#And I think the one with Surana is very sweet

[salsedinepicta]

Character(s) Cuddle Scale

How-to: Rate your OCs based on how they handle cuddling/being cuddled.

Tagged by @greypetrel - thank you! 💙✨

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🏹 Gwydion Hawke - 8/10

Genuinely great at it! He is more often the cuddler than the cuddled *, mostly because of his whole "I'm the responsible big brother, so I'm the one that comforts and not the comforted one" persona - he'll get better. Personal issues aside, it helps that he is also very tactile. BUT he doesn't get a full 10/10 because while he is (or seems) someone with a warm disposition cuddling is not something that he does with anybody - you can get a hug, tho!

* as with every rule, there are exceptions. Mostly because some of the home dwellers are clingy...

...the dog, the dog is obviously the clingy one.

🌸 Malva Surana - 7/10

Is it possible to grow up in a Circle from a very young age and not develops some issues with bodily autonomy? Rhetorical question - but as soon as she gets a stronger sense of self she'd enjoy cuddling as a form of social bonding and mutual comfort. She doesn't see it as a strictly romantic thing, but overall she doesn't really see a difference between romantic love and a close friendship.

She has very fond memories of an old mouser cat that sometimes sneaked into the tower.

🪶 Maren Hawke - 5.5/10

Eh, ok? Overall she prefers other form of contact - washing/brushing/braiding hair is a strong favourite, but giving massages too. It's probably a vulnerability issue mixed with 'my arm is falling asleep and I can't move/I'm sweaty/it's too hot/I'm getting antsy etc'.

(but if Merrill needs it she isn't going to say no.)

Tag time! Maybe @pinkfadespirit & @pyritefes2 could be interested? No pressure if otherwise, though! ✨

[thedastrash]

OC Tag Game!

Ooo thanks for tagging me @kittynomsdeplume & @cleverblackcat!! This took a while to get to but it was very fun!

Favorite OC: Evil question to start. I can't possibly choose unless I set some limits for myself so I'm going to cheat and say my most popular OC. I have the most art of her by no fault of my own. Velaneth Surana is my canon HoF and Warden Commander. Vela is a very open person: never lies, has no body shame, and loves to learn about other people and where they’ve come from. She walks into every hostile situation with her best foot forward trying to make friends and allies.

Newest OC: I’m slowly congealing my ideas about Orlagh Trevelyan because I’ve been imagining what the different cultures of the Freemarches look like - especially on the coast where trade is frequent. She’s from Ostwick of course and trained as a Templar as a youth but spent summers at a monastery with her aunt in Wycome which I imagine a bit like Morocco. I’ve been staring at my Pinterest boards imagining her lonely days growing up and what it means for her to leave her walls behind and be thrust into this new organization with all these people and their differing ideals. I'm particularly interested in exploring her being a templar but having some latent magic that has been tied up in her templar abilities so long she didn't realize it was ever there.

Oldest OC: In DA my oldest OC is Topaz Brosca from my original run of origins. The one where my save got deleted right before the Landsmeet lol rip. I've recently revisited her and I'm falling in love with her again. She's a hot trans girl and stabby rogue and she falls in love with the surface world immediately. My oldest OC ever though... might be a self insert hobbit character I made for myself as a child before I knew what fandom or fanfiction was lol! I think her name was Charlie? my memory is BAD but I know that's a name I loved as a kid.

Meanest OC: Szadrine Aeducan is my final origin from DAO to get an OC and I'm slowly growing deeply obsessed. She’s involved in (literal) cutthroat Orzammar politics and ends up skipping the warden bit after the whole betrayal and exile thing. She simply deserts at Ostagar. I think she should end up kicking ass in Orlais because she would be so good at the Game.

Softest OC: Bearnard Cousland is a soft, sweet, bookish baby-gay who would rather bury himself in his research in a library than seek glory or fight battles or do politics. Bearn is the second son so he’s gotten away with avoiding some of that but of course he has to attend his lessons and participate in the tourneys. His scholarly work lends him some political savvy since he’s intimately familiar with Ferelden’s history, but he’s most interested in lost texts and translating ancient works. He never had good gay role models growing up and thinks of himself as homely and forgettable, so he never felt like that was an option for him, but Maker does he ever pine lol!

Most Aloof/Standoffish OC: Gotta be Irene Amell. She's a real bitch with resting murder face. Incredibly unapproachable, intimidating Domme energy. Tends to default dislike people and keep to herself, prefering to slink around and eavesdrop than talk to people for info. She’s very protective and loving toward her close friends and lovers, but it’s hard to get close in the first place.

Dumbest OC: Myrna Hawke is a smart woman, she's an accomplished mage, enjoys reading, quick witted, but she has zero self-awareness and has a very hard time even understanding how she feels, much less how other people feel about her. She’s absolutely clueless and fully blindsided by anyone’s interest & gets tongue tied and stupid when she’s horny. She’s also very impulsive and acts before she thinks things through which leads to getting into a lot of dumb shit.

Smartest OC: There are excellent contenders here: Bearn with his book smarts and Topaz with her street smarts, but I want to say Ithadhea Mahariel because even though they are incredibly dense when it comes to interpersonal relations, their wealth of traditional knowledge from their clan is incredible. They are not really a people person, usually quiet and solitary, but they took to hunting like they were born for it and eagerly learned everything in the realm of woodcraft and survival. They know all their clan's stories by heart and and know resources by seasons in a way that is part of their internal clock. I think this kind of generational knowledge probably outstrips the scope of any of my other OC's knowledge.

OC I’d Be Friends With: Edric Cadash is so laid back and friendly I think he’d be one of the easiest to make friends with. I want to have tea and gossip with him and have that turn into late night drinking and telling stories by the fire. Vela would be an instant friend as well; she wants to befriend everyone and she'd have an easy time with me!

no pressure tagging some of my DA OC enjoying friends: @sinquisition, @highwayphantoms, @lets-get-brave, @sandalinbohemia, @dismalzelenka and anyone else who wants to share! Feel free to @ me so I can see your post! <3

[gayhawkelatehomicide]

Updated Protagonist List

I'm going to add images to this, so it's going beneath a readmore for length reasons

Wardens

Aridhel Mahariel - bow rogue, romanced Zevran, straightforward dalish who neither understands nor cares about shemlen (or durgenlen) politics, blood magic is probably fine as long as you use it responsibly, anxious and blunt. "Let's focus on stopping the world-ending plague of darkspawn first, and worry about the rest of this bullshit later, hm?"

Saffron Cousland - sword and shield warrior, romanced Alistair, noble in every sense of the word but cheerful and friendly, Queen of Ferelden, Arlessa of Amaranthine (and Highever), killed Rendon Howe with her father's sword, fixated on duty. "Because it's the right thing to do."

Theodore Amell - arcane warrior mage, romanced Morrigan, bastardization arc powered by Morrigan whispering bad ideas in his ear, loves his terrible witch girlfriend, blood magic is fine and the chantry is oppressive, ambitious. "I am no longer baby, now I want power."

Renan Tabris - dagger rogue, romanced Leliana, exactly zero patience for shem politics, raised Andrastian (derogatory), canonically kind of a bitch, evil sense of humor, loves her stupid new shem baby brother, harden everyone, distrustful. "Like dogs, Shianni."

Valda Aeducan - two handed warrior, romanced Leliana, honorable and serious, trusts no one, girl raised in harsh political nonsense learns to trust her found family and forgive her bio family while unlearning bad lessons simulator, sneaky/quiet sense of humor, intense loyalty to her people, values tradition but values compassion more, genuinely regrets what happened with Trian. "For the honor of my house, though I myself have neither house nor honor."

