#(aka post the events of da2)

[solitaireships]

I feel normal about Anders. Don't ask about the four wip fics I have of him

[shivunin]

Collected DAI Ficlets

Below are links to all of my Dragon Age: Inquisition ficlets on tumblr. They are organized by type/chronological order per the headings.(Longer works posted here on AO3 and cross-posted here where noted).

(If you're looking for more, here are links to my Origins and DA2 ficlets)

Please let me know if any links are broken!

Emmaera Lavellan/Cullen:

A Bond Beheld: (1,710 Words) The Commander pledges fealty to the new Inquisitor

Tipsy: (209 Words) Conversation overheard while drunk

Lavender Cakes: (236 Words) A codex entry describing a special request from the Commander; (collected with a codex entry on a marriage offer post-Inquisition and rumors circa Trespasser)

Not a Moment Sooner: (1,159 Words) Cullen wakes from a nightmare and grounds himself with the presence of his lover.

The Last Minute: (996 Words) Emma and Cullen say goodbye as the Inquisition's armies prepare to ride for the Arbor Wilds

To Build an End: (1,524 Words, Fluff) As the dust of Corypheus's destruction settles around her, Emmaera looks first for her Commander

A Letter from the Viscount: (368 Words) Varric writes to see how the Inquisitor has been, and to deliver an offer

Entanglements: (704 Words, Fluff) A quiet, simple morning in retirement

Just a Hair: (676 Words, Fluff) Emma trims Cullen’s hair

From Behind: (513 Words, Fluff) Cullen reflects on life as a father and husband

Structural Integrity: (4,300 Words, Fluff) Cullen and his daughter build a pillow fort—now all that’s left is to test it (also collected in my anthology fic here on AO3)

Letters from Adhlea: (527 Words, epistolary) While Cullen visits family in Ferelden, his daughter writes him a letter with updates.

Elowen Lavellan/Cullen

Hold Me Down: (1,206 Words) In the aftermath of Here Lies the Abyss, Cullen happens upon the Inquisitor in a vulnerable state.

Summer Tea: (897 Words) The Inquisitor takes a moment away from a party to rest on the balcony; Cullen joins her

A Sudden Squall: (1,613 Words) An abrupt storm forces Cullen and the Inquisitor into close quarters

A Storm’s Aftermath: (786 Words) Elowen tries to be normal after nearly kissing the Commander (she…doesn’t quite manage it, but neither does he)

At Your Side: (678 Words) As Elowen returns to her room in Skyhold, Leliana notices a new mannerism

Disarming: (773 Words) The Commander and Inquisitor spend a morning training

Falsehoods: (851 Words, Hurt/comfort) Elowen takes a wound in battle; Cullen visits her room at the inn to make sure she's alright

Call Your Mother: (515 Words) A letter from and to Elowen’s mother regarding her choice of beau

A Resolution: (1,086 Words) Elowen reflects on the consequences of having fallen in love with a human

Daybreak: (615 Words) After the events of Your Fate for Mine, Cullen wakes in bed with Elowen and finds himself with a small predicament.

Salshira Lavellan/Cullen

Slander: (547 Words) Codex entry detailing several complaints about the Inquisitor

The Fire at the Center: (556 Words) Cullen tries to focus on his prayers, with some difficulty

Wait: (621 Words, Fluff) Salshira passes through Cullen’s office on the way to other tasks

Fires of Battle: (846 Words) Salshira closes the last distance before the Temple of Mythal and meets the Commander on the battlefield

A Hand Outstretched: (1,510 Words, T) Salshira struggles with the lack of news from Wycome; Cullen finds her when she needs him most.

News from Wycome: (740 Words, Emotional hurt/comfort) Cullen rushes to deliver a crucial bit of news

Don’t Look Down: (448 Words, Hurt/comfort) Salshira regains consciousness after a nasty fall

After the Dark: (841 Words, Hurt/comfort) Salshira returns from the Deep Roads; she is not doing well

A Story Chosen: (2,245 Words) Cullen and Salshira's daughter asks about adventuring and heroism while they wait for Salshira to come home from the market

Adahlena Lavellan/Cullen (aka the arranged marriage au):

Pip: (2,611 Words) Adahlena Lavellan and Cullen meet for the first time in the Elvhen lands at Halamshiral

The Morning Mist: (820 Words) Cullen and Adahlena take breakfast together in the gardens

Miscellaneous Mini-Fics:

Profane (Salshira)

Winnow (Salshira)

Cliff (Emma)

Truth (Elowen), Profane (Emma), and Initiative (Salshira)

Sweet Pea (Elowen)

Witch Hazel (750 Words) Emmaera discusses her daughter's magic with Vivienne

[greypetrel]

✨Self-Rec Tag Game ✨

Thank you very much @shivunin! ✨✨✨

Rules: Share five of your own fanworks (fic, art, etc.). Then, tag five more people to share the things they've made. e.g.: 1. Something you absolutely adore 2. Something that was challenging to create 3. Something that makes you laugh (or smile, if that fits more comfortably) 4. Something that surprised you (in how it turned out, how much other people liked it, etc.) 5. Something you want other people to see

Soooo... I'm actually one of those people who can't just tell you ONE favourite thing. If you ask me about my favourite movie, I'll shorten the list to ten and will cry because I left something I love outside. Oops, I guess.

And I also really love colour coordination. 🌈

1. Something I absolutely adore.

I don't absolutely adore any of my works ahahahahahahah.

Beside some self-deprecation, I'm still very please with this fanart of Aisling and Dorian looking outside the window.

I know you don't appreciate much Crossovers, Mo and way too many people around, but the chance to put together two things I love... I would never tackle fanfiction if I didn't have something mine to put it (that's why I started writing fic with Dragon Age, which is based on the "Create your own character" basic), so this was my chance at tackling Tolkien lore which I absolutely adore and has been part of my life ever since I was a little bean.

There's also a fic which is basically LOTR... But with Dragon Age Characters (taking advantage of the fact that in the book nothing much is seen of Mordor... I slipped everyone there and I promise it makes more sense x°D)

2. Something that was challenging to create

Everything concerning Raina, which you can now find in this convenient folder I'll fill little by little on AO3.

I... Accidentally tackled too many things that strikes close to home with her, and writing her is basically something similar to a therapy session. The current thing I'm working on is proving difficult.

But I'll say this official portrait of her, just for the fact that I tried a new way of colouring (thanks to @ndostairlyrium forever and ever for the tips and tricks) and everything was new and challenging. The amount of times I cursed myself for putting a background! xD

3. Something that makes you laugh

You see, Mo, I am very unable to choose just one thing. If you ask me what's my favourite movie, I can shorten my list to 10. I'll give you three.

