Lilith-4ever

*I would like to start off by saying these are just my opinions. You do not have to agree or disagree. If our don't like what I am saying that is perfectly fine but please keep all negative opinions to yourself. Thank you!*

So a few days ago, there were a few articles published regarding the future of Dragon Age and a Dragon Age 5 game. I'll summarize what they said but here's a link to one of the articles:

Within the article, they discuss Dragon Age: Veilguard and the mixed reviews it received upon it's release three years ago. Veilguard was the lowest performing Dragon Age game out of the whole series and it left the series on uncertain terms. This was basically due to people complaining about the games lighthearted tone, it's companions, it's storyline and villains, how it seemed unfinished and how it felt like a shift away from the style of the three previous Dragon Age games.

David Gaider, the lead writer for the past three Dragon Age games before departing during the writing of Veilguard, talked about the mistreatment of The Dragon Age series and it's writing team. He basically exposes EA and Bioware, stating how they never had faith with the Dragon Age series, they kept threatening to shelve the series with every release, and never believed that the series should have performed as well as it should have or gotten the positive reception it received. Many team members behind the Dragon Age series were either moved onto to different projects within the company, or were suddenly cut from the company entirely and shown the door.

On a brighter note, David Gaider did state that if he were ever given the Dragon Age series and was in charge of making another game he would be completely on board, as he adores the series and dreams of returning it to it's former glory. But he also states he does not believe this would happen while the game is in the clutches of EA, as they seem to care very little for it.

My personal thoughts:

First, my heart goes out to all the members working behind the Dragon Age series, they did not deserve any of this. EA did them so dirty with how poorly they treated them, constantly threatening to shelve the series if it slipped up even slightly, rushing them with Veilguard, firing them left, right and centre. You guys deserved so much better, especially after creating such an incredible, beloved series that means so much to so many people, including myself.

And EA…what the fuck?

Going off of David Gaider’s interview, I have no idea why EA holds such hostility towards the Dragon Age series. One of their most popular game series. The game series they are most renown for in their fantasy rpg department. The game series that gained them so much revenue, money, popularity. How could you hate something that has done so much for your company? It makes no sense.

It really seems like EA was out to sabotage the Dragon Age series so they could get rid of it once and for all and they planned to do that with Dragon Age Veilguard. Just looking at the evidence, they scrapped the project three times, moved staff members to work on other projects or just fired them outright, rushed production, like, it's no wonder the game turned out the way it did. They set it up to fail. I'm certain they were riding on it doing so. (Side Note: I love Veilguard and while I have my criticism of it, it's really not as bad as people made it out to be and honestly, the people who dislike it seem to be of the smaller majority, at least on Tumblr since I've seen so much content and fanart for it.)

The Dragon Age series was pretty much a success and they knew if Veilguard had been as big as a success as the three previous games, they would lack the ammunition they would need to finally shelve the series. They needed it to underperform, so that they could finally have a justifiable reason to rid themselves of it once and for all.

However, with all that being said, EA and/or Bioware haven't officially said that they were done with the series, at least not so plainly. Honestly, going off the interview, it feels like there are a lot of mixed messages. On one hand, their saying that EA is forever done with the Dragon Age series, they're not making any more games or content for it, wouldn't dare touch it with a ten foot pole. But then they go on to say that it could come back, that nothing's been confirmed, that it's future's still uncertain, still up in the air and David Gaider said that if he ever got his hands on the Dragon Age series and got to make Dragon Age 5, he would like to return it to it's former glory, to the darker themes and tones that existed within the previous games.

Honestly, all this mixed messaging is driving me insane, I just want a clear answer from EA or Bioware, are they done with the series or not, will there be a Dragon Age 5 or not? I don't know why they're leaving us in suspense and not giving us a straightforward answer, Veilguard came out ages ago, why has there been nothing said regarding Dragon Age's future?

Which leads into another issue: the hidden post credit scene in Veilguard. What the hell was that? (If you haven't seen the post credit scene, I'll post it here)

The hidden ending reveals the Executors, also known as 'those across the sea', who have been a sinister force hidden about across multiple pieces of Dragon Age media including Dragon Age Inquisition and Veilguard. The post credit scene hints at their past actions influencing, to an extent, past villains in the Dragon Age series. And to end off the Post credit scene they announce that they are finally coming and will be making themselves known as the new villains in the Dragon Age series, namely Dragon Age 5. Again, this whole thing makes no sense.

If EA doesn't plan on making another Dragon Age game why would they go through all the effort of, not just making a post credit scene hinting at another new game and new villain, but sprinkling in puzzles and hints within the game, such as the theory board in Minrathous, regarding the Executors and their future role as the new big bad of the Dragon Age series. Why would they introduce a new villain to a story and game they never plan to make?

Granted, they made this before they knew that Veilguard would underperform, but as I said above, it's not like they didn't know this, they were riding on it failing.

Did the developers behind the game go behind EA's back to make this, forcing their hand and setting an expectation that they now had to make another Dragon Age game? Because honestly, that's hilarious and I love the developers for that.

Okay obviously this didn't happen, but still, it would have been funny and a great big middle finger to EA. That being said though, EA would have had to sign off on the game and have known the developers plans for it, which means they would have needed to be aware that the game dev's were teasing another installment into the series through the post credit scene, hell they were most likely the ones behind the decision. So why do any of this, why tease Dragon Age 5 if you have no intention of making it? It pisses me off, the hypocrisy of it. EA went out of their way to make sure Veilguard failed so they could wash their hands of it and never have to make another Dragon Age game again, they got rid of a large chunk of their writing team and developers for the series. They didn't have to add that post credit scene, they didn't need to add this expectation for a Dragon Age 5, they could have just ended it all with Veilguard since most of the story threads have been wrapped up anyway. But they didn't.

