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crackinglamb · 3 years ago

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You Have Chosen Nydha To Be Your Companion!

Hopping off @little-lightning-lavellan's idea to take a DA:I OC and turn them into a companion, may I present Banal'ras Nydha (from Hope Is a Fragile Thing) and her wiki page.

General

Banal'ras Nydha looks human, although there is something that doesn't seem quite right about her. She has dark hair and skin and startlingly green eyes, and speaks with a low, raspy voice. It is often difficult to find her in a room. Nydha first appears, and is available to recruit, in the Temple of Sacred Ashes before attempting to close the Breach. She offers knowledge and combat tactics against demons. If dismissed, or never spoken to, she will then be spotted in Haven behind Solas's cabin. She will not be available to recruit at that time, although once the Inquisition is relocated to Skyhold, she will make an offer to travel with the Inquisitor. If dismissed again, she will become a non-interactive NPC in the Rotunda, usually found near the mural or atop the scaffolding. If she is never recruited, she will disappear from Skyhold after the final battle with Corypheus.

Nydha is not romanceable by any Inquisitor, but can engage in a relationship with Solas if a female Dalish Inquisitor has not done so. She is friendly and bonds well with most of the other party members, especially Cole, Dorian and, of course, Solas. She prefers diplomacy and tends towards mediation rather than confrontation. If a Dalish Inquisitor has romanced Solas, and has high approval, Nydha will offer comfort and sympathy upon termination of the relationship. If low approval, Nydha has nothing to say.

She has strong opinions on the plight of elves, slaves and mages. She is supportive of any measures that would improve the lives of them. Her early banter with Dorian revolves around debating Tevinter's practices and trying to get him to see a better way. She will also speak with Iron Bull about the shortcomings of the Qun, although never with the same level of disdain as Solas. While she never openly mocks the Chantry or Andrastianism, she isn't a strong supporter or believer and has no opinion on who becomes Divine.

Location

In Haven, Nydha can be found behind Solas's cabin, usually in the darkest corner. Once the Inquisition relocates to Skyhold, she can be found in either the Arcane Library or the Rotunda.

Approval

Nydha's approval level is based upon empathy. An Inquisitor who is helpful, respectful and curious will gain approval. Nydha has no opinion on quests such as Wicked Eyes, Wicked Hearts or the outcome of Here Lies the Abyss, but approves diplomatic resolutions to judgments. She will greatly approve allying with the Free Mages, and only slightly approve conscripting the Templars. Conscription of the Free Mages or allying with the Templars will result in full disapproval. She will greatly approve Iron Bull becoming Tal-Vashoth and keeping Cole as a spirit. Actions that are ruthless or cruel will lose approval.

A high approval Inquisitor will learn that Nydha was born in another world and 'crossed over' through the Veil when the Breach opened. She will tell the Inquisitor that her name was given to her as a gift from someone she met in the Fade. She does not, however, say that it is Solas (see below for unique Trespasser dialogue). She will say that her name means 'Shadow of Night', according to her translation. A Dalish Inquisitor can have special dialogue to recognize the name as being Elvish and can question how a human came to have it. Nydha will answer that it is because the native language of the Fade is Elvish, a remnant from when elves held all of Thedas before human arrival.

A low approval Inquisitor will not learn this part of her history and she will remain an enigma. If approval falls to zero, she will refuse to speak to the Inquisitor, although she does not leave and is still available as a companion.

Quests

Survivor In the Shadows – the quest for meeting Nydha initially at the Temple of Sacred Ashes. It begins upon speaking with her, and ends with either recruitment or dismissal.

From the Ashes – only available after either In Hushed Whispers or Champions of the Just, but before completion of In Your Heart Shall Burn, Nydha will ask the Herald to accompany her back to the Temple of Sacred Ashes to search for her few belongings. The Herald will find a journal, a bundle of unusual clothes and a single unmarked vial. Nydha will approve completing this quest.

A Better Form – Nydha will ask for help in stabilizing her corporeal body if Dagna is brought into the Inquisition. Resolution of this quest will involve having Dagna create a unique amulet that will act as a permanent grounding source, rather like a lightning rod. Components for this amulet are: 1 blank rune stone, 1 wisp essence, and either 5 dawnstone or 5 volcanic aurum (both imbue constitution bonuses). It will act as an Amulet of Power, granting Nydha an extra skill point. This is the only time such an ability will be available to her. This will also allow her to wear other amulets throughout the remainder of the game. She, and Solas, will greatly approve completing this quest.

Twice-Born – available during the Jaws of Hakkon DLC. Nydha, if in the party, will ask to speak with the Augur of Stone-Bear Hold once relations with the hold have been established. If she is not among the Inquisitor's party, she will be found in the main scout camp near Professor Kenric. What the two speak about will be unknown, but at the end of the quest, Nydha will inform the Inquisitor that she has been given the legend-mark Twice-Born from the hold's 'gods'. Cole will greatly approve completing this quest, regardless of whether or not he is in the party.

Note: This quest is not dependent upon approval, but is the only time she will speak with a zeroed out Inquisitor, should that level of low approval be reached.

Ability Tree/Specialization

Nydha is technically a rogue, and can utilize either a bow or double daggers. She has an autolevel preference for the Subterfuge tree, and has an additional, unique starting skill in Fade Cloak. This does not require further leveling to be active. It is the only skill that cannot be deactivated from her skillset.

She can specialize in either Tempest or Rift Mage, due to her nature as a being from the Fade. She is not otherwise a mage. Her decision on specialization can be influenced, as she will ask the Inquisitor's opinion. If no opinion is given, she will default to taking Tempest.

Combat comments

“Come get some!”

“Catch me if you can!”

(If specialized in Tempest) “Burn, baby, burn.”

(If specialized in Rift Mage) “Ooh, the stuff of nightmares.”

Kills an enemy

“Another one bites the dust.”

“Cool story, bro.”

“Then perish.”

Low Health

“This was not on my agenda today.”

“A little help?”

Low Health (Companions)

For all general companions: “I have your back.”

If in a romance with Solas: “Take a breather, fenorain.”

Fallen Companions

For all general companions: “I'll make them pay!”

If in a romance with Solas: “NO!”

Location Comments

Ferelden:

Hinterlands: “Why is it so big? Why is everything so big?”

Fallow Mire: “I have mud in unmentionable places. Can we go now?”

Storm Coast: “I must go down to the sea again, to the lonely sea and sky.”

If companions question her: “It's just from a poem I once read.”

Orlais:

Exalted Plains: “So much death. Can't you feel it?”

Emerald Graves: “This forest is old. Very old.” [laughs] “I always wanted to say that in proper context.”

Emprise du Lion: “Stay away from the bloody lyrium. And wear a hat.”

At Suledin Keep after Imshael, if Solas is in the party: “Ir abelas, lethallin.” (If romanced) Ir abelas, fenorain.”

Solas's reply (only translated if the Inquisitor is Dalish): “Ma serannas. Ea lam'an.” (It is in the past)

At the Pools of the Sun, regarding the trio of dragons: “Can't we just leave them alone? They really won't hurt anyone if we keep our distance.”

Hissing Waste: “You know, if you ignore the endless vista of sand, it's really quite beautiful. In a bleak kind of way.”

Western Approach: “Hot. Hot and blighted. I need a drink.”

Forbidden Oasis, upon reaching the second camp: “That's it, I'm never leaving.”

Arbor Wilds: “Mind your footing. This place is full of secrets.”

In Val Royeaux: “Pretty place.”

Frostback Basin: “I could stay here forever. Even with the varmints.”

The Descent: “Nice and dark, just the way I like it.”

At the Wellspring: “Wow...that's amazing.”

Trespasser: “Now it all ends, my friend.”

If the Inquisitor questions the statement: “You'll see soon enough.”

Companion/Advisor comments

Varric – Gotta watch out for Spooky, there's something about her I can't put my finger on.

Cassandra – She is an able fighter, but I would not trust her out of my sight, which is far too often.

Solas – She is secretive by nature, but I would assure you that she means no harm.

Iron Bull – She's a tricky one. Good fighter, lotta secrets. Good at keeping them too. I don't think I've cracked a single one that she didn't tell me herself.

Dorian – She's fascinating. I am not at liberty to say why, of course, if you don't already know.

Cole – Bright as the sun and scattered as the stars. She wants to help, just like I do.

Vivienne – She seems capable enough, my dear. But I would not dare to trust her. She is an accomplished player of the Game, for all her smiles and good cheer.

Sera – She's as bad as Creepy, although she's better at jokes. She's better at hiding than I am!

Blackwall – She knows something. She knows too many somethings.

Josephine – She keeps to herself and has caused no diplomatic incidents. I wish I could say the same for some of the others gathered here.

Leliana – I find it curious that I cannot find any solid evidence of her existence before the Conclave, but that does not automatically mark her a spy. However, her nature makes me no more inclined to trust her. I would be wary of her.

Cullen – Who? Oh, the...shadowy...person. I hear she can handle herself. I can't say I've spoken with her, so I don't have an opinion.

Trespasser

There is a unique dialogue tree available to the Inquisitor while speaking with Solas if Nydha was recruited as a companion.

“Did you know about Nydha?”

“Yes, I am the one who gave her her name. I found her while I yet slept, and she became corporeal after the Breach.”

(First branch) “Is she one of your agents?”

“No. She has only ever been my friend.”

(Special, if not romanced) “Your friend? It seemed to be more than that.”

“In another world, perhaps.”

(Second branch) “Is she joining you?”

“No, I would not wish her on this path.”

(Third branch) “She knew this whole time. Why didn't she tell me?”

“She had her reasons for not telling you. (If high approval) I hope you will not hold them against her.”

Regardless of approval, Nydha disappears after the Exalted Council. She settles in the Frostback Basin among the Avvar. A high approval Inquisitor will receive correspondence from her from time to time, but she will refuse to come back to the 'civilized' nations of Thedas, preferring privacy and isolation.

Trivia

If in the party during Here Lies the Abyss, the Nightmare demon will speak to her in Elvish. Her reply is a scoff and nothing else.

Nydha can be a third option at the Vir'Abelasan if she is in the party. If she is chosen to drink from the Well, Abelas does not object, although he will still point out that she will be bound as they are. If Nydha drinks, she will summon Flemeth and work with the Inquisitor to tame the dragon for the final confrontation with Corypheus. If she is in the party during Trespasser, she will be able to provide the password to the spirit guards, preventing a fight.

If Morrigan is allowed to attack Abelas, she will attempt to defend him and will argue that the witch is not worthy of the knowledge she seeks if brutality is her only way to get it. If there is a peaceful alliance with the Sentinels and Morrigan is chosen to drink, Nydha will slightly disapprove but hold her tongue on the matter.

If the Inquisitor drank from the Well, and succeeds in finding enough clues to determine that Solas is Fen'Harel, Nydha will appear saddened when the Inquisitor rebuts to the Viddasala that they already know. She will state that this was what she'd been waiting for. The Inquisitor will have the option to accuse her of knowing the whole time. She will answer yes, but she won't explain.

If Nydha is never recruited, and remains an NPC in the Rotunda, one will hear her occasionally speak with Solas. These conversations range in topic from books they are reading to the mural. Never about Inquisition business. There is a slight chance to hear them speaking in Elvish, and their words are not translated, regardless of Inquisitor's race. Solas's replies appear to be noncommittal.

Nydha will remark upon the Inquisitor's romantic choices, usually with something supportive and a hope that they are happy together. She will also comment something generally pleasant about each companion if asked. The exception to this is if Iron Bull remains Ben-Hassrath. Nydha will caution the Inquisitor to be careful of telling him too much since his loyalty is now unknown.

It can be implied from various interactions and from high approval conversation that Nydha was in fact aware of everything that would happen during the course of the game. She never gives a reason for keeping her silence on matters pertaining to what foreknowledge she had, although any input given during the game events is sound and often given in such a way so as not to risk suspicion.

It can also be implied that regardless of what Solas says during Trespasser, Nydha has actually left the Inquisition to join his ranks, or at least does not stand opposed to him. This is not confirmed, however, and according to her epilogue card, she is enjoying a quiet life in the Frostback Basin with no intention of ever interfering with Thedosian politics or events again.

#dragon age inquisition #oc as a companion wiki #original female character #banal'ras nydha #hope is a fragile thing #this is super long #I might have gotten carried away

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paragonrobits · 3 years ago

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last night’s experience was trying to tackle the Descent DLC for Inquisition out of curiousity for what would actually happen in it, and running into a wall because it turns out that the Emissary Alpha is an incredibly hard enemy.

(I’m willing to accept jokes or headcanons that something about the Joining allows Gray Wardens to hit darkspawn harder, because darkspawn are SIGNFIICANTLY more difficult in this game and my god the Emissary Alpha is one of the most irritatingly frustrating enemies in this game)

so for the most part it wasn’t too bad, until a point I would like to call the Gauntlet of Frustration. It’s a decent thing; you’re exploring the Deep Roads with dwarves, in a refreshing absence of anything related to Tevinter or Orlais; not even surface dwarves, but Orzammer dwarves, with a distinctive culture that doesn’t limit itself to, like, a few personalities like sometimes happens in these games.

Honestly exploring the Deep Roads was like a nostalgia smack from Dragon Age Origins; the room layouts, the sprawling areas, and mostly because it’s not QUITE an open world, there’s a linear path to take but you’re free to wander around and explore stuff, and the combination of limits with some room to explore within those limits really brought me back to the previous two games.

Then, oh my god, we get to the GAUNTLET.

Hah ha, oh man, I was NOT ready for this. I was two levels underleveled for the recommended level of 20 and my party was me (Knight-Enchanter build specced for bursts of damage and minor support), Solas (attack mostly) Iron Bull and Varrick and we just got worn down after all those waves and waves of enemies.

Then the Emissary Alpha.

This thing has one of the largest health bars of anything i’ve seen in the game, and ON TOP OF THAT its barrier is unfairly massive and keeps regenerating so it was a slow, gradual grind as my party kept getting taken out, and all the while i’m being hammered by more and more enemies.

about the time I realized that i had better call it quits was when I saw that 30 minutes had passed doing this, and his health wasn’t even HALFWAY GONE, and i decided ‘yeah, okay, fuck this’ and just quit

since then I’ve respecced my character to specifically get the Dispell ability; its a LOT more useful than you mgiht think, and it would have done wonders in that fight. eventually i’ll get back to the gauntlet but... probably not for a while!

