not to advocate for MORE sexism in bioware games or anything like that but like...the "gender equality" in DAO is so poorly thought out and by that I am SPECIFICALLY referring to women in the Grey Wardens.
Sure yeah Alistair makes that off-hand comment about how "there aren't many women in the wardens" that's more indicative of the writing team's sexism than anything else, but genuinely speaking I think there's actually a valid reason for women to not be allowed in the Grey Wardens.
You cannot tell me that Alistair and the HoF were the first to discover what Broodmothers were and how they were made. You cannot tell me that Grey Wardens have been fighting back Darkspawn for centuries and they do not know about Broodmothers. And if the Grey Wardens know about Broodmothers, then they must know that sending female Grey Wardens down into the Deep Roads is a bad fucking plan.
I can understand concessions being made during a Blight; hell, being a Grey Warden is such a Shit Job that I can understand the Grey Wardens being willing to take in anyone. But like...the women who join cannot go down into the Deep Roads for their Calling. And I would argue that them going down into the Deep Roads at all is a bad plan unless they've got some equivalent of a suicide pill with them in case of capture by Darkspawn.
It honestly is baffling to me that there's NO mention of protocols for female grey wardens during their Calling or expeditions to the Deep Roads being different AT ALL. All it would take is Alistair saying something along the lines of "So that's why there's so few women in the Wardens" after they discover the Broodmother.
Because a woman joining the Wardens isn't just risking death.
She's risking a horrific, violating transformation that turns her into a creature that endangers everyone.
One day my DA4 will come đ
the necromancer, knight-enchanter, and rift mage.
Saint Sebastian Tended by the Holy Irene and her Servant [detail] (1626-1630) | Nicolas Regnier
So one of the best minor twists in the original Dragon Age Origins, is the reveal that Herren is a desire demon, a reveal you will only ever learn if you play through the alternate timeline campaign Darkspawn chronicles where the main PC Warden dies and the darkspawn wins.
I love how this one, simple revelation completely turns over everything that the first game tells you about demons and spirits on it's head, something which would be expanded on in later games, but also how it fits in perfectly with everything else shown in the game.
While abominations creates absolute hideous monsters when formed, Desire demon abominations march to a completely different drum, as we see with Connor, where the demon leaves him perfectly physically healthy.
Desire Demons also are the only ones in game who flat out does not need an outside body at all to function, as shown with Kitty not having possessed a cat, but instead taken the form of one.
They also have far more well thought out and logical plan making than any other demons, capable of making plans that could actually work in the long run.
Which brings us back to Harren, the lover and business partner of the genius blacksmith who forges your best blade in awakening, and dragon armor in origins.
Here we see a Demon that has integrated completely into human society, has found an actual relationship with a human that satisfies his needs, and as shown with the way he acts exasperated by his lovers eccentric nature, he has clearly grown beyond the basic nature of a desire demon, into a human who at the end of the day, still retained his demonic powers(as we see in the darkspawn chronicles.
In other words, he is a demon version of Cole, introduced long, long before Cole was a thing.
I love how you can go back to the start of Dragon Age, and realize that they really had figured out the rules of this universe from day one.
circle mages and nationality is sooo interesting. youâre from this country. youâve been stuck inside a circle tower so long that you canât remember what this country even looks like. you read about your own home in books; you half remember it like a dream. the only time you are ever likely to see it is if you go to sit at its monarchâs right hand, or if at the templarsâ whim you are sent away from it forever without warning or explanation. they still expect you to fight and die for this country, whatever country youâre in, whenever youâre called upon. and youâd do it, too, just to prove you belong here. you want to go home. youâve never had one
Can I say something that blows my mind about Varric and Solasâ relationship? Imo Varric was THIS close to actually convincing Solas. we all talk about romanced Lavellan almost getting him to admit everything and possibly give up his plans, but we neeeeddddd to give Varric props like this man was really about to convince a whole ass god (literally named Pride) that he is wrong, that going through with some self destructive attempt at rectifying ur mistakes by destroying the world is Not the proper way to process ur grief, and Varric doesnât even know heâs doing it. Varric really is the party bard fr the charisma score on this manâŚâŚâŚ..
yes Iâm talking about the man on the island banter. Every time I hear it I tear my hair out because VARRIC you almost HAD HIM he was CRUMBLING I just KNOW IT
Ursula K. Le Guin
someone please explain the concept of poverty to aveline
âthe sea doesnât care about you!!â ok well just because the ocean is unspeakably powerful and canât stop the rhythm sheâs held for uncountable eons just for one person doesnât mean she canât love you. loving and changing are two different things. we wouldnât have life without the oceanâŚ. and yeah, if you donât respect her and treat her cavalierly, youâll perish. but how can anyone say the sea doesnât mourn when she holds so much life and beautiful secrets in her belly? why are we putting atheism on the ocean that loves us?
Can I say something that blows my mind about Varric and Solasâ relationship? Imo Varric was THIS close to actually convincing Solas. we all talk about romanced Lavellan almost getting him to admit everything and possibly give up his plans, but we neeeeddddd to give Varric props like this man was really about to convince a whole ass god (literally named Pride) that he is wrong, that going through with some self destructive attempt at rectifying ur mistakes by destroying the world is Not the proper way to process ur grief, and Varric doesnât even know heâs doing it. Varric really is the party bard fr the charisma score on this manâŚâŚâŚ..
yes Iâm talking about the man on the island banter. Every time I hear it I tear my hair out because VARRIC you almost HAD HIM he was CRUMBLING I just KNOW IT
(backup blog for @frostbackmountaineering!) | they/them. biracial; reconnecting nahua. | art is under #art tag; ramblings are under #imhar.txt | mostly just using this account to follow/interact.
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