1) This is a great conversation 2) I read this in Solas' voice, God help me. It's something about the phrasing.
Oh nooooo possibly because I default to sounding like I was raised by feral encyclopedias unless I'm really, really careful not to >_>
If it helps, imagine everything I say accompanied with a lot of hand movements and stammering and a shaky grasp of volume control - because it would be if I said it aloud. :P
So does anyone have theories about wtf is up with Sandal? He was kind of creepy-funny in Origins, especially when he shows up at the end selling Bodhan's stuff surrounded by dead darkspawn. I kind of liked the 'just because he's simple doesn't mean he's stupid' implication- he can tell when he's in danger and use his strengths to protect himself. And then in II when I saw him and Bodhan again I was kind of excited (both of them have their own 'always there when you need them' thing that I like. Near supernatural except not because dwarves) and I figured the scene in the deep roads was just going to be a callback... and then the ogre. The original "holy fuck what happened to these darkspawn" "enchantment!" was kind of scary in a remind me to never piss this kid off kind of way, but "not enchantment!" ... The hell is it then? Sandal's not going to explain, you don't get to ask Bodhan, nothing explains it. And sometimes, after you get the estate, he'll talk about an old lady in his head? He should be fade-proof because he's a dwarf, but on the other hand he's "lyrium addled" and lyrium has a strong connection to the fade. Frequent contact with it won't (re)create a connection: tranquil and dwarven enchanters don't (re)gain one, but he was in the deep roads and who even knows what's down there he might have encountered. And in Legacy there's overheard dialog about him possibly being an Aeducan bastard who went missing, who had either a human or elf mother. Elf seems more likely according to the wikia page on dwarves, as elf-blooded dwarven children are dwarven by all appearances. Would being elf-blooded give him a connection to the fade? I still haven't gotten far in Inquisition because I wanted to replay the other games first and then I burnt out for a minute (that's what reminded me about Sandal; I just got to the "not enchantment!" scene in II) but apparently at one point he gets very verbal and prophesizes? Which also points to a fade connection. I just. RRRGH. Ever since the first time I saw the scene it II I've known Something's Up with the kid but the hints are so sparse and no-one else seems to care?
iirc Sandal was originally kind of a running joke (as a dwarf who can apparently do magic), but the devs seem to have turned him into something more. There was a bit in Worlds of Thedas vol. 2 about him - Bodahn found Sandal in an ancient chamber that contained a, “glittering wall that depicted ancient tales of heroes and Paragons, Elves, dwarves, dragons, and creatures Bodhan could not name.” (I'd pull the exact passage but I don't have the spoons to fuss with my tablet right now.) I remember that Sandal looked to Bodhan to be a child of 5 at that point, and he just casually turned around and smiled, then whispered, "They're coming" and pointed at a wall - turns out Darkspawn were about to break through! In the Descent DLC there's a lot of interesting dwarf lore, including stuff that might relate to Sandal, but it's hard to say. One of his prophecies basically sounds like where the arc of the series is going: "One day the magic will come back. All of it. Everyone will be just like they were. The shadows will part, and the skies will open wide. When he rises, everyone will see." Sounds awfully familiar!
I'm leaning towards some of the Descent lore explaining it, since I've got the feeling that stuff is gonna come back around again since Dragon Age DLC seems to be really plot relevant at times, but I'm not positive. it could end up being something completely different, though he does seem awfully plot relevant and yet, I very rarely see him come up in a lot of the meta theories that come around on my dash :( I'm not sure if it's because people are having a hard time connecting him in with the things we do know, or if it's just that the current hyperfocus on the human/elf aspect has kind of overrun a lot of what we know about Sandal and the dwarves, so it's going to be a minute before anyone starts thinking about what he could mean for later games
I feel like it's at least in part because there's just enough canonical stuff about him and dwarf stuff to be tantalizing, but not quite enough to move most meta about him out of the realm of 'guessing wildly'. (At least, that's how I feel about it - there's a lot of shiny baubles, but not enough to make even a bracelet out of, and no thread to string it with!)
Restarted Inquisition. Forgot how annoyingly pushy about their religion a lot of the people in the game can be. Well no. I remembered. Just I didn't remember just how much it annoyed me. It's very much like having to deal with Christians while having my own crazy not-Christian faith things and just. Urgh. URGH.
Does this get even worse. Gods. What have I gotten myself into. Dragon Age, I said. It'll be fun, I said. And it has been, but when you've been legit told a lot of this shit in person it is just kind of. Grating.
Someone put the Mountain Goats' "Cry for Judas" on a picture of Anders and now I'm sad!!! Spoiler: ended up quoting whole song rather than part of it
Playing Inquisition on PS3 is funny because the quality is wildly variable. It changes constantly on the spot and it's just kind of weird at times. Also I am lost in the trap of never finding the main plot again. I spent two hours just looking at stupid bullshit in the Hinterlands and talking to my team. Three years shall pass and one day Saoirse will be asked just what the fuck we are even doing. She will not know the answer. All she will know is that her inventory is full of assorted bits of armor again and ooh is that elfroot.
