ragnarok-in-a-box.bsky.social
Father of 1, nerd of many things, active duty military, neurodivergent, ally, & has the bad habit of not knowing when to stop writing.
Ragnarok in a Box: Mix with water, microwave for 3 minutes. BAAAAAAM:: Instant Norse Apocalypse.
101 posts
18 followers
20 following
Active Commenter
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Being a fan of the MCU, I honestly could never understand this kind of defense. Instead of getting caught up in the hype, is it really so hard to remain objective enough to critically evaluate it instead of blindly defending it?
That said, culture wars are brewing over perceived forced DEI...
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It seems to come in waves, changing from one side of the spectrum to the other. For someone in the United States, I see a mixture of indignation and a feeling of validation for what looks to be the wrong reasons.
However, what is more important is how it is received over the next four years...
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I enjoyed the television series and honestly am going to avoid reading reviews until after I've watched it myself. If I reach the same conclusion, so be it. But I hold out hope that it's more than that.
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That said, Veilguard chose a far less nuanced approach and injected modern ideology/terminology in the first few hours of the game and there was a lot of backlash from that.
Unfortunately, even in 2025 people are still not accepting. So we get another mark in the culture war.
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As someone who to this day still has issues with his father, Dorian's story hit me right in the feels. It wasn't about his sexuality, it was the person underneath and it's THAT kind of connection that helps fans realize that people are just people, who they chose to love shouldn't matter.
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But in cases where the ideas were a little bit more obvious, the writers were brilliant in their ability to focus on universal concepts like having a crappy father to help connect the player to the character.
Dorian is a favorite character of mine because of how he was portrayed.
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I've always thought that AAA games were designed to cast a wide net to include different political/sociological/religious groups. As such, the prior DA games always had a very even-handed approach which was carefully crafted to give inclusion which minimized backlash.
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That's a very valid point and enough reason for me to concede.
Heavy is the head that wears the crown. You are the father of Dragon Age to many and that's unfortunately why you're subjected to this.
But hey, at least the fans haven't forgotten how your writings touched their hearts! ❤️ 🧡 💛
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David, as a long time fan of the dragon age universe, I would love the opportunity to write out my thoughts and Veilguard share them with you. But I feel it's a disrespect to the message you're conveying in your posts.
But I want to say that posts like this matter to fans like me. Thank you.
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Honestly, I do feel that there are some... opportunities with Veilguard. But personally, I just am sad that the IP is owned by the company and not the creators that sweat blood; and tears to make the prior games as amazing as they were.
I can only imagine how this makes you feel, David.
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I have been out to sea for the past few weeks (US Navy), so I have missed a lot of this.
I have mixed feelings about everything that happened, but it warms my heart to know that you are still championing your friends and former coworkers.
As always, you are a beacon of hope when there is little.
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In the eyes of many fans, you are the father of Dragon Age. Your word is taken (by some) to biblical proportions and used in many arguments.
It's like when Cat introduced in Red Dwarf and his story of his people fighting holy wars over which color the diner hat was supposed to be. 🤣
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It's an interesting game, I'm enjoying it so far!
I picked it up a month or so ago. I'm adjusting to the visual novel/comic style of gameplay, but in love with the choice-driven narrative. I wish more games kept true to this style of storytelling.
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As long as the storytelling and vision are in there, that's okay. This is a new world and a new vision, I don't want fixation on DA to cheapen that limitless potential.
From the trailer though, I kind of got more of "Aloy of Horizon in a fantasy world" vibes. I'm excited.
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If it's anything like what players experienced with your vision in the Dragon Age games, you're gonna have a lot of frustrated fans and streamers give you the acknowledgement that is long overdue...especially after recent blowups.
That said, I am fiending for good storytelling and gameplay.
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I am genuinely looking forward to this game and seeing the vision that you and your studio put forth for this and future titles.
If I could preorder it on steam, I would have already!!!
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Again, David Gaider has asked that you not continue this here. This is the third time you've started an argument with me on his bluesky. Out of respect for the man, please stop.
If you have questions, you have my discord or you can message me on this platform.
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Of course and my apologies.
@knight1029.bsky.social is more than welcome to private message me about it.
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So think about it this way:
-Veilguard is a released game, not a cancelled project.
-David Gaider is talking about cancelled projects.
-Veilguard is not a cancelled project, ergo I'm not talking about it.
Do you get it now?
The brainrot is real.
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Don't yourself out, though.
As a fan, if there is a game in development that David Gaider himself mourns its loss and talks about the creative energies he put it into it, that means the world is deprived of "what could have been". It's a lost legacy.
Sorry if I'm fluffing your ego, man. 🤣
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David is talking about cancelled projects. What does that have to do with Veilguard that has already been released?
Since there's NDAs, it can only be inferred.
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If there's an existing legacy, I wouldn't count fans out. Some fans are out there mourning what Joplin would have been, for example.
Do you remember Warcraft Adventures Lord of the Clans or Starcraft Ghost? I do.
But projects that never saw the light of day, never to be announced? You're right.
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Some fans get it too, David.
