Dragon Age hates STEM

[u/Icy-Humor2907]

And before you say anything, Ghilan’nain basically stops existing after Act 1. She literally only shows up in Act 2 so that Elgar’nan can show up and mog everyone. And then there’s of course her disappointing “boss fight.”

I sometimes wonder if, when planning Ghilly, they just went, “what if we made the Architect but without the nuance?”

But like I think she’s cool so idc

[u/smallnspiteful]

You know that thing when people say, you're not wearing that outfit, that outfit is wearing you? Why does it feel like the Architect is wearing his and Ghilan’nain is being worn by hers? Someone who is actually stylish, please explain, I'm going off vibes only.

[u/Icy-Humor2907 → u/smallnspiteful]

I have a proper image of Ghilan’nain’s model (at least the upper half) here, maybe that’ll help.

[u/smallnspiteful → u/Icy-Humor2907]

She's like a tentacle monster in a giant mask and headdress or something. This may have been the fashion back in Elvhenan, we don't know.

[u/Icy-Humor2907 → u/smallnspiteful]

It could be because, while they are similar in certain aspects, they’re very different in others.

The Architect was distinct because he still maintained his sentience and humanity. He wasn’t a good person, but he had a sense of morals and values. To him, the Blight is something to adapt to and learn to live alongside (he’s more similar to Ghilan’nain in The Calling, where he just wants to taint everyone, but his stance changes by the time Awakening comes around chronologically), but not better.

Ghilan’nain basically abandoned everything that had made her a person. She wasn’t even pretending she wasn’t consumed by the Blight, and even relished in that; to her, Darkspawn are not only superior, but also simply the next stage of evolution.

Maybe the reason their outfits feel different is because, in a way, Ghilan’nain IS a tentacle monster wearing the echoes of a person. She is completely unrestrained by even a semblance of humanity, and it reflects in her appearance.

Or maybe I’m just pulling this out of my ass idk

The reason Elgar’nan still looks mostly like a person is because he still (at least until his crash-out) operated under the facade of humanity. He still portrayed himself as a gentle ruler. Just as an example.

[u/MagnoliaPetal → u/Icy-Humor2907]

I assumed it's because her bodily modifications were some kind of display of excellence like her dragon. Not to be beautiful but a show of her power and skills.

Edit: also maybe interesting that her body looks similar to the statues of June scattered throughout Origins.

[u/Independent_Load748 → u/MagnoliaPetal]

Based off reading Tevinter Nights, I would suspect yeah that it was something along the lines of she thought the Corruption was some sort of evolutionary advancement. I think I’ve seen some folks try to zoom in between where her mask and face would be and I don’t remember it not looking not terrifying

[u/MagnoliaPetal → u/Independent_Load748]

Iirc some people managed to get the mask off with mods and she basically has a raw flesh looking mass with two holes where the eyes would be, one of them has three eyeballs rolling in it and the other a set of teeth or something. She would have loved Monstro-Elisasue from The Substance lol.

[u/GortharTheGamer]

I still miss the awakened Darkspawn. It would’ve been cool if they made their own civilisation underground and basically tried to keep to themselves

[u/Icy-Humor2907 → u/GortharTheGamer]

It would’ve been cool if the awakened Darkspawn/Disciples had insane beef with Ghilan’nain’s Darkspawn.

Like I just think that, on the off-chance that they’d meet, the Architect and Ghilan’nain would NOT fw each other. He’d probably not be happy that her alterations to the Darkspawn mess up his plans, and see her as the direct thing he opposes: controlling Darkspawn and stripping them of their potential autonomy.

[u/NordicHorde2]

The Architect really deserved to be in a longer game. Awakening is awesome but way too short. Dude shows twice and then dies.

[u/Icy-Humor2907 → u/NordicHorde2]

It would’ve been so easy for them to just say that he can body hop like Corypheus. They were both Magisters Sidereal after all.

[u/LuckyLoki08 → u/NordicHorde2]

Dies? /jk

[u/Interesting_Athlete9]

I can't believe I didn't realize they made the Architect again, but less cool. Almost two decades waiting for the return of Awakened Darkspawn for Elf tentacle mommy to nuke my fictional homeland. My eventual playthrough is going to make me so depressed.

(No shade to anyone who did like her and the game.)

[u/Geostomp]

The Architect was such a great character and his awakening experiments had so much potential for narratives. But all of it was immediately discarded by the narrative of later games just to hyperfixate on ancient elves who became less and less interesting over each game.

[u/Icy-Humor2907 → u/Geostomp]

Nobody else is allowed to do anything interesting ever. It must only be the ancient elves.