#dragon age #dragon age inquisition #johnny plays #johnny plays dragon age

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queenofbaws · 4 years ago

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You brought it up, so you have only yourself to blame for this. What *are* your trash trio and dragon age headcanons? (If you don't mind word vomiting of course lol.)

LORD i’m sorry it took me like a whole day to get to this but my jaw and i have been having some DISAGREEMENTS. namely i’d like for it to remain part of my skull, and it apparently has aspirations that would take it elsewhere.

however, here are just a few of my (hopefully) most non-spoilery headcanons for these dorks since you’ve juuUUUST begun your dragon age journey ;P

so let’s start with the obvious: CLASSES!

ashley almost always plays mage. it’s not debateable in her mind. she’s a mage, that’s it. end of sentence. typically her characters specialize in the storm/lightning magic, but she’s also always sure to have at least one sort of barrier spell loaded just in case

josh almost always goes rogue. the ONLY exception is that his hawke is A L W A Y S a blood mage because he thinks it’s FUCKING HILARIOUS (and to be fair, it is); he’s more focused on always being able to disarm traps/open locks, and figures if he just brings tanks along on the team he’ll be FINE

chris is the wildcard - this is mostly because, completionist that he is, he’s put in an unholy number of hours over a concerning number of files to try and get all the achievements/trophies he can, so there’s really no rhyme or reason to what class he goes with. if it’s mage, he specializes in healing; if it’s warrior, it’s always sword and shield and never two handed; and if it’s rogue he just constantly dies and swears at the game because he’s shit at stealth

LOVE INTERESTS!

in origins, ashley goes for alistair (OBVIOUSLY), josh fluctuates WILDLY between zevran and morrigan, and chris is all about leliana

in 2, ashley is DISTRAUGHT that she can’t go with varric and ends up with sebastian instead; josh is UNQUESTIONABLY about that isabela life; meanwhile chris goes with merrill, and then upon getting the dlc meets tallis and experiences regret because he is a TAKEN MAN but boy he’d like to maybe smooch her perhaps

in inquisition, ashley goes for solas...and when THAT doesn’t work out, she drags herself out of her depression by romancing cullen instead, doing her best not to focus on the fact that she STILL can’t go for varric; josh! goes! for! the iron bull! but also flirts endlessly with harding; joining ashley in “i cant romance my fav” land, chris goes with josie once, and her romance is SO up his alley that she’s the only character he can EVER bring himself to romance in later playthrus

SIDES!

ashley ALWAYS sides with the mages in every way/shape/form, end of sentence

josh USUALLY sides with the mages, but sides with the templars in inquisition because the demon you fight looks like a silent hill reject and he vibes with that way more

chris is an enigma who literally picks and chooses at random because he’s there for the trophies, not so much the role play

MAIN PARTIES!

origins: ashley - alistair, leliana, wynne; josh - zevran, morrigan, alistair; chris - leliana, oghran, barkspawn (mabari)

2: ashley - varric, aveline, fenris; josh - isabela, anders, varric; chris - merrill, bethany/carver, dog (mabari)

inquisition: ashley - solas, varric, cassandra; josh - the iron bull, dorian, cole; chris - cassandra, blackwall, varric

HOW THEY REACT TO “THE DAWN WILL COME” IN INQUISITION

ashley: hates it

josh: hates it

chris: hates it

#love-fireflysong #asks #i have many many more but they mostly have to do with MAJOR PLOT RELEVANT DECISIONS DFKJSDKLFJ

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sinsbymanka · 4 years ago

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Thank you @enigmalea for letting me write your amaaaazing Varric/Josephine prompt (also for playing into my loves during commission time. I APPRECIATE YOU.)

Do you want your own fluffy and/or smutty drabble? I’m still accepting donations through Ko-fi for RAINN! I met my goal BUT you can still donate there and hit me up anywhere to let me know what you’d like! You can also donate and receive your drabble anonymously. I will not post your name or tag you in the post.

Title: An Accidental Courtship Pairing: Josephine Montilyet x Varric Tethras Rating: Teen Content Warnings: Post DA Trespasser DLC, Flirting, Courtship, Intrigue, Misunderstandings, Happy Ending

There were precious few things about Antiva worth the blighted voyage Varric suffered.

Sea-faring, at the best of times, was not his mug of ale. No matter what Rivaini said, there were few advantages to a glorified wash basin bobbing along for days with absolutely nothing but miles of nothing to look at.

At the worst of times? His rickety ship found itself tossed between waves the size of blighted dragons, lost in storms, drowning in rain, and every meal tasted like salt water that leaked into the termite infested pile of driftwood. Sure, it was probably better than swimming from Kirkwall, but not by much.

Just to get to Antiva and deal with the human equivalent of the blighted Merchant’s Guild, the Antivan Merchant Princes. All the fun backstabbing politics of dwarves with the added flair, drama, and egos of Antivans.

It was enough to make him wish his ship had sunk to the bottom of the Waking Sea.

There was really only one bright spot to the whole trip, and she was the only reason he hadn’t abandoned the whole treaty on the spot. Kirkwall, and it’s Viscount, owed a debt of gratitude to the Lady Montilyet. He didn’t know what he’d have done without her.

That thought brought a complicated pang of grief with it. One that made him look up from the semi-final version of his treaty to take in the woman seated across from him. She’d grown lovelier in the years since the Inquisition, which seemed quite unfair when he seemed to just get older. Her dark hair spilled loose over her shoulders like ink, copper skin shimmering in the sunlight from the windows. She tapped her quill thoughtfully against her lips as she read.

Varric harbored thoughts about those lips. Roguish thoughts not fit for his dear lady to hear, although if he’d been a younger man, he may have risked it. He risked much more for much less, after all.

His eyes flicked to the crossbow in the corner ruefully, then back down to the papers he held.

In truth, there’d be things to be missed in Antiva. The docks lacked that week-old fish odor so common in Kirkwall. The food tended to be far more flavorful. There were less people he knew here, always a plus when he knew such boring people.

And, most importantly, Josephine.

Varric dared another glance above his papers just in time to see Josephine’s forehead wrinkle in a matter that could best be described as adorable. Charming, in fact. She was certainly a sight for sore eyes, draped in a delicate silver dress accented with hundreds of dangling, shimmering bits.

Ripe for the picking by any clever thief. And, Viscount or no, he was still a remarkably clever thief.

“Ruffles, you look like I need a drink.”

Josephine’s lips quirked up in an immediate smile the second he opened his mouth. She looked at him through the sweep of her dark lashes.

“It is tiring, isn’t it?”

“Tiring is one word for it.” A far more polite word than he would have used. Varric tossed his own stack down, smirking. “What do you want to do for dinner today?”

He’d taken her out on the town almost every evening since he’d sailed into Antiva City. The first night had been a chance to catch up, talking about old times, gossiping about old friends.

The second night had been all business. He needed her help to figure out how to cut through the bullshit he’d landed himself in, and who else could he trust?

Every subsequent night got a little less about business and more about hearing Josephine’s delightful observations. He’d always known she was clever and just the right amount of ruthless, but he’d never gotten the opportunity to bask in her glow so completely. The frantic years of the Inquisition’s existence was too full of holes in the skies and demons to appreciate the finer things.

Like beautiful, intelligent women that harbored no secret, doomed angst.

“A distraction sounds most welcome.” Josephine settled her own papers down, leaning forward. The dress she wore dipped in the front and Varric couldn’t help but look. He felt vaguely disappointed that the neckline was still far too modest.

“Anywhere you wanna go, beautiful?” The endearment slipped out, but if Josephine found it improper, she didn’t say. Instead, her eyes sparkled and she dipped her chin, the picture of a demure noblewoman.

“Perhaps an evening stroll on the docks? It is a lovely night.”

“And you’re certainly dressed to impress. Maybe we can find you a handsome young bachelor to introduce yourself to.”

Josephine lifted her dark eyes, the gleam in them almost predatory. “Why would I bother impressing any other bachelors but the one courting me?”

Varric returned her small smile with one of his own before his mind caught up. He froze, but Josephine had already stood in a flurry of fine silk.

“There is a cafe that makes this drink, it’s the same one Bull used to favor, with a dollop of fresh cream on top and the prettiest cakes. I’ve been longing to try it.”

He couldn’t have heard her right. His hearing was finally going. “Sounds very romantic, Ruffles.”

“I knew it would be perfect for us.” Josephine gushed. “I appreciate your… gentlemanly manner. But I was hoping the atmosphere would inspire you. Yvette swears it works wonders on her suitors.”

Suitors.

Well, Maker take him. He was courting Josephine Monitiliyet, who apparently had only one complaint about the whole situation.

“Your family doesn’t mind you out and about with the most disreputable scoundrel ever elected Viscount?” He asked, just to be sure. He was too old for forbidden romances and cloak and dagger assignations. He certainly wasn’t dragging poor sweet Ruffles along for the ride just cause he was harboring some dangerous fantasies about the way she moved like a dancer waiting for a partner to whirl her away.

“What objection could they have?” Josephine asked. “You are respectable, my lord.”

She was teasing him. He’d never been so thrilled in his life. He stood from his seat, offering his arm to Josephine.

“One last thing, beautiful.”

“Yes?”

Varric threw one arm around the soft curve of her waist and pulled her to him, tipping his chin up.

“How about I claim that kiss now?”

#charity fundraiser #manka's friend fiction #varric tethras #varric romance #josephine montilyet #josephine x varric #dragon age #postdai #post trespasser

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pikapeppa · 5 years ago

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Fenris/f!Hawke and the Inquisition: Holiday

Chapter 48 of Lovers In A Dangerous Time (i.e. Fenris the Inquisitor) is up on AO3, after a dreaded few-week hiatus! I’m launching into the Jaws of Hakkon DLC, which I LOVE SO MUCH. For anyone who hasn’t played it, you should still be able to follow along as long as you don’t mind spoilers. I hope you enjoy!

Read on AO3 here instead; full chapter is >8500 words.

************************

A year and a half after Corypheus’s death…

Fenris shifted his feet and readied his stance. The ice was stinging the soles of his feet, but this was nothing he hadn’t suffered before; this was just another dragon, after all. Just another monstrous beast that spewed ice from its gaping maw. They had fought dragons before and always prevailed. This would be no different.

He ignored the rattling disquiet in his chest and settled his fingers more firmly on the handle of his sword. He glanced at the others. “You have your positions?” he shouted.

Cole, Dorian and Blackwall nodded. Scout Harding saluted him briskly, and Sera gave him a more playful salute. Bull shot him a bloodthirsty and oddly reassuring smile while Varric patted his crossbow.

He glanced over at Hawke; her face was set and determined. When she met his eye, she smiled and blew him a kiss, and he released a slow breath and tried to return her smile.

The dragon laughed, then let out an enormous, rib-rattling roar. It launched itself into the air and landed on the frozen lake in front of them just sixty paces away. Behind Fenris, Bull roared and charged toward the dragon.

The others followed him, splitting off to attack the dragon from every angle, and Fenris lit his lyrium marks aglow. As he watched his companions attacking the monstrous dragon and dodging its frigid breath, valiantly placing themselves in danger for the umpteenth time tonight, one thought kept hammering at his weary mind.

I can’t do this anymore.

**********************

“Varric!” Hawke squealed.

Fenris looked up to see Varric strolling through the research camp toward them. His face was lit with a smile, and Fenris couldn’t help but smile in return.

Hawke bolted toward him wrapped him in a tight hug. “I’m so glad you arrived! I’ve missed my daily dose of gorgeous dwarven chest hair.”

Varric chuckled as he returned her hug. “Have you been that bored without me? I was only gone for three months.”

“That’s two months longer than the last time you went to Kirkwall,” she retorted. “You know I can’t live for that long without your sarcasm and your cheating at cards.”

“By that, I’ll assume you mean my sharp wit and my charm,” Varric said smoothly. He shot Fenris a smirk as he drew near. “Has the broody one not been keeping you entertained enough?”

“Oh, he entertains me,” Hawke said lewdly. “But not in the same way as you.”

Fenris folded his arms. “Should I be flattered or insulted by that?”

She smiled winningly and looped her arm around his waist, and Varric patted Fenris’s elbow. “Good to see you, buddy.”

“And you as well, my friend,” Fenris said. “Rebuilding is going well? Kirkwall is still standing, I assume?”

Varric snorted. “That’s a bold assumption. Maybe I just managed to escape another disaster there.”

Hawke tutted. “Don’t be stupid. Disasters only happen in Kirkwall when I’m around.”

Fenris shot her a chiding look, but before he could reply, a smooth and jovial voice interrupted. “What was that I heard about disasters? Have you been having that much fun without me?”

They all looked up. Dorian was sashaying toward them wearing a very sharply tailored robe that practically screamed Tevinter Imperium.

“Dorian! You’re here!” Hawke cried. She flew toward him and hugged him hard. “This robe is fucking gorgeous. You look like the perfect evil magister.” She brushed his shoulders solicitously and beamed at him. “Getting into character, are you?”

“Exactly,” Dorian said with a grin. “Although I can’t deny that I’m enjoying access to proper Tevinter silk again.”

“I agree,” Bull said as he sauntered over in Dorian’s wake. He elbowed Dorian gently. “Your new silky underthings are pretty damned enjoyable.”

Dorian rolled his eyes and gave Hawke a long-suffering look. “Leave your handsome lummox of a lover for a few months and he becomes a depraved sex maniac.”

Bull grinned unrepentantly, and Hawke chuckled. Then Dorian gave Varric a mocking little bow. “Varric! Still as swarthy as ever, I see. And how could I forget our handsome and fearless leader?” He grinned at Fenris and held out a hand. “How are you, my friend?”

Fenris smirked and shook his hand. “I have no complaints. Or at least I didn’t before I saw your robe.”

Dorian laughed merrily. “Ah, I missed you too. Now come, fill me in on everything. And by that, I mean you, Hawke. I do so miss our daily gossip sessions.”

