#this is a game that has never taken itself seriously before anything else- which isn't the same as a serious game dropping the ball ie. FF | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

vigilskeep · 5 months

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do you ever get the impression that cassandra had a bigger role in the game(s) but due to retcons and a cut dlc she was reduced to a seeker who likes romance novels? she showed up in kirkwall with a number of subordinates, clearly had authority and was someone important, but in inquisition she is just a companion who is also "right hand of the divine," whatever that means. i really feel like she was intended to be a more major character, probably an antagonist, but isn't.

i don’t think cassandra was ever intended to be an antagonist, except in the way she performs that role at the start of the framing device in da2. we’re supposed to identify with cassandra in da2 as she is slowly won over by the romance of hawke’s story. that’s not a character we’re intended to fear later. she also shows up at the end with beloved good-aligned companion leliana, which despite leliana’s behaviour during seb’s personal quest, would still feel like a baffling choice for an antagonist setup. the interrogation ends with both varric and cassandra wishing each other the maker’s protection during these grim times. we’re meant to feel like there’s a real problem cass is trying to deal with and needs help for

you’re right that the cut exalted march dlc is worth mentioning. it’s hard to say how which way that would have turned the narrative, but it seems hard to believe we’d end up with the divine’s death and the ensuing inquisition portrayed as they are now. cass wasn’t already canonised as a hand of the divine back then, was she? i don’t know if she would have been involved, especially as da2 specifically sets her up for the inquisition

but i think there’s a much simpler way to explain cassandra’s diminished character in dai: she suffers under the curse of the Gaider Woman

david gaider’s dao prequel novel, the stolen throne, introduces us to the textbook Gaider Woman. this is rowan guerrin, maric’s warrior fiancée, who you won’t remember from dao because after having cailan, she died of Dead Mother Disease. it’s a tough life out there in fiction. anyway, rowan is a warrior fighting for her country’s freedom, who immediately gets pulled into an absurd love square, struggles with her feminine side including putting on a dress to try to win her man over, and at the end of the novel, coming to the conclusion that her purpose is to provide a soft comfort to her king when the world becomes too much: “perhaps this was what queens did. perhaps they held their kings in the darkness, deep within their castles and allowed them that moment of weakness they could never show to anyone else. perhaps they gave strength to their kings, because everyone else only took it from them.” (she arrives at this directly after he murders his other girlfriend and she has to comfort him about it. yes, that’s as insane as it sounds. don’t read the stolen throne.)

anyway, the author of this book is the man who wrote cassandra, a fact which i guessed before i even looked it up. why is her violence never taken seriously as a threat or problem? why must she have a softer, more feminine side? why must the narrative constantly congratulate itself for giving you a Strong Woman? because the way cassandra is written is simply how david gaider feels about women. she’s a cookie cutter example of how he writes them, rowan’s far from the only other one

i think plain old misogyny is far closer at hand than retcons in creating the cassandra we ended up with. and also the changes in how dragon age wants to deal with the chantry, which is separated from the templars and not a credible threat in itself but a handful of bickering old women who cannot do anything effectively (You’ll Never Guess What Gender It’s Run By And What Gender The Templars Are)

#cassandra pentaghast

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cloud-ya · 1 year

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Only loosely aware of Honkai Impact, but saw some posts that sounded interesting. Who is Elysia and why is she apparently bad?

oh boi, what have you just triggered

be wary of spoilers!

General Information: Elysia is a side character from Honkai's mode Elysian Realm, which presents a simulated environment with sims of 13 warriors called Flamechasers from the time 50000 years before the main story, known as the Previous Era. she's ranked the 2nd Flamechaser - she was meant to be the 1st, but she gave up that title to someone else. as story progresses she's revealed to be the Herrscher of Origin (or Humanity or Ego, I don't know which title is used the most), basically the first Herrscher to exist and who sacrificed herself to make sure other people who turn into Herrschers remain their free will and are able to fight for humanity instead of Honkai.

(if I got anything wrong or you don't understand something, please refer to @phoenix-is-the-hottest-thing - they're our Elysian Realm lore master)

now for reasons why people consider her bad:

Bad Writing: Elysia is a shallowly written Mary Sue. Honkai has had two if not more cases of releasing Mary Sue-ish characters and while the first one ended up fine enough with all her stuff explained and executed well, Elysia ended up being a victim of Mihoyo's degrading writing quality as she was getting more and more shallow. all the characters end up being written into loving and complimenting her unconditionally and for no reason, even those who were initially sceptical and/or openly unfriendly to her.

