#[ solas: cole. ] never forget your purpose; cole. it is a noble one. even if this world does not understand.

[iniziare]

Tag drop: Solas

[jackdawyt]

Contaminated with the Blight. Known to thin the Veil, and forces anyone who dare wield it go mad. There’s a lot we’ve got to talk about regarding this most blighted material, however, in order for us to foreshadow what involvement red Lyrium may have in the future, we’ve got to excavate its original source – raw lyrium.  

Lyrium

Regular, non-tainted Lyrium is a mineral constantly mined for its properties, it has many purposes in Thedas today. The dwarves have built a trade empire mining and selling the material across the entire continent because of its usage. This trade is the main reason why Tevinter and the dwarven kingdoms have such a close relationship.  

Lyrium is essentially a mana booster, able to strengthen one’s magical power beyond what anyone might naturally muster. When mixed into liquid and ingested, Lyrium allows mages to enter the Fade consciously.  No wonder the mages of the Imperium have such a secure trade of the substance.  

While mages combine Lyrium with spells and rituals. Templars ingest the substance to enhance their abilities at resisting and dispelling magic, while the dwarves and non-magic wielders use Lyrium to create magical runes and enchant items.  

Even the Qunari were intrigued by its usage and began experimenting with the properties of Lyrium to bulk up their own mages called “Saarebas.”  

In the current Dragon Age, Lyrium has become a beneficial and essential mineral for the majority of Thedas.  

As Lyrium exists in both the physical world and The Fade, the Chantry believes Lyrium to be the “emerald waters of the Fade, the very substance of creation itself.” While others call Lyrium a conductor that "bridges the gap between the dreamer’s world and the waking world” (WoT V1).

Whatever the truth is... There’s a lot beyond the surface regarding this powerful substance that the common Thedosian may never know.  

The dwarves call “Lyrium” - “Isana” which translates to “singing stone” (WoT V1).

This is because Lyrium is; in fact, a living substance, it’s said to be the very blood of the world-shaping Titans.  

According to; their children, the dwarves, the legendary, ancient beings sculpted the world. Their earthquakes are apparently their method of reshaping Thedas to their accord.  

It's impossible to describe in words how truly vast a Titan is. The one I met is so large you can only glimpse parts of it. I had wandered inside its body for who knows how long without even realizing it. I've heard tales of dragons and giants on the surface, but descriptions of their size do not compare to the Titan's.

Its blood now flows through me, and its song fills the gaps in our history. I close my eyes and see glimpses of the world that was, before everything changed and the dwarven race broke in two. Something caused the Titans to fall, and the fate of my people fell with them. The Titan wants me to know. No, more than that. It wants me to understand. There is a loneliness to its song.

Codex entry: Titans: Shaper Valta's personal journal.

Whether the Titans, or “Pillars of the Earth” created Thedas, and have since been dwelling since the beginning of creation itself is still a rather ambiguous mystery. However, based on codex entries, we can confirm that the Titans existed before the Veil was created.  

In actuality, before the Veil’s creation, the Kingdom of the Elvhen hunted and declared war against the Titans, stating their death will be a mercy and will make the earth blossom with their passing.

"In this place we prepare to hunt the pillars of the earth. Their workers scurry, witless, soulless. This death will be a mercy. We will make the earth blossom with their passing."

Mythal, All-mother of the Elven Pantheon struck down a Titan, as the people praised her name.  

"Hail Mythal, adjudicator and savior! She has struck down the pillars of the earth and rendered their demesne unto the People! Praise her name forever!" 

With the defeat of a Titan, the Ancient Elves discovered Lyrium from its body. The elves continued to fight with the Titans, mining their bodies for raw Lyrium and "something else" which has been made unclear.  

"The runes say the Evanuris fought the Titans. They mined their bodies for lyrium and... something else. It's not clear."

While I’m trying not to theorise and speculate, Cole once said: "They made bodies from the earth. And the earth was afraid. It fought back. But they made it forget."

Perhaps the Ancient Elvhen made Lyrium bodies from the Titan’s blood. Crafting strong, resilient vessels for the Evanuris and their people to inhabit. Continuing their savage hunt against the Titans.  

Thus, explaining the fall and disconnect of the Titans from their children, the dwarves. Justifying why the dwarven kingdom have grown disattached to their creators throughout the ages, and only now have begun to re-establish that connection once more.  