Emmaera Surana - blood mage spirit healer, romanced Alistair, fey and strange, sweet but a little out of it, she and Merrill would get along so well because they both just say what they mean, falls for Ali like a ton of bricks after trusting him exactly 0% at first, has a council of spirits that advise her, definitely more than a little possessed, Templars aggro on sight, besties with Morrigan. "The Chantry won't tell you anything useful about the Fade, but I could. If you want."

Ashaterylen Mahariel - champion fighter, loves Morrigan but it's complicated, aggressive and no-nonsense, adopts Alistair as her comic relief to fill Tamlen's shoes, Not Okay™ but doing a good job regardless, my only warden who straight up dies, but we still get Kieran because magic, rather laconic, probably my most heavily headcanoned origins character. "Duty trumps sentiment. Every time."

Hawkes

Iris Hawke - knife rogue, romanced Anders, diplomatic but also way too intense for her own good, loves mages so much, circle mage Bethany, will do anything to protect what's left of her family, noble impulses but awful sense of humor, fanatic, very angry underneath her shell of politeness, diplomacy as a tool. "Why don't we try asking the Arishok nicely?"

Ian Hawke - elemental mage, romanced Fenris, sarcastic, sided with the templars because magic is an essential part of him but it's brought nothing but grief to him and his family, templar Carver, quip for every situation, never loses his positive outlook for long, self-loathing but doing his best not to make that everyone's problem. "Dad did WHAT for the Wardens? Why am I not surprised."

Kiera Hawke - two-handed warrior, romanced Isabella, sarcastic → aggressive, sad bastard warrior Hawke, everyone who gets close to her dies, Bethany dies, good attitude wrecked by the wear and tear of life, loves her buddies who are also terrible, angry and broken. "You tell me where Bartrand is, I'll help you wring his fucking neck"

Alice Hawke - knife rogue, romanced Merrill, circle mage Bethany, p much pure diplomatic, diplomacy as a way of life, mom friend central, no one is irredeemable, far too trusting, kind of a busybody, always thinks she knows best. "Clean your blades, watch your purse strings, don't be a dick."

Delilah Hawke - entropy mage, in love with Varric, pure sarcasm, sends Carver to the wardens, adores her stupid chaotic bisexual family, beat down by this world but stubbornly clinging to joy, flat refuses to talk about her problems. "Where would I be without my trusty dwarf?"

Quinn Hawke - blood mage, romances Anders, red from the beginning, low-key an asshole but also high-key he just doesn't know how to communicate, oldest sibling syndrome turned up to 11, inspired by Harker Zevsurana's Kier, fuck you mage rights. "Well, shit."

Andy Hawke - force mage, romances Anders and Fenris (it's complicated), strong purple laugh-or-cry type, so many canon alterations but the twins both live, grows a lot over the course of the campaign, big fuck the chantry, uses their staff as a polearm bc they're not great at magic, easily my most headcanoned Hawke. "Have any of you guys considered having a normal reaction to anything? Ever? Didn't think so."

Inquisitors

Miriani Lavellan - assassin bow rogue, romanced Solas, confused hardass Dalish girl doing her very best to navigate suddenly being in charge of all of this stuff, cares so much about everyone all the time, terrified but resigned to her responsibilities, self-sacrificing, sense of humor buried under all that sincerity. "I am the Inquisitor, through no virtue of my own. Vir suledin nadas."

Asher Adaar - two-handed warrior, romanced Sera/nobody (bc I meant to romance Sera but didn't know the right dialogue options so I kept waiting for it to pan out and it just sorta didn't), blunt and direct Tal-Vashoth mercenary who gets persuaded that maybe she actually is the herald of andraste, but honestly just wants to handle the things with as little religious and/or political nonsense as possible, blunt and violent. "We save Thedas TWICE, my hand wants to kill me, we save the exalted council specifically, and this is what we get?"

Stephan Trevelyan - rift mage, romanced Cassandra, a good sweet Andrastian boy, true prophet who has a meltdown when he finds out about Solas, best friends with Dorian, keeps the inquisition and wants to really save the world, a genuine idealist, stubborn AF. "Faith is a choice. The Maker set these events in motion so long ago we can no longer see His hand in them."

Samahl Lavellan - tempest knife rogue, romances Dorian, cheerful, sarcastic, and overwhelmed, insanely competent but good at hiding it, terrible little bastard, hates responsibilities, laughs in the face of danger (and Cassandra), keeps insisting he's not the Herald, kinda lazy. "I guess I'm learning now, aren't I, Mother?"

Riska Cadash - artificer knife rogue, romances Sera, direct and sometimes brutal but ultimately caring, criminal upbringing noble fashion sense, besties with Blackwall, andrastian and confused, consistently astonished by how easy it is to get things when you're the most important person in the world, one of my younger inquisitors but she doesn't act like it very often, really only when she's with Sera. "What's the worst that could happen?"

Dahlia Trevelyan - mortalitasi lightning mage, romances Blackwall, cheerfully irreverent young noblewoman flexing the edges of what she's allowed in this new role, filled with chaos and violence and entitlement. Fully does not believe in the Maker. Classically beautiful but with blue-gold eyes that go past "striking" into "genuinely unsettling" and, she caught some shrapnel from a spell gone wrong with her face a few years back so she's got distinctive scars. "Hey, look, at least dragons are real."

The Trio (all of whom have individual playthroughs but also come as a set)

Isene Lavellan - fire/rift mage, romances Iron Bull, primarily jokes and asks questions, basically a horrible mix of Miriani and Samahl. Sweet and a bit of a brat but ultimately up to the challenge. A disaster at the winter palace. Her general response to her workload getting heavier is to adjust the straps that hold the world on her back and carry on with a smile. "Bull, remind me why I accepted this job? Oh, right."

Harea Lavellan - knight enchanter and ice mage, romances Cullen, open minded and sweet, a bit naive but genuinely wants to make the world better, distressed by the mark and the everything but willing to bear it to keep others from suffering. Self sacrifice is a big theme here. Just a little (read: protected like Wynne) possessed by the actual spirit (of Wrath) who was attendant upon andraste, so she is quite literally the Herald. "No one is irredeemable!"

Rogelan Lavellan - sword and shield warrior, romances Josephine, kind of a hard-ass but willing to be romantic, would rather talk than fight but won't give up his ideals, careful and deliberate in everything he does but bold when he's made a decision. Stoic and pithy, but can be eloquent if he needs to. Understands shem bullshit better than most, because he's the kind of guy who studies the things that scare him. "Tell me how to help."

Continuities

Primary "Cannon" Continuity - Aridhel, Ian (or Iris), and Miriani - Protector, Catalyst, Survivor

Strong code of honor - Saffron, Iris, and Asher - Shield, Dagger, Sword

Fucked Up Andrastians - Theodore, Kiera, Stephan - Ambition, Sorrow, Faith

Terrible Senses of Humor - Renan, Alice, Samahl - Vengeance, Kindness, Laughter

Wrongest Choices - King, Viscount, Divine (I haven't actually made this playthrough but is a male rogue cousland, probably a guy Hawke as well and obviously not a mage but idk what class, and fem warrior Trevelyan)

Dwarf Run - Valda, Delilah, and Riska - Honor, Love, Trust

Definitely Not Possessed - Emmaera, Quinn, and Harea - Council, Temptation, Authority

Three Inkies - Ashaterylen, Andy, Rogelan/Harea/Isene - Sacrifice, Victory, Vigilance

[stop-breaking-my-heart-dragonage]

If your HOF/Hawke/Inky couldn't romance their usual partners, who would they choose instead?

Oof, this is a hard one.

Tabris/Alistair, Hawke/Anders, and Lavellan/Cullen are such an integral part of my canon run that I can't imagine them romancing anyone else. Like, it feels wrong to imagine them not ending up with their respective partners.

