#100% that was varrics doing lmao

[dungeons-and-dragon-age]

badum-tss

[vigilskeep]

I've been going through your Keir Hawke tag because the character absolutely fascinates me and I keep seeing glimpses of Varric and Anders' friendship in that world state (especially something you mentioned about the book originally going to be about Anders) and it's making me feral

What do you think Varric and Anders' relationship is like? What does Varric think about Keir refusing to kill Anders and running off with him?

the thing about varric and keir is that even if they manage to get along in their way, their relationship is basically one of necessity. keir never trusted him in act 1, and varric vastly preferred bethany’s gentleness to keir’s whole uh attitude, but after the deep roads expedition they for various reasons both feel a level of guilt and obligation that sticks them together. you might say they’re more like family than friends, in the sense that with family you don’t have a choice. whereas varric and anders are actually friends, they get along, they joke together. varric finds anders hard to deal with in the later acts but they’re still at the hanged man together, varric is still trying to reach out in his way during banters, anders is trying to leave his possessions to him, etc. and that’s not like with varric and keir where something specific and insane happened to lock them together. he genuinely just likes anders

and varric is creatively interested in anders from the beginning; he’s talking about writing “an epic poem about a hopelessly romantic apostate” in literally the first banter they have. (why did he say hopelessly romantic. why did he say that.) i don’t think it occurs to him that keir even might be material for the protagonist of anything until... maybe the arishok duel, by which time iirc he’s already publishing his serial inspired by, like, aveline and donnic of all people. before that, keir is pretty obvious rags-to-riches plot inspiration but tbh i think varric thought that part was a bit cliché and that even if he did want it, he’d swap out the actual character for someone more likeable, lmao. god knows how or if he was thinking of writing the love interest in the anders-focused version of the book

i don’t think it would have occurred to varric that keir would spare anders and run off into the sunset with him. varric has a very surface-level read on keir, he kind of just sees the red hawke front. i think it’s umm... how do i put this. i think it’s integral to the severity of varric’s reaction to anders in dai that it doesn’t make sense in his head that he himself was more angry than keir, and that he was closer to agreeing with sebastian, the guy who went on to attack kirkwall. i think a lot of people including himself act “out-of-character” in that moment from varric’s perspective, and he finds that very distressing. the rewrite of the book that suddenly centres keir is also him rewriting his memories until everything “fits”. he never liked anders that much, it was hawke, hawke was always really the protagonist and varric has always been on his side, incidentally varric also totally always hated sebastian and is nothing like him, also anders’ actions are 100% sudden and crazy and varric’s anger over them is 100% normal impersonal and justified, etc etc. (to be clear i’m not saying this affects everything we see in da2 and that anders is Maligned in it or whatever. varric’s narrative in da2 is not the same as the book. a very significant amount of the truth slips back in when he has to talk so long, and talk for his life. anders’ sympathetic qualities and their friendship, for example, i can’t imagine that comes up a lot that’s in a book that canonically doesn’t even mention what happened to anders after the explosion.)

varric does not feel particularly normal about any part of the life anders and keir are currently living and he does not like to think about it. he had to rewrite the book into a tragedy to make sense of everything, which conflicts upsettingly with the reality that those two are... honestly simply not tragic. obviously they went through hell. but the mage rebellion is achieved. anders and keir are both visibly better in body and mind for being out of kirkwall. they do get married! it was varric’s home (a city keir hated) that got destroyed (by anders). and varric’s the one left on his own. and the one audibly kind of miserable and guilty and homesick and generally Doing Bad during a lot of inquisition. i think he finds that comparison very hard to even think about. it’s easier to see and analyse tragedy in other people like an impartial observer, than reckon with the fact that it was actually you it happened to and the people you miss and blame and feel bad for in equal measure are kind of just... doing fine? (without you. better the moment they left your city behind.)

(note: i am never arguing “the book was meant to be about anders” as a general headcanon, i just know it to be true in my worldstate)

[purplecritter]

Dragon Age: Vows and Vengeance (Ep. 4)

Official episode transcript here

My notes while I was listening under the cut... Spoilers ahead!

I did not miss the templars bro…

I am really hopeful that Arlathan will have similar vibes to the Brecilian in Origins! I loved the talking trees and lurking demons etc etc. Bring back the whimsy to Thedas ya know

This was wayy too offtopic to go in the main post but the beginning with Bellara hidden in the trees reminded me of (improbable reference in 3, 2, 1…) Jasmine in Deltora Quest: The Forest of Silence

Yikes I bet Tevinter has some pretty stocked up museums with all these artifacts 💀 No wait we literally already know they do, the fucking Archives in episode 1 were full of things that didn’t belong there

“Call me rabbit again and I'll run your throat, shemlen dog” Bellara 🥰

I love a duo that can slip into scathing banter so easily but they actually like each other a lot. I’m so glad the writers didn’t go the (overused) “I insult you and create a huge argument but you didn’t realize that it was only as a distraction and I meant none of it but now it’s too late and you’re mad”

(Said by Bellara to temporarily animate the surrounding trees, using an amulet) Var vhen'alas var vallasdahlen. Should translate to something like “Our land, our life-trees*” *vallasdahlen = trees planted in remembrance of those who dedicated their lives to the Dalish kingdom

I want to bring our Inquisitor to this river specifically so they can walk on it and maybe learn how to stop drowning in puddles 👉👈

Bellara’s 10 steps ahead of everyone and I love that for her

Bellara loves books! Which tracks with her fangirling over Neve heh. I wonder if she’s ever read anything of Varric’s lmao

Bellara & Drayden: nerd to nerd communication

Every time Nadia refers to Elio as “my love” I go 🥺

Ohhh Bellara wanting maps of the tears but also not having been able to save someone important to her vs Aldwir Rook losing a map specifically to save other veil jumpers... If you hear distant barking that’s just me

The Flicker = ancient Elven device, built with secret metallurgical techniques lost to time, that can act as a guide = technomancy → Dagnaaa where are you

Arlathan having “lyrium fields” makes me so nervous

Drayden: “I get the feeling our paths have converged here for a reason. This all feels connected” 🧐🎤agent of Fen’Harel

Drayden’s whole backstory 🥺

AWE Flicker sounds ADORABLE

“Remember Nadia, the Fade is capricious. It lies and it obscures. There's also truth. In all of my research and experience, I've learned one thing above all else: Trust your mind more than your heart. The demons beyond the veil, they will use your feelings against you. They will reshape reality. You must put a thought in your mind's eye and weight it like an anchor, immovable and untouchable. Focus on–” “Elio. I will focus on Elio.” “But focus on how you know him to be and not–” “–on how you want him to be.”

The Fade without being a mage / conscious that it’s being manipulated by a Demon is nightmare fuel btw

The bridge specifically being described by Elio as being made of obsidian makes me 100% sure that the obsidian part of the previous episode’s mirror/eluvian/portal was at least fade-touched, if not directly from the Fade

“I can't leave the way you came. In order to protect myself here, I had to cast a spell disguising me as an inhabitant so the spirits of this realm didn't come for me [...] I can't [end the spell] unless I destroy the font that I used. But I hid it for safekeeping. Back there. Just outside of the Black City. I know it sounds crazy, but that's what made it safe.” 🧐Eliooooooo what did you doooooo

Mhkay demon Templar raising an army of lyrium-corrupted knights from the Fade. What.

dathrasi = qunlat for animal (derogatory)

[ndostairlyrium]

Fuck, okay

major storyline spoiler under the snip snip!