Honestly the situations driving me insane and I'm just so angry about it. EA, Bioware, I think I speak for all of us when I say, just give us a clear answer, will there be a Dragon Age 5 or not, it's not that hard to give a straightforward answer, it's literally a yes or a no!

*I would like to start off by saying these are just my opinions. You do not have to agree or disagree. If our don't like what I am saying that is perfectly fine but please keep all negative opinions to yourself. Thank you!*

Before Pixelberry fell to the AI waste side, Choices was pumping out incredible stories, Desire and Decorum, Hero, Elementalists. I loved all these stories, but still to this day, my favorite series has always remained the It lives trilogy. I've play both It Lives in the Woods and It Lives Beneath and played It Lives Within multiple times, and I am utterly obsessed with all three books. However, It Lives in the Woods has a special place in my heart, as being the first book in the series and what got me obsessed with it in the first place.

But, another thing has also remained over the years and that is my utter dislike for the ending of ILITW. In my route I was able to save all of my friends, sacrificed myself to become the new monster, and Noah ended up as a fugitive on the run. The final episode of the series takes place a year after the end events of the year before, and after Jane defeat. There is a memorial for those who got hurt or died during the incident upon the town.

The episode starts nicely and shows us what all the character's have been up to and it seems their living their best lives, (except Noah. Obviously). My issue starts at the very beginning of the memorial service when Mayor Green comes up to Connor and asks him if he wants to make the speech since none of ILITW's MC's friends wanted to. Okay? I can understand this, their trying to move on and probably don't want to speak on what happened, makes sense. However, I find it super weird that they at least don't want to talk about the MC. You know, their supposed friend who sacrificed themself to save them all, who not 5 chapter's ago they all claimed was the glue of the group and the one who spent the entirety of the book being the group therapist. They don't even need to speak on what happened, they could just have said a nice few words about the MC and that would have been fine.

And I'm sorry, but your asking Connor of all people to give the speech. Why? If you don't go the love interest route with Connor, this decision makes even less sense. Because he literally had nothing to do with the story up until the last few chapters and he spent the rest of the book being out of the loop with everything or just not being there. He's not even mentioned unless he's on screen, no one gives him a single thought outside of his onscreen appearances. Perhaps by this point Choices was already setting Connor on a bigger path to eventually take the helm and be the one to lead the big fight against the Power like they had originally planned. I still think this was a weird choice.

But you know what's even weirder. The fact that MC's own PARENTS didn't speak at the memorial. I honestly think this was a really bad writing choice and it literally makes no sense. There's no reason MC's parents shouldn't have been present at the memorial, and it makes even less sense that they wouldn't say anything. My only guess as to why Choices made this weird decision is because they didn't want to create sprites for MC's parents. But even this doesn't make sense, I don't know why they didn't just re-use sprites from another story, it's not like they've never done it before. At the very least if they weren't going to have MC's parents appear on screen they could have at least had Connor mention that MC's parents would be coming up to make a speech after him and have the screen fade to black before hand, leaving the implication there. Or have Connor comment on the fact that they didn't want to attend the ceremony as it would be too painful. At least have SOMETHING. Honestly this is all connected to another argument regarding MC's character but that's another discussion for another day.

Another gripe I have with this scene is Connor's actual speech. He starts of by talking about Cora and it's very sweet and he speaks very fondly of her despite never actually getting to meet her. And yet when it comes down to talking about the MC, someone he's known since he was a kid, his speech is incredibly hollow. He doesn't speak on MC's sacrifice, he doesn't say anything sentimental about them, in fact he speaks more about himself then the MC. He speaks about his point of view, his feeling's, what he should or shouldn't have done during the night of the attack. The whole scene feel's like such a derailment to both his and the MC's character and doesn't paint him in a very flattering light. And this also just proves why he shouldn't have given the speech. His emotional connection to the MC, in a non romance route specifically, is non existent, he's not their friend, (there is a difference in being friendly to someone and being their friend), the two rarely interact, in fact you literally have to pay diamonds to interact with him more beyond a few surface level conversations you guys have. He has no real attachment to the MC beyond being the big brother of one of their friends and his only attachment to the overall story is due to being the big brother of said friend.

At the end of the ceremony, all our friends (save Noah. Again, obviously) sit around and promise to stay in touch with one another. This honestly would have been a great moment for them to have their own, quiet service and talk about the MC and their own feelings about them. And...they don't. Dan says that he misses "them". But who is this them? Because it's not the MC, within the story you can only choose he/him pronouns or she/her pronouns. Is he referring to the other people that were killed off during the attack at homecoming? It's hinted that some people died during the attack. Like, bystanders who we never even see. This may sound harsh, but why would they care about a bunch of random ass people who they don't even know? Why don't they just say they miss the MC, again, their FRIEND. This was a weird line. And then when they do mention the MC it's only as a "gee, I wonder what happened to them after they friken died, wonder if their a power hungry monster now? Ah well."

This leads into another issue. No offence, but, are our friends just stupid? Did they learn nothing? Like they know what happens now when they play the game. Someone gets killed off and becomes the new monster. And when they do, the utter isolation and Power warps their brain and turns them into an actual monster. Now fair enough, they didn't know about this with Jane, so their not at fault for not doing more about that as they were kids, and weren't even aware that she was the new monster and therefore didn't help her and stop her from being corrupted. But now they do know. And their still choosing to ignore the issue. They know that the MC is most likely the new monster now. I get that they don't want to dredge up old wounds and trauma. But none of that will matter if the MC falls to the same downward mental spiral that Redfield and Jane went down that led to them becoming so malicious and just repeats the cycle of pain, torment and horror another 10 years into the future. All because they left their friend, who I shall remind you again, sacrificed themselves so they could live, to rot in the woods with nothing but the power and vague, painful memories that will slowly fade until they turn into exactly what their predecessor's became. And they only didn't fall off the deep end because the guy the friends now hate, who tried to kill them all to save the previous monster, returned to a town where he's wanted for murder all to keep the MC's sanity intact.