But, for the sake of discussion, I'll do my best to answer.

Rose is probably the hardest one because she and Alistair, and their romance, are so intertwined with everything that happens in DAO that I feel like she'd remain single if he wasn't an option, y'know? Her other options are Leliana and Zevran, and I can't see her going with either of them.

Leliana's sweet and Rose likes her a lot, but she's a little too into the Chantry. That's something I see Rose having a problem with; she's not exactly shy about telling off the mothers, sisters, and templars, or pointing out how they mistreat elves and mages.

Rose and Zevran are friends but I've never viewed him as an option for her; after everything Rose goes through in her origin, his openly sexual nature is just a major turn off for her. He calls her a sex goddess in their first conversation and that's just not it. They don't even start to become friends until after she tells him to stop looking at her that way and he respects her wishes.

Plus, Leliana and Zevran lack the shared experiences of being a warden, Ostagar, having to deal with the blight from the very beginning. That's something only Rose and Alistair have and that's what separates him from the others as a love interest... so yeah, Rose would be single, me thinks.

As for my Hawke, Ed's gay so if he can't be with Anders, his only other option is Fenris. I've romanced him before and enjoyed it, so I think he and Ed could work out... though again, it's a similar problem I have where Ed's relationship with Anders is so crucial because Anders saved Carver's life in the deep roads... y'know, Ed's brother who he cherishes above all else. Kind of a big deal. A huge factor in bringing them together.

Ed and Fenris always worked better as friends but out of everyone, Ed's the one I could actually imagine with someone else.

Finally, there's my Lavellan... once again, Ash ending up with Cullen is a huge deal for the narrative of DAI. I've talked about this before, but how I play DAI is my Lavellan is actually Surana from DAO. She and Cullen knew each other and maaaaaybe had a thing... but because Duncan didn't show up, she escaped the circle with Jowan. After he died, Ash joined the dalish, changed her name, and ended up at the conclave... where she and Cullen reunited and proceeded to have hardcore ex vibes the entire time they're at Haven.

If they decided that they're never getting back together, I think Ash might've ended up with either Josephine or Solas. She views Sera as more of a little sister and a friend. She likes Blackwall but he's not her type. The Iron Bull romance progression doesn't suit her even though she admires his intelligence and strength, she's just not up for a friends with benefits turned romantic relationship.

Ash always craved knowledge, and when she was in the circle, she knew the game that she needed to play in order to survive and come out on top... her pride and inability to see when she's wrong led to her downfall with Jowan. She needs someone who she can challenge and who challenges her, both without backing down, on a variety of topics; she needs an academic, I guess?? But she also needs someone who isn't afraid to humble her. Cullen, Josephine, and Solas all fit this in different ways.

I'm more inclined to push her toward Josephine though... I don't think she would've handled the Solas break up well at all.

[galpalaven]

Kira my Hero of Ferelden is still into Zevran but I’ve also come up with a wonderful Runaway Tevinter Magister AU for Vethna so Kira is just like Torn between canon and AU lmao

I also moved my old Hawke from being Hawke over to being an Amell, and she’s very in love with Alistair. She is round and sweet and soft and he deserves a squishy giggly sweet gf I think.

I’m playing through DA2 with the poly mod just to see how things play out bc I will never play through the other romances other than Fenris. Koha ends up with Fenris, because he makes her feel safe and she loves the feeling I her chest every time she gets him to grin. He likes when she comes over for drinks and brings her fiddle. One night she teaches him to dance. Another night he teaches her to use a sword. She asks him to teach her Tevene or Qunlat, and in exchange she teaches him the bit of Elvhen that she knows from her dad. One night he comes over while she’s baking challah and she teaches him to make it and they get into a play fight throwing flour at each other. He’s never felt so much like a normal man in his life and he loves her for it.

Nadia Surana, my beloved angry blood mage Warden, is in love with Anders. She had a crush even before he left, and had always admired him for escaping the Fereldan Circle. During Act 2 or the lead up to it, the Hero of Ferelden, Kira, takes off with Zevran to help him deal with the Crows. She wasn’t about to let him go alone, but without the Nobility in Amaranthine, things immediately spiraled. Some Orlesian Wardens came to help them out in Amaranthine with recruits and things, and they immediately demoted Surana as Warden-Constable and acting Commander. They said it was about experience, but she didn’t really believe that. Found out it was about the nobility of Amaranthine that didn’t like her, but that wasn’t the final straw.

Nadia was deep into researching ways to cure the Blight with blood magic, sure she could pull it from the body if she could just figure out how to isolate it in the blood. The new leadership refused to allow her to continue her research—so she said to hell with that and left in the hopes to track down Anders. She’d been putting out feelers to see if she could figure out where he went, more out of curiosity than anything, so when she found out he was in Kirkwall, that was where she went.

She landed in Kirkwall about a week after he and Hawke had descended into the Deep Roads. She ended up taking his position as healer at his clinic while she waited for him to come back.

When he did get back, he was already on edge sensing a Warden in his clinic, but then she sees him and she gasps his name as she runs at him, laughing and throwing herself at him so that she can wrap her arms around his shoulders and hug him tight.

She’s with him up until the Conclave. They have a bit of an argument about her going, but she insists as someone who has experienced both the life of the circle and the life of an apostate AND the life of a warden. Also as a hero of the blight. She had thought to bring about change—she hadn’t anticipated the whole inquisition thing.

[platoniccereal]

How did you come up with your dragon age OCs? Did the design come first, or their personality? And does how they look (their hairstylr, the clothes they wear) influence their background for you, or vice versa? I hope this makes sense, lol but since you're an artist I'm curious whether you start visually or with a story in mind!

fgxbgdt thanks for a question this interesting, i'm glad i'm able to get to it!

i think when i was younger it was the design that came first because i'd just start the game and figure out the personality later, and now that i'm older i think of the role i'd like to play and design a character accordingly.

so, this happened with hawke. garrett always was the biggest and the least struggle at the same time? i knew i didn't want fem!hawke (i never play cis fem characters because *gestures vaguely* dysphoria) and always play mages, so i created my basic ginger person for the very first playthrough, but it never felt right. hence, i turned back to the default look and focused on his story more. hawke is a somewhat fixed personality canonically, so it feels a bit off to think of his story, it's already there. i'd say he's work in progress, more than any other ocs.

allaros, my sweet baby, also being the oldest of my current ocs, was designed accordingly to my taste. hence, he's a ginger elvhen mage. like, it's my favourite coincidence that i got interested in bull and Then found out he was into redheads. because i just always created ginger playable characters!!

the design is totally affecting how i perceive a character. i do a little trick where i give them light eyes, because my monkey brain instantly starts liking a character more. this is just ridiculous. it works every time. when i created surana in dao for the first time, i couldn't move forward till i got them a hairstyle i pictured in my head, like, a single mod. it didn't feel like them.

i remember the earlier drawings of allaros where i just repeated how he looked in the game, and eventually some features started to show up. none of them is present right now, lol. i remember he was wearing a mask and was very much flamboyant ✨. he was a typical dragon age comedy genius character. also rather centrist, also a pacifist. the violence isn't an answer kind. sometime in between his key feature was being Really tired of everyone's bullshit. which makes sense. now that i revisited his character he got way more mature and well structured. still very tired. not a centrist. thank god.

surana and cousland came from me wanting to see the worst choices possible. one evolved out of another: first, i was influenced by bioware's bullshit with radical elves, esp velanna, so my choice for that playthrough was surana. then, years later, i was enlightened that it is, indeed, racist bullshit. i designed cousland for my the worst choices playthrough. a human noble who doesn't care about others kinda makes sense. then i designed their final looks from what i wanted to see, though i would say surana's appearance is work in progress, i want something that brings me serotonin and can't quite figure it out. ¯⁠\⁠_⁠(⁠ツ⁠)⁠_⁠/⁠¯

thank you so much for asking, your ask sparked joy when i saw it in my inbox! :)

[makerscockandballs]

For the oc questionnaire thing, I'd like to know #1, #3 (preferably physical traits), #31 and #43 for all of your guys if you have the time!

oooh this is gonna be a long one :D (related to this ask meme)

1: What is their go-to comfort food?