I need to reason for a moment and fangirl about the first worst decision ever :'D

(Please don't spoil the results for me because I need to sleep on it, I just need to ramble)

I just finished the opening for the wardens + Davrin recruitment (duuuuude that was a rollercoaster of emotions!! Also that howler thing looks horribly similar to the Architect and Corypheus so I'm super excited to get to her and kill her horribly because nobody messes with griffoncini and gets away with it) AND was presented with the dreadful choice reminiscent of "do we go to the Keep or do we save Amaranthine?"

So, me, the player: I would prefer to go for Minrathous, because 1) I have no sympathy for the Crows and I would prefer to see them wiped out instead of helping them. This would be a great occasion to have this task fulfilled. 2) I feel like if we lose Minrathous we lose a stronghold, and allies that could carry Tevinter politics through some risky choices, and wipe out a great deal of corruption within the Magisterium. ALSO if Tevinter falls, the combination of Antaam and Venatori could bring chaos everywhere. Tevinter is one of the strongest political players in the setting, the domino effect would be catastrophic.

Now, Minrathous has defenders in the Dragons, the few uncorrupted Templars, and within the Magisterium (Dorian had 10 years to gather allies, I hope he succeded). They'll put up a fight.

On the contrary, Treviso doesn't have an army, or strong defenders, because the Crows are horribly weakened + there's a mole of some sort (Illario I'm looking at you, you're way too suspicious and your family apparently doesn't remember how to crow) within their ranks. But they're the last thin line of defense for a fuckton of civilians. They should have priority, especially if they've been vexed by an occupation.

The problem is, the game reminds us every fucking time there are factions. Going to TV means that yeah, we're saving civilians from dying horrible deaths during an occupation, but also, I'm favoring the Crows rather than the Dragons, and in a strategic / political setting I'm 100% more trustful when it comes to the second.

Mentally, I know it'll come to "I'm favoring this faction, so the other part will be weakened, distrustful, and regaining their favor will cost me a fortune in trinkets".

Character wise, my Rook would be more trusting of Neve, because they value the same things + he owes her for saving Varric and his ass. He respects her job, her struggles to swim against bigger powers, and he looks up to her.

The problem is, he'd be more charmed by Lucanis' point. If they don't act, the whole Antiva will be defenseless, and doomed to get devoured by the Blight. After what they saw in Arlathan, the thought that there will be possibly dozens of D'Meta crossings without nobody that can do something about it is terrifying.

I think he'd act on instincts and save TV / rely on the part who he thinks would be the most resilient and favor the other. AND that's on me for creating an impulsive character lmao

...I'm chewing on this so bad and I'm glad we're presented with a bitch of a decision that makes sense which results aren't given for granted. Like, either choices are horrible, and it makes perfect sense in regards of what's going on in the setting so far

[diamond-dangeresque]

for what i do love about this game—and i love a lot!!!—there are certain things about the story i wish we had either the opportunity to do or otherwise capitalize on

and i'll throw dat shit under a readmore for spoilers. you know. for a 13 year old game lmao

(also i will be using he/him/his pronouns when referring to Hawke simply because my first playthru was Garrett Hawke and therefore i think of Hawke in those terms)

so from the second we deal with Quentin and find his stash of books and letters during All That Remains, including one signed from his "very good friend “O”" i knew two things:

Orsino is behind this, and

i want to cave his smarmy little skull in for being an accessory to Quentin's atrocities, including MY MOTHER'S MURDER

and while i am aware that this can be kinda-sorta dealt with on a Templar playthrough, what bothers me is that i have no way to Deal With This Information until basically the end of the game, which feels...i dunno, like maybe there should have been a side quest of investigating these documents either solo or with the help of Aveline, Templar!Carver/Circle!Bethany, maybe even Anders or Varric, but it feels really weird that you find a letter that definitively proves Quentin was 100% not alone in what he was doing, and Hawke's response is 🦗🦗🦗

now yes, in the immediate aftermath he's mourning or grieving or drinking himself into a stupor or whatever Hawke (yours, mine, otherwise) does to live with not being able to save his mother in time, but it's still then Very Odd that he never just...follows up on this. like "welp, mom's dead and i killed her killer, who was definitely and apparently working alone. somehow. yep."

i would love a sidequest like that works like this, slowly piecing together who could have been assisting this madman by finding additional clues, locating “O”'s dead drop point, finding out it's the Gallows's First Enchanter being this serial killer's accomplice much to [Anders's horror//Aveline's disgust//Fenris's "well I can't say this wasn't unexpected but what the fuck"//etc etc], and then like

idk

maybe you can have a chat with Meredith abt it, convince her that No The Mage Circle Isn't All Bad, It's Just Orsino, starting an investigation and then gathering the evidence needed to convict him (and maybe optionally getting him in a room and beating the unholy piss out of him, real "Smash A to Break Orsino's Nose" kinda stuff) , and thennnnnn. idk, have him hung from the Gallows!!!! good shit, justice for Leandra and all the other women murdered by Quentin, closure for you and your sibling,

or you can take vigilante justice on him and. "hey Meredith, so Orsino died. yeah, he fell down the stairs. tripped on his robes, broke his neck on the way down. terrible shame. tut, tut. (please ignore the bruises and broken bones.)"

and then we're like "welp. so the Circle needs a new First Enchanter, aaaaaand 1. Orsino had like no protege lined up for this, and 2. no one here wants to be First Enchanter anyways" so you could potentially set up smth like

Hawke can become First Enchanter if he's a Mage

Bethany can become First Enchanter (probably easier to convince her on a high Friendship rating)

One of the mages you spared (and still lives) from Acts 1 and 2 could be trained to become First Enchanter; personally I think Alain's got gumption, but to each their own, yeah?

of course i know the problem with this story is that it kiiiiiiinda pulls away from the whole "Mages vs Templars butting heads and also the Chantry blows up" story point that 2 wants to get to, though tbh I don't think these have to be mutually exclusive?

Meredith can accuse Hawke of conspiring to lead the rebellion himself and doing so by taking Orsino's place, taking advantage of Meredith's "trust" (whether or not that's true is up to you) and thus being both the more dangerous mage of the two and proving—to herself, ofc—the inherently duplicitous nature of mages as a whole

Meredith can accuse Bethany of being a tool for Hawke's conspiracy against her, effectively using nepotism to undermine her authority and maybe even fearing being replaced herself by another of Hawke's buddies (which is absolutely not true, but red lyrium is a hell of a drug, so 🤷); this can even tie back to a choice you can have on Meredith's side where you can execute your sister or not to prove your loyalty (which obv doesn't work, but y'know 🤷)

Meredith can distrust any of your First Enchanter choices due to a wide variety of reasons: lack of experience, lack of talent, your sympathy being used against you for a position they do not deserve, I Just Don't Fucking Like Them, etc etc

it also creates this cool throughline of Quentin's fuckery being a consistent B- or C-story for Dragon Age 2, underneath Mages Vs Templars and The Qunari Are Vibing (Until They Aren't).

like. if Meredith is gonna be The Big Bad Evil Person no matter what route you take, that means you do have some flexibility on the story along the way.

but the story was also cranked out in 18 months under EA's infamous pressure cooker system, so i don't blame any of the writers for Not Thinking Of These Things, i get it, i do

and if you just want to Skip That For Whatever Reason and go through with what's already there then you can also do that. i guess. (you monster.)