In any regard, the Titans were not completely silenced. They slumbered for years, and somewhere down the line, Red Lyrium came into existence. Perhaps caused by the Evanuris war, or perhaps self-inflicted by the Titans themselves, we don’t know. Red Lyrium’s origin is still a huge enigma... However, we do know that the spread of Red Lyrium has merely just begun.  

The red corrupted substance is a perverted form of raw Lyrium. Just like its predecessor, Red Lyrium is alive, it has a lifespring, and it grows and multiplies across Thedas. It too ties power between the waking world and the Fade.

To answer your question, my lord: yes, I have indeed heard of this "red lyrium" of which you speak. A single piece of it surfaced in the eastern city of Kirkwall, and its influence alone was nearly enough to cause the city's destruction. As near as we can determine, it is regular lyrium that has been somehow corrupted. Those who have touched red lyrium—or even come near it—report that it "sings" to them, like whispers in the mind that slowly drive them mad.

—From a partially burned letter by an unknown writer, affixed with the Grey Warden seal.

As discovered by Bianca Davri, Red Lyrium carries the blight, explaining its twisted form.  

Unlike regular lyrium which requires you to digest it in order for it to impact you. Red Lyrium corrupts everything it touches, being in close proximity to it will greatly affect you.  

Far more disturbing is the fact that lyrium could be corrupted at all. Treat any red lyrium you encounter as if it were poison. Do not go near it, do not attempt to destroy it... and most importantly, do not attempt to use it.

—From a partially burned letter by an unknown writer, affixed with the Grey Warden seal.

The substance is most unique, it can thin the Veil, allowing spirits and demons to interact with the real world. Prolonged exposure will change not only your mental outlook but your physical appearance too.  

It tends to leave people or animals in a mad-like state. They become paranoid, and see no reasoning for morality, as Bartrand sabotages his own brother Varric. Red Lyrium tends to consume the mind and take over. Much like the reasoning for the Red Templars in Inquisition, Red Lyrium is very deadly, and grows off of anything living.

We do not know, however, what might stem from extended contact with red lyrium. Madness, surely, but would there be a physical corruption as well? What would happen if a mage or a templar used red lyrium as they use regular lyrium?

—From a partially burned letter by an unknown writer, affixed with the Grey Warden seal.

Speaking more specifically on Red Lyrium’s growth - its corruption throughout the land has merely begun - and attempting to remove the mineral is likely a fruitless effort, as it will have already introduced itself into the food chain, which begets more corruption: as Red Lyrium effects all it touches, insects digest blighted soil, animals then digest the blighted insects, this will have a knock-on effect, more animals, plants and trees will become tainted by merely following their survival instincts until eventually the people of Thedas are infected by their own harvest.  

While a lot of the growth of Red Lyrium has been greatly caused by the hands of many Thedosian’s, a great deal of its development into the eco system is simply inevitable. It's merely a matter of days until a Ferelden Farmer has spoiled crops, an Orlesian Noble eats an infected nug, and a predator hunting its prey soon becomes blighted.  

And that’s not all that lingers for the future, Red Lyrium has plenty of involvement in many scenarios that awaits Thedas.  

The Titan’s connection

When Valta connected with a Titan, she felt pure, wasn’t afraid anymore, and could somehow survive without needing food or water, as if the Titan’s essence was her sole sustenance. The Titan connected with one of their children stopped the tremors throughout the land.

Valta established a longing connection with the dwarves supposed creators, as adult and child rekindled once more, Valta’s consciousness intertwined with the knowledge of the Titans. Vital information that would shake up the entirety of the dwarven kingdom’s foundation.  

With Valta’s connection, surely the Titan’s seek to find the rest of their children, becoming one once more.  

Red Lyrium Idol

The Red Lyrium Idol is still a mystery. This McGuffin was brought back in Tevinter Nights, instead of being destroyed when Meredith created her sword Certainty, it stayed within her statue-like corpse, preserved for a fair while.  

it’s been described as: “a couple hugging, too thin to be dwarves”, or “a god mourning their sacrifice.” However, disregarding what it supposedly looks like, this idol belongs to Solas. It’s his, and he wants it back, he has a purpose for it.  

Its current whereabouts have been set up for interpretation, we can assume the Idol is either with a noble’s son heading to war torn Tevinter, or Solas has indeed collected his long-lost possession after some time. Again, we can only assume at this point where it may be, and why Solas requires it.  