Behaviour: she's written as someone who doesn't understand the concept of personal space, or maybe rather as someone who thinks everyone is about as friendly as her and don't mind her getting as close as she wants. she's overly friendly, touchy and even egoistic, because usually when she happens to give some compliment back it's just "you're as pretty as me". Some of dialogues with her might trigger someone with unwanted touch or never-taken-seriously trauma, at least in my case.

Fanservice: female Flamechasers were unfortunately written and designed with mostly fanservice in mind, and Elysia is no different. the design itself isn't bad, it's about as much revealing as your average female gacha game character. her personality though is clearly created for people who just want touchy anime waifu or watch some yuri given how much she keeps touching Mei (even though Mei is really not pleased with it). devs don't even try to hide it.

Cash Cow: Mihoyo did notice Elysia sells well and they're not discreet about shoving her everywhere just to get that extra money. Honkai has a trio of protagonists who are often portrayed together, but few times they even replaced one with Elysia just so she gathers some more attention than Bronya would. the shoving gets as far as making Raiden Mei's new battlesuit based fully on Elysia, almost erasing everything that's unique about her.

Retconning: there are a lot of retcons happening in new chapters, and Elysia is a subject of one (if not more) of them. the retcon refers to her sacrifice for Herrschers' free will - you see, people are known for gaining an evil alter ego when becoming Herrschers and/or lose control of themselves succumbing to Honkai's control and desire for destruction. Elysia and information about her sacrifice popped out like some sort of Deux ex machina, and her sacrifice contradicts what is shown in earlier chapters because according to its description Current Era Herrschers shouldn't have alter egos or be controlled by Honkai after it.

#elysia hate

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devaigh · 6 years

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Reflections

Written for Gotham's writing workshop, week 29.

Shout out to @bonniebird17 for her feedback and support on this one. 😘

Life definitely did not turn out like I thought it would. I never thought I would choose to live in a different century, honestly, I never thought it possible. When I was a girl traveling the world with my uncle, I was exposed to so much from previous cultures, and people. I learned to adapt at a young age to almost any circumstance.

When I married Frank, I was young, and in love, as much as a nineteen year old can be infatuated with an older man. Our early marriage was cut short, with the arrival of the war, and we spent the next six years apart. I spent the majority of my time in France in field hospitals, caring for the wounded. Frank was...well I never really learned where he had been.

Once the war ended and the two of us were brought back together, we tried to fall back into the easy, early, days of our marriage. We were polite and respectful of the near stranger we found in each other after so long apart. I tried to mold myself back into the idea of a professor's wife, though I found it difficult with my days so idle. I took up a hobby in Botany as a way to cure my boredom.

Frank suggested a trip to the Highlands shortly after our reunion, a trip to act as a second honeymoon. It was a way to hopefully bring the two of us back together, repair the cracks we could feel starting to form. There was a nagging sense that maybe, we had outgrown each other.

That trip to Scotland changed everything. It was my first trip through those blasted stones. Even after all these years, I'll never forget the sound of the screams. The pressure, the cold, sharp bite of the void in between still makes me shake when it comes to mind, which thankfully isn't often.

It was then I met..Jamie. The young, rugged Highlander that would become my husband. It was with Jamie that I began to finally dream, of my future. Well, our future rather. My sudden marriage to Jamie was rather unexpected, but I found that I was truly happy.

For almost three years, Jamie and I lived, and loved each other the best we knew how. He was my protector, I was his heart. We had a bond between us that was stronger than anything I had ever known. To even consider the thought of leaving him would be to rip out my soul.

Our first year of marriage we very nearly lost each other. I was nearly burned as a witch, Jamie was captured by Redcoats. He learned the truth of my past, and I sought shelter in his arms.

France brought us a new challenge. I was pregnant, Jamie recovering from the vicious attack he had suffered in prison to save my life. Fergus became apart of our lives. The small orphan boy with curls to rival my own. In the short time we had known him, he became a son to us, and we finally felt content with our growing family.

But happiness could not last. The man who nearly broke Jamie, who tried so desperately to push my husband into the void beyond my reach still lived. Caught between my emotions and the guilt I felt at forsaking Frank, I begged Jamie to spare Randall’s life, only for a time. I wish I hadn't.