“I think you should start us off, Sparkler,” Varric said. “Last I heard, you were tied up in some kind of political intrigue in Minrathous?”

Dorian tutted. “That’s putting it mildly. Maevaris and I have been taking quite a few hits from the magisterium recently–”

“Hits?” Fenris said sharply.

Dorian waved a dismissive hand. “The usual sort of thing. Assassination attempts, an attempted poisoning here and there, even an attack by a bound spirit or two. You know how it is.”

“I do, unfortunately,” Fenris said quietly.

Dorian gave him a kindly look. “Don’t you worry. That’s why I’m here. Maevaris and I are pretending that we’re at odds at the moment, you see. The magisters will think they’ve scared us into submission, and meanwhile we’ll regroup in the shadows.” He nodded to Hawke. “It’s perfect timing that you suggested this little holiday, in fact. It suits me to be away from my dear homeland at the moment.”

Varric snorted. “‘Holiday’. That’s not exactly what I’d call a wander through the untamed wilderness.”

Hawke gave him a pleading look. “Oh come on, Varric, it’s going to be wonderful, I promise! The Frostback Basin is so gorgeous with the trees and the flowers and the toadstools and all that–”

“Hawke,” Varric interrupted.

She blinked at him. “Yes?

He gave her a pointed look. “You remember who you’re talking to, right?”

She widened her eyes. “What do you mean?”

Fenris cleared his throat. “I believe he means that the two people who came the farthest to be here are the same two who hate the outdoors the most.” He gestured at Dorian and Varric.

“He’s not wrong,” Varric drawled.

“He really isn’t,” Dorian said.

Hawke sighed dramatically and gave Fenris a chiding look. “Listen, I know they’re indoor boys, but I didn’t want to point out that they came all this way just to spend time with you and I. It would hurt Bull’s feelings, and he’s standing right there.”

Dorian and Varric chuckled, and Bull gave her a playful little push. “Thanks, little Hawke.”

Hawke snickered and hugged his arm. Then Dorian tilted his head. “You know, that raises the question. Where are the rest of our sorry little crew? I’m rather offended they aren’t here to greet–”

“Your clothes are very shiny,” Cole said.

To Fenris’s amusement, Dorian jumped. “Cole!” he exclaimed. He released a little breath, then smiled at the spirit-boy. “How I’ve missed your unannounced appearances. In fact, I brought you something.” He reached into the inner pocket of his tailored robe and handed Cole a gift.

It was a fine ebony comb decorated with an elaborate pattern of mother-of-pearl. Cole peered at it, then looked at Dorian. “What is it?”

“It’s a comb,” Dorian explained. “For your hair. So you needn’t wear that hat anymore.”

Cole blinked. “What’s wrong with my hat?”

Varric chuckled and patted Cole’s elbow. “Nice to see that nothing’s changed.”

A moment later, Blackwall and Sera joined them, and Blackwall clapped Varric on the shoulder. “Varric! Good to see you!” he said. He nodded politely to Dorian. “Dorian, you look well.”

“As do you,” Dorian said equally politely. “Did you wash your hair? It suits you.”

Blackwall snorted. Then Sera leapt on Dorian’s back. “Now you’re here, we can have some real fun!” she announced. “Beardy and I were down on the beach and there’s these little tiny crabs, see, and–”

“The answer is no,” Dorian interrupted. “Whatever it is, it’s no.”

Sera pouted, and Hawke and Blackwall laughed. They continued to banter and chat as they made their way through the research camp toward Scout Harding, and Fenris enjoyed the familiar novelty of his companions’ talk.

It had been several months since they’d gone on an expedition like this. He and Hawke had been holed up at Skyhold since just before Varric had left, and before that they’d been stationed at Caer Bronach in Crestwood for a number of weeks dealing with some lingering darkspawn and trying to help the still-recovering village while simultaneously appeasing the Fereldan nobles about the Inquisition’s ongoing presence at the caer. Before that, it was a few months at Skyhold and a few at the Griffon’s Keep, a seemingly never-ending cycle of negotiations and meetings and soothing ruffled feathers and trying to muster coin out of thin air…

Fenris ran a weary hand through his hair as he thought about the multiple problems that he had yet to address when he returned to Skyhold. During the first chaotic year after the Conclave disaster, Fenris hadn’t enjoyed the constant travel and the constant errands. But now that he’d spent an entire year mired in cross-continental politics following Corypheus’s death, he was only just realizing how good he’d had it when his primary duties were fighting and recruitment. Travelling from Ferelden to Orlais, asking people to join the Inquisition, killing demons and closing rifts: that was a simpler time, far simpler than trying to navigate the weblike intricacies of Orlesian and Fereldan and Free Marcher and Chantry politics without stepping on anyone’s toes and without overstepping his own authority – an authority that many people seemed to take for granted, and which Fenris was growing increasingly uneasy about.

This is probably a bad sign, he thought. To be feeling wistful about the days when they’d been fighting demons and Venatori and darkspawn? And to think that during those days, he’d been wistful for the two years prior when he and Hawke had been on the run from the Chantry.

He sighed. Was there ever going to be a time when he would be able to simply enjoy his life instead of wishing wistfully for a different part of it?

Hawke interrupted his melancholy thoughts. “This is nice, isn’t it?” she said.

“Hm?” he said distractedly. “Er, yes. It is.”

She studied his face for a moment, then twined her fingers with his. “It’s going to be a good holiday. I promise.”

Fenris raised an eyebrow. “You keep calling this a holiday as though it’s not still Inquisition business.”

“I know, but it’s low-pressure business!” she said. “Tracking down the last Inquisitor’s body and fighting some angry Avvar? It’s basically a cake walk, you’ll see.”

Fenris gave her a fond but exasperated look. “This is going to be like the times you convinced us to go camping on the Wounded Coast, isn’t it?”

“Which time?” she asked.

“Every time,” he said dryly.

She tutted and poked his arm. “Oh, don’t complain about that. You liked camping. Admit it.”

“I didn’t mind the camping,” Fenris said. “I minded the giant spiders. And the slavers. And the murderers trying to hide bodies—”

“I suppose I can’t promise no giant spiders,” Hawke said loudly. “But Harding did mention treehouses! That sounds fun, no?”

Fenris huffed. “Treehouses to escape the giant spiders, I presume?”

“Exactly,” she said cheerfully. “See, it’s going to be fun.”

Her smile was so bright and lovely, and she was so obviously determined to have a good time – or rather, to show Fenris a good time. This so-called holiday was not only her way to see Dorian and Varric again, but her attempt to drag Fenris away from the stress of Inquisition politics for at least a little while.

In the last few weeks especially, Hawke had been appearing more frequently with snacks and cups of coffee in the war room or wherever Fenris happened to be working, offering to help him by forging his signature or writing letters to tell people to bugger off. She was always cheerful when she appeared, always chatting and laughing as was her norm. But Fenris knew she was worried about how hard he was working with the advisors, as well as with Cassandra all the way in Val Royeaux.

There was nothing he could do to assuage Hawke’s worries, though. He was trapped in his role, trapped in this position of authority and guidance, and he had no choice but to keep doing what he was doing and hoping that things would eventually calm down.

Hawke squeezed his hand again. “It’ll be fun, Fenris. We’ll have a good time here, you’ll see.”

He nodded. Then Dorian’s loud voice drew their attention. “Ah, my dear Lady Lace! Just who I was hoping to see.”

Fenris looked up to see Dorian gallantly bowing to Scout Harding. He gave her a hopeful smile. “You wouldn’t happen to have any spare boots for a handsome young man, would you?”

“Sure she does,” Sera said. “Might even have a pair for you.” She cackled, and Dorian tsked at her.

Harding smiled and folded her arms. “Nice to have you back, Dorian. I assume Fenris and Hawke told you and Varric why we’re here?”

“They did,” Varric said. “The search for the mysterious Inquisitor Ameridan, who disappeared eight hundred years ago.” He gave Hawke a knowing look. “I’m ready to take notes in case I can use this for my next book.”

Hawke slung an arm around his shoulders. “I’d be extremely disappointed if you weren’t.”

Harding turned to Fenris. “Professor Kenric’s been itching to talk to you again. He should be around here somewhere–”

“Inquisitor!” The Starkhaven professor hurried over to them with an eager smile. “I’m glad you’re here, and with an entire scouting expedition at your side – that’s brilliant, you’ll have many more eyes to collect observations!” Kenric bowed hastily to their party, then turned back to Fenris. “Now, you’ll recall I told you about the buckles I found–”

“Er, buckles?” Varric said.

“They’re also shiny,” Cole said knowledgeably, and Hawke fondly patted his shoulder.

“Yes, buckles,” Kenric said excitedly. “They’re often overlooked by the average person, but in the study of ancient artifacts, they’re absolutely crucial, since other materials like cloth and leather will have rotted away – barring enchantments, of course.” He looked at Fenris with wide eyes. “I’ve found evidence that Inquisitor Ameridan was involved in a fight on the shore not far to the south.” He held out his hand. In his gloved palm was a bent metal clasp.

“This is consistent with armour links,” he said. “It’s clearly torn. That only happens from a heavy shearing blow, like large claws or an ax.” He then pulled an item from a pouch at his waist and lovingly unwrapped it from its protective silk covering.

“Then there’s this dagger,” he said. “Silverite, with a stylized dragon pommel and inscription reading ‘Kordillus’. This had to be a gift to Ameridan from Kordillus Drakon, the first Emperor of Orlais. No one would just lose such a thing.” Kenric looked around at them all. “There was some sort of battle near the shoreline,” he explained. “Ameridan and his companions were in a hurry, hence the dropped dagger. Lady – er, Scout Harding’s people reported an island near an Avvar fishing camp on the shore. The friendly Avvar, that is, not those Jaws of Hakkon barbarians.” He rubbed his chin thoughtfully. “The locals won’t say much about the island, though. Likely a local superstition.”

“Hmm,” Varric said. “An interrupted battle and an ominous island? We’re off to a great start.”

Fenris smirked at him. “Is that sarcasm? I can’t quite tell.”

“Neither can I,” Varric said dryly.

Hawke tutted and poked them both. “Oh come on, it is a great start! I’m intrigued! Who wants to go to this mystery island?” She raised her hand. “I know I do.”

Fenris gazed at her fondly. She was trying so hard to be upbeat, and he loved her for it.

He lazily raised a hand. “I do as well.”

Blackwall straightened. “I’d be honoured to come.”

Sera elbowed him. “Not leaving me behind, you’re not.”

“I’ll come too,” Bull said. “I hear the hunting is good along the southern shore. The creatures here are fierce.” He grinned.

Dorian patted his arm. “You are such a brute, amatus.”

Hawke clasped her hands together and beamed at them all. “Fantastic! Off we go, then!” She looped her hands through Sera and Blackwall’s elbows, and together they made their way out of the research camp and toward the southern shore.

Fenris had to admit the Frostback Basin really was quite scenic; the terrain was hilly and liberally scattered with toadstools and large exotic flowers, just as Hawke had said. The trees were enormous, some of them bigger than the ones in the Arbour Wilds, and the vegetation ranged from tall flowing grasses to full-bodied ferns to vines that hung in long green ropes from the trees. The same brilliant multicoloured birds that lived in the Arbour Wilds also lived here, and their sharp calls contrasted with the rushing flow of the river that wended its way vaguely from the north and down toward the southern shore where they were headed.

As they made their way toward the fishing camp, Varric, Cole, and Dorian fell into step next to Fenris. Dorian grimaced slightly as he stepped over a pile of feces. “So explain this Jaws of Hakkon business, then,” he said to Fenris. “Who are these fellows, and why did the professor call them barbarians?”

“There are two groups of Avvar here,” Fenris said wearily. “One group has been friendly, but the other group attacks any Inquisition soldier or scout who draws near. We spent some time yesterday fighting them. They have mages, and they’re in possession of some rather chilling magic.”

“Chilling, yes,” Cole said. “Cold, cooling, crawling across the skin.” He blinked at Fenris. “Was that a joke?”

Fenris eyed him in surprise. “I… didn’t mean it to be. But yes, I suppose it was a pun.”

“Hey,” Varric said in surprise. “The kid recognized a pun! That’s good progress, Cole, I’m proud.”

Dorian tutted impatiently. “Yes, yes, Cole is gaining a sense of humour. That’s lovely. Do we know why these magic-wielding Jaws of Hakkon are trying to kill us at every turn?”

Fenris shrugged, and Varric chuckled. “It really is like old times, then. Well, we might as well enjoy it.”

Fenris shot him a sardonic look. “You? Enjoy the wilderness?”

Varric smirked. “I know, I know. But as much as I hate this wilderness shit, I’m kind of glad to be away from Kirkwall right now. Things are getting a little heavy.”

“Everything but your coin purse, it seems,” Dorian said. “From what Bull tells me, you’ve really been emptying your pockets for the city.”

Varric shrugged and waved dismissively. “Ah, you know. It’s no big thing. I’ve gotta use the royalties from my books somehow, right? Might as well be for that.”

Fenris nodded sagely. Varric could pretend to be casual about all the restoration funding he was pouring into Kirkwall, but Fenris had spent enough time discussing the Inquisition’s finances with Josephine to know that the Kirkwall rebuilding efforts had to be extortionately expensive.

Varric’s investments weren’t really a surprise, though. Fenris knew how Varric really felt about Kirkwall. Despite the city’s many flaws and the ugly personal history they had there, Kirkwall was Varric’s home. If Varric wanted to feign casualness about his restoration efforts, however, Fenris could give him that.

He shrugged. “Fair enough,” he said. “Are you coming back to Skyhold after this so-called holiday?”

Varric hesitated, and Fenris gave him a careful look. “You’re… you’re not coming back?”

Varric tugged his beringed ear, and Fenris raised his eyebrows. “When did you decide this?”

Varric sighed. “Look, it… it wasn’t really my decision. I–”

At that moment, Hawke bounded over and slung her arms around Varric’s shoulders and Fenris’s waist. “So Varric, if you’re taking notes about this Ameridan business, you need to know all the lovely scandalous rumours that Kenric told us.”

Varric shot Dorian and Fenris a quick warning look, then smiled at Hawke. “Go on, I’m listening.”

