lot at the moment so they get me my fiction fix, and games like Animal Crossing and Stardew Valley are thereputic. And I just think they're neat.

[sassylavellen]

Ranking the (story-driven) Dragon Age DLCs

This is just my own views on the story-driven DLCs

#14 - Golems of Amgarrak (Origins)

This exists. That’s all I got.

#13 - The Darkspawn Chronicles (Origins)

HOW COULD YOU MAKE ME KILL MY FRIENDS! In all fairness I like the idea of this one. But I tried to play it. I tried. I couldn’t finish it. I can’t kill all my companions. I CAN’T KILL SHIANNI. I CAN’T KILL LELIANA. I CAN’T KILL ALISTAIR.

#12 - Warden’s Keep (Origins)

Not much to say here. It’s okay. 

#11 - The Exiled Prince (DA2)

This was the last DLC I ever got for Dragon Age. I don’t know, I never really connected with Sebastian. Maybe it was just because I’ve played DA2 so many times before getting the DLC that he just feels tacked on as an afterthought. Especially the way they put him in during the climax. It just feels like they randomly cut shots of him later and everyone just kinda ignores him being all emotional and dramatic.

#10 - Leliana’s Song (Origins)

I love Leliana, anything with more Leliana is a plus. But this dlc is super short and doesn’t really have a lasting impact on Origins.

#9 - The Descent (Inquisition)

Amazing visuals. Great new characters. Doesn’t really relate to the story. Hardest boss in Inquisition second only to the level 23 Emprise Du Lion dragon.

#8 - Mark of the Assassin (DA2)

Let me be clear: I love this one. I love Tallis. I love her relationship with Hawke. I love that it doesn’t take place in Kirkwall. I love the comedic moments mixed with the serious moments. But I don’t love the stealth parts. Or the puzzle parts. I wanted to put this one higher because of Tallis but I just couldn’t get past those.

#7 - Return to Ostigar (Origins)

This is another one that’s just kinda added afterthoughts that don’t really impact the story. It’s still kinda touching due to the subject matter and you get some great gear.

#6 - Jaws of Hakkon (Inquisition)

We kept hearing about the Avvar throughout the game but this is the first time we ever get to really get to know them. This one has a deep story and amazing visuals that don’t necessarily enhance Inquisition as a whole, but on its own is very good. Also gives us more Scout Harding, which I am 100% okay with.

#5 - Witch Hunt (Origins)

I really love this one, I love the characters, I love the story, and more Morrigan is always a plus.

#4 - Legacy (DA2)

So I started playing Inquisition before knowing this DLC existed, so I was confused when Varric and Hawke kept talking about it. Now that I’ve played it, it is a good one. Bioware knew what they were doing setting Corypheus up for Inquisition.

#3 - The Stone Prisoner (Origins)

Not too much to say about this one, except that Shale is a precious gem. Unlike Mark of the Assassin, I don’t have any regrets ranking a DLC high just because of a character.

#2 - Awakening (Origins)

Technically this one is labeled as an “expansion” to Origins. It even got released on its own separate disc from Origins, and honestly Awakening is like a completely new game. This one has some ambitious storytelling, some familiar faces and some great new characters! Also Awakening Anders is best Anders.

#1 - Trespasser (Inquisition)

A lot of people complain about having to pay for DLCs that only add extra content to the base games, but in all honesty this is the kind of DLC I am okay with paying extra for, because this outing is almost like a whole new game in its own merit. It’s a lot like Awakening in that respect. Trespasser adds way more to the lore of Dragon Age and is such an important and pivotal moment in the franchise thus far. It further builds on the gameplay of the original game and enhances the experience. Not to mention that Trespasser has some of the best music in the entire franchise. Trevor Morris gave us a score that was way better than it needed to be and in my own opinion the main theme alone rivals the entire Skyrim soundtrack for best video game music of all time.