the only other major grievance i have with the game is that Blood Magic Hawke isn't as story-polarizing as it could be. yes i know Blood Magic wasn't as big of a deal even in Origins/Awakening as the lore and story make it out to be; as a Grey Warden you at least get the excuse of "whatever it takes to kill the archdemon, ya feel me?", but Hawke has no such excuse and if anything having Blood Magic should both 1. be a major story beat changer, and 2. be non-reversible (mostly due to the first reason; would be kinda weird if you went Blood Mage for the story stuff, then headed over to the Black Emporeum, chugged a weird potion you got from a dusty-ass shopkeep, and went "nah i change my mind")

and yes, i am also aware that Blood Magic wasn't even going to really be a thing (PC) Hawke could have, and it was basically shoved in last-minute with not much to the story to supplement that. but there is still something to be said about a lot of missed story opportunities involving this. there was also apparently a cut storyline about Mage!Hawke dealing with a near possession attempt, and that both could have unlocked Blood Magic permanently and be yet another cool way to integrate the innate Weirdness of mages into your story

........but i digress, because after that it's mostly very minor grievances about Things I Want But Do Not Have that could probably be fixed with mods if i searched hard enough.

also: no post-game cards about my friends or my lover. come onnnnn. it's literally static text on a background. this isn't hard to implement!!!

ok rant over i'm gonna crawl into a hole now and cry about anders

[sapphim]

no pressure or anything but i’m curious since you go in the game files a lot + have a mod sorta centered on this quest, i’ve never seen anyone do this, and i don’t have access to da2 rn, do you know how best served cold like. works? if bethany/carver are both dead, sebastian is never recruited, fenris is either not recruited or hawke betrays him during his act 3 quest, anders gets kicked out of the party after his act 2 personal quest, isabela leaves at the end of act 2, and hawke has aveline, varric, and merrill with them the whole time?

does the quest still work or does it get glitchy? i suppose it might not be too difficult to get to work from a gameplay standpoint, but that seems potentially even less comprehensible than the normal quest lmao and i know the devs were under crunch

lmao I don't know about "get" glitchy, since it is already glitchy under typical circumstances. after a companion is kidnapped you can still add them to your party from the party picker and sometimes go initiate conversations with them at their party base. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

what usually happens is that there will (should!) always be a "default" option the game will be able to fall back on, even if it's not itself a "correct" option. what I mean is like, if you have two lines that play based on Hawke's gender, you wouldn't set one to play if Hawke was male and the other to play if Hawke was female, you'd set one to play if Hawke was female and then set the other to *always* play, and then if Hawke's gender wasn't registering as either male or female for whatever reason, it would still have *a* line to play, even if incorrect, rather than abruptly breaking and falling out of the conversation early.

as for how best served cold works—in Keran's dialogue where he announces which character has been kidnapped, he has a long list of lines describing the kidnapped character, with special plot flags used specifically to determine if that character is eligible to be kidnapped there. this is for the siblings and romances. if there's no sibling alive and no romanced character not in the active party, it falls through to the default, generic line "We just got word they pulled it off, right before you came here."

cut for length

if that line plays, it calls a special little bit of plot script used to determine, if a sibling or romance isn't kidnapped, then who should be kidnapped instead? I've looked at the script disassembly for this flag recently and I don't 100% understand it, but it goes thru a list of characters and checks their availability and their approval level and then picks the first one in the list that meets its requirements. there SHOULD be a fall-through state for this too in case no one passes. I know back when I was making my mod, I made my fall-through state if all the changes that *I* made failed to pick a kidnapping victim to just... call this plot flag and let IT figure it out lmfao.

still, it's very probable that they didn't ever consider this one very specific situation in which NOBODY would be eligible and now I'm curious, so I deleted most of the characters from the party pool in my save game, unset some flags that would lead the game to believe bethany and carver were available anyway, and rocked up to the warehouse with aveline, merrill, varric, and no other friends in the whole wide world to see what would happen, keran told me someone unspecified had been kidnapped, and then lying there on the beach...

was no one

and then we abruptly fell out of thrask's conversation early because the conversation was set up "improperly" with no fallback line and so Grace couldn't decide whose death to call for, leaving us all stranded standing aimlessly on the beach with no way to progress the rest of the quest or the game

which was very funny

then I checked the cnv and saw the other dialogue choice WOULD have allowed the cutscene to progress (the third dialogue option was missing from the wheel completely), tried that, found a second dialogue wheel with a missing option, and then

we abruptly fell out of the conversation here once again because there was no one to thank me for rescuing them again and, once again, no fallback line, so once again our game was softlocked

so I'd say, to answer your question, the quest does NOT work and "glitchy" is an understatement

thanks for asking!

[villainanders]

I'm back on locked tomb dragon age thoughts. I was curious as to what Houses you would assign da2 characters, or at least Bethany. I haven't played with her yet since I've only played mage hawke ( I will fix this soon) so I don't know her very well. Rn I'm thinking like Fenris, 8th (fucked up power dynamics), maybee varric fifth? since his whole thing is bucking tradition? not sure. Isabela, fourth? or maybe third or seventh? I think she'd like the gaudiness. idk I'm thinking

this is such a good question im sorry its taken so long to get back to you...

anyway for au reasons i do feel like all the hawke sibs should be from same house and I'm not 100% on that. @widgitart said 3rd which i really like with leandra's backstory (maybe she like. gave up her seat as 3rd heir to run off with Malcolm who is non-nobility from a less prestigious house but the amells never wanted to make gamlen their heir so there was a weird power vacuum until the hawkes came back to third? idk) but I'm also compelled by the idea of them as 4th house bc i think there's something thematically good with carver and beth both being so doomed so young and 4th's habit of sending teens to the front lines.

for varric i can definitely see 5th. tho honestly this is the house i know the least about lmao I'm just like hell yeah magnus and abigail house :) tho i could also make a case for 3rd and frankly. hear me out. 7th (its not that i think 7th cultural practices are similar to orzammar's cultural practices but i could see varric having a similar relationship with 7th house that he does to orzammar. very much "everyone is acting like this thing is cool. but its not its actually very fucked up!!)

fenris 8th for the fucked up potential and Sebastian and aveline both 2nd for obvious reasons (i know I'm messing up any hope of this being a canaan house au by assigning people who wouldn't be lyctor/cav pairs to the same house). i dont feel like bela is from the nine houses at all i feel like she's a cool space pirate doing her own thing out in the galaxy. hell yeah girlie.

i'm not really sure for merrill and anders. tho in my head they're both og lyctors so its kind of different. part of me wants to say 6th for anders since they're the closest to the circle kind of but then he would have been very bad 6th house member lmao. i feel like i could also see 5th but again i like. barely know anything about them lol. MERRILL is interesting to me there's a few ways it could go (i think there's strong cases for 6th and 7th) but i kind of want to say 9th since merrill practicing magic from a different tradition (as a blood mage but also generally as a dalish elf) could have some interesting ties with the way ninth is distanced from the other houses and regarded by other houses as being stuck in the past (which is. unfortunately how a lot of dragon age treats the dalish)

[lords-of-fortune]

maybe too many but 2, 9, 16, 21 for giovanniii

That's alright! This one will simply be a Long One ajfkfl

2: How did Rook get the nickname? What do they think of it?

I haven't decided the particular story but I do think for Gio it is 100% a Varric-ism. He maybe even put varric on the spot jokingly like "how come everyone else gets a nickname? You keep calling Solas Chuckles, you've referred to several inquisition members by nicknames, you call Isabela *Rivaini* which, I'm not going to get into but that's a little yikes, especially since she's definitely not the only rivaini you know anymore. What's my nickname?" And varric had to come up with something on the spot. He doesn't mind it, it is just another of many names he goes by. He'd think it was weird if certain people started calling him that, like if his sibling started calling him Rook he'd be like you stop that but people he met during the course of the game he's fine with them using Rook or Giovanni or Gio or Laidir or whatever

9. What is Rook like on the battlefield?

He tends to be pretty focused in a way he usually isn't outside of combat. He hones in on fighting for his life and is just. A whirlwind of daggers and magic. He's definitely got a more rogue-y style to his fighting than traditionally mage-y and does a lot of dodging and getting behind enemies. He is not good at shielding which is mostly just me also being bad at that sjfkfl. He gets quiet and vicious when fighting. He is not going to die here, fuck that shit.