Maison Surana: Orlesian chocolate truffles. Tried them once at a banquet he was performing at and got obsessed. You could bribe him with them.

Orev Hawke: Hearty, heavy Fereldan stew like they used to make in Lothering. It’s just potato and turnip and whatever veggies are in season, doesn’t even taste like much but keeps you warm and fed.

Thelrael Lavellan: Sweets of any kind, but most of all a certain Dalish dessert made primarily from wild honey & roasted fruit.

Magnolia Trevelyan: Tomato soup but with tons of hot pepper powder – a classic she’s used to from the Circle, but the spice is her own twist to make it more interesting. Overall, she loves spicy & heavily seasoned cooking, the more the better even if it makes her eyes water. If habanero potato chips were a thing in Thedas she’d eat three bags a day.

3: What is something they really like about themselves and what is something you really like about them? (Physical Traits)

Maison: He doesn’t care too much about his appearance aside from looking neat and presentable but takes some joy in his teeth being pointier than normal. Part of it is just how they always looked, part of it is Warden Weirdness. I love his facial scars, both the characterization aspect (refuses to cover them up yet hates seeing them in the mirror) and from a “looks badass” aspect.

Orev: He really likes his hair and tries out all kinds of styles with it once he has the time and money. And honestly I agree, it’s also my favourite thing about him to draw :D

Thelrael: He really, really likes his legs, all his outfits are built around making his legs stand out (haha get it. stand out). I really like his profile, it’s overall flat and a bit round — a bit of a babyface that absolutely works for him and makes him look mischievous.

Magnolia: She really likes her overall build, especially her muscular arms. Worked lots and carried around lots of things when she was tranquil which sucked, but at least now it helps her defend herself. Josephine’s obvious glances are a big plus too. I really like her eyes, they’re big and a very dark deep brown.

31: What would make them blush?

Maison: Compliments and reassuring words about him as a person. He holds himself to impossibly high standards and is never satisfied, but hearing that others think positively about him means so much.

Orev: Coming from the right person, almost everything. Friend telling him they care about him or thanking him? Red. Anders kissing him or even just giving him the smallest compliment? Bright fucking red. Meanwhile anyone outside his close social circle could blatantly and passionately flirt with him and get nothing more than a friendly smile or some playful flirting back. All or nothing babe

Thelrael: It takes *a lot* to get this bastard flustered. A lot. He also has no sense of shame. Whoever tries to make him blush ends up being the actually flustered one within minutes. Nobody has figured out a way to do it yet, but Dorian is certainly trying.

Magnolia: Getting nice personal gifts, especially accessories and flowers. Makes her feel special and courted like a princess. She’s not used to having such nice things and wears them with pride. Getting compliments about how that new hairpin or earring fits her is the cherry on top.

43: And what would you say to comfort them?

Maison: You cannot save everyone, but what matters is that you tried. You helped more people by trying and sometimes failing than you would have through inaction. Let yourself off the hook.

Orev: It’s not your fault. Kirkwall was a sinking ship, and one man alone cannot plug all its leaks no matter how hard he tries. Drowning along with it would not have helped anyone.

Thelrael: It’s okay to be angry. But it is still real, even if the gods were not gods at all, it all still mattered. Every celebration, every story, every ritual still brought your people together.

Magnolia: You’re safe now, and not alone anymore. Nothing can force you back into tranquility or hiding. It’s okay to finally let your guard down and breathe.

[crossdressingdeath]

Anders does talk about the Warden if it's Mahariel because Merrill asks him. It's one of the few "pleasant" conversations they have as he's very sweet towards her. She asks him if he ever met a Dalish Warden and he says that he did and gently tells her that the Warden values privacy so she shouldn't expect to hear from them. From his tone, the Warden is someone he's still fond of.

Oh, that's cute. And also works as more fuel for my "Anders was transferred out of Amaranthine or otherwise moved out from under the Warden's direct command before things went to shit" theory, because if they had been at all involved he'd have no reason to still be fond of them! But also I'm a little annoyed that it's only Mahariel he'll talk about? Just because... he grew up with Surana/Amell. Merrill talks about Mahariel because she grew up with them, but Anders won't even mention the Warden if he grew up with them? It is an insult! An insult, I tell you! Especially since Hawke and Amell are related, so you'd think "Oh, by the way, I grew up with your distant cousin, you remember, the Hero of Ferelden" would come up at some point. But it's nice that there's at least one path that includes Anders actually talking about one of his closest friends, even if I won't ever be over the fact that Isabela (who interacted with them once) talks more about the Warden than Anders does even though Anders was almost certainly a lot closer with them (emotionally, at least. Physically maybe not).

[aylaaescar]

For the meme! Since it's Dragon Age Summer: 2, 12, and 18 for Sidane Amell. 8, 11, and 17 for Bryn Brosca, please!

happy Dragon Age Summer! thank you so much :D

Sidane Amell

02. Best friend:

if we're going by just their companions, then I'd say Alistair and Zevran. it's the mutual snarkiness between the three, you know? Sidane also really loves Shale, they get a kick out of Shale's general personality. also Sigrun!

outside their companions, I imagine that Sidane and my own Ramori Surana have been the best of friends since they were young. :) ("she's like the sister I've never had" -Sidane Amell, who deliberately said this next to their sister)

12. Biggest fantasy:

for a while, it was getting to leave the Circle. that one was accomplished, thank you Duncan. they used to fantasize about getting their sight back somehow after they lost it during that last battle, but they've come to terms with being blind over the years. I think right now, what they fantasize about most is finding a cure for the Calling. Sidane wants to be able to live a full life with Morrigan and Kieran.

18. Biggest insecurity:

Sidane would tell you that they have no insecurities - they're attractive, they're smart, they're talented, they're basically the whole package. what's to be insecure about?

Sierra says that they secretly worry about what they have to offer the world. their sister Perry is the ambitious, "I'm going to be the youngest First Enchanter Kinloch Hold has ever seen" type of person, and Sidane isn't. they're not sure what to do with themself now that they're out of the Circle and don't focus on the Grey Wardens that much.

Bryn Brosca

08. Favorite food:

Bryn wasn't terribly picky for a long time - you live in Dust Town long enough, you're just happy to be eating at all. after coming to the surface, though, Bryn gets a taste for sweets, especially ones made with honey. she never got to have desserts all that often growing up, and she likes to indulge herself now that she can. I think she'd really like honey buns.

11. Biggest fear:

I'm gonna go with abominations for this one. Bryn isn't very easily unnerved by any means, but the Circle tower... add that she (initially) doesn't know much about magic in the first place, and yikes. it's terrifying to think that it could happen to somebody due to one moment of weakness. dreams are another one, given that her only experience is with Grey Warden nightmares. :(

in a more abstract concept, just being the person she was before Duncan recruited her. she likes being seen as a hero, and she likes knowing her family is safe. she's terrified of going back to Dust Town, in that sense.

17. Worst romantic experience:

Bryn dated a fellow duster back in the day. the relationship itself was perfectly fine, until her girlfriend found a noble to have a son with, and she got elevated to that caste. said girlfriend didn't exactly bother to tell Bryn that, and essentially ghosted her. Bryn didn't find out until a few months later, and she was understandably mad about that one.