Then, with the Bonny Prince, we tried to play the game of war, but the harsh realities of politics took its toll on us. Jamie challenged Randall to a duel. I miscarried. My husband was arrested and taken to the Bastille. I was forced to bargain for his freedom. Jamie and I nearly lost our connection, our marriage and each other.

Despite the heartbreak of losing our daughter Faith, and the rising of the Jacobite army, I had never been more content than I was in my young husband's arms. We found our way back to one another, desperately trying to claim what was ours. I had finally after so long found the home for my heart, and I never wanted to leave his side.

Fate however had a different plan.

Jamie and I had wrapped ourselves into the doomed Jacobite rebellion. I had fallen pregnant with our second child, though I had not realized it at the time. That's when Jamie ripped out both of our hearts. He sent me back....to Frank.

To a life without him.

It was the only way to save our child. Our daughter, Brianna.

I had screamed, cried and fought. I refused to leave Jamie. I was stubborn and pig-headed and yet, it was all for nothing. Jamie kissed me, I spent one final night in the safety of his embrace before I stepped back into a life I didn't want. A future without him.

My world changed again when I held Bree in my arms. From her first moments, I knew right away how much she looked like her father. Her red fuzz, and dark eyes that would fade into the most beautiful blue, to match the man who made her. She had his spirit too. Even then, I knew our daughter had saved me.

Years later, when Bree was grown, and we had found Jamie, seemingly still alive in the 18th century, I swore I felt my heart stop. Frank had died the year before, even though our marriage had been a cold one since my return. Now I was free, with my daughter raised, Bree looking more and more like the man I had loved so fully every day. I worried about leaving her, I hated the thought of never seeing her again, but the call of my heart's mate was a pull too strong for me to ignore.

Once Bree practically shoved me back into the void, towards Jamie with a kiss and many tears, I knew she would be okay. Whatever would happen from then on, I had to finally take control of my own life and chase after the one thing I wanted most in the world.

I found Jamie, shortly after my arrival. While things were quite rocky in that second beginning, I knew the moment I was wrapped in his arms again that I had made the right choice. From that point on, no matter what the universe decided to throw at us, Jamie and I vowed we would not be separated again.

It has been a long hard road to get us where we are now. Looking back, I can't say that I wouldn't make the same choices. After everything, knowing then what I know now, I would still choose him. I would still choose us.

As I stand here on the porch of the house Jamie built for me, and I watch as our family gathers around us, I know my heart is so full. Full of love for this man, who gave me the world, who has always been my protector, my lover, my best friend, I can not express to him how I feel. But he knows.

At some point, it really doesn't matter.

“What are ye thinking, Sassenach?”

A pair of strong arms envelops my waist. I lean back into the solid warmth of my husband, the scent of woodsmoke, sweat and horses surrounds me. I close my eyes and smile. My head rolling back to rest on his shoulder. I could stay here forever, safely wrapped in his arms.

“Just reflecting.” I say. My hands moving to cover his. His lips find the juncture of my neck and shoulder, a deep rumbling laugh, a sigh, another kiss, this time just below my ear.

“Aye? What about?”

“Everything. How we made it here, where we are.”

A deep grunt. “It's been a hard journey, ye ken. But we made it. There's no where else I would be then here, with you.”

“I ken.” I turn in his arms, my own weaving around his neck. He kisses my forehead and I tilt my face up so I can better capture his lips with my own. It's sweet, soft, and ends all too quick. Jamie grins down at me, his arms tighten around my waist.

“I love ye too, mo chridhe.”

I smile, as our lips meet again. I can taste the whisky on his breath and feel the rasp of his beard as he kisses me. I feel his hands begin to roam, one loses itself in my curls, while the other tugs me closer. My body sways forward easily, seeking his warmth from the chilly Autumn air. When we finally break apart for air, he tugs me closer, towards the door of our home, guiding me in under his arm.

Jamie knows my heart, he has known the song of my soul since the first. As our children, grandchildren and our people thrive, it is all thanks to this man, this brave, kind, honorable, and highlander warrior who is mine. I wouldn't have it any other way.

A.N.// I seriously thought this was already posted here. I know it's on Ao3. So for those who have missed it, Enjoy.

P.S. My phone wont post a under a cut. Sorry guys.

#reflections #jamie × claire #jamie fraser #claire beauchamp #canon compliant #outlander fan fiction #outlander fandom #pov first person #old post #ao3 #writing exercise #mobile post

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