“Well,” Hawke said, “one rumour is that–”

Fenris interrupted. “Shouldn’t you tell him the facts first?”

Hawke sighed loudly. “But that’s boring… fine, fine, you tell him the facts.”

Fenris looked at Varric. “Ameridan went missing around the time that the Nevarran Accord was signed, in 1:20 Divine or thereabouts. No one knows why he went missing. He was a close friend of Drakon the First–”

“Who sounded like an utter asshole, by the way,” Hawke interjected.

Dorian laughed. “You think the first Emperor of Orlais was an asshole? That’s a bold statement.”

Hawke shrugged carelessly. “Well, I’m no historian, but look what he did. He made a huge army and went wiping out all the little religions and spreading his Andrastianism all over the place. Sounds rather like an asshole move to me. Anyway, go on, Fenris.”

Fenris shrugged. “That’s it. Those are all the facts we know about Ameridan.”

Varric raised his eyebrows. “You’re kidding. That’s it? No further backstory?”

“See, this is where the fun stuff comes in,” Hawke said gleefully. “Some people think Ameridan was a lazy noble who just got to be the Inquisitor because he was Drakon’s friend, and he disappeared after going drinking and wenching and so on. Other people think Drakon had him killed because he opposed the Nevarran Accord–”

“–which seems unlikely,” Fenris put in, “since Ameridan was in power with Drakon’s blessing for many years before his disappearance. It’s unlikely that he disagreed with the Nevarran Accord.”

“Right,” Hawke said. “But here’s my favourite rumour. Some people think Ameridan had a secret lover who was a mage. Can you imagine?” she said with relish. “The ancient Inquisitor, famous demon and apostate hunter in the days of early Andrastianism, having a mage for a lover?”

Varric snorted in amusement. “Let me guess. You think they ran away together.”

“I certainly fucking hope so,” Hawke said. “That would be a nice happy ending, if you ask me.” She put on a playful storytelling voice. “‘Once upon a time, the Inquisitor decided that the newborn Chantry was full of shit. He took his mage lover by the hand, and they ran off into the sunset together to live a peaceful and happy life. The end.’” She patted Varric’s shoulder. “Feel free to give me a writing credit in your inside cover. I won’t mind.”

Varric and Dorian chuckled, but Fenris didn’t laugh. The Inquisitor running away with his mage lover to live a peaceful and happy life��

Cole’s voice grabbed their attention. “They need help!” he cried.

They all looked up. They weren’t far from the fishing camp, but fifty paces ahead, Bull and Blackwall and Sera were engaged in a fight with a group of Hakkonites.

“Let’s go,” Fenris said, and they bolted toward the fight. It was fairly brief; the Hakkonite warriors were outnumbered by Fenris’s party, and in a few short minutes, their foes were dead.

Dorian curiously studied the dead Hakkonite mage’s staff. “This is fascinating,” he said to Hawke. “There’s a piece of ice embedded in the head of the staff. Did you see this?”

“It’s strange, right?” Hawke said as she crouched beside him. “I saw this on another mage’s staff yesterday. Crazier yet, the ice doesn’t melt. I think it’s helping their chilling spills to be more effective. We should break down their spell later tonight so we can try and recreate it ourselves…”

Sera pulled a face. “Magey-mage magic, ugh. Any fish stew in there?” She scampered away toward the cooking fire outside the Avvar fishing camp.

Fenris, meanwhile, smiled faintly at Dorian and Hawke. He knew that Hawke had been missing her magical discussions with Dorian, especially since he’d taken on the role of her primary magical confidant after Solas’s disappearance over a year ago.

As always, Fenris shunted aside the hint of resentment and suspicion he felt at the thought of Solas. He turned to Varric. “Care to join me and chat with the locals?” he said with a nod to the Avvar. “I may need your silver tongue.”

“Aw, you really know how to flatter a guy,” Varric drawled. Together they went to speak to the Avvar fishermen.

Some twenty-odd minutes later, under direction of the fishermen, Fenris and his companions were making their way up the winding path that led to the friendly Avvar’s settlement. Just as Kenric had surmised, it seemed that the locals thought the island was occupied by spirits who were better left alone, and thus they would need the Avvar leader’s permission to travel there.

As they approached the settlement, Fenris nodded politely to each Avvar they passed. Their answering nods or murmurs of ‘lowlander’ were equally polite, but Fenris noted something strange: their eyes lingered on the glowing mark on his left hand, but not with the same fear or awe that he usually saw in people’s faces. Instead, the Avvar simply seemed curious.

Odd, he thought. Nevertheless, he loosely closed his fist as they moved further into the settlement.

The sound of cheering and shouting soon met his ears, and Hawke chuckled. “Oh my. Looks like we came just in time to see a nice display of male athletics.” She elbowed Dorian salaciously.

Sure enough, two half-clad young men were vaulting up a sheer cliff wall while a crowd yelled and clapped. On a nearby platform, a stern-faced and rangy woman who matched the fishermen’s description of their leader was standing next to a tall and muscled man, and Fenris frowned in surprise: the tall man’s body-paint matched that of the Jaws of Hakkon.

Bull grunted. “That’s strange. Didn’t expect to see a Hakkonite here.”

“It is odd,” Fenris agreed quietly. “We should find out what’s going on.”

Before they could approach the platform, the Hakkonite descended and swaggered toward them. He sneered at Fenris. “This is not my hold, lowlander,” he said. “I will not shed your blood here. You will face the full might of the Jaws of Hakkon soon enough.” Without waiting for a response, he strode away.

Hawke huffed at the Hakkonite’s departing back. “Bugger yourself, why don’t you?” she muttered. Then she smiled at Fenris. “Shall we go introduce ourselves to their leader?”

A fresh burst of cheering rose from the assembled crowd. The rangy woman was shouting now to the climbing men, who were standing at the top of the cliff. Fenris nodded to Hawke and made his way to the platform.

He eyed the rangy woman with some suspicion as they approached. She had been associating with the Hakkonite, after all. When she turned to face them, however, her expression was neutral, but her tone of voice was welcoming.

“You are the Inquisitor,” she said, with a casual glance at Fenris’s hand.

“I am,” he said cautiously. “My name is Fenris.”

She nodded. “We heard tell of your arrival. I am Svarah Sun-Hair, Thane of Stone-Bear Hold.” She stepped off of the platform and gestured for them to follow her. “Come share my fire, where we might speak.”

She led them to a warm and well-lit cave that featured a large circular firepit and a rugged throne covered in furs. She gestured politely for them to sit on the furs around the fire, then seated herself on the throne and eyed them all with the same brand of warm curiosity that seemed to be common among the Avvar. “You and your people have come far from the safety of the lowlands,” she said.

“Yes,” Fenris said. “We are searching for the previous Inquisitor, in fact. It is said that he died somewhere near here hundreds of years ago.”

Svarah nodded in approval. “Giving peace to the dead is a worthy quest. Any help we can offer is yours. Sadly, the Jaws of Hakkon will not offer so warm a welcome.” She settled back in her seat and gave Fenris a wry look. “You met their thane, Gurd Harofson. I wager you have crossed blades with his people in the wilderness. If you would search this place for your Inquisitor’s body, they will want you to pay in blood.”

“Why is that, if I may ask?” Dorian said. “It’s not unusual for people to hate us, but it’s nice sometimes to know the reason why.”

Svarah huffed – whether in amusement or disgust, Fenris couldn’t tell. “A fair question,” she said. “Our people believe that a wise man honours each god to its strength: Bjorn Reedbeard for fishing, Rilla of the Fireside for making babies. The Hakkonites care only for Hakkon Wintersbreath, god of war and winter.”

Bull chuckled. “He sounds like a nice guy.”

“There is no evil in Hakkon,” Svarah told him seriously. “There are times to fight. But the Jaws of Hakkon care for nothing else. They raid, they fight; eventually they die, and their stories are forgotten. It is the way of things.” She waved a dismissive hand. “They are not the first hold to take that name. All have been foolish.”

Fenris raised his eyebrows. “They’re not the first? There were others?”

Hawke shrugged at this. “I guess that makes sense. We’re not the first Inquisition, after all.”

Fenris tilted his head; she had a point. Then Svarah answered his question. “There was another group who called themselves the Jaws of Hakkon, many ages ago. They thought of nothing but slaughter-glory. They attacked the lowlanders, and your people fought back and destroyed them.” She shrugged unconcernedly. “They were fools.”

Blackwall sat forward with a small frown. “And the group led by this Gurd Harofson? Are they fools as well?”

“They are,” Svarah said. “They have forgotten the old ways. They came here a few years ago, after the Blight took their hold. There was land enough for both us and them, so we were friendly.” She sighed. “We did not see their anger. But Gurd Harofson lost too many in his hold to darkspawn. He thinks only of battle and war.” She gave them all a serious look. “To avenge a wrong is a good thing, but only a fool lights the world on fire to do it.”

Fenris raised his eyebrows at this sage statement, and they were all quiet for a moment.

Then Hawke sat up on her knees. “Svarah – can I call you Svarah?”

The thane nodded, and Hawke smiled. “Svarah, these Jaws of Hakkon… As you said, they’ve been hassling our people, and all we want to do is find our poor dead Inquisitor and bring him home. Is there any way we could persuade you to help us keep the Jaws of Hakkon off our backs?”

Svarah rubbed her chin. “Bathing my blade in the blood of the Hakkonites would be cause for a feast for most in this hold… but we have pledged peace with them. To attack with lowlanders at our side would make us oathbreakers. This is poor weather for me to ask that of my hold.”

Hawke nodded slowly. “Is there anything we can do to, er, improve the weather for you?”

For the first time, a hint of a smile tugged at the corners of Svarah’s lips. “Sharp of wit, you are. Who are you?”

Hawke smiled. “Oh, I’m Rynne! Rynne Hawke, the Inquisitor’s wife.” She patted Fenris’s thigh. “But everyone just calls me Hawke.”

“Hawke,” Svarah said thoughtfully. “Hawks are fine birds and worthy hunters. I hope you live up to the name.”

Hawke laughed. “So do I, believe me.”

Svarah smirked again, then shifted in her seat. “There is a matter you can assist us with. If you did, I would be grateful.”

“Of course,” Hawke said without hesitation – to Fenris’s mixed exasperation and amusement. “How can we help?”

“Among the Avvar, a hold draws strength from its hold-beast,” Svarah said “They are as kin to us. When our hold-beast is strong and happy, there’s joy. When it sickens and dies, it is an ill omen.” She looked at Fenris seriously. “Our bear, Storvacker, has not been seen in days. The hold fears for her. I cannot ask the hold to break peace-oaths unless Storvacker returns.”

“She a tiny bear?” Sera said.

Svarah looked at her in surprise. “No. Storvacker is a mighty hunter. Why do you ask?”

Sera shrugged. “Just thinking why your people can’t find her.”

Svarah raised an eyebrow. “A great hunt for our hold-beast would show weakness to the Hakkonites, that’s why. But if you lowlanders happen to find her…” She shrugged.

Dorian winced. “I hate to ask, but… are you certain your hold-beast isn’t, er, dead?”

Svarah shook her head. “If she were dead, the augur would know.”

“Augur?” Fenris asked.

Svarah nodded. “He gives counsel and shares the will of the gods with us. Speak to him if you would know more.”

“All right,” Hawke said affably. “We’ll speak to your augur, find Storvacker, and then maybe the sun will come out, so to speak.” She gave Svarah a charming smile.

Svarah huffed in amusement. “Find Storvacker, and we will speak again. In the meantime, feel free to look around our hold.”

Hawke’s eyes widened. “We can look around?”

“You have guest-welcome here,” Svarah said. “Speak with my people and learn our ways, if you would spare the time.”

Hawke grinned at Fenris, and he smirked at her in fond exasperation. Of course Hawke would be thrilled at the thought of making friends with a new group of strangers.

He turned to Svarah and bowed his head. “You have my thanks. For the welcome, and for the information.”

Varric leaned toward him. “The island, remember?” he muttered.

“Ah. Right,” Fenris said. That had, after all, been the point of all this.

He looked to Svarah again. “We had hoped to borrow a boat to go to the island off the southern shore, but one of the fishermen said we needed your blessing.”

To Fenris’s surprise, Svarah snorted and waved a careless hand. “Bah, Rolfsen. He worries like a scared baby goat. The boat is yours. Tell him I said so.”

Fenris bowed his head once more. “Thank you. We will speak again.”

Svarah nodded in farewell as they rose to their feet. “Lady keep you,” she said.

They filed out of the cave, and Varric folded his arms and smirked at Hawke. “So if we’d just straight-out asked for the boat, she would have lent it to us without us having to search for their bear.”

She held up her hands. “I know, I know, I’m sorry! It was like an impulse, I couldn’t help it!” She gave Fenris a wheedling look. “But on the plus side, this will be funny. Finding a bear? What a lark, right?”

Fenris rubbed his mouth to hide his smile, and Dorian grimaced. “Did we ask whether it was a friendly bear? We, er, didn’t ask, did we?”

Hawke pulled a little face. “Oops.”

Bull chuckled and tweaked Dorian’s collar. “It’s a good thing your robe is black, kadan. It’ll hide the blood well.”

Dorian curled his lip. “The only one who will be getting bloody is anyone who dares to soil this damned robe.”

Hawke barked out a laugh and slung an arm around Dorian’s neck. “Come on, you beautiful fools, let’s explore and make some friends.”

“Let’s find this augur,” Fenris said pointedly. “He can tell us where to start looking for the bear.”

Hawke winked at him. “You’ve got it, handsome. Now come on, last one to eat a weird foreign treat is a rotten egg!” She grabbed Sera’s hand and pulled her toward the nearest group of Avvar.

They wandered through the settlement, and half of their party drifted away to inspect the craftsmen’s tables and speak to the locals. Fenris watched fondly as Hawke flirted and chatted with every person they passed, making even the most grim-faced warriors smile. She cheerfully introduced Fenris to everyone she met, and Fenris continued to feel bemused by the lack of fear or worry in their faces as they stared openly at his flickering left palm.

As Fenris, Hawke, Dorian and Cole made their way up the path to the augur’s cabin, Dorian remarked on the Avvar’s strangely calm response to his hand. “Do you suppose it’s because they don’t understand what it does?” he said.