*I would like to start off by saying these are just my opinions. You do not have to agree or disagree. If our don't like what I am saying that is perfectly fine but please keep all negative opinions to yourself. Thank you!*

I wrote recently about the final romance scenes in Dragon Age: Veilguard and ranked them from best to worse. But I found that a lot of the companions final romance scenes, even the best ones, had one underlying problem. The scene wasn’t about Rook.

Prior to this scene, Rook had pretty much had the worst day of their lives. Two of their friends have been taken/killed because of an order Rook gave. They got betrayed by Solas and left to rot in the Fade prison that mocked them with all their deepest fears, insecurities and latest failures. And on top of all that they found out the man that had taken them in when their faction abandoned them, who was basically like a father figure to them, who they thought they had been divulging all their hidden worries and vulnerabilities to was actually dead and the version they spoke to was a figment of their imagination.

They have been through hell. And when they do get back their not given a second to breathe before being told that everything has gone to shit, the gods have taken Minratheous and they’ve lost a good chunk of their allies.

Yet despite how horrendous the situation is, it does present an opportunity for the game to put the player, Rook, into an emotional position where they are the ones who need to be comforted. They’ve been on their own personal quest and have come out emotionally beaten and broken. It’s a moment for their chosen companion to be there for them like Rook was for them.

But the story doesn’t take that turn. Not really. Rook doesn’t get to have a big, emotional meltdown. They don’t get to cry, or scream or truly speak in detail about what they went through in the Fade. And no, one small, itty bitty dialogue branch is not enough to talk about the burning dumpster fire of trauma that Rook has obtained that could cover the entirety of Thedas. This isn't just the dialogue branch either, the companions don't question Rook on their trauma further even if you do choose it. You just have sex and that’s supposed to make everything alright.

And what’s worse is the fact that there is emotion coming from this scene, but it’s not coming from Rook. It’s from their companion. The scene almost entirely focuses on how the companion felt, their pain, their perspective. They do speak about missing Rook which is really great, but it’s not enough. Rook is the one that has suffered, the other companions have suffered due to Rook’s absence, yes, but Rook is the one who has been through the traumatic experience and should be the focus of this scene.

There is only one companion and romance scene that feels slightly like Rook is the focus and that is Lucanis. I talked about his final romance scene a bit but this romance is the only one that shows Rook’s trauma or at least a hint of it. They appear in the scene exhausted and hollow and like they are barely holding on. Lucanis appears and we got our dialogue branch. All the options are pretty solid. Two out of three of the options voice Rook’s fear or confusion. Lucanis comforts them in both these options and reassures them that he is here for them and he is not going anywhere.

No other companion does this. No shade to the other companions but in every other romance, the companions feelings are talked up more and even put above Rook, when Rook is the one in pain and needs to be comforted. Or feelings aren’t discussed at all. At least half of the romances barely, if at all, had a conversation that allowed Rook to talk about their time in the Fade or had a companion comfort them. If there was pain being talked about it was not Rook’s. It was the companions and their emotions, their personal issues and how that linked back to Rook. Which again is fine, but Rook should also be allowed to do this as well.

*I would like to start off by saying these are just my opinions. You do not have to agree or disagree. If our don't like what I am saying that is perfectly fine but please keep all negative opinions to yourself. Thank you!*

As a hardcore romance girly, I have a few opinions on the final major romance scenes from Veilguard. Some of them consumed my very being and painfully reminded me of how lonely I am and then others made me cringe and left me with a sense of longing. Not the good kind. The kind that made me wish we had/and should have gotten better. This is just for the final romance scene, I may rank all of the full romance routes later. (Also side note, I've only done Lucanis romance. I'm ranking the others off of videos others have made of their romances.)

1) Lace Harding - I feel that if Dragon Age were to be made into a show, then Lace Harding would have been made the main love interest of the Veilguard season just purely based off this scene alone. It was so soft, so tender and I felt like it ticked all of the boxes for what a grand climatic romance scene should be. It honestly felt so cinematic and grand.

I'll start with how the aftermath of Rook's disappearance was handled. Harding and Rook discuss it both before and after they have sex and we can see the impact that it had on Harding. You can hear it in her voice. The fear, the happiness, the longing. You can see it in the way she gently caress your face. She is the only companion to tell you that she loves you before you have sex. And don't get me started on the adorable leg kick.

The dialogue between Rook and Harding, both before and after you have sex is very much centered on the need they both have for each other and how much the other means to them. The focus isn't on one or the other, it's centered on the bond Rook and Harding have made and the love they have found.

2) Bellara Lutare - Honestly second place was a hard choice between Bellara and Lucanis. But I feel the extra screen time for Bellara's romance scene just tipped her over the edge.

I loved her entrance into the scene and how utterly frazzled she was and I loved watching how Rook brought her back down. The fact that she pushed aside her own fears and doubts to be in the moment with Rook, (something that we see throughout her romance is very hard for her to do) shows how much she truly cares for you. Not to mention what she says to you in Elven: "Mala lath athim, mir uthenera." Which roughly translates to "your humble love, my eternal dream."

Through this she is claiming that Rook's love humbles her and is her eternal waking dream, which perfectly encapsulates their romance and I think it was the perfect way to end the scene before they have sex.