[wetcatspellcaster]

one (1) more tag game

Rules: Share the first line of your last ten published works or as many as you are able and see if there are any patterns!

tagged by: I wasn't even tagged in this one but I saw @redrocketpanda do it and took up their invite! If anyone else wants to do this, please do! x

Sunblindness - (darklina, for my sins, Shadow and Bone)

Alina was burning.

The Stars Don't Shine, They Burn - (darklina, Shadow and Bone)

It took fifteen days for Ravkan astronomers to notice.

Party Favours - (Astarion/Tav, BG3)

“No. Absolutely not,” said Shadowheart.

Eye of the Storm - (Inquisitor Lavellan/Cullen, DAI)

Asha Lavellan watched the sunbright landscape impassively, as the cart she sat on climbed through the hills from Haven towards the Temple of Sacred Ashes. (omg first line of fic i ever wrote omg)

Upon Reflection - (Astarion/Tav, BG3)

The Necromancy of Thay should’ve scared her.

A Bleeding Heart - (Astarion/Tav, BG3)

Astarion seems to have acquired a bleeding heart, entirely by accident. (this one is my fave tbh, you can tell bc it's in the title)

Just a Moment's Peace - (Zevran/Surana, DA:O)

There was a problem with Nyd Surana’s favourite spot in the library.

The Fortress of Highever - (Alistair/Cousland, DA:O)

“We think… his claim might be stronger,” Arl Eamon said. “If he… well. If he had the support of a prominent noble family.”

A Man's Word Is His Bond - (Zevran/Surana, DA:O)

The Antivan Crows burned away Zevran’s soulmark long before he was old enough to read it.

Trends:

They tend to be short and to the point - I tend to think in opening paragraphs rather than opening sentences so the first line truly is always short and sweet (apart from fic number 1 but then that was my literal first fic so-)

A few use dialogue, which is cool I wanna do that more!

Lmao this is literally my full bibliography of fic it was kind of fun to go back and look at everything again (and see some very obvious trends in my taste - manipulative men I can fix ://// - if not my first lines)

[maleficarwarden]

ZevWarden week 2022 Day 7 – Seasons of the year (holidays, weather, etc.)

Pairing: Zevran/Nellan Surana (M/M), Rating: T, with suggestive flirting. Set post-origins, as Nellan and Zev travel around Thedas looking for adventures.

Summary: Zev is not used to the horrid mountain climate. Unluckily, his dear Warden is intent on going to a festival in a snow-covered village. Luckily, his fiance is a fire mage.

Read on ao3.

“So what is this festival supposed to be again?” Zev asked, raising his eyebrow, barely visible from under the hood he regrettably had to wear so as not to freeze his ears off in the harsh mountain climate they were in. And he thought Haven had been cold. Foolish, really.

“I think they called it Cheeseweek.” Nellan didn't seem affected at all, confidently leading them through the snow, not even wearing his gloves. Damn Fereldens and their resistance to the cold. “As far as I've been told, it's primarily about eating lots of pancakes and pastries made of or with cheese. And playing various games.”

“How curious,” Zev muttered, pulling his coat collar higher to hide from the cold a bit more. “And do you, perhaps, also know the meaning of the festival? And whether it would be considered an offence should we decide to spend it indoors with a fire going instead?”

“From what they've told me, it's about seeing the winter off and welcoming spring.” Nellan stopped and turned to Zev, his gaze almost annoyingly tender as he stepped to the assassin.

“May I point out that winter by no means seems gone yet?” He grumbled, freezing in place when the mage cupped his cheek gently. His hands were warm, though, and Zev leaned into the touch, cherishing the affection as much as the unexpected warmth. Nellan chuckled.

“That's why they need the festival. To show winter out like a guest overstaying their welcome.” He sighed. “I'm very curious about the festival, since it's not like any I've seen before. There are some games the locals like, apparently, and I want to see what they are. But I don't want to drag you along if you'd rather stay in the inn.”

Zev felt his heart soften. He covered Nellan's hand with his own, clad in a glove from the pair that his lover had given him within days of them meeting for the first time. Turning his face just enough to nuzzle into the mage's hand, he left a chaste kiss on his palm.

“I am sorry for complaining this much. It does sound interesting, amore, and I'd love to experience it with you. I am merely not accustomed to the cold, which is proving somewhat complicated. But  it is of no concern.”

“Perhaps, I can try and warm you up?” Nellan's playful expression was intriguing.

“What do you have in mind, my Warden?”

“Oh, just this,” with that, he was pulled into an open-mouthed kiss that could likely warm him up from the dead. He could swear that Nellan's tongue was hotter than usual, and a wave of heat went through his entire body as the kiss went on. He no longer felt cold; his fingers prickled with a far more familiar feeling of sweltering wind washing over him, reminiscent of his homeland. Only then did he realise that the warmth was accompanied by an underlying softness, an almost honeyed sweetness, that made its way all throughout his body. He inhaled sharply at the realisation of what was happening, kissing his beloved with more fervour, gripping the hand on his cheek.

When he pulled away, he didn't move far, giving Nellan the sweetest grin he was capable of.

“So this is one of the benefits of being engaged to a fire mage?” His partner laughed at that.

“One of them, yes. Feel better?”

“Certainly,” Zev leaned closer to kiss Nellan's cheek. “I've still not gotten used to how lovely your magic feels.”

He could swear there was a hint of a pleased blush colouring Nellan's face. Elated, Zev took the mage's hand off his face and left a kiss on his knuckles.

“So,” he spoke again, delighting to no end in his beloved's quiet giggle at the praise and the kiss, “shall we go and see what this festival is all about? Now that my nose is not in danger of freezing off, I am rather interested in finding out what games the locals have.”

“Thank you,” the mage smiled sweetly as he leaned in for a quick peck on the lips.

Nellan intertwined their fingers, lowering their hands, and stepped backwards with a grin, tugging Zev to follow. Not that the assassin had any other idea, happily following his beloved even when the man turned around and walked faster. That just made Zev pick up his pace to walk next to the mage.

The festival turned out to have more food than the village could reasonably eat. Zev particularly liked little griddle cakes said to be made with farmer's cheese. Nellan was a fan of sweet pancakes, stuffed with a filling of berries cooked down with some honey. The games turned out to primarily be for those looking for a partner, which they found out after the one of the games started without them even being invited. Perhaps there was something about feeding each other sweet treats, kissing regularly, and Nellan wearing an earring that looked like a regular ring on a chain, that gave them away as an engaged couple, although Zevran couldn't imagine how it would.

There was one game they were invited to participate in, though. After the first half a dozen games, where quite a few people paired up, thin firm breadsticks were handed out to couples, and they were supposed to bite on the breadstick from either side at the same time, not letting it fall or break. As someone explained, if a part of the breadstick fell, that meant the couple would have an “unhappy union,” and if it broke, the couple was destined to have many disagreements. While if their lips met over the breadstick, they could kiss on the spot, as that was supposed to mean that their union would be a happy and harmonious one.

Looking at Nellan's excited face as he listened to the rules, Zev knew they wouldn't sit that one out. But as long as it made his beloved happy, he was happy to participate.

Their eyes met as the breadstick was placed between them and they both bit on their respective ends. Nellan looked focused and determined, perhaps taking the game a little too seriously. Zev exhaled in amusement, both of them waiting for a signal.

Someone yelled, “Go!” Diligently, Zev focused on the game, barely noticing how both Nellan and he got to the middle of the breadstick. And then there were lips on his own, and he closed his eyes, kissing Nellan softly, enjoying the moment and not deepening the kiss.