“No, they’re aware,” Fenris said. One person had openly – and very casually – said that Fenris was the one who’d closed the Breach.

“You know what’s really odd?” Hawke said. “Some of the people here don’t really seem surprised by you. It’s almost like they expected you. Not in a ‘we foretold your coming’ sort of way, but in a ‘oh, you’re that fellow’ sort of way, if that makes sense.”

Cole nodded vaguely. “The augur knew, so they know. They follow, flickering, feeling, fluttering along the Fade, and he listens.”

Dorian raised an eyebrow. “I assume you don’t mean the Avvar are following Fenris in the Fade.”

Cole shook his head. “They’re curious,” he said. “They want to know how it feels to be real.”

Hawke raised an eyebrow. “You’re talking about spirits?”

Cole smiled in an absent sort of way. Hawke, Fenris, and Dorian exchanged a nonplussed look, and Hawke shrugged. “Well, let’s hope this augur fellow can clear things up.”

Fenris knocked on the augur’s cabin door, and a rich, deep voice called out from within. “Enter!”

He cautiously opened the door, then stopped short. A large man in furs was standing on the far side of a firepit, which contained a merrily dancing fire – bright green fire that gave off no heat.

The firepit was full of veilfire. Suddenly Fenris understood: the augur was a mage.

He frowned slightly and sidled into the hut so Hawke, Dorian and Cole could come inside, and Hawke gazed admiringly at the firepit. “Wow,” she breathed. “I’ve never seen such a big veilfire flame before.”

The augur smiled at Fenris. “So he arrives. Come, come.” He ushered Fenris closer.

Fenris took a cautious step toward him, then stopped once more. The air around the augur was flickering and dancing with light – light that was vaguely in the shape of people…

Wraiths, he thought in alarm. The cabin was full of wraiths. Stranger yet, the augur seemed happy about their presence.

He wasn’t the only one. “Hello!” Cole said cheerfully.

The wraiths drifted toward Fenris, and he tensed instinctively. Why were the spirits approaching him? Was the augur making them do that?

Hawke took his hand, and he tried to force himself to relax. Dorian, meanwhile, was eyeing the wraiths with interest. “They’re not… harmful,” he said. “I don’t think.”

The wraiths drifter closer to Fenris, and the augur held up his hands. “Don’t throng,” he said reprovingly.

The wraiths stopped and drifted back toward the augur, and Fenris released his breath. Then the augur raised his arms ceremoniously. “Behold, worthy ones! The man who blazes like fire and mends the air.” He smiled and placed one hand on his chest. “I am the augur of Stone-Bear Hold. I greet you, as do our gods and the gods of our ancestors.”

The wraiths flickered brightly for a moment, then disappeared altogether. The augur sighed in satisfaction. “There! It is done. Now come, be welcome! I would hear news of the north.”

Fenris release Hawke’s hand and frowned at the augur. “You summoned these spirits?”

“The gods of the hold clamoured to see you,” the augur replied. “I obeyed, for I am their voice and their augur.” He chuckled and folded his arms. “And if I didn’t show you off, they would hound me for months.”

Fenris raised his eyebrows. Not a summoning, then, but a… a visitation?

He gestured at the veilfire. “You keep this burning on purpose to help the spirits to cross the Veil?”

The augur nodded. “I take counsel from the gods and share it with the hold. I make their will known to us, and ours to them. Their will comes to us from the Fade, and the veilfire helps me to hear it.”

“Gods from the Fade…” Hawke said slowly. She looked at the augur with wide eyes. “Your gods are spirits. The Avvar pray to spirits?”

“We offer to them,” the augur corrected. “We don’t pray like the lowlanders to a creator they think will weather all the ages.”

Hawke held up her hands. “No judgment from me. I don’t pray to anyone.”

“Respecting the gods of your hold takes little effort,” the augur told her kindly. “They protect the hold. They help drive off spirits who have gone bad with rage or gloom.” He raised his hands to the air once more. “The gods live with us. Ignore their offerings, offer them nothing, and it weakens us all.”

Dorian stroked his chin. “Do you actually think the spirits are gods, though? That they’re more than just creatures of the Fade?”

A small crease appeared between the augur’s eyebrows. “The spirits watched us even before we came from the north. They shaped themselves into our gods, and we grew to love them. Their secret gift is this: they reflect us as water does the sky. They show us what we wish to be. That image gives us strength. For that, we thank the gods.”

Hawke turned to them excitedly. “That’s like what Solas used to say, remember? He was all, ‘spirits are what we expect them to be. If you expect them to be demons, that’s what they’ll become.’” She smiled at the augur. “You all expect the spirits to be helpful and wise, so that’s how they are to you.”

“The spirits harbour wisdom in many forms,” he said. “They offer much to those who offer respect in return.”

Hawke nodded affably. “That makes complete sense. Be nice, and they’ll be nice back.” She patted Cole’s arm. “Sounds about right, don’t you think?”

“Kindness, learning, sharing across the Veil,” Cole said with a nod. “It’s very nice.”

The augur looked at Cole, and his eyes widened. “Who is this one?” he said keenly. “He has blood and bone, but… there are bonds about his form.”

“Yes,” Cole said. “I am Compassion. I know that now. I want to be here.”

The augur bowed deeply to him. “Well, this is a very great honour. Be welcome, Compassion.”

Cole smiled vaguely, and Hawke beamed at him and hugged his arm. “Aww, you’re a guest of honour here! That’s so cute!”

Dorian chuckled, and Fenris pondered it all in silence for a moment. The Avvar’s most respected advisor was a mage who spoke with spirits for guidance, and all the Avvar accepted it? It was so strange, and so vastly different from anything Fenris had ever seen before.

Well, that wasn’t entirely true. There was one other mage he and Hawke knew who had spoken with spirits for guidance.

Merrill, he thought. An instinctive surge of dislike rose in his breast at the thought of her, but it was swiftly followed by a pang of guilt. He could too easily imagine Merrill’s scolding and sanctimonious voice if she was here right now and seeing Fenris speaking to the augur in such a calm manner. She would most certainly call him a hypocrite, and… kaffas, she wouldn’t be wrong.

She wouldn’t be entirely right, either – after all, Merrill’s spirit had turned into a pride demon, and that was her fault. But Fenris himself had called on a spirit for guidance back in the Deep Roads when Hawke had needed healing.

Merrill would call him a hypocrite if she were here, and she wouldn’t be entirely wrong.

He sighed and ran a hand through his hair, then looked at the augur. “You mentioned that I blaze like fire. You are speaking of this mark, I assume?” He held up his left hand.

“That is correct,” the augur said. “To those beyond the Veil, your hand burns like the watchman’s bonfire. Nearby spirits follow your mark like moths to a flame.”

“We knew that already, though,” Dorian said.

Hawke looked at him in surprise. “What do you mean?” she asked.

“Well, that’s how we called that spirit to heal you in the Deep Roads,” Dorian said. “Spirits were near Fenris’s mark in the Fade, and Cole and I helped one to come through.”

The augur folded his arms approvingly. “You do make offerings and appeals to the gods, then. You are more in tune with our ways than you thought.”

Hawke smiled at him. “Does that mean you’ll adopt us as honorary Avvar, then?”

The augur chuckled. “That is up to our thane, not me. You would have to perform a feat worthy of a legend-mark to gain such an honour.”

Hawke lifted her chin boldly. “That sounds like a challenge. All right, my handsome sir, you’re on.”

Fenris shook his head fondly, then turned to the augur once more. “We have been tasked with tracking down your hold-beast. Do you have any suggestions?”

The augur’s expression sobered. “Ah, Storvacker. Yes. Our huntmaster last saw tracks of her near Swamp Kulsdotten. I imagine you may pick up her trail somewhere there. But be wary: the swamp is rife with creatures, and the spirits that linger there are not always kind.”

“Good thing we have our own kind spirit, then,” Hawke said, and she gave Cole’s arm another hug.

The augur smiled at her. “You are fortunate, indeed. Walk well, and may the Lady bless your search.”

They left the augur’s cabin, and Hawke smiled at them. “Well, that was fascinating. Good thing Bull and Sera didn’t come along for this, they’d be having fits. I’m going to go tell them what happened!” She pinched Fenris’s chin affectionately and ran off.

Fenris smirked and Dorian chuckled, and they followed her down the hill toward the main settlement. A minute later, Fenris shot Dorian a sideways look. “You’re being oddly quiet.”

Dorian gave him a charming smile. “I knew you missed the mellifluous sound of my voice.”

“More like I can hear you thinking, since it requires such work,” Fenris retorted.

Dorian tsked. “That’s hurtful. But I shall tell you my thoughts anyway, since I know you adore them.” He stroked his chin. “Well, you may not adore this, in fact. I was thinking that you’ve changed.”

Fenris raised his eyebrows. “Excuse me?”

“You know, with the spirits and all that,” Dorian said. “You’re very calm about it. You wouldn’t have been this accepting two years ago.”

Fenris sighed. “I know. I was thinking about this myself, in fact.”

“It’s not a bad thing,” Dorian assured him. “We’re all different than we were two years ago.”

Fenris gave Dorian a considering look. “Do you think you’ve changed a great deal?”

Dorian wrinkled his nose slightly. “I hope I have. I was drunk more often than not before we met.”

Fenris nodded cautiously. “You… mentioned that, yes.”

Dorian shrugged. “I was running away before all of this. I like to think I’m running toward something now, with Maevaris and the Lucerni. Something important.”

“You are,” Fenris said seriously.

Dorian smiled at him, but Fenris was distracted by the faint thrum of guilt in his belly. Dorian’s words were making him recall his earlier thoughts – wistful thoughts of running away with Hawke and leaving the Inquisition and all its trappings behind. In the context of Dorian’s comment about running toward things, toward important and worthy goals, Fenris felt a bit ashamed. It was selfish in the extreme to even consider leaving the Inquisition when so many people were demanding his help.

“Fenris, are you all right?” Dorian said.

He looked up. Dorian was frowning at him. “You seem more grim than before I left,” Dorian said. “I know your wife isn’t as pretty and charming as I, but still…”

Fenris snorted but didn’t reply. Unfortunately, Cole replied in his stead. “It’s heavy,” he said. “Waiting to be free, wanting something of his own, but weighed down, weary, worn. When will it end?”

Fenris shot Cole a resentful look. “I would rather you didn’t.”

Cole blinked back at him unrepentantly. “Dorian wants to help. Hawke wants to help too, and Varric as well.”

“He’s right, you know,” Dorian said. “If there’s anything I can do–”

“You can’t,” Fenris said. “The Inquisition is my burden.”

His tone was harder than he’d intended, and Dorian raised his eyebrows. Fenris sighed. “I appreciate your concern,” he said in a softer tone. To Cole he said, “Hawke is helping. She just… thinks she isn’t.”

“She would do more if she could,” Cole said softly. “She would take it all away from you if she had the choice.”

“I know,” Fenris said. They all fell silent for a moment.

Dorian broke the silence. “I’m… sorry, Fenris.”

“Thank you,” he said quietly. Then, with an effort of will, he mustered up some Hawke-like positivity and a smile. “Let us focus on finding the bear and inspecting this island,” he said. “I can think of a special role for you in luring the bear out of hiding, in fact.”

Dorian raised his eyebrows. “What role is that?”

“Bait,” Fenris said succinctly.

Dorian barked out a laugh. “You mean because I’m so tempting and delicious?”

“No. Because you glitter,” Fenris said. He eyed Dorian’s silver-studded robe with disdain. “The bear will see you from a mile away.”

“Ah, Fenris, don’t be jealous,” Dorian said soothingly. “I can have something equally glittery tailor-made for you anytime. Though Hawke would be jealous, I think, if you and I were to match…”

Fenris rolled his eyes, and they continued to pick on each other playfully as they wandered through the settlement. There was no such thing as an escape for the Inquisitor, but Fenris would try and enjoy the bright parts of this holiday while it lasted.

#Lovers in a Dangerous Time #fenris #fenris fic #fenris the inquisitor #fenquisition #fenhawke #fenris/hawke #fenris x hawke #fenris/f!hawke #fenris x f!hawke #fenris/femhawke #fenris x femhawke #fenrynne #fhawris #pikapeppa writes #jaws of hakkon #joh dlc

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stop-breaking-my-heart-telltale · 5 years ago

Text

Anons wanted an explanation for the placements I had on my previous tier list, but upon going back and looking it over, I realized that I wanted to move a few characters around, so I ended up getting a new template and remaking it.

I wrote little bits about each character [yes, each one] below the cut, but be warned, it’s long.

“I love you so much that I would sell my soul to make sure you’re happy”

Lee Everett: Lee is a goddamn legend. He deserves to be at the very top. He’s one of the best protagonists I’ve ever played as in a game, his backstory is incredibly interesting, and his relationship with and dedication to protecting Clementine never felt forced and is one of the highlights of S1. Even now, having replayed S1 a million times, seeing him get bit and slowly become weaker and weaker as he refuses to give up on Clementine still breaks my salt encased heart. Watching him die in the end never fails to put that lump in my throat. I love him.

AJ: I love this kid. I was so worried that they wouldn’t do him justice when the game was announced and I saw the trailer, but I was floored by just how much I grew to love him. He feels like my kid, my responsibility and I want him to grow up strong and smart, but also human. His voice acting is terrific, and I think he’s one of the best child characters we’ve ever been given in video games. His relationship with Clementine rivals Lee and Clem’s relationship and that’s what I wanted. This kid earned his place at the top.

S4 Clementine: This Clementine is my absolute favorite. While I love all the Clementine’s across the four seasons, I feel like she truly hit her peak in S4. I fucking love her, I’m proud of who she grew up to be, and seeing her journey to this point only solidifies that she’s my favorite. She’s strong and stern, but she has her softer moments with AJ and Louis/Violet, and what else is there really to say? She’s Clementine.

Louis: ....Do I really need to explain this? I mean, c’mon. If you’ve been following me for a long time- shit, if you’ve only been following me for a few minutes, then y’all know how much I love Louis. I can say with 100% certainty that Louis is my favorite non-playable character across all four games. I’ve made numerous posts, answered over a hundred asks, written thousands of words about him. Everything about him from his character design, his personality, his traumas, his voice acting, his expressions, his relationship with Clementine and AJ and Violet and Marlon and everyone- He’s the best. I love him.

