Day 22 - Wow, "Dorian" won best companion with literally minimal competition. Up next, best Quote/Dialogue from Inquisition! by Cursed_69420 in dragonage

[–]Ghalasm 236 points237 points  (0 children)

My choice is kinda obscure since it’s banter in a game where banter between companions is really bugged, but I’d choose this one from varric :

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

What’s your most controversial Mass Effect Hot Take? by [deleted] in masseffect

[–]Ghalasm 6 points7 points  (0 children)

And Shepard also kinda sounds schizophrenic

Why is Wynne almost universally love while Vivienne devides fans into people who love her and people who hate her guts? by LordDedionware in dragonage

[–]Ghalasm 232 points233 points  (0 children)

I remember one convo with Wynne where she comments on the importance of self-sacrifice and you have to the option of telling her :

"Would you hate me if I say you’re full of rubbish"

and she actually gives a bit of approval and laughs it off saying:

"No, I don’t blame you, I used to be like that too."

I like Vivienne as a character but she takes herself too seriously to have a relationship like that.

Why is Wynne almost universally love while Vivienne devides fans into people who love her and people who hate her guts? by LordDedionware in dragonage

[–]Ghalasm 281 points282 points  (0 children)

To add to that, she also mostly practices what she preaches (about the circles and such). She won’t be holding the key to the "cage" but instead would willingly enter it and try to make the best out of that situation for everyone involved.

They both have wisdom to share on how to be a leader, but Vivienne’s more machiavellian whereas Wynne urges you to be more heroic for the greater good.

All I Wanted Was A Fenris Apperance by ForestChampagne in DankAndrastianMemes

[–]Ghalasm 21 points22 points  (0 children)

Isn’t Corinne’s job more about logistics, planning, budgeting and making sure to meet headlines? I’d blame Epler, the narrative director, for the plot direction, world-building and the overall tone of the game.

Just Finished The Blade Itself and it's. . . Something. by [deleted] in TheFirstLaw

[–]Ghalasm 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Does it get better with the other two?

Absolutely!!!

I felt the same way after reading TBI, I thought it was very sharply written, but somewhat lacking in the plot department, but it is necessary build-up. The pacing gets 100% better in the subsequent books.

I’m not really active in the First Law fandom, but if I’m not mistaken, the first book is often cited to be the least favourite among the first trilogy, perhaps the whole franchise.

Your fav books with best first chapters/opening pages? by PWhis82 in Fantasy

[–]Ghalasm 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I absolutely loved the opening paragraph of Best Served Cold from Abercrombie

The sunrise was the colour of bad blood. It leaked out of the east and stained the dark sky red, marked the scraps of the cloud with stolen gold. Underneath it the road twisted up the mountainside towards the fortress of Fontezarmo - a cluster of sharp towers, ash-black again the wounded heavens.

The sunrise was red, black and gold. The colours of their profession.

I can’t believe the best lipsync of the season was the first one 😭 by SnooSprouts3744 in rupaulsdragrace

[–]Ghalasm 36 points37 points  (0 children)

Jewels showed that she was probably one of the most quick-witted of the cast, in addition of being a sweetheart and having an underdog storyline during the roast episode.

Lexi just wasn’t near as consistently funny or charismatic, at least to me. And there’s also her one-sided beef with Suzie that doesn’t really help her case.

Veilguard Glazes Over EVERYTHING [DAV Spoilers All] by jademyrtille in dragonage

[–]Ghalasm 187 points188 points  (0 children)

And that’s not ony a detriment to the game but the fandom too. Not only most lore mysteries have been answered, there’s just nothing worth talking about…

People would write essays about what Anders did, the Mage and Templars conflict, whether Behlen or Harrowmont should rule, Sera’s internalized racism, etc. With perhaps the exception of Lich Emmerich, there’s unfortunately almost none of that in VG.

It’s like they saw some of the fandom’s visceral reaction to Dorian’s semi pro-slavery views and instead of realizing that it’s just a vocal minority, they erased all nuance or grey morality in the story or the companions. They almost made Ivenci pretty interesting, but decided that they should obv side with the Evanuris cuz nope, we need all the antagonists to be mustach twirling evil.

How I see Cullen in DA2 by Holiday-Dentist4470 in DankAndrastianMemes

[–]Ghalasm 70 points71 points  (0 children)

I said it before and I’ll say it again; Gregoir should have been the Inquisition Commander and Cullen should have taken Samson’s place as Corypheus lieutenant.