The Bi Cullen series. I should do another one, I just have to finish it, but this is close to my heart. Because bi panic and science bros.

This little exploration in the Mythal Temple, full with very necessary Indiana Jones and Emperor's New Groove quotes.

And last but not least, the one and only Haunting Queen, Doris the Rage Demon who lives in Cullen and Aisling's stove and is deeply in love with Cullen... And also very jealous. It's jealousy, it's not Aisling that doesn't know how to cook.

4. Something that surprised you (in how it turned out, how much other people liked it, etc.)

Ok, for this I have 2:

Home Was Never on the Ground aka the Monster fic. It's my first attempt at fanfiction and the first prose I had written in YEARS. I thought of an anthology of moments missed in game, or expansions of scenes I liked. I am honestly surprised by the amount of hits it got and even if I see flaws, I like my baby.

One for the Road. Aka. Fenris/Lavellan 2 chapter fic. I wrote it as a divertissement, it ended up to be extra angsty... And I sincerely thought I had totally misinterpreted Fenris here. I remember being so nervous when posting it that I actually considered keeping it for myself. And instead, it was received well?

5. Something you want other people to see

On this I'm more sure! (well.)

My little joy is the DadWolf AU which you can find here. Basically, a Modern AU following the events of DA2 and Inquisition... With something changed.

Namely, Solas woke up 30 years before, and he and Varric were roommates. And they co-parent my Inquisitor, Aisling, and Dorian who are actually science bros. It's something that brings me joy in doing, there's nothing written as per yet save some prompts but it will be!

Also one fanart I'm very very attached to is this one which was done in collaboration with @ndostairlyrium (I drew it, she coloured it), and which now guards me from my wall when I work in my studio.

In case you all were still wondering yes, I'm wordy. I know it's a surprise.

I reckon that I forgot to tag, OOPS. @rosella-writes @oxygenforthewicked @cullenvhenan @cao-the-dreamer @transprincecaspian and for the rest I think everyone was already tagged...? Send me a word if you were not and would like to!

[lairofdragonagelore]

Western Approach: Old Chantry Trail Signs

[This is part of the series “Playing DA like an archaeologist”]

There is a strange thing called Old Chantry Trail Sign, which was supposed to show hidden locations. In general they mark caves with interesting things inside. What surprises me is that… depending on the content of the cave, most of the time it doesn’t look related to a Chantry “pilgrimage” along this region. It looks like a co-opt element by the Chantry.

For starting, the symbol on the rock is strange. It looks like a book or a house depending on how you see it. The rock itself is also weird: it’s a triangle. The symbol on it has not suffered erosion, as the stone did.

This small sigil has been seen before in DA2. In fact, these objects are all spread over Kirkwall and in Vimmark Mountains [where Corypheus’ prison was located], which function is to offer codices of each part of the city in the former, and to inform about a dangerous entity [Malvernis] in the latter.

In DA2, they were made of metal, so I suspect this object is a Tevinter/Dwarven element used to mark which parts of the city you were entering. In Western Approach seems to keep a similar function, they still mark locations, but maybe they were altered by the Chantry, or maybe they were not altered at all and people just misunderstood the whole nature of this object. I hesitate because we don’t know the source that claims that these things are a Chantry trail sign. It could have been a sign done by the Tevinters in this region, indicating where their fortress and prisons were [there are many in this region, and we need to think that this region looked more like Hinterlands before the Second Blight], and a random guy came here centuries later and misinterpret them, considering them as Chantry-made. What I’m saying is that we don’t truly know what they are, and they are claimed to be Chantry-made when the things they point out [with the exception of one] are not Chantry-like, but reinterpreted as such.

Let’s check some: 

One of the caves gives us a note of a “Lost idol” and a Faded Journal. The note claims that this is a statue of Razikale being worshipped. [More details in the post of The Lost idol]

The Faded journal is very confusing, if you believe that the female figure in the lost idol is a snobbish Andraste. Sadly, this has no author or source, so we can’t trust it at all, neither feed theories about it just because a random person confused a female figure in a Tevinter design for Andraste. Since it also speaks of reversing tranquillity, I suppose it’s a very recent document, older as the events in Asunder in the worst case scenario. This could be the traces left by a character who in the book learnt about the cure of tranquillity. I found it hard to believe that these comments and journals are Pharamond’s, simply because he was a tranquil during his investigation in this zone, and all these codices are filled with emotions and strong opinions, so I don’t know if they tried to retcon what happened in Asunder or this was written by a Templar-bodyguard of Pharamond. I’m inclined to think the latter.  

You can only see blocks of stone around the Lost Idol without patterns, unless you move a bit to the background. In there, you see the Dwarven pattern. This cave was done by Dwarves

In another cave marked by these signs, we find a tunnel with two of these curious inuksuit bathed in blood and illuminated with candles that we see commonly used in Chantry-related places. There are some tablets/funerary lids that, with that design, have always been used on Elven tombs or related to elven crypts.

At the end of the tunnel we find the fucker, aka The Strange Idol, but now there is a note accompanying it, potentially explaining it:  "The Thing in the Dark" . In the Shattered Library we read a codex which is the only thing that could potentially link this statue with anything lore-related: Elgar’nan. The Thing in the Dark has an ominous message:

This statue is oddly warm to the touch and shivers slightly, as though it might have a pulse.

This description repeats two elements that we have been seeing along the games, always related to Fade/Elven magic:  warm to the touch and beating heart movement. Elements that share this, or part of this description can be listed here:

In DA2 [check DA2: The Strange Idol] we saw this statue two times and in both it was possessed or bind to a demon. Merril could feel something in the statue when the demon was bind to it. This could also be the case here.

In the Lost Temple of Dirthamen, we collect parts of the body of the High Priest. They are warm to the touch to what Cole says that these piece are alive, and Solas would explain that this effect is caused because the original creature connected to it is still alive [video]. I dont know if similar mechanism could apply to this statue.

Red lyrium is warm [and angry].

Cole, in the Deep Roads of Trespasser will say tot he inquisitor "Your hand hurts. A heartbeat. Not yours. Hammering the beat of a song in its final verse. I'm sorry." The magic of the anchor has a heartbeat. 

In Jaws of Hakkon DLC, Telana [Ameridan’s lover] had a bow with a description “This bow seems to have its own pulse and is oddly warm to the touch.”