Red Lyrium Sarcophagus

In Dragon Age: Blue Wraith, the most recently released comic book roster, the comic cast uncover a Lyrium Sarcophagus, originally utilised for Fenris’s transformation into a “Blue Wraith”. The device infuses the occupant with Lyrium markings that grant the host with immense power like the ability to go through walls, and tear an enemy's heart out of their chest.  

Towards the end of Blue Wraith, we understand that the Venatori have this device and intend on willingly putting one of Fenris’s trusted friends through the device using Red Lyrium to make him a most formidable, unstoppable warrior.  

If successful, perhaps this practice may become common in Tevinter for the remaining Venatori and their elven slaves.

New clusters of Lyrium  

Discovered briefly in Tevinter Nights, The Horror Of Hormak, other colours and variations of Lyrium seemingly exist. A massive Lyrium crystal glowing yellow and green hung suspended deep within a lost dwarven thaig.  

Above it, a massive lyrium crystal hung suspended. It glowed with a sickly light, tinged with yellow and green. Streamers of energy flowed from it into the pool, sending it bubbling wherever it touched. (Horror Of Hormak, pg. 100).  

With more variations of Lyrium deep underground, perhaps we’ll begin to see different properties of this mineral, who knows, perhaps this could lead to other Titans waking up across Thedas.

Origin Of The Blight

And of course, we need to comprehend how the blight began. I attempting at looking at this plot thread, without going to deep into theory, but I do believe it has something to do with the Titan’s war between the Evanuris, because suddenly Red Lyrium pops into the picture and the Elven Pantheon are becoming mad with armour of the Void, turning against each other.  

Perhaps a Blighted Titan is the original source of the blight, as it reaches out for revenge against the Evanuris, attempting to establish a connection with their children once more, destroying everything else in its path...

So many mysteries, and so much to go on for the future of Dragon Age!  That is it for my first entry in this Road To Dragon Age 4 series, let me know what you thought of it, and tell me your potential theories for the future Dragon Age narrative.  

[feynites]

Vivienne is such a complicated character.

Like, here you have this woman who has heard for her entire life that she is dangerous. That’s one consistent thing which almost all mages, whether they’re born to a noble family in Tevinter or peasants in the Anderfels or traders in Rivain, are told. Even Dalish and Avvar mages get this message to some extent. You’re a mage - you’re dangerous.

And especially for Circle mages, being dangerous is expected to eclipse everything else about you. The Circle requires a phenomenal balancing act from people. If you’re not good enough at magic, there’s a chance you won’t even be deemed capable of taking your Harrowing, and you’ll just be made Tranquil. This was what prompted Jowan to start using blood magic, in fact - if you go through Irving’s notes in the Circle Tower, you will discover that, in order to meet certain quotas for how many Tranquil the tower has and to maintain the status quo (wherein mages never forget who is holding their leash), the head enchanters single out mages who aren’t talented enough to profit the Circle and chantry as Harrowed mages, and they are basically set up. Instructors warn that they’re not meeting their skill requirements, temptation is offered in the form of books or tomes that provide illegal knowledge, and if the mage takes the bait, all they have to do is slip up. Then the templars move in, no one can really argue the point because blood magic is considered both illegal and immoral, and no one has to worry that Owain is getting too old to carry down the higher boxes in the store rooms anymore.

This is the kind of atmosphere in a good Circle, too. If you can’t prove that your magic would be a profitable commodity for the chantry, then you start to look like dead weight - or the potential materials for a docile labourer, who will just work and work until told to stop, and never offer up protest or a potential lack of compliance.

But, if you’re too powerful or talented, you become worrying for other reasons. A skilled mage can make a lot of coin, healing and entertaining nobles who can afford to pay for the expense, or serving in a military capacity. Powerful mages are also more likely to gain the kind of worldliness and mobility that would enable them to act upon any revolutionary impulses they might have, though, and can threaten the templar’s authority by challenging their ability to pose a physical threat. Again, if we go back to DA:O, Jowan was perfectly set up to be branded a blood mage and made Tranquil for his transgressions. But he was singled out, most likely, for being the least adept among his peers - that didn’t necessarily mean he was actually that bad at magic. And he proved to be adept enough at blood magic itself that the plan blew up in Irving and Greagoir’s faces when he successfully disrupted the templars enough to make a run for it.

The downside for the chantry in making sure templars are indoctrinated to fear mages’ power is that, on the instances when they’re actually called to fight, they do seem to hesitate an awful lot. Kinloch Hold saw the supposed anti-mage elite barricading themselves into the front entryway while the main force opposing Uldred was actually made up of mages; DA2 saw Hawke cleaning up the majority of magical incidents, while Meredith’s goons mostly just bullied the already-legal-and-complacent mages within the Gallows, or else occasionally ventured off to things like torture Dalish kids on Sundermount.