16. Got any tattoos? What’s the story behind them?

Yes! I gave him a full set of the preset tattoos and the mirror options I chose for him had to do with the tattoos so I decided he gets a new tattoo after every adventure so A he's got way more than the CC let me have and B they're different ajdkfl. I know for sure his biggest and most colorful one is a shoulder piece that coils down his arm and that one is an octopus similar to the lords of fortune symbol but more intricate. The others I haven't fully decided on, but I do like the cc one on his left arm that looks kind of like a treasure map with other symbols interspersed on it. But yeah he's got a bunch and I'm sure he gets another after this whole thing. also haven't decided what yet, but maybe the shadow dragon symbol somewhere for Neve, possibly the veilguard symbol somewhere, aaand then maybe one or two for reasons I cant say yet bc I know you haven't finished the game ajdkfl. I am also considering something for each of his kids, a memorial tattoo for his parents and a tattoo representing his sibling (either matched with them or just something that makes him think of them i haven't decided if Tasso is a tattoo person yet ahdklf)

21. What does Rook’s voice sound like? One of the voice options available, or do they have a different accent/voicecast?

Sooo the voice i selected for him ended up being the medium American voice bc the other options all seemed too low and I actually ended up really liking it! Idk if I fully imagined him with an American accent but I also don't think I really imagined him with any other accent either. I was mostly focused on the pitch of the voice which was like... tenor-pitched? And I'm satisfied with what the game gave me. I'm horrible at voice claims anyways lmao so I will take what the game gives me. I still don't have a coherent thought about rodaine's voice bc hes an origins character and thus a silent protagonist aside from the random battle interjections which I don't remember sjdkfl

[thebonerpit]

Ok ok ok thoughts on the Dragon Age Veilguard release date trailer:

First of all it looks GORGEOUS oh my god. So colourful and the locations are phenomenal, I cannot wait to explore. The wee bits of combat look super fun as well. A little concerned about them showcasing so many MASSIVE enemies like the dragons and that big skeleton because tbh I hate fighting huge enemies in games most of the time, but maybe we won't really be in combat with them idk.

Harding having magic powers as a dwarf is sooooo interesting. I am 100% sure this is going to be connected to The Descent DLC from Inquisition and the Titans. I hope Valta comes back because I adored her.

EMMRICH!!!!!!!!!!!!! Ahhhhhh he sounds absolutely perfect and I'm already in love with Manfred and his cute lil goggles lmao.

Also already in love with Davrin and his adorable griffon. Apparently he has Ghilan'nain vallaslin and if so I am SO excited to see his reaction to her. If anything happens to the griffon though I will riot.

Lucanis with those wings holy shit. I've seen some speculation about him either having a demon in him or there being at least a connection there and I'm eternally curious. Because we've seen merging with spirits with Wynne and Anders but not demons?

Taash looks so badass, looking forward to more on her.

Honestly... Bellara is giving me Peebee vibes from Mass Effect Andromeda and I'm a little nervous about it. I want to like her, I do, so I hope there's more to her that makes me change my mind!

Also I don't like to be a hater but much like Varric, I'm a little tired of Morrigan. Like I knowwww she has to be connected to this because she's so ingrained in the story but like... idk. I kind of hope it's just a brief cameo but it's kind of crazy they put her in the trailer.

STILL NO DORIAN??? Bioware please. I know he's in there. I know it.

I cannot wait to see the character creator because the Rooks we've seen so far have been gorgeous. Still waffling on who I want to make. I really think I'm gonna decide in the moment. And lbr unless the game is absolute trash I will be replaying it anyway lol.

[brennacedria]

A more thorough list, compiled by user Cake on the Bioware official discord. There are a few specific spoilers in this version that I avoided in my list.

Interruptible/resumable banter - more banter than other games, incorporating all aspects of companion story

Your companions have a life outside of you and missions

You can pick the backstory/rp your Rook and their lives before being recruited

Crafting back but involves some sort of entity/power/big spoilers - SANDAL??

Game only begins in Minrathas - not the entire game, will expand into other areas

Can't kiss Manfred but can kiss another skeleton???

Can play game entirely offline - no EA account needed

Hand crafted content- mission based, but locations open up - do great side quests, no fetch quests (YES)

Emphasis on characters tying into story threads

No longer using the Keep - but you get to pick things before starting the game

Inky returns

Companions have unique specializations, but fall into mage, rogue, warrior

Bellara is a mage

Neve is the only ice mage

One of mage abilities is slow time

Each character has a backstory, they exist as their own people outside of conversations

Healing spells are back

Tactics are back, and more important for higher difficulties

Combat pause not overhead - display strategic information on enemies (vulnerabilities, elemental weaknesses, resistances, enhancements)

Tactical decision making takes form of ability usage between Rook and his companions - detonation combos

Can choose pronouns and gender - pronouns and gender can be different

Actively looking into photo mode right now

3 ability slots for Rook but more actions in the wheel - ultimate ability associated with class/specialization, items that function like abilities (buffs/enhancements in the form of runes)

Fireball and cone of cold not back - but they have successors - meteor and frost nova - glow up lol

Accessibility modes: info will be revealed closer to launch

Veilguard = 10 years since Trespasser, Solas ritual set up, we come in towards the end of that ritual

Solas is still bald (lmao): once you get a chance to play “ancient elves turn bald after thousands of years” - might see what Solas looks like in the past?!?!?!?

Companions have a wider range of appearances that you can find for them - some appearances tied directly to their narrative

Get to visit a lot of locations that were hinted at - not completely filling out the map, some new things to hint at - more to do at Kal’sharok

Tone wheels, can pick consistent tone - emotion wheel, can pick specific emotions - choice wheel, no specific emotion but want to make a choice, they want players to understand as much what they are picking

RP choices and outcomes for conversations, how events unfold - huge priority

Each companion has romance arc, can be romanced by all genders, but are not “playersexual” - they won’t change their preferences based on what you’re playing - they have their own fully fleshed out identities

All companions are pansexual, with their own history of romances

If you don’t pursue a romance with companion, they’ll build romance with each other

Lace Harding and Taash get together if you don’t get with them

Elven Warden and Veil Hopper face tattoos: specific to their personalities

Corinne really proud of character creator - huge range of options

Companions the highlight of the game, devs very proud of them

John Epler most excited about mix of novelty and familiarity: great for existing and new DA players

Varric has been adventuring for a while now - will see him in more contexts

Inky will appear in the flesh - can customize them, including new customization options. They will be YOUR Inky. Solas and Inky stories tied together

Devs 100% focused on the base game, making it as complete as they can

No micro-transactions, no battle passes, don’t have to connect online - focus entirely on complete single-player game

There will be transmog system

No ace relationships in DA:TV

Will there be blood magic “Rook has pretty good reasons to avoid blood magic”

Mage skill tree is packed with a bunch of other spells, there is necromancer, elemental, and a combat mage specialization

HQ: The Lighthouse - similar narrative purpose as Skyhold, elements of it change over time, starts to feel like home over time

Emphasis on food in the lore: “at least one place has pasta”

You’re spending most of the game in North Thedas - no mabari

YOU CAN PET THE GRIFFIN - but also HUG THE GRIFFIN: lots of options, can hang with griffin at The Lighthouse

We will see character creator before the game releases

Can play as Qunari, Dwarf, Elf, and Human - with full body customization

Lineage gives really unique dialogue options, depending on your background you get very specific callouts to your faction

Barkspawn is safe!