Beside the idol there are  elven tablets and objects related to elven funerary rites. Close to them we find a book with  the codex of The First Blight: Chapter 2. Sadly, the text is written by Genitivi, and like all what he writes, it reeks to Chantry’s point of view. When it comes to ancient history, he is the least reliable source. In this codex we have the same old story of how the blight appeared: The chantry says that the old gods whispered to Tevinter magisters encouraging them to enter the Golden City. Once they did it, they corrupted it with their presence, so the Maker returned them to Thedas, and trapped the Old Gods underground. But with the ancient documents we find in severals pre-blight ruins, in addition to Corypheus' and Solas' words, we know by the end of the game that the Magisters have been unable to listen the Old Gods in their dreams for a long time. They despaired. So, the "true" story told by the Chantry has another order:

The “Maker” trapped the old gods for unknown reasons,

The gods went silent. All the worshippers began to despair with their god’s silence.

The Magisters entered the Golden City, looking for their gods that had gone silent,

The golden city was contaminated already, and the Blight infected them.

This happened underground, from which the first darkspwan came.

Anyways, in this cave we also can loot a chest and find Aegis of the Order, which is a bit confusing. I assume this element justifies the presence of the book speaking about the First Blight. A templar or similar was here. When you relate it to Pharamond’s research, I don’t know if we can consider these objects as elements left by his Templar bodyguards.

For the last place of the trail sign, we head to the South of the region, and we find some ruins that are impossible to identify [they have no patterns on them, they are just blocks of stone]. Beyond them, we find a cave with a magical barrier, and some symbols around that we finally can recognise as truly Chantry-related. This is the statue we saw in DA2 in the Chantry square, the one I suppose it’s Hessarian. There are banners of the Chantry as well.

Inside the cave, we find a circle that we saw already in DA2: Legacy used where the guardians/pride demons were sealed in Corypheus’ prison. This one in DAI lacks of the typical torches with the sign “+” on them. 

There are two chains hanging from the ceiling which suggests this was a place where someone was held suspended or at least, chained from their wrists, magically sealed in the circle. Here, we find Chantry Loogbook, where those who read Asunder can identify a name immediately: Pharamond, the tranquil that was healed. This codex gives the idea that Pharamond was accompanied by a group [of templars I assume] who helped him in his experiments until he reached Adamant Fort. That would explain the emotional rejection to the “sneering Andraste”, the lecture of the blight with templar objects to loot, and this note. However, I feel there is some retcon here in comparison with the book: Pharamond performed his experiment of being possessed by a demon to cure his tranquillity using a circle inside Adamant fortress. But well, it was easier to leave the fortress for the main quest, I suppose. 

On the table, we find the codex about the creation of phylacteries, which makes the player question how much the Chantry can claim to be against blood magic when they use it for the most basic of the rituals that a mage passes through. And if they do this, then maybe, there are more things that they forbid but practice under some excuse.

[Index page of Dragon Age Lore ]

[ao3feed-cullistair]

by Anonymous

A little tale that takes place post Trespasser. What happens to our dear Commander Cullen? Where has our quirky Warden Alistair gone? Will these two ever get their happily ever after?

Why yes, yes I think they will...

Words: 13662, Chapters: 3/3, Language: English

Fandoms: Dragon Age (Video Games), Dragon Age - All Media Types

Rating: Explicit

Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply

Categories: M/M

Characters: Alistair (Dragon Age), Cullen Rutherford, Rylen (Dragon Age), Leliana (Dragon Age), Female Warden (Dragon Age), Nathaniel Howe (mentioned), Bethany Hawke (mentioned), Garrett Hawke (mentioned), Various Companions from DAO (mentioned)

Relationships: Alistair/Cullen Rutherford

Additional Tags: Post-Dragon Age: Inquisition - Trespasser DLC, Endgame life, reference to DAO-DA2-DAI canon events, Tooth-Rotting Fluff, Fluff and Smut, Humor of the type only Alistair can provide, Gratuitous use of bath time, Heartfelt reunion, Happily Ever After, I fixed all the things

[for-the-ninth]

Oh I absolutely think cullen and a mage inquisitor would have clashes. But people still seem to think that redemption = as much punishment as possible to make up for whatever they did when a good redemption arc is ACTUALLY making up for what they did, recognising their mistakes and trying to be a good person which is exactly what cullen was doing in DAI. He was questioning by the end of DA2 even. He also isn’t the only person responsible for what happened to the mages either (eg. the seekers who never even bothered to check in on the gallows in ten years of Meredith’s command but Cassandra rarely gets any flak).

If this is the same anon from the last question and you *really* wanna have a convo about Cullen and the way I've written him then you're gonna need to check your tone and come out from behind that grey face. Your initial message was rude af and it's wild to me that you read my response and still have the gall to continue messaging me with this shit.

If you're not the same anon, then hi, feel free to read on.

Regardless, you can find my thoughts on Cullen's "redemption" in DAI here, in a post I wrote years ago.

I'm not interested in discussing Cassandra or the fandom's reaction to her misdeeds vs Cullen's bc my fic isn't about Cassandra. I'm not sure who or what you mean when you say "people seem to think (x) about redemption arcs" but I've made my feelings on his redemption and my goals in portraying it in my writing on multiple occasions. Which you'd know. If you bothered to read it. 🙃

Even if Cullen were One of the Good Ones (aka didn't believe mages were subhuman), he still would've actively contributed to the harm of a huge group of people just by being in the Order. Their sole directive is to keep mages imprisoned at any cost, up to and including execution. They literally hunt mages for a living and use their belief in the Maker to justify it. Even if he'd never threatened, harmed or killed a single mage (which I find unbelievable) he still dragged apprentices from their bed and forced them to go through one of the most traumatic events of their life, he still separated parents from their children, he still forcibly dragged innocent people back to a literal prison. And if somehow he didn't do any of that, even if his only job was to sit in the Circle and block the doorway all fuckin day, he still supported and upheld a system that actively oppresses a huge group of people who's only sin was being born with a stronger connection to the Fade.

In DAI Cullen says Meredith was "harsh," but her measures were necessary for safety. Sure, he doesn't view mages as subhuman anymore, but he still expresses anti-mage sentiments, believes the carceral system is justified, and supports Meredith's extreme restrictions. He wasn't doubting the ethics of Meredith or the Order's actions in DA2, he was doubting Meredith's sanity.

As far as him trying to be better in DAI...where? At no point does Cullen support or assist the mages of his own accord. He opposes recruiting the mages but goes along with the inquisitor's choice because...well, they're the fuckin inquisitor lmao. He doesn't pay reparations to those he's harmed, is never confronted by a survivor of the Annulment, any families of those killed, etc.

You're right, Actually Good Redemption arcs involve actionable steps taken to make amends, and those steps are not part of Cullen's arc in DAI.