So, the tightrope which mages have to walk. If you’re too weak, you’ll be targeted for Tranquility. If you’re too strong and not compliant enough, you might actually scare the Templars, and face the same treatment. And if you’re just middle-of-the-road, you can probably get by with only the standard danger in your life - but you’ll also probably never venture far from the Circle’s walls, unless some disaster or another calls for all mages on deck, like the Blight.

That’s a pretty grim prospect, overall. Tranquility hanging like a blade on both sides of the accepted skill range, and lifelong imprisonment nestled securely in the middle.

But now we have Vivienne, and unlike... pretty much all of the Circle mages we’ve met before her, Viv has figured out how to navigate the very narrow space left open to her, and actually succeed. She’s skilled enough at magic that no one doubts her prowess, and anyone who tries to tempt her - demon or scheming enchanter or templar alike - is going to be faced with nothing but a firm denial. I think that was probably so essential to her initial survival among Orlais’ cutthroat Circle politics that it more than explains how unnerved she is by the likes of Cole. Tolerance of things that are even remotely questionable by chantry standards is evidence of ‘corruption’, and that could be used to condemn her, or halt her progress. For Vivienne to succeed in the environment she was brought up in, she had to be skilled, and there had to be no question that her skills came from purely acceptable schools of magic. Anything else could be ammunition for rivals, or an excuse for the templars.

Of course, such things could still be manufactured, if anyone had a sufficient reason to frame her. So Vivienne not only had to be squeaky clean, she also had to make herself a vastly preferable mage for the positions she aspired to than any other candidate. How does she do this? By cultivating the reputation required in order to alleviate any and all suspicion that she would be reckless, that she would challenge templar or chantry authority, or that she might use any freedoms granted to her to that end. The kinds of mages who leave Val Royeaux’s Circle to go and entertain the nobility, are almost certainly the kinds of mages who say things like ‘templars are a necessary precaution’. 

They’re also the kinds of mages who can be charming, and entertaining, and make nobles feel good about themselves. They’re likely full of assurances. ‘Of course Circle life isn’t perfect, but it’s hardly a prison. There are opportunities for those who have the right temperament, the right mindset, to go further in life than they otherwise would have. Why, just look at me - my family wasn’t rich. If not for the Circle and my magic, I would hardly be standing in the greatest city in all of Thedas, speaking to some of the most powerful people in the world’. Vivienne went from Circle politics to Orlesian politics, and those are both environments where the truth is something that people will use to destroy you, trust is a fool’s gambit, and you are constantly surrounded by people who want you dead.

But, what really gets me about Vivienne, is that she’s compassionate. And it’s funny because I don’t think she wants to restore the status quo to the Circles because she doesn’t believe she could hang onto her power and influence without it - although I do think she considers the prospect very daunting. I think she’s a compassionate pessimist. She sees the worst possible outcomes in any situation as the most likely. No guaranteed, but certainly most likely. She doesn’t want a war, in that case, because if you look at the Circle’s revolution from a pessimistic angle, the most probable outcomes are either ‘a bunch of people die, and then everything goes back to Square One anyway’ or ‘a bunch of people die, and then Southern Thedas becomes like Tevinter’. The rebellion early on already causes a lot of death, and destruction, and leads to things like the mass kill of Tranquil mages for nefarious purposes. Vivienne genuinely hates this.

Now, mages and Tranquil were already suffering under the existing system - that’s kind of the whole point of the rebellion. But it’s understandable that Vivienne herself has moved far enough away from Circle life, and is accustomed enough to those kinds of horrors, that I don’t think she’s considering the factor of ‘people were already suffering and dying, they were just doing it more quietly and where fewer people could see’. And that makes sense, to me, because people are often expected to just overlook certain kinds of suffering as inevitable. Since she was taken to the Circle, Vivienne has learned that magic is a threat, and I think that’s also why she uses so many ‘villainess’ trappings, despite not being in any way villainous. She has had to balance the perception of her - and all mages - as inherently dangerous, inherently threatening, with the need to seem skillfully dangerous (because if magic is dangerous and being talented in it is still the only way to get ahead, what else can she be?), and also totally reasonable, and not at all inclined to step out of line.

Like. Holy shit. No wonder she and Solas are the best companions at understanding how stressful being Inquisitor probably is.