Rosie: Rosie is the bestest girl in the world. ‘nuff said.

“I fucking love everything about you.”

S1 Clementine: Alright, before y’all come at me with the whole “Why isn’t little baby Clem SS tier you monster??” let me explain: I adore S1 Clementine. She’s still in S tier, after all. However, after playing through these games several times over again, I realize that this really is just the beginning of Clementine’s character and her growth. She’s lovable, she’s cute, and I want to protect her, but she’s not... a compelling character? She doesn’t fully come into herself and develop a stronger personality until S2. Like I said, I still love her and I can’t deny the impact that she had on the characters and us players, but she’s not my favorite Clementine of the bunch.

S2 Clementine: I fucking love S2 Clementine. I’d actually say that she’s my 2nd favorite Clementine. I give S2 a lot of well-deserved shit, but she is the high point of it all. Something about her character is compelling to me, like how she’s stuck with a bunch of adults who underestimate her yet want her to do everything for them and she just... is so done with it hahaha. But her growth is what it really does it for me. We went from little baby Clementine who whimpered at a small cut on her finger to a Clementine who fucking sews her own arm up, covers herself in walker guts with barely a flinch, can shoot a gun with great accuracy and take down walkers like they ain’t shit, and can survive and make her own decisions. Also, her instant connection with AJ is great. Love it. Love her.

Javier Garcia: Yo, I love this beautiful man. This man is honestly the best part of ANF, and without him it would’ve been such a shitty game. I found his backstory as an ex-professional baseball player booted from the league for gambling a cool concept. He’s hilarious and charming, too. Honestly, he deserved a better game with better, y’know? The only reason he’s not SS tier is because of the writing and his nonsense with Kate when you don’t want to romance her. It makes it seem like he led her on and then was like “Wait nevermind lol” which is annoying, but other than that, he’s great. Love his relationships with most of the characters, and the ending he got was pretty good.

James: I don’t talk about him as much as I should because I find James fucking fascinating. If they ever made a DLC or a mini-game for twdg, I want it to be about James and his journey in finding and joining the whisperers, his relationship with Charlie, and how he escaped them. His views on walkers, his survival and killing skills, his past traumas haunting his every moment for fear that he’ll revert back to what he was, his extreme pacifism that ironically turns violent- just what a cool fucking character. And while he has his wild moments [cave scene, anyone? “Oh ouch!” hahahahahaa] he’s still one of my favorites.

Violet: Oh, Violet. She’s amazing. I love her so damn much. If there’s ever been a character that I see a lot of myself in, it’s her.... which is why I tend to be a little harsh with her sometimes, but I can’t deny that she’s one of the most well-written characters across the whole series. She’s not perfect [both she and Louis do have their tiny inconsistencies that I blame the writing for] but that’s a good thing. And while I don’t ship her and Clementine, I 100% get why a lot of people do. Their relationship is adorable and way more compelling than her previous relationship with Minerva.

“I love you <3″

Carley: My beautiful girlfriend... you were taken away far too soon. Carley’s one of my favorite characters from S1. I wish we could’ve had more time to explore a relationship between her and Lee, but what we did get is enjoyable. She’s a badass, and I will always love the moment she tells Lilly off for being a little bitch, even though it results in her death. Not a day goes by where I’m not salty about that one.

Molly: Molly’s a goddamn badass. She scales buildings like it’s nothing, she named her weapon Helga, and her backstory with Crawford and her sister is terrific. Also, she’s funny and I love her. That’s that.

Omid: This dude was literally a light in S1. He brought us some humor when we needed it [ “...You broke that dude’s face.” ] and his relationship with Christa was so sweet. Also, him and Lee bonding over being history nerds? Yes, please. It’s bullshit that he was killed off two seconds into S2 but hey... S2 had a lot of bullshit in it so... Justice for Omid 2k19.

Luke: *deeeeeeeep inhale* Big Brother Luke did not deserve that bullshit. Literally one of the best characters in S2 and y’all just.... did him dirty like that. And for what? To make room for Kenny and Jane? Bull. Shit. Luke was so damn good, and the only reason he’s not higher is because of what they did to him after ep3. He starts out so kind and supportive and seriously like a big brother character then SUDDENLY he’s stupid and “makes it” with Jane while walkers are trying to eat us and then he gets himself shot and then fucking dies and akjsjdlkjasdkjaslkjasdklerwedascasads-

S3 Clementine: ...So, here’s where y’all will probably get pissed. S3 Clementine is my least favorite of the bunch. Don’t get me wrong, I still love her and she is still in A tier, but... how do I explain it? She’s in her 13-year-old, emo/angsty phase and it’s hilarious when it shouldn’t be. There are moments where I do become emotional for her, like when David takes AJ away and Javi hugs her, or when Gabe dies and she’s saying goodbye, or when she gets her first period, y’know moments like that! BUT... then we have moments where Javi goes to talk to her and she’s all “HAVING PEOPLE IS GREAT AT FIRST BUT EVENTUALLY EVERYONE DIES” or when she straight up shoots that guy who gave her faulty bullets OR WHEN SHE’S LIKE “IMMA KILL ME A LINGARD” AND.......... it’s too much for me! I can’t take her seriously when she’s this angsty, even when I understand why she is the way she is. Again, to reiterate, I still love her but in ranking all four Clementines, she comes in last for me.... and I can already hear the shit that’s gonna be thrown my way haha

Conrad: The most underappreciated character in S3 and it’s nonsense. Don’t come for me, but this dude is my favorite npc in S3. I love Conrad, and I wish we got more of him. He does have his own little arch if you keep him alive through the end. His grief over Francine is heartbreaking and his downward spiral that leads him to act out and threaten Javi, Clem, and Gabe so that he can get his revenge is wonderful. And btw, he does apologize for pulling the gun on them and makes up for it in the future. And y’know what moves him up into A tier? The moment you let him kill Badger. One of the best kills of the game. I prefer it over beating the shit out of Badger myself.

Aasim: This boy is my son, and I’m sorry, but he’s really fucking cool. You’ve got this kid who was sent to Ericson for being a pyromaniac [according to Kent, it’s not actually mentioned in game] and grew into this guy who documents everything so that they’ll have a form of history to look back on and help not repeat mistakes. His banter with Louis is funny, and even though he gets fed up with Louis for not taking anything seriously, he still cares deeply about him given how he reacts when Louis loses his tongue. His crush on Ruby is adorable, too. I just love him, he’s great.

Marlon: Now, originally I put Marlon in a lower tier [the “I like your role in the story” type of tier] but upon reflection I actually find Marlon to be a compelling character. He’s high on the list because of how well he’s portrayed. Marlon has some of the best voice acting across all the games. There isn’t a single moment where I don’t believe what he’s saying, which says something. There are moments where Clementine will say something and I go, “Really? That’s the take they went with? Okay...” but not with Marlon. For only being in ep1, he played his part really fucking well. I won’t defend any of the shit he pulled because it’s awful, but I understand everything he did. He is a coward, a sheep hiding in a wolf’s coat, pretending that he’s got everything under control and putting all the pressure of a leader onto himself and it eventually breaks him. I know they killed him off to further the plot and show how ruthless AJ can be as a child growing up in the world, but I wish he survived past ep1 so that we could really get into the meat of his character. I’ll say it: I love him as fake-friend-to-full-on-antagonistic-character and his role within the story.

Mitch: I fucking love Mitch and the only reason he isn’t in SS tier is because of how goddamn dirty the writers did him. You give me this boy- this butterknife wielding, foul-mouthed, angry, hilarious, bomb-making boy and make me fall in love with him and THEN YOU KILL HIM OFF IN THE STUPIDEST WAY POSSIBLE. “Oh, lemme just run at the crazy lady with a knife and- OOF! It appears I’ve been throat stabbed bleh-” I’ve complained about this since ep2, but lemme say it again: Mitch had so much potential to be an amazing character but never got the chance to because we had to add to the death count and make us more afraid of Lilly even though it didn’t do shit because it was a reaction kill rather than one made out of malice.

Tenn: Tenn is such a tragic character for me. In my personal canon ending, he dies because he was “messing up again” and AJ shot him. This poor kid was so full of hope that the walkers would go away one day, he’s so genuine and never wants to hurt anyone, even if they’re trying to hurt him, and he’s so fucked up from seeing Minerva that he stops thinking and tries to go to her even as she’s being devoured right in front of him. Tenn is like this game’s Sarah, but done right. He deserved better, but he was a well-written character and I love him. His friendship with AJ was so sweet which makes it even more heartbreaking when he dies. Yet another terrific child character.

“I like you and/or your role within the story”

S1 Kenny: This dude is such a chaotic topic. I feel like 90% of the fandom has an incredibly strong opinion on him, and of that 90%, 45% of people absolutely love him and if you say anything negative you’ll get a boat to the head while the other 45% loathe him. Then you’ve got the 10% who don’t have such strong opinions, and that’s where I fall. I like Kenny, and I like S1 Kenny more than his S2 counterpart. He has a great arch throughout the season regardless if you’re his best pal or not. He has some funny lines, some emotional scenes. I’ll never forget the first time I played the scene where Kenny’s crying over Katjaa’s dead body while Duck is laying against the tree on the brink of death. And I definitely will never forget the part where he finds the boy in the attic. Overall, I like him and what he brought to S1.

Katjaa: She was really sweet and her death broke my heart. I don’t have too much to say about her, but I liked her a lot. She loved her family and met a tragic end.

Ben: Fucking Ben, man. This poor kid. Another character with wasted potential. I’ve mentioned this plenty of times before, but I wish we could get an alternative ending where Ben was the only one who survived and became Clementine’s new caretaker. There was so much room for growth. He just wanted to help out but kept screwing up and it’s just.... sad.

Christa: I’ll be honest, the first time I ever played S1, I didn’t like Christa. Something about her rubbed me the wrong way and I didn’t care about her as much as I did Omid. However, the more times I replayed it, the more I grew to love her. She’s strong but sweet, and you can’t deny how much she loves Omid. And while I wish we did get to know what happened to her in S2, I can live with it remaining unknown.

Chuck: As much as I like our guitar playing hobo friend who deserved so much more, I would probably put him a tier lower if it weren’t for the advice that he gives Lee on the train. Because of him, Lee stopped treating Clementine entirely like a little girl in need of protection and cut her hair, taught her to use a gun, and furthered their communication by building a plan together. Without Chuck and his wise hobo words, Lee might’ve fucked both of them over. Also, Chuck’s pretty badass with that shovel, he got a lot of chuckles out of me, but his death was off screen and disappointing.

Andy St John: Okay. Okay okay okay. Andy. He is so high here [and so much higher than his mom and brother] because to me, he’s the scariest of the St John’s. Why? Because he’s the most normal-appearing of the three. He acts and talks like any normal guy would. He’s someone that I could see myself running into in real life. He’s so good at hiding how fucked up he is from everyone, unlike his brother who you can just look at and go “hahahahaha no thanks” and his mother who’s character design is just awful. I find him to be the strongest of the three, the smartest and the most dangerous. And the final fight between him and Lee is amazing. I love how you can be so furious with him that you keep punching him even after the prompt goes away and then his face goes all purple and swollen. Easily the greatest antagonist in S1.

Eddie: This dude is the best character to come out of the 400 Days dlc. End of story.

Alvin: He gave me a juice box and that automatically puts him here. Real great guy but we didn’t get too into his character. Wish we could’ve, though.

Rebecca: She grew on me tbh. Didn’t like her in ep1 when she was being all pissy and all, but for the most part, she’s pretty good.

Mike: I will forever wish the writers went through with the concept of Mike being one of the guys who attacked Christa because then he could’ve had a better character backstory. Regardless, I still like him. He’s pretty funny.

Nick: Nick? Oh, you mean PURE WASTED POTENTIAL. I mean, they really did give us this super flawed but sympathetic and interesting character and kill him off-screen. They really did that. Honestly, S2 really pisses me off sometimes for the way they treated these characters. It all goes downhill once everyone escapes. Yeah, yeah, blah blah not everyone gets a meaningful death blah blah but y’know what? You can do better than that. I loved Nick and I was so excited to see what they’d do with him in the end but NOPE! Justice 4 Nick 2k19

Pete: What a good dude. He stuck by Clementine’s side even when everyone thought she was bit. Love him. Wish we saw more of him.

Sarah: Ha. Ha. PURE WASTED POTENTIAL 2.0. What else needs to be said? This girl had the foundation for a great character but again, NOPE! I really liked Sarah! I wanted to teach her to use a gun to protect herself! The loss of her father fucking broke her and it was hard to watch but I wanted more and just ahaklsdjlaskjdlkakjaskjsaadkljas ahhhhhhhhhhhhhh-

Ava: Yo. Ava’s a fucking gorgeous badass. Really liked her and how she was sweet on Clementine. Also, it’s interesting that she stuck by David’s side like that.

David: I have a lot of mixed feelings about David. On one hand, the complicated relationship between him and Javier is good, even if it’s a little bullshit at times. On the other hand, David’s an asshole. But he’s a great antagonistic character. I do love that about him. The shit with him and Kate was a little annoying, but only because they didn’t ever elaborate on anything. On what level was the marriage fucked? Was it straight-up abusive? What happened to David’s first wife? Why did Kate and David get married in the first place? I got questions! But, like Javier, I think David deserved a better game with better writing.

Jesus: This dude parkour kills walkers. Pretty fucking badass.

Tripp: I feel like I don’t like Tripp as much as some people. I like him fine, but I know a lot of folks gush about him. I think he’s a good dude, a little pushy with Eleanor, but he’s loyal and strong.