After the fade to black scene we see more of the down side effect Rook's absence had on Bellara, to the point that Bellara says that losing Rook had meant she had lost a part of herself. And we can see the full force of this throughout this entire ending scene, how much confidence and calm Rook brings to Bellara. I feel that this entire scene was a beautiful pay off to their relationship. (She's also the only companion that fucking knocks!)

3) Lucanis Dellamorte - Despite not being in first, this romance scene is my favorite.

I feel like Lucanis's romance scene was the one that actually most focused on Rook and the true weight of their time in the Fade. You feel it from the second the screen cuts to them in their room. When they sit down on their bed/settee their face and body language is utterly exhausted. Props to the animators because you really see the full weight of their trauma just from Rooks eyes. They look so hollow. But then Lucanis walks in. The entire time, from before and after you have sex, he is so very tender with you. No matter what dialogue option you pick, he put's his own feelings aside to comfort and reassure you. The entire scene is focused on Rook's emotions and how Lucanis comforts them through those emotions.

And he doesn't just do this with his words. He kneels before you. "No one from House Dellamorte kneels." This small moment in and of itself shows without words how much Lucanis cares for Rook to the point he put them above his own grandmothers words.

His love and care for Rook even shows through Spite, when his wings wrap around you, protecting you, shielding you. Then once the screen fades to black we see Lucanis lying in your lap. He is so honest and open in this scene, even telling Rook their voice is a comfort to him. Again, this scene is a wonderful payoff to the relationship and bond Rook and Lucanis have built. His walls have finally crumbled down.

4) Neve Gallus - This is were I feel I can start to criticize a bit. This scene does come off very strong to begin with. Neve waltzes into your room appearing her usual cool, charming self. But you can see something isn't quite right. Her face looks like it's barely clinging to her witty smile and she looks exhausted. Then Rook speaks and she breaks. She starts to cry. A beautiful decision to have Neve, a character normally closed off and emotionally withdrawn do something so emotionally vulnerable as cry. Again, it shows how far her and Rook's relationship has come.

But then the scene moves on way to quickly and has her shove you to the bed/settee and, heavily implied, dominate you. Which would be all good and well. If the situation was different. Rook has just been through something traumatic. Neve has been through the wringer herself, losing her city, two of her friends and the love of her life all at once. This is a moment for comfort, for embraces, for words of longing and love to be exchanged. That's not to say the sex scene can't happen. But let us breathe for a moment first.

The moment after the fade to black scene is really cute. We get to see a more vulnerable Neve, hear the fear in her voice as she talks about Rook's absence. She turns softer as she try's, for the first time in a long while, to be more hopeful, to hope that her and Rook will have a future. It's a rather beautiful scene and feel's very intimate and private.

This also brings to us the last companion to tell you that they love you during their final romance scene. All the female companions + Lucanis, if you choose the right dialogue option, tell Rook that they love them here and I feel that that is quite important and makes the ‘I love you’ seem more genuine given that it’s during a very intimate moment when you and your companion are the closest you have ever been.

5) Emmrich Volkarin - Honestly, Emmrich’s final romance scene could have been at the top of the list. It was the most unique one, the only scene to not take place in Rook’s room and instead a place that is meaningful and personal to the companion. The scene after the fade to black is really sweet and wholesome.

But it was not given room to breathe. Rooks time in the Fade is barely mentioned or brought up. Even if you choose the emotional dialogue option, it literally lasts for two seconds, Rook is not given a moment to truly be vulnerable and break and Emmrich barely comforts them past one half assed line.

Even after the Fade to black scene, neither Rook or Emmrich bring it back up, or say anything more on it. If context wasn’t what it was then the post sex scene would have been really nice and homey and a glimpse into what a normal life waking up with Emmrich would look like.

But this should have been a heavy, more emotionally driven scene, especially when you take into consideration the argument that Rook and Emmrich had before Rook got stuck in the Fade. Having this scene link back to that argument and having Emmrich voice is new perspective on it after almost losing Rook would have been great. But instead, all we were left with was a sense of longing.

6) Tassh - I feel that Taash’s final romance scene was good and bad all at once, at least from a writers perspective.

On one hand the abruptness and bluntness of the scene very much suits Taash’s character. And the talk they give you after the fade to black, claiming you as their partner and swearing that they’d kill anyone who tries to hurt you, was very violently sweet.

But on the other hand this would have been a great opportunity to have Taash open up more on an emotional level, especially after their mother just died. You’d think after they didn’t get to fix their relationship and mend it and exchange words with their mother before her death would have given them a new perspective to think on. Especially since Rook was stuck in the Fade and they had time to ponder what they would say to you if they got you back, it could have been a real turning point in their relationship.

Rook didn’t even get to speak about their time in the Fade. There was just so much potential here and it was wasted.

7) Davrin - Davrin I am so sorry, you got done so utterly dirty.

This final romance scene was an utter shit show from start to finish. I did not feel a single ounce of love between Rook or Davrin during this entire scene, and even after the fade to black when the scene tried to be sweet and romantic it felt entirely forced and fake.

To start with Rook is literally just standing in the middle of the room, which could have been a really good set up as it would make Rook seem entirely lost but we didn't really get a moment to process this or pick up on that vibe. Then Davrin walks in and his big opening line is “your back, it was touch and go there.” Weeks of not seeing each other and that’s what he comes up with. He doesn’t even sound overjoyed to see you, he’s acting like you just came back from doing one of those errand missions that insists upon the game.

Even if you choose the emotional option, it feels as if Davrin just pushes it aside. He’s like “yes that’s tragic, very sad, oh well time for sex!”