But the crux of the issue here is that you have no idea how I'm treating Cullen in this fic or what my intentions with his character are because you haven't fucking read it. A huge part of the reason I've included him in it at all is because I liked romancing him in DAI and thought his redemption was half-assed and lacked believability.

If you read my work you'd know my Inquisitor receives a letter from the surviving mages of the Kirkwall Annulment demanding his resignation.

If you read my work you'd know Cullen resigns of his own accord after reading letters from the survivors and hearing their stories firsthand.

If you read my work you'd know my Inquisitor gives him two choices - stay, quit lyrium and be reassigned, or go your own way. He chooses to stay and voluntarily imprisons himself.

If you read my work you'd know the survivors pushed for a trial and execution, and my Inquisitor chooses to spare his life.

Accountability, redemption, making amends, whatever you wish to call it is hard work. It's filled with shame and guilt and regret, and it's more than just saying you wish you hadn't done the shit you did and then moving on with your life. He's not being punished, he's being taken to task for his crimes. It's not pretty or pleasant and it's nobody's job to hold his hand through it - least of all the Dalish mage who's entire life has been spent running from templars.

And he's determined to do it! He is having a truly Terrible Time, nobody is patting his little head and telling him it'll be okay, and he perseveres anyway because he's realized that's the right thing to do. He has an Actually Good Redemption Arc based on your own fucking definition. Which. You'd. Know. If. You. Read. My. Shit. Lovely chat tho! 🥰😊

[anchanted-one]

Dragon Age: the Inquisition Bias

I've long wondered what the deal with Dragon Age Inquisition was. For one thing, it completely ignored the setup of the main conflict of the preceding game, that is, the Mage Freedom. Worse still, it actively mocks the very need for the sentiment. There have to be at least three separate occasions where a character straight up calls it a petty issue ("The hole in the sky? That there's the real problem").

Warning: this is a long essay

And right from the start we have NPCs sneering about the mages, and about the Dalish treatment of the gifted, and about how great the Circles are.

For example there is the scholar in Haven who says that as a child she was abandoned by her Clan because their Keeper already had an Apprentice. She makes a big deal about how the Templars saved her. This... Goes against what we know about the Dalish. They are folk who take in runaway City Elves without question. Zathrian’s clan is known to have aided Wynne’s former apprentice (Anerian, I think) in starting a new life. And Merrill’s clan took in Feynriel—a half human mage—without question or complaint.

Then there are the advisors. Josephine does not have any particular leanings, Leliana speaks up for the mages every now and then, but Cullen takes every chance he gets to decry the Mages and praise the Templars.

Cullen, who after his trauma from Origins, went on to become one of Meredith’s enablers, turning a blind eye and covering for her with younger recruits. Cullen, who has pointedly said that mages are not people in DA2 all the way till Meredith snapped.

Cullen, who went from looking like this in Origins and DA2:

to this

In DAI, Cullen is probably the returning character with the biggest upgrade in raw looks, with a brand new aesthetic featuring that beautiful ornate armor and furs. But setting comparison to previous versions aside, this avatar is perfect for persuading players—especially newcomers to Dragon Age—to his line of thinking. 

It doesn’t hurt that the Templar Quest has some major advantages over the Mage one, including better characters and a better story involving an envy demon who has led the mostly well-meaning bunch astray. 

Meanwhile the Mage quest has a time-travel subplot which only serves to underline the dangers of magic.

Cullen is openly furious if you side with the mages—or worse, invite them as free allies rather than subjugate them. Again, I remember his trauma from Origins. But maybe that just means he wasn’t the best one for the job of Inquisition Commander? Couldn’t we have chosen someone else to lead and Cullen as the companion?

Leliana on the other hand, isn’t nearly as vocal in her defense of the Mages.

It gets worse when we come to the (esp mage) companions. 

Solas cares little for the fates of Mages or Elves. He cares more for the denizens of Fade, and for lore of days long gone. In fact, Solas reminds of an Ascian from FFXIV. Hmmm. Maybe I’ll talk about that some other time? Anyway. In one of his personal quests involves confronting Kirkwaller Mages who have summoned one of his Spirit friends and turned her into a demon of Pride. One of them even adds insult to injury by claiming to be Kirkwall’s leading export on them.  

Vivienne is openly ambitious, and is pro-Circle because she was already at the highest echelons (after a lot of hard work in both study and politics, so I do understand where she’s coming from), a place she’s worked to gain. For her, restoring the Circles is in pursuit of regaining her own lost prestige with interest. 

Dorian is the only mage in favor but he arrives very late to the discussion, and even he doesn’t dispel the cloud around unchecked magic. He is after all, one of the leading researchers who made time travel work. And he is always talking about how bad the Magisters (unchecked mages) are.

Among the other companions, most aren’t as invested in the issue, but Casandra—by inviting Cullen (aka Second in command during Meredith’s reign of terror and red lyrium) to take the top post in the Inquisition’s army—has already made her position clear. IIRC she is okay with not imprisoning the mages though.

The lessons of previous games are forgotten. The oppression of the Mages in Kirkwall. The complete uselessness of the Templars during Uldred’s rebellion (Vivienne remarks that at the time First Enchanter Irving would have been happy to have more Templars, but conveniently omits the fact that the situation the Templar army couldn’t handle was brought under control by a small party composed entirely of non-Templars. Another interesting thing to note is how Wynne—a Senior Enchanter—is tricked by the Sloth demon’s tricks whereas Morrigan—the ‘unlearned’ apostate—and Sten are not fooled. This raises questions of just how well the curriculum in the Circles prepare a student for such an encounter. Templars are also just as easily hoodwinked by desire demons as mages are, which adds to the feeling that maybe they’re not that good after all.

But I think there’s a reason for all of this. The Inquisition is meant to be an ultimately Andrastian force. The Inquisitor does not come in with firsthand knowledge of previous games’ events. They have only heard tales distorted by a dozen reteller (again, Vivienne’s version of Kinloch hold). They have mostly grown up with the Chantry’s philosophy dictating their thinking pattern. The Dalish are already quite aware of the dangers of debased mages who form a ruling class, namely Tevinter, so they too would understand the fear and distrust, though they have been known to relax it in favour of trustworthy individuals and Keepers. And no matter the Herald’s backstory and leanings, much of the Inquisition’s core is formed around the faithful. Even if the Sunburst Throne is taken by the progressive Leliana, I think the Inquisitor is meant to be biased against total Mage freedom.