But back to the matter of her compassion, I think explains a lot about how Vivienne wants to go about things. Because she does want to shift the balance of power between mages and templars, but she wants to do it in a way that’s virtually unnoticeable to the general public. She wants to keep the templars, and the Circle, and the same titles and systems for the most part. But she wants to utterly nerf the templars’ behind-the-scenes authority, and hand it over to the enchanters instead. She’s aware that the majority of people in the south have no clue what goes on in the Circles, and she wants to turn that to her advantage, to assuage hysteria and panic by providing them the  balm of ‘no look see everything you know is entirely back to normal, here are the mages in their towers, here are the templars in their shiny armour, you just go back to planting turnips or whatever you were doing in your village’, and then just totally upend things in a way that even most nobles probably wouldn’t have to pay attention to.

Of course, to do that, she also needs to keep appearances just right. There can’t be other factions of mages sprouting up, because that will destroy the impression of chantry authority over them. And ultimately, I don’t think her plan would really work, because the system is too entrenched in favouring the templars and has too many inherent flaws - I don’t think you can keep the presentation of it, and change the back room dealings, and actually solve Thedas’ issue with mages. But you could make the every day lives of mages already in the Circle much better, and as with Orsino, I think Vivienne has prioritized that. She doesn’t want to see Bill-the-Mage-Who-Lights-Chantry-Candles or Bess-the-Tranquil-Shop-Assistant die in a bloody conflict, and her approach is actually better than a full-out revolution for preventing that.

So that’s really interesting to me, because I think one of the prevailing ideas about her is that her ambition is throwing other mages under the bus - that she wants to preserve the status quo because this is the system she’s mastered. But, while that might be part of it, I don’t think it’s the whole picture for her. She wants people to be safe. She wants to turn the templars into a pretence. She can’t escape the lesson she’s spent her whole life both learning and proving, which is that magic is a thing worth fearing. She’s very aware of just how precarious her own position is, all this while, not only in terms of this one event but also with regards to the future. A failed rebellion could spell her doom, signing on with the Inquisition is a gamble, she’s spent her whole life having to be charming, beautiful, approachable, formidable, to restrain her anger, but to rebuke anyone who tries to treat her as a doormat in ways that deter repeat offences without also inviting retribution onto herself. She’s masterful at dancing on the head of a pin, but it’s also brutally unfair that she has to. And one can only wonder what kinds of things she’d be doing in Thedas if she didn’t have to devote 50% of her energy to not being killed at any given moment, or rather, if she hadn’t had to spend her whole life doing that.

[socialjusticespiritwarrior]

You may be thinking of one of these banters:

Solas: How go your attempts to ease the pain of those at Skyhold, Cole?

Cole: I made the scullery maid stop crying and one of the boys in the stable is happier. Some of the servants are angry. My help makes work for them. Do you want me to stop?

Solas: No. You exist to help others. You are kindness, compassion, caring. If you stop giving comfort, you would twist into something else, as you did before I suspect.

Cole: Yes. I will not be that again.

Solas: Good. Never forget your purpose. It is a noble one, even if this world does not understand.

-------------------------

Cole: I am sorry your friend died, Solas.

Solas: Thank you, Cole.

Cole: I didn't know there were spirits of wisdom.

Solas: There are few. Spirits form as a reflection of this world and its passions.

Solas: We will never lack for spirits of rage, or hunger, or desire. The world gives them plenty to mirror.

Solas: The gentler spirits are far more rare. We can ill afford the loss of even one spirit of wisdom, or faith...

Solas: Or compassion.

Cole: I will try not to die.

Solas: Do that, please.

I’m trying to find a line from DAI and I can’t and it is frustrating me beyond belief. Does anyone else remember Solas saying something about spirits of Compassion being quick to turn to despair when they’re unable to help? Or something like that? I don’t remember the exact wording, I just remember it was something about Compassion spirits not being able to deal with not being able to help.

[faslaidir]

For the ask meme! General: lightning | All: parachute, poison, microscope | Elanor: interiors | Ellas: psyche | Kate: photo album (pre and post thedas would be wonderful!)

Thank you so much, babe!

Lightning: who’s the most impulsive character? and who is their impulse control? 

Hmmm, that’s a great question because they’re all impulsive when the situation is just right but otherwise, theyŕe all fairly cautious. I’m going to go with Elanor because she is impulsive when people she cares about are threatened; she will immediately move heaven and earth to do what she can for them. Her impulse control would be Cullen, who, as a fellow warrior and soldier, understands the desire to throw oneself in the thick of things but also the need for caution.

parachute: who does your OC(s) trust the most? who makes them feel safe? who would they do absolutely anything for?