There were cheers of the crowd, but they seemed far away, especially as Nellan's arm made it around Zev's waist, his other hand setting under the hood on the back of the assassin's neck. He, in turn, wrapped his arms around his beloved's shoulders, not minding the crowd growing louder.

Too soon for Zev's liking, Nellan pulled away, giving him a soft smile. He looked Zev deep in the eyes for a few moments, before clearing his throat and speaking.

“Thank you for coming to the festival with me. I never got to go to anything like this, growing up in the Circle and all, and this... this was special.”

Zev smiled at him gently.

“I am happy to go to as many festivals with you as you wish, amore mio.” He paused, looking at Nellan, before his smile grew into a smirk. “Especially if they have games like this one. Or, perhaps, dirty ones.”

Nellan laughed, leaning in for another brief kiss.

“I don't know about the festivals, but we can play a few of our own in our room. I've seen what I wanted of the festival, so...” The mage bit his lower lip, looking at Zev meaningfully.

“Then what are we waiting for? Let us head back now, amore, please.” He knew from Nellan's laugh that he would not be refused.

“Let's go then.”

Zev grinned to himself as they said their goodbyes to the locals, heading through the snow towards the inn they had a room in. Even with the atrociously cold weather, it had been a nice day, all things considered.

[salsedinepicta]

Answering here to this lovely ask by the lovelier @greypetrel because it's the OCs playground - based on this prompt list. ✨

This turned in an astrology-heavy thingy, so I feel like I should premise that astrology (like tarot cards) is a tool and like any tool all depends on how you decide to wield it. I don't believe that horoscopes should dictate your life; to me astrology can be a way to reflect on yourself - or just to have fun with completely fictional characters lol.

So:

💧Maren Hawke: Scorpio / water (mid November, during a storm)

"[...] intense personalities and feelings that they hide underneath their cool exterior."

Usually celebrated in some simple but sweet way - which is fine to her, because before Lothering they are always on the run and she doesn't want to be a burden. However she would be secretly very pleased if someone would take care to do something more extravagant once the family (or what's left of it) is more settled.

🍁 Gwydion/Gideon Hawke: Libra / air (late September - Autumn equinox, a sunny but chilly day) + an Earth rising sign.

"Their ruling planet is Venus, meaning that Libras are nurturing, caring, and can make great defenders of the downtrodden."

Loves a good celebration, but in a hobbit sort of way - he'll just use it as an excuse to buy stuff for all of his friends/loved ones because excuse me! It's his birthday! Can't they indulge him a little? ;)

(Yes, Justice included)

🌱 Malva Surana: Aquarius / air (unknown)

"They go about accomplishing their goals in quiet and unorthodox ways. Oftentimes, just because they chose the path less traveled, the results of their eccentric methods are surprisingly effective."

In Kinloch Hold since she was about five years old, so she never celebrated before becoming a warden - when the companions all got together around the campfire and invented a birthday for her. Since she has no benchmark she makes up a bunch of so-called "traditions" based on what people tell her, and probably trusts Zevran a little bit too much.

+ bonus: ❄️ Circe Trevelyan is still half a mystery to me, but I think I'd like a Pisces-Aries (water-fire, eheh) cuspid around the Spring Equinox.

Source of the quotes: labyrinthos

And thanks for asking! 💙✨

[the-greyest-warden]

WIP WEDNESDAY

I should be writing my FIC but instead I’m drawing Jowan and Amell making fun of Surana for her embarrassing crush on the world’s most awkward Templar(pre horrible traumas of course)

They’re all roughly sixteen here, Amell was still dating Jowan at this point, and the biggest worry on Surana’s mind was surviving her idiot friends making fun of her forbidden crush.

This is for my “Those We Leave Behind” series that I plan to write, about what happened to the Origins who weren’t chosen as Warden; so this Amell and Surana were meant to be throw-away characters who die in the origin. Now that I’ve plotted out their entire lives though, I love them and I think I want to draw this squad a lot 🥺

Notes on Surana and Amell under cut

Surana:

• Born in the Denerim Alienage, came into her magic very young at age 2.

• Her parents willingly sent her with the Templars, sadly hoping that maybe she’d have a better life in the circle than they have the ability to give her. Her parents ask the Templar who picks her up to watch out for her.

• I haven’t named the Templar yet, but he ends up taking pity on the elves and forming an almost fatherly bond with Surana(I was originally going to use Greagoir for this but oh my god I just read his lore and he fucking SUCKS holy shit, he’s like, everything that sucks about Templars all in one. Wow), which causes some strain; I don’t think I’ll go too much into it in the fic, but I think before her Harrowing he’ll be transferred to another Circle, because Greagoir fears that he’ll be a problem if Surana fails her Harrowing.

• She meets Jowan when he first comes to the circle around age 5. We all know how horrible Jowan’s backstory is, so he’s obviously extremely shaken up when he’s brought to the Circle; Surana attempts to comfort him, but he’s angry because he notices she seems fairly happy, and he’s upset to have been brutally abandoned by his parents. He dislikes her initially, especially since she seems to be the perfect star pupil at all times, but eventually they have a heart to heart after Jowen lashes out at her about his parents. They sit together silently for a while before Surana admits that she has no memory of her real parents, and that the Templar(who I’ve yet to name) is the closest thing she has to a father figure, and she resents that he has to maintain a distance from her due to being a Templar. In a bid to have someone to call family, they decide to be brother and sister, and will not be talked out of it.

• The fic starts when she’s 13, and she sees Cullen, a new Templar Recruit, sitting in a corner completely overwhelmed and trying not to cry. She sits down with him and tries to comfort him, which starts their friendship. Their friendship and mutual crushing is toothachingly sweet; she secretly saves her desserts from meals to share with him, and he picks her flowers from outside of the tower.

• The older they get, the more obvious their feelings are, but neither are willing to act on them. Jowan and Amell(who Surana meets shortly after Cullen) tease her MERCILESSLY for it. Jowen rightfully calls her out on how the older they get the more she becomes “little miss perfect”, how much privilege she has with TWO Templars watching her back, and what a teacher’s pet she is. Surana accepts that, but also points out that she’s no more in a cage in the Circle than she would have been in the Alienage, and that at least in the Circle she is warm and fed. Amell calls her a lapdog, and openly resents her lack of desire for freedom; Surana gets angry and tells him that not everyone had a cushy life of Nobility to lose. Amell says that’s fair enough, but at least he pursues his own interests; lightheartedly calling her a coward for failing to tell Cullen how she feels.

• When she is 18, she tells Cullen how she feels. He rejects her, admitting that he does have feelings for her, but it just wouldn’t be right to pursue them, him being a Templar and her being a mage. She says she knows, she just couldn’t live with the secret anymore. They spend less time together after this, a mutual yet undiscussed understanding that it’s harder to resist eachother the older they get.

• When she’s 19, almost 20, her Templar Father Figure is sent away to a different Circle, in preparation for her Harrowing. She spends that time incredibly lonely, since Amell and Jowan’s breakup has made their friend group incredibly distant; along with the fact that Cullen is intentionally keeping his distance, especially since he doesn’t want to be transferred away like her Father Figure(lest he lose the ability to protect her from worse Templars, whom he has fought on her behalf before, though she is blissfully unaware). Not to mention, we know from In Game that a lot of other mages dislike F!Mage for being naturally talented.

• Greagoir intentionally rigs her Harrowing for her to fail, to teach Cullen a lesson about getting too close to the Mages, but a spirit of Valor took such offense to this that they manifested in the fade to level the playing field for her.

• Initially Surana is uncomfortable when Jowan gets her and Amell together to ask for help breaking him and Lily out of The Circle, especially when he reveals his relationship with Lily(which hits too close to home with her regarding her feelings for Cullen), but when he says that the circle plans to make him Tranquil, she agrees to help without hesitation. Internally, this is her realization that The Circle has only been good to her because she’s been incredibly lucky, talented, and soft-natured. She begins to see it for the prison it actually is.