There is no emotion. Nothing. And I don’t blame the voice actor for this, I’m sure he did the best he could with what he was given. Because there were plenty of emotional moments, especially with Assan, where we got to see the protective Davrin, the devoted, caring nature that he has underneath. So where the hell was that during this scene?

And I think what’s worse is that Rook does attempt to talk further about their trauma and time in the fade but it just feels like Davrin brushes it off. There is no care here, no tenderness, just lust and that is not enough, not when the scene is based off a couple that have been together for quite some time, been through hell for each other and supposedly love each other.

This was just such a big let down. It could have been something great and it wasn’t.

*I would like to start off by saying these are just my opinions. You do not have to agree or disagree. If our don't like what I am saying that is perfectly fine but please keep all negative opinions to yourself. Thank you!*

I'm a really big fan of story based games. Games were you are the main character, were you can look like anyone you want and act like anyone you want, were what you do and the kind of character you have created matters and has impact.

It's the reason why I love Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora. Being immersed in the world of Pandora personally, as a Navi no less, was so much fun and so satisfying as I unlocked new area's, gained an Ikran and, most importantly for me, further designed and personalized my character. Physically at least.

I'll be honest when I first played and completed my first run through of the game, the lack of personality and choice options within the story didn't bother me. It didn't even cross my mind. But then I got into other story based games like Dragon Age, Baldurs Gate 3, games were you can shape not only your character's appearance but their personality through dialogue options. Some of these dialogue options lead to different story beats or can effect and change your characters dynamic with another character.

Story branch: When your decisions affect the story.

Dialogue branch: When your character is exchanging conversation with another character.

Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora has neither of these options. You do not at any point in the story get to shape your characters personality through dialogue or make meaningful decisions. This is a very large problem for a STORY BASED GAME. There is only one time in the whole story that we ever get to make a choice, regarding whether we choose to move forward after learning of Alma's betrayal or hold onto the pain. And yet even with that one choice that could have been meaningful, it didn't even amount to anything or change the narrative in anyway shape or form. We still finish off the story by giving Alma the "I see you" gesture, even if we decided not to forgive her.

It honestly creates a bit of a divide between our character and us as a player. Because even though we have created this character, we can not shape their personality or their relationships with other characters which then leads the character that we are suppose to be controlling and playing as, going off and doing or saying things we don't want them to do or don't agree with them saying. What's worst is that there were plenty of moments throughout the game in which it would have been a perfect opportunity to have a story branch appear, for that moment to be turned into a choice the player has to make. But we never got that.

When it comes to the personality of our character I have to say, and this might be a hot take, but we feel almost hollow and like a blank slate. We have a goal in the story yes, we want to finally become Navi and integrate ourselves into Navi culture after being deprived of that from the RDA and ultimately stop Mercer and the rest of the RDA. But a goal and a personality are two different things. Take Dragon Age for example. In Dragon Age: Veilguard we have a clear goal, we need to stop the bad guys before they destroy the world. And yet, we still get to shape our character through personality, three personality options as a matter of fact, "diplomatic/helpful/and kind, Sarcastic/charming and funny or aggressive/direct and grumpy."

Baldurs Gate 3 took a less direct route but you can still make up a reputation that other characters can comment and note on based on your dialogue and story options.

We don't get any of this for our Sarentu character. Their only personality trait is being the poster boy/girl/person for taking down the RDA and saving Pandora. (Okay, I know this is a bit of an exaggeration and I do think there is a little personality to be gauged from the Sarentu character, but you don't get to make it, which is the whole point of a story based game.)

It feels like our character doesn't have much of an identity, which is ironic given that a large theme of the game is about identity. Our character isn't given a name or a nickname, they are just called the Sarentu which only further adds to the divide since it sounds so dehumanizing. (In the Dragon Age games our character was often given an alias in which they were called by, like Hawke and Rook). We get to pick our pronouns but they are never used and our character is only referred to as a they/them which only works for those who chose the nonbinary option. Someone even made a post talking about how when we look over Alma's notes in game, where she writes about each of the main members of the Sarentu clan, our character isn't written about or mentioned.

*I would like to start off by saying these are just my opinions. You do not have to agree or disagree. If our don't like what I am saying that is perfectly fine but please keep all negative opinions to yourself. Thank you!

Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora is a really great game and I'm a huge fan of the Avatar universe. However, the heavy handed topics that take place within the game I have found are not really taken with the care and insight that they should have been, and there are three specific instances where I can see this and these three instances lead to the biggest load of hypocrisy in the whole game. In the spotlight of these instances we have Alma, Teylan and Nor.

Let's start with Alma. At the beginning of the game she was presented to us as something of a mother figure to the Sarentu and was noted to have been the kindest to them during their time in TAP. She was something of a mother figure to them and I do think she cared for them...to a degree. And that degree is a lot less then what the Sarentu and us the viewer had originally thought.

Alma was present during the massacring of the Sarentu clan and the kidnapping of their children. In the vision it was shown that Alma was unaware of Mercer's true goal going to the moot where the Sarentu were and was horrified when she realized. Now, while Alma had not directly been apart of the murder of the Sarentu and had tried to stop the RDA from killing them, she was still a part of it, and she was also very naïve. She saw that Mercer was bringing a lot of soldiers with them to meet the Sarentu, so I don’t know what she had been expecting.