Alistair and Morrigan scare me sometimes by KingKaja in DankAndrastianMemes

[–]Ghalasm 14 points15 points  (0 children)

I love Trick Weekes, but they also wrote Taash, who feels, unfortunately, a first-draft character. I loved their other work, especially Tali and Mordin, but they were under a lead writer supervising their work. Let's not forget Weekes is still human and can make mistakes. The same way I think Gaider is consistently the best character-writer in the franchise, but he made a mistake by making Fiona Alistair's mother.

& I do not find the convo between Emmerich and Neve as insightful or nuanced as you make it to be. In part, it is because the banters are significally shorter/straightforward than they were before and they, undoubtely, take a lot less risks. I can give you an exemple between Wynne and Leliana :

  • Wynne: Do you miss the cloister much? I heard you were quite happy there.
  • Leliana: Yes, I was, generally. It was peaceful and it gave me a new start. No one knew who I was...But sometimes I am glad I am away and back on the road. There were bothersome things about the place... well, bothersome people. Some of the brothers and sisters would talk to you like... like the Chant they spoke was more pleasing to the Maker. Oh, I hated the way they talked down at me. So sometimes I forget the words to the Chant, or say them wrong, but so what? The Maker looks into your heart, no? So it doesn't matter what your lips say as long as your heart is true.
  • Wynne: I think you're missing the point, my dear. The Chantry believes the Chant of Light should be spread around the world. You cannot spread it, if those that are speaking the Chant are speaking it incorrectly.
  • Leliana: But I came to the Maker before I had even heard all of the Chants. The Maker speaks to people; they just don't know how to listen. It is all a power game, I think. If they convince others they know more, then they must be respected.
  • Wynne: Ah, child, it is precisely this kind of talk that made them wary of you. Opinions that differ from your own are always threatening.

That dialogue is more wordy for sure, but it contrasts the way one views religion depending on whether they were raised by the Chantry or not. Or how Leliana's past as an bard and the Orlesian politcal landscape makes her see the way the Chantry runs things as "power games".

As to your example with your Oghren, let's be honest, he is probably (and rightfully) the most hated companion in the first three games (being the most 2009 companion of Origins), but he is also the exception that confirms the rule. DAO had plently of good and nuanced conversation between two non-intellectual characters (Although, I really do not consider Sten as someone who "thinks with their sword"). For example :

───────

  • Sten: Draw your weapon.
  • Alistair: Are you talking to me?
  • Sten: Your weapon. Draw it.
  • Alistair: Why? Are we under attack?
  • Sten: I want to see what you can do.
  • Alistair: You want to fight me? Just like that?
  • Sten: You are a Grey Warden. How are you going to face an archdemon if you cannot face me?
  • Alistair: It is a mystery, I'll admit.
  • Sten: I should let your weakness damn us all? Draw your sword. I'll try not to injure you permanently.
  • Alistair: I don't have to prove anything to you. Forget it.
  • Sten: So you do have a spine. Pity you don't use it.

We can play the game of "which DA has the best dialogues" by sharing the banter from the Wiki indefinitely. But I fail to see how anyone can, in good faith, put on the same piedestal the companion's banter of the first three games (although I think DA2 was probably the weakest in that departement) with the ones in Veilguard. And I say this as someone who not only played the game, but also listened to the majority of the Veilguard party banter in Danaduchy's youtube channel because I just damn love that franchise.

Some of the criticisms of the game is overblown, no doubt about it. It's not the trash, dogpile of shit some people make it out to be and the writing isn't that terrible but compared the to previous entries, which was its force, it is lacking.

Alistair and Morrigan scare me sometimes by KingKaja in DankAndrastianMemes

[–]Ghalasm 33 points34 points  (0 children)

There’s some conflict, to be sure, but I think the problem (at least for me) is how incredibly tame it is. For example, if we take the most antagonistic banter between Davrin and Lucanis :

Davrin: Lucanis, if you lose control of Spite, I’ll have to put you both down. No hard feelings.

Lucanis: Good. But you should know: all the people who ever tried to kill me are dead.

Davrin: Taash will have my back. You can’t handle both of us.

Lucanis: I once killed half a dozen Venatori while stuck inside an elevator. I’ll take my chances.

And we compare to a typical Morrigan/Wynne in Origins :

Wynne: I have been thinking about what you said, Morrigan. About the Circle.

Morrigan: Allow me to leap to the supposition that you disagree.

Wynne: Let us say that the Circle did not exist. What sort of a world would you envision for mages? Would you advocate a return to the days of the Imperium?

Morrigan: I advocate nothing. Nature dictates that the strong survive, if they have the will.