As with DAO and DA2, we have only limited control over the ultimate fate of the world. That is why each game features a different protagonist, and no matter how well they do, they get swallowed whole by the inrushing tide of history in motion. (from a meta perspective, this makes it easy for newer games. Fewer world states and all that. This would be harder if a player was allowed a wider range of outcomes)

[tennyo-elf]

I’m a bit upset. I have both PTSD and CPTSD (which follow me every fucking day, tyvm, so I know the lasting effects), I have spent 2000+ hours playing DAI, I’ve exhausted all Cullen’s dialogue options in DAI, exhausted all his dialogue in other games, and read his profile in WOTv2, so it’s not like I don’t have the knowledge and understanding of Cullen’s character to form my opinion. I will always, always believe they didn’t do enough for Cullen’s character, that Cullen’s redemption arc was/is almost non-existent, and that no matter how well written his PTSD is, it doesn’t excuse him from his past actions or his “Yes, but...” attitude in DAI. I’m talking and referring to writing mechanics here, which reflect real life, and is used to show progression and forward motion, aka overcoming blocks and deadends. 

You literally can fill in any Cullen you want by Trespasser. His haters can say he hasn’t changed or isn’t remorseful and they can be right despite Cullen saying differently in a few scenes. Because he only said it passively, we didn’t get to see it. His breakdown is about his recovery and his PTSD, NOT his redemption. Yes, they go together (his PTSD will affect his recovery and his redemption), and that’s why I am upset at his writing because they wrote one side but, to me, forgot the other. It wasn’t enough for me. The writing doesn’t challenge that part of Cullen’s story.

In fact, his excuse by mid-game “Meredith’s methods were harsh but the kept people safe” only shows that he hasn’t truly reflected on all the damage he has dealt (”but his PTSD” you may say. That, to me, someone with PTSD/CPTSD, is an excuse. He should have done SOME reflecting by this point, especially since he acknowledges some of his failings/what happened. If you say he can’t because of his mental illness then there is no story, there is no forward motion, you write stories for the forward motion, not to be static). Yes, he says the Inquisition is his chance to atone, that people died is “a truth that haunts” him, but he says this between saying mages shouldn't be free (nor imprisoned) and Meredith’s methods kept people safe. At this point you can say due to his PTSD he is still recovering and won’t be at the point to say otherwise. Well, at what point will, a fictional character, who has been recovering for the last two years or so, start to say, “perhaps not all Templars weren’t innocent and that may have been part of the problem” (his respect for the Templars is one thing, but blind faith is another. I know he will always respect Templars and look up to them, but perhaps he can see that mages weren’t the only dangers in the Circles) or “perhaps we can give mages a chance to show themselves capable of being free” (if mages were allied and they’ve been free for some time)? Recovery is an individual thing, some people need more time than others. But I believe enough time has passed for Cullen to begin to show enough change that I shouldn’t even need to have this opinion. 

We have Blackwall literally turn himself in, an action you cannot refute. That is an action that leads to a true redemption. You can not say Blackwall hasn’t changed at that point. Now we have Cullen’s breakdown (which may, for some, be enough) but those two are actually completely different to me. Cullen’s breakdown is about his recovery from Lyrium and his trauma, wanting to get away from a life that wasn’t what he wanted for himself. His breakdown was not part of his redemption (yes, he worries about not doing enough for the Inquisition, but that one line seems more about his own abilities off lyrium than anything else). In fact it’s was only after this breakdown could his redemption arc truly begin. But I feel that afterwards we get nothing. We get a climax (his breakdown) but then no following resolution. He says, if you keep him off lyrium, that maybe he can put those events behind him now. So why not push him a little? Have him meet someone he wronged? Give him a smaller breakdown after Blackwall turns himself in, question himself just a little instead of asking “why” Blackwall would do such a thing? Give us bigger insight on Cullen’s own self reflection. 

Two steps forward, one step back. 

At the very least have him by the end of Inquisition state more about Meredith? Truly have him renounce her, to take back what he said mid-game and realize her methods were what drove the mages to fear? Fear that he saw in their eyes and recognized (hello WOTv2)? How much healing would that give Cullen to do that? Meredith straight up made his mental health worse, abused him and his vulnerability, and him finally stating that he can see just how much damage she did to him? How is that not a good step forward? (it’s adds to his beginning redemption, it’s a start not an end.) It may be words, but the writing could have backed them up by adding a line to his end game slide stating that his Templar clinic invited mages as healers perhaps? That his good works included helping mages?

I, personally, needed more. I needed more falling action, more resolution, more on Cullen’s changing opinions and thoughts near the end of the game (not just on mages either). Something, anything, that is clear for everyone. It may be clear for you, but it wasn’t for me and, I know, for others. And not because we don’t understand Cullen or PTSD. For you, the writing may have been enough, and that’s fine, I’m happy for you because you’re not frustrated like I am about it. It’s done, DAI is over, and Cullen’s story is told. To me, as someone who also knows Cullen and PTSD, Cullen’s story frustrates me because it wasn’t enough to satisfy me, it didn’t feel complete to me. 

I love Cullen, I know he wants to be a good person. But the dude has flaws. And he is not just his PTSD. He has done bad things (mostly, inaction) and those bad things were not properly addressed during DAI in my opinion. PTSD is a reason why, and a speed-bump to recovery, but not an excuse and not a reason to simply ignore a part of Cullen’s story. Him getting over his PTSD or him beginning to heal during DAI is not a redemption arc. It is part of a bigger story, Cullen’s story, which comprises of his lyrium recovery, his healing/his PTSD, and his redemption. Focusing on one does not take the place of the other. Focusing on one and ignoring the other is forgetting the other. I don’t want that! I want Cullen to have an amazing arc that I know he can have! I want this because I love the character. And I hate missed potential. 

Recognizing a character’s flaws is not a bad thing! How can you truly love a character without knowing all sides of them? Cullen is thick headed and an ass sometimes, but that’s okay, those are his flaws, love him or hate him. He can also be gentle and cares about others. I’m the Dorian of Cullen fans tbh, I may talk shit about Cullen, but it’s because I care and love him that I do. If I hated him or didn’t like him, I wouldn’t have taken my whole freaking morning writing this damn post. ...which I may delete, IDK. Like, the only hate you see on my blog is for Moffat, like, if I don’t like something, I just ignore it. But I care too much because: Potential, layers, dynamic, hey they did the mental illness thing good, hey his romance is good, hey this is good start, let’s do this...wait, where’s the rest of it?  :(

(Here is some views I want Cullen to have by the end of Trespasser, which seem reasonable to me, that I would have loved to see some clue in the game to him having:

He still views mages as very dangerous, but no longer thinks less of them for it (as he did in DA2 and some of DAI). He’ll come to respect most mages for their continued fight against demon temptation like he would an old warrior. (Occasionally his fear of mages will return as a knee jerk reaction but he will correct himself.)