After this awful moment, Alma swears to protect the Sarentu children. She has finally seen Mercer's true nature and can now act. She didn't know before and now she does. And yet she does...nothing. She doesn't try to find a way to get the children out of the TAP program and leave them with a different clan. Doesn't do anything to stop the abuse the children receive. Or the grooming that Mercer does to Teylan. Alma can no longer hold on to her naive mindset. She is fully complicit in the physical and emotional abuse the Sarentu children face even if she is not the one enacting it. We even see this in the first cut scene of the game. She fully steps aside and allows Mercer to try and take our character's songcord away (our mothers songcord) and starve the children for honestly nothing. And it's not like she is some random employee working under Mercer in TAP. She is the CO-FOUNDER, this is as much her school as it is his, she has as much say in how it should be run (Not that it should be running at all as this is just literally a residential school). Even Ahari's death isn't enough cause for her to take the kids and run. She knew that Mercer was willing to kill and still did nothing.

When everything comes to light, after she hid it for over a decade and the truth only came out because someone else said something, she doesn’t pay any real price for her actions. Yes she loses her Avatar but still maintains her role as leader in the Resistance and even her relationship with the Sarentu.

Now Teylan is a bit more complicated and I can allow room for a bit more sympathy here. Throughout Teylan's time in the ambassador program he was Mercer's star student, being the most enthusiastic about human culture and technology. Teylan went out of his way to please Mercer and saw him as a father figure. Mercer used this connection to groom Teylan and showed him favoritism given he took more to listening to orders and conformant but was quick to withdraw affection if Teylan showed interest in Navi culture. Teylan was blinded to the horrors that Mercer enacted on him and his friends, even after witnessing him kill Ahari, and even after he ordered the killing of him and all his other friends

Even within the Resistance, Teylan can not escape Mercer's grroming and was desperate to get back in contact with his old mentor and be reunited with him. To the point that he sold out the hidden location of the Resistance to Mercer which lead to the base being bombed and caused the death of six of their members. Despite this atrocity, Teylan still goes with Mercer, back to the RDA. Like I said I can give Teylan some grace here and since Mercer had lied to him and promised that no one would get hurt and he did feel horrible guilt for what he had done and more so leaves the Resistance because he believes that they would never take him back or forgive him for what he had done.

But at the same time, he was being incredibly naive when he gave away the location of the Resistance thinking that Mercer wouldn’t hurt anyone, especially when Teylan knows Mercer is not against using violence and death. Teylan has seen him do it firsthand, so I don’t know why he would believe Mercer wouldn’t hurt the Resistance. He even witnessed Mercer trying to attack the Resistance when they woke him and his friends out of cryo. That being said though he does redeem himself in the end, which is more then I can say for Alma who did far worse, and decides to make up for his wrongdoings by helping the player during the final battle and defeating Mercer. After this he is brought back to Resistance and ultimately pays no consequences for what he had done. Even if he redeemed himself in the end, I still feel like he should have paid some price for his actions as he did indirectly cause the death of six people who had been nothing but nice to him and welcomed him with open arms. Hell, even Teylan believes he should have faced some consequence for this and is actually mad that no one is mad at him.

Now for our final subject, Nor. Easily one of the most interesting characters who was handled with not nearly enough care and got royally screwed by the narrative and other characters. It's hinted that Nor's always had a strained relationship with Alma and rightfully so. He is the one that brings up the fact that Alma was complicit in the abuse Mercer and Harding enacted on them. He saw right through her since the beginning. When the full extent of Alma's actions were brought to life, Nor was, to put it lightly, pissed. He stabs and kills her Avatar, despite the protests of his friends and those around him. Now I will admit, Nor shouldn't have jumped the gun like this, especially when his family is asking him to stop and listen. However his anger in this moment is fully justified. She was part of the reason he lost his family and the rest of his clan. She did nothing to protect them while they were in the Ambassador program and let them be abused. Yet despite these justifications, everyone in this moment turns on him and he ends up running away from Resistance. None of his so called friends call out to him as he leaves and he is never seen again throughout the rest of the story and game. Our player doesn’t go looking for him to make sure he’s alright, no one else mentions going looking for him, hell he's hardly even mentioned. This just seem incredibly out of character for the Sarentu. As if they wouldn't go after him, as if they wouldn't search for him to make sure he is alright. Nor is their family, these guys have known each other since they were children and you expect me to believe that they wouldn't go to make sure he was alright. No one even calls out to him. I'm sorry but that is just mind boggling to me and makes not a single ounce of sense.

Priya who defended Alma, even attacks Nor and says that she’s glad he’s gone and that he’s a murder, ignoring the multiple murders Alma had been apart of. And if we want to be literal, Nor didn’t technically kill anybody. Alma is very much alive at the end of the game because who he stabbed was never Alma at all, it was her Avatar. A skin she used her mind to puppet around that she was far to attached too to begin with. Nothing that happens to Alma’s Avatar affects her, (physically at least) their two separate bodies and Alma feels none of the pain or anything her Avatar feels once she disconnects the link.

So now I ask you to compare the crimes of each of these three subjects. Alma was apart of a massacre that killed an entire tribe of Navi and orphaned roughly eight children and was complicit in said children's abuse. Teylan betrayed the Resistance and indirectly caused the death of six innocent people. Nor “killed” Alma’s Avatar which was really just a walking skin suit she wore with her mind, and the real Alma was perfectly fine and unaffected. So, in truth he didn’t kill anybody.

*I would like to start off by saying these are just my opinions. You do not have to agree or disagree. If our don't like what I am saying that is perfectly fine but please keep all negative opinions to yourself. Thank you!

In my previous post I touched on the Executors, who I predicted would be the next villains for Dragon Age (though it wasn't much of a theory since it was already confirmed) and threw out a few theories as to who and what I think the Executors are and what we may expect from them, (feel free to look at that post if your interested).

Now that we've been teased on the Executors being the villain's in Dragon Age 5 I want to talk about who is going to be our next hero. Let's talk about the elephant in the secret room in Minrathous.