S2 Lilly: I fucking hate Lilly. I hate her so goddamn much. She pushes every wrong button with her bullshit “Where's our new recruits?? Lee would be so disappointed knowing he taught you all the wrong things! You’re one of my people now, Clementine” AND THE GODDAMN “Yes, Ma’am” SHIT. Nothing irks me more than every time someone from the delta acts like Lilly’s the baddest bitch and call her “Ma’am” I HATE IT AND I HATE HER. SHE KILLED MITCH. SHE KIDNAPPED MY CHILDREN. SHE DARES TO TRY AND HURT LOUIS LIKE HE’S NOTHING. AND I HATE EVERYTHING ABOUT HER....... That being said, y’all are probably thinking “wtf if you hate her so much why isn’t she in F tier???” and that’s because no other antagonist in these games has ever gotten this strong of a reaction out of me. Lilly is a damn good antagonist. She’s not perfect, and there are definitely things I would change or add, but she does her job and makes me absolutely livid [yeah yeah I know ha ha ha ha] every time she’s on screen doing her bullshit. I hate her and that counts for something. She’s easily the best “villain” in the entire series.

Ruby: I love my funny little hot-headed medic. Ruby’s amazing and I love her.

Willy: This kid really grew on me. I thought he was weird and creepy at the beginning but I adore him now. His brotherly relationship with Mitch should’ve been explored more, and at times his voice acting is kind of jarring, but I still love him.

“You’re fine, I guess...”

Duck: He’s fine. I like Duck. I like the “what if” scenarios we’ve come up with surrounding his character, and his death always puts a lump in my throat, but I wouldn’t go out of my way to say I love him, y’know?

Doug: Again, he’s fine. He has some funny moments when you save him, and he’s got a cool little panda bear on his sweater but... yeah. He’s okay.

Mark: Oh hai Mark. He’s cool, and the reason he’s not lower is because the iconic moment of finding him in the hidden room with his legs chopped off choking out the words “Don’t... eat... dinner” forever haunts my nightmares.

Russell: I’m not a big fan of most of the playable 400 Days characters, but I think if I had to pick a favorite, it’s Russell. His backstory of being with the group that believed in the power of 7′s [I think it was 7 I dunno going off of memory here] was cool and his weird thing with Nate was fun and disturbing. He’s a pretty cool character.

Carlos: I’ve made posts about Carlos before and how I think he had a lot of potential, but looking strictly at his role in the game and I’m left underwhelmed. I did get a lot of shit for where I placed him in my previous tier because he was [and still is] above S2 Kenny but I’m not going to lie and say I like Kenny more than him because... I don’t. I just think Carlos should’ve been given more development.

Carver: A cool antagonist who was defeated waaaaaay too early in the game. They were doing a fantastic job at making me hate him with his treatment of Clementine, beating the shit out of Kenny, murdering Alvin and pulling all that shit with Rebecca, but killing him off so quickly didn’t make it feel as satisfying. Again, underwhelming.

Sam: This pup betrayed me and he ain’t no Rosie, but we played frisbee so he gets a C I guess

Gabe: Y’know, Gabe could’ve been so good. But every time I play through ANF, he ends up annoying me more than Ben. What does that tell you? He’s fine, but he could’ve been a lot better.

Mariana: I’m not so much “meh” on Mari because I think she’s sweet and likable! The problem is I don’t want to put her any higher because really? What did she do? She died horribly because Badger’s a piece of shit.

Abel: Meh this guy’s garbage. I only put him up a little higher because the scene with him in the basement is really good.

Brody: Brody is like the Mariana of S4 for me, just a bit better. I do like her. She had some development but her whole purpose was to die by Marlon’s hand and get the plot going. Would’ve loved to learn more about her, but I couldn’t give her anything higher than a C.

Minerva: Controversial opinion but........ I don’t like Minerva as much as a lot of people do. If I could be brutally honest, if I were ranking these characters solely on how I feel about them without looking at their roles in the games and character development, Minerva would be in E tier at the highest. However, I can’t deny how tragic and complex her character and backstory is. It’s similar to how I feel about Lilly, but different. I think she’s just so fucked up from the delta that she’s become a husk of who she was and it results in her constantly pissing me off with all her shit. Also, the bridge scene alone bumps her up. That shit was crazy in a good yet tragic way.

Omar: At one point, I forgot Omar existed until he got shot in the leg...... but he’s also God so y’know. I like him but I also had to make up my own little backstory for him so...

“Meh”

S1 Lilly: I don’t care about S1 Lilly in the slightest, she’s awful. They made her way more compelling in S4. And she killed my girlfriend which is bullshit on it’s own.

Jolene: If I could rewrite S1, I would’ve thrown out the Stranger and had Jolene be the kidnapper. As Danny said, “What a waste.”

Bonnie: She’s pretty disappointing, tbh. I didn’t like how the game help pushing her onto Clem and overall she’s pretty forgettable.

Vince: He’s okay, I guess. He killed a dude one time. And shot a guy’s foot off.

Wyatt: “Meh” hahaha Eddie was a cooler character than he was

Jane: I wish Jane had been the Molly of S2 and stayed gone after she left the first time. I like that she taught Clementine some useful survival tactics and that’s what puts her on this tier, but I think we all know how I feel about the whole Jane vs. Kenny thing by now so...

S2 Kenny: This Kenny actually moved up a tier because I fully took in everything he’s been through thus far and.... “Meh.” I don’t think he’s good for Clementine, I think she and AJ need a group like Wellington. I recognize that he’s a lot of people’s favorite, but like I said above in his S1 counterpart, I’m the 10% that doesn’t have that strong of an opinion on him. I’d much rather discuss other characters over him.

Sarita: Forgettable, really. Except for when you get the chance to cut her hand off. That fucking scream of hers is anything but forgettable, yeesh.

Walter: Again, mostly forgettable. His death was sad, and I do think he’s a good example of what happens when you’re too trusting in this world, but overall he doesn’t stand out to me.

Kate: I probably would’ve liked Kate more if her romance wasn’t so damn forced. She has some funny lines, but she’s also pretty selfish and fickle when it comes to a lot of things. And I will forever be annoyed at her inability to keep her mouth shut about her and Javi’s relationship [or lack of] in front of David.

“I don’t like you but you’re not the absolute worst, I guess...”

Danny St John and Brenda St John: I put these two together because they have the same issue: They’re fucking creepy. Where Andy was normal and deceiving, these two look like they want to cut my legs off and eat them. I think they’re much weaker in character than Andy was, even with Danny’s weird sexual fixation of his gun and Brenda talking about her husband.

Vernon: He’s not the absolute worst because I do feel a little sympathy for him losing his daughter, but everything else just makes me not like him.

Shel and Becca: Easily my two least favorite characters in 400 Days. I had no real interest in either of them.

Arvo: This guy. I didn’t put him in as the absolute worst because of all the unnecessary shit Kenny put him through. No wonder he wanted to get the hell outta there.

Clint: I literally couldn’t give a single shit about this dude or what happens to him.

Eleanor: I don’t like Eleanor. I found her annoying. Her one good quality is her want to help people, but that want didn’t do much to help Tripp now did it, Eleanor.

“The absolute worst”

Larry: Did you expect anything else? Fuck this guy.

Stranger: Worst final antagonist ever. You’re telling me I have to fight this Mister Roger’s tootsie pop? I’ll bet you $1 I can do it with one hand. Fuck this guy.

Troy: Fuck Troy. All he does is smack Clementine around and then get shot in the dick.

Joan: This lady is a laughably bad antagonist. The worst fucking “villian” jfc...

---

There ya have it. Do you agree, disagree? Maybe a character I found boring you really liked! Maybe you want to tell me why Kenny is the best/worst again! We can discuss it.

I’m always open to talking about these characters!

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ladylike-foxes · 6 years ago

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Dragon Age Question Meme

Tagged by @galadrieljones ❤️😘 Thank you, Sweets!

Tagging: @wrenbee @joufancyhuh @kvpowers @nerkierants @solverne-02 @ellstersmash @swimming-squids @roguelioness And anyone else who'd like to!

01) favorite game of the series?

Inquisition. I hadn't played Origins or DA2 in so long, I had practically forgotten they existed. I had gotten out of gaming for a long time, until I finally caved when I moved away, and got into Skyrim. I played so much I literally maxed out my levelling, and was starting to get bored...which made me sad. Inquisition not only rekindled my love for Dragon Age, it brought out more fresh inspiration to my creativity overall, and that in turn has improved my life,

02) how did you discover Dragon Age?

I played Origins and DA2 at friends' houses when I was in school, but while I enjoyed them, I wasn't in a place in my life where I could appreciate them. Then I was telling my amazing baby-brother-in-law about how sad I was that Skyrim was feeling stale to me, and he told me to play Inquisition. I was speculative at first, because I was so in love with Skyrim's open-world format and lack of any real Good +/- Evil alignment...but once I got past the Intro, I felt so immersed and so connected to the characters, that now Skyrim feels a little empty in comparison (though I do still love it)

03) how many times you’ve played the games?

Origins and DA2, only once each. Inquisition & its DLCs, 6 times all the way through.

04) favorite race to play as?

Elves. It's a bit embarrassing, but I'm an Elf Person. Though I'm sure it hasn't been obvious at all.

05) favorite class?

ROGUE!!! Especially dual-weild 😍 Mage is super fun too, though, ngl

06) do you play through the games differently or do you make the same decisions each time.

NGL It depends on which character I'm playing as, mostly. I also base new decisions based on the effects of decisions in past play thrus and how they played out. If I'm contented with the results in respect to the character, I'll make the same decisions 😂

07) go-to adventuring group?

Solas, Iron Bull, and Dorian, though I rotate Varric and Cassandra in and out a lot, too.

08) which of your characters did you put the most thought into?

😂😂😂 Halesta

09) favorite romance?

Solas, because I enjoy torturing myself. Sera was cute, too. Cullen was fluffy and sweet, and was good for me after my first play thru with Solas. I was in a bad place after the first Solavellan go 'round, cried for weeks. It was not pretty 😂

10) have you read any of the comics/books?

First Flight and Masked Empire

11) if you read them, which was your favorite book?

Masked Empire, hands down. I don't know why, but I couldn't really get into First Flight? But Felassan in Masked Empire, are you kidding?! SWOON.

12) favorite DLCs?

Trespasser. I also love the Descent, especially for the lore! But the Deep Roads scare the ever-loving shit out of me, so I have to psych myself up before I can play it 😅 While I am hot for Ameridan, Jaws of Hakkon didn't really grab me.

13) things that annoy you?

To steal Gala's answer: "Not much. Mostly I get annoyed when parts of the fandom fixate on things that annoy them. That annoys me, because I’m here for the positive vibes, not the negative."

14) Orlais or Ferelden?

Ferelden for the people and culture, Orlais for the varying environments and the history.

15) Templars or Mages?

Mage Rights

16) if you have multiple characters, are they in different/parallel universes or in the same one?

Halesta + Laleal Verse is technically the same Verse as Camber + Somber, since their stories converge, but their timelines are a little different. Ghani is Omniversal. She's in any and every Verse. She's in your Verse right now, and you don't even know it 🤫

17) what did you name your pets? (mabari, summoned animals, mounts, etc)

The dogs in Origins and DA2 were Bryna and Nilo, respectively. Halesta's horse is Da'assan and her little fox is Ghestlin ("lil monster")

18) have you installed any mods?

No...PS4 😟

19) did your Warden want to become a Grey Warden?

Noooooo.

20) Hawke’s personality?

She's a spiteful, sarcastic bitch and I love her so much I can't even.

21) did you make matching armor for your companions in Inquisition?

Ahahaha, God no. I made armor for each companion that I thought fit their personalities.

22) if your character(s) could go back in time to change one thing, what would they change?

Oh God, uhh, I have no idea.

23) do you have any headcanons about your character(s) that go against canon?

SO MANY. Felassan doesn't die, Halies's father is an Ancient Elvhen Sentinel, she is sent by Fel to kill Solas before he can get the Orb to Corypheus (she doesn't), she knows Solas is Fen'Harel, she saves the Orb from breaking but won't give it to Solas, is able to master the Orb and use the power of the Anchor without losing her arm (though it is severely scarred), etc. etc. ad nauseum.

Also, @galadrieljones , about the barefoot elves: I kinda like that they're barefooted! Though probably because I'm always barefooted 😅

24) are any of your character(s) based on someone?

Halesta's personality is based loosely on my mother combined with certain self-insert aspects of my bipolar disorder. Laleal is pretty much based on a combo of my best friend and my husband. Camber's personality is based a little more accurately on my Momma, and her relationship with Somber is based on mine with my own brother (though we're not twins) when we were younger (we're still close, but you know how things change sometimes with age and distance). And Ghani is just a straight-up personification of my depression and anxiety 😂

25) who did you leave in the Fade?

Stroud. I couldn't live with an alternative.

26) favorite mount?

While Halie has a horse she's very attached to in my fic/hc, I don't use mounts in-game. To quote Gala: "My party and I run around on foot like children and get eaten by bears like men."

#about me #dragon age meme #tag meme #galadrieljones #friend love

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theharellan · 6 years ago

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// Dragon Age Questions

Tagged by: no one but i stole it from @dalathin Tagging: @hopewrought, @apocryphorum , @shiftysmugglerlook, @andrastegraced, @felandaristhorns,@deathsreflection,@ghilannainguideme, @snowmcid, @youriinquisitorialness,@nxthero,@willbeshot, , @ofrevas, @theshirallen, @pentaghasted, @valorcorrupt

01) Favourite game of the series? Inquisition, without question. I love all the games but the themes and characters of Inquisition are most important to me.

02) How did you discover Dragon Age? I’ve been playing Bioware games since Jade Empire, although Dragon Age I picked up just b/c it was summer break from university and I was bored, and then I got hooked. I originally wasn’t going to play DA2 b/c it was the same year it came out that I picked up DA:O and it wasn’t getting great reviews. Luckily my dad’s a terrible listener and bought it for me, and unlike the time he bought me AC:Unity despite me saying I didn’t want it, it worked out.

03) How many times you’ve played the games? At least six for DA:I, and then somewhere between 4 and 5 for the other two.

04) Favourite race to play as? Dwarves or elves. I came into the series as dwarf trash and the writing for the elves was rly interesting for this series so I also became elf trash.

05) Favorited class? Mages, except in DA:O where I hate playing anything, but mages the most. Between the spell effects being ugly (why does rock armour look like ur flaking dry skin???) and the AOE effecting everyone even on casual (who decided it was ok to shake the screen THAT MUCH during earthquake) I’m............. not a fan. But I love it in DA2 and DA:I, although in DA:I archer/rogue is a close second.