You created a legacy and it honestly hurts knowing that IPs and NDAs get in the way of ever being able carry over that story in the way that you and others envisioned it.
You care enough to mourn for it and that matters to people like me. Thank you for being you.
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I'm assuming this is related to the continuing backlash over Dragon Age 4.
In my eyes, you are one of the fathers of the Dragon Age Universe. Without you and many other core members, fans can honestly feel how different it's become.
It saddens me a bit.
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Even in the midst of backlash, I find it refreshing you're looking to educate.
Some people just want someone to blame. At least this helps to redirect that anger away from the people being told how to do their jobs.
As always, I appreciate your insight and knowledge.
Thank you.
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Kudos to you for making the first steps toward a new direction for your life.
Your legacy with bioware lives on in your works, and I want you to know, that as a fan, I appreciate your passion and time with the Dragon Age series.
I look forward to your future works.
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How are you liking the game so far??
Maybe it's the ol' ND brain, but this screenshot brings me back to the obscurity of a particular 90's game, Lost Eden. Good times.
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Gandhi said it best, "Be the example you want to see".
Even amongst the profit driven corruption of corporations, being the odd person out who walks their own path gives others courage. Pay it forward and let others see the ideal you long for.
Thank you for sharing, David.
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People suck sometimes. Sometimes it works out for the better and talent makes its way to new studios, but upending people's lives to help some corporate vision and profit margins while losing sight of the individual? Yuck.
I'm sorry your friends and colleagues are going through this.
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I still hold out hope that eventually video games will be recognized for their literary value in an academic sense. Given the history of cinema, it makes sense.
I still understand the capitalist society we live in, but at the very least that historical nod toward masterpieces should matter.
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That is unfortunate. But hopefully that will change.
I don't want to imagine future DA games without your vision and guidance at least in some respect.
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If you feel so inclined to share what you're looking forward to the most, I would love to hear it. But I recognize that being a big name in the industry, it's "complicated".
I didn't realize Mike Laidlaw had a hand in Eternal Strands, but that makes me excited even more. Fingers crossed!!!!
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I need to sit down and watch the entire rundown. Having a job sucks sometimes, I need more time in the day.
I see that Civilization is at the top of the list as it should be. I'll sink another 1000 hours into this game too. 🤣 Several others look good too. Eternal strands has me curious too!
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I'm embarrassed to say that I'm just now seeing this! Are you considering dabbling in a new comic regarding Origins?
It honestly warms my heart that you still have such love for the world you helped create. Your stories, passion and wisdom will always be appreciated. Thank you.
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When storytellers are shackled down by the fear of offending people, it hinders their freedom to create.
Without those jarring moments of offense, it proves more difficult to connect with your audience. Experiencing the bad makes us yearn more for the satisfaction of overcoming it.
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I get it, I'm just flabbergasted by it.
To me, it just seems like people are looking for things to be offended over instead of seeing the merit of the story and the character development that happens because of it.
A good story connects to people and Dorian's story did that. Forget the haters.
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But your point is valid. Whether it's escapism or dissociation, sometimes people play games to become someone other than themselves or to forget about the pain in their personal life.
That said, I'd rather the writers have freedom to tell a good story. JMHO, don't shackle the storyteller.
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Discrimination was always a heavy part of Thedas though.
Elves, mages, even the dwarves against themselves.
It isn't out of place to have a story regarding a magister's obsession with magic lineage and breeding. If anything, that bears similarities to Dune's Kwisatz Haderach. It works.
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Dorian's character felt like a passion project for you, David. It was emotionally charged and it genuinely felt like a piece of yourself.
Some of us do bear similar emotional scars. Bad parenting should be a fairly universal concept, even without sexuality. I'm not sure why people are upset.
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It's not in the ending credits, I believe it's after the prolonged/ostagar, but will need to verify.
In the meantime, this should clarify:
venturebeat.com/community/20...
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Never once have I heard about Bagels ever being cooked with pickles on them. I have no frame of reference for this. Is this an Australian/Canadian thing???
What kind of pickles are these? Dill? Sweet? I have so many questions...
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In recent years, things have gotten a bit easier.
These days, you have apps that give you the option/suggestion of randomly generating a password for you, saving it and then linking it to your phone, email, face recognition/thumbprint programs. It's kind of nice...
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Alluding to something often has greater impact than being direct.
However, I still feel this is not the place to have this discussion. I posted a comment on one of your youtube videos a lengthy response breaking down my thoughts and I sent you a request on discord. We can continue this there.
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You're twisting what David wrote to support your own narrative, please stop.
Dragon Age Origins literally credits ASOIAF in the game itself and is known for drawing heavy inspiration from it. I'm not sure why you're even arguing this?
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Unfortunately, Veilguard lacks the writing, direction and execution of the prior games. But this isn't the place to complain about that, if you want my opinion I can sent that privately.
DATV lacks Mike Laidlaw, David Gaider and many others that made those first games excellent, and you can tell.
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And Dragon Age Inquisition is also extremely well written and deep. I spent upwards 1000 hours in that game and don't regret it all. It's true that I don't consider DAI to be as dark, but it didn't need to be in order to tell an excellent story.
It's a favorite game for me.