This conspiracy board can be found in Minrathous in Dragon Age: Veilguard. There's a lot going on here but to summarize, this board basically displays all story threads (pun intended) that have taken place over the last four games, including Veilguard along with integral characters. You can see a symbol representing each of Dragon Age's former hero's, a griffon for the Hero of Fereldan, The Kirkwall crest representing Hawke, the Inquisition symbol for the Inquisitor and Sola's dagger representing Rook. For a more thorough breakdown of what some of the other symbols are on this board and what they represent and how they all connect I recommend watching Jackdaw's video. He does a really great breakdown and it's a good watch.

Some of you probably already recognize some of the other symbols on the board. Their all clustered together and most of them are connected by multiple threads. All except for one. One that unlike the other symbols is placed off the board and is only attached by a single thread.

A mysterious silhouette of a figure with indistinguishable writing surrounding them. The next hero of Dragon Age.

Who will be the next hero for Dragon Age 5?

So what do we know so far? Well, not a whole lot. I'll admit this is most likely going to be a lot of theorizing and me pulling shit out of my ass.

Unlike the Executors who's presence has existed since Dragon Age Inquisition and who have made physical and non physical appearances through different bits of Dragon Age media, we don't know anything about our new hero other then that they are/or will be connected to Rook. I say this because Rook's symbol is the only one this mysterious hero has a thread attached to on the board. If I had to guess Rook is going to be what the Inquisitor was to them in Veilguard and what Hawke was to the Inquisitor. Although I have a feeling Rook is going to be a lot more involved with this new hero then previous one's have been with their predecessors. Since during the secret ending the last line we see is "The Veilguard remains Vigilant" Rook's team haven't tapped out like the previous one's have at the end of their stories and I'm guessing they will be heavily involved with this new hero's story.

But why is this new hero's symbol not on the board like our other hero's? We know their not connected to the story yet but what if there's another reason their on the outside of the board. What if it's because, unlike our previous hero's who's stories took place within Thedas, our hero is not from Thedas. What if their from somewhere else, across the seas?

Yeah I think our new hero is going to be from this mysterious island across the sea where the Executor's come from. Which leads me into my next threads of theory's that our new "hero" is actually working for the villains of Dragon Age 5 aka "those across the sea".

I think their story will start in Thedas but eventually end up taking place in the Executors land. The land which I think our hero if from. This leads me into two theories on how our hero's story will start. With:

Our hero stranded somewhere in Thedas with no memory, no idea who they are or what they are doing there.

Or,

Our hero starts out their journey in their small hometown with their adopted family and average mundane life, completely unaware of their origins.

Regardless of the route, the story will head in the same direction. I feel the vibes of our new hero's journey is going to be like a Durge Origins story (Baldur's Gate 3) / Suicide Squad (DC) / Black Rose (Arcane) kind of deal. To summarize:

Our hero will face the Executors and accidently reveal that they posses a rare powerful ability that can destroy them.

Either Rook's team or agent's working for them will see this and put them at the head of stopping the Executors and finding out what their planning.

This will then lead them venturing over to this "land across the sea".

I think it would be a really cool set up if our hero ended up recruiting their companions during their time in this "land across the sea".

Rook's team will stay behind to protect Thedas from further attacks.

Our hero will start to hear voices and have visions of a mysterious figure who guides them on how to use their power through whatever class you have picked for your hero.

They'll guide our hero to mysterious vessels that hold visions that unknowingly to our hero, shows the course of their life and how they ended up in Thedas.

The power inside of our hero begins to corrupt them and control them the more they use it and they end up almost killing one or more of their companions (maybe the person their romancing for your know, an extra spice of angst).

This will lead to a confrontation between the companions and our hero will eventually storm off and be confronted by the physical form of the voice that had been speaking to them.

The voice will reveal how they have influenced previous villains of Dragon Age game and moved the story along in their favor.

This voice will then reveal the visions that our hero had been seeing was of themselves and how they are the ultimate weapon of the Executors, created by the leader/god like figure who rules the land across the sea and planted in Thedas to take it down from the inside and gain the trust of our companions and other hero's.

This will lead to our hero feeling devastated and wracked with guilt and lead to them running away which will then lead to them being ambushed by Executors who bring them to their master who fully takes control of our hero.

Our hero will then have to face an inner turmoil journey and fight for control of their body from inside their head by defeating villains and bosses (similar to what the Hero of Fereldan did in the fade prison at the Circle tower).

In the end they will break free of the villain's hold for good, still retaining the power that had been given to them which they can now fully control.

A final battle will take place and all the hero's from the previous games will show up, including our former protagonists, or whoever is left. (This is extremely wishful thinking but I would kill for this to happen. My new hero fighting alongside my Hero of Fereldan, Hawke, Inquisitor and Rook, um yes please).

The final boss will be the god like figure who rules over the land across the sea, who made the Executor's and who created our hero.

Once you've defeated this villain the source of their power will be left vulnerable. This is where you will have to make a choice.

Your hero can choose the evil ending, taking the power for themselves, killing their companions, destroying the other hero's and taking over Thedas and the remaining Executors.

Or your hero can choose the good ending which means destroying the power, helping to heal the land across the sea and Thedas and being given some fancy title like the Champion of Kirkwall or the Hero of Fereldan.

*I would like to start off by saying these are just my opinions. You do not have to agree or disagree. If our don't like what I am saying that is perfectly fine but please keep all negative opinions to yourself. Thank you!