He still supports Templars but does not want to see them within the Chantry. He will also accept the idea of mages within the Templar ranks, believing cooperation will be more efficient than not. He will also push for more Templar presence in all places, but mostly near the College of Enchanters. He will also help those who wish to shed their Lyrium addiction and call for ways the order can continue without such a crutch. In general, he’ll want the Order to reform for the better.

He accepts that mages can govern themselves but continues to believe in strong magical law enforcement, such as Templar presence in towns and cities, laws that restrict magical use, strong punishments for those who use magic to harm others, etc. He continues to follow Andraste’s words that magic is meant to serve.

He believes in strong magical education that should continue into adulthood or more.

He will always believe in no tolerance for blood magic, that those who practice it should be put to death. He will, however, be reasonable (after being talked to), that blood magic done with only the use of one’s own blood should not mean insta-death, but instead a (long) prison sentence.)

Also also, I never fucking said Cullen was a bad person, omg...

[viir-tanadhal]

hey!! all this dragon age art is really cool!! do you have any recs for where to start in the series (i did get origins on sale a lil while back, couldn't really get into it)

Heads up right away, this is going to be a long ass post, sorry!

If you have any questions feel free to ask me btw or if you need something clarified, I know this is long and kind of all over the place!

First off, I had the same problem getting into Dragon Age. I tried playing Origins because I was interested in the gameplay of friending and romancing your companions, LGBTQ+ characters, being able to make choices that effect the world, and the fantasy setting. However, I got too bored and decided to skip ahead and play DA2.

DA2 is obviously lacking in terms of content, story, no different races for main character, and settings (reused dungeons galore!) but I also think it is very solid in delivering the information and lore of the world in interesting ways and the characters are all interesting and compelling. Plus, it is easy to finish the main game in 24 hours so it’s a nice, quick introduction. The combat is much sleeker and easier to use and the skill/spell trees make picking the different combat options for your character a lot easier and understandable. Now, there are certain parts of DA2 that correspond to you having knowledge of the events and lore tidbits of DAO, but that didn’t bother me as much when I first played it, and you can always search up any context!

However, while I think that DA2 can be a great introduction to people seeking to play the Dragon Age series, I would recommend not completely skipping Origins unless it just doesn’t interest you enough. The combat can be wonky and put people off–it did for me– but after a few playthroughs you do get used to the turn-style combat. Going into Origins with some aspects of the lore and questions I had from DA2 can help engage you in the story a lot more and be like “oh, so that’s why so and so thinks this!” or “Oh, that’s why this happened!” 

I also understand that there are parts that can seem uninteresting and too long and I’ll go into that:

The Fade and the Deep Roads are honestly super long and very drawn out with not much going on and can be frustrating! Thankfully some awesome people have created mods where you can skip these sections:

Skip the Fade: https://www.nexusmods.com/dragonage/mods/816

Shortcut thru the Deep Roads: https://www.nexusmods.com/dragonage/mods/4560/

While I totally recommend Skip the Fade, I would recommend doing the entire Deep Roads for your first playthrough, because there are some interesting and truly horrifying parts in the quest. However, after your first playthrough, definitely get the mod.

You could start Inquisition as your first game, and I know some people have, and it is definitely a viable option with the improved combat, graphics, etc. However, going into Inquisition with knowledge of the last two games can really help you understand the small things in the game and lore aspects that come up. You can totally just not, but I think knowing a lot about the world makes some of the lore reveals and other themes in the game have a bigger impact (aka why the hype for DA4 is so strong rn with you know who).

If you decide that, finally, Origins is not for you, but you want to have decisions from that game impact DA2, DAI, and soon DA4, Bioware has a website called The Dragon Age Keep where you can select and input your choices for certain major decisions in the games. Some of these decisions do need context, but I’m sure there are posts or videos that explain some of these!

In terms of DLC, the more important ones for each game would be:

Origins: The Stone Prisoner, Dragon Age: Awakening, and Witch Hunt

DA2: Legacy

DAI: Jaws of Hakkon, The Descent, and especially Trespasser (although a DLC it is pretty much the true ending of Inquisition)—-> GOTY edition has all of these!

And, if you happen to find you are more interested in the lore than the gameplay, I highly recommend Ghil Dirthalen on YouTube! She makes great lore videos and has multiple videos that go into depth about certain themes or groups or ideas in the Dragon Age universe that can help you better understand certain parts or help develop your opinions! Also, on the channel Codex Added, she and another youtuber The Exalted March are doing a funny and crazily modded Inquisition playthrough. 

What is also great is that Ghil Dirthalen is doing a playthrough on Codex Added of her canon playthroughs for the three Dragon Age games and has currently been livestreaming her canon decisions for Origins! I totally recommend watching this if you can’t get into Origins and might want to watch someone play the game who knows what they are doing and there are some great people that join the streams!

And, finally, there are other types of Dragon Age content outside of the games. There are currently five books out that depict scenes outside of the main games: Dragon Age: The Stolen Throne, Dragon Age: The Calling, Dragon Age: Asunder, Dragon Age: Last Flight, and Dragon Age: The Masked Empire. 

I have only read The Masked Empire and know for certain that it and Asunder take place right before Inquisition but otherwise I don’t know the chronology for the other books.

There are also comics as well if those might interest you more than the books!

Hopefully this was helpful in some ways, I totally get how Origins can make it hard to get into the series! 

[theherocomplex]

Welcome!

I’ve gotten a whole bunch of new followers lately, so: hi! I’m glad you’re here! :D 

I’m Bee - by day, a mild-mannered academic administrator; by night, a writer/baker/knitter/gamer/cat-orbiter. I live in the wilds of Massachusetts, because New England is the greatest place on Earth, in a decrepit apartment that I am slowly filling with plants, books, and yarn. 

(Mostly books and yarn, though lately the plants have been stepping up their game.) 

I am Chaotic Good, a Ravenclaw/Slytherin Hatstall, and one of eight people in the world who loved the Maryann plotline in season two of True Blood. 

This is my fandom/inspiration blog, which I am forever debating splitting off into actual fandom and inspiration blogs, though some current events/personal stuff tends to crop up as well. I tag everything, so feel free to blacklist as needed! 

You’ll see mostly Dragon Age, Mass Effect, Horizon Zero Dawn, and The Expanse around these parts, though Farscape, Star Wars, and various book-related posts will show up, too. TMNT makes sporadic appearances, though I haven’t been active in that fandom for a while. 

I write, almost constantly, and bits of my various WIPs will get posted from time to time. My current list of fics includes:  

A Lesson in Drowning: A DA2 FenHawke longfic with an absurd amount of supernatural horror, unreality, and self-deprecation, starring my most beloved and disastrous Rhyssa Hawke (Ao3 | ff.net). 