06) Do you play through the games differently or do you make the same decisions each time? I make different decisions based upon which character I��m playing. So like, Thora will make the same decisions (with slight divergences like I’ll break up with Thom so I can experience Josie’s romance) and then Ruth, my pro-Templar Inquisitor, will be designed to make different decisions from her. Same goes for my Hawkes and Wardens, although I have a significantly harder time justifying some of the alternate decisions in DA:O/DA2. I let the Dalish clan die in DA:O for one jerk Warden and I’m still like “this is a bit overboard.”

07) Go-to adventuring group? DA:O - Zevran, Alistair, Wynne. DA2 - Carver, Varric or Isabela, Merrill in Act 1 and then after that either Aveline in place of Carver or I’ll take Varric, Isabela, and Merrill just so I have a party that likes one another. For DA:I - Solas, Sera or Cole, Blackwall. Although like with my decisions I vary companions, except for Solas who I keep around even when my Inquisitor is doing everything he hates.

08) Which of your characters did you put the most thought into? Of my PCs, Thora. I don’t tend to develop them much unless I’m writing them, beyond really basic motivations and reasons for their decisions. Since I’ve been writing Thora for a while now tho she’s obviously gotten the most development.

09) Favourite romance? Zevran, probably, which is a shame b/c I’ve only done it once.

10) Have you read any of the comics/books? I’ve read Masked Empire and some of the comic issues.

11) If you read them, which was your favourite book? I rly enjoyed Masked Empire.

12) Favourite DLCs? For its drama, Trespasser. Overall, Mark of the Assassin. I may not like Felicia Day (sue me) but oh my god that DLC is fucking gold.

13) Things that annoy you. In-game uhhh... the writing for Oghren and some banter for Zevran, I’m glad Bioware improved the writing for their more sexual characters b/c the banter with Iron Bull is overall less uncomfortable. At this point tho half the time I’m more annoyed by the fandom and its like relentless negativity or misuse of the word “plot hole.”

14) Orlais or Ferelden? Ferelden.

15) Templars or mages? Mages.

16) If you have multiple characters, are they in different/parallel universes or in the same one? With Wardens, there’s the assumption they died with their origin story if Duncan isn’t there. For my Inquisitors, Thora has a companion verse that I pretend is in effect if I’m playing not-Thora. Obviously Hawkes are a parallel universe. I would not wish four Hawkes onto Carver or Bethany.

17) What did you name your pets? (mabari, summoned animals, mounts, etc) I remember only a couple of my mabari names but uh... Fenrir was one, Butters was another, and then one was just Dog b/c i downloaded the dlc half-way through DA2 and it didn’t let me name it at that point, but it was IC for that Hawke so it fit. Thora has a war nug named Moroc.

18) Have you installed any mods? Yes god. A few key ones are Skip the Fade, giving me Warden armour in DA:O, giving Merrill’s romance armour a scarf so I don’t gotta look at her neck, and then the Bi Solas mod.

19) Did your Warden want to become a Grey Warden? Most didn’t, no. I think the only one with positive feelings about it was my Brosca, whose life was kind of over at that point anyway.

20) Hawke’s personality? My main Hawke (Sylvia) was Purple with some Blue, b/c it’s just not appropriate to joke in front of the Viscount when his son’s body isn’t cold, and after Leandra died she got Redder but still overall Purple. My second most developed Hawke, Leland, was mostly red unless Fenris brought up slavery or he was talking to Merrill. Or Anders. Basically he was just grumpy when he had to talk to strangers.

21) Did you make matching armour for your companions in Inquisition? I sometimes try to match colours, but also have preferences for different characters so don’t always.

22) If your character(s) could go back in time to change one thing, what would they change? Thora already went back in time and changed one thing, next question. I have no answers for anyone else.

23) Do you have any headcanons about your character(s) that go against canon? Not particularly, at least not for my PCs, obviously I have some for Solas. At worst Thora’s status as a Beserker is non-canon, but there’s no lore-reason why she couldn’t become one so it’s more that they just didn’t program it.

24) Who did you leave in the Fade? Depending on the pt. Thora leaves behind Alistair and let me tell u I cried a lot. I think I tend towards the Warden in most pts, the only one where I didn’t was my pro-Templar Hawke vs Loghain. Loghain was saved. I actually have only had Stroud once so it’s always been a choice between former companions and Hawke

25) Favourite mount? I like the Wild Hart and the Nuggalope.

#( ooc )#( about me )

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mahalzevran · 6 years ago

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DA 20+ Questions

Tagged by @antivan-surana thanks! Tagging @situationnormal @the-dread-doggo @acepavus @aroundofgwent @lakambaeni @kxnways @fuckbioware (no pressure ofc) and anyone who wants to?

The rest is under a read more because it’s long

01) Favourite game of the series?

Origins, only because you got less and less op as a mage as the games went on. I love all the games tbh.

02) How did you discover Dragon Age?

My friend got my sister into it. They kept talking and talking about it so finally I was like “ok lets see what the big deal is” and here I am now

03) How many times you’ve played the games?

I’ve done Origins twice fully, DA2 four times fully (omg I didn’t realize this until now lol) and DA:I just once fully. I have one unfinished playthrough of Origins with a Cousland, and I’m in the middle of maybe two of DA:I. I think I’ve gone back and replayed certain parts of both Origins and DA:I plenty of times.

04) Favourite race to play as?

Elf I guess? Though I’ve only fully played as a human and elf. I’m in the middle of a dwarf playthrough and I’m thinking of doing a qunari one in the future. It might change idk.

I just really liked playing as an elf in Origins so that’s why I got into elves. But the funny thing is, I wasn’t even thinking of playing as an elf when I played for the first time. I wanted to play as a human. I just did it on a whim.

05) Favourite class?

Mage, hands down. Realistically, they’re the most versatile class. They can do range and melee since anyone can learn how to fight with weapons. But the last two games won’t let you so :)

Also, this stems from the fact that I’ve been a harry potter fan since I could remember.

06) Do you play through the games differently or do you make the same decisions each time?

In my full, proper playthroughs that I’ve finished, it’s slightly different but still the same basic ideas. Sided with mages, agreed with Anders, etc.

But I am planning to try an evil playthrough in the future so

07) Go-to adventuring group?

DA:O (I have two)

Leliana, Wynne, Shale - the OG crew; they were my main crew in my first playthrough and it was a pretty even party

Zevran, Leliana, Alistair - the elf crew; esp. with Rhian they’re all elves because I saw a theory that Leliana is half elf and I’m down

DA2

It’s a mixed bag. If I’m not playing as a mage, I usually take Anders a lot because we need a healer and Merrill can’t heal. I tend not to take Sebastian as much after I max his friendship. After Sebastian, I take Aveline the least. Other than that I just mix it up. Unless I’m romancing someone, then I take them every time.

I’d love to take Anders, Fenris, and Merrill out more often but I hate how mean they all are to each other (looking @ u bioware 👀)

DA:I

My first playthrough, I mixed it up a lot in the beginning but then I ended up bringing Solas, Cole, and Blackwall a lot near the end for some reason?

I love taking Vivienne, Dorian, and Solas out, especially if I’m playing a mage, because it’s such a pretty fireworks show

In general though, if I’m romancing someone I take them with me almost always.

08) Which of your characters did you put the most thought into?

I think it’s a tie between Rhian and Lu.

09) Favourite romance?

To no one’s surprise, it’s Zevran :3

Solas is second because I just really like that angst.

10) Have you read any of the comics/books?

I’ve read The Silent Grove, Those Who Speak, and Until We Speak (because someone gifted me the Omnibus) and The Calling.

I also have Hard in Hightown, which I should probably read lol, and the art book of inquisition.

11) If you read them, which was your favourite book?

The Calling solely because of my mom Fiona and my dad Duncan.

12) Favourite DLCs?

Awakening because I love everyone and its also really funny that Rhian, who is 19 at that point, had to basically babysit people older than her and also run a whole arling.

I love both Legacy and Mark of the Assassin. Mark of the Assassin was really funny (though I hated the stealth part). I love Legacy specifically because when I was fighting Corypheus, both Varric and Anders K.O.’d and it was just me and Carver. It was a special family moment bringing down a whole entire magister together. I also hc that that was canon and it brought Kaia and Carver closer together.

13) Things that annoy you.

I’m gonna talk about the game bc if this is about the fandom, then that’s a whole other thing.

Anders’ writing for one. It doesn’t make sense that he’d approve of giving Fenris back to Danarius. And also that he wouldn’t tell f!Hawke that he’s bi? Then there’s the fact that Anders, Fenris, and Merrill all don’t get along when they have a lot in common.

Anything that was written by Lukas Krisdkjsdhkdk. Aveline, Sera, etc. he did a really bad job.

Also didn’t like that mages got less OP in the last two games.

There’s also the tone-deafness? Dorian, a brown man, saying slavery is ok. And also there’s the dialogue between Solas and Vivienne where Solas supposedly “owns” Vivienne. I think he says something like “may you learn”? Solas, a white person, saying this to Vivienne, a black woman, when there’s obvious colorism in Thedas? I think not.

There’s probably other but I can’t think of them right now.

14) Orlais or Ferelden?

Orlais is too snooty and Ferelden doesn’t season their food. I pick Seheron and Laysh because that’s where the Asians are at.

15) Templars or mages?

Mages

16) If you have multiple characters, are they in different/parallel universes or in the same one?

Originally, my canonverse was Rhian, Kaia, and Luwalhati. Alden and Bolin were part of an AU. Then Alden finagled his way in there, then I decided to have Bolin in there too. So now i have twin Hawkes and Bolin is part of the Inquisition (if he’s a companion or not, I haven’t thought about)

I have plenty of other OCs that I’m planning on, but they’re currently sorted into a different universe.

17) What did you name your pets? (mabari, summoned animals, mounts, etc)

Pikamon for the Origins mabari. It’s a mix between the names of my two dogs, Pikachu and Cinnamon

Cinnachu for the DA2 mabari, also a mix of Pikachu and Cinnamon.

Lu’s mount is the royal sixteen (hart), which is given to you by Clan Lavellan if you manage to keep them alive iirc, and its name is Luntian, the tagalog word for green which is her favorite color. (In a teen!Lu AU, her mount is the bog unicorn bc she’s an edgelord)

18) Have you installed any mods?

It would be more surprising if I didn’t. How else would I manage to have my characters look like the’re poc?? And also get rid of whitewashing and have some continuity. I usually just do cosmetic mods if it’s my first playthrough. Then I do like “cheats” after I finish the game fully.

Fun fact, I once spent like 2+ hrs modding Origins to have the Zev romance the way I want. I also stayed up until like 5am trying to make Solas look like his concept art lol (it didn’t really work)

19) Did your Warden want to become a Grey Warden?

Rhian didn’t not want to become a warden. She read about them and thought they were an honorable order, but she didn’t expect to ever have a chance to become one. Her goal was to just go up in the Circle hierarchy, maybe even become First Enchanter. Then when the time came, she didn’t really have much of a choice.

20) Hawke’s personality?

Kaia is blue and Alden is purple

21) Did you make matching armor for your companions in Inquisition?

At first, I didn’t get what the big deal was with crafting. It didn’t seem fun at all lol. Then I tried it and was hooked. I don’t have them matching, but I do tend to try to match my Inquisitor with their LI in some way.

My usual procedure for armor in Inquisition is like this. I make everyone wear heavy armor and pick the materials that have the highest attributes, not caring how ridiculous the colors are. Then I go to tint them using a guide for each companion’s color scheme. This is the same for helmet but I usually have them turned off or have no one wearing one.

The only exception is Varric, Cole, and Blackwall. I have Varric wear the rogue armor that looks like his DA2 outfit, and Cole and Blackwall wear the Grey Warden heavy armor. I tint the grey warden armor using a guide for its color scheme.

I have Bull, Vivienne, and Cole wear their unique helmets.

22) If your character(s) could go back in time to change one thing, what would they change?

Rhian - She’d probably want to re-do how she told Zevran that she wasn’t exactly dead.

Kaia - Taken Quentin’s threat more seriously and killed him before he got to Leandra

Alden - He has no regrets

Luwalhati - wouldn’t have taken Sam and Wis with her so they wouldn’t have had to have died in the conclave explosion

Bolin - None, all of his decisions led him to Dorian and he’s happy with that.

23) Do you have any headcanons about your character(s) that go against canon?

They’re all at least part Seheron?

I also hc that neither Carver nor Bethany die because Kaia was able to cast a barrier on both of them before the ogre got them. Then they both became Grey Wardens because Carver contracted the taint in the expedition and wouldn’t join the Wardens unless Bethany came with him too.

Another hc I have is that Sebastian didn’t leave when Anders was spared and stayed to help out. But he went his separate way after because he still didn’t approve of sparing him.

Oh shoot, I almost forgot. The most against canon thing I’ve done probably? Rhian didn’t do the Ritual but she did slay the archdemon without dying. Rhian’s an arcane warrior, so when she slayed it, she was partway in the fade. Being partway into the fade was enough for her essence, I guess, to survive it. But she’s not mortal anymore and kind of a spirit now? So she periodically has to chill in the fade because being in the real world takes a toll on her.

25) Who did you leave in the Fade?

In the game, it was Stroud. I killed Loghain and no way is Alistair gonna be trapped in there. Fiona will be sad. So I made Alistair king in the game only, so Stroud was the one that was left.

This is another off canon thing I did. In my actual canon, Alistair is the warden contact. The Hawke that comes to the Inquisition is both Kaia and Alden. Alden brings Fenris with him because he doesn’t go anywhere without his Boo-Boo. Bethany and Carver also come because Weisshaupt was being weird and it seemed like they would be safer in the Inquisition. Lu + her party, Alistair, Kaia, Alden, Fenris, Bethany, and Carver all come to Adamant. Because there’s so many people, everyone was able to escape the Fade. No one is left behind.

26) Favourite mount? The nugs! All of them :)

Though I don’t really use the mounts lol

#tag meme #whew this was really long omg #thanks for tagging though!#about me

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