So with it's been a few months since Dragon Age: The Veilguard came out and I think it's time we discussed that secret ending. For those who don't know what I'm talking about watch this clip below:

Basically to summaries (spoilers ahead, obvs) the secret ending shows up at the end of Veilguard if you have collected these three mysterious circles throughout your gameplay. The clip reveals that the Executors aka "those across the sea" had been behind guiding the events of each DA game and influencing the former big bads in these previous games to some extent. And now by the end of Veilguard, and with Elgar'nan, Ghilan'nain and Solas out of the way, they are finally ready to make themselves known.

Now time to get to my first theory which has already been confirmed.

Who will be the next villain for Dragon Age 5?

The Executors are very obviously being set up as the new big bad for the next DA game. Their presence has been hinted at since Dragon Age: Inquisition. Their markings are left all over Inquisition outposts and throughout a bit more gameplay you can link the markings as belonging to "those across the sea".

Previously and in Varric's book "Hard in Hightown" the Executors where thought as nothing more then myth and legend. However their brief but weighted appearance in Inquisition showed that not only are they real but incredibly dangerous and mysterious. If you take Cullen's advise and turn a blind eye to the symbols, three Inquisition outposts will come up abandoned and without any trace of the agents that were there other then an anonymous message stating:

We hold your Inquisition in high esteem. Thedas's present troubles are great, but you have the strength to meet and conquer them. More will come. We prepare for the day and hold vigil. Do not look for your men; do not mourn them. They have given themselves of their own free will to a higher cause.

On behalf of powers across the sea, The Executors

My guess is that this "higher cause" is actually a person. Perhaps even a god like figure head who the Executors refer to and worship. They most likely sacrificed the Inquisitions agents to this figure who corrupted them into the shadowy hooded creatures we see appear in the Veilguard post credit scene.

If you took Liliana's advice and let her follow up you get this message:

Compliments to your spymaster. She is a resourceful woman. Once she traced our agent to Caimen Brea, the match was ruled in her favor. Tell Sister Leliana to call off her dogs. Save them for Corypheus. We suspect also that she has gotten all she can from Ser Helmuth. A caterpillar on a leaf does not know there is a forest about him.

You will hear no more from us. Our intention was to watch, and we have seen enough. Corypheus threatens us all, and the Inquisition is Thedas's only hope for stopping him. Remember that, for the moment, we are not your enemy. As a gesture of goodwill, we share our knowledge. May it prove valuable in your coming battle.

On behalf of powers across the sea,

The Executors

In this message we get a name: Ser Helmuth. There is no wiki page about this character nor any mention of him floating around the fandom other then in this message. I find it odd that the Executors finally gave up a name when we have seen throughout Inquisition and Veilguard how secretive they are and how they avoid giving away identity's. Which leads me to believe that this Ser Helmuth is not one of their agents. Much like they took a part in manipulating our previous villains from DA games they most likely did the same to Ser Helmuth. Whispering in his ear and having him leave the Executors symbols at Inquisition outposts, having him do the dirty work for them, saving them from having to show themselves and risk being seen and caught. Would not be the first time. But this does hint at how powerful they are.

Being able to influence the minds of others just shows that their abilities go beyond that of the worldly magic within Thedas. Magic that may only be acquired in their land, this one across the sea. One thing we know for certain is that they are not human.

It is revealed in the final codex found in the Veilguard which writes about a confrontation with one of the Executors that reveals what they truly are. Despite having a human appearance the codex states that the Executors form started to change. One of their arms began to change and shift and they even grew in size.

So we know who the next villain or villains for Dragon Age are, but what actually are they? Well:

They are a secret society that live in solitude far from Thedas.

They have been taking part in the main storylines and quest of each DA game and to some extent influencing the previous stories and villains.

The Executors respond to a higher being who is clearly pulling all the strings and is most likely corrupting whoever they can get their hands on and turning them into an Executor.

The Executors are not human and are actually a new type of creature, a shapeshifter, think of a Changeling from D&D.

The Executors have access to an ancient magic that not even Thedas history can recall ever using as it's clear the Executors have existed for the longest time.

The Executors have been secretly taking people and building an army of Executors so that they can take over Thedas. They've also shapeshifted themselves into looking like normal people so they can blend in in Thedas and feed this higher being information about what is happening which is why they know so much.

One more theory that I just wanted to mention is how I believe that their symbol is actually the shape of their homeland and the Executors come from an ancient society or even kingdom that unlike Thedas did not evolve. Perhaps this land has creatures and races we haven't seen yet that exist. They still follow the old, dark ways of the world before and want to conquer Thedas and return the world to how it once was. I think they either:

Tried doing this through using the events and villains from the previous games to usurp chaos and make Thedas vulnerable to attack but these attempts were thwarted by the games protagonists (Hero of Fereldan, Hawke, Inquisitor and Rook).

Or, a more likely scernario:

These events were all tests to see Thedas resolve and just how strong and capable they are. While, for a bonus point, a chance to weaken the land getting rid of any potential threats to their impending conquering (Loghain, the Templars and Mages, Corypheus, Solas and the other Elven Gods).

Hi there! I'm Lilith, I'm newish to Tumblr but I thought I'd introduce myself and speak a bit about me and what you'll see on my page:

Interest - I'm really big on art, you may see oc's or character designs that I've created for differing pieces of media and stuff like that. I like creative writing and have written some pieces of fan fic which I may post here.

Movies, Tv shows, Games, Books - Every now and then I'll post an opinion or analysis that I've formed over a piece of media I've seen/played/read. I'll discuss tropes, characters and what my view is on them.

Fandoms - I'm a bit of a fandom dweller, if there's a piece of media that captivates me I like to discuss it and will probably obsess over it for a month, most likely more.

Questions - I'm happy to answer any questions thrown my way. At the moment I'm not doing commissions, but I will let people know if that changes.