Rook last name defined by their faction - also a name generator

They will talk about the different editions/voice actors/pre-order "soon"

Tavern songs: The Swan

PC specs coming soon

Soundtrack woven into the story themes

Regret is a major theme: how to move on and deal with regret - cohesive story

You can play as Dwarf, world reacts to race and backstory - unique conversation options

GLORIOUS BEARDS

You can piss off companions, will take some time away, but are dealing with “the biggest threat that Thedas has ever seen” “they will come back, unless…”

More story for Harding, tends to be someone who has the most insight into who Solas was

Quests: immediately relevant to what you’re doing (saving the world) + provides perspective on characters/world - everything is hand crafted and intentional (no more gathering shards lmao)

Locations can fundamentally change based on the decisions that you make - locations will be different depending on what you do!

If Rook dies then game over. You can spec your companions to revive you. Cannot switch characters but engage with their actions.

Same Solas you love and/or hate - same writer as before

The story of who we leave in the Fade will not show up in the Veilguard

No mounts: addressed a need in Inquisition we don’t have in Veilguard

Side quests are very intentional and relevant to the plot

The Lighthouse has its own unique purposes and functions

Dual wielding part of rogue kit, not warrior - warrior: 2h, sword and shield

John Epler gets pleasantly surprised on a daily basis with the dev team, very excited for us to see what they’ve done

Very Vague, Slightly Out of Context Notes on Today's Veilguard Discord Q&A

I was in the hospital with my husband while listening to this, so I didn't catch everything, and I missed the last little bit of the Q&A completely. I've already linked a recording of the session in two other posts; this is just the notes I made in the one server I'm in while I was listening along:

"will crafting return?" "You can absolutely improve and customize your gear.....there might be a mysterious entity that helps you"

"can we kiss Manfred" "not that skeleton" but another

Talking about keep's replacement, but not much detail. Just that it's built into the client, 100% offline, etc. explicitly said they "don't want to spoil which decisions get imported"

Corinne's being a little cagey about companion specializations. Sounds like MAYBE their personality has more to do with their individual abilities

CONFIRMED HEALING SPELLS (this was mentioned elsewhere but I didn't know a source)

"detonation combos" in the tactics discussion, ability "synergies"

Confirmed again gender/pronouns

"actively looking into" photo mode, which I thought was already confirmed but I guess not. "We'll let you know"

"Will go into accessibility features closer to launch" (disappointing)

Per epler, 10 years since trespasser which I think is probably a misspeak?

Companion outfits have "wider range of appearances" (but doesn't say they'll be changeable completely)

Dialogue wheels based on tone, emotion, and/or choice and have consequences

Corinne confirms again ALL companions are romanceable by ALL Rook but are NOT playersexual

Vallaslin coming back

"these are the deepest companion arcs we've done, not just in dragon age but at Bioware"

"Inky DOES appear" which we knew. Can use "the new customization options" (Inquisitor body types anyone???)

Corrine deflecting question about dlc. "100% focused on this being the most complete game we can make it" no micro transactions no battle passes

"will there be transmog?" "Oh hell yeah"

Mage specialties: Necromancer, elemental, and "more of like a combat mage"

YOU CAN HUG THE GRIFFON

We will get to see the cc before release!!

I couldn't hear if we'll get the cc early or not

Rook's surname is based on their faction, sounds like first names will have a generator option

they declined to answer the voice actor question, and the soundtrack question

Glorious dwarven beards confirmed

"locations can fundamentally change" based on your actions

"if rook gets KO'd it's time to reload your save" unless you spec your companions to revive you

[dungeons-and-dragon-age]

Seven forms of love asks: the first one of each category for either Ari, Liam or June?

[ask game]

Ooh so many!! >:] Imma do all of them hehe

Eros 1: Is your OC romantic in the traditional sense? Do they enjoy giving or receiving gifts of flowers or confectionary? Or are there other courtship traditions from their culture of origin that are important to them?

Ari: Hmm honestly? I'd say so, yeah. He's romantic in a chivalrous kind of way, and even if it's less on purpose and more "how else am i supposed to do this?" i'll still say it counts lol. Once past the courting he's romantic in how much attention he pays to his partner's interests and likes and in how he will support those. That ties into gifts etc. as well, because he is more likely to go by his partner's preferences/culture/etc rather than his own. It's for them, after all, so it should be meaningful to them.

Liam: Yes 100%, he is probably The corniest romantic out of all my ocs lmao. He's the 'will slowdance in the livingroom', 'will hold hands at the theatre', 'will reenact the Titanic scene at the bow' kind of romantic. He is not a fan of expensive or elaborate gifts, but anything small and thoughtful will do the trick. I've long integrated that one hc about courting in Ferelden into my worldview so giving and receiving flowers from a lover is something he values a lot.

June: Not at all. She's a romance repulsed aro, so. Not much of a romantic hfldksjf. It wasn't something she'd given any thought until it became relevant, after she and Cullen started getting closer and she had to figure out what she wanted out of the relationship. There is certainly some overlap with what would typically be considered romantic, but she is still not at all romantic in a traditional sense. Also re: gift giving, she's not a fan lol. June is horrible at both receiving and giving gifts that are not practical in nature, so she'd rather avoid it entirely.

Philia 1: Does your OC have a Best Friend? If they do then how long have they known each other and how did they meet? If they don't then do they have a close group of friends they love equally? Or are they more of a loner?

Ari: I'd say that Joseohine, Leliana and Vivienne all equally count as best friends to him, out of which he vibed with Viv the quickest. Josephine he he didn't call a friend until later even though they got along really well, out of worry that it would be inappropriate. He also definitely had some close friends in the Valo-Kas, but admittedly i haven't thought about them as much as i should lol so i don't have any specifics there.

Liam: Varric and Fenris; Fenris because the grow close, Varric because they did the anime mind flash connection thing and simply forged a silent pact early on (they vibe because they are (partially) fucked up in the same way <3). During the time in Kirkwall until the Deep Roads he also definitely considered Bethany his best friend.

June: Dorian and Sera are her ride or die besties, but Dorian came first and is still just barely holds best friend status over Sera. They got along sooner, they share interests, and they simply Work.

Storge 1: Did your OC's parents love them unconditionally? If so then has this helped them feel confident as an adult? If not then how has this affected them? What were the conditions their family attached to their relationship?

Ari: Considering that both his parents felt a little out of their league because usually he would've been taken care of by Tamas, they did really well! Growing up as the only Vashoth kid around could get a bit tough even if the environment was friendly, so they made extra sure to make him feel loved.

Liam: I am sure that they did, but it did not always come across that way. Subconsciously the love, over time, started feeling tied to how well he fulfilled his duties (or what he perceived a such) as eldest son, even if it was subconscious.

June: The love was most definitely perceived as conditional, always dependent on performance. They were a noble family with decent standing and strong ties to the Chantry, which left the sisters with high expectations and a constant competition for approval.

Agape 1: Does your OC wish to make the world a better place? How far do they see that as being their responsibility? What lengths would they go to in order to help achieve this?

Ari: Yes, and it's something he has become especially persistent about since becoming Inquisitor. He is now in a position where changing things on a greater scale is Actually Possible, and he maaaybe gets a little too hung up on the ideals he has in his mind.

Liam: Not really? He believes in common human decency and in simply being nice to people, but he does not generally see it as his responsibility to "make the world a better place". However, he does feel responsible as soon as he gets involved in something, so he ends up helping a lot anyway lol.