NOTE: This is not how I play my Warden Surana, my Warden was born Dalish and kidnapped by Templars; her friendship with Cullen starts when he fights another Templar recruit who was stalking her, and she decides his little crush on her is Useful. She doesn’t even realize she’s come to care for him until he gets hurt on her behalf, and she’s calling him an idiot while she heals him, and he’s laughing while she demands that he never do anything like this again. She avoided any discussion of her actual feelings by overtly flirting with him, knowing he’d get flustered and assume she was joking. She has ZERO reservations about helping Jowan, and flips Greagoir off on her way out. I like to think she fucking decks him before she leaves after Broken Circle, and Alistair has to carry her out kicking and screaming(she romances Zevran, but without Mods she doesn’t meet him until AFTER Broken Circle. Plus, Zev probably would have let her kill Greagoir)

Amell:

• Born Noble, obviously, he comes into his powers around age 11, but manages to hide it for two years before his mother catches him playing around with his spells when he thinks he’s alone.

• His parents argue over what to do(much to his surprise, it’s his FATHER who is refusing to allow him to be taken away, going so far as to try to shoot down the messenger bird his mother sends out to the Chantry), meanwhile he cries with his sister in the next room, because he knows he’s going to be sent away. When the Templars come for him, his mother refuses to even look at him, and it breaks his heart because he had been a Mama’s Boy. He resents her for not having the decency to even say goodbye. (He never learns this, but his sister ran away from home and never came back after he was taken away; the loss of both of the children Destroyed their father. This is what caused this branch of the Amell family to collapse.)

• He is sent to the Fereldan Circle because too many of his cousins are Templars in the Kirkwall Circle.

• He’s angry and brooding when he arrives, and almost immediately befriends Anders(who is recently returned from his first escape), the two become an inseparable pair of trouble makers, both incredibly bright and skilled mages for their age, but absolutely resentful of The Circle. The two share what is Amell’s first kiss right before Anders asks him to escape with him. Amell chickens out, admitting that he’s never even seen Fereldan outside of his journey to the Circle, and he’s scared. Anders leaves without him, and Amell immediately regrets not going with him. He is so ashamed that he avoids Anders as much as possible when he is eventually brought back to the Circle. Anders has no idea that Amell is avoiding him out of personal shame.

• He meets Jowan and Surana shortly after Anders’ escape, and after the duo befriend him, he falls madly in love with Jowan. Ever one for timing, Amell confesses his feelings to Jowan in private, not realizing at first that Jowan was in the middle of practicing Blood Magic. Jowan breaks down in tears, admitting that he only started dabbling with Blood Magic because he feels like he’s so far behind Amell and Surana, like the two of them are soaring without him. Amell pulls him into his arms, and Jowan just sobs into his shoulder.

• Amell is extremely protective over Jowan, refusing to fail him like he feels he failed Anders, still carrying a lot of guilt from that. He’s so blinded by his love however, that he fails to see the resentment building in Jowan over Amell’s increasing skill; missing the extra bite to Jowan’s voice when he talks about how perfect he is.

• He resents Surana for how comfortable she seems in the Circle; and is sometimes pretty rude to her for it, but it’s mostly because he knows that he’s every bit as scared to leave The Circle as she is, despite his outwardly bold persona. Amell is a hypocrite, and struggles with both fear and oversight.

• He’s thrown completely off guard when Jowan dumps him, and is heartbroken. Jowan left him because he just couldn’t stand how easily everything came to him, and throws all of that into his face, a bit unfairly. Amell feels like it’s somehow his fault that his magical talent made Jowan feel inferior, and he becomes an absolute brooding menace in his classes; despite being a “Star Student”. A teacher confronts him about it in private one day, and Amell lashes out at him, saying that maybe if his mood is such a “problem” he ought to be made Tranquil. Luckily, this teacher actually gives a damn, and sits him down to talk it out.

• When Jowan calls him and Surana together to ask for their help in escaping, Amell jumps. He is still deeply in love with Jowan, and wants him to be happy even if it’s not with him. Also, he refuses to fail him the way he feels he failed Anders. He commits to escaping too this time, and part of him hopes that he’ll meet Anders again.

NOTE: My Canon Warden is Freyr Amell, and shares this backstory. He falls in Love At First Sight with Morrigan, because she’s the first mage he’s ever seen who’s spent their entire life free of The Circle. Even he can tell though that she’s carrying some pretty deep trauma from being raised isolated by Flemeth. He does all he can to give her a happy life moving forward. When he meets Jowan again in the Cells at Redcliffe, he is relieved to find that he is no longer IN love with him(still loves him, but the romance is gone); he tells him to get the hell out of Fereldan, because he knows any Fereldan Templar might recognize his face, and they WILL kill him on sight(especially after Broken Circle). When Morrigan says she is going to disappear with their baby, he promises her that there is nowhere in this world where he won’t find her, and that he’ll love her forever. She laughs mirthlessly, knowing she will not be hiding in This world. When he meets Anders for the first time since they were 13-14 in Awakening, they start over fresh as friends; getting to know each other as adults; they joke about their first kiss, but the rest of the party has no idea it was actually true, or the way Amell carried that guilt until finally being able to stand up and save him from the Templars. The “Mysterious Business” Amell disappears on was tracking down Morrigan, absolutely desperate to protect his new family. He refuses to fail them. I like to think he runs into his sister again someday too(I might make an AU where she had joined the Orelsian Wardens under an assumed name, and she goes through the Awakening DLC, Freyr having disappeared beforehand to track Morrigan)

[ghoulsbeard]

Of course it's a gorgeous morning, warm and cloudless and bright as fucking blazes. There's people coming and going in the courtyard, and Wade's already at it with his godforsaken hammer, which is why Anders is sitting on the western battlement as far from the noise as he can get, squinched between a watchtower and a stack of crates. He’s waiting for the curative charm to kick in. He might've cast it wrong. One of Karl's old tricks. His head hurts too much to think any further in that particular direction.

Surana finds him there. He feels her from a good ten meters off. Every mage ripples the Veil a little, except those who know hedge-tricks to keep things still. Mages like Liathari... the Veil flaps ahead of her fast and fierce as a storm wind, and he gets the back end of it like a kick in the bloody head.

She's very quiet otherwise. Someone's taught her a rogue’s walk. She's dressed for work in Warden colors and steel-toed Fade-striders. Her coily black hair— much longer and thicker than he remembers— is all down today, flowing over her back and lifting very gently in the breeze. When she sees him, she winces. 

"You look awful."

"Not so loud," Anders whines. The sun is glaring off the silver griffon strapped to her shoulder and her chainmail and the buckle of her belt. He looks at her face instead. Still so young. But there's something to those dark eyes. Wiser than they should be, maybe.

“Did you need me for something, almighty commander? I won’t be casting anything stronger than a wisp of ice until...urgh. Noon. Possibly...afternoon."

"That's what you get, trying to out-drink the Glavonaks." At least she says it quietly. "Actually, I..."

"You're all grown up," his mouth says. "Just look at you." He remembers a slouching, stammering girl of fifteen, ducked behind bookshelves and statues of the Bride. Now she walks around with an ironbark staff on her back and slaughters darkspawn. Still can’t square her sweet face with dragonslayer though. "It's damned odd seeing you without that boy of yours shuffling behind. Peas in a pod, I always thought.”

"Jowan." 

"Was that his name? Peculiar little thing. Still mired in the Circle, is he?"

If he'd been paying attention he would have heard the way she said Jowan's name. Her face falls. "No, he... he went... I miss him terribly. I haven't..." She looks away. "I miss him."