Elanor trusts Cullen more than anything. She tries very hard not to because mortal men are fallible and she knows Cullen especially is, but his level-headedness and careful, militaristic approach to everything is so familiar to her that she cannot help but trust him almost unerringly. Josephine makes her feel the safest and is the one person to whom Elanor can laugh with without worrying for an hour or so. Cole is the one Elanor would do absolutely anything for, as she has a weakness for innocence and childish demeanors. 

Kate trusts her Inquisitor, Rosal, the most. Rosal is compassionate and gentle but fierce and just when the situation arises, and, in spite of herself, Kate has found herself following Rosal’s orders without even questioning their purpose because her trust runs so deep. Virtually everyone except Solas makes her feel safe, though she has a special bond with Cole, as they are both outsiders who try far too hard to help other people. She would do absolutely anything for Cullen, but shhh she won’t find that out for another year or so.

Ellas would answer all these questions with a simple “Dorian”. There’s no one else he trusts, feels so safe with, or would do absolutely anything for quite like Dorian. 

poison: vices/bad habits? what are they? how do they affect your OC?

Elanor forgets to take care of herself. She focuses all of her energy on the world around her because she is so tired of living and is so tired of being who she is that she won’t eat, sleep, or even drink for days because she cares so little about herself.

Kate is deeply conceited, and being the only modern trained surgeon in Thedas hasn’t helped that. She has been known to rage at people that she thinks aren’t taking care of themselves properly or valuing their beliefs over the care of their family.

Ellas is prejudiced against humans (not without good reason). His time with the Inquisition has introduced him to humans that are better than the ones he met before, and he is attempting to teach himself to be better, but he still remains largely distrustful and dismissive of humans, which has caused some problems with nobles and other guests. 

microscope: zoom in – describe the little, insignificant details about an OC.

Elanor has thick brown hair with a few waves in it, which she considers her one beauty and often twists about in her hands when she’s trying to think. Her ears are long and thin, which many people say marks her as being born of a bastard line of elf bloods (you’ll never get the truth from her about it). There’s a scattering of freckles across the edge of her nose, which is slightly crooked from having been broken and set again so many times. 

Kate has hazel green eyes, and she doesn’t know how that happened, as her mother and father both had brown eyes. There’s always a few pimples on her forehead, no matter what she does, and there are markings on her lips from all the times she has bitten them in concentration.

Ellas has spots of melanin all across his skin, and he’ll definitely never admit this but he’s sort of dreamed of his future lover marking each and every one of them. His fingers are boxy and short, and his shins are covered in scars from running through thorn bushes and scraping them on rocks as a child. 

interiors: describe your OC(s) bedroom/home/or a place they consider “theirs”. what’s in it? do certain items have a special significance to your OC?

Elanor grew up money, so despite her love of the outdoors and general roughing it, she has fairly refined tastes. She has memories of her old home, the manor of a noble family she served, where she lived in a high tower and had a simple bed, a beautiful writing desk, and a glass door with a balcony that faced the sea. There used to be books scattered all over the writing desk and pages of notes and annotations, but all that’s long since lost to the dust of time.

psyche: what’s their head space like? do they have any mental illnesses? how do they process difficult or emotional situations? what are their coping mechanisms?

Ellas’s mind is straightforward and, on good days, largely uncluttered. He definitely has depression, which manifests in irritability and insomnia. His unhealthy coping mechanisms are overworking himself and hitting things, and his healthy coping mechanism is talking to Josephine and Cole. 

photo album: describe one of your OCs’ favorite memories.

(This is such a good question because it ends up being plot central later on). Pre-Thedas: Kate graduated from a high-ranking university with first class honors. She got to accept her diploma at a beautiful ceremony, with her parents in attendance, and afterward she took photos with them. When her parents died in a car accident a few years later, that memory became incredibly important to her because she was able to remember how proud they were of her. 

Post Thedas: She’ll tell you that it was the time Cullen took her to see Three Trout Pond and they went for a midnight swim, or the time that the Inquisitor defeated Corphyeus and she and Cullen kissed in public for the first time while she wore flowers in her hair but ACTUALLY…it was the first time she performed a successful c-section and saved both the mother and the baby, despite insurmountable odds, lack of proper equipment, and ease of sanitation.