The sequel to the above fic, dealing with the echoes of “Here Lies the Abyss” (this is a beast of a fic but I love writing it; starring Eylis Lavellan, my formerly Chaotic Neutral/currently Lawful Evil Inquisitor, my way-too-efficient Jennet Surana, and Fenris, who hates everything).

A large and unwieldy post-game HZD adventure/romance fic, which I promise will get finished one of these days, if only so you can all enjoy Erend, Disaster Husband, meeting the secrets of his world face-to-face (spoiler alert: Aloy laughs at him. A lot. But with love!). 

Ghost: a supernatural (this is a pattern with me; it might also be a problem) retelling of the Omega years and ME2, based on the question “What if Shepard came back as a ghost while Garrus was on Omega, and they fell in love?”. Starring my terrifying, hypocritical, proud Eliza Shepard, and Garrus, who has Issues with repression (Ao3 | ff.net).

And my original fiction projects are: 

Farewell the Green Gardens: a post-apocalyptic romance between a woman and an alien, which is destined to become a collaboration with the fantastic @snuffes. 

An unnamed YA queer romance about a young banshee, who helps solve crimes, and finds herself in the middle of a murder conspiracy. 

That Vicious Purity: my attempt to weld Dragon Age with Kushiel’s Legacy. It is a big, exuberant, intrigue-and-romance-and-magic-filled romp, about a former assassin who’s trying hard to get the hang of the no-killing thing, a princess who weaponized her vocal chords, and how they end up on the worst road trip of all time. 

The Little Steps: a massive, sprawling dark fantasy epic, covering the end of the world, time travel, blood magic, useless gods, multiverse theories, more eldritch abominations than you can shake a stick at, black cats, and witches. It is the love of my life, and I apologize for the day I unleash it upon you. 

...along with other assorted short stories and fictional experiments. I don’t sleep much. 

My general fic tag is beefic, under which you’ll find chapter updates and ficlets/drabbles.

Lastly, I have an amazing and enormous cat, Princess Raphpunzel Goongala Pancake vas Normandy, aka Orpheus. He shows up a lot, and is perfect, and I love him exceedingly well. Adopting him was one of the top-five decisions of my life. 

Administrative: I strive to make this blog as welcoming and safe a space as I can; all NSFW content is tagged as such, and all general triggers or squicks are tagged as “[thing] cw” (ex. “body horror cw”). I also tag for spoilers: “[thing] spoilers”. If you need me to tag something specific, please let me know! Non-trolly/asshole anon messages will be answered publicly unless otherwise specified. Feel free to follow/unfollow as needed; I’ll never ask you about it or judge you. 

Thank you for being here! Feel free to talk to me, or ask me questions! I am a very friendly Bee, and am always down to yell about the things we love. <3

[jamiedodgerart]

the fade is a liar sometimes

aka, a really long post about how mal hawke survived dragon age inquisition. warning for big but kinda vague spoilers for dai and mentions of alcoholism

ok full disclosure i dont know how he survived the fade. but im thinking the nightmare like. didnt wake back up in time to block the way through the portal, and so never caused the Do I Kill The Warden Or Hawke dilemma. cos. that was kiiiiiiiinda bullshit. 

i had to pick between alistair and mal. and i really didnt want mal to be actually really dead bc at the time of here lies the abyss he’d be in a really shitty place, mentally, and i didnt want him to just! die! without resolving that! so i gave canon the finger and concocted a convoluted plan to give mal a better ending

background, after the events of da2, he ended up leaving kirkwall and fuckin’ around in the woods for a bit. i imagine he was helping refugees get out for a little while, until anders showed up and convinced him to help groups of renegade mages/circles on the verge of winning their independence. at this point he was pretty sick of the world at large, didn’t know what he wanted or where he was going to go next, and let himself be (guided? directed? pushed around?) by anders, drinking himself into oblivion and generally feeling like garbage. he fell out of contact with most of his remaining friends and began convincing himself that he was guilty for the explosion, by trusting anders (he’d suspected something was wrong with the ingredients anders was asking for and confronted him about it, but trusted him and helped him by distracting the grand cleric)

i rambled about this on my private twitter but mal and anders... ended up not being a great fit for one another and past me said it better than present me can

eventually, the inquisition came into being and grew in power. anders, still being a wanted man and mal too by association, avoided the inquisition’s patrols pretty easily. but stories started to spread about the inquisitor and his... particularly creative justice. see, pica really likes choices that have some poetic irony to them that also focus on rebuilding (he had alexius work for the mages, stuff like that), generally avoids executions, and is pretty chill with mages. the inquisition is also independent of any government, really, and is about as impartial as you can get in thedas. so when mal gets word from varric that corypheus is back, a problem, and something they need mal’s help with (that is also, in his professional opinion, his fault), he gets an idea.

he heads to skyhold, meets pica (who read the tale of the champion, asks varric questions about it constantly, was expecting a hero, and was not expecting the hero to be a depressed alcoholic) and iunno here lies the abyss happens with the aforementioned edit of no one important dying (i guess i could kill alistair and preserve a kind of important turning point in pica’s character with an added bonus of giving mal another thing to have survivor’s guilt about but i dont think i could go through with it. imagine the emotional toll. pica could get that change some other way anyway) mal by this point has gotten to know pica fairly well and has found what he’s heard to be true, and gives him a proposition

(i would like to add now that while ive read asunder, until i looked it up just now i didn’t remember where it sits in the timeline relative to da2, and it wasnt super clear to me just how much each of the two events affected the mage/templar war. so some text in sketches might be inaccurate, historically)

so you can imagine that anders is Pissed Off by this development, but justice is kinda like 

cos like. pica Is a real actual authority figure. who is down to dispense some quality justice esp re mages. and is coming at it from a “yo i know you meant well and you did kinda have a point but you also killed a lot of people so there does have to be Some kind of consequence of that”

(but neither of them are at all happy with mal turning them in)

anyway the trial ends up including a full investigation of the events in kirkwall, as well as the events at the spire (cole, rhys, and evangeline all give their testimony) and it’s more a straightening out of what was up with the whole start of this shitshow anyway, cos the confusion and misinformation about it is probably the worst part. 

pica finds anders guilty and sentences him to community service, which a lot of people disagreed with. pica thinks it was a GREAT IDEA though because that community service comes in the form of anders teaching the inquisition mages about healing magic!! something that anders is good at, loves doing, and can actually help people with!! why are we still fuckin about with herbs when there’s magic!!!!! this also has the added bonus of making mages less scary to the general populace- chuckin’ fireballs is a lot more alien and intimidating than healing up a broken arm, yknow? it can help mages seem more human and good for society than they were, separated from the public in towers.