June: It is not a priority, no, and she does not feel responsible for the greater good. She does start caring more about the impact she has and the good that she can do, but never to the point where she'd get worked up about it.

Ludus 1: Does your OC have any particular favourite chat up lines? If not for themselves then perhaps ones they have suggested to a friend? How effective do these tend to be?

Ari: Any chat up lines he know he knows from books or from Leliana, and he decided that it would probably be best not to try those himself lolol. He is very good at complimenting people though! Which can come across as flirty sometimes, for better or for worse.

Liam: If he is being smooth on main you can be sure that it was on accident, because he is horrible at flirting. But he wouldn't try it for showing genuine interest anyway. However with an established partner he thoroughly enjoys throwing all the bad corny pickup lines at them, and we're talking "did it hurt when you fell [...]" type bad

June: Casual flirting is basically her modus operandi when it comes to friendly conversation, but when she's trying for a hookup or something she'll be way more bold and direct. June is way more witty than i am lol so i can't give you any proper examples, but she's very good at coming up with lines on the spot (and they tend to work pretty well!)

Pragma 1: Is your OC in a committed long-term relationship (or relationships)? If so then what has contributed to this relationship lasting so well? If they are not in such a relationship, then is this something that saddens them or which they regret?

Ari: A committed relationship hadn't been something on his radar, but he an Josie simply Worked. They mesh really well, they have similar interests, they enjoy talking with one another a lot, they're intellectually on the same wavelength... it gets strained after Trespasser, but they're holding tight so far.

Liam: Depends on the worldstate, but in the one where he lives he is with Fenris! I think part of why it works is that they're both very affectionate and very devoted people at heart, but they also simply get on well and work well as a team. A long-term relationship is definitely something Liam sought out.

June: It wouldn't have been something she'd have considered or missed, but here we are, and she is content with how it worked out. June and Cullen are good at both pushing and grounding each other, and they end up finding a good deal of support in their relationship.

Philautia 1: Does your OC have a healthy sense of their own worth and value? Or do they see themselves as failing to live up to their original potential? Perhaps they are convinced of their own sinful or inadequate nature?

Ari: I wouldn't say he has a lacking or inflated sense of self-worth, he simply exists as himself and is okay with that. There are things he is self-conscious about, there are things he is proud of, all within reason. Where it gets more complicated is the sense of value he gives his actions ; that is where the feeling of Not Enough sets in

Liam: I think it's decent. Overall he is fine with who is is and how he is, and does give his own needs their due, but he will quickly feel like he is not worthy of someone's love when he, in his eyes, fails to take care of them. It doesn't impact is sense of self-worth per se but it does make him feel like he failed as a friend/son/sibling/etc

June: There are things about herself that she is very proud of, but overall her sense of self-worth is. Not the best. Being self-centered is a defence mechanism against feeling like she is constantly failing expectations everywhere, a feeling that she got a little too used to growing up (yay for performance based families! <3)

[catdotnip]

not me doodlin my hawke before finishing my canon origins run 👀👀👀

[doctormage]

jumping in on the anders apologism bc now i'm feeling strongly about it too, it's also just baffling to me how people can play da2 and villainize anders. bc youre right, the game spends a lot of time showing you chantry atrocities, plus one of the most interesting things about da2 to me is the prominent theme of how oppressors control the narrative, yet so many people miss it! the framing device for the entire story is varric telling the story of how a rebellion started to a chantry seeker, recounting chantry injustices but in a dark room away from the public, where it can be suppressed. that means something, but people still call anders a terrorist or murderer and i'm just like. well that's an interesting way to refer to slave revolts, lol. kind of the entire point was that the chantry lies to justify religious persecution and villainizes anyone who resists, but i guess you somehow missed that and are doing it for them...

“the prominent theme of how oppressors control the narrative” yes!!!! fuck!!!!

it’s especially funny to me given how they kinda beat us over the head w that in DAI (which obv came out after DA2 but like, we can use it as a lens to look at previous games bc it’s been out for 8 fucking years and we’re all somehow still arguing abt its predecessor lol). even the first two I can name just off the top of my head — the shit w the seekers wrt tranquility & the shit w inquisitor ameridan — are both instances of the chantry lying about their shittiness & those lies having serious long-standing implications for the entirety of thedas, but ESPECIALLY for marginalized groups (elves, mages, tranquil) (not to mention how trespasser explores similar ideas but i don’t want to derail)

also failing to acknowledge varric’s role as the storyteller AND the situation in which he’s being forced to tell the story, like you mentioned, is some big fat beef i have w DAI. how are yall gonna constantly bring attention to the fact that DA2 isn’t a direct narrative but instead a story being told while being interrogated by not just a seeker but THE RIGHT HAND OF THE FUCKING DIVINE, then want to demonize the revolutionary YOU created so bad that you backpedal enough to be like no varric was telling the 100% pure unbridled truth actually. he has a perfect photographic memory and remembers everything exactly as it happens, and then he wrote it down as such with zero exaggeration at all. despite him literally saying on multiple occasions that he loves to lie and sensationalize. not with this tho we trust him. HUH???

and don’t even get me STARTED on how they named the mage underground as such to draw parallels to the actual fucking Underground Railroad and were then brainless enough to be like “well that’s bad actually :/” lmao????? girl (gender neutral) WHAT??

but yeah at the end of the day youre absolutely correct, people will fall for this shit even at the hands of the fantasy catholic church and refuse to see otherwise. the games can straight up tell and SHOW us that the chantry & all the organizations that report to it (the templars, the seekers, the circles) are corrupt and LIE!! outright LIE and kill people to protect those lies, and still people will be like “okay well what about the rich people huh? what about all these made up scenarios i created to make myself feel better about hating when the oppressed stand up to their oppressors?? I’m enlightened for saying all violence is bad, even when it can put an end to more violence<3” lmfao not only are they doing the brainwashing themselves, like you said, but imo a lot of them are missing the point on purpose ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

[saturndigital]

I love all of these SM YAY!!

This is so long I am so sorry LMAO I tried to be brief with a few explanations:

- Shermie is still the youngest, he took the role of Keeper after Ford left the clan. Ford was being trained to be the next keeper but opted to research anomalies across Thedas instead (which was positively supported by his clan given how the show plays out).

- The clan moving forests was in part due to the incident with Stanley. The current event that happened was that Ford found out Kirkwall secrets that would've killed him, but he wanted to publish his findings anyway. In an act of desperation to not see his brother killed (not by his clan but by outsiders) Stanley burned his research and it ended up causing an even bigger fire, leading to a big chunk of the clan's supplies going down with it. His actions in this au were not self-motivated to keep Stanford around but to instead protect him.

- I think with how Golems are created in DA Fidds wouldn't go that far, however, I do think he'd find his own ways of using lyrium to create crazy contraptions and machines. 100% his portal experience would be a look into the fade.

- The tavern idea is fun I like that a lot, I can see them breaking into a Circle's library together to get research for their portal

- yep! he's definitely visited family in dreams, though I feel being stuck in the Fade makes him more focused on avoiding demons and Bill rather than taking the time to pop in and say hello.

- I would not put it past Ford to try to break into the Black City cause he's a curious and prideful little shit, but I think he would've failed and turned his attention elsewhere

- Ford does know a bit more about the Evanuris than others (you can thank his muse for that information), but I think he's unaware of a lot and would be appalled to find out Fen'Harel is Solas

- Speaking of his muse, Bill is an Evanuris. He was trapped away with the rest of the Evanuris, however, because of his immense skill in Fade magic/spirits similar to Solas' abilities, he's able to use his spirit to roam the Fade outside of his bindings. A lot of Bill's character for this is still up in the air to be honest, as we don't know much of the Evanuris YET 1 MONTH UNTIL VEILGUARD WOO!! I'm kinda waiting to write him because the next game is just around the corner lol

- Gideon is 100% from an Orlesian Circle, The Northwests are also from Orlais yes!