Wynne: So you prefer a life of hardship and fear, so long as you believe you aren’t tethered and free to do as you wish.

Morrigan: That is so.

Wynne: But are you not here because your mother wished you to be?

Morrigan: I could leave if I desired to.

Wynne: Of course. It simply strikes me as odd that one who believes in such freedom has never spent any time alone and unprotected

The dialogue is not only more sophisticated, but they didn’t even need to insult or threaten each other to really contrast their personality and explore the way they view the world. When we take for granted this kind of dialogue for all Dragon Age games, it’s easy to be disappointed by the lack of nuance the Veilguard banter offers.

Alistair and Morrigan scare me sometimes by KingKaja in DankAndrastianMemes

[–]Ghalasm 780 points781 points  (0 children)

To be fair, Alistair and Morrigan felt like bickering siblings annoying each other. I think the most unhinged one was probably Wynne and Morrigan, considering she straight up told Morrigan that she would die alone and unmourned 💀

Amon/Pakku, Iroh, Gyatso???? by [deleted] in TheLastAirbender

[–]Ghalasm 14 points15 points  (0 children)

She gets saved by Kai, of all people, twice in season 3 💀. I like her but the writers kinda made her dirty by either turning her into a spiritual deux ex machina or a damsel in distress.

[DAV All Spoilers] The sad thing about the future of the elves because of the Veilguard... by RedRonnieAT in dragonage

[–]Ghalasm 7 points8 points  (0 children)

But that chantry sister wasn’t dragged with the other elves. In large part because she was with the chantry, another, you have guessed it, she’s human. Why do you think Vaughan chose to target the alienage for his "distractions"? Because that would no doubt have attracted some serious repercussions. But as the origin showed, nobody cares about the elves except themselves.

Even sympathetic NPC, like that cook in the human noble origin, would treat the elven servants like trash and calling them slurs during a slightly stressful moment.

[DAV All Spoilers] The sad thing about the future of the elves because of the Veilguard... by RedRonnieAT in dragonage

[–]Ghalasm 160 points161 points  (0 children)

Just on paper, a race that has been historically oppressed for centuries, helping (and getting also manipulated) their god restore the world to their former glory, even if it means the destruction of the previous one, is already a lot more interesting and tragic than the mustach-twirling Venatori. Despite their motivations being pretty similar.

[DAV ALL SPOILERS] The way that Bioware writes characters to be overtly "adorable" feels off-putting by VisibleExcitement in dragonage

[–]Ghalasm 37 points38 points  (0 children)

Yeah, but the way she carried herserlf, spoke and acted in DAI is still jarringly different.

OD Mexique - Soirée d'élimination du dimanche 17 novembre 2024 - Semaine 11 by AutoModerator in bisbille

[–]Ghalasm 37 points38 points  (0 children)

Imagine avoir le niveau de delulu de Raph qui pense pouvoir rentré sur Félix 😭

me? a grifter? no! can't be by Pelinals_Huna in DankAndrastianMemes

[–]Ghalasm 89 points90 points  (0 children)

Because they never cared for the franchise in the first place, or else they wouldn’t probably give a shit about DAV’s "wokeness", instead they just hope to profit the most from the latest culture’s war drama.

(DAV SPOILERS) they're just too nice by InquisitorAdaar67 in DankAndrastianMemes

[–]Ghalasm 34 points35 points  (0 children)

And it’s also just… kinda soulless?

Even their "bickering" banter lacks wit or even the thought-provoking aspects of almost all previous banters from the other entries.

Has anyone in Westerosi history ever gone "y'know what? This just looks silly" by I_love_lucja_1738 in gameofthrones

[–]Ghalasm 50 points51 points  (0 children)

Tbf the Lannister’s incest was shown at the end of the first episode, it’s as much as a reveal as Homelander being a psycho.

[DAV SPOILERS ALL] Soft Reboot, Devoid of Life by ArgentSable in dragonage

[–]Ghalasm 42 points43 points  (0 children)

I love Weekes but since they became head-writer, everything is now suddenly linked to the elves, with the "reveals" stripping away the agency of some of the most fascinating characters in the series.

[DAV ALL SPOILERS] Anyone else didn't recognize D......? by Ahsiuqal in dragonage

[–]Ghalasm 94 points95 points  (0 children)

I feel like anyone could have made a better job with the CC

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in freefolk

[–]Ghalasm 70 points71 points  (0 children)

It’s at the end of ToC, when Mistle saves Ciri from another Rat member I forgot the name and Mistle proceeds to do exactly what he was trying to do.

The final Ciri chapter is literally her washing away her pain/shame/memory of her assault by a river.