anders is still a prisoner, though, which hes super not happy about, and part of his sentence is also that dagna gets to study him. he and samson are in grudging solidarity in the face of tolerating her extreme cheerfulness. and maybe he gets a cat too. i wonder if he and samson could talk about how shitty the chantry is re: lyrium addiction in templars? its obvs not on the scale of mage shittiness but it could be an interesting discussion

see in the grand scheme of things mal really didnt do all that much. he was duped by a lover into doing something he 100% would not have done if hed known what was actually going on. i feel like the most anyone could bust him on was aiding and abetting. and maybe helping hide an apostate. mal was found, as pica informally put it while distracted by looking at a transcript of a kirkwall templar’s testimony, “kinda guilty? just like. if ur asked to help blow up a chantry dont do it again” but cassandra elbowed him really hard and he said “look ok your sentence is, fuck, i dunno, work for the inquisition. what do you wanna do”

that was not what mal was expecting and he didnt have an answer. and pica looked at him and said “ill give you some time to figure it out, ok. just. take care of yourself, man. u look like shit” which got him another elbow, which he returned to cass with equal force

anyway. mal is now officially Not Guilty in the court of the law. which fuckin sucks bc that assessment does absolutely NOTHING to stop his shit brain from keeping being guilty about everything. so he tries to quit drinking, fails, and just has a rough time in general, while also sometimes visiting anders in prison. which probably really doesn’t help.

ENTER WARDEN-COMMANDER OF FERELDAN, MADRANA “MAD” TABRIS, AND HER PARTNER/GF/ADULT SUPERVISION EMMARIE “EMMY” COUSLAND

(you may also know mads as hester, as i called her in previous playthroughs. hester’s not a really elfy name and shes grown far enough away from her namesake that i felt a change was warranted. also emmy was created by @1500birds. i love her)

thats them (mads then emmy) so mad tabris, legendary fighter, unkillable blight-ender, bather in darkspawn blood, and general bottle covey is looking for a challenge. its been like ten years since shes had an actually hard battle to win and she’s near skyhold, and she’s heard that mal hawke, another legendary fighter, is also in the area. oh and some cadash guy. hes apparently good too. also, she’s looking for some way out of the whole grey warden death sentence thing. shes not keen on dying unless she’s killed, ydig, and apparently skyhold’s doing a lot of groundbreaking research these days

she and emmy swing on in to skyhold and finds that hawke is, well, a mess

important background. mads is not good at dealing with other peoples’ emotions. so shes not really equipped to deal with this. emmy, however, is kind, has nerves of steel, loves to help people, and is Very equipped to deal with this. and so the two of them adopt mal. (even though hes older than both of them.) 

theyve got really, really different ways of trying to help mal. emmy is a great listener, and understands survivor’s guilt and the lost-all-my-family brand of trauma pretty well. she helps him sort through all the shit that’s happened to him and offers a lot of support. and hugs. by god shes a hugger. also theyve got a symbiotic cuddling relationship bc emmy is always cold and mal is always warm, so they platonically nap together sometimes. mads is unfortunately too wriggly and pointy to be a good cuddler :’( she squeezes in the mix sometimes anyway though and it’s uncomfortable but nice

mads’s method of helping mal is in her area of expertise: getting out pent-up negative emotion by fighting. for a long time, mal has internalized a lot of shit, and mads is really good at annoying him into either yelling or punching out that shit. shes doing it out of concern for his well-being, she swears, and not because she takes joy in pissing people off. she does but thats not the point. it’s not a perfect strategy but it does help a lot

unfortunately for her, sometimes mal can be downright vindictive when drunk and angry, and can hit on the few things she’s insecure about

(i would really love to make a post about mads sometime, cos she ended up being a lot deeper of a character than i originally intended. i really just wanted a really sharp angry lady who fought with the subtlety of a brick to the face, and ended up getting that plus bravado covering up a whole host of insecurities. i feel like i should finish dao before writing it up though ahah)

(what mal said is also not totally accurate- mads cares very much for emmy. but yknow how when things get heated it doesn’t really matter if they’re really accurate anymore- they just have to be close enough to get a reaction, ydig)

anyway! the two of them together help mal get his life back in order- he cuts down and eventually quits drinking, starts taking better care of himself, and gets more of a handle on life. i guess you’re probably wondering where varric is, right around now. so am i mal pushed away a lot of people close to him after da2, including varric. but varric kept looking out for him (lying to cassandra to protect him, using his network of contacts to keep an eye on where he and anders were operating). when mal comes to skyhold i think he’d try to avoid varric out of guilt- yknow how when it’s been a really long time since you’ve talked to someone, and you know you should have called them back, but you never did, and they kept asking how you were, and you want to be in an actually good place before you call them back, but shit keeps happening, and it’s been like two years since youve said anything to them, and then you see them and do some serious acrobatics trying to stay out of their sight so you don’t have to confront their honest interest in your well-being that they have no right to still have after so long with no word from you, and you have to make it seem like you havent been avoiding them because that would be rude, and really it’s just easier to be constantly vigilant of where they are and make sure youve got plausible reason to be leaving casually yet quickly

well mal did that. emmy had to physically bar his way from escaping a room once when varric came in, and dragged him by the scruff of the neck to talk to him. varric was painfully understanding and ended up hitting it off nicely with emmy

so! someday mal gets a job. specifically, pica gives him one. because he still owes the world some community service. with his experience as a hunter and highwayman, he becomes a scout!

whoaaa color

more specifically, mal becomes a... specialized type of scout. some idiot who shall not be named but whose name sounds a whole lot like pica cadash gave him command of a small squad of scouts, heavier armored and armed than average inquisition scouts but not heavy enough to count as infantry soldiers. their job is to dismantle highwayman and rogue mercenary bands, in whatever way necessary. so! originally this was supposed to mean sneak attacks on their strongholds or whatever, but mal talked with him about his own experiences with crime (mostly that most people in his crew back then were in it out of necessity, and needed money to support family) and the squad kind of became. really heavy recruiters. it became kind of a joke that the inquisition would take anyone- and they would! practically any skillset could be used in an organization as big as the inquisition, and at this point it was still growing

like. barely any exaggeration here

so that’s where he is pre-trespasser! thank u for reading and if youve got questions or want to learn more PLEASE ask i lov my ocs and love talking about them

i want to add that in @1500birds‘s latest playthrough (miranda trevelyan, a pro-chantry mage cullenmancer) mal rags on cullen endlessly

that was supposed to be the playthrough where he survives the fade, but then bran realized that miranda would kinda hate mal and would 100% leave him behind