- Mabel would love Grey Wardens just cause of their Gryffon brand, she'd knit a sweater with a Gryffon on it

- I like that a lot, the idea the twins left to find the author themselves and found their Grunkle is really neat

- putting all these stories in my notes for later ty I love all of these

- Yes I intend to keep the 30 years! Ford seeing the first high dragons would've definitely been a major inspiring moment for him in his 20s, maybe even an omen to him in a way

- Agent Powers and Trigger are definitely Templars that try to send the twins to a Circle and have Stan arrested

- Stan and Varric are drinking buddies who keep in touch every now and then. Stan for sure loves his stories and they would catch up with a game of Wicked Grace after meeting again in Skyhold.

Hi! Just found your Veil Falls AU, and like... My one of oldest loved titles and current one.... Count me intrigued and waiting for more. And like... Sorry, if it's too soon, but did you compose the timeline for the au already? I mean I saw that Ford (also really liked your work of making them dalish names!) missed events of dao-da2, but does it means that others didn't? Like where was their clan during Blight or did they even know there was one? Or did Stanley (I suppose he travelled all of Thedas) had troubles with Crows and stuff?

Really sorry for questions, but I really was into DA some years ago, and I'm really into GF now, and this AU is like the most delicious cake for my soul.

I am over the moon someone is so interested in this au that they have so many questions EEEKK never apologize I'm SO happy to answer!!

As of RIGHT NOW I have a very basic idea of the timeline:

Ford returning from the Fade happens before the events of the Inquisition, as to me Weirdmaggedon is the entirety of that game's plot (yes this means Bill had a part to play in it but that's story talk for later). So, the summer that the twins visit Stan happens between the events of DA2 ending and the Conclave's destruction (9:40 Dragon I believe would be the year?).

Yes, the others did experience it, though because many of the cast are so young or in Stan's case constantly all over the place, they weren't at the epicenters of those games' plots. Most of the cast experienced the consequences of the events and how that affected the world rather than being part of said events.

The clan did survive the blight and currently, their grandfather Shermie (still figuring out an elven name for him rn it's Shirem) is the Keeper of their clan. The clan resided in the Planasene Forest when Ford and Stan were young, but have since moved to the Brecilian Forest which is where they possibly were during the 5th blight. Dipper being Dipper he probably begged someone in the clan to tell him about the blight and darkspawn so they definitely do know.

This is where I am still workshopping ideas, as I am constantly going through the lore like "hmmm would this work? Maybe not hmmm" but there are a lot of things I have solidified, mainly character stuff.

Stanley I do not doubt got into heaps of trouble with possibly multiple groups, including Crows. He definitely has tales to tell that makes the twins go "Grunkle Stan WHAT??"

If you or anyone has ideas on either timeline or character stuff I am all ears! The fun thing to me about aus like this is that I don't know everything, but some do! And those people have cool ideas because of it! So if you've got smth in mind I am intently listening. I do already have certain character designs and backgrounds already figured out, but I will chew on anything tossed my way anyway LOL

Thank you for asking!!!

[lavellander]

hello im feeling extra “touch the stove”-y today so. i was looking for any dialogue where solas just straight up lies and (of what i could find online/transcribed, obv) i didnt find anything that was 100% untrue. he’ll completely avoid the question, change the subject, give part of the truth, etc etc etc, but nothing was just Entirely A Lie

what really gets me is that there’s a handful of convos where someone infers something from what solas says, and he will even point out that he didn’t directly say that. like, he tells people how to see through his shit, lmao

here is an embarrassingly long ass list of examples, all sorted by what kind of not-lying he’s doing lol, just bc i am unhinged<3

*note that some of these are cut from longer bits of dialogue or have been split up from one conversation into different categories*

literally just Not Answering The Question lol

Dorian: How much “will” do they have? They’re amorphous constructs of the Fade. Solas: Hmm.

Dorian: Solas, have I offended you? Solas: If you have, why would it concern you?

Dorian: Solas, what is this whole look of yours about? Solas: I’m sorry? Dorian: No, that outfit is sorry. What are you supposed to be, some kind of woodsman? Dorian: Is it a Dalish thing? Don’t you dislike the Dalish? Or is it some kind of statement? Solas: No.

Dorian: Let me get this straight, Solas. Dorian: You’re an apostate – neither Dalish nor city elf – who lived alone in the woods studying spirits. Solas: Is that a problem for you?

Solas: [has a whole tactical moment about the red jennies lmao] Sera: Where d’you get all this, then? Solas: Do you wish to be unnerved by another tale of my explorations of the Fade? Or do you wish to learn something?

Vivienne: You must be pleased with what was revealed at the Temple of Mythal, Solas. Solas: Why should those ruins please me, Enchanter?

changing the subject before he backs himself into a corner

Gatt: I don’t see any tattoos, but you’re carrying a staff. Are you from a Chantry Circle? Solas: No. And I would prefer not to discuss it.

Solas: I find the fall of the dwarven lands confusing. Varric: What’s so confusing about endless darkspawn? Solas: A great deal, although that is a different matter.

giving the truth, but not the whole truth

Blackwall: Skyhold. How did you find it? Solas: I looked. Blackwall: Now you sound like Cole. You looked? Solas: This world is full of wonders for those who seek them.

Blackwall: You spoke of seeing death and destruction. Did you fight in a war? Solas: There are struggles across Thedas at any given time. I doubt you would have heard of it. Blackwall: An elven skirmish? Solas: In a manner of speaking, yes.

Cassandra: Solas, have you always lived alone? Out in the wilderness, as an apostate? Solas: For the most part.

Cassandra: Have you ever encountered templars before? Solas: Only at a distance. I am an apostate, after all. Cassandra: And they never caught you even once? Solas: I am a very careful apostate.

Dorian: We found elves, living ancient elves, at the Temple of Mythal. Does that bother you, Solas? If Inquisitor allied with the Sentinels: Solas: I am pleased we were not forced to kill them, if that’s what you mean.

Iron Bull: You’ve got an odd style, Solas. Your spells are a bit different from the Circle mages or the Vints. Solas: That comes from being self-taught. Solas: I discovered most of my magic on my own, or learned it from my journeys in the Fade.

Vivienne: So, an apostate? Solas: That is correct, Enchanter. I did not train in your Circle.

Solas: You are a man who made a choice... possibly the first of your life. Iron Bull: I’ve always liked fighting. What if I turn savage, like the other Tal-Vashoth? Solas: You have the Inquisition, you have the Inquisitor... and you have me.

from cutscene at beginning Inquisitor: [mentions the anchor closing a rift] Solas: Whatever magic opened the Breach in the sky also placed that mark upon your hand. I theorized the mark might be able to close the rifts that have opened in the Breach's wake – and it seems I was correct.

from cutscene at beginning Solas: [to a Dalish Inq] You are Dalish, but clearly away from the rest of your clan. Did they send you here? Inquisitor: What do you know of the Dalish? Solas: I have wandered many roads in my time, and crossed paths with your people on more than one occasion. Inquisitor: [Crossed paths? dialogue choice] Solas: I mean that I offered to share knowledge, only to be attacked for no greater reason than their superstition.

from “I’d like to know more about you” convo in Haven Inquisitor: What made you start studying the Fade? Solas: I grew up in a village to the north. There was little to interest a young man, especially one gifted with magic. But as I slept, spirits of the Fade showed me glimpses of wonders I had never imagined. I treasured my dreams. Being awake, out of the Fade, became troublesome.

actually telling the truth but no one picks up on the gravity of it

Solas: [...] I believe the elven gods existed, as did the old gods of Tevinter. But I do not think any of them were gods, unless you expand the definition of the word to the point of absurdity. I appreciate the idea of your Maker, a god that does not need to prove his power. I wish more such gods felt the same. Cassandra: You have seen much sadness in your journeys, Solas. Following the Maker might offer some hope. Solas: I have people, Seeker. The greatest triumphs and tragedies this world has known can all be traced to people.