I totally don't have a problem I can stop making characters any time I want I swear ANYWAYS I might've started a new game in Inquisition. Spoiler: Eira the Intern Dwarf This is Eira. She's an intern in the Carta. As in, an accounting intern. She's been interning for a couple months! And then she was sent to the Conclave with her mentor so they could gauge the potential future for lyrium. And then the Conclave exploded and at first everyone was yelling at her for killing everyone BUT NOW THEY'RE ALL SAYING SHE'S SOME SORT OF WORLD SAVIOR SHE DIDN'T SIGN UP FOR THIS SHE'S JUST AN INTERN SHE DOESN'T EVEN KNOW HOW TO FIGHT REALLY Also in the starting scenario, where you fall off the bridge with Cassandra? She got the worst luck with the weapon that falls down. She got a bow. She has no idea how to fire the damn thing, and it isn't quite as intuitive as a sword would be. So while the demons were attacking Cassandra, Eira was attempting to figure out how to shoot an arrow; I imagine it went something like this: "Oh geez uh. How do I fire this . Uh. HOLD ON I ALMOST GOT IT HOLD ON. OH HEY I actually notched it that time--oh wait nevermind it fell off UH JUST KEEP THEM BUSY FOR A MOMENT I ALMOST--OH OKAY I GOT IT YOU MIGHT WANT TO DUCK--OH SHIT I SHOT YOU ANYWAYS" And then when she finally meets Varric she tries to get him to teach her how to shoot the bow and he essentially goes "Sorry kid, I only use crossbows and it's completely different" Eventually she meets Sera and gets her to teach her, but Sera's only a marginal teacher at best. (That and the teaching lessons will likely get very easily distracted) ((Eira is going to mack so hard on Sera))
i want to be a qunari too but i haven't even gotten to the part past haven in the game as saoirse ever help me
I really should have initiated Merril's romance before setting off the chain where Leandra dies. At least I'd be able to reassure her I'm not alone that way. T_T And this is a rogue Hawke, so they feel like their whole family's been taken away even though Bethany's still alive and doing OK at the circle. And Hawke doesn't oppose the circle in theory, just the practice of it so it's not "nooooo now my sister is imprisoned 5ever and doomed to a shitty life under Templar thumbs" but more "Beth is smart and sweet and unlikely to cause problems for anyone even with the paranoia, and now we don't have to constantly worry about getting busted." It's just that they're usually too busy to visit and it feels like she's far away even though they're at the Gallows often, just not inside the tower. It's still a loss, just not as bad as it could be.
Update on Eira: she is becoming increasingly annoyed at the fact that the Inquisition keeps pushing her to do fieldwork. She was learning to be an accountant! The closest thing she ever did to fieldwork before was just traveling from point A to point B!! Why can't she just stay with Josephine and do accounting stuff (or, hell, maybe learn to be an ambassador) and let the people with actual fighting expertise go out and do the fieldwork?! There are demons and bears out there!! Also her motto has become "well that was a rather undignified thing to happen to me but hey it's actually not the worst thing that's happened today"
Why can't we just stay with Josephine indeed. Though Saoirse's more into that idea because it means she has someone to tell stories to and hear stories from. And Josephine likes stories. STORY TIME STORY TIME STORY TIME. Well that or the preferred why can't we just wander about with Josephine. This having a stable home thing is strange and unusual.
Ugh. @ that song for Anders. I have a whole playlist of songs for his and my Hawke's relationship. So many feels. These two are the ones that seem like they were written JUST for Anders. They both focus on the fact that he's a walking disaster but Hawke still loves him. Spoiler: Devil's Backbone Lyrics - The Civil Wars Oh Lord, Oh Lord, what have I done? I’ve fallen in love with a man on the run Oh Lord, Oh Lord, I’m begging you please Don’t take that sinner from me Oh don’t take that sinner from me Oh Lord, Oh Lord, what do I do? I’ve fallen for someone who’s nothing like you He’s raised on the edge of the devil’s backbone Oh I just wanna take him home Oh I just wanna take him home Ooooooooooo Ooooooooooo Oh Lord, Oh Lord, he’s somewhere between A hangman’s knot, and three mouths to feed There wasn’t a wrong or a right he could choose He did what he had to do Oh he did what he had to do Ooooooooooo Ooooooooooo Give me the burden, give me the blame I’ll shoulder the load, and I’ll swallow the shame Give me the burden, give me the blame How many, how many Hail Marys is it gonna take? Don’t care if he’s guilty, don’t care if he’s not He’s good and he’s bad and he’s all that I’ve got Oh Lord, Oh Lord, I’m begging you please Don’t take that sinner from me Oh don’t take that sinner from me Spoiler: Coming Down Lyrics - Halsey I found God I found him in a lover When his hair falls in his face And his hands so cold they shake I found the Devil I found him in a lover And his lips like tangerines And his color coded speak Now we're lost somewhere in outer space In a hotel room where demons play They run around beneath our feet We roll around beneath these sheets I've got a lover A love like religion I'm such a fool for sacrifice It's coming down, down, coming down It's coming down, down, coming down I've got a lover And I'm unforgiven I'm such a fool to pay this price It's coming down, down, coming down It's coming down, down, coming down I found a martyr He told me that I'd never With his educated eyes And his head between my thighs I found a savior I don't think he remembers 'Cause he's off to pay his crimes And he's got no time for mine Now we're lost somewhere in outer space In a hotel room where demons play They run around beneath our feet We roll around beneath these sheets I've got a lover A love like religion I'm such a fool for sacrifice It's coming down, down, coming down It's coming down, down, coming down I've got a lover And I'm unforgiven I'm such a fool to pay this price It's coming down, down, coming down It's coming down, down, coming down Every single night pray the sun'll rise Every single time make a compromise Every single night pray the sun'll rise, but It's coming down, down, coming down It's coming down, down, coming down I've got a lover A love like religion I'm such a fool for sacrifice It's coming down, down, coming down It's coming down, down, coming down I've got a lover And I'm unforgiven I'm such a fool to pay this price It's coming down, down, coming down It's coming down, down, coming down Every single night pray the sun'll rise Every single time make a compromise Every single night pray the sun'll rise, but It's coming down, down, coming down It's coming down, down, coming down It's coming down, down, coming down It's coming down, down, coming down It's coming down, down, coming down It's coming down, down, coming down