"And you're out of Sev's long shadow, at long last."

For some odd reason that cheers her. "He's gone apostate, did you know?"

"Has he." Maker. So the creepy fucker is out there, somewhere, stalking the hills... "How wonderful for him."

Liathari either doesn't notice his tone, or doesn't care. She hands him a box filled with orange fluff. "Anyway. I came to give you this. I thought you could use a...  companion."

A friend, she means, since you’re such a brat. He scowls, but he can't keep that up for long when the fluff stands itself on four stubby legs and meows at him. "Oh!"

"You'd better give him a good name." She's beaming. "I think he's the mouser's boy." 

"Oh," is all he can say, like an idiot. "Oh. How sweet." The cat bumps his nose against Anders' jaw, and purrs. "You little..." He kisses the small fuzzy forehead. Liathari laughs. 

"Take care of him, alright?" 

"I will," says Anders.

She laughs again. Her nose wrinkles. “...I was talking to the cat.”

[sky-fire-forever]

Someone please ask me questions about my Dragon Age Wardens. Here they are

Orion Mahariel: Dalish elf rogue. He's an archer and a ranger. He's trans, gay, and demisexual. He romances Zevran. He's very kind and hates killing sentient creatures, but is an excellent hunter as long as he knows the creature will be honored and used. He has Alistair complete the dark ritual since he can't due to being trans. He cares very deeply for elf rights and Dalish culture. He believes in a second chance for everyone. He has a huge crush on Sten at first and is extremely curious about other cultures and people. He is fascinated by spirits, but terrified of demons. He's always trying his best.

Rose Tabris: My city elf. She's extremely distrustful of humans and of most everyone, really due to the trauma she's been through. She's very guarded and mistrustful, believing that pretty much everyone is out to get her. She's quite harsh and blunt, not taking anyone's bullshit. She isn't afraid of a fight and she doesn't back down. She eventually romances Leliana, but it takes a long time before she trusts her. She's so conflicted over if she should harden Leliana or not. She just wants to protect her. She's a two-handed warrior. She's a cis woman and a lesbian.

Benten Brosca: My commoner dwarf. He's very sweet and jolly, loving everyone. He's kind and eternally optimistic. He laughs very easily and tries to turn most things into a joke. He really tries to always look on the bright side of things. He doesn't do the Dark Ritual with Morrigan, but he romanced her, so his son still exists. He doesn't die, either. Alistair ends up making the sacrifice. He's cis and straight, but an ally. Probably going to be a rogue.

Orla Cousland: My human noble. Can't decide if she should be rogue or warrior. Kind, but fierce. Has a strong sense of duty. She always wants to do the right thing, but often doesn't know what that is. She is Andrastian and supports the Chantry for the most part. She cares deeply and wants to change things. She hates being seen as weak and always wants to take charge of her own destiny. Cis woman and bisexual. Romances Alistair and eventually becomes his queen.

Eluvia Amell: My human circle mage! She's a trans woman and is bisexual and polyamorous. She romances Zevran and Leliana. She's very curious about the outside world, as she's never experienced it before. She is extremely Andrastian, but hates the Chantry. She loves the Maker, but hates the people who speak for Him. She has a similar view to Leliana about it. She becomes a blood mage and spirit healer. She is a bit emotionally stunted due to not experiencing many milestones of growing up while trapped in the Circle.

Primrose Surana: My elven mage. She's a mage, but she actually supports the Circles and the templars. She's kinda similar to that one mage in the Circle whose name I forgot. She believes that magic is a curse and that they have to atone. She's very fond of the Tranquil and spends a lot of her time with them. She hates being a Grey Warden and wants to return to her tower, where it's safe. She's so scared all the time. She's a cis woman and probably bisexual, but repressed. Haven't decided who/if she's gonna romance, but I kinda like her with Alistair and Leliana

Ralsei Auducan: My dwarf noble. Probably gonna be a warrior. Pansexual aromantic trans woman. She's kinda a bitch. Very spoiled. Thinks she's the best at everything. Violence is her first response. Very hot-headed and easily offended. No romance, but sleeps with Gorim and Zevran. Wishes she could be queen of Orzammar, as she believes it's her right.

Tristan Cousland: My other human noble. Probably gonna be a rogue and an archer. He's very pragmatic and wants solutions. She's kinda rude, but it's just because they're very blunt. He hates authority and understands why Loghain did what he did. Spares Loghain. Romances Nathaniel Howe in my mind and possibly Morrigan

[nedsseveredhead]

hiiii im gonna need 29,33,41,50, for neddington and 11,27,46,49 for andreas :3c

God this got me thinking of Andreas again and getting all emo about it

Ned Surana

29. Are they an organised person? Or more laissez-faire? I'd say shes suprisingly organized, because otherwise she wouldn't be able to get things done. Thank the maker she has Jowan to help her keep things organized though.

33. How do they act around people they don't know? Are they shy around strangers or dismissive of them? Depends on the person and her age to be honest! When she was younger, pre-circle and most of the years in it, she was fairly shy. In her teenage years she got a lot more rowdy, and a lot less shy- to the point where she was pestering Duncan COnstantly when he visited. Currently, as the Warden Commander, she is respectful to strangers, but in a way that demands respect. She will act on her best behavior until they say something 'wrong', in which cause she is not afraid to stand up and call them a crusty dog's ass in front of everyone else in the room. I wouldn't say she's dismissive of strangers, but she won't cow to them either.

41. Answered!

50. How does your sleep at night? Are they a heavy or light sleeper? Do they dream or have nightmares? Do they find it easy to sleep or are they more a night owl? For the most part she sleeps alright, but does have nightmares from time to time. Blight'll do that to ya'. The closer she gets to her calling, the more nightmares she'll get. She also has to be careful- she has a unique connection to the fade after her 'adventures' with Mouse, and sometimes she finds her way back there in her sleep. She'll often overwork herself and Jowan will find her asleep at her desk and have to carry her to bed tho.

Andreas Surana

11. Do they enjoy pranks or do they hate them? Are they likely to fall for a prank? God look that man in the eye and tell me hes a prankster asdfg. Even in his youth he wasn't really one for pulling pranks, though he could appreciate the mischief Maxie and Ned would get up to... before their dad died atleast. Its similar now, he won't get involved and will deadpan tell Dag not to do stupid shit but hes also laughing behind his hand at it asdfg. As for how likely they are to fall for it- its a 50 50 shot. You'll have to double up on pranks so when he inevitably notices one and side steps it he stumbles into the next one. He grew up with two little siblings and his boyfriend is *gestures*

27. What are their opinions on children? Do they view children as sweet angels or evil crotch goblins? Suprisingly good with kids tbh. Like.. he likes them, is protective of them. However hes also a grouchy guy whos seemingly no-nonsense so kids tend not to like him. However if there was a child in danger infront of him he'd immediately get between them and whatever danger there was, his retirement be damned. Secretly, he sorta wants kids. But he also thinks it'd be irresponsible for him to have them. Hes old.. for a warden at least. His calling will happen any day now, the whisperings of it are already there. His work keeps him busy, he doesn't think he'd have time. And frankly hes afraid he wouldn't be a good father.

46. Does your character believe in anything? Religion? Superstition? Andreas is fairly Andrastian, which is how their Orlesian mother raised them. Hes not as devout as he used to be, but he still visits temples from time to time and prays. Hes also very superstitious yes asdf

49. What is your character's biggest fear? Most irrational? Swimming and large bodies of water. He doesn't know how to swim, and he almost died with Mathieu when the two fell into a river after being ambushed by darkspawn. After that he thought he'd try and learn to swim but even getting near a body of water now gets him too worked up. Near death experiences where your boyfriend dies will do that to ya.