Cole: No, inside. I don’t hear your hurt as much. Your song is softer, subtler, not silent but still. Solas: How small the pain of one man seems when weighted against the endless depths of memory, of feeling, of existence. That ocean carries everyone. And those of us who learn to see its currents move through life with their fewer ripples.

Cole: You didn’t do it to be right. You did it to save them. Inquisitor: Solas, what is Cole talking about? Solas: A mistake. One of many made by a much younger elf who was certain he knew everything.

Solas: Empires rise and fall. Arlathan was no more “innocent” than your own Tevinter in its time. Solas: Your nostalgia for the ancient elves, however romanticized, is pointless.

Solas: Our people used to be here. Sera: Pfft, you say that everywhere. Solas: It is more true than you want to believe.

Vivienne: You must be pleased, apostate. With the Templars dissolved, your rebels will be most difficult to pacify. Solas: My rebels? Am I an agent for their cause, whispering poison into the Inquisition’s ears? Solas: How comforting. Vivienne: You enjoy seeing yourself as a villain? Solas: No more than any other clever man who wonders what he could do if pushed.

Vivienne: [about the Temple of Mythal] Now you know the elves were once a mighty nation. Solas: I always knew, Enchanter. The Temple of Mythal is just another reminder of what was lost.

(in the Emerald Graves): These forests have changed much since I was last here.

during the Fade!Haven cutscene Solas: It seems you hold the key to our salvation. You had sealed it with a gesture... and right then, I felt the whole world change. Inquisitor: [romance option] “Felt the whole world change?” Solas: A figure of speech. Inquisitor: I’m aware of the metaphor. I’m more interested in felt. Solas: You change... everything.

pointing out that people assume he means things he did not directly say

Cole: There is pain though, still within you. Solas: And I never said there was not.

Solas: You may well become fully human, after all. I never thought to see it. Cole: When did you see it before? Solas: I did not say that I had.

Iron Bull: We’ve got the alliance with my people. Given how much you love the Qun, I figured... Solas: I might scold you? Berate you for your decisions? Iron Bull: Hey. The Chargers died as heroes for the good of the mission. Solas: I never said otherwise.

Sera: Don’t you start. Solas: I’m reasonably certain I said nothing.

Vivienne: [talking shit about grey warden mages] Solas: I never claimed mages should be above the law, Enchanter. Vivienne: No, darling. You merely implied it, while offering no viable suggestions for improvement.

after infamous “side benefits” dialogue Warrior Inquisitor: You find my muscles enjoyable? Solas: I meant that you enjoyed having them, presumably. Warrior Inquisitor: Ah. Solas: But yes... since you asked.

diminishing things he does actually know by saying he he “believes” or “thinks,” or that things were vaguely “said” or “told”

Solas: I say what I believe to be true, even if it gives offense to those who prefer the lie.

Dorian: That orb Corypheus carries... are you certain it’s of elven origin, Solas? Solas: I believe so. Why do you ask?

Solas: It is said that we lived at a pace that sustained us for... ages.

making it sound like he’s talking about something/someone else, but it’s just him lmao

Cole: Do you know a lot about wolves? Solas: I know that they are intelligent, practical creatures that small-minded fools think of as terrible beasts.

Solas: No man can kill so many people without breaking inside. To survive... those you fight must become monsters. Iron Bull: The ones that kill innocent people, yeah. The rest... I don’t know. Solas: The mind does marvelous things to protect itself.

during In Hushed Whispers Inquisitor: I’m glad you understood what he just said because I’m not sure I did. Solas: You would think such understanding would stop me from making such terrible mistakes. You would be wrong.

misc

this one i wanted to include because it’s the only circumstance (that i came across) where someone directly asks solas to lie and he literally says he can’t

during the fucking crestwood breakup scene Inquisitor: [angry option] Tell me you don’t care. Solas: I can’t do that. Inquisitor: Tell me I was some casual dalliance so I can call you a cold-hearted son of a bitch and move on! Solas: I’m sorry.

*also note that most of these are banter transcriptions from the wiki; some are cutscene / other dialogue posted by either @/daitranscripts or u/karinini on reddit; it’s not all his cutscenes obv, but I’m not about to look up every single one individually sdlkfj*

[merrilldidnothingwrong]

honestlyi feel like. call me crazy but i feel like mages (the rebels in particular) are Insanely infantilized and belittled all throughout dai. cassandra's conversation with the rebel mage when you go talk to her, the way vivienne speaks to fiona, the way fiona herself is portrayed even though from what i know she's really like, not supposed to be like that, and don't even get me Started on varric and bull. it all seems deliberately presented in the most unlikable, "whiny" way possible

oh nope youre 100% correct. inquisition is just FILLED with bullshit “both sides” agenda, and after dragon age 2, i just cant believe they had the balls to pull this. because of......... a practically empty chantry?? lol they demonize the mages at every turn. make their bias very clear for the templars/chantry from the start.

yeah the right/left hand of the divine start the inquisition, and they help close the breach, and save the world..... but cassandra disapproves if you arent andrastian, knowing full well that they are coloniziers. lelianas good but she’s lost her faith. dont get me started on cullen. why’s he there? oh right. anti mage bias. the man helped meredith for ~10 years. he still sings her praises after the inquisition has been going for a year or two. but “hes not a templar anymore”. lmao.

varric was IN KIRKWALL FOR 10 YEARS AND SAW THE ABUSES MAGES WENT THROUGH FIRST HAND AND DOES NOTHING BUT BAD MOUTH ANDERS THE ENTIRE TIME. and i dont account that to bad writing, thats just varric being varric. he’s kicked out of his home now, hes being forced to fight mages vs templars, hes selfish, he doesn’t care about the war. he just wants to go home and be cozy.

getting back to it, the chantry? who doesn’t back the inquisition? is invited to haven and skyhold? and preach there 24/7? theres templar banners right outside the inquisitors quarters??? why????? mother giselle gets to judge dorian before his his personal quest??? why????? 

everyone believes the inquisitor is the herald of andraste BUT THEY CANT ACTUALLY DO ANYTHING ABOUT THE CHANTRY??? are you f*king kidding me????

ahem. my point is..... inquisitor has all this power. but cant tell anybody to shut the f*ck up about the mages?? i mean, we dont know if any of the mages are from kirkwall? we dont get to talk to them? we just outright ATTACK THEM???? the divine wanted to sit down and talk to them BUT WE’RE JUST GONNA KILL THEM IMMEDIATELY???

oh right. bioware was going through some shit when it was being written. its EA’s fault. but still. that was some shitty ass writing.

ive never read the books but i hear fiona was a badass. like. she canon says “fuck the divine”. and she goes and makes a deal with........ tevinter........??????

if they had more time, or you know, a better villain LMAO, the beginning should have had an actual sit down meeting with the mages and templars, and then we would have seen how useless that meeting was, and yeah it probably would have ended in a fight, AGAIN. and then introduce a villain. probably another templar mad with power. like the dragon age series has always shown them to be.