Omg I Forgot I Have This Pic Of My Dog Trying To Fit In A Dog Bed Too Small For Him

omg I forgot I have this pic of my dog trying to fit in a dog bed too small for him 😭😭

Some misc thoughts on the Architect in Awakening

I haven’t quite finished DAA yet (though I generally know what happens in it) but anyway:

– Why does the Architect seem so interested in the Warden specifically? Like he’s kidnapped/experimented on/killed other wardens recently, but HoF is particularly sought? Why? Is it just their combat and leadership ability that makes them a good potential ally (though if alliance is his only goal, why risk antagonizing them by kidnapping and experimenting on them in the first place)? Or is it something deeper, like because they killed the Archdemon and survived? In general, their blood should be no different from that of other wardens … right?

– What exactly did the Architect do to the Warden? Ngl, it freaked my Tabris out to come to and hear him say her wounds had been healed when she had no wounds when she was captured. This could just be a general comment because the game assumes the Warden had some wounds when captured, but eugh. Nightmare fuel.

– It’s kind of cute that the Architect wears his gold mask for his meeting with the Warden. Like, the cognitive dissonance of “Hi, I’ve abducted you and I have the appearance of an eldrich horror no matter what but I want to look my best for it.”

WIP sketches of Cardinal Copia :>

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I've been watching some videos about plot choices in DA:O and DA2 that I've never seen, and Merrill has this amazing line in the Gallows at the end of Act 3, if you side against her and the mages. It speaks to everything I adore about her character, and sums up the central conflict of the entire Dragon Age series so poignantly:

"If I leave these mages to die, or I help you kill them, what then? Magic can't be made safe, and it can't be destroyed. Fear makes men more dangerous than magic ever could."

That's the thing I love about Merrill. Out of all the mages we encounter throughout the series, on both sides of the mage-templar conflict, Merrill has always been the one who, despite her flaws, or maybe because of them, understands the hard truths about magic that almost no one else seems able or willing to accept.

This line in the Gallows reminds me of another line she has, a banter line with Anders after Justice takes over and almost kills that one girl.

Merrill: Are you all right?

Anders: I nearly killed an innocent girl. How could I be all right? There's no definition of "all right" that fits this state.

Merrill: I'm sorry.

Anders: You're sorry? For me? This could be you. You could be the next monster threatening helpless girls.

Merrill: Anders, there's no such thing as a good spirit. There never was. All spirits are dangerous. I understood that. I'm sorry that you didn't.

Merrill understands that magic is not safe, and will never be safe. And until the rest of Thedas is ready to accept that, the mage-templar conflict will never end. Because until you can accept that there's no silver bullet solution to the problem of dangerous spirits and mages who choose to hurt people, you'll never be willing to do the hard